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Chapter Text

He felt the meteor rocks before he saw them as they rained down in a shower of earthen debris. Instantly the pain seared through him as weakness grasped his bones. He fell to the hard ground, gritting his teeth as his knees were jarred and a rock caromed off the side of his head, the dirt and stone burying him.

His last thought was, I didn’t save Lex.

& & & & & &

Lex coughed, his lungs filled with dust and noxious fumes. He clawed his way up through the dirt, small stones rolling down as he heaved his way to a standing position.

The tunnels were a mess. The heartbroken woman seeking her lost love had effectively ruined his project here, and may have succeeded in killing him as well.

He coughed again but forged ahead, very aware of the timer on the rest of the explosives.

& & & & & &

The tunnel branched out into a larger area, but that had been hit, too. Maybe if he could get past this damaged area and find the way out…

A cough froze him. “Who’s there?” He searched the shadowy tunnel, then saw movement by a huge pile of debris.

“L…Lex.”

“Clark?”

More coughing, and Lex scrambled over to get close to the man he had once called friend.

Clark was in bad shape. He was buried under hard-packed debris, only part of his upper body free. His shaggy hair was streaked with dust, his face dirty and pain-filled, blood running down one cheek. His free arm was bleeding, an ugly jagged wound bright against tanned skin.

“Lex, you’re all right?”

“For now.” Lex reached out instinctively and brushed a strand of hair out of Clark’s incredible green eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Rescuing you,” Clark answered with a tiny quirk of his mouth.

Lex let out his breath. “Well, let me see if I can get a lever…”

Clark’s grip was surprisingly strong as he clutched at his arm. “Lex, it doesn’t matter. I’m dying.”

“Wha…? No, you’re just hurt. I’ll get you out of here…”

“Lex, I need to tell you some things.” Clark’s breathing was ragged, Lex noted with worry. Could his chest be hurt? Or was his head wound really bad? “First, tell me…” he rasped. “This Project 33.1…it’s experimentation on meteor freaks, isn’t it?”

Lex felt his defenses snap up into place. “Why should I tell you anything…”

“Lex, please, I don’t have much time.” Clark’s eyes glowed an unearthly green, his skin tinged with emerald. “Just answer me, please.”

Once I could never refuse you anything.

“It is.” He said it short and clipped, pale blue eyes hard.

Clark briefly closed his eyes, then opened them again. “You’re not doing this just for power, are you?”

“Partly.” Suddenly Lex felt very uncomfortable. “But not the way you think, or anyone thinks. I…after Zod…I can’t let that happen again, Clark. There’s going to be an invasion. Earth is at risk. These aliens…their power will defeat us, even with all our mechanical weapons. We need natural-based power.” He swallowed. “I’ve been building an army to guard against that day when the invasion comes again.”

Sorrow shadowed Clark’s eyes. “Lex, there isn’t going to be an invasion.”

“What do you mean? Zod and his kind aren’t going to stop after just one try! I could feel his ambition burning in me, Clark. I…I tried so hard to fight him, get him out, but I couldn’t…”

Yet another failure, as my father likes to point out.

Clark squeezed his hand and a tingle went through him. “Lex, Zod was from the Phantom Zone. He’s a criminal who was sentenced there by my father.”

“Your father…?”

“Yes, I…I’m not a meteor freak, Lex. I’m not from this planet.” He watched Lex’s eyes. “I’m from the planet Krypton.”

Shock and a tinge of fear shot through Lex, then he asked, “Clark…how…?”

“I came to Earth in a rocketship the night of the first meteor shower that hit Smallville, the one that hurt you and killed Lana’s parents.”

Oh, no.

“I…Mom and Dad found me that night, and you, too, remember? They took you and Lionel to the hospital and me home. Eventually they adopted me (hollow coughing) and they’re the only parents I’ve ever known, Lex. They raised me to keep my powers secret, because they were afraid of…of…”

“Something like 33.1?”

“Yes.”

Lex felt nauseous. “I wouldn’t have…why didn’t you tell me, wait, you’ve answered that. I’m sorry, Clark.”

“I’m sorry, too, Lex. I had to keep my abilities a secret. Someone unscrupulous could have used me as a lab rat (more coughing), or maybe the Government. And taken Mom and Dad away as well. It could have been done (more hollow coughing) easily in Smallville. Unexplained disappearance…”

“Clark, that day on the bridge…”

“…your car hit me head-on. I’m invulnerable to things like that, and am pretty strong, too, among other things.” A faint smile curved Clark’s lips.

Beautiful lips that you’ll never kiss.

“If you’re so strong, why don’t you just throw off this mountain of dirt and let’s get out of here?”

“I can’t.” Clark’s eyes were still that unearthly green. “The meteor rocks…they’re part of my exploded home planet…they’re deadly to me, Lex. They sap my strength, and eventually, they’ll kill me.”

Lex could see the rocks glowing all around them, embedded in the walls and ground and in the debris burying Clark. And Clark was glittering with fine, green dust in his hair and on his skin.

No, no, this can’t be happening! I can’t let you die!

Lex stood up. “I’ve got to get you out of here.”

Clark’s fingers dug into his arm. “Please, Lex, I need to tell you…tell you…” Pain creased through Clark’s face, and Lex quickly knelt back down.

“What?”

“Promise me…you don’t need Project 33.1 anymore…disband it…let those people go…”

Shame flooded Lex’s face. “I wasn’t just doing it for power, Clark. I swear!”

Clark’s eyes searched his. “I believe you.” He coughed painfully, then his eyes focused on Lex again, which never failed to melt Lex’s bones. “I have something else…to tell you.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve used Lana…she was safe…a safe choice…I really…I’ve always loved you.”

Deathbed confession?

Lex reeled. It explained so much. And also helped him to understand his own recent obsession with Lana.

“That day…at the church…I thought I was grieving over losing Lana…I really was grieving over losing…you.”

Clark went into a spasm of coughing, moans mingling with the harsh sounds. Lex grasped his face with both hands and looked directly at Clark.

“I love you, too. And I have for a very long time.”

The kiss was gentle and loving, a tinge bittersweet, and then Lex pulled back. “Clark, I’ve got to get you out of here. The explosives are set to go off…” he checked his watch “…in five minutes!”

“Then go.”

Clark’s emerald eyes were steady, Lex fleetingly wondering at the irony of them being the color of what was killing him.

“I can’t leave you.”

“You have to stop the project.”

“If I don’t stop it, that rogue band led by Green Arrow will.” Lex grasped Clark’s hand. “I’m not leaving you. Even if there was a way out of here, I’m not going.”

“Lex…” Clark’s voice was weak, a tear slipping out of his eye and tracking down his beautiful, grimy face.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m not noble, Clark. I’ve made a mess of my life and there’s nothing out there for me.” Lex squeezed Clark’s hand. “You were my first real friend. You’re also what I’ve always wanted, the one who always made me better than I am.”

“Lex, I wanted to tell you…I’ve never told anyone. They’ve found out by accident: Pete, Alicia, Chloe.”

Of course. All three make sense.

“I understand your reasons, Clark. And I’ve done horrible things that you could never forgive me for…”

Clark shook his head. “I have to be honest, Lex, since I haven’t been for so long. I probably would be shocked at some of the things you’ve done, and I don’t like Project 33.1 at all, but I understand what drove you. And Zod being in your body…I think he may have triggered some of that darkness inside you.” His eyes were looking deep into Lex now, maybe his very soul. “I’ve seen the goodness in you. If we had another chance, we could be so much more together than we are apart.” He coughed weakly. “We won’t get that chance now, but we’ll die together. Maybe that’s all the destiny we were ever meant to have.”

Lex felt his heart swell with love and sorrow. At least he knew this perfect feeling even if only for a matter of moments. He gently pushed back shaggy locks and waited for the end to come.

The explosion was right on time, hell on earth, except that Lex felt that it was heaven, or they would be there in a matter of seconds unless he took a detour first…

Chapter Text

Lex certainly hoped he would end up with angel’s wings instead of a red union suit, but there was no sound, smell, sight, touch, or taste for the space of seconds, or maybe it was centuries. Stars began to pinwheel in his darkness and he coughed harshly.

He stirred, groaning at the sudden feeling of sharp cuts and bruises on his arms and face. He opened his eyes, bolting upright.

Light!

The explosion!

He looked around frantically. Where was Clark?

He saw a blood-streaked arm and began to dig at the mound of dirt like a man possessed.

He can’t be dead, not after what we said to each other, don’t leave me alone, Clark, I need you so much!

His digging finally succeeded in uncovering most of Clark, who was motionless. Lex felt for a pulse, fear clawing at his insides until he felt…there!…something thready, but there.

“Clark, wake up, we survived. Somehow we’re still here!” Worry gnawed at him at the lack of response. “Clark?”

Eyes fluttered open. “Lex?” The voice was so faint that Lex could barely hear it.

“Yes, I’m here. We’re here. Still ticking after a helluva licking!”

Tiny laugh. “Good.” Clark’s skin was definitely showing a greenish cast. “I…still love you…you know.”

A smile broke out on Lex’s face. “I still love you, too.”

I’ve always loved you.

“Good.” Clark closed his eyes, lashes glittering.

“Hallo! Anyone in there?”

Lex turned and shouted, “We’re in here! This way!” A weak hand grasped his wrist. “What, Clark?”

“I…the sun…when they get me out there, I’ll start to heal. That piece…of meteor rock…” Clark pointed at a small piece the size of a golf ball. “Slip it into my jeans pocket.”

“Are you crazy? This stuff will kill you!”

“I have to have it. Otherwise…” Clark coughed, grimacing as it hurt, “…if I heal too quickly, they’ll know something’s up. Stay with me, Lex. At the hospital, make sure to get rid of it. Then make sure I’m released so that I can heal at home.”

“All right.” Reluctantly Lex picked up the rock and brought it closer to Clark, who winced. “I really don’t think…”

“Do it.”

Lex slipped it into Clark’s jeans pocket just as the rescuers appeared at the end of the tunnel.

& & & & & &

Lex had hovered the entire time the rescuers were digging out Clark, and now was walking beside the stretcher as the EMTs hurried toward the ambulance. He was stopped by a cold voice.

“I see you survived.”

He turned to see a furious Chloe as her eyes darted to Clark.

“I did.” As she moved toward Clark he said, “He wants me with him.”

Anger flashed in blue eyes. “Really? What gives you the right?”

Lex knew that it was going to be like this for a long time. Maybe forever. He could survive it, if Clark would keep loving him.

“He told me everything.” At Chloe’s shocked look, he said, “He was dying, Chloe. He probably wouldn't have said a word otherwise.” That hurt but after learning the reasons why, he could live with it. “I have to be with him.” His voice grew very soft. “I know I hurt you…about your mother. I’ve hurt a lot of people. I had…reasons…but I’m not going to be that man you hate so much anymore. Not with his help.”

Chloe watched as Clark’s stretcher was lifted into the ambulance. “He got to you, didn’t he?”

“He always has.”

Chloe turned back to look at him. “He’s always loved you, Lex. Lana was a smokescreen and he loves me as a friend. Lois, too. You’ve always been the one to light his eyes up.” Her tone grew cold. “You’ve been given a second chance, Lex. Don’t blow it. And if you hurt him again this time around, my friend, I’ll kill you.”

Chloe walked away toward her car, and Lex watched her go, then wiped blood off his hand onto his dirt-stained shirt as he headed for the ambulance.

& & & & & &

The hospital emergency room was chaotically efficient, and the doctors and nurses worked on Clark, giving him shots and trying to stop the bleeding. At first Lex was confused, as invulnerability should not have allowed the shots to pierce Clark’s skin, then he remembered that Clark was powerless with the meteor rocks, and he still had one in his pocket.

Not to mention the fine green dust that coated his hair, skin, and clothes.

Nervously he shifted from foot-to-foot.

“Lex?”

The voice beside him was laced with shock. He turned to see Martha Kent standing there with a look of incomprehension on her face.

“What happened?”

Lex took her hand and drew her away. “Clark got stuck in tunnels that collapsed.” He decided not to go into detail at the moment. “He was hurt.”

Martha bit her lip, obviously not wanting to ask too many questions but wild with worry. Lex said, “The meteor rocks were all around us. He’s covered in rock dust.”

Shock crossed her lovely face. “How do you know…?” Her green eyes narrowed. “How much do you know, Lex?”

“Everything,” he said simply.

She tried to process that, then said, “Why did he tell you?”

“He thought he was dying.” Please, don’t let him slip away now! “He thought we both wouldn’t get out.”

Martha looked wary and Lex didn’t blame her. He didn’t know if he could ever make up for all the rotten things he’d done in the past few years.

He intended to try, even if it took the rest of his life.

Lex squeezed Martha’s hand. “I won’t betray him, Mrs. Kent. I know you have no reason to believe that, but it’s true.”

Martha looked into his eyes, Lex seeing the knowledge dawn in her eyes of the truth of what was between him and Clark.

A mother always knows.

“Be good to him, Lex,” Martha whispered, and Lex nodded.

“Mrs. K.! What’s going on here?” The worried-yet-angry voice of Lois Lane interrupted. “What the hell are you doing here, Lex?”

“Keeping close by.”

Lois snorted. Her hazel eyes looked at his bloodied, torn clothes. “So Clark got you out of that place? What were you doing down there, anyway?”

Lois Lane could be pushy, arrogant, and demanding, but the woman was intensely loyal to her friends and had as good a nose for news as her cousin Chloe, who was standing beside her and enjoying Lex’s discomfiture. Carefully Lex said, “Just some renovations for the plant. Listen, could you take Mrs. Kent down to the cafeteria for coffee?”

Lois frowned but cupped Martha’s elbow. “Come on, Mrs. K., Chloe. Oh, and we’ll be back, Lex.”

“Of course.”

Lex suddenly remembered Lana as he watched the shapely Lois walk away. He took out his cellphone but received no answer.

He had to speak to Lana, and it wasn’t going to go well.

He sighed as the door to the cubicle area opened. “Mr. Luthor?”

“Yes, Dr. Hansen?”

The doctor looked around. “Is Mr. Kent’s family here?”

“I’m his best friend, Doctor.”

The doctor looked dubious, obviously uncertain. Smallville was a small town and people gossiped. The rift between him and Clark was well-known by now.

“He’s weak but we stopped the bleeding. He’s got two cracked ribs and severe bruising on places like his torso and legs. His head wound will likely cause him some headache, but it should be okay. We’re keeping him in the hospital tonight for observation.”

Lex bit his lip. That damned meteor rock would have to stay with Clark. If he was wearing a hospital johnny, Lex would have to make sure it was close by so that Clark did not heal too quickly.

Odd, but how like you that is, Clark. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one knows your Secret.

He suddenly thought of his father. Did Lionel know? Lex’s instincts were screaming that he did. That could cause some serious complications. His father would have survived his surgery, caused from the tunnel collapse, because he was too ornery to kill.

He suddenly felt very tired. He leaned back against the wall.

& & & & & &

Clark had finally been moved to a private room. Lex entered quietly, the beeping of the monitors the only sound in the room.

He approached the bed cautiously. Clark was looking a little better as rays of sunlight peeked through the closed blinds. Maybe he could ask Martha to leave a request to keep them closed until they could get Clark out of here tomorrow.

He felt a little giddy. Being part of the Secret and working with women such as Martha and Chloe whom he admired would be a twist.

Of course, Chloe would probably just as soon cut his heart out after the fiasco with her mother, and that was okay. If someone had done the same thing to his mother, he wouldn’t welcome them with open arms, either.

He made a note to get the experimental drug shipped to the facility in which Mrs. Sullivan resided, and once she was back in the world again he would assure the woman that he wouldn’t use her powers of control over meteor freaks ever again.

As he stood by the bed, he wondered at how all the rage and fear had slipped away during that brief time in the tunnels. Clark had told him his Secret, and the fact that he might never have done so if he hadn’t thought they were facing imminent death didn’t bother him very much. The important thing was that he knew now, and he was going to keep Clark safe with every ounce of power and money he possessed.

Clark stirred, his eyes fluttering open. “Lex?”

“Right here.” Lex took Clark’s hand. “How do you feel?”

“Weak.” Clark’s voice reflected the word. “Why am I still here?”

“The doctors want to keep you overnight for observation.” At Clark’s grimace, he said, “I couldn’t think of a way to persuade them to change their mind without arousing suspicion.”

A faint smile curved Clark’s lips. “Already protecting?”

Lex chuckled softly. “Appears so.” He squeezed Clark’s hand. “Do you really need that rock near you anymore? Can’t you get by with the blinds closed until tomorrow morning?”

“I think so.”

Relief swept Lex. He didn’t like those meteor rocks at all. Besides, there was bound to be fine dust still in Clark’s hair and that could keep him from healing too quickly.

“Lex…”

“Yes?” Lex came closer.

“I love you.”

A mix of sadness and giddiness filled Lex. “You may regret that.”

“There’s always that possibility, but somehow I doubt it.”

Clark’s eyes were stunning emerald windows into his soul, and Lex knew he was lost.

“You’d better get home and get some rest. Have the doctors looked at you?” Clark frowned.

“They have. Just some cuts and bruises.” Lex looked down. “Clark, I…”

“We’ll talk more when I get out of here.” It was Clark’s turn to squeeze Lex’s hand. “Go home and clean up and get some rest. I think you’re going to need it in the days ahead.”

Lex looked up. He had worked hard to be accepted to some degree in Smallville when he had first arrived, and had squandered all that goodwill. He was going to have to work twice as hard this time around, and there would be people who would never forgive him.

But he could handle that, as long as one person forgave him.

“All right.” Lex allowed a small smile to grace his face. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

He began to lean forward, then hesitated. Clark smiled and his eyes invited Lex to kiss him, a gentle, easy kiss that promised so much more.

Lex left the hospital, a dark weight off his shoulders, though his doubts were still there, waiting at the edges of his mind.

Chapter Text

Lex drove slowly for once, trying to process everything in his mind, and finally gave up. He reached the mansion, showered, and changed into fresh clothes. There was still no sign of Lana.

He went into the study and picked up the phone.

“Yes, you heard me correctly, Rawlins. I want the project shut down. The entire project. I don’t have to give any reasons, just do it.” Lex frowned impatiently as he paced back and forth behind his desk. “Give the…patients…the drug we developed. Yes, the memory loss drug. That will assure they won’t remember their time with us.” Not the most ethical thing to do, but he wasn’t about to let dozens of people with special powers loose and with revenge against him on their minds. He deserved it, but Clark would put himself in the line of fire to protect him, and Lex was having none of that.

“What?” Stunned, he repeated, “Wes Keenan is dead?” So his wife Jodi had died in the tunnels, a victim of her own revenge, and now her husband was dead. “An autopsy?” He considered. It would be useful to know why he had died but suddenly he didn’t want to know, or gather information, or anything. He had helped to destroy two lives and now he only wanted the souls to rest in peace. “No, no autopsy.” He paused, then repeated, “The records?” Lex considered. Clark had assured him there would be no invasion, but there could be other attacks if not from Krypton. “Store them in at the Alpha facility. As for our bases around the world, put that so-called Justice League out of business and shut them all down. Yes, immediately. I’ll call you tomorrow and expect significant progress. Goodbye.”

Lex flipped the phone shut, then froze as a familiar voice said, “You’re shutting down 33.1?”

Lex looked at this father, who strode in with fury in every step, a remarkable accomplishment considering his beat-up condition from the tunnel collapse, not to mention surgery. “Yes, Dad. Completely.”

“Why?”

Lex shrugged. “I’m out of the experimentation business. At least when it comes to people.”

“Since when?”

“Since now.”

Lionel’s mind was trying to fathom this turn of events. “I drag myself out of my sickbed to come home to hear this?”

“You should lie down and rest, Dad. You do look a little peaked.”

Lionel swore. “I sent Clark down there to find you by telling him you were the only one who could stop the project, but I didn’t think you’d actually do it!”

For a moment, Lex felt pain. Was that the only reason why Clark had come looking for him?

No, that was only part of the reason. Clark may have changed in some things in the past few years, but he still can’t manipulate worth a damn. And he’s not manipulating me now.

“Thanks for sending him, Dad. Nice of you to take care of your eldest son.”

Lionel snorted. “And now you’ve become some ethical type all of a sudden, just like when you first got here…” Comprehension dawned in Lionel’s brown eyes. “Clark has forgiven you?”

“Not yet, Dad, but I’m working on it.” He already loves me, so maybe I can get his forgiveness, too.

“Oh, for…give it up, Lex! You’ll do something underhanded and stupid and he’ll dump you again. Besides, haven’t you forgotten the little matter of being married to Lana?”

“I’ll take care of everything, Dad. Don’t you worry.”

Lionel shrewdly studied his son. “What do you think Clark will say when he finds out that you killed Lana’s obstetrician?”

Lex’s blood ran cold. He knew he could lose everything. He squared his shoulders. “So, should I expect a visit from the Smallville sheriff any time soon?”

Lionel’s smile was predatory. “Why bother? Clark will be properly horrified all by himself.”

Lex went over to the bar and poured himself some scotch. “You never change, Dad. But that’s okay. I always know what to expect.” Most of the time.

“Don’t think your pretty boy will forgive you for that.”

“Maybe not.” Lex took a sip, the liquor burning down his throat. “But I’ve already told him nearly everything. I’ll just add that to the list.” He turned to see Lionel smirk and shake his head.

“Lex, Lex, Lex. When will you learn? Clark is too good for you. He has a high moral code, a standard you simply can’t live up to.”

“I know, Dad. You made sure of that, the way you raised me. But it’s going to be a lot of fun to try.”

Lionel did not like that. Lex could read his eyes. He was planning to pull out a trump card.

“So what happens now? Killing 33.1 leaves us vulnerable to invasion again.”

Lex judged his father’s expression. There…that flicker in his eyes…he did know about Clark! All right…

“Clark has assured me that there will be no further invasions, Dad.”

Lionel realized what Lex had just revealed. No more trump card. Or was Lex mistaken?

“And how does he know that?”

“Because he’s one of them. Though not really.”

Lionel whistled through his teeth. He walked carefully to a chair and sat down. He really did look a little shaky, but then, he had had surgery just hours ago. Lex had to admire his old man’s grit.

“I thought that Zod possessing you drove you on with the project, Lex. You know how dangerous he was. What makes you think he won’t try again, or some other Kryptonian?”

“I told you, Clark said…”

“Did you know that his father Jor-El sent him here to Earth to rule over us?”

Lex paused in the act of lifting his glass. “And?”

“Well, can you completely trust Clark’s pronouncements on Kryptonian invasions?”

Lex tried to clamp down on the tendril of fear twisting through him. He had felt that fear in one form or another ever since Zod had possessed him. The darkness inside him, the rage, had taken him over since then but Clark had driven it out. He was certain of that.

“I’m going to make a wild guess here and say that Clark turned down those plans to set him up as King of the World.”

Lionel shook his head. “Lex…”

“You really are a chameleon, Dad. First you talk about Clark’s high standards and how I can’t live up to them, and then you imply he’s an alien invader to try and scare me off. Which is it? Boy Scout or Julius Caesar?”

Lionel smiled, a genuine smile this time. “Enjoy your time, Lex. Because it won’t last.”

Lionel struggled for a moment to get out of the chair, then he walked out, Lex putting his glass down.

He was trying to rein in his emotions when he saw Lana suddenly appear in the doorway.

“Lana, where have you been? I…”

Lana walked in, her brown eyes roiling with emotion. “You love Clark?”

Swallowing, Lex said, “I do.”

“And he loves you?”

Deep breath. “He does.”

She stood, still as a marble statue. Her beauty was glacial in this instance. “Clark is an alien?”

“He is.”

Sorry, Clark, but she heard everything. Damnit! Some protector of the Secret I am!

Lana crossed her arms. “That explains a lot.”

“We used you, Lana, and we’re sorry for that, but it wasn’t intentional. Neither one of us wanted to hurt you.”

“Why did you fake the pregnancy, Lex?”

Another thing on the list to tell Clark.

Lex spoke, and he let all his transgressions against her tumbled out. He watched her face, the exquisite cheekbones barely twitching, her eyes cold and forbidding. Finally, he stopped talking and Lana said, “I want a divorce.”

“You’ll have one.”

“And an extremely generous settlement.” She paused. “At the very least, for the pain and suffering you put me through over the baby. I want to be free of you, and a fortune will help me achieve that.” Her voice was contemptuous. “God help Clark.”

Sadly, he had to agree.

She turned on her heel and left him alone in the study.

Chapter Text

Lex had offered to drive Martha to the hospital and she had accepted though of course she was perfectly capable of driving herself. She was a remarkable woman, however, and she seemed more than willing to let Lex come along to the hospital.

The ride was quiet, the radio playing jazz, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Lex had always felt welcomed by Martha, unlike Jonathan who distrusted him because of his Luthor name and wealth, and he hoped he could win back her trust completely.

The silence was broken when Martha said, “Lex.”

He glanced at her. “Yes?”

“My son never gives up on someone once he loves them, but he can be hurt very badly because of that.”

Lex felt butterflies in his stomach. “I know.” He gripped the wheel harder. “Why he chose me, I don’t know, but I love him, Mrs. Kent. And I hope to be worthy of him someday.”

Martha said nothing further, but Lex sensed she was satisfied with that answer, at least for now.

At the hospital they were happy to discover that Clark was being discharged. In his room, Lex helped Clark off the bed where he had been waiting for them, and he and Martha assisted Clark into the wheelchair. Lex pushed the chair while Martha walked beside them.

Clark was pale and tired, but he was smiling. He knew he was going to get better very soon.

Lex had thought about Clark’s mention of the sunlight. So his healing power came from the sun. Did his powers as well? The scientist in him was itching to find out.

Clark lifted his face to the sun and drank in.

“Hey, Clark!”

Chloe walked up.

“Hey, Chloe.”

She smiled at Martha and coolly acknowledged Lex. “Ready to get sprung, eh?”

“Ready.”

“Good. I’ll follow in my car. I’ve got a few Welcome Home goodies for you.”

“Excellent.”

Clark was safely ensconced in the back seat of Lex’s car as Martha settled into the front next to Lex. He drove carefully, Clark finally saying in an amused tone, “Lex, we want to get home before sunset.”

“Hey, you’re always the one saying I should drive slower.”

“You should,” Martha said firmly, “but Clark is right. I think we can step on the gas a little.”

Lex sighed as the Kents exchanged smiles, and he speeded up.

At the farm, Chloe said as she got out of the car, “Glad you hopped it up there, Lex. I was ready to get out and walk.”

There was a flurry of activity as Clark was helped inside, Chloe presented a deli platter of Clark’s favorite foods from Maury’s Delicatessen in town, and she and Martha set about preparing lunch while Lex was forced to take a phone call. When he was finished with Lexcorp business, he realized that Clark wasn’t in the house.

He found him sitting outside on a lounge chair, soaking up the sun. He was already looking better, his skin starting to take on his characteristic burnished glow.

“So you heal in the sun?”

Clark opened his eyes and looked up at Lex. “Yes.”

Lex sat on the picnic table bench. “Your powers…”

“…come from the sun, too.”

He’d been right, then. “May I ask what your powers are, specifically?”

Clark rattled off a long and amazing list. Stunned, Lex said, “Um, well…” He shifted. “How are your ribs?”

“Healing nicely.” Clark cocked his head. “Lex, did you speak to Lana?”

Lex sighed. “I did. She’s very hurt, Clark.”

“I’ll have to talk to her.”

“Clark, I have more to tell you.”

Clark listened as he told him about the pregnancy, the fake miscarriage, and finally, the end of Dr. Langston.

Sadness shadowed green eyes, but Clark asked, “Did you mean to kill him, Lex?”

Lex didn’t look away. He twisted his fingers. “While I was hitting him, for a moment, I did. I was consumed by fear and rage, something I’d been feeling since Zod. But then I realized what the hell I was doing and backed off. He fell, and hit his head.” Lex felt his body shiver slightly. “Dad found the body and covered it up. Said he died in an auto accident.”

Clark said nothing, Lex holding his breath as he stilled his fingers, gripping tightly.

“Anything else?”

Lex told him everything about 33.1, including Wes Keenan and his wife Jodi seeking her husband so desperately that she had rigged the tunnels that had almost killed them both.

Clark absorbed everything, then said, “Lex, I love you. From what you’ve said, Zod’s possession triggered a lot of what happened.”

“That doesn’t excuse me…”

“…not completely, no, but in the tunnels, I saw the man I loved just a few years ago. And I know you have good in you, Lex. I couldn’t love you so completely if I didn’t.” He took a deep breath. “I forgive you for everything you’ve done, but I can’t…please don’t do anything like this again.”

My second chance isn’t slipping away!

“What if I can’t promise I won’t backslide?”

“Will you be experimenting on people in the future?”

“No.”

“Will you be doing any of the things you’ve confessed to?”

“No,” he whispered.

“Then I think we’ll be fine.”

Lex wanted to believe that so badly.

“Clark, my father knows everything.”

“About us?”

“About your powers.”

“I know.” Clark clasped his hands over his stomach. “He’s been a vessel for Jor-El. Writing in Kryptonian. Knowing about the invasion.”

“Were you sent here to rule over us?”

Clark looked away for a second, then returned his gaze to Lex. “Yes. But I’ve broken the AI’s programming on that and now I’m learning Kryptonian knowledge to help people here on Earth, not rule them.”

“AI?”

“It’s in the Fortress of Solitude, in the Arctic.”

Kryptonian knowledge! Excitement shone in Lex’s eyes.

Clark laughed. “I’ll be bringing you there soon.” His smile faded. “Lex, I’ve told you everything. It’s as if I handed you Kryptonite and told you to keep it to use against me in the future if necessary.”

“Kryptonite?”

“The meteor rock.” Clark rubbed his eyes. “You could destroy me now, even more completely than you could before.” He looked at Lex, his heart on his sleeve. “You wouldn’t just kill me physically.”

Lex took a deep breath. “I won’t betray you, Clark.”

“I don’t want you to feel as if you have to be a Boy Scout or you’ll be out on your ear.”

“The Boy Scout is your territory.”

Clark smiled.

Lex stood and sat on the lounge chair next to Clark. He took his hand, feeling the slightly- warmer-than-normal heat of the smooth skin. “Clark, I swear to you, I will never betray you. And if I feel that darkness come upon me again, I’ll tell you. I can’t fight it without you. The best part of me was the first three years of our friendship.” He bit his lip. “Can we get that feeling of easy friendship back?”

Clark looked thoughtful. “Maybe not completely, since so much has happened since, but maybe we can still have some of that. And build something new on that foundation.” Clark gently squeezed his hand. “I need you, Lex.”

Lex scoffed. “You need me! I’m the one who needs your light to chase away my darkness, to connect me to my humanity, ironic as that is.”

“And you help me feel complete. I’ve fit in pretty well here in Smallville growing up over the years. It’s the only home I’ve ever known. I love it here. But of course I’ve always been apart, too. Mom and Dad’s love helped me grow through childhood, and I’ve had friends like Pete and Chloe. Loving them was easy.”

He stared off up at a cloud. “Lana was never easy. Maybe my romances aren’t going to be as easy as my friendships. But maybe I also need someone who doesn’t quite fit into the normal scheme of things to be my soulmate.” He looked at Lex.

Awe flooded through Lex. “Careful, Clark, your soul could get corroded if it touches mine.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so.”

Clark’s eyes were sparkling-green now, and his skin was healthy and glowing, his bruises and cuts fading. He looked beautiful, like a god fallen from the stars.

Which, in some ways, he is.

Lex didn’t deserve this. Not after what he’d done. Not after all the pain he caused.

Not deserved, but needed.

“Clark, you might have to help me clean up a lot of messes…”

“I know.” Clark’s smile was blinding. “Together, we’ll face all our past mistakes, and we’ll go forward.”

“Clark! Lex! Lunch!” Martha called from the back door.

Lex stood and reached a hand down.

Clark took it and stood.

Together, they walked toward the house.