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A New Dawn (one-shot sequel to Afterglow)

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  • A New Dawn (one-shot sequel to Afterglow)

    Note: This is a one-shot sequel to my one shot fic Afterglow. It takes place fifteen years later. In this story, Clark is capable of changing his appearance when he isn’t Superman, so that he appears to age normally.

    A New Dawn (Sequel to Afterglow)


    Superman leapt into the air from beneath the spinning globe, accelerating to top speed in an instant. Using his telescopic vision, he saw that the cruise ship was taking on water quickly, and the passengers were panicking. He pressed a button hidden in his suit, signaling for Aquaman’s assistance and that of as many other JLA members as could get to the scene quickly.

    The ship was just off the coast of New York. Superman had heard an explosion - probably a bomb - which had alerted him to the catastrophe.

    Aquaman swam up from below the ship, and worked to hold up the end that was sinking, while Green Lantern pulled from above. Superman and The Flash began transporting passengers to shore as quickly as possible. They worked at an unbelievable pace, hoping they could manage to get to everyone before their efforts failed and the ship was swallowed up by the sea.

    When it seemed everyone was rescued, Superman activated his superhearing, listening for any other sign of life. He quickly honed in on one last sound, coming from under a pile of rubble, on deck one. A heartbeat…and then a voice calling…“Clark! Help me, Clark!”

    His eyes became wide as saucers, his heart rate doubled, and he dashed to the sound faster than a speeding bullet. He pulled the rubble away, lifted the young woman into his arms, and took to the skies.

    She clung to him tightly. “Clark, oh, Clark… I knew you’d come,” she managed to whisper into his chest as they sped through the air.

    Superman hadn’t taken the time to look into her face. He didn’t have to. He’d know her voice anywhere. “Lana, Lana,” he breathed softly, repeating her name with every beat of his heart.

    He landed at the nearest hospital and sped her into the ER, placing her on an empty gurney. As the doctors and nurses began to tend to her, Superman took a few steps back, to give them room to work. “Clark,” she whispered very faintly - but he heard her.

    He finally allowed his eyes to focus on her face. Her eyes were locked on his. She stretched out her arm toward him as she pleaded, almost inaudibly, “Stay with me, Clark. Please, don’t leave me. I need you.”

    Superman didn’t hesitate. He moved closer and took her hand in his own, his eyes never leaving hers. “I’m here, Lana. Stay with me, Lana. Be strong.” He squeezed her hand as he repeated those words again and again.

    The nurses tried to get him to leave the room, but the doctor overruled them, noticing that Superman’s presence seemed to be having a calming effect on the young woman.

    They administered oxygen, telling Superman she seemed to be suffering from smoke inhalation. They cleaned and bandaged her wounds, and applied an ice pack to the lump on her head.

    “You are one lucky young woman,” the doctor said to Lana as she became more alert. He watched as the color slowly returned to her face. “You have a lot of cuts and bruises, and that nasty lump on your head, but not one bone is broken. You inhaled quite a lot of smoke, though. You’re lucky Superman got you here so quickly. You’re going to be fine. I’d just like to keep an eye on you for a few hours, because of that blow to the head - just as a precaution, to make sure there is no sign of bleeding or a concussion. If there is any doubt, we’d want to do an MRI.”

    Lana nodded slightly at the doctor, then turned her gaze back to Superman. Her hand was still in his, and she tightened her grip, as her eyes silently begged him to stay. He understood. “I’ll stay with her, doctor,” Superman said, “if that’s alright.”

    The doctor smiled at him. “That will be fine, Superman.”

    Several minutes later, Lana was helped into a wheelchair and Superman was allowed to wheel her to a small room across the hall. Lana was feeling much better, and insisted she was fine and perfectly capable of walking, but the nurses told her it was hospital policy that all patients must use a wheelchair until discharged. Lana reluctantly gave in, and remained in the wheelchair.

    Superman parked Lana next to the only other chair in the room, and took a seat there himself. The nurse left, after instructing Superman to call if he noticed anything out of the ordinary, such as dilated pupils, or sudden sleepiness.

    When Superman turned his attention back to Lana, their eyes met for a long moment. They seemed to search each other’s souls. Lana hesitantly reached out to take his hand again. He smiled and allowed it. Something just felt so…right…being here with her, holding her hand. It felt like…like home. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced for many, many years.

    Finally, he spoke. “It’s been a long time, Lana.”

    “Yes. Fifteen years, to be exact - but who’s counting?” she said with a grin.

    A genuine “Kent smile” spread over his face, and he laughed, “Apparently, you are.” Then, more seriously, he added, “It’s been far too long, Lana.”

    Lana paused for a long moment before asking him the one question that had plagued her ever since Superman returned from his training nine years ago. “Why, Clark? Why didn’t you ever contact me?” she asked.

    He could hear the hurt in her voice, and swallowed hard before answering. “I - I didn’t think you wanted me to. I didn’t want to complicate your life. I hoped you were happy.” He looked into her eyes and knew that she hadn’t been. A wave of regret washed over him. “Why didn’t you contact me - at the Daily Planet, or just call out for me? I would have come in an instant.”

    Lana nodded thoughtfully. “I know you would have. And, for the first few years, I debated myself about it constantly. I was afraid I’d hold you back again. And then I read the stories about Lois and Superman being a couple. I figured you were happy - and I didn’t want to complicate your life.” Lana gazed into his eyes and knew that he had been lonely.

    “It didn’t work out - with Lois. She was head over heels for the hero, but once the novelty wore off…” He just finished with a shrug.

    “Did you…love her?” Lana wasn’t sure she ought to ask, but she’d wondered for so long.

    “I tried to. And on some level, I did love her. But…I was never in love with her,” he confessed. He gazed intently into Lana’s eyes as he continued, “There’s only one woman I’ve ever been in love with - and I’ve never for a moment fallen out of love with her.” He never meant to tell her that - it just came out. He shifted his eyes away and added, “But, I was sure she must have moved on, found the man of her dreams, settled down to a happy life…”

    “Clark,” Lana said as she reached out her free hand to caress his face. She waited for him to look at her before she continued. “There’s only ever been one man for me. I found the man of my dreams a long time ago. And no one else ever came close to taking his place.”

    Clark felt his heart begin to race in his chest, in a way it hadn’t raced for many years. A wave of warmth swept through Lana’s entire body, as if awakening her heart from a long dormition.

    Their hands were still clasped tightly, their eyes reading each other’s soul.

    Just then, the door flew open and a nurse walked in briskly, “Well, Miss Lang, let’s check you out once more.”

    Lana and Clark startled at the intrusion, and instinctively pulled away from one another, dropping their hands. The nurse was oblivious, and went about her job, examining Lana for any further signs of a concussion.

    “Well, it looks like you’ll be just fine, Miss Lang - a bit stiff and sore from the bruises, but nothing serious. We can go ahead and discharge you now. I’ll go and get the paperwork.”

    Twenty minutes later, Lana had been discharged, and wheeled out of the hospital in the wheelchair - according to policy. Superman locked the chair to steady it, then offered Lana his hand, helping her to stand. He instructed her to step onto his feet. Lana didn’t hesitate; she followed his instructions, then slid her arms around his neck. His arms went instinctively around her waist. He held her close to his chest, then rose slowly, floating into the air. They drifted along at a leisurely pace, eventually coming to rest on the roof of the Daily Planet building.

    Lana lifted her head from his chest and met his gaze. She was pleased to meet the eyes of a thirty-seven year old Clark Kent, rather than those of a much younger-looking Superman. A great joy and peace washed over her - something she hadn’t felt for a very long time.

    “I’ve missed you,” she whispered.

    “I’ve missed you, too,” he answered softly as he tipped her chin up with his fingers. Seeing nothing in her eyes but love and desire, he slowly lowered his lips toward hers.

    Lana felt as if she were melting into him, as her lips met his. She had dreamed of this moment so many times, but never dared believe her dreams would come true. She wondered if she ought to pinch herself, just to make sure this wasn’t a dream.

    When their lips finally parted, Lana gazed up at him with tear-filled eyes. Clark felt whole for the first time in fifteen years, as he held her close.

    “I love you, Lana,” he whispered into her hair huskily. “Please stay in my life.”

    Lana lifted her head from his chest and smiled beautifully. Her voice was full of emotion as she answered, “I will always love you, Clark. I do want you in my life again - so very much.”

    Clark released a relieved breath. “I don’t know why I ever thought that I could only be with you if I were human, Lana. You are the one person who has always accepted me for all of who I am - the farm boy and the hero. You make me feel whole. You know, I’ve often thought about our last conversation before I left. It’s true that I was never meant to live a “normal” life on a farm. It’s true that I was meant to be the protector of this planet. But I was wrong about one thing, Lana. I was never meant to give you up. We’re meant to be together. Only with you by my side am I all I was meant to be. All these years, I’ve been like only half a person, trying to muster up the strength to do what’s right. But it’s been a lonely life without you, Lana. I can’t do it anymore, not alone.” He paused for a long moment, seeming to get lost in her eyes. Finally he continued softly, “Lana, what I’m trying to say is…will you be my wife? Will you marry me?”

    Lana smiled up at him, her eyes sparkling, her heart pounding. “I thought you’d never ask. Yes, Clark, I want nothing more in this life than to be your wife.”

    Clark smiled broadly, then drew her in and captured her lips with his own.

    When they eventually parted, Clark said, “We’ve lost so much time already…”

    Lana shook her head. “No, Clark. Let’s not look back. We have forty, fifty…maybe even sixty years ahead of us. Let’s make the most of them.”

    Clark nodded his agreement, then pointed toward the horizon. “Look, Lana - it’s the dawn of a new day - our new life has just begun.”

    Clark and Lana watched as the sky turned a myriad of colors, painting the sky as if it were a canvas, until finally the sun began to peek out over the horizon, promising many bright days ahead.

    The End
    Last edited by SVsleuth; 10-02-2008, 09:04 AM.

  • #2
    that was good!!!!!

    I guess you got influenced by our comment on afterglow

    Comment


    • #3
      That was Great!! I loved it!!! Thanks

      Comment


      • #4
        even better than the first! i love the illusion of the sun; it's like a new start once again. i loved it!

        ~H

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        • #5
          Thanks for the story. Loved it!!!

          Comment


          • #6
            Can I get you to write another one?! I'll PM you.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Clana4Life
              Can I get you to write another one?! I'll PM you.
              Hi, thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed these little fics. Here's a link to all of my completed fics, with a breief description of what they're about:

              Forum for posting fan fiction that is primarily about the pairing of Clark/Lana. Can be friendship or romance. All fic posted in this forum must be rated G through PG-13.


              As for a post-Bride fic, I'm kind of waiting to see what the writers do with ending the Clana. If I can't stand it, I most likely WILL make my own ending, but it will likely be AFTER all of KK's episodes are done, and only if their ending is unsatisfactory to me.

              If get time to write over the holidays, I plan to work on finishing my 2 season 4 fics that were close to finished, but left hanging, Clana Journals & Alternate Clana Scenes. Not sure if I'll actually end up having any time to work on them. Life is pretty busy, with my kids home from college, & friends visiting & gift wrapping and house cleaning, and parties and all, but I hope to get to working on them. Merry Christmas!

              Comment


              • #8
                Great job at least all of us hopeless Clana fans can keep their love alive through the fanfics we write. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

                Comment


                • #9
                  SV, this was a wonderful sequel to Afterglow. I'm truly glad Clark reunited with Lana and finally asked her to marry him. I must agree with him that: " He was never meant to give Lana up." He was always so blessed to have her in his life as his friend, supporter and true love. Again wonderful fic and God bless you, Nick!!

                  Comment

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