Talisman Part 2
At the Smallville Cemetery…
"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." Lana knelt at the headstone of her parents. The wilted flowers in the vase were replaced with a handful of white carnations. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately."
Visiting her parents' gravesite had been a weekly ritual for her. Sometimes nightly. Lana missed her parents so much; speaking with them allowed her to keep their memory alive. It was only after Lana read Clark's memorial article about Jodi did she realize it had been a month since her last visit.
How are things with you and that boy? Lana imagined her mom asking.
"Over," Lana confessed. "He seems to be liking this other girl now. I'm kind of jealous, even though I don't like admitting it. Clark seems so at ease with her; in a way he never was with me."
Do I need to have a talk with him? Just say the word. Lana's dad asked. His voice was stern, but playful.
"No. That's not necessary. We reached a decision."
Twigs snapped, causing Lana to gasp. She jumped to her feet and turned around to see none other than Van McNulty.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you. But I seem to have a knack for that."
"It's fine. I'm just not used to having other people out here with me."
"Makes sense. Not the liveliest crowd." Van noticed the tombstones that read "Lang". "Does it get easier?"
"What?"
"The feeling that a part of you is gone."
Lana wished she could lie. "No. Maybe. I used to come out here all the time to visit them. This is the first time back in over a month, and now I have this overwhelming sense of guilt. Who did you come to visit?"
"My dad."
"Want to introduce me?"
Van led her over to his father's gravestone.
"Hey, dad. This is Lana Lang."
"Nice to meet you, Mr. McNulty."
"He was a Lieutenant. Lana was…well, Lana knew Whitney." Van sighed. "It's necessary to tell the parents, but my dad probably would have made a stop to talk with you. He did things like that."
"Your dad was the one to inform Mrs. Fordman of Whitney's death."
"Where he got killed by that freak."
Lana nodded in understanding. Tina Greer, the Smallville bone-morpher, had taken Whitney's MIA status as an opportunity to take his place and get close to her. Lieutenant McNulty had arrived on the Fordman's doorstep with the official news of Whitney's death. Tina, as Whitney, killed him to prevent the news from getting out.
"You know, my dad took that office job to help calm my mom down. She was always worried he'd be killed overseas and leave her alone. Turns out, Smallville was the most dangerous place he could have been."
Yes, Lana found herself agreeing. Smallville is a dangerous place.
At the Luthor Mansion…
Chloe was escorted by the butler into Lex's office. The businessman was seated at his desk, calmly working at his computer.
"I thought you said you were going to protect me."
"You seem in good health. What exactly are you referring to?"
"My column. I was fired, Lex." Her news had no impact on the man before her. Lex probably already knew.
"I thought you came to play, Chloe." Lex casually made his way over to the minibar and proceeded to pour himself a drink. "This is just the beginning. My father doesn't know about my involvement. If I had acted, we would lose our element of surprise."
"So, you allowed it to happen."
"It was a calculated loss."
"What about my dad? Where does he fall in your equation?"
"It wasn't. You need to take things as they come and remind yourself of the big picture."
Freedom.
"What's our next move?"
"I got it covered," Lex assured her. "Just do what you can to keep my father thinking you're playing along."
Recap:
Clark talks with Professor Willowbrook, asking if Jeremiah could be the true Naman. The Professor reminds Clark that Jeremiah did not come down in a "rain of fire". They set up a trap for Jeremiah at Professor Willowbrook's office. Jeremiah is not weakened by the kryptonite, stabs Clark, and Professor Willowbrook gets mildly injured. The Professor calls the Kents, and they show up, thanking him for not calling an ambulance.
Mr. Kent goes over to Clark, trying to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. A glow comes from his hands and Clark's body is healed.
To my unknown (but much appreciated) Guest your request will show up in the next update when Clark and Alicia go on their first date. Uh, spoilers, I know.