A/N: I would love to continue writing this story because there aren't really that many Cless stories out there, but it was time for this story to come to an end. I will be leaving Clark and Tess in a very, very good place so don't you worry about them.
I also want to say thank you to everybody who's ever read and/or commented on this story. It always means a lot to me. :D
So now, without further ado, I present to you the Epilogue to Fascination.
THE 'FASCINATION' EPILOGUE
"I really love your mother," Tess tells Clark as they enter the Daily Planet elevator. "She's the mother I always wished for when I was a little girl."
"She feels the same way about you," he replies with a smile as the doors close. "You're like a daughter to her."
"That means a lot to me," she says as the elevator begins to rise. "I'm relieved that she took the news so well."
"I had no doubt about it," he replies. "I had a nice long visit with her before I proposed to you…the first time, that is," looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"You'll never let me forget about that, will you?" her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Never," a smirk on his face as he pushes her up against the back wall. "Wanna make out?" lowering his voice an octave as his lips make their way from her cheek down to her neck.
"I'd love to but we still have to..." her eyes slowly fluttering shut as his hands move to her backside and gives them a firm squeeze.
"Have to…what?" his lips making their way up and lightly pressing against hers.
"I…uh…forgot," she whispers as the kissing continues.
Less than thirty seconds later…
"I swear you have more than two hands," she declares as she smooths her skirt down.
"Super speed is for more than just running," he replies in a husky tone as the elevator comes to a stop. The doors start to open but he presses one of the buttons and they close again. "So are you ready to do this?" turning to face her.
"I'm ready as I'll ever be," she replies.
"I know it's a big step, but it needs to be done."
"I'm sure that everybody…well…almost everybody will be shocked or at the very least surprised to find out that we're engaged."
"I can't wait to see the expression on Cat's face when she hears the news," Clark laughs as the doors open again.
"Don't think I never noticed the lustful looks she sends your way," she remarks.
"She never had a chance with me, even before we got together," he replies with a smile as they finally step out of the elevator. "Come on," holding his hand out. She smiles back and links her fingers with his.
Lois happens to look up from her computer and spots the two of them walking into the bullpen. They got back together? That's great, smiling to herself. Then she noticed that they were holding hands. Since when do they show public displays of affection in the workplace?
"Good morning," Clark says with a lilt in his voice as he and Tess come up to his and Lois' joint desks.
"Good morning," she replies, her eyes moving down to their clasped fingers before looking up at the obvious glow on both their faces. "I take it you're back together?" she asks with an arch of her brow.
"Forever and a day," he replies with a smile as Tess holds out her left hand.
Lois' eyes pop open at the sparkling ring on Tess' finger.
"Son of a b!tch!"she declares as she jumps out of her seat, her outburst causing the bullpen to come to a standstill. "That's gorgeous!" grabbing her hand to get a closer look. "This is at least one carat," looking up at Clark. "You did good, Smallville," giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.
"He went to Jared's," Tess says with a smile.
"Well I am sooo happy for both of you," giving each of them a hug.
"What's going on?"
They all look over as Jimmy walks over, his camera hanging around his neck.
"Yeah. What's going on?" asks Cat.
Clark just ignores her and turns to Tess. "You wanna do it?"
She nods and clears her throat. "I have an announcement to make, so I'll just come out with it," taking a cleansing breath before she continues. "Clark Kent and I are engaged to be married."
There was a collective gasp at the announcement. That's when Jimmy turns to Cat. "You owe me fifty bucks."
She glares at him before pulling out her wallet and extracting a few bills. "Here!" thrusting them at him and walking away in a huff.
"You bet on us?" an incredulous expression on Clark's face.
"I knew it was just a matter of time," Jimmy grins back at him as he pockets the money. "I have an instinct for these things," he replies with a wink.
One by one, everybody else in the bullpen come over to extend their congratulations. The women ooh and ahh over the ring while the guys congratulate Clark and clasp him on the back. Finally Tess says, "Alright people. We have a paper to run," clapping her hands a few times before walking away.
"So does Mr. White know yet?" Lois asks as she sits down.
"We told him when we saw him in the parking garage," Clark replies as he logs into his computer.
"So have you set a date yet?" she asks next as she takes a sip out of her coffee mug.
"Not yet," he tells her as he starts typing. "We're not in a rush right now."
"That's smart," she replies. "After all, you have a lot on your plate right now, what with school and your extra-curricular 'activities,' she adds with a tiny wink.
"I know," he stops typing for a moment and looks up at her.
"So how much longer do you have to go?" she asks.
"I've only been back in school for about six months," doing some mental calculations in his head. "I won't be finished for another three years. So what about you? How long do you have?"
"I have less than two years to go and then I'm done," she replies.
"Good for you," he says as he goes back to what he was working on.
"Ditto," she replies as she picks up her phone.
Clark's phone rings a moment later. "Hi," a lilt in his tone. "Sure. I'll meet you there around one," listening for a little bit before he laughs. "I told you," still laughing. "I'll see you then. Love you," lowering his voice. "Bye," he says before hanging up.
"What was so funny?" Lois looks at him curiously as she also hangs up her phone.
"Just before we announced our engagement, I told Tess that I couldn't wait to see the expression on Cat's face when she heard the news," he replies. "She just told me that it was worth getting engaged just to see her reaction," laughing again.
"You are a worry," Lois shakes her head.
"So how about you and Oliver? Well there be wedding bells any time soon?"
"No," she replies quickly. "We only recently got back together after a couple years apart. You know that."
"I know, but…"
"We're getting to know each other all over again. We're not in a hurry to get married," she says as she continues typing.
"But have you ever thought about it?" he asks.
She stops and leans back in her chair. "I'd be lying if I said I never thought about," she admits. "Someday I could see myself walking down that aisle, but that someday is not now."
"I can understand you not wanting to rush things," he says. "Marriage is a huge step to take after all."
"Exactly," she agrees. "I only plan on getting married once in my life."
"Me too," he replies back with a smile before they both resume working on their respective articles.
One year later…
"It was a beautiful ceremony," Tess whispers in Clark's ear as they watch the photographer take picture after picture of Oliver and Lois in their wedding finery.
"It was," sounding wistful.
She looks up at him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he sighs.
"Liar," she says in a low tone so only he could hear her. "What's wrong?"
"It's just that…" taking a brief pause before continuing. "I thought that we would be getting married before them."
"I know," she replies, her hand slipping into his.
"It's been over a year since we got engaged, Tess," turning to face her. "Don't you think it's time we set a date?"
She was about to answer when the photographer gestures to her. "That's my cue," starting to turn around.
He reaches out for her hand. "We're not done talking about this," fixing his gaze on her.
"I know," reaching up to lightly press her lips to his. "We'll talk about it later."
"Alright," nodding his head.
She smiles up at him before walking over to Lois and standing next to her in her purple halter-style dress.
"Tess looks beautiful."
Clark looks up to see Oliver already standing there. "You're a married man now," rolling his eyes.
"Just because I'm married doesn't mean I can't still appreciate the female form," he replies with laughter. "You're a lucky man, Clark."
"So are you," Clark replies as the photographer takes pictures of Lois with Tess, Lucy, and Chloe. "Lois makes a beautiful bride."
"Watch it, Boy Scout. That's my wife you're talking about," Olive replies teasingly before his tone turns serious. "So when are the two of you getting married?"
"I honestly don't know," Clark replies with a sigh. "I just asked her about setting a date, but that's when you came over."
"Sorry about that," Oliver replies.
"It's okay," Clark says with a shrug. "It probably wasn't the best time to bring it up. So how about we talk about something else?" changing the subject.
"Sure," Oliver replies. "How about I tell you something that's sort of funny?"
"I could always use a laugh," Clark replies with a smile.
"Me too," says Jimmy as he walks over to them.
"Count me in," Ron says as he joins them. "Come on. Give us your best shot."
Oliver clears his throat first. "Until Tess showed up, I thought that Clark and Lois would end up together."
"I always thought that Clark and Lois had chemistry," Jimmy replies in a teasing tone.
"Maybe in a friendship capacity but not romantic," Ron interjects.
They all have a nice little chuckle before Oliver goes on. "Do you remember what I said when we first met?"
"I wish I didn't," Clark smirks as Oliver elbows him in the ribs, but not so hard as to hurt himself. "If I remember correctly, you said that if you lived under the same roof with a beautiful woman, you would mask your feelings with sarcasm too."
"That's right," Oliver chuckles. "I even came up with a nickname for the two of you."
"Oh?" quirking a brow. "What was it?"
"Clois," he replies with a serious expression.
"Clois?" Clark stares at him with slightly widened eyes before suddenly bursting out into laughter.
"Don't you laugh at that," Oliver replies with a scowl. "Lois calls the two of you Cless."
"So what are you and Lois?" Clark asks after he stops laughing.
"Clollie," Oliver replies with a big grin before turning to Jimmy. "Lois also came up with one for you and Chloe. Do you want to know what it is?" quirking his brow.
"Let me guess…" pretending to think about it. "Chimmy?"
"Yeah," Oliver replies.
"I don't even know what ours would be," Ron replies with a shrug.
"That is a hard one," Clark remarks. "What about…Rucy?"
Ron scrunches up his face. "I don't like that."
"Is that the best you could do?" Oliver says with a roll of his eyes.
"Well then, you come up with something," Clark challenges him.
"I will," he replies with a determined lift of his chin. "I just need some time to think about it."
"So I suppose if Lana and I had ended up together, then we would have been…Clana?" Clark asks.
"That's right," says Oliver.
Clark chuckles at the thought. "I love the sound of Cless better than Clana. It's funny that I never thought I would ever think that."
"Think what?" Tess asks as she walks over to where they were standing.
"It's not important," he says while giving her a peck on the cheek. "So are we done yet?"
"Not yet," she replies. "It's time for you guys to get in front of the camera."
"That's right," Lois replies as she comes up to Oliver. "Now hurry up so we can get to the reception. I'm dying for some wedding cake, so chop chop," clapping her hands.
"Yes, dear," he replies with an exaggerated roll of his eyes as they walk away, leaving Tess and Lois alone.
"So the ceremony went off without a hitch, thank goodness," Lois breathes a sigh of relief as they wait for the photographer to finish taking the pictures of Oliver and his groomsmen. "So don't you think it's time that you and Clark get married already?"
Tess is a bit taken aback by the sudden change in topic. "We're not in a rush to get married," she says in a nervous tone.
"Hah!" Lois snorts. "You can lie to yourself but not to me. Don't think I didn't notice the sad puppy dog look on Clark's face just before I came over."
Chloe and Lucy come over before Tess could answer. "So is this a private conversation or can we join in?" Chloe asks with a smile.
"I was just asking Tess when she and Clark were getting married," Lois tells her.
"I've been wondering the same thing," says Lucy as she walks up to them.
"Well whenever it is, I hope it's not one year from now," Chloe remarks with a coy smile.
The other three stare at her with eyes wide open. "Are you saying that…?"
"Yep," Chloe replies with a huge smile. "Jimmy and I are getting married."
Both Lois and Lucy squeal with delight and throw their arms around Chloe while Tess just stands there in shock. "We're sooo happy for you," Lucy tells her after they let go. "So where's the ring?" eyeing Chloe's bare finger.
"Yeah. Where is it?" Lois asks with a furrowing of her brows and her hands on her hips.
"We're going ring shopping tomorrow," she replies with a smile.
"Make sure he takes you to Jared's," Lois tells her. "That's where Oliver got my ring."
"Clark too," Tess chimes in. "So I didn't know that you and Jimmy had even gotten back together," turning to Chloe. "Didn't the two of you agree a long time ago that you were better off as friends?"
"I know we did, but it wasn't the right time for us back then."
"And now?"
"It's like the song says," Chloe begins. "Love is lovelier the second time around," smiling as Jimmy comes up to her, his arm snaking around her waist. "Hey, bright eyes," pressing his lips against her neck. "The photographer wants all of us now."
"Let's go," Lois replies with a smile as she walks away, the rest of them following close behind…
Another year later…
Clark watches Tess with fascination as she proceeds to devour every single bite of her dinner. "I could go for some of that wedding cake," eyeing the three tier cake covered in white butter cream frosting. "Do you have any idea what kind it is?" licking her lips.
"Chloe told me that Jimmy wanted chocolate and she wanted vanilla, so they compromised and combined the two," he chuckles lightly. "So you must be feeling better."
"I am," she says while taking a sip out of her water glass. "Remind me to never go to that restaurant again."
"I will," he says while taking a sip of champagne. "This is really good," he declares as he finishes his glass off.
She smiles back as she starts to take a sip, then turns her head and tries to discretely spit it back into the glass. She sets the glass down and looks up to see Clark staring at her. "That's how the French drink it," she quickly replies as she dabs her mouth with a napkin. "Why are you staring at me?"
"I think we need to talk," he says while leading her out of the hall. "What's going on with you?" he asks when they're alone on the outside terrace.
"What makes you think that something's going on with me?" she asks while sitting down on one of the stone benches.
"You had an upset stomach before we ate at that restaurant."
"That's not true…" shaking her head.
"Liar," echoing her earlier words. "The Tess I know loves her wine, especially champagne."
"So I didn't feel like drinking any. What's the big deal?" she counters.
"And that 'French' thing?" using his fingers as air quotes. "I've been to France and I've never seen anybody there drink it like that. So I'm gonna ask you again. What's going on with you?" sitting down next to her.
"I still can't believe it's true," she mumbles under her breath.
"Believe what's true?" a worried look appearing on his face. "Tell me," he says in a soft voice while taking her hands in his.
"I didn't want to tell you here," she begins. "I was going to wait until tonight when we were alone."
"I can't wait until then. You have to tell me now," he insists.
"Alright," turning to face him. "I'm pregnant."
His jaw drops. "You're…what?"
"I'm pregnant," she repeats.
"But I thought you couldn't have children because your fallopian tubes were damaged," looking confused.
"Emil performed an ultra-sound and they were fine. There are no signs that they were ever damaged to begin with."
"I just don't understand how that could have happened. Did he give you any possible explanation for it?"
She abruptly gets up and heads over to the balcony railing. "He did," not turning around.
"Well don't keep me in suspense. Tell me," his hand resting on hers on the railing.
"Remember the story you told me about switching bodies with my 'father' while you were in your senior year of high school?"
"I remember. What about it?"
"Remember you said that he had a terminal liver disease, but that it was gone after you switched back?"
"Of course I do," not understand her line of questioning.
"You had the theory that there was something inside your body that had the capacity for healing and that's why he was cured."
"I remember saying that, but what does that have to do with-" his eyes widening at the implication. "Are you saying that I somehow healed you?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"But I still don't understand how I could have done it," furrowing his brows.
"Emil has a theory about that too."
"Oh?" looking curiously at her.
She leans forward to whisper in his ear. "He thinks that when we're making love and you…uh…that maybe…well…" a slight blush forming on her cheeks.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying? That I have super-sperm or something?" looking back at her in disbelief.
"I always knew you were a superman," flashing him a wink. "Seriously though, how do you feel about my being pregnant?"
"How do I feel?" wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the floor. "Having my baby. What a lovely way of saying how much you love me," he sings to her.
"Ugh," she groans. "I can't stand that song, ever since I heard it in the first Look who's talking movie."
"Alright, so you don't like it. How about this one: We're having a baby. My baby and me…"
"Now you're quoting I love Lucy?" rolling her eyes.
"You don't like I love Lucy? Now that's blasphemous," shaking his head with a sigh as he sets her back down.
"I don't have anything against it. I just never really cared for it. Not everyone does," she shrugs as she sits back down on the bench.
"So you don't like I love Lucy but yet you like Friends?" he asks as he joins her.
"What makes you think I like Friends? Have you ever seen me watching it?"
"No…" he admits. "You quoting what Rachel said about how the French drink their champagne before she revealed she was pregnant tells me that you do."
"Fine. You caught me in a lie. Are you proud of yourself?" her eyes narrowing.
"I am," he grins as he pulls her close. "So when do you want to get married?"
"Married?"
"Yes, married," he replies. "First Lois and Oliver get married, now Chloe and Jimmy. We were engaged before any of them. Why don't you want to set a date? Have you changed your mind?"
"Of course not," cupping his face with her hands.
"So why don't we just do it this weekend?" he asks.
"You mean elope?" a thoughtful look on her face. "I like the sound of that, but what about your mother? Don't you think she'll want to be there to see her only son get married?"
"Of course she'll be there."
"What about Lois? Chloe? All your friends? Don't' you think they'll want to be there too?"
"You're right. You're right. I know you're right," he replies with a sigh.
They sit there for a minute or two before she breaks the silence. "How about we get married next month? That way, everybody we love will be there."
"Really?" looking at her hopefully.
"Really," she replies before kissing him full on the mouth. They pull apart and gaze into each other's eyes until the song currently playing comes to an end and the intro to the next one begins.
It was fascination, I know.
And it might have ended right then, at the start.
He stands up. "Will you dance with me?"
"I would love to," standing up and allowing him to pull her into his arms. "Don't you want to go inside?" she asks as they begin to dance.
"No," shaking his head emphatically. "I want you all to myself," gazing into her eyes.
Just a passing glance, just a brief romance.
And I might have gone on my way empty hearted...
"So do you wanna know the first thing I noticed about you when we met?"
She looks at him curiously. "What?" she asks while they continue dancing under the moonlit sky.
It was fascination, I know.
Seeing you alone with the moonlight above.
"Your eyes."
"My eyes? Why my eyes?" she asks.
"I can't really explain it," he shrugs. "For some reason they just…fascinated me," smiling down at her. "What about you?"
"I think for me it was your smile, although your eyes come in a very close second," gazing up at him. "When you smile, it just does all kinds of wonderful things to me."
"Oh?" quirking a brow. "What kind of things?"
"You know exactly what kind of things," her hand moving to his backside.
"Oh… that kind of thing," his eyes twinkling with mischief as her hand gives it a firm squeeze. "So what are my chances of making some of those wonderful things happen tonight?"
"I think your chances are about 99 and 44/100% likely to happen," she says teasingly.
"Leave it to you to bring up an Ivory soap reference during a romantic dance," an amused grin on his face before his eyes begin to twinkle.
"I know that look," her eyes narrowing slightly.
"What look?" feigning innocence.
"That's the look you get when you're planning to do something naughty," she gently accuses him.
"You'll just have to wait until tonight to find out," he whispers in her ear before drawing her head down on his shoulder. "I still can't believe that we're gonna have a baby."
"I know," she replies. "So do you have a preference?"
"Preference?"
She lifts her head. "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
He thinks about it for a moment. "I would be happy if it was a boy, but I would be just as happy if it was a girl," he finally replies. "I just want them to be healthy."
"You always know the absolutely right thing to say," she says softly just before their lips press together in a gentle kiss.
Then I touch your hand and next moment I kiss you,
Fascination turned…to…love…
THE END