A/N: Okay, so a guest reader asked what year this takes place in and it hit me that I haven't been following a set time line like I usually do so after calculating the time line that worked best with what I already wrote, they are in the year 1965. Lana went to Briarcliff in February of 1963 (I cannot recall why I chose that date). Oliver met her in July of 1964 and got her out December of 1964 (If I'm remembering my own story correctly) and it is now Fall of 1965. If I made any miscalculations let yo girl know lol
Oh, and SashaHarman, that's a great idea! I definitely like that suggestion.

PS. And yes, I am a Johnny Cash fan lol any artist you see mentioned in my writing is usually someone I love/listen to.

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TWENTY-SIX

A Stranger

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He watched the profile of her face, knowing perfectly well that what he felt for her was real. It had developed in the time he had known her. A little over a year wasn't long to most people but to Oliver it had been enough. It was all the time he needed to know that Lana was what he wanted for the rest of his life.

Lana watched the fall leaves begin to descend from the trees. Her question had left Oliver silent and she waited patiently for him to answer. When he still stayed pensive, she turned her head to meet his gaze. She couldn't read the expression upon his face but he looked a bit nervous. Lana was about to speak when a woman's voice interrupted her.

"Lana?"

Lana turned at the sound of her name out of pure instinct. She looked up with doe eyes to see a woman standing but a yard away from her. She was tall but not as tall as Lana with fair skin and brown hair in dolled up curls. She dressed in a red coat and wore a black beret. Lana blinked, confused for a moment, scanning the woman's face for any memory of her but her mind was utterly blank.

"Lana is that really you?" The woman stepped closer; she looked as if she had seen a ghost.

Oliver froze when he saw the woman approach them on the bench. He had never seen her before but by the looks of it, she had known Lana quite well.

Lana looked to the second woman standing further away. She seemed to be unaware of the situation and appeared to be just as surprised as Lana. Nonetheless, she stood patiently, watching the scene unfold before her with mild interest.

The woman's expression saddened a bit when Lana still didn't respond. "It's me, Barb." She smiled at Lana, stepping closer as she reached a hand out to her.

Lana looked back to the woman that called herself Barb and flinched when she felt her come closer. Lana could feel Oliver's grip on her hand tighten but she only looked at Barb with a half confused face and finally spoke, "I-I'm sorry. I don't think I know you." Her tone was apologetic and calm.

Barb froze when Lana jerked away and her expression fell fully upon hearing her words. "Oh." Was all she managed to say, still confused and a bit shocked by Lana's reaction to her. Her eyes then wandered down to Oliver's hand on her own and her eyes widened in surprise and deep confusion.

Oliver quickly stood to his feet, still holding onto Lana's hand as she stood after him. He turned to the woman named Barb and then to her friend with a polite smile, "Ladies, please excuse us." And without another word he practically dragged Lana after him towards the exit of the park.

Lana tried to keep up with Oliver, picking up her pace. She looked over her shoulder to see the two women standing side by side as they watched them go. She couldn't help but think that the woman named Barb looked far too upset that Lana didn't know her. Lana turned back to Oliver who looked utterly spooked.

"Oliver?" She asked, worry continuing to fill her, "Oliver, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. We just have to go." He urged without looking at her and before Lana knew it, they had reached the car and he was opening the door for her.

"Who were those women?" She asked him before he shut the passenger door close.

Oliver attempted to answer but his voice caught in his throat and only hurried around to the driver's side.

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It wasn't until Oliver parked the car in the driveway of their home and turned the ignition off that he sighed. "I'm sorry, Lana."

"What happened back there?" Lana turned her body towards him. "Was that someone from Briarcliff?" Lana didn't remember everyone from Briarcliff. It was as if her mind had blocked a lot of those memories and the people with them. Sister Jude was the one she mainly remembered. She saw her in almost all of her nightmares.

"No." Oliver shook his head, "No, she wasn't."

"Then who was she?" Lana's eyes glimmered with threatening tears. She could feel the little baby begin to twirl again.

"I don't know. I've never met her before." Oliver replied honestly. The only person from Lana's past that he had ever met was Wendy and that was not her. She said her name was Barb and by the expression on her face, she had known Lana very well. She looked almost betrayed when Lana claimed not to know her.

Oliver exited the car and opened Lana's door, helping her out. "Come on, we'll talk about it inside." He looked around the neighborhood to see some of their neighbors out and about and wanted to avoid any listening ears.

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Once inside, Oliver poured himself a drink at the mini bar. He didn't know why Barb's appearance had frightened him the way it did. Lana had every single right to go back to her past and remember those who were once in her life but just the thought of Lana leaving filled him with a sense of dread. Of course, it was silly to think that the mere presence of an old friend would cause Lana to leave him but in the moment it was all Oliver could think about. Besides, he didn't know what role that woman had played in Lana's life. If she had been aware of Lana's sexuality or her admittance to Briarcliff. He didn't even know if she knew Wendy too.

Lana placed her hands on her potbelly, calming the moving baby that had not settled down since they left the park. She studied Oliver's expression as he poured himself a shot of whiskey and drank it in one gulp.

"That woman recognized me." Lana lamented, the fear finally creeping up on her. "She knew me from before."

Oliver nodded. "It appears so." He set his glass down and went to Lana, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine…"

Oliver let his hands fall down her arms and down to her hands; taking a hold of them. She had the loveliest hands. "I'm sorry I practically dragged you away. Maybe speaking with that woman would have helped you remember your past."

She nodded, "It's okay. I just...I just need to think." She stepped out of Oliver's hold and disappeared down the hall to their room. Oliver didn't follow after her. Instead he poured himself another drink and sat down in the living room to give her some space and to think to himself.

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Lana sat at the edge of the bed that she had shared with Oliver. Her eyes scanned the room that had become their own. When she first arrived, everything belonged to him but little by little things that were her own began to appear throughout the house. Slowly, that quaint one story house became her home. He became home.

Lana felt the tiny little pom flip again and she placed her hand on her stomach, bringing her feet back down to earth. The woman said her name was Barb but Lana couldn't recall any memories of her and yet there was a deep aching in her heart that cried out, unaware of what it was truly yearning for. That woman looked so upset and Lana recalled the look on her face when she saw her holding Oliver's hand. It was a look of utter confusion and disappointment. Lana didn't understand.

Her eyes caught one of Oliver's dress shirts resting on the chair of her vanity table. Lana stood up and picked it up in her hands. She brought it to her nose and recognized his scent right away. It was a scent she had come to adore. Lana knew what she was before Briarcliff. She knew the feelings that swarmed inside of her when she saw women on the tv screen but despite those feelings and despite her past, her heart had begun to yearn for the man that saved her. But Lana wondered if she were to remember everything, would she still feel the same for him?

The thought of losing Oliver, of leaving him, it was too much for her to bare.

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When Lana finally exited the room, she found Oliver in the living room. His eyes were on the ceramic bowl of mints on the coffee table. Slowly, his gaze met hers. She could see the sadness in his eyes and her heart broke at the mere thought of him suffering. Being face to face with that woman would have terrified Lana if she had not felt Oliver's hold on her. Oliver was like a lighthouse on safe shores, calling her back to safety and sanity through the raging waves.

Lana went up to him and sat on his lap, wrapping an arm around his neck and she rested her head on his shoulder. She felt his body relax and his arms wrap around her.

"I was in Briarcliff for a long time." She broke the silence between them," If I really mattered to these people they would have helped me. You were the only one that did." She buried herself against his chest and Oliver held her tighter. "I don't want to go back to my past. I don't belong there anymore."

Oliver kissed the side of her head. "Where do you belong now?" He asked her, wanting to hear her say it.

"Here. With you."

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That night, Lana watched as Oliver dressed for bed. Her eyes curiously scanned his body, already familiar with every inch of him. When he got into bed, she wedged herself between his chest and his arm, relieved to feel the safety of his embrace.

"I like the name Johnny too." Lana mentioned out of the blue as a Johnny Cash song randomly repeated itself in her head.

Oliver smiled at this, "Is that so?" With everything that had happened, he had forgotten their conversation at the park.

She nodded, her eyes growing sleepy, "Do you?"

"It's a fine name." he agreed.

Lana closed her eyes, "It is, isn't it?" and slowly drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning, Lana found herself in the tub for a hot bath to calm her nerves. Her knees were as close to her chest as she could get them with her little belly in the way. She wrapped her arms around her legs, eyes off into the distance. It had been been sometime past three in the morning when she woke from a dream so vicious that it rattled her awake and had her in tears by the time her eyes opened. Oliver was awake, soothing her the best he could while the panic attack ran its course. She had stayed awake the entire night, too afraid to close her eyes.

Oliver softly knocked on the door and stepped inside. He had suggested Lana take a warm bath to calm herself and attempt to get some sleep. In his hands he held a freshly washed towel. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Lana sighed, "Not my best but definitely not my worst."

Oliver chuckled and sat at the edge of the tub. He reached over for the sponge and gently scrubbed Lana's back. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" She kept her eyes ahead.

"The dream." Oliver saw her shoulders slump. "It might help you shake it off."

Lana was silent for a moment until she finally found the courage to speak. It was as if she was trying to convince herself that it wouldn't become real if she conjured it. "Some strangers came and took me back to Briarcliff."

"You know that won't happen." He assured her.

She tensed up again, hiding half her face in her arms, "What if it does?"

"You're letting the anxiety speak for you. Don't let it."

Lana turned her head sideways to look at him. She could tell by the look on his face that something else was on his mind. "What is it?"

Oliver sat up,"I've been thinking. In your condition, it would be best if you saw a doctor."

Lana pushed herself further into the tub, "What? Why?" Her brows furrowed in displeasure as if Oliver had just offended her.

"Why? Lana, you're pregnant." Oliver frowned, "It's not safe for you or the baby to go unchecked."

"We're fine." She maintained, "We don't need to go to a hospital."

"Well, if you won't see a doctor, I think we should look for a midwife."

Lana frowned at this, not recalling the word. "A what?"

"A midwife. A midwife is a professional who aids pregnant women during and after birth. If you won't see a doctor at least let me bring a midwife to see you." He stood from the tub and extended the towel.

Lana slowly and a bit shyly stood up and out of the water, letting Oliver wrap the towel around her.

Oliver placed his hand over her belly. "For his sake. Please."

Lana looked down at Oliver's hand on her stomach and nodded. "Okay."