After a long day of paperwork, a phone glued to his ear, and terminally long meetings, Lex was ready to just sit. Staring at a wall for hours would be perfectly acceptable in the state that he was in. In truth, he was not up for very much mental exertion, nor exertion of any kind. All he wanted in life was to sprawl out on his couch, feet up on the armrest, head on a pillow, and nothing else. If anything short of a world-ending event tried to sway him from his intent he might fight them, or hire someone to fight them so he could go around them and get to his destination.

It was sad and amazing how tiring doing nothing physical could be. It would stand to reason that typing and sitting in a chair all day should be relaxing. It was not. He was less tired after hours spent at a gym, which, in his opinion, was strictly unfair. The soft, imported leather creaked slightly when he eased himself down, ready to untie his shoes and get very busy staring at his walls.

"Hey, Lex," Clark meandered into the room, but upon looking up to the cocksure smile greeting him, threatening more than inviting, he knew it was all Kal, "think I could have a word with you? Alone?"

The burning question would be why it was Kal and not Clark coming to him. To think he would have to deal with yet another thing for the night when he had been moments away from getting that nice evening he'd thought about all day. It would figure he could not get that lucky. Fate was never overly kind. But then, nothing had ever been kind to Clark either, so how could he hold a grudge?

"What about?" Something deep within him shied instantly away from the thought of being alone with Kal, that something was an unprecedented heady spike of self-preservation and fear like he had never felt the cause for before. Something about Kal was setting off a warning inside him. It was unfounded, nothing had happened between them and he saw no glints of shiny red on any of those fingers.

Kal lowered his voice just a little, "It's not a matter I feel comfortable talking about where anyone might hear us."

Lex nodded, pushing aside the irrational case of dread because Clark would never let anything bad happen, he would surface if things went south. "Sure, if you like. We can go for a drive."

That smile grew broader, "Nah, your office is good enough. I'm not that worried."

Lex nodded again and stood, leading the way even though a voice in his head protested loudly at the act of letting the reason for the wary feeling walk behind him. Something was wrong, clearly, but he would have to find out what. They entered his home office and Kal slid the door shut slowly, with something like sickening finality. The fear heightened so Lex relaxed his body, hoping the increased rate of his heart would go unnoticed.

Leaning a hip on his large desk he finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

There was no other word for what Kal did besides 'prowl' like some sort of tiger toward a wounded animal in the tall grass, "You."

"Me?" Lex found it a little harder to control his instinct to bolt because he could feel the wrongness in the air and he could feel that something very bad was coming.

"I suppose you thought Lionel wouldn't notice you were investigating him." Those eyes were so intent on him that there was no way Kal did not see the widening of his eyes, "What you did with the evidence is anyone's guess... what else have you been gathering evidence on? Me, maybe?"

"No!" The response was more desperate than could be dampened try as he might.

"Oh, yes!"

"No!" An eloquent dialog was slipping from his grasp.

"You covered yourself pretty well but you couldn't think he would never notice, huh?"

"He sent you?" It was as much accusation as realization.

"Not strictly. I told him I wanted to deal with you on my own terms. Talk to you, help you see the light." It was such an innocent-seeming face but that darkness was under the skin and visible, making it seem as though Clark's light never existed.

"Why? What do you hope to gain?"

"When your big brother starts to nose around daddy wolf, you have to wonder what else he has up his sleeve. I mean... what better way to solidify the old man's downfall than to offer up his greatest sin against humanity? The harboring of a deadly force that isn't from around here? Give the public that and..." he chuckled, so dark and low, flashing white teeth, "they would embrace you the way no Luthor has ever been welcomed. You would be a hero for taking down an evil emperor and his pet freak... right? You could have it all, money, fame, and acceptance, just like you always wanted. You'd change your destiny."

"No!" Lex repeated, more strained, "I would never-"

"Of course you would, Lex." That awful, cruel smile, "You're a Luthor and that's what we do! We destroy what gets in the way of things we want. We make a way where there wasn't one by force. We make our lives what we want even if it means we get some blood on our hands. We go where we want to and do what we want to because we can. We make our own freedom by subjugating others." He laughed at his own joke, "'Screw the rules, we have money' and that makes up for everything else. Money and power mean we can be anything we want."

A large part of him felt like there was a code in all that, a message he was not getting. Clark trying to tell him something, because on some words he saw those eyes change for only a second. "You're wrong, you're my brother, I haven't done-"

"Don't bother." Kal cut in, "You made your choices, picked your side. You wanted a better life, away from this... and you know what? I'm going to give it to you. I'm sending you to a better place... I mean, if they let Luthor's in there, that is."

Lex backpedaled stumbling over his own feet the way he had not done since he was around six or during a growth spurt, "Wait, no, this is not what you really want! We're brothers!"

"Lionel's your blood and you had no problem giving him up, it's only a matter of time before you decide I'm next."

"Clark! I would never hurt you! Clark, please!" And there, he saw the flash, the momentary softening in the eyes each time he said his name, but it was gone again just as soon.

"Sorry, Lex, but it has to be this way. If you think about it, I'm giving you the easy way out. You'd end up dead eventually anyway, or worse, but this way you know exactly what's happening. No questions, just a simple ending. I'll make it mostly quick so long as you don't fight it."

So calm, so unaffected, so Kal. There was no mercy, just a sort of task orientation in the set of his jaw. "No, wait! We can talk about this, Clark!" He was backed against the bookshelves and had no place else to go.

"It's too late for that. I've already made up my mind how tonight goes, I can't turn back... and I don't want to. If you could get past your own death, you would thank me. I'm doing this for you, Lex... and because having you around makes me weak. You're emotional and it bleeds into me so I'm not as strong as I could be."

"Listen, listen! Just because Lionel sent you in here doesn't mean you have to play his games! We could figure something out!"

"No, Lex. You're not hearing me." Kal moved in at human speed, each step deliberate, hands gentle the way they reached for him.

It would never get him very far but he could not help the way his instincts kicked in, he kicked and lashed out like a wildcat. Cognitively he understood that he could not win but it did not stop him from trying his very best. Each blow he landed was like striking a metal door; it hurt him and did no damage to the obstacle at all. He threw books, threw anything he could get his hands around but Kal deflected everything lazily, studying his panic like he was plotting. Without a warning, those iron fingers were at his throat, not choking but firm pressure, another set banding around his wrists.

Kal pulled him close, looking into his eyes like he was memorizing the moment, "I'm sorry, Lex. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I'll miss you, but I can't risk keeping you around just for sentiment." And it was strange, a deep twist of a knife in his heart, the worst kind of betrayal when he saw those eyes turn into Clark's.

Lex's mind suddenly pulled up that extra ring of blue Kryptonite in his desk and he went limp, twisting his body into those weak points of contact where thumb and fingers met. It would work on a human but it should not have worked on an alien, but it did like he either had not expected it or even allowed it. He lunged off the desk ripping the drawer out and scrambling for the velvet black box only to have those huge hands get hold of it first. Those green eyes studied in, turning it over and over without opening it. The 'not a bad try' might have been spoken for it was clearly written all over Kal's face, meaningless as it was when he placed it up high on the bookcase like a taunt. Lex was tall enough to reach it but getting to it would be the actual challenge.

Lex sprang to his feet, making an admittedly futile try for the door only to have his feet kicked out from under him. He fell to the floor with a whoosh of air leaving his lungs. The kick had not been any harder than any human with Clark's football background would have been, and that was either an act of mercy or simply a reflexive pull of strength ingrained after so many years. Lex's head had narrowly missed the desk corner and he could be thankful for that.

Kal knelt down, a hand gently placed between Lex's shoulder blades, likely able to feel those uncontrollable trembles in his muscles. He would never have expected to feel this sort of fear when faced with Clark, or maybe not even Kal, but there was finality to the way he looked at him; a finality perhaps not unlike a defendant looking up into the eyes of their judge moments before sentencing and knowing exactly what the verdict will be simply by the expression on that authoritative visage. It is over and it has been decided, no amount of bargaining will change it.

And honestly, some twisted Luthor part of his mind thinks that Kal is right. If Lionel knows what he has been doing the last few months since that near television appearance, then this is inevitable. One way or another he will eventually end up dead. Having it done by Clark is a thousand times more painful betrayal wise but it probably will be less physically painful. He could see his father slipping him some horrific poison at some point when he was not expecting it and he would likely fade away slowly, feeling his own life drain away while he curled up on some cold floor. This will probably be much faster, more humane. All it would take was a quick shake to jell his brain, a pinch of two unearthly strong fingers to snap his neck, a clap of hands to utterly crush his skull. Instant death.

Clark leans over him, hands moving to grip both his shoulders, "It has to be this way. I'm sure you understand that on some level, or you will understand after it is all over." He leaned in, and it really is Clark's voice whispering into his ear seconds before the insanely fast jerk on Lex's body, "I love you. Always."

Clark took a long sip of from the crystal glass, letting it smooth down and burn. Highland Single Malt Scotch, Lionel and Lex's favorite since he could remember. They had a taste for the finer things in life. Not a bad way to live but it was addictive. He understood how it could weaken a person so easily to be accustomed to the plush, gentle lifestyle of the rich and famous. It was something of a learned behavior but he had seen how hard a habit it was to kick. Even a do-gooder like Oliver had trouble shaking off the desire for the finery afforded by money. One day he might be the same, be dependent, might have gotten there already.

Power was a high. It was better than drugs offered but even more difficult to shake off as a habit. One taste of real power, having a life in hand, having someone grovel at your feet, and it was not something you wanted to let go of. Power was an advantage and Clark Luthor had a lot of advantages in his favor; strength, looks, speed, money.

It was easy to go to Cadmus and get a few scientists to make a few clones of Lex, many, actually. He gave them a story about there being a hereditary disorder that ran in the family and wanting to know if they could eradicate it using clones, and if not if parts could eventually be harvested from a clone to fix the problem organs. They did not refuse him once he put on the charm, and the ones that still suggested running the idea past Lionel had swiftly changed their minds when he showed up in their homes playing blocks or superheroes with their children; all they needed was a little understanding, a little perspective and they were agreeable to his terms.

The side of him that was soft and sentimentally weak balked at such a tactic but the half of him went silent after he reminded Lex's Clark exactly what the reasons were for such actions. No one had to die, they just needed to know fear in an intimate sort of way.

Normal people, he found, would do anything for their children. He wondered on occasion where Lex, Tess, and himself had gone so wrong to end up with one that did not care. Clark had not one, but two bad sets considering his birth father threw him into space without so much as clothing for when he landed to be found by Lionel; if that did not indicate a lack of caring he did not know what did. They must have known an alien child would not stand a chance at a normal life but they tossed him out anyway. "Rule them with strength." Well, he could do that with no trouble at all but what sort of parent put a baby in a pod and left that as a message? Kind of sick, really. It fit very well with the second father figure "Kal-El" had been thrown to.

Pity. He always wondered, all the Luthor children did, what it would have been like to be loved and cared for; what life could have been had it been someone else that found him in a field; what it would have been like if Lex's mother took him and ran; what Tess' life might have been if her mother never told Lionel about her existence. Questioning it would never change it but a little sweet fantasy went a long way, though it often just made reality all the more bitter.

A light flicking on flooded the dark room in a stark white light that even made Clark flinch after having nothing but a window letting in the moonlight for who knew how long. There were twin gasps from the other side of the room but Clark did not bother to look up from his glass.

"Don't worry." He tips the glass toward the startled couple in the doorway, "I brought my own liquid indulgence. I haven't drained yours."

"I would say 'make yourself at home' but I'm thinking that would be ill-timed." Oliver quips, covering his shock with humor.

"How the hell did you get in Oliver's penthouse!?" Lois squawks with indignation, followed by more indignation, "What are you even doing here?"

"I was invited... if I remember right. Supposedly this is a place to lay low." Clark downed the rest of the glass in one go before reaching for the bottle and giving himself another. "Unless the invitation was only for Lex." Saying the name made something resonate inside his chest, pain moving and spreading to all his facets.

"It was for both of you." Oliver's eyes were flicking all over his guest, taking in everything, particularly the already empty bottle on the floor, "How much have you had to drink?"

Clark chuckled, "Don't worry, I can hold my poison quite well. I could drink you both under the table."

Lois' eyes narrowed in a challenge, "Doubt that, tenderfoot."

Clark fingered the blue ring on his finger, twirling it around absently, the velvet box in his coat pocket. "Mmm, you could be right, maybe you could outlast me, but I still doubt it."

"Why are you here?" Lois was less demanding but Oliver was getting progressively tenser.

"I came to invite you to a funeral." Clark paused, swirling the glass thoughtfully, "Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure a date has been set yet so... maybe I should have known that part before inviting you."

"Funeral?" Oliver's voice was sharp.

Lois took a step forward, eyes wider, suddenly almost hopeful, "Lionel?"

Clark devolved into a fit of near giggles, looking up at them through his lashes, "We should be so lucky!" He chugged the next glass and got himself more. "I might actually have to dip into your supply soon Ollie. Mine is getting lower." He fumbled, feeling around the table till he found another bottle, "Oh, wait, I've got another."

"Did you drink both those bottles?" Lois sounded almost approving.

Clark shook the mostly empty bottle in his hand, "Almost." He could not help downing the next glass so he could finish off that bottle to open the last one.

"Clark, stop! You're going to kill yourself!" Oliver stepped forward and snatched the glass from his hand.

Clark lifted his chin defiantly before he took a sip directly from the bottle, "I'd offer you some, really, but I can't say for sure it's safe. I'm not just dead sure the old bastard didn't slip something into this stuff yet. I know he was going to, I just don't know if he got that far."

Lois and Oliver shared a look of alarm and the blonde tried to jerk the bottle away, but Clark curled both arms around it, not giving it up. "You think he poisoned it and you're still drinking it?" This time Lois sounded angry like it was a strange thing to do.

"It's no loss. I'm not even human, just a Luthor." Interesting how easy that slipped out, and even more odd because he had not even been totally talking about his alien blood.

"Give me the bottle, Clark!" Oliver could have been talking about a loaded gun rather than Scotch.

No one called him Kal but Lex, no one noticed the difference but Lex. "No" he stated, meaning it.

"Look, even if it's not poisoned you've had way more than you should have! Blood poisoning mean anything to you?" Oliver was annoyed, or worried, or both.

"Why do you care?" Clark cocked his head, frowning, "Everyone knows Lionel killed your family. Shouldn't you want us dead?" The way Queen jerked meant Clark had drawn blood exactly as he intended to.

"You should go. And maybe swing by a hospital." Lois' voice was even which meant she was angry.

Clark swung his eyes to her before he nodded and pushed himself out of the seat, "Sure, Lois. I'll go."

Clark walked toward the door, a little surprised by the sway in his steps and in the room around him. The ring worked for everything even if his body still did not quite take in the liquid poison the way it would have to a natural human. He still had tolerance for it but it did do a lot for him. The pain was not as sharp though it was still eating him alive, it was lazier about it. A piece of him was gone and he missed it more keenly than he expected. No, that was a lie, he knew how much this would hurt, how much of his mind it would take from his to do what he did. Humanity was slippery and it was getting farther away from him. Or maybe it was just Clark slipping away and Kal taking more territory within the shared space.

He used to hate it when Lex called him Kal. It was a reminder of everything that was wrong, broken, or different about him. Now that no one would be calling him Kal he found he missed it. He needed a new name, one he did not share with his other half. Maybe something that was tied to Kal-El alone, his own private nod to Lex in his own way. Lex would understand the meaning if he gave himself a name like that.

"You said something about a funeral." Oliver's voice cut through his thoughts.

Clark swiveled part of the way back to facing them, unsteady but keeping his hold on the bottle all the same, "Oh, yeah. You're invited. Both of you. I think he'd really like it if you came."

The look on Oliver's face was pure horror, like he wanted to know for sure but could not endure asking.

Lois did it for him, her eyes sharpening, moving to focus the way she did when she was reporting, "Where is Lex, Clark?"

Clark grinned entirely too wide, too dangerous, "That's an investigative reporter for you! Can smell blood can't you?" And the smile fell as the worlds choked him, this no longer felt any safer than any other place.

"Where is Lex, Clark?" Oliver was fast for a human because he was already right there in Kal's space. Clark's? Kal's? Which one was it? He needed a new name.

Kal smiled lazily, leaning back against the door he had been about to open a moment ago, "Far, far away. He's in a better place where Lionel can't ever touch him again."

Lois' hand slapped over her mouth. Oliver looked sick or like he wanted to cry but his hand landed on Kal's shoulder, making an effort to comfort but Kal did not do comfort, that was Clark's area.

"Lionel found out he... was slipping information to someone." Kal, yes, Clark was not here... Kal tipped his head enough that he could look right at Lois, "To Perry. But Lionel doesn't know who the information went to. I do. I knew all along but I'd never tell Lionel. Bastard can stay in the dark, wonder, worry. I bet he thinks it's Edge. It could have been, that would have been just as smart, and Lex was so smart." Kal's knees fail him and he finds the floor, not fighting the way it drew him down slowly.

"Oh, Clark..." Oliver sinks with him, silence in the room for a long while.

Kal's eyes blink shut and he thinks he might have fallen asleep for a moment, but he hears Clark's voice and knows different, "I found out what Lionel was going to do. I couldn't let him, you know. I couldn't let him do that to Lex. I-I had to stop it." He sounds broken, lost, full of grief the way Kal would never allow. "I couldn't let him hurt Lex. He was going to do such awful things! I... had to save Lex, I had to make sure Lionel could never touch him, could never hurt him again." Clark sort of laughed and sort of sobbed, "There is only one way to get away from Lionel."

There is terror in Lois' voice, a shake to it that has never been there before, "What did you do?"

Oliver's fingers on Clark's shoulder have been tightening incrementally with every word and now the grip is painful and might leave actual marks, but that seemed to send a masochistic satisfaction buzzing through Clark. Kal knows what Clark is doing, knows exactly what and why he has decided to do this. Those two are ties to Lex and it would be too painful if they stayed near, if there was sympathy rather than hate. Moreover, the closer they stay to the Luthor family the more danger they would be in. Clark can't let them be in more danger. It is easier to be hated than to allow for anything else, anything more harmful. Clark is cutting that last string to his own humanity, the last knot in the fabric that keeps him from going to sleep and leaving to the safer recesses of their shared mind. Clark can't handle living without Lex, Lois, and Oliver; he knows Tess loves Kal more than she does him and so she won't mind.

There are many reasons Clark decided to plunge into this, more than Kal could explain but he understands each one on a deeper level than language or reason could find a home in. He does not approve, would never be so foolish, but he understands. It's almost painful to know that Clark has chosen to fade because Kal will have lost him as well in some ways. He opens his eyes to peer out alongside Clark, watching the last moments of Clark being more than a locked door to half of their mind. It is rare for them to coexist at the same time within their body. The door between them is usually closed and locked, but there are those rare times when Clark lets it open. In some ways, Clark is stronger by far because he can lock that door but he can also open it, Kal cannot do either.

"I sent him away so Lionel could never get his hands on him. He's better off now. He's free. He's safe." Clark repeated it several times, the grief lacked into the words, "He's safe" and after a while, he whispered, "gone."

Clark slid away like a ghost then, with Kal belatedly trying to follow, wordlessly reasoning with him before he slipped behind the door and was gone as well. Kal had never felt alone inside his own mind before but the click of that lock was final. Kal began to laugh because he did not know what else to do. All they had suffered through and this was how it ended. It made him almost hate Lex, Clark too because they were gone and he was not.

When he came back to himself he was still laughing, curled around the bottle, tears almost welling in his eyes.

"You're insane!" Lois whispered her hand on a bronze statue, grip indicating she would pick it up and use it as a weapon soon.

"Isn't everyone?" He slurred, pushing himself to his feet before he took a swig of Scotch. One glance down and into Oliver's eyes was enough to make him turn and open the door. The softness was gone and only the hate was left.

The service was a very public thing though the casket was closed. The official story was a car crash and no matter how hard Lois dug she found nothing that would offer evidence to the contrary. It was surprising she never tried to print a story for it but he had not given a real confession, never admitted to killing his brother so there was not much she could do. They all knew a story about his drunken confession would not hold water and no one would believe it from the Luthor's most outspoken enemies.

Lex's grave becomes a place he visits often. The body inside is as near to his brother as he might come again. The headstone is the first to know when he decided on a name that is all his own. Ultraman. The grave is the only place Clark emerges for, making it the only time he is not alone. On occasion he spots Oliver watching from a distance, once in a while Lois is beside him, but they never venture close. Kal could care less if they see him with his head pillowed on a very grand and large headstone, it makes no difference. Lois avoids his office at the Daily Planet at all cost and he only sees Oliver at parties where they don't talk. It is worth it, even now Kal and Clark agree on that. They saved Lex and they only have two other things they need to accomplish; saving Tess and making Lionel pay.

Tess visits the grave with him half the time and they make their plans. Once he told her the truth she did not resent him as he expected, making him love her all the more. Tess makes that loneliness less sharp. He might have only one person left in the world but he is glad it is her. With Lex gone they are closer than ever, more driven than they would have been otherwise. They have a goal and even Clark will take part in the planning.

If all else fails, Kal promises to take Tess to that other world where she might get the same chance he gave their brother. The same trick would never work twice with Lionel.

Clark leaned over him, hands moving to grip both his shoulders, "It has to be this way. I'm sure you understand that on some level, or you will understand after it is all over." He leaned in, and it really was Clark's voice whispering into his ear seconds before the insanely fast jerk on Lex's body, "I love you. Always."

The sudden motion has Lex absolutely disoriented, so much so that he thought for a moment that he was having an out of body experience. He saw himself under the desk first, then he himself was under the desk and his body was with Kal. It took him a moment to understand that it was not out of body, he was seeing double, his own double. His brain was feeling vertigo even though he was curled up on the floor, but even past the dizziness, he could see a body that looked exactly like him, even down to clothing. Whatever was happening needed some explaining.

When he opened his mouth to question Kal let out a loud growl and a quiet hiss for him to be totally still. Lex obeyed even when Clark shook the body in his hands so harshly that the snap of the spine was actually echoing in the room, or it simply seemed to be. With that snap, Lex's throat closed and he could not have made a sound if he wanted to. The terror was almost alive in him as he watched Kal's hands crush the jawbone, spilling blood that leaked through his fingers; he watched legs being crushed and crumpled; a rib cage caved flat under the palms of those huge hands. Lex was covering his mouth with both hands by the end, his body shaking uncontrollably as he watched the blood pool thick under the body.

The door to the office crashed open with a loud bang that made Lex jump. Kal stood up, pulling the mangled body up with him, a laugh so dark it sounded like a nightmare rumbled from that barrel chest. The broken and bleeding body flew over the top of the desk, toward the door, landing with a sickening wet thump that made Lex curl up tighter in his hiding place.

"Merry Christmas a little early!" Kal grinned manically, stepping out of sight, "Too bad it was a live feed and you couldn't record it, right?" There are another few crashing sounds followed by wires sparking and sputtering out from being torn from a power source violently, "But you have the memories." Plastic and metal crunched loudly, most likely a small hidden camera.

Lex had checked the office only a few days before and found nothing. Either his equipment was flawed or it had been recently installed. While he was a the office all day, like today, maybe? That was a horrifying prospect. It made him feel sick as well as disoriented.

"You-" Lex already knew who would be at the door before the voice hit his ears but confirmation was always good, "You said you were going to talk to him." Lionel actually sounded strange, off, stressed, strained, emotions not identifiable by voice alone.

"Have you ever known me to just talk to anyone?" Kal's smirk was evident in his voice. "Besides, your problem is solved."

The long, long silence might be their father gathering himself, "There- this..." Lionel is unsettled and it is almost gratifying, "I never told you to kill him."

Kal sighed like the talk was irritating him, "We both know it was coming. You only involve me if you want someone dead."

"This is a mess!" Lionel spit.

"Nothing some bleach can't cure," Kal said kindly.

The door slammed and Lex was left to wonder if he was alone for only a second before Kal was there, tugging him out from under the desk and hustling him to one side of the room. While his feet did not have a mind to work it did not really matter against the strength pulling on him. Kal pushed on a bookcase just a little and suddenly there was a crack, a door in the wall revealed only by moving that enormous monster of wood to the side. A secret door. Of course, Kal would know if one existed and maybe he should have expected as much in an old castle like this. Their father never mentioned it but it was possible even he did not know since he had not paid much mind to the reconstruction of the castle beyond ensuring the builders knew the keep it exactly the same as it had been. Kal pushed him through the small opening and pointed to a large travel bag innocently waiting to the side.

"Everything you need is in there. Open the letter before you leave the castle and it will tell you exactly what to do. Everything is already set up, all you have to do is follow. It will take you somewhere safe. From there... what you do is your own choice." When Lex looked into green eyes they were that same mixture of personality he had seen in the elevator.

"Clark!" Lex could not help the way he lunged forward, clinging, face buried into the crook of Clark's neck, his breathing shaky.

Clark returned the hug, arms going around him tightly before pushing him away again, but he cupped Lex's jaw with a bloody hand, tears welling in green eyes, "Get away from here, Lex, and don't ever look back! Live your life! There is money enough for a good life waiting for you, and a safe place. Lionel will never find you if you don't ever give him reason to look."

"Clark!" Lex whispered desperately, clinging to the hand that was pushing him away, "No, wait-"

"There isn't time!" Clark together with Kal, mixed up and twisted together, "You have to go before he comes back! Don't make any noise when you're near an outside wall!"

"Clark, please!" Lex feels like he might break apart and crumble into a million pieces. This is too much too fast even if his mind understands exactly what is happening, he was never slow on the uptake. He knows this is the end, a goodbye, a whole new beginning because Lex Luthor is essentially about to be declared dead to the world. Whatever identity the bag holds will belong to someone else. How Clark did any of that he has no idea but it clear that it was done. This is final. This is goodbye to his old life and his brother in the span of a few minutes. Once the door shuts it will be too late to say anything to this person, his brother with a splintered mind, the brother than just saved his life when he never knew he was in danger.

It can't end this way! There is so much he would have said! Too much left unsaid, undone, too many things unfinished. The sheer desperation of the moment has his lungs crippled and tears falling freely from his eyes. He is not ready to leave! He had no idea he was going anywhere! It is too much too fast. He would have said and done so many things differently the past few weeks had he known this was coming! He has not even seen Tess in three days! He needs to tell her goodbye, needs to tell Clark, and Kal goodbye!

This must be what death feels like.

Lex can feel the sticky blood on his scalp when Clark cups the back of his head and presses their foreheads together, "Goodbye, Lex... we'll see each other again someday, I promise!" Lex staggers when he is pushed back into the darkness, "Go!" And then the heavy wooden monster is covering the door, sliding home with a click and thud.

The door to a coffin, Lex thinks hysterically, but he does not bang his fists against it the way he really wants to. There is a sort of numbness that lets him slide to his knees and open the bag, finding the tiny penlight hooked to the zipper first. Upon unzipping it he finds glowsticks and pops one to make it easier to see. They give off a very soft glow, the kind that would be harder to see from outside if he were to pass an air vent or something similar. His hands shake horribly when he picked up the promised letter.

He pressed it to his face, smelling Clark on it and closed his eyes. He felt numb but he felt sick at the same time. He was in shock and he knew it so he also understood that he needed to act quickly before the numbness of shock had time to go away. Feeling what he was very likely to feel later might make him band down that secret door and damn the consequences.

Yes, this felt like being dead.