Chapter Twenty-One:
Her mouth fell open, and she clung onto Clark’s hand. She just couldn’t believe it. “U-Uncle Jeff?”
He smiled, and took several steps towards her, ignoring the glare he received from her companion. Well, someone’s protective, he thought. “Hello, Lois, it’s been a long time.”
She nodded. It had been well over six years going on seven since she had last saw her mother’ best friend and favorite uncle. One part of her wanted to jump up and down in excitement and wrap her arms around him excitedly, but the other part of her knew that he wasn’t here for that. This was definitely not going to be a heartwarming welcome, she thought. He was here for one thing and one thing only…to bring her back to base with Wes, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t do it.
She needed to figure a way out of this.
She didn’t want to leave, but most of all she didn’t want to leave Clark.
She squeezed his hand, in reassurance, and smiled to herself when she felt him squeeze back, and knew deep inside that he was conveying to her that everything was going to be alright. She just hoped that, that was the case.
“Yeah. It has been quite a long time. Why are you here, exactly?”
He sighed, his eyes darting back and forth between them. “I think you know why, Lo.”
She knew why, of course she did, but that didn’t mean she had to accept it, hell, she was never going to accept it. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Well, Lois, you haven’t been very careful, at least not since you’ve been in Washington. I saw you about a week ago, and called your father.”
She felt her heart accelerating in her chest. This couldn’t be happening right now. “W-Why? Why would you call him?”
He was about to answer, but Wes stepped forward intending on explaining, and stopped dead in his tracks at the set of glares he received from both of them. “Lois, your father, he was sick and tired of coming up with nothing but dead ends. He tried pretty much everything to find you, but always came up empty handed so, he did the only thing he could do.”
“Which was?”
“He called every Army General in The Unites States, ordering them to contact him as soon as they found you.”
Her eyes widened. “He did what?”
Jeff stepped forward. “Yes, Lois, he called me about a month ago searching for you, and told me to call him if I happened to cross paths with you.”
She felt like the whole world was crashing down on her. Not only did her father go to such lengths to find her, but he dragged Jeff into it, and once again forced Wes to bring her back. “W-why? Why would you do this? Why couldn’t you have pretended that you never saw me?” She looked between the two of them. “You both know how he treats me. I-I can’t go back.”
“I’m sorry, Lois. I know that you don’t want to leave, hell, I don’t want to do this to you, but I have no choice.”
“Yes, you do!” She exclaimed, glaring at the man she had considered her best friend when she was younger.
“Except that I don’t. Lo, think about this. What if Oscar or Kristin did what you have done? What do you think I would do?”
She shrugged her shoulders. She knew what he would do, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.
“I would do whatever it took to get them back home.”
“At least, they would have an actual home to come back to. I have nothing. I have never considered that a home, and I never will.” She looked up at Clark, softly smiling, and he smiled back down at her. “The only thing that matters is staying with him-with the man I love.”
He sighed. “You have a point, and I do understand where you’re coming from. I know you don’t want to leave him. It’s obvious that you love him very much, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way about you, but I owe it to Sam to make sure you go back.”
“You don’t owe him anything!” She yelled.
“Maybe not, but I would expect him to do the same thing if anyone I loved, especially my children disappeared for three months.”
“I didn’t disappear. I ran away,” She said smugly.
He shook his head from side to side. “That’s even worse, Lois, don’t you understand that I’m only doing what’s right. You need to go back.”
She scoffed. “What’s right? What’s right is me staying as far away from my father as possible.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen. You’re going back…tonight.”
“No! No, I’m not!”
Wes was completely done with this back and forth bickering. It was time he ended this, and make her leave with him. “Enough!” Everyone looked at him. “Dammit, Lois! I’ve been chasing you for three months now, and I’m done! Whether you like it or not, you’re leaving with me tonight, and we’re going back to base.”
“Why? Because The General ordered you to?”
He squared his shoulders. “No, because I’m sick and tired of this ********! I’m tired of spending my days wondering when I’m going to get my life back-wondering when everything is going to go back to normal. Have you even thought about what your decisions have caused? Lois, ever since you left, my life and Cassie’ has gone to complete ****, and I’m not going to deal with this another second longer. You’re leaving with me.”
She glared.
How dare he insinuate that she didn’t care about him or Cassie! That wasn’t the case. It was quite the opposite. She thought about them a lot, wondering what they were doing and how they were, but that didn’t mean it was enough to make her go back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Jeff sighed. “Look, we could sit here all night and argue about this, but it still doesn’t change the facts. Lois you will be leaving this town tonight, no matter what.”
She was definitely not having that. “No! I’m not leaving with either of you!”
“Honey, I’m sorry, but you’ll be leaving tonight. I don’t want to do this, and I’m pretty sure Wes doesn’t either, but we have to. You are going to pack up your belongings, and leave before the night is over.”
“Really? How do you know I just won’t find a way to escape from him once were on the road?”
He softly chuckled. “Dear Lord, child, you are so much like you’re mother. She was just as head strong as you are.” His smile fell. “But, I’m not leaving anything to chance. You will be riding with Wes, and one of my men will be following behind you in your car.”
She smirked. “And what makes you think that I won’t just run away like last time?”
He gave her a serious expression. Wes had told him all about how she escaped from him last time, and that would not be happening this time. “That’s not going to happen. I have every road in and out of this town blocked. You have no choice in the matter, sweetheart.”
She felt all the color draining from her face. “Y-You what?”
“It was the only way we could ensure that you didn’t try to escape again, like you did in Colorado. I’m sorry, Lo, but it’s time for you to go back-it’s time for you to go back to reality.”
She glanced up at Clark, and saw the absolutely horrified expression plastered on his face. It was useless trying to fight this because there was no way to get around this. She would have to leave—she would have to leave Clark. A small part of her wondered if maybe, just maybe Clark could superspeed them out of this town, but if he did it would only be a matter of time before her father found her again, besides she didn’t want anybody finding out about his abilities.
It was over.
It was time for her to go back to base.
She had no choice but to leave.
She didn’t agree with this whatsoever, but what made things worse was that she would have to leave Clark…again, and she really, really didn’t want to do that to him again, but what choice did she really have?
There was no way out of this.
Clark had listened, intently to everything that was being said, and decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t leave him. They had promised each other that they would be together for forever and for always, and he would do everything in his power to keep her by his side.
He quickly dropped her hand, and stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her from their sights, glaring, fiercely at them. “No! No! I will not let you take her away from me! She isn’t going anywhere!”
Both Wes and Jeff stared at him with surprise. They hadn’t expected him to say anything since he had been eerily silent throughout the entire exchange.
He felt her small hands wrap around his arm, and looked down at her. She softly shook her head from side to side, tears in her beautiful hazel eyes, and in that moment, he knew. He could see the truth lingering in her eyes.
She was going to leave.
She was going to leave him…again.
He turned his body towards her, and gripped her face in his large hands, as the tears brimmed in his eyes. “Lois, baby, no, Lois.”
The tears fell down her cheeks, and she whispered through her sobs. “I-I’m sorry, Clark.”
The hot, sticky tears rolled down his face, and he quickly pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly against his chest.
This was it.
It was over.
They were over.
He was about to lose the best thing that has ever happened to him, and this time, this time it wasn’t just going to be for a few weeks or for a few months. It was…forever.
He could feel her trembling in his embrace, as she cried into his chest, and tightened his hold around her, burying his face into her soft, blonde hair. “It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay, Lois. I love you.” He repeated this over and over again, trying to reassure them both that they were going to be alright.
They both pulled away from each other when they heard Jeff clearing his throat, loudly, and turned to look at him, but kept their arms wrapped around each other.
“So, you understand? You will be packing your things and leaving with Wes as soon as possible.”
She never looked at him, as she mumbled, “Yes.”
Wes didn’t like the idea of her packing her things alone. He knew exactly what she was capable of, and he would not fail…not again.
He stepped forward. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Jeff, I gave her the same luxury last time, and she still managed to escape. I won’t let that happen again.”
Clark and Lois glared at him.
Jeff placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not going to happen this time so, I need you to back off. I will handle this.” He looked back over at them, and settled his eyes on his niece’ boyfriend. “What’s your name, young man?”
He felt Lois’ body tense, and rubbed her back reassuringly before responding, “My name is Clark. Clark Kent, sir.”
“Clark, can you assure me that you will be returning with my niece?”
He nodded, meekly. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t really have a choice.
“Good. Now, Clark, I can see how hard this is for not only Lois, but for you as well. How much do you love her?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I love her more than life itself.”
He smiled. “I know you do. I’ve been watching you two for the past week, and quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people more in love than you two are.”
Lois gasped. “T-Then why are you doing this? Why are you tearing us apart? Why can’t you just let us live our lives the way we want…together? I-I don’t want to leave him. I want to stay with him.”
“I know that, Lois.” He smiled at both of them. “But, who says you have to be apart?”
They both frowned at him.
He chuckled, softly. “Oh, come on, you both obviously love each other very much, and don’t want to be apart so, what’s stopping you from bringing him with you?”
They both looked at each other, tears welling in their eyes, and could feel their hearts breaking a little more because they both knew that wasn’t a possibility. She couldn’t bring him with her, especially not to a military base, besides her father would have questions, and she highly doubted that he would ever allow him to stay with her. Clark, on the other hand, couldn’t go with her, even though he wanted to, for multiple reasons, the number one being that he was needed—wanted—missed elsewhere. It was time for him to go home.
She looked over at Jeff. “That’s not possible.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“You know what my father is like. There is no way in hell he would allow him to stay on base with me.”
He nodded. He knew that very well. “Who says he has to stay on base?”
They frowned, even more so.
He glanced between the two of them. “Look, I’m trying to help you out here, okay? I know you don’t want to leave each other, that much is obvious.” He looked directly at Clark. “What about you, Clark? What if I could get you a nice place outside the base, would you leave with Lois?”
“Of course, I would want to-I want to more than anything, but I-I can’t.”
He sighed, “And why the hell not?”
“B-because I’m going home.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You ran away from home too?”
He simply nodded.
He sighed, heavily. He had tried to help them find a way to be together, but it seemed that it wasn’t going to be possible for either of them. He hated that he was forced to tear two people apart, who were obviously so right for each other, but it just couldn’t be stopped.
“Well, I guess that means you guys want some time alone to say goodbye to each other then?”
They didn’t say anything, just trained their eyes to the ground, and he knew that their hearts were breaking at what was about to happen to them. “Go ahead, but I expect both of you to be back down here when you’re ready, is that clear?”
They both nodded, and silently walked into their hotel with their arms wrapped around each other. He watched them go with a miserable expression plastered on his face.
He hated this.
He hated that he was about to rip them apart—about to rip their love for each other apart.
But, he had a feeling that one day they would find their way back to each other.
It was destiny. He could see that, hell, the same exact thing happened to him and his wife. They had been separated for over two years before they found each other again, and their love was stronger than it had ever been before.
If it was possible for him, it was possible for them. It just had to be.
His thoughts were broken by Wes’ voice, “I can’t believe you just let them leave together…completely alone. Who knows what they’re going to do. Hell, they could be planning ways to escape right this minute.”
He turned towards him. “Seriously, Wes, would you just calm down? I have faith that they will return, besides it’s not like they’re going to get very far if they try.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, that I not only have my men blocking all the roads, but I also have them patrolling all across town, including inside their hotel. Trust me, they aren’t going anywhere.”
“That still doesn’t mean they won’t find a way to escape.”
He sighed. “Let me ask you something. Do you have someone out there who you love more than anything?”
He shook his head. Yeah, he loved Cassie, but it’s not like they were together, and he obviously didn’t feel the same way about her that Lois felt for Clark.
“Then you couldn’t possibly understand what they’re going through right now, but you need to think about how this is affecting them. Lois left wanting to be free, and what did she find? She found true love instead. We aren’t just taking her freedom, but we are also ripping apart two people who are completely and irrevocably in love with each other. We’re going to let them have this moment, no matter how long it takes, because it will very likely be their last for a very, very long time.”
He stared at him, wide-eyed. No wonder Lois and The General were so close to this guy, he thought. He was really good at giving advice, albeit he did have a wife and children, but he did have a point, he needed to think about what this was going to do to both Lois and Clark. He had thought that she had found someone to have fun with, a lot like a summer love, but maybe, just maybe they were destroying something that could’ve been so, so much more.
“I know this is going to be hard for both of them, but I can’t just leave her here with him, not when The General is on my ass.”
“I understand that, but we’re going to give them as much time as they need because they need it.”
He nodded. “So, what do we do now?”
He smiled, glad that he knocked some sense into this guy. “Just pull the car around, and we’ll wait for them.”
As he walked towards his car, he wondered, briefly if this was all finally going to end, albeit at the pain of his best friend, or if this was just a ruse, and she was going to pull one over them once again. He really, really hoped that it was the former. He just wanted his life back, no matter what.
Clark leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, and tears rolling down his cheeks, as he watched Lois pack away her things, quite frantically.
He couldn’t believe this was happening.
They had been so happy today, actually, it was probably the happiest they’ve ever been. He had taken her to the beach, and was looking forward to moving onto their next adventure…together, but that had all changed in the blink of an eye.
She was leaving.
He didn’t want her to leave, god, he wanted to be with her for forever and for always, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to be a possibility for them.
He had forgiven himself for everything he had blamed himself for.
He had moved forward from everything that he had caused back home.
His broken heart and mind had been healed.
It was all because of her—because of the way she accepted him when they first met—how she helped him move past everything—how she cared for him when he would break down in front of her—how much she loved him.
And now, now it was all about to come to an end.
He hated it.
She was leaving—leaving him…again, and he doubted that they would ever see each other again. He clenched his eyes shut, as that thought shattered his heart into a million pieces.
When he opened his eyes again he could see her body trembling—hear her silent sobs, and it broke his heart.
“Lois, stop.”
She didn’t.
“Lois! Stop!” He said a little more forcefully.
“I-I can’t…” She continued to pack her things.
He walked up to her, ripped the bag from her hands, throwing it across the room, and turned her towards him. “Dammit Lois! Just stop, okay?”
She stared up at him, tears running down her rosy cheeks. “I-I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to leave you.”
He softly rested his forehead against hers, and wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Then don’t. Lois, please, please just come away with me. We can be together. I’ll superspeed us out of here, and make sure that no one ever finds us again.”
She wanted to, god, she wanted to more than anything, but it just wasn’t possible. “Clark, we can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
She rested her hands on the sides of his face. “You promised me that you were going to go home, and if we do that, it will only be a matter of time before my father finds me again.”
“No!” He exclaimed. “Lois, baby, please! I-I can’t do this again. I-I can’t lose you. You’re everything to me. Do you know how much I love you? How much I need you? I can’t do this without you.”
She gently kissed him. “Yes. Yes, you can. Clark, you have people who love and miss you, and they want you back where you belong.”
“What about what I want? What about what you want? What about us?”
“There will always be an us, baby.” She pressed her hand against his chest. “I’ll be in here forever and for always, just like we promised each other.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the same. I need you, Lois, god, baby, I need you more than anything I’ve ever needed before.”
“I know. I need you too, but sometimes we can’t get what we want.”
He sighed, heavily, his heart shattering, at the notion of what was going to happen, and the tears cascaded down his cheeks. “I-I don’t want to lose you.”
“I know, baby, me either.”
“This is it, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
He softly closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. “I mean, there won’t be no seeing each other again in a few weeks like before. This time is for real. We are never going to see each other again.”
The tears came harder and harder, making her entire body tremble. “I’m so, so sorry, Clark.”
He shook his head. “No. Lois, you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault.”
“How can you say that? I promised you that I would never leave you again, and now I’m breaking that promise.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “You haven’t broken any promise, Lois. We promised each other we would be together forever, but it seems that fate has different plans for us, and I don’t blame you for anything. I love you and I always will.”
She hated this.
She hated that they had to go through this pain—through this torment all over again, but this time it was ten times worse because they knew for a fact that they wouldn’t be together ever again.
“Clark, I-I don’t want to leave-I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know, baby, I know. I don’t want you to either, but it’s not like we really have a choice in the matter.”
He slowly pulled away from her, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a gold locket. He had bought it a few days ago, wanting to give it to her when they arrived in Kansas, but since that wasn’t going to happen now was as good a time as any. He twisted it around, and used his heat vision to write an engraving on the back of it.
She watched him with a slight frown, and wondered what the hell he was doing. She grasped it in her hands, careful not to burn herself when he handed it to her, and read the inscription:
Lois
I love you forever and for always
Love Clark
Her heart broke at the simple, but heartfelt words, and slowly opened the locket seeing a picture of them, one they had took in Montana, in the shape of a heart. “It’s beautiful.”
He smiled, faintly. “I want you to always have something that you can hold close to your heart to remind you of us-of what we shared together.”
The tears cascaded down her cheeks. “Clark, I could never forget you, no matter how much time passes.” She handed him the locket. “Can you put it on for me?”
He grabbed it, slowly walked behind her, and clasped it behind her neck before resting his hands on her shoulders, squeezing slightly.
She softly closed her eyes, clutching the locket in between her fingers, and turned around towards him. “I-I don’t know how to say goodbye to you.”
More tears fell down his cheeks, at her words. “I know, Lo, oh god, baby, I don’t know how to either.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to his chest. She couldn’t stop the tears that rocketed her body, and broke down in his arms. He tightened his arms around her, and whispered in her ear. “It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
“No. No, it’s not,” she vehemently denied before her knees gave way, and she slowly collapsed to the ground.
He fell to the ground with her, gathered her into his arms, and pulled her into his lap, crying harder than ever before.
He didn’t want this.
He wanted to stay with her always and forever, but it just wasn’t going to happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He slowly pulled away from her, and stared into her eyes, deeply. “I love you, Lois. Don’t ever forget that.”
She rested her forehead against his. “I love you too, Clark. Oh god, Clark, I don’t want to say goodbye to you.”
“I know, baby.”
“Make love to me,” she whispered, as she stared into his eyes.
He knew she needed this, hell, he needed it too, even if it was their way of saying goodbye to each other without actually saying the words.
He slowly leaned forward, and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
They slowly removed each other’s clothing, not wanting this moment to end too soon. They wanted it to last forever.
He picked her up off the ground, bridal style, and carried her to the bed before gently laying her down on the soft, plush blankets. He stared down at her, as he hovered above her. “I love you, Lois.”
She smiled, weakly. “I love you too, baby.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before their lips met in a soft, tender, and passionate kiss. As they made love that night, they took their time exploring each other’s bodies, and felt every movement—every touch—every caress—every kiss, searing it into their minds, knowing that this would be their very last moment together.
Wes sighed, heavily, as he leaned up against the side of the car, and crossed his arms across his chest. He had waited for over three hours before they made their way out of the hotel, and had even helped pack her things into his car. He had done most of that waiting time by himself since Jeff had left an hour or so after they went inside to check up on things, and to make sure everything was in order.
He glanced over at them for about the hundredth time. Yep, they were still at it, he thought.
They had been practically making out for the last twenty minutes, and hadn’t left the confines of each other’s arms.
It was sickening.
And it was just making him more and more irritable.
He had thought that they would pack her things, they would say their goodbyes, and then they would leave, but of course, he was still waiting for them to finish saying goodbye.
They needed to go, and they needed to go now. He was sick and tired of waiting. It was time to leave.
He quickly walked over to them, gripped her arm, and began to pull her away from Clark. “Okay, come on, you’ve said your goodbyes, now it’s time to go.”
She tried ripping her arm away from him, her eyes glued to Clark, as she tried reaching for him. “No! Wes! God dammit Wes! Let me go!”
“No, we’re leaving!”
Clark saw red. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet, and he knew she wasn’t either. And he definitely didn’t like the way this guy was manhandling his woman, whether he was her best friend or not, nobody touched her like that.
He quickly grabbed her, using enough of his strength to pull her away from him before turning towards Wes, and slammed him against the side of the car. “Don’t! Don’t you ever touch her like that again!”
Wes stared at him, wide-eyed, completely unable to believe this guy’s mere strength. “Look, man, I get it okay? You love her, but you’ve spent the last twenty minutes saying goodbye to her, and now it’s time for us to go.”
He glared, and pressed him a little harder against the car. “You will let me say goodbye to the woman I love, is that understood?”
He simply nodded.
Clark quickly let him go, walked over to Lois, and grabbed her arm, checking for any injuries. “Are you okay?”
She nodded before wrapping hers arms around his neck, hugging him with all her might, and cried, softly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, and whispered in her ear. “I have something for you.”
She pulled away from him, a slight frown on her face, and a multitude of questions running through her mind. She watched as he pulled out a picture from his back pocket, and handed it to her. She gasped at what she saw. It was the picture they had that elderly woman, Shelia, take of them at the beach today. “Clark, how? When did you do this?”
“While you were taking a shower earlier before we went to dinner. I, um, I left to go get it printed. I was planning on giving it to once we…” he trailed off, unable to finish that sentence since it wasn’t going to happen anymore. She wasn’t coming home with him.
“It’s okay, baby. I love it. Thank you.”
He smiled at her.
“Wait! I have something for you too.”
He watched as she went to the car, digging through her things, and pulled out the bear he had won for her on their first date.
She handed it to him with a soft smile lingering on her lips.
“No. Lois, I won that for you. It’s yours.”
She pressed it against his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Clark, just take it. I want you to have it. Think of it as a token of my love, and a way to remember me, just like the locket you gave me.”
He grabbed the bear in one hand, and rested the other against her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her soft skin. “I don’t need this to remember you, Lois. Baby, I could never forget you, but I’ll hold onto this because I know in some way it will make me feel closer to you somehow.”
“I’m sorry, Clark. I-I don’t want to do this.”
He placed the bear on the ground, and gathered her into his arms. “I know, baby.”
“Clark, can you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“Promise me that you won’t be sad forever. Promise me that one day you will find it in your heart to move on from me, and let someone who can love you in.”
He pulled away from her, frowning. “No! Don’t you dare ask me to promise you that! It’s a promise I could never fulfill. Lois, I will never, ever move on from you. I will never love anyone as much as I love you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How?”
He grabbed the locket hanging around her neck. “This. This is how I know. Lois, if you ever feel like you’re losing yourself or if you feel lost just hold this, and remember that I will love you forever and for always, no matter what.”
She smiled. “I love you, Clark. I love you so damn much, and that is never going to change.”
They leaned their foreheads together, tears streaming down their cheeks, as they stared into each other’s eyes, and shared a sweet, passionate kiss.
“I love you, Lois. I want you to know that you will always be in my heart, my mind, and soul forever.”
“I love you, Clark. I think I’ve loved you from the moment we first met, and that’s never, ever going to change.”
They kissed one last time before she started walking away from him. He watched her, tears rolling down his cheeks, and his heart shattering as she opened the car door. She looked over at him, tears rolling down her cheeks before she took off running, jumped into his arms, and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He quickly caught her, and tightened his arms around her before he kissed her with all the love—with all the passion—with all the yearning and desire he felt for her.
They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily, and rested their foreheads together.
“God, Lois, I love you so much!”
“I love you too, baby, and I’m never going to stop.”
He slowly set her back on the ground. “You have to go.”
“I know.”
They leaned forward, their lips meeting, and poured everything they felt for each other into that kiss, knowing it was going to be their last.
She slowly walked away from him, and as soon as she got back to the car looked back at him, whispering, “Goodbye, Clark,” before she got into the car.
As they drove away, she watched in the rearview mirror until she couldn’t see him anymore, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
Wes looked over at her, feeling his heart break for his best friend, and he didn’t know what to do to help her. “Lois, I’m sorry. I—”
“Shut up!” She interrupted him. She wasn’t in the mood for his apologies right now.
She looked back out the window, and softly closed her eyes, as visions of every moment they ever shared together flashed behind her eyes. It was the best three months of her life, and she knew deep down that she would never, ever love another, even if that meant being miserable for the rest of her life.
There was no happiness for her if she didn’t have Clark, and she would never, ever have him again.
Clark watched her drive away—drive away from him…forever, and as soon as she was out of sight collapsed to the ground, tears cascading down his cheeks, as his heart shattered into a million pieces.
He couldn’t believe it.
He had lost her.
She was gone.
He would never see her again.
He had lost the one person that had meant absolutely everything to him.
From the moment he met her he knew that she was something special, and at the time he didn’t really understand why he felt so connected to her right from the start, but now he knew. They were destined to meet on that bridge that day, and it was the best thing that could have happened to him because he found something he never thought he would find…true love.
And now, now she was gone, but he would do right by her—he would fulfill his promise to her—he would go home to his family and friends.
All of a sudden, his chest started burning in intense pain, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, “AHHH!” He ripped his shirt open, and watched in confusion, as the symbol of his ancestors disappeared from his chest.
He panted, breathlessly once the pain subsided, and roamed his hands across his smooth chest, wondering why the hell that had happened, but didn’t have to wonder long as he heard a familiar voice in his head.
It’s time, Kal-El.
Time for what? Time for him to try to control him?
He didn’t know, but he was going to find out what Jor-El meant. He slowly stood up, walked over to his bike, and revved the engine. He looked over towards the direction Lois had headed, and whispered, “Goodbye, Lois,” before speeding off into the night.
He didn’t know what was in store for him when he got home, whether he was going to have a heartwarming welcoming with his family or friends or if Jor-El was only going to force him to leave with him. Either way, it didn’t matter. He promised her he would do this, and he wouldn’t break this promise, not one that came from the love of his life.
She was right. It was time he went home.
This was the saddest chapter I have ever written before, and it took me quite a while to get through it, but I did, thankfully. I can’t believe it took me over twenty chapters to write their three months together. I honestly didn’t expect this story to be this long, but alas I will keep writing the chapters until this is done. So, Clark and Lois have said their last goodbyes to each other…or it is?
I hope you enjoyed chapter twenty-one!!!
Her mouth fell open, and she clung onto Clark’s hand. She just couldn’t believe it. “U-Uncle Jeff?”
He smiled, and took several steps towards her, ignoring the glare he received from her companion. Well, someone’s protective, he thought. “Hello, Lois, it’s been a long time.”
She nodded. It had been well over six years going on seven since she had last saw her mother’ best friend and favorite uncle. One part of her wanted to jump up and down in excitement and wrap her arms around him excitedly, but the other part of her knew that he wasn’t here for that. This was definitely not going to be a heartwarming welcome, she thought. He was here for one thing and one thing only…to bring her back to base with Wes, but she couldn’t—wouldn’t do it.
She needed to figure a way out of this.
She didn’t want to leave, but most of all she didn’t want to leave Clark.
She squeezed his hand, in reassurance, and smiled to herself when she felt him squeeze back, and knew deep inside that he was conveying to her that everything was going to be alright. She just hoped that, that was the case.
“Yeah. It has been quite a long time. Why are you here, exactly?”
He sighed, his eyes darting back and forth between them. “I think you know why, Lo.”
She knew why, of course she did, but that didn’t mean she had to accept it, hell, she was never going to accept it. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Well, Lois, you haven’t been very careful, at least not since you’ve been in Washington. I saw you about a week ago, and called your father.”
She felt her heart accelerating in her chest. This couldn’t be happening right now. “W-Why? Why would you call him?”
He was about to answer, but Wes stepped forward intending on explaining, and stopped dead in his tracks at the set of glares he received from both of them. “Lois, your father, he was sick and tired of coming up with nothing but dead ends. He tried pretty much everything to find you, but always came up empty handed so, he did the only thing he could do.”
“Which was?”
“He called every Army General in The Unites States, ordering them to contact him as soon as they found you.”
Her eyes widened. “He did what?”
Jeff stepped forward. “Yes, Lois, he called me about a month ago searching for you, and told me to call him if I happened to cross paths with you.”
She felt like the whole world was crashing down on her. Not only did her father go to such lengths to find her, but he dragged Jeff into it, and once again forced Wes to bring her back. “W-why? Why would you do this? Why couldn’t you have pretended that you never saw me?” She looked between the two of them. “You both know how he treats me. I-I can’t go back.”
“I’m sorry, Lois. I know that you don’t want to leave, hell, I don’t want to do this to you, but I have no choice.”
“Yes, you do!” She exclaimed, glaring at the man she had considered her best friend when she was younger.
“Except that I don’t. Lo, think about this. What if Oscar or Kristin did what you have done? What do you think I would do?”
She shrugged her shoulders. She knew what he would do, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.
“I would do whatever it took to get them back home.”
“At least, they would have an actual home to come back to. I have nothing. I have never considered that a home, and I never will.” She looked up at Clark, softly smiling, and he smiled back down at her. “The only thing that matters is staying with him-with the man I love.”
He sighed. “You have a point, and I do understand where you’re coming from. I know you don’t want to leave him. It’s obvious that you love him very much, and I’m pretty sure he feels the same way about you, but I owe it to Sam to make sure you go back.”
“You don’t owe him anything!” She yelled.
“Maybe not, but I would expect him to do the same thing if anyone I loved, especially my children disappeared for three months.”
“I didn’t disappear. I ran away,” She said smugly.
He shook his head from side to side. “That’s even worse, Lois, don’t you understand that I’m only doing what’s right. You need to go back.”
She scoffed. “What’s right? What’s right is me staying as far away from my father as possible.”
“I’m sorry, but that’s not going to happen. You’re going back…tonight.”
“No! No, I’m not!”
Wes was completely done with this back and forth bickering. It was time he ended this, and make her leave with him. “Enough!” Everyone looked at him. “Dammit, Lois! I’ve been chasing you for three months now, and I’m done! Whether you like it or not, you’re leaving with me tonight, and we’re going back to base.”
“Why? Because The General ordered you to?”
He squared his shoulders. “No, because I’m sick and tired of this ********! I’m tired of spending my days wondering when I’m going to get my life back-wondering when everything is going to go back to normal. Have you even thought about what your decisions have caused? Lois, ever since you left, my life and Cassie’ has gone to complete ****, and I’m not going to deal with this another second longer. You’re leaving with me.”
She glared.
How dare he insinuate that she didn’t care about him or Cassie! That wasn’t the case. It was quite the opposite. She thought about them a lot, wondering what they were doing and how they were, but that didn’t mean it was enough to make her go back. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Jeff sighed. “Look, we could sit here all night and argue about this, but it still doesn’t change the facts. Lois you will be leaving this town tonight, no matter what.”
She was definitely not having that. “No! I’m not leaving with either of you!”
“Honey, I’m sorry, but you’ll be leaving tonight. I don’t want to do this, and I’m pretty sure Wes doesn’t either, but we have to. You are going to pack up your belongings, and leave before the night is over.”
“Really? How do you know I just won’t find a way to escape from him once were on the road?”
He softly chuckled. “Dear Lord, child, you are so much like you’re mother. She was just as head strong as you are.” His smile fell. “But, I’m not leaving anything to chance. You will be riding with Wes, and one of my men will be following behind you in your car.”
She smirked. “And what makes you think that I won’t just run away like last time?”
He gave her a serious expression. Wes had told him all about how she escaped from him last time, and that would not be happening this time. “That’s not going to happen. I have every road in and out of this town blocked. You have no choice in the matter, sweetheart.”
She felt all the color draining from her face. “Y-You what?”
“It was the only way we could ensure that you didn’t try to escape again, like you did in Colorado. I’m sorry, Lo, but it’s time for you to go back-it’s time for you to go back to reality.”
She glanced up at Clark, and saw the absolutely horrified expression plastered on his face. It was useless trying to fight this because there was no way to get around this. She would have to leave—she would have to leave Clark. A small part of her wondered if maybe, just maybe Clark could superspeed them out of this town, but if he did it would only be a matter of time before her father found her again, besides she didn’t want anybody finding out about his abilities.
It was over.
It was time for her to go back to base.
She had no choice but to leave.
She didn’t agree with this whatsoever, but what made things worse was that she would have to leave Clark…again, and she really, really didn’t want to do that to him again, but what choice did she really have?
There was no way out of this.
Clark had listened, intently to everything that was being said, and decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being, but he couldn’t—wouldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t leave him. They had promised each other that they would be together for forever and for always, and he would do everything in his power to keep her by his side.
He quickly dropped her hand, and stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her from their sights, glaring, fiercely at them. “No! No! I will not let you take her away from me! She isn’t going anywhere!”
Both Wes and Jeff stared at him with surprise. They hadn’t expected him to say anything since he had been eerily silent throughout the entire exchange.
He felt her small hands wrap around his arm, and looked down at her. She softly shook her head from side to side, tears in her beautiful hazel eyes, and in that moment, he knew. He could see the truth lingering in her eyes.
She was going to leave.
She was going to leave him…again.
He turned his body towards her, and gripped her face in his large hands, as the tears brimmed in his eyes. “Lois, baby, no, Lois.”
The tears fell down her cheeks, and she whispered through her sobs. “I-I’m sorry, Clark.”
The hot, sticky tears rolled down his face, and he quickly pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly against his chest.
This was it.
It was over.
They were over.
He was about to lose the best thing that has ever happened to him, and this time, this time it wasn’t just going to be for a few weeks or for a few months. It was…forever.
He could feel her trembling in his embrace, as she cried into his chest, and tightened his hold around her, burying his face into her soft, blonde hair. “It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay, Lois. I love you.” He repeated this over and over again, trying to reassure them both that they were going to be alright.
They both pulled away from each other when they heard Jeff clearing his throat, loudly, and turned to look at him, but kept their arms wrapped around each other.
“So, you understand? You will be packing your things and leaving with Wes as soon as possible.”
She never looked at him, as she mumbled, “Yes.”
Wes didn’t like the idea of her packing her things alone. He knew exactly what she was capable of, and he would not fail…not again.
He stepped forward. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Jeff, I gave her the same luxury last time, and she still managed to escape. I won’t let that happen again.”
Clark and Lois glared at him.
Jeff placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s not going to happen this time so, I need you to back off. I will handle this.” He looked back over at them, and settled his eyes on his niece’ boyfriend. “What’s your name, young man?”
He felt Lois’ body tense, and rubbed her back reassuringly before responding, “My name is Clark. Clark Kent, sir.”
“Clark, can you assure me that you will be returning with my niece?”
He nodded, meekly. He didn’t want to, but he didn’t really have a choice.
“Good. Now, Clark, I can see how hard this is for not only Lois, but for you as well. How much do you love her?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I love her more than life itself.”
He smiled. “I know you do. I’ve been watching you two for the past week, and quite honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people more in love than you two are.”
Lois gasped. “T-Then why are you doing this? Why are you tearing us apart? Why can’t you just let us live our lives the way we want…together? I-I don’t want to leave him. I want to stay with him.”
“I know that, Lois.” He smiled at both of them. “But, who says you have to be apart?”
They both frowned at him.
He chuckled, softly. “Oh, come on, you both obviously love each other very much, and don’t want to be apart so, what’s stopping you from bringing him with you?”
They both looked at each other, tears welling in their eyes, and could feel their hearts breaking a little more because they both knew that wasn’t a possibility. She couldn’t bring him with her, especially not to a military base, besides her father would have questions, and she highly doubted that he would ever allow him to stay with her. Clark, on the other hand, couldn’t go with her, even though he wanted to, for multiple reasons, the number one being that he was needed—wanted—missed elsewhere. It was time for him to go home.
She looked over at Jeff. “That’s not possible.”
He frowned. “Why not?”
“You know what my father is like. There is no way in hell he would allow him to stay on base with me.”
He nodded. He knew that very well. “Who says he has to stay on base?”
They frowned, even more so.
He glanced between the two of them. “Look, I’m trying to help you out here, okay? I know you don’t want to leave each other, that much is obvious.” He looked directly at Clark. “What about you, Clark? What if I could get you a nice place outside the base, would you leave with Lois?”
“Of course, I would want to-I want to more than anything, but I-I can’t.”
He sighed, “And why the hell not?”
“B-because I’m going home.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You ran away from home too?”
He simply nodded.
He sighed, heavily. He had tried to help them find a way to be together, but it seemed that it wasn’t going to be possible for either of them. He hated that he was forced to tear two people apart, who were obviously so right for each other, but it just couldn’t be stopped.
“Well, I guess that means you guys want some time alone to say goodbye to each other then?”
They didn’t say anything, just trained their eyes to the ground, and he knew that their hearts were breaking at what was about to happen to them. “Go ahead, but I expect both of you to be back down here when you’re ready, is that clear?”
They both nodded, and silently walked into their hotel with their arms wrapped around each other. He watched them go with a miserable expression plastered on his face.
He hated this.
He hated that he was about to rip them apart—about to rip their love for each other apart.
But, he had a feeling that one day they would find their way back to each other.
It was destiny. He could see that, hell, the same exact thing happened to him and his wife. They had been separated for over two years before they found each other again, and their love was stronger than it had ever been before.
If it was possible for him, it was possible for them. It just had to be.
His thoughts were broken by Wes’ voice, “I can’t believe you just let them leave together…completely alone. Who knows what they’re going to do. Hell, they could be planning ways to escape right this minute.”
He turned towards him. “Seriously, Wes, would you just calm down? I have faith that they will return, besides it’s not like they’re going to get very far if they try.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, that I not only have my men blocking all the roads, but I also have them patrolling all across town, including inside their hotel. Trust me, they aren’t going anywhere.”
“That still doesn’t mean they won’t find a way to escape.”
He sighed. “Let me ask you something. Do you have someone out there who you love more than anything?”
He shook his head. Yeah, he loved Cassie, but it’s not like they were together, and he obviously didn’t feel the same way about her that Lois felt for Clark.
“Then you couldn’t possibly understand what they’re going through right now, but you need to think about how this is affecting them. Lois left wanting to be free, and what did she find? She found true love instead. We aren’t just taking her freedom, but we are also ripping apart two people who are completely and irrevocably in love with each other. We’re going to let them have this moment, no matter how long it takes, because it will very likely be their last for a very, very long time.”
He stared at him, wide-eyed. No wonder Lois and The General were so close to this guy, he thought. He was really good at giving advice, albeit he did have a wife and children, but he did have a point, he needed to think about what this was going to do to both Lois and Clark. He had thought that she had found someone to have fun with, a lot like a summer love, but maybe, just maybe they were destroying something that could’ve been so, so much more.
“I know this is going to be hard for both of them, but I can’t just leave her here with him, not when The General is on my ass.”
“I understand that, but we’re going to give them as much time as they need because they need it.”
He nodded. “So, what do we do now?”
He smiled, glad that he knocked some sense into this guy. “Just pull the car around, and we’ll wait for them.”
As he walked towards his car, he wondered, briefly if this was all finally going to end, albeit at the pain of his best friend, or if this was just a ruse, and she was going to pull one over them once again. He really, really hoped that it was the former. He just wanted his life back, no matter what.
Clark leaned against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, and tears rolling down his cheeks, as he watched Lois pack away her things, quite frantically.
He couldn’t believe this was happening.
They had been so happy today, actually, it was probably the happiest they’ve ever been. He had taken her to the beach, and was looking forward to moving onto their next adventure…together, but that had all changed in the blink of an eye.
She was leaving.
He didn’t want her to leave, god, he wanted to be with her for forever and for always, but it seemed like that wasn’t going to be a possibility for them.
He had forgiven himself for everything he had blamed himself for.
He had moved forward from everything that he had caused back home.
His broken heart and mind had been healed.
It was all because of her—because of the way she accepted him when they first met—how she helped him move past everything—how she cared for him when he would break down in front of her—how much she loved him.
And now, now it was all about to come to an end.
He hated it.
She was leaving—leaving him…again, and he doubted that they would ever see each other again. He clenched his eyes shut, as that thought shattered his heart into a million pieces.
When he opened his eyes again he could see her body trembling—hear her silent sobs, and it broke his heart.
“Lois, stop.”
She didn’t.
“Lois! Stop!” He said a little more forcefully.
“I-I can’t…” She continued to pack her things.
He walked up to her, ripped the bag from her hands, throwing it across the room, and turned her towards him. “Dammit Lois! Just stop, okay?”
She stared up at him, tears running down her rosy cheeks. “I-I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to leave you.”
He softly rested his forehead against hers, and wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “Then don’t. Lois, please, please just come away with me. We can be together. I’ll superspeed us out of here, and make sure that no one ever finds us again.”
She wanted to, god, she wanted to more than anything, but it just wasn’t possible. “Clark, we can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
She rested her hands on the sides of his face. “You promised me that you were going to go home, and if we do that, it will only be a matter of time before my father finds me again.”
“No!” He exclaimed. “Lois, baby, please! I-I can’t do this again. I-I can’t lose you. You’re everything to me. Do you know how much I love you? How much I need you? I can’t do this without you.”
She gently kissed him. “Yes. Yes, you can. Clark, you have people who love and miss you, and they want you back where you belong.”
“What about what I want? What about what you want? What about us?”
“There will always be an us, baby.” She pressed her hand against his chest. “I’ll be in here forever and for always, just like we promised each other.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the same. I need you, Lois, god, baby, I need you more than anything I’ve ever needed before.”
“I know. I need you too, but sometimes we can’t get what we want.”
He sighed, heavily, his heart shattering, at the notion of what was going to happen, and the tears cascaded down his cheeks. “I-I don’t want to lose you.”
“I know, baby, me either.”
“This is it, isn’t it?”
She nodded.
He softly closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. “I mean, there won’t be no seeing each other again in a few weeks like before. This time is for real. We are never going to see each other again.”
The tears came harder and harder, making her entire body tremble. “I’m so, so sorry, Clark.”
He shook his head. “No. Lois, you have nothing to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault.”
“How can you say that? I promised you that I would never leave you again, and now I’m breaking that promise.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “You haven’t broken any promise, Lois. We promised each other we would be together forever, but it seems that fate has different plans for us, and I don’t blame you for anything. I love you and I always will.”
She hated this.
She hated that they had to go through this pain—through this torment all over again, but this time it was ten times worse because they knew for a fact that they wouldn’t be together ever again.
“Clark, I-I don’t want to leave-I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know, baby, I know. I don’t want you to either, but it’s not like we really have a choice in the matter.”
He slowly pulled away from her, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a gold locket. He had bought it a few days ago, wanting to give it to her when they arrived in Kansas, but since that wasn’t going to happen now was as good a time as any. He twisted it around, and used his heat vision to write an engraving on the back of it.
She watched him with a slight frown, and wondered what the hell he was doing. She grasped it in her hands, careful not to burn herself when he handed it to her, and read the inscription:
Lois
I love you forever and for always
Love Clark
Her heart broke at the simple, but heartfelt words, and slowly opened the locket seeing a picture of them, one they had took in Montana, in the shape of a heart. “It’s beautiful.”
He smiled, faintly. “I want you to always have something that you can hold close to your heart to remind you of us-of what we shared together.”
The tears cascaded down her cheeks. “Clark, I could never forget you, no matter how much time passes.” She handed him the locket. “Can you put it on for me?”
He grabbed it, slowly walked behind her, and clasped it behind her neck before resting his hands on her shoulders, squeezing slightly.
She softly closed her eyes, clutching the locket in between her fingers, and turned around towards him. “I-I don’t know how to say goodbye to you.”
More tears fell down his cheeks, at her words. “I know, Lo, oh god, baby, I don’t know how to either.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to his chest. She couldn’t stop the tears that rocketed her body, and broke down in his arms. He tightened his arms around her, and whispered in her ear. “It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay.”
“No. No, it’s not,” she vehemently denied before her knees gave way, and she slowly collapsed to the ground.
He fell to the ground with her, gathered her into his arms, and pulled her into his lap, crying harder than ever before.
He didn’t want this.
He wanted to stay with her always and forever, but it just wasn’t going to happen, and there was nothing he could do about it.
He slowly pulled away from her, and stared into her eyes, deeply. “I love you, Lois. Don’t ever forget that.”
She rested her forehead against his. “I love you too, Clark. Oh god, Clark, I don’t want to say goodbye to you.”
“I know, baby.”
“Make love to me,” she whispered, as she stared into his eyes.
He knew she needed this, hell, he needed it too, even if it was their way of saying goodbye to each other without actually saying the words.
He slowly leaned forward, and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
They slowly removed each other’s clothing, not wanting this moment to end too soon. They wanted it to last forever.
He picked her up off the ground, bridal style, and carried her to the bed before gently laying her down on the soft, plush blankets. He stared down at her, as he hovered above her. “I love you, Lois.”
She smiled, weakly. “I love you too, baby.”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before their lips met in a soft, tender, and passionate kiss. As they made love that night, they took their time exploring each other’s bodies, and felt every movement—every touch—every caress—every kiss, searing it into their minds, knowing that this would be their very last moment together.
Wes sighed, heavily, as he leaned up against the side of the car, and crossed his arms across his chest. He had waited for over three hours before they made their way out of the hotel, and had even helped pack her things into his car. He had done most of that waiting time by himself since Jeff had left an hour or so after they went inside to check up on things, and to make sure everything was in order.
He glanced over at them for about the hundredth time. Yep, they were still at it, he thought.
They had been practically making out for the last twenty minutes, and hadn’t left the confines of each other’s arms.
It was sickening.
And it was just making him more and more irritable.
He had thought that they would pack her things, they would say their goodbyes, and then they would leave, but of course, he was still waiting for them to finish saying goodbye.
They needed to go, and they needed to go now. He was sick and tired of waiting. It was time to leave.
He quickly walked over to them, gripped her arm, and began to pull her away from Clark. “Okay, come on, you’ve said your goodbyes, now it’s time to go.”
She tried ripping her arm away from him, her eyes glued to Clark, as she tried reaching for him. “No! Wes! God dammit Wes! Let me go!”
“No, we’re leaving!”
Clark saw red. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet, and he knew she wasn’t either. And he definitely didn’t like the way this guy was manhandling his woman, whether he was her best friend or not, nobody touched her like that.
He quickly grabbed her, using enough of his strength to pull her away from him before turning towards Wes, and slammed him against the side of the car. “Don’t! Don’t you ever touch her like that again!”
Wes stared at him, wide-eyed, completely unable to believe this guy’s mere strength. “Look, man, I get it okay? You love her, but you’ve spent the last twenty minutes saying goodbye to her, and now it’s time for us to go.”
He glared, and pressed him a little harder against the car. “You will let me say goodbye to the woman I love, is that understood?”
He simply nodded.
Clark quickly let him go, walked over to Lois, and grabbed her arm, checking for any injuries. “Are you okay?”
She nodded before wrapping hers arms around his neck, hugging him with all her might, and cried, softly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly, and whispered in her ear. “I have something for you.”
She pulled away from him, a slight frown on her face, and a multitude of questions running through her mind. She watched as he pulled out a picture from his back pocket, and handed it to her. She gasped at what she saw. It was the picture they had that elderly woman, Shelia, take of them at the beach today. “Clark, how? When did you do this?”
“While you were taking a shower earlier before we went to dinner. I, um, I left to go get it printed. I was planning on giving it to once we…” he trailed off, unable to finish that sentence since it wasn’t going to happen anymore. She wasn’t coming home with him.
“It’s okay, baby. I love it. Thank you.”
He smiled at her.
“Wait! I have something for you too.”
He watched as she went to the car, digging through her things, and pulled out the bear he had won for her on their first date.
She handed it to him with a soft smile lingering on her lips.
“No. Lois, I won that for you. It’s yours.”
She pressed it against his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Clark, just take it. I want you to have it. Think of it as a token of my love, and a way to remember me, just like the locket you gave me.”
He grabbed the bear in one hand, and rested the other against her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her soft skin. “I don’t need this to remember you, Lois. Baby, I could never forget you, but I’ll hold onto this because I know in some way it will make me feel closer to you somehow.”
“I’m sorry, Clark. I-I don’t want to do this.”
He placed the bear on the ground, and gathered her into his arms. “I know, baby.”
“Clark, can you promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“Promise me that you won’t be sad forever. Promise me that one day you will find it in your heart to move on from me, and let someone who can love you in.”
He pulled away from her, frowning. “No! Don’t you dare ask me to promise you that! It’s a promise I could never fulfill. Lois, I will never, ever move on from you. I will never love anyone as much as I love you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How?”
He grabbed the locket hanging around her neck. “This. This is how I know. Lois, if you ever feel like you’re losing yourself or if you feel lost just hold this, and remember that I will love you forever and for always, no matter what.”
She smiled. “I love you, Clark. I love you so damn much, and that is never going to change.”
They leaned their foreheads together, tears streaming down their cheeks, as they stared into each other’s eyes, and shared a sweet, passionate kiss.
“I love you, Lois. I want you to know that you will always be in my heart, my mind, and soul forever.”
“I love you, Clark. I think I’ve loved you from the moment we first met, and that’s never, ever going to change.”
They kissed one last time before she started walking away from him. He watched her, tears rolling down his cheeks, and his heart shattering as she opened the car door. She looked over at him, tears rolling down her cheeks before she took off running, jumped into his arms, and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He quickly caught her, and tightened his arms around her before he kissed her with all the love—with all the passion—with all the yearning and desire he felt for her.
They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily, and rested their foreheads together.
“God, Lois, I love you so much!”
“I love you too, baby, and I’m never going to stop.”
He slowly set her back on the ground. “You have to go.”
“I know.”
They leaned forward, their lips meeting, and poured everything they felt for each other into that kiss, knowing it was going to be their last.
She slowly walked away from him, and as soon as she got back to the car looked back at him, whispering, “Goodbye, Clark,” before she got into the car.
As they drove away, she watched in the rearview mirror until she couldn’t see him anymore, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
Wes looked over at her, feeling his heart break for his best friend, and he didn’t know what to do to help her. “Lois, I’m sorry. I—”
“Shut up!” She interrupted him. She wasn’t in the mood for his apologies right now.
She looked back out the window, and softly closed her eyes, as visions of every moment they ever shared together flashed behind her eyes. It was the best three months of her life, and she knew deep down that she would never, ever love another, even if that meant being miserable for the rest of her life.
There was no happiness for her if she didn’t have Clark, and she would never, ever have him again.
Clark watched her drive away—drive away from him…forever, and as soon as she was out of sight collapsed to the ground, tears cascading down his cheeks, as his heart shattered into a million pieces.
He couldn’t believe it.
He had lost her.
She was gone.
He would never see her again.
He had lost the one person that had meant absolutely everything to him.
From the moment he met her he knew that she was something special, and at the time he didn’t really understand why he felt so connected to her right from the start, but now he knew. They were destined to meet on that bridge that day, and it was the best thing that could have happened to him because he found something he never thought he would find…true love.
And now, now she was gone, but he would do right by her—he would fulfill his promise to her—he would go home to his family and friends.
All of a sudden, his chest started burning in intense pain, and he screamed at the top of his lungs, “AHHH!” He ripped his shirt open, and watched in confusion, as the symbol of his ancestors disappeared from his chest.
He panted, breathlessly once the pain subsided, and roamed his hands across his smooth chest, wondering why the hell that had happened, but didn’t have to wonder long as he heard a familiar voice in his head.
It’s time, Kal-El.
Time for what? Time for him to try to control him?
He didn’t know, but he was going to find out what Jor-El meant. He slowly stood up, walked over to his bike, and revved the engine. He looked over towards the direction Lois had headed, and whispered, “Goodbye, Lois,” before speeding off into the night.
He didn’t know what was in store for him when he got home, whether he was going to have a heartwarming welcoming with his family or friends or if Jor-El was only going to force him to leave with him. Either way, it didn’t matter. He promised her he would do this, and he wouldn’t break this promise, not one that came from the love of his life.
She was right. It was time he went home.
This was the saddest chapter I have ever written before, and it took me quite a while to get through it, but I did, thankfully. I can’t believe it took me over twenty chapters to write their three months together. I honestly didn’t expect this story to be this long, but alas I will keep writing the chapters until this is done. So, Clark and Lois have said their last goodbyes to each other…or it is?
I hope you enjoyed chapter twenty-one!!!
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