Disclaimer: The characters of Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, Lionel Luthor, and Lana Lang belong to the franchises for Superman ™ and Smallville ™. I do not claim possession of any copyrighted characters. Any and all other characters belong to me and may not be used without my permission.

Chapter Seven. I have mixed emotions about this tale of mine ending, but I must admit that I'm pleased with it. It's not easy to take other characters and try to add to their stories, and I've often doubted whether my fanfiction is worthwhile, but in this at least I'm happy. Writing for Lex, I think, has taught me a bit more about the struggle he goes through, and something of the struggle that we all experience with mistakes made and horrors committed. So, here is my final chapter, saying goodbye to a world of Lexana that should exist, but as of yet, doesn't.

The premise for this fanfiction involve thematic elements that may not be suitable for young children. Dreams in particular recap memories of Lex's life and also visions for a possible future. Moderately heavy romance in this chapter; no nudity.

Thanks to my faithful readers, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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Lana hesitated just outside the mansion, her gaze wandering up to see Lex's slender profile high above, shimmering black in the colored glass windowpanes of his office. His eyes were apparently drawn elsewhere, upwards, for he did not look down upon her approach, and she stepped into shadow by the pillars, not wishing to be seen. She hardly knew why she had returned to him, except that this would be a moment of truth. She could no longer deny the emotional upheaval he created in her, and with this last confrontation but a few hours previous, Lana found her heart returning time and again to think on him.

She gently eased through the front door, closing it silently behind her, crept past his office door which stood slightly ajar and tiptoed up the stairs. Having left her clothes from the previous day behind, stunned to find that he had arranged for one of his men to bring her some from her apartment, Lana at least had a good reason for returning to the Luthor ancestral mansion. They were neatly folded at the foot of the bed, with her delicate locket resting on top of the silken blouse, carefully placed just so to indicate an affectionate hand.

"I thought you'd come back for your things."

Lex's voice came softly from behind her, sending tendrils of awareness through her frame, and Lana turned, her lips gently forming an endearing smile. "I couldn't very well leave my necklace, Lex. Nell gave it to me years ago, and it's almost as precious as the meteor rock charm that I lost. I don't think she'd tolerate the loss of two pieces of jewelry that she'd given me." Her words held a lilting tease, hovering just beneath the surface in an attempt to create a lighter atmosphere.

He appeared morose, his hands in the pockets of his slacks; clothed in elusive black as always, eyes heavily lidded as he moved past her to the window, gazing into the night. His profile was softened by the subtle light permeating the room, welcoming and gentle, but Lana could sense a disturbance deep in his soul. Her brow creased, and after a moment's pause, she stepped to his side, resting one hand upon his sleeve and, weakly, her forehead against the back of his knit shirt.

Tension resonated through his body, expressing itself through his tightly coiled movements as he inched forward, away from the cheek she rested against the solid muscles of his back. Her grip on his arm hardened and she pulled him from his thoughts, turning him around firmly. "Lex, you did the right thing. You made the right choice. Whatever happened in the past," she hesitated before continuing, "wasn't of your making. Your brief moment of being frozen in time did cost a girl her life, but you didn't do it deliberately, Lex. I know you better than that. In spite of the few rough patches shared in our friendship, you have always been constant. Unlike Clark."

The last two words were unexpected and hung in the air between them, suspended by her momentary gasp and the tightening of his jaw. Her hand slid from the muscles of his arm, but he reached and firmly pinned her in place, his fingers embraced in a delicate hold of her shoulders which burned through the thin fabric of her silken shirt to her flesh. He was tormented, his eyes revealing the weight of the world as he hissed between clenched teeth, "Lana, you could have died and it would have been by my hand. And nothing in the world would have saved you from that fate. My past is a deadly weapon wielded by my foes, and I can't place you in that danger any longer."

He had given much thought to this decision and the time had now come for the unmasking. His fingers trembled ever so slightly as he brushed a shimmering strand of hair behind her ear, causing her breath to catch in her throat. How he wanted to hold her, just embrace her, for the comfort and solace they both so desperately required.

But he couldn't.

"Lana, I'm going to leave Smallville this week. As much as I revile the very thought of yielding to my father's wishes, I'm going back to him. Not to that house, but out of Smallville, where my past can't do anymore damage to those I care about." Her lips parted in amazement and horror as he turned away from her, his shoes beginning a harsh cadence to the door, before she finally reacted. She was in front of him instantly, her hands instinctively grasping the front of his shirt in a movement not entirely planned as she whispered, "Lex, you can't leave. Not now, not after everything that's happened between us over the last few days. We need you here. Clark needs you even if he won't ever admit it."

Her luscious dark eyes lowered briefly before they raised in full understanding, her voice desperate as she murmured, "I need you. Lex, you yourself have said so many times that we make choices in this life of our own accord. I'm here, with you at this very moment, and I'm not running away. If you left, you would be running. For fear of your past and the harm it could bring, but you can't protect us forever. How often do I deal with that mentality coming from Clark. You have always been more than that to me. Encouraging and inspiring. You've believed in me, when no one else could, and I believe in you now. Don't do this, please."

She slowly withdrew her hands from the fabric of his shirt, only to lift one to his cheek, gently caressing down his jaw in a slowly pleading motion. His blue eyes darkened, closing in an effort to push away the emotions, before he finally inhaled an unsteadily deep breath and murmured, "Lana, you have no idea what could have happened. You've seen the damage that my alter-ego does to people, and I can't control him. He nearly overtook me tonight, and I almost allowed him that freedom."

"But Lex, you didn't. You pulled back, as I knew you could. I have in faith in you, and I always have, because you are better than you suppose. Your father only has the power to own you if you give it to him, and the same goes for Alexander. I understand the struggle you go through every time he takes over. I know how it feels, because Isobel is a more powerful force than I could ever imagine." The sharpness of his gaze was piercing as he stated, "Lana, it wasn't my own strength that drew me back from that precipice. It was your voice that soothed my fury and kept me from committing an act from which I could not have escaped. I would rather die than risk you again."

"Lex, that isn't your choice to make. Just as Clark can't keep me from life, neither can you, but I do know this. I want you by my side. Why do you think I keep returning to Smallville? It has nothing to do with the shops or the memories or even Clark Kent, but it's you. It's always been you. You've been a guiding force in my life from the time I was sixteen and without you my existence would be bleak and pointless. Please."

She slid closer to him, her fingertips moving along his cheekbone in subtly seductive movements, and his breathing began to quicken. She wanted him to remain; with all his faults and dangers, she still chose him, and now of her own free will. He had stepped back from her so many times past, giving Clark a chance that he never took, and even when the road was clear, he never pushed beyond what she was willing to give. Now, she was asking him, and he realized deep inside that he could not refuse her. Not this, not anything, and if they were ever to be parted it could not be of his choosing, but hers.

"I'll stay, but now you know the risks of befriending me in even the smallest degree. You can make your own choices about time spent in my company, and whatever your decision, I'll abide by it." His words were brutally honest, but the tiniest hint of a smile brushed her lips and she leaned in closer, emotional uncertainty dissipated. Doubt no longer lingered in the back of her mind as she allowed her fingertips to slide up his muscular chest, coming to rest behind his neck. She met his gaze directly, hiding no longer an option, even if it had been desired. Leaning into him, her lips brushed against his ear as she whispered, "Lex, I choose you."

"Lana," her name barely escaped his lips before she leaned up, allowing her lips to lightly touch his, delicate in her desire. He continued to hesitate, until she tightened her hold around his neck, drawing herself up full length against him, every inch of her slender form pressing into his body. Erotic desire flowed hard and hot through his veins, and his response to her tender kiss was swift. He gently touched her wrists where they locked behind his neck, than trailed his fingertips down her arms, and than to her sides, where he finally clasped her slender waist, embracing her tighter. He allowed the fire to blaze and he kissed her this time, the pressure building as he slowly relinquished his emotional control.

The taste and sensation of her in his arms and her ready response as he caressed his lips across her mouth, than to her delicately bruised jaw and finally to her neck sent his emotions into a tailspin of hunger. He kissed her again, firm and passionate, and almost without warning, they were no longer standing in the midst of her former bedroom, but lay upon the bed, his body heavy across hers. Lana experienced no fear, only eager anticipation, as his fingertips caressed their way across her open collar, delicately fingering the buttons, before undoing the top three, replacing the touch of his hand with his lips, inches below her collarbone, sending exquisite heat singing through her form.

Their breath combined as Lex once again kissed her willingly parted lips, her fingers moving across the bareness of his head, reveling in the sensation of his skin. How long he had awaited this moment, he did not know, but as he neared the point of no return, a niggling doubt kept pushing against the back of his mind. Lana was pure, innocent, and not yet corrupted by the world. He could not bring her to this level. She wanted him, that much he never doubted, but he also knew that should she yield and they join together in this most sacredly intimate act, that she would never be the same again. Something precious would be lost, and even as her hands began sliding beneath his shirt, her body arching into his touch, and her lips to caress and seek the sweetness of his own, Lex began easing away from her, struggling to tamp down on the emotions that begged him to continue. He had corrupted a young girl once before, and he could not repeat the past. Gently pulling away, he inhaled a deep breath, than drew her upwards from the bed.

She was irrevocably disheveled, her dark hair hung in wild tendrils across her shoulders, clothing mussed from their embrace, and lips slightly swollen from his impassioned touch. She looked thoroughly kissed, and her eyes sought his, attempting to understand his reluctance. He could not meet her gaze for the briefest moment, ushering his desires back into non-existence, at least for a time, and than he raised his head and looked on her squarely. A light entered her gaze, almost a gratefulness that illuminated his soul and helped him realize that in this at least, he could claim innocence of wrongdoing. He tenderly straightened her shirt, smoothing the shoulders, and resting his fingertips delicately against the soft skin of her neck. Her breathing was slowly returning to normal, and she lifted a hand to his cheek, her thumb moving in soothing circles across his skin.

"Thank you, Lex."

It was all that needed to be said, and she settled into his ready embrace. They sat there, minutes slowly passing as the night deepened. She drifted into repose and he finally released a relieved sigh into the steaming air of the bedroom. Her trust in him was still complete, and as he laid her sweetly slumbering form back onto the coverlet, nudging a blanket across her contented body, his pleasure could not be dampened. Their friendship had altered during these last few days, and the sensuality of the moments before could not diminish the honest respect he held for her.

He would go slowly, never taking more than she was willing to give. The visions were gone now, melting into the wind, driven north with the warmth of Lana's touch and the forgiveness of her smile. He would sleep in peace.

The End