A/N: I don't own Smallville or any characters and places in the DC universe. Nor do I own the episodes that these chapters are based and contained from.
I also don't claim to be a writer. My inspiration is simply to get a creative outlet going.
I only own Tyla Nevin and what pertains to her character story.
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"Where do you want it?"
Lex glanced up from his desk in his study. She stood in front of him with one hand clutching the clipboard while the other hand rested upon her hip. She looked over at him, expectantly. "That's a loaded question," he finally said, amusement twinkled in his eye. He wasn't going to admit to her that he wasn't particularly paying attention.
"The gala," she clarified. An exasperated sighed escaped her lips as she caught his innuendo. "Which venue should I be looking into?"
It was the annual Luthor Charity Auction. Lex's father handed the assignment over to him which naturally meant giving the task to Tyla to deal with. She couldn't graciously leave like she had last time. Instead, she had been collecting the auction items for around a month and preparing for the long-anticipated event. Some of the items were from Metropolis University, others from business moguls and investors who had their hands in various projects. They were just putting together the last-minute touches but the venue decision was something that Lex needed to do. Unfortunately, because Lex was admitted to Belle Reve when it was originally going to happen, it meant that the event was postponed. Lionel would not have kept it up, instead, he was more for cancelling it if the money wasn't going into his pockets.
"Here."
"Really?" Tyla said in disbelief. She snapped herself away from her thoughts and hesitantly wrote the address on her clipboard. It wasn't that the mansion wasn't suitable, but she never thought Lex would be one to entertain so many guests.... in his private home.
Lex moved away from his computer to look at her. "The auction will take place at the garden and the gala itself will be on the first floor," he stated. "The second and third floor will be off limits of course."
Tyla scribbled quickly. "I-okay," she replied, slowly. "So what theme are we going for?" Last year, she remembered that Lionel Luthor went for Historical Greats, something appropriate for a museum venue.
Lex thought for a bit. "What is the collection like?" he asked.
"Most of the artifacts have a winter or ocean look to them." There were lots of blue-ish items from what the blonde had catalogued so far. She hadn't gone over the entire inventory yet but, it seemed like that was what chance had given them.
"Make it a winter theme of some sort. We can say The Frost of..."
"May?" Lex waved his hand, showing that he approved before turning back to his computer to look over updates on his latest projects. "So, the ice sculpture will be in your image then?" Tyla added with a slight smirk on her face as she wrote on her clipboard.
Lex raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "Why?" His tone heeding caution to her.
"Your gala, your auction," she counted. "Your mansion-"
"Your doing," he interjected. She was putting together the event. He could give her the creative license mostly because he didn't want to be bothered with it anymore. "Make it an angel."
****
The mansion was completely transformed. The entrance into his home was decked out with blue and white balloons. Silky blue and silver ribbons filled up the hallways leading towards the ballroom, the study, the conservatory, and main dining area of the mansion. Each window was printed with frosted mylar as if Father Winter had come into the night and turned the place into a winter palace. Towers of white dotted the main floor with imitation snow. The main hub and dining area was rid of the grand table that once stood there. Instead, the room was filled with round tables, decorated with silver and white chairs. Icy blue crystal vases centered each table, adorning white bouquets of roses. The ice sculpture, a large angel about to take flight, sat at the middle of the ballroom atop a light blue miniature fountain.
It was just after dinner and Lex stayed in the conservatory admiring the Miracle Angel's handwork. At this time, the auction was taking place for those who felt like emptying their pockets and the ballroom was in full effect for those who felt like having a good time. He lingered near the now occupied bar where he could look out towards the garden, nursing his brandy while people walked up to him and congratulated on the event's success. Lex had decided to don an all-black suit. While others would abide by the theme, he had the liberty not to. He would take the credit and the freedom to be whoever he wanted without chagrin. He leaned back, about to take a sip from his brandy when he stopped to see his personal assistant walking over towards the bar to grab a glass of sparkling white wine.
The woman was wearing an almost shear light blue dress. Icy vines crept up the bodice from the corset and spilt to her forearms, leaving her collarbone and part of her bosom bare. The rest of the dress hugged to her body, flowing down to the floor, and wisping around her. To Lex, she was wearing frost itself, with its floral branched motif creeping every which way. The back of the dress was a caped shawl that attached to the corset like folded wings. It too fluttered down to meet the floor. With every subtle move she made, it looked like she had an aura around her. One that seem rather calming and fitting to her person. Her left wrist had a small, light, blue-jeweled bracelet, one that connect the shawl. Accordingly, every time that she raised her hand, the shawl would shutter slightly and move along with her. Tyla's dirty blonde locks were in curls, falling down her back like water.
Lex took moments to take her in before noticing that he had caught her gaze. She took a sip from her glass, delicately holding the stem of the glass. She smiled at Lex and raised her glass to him. Lex took a deep breath, raising his own glass to her and drank his brandy. He straightened up his posture, moving from the beam as she approached him.
To his disappointment, he hadn't had the chance to speak to her over dinner. He was distracted with his speech and Tyla had placed investors or partners that he wanted to do business with at his table. However, he would have loved to have her sit with him. There was an empty seat next to him where his father should have been. It was obvious that he would not attend. Lex would have asked Tyla to join him but if she had a choice, she wouldn't be at the seat of the business table at an even like this. Instead, he noticed that she had sat at a table with her work friends. At least it wasn't another date.
"You've outdone yourself, Miss Nevin," he said, politely. He glanced over at a project partner who looked over to him, wondering if Lex was free to speak. However, the entrepreneur turned his gaze fully to the goddess in front of him. He looked her over, pausing over each curve for a brief second. She could have been either an ice queen or a snow angel.
"This is your event, Lex," she spoke, bringing his attention back to her brown eyes. "I just brought it to life."
"I'm talking about your dress," he replied, haphazardly. He reached up to brush part of the shawl between his index finger and thumb. He couldn't help but caressed her arm down to her wrist, taking the white glass from her. Surprisingly, she did not pull away. "Dance with me." He placed both his glass and hers on the countertop before taking her hand and leading her to the ballroom.
"Lex, I-" Tyla looked over as they passed a few people. She smiled politely and averted the looks from others. "Is this a good idea?" Her voice was barely audible as they entered the room. A string quartet with a piano filled down to a slower tune.
"Yes, I am allowed to dance with my assistant," Lex scoffed. "You know that I have done worse to merit news of a scandal." She had managed most and reduced them to merely rumors. Dancing with a friend and colleague to whom he had not the pleasure to talk to all evening would not break either of their reputations. "I trust you know how to waltz?"
"Calm down, it's just following your lead," she murmured, confidently as she placed her left hand on his shoulder. Her shawl quivered like a wing about to wrap Lex.
He shifted to clasp his hand with hers. "Correct," Lex rested his left hand on her waist and started to dance with her. Oddly enough, it felt natural. As she moved with him, it was like they had practiced together for years. Her small smile on her face grew wider. It was something of ease and pure relaxation. Her dress flew around like ocean waves as he twirled her.
After a couple of hours that felt like minutes, he pulled her close to him. "You should wear things like this more often, Ty." He whispered into her ear. "You've been holding out on me." He pulled back as Tyla let out a small laugh. "This is me making the first move by the way." Tyla's face went from pure comfort to shock. A blush started to redden her cheeks. "And that was the moment I was looking for." He chuckled as she blinked, clearly caught off guard. "So Tyla, will you have dinner with me? Or will I have to worry about some surprise suitor?"
It took Tyla a while to realize that she was standing still with Lex in the middle of the ballroom. It took her another moment to realize that he had asked her a pair of questions. "I think you made sure that no one in LuthorCorp will be around anymore," she managed to joke causing Lex to smirk.
"What is the answer then?"
"Yes," she looked into his green eyes, almost expecting him to be stunned back but he made no move whatsoever. He had waited so that there wasn't a doubt for either of them. He pressed his lips, running his tongue against his bottom lip before looking over towards the terrace that led towards the garden. The room suddenly became too loud for him to bear. He lowered his hand and offered his arm. With her arm intertwining his, he led her out to the lower terrace.
Tyla felt a wave of relief as he opened the door. She let go of him and walked forwardt, resting her hands against the cool stone balcony. Lex ambled slowly behind her, after closing the door and watched her as she surveyed the silent auction taking place in the vast backyard. "Did you donate the entire daguerreotype collection to the auction?" She asked, in disbelief. The Luthor items were never put in the inventory, mostly because they tended to be added right before the event started. She turned back to look at him as he joined her. His hands were mere inches from hers.
"Yes, come on, did you think old, still-life photography spoke to me?" He quipped. He was aware that they were rare prints worth millions, but he would rather shed away those pieces for something else. Especially because he had taken them down from his office a long time ago. He couldn't stand the sight of them. He looked at her as she laughed once more.
"And the Ficus?" She looked to her right to notice the already bought pieces. The proud plant being among them.
"It's an expensive Ficus. I hated that plant." Another retort. It was either this or he would have thrown it out of the office at LuthorCorp via the window. But he didn't want to talk about the auction. He reached over and placed his hand underneath the shawl so that he splayed his fingers along the small of her back. "I don't think I have outrightly told you that you look gorgeous tonight."
"Lex, I already said yes," she reminded him, not used to this charming and gentler side to him. She gave him a warm smile and raised herself up to kiss him on the cheek. Finally, she had earned a look of shock from him. She looked back to the auction and stopped for a beat. "That's new...." She pointed over to the next item on the docket. A blue Jackson Pollock adorned, one that Lex was able to tell as Study 98. He vaguely remembered one of the investors mentioning that they had donated it for the auction. He watched her as she looked at the art piece in awe.
"Do you want it?"
Tyla laughed. "I would get outbid in a second," she said, almost too loudly as a few people at the back rows turned around to see her. She quickly put her hand over her mouth and shook her head apologetically. Her salary alone would barely dent how much it was worth. She turned back to Lex who was trying to hold back a large, amused smile. "I can't afford that, Lex."
He raised his hand, motioning the auctioneer that he was coming into the bid. The auctioneer upon finishing his spiel about the piece, nodded and took a bid from an older woman to the far left. As Lex began to bid, he looked back to Tyla. "Why worry?" he lowered his voice. "We'll replace the daguerreotypes this way." It would probably make a good addition to either of her offices.
"You're not serious..." She gasped. She didn't expect that that he was willing to do this for her. He looked so serene for someone who was already bidding a million over the piece.
"About you, yes," he said, nonchalantly. "You like it so you can have it as piece of this place. You have been living here long enough. Consider it a housewarming gift." If not to woo her further and make her happy.
"Lex...I don't know what to say."
"You already said all I needed to hear. A thank you would suffice."
She smiled. "Thank you."
Lex's smirk grew with pride as the piece was sold to him. The older woman had backed out the minute Lex bid the million. He turned to Tyla whose eyes never left his face. She reached over to hold his arm, effectively getting him to lower it from bidding another art piece for her. He looked into her eyes and leaned in to kiss her. It didn't take much for her to give in and kiss him back. Uncaring of a couple of people who looked back at the two of them, Tyla wrapped her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. Lex pulled her closer and embraced her, finally welcoming the long-awaited moment between them.