"Lana?" 

It took her a moment to respond. She'd been 'Mrs. Ross' for so long that being just 'Lana' felt strange. "Clark?" 

Big, goofy smile she hadn't seen in so long, and then she was being swept up and up into strong arms, and God, she 'd forgotten what this felt like, to be swept away like this. 

"You look incredible!" 

She smiled at that, accepting the compliment with the grain of salt she always took comments about her looks. Great genes and possibly some sort of meteor-mutated beauty was nothing to be proud of, though you couldn't tell by their associates. She'd been told more than once what an asset her looks were to Pete's career. 

"You don't look too bad yourself." Complete understatement. Clark looked wonderful in the best Clark Kent way. Really bad haircut, suit slightly too big, hiding his great body, glasses that didn't quite fit his face and slightly flushed cheeks. He looked happy and carefree and just so much like home and what used to be that she had to hold back tears. 

"It's really good to see you." He glanced down at the shopping bags in her hands and cocked a brow. "Um can you spare a few minutes for an old friend or are you afraid the shops might go out of business?" 

"No danger of that, I think I've done my bit to improve the economy for the day. How about a cup of coffee? Really make it like old times." 

They headed for the Starbucks on the bottom floor of the mall, chatting casually until they'd gotten their brew and grabbed a table. 

"So, Chloe told me Pete made ADA?" 

Lana nodded, trying not to be bitter that even with Clark she was taking back seat to Pete.  It was only natural for him to wonder about his former best friend, and she knew he would get around to her soon enough. Clark always got around to her; she had just gotten tired of waiting. 

"Yeah. He's great at what he does. He has a real passion for it. Maybe it was all those years of us being targets in Smallville, but he really wants to put the bad guy away." She sipped at her coffee, ignoring Clark's uncomfortable shift at the mention of the past. "So what about you? It's been almost three years since we've seen each other. I can't believe you and Lois have managed not to kill each other after all this time." 

He laughed, and she felt a little flutter in her stomach that she tried to force away with another sip of coffee. 

"We're still homicide free at this point. Actually we work pretty well together most of the time. She reminds me a lot of Chloe really. Insatiable curiosity and reckless pursuit of the truth. So what about you? Laura should be in kindergarten by now right?" 

"This was her first year. Truthfully I don't really know what to do with myself with her out of the house. I'm thinking of going back to school part-time. I'd like to finish my degree I think." And she would have a legitimate reason to be out of the house. A few late classes, and she could miss some of the thousand 'smooze' dinners she and Pete attended. 

After a few more back and forths - she asked about his mom, he asked about Nell, she told him about the vacation they were planning to Europe, he mentioned his last trip there covering a peace summit - she got to what she really wanted to know. "So Clark, are you seeing any one?" His comparing Lois to Chloe had eliminated that possibility. If he hadn't wanted the original all those years, he certainly wouldn't want the Memorex version. 

"Um, actually yeah I am." 

Lana kept the smile plastered on her face. "Really? Something serious?" 

The dreamy-eyed smile, the blush and stammer told her all she needed to know. There was a time when that look was hers alone. She never thought she'd see it on Clark's face again after the day she told him she and Pete were engaged. "Definitely serious. Lex and I…" 

She knocked her coffee over, and was too open mouthed with shock to notice it spilling off the table and into one of her shopping bags. "Wait. Lex? Luthor? Our Lex Luthor-your best friend?" Clark nodded, a frown creasing his forehead at her reaction, but she couldn't focus long enough to gain control of her emotions. "But you're not gay! Clark you're not gay!" Because that would mean it had all been a lie, and that just wasn’t possible. 

"Actually I'm bi-sexual. Lana, I'm sorry. I thought you knew that. I thought Chloe would have told you." He grabbed a napkin and mopped up the coffee, tossing the cup in the trash. 

"No, she didn't. Chloe talks more to Pete these days." She slept with him too. It wasn't like Lana really cared though. It wasn't like she and Chloe were still friends or she and Pete were still in love. 

The truth was, she was still in love with Clark. She never should have let him go. He'd loved her for twenty-five years, and she'd thrown that away, and Lex had shown  up to pick up the pieces. Once they'd both been hers, and now they belonged to each other, or maybe they always had. Maybe the same thing was true about Chloe and Pete. Maybe she hadn't really had anyone since her parents died. 

"I'm sorry, I was just a little shocked. I'm happy for you Clark, you and Lex. I hope things work out." She managed a small smile, which obviously appeared genuine to Clark, because he gave her a relieved grin. 

"Thank you." 

"I have to go, but you'll have to come to dinner sometime, the both of you. It doesn't make sense for us all to be in the same city and not see each other more often." Her years on the social circuit were put to good use as she stood up, giving Clark a warm smile in the process. 

A good guest never made anyone feel uncomfortable. She slipped on her fur coat - faux of course –because it would never do for 'Mrs. Ross' to upset PETA, and hooked her purse over her shoulder. Clark stood with her, and leaned down to give her a hug. She allowed herself a moment of standing with her eyes closed, inhaling his scent and pretending she had a different life, before she pulled away, and with a whispered goodbye, headed back to the life she did have.

The End.

Truth Is, by Fantasia

Ah Oh Ah Oh

Ran into an old friend yesterday
Caught me by surprise when he called my name
He was a familiar face, from a chapter in my past
Talked for a while, asked him how it's been
Said that he was seeing somebody and
Told me this was gonna last
Showing me her photograph

And all the feelings that I thought were gone
Came rushing back to me at once
Tried to smile and hide the way I felt
But I was thinking to myself

(Truth is) I never got over you
(Truth is) Wish I was standing in her shoes
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you
(Truth is) I never should have let you go
(Truth is) And it's killing me cuz now I know
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you

We reminisce on the way things used to be
Shared a couple laughs, shared some memories
Talked about the things that changed
Some for good and some for bad
Then he said good-bye and he paid for lunch
Promised that we'd always keep in touch
Grabbed my bags and grabbed my thoughts, walked away and that was that

And all the feelings that I thought were gone
Came rushing back to me at once
Tried to smile and hide the way I felt
But I was thinking to myself

(Truth is) I never got over you
(Truth is) Wish I was standing in her shoes
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you
(Truth is) I never should have let you go
(Truth is) And it's killing me cuz now I know
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you

Now the truth is it hurts but I know that the fault is mine
'Cuz I let him go
Tried to get over it but it's messin' with my mind (Because I know)

(Truth is) I never got over you
(Truth is) Wish I was standing in her shoes
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you
(Truth is) I never should have let you go
(Truth is) And it's killing me cuz now I know
(Truth is) And when it's all said and done
Guess I'm still in love with you

I just gotta be honest, I guess, I-I guess, I'm still in love, in love, in love