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"Clark, sit down, I have to talk to you." Lana instructed Clark.

"What Lana? You know I'm busy." Clark tried to brush her off.

"Clark, fine! I'll make this quick." Lana felt the tears welling up in her eyes already. She couldn't believe she was doing this, "I'm taking Alex and leaving."

"What?" Clark's eyes glinted with rage and a little fear.

"Clark, I'm sorry..." A few tears streaked down her face, "but I have to. The way things have been lately... if it was just me, you know I'd stick by your side no matter what, but you yell at Alex and some of the things you make him do... I mean, Clark, you aren't the same since Lionel's death. I swear, I look in your eyes and I can't even see any love for Alex or me! It's like… like we are a job or property or something. I remember when you would look forward to seeing your son, and you'd always give me a kiss goodbye and..." Lana broke down crying. It hurt so bad, to realize that she wasn't the same in Clark's eyes anymore, she wasn't his sole companion. She was just another person to control.

"Lana, you are over reacting. You know I've been going threw a rough time. You are just going to leave when everything isn't perfect?" Clark's voice has an edge of anger in it.

"Clark, you know that isn't true. I tried to tell myself you were just going threw a hard time, but it's more than that. Out of all the things we've been threw, I never felt like this before. It's like you don't even love your family anymore. It's like you are suddenly following Lionel's handbook on parenting, and you are just more cold to people in general." Lana felt bad saying and admitting these things, because this was Clark, her soul mate. But in a weird way it didn't hurt as much as it should, because as crazy as it sounded it felt like Clark was a different person, and that she was saying these things to that person. The Clark she loved had died somewhere in himself, and that is what really hurt. She had lost him and there was no more fooling herself.

"You are not going to just leave, Bitch." Clark's voice held no fondness, or even a trace of hurt, just an anger, like he only wanted her because she was his.

"I'm leaving Clark. I'm sorry. I am going to move back in with my parents in a couple days, and Alex and me will stay there, I'm not asking you for anything." Lana didn't want to have ties that would lead Clark back into their path.

"Fine bitch! Get out! But Alex is staying with me." Clark stood straight up, making him even more intimidating, as he yelled at Lana.

"Clark..." Lana was so scared this would happen, "Don't do this!"

"Why not? You don't care enough to stay, and you try and take my son." Clark spat with anger.

"I'm doing this because I care! I'm worried for Alex! You even knew that this was always a possibility." Lana sobbed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clark said condescendingly.

"You didn't want to get married because you always wanted me to have a way out, so I could take Alex and leave. Now let me do that Clark, if you love us, let us leave." Lana hoped he would pull out even the tiniest sentiment of love, care, or concern for his family, and let them go.

"You are so ungrateful! I give you everything you could ever want and now you want to walk out on me!" Clark took a step towards her.

Lana could tell that talking wasn't going to do any good, and it would only stir the pot, "Clark, I'm sorry you feel that way. I just wanted to let you know and tell you face to face." Lana turned to leave the room.

Clark grabbed her arm roughly, "You aren't going anywhere Lana."

"Clark, let me go." Lana had never felt more scared in her life. This wasn't her Clark, the Clark she loved was gone, and this new found personality Clark had taken on… well Lana was pretty sure he didn't have a problem hurting her, as long as he got his way.

"No. Now you listen! You are going to stay here with the boy, and you are just going to forget you ever thought about this. Things are to go back to normal, do you understand me?" Clark spoke the words forcefully, about 4 inches from her face.

Lana was so scared. He didn't even Call Alex his son; he called him 'the boy'. He was more gone than Lana thought, "Clark, I'm leaving." Clark tightened his grip on Lana's arm at her words, "Ouch, Clark you are hurting me stop!"

Clark threw her to the ground hard, "No you're not! Lana, you can either do this the easy way or the hard way."

Lana really felt like Clark would kill her if she said no, "Clark, I can't just pretend everything is ok! I won't!"

Clark squatted down so he was face to face with Lana on the floor, "Yes you will." He struck her across the face.

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The real Clark watched the TV screen as 'he' battered Lana. He couldn't take it anymore. Now his imposter was hitting Lana. He wanted to kill Lionel and his fraud so bad.

"LIONEL!" Clark screamed as he punched on the walls of the room where he had been held for almost a month, "You bastard!"

Clark needed Lionel to show his cowardly face. He needed to talk to Lionel, to do whatever it took to let Lana and Alex be safe. Lionel showed up about twice a week, probably just to enjoy Clark's pain.

Clark couldn't wait an hour, much less a couple days to talk to Lionel. He had to do something drastic so Lionel would be informed and show up.

Clark was anxious of what he was about to do, only because if he failed, it meant Lana and Alex would never be happy, be okay, be free.

Clark took a glass of water that was by his bed, and he moved to the corner of his room that he knew contained the most kryptonite in the walls. He pulled the TV as close as it would go to him and smashed it—sparks flew and burned him a little bit. Clark was trying to hold off the effects of the kryptonite, but his body had been so weakened over the last month, he had barely enough energy to punch threw a section in the wall. Clark felt kryptonite as it pulsed threw him, were his skin had broken as a result of punching threw the wall.

Clark felt like he was going to die right then, but he pulled out all his strength, as he thought of Lana and Alex and how much he loved them, and just wanted to hug them. The imagine of Lana getting smacked around, and Alex crying flashed in his mind, over and over, along with at least a thousand other horrible and painful images he had gained with in the last month.

Clark tipped over the glass of water onto the TV.

Clark felt excruciating pain surge threw his body as volts of electricity mixed with kryptonite, rendered him unconscious.

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TBC…