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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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