small town girls

Lana

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Metropolis Nights
by Michelle K.

Liz stares out her apartment window, looking down at Metropolis. The city lights sparkle and flicker, and the passing pedestrians look like ants. This sight always fascinates her, even though she's been in this city for over five years.

And for some reason, it amazes her that it's already been five years.

Five years. Five years since she entered this town and left the group. Five years since Max backed away with heartbreak etched on his face. Five years since she told him, "I'm sorry, Max. I'm sorry, but this isn't working. You'll always be important to me."

Those words were true, but she left out other things. Like, "All I think about is Tess, and I can't forget her with everyone else here to remind me."

Ten years. That's how long it's been since she's seen Tess. And she hasn't forgotten her. She's pushed her to the back of her brain, sure, but she hasn't managed to completely remove all thoughts of her.

She doesn't think she ever will.

Liz turns her back to the window, eyes focusing on her sleeping girlfriend. The sight of Chloe brings her back to the present, back to everything she has in this city with this girl.

It's been three years since she met Chloe. Three years since Chloe stumbled into the diner where Liz works. Three years since they first kissed with the lights of Metropolis swirling around them.

Three years since she fell in love. Three years since Tess fell several notches on her list of obsessions.

She climbs back into bed with Chloe, curls her body next to hers. "Hey there," she says.

"Evening, Liz," Chloe returns in her half-awake state.

"Good thing you said the right name," Liz jokes.

Chloe turns to face her, her eyes open and her lips curled into a half-smile. "Just a lucky guess I suppose."

 

Liz kisses her, lips softly pressing against her own. She's grown to love her more than anything else, more than her increasingly important job at the Daily Planet, more than the lovers that came before her.

Certainly more than Lana Lang.

But when she first met Liz, she was sure that she was Lana's doppelganger. Dark hair, sweet smile, demeanor that shouts, 'I'm perfect even when serving rubbery bacon.'

And that's probably why she asked Liz out in the first place - she kicked up that long dormant, never requited love for the once and always beloved of her best friend.

She learned that there was more than that to her, though. She wasn't a doppelganger...she was just who she was. And she made Chloe feel equal, while even Lana at her nicest still made Chloe feel like a lowly serf.

And Liz was able to love her.

Liz loves her.

How a simple sentence could be so breathtakingly beautiful has always amazed her. And Liz in general amazes her all the more.

She pushes a strand of dark hair away from Liz's face. "What are you still doing up?"

"You're still up," Liz replies.

"You woke me up and, thus, it doesn't count."

"You always have to be so specific," she says with mock-indignation. She sighs, and her face turns suddenly serious. "I was just looking out the window. Thinking."

Chloe feels the pause settle uncomfortably between them. This is the only awkward part of their relationship - Liz's inability to let her into her world of thought.

She doesn't really know anything about Liz's past. Most of the time it doesn't bother her - it only bothers her in the moments of silence. Moments when she's not sure what Liz is thinking about. Moments when she's not sure that Liz truly wants her and only her.

Moments like this.

 

Chloe's face is sad and anxious - and Liz feels guilty. She hasn't been able to share certain things with her, and she knows that makes her feel insecure. And she doesn't want Chloe to feel anything other than loved.

So she says, "I was thinking about how much I love you." And she's telling the truth, at least in part. Chloe is the one thing that keeps her grounded, that keeps her safe. Whenever her mind drifts to Tess, she knows that Chloe is all she'd ever want.

Chloe smiles. "I love you, too."

Their lips meet in a tender kiss. This is right. This is what she needs.

"Chloe," Liz says. "You have to know...I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have you."

She's still smiling but it's turned softer and, somehow, more bright. "You'd find a way."

"I'm not so sure about that," she replies, and the seriousness of her statement makes her feel a little foolish. But it's true anyway. It's true, and Chloe has to know it.

 

Chloe brings her fingers to Liz's cheek. "Same here," she says, echoing the other woman's sincerity.

Liz kisses her palm, then brings their lips together another time.

"I really should go to sleep," Chloe says, acutely aware of the late hour and the ungodly time that her alarm clock is set to.

"I know," Liz says, rolling over onto her back. She pulls Chloe with her, inviting her to stay as close as possible.

Chloe's happy to oblige. She's happy to oblige Liz most things - and this is hardly a sacrifice. She rests her head on Liz's chest and drapes one of her arms over her stomach. Her other arm is scrunched awkwardly under her body, but she decides that mild discomfort and the possibility of a sleeping arm is a decent price to pay for such closeness.

"Hey," Liz says, "do you have any plans for lunch tomorrow? Maybe we could go somewhere. I'm sure Tamara would cover me if I wanted some extra time for my break."

"I can't," Chloe replies. "Clark and Lana are coming in for the day. I'm going to take them out. And show them my incredibly important desk," she adds self-deprecatingly.

"Oh," Liz says, and Chloe notices the sadness in her voice.

 

Lana.

Liz knows who Lana is. She knows that Chloe was in love with her once upon a time. Unfulfilled and fleeting, but it was still love. And she can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy when she knows that Chloe will be around her. Even if it is in the presence of Clark, Lana's husband and Chloe's close friend.

"Lana's just my friend," Chloe says. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I know," Liz says as she runs her fingers through Chloe's hair. And she does know. She hopes she always will know.

"You can come. I'm sure Clark would like to see you again. He thinks I hit the jackpot with you, you know."

Liz can't see her face, but she can imagine the smile curling her lips. "I wouldn't mind tagging along," she admits. She likes Clark herself - his support of Chloe has always been unfailing. And she likes anyone who unquestioningly cares about the woman she loves.

"Good," Chloe says.

"Now, go to sleep," Liz declares.

"Yes, master," she replies with a giggle.

Liz rests her hand on her lover's back. She feels Chloe's breath slow down as she drifts off to sleep. Yes. This feels better than anything.

Her eyes drift back to the window and the subtle light shining in. She can imagine the lights of Metropolis dancing across the sky, around the buildings, over the heads of the city's residents.

Amongst it all, she can imagine herself with Chloe, dancing happily through the city and the passage of time.

With that image in her mind, she drifts off to her own peaceful sleep.

 

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