Now Part 3

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Lana lay in bed, listening to the second hand on the clock tick. The night was cold for late May, so she’d shut the window, closing out the sounds of the night, and the rustle of the wind through the trees. She remained naked, however, her preferred way of sleeping, wishing Clark was there to warm her.


The house wasn’t totally silent, however. From Martha and Jonathan’s old room came the muffled, but rhythmic, thump of a headboard against the wall, accompanied by the occasional sound of lust from Kara. Jimmy Olsen, Lana noted, hadn’t wasted much time in going to Kara. She felt sorry for Chloe, who must be home, at that moment, alone and missing Jimmy, who was in Clark’s house screwing Clark’s cousin.


The headboard finally stilled, and Lana considered the situation. How was it that Kara and Jimmy could have sex, but she and Clark couldn’t? Maybe it was different with Kryptonian women. Maybe because they were the one being penetrated, rather than doing the penetrating, they were able to have sex with humans.


But that didn’t fully add up to Lana. Kara could clench Jimmy to death if she lost control. So what was it? What was their secret?

The small chunk of Kryptonite on the dresser glowed green, casting alien light onto the clock, which read fifteen minutes to midnight. Clark still wasn’t home.


Lana hated herself for thinking it, but could Clark be with another woman, right then? She squashed that thought right away. Clark would never betray her with another woman. Besides, if he couldn’t have sex with her, he couldn’t have sex with any woman.


Unless she was some kind of Kryptofreak. Perhaps a super strong woman, who could handle him.


No. He wouldn’t do that to her.


Getting up and throwing on a robe, Lana went downstairs for a drink. She’d just opened a bottle of juice when a knock sounded at the kitchen door. Frowning, wondering who would be there at that time of night, she turned on the light. It was Lex.


“What are you doing here?” Lana asked, looking back to make sure no one was listening, though that wouldn’t necessarily stop Kara from overhearing them.


“I need to talk to you, about what happened a couple of days ago.”


“This isn’t the time, Lex,” Lana said, trying to shut the door, but he held up a hand, stopping the door.


“Just come out to the car, please.”


Sighing, and setting down her juice, Lana followed Lex out to the car. The door had barely shut before he was on her, his lips seeking out her neck, his hand under her robe.


“Lex, stop!” she hissed, pushing him away. She’d suspected this would happen.


“You were hot for me two days ago.”


Because you caught me bugging your bedroom, Lana thought. Of course she wasn’t going to tell him that.


“I was feeling lonely. I shouldn’t have told you Clark and I are having problems. You’d only try to use it against—”


Lex’s lips smothered hers. She struggled to get away, but he held tight to her, pulling her down onto the deeply cushioned seat of the limousine. The privacy shield was up, but she still felt awkward.


“Lex, stop!” she hissed again, but he was exposing her, his fingers dipping into her. Despite her hatred of him, Lana’s body started to respond. It had always been like that. Even before their marriage, before she’d started realize she was being manipulated but still wanted out, she couldn’t resist Lex’s touch. The more she hated him, the wetter she got, the more her body opened in anticipation of receiving him.


“Stop,” she whispered weakly. She hated this man, this gorgeous devil in the flesh, she truly did. She was filled with anger, and loathing, even as she lay there and allowed him to thrust into her. He would have stopped, if she’d have insisted. Lex was many things, but never a rapist.


“I hate you, Lex,” Lana gasped.


“I hate you too,” Lex said in her ear. He fucked her like he was punishing her for all the shit she’d been exposed for doing, and she dug her nails painfully into his back in response, making him cry out in pain laced pleasure.


“You fucking bitch!” he gasped, and slammed into her harder.


Lana surprised herself by laughing. Laughing and gasping and moaning.


Lex rode Lana with all he had, fucking her mercilessly hard, and though she’d never admit it aloud, she loved the act itself, every bit as much as she hated the man invading her body.


With the climax over, their bodies covered with sweat and the smell of sex, Lex grabbed her by the throat.


“You make me crazy.”


“You make me sick,” she said. “Now get off.”


“Already did.”


He kissed her hungrily. She let him for a few seconds before pushing at his broad shoulders. Taking the hint, Lex pulled out of her and began fixing his clothes.


“Leave Clark, come back to me,” he said. “We’re good apart, but we’re better together.”


“You’re delusional. I love Clark, and I have no intentions of ever leaving him.”


“So what’s your plan? Use me to get off until you bring me down, while playing house with Clark? If that’s it, then I’m not the only delusional one.”


“This is our last time,” Lana said, and she meant it.


“Bullshit. You may hate me, but you love it when I fuck you.”


“You disgust me.”


Lana opened the door but Lex rolled the window down. “We’re perfect together, Lana. You’re not cut out to be a farmers wife. You’ll never be Martha Kent. Luthor. That’s what you are, a Luthor.”


She closed the door, hating him, hating herself, and ran for the shower.

It was after two when the bedroom door opened, making the Kryptonite glow even brighter. Clark glanced at it, a pained look crossing his face as he slipped into bed, wearing his usual boxers and tee-shirt. He kissed Lana lightly, chastely, on her lips. He used to kiss her deeply, and Lana missed that. She chalked it all up to the strain their relationship was going through, but she was confident they could work things out.


“It’s been a week,” Lana said, stroking Clark’s stomach, under his shirt. Despite what had happened with Lex, she still wanted Clark. She wanted him more than anything. “I’m all better, so I thought we could try. How do you feel?”


“Awful,” Clark said. “Sick, weak.”


She looked closely at Clark. He was pale, and getting clammy. The Kryptonite was a bad idea.


“Maybe the rock is too big,” she said. “Maybe we need a smaller one so it doesn’t affect you as badly.”


“Maybe.”


He had a look on his face that chilled her, an expression of mild disgust and disinterest. Clark had never looked at her like that before.


“The Kryptonite makes me weaker, but it makes me feel sick too.”


An unexpected urge to cry overcame Lana, then. She turned away, shook off the covers, and replaced the Kryptonite into a lead container, shutting it firmly. Clark sighed in relief, and when she got into bed, the look of disgust was gone from his face. Perhaps it wasn’t her that he was disgusted with. Perhaps it was just the Kryptonite. But something deep inside doubted, and she was sure he was turned off by her.


“We can do other things,” Clark said. “I just can’t make love to you.”


“I want to be with you, Clark. I miss you. I miss us.”


She waited for him to say something comforting, that he felt the same way, the he loved her, but he didn’t. Instead, Clark turned his back to her.


“I need some sleep. Good night, Lana.”


She watched his back, debating whether or not to ask him the one question she most feared the answer to: Was there someone else? Someone he could be with? When she finally screwed up her courage, Lana took a deep breath and said, “Is there someone else? Maybe some meteor freak strong enough to be with you?”


Clark didn’t respond, but she knew he was only pretending to be asleep.





Chloe’s apartment was small, but beautifully decorated. Lana had always known that Chloe had a lovely sense of style, and had always appreciated that about her. The apartment, as far as Lana could see from the door, was filled with red art deco furniture that looked as though it had been bought second-hand, but very well maintained. The cream colored carpet was accented with rust brown clay jars holding flowers and light cedar tables.


“Lana,” Chloe said. She was civil, but cool.


“Chloe. Long time since we’ve talked.”


“With good reason.”


Lana could hear all of the points from their last argument replay in her head. She’s been lying, and manipulating them all, but for what they didn’t know. Lana wasn’t going to explain herself. She had her reasons for doing the things she did, and the only one who would come out the worse if she succeeded would be Lex and Lionel Luthor. She honestly couldn’t understand their self-righteous anger.


“I’m not here to fight, Chloe. I just need to talk to you.”


Chloe stood back, and Lana entered, taking a seat across from the couch. There was a can of upholstery cleaner on the table, and a brush. Chloe took a seat on the couch and continued scrubbing a large spot beside her.


“Have a spill?”


“Something like that,” Chloe said, and Lana thought she could see Chloe flush as she continued scrubbing the spot on the couch. In fact, now that Lana looked, there was another spot on the back of the couch that had been recently scrubbed.


“Has Clark said anything to you lately, anything personal?”


“You’ll have to be more specific.”


“Has he said anything about his relationship with me? Has he…has he mentioned another woman?”


Chloe continued scrubbing, and shrugged. “Clark doesn’t talk about you anymore. And if he was cheating, I doubt he’d tell me.”


“You’re his best friend. He tells you everything.”


Chloe looked Lana in the eye. “He hasn’t told me he’s seeing anyone else.”


Lana nodded. Chloe looked sincere, but then she was a superb liar when she had to be. Better, even, than Lana herself.


“May I use your bathroom?”


“Sure.”


Lana left her purse on the chair and went to the bathroom, feeling awkward. She and Chloe had had their differences in the past, but they’d never been this strained with one another, never this distant. Glancing into the bedroom, Lana saw that Chloe had yet to make her bed, and it looked torn up, as though something more than sleeping had happened in it recently.


Did Chloe have another boyfriend already? That was odd, considering she’d gone years without dating while she pined away for Clark. Now she breaks up with Jimmy and…and…. A pair of very large, very familiar looking shoes sat in the corner of the bathroom, by the tub. Lana was sure they belonged to Clark.


It was as though someone had punched her in the stomach. Why were Clark’s shoes in Chloe’s bathroom? Why was she scrubbing her couch? Why did her bed look like it had been romped in moments before?


Lana left the bathroom without washing her hands and approached Chloe, holding the shoes up.


“These are Clark’s shoes.”


Chloe looked unconcerned. “Yes.”


“You don’t deny it?”


“Why would I? Clark’s always leaving stuff here. You may find clothes he’s left after a scrape and I wash them for him.”


“Convenient excuse,” Lana said.


“It’s the truth, Lana.”


“Are you fucking Clark?”


Chloe’s face went cold, and a little pale. “Get out.”


“Answer me, goddamn it!” Lana shouted, throwing the shoes down at Chloe’s feet. She flinched and drew back from Lana. “Are you fucking Clark?”


“I’m not going to bother answering that question, now I said get out.”


“What else does he have here?”


Lana looked around the apartment. It was so neat, and straight, which was usual for Chloe, but had she recently cleaned to cover evidence of Clark being in the apartment up? She started for the bedroom.


“Lana!”


She could hear Chloe behind her, rushing to catch up to her. She flung the door all the way open and immediately could smell sex.


She could also smell Clark’s cologne.


She saw what looked like a pair of men’s socks beside the bed. Socks large enough for Clark to wear.


“Are you fucking Clark?”


“Lana—”


Lana rounded, and her open hand connected soundly with Chloe’s face, sending her staggering back.


“I’m not stupid, Chloe. I can smell his cologne! He’s been in this room. Just say it! Are you fucking my boyfriend?”


She drew her hand back again, when Chloe failed to answer, but just before she could strike her hand came up short. Clark stood half between her and Chloe, smelling like the cologne that lingered in the bedroom.


“Chloe won’t admit it,” Lana said, pulling her arm from Clark’s grasp. “Are you fucking Chloe, Clark?”


“Yes.”


Chloe looked down, her eyes closed, tears spilling down her face. Lana felt as though the world had disappeared under her feet, and she was falling. Clark’s arms were around her, picking her up and taking her from the room. She held him as tightly as she could while the sobs wracked her body.


“How could you?” Lana managed. “How could you lie to me that way?”


“I’m not the only one guilty of lies,” Clark said.


She pushed away from him, seeing that Chloe still stood in the same spot, her back to them, her shoulders shaking from quiet sobs.


“You’ve never forgiven me for being with Lex.”


“Yes, I did,” Clark said. “This isn’t about Lex, it’s about us. Let me drive you home, we can talk there.”


“What’s there to talk about? You’re fucking another woman and coming home to me—”


“Lana, we haven’t been a real couple in months. So many things have happened—”


“Did you hurt me on purpose? When we tried to have sex that night, did you—”


“Of course not!” Clark said, shocked that she would suggest such a thing. “I would never hurt anyone on purpose, especially you.”


“Then what you do call having an affair? You’re doing that on purpose, and it’s hurting me.”


“Lana—”


“You can fuck her, but not me?”


“Yes. I think it has something to do with her meteor ability.”


Lana shook her head. “Are you going to stop?”


Clark looked her in the eye, and Lana knew the answer before he said it.


“No. I love her.”


Lana turned away, found her purse and dug out her keys.


“Lana, we need to go home and talk.”


“We don’t have a home, Clark,” Lana said, moving for the door. “I’m moving out. I’m not going to put up with this. He’s all yours, Chloe, just like you’ve always wanted. I never want anything to do with either of you again.”


Stopping at the door, Lana turned to look at them. “You’ll pay for this. Both of you.”


Lana left the room, slamming the door behind her, and filling the apartment with heavy silence that weighed heavily on both Clark and Chloe.