Title: One Degree of Separation

Author: Keikokin

Beta: Queen Morgan

Rating: PG

Summary: Written for the CLFF Fest. When Lana moves on, will Lex and Clark as well?

Word count: 3120

Disclaimer: Warner Brothers and the CW own Smallville. DC comics owns Superman and he just owns my heart. I own nothing. No maliciousness intended toward any actors who brought these wonderful roles to life!

Lex knew it was just a matter of time and Lana would leave. No relationship ever worked out for him. Maybe, it was the pressure of being associated with a Luthor. Or, maybe it was the fact that Clark stood between them like one of the Pillars of Hercules'. It remained unspoken. Yet, it seemed to grow.

The moment finally arrived over a quiet dinner for two. “Maybe, I’m not the one for you, Lex.” Lana said softly.

Inhaling deeply, Lex put on his best poker face. “Pardon?”

“Don’t play naïve, Lex. Your father is right; it doesn’t suit you.” Lex wiped his lips on the cloth napkin and placed it at the side of his dish. There wouldn’t be anymore eating. Dinner was ruined.

“If you are going to leave, don’t use me as the excuse.” Lex said and got up. He proceeded to his office and got out his old stash. After a comfortable high, and getting drunk on top of that, he thought he might be comfortably numb enough to deal with Lana.

When he walked out of the office, he felt the chill in the air wash over him. Closing his eyes, he could simply sense that he was the only one left in the castle. Perhaps, some skeleton staff remained, not that any of them mattered.

Lana was gone.

He turned and went back into the office, wondering why he’d bothered to get up.

“Clark.”

Blinking against the fading sunset, Clark turned to see Lana had graced the loft with her presence. Uncertainty seemed to fill her eyes. “Lana?” Clark asked with concern.

“It’s over.” She stated bluntly.

“What do you mean? What’s over?” Clark asked in confusion; their friendship? Hadn’t it ended a long time ago?

“You win. He’s all yours. It took me a long time to realize that Lex was never jealous of my relationship with you the way I thought. He was jealous because of the way I could spend time with you, talk with you, and be with you so easily, simply because I’m a woman and your parents always liked me.”

“Lana?” Clark frowned and stood away from the loft window.

The petite brunette put a hand up and laughed. But, it was bitter and cold, not the one Clark had known from years gone by. “I’m not going to wait for you to stop caring about him or for him to stop caring about you. You can both lie to each other all you want. But, I deserve better.”

“You’re saying you broke things off with Lex because of …me?” Clark asked in disbelief.

“It’s a shame,” Lana continued ignoring him. “We could have been so good, Clark.”

She turned and left just as abruptly as she appeared. Clark couldn’t help wondering who she could have been so good with. Things never would have worked out between them. Clark had put her on a pedestal she didn’t deserve, and though it took awhile for him to figure it out, eventually he had. She was all pretenses, posturing, and as shallow as could be. Lana was also far too fickle and high-maintenance.

On the other hand, if she meant her and Lex…and what she was saying was true, Lex cared more about their friendship than he did his relationship with Lana. But, since when? Clark sat heavily down on a hay bale. If Lex hadn’t wanted the rift, why had he allowed it to happen? Had Lionel orchestrated the rift? Or, was it Lana, who saw Lex as the ultimate trophy in Smallville? She had turned out to be far more materialistic then he’d ever imagined, coming from such a small town. Lana had turned into a viper with ease, and apparently, Lex and Clark were her victims.

He watched her car leave the lane, kicking up the dust, and wondered if Lana was right about him and Lex. Walking slowly out of the barn, he found himself sitting in the kitchen with a cup of cocoa he didn’t even notice his mother putting there. He seemed to waken out of his musings when he felt his mother cover his hand. Looking at her, a silent communication occurred between the two of them where Martha didn’t even have to ask her son what was wrong.

“Lana left Lex.” Clark explained, the words feeling odd to hear coming from his own mouth. He felt his mother’s hand freeze. “She said ‘I won’. What does she mean, Mom?”

Martha’s lips pursed before she got up, strode over to the kitchen sink, and began to do the dishes. There were several moments of the sound of the sink filling with water before she said at long last. Clark knew she was weighing her words carefully. She liked to clean when she was thinking. “What do you think she meant?”

“That somehow, I’m to blame for her and Lex splitting up.” Clark shrugged. “Is it my fault?”

Martha braced herself on the sink and sighed with her eyes closed. “Clark, do you know why your father hated Lex so much?”

“Because, he’s a Luthor,” Clark replied without a thought. After all, Jonathan had said it often enough to make his feelings clear.

“It was more than that. He saw what Lex meant to you and what you meant to Lex. Your father knew that one day someone would be hurt. I just never thought it would be Lana.” She shook her head. Jonathan had always warned her this day would come. But somehow, over time, she’d started to think he was wrong, that Lana and Lex would stay together. The rift between Lex and Clark would be insurmountable. She was wrong. Or, maybe they both were and what the boys had was destiny after all.

Tossing down the dishrag, and turning, she cupped the side of Clark’s face trying to convey all the love she had through her eyes to give the permission she knew he needed but she couldn’t manage to say. “You can do the dishes, Clark. It will give you time to think.”

Clark nodded glumly. Turning on the super-speed, he did the dishes before going back to his loft. Through the telescope he was able to see the moving van over at Lana’s old house. Then, he watched it get on the road toward Wichita and wondered if he’d ever see her again.

A servant entered Lex’s office and said simply. “She’s left. Do you want her followed?”

Lex looked up from his desk calmly. “No.” Lex said simply and was surprised that he meant it. He didn’t care what Lana did. Oddly enough, he felt relieved, like the proverbial weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Holding up his hand, he showed the servant the crisp white envelope in his fingers. “See this gets mailed.”

“Yes, sir,” the servant replied, stepping forward to take the envelope with the once familiar address of Hickory Lane, before seeing himself out.

Folding his hands together, he sat staring and unseeing, wondering if the letter should have been sent or not? Was it a waste of time? Or, was it simply too late? Lionel would have laughed at his emotional distress. Yet, when Lana left, Lex didn’t miss her, only Clark. He felt safe and secure around Clark, but it was more than that. Lana had been right.

Clark came in from the barn the next morning to find a letter by his breakfast plate. He opened it and read the contents on the fine, crisp stationary.

I drove her away, and you. If the reason for our rift leaves, then does the rift leave too?

Crushing the letter in his hand, Clark pushed away from the table. His stomach turned. It had been Lana. She had orchestrated the rift. The letter made it all too clear that Lex had never wanted this feud between them. If Lana had fanned the fires of discontent between them, they had both been betrayed. He felt anger fill his very soul.

“Aren’t you going to eat, honey?” Martha asked, staring at his clenched fist as he rose to his feet.

“Maybe later, Mom; I need to think.” He went for a cross-country run instead.

Martha wiped off her hands and turned toward the door. There, shadowed slightly by the screen, stood Lex Luthor. But, his attention was drawn toward something in the yard. She didn’t bother to open the door, just walked up to it, still wiping her hands. Following his gaze, she spotted Clark leaning against a tree, wiping his brow, a trail of dust still settling behind him. He must have just returned, she thought, wishing he wouldn’t be so careless.

“Lex?” He didn’t turn, but after a moment began to quietly speak.

“I understand you and Mr. Kent, though I never thought I would.” She didn’t need to ask; besides, there was a lump in her throat at this topic and she wouldn’t have been able to speak if she had wanted.

“When someone becomes your best friend, your hero, your reason for getting up in the morning, the world shifts. That’s what it is…a shift in perception.” He mused aloud with a chuckle, but Martha was interested in what he had to say and didn’t interrupt. “Whether you realize it or not, you find yourself trying to act better, trying to be perfect so as not to let them down. Fear of losing them dodges your every step. One day, you tell yourself, they’ll realize you are somehow lacking and undeserving of them. You can cry over their pains, laugh over their triumphs, and ache with their sorrow. The closest you can ever hope to achieve, once you lose that shining light, is one degree of separation.”

“Lex?” Martha asked, sensing he’d stopped. Would he continue?

“Please, tell Clark I stopped by.” He said with a nod.

Martha stood dumbstruck and could only nod in return as she watched him walk back to his car, start it, and leave. She noticed Clark hadn’t moved but was watching the car as it left. With curiosity, she asked, knowing he could hear her even at their current distance, “Did you hear that, Clark?”

In reply, he nodded, keeping his back toward her and though he was quite far from the house, she could tell he was crying. She looked up and wished once more Jonathan was around to help. Should she try to comfort him? Or leave him be? Deciding to stay put, she said, “Clark, if you are still listening, go talk to him. It’s not right to leave it like this, and it’s not healthy for either one of you.” Clark was gone as she finished her little speech. “I love you, honey, no matter what.”

Hearing those words freed Clark, in a way he hadn’t thought possible. With determination, he picked up speed and chased after Lex’s car. Then, on a whim, he blurred ahead to the bridge, their bridge. As he’d hoped, Lex pulled over when he saw him and shut the car off. Without waiting for an invitation, Clark hopped into the sleek, sports car. Lex looked at him, hoping his emotions weren’t as plain on his face as he feared. He’d never been scared in this way and it was a humbling experience.

“Clark?”

“Lex, pinky-swear to me that we will never, ever let a woman come between us again.”

A slow, crooked smile pulled at Lex’s mouth. Could it really be that easy? He held up one hand with his pinky extended, glad for this casual attitude of Clark's. With a frown, Clark leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “No, I think we need to seal it with something better than a pinky swear; it’s too grade school.”

Hurt flashed across Lex’s face as he began to lower his hand before Clark grabbed his hand, using it to pull Lex into a hug. Lex closed his eyes and curled his head into Clark’s neck, sniffing deeply. The crisp, clean scent that was so hauntingly familiar assailed him, wrapping around his heart and bewitching his body. They both relaxed into the hug and the tension that had been brought about by one woman drained away from them, lancing their wounds. “I missed you,” Lex whispered.

Clark pulled back reluctantly and seemed to search his eyes for something. “Lana said I was the reason why you two broke up.”

“It was more than that, Clark; don’t start to feel guilty. We all know it was for the best.” Lex shrugged, already missing the hug. He gestured to the road with his chin. “Since you’re in, did you want to come to the house?”

“Yeah,” Clark settled back and seemed to be deep in thought. It was quiet but not as heavy as the silences between he and Lana had been, Lex realized sadly. He glanced over at his passenger on the short drive, wondering what Clark was thinking about. Would they be able to completely fix things between them?

A fierce determination filled him and Lex resolved to do whatever it took. By the time they reached the castle, Lex was filled with purpose and Clark seemed to have reached some sort of decision. Getting out of the car, Clark followed Lex into the house and watched as Lex headed automatically for the bar.

“Can it wait?” Clark asked, looking from Lex to the bar with meaning. Lex nodded, grabbed two bottles of water instead, and tossed one to Clark before walking over to the window.

With his back to Clark, Lex asked. “Do you think she was right?”

Clark blinked and realized the topic had gone back to Lana. “There’s only one way to find out.”

Lex turned in surprise. “Clark, do you realize what you’ve just opened yourself up for? That was practically an engraved invitation to do whatever I want.”

Clark walked toward Lex, closing the distance between them. “What do you want, Lex? What do you want from me? Friendship?”

With a sigh, Lex answered. “I know more is out of the question.”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“What do you mean, Lex?” Clark frowned and stopped right in front of Lex.

“Clark Kent, perfect example of the shy and heterosexual, mutant male,” Lex snapped, growing tired of this dancing around each other.

“There’s so much wrong with that statement, Lex, I don’t know where to begin.” Clark snapped right back, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Lex snorted. “Name one.”

“Okay, Clark Kent isn’t my real name. Two, I think my shy phase ended while you were with Lana, and three, I’m leaving my options open.” Clark watched Lex blink, trying to process all he’d just said before the older man walked dazedly toward the chair at his desk and flopped down without his usual grace.

When he seemed to collect himself again, he chuckled. “Well, I guess we’ve decided to be brutally honest this time around. Do I even get twenty questions?”

“Shoot,” Clark asked eager to break down this wall between them.

“Who, or what, are you?” Lex asked first.

“My name is Kal-El, the last known survivor of the planet Krypton, sent here as a child in a small pod that came down with fragments of my home world.” Clark said in a rush of air.

Lex opened his mouth but nothing came out. He fumbled for his nearly forgotten water bottle and downed it in one go. Clark bit his lip nervously, watching Lex run one hand over his bare head in realization as to why he’d lost his hair. Eventually, Lex looked at him seriously and Clark knew that he was thinking up another question. “You never told Lana, did you?”

“No, but I think she pretty much guessed I was a mutant, at least,” Clark shrugged. Lex nodded absently.

“Can you procreate?” Lex asked in a clinical voice.

Clark shrugged. “I suppose so. It’d be pretty stupid to send one survivor off who was sterile.”

“It would make more sense that they’d genetically alter you to procreate with both sexes available on this planet.” Lex mused aloud. “We’ll have to test that.”

Clark stumbled back with fear clear on his face. “No!”

Lex blinked rapidly, backtracking over what he’d said to cause such a reaction, “Only with your permission, Clark.”

Clark staggered over to the couch, plopping down with relief. Lex got up and sat down next to him. “It’s okay, Clark.” He tentatively reached out a hand to Clark’s shoulder to comfort the bigger man. “Your parents told you what would happen if you ever –“

“Yeah, next subject please?” Clark pleaded with a shiver, leaning into the hand. Lex sat back against the couch and Clark practically melted into him, needing to be comforted.

“How did you find out about your people?” Lex asked curiously.

“Mostly the caves, but the ship and my fortress, too,” Clark confessed.

“Hmm, I take it you are not referring to your fortress in the barn,” Lex commented.

“No, it’s up in the Artic. I don’t think you’ll care for the cold. But, it doesn’t bother me.”

“I’ll get some survival gear. So what do you think of me, Clark? Am I still the evil Lex Luthor?”

Clark looked into Lex’s eyes. “I’m kind of confused on the whole evil part, Lex. I know your dad raised you to be a corporate raider and not on the concept of even having friends. I’ve been thinking a lot and wondering if I’ve been too black and white in my thinking, like my dad.”

“You’ve changed, Clark,” Lex said in surprise. “Honestly, I thought you’d never admit to that. But, it gives me hope.”

“Hope? How?” Clark was asking the questions now, and Lex found it amusing that he’d never made it to twenty questions before the roles reversed.

“Can you imagine someone with that attitude, and your powers, in the world? You’d be such a smug bastard; I would have probably devoted my life to destroying you.” As Lex admitted it, he knew it to be true, deep down inside. Clark shivered and Lex put his other arm around him until they were hugging once more.

For a long time, each man was silent. But, the air between them had changed forever. The secret was out in the open. Clark had trusted Lex, and it seemed to have pulled them back together. It would be a long time until they could work everything out, but as Lex’s lips gently grazed Clark’s, bonding them in new ways, it was greeted with a moan of desire; they each knew it would be well worth the effort.