A/N: These are a series of Tess Mercer drabbles, all taking place in Season 10. I've written some missing scenes during or around the episodes, ("Abandoned", "Kent", and "Beacon"). Season 10 felt extremely rushed to me, leaving missed opportunities for important scenes between the top four in exchange for 8 billion guest star appearances. So these 'Mercy drabbles' are like most fan fiction, a way to correct the original writing and fill in those much needed moments. I hope you enjoy!
I don't own Smallville, no profit was had but a lot of fun was.
Here and Beyond That Horizon
[Her story doesn't end.]
Tess stared out the window of the Luthor mansion.
She held the horrifying document in her hand - her birth certificate that had a birthdate on it that was not hers. Everything in her life was altered and yet at the same time, not a thing had changed. Not really.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. For the first time she understood that this mansion - this hideous prison she resided in - was now a part of her legacy. She hadn't simply been named the sole proprietor of the Luthor dynasty; it was her inheritance.
A deep pain spread throughout her chest. She closed her eyes as the emotions overwhelmed her senses. Once again, her self-worth had been shattered.
Lex hadn't ever had any faith in her. Even after his betrayal, she still held onto the notion that at the very beginning, he had loved her and trusted her. That he had seen something special in her. Something he truly admired.
Now Tess understood that she could've been anyone in the world, so long as she carried a genetic link to him. The trust between her and Lex had merely been a childlike fantasy that she'd made up in order to rationalize his devotion to her. Lex had longed for a sibling, a brother, more specifically, and when there was no longer any hope of Julian or Clark filling that void, she became his last resort. It had never been about her at all. Lex hadn't valued her loyalty or her intelligence. He had used her to fill the void inside of him.
Truly, she was the bastard half-sister cast aside until there were no other options.
Tess wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and tucked the birth certificate away.
"I am not a Luthor," she whispered softly to herself.
She felt fierce determination rise up inside her - her reliable Mercer strength kicking in. She would not be defined by this. She would always be Theresa Anne Mercer.
To Be Continued!