Epilogue
Chloe held the paper up to better admire the headline. So much had happened in the ten months leading up to her biggest front page article ever. The first thing she did was reenroll at Metropolis University to earn the final credits so she could finish off her degree in journalism. Then as planned, she turned over the daily operation of Watchtower to J'onn, Victor and anyone else who ended up on the schedule, but instead of completely walking away, she agreed to fill in when needed. About a month later, she helped for a couple days after Lana passed along a tip concerning her former trainer. He was working with a group called the Suicide Squad. The early warning made neutralizing the budding organization much simpler than expected.
Then Chloe practically moved back into the tower the week Kara returned with an uber creepazoid called Darkseid on her tail. He neutralized local authorities and the military in the first wave of his arrival. The rock monster called himself a god and it took the full strength and talent of Clark, Kara and J'onn combined to contain him while every other hero on the ground dealt with his foot soldiers and elite squad of female furies.
For the first time all the heroes hiding in the shadows fought in the full view of the public, even luring out ones the Justice League had never known. In the end with some help from Jor-El, they'd reopened the boom tube the murderous manipulator arrived through and pushed Darkseid back with one significant change. A new ally with a penchant for swirling capes, pointy cowls and too much black suggested they reset the coordinates for open space. For now at least, the Bringer of Apokoplips was just another asteroid drifting in the frozen vastness.
That night when Clark took her home and they loved away the lingering hurt and fears, she finally accepted the ring he'd been carrying around almost since they'd returned from the arctic.
As she held the paper up, Chloe noticed that her modest, quarter carat, antique diamond caught and beautifully refracted the light coming through the stained glass windows of the Planet's basement. She loved the vintage style and practical size. Clark was paying for it on his reporter's salary and they didn't have giant diamonds in their near future. She knew he could have used his abilities to make a diamond of any size but Clark refused to take the easy way. He wanted to work for what he gave her and she loved him more for the effort.
"I really think the picture captures the essence of the headline, don't you?" She asked, speaking over her shoulder to her fiancé. Clark dropped a notepad in the box on his desk, pushed up his glasses and came to stand behind Chloe. She glanced at the headline and then turned to him again, her quick movement sending her hair tumbling over her eyes. "Hmm? Don't you think?"
He brushed aside the dark silky strands and then leaned forward to inhale the light citrus scent lingering in her hair. Getting used to the change in her hair color had taken him a little while, but now he was surprised how well the darker tone suited her. She decided to let her hair return to its natural shade sometime between helping to stave off Darkseid's take over of the world and not coming up for air the following week while she studied for finals. Later Chloe told him it felt good just to be purely herself, no more disguises.
Well, almost no more. After graduating, Chloe didn't have difficulty getting rehired at the Daily Planet but the day her first article went to print, a fleet of lawyers looking after the estate of Lex Luthor stopped the presses. They slapped an injunction on the Planet, prohibiting use of the name Chloe Sullivan and all variants there of. Seems firing her wasn't enough for Lex.
In a fit of maniacal pettiness, Lex Luthor had copyrighted, trademarked, branded, patented, and registered the use of her name. The Planet's lawyers insisted it couldn't possibly be legal, but the judicial wrangling left behind was complicated enough to take a decade to untangle and until then, management wouldn't even dare print her name in the classifieds.
Surprisingly, a call from Lois seemed to solve the problem. Lois left to work with Perry White at the African assignment desk as she planned, but four months later, she called Chloe via Skype and made three startling announcements. One; she was madly in love, two; she was pregnant, and three; she'd been right the first time and announced that reporting was definitely not her calling.
While on assignment in Oman, Lois met a tall, dark and gorgeous who knocked her up and off her feet and later turned out to be linked to a royal family of one of those tiny but recently fabulously wealthy Arabian Emirates that maintained their independence because of the rare minerals they controlled. The country had a very western attitude and the locals found Lois's brash mix of caring and pushiness charming. The initial misunderstanding parted them but he'd followed her back to the African Bureau and spent the next two months devotedly courting her to be his wife.
Chloe gushed over Lois's huge yellow diamond ring, cried a little over Lois's news about becoming a mommy and then skipped straight to Watchtower to retask a satellite. Lois's intended became the most thoroughly vetted man alive. Martian Manhunter even agreed to spend time sorting through his mind. In the end, he turned out to be exactly what he appeared, a man besotted with his bride, willing and able to devote his life to making her happy while they worked together to improve his nation. After a storybook wedding, Lois's familiarity with Army protocol made them the natural liaison couple to the United States military, at least until the birth of their daughter put them temporarily out of action.
When Lois heard about the mischief Lex left behind, she'd insisted Chloe publish using her name. Though initially reluctant, a scoop about the resurgence of Intergang was too much for Chloe to pass up and the name Lois Lane returned to the folds of the Daily Planet.
Chloe found she didn't mind not seeing her name in print. Having a pseudonym was kind of like having a secret identity and if Clark was going to get one, it was only fair she got one too.
Technically though, Clark's identity had become a whole lot less secret. The blur slowed down so more people could see him and then stopped blurring altogether following the big confrontation with Darkseid. After a flurry of sightings in the sky and across the city, the Red Blue former Blur officially went public. His picture, big enough to be both above and below the fold, showcased the new costume, a bright red and blue skintight ensemble with a touch of yellow to highlight the S on his chest and a large crimson cape draped over his shoulders. The accompanying article explained the letter was an important symbol from his heritage but the three-inch headline simply proclaimed it to mean Superman.
"Clark, are you listening to me?"
"Mmm." He stalled instead of admitting he'd been too busy smelling her hair to pay attention. He straightened his glasses and replayed in his mind what Chloe said. Something about the picture capturing the essence of the headline. He glanced over to reread the headline again.
"SUPERMAN!
A Revealing Look at Metropolis's Hero."
"What about the picture…wait, you said the suit wasn't too tight."
"No," she snorted, "What I said was the suit looked good." She raked her eyes over the picture. "Believe me, it looks real good."
"I'm still not so sure about the cape."
Chloe rolled her eyes and turned to face him. "Who are you kidding? You love the cape." She refolded the page and dropped it in the cardboard box on her desk before setting her hands on his chest. "Besides," she began as she ran her hand up to his shoulders and then linked her fingers behind his neck, "the video showing the Blur leaping past the Daily Planet the same night that weird tunnel of lights was in the sky clearly showed a long billowing cape. The video went viral. It's a case of give the people what they want."
"That video was so grainy no one could even tell you were there for Superman's supposed new debut." A faint rosy color stained his cheeks and he used air quotes for Superman. Chloe dropped her forehead to his chest and tried to suppress another snort.
When she had better control, she looked up with a grin on her face. "Really? The fit of the suit varies from tight, tighter, and can't possibly be any tighter and it's the name that embarrasses you?"
"It's just," he shifted uncomfortably, "I don't know if I really deserve it."
Her heart flashed in her eyes. She cupped his jaw tenderly and rose up on her tiptoes to place her kiss. "You do, you really do," she said quietly. His arms drew her closer and a playful smile touched his mouth.
"Well, if I was just going by what this Lois Lane wrote in the article then I'd have to agree with you."
She laughed, delighted at his teasing. "Didn't I promise to write nice things about you if you started throwing people around?"
"Hey," he pretended indignance. "I stopped doing that."
She bit her lower lip and then wet both lips. "And for that, you get something extra special." His hands tighten on her waist and he leaned down.
"Oh gees, could you two just get out of here already?" They looked up to see Michael Landes, the staff photographer slash assistant to the new Editor and Chief. He was a dark haired, lanky guy around their age who was still trying to figure out where he wanted his career to go. He held up his hand and turned his head away. "To those of us still dwelling in the basement, we'd like to keep the place generally free from public displays of affection."
Clark cocked his head and Chloe raised an eyebrow remembering two weeks ago when they'd found the copier room occupied by Michael and his girlfriend Sara and no copies being made. "Since when?" She challenged.
"Since Sara dumped me." When their faces fell, he held up his hand again. "Ok, no pity. You know what? Here, this is a special day. The Superman exclusive just came out, Perry is thrilled that promoting you guys paid off so quickly, and the office built for two is ready upstairs under the tiffany lights. So let me grab these last two boxes for you."
"Michael you don't have to do that." Chloe insisted and tried to pull away, but Clark wouldn't let her go.
"Really, it's no problem. I wouldn't have offered if they weren't half empty and I need to run up and see the Chief anyway." He stacked the boxes and left without waiting for further permission. They shouted their thanks as he headed to the elevator.
When Michael was gone, Clark leaned in again. "Now, where were we?"
Chloe played ignorant. "Hmm, let me think. Were you about to tell me who called a little while ago?"
He glanced down and came back up serious for a moment. "Actually, now that you mention it, I was supposed to pass on best wishes and congratulations about tomorrow from Star City."
Chloe lifted her eyebrows. "Dinah called?"
"No, it was Oliver."
"He called you?" She tilted her head. The two heroes put their differences aside when it came to business, but this was the first time Oliver had reached out for personal reasons. "How did he sound?"
"Good. I think Canary was there in the background."
"I'm glad. I think between him and Dinah finally doing something about all those flirty text messages and Oliver's new hobby, he's finally figured out what makes him happy."
"Most people wouldn't consider running for Mayor of Star City a hobby."
"Most people don't moonlight as a CEO and hit their day job as the Green Arrow sometime after midnight. Speaking of secret identities, have I mentioned lately how delicious you look in glasses?" She asked as she pressed more firmly against his chest.
"I can't believe these things actually work as a disguise."
"Jor-El promised the lenses he supplied would have a distorting effect on how you are perceived by people. One glance at those sturdy frames and a fresh order of stereotype is served. All anyone thinks about is pocket protectors, inhalers, and ninety pound weaklings." She ran her hands over his strong shoulders, down his sculpted arms, and up his muscled back all the while shaking her head. "A truly amazing trick."
"One you never fall for, thank goodness."
"I'm not sure if Jor-El gave me a pass on his special hodoo or if I've always had a knack for seeing the man underneath the mystic."
"I just wish I hadn't taken so long to …"
"Hey, no more what ifs. I love you." She held his gaze and watched as her words drove away past regrets. "Not to mention, I really, really like where we are and if getting here meant some very bumpy roads, you can't tell me they weren't worth traveling."
Clark looked at her in wonder. How did she do it? How did she always know just what to say? "I love you so much and I really don't deserve you, but," a dimple dented his cheek as he smiled and Chloe grinned back up at him, "if I'm not allowed to dwell, I'll just have to find another way to show my appreciation." He dropped her backwards into a dramatic dip.
Laughing, she shook her head. "Normally I'm always game for a little appreciation," she snickered when he wagged his eyebrows at her, "but, I think we have to get going. We need to pick your mother up at the airport in an hour."
Martha was flying home to attend the simple ceremony they planned for tomorrow night. Back when they first told Martha they were together as a couple, she looked from Clark to Chloe and immediately started crying. Clark was alarmed until his mother turned to Chloe, pulled her into a hug and whispered, "I always hoped Clark would find happiness, now I know he will." When Chloe also burst into sobs, he left them alone to work through the happy tears.
The wedding was to be elegant but very small. Lois couldn't be there; she didn't want to travel so far with her new baby girl. Kara was flying in though, handling her own travel plans naturally. Most of the team wouldn't be there, just Courtney who begged to be bridesmaid and Bart who heard Mrs. Kent was making a special pre-wedding dinner. Chloe was happy with the modest plans. She really didn't want to chance attracting the wrong kind of attention with something large or flashy. In some ways, the event was more for Martha than anyone. Both Clark and Chloe saw the ceremony as a final formality. Nothing could break the commitment of friendship, love, and trust that they'd already fought hard to forge.
Still, the wedding dress was stunning and the honeymoon lingerie that much more fabulous. She was wearing some of the silky, gorgeous stuff right now.
"True, but that still gives us almost a whole hour." Clark set her on her feet, took her hand and began backing toward the copy room.
Chloe glanced around the empty basement. No one would be in to bother them. She bit her lip, considering. "Somehow I don't thing Senator Kent can be picked up by the Superman Shuttle without attracting the wrong kind of attention."
"Also true, but a mild mannered reporter and his feisty lady love could zip over last minute to baggage claims unnoticed." He gave her hand a little tug and she took a couple steps his direction.
"And the car…"
"I drove it over to the airport parking lot at lunch."
She smiled in approval. "Did I mention how much I admire your new proactive way of thinking?"
"Maybe you meant to tell me this morning, but you were too busy screaming my name while I was…," Chloe hurried to cover his mouth with her hand.
"Ok, it's a good thing you switched call signs. A mouth that filthy should have nothing to do with boy scouts."
"Funny," he pushed up his glasses, feeling lighter and happier than he could ever remember. "I can't help recall you encouraging me in that area."
She lifted her shoulders. "What can I say, I'm writer. I'm a sucker for words."
"So I seduced you with my silver tongue?"
Mischief flashed in her eyes. "Mmm, maybe not just your tongue." She slid her hand along the edge of his waistband. "There is that other appendage I'm rather fond of."
He swallowed. "And I have the filthy mouth?"
Chloe slinked even closer. "It's a sad but true case of gender discrimination. Out of your mouth it's dirty, but out of mine," she stretched up, pressed her lips to his ear, and breathed, "it's erotic."
He fumbled behind his back to get the door to the copy room open. "Care to compare notes on the subject?" he asked, his voice raspy with desire.
Chloe pushed him back through the doorway with both hands. "I'm pretty sure we're done talking."
The End