Clark filled the gap between them and hugged Lana, "please, don't cry. I'm
sorry, I wanted to tell you but-"
"Clark, I understand. You do not have to apologize to me! You have been going threw so much all by yourself! I should have seen... I knew you weren't telling me something, but I didn't know what and... I love you so much Clark. I can't believe you went threw all this by yourself." Lana said kissing Clark.
Clark was so relieved Lana was not angry at him. So Lionel must have told her the REAL truth. "Lana, I'm just glad you know. What exactly did Lionel say?" Clark asked, wanting to set any lie he might have told, straight.
"I was the Talon, and when he came in, I was so mad, because of everything he has done to you, and I started walking into the back and he grabbed my arm and said that he needed to tell me something about you. I guess I was hoping he could tell me what you weren't. But I was just so angry, I yelled at him to get out. He gave me a number to call him later, and he left. At first I thought I would never call him, but when I did... he started asking me questions about you, and I wouldn't answer and yelled at him again, 'So this is all you wanted! You were hoping I would tell you things about Clark!' then he apologized and it seemed sincere and he told me that you were living in an apartment that he had gotten for you. He said he knew all about your abilities, that you told him, that you had a deal. You would stay there, and tell him everything he wanted to know, and that you couldn't tell anyone. And in exchange he kept your father out of prison and made sure your family would be alright." Lana finished.
"Wow... he really told you the truth." Clark was scared. He didn't know why Lionel would do this, what was he planning? "Lana, I don't know what Lionel is up to... be careful. Don't talk to him. Don't go any where he wants you to.
Clark spent the rest of the evening with Lana, in his apartment. He felt like this huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Like he wasn't completely alone anymore, and that he owed that to Lionel. Clark felt angry at himself for feeling grateful to Lionel, after all he had done all this to him in the first place.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"You sure were out late!" Chloe laughed as Lana strolled into their room at half past midnight.
Lana smiled at Chloe, but gave her no explanation.
"Alright, keep your secrets." Chloe joked.
"It's not a secret, I was out with Clark. We were just talking and watching some TV, and I didn't realize how late it was."
"So are things better between you too?" Chloe really hoped they were, she felt so guilty.
"Yes, a lot better." Lana couldn't help but smile. "I could ask you the same thing."
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked nervously.
"You have been avoiding Clark for over a month, ever since he moved." Lana said taking off her shoes.
Chloe just looked down.
"Chloe, come on, what's going on with you guys? Clark thinks you are just uncomfortable, and don't know what to say to him, but I know better." Lana sat down on the bed next to Chloe.
"Lana, I did something really horrible." Chloe said with tear filled eyes. "and I'm afraid if Clark finds out, or you find out, you are going to hate me forever. I just can't face him." Chloe needed to tell someone what she had done, or it was going to eat her up alive.
"Chloe, I'm sure you could never do anything that bad." Lana said putting her arm around Chloe, trying to comfort her, she looked so completely depressed. "You can tell me."
"Lana, you don't know HOW I got that column at the Daily Planet." A tear fell from Chloe's cheek. "I never knew it would cause so much trouble. I tried to get out of it... after Lex's wedding, I agreed to give Lionel all of the information I had on Clark, and he would get me the job."
Lana tensed up, "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing he didn't already know. I don't know why he was so interested in Clark. But when I heard that Lionel was the one who was behind all this..." Chloe had to stop, from her tears, "I just felt so guilty, Lana, because in a way I was part of destroying his life. Clark has been a good friend to me, and I was hurt because...well and I just acted stupid... and maybe because of me... Lana, he can't even see his parents."
Lana was shocked. She hadn't expected that. Even though she KNEW that anything Chloe had given Lionel, didn't change anything, it was just the fact that she had betrayed Clark like that. Part of her wanted to yell at Chloe, and the other part wanted to tell Chloe it wasn't her fault. She looked like she was in so much pain already.
"Chloe, it's not your fault. What you did was..." Lana was trying not to get angry, "You have to tell Clark."
"Lana, I can't. He will hate me."
"You have to." Lana wanted to tell her to stop being a coward, but resisted.
* * * * * * * * *
"Get them out of here." Clark groaned in pain, as he referred the meteor rocks Lionel had brought in to their latest 'session'. When Lionel didn't seem to make any effort towards his request Clark said, "You know those will kill me, get them out of here." Clark said falling to his knees on the floor. "Please."
"Come in, and do it quickly." Lionel said to 3 people who were waiting outside the door, a doctor and his assistant, and Lionel's body guard.
"What are you doing?" Clark asked struggling against the pain.
"Clark, I understand. You do not have to apologize to me! You have been going threw so much all by yourself! I should have seen... I knew you weren't telling me something, but I didn't know what and... I love you so much Clark. I can't believe you went threw all this by yourself." Lana said kissing Clark.
Clark was so relieved Lana was not angry at him. So Lionel must have told her the REAL truth. "Lana, I'm just glad you know. What exactly did Lionel say?" Clark asked, wanting to set any lie he might have told, straight.
"I was the Talon, and when he came in, I was so mad, because of everything he has done to you, and I started walking into the back and he grabbed my arm and said that he needed to tell me something about you. I guess I was hoping he could tell me what you weren't. But I was just so angry, I yelled at him to get out. He gave me a number to call him later, and he left. At first I thought I would never call him, but when I did... he started asking me questions about you, and I wouldn't answer and yelled at him again, 'So this is all you wanted! You were hoping I would tell you things about Clark!' then he apologized and it seemed sincere and he told me that you were living in an apartment that he had gotten for you. He said he knew all about your abilities, that you told him, that you had a deal. You would stay there, and tell him everything he wanted to know, and that you couldn't tell anyone. And in exchange he kept your father out of prison and made sure your family would be alright." Lana finished.
"Wow... he really told you the truth." Clark was scared. He didn't know why Lionel would do this, what was he planning? "Lana, I don't know what Lionel is up to... be careful. Don't talk to him. Don't go any where he wants you to.
Clark spent the rest of the evening with Lana, in his apartment. He felt like this huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Like he wasn't completely alone anymore, and that he owed that to Lionel. Clark felt angry at himself for feeling grateful to Lionel, after all he had done all this to him in the first place.
* * * * * * * * * * *
"You sure were out late!" Chloe laughed as Lana strolled into their room at half past midnight.
Lana smiled at Chloe, but gave her no explanation.
"Alright, keep your secrets." Chloe joked.
"It's not a secret, I was out with Clark. We were just talking and watching some TV, and I didn't realize how late it was."
"So are things better between you too?" Chloe really hoped they were, she felt so guilty.
"Yes, a lot better." Lana couldn't help but smile. "I could ask you the same thing."
"What do you mean?" Chloe asked nervously.
"You have been avoiding Clark for over a month, ever since he moved." Lana said taking off her shoes.
Chloe just looked down.
"Chloe, come on, what's going on with you guys? Clark thinks you are just uncomfortable, and don't know what to say to him, but I know better." Lana sat down on the bed next to Chloe.
"Lana, I did something really horrible." Chloe said with tear filled eyes. "and I'm afraid if Clark finds out, or you find out, you are going to hate me forever. I just can't face him." Chloe needed to tell someone what she had done, or it was going to eat her up alive.
"Chloe, I'm sure you could never do anything that bad." Lana said putting her arm around Chloe, trying to comfort her, she looked so completely depressed. "You can tell me."
"Lana, you don't know HOW I got that column at the Daily Planet." A tear fell from Chloe's cheek. "I never knew it would cause so much trouble. I tried to get out of it... after Lex's wedding, I agreed to give Lionel all of the information I had on Clark, and he would get me the job."
Lana tensed up, "What did you tell him?"
"Nothing he didn't already know. I don't know why he was so interested in Clark. But when I heard that Lionel was the one who was behind all this..." Chloe had to stop, from her tears, "I just felt so guilty, Lana, because in a way I was part of destroying his life. Clark has been a good friend to me, and I was hurt because...well and I just acted stupid... and maybe because of me... Lana, he can't even see his parents."
Lana was shocked. She hadn't expected that. Even though she KNEW that anything Chloe had given Lionel, didn't change anything, it was just the fact that she had betrayed Clark like that. Part of her wanted to yell at Chloe, and the other part wanted to tell Chloe it wasn't her fault. She looked like she was in so much pain already.
"Chloe, it's not your fault. What you did was..." Lana was trying not to get angry, "You have to tell Clark."
"Lana, I can't. He will hate me."
"You have to." Lana wanted to tell her to stop being a coward, but resisted.
* * * * * * * * *
"Get them out of here." Clark groaned in pain, as he referred the meteor rocks Lionel had brought in to their latest 'session'. When Lionel didn't seem to make any effort towards his request Clark said, "You know those will kill me, get them out of here." Clark said falling to his knees on the floor. "Please."
"Come in, and do it quickly." Lionel said to 3 people who were waiting outside the door, a doctor and his assistant, and Lionel's body guard.
"What are you doing?" Clark asked struggling against the pain.