Usually there's not much connection between Shakespeare and Lex Luthor. But like Romeo and Juliet, Clark Kent and Lana Lang were star-crossed lovers.
And Lex used that exact phrase just before he broke them up for good.
But before Lex did that there was a brief moment when the stars aligned for Clark and Lana. And something amazing happened.
About the time Lex was creating an army of super-freaks, Clark told Lana about his powers. Or at least he was about to.
"Clark, I already know your secret," Lana said.
Though surprised at first, Clark quickly recovered. "Lana, there's more. I'm from a planet called Krypton."
If Doctor Fate was narrating this story he might at this point jump ahead a few months to when Chloe Sullivan and Jimmy Olsen were trapped in an elevator and Chloe told Jimmy she was a meteor freak.
She then said, "Some feedback would be awesome right now."
For Clark, telling Lana that Krypton thing was his "feedback-would-be-awesome" moment. Though there would be an even bigger moment later.
The feedback was awesome. Lana kissed him. It was just like with Chloe and Jimmy in that elevator.
Some hours later Clark was told Lana was dead.
It was just like Romeo and Juliet.
That is, if Juliet faked her own death by blowing up a clone of herself while arranging the kidnapping of a billionaire then running off to Shanghai.
Some weeks later Clark learned Lana was still alive. His first clue was when she walked into his barn.
They were able to have a brief talk then, mainly about how Lana faked her death.
Then there was all this business with Clark's cousin Kara which involved a beauty pageant, a time capsule, and Kara escaping from jail to save Clark from some vapid eye candy known as "the Weather Girls." And not the ones who sing "It's Raining Men."
Finally Clark and Lana had enough of a break in the action that they could have "The Talk. "
"So when I was unconscious you saved me from Deputy Watts?" Lana said.
"Yeah, there was all this shattered glass. I shielded you from it," Clark said with a smile. It felt good to finally be able to tell her all this.
"When were some other times you saved me?" she asked.
Clark paced the living room. "There was the tornado, of course." He winced slightly. "Lana, I'm sorry I lied to you."
"It's all right, Clark. I understand. You were protecting me." As Lana smiled, her nose crinkled up in a sexy way. "I don't think I would even be able to accept this until now."
Clark knew Lana had always been bothered by his secrecy. But there were some things Clark still intended to keep secret.
For example, he had never told his parents about the "scarecrow" incident. With a typical teen mindset, Clark had found that just too embarrassing to share with them. And now that Whitney Fordman was dead there was no sense in tarnishing his memory.
And he would never tell Lana about the time he proposed to her in the Fortress of Solitude. Hours after she accepted his proposal, she died in a car crash.. Thanks partly to Lex.
Clark would never tell Lana how he, like Tru Davies, went back in time one day to stop the car crash from happening.
That was the one heroic act she would never know about. It would just be too much truth.
Clark was nervous, though. There was one more thing he had to tell her.
Lana sipped her coffee. "When were some other times you saved me? Clark, I want to know everything."
"Well, there was that phone call from the future. When Adam Knight shot you. I took a bullet for you."
Lana's already large eyes widened. "You're bulletproof? Just like Van McNulty said you were."
Clark nodded. "Except in that case I needed the lead shielding.. He had kryptonite bullets."
"And kryptonite is your weakness." Another sip of coffee. "Clark, I saw what you could do when you helped Chloe in Lex's wine cellar." She grin-winced. "Sorry about the deception, by the way. And sorry about all the times I accused you."
"It's all right, Lana. Though that may have hurt worse than the kryptonite."
Lana sat up straight on the couch. "What else?"
Clark thought for a moment. "Well, there was the Smallville Medical Center. I saved you and Lex from Graham Garrett. And then when Lex was kidnapped and you went to that warehouse I was the one who put out the fire. With my breath."
"Your breath? Clark, that's amazing." She sat back and paused. "And you're from a planet called Krypton. How did you get here?"
"In a spaceship. When I was just a baby. Mom and Dad found me out in a field." Clark grinned. "But they say I found them."
"Kind of like when we found Evan." Lana's eyes, five percent larger than normal, seemed to glow.
"Lana, there's one more thing. The meteor shower. My ship brought it." As he struggled to speak, Clark let out a little gasp. "I'm the reason your parents are dead. I'm sorry."
Clark's greatest fear was that once Lana knew the truth about this she would stab him with a sharp piece of meteor rock.
Instead Lana's almond eyes were full of compassion. "Clark, you have nothing to be sorry about. You were just a baby. You couldn't control it. There was nothing you could have done." She embraced him. "It's not your fault, Clark."
It was one of the rare times Clark wept. "Thank you, Lana," he said. "Thank you."
Although Clark and Lana were not destined to have what Kryptonians call a life union, this moment was significant.
For in that moment a great burden was lifted from the heart and soul of Clark Kent.
He was free to become the hero the world needed.
