Seven hours ago, Chloe had first spotted the two lumps on her back. Since then the lumps had gotten a lot bigger and, through her tears, Chloe could see the lumps stretch and contract as she stared at herself, in disbelief, in her bedroom mirror . All of this time, she was also biting hard into her pillow. She'd never felt pain like this before and all she wanted to do was scream, but that would have woken up Gabe, and she didn't want her father to see her - not like this. And then, suddenly, the pain reached a seemingly never-ending crescendo, as her back gave birth to first one large white feathered wing and then, moments later, a second.
And then all the pain was gone, and Chloe remembered the question that Lex had asked her the previous night:
"Do you believe a man can fly?"
Of course, Lex had only flown in his dreams, but this was Chloe's reality. Grabbing one of the few outfits that would still fit her, she walked over to her window, opened it, and stepped out.
High up on a mountain, so the fables said, there lived a man, a wise man, maybe the wisest man ever. For years, Lex had searched for him, and now, as he stumbled into the cave near the top of this latest mountain, and saw the silhouetted figure before him, seated on the ground, Lex knew that he had finally found him.
"Are you the wise man?" asked Lex.
The figure before him, said nothing, but lit a single candle. Suddenly the figure's jet black hair and white face were slightly more visible.
"Edward?" asked a confused Lex.
"No, I'm not Edward. I just look a bit like him. Here, let me light a few more candles."
As the wise man lit his candles, Lex looked around at the pictures on the walls. Pictures of Lex's life, each with a piece missing.
"I'm looking for answers, wise man," said Lex, as the figure lit the last candle.
"You realize this is all a dream, don't you?" replied the figure.
"It is? But normally when I figure that out, I wake up."
"Normally, yes, but I'm preventing that," replied the figure.
"Why?"
"Believe it or not, I'm trying to help. My sister asked me to."
"Your sister?"
"Yes, you met her yesterday, although you probably don't remember it."
"Why do you talk in riddles?" asked an impatient Lex.
"It's a dream, Lex. That's what people do in dreams. If you want everything to make sense then I can let you wake up."
"But things don't make sense there either," groaned Lex, running a hand through his hair. "And why have I got hair?"
"That's the way you still see yourself, Lex. It's easy to change on the outside, but to change on the inside takes time. Here, let me show you something," the figure said, beckoning Lex further into the cave.
Lex followed the figure further into the cave and slowly the walls changed until Lex found himself back at home watching a series of fencing matches between himself and Heike. With each match, Lex got stronger, faster. In the background "Eye Of The Tiger" was playing.
"What's this?" asked Lex.
"Sssh. Quiet. Just sit back and enjoy the show," replied the figure, offering Lex some popcorn.
"Couldn't you do something about the background music?"
"Sorry, it's your dream," replied the figure, just as, in front of them, Lex graduated onto using two swords at once.
And then Heike disappeared, only to be replaced with Edward Kent, dueling with Lex, and his two swirling swords, and then the room disappeared to be replaced with a corn field. As Edward matched his scissors with Lex's blades, and corn flew all around, it was hard to tell who was winning. Finally, the cloud of corn fell to the ground and only one figure was left standing.
Edward Kent walked off leaving the disarmed Lex lying there, barely conscious in the corn field.
Suddenly the defeated Lex heard a loud ominous deep breathing and looked up at the dark silhouette above him.
"You have learnt well, young Luthor, but you have not beat Eddie yet."
A look of recognition appeared on the bald Lex's face, as he stared up at the new arrival.
"I am your father," replied Lionel Luthor standing over him. "It looks like you could use these."
Lex looked at the hands, Edward's hands, that his father was offering, and then looked at his hands - but those hands, thanks to Edward, were no longer there.
Suddenly the scene shifted yet again, but the ominous deep breathing remained. Somewhere, in a secret hospital, Lex lifted his new hands up in front of him.
"Today, Edward Kent will die by his own hands," he proclaimed, and then gave a maniacal laugh that would have gone on forever if the scene hadn't suddenly shifted yet again.
"Show's over," said the figure, as he and Lex found themselves back in his cave, although the breathing noise still remained.
"What was that?" asked Lex. "Was that my destiny?"
"No, destiny's not my department, just dreams. I'm not saying it won't happen - after all, your dreams just reflect what's going through your mind - but I doubt it. You may defeat Edward, or you may end up giving him his hands back ..."
"So, that's my choice: Warrior or Angel?" interrupted Lex.
"No, Lex, unfortunately you dream in black and white, but life's mainly made up of shades of grey. You've just got to find a balance."
"So, you've not got any answers?" asked a despairing Lex.
"Afraid not," replied the figure, "although I could tell you the ultimate truth if that would help."
"Sure, wise man, go ahead."
"No, you better go. That breathing's sounding awfully loud."
"Don't worry," replied Lex, as realization dawned, "that's just my dream. My subconscious made you look like Edward Kent and my father sound like Darth Vader."
"Wrong on both counts," replied the figure, as Lex left his realm of dreams.
Lex woke up gasping for breath and grabbing for his inhaler. As he tried to regulate his breathing, he noticed the open bedroom window opposite him. And then he saw Chloe, sitting on the wooden floor beside the window, her wings wrapped around her.
"Hi, Lex. Sorry for dropping in so late. Can we talk?"