Clark, Lois, Kara, and Bruce stared at Ms. Pris-Im in alarm, wondering if she was about to give Clark's secret away.
"Who is this person?" General Lane asked.
"This is Ms. Pris-Im," Kara said. "She's been a part of the Kent family for years. She was my nanny back in Minnesota."
"I found some papers in the attic that I think will clear up this whole matter," Ms. Pris-Im said, handing them straight to General Lane.
Clark breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was a copy of his birth certificate, adoption papers, and medical records, all falsified documents. He should have known. He couldn't have gone to school or gotten his driver's license without these papers. His parents must have taken care of these things a long time ago. He had just never given it much thought before.
General Lane looked over the papers carefully. "Well, they seem to be in order and this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that you're not one of the meteor freaks. I suppose I have no choice but to give you both my blessing." He looked at his daughter and his expression softened slightly. "And I do give it. If you'll make my little girl happy, then that's good enough for me, but if you ever hurt her, I'll make it my mission to make your life miserable."
He shook General Lane's hand. "Thank you, sir. And you won't have to worry about that. Lois is the last person in the world I'd ever want to hurt."
"It says here that you're actually a Kent," General Lane said, handing the papers to Clark. "Only your first name was changed from John to Clark when you were adopted. You were in Smallville at the time because your biological parents were dead and arrangements were being made for your adoption. Martha and Jonathan, besides being your parents, were distant cousins, as well as your closest living relatives. It makes perfect sense though. I thought you and Kara resembled each other a little too much not to be biological cousins of some sort."
It hadn't occurred to him just how much information his parents had had to falsify to cover his origins before, but he was grateful for their foresight to secure his earthly identity in every sense or he would have been in some hot water long before now. "I honestly had no idea I was born a Kent. I never thought to ask my parents or look at my birth certificate."
Lois laughed. "I always knew you were a Kent all along. No one is born wearing plaid and having ridiculously good manners unless they're a Kent at heart." She slipped an arm around his, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
He looked at her hopefully, "Does that mean you're saying yes to my proposal?"
"Yes, I've realized just now that I've always known the real you whatever you want to call yourself."
"More than any other person ever has before, and I will always be honest with you," he promised, embracing her in a hug.
"All in all though, I'm glad you're Clark Kent," Lois said. "No other name suits you quite as well."
He gave her a wide, joyous smile in response. It was true. He was above all a man who had been raised by two loving parents in a small town in Kansas and a man who was about to marry the woman of his dreams, a woman who kept him firmly grounded in his humanity. He was Clark Kent above all his other identities and he was proud of it.
"Do you find it amusing that your name is Kent?" General Lane asked sharply. Clark suspected the general was still a little miffed that he had been wrong in his suspicions despite everything turning out so well.
"Not at all, General Lane, sir," Clark said. "I've realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Clark Kent."
The End