Timeline: Takes place between "Fortune" and "Kent."

Confessional Beginnings

Something she had learned early in life was that there was no such thing called 'the talk.' Because even in relationships, there's so many singular talks, not to mention the infamous 'talk' that teenagers share with their parents, that you can't narrow down one particular topic of discussion. From defining a relationship, to ending one, to opening yourself up further to a person, all these topics require 'the talk.'

In fact, the only similarities these talks share is that they're not easy and the mood is far from euphoric. There can be plenty of thought put into answers during these talks, or spontaneous decisions that can either make or break a relationship. Tess wasn't sure which path this talk would take, for as much as she could prepare her confession, she couldn't predict his reaction. Maybe that's why Tess almost took pride in avoiding talks in her past relationships.

But that didn't necessarily make the relationships stronger... or decent for that matter. Her track record proved that much. That was probably why she was planning on actually talking to Emil about... multiple things.

Since the night of the magical champagne, Tess and Emil had gone back to working normally. Sure, there was the odd glance, but nothing terribly noticeable. Mostly everyone had been civil, despite knowing about their night together, the exception being Oliver. He would bother Tess about it, but she wasn't having any of it because it wasn't long ago that he and Chloe could barely figure out their own relationship. One snappy comeback, and he'd usually glare at her and back off. All things considered, things weren't too bad.

However, despite their attempt to maintain their friends routine, the air around them was different. They both could feel it, and Tess could sense Emil trying, but time after time, she pushed him away subtly. Not because she wanted to, but... to be honest she wasn't sure why.

But keeping things from him probably didn't help. Which is why she was going to tell him the last burning secret she had and then try for something real. It had been long enough since Tess had felt she was in a healthy relationship and Emil offered her a decent shot at one.

Standing at the door to his office at the hospital, Tess took a deep breath. She knew he was behind that door, even if she couldn't hear the shuffling of his feet on the other side. For two minutes, her hand had been hovering over the doorknob, and for a second, Tess considered backing out.

Next thing she knew, she had turned the door handle and her eyes quickly met Emil's as the door swung open. Shutting her eyes momentarily, Tess regained her composure. "Sorry, I meant to knock. You busy?"

Emil shook his head. "What's up?"

Still standing in the doorway, Tess replied, "I was hoping we could... talk about what happened."

He had walked over his desk to drop off his notes so that he could give Tess his undivided attention, but the words caused him to pause in his spot. At this point, Tess could see his profile, so he didn't give too many tells of surprise other than the single stutter-step. But Emil too snapped out of it and told her what he thought she wanted to hear. "Based on how your recent behaviour, I assumed that we were acting as if nothing happened."

However, the more Emil thought about it, the less it made sense. If she wanted to let things go, then why would she want to talk about it? He moved his glasses towards his face and turned his head towards her. "Was I wrong?"

Tess sighed, understanding Emil's confusion because she hadn't made it easy on him. "Relationships aren't the easiest thing for either of us and with the world about to end, I –"

"You don't have to explain, Tess," Emil interjected. Placing his case file down at his desk, he couldn't resist rolling his eyes now that he wasn't facing her. "Let's just call it one crazy night and put it behind us."

"What if I don't want to?"

Emil's mouth opened slowly, not sure he had heard Tess correctly, but that didn't stop him from replying, "Then I'm listening."

The reply was all Tess needed to finally cross the threshold into Emil's office. Her heels echoed as she entered and she noticed how he had moved his head to glance in her direction. Tess stopped to stand right next to him, near the corner of the desk.

"I've been trying to break my bad habits, to really try to save the world, but the truth is... I've been keeping a secret from mostly everyone." She shook her head, sitting down on the desk, making sure to avoid any piles of paperwork. "And I'm afraid that if I say it, then nothing I've done will actually matter."

"You managed to convince Oliver of all people of your decency," Emil pointed out. "So I think you're overestimating the power of one act." It had to be recent, as Tess had come clean with pretty much everything since she began helping out in Watchtower.

"What if I was born a Luthor?" she deadpanned. After the words escaped, she looked towards the door, as she couldn't help but think that, despite his words, she'd be walking back out soon.

Emil was tempted to ask what brought that question about, but it became clear this was the secret she spoke of. It was a shock for sure, but nonetheless, he sat down next to her, reaching out to grab her hand. "Then I'd repeat my previous statement. You're overestimating this."

"Really?" Tess asked, shocked by how calm he was about this. Sure, it was Emil, but even so, this was not what she was expected. He was supposed to be angry, or at least a little more confused. Wasn't he?

But he wasn't because he knew Tess. When Chloe went MIA, and Tess was trusted in Watchtower, Emil had spent more time with Tess than any other team member. So even though he hadn't known Tess for very long, Emil still knew her character. That's why he could tell her without hesitation, "Your DNA may determine a lot of things, but it doesn't completely make you who you are."

Tess just sat there, her eyes moving from the door to the hand that held hers, feeling the warmth exuded in the contact and through the words he said. She had spent hours convincing herself that this was the right thing to do and it turns out that she was right. Because of that, for once, she couldn't find the words to say, as thanks felt pretty inadequate.

So Emil pressed on, his curiosity getting the best of him. "Who does know, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Just Clark." Reminded of the night Clark came to her at the mansion, she let a grin slip. "The mirror box kind of blew my secret out of the water."

Seeing the change in her demeanour and the way she had accepted his contact, Emil realized they were making real progress. "Obviously that went well."

Tess nodded. "The alternate world got him to accept it before I even had a chance to tell him." She was so sure that Clark would continue to rip her head off for keeping that secret, but he oddly understood everything. That was probably what gave her hope for today.

"So what are you worried about?" If Clark had known since his trip to the mirror world, then Tess had been harbouring this secret for a very long time. While Emil understood her reason to keep it a secret in the beginning, after Clark understood, Emil liked to think that Tess and him could talk about anything. And while Tess did admit that she thought this would undo all the work she had done, Emil thought she knew that he knew her better than that.

Exhaling, Tess got up from the desk, taking a few steps away. Still facing away from him, she scoffed. "No offence to Clark, but his bar for trusting people isn't exactly high." In fact, it wasn't much lower than Tess', as she was stupid enough to trust Zod and Lex too. "It's nice having someone in my corner, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was the only one."

Emil remained seated, giving Tess space for the moment, but he knew he had to interject here. "Do you mind if I say something?"

"Please." At this point, Tess needed him to say something. Even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear, she was ready to hear it.

Looking down at his hand that used to bear his wedding ring, Emil confessed, "I hadn't even considered a relationship since my wife died. I figured that I met the love of my life and I should be grateful to experience that much."

Still facing away from him, Tess shrugged. "Makes sense."

"Tess... you give me hope that there's more for me to experience." Standing up again, he took a small step towards her. "A last name is not going to change that." Reaching out, his fingers just barely hung onto her shoulder. "If you want to let me in, I'm in. But that's a decision you have to make."

She peered towards the fingertips making contact, her teeth dragging against her lower lip. "Do you ever say the wrong thing?" she asked, still in slight disbelief about how well he took her secret.

Emil grinned. "You'd be surprised how many times." After all, despite what Tess believed, everyone was capable of making mistakes and Emil knew he was no exception.

Allowing herself to smile just the slightest, Tess answered, "Okay." Turning back around, she felt her fingers collide with his chest, looking up to see how close he had come to her. "Let's give this a shot."

Meeting her eyes, Emil carefully moved a loose strand of hair from her face. "You're sure?"

After a short nod, Tess leaned in slightly, grazing her lips over his, pausing at the feeling of the contact. The disadvantage of the night that was... she never really knew what it was like, kissing him, her hands on his skin, vice versa. All the steps they were afraid of were skipped over that night, but with no recollection, she wasn't sure how they were supposed to start again.

So he helped her, cradling her face with his hand, closing the millimetre that still existed between their lips, confirming to Tess that he wanted to give this a real chance. The kiss itself wasn't much and it didn't last long either, but backing away, Emil knew, this was the real beginning of something.

The night of the bachelor party may have been the catalyst, but this moment when they accepted the other, despite the baggage, the secrets they held, this... this was the start.

~End~