Unsung Hero

By River Hobbit

Summery: One Shot: 15 years after the Season Four finalae, Clark Kent goes to Gotham City to cover a breaking story. What he finds is not what he expected. L&C/Batman crossover.

Clark Kent smiled as he kissed his daughter's forehead. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?" he whispered, pulling her into an embrace. "Be good for Mom."

"Promise it's only a few days?"

He nodded, standing. He and his family were at the Metropolis airport, dropping him off for a flight to Gotham city. Since meeting Bruce Wayne and Batman many years ago during his travels, Clark Kent never flew 'Superman Express' into Gotham, and never showed the caped hero within Batman's territory. For a while, the reporter thought his billionaire friend knew of his secret, though Bruce continued to deny all knowledge of who was truly behind the yellow, blue and red.

Looking towards his wife, Clark smiled and leaned in for a farewell kiss. He then turned to his son. "Behave, okay?" he told the fifteen-year-old.

Clark Kent Junior smiled. "You know me, Dad."

"I do." Clark Senior said, and turned back to Lois. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. His insides were turning. He had the oddest feeling that this would be the last time he would hold her like this. "I love you," he murmured into her hair. "I love you with my whole heart."

She whispered those same words back to him, burrowing her face in his chest. Looking down at her, he lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. He then leaned down and covered her lips with his. She smiled and laughed.

"You'd better go. Look after yourself."

"You look after yourself. And CJ, look after your mother and sister for me?"

CJ nodded. Picking up his carry on bag, Clark gave his family one last smile before turning to board his plane.

Glancing around the airport in Gotham City, Clark sighed and decided he definitely hated planes. He would have preferred to fly under his own steam. Though he never did, not if his destination was one of the few places in the world he rarely visited. Gotham was one of those places.

"Master Kent, this way please," a voice behind him said, and Clark turned with a slight smile on his face. He greeted his friend's butler and followed him out to the car. Waiting in the limo was none other than Bruce Wayne.

"Hi Bruce," Clark said as he made himself comfortable within the car.

"Hello, Clark. I hope you don't mind, my daughter wanted a ride."

Clark smiled at the young girl and said that it was no problem. The two friends spent the trip to Bruce's mansion catching up.

Bruce smiled as he passed the open door where Clark was busy at his laptop computer. He knew that his friend from Metropolis took his work seriously, but he thought the reporter needed to get a life. Everything that Clark did seemed to revolve around a breaking story. Stopping by the open door, he became lost in his thoughts. It was a while before he realised Clark had looked up at him and had called his name.

After a few minutes of small talk, Bruce left Clark to work, not realising that it would be the last time he would. Moving downstairs, Bruce told Alfred that he was taking Helena shopping.

It was nearing ten-thirty when the billionaire playboy spotted his reporter friend across the street from the mall he had taken his daughter to. He stopped short when he actually comprehended the situation. Clark Kent was standing in the direct line of a gun. It seemed the reporter was trying to get the gunman to lower the weapon, or to get the gunman to remain in the vicinity until police could arrive to take control of the situation. With Clark though, were two of Bruce's closest friends, Dick and Barbara.

To his horror, Bruce was forcibly made to watch as the gun was fired. He couldn't turn away. All he could do was pull his daughter close to him to shield her from the would be fatal shots. Clark moved so quickly that it was unclear what was happening. He was the first to take the bullets, and from where Bruce stood, it seemed that Clark wasn't expecting the inevitable. A bullet had lodged itself in his stomach, and he looked down in denial. He pulled his hands from the wound and his hands were covered in tell-tale blood. Clark took another two bullets directly in his chest before he collapsed. Dick was the next to take a bullet, and he too, took more than the single shot. Barbara was lucky in the sense she only took a single shot.

By that stage, people around them had started to scream and run. The distant sirens spoke of what little hope there could be. Bruce finally found his feet and rushed across the street, closely followed by young Helena. Crouching beside Dick, he felt for a pulse, but found none. There was no help coming for his partner. He moved to Clark and surprisingly enough, found the reporter's cloudy gaze on him.

"Please, help them," he forced out, blinking his eyes, trying to focus on Bruce's face. By then, Helena had moved to Barbara's side and Bruce looked over to her.

"Daddy, she's still alive."

Looking around, Bruce tried to find something to help Barbara. Taking off his cotton jacket, he handed it to his daughter, telling her to hold it firmly against the wound. He then turned his attention back to Clark. He whispered, "Dick has gone. I'm here to help you."

"There's nothing to be done, unless you take the bullets out, now," Clark managed.

Bruce sat and pulled Clark's upper body into his lap. "There's no way I can do that," he choked. He could see that the reporter was struggling to breath.

"Do something for me, will you?"

"Anything."

"Personally deliver all the envelopes in my computer case." Taking another ragged breath before he continued, Clark tried to refocus on the billionaire. "I want you to be the one to tell my family. I don't want them finding out from anywhere else. Tell Lois…" Bruce struggled to keep his eyes free from tears as he watched his friend struggle to hold onto his last remaining bits of strength. "Tell her I…"

The billionaire was crying openly as Clark died in his arms. The Gotham PD arrived with the ambulance only too late to save two of his friends. Barbara was rushed into intensive care.

A few hours later, Bruce had arranged for Clark's body to be flown to Metropolis, and to keep his identity from the press and public eye. He presented his statement to the police and had gone to the hospital to find some promising news. The bullet Barbara had received was removed and she was in a stable condition, expected to make a full recovery.

Returning to his mansion, he checked that both Alfred and Helena were doing okay before telling them he was going to fulfil his promise to Clark.

Martha had believed she would never outlive her son, but that had all come shattering around her when she had been told the news by Bruce Wayne. He had arrived in Smallville before heading onto Metropolis to deliver the remainder of the envelopes her son had left behind. It didn't seem that long ago that she had said farewell to her beloved Jonathon, though it could have been several years since he had passed away. Now, she was saying goodbye to her son.

A song playing in the background caught her attention, and she couldn't stop her eyes from blurring with tears.

Tell me when the time we had slipped away, tomorrow turned to yesterday, and I don't know how

Tell me what can stop this river of tears, it's been building up for years, for this moment now

Here I stand, arms opened wide, I've held you close, kept you safe till you could fly

Martha couldn't remember the last time she had held Clark close, or when the last time he couldn't fly because of green Kryptonite. But her tears continued to fall as the song continued.

Tell me where the road ahead is going to bend, and how to harness up the wind, and how to say goodbye

Tell me why, why does following your dreams, take you far away from me, and I knew that it would

Tell me how to fill the space you've left behind, and how to laugh instead of cry, and how to say goodbye

The song ended and Martha broke down, crying over the loss of both her husband and her son.

Bruce Wayne had never really visited Metropolis before. He had found the envelopes Clark had asked him to deliver no trouble at all. They were all neatly named with addresses and directions to find each person, and of course, the Daily Planet. It had come to a surprise to him that this particular reporter had seemingly been aware that something was going to happen to him. All in all, there were only four envelopes for him to deliver. One was for who he assumed was Clark's mother, one was for Lois, one was for a certain retired editor by the name of Perry White, the last was for his current boss, Richard White. There was one other envelope, and as of yet, Bruce was still to open it.

He had decided to deliver the other envelopes before he read Clark's final words to him. The taxi stopped outside the Daily Planet and he exited. Paying the driver, he then took in his surroundings. Clark had once told him that even though the Daily Planet building wasn't the tallest building in Metropolis, it was the most well-known, and the globe, as well as the entire building, was a landmark.

Entering the building, he asked for directions to find Lois Lane, or at least her desk. He made his way up to the newsroom floor. Stepping off the elevator, he took the newsroom in, while looking for a certain ace reporter. He got a few inquiring stares before a photographer came up to him.

"May I help you?"

"Yes. I'm looking for Lois Lane."

"She's in with the Chief at the moment, but maybe I can help. I'm Jimmy Olsen." Jimmy offered his hand for a hand shake.

Bruce gave him a slight smile and took the hand offered. "Bruce. And I'm sorry, but I am not here for a story. It's a personal matter that I have to discuss with Lois Lane."

Jimmy showed Bruce to Lois' desk and it was not long before the ace reporter returned to her desk. Neither of them had met before, and Bruce swallowed as he first looked upon his friend's wife.

"Who are you?" Lois demanded. "I'm rather busy at the moment."

"Waiting for a phone call from Clark?" he asked, ignoring her question. She looked up at him sharply. "Clark sent me. My name is Bruce Wayne." Her jaw became slack. Bruce pressed on. "Is there somewhere where we can talk in private?"

Lois frowned and nodded. "We can use the conference room." Bruce followed the reporter and he shut the door behind him. It took him a while before he was able to turn around and look at her. "This can't be good," she said jokingly.

"Clark wanted me to deliver this to you," he said sombrely, handing the envelope with Lois' name on it to her. It took him a few moments more to continue. "I wish I could have met you with better news. I'm sure you have heard about the shooting that happened in Gotham this morning?"

Lois nodded. "Two people were killed, and a third in critical condition. There were no names given, and the footage didn't capture the victims. Clark is probably busy working on the exclusive for the Planet."

Bruce hung his head. "No," he countered simply. "He is not in a position to get the exclusive. I was there, at the scene."

"So do you know or recognise the victims?"

He laughed dryly and nodded. Swallowing, he tried to keep the unexpected tears from falling. "Two of the victims lived with me. Barbara and Dick are like family to me. Dick is dead and I don't know if Barbara will live to see another day. The other was a close friend of mine, and had been for years. Clark… Clark died to protect my family." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Bruce couldn't bring himself to look at Lois. "He wanted me to be the one to tell you."

Lois, with the news of her husband's death, laughed dryly. "You must be mistaken. Clark can't be killed by a gun."

The billionaire gulped. "He seemed to have had the same reaction, but obviously, he can. He's not Superman."

Shaking her head, she stated, "What you don't understand is that my husband cannot be killed by normal means. He cannot be killed with a bullet, or any other human weapon."

"Clark died in my arms. Are you telling me that my eyes were deceiving me this morning? Clark took three bullets to protect my family and he is dead. He told me that there was nothing I could do, unless I took the bullets out. They were too deep for me to do that, and so he died."

Lois glared at the billionaire, not sure if she should trust him. She looked at the envelope in her hand and with nothing else to do, she tore it open. Unfolding the A4 piece of paper within the envelope, she grasped it with a shaking hand. She barely managed to read it before her eyes blurred with tears and she dropped the letter to the ground.

Bruce slowly bent to pick the letter up and he quickly focused his eyes on the top of the page.

To my beloved Lois,

I love you so much. I will never stop loving you. Our love is eternal, and I will be waiting. Remember what H. G. Wells told us on our wedding night? That we are soul mates… Don't forget that, because I will wait forever for you, and I will always find you.

If you are reading this, then what we have feared has happened. You also know how it could have possibly have happened, that somehow, someone has found out Superman's weakness and exploited it. I am unsure if they know the truth about us, and about our family. I wish I could die as Clark Kent, and not as Superman. I do not know the circumstances in which I am killed, but know that I will forever love you.

I am hoping that you can draw comfort from CJ and Lara. This will be a difficult time for all of you. Can you watch out for my mother like you promised before I left for Krypton? I know this is hard on you, but it will be especially hard on her after recently losing Dad.

I love you. Remind our children that I love them too.

Forever yours, Clark.

Bruce placed the note on the conference room table in confusion. What was Clark talking about in his note to Lois. Pushing aside his confusion for the moment, he reached out and pulled Lois into a comforting embrace.

Ten minutes had passed by the time Bruce left Lois alone in the conference room. He knew that she needed time to sort out everything that had happened that day. He headed to the Editor and Chief's office and knocked on the door. Richard told him to come in and asked what he had done to Lois.

Bruce explained that it wasn't what he had done to Lois, but what he had told her. He then handed Richard the final envelope he had to deliver. The editor quickly opened the envelope and read the enclosed note. With it was an article. The billionaire witnessed the same shell-shocked expression on the editor's face as he had seen on the three previous people he had told. Richard then took the article in his hand and dismissed Bruce. Walking out of the office, Bruce then took up the envelope left for him.

The funeral service for Clark Kent was a quiet one. Only close friends and family were at the gravesite. Martha, Lois, CJ and Lara huddled together for comfort, knowing that they were not only saying goodbye to a son, a husband and a father, but also a hero. There were only two others there that knew they were also saying goodbye to a hero, as well as a friend. Bruce was not present. He had returned to Gotham to pay his last respects to his friend and partner. Barbara had been moved from the ICU to another ward, and was steadily on the mend, though she would never walk again.

Two days after his funeral, Clark Kent spoke one last time from the grave. With his article came a follow up of the incident that had happened in Gotham in which he had lost his life.

Unsung Hero: Told through the eyes of Superman

Not many people realise that there is or are willing to see the man behind the hero. Or to put it mildly, they do not see the man behind the cape. For many years, ever since I first donned the cape, people have only seen what I do and not who I am. All of us at some point wear a mask, whether it is for the safety of others or for our own gain. I wish I could say that I am an exception to this, but that would be going against what I stand for. It is true that I wear a mask, but this mask is not for personal gain or a diabolical plan. I was not sent here to take control of Earth, or as a forerunner for an invading army. I am not that type of person. The mask I wear is for protection; though it is not for me I wear it, but for my family.

My name is Kal-El, last son of Krypton. My name is also Superman, though these names are not who I truly am. They are masks of the man I am. It is true, also, of the name and man my friends and co-workers know. Not many have the privilege of truly knowing the man behind the cape, and the man I am to my family. Through this, I hope I can shed some light on the life of being Superman.

Many believe I first arrived on Earth shortly before the space program Prometheus was launched. In fact, everyone did, except those who truly know me. This belief is a falsification. I didn't come here as an adult, or, in fact, a teenager. I arrived as a baby.

Years ago, before I was sent here, my biological parents, Jor-El and Lara, discovered that the system of planets where they had made their home was going to explode. They had very little time before their sun would become a black hole and destroy Krypton and the other planets in the system. Together, they crafted a small ship in which they placed their last hope – their infant son, me. In the space of time they had from first finding out about their doom, they managed to find a suitable planet to send me to almost identical to their own, many light years from their galaxy. So they sent their only son into the great unknown, leaving only a few messages for me to remember them by.

The spacecraft, holding its precious cargo, raced toward a planet known as Earth and landed in Kansas. Along with the ship that bore me to Earth, the day I arrived here brought one of the most widespread natural phenomenons known to man – that of the Smallville meteor shower. I am very grateful to the people that found and raised me. Without them in my life, things could have turned out differently. In fact, I know I wouldn't have dreamt of first putting the cape on without their love and support, and the love and support of my wife.

It seems incomprehensible to most, but I grew up as any human would. I never knew of my origins as a child. As I grew older, though, I knew I was different. I was stronger and faster than everyone I knew. That wasn't even the scariest part. My adopted parents told me how they had found me when I was only a few months old, and they had no idea of what I was, or where I was from. It was at that time that I decided to keep my powers a secret from all but my parents.

That one decision was one of the hardest decisions, but also one of the easiest choices I had ever had to make. It affected every aspect of my life, and the lives of my parents. As a child, and growing into the adult I now am, I was always helping a life of another, whether it was a person or an animal. I guess my upbringing had a lot to do with the passion I have to help. Helping others, and unwilling to share my secret with anybody, I hid a part of me from the world. Because of this, I never really had any close friends until my arrival in Metropolis.

It was hard watching others have normal lives, have families. Growing up, that was one thing that I had always dreamed of having. It was one thing I couldn't have. At that stage of my life, I wasn't staying in any one place for more than two or three months, due to the fact I would use my gifts in some extraordinary way saving a life, and I'd draw unwanted attention.

I applied for a job in Metropolis, and that was when my life really began. During my very first job interview, I meet an incredible woman, who I would later work along side, and then marry. She came barrelling into the Chief's office with an idea for an article, and I fell head over heals for her. The Chief turned me down that first day. I was devastated, but I wanted to find a way to stay in Metropolis, and I wasn't giving up on the job I dreamed about almost as long as having a family of my own. So I took it upon myself to write an article that Lois Lane wasn't "in the mood for." The next day, I submitted the article to Perry White, and he offered me a job, which I gladly accepted, and my career as a reporter began.

A few days after I began working for the Daily Planet, I rescued a man trapped in a manhole explosion, and that was when Lois gave me the idea of becoming "Superman," and that weekend, my mother created the costume for the hero. That night, when I first put the tights and cape on, I made my debut as Superman. It wasn't until I delivered Lois Lane back to the Planet that the name for the hero in tights was formed.

Having two identities helped me so much. I could do the two things I did best: I could help people, and I could also have a private life. Over the years I have kept my separate identities apart, knowing if one of Superman's enemies got a hold of my private life, my family and friends could be in danger. It has been hard keeping my duel identities from friends and workmates. There have been many times I have wanted to tell people, though both my parents and my wife have persuaded me that it would be an unnecessary burden on them, and I am still wary of letting people know the truth and see the real me. I eventually worked up the courage to tell my wife, who was at that stage my girlfriend. She was mad at me for a few days, but since then, we have had a great time, and there have been no more secrets between us. She has helped me with keeping the secret from the office where we work and from friends.

Now, I am telling the world.

My wife is Lois Lane. My name, the name that is truly me, is Clark Kent. Kal-El is my birth name, Superman is the name of the hero, but I am Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet, who is also a combination of both Superman and Kal-El. I only ask one thing: my family, my personal life, is not on public display, and those out there wanting to use them against me will not work. It has been tried before and has failed, and frankly, I am tired of it.

If you are reading this, then my destiny has been fulfilled. I have put my whole being into helping the citizens of the world, by being a hero as well as reporting the truth. My death is not in vain, for I know that the world I leave is a better place. So I go, asking each of you to look to yourselves for the strength, decency and compassion that I know each one of you has inside. Emerson said self-trust is the essence of heroism. Inside each of you is hero. And so I leave, knowing a world full of heroes has nothing to fear.

Fin

Authors Note: I want to thank you all now for the reviews going to be posted. I've been thinking of writing something like this for a while, and I hope you have enjoyed it, though it sad. The song that Martha listens to halfway through this story is entitled "How to Say Goodbye" by Michael W. Smith. I don't own any of the characters or the lyrics of the song.