Eveything Changes but Some Things Don't

Chapter 17

When Clark arrived in Metropolis he was at the phone booth Lois had said to meet her before but she wasn’t there. He was worried about what her none appearance meant but he had more important things to worry about at the moment. He turned to see a car flying at him he stopped it by catching it in both hands and then easily placed it back on the ground. Only to find Doomsday holding a struggling little girl in his grasp and the mother trying to get her daughter back only to get thrown through a buildings window a few feet away as if she was thrown by a gale force wind.

Clark super sped over and grabbed the girl from Doomsday’s grasp taking her to the safest place he could find which happened to a pile of garbage bags by a dumpster a few blocks over. He placed her down carefully giving her a small smile while he checked her over visually for any harm. He could find nothing wrong with her.

“It’s okay,” he told her with a sympathetic voice because he knew she was scared but when she began to whimper and cry while backing away from him he got the feeling she wasn’t afraid of him but of something behind him. And when he looked behind him he found Doomsday there.

Before he could react Doomsday picked him up by his jacket as if he were naughty little kid and began punching him in the gut while the girl turned away crying. Clark could feel himself spitting up blood but didn’t pay it any attention he had to try and get Doomsday back to the geothermal plant. Just then Doomsday punched him right in the face with enough force to send him flying through one building into another building’s wall. Now he had busted ribs, cut lip and a cut on his forehead he just knew it. He could feel each and every one, but he couldn’t give up he had to protect the people of Metropolis, the world from this Kryptonian monster.

Just as he was beginning to get up Doomsday jumped out of nowhere to land right in front of him and right when Doomsday began the down swing of another punch Clark put the last bit of his strength, will and energy into a might super speed tackle, jump/fly thing kind of maneuver that carried him and Doomsday all the way back to the plant where he got him in the tunnels and the League set off the detonators which in turn caused a huge explosion destroying the plant and most of the surrounding area.

The ultimate fight didn’t last long but it was long enough to decide the fate of two Kryptonian men.

A few hours later as the sun rose in the East and Metropolis began to settle down from its nightmare of an evening found Chloe, Jimmy and a still unconscious Davis in a magnificent building. Well more like the top few floors of a huge building. The area they stood in right now was filled with brilliant orange and yellow hued light from the beautiful sectional stained windows. It had construction and decorating tools and equipment in some places but it was still a lovely place.

Though at the moment as Chloe looked out at the city around her in its tinted glow and listened to Jimmy talking, “From anywhere in the city you can spot this place. I thought that no matter where you were, you could look up and…see our home. See me watching over you.”

All she could think was, “this man is wonderful…” She may not love him like she would always love Clark but maybe they could give it another shot and make it work this time now that the biggest drama of their married lives was done with.

She shook her head in disbelief and awe and replied, “I don’t know how you do it.”

When she turned to face him she had tears in her eyes, tears of joy and relief. She went on to say, “You always seem to come through. Your always there doing the right thing, saying the right words. Jimmy there’s so much I want to tell you but…”

“I know about Clark,” he cut in with a big smirk.

“What?” she asked surprised but when his smirk didn’t go away she went into protect Clark mode a bit, ready to lie or make something up if she had to as to protect Clark’s identity.

She asked, “What exactly do you know?”

“The What. I saw him and I saw what he can do, who he is. And know I see all kinds of things…I see what you’ve sacrificed for him, for everyone really.” Jimmy said going from excited to awestruck as he walked closer and closer to her.

She stepped closer to him until they were just a few feet part and said, “That’s the reason I went with Davis to protect Clark. That’s the only reason.”

“God, Jimmy is so cute and sweet right now. Maybe we can give this another go. Now that the reason I had to protect Clark, Doomsday, is gone. Clark’s our last and only hope for good in this world. And if I can’t love him like I want, I can at least protect him when he needs it,” she thought to herself as she looked into Jimmy’s eyes seeing the adorable man she had come to care so much about and married even.

“It all makes sense now. But the way I see it you are as much of hero as he’s ever been. What you have gone through, what you’ve risked…”

“And what I’ve lost. I’ve lost so much. The only thing I really miss is you…”

“And that’s true. I do miss Jimmy because I love him. We may not be soul mates or anything like that, but I care so much about him. I feel lost without him in my life. I’ve missed him so much. I may not have a burning passionate yearning and deep soul wrenching heartache with him like I do with Clark but I still feel passion for him and wouldn’t mind spending the next 50-60 maybe even 70 years with him in my life,” she thought.

As he said, “Well, you’ve found me again,” and stepped to her. Taking her into his arms and kissing her. And she kissed him back. They separated for a second and gave each other one smaller kiss. Then they just stood with their foreheads touching in tight hug and this is when she said with a relieved tone to her voice, “I’m so sorry I left Jimmy but I promise I never left you.” She emphasized the second left to say she may have left him physically but she never left him emotionally.

Then they began kissing again, but suddenly Chloe heard a strange noise and Jimmy let out a small gasp. When she stepped back a bit she saw blood coming from his mouth and the look of surprised pain on his face. When she looked down she saw a rough edged, circle metal pipe running through his stomach and gasped, “Jimmy…”

And just as suddenly the pipe was pulling out of him and he fell the floor on his side and their stood a sweaty, crazy eyed Davis with a bloody pipe in his hands as if what he had just done was nothing.

“So…umm… this whole time…that you were with me…was for Clark,” Davis asked Chloe with tears in his eyes and a confused, hurt tone to his voice.

Chloe began to back away from Davis when she saw the hand holding the pipe shake uncertainly, either in anger right before he would strike her or right before he dropped the pipe and cried.

“Davis just put that down,” she said eyeing the pipe and backing away some more as he walked over Jimmy and came towards her asking an angry and hurt voice, “How could you do this? I loved you. You’re the only one who ever loved me. Why? Why!?”

She held her hands up as if to say I’m harmless and had tears of fear in her eyes as she said, “I thought I did, okay…but really what I wanted to do…was save you.”

“Save me? There is nothing left to SAVE!” He answered back with an angry yell as he raised the pipe and began to rush her but before anyone could blink Jimmy came out of nowhere and tackled him.

~Angel by Sarah McLachlan starts to play (only first verse and chorus)~

They both fell onto a table where a spike of some kind ran Davis through and he dropped the pipe as his strength and life left him. Jimmy slowly rose up and stepped away from Davis only to fall to his knees and begin falling backwards. But as he fell Chloe came to catch his head and upper body in her lap.

Chloe rubbed the side of his face trying to hold back her tears and failing, “Jimmy! It’s okay. You’ll be okay.”

“I’m sorry,” he weakly replied as she silently shook her head ‘no’ as if to say ‘don’t go, don’t leave me, you can’t die’. Then with a little more strength behind his last words he said, “I love you,” and smiled at her before he died in her arms. Leaving a heartbroken Chloe to hold him and cry.

~song ends~

In the 31st century…

When the light dissipated Ariel found herself in her office and as she was heading out the door a voice she now knew as Ganthet’s spoke up, “So all is corrected?”

“Well I checked the papers and they still say Clark dies but apparently he doesn’t seeing as I’m here and no part of mine is doing the fading act. But I still don’t get something,” she said as she turned to face Ganthet.

“And what is that?”

“If Clark still dies, why is it I’m here and not fading?”

“That’s because the name dies, not the man. You prevented that.”

“But how?”

“Sometimes Fate can change just by the simple changing of a mind, a thought…”

“So you’re saying something I said or did changed his mind on something and that prevented him from really dying. What was it, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I don’t.”

“He learned a hero isn’t perfect, can’t be even. They just have to try their best to the best example for humanity to look up to.”

“O—kay, but what about Chloe, my mom what did she learn?”

“She learned that even without her gift she is powerful, a hero in her own right.”

“Kay, I get that. And no one else could teach them these things?”

“Well, yes another could have, but…”

“They wouldn’t have taken it as easily or as the truth it is from someone else, but coming from their own child…wait Chloe never knew I was her daughter?”

“No, but something else was in the works already that opened her mind to you and your possibility.”

“Okay --- you Guardians are weird,” Ariel stated watching the little man walk around her desk to stand in front of her.

“I’ve heard many things said about us Guardians, most very cruel and crude but never weird and never in such a tone. I like you Ariel Miora Kent.”

“Thanks, I think?”

But before she could say anymore a distress call siren went off throughout the base and she turned her head away and when she turned back Ganthet was gone. She would have spent some time pondering that, but she had a problem to solve. So still in her costume she hurried to the main deck of the base where heroes were gathered in groups talking but not doing anything.

So she called out with a clear, commanding voice, “I do believe that’s a distress call I hear, is it not? Why aren’t any of you doing something about?!”

This got the gathered heroes attention and they began to gather so she could pick who would go. Once a hero beside her told her what the distress call was about she called Imra and Garth. They came with Rokk behind them.

“What are you doing, Rokk? I’ve only been gone for a few days, I do believe your still on base duty so get there.”

He hung his head and replied, “Yes Ma’am.”

Then Ariel, Imra and Garth picked to other heroes to go with their group. The distress call was apparently about a village being flooded by a overwhelmed damn. After the crews were picked they headed out.

AN: ok almost done with season finale scenes and then it will be on to the really good stuff