Finale: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Oliver did notice, however, but he had to take care of Laura and Ella. Half an hour later, Chloe, Lucy and Martha walked in, tear faces streamed with tears, Ella ran over to them and hugged them all, but Laura clung to her dad and wrapped her hands around his neck. Lucy told Oliver that his father-in-law and her dad, Sam Lane, was on his way back from a mission and that he should be there the day after tomorrow. Oliver nodded, but he did not seem to be paying much attention; he eyes were glazed and he was breathing very quickly.
Martha left Ella with Chloe and Lucy and walked over to her son, who was lying on the sofa, sobbing. She sat down next to him and stroked his hair, as she had done years ago when he had had a nightmare. But no amount of comfort could make him forget this nightmare: Lois was gone and there was nothing he could do to change that. She was gone, merely a weak after they had confessed their feelings and made love. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." Martha whispered, in a low tone so that Oliver would not hear.
Without even thinking about how this would look to Oliver and to everyone else, Clark left the building and ran home. His children weren't there, so he was alone. He locked himself in his bedroom and cried and cried. He had never felt pain like this before and he was quite sure that he never would again. All he wanted was to see Lois's face again, to hear her voice, to feel the touch of her soft lips against his. What made Clark feel sick inside was the fact that he knew that Oliver would be thinking the same thing.
Laura finally let go of her dad and ran over to Chloe and Lucy, throwing an arm around her sister in a protective way. This made Oliver smile; Ella was the spit image of Lois.
His thoughts were interrupted when Martha walked over to him and asked, "How are you, Oliver?"
He looked down at his shoes, then back up at her. "I feel as if I'm in some sort of nightmare and I can't wake up. I just-I-I can't believe that she's gone." His voice cracked and tears appeared in her eyes. "Lois is gone and so soon after Robert. She-she deserved better. They both did and so did Demi. Gods, I love her so much!" Martha evolved him in a hug and he cried onto her shoulder.
Lucy came over and hugged her brother-in-law and she whispered, "Lois loved you so much, Oliver. I never say her happier than when she was with you and you're a great dad to those girls." She walked back over to her nieces and hugged them.
Knowing that Laura and Ella were being hugged and loved, Chloe walked over to Oliver and Martha and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Oliver. I'm so sorry." He opened his arms and she fell into them, crying into his chest.
"I'm sorry, too, Chloe. I know the two of you were close." He whispered back, as he hugged her. Since learning the news of his wife's death, his desire to be close to people had been heightened. As Chloe straightened up, he asked, "I think Clark was here before. Do you know where he is?"
Chloe and Martha exchanged a glance and the latter replied, "I think he's gone home; I think he needs to be alone for a while."
"Well, he and Lois were good friends." Oliver stated, smiling, before Ella came running over to him and he picked her up and hugged her. Chloe and Martha exchanged a look, as they knew that Lois and Clark had been far more than 'good friends', but there was no need for a recently widowed single father of two girls to know that.
The doors opened and General Sam Lane walked in, his face etched with grief and the shadow of death; he had now lost his beloved wife and one of his daughters. One think he knew from now on was that he was going to be very protective of Lucy, of her sons and of Lois and Oliver's daughters. As a father, he had never been keen on Lex Luthor, nor had he been keen on Oliver, but the love the young man displayed for his daughter had changed this. Sam had always, secretly, hoped that his elder daughter would have ended up with Clark Kent, but she had been happy with Oliver; Sam had always thought that they had not been destined for each other.
Pushing all of these memories and doubts aside, Sam embraced Lucy and Laura, before walking over to Oliver, Chloe, Martha and Ella. He hugged Chloe and kissed his granddaughter on the head. His eyes met with Oliver's. The young man extended his hand, balancing his youngest daughter with the other, and whispered, "I'm so sorry for your loss, sir."
Despite himself, General Lane could not help but laugh. "Son, you've been married to my daughter for nine years and you're the father of four of my grandchildren-I think you've earnt the right to call me by my first name." His expression turned serious again and he shook his son-in-law's hand and replied, "I'm sorry for your loss, too, Oliver. I know how much you love my daughter."
Ella nestled her head into her dad's neck for comfort and he hugged her back. She and Laura were now the most precious things in his world and the only family he had left after losing: his parents, his first wife, Demi, Robert and now Lois.
For the next couple of days, Clark stayed in his bedroom and did not go out for anything.
The funeral itself was very small. Clark thought that his children were too young to attend Lois's funeral and Chloe thought the same thing regarding her son. The people there were: Oliver, Laura, Ella, Sam Lane, Lucy and Lex and their sons, Chloe, Clark, Martha and Chloe's dad.
After the service, when the children were playing, Clark saw Lex go over to Oliver and he listened to the conversation. "Look, Oliver, I know that you and I have a history, but we're brothers and I don't want to lose that, neither does Luce." He smiled slightly. "So, what do you say, can we be friends?"
Much to Clark's surprise, Oliver nodded and shook Lex's hand. Lucy gave him another hug, then she and her husband walked out of the graveyard, leaving Clark and Oliver alone.
Clark knelt down and sprayed the earth over Lois's coffin, fighting back tears. Oliver sat down next to him and did the same, whispering something in Latin. Smiling slightly, Clark asked, "What does that mean?"
Staring down at his wife's grave, his friend replied, "A'shes to ashes, dust to dust, What begins in the earth shall return'. I think it makes sense."
There was a long silence, then Oliver sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help, Clark?"
Clark turned to face Oliver, tearing his eyes away from Lois's coffin and snapped, "How can you be so…ok? Your wife's just died! How can you be so calm?"
Rubbing his hands together, Oliver asked, "Have you ever loved someone so much that, without them, you don't know how to function, how to breathe, how to get up in the morning? I'm in that place now, but I have to keep going, because I have two people who rely on me and so do you-in fact you have five children who need you more than anything." There was another silence, then he cocked his head. "You didn't answer my question: Clark, have you ever loved anyone that much?"
For a while, Clark gave no reply, then he stood up and nodded. "Yes. I have. A long time ago. Oliver," he paused, then added, "If you need anything-and I mean anything-just give me a call. And Superman will always help out Green Arrow if he can." The two men smiled, then Clark walked away.
As he reached the door, he looked back and could not believe that Lois was buried in the ground, that she was gone. His own words from over nine years ago echoed in his head: "Lois, I promise you, someday you'll meet someone even more special."
He buried his heart when he buried her, but he also knew that he had two reasons to keep living: to protect and love his family and to save the world. Clark never regretted a single moment he had shared with Lois, as he had loved her more than he had even thought possible.