Title: The Man Who Can't Be Moved (A companion fic to "If You and Me")
Written by: k3josai
Beta by: superlc529
Pairing: Smallville Clark and Lois (Alternate Universe)
POV: Clark Kent
Rating: T
Summary: One step forward means one step ahead. But how can Clark move on when he realizes each day that he loves his best friend even more?
Farm boy Clark Kent meets city girl Lois Lane. Who would have thought that destiny has a plan ahead of them? Can he wait until he sees her again?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters are owned by CW/WB/DC. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Special Thanks to:
Superlc529 – You're the best! Thanks for your patience and spending some time with me so you can beta this fanfic. I know it isn't that easy because our time zones are different. Maraming salamat. Without you, I can't find the courage to post my fics online. ^_^
Malvill Aces – Thanks Ate Angel for the music video. ^_^ I really do want to do a collab video with you for this fic, but my 'real' job didn't permit me to do so. I've been so busy with work. I do know even without me, your video can stand out. Whether you admit it or not, video editing is one of your talents. ^_^
Credit: For the Banner – Allie-O of deviantart
Authors' Notes:
This is an AU fic of Smallville. So you can notice the difference in the timeline and character references. Chloe Sullivan didn't exist here, but her parents did. There are mentions of Martha and Jonathan Kent, General Sam and Ella Lane, Wes Keenan, Oliver Queen, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne and Richard White. Lois and Clark are both the only child of their corresponding parents.
This fic is (partially) inspired by Superman No. 14 (New 52 series) which led me to believe that Clark despite of kissing Diana, deep inside him he was falling for his best friend, he's just trying so hard to cover it up. I will mention the specific lines which I love so much.
Her name is LOIS LANE.
She's an ARMY BRAT.
Not even thirty and she's already won her first PULITZER.
The nightly news magazine she executive produces on GBS has been nominated for an EMMY.
She's as comfortable interviewing the PRESIDENT in the White House as she is falling behind enemy lines in QURAQ.
Let's just say, there's ONLY ONE Lois Lane and leave it at that.As her BEST FRIEND, he has seen her at her BEST and at her WORST.
As SUPERMAN, he's caught her in his arms while she suffered from HYPOTHERMIA at 40,000 feet.
As Clark Kent, he escorted her to the last royal wedding where she committed the international faux pas of looking BETTER than the bride.
No matter how many times he lays eyes on her-
even as he does with his x-ray vision-
he's always taken aback at the realization that Lois Lane is the most AMAZING woman he has ever met.
\CKLL/
THE MAN WHO CAN't BE MOVED
PART I
Metropolis, 2002
What was I doing? Was it really worth it to do it again? It didn't matter. My opportune moment passed me by and I could never get it back. It wasn't right to try to turn back time. I'm not God. I took my glasses off. I couldn't see out of them anymore. They were getting foggy due to the moisture forming in my eyes.
We had gone through so much together. Thinking about everything we had been through was one of the constant reminders that I still had a good life – though sometimes it wasn't fair. I wiped my glasses with my handkerchief. I put them back on once I was satisfied that they were clear enough for me to see her face among the crowd.
I wouldn't though.
I closed my eyes and pushed a button on my cell phone. I lost count how many times I listened to her voice – the voice that kept me going since the last time I saw her smiling face.
"Hey, Clark, I know this isn't the right time or the right place to say this…"
She paused for awhile; I knew she was trying to get rid of a lump in her throat. She was always like that when she was uncomfortable or didn't want to say something.
"I wish I was in Diana's shoes so you'll like me the way you like her. But I know that's not possible. So this is why I hope you'll understand why I need to distance myself from you. Don't worry, I can heal fast. I'm Lois Lane, remember?"
I fully understood how dumb I was to just let her go that easy. All I really wanted was to save her from too much pain if I wasn't able to defeat Doomsday a month ago. The Kryptonian beast was stronger than me and it didn't have any conscience. It was a killing machine. After all my efforts to save her from any agony and pain, in the end, she still suffered from all the foolish decisions I made. What kind of best friend was I? I couldn't be her hero. I failed her.
"I wish you all the happiness in the world."
I heard the clicking sound; I felt my own happiness slipping away. I didn't even feel the tightness in my chest until I felt the tears start to flow freely down my cheeks.
Who would have thought that the hero whom the world looked up to would be sitting in a chair beside the bed of a non-moving body with all my weaknesses exposed?
I reached for her. The warmth emanating from her small hands gave me some kind of comfort that one of these days she would wake up. If only she would let me see those lovely hazel eyes again, see that smile that would make me forgot all the problems of the world; and let me hear her quip of telling me to 'get a life, Smallville.'
I've watched her sleep since the first day I brought her here. There wasn't any change in her condition except her bruises were all lightened and her surface wounds healed. Her broken rib and left arm were still in the process of healing. The doctors said she was indeed lucky despite of the force of impact of Doomsday's throw. Her brain was actively functioning and she would be able to survive this incident.
\CKLL/
Metropolis 2002 – One Month Ago
I fought so hard. My whole body ached. This pain felt akin to someone stabbing kryptonite in my gut. I punched the beast directly in its stomach and then its face. I wasn't sure if the blood on its face was his or mine. My knuckles were bleeding. My suit was torn. I was breathing so hard. I was exhausted but I couldn't give up.
The destruction Doomsday made all over the city was already too much. If I died before it does, it could kill more and more people. It could tear down the Earth, the only planet that gave me shelter after my own planet, Krypton, exploded when I was a baby.
My left eye was swollen shut. I wasn't able to see its next attack. It surprised me from behind and threw me into another building. Buildings collapsed. My world shook from the impact. Rubble was all around me and on top of me. I tried to stand, but my knees were already weak. Dust lifted everywhere.
Earlier, I convinced every policeman to block all the entrances and exits of the area we were fighting, to not let anyone get near the battleground. It was too risky. I coughed so hard. I started to crawl to get away from all the dust in the air. I stopped for awhile, silently praying that my parents weren't watching the news. I couldn't bear to let them see how beaten I was. I promised them that no matter what, I would keep Earth safe.
I couldn't break that promise.
I shut my eyes as I whispered her name, "Lois."
I thought I heard her say my name seconds ago. I could never give up; the world depended on me so much. Diana was also there to help me, but it was my battle. Her strength wasn't enough to defeat the monstrous beast. I must be the one who should end it, not Wonder Woman.
I took another deep breath, as I thought about what I had done. At first, I asked Diana to pretend that we were a couple so that Lois would be able to forget about me. I should have been happy knowing Lois felt something for me – I'm her Smallville. A little while back, when I was looking for some notes for my article, I accidentally found a crumpled-up piece of paper in Lois' trash bin under her desk. I recognized her penmanship through the murky pencil strokes.
It said, "If only it were easy to say how I really feel about you. If it were, I would do it right away. But it isn't. You said I'm the most courageous person you know. You're wrong. I'm the most cowardly woman you've ever met. And I'll forever be wishing on a falling star that maybe someday, my surname will become Lane-Kent."
The letter was bittersweet. I had wished she felt that way about me for the longest time, but the timing was terrible. Why did it have to be when I already knew my fate? I was destined to do battle with Doomsday. Its strength could match or surpass mine.
If I died, Lois would forget about me and move on like the rest of the world. If I won, I still couldn't be with her because of my duty to protect the world. Lois was an amazing person and it wasn't right that she wouldn't be first on my priority list. It wasn't fair because she deserved better than what I could provide her.
Diana had been a good friend of mine and for a moment, due to our loneliness and internal struggles of not being human, we thought we could be more than friends. That short period of time ended in hurting the people around us. They were not just acquaintances but very good friend of ours who stood with us throughout the test of time.
I needed to apologize to Diana for dragging her into this mess. I needed to tell Bruce that it was my fault that I couldn't tell he had feelings for Diana. If I could survive this, I needed to tell Lois that what I feel for her was beyond forever. I wondered how I could correct my wrongs if I gave up now.
Using all the strength I could muster, I stood up and let my instincts lead me.
I didn't know if I was just imagining it, but I heard Lois' heartbeat. It wasn't as calming as before. It was erratic like mine. Then and there, I realized she wasn't too far away from where I was standing. I was right. She was standing not five meters away from where I stood. She shouldn't be here. I wasn't strong enough or fast enough right now to save her this time. I didn't want her to see me in this situation.
For a moment, my world stopped as I saw Doomsday attack Lois at lightning speed. I did my best to block the beast, but I wasn't fast enough…
I wasn't fast enough.
He grabbed her and threw like a ragdoll. My blood boiled. I was enraged. My adrenaline pushed me higher than I had ever gone before. I tackled the monster and flew us both away from the Earth and into space. I was going faster than I ever had before. As we approached the sun's rays, the monster became weak. I threw him into the sun, destroying the monster.
Exposing myself to the yellow sun gave me my strength back. The strength I needed to get back to Earth and back to the love of my life. I prayed harder than I ever had before that she was okay, though the other part of my brain told me that she was broken – possibly broken beyond repair. 'Clark, it's your fault.'
My heart almost stopped when I saw her lying in the filthy street. My voice was raspy and not as powerful as before, "Lois? Lois? Can you hear me?"
I scanned her using my x-ray vision. I closed my eyes forcefully. She couldn't be badly hurt. Through my glassy eyes, I stared down at Lois' tormented face. I was so afraid that one wrong move and I would make the damage even worse. I saw fresh blood flow from her wounded forehead. With trembling hands, I gently touched her face.
"Please stay with me, Lois. Please." I could tell she was trying to move and speak, but she couldn't. My own tears were blinding me as I watched her shedding her own. I wasn't used to seeing Lois like that. I always remembered her smiling face, even during the most desperate of times. Even if things were turned upside down, she could still crack a joke and make everything right… but not tonight. Reality came down full force at how fragile life could be.
I cradled Lois closer to my chest. I knew she was struggling to stay conscious. My heart was beating rapidly in contrast to her. I decided to fly her away from this disaster area and to the nearest hospital. I didn't know how fast I should go. I couldn't be too fast or too slow. If I was too fast, her injury might worsen, but if I was too slow, there were chances that she wouldn't make it. Somehow, I miraculously found the middle-ground.
Time stood still as I looked down at her through my right eye. It was like watching a movie in slow motion. I heard the people around me in the hospital saying, 'It's Superman.'
I didn't answer them. My focus was on the woman in my arms, fighting for her life. Each second counted. As soon as the doctors and nurses took her and got to work, I finally felt all the stress lift away and my strength felt like it disappeared. The faces of the crowd slowly blurred away and their voices diminished to nothing.
\CKLL/
Metropolis – 2002 – A month after the Doomsday attack
"Lois, you've been here a month. Please give me a sign, any sign that you can hear me." I whispered softly as I held her right hand, "Please forgive me."
She wasn't responding. I wasn't aware that my shoulders were shaking until my mother touched my shoulder comfortingly.
"Clark," My mother whispered.
"Mom."
"Lois wouldn't like you hurting yourself like this."
I faced her. She leaned down and I hugged her so tight. I really needed my mother's comfort.
"Clark, just believe she will wake up soon."
"I know, Mom, it's just a matter of time." I wiped my tears and decided to stand up.
"You need to rest, Clark. Even superheroes need a break. You haven't slept since this happened, have you? You already helped the city rebuild. You've done more than enough already."
I faintly answered, "One of these days I will, Mom."
She gently stroked my hair, "Get some sleep, son."
I nodded as I took another glimpse of Lois lying in the bed before I gently closed the door.
As I walked down the hospital's hallway, I felt like she was there with me, watching and guiding me. With Lois, silence wasn't an option. She could talk a mile a minute. I smiled.
Yeah, she was really like that. For every one word I said, she already said ten. Who does that? Only Lois Joanne Lane. No matter what, she would always be my best companion. There were rare times when she could be quiet. Those were special moments like when she was busy writing her articles or when she was focusing on what I was saying to her. Yes, she was indeed one of the best listeners I've ever had, aside from my parents.
Right now, walking by myself, I still didn't feel like I was really alone. I knew she was walking beside me, enjoying a comfortable silence while munching on her favorite ice cream cone. I looked to my side and shook my head. I was imagining things. I blinked and her image disappeared before my eyes. She wasn't here with me. She was lying in a hospital bed.
I stuffed my hands in my jacket's pockets and I decided to go to a familiar place where I could be with her in my memories of us together.
I sat down on my favorite bench. I wondered why the maintenance department never bothered to at least repaint it. But I was grateful it was the same. Sometimes, I felt like some things had to stay the way they were before.
Who would have thought that this simple bench would serve as a remembrance of a past that I could never forget?
\CKLL/
TBC
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