Sarah Paulson Character One-shots

Soulmate - Lana Winters

Prompt: You and Lana meet in the asylum and stay friends afterwards. Inspired by the song soulmate by Natasha Bedingfield.

Tw: fluff, none?

Requested by @stayevildarling

Getting back to "Normal" life after being cooped up in Briarcliff was a lot easier said than done. You, thankfully, managed to get your old job back at the local library near your apartment and just took every day as it came, although slow and far less chaotic than Briarcliff, it was more preferable and you were thankful you were even able to get out there alive.

You're sitting at your desk on a chilly, rainy Saturday evening. It's time to close up soon and you're sorting through all the books that have been returned that day to stack back up on the shelves. The bell hanging from the door chimed gently, and you look over to see the brunette you've been longing to see again. Every Saturday you meet her after your shift to go back to your place to enjoy dinner together, a date of sorts. At your place, because the brunette is not really that great at cooking, her words, but you're more than grateful she would even take time out of her busy schedule to be with you, anyway.

She closes her umbrella, shaking the little droplets of rain off it as she makes her way towards you, her eyes lighting up as she sees your face. "Hey you," she greets with a warm smile, and your heart skips a beat.

You find yourself stumbling over your words as you would usually do when around her, "I'm just - I'm just going to finish up here, then we can head over to my place," you smile and she takes a seat in one of the comfy couches over to the right in the children's reading nook.

"How was your day?" she asks as you walk over to her, a stack of books in hand, almost dropping them clumsily and she lets out a breathy chuckle, "Here, let me help," she smiles, her tongue peeking out between her teeth adorably, "Any of these one of mine?" she teases

"Not unless you're a children's writer, Lana," you joke and she helps you put the books in their correct places before taking your hand. You look down as her hand fits perfectly in your own, butterflies erupting in your stomach as you've suddenly forgotten how to breathe.

"So what's Ms. Masterchef, cooking tonight?" she teases, snapping you from your thoughts as you turn the lights off in the room and go towards the door.

"I was actually planning on just ordering a pizza tonight." You shrug a little and a huge grin fills her features.

"Perfect idea," she scrunches her face adorably and pops open her umbrella again, "Ladies first," she says as she gestures over towards the door,

"You're so kind," you say as you leave into the pouring rain, Lana right behind you, guiding the umbrella over your head steadily as you lock up and you both make your way over to her car as it's not a good idea to bike home in this weather.

You're sitting in the passenger seat as you drive back home, taking a look out the window and you see an elderly couple in the window of one of the homes, you smile sweetly at them knowing they're soulmates and you're wondering why you haven't found yours yet. "Lana?" you ask after a moment of silence, only the sound of rain pattering off the roof of the car. She turns to you for a moment to indicate she is listening before looking back at the road. "Do you believe in soulmates?"

"I thought I did," she admits, you watch as her eyes become glassy as she spoke, and there's a small silence until you arrive home. You get out of the car quickly and head inside, calling up the pizza company as you had heard Lana's stomach growling a few times on the drive here, and you sit down on the couch as Lana heads to the bathroom.

Her words echo through your head as you sit there. She was talking about Wendy, wasn't she? She told you how her former lover was the reason she was admitted into Briarcliff, and how betrayed she felt and you know how insecure she is to get back into the whole dating thing since and you didn't blame her really. Trying to find love after something as traumatic as what Lana had been through is going to be tough. Hell, even finding love for yourself is tough. But whenever Lana is around, you can't help this strange feeling forming in the pit of your stomach. Your heart feels as if it almost skips a beat whenever you're around her. She literally renders you speechless when she is even in your presence. Her beautiful brown eyes you can get lost in for days. Is it possible the one for you is already in your life right in front of you? You shake your head quickly at those thoughts. Lana can never feel the same, of course not.

She enters the room again with that same soft smile on her face she has whenever she's around you, but now you thought about it you can't help yourself. Who doesn't long for someone to hold? You have all this love to give, so why are you alone? Why is she alone? She slumps down into the vacant space beside you and turns to face you.

"I do believe in soulmates." She says after a moment, her fingers fiddling together as she speaks, your gaze focuses on her as she finds the next words to say, "Wendy was... Most relationships are good but seem so transitory, it wasn't permanent." Tears glisten in her eyes as she looks at you and you hold out a hand for her to hold.

"You'll find someone again, there's enough out there for everyone," you say in almost a whisper.

"But I'm still waiting in line." She shakes her head. A sad smile graces her lips as she averts her gaze away from you. "I don't think there's going to be anyone else for me," she admits after a moment, biting her bottom lip as she squeezes her eyes shut

"Lana" you breathe, her name leaving your lips as your heart left your chest at that moment, broken, sad.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, and the doorbell rings, interrupting the moment. The pizza arrived far too quickly, but with good timing.

You left to collect it and Lana wipes her eyes, and you see her looking in her pocket mirror as you return with the boxes.

You eat in comfortable silence, but your mind doesn't stop racing. "Lana?" you question as she takes another slice.

"Hm?" she answers, and it's as if it's music to your ears.

"Do you think maybe we've been looking in the wrong places and been blind to what's right in front of us? Because I certainly have." she almost chokes on the pizza and she puts it down quickly. Your heart is hammering right out of your chest and a blush rises up your cheeks.

"What are you saying?" she questions as she looks into your eyes, "That -?" tears well up in her eyes again as a million possibilities rush through her head but you can't read her face at that moment until she relaxes again and she gives you a soft smile. "Are you saying we're soulmates?" she caught on quickly, so maybe she wasn't too blind after all. She smiles at you and her smile can light up any room because it certainly just lit up your world.

"Yes." you let out quickly, your throat feeling tight, but as her hand reaches out towards you, you relax immediately. "We were there for each other when we needed it most, we -"

"found each other again when all hope was lost," she continues

You continue to just look lovingly into her eyes, your pizza now discarded on the coffee table. "Maybe we're meant to be, - Oh," you say as you pull a tissue from the box on the table. "You have something -" you reach over towards her bringing the tissue to her face as you smile at her bashfully, "here" her hand grips around your wrist gently as you wipe the pizza sauce from the corner of her lips.

"Do you really think -" You cut her off by pressing your lips to her own. The sensation it sent through your body was dizzying, every second your lips are pressed together felt like an eternity and it was beautiful. You never want it to end. You feel her lips form a smile as you cup her cheeks with your hands.

"Yes, I do"