When It Comes Down To This

.

'Well it comes down to this… / She's caught onto the clues now, he's got the moves now… / He understands… / She's not all wrapped up in the palm of his hands… / She won't come down… / Her head's high in the castle, her heart's on the ground… / It's as if she didn't know… / The truth about Romeo… / The truth about Romeo…'

.

Truth About Romeo – Pancho's Lament

.

.

.

"It's come to this?"

"Yes."

"But… how? I don't understand."

"Yes, you do. I know you do."

"I don't! God! I thought… I thought we were happy."

"We were. Once."

"Then how did we lose that?"

"A little bit everyday? Just enough so we wouldn't notice."

"Tell me what you want."

"Clark…"

"Lois, just… tell me! Please! Tell me how to fix this!"

"You can't…"

"I can!"

"No… Honey, I'm so sorry, but that's probably the one thing in the whole world you can't fix."

"It's him, isn't it?"

"Please don't do this…"

"I thought you, of all people, would know why I have to be him."

"I do. Believe me, I do… Sometimes, when I'm at work and the world just gets too much… I go up to the roof, and I stare into the face of the wind hoping… praying… for just a glimpse… a flash of red and blue across the sky and suddenly… I know the world will be okay. Be safe."

"Then why…?"

"Because at night… I don't stare out the window hoping for red and blue. I stand there, alone, hoping my husband will make it to one more sunrise."

"And you can't do it anymore…"

"No. I can't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Destiny chose you, and you embraced it. You stand between us and nightmares and I love you for that."

"I am sorry. That you feel that way. That I made you feel that way. But I always come back. To you. I always come back."

"But one day you won't. And I can't spend another night crying… another night wondering…"

"So what now? How am I supposed to go on with my life?"

"You'll find a way. You're the strongest man in the world."

"Only when I'm with you."

"Don't say that. It's not true. It never was. It's sweet and romantic, but it's not true."

"You really believe that? When I was trapped on that world, in eternal night, I saw your face in the stars… It's what I aimed for. It's the only reason I flew again."

"I feel that too, Clark… When he locked me up, beat me, tried to strip the hope from me… it was the thought of you that kept me fighting. Knowing you would find a way to save me."

"And I did. I always will."

"That's the problem! Don't you see? How many people died because you were too busy saving me?"

"Lois, you can't think like that…"

"I have to. Because you won't."

"I will not apologise for putting you first. For needing you. For loving you."

"I won't either. It's the memory that will get me through the days and years ahead."

"Days without me… and years apart…"

"Yes."

"And nothing but a memory…"

"No. There's one more thing… My wish… that you be happy."

"Without you? Impossible."

"Try. At least do that. For me."

"I think I should go."

"Yeah… yeah… See you around?"

"I'll always be around…"

.

.

.

~fin~

AN:/ So I sat down to work on my novel last night (that's what's been keeping me away from fanfiction, btw... sorry) and this is what came out. It's the complete opposite of Until The Stars Die. I don't know where it came from, and I don't know why, but I thought it was... beautiful in it's own right. Hope you agree.