The End
It was a beautiful night. The perfect quarter moon shone brightly and
was surrounded by stars. The crisp night air made little puffs out of
his breath as he stood by the graves. Dead leaves rustled restlessly
at his feet until one detached itself from the others and flitted end
over end until it bumped up against a headstone. Chloe Sullivan
Luthor. He visited her alone tonight and he would from now on. He
knelt down without tears. He was beyond grief, beyond hate, beyond
laughter and joy - all emotion was alien to him. He was empty. Alone.
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want
him to die." He glanced at the newer headstone. Alexander Luthor.
Returned to His Heart. Finally At Peace. Clark bowed his head. He
had chosen the inscription based on Lex's last words.
*****
The struggle was silent and seemed to move much more slowly than it
did. One man was intent on both of them living. The other only wanted
to die. Lex pushed Clark into the kryptonite beam that blocked the way
to the door.
"You can reassure Lois that she won't be a candidate for the Wall of
Weird." Lex broke Clark's hold on him. "There was no kryptonite in
the computer she sat at. I never wanted to hurt her, I just needed her
to lure you here."
"Thanks. I'm sure she'll keep that in mind when she's testifying
against you." Clark clawed at Lex, but couldn't seem to keep his
grasp. "I always thought you wanted to kill me."
"So did I." Lex grinned. Clark was weakening. It would be over soon.
He would be with her and Clark would feel responsible for one more
death. Lex had learned a lot from the books his father had made him
read as a child. Revenge was an art. Everything he had done to Clark
by using his Superman alter ego had led up to this - the fall of a
superhero. Clark would beat himself up for his failure to save his
former best friend for the rest of his life. Lex knew how Clark's
mind worked and he knew that the boy had promised Chloe he would save
the man she had loved, but it wasn't going to happen. A knife slice of
pain slashed through the back of Lex's knee as a yellow ray crossed
over him. He stumbled forward into Clark. They both collapsed over a
desk and crashed into the wall.
"It looks like we're both going to die." Clark leaned his head back
against the wall. It wasn't so bad - the thought of death - he had
regrets, but he had done some good things too. Lana popped into his
mind. He would miss her. Lois too.
"I'm a determined man, Clark, you should know that by now." Shoving
Clark out into the hall - where the worst that would happen would be
that he lost his superpowers in the blast - was no longer an option,
there wasn't enough time. Lex used the last of his resolve to push a
weakened Clark up against the window. "You really didn't think that I
would let you go to her first, did you? She's my wife. She's waiting
for me."
Lex really was going to kill himself. This realization came to Clark
during the short fall from the window on the second floor to the
ground. The last thing he thought before his head connected with a
rock was that he hoped Chloe was waiting for Lex. A bright flash of
yellow blazed across his retinas and then just blackness as he slid
into unconsciousness.
*****
A gentle hand on his shoulder brought Clark back to what who he was
now - a man who visited his friends and family in a graveyard.
Everyone he loved was dead. His Dad had died a few years back and his
mother not long after - both of natural causes. Pete had gone to work
for Lex because he had blamed Clark for Chloe's death as well, but he
hadn't been able to handle the immorality and corruption. He had
committed suicide two years after Chloe had died. The only ones left
were Lois and Lana and Lois was barely talking to him these days. She
was trying out the 'foreign correspondent' position at the Daily Planet
since there hadn't been much Superman news of late. Clark still
couldn't believe that she hadn't written up the biggest story of her
career, but she had kept his secret. He hadn't seen her in weeks and
he doubted that she would return even after Superman came back from his
'vacation.' His powers were slowly returning after the yellow
kryptonite blast, he obviously hadn't been close enough for the effects
to be permanent.
"Hi, Lana." Clark turned around and offered a weak smile.
"Hi, Clark." Lana didn't return his smile. Her brow was wrinkled in a
worried frown, but as always, she was beautiful. "I knew you would be
here. You and Lex didn't miss a year before and I didn't think you
would stop now."
"You were here too."
Lana nodded. "I didn't want to intrude."
"You wanted to make sure Lex and I didn't kill each other."
Now Lana did smile - her big, brilliant smile. "That too." She
glanced at the headstones and her smile turned sad. "I like what you
had engraved. I think they're together now too. They were so much in
love."
"Yes, they were." It didn't hurt to admit it. Chloe had loved Lex and
Lex had loved Chloe. It was too bad he hadn't been able to accept that
while they were both alive and happy. Clark couldn't help it, he felt
guilty. He knew that Lex had wanted it this way - for him to wallow in
guilt and self-flagellation - but he couldn't stop himself from doing
it.
"Lex didn't want to be saved, Clark." Lana uncannily read his mind.
"You shouldn't blame yourself forever. You weren't responsible for
Chloe's accident and you weren't responsible for Lex's crazy vendetta
against Superman. You couldn't have done anything, you weren't even
there when he died."
"Yeah. It's just going to take awhile for me to feel it." Clark said
the words, but he didn't mean it. It had been a year and he was no
closer to releasing himself from the guilt. Lex had won.
"Don't give up, Clark, you're not alone." Lana took his hand in hers
and squeezed. "I'm not going to give up on you."
"Thanks, Lana." Clark squeezed her hand back. Her smile was hope. He
might always feel guilty about how he had hurt Chloe and Lex, but maybe
he could live with it too. He was going to do this right though - with
no secrets. "Lana, there's something I have to tell you. It's
something I should have trusted you with a long time ago."
*****
A dark cloud obscured the moon as Clark Kent and Lana Lang left the
cemetery.
"Mr. Luthor," the distant voice of a spunky blonde reporter greeted.
The enigmatic bald millionaire turned toward her. "It's Lex," he
invited with a smile.
**********************************************************************
Author's Note: I hope that everyone enjoyed this story. It was a very
different experience for me in writing it. If anyone has any comments,
reviews, critiques about the style of the story, please let me know, I
would really appreciate it. Thanks for reading.
It was a beautiful night. The perfect quarter moon shone brightly and
was surrounded by stars. The crisp night air made little puffs out of
his breath as he stood by the graves. Dead leaves rustled restlessly
at his feet until one detached itself from the others and flitted end
over end until it bumped up against a headstone. Chloe Sullivan
Luthor. He visited her alone tonight and he would from now on. He
knelt down without tears. He was beyond grief, beyond hate, beyond
laughter and joy - all emotion was alien to him. He was empty. Alone.
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want
him to die." He glanced at the newer headstone. Alexander Luthor.
Returned to His Heart. Finally At Peace. Clark bowed his head. He
had chosen the inscription based on Lex's last words.
*****
The struggle was silent and seemed to move much more slowly than it
did. One man was intent on both of them living. The other only wanted
to die. Lex pushed Clark into the kryptonite beam that blocked the way
to the door.
"You can reassure Lois that she won't be a candidate for the Wall of
Weird." Lex broke Clark's hold on him. "There was no kryptonite in
the computer she sat at. I never wanted to hurt her, I just needed her
to lure you here."
"Thanks. I'm sure she'll keep that in mind when she's testifying
against you." Clark clawed at Lex, but couldn't seem to keep his
grasp. "I always thought you wanted to kill me."
"So did I." Lex grinned. Clark was weakening. It would be over soon.
He would be with her and Clark would feel responsible for one more
death. Lex had learned a lot from the books his father had made him
read as a child. Revenge was an art. Everything he had done to Clark
by using his Superman alter ego had led up to this - the fall of a
superhero. Clark would beat himself up for his failure to save his
former best friend for the rest of his life. Lex knew how Clark's
mind worked and he knew that the boy had promised Chloe he would save
the man she had loved, but it wasn't going to happen. A knife slice of
pain slashed through the back of Lex's knee as a yellow ray crossed
over him. He stumbled forward into Clark. They both collapsed over a
desk and crashed into the wall.
"It looks like we're both going to die." Clark leaned his head back
against the wall. It wasn't so bad - the thought of death - he had
regrets, but he had done some good things too. Lana popped into his
mind. He would miss her. Lois too.
"I'm a determined man, Clark, you should know that by now." Shoving
Clark out into the hall - where the worst that would happen would be
that he lost his superpowers in the blast - was no longer an option,
there wasn't enough time. Lex used the last of his resolve to push a
weakened Clark up against the window. "You really didn't think that I
would let you go to her first, did you? She's my wife. She's waiting
for me."
Lex really was going to kill himself. This realization came to Clark
during the short fall from the window on the second floor to the
ground. The last thing he thought before his head connected with a
rock was that he hoped Chloe was waiting for Lex. A bright flash of
yellow blazed across his retinas and then just blackness as he slid
into unconsciousness.
*****
A gentle hand on his shoulder brought Clark back to what who he was
now - a man who visited his friends and family in a graveyard.
Everyone he loved was dead. His Dad had died a few years back and his
mother not long after - both of natural causes. Pete had gone to work
for Lex because he had blamed Clark for Chloe's death as well, but he
hadn't been able to handle the immorality and corruption. He had
committed suicide two years after Chloe had died. The only ones left
were Lois and Lana and Lois was barely talking to him these days. She
was trying out the 'foreign correspondent' position at the Daily Planet
since there hadn't been much Superman news of late. Clark still
couldn't believe that she hadn't written up the biggest story of her
career, but she had kept his secret. He hadn't seen her in weeks and
he doubted that she would return even after Superman came back from his
'vacation.' His powers were slowly returning after the yellow
kryptonite blast, he obviously hadn't been close enough for the effects
to be permanent.
"Hi, Lana." Clark turned around and offered a weak smile.
"Hi, Clark." Lana didn't return his smile. Her brow was wrinkled in a
worried frown, but as always, she was beautiful. "I knew you would be
here. You and Lex didn't miss a year before and I didn't think you
would stop now."
"You were here too."
Lana nodded. "I didn't want to intrude."
"You wanted to make sure Lex and I didn't kill each other."
Now Lana did smile - her big, brilliant smile. "That too." She
glanced at the headstones and her smile turned sad. "I like what you
had engraved. I think they're together now too. They were so much in
love."
"Yes, they were." It didn't hurt to admit it. Chloe had loved Lex and
Lex had loved Chloe. It was too bad he hadn't been able to accept that
while they were both alive and happy. Clark couldn't help it, he felt
guilty. He knew that Lex had wanted it this way - for him to wallow in
guilt and self-flagellation - but he couldn't stop himself from doing
it.
"Lex didn't want to be saved, Clark." Lana uncannily read his mind.
"You shouldn't blame yourself forever. You weren't responsible for
Chloe's accident and you weren't responsible for Lex's crazy vendetta
against Superman. You couldn't have done anything, you weren't even
there when he died."
"Yeah. It's just going to take awhile for me to feel it." Clark said
the words, but he didn't mean it. It had been a year and he was no
closer to releasing himself from the guilt. Lex had won.
"Don't give up, Clark, you're not alone." Lana took his hand in hers
and squeezed. "I'm not going to give up on you."
"Thanks, Lana." Clark squeezed her hand back. Her smile was hope. He
might always feel guilty about how he had hurt Chloe and Lex, but maybe
he could live with it too. He was going to do this right though - with
no secrets. "Lana, there's something I have to tell you. It's
something I should have trusted you with a long time ago."
*****
A dark cloud obscured the moon as Clark Kent and Lana Lang left the
cemetery.
"Mr. Luthor," the distant voice of a spunky blonde reporter greeted.
The enigmatic bald millionaire turned toward her. "It's Lex," he
invited with a smile.
**********************************************************************
Author's Note: I hope that everyone enjoyed this story. It was a very
different experience for me in writing it. If anyone has any comments,
reviews, critiques about the style of the story, please let me know, I
would really appreciate it. Thanks for reading.