Pieces

Incantation

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 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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Lex tapped his fingers along the keys of his grand piano. He had the mansion to himself, and oddly enough, the quiet seemed to bother him. He was so used to having Tyla around that he had forgotten what it was like to be alone in the grand manor. On any regular Saturday, he would have found the blonde on the couch, reading one of the many books in his study to wind down from the week. Instead, the only things that indicated her presence were the bags that rested on the black leather seat of the armchair as well as the bouquet of lilacs and peonies that he had recently bought and delivered to her at LuthorCorp. Now, they were placed in a dark blue vase on top of the piano, reminding him of the beauty.

Which led him to focus his attention on the sheet music's notes, gracing the keys one at a time. The piano gave him the comfort he needed when he too wanted to relax. It was a rekindled passion, one he hadn't graced until a few years ago. He wondered why he had stopped in the first place. It wasn't very often that he could find himself surrendering into peace.

"Lex, that's beautiful," he heard the melodic tones of his girlfriend behind him as he finished off the last part of Schubert's No.2 composition. He turned around, slightly shocked, and a little bit embarrassed. However, he didn't show the former feeling.

"I thought you were spending the night in Metropolis with your friends," he said, distantly. He could have sworn that her jeep was parked in the garage and her friends had picked her up. Where had she come from?

Tyla bit her lip in amusement. It wasn't every day that she could elude the billionaire. Not that she wanted to, but Lex tended to watch her like a hawk. "I was just putting away some things that I got with my coffee date before I drove over. They dropped me off..." She trailed off and smirked as Lex clenched his jaw. "It's not like that. It was a couple of friends from that self-defence class you signed me up for. I wouldn't pass you up, especially if you were harboring such talent all along."

He relaxed a little, not ignorant of the compliment that she gave him. He leaned away from the piano and rested his hands on his lap. "I'm afraid I'm a little rusty," he admitted, feeling a little sheepish. He wasn't sure when was the last time that he had played the piano in front of someone. Perhaps it was in university? Maybe even longer. Tyla looked impressed all the same. "I would rather you see me at my best."

"Please," she scoffed. "I've liked you at your worst and I'll be there at your best." She walked over towards the piano and leaned over to give him a quick peck on his cheek before fingering the sheet music in front of him. She pulled the booklet forward and eyed the back for the cover. "Keep playing, I would love to hear some more Schubert."

"As you wish." Lex licked his forefinger and skimmed through the pages to find something a little slower. He started to play and looked over to watch her walk towards the bags. "So those things you were mentioning...." Tyla looked back as he played, and Lex nodded towards the packages that were nestled in the bag.

The woman made a face and looked back towards the bags, carefully tearing apart the packaging. "There was an international wine festival nearby so I thought I would use LuthorCorp expenses to upgrade the stock." She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone as she revealed the neck of a chardonnay bottle.

"For whose benefit I wonder?" he murmured, half-jokingly.

"Oh, don't you start?" She scolded, only to stop as see Lex smirking as he played. He glanced at the page every so often. Either he was being modest, or rusty meant that he didn't memorize the song as well as before. Regardless, his omission would go unchecked. "Expenses as in from my paycheck. I figured we can have the family feel fancy for a change." She started to take another bottle of chardonnay out of the package and make her way to the wine cellar.