Capacity For Good: The Last Son

[Dranco]

Im not so sure that we can wait peacefully

[Clois fanfic fan]

Originally posted by El Duderino
Slight problem, I'm afraid. All my stuff is saved on my laptop and the power pack has gone kaput (obviously, I'm posting this from another machine). A little patience, though; I'll be back as soon as it's fixed.

Is your computer fixed yet?

Sorry, I'm having a hard time waiting. I'm sure Lois and Martha are also getting pretty impatient waiting for Clark to rise from the dead. You can't leave them hanging, can you? J/K

[that girl]

Originally posted by Clois fanfic fan
Is your computer fixed yet?

Sorry, I'm having a hard time waiting. I'm sure Lois and Martha are also getting pretty impatient waiting for Clark to rise from the dead. You can't leave them hanging, can you? J/K

Brilliant! Using fictional characters as an excuse for an update! I like it. Do you mind if I steal that technique?

Be afraid, El Dude, be very afraid.

[El Duderino]

OK, a little news. My brother, our tech guy(he's the one gave me the laptop) says he has a replacement power pack somewhere in his place, and he'll dig it out for me. If the wind is fair and at my back, I might be back in business by tomorrow.

[that girl]

Crap, I thought that was an update.

But -- good news is good!

[that girl]

1200th post.

*waits semi-patiently for an update*

[Dranco]

When is the update?

[El Duderino]

I'm back, I'm bad, he's black, and I'm mad....not really.


Chapter 1


A soft breeze ruffled her hair, tickling her scalp. She felt warmth wrapped around her, rising and falling in her arms, a strong and steady beat thrumming against her chest; it took her a few seconds to recognize the sounds of breathing. She opened her eyes and found herself staring at an Adam’s apple. After a moment of confusion, she remembered that she was in bed, but someone was with her, holding her close as they slept. She shifted her gaze upwards, faint stubble grazing against her cheek, and pulled back a little.

“Clark?”

“Sshh.” He didn’t open his eyes, didn’t want to, just wanted to catnap next to her. “Go back to sleep, Lois.”

“I had a horrible dream,” she murmured quietly, feeling like a scared little girl. “A monster came and took you away.”

“Well, I’m right here now,” he sighed, eyes still closed as he softly drew her closer. “It was just a bad dream. Go back to sleep.”

He felt her settling back into him, nuzzling her cheek into the crook of his neck, butterfly kisses on his throat as she closed her own eyes.

“Stay with me?” she purred.

“Forever.”

“Only forever?”

He answered with a smile in his voice. “Forever and ever. Now go back to sleep.”

She drowsed in his warmth, fighting wakefulness, …


… but still it came. Cruel sunlight beamed through the curtains onto the bed as Lois bleared her sticky eyes open. She found herself clutching a damp pillow; she’d been crying in her sleep, something she hadn’t done for a long time. Since she’d met him, oddly enough. She sat up stiffly and looked around; even though it was now a guest room, all his stuff up in the loft, she still thought of it as Clark’s room.


In the bathroom, she splashed her face and neck with cold water and ran a toothbrush around her mouth. Plodding downstairs, she felt awful, her limbs heavy and her joints aching, as if she had ‘flu.

“Martha?”

Either the house was empty, or the woman was still in bed. Lois flicked on the TV, hoping to make some noise to break the silence. It was a mistake:


“…casualties of the day in Metropolis becoming known swiftly as Doomsday. The mysterious character known as Superman stood against the creature, and…

“…as evacuees begin slowly making their way back into the city, assisting fire crews until the early hours of the morning clearing roads and sifting through the rubble for survivors. A police spokesperson told us it could’ve have been much worse if the so-called Superman hadn’t…”

“…eyewitness reports that Superman was unevenly matched throughout the battle, but still…”


: She should’ve expected it would be all over the news. Every channel carried his face, his name, a name that was imposed on him. Superman. How often had people forgotten about the ‘man’ part? How often had she?

Lois turned off the TV, jabbing the remote viciously and flinging it onto the couch. She stood for a second, staring: when she came downstairs of mornings, the sofa used to be draped in rumpled sheets, a pillow at one end. There was none of that today.

“I woke up this morning,” she spoke softly to the empty room, “and you were gone.”


Chloe used to love airports. She remembered the day Clark came back from his travels, how thrilled he had been to see her, how it warmed her and how her friend could make anyone feel like they’d been missed something fierce. Today, after getting the phonecall, she was nervous. Limited flights had been re-established in the early morning, and he’d been waiting at the airport to catch the first one. She didn’t know what she was supposed to say to them. They were hours late, which was to be expected given the mass exodus back towards the city. She wondered how much they might’ve changed since she last saw them.

‘God,’ she thought, ‘I wish Richard was here.’

“Hey, Blondie, got a kiss for me?”

She turned at the familiar, warm voice of the tall, dark-skinned man, a tiny brunette at his side wearing a matching fragile smile, and the three friends wrapped their arms around each other for comfort, oblivious in their sadness to the chaos all around them.

“It’s good to see you, Pete. You too, Lana.”



Arthur was on the early morning shift. They’d been out all night and most of the day aiding rescue efforts, searching for survivors, but they’d taken turns to stay at the clock tower and keep a vigil over him; they’d laid him out on a couch in the equipment bay, waiting for word. When they brought him back, Ollie had walked to the equipment bay without saying a word, opening yet another one of the lockers concealed at the back of the room and taking out a suit; the Fortress had made it for Clark and Oliver kept it for him…

“Just in case.”

…It was traditional Kryptonian burial attire, made for a warrior fallen in battle, a neck-to-toe midnight black bodysuit that bore a silver-black version of his family crest and matching silver vambraces. Arthur had thought it might be embarrassing for them all, stripping the rags of his bright outfit, washing and redressing him in black. Instead, he found it was just sad.


“Hello?” Chloe entered the house cautiously. “Mrs Kent?”

“She’s not here.”

She jumped out of her skin as her cousin appeared, sitting up on the couch. “Jeez, Lois, you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing here?”

“Take a wild guess.”

She watched her cousin’s face. “You know?”

Lois looked down at the floor, nodding her head. “He told me. That night, I told him my secret, and yesterday, I sat in the middle of the park with Superman dying in my arms and he told me his.”

“I didn’t know.” Chloe surged forward to take her cousin in her arms. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry.”

Lois stepped back, tacitly refusing her shoulder. “Why didn’t he tell me?” she sniffed.

“I don’t know, sweetheart. He wanted to, but…”

“He didn’t trust me, right? He thought I’d make a scoop out of him.”

“That’s not true, Lois.”

Her head flicked up to the doorway, where Pete and Lana stood. Lois turned away, embarrassed at being caught like this, swiping at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I assume you all knew? Great, I was the only one in the dark.”

“You had an idea, didn’t you?” Lana asked.

“Sort of,” Lois replied; she still couldn’t look at them. “They always looked a little alike, and I always felt…I’ve seen them talk to each other, though. How did he do that?”

“He has a friend who’s a shapeshifter,” Chloe supplied.

She shook her head. “You must’ve thought I was galactically stupid or something.”

“Hey, I was his best friend since the Sesame Street years,” Pete shrugged, “and I only found out by accident. Alicia told Chloe, Lana caught him using his powers. Matter of fact, we all found out and he filled in the blanks later. You’re the first one he ever told.”

“I don’t know if this makes it better or worse,” Lana stepped in, “but I guess you know he was in love with you.”

She felt her heart break even further. “Something else he never told me.”

“He wanted to,” she answered. “You know Clark. He hated keeping it all from you every day, but I think he liked being plain old Clark for you. You made him feel like that was enough.”

Lois was silent for a while. “He loved you first.”

Lana put her hands on Lois’s shoulders; it looked oddly like she was holding the taller woman up. “But he loved you best,” she countered, pulling her into a tearful hug.

They turned at the sound of the kitchen door slamming. “Well, you’re all here,” Martha smiled, walking in with arms full of groceries. “I’m sorry I wasn’t home to meet you, I had to go shopping. Ben’s out working the back forty.” He hadn’t wanted to leave her, but Martha insisted they couldn’t let the farm fall behind.

The friends exchanged looks before Pete hustled into the kitchen and took some of the bags. “Martha, let me give you a hand with those.”

“Thank you, honey,” she said, bustling around the kitchen near frantically, opening and closing cupboards. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Well, it’s good to be back,” he smiled. “How’re you bearing up?”

“Needless to say, I’ve had better days,” she said, her back to him. “But I’ll get by, don’t worry about me. Now, I thought meatloaf for dinner, keep it simple, and it’s one of Clark’s fav…” She stopped in her tracks, leaning against the sink with white knuckles as if she was about to faint. Pete surged forward and wrapped up the woman, allowing her to whimper into his chest.

“It’s alright, Mrs Kent,” he whispered, his own eyes shining at the loss of his friend, a tear running into her hair. “We’re all here. You’re not alone.”


The phonecall came late in the afternoon, and the whole League was present for it.

“OK,…we’ll see you tomorrow. Bye,” said Ollie, hanging up.

“Are we ready?” asked Victor.

“Pretty much. Mrs Kent says it’ll be first thing in the morning. Chloe picked up her friends at the airport, they’re all staying over at the farm tonight.”

They were all silent for a moment as they looked over at Clark.

“So,” Bart harrumphed. “Who’s gonna…? I mean, I guess I can take him.”

“I will take him,” J’Onn spoke solemnly, gathering Clark's body up as gently as if he were his own child; although they all knew the strength of the man, it was strange to watch him carry Clark’s visibly larger form so effortlessly. “It’s best done as discreetly as possible.”

“You know where he wanted to be taken?” Ollie thought Clark had probably told him before any of the others.

“Yes,” J’Onn said. “I will stay with him through the night.”

Ollie shook his head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know,” J’Onn nodded. “It would be an honor.”

He took off gracefully from the balcony, shifting to invisible as he rose, and they lost sight of their friend.


End of Chapter 1

[Clois fanfic fan]

Raise Clark from the dead NOW....lol


[prays]No more computer problems for El Duderino[/prays]

Update soon!

[clois_lover10]

Oh man, that chapter was so emotional and written beautifully. (But it would help if you could raise him from the dead soon... )
Your writing just keeps getting better- please update whenever you have the chance!!

[FireFlyFan]

Trying to write grief can be a difficult thing. You balance between coming off to cold and being campy. I think though that even with so many characters with so many different personalities you are portraying each one very well. Keep up the amazing work.

FFF

[that girl]

Wow, I was totally really happy when I saw that you'd updated and now I'm thoroughly depressed.

Terrific chapter, as always.

Now, I thought meatloaf for dinner, keep it simple, and it’s one of Clark’s fav…” She stopped in her tracks, leaning against the sink with white knuckles as if she was about to faint. Pete surged forward and wrapped up the woman, allowing her to whimper into his chest.

That was def. the best part of the whole thing. I feel awful for everyone at the moment but Martha seemed so strong before this. It's not fun to watch her fall apart.

Chloe used to love airports.

I see what you did there. It may be because I've read "Homecoming" like 20 times, but I see what you did there.

*HINT*I'm leaving again on Monday, so an update over the weekend would be awesome. *HINT*

EDIT: I just thought of something. I could be totally off with this but isn't the League going to Clark's funeral? And isn't Lois gonna be there? So, assuming that they're not there in costume, does that mean Lois and the "Green Arrow" will meet up again at last?? Dun dun dun. That should be interesting.

Of course, I'm probably way off and interpreting something really wrong.

EDIT #2: I forgot to mention the single most important part of the chapter: Pete. If he can't be on the show, we'll have to make to with fanfiction. Thank you for being my Pete fix of the day.

[Tyrol]

That was very sad.
Can't wait for more.

[super12]

Really sad bout this whole thing.
Can't wait for more!!!

[moviefan2k4]

Still impressive; keep it up! =)