Part XIV
Even as Clark looks at the front page picture of Bruce on one knee in front of Chloe, he still can't believe she is getting married. "Chloe is getting married!" He is happy for her. He is even happier she didn't give him a hard time for dating Lois. He felt really weird asking his best friend's cousin out, but he just had to. He remembers swearing to Chloe he didn't ask Lois out just because she is a pale imitation of Chloe. Even he believed himself, so he is sure Chloe did.
It is the wedding of the century with anyone who is anyone fighting for an invitation to Bruce Wayne's wedding. The media circus alone is beyond belief. It is so bad they have to take a vacation from Batman and Batwoman, but neither minds that much. The press had a field day with Bruce's bachelor party photos and eye witness reports, but they were stunned when Chloe didn't break down in front of their cameras. They were even more stunned when pictures of Chloe's bachelorette party "leaked" which made Bruce's event seem tame and Bruce simply commented he was glad she had a good time. Every effort to stir up trouble failed miserably. The press doesn't understand how Chloe and Bruce are holding up so well under all the pressure. They don't know Bruce and Chloe already had their ceremony with just their dearest friends and family or that this is all just for show. Chloe is actually having a grand time playing the bride to be as she works the talk show circuit and the million interviews. She gives Lois an exclusive of course. Bruce is not as thrilled, but he is being a good sport.
The day of their wedding the weather is perfect. The sun is shining but there is enough of a light breeze to keep it from getting hot. Chloe has Clark walk her down the isle as her father passed away last year. Lois looks so uncomfortable in the hideous pink contraption Chloe picked for the bride's maids. She tried to convince Lois she only picked it because it was the "in" style of dress but they both know Chloe enjoyed forcing Lois into that dress. Lois gives her a clenched teeth smile as Chloe gets to the alter. "Good luck Clark" Chloe thinks. Their private marriage ceremony was simple but elegant. Today is anything but simple. It is the full on fairy tale with horse drawn carriage and love doves. Bruce and Chloe had written their own vows for their private ceremony but here they use ultra flowery love speak so coated with sugar anyone who hears it gets a sugar high. This event is all about maintaining their public image.
There was a tiny bit of a stir when Penguin made an appearance but he simply offered his best wishes and left a small present. Penguin is another example of why Chloe is Bruce's perfect match. Thanks to a little bit of help from Chloe, using Bruce's money, Penguin has managed to go relatively straight. He owns an exclusive restaurant and night club which thanks to Bruce Wayne and company visiting regularly is the hit of Gotham. The food is actually really good. Penguin knows his fish.
The reception is an old style ball. Chloe had always thought a ball would be fun, so why not. Being who they are it is easy to get everyone to play along. While Chloe does have fun, she does regret a bit the choice of dress. The thing seems to gain weight over the evening and is so awkward she nearly trips a dozen times. She is very envious of the boy's simpler formal wear until Bruce confides his outfit rides up in some very uncomfortable spots. Still, they have a wonderful time.
The next day, Bruce and Chloe enjoy relaxing in their bed doing what newly weds are supposed to do. That night they don their costumes and venture out into the night. This is the real consummation of their marriage as it is on the streets where they truly belong.
A few months later:
"Go faster." Chloe orders from the back seat of the Batjet.
"We are already at 110%. I can't push the engines anymore or we won't get there at all." he calmly tells her.
"We have to get there in time." she replies.
"We will" he reassures her even though they both know it is not a something he can promise.
They eject over the battle site while the jet's autopilot takes it to a private airstrip nearby to wait for them.
"I don't like this plan." Bruce tells her as the glide over the battle.
"I don't like it either, but you can see it may be our only chance?" Chloe replies.
"I do." he replies tersely and then closes his cape so he falls faster.
Clark had planned on hitting Doomsday with the Phantom Zone generator, but Doomsday proved to be too fast for him to hit with the ray. Clark then tried to beat Doomsday into submission, but he has failed. Doomsday is too powerful. Even with Oliver's team helping, he is overmatched. Still Clark has never been one to give up hope so he struggles to his feet and prepares to fight once more.
Doomsday claps his hands sending that small running fool flying from the shockwave. That fly was just a minor distraction. He turns back to his true enemy and is pleased to see Clark is back on his feet. Doomsday is enjoying this. He charges once more.
Clark tries to roll with Doomsday's blow but his injuries slow him too much to completely avoid it. Still, he manages to land a blow of his own in the process. He then struggles to his feet again. His vision is blurring so he knows he doesn't have much left. He prays he has enough. Summoning his power he launches himself at Doomsday. They meet with such force that the blast lays waste to everything around them. The members of the league still standing are thrown back from the shockwaves. They lie unconscious but still alive scattered amongst the debris. Clark's vision swims and no matter how hard he tries he can't seem to focus. His limbs feel like lead but he forces them to move. He crawls out of the crater his impact made and collapses on its edge. He knows he needs to stand up again but just can't manage to. "I am sorry Lois" passes through his mind as he remembers his promise not to get himself killed.
Suddenly, explosions engulf Doomsday on his way to finish Clark. Clark looks up and sees Batman and Batwoman floating down. "No. Run. He is too powerful" Clark croaks out but he doubts they can hear him or even if they did, he doubts they would run. Renewing his efforts to push his broken body onto its feet, he is determined not to let any more of his friends die today.
Doomsday looks for the flies that tried to hurt him. A small human female dressed in a costume stands lands in front of him. Unlike the others, she shows no fear. She just stands there daring him to kill her. Eager to oblige her, he raises both fists to drive her body into the ground but she dodges out of the way. She is fast for a human. Still, she is only human and no where near fast enough. He easily grabs her with both hands. He lifts her high in the sky laughing at her pathetic efforts to break free. He then slams her fragile human body into the ground enjoying the sounds her bones make as they break and tear through her costume. He stomps on her for simple pleasure. Her mangled form is one more example of his inevitable victory. He starts to turn back to his true enemy but he stops. The female is moving. She is standing up. This is impossible. He drives his knuckle blades through her taking pleasure at the blood that pours from her mouth. Impaled she should be dead but she looks at him with a clear challenge in her eyes. Enraged, he grabs her head and slams her body back into the ground. He looks at her eyes waiting for the light to leave them but they still stare back at him and she slowly stares to stand again. He stomps her back into the ground. Her screams are sweet music to him as he works on her. He pounds her body till it is a broken pile of tissue, blood, and bone.
Satisfied that this bug is at last no more, he turns back to Superman. He sees a costumed male trying to aid Superman. Doomsday laughs at their pathetic efforts. Nothing can stop him.
"Is that all you've got?" a voice asks from behind him.
Turing, he cannot believe the female is standing whole before him once more. Enraged beyond reason, he pounces on her. He pounds her, rips her, stomps her but again and again her body reforms. Again and again she taunts him. So determined to stop her, he never notices the device Brue gives Clark. He does hear the whine of the energy beam just before it strikes him banishing him to the phantom zone.
VERY glad Doomsday has been defeated, Chloe collapses on the ground and just holds herself. Her power may allow her to heal from any injure but she still feels pain. What Doomsday did to her was so horrible. She never wants to go through that again but she knows she would to save Clark. She was so afraid Doomsday would kill him.
Bruce doesn't say anything when he reaches his wife, he just wraps his arms around her and holds her as tight as he can. Even knowing her powers would heal her, it was hard to watch what Doomsday did to her. It was only a few moments, but it seemed an eternity.
It is several minutes before either can break the embrace. When they do, Chloe rushes to Clark while Bruce searches the debris for their other friends.
"Oh, Clark." Chloe says as she looks over all his injuries. She reaches out her hand to heal him but he grabs her arm stopping her.
"Help the others first." he orders.
"Clark, I have never seen you hurt this bad before. I think you may be dying." Chloe tells him while trying to work her other hand towards him.
Despite his wounds, he notices her and says "Please Chloe. Help them first."
She looks into his one still open eye and knows she won't win this argument. She curses him for being so stubborn while at same time proud of him. She makes her way over to where Bruce has just freed Bart from under part of a wall.
"Hey, Chlolisous." Bart quips as Bruce wraps his clearly broken arm in a make shift sling. "I will be fine. Don't worry I will be able to dance with you tonight. Just give me a few minutes." Bart says with a wink.
Chloe ruffles his hair before heading over to where she thinks she can see Black Canary lying. When she gets there, she is relieved to find Dinah alive, but unconscious. Both of Dinah's legs are broken but otherwise Chloe can't find any sign of injury. She moves on looking for Oliver, AC , and Victor. She finds Victor next. He is latterly embedded in the concrete of a wall. She is amazed he is still alive. Judging from all the damage she can see his systems are all but destroyed.
"Don't worry. Just need some time in the mechanic shop." he replies with his best tough guy smile.
Chloe looks at the fluids dripping helplessly. She has never used her power on Victor as they didn't know how his cybernetic systems would react. In this case, her power may do more harm. "Hang in there." she quips trying to give him some reason to hold on.
"Oh that was a bad one, Sullivan." he quips back with an eerie something that is clearly broken laugh.
She can't find any sign of AC, but she does find Oliver. His broken body lies lifelessly slumped against a car bow still in his broken hand. She kneels down next to him and summons her power. She can feel nothing of Oliver still there but she owes him so she pours more power into his shattered frame.
Oliver has not felt so at peace in a long time. He can't figure out where he is, but he feels safe and happy here so he doesn't wonder too much about it. Two figures call to them and his heart soars. "Mom! Dad! Your alive again." he shouts before the truth hits him. Flashes of the battle with Doomsday come back to him. "Oh, I died. Didn't I?" he states more than asks.
"We missed you son. It is ok. You can rest now. We are so proud of you." they say to him with their words filling him with their love.
He reaches out to them but then he hears a faint voice.
"Oliver. Oliver. Come back to us." it calls.
He tries to remember the voice. It is familiar but he can't remember. His parents beckon and he reaches out to them once more but something in the voice stops him. He listens to the voice and he knows what he must do. "I am sorry, but I am not finished yet. I have to go back." he tells them with pain in his heart.
"We understand." his father says as the distant between him and his parents grows even though neither has physically moved. Oliver feels himself drift and then settle back into his body. Pain greets him, but also warm arms hold him which are taking the pain away. Before they take it all, he pushes them off him. He needs some of the pain to keep going. He opens his eyes to see Chloe kneeling before him. The light in her eyes is fading as the strain of healing him takes its toll but there is a moment when their eyes meet and he can say thank you. He holds her as she slumps over thankful for her gift, but also determined to prove worth of it.
Bruce finds Chloe in Oliver's arms. He can see Oliver's love for his wife in the way Oliver cradles her. Without a word, he hands her to Bruce. Bruce summons the jet to take her home. He hates these waits, but he does worry. She will come back to him or he will go and get her. Nothing, not even, death will keep him from her side forever he swears.
It takes two weeks this time, but she does wake. Bruce is at her side as her eyes flutter open. "Welcome back." he says to her and kisses her lightly on the lips. He then slides a tray piled high with her favorite foods in front of her. His not so subtle way of telling her to eat as they both know she needs to replenish her body after these ordeals.
As she eats, she inquires "How is everyone?" Praying Clark and the others she didn't get to heal are ok.
"Clark is fine. One day in the sun and he was fully recovered. Once his arm was cast, Bart was zipping around as normal. Canary is still out of action as her legs are expected to take another week to heal enough to start therapy, Victor under went major repairs and is fine now, Oliver, as you know, is ok." Bruce tells her. Taking a deep breath and taking her hand, he continues "We don't know what happened to AC. We tracked the trajectory of his flight from Doomsday's punch. It ended in the bay. We were never able to find a body and we haven't heard from him. I am sorry to say but he might be gone. The fact he landed in water, his natural environment, is the only thing that give us some faint hope. Perhaps some of his fish friends carried him away to recover."
Loss is something she knows is a part of their world and she thought she had prepared herself for it, but it's never enough. She pictures AC smiling after he just pulled a prank on Bart and got away with it. It is strange to think she will never see him again. Guiltily, part of her is glad it was AC and not Oliver, Clark or especially Bruce. She hopes that doesn't make her a bad person. Steeling herself against her emotions, she replies "Where are Dinah and Bart? The sooner I can heal them, the sooner they are back in action."
"Not today. Today you are staying in bed all day and resting." Bruce says in his this is not a discussion voice.
Throwing off her covers, she starts to get up determined not to let him tell her what to do until he plays dirty by adding "please" to his order. Pouting a bit she pulls the covers back over her as she says "I guess one day wouldn't hurt, but I expect you will arrange for me to see them first thing in the morning tomorrow. Deal?"
Bruce stuns her by snarking back with "Yes dear."
They both share a light laugh something all too rare in this way too serious house. Bruce sits next to her and pulls up the TIVO menu. He then selects the oldest episode of her favorite show "Firefly" and snuggles down next to her to watch it.