Pieces

Complete

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 carried on with trepidation. He was usually more calculating than this but when it came to Tyla, he resorted to actions only based on hunches. It was new territory that left him either frozen or cautious; the two types of behaviors that Tyla noticed almost instantly. She could tell that the guilt was weighing on him.

Even after their talk, he had proceeded to give her more space. She had moved out of the Kents' home into her mother's place, finally telling her about the need to be distant from her significant other. It was not sorted as to whether they would continue or cease. It left her exhausted to think about it during her brief therapy sessions.

They spoke twice; the first time she had initiated. She had called him to say that she wanted to resume work. If he wanted her to be a partner still, so be it. The billionaire felt like he had to contain his excitement. The second time, Lex had called her with newfound confidence. He offered himself as a sacrificial tribute to go to therapy with her. This shocked Tyla. Lex had strong opinions about talk therapy and even more because of his own experiences but for her, he would do anything.

All it took was five sessions. Five sessions of tackling Tyla's fear and hesitance. Five sessions of Lex's own terror and guilt. Five sessions of resolving something great between them. It was as if this was permission to continue forth. Lex took it upon himself to properly woo her. But he would do so on her own turf which is why he was on the front step of the Meyers Farm and Winery with a large bouquet of orchids in his hand.

The beauty that popped out from the front door was not the blonde he was expecting. Instead, a blue-eyed, brown-haired girl stood outside with her hands tucked under her arms staring down at him. A black tricolor Australian shepherd pawed at the screen, whimpering. "Is that another one of your bunches of flowers?" Ana Nevin huffed.

Lex stood stunned. He didn't expect Tyla's sister to be here. Of course, he wasn't privy to when Tyla was going to see her family anymore. A sudden thought flashed in his mind. Did their father know??

"Earth to Billionaire?" Ana snapped him back to the present. "Are you just going to stand there and gawk or do you want to hand over the flowers?" She extended her hand, reaching out and waiting for Lex to give yet another bouquet. The home was filled with countless of flowers which although gleefully entertained their mother, it surprised the younger Nevin that Tyla hadn't put Lex out of his misery yet. "How much is this one?"

"Ana don't ask him that," the tired voice of Tyla graced them as she opened the screen door further. She took a step forward and Velcro ceased his whimpers. The dog ran out and barked happily at Lex, remembering the man. "I'll take those," she added. The tone of her voice a little lighter towards him as she gave him an out. "Take a walk with me and Velcro?"

Lex hesitated but nodded as she came down the porch stairs, the Aussie in tow. He ignored the harsh choice Croatian words coming from Ana and strode in step with Tyla. Velcro darted forward into the darkness, only to dart back every so often to check if they were still following. He watched as she held the flowers to her chest while they walked. The silence this time was comforting. Sheepishly, he asked, "The dog isn't for protection, is it?"

Tyla laughed softly. "No, Lex...we're way past that," she said. She gestured the flowers. "I would assume that this is a social call and not business," She hadn't fully returned to work on a full-time capacity, but Lex had made the announcement to the press and the company a short while back. Their first order of business was the Kawatche caves that she had helped protect from Lionel's clutches some time ago. She had met with him a couple of times at the mansion to go over the layouts of the caves, but they had hit a bit of the wall in the process. Literally.

"You're right," Lex replied. "I wanted to check up on you, but it seems that your sister...is aware."

"Neither of them know the entire story, if that is what you're worried about," she admitted. She didn't tell them that a rock had caused Lex to gather a split personality for a moment of time. She didn't tell them that both she and Clark had to fight an Evil Lex, nor did she disclose that the injuries were made by him. The verbal berating, that was true. The fear and confusion while needed to stay with the Kents was also the truth. But as time went on, she was more convinced that the Lex before her was the Lex that she was falling in love with all over again. That this was the same man who helped her protect her sister. This was the same man that defended her against his father's threats. The same man that saved her quite a couple of times.

"That's not what I am worried about," Lex pressed his lips together. There was more silence between them as Velcro trotted back towards them and paced around in the dark.

"You're worried about us?" Tyla raised her eyebrow. She looked over to study his face. "We're not over, Lex." Their relationship may have stepped back down a couple of notches, but she didn't want to get rid of him from her life.

"Then is it too much to presume that we may celebrate our anniversary?" He wondered. It was a selfish request, but he never stopped loving her. Even if it wasn't to celebrate the full force of their relationship, the anniversary was relatively close to when they first met, when their friendship started.

Tyla thought for a bit. "No...things haven't been off kilter lately," she mumbled. She was still gauging him, but she wasn't afraid. Not anymore.

"I would really like to take you out somewhere but I'm not going to push you if you're not-"

"Lex...stop. Don't let your guilt consume you," she quoted her therapist. He had told Lex the same thing during one of those five sessions. Tyla hoped that this would bring him back from his worry. She cradled the bouquet in one arm and lowered her hand to take his. They stopped walking and looked at each other. "Besides, if we go to the day, it's not for another month."

"I just want to make sure we're.... okay?" He hated this feeling of uncertainty.

"We're okay," she reassured him. "We're working on it." They didn't come out unscathed, but they weren't ruined. She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss.