A/N: Okay guys, here is the Epilogue, thank you so much for reading and commenting on this story. I always love to read your reactions! There is a sequel to this story, but its quite a long one, so I'll post it if there's interest but if not, I won't bother. So let me know if you want a sequel :)

Epilogue

One Month Later…

"On the charges of illegal human experimentation and acts of a terrorist nature, we the jury find the defendant Tess Mercer….guilty."

A whoosh of applause and vehement shouts of approval erupted from the courtroom. Lois sat next to Clark and Kara, feeling a little smug as she listened to the judge dish out her punishment. Tess sat as still as a statue, however, her previously composed face eventually crumbled as the judge sentenced her to life in prison. Lois had felt Clark tense up as Tess had taken the stand, half expecting the Government to storm in at any moment and take him away. But surprisingly and worryingly, she kept his heritage to herself.

Tess and her army of lawyers had put up one heck of a fight but in the end it had proved to be fruitless, with the jury taking less than two hours to deliver a unanimous verdict. She had been led away by the guards, crying and shouting her apologies. But they fell on deaf ears and Lois was glad to see the back of her once and for all. Tess Mercer would never be able to hurt anyone ever again.

It had been a hectic couple of days for everyone. Kara, Chloe, Oliver, Clark, Lois, the General and even Jimmy had all been called as witnesses for the prosecution, though Jimmy hadn't been able to tell them much and after giving his testimony, the General had dinner with Clark and Lois at the farm and left not long afterwards. The case had been so big that it had taken over two days to get everyone's testimonies. The two men who had been working for Tess had agreed to give evidence in court in exchange for a reduced sentence, though Daniel was still on the run.

Though Tess' lawyers had tried every tactic they knew to intimidate, Lois had never backed down. She told her story with passion, unwittingly inciting the jury's sympathy as she spoke about how terrified she had been, thinking that she had seen the end of her life approaching. She had spoken freely since Clark was not allowed in the room until he'd given his testimony, she still didn't want him to know how scared she had been. That would destroy him and he'd been doing so well in moving on over the last month.

He was back to his old self around her, no longer treating her like a porcelain doll, for which she was grateful. She didn't know how much more she would've been able to take. She'd stayed with him at the farm for two weeks, letting him fuss over her because she knew that was what he needed to do, and after that, she'd gone back to her apartment. It felt good to be home, even if it did feel a little lonely. But she had spent most nights at the farm with him, she missed him too much when he wasn't around so he either stayed with her, or she stayed with him on the nights that Kara stayed at Oliver's.

They had gotten pretty close over the last month and were only ever apart when Oliver was working or Kara was out helping Clark. Lois was so proud of them both, Clark for finally accepting who he was and Kara for letting go of her fears of not fitting in and embracing life on Earth. Oliver had bought out the Daily Planet to save it from the debacle of being related to Luthorcorp and had hired a new editor who Lois liked a lot.

Perry White was an amazing man and journalist and one she could banter with as easily as Clark, so that was a bonus. But even though she loved to tease him, Lois had come to have a great deal of respect for her new boss. He pushed her to be the best, he challenged her. Every day she went to work with a purpose. And she loved it.

Everything had gotten back to normal and everyone was happy. Well with the exception of one day. The day of Lana's funeral a week ago. Oliver had arranged a very small but very elegant farewell for the woman who had been in their lives for such a short space of time. Clark had been very subdued. Nothing out of the ordinary for him but Lois had been concerned that he was taking it harder than he'd let on. It was as if he was saying goodbye to his past. Finally letting it all go. Finally letting himself be free.

That night he'd taken her back to her apartment and stayed with her. He was so quiet, she didn't know what to do for him. She ran a bath and sat in the tub with him in front of her, each leg on either side of his body. With her arms wrapped around his torso, gently cleaning his chest with a wash cloth, he'd leaned his head back against her chest and cried. She'd held him for what seemed like hours as he poured his heart out, feeling every ounce of his pain as if it were her own, and eventually he stopped.

Then he'd turned his face up to her and kissed her with an intensity that had rendered her speechless. The love she saw in his eyes was overpowering and their lovemaking that night had been more about the physical and emotional connection than it was just about pleasure. She had never felt so close to someone in her whole life, and she doubted that anything else would ever come close again.

"Hey," He spoke softly in her ear as he ushered them out of the courthouse. "Where were you just now?"

"I was just thinking." She replied happily, walking hand in hand with him down the steps.

"What about?"

"Nothing in particular. Just recent events."

The media was in a frenzy as they started off down the street. Lois let Clark use his sheer size to barge his way through the ever-growing crowd, and once they were clear of them, they walked into their favourite café, The Coffee Stop, and sat down in the back. They usually liked the window table, but with the events of today, they all wanted a little peace and quiet.

"I can't believe that's all over with." Kara commented as she took a seat across the table from them.

"I know, can you believe that lawyer of hers?" Lois asked, scanning the menu with one hand as her other played absentmindedly with Clark's fingers.

"He was slimy. I didn't like him at all." Kara said, wrinkling her nose. "I have to give him credit for trying to catch us out though." She snickered.

"Well, I think he knew the case was a lost cause with all the overwhelming evidence against Tess." Clark put in.

"Well, she's gone now. Hopefully forever, so let's not talk about her anymore huh?" Lois said, setting her menu down and glancing at the two of them.

"Agreed. Out of sight, out of mind." Kara said cheerfully. "So, where's Chloe and Jimmy?"

"They left last night, they were catching a flight to Madrid." Lois replied.

"Madrid?" Kara frowned.

"They're having a second honeymoon, since they didn't really have a great start to their marriage. They wanted to take some time away just for themselves so after they'd given their testimonies yesterday, they went straight home to pack." Lois said, feeling better now that her cousin was finally happy. Sure she had made some mistakes, but she regretted them badly and everyone deserved a second chance, or so Lois thought. There were some that didn't, namely Tess.

"Where's Oliver? He left the courthouse pretty quickly earlier." Clark said, as a waitress came over to take their orders. Lois rolled her eyes at the obvious signals the girl was sending to an oblivious Clark. When she was gone, Lois chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Clark asked, raising her hand and setting it on the table in between both of his. He trailed his fingers over the surface of her palm, making her squirm a little in her seat. But things like that had become almost second nature to them now, neither one was aware that they were doing it, but they were always in contact in some form or other.

"Everywhere we go, there's always some girl checking you out." She said and Kara joined in laughing along with her. Clark's face turned red as their laughter grew louder, causing several patrons to turn their heads in their direction.

"They are not." He protested.

"Whatever Smallville, I have eyes. It's not my fault you're too blind to notice the signals when they're clearly being given out."

"There's only one set of signals I need to worry about." He murmured as he leaned in to kiss her quickly on the lips.

"You better believe it Smallville." Lois snickered.

"A little sensitivity, guys, please?" Kara grumbled. "Oliver's gone to Star City for a couple of days, so I'm officially alone."

"Why don't you just fly over and visit him?" Clark asked.

"Because he's busy doing business and I will not be one of those pushy clingy girlfriends." She said adamantly.

"You're not alone Kara, you still have us." Lois said, smiling sweetly.

She liked Kara a lot, not only because of recent events, but because as she had spent a lot of time with her recently, she found that Kara was actually a lot of fun to be around. She was just as sweet as Clark and in a lot of ways, just as naïve. Lois considered her to be one of her best friends and for that she was grateful. Growing up, she had only ever really had Chloe as a friend, but she was family so it didn't really count. Now, here she sat, with two of her best friends in the whole world. One of whom she was in love with. Life was good.

"Thanks Lois, that means a lot." Kara said, smiling widely.

"So have you given any more thought to staying here with us?" Lois asked, trying to sound impassive but knew she was failing.

In truth, she really didn't want Kara to leave. Clark was a different person now that she was back, he had someone who was like him, to talk to about things that Lois could never understand no matter how much she wished otherwise. He had real family here now and Lois didn't want him to lose that again. The other reason was that she would miss Kara a lot if she left.

"I told Clark that I was going to stay, for now. I finally feel like I'm starting to fit in this place and I love Oliver, I don't think I could leave him." She smiled sheepishly.

"Tell you what, how about we hit the town tonight? Girls' night out?" Lois offered. "After the last couple of days, I feel in the mood to celebrate."

"And just what am I supposed to do with myself?" Clark asked, clearly put out by the idea of having to spend the evening alone.

"You'll survive one night without me Smallville. And besides, it's not like you don't have anything to do. I'm sure there's lot of chores to keep you busy." She smirked and straightened his tie. He had undone the top button on his shirt and he looked amazingly hot in his suit that Lois could barely keep her hands off him.

"Well at least I know there'll be someone to keep you out of trouble." He retorted, sarcasm heavy in his tone. She raised a brow and stared at him.

"Don't you even think about checking up on us, I have my own spy," Clark looked at Kara, who threw a grin his way.

"Stupid superpowers…" He grumbled under his breath. Lois laughed, he really was too cute for words sometimes.

"Uh Lois?" Kara started. "You are aware that I can't get drunk right?"

"Of course…" Her face lit up with a wicked grin. "Doesn't mean you can't try though."

"Wow, it's beautiful isn't it?" Lois muttered in Clark's ear as she came up behind him. He had been standing on her balcony looking at the Metropolis skyline, waiting for her to return from her night out with Kara.

He turned to see her standing there looking absolutely stunning in a deep blue dress that ended just above the knees with a v shaped neckline that exposed enough cleavage to be enticing without overdoing it. Her chocolate brown hair fell in curly waves over her bare shoulders, she was a vision of pure beauty. He felt incredibly blessed to be standing here right now.

"Yeah, it is. Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah, it was nice. We had such a laugh. You know, Kara's pretty funny when you dose her up with Red K…" She said, as she stepped around him to lean her elbows on the wall and stare out at the city.

"What? Lois you didn't…" She looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk. "That's not funny Lo."

"I know, but the look on your face was." Clark shook his head in exasperation, but smiled regardless.

"So…how are you feeling?" He asked, still slightly amused that he had listened to her trying to open the door for almost five minutes before she found the keyhole.

"I'm fine. I feel great actually, tonight was just what I needed. Blew away the cobwebs, so to speak. You should've seen the guys flirting with Kara, it was so funny. She soon put them in their place." Slowly, he snaked his arms around her waist and kissed her temple as she fell back against him, leaning on him completely.

"Well you sound sober…"

"Hey, I am not drunk!"

"Okay, okay. You're not drunk." He chuckled. She growled but didn't reply. She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against his as he propped his chin on her shoulder.

"Clark?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you haven't taken me flying yet?" She asked, he opened his eyes and looked down at her. With all the stuff they'd been through in the last month, he realised that he'd yet to actually take her flying. He'd told her about it, a while ago, but never got the chance to show her.

"I…don't know actually. Sorry Lo…with everything that's happened…" He trailed off.

"It's okay, I don't mind. But I would like to experience it someday." She said, turning her head and placing a soft, lingering kiss on his cheek. He turned her around to face him and tightened his grip on her waist.

"Hold on." He whispered. She clung to his shoulders as he looked up into the sky, and then…they were off. Floating up past the skyscrapers and into the starry night sky. Clark looked at Lois as she took in her surroundings, her face full of awed wonder. He paused, floating in the air, and pulled them upright so that they were essentially standing in the air.

"Wow…" Lois whispered, her eyes wide as she looked around. She looked down and gripped his shoulders hard, causing him to pull her more tightly against him so that there wasn't an inch of space between their bodies. When she lifted her head, she looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.

"What's wrong?" He asked, smoothing the hair out of her face with one hand. "You're not afraid are you? I would never drop you Lois…"

"I know that Smallville." She snorted, as if it were a stupid thing to say. "I trust you, you know that. It's just…well now that you have this amazing new ability…" She stopped and he felt a shiver go through her. Maybe he should've grabbed a jacket for her. He held onto her with one strong arm as he manoeuvred himself out of his thick red jacket and wrapped it around her.

"Thanks." She replied, snuggling into his chest. She stayed silent for a few minutes, the only sound was the wind gently blowing around them. Eventually, he touched her cheek and she raised her head.

"Hey, what is it?"

"You're gonna leave me aren't you?" She said, turning her gaze away from him to look at the city below her.

"What? Where did that come from? Why would you think that?" He asked, shocked.

"Clark I'm not stupid, I know that you still have to do your training with your father. I won't stand in the way of that. If the last month has taught me anything, its that I don't have the right to ask you to stay here with me. Not when there are so many people out there who need your help. I won't be that person." Clark tightened his grip on her, understanding now dawning on him.

"Lois…look at me…" When she didn't, he tucked his hand under her chin and nudged her face up.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "You have to go Clark." She said, without opening them. The words reverberated in his head for a few moments until he felt the pain that they invoked.

"What?"

"You have to go. You have to be all that you can be, and I know that you can't do that if you have to worry about me all the time." He drew in a shaky breath, knowing that he would have to tell her now.

"Lois…I talked to Jor-El last night. He said that time moved very differently on Krypton and it would essentially be the same when I'm inside the fortress. What would have been one year to them, could be five to us."

Her face paled. "Five years?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I don't really know. But after I talked with him, it was weird, it was kind of like, he understood. He's never understood before, always saying that human emotions were making me weak, stopping me from becoming all I needed to be for this planet." He cupped her cheek as his eyes roamed over her face, committing each feature to memory.

"I asked him, why I'm not allowed the same chance at happiness that he had with my mother. Why, if I'm so destined to become this great hero, can't I have something for me? Someone I love deeply. He couldn't give me an answer. Instead he asked me what your name was. And then the strangest thing happened."

"What?" She asked, eagerly. She was hanging on his every word.

"He changed his mind."

"What?" She asked, her mouth falling open. "What do you mean he changed his mind? I don't understand."

"I don't understand it either, but as soon as I said your name, he changed his mind. He said that since I am already embracing my destiny, helping people, I'm already half way there. But I have to complete the rest of my training." He watched as Lois squeezed her eyes shut, he knew that she was aching to pull away from him, to put some distance between them to protect herself, but being as high up as they were, she was stuck holding onto him.

"How long?" She whispered, so low that if it weren't for his hearing he would've missed it. The wind kicked up then, blowing her hair around her face as if forming a protective shield around her. He gently pushed it back and smiled at her.

"Six months. But I don't have to go right away. I have until the end of the year."

"Oh Clark!" She yelled throwing her arms around him, hugging and kissing him fiercely. "Are you sure? We really have another four months together before you have to go?"

"Yes I'm sure. Jor-El may be a lot of things, but he's not a liar."

"I just can't believe this, I was expecting you to say that you were leaving me for years. I can handle six months, I think…" She said, looking thoughtful again.

"Hey, we can do it. And you know that I will be coming back to you. Never forget that Lois." He kissed her again, long and slow, holding her so tightly in his arms.

"I love you so much Lois, you'll never know how much. It's so easy to throw the word 'destiny' around without meaning it but…I think, I mean I know…that you are my soul mate. I never thought about it before, but I know now that it's you. You're the one thing in my life that I am not prepared to live without. I need you. You keep me grounded, you help me become a better person, you love me for who I am. I'm so sorry for wasting all these years, not knowing that what I wanted, deep down, what I needed…had been standing in front of me the whole time." Lois sniffled and blinked the tears back, he smiled softly as she pressed her lips to his.

"Smallville, maybe it's not a bad thing that we only started out now. I mean, as much as we annoyed each other in the beginning, I had never had a friend like you before and I guess I just wasn't willing to lose that. It was too important to me. But then something changed, and I started seeing you differently, somewhere along the way I fell in love with you and I couldn't deny it any more." She reached up and cupped his face with both hands.

"You make me happier than I ever thought was possible. I don't care where you're from, you are the most caring, gentle human being that I have ever known, with the biggest heart. I understand that you need to go, you have to do this. But I want you to know that I will be here waiting for you to come back to me. I'm counting on that Smallville."

"I will Lois." He said, his voice suddenly thick with emotion. He knew he had a few more months with her yet, so why did this feel like they were saying goodbye? He couldn't do that, he wasn't sure he'd even be able to do it when the time came. His chest felt tight, his heart beating erratically as he took her left hand in his.

"Lois, I give you my word that I will come back to you. But I need you do something for me too."

"Anything." She said without hesitation.

"Will you…?" He paused, looking deep into her captivating hazel orbs, the love he saw there gave him the strength to carry on. "Will you marry me?"

"What?" She whispered, shocked.

"When I return, will you be my wife?" He asked again, nervousness resonating in his voice. What would he do if she said no? He had no idea. Slowly, he felt her smooth her hands up his arms, all the way to his shoulders, up his neck and then his cheeks, where they rested.

"Clark…when you come back to me…" She paused to place a light kiss on his forehead.

"Yes, I will marry you."

Clark felt as if a million fireworks had just been set off, his head ringing with her words. Without saying anything, he flew them up a little higher so that they were now floating just above the clouds. When he stopped, he wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her in tightly to him, kissing her with such passion that it took both of them a second to recover when he pulled back. Staring into her flushed face, he felt a tear roll down his cheek.

"I love you." He said simply. Lois smiled, her heart shining through for the world to see.

"I love you too Smallville."

The End.