A/N: This is uber-short. More than a chapter, it's truly an epilogue…

Chapter 20

He opened his eyes and it was like no time at all had passed. Chloe was still dancing about, singing "I get to work at the Planet!" while his mother just watched with a smile on her lips. Clark watched her all bemused for a moment and just shook his head. He had no idea why this time was so different from the others, but he was more than happy with the fact he hadn't freaked everyone out again. He wasn't certain how he was going to do it, but he was going to make Chloe as happy as he possibly could. It was nice to have a few landmarks to shoot for… but he had to remember to live… Not by some arbitrary schedule, but to the fullest. That was the goal.

As he watched her cavort, he was kinda surprised when everything seemed to slow down suddenly. He looked around and realized that the only thing moving at normal speed was him. It was almost as if he'd popped his super-speed into gear, but he was still lying on the couch. When he turned back, Jonathan Kent was standing before him. "You did good, son. They're really happy with your decisions."

"Am I dreaming?" Clark choked. It was getting really spooky how his dad kept popping up.

Jonathan shrugged. "What is a dream? I know that the last 24 hours have been really hard on you, but you needed a plan and a way to rid yourself of some baggage. Although, you may have been happy with Lois…" Clark gasped and his dad winked. "I know… You never would have forgiven yourself if Chloe had died and you could have possibly prevented it. Just enjoy yourself… I'll be watching…"

"Will I see you again?"

He shrugged again. "Who knows what the future holds?" he laughed. He turned and looked sadly at Martha.

"But wait!" Clark exclaimed as a sudden thought occurred to him. "What about the last two dreams? It's only been like 20-ish hours. I thought it was supposed to be a full 24."

Jonathan turned to look at his son, but Clark could see he was already fading. "Who said it wasn't?" With that, he was gone and time seemed to return to normal.

Clark's mind boggled, but he knew that this was really the perfect future for him… a future with a friend and partner who would push him to be better than he was. It didn't matter if some nebulous PTB thought so... He did. Now he just had to figure out how to get there. A huge yawn caught him in its grip and he laid back on the sofa. His eyes closed for a moment and he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, his mind full of plans for his future…

A/N: You know, it's always sad when a story ends. It's like saying goodbye to a child, really. This is truly only one of two non-sequel-able stories I've created. But there have been some gaps that I really wanted to answer. AAAANNNDDD I've got some wish-fulfillment that I absolutely needed in the extreme. I've heard the next season will be developing the Clois storyline and I find that almost disturbing… but I don't write for "Smallville". I just have to enjoy it where I can and write little fics that fix what I think of as their errors. ;D I hope you enjoyed it.

markmark261: I'm glad you liked the chapter, at least. Yeah, the comic book nods, well, that's how most people got turned on to Superman through the comics… or maybe the movies… they're very important to me. But then I'm picky that way. It's one of the reasons why "Smallville" is currently driving me insane. But I'm alright… seriously… I don't need the men in the white coats to come and visit me… ;D

CSLUVSCK: I'm so glad you liked it. I love it when a good story can come out of a random dream. I do have more "Smallville" fics planned, but I'm also trying to broaden my horizons with other shows. They're not quite as successful as these ones, but maybe that's because for one, I've just started watching the show… ;D

Krystina87: Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. It just makes me happy! ;D