It had been surprisingly difficult to find him. The Kent farm was the first place she had gone to look, a torrent of memories suffocating her as she traveled the familiar dusty road. Lana could almost count the steps between her aunt's old home and the hay loft of the Kent's barn. She had allowed herself to forget nothing of her adolescent years, they played over and over again in her head and she pulled each blissful moment away from the rest so she could savor it even more. This routine was the only thing that kept her functioning since she had last left Kansas and it was what she would hold onto until she could find more memories.
It had been complete radio silence since her self-imposed banishment from Metropolis and Smallville. Lana had not been in contact with anyone from her previous life, not even Chloe. It was caused by purely selfish motives in that she knew it would hurt too much to hear from the people she could see, especially from a particularly tall farm boy. By herself she had managed to find what she was looking for, to reverse the effects that the kryptonite had done to her body and kept her away. It had in no way been simple or easy and there were times that she felt there was an easier way to it all, but she remained focused in her cause and eventually her perseverance did pay off.
Now here she sat, at a small table in the back of the crowded café. What had previously been the Talon, the small coffee house she had worked so hard to maintain, was now called the Stalk and was completely refurbished. She barely recognized the bistro except for the general layout. She watched from her hidden perch as teenage employees balanced heavy trays and waited on customers. She watched the locals wander in and out, stopping by on their way to someplace more important. Today was Founder's Day and the entire town became a locale of chaos. Folks were already lining up along the street for the annual parade and vendors filled every available spot to sell homegrown items to their neighbors. It was a scene of familiarity and complete emptiness for Lana, this was no longer her home, it had not been that for a long time.
Lana had only come here for one reason and for one alone; she had to see him again. The privilege to be so near the man that had been ripped away from her was too much for her to ignore and she wanted it back. There was nothing else in this world that could keep her away from what she wanted and deserved. After her search at the Kent farm had lead to a dead end, she tried several more places around town in hopes of finding the illusive Clark Kent. But years of separation had put more between the two than just deprived time, it had also created an unfamiliarity she was not comfortable with. Where else would Clark be away from Smallville? It had been his home and sanctuary all of his life. Why would he leave it behind? Eventually she found herself in the chair in a secluded area of the Stalk, spying on those that passed her as she waited. She could not say where the certainty came from. But she felt sure that Clark would come back to the small town today, it was what everyone did, no matter how much they had moved on.
It was just past noon when the large cow bell strapped to the entrance door sounded and a small, petite blonde walked into the café, closely followed by a tall brunette. The blonde carried toddler against her shoulder, the little boy with shaggy hair was unconscious in a peaceful sleep with his small arms wrapped around his mother's neck. The parade was just about to begin outside on the street and the restaurant had nearly emptied out as people waited in anticipation. The two women easily located a vacant table to claim and sat down. Lana observed the difficulty the brunette showed at the movement due to the very swollen abdomen she carried in front of her.
"I can't believe they fell asleep." Lana immediately recognized Chloe's voice as the small blonde spoke and she felt a jolt of adrenaline course through her. Chloe, her dear friend, had changed so much since she saw her last. She wore her hair longer, well past her shoulders and the outfit she now wore was nothing she would have been seen in while in high school. She smiled easy and held herself high despite the load she carried on her hip. She was a completely different Chloe then Lana had seen last time she was in Metropolis, and she wondered what had changed.
"That is what we get for giving into them." The brunette responded with a little laugh. "I knew we should have made them sleep on the way here." It did not take long for Lana to recognize Lois but she had a hard time believing it was the same girl she knew from before. There was no way that the outspoken and blunt military brat could be the heavily pregnant woman she saw with Chloe. Did she even know what do with kids?
"That's right. We need to keep up the united front." Chloe played along. "But somebody has to tell Ollie that, he's the sucker."
"How is that?" Oliver Queen had stepped into the café without anyone noticing. He stealthily walked up behind Chloe and gave her a gentle kiss on the top of her head, trailing his fingers down her neck as he did so. Lana could not fight the confusion at this most recent unveil. Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan together? It was something Lana had never imagined and still struggled to accept as she continued to stare at them. The familiarity they shared with one another suggested that they were close maybe even married and clearly comfortable with one another. Lana assumed the little boy Chloe carried must belong to Oliver as the billionaire expertly picked him up from his mother's arms without the child so much as stirring, an impressive feat. He pulled out a chair at the table with his foot and sat down next to Chloe, freeing one arm to wrap around her shoulders.
"If you're here, where is my husband?" Lois asked Oliver.
"Cool your jets," Oliver taunted her. "He'll be here before you can say 'all reporters are vol—'"
"Sorry I'm late." It was him, or some kind of altered version of him. He wore thick rimmed classes that Lana had never before seen on him and his hair shone with gel but it was definitely the one and only, Clark Kent. He too carried a small child in his arms. She wore a dainty, white summer dress with matching white bows that parted her long hair into low pigtails. Her sleepy eyes gave evidence that she had only recently woken up but there was an obvious excitement that grew as they drew closer to the table. Clark easily carried her with one arm, a subtle demonstration of his hidden strength.
"Mama!" Cried the small girl. Lana felt herself physically flinch when Lois replied.
"There's my baby girl," She said excitedly. "I was beginning to think daddy got lost and I would have to go and find you two."
"He almost did but then I told him where to go." The girl said proudly. Clark grinned at the little girl's demonstration of confidence but did not correct her claim.
"You're dad has no sense of direction." Oliver ribbed. "It's a good think you were with him or we would have never found him."
"Is that true daddy?" The little girl asked Clark very seriously. Lana felt something painful poke at her heart when she hear the girl address Clark.
"Uncle Ollie is just teasing." He assured. "We would have found them eventually." Clark brought his head close to hers and whispered something in her ear.
"Look what we got for you mommy." She responded immediately to whatever Clark had told her and held up a single sunflower she gripped in her hand.
"It's beautiful, sweetheart." Lois stood up from her chair and met the pair where they stood. She took the large flower from the little girl and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I love it."
"Daddy picked it out." The girl said as an afterthought.
"He's very good at that, isn't he?" Lois said, reaching up to hold on to Clark's shoulder so she could stand on her toes to kiss him. Their lips met in a kiss that lasted a moment longer than what could be considered appropriate while in front of others, not that anyone seemed to mind, it was as if it was normal to see the couple publicly displaying their affection. After they finally broke away, Clark helped Lois sit back down in her chair before pulling out a chair for himself. He placed his daughter on his knee, where she could easily reach the table and packets of sugar that Lois let her play with while they waited for their order.
Lana stayed in her corner, going unnoticed as she observed the small group made up of old acquaintances and past loves. An overwhelming sense of loneliness flooded her every thought as the reality of what was in front of her fully sank in. She was alone. All the past few years that she had fought to find her way back to the only place she had called home, was no longer there. Instead it was full of useless memories and childish desires. There was nothing else for her to take in Smallville, everything and everyone had done what she could not…move on.
In an overwhelming sense of urgency, Lana felt the need to leave, to get away from the picturesque family in front of her and all it represented. She needed to go somewhere that did not cause her reminiscence on what she did not have. Lana quickly stood up and glided out the door, taking care to avoid making any noise with the cow bell that would announce her departure. And while she walked down the main street of Smallville, turning off into an alley to avoid the parade's crowd, she released the breath she had been holding since seeing Clark again. When she heard footsteps behind her, Lana could not help but hope that they were those from one tall, dark, superhero. But the steps were too light for that to be true and Lana was not surprised to see Chloe Sullivan running toward her when she turned around.
"I thought it was you." Chloe said as soon as she caught up with Lana.
"I was just driving through and I thought I would check out the Talon…" Lana's excuse was nowhere near viable.
"You weren't even going to say hello?" Chloe could not decide if she was hurt by her friend's actions.
"I just came to see…" Lana did not have the courage to finish her sentence.
"You came to see Clark." Chloe said, there was no question.
"Yes." An awkward silence fell between the two and Chloe began to turn around to leave. "Can I ask you one thing?" Lana said before she got to far.
"Just one?"
"Is he happy?" Lana fought to keep her voice even. Chloe paused a moment, not to think of an answer, but to decide what the answer would do to the woman in front of her. She quickly decided only the truth would work.
"Yes, very much so."