Chapter Fifty-Eight – Lana Explains It All

Clark Kent looked at a teary-eyed Lana Lang, who now knew his secret. Part of him felt devastated that she now knew that his planet had killed her parents, another part felt relieved that he didn't have to keep his secret from her any longer.

"You should have told me, Clark," said a sniffling Lana. "I would have understood… more than anyone."

"I wanted to," admitted Clark, "but I just couldn't. I kept wanting to tell you but…"

"Tell me now, Clark," said Lana, gripping his hand, "let it all out."

As Lana Lang and Jimmy Olsen looked on - although, truth to tell, most of Jimmy's attention was centered on the pink PVC outfit Lana was now wearing - Clark began saying the words that he should have said to Lana so long ago:

"I've from another planet, Lana, a planet call-"

"Clark," yelled an angry Lana in despair. "Enough of these charades. Just tell me the truth for once."

"But that is the truth," explained Clark, realizing that Lana obviously didn't know as much as he'd assumed. "That's why I've got these strange powers."

"Strange powers?" said Lana in disbelief. "Clark, do I look stupid? Next, you'll be telling me you're this Superman that Jimmy's trying to help."

Clark was dumb-founded. He was trying to tell Lana his secret but she just wouldn't listen.

"Relax, CK," said Jimmy Olsen, seeing the state Clark was in and suddenly remembering which DVD he'd fallen asleep during. "Lana, Clark's clearly having trouble admitting the truth, so just tell him what you saw."

"You're right, Jimmy," said Lana. "I'm sorry, Clark. I know how difficult this must be for you, but it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"What did you see, Lana?" asked a confused Clark.

"I think you know what I saw, Clark. I was going to change out of this outfit when I heard Martha's voice coming from this room. Anyway, I popped my head in and Jimmy had fallen asleep in front of one of those Smallville episodes, but it wasn't one of the later ones when I was the star - this was ones from decades earlier."

"Decades earlier?"

"That's right - Martha was a lot younger and she wasn't with Jonathan. She was with that famous physicist who died recently - that Dr.Virgil somebody-or-other."

"Virgil Swann," said a relieved Clark, suddenly realizing Lana had walked in on Superman 3.

"That's right, Virgil Swann. Needless to say I put the clues together and I worked out your secret - you're Virgil Swann and Martha Kent's lovechild."

"But that wasn't Virgil Swann," protested Clark. "It was a Clark Kent from a different dimension."

"You expect me to believe that Virgil Swann's actually you?" said Lana, trying not to laugh. "Next, you'll be telling me that Martha's actually me."

"But Virgil Swann doesn't wear glasses," argued Clark.

"A disguise for his romantic trysts with Martha - although that disguise wouldn't fool anyone."

"But Virgil Swann was in a wheelchair."

"Yeah, well like I said, that disguise wouldn't fool anyone. I guess Jonathan must really have had a temper back in those days."

"But it wasn't like that," said an exasperated Clark. "Ma and Pa would never do those things."

Lana took Clark in her arms. "That's okay, Clark, you're in denial. I know what that's like - my mother cheated on my father too and I still find it hard to believe. But it's okay, Clark, you've got me to share your secret with now."

Clark felt Lana's warm embrace and realized that the last thing he wanted to do now was to jeopardize their relationship by introducing the truth. "Thanks, Lana, that's a weight off my mind."

Lana hugged him some more and smiled. Finally all the secrets between them were gone. "We were both born out of wedlock and you know what that makes us?"

Clark was just about to answer, when Lana continued, "That's right, Clark. It makes us the same. I've been through what you've been through and now I can help you."

Clark just nodded at Lana and smiled, deciding silence was the best option.

"You see, Clark. It's true what they say - honesty is the best policy."


Chloe Sullivan, trapped in Lex's body, looked at the lead-lined box she held in her hand.

"I used to have one like that," came a voice from down the corridor, a voice that used to belong to her.

Chloe slipped the box back into her pocket and leapt to her feet.

"No need to get defensive," said Lex, now inhabiting Chloe's body, "I'm not going to try and kill you again. I actually came to check that Clark didn't do my body too much damage after that lie I told him about you."

"Don't worry, your body's fine," said Chloe, "and actually it's me who should be killing you."

"Oh, Chloe, just because I killed you, I hope there are no hard feelings between us."

"No hard feelings," replied Chloe. "Just an order from Ursa - she wants me to kill Chloe Sullivan. I thought I better warn you to be on your guard against her - after all, I'll be wanting that body back soon."

"Well, I really need it for quite a bit longer," admitted Lex. "Do you really need to be here, Chloe? Why not take a vacation in the next reality? It's really not safe for you around here, especially since I told Clark what you said about Lana."

"No, I'm afraid I'm staying put, Lex. I figured I'd just stick around, pretending to be you, prancing around in black outfits and boring people with quotes, until that transference stone's spell wears off."

"Would you believe that I'm actually trying to help you by telling you to leave?" asked Lex, looking at Chloe in his old body and wishing he could dress in black again.

"Like you were trying to help me by stealing my body?" Chloe responded sarcastically. "Why did you do it anyway, Lex? Did you want to live like common people, or did you just want to get in touch with your feminine side? And, by the way, while you're in my body, you better not get in touch with my feminine side, if you catch my drift."

Lex looked at Chloe, inhabiting his old body, and sighed. "Appearances can be deceptive."

Chloe, seeing a chance for a quote, leapt in. "All that glitters is not gold."

Lex grimaced. "No, it's all that glisters is not gold. If you're going to be me, please get the quotes right."

"Got it wrong on purpose," said Chloe, as an uncharacteristic smile lit up her Lex-face. "That's the way uh-huh uh-huh I like it."

"Uh-huh?"

"Uh-huh."

Suddenly Lex and Chloe's mutual quoting of the works of KC and the Sunshine Band was interrupted by the Tardis starting to move.


As the Tardis began its journey, The Doctor turned to Rose.

"So, The Architect told you how I was going to die?"

"He might have mentioned it."

"You mustn't do anything to change it, Rose."

"Wouldn't think of it, Doctor," said Rose reassuringly, her fingers crossed behind her back.

Suddenly the Tardis came to a halt and, within the next few minutes, Jimmy, Lex (who was really Chloe), Chloe (who was really Lex), Zod and Ursa had all found their way to the console room.

"Where's Clark and Lana?" asked The Doctor.

"Lana's busy telling Clark how she coped with finding out about her real father. It looked like it could go on for days," explained Jimmy.

"Guess we'll have to start without them," said The Doctor, addressing his passengers.

"So, this is hopefully our penultimate destination..."

"Well, kind of," interrupted Jimmy.

"... so, let's go and see what's out there," continued The Doctor, pushing open the Tardis' door. "And, hey, let's be careful out there."

Seconds later, everybody had clambered out of the Tardis to find themselves standing in a sewer.

"Looks like a great place for monsters," said The Doctor, his voice echoing around the dank surroundings.

"Like that one?" asked Ursa, pointing to an ugly-looking creature that had suddenly appeared and was running toward Chloe Sullivan.

The real Chloe, trapped in Lex's body, saw a familiar-looking waxy-skinned demon heading toward her old body and a long thin bony spike suddenly emerging from one of its knuckles. There was only one thing to do - she had to save her old body. Flinging her new body, Lex's immortal body, between her old body and the demon she felt the spike pierce into her flesh.

And then, unexpectedly, Chloe Sullivan's world ended.