Lana's head popped up as she heard the door open and some keys being leisurely tossed onto the counter. Lana climbed back onto the couch and sat down, waiting for his next move. Kal didn't even look at her as he took off his over coat and shoes, placing them in the closet. Kal sauntered into their bedroom and lightly closed the door behind him. Lana began to think, what should she do? This was pretty much a no win situation. Option one, she could stay in this marriage and live unhappily ever after. Option two, she could leave him and also leave Clark. Now, the real question itching the back of her mind was if Clark would ever come back. There was only one way to find out. Lana took a deep breath and entered the bedroom. The sound of running water filled her ears and she exhaled deeply. Grateful that she could put off talking to him for a moment longer, she collapsed onto the bed.
Another thought soon began to plague her, how could she have been sleeping for so long? Lana just didn't understand how this whole thing was supposed to have worked. Was she supposed to believe that it was because of Isobel or something? There was just so much to deal with and she didn't know where she was supposed to start. Lana pondered her life for a while until the sound of water ceased and the bathroom door opened. Out strolled a sopping wet Kal with a towel around his waist. As he walked over to his closet, he strolled right past her and indeed looked her right in the face. Lana could feel her heart beating faster and faster inside of her chest.
She was beginning to have doubts about herself. Lana really wished that she would've taken the time to prepare herself while he was gone. Here she was, sitting on a bed in some pajamas with her hair in complete disarray. When was the last time that she had showered anyway? Lana sniffed her shirt, her arm, and then her hair. Her shirt smelled of fabric softener, her arm smelled like raspberry, as did her hair. Wait, did that mean...Kal had taken care of her. Lana was now extremely confused, if he loathed her like he said he did, then why? It just didn't all add up and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.
Lana was still smelling her hair when Kal walked out. Lana immediately dropped her hair and her face went blank. Kal gave her a weird look and walked out into the living room. Lana's procrastinating nature was getting the best of her as she looked around the room for anything to keep her occupied. She noticed various pictures all over the place and the stunning part was that they all had her in them. Some were of them together, but most were of her. Was Clark still there? In some small portion of him?
One more deep breath.
Lana hardened her resolve and joined him in the living room. Kal was sitting on the couch, watching television and drinking something. Lana carefully came to sit on the couch near him, not next to, she was no where near ready to be 'next to' him. Kal didn't acknowledge her like he had been doing since she'd woken up.
"Kal," the hardest part was saying his name. It felt so foreign, so awkward. Kal turned off the television and set the remote on the table and waited for Lana to finish. He listened to her yes, but didn't look at her. "If I ask you something, will you answer me truthfully?" Kal turned to Lana and finally looked at her. He tilted his head forward in sort of a nod. Lana took his left hand in hers and held it up. This obviously startled him, but he didn't react physically. "What happened to you, um Clark."
"Clark doesn't exist anymore." Kal finally spoke directly to her in a calm matter and Lana nearly fell over.
"What do you mean? How can he not exist?" Lana could feel the tears falling from her eyes. "You did this to him, what is it because of that ring? That stupid ring!" Lana pulled the ring from his finger and threw it across the room. "This isn't fair, I look at you and I see him." Lana brought her hands up to her face to wipe her tears away and bowed her head. "How can he be gone forever? I thought it was just that ring, and once it was gone he'd come back. That's what Chloe said, why isn't it working!" Lana slapped the couch in frustration and anger.
"That ring has nothing to do with it," he calmly professed.
"But it's the ring, that red ring that makes you do these things." Lana made various hand motions as she spoke. This conversation was making her anxiety level sky rocket.
"It never made me do anything," Kal began to elaborate and Lana lifted her head. "It was what I wanted." Lana's eyes widened, he wanted to kill Chloe?
"Are you trying to tell me that you wanted to kill Chloe?" Lana's voice cracked and her plan of being strong had died.
"I never intended or wanted to kill anyone. It was for you. She was going to hurt you and she did." His confession startled her as she thought about it in her mind. That part made sense at least.
"But I don't understand, where is Clark then?"
"I am Clark, Lana. I'm Kal too. It was never him or me, I've always been one person."
"No, but he was so different. You were two different people, Clark." Lana remembered how cold Kal could be and how mean and hateful. Even this morning she was subjected to his wrath.
"Lana, my name isn't Clark. I don't want to be that person anymore. I don't know how it happened but our two personalities as you would call them, became integrated and with or without that ring I am still the way I am." Kal took sip of his drink before setting it back down and returning his gaze to Lana.
"So no matter what, you'll always be this way?"
"This who I am and it's who I've been for a long time." Kal placed his hand on his head as he exhaled slowly
"Clark," Lana started off strongly and was a bit surprised when he didn't correct her. "So a part of you is still Clark? During the time that I was asleep, what happened?"
"That's what I was saying Lana. Yes, a part of me is still Clark and a part is still Kal." Kal stopped for a moment to let it sink in and let her think about it. "While you were asleep I founded a company."
"That was all? Nothing else? You went to work during the day and came back at night and went to sleep? The same old routine while I was stuck in that bed."
"There was nothing that I could do, I had all kinds of doctors who didn't know anything. What was I supposed to do? I sat at the end of that bed everyday for one month straight, waiting for something to happen and it never did."
"You took care of me," Lana said more as a statement than a question. Clark nodded with his eyes and ran his hand down the side of his face. "Where did you sleep?"
"With you." Clark or Kal or whoever he was still loved her and everything that he just said proved it. Everything was going to be ok and Lana took comfort in this. All of their problems were resolved and...Pete. What about Pete?
"What about Pete? He's going to be in Belle Reve for the rest of his life and his only crime was trying to help us." Lana felt sick to her stomach. They had ruined Pete's life and he would probably never know life outside of Belle Reve again.
"There's nothing more that I can do. I put together a team of lawyers for him and I tried." Lana could see now that Clark was telling the truth earlier, he was neither fully Kal or Clark. Kal wouldn't have cared and Clark would never have let this happen to Pete. The only part of him that remained as Clark was clearly the way that he felt about Lana.
"Make sure that he gets the best of everything, just try." Lana knew that he was right. There was nothing more that they could do. Even if he did turn himself in then it wouldn't matter. Pete was so messed up from all of this that he would still end up in Belle Reve anyway. "What do we do now Clark?" Lana had scooted closer to him and now held his left hand in hers.
"We need to live our lives."
A/N: That was technically the end but I still have an epilogue so then that will be the end. But I still have an epilogue.
