A hole in the world
Clark tried to remain calm. He could clearly see that Lex wasn't in a good state. He seemed a bit drunk and he looked awful, with black circles around his eyes.
"Lex? What are you doing here?" asked Clark calmly.
"Well… given that you destroyed my life… I thought it was only fair that I paid you a visit…" said Lex smiling.
Clark started to get worried. Lana and Laura were outside the house, but he was still afraid of what Lex would do. He considered super speeding to him and taking him out immediately, but he still wasn't absolutely sure whether he was a big threat.
"Lex you brought that upon yourself… I just told the world the truth…" said Clark really calmly as he walked slowly towards Lex.
"The truth? …The truth? They don't always need to know the truth Clark. People don't want to learn the truth about things. They want to live their lives content that everything is going well around them. Truth is overrated… don't you think?" asked Lex.
"Listen Lex… you don't seem fine man… maybe you should go home and lie down for a while… you look awful…"
"Don't try to patronize me Clark!" shouted Lex as he got up and pulled a gun from his pocket, pointing it at Clark.
Clark then decided that he was too much of a threat and he super sped next to him to take the gun away. But as he got closer to Lex, he started feeling dizzy and nauseous and once he was next to him, he crumbled to the floor. Lex watched him amazed and amused at the same time. "So it is true…" he mumbled.
At that point Lana entered the house with Laura in her arms. "Clark? Is everything alri…." She froze as she saw Lex holding a gun, standing over a fallen Clark.
"Lana… NO! Get out of here!" shouted Clark through gritted teeth.
Lex pointed the gun towards Lana disappointed. "Oh God… I'm sorry Lana… but I can't let you go… I don't want to hurt you and I won't, but I can't let you go now that you know I'm here."
Lana stood there in shock as she considered dashing for the door. She had Laura with her though and she couldn't risk it. Plus she didn't want to leave Clark alone with a drunk –from the looks of it- Lex. Why is Clark down though? Oh my god! Does he know? Does he have kryptonite with him? How is that possible?
"Lana please come in here and sit over there." Said Lex pointing to the couch.
Laura remained silent looking on with a mixture of fear and wonderment as they sat on the couch.
"Lex let them go… your gripe is with me…" said Clark with difficulty as the pain was getting to him.
"Shut up Clark… Stop trying to be the hero when in fact you are a snake yourself." He then took out of his pocket a green kryptonite rock. "Is this what's bothering you Clarky?" said Lex with a smirk.
Lana gasped when she saw that.
"I can't believe I was so stupid for so long… I mean… I've got to hand it to you… your whole Clark Kent the fragile harmless farm boy and then reporter, had me going for good… I should have realized it years ago… All those times I couldn't understand what it was you were trying to hide, which takes us back to the day we met… Now it's all so clear to me…" then turning to Lana. "At least I hope he had the courtesy to reveal this to you a whole lot earlier than me."
Lana remained silent, but her unphased expression gave Lex an idea. "Well… at least he didn't screw that up…" then he turned to Clark again. "And to imagine all these years I've been trying to justify myself and my actions to you! A man who knows nothing of the word honesty! Well… at least I never pretended to be someone I'm not Clark! You knew my flaws and my weaknesses… That's not really fair don't you think?"
"I did it to protect the people close to me Lex! My parents and my friends."
"Oh yes! Of course! Ever the hero! To protect them from me! Because I never helped your family, or your friends! Right… Why don't you admit it that all these years you've been judging me, when you should have been looking at yourself…"
"I made mistakes Lex that's for sure… But I don't think deciding to help people is one of them… or to oppose people like you." Said Clark with a grim face trying to hide his pain.
"Oh that again… people like me… And what kind of people is that Clark? Strong? Who know what they want? Successful? Rich? What? What group of people am I part of that you oppose?"
"Unscrupulous. With no consideration of the collateral damage you may cause to achieve your goals! You had grown so much in power Lex, that you considered yourself untouchable. Almost infallible. A god!"
"Hah… Look who's talking about aspirations of godlihood! You go around in a costume… with a cape… and a big symbol on your chest… flying… catching airplanes and moving mountains… yeah… you're right… I'm the one who was behaving like a god among mortal men Clark… Sorry I didn't see that sooner."
"Oh quit your whining Lex!" snapped an agitated Lana. "Whatever Clark has done, he helped a lot of people and he hasn't hurt a single soul. He has tried to show the rest of us that by being decent human beings we can actually make a difference. It's not about ourselves! Clark is the most selfless person I've known my entire life. He has suffered because of this, but he doesn't sit around blaming everyone around him and his fate, he actually tries to deal with things as they come to him, and then again worries for everyone else. You on the other hand are always going on about yourself and your company and what everyone else is doing to poor little Lex!"
Lex looked at her with no apparent emotion on his face. "You may be right about this Lana… but what can I say… I'm only human. And he hasn't hurt a soul? What about you Lana, hasn't he hurt you? What about me? What about Pete or Chloe or Lois? We all hurt people… It's in our nature to hurt others and get hurt… but … you're a bit biased on this subject so I'll ask you to sit down and be quiet for now."
"No Lex… please… you're taking this too far…" said Lana trying to calm Lex down.
"Too far? I have lost my company! The one thing that mattered to me most in the world! I strived 24/7 for the last 15 years to make it what it was, and he destroyed that in one day! Too far? And now… that I'm out of favor with all the big boys… it seems there are a lot of people who want me taken care of… too far? No Lana…" turning to Clark, "Do you know what I should do to get even with you Clark? Tell me do you? I should kill both of them right here in front of you and then let you live with the knowledge that it was because of you."
Instinctively when she heard this Lana wrapped her arms around Laura even tighter.
"But you're lucky that I'm not the monster you think I am or the psychopath that a lot think I am… I couldn't hurt either of them… so… I'll just have to deal with killing you…"
When he said that, Lana instinctively jumped up and tried to grab the gun away from him.
"No … Lana… stay out of this…" said Lex as he struggled with her to keep hold of the gun.
"No! LANA!" shouted Clark as he was lying helpless on the floor.
Then Lex managed to push Lana to the floor away from him shouting: "I said stay out of this! I don't want to have to hurt you!"
Then once more he turned his gun towards Clark. "Good bye Clark!"
He said as he threw the Kryptonite on the fallen Clark and immediately pulled the trigger.
Clark's voice was heard louder than the gunshot, when he yelled: "NO!"
Lex was frozen with shock and the gun slipped from his hands and fell to the floor, as he repeated: "No, no, no"
Laura who was frightened with all the commotion had started to cry.
And Lana was now lying on top of Clark, with blood pouring from her back where the bullet hit her, after she dove on top of Clark.
Clark held her and looked at her blinking eyes in disbelief, as he the pain he felt from the effects of the Kryptonite had been replaced by much greater emotional pain in his stomach and his chest.
"C…Clark?" whispered Lana with trembling lips.
"Shhh… don't try to speak… You'll be alright honey… I promise…"
Lex fell to his knees as he looked on almost zombie-like.
Lana smiled weakly but sweetly at him. "Please… Clark… take care of my baby…"
"Don't speak like that you'll be ok… you'll see." Said Clark with tears in his eyes.
"Clark… I…" then her eyes closed.
"NO!" shouted Clark as he wrapped his arms around her. Then he turned to Lex. "LEX! Take this thing away from me!" shouted Clark referring to the Kryptonite.
Lex in the same zombie like state he was in, simply caught the Kryptonite and threw it away. Then Clark mustering all his strength got up with Lana still in his hands. He approached Laura who was still crying. "Laura sweetie… I want you to do something for me… Grab on to my neck and hold me tightly can you do that sweetie." Said Clark as tears were freely running from his face.
Laura nodded her little head and wrapped her arms around Clark's neck. Then Clark sped off, leaving Lex looking on emotionless, still like a statue, with a single tear running down his face.
To be continued…