Epilogue

He was cheating.

He knew that. However, all was fair in love and war and when one had a friend who was not only an alien with incredible powers, like flight and supervision but also owed you one, it was a foolish man who didn’t take some advantage of it.

Oliver Queen watched the building from a roof top across the street. His target was a modest two storey building, the first floor being home to a somewhat successful mother and daughter floral business and the second floor being the apartment where they resided. Clark had been less than happy to lead Oliver back here after searching the city for only a day and half. However, a timely reminder about how it was his green arrow costume that allowed Clark to kiss Lois the first time and discover his feelings for her, silenced the argument promptly.

Besides, it seemed Fate had a sense of humor. The place was called the Sherwood Florist.

“You are so totally pathetic,” the deriding voice stated behind him.

Damn. She was good.

Turning around, he found himself standing before the object of his search, the tall, svelte blond in the fishnets and high black boots calling herself Black Canary and for whom the word ‘bombshell’ was created entirely for.

“How long were you planning on waiting out here?” She stared at him with a look of clear exasperation as she regarded him with arms folded.

“Oh I was going to give it another half an hour before I made my move,” Oliver gave her his most charming smile.

“Your move?” The Canary snorted, “what makes you think that I’d be the least interested in any of your moves? Men who stalk me make me nervous.”

“Stalk is such an ugly word,” Oliver retorted. “I was just checking you out in case you were some psycho chick who just likes wearing fish nets in public.”

The girl was trying not to smile but she was no more immune to charm then the rest of her gender, “Says the man who’s dressed up like Robin Hood.”

Looking over his shoulder at the store, Oliver added smugly. “Well considering what you named your store, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was your way of grabbing my attention. I mean Star City is the home of the Green Arrow.”

“Since when?” She retorted indignantly, dropping her arms to rest on her hands on her hips. “You got named in Metropolis by the National Inquisitor. Wasn’t that article right next to the one about the cow who gave birth to a Buick? If anything, Star City should be called the home of the Black Canary.”

“And yet you still named your store after me,” he pointed out. “Come on Maid Marian, lighten up. We would have run into each other sooner or later, so I jumped the gun a bit.”

“You are not so charming that you can talk your way out of this,” she declared but had not moved which gave Oliver an indication that she was not as indignant as she appeared.

“Really?” Oliver replied, liking her spunk. It reminded him of Lois somewhat but the boots definitely made her a lot sexier. “And here I was about to ask you to join me.”

“Dream on Green Arrow,” she retorted and turned on her heels, walking toward the edge of the roof to make her exit. “I don’t work with partners.”

“Who said I wanted to be partners?” He said flippantly. “I actually meant joining me on a date?’

“A date?” She stopped and turned around with a look of surprise. “You’re kidding. This is how you ask someone out on a date?”

“Well what would you like Maid Marian?” Oliver followed her, closing the distance between them. “Me hanging off your balcony and serenading you? Isn’t that how Robin Hood used to do it?”

The Canary glared at him through narrowed blue eyes and once again, Oliver thought that blond hair really worked for her.

“What would this date involve?” She asked, her brow crooked in interest.

Success. Oliver smiled inwardly before answering, “Nothing too romantic and something simple. There’s a drug shipment coming in from Gotham at midnight. 100 kilos of china white being unloaded off a Columbian freighter. I figured we’d take care of that and then maybe have a little light supper.”

Damn. He was good.

“Sounds like it could be fun,” she remarked, finally gracing him with a smile, “The Black Canary and the Green Arrow working together.”

“You mean the Green Arrow and the Black Canary,” he corrected her.

“Why does your name get to be first?” She stared at him as they started to leave the roof.

“Because, I’m the Green Arrow and Star City is the home of the Green Arrow.”

“Green Arrow Bandit,” she snorted, “and the Bandit always comes last.”

“In what universe?”

“Haven’t you ever seen Smokey and the Bandit…” She winked at him.

“That’s a cool movie,” Oliver commented. Great taste in movies too. This could be love, “Maid Marian.”

“Stop calling me that,” she growled, “Bandit.”

The man was infuriating but Dinah Lance did so like those.

****************

“What did you have to do for Oliver in Star City?” Lois asked as she sat on the p.

Three weeks after the whole debacle with Zod and red kryptonite, Clark was finally allowed to take Lois home. Because she was still convalescing, Martha had insisted that Lois come to stay at the Kent farm and Clark was thrilled at the idea of having Lois under the same roof again even if the irony was not lost on him.

So much had happened in the last three weeks with Clark running the same exhausting routine he had in the aftermath of Dark Thursday, helping secretly with repairs during the night while carrying out the routine of his life during the day. However, even if it was Fine that had tricked Kal into opening the Phantom Zone and unleashing Zod, Clark still felt as responsible as Oliver for all the destruction that had taken place.

”Oh nothing, I just had to help him track down some wildlife,” Clark answered as he was seated next to Lois on the porch swing. A small smile had crossed his lips at thinking how Oliver had shanghaied him into tracking down Star City’s newest heroine, a very attractive blond calling herself the Black Canary.

“Do I even want to know?” Lois asked giving him a look before nestling into crook of Clark’s shoulder, snuggling closer to him. It felt good to be in his arms again. This was what Kal could never compete with, the quiet moments where they could just sit together and talk. Lois never knew something so simple could be so fulfilling and with a little smile of her own, she found it equally ironic that this little piece of heaven had come from such an unlikely source.

If only either of them had even guessed.

“Probably not,” Clark chuckled. “But I think Oliver’s going to be okay about the two of us seeing each other.”

“I’m glad,” Lois said sincerely pleased by that news. “He’s a good guy. I would have hated for things to end badly because of us.”

“Me too,” Clark agreed, kissing her gently on the hair as he pulled her close to him. “Oliver’s a good friend.”

“You know telling Lana the truth was also a good call Smallville,” she raised her eyes to him. “I’m glad you did that. She actually called me on the phone and we had a good chat about things.”

Clark wasn’t so sure how much he liked that but if Lois decided this was a good thing, he would trust her word on that. “About what?” He asked attempting to sound indifferent though he was very curious. Girlfriends exchanging stories could not be a good thing.

“Don’t be nosy Smallville,” she teased, “just girl talk. Chloe and I are meeting her at the Talon for lunch tomorrow.”

“Why does that fill me with fear?” Clark gave her a playful look.

“Because you’re smart,” Lois winked. “So be afraid, Kal-El, be very afraid.”

Hearing his Kryptonian name sounded odd coming from Lois but it was one of those things he was getting used to. As always, Lois’ ability to deal astonished Clark. She had taken the truth about his heritage, about Jor-El, Clark still couldn’t get used to her calling him Joe and red kryptonite better than he had ever believed she would. Of course he had kept one thing from her and swore Chloe to secrecy until he had a chance to tell Lois himself.

“I have a surprise for you.” Clark remarked as he stood up and took her by the hand.

“Another surprise Clark?” She looked at him with a raised brow. “I don’t know if I can handle any more this month.” She reminded. “It’s been a pretty full couple of weeks.”

Not to be discouraged, Clark let her off the porch and looked up. “Do you trust me?” He asked wearing a serious expression that immediately engendered the same from her.

“Do you even have to ask?” Lois gave him a look.

Smiling, Clark wrapped his arms around Lois’ waist and knew that she’d get her arms in order soon enough. Pushing off the ground once he was holding her securely, they lifted gently into the air at first, rising off the ground gradually. A slight wind brushed at their skin as he took them up gracefully, thankful that practice had helped him to perfect this moment for her. He watched Lois’ face, waiting for her reaction, delighted at last to share this with her.

At first Lois didn’t know what Clark was up to until she felt the breeze whipping strands of hair against her face and she looked down to see the farm growing smaller and smaller beneath their feet. “Oh my God Clark!” Lois exclaimed, panicked at first and immediately tightened her arms around his neck before realizing that they weren’t falling to the ground to face a horrible death.

“Are we really flying?” Lois asked after a moment, her voice filling with awe.

“Either that or that Pilates class you’ve been taking is doing wonders for your weight,” he smirked.

“Very funny, don’t forget I know what kryptonite is now Mister,” she teased as she looked down, feeling the air beneath them and the clouds surrounding them. “Oh my God Smallville, this is so amazing. When did this happen? Is it a new power?”

“Actually I think I could always do it,” Clark confessed. “I just wasn’t’ motivated enough to try and I had this thing with heights.”

Lois laughed out loud before realizing he wasn’t joking. “You’re not kidding?” she asked astonished when she saw the serious expression on his face.

“Hey, everyone has a phobia okay,” he replied slightly miffed. “Mine just happened to be heights.”

“So I’m guessing you’re over that now?” She teased.

“Slightly,” Clark laughed with her, holding her close. “I’ve been wanting to show this to you for weeks. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to fly at all.”

“What do you mean?” Lois looked at him, thinking it odd that surrounded by clouds, the moon and the unblemished stars in the sky, all she could see were the dancing flecks of gold in his blue eyes.

“When I thought Zod was going to reach you first, I couldn’t think of anything else but to get to you as quickly as possible. That’s when I learned to fly Lois,” he confessed. “For you, I had to.”

“Jeez Smallville,” Lois blinked, her eyes misting over in emotion. “You really know how to hit a girl where she lives don’t you? I think making someone fly has to be the nicest compliment I ever got.”

“I wouldn’t fly for anyone else Lois,” he said smiling. “And I’ll never want to fly with anyone else but you.”

Leaning forward, Clark Kent capture Lois Lane’s lips in a tender kiss, beneath the stars and surrounded by twilight, flying above the clouds like they were always to supposed to.

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