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 on and contain content from.
I also don't claim to be a writer. My inspiration is to get a creative outlet going.
I only own Tyla Nevin and what pertains to her character story.
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"What happened to the Talon?" Tyla exclaimed, looking between Lex and the entire coffee shop which looked like a love fest that only Cupid would throw up and concoct. There were red streamers and hearts littered all over the ceiling, streaming down in pools. Cinnamon-smelling bubbles floated about, reflecting the amount of red from the walls. She knew Valentine's Day was here, but she didn't think it was going to explode into something like this.
Lex frowned as if to reflect that he didn't plan his small investment to overthrow with commercialized love. "I just offered herbal tea, I didn't know of this," he replied, guiltily before taking her hand and planting a kiss on her lips. "Stay here, I'll be a minute." He walked off into the fray, dodging a large balloon of Cupid with a bow and arrow.
Tyla shook her head, suppressing her amused smirk, and looked around at the different neon displays declaring the theme of love. Her eyes fell to Clark who was just coming up the steps to the entrance where she stood. "Oh, hi Clark, what are you doing here?" She asked. With how lame the festivities were, she didn't expect him to be here, especially because he was more heartbroken as of late when he found out that Lana was working on something closer to his secret than he would have liked.
"I...had a bad dream," he mumbled. "Then I decided to take a walk and I think this might be worse."
She laughed in disbelief. He might be right. "What was it about?" She asked, curiously.
"It...was rather long. But Lex didn't have legs and I think you ran Spheer Industries."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't let Lex hear you say that."
"Let me hear him say what?"
Clark turned to see Lex with two takeout drinks in his hands. He looked between the two of them together and he tried not to look suspiciously at them.
"Uh...that we were going to work on getting behind the whole thing with your father?" Tyla said, almost embarrassed. "I thought he would be the perfect journalist in the making, no? Maybe even public relations agent?"
She looked over to Clark who nodded slowly. It was better than anything. "I thought I could learn a lot from her." It was feeble lie but not that far from the truth. He knew how Tyla felt about stretching it with Lex.
Lex cautiously walked up the stairs as if he was processing whether or not Clark was dragging Tyla into something. "Well...if it's under her watchful eye, then why not?" He finally said as he handed the cup with the herbal tea to his wife. He glanced back to see Clark smiling. It was almost sincere. "I appreciate the civility here, Clark." He nodded to Tyla towards the exit. He wasn't going to stay here, now that he saw what the coffee shop now looked like.
"Right, um.... I'll see you at the reception party this Friday?" She wondered. It would be when they were originally going to get married. A dinner party was better than nothing at all and her mother had complained nonstop about the elopement since. "Your mother said you were joining us." Before Clark could give his hesitant answer, she gave him a quick wave before leaving with her husband out the door.
*****
Back at the manor, the halls were filled with people setting up for the reception in the hall. Each room was coming together, laced in green and white. Her family was coming in. Her friends from National City were already settling in their guestrooms upstairs. Ana was somewhere in the mansion, giving her boyfriend a tour of the place as if she owned it. Tyla didn't remember so many people being here at the same time. She ducked underneath a bench that was being carried out to the ballroom before she turned the corner to go into her home office as if an attempt to retreat.
Just then, Lex snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I have a surprise for you," he said, jolting her.
"You mean that wasn't it?" She joked as he kissed her on the cheek.
"It's better," he replied with a chuckle before he took her hand and led her up the stairs to their sleeping quarters.
They passed by their room and Tyla furrowed her brows. "Lex, where are you taking me?" She said, confusion etched on her face until Lex opened the door slowly in front of him. She gasped, momentarily taken aback. The room was a nursery, complete with a nook of all the baby supplies. He had turned this entire room into a lavender haven. She couldn't speak, she could only gaze in awe as Lex moved past her to go to the crib.
He put his hands on the dark mahogany wood, picking up two blankets. "So, I have this dilemma," he held them up. "I know it's a little early to find out the sex, but I couldn't decide between a triceratops or the little white bird." He smiled at her. "I tried to keep it neutral as possible"
Tyla smiled as she walked over to the crib, and looked at the space mobile that rotated slowly. She grazed her fingers along Neptune. "Lex, I"
"And I know I'm really getting ahead of myself, but I found some of the best daycares in the area. They have a waitlist but it shouldn't be too much of a problem," he blinked as Tyla quietly laughed. "W-why are you laughing?"
"Lex, this is perfect," Tyla reached over and took the blue bird blanket from his hand. She started to fold it. "This is amazing really."
"I just want it to be perfect. I want the best chance for them, so they don't turn out..." He cleared his throat. "I want Luthor to just be a name."
Tyla formed an "O" with her mouth and then walked around the crib to meet him. "Lex...if you're worried about being just like your father, I don't think that will happen," she said. "You don't need to shower our baby with all these things. They'll need love and support the most."
He took a deep breath and placed his hand on her stomach. "The love for a child is very different than my love for you," he responded in almost like a trance. It almost sounded like a question.
"Yes, but you're not alone in this." Tyla put her hand over his. "We'll figure it out together. Don't we always?"
Lex nodded slowly. They did but it was uncharted territory for the both of them. He was about to say something when he heard a loud crash out in the hallway and then Ana's laughter echo. He flinched. It couldn't be more difficult than wrangling the younger female Nevin. He sighed and then went out to investigate, leaving Tyla to go through all the toys that Lex managed to buy. Most still having the price tag on them.
****
The dinner table was filled with laughter. Tyla sat at one end, across from Lex who was engaged in another lengthy debate with one of her friends about the future of certain technologies. She was otherwise preoccupied with Chloe and Ana's animated conversation about Metropolis. He glanced over to her, giving her a grin before he tapped his champagne glass for everyone's attention. He stood up, watching as Tyla curled her fingers along her glass of water. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" He looked over at Martha's two empty chairs between her. Those were reserved for two guests who failed to show up. He hardly was surprised at who they were.
"I just wanted to thank you all for joining us to celebrate. Over the years, I'm sure some of you have placed a few bets on how long this relationship would last. I'm looking at you, Oren and Ana." A few chuckles echoed in the room as Oren frowned and blatantly slipped twenty dollars to his sister. "But I knew from the start that all bets were off with her. I'd like to toast my beautiful wife for making me the happiest man on earth. A feeling that I thought I could never have." He raised his glass, just as Clark and Lois burst through the room all clad in black leather.
"Looks like we missed dinner."
Tyla shot over a look. "What are you wearing?" She exclaimed. Although her look of disbelief was more than the attire of choice.
"I decided that formal was too much," Clark said, looking over to Lex whose jaw began to clench. "Oh, come on Lex, you think I was going to miss this?" He spied over at his mother who sat across from Lionel. "My own mother would rather raise a glass with a Luthor instead of standing by her own son."
Martha looked embarrassed as a few people glanced over to her. "Clark, you're not yourself," she locked eyes with Tyla who stood up. Could this be red Kryptonite?
"It's okay, Mom. You're more of a Luthor than a Kent these days anyways," Clark walked over to the table and put his hands on the back of the chair where Lionel sat. "I mean, Dad's been, what, dead a year? And it didn't take long for the thrall of money to sway you."
Martha shook. Tyla moved out of her chair and glanced over to Lois who looked visibly uncomfortable. The only indicator was that she was struggling to maintain her composure at the display. Lex started to follow suit, to join his beloved but Tyla raised her hand to stop him. "Lex," she warned, as she moved over to Clark. "He's just trying to get us to react."
That was what Lex was worried about but he held off. He simply glared at the younger man, trying not to display his worry for his pregnant wife.
But that only made Clark walk closer towards Tyla and the women that she was talking to earlier. He stopped behind Chloe's chair. The blonde was frozen, was unable to turn around to face him. "Chloe, I can't say that I'm surprised that you're celebrating here. I mean you knew how much I rather preferred Tyla than anyone else, even Lana." He leaned over her shoulder. His breath hot against her ear, almost whispering. "Maybe now that she's fully off the market, all those years of unrequited pining may actually pay off." He glanced over to Jimmy who sat next to her. "Sorry buddy." But his tone was the least bit sincere as he patted the man's shoulder. He looked across the table at Ana. "I can't say I haven't thought about it. Second to none," he pointed to her before he turned to Tyla. "And you. You know, you must have some idea that the whole Miracle Angel act was going to get under my skin. I mean come on, the joke's over now. You can't be that good. I know I'm not. There must be something bad creeping inside you. Oh wait, that's your child."
"Clark..." Tyla warned, clenching her hands into fists.
"What's wrong, Ty Ty?" The nickname was void of endearment. "You have everything wrapped around your little finger."
"Clark, I think you've done enough damage," Lex now started to walk over to them, unable to take the mockery. "Why don't you leave?"
"I'm not done yet!" Clark yelled. "Besides, Lex, I haven't given you my gift yet." He picked up Chloe's champagne glass. He downed the contents in an instant. "For sealing the deal." He turned back to Tyla and tossed the glass behind him. The glass shattered as he pulled her to him, kissing her fiercely.
Tyla instantly pushed away in disgust. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She took a step back and looked down the hallway. If she could grab the meteor rock that was nestled in the study, maybe Clark would just leave. All the guests gasped. Lex had enough. He rushed over to punch Clark, but the man dodged him easily. With one hand, he tossed Lex towards a table holding a display of wine glasses. Lex fell onto it, shattering all the glass to the ground.
"Lex!" Tyla exclaimed as Clark walked over to go punch Lex. She turned around. She wouldn't be able to make it to the study in time. Instead, she glanced over to Chloe who reached out a piece of kryptonite rock in her hand. Tyla pressed her lips together and reached for it. With her fist containing the light of the rock, she marched over to Clark. "Leave now!"
Clark coughed and looked up at her as he fell to his knees. Immediately, he felt a band of security rush over and pick him up, escorting him out. She turned to Chloe and Jimmy as they watched Lois yell at Clark as they walked out.
"Can you go and figure that out?" She asked, pointing towards the retreating chaos before she ran over to Lex to help him up and inspect any apparent wounds.
*****
Red kryptonite. The rock that made Clark turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. Chloe came back, meeting Tyla at the terrace, with a lipstick tube that apparently was filled with it. First, it got Lois and Lois went after Clark, the rest was all over the debris at the dinner. "What am I going to tell Lex?" She mumbled.
"Jealousy?" Chloe replied as she watched her friend pace back and forth. "I mean they're not exactly friends."
Tyla smoothed her white cocktail dress. "Well, now they're not. A lot of things were said," she groaned and bit the bottom of her lip nervously.
Behind her, the door opened, and Lex walked in. "Ty...are you okay?" He asked. He glanced over between Chloe and his wife, both turning around in slight shock. "The guests, they're asking about you."
"Um...I'm going to tell them that you'll be right out," Chloe excused herself, moving past Lex.
"You know, I should be asking you that," Tyla said. She walked over and put her fingers across his temple. "You should be sporting some cuts."
"I'm lucky," he mumbled before letting out a sigh. "I thought he was different."
"He is," she stopped, watching Lex give her an incredulous look. "Was...uh-I'm not sure how it works out really. The.... Black...kryptonite..." She chewed out the last words. Wondering if that would be enough to understand the behavior, to back Lex off from Clark's abilities. Regardless it being excusable or not.
Lex tried not to wince. He remembered that portion of his life all too vividly. "That was him, but it wasn't," he concluded. "How did he get a hold of it?"
"My guess? He dug into one of your father's projects a little too closely?"
"Maybe I should look into that then," Lex wondered, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"No, I'll talk to him when everything cools down," she reassured him. "Let's just enjoy the party." She was lying through her teeth. She hated it. It was like going through old habits all over again.