Hey my fellow readers!

I decided to make a few adjustments to the chapter because I realized something was not right in here. Don't worry, I'll be updating Reality Check very soon! It'll be my Christmas present to you. And make sure you check out the Props links I have for these two stories.

Merry Christmas!

SHF95

Chapter 15: Epilogue

"Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm doing this." I groaned backstage, "What have I gotten myself into?" I paced nervously trying to calm myself down. The fabric of my dress swished as I turned each time. Lois and I had spent the day shopping for a dress for me at Debs. Normally, I don't wear dresses and I'm not particularly fond of them, but the blue evening ball gown we found for me was very pretty and I actually liked it. It had a glittering mesh overlay layers over the satin for a two-tone effect. Lois even dusted some glitter in my hair, curled it a little, and pulled it back with a rhinestone clip. It honestly felt weird, but it's nice to dress up every now and then. Not only that bit but the looks on people's faces are priceless.

"Calm yourself down, kid." A member of the orchestra patted me on the shoulder, "You'll be fine. Just try to take a deep breath and relax, you know, just enjoy having a good time. I remember when I performed for the first time with MSO and I had several solos. Since when do kids your age get to play with the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra and get to play a piece they wrote? Last time I checked, not very many get to. You're a very lucky kid, Sarah."

"And a damn good pianist," Another member added. I let out a chuckle.

"Thanks," I gave the members a small smile. I took several deep breaths and my frantic beating heart slowed down. Now I know how Lois felt when she walked up to the podium to receive the Pulitzer. I had to wait as the members walked onto the stage and took their places. The conductor, Alan Garrison, would introduce me after he and the orchestra played a few pieces. Everyone gave me 'good luck' hugs before they headed out and took their places. I watched silently as Mr. Garrison conducted pieces by Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart.

"The next few pieces we'll be playing are some that our guest pianist chose." Mr. Garrison began to explain, "Two weeks ago after the disaster that happened in the city, we needed to find a musical guest for the banquet after it was canceled for that date since the one we had decided to cancel because of schedule problems. So we decided to have an audition open for the public because there are so many people out there who have great talent." I noticed Clark sitting at the table. It was nice to see him there. For once, the world was having a silent night where no one was calling out to Superman for help.

"I and several principal players took the time to sit down and listen to all of the people who auditioned. All of them played very well and it was very difficult to choose. But one girl, just one girl stood out from everyone else. This girl is one extremely bright individual who is a very talented pianist. When we chose her, she brought us two pieces she wrote. One features the entire orchestra with drumming and piano. Another she wrote features mainly string and some piano. She felt like the String section needed a piece where they could shine. And when we first played it, it was so beautiful we actually shed a tear or two." Mr. Garrison smiled in my direction, "Please welcome Miss Sarah Kent!" There was a loud burst of applause as I stepped out onto the stage. I stood by the piano giving my best smile and I bowed. I mentally laughed at Clark's stunned appearance.

I took my seat at the bench and nodded at Mr. Garrison to show that I was ready. First, we would be playing a few pieces by Ludovico Einaudi. I chose Divenire, Eden Roc, Resta con Me, Dietro Casa, Nuvole Bianche, and Fly. My fingers flowed over the keys and I became lost in the music. I noticed the members of MSO were also lost in the music. Even the audience was transfixed by the pieces. When we finished playing those pieces and Mr. Garrison explained them, we played the final two pieces I wrote. The principal violinist took his spot next to me at the piano.

"You're doing fantastic, Sarah." He whispered.

"Thank you." I grinned, "You guys are doing amazing." The piece that we were going to play next had the drumming in it. I composed it during the time Clark was gone to search for Krypton. It expressed the hard times I went through like learning how to control my abilities on my own and when I was happy when I was with my friends and family. Many thoughts raced through my head as I played.

Isn't that Clark's sister?

Oh my, she has quite a talent.

This music is so beautiful.

When that piece was done, everyone burst into applause. I stood up and both the principal violin and I bowed. Then came the time to perform the last piece and my hands were shaking a little.

You can do it, I pep-talked to myself. You're almost done and you are doing a great job. Just a little bit longer. I eyed Mr. Garrison and nodded once. He counted me off and I began to play out the beginning chords. The violins drew out a steady sad note that faded away and came back a few beats later. The music gradually swelled as more and more members of the String section joined. Those who didn't play watched with full attention as the music grabbed their attention and danced with them. I noticed some people in the audience were a little glassy eyed. Within just a few notes of a piece, music has the ability to make people cry or weep with joy.

I only wrote this piece a few days ago and this was mainly about how the city stood still when Clark was in a coma. Every single one of us in the city held our breaths as we waited for our savior to wake up. The music began to slow down and soften as it drew to its end, but it had a happy ending similar to a fairytale. The last chord was held out by the piano for a few more seconds before it completely died away. When I removed my hands and Mr. Garrison dropped his hands, everyone stood up and cheered wildly at the performance. I stood up and bowed when Mr. Garrison held an outstretched hand in my direction.

The members of the MSO stood and took their bow. Then everyone on stage took one last bow before we exited the stage. I heard Clark, Lois, Richard, Jimmy, and Perry shout my name from our table as I headed off the stage. Members of MSO came up to me and gave me a hug on an excellent performance.

"Sarah, that was the best performance I have ever had!" Mr. Garrison gave me a giant hug.

"Thank you, Mr. Garrison!" I hugged him back.

"We have a little gift for you." He let go of me. "Wait right here." He rushed off to somewhere for a few moments and came back with a bouquet of white roses. "MSO wanted to give you something on one of the most fantastic performances we have ever had." Mr. Garrison presented the bouquet. "We wanted to thank you for coming and we hope you will play with us again soon."

"Aww, thank you so much," I felt my eyes well up as I accepted the roses. We had one giant group hug right there backstage before I headed down to the others. I spotted Clark and ran to him. Clark engulfed me in a warm embrace that I never wanted to leave from.

"You were fantastic!" He lifted me off my feet. "I have never heard anything that was beautiful as that. And you look very beautiful!" I chuckled in his arms. He set me down, but kept an arm around me. "I am very proud of you. And so would both Mom and Dad."

"Sarah, you were amazing up there." I was clobbered by a hug from Lois and Richard "You have quite the talent. And that was so stunning." Jimmy came up next to compliment.

"Sarah, you have one heck of a talent. I've never heard anyone play like that or write pieces like that before."

"Thank you, Jimmy." I grinned.

"Kent," Perry came up to us. "You've got one hell of a pianist for a sister. Your parents would be proud of you, Sarah. And keep on playing. You'll become well-known around here. Olsen, get a few shots of her at the piano if you didn't get any." Jason came up to me and I squatted down to his level.

"So what did you think, Jason?" I asked him.

"I really, really liked it." He jumped into my arms. "Can you teach me how to do that?" Everyone around us laughed at his response.

"I'll teach you when you're a little older because you'll know a lot more about the piano. I promise you that." I agreed.

"And, Sarah," Jason got my attention again.

"Hmm?"

"You look like a princess." He smiled at me.

"Thank you, Jason." I enveloped him in a bear hug. We waited for the hall to clear out a little before we left. As Perry requested, Jimmy took a couple of pictures of me at the piano so they could be used in the Daily Planet. Clark put an arm around me as we headed out the building. He finally found an apartment near Central Park and I would get to move there in a few days. Excitement vibrated through me as the day drew closer for me to live with my brother again.

"You ready for Saturday?" He asked.

"I can't wait at all." I replied with a grin. "So…" I trailed off.

"So….what,"

"Anyone screamed for help while we were at the banquet?" I checked over my shoulder to make sure we weren't overheard.

"For once, there wasn't a single person that cried out." Clark replied. "It was actually nice taking a small break for the night from flying around the world and saving thousands of people. And it was a great opportunity to see you play tonight. You were absolutely fantastic."

"Thank you very much, Clark." He held the door open for all of us to exit and we stepped outside into the night air. As we started off, someone called my name from behind.

"Sarah. Sarah!" A familiar called my name. I stopped and turned around. It was Luke Knight from school. His English accent stood out from the people talking around us.

"Luke, um…hi," I shyly greeted him. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad works in the International section with Richard and they're good friends. He, my mum, and I came out to support Lois." Luke explained. Luke was a great friend of mine and I haven't seen him since school got out. He was a little taller than me, had brown hair and blue eyes, has a great sense of humor, fantastic personality, and I'll admit he was very attractive. "I just wanted to say that you were brilliant tonight. You were amazing. I have honestly never heard anyone play so beautifully until tonight."

"Why thank you, Luke." I felt my heart flutter a little at the compliment.

"And you also look very beautiful." He cleared his throat.

"You look quite handsome yourself." I complimented back.

"Ah, Sarah," Luke's father greeted me with a handshake. "Congratulations on your performance tonight. That was truly magnificent." Luke's father was tall, had dark hair, and brown eyes. I could definitely see the traits Luke inherited from his dad.

"And you look beautiful in that dress." Luke's mother complimented. "He's told us so many things about you and we can see why he speaks so fondly of you." Luke's mother was very stunning. She had wavy brown hair, a bright smile, a slender figure, and the same blue eyes as Luke.

"Mum," Luke groaned under his breath.

"That's what I'm here for, Luke." She tousled some of his hair for a moment and chuckled.

"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Knight." I smiled.

"Ah, Tyler," Richard greeted. "It's good to see you." Thankfully, the adults came over to talk to one another in a large group. Luke and I walked over to the front window of the banquet hall where we stood talking to each other. I tilted my head slightly listening for any sign of trouble to let Clark know. So far there's nothing yet.

"Your parents are really nice." I commented.

"Yeah, but they have their moments where they're a pain in the ass." Luke stood beside me. "Your brother is…"

"A bit geeky," I raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, no I wasn't going to say that." He panicked. I merely laughed at his reaction. "I was going to say really tall."

"Sure you were." I snorted in amusement while crossing my arms. "Clark acts a little shy because he likes Lois. I'm sure you can understand being nervous and shy around someone you really like. Not a whole bunch of people know that. Best to keep it a secret," I myself can relate to that. Particularly, right here right now,

"So that's why he acts all clumsy." Luke agreed with my explanation. I can definitely relate to that.

"But once you get to know him and when he's not around Lois, he's a great guy to be around. He's one of those very few people in the world that you can depend on." I kept an eye on my brother.

"Maybe that will happen to me if I'm lucky." Luke rocked a bit on his feet. I glanced at him.

"I'm sure it will happen." I assured. We were silent for a few moments.

God, she looks beautiful. I hid a smile by biting the sides of my cheeks on the inside of my mouth. Maybe I should ask her to hang out sometime.

"Do you want to hang out sometime this summer?" He asked a little too quickly.

"I'd love to." I replied. "But I can't this weekend because I'm moving out of Lois's house and into Clark's apartment this weekend. Maybe we could hang out sometime next week."

"Yeah," Luke nodded, "Yeah that would be great. Fantastic, actually," I gave him a small smile and he smiled back.

"Hey, you two," Richard called out to us. "Hate to break up the party, but we have to go."

"Umm…bye, Sarah,"

"Bye, Luke."

"You did amazing at the banquet tonight." He started to head over to his parents.

"You forgot something, Luke." I suddenly found myself saying.

"And what would that be?" He turned and came back.

"You forgot this." I gave him a good bye hug that lasted for a few seconds. Luke was taken by surprise, but he hugged me back.

"Text you later?" He let go and headed back to his parents again.

"Most definitely," I replied heading back to Clark and the others. "See you later, then."

"See you later, Sarah." Luke gave a small wave.

"See you all at work tomorrow." Mr. Knight said. "Good day to you, Sarah."

"And you did a wonderful job tonight." Mrs. Knight smiled at me. We all turned and went our separate ways.

"Ooh, Sarah's got a boyfriend." Clark teased in my ear.

"I do not." I gave him a look, but he merely smirked.

"So who's the lucky chap?" Lois asked.

"Luke Knight." Richard replied. "He is the son of Tyler, whom I work with in the International section, and Eve Knight, who is an interior designer. Tyler and I are good friends. He and Eve moved from London a year before Luke was born. So although Luke has an English accent, he is legally an American citizen."

"And he's a bando like me." I added.

"Aw, that's so adorable." Lois gave me a smile. "I always thought band people would be great with each other."

"And they are almost most always are." I replied. We walked together to the parking deck where Richard parked his car. Clark naturally flew himself to the hall.

"Can we give you a ride home, Clark?" Richard offered.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine taking a cab home." Clark declined the offer kindly.

"We'll see you tomorrow then, Clark." Lois said good bye.

"See you tomorrow, then." Before I got into the car, I ran up to Clark and gave him a hug. "You were wonderful tonight, Sarah."

"Thank you, Clark." I chuckled. "So, are you off to save the world again? I heard a train has only minutes before it derails in San Francisco."

"I heard it, too. So much for a night off, but things happen and I'm alright with it." Clark nodded. "I should get going."

"Good luck." I released my grip and watched him leave. I climbed in the car and Richard started the ignition. A minute later, we were out on the streets driving back to the house. From out of the window, I saw Clark fly above us.

"Superman!" Jason bounced at the sight of him.

"I wonder where he's going to tonight." Richard wondered aloud.

"No one knows for sure, but he's definitely going to be saving someone." Lois gave a small smile.