A/N: Love song-fics. Love them. They help me escape plot bunnies easily and quickly. So please, enjoy. Oh yeah, and if you didn't catch it in the summary, this is total AU!
It had been a long few years away from home and Whitney was glad to be back. After what he had seen in Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, he couldn't wait to see Lana again. Her letters had carried him through to the end but nothing could replace her entirely.
He stepped off the bus in Smallville and walked to the Talon. That was where he had left Lana and he hoped that that would be where he found her.
Entering the coffee shop, he spotted a familiar face at the counter. Clark Kent.
Quickly, Whitney made his way over to him. He tapped the man on the shoulder and watched curiously as Clark's face lost all color at the sight of him.
"Hey, Clark," Whitney smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "How've you been?"
Clark sat his cup of coffee down. "H-hey, Whitney," he said shakily. "I didn't know you were coming in today."
"Yeah," Whitney replied, still smiling. "I found out I was getting sent home and got here as fast as I could to see Lana."
At Lana's name, Clark closed his eyes as if in pain. A new voice startled the both of them.
"Clark?" Lex asked, laying his hand on Clark's arm. "Are you okay?"
Opening his eyes, Clark smiled shakily at Lex. "Y-yeah, Lex. It's just...Whitney's back. He wants to see Lana."
Lex's face went blank and he turned to Whitney, holding his hand out to the soldier.
"Mr. Fordman," said Lex stiffly. "Pleasure to see you've made it back in one piece."
"Mr. Luthor," Whitney replied, shaking Lex's hand firmly. "Now, can someone tell me where Lana is before I attract too much attention?"
Lex wrapped an arm around Clark's waist as the younger man seemed to slump in despair. He nodded towards the stairs. "She's in the apartment."
Whitney nodded his thanks and set off up the stairs.
"Why'd you do that, Lex?" Clark asked, his voice muffled from where he had buried his face in Lex's neck.
Combing a hand through Clark's dark curls, Lex said, "Because he deserves to know."
Sadly, Clark nodded.
[Whiskey Lullaby]
Whitney stopped in front of the apartment door, running his hands through his blonde hair. He stood there for a moment, trying to decide if he really wanted to go in.
His mind was made up at the sound of a loud moan. He knew that moan; it was Lana's.
Busting open the door, Whitney swept his gaze over the sparse apartment before catching sight of the large bed off to the right. On the bed was Lana with a strange man.
A man that wasn't Whitney.
A man that wasn't Whitney was in bed with Lana, Whitney's fiancee.
"How could you?" he whispered, his heart sinking in his chest. He turned and ran back down the stairs, unaware of Lana following him.
The patrons of the Talon were shocked when they saw a soldier running from the coffee shop, his half naked fiancee calling after him.
"Whitney!"
[Whiskey Lullaby]
It was six months later and Whitney was laid up in bed, his fit body gone and his sane mind gone with it.
Raising the bottle to his lips, he swallowed another mouthful of whiskey, the alcohol barely cutting through the haze of depression over his mind.
He stood from the bed and stumbled over to a table scattered with empty bottles, junk mail, and other things. Searching out a pen and a relatively blank paper, Whitney scratched out the words 'I'll lover her til I die'.
Returning back to the bed, he grappled for the gun on his nightstand.
This would be the night that he got drunk enough to get her off his mind.
[Whiskey Lullaby]
The funeral was short and small, a simple reception underneath a large willow tree on the Kent Farm.
Only Clark and Lex were there as Whitney was put in the ground. His parents were both in the Smallville Cemetery and Lana was too ashamed to show her face.
Bowing their heads in silence with the preacher, Clark caught sight of the gently swaying tree limbs and hummed.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
[Whiskey Lullaby]
Lana tried to hide her shameful, flushed face as she was chased by the whispers. The rumors had been rampant ever since the day Whitney had come back.
Even though everyone's blame pressed down on her, it had nothing on her own blame. The whiskey she downed everyday did nothing to cover it up either.
Laying in bed, staring at a picture of Whitney in his uniform, Lana cried as she pulled a swallow from the bottle for the last time, and a bullet from the gun for the first.
[Whiskey Lullaby]
We laid her next to him beneath the willow
Standing together in sadness, Clark and Lex saw Whitney and Lana's relationship through to the end. Like good friends do.
They stood by the preacher for the last time as he sent Lana off to the heavens with sad words.
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby
This time, as they bowed their heads, it was Lex who saw the wind whispering through the willow's limbs. Under his breath he sang.
La la la la la la la. La la la la la la la.
A/N: That...was sad. And also the very first story I've written that was het. BTW, the Clark/Lex thing can be slash or friendship. It's up to you. Please REVIEW!
~S.