As the sun set over Smallville, Clark parked his car in front of Lana's home and waited. After fifteen minutes, he saw her daughter and husband leave dressed in evening attire probably off to the Metropolis Opera. As they drove away, Clark reached for his cell phone but couldn't bring himself to dial the number to the house. Was it the same after all these years?
As he sat there, Clark saw a light go on in one of the upstairs rooms. Obviously someone was home. He slowly, tentatively, reached for his phone again and dialed the numbers. After three rings, someone picked up the phone. "Hello," a woman's voice said at the other end of the line. "Hello?"
Clark hung up. He caught his breath. It was her.
He drew up his shoulders and dialed again.
"Hello?" Lana asked on the other end of the line. "Hello? Who is this?"
"May I speak with Lana Lang please?"
"Speaking."
"Lana, I don't know if you remember me. This is Clark, Clark Kent. I used to live next door to you."
"Don't be silly. Of course I remember you Clark."
"I'm glad." A few silent minutes passed.
"Clark? Are you still there?"
"Yes, Lana. I was wondering if we could go have a drink, maybe in Rayville. I'm actually parked outside your front gate."
"I don't think that's a good idea. We haven't seen each other or spoken in so long. What would be the point now?"
He knew she was right. They hadn't seen each other since the day of Chloe's funeral when racked with guilt, he had decided to leave Smallville forever. But he had thought about her every day for all those years and he felt that if he didn't see her tonight, he'd never have another chance again.
"I really need to see you."
"I'm sorry. I can't," she said and hung up the phone.
For ten minutes Clark sat silently in his car then he started the engine and drove away. He drove around for forty minutes and finally found himself in Chandler's Field. The old windmill was still there, well at least a replica of it. His mom had told him a few years ago that a group of Smallville High kids had gotten together and rebuilt it.
***
He sat on the windmill's ledge for an hour just staring at the Metropolis skyline only turning around at the sound of a car pulling up next to his. The driver turned the car headlights off and opened the passenger side door. "Clark," a female voice called out.
"Lana?"
"Yes, come down," she called up to him from the car.
He slowly, hesitantly made his way down the windmill. After all this time he would see her. When he reached the car, he gingerly climbed in. It was dark and he could only see her in shadow. He reached for the light switch on the car's roof.
"No," Lana said reaching for his arm.
"I want to see you," Clark said softly, gently. Then he flicked on the light.
She looked the same yet older. Her hair had faded in color and was now chin length, her eyes seemed lighter as well, more transparent. But she was still beautiful. She had lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth and Clark hoped they were laugh lines and not those of worry and pain.
"You're beautiful," Clark said.
"I'm old," Lana said turning off the car light.
"Not so old," Clark said as he touched her cheek.
"Don't."
"Fine," Clark said as he turned around in his seat. "How did you know I'd be here?"
"I know you Clark Kent. You didn't think a few years would stop me from remembering how much we used to hang out here. Remember when I told you, Chloe, and Pete that I'd always wanted to come here because the windmill was the highest point in Smallville and you could see Metropolis from here. After I got out of the hospital, you know after being infected by that Nicodemus flower, you brought me here because you knew how important it was to me."
"Yeah."
"That's my point. You don't forget moments like that."
"Do you ever think about me, about us Lana?"
"We shouldn't be talking like this. How is life in Metropolis?"
"Fine. I'm doing well at the Daily Planet. How is life in New York, London, Paris? Are you and Lex happy?"
"As happy as two people can be after twenty years of marriage."
"Well your daughter is beautiful. I'm sure she has lots of guys chasing after her."
"She does. But Lily's very shrewd. She's a lot like her father."
"Well I can see she was fortunate enough to inherit her mother's good looks."
"Thanks," Lana said shifting in her seat. "I'm sorry about your father Clark. I wanted to come to the funeral and so did Lex but we thought it would be best if we stayed away. Your father was a good man."
"Yes, he was. What are you doing in Smallville? My mother and Pete said you don't visit often."
"I wanted Lily to see where I grew up. She'll be off to Harvard in the fall and I guess I was feeling old and nostalgic. But she hates Smallville; she even finds Metropolis boring compared to New York and Paris."
They sat in silence. Clark thinking about what his life would have been like with Lana as his wife and Lily as his daughter.
"Why did you call me Clark?" Lana asked breaking the silence. "I haven't heard from you in so long."
"You seemed to have done okay."
"Meaning?"
"You're Mrs. Lex Luthor, grand dame of New York, London, Paris, Rome."
"What are you implying Clark? Because if I remember correctly, it was you who left me. Left all of us behind in Smallville after Chloe's death - me, Lex, Pete, your parents. What was I supposed to do, wait for you forever?"
Yes, Clark wanted to shout but he knew such a request would have been unfair.
"I waited for you for a year and a half. You wouldn't talk to me. You wouldn't talk to Lex or Pete. You were my best friend, my boyfriend, my love yet you wouldn't talk to me. Can you imagine how painful that was for me?" Lana said as the tears streamed down her face. Gingerly, she wiped them away.
"I'm so sorry Lana," Clark said as he put his arms around her and drew her close. They sat for twenty minutes like that with him stroking her hair.
Finally pulling away, Lana looked into his eyes. How different yet the same her eyes look from the last time I saw them, Clark thought as he bent down to kiss her. Overcome with emotion, they sat in the car kissing and groping like teenagers, finally making love.
***
"I should be heading home," Lana said after pulling away from one of Clark's many post-coital kisses. After making love, they had quickly gotten dressed and had lain in each other's arms, holding and kissing one another.
"No," Clark said then began kissing her face.
"Stop," Lana said as she gently pushed Clark away. She sat up and held his face in her hands. "I can't allow myself to become emotionally involved with you again."
"Why not? I can fly to New York for visits. You could come to Metropolis. I don't want to lose you again Lana," Clark said as he buried his face in her neck.
"Look at me Clark. You have a wonderful career in Metropolis. Lex gets the Daily Planet delivered to our apartment in New York. I've read all those amazing stories you've written. Your life is in Metropolis, and mine is in New York. Besides, I have a husband and a daughter and I refuse to have one of those mid-life crises," Lana said with a small laugh.
Clark joined in with her laughter. How pathetic, he thought. He had thought he had left the past behind him when he'd walked away from Smallville all those years ago but he hadn't. He still felt guilty over Chloe's death and he was still in love with Lana, yet there was no way to bring Chloe back and Lana had moved on with her life. Everyone had. But knowing this, there was still a part of him that desperately wanted to hold on to this moment with Lana forever.
"May I call you sometime?" Clark asked reaching for Lana's hand.
"No." There was something in her eyes that made him realize that this was nonnegotiable. "Goodbye Clark," Lana said as she turned the ignition key and the car roared to life.
"Goodbye," Clark said as he opened the car door and climbed out of the car. He stood still as Lana's car backed up, turned around, and drove away down the highway.
He slowly made his way back to his car, then he made his way back to the farm. He needed to pack so that he could leave early for Metropolis tomorrow morning. Perry wanted him to do a story on hospital insurance fraud and tomorrow would be as good a day as any to get started.