I believe the answer to your question is in this chapter, GilbertDrone328.

Thanks once again for all the reviews so far!

After a few hours, Lana was out. I carefully slipped out of bed and tip toed my way into the bathroom to throw some water on my face. Hopefully in a few hours, Lana's and my life would be changed for the better. No more hiding from Whitney, and no more hiding from the truth. Trust was the key. I needed to trust that everything was going to be alright.

With one last glance at Lana's quiet and tranquil form, I supersped off into the cloudy light of the early morning sky.

…….

I reached Honduras in record-breaking time, but actually finding Lex proved to be some what of a difficult task. I spoke very little of Spanish and they spoke very little of English. I had to resort to drawing pictures of a bald guy in a tie before I finally got a knowing nod and a point in the right direction of the tropical, marshy area.

After a few minutes of trudging through tiny huts and dirty roads, I finally heard the voice of the man I'd traveled so far to see.

"Clark? Clark KENT?"

I whirled around within excitement, a smile automatically splashing onto my face. "Lex!"

"Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing here??" He clapped his hands on my back in a brotherly sort of hug, happiness filling his voice.

"I wish I was just here to say hi, but I'm actually here for a complicated reason. I need your help."

"Sure. Why don't we just talk inside."

I followed him through the dirt patches that made up the small village. Lex looked extremely out of place with his tailor-made suit and royal purple tie. But despite that, most of the villagers we passed nodded and smiled at the business man, some even shaking his hand. Each action built up my confidence that Lex would be more than willing to help Lana and I. He seemed even more genuinely nice than the last time I'd talked to him many years ago.

He lead me to a large white tent just outside the village, surrounded on all sides by secret-service-like men with shades and ear pieces and jeeps covered in brown camouflage paint.

"What is this is? The local police station?" I asked with curiousity.

"It's the headquarters of Lex Corp in Honduras. We're currently in process of trying to train the men to defend themselves in order to conquer new spaces of flat land to grow crops. In return, the people have agreed to sell us they're produce at half price. And their proven to be pretty deteremined. I have a feeling they might become the next Rome – only they won't destroy themselves from the inside." Lex strutted to the front flap of the tent and nodded to the man waiting there. The man nodded back and lifted the flap for us to enter.

"Well, sounds like your name is all over this project then," I stated.

We walked into a makeshift office under the tent, full of desks and people circling them, muttering random questions and answers. Lex turned and pushed through another flap that opened into a small, secluded part of the tent which contained two Victorian-looking easy chairs, a plastic window, and a trademark Luthor wine bar.

"Sit, make yourself comfortable, and fill me in on what's been going in Smallville since I've been away," Lex ordered, wandering over to the bar in order to pour himself a shot.

A good portion of time passed as I explained all that had happened, leading up to this very morning. By the end of my heroic story, Lex's reaction was basically unreadable. He seemed to look intrigued and unimpressed at the same time.

"So…you want me to use my own anger towards my family to fuel a takeover so you and your girlfriend can live happily ever after?" he asked bluntly, taking a sip from his expensive drink as he did so.

"Well, you always told me how you wished you could bring down your father one day…and I just figured…I mean…I don't mean to sound selfish, Lex. I realize you have business to take care of here and it's probably more important to you than a friend you haven't been in touch with for years – "

"Clark," Lex interrupted, patting me on the shoulder. A smile curled onto his lips as he continued, "You're not a friend – you're a brother. As far as I'm concerned, it's my duty to help you out."

My eyes widened in unabashed shock. "You're…you're gonna help me? Seriously?"

"Of course. Pulling down my father and his loyal little lap dog of a son in the process is just a bonus. You deserve this girl. I can tell."

"I don't know how I'll ever repay you, Lex…" I admitted as I stood, feeling a little bit like a poor man on the street who's just been give a million dollars.

Lex rose up from his chair as well, setting his empty glass on the nearby desk. "I do. Just one, simple thing I require."

"What?"

"I must be your best man when you and Lana get hitched."

Without even thinking about it, my cheeks beamed red. "Lex…"

"Deal?" he asked, opening the tent flap, waiting for me to pass through.

My heart began to race with excitement as I ducked underneath his arm. "Deal."

……..

And the excitement never once left my heart as I sat in the cushioned chairs of Lex's personal jet, soaring back towards Kansas. I couldn't stop thinking about how everything would be now. Lana would finally know everything. No more lies. Not a single one.

I glanced at my watch. Still very early in the morning. Lana was probably still huddled under her covers and, although I admit it was pretty egotistical of me to think, she was also probably dreaming about me…and our future together. Our long and prosperous future.

And as I gazed out the winds of the aircraft thinking about my love, Lex spent most of the flight in a private room in the back of the plane, creating his strategy and calling up connections who would gladly aid him in the "revival of his mission to end the Luthor chaos." Apparently, he had been digging up the past of his family for years, but was never able to grasp enough dirty laundry. He gave up almost five years ago and now, Lex had told me with a grin, he felt he was older, wiser, and ready to show the world that he was not just another Luthor.

Surprisingly, by the time the jet reached the grounds of Smallville, Lex appeared from his room looking almost as satisfied as I was.

"Plan going well?" I asked hopefully.

"Very, very well, my brother," Lex promised wrapping an arm around my shoulder as we both strutted happily towards the silver Porsche, warmed and ready to take us back to the battle at hand.

…….

I decided not to knock on Chloe's door, seeing at it was still about five in the morning. I snatched the key under the potted plant on the porch and quietly let Lex and myself in.

The house was filled with that deafening, morning silence that makes even the tiniest noises sound like crashed and explosions. But the silence almost felt suffocating to me. I had so much I wanted to say and express, but I couldn't think of how to begin it, and I wasn't completely sure I was ready.

"Clark?"

Lana emerged from the stairway, barely awake, but quickly gaining consciousness when she noticed who had just arrived.

"Lana. Hey, good morning."

"Hello there. You're Lana Lang, I assume?" Lex said, stretching out his hand.

"Yes…" She said curiously, shaking his awaiting hand.

"I'm Lex Luthor. I believe my good friend Clark has told you all about me."

"Yeah. Yes, he has. But he also told me you were in Honduras," she informed, the bewildered look on her face not fading for a second.

"I was. Luckily, Clark was able to get down there and let me in the situation you two are in. And let me to you, there's nothing I'd rather be doing. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help." Lex then turned to look back at me with a smirk. "Now then, I think I'm going to head out and get better acquainted with this grand little town again. Lots for me to do today. I'll let you know how things are going when I can, Clark."

"All right," I retorted, still staring at Lana, who I could tell was still very confused.

"Talk to you later. And it was nice meeting you, Ms. Lang," Lex exclaimed as he nodded towards Lana and then walked briskly out of house and out of sight.

My heart increased it's beating as soon as the front door shut. A feeling that I can only describe as happy terror coursed through my veins. An anxious smile appeared on my face as I spoke. "So…"

"I think you owe me an explanation," she stated, firmly and with no returning smile.

I swallowed, quickly deciding to lose my obviously inappropriate smile as quickly as possible. "Uh…for what?"

"Where were you this morning?"

"I was getting Lex."

"I woke up when you got out of bed. I looked at the clock and it was 4:30. It's now 8:30."

"Actually, Lex's company has been working on this brand new plane fuel that increases the speed of a plane and – "

"Even with Lex's miracle fuel, it's impossible fit two plane flights into that small amount of time and even if you did somehow manage it, where did you get the money for the flight and why did you feel the need to hide it from me and make up some lame story about a friend having a connection with Lex?"

I knew this was the point of no return. She had to know, and there was no room for weaseling out. So, with as much courage as I owned, I took a breath and began. "I didn't tell you because I didn't fly to Honduras."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, folding her arms in annoyance. "That's crazy. How else would you get there?"

"I…ran."

"You ran?"

I sighed and mentally crossed my fingers. "Look, I'm gonna tell you the truth Lana – all of it. And it's going to be complicated and unbelievable and completely crazy, but I really want you to please just listen, okay?"

With pursed lips and a mildly open mind, she muttered, "Okay."

And if it was like that one word was the cork to my bottle of truth. As soon as I heard it, shooting off into oblivion, miles and miles of information spilled from my tongue. I let her in on every thing I knew about Krypton and my powers, and when I finally ran out of things to say, I reminded her of how much I truly loved her and that I brought Lex here because I wanted to prove that I would do anything for her.

"Lana, I wanted to tell you so many times – "

"Then why didn't you?" I could hear the anger lacing her voice, making me truly regret everything I made her go through to avoid learning the truth sooner.

"I…I was afraid – "

"You even asked me how I'd feel if I came in contact with someone from another planet," Lana recalled in disbelief. "and I told you I would accept it. I told you how I'd feel, Clark. I told you it would be okay."

I closed my eyes, feeling more vulnerable than I ever have. "I know."

"We even almost made love. Were you just going to have your way and then in the morning – 'Oh, by the way, I'm an alien!'" Lana exclaimed with a sarcastic laugh.

"Hey, of course not!" I spat back, hearing the anger now lacing my own voice. "I would never do something like that to you. Why do you think I stopped us from getting out of control?"

"I never thought it was because you were an alien! How the hell was I suppose to assume that? And the thing that really gets me is that I've been a hundred percent honest with you from the start, Clark. I told you things that I've never told another soul in my entire life. And you've been lying straight to my face!" Her voice was getting hysterical, so she took a moment to calm herself down. She put a hand to her forehead as more realizations and thoughts were bubbling up in her mind and I was truly afraid of how she would react to them. "I need to think."

I swallowed, blinking away the tears that threatened to stream down my face. "I understand."

She solemnly crossed the room and made her way up the stairs.

……

I sat in the living room for hours, eyes watering…a lot. But I don't remember ever actually crying. That seemed to weak for a time like this. Crying would mean that I believed she would never accept me, and I knew that could never be true. I bit my nails out of habit, waiting for her to descend from the staircase and tell me that it didn't matter…and that we were still in this together.

I jumped at the sound of footsteps bounding down the stairs, but my heart sunk a little when I saw Chloe's face.

"Hey, Chlo."

"Hey…so…what's up?"

I swallowed, but my mouth only seemed to get drier. "I found Lex. And I told Lana…about everything."

"That's great." Chloe exclaimed, but fell silent when she noticed how nervous I was. She sat down next to me, rubbing my back a little for comfort. "And how did she take it?"

"Um…I…I'm not sure yet." I stared at my folded hands impatiently. "She said she has to think."

Chloe licked her lips, as silence ensued for a few minutes. Nothing more really needed to be said yet. At least, not from either one of us.

But the person who really needed to talk still hadn't made her appearance.

"Is she upstairs?"

I nodded, as my gaze turned towards the ceiling, where she probably was, connecting all my lies with truth.

"Really? I was just up there and I didn't see her."

"I think she went into the bathroom. I heard the water run a few minutes ago."

I turned to Chloe and my heart dropped. Without her even speaking I knew in her facial expression that something was wrong.

"Chlo? Chloe, what is it?"

She averted my eyes as she answered slowly, "Clark, I was just in the bathroom putting the towels on the rack. She wasn't in there."

"What?" I sat up, trying to tell myself to remain calm, but failing badly. "Where is she? We would've heard if someone tried to break into the house, wouldn't we?"

"Maybe…she just…"

"LANA!" I was up the stairs in a spilt second. My hands were shaking so uncontrollably that I could barely grasp the doorknobs as I crashed through every room and closet, shouting her name.

Nothing. No sign of Lana at all.

I was in the middle of my third search through all the doorways in the house when Chloe jumped out in front of me.

"Clark, calm down."

"Chloe, where is she? Where could she go?"

"I don't know, Clark. But I'm sure she's fine. There's no way the Luthor's could track us down that easily."

Suddenly I heard the muffled noise of my cell phone. I jerked it out of my pocket, not even bothering to look at the number.

"Lana?"

"Clark." Her voice completely blank and unemotional.

"Are you okay? Where are you?"

"At the bus station."

I put my other hand to my mouth in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm at the bus station, Clark. I can't…I can't do this anymore. It's crazy."

I shook my head desperately. "No. No, Lana, I'm sorry. You don't have to do this. Don't go. Don't leave me."

"As I thought about it upstairs I realized…I don't know who you really are." She took a plain, simple breath before adding, "Whitney may have a few issues, but he's a great man. Wealthy. Lots of potential."

My face screwed up into angered confusion. "Do you hear yourself talking, Lana? The man's an abusive jackass! Going back to him will be the biggest mistake of your life. And you know it."

"What I know is that you've been lying to me from the start and he hasn't. Running away with you…abandoning Dean when I'd promised myself long ago that I would never do that…it was all a mistake."

"Following your heart is not…a mistake…" A tear slipped from my eye, causing me to choke on my own words. "What's the matter with you, Lana?"

"I've just finally opened my eyes to the big picture. I'm truly sorry you got so caught up in this. But I think it's best if we just end things now."

I blinked back the other tears that wished to fall from my eyes. "No. No, I will not let you go."

"Clark, stop being stupid."

I heard a tiny snap and restrained myself from clutching any harder on my phone. "I'm not being stupid! For the first time in my life I truly know what I'm doing and why. And it makes perfect sense. I know something's wrong. This isn't you. And I'm going to get you back, Lana, no matter what – "

"Goodbye, Clark."

"No! Lana!" Click. I pulled the phone from my ear. The call was ended. "Lana…"

I closed my eyes, feeling like I had been thrust into a bottomless ocean. Chloe's voice was distant and muffled as she frantically asked me what had happened. My phone slowly slipped from my hand, falling to the floor with a thud. I couldn't think straight. My heart was numb.

But I understood one thing very clearly – someone had forced Lana to make that call. None of what she said came from her mind or her heart.

Suddenly my eyes snapped open with renewed vigor and determination. My mind only focused on one thing: Lana.