You might say I'm the most donest of all.
Title: Symphony, Part V
Summary: Peace.
Fandom: Smallville
Word Count: 595
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, future AU (takes into account series up to Lexmas), soul-crushing angst
Pairing: Lex/Lana
A/N: What? I'm done? How can that be? (Incidentally, is there something buggered with DTS? Cause I've posted both of the new chapters over there, but neither of them has kicked the thread back to the top. Not that I would ask anyone to bump for me. ::cough::)
Lex opens the door of the apartment over the Talon without knocking. Lana is standing at the counter in the kitchen staring down a cup of coffee.
“What are you doing here?” Lana asks before she turns, as if she’s been expecting this. Her face is red from crying, her mascara darkening the hollows under her eyes.
“I came to talk to you,” he says, more roughly than he intended.
“You’ve been drinking,” she says flatly, even though she knows it’s not true.
“I can’t afford enough alcohol to forget myself enough to let you go.”
“Spare me,” she says, and makes to leave. He stops her, putting his hands on her shoulders. The suddenness of the gesture surprises her, and she looks up into his eyes in confusion.
“I had a dream.” Lana rolls her eyes at this. “Just listen. It was you, and me, and we were happy, really happy, even though we were broke and my father had cut us off.”
The words are tumbling haphazardly out of his mouth; and the light is back in his eyes, the one Lana has long missed, the one he never could fake.
“We had a little boy, and a Christmas tree-”
“You don’t even like Christmas-”
“I lied. We had friends, and we had a baby girl, and she looked just like you. But then…” He takes a deep breath. “You died. You died because I couldn’t save you. And I knew that I had to keep us from that, even though it was the happiest place I’ve ever been.”
“It doesn’t excuse what I’ve done to you, and I wish it could explain. And,” he sighed raggedly, almost panting, “Lana, I’m a fool. I hurt you because I thought it would protect us. I thought if we weren’t happy, I couldn’t lose you. I should have told you years ago, and I shouldn’t have wasted both our lives over a fantasy.”
Lana is crying silently. Angry things keep leaping into her throat, but they all die away when she opens her mouth. Common sense says that she should scream, throw him out, not accept any reason or excuse. But she can’t. She doesn’t even want to. She breathes in deeply, calming herself, pulling up her confidence.
“Lex, look at us. We’re not those people. We never will be. Even if your dream was right, we’ve both done enough wrong to protect us forever. If you keep worrying about keeping what’s yours, you’re going to lose it.”
Lana looks him right in the eye. “I love you. I’ll never be the one to change that, but you almost were. No more secrets,” she says, and it hurts Lex right down in his core. That’s what he’s been swearing to her for years; has he ever really done it? “No more following omens. No more half-baked plans for my protection.” She smiles widely despite herself, and Lex laughs. Lana takes him into her arms. “I don’t care if you try to take over the world or give up and go sell used cars. I just want to be part of you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I love you,” he sighs. Lex feels her nod against his chest, and words fail. He kisses her on the top of the head, holding her against him tightly.
After a few moments, she pulls back and looks up at him. “Is this what passes for a happy ending?” Lana asks sincerely.
“No,” he tells her, smiling. “A new beginning.” She nods, and Lex knows that she understands.
Summary: Peace.
Fandom: Smallville
Word Count: 595
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, future AU (takes into account series up to Lexmas), soul-crushing angst
Pairing: Lex/Lana
A/N: What? I'm done? How can that be? (Incidentally, is there something buggered with DTS? Cause I've posted both of the new chapters over there, but neither of them has kicked the thread back to the top. Not that I would ask anyone to bump for me. ::cough::)
Lex opens the door of the apartment over the Talon without knocking. Lana is standing at the counter in the kitchen staring down a cup of coffee.
“What are you doing here?” Lana asks before she turns, as if she’s been expecting this. Her face is red from crying, her mascara darkening the hollows under her eyes.
“I came to talk to you,” he says, more roughly than he intended.
“You’ve been drinking,” she says flatly, even though she knows it’s not true.
“I can’t afford enough alcohol to forget myself enough to let you go.”
“Spare me,” she says, and makes to leave. He stops her, putting his hands on her shoulders. The suddenness of the gesture surprises her, and she looks up into his eyes in confusion.
“I had a dream.” Lana rolls her eyes at this. “Just listen. It was you, and me, and we were happy, really happy, even though we were broke and my father had cut us off.”
The words are tumbling haphazardly out of his mouth; and the light is back in his eyes, the one Lana has long missed, the one he never could fake.
“We had a little boy, and a Christmas tree-”
“You don’t even like Christmas-”
“I lied. We had friends, and we had a baby girl, and she looked just like you. But then…” He takes a deep breath. “You died. You died because I couldn’t save you. And I knew that I had to keep us from that, even though it was the happiest place I’ve ever been.”
“It doesn’t excuse what I’ve done to you, and I wish it could explain. And,” he sighed raggedly, almost panting, “Lana, I’m a fool. I hurt you because I thought it would protect us. I thought if we weren’t happy, I couldn’t lose you. I should have told you years ago, and I shouldn’t have wasted both our lives over a fantasy.”
Lana is crying silently. Angry things keep leaping into her throat, but they all die away when she opens her mouth. Common sense says that she should scream, throw him out, not accept any reason or excuse. But she can’t. She doesn’t even want to. She breathes in deeply, calming herself, pulling up her confidence.
“Lex, look at us. We’re not those people. We never will be. Even if your dream was right, we’ve both done enough wrong to protect us forever. If you keep worrying about keeping what’s yours, you’re going to lose it.”
Lana looks him right in the eye. “I love you. I’ll never be the one to change that, but you almost were. No more secrets,” she says, and it hurts Lex right down in his core. That’s what he’s been swearing to her for years; has he ever really done it? “No more following omens. No more half-baked plans for my protection.” She smiles widely despite herself, and Lex laughs. Lana takes him into her arms. “I don’t care if you try to take over the world or give up and go sell used cars. I just want to be part of you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“I love you,” he sighs. Lex feels her nod against his chest, and words fail. He kisses her on the top of the head, holding her against him tightly.
After a few moments, she pulls back and looks up at him. “Is this what passes for a happy ending?” Lana asks sincerely.
“No,” he tells her, smiling. “A new beginning.” She nods, and Lex knows that she understands.