Summary: Clark watches the last person who truly knew him, Lex Luthor, finally die. Alone and adrift immortality looms ahead of him and he wonders why he must go it alone. Jor-el says it is because he turned against his soul holder or soul mate as humans would say. Turns out Lex wasn't meant to be his enemy but his lover. Clark is given the chance to go back and try again from the very beginning. Can he change the way things happened, can he truly give himself to the one man who could easily break him or will old insecurities hold him locked into a future he doesn't truly want.

Warnings: Male/male slash, strong language, less restrained Clark, murder, and spoilers.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, though I am sure someone has done something similar at least once before.

CHAPTER ONE

Superman knelt beside the fallen form of his oldest friend and greatest enemy. Even though it had been over a hundred years since they had first met Clark still didn't look a day over twenty-five and Lex, due to some unknown reason barely looked older than thirty. Everyone speculated that the Luthor used crazy experiments or cloning to keep himself young, but Lex had denied it for years and oddly enough Clark believed him.

What he couldn't believe was that Lex, the one person he had left alive who knew the true identity of Superman was dieing and there was no way to save him. It was Lex's own fault, the bald billionaire had come up with another crazy scheme to best Superman. He had managed to collect quite a bit of blood from Superman over the years during all of their battles and had saved most of it. Lex had found a way to give himself a blood transfusion and had become Kryptonian like Clark.

The only issue with that was all of the experiments Lex had done over the years with Kryptonite had infused him with quite a bit of poisonous meteor rock. To a human it was nothing but with his new blood and powers it was deadly and Lex lay dying now, mere hours after he had finished the procedure. Knowing he was dying the billionaire had called Clark and informed him he wanted to see him one last time and so Clark, as Superman had flown there immediately. He never could say no to Lex when he used that tone of voice. He had found the man in his bed and now he watched as the billionaire gathered enough strength to speak.

"I nev...never wanted this to happen Clark. I never wanted to be evil." he breathed out. If it wasn't for his heightened hearing Clark wouldn't have heard him.

"Then why Lex. You had so many opportunities to change and every time you chose to become more like your father." The disappointment in his voice was enough to make Lex flinch.

"Because, you always sided with everyone else over me Clark. It was always about you. I didn't want to fight with you and if you remember I didn't start becoming my father until you became yours. I didn't want to hurt you at first, I just wanted you around and then suddenly you were only around when I did something to make you pay attention. The easiest way to do that was for Superman to be needed and by then it was too late to change, you already hated me."

"Why did you have to drag others into it then, why Chloe and Lana, why my parents and Lois. Why couldn't you have just told me you wanted us to be best friends Lex. It was what I wanted, but you kept pushing at me, provoking me and lying to me. You investigated me behind my back and sicked your little lap dogs on me when if you had simply waited I would have eventually told you everything anyways."

Clark watched as a strange expression crossed Lex's face before the dying man seemed to find some courage in himself and drew himself up as much as his weak body was able.

"I didn't want you to be my best friend Clark, I wanted you to be mine. Didn't you ever wonder why none of my marriages lasted Clark."

Lex looked at him beseechingly as Clark tried to hide his shock. Always he had been drawn to Lex as more than friends but because of his upbringing he'd forced the thoughts away and did his best focus only on girls and later women. His marriage to Lois had eventually failed because even though he could bring himself to sleep with her he took no real pleasure in it, only finding release. He had known then and stopped fighting the fact that he was gay, even though he had never told anyone. Chloe had guessed before she died and Lois had as well. Honestly who else but a submissive gay man would willing have put up with her constant domineering attitude.

The fact that Lex had apparently wanted him since the beginning was both gratifying and shattering. Could things have been different if he had not fought it so hard. Could he have stopped Lex from turning into his enemy or at least from hating him so much. Of all his life his biggest regret was losing the Luthor as his friend and confidant.

"What are you saying Lex, that all this time you have fought me because you wanted me. Why the hell did you marry Lana then, or target people I was close too?"

"I married Lana because you wanted her and I couldn't let her have you. I knew she wasn't good and sweet, I could she the thirst for power. I thought if I could keep her from loving you then maybe one day you would come to see the truth and you would be able to love me in return. I knew if you ended up with her you would never let her go if for no other reason than to play at being normal even if it ruined you. I had to at least try."

Lex's voice was growing even weaker and at the end of his speech he broke down into a coughing fit and began coughing blood. Clark tried to help him stop but it was no use. Over the next hour he watched on as doctors tried everything they could to heal the Luthor or at least stop the seizures his body was forcing him through and Clark was forced to watch as finally Lex succumbed to his injuries.

He couldn't stand it and even though several news papers and news shows admitted their relief at the loss of Supermans greatest enemy over the next few days he was the last one at the graveside of Lex, thinking over what might have been.

The next several months were tiring as Superman fought villains determined to take the Luthors place and alternately thought of a future alone. Over sixty years before he had allowed Clark Kent to fade into oblivion and had taken on may alias's since to hide that he never aged. Lex had left his fortune to his latest alias Kal Sullivan, after his best most loyal friend who had been lost several years earlier after her and Oliver's wedding.

Chloe had surprisingly enough died in child birth and Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow was left raising his seven year old son and newborn daughter alone and had retired from the hero game. Clark had been godfather and had broken down and cried when an old enemy of Oliver's had bombed the broken family and killed the last link to Chloe.

Lois had died while investigating a story on the mob. They had caught her and tortured her and by the time Clark had found her it had been to late. She had succumbed to her injuries later that night in the hospital after informing him that Superman had a duty to see the world better its self. Later that year he had published a book admitting about the fact that Superman was an Alien and about everything he knew of his race. He hadn't admitted who Superman was, but the public had not bothered to push.

Lana he had only heard of in passing from time to time but she had apparently passed away peacefully in her sixties with a husband, three children and eight grand children. He hadn't been able to be near her since the Kryptonite had entered her system and after finding out about everything she had done in her lust for power he had almost been thankful to Lex over it.

Pete had died in his eighties from cancer. He had been president for two terms and a Supreme court Judge along with a senator. He had never told Clark's secret despite all of the trouble he had encountered over it and had always stood for Superman and the Justice League in his political views.

His adoptive father, Jonathon Kent had died before anyone else and his mother, Martha had died in a plane crash on one of her many trips as Senator. He still owned the farm through corporations and dead end trails, though only Chloe would have the skills necessary to hack everything and find that out.

After he allowed Clark to 'die' he had stopped getting close to anyone but the justice league and after Bruce Wayne and Oliver died he had stopped growing closer to the new recruits as well. Flash had been cool but he had retired after several years and eventually passed away and Aqua Man had been poisoned by a chemical spill off the coast of Mexico. Wonder Woman had left Earth and eventually he was fully alone except for Lex. Now he didn't even have Lex around and the looming years seemed daunting.

After all even the man of steel could get lonely.

Six months after Lex's death found him seeking solace in his ice fortress. His confusion and loss had turned to rage over the past few days. Another wannabe thug had declared that they were Supermans greatest enemy and after killing the bastard he had retreated here alone with his thoughts and the artificial intelligence of his dead father Jor-El.

"It isn't fair father. Why am I still young, why am I still alive after everyone else is gone. Why am I left alone. How much longer until I pass on." he raged to the empty air.

"I truly do not know my son. Nothing is certain where you are concerned. We as a race were long lived anyways but I suspect my son that with the yellow sun powering you it is unlikely you will ever die unless you take your own life. As for being alone, well I tried to get you to admit years ago that you needed your soul holder. If you remember he stayed young until he lost his life. That is because he was your mate, he was meant to live as long as you did. You could still have him had you not fought yourself for so long."

Clark glared at the lit up crystals where the voice of his father was coming from. If he didn't fear losing the last person who truly knew him he would let his heat vision loose. But he didn't dare, not knowing if it would truly destroy the A.I.

"But is there no way. I have strength for many things but an eternity alone seems like it would be too much even for one such as me. The world is changing and the way of the hero is over, I am the last of my kind and I have no one to even stand with me anymore. The new hero's are children who don't know their limits and I have to rescue them constantly and the new villains are no better. All murder and no real finesse. It is sad when I am even complaining about my enemies Father." his tone was whining but he didn't care anymore.

The A.I. was silent for several long moments before the voice of his birth father filled the cavern.

"There is one way Kal-El, but it is very rare and can only be done in the pursuit of a soul holder. I will take your memories and powers and send them back to your younger body. It will be a shock to you to deal with youth again, but it will give you a chance to change everything. I wish for you to take the knowledge you have gained over the past century and instead of hiding your identity, I wish for you to embrace it and allow others to know the truth. Bring witchcraft back to the humans and help the 'meteor freaks' as they were called back then. Not all of them are evil and a group of superheros together would be much more efficient than just you. Will you do this Kal-El?"

Clark didn't even have to think it over, it was an easy decision anyways. He could stay as he was and be alone and never have his other half or he could go back and change things from the beginning. If he went back he could tell Lex the truth about himself from the beginning which might stop him from turning dark side and he could help stop some things from happening. He could see his parents and Chloe again, and even Pete as well.

He could get Lionel out of the way quickly and he could make sure his parents didn't want for anything. He could stop Alecia's murder and the loss of several students and hell, he might even save Whitney. He could stop the destruction of some of the good 'meteor freaks' like that Cyrus kid who could heal with a touch and he could maybe save Evan, who he found in the field with Lana. Last time he couldn't save him because his father died before anything could be done, but maybe he could stop that this time.

He could stop that whole thing with Adam Knight before it got a chance to happen and he might be able to stop Tina Greer from going crazy and homicidal. He could stop that science teacher from marrying Lex in the first place and he could prevent Jason Teague and his mother from bringing the second meteor shower onto Smallville. He could stop Zod and his merry bad of freaks from escaping the Phantom Zone, even if it left Raya there for eternity.

Kara could be free and awake earlier and the Justice League could do a whole lot more good if they didn't have to fight against Lex and 33.1. The biggest thing was Darkseid and stopping that before it had a chance to destroy half the world. There was so much more on top of that that could have ended better and with going back he could see to it that it did.

It only took him moments to come to a decision and when he did he smiled and turning to face the base crystal set he answered.

"I accept, father."

With a bright burst of light the fortress imploded taking him away.