AN: This chapter deals with exactly what I think Clark should have said a long time ago. A man can only take so much.
Clark and Chloe sat and talked for another few hours until her phone rang and she had to go help her dad at their apartment. Clark was getting ready to leave when Lana came down the stairs from her apartment.
"Clark. I'm so glad. I really need to talk to you." Clark smiled at her. He really did care about Lana but something was wrong. He didn't want to be with her and he knew it.
"Yeah Lana I think we do need to talk." Lana looked nervous and sat down.
"Clark something happened yesterday."
"Chloe told me, you saw a spaceship?"
"Yeah but thats not it. I was attacked by Jason's mother. She tried to kill me Clark. I think... I blacked out and when I woke up I was holding that stone that I gave you. I had stabbed her in the heart Clark." Lana started to cry.
"Have you told anybody Lana?" Clark asked with concern.
"Lex. Lex found me right after it happened. He called his father and they cleaned the room. They covered it up Clark. So that I wouldn't go to jail. I think that Lex did it because he wanted the stone Clark. That stone was what everybody but you wanted so I gave it to you."
"Lana I can't explain how but the stone is gone. I got rid of it."
"Good I'm glad Clark. It made people do horrible things. Lex attacked me to get it, Jason and his mother turned on me for it. I killed somebody with it." She choked out these words.
"There's more Lana. Jason came and attacked my parents to find me. He got killed when a meteor hit our house." Lana turned pale white. "I'm sorry that you had to find out like this Lana." Lana stood up, grabbed her crutches and went back up to her apartment. Clark followed. "Lana are you going to be okay?"
"Okay? I don't know Clark. I think Isabelle killed Jason's mother. Now I find out Jason is gone too. I did care so much for him. I'm just so scared right now Clark. Everything in my life was finally stable and now its all messed up again." Clark looked at her with concern and gave her a hug. "But no matter what happens Clark you're always here when I need you to be." She looked into his eyes and leaned in to kiss him. Suddenly Clark pulled away.
"Lana... I..."
"Clark?" Lana asked with hurt and shock in her voice. Clark looked at Lana. The girl he loved since he was five. Clark realized he didn't know what real love was but it shouldn't be as hard or as painful as it had been with Lana. He knew what he had to do.
"Lana. I will always be here for you and I will always care about you. I want you to always remember that. I do love you Lana."
"I love you too Clark."
"Yes Lana but its never really been love with us? I will always love you but from now on it will only be as your good friend Clark Kent. For the past few years you and I have gone back and forth and danced around this. Lana if we try this again I don't think our friendship will last. I push you away or hurt you without meaning to and then you get cold and distant, but we always find our way back to being friends." Lana looked at Clark with a hurt puppy look, tears flowing silently down her cheeks. She wanted to be angry but everything he said was true. She had pushed him away and hurt him over and over. Even Clark, the silent hero had a limit to what he could take.
"Lana. I need to get off this rollercoaster." Clark said with finality and with one more look at her he left the Talon and headed home.
Clark didn't see the man watch him leave the Talon. Clark didn't see that same man enter the Talon after it closed or see him exit with a hog-tied Lana Lang.