As Lana lay in her hospital dying, dying, dying, a black kernel of regret formed in her heart and grew like a weed. Using her credit card, she had a video camera and some DVDs delivered to her.

"Can I help you?" said Meredith, one of the hospital's residents.

"Yes, I need you to video some parting words I have for people who probably don't know how I feel about them. I really need to get things off my chest," she whispered, her lungs and throat attacked by an insidious cancer.

Jennifer Small said, "It's from your biological daughter, Lana Lang. Put on your glasses!"

He sighed, put on his glasses and ripped open the package. "She sent me a DVD."

"Really? What does she have to say?"

"I don't know. It didn't come with a note. I haven't seen her for over thirty years."

"Pop it in."

Henry walked over to the disk player and popped it in. He turned on the TV and sat down on the couch with his wife.

"Dear . . . Henry, you don't mind me calling you that, do you? Oh, I have so missed you ever since I set you free so you could save your marriage. It was painful but I understood that your wife's need was so much greater than mine so I made the sacrifice. I really, really hope that it was worth it for you to give up our relationship. I remember riding my horse as you watched and how safe I felt in your arms . . ."

"The hell?" said Jennifer Small. "She disappears for three decades and she sends this?"

"Maybe it's the . . . drugs?"

"As I lay on my deathbed, forgotten and unwanted, I forgive you for not giving me a second thought," Lana sobbed.

Jennifer turned the player off. "Henry, we're burning this."

Henry decided not to contradict her.

Nell sighed when she saw the package. She knew what her niece's condition was but hadn't felt like going to visit her. Ever since she had moved to Metropolis with Dean, Lana had refused to visit for the holidays despite numerous invitations. She had kept a spare room ready just in case Lana had changed her mind about staying in Smallville and wanted to move to Metropolis just as she had always pester her to do when she was small. She had not been invited to Lana's wedding with Pete or to their house. The only reason she had pictures of Lana's daughter Clara is because Pete insisted on keeping on touch with her even if only by mail. She could only view getting a package from her with much suspicion.

"Something wrong, honey?"

"I guess hell must have frozen over. Lana sent me a package."

"Maybe she's finally come to her senses."

Nell opened it up and saw the disk. "I guess everything she's been wanting to say to me is on here." Nell put the disc into her computer and got the file to play. "Gee, I hope it's not a horrible computer virus a programmer boyfriend whipped up for her."

"Nell, Nell," said Dean.

The computer showed Lana in bed with tubes in her nose and arms. She hoarsely whispered, "Nell, there is so much I have to say to you. I want to say that over the years we have had many disagreements. I remember Christmases that were terrible because you always chose to use the plastic tree instead of the real ones. I remember that horrible birthday party you inflicted on me without my permission. Then you abandoned me by moving to Metropolis with your boyfriend Dean, leaving me behind to be attacked and assaulted by so many monsters. You have no idea how terrifying it was. Because of you, I was left to the tender mercies of horrible boyfriends who took advantage of me. It was your duty to put your love life on hold until I stopped needing you even if you had to tell your boyfriend that you had to break up with him instead of letting the Sullivans take me in and treat me merely like a guest instead of a family member. Of course, I then proceeded to cut you out of every important event of my life after that. "

"I want to say that I forgive you for not being able to live up to your responsibility to me, for failing to provide. You were not adequately prepared for that and could never be. It took a long time to understand that and I'm saying that I don't blame you for being a miserable failure as a guardian and a parent. After all, you always told me that my mother was everything that you wished you were."

Nell began sobbing while Dean took out the disk and stomped on it in a rage.

"When you took me in, you didn't treat me like family. I was always an outsider. Sisters are supposed to support each other and back each other up. They're supposed to be understanding of each other's weaknesses. I honestly wonder why you took me in at all if you couldn't treat me right. When did you ever look out for my best interests? I can't help it that I was the sun, moon, and the stars for Clark. You were always better with words; it's just too bad none of them worked . . ."

"I've decided to be the better person and forgi . . ."

Click, went the mouse and the DVD player program turned off. I so wonder why the hell I took you in too, bitch, thought Chloe. Chloe took out the disk and threw it in the trash.

Jimmy Olsen ran in and said, "Chloe, hurry up, we'll be late for the flight. You don't want to miss the awards ceremony, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Jesus!" exclaimed Lex as he watched from his bed. "Is she channeling Lionel?"

"Shhh," said Clark sitting next to him.

"Because of you, I settled for Pete because he was safe, because he didn't have secrets and lies. I spent more than a decade and a half chained to someone I didn't truly love like I did you because of how much you scarred me. I was too afraid to trust my feelings and go after someone who could truly be what I wanted them to be. You kept me back, made me a child, forced me to be the girl you could put on the pedestal. You lied to me and even dumped me when I wasn't ready to let you go. You utterly ruined me yet if you were to come today and . . ."

"Play mine, Clark," said Lex. "I wonder what she's going to accuse me of . . ."

"Lex, it's been a while, hasn't it? I remember a time when you and I were . . . more than friends. If you wanted to, you could've changed for me. You could've changed if you really wanted to, you know that? Unfortunately, you ended up as part of a long list of heartaches in my life. How could you allow me to be alone and neglected while you spent so many hours working on mad plans that only made Superman appear and roughly drag you naked out of the hot tub and fly away, possibly doing all sorts of violent things to you," Lana sniffled. "What can I say but that it's never too late to make it up to me . . ."

In less than a second, the DVDs were taken out of the player and about to be sent into orbit when Lex said, "Don't throw them away, Clark."

"Why?"

"I can use them as coasters for my glasses of Scotch."

Pete groaned when he saw the package. He had been divorced from Lana for years now. After the divorce, Lana had declined to stay in touch with both him and their daughter, buzzing from one boyfriend to another. Last thing he heard she was in Europe, affianced to a count. Their daughter Clara was doing well in college so he knew that the reason had to be about . . . Lana.

Pete put the DVD into the machine. He felt a small shock of pity regarding how absolutely wretched she looked. That was about to evaporate in a matter of seconds.

"Pete, as I lay on my deathbed, I thought of you and the great wrongs you've done me."

Pete gasped, "Say what! Oh, no, you did not just say that!"

"You should've have forgiven me my little oopsie-booboo. I know it was a shock to you but I was so lonely. You know how I am without you by my side."

"Lana, that was our daughter's highschool crush! You had sex in our marital bed with an underage guy! I'm the one who was cheated on!"

"After the divorce, I'd be drinking champagne in Paris or Milan or Prague, thinking of the family I aba . . . was separated from. I would be surrounded by the most beautiful and wealthy and cultured people in all of Europe while at the most exclusive parties and events and think it was a pity that you weren't there with me. If you could just had the heart to be the better man about forgiving a few small mistakes, we could've remained a great team. I forgive you even though I lay without solace in great pain, uncomforted and forsaken by all who promised to love me for better or for worse in my hour of need."

Pete clicked the disk off and shook his head. "Oh, man, talk about deluded." He looked at the package addressed to Clara from her mother and chucked it in the trash.

Lana took her last breath, fingering her . . . transparent crystal around her neck. I'm alone, she thought, sooooooooooooo alone. Then the vital signs on her monitor flatlined.

As Lana passed on to another dimension, she saw a bright light and went towards it. It was warm, so very warm . . . almost too warm.

Hmm, thought Lana, how did Lionel Luthor get into heaven and get those beautiful black bat wings? And why is the fireplace so big?

The End