Chapter 25

She could barely stand, her shoulders sunk and her right hand firmly squeezed. Chloe was beside her as they watched the large green monstrosity in front of them attend to Clark. She assumed it was his friend John, but at the moment she wasn't particularly concerned who he was. If the thing could bring Smallville back to them, she would let him do whatever was necessary.

As the minutes passed and nothing happened, she began to cry again, feeling the weight of what had happened come crashing into her like a semi head on.

J'onn took his fingers from the forehead of his young friend and turned to the others in the room. He couldn't help notice the way they were holding each other, as if they hoped to whatever god they prayed to that their super powered friend would live. "I have done all I can. In few minutes we will see if he is to live or not." He looked back down to a still ash white Clark Kent. "Come on Kal-El, this world needs you."

-

Clark opened his eyes, only to find himself standing in the middle of the fortress. It was still dead, the once white icicles now red and black, their lifeless visage almost causing him to cry. The sight weighed heavily on him. He knew it was his fault it was dead.

"Kal-El, my son."

His head snapped up at the voice, his eyes scanning the fortress for any sign of life. "I thought this place was dead?"

"It is not dead. It is very much alive, but it is in a state of unrest. It has been restored, but it only lacks your presence to sustain it. As you can see, the longer you linger here the brighter it becomes."

Clark continued to look around for any sign of Jor-El, but it was futile. "I have been preoccupied."

"And now you are dead. You should have begun your training years ago Kal-El. None of this would have happened if you had just listened to me."

Feeling like a scolded child and a complete idiot, Clark sunk his head and stared at his feet. "I know."

"I don't believe you do my son. The world is helpless without you, but still you ignore me. I have nothing but knowledge to teach you, but your unwillingness to listen has caused this world considerable damage."

Clark fell to his knees as his father lectured him about the consequences of his actions. "I wish I could take it all back," he said softly. "I wish I had done so many things different. The death of hundreds is on my hands." He sat back on his heels with his chin on his chest.

"Kal-El, the events leading up to that day was not entirely your fault. It was not you tainted the final stone. If that had never happened, none of what has come to be would have occurred. For past discretions I have been justly cruel, but in hindsight you must know that not everything is your fault."

He didn't want to hear it, even if they sounded like encouraging words. The shock of hearing such sentiment from his biological father was enough to make his stare in wonder, but his heart still felt heavy. "I am truly dead?" he asked a second later.

"Yes, you are dead."

Clark nodded slowly. "The world will be better off. I have brought so much pain and destruction to those around me already."

"Kal-El, this feeling of guilt, however just you may think they it is, is meaningless in the end. Your purpose on this earth means more than anything this world has ever witnessed. Without you they are lost. Without you there is no hope."

"Hope!" Clark screamed suddenly. "How can there be hope when this world has already gone to hell? My actions have only made it worse." He expected another stern response, but nothing echoed back. He stood up hesitantly and looked around. "Jor-El?" he said loudly, trying to draw his attention. After a few more moments he sighed. "Father?" he asked softly.

Jor-El's voice came to life. "I have been waiting for you to call me that for a long time, my son."

"Don't expect to hear it again," Clark spat back gruffly. When the voice didn't respond, he fell to the seat of his pants and lied on his back. "I'm sorry Lois," he whispered, a tear falling down his right cheek as he thought about what he had lost. What she had lost.

"Rise, Kal-El."

Clark opened his eyes and stared at the top of the fortress, the red and black icicles slowly turning white again. Raya had restored the fortress, but it was him that gave it life. "I'm dead," he reiterated.

"That is not an obstacle," Jor-El said with a lighter voice.

"What?" Clark asked, quickly getting to his feet.

"You have given your life to save the lives of many. The ultimate sacrifice does not go without reward."

Clark shook his head and sighed. "I don't want a reward."

"It is given whether you like it or not."

His eyes went wide as his body began to float upwards. Looking to the ground scared, he began to shake his hands as if to try and fly. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Your training does not begin now. As much as it pains me to say so, earth has need of you now. Your training can wait for a little while longer."

Clark almost laughed at the irony. His father had wanted him to begin his training as soon as possible, but now he was willing to delay it. He looked to the slowly disappearing floor and narrowed his eyes. "What is it you are doing then?"

"You are dead. I must bring you back to life."

"You can do that?" Clark asked with wide eyes, looking around left and right.

"No, I cannot give life back, but there is another way that might work."

"And that is?"

Jor-El seemed to pause for a second before responding. "You are a powerful being here on this earth. Your strength and abilities are truly remarkable, but they are nothing compared to what you will achieve once your training is done. Your death came as a surprise, which means I did not have sufficient time to prepare for your arrival. There is only one thing I can do. It may work, or it may not."

Getting frustrated with the roundabout answers, Clark thought back to what he was leaving behind, his friends, his mother, and most of all, Lois. "Just do it," he said with hard eyes. "If the world needs me, then who am I to deny my destiny?"

"True, Kal-El." Jor-El's voice sounded almost happy. "I am hesitant to do this, but it is the only way. As I said before, you lack the full power you would have once you finish our training. I cannot give you your life back, but I can instill in you your full potential. This may be enough for you to recuperate."

"More powerful?" Clark whispered softly. "Is that even possible?"

"Power is limitless, Kal-El. It's within ones mind that the limitations lay."

Clark frowned at the answer, but didn't have time to respond as his back arched horribly backwards and a muffled scream escaped his lips. A searing hot pain ripped through his stomach and went up his spine, ending its tortuous path in his head. He could hear his fathers soothing words inside his mind, the pain instantly disappearing.

"Power is one thing, my son, but controlling it is another entirely. I have no doubt you will be able to handle it. Should you have any trouble, your soul-mate will guide you through the tough times. Her love sets your mind at ease and your heart to peace. In her arms you are invincible."

Clark managed to open his mouth as the pain began to dwindle. He kept his eyes closed, unsure of what he would see if he opened them. "The last criminal? Where is it?" He needed all the information he could get should he truly come back to life.

"Where is not the question, whom is."

"Who is it then?"

"What was once known as Milton Fine."

Clark's eyes snapped open as the pain that had appeared previously, returned and slammed into his with a crushing force, driving the air out of his lungs. Suddenly everything went black.

-

Lois walked over and sat down on the other side of the bed across from a now normal looking being. It was quite shocking to have witnessed something so alien, so large, change into a normal looking human. Clark was obviously not alone when it came to life from other planets. She gently took one of Clark's clammy hands into her own and squeezed it tightly. The shock of his death was wearing off, but something deep within her told her it was not the end. Clark's purpose in life was too important for him to die now. But as the minutes wore on, and the now human looking alien pacing back and forth, her gloom started to settle in.

It didn't take long for desperation to rear its ugly head, her tears falling down onto his hand. "This can't be the end, Smallville. I can't lose you now."

J'onn felt the physic link he kept with Clark suddenly snap. His eyes went wide as he vaulted over the bed and tackled the tall woman to the floor. He didn't know what was happening, but he shouted for all of them to get down. When someone broke the link, it usually meant that something bad was about to happen. He shielded the woman as he peered back to the bed.

Instead of something violent happening, there arose a faint white glow.

Lois pushed herself away from the dark man, her eyes instantly going to Clark as her tears dried up. She couldn't fathom why the man had tackled her, but he had obviously noticed something. She stood up, his hands leaving her as she walked closer to the bed. When she was about to touch his hand, Chloe grabbed it and pulled her back. She struggled against her cousin's grip, but Jimmy held on to her too. As the white glow began to intensify on Clark's chest, she finally gave up trying to break free. "What's happening?" she asked to the dark man standing beside them.

"I don't know, but something severed the link I had to his mind." His eyes didn't leave his young friend as the white light began to get even brighter.

The air in the room suddenly became cold, a powerful wind whipping the curtains around violently. Unable to blink, Lois watched as Clark's body slowly rose off the mattress. The light intensified so brightly that she almost couldn't watch, but she held strong, not wanting to take her eyes off him for a second.

The light finally began to shrink, but what happened next completely astonished her. Clark's shirt began to tighten around his body, the neckline tearing slightly as his shoulders and arms grew bigger. He was already big, but now he was built, his arms showing more definition than before. He wasn't bulky, his height easily offsetting that attribute as his jeans began to tear on his thighs.

J'onn stared in mute shock as he witnessed the transformation. He had met Jor-El, and from what he knew of Clark's destiny, he knew what was going on. A young man with powers and abilities that only mortals could dream of, the most powerful man on earth, was now, quite possibly the most powerful being in the galaxy. He knew exactly what Jor-El had done, and that's why he had sent Kal-El's mind to the fortress in the first place. He expected something to happen, but not this, no, certainly not this.

He stepped back and whispered to the others as Clark's body dropped back to the bed and the white light disappeared. "We need to get him into the sun."

Lois could barely hear the man talking as she slowly walked towards Clark. His skin was no longer white, and as she touched his hand she could felt the warmth that he always seemed to have. "He's alive!" she said excitedly.

J'onn stepped up to the bed and lifted the young man into his arms. He quickly kicked open the hallway door and walked to the stairs. He ascended them quickly and pushed the rooftop door off its hinges and brought them out into the sunlight. There wasn't a cloud in the sky as he gently laid Clark on the lightly snow covered roof.

He took a step back and watched as the light of the afternoon seemed to draw towards the young man. He looked over as the others came filing out of the stairwell and onto the roof. The tall woman came first, running over and almost throwing herself onto Clark. J'onn smiled to himself as he watched Clark's chest begin to rise and fall rhythmically. Earth's savior was alive, and it would only take a few minutes for the process to complete itself. There would be no time for recuperation. In the past it would have taken days for the young man to restore himself back to where he could walk, but with his newfound power, it would only take minutes.

Sure, he had his own doubts about Jor-El going to such an extreme, but he understood. It was the only way, and he could accept that. One thing he was curious about was whether or not the young man had gained the ability to fly. He shrugged it off as he let himself feel satisfied that his friend was alive. 'Friend' He thought to himself with a smile. He had never truly had a friend before.

Clark slowly opened his eyes as the sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky. A shadow passed over his face as he tried to focus his eyes. "Lois?" he asked with a weak voice, his heart beginning to beat furiously.

"Smallville," Lois responded quietly and hugged him for dear life. She didn't want to let go, allowing his body to leave her hands was not something that she would let become reality. He had left her once and she wouldn't let him leave her again. "You bastard," she chuckled, stilling crying as she gripped him hard.

He slowly sat up as the sun soaked into his skin and gave him the strength to move. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear as her head was buried into his shoulder.

Lois laughed suddenly, pulling back and swatted him in the shoulder. "Don't you dare say you're sorry! You saved over a hundred lives; you have nothing to be sorry about."

Clark smiled and kissed her, grabbing her head with his hands and holding it firmly. After breaking it, he stared right into her eyes. "I know, but I couldn't imagine leaving you and everyone like that again."

She smiled warmly and helped him to his feet. He was warm again, his skin almost too hot to the touch. "Are you okay?" She asked softly as he finally stood upright.

Clark looked down to his ripped clothing and back up to her. "I feel, well, I feel great actually." He frowned and looked over to J'onn, who was practically grinning from one ear to another.

"Things have changed," J'onn said.

Clark looked down at his clothing again and laughed. "I guess so."

"Do you remember what happened?" J'onn asked telepathically.

He responded back using the link. "I do, but there is something that I am forgetting."

"Think hard, it will come back to you."

Clark did so and closed his eyes for a second. There was something vitally important that his father had said just before he blacked out. His eyes suddenly opened wide. Looking right at J'onn, he whispered. "Brainiac"

"What Smallville?" Lois asked as she continued to stare at him. When his eyes didn't leave the dark man behind her, she turned. She didn't think a man with such dark skin could pale, but she was wrong. John looked almost sick, his eyes wide with worry and sorrow. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I have to go," J'onn said suddenly, disappearing through the roof and down into the hotel.

"What was that all about?" Chloe asked as she walked up to them. Jimmy was only a few steps behind.

Clark was about to respond, but the blond wrapped him in a hug and whispered in his ear.

"Don't you ever scare any of us like that again."

He smiled as she pulled away. "I promise to try not to."

Lois, overhearing it all, slugged him on the arm, his now larger arm. "Trying isn't good enough."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Nothing is ever good enough for you, is it?" When she smiled and shook her head, he returned the grin and kissed her quickly.

"So, what happened?" She asked after pulling back from the embrace. As he continued to grin she couldn't help notice that he was taller too. It may have only been an inch or so, but in her eyes it was a drastic change. He had already been a large man, but now he was borderline enormous. She was thankful he wasn't a bulging hulk, but his powerful arms gave her some concern. Leaning up to him, she whispered. "I hope those news muscles don't impede those soft hands of yours?"

Clark went red as he stared at Chloe and Jimmy. Both of them were smiling, but Jimmy seemed to understand instantly what Lois was doing.

"Come on Chloe," Jimmy said suddenly, gently putting his hand on her arm. "Let's give them some time alone."

Chloe hesitated, but when she saw the look on both Lois and Clark's faces, she nodded and went to the stairs. She took one last look before she left. Her smile widened as she saw what looked like the most natural thing in the world. The two of them were simply staring into one another's eyes, not talking. At that instant she knew that there was nothing in the world that could separate the two of them. Lois was part of his destiny, and it felt right, as if she should have known it all along.

With a shake of her head, Chloe disappeared down the stairs.

Resting her head on his chest, Lois let out deep sigh and a few tears she had been holding in. "You have no idea how much it hurt to see you lying on that bed."

Clark rested his chin on top of her hair and tightened his arms around her. "I think I do, Lois. It feels like a part of you has been ripped away and there's nothing but a big empty hole left. I won't pretend to know exactly how you felt, but you should know that you gave me the strength to come back."

"What?" she asked, lifting her head up to meet his gaze.

"My father may have given me the physical strength to heal, but you gave me the strength to live." He gently took her hand and placed her palm on his heart. "Your love gave me the strength to live, to know that my place in this world means something. I didn't simply come back because of you, but you were what made me believe that I had to come back for everyone. Jimmy, Chloe, my mother, the whole world, they need me."

Los smiled warmly and said. "Maybe, but they will never need you as much as I need you."

"As much as I want to feel that I'm needed equally by everyone, I know that I need you the most. You make me feel human. There's not a moment that goes by that I don't feel your love. Without you I'm nothing more than a alien with powers, but with you I am a human with the will and the desire to make this world better." He could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't completely understand. "What I'm basically saying is that without you I am nothing. It's you who keeps my heart beating."

Her eyes drifted down to her hand on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat, his love that seemed to radiate into the air and engulf her. "I feel the same way, Smallville."

He smiled as he squeezed her hand upon his chest. "You don't need to tell me. I already know."

"How?" she asked, looking back up at him again.

Clark bent his head down and kissed her, lingering to feel the spark that passed between their lips. It saddened him to break apart, but he had to do it eventually. "How do I know? Easy Lois, you're my soul-mate."

"The one from the caves?" She asked softly, her pleading eyes staring right up at him.

"The very one."

She quickly pulled him down into another rousing kiss as she let the weight of what he said settle in. He was right, and she knew it. She was his soul-mate, even if she found it incredibly cheesy.