TW: Thank you.
Gallifrey 22.3: Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Read on and find out.

Maximum security Prison

Late afternoon

"Lex," Clark greeted tiredly and Lex laughed as he got to his feet.

"You still say it the same way. Astonishment, mixed in with a hint of dread, and yet with a hopeful finish. So, what brings you here? It's not like you've stopped by for a chat in the three years that I've been here," Lex noted and Clark grimaced.

"Like I said, I need your help. Does the word Veritas mean anything to you?" Clark asked, carefully studying Lex for his reaction.

Someone who hadn't known Lex as long as he had wouldn't have caught it. But Clark saw a brief flicker of recognition in Lex's eyes before he masked it. But Clark had noticed. Lex knew about Veritas.

"What's that?" Lex tried to sound clueless but Clark merely looked at him.

"Lex, let's not play games. We both know you know what I'm talking about. Let's not waste our times," Clark said.

"I have nothing but time, Clark. You, on the other hand, seem pressed for it. So, what are you willing to do for this information," Lex smirked at Clark, who smiled unpleasantly.

"Same old Lex. You never do anything for anyone if there isn't something in it for you."

"And same old Clark, always looking down and judging me. Let's stop beating around the bush Clark, the same bush we've been beating around since the day we met," Lex said and Clark stiffened. "The day my car crashed into the river, I wasn't seeing things, was I?"

"Over nine years, and you are still as obsessed with what happened that day as you were back then. You just can't let it go," Clark said in disbelief.

"Because of your lies! I have the right to know what happened!" Lex snarled.

"You want to talk about lies? Really? The first three years we knew each other, you dug into every facet of my life that you could. I don't think you're in any position to lecture me about lies," Clark scoffed. "I'm done humoring you. I know you know about Veritas. Please Lex, if you were ever my friend, tell me."

"Not until you give me what I want…Blur," Lex said, smirking when Clark stiffened. "Yeah, I know all about that. I've kept up with all the news in Metropolis. And isn't it funny that all the Daily Planet articles covering anything to do with the Blur were covered by you or Lois Lane. Speaking of which, you and Lois? Never would have seen that coming."

"Keep her name out of your mouth," Clark said, his voice growing colder and Lex chuckled.

"Relax, Clark. Your reporter girlfriend is of no interest to me. You want what I know about Veritas? Get me out of here, now," Lex almost laughed at the look of shock on Clark's face. "Come on, I know you're not stupid enough to come here in the middle of the day and get caught on security cameras. Chloe is probably playing the security footage on a loop so that no one has any idea you're here. No one will ever know it was you. Get me out of here Clark; just confirm once and for all what I've known for years. And then, I will share everything I know about Veritas."

"Clark, you know you can't trust him," Chloe said over the Comms in his ear.

"I know…but I don't think I have a choice," Clark said as he closed his eyes, coming to terms with what he was about to do. "Dad….please forgive me."

A few seconds later, there was a loud crunching sound. A few guards ran over, stopping to stare at the spot where Lex's cell used to be. Now, the cell door had been forcibly pried open and there was a large, gapping hall in the wall.

Watchtower

Not long after

Logan was in the kitchen, nursing a beer when Sara walked in.

"Hey. Thought you'd be spending time with Bobbi," Sara noted.

"She and Oliver are…talking," Logan said with a grimace and Sara smirked.

"If that's what you wanna call that," Sara joked as she sat down across from him and Logan shot her a halfhearted glare. "Come on, you know they've had sex before, they almost had a kid together."

"Yeah, but I didn't know she was my daughter then. In my head, I know she's a grown woman. But in my heart, she's still that little girl Stryker had kidnapped," Logan said with a sigh. "I missed out on a lot of years with her, and I'm just trying to take it all in."

"I get it. There's no handbook for this kind of things. For what it's worth, I missed out on a lot of years with my Dad and Laurel. It wasn't easy to put things back together. I know it's not the same thing, but my point is that things might not be what they were before, but you can move forward," Sara told him and Logan chuckled.

"Reminds me of something Charles would say. But you have a point. I can't go back; God knows I would if I could. For a long time now, I've been focused on the past because it was such a mystery to me. Now that I have a picture of it…it's time to let it go, focus on the future," Logan said with a thoughtful look.

"I think that's a good idea. What does the future look like for you?" Sara asked gently and Logan was silent for a long moment.

"I don't know. I just know I want it to include my daughter…and you," Logan admitted and it was quiet for a moment as they merely stared at each other.

"I want that too, I do Logan. So…let's start with that drink when all this over?" Sara suggested, hating how uncertain she felt.

She hadn't let her guard down with anyone since Oliver. Even Nyssa, while Sara had cared for her, she had felt so lost and hopeless that it had been hard to invest too much of herself into their relationship.

This felt different, like there was a real chance of her getting her heart broken.

"I'd like that," Logan said, sealing it with a smirk, which Sara couldn't help but laugh at.

Elsewhere, in a locked room, Oliver and Bobbi laid in bed, dressed only in sheets. Oliver had his arms wrapped around Bobbi as she laid her head on his chest.

"I never thought this would happen again. Not, you know. I meant us," Bobbi said, lifting her head to look up at Oliver.

"Neither did I. I'd long since given up on a future with you," Oliver admitted.

"What changed?" Bobbi asked and Oliver almost laughed.

"That is…a very long story. A lot's happened since I arrived in Metropolis. I'll tell you about it some time. For now, just stay here with me."

For a long moment, they simply laid there, holding onto each other now that they were able to do so once more. Then, Chloe's voice came over the Intercom.

"Guys, I need you all in the main room. You're not gonna believe what Clark just did."

"So he just…broke Lex out of prison?" Tess asked in disbelief as Chloe filled in the on what had happened at the prison.

"It was the only way Lex was going to tell Clark about Veritas. And it's not like Lex didn't know Clark was the Blur. He's been keeping track of everything that's been going on in Metropolis, he figured it out," Chloe explained.

"So Clark had nothing to lose by exposing his secret," Sam noted.

"We hope. You can never underestimate Lex Luthor," Tess said with a sigh.

"I hope Clark knows what he's doing," Oliver muttered, something they all agreed with.

Luthor Mansion

Not long after

Lex was chuckling as Clark led him into his former home.

"Something funny?" Clark asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I just find it ironic that you've thrown away all the lies and secrets now rather than years earlier. Do you have any idea what we could have accomplished together?" Lex asked as they stopped. "I could have helped you become a hero!"

"I never needed your help with that. It's the reason I never told you, you never thought of anyone but yourself. And I'm not here to rehash our history. Veritas,' Clark said forcibly and Lex smiled unpleasantly.

"If that's how you want it, fine," Lex said before walking over to part of the floor, pointing downwards. "Here."

Frowning, Clark looked at the ground, using X-Ray vision. And what he saw stunned him.

"A briefcase. It's under the floor," Clark said and Lex shrugged.

"Figured I might need it for a rainy day. I found it not long after my dad was arrested. Wasn't sure what it was, but things are starting to become a lot clearer," Lex said with a pointed look at Clark.

Ignoring Lex's bait, Clark walked over and punched a hole through the floor. Lex watched, in a bit of amazement as Clark revealed the briefcase. Clark pulled it out, seeing it was locked. Lex walked over and put in the combination. With the briefcase now unlocked, Clark opened it up to reveal a file.

"That's everything I was able to put together on Veritas. It all seemed like nonsense to me, but maybe you and Chloe can make more sense of it," Lex said as he stepped back.

"Thank you," Clark said, almost reluctantly before closing the briefcase, turning to walk off.

"That's it then? You got what you wanted, and now you're gonna leave?" Lex asked and Clark stopped.

"You're confusing me with you, Lex. What else is there to say? Neither of us can change the past," Clark pointed out as he turned around to face his former best friend.

"You should have trusted me with the truth!" Lex snapped.

"Maybe think about why I didn't. You blame everyone else for your actions, Lionel, me, whoever is your scapegoat at the time. When do you become responsible for your own actions?" Clark demanded.

"You've always looked down on me, always thought you were better than me," Lex accused.

"Lex, I thought the world of you," Clark said, stunning Lex into silence. "You told me once that our friendship would be the stuff of legends. For a long time, I held onto that, it's one of the reasons I was willing to overlook so much in our friendship. I thought you and I would always be brothers, maybe not in blood, but in our hearts. But at the end of the day, you're you and I'm me."

"Yes, you are. You're simply better than the rest of us," Lex said bitterly and Clark smiled tightly.

"And that always killed you," Clark noted.

"No. No, what killed me was that you didn't even want it! You ran from it, you hid from it! I would have taken it and relished it!" Lex ranted.

"My destiny was never yours to take," Clark told him coolly. "You know what killed me? What still kills me?"

"That you could never find a way to stop me for good?" Lex shot back.

"No. You…could be better than any of us," Clark said, stunning Lex further into silence. "Your money, your connections, your resources…you could have helped bring about a golden age in the world, stopped poverty, advanced technology, medicine…there was next to no limit on what you could do. But because of your paranoia and need to be in control of everything and everyone….you're reduced to this. It breaks my heart Lex, more than you'll ever know. You could be so much more if you would just let it go. It doesn't need to be like this. Your paranoia and need for control turn everyone in your life against you: me, Lana, Tess…when is it ever going to be enough?"

Lex was still silent, and Clark stared at him for a long moment, looking for a trace of his friend in the man before him. He couldn't find any.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Lex," Clark said softly before speeding out with the briefcase, leaving Lex standing alone in the hollow ghost of his former home.

Watchtower

Not long after

Chloe was at the computer when Clark sped in, walking over to her with the briefcase.

"Hey, what happened? And what is that?" Chloe asked as Clark opened it, pulling out the file.

"This is everything Lex has on Veritas. He said he couldn't make much sense of it, but he thought Lionel was crazy. We know better," Clark said as Chloe looked at the file curiously.

"And Lex?" Chloe asked as she looked back up at Clark.

"If he's smart, he'll use whatever resources he still has to get out of the country. But with Lex, who knows. Either way, it's out of our hands now. We need to focus on Darkseid and Prometheus," Clark said firmly.

In the med-bay, Tess had just explained the situation to Ronnie and Stein. Barry was in the corner, watching uncertainly as Ronnie looked at them in disbelief.

"We're going to merge again?" Ronnie asked, shock and anger filling his voice.

"It seems that way," Tess said, looking at both of them apologetically. "I'm so sorry about this."

"You need not blame yourself, Ms. Mercer. In truth, I've been suspecting the same thing for some time," Stein said, causing Ronnie whirled on him.

"You knew?!"

"Suspicions are not the same thing as facts, Ronald. But it certainly raised an eyebrow when I suddenly began craving pizza. I despise pizza. It was then I realized we might not be as distinctive as we hopped. And if that was the case, it may only be a matter of time before we were drawn back together," Stein explained.

"Can we stop this?" Ronnie asked, looking desperate.

"We don't think so," Barry said gently. "But I think I have an idea."

"What's that?" Tess asked as they looked at Barry.

"Last time, you two fought the merge, which how you ended up with Professor Stein in control of Ronnie's body. What if this time, you accepted it? You might be able to have a bit more control this time," Barry suggested.

"Your genius plan is to merge?" Ronnie asked in disbelief.

"You're going to do that anyway. What if Barry's right and this is the only way?" Tess asked and Ronnie and Stein looked at each other once more.

"Once more under the breach, dear friend," Stein quipped and Ronnie let out a heavy breath.

"Barry…if this it for me…tell Caitlin…"

"I will," Barry promised.

After a moment, Ronnie and Stein grasped hands. The two seemed to turn into mist that merged together and then, Firestorm stood there, flaming hands and all.

"Ronnie?" Barry asked after a moment.

"It's me, I'm here," Ronnie said in relief.

"And Professor Stein?" Tess asked.

"He's here too…yeah, I know. Looks like you were right, Barry," Ronnie said and Barry grinned.

"Welcome to the team, Firestorm."

In the kitchen, the Avengers, Oliver, Logan Sara and Bobbi were sitting down, discussing Prometheus.

"He moves to a different safe house every week or so. He seems to have an unlimited number. He won't use any that he knows I know about," Bobbi explained.

"So we're back to square one then," Oliver said with a sigh.

"Prometheus will be back, Darkseid seems certain of it. Do you think he's been marked?" Wanda wondered.

"I don't think he needs to be marked. He's been planning this for too long. More likely, Kane is just a convenient pawn for Darkseid to use against Oliver," Bobbi noted.

"Wouldn't surprise me," everyone looked up as Fury walked it, holding a file. "According to this file, he went off the deep end after Wilson left."

"Sir," Bobbi greeted and Fury nodded at her.

"Morse, good to see you back with us," Fury said as he handed the file to Oliver. "That's everything ASIS has on Joe Wilson before he went dark, right around the time you came back from the dead."

"Right after Slade knew for sure I was alive," Oliver noted as he read the file. "Slade made it back home, reunited with his son…then the day it was announced I was still alive, he left, slaughtered a whole bunch of ASIS agents."

"He fought the Mirakuru until he couldn't fight it anymore," Natasha mused and Oliver sighed as he closed the file.

"And now Joe is trying to emulate that monster. I don't want to kill Slade's son for being trapped in the same cycle Slade was," Oliver said, confusing most of them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Logan inquired as Oliver grimaced.

"By the time I met him, Slade was trapped in a cycle of violence and anger. Maybe it was Billy Wintergreen's betrayal, maybe he was trapped in it before the island, I can't say for sure. But he was trapped in it and seemed to have no idea how to get out. And lately, I realized he trapped me there too and now his son. How do you break a cycle like that?" Oliver wondered and it was silent for a long moment.

"You learn from the past, and do everything you can to make sure you don't repeat it," Clint told him.

"Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Oliver, learn from Slade's mistakes," Steve told him.

"Speaking of mistakes, I see someone has decided to pull their head out of their ass," Fury noted with a look at Tony, who squirmed uncomfortably. "I can't leave you all alone for five minutes before you all blow everything up."

"Mistakes were made, but we're not here to talk about the past. We're focusing on the here and now," Rhodey said patiently.

"I hope so. Because Hydra's nothing compared to what's about to happen," Fury said darkly. "We have no idea where the next attack might be coming from."

New York, Parker residence

Night

Peter was in his room, making a new mask when someone knocked on the door.

"Uh, just a minute, Aunt May!" Peter said, trying desperately to find a place to hide his mask.

"It's not May," Peter looked up as the door opened to reveal Gwen. "She let me in though."

"Oh, uh…hey," Peter said in surprise, not having expected to see her there.

"Hey," Gwen echoed and there was a silence. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure, come in," Peter said and Gwen walked in, closing the door behind her.. "What's up?"

"I know you, Peter. You at Oscorp, a research assistant? It's not something you want. What's going on, Peter?" Gwen asked.

"It's…kind of a long story," Peter said, not sure where to start.

'I've got nowhere to go. Peter, please, let me help," Gwen almost pleased.

Peter debated internally for a moment before nodding, reaching and pulling the flash drive off his desk. He plugged it into his computer, playing the file. Gwen watched as a video started.

"Test. My name is Richard Parker. Whatever lies will be told about me, I would like the world to know the truth…"

Starling City

Same time

"So, you heard from Ollie lately?" Thea asked as she and Moira walked out of City Hall, escorted by Roy, whom Thea's question had been directed at.

"Not since that video of him and Sara in Metropolis was dropped. Whatever he's doing, he'll be fine," Roy said confidently, not sure whether he was trying to convince them or himself.

"Moira Queen, Thea Queen, Roy Harper," the trio turned to see three men in suits standing a few feet away.

"Yes, may we help you?" Moira inquired.

"Yes. By order of Secretary Ross, the three of you are all under arrest," one of the men announced, stunning them. "You'll have to come with us."

Well, if we weren't in the Endgame before, we certainly are now.

Those of you who have seen Smallville season 10 probably know where this is going.

The Clark/Lex scenes weren't very easy to write, but I hope you all enjoyed them.