A/N: We're almost there. It's almost the end of another fan fic for me. I'm going to have to start thinking of another one… Another Torch edition? Another mesh of movie musical and TV? Hmmm…

Chapter 17

The doors at the back of the auditorium crashed open and Lex and Lois entered arm in arm, dressed to the nines. Most noticeable was Lex's defiantly upright posture. No more hunching over for him! They sauntered down the aisle, applauding slowly for Lionel's antics. Chloe could feel her face turn scarlet as Lex raked her up and down with his eyes. She felt as if she was wearing absolutely nothing instead of just practically nothing. Chloe looked at Clark and noticed that his face was red as well. After all, who wants their ex-best friend to see them in women's underwear?

She looked closely at the pair, curbing her inclination to hide her body behind Clark's, and froze when she noticed the gun in Lex's hand. He was holding it with the easy confidence of a marksman. It wasn't clear who it was trained on and she could only pray that he wouldn't lose his mind and actually try to shoot someone.

Lionel looked disgruntled at the interruption, but Lex wouldn't let himget a word out as he sung, "Lionel Luthor, it's all over! Your research is a failure. Your ambition's too extreme!" Lionel looked crushed. "I'm the new Corp. owner… You will be a prisoner. We return to Metropolis." Lex turned to Lois and caressed her cheek. "Send for the 'copter now!"

Lois turned to leave, but was stopped by a shrill "Wait! I can explain!" from Lionel. He moved toward the center of the stage and Clark and Chloe managed to get the other three to the side and hold them there. Lana broke free for a moment to dim the lights, hit a switch for a silvery curtain to fall behind him, and turn on a spotlight dead center stage before rejoining their little group. She watched him with slack-jawed admiration and Chloe shuddered at the complete lack of thought in her eyes. She huddled into Clark, who put a protecting arm around her.

"On the day she went away…" Lionel crooned.

"Goodbye…" Chloe rolled her eyes as she realized they were to play back-up singers. Of course... They couldn't be allowed to have some sort of singing break.

"Was all I had to say…" Lex looked rather bored while Lois checked out her manicure. Chloe wondered if they were even listening.

"Now I…"

"Wish she'd come again and stay." Lionel closed his eyes theatrically, obviously trying to express some sort of pathos in his situation.

"Oh my, my…"

"Lex, I mean what I say…" He kicked a switch at his feet which projected a picture of Lillian Luthor onto him and the curtain behind him. "'Cause I've seen dark skies through the tears in her eyes and I realize I'm all alone." Chloe looked out at the audience. Lex looked as if he was ready to spit nails at Lionel's use of his mother's image to gain sympathy. Chloe could understand where he was coming from. Lionel had given him nothing but grief, if not from the moment he was born, than at least since the meteor shower.

"I'm all alone!"

He sat on the edge of the stage with his legs tucked in a very ladylike fashion to the side. "Everywhere it's been the same."

"Feelin'…"

"Like I'm outside in the rain." Chloe could only wish they were outside this mausoleum. Then they could have made a clean break from it hours ago. Lionel put his hands up to his face as if to hide emotion, but Chloe clearly saw him poke his eyes to draw tears. So it's going to be that kind of performance, she mentally groaned.

"Wheeling…"

"Free to try and win the game."

"Dealin'…"

"Out some sorrow. I cause pain…" Jonathan stumbled backa bit because of his empathetic tears (or unwieldy rollerblades)and inadvertently switched on the wind machines again. Gale force winds whipped around the stage, but it seemed to fit with Lionel's self-pitying lyrics. "'Cause I've seen dark skies through the tears in her eyes. And I realize I'm all alone."

Lana could be heard sniffling at their side and Pete and Jonathan were trying to be manly and hold back their tears. Clark and Chloe looked at each other and then at the tableau before them. They would have just walked away right there because the self-pitying vibe was really getting on their nerves, but they were compelled with the rest to sing "I'm all alone… I'm all alone… I'm all alone!" Lionel ducked his head at the finale, the picture of contrite semi-innocence.

"Do you feel sorry for him?" Chloe asked Clark.

"Not really. The man has been hounding all of us for years and this latest stunt is just the last straw." He grimaced. "I mean, I want justice to be served, but I feel absolutely no pity for him."

Chloe looked at the man in front of them and then back at the man she was in love with. "I totally agree. He could have killed you!"

Clark looked down at her with shining eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized she and Clark had taken an irretrievable step… and she didn't regret it at all.

A/N: Short, but I've been trying to break it up into song sections. And sometimes it's nice to get a short chapter and then just move onto the next one… It gives a really nice sense of progress.

MarkMark261: Well, I had to come up with some weird explanation about why she and Clark were suddenly out of the clutches of the drug… And thanks for noticing the spacing issue. I'll check it out and see what I can do… (Of course, with software problems, I may not be able to do ANYTHING… :D)

SnowBunny3: I am very glad you're enjoying this and I'm as sad as you to see it go… But with this story at least, it had a rigidly defined ending. It wasn't something I could drag out too much.