Spoilers for season 8 episode 14. Had to write this before moving on to Clois. Here we have… the end of Clana. It's good if you also listen to Goodnight, Travel Well by the Killers while you read – it's the song that played in the episode just before the scene.
I own neither Smallville nor the song. I mean, can you imagine if I did? Do you think I'd be writing free fanfics and not making money from this? No. Enjoy. Don't forget to review.
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All his power… and there was nothing he could do…. To have her for that short time only to have her ripped away from him… As he walked up to the loft, he had never felt as weak as he did now.
He stopped when he saw her standing there, when he felt the faint effects of Kryptonite at the distance between them. She was all perfection. Strong, fast, endurable perfection… and he couldn't go within ten feet of her.
He took a step forward.
"Clark, please," she stopped him, stepping backward. "I don't want to hurt you."
He swallowed, but stopped.
"Lex already took care of that."
They stood in silence before he asked the question he was afraid of hearing answered. "Did you talk to Doctor Groll?"
She pressed her lips together and nodded. One short, tiny nod, before looking away.
"Can he help us?"
The silence was deafening. Finally she shook her head. "No," she answered.
He shouldn't have had to ask. He shouldn't have made her say it out loud. He should have stopped this happening! There would have been another way to deactivate the bomb – this should not have happened!
"I'm going to do everything I can to fix this, Lana," he promised, stepping forward.
She stepped back again.
"I will find a way for us to be together."
"Clark, he tried everything." She paused and swallowed. "He can't reverse the process."
The silence was heavy with everything they were afraid to say, had never wanted to say.
She swallowed again. "I love you," she said, trying in vain to stop her lip from quivering. "I always will." Her eyes filled with tears she was unwilling to shed, but she was smiling at him. "I know what I need to do with my life, now." She took a deep breath. "Life is… so precious. So beautiful. And to be able to protect that, that's an amazing gift. I know you feel the same way."
He didn't say anything, but just looked at her. It took every ounce of his sun-given strength not to break down in front of her.
"What we have is beautiful," he finally said.
Now she let her emotions evident in her voice. "Clark, we made our choice on that roof. And I know we would do it again. Because both of us are driven to do this – even if we can't do it together."
He caught her gaze intently. "Don't leave," he begged. "Don't leave again, Lana. Even if we can't be together I want you in my life."
"And that's where you're stronger than me," she replied. "To…" She paused. "To see you on the street, every day… and not be able to touch you." Finally a single tear escaped her and cascaded freely down her face.
"Stay," he pleaded.
"No," she was now openly crying, her emotions in plain sight for the first time.
He blinked several times, then took a deep breath before walking towards her.
"Clark, don't."
She backed away, but there was only so far she could go before her back was pressed against the wall. He walked up the last few steps, violently wobbling, and nearly panting with the effort it took. He wasn't five feet away from her before he nearly doubled over with the pain, but he still staggered over to her. He placed his hand on her arms for support – support that burned with every touch. He tried to stand tall, and his breathing was haggard. Pain was evident in his eyes.
He kissed her. It was clumsy, agony-filled, and final.
He kissed her, the Kryptonite spreading over his face like the plague. She wanted so badly to stop this, but she couldn't leave him. She continued kissing him, continued killing him with every movement. Kissing him softly, killing him slowly, until finally he couldn't take any more. He abruptly pulled away, his eyes glazed over. She wanted to hold him… but she couldn't. The only thing she could do was leave.
He finally collapsed, one hand on the window. His head was spinning with all the Kryptonite he had inhaled, and he barely registered her stifled sobs as she visibly restrained herself from touching him. Her face crumpled, and she stepped away before walking toward the stairs, walking away from him.
"Goodbye, Clark."
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Review if you cried when you first watched the end of Requiem. Or even if you didn't, is fine.