By the time they reached New York, Lex appeared to be doing much better. He
had a rough time when they drove through Pennsylvania, going through a sort
of withdrawal, but Clark made sure he drank lots of water, helped him when
he was sick, and together they got through it. Dr. Swann wasn't at the
planetarium, but Clark was able to get his home address there. Now they
stood in the lobby of Victor Swann's complex, trying to get up to the
penthouse, but the receptionist wouldn't let them up.
"I can't let you up without an appointment." He said snidely.
"Look, this is really important." Clark insisted. "Just tell him Clark Kent needs to see him."
The receptionist sighed dramatically, but he pressed the intercom anyway.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr. Swann." The receptionist said. "But there's a Clark Kent here demanding to see you. He claims it's an emergency."
"Send him up immediately." Dr. Swann ordered. "Cancel any other appointments and hold my calls."
"Uh, yes sir!" The receptionist stammered in surprise. "Uh, you can go right up."
"Thank you." Clark said shortly. Lex smirked at the shocked receptionist as he watched the two of them step into the elevator.
"How'd you pull that off?" Lex asked once the doors were closed.
"Dr. Swann knows about me." Clark said. "He knows I wouldn't come to him unless it was a matter of life and death."
"Wait a minute." Lex said angrily. "You couldn't tell me what you are, but you could tell Victor Swann?"
"No." Clark replied. "He told me."
Lex opened his mouth to ask what Clark meant, but the elevator opened revealing the office of Dr. Victor Swann. Dr. Swann was in his wheel chair behind his desk. An assistant brushed into the elevator as Clark and Lex stepped out.
"I assumed it would be best to discuss your visit in private." Dr. Swann explained.
"Definitely." Clark said. "Thank you for seeing me."
"Of course." Dr. Swann said.
"This is my friend, Lex Luthor." Clark introduced. "We've kind of got a problem."
Victor Swann listened patiently while Clark and Lex thoroughly described the ordeal Lex had been put through. He didn't even flinch when he learned Lionel was behind it all. Being another billionaire, apparently he was familiar with Lionel's tactics. He did, however, seem very impressed when Clark pulled out the bag containing the wealth of evidence he'd collected.
"So, do you think you can help us?" Clark asked.
"Well, you've made that job a lot easier by bringing me this to work with." Dr. Swan said as he glanced at the file Clark held up for him. "Yes, I think maybe I can. What exactly do you want to do?"
"My original plan was to go to the US Attorney." Lex said. "But an investigation into my father is going to take a long time and I don't know who's working for him anymore."
"I think we should still take you evidence to the US Attorney." Dr. Swann said. "I can make sure the agents who investigate aren't on your father's payroll."
"How?" Lex asked.
"Because they'll be on mine." Dr. Swann said bluntly. Clark blinked with surprise; he never thought he'd be grateful for such blatant corruption. "I'll arrange for the two of you to stay here until everything is in order. I assume Lionel doesn't know where you are?"
"No," Clark said. "And I'm also pretty sure he doesn't know what we've got on him."
"Even if he does find out about the missing files, he'll probably assume Morgan Edge stole them." Lex said.
"That's good." Dr. Swann agreed. "We'll set the FBI on Edge first. Then, while Lionel's distracted with him, they can conduct their investigation of his dealings without alerting him. Now, if you'll allow it, I'll call my personal physician in to examine you, Lex."
"That's fine." Lex agreed. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for your help."
Dr. Swann smiled and made the call. While he was talking to his physician, Lex pulled Clark aside to talk.
"So, this is it!" Clark grinned. "It looks like this might actually work."
"Maybe." Lex said noncommittally. "At least I'll have a clean bill of mental health soon."
"Yeah, I think the withdrawal episode cleaned you out." Clark agreed.
"This means you and I need to have a talk very soon." Lex said warningly. Clark paled and started chewing on his lower lip again. But he'd made a promise and he couldn't back out now.
"Okay." Clark nodded. "Soon."
A few minutes later, Dr. Swann's personal physician was in the bedroom examining Lex. Clark and Dr. Swann waited in the office.
"Dr. Swann, do you still have the message and the information about Krypton that you told me?" Clark asked.
"Of course." Dr. Swann replied. "Why do you need it?"
"Lex saw me do some things." Clark explained. "He'd suspected me for a long time, but now he knows. I promised I'd tell him the truth."
"Well, Clark, that information really belongs to you." Dr. Swann admitted. "But are you sure this is a secret you want to share?"
"At this point," Clark sighed. "I'm kind of out of options."
Dr. Swann nodded sympathetically. He downloaded all the information onto a laptop for Clark.
"Well, I must say, Mr. Luthor," Dr. Swann's physician said as he and Lex came in. "Considering all the abuse your body's endured over the past few days, you've made an amazing recovery. I'll run your blood immediately. If you were drugged, some trace should still be present. I'll have the results for you in a few hours."
"Thank you." Lex said, shaking the doctor's hand.
After the doctor left, one of Dr. Swann's assistants led Clark and Lex to their rooms. Dr. Swann provided them with pajamas and told them to leave their clothes in the hallway so he could have them washed for them. But neither Clark nor Lex were going to bed just yet. After showering for the first time in three days, Clark knew he couldn't put this off any longer. It was time to tell Lex the truth. He picked up the laptop, his file, and headed down the hall.
"Lex?" Clark called, softly knocking on the door. The lock turned and Lex opened the door.
"Come on in, Clark." Lex said authoritatively. Clark sighed and followed Lex inside. Lex closed the door behind them.
Clark took a seat at the table near the window. He stared at the swirls in the woodwork, avoiding eye contact as Lex sat across from him.
"All this time. . .I was right about you." Lex started what promised to be a long conversation. Clark nodded.
"I'm not really sure where to start here." Clark said awkwardly.
"Beginnings are usually considered good for that." Lex suggested.
"I'm not sure what that is." Clark said. "Okay. Let me try this. After you saw me stop Edge's car you said I wasn't human. You're right. I'm not. But I didn't know that until less than three years ago. Right after you hit me with your car on Loeb's Bridge."
Clark went on from there. Once he started talking it came much easier. He talked for hours, explaining everything to Lex as thoroughly as he could. Lex rarely interrupted, not wanting to disrupt Clark's flow. He only stopped him when he had a pertinent question. Clark wound up having to explain a lot of specific incidents, some of which he'd rather have forgotten. But he told the whole story as well as he could remember. Finally it was over. But then came the part that Clark absolutely couldn't stand. The silence.
"Lex?" Clark said. "Lex, please just say something!"
"You should have come to me, Clark." Lex said coolly. "I'm your friend. I would have protected you."
"And now you won't?" Clark asked nervously. Lex didn't say anything. "Lex, listen. I know what you must be thinking right now. . ."
"What am I thinking?" Lex demanded.
"You think I never told you because I didn't think I could trust a Luthor." Clark said.
"Good guess." Lex conceded.
"But that's not it!" Clark insisted. "I told you, I didn't even know what I was until right after we met. Even if keeping my secret wasn't the one rule my family lives by, which it is, how could I tell you what I was when I didn't even know? Can't you understand, I was scared! Then the next year. . ." Clark pulled out the file that Lionel had been keeping on him. "Your father was suspicious of me too. Not long after my mom started working for him we found out that he was doing some major meteor research, that he had the key to the ship, and that he was keeping files on me. Your father keeps such close tabs on you, Lex, I couldn't risk telling you. He would have found out too. And by then, I'd lied to you so many times I didn't see how you could ever forgive me. It was never a question of my not trusting you Lex. It's just that no one was supposed to know."
Lex was silent for another few minutes, trying to think through what Clark had just said. He had a definite advantage over Pete; none of this really surprised him too much. It was nothing more than what he'd suspected at one time or another. Still, it was a lot to process.
"What was your biological father's name, again?" Lex asked.
"Jor-el." Clark said.
"And what about you?" Lex asked. "What's your real name?"
"My real name is Clark Kent." Clark said firmly. "But Jor-el calls me Kal-el."
"Kal-el." Lex repeated. "Oh, I get it. Kal-el. . . Kal. Okay. So, your species created the caves, huh?"
"I guess." Clark said.
"What are your parents going to do when they find out you've told me all this?" Lex asked
"Oh, they're going to kill me!" Clark said instantly and unequivocally. "Especially my dad. And if he doesn't, Pete will. Or they might just kill you."
"Yes, it does sound like I'd be the easier target." Lex chuckled. "So, when are you going to tell them?"
"I don't know." Clark sighed.
"How about now?" Lex suggested. He pulled out his cell phone and held it out to Clark.
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea!" Clark said.
"Why not?" Lex asked. "You're going to have to tell them eventually. Tell them now while we're not there and give them a chance to get used to the idea before we have to face them."
"What if your father has tapped our phones or something?" Clark searched for an excuse. However, Lex was no longer suffering from the drug- induced paranoia and he wasn't buying it.
"Call Pete, then." Lex said. "My father won't have bugged his house, especially since his mother's a judge. He can bring your parents over and you can tell them that way."
Out of excuses, Clark reluctantly took the cell phone from Lex and dialed Pete's number.
"Hello?" Pete answered.
"Hi, Pete." Clark greeted.
"Clark!" Pete exclaimed. "Oh, man! Are you all right? Where are you? Everyone's going crazy here. They're saying Lex kidnapped you!"
"What?" Clark guffawed. "No, Lex didn't kidnap me. We're in New York. Dr. Swann's helping us prove Lex isn't crazy. Listen, I need to talk to my parents, but I don't know if our phone line is secure. Could you get them over to your house and I'll call back in, like, fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah, sure man." Pete agreed. "I'll go get them."
"Thanks, Pete." Clark said. "I'll talk to you soon." Clark hung up and with a groan, buried his head in his arms on the table.
"Well, here goes nothing." Lex said.
"Easy for you to say." Clark disagreed.
Unable to sit and do nothing, Clark called the hospital to get another update on Lana. Apparently she was doing all right, but they still weren't sure how her leg would heal. Clark made up his mind to visit her as soon as he returned to Smallville. He just hoped he'd have the courage to go through with it when the time came. And speaking of courage, it was time to face the music and call his parents.
"Clark!" Martha exclaimed when she heard her baby's voice over the phone. "Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mom." Clark assured her. "We both are. Lex's system is clear and he's totally lucid again. Plus we've got enough evidence against Lionel and Morgan Edge to send them both away for good."
"Lionel?" Jonathan repeated. "I thought you only suspected Morgan Edge."
"Yeah, that's what we want Lionel to think." Clark said. "That way he won't be so on guard while the US Attorney is investigating him."
"Clark, be careful." Martha pleaded.
"I am, Mom." Clark promised.
"Pete tells us you're in New York?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah, Dr. Swann is helping us out." Clark said. "We're staying in his complex until the whole thing with the US Attorney is set up. Then we'll be back home."
"Make it soon, son." Jonathan said. "We're worried about you."
"I'm sorry I had to take off like this without telling you." Clark apologized. "There just wasn't time."
"It's okay." Martha said. "You just make sure you come back to us safely."
"I've been calling the hospital to check on Lana." Clark said. "They said she may not recover full use of her leg. Is that true?"
"There's no way to tell, son." Jonathan said.
"She's asked for you a couple of times." Martha said.
"Tell her I'm thinking about her." Clark said. "Tell her I'm sorry."
Just then, Lex kicked Clark sharply under the table. It didn't hurt him, of course, but it did get his attention.
"You're stalling!" Lex whispered. Clark narrowed his eyes, but he knew Lex was right.
"Listen, Mom, Dad, there's something I need to tell you." Clark said.
"What is it, Clark?" Jonathan asked. Clark took a deep breath. Here it goes.
"I told Lex." Clark confessed. There was a horrible pause as the news gripped Clark's parents back in Smallville.
"You told him what, exactly?" Jonathan demanded, hoping he'd misunderstood.
"Everything." Clark said.
"Oh my God!" Martha gasped.
"Clark!" Jonathan shouted, but he lowered his voice so the Ross's wouldn't hear. "How could you do that, son? And without even talking to us first! What were you thinking?"
"Dad, I had to." Clark insisted. "Lex saw me stop a car from hitting him. I almost ran away right then. But I had to tell him the truth, Dad. It was the only way to get him away from Lionel."
"I can't believe you did this, Clark." Jonathan said, convinced his family was falling apart.
"What was I supposed to do?" Clark demanded angrily. "Just stand by and do nothing, when I knew the truth? Let Lionel lock Lex up for the rest of his life and go through the rest of mine knowing it's my fault? You tell me, Dad! What should I have done?" Clark took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm sorry. But Lex needed to know. No, it's more than that Dad. I wanted him to know! I trust Lex."
"I know you want to, Clark." Jonathan sighed. "But when it comes to your secret, Lex has done nothing to inspire my confidence. He's investigated you behind your back, the crash site, your ship. He's the one who turned Roger Nixon onto us, Clark!"
"I know." Clark said. "But that was before! He didn't know what he was doing, what was at stake. Now he does."
"Yes, he does." Jonathan said. "And how long do you think he'll be able to resist that persistent curiosity before he needs to know more?"
"Dad, Lex is my friend." Clark insisted. "He's not going to hurt me." Lex had been pretending not to eavesdrop until then, but at the suggestion that he might cause Clark harm he dropped that pretense.
"Listen, it's late." Jonathan sighed. "You go get some sleep. We'll talk about this when you get home. Until then, I'd feel better if I knew you were keeping a very close eye on your friend Lex."
"Okay, Dad." Clark agreed. "I love you guys."
"We love you too, Clark." Martha said.
"Goodnight." Clark said. He hung up the phone with a sigh. "That went well."
"So, what's the verdict?" Lex asked.
"I've made a horrible mistake." Clark recapped. "You'll betray me the first chance you get, send me to a lab, and dissect me like a frog."
"Glad to know I've made such great strides with your family." Lex sighed.
"To his credit, my dad never once tried to play the Luthor card." Clark said. "He's just worried that your curiosity will get the better of you. I guess he's got a right to be scared. Whenever someone gets close to the truth and it usually ends badly. People get hurt. They always want to use me for something."
"Well, it is very tempting." Lex commented. Clark glanced up sharply. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I've fully processed it yet. You being an extraterrestrial."
"Do you have to sound so excited about it?" Clark demanded moodily.
"It's an exciting situation, Clark." Lex insisted. "You're an alien! The only one on earth, as far as we know. Aren't you curious about yourself? You're completely unique!"
"Yeah, say that another way." Clark moped. "I'm completely alone. I told you what Dr. Swann said. Something horrible happened and no one else survived."
"Maybe someday we'll find out why." Lex said.
"No, we won't." Clark snapped. "Lex, don't you understand? This isn't just my life we're playing around with here. It's my mom, my dad, Pete, and you! Knowing my secret is dangerous! Look how many times Pete's almost gotten hurt since he found out! Don't you know what would happen to me if the wrong people found out? Lex, please, don't make me regret finally being honest with you."
"Clark," Lex said earnestly. "I may have been angry with you for lying to me, but I understand why you did and I'll get over that. You have to know I would never do anything to hurt you. Your secret is safe with me."
"Good." Clark nodded. Then he glanced at the clock. "I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Clark." Lex nodded.
Clark returned to his room, but it was a long time before he could finally fall asleep.
"I can't let you up without an appointment." He said snidely.
"Look, this is really important." Clark insisted. "Just tell him Clark Kent needs to see him."
The receptionist sighed dramatically, but he pressed the intercom anyway.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr. Swann." The receptionist said. "But there's a Clark Kent here demanding to see you. He claims it's an emergency."
"Send him up immediately." Dr. Swann ordered. "Cancel any other appointments and hold my calls."
"Uh, yes sir!" The receptionist stammered in surprise. "Uh, you can go right up."
"Thank you." Clark said shortly. Lex smirked at the shocked receptionist as he watched the two of them step into the elevator.
"How'd you pull that off?" Lex asked once the doors were closed.
"Dr. Swann knows about me." Clark said. "He knows I wouldn't come to him unless it was a matter of life and death."
"Wait a minute." Lex said angrily. "You couldn't tell me what you are, but you could tell Victor Swann?"
"No." Clark replied. "He told me."
Lex opened his mouth to ask what Clark meant, but the elevator opened revealing the office of Dr. Victor Swann. Dr. Swann was in his wheel chair behind his desk. An assistant brushed into the elevator as Clark and Lex stepped out.
"I assumed it would be best to discuss your visit in private." Dr. Swann explained.
"Definitely." Clark said. "Thank you for seeing me."
"Of course." Dr. Swann said.
"This is my friend, Lex Luthor." Clark introduced. "We've kind of got a problem."
Victor Swann listened patiently while Clark and Lex thoroughly described the ordeal Lex had been put through. He didn't even flinch when he learned Lionel was behind it all. Being another billionaire, apparently he was familiar with Lionel's tactics. He did, however, seem very impressed when Clark pulled out the bag containing the wealth of evidence he'd collected.
"So, do you think you can help us?" Clark asked.
"Well, you've made that job a lot easier by bringing me this to work with." Dr. Swan said as he glanced at the file Clark held up for him. "Yes, I think maybe I can. What exactly do you want to do?"
"My original plan was to go to the US Attorney." Lex said. "But an investigation into my father is going to take a long time and I don't know who's working for him anymore."
"I think we should still take you evidence to the US Attorney." Dr. Swann said. "I can make sure the agents who investigate aren't on your father's payroll."
"How?" Lex asked.
"Because they'll be on mine." Dr. Swann said bluntly. Clark blinked with surprise; he never thought he'd be grateful for such blatant corruption. "I'll arrange for the two of you to stay here until everything is in order. I assume Lionel doesn't know where you are?"
"No," Clark said. "And I'm also pretty sure he doesn't know what we've got on him."
"Even if he does find out about the missing files, he'll probably assume Morgan Edge stole them." Lex said.
"That's good." Dr. Swann agreed. "We'll set the FBI on Edge first. Then, while Lionel's distracted with him, they can conduct their investigation of his dealings without alerting him. Now, if you'll allow it, I'll call my personal physician in to examine you, Lex."
"That's fine." Lex agreed. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for your help."
Dr. Swann smiled and made the call. While he was talking to his physician, Lex pulled Clark aside to talk.
"So, this is it!" Clark grinned. "It looks like this might actually work."
"Maybe." Lex said noncommittally. "At least I'll have a clean bill of mental health soon."
"Yeah, I think the withdrawal episode cleaned you out." Clark agreed.
"This means you and I need to have a talk very soon." Lex said warningly. Clark paled and started chewing on his lower lip again. But he'd made a promise and he couldn't back out now.
"Okay." Clark nodded. "Soon."
A few minutes later, Dr. Swann's personal physician was in the bedroom examining Lex. Clark and Dr. Swann waited in the office.
"Dr. Swann, do you still have the message and the information about Krypton that you told me?" Clark asked.
"Of course." Dr. Swann replied. "Why do you need it?"
"Lex saw me do some things." Clark explained. "He'd suspected me for a long time, but now he knows. I promised I'd tell him the truth."
"Well, Clark, that information really belongs to you." Dr. Swann admitted. "But are you sure this is a secret you want to share?"
"At this point," Clark sighed. "I'm kind of out of options."
Dr. Swann nodded sympathetically. He downloaded all the information onto a laptop for Clark.
"Well, I must say, Mr. Luthor," Dr. Swann's physician said as he and Lex came in. "Considering all the abuse your body's endured over the past few days, you've made an amazing recovery. I'll run your blood immediately. If you were drugged, some trace should still be present. I'll have the results for you in a few hours."
"Thank you." Lex said, shaking the doctor's hand.
After the doctor left, one of Dr. Swann's assistants led Clark and Lex to their rooms. Dr. Swann provided them with pajamas and told them to leave their clothes in the hallway so he could have them washed for them. But neither Clark nor Lex were going to bed just yet. After showering for the first time in three days, Clark knew he couldn't put this off any longer. It was time to tell Lex the truth. He picked up the laptop, his file, and headed down the hall.
"Lex?" Clark called, softly knocking on the door. The lock turned and Lex opened the door.
"Come on in, Clark." Lex said authoritatively. Clark sighed and followed Lex inside. Lex closed the door behind them.
Clark took a seat at the table near the window. He stared at the swirls in the woodwork, avoiding eye contact as Lex sat across from him.
"All this time. . .I was right about you." Lex started what promised to be a long conversation. Clark nodded.
"I'm not really sure where to start here." Clark said awkwardly.
"Beginnings are usually considered good for that." Lex suggested.
"I'm not sure what that is." Clark said. "Okay. Let me try this. After you saw me stop Edge's car you said I wasn't human. You're right. I'm not. But I didn't know that until less than three years ago. Right after you hit me with your car on Loeb's Bridge."
Clark went on from there. Once he started talking it came much easier. He talked for hours, explaining everything to Lex as thoroughly as he could. Lex rarely interrupted, not wanting to disrupt Clark's flow. He only stopped him when he had a pertinent question. Clark wound up having to explain a lot of specific incidents, some of which he'd rather have forgotten. But he told the whole story as well as he could remember. Finally it was over. But then came the part that Clark absolutely couldn't stand. The silence.
"Lex?" Clark said. "Lex, please just say something!"
"You should have come to me, Clark." Lex said coolly. "I'm your friend. I would have protected you."
"And now you won't?" Clark asked nervously. Lex didn't say anything. "Lex, listen. I know what you must be thinking right now. . ."
"What am I thinking?" Lex demanded.
"You think I never told you because I didn't think I could trust a Luthor." Clark said.
"Good guess." Lex conceded.
"But that's not it!" Clark insisted. "I told you, I didn't even know what I was until right after we met. Even if keeping my secret wasn't the one rule my family lives by, which it is, how could I tell you what I was when I didn't even know? Can't you understand, I was scared! Then the next year. . ." Clark pulled out the file that Lionel had been keeping on him. "Your father was suspicious of me too. Not long after my mom started working for him we found out that he was doing some major meteor research, that he had the key to the ship, and that he was keeping files on me. Your father keeps such close tabs on you, Lex, I couldn't risk telling you. He would have found out too. And by then, I'd lied to you so many times I didn't see how you could ever forgive me. It was never a question of my not trusting you Lex. It's just that no one was supposed to know."
Lex was silent for another few minutes, trying to think through what Clark had just said. He had a definite advantage over Pete; none of this really surprised him too much. It was nothing more than what he'd suspected at one time or another. Still, it was a lot to process.
"What was your biological father's name, again?" Lex asked.
"Jor-el." Clark said.
"And what about you?" Lex asked. "What's your real name?"
"My real name is Clark Kent." Clark said firmly. "But Jor-el calls me Kal-el."
"Kal-el." Lex repeated. "Oh, I get it. Kal-el. . . Kal. Okay. So, your species created the caves, huh?"
"I guess." Clark said.
"What are your parents going to do when they find out you've told me all this?" Lex asked
"Oh, they're going to kill me!" Clark said instantly and unequivocally. "Especially my dad. And if he doesn't, Pete will. Or they might just kill you."
"Yes, it does sound like I'd be the easier target." Lex chuckled. "So, when are you going to tell them?"
"I don't know." Clark sighed.
"How about now?" Lex suggested. He pulled out his cell phone and held it out to Clark.
"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea!" Clark said.
"Why not?" Lex asked. "You're going to have to tell them eventually. Tell them now while we're not there and give them a chance to get used to the idea before we have to face them."
"What if your father has tapped our phones or something?" Clark searched for an excuse. However, Lex was no longer suffering from the drug- induced paranoia and he wasn't buying it.
"Call Pete, then." Lex said. "My father won't have bugged his house, especially since his mother's a judge. He can bring your parents over and you can tell them that way."
Out of excuses, Clark reluctantly took the cell phone from Lex and dialed Pete's number.
"Hello?" Pete answered.
"Hi, Pete." Clark greeted.
"Clark!" Pete exclaimed. "Oh, man! Are you all right? Where are you? Everyone's going crazy here. They're saying Lex kidnapped you!"
"What?" Clark guffawed. "No, Lex didn't kidnap me. We're in New York. Dr. Swann's helping us prove Lex isn't crazy. Listen, I need to talk to my parents, but I don't know if our phone line is secure. Could you get them over to your house and I'll call back in, like, fifteen minutes?"
"Yeah, sure man." Pete agreed. "I'll go get them."
"Thanks, Pete." Clark said. "I'll talk to you soon." Clark hung up and with a groan, buried his head in his arms on the table.
"Well, here goes nothing." Lex said.
"Easy for you to say." Clark disagreed.
Unable to sit and do nothing, Clark called the hospital to get another update on Lana. Apparently she was doing all right, but they still weren't sure how her leg would heal. Clark made up his mind to visit her as soon as he returned to Smallville. He just hoped he'd have the courage to go through with it when the time came. And speaking of courage, it was time to face the music and call his parents.
"Clark!" Martha exclaimed when she heard her baby's voice over the phone. "Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Mom." Clark assured her. "We both are. Lex's system is clear and he's totally lucid again. Plus we've got enough evidence against Lionel and Morgan Edge to send them both away for good."
"Lionel?" Jonathan repeated. "I thought you only suspected Morgan Edge."
"Yeah, that's what we want Lionel to think." Clark said. "That way he won't be so on guard while the US Attorney is investigating him."
"Clark, be careful." Martha pleaded.
"I am, Mom." Clark promised.
"Pete tells us you're in New York?" Jonathan asked.
"Yeah, Dr. Swann is helping us out." Clark said. "We're staying in his complex until the whole thing with the US Attorney is set up. Then we'll be back home."
"Make it soon, son." Jonathan said. "We're worried about you."
"I'm sorry I had to take off like this without telling you." Clark apologized. "There just wasn't time."
"It's okay." Martha said. "You just make sure you come back to us safely."
"I've been calling the hospital to check on Lana." Clark said. "They said she may not recover full use of her leg. Is that true?"
"There's no way to tell, son." Jonathan said.
"She's asked for you a couple of times." Martha said.
"Tell her I'm thinking about her." Clark said. "Tell her I'm sorry."
Just then, Lex kicked Clark sharply under the table. It didn't hurt him, of course, but it did get his attention.
"You're stalling!" Lex whispered. Clark narrowed his eyes, but he knew Lex was right.
"Listen, Mom, Dad, there's something I need to tell you." Clark said.
"What is it, Clark?" Jonathan asked. Clark took a deep breath. Here it goes.
"I told Lex." Clark confessed. There was a horrible pause as the news gripped Clark's parents back in Smallville.
"You told him what, exactly?" Jonathan demanded, hoping he'd misunderstood.
"Everything." Clark said.
"Oh my God!" Martha gasped.
"Clark!" Jonathan shouted, but he lowered his voice so the Ross's wouldn't hear. "How could you do that, son? And without even talking to us first! What were you thinking?"
"Dad, I had to." Clark insisted. "Lex saw me stop a car from hitting him. I almost ran away right then. But I had to tell him the truth, Dad. It was the only way to get him away from Lionel."
"I can't believe you did this, Clark." Jonathan said, convinced his family was falling apart.
"What was I supposed to do?" Clark demanded angrily. "Just stand by and do nothing, when I knew the truth? Let Lionel lock Lex up for the rest of his life and go through the rest of mine knowing it's my fault? You tell me, Dad! What should I have done?" Clark took a deep breath and calmed down. "I'm sorry. But Lex needed to know. No, it's more than that Dad. I wanted him to know! I trust Lex."
"I know you want to, Clark." Jonathan sighed. "But when it comes to your secret, Lex has done nothing to inspire my confidence. He's investigated you behind your back, the crash site, your ship. He's the one who turned Roger Nixon onto us, Clark!"
"I know." Clark said. "But that was before! He didn't know what he was doing, what was at stake. Now he does."
"Yes, he does." Jonathan said. "And how long do you think he'll be able to resist that persistent curiosity before he needs to know more?"
"Dad, Lex is my friend." Clark insisted. "He's not going to hurt me." Lex had been pretending not to eavesdrop until then, but at the suggestion that he might cause Clark harm he dropped that pretense.
"Listen, it's late." Jonathan sighed. "You go get some sleep. We'll talk about this when you get home. Until then, I'd feel better if I knew you were keeping a very close eye on your friend Lex."
"Okay, Dad." Clark agreed. "I love you guys."
"We love you too, Clark." Martha said.
"Goodnight." Clark said. He hung up the phone with a sigh. "That went well."
"So, what's the verdict?" Lex asked.
"I've made a horrible mistake." Clark recapped. "You'll betray me the first chance you get, send me to a lab, and dissect me like a frog."
"Glad to know I've made such great strides with your family." Lex sighed.
"To his credit, my dad never once tried to play the Luthor card." Clark said. "He's just worried that your curiosity will get the better of you. I guess he's got a right to be scared. Whenever someone gets close to the truth and it usually ends badly. People get hurt. They always want to use me for something."
"Well, it is very tempting." Lex commented. Clark glanced up sharply. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure I've fully processed it yet. You being an extraterrestrial."
"Do you have to sound so excited about it?" Clark demanded moodily.
"It's an exciting situation, Clark." Lex insisted. "You're an alien! The only one on earth, as far as we know. Aren't you curious about yourself? You're completely unique!"
"Yeah, say that another way." Clark moped. "I'm completely alone. I told you what Dr. Swann said. Something horrible happened and no one else survived."
"Maybe someday we'll find out why." Lex said.
"No, we won't." Clark snapped. "Lex, don't you understand? This isn't just my life we're playing around with here. It's my mom, my dad, Pete, and you! Knowing my secret is dangerous! Look how many times Pete's almost gotten hurt since he found out! Don't you know what would happen to me if the wrong people found out? Lex, please, don't make me regret finally being honest with you."
"Clark," Lex said earnestly. "I may have been angry with you for lying to me, but I understand why you did and I'll get over that. You have to know I would never do anything to hurt you. Your secret is safe with me."
"Good." Clark nodded. Then he glanced at the clock. "I'm beat. I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Clark." Lex nodded.
Clark returned to his room, but it was a long time before he could finally fall asleep.
