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Chapter Text

Chapter One - Reimagine

Clark Kent held his head in hands as he walked out of Smallville Medical Center. He couldn’t quite put into words what he had experienced. He hadn’t been ready for the first surprise guest. Then the second one destroyed whatever beautiful ambiance had been in the air of the barn. It had been Chloe’s wedding day. Now she was missing because a monster crashed her reception. Jimmy was in serious condition and was being medically evacuated out to Star City, with Lois accompanying him. 

Watching her break down in the hallway, questioning why these things always happen broke his heart. He couldn’t take how upset she was and pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She didn’t seem to respond the way he had hoped so he followed with reassuring words.

He promised her he would find Chloe. 

Her voice was low and emotional as she asked, “What if we can’t?”

He didn’t want to think of that as a possibility.

She pulled back, her hurt and watery hazel eyes piercing into him.

She was losing faith.

He couldn’t let her give up hope on finding Chloe or about Jimmy’s medical situation. Her heart was clearly breaking for the couple.

As she walked away, each step she took was excruciating to his eardrums as the sound of her heels clicking against the shiny hospital floor echoed and became more faint the further she got from him. When she made it to the corner for the adjacent hallway, she turned to look at him. He felt she was taking a beat and waiting for him to do or say something else---but he just silently stood in place, his eyes planted on her. When she continued around the corner, and out of view, he remained in that spot.

She was gone.

His gut twinged, as if he had made a mistake.

But what could he have done differently? What else could he say, but make his promise? The only thing that would make the situation better was to find Chloe.

The outside air slapped his face and brought him back to the present. He raised his head back up as his fingers raked through his hair in frustration. He looked at his watch.

11:30 PM

As his gaze lifted toward the sky he saw a shooting star, its light streaking brightly in contrast against the darkness.

He wished that he could have stopped what happened.

"I wish I could do it all over again," he whispered.

With a deep sigh he sped off back to the barn. He walked through the debris. He went over everything in his head. He walked up to the loft and felt tension and pressure in his muscles, including his heart and brain.

He sat on the couch and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to center himself.

When he opened them back up he would dedicate himself to finding a solution.

***

“ It’s a nice day for a white wedding… It’s a nice day to start again…”

Clark’s eyes snapped open to the familiar tune. He stared at the crisp white ceiling of his bedroom. He had no recollection of going back to his bedroom. He turned his head toward the clock radio and turned off the alarm.

A large, red 6:00 AM glowed back at him.

He shook his head, thoughts swimming around in confusion. As he got up from his bed he noticed he was in his pajamas. It was strange. He felt like he was outside of his own body. Something was off. 

He looked for the clothes from the night before, his tux and white dress shirt, but they were missing. Could he have changed in the loft before returning to the house? Why couldn’t he remember it?

Throwing on his blue shirt and jeans, he exited his room with his speed and stopped inside the barn.

---The barn that was barren of wedding decorations or any sign of attack.

“What is going on?” he asked aloud as he searched for any sign of what he had witnessed the night before.

His phone started to ring in his pocket and when he looked at the caller ID he saw Lois’ name lit up on the screen.

“Lois!” he exclaimed as he answered.

“Good! I knew you’d be awake. Just reminding you that the decorators will start arriving in a couple hours and the caterers will be setting up shop in the kitchen soon after. Make sure Shelby is out of the way of the food. The only blonde that will be getting attention today is my cousin.”

“Chloe,” he breathed.

“What other cousin would I be referring to?”

“The wedding. It hasn’t happened,” he said in awe.

“Maybe I was too quick to say you were awake. Shake the cobwebs, Smallville. We have a wedding to prepare for.”

The phone went dead and reset back to the original screen….with the date. It was the day of Chloe’s wedding. Whatever he had imagined hadn’t happened. 

Maybe it was a nightmare, but he’d had prophetic dreams before. He didn’t want to dwell on anything negative on Chloe and Jimmy’s happy day.

Whatever it was that he saw or dreamt could be nerves or projecting about the late nights he was spending as the Red Blue Blur in Metropolis and the monster he couldn't pinpoint that was wreaking havoc sporadically.

Whatever it was, he was going to make sure the day went smoothly and that the bride and groom would be well on their way to their happy ending.

Chapter Text

Chapter Two - Been Here Before

As much as he didn’t want to think about it, Clark was having major deja vu moments.

From the similar faces of workers all over the house to the traffic jam he was currently in picking up extra string lights from the hardware store when Lois panicked there wasn’t enough.

His hearing perked up when Lois' voice caught its attention through the indistinct conversations happening throughout Smallville.

"It's 1100 hours, people. We only got till sunset to change this little heifer-house into my cousin's chapel of love, so let's pick up the pace. Whoa. Hold on, Emeril. Dinnerware stays outside until the reception presto change-O."

"Of course, no problem."

"Goldilocks, this is Mother Goose…" 

He shook his head at the fairy-tale names Lois had assigned to everyone. His kept changing depending on her mood. Currently, he was Little Red Riding Hood , after she spotted him moving boxes in the barn in his red jacket. It could have been worse, he figured. He was just trying to focus on making sure the wedding went off without a hitch and to shake the residual uneasiness from his dream.

When he pulled back into the driveway, his truck was amongst the trailers and vans parked for the ceremony. 

He gave the lights over to one of the crew members and headed inside, bypassing another person walking out with a stack of plates, almost tripping on the area rug. He wasn’t used to all the commotion at his house. He had already prevented some disasters that morning, including a distracted chef almost cutting his finger off. As he made his way to the kitchen stairs Lois was entering from the side door, holding a garment bag.

“Smallville!”

She bounced around the chefs and beelined her way to him, stretching out her arm, with the edge of the hanger dangling from the hook of her finger.

“Your tux courtesy of the groom.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking it.

“Did you----”

Before she could finish, he answered, “One of the assistants took the lights to the barn to hang them. Everything is fine.”

She let out a breath. “Thanks for putting out the fire.”

“All in a day’s work.”

She shifted in her spot, her eyes clouding with something he couldn’t quite discern.

“Well, take that upstairs before something spills on it,” she said as she put her Bluetooth back in her ear. “We need to make sure we stay on schedule and even if we get a little ahead we can’t let that slow us down because something can always go wrong and---”

He placed his free hand on her shoulder. “Lois, just breathe. It’s going to be fine.”

“I just want it to be perfect.”

“It will be.” His mind flashed back to the gruesome images from his dream. He gave his head a small shake. “I’m going to make sure of it.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Well, better start climbing up the beanstalk, Jack.” He had been upgraded to "Jack and the Beanstalk". He’d take it, since he didn’t remember that from his dream. “And when you’re done, if you could just move some of these blue coolers. One of the giant waiters already bumped into one and knocked over a Sterno can, but it didn’t combust into an actual pre-wedding fire, thankfully," ---that had actually been his save before leaving for the hardware store, but he kept quiet---"...and we don’t need someone stumbling when carrying the cake inside.”

“Yes, Miss Lane,” he said, taking command like her errand boy.

She quickly ducked out and he was confused that he hadn’t received some kind of smirk or retort. Going back upstairs he opened his bedroom door and hung his tux from the hook on the back of his door. As he looked at it under the plastic he was struck with deja vu again. 

 “Stop,” he told himself. “It was just a dream.”

He shook off his red jacket and threw it on his bed. Wanting to follow through on Lois’ request he headed back down the stairs, again having to maneuver around all the tasked workers and the cooks chopping vegetables. Before he could start to move the coolers he spotted another familiar and early face for the wedding in the living room.

“Oliver. Listen, you better watch out for Lois. She'll pin an apron on you and name you after some sort of fairy-tale character.” he chuckled. When he didn’t get a reaction to the joke he worried at the serious look on Oliver’s face. “What's wrong?”

“Lex is alive.” Clark stared at him, the words echoing in his ears---the same from his dream that he thought had to be wrong. “I was tracking a wireless ghost router he was using to bounce emails to Tess Mercer. If we can get our hands on that router, it'll tell us where the emails originated.”

“It's not like Lex to leave a trail.” he voiced.

“He's not leaving a trail. His routers pop up all over the globe. But every time I show up, all the hardware's missing.”

Clark thought for a moment about the information, an obstacle from his dream being thrown at him yet again. He connected what Oliver wanted him to do.

“You want me to race in there and grab the router the next time Lex sends an email.”

Oliver smiled. “That's right. Now, listen. Based on the previous pattern, I'm expecting one today. This means we could be hours away from locking that monster up for good.”

Clark cringed internally at the use of the word monster, a fierce growl echoing from the depths of his mind.

“I can't do this today,” he told him.

“Clark, what are you talking about? You've given Lex, like, a hundred second chances.”

Clark moved around him. “And if he's out there alive, he hasn't made a move for months. This can wait twenty-four hours. Chloe can't.” He wasn’t going to let anything ruin her day. He’d made a promise and he was going to stick to it. He had to.

“The wedding?" he practically scoffed. "Is that the real reason you don't want to go after Lex, or is that just an excuse? Chloe's gonna understand.”

“No, she won't.” Clark said defiantly. He then explained, “When I had Jor-El bring back her memories, I asked him to leave out the ones about who I really am. You know everything she suffered through because of me. And not to give her away on her wedding day? It's not an option.”

“Maybe Lex hasn't made his move yet, but he will. He's more dangerous now than he ever was. Chloe may not know your secret anymore, but Lex still does.” Oliver pressed.

He knew that he was right. In his dream he had gone, but it was gnawing at him what Oliver’s true intentions were. However, Lex was a threat if he was still out there and he didn’t need Lex to turn out to be the metaphorical monster from his dream and make an unannounced appearance.

Maybe this was what he needed to do.

With the information from Oliver he went to the warehouse, which was guarded, and got the router. It took him a little longer than he intended, but he made it back to Oliver’s jet in a solid amount of time. When he made it through the doorway his eyes fell on Oliver staring at a photo of the Queen’s with their young son. 

Maybe there was an ulterior motive after all.

“Is that what this is about? Oliver, you told me you set aside your need for vengeance. I know how much you hate Lionel Luthor for what he did to your parents …”

"’Did’?" Oliver asked, offended by the simple word. "Clark, it's called murder. "

“You can't punish the son for the sins of the father.”

“That's not what I'm doing.”

Clark tried to understand, offering insight to his own experience. “Oliver ... I remember when my dad died. I was so angry, I almost crossed a line that I could not come back from. I'm not gonna let you make the same mistake.”

There were lessons to be learned and he was trying to grasp exactly what he was supposed to do. Teach Oliver or learn something else for himself?

“Well, the truth is I'm going after Lex for you.”

“That's only half the truth, isn't it?” he countered.

“Clark, come on, you know how dangerous this guy is. He may even know how to kill you.”

Everything about this conversation was making his stomach churn. It was all playing out in the same way. It was very concerning.

“Why don't you just ... give me the router? Okay, it's gonna take me a couple hours to download it, anyway. You're gonna have plenty of time to eat cake and do the chicken dance before we even take off.”

“No, I'm gonna keep this until after the wedding. If you're really doing this for me, Oliver... you'll wait until I can go with you.”

Clark sped back to the farm and past all the catering crew downstairs, careful to make anyone or anything fall in the process. He put the router in his closet with his red jacket covering it. He stared at both items as he contemplated how there were too many coincidences happening. At that moment he wished Chloe still had her memories so he could divulge the “Wall of Weird” level of strange happening. With the thought of Chloe and time dwindling until the start of the ceremony,  he closed the door to the closet and made his way to the barn, remembering she was getting ready in the loft with Lois.

As he walked up the steps he asked, “What are you two girls doing?”

“The bride needs something borrowed to take to the altar.” Lois announced.

Chloe opened the lead box in her hands and a wave of pain hit him.

 “How about she carry your piece of Smallville's finest meteor rock down the aisle?”

“Hey, why don't you put that away? I ... I have a better idea.” he winced as he took a step backward. Chloe closed the box and put it back on the desk. He suddenly felt relief and finished walking up the remaining steps in search of his Freshman yearbook. He opened it up and plucked out the flat flower, holding it out for her to see.

“You gave that to me Freshman year at the Spring Formal.”

“And you kept it all this time?” she asked in awe as she took it from him.

“I never throw away good memories,” he grinned.

He just needed to keep the good memories alive and make sure the wedding would be one as well.

“Thanks, Smallville. Another pre-wedding fire put out.” He looked at her proudly. He had done something right and maybe it would all be fine. “If you're all set, you and I have to vamoose. It's almost high-noon, and we have a showdown to get ready for.”

Feeling better he followed Lois and tossed his yearbook aside. They made their way back to the house and parted ways upstairs as he went to his room and Lois went into his parents’ room. He took his time changing into his tux. When he was done he looked at the sleeves of his shirt hanging open. He made his way out and saw that his parents’ door was still closed. He walked down the steps to the front of the house and into the den. He went over to his father’s desk and opened the top right drawer. He pulled out a box containing a pair of cufflinks that had belonged to his father for special occasions. A rush came over him again when he opened the lid and gazed at them. He put them through the holes and could hear a muffled version of Lois’ voice in his head. He fumbled with them and thought he had them latched until they popped open. He sighed and tried to fix them again but he quickly turned when he heard Lois’ voice in real time as clear as day.

“Smallville, chop-chop! Let's go! We can't have a wedding without the escort to give the bride away.”

He walked out the den and looked at her, his eyes staring at her face then falling down at her shoes and slowly lifting up until he met Lois’ face again, taking in the whole image. He stood stunned, his breath caught in his throat. She looked beautiful. Just like in his dream. Like she suddenly was the dream come to life.

Lois sharply exhaled. “Looks like you're ready.”

He needed to break his trance and reached for his sleeve and pulled at it.  “I have it all under control, except for these cufflinks.” He kept playing with them as he explained, “They were my dad's, and I've never had to put them on before.”

Lois chuckled lightly and started to walk down the rest of the steps. “Well, I guess you don't have much need for cufflinks when you have a whole closet full of flannel shirts, huh, Farmer Joe?” When she was beside him she grasped his arm. “Big-city boy, let me give you a lesson. You just have to make sure this part sticks up straight, and then it slides right in.”

He felt her stiffen and flinch. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her profile, disregarding the accidental innuendo. He remembered feeling the same pull. He couldn’t decipher what was happening, what he was feeling. He couldn't distinguish imagination from reality. All he knew was that he was enjoying this part.

When she finally looked up at him she let his wrist go and he shook his sleeve down. She laughed it off and handed him a black jewelry box. ”The ring? You can give that to Jimmy when the minister signals.” She then gave him an envelope from her clutch. “And here are his vows in case he forgets.”

As she walked away, her back to him, he opened the envelope and once more was met with familiarity as he read the words aloud. "It's really hard for me ... to put my feelings into words, but from the moment we met, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

Lois whipped around with a smile on her face and he added,  “Jimmy's vows ... they're really sweet.”

He felt he had done something wrong, misled her. He tried to smile and watched as she recovered in the blink of an eye and said, “Yeah, he's a regular Cyrano.”

There was residual awkwardness as Jimmy’s cousin walked in on them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

“Sure.” Clark said, stepping forward as Lois exclaimed, “Great!”

“Now be yourselves, just speak from the heart.”

Clark went first and did just that. “Jimmy, Chloe. I can't tell you how happy I am the two of you found each other. You're very lucky to be together. Look, your wedding day's gonna be perfect ... I'm gonna make sure of it.”

Lois pushed in front of him. “Stop hogging the spotlight, Smallville. Hey, cuz, you know that I love you, and I wish you and Jimmy long and happy years together. And remember what The General always says ... marriage is the only war where you get to sleep with the enemy.” She stiffened again and hastily added, “You can edit out that last part, right?”

“Lois,” he scolded.

“I told him.”

Shedding another bout of awkwardness, they made their way to the barn. Lois stayed below with Jimmy and the minister as Clark climbed the stairs to see Chloe ready with her veil over her face. 

“My escort has arrived,” she said in a chipper voice. “Is my prince waiting for me?”

He smiled seeing how happy and carefree she was. 

“He’s wearing a matching expression.”

“Then it must be love.” she said as she looped her arm with his.

The music signaled their cue and he guided her down the stairs and past all the seated guests. He let her go and stepped off to the side as the minister started. He was settled and relaxed as he listened to the exchange of vows. He found his eyes gravitating away from the couple and toward Lois. She was intently watching, brushing a finger under her eyes. She must have felt him looking as she met his gaze momentarily. They connected in that instant and he felt the pull again, but as soon as it had come it broke as her attention went back to the bride and groom.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The couple kissed and Jimmy made a show of it as he dipped his wife down. There was applause and laughter. Clark was entertained and satisfied that they had made it through the wedding. But his brain reminded him that the wedding had occurred smoothly in his dream, too. 

As the transition to the reception began he became more aware of his surroundings. Suddenly, he was waiting for the hair on the back of his neck to stand up to indicate danger. He didn’t want to put a damper on the event so he tried to remain natural to not cause any alarm. 

He stood by Lois as she introduced, “Ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the newlyweds!”

There was cheering and applause as the couple began to dance. He watched over it all from the first landing of the stairs.

“We'd now like to ask Chloe's escort to join her on the dance floor.” the DJ announced.

Chloe smiled and used her finger to indicate for him to meet her. “Hey, Clark. It's time to boogie.” Clark jogged down the steps and brought her into his arms. She glanced up at him and said, “I know. It's weird, isn't it?”

 “A little,” he agreed.

Chloe laughed and then sincerely told him, “Thank you for letting us have our wedding here.”

“Yeah, well ... it's the least I could do.” 

Chloe chuckled again. He enjoyed hearing her so content. It justified his decision.

“You were always the best friend I ever could have had,” he confessed.

“You say that like something's changed. Clark, trust me, we've been through too much together. Nothing is gonna make me forget that.”

He grinned with assurance. “You're right. The important thing is that your life is everything you want it to be.”

He had taken his secret back for a reason and it was for a moment like this. Even if he was having a weird episode, he didn’t want to drag her back into it, not when she seemed to be happy.

She confirmed it as she responded with, “It is. It's like I've been carrying around this weight, and I don't know why, but a few days ago... I finally let go. Like I can move on.”

Jimmy suddenly slapped him on the shoulder. “Okay, C.K. My turn to dance with my wife.”

Clark smiled brightly and let Chloe get swept away into the arms of her husband. As he looked to his right, Lois was in view. As the song ended there was clapping and Lois noticed him. A new song started, a clarinet playing as the lights turned down low. The string lights and disco ball lit the room and created a romantic atmosphere.

She sighed, “Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest.”

She was walking past him when he grabbed her arm with a reflex, not wanting her to get away. He grinned and tilted his head toward the dance floor. Normally, he’d be reluctant to dance, but it was also customary for the best man and the maid of honor to partake with a song. He owed that to her. 

He owed her a dance.

Lois silently agreed as she walked into his space and placed her hands on his upper arms. They swayed around and he was cognizant of his steps, but ultimately he was captivated. It flooded back from his dream---the smell of her shampoo in his nostrils, the full feeling of his arms around her. What he forgot was one of the guests bumping into Lois, catapulting her into his chest. The guests said nothing, no apology, but both he and Lois found it amusing until they noticed he was holding her hand. He looked down at their touching palms and back to her questioning hazel eyes.

There was an open line of non-verbal communication. There always was between them.

She hesitantly put her free hand on his chest. He took a step forward. She did the same. Her eyes were still communicating with him, asking him what he was going to do next. Answering, he glanced down at her lips and then back up again. The edges of her mouth curled slightly, giving him permission. They both leaned closer, hovering in the same space. His eyes bounced over her face as she started to meet him. The pull was strong, like the undertow in the ocean. He began to close his eyes, his head lowering, his mouth within centimeters of hers as the undercurrent drew him in.

Then Chloe’s voice cut through the moment like a knife.

“No way!”

Clark pulled back first and turned toward the opening to the barn. A silhouette of a woman stood under the string lights.

“I can't believe it! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Hey!” Chloe exclaimed as she embraced the woman, his ex-girlfriend Lana Lang.

She was truly there. Another moment from his dream. He was in a certain state of shock that another unbelievable element had come true. He caught her gaze as she hugged Chloe and sighed. As the two women pulled back and started to chat, it all came rushing back to him. He whipped his head around to look for Lois but she had vanished from the scene. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

After Chloe gleefully brought Lana into the reception he retreated up to the loft, an action he was known to do when needing to contemplate matters. It wasn't long until Lana cornered him up there.

The conversation was a long time coming since she left with only a " Dear John" DVD to say goodbye.

“Chloe's glad you came. I could have used some warning. You weren't planning on coming back, were you?”

“Yeah, not until a few hours ago.” she admitted.

“So, what changed your mind? I'm not expecting you to say it was me.”

After not contacting him for months, how could he? He had to admit that it was true that time did heal wounds. He was in recovery. Her entrance was like a blast of kryptonite to his system.

“I read about the mysterious blur saving lives in Metropolis. I'm proud of you, Clark. It's who you should have been all along.”

“Does that mean you're happy you left?”

He had to know.

“It was the hardest decision I have ever had to make. But I'm glad that I finally had the guts to do it. I would have died before I admitted this, but I used to sit on my front porch and look across the field at this barn, imagining a summer wedding here. Of course, I always thought I'd play a bigger part in it.”

“You probably would have if I had given you Chloe's wedding gift. I had Jor-El erase all the memories that Chloe had of the real me.”

Her expression hinted puzzlement. “I wonder if that would have made things different between us. I understood the lies that you told me to protect your identity. But I could never forgive you for taking that away from me.”

Clark was now confused. “You can't mean that. Lana, it turned your life upside down.”

“Maybe it was exactly what it needed." she said firmly. "I could have landed a lot of places in my life, Clark. But without you, none of them would have led me here.”

“So that's it. It's all over. It's that easy?”

He had let her go every day he donned his shirt and tie and went to work at the Daily Planet. He felt further away from the way things were for them. It wasn't effortless for him, but he wondered if it had been for her.

“No. But where I am now, for the first time, it feels right. Clark, I know neither of us could say it ... but maybe Clark Kent and Lana Lang just weren't meant to end up together.”

And for the first time, in a long time, he felt they were finally telling each other the truth and it was satisfying.

Down below the crowd chanted  "kiss, kiss!"  to the newlyweds. There was cheers and applause as the two left the loft and rejoined the party. As the cutting of the cake then commenced he was aware that Lois still hadn’t returned. He was disappointed in himself if his actions had driven her away somehow.

Out of nowhere he felt a prickling on his skin. He was sensing something. Then there was a rumbling in the distance. His ears picked up a snarling sound that was gradually getting louder.

It was happening. The sinister part of his dream was materializing. The nightmare.

The couple stopped mid-cut as Chloe looked up and asked,  “What was that?”

The ground shook and the rumbling continued. Objects in the barn started to fall as the power flickered. Heavy footsteps approached and chaos ensued. Clark looked around, trying to find the source. He could hear the heavy breathing of the creature but it was hard to focus as guests were running and the whole space shook. There were screams as the creature entered the barn, part of the stairs falling down and hitting Lana.

“Lana!” he called out and ran over to push the pieces out of the way.

The roaring tensed his body and Lana told him she was okay. He had to stop the creature and prevent what his nightmare had shown him.

Screaming. Roaring. Growling.  “Somebody help!”

Clark formed a fist and went to punch the monster, but it snarled and used its strength to catapult him into the loft space. His body collided with his desk, sending the lead box that held the piece of kryptonite to the floor, the lid opening. The glowing green rock mocked him as he writhed on the wooden planks and could only listen to what was happening---cries for help as glass shattered and wood splintered. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

He turned and groaned as all hell broke loose around him. 

“Jimmy, don't! No!”

There was a grunt and his eyes closed momentarily as he knew what had occurred. Jimmy was injured.

“Jimmy! Jimmy, please, hold on. Please don't leave me.” Chloe begged.

Heavy footsteps continued as another roar filled his ears. Chloe screamed and he gasped wondering who else was hurt by the beast. Lana came into view and threw the rock away. He regained his strength after a few seconds and was about to head back down as Oliver met them.

“It's too late. That thing took Chloe.”

***

Clark stood in the hallway of the Smallville Medical Center in a daze. He had predicted it---everything---and he hadn’t been able to stop it. He couldn’t believe that he had made such a colossal mistake.

As he walked by Lana’s hospital room he stopped in to check on her.

“Any word on Chloe?” she asked from the bed.

“No. But I'm meeting with Oliver. He's using every satellite in his company to try to track down where that thing might have taken her.”

Lana groaned as she adjusted herself.

He extended his hand out to her shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“Clark, there's nothing more you can do for me. You don't need to stay.”

“I know.” he told her as he removed his hand, understanding that it wasn’t his place and there were others that needed him. “I need to find Chloe.”

As he exited the room his eyes automatically found the color of burnt orange. In the chaos of leaving the farm, Oliver had been the one to escort Lois while he tended to the injured and helped transport those in worse condition. It had been the first time he had seen her and he was relieved that she didn’t have a scratch on her. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t suffering in pain beneath the surface. She stared forward, her face worn with distress.

He approached her with care. “Lois. How are you holding up?”

“Jimmy's in bad shape.” she revealed.

He was taken aback by the news. “The nurse said they had him stabilized.”

“But he's not out of the woods. He has severe internal bleeding. They're med-evacing him to Star City to one of the country's top surgeons. I'm gonna go with him. I'll stay there until I hear from," she took an emotional beat, "... Chloe." The strong woman started to crack. "Why did this have to happen to her? Why do these terrible things keep happening all around us?”

Clark pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Memories of the moment hit him powerfully. 

“I promise. We're gonna get Chloe back.”

“What if we can't?”

The question lingered in the air as if it were referring to multiple issues. He had no response, losing his voice. No words coming to his lips to ease the ache.

And then she turned and walked away.

All the same feelings erupted in him. Guilt. Regret.

He stood outside and looked up at the night sky, but all that was up there were the stars shining back at him. He could have sworn there was supposed to be something else that he was supposed to see.

Defeated, he went back to the loft in search of a way to fix what had been done.

And in an instant, when he looked at his watch the minute struck midnight, it all turned black.

“ It’s a nice day for a white wedding… It’s a nice day to start again…”

Clark’s eyes snapped open to the familiar tune. He stared at the crisp white ceiling of his bedroom . The last thing he remembered was standing in the middle of the loft. He turned his head toward the clock radio and turned off the alarm.

6:00 AM

He held his head in confusion, like he was suffering from a hangover. As he got up from his bed he noticed he was in his pajamas.  He looked for the clothes from the wedding, but as he suspected they were missing. 

Throwing on his blue shirt and jeans, he exited his room with his speed and stopped inside the barn. The barn that was once again barren of wedding decorations or any sign of attack.

“What is going on?” he asked aloud as he searched for any sign of what he had witnessed.

His phone started to ring and when he looked at the caller ID he saw Lois’ name lit up on the screen.

“Lois!”

“Good! I knew you’d be awake. Just reminding you that the decorators will start arriving in a couple hours and the caterers will be setting up shop in the kitchen soon after. Make sure Shelby is out of the way of the food. The only blonde that will be getting attention is my cousin.”

“Chloe,” he breathed. She was okay.

“What other cousin would I be referring to?”

“It hasn’t happened yet. It’s morning again,” he said in awe.

“That’s right, it’s morning again in America. Shake the cobwebs, Smallville. We have a wedding to prepare for.”

It was the same day. He was repeating the morning.

Everything was happening in the same fashion. He was overcome with the same feelings as he awkwardly went along with each scene, trying to match what he had done previously. He would get lost in some moments, usually when he was around Lois, but even with predicting the monster’s encore arrival this time around---and putting the lead box away, nestled in the back of the drawer of the desk---it still escaped and paralyzed him, leading to the same chaos.

He hadn’t been able to stop it for a third time.

He ended up in the debris of the loft after leaving the hospital. By the time he looked at his watch it was 11:59 PM.

When the clock struck midnight it all went black once more.

And then it happened again.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three - Here I Go Again

And again.

 He stood in the neat barn for a fifth time. There was no denying it. He was in some kind of timeloop. He had entertained the thought of informing Oliver or even Lana to what he discovered in his last go around, but he hadn’t been able to go through with it. Lingering trust issues held him back.

The only thing that seemed to change was how Lois addressed him each morning so far and he thought he’d beat her to the punch as he answered the phone call. 

“Lois, I’m up and ready.”

There was silence on the other end as she cleared her throat. “Is that your new phone greeting? Because you might want to rethink it.”

“I just…figured you were going to make sure I was getting ready for the groups coming this morning.”

“Good to know I can count on you, Smallville.”

He felt he didn’t deserve those words. He hadn’t been able to prevent the monster from ruining the day in each version of the day he lived. He didn’t think she could count on him much.

The silence must have alerted her as she then asked, “What’s wrong? Are you keeping something from me?”

“No. It’s fine. Everything is fine.”

“Okay, as long as you don’t go changing things on me. I have plans to stick to.”

And that was what sparked an idea. Leave it to Lois Lane to point something out he had been blind to. He had been going with the flow, the last couple times more awkwardly, without much of a difference. Maybe this time he needed to make some changes.

“Lois, actually….I don’t think the barn is a good place to have the wedding.”

“WHAT?!” she screamed in his ear. He pulled the phone away as a reflex before bringing it back. “You can’t be serious, Smallville! I have everything set as your place for the location. Give me one good reason why we can’t have it there.”

“There’s….” he looked around quickly and then looked above him. “There’s a hole in the roof. A bad one. I just noticed it this morning.”

“The better to see the stars then.”

“And there’s rain in the forecast.”

“There is not.”

“I’m telling you, Lois. I think we need to move the location.”

“Clark, the invitations are out and all the companies are heading there.”

Where would they have it instead? He hadn’t thought out his plan very well. If this had been years ago, he would have turned to Lex and asked him about the Luthor Mansion. He didn’t feel comfortable or relatively close to Tess to ask for such a favor. 

He scoured his brain and remembered the abandoned barn by Crater Lake. They might be able to pull it off.

“I have another suggestion.”

“Which is?”

“There’s a barn on the water right next to Crater Lake.”

“Where the high school kids go to drink beer?” she scoffed.

He could already see her ponytail whip to the side and her hand on her hip.

“How did you know that?”

“I went to Smallville High, Clark.”

“For like five days.”

“Which is a milestone for me!”

“ Anyway …what do you think?”

“I think a cow kicked you in the head this morning during the morning milking.” She sighed after a moment and continued, “Look, I know you wouldn’t be saying this if there wasn’t a reason. But, Smallville, is that building even structurally sound? I don’t need it falling down on the bride.”

His mind flashed to the monster trashing his barn. Every time, actually.

“It is. Lois. Just trust me.”

She grunted and said several expletives under her breath. “I have calls to make and I just pray the caterers can make the adjustment since they are supposed to be using your kitchen. I hope you’re right about this!”

The call ended and he breathed, “Me, too.”

Lois was able to rearrange the vendors to the new location. He had personally gone down to the vacant barn and made sure it was secure enough. He had even moved certain decorations that had been stored on the farm and put them up himself, cutting down on some time.

The disco ball was hung, a spacious dance floor already designated as the area marked for chairs was set. There was chiffon hanging from the rafters with the string lights outlining the perimeter. 

Tents were being raised for bride and groom dressing rooms as a red sports car drove up.

“Wow.” Lois said when she arrived inside. “You did all this?”

“It wasn’t hard.”

“Then why were these other people hired when I could have just had you do it? You got fairydust in those pockets?”

He could practically hear the Peter Pan nickname ready to be launched at him.

“There’s plenty they can do.”

"I wish they could have broken the news to the bride and groom who were majorly confused with the setting change."

"Lois…"

She held up her hand. "Smallville, what's done is done and a sign has been posted at the end of the driveway. Jimmy will be on his way down soon and we need to just act like this was the plan all along."

"Right."

She inhaled deep and exhaled. "Okay. Time to move."

And move she did. He watched as Lois moved around the space making sure everything was in order. She was prepared with her Bluetooth and walkie talkie as she had been in the previous incarnations. Before he even realized a few hours had already passed.

"It's 1100 hours, people." Lois announced to everyone. "We only got till sunset to change this love shack into my cousin's chapel of love, so let's pick up the pace.” She halted a member of the catering staff. “Whoa. Hold on, Emeril. Dinnerware stays outside until the reception presto change-O."

"Of course, no problem."

"Goldilocks, this is Mother Goose…" she said into her walkie talkie as she marched on.

He shook his head as a grin formed on his lips. If anyone could help him pull this off, it would be her.

Clark was taking a break, looking out over Crater Lake when his phone started buzzing his pocket. He was ready to answer, thinking it was Lois looking for him, but when he saw the screen he looked sour knowing what was waiting for him on the other line.

Bringing the phone to his ear he answered, "Oliver."

"Hey, Lois left a message about the move, what happened?"

"Just a change of scenery."

"Okay." Oliver said, skeptically. He waited a beat, probably for more information before cutting to the chase. "Clark, I need your help."

Clark looked down at the ground and sighed. This time was about change and he needed the courage to implement it.

"Oliver, I can't. I know this is about Lex, but I have even bigger problems. I'm sorry." He hung up on him before a response or rebuttal could be made. He just hoped that Oliver didn't show up to try and convince him in person.

He thought again about telling Oliver what he was experiencing, but there was something gnawing at him---a distrust he couldn't shake. He hated that he felt that way, but his experiences so far with the loop were telling him that Oliver's intentions were muddled and he wasn't thinking clearly. Clark wanted to help his friend, but dodging the beast was more important.

To do that, he focused back on the wedding preparations. The tents for the bride and groom were all set and ready to be occupied, with smaller pop up tents for he and Lois.  As he closed in the barn, Lois came barreling out and almost ran right into him, but he caught her. She dropped what she was holding and gasped.

"Smallville! Your tux!"

He snatched it up from the ground, the plastic covered in dirt.

"It's alright. I'll get it cleaned off."

"And what if you can't? You're going to look like you drove in on a tractor."

"Well, this is Smallville so it would track," he joked.

Lois rolled her eyes, but he caught a hint of the smile she tried to hide.

  He shook the garment and examined it again. "It'll be fine."

"I just want this to be perfect."

"It will be."

She took a breath and gently waved her hands as she recited, "Okay. The bride will be arriving in an hour. We'll get her dressed and then up to the loft. You and I will dress and then we'll be ready for the ceremony to start."

"Sounds like a plan."

"It does, but I just don't want any surprises."

"Me either."

With the staggered starts, Chloe was exiting the Bride's suite and heading into the loft as Jimmy was going into his suite to get ready. Clark had brought his yearbook in advance and held it under his arm as he climbed the steps in the alternate barn. 

"What are you girls up to?"

"Just trying to find something borrowed." Lois told him.

"Too bad we can't fish out some meteor rock," Chloe laughed as she glance out the window.

Clark winced for a second before opening up the yearbook and taking out the flat flower from between the pages. He swiftly held it out for her.

“You gave that to me Freshman year at the Spring Formal.”

“And you kept it all this time?” she asked in awe as she took it from him.

“I never throw away good memories."

He just needed to keep the good memories alive and make sure the wedding would be one as well.

“Thanks, Smallville. Another pre-wedding fire put out.” He looked at her proudly, as he had been constantly doing. It wasn't manufactured, though. He genuinely felt good in the moment of a modest save. “If you're all set, you and I have to vamoose. It's almost high-noon, and we have a showdown to get ready for.”

Feeling better he followed Lois. They made their way out of the loft and parted ways to their dressing areas. He took his time changing into his tux and cleaned off any remnants of dust. When he was done he looked at the sleeves of his shirt hanging open.

The cufflinks.

He bowed down to the messenger bag he had brought with him and pulled out the box containing the pair of cufflinks that had belonged to his father. The same rush came over him again when he opened the lid. He put them through the holes, doing his best to remember what Lois had said, his cheeks burning in the process. He struggled with them, but thought he had them latched until they popped open. He quickly turned when he heard Lois’ voice through the fabric.

“Smallville, chop-chop! Let's go! We can't have a wedding without the escort to give the bride away.”

He pushed the opening to the white tent aside. Every time he saw her it was like the first time with the same reaction. Though, this time, outside in the sunlight, the rays hit her dress in a particular way, making the orange more vibrant and glowing.

His eyes stared at her face then dipped down to her shoes and slowly lifted until he saw her face again, taking in the whole image. He caught his breath. She looked beautiful.  

She always looked beautiful. Every time. 

Lois sharply exhaled. “Looks like you're ready.”

He needed to break his trance and reached for his sleeve and pulled at it, not wanting to change this moment even though he had the opportunity to.  “I have it all under control, except for these cufflinks.” He kept playing with them as he repeated from his script, “They were my dad's, and I've never had to put them on before.”

Lois chuckled lightly and started to walk toward him. “Well, I guess you don't have much need for cufflinks when you have a whole closet full of flannel shirts, huh, Farmer Joe?” When she was beside him she grasped his arm. “Big-city boy, let me give you a lesson. You just have to make sure this part sticks up straight, and then it slides right in.”

He felt her stiffen and flinch at her words. He wanted to be amused, but he couldn’t help but continue to be mesmerized by her profile. All he ever knew was that he enjoyed this part.

When she finally looked up at him she let his wrist go and he shook his sleeve down. She laughed it off and handed him a black jewelry box. ”The ring? You can give that to Jimmy when the minister signals.” She then gave him an envelope from her clutch. “And here are his vows in case he forgets.”

As she walked away, he was about to open the envelope when he saw her heel hit a rock on the ground. He was quick to catch her, but reluctant to let her go.

“Thanks,” she breathed as he helped her stand straight. 

Their eyes were locked on each other as Jimmy’s cousin interrupted them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

“Sure.” Clark said, stepping forward as Lois exclaimed, “Great!”

“Now be yourselves, just speak from the heart.”

Clark went first and did just that. “Jimmy, Chloe. I can't tell you how happy I am the two of you found each other. You're very lucky to be together. Look, your wedding day's gonna be perfect ... I'm gonna make sure of it.”

Lois pushed in front of him. “Stop hogging the spotlight, Smallville. Hey, cuz, you know that I love you, and I wish you and Jimmy long and happy years together. And remember what The General always says … a wedding is when you march, but a marriage is when you invade.” She stiffened again and quickly added, “You can edit out that last part, right?”

“Lois,” he scolded.

She turned to Clark and hissed. “I told him.”

Shedding another bout of awkwardness, they made their way to the barn. Lois stayed below with Jimmy as Clark climbed the stairs once again to see Chloe ready with her veil over her face. 

“My escort has arrived,” she said in a chipper voice. “Is my prince waiting for me?”

He smiled seeing how happy and carefree she was. 

“He’s wearing a matching expression.”

“Then it must be love.” she said as she looped her arm with his.

The music signaled their cue and he guided her down the stairs and past all the seated guests that made it with the abrupt change. He let her go and stepped off to the side as the minister started. He was settled and relaxed as he listened to the exchange of vows. He found his eyes gravitating away from the couple and toward Lois. They always found Lois. She was intently watching, brushing a finger under her eyes. She must have felt him looking as she met his gaze. They connected in that instant and he felt the pull again, but as soon as it had come it broke as her attention went back to the bride and groom.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The couple kissed and Jimmy made a show of it as he dipped his bride down. There was applause and laughter. Clark was entertained and satisfied that they had made it through the wedding at the new location. 

As the transition to the reception began he became more aware of his surroundings. He tried to assure himself that since they were at Crater Lake they were safe. The monster was meant to hit the Kent farm. If the creature even went there, it wouldn't find anyone.

He stood by Lois as she introduced, “Ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the newlyweds!”

There was cheering and applause as the couple began to dance. He watched over it all as he stood at the opening, still at his post.

“We'd now like to ask Chloe's escort to join her on the dance floor.”

Chloe smiled and used her finger to indicate for him to meet her. “Hey, Clark. It's time to boogie.” Clark took small steps and then brought her into his arms. She glanced up at him and said, “I know. It's weird, isn't it?”

 “A little,” he agreed.

Chloe laughed and then sincerely told him, “I was looking forward to the Kent barn, but this is a good location, too.”

“I just wanted your day to be perfect. You were always the best friend I ever could have had,” he confessed.

“You say that like something's changed. Clark, trust me, we've been through too much together. Nothing is gonna make me forget that.”

“You're right. The important thing is that your life is everything you want it to be.”

He had taken his secret back for a reason and it was for a moment like this. He kept telling himself that even if he was having weird episodes, he didn’t want to drag her back into it, not when she seemed to be happy.

She confirmed it as she responded with, “It is. It's like I've been carrying around this weight, and I don't know why, but a few days ago ... I finally let go. Like I can move on.”

Jimmy slapped him on the shoulder. “ Okay, C.K. My turn to dance with my wife.”

Clark smiled brightly and let Chloe get swept away into the arms of her husband. When he looked to his right, Lois was in his view. As the song ended there was clapping and Lois turned toward him. A new song started, a clarinet playing as the lights turned down. The string lights and disco ball lit the room, creating the same ambiance that had been in his barn. It was calling to him to take advantage of it.

She sighed, “Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest.”

And just like all the other times---he couldn’t help himself. As she was walking past him his arm had a mind of its own and grabbed her. He grinned and nodded to the dance floor and Lois let him take the lead. 

They swayed around and he was getting better with his footwork, each dance so far like a practice. Each dance so far becoming more and more natural, as if Lois was always meant to be his partner. She fit in his arms so well and he was consumed by all her details. He fell into a daze and was only knocked out when she tumbled into him as another guest bumped into her. He didn't acknowledge them as he absentmindedly took her hand and waited for the contact of her palm on his chest. 

A line of non-verbal communication was open once more. She hesitantly put her hand on his chest and he took a step forward. She did the same. 

It was all part of the dance. There was no change in that.

He didn't want it to change.

 He glanced down at her lips and then back up again. The edges of her mouth curled slightly, giving him permission. They both leaned closer, hovering in the same space. His eyes bounced over her face as she started to meet him. The undertow pulled him in again. He started to close his eyes, his head lowering, his mouth within centimeters of hers.

His lips brushed her mouth, the smallest contact sending sparks in his nerve endings, but Chloe’s voice cut through the moment---

 ---just as it had the previous times at an unplanned guest.

“No way!”

Lois pulled back first and turned toward the opening of the barn just as his lips slid against her cheek. When he looked over, the silhouette of a woman stood in the shadows.

He was officially surprised when it was the new Sheriff’s deputy and not his ex.

"What do you folks think you're doing here?" she asked as she pushed the brim of her hat up.

In a hushed, but firm tone, Lois said, "Smallville, please tell me you got a permit for this place."

He hadn't, of course.

"I'll handle it." he assured her.

"You better."

She walked away and he immediately felt the air around him change. The charges dulled down and he caught his breath.

He approached the deputy as Lois calmed the newlyweds.

After using some Kent charm and smoothing over the citations, he returned to the barn as Jimmy and Chloe were cutting the cake. He felt relief as they sliced through and fed each other pieces. The laughs and smiles were a gift. They hadn’t reached this moment before.

As pieces of cake were being distributed, Clark started to let his guard down. Maybe the changes had been effective. He didn't go on a mission for Oliver, though his "friend in arms" wasn't anywhere to be found. The same could be said about Lana. Without those distractions, aside from the hiccup with the Sheriff's Department, the pieces seemed to fall into place.

"Looks like we pulled it off," Lois' voice announced, almost as if she had read his thoughts.

He grinned. "Looks like.'

"And as we close on this shindig, the bride and groom get to drive away and head to their honeymoon destination." Then she looked around grimly. "Leaving me to clean up this place."

"I'll help."

"And by help---you mean do it all while I sit back and eat extra pieces of cake?"

He looked into her eyes and the communication cables were live.

They were in a corner by a small table only decorated with abandoned drinks. They were alone and hidden. Clark's body felt some kind of opportunity as it started to lean forward, trying to recapture what had been lost. It was delayed again as the earth beneath his feet felt a minor quake.

The connection was lost as Lois looked over to the table, her eyes focused on one of the drinks.

"Whoa. Jurassic Park flashback."

Clark suddenly became more alert and walked out of their cozy spot.

"No," he said under his breath as he felt a prickling on his skin. 

 There was a rumbling in the distance. His ears picked up a snarling sound that was gradually getting louder.

It was happening. The sinister part of his dream was materializing. The nightmare.

The couple stopped mid-bite as Chloe looked up and asked,  “What was that?”

The ground shook and the rumbling continued. Objects in the barn started to fall as the power flickered. Heavy footsteps approached and chaos ensued. Clark looked around, trying to find the source in this new location. He could hear the heavy breathing of the creature but it was hard to focus as guests were running and the whole space shook. 

There were screams as the creature entered the barn, part of the stairs falling down but Lois jumped out of the way, hitting the ground when her heel gave out.

“Lois!” he called out and ran over to try and help her up.

The roaring tensed his body. How did the creature know where they were? Why was there a delay?

"You know I was only joking about Jurassic Park, I didn't think I'd conjure it up."

"You didn't." As guests ran past them he grabbed Lois by the shoulders. "You have to get out of here."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Make sure Chloe and Jimmy get out of this."

He let her go, his hand sliding down arm before completely leaving and searching for the monster through the dust.

Screaming. Roaring. Growling. 

“Somebody help!”

Lois was in the corner of his eye, but instead of leaving the barn he saw her heading for Chloe and Jimmy.

He wanted to scold her, tell her that his words had been his mission, not a job for her. But he shifted his focus to giving her cover and being the obstacle in front of the beast. He formed a fist when he had the creature in his sight and went to tackle it, but it snarled and used its strength to catapult him through the side wall. His body collided harshly with the water of the lake. He felt weakened and saw a green glow on the edge of some boulders near him.

Of course.

His body ached and he felt himself sink deeper into the water. He had no strength to push himself out. His arms refused to move. His chest felt as if it were collapsing. His eyes started to flutter closed as his body was suspended in the grips of the cold lake.

There was a muffled voice in the distance. It almost sounded like it was calling his name.

He opened his eyes briefly and thought he saw a form reaching out for him. Maybe it was an angel arriving to take him away. He felt pressure against him, squeezing him, as it worked with the undercurrent. 

Suddenly, his head broke the surface of the water, the wind hitting him intensely, but he still felt paralyzed in his appendages. His ears tuned in to what was happening---cries for help as glass shattered and wood splintered. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

"Stay with me, Clark. Okay. Stay with me."

It was Lois' frightened voice. He could hear her struggles as she swam and dragged him along. When they reached the shore, he was still disoriented, but he could feel his body returning to normal the further he got from the rocks.

He could feel her hands wipe water from his face and hair away from his forehead. It found its way to his chin, propping it up. Her palm returned to his chest, but in a different capacity than when they had been dancing. He felt her press down and whisper to herself about remembering the beat from "Staying Alive". There were four compressions before her breath was hovering over his.

Before her lips made contact his eyes popped open, an electric current running through and giving him the jolt he needed.

Lois jumped back and landed on her backside, her hands keeping her propped up.

"Smallville, are you okay?" she gasped.

Her concerned hazel eyes scanned over him. She was soaked, her hairdo completely undone, dripping over both shoulders. She tried to move closer and he realized she was having a difficult time as the orange dress clung to her 

"Yeah…you saved me."

Heavy footsteps continued as another roar filled his ears. Chloe screamed and he groaned wondering who else was hurt by the beast. 

"Chloe!" Lois yelled as she scrambled up from the sand, Clark right behind her.

They were both running back to the barn when a body stumbled out and stopped them.

“That thing already took Chloe.” Jimmy said, holding his side as his white shirt continued to become a deeper red under his hand.

"Jimmy, you're hurt!" Clark said.

"Taking a chunk out of my side seems less important than that thing taking my wife." 

Clark and Lois helped him out. There were sirens in the distance, growing louder, and it seemed they were coming towards them. Someone had called for help.

"What even was it?"

"I don't know." Clark told him. 

The ambulance soon appeared through the foliage. The paramedics immediately tended to Jimmy. As they wheeled him away, the best man and maid of honor just stood and watched the scene unfold as they did during their day job.

"Of course we changed the location last minute so the creature from the Black Lagoon could rise up and attack."

Clark froze at the comment. “It’s my fault.”

Lois sighed. “No, Clark, it’s not. I didn’t mean it that way, I just---I just don’t understand the whirlwind of today. Why do these things have to happen?”

He shook his head. She didn't understand. She didn't know what he was experiencing. 

"Lois, it wasn't supposed to happen here. That's why I changed it."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "It doesn't matter. I thought maybe…it just doesn't matter."

Forlorn, he walked away from her.

"Clark!" she called out as she ran and grabbed his arm.

"Lois, please. Go be with Jimmy. I have to help find Chloe."

There was a hurt look on her face, worse than he had seen so far, and she simply nodded as she complied and dropped her hands. She walked away from him and only turned briefly to catch one more glimpse before disappearing into the back of the rig.

 The red and blue lights flashed and the siren whirred as the ambulance sped away. 

With his cellphone waterlogged and ruined, he ran back toward the farm. When he made it to the entrance he saw the handmade sign Lois had created--- "Sullivan-Olsen Wedding @ Crater Lake"--- torn in half with claw marks.

"It came here first." he realized. 

The barn was only mildly in shambles as the beast must have torn through here first before it made its way to the lake, creating the delay.

He tried calling Oliver from the house, but he couldn't get through. But even with Oliver's help from satellite images he hadn't had information or time to find Chloe.

He was dejected as he left the house and stood in the shadows of Smallville Medical Center, listening to the doctors as they treated various patients from the wedding.

He had failed. Again.

He hadn’t been able to stop the creature. He had only postponed the chaos for an hour.

His eyes found the burnt orange dress, but he wouldn’t dare face her. His heart was already tortured over the incident. Any dismay or disappointment in her features would certainly send his soul plunging back into the lake by the kryptonite.

Instead he retreated back to the farm, embarrassed and humiliated in this round. He had been outplayed and defeated. All the same feelings erupted in him. Guilt. Regret.

But there had to be a way...

...And yet, he seemed doomed to repeat the same chain of events no matter what he did.

He tried to change the ending by moving the location several times. Each location in Smallville still was hit by the monster.

So, he tried again. He stayed outside of the barn, withdrawn and patrolling, but in that version while he had managed to wound the beast, Chloe died in the crossfire.

Then another time it was Jimmy.

He tried to call members of the league of super friends he had. It was Oliver who took the lead and abandoned his Lex project. And in this last version the Green Arrow was seriously wounded, being medevaced to Star City with Lois by his side.

That image was seared into Clark's brain. He felt as if he had sustained the same injuries, but they weren’t visible or being treated.

He was left to suffer alone until the clock struck midnight.

“It’s a nice day for a white wedding… It’s a nice day to start again…”

Clark’s eyes snapped open. 

6:00 AM

He took the alarm clock in his hand and threw it against the wall.

Chapter Text

Chapter Four - Carry the Weight

Clark stared at the ceiling. 

He hadn’t moved in hours. He hadn’t answered phone calls. He just stared.

How could he have anything to do with the wedding if it all just ended up in heartache?

He went over every scenario. Every choice. So far it didn’t matter. He was stuck. What had he done to be placed in this situation? Why was he cursed?

His phone started buzzing again and he turned it off. His reluctance to participate in the wedding preparations hadn't stopped them from starting. His barn was open for the crew to begin. Even the door to the kitchen was unlocked. He could hear clamoring downstairs.

But he remained in the center of his bed. 

Helpless.

He was going over the periodic table of elements he had memorized in high school when he heard loud stomping on the stairs.

He knew those footsteps. And they were angry.

There was a harsh rap on his door. "Clark!? Clark, I know you're in there!"

He remained quiet. He honestly didn't know what to say. He took his pillow and smothered his face.

"I've learned many things from the General and one of them is how to remove a locked door from its hinges," she threatened.

He threw the pillow off the bed. "Lois, just go back downstairs."

"Go back downstairs? Do you even know what has been happening down there?"

He actually did. There had been a kitchen fire from the loose sterno can, the chef had sliced his finger badly, needing to be transported to the medical center for stitches, and someone tripped over the rug while carrying in dishes. It really had been difficult not to intervene, but he couldn't fathom how stopping any of the incidents would matter in the long run. So, he took himself out of the equation.

"It has been disaster after disaster and to top it all off, the bride's best friend and escort has decided it's 'national brood in your room' day."

He sighed.

She grunted.

"What the actual hell?!" Lois slapped the door. "Are you trying to purposely make this day the worst ever?"

"No. I just can't stop it."

Her voice softened as she asked, "Clark, what is going on?" He remained silent and he heard her voice tremble the tiniest bit as she followed with, "Is this about Chloe.? Do you…are you suddenly having doubts or something about her getting married?"

He shifted his head quickly toward the door. "What do you mean?" 

Did she know somehow?

"Like, you have…" she was hesitant before adding, "feelings for her?"

"What? No. It's not like that."

He felt himself deflate. He thought, just for a minute, that she knew, could somehow read his mind. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He wanted to tell her, but he stopped himself.

"Then what is going on? This isn't like you."

He heard the door shift from her weight pressed up against it. For the first time in hours he sat up in his bed.

"Maybe I don't want to be me."

"Clark, the last time you were like this, like really distant, was when your dad---" her voice got higher and louder, "oh no, is your mom okay?"

"My mom is fine." he assured her.

" Whew . Good. I almost felt my heart break out of my chest."

He scooted over to the edge of the bed, his legs dangling over.

"I would never keep news like that from you."

"Good. Because I would kick your ass if you did."

He was surprised by the chuckle that escaped his lips.

"I heard that, you know. I have great hearing." She took a beat and he heard her shift as the door rattled against her movement. "And that hearing is also good for just listening, if you want to talk---totally off the record."

He knew from years of experience that she was a great listener. So, he took her up on it. What did he have to lose?

His bare feet hit the wooden floor as he shuffled his way to the door. He slid down so his shoulder was leaning on it.

"I just feel like it doesn't matter what I do, it's always wrong. And I'm right back where I started."

"So this is more of a quarter life crisis thing."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly as scenes repeated in his mind. "More like a quarter life curse."

Lois snickered through the door. “Sorry, Smallville. Curse? If anyone is the curse, it’s me.”

“Lois, that’s not true.”

“Do you really want me to unload the list of mishaps and screw-ups from my life? You have even said it’s your job to keep me out of trouble, so you think it, too.”

He couldn't deny having said such a statement, but it wasn't in the way she was using it. He needed her to understand that.

“No. You just…Lois...your instincts are so good that you tend to figure things out and end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“My instincts. Ha,” she scoffed. “I hate to admit this, but do you know how many times I doubt myself? Where my instincts have led me?”

He sat up straighter and urged. “They’ve gotten you to where you are, Lois. And you’ve worked hard for it. At every twist and turn you manage to find a way to make it through. Maybe it was the way you were brought up.”

“You mean the General telling me how I haven’t met my potential and have blown opportunities? That I had to repeat a semester at Smallville High and got in trouble at Met U?”

He smirked as he remembered learning that Lois had flunked her last semester and the boomerang of information that she would attend school with him during his senior year.

“You’re forgetting that you were able to fulfill your requirement to then get into Met U." The next part of information had been a secret, but it was the opportune moment to share his knowledge of the exclusive, "and you signed up for journalism classes at the community college while you were working at the Inquisitor to get your associate’s degree.”

His ears picked up the tiny gasp. “Wait, how did you know about that? I didn’t even tell Chloe.”

“Oliver told me.”

So much for never reveal your source...

“Of course he did.”

“Lois, why didn’t you say anything?”

“To not jinx it. I was actually doing well in those courses. I mean, I practically flew through them. They had this accelerated program that if they gave you the syllabus and finished it, they would just give you the next one." She sighed,  "I never had done that before.”

“Because you were interested and you liked the challenge.”

“Yeah, I seem to be a sucker for that.” she grumbled. 

He furrowed his brows in thought to what else she might be referring to.

'Probably the Red Blue Blur.'

“Brady teaches that course at Met U and was able to get me some credit myself from work experience.” he told her.

“Yeah, he’s done the same for me. One of the perks of the job. My bachelor’s is within reach in a couple months.”

“Lois, that’s great!”

“Thanks, Smallville.”

Lois was unpredictable. She presented a strong and independent persona to the world, but in moments like this, when she was gentle and vulnerable, he got to see another side to her. He got to see more of her heart. 

“You’re really inspiring, you know that?” he asked, as his palm met the wood of the door.

“Am I inspiring you enough to leave your room?”

With his x-ray vision he couldn’t see her face, but he noticed they were sitting the same way, at the same height, and where he had placed his hand she had placed hers in the same spot. He had been feeling lost and she seemed to be able to lure him back.

“Maybe.”

“The day is already off to a disastrous start. It’ll only be worse without you here. Whatever weight you’re carrying, you don’t have to do it alone.”

He believed her. He already knew what a good partner she was and that her offer was legitimate.

He got up from his crouched position and turned the lock. He took a breath and opened the door.

Lois stood on the other side with a small grin and his tux in hand.

“Let’s get you ready.” She then sniffed the air and gave a small shrug. "Maybe a shower first."

Clark adjusted the sleeves of his shirt under his tuxedo jacket. He couldn’t believe he had even put the items on, yet, thoughts of letting down Lois plagued him ---and essentially motivated him. He was reluctant in each act he did closer to the ceremony, but he couldn’t disappoint her and feel the domino effect. He would push through, even if the dark cloud of the monster’s arrival waited on the horizon.

He took longer than usual and when he opened the door to his room, Lois was opening his parents’ door simultaneously.

“Oh, wow. Good. I don’t have to drag you out.”

“No, I learned the lesson when you threatened to take the door off the hinges.”

She grinned. “Well, it was either that or my bobby pin trick and since my hair is being kept up by like fifty of them…”

He gazed at her. “It looks…” he wanted to say beautiful but he refrained and went with the mediocre, “nice.”

“Thanks.”

He shook his sleeves down again and began to button them.

“I think you’re missing something.”

“Yeah, well…”

His feelings were so mixed that he had been subconsciously trying to avoid this part.

"Lucky for you, I have a spare of Jimmy's wedding party gift." She revealed the cuff links from her clutch. He just stared at the item. "You know how to put these on, right?"

"Never really had to before," he lied,  holding his breath and reliving it over a dozen times.

"Well, Farmer Joe, let me give you a lesson." When she was beside him she grasped his arm. “You just have to make sure this part sticks up straight, and then it slides right in.”

He felt her stiffen and flinch as normal. And again he couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her profile, his cheeks reddening. There were certain moments the time loop wouldn’t let him forget and this seemed to be on the list.

When she finally looked up at him she let his wrist go and he shook his sleeve down. She laughed it off.

“Shall we?” he asked as he gestured to the stairs.

“Yeah, time to get the show on the road, I suppose.”

He walked down first, listening to her easy steps in her heels. When they made it to the bottom Lois dug into her clutch once more and handed him a black jewelry box. 

”The ring? You can give that to Jimmy when the minister signals.” She then gave him an envelope. “And here are his vows in case he forgets.”

As she walked away, he didn't even need to look at the vows as he recited the words aloud from memory. "It's really hard for me ... to put my feelings into words, but from the moment we met, I knew…" he trailed off as he stared at her and added his own, "you were special."

Lois whipped around with a smile on her face. He lifted the envelope and added, “Jimmy's vows ... they're really sweet.”

He felt awful as he used Jimmy as a cover. He didn't know why he didn't own up to his own words, but he felt as if he were protecting her somehow. He tried to smile and watched as she recovered in the blink of an eye and said, “Yeah, he's a regular Cyrano.”

There was residual awkwardness as Jimmy’s cousin walked in on them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

“Yeah.” Clark said, stepping forward as Lois exclaimed, “Great!”

“Now be yourselves, just speak from the heart.”

Clark went first and did just that. “Jimmy, Chloe. I'm happy that the two of you found each other. You're very…" he couldn't get out the word lucky. He didn't believe in luck, especially since he lacked it. He shuffled awkwardly. "Look, your wedding day's gonna be great."

Lois pushed in front of him. “I'll take over, Smallville. Hey, cuz, you know that I love you, and I wish you and Jimmy long and happy years together. And remember what The General always says ...Marriage is built on teamwork. War is what happens when communication fails.” She shook her head and hastily added, “I messed that up. You can edit out that last part, right?”

“Lois…" it was the first time that a General's saying made sense to him.

“I told him.” she said as she started for the front door.

He quickly followed as they made their way to the barn. Lois stayed below with Jimmy and the minister as Clark climbed the stairs to see Chloe ready with her veil over her face. 

She was holding the lead box and he quickly jumped to take it from her grasp.

“Clark, is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he said as he buried it in the chest in front of the couch. He strolled over to his yearbook and pulled out the flower. “How about you walk with this instead. Not as heavy or…radioactive.”

Chloe chuckled. “And what makes this special?”

“You gave it to me at the Spring Formal. A good memory from the past as you walk to your future.”

“That’s lovely Clark. Thank you.” She grinned with rosy cheeks as she placed the flower in her bouquet. “How’s Prince Charming doing down there?”

“Waiting with bated breath.”

“It must be love,” she smiled. She extended her elbow and jobbed him in the side. “Well, let’s put him out of his misery.”

She looped her arm with his and the music started. The scene unfolded like it always did. He followed along, restraining himself from mouthing the predictable performed piece. He avoided Lois' glance when Jimmy spoke his vows, but everything else played out the same.

All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players. 

AP English came rushing back. In a flashback he was a student at Smallville High listening to Ms. Day recite Shakespeare and teach about the “seven ages of man” from As You Like It.

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His Acts being seven ages.

The baby. The schoolboy. The lover. Then the soldier. 

And so he plays his part.

“The rings.”

Clark shook himself out of his thoughts and back to his role. He fished out the black box from his pocket and plucked out the ring and gave it to Jimmy.

 When the minister officially announced them as husband and wife, Jimmy dipped Chloe down and planted a kiss on her lips to claps and cheers.

The spirit of the wedding repeatedly left him with a glimmer of hope, that love could conquer all. But it also left him distracted. Even during his dance with Chloe, he was distant. He brushed it off, telling her he just wanted her to have the perfect wedding.

So, he kept his distance and walked up to the loft, looking out the window and waiting for the inevitable. He paced back to the rail and looked down over the edge at the reception.  

He spotted Lois on the side like a wallflower. He had the urge to dance with her, but he fought it. She looked around the room and his eyes followed her as she walked out of the barn.

The song continued and there was no interruption. No Oliver. No Lana. His mind noticed now the connection between the two. The router. Lex. If he followed through on helping it leads to Oliver and Lana both appearing at the wedding. He only wished he could keep track physically of all the clues he was putting together as he paced around.

Down below the crowd chanted  "kiss, kiss!"  to the newlyweds. He held his breath and waited. Then he felt a prickling on his skin. 

Then there was a rumbling in the distance. His ears picked up a snarling sound that was gradually getting louder.

It was happening. 

The couple stopped mid-cut of their wedding cask as Chloe looked up and asked,  “What was that?”

The ground shook and the rumbling continued. Objects in the barn started to fall as the power flickered. Heavy footsteps approached and chaos ensued. Clark looked around as he made his way down the stairs, trying to find the source. He could hear the heavy breathing of the creature but it was hard to focus as guests were running and the whole space shook. There were screams as the creature entered the barn, part of the stairs falling down.

The roaring tensed his body. He had to stop the creature and prevent what his nightmare had shown him.

Screaming. Roaring. Growling. “Somebody help!”

Clark formed a fist and went to punch the monster, but it snarled and used its strength to catapult him into the loft space. The chest fell back and the lid opened. The rock that he thought he had buried deep made its presence known. 

He turned and groaned as all hell broke loose around him. 

“Jimmy, don't! No!” Chloe yelled.

There was a grunt and his eyes closed momentarily as he knew what had occurred. Jimmy was injured.

The kryptonite was far enough away that he managed to roll himself a good distance and get back to the stairs. He pushed himself to crawl down to the first landing. He felt his body recover and jumped down to the ground beyond the debris.

Chloe was crying as she held Jimmy in her arms. “Jimmy! Jimmy, please, hold on. Please don't leave me,” she begged.

Just as the monster went to grab Chloe he jumped into the space between. He punched the creature with great force, sending it back through the opposite wall. 

He turned to the bride and injured groom. “Chloe, you have to get out of here.”

“Clark, I can’t leave him.”

Before he could urge her again to get out of harm’s way, the beast was back. Clark accelerated as he tackled the thing back through the hole it made. When they were outside he laid a few more punches.

The roar in his face pierced his eardrum and he flinched momentarily. It was the moment the monster seized as its claw punctured through his chest. He could feel the rupture of his lungs as he gasped for breath.

Beady eyes looked beyond him and huffed. Then large footsteps retreated off the property, leaving him to collapse on the dirt.

He stared at the stars in the sky, some shining more brightly than others. He couldn’t move. The warning from his father rang in his ears, the ultimate destroyer from Krypton had fulfilled its destiny.

His vision blurred, the stars dimming.

"Clark?!" Lois shrieked as she ran and fell beside him. "Clark?! You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay." She pushed the hair sticking to his forehead as she tried to comfort him.

"Lo---" he choked, feeling blood flood his chest and rise into his throat.

The last time he felt like this was when Oliver had shot him with an arrow through his heart. John Jones wasn't going to swoop in and save him this time. The background of the Kent farm was hazy as he focused on Lois. She still glowed in the darkness.

“You’re going to be fine,” she told him as she tried to keep herself together, but he noticed tears had started to form. She held him in her arms and he was strangely comforted by the feeling. Her palm ended up on his chest finally, applying pressure to his wound, a pressure to his heart.

Maybe this was how it was supposed to go. The monster was supposed to go after him, not Chloe. He had prevented that thing from kidnapping her. He sacrificed himself instead.

He wanted to be content with the idea, but Lois' face prevented him from completely feeling at peace. Her face was contorted with emotion, trying to assure him, and herself, that he would be okay and recognizing what the reality of the situation was.

He wanted to tell her goodbye. He tried to with his eyes. She refused to look straight at him, refused to say it back.

He couldn’t do much, but with the last ounce of strength he had, he clawed his hand in the dirt toward hers and curled over her fingers the best that he could. The tiny tingles were a pleasurable feeling to run the last course through his system.

The whimper of her cry was the last he heard as he closed his eyes. There was a bright light in the distance and once more he felt a pull.

This was it. This was the end.

He didn’t fight it. He let it consume him whether he was ready or not.

Stage seven. 

Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history…

His fate was sealed.

  Sans everything.

“ It’s a nice day for a white wedding… It’s a nice day to start again…”

Clark’s eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath. His hand went to his chest patting where the wound had been. There was nothing there. He was healed.

He turned his head toward the clock radio and turned off the alarm.

6:00 AM

He had died. He had felt it. It had happened. Yet, his fate wasn’t as concrete as he had thought.

He had been deceived by what he thought had been the key, that he was the true target. While happy to be alive, his revival did little to calm down his anxieties. It truly didn’t matter what he did. Whether he was alive or dead by the end of the day made no difference. There was no release.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.

 He was trapped.

Chapter Text

Chapter Five - This Never Happened Before

Clark rudely woke up after sabotaging the wedding. Even when it was called off at the last minute, the monster appeared and then stalked away with minimal damage. He had been hesitant for a confrontation and waited. And like all the other times before, he was sent back to the beginning and left wondering how the creature was connected to the nuptials at all. Even without a wedding taking place the day restarted.

At the drawing board of a dawn of the same day, he decided to make a major change to one of the day's events. 

When he pulled back into the driveway, his truck was amongst the trailers and vans unloading. He gave the extra  lights over to one of the workers and headed inside, bypassing another person walking out with a stack of plates, almost tripping on the area rug, preventing the disaster of shattered dinnerware. 

  As he made his way to the kitchen stairs Lois was entering from the side door, holding a garment he identified as his wedding attire.

“Smallville!”

She bounced around the chefs and beelined her way to him, stretching out her arm, with the edge of the hanger dangling from the hook of her finger.

“Your tux courtesy of the groom.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking it.

“Did you----”

Before she could finish, he answered, “One of the assistants took the lights to the barn to hang them. Everything is on schedule.”

He remained quiet and she shifted in her spot. He knew she was feeling awkward in the silence he created. He was feeling awkward all the time.

“Well, take that upstairs before something spills on it,” she said as she put her Bluetooth back in her ear. “We need to make sure we stay on schedule and even if we get a little ahead we can’t let that slow us down because something can always go wrong and---”

He placed his free hand on her shoulder. “Lois, just breathe.”

“I just----”

He nodded in understanding. “Want it to be perfect. I know.” 

“Can you read my mind?” She scoffed and then shook her head. "Nevermind. If you could---" 

He was already in action moving the coolers, and possible hazzard, out of the way.

"---wow, yeah. How did you know I was going to ask that?"

"Common sense. Don't want someone tripping over it."

"Exactly. Thanks." She grinned as she ducked out of the room.

  Going back upstairs he opened his bedroom door and hung his tux from the hook on the back of his door for later. He headed back down to the main level, and waited for a familiar face to enter the living room.

“Oliver." he said, taking in the serious expression of his friend.

“Lex is alive.” Oliver revealed. Clark stared at him and didn't even try to fake surprise. “I was tracking a wireless ghost router he was using to bounce emails to Tess Mercer. If we can get our hands on that router, it'll tell us where the emails originated.”

Carrying on the conversation, he said, “It's not like Lex to leave a trail.” 

“He's not leaving a trail. His routers pop up all over the globe. But every time I show up, all the hardware's missing.”

He knew what Oliver wanted him to do. “You want me to race in there and grab the router the next time Lex sends an email.”

Oliver smiled. “That's right. Now, listen. Based on the previous pattern, I'm expecting one today. This means we could be hours away from locking that monster up for good.”

Clark cringed internally at the use of the word monster, the fierce growl constantly haunting and taunting him.

"Okay. But I have to be back by the wedding."

 "Chloe's gonna understand if you're running late.”

“No, she won't.” He caught the confused expression and then explained, “When I had Jor-El bring back her memories, I asked him to leave out the ones about who I really am. Everything she suffered through because of me…” he looked down at the ground, “It's not an option to not be here.”

“Maybe Lex hasn't made his move yet, but he will. He's more dangerous now than he ever was. Chloe may not know your secret anymore, but Lex still does.”

  Lex was a threat if he was still out there. What if he was a threat he had to deal with to make it out of the cycle? 

Maybe this was what he needed to do.

With the information from Oliver he went to the warehouse, which was guarded, and got the router. It took him less time since he knew the layout and actions of guards. When he made it through the doorway his eyes fell on Oliver staring at a photo of the Queen’s with their young son. 

He suddenly remembered the ulterior motive of the orphaned Queen. But with his influence maybe he was meant to change that.

“I know how much you hate Lionel Luthor for what he did to your parents …”

"’Did’?" Oliver asked, offended by the simple word. "Clark, it's called murder. "

“You can't punish the son for the sins of the father.”

“That's not what I'm doing.”

Clark tried to acknowledge where his friend was coming from, offering insight to his own experience. “Oliver ... I remember when my dad died. I was so angry, I almost crossed a line that I could not come back from. I'm not gonna let you make the same mistake. You can say you're doing it for me, but we both know that's only half of it.”

“Why don't you just ... give me the router? Okay, it's gonna take me a couple hours to download it, anyway. You're gonna have plenty of time to eat cake and do the chicken dance before we even take off.”

“No.” he sighed and continued, "I'm going with you. Now. You're going to go anyway."

"I wasn't ---"

"Yeah, you were."

Oliver grinned. "I guess maybe you do know me."

Clark handed the router to him. "Let's do this."

They arrived in Cuba. Oliver was suited up and so was he in his red and blue. When they made it into the facility there was someone in the distance. They were the size of Lex, looking like him from the back, but upon inspection with his micro vision he had been developing he noticed it was a mannequin.

Oliver raised his bow and Clark was quick to put his hand on it to lower it.

"Clark, I have him in my sights. Please." Oliver pleaded.

"It's not him."

"What?"

Oliver collapsed his bow and walked in further. He was then jumped from the side and fell to the ground. Clark sped to his side and stopped the fist that had been launched. When he looked up he saw Lana.

"Clark?" She looked down and commented, "Oliver Queen?"

"Lana," Oliver groaned as he stood up, holding his rib. 

Lana swallowed back as she looked at Clark. It was certainly a complicated situation. He hadn't known that she had been going after Lex. He should have suspected, though. As much as she denied it when they had been living together on the farm, there was a part of Lex that she couldn't shake. Maybe some of it was vengeance, maybe some it was infatuation. He never really could get a clear reading. He just denied it altogether.

"So Oliver Queen moonlights as Green Arrow." 

It was information he had never shared with her. He had still kept his secrets and she certainly still had a set of hers. He wondered what else she knew in regards to Lex and what her plans were.

Oliver looked between the two. "Yeah. So, uh, you down here on vacation, fishing for marlin?"

Clark glared at him and his green shoulders shrunk down.

Lana cleared her throat. "We both know that two hours ago, more than 430,000 megagigs of LuthorCorp RAM and Ethernet cables were running through this place."

"It sounds like you came here with a score to settle." Clark commented, finally.

"And why are you down here?"

"To make sure Lex isn't a threat."

Oliver plucked the note from the mannequin. "Did he leave this for you or us?"

Lana sighed. " I'm not convinced Lex is alive. Just because the king dies doesn't mean the entire empire crumbles overnight. I just followed the leads here to protect…" she looked at Clark. 

Clark looked down at his feet. He didn't know what to think. He Had a passing thought about his relationship, but after all the days he'd repeatedly accepted their breakup. It had become normalized. She didn’t have the same effect on him. He was concerned about her, her intentions. That was as far as it went. There was nothing romantic in the air. It was all…business.

"How are you?"

Oliver took the moment to distance himself from the pair. 

"I've been better," he answered. It wasn't about her, however. "You?"

"Just trying to fight for the greater good." She took a step forward. “I read about the mysterious blur saving lives in Metropolis. I'm proud of you, Clark. It's who you should have been all along.”

"I'm trying." He still was. Even when he wanted to give up, he couldn't.

"Clark, I know that when I left…"

"It was a hard decision, but it was what you needed to do."

She looked at him in awe, like for the first time he actually saw her. "I could have landed a lot of places in my life, Clark. But without you, none of them would have led me here.”

"So, that's it. We've finally reached that moment." 

Again. Closure.

“Yeah. For the first time, it feels right. Clark, I know neither of us could say it ... but Clark Kent and Lana Lang just weren't meant to end up together.”

"We have different paths."

She nodded.

It was refreshing to feel that they were finally telling each other the truth.

Oliver reentered the space. "You know, he's giving Chloe away at her wedding."

"No, I can't. It's too complicated."

"She's your best friend ... and it's her wedding day. I don't understand what's so complicated about that."

Clark nodded, "She'd be excited to see you." 

He refrained from mentioning about erasing her memories until the plane ride. When they landed in Metropolis he was quick to stand and wait for the door to open so he could speed back to the farm.

"I guess I'll meet you there."

He just gestured with his head and in a flash he was up in his room pulling in his tux. When he exited Lois was already at the bottom of the steps. He missed the moment when he saw her, gazing up at her. It was a bright spot in the darkness. Something he took with him in every jump.  He jogged down the stairs and she turned to look at him this time.

"Looks like you’re ready, but you’re cutting it close." she said, wiping some lint off his shoulder.

"Sorry, I had some errands to run and I made sure I was back in time."

"What errands?"

"Just something for Chloe."

Her eyes widened, waiting for him to reveal more details.

He pulled at the sleeves of his shirt and jacket, sans the cufflinks. "We need to get out there."

She handed him the ring and vows from her clutch. "For when the minister signals and if Jimmy forgets his vows."

"Thanks."

There was residual tension as Jimmy’s cousin walked in on them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

"Not now," Lois said, checking the clock and pushing past him, the camera aiming at the ceiling in the process.

"Try us again at the reception." Clark said, trying to smooth it over as he followed her.

"Right-o." he said with a thumbs up.

He was more distracted than usual. His eyes had been bouncing everywhere and he missed the signal from the minister. He tried to avoid Lois' glare and any hints of annoyance with him.

After the ceremony, Clark slipped out of the barn when the newlyweds were announced and waited for the inevitable. He heard the DJ call for Chloe's escort, but he remained in the shadows, waiting to see if his efforts this time around leant to change. The dance with Chloe would have to wait.

The familiar notes of a clarinet filled his ears. He knew the song. Knew where she'd be standing. His fingers flexed in response. He shook his head and looked out into the field. This was the dance he had more guilt skipping out on.

"You know, the party's in there."

He turned to see Lana with a small grin, pointing toward the opening.

"I could say the same thing."

"I'm working up a little courage, though…I think I'm over the biggest hurdle."

"I'm over it, too." he told her, his lips curving up at the undisputed truth in the statement.

"Lana!"

Clark immediately searched for the owner of the shocked voice. Her face was similar to when she had caught him in a compromised position with Maxima in an altered state mere months (or was it years now) before.

Lana answered, regret flashing over her face for a second for seemingly evoking such a reaction, "Hi, Lois."

Lois' eyes glided from the surprise party guest to him. "I guess those errands you made really were time consuming."

"Lois…" he started, attempting to take a step forward. 

"Chloe's going to be really excited to see you. Sorry, I need to make sure the---alcohol is restocked. "

He hated the look he saw on her face, that she got the wrong impression. She was quick to turn on her heels and head back toward the house. He wanted to explain…somehow…but she was also safer there if the monster did still attack. She wasn't meant to be in the barn.

"You okay?" Lana asked.

He shook his head without any explanation, though she could probably deduce it was about Lois. He hadn't mentioned the loop or the beast on the trip back. When he had mentioned it to Oliver in another version it sent him to Star City clinging to life. 

And right on time---everything happened as designed. The monster arrived. He tried to fight it. People were hurt. Those in the barn and those who had retreated from it.

And time reset and put him out of his misery.

Clark was having a low moment. It was unraveling and he had no power over it. He paced the property of the farm soon after his alarm went off. He was beyond frustrated with himself and his inability to construct a proper connection amongst all his versions. He felt like he was in a video game, playing the same level over and over, unable to beat the big boss and without any cheat codes.

He grunted under his breath, feeling his anger grow. He had relocated to the loft, his sanctuary. Needing to suddenly release his pent up aggression he kicked the chest in front of the couch, sending it flying, the lid opening as keepsakes and mementos poured out over the floor.

He hadn't realized he had an audience.

"Whoa, Best Man-zilla. Let's hold it on trashing the wedding venue. The reception is for when things are a little chaotic." Lois said.

He started to laugh. It was uncontrollable. His body quaked between humor and despair. With some composure, he walked over to the window opening and leaned his hands down on the sill, the mild trail of chuckles petering off.

"You okay, there?"

He shook his head. Instead of masking it, he confronted it with her there. "No. No, I'm not."

He caught her concerned face as she asked, "What's going on?"

Another chuckle escaped his throat. Where would he begin? Every time he went through a day he felt his strength depleting. Every time was a cut with kryptonite. He just didn't know who or what was pulling the strings. His father? Magic? Space alien? 

She inched closer, her voice softer. “Smallville, you can tell me.”

How could he tell her when he didn't fully understand it. But something inside told him this was an opportunity. 

“Can I?” he croaked. 

“Of course you can.” She placed her hands on her hips. “If you can’t tell your partner, who can you tell?”

It was as if he was seeing everything with fresh eyes. Maybe he could tell Lois. Maybe he needed a new perspective---her perspective. Maybe she would see something he didn't.

"Okay.” He took a deep breath, held the bridge of his nose, and tried to choose his words carefully. “I've lived this day before. Dozens of times. And I can't figure out how to end it."

He could hear the crickets in the field chirping as she stared at him.

"Are you getting nervous about the festivities? Did you liquid breakfast this morning?"

He placed his face in his hands. A new wave of disappointment hit him. " Ugh . It doesn't matter. You don't need to believe me. It just happens anyway. All hell breaks loose. The chaos repeats. It never ends!"

She gently pulled his arms down, and he let his hands fall away. She looked deep into his eyes. She narrowed her hazel orbs for a second before they widened, doubling in size.

"You're telling the truth."

That was all it took? She could read him that easily? Had she always been able to? Had he just been blind? He had feared that. But now he could see it, his vision fixated on her features. Her heightened and manicured brows, her cheeks blushed with pink sinking inward as her mouth pursed with thought. She exhaled then let her front teeth grab her bottom lip. It was a process he knew her to perform, she was hard at work investigating the story.

"You believe me." It wasn't a question. It was a statement in awe. 

"That you're stuck in a Smallvillian Groundhog Day? I mean it's a little far-fetched, but the things I've seen in the last few years?" She crossed her arms and stared at him. "Okay, let's hammer out the details. You've lived this day before?" 

"I wake up and it's always Chloe's wedding day."

"I guess there could be worse days."

"Except it doesn't end happily ever after."

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"You know the reports of that thing attacking in Metropolis? The Ace of Clubs incident when you were out of town?"

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"It attacks at Chloe's wedding."

Her arms dropped at her sides. "What? Why?"

"I don't know." He spouted. "All I know is I can't stop it."

"I know that look. So, do you need help problem solving or do you just need me to listen before you go back to brooding?"

Again she called him on his habits. He was known for it. 

Not this time.

“I want this to stop.”

“And this thing,” she waved her hand in the air, “ it always attacks here?”

He shook his head, “I’ve tried to change locations. It always hits here in Smallville.”

“What about outside of Smallville?” she asked.

“I---I don’t know.”

She clicked her tongue and pointed at him. “I have an idea.”

She turned and quickly started down the stairs. Clark moved his feet, almost in superspeed, to catch up with her. They were on the porch of the house when he reached out and grabbed her arm to halt her one woman crusade.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m about to tell everyone to scram.”

“I already tried stopping the wedding. It doesn’t change anything.”

“Who said I was stopping the wedding?”

He narrowed his eyes in confusion and then spotted one of the workers carrying the dinnerware into the house. He worked his way to the door and caught the person before they tripped on the rug. He then recalled an incident with the chef and went to stop him from cutting himself, but Lois stood in the foyer and whistled.

The chef's hand froze mid-cut into a long carrot.

“Thank you all for coming today, but there has been a change of plans and your services are no longer needed.”

There were murmuring tones and perplexed looks exchanged. Lois stood unwavering in her glare.

"Again, you can pack it up and pack it in. The Kent Farm is no longer wedding central."

With a shake of his head and flabbergasted at the news, Clark saw the distracted chef about to commit the same event.

From the side of his mouth he told her, "I have to stop the chef. And tripping hazards."

"What?"

Clark brushed past her and with his quick reflexes, saved the chef from a cut appendage. He also moved the coolers as a worker was about to fall as he started to remove items from the dining room.

He looked back at Lois, who had a perfectly raised eyebrow.

"Just trying to prevent more disasters," he said with a shrug.

"I already told you I believed you, McFly."

"He was from the future. I'm not." he pointed out.

"Fine. Mr. Time Warp it is."

He let out a genuine laugh at the name. But she did believe him and he still felt the need to prove his peculiar situation. What he needed in return was an explanation of her own actions.

"Lois, what are you doing?"

She leaned forward and hushed, "We're getting Chloe out of here."

"I've already tried that."

She tilted her chin up and stood straight in her heels, toe to toe with him. "Did you try it with me?"

"Well, no…but…"

She smirked at the news. "No, buts. I'm not letting some 'beady eyed, flying, purple people eater' ruin this day for her. Let's move."

Her ponytail swayed with her command, almost hitting him as she moved determined back out to the porch.

"Move where?"

"I don't know. We'll figure it out on the way."

Jimmy's cousin was walking up with his camcorder and Lois stopped him, grabbing and practically shaking him at the shoulders.

"You're about to become ordained." she announced as she turned him back down the stairs. "Let's go."

"Huh?" he asked as she pushed him.

"We leave in 20 minutes!" she called out. "Grab a few of those blue coolers!"

He was dumbfounded, but it felt nice to let her make the decisions. The pressure on him was alleviated for once. He truly felt he had a partner this time around and he was more than willing to see how this version played out.

It took some convincing to get Jimmy in his truck. The confused groom leaned against the passenger side door as Clark followed Lois' red sports car that held the just as confused bride. Lois had pulled Chloe from the Talon after getting her hair done. It had happened so fast she nearly forgot her bridal bag and phone.

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Jimmy asked.

"A family of racoons is no joke." Clark lied. "We don't need a rabid situation."

"Did Lois already get bit because she seems feistier than usual. She was foaming at the mouth when she pushed me in the car."

He couldn't deny that Lois had been forceful in her endeavors to move the wedding party out of the previous location. He was sure that no matter how riled she got he could restrain her.

They were driving for hours and he trusted her instincts, betrayed by his own many times. When her car took an exit off the interstate, he followed her into a parking lot for a hotel called the Red Carpet Inn. 

She signaled for Clark to exit the vehicle and everyone else to remain. Before he knew it they were in a lobby where Lois impatiently hit the bell at the front desk for service.

They were able to obtain two rooms and ushered the bride and groom separately to get ready, garment and duffle bags being dragged in. Clark was unsure exactly what the plan was and questioned internally if fleeing over a hundred miles would be the answer.

Lois closed the door to her and Chloe's room and walked up behind him.

"Okay, Smallville. I have reserved two town cars to bring Chloe and Jimmy to a secure setting right before sunset."

"And where is that exactly?"

"Kismet Trails is near here on the way to Colorado. It's a large park with views from rocks and grassland and other historical stuff."

"How do you know that?"

She held up her device. "Because I have the internet on my phone."

"So what do we do now?"

"Without caterers and decorators it's up to us to dress up dried out grass and prairie dog guests."

He was weary, but Lois brushed off any of his questions or concerns. She had a plan and just as she did all the times before, she was sticking to her agenda and delegating help.

"We need a grocery store." she said as she stalked to her car and pulled her garment bag from the trunk. She walked over to his truck and waited for him to unlock the vehicle.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to open the door. I might be amazing, but my powers are limited at the moment."

So were his in some ways.

He sighed and unlocked the doors. She was about to jump into the driver's seat before he stopped her.

"I'll drive."

"I can get us there faster. We're on a time table."

"I can get us there in one piece."

"Yeah, because we'll be the only ones in the granny lane. I saw you barely keeping up before."

"I saw you avoid four major accidents."

" Avoid being the keyword. If you notice, my car is still intact."

"I'm still driving."

"Fine, but I'm picking the music."

He feigned annoyance as she played with the dial and buttons. She settled for classic rock and he listened, not to the music, but to her humming and drumming her fingers on the dashboard. He had survived Whitesnake sing-a-longs before and found it to be comforting.

Lois navigated them through the small town in southwestern Kansas until they met their destination. Inside the small local grocery store, Lois beelined for the bakery.

"Cake. Cake. Cake," she muttered pointing and grimacing at the selections in the case.

"What's wrong with these?"

"This is for a wedding, Smallville. I'm not having my cousin cut into a cake that has multicolored frosted flowers or Disney princesses. It's not a toddler's birthday." She looked at the one in the back. "Even if the construction truck one is cool."

"I had a cake like that when I was little." He reminisced, gazing at the yellow construction vehicle toys that ornamented the top, thinking back to younger and simpler times.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. It was after I got adopted. I saw construction trucks doing road work in town and apparently was fascinated with them. My mom made me the cake."

"Well, who knows, Clark. Maybe one day you'll get to share a cake like that again."

"Is this going to appear for my next birthday now?"

She laughed. "If that's what you want. But I won't bake it, I promise."

"Your rum cake wasn't bad. And it was very thoughtful." It had made a sad birthday manageable, being surrounded by those he held dear.

"The goat enjoyed it."

"We can all share it next time."

" Well, I was referring to maybe sharing a love of trucks with a child.” She averted her gaze from him, staring at the ceiling for a second, before looking back and saying, “Like way in the future. And I didn't mean together. Just...when… you know… "

"Oh." 

He didn't think about it often. He didn't know what that future would look like. If he didn't get out of the loop he'd never see it either.

"Okay, moving on." she said, heading for the frozen food section. She stopped and whipped open the door. "From Kent Farm to Pepperidge Farm. We'll stack a few of these white cakes on each other and it'll look elegant enough."

She brushed against him as she put the items in the cart and felt his skin tingle. He almost got lost in a trance as he stood behind her, her mind focused on the list she had typed on her phone. He caught a whiff of the scent of her coconut shampoo and was transported back to their dance in the barn. How he always lost himself in that moment, how his heart would beat rapidly, striking against his chest. With the right strike it could set it aflame if he wasn't careful.

"We'll also need ice."

"Right. On it." he said in haste as he was torn from his daydream.

Ice sounded like a good idea.

They met up again at the checkout and he carried everything to the bed of the truck. It was already supplied with plates, champagne, flûtes, cutlery, coolers, and linens from the farm. Two folding tables and six folding chairs rounded out the items for their trip to anywhere. Ice and the boxes of cakes went into the coolers. Meals from the hot case were put in purchased insulated bags to keep them warm.

Lois checked the clock on her phone and groaned. "Crap, we're cutting it close."

She climbed into the backseat and grabbed her garment bag.

“Why are you getting in the back?” Clark asked as he started the vehicle.

“Just drive. We need to get to the trail to set everything up.”

“And you have a spot designated for all of this?”

“Of course I do!” she said as she unzipped the bag.

“How?”

“Rule number 3.”

Do whatever it takes to get the story. 

Or, in this case, do whatever it takes to make the wedding happen in its new location.

Lois pulled out the burnt orange dress in front of her. When she raised it up it masked his view in the mirror. The sunlight hit the material, shimmering with a glow he was used to. She was behind the blaze of fabric. He was afraid that once the curtain dropped she would disappear like a magic act. 

"Lois! What are you doing?" 

To his relief, he spotted her piled bun of chestnut hair and then the rest of her when the garment dropped.

"Look, if we are keeping time, then I need to get into my dress now."

"Get in your dress?” he yelped. “ Lois, are you---"

Clark turned his head alarmed as Lois was unbuttoning her shirt. 

She was going to make her shirt disappear.

"Eyes front, Smallville!"

He whipped his head back and stared straight ahead.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Just pretend you are my driver." 

"Errand boy to driver. Perfect."

Her brief chuckle was drowned out by the sound of the zipper in his ears. He briefly flashed to his fingers on the zipper of her red dress. He felt his seat shift, rather kicked forward and his knees bumped the steering wheel. He attempted to  concentrate on the road but every move she made invaded his senses, causing them to flare. His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror and he caught Lois’ bare skin. They felt like the color of her dress.

When his eyes returned to the road he realized he had started to drift into the opposite lane. He quickly swerved at the blare of a horn of an opposing car and righted the vehicle.

“Smallville!” Lois yelled as she was tossed to the other side, catching herself in the door.

“Sorry.”

She sat back up in the center, grunting as she adjusted the straps. “And you criticized my driving.” She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “Do that again and you’ll be the one bouncing into a wall. ”

He shifted his gaze to the mirror again and could see down the front of her dress from the angle. Distracted, he hit a pothole causing the whole car to bounce, especially its occupants.

His eyes strained as his mind conjured up the moment Lois, under the influence of red kryptonite, jumping behind him as he dragged her out of the bullpen, only to grab him from the lapels of his jacket and launch him into the phone booth. There were other instances he could recall, confirming that Lois could indeed reciprocate the motion with her own will and strength.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Miss Lane"

She smirked playfully and melted back into her seat.

“Good.” 

"Great," he breathed.

He kept steady and followed the signs for Kismet Trails.

Lois had led him to a secluded spot off the red trail while he carried everything he could without looking suspiciously strong. The dust his shoes brought up were sticking to the tux he haphazardly had on while Lois had unloaded the back. The tables were set up to the side, with the white linens and some rocks to add weight. Three chairs in a line with an aisle in the middle leading to the scenic overlook. Lois tied white ribbons that flowed in the wind. Wisps of her hair moved with them and he denied the urge to brush them back into place.

Instead he looked to the horizon. The backdrop of the tall grass in the prairie was picturesque. Lois had picked a radiant spot as the sun began its process to set, a pink and orange hue--- the last piece to set the ambiance.

He looked over at Lois, who was staring at her phone.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Chloe and Jimmy are both enroute.”

He knew that wasn’t all, he could tell by her body language--her shoulders tense as her hand gripped her phone tightly. “Lois.”

She sighed. "I called Oliver."

"Oh." He could feel a rumble of jealousy, though he didn't want to admit it. He wondered if that was who the sixth chair was for.

He had silenced his phone earlier in the day. He hadn't told Oliver about the change, either. It was selfish, but he had wanted to limit interactions in this version. The less people that knew, the better in his eyes.

"I thought maybe he could help, but he was off somewhere unreachable." She looked off into the distance, avoiding his gaze.

Words from the past whispered through the wind.

'I can't be left behind one more time.'

"Oliver might be preoccupied at the moment, but I think we've done alright."

She grinned and glanced back at him. "Right. Who needs wealth and connections when we can DIY it with our skills?"

"Exactly."

Her grin turned into a full smile. She raised her hand and he awaited an impending punch, but instead it grazed his upper arm with a pat. "We make a good team."

"Yeah, we do." he confirmed.

"Looks like it's ready."

The sound of tires on gravel filled his ears. Two black town cars appeared.

Lois jumped, giddy in her steps. "It's time! One more surprise to get."

“What’s that?”

“You’ll see.”

They walked to the first car which held Jimmy and his cousin. Clark led them down to the front while Lois maneuvered Chloe covertly out of her car and behind a rock formation.

He had been instructed on exactly what to do. He waited for the signaling text to his phone and used Lois’ iPod and the traveling speaker on the table. Already queued up was a string quartet version of “Don't Stop Believing”. The tripod was set up to record the ceremony.

From around the formation Lois appeared guiding Chloe atop of a horse. He was stunned at the sight, but he should have known Lois would pull off something grand. He took over as the escort and helped Chloe off the horse and walked her down the aisle to an eagerly waiting Jimmy.

He let her go and stepped off to the side as the newly ordained videographer started. He was settled and relaxed as he listened to the exchange of vows. He found his eyes gravitating away from the couple and toward Lois. She was intently watching, brushing a finger under her eyes. She must have felt him looking as she met his gaze and smiled. They connected in that instant and he recognized the pull, even stronger this time, but it took longer to break as her attention went back to the bride and groom.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The couple kissed and Jimmy made a show of it as he dipped his wife down. There was light applause and laughter. Clark was entertained and satisfied that they had made it through the wedding. But it meant nothing until midnight.

As the transition to the reception began he became more aware of his surroundings. It was easy to monitor the area, the vast flat grasslands were open on each side to view anything interrupting the moment. However, they were open to attack as well. He didn’t want to put a damper on the event so he tried to remain natural to not cause any alarm. 

Lois held up her champagne flute as she introduced, “At this very special spot, on this very special night, join me in welcoming the newlyweds!”

There was whistling and applause as the couple began to dance to Lois’ iPod playlist. He watched over it all from the sidelines.

Chloe smiled and used her finger to indicate for him to meet her. “Hey, Clark. It's time to boogie.” Clark walked over and brought her into his arms. She glanced up at him and said, “I know. It's weird, isn't it?”

 “A little,” he agreed.

Chloe laughed and then sincerely told him, “Look, I don’t know the real reason for the change of venue---I can only assume it's the weirdness of Smallville---but thank you for helping make this happen.”

“Yeah, well ... it's the least I could do. And Lois did most of it.”  

Chloe chuckled again. He enjoyed hearing her so content, especially after upheaving her wedding.

“You were always the best friend I ever could have had,” he confessed.

“You say that like something's changed. Clark, trust me, we've been through too much together. Nothing is gonna make me forget that.”

He grinned with assurance. “You're right. The important thing is that your life is everything you want it to be.”

She confirmed it as she responded with, “It is. Even being whisked away to the middle of nowhere. I’m with the people I love most. So, it definitely is.”

Jimmy suddenly slapped him on the shoulder. “Okay, C.K. My turn to dance with my wife.”

Clark smiled brightly and let Chloe get swept away into the arms of her husband. As he looked to his right, Lois was in view. As the song ended Lois noticed him. A new song started, a slow instrumental playing as the light of the stars shone down on them and created a romantic atmosphere.

She sighed and rubbed her shoulders, “Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest.”

She was walking past him when he grabbed her arm as a reflex, not wanting her to get away. He grinned and tilted his head toward the rocks. 

Lois silently agreed as she walked with him. Once they were around the formation he shrugged off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders.

“Thanks.” she said as she tugged it closer around her.

“I should be saying that to you. Lois, what you did here. It’s nothing short of amazing.”

“Yeah, well, I’d do anything for Chloe. So…” She shook her head and chuckled. “I can only imagine what it’ll be like if I get married. My luck, it'll be the apocalypse.”

“Then count me on the team to stop it. I wouldn’t let anything stop you from walking down the aisle.”

“That’s a pretty tall order for you, Farmer Joe, isn’t it?”

“Not after everything I’ve been through.”

The music blew through the breeze. He was tempted to try again, to dance with her. He held his hand out and she took it and was once again in his space.

“You’re not alone.”

“No?”

They swayed around and he was cognizant of his steps, but ultimately he was captivated.

"Hey, Rebel without a clue. You’ve got me. And so far it seems we’ve made it out of dodge."

“The day isn’t over yet.”

“No, but I think we’re well on our way to a date change.”

His head dipped down, almost settling in the crook of her neck. "And what if it doesn't?"

She pulled back so he was forced to look at her. "Then you tell me again tomorrow." She smiled at him. “Same time work for you?”

Even in despair she could a grin from his lips. “I think I can move some things around.” But as fast as it came it slipped away and he grew serious with new fears rising. "What if I go back and…I don't get the same response?"

She had been…perfect. In every sense of the word. He told her the truth and she ran with it, never questioning any deeper than she had to on what she needed to do to help the situation. He was worried he wouldn’t experience this again.

"You will." she breathed in assurance as she put her hands on his chest.

There was a tingling in his skin and a hyper awareness in his senses. But it wasn't like all the other times. They were completely alone. No wedding guests. No band. Just the stars and them. He was focused on what was in front of him. He was focused on an illuminated Lois.

 He took a step forward. She did the same. Her eyes were communicating with him, asking him what he was going to do next. Answering, he glanced down at her lips and then back up again. The edges of her mouth curled slightly, giving him permission. They both leaned closer, hovering in the same space. His eyes bounced over her face as she started to meet him. He began to close his eyes, his head lowering, his mouth within centimeters of hers as the strong undertow drew him in.

Then Chloe’s voice cut through the moment like a knife.

“No way!”

He pulled back on alert only to see Chloe’s amused expression.

“I’m sorry, we were going to cut the cake and I didn’t know where you two had headed off to, but I get it and just…join us… whenever !”

“Maybe we should….” Lois trailed.

“Yeah…”

They walked back, spying looks at each other. The cake was cut and they ate comfortably. It was intimate and nice. His ears perked to the rustling of grass and bushes, but it was only the creatures in their natural habitat. There were no uninvited guests. 

In this version he finally felt something he hadn’t known for a while---peace.

Lois gave his hand a squeeze and an affirmative head nod.

Time drifted along and he almost let himself forget, but instincts kicked in and he patrolled the perimeter, until he was on the rock formation looking down as Chloe and Jimmy danced carefree. 

“Is this going to be your new brooding spot?” Lois asked from behind.

“No, I…just wanted to check around and I ended up here.”

“On top of the world and looking down on creation.” she said as she crouched down next to him. She leaned back on her arms and commented, “Wow, I can’t believe how the sky can look like this. It makes you wonder what’s beyond it.”

“What do you think is beyond it?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Anything is possible, I guess. I keep an open mind.” She hit him with her shoulder. “You’ve stared at it with your telescope. What do you think is beyond it?”

“I don’t know," he fibbed. "I just know what’s already up there."

“Got the constellations all memorized?”

“Not all of them. But I can try to find some.”

She smiled. A smile that lit the night sky.

How had he not noticed that before?

She looked up and pointed. “Oh, a shooting star.” He followed her eyes to see the familiar streak across the sky. “There’s another one!”

He found the second streak of light. He hadn’t remembered seeing that one.

“Okay, so, that big star over there, that’s the north star, right?”

He found the star and nodded. “That’s part of Ursa Minor.” Her brows furrowed as she looked at him. He offered an alternative name. “The Little Dipper.”

“ Oh. Okay, Big Dipper, Little Dipper. I remember those.”

They stargazed for a while until the light reflected on the face of his watch. He quickly looked at the time.

12:01am

That had never happened before. Perhaps this was it. He had finally gotten through the loop.

“12:01,” he whispered.

“What?”

“It’s 12:01. That’s never happened before.”

“That’s a good sign! Maybe that means this is finally over for you.”

"Maybe.” He stood up quickly, his mind bouncing in all directions. “I should check the farm."

"What and leave us in the middle of nowhere? That drive will take hours."

"Right…" He rethought his response. "Let me call Ben Hubbard. If there was any commotion, maybe he heard it."

"Oh-kay. Do you need me?"

He saw the look on her face, that she still wanted to help. But he couldn’t endanger her anymore than he already had with the information he told her.

Do you need me?

His heart was tugging at him, but fear and apprehension won over.

"....No. I can do this myself.” He sharply took a breath after he said it. “I'll be right back."

The darkness masked her features, but he had seen her hurt enough times to piece it together. Once he was down and out of view he started to speed back to the farm. Midway he heard the subtle growling and large steps. They were heading in the direction he had left. They were heading to the grassland. He turned around but he suddenly felt tired. 

'I can't be left behind one more time.'

"No," he whispered.

Fatigued washed over him, too powerful to fight. He was moving slower, but he was almost there, almost back.

He closed his eyes only for a second...

“ It's a nice day for a white wedding…it's a nice day to start again… ”

6:00am 

He was in his bed again. The last parts of the night repeated the in his mind. It was about to be interrupted like all the others as the reset occurred. However, he had made progress. He just had to pinpoint why.

Another image flashed before his eyes. A smile that lit up his senses.

"Lois."

Chapter Text

Chapter Six - Running Up That Hill

Clark had told Lois three times now. Each time they tried to come up with solutions, different destinations, but somehow even though the clock made it to 12:05 AM without him leaving the scene, the day repeated. He was near a conclusion, and yet still too far away from one. 

Try number four was commencing.

"There is so 'try', Skywalker. We have to figure out what is going wrong." Lois said as she paced in front of him in the loft.

He had told her---again---that morning and she had been pacing ever since. It was a common reaction as she tried to deconstruct the problem in order to solve it.

"I've mulled over that one quite a bit."

"But it's not location, because you've, erm , we've done that. And you've stopped the wedding entirely and it still didn't do anything. ' The thing that should not be ' still rears its ugly face."

"Correct."

She crossed her arms across her chest. "Then it's not the wedding."

He sat up from his position on the couch, interested in her take. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that whatever is propelling this sick cycle carousel you have isn't about the wedding itself. There's another factor."

He sighed and his body fell against the back of the couch. "I've tried other things, too. Doing favors I wouldn't have done normally in the first place…or confronting people."

Suddenly she took an interest. "Confronting people?"

He squirmed a little as he replied, "Lana. She's arrived at the wedding and then we---"

She held up her hand. "Say no more, I got it." He didn't feel like she did, but she kept her hand up for him to remain silent. She rubbed her forehead and shut her eyes tightly before opening them back up and tapped her chin, almost like she had rebooted herself. "What else is left in Pandora's box?"

"I don't know.,” he shrugged. “ I just know that these last few times have been different. Because I told you what was going on."

"One step in the right direction."

"Seems like."

"What other demons are you wrestling with?"

"What do you mean?"

She sat on the chest and looked directly into his eyes. "I mean, when you look at the common thread, it all leads back to you. Maybe you need to look inward."

His brow furrowed. "At what?"

"I can't tell you that! But all this moving around isn't doing anything else to jog up a solution. I wish we had index cards or something…"

Something pinged inside of him. It was the word 'wish'. He remembered wishing he could do it all over again. Was this really his doing?

"So, you think we should stay here? Just play it out?" he asked, standing up. Now it was his turn to pace as he thought about the risk.

Lois twisted around on the chest to follow his direction. "In Groundhog Day the lesson was that there are some things you can't change. Like when he tried to save that old guy. It was just meant to happen. So instead of these elaborate ways to prevent the War of Beastly Aggression , maybe we need to be on home turf. Have we tried that?"

He stopped and looked out the window grimly. "I have, but not with you. Not yet."

"If we're wrong, then…" she shrugged.

He turned and grinned, knowing what they said to each other. "I'll just tell you again tomorrow." He took a step forward and pointed at the end of the barn. “Don’t forget to call about two more flower arrangements.”

Her eyes widened, “How did you…”

“The minister arrives at 3:00 promptly,” he continued.

She let out a breath with a smile. "So weird. I mean, you've experienced all these days. What's it like?"

"Exhausting,” he exhaled. “But so is keeping up with the best wedding planner I’ve ever seen.”

"I bet," she chuckled. 

"But there were some peaceful moments."

"Oh, yeah? What did those look like?"

He told her about the Kismet Trail expedition. How the first time he told her she was able to put together a scheme to get Chloe and Jimmy out of Smallville and pull off a wedding in the grassland. He had merely followed her path to a successful night that ticked past midnight.

“You even got a horse”

“Horse?” She laughed. “Yeah, that sounds like me. I bet she looked really beautiful.”

“She wasn’t the only one,” he said, gazing at her.

“Oh.” She cleared her throat. " You know you don't need to butter me up. I agreed to help you. So your suave, all knowledgeable powers aren't going to sway me. Just saying."

He shook his head. "I wasn't…"

"Uh huh. Don't think I can't see through you, Clark Kent.” She poked him in the chest. “That's my power."

Taking Lois' advice about doing things he did the first time, he helped Oliver with his first mission. Knowing Oliver would end up in Cuba whether or not he gave the hard drive he simply left it with him, knowing that he would stumble upon another Lex hunter in the process. Continuing the motions, he was dressed and clipping his cufflinks at the bottom of the stairs when he saw Lois at the top, beautiful as always.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Looks like…you're almost ready. We can't be on the offensive with this wedding without the escort to give the bride away."

He needed to break his trance and reached for his sleeve and pulled at it. "I've been through this what seems like a million times and I still can't seem to get this right."

He couldn't get the pieces to click. Metaphor? Irony?

Lois chuckled lightly and started to walk down the rest of the steps. “Well, I guess you need another tutorial, huh, Farmer Joe?” When she was beside him she grasped his arm. “You just have to make sure this part sticks up straight, and then it slides right in.”

He felt her stiffen and flinch. When she finally looked up at him she let his wrist go and he shook his sleeve down.

"How many times have I said that?"

"A few."

"A few? Smallville, you're a terrible liar."

"It's not like I kept track." That was another lie. Not about what she said, but about how she looked and how it made him feel. His emotions toward her were getting more powerful. She was his friend, one of his best friends, and he knew how strong she was, but it was clear how much she could handle--how she could handle him.

She dug into her clutch and  handed him a black jewelry box. ”The ring? You can give that to Jimmy when the minister signals.” She then gave him an envelope from her clutch. “And here are his vows in case he forgets.”

As she walked away, her back to him, he opened the envelope and once more was met with familiarity as he read the words aloud. "It's really hard for me ... to put my feelings into words, but …"

Lois whipped around with a grin on her face and he added,  “thank you for believing me. It means a lot."

"Of course. It's what I'm here for, Smallville. Teamwork makes the dream work."

Jimmy’s cousin walked in on them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

“Sure.” Clark said, stepping forward as Lois exclaimed, “Great!”

“Now be yourselves, just speak from the heart.”

Clark went first and did just that. “Jimmy, Chloe. I can't tell you how happy I am that the two of you found each other. You're very lucky to be together. When you find that person who…" he glanced at Lois, "believes in you…you realize what a partner really is." 

Lois pushed in front of him. “Stop hogging the spotlight, Smallville. Hey, cuz, you know that I love you, and I wish you and Jimmy long and happy years together. What Clark was saying is right. Having a dependable partner is key. And remember what The General always says … a unit divided can't stand united." She stiffened again and hastily added, “You can edit out that last part, right?”

"I like it," Clark shrugged.

"It sounds like the Civil War is looming. Actually , he did say marriage is the only wa--"

Clark cut her off, "I think one Generalism is enough."

"Right. Time for the showdown?"

"Yeah," he resigned.

With determined steps, they made their way to the barn. Lois stayed below with Jimmy and the minister as Clark climbed the stairs to see Chloe ready with her veil over her face. 

“My escort has arrived,” she said in a chipper voice. “Is my prince waiting for me?”

“He’s wearing a matching expression.”

“Then it must be love.” she said as she looped her arm with his.

The music signaled their cue and he guided her down the stairs and past all the seated guests. He let her go and stepped off to the side as the minister started. He was settled and relaxed as he listened to the exchange of vows. He found his eyes gravitating away from the couple and toward Lois. She was watching him. What he had told her about the monster, how he had tried to fight it had concerned her. He could feel the waves coming off of her. She wanted to help him, but didn't know exactly how. He gave her a nod, letting her know everything was okay. She reciprocated and their connection broke as her eyes went to the bride and groom.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The couple kissed and Jimmy made a show of it as he dipped his wife down. On cue, there was applause and laughter. At this point it was like a sound bite skipping.

As the transition to the reception began he became more alert. He stood by Lois as she introduced, “Ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming the newlyweds!”

There was cheering and applause as the couple began to dance. He watched over it all from his perch on the first landing of the stairs, waiting to be summoned by Chloe.

“We'd now like to ask Chloe's escort to join her on the dance floor.” the DJ announced.

Chloe smiled and used her finger to indicate for him to meet her. “Hey, Clark. It's time to boogie.” Clark jogged down and brought her into his arms. She glanced up at him and said, “I know. It's weird, isn't it?”

 “I'm getting used to it,” he agreed.

Chloe laughed and then sincerely told him, “Thank you for letting us have our wedding here.”

“Yeah, well … where else could it be?” As Chloe chuckled, he glanced downward and confessed, “I just want this day to be right."

“And while I know it had a little to do with me, I feel like we're also talking about you.”

"Why's that?"

"I might not be an investigative reporter anymore, but I still know a story when I spot one. What's going on with you and Lois?"

It had been a reoccurring question since they started working together, sewn at the hip as Chloe had suggested months prior. 

"She's…just being a good friend and helping me out with today."

She scrunched up her forehead. "I suspect something more."

"Something more?"

"Clark, you've been stuck in a rut for a while."

"That's an understatement," he mumbled quickly under his breath.

"I think it's time you take the advice of your best friend. You have a weight that you carry and I've felt it too. I don't know why, but a few days ago... I finally let go. Like I can move on. And I think you need to do that too.”

"You're the best friend I've ever had."

"And that's never going to change. But if you have someone else in your corner, then I think…"

Jimmy suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, cutting off Chloe. “Okay, C.K. My turn to dance with my wife.”

Clark smiled brightly and let the bride get swept away into the arms of her husband. As he looked to his right, Lois was in view. As the song ended there was clapping and Lois noticed him. A new song started, a clarinet playing as the lights turned down low. The string lights and disco ball lit the room and created a romantic atmosphere, casting a halo of light around the maid of honor.

She sighed, “Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest.”

She was walking past him when he felt the comfortable reflex and grabbed her arm. He grinned and tilted his head toward the dance floor. 

Lois silently agreed as she walked into his space and placed her hands on his upper arms. They swayed around and he was cognizant of his steps, but ultimately he zoned into the feeling of his arms around her. He felt strong. He wanted to let himself fall…because she would steady him, be the anchor he needed.

Maybe that's what he needed to understand. Not just embrace Lois on the dance floor, but embrace her in his life. Maybe they really could do this…together.

"So, is this part of the chain of events?"

"We do get here."

"And then?"

"Just…some other obstacles."

"And the cake cutting is when…" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Well, that's one way to abstain from extra calories."

Distracted, he forgot about the guests bumping into Lois, sending her closer into his personal space. She looked questionably at him. Was it because of the knowledge he had given her about the event or the unknown of their current state.

"Lois, are you okay?"

She looked like she was about to say something else, before uttering, “I'm just trying to think of a strategy. You know, how do we stop it before it does the Monster Mash."

His brows were knitted with concern. "Lois, I really didn't want you worrying about this."

“Hey, Quantum Leap. Like it or not, I'm involved. You’ve got me.”

He noticed he was holding her hand. It was a subconscious reaction, he supposed. He looked down at their touching palms and back to her hazel eyes.

“I do, don’t I?”

She hesitantly put her free hand on his chest. He took a step forward. She did the same.

“Yeah. Always.” she confirmed.

   They both leaned closer, hovering in the same space. His eyes bounced over her face as she started to meet him.  He began to close his eyes, his head lowering, the feeling of the anchor pulling him down. The pleasure of contact was within centimeters. Maybe this time was it since he understood. She was there for him. He was there for her. And after all the running around, the loop could be over.

Then Chloe’s voice cut through the moment like a knife.

“No way!”

Clark ignored it, but Lois looked away.

“I can't believe it! Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Hey!” Chloe exclaimed gleefully.

He noticed her mood and face had changed as Lois turned back to him. "Your first confrontation of the night just showed up."

He looked over and saw Lana hugging Chloe. He felt Lois taking steps back, but he turned to her and stopped her.

"Lois."

"Clark, you said you had to confront it." She held up her hands, like in surrender. "Who knows what might happen this time."

He wanted to tell her it didn't matter, that it didn't change anything. But he let her walk away. She didn't leave the barn, but faded into the throng of guests. 

After Chloe brought Lana into the reception he retreated up to the loft, an action he repeated many times over to contemplate matters. It wasn't long until Lana cornered him up there.

“Chloe's glad you came.” he spoke into the air.

“I didn't expect to be here until a few hours ago,” she admitted.

He turned to look at her. "After tailing Lex and stumbling upon Oliver?"

He watched her surprised expression as she asked, "He told you?"

"I'm a reporter now. Rule number one, always know your source."

"Reporter and the mysterious blur I read about saving lives in Metropolis. I'm proud of you, Clark. It's who you should have been all along.”

"I can say the same about you. You're where you need to be. We had to go through a lot in order to do that. To understand we weren't meant for each other. It's more clear than ever."

She nodded slowly. "It is scary how much it feels right, isn't it?"

"Like plunging into the unknown. A free fall."

She started to grin. "The best ones are always like that."

"The best what?"

She shook her head as she looked down at her hands. "You'll put it together."

"I've been having trouble with that," he admitted.

"Hopefully…you'll have the right person to help you."

And they both knew it wasn't her.

Down below the crowd chanted  "kiss, kiss!"  to the newlyweds. There was cheers and applause as the two left the loft and rejoined the party. As the cutting of the cake then commenced he was aware that Lois was off to the side watching Chloe like a hawk. 

She had asked for details and he had been as specific as possible. They both knew this was the moment.

He felt a prickling on his skin. He was sensing something. Then there was a rumbling in the distance. His ears picked up a snarling sound that was gradually getting louder.

It was happening.

The couple stopped mid-cut as Chloe looked up and asked,  “What was that?”

The ground shook and the rumbling continued. Objects in the barn started to fall as the power flickered. Heavy footsteps approached and chaos ensued. 

Clark surveyed the area as dirt and dust lifted into the air. He could hear the heavy breathing of the creature but it was hard to focus as guests were running and the whole space shook. He used his X-ray vision and detected the giant build.

"Chloe!" he heard Lois scream as the creature entered the barn.

As portions of the structure started to fall he recognized that the stairs were next to collapse. Lana wasn't near the staircase this time as he scanned the room trying to get to Lois and the newlyweds, debris creating new obstacles. But he had to stop the creature and prevent the ever repeating nightmarish scene. He had Lois' help this time. It would have to offer different results.

Screaming. Roaring. Growling. Unfortunately, that all remained the same.

Clark forged forward and formed a fist. He used an uppercut punch, making contact with the beast and immobilizing it as it careened at an angle through the sidewall. Within seconds it was back, as if it hadn’t been struck. Before he could hit it again, he felt the impact on his own body and was hurled into the loft area. This time the green rock was buried in the field, but he was still stunned by the collision with wooden planks and furniture.

"Clark!" he heard Lois yell.

“Lois, don't! No!” Chloe called out.

She must have gone after the beast herself. He rolled to his side, pushing himself up to get back down to the ground level. There was a feminine grunt and his eyes closed momentarily as he knew what had occurred. Lois was injured.

“Lois! Lois, please, hold on. Please don't leave me.” Chloe begged.

Clark launched with great speed to get down to the main level. The monster had Chloe in its grasp as Lois laid bleeding from her abdomen on the ground. His eyes filled with intense heat and before he could control it his power activated, sending beams of rage targeted at the monster. Chloe dropped to the ground as it howled fiercely. Beady, sinister eyes oozed with vengeance before retreating out injured.

With the beast gone, his priority was Lois. His feet skated across the floor until he fell to his knees and slid beside her. He placed pressure on her stomach, blood permeating through the cracks between his fingers.

"It got her. I'm sorry," she gasped with a shallow breath. She closed her eyes as she struggled with her lungs.

He shook his head. "No, Lois. She's ---"

"Find Chloe." Were her last words before she took a final breath.

"Lois?"

His hands hovered over her, unsure of what to do. His body began to quake. His vision blurred. His breathing quickened. His hearing dulled. He didn't know what was going on. 

The sounds of his name coming from different voices were muffled by the beating of his heart in his ears. Shivers commenced from head to toe. He couldn't control anything. His jaw clenched as he ordered his appendages to listen, but his arms gravitated to the limp body before him. He shifted her to his lap and cradled her, wanting his life force to bleed into her instead.

He touched her face and pushed hair back away from her forehead. He waited for her eyes to open, for her to berate him for staring at her like a weirdo. Anything. But her lips were slack and pale. Her lids remained closed. Her chest still.

His stomach and heart constricted with a horrible thought. What if time didn't reset? He had finally understood. He knew how important it was to have her by his side. What cruel twist would it be to take her away at this moment for the loop to break.

His “no” was barely audible. He kept saying it, maybe just thinking it, over and over.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Lois Lane wasn't meant to die.

He held her tighter and shut his eyes, locking in any moisture that wanted to escape. The vibrations of his body against hers caused a familiar friction. It was searching for the spark. Attempting defibrillation to bring her back.

Wake up, his molecules called out. Wake up now.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he refused to look at whoever it belonged to.

Her voice infiltrated instead.

"You've got me."

"I do, don't I?"

“Always,” he whispered to himself.

"Clark." His brain distinguished it was Oliver, with raw emotion laced in his voice. "Clark, it's too late. You have to let her go."

No. 

Never.

The day needed to end and begin again. He would catapult himself into space and spin the Earth backwards in order to restart the day if he had to. 

He had wished to do it over again after going through it all the very first time. He'd been working to break the cycle in each variation, but he wished again, with all his might, all his soul, for this to not be the end. He wanted to do it over. He would do it over again for a millennia if it meant she would be alive.

It was not going to end this way.

His lungs filled to capacity as he inhaled deeply---then he let out the loudest "No" imaginable, catching everyone off guard with wide eyes. It felt like time had suddenly been suspended. Everything was frozen. Yet, he still had his awareness and could still feel the harsh beats of his heart against his chest, leaving a sore invisible bruise.

The rest of his body then pulsed until he felt it in the air surrounding him. It reverberated in pressured waves that amplified with every thump. Then it consumed him completely.

For the first time, it all went dark before midnight.

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven - Careless Whisper

When Clark opened his eyes the ceiling was a haze of white, blurred behind tears that had formed under his lid. He let out a gasp as he rubbed the moisture away with the heels of his palms. His hands were still trembling.

He looked over at the clock. 6:00 AM with the same song playing.

It seemed that the cycle had continued, the universe had rewound and pressed play on same day, but he had to know for sure.

He sprung up from the bed and threw on his regular ensemble. His boots were swiftly on his feet and he trudged down the stairs and out the door in a whirlwind of red and blue. When he stopped he was in front of The Talon. He peered through the window and observed the chairs were half up on the tables. He soon spotted two figures. One walked into the back as the other, in pink and black, bounced behind the counter filling her cup as her chestnut brown ponytail swayed.

He walked through the unlocked door, the bell giving sound to his entrance. He kept staring at the back of her head, his breath caught in his lungs. He stood as an inanimate object, a statue erected in the Talon just to watch over her.

  When she turned around she gasped in surprise.

"Jeez, Smallville. You scared me."

And she had scared him . In more ways than one. She peered at him quizzically as he kept frozen. She walked around the counter and stood in front of him.

"Does the Tinman need some oil?" She smirked as she raised her travel cup in offering.

The scent wafted through his nostrils, but that wasn't what awakened him. In a split second he wrapped his arms around her tightly, causing her to drop her cup.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered into her hair, finding that scent more intoxicating. 

"Clark? Clark, what is it?"

He heard the concern in her voice and he felt her reciprocate the hug. His body started to settle and gain back its strength. His eyes squeezed tighter as he breathed her in again. Their bodies swayed as they held each other. He was reminded when she wore a similar style and held him as his heart broke months prior. He usually guarded his emotions, but he couldn't hide them from her. She had a way of scaling the walls and plugging the leaks to help him function.

He found comfort being close to her. He found his strength with her. He was recharging. The longer he held on, the better he felt.  He knew he was clinging, but after what he witnessed he feared that at any moment she could be gone. But, she wasn't disappearing. She was real.

The day had reset and she was okay.

"Clark?"

He inhaled slowly and opened his eyes. His actions were obviously alarming. She had no idea what he had been through and seen. The image of her on the ground lifeless flashed before his eyes quickly.

He had to protect her.

His arms dropped away from her and he took a step back.

"I'm sorry."

"If you need to talk…or not talk…we could---" she cut herself off and gestured to the table.

"No." He shook his head and looked at the ground. He took another step back. "I just needed to make sure."

"Make sure of what?"

He lifted his head up and looked at her. She had tilted her head so her curious hazel eyes were inspecting him completely.

"That everything was back on track."

"And you look like you're off yours, Crazy Train. Why not just sit and take a breather?"

"I should get going. There's a lot to accomplish."

Before she could argue with him again, he was out the door.

 He wasn't lying. There was a lot to accomplish. First on his list was putting distance between them.

Next on the list was getting the farm ready before traipsing off with Oliver. Clark retrieved the hard drive as usual and left it on the plane, declining to go to the next location. He realized he probably should have since it would be easier to dodge questions in Cuba than it was back home. At every turn he sensed Lois and every time he did he tried to hide. But she was like a bloodhound and he was unable to cover his scent completely. He would superspeed far enough away, but close enough to keep an eye on her. He saw the hurt look on her face each time she missed him.

 It was becoming unbearable. He didn't want to keep hurting her. The closer they got to the ceremony start time, then the less time there would be to interrogate about the morning oddity. He just needed to make it to that point. He got dressed, forgoing using his father’s cufflinks, and he slipped into the barn where Chloe was waiting in the loft.

She perked up below her veil when she saw him.

"Hey, you. From the whispers I've been hearing I thought maybe you weren't going to fulfill your escort duties."

"I wouldn't miss it."

"Is everything okay?" she asked as she hooked her arm around his.

"We'll talk later. Right now, it's about getting you married."

"How is my prince charming?"

"He's wearing a matching expression."

She smiled wide. "Then it must be love."

The music signaled their cue and he guided her down the stairs and past all the seated guests. When they reached the end, he let her go and stepped off to the side as the minister began. He barely listened to the exchange of vows as he frequently glanced at Lois, no matter how many times he told himself to stop.  She was focused, maybe avoiding him, brushing a finger under her eyes. She didn't look at him once. 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The couple kissed and Jimmy of course made a show of it as he dipped his wife down. On cue, there was applause and laughter.  

As the transition to the reception commenced he backed his way out of the celebration with another slip into the shadows. Within a few minutes, he found himself standing in the middle of the living room trying to catch his breath from his nerves building as the party continued. He couldn't bear to be there when the dancing started. His body wanted to be near Lois, but he refused to give in. 

"Okay, what is going on? You barge in this morning and give me the tightest hug known to man and then you avoid me like the plague. What the hell?"

Clark whipped around to see Lois behind the couch with her arms folded. She had been occupied managing everything he hadn't thought she'd follow him out. 

"Chloe and Jimmy are probably ----"

"Fine. They're fine. This, whatever this is, is not fine. I know something is wrong, why can't you just tell me? Do you not think I can handle it?"

"No. That's not…" he sighed and tried again, "Lois, I just…I don't want you to get hurt. I'm trying to protect you."

Her hands flew up in front of her. "Yeah? Well, not letting me in feels a lot worse."

He looked in Lois’ eyes and he felt himself start to crumble. He tried to stay away from her and he couldn't succeed. He was hooked and she had the strength to reel him in.

He observed most of the catering crew exit toward the barn. While some still lingered, in a hushed tone he began to explain, "I've lived this day before. Many times. So many that I've lost count."

"Lived this day before? What like---"

He cut her off and finished, "Groundhog Day. Yes, like that."

Her expression changed with a hint of amusement. "So, you anticipated what I was going to say. What else can you do?"

"Only that."

"Why is this happening?" she fired, her journalism instincts kicking in.

"I don't know. Maybe it's about me and about decisions I've made. But nothing works…" his face softened as he revealed, "except when I told you."

She was surprised as she asked, "You've told me before?"

"Yes. The first time I told you, the clock went past midnight. It was the first time that had ever happened."

"So, you made progress?" 

"A little."

"So, why not just tell me again, why the runaround now?"

He didn't know what to say. He didn’t want to risk the previous version happening again.

"Clark, this morning when I saw you…I've never seen you like that. I mean, you were so pale and your eyes were watery. And when you grabbed me… it was like something had happened…" her eyes widened and she let out a tiny gasp, " to me." She cleared her throat and processed the connection. "Something happened to me. Which is why you want to protect me."

He simply nodded.

"How?"

He looked around and noticed more workers were wandering in to pick up and drop off items. "I can't…"

She tugged at his arm and led him out of the room and opened the closet. She pushed him in and then followed, closing the door.

"Yes, Mr. If I Could Turn Back Time, you can. If I don't know what's going to happen then how can I stop it?" She crossed her arms again, trying to adjust in the cramped space. It accentuated her chest and didn't dare to let his eyes stare. Instead, he got to the point.

"The creature, the one that's been terrorizing Metropolis. It showed up here. I don’t know why. I tried to fight it, but it was too powerful. Then it turned to Chloe but you---"

"Pulled a Lois," she finished.

He looked down.

"How many times has that happened?"

"Just once."

And it was enough to rattle him.

"Okay, so I'm not the old guy in the movie. That's a plus," she said as she dropped her arms to her side.

Somehow a tiny chuckle escaped his lips. 

"When does this happen?"

"When they're cutting the cake."

"Okay."

He could see the wheels turning in her head. He couldn't let her get involved. He couldn't go through losing her again.

Clark grabbed her upper arms. "Lois, you have to promise me that you won't intervene."

"If we can just get Chloe out before…"

He pressed his forehead on hers. "Promise me."

He could hear her breath and her heart quickening. His thumb swept across her soft skin. His lips were brushing against the tip of her nose. They were missing their dance in the barn, but this was a similar production.

He could feel her head and body shift. In such close quarters there was no other way than to be near to each other. The privacy and the darkness gave them a chance to finally explore over the line they had been teetering on.

"Clark…" she whispered as she closed her eyes.

His mouth opened. His senses were caught up in her, but voices carried from the other side of the door.

"Thanks, Oliver. I'm just going to put my coat in the closet."

His head tilted toward the door. "Lana," he whispered.

Lois' eyes snapped open. "What?" 

Before he could say anything more the door swung open to reveal his ex.

"Oh! I didn't know the closet was… occupied," she said and then quickly left, leaving it open.

The awkward silence blanketed them as others peered around to assess the situation. Lois pulled away and he felt the abrupt loss of her warmth. 

"Wow. Did you plan that? You knew she would be there to open the door?"

Lois was way off base with her assumption, but he couldn't blame her for jumping to the conclusion because of the turbulent history with Lana. It didn't look good. However, he had an answer.

" You pulled us in here."

"Right. So, what? You just conjured her up?"

"I didn't know…" he began, looking in the direction Lana had gone.

She shook her head and spoke over him. "You should go and explain to her that we weren't playing 'seven minutes in heaven' then."

Lois left, leaving him frustrated. He ran his fingers through his hair and waited a couple minutes to give her space. He knew she needed it to calm down. He followed her path and went out the side door. When he didn't see her on the way to the barn he went up the steps to the porch.

As he rounded the first corner he stopped in his tracks when he saw Oliver hugging her. He was defeated by their embrace. She was being consoled for a misunderstanding. He wanted to explain that he had merely heard the voice unexpectedly and carelessly whispered the name. 

  It tore at him, but it might have been the diversion he needed, unfortunately. At least if Lois was on the porch, then she wouldn't be in the barn. 

His footsteps slid backward and turned down the stairs. His watch displayed it was almost time. He walked to the barn and took a deep breath, getting ready for the showdown. When he entered Chloe located him right away.

"Clark! Where were you? They called for our dance and you disappeared."

"I'm sorry, it was something urgent."

She served him a sympathetic look. "Is it because you heard Lana was coming?"

He quickly denied it. "No, it was something else."

"Lois?" she inquired.

His mouth slightly dropped, caught off guard. "Why would you say that?"

"Come on, Clark. She mentioned the hug to me. I mean at 6 AM? I think that was more powerful than any espresso shot."

"I just needed to make sure she was okay."

Worry washed over her face. "Are you okay?"

He didn’t react. He didn’t want to place another burden on her day. 

She patted his arm encouragingly. "I think you just need to be honest with yourself, Clark."

"I've always had a tough time with that."

"I know. But the truth shall set you free," she smiled. She looked beyond him and started to back away. "Now, I need to get ready for the next phase."

When he turned to see what had been looking at, Lana slowly approached him.

"I'm sorry about what happened before."

"Me, too."

She shuffled her feet and played with her hands in front of her as she asked, "So, you and Lois?"

"It's complicated."

She raised one shoulder. "You looked pretty cozy."

"We just needed a private place to talk and she…"

Lana shook her head. "You don't need to explain. I saw the way you looked at her."

He tilted his head curiously. "When?"

"On the porch. I saw it while I was about to enter the reception. I know that look."

"Everybody seems to,” he scoffed. He wasn’t as good at masking his feelings as he had thought.

Her voice was low as her eyes diverted to the crowd. "I think I needed to see it. To know for sure."

"That you made the right choice."

She turned and looked back at him. "That I wasn't the one."

Clark's attention returned to the party when the guests chanted for Jimmy and Chloe to kiss. They were setting up to cut the cake.

Out of the corner of his eye his stomach turned. He noticed the orange dress. Lois. Leaving Lana, he crossed the room and pulled her arm. She whipped around and almost crashed into his chest. 

"Lois, what are you doing?"

"I was going to request ‘Thriller’," she said sarcastically. "What do you think I'm doing?"

Just then the rumbling started. He turned his neck and focused on the outdoors. He knew it was coming.

"Lois, you have to get out here. Now!" he ordered.

The familiar sounds of growling filled the air. The force of entry made wood splinter and fly in every direction. Havoc ensued as guests started running. He placed himself in front of Lois and activated his heat vision. When the cloud of dust lifted he aimed and fired.

The creature cried out in pain, giving time for more people to retreat. Oliver ushered out Chloe and Jimmy, who were mildly injured.

Lois must have told him. A loophole.

In his distracted thought claws met his skin. He grunted as he felt the sharp ends tear through, blood seeping out and staining his white shirt. 

He heard Lois call out, "Clark!" 

It caught the attention of the monster, too.

"No!" he shouted with a wince as he held his stomach.

He formed a fist, but he was weakened and it was easily stopped. He was thrown back toward the steps leading to the loft, collapsing into them. He heard a muffled scream and he let out his own as he tried to move. Of course green kryptonite rolled near him. He had forgotten to remove it.

He felt debris being removed off him and Lana appeared in his vision. She found the rock and tossed it farther away.

"Clark, that thing has Lois."

He spotted the cut and blood on her leg, but he knew she would be fine. He managed to stand up, adrenaline coursing through his veins and his wound beginning to clot and close. He sped after them, determination pushing the pursuit. 

He was on top of the windmill in Chandler's Field trying to listen for Lois. He closed his eyes and searched for her with his whole being. He remembered the sounds that filled his ears when they were alone in the closet. He tuned in and heard thumping---it was her heartbeat. He didn’t even know he could zero in on it.

She was alive as a wave of relief crashed through him. It navigated him. He just needed to follow her heart---as it tugged his own. He followed it like an invisible string. He detected them halfway between Smallville and Metropolis.

When he finally stopped he noticed that the area was abandoned, with large factory buildings surrounding them. The creature jumped to a higher platform, hurling loose bricks downward.

Anger pulsed through him, his lip curling as he yelled, "Let her go!"

The monster obliged and threw Lois. She started to scream as she fell through the air, but he positioned himself in a prime spot and leaped. He easily caught her and landed back down with his feet planted firmly. Her eyes were wide as she realized what had happened---that any normal man would not have been able to achieve what he had just done.

"I guess I should stop calling you Smallville ."

He felt his lips twitched up into a small grin. Her lips mirrored his. 

"Lois, what happened here, tonight…."

"You mean rescuing me from the clutches of King Kong…or Donkey Kong…or Genghis Kong?"

"Genghis Khan,” he corrected her.

"Whatever."

He was beginning to get lost in her features when the sound of snarling rudely interrupted.

"Let's get you out of here."

Holding her as tightly as he had that morning, he sped her away from danger. When he stopped they were in the middle of the barn. He had intended to go to the Smallville Medical Center since the chaos from the wedding had brought many guests there. He hadn't even been entirely sure of any injuries Lois might have sustained in the struggle and aftermath. Instead they were in the middle of what had been the dance floor that evening. He lowered her down and let her feet hit the ground.

"You should get looked at."

"I'm fine," she replied.

Lois slowly lifted her hand and placed it on his chest. Then she gently let it trail to where he had been hurt. His skin was taking longer to restore itself, with dried blood encasing the closing wound.

"How did I not put these pieces together? I mean I lived with you and now we practically work on top of each other…"

He placed his hand over hers, wondering if she would recoil from his touch. She wasn't freaking out or accusing him of lying to her for years. She was taking it all in all at once and processing the facts with the new information. She was remarkable.

"You've saved me," she whispered. "So many times."

His voice was deep as he commented, "You always seem to find yourself in trouble."

"Trouble finds me."

His attitude and tone shifted as he recalled, "I told you to stay out of the barn."

"Look, I figured that if I got someone else to get to Chloe…"

"You were still there, too. That thing, and what it can do... Lois, you could've gotten killed."

"And that thing could have killed you, too, by the looks of it."

He raised his voice. "Exactly! How can I save you from something I can't fight?"

He was disappointed in himself and admittedly scared. Now that Lois knew she was in even more danger. 

“Well, you can't fight without a plan. We can go over strategy and the guns you’ve got in your arsenal. Do you want me to make coffee? Maybe enough to keep all of Kansas awake?”

She was rambling and trying to inject humor, but his anxiety prevented him from responding with any ease.

“That's not what I need." He watched her raise her eyebrows and he told her, "Lois, you should be with Chloe. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Oh." She waited for a beat and then said, "Okay.”

They stared at each other for a moment. Her hurt and misty hazel eyes pierced into him.

As she walked away, each step she took was excruciating and he was reminded of the moment they had in the hospital the very first time, how the sound of her heels clicking against the hospital floor echoed inside of him. When she made it to the open barn doors, she turned to look at him. He felt she was waiting for him to do or say something else, but he just silently stood in place, his eyes planted on her. When she continued out of view, he remained in that spot.

She was gone.

His gut twinged, as if he had made a mistake.

He recognized the feeling all too well.

He pushed her away again. He told himself it had been for her safety, but it hadn't been entirely truthful. He was starting to understand his feelings more and more. He didn't want to repeat past mistakes and it seemed he had been unable to change his reflex responses. 

The realization hit him in the same place the monster had.

He kicked the floor of the barn and looked down. He spotted the bouquet of flowers Lois had been holding that matched her dress. There was a coating of petals as the rest of the flowers were mangled on the ground. He crouched down and grabbed one that was in better condition, bringing it up to his face and closing his eyes with the flower against his forehead.

He listened for Lois again, finding her heartbeat in the background mixed with the beginning notes to a familiar song. 

“ It’s a nice day for a white wedding… It’s a nice day to start again…”

Clark woke up in his bed. For the first time he wasn't feeling dread about starting the day over again.

This time it was going to be different. He was determined to make a change last.

After everything, he was ready to confront his mistakes.

He knew what he had to do.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight - All Through the Night

Much like the previous version’s morning, Clark sprung up from the bed and threw on his regular ensemble. His boots were swiftly on his feet and he was out the door in a blur of red and blue. When he stopped he was in front of The Talon. He peered through the window and observed, as expected, the chairs half up on the tables. He zeroed in on the figure in pink and black, bouncing behind the counter filling her cup as her ponytail swayed.

He walked through the unlocked door, the bell giving sound to his entrance. He kept staring at the back of her head, his breath caught in his lungs, preparing himself.   When she turned around she gasped in surprise.

"Jeez, Smallville. You scared me."

 She peered at him quizzically as he slowly grinned. She walked around the counter and stood in front of him.

"Does the Tinman need some oil?" She smirked as she raised her travel cup in offering.

"Sure."

"My days of slinging coffees were over a while ago. Go help yourself."

He accepted the offer and  went over and poured himself a cup while she stood by eying him still.

"I was going to call you,” she commented with the rim of the cup just below her lips, “make sure you were up and getting started."

"I had a feeling."

She took a sip and then said, "You have coffee on the farm, what brings you all the way here?"

"I was thinking about…" he wanted to say her, but he refrained. "String lights. We might need some more so I was going to swing by the hardware store when he opened."

"Huh. I had that on my list. I was worried there wouldn't be enough. We seem to be really on the same wavelength this morning."

"There's a reason for that."

"The fact that we spend way too much time together?"

"That helps."

He had spent a lot of time with her. And while years before he had said aloud that he'd do anything to get rid of Lois, he was on the opposite side now.

"Lois, I need to tell you something."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Why does that not sound good?"

"Even though I do believe that we know each other very well, maybe even better than anyone, there's a reason this time."

Lois changed her footing, balancing her cup in one hand as the other found its home on her hip. "Which is?"

He wound himself up for the confession he had made many times. "This day, Chloe's wedding, it keeps repeating for me. I wake up and I do it all over again."

She sniffed the air around him. "Did you make an Irish coffee before coming here, Smallville?"

"I could make predictions about the whole day. You were going to call me…”

“I just said that…”

“...and tell me that the decorators would start arriving in a couple hours and the caterers will be setting up shop in the kitchen soon after and to make sure Shelby is out of the way of the food. The only blonde that will be getting attention today is your cousin.”

She was silent and that was never a good thing.

“And I know that from what you told me one of the mornings that when you were having coffee here, a blue car came down main street and almost hit a cyclist."

"Clark---"

Just then a blue car drove past the Talon and blew its horn as it swerved to avoid hitting a man on a bike.

"Someone should get him training wheels," they quipped at the same time.

Lois' mouth dropped. "So, this is like---"

He immediately finished the sentence. "Groundhog Day. Yes."

They moved over to an empty table and sat down.

"Why is this happening?"

"I've made some mistakes. I kept making them." His head hung low for a moment as memories replayed.

"But, I guess there could be worse days to relive."

"Except, Chloe's reception gets the ultimate wedding crasher."

"What does that mean?"

"That thing that's been reported in Metropolis, that destroyed the Ace of Clubs, it attacks during the reception." Lois opened her mouth to speak, but he knew what she was going to say. "I've already moved the venue, tried to stop the wedding, and get Chloe out of the barn before it hits. Nothing worked. Other people got hurt instead."

He paused and looked straight at her. Images of her hurt, kidnapped, him dying on the ground appeared in his mind. He tried to hold in his emotions, the internal slices the horrific filmstrip inflicted on him. His poker face must have been waning. 

"Clark? Clark, what is it?"

He heard the concern in her voice and he felt her reach out her hand, her fingertips touching his . Before he might have moved his hand after a few seconds, but this time he pushed a few centimeters and scooped her hand with his, holding it tightly.

The repeating theme of finding comfort being close to her resurfaced. He found his strength with her. The longer he held on, the better he felt.  

"Smallville?" she asked again as she leaned forward, using his nickname.

" I guess I should stop calling you Smallville."

"There's more."

"What else could there possibly be?"

Lois' eyes widened as Clark lowered her to the wooden planks of the loft.

"Before you say it, never stop calling me Smallville."

She grinned with sparkles in her eye, then her teeth peeked out to bite her lower lip.

"So, exactly how many times have you revealed this to me?"

"Yesterday, or, uh, the last version of this. That creature took you and I used my powers to save you. That was how you found out. But I'm trying to right the wrongs I've done in the past."

"Oh, I see." There was a distant look that clouded her eyes, taking away the sparkles. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea. He wasn’t doing this because he had to or means to an end. It was because he wanted to.

“No, Lo--- I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I've kept this secret for so long and when you found out…you were…” he paused for a moment and sighed in awe, “perfect. I just wanted it to be on my terms."

"Perfect?" she scoffed and slightly rolled her eyes. "I'm anything but perfect."

"With this you were. Other people have found out about me and not because I told them. And when they did, they all reacted differently and sometimes it even drove them away. I never wanted that with you. But when you saw me use my abilities,” he shook his head, “ I can't explain it."

"Maybe I can." She titled her head up and peered deeper into his eyes. "You're still just you… Clark Kent, the guy who would do anything he can to help someone in need. The powers don't make the man."

And that was the key. He felt normal. She always treated him as any other guy, sometimes to a fault. When he was on red kryptonite he remembered wanting to prove how much better he was than just a guy driving a tractor. So much so, he showed her his powers. He had the opportunity to show them to Lana but that wasn’t a priority, for her to know “the real Clark Kent”. It took him too long to see it.

"I, however, am trying to figure out how I never put the pieces together. I mean your wardrobe alone with all the reds and blues should have been a clue."

"Yeah, Jimmy put that together too," he mused.

"Jimmy?!" she screeched. "He knows?"

"He was on the same trail, but Chloe helped me throw him off."

Lois brought her hand to the side of her face. " Right , Chloe would know. And it explains why your parents were always so protective."

He would have to explain that Chloe didn't know any longer, but he would broach that a little later.

"When you said that people left because of your secret…” she stopped and pursed her lips and then proceeded, “when you were watching that DVD and I…well, we…." She motioned her arms to signal a hug.

"Yeah," he confirmed. 

He watched as her face fell with sympathy. "I'm sorry."

He thought back to his conversations with Lana during the loop, one thing stood out.

"She wasn't the one."

"How many laps did it take to come to that conclusion?"

"Enough. And not just what I'm experiencing currently."

She stifled a chuckle. "I bet." She moved her mouth over to the side in thought and folded her arms. "So, what guns you got in your arsenal?"

Of course she would use a military metaphor. He guessed he just needed to get it out there. So, he began to list them.

"You already know about my speed. I can blast fire out of my eyes. I can lift a tractor over my head. I can hear a dog barking from ten miles away. If I focus, I can see through objects."

"Hold it." She tightened her hold on her chest. "Run that last one by me again."

"It's not used like that,” he strained.

"I guess that week I kept teasing you about the color of my underwear after you zipped my dress up wasn't necessary."

He remembered the date she went on with the former inmate from Black Creek and how she didn't tell him because she wanted to protect him. 

She must have been thinking about it too when she suddenly voiced, "When I called you that night, when my date tried to kill me, you sped in and stopped him."

"I did."

She took a step closer to him.

"And you saved me from the speeding car."

"I did."

She took another step.

"And that acid trip I took to the Saharan space opera where you were my knight in shining armor?"

They were face to face. He felt the draw. He put his hands on her upper arms. Instead of pulling her towards him like his body wanted, he pushed her down to the chair by his desk. He opened the drawer and fished out Dr. Swann's journal.

"You might want to sit down for this one."

And he explained his origins as a stranger in a strange land.

When the workers began to arrive they had to put their conversation on pause. While he didn’t get to go over everything, he did mention that Chloe's memory loss condition had affected her knowledge about him and to not mention it to her.

As Lois put people to work they would catch glances of each other and smile. He wasn't nervous about her knowing his secret, knowing him, he just didn't want her to get hurt. But as she put it last time, it hurt her more not knowing the details. He had been worried about it being like the others that it failed to elevate how special she truly was.

He had eventually followed through on getting the string lights and handed them over to one of the staff members and headed inside, bypassing another person walking out with a stack of plates, almost tripping on the area rug. He had already prevented the usual disasters that morning. As he made his way to the kitchen stairs Lois was entering from the side door, holding a garment.

“Smallville!”

She bounced around the chefs and beelined her way to him, stretching out her arm, with the edge of the hanger dangling from the hook of her finger.

“Your tux courtesy of the groom.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking it.

“What's next on your agenda for the day?”

"Oliver is going to need my help."

"Oliver?” By the tone of her voice her interest was certainly piqued. “ What could he need …Oh . You guys are in league together."

"Not quite a league,” he corrected.

She leaned in with a gleam in her eyes. "Any big stories?"

He admired her investigative skills, but over the years he picked up on when she might be getting herself into overwhelming territory. "One thing at a time."

"Right. Focus on the Party Monster dropping in."

"Remember…"

"I know. I heard you loud and clear before." She let out a breath as she shifted in her spot. He had seen that look before. She was trying to think of ways to solve all the issues to save everyone else the heartache. He was guilty of it, too. “Well, take that upstairs before something spills on it,” she said as she put her Bluetooth back in her ear. “We need to make sure we stay on schedule and even if we get a little ahead we can’t let that slow us down because something else can always go wrong and---”

He placed his free hand on her shoulder. “Lois, just breathe.”

“I want it to be as perfect as it can be. Before it all goes to hell.”

“It will be. I’m going to make sure of it. The former part,” he specified. “We’re both working on this.”

"And we make a good team."

His voice got lower as he responded, "Yeah, we do.”

She gave a firm nod of her head as she reverted back to command. “Well, better start climbing Mount Olympus, Hercules. And when you’re done, if you could just move some of these blue coolers."

With a whoosh they were already moved.

“Yes, Miss Lane,” he smiled.

Amused, she said, "Show off. You keep acting like that and you'll just get more work."

"I can handle it," he challenged.

She playfully narrowed her eyes. "We'll see."

He leaned forward. "Is that a promise or a threat?"

She started to smile when a throat clearing caught his attention. He looked up and saw Oliver watching them suspiciously.

She gave Oliver a nod of acknowledgement and patted Clark on the shoulder as she started to move out of the way. "Your next appointment." She took his tux and went to the stairs. "I'll hang this for you in your room."

"Thanks."

Clark watched her start to walk up when Oliver again cleared his throat. His facial expression gave away his irritation and Clark awkwardly approached him.

"Hey, Oliver. Sorry, things are hectic."

"Hectic or heating up?"

He deflected the question. "I know you're not here to help set up, so we should just get to business."

"Business," he chuckled, looking down at the ground before walking to the living room. "Are you anticipating something?"

"Oliver, I could explain everything that's going on, but it doesn't seem to change much. I know you have news."

“Lex is alive.” Oliver gauged the reaction. “You don't look surprised."

“Because Lex's ability to survive shouldn't be underestimated,” he voiced.

“I was tracking a wireless ghost router he was using to bounce emails to Tess. If we can get it when we can reverse the signal and trace where he actually is. His routers pop up all over the globe. But every time I show up, all the hardware's missing. Now I’ve been tracking it and---”

Clark cut to the chase. “You want me to race into the next location and grab the router the next time Lex sends an email.”

Oliver smiled. “That's right. Now, listen. Based on the previous pattern, I'm expecting one today. This means we could be hours away from locking that monster up for good.”

Clark still cringed internally at the use of the word monster, a fierce growl echoing from the depths of his mind. It never went away.

"Oliver, going after Lex isn't going to curb your revenge."

"Revenge?"

"For what happened to your parents."

Oliver’s face glowered and his tone became razor sharp. "What happened is that my parents were murdered."

Clark tried to understand, offering insight to his own experience losing a parent. “Oliver ... I remember when my dad died. I was so angry, I almost crossed a line that I could not come back from. I'm not gonna let you make the same mistake.”

"The mistake would be letting Lex get away."

"Oliver, you need to understand that the wedding…"

“The wedding?" he laughed. "Is that the real reason you don't want to go after Lex, or is that just an excuse? Chloe's gonna understand.”

"No, she won't.” Clark said defiantly. He then explained, “When I had Jor-El bring back her memories, I asked him to leave out the ones about who I really am. There's more going on than you know and I'm trying to prevent a disaster. I need to be here."

“Maybe Lex hasn't made his move yet, but he will. He's more dangerous now than he ever was. Chloe may not know your secret anymore, but Lex still does.” Oliver pressed.

"You can't punish the son for the sins of the father,” he reminded him.

“That's not what I'm doing. The truth is I'm going after Lex for you.”

“That's only half the truth,” he countered in their repeated dance.

“Clark, come on, you know how dangerous this guy is. He may even know how to kill you.”

"And that doesn't mean you should inflict the same on him. As your friend, I believe you're better than that."

Oliver noticeably was affected by the words but shook it off the best he could. "Look, I'm going to be waiting on the jet. When you've come to your senses you can find me there."

Oliver moved past him and exited. Clark felt once again that he had failed to convince him to let the matter go. He couldn’t seem to change his mind.

"Not a big story?" Lois asked, crossing her arms as she stood on the bottom step.

"Not one that I know much about. I've done this so many different ways and even when I went with Oliver, Lex wasn't there."

"So, maybe that means that's not what gets changed,” she told him as if she had read his thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

She took the last step and reached the floor. "If you have already made all the changes and nothing happened, then that's not the root of it. Which means the first way you did it was probably fine."

"So you're saying I should go and do what I did the first time."

"Yeah."

"Okay," he sighed. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He grabbed his red jacket and went to leave through the front door when Lois called out, "Clark, wait!"

He quickly turned around. "Yeah?"

"What did he mean when he said that Lex might know how to kill you?"

When they had been interrupted it hadn’t gotten to the part about what the exploded pieces of his planet did to him. There was one more detail he needed to give her before he moved to the next chapter.

With the information he had retained through multiple constructed days, Clark went to the warehouse and got the router.  When he made it through the doorway on the jet his eyes fell on Oliver staring at a photo of the Queen’s with their young son. 

Catching Clark in his peripheral vision, he was startled as he yelped, "Clark!" He tried to cover the picture, but it was too late.

There was no change in how this was unfolding. Clark held the router tightly in his grasp. He couldn’t give up on Oliver, even if it seemed he couldn’t divert his path. "I'm giving you a chance to make the right decision."

"And what's the right decision?"

"To wait and work with me until after the wedding."

"Wait? Clark, we can't wait." He held out his hands. “Why don't you just ... give me the router? Okay, it's gonna take me a couple hours to download it, anyway. You're gonna have plenty of time to eat cake and do the chicken dance before we even take off.”

If Oliver was going to remain making the decisions he did in round one, then so would Clark.

“No, I'm gonna keep this until after the wedding. If you're really doing this for me, Oliver... you'll wait until I can go with you.”

Clark sped back to the farm and past the catering crew downstairs, careful to make anyone or anything fall in the process. He put the router in his closet with his red jacket covering it. He knew it wouldn't matter in the end. Oliver would still get the information somehow and be on his way to Cuba. He would run into Lana and she would show up as Chloe’s surprise guest.

 With the thought of Chloe and time dwindling until the start of the ceremony,  he closed the door to the closet and made his way to the barn, remembering she was getting ready in the loft with Lois.

As he walked up the steps he asked, “What are you two girls doing?”

“The bride needs something borrowed to take to the altar,” Lois announced.

Chloe opened the lead box in her hands and a familiar wave of pain hit him, his balance on the step impeded.

 “How about she carry your piece of Smallville's finest meteor rock down the aisle?”

Lois was quick to intervene, bearing new information as she recognized the item, grabbing the case and closing it. "Chlo, how about something less radioactive? We don't want the bride glowing in the dark."

Clark mouthed "thank you" and she winked. He felt flush and wanted to chalk it up the kryptonite. He finished walking up the remaining steps in search of his Freshman yearbook. He opened it up and plucked out the flat flower, holding it out for her to see.

“You gave that to me Freshman year at the Spring Formal.”

“And you kept it all this time?” she asked in awe as she took it from him.

“I never throw away good memories,” he grinned.

Lois smiled. “Thanks, Smallville. Another pre-wedding fire blown out.” He looked at her proudly and caught her subtle reference.  “If you're all set, you and I have to vamoose. It's almost high-noon, and we have a showdown to get ready for.”

In more ways than one.

He followed Lois, who was still holding the box, and he tossed his yearbook aside. They made their way back to the house, with Lois placing the box on the counter in the kitchen. They parted ways upstairs as he went to his room and Lois went into his parents’ room. He took his time changing into his tux. When he was done he looked at the sleeves of his shirt hanging open. He walked out and saw that his parents’ door was still closed and placed his hand on it. 

He followed his routine and walked down the steps to the front of the house and into the den. He went over to his father’s desk and opened the top right drawer. He pulled out a box containing a pair of cufflinks that had belonged to his father. A rush came over him again when he opened the lid and gazed at them. He put them through the holes and left them loose. 

"Smallville, chop-chop! Let's go! We can't have an epic wedding without the escort to give the bride away.”

He strolled out the den and looked at her, his eyes staring at her face then falling down at her shoes and slowly lifting until he met Lois’ face again, taking in the whole image. He stood stunned as if it was the first time, his breath caught in his throat. She was perfect .

Lois sharply exhaled. “At last. Looks like you're ready.”

He needed to break his trance. He reached for his sleeve and pulled at it. “I have it all under control, except for my dad's cufflinks.” He kept playing with them as he asked, “Would you mind helping me?”

Lois chuckled lightly and started to walk down the rest of the steps. “Well, I guess you don't have much need for cufflinks when you have a whole closet full of flannel shirts, huh, Farmer Joe?” When she was beside him she grasped his arm. “Big-city boy, let me give you a lesson. You just have to make sure this part sticks up straight, and then it slides right in.”

He expected the altered state in her body language, her flinching before her limbs froze. He began to grin as he peered down at her.

Embarrassed, she asked, "How many times have I said that?"

His mouth was hovering over her ear as he said, "I lost count."

She turned her head, her hazel eyes indicating she didn’t believe him. "Did you set me up? If you have done this a billion times then you must know how to do this by now."

"I like this moment."

"Well, I asked you to zip, the least I can do is clip."

They continued to stare at each other as she let his wrist go and he shook his sleeve down. 

"The ring?" he asked.

"Right," she laughed, getting back on track. She handed him a black jewelry box. ”You can give that to Jimmy when the minister signals.” She then gave him an envelope from her clutch. “And here are his vows in case he forgets.”

"Lois," he said before she turned her back to him.  "It's really hard for me ... to put my feelings into words, but from the first time I saw you, I knew I'd never met a girl like you before. You're one of my best friends and you're my partner. And I wouldn't have gotten this far without you."

"Wow," she gasped. "Put a guy through an endless loop of weddings and he's suddenly speaking in rom-com."

"I mean it."

He could see her hesitation. She was uncertain about his boldness. But he had to tell her. He had been bursting to.

There was residual awkwardness as Jimmy’s cousin walked in on them. He held up the video camera and said, “Hey, guys. How about a testimonial before the ceremony?”

“Sure.” Clark said, stepping forward as Lois exclaimed, “Great!”

“Now be yourselves, just speak from the heart.”

Clark went first and did just that. “Jimmy, Chloe. I can't tell you how happy I am that the two of you found each other. You're very lucky to be together. When you find that person who…" he glanced at Lois, "believes in you…you realize what a partner truly is."

Lois pushed in front of him. “Stop hogging the spotlight, Smallville. Hey, cuz, you know that I love you, and I wish you and Jimmy long and happy years together. And remember, as another lady journalist once said, ‘A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.’” 

"That's beautiful." He said gazing at her. There was something dawning inside of him, a renowned connection to the words. Surprised, he uttered, "And it's true." 

"Whoa, you two. Let me know when you need the videographer."

"Huh?" "What?" they said at the same time.

He simply laughed as he walked away.

Sustaining through the tension building, they made their way to the barn. Lois stayed below with Jimmy and the minister as Clark climbed the stairs to see Chloe ready with her veil over her face. 

“My escort has arrived,” she said in a chipper voice. “Is my prince waiting for me?”

Clark smiled adoring once again how happy and carefree she was. These were the snapshots of the day he wanted to keep.

“He’s wearing a matching expression.”

“Then it must be love,” she said as she curled her arm with his.

The music signaled their cue and he guided her down the stairs and past all the seated guests. He let her go and stepped off to the side as the minister started. He was settled and relaxed as he listened to the exchange of vows. He found his eyes gravitating away from the couple and toward Lois. She was staring at him, too. They connected in that instant and he felt the pull again, wanting more. 

“I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The eruption of applause as the couple kissed drew him back to the ending of the ceremony. He waited for Jimmy to dip Chloe down.  He somehow enjoyed it more this time as he clapped his hands and cheered. As the guests started to move aside as the staff brought in the tables, he was waiting for the penultimate phase. 

He stood by Lois as she introduced the newlyweds. The couple began to dance and he placed himself where he had been the first time, watching over it all from the first landing of the stairs.

“We'd now like to ask Chloe's escort to join her on the dance floor,” the DJ announced.

Chloe smiled and used her finger to indicate for him to meet her. “Hey, Clark. It's time to boogie.” Clark grinned as he jogged down and brought her into his arms. She glanced up at him and said, “I know. It's weird, isn't it?”

 “I'm almost used to it."

Chloe laughed and then sincerely told him, “Thank you for letting us have our wedding here.”

“Yeah, well … there’s nowhere else it could be. Trust me.” As Chloe chuckled again, he glanced downward and confessed, “I just want this day to be right."

“And while I know it has a little to do with me, I feel like we're also talking about you.”

"Maybe," he agreed.

She patted his shoulder. "I might not be an investigative reporter anymore, but I still know a story when I spot one. What's going on with you and Lois?"

"She's…being a good partner and we’ve been helping each other."

She scrunched up her forehead. "I suspect something more."

"Me, too"

Chloe was surprised by his honesty and told him, "You've been stuck in a rut for a while."

"Still an understatement," he mumbled quickly under his breath.

"I think it's time you take the advice of your best friend. You have a weight that you carry and I've felt it too. I don't know why, but a few days ago... I finally let go. Like I can move on. And I think you need to do that too.”

"You're the best friend I've ever had." Every time he said it he always meant it.

"And that's never going to change. But if you have someone else in your corner, and it feels like something more is possible, then I think you need to ask yourself what you really want and just go for it."

Jimmy suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, cutting off Chloe. “Okay, C.K. My turn to dance with my wife.”

Clark smiled brightly and once again let the bride get swept away into the arms of her husband. As he looked to his right, Lois was in view on the sidelines. As the song ended there was clapping and Lois noticed him.

Ask yourself what you want and just go for it.

The new song started, but it wasn't the same one it usually was. The instrumental was replaced with Etta James' "At Last". He smirked at the change in the chorus of the day that was not his own. The string lights and disco ball cascaded light through the darkness and created an even more romantic atmosphere than he remembered, casting a halo of light around the maid of honor. Everything in his peripheral vision was in the shadows allowing him to be led right to her, the center of his view.

She sighed, “Guess I can give these well-heeled puppies a rest.”

She was walking past him when he instinctively reached and grabbed her arm. He grinned and tilted his head toward the dance floor. 

Lois silently agreed as she walked into his space and placed her hands on his upper arms. They swayed around and he zoned into the feeling of his arms around her. He stood tall with his chest expanding. He felt stronger than ever. 

"So, is this part of the chain of events?"

He nodded. "We do get here."

"And then?"

"Just…some other obstacles."

"And the cake cutting is when…" her voice trailed off.

"Yeah."

"Well, that's one way to abstain from extra calories."

 They continued to sway around and he was cognizant of his steps, but ultimately he was captivated with all of his senses going into overload. He honestly felt like he was in a dream.  

  "If there was anything to convince me of your rotary of a day, it would be this."

"Why?"

"Because you're better at it."

He smiled. Then it all became clear. How natural it is with her. He moved her so she did not get pushed into him from the passing guests and she realized what he did. He pulled her close to him on his own.

His voice became deeper as he told her, "But there's something we never did."

"What's that? A dance off? If you want my advice you better go for the robot."

"No," he shook his head with a light chuckle.

"Then what?"

There was an open line of non-verbal communication. There always was between them. They could look at the other and know what they were thinking. Even before knowing his secret she could look at him and know when he was lying. She would call him out, but also accept him. She was a pillar he could lean on at his most emotional points. Just as he was for her.  They had been running in parallel lines, never daring to intersect.

He had already confessed the truth. It was time to tackle the dare.

They both leaned closer, hovering in the same space. His eyes bounced over her face as she started to meet him. He began to close his eyes, his head lowering.

"This," he whispered. 

His lips, that had ached for hers time and time again, finally found refuge. With a flash of light, the world fell away.

"You are mine…at last…."

Their hands and arms moved in unison, bringing them even closer. They still swayed with the residual notes of the music. Their heads were like metronomes, springing from one side to the other as their mouths continue to move to their own perfected beat. It was their personal symphony, the four movements that set the scene. He felt like he had waited a millennia for the sweetest kiss he had ever known.

There were murmurs around them, but Clark only discovered them when Lois started to pull away.

"I think we have an audience." she told him, her head angled for him to acknowledge it.

He looked up to see the surprise on Chloe and Lana's faces and the smirk on Jimmy's.

"I think it's time to get closure," he told her.

"How many times have you done that?"

"Doesn't matter. Hopefully this is the last time."

They began to revert to their previous position, the magnetism hard to fight. Lois started to lean but gave her head a shake and sighed. "You have a busy schedule. I'll go back to the house."

"That's a good idea," he rapidly said. He slowed down and let his body slant forward, his forehead touching hers. "I just…I don't want anything to happen…to you…to anyone."

"I know. But it doesn't seem avoidable in big picture terms. Just be careful."

He nodded against her as he let her go. The retreat of her steps echoed in a modified way, but he still counted each one. The next part was up to him, but they were still in this together. That’s where he found his reassurance and stability.

After Chloe brought Lana into the reception he retreated up to the loft and waited, knowing it wouldn't be long before Lana followed him up there.

“Chloe's glad you came,” he told her.

“I didn't expect to be here until a few hours ago,” she admitted.

"After tailing Lex and stumbling upon Oliver?"

He watched her surprised expression as she asked, "He told you?"

"I'm a reporter now. It's taught me a lot about observation."

"Reporter and the mysterious blur I read about saving lives in Metropolis. I'm proud of you, Clark. It's who you should have been all along.”

He approached her. "You're where you need to be, too. We had to go through a lot in order to do that. To understand we weren't meant for each other."

She nodded slowly. "It is scary how much it feels right, isn't it?"

"Really scary, but I can't let that fear control me anymore. I think that's what I've learned. Fear just holds us back, but if something feels right you need to pursue it."

"You’re more confident. It’s nice to see that.”

“It’s nice to feel that way.”

She gave him a genuine smile, like she knew all along. “Good luck on moving forward, Clark. It seems like you're moving in the right direction…and to the right person."

"Good luck to you, too. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thanks."

The relief from both of them crowned the loft space. Where they had begun their relationship years before was where it had ended amicably, without fear or pain. Their chapter was officially closed.

Down below the crowd chanted  "kiss, kiss!"  to the newlyweds. There was cheers and applause as the two left the loft and rejoined the party.

 And then he waited. It was the beginning of the phase he dreaded most.

Jimmy's cousin walked up to him. "Hey, one of the waiters thinks a gift was left in the kitchen. There's no tag on it."

Clark looked down and recognized the lead box.

"You have to get that out of here!"

"Why?"

Before he could tell him the events started. The rumbling rocked the barn. The creature barreled in. The stairs collapsed with Lana beside them. He made sure to push the debris away before facing the Goliath. Clark went for it and punched. It was powerful and sent the monster back, but it recovered even quicker than he imagined. When it reentered it hit Jimmy's stunned cousin, the box flying out of his hand and opening.

It was a moment he couldn't avoid. The rock tumbled out and he cowered at the pain. The monster moved away and went for Jimmy and Chloe. Just as it hit Jimmy, Clark thought about all the previous incarnations, what he had done wrong and what he had done right . He settled on Lois' face, giving him the extra boost of might he needed. He catapulted himself to stop the claws from deepening. 

In the chaos feet trampled and the rock was kicked around until it was out of range. As Jimmy fell, Clark caught him, assessing the injury as his tux soaked in blood. The brute then turned toward Chloe. He tried to put himself between the two. She was in its grasp, but he activated his heat vision and she was dropped to the floor. With one arm extended from the behemoth, Clark was pushed toward the storage area for hay, the force of his body causing it to explode throughout the barn. He tumbled out and managed to get in a kneeling position. 

He traveled back to his days on the field at Smallville High. He lifted to his feet and ran, tackling the beast through the wall. They ended up somewhere in the back forty acres. Two punches went through the air simultaneously. When their fists met on impact, there was an energy that rippled outward. Clark flew up and back, until ultimately gravity pulled him down through the roof, landing in the loft area. The beast mirrored the action in the opposite direction. Clark used the leg of his desk to stand up and stumbled down the remaining stairs. When he jumped to the ground and fell, he saw Oliver and Lois as they ran in together.

"Clark!" Lois gasped as she darted to him. He was still shaking away the cobwebs and recovering his faculties as she held his head and examined him. "Are you okay?"

His breath was labored but he managed a small smile. "I am now." He tried to look beyond the dust. "Where's Chloe?"

They both looked over to see Oliver carrying her in his arms, unconscious.

"Chlo!"

Lois scrambled up and was by her side. 

Oliver looked at them grimly. "We need to get her and Jimmy to the hospital."

Clark stood and nodded. He heard the sirens in the distance headed for the farm. He started to organize the scene before him like a triage unit. "Anyone with moderate to severe injuries get them to the ambulance. I'll get Jimmy and Chloe to the hospital."

"We'll be right behind you." Lois told him.

Feeling recovered, he briskly shifted his speed to get Jimmy on a gurney in the emergency room at the Smallville Medical Center. He rushed back and transferred Chloe into his arms.

“You better be,” he said before he hurried out again.

The hospital rooms were crowded and capacity with wedding guests getting patched up from minor injuries. Jimmy was in surgery, while Chloe had been taken to the ICU. It was beyond visiting hours and they wouldn't be allowed in until morning. She was stable and breathing on her own, but he knew the trauma of the night and of what Brainiac had done had caught up with her again.There was the possibility of transferring her to Metropolis for more extensive care. She was being looked after, he was grateful for that and the attentive staff. 

He had been monitoring the situation, tormenting himself over what had occurred.  He checked on Lana from the doorway and he turned back to see Lois standing in the hallway like many times before. He wanted to console her but he was suddenly hit with familiar fatigue. He had done this so many times and it was all hitting him at once. He leaned against the wall and started to slump down. Lois was suddenly in his view, bringing him into a hug. 

He just dissolved in her arms, questioning why this always happened. Why he couldn't stop it. Why he had to witness it countless times. Chloe or Jimmy getting hurt. Dying while battling the beast. Watching her die trying to save Chloe. It was all too much.

Lois caressed the back of his head. "I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. It's not fair. But you are not alone in this, remember?"

They just stood in the hallway holding onto each other like they were each other's lifelines. He was able to center himself and find the balance he desired in her arms. He didn’t know how she did it, but whenever he needed stability she was able to provide it. She was the key to it.

She leaned back with a serious look on her face. "Jimmy is in surgery. They are repairing something and they might need to send him to Star City."

He already knew the plan. "And you're going with him."

She sighed,"I want to stay with Chloe, but I know she wouldn’t want him to be alone. They said they won't know until morning.” 

"The day will just restart." He felt horrible, thinking how he wanted her to stay. His eyes communicated to hers. Don’t go. Not yet.

"Lois."

"Yeah?"

He couldn’t stop the words from escaping. “I need you.”

She gave the smallest flash of a grin. Quoting Bob Seger, she told him, "Then we've got tonight. Why don't I stay?" 

She gave a determined nod and pulled his arm. She got them coffee from the nurses station before anyone caught them. Then they went up to the roof of the hospital.

He noticed Lois shiver and swiftly took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. At least he could help her, even in the tiniest way. After everything he experienced, he didn't have information about how to help a comatose Chloe. He felt weak and helpless.

Lois poked him in the chest. "Hey, don't do that."

With four words he felt her strength jab from her to him. 

"I feel like I'm falling." He meant it in multiple ways.

"Just fall into me, I'll just catch you."

And he knew that she meant it. She seemed like the only one in the world with arms strong enough to hold him.

They drifted over to the brick wall and sat against it, her leaning into him with her back against his chest. They stared up at the sky, the shimmering lights of the stars above them. It brought peace in an hour of need. He was reminded of all the times he had looked up at the sky during the loop, mostly alone but there had been moments he shared with Lois. This would be another one he would cherish, a moment where he felt, even if just for a second, that he could've had it all.

Just then a tail of light streaked across the sky, a familiar sight. It became strange when another streak from the opposite direction appeared, a collision of both lights together shining brilliantly.

“Wow,” Lois whispered.

It was as if he felt the earth beneath him reposition in an unusual manner. Even more unexpected was the shift he felt internally.

"It's past midnight," Lois announced as she looked at her watch.

It wasn’t shocking. They had gotten past midnight before.

"It doesn't matter until the sun rises."

“Challenge accepted. I can run a verbal marathon.”

And they talked. About anything and everything. From favorite toys and commercials as kids to some of his experiences before she arrived in Smallville. They discovered how they had just missed each other in Metropolis the summer he ran away. He reminisced about Pete and even his friendship with Lex. He recalled all the wise words his father had bestowed upon him. He watched her refrain from the twenty questions game he knew she wanted to ask, her optimism that she would get to ask him later.

Later still seemed like a fantasy.

They brainstormed possibilities for Chloe's situation, the monster, and Jimmy's care. Oliver offered to help with any care while he was currently trying to track where the creature had gone with his satellite. Clark remained doubtful even as the clock ticked forward. Any possible solutions to their particular timeline would only fade away.

Lois turned in his arms. "You can't think like that. Come on, Shirley Temple. Where's the 'the sun will come out tomorrow' attitude?"

"I stopped thinking there is a tomorrow…I don't know. I lost count."

Her eyes pierced into his. "Well I won't let you "

His voice was husky as he replied, "You never do."

"I wouldn't be a good partner."

"You're a great partner."

He couldn't reiterate it enough.

She stroked her fingers from the side of his face up through his hair. "I really want to kiss you right now, but I feel like…"

"You can't be selfish at a time like this."

She grinned at his awareness. "Yeah "

"I know "

"You feel that way all the time don't you? Like you can't take anything for yourself."

"Maybe."

She inched closer. "Well, you deserve to."

He wasn’t nervous when the boldness took over and kissed her again, heeding her advice. He pulled back slowly, savoring the feeling, and placed his forehead against hers.

"I've lived this day over and over…even with all the tragedy,  I don't want this part to end."

"Well, the caffeine is to keep us up so we get more time. Or does it not work on you?"

"Not the same effect," he admitted.

She clicked her tongue and shrugged. "It's the thought that counts."

He had so many thoughts. Many were about wanting to make it to tomorrow. The moment was too real, too perfect. She was always perfect but this time in particular seemed like it couldn't be replicated.

He held her closer as the night air swaddled them. He could also see she was getting tired.

Her eyes snapped open at her own realization. "Okay Smallville, you're about to get another Whitesnake sing-along"

"How could I possibly sleep through that?" he joked.

It was another hour of singing song lyrics. He was drunk on her voice. But it also lulled him into a peaceful state. In the end, he couldn't fight sleep, even though he really didn't need it. His body was overcome as it had been a punching bag in the loop for however long it had been going on.

He closed his eyes and held on to Lois securely, like a child holding their stuffed animal when they got scared in the dark. The stars were his night lights to protect him.

When the darkness came this time, he understood he wasn’t alone. Lois was by his side.

“It’s a nice day for a white wedding…it’s a nice day to start again…”

The music started and he groaned. The day was going to start again. He didn't want to open his eyes. After the previous night’s experience he could feel the depression creeping in.

But the music was….further away than usual?

His head leaned back against something hard, which was also a different sensation. His arms were still wrapped around something tightly. The sun's rays warmed his face.

When he opened his eyes he was met with chestnut brown hair against his chest.

"Lois?"

"Hmmm?" she murmured, waking up and looking up at him. "Sorry, I nodded off," she said, shaking her head. "I got another round of songs in me." She stifled a yawn with her fist against her mouth. "Def Leppard is cued up and ready to go."

"You're here," he said breathlessly.

"I'm here." Her hazel eyes were confused and still tired as she looked at him.

"Lois. Look."

She turned her head and saw the sun and then whipped it back toward him. "It's morning. What happened?"

Astonished himself, he told her, "We made it." 

Tomorrow was today.

"What do you think was different this time?"

He opened up his heart.

"I made the right choices."

"It's a nice day for a white wedding…it's a nice day to start again…"

Her phone started to ring again. “Sorry, it’s my ringtone for the wedding” She picked it up and mouthed it was the hospital transport. She nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.” She dropped the phone in her lap and looked up at him. "Jimmy is out of surgery and they were setting him up for a transfer, but the doctor Oliver called is coming to Metropolis. I'll go stay with him until...Chloe wakes up or gets transferred herself."

He nodded in understanding.

"Looks like the long distance won’t be a factor. Though, now that I know you have powers…I mean, you have superspeed so the whole distance thing…"

"I know. We can make it work." He still didn't want to let her go. “I should go back to the farm and evaluate the damage.”

"You can do this. I believe in you "

Then leaned in and kissed again.

She stood up and extended her hand. 

"You ready?"

He pushed himself up as he took it.

Looks like you're ready.

"I am. I finally am,” he said confidently. 

His fingers entwined with hers as they headed for the door. With newfound strength and purpose he was ready.

It was the end of a very long day and the start of a brand new one.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine -  Here With Me

"It's a nice day for a white wedding. It's a nice day to start again…"

It was the same song. With a slight panic Clark's eyes snapped open.

"Turn it off," the feminine voice next to him whined.

He hit the alarm and turned toward the voice, finding Lois face first in her pillow, her bare back exposed to him. It was a more than welcomed sight watching over her.

His mind started to trace back the web of events that led them to their state of undress.

After their night on the roof, Chloe and Jimmy were both in the process of getting transferred to Met Gen when Chloe was kidnapped. After saving her and meeting the Legion, he and Lois still fumbled around what had been brewing since the first day they met. Before his big fight with the creature named Doomsday, he had asked Lois on their first official date (after standing her up on a previous try). But when she wasn't at the location, a phone booth on 4th and Main where they had made up, he thought he had lost her. He had secluded himself to the fortress to train, with a drastic change to his wardrobe as the color in his world was gone. He was revived, the spark reigniting when Lois returned miraculously during a save of the out of control monorail.

Her mysterious experience, blocked memories she couldn't recover, had entered her fear to the mix, that their closeness would cause him to somehow disappear. Fragmented dreams plagued her until PTSD triggered her into a coma. He saw what a future without her looked like. It only confirmed what he already knew and reassured her of…they were stronger together. 

They finally had their date, multiple ones since. They still had taken it slow, their relationship the most precious thing. But, he knew she was the one---and always would be. She knew him better than anyone. And as of a few weeks ago, she knew him completely, body and soul.

A misguided attempt at a weekend away from the chaos of work, journalism and dealing with the Kandorians, led them to retreat to the quiet area where it had all started.

Carrying a red blanket from the truck, they walked through the field following the path between patches of corn. A path to "Clark's tour of the galaxy".

"Clark, I know we saw the World's Largest Ball of Yarn, but, admit it, is this really an attempt to rival me with the World's Tallest Stalk of Corn?"

They walked further into a spot that was diamond shaped and still barren of crops. Lois looked around and then gasped in realization as he laid the red blanket down.

"This is where I found you!"

"You did. You always find me when I'm lost."

She pointed at him playfully. "If you're looking to recreate the moment under the stars, you're going to need to lose a few articles."

He smirked and started to remove his jacket.

"Smallville! I was kidding!"

He shook his head and tossed his black jacket down. His fingers went to the buttons of his plaid shirt, but Lois rushed toward him and placed her hands on top of his. 

"Stop." He obeyed and she pushed his hands out of the way, replacing them with hers and popping the button through the hole and opening from the lapels to show part of his chest. "Let me."

And he did. He let her take the lead at first, before…

She opened one eye to see him staring at her.

"I'm trying to sleep," she mumbled.

The memory was suspended, while a new one awaited to be made. He was mesmerized by the soft unclad skin. His fingertips itched to touch it, but he formed another idea. He dipped his head down, floating above where the white sheet's edge met her lower back. He placed a kiss on the spot and steadily trailed upward, the last kisses received a moan as he reached her shoulder and then the crook of her neck. He whispered next to her ear, "Just pretend I'm not here."

She glanced down at the covers, where her thigh was brushing up against him.

"Yeah, I can't do that."

They continued to grow closer together, her rolling into his arms. He kissed her mouth, needing to feel her and be taken by her. He sometimes felt possessed, like red kryptonite was coursing through his veins when the source was actually his proximity to Lois. Being close to her was an addiction. He would follow her to the ends of the Earth if it meant being with her.

"You're here," he whispered against her lips.

"I'm here," she confirmed against his.

The nonverbal communication commenced. The hunger in their eyes mirrored each other. It was insatiable. Lois had joked about the cufflink metaphor since their first night together and he confirmed it again as he slid forward.

There was no missed step in their dance. Their hands clasped together. A bond that would never break. A perfect fit through and through.

Lois was the key. She was the light and warmth of the sun. The summer solstice he embraced. She was the love he always needed. He was constantly baffled that he could ever feel so complete. So normal. 

With a hope of a fruitful future. A destiny he didn't need to outrun. One that included his soulmate by his side. Maybe even a family of their own.

It was a future that at many intervals in his life he had thought was impossible. From his alien origins being an obstacle to his imprisonment in a single day.

He never really understood what caused the time loop. Jor-El never confessed to it and he wasn't aware of any other magic at work that caused him to live multiple years and what seemed like lifetimes. But he learned his lesson and he learned to be honest with himself. 

It was captured in the picture on the bedside table. The kiss he was convinced broke the spell. A kiss more powerful than any magic. A kiss that he would continue to feel for eternity, guiding him. 

She was a beacon. His beacon.

Through the low and high tides. The waves alternating between quiet ebbs receding and rough roaring crashes. He would find the beacon. He would find home. He would find her.

"I love you."

"I love you, too.”

He wanted to take all those days ahead, multiply the lifetimes, and live them here with Lois. 

Unafraid.

Forever.