"Why now, Clark?" Lex asked, as they crossed over Loeb's Bridge.

"Your father. As long as he was alive, he was a threat. And I couldn't. . .I couldn't let myself be discovered, not by him, and not by you, the you that you are now. I also didn't want you to be hurt anymore, on my account." Clark said.

"Still the pessimistic type, huh, Clark. You can't save everyone, Superman." Lex said, easily adopted his "older brother" role in this long dead friendship.

"I thought you didn't believe me, Lex." Clark pointed out.

"I don't. I'm just giving you the benefit of the doubt, until Johnathon and Martha tell me you're a faker. Then I'll gladly kill you, and rid myself of your menacing, alien." Lex snarled.

"I thought businessmen prepared for every contingency, Lex. What if I'm telling the truth?" Clark asked.

"I. . .I don't know." Lex said. A true look of concern and apprehension came to live on Lex's face, temporarily. They passed the Talon a couple minutes later.

"Lana still doesn't own this place, does she?" Lex asked.

"Now you care? You didn't care much when it was going belly up after you pulled your support, did you. Signed over ownership and blindly followed your father into the abyss." Clark said, angrily.

"Is that what you think happened Clark?" Lex said, starting to believe Clark, despite himself.

"Of course. Left Lana in the lurch, had Chloe killed once she served her purpose by helping put your father away. Isn't that how Luthor's deal with liabilities?" Clark was bitter, and forgetting why he had stopped to see Lex today. Old memories had a way of clouded perceptions. Now that he was actually driving through Smallville, instead of flying over it, these memories surfaced, reminding him of what Lex had done. For a moment, Clark wondered if Lex was beyond saving. And for perhaps the first time in a long while, Lex swallowed what he was going to say, preferring to let Clark brood. Although he wouldn't tell Clark that. He'd changed in these intervening 5 years. No longer was he the bumbling farm boy he'd finally left, this Clark was a man, a confident man.

"We're here." He said, a while later.

"Mom, Dad?" Clark announced his persense.

"Son, you weren't supposed. . .Lex? What's going on?" Johnathon said, stopping in his tracks as he saw his sons former best friend walking up his driveway.

"Mr. Kent. Clark told me. . .everything." Lex said, looking up to see Johnathon's reaction.

"HE WHAT? CLARK JEROME KENT! How could you do something this foolish?" Johnathon yelled, which brought Martha on the run.

"What. . .Lex? Clark? What is HE doing here?" She bit the word he off.

"Clark told Lex, everything, Martha." Lost in all this was Lex's reaction.

"You. . .he's not dead? How did? But. . ." Lex stammered.

"DAD you WANTED me to tell Lex." Clark yelled back.

"That was before Lex became his father! How could you do this?" Johnathon yelled.

"EVERYONE! STOP! I think we should all go inside and talk." Lex was the voice of reason. More like the voice of disbelief. If what he was hearing was true, then Clark wasn't dead, Clark was Superman, and he'd been trying to kill the only true friend he'd ever had.

"Before or after you kill or cut up my son?" Johnathon said, moving in between Clark and Lex. Johnathan wasn't about to let blind faith endanger his son. Not when Lex was involved. His son's one weakness, aside from kryptonite, was his ability to see the good in even the most evil people. Johnathan was determined to make sure Lex didn't perceive this sudden. . .revelation, as a chance to rid himself of Superman.

"I haven't yet. And we DROVE here from Metropolis. Still hate me, I see."

"With reason, as opposed to before, Luthor." Johnathon said. He was still standing, walking now, in between Lex and Clark, obsuring their views of each other. He wasn't going to let Lex destroy his son, not after everything that had happened. Everyone sat in the living room.

"This. . .this begins with the summer between sophomore and junior years. I. . ." Clark closed his eyes against the pain of the memories.

"Son. . .Clark, you didn't. . ." Johnathon started. Martha stopped him.

"Johnathon, I think you should let Clark talk. He. . .he's never fully exorcised that, have you, honey? He's never talked about it, never ridded himself of those horrible memories. Those 3, 4 months might've been the toughest in his life."

"My father, my biological father, Jor-El, he. . .he ordered me to leave, fulfill my destiny. I didn't want to. Lex, your Dad had a kryptonite key he was going to put into the caves. Pete helped me steal it. I. . .I put it into the ship, my ship, where the voice was coming from. It, Lex, the ship blew up. The energy wave killed my Mom's baby. I had to leave, Lex."

"Now, Clark. the whole truth, son. Lex, I said some pretty mean and nasty things to Clark later at the hospital, and that, combined with guilt and heartache over Lana, made Clark go into exile."

"I found a red-kryptonite ring, Lex, and ran to Metropolis. 3 months later, you found me there, put two and two together, and used green kryptonite on me to bring me home. You'd been working here, apparently, for 3 months, trying to save the farm. The next 7 weeks, Lex, were perfect. With your help, I told Lana and Chloe my secret, and got together with Chloe. You. . .you told me that Lana would never look at me the same, and she hasn't. Did you know that, Lex? She refused my help with the Talon, she sold it a couple years after you gave it to her, and took off. Chloe. . ." Clark continued.

"Clark, I didn't kill Chloe." Lex put in.

"She didn't kill herself!" Clark snapped.

"In a way, Clark, she did!" Lex snapped back. Clark decided to continue his narrative, rather then go after Lex for Chloe. That could come later. If there was a later.

"And then your father, Lex. He tried to have you committed before you could nail him for the murders of your grandparents. That's what he wanted you to forget. He killed his parents, Lex. For the insurance money. He and Morgan Edge." Clark concluded. Lex looked shell shocked.

"I knew. . .I could've been different?" he whispered, looking lost. A profound change was working it's way through Lex, and it was both amazing, and painful, to watch. A myriad of emotions worked their ways onto Lex's face.

"Clark, I. . .I need to be alone. Please." Lex said, running out to his Porsche, and speeding away.

"Lex. . ." Clark said, getting up.

"Let him go, Clark. He needs to deal with his demons by himself. He'll be back, one way or another. I just hope you haven't sold yourself and us out, for this friendship which may be too late to salvage." Martha said.

"He'll either be back with men in suits and kryptonite, or with apologies and hopes for a new beginning." Johnathon put in.

"I should. . .get back. In case he does anything." Clark said, speeding out the door and then taking off for his apartment.

"Do you think he made a mistake, Martha?"

"I think he was too late for Chloe, and now, he's too late for Lex. Johnathon, we should go to bed. It's been a long day."