Title: Only time can tell

Feedback: Yes please.

Summary: As Lionel Luthor summons Lex to take his rightful place as the next one in line to take over the Luthor empire, Lex struggles with his emotional well being as he begins to remember events of the past and the tragic loss of Lana years ago, and wonders if the love of his life may still be alive.

Spoilers: Everything that happened in the first season of Smallville..

Rating: mostly PG-13 but with a little NC-17 mixed in.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lex or Lana or any of the characters in Smallville. I just write this stuff for fun.

Note: This story was inspired by the question of what movie would you put Lex and Lana. I pondered that question and then came up with a great idea. A decided homage of sorts to the film Waking the Dead, this is fanfic adaptation of the story if it happened in the Smallville world. Of course it can't be a dead on remake of the tale so I had to change some things and take out other things, but the basic storyline is there and as you can see, I think that what happens to the Fielding and Sarah, the main characters of Waking the Dead, can also apply to Lex and Lana.

I will also borrow some dialogue that was used in the movie too. Credit goes to Scott Spencer who wrote the novel that the movie was based on as well as Robert Dillon, who wrote the screenplay. Also, like the movie, I will write in stage directions just because I find my mind works like that. Like a director. Like a storyboard. I think it would give you, as a reader, a better idea of what I'm seeing.

****

2008

Grey. All you can hear are gentle tappings, as if someone is typing on a computer. The camera slowly pulls out to reveal a smooth, dark gray floor. The camera pans out even further and starts to inch its way towards the direction of the sound. The camera creeps closely to the floor as the sound of the typing get louder. The camera finally stops in front of large mahogany table as it scans upwards towards the top of the desk. Sitting on top of the desk is a state of the art black flat screen computer, as you finally see who is staring intensely at it.

Lex stared almost blankly at the computer screen in front of him. As he propped his chin unto his hand, with his fingers gently tapping the side of his head, he attempted to focus on the figures that scrolled down the screen. He didn't know how long he had been working but now he struggled just to make out any number that he had written. Usually he would be able to focus, working like a madman, but tonight, it just seemed like he couldn't concentrate. Maybe it was just the numbers that were finally getting to him. He gently rubbed his temples as he rolled his head around, which was aching from sitting for so long. He rubbed his eyes and sighed heavily. He looked over at his watch and noticed that it was almost midnight. Staring back at the screen once more, the problems that laid before him was just making him ill. The numbers weren't adding up and it was driving him mad.

Staring out the penthouse window from his apartment, he smiled slightly at the view. The storm that had brewed outside had calmed down tremendously. It was pretty surprising how only a hour ago, a storm was raging outside, blowing debris everywhere in Metropolis. The storm had even caused a minor blackout throughout the city. Now all the remained of it was beads of rain that ran down the window glass.

As he turned his head back towards the screen, he rolled his eyes and grudgingly went back to work, typing a few keys on his computer, hoping it would fix the calculating problem right there. He had to a business meeting tomorrow with some very lucrative business partners and there was no way that he could screw it up. As he looked at the figures once more, he reached across the table to pick up the remote and pointed towards the far wall of his office. As he pressed the button, the wooden panels slowly moved apart to reveal a large flat screen tv, which spanned almost completely across the length and width of the wall. He clicked quickly up and down the channels, looking for the nightly news. It was a daily ritual for him to quickly get the day's news at night since he never really had the time to watch during the rest of his day. Although the tv was on, he didn't really pay much attention to what was going on, as he devoted his concentration on the computer screen.

…A violent storm plagued Metropolis tonight as Superman saves the day…

Although he didn't hear everything the anchorwoman was saying, Lex started to chuckle a little at the mention of Superman. This strange man or being had appeared out of nowhere to Metropolis a couple of years ago and about every disaster that had happened in the city, Superman was there to save them. It intrigued him a little this mysterious man, who apparently had super powers that were god-like. From the moment he had made his first appearance, Lex always had a strange fascination with this phenomenon who possessed supernatural abilities that were so unbelievable that it baffled him every time. Although he admired the man for his strength, he also had a great respect for his good virtues and morals. It was really hard for him to fathom a person who would go out every day to save the world. And explaining why oh why, out of all things to wear, the man would choose blue underwear over red tights was beyond him. And there was always something about him that was so terribly familiar…He then managed to draw himself away from the glare of the computer and focused his attention on the spectacle that the local news was going to make about Superman's heroic feats tonight.

…with hurricane-force winds, the mysterious man in tights had once again gotten himself in the midst of the chaos, saving the lives of hundreds within the Metropolis area, including citizens on the Metropolis metro as the train nearly jumped the tracks.

"Impressive." Lex admitted as he listened on watching reporters interviewing people on the streets, obviously shaken by the traumatic experience.

… while the storm has made a obvious impact on the city, fortunately reports from outside regions have reported little damage or fatalities….

Lex finally let out a huge sigh of relief as he heard those words. He didn't need to worry about Lana. She was visiting Nell in Smallville that weekend so she was safe. However, thoughts of worry didn't completely leave his mind as he wondered about her. Maybe he should call Nell and ask if they were alright.

…although Superman had managed to rescue many, there were some who weren't as fortunate…

Lex then picked up the phone next to him and began to dial.

…I'm reporting live at the Metropolis Bridge tonight as paramedics, police and firefighters are still trying to assess the damage caused by a major three car collision…

As he continued to dial, a knot began to twist in his gut as he watched further. He stood up from his chair and walked around his desk to get a closer look. He could see two cars in the background, smashed up completely while the police were trying to fish another vehicle from the river.

…Although it is not complete certain the condition of all the victims here, sources has been telling us that three are in critical condition and two bodies drowned, including one being identified as Lana Lang…

Lex immediately dropped the phone from his hands and stood there, frozen, unable to speak or move.

Lana Lang is the longtime girlfriend of Lex Luthor, son of Lionel Luthor, CEO of Luthorcorps, one of the most powerful enterprises in the world today….

He put his hands on his head as he began to tremble, his arms shaking with intensity and his mouth gaped in horror. "It couldn't be… ", he thought to himself as his eyes began to glare over and the tears beginning to form. Then her face appeared on the screen, a picture taken recently of her, with her dark hair flowing, her eyes sparkling, and her smile shining brightly. It returned back towards the scene of the accident as the reality began to sink in. There, as clear as daylight, laid the remains of Lana's red truck. Lex began to sink down towards the ground as his legs gave in and couldn't stand any longer. The shaking became worse as nothing now could stop them from shaking. He literally could feel his stomach begin to twist and pull and his heart stop beating. His mouth was still opened from the sheer shock of the news. Now he felt as if his body began to rip apart, staring from his heart and pulling into shreds from within towards the outside. For a moment, all the sound that could be heard was the voices still reporting onscreen, as Lex couldn't even mouth a single word. And then, a piercing cry unleashed itself from his lips, echoing throughout the empty penthouse. As he held his head in his hands, his screams turned into uncontrollable sobs, with his eyes flooded with tears as all of his pain and agony began to pour out of him for the world to hear….

The camera pulls away from Lex's face towards the clock that hangs on top of the wall behind him. The time is 12:15. Lex's painful sobs can still be heard as the screen fades to black.

****

2006

The screen fades in to another clock. It also shows 12:15. The camera pans out to reveal a cute little coffee shop bustling with customers coming in and out, sitting at numerous coffee tables and armchairs. All you can hear is chattering, the sound of various coffee makers, and the chimes on the door as it opens and closes constantly. The camera moves around, scanning the random faces in the shop as it settles on a figure, hidden away behind a large opened newspaper of the Daily Planet.

Lex folded up the pages of the Daily Planet, as began to shake his head at the news he just read. Something along the lines of a mysterious man in red tights stopping a robbery in Metropolis. "Of all the crazy things…"he thought to himself, as he folded up the newspaper widthwise and looked at both his watch and the clock on the wall. Clark had said that he'd meet him at 12 today and now it was 12:15 and still there was no sign of Clark. Although both Lex and Clark were both busy people these days, they still managed to remain best friends after all these years. They talked on the phone regularly and often met each other once a week for lunch ever since they both relocated to Metropolis. Clark was still trying to finish college and interned at a small independent newspaper. Although Lex had offered to pull some strings to get him a job at the Spectator or the Daily Planet, Clark politely refused his offer since he wanted to become a journalist on his own, without any help. Lex complied to Clark's wishes as he knew that Clark was grateful of his gestures but he also knew that Clark just needed to do things by himself, which he respected and understood.

Lex stared as his watch once more as he sipped the coffee from his large coffee cup. In all of this time, Clark was never once late and he wondered what was taking him so long. Usually it wouldn't bother him so much but today he had wanted to see Clark before he was about to go on his business trip to Europe and it would at least another month until he'd see him. As Lex sat in his chair, deep in thought, his mind began to wander as he heard a familiar voice nearby.

"Yes I'll have a strawberry Italian soda please."

Lex turned around to see where the voice came from, as the waiter began to walk away, clearing Lex's view. There, sitting in a deep purple armchair was a young woman with wavy long hair, sunglasses perched on top of her head, deeply engrossed in a copy of Wuthering Heights. Although he couldn't fully see the side of her face, he knew for certain who it was. He smiled widely as he stood up to approach her.

"Still with the defensive reading I see." Lex remarked as he tapped the top of her book.

She jumped in her chair a little as she looked up. As she recognized at Lex's unmistakable face staring down at her, her face instantly lit up. "Lex!" she exclaimed, smiling widely. She instantly jumped out of her seat to give him a big hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Lex replied, as he held her close and took in the sweet scent of her hair. "now that you're here." He pulled back for just a moment to take a good look at her. It had been a long time since he had even seen her and although she looked older dressed in a pair of fitted khaki capris, a white embroidered, peasant styled shirt and a jean jacket, there was a part of the young Lana Lang that peered out. "You look good, Lana. Really good."

"Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself." Lana asked as she mocking began to check him out. "Still wearing those Italian suits aren't you." She said as she fingered the dark jacket he wore and touched the collar of his white shirt. "Not that I'm complaining." She giggled with a smile. "How long has it been since we last saw each other Lex? God, it seems like such a lifetime ago!"

"I think the last time was Clark's graduation party. That was two years ago." Lex replied. "When did you get back from Europe? I mean Clark would talk about you whenever you sent him a postcard, an e-mail or a call, but Clark hasn't say anything about it."

"Maybe it's because I haven't told him." Lana admitted with a sly grin on her face. "Even though I've been back for a couple of months now, I never felt like I needed to tell anybody since I hadn't run into anybody. The only person that knows I'm here is Nell and now you."

"Well Clark's going to find out pretty soon. I'm supposed to be meeting him for lunch actually," Lex answered as he looked at his watch once more and sighed. "But he is strangely late." Then he gave Lana a weird smirk and she just smiled.

Suddenly, the coffee door suddenly burst open as if the wind blew it open. Lex quickly turned his head as Clark suddenly stood behind of him, with the most apologetic expression on his face.

"Lex, were you waiting long? I'm sorry, I just had so much to do, hey Lana, and I los.."Clark explained but stopped a minute, as his head did a double take as he saw Lana's face over Lex's shoulder, tilting her face, smiling and waving at him. He looked at her with confusion for a minute and then he began to grin widely. "Lana! What are you doing here?" He quickly sidestepped Lex to go give her a big hug.

Lana hugged him back as he lifted her off the floor. "I've just got back from Europe." A few moments later, Clark gently set her back on the floor and looked at her. "Why didn't you call? All of us would have been so happy to know you were in town. Are you going to be staying permanently?"

"I'm sorry Clark for not calling. I just wanted to settle in Metropolis before I even wanted to talk to anyone." She replied and then nodded assuringly." And don't worry, I'm planning on staying."

As Clark broke away from her, he smiled even more. "Well you've got to come to lunch with us. We've got to catch up."

"Are you sure I'm not intruding on some quality male bonding time?" Lana teased with a laugh.

Clark and Lex gave each other a look and smiled at her. "Nah," Lex replied, as he wrapped his arm around Clark's neck in a headlock. "We've bonded enough, Right Clark?"

"Definitely. Come Lana, it'd be fun." Clark urged her.

"Well I'm not going to be having another class for awhile," Lana replied as she quickly picked up her book and stuffed it into her canvas bag. " so I'm up for it." As she walked ahead of them, she turned her head back towards them and flashed them a smile. Lex and Clark just walked behind her, both wondering what's been happening in Lana Lang's life since she disappeared from their lives.

****

The lunch flew by in what felt like an instant. Although Lana had not seen either Clark or Lex since the end of high school, as they busily spoke of their lives, it just seemed as if they've never been apart. Although it was inevitable that all of them had changed in the last two years, in some ways, they were very much the same people that had lived in Smallville so very long ago. As Lana talked of her adventures in Paris and Italy, Lex told her about his progress at making it on his own in the business world, and Clark told her about Pete moving down to LA to try to get into acting, his and Chloe's struggles to make a mark in the journalism world, as well as all that he knew was still going on in Smallville.

"I go down to visit at least once a month." Clark explained to her as they walked out of the restaurant. "My folks are doing okay on the farm and Nell too with the Talon."

"Yeah I know." Lana replied, as she walked between Clark and Lex and sipped on her coffee. "I call her regularly to see how she's doing. She's a little tired but overall she's fine." She paused a little. "So have you heard from Whitney?"

Clark and Lex hesitated for a second. "No we haven't seen him." Clark admitted, feeling the awkwardness of the subject. "But my mom sometimes talks with his mom and she says that he's fine."

"Guys, you don't have to feel weird about Whitney." Lana assured them as she felt the tension. "Whitney and I ended it a long time ago and it's okay between the two of us. Honest."

As they walked on, the constant chattering drifted into silence, with Clark walking further ahead of Lex and Lana, who casually strolled behind him. They just smiled at each other occasionally as they each wondered what the other was thinking. Lana would sneak a peak at Lex and pondered if he was still the enigma she had left behind in Smallville. Even though they had what she would call a quiet understanding after those years of doing business together with the Talon, she never felt like she truly knew him. And whenever Lana would peer through a store window, Lex would quickly glance at her in awe of how much a couple of years can change a person. The last time he had seen her, Lana was on the verge of becoming a woman and now she was a woman. A beautiful woman. Not that she was beautiful before but now she had more ease and confidence, and even though she was only 20, those who truly looked into her hazel eyes would know that she was wise beyond her years; all of which made her even more exquisite.

As he peered her way once more, suddenly her head turned towards him and their eyes locked. Although inside he felt embarrassed to get caught staring at her, he tried his best to maintain his cool as he shrugged slightly and smiled. She in turn smiled back at him as if she knew better and then they both started to laugh. They were so caught up in a quiet fit of laughter, Lex didn't even think to look up to where he was going when out of the blue, he walked smack dab into Clark, who had stood immobile.

"Are you okay Lex?" Lana asked she ran to his aid.

"I'm fine Lana. Clark I'm so sorry." Lex said apologetically. "I didn't stop to look whe…" He was in mid-sentence when he stopped as he looked at the worried expression on Clark's face. Lex couldn't really say, but it was as if he was hearing something, listening intently that was upsetting him. But there was nothing to be heard except for the noise from the city and the traffic. "Clark what's wrong?"

"Nothing Lex." Clark said distractedly. "I just…I just have to…someone's in trou.. I..I.. have to get back to school now. I thought I had more time but I just remembered the time and now I think I'm late. I'm sorry Lex. I'm sorry to you too Lana but I really have to go. I'll call you guys later okay?" As Clark apologized, Lex couldn't help but notice the tension and worry in his eyes and his urgency.

"Well do you need a ride Clark because I could drive you." Lex offered.

"Yeah, let Lex drive you." Lana agreed.

"No, that's okay Lex. I'll walk." Clark answered back as he looked even more anxious to leave.

"Don't be silly Clark." Lex replied as he looked down. "You walking by foot can't be as fast…," as he looked up again, Clark was gone. "as my Porsche…" He looked around him and only Lana was left by his side. "Well okay then." He then glanced over at Lana. "Where did he go?"

"Don't ask me." Lana raised her shoulders in question. "I just looked away for a second and then he was gone. It was so weird." She paused a little but then smiled. "But then again, Clark was always disappearing somewhere, keeping secrets. I guess things haven't changed that much since I left."

"No. We are pretty much the same." Lex said with a laugh. "Yeah, I'm clueless about Clark sometimes. One minute he'll be there and the next he's nowhere to be found. And to tell you the truth, it's getting worse. On the other hand, he is still the most loyal person I have ever met in my life."

"There's no one more upright and good than Clark." Lana agreed, as she turned around and stopped, swaying her bag from side to side on her shoulder. "Well, I probably should be going. I have a class lecture at three."

"And I should get back to work." Lex admitted, think of the mounds of paperwork still piled up on his desk.

"Yeah maybe you should." Lana said with a smile. "Gosh it was so great to see you." She continued as she wrapped her arms around him.

"It was great to you too Lana." Lex answered with an almost heavy sigh. Now with his arms around her, he didn't know if he could really pull himself away from her. Before the scent of her hair was just a drifting memory. Now the scent had become intoxicating. It was as if he was breathing her in. He slowly but reluctantly drew away.

"Maybe we could see each other next week or something." Lana suggested, still touching his arms.

"I'm going to be gone for a month on a business trip." Lex sighed. "But I wish we could."

"Oh I forgot." Lana realized. "I guess I'll see you when I see you." She gently moved her hands up to his shirt and straightened his shirt collar. As she gave him a quick smile, she slowly turned around. "Bye Lex."

"Bye Lana." Lex whispered under his breath as he turned the other way, walking towards where he had left his car. He walked a couple of steps until he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He swiftly turned his head around and yelled out the only words he could muster in his mind: "DO YOU WANT TO HAVE DINNER WITH ME TONIGHT?"

He held his breath as he watch Lana walking away from a distance stopped. The moment seemed to last forever. At last, words blurted out, ending the silence. "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?". As Lana turned towards him, all she could see was the biggest grin on his face.

****


2016

Screen fades to white as it fades back in to a blur. As the screen begins to focus, you can see flurries falling outside, with a view of a large window from the inside. As the camera pans out, all you can see a dark silhouette of a bald-headed man standing very still, his arms crossed behind his back.

"Mr Luthor? Mr Luthor? Did you hear the last numbers?" a small diminutive voice called out.

"Yes. I can hear perfectly fine." A stern, emotionless voice answered back.

" As you can see sir," another voice called out from the long conference table. "From the numbers we've calculated for the last three months, Luthorcorp is beating Lexcorp in sales by 15%. Our profit margins are decline and our foreign investments are not doing as well as we had hoped. But in our other numb.."

"Is that all you have to say?" the dark voice asked calmly.

"Sir, these months have been hard but…"

"Is that all you HAVE to say?"

"But sir, if you can look at…"

"I'm not going to look at anything. Let me get this straight once and for all. I'm not here to hear your failures. I'm not here to hear your excuses." As he turned around, all you could see was an expression on Lex's face that meant business. "And I'm sick of hearing numbers!" He slammed his fist on the dark, ebony table, making every single one sitting around it nearly jump out of their seats. "I WANT RESULTS!"

a wave of silence swept over the room as they tried to anticipate the words that would come out of his mouth.

"Luthorcorp has been steadily been trying undermine the progress and success of Lexcorp for years and every time you people come in here and blab on and on, all you can give me are numbers. Well I'm BORED. Get it through your head people! NUMBERS DON'T CUT IT. I'm not paying you good money just to let you squander all your time on percentages and such. This is a business and all that matters here is that we WIN. THAT'S IT. There's no middle ground here. There's no maybes. All there is that we win and they lose. I don't care what it takes but WE won't rest until Luthorcorp buried and dead, six feet underground. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

All shook their heads in unison, as well as shook in fear.

Lex sighed again as he turned away from them and looked outside once more. "Now just get out and leave my sight immediately. Meeting's OVER!" He really didn't know why he had so many incompetent people working for him. They were like droids just waiting for instructions, with only half a brain to work with. And every board meeting always ended in the same way: with him ordering them to leave his sight. God, I need an Advil he thought to himself as he rubbed his temples and sighed heavily.

"Sir?" a small petrified voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What is it Claudia?" he sighed he turned towards his shy assistant.

"umm.. there's something… something…office…" she mumbled.

As he walked towards the doorway, he grabbed the folders she held in her hands, and walked away from her, leaving her trailing behind. "I don't have ALL day Claudia… just spit it out…."

"There's something…someone…I tried sir…"she continued, trying to catch up to his hurried pace.

"What? Claudia, you going to have to be more clear…" Lex continued, as he became more aggravated by her stuttering. She was a great assistant, there was no doubt about that, but whenever she got nervous, she would go on this neverending rant that would last forever until he figured it out on his own. He quickly turned the corner, his head bowed down, walking towards his office.

"Mr Luthor, what I'm trying to say sir is that..um…someone… is…you know… your…" she continued, trying her hardest to say the words.

"Claudia," Lex said impatiently as he burst into his office. "I don't have…. all day…." As he looked, the surprise that awaited him in his office made him suddenly feel sick. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

His leather chair spun around to reveal his Lionel Luthor, sitting quite comfortably with a glass of brandy in one hand, a cigar in the other, and a large grin on his face. "Well hello to you…son."