Fic: To Love Again (10/?)
Artwork and banner by the amazing ctbn60
Title:To Love Again (10/?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Smallville/Comics Crossover
Characters: Clark/OC, Kara, Diana, J’onn, Hal, the Legion
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,900
Summary: Clark believed it was a sign seeing Lois again after so long, but where would it lead him and to whom?
Spoilers: None.
Beta: hanakt
Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or DC Comics; WB Entertainment does, dangit!
A/N: Before we head into the next chapter, I had to show you this sweet manip that my dear friend repmetsyrrah made for my birthday and my story. Click HERE to see it! It’s adorable. Thank you hon! Ok, on with the story. In this next chapter, Clark and his friends come up with a plan to stop this new threat but will it be it enough, and will Clark go along with it? Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D
Previously:
( Chapter 1) ( Chapter 2) ( Chapter 3)( Chapter 4)( Chapter 5)
( Chapter 6)( Chapter 7) ( Chapter 8) ( Chapter 9)
Chapter 10: Saving You
The Watchtower Clark's quarters:
Clark was still considering Jane's offer when a knock came at the door.
"Jonny, please, let me do this," Jane continued to plead with him over the phone.
Diana knocked again then entered Clark's quarters. "Hey, who's that on the phone?"
"It's Jane, and she has some crazy idea on how to help us."
"Really, what's her idea?" Diana asked curious.
"Jonny, Jonny, are you there?" Jane would not give up on her plan.
"Let me talk to her," Diana said holding out her hand.
"Diana, I don't know …" Clark still wasn't so sure about this.
"I'm not going to bite her head off, for goodness sake. I just want to hear her plan."
"Alright," Clark reluctantly gave her the phone.
"Jonny, hello, are you there?" Jane was getting worried.
"Hello, this is Wonder Woman, Diana Prince, a friend of … Jonny's," Diana said.
"Oh, hello, where's Jonny? Did he have to leave?"
"No, he's right here. I wanted to hear your plan, Jane, would you tell me about it?"
"Well, alright. You see, I suggested to Jonny that I could be sedated or drugged so I could sleep for say a few hours or so. I know I could dream of a way to save him. Most of my dreams of him were disturbing to say the least, so I wanted to help him in the only way I could think of."
"What do you mean your dreams were disturbing?"
"Give me the phone, Diana," Clark said then reached to grab the phone.
Diana managed to hold him at bay. "Tell me what happened, Jane."
"In my dreams of Superman … he died."
"What did you just say?"
"Didn't Jonny tell you about my dreams?"
Diana turned to Clark with a furious expression. "No, he never said a word."
"That sounds like him." Jane sighed. "I'm sorry, but Jonny needs to listen to me, because I couldn't bear it if something happened and I could have helped him, saved him. Please let me do this." Jane was begging now.
Diana was very moved by her speech. "Someone will be by to pick you up in twenty minutes, will you be ready?"
"Yes, yes, I'll be ready, and thank you Wonder Woman, I mean Diana," Jane replied thrilled to finally be able to help Jonny.
"No, thank you Jane, goodbye," Diana hung up, crossed her arms and waited for an explanation.
Clark got out of bed, put on his robe and glared at Diana. "You had no right to do that. If anything happens to her …?" He let that hang in the air.
"Look Clark, the only reason I came down here was to tell you we have no defense against this guy, nothing to stop him, short of a nuclear blast, and the government isn't going to permit that to happen." She put her hands on her hips then. "And why didn't you tell your family and friends about your girlfriend's dreams? And I want the truth Clark."
"It doesn't matter; everyone dies eventually," Clark said not looking at her and went to stand by the window and tried to change the subject. "There must be some other way to stop him," he said and then went over to the computer. "Computer, tell me everything you know about Neutron … now!"
"Clark, we've been over and over this in the monitoring center. We've been at it for hours. Jane may be our only hope."
"No, no, she can't do it," Clark still had doubts about Jane's plan. "I can't lose her, I can't."
"Clark, calm down, it's just a sedative; she'll be fine."
"But you can't be sure about that, can you?" Clark was so worried about her.
"No, I can't." She sighed. "Look, I'll contact STAR Labs and they'll send someone up here to monitor her and make sure nothing happens. Will that satisfy you?"
"Well, yes, it would," Clark replied relieved somewhat.
"Good, I'll make the arrangements," Diana said but before she left, she went to him and touched his shoulder. "No one wants to think about dying, Clark, and it's nothing to be ashamed about or to hide; it's just the way it is. You could have told us about her dreams."
"It was pointless, Diana. Besides her dreams won't give us any clues, because most of them don't make any sense. She told me that."
"Really, but she seemed pretty convinced her dreams could help you."
"She wants to help me but she may not be able to. It's the reason she came here in the first place, she wants to 'save me.' It's her mission in life."
"Oh, you mean, besides … loving you, she wants to save you too?"
Clark looked at her then and had to grin. "We haven't admitted those feelings yet but I think she loves me." He paused. "And I love her too, Diana," he finally admitted it.
"You do? Wow, I had no idea," Diana smiled and squeezed his shoulder. "I'll call once Jane arrives."
"Thanks, Diana," he said and returned her smile.
"Anytime."
~o~o~
Jane was transported to Watchtower by Kara within the hour and the hospital technician arrived shortly thereafter. After getting her set up in the Med-Lab, Clark and Jane had a few moments alone before she was put under.
"You can change your mind, you know?" He asked as he stroked her hair.
She squeezed his hand. "No way am I stopping now. I can do this, Jonny. You'll see, once I wake up I'll have the answer we'll need to stop this guy, I promise."
Clark shook his head at her. "Alright, just relax … and Jane," he leaned down and kissed her mouth loving the taste of her, hoping everything would work out alright, but he had to tell her what was in his heart. "I love you," Clark whispered in her ear.
She squeezed his hand her eyes brimming with tears. I knew it. "I love you too, Jonny."
He smiled at her; both their eyes were bright. "I'll be right outside." He left her then, their hands touching until the last moment.
Jane was put under sedation with monitoring devices attached to her chest to monitor her heart rate and to her head for brain function. All stages of her sleep would also be monitored particularly her REM sleep which would tell them when she was actually dreaming.
It usually took ninety-minutes or so for REM sleep but it could take longer because she was sedated and the drugs could impair that timeframe.
~o~o~
Several hours later, Clark hadn't moved or spoken since Jane had been put under. "I still don't like this," he complained to anyone willing to listen. All of this had brought back that horrible night when Lois had been drugged by a madman who then tried to extract information from her … about him, but her mind had refused to give him up. He didn't think he could have loved her more than at that moment, but he had been wrong.
Kara touched his shoulder and tried to help him get through this. "You know if anything happens, they can bring her out of it, so please stop worrying."
He sighed. "I know." He turned to his cousin and tried to smile. "I appreciate you staying with me Kara, but you don't have to. Go get some rest."
"It's you that needs the rest. Have your powers returned?"
"Actually, yes, they did earlier today, sooner than the doctors expected."
"That's great news, Clark."
Suddenly, the sleep monitors began to fluctuate. Jane was in REM sleep. "It's starting." Clark whispered.
~o~o~
Jane's dream seemed to be going on and on, and Clark was beginning to worry. It had been several hours since the REM sleep had started and her eyelids were moving and at some points, frantically moving as if something bad were happening.
Clark was torn, the technician was monitoring her closely, her heart rate was slightly elevated but he assured him that it was normal under the circumstances, but Clark was still worried about her so much so, that he was ready to stop this at any moment.
Then Jane began to moan as if she were in pain. Clark thought enough was enough as he entered the lab. "Bring her out of it now!" He demanded.
"Wait, Superman, her heart rate is slowing down, her vitals are normal, but she is still dreaming. Are you sure you want to do this?" The STAR Labs technician waited for an answer.
Clark looked at Jane then back at his friends who were standing there looking just as worried. He sighed. "But only if her vitals are normal."
"Yes, they are and I am monitoring her closely," the technician assured him again.
"Alright, but once her vitals change or her REM sleep stops, I want her awakened."
"Of course, Superman, I have your instructions."
Clark took one last glance at her and then left the Med-Lab.
Kara pulled him aside once he was in the hallway. "Clark, J'onn and Diana are here; your powers have returned and nothing is going to happen to Jane."
"I'm not leaving," he stubbornly declared.
Kara thought of another way. "Don't you have rounds, it's daybreak."
Clark could see the sun was coming up outside the window. He walked over to the Med-Lab glass partition and watched Jane for a moment.
"Alright, I'll be back in an hour," Clark said and turned to leave. "Call me if anything changes."
"You know we will," Kara said and watched him leave.
"I thought I was stubborn," Diana said and sighed dreading the next conversation. "I have to tell you something that Jane told me just before she came here last night."
"What did she say, Diana?" J'onn asked.
"Apparently, Jane has been dreaming of Clark for months and in one of her dreams, he died."
Kara gasped. "But why didn't Clark tell us about this?"
J'onn listened, went over to the glass partition, rubbed his chin and thought about Clark's decision not to tell anyone about Jane's dreams.
"J'onn, what are you thinking?" Kara asked her friend.
"About Clark and his decisions, he must have his reasons."
Diana wondered if she should say anything about Clark seeing Lois again.
"Now you're quiet, Diana. I feel like I'm the one out of the loop here. What aren't you both telling me?" Kara asked hands on hips.
Diana sighed again, paced some more and then came to a decision. "Clark has been going through a lot these past few weeks."
"Well, yeah, we realize that. He's been rash, uncooperative, secretive, and just not himself. I think you know why, and that it's not all about Jane."
"You're very perceptive, Kara." Diana sighed again. "Clark saw Lois the other day."
J'onn and Kara stared at her shocked. "You're joking, but how did it happen?" Kara asked astounded.
"Lois traveled here quite by accident with the Legion ring and Clark saw her, talked to her, held her in his arms, and it was only for a few minutes, but since then everything has changed for him."
"I'll say he's changed, he's like a different person, he's fallen in love rather quickly and he's just ... different," Kara thoughtfully said.
"He's still Clark, Kara, but he's fallen for her and it has been a long time for him. He's savoring every moment ... like ..." Diana hesitated.
"Like it's the last time," J'onn finished for her.
Everyone was silent as they all stared at each other.
"J'onn, you're not saying ..." Kara couldn't finish.
"I'm not saying anything, Kara. Only Clark knows in his heart how he feels about his life, but I will say this, we should all support him and be happy for him no matter how long or how short it lasts," he stated firmly. "We will stand by him no matter what happens."
"Of course we will, J'onn," Kara stated firm in her decision.
"Yes, we will support him and be happy for him," Diana said meaning it.
~o~o~
Meanwhile, somewhere in Metropolis:
Nathaniel Tryon, also known as Neutron, was in a lead-lined warehouse somewhere in the outskirts of town making repairs to his containment suit. His recent encounter with Superman was not planned but it had played out perfectly. He now knew the extent of his powers and with a few adjustments, killing the Man of Steel would not be a problem, and his female counterpart Supergirl would not be a problem either.
Nathaniel was not a bad person, but circumstances beyond his control had turned him into a body of nuclear energy, with the power to absorb all types of radiation including green kryptonite granting him the capability to kill a certain super-powered hero that had been a thorn in this side for centuries. After having been beaten by the Man of Steel on several occasions in the past, he was finally ready to face him on equal ground. They had a score to settle and he was not going to be the one dying, not this time.
Jed Rikane, also known as Power Boy, entered the warehouse and he could sense the hate, pain and range emanating from Nathaniel. His own built-up anger at Supergirl and the way she had dumped him was also stimulating his powers, but it was Nathaniel and his ability to absorb massive amounts of nuclear energy that caused the plane to crash over the desert a few months ago in Superman's absence, and now the most recent plane that Superman had saved the other day.
"I'm back, Nathaniel," Jed announced his return.
"Ah, I see, and how was your last assignment?" He asked distractedly as he made his final adjustments to his containment suit.
"No problems; I left the League plenty of clues to throw them off the track, but it won't be long before they figure out they'll have two super-powered beings to deal with."
"Yes, it won't be long now," Nathaniel agreed. He hadn't been in Metropolis very long when Jed had found him. His powerful empathic abilities led Jed to him and it was a match made for revenge. They both had their own reasons to destroy Superman and Supergirl and the timing could not have been more perfect.
After finalizing their plans, Jed decided to rest for a while, and as usual, dreams of Supergirl invaded his mind and his heart. He hated to admit it, but it was true. He still cared for her and he wondered if he could actually kill her, but he decided to push it from his mind and do what needed to be done.
But the memories of their time together would not leave him alone. Jed had to be very careful once they finally meet again. Her super-powered friends would give off positive emotions; emotions he had not experienced in a long time. Emotional overload was always a problem for him, but he felt he could block those feelings and concentrate on Supergirl, her imminent demise and her hatred of him. She had hurt him deeply and she would pay for that and pay dearly.
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: These villains have some serious issues with our super-powered Kryptonians. Thanks for reading. Please leave a review if you have a moment. Reviews and comments are love! And don't forget to answer the poll! :D