**I Should have done this before, No I do not own Smallville or any superman related character, but I like to think of the story as my own

Thank you to those who reviewed, I really appreciate the compliments.

A/N: Ok this chapter is kinda long, but I just couldn't stop, if you have any suggestions please leave them in the reviews which are more then apperciated!!

The cab pulled up to the hotel just as the huge thunderclouds above started to make their presence known. The deafening thunder came from above and nearly scared Lana out of her skin. She shakily gave the cab driver his fare and mumbled a quiet 'thank you,' she was becoming tired and just wanted to get away from all the noise and crawl into a nice hot bath.

As she walked up the front stairs, through the front doors, she thought her knees where going to give away. Lana was much more exhausted then she thought, all those late nights at the Talon were definitely catching up with her. As Lana was walking up to the Front Desk, a young freckle-faced boy no more then 16 came running up to her.

"Miss! I'm so sorry I wasn't at the front door to greet you into the hotel!! I had this guest show up with this unruly parrot..." he started to stammer but Lana cut him off.

"Please, there is no need to apologies. I was fine carrying my own bags, but since you're here, I would love her help." Lana said with a smile.

"Oh! That is so nice of you. My name is James Jacobs." The boy smiled, thank goodness she was a human being. After that last one, he wasn't sure if he could keep doing this. That bird just kept pecking at him!!! It wasn't his fault!! He told the guest that he wasn't exactly good with animals, but the man just snorted and continue to below out commands. This woman was much different, he thought, she must have be about hmm... he thought 28? Maybe 30? She was still very attractive, even to a guy his age.

She gave him her suitcases and walked over to the front desk. She saw from the corner of her eye the bellboy stay close behind her, so he could take her bags up right away, and make sure everything was perfect. She received her room key and found out she was going to be on the 16th floor. Well, she thought, I just might get to see Superman fly by my window. After all, it was widely known that Superman was Metropolis' most loved citizen. 'Since when do you fantasize about Superman flying by your window Lana?' She thought to herself as she pushed the 'Up' button for the elevator. She casually glanced over at James, and he was busy staring at a young girl with her father, who just exited the other elevator. 'Well,' she thought to herself 'He is very handsome and of course those muscles' but no that still wasn't it. The elevator door suddenly sprang open and an elderly couple emerged with broad grins on their faces. She smiled and entered the elevator after they had walked off emerged in conversation about their up coming day. The elevator quietly whirred and Lana watched the lights of the floors go up.

"15...16.. This is it Miss Lana," James said. Lana just quietly nodded and followed him to her room. He opened the door and she followed him inside. Lana looked around at her new surroundings. This was a very large room with a wall of solid windows. She looked closer and realized that it was a balcony that must have been 30 feet long. The doors were right in the middle, she could tell because of the potted plants situated on either side. Inside the room was a pale grey with matching grey carpeting that was so plush you just sunk in deeper with every step. On one side of the room was a huge fireplace with 3 couches and a coffee table with one of the biggest arraignments of flowers she has ever seen.

"Its quite big," She said out loud before she even realized it. James just smile

"If you need anything just call the front desk and ask for me ok Miss Lana?" James said politely.

"Thank you for all your help James, and please call me Lana?"

"Alright then Lana. Goodnight." James turned around and quietly let himself out.

It wasn't until Lana heard the door click that she let out a loud breath and sat down heavily on one of the huge overstuffed couches. 'Why did you come to Metropolis Lana?' she thought to herself. 'Why the sudden urge to run off?' Lana herself didn't even know. She decided to take a shower and change her clothes in some attempt to get her thoughts together and start thinking clearly. She grabbed her make-up bag and opened her suitcase and picked out a fresh pair of black pants with a pale pink blouse to match. 'Geeze,' She thought to herself, 'When did I start dressing so boring?' She sighed loudly and continued on to the bathroom with a mental note to hit the shops while she was here. She took a long hot shower and emerged feeling somewhat human again. She wiped the moisture off the mirror and starred at herself. "Why did you run Lana? Nell was sick for a long time now.. We all knew it was just a matter of time...' She stopped thinking suddenly and felt the hot tears roll down her cheeks. The thought of Nell brought the tears faster then anything else had in her entire life, including her parents brutal death. Nell was her savior, more her mother then anything else she had really known. When she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, we had all thought it was going to be a little rough. Lana snorted at that thought, 'A little rough?? I would rather have had my legs hacked off with a chain saw then to have ever had to watch Nell get sicker and sicker. To watch Nell lose all her hair, and lose pound after pound, until all that was left was her shell, just waiting for the grim hand of death to touch her, was absolute hell. Lana was in the room with her when it happened. She knew instantly when it was all over. It was like Lana could see the pain leaving her face, and her soul leaving her body. Lana wept there for hours until the nurse came in to check on them. Even then, Lana couldn't bring the words to her lips to tell her what had happened. The nurse just patted her on the shoulder and turned off all the machines.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Lana snapped out of her thought and quickly wiped the tears off her face with the towel that was being twisted in her hands.

"Just a minute!" Lana cried as she scrambled to grab something to cover herself enough to answer the door. After finally digging a robe out of her suitcase she ran over to the door, peeked through the answer hole, and opened the door.

"Yes?" Lana asked.

"This message was at the front desk for you Miss Lang." The man said. She recognized him after a second, he was one of the clerks at the front desk. Lana accepted the envelope, thanked the clerk and closed the door. Lana stared down at the message and turned it over so she could read it.

Lana, please give me a call. Im worried sick. Pete.

Lana smiled and put the piece of paper on the table. Pete has been such a rock since everything with Nell. Even with a family of his own to worry about, he still stopped into the Talon once a day for his coffee and to check up on her. He said he really loved her coffee and he couldn't go a day without it, but she knew it was because Clark had made Pete promise that he would always watch out for Lana after he had left. Lana had overheard them talking and never told anyone about it. Of course, Pete assured Clark and told him he would always watch over me, and make sure I was safe.

Lana picked up the phone and dialed. On the third ring a little girl answered the phone.

"This is the queen fairy princess speaking. I ask whom is calling my phone?"

Lana giggled. Anne had obviously answered the phone and had now moved on to fairy's instead of butterflies Anne was 6 and had the craziest imagination that she had ever seen.

"This is Lana speaking Anne sweetie. How's the weather in Smallville?" Lana asked.

"Aunty Lana!!!!!! I've been waiting for you to call, no wait daddy I wanna talk, so Lana...."

There was some rustling on the phone and then a loud cry.

"Sorry about that Lana" Pete had wrestled the phone out of her hand and was now shooing her out of the room. Anne's loud protests were heard clearly through the phone. Lana tried not to giggle harder.

"That's alright Pete. I got your message. You don't need to worry about me you know, I am a big girl now." Lana said with mocking sarcasm. It felt good that someone worried and cared. Not many people did these days.

"Lana, what are you doing? I mean one minute your telling me how happy you are in Smallville and that things in your life couldn't be going better, and the next your taking and impromptu trip to Metropolis and not even telling anyone about it!! What was with that cryptic note you left at the Talon? 'Gone to Metropolis to catch the met, be back soon.' Lana, the met is in Chicago (A/N Its in Chicago right?) So obviously something is up."

Lana sighed into the phone. She did not want to have this conversation here.

"Pete, I didn't tel you this, but Josh and I broke up last week, and I guess this morning when I woke up I realized I needed to take a vacation, clear my thoughts, just get away for a few days." This was a huge understatement. When Josh had told her he was having an affair after they're 2 year romance had seemingly been absolutely perfect, Lana was crushed. Lana had absolutely no clue that Thursday nights with the boys were actually with another woman. Lana never found out who it was, nor did she really care, she just started to cry as he packed up all of the things he'd been keeping at her downtown loft. When Lana asked why, Josh had replied that she was entirely too demanding, the fact that Josh had to tell Lana every little thing had really started on his nerves. Every secret Lana even THOUGHT Josh had, eventually led to some sort of fight and Josh having to tell her that her insecurities were not that big a deal. Well, he though maybe one day she would just let them all go, but now it almost seemed like it got worse and worse. Josh thought maybe she would snap out of it and they could have a loving, trusting relationship, but after the first year and a half, he knew it wouldn't. At first he was just going to bars, meeting new people, but then he met her, and soon had gotten her pregnant. He'd decided to do the right thing and leave Lana and marry her. Lana sobbed harder and harder as these words came flowing over her. She just couldn't believe all this. Josh quietly picked up his bags walked out the door and never looked back.

"Pete, oh god Lana im so sorry. I had no idea, but then you really should have told me, so I could try to find a way to help. That's what friends are for after all, right?"

Lana quietly brushed the silent tear that ran down her face. "Yes Pete your right," she replied in an even tone. "I should have told you, but I just hurting too much, sometimes you just need to get away."

"Alright Lana, ill forgive you this time," he said with a small laugh "Hey I just thought of something. Clark lives in Metropolis, you should give him a call while your there."

"Well, maybe if I start feeling a bit more social, thanks for calling Pete, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, enjoy your trip, and if you do happen to see Clark give him my best." Lana smiled, Pete and Clark may not see each other a lot, but their friendship is as strong as ever. Lana told him to kiss the kids for her and hung up the phone.

Lana wondered if that was the reason she came to Metropolis, sub-conscious anyways. Some memories of Clark were wonderful, but all those un-answered questions were always looming in the back of her mind. Then he left after graduation, and he never looked back. For almost 3 years Lana watched the front door of the Talon, preying he would be the next face who walked through the door. But he never did, slowly the fantasy passed, and Lana began to heal, and move on. Well, maybe she didn't heal at all, giving what happened with Josh. Lana picked up the remote and flicked on the television, the Metropolis News flashed across the screen.

"In other news today, Metropolis' most eligible bachelor, Lex Luthor, has just finished his newest germ research lab in upstate New York, Luthor Laboratories Inc. This new, state of the art center will focus on new ways of utilizing germs with healing," Then Lex appeared on the screen in front of a thousand flashing lights and cameras.

"My fellow Americans," he announced, "Today is a great day for the future of man kind. I, Lex Luthor, hereby promise to try and cure disease and help the sick, and promise some of us a better future."

Lana turned off the T.V. Lex did not seem like the same man he was back in Smallville. After our graduation, he took control of a small branch of Luthorcorp. and had never been the same. Lana managed to save enough money to buy him out, making the Talon truly her own. Thank god, she thought, because so many others that had trusted the Luthors lost almost everything they had, including their pride.

Lana got up and walked over to the balcony doors and swung them open. She walked out into the brisk evening air. The sun was just starting to set, and she just realized she was still wearing the robe, her wet hair dripping down her back. "Oh well," she thought "its just so pretty out here at sunset," Lana looked at all the sky scrapers with the beautiful purple, red and gold sunset filling the sky behind them. The noise from below seemed as though it was coming from a million miles away, up here was so peaceful and serene, she was glad she had gotten a room so high up.

As she was glancing in the distance, she saw it. Something was going flying through the air, right across from where she was standing.

"Woah" Lana said out loud. It was Superman, gliding through the air like a bird, with no apparent destination. He was weaving around buildings, going up to the top, and racing down as fast as he could, stopping about 30 feet short of where the pavement was. Lana hid behind one of the plants on the deck.

'This is stupid, he can see through things remember' Lana thought so she quickly ran into the room, slammed the door and pulled the curtains. But as she stood there, curiosity got the better of her and she started to peak through the tiny crack. He was gone.

'Dammit! I should have stayed outside, he obviously wasn't going to play around forever,' she thought 'and why in the hell did you run like a startled school girl? Im sure Superman has a thousand beautiful women throwing themselves at him every day, do you really think he would have even noticed you were standing there?' Lana shook her head and decided to crawl into bed.

Once all the lights were out and Lana was all tucked in, her eyelids fluttered shut. That is when Clark's smiling face drifted into her head, and before she knew it, she was out cold.

** Well I hope all of you liked it so far, and keep reviewing so my spirits stay high!!**