Author's Note:

Tenth and final chapter. Thank you to Maveness, ChiriChan, and Valentienmichel for reading my multiple drafts. And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who read and commented.

Enjoy.

"Clark."

Whitelightwhitelightwhitelightwhite...

"Clark!"

His eyes opened. He blinked, and it seemed like a long time before his eyes were able to focus on the face hovering over him. Grey eyes peered out at him from beneath a smooth brow creased with concern. Beyond a black clad shoulder ancient drawing seemed to dance across stone walls as if they were alive. He blinked again.

"Clark, are you all right?"

Clark jerked upright, suddenly realizing where he was and who was with him. "Lex! What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. What were you doing down here?"

What was I doing down here? What happened?

He stood up, brushing dirt from his jacket as he tried to formulate an answer. "I was...finishing up some work for doctor Walden."

"The guard said he heard an explosion."

Pausing, Clark looked back toward the wall.

The key. I put the key in the wall. There was a burst of light and...I must have passed out. I don't remember anything after that.

His eyes darted to the wall and he felt his chest grow tight. The key was gone. It was no longer in his pocket, and no longer in the wall. Lex was staring at him intently. He would have no opportunity to look for it.

"I'm fine, Lex," he said breathlessly. "Everything is fine."

"Clark, I'm concerned. First I find you lying in the middle of the road, now you pass out here in the caves. Maybe you should go to the hospital."

"Seriously, Lex. I'm okay. I just need some air."

The concern did not leave Lex's eyes. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Clark grinned. "I'm just tired, and that's what I get for staying up too late cramming for an exam. Don't worry."

Lex shrugged, and put his hands in his pockets. "That's what friends are for."

"To worry?" Clark laughed. "Well if you're that concerned you can give me a ride home."

"I'd like to, Clark, but I'm meeting Dr. Walden myself in a few minutes."

Mention of the doctor's name made Clark automatically glance at the glyphs etched into the stone walls, and it was then that he realized he could read them.

It was dark, and the air was chill. Laura's breath created swirls of steamy white fog as she wove her way toward her destination. In her hand she carried a bundle of wild flowers, picked along the way. They were the last of the season and looked a little rough around the edges. It didn't matter. He wouldn't mind.

She came to a stop before a low, smooth stone set deeply into the ground. There she knelt, and brushed the leaves from its surface.

Corbin Kent

Cherished Son, Beloved Brother

1986-2001

"Hey," she whispered. "I'm sorry I haven't been here in a while." With a small smile, she presented the flowers, and laid them on the ground before the stone. She folded her hands in her lap, and sighed. "I'm not sure where to begin. I guess you heard about Clark's accident. It's pretty bad, but the doctors say he should be okay. It was a miracle that Lex wasn't hurt too or Clark would have drowned for sure. Chloe said..."

Abruptly she stopped. Slowly she raised a hand to push her glasses back up her nose. The sound she'd heard came again. A chill raised the hair on the back of her neck.

"Who's there?"

At first there was silence, and only darkness. Mist swirled around the ground, and danced about the feet of a large winged statue that stood beneath a leafless tree. As Laura watched, a figure emerged from the shadows. She felt her face stretch into a silly grin, and a blush crept into her cheeks. Had he heard her?

"Oh," she said. "Lex. It's you."

He moved closer. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets. A lock of hair fell across his forehead.

"It's late, Laura. You shouldn't be out here, especially alone."

She shrugged. Her blush deepened. "I'm okay."

He studied her carefully. "You come here a lot don't you?"

Turning her head back to the gravestone, she reached out to touch its cool surface, tracing the letters with her fingers. "I miss him."

"So do I." Lex said quietly. He came over to where she sat, and crouched down next to her. "He was my friend too."

"I heard about Clark," she said abruptly.

"I heard he suffered some memory loss, is that true?"

Laura looked at him. He wore a peculiar expression. She could not interpret it. "Yeah. He lost a few months at least. The doctors don't know if he'll recover it."

Relief? Am I seeing relief there?

The look was gone in a blink. Laura wrote it off as her imagination playing tricks on her. She toyed with a thread that had come loose from the tail of her coat. They fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"Lex?" she asked finally.

"Hmm?"

He turned his head, and she grinned bashfully.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm the Fort Knox of secrets," he whispered.

Their eyes locked, and in that instant Laura felt a surge of guilty pleasure fill her heart.

Oh, Corb. I'm sorry but...

I think I love him.