Title: Happy Together
Fandom: Smallville
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: CLex (Clark/Lex), Lana
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: Lana has a plan to help them all, but ends up reflecting.
Word Count: 1,285
Written For: Fan FlashWorks 349: Basket
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.








She should not feel guilty, Lana told herself firmly as she crept up behind Lex. She should not feel guilty at all. This was going to help everybody, after all, not herself or her two favorite guys but everyone here at the Talon and most of LutherCorps' employees as well. After all, if the cat was away, these particular mice might not get to play, but it would make working for their own wedges of cheese considerably more peaceful. She couldn't deal with much more stress today herself, and she couldn't afford to have one more employee walk out on her, not with the holidays about to be fully under way.

She cleared her throat, a subtle sound that made Lex swing around. His eyes were guarded, but she knew how to read the suspicion in them. She timidly met his gaze with her own as she held up her basket of offerings. "I understand a certain young man is hoping you might join him this evening at, hum, a certain apple tree." Her wavering smile broke out in full, merry warmth when his green eyes lit up in delighted recognition.

He seemed to her like an eager child as he grabbed the basket. Lana bit her bottom lip to keep from bursting out grinning. Not only was her plan going to be successful, but it was rather nice to see him actually happy, especially when she knew that her best friend would be just as ecstatic when he found his own basket of warm muffins she had packed just for this occasion. "It's Friday afternoon, Lex," she said, pressing the basket into his hands. "We only live once. Go enjoy yourselves."

"Lana -- Hum -- Miss Lang -- Hum -- That is, to say -- "

"Go," she said, walking around him and bravely giving his shoulder a gentle push. "Go, Mister Luthor. Enjoy yourself." Her voice dropped to a whisper no one else in her crowded coffee shop would be able to overhear, "If not for you, go for him. You know he's always busying himself with the farm, saving the world, and saving us all. Grab a few minutes while you can actually take them."

"I am still not at all certain I like that Clark chose to confide his secrets to you," he murmured, flicking his wary gaze back and forth between the cook and her offerings, "but I suppose being grateful for small gifts and all that . . . "

"Just go," Lana persisted haughtily. She spun around and walked away into the crowd before he could continue to protest. Her cheeks were hot, and she dared not look back. Yes, she might have wanted Clark once upon a time. She might have been willing to do almost anything to get him, especially once he had finally turned his attentions away from her (oh, what a fool she'd been to have ever denied his attraction!), but she was certainly trustworthy, especially far more so than anyone who had Luthor blood flowing in his veins.

She wasn't doing this for Lex Luthor, however, she reminded herself as she quickly returned to work, or even for Clark, but to make her own night more peaceful. Sending both of them away from her had its advantages. She could run the Talon the way she chose without having to worry about Lex trying to insist on putting in his two cents, and if Clark was away on a date with Lex, she also didn't have to worry herself about him, not about him getting hurt in performing the heroics he was so determined to do or in having any of those not-so successful heroics show up in her shop. She'd certainly had to fix the building more than once after one of his endeavors to save the world or even just the town had come calling too close for comfort.

She had every right, Lana silently fumed while pausing to gather dishes off of a table as they were even short a busboy, to want her friend to be happy and to want to keep her own business safe, which included staying securely away from both Clark and the Luthors. She glanced up at the wall behind her before turning, with her arms loaded, to face the smiling pictures. Along the high wall she had started, in the last month, displaying pictures of people who had been important to this town but were no longer with them. Her parents were up there along with Lillian Luthor, and Clark's mom and dad. In the current time, her eyes were resting squarely upon Missus Kent's.

"They are a handful, aren't they?" she distinctly remembered once asking the older woman to which she had, at first, only bobbed her head in agreement and laughed.

Lana didn't remember what had followed that moment until the day after, when she noticed Clark and Lex walking through her shop hand in hand. Snuggling together, they seemed so cozy and happy that she couldn't help warming to the idea of Lex loving her friend. She'd still find a way to avenge him, she swore, if he ever hurt Clark, but with Lex's arms around him and his the billionaire's lips pressed into the crook of his neck, he looked happier than she'd ever known him.

"Yes," she suddenly remembered Martha telling her while laughing, "but they love each other. That's all that matters really, Lana. Besides, though, aren't they cute together?"

Her eyes again found Missus Kent's, and she nodded and smiled though blushing lightly. Yes, they were happy together. They clearly adored each other, perhaps even loved one another. Her parents had loved each other, and so had Clark's. Everyone knew the monster Lex's father was, and she knew that Lionel Luthor had certainly left an impression on everyone which Lex had to battle nearly every day of his life. His father had always been a cruel man, and it wasn't fair to Lex that he had painted everybody's opinion of him as well. She knew she, too, was guilty of having judged Lex by his father.

But right now, Clark looked happier than she had ever seen him before. Truly, he had always seemed happier with Lex than at any other time in his life. His parents may have been loving, caring people, but he had always felt apart from their world. It was no wonder, either, when he was gifted with the abilities he had, abilities he felt kept him honorbound to constantly place his own life in danger to help everyone around him.

The bottom line, as Martha herself had said, was that the guys were happy and seemed to love each other. And they were indeed cute! She wouldn't have minded, one bit, being the mayo in that sandwich! She laughed though her cheeks burned and bustled away. As long as they were happy, as long as her friend was happy, that was all that mattered. If Lex hurt him, she would exact revenge, but until he did, Clark only seemed to be happy with him. As she watched them, she couldn't help knowing that there was nothing wrong with the way they loved one another and secretly hoping that one day God would choose to send her a man to love her just as much as they did one another.

She smiled at Martha's image as she reflected silently, You're right. They are happy, and that's all that matters. The most we can ask for anyone is for them to be happy and loved. Lex did that for Clark, and as long as he did, it didn't matter what all his father had done. She'd always strive to help them be happy together.

The End