Part 4 (1/2)

LANA.

Thanks for having me, Mrs. Kent.

MARTHA.

Anytime, Lana.

MARTHA and JONATHAN return to the house. CLARK walks LANA very slowly to her truck.

LANA.

They love you so much.

CLARK.

I know. I don't know what I would do without them.

(Beat) You know, when I fly through Metropolis I notice different things all the time. Subtle changes n.o.body probably notices. But when I fly over Smallville, it's like nothing ever changes. It's just the way I left it. It's like time doesn't work here.

LANA.

(laughing to herself) It works. It just works very slowly.

(beat, very serious) I miss you, Clark. I miss you so much.

CLARK.

I miss you, too, Lana.

LANA looks at him realizing he doesn't understand.

LANA.

You really don't know, do you? You can hear clouds collide into each other but you are so oblivious sometimes.

(Beat) You know every time your parents see you on TV they are so proud and so terrified at the same time. When other people worry if their kids are making friends and eating right your parents are worrying if some super-powered goon is going to get the best of you. If you're going to be trapped in s.p.a.ce or buried in a lava flow or something.

CLARK.

(Beat) I had that lava flow under control.

LANA.

You're missing the point, Clark. They love you and worry about you. I worry about you. Sometimes I wish you would just come home one Sunday for dinner and stay but I know that can't happen. I've known you since we were kids and I know how your parents raised you. You could never stay in Smallville knowing there were things happening in the world you could prevent. You couldn't live with yourself. You could never be that selfish.

(Beat) But I could.

CLARK.

You know, there are ten million people in Metropolis and I don't know any of them. Sometimes I think about it and I'm saving a city full of strangers when the people I know and love are here. And the worse part is everyone there thinks they know me.

LANA.

But there things actually happen. They need you more than we ever could. They depend on you. You're their hero.

CLARK.

Am I? NASA lost contact with the Const.i.tution and on reentry it exploded and twelve men died. I might have been the only man on Earth who could have saved them.

LANA.

But you didn't, Clark. You didn't save them and they died. You can't save them all.

CLARK.

Instead, I spent my afternoon saving the life of a billionaire egomaniac.

LANA.

And what if you hadn't? What if that woman blew up the building and a few thousand people died? Clark, you can't be everywhere.

CLARK.

But if I had been- LANA.

If you had been what? Two places in the same time? Stronger? Faster? You may be the most amazing person on the planet and the world may call you Superman but inside you're just a man. You have to accept that.

CLARK reaches over and holds her hand. She smiles and leans in and kisses him.

LANA.

Remember that night after graduation when you took me out into the back field.

I knew you were going off to college but somewhere, I thought you were going to ask me to marry you.

CLARK has a look of surprise.

LANA.

I thought we would get married and you'd get me out of the one cow town and I'd actually see something in my life.

CLARK.

Lana, I didn't...

LANA shushes him before he can finish.

LANA.

It's okay.