Clark ran further down the corridor with Lois in his arms. He wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen unconscious, but he needed to find a safe space to leave her so that he could return to the basement and help Peter. He stopped briefly and glanced around, but found nothing to help. Knowing that time was something he didn't have, he caved in and propped Lois up against the wall, then ran back the way he'd come.
____________________________________

"What's the matter, Wall Crawler? Scared?"

Peter inhaled deeply and squared his shoulders, showing no signs of fear. Mysterio laughed and before he could move, Peter found himself surrounded by thick gray fog, swirling around him like a storm. He could see nothing beyond it, and his head began to spin, making him dizzy. He spun around, trying to look for an opening out of the fog, when it disappeared suddenly. But when he looked around, he was no longer standing face to face with Mysterio, in the basement at Luthor Corp.

There were no grizzly dark gray walls and leaking pipes with faded stickers on them. All of it had been replaced by the four purple walls of Gwen's bedroom back in the family apartment in New York City. Though he relaxed when he saw Gwen, standing before him. His lips twitched into a smile.

"What?... H- how did you…?"

"You were dreaming, Peter." She informed him softly.

Something about her voice didn't seem right. He couldn't point out exactly what it was though. But it sent shivers down his spine, raising the tension in his body again.

"Oh." Was all he could manage to say.

Gwen folded her arms across her chest and cast her eyes down at her feet. She looked back up at him only a second later, and this time, her eyes met his, furthering his discomfort.

"S- something on your mind?" He questioned, unable to hold back any longer.

"Peter, I've been thinking…"

There was something about the way she said it. He didn't like it. Whenever someone used those words to kickstart a conversation, it was never good news. Her tone only added to his anxiety. This was going nowhere good.

"About?" He inquired, even though he didn't want to know.

"Us." She answered. "I've been thinking about us."

"Okay…" He frowned. "... You want to tell me something, don't you?" He guessed, picking up on her hesitation.

"Yes, I do." She confirmed.

"And it's nothing good, is it?" He sighed.

"That depends on how you feel."

"Gwen, please… don't stall, just tell me what you've been thinking." He pleaded.

"Alright." She agreed. "I want to break up."

Peter could have sworn his heart stopped at that moment. In his mind, he could hear the crackling sound as it shattered right in his chest. He pulled his lip in between his teeth, wanting to ask her why, but at the same time not.

"It's just too much for me." She continued. "I don't want to be constantly on the run or in the path of danger, having to watch my back wherever I go-"

"Gwen…"

"Let me speak!" She insisted. "I do love you, but this isn't the kind of life that I want to be living."

"Then I can walk away and we can-"

"No you can't!" She snapped. "And I'm not asking you to do that. The city needs you, and whether you want to admit it, Peter, you need Spider-man."

"Not as much as I need you!" He protested, stepping forward and reaching out with both hands to embrace her face.

Gwen shook her head and recoiled from his touch. "I can't do this anymore, I'm sorry."

"But, we can work this out, I can figure it out and I won't-"

"Peter, stop!" She cut in. "There is no working it out. I'm sorry, but it's over. It has to be."

"I can't… please, I can't do this without you by my side…" His lower lip trembled between his teeth and his nostrils flared as his face turned red.

"Yes you can." She insisted. "You have to, because my mind is made up. I've been thinking about this for a while."

"How long?" He asked.

"Since the first time one of your enemies decided to use me to get to you." She admitted.

"That long!" He exclaimed. "So… everything since has just been-"

"Tainted." She finished. "It's time for you to go now." She added.

Peter couldn't find it in him to argue. She had already made her mind up, and twisting it to try and get what he wanted wasn't something that he could bring himself to do. He hung his head, slumped his shoulders and headed back out through the open window in which he'd entered, onto the balcony. Though he wanted to look back at her over his shoulder, he forced himself not to and used a web to jump down from the balcony, to the ground below.

As he landed on his feet, his legs gave way and he knelt down on the ground, letting loose the tears that had been building up throughout the entire conversation. No matter how many times he wiped them away, they were replaced with more. With the sky covered in a blanket of darkness, and no one around to hear him, he yelled. All of the pent up anger, frustration and hurt came racing to the surface in a single, agonizing cry.

Suddenly, the streets of New York City disappeared, and as his yell died, he looked up to find himself back in the basement at Luthor Corp. His throat hurt and his eyes stung, confirming that the last few seconds of him crying and screaming hadn't just been part of the illusion.

"I don't know who you are, but don't just think that you can come into my home, attack the people I care about; going after Lois was a bad move!"

Clark's yelling caught Peter's attention, and he glanced up to see Clark holding Mysterio against the wall, pinning one arm behind his back. He swallowed, ignoring the scratchy feeling as he did, and staggered to his feet.

Mysterio used his free hand and clicked his fingers. Clark released him from his grip in the exact same second, and Peter recognised the signs of an illusion, as he watched his eyes widen yet his face had dropped all expression.

Clark stumbled back and gasped as everything around him disappeared behind a tornado of smoke whirling around him. He closed his eyes and gripped his head, trying to rid himself of the disorientation the smoke was causing. Looking around again, he noticed that most of the smoke had faded, and he waved away what was left of it with his hands. It was only once he could see clearly that he realized that he was back home on the farm.

"There you are, I've been expecting you…"

Lex's voice confused him, and he turned to see his former friend leaning against the white picket fence surrounding the perimeter of the farm house. He frowned, but kept his thoughts to himself.

"You have?" He questioned.

"Yes." Lex confirmed. "Walk with me, Clark."

"Where are we going?"

"All in good time, I just need to show you something."

"Hmm… You haven't given me much of a reason to trust you lately." Clark pointed out.

"Come on, you've been my best friend for four years. Why does that have to change because of a few mistakes on my part?"

"You had a whole shrine of me behind a locked door in your mansion serving the purpose of investigating me behind my back!"

"And yet you won't find it now. I told you, I'm no longer investigating you." Lex argued.

"Probably because you got caught." Clark scoffed.

"No, because you're my friend and I trust you. But you need to trust me too." Lex corrected. "Walk with me." He repeated.

"Fine." Clark caved in.

Lex began walking towards the farm house, and Clark followed behind him reluctantly. He stopped as Lex held the front door open, and walked through into the kitchen. Only, it wasn't the kitchen that Martha had spent many years cooking his meals in. The table was bare, with not even a vase of flowers to decorate it. The family photos that were usually stuck to the fridge were no longer there, and the only ones that remained excluded his father. His eyebrows pulled together, but before he could question the change, he heard Martha's screams coming from the lounge.

Without bothering to wait for Lex, he hurried through to where his mother was kneeling on the floor, hovering above his dad, who was sprawled out with his hand over his heart. Clark was filled with dread the moment he set foot in the room, and it grew the more he watched the scene unfold. Jonathan's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his eyelids closed, causing Martha to scream louder.

"M- mom, what's happening?" He managed to ask.

Martha looked up at him with eyes filled with horror. She hadn't noticed him standing there until he spoke, and he doubted she would have otherwise.

"Don't just stand there, Clark! He's having a heart attack, call an ambulance!" She yelled at him.

Clark drew in a breath and fumbled in his pocket for his phone. As he speedily dialed the emergency number and started speaking down the line, he stumbled over his words while watching Martha fuss over Jonathan, trying to stay calm as she tried to wake him.

"No, no, no…"

"Mom!" Clark called as he hung up the phone.

"He's gone." She concluded as tears rolled down both of her cheeks.

Clark drew in a breath, but before he could react, he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun around to face Lex. He had many questions, but only one came out.

"W- what is this?"

"This?" Lex gestured to Martha, now sobbing hysterically over Jonathan's body. "This is what you cause."

Clark's jaw dropped, and the hurt was written plainly on his face. He let out the breath that he'd been holding, and shook his head, turning his attention back to his parents.

"But it's a heart attack…"

"After what you put him through?" Lex questioned. "It's surprising it didn't happen sooner."

"I didn't want this to happen, I'd do anything for them." Clark protested.

"It doesn't matter, Clark. As long as you are in the lives of those you love, they're not safe." Lex told him coldly.

"I don't-"

"Don't believe me?" Lex raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, okay… maybe this will change your mind." He added and snapped his fingers.

No longer were they in the farm house. This time, they were in the truck, with Martha behind the wheel, following behind an ambulance that he could only guess was carting his father off to the hospital. His eyes remained on his mother as she drove along the road that unwound naturally in between a corn field and a grass meadow. As they approached a stop sign, instead of slowing down, she slammed her foot down on the accelerator and sped down the road after the ambulance.

Clark's eyes widened and his stomach twisted in fear, his fingers dug into the seat until he tore holes in the material. The tires screamed against the surface of the road, and his fear intensified. Not for him, he knew he could get out of this unscathed, but for his mother. He'd already lost one parent, he wasn't ready to lose another just yet.

"Mom!" He called, trying to bring her mind back inside the truck.

"She can't hear you, Clark." Lex informed him.

"I have to try." He insisted. "Mom, stop! Slow down!" He called again, this time louder.

Martha's foot pushed the accelerator to the floor of the truck, increasing its speed even further. Clark continued to call her name in a desperate attempt to bring her back to her senses. As they reached a corner, she swerved and just as he feared, the truck gave out and skidded off the road, flying through the air and flipping over just as it landed in the grassy meadow to their left.

Clark choked as glass from the shattered windscreen flew into his mouth. He looked to where Lex had been sitting next to him, and found the seat empty, then he turned his attention to Martha. With little effort, he crawled out of the truck, but what he hadn't noticed was the miles of green meteor rocks hidden beneath the soil of the meadow. He remained oblivious until intense pain pierced through his skull, and he collapsed to his knees before he'd even stood up properly. He could feel his chest tightening as air struggled to reach his lungs through his laboured breathing.

Lex stood on the roadside, watching the scene unfold. He rolled his eyes as he focused on Clark, who was now digging his fingers in the dirt in an attempt to reach his mother, and then snapped his fingers as he had back at the farm.

Clark gasped as he found himself standing next to Lex. Without thinking about the miles of meteor rocks, he raced towards the meadow, stopping just inches shy of the border as he realized that he would not be able to reach his mother. The presence of meteor rocks alone was enough to harm him, but he would die before he reached her if he set foot in the meadow.

"H- how do I get to her?" He asked.

"You can't." Lex answered simply. "The meteor rocks will kill you before you get to her. She was doomed from the moment she got behind the wheel of the truck."

"No, no, there has to be a way!" Clark insisted.

"I'm afraid there isn't. This is it. The end of the line for Jonathan and Martha Kent."

"No!" Clark shook his head.

"Their fate was sealed the moment you came into their lives, Clark."

"No, I will find a way to-"

"You still don't get it, do you?" Lex raised his voice. "I really thought this would be enough, I guess you need to see more."

"I don't want to see anymore!" He protested.

"Too late."

Lex clicked his fingers, and the two of them were no longer on the side of the road, watching Martha die. Clark glanced around, recognising their new surroundings as Lana's apartment, upstairs in the Talon. It took only a second for him to notice her, and she wasn't alone either.

"What is Jason doing here?" He asked Lex.

"He came back for revenge, since Lana chose you over him." Lex explained.

Clark didn't press any further. He refocused on Lana, watching in silence as she folded her arms across her chest defiantly as Jason forced his way through the door, into the apartment.

"What are you doing? Get out!" She ordered.

"I came to see you, Lana." He said, his tone innocent enough but laced with venom just below the surface.

Lana stepped back as Jason stepped towards her, Clark took a step forward with the intention of intervening, but stopped as Lex grabbed his arm. He sighed, but didn't bother to fight him.

"I told you we're done. I have no desire to see you!"

"Well, Lana… I just came to tell you that I don't appreciate you choosing your ex over me after I flew halfway across the world for you."

"And I told you, I'm sorry. But I can't be with you, not after everything. You have mommy issues, and- and since I met you my life has been chaotic."

"That's exactly what you told me about Clark! You told me that you came to Paris to get away from all the drama that came from being friends with him. I guess you say that to all the guys though." Jason snapped.

"Jason, calm down. We can- we can talk about this and-"

"No!" He yelled. "It's too late for that!" He spat, poking his finger on her shoulder, stepping forward as she stepped back and pushing her until she was backed up against the kitchen unit. "You made your choice, and left me with none."

"Get out!" She demanded again.

"Oh no, you don't get to discard me that easily. Not this time, Lana."

"What are you-"

"Enough!" He cut in, raising his voice. "You choose Clark over me, but you won't get your happy ending!"

"Lana!" Clark yelled as he saw a flash of silver hidden in Jason's fist, clearly a blade.

Her eyes widened, and she looked in his direction, but had no chance to say anything as Jason brought his fist up to her chest, and plunged the blade right through her heart. Blood dribbled from her mouth and her body went limp as he twisted the blade.

"Nooo!" Clark cried out through gritted teeth. "Make it stop, Lex! Make it stop! I don't want to see anymore!"

"I'm not the one controlling this, Clark." Lex shrugged.

"Please! I don't want to see anymore… I can't take it." He shrieked. "This hurts me. I don't want to see any of this!" He heaved. "P- please."

"We're almost done, just one more stop." Lex assured him.

"No more! Please…"

Lex sighed and without bothering to give Clark any warning, he clicked his fingers for the final time. Clark forced himself to look around, and discovered no roads, no farm and no apartment. He looked back to Lex in confusion, and followed his stare.

"Lois?" He questioned in surprise.

"Clark!" She called back.

His confusion only intensified as she sounded not annoyed or frustrated, but relieved to see him. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again as she ran, full speed, towards him.

"Clark!" She called again.

She came skidding to a halt, inches away from barrelling straight into him, and he reached out with both arms to steady her. He was about to ask the one question on his mind, but she answered it without him having to say a word.

"We have to hurry, he's right behind me!" She yelled, throwing a glance back over her shoulder.

"Who, Lois? Who is right behind you?" Clark inquired.

"Lex!" She exclaimed.

Clark could feel the tremors quaking through her body as she spoke. Her face was pale with blood trickling down the left side from her forehead. He turned to where Lex was standing beside him, and then back to Lois.

"What are you talking about? Lex is right beside me."

"No!" She cried instantly. "He's right behind me, Clark. He- he's been chasing me and he has a- a gun!"

"Lois, whoever it is, it's not Lex. He's right here." He assured her. "And it's okay, whoever it is, I'm not gonna let them hurt you."

The sound of running footsteps caught Clark's attention, and he looked past Lois, towards the door she'd barged through. An angry male voice was calling her name, and Clark began to feel sick as it was the voice of someone he recognised.

"No way…" He whispered.

Lex's shadow gave him away before he'd even set foot into the room. As he appeared, Clark gripped Lois tighter with one arm, and raised the other in front of her as Lex aimed the gun in her direction. If he fired it, the bullet would ricochet off of him, back towards his former friend.

"Stop! Lex, you don't have to do this! Whatever this is, it's between you and me, Lois has nothing to do with this, so leave her out of it!"

"It's too late for that!" Lex yelled.

The gun was fired and before Clark could comprehend what was happening, Lois shoved him to the side as the bullet reached its target, piercing through her chest instead of his.

"Lois!"

Clark screamed her name as he used his super speed to catch her before she fell to the floor. His hand glided over her chest, where the bullet had struck her, and blood painted his fingers red. He brought the same hand to his mouth, unable to conceal his shock, and he glared up at Lex through blurry eyes.

"What have you done?" He yelled. "She had nothing to do with this-"

"She had everything to do with this!" Lex roared.

"And so, what? You kill her?" Clark retorted. "We were friends once, Lex. How- how could you do this?"

"I think you know the answer to that question already."

Clark screwed his face up and looked down at Lois in his arms. She was still and lifeless, the bullet having killed her instantaneously. There was nothing more he could do to save her. The shot was fired. He swallowed bitterly and when he glanced up again, Lex was no longer in the doorway.

"You have suffered enough, it is time to end that."

He jumped as Lex's hot breath tickled his ear, and then a sudden, intense pain tore through his chest. His eyes popped, his mouth hung open and he slowly hung his head to see a dagger oozing with a glowing green protruding from his chest, right where his heart was.

"CLARK!!!"

Clark blinked as the illusion around him shattered. He could hear Peter calling his name, but it didn't sound like it was coming from someone who was in the same room as him. With his heart pounding away in his panic, he glanced around the basement and took note of the flames that were licking the walls, and when he looked in front of him, Peter was standing above him.

"Did- did I do this?"

"You mean shoot fire from your eyeballs and light the place, yes!" Peter explained in a hurry, grabbing Clark by the forearm and ushering him out of the basement before the flames could block their exit.

Once they were in the hall, Peter let go of his arm, and Clark continued to run behind him, stopping only when they reached Lois. She was still unconscious, in the same place he'd left her, but he couldn't leave her there for Lex or anyone else to find.

"Clark!" Peter urged as he reached the fire exit, the alarms already wailing throughout the building.

Lifting Lois into his arms, he fled towards the door that Peter was holding over, feeling both relief and dread as they ran far and fast from the building. He stopped again as they reached a road far enough away that no one from the plant would see them.

"I'm back in my own body and the first thing I do is put several lives in danger…" He heaved.

Peter sighed and gave a haphazard, sympathetic smile. He recognised the guilt and shame in Clark's face as he had felt the same way a few times before.

"It wasn't your fault." He tried to comfort him. "Mysterio has one of the greatest powers ever, because he can control our minds."

Clark focused his gaze on Lois in his arms as he spoke. He was at a point where he didn't really want to converse, but didn't have a choice. Tears fell from both eyes, which he didn't want to be noticed by Peter.

"But anything that happens from this point forward… that will be my fault."

"What?" Peter frowned, having lost the conversation.

"It doesn't matter." He dismissed. "We should get back to the farm, I think Lois hit her head and she has a couple of wounds that should be attended to."

"Clark-"

"I've said too much, I don't want to say anymore."

"But what did you see… in the illusion? No offense but you seem pretty messed up since coming out of it."

"Doesn't matter." Clark repeated.

Lois groaned as she stirred into consciousness, preventing Peter from making any attempt to press Clark further. He stopped amid yet another grassy meadow, and knelt down, propping Lois up slightly with one arm.

"Clark…" She croaked, and faded again quickly.

"It'll be better once we reach the farm." Peter assured him.

Clark didn't bother speaking again as he got back to his feet. He didn't feel like talking. Not to Peter, not to anybody. The things he had been confronted with in the illusion had been conjured up from the deepest, darkest corner of his mind that he kept behind a locked door and  allowed no one to enter. Especially not those closest to him. He followed along aimlessly behind Peter as they headed back towards the farm, fully intent on not speaking a word of what he'd seen to anyone. It was just better that way.