CHAPTER 20: THE FINALE - PART 1
Almost three months later...
"It's too bad Kara, Lucy, and Dinah couldn't be here for this," Chloe remarks as Lois is changing in the dressing room.
"I know," Lois replies. "Gary has a catering job today and Kara's helping him. As for Dinah, she's down in South America. She said she'll be here in time for the wedding." She adds, "Don't forget that the guys are joining us for lunch."
"What about Lucy?"
"Lucy is in London with her boyfriend, Ron. He had an assignment and she went with him. Unfortunately, she won't be back in time for the bachelorette party, but she will be back in time for the wedding itself."
"That's good," Chloe replies absently as she thumbs through one of the bridal magazines.
Lois comes out of the dressing room. "Well? What do you think of this one?"
Chloe looks up at her. "Wow," putting down the magazine. She stands up and takes a closer look. "It looks beautiful on you, but I never thought that you'd go for the traditional look."
"I know," looking at herself in the full-length mirror. "It's just that I've never really had what you would call a normal life, so I thought I'd be radical and go traditional for the wedding."
"That makes sense," Chloe remarks. "I'm sure Clark doesn't mind it at all."
"He doesn't," a far-away look in her eyes. "He loves the idea."
"What a shocker," a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Now knock that off," wagging her finger at Chloe. "You know as well as I do that deep down Clark is a traditional guy."
"True," Chloe replies. "At least he doesn't expect you to be barefoot and pregnant all the time," winking at her.
"You don't have to worry about me getting pregnant again anytime soon," adjusting the veil. "Once I'm done nursing James, then I can get one of those five-year implants." She looks up at Chloe. "So any news on the baby front yet?" changing the subject.
Chloe can't help blushing at her question. "Well..."
Lois stares at her. "No way!"
"Way!" a big grin on her face.
Lois immediately pulls Chloe into her arms for a big hug. "I'm so happy for you," giving her a peck on the cheek. "How far along are you anyway?" she asks after she pulls away.
"About three months," she replies.
"Three months?"
"We wanted to wait until the second trimester before telling anybody - just to make sure everything is okay with the baby," patting her stomach. "Thank goodness the wedding is only two weeks away - otherwise I wouldn't be able to fit into my matron of honor dress."
"Well I'm thrilled for both of you and I'm sure Clark will be too," smiling at her. "I almost forgot to tell you," Lois says; suddenly grabbing Chloe's arm.
"What?" she asks.
"Gary proposed to Kara last night," a big smile on her face.
Chloe's jaw drops. "He did?" staring at Lois in shock.
Lois nods yes. "He sure did. They went on a picnic and he just proposed right out of the blue. Got down on one knee and everything."
"I think that's great, but..."
"But...what?" a confused look on her face.
"...but does he know her secret?"
"Yes," Lois replies. "Kara told him three months ago."
"Three months ago? Wow. Seems like a lot of things happened three months ago," sitting back down on a chair.
"I know," sitting down next to her. "Clark and I have a baby boy, Lana and Pete have a baby girl, you get pregnant, Kara and Gary get engaged."
"Must be something in the water," Chloe remarks.
Lois can't help but chuckle, then Chloe joins in. "Come on," getting up and looking down at her cousin. "We don't want to be late for lunch with Kara and the guys."
"Okay," getting up.
"I'll be right back," heading back for the dressing room.
Tuxedo fitting
"It's a perfect fit," Oliver remarks as Clark looks at himself in the three-way mirror.
"You're right," he replies. "It is perfect."
"Lois won't be able to keep her eyes off you when she sees you," Jimmy pipes in and winking at him.
Clark smiles at that comment. "I can't believe the wedding is only two weeks away," unbuttoning the jacket. "In case I haven't already," turning to look at the two of them, "Thank you so much for all the help in planning this wedding."
"You don't have to thank us," Jimmy replies; wrapping his arm around Clark's shoulders and giving him a brief squeeze.
"That's right," Oliver doing the same thing.
They stand like that for a moment, then Oliver breaks the silence. "I think that's enough bonding for now," removing his arm.
"Agreed," Jimmy also removing his arm.
"I still can't believe you agreed to have the wedding in Washington," Oliver says suddenly.
"I can't believe it either," Clark replies as he takes off the jacket. "Lois' father wanted to make amends for having me drafted. We only agreed to it on the condition that it would be a small wedding and not a huge military one."
"So no uniform for the General, huh?" Oliver says.
"That's right," changing out of the tuxedo and putting on his street clothes. "He has to wear a tuxedo just like us," sitting down to put on his shoes.
"So the two of you are getting along okay?" Jimmy asks Clark as he puts on his jacket.
"Pretty good," he replies. "He was just here for a visit about a week ago. You should see how he is with James," winking at Jimmy.
"I still can't believe you named him after me," his eyes glistening a little.
"I can't believe it either," a slight frown on Oliver's face.
"Maybe the next one," Clark says; turning to Oliver and winking at him. He looks at his watch. "We don't want to be late for lunch with the girls, so we better get going."
"Alright," both Oliver and Jimmy reply at the same time.
One week before the wedding
"I don't know if this is a good idea," Lois remarks as she puts her jacket on.
"Come on, live a little," Dinah remarks as she puts on her own jacket. "This is your bachelorette party and that means F.U.N.," winking at her.
"That's right," Kara pips up. "I've always wanted to go to one of these things," blushing a little.
"You'll be having one of your own soon enough," Chloe remarks; winking at Kara.
"Come on, let's go," Dinah says as she walks over to the kitchen door.
Oliver's penthouse
"I don't think Lois will like it if we do this," Clark remarks as he adjusts his jacket.
"It's your bachelor party, and we're going to have fun tonight - okay?" Oliver replies. "Besides, I know for a fact that the girls are going to have the same kind of fun we're going to have." He adds, "Besides, it's not as if you can get drunk."
"I agree with Oliver," Gary pipes up as he takes out his keys. "By the way, where's Jimmy?" he asks.
"Here I am," coming out of the elevator. "Sorry I'm late, but I had to pick up something for Chloe," shrugging his shoulders.
Clark turns his head and listens intently for something. "I have to go. I'll be right back," super-speeding away and leaving a breeze behind him.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Gary quips as he smoothes his hair down.
"We've known him a lot longer and we're still not used to it," Jimmy remarks.
"So did you find it?" Oliver asks Jimmy.
"It was right where you said it would be," pulling out a tiny black box and handing it to Oliver.
"What's that?" Gary asks.
Oliver hesitates before answering. "Jimmy and I decided that Clark needs to loosen up so..."
Gary stares at both of them. "You didn't get any of that red meteor rock - did you?"
"Of course not," Oliver scoffs.
"We got some of the blue meteor rock instead," Jimmy says.
"You WHAT?" his voice rising. "Why would you get some of that anyway? You know it takes away his powers. What if somebody needs his help?"
"We have that covered, so don't worry about it," Oliver replies.
"You do know that if Clark drinks tonight, he'll probably get drunk and have a hangover tomorrow morning," shaking his head.
"Like I said, Clark needs to loosen up," Oliver remarks. "You want to know why we're going out tonight instead of the day before the wedding? Because Lois would be furious if Clark was hung over for the wedding. This way, he gets to have some fun and have time to recover," sporting a confident grin on his face.
Gary is about to reply when Clark comes back. "Another bank robbery, but I was able to prevent the robbers from escaping. So who's going to be the designated driver tonight?" he asks.
"We're taking my limo, so we don't have to worry about that," a sly smile on Oliver's face as he walks over to Clark. "So are you ready to go?" discretely slipping the box into Clark's pocket.
"Almost," he replies. I just remembered that I left my keys at the Planet. "I'll be right back," super-speeding away again.
"Yep, I'll never get used to that," Gary says again.
Clark only gets as far as the lobby because his super-speed suddenly gives out on him. He leans against a wall to catch his breath. What happened to my powers? he wonders; absently placing his hand in his pocket. Then his fingers brush against the box. What is this? taking the box out and eying it curiously. Where did this come from? He glances around to make sure that nobody was looking, then opens the box. What the hell? staring at the sparkling blue rock. That certainly explains why I don't have my powers. He continues to stare at it for a moment. Who would want me without my powers and why? Then he recalls a conversation he had with Oliver a few days earlier...
"You need to have some fun, Clark."
"I don't think I would call getting drunk and having a hangover the next day fun," he retorts.
"Well, maybe you should at least once in your life," Oliver replies. "It's practically a rite of passage for every groom to go to a gentlemen's club and get wasted."
"Not every groom does it," he replies. "Besides, you know that alcohol doesn't affect me," a smug smile on his face.
Clark closes the box and places it back in his pocket. It was Oliver. He had to have known that I would notice that my powers would disappear - unless he wanted me to notice. Maybe he wants to see whether or not I would figure it out. He takes the box out and opens it again. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should have some fun, smiling to himself and pulling out his cell phone. "Oliver? It's Clark. I'm downstairs in the lobby. For some reason, my powers are not working. Could we stop by the Planet first so I can get my keys? Thanks," hanging up. This is going to be a very interesting evening, chuckling to himself.
The Windgate Club
"Here we are," Dinah says as she pulls up in front of the club.
Lois stares at the sign above the door. "Isn't this the club where we went undercover on that story almost five years ago?" Lois asks Chloe as they get out of the car.
"Yep," she replies as she closes the doors.
"This is a gentlemen's club," a frown on her face. "I thought we were going to see some male strippers?" turning to look at Dinah.
"We are," smiling back at her as she hands the keys to the valet. "There's a separate room just for women," winking at her. "Come on, it's this way," taking Lois by the arm and leading inside; followed closely by Chloe and Kara.
A few minutes later...
The limo pulls up in front of the club. "So this is the club you picked?" Clark remarks as he gets out of the limo and looks up at the sign above the door.
"I've never been here," says Gary as he also steps out.
"We came here for my bachelor party," says Jimmy. "Remember CK?" arching one eyebrow.
"I remember," smiling back at him. "That was a fun evening," he remarks.
"I think tonight will be even more fun," Oliver pipes up. "Come on, let's go," handing the keys to the valet and flinging open the front door; stepping through the front door followed by Clark, Gary, and Jimmy.
The women
The four women are escorted to a table right in front of the stage. "Can I get you ladies some drinks?" the waiter asks them as they all sit down.
"Yes," Dinah replies. "Bring us a bottle of your best champagne."
"Very well," smiling at her before he turns around and heads towards the bar.
"This should be fun," says Kara.
"At least for you guys," Chloe mutters under her breath.
"So you can't drink alcohol tonight," says Lois; wrapping her arm around Chloe's shoulder. "I promise you that after the baby is born, I'll personally take you out on the town and we'll get rip roaring drunk – okay?"
Chloe looks over at her cousin. "You are the best cousin and friend I could ever hope for," a big grin on her face.
"You better believe it," giving Chloe's shoulder a squeeze just as the waiter comes over with the champagne and four glasses. He opens the bottle and pours it into the glasses, then hands a glass to each woman.
Chloe put down her glass of champagne and picks up the glass of water instead. "I want to make a toast," raising her glass. The other three also raise their glasses. "To Lois," she starts to say. "May you always keep that sparkle in your eyes - especially when it comes to Clark. Cheers," taking a sip.
"Cheers," they all reply.
The men
The three guys follow Oliver to the table he reserved right in front of the stage. "We'll have a bottle of your very best champagne – and keep it coming," slipping the waiter some bills.
"Yes sir," nodding her head before walking away.
"Look at that one," Gary remarks; staring at the woman on stage dressed up in a cheerleader's uniform.
"I've never really had a thing for cheerleaders," Oliver remarks as the waitress returns with the champagne and four glasses. Once the waitress opens the bottle and pours the champagne, she hands each man a glass. She turns around and walks away.
"So what do you prefer anyway?" Clark asks as he takes a sip.
He pretends to think about it. "I just love a woman in one of those skintight body suits that show off her cleavage," a cocky grin on his face. "How about you, Boy Scout? What do you prefer?"
"I don't know if I should tell you," gulping down the rest of the champagne and sitting back in his chair.
"Come on," Jimmy nudging him. "We promise we won't tell. Right guys?" looking over at Gary and Oliver.
"That's right," says Gary. "Spill," taking a sip and placing the glass back down on the table.
"Well…" hesitating for a moment. "Okay," pouring more champagne into his glass. "One time Lois dressed up in this very sexy French maid's uniform."
"Really?" Oliver leaning forward with interest. "High heels and everything?"
"You better believe it. Believe me when I say there's nothing more sexy than a naked woman in high heels," finishing off his second glass and pouring himself a third. "Whoa," sitting back in his chair.
"Are you okay?" Oliver asks him.
"Just a little lightheaded all of a sudden, that's all," Clark replies. "I'm going to make a toast," grabbing the champagne bottle. "To the beautiful and sexy woman who makes me feel complete. Here's to Lois," taking a slug out of the bottle.
Oliver secretly pulls out his cell phone and sends a text to both Jimmy and Gary. Told you it would work.
This is fun, Clark thinks to himself as he takes another slug from the bottle. "I think we need another bottle," finishing it off.
"You bet," Oliver flagging down their waitress.
Back to the women
"Looks like Lois is having a good time," Dinah whispers to both Kara and Chloe as they observe Lois slipping some dollar bills in the G-string of a very well-proportioned dancer.
"She sure is," says Kara as she takes another sip of champagne.
"I have to say that the one who was dressed as a construction worker was really good," says Chloe.
"Oh yeah," Kara sighs. "Now he was hot," drinking some more champagne.
"I think I liked the one who had the skintight leather pants on," Dinah replies.
"Gee, what a shocker," Lois remarks; stumbling slightly as she sits back down.
"Why do you say that?" looking over at Lois.
"Come on," she scoffs. "Oliver loves to wear that leather suit, that's why," picking up her glass and swallowing the rest of the champagne.
"That's true," Chloe agreeing with Lois.
"You should see Clark when he wears his leather pants without a shirt," fanning herself. "In fact, you should see him when he's wearing nothing but his sexy smile. Man what a big…"
"Stop right there," Kara holding up her hand. "I don't want to hear about Clark Jr. – okay?" getting up from her chair. "I'm going to the ladies room," walking away from the table.
"Where was I?" Lois asks as she grabs the bottle and takes a few gulps. "Oh yeah, I was talking about how big Clark Jr. is. I can just about wrap my hand around it. And talk about how good it feels to take it in my mouth and just…"
"Did it just get hot in here all of a sudden?" Dinah remarks. "I think I'll join Kara in the ladies room," abruptly getting up and walking away.
"Too much information, Lois," Chloe remarks; shaking her head.
A couple hours later…
"That tastes sooo good," Clark slurring his words as he takes another gulp.
"It does, huh?" Oliver remarks; rolling his eyes.
"You better believe it," looking over at Oliver. "Do you want to know what tastes even better?" winking at him.
"What is it?" Jimmy asks him curiously.
Clark leans forward in his chair and says in a loud whisper, "Lois' pussy," sitting back in his chair with a big goofy grin on his face.
The three guys all stare at him in shock. "It tastes just like wild cherry," licking his lips. "You won't believe how wet she gets when I put my tongue on her clit and…"
"I think you've had enough," Oliver interrupting him as he takes the bottle away from Clark. "I think we should go home now," getting Clark's jacket.
"You're such a party pooper," Clark scrunching his face up in annoyance.
"I think we should go too," says Jimmy.
"I agree with all of you," Gary interjects as he stands up and puts on his jacket.
"Let's go, Boy Scout," helping Clark to his feet. As he helps Clark put his jacket on, he manages to retrieve the tiny box; slipping it into his own pocket.
"Oliver?"
"Yes, Clark?"
"I don't feel so good all of a sudden," tearing himself away from Oliver and rushing to the men's room.
"I think he had too good a time," Jimmy remarks.
"You think?" Oliver turning around and glaring at him.
The next morning
"Ugh," groaning out loud and as he sits up in bed.
"Not so loud," Lois whispers as she clutches her head.
"Remind me when I'm feeling better later to kill Oliver," swinging his legs out of bed and over the side.
"I will as long as you remind me to kill Dinah while you're killing Oliver."
"Deal," he replies as he slowly gets out of bed. "I'm going to get us some aspirin and orange juice," walking out of the bedroom. He returns a few minutes later with a couple glasses and an aspirin bottle. "Here," handing her one of the glasses. He opens the bottle and tips a few tablets into his hand; giving her a couple of them.
"It's a good thing the wedding is tomorrow," popping them into her mouth and taking a big gulp of orange juice.
"I know," doing the same, then laying back down and closing his eyes. "Does Mom still have James with her?" he asks.
"Yeah," she replies; laying down next to him.
He slips his arms around her shoulder and softly kisses the top of her head. "That's good," he murmurs.
"Uh huh," also closing her eyes.
They both hold their hands over their ears when the phone starts ringing. "I'm going to kill whomever that is," Clark declares as he picks up the receiver.
"Who the hell is this?" he barks into the phone. "Oh," a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to snap at you," glancing over at Lois. "It's just that we both have splitting headaches from last night. Apparently Oliver slipped some Blue Kryptonite into my pocket. Yeah, you heard right. You want to know what's even stupider than that? I discovered it and didn't get rid of it," holding the receiver away from his ear. "Could you please lower your voice? Even your soft voice is killing me here," rubbing his temple. "Well, at least the wedding is not for another week. We'll be fine by then. Okay, we'll see you tonight. Give James a kiss for both of us. Bye," hanging up the phone.
"How's my baby?" Lois asks him.
"James is fine," laying back down and pulling her close to him.
"That's nice," resting her head on his chest.
"This is nice too," wrapping his arms around her.
"Can we stay like this for awhile?"
"How does forever sound to you?"
"Sounds good to me," she murmurs as they both drift off to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Coming up next: The Finale - Part 2 (The Wedding)