Sorry for the long wait! I tried doing Nanowrimo again this year, but didn't make it. It took me a bit to get back on track with all my fics. But I'm back now! And I think I have my mojo back. Thank you so much for all the support so far; it really means a lot! :)

Anon. Review:
Melody Jane: Oh my goodness, thank you! It's so great to hear that you're liking it so far, and I'm glad there's a little chemistry between Lex and Peyton! :)

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Peyton froze as she stared at the photograph on the magazine cover. She had forgotten all about their little run in with the paparazzi. Her gaze shot from the picture up to the couple staring down their noses at her and she grit her teeth behind closed lips.

Wonderful. This was just what she needed.

"What do you want to know," she hedged. If their expressions were anything to go by, the question hadn't done her any favors.

"What were you doing running around Metropolis," her not-mother asked shrilly.

"Without any security," her not-father added.

Peyton couldn't help but roll her eyes a little and gestured to the doorway.

"Ok, first of all, I invited Lex to dinner and he's right here."

Merrill actually let out a gasp as Lex stepped into view and bowed his head briefly in a respectful greeting.

"Mr. and Mrs. Woods, nice to see you again. I hope I'm not imposing."

Samuel grunted a bit suspiciously but still stood to shake his hand.

"Not at all," Merrill said before her husband could speak. "I suppose it's not often that Peyton has friends over. Go ahead, have a seat! The first course should be in shortly."

Lex pulled out a chair for Peyton and she shot him an amused look as she quietly thanked him and sat down. He followed suit in the chair right next to her. Samuel shook out his napkin and put it back in his lap.

"You still need to explain why you ran around the city unaccompanied," he pressed.

For some reason, Peyton felt that explaining she needed to get out of the house because she was really an adult from another universe trapped in their daughter's body wouldn't go over too smoothly. Usually people didn't take that sort of news very well. Perhaps it said something about Lex that he had accepted it so quickly. She cleared her throat to stall a moment longer.

"Oh, well, you see, with it being so close to Christmas I thought I could go get presents for-"

Lex kicked the side of her foot under the table and when she cut her eyes at him he subtly shook his head.

"Ha," Peyton faked laughed. The expressions on the parent's faces said just how much they were about to buy into that story. "Can you imagine," she asked in a higher voice. "For real though, like, Lex and I needed a break from our project, ok?" She sighed in a very teen drama-esque way. "Is that so bad? You guys were working and Metropolis isn't that far away. Sheesh."

She cut her eyes back over to Lex and he vaguely nodded in approval.

Samuel continued to frown.

"You know we have a rule about going out with an escort. Perhaps you don't realize just how dangerous it is for you with-"

"Oh, Samuel, I'm sure she understands now, don't you dear? Let's talk about this another time; we have a guest."

"A guest who was running amok with her. Going to lunch and holding hands," he added with distrust growing in his voice.

Peyton slapped her forehead into her hand and groaned.

"We're just friends, uh… dad. Please don't be weird about this."

When she looked to Lex again he just shrugged marginally and played up a look of disappointment. Peyton glared at him before rolling her eyes again.

Dinner finally arrived after that and Peyton was blessed with a distraction and a few moments of quiet as everyone started eating.

There was barely the sound of metal on porcelain as everyone started on their bowl of soup.

Peyton had been raised with table manners, but this level of finery brought to mind rulers slapping knuckles and angry, snapping governesses. She made sure that her back was painfully straight and delicately dipped her spoon into her own bowl. It was a French onion soup, which seemed a bit heavy to start off a meal, but Peyton kept that thought to herself.

Her peace only lasted for half the bowl though.

Peyton was trying to delicately scrape some of the cheese off the side of the rim when Samuel sternly cleared his throat while putting down his spoon. She cut her eyes quickly to Lex, who was glancing over as well, before facing the man again.

"Was there something else," she questioned when he only stared levelly at her.

"Nothing? Peyton, I know you're lying to me. I'm no fool." Peyton stiffened further in her seat and her gaze became guarded. "You've been behaving differently these last few days, more animated," he said. "Did you think you were being subtle about these changes?"

She gaped momentarily, unsure of how to respond.

"What are you trying to say," she asked, instead of giving a proper answer. He was fishing for something, and she wasn't about to blurt out the truth. No, they'd have to pry that from her if they wanted it.

"How long have you and Mr. Luthor been together?"

"Together!" She echoed; her spoon fell into her bowl.

"Dating." He clarified.

"Dating!"
Her voice came out in a squeak as she pushed back in her chair. Lex's hand rested over hers, holding her in place, before she could deny the outrageous claim.

"A month," he answered for her.

"Lex!"
He shrugged, but shot her a look from under his brows that clearly said to play along.

"I told you that you couldn't lie to your parents," he said.

Merrill's eyes shone brightly at the news and she clapped her hands together.

"Peyton! Why ever would you lie to us about something like that? Alexander is an upstanding young man!"

Any attempts to deny Lex's claims now would only appear to be a sad, blatant lie. She grit her teeth and blew a puff of air through her nose.

"I don't know," she bit out. "I guess it just didn't seem real yet."

Lex pat her hand and smiled.

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The rest of dinner was a rollercoaster; Merrill glowed, Samuel seethed, and getting grounded for lying hung in the air until Lex smoothly mentioned a last minute Christmas party invite for his the event his father was hosting that would be a great networking opportunity. Even Samuel perked up at the invitation and Peyton made sure that they slipped out of the dining room while the couple was still in a decent mood.

She dragged Lex by the sweater behind her as she darted through the doors, down a hall, and pushed him into a small, enclosed corner.

"Ok, what was that?" She hissed. "Why'd you tell them we're dating?"
"I've seen that look your dad was wearing before," he said. "Nothing you said would convince him otherwise. Besides, that project excuse would've only lasted so long. At least this way if you stick around for longer it won't seem so weird that I'm over."

Peyton let go of his sweater and frowned. His argument made sense, she supposed. At least if he were as insistent on spending all this time over as he appeared to be.

"Aren't you going to get in trouble for coming over so much? And anyway, it might just suck more for you when we switch back. The other Peyton seems, well, like she belongs here more, if you catch my drift."

Lex smirked.

"I'll take my chances. And the other Peyton, she, it's weird actually. She's usually just whoever the people around her want her to be. Like a mimicking puppet. There's nothing genuine about her."

"Gah." Peyton shook her head and winced. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said that. We shouldn't talk bad about her when I have no idea what's happening to her and am stealing her body."

"It's true though," Lex said. "You're better."

Peyton pinned him with a stare for a moment and then groaned as she leaned back and pressed the palms of her hands into her eyes.

"I'm going to jail," she whined. "Oh my gosh. I'm twenty-four you know. This is not ok."

"Not here."

"I don't care. It counts."

Lex rolled his eyes.

"Well, your parents think we're dating now and we don't know how long you'll stay. No going back now."

Peyton pulled her hands away from her face and glared at him. He was pushing his luck with his smug tone and he was lucky "her parents" were just down the hall.

"You wanna play it like that," she said, "ok. But there's some rules to this little charade. You don't get anything more than occasional hand holding. No pet names, no PDA to "sell it"; I don't care how many cheesy teen movies you've seen. It ain't happening."

He held up his hands in surrender and laughed.

"Ok, ok. That sounds fair enough."

She waited a bit suspiciously, but he didn't add on anything else, and she huffed with a nod.

"Good. Now thanks to you I have to deal with those people in the dining room. Apparently we have a Christmas party to prepare for now."

"You're welcome."

"I thought your dad didn't do Christmas anyway."

Lex huffed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks and he rocked back on the heels of his feet.

"Please. That party is all business. Usually it's insufferable."

"I really appreciate being dragged into it then."

He grinned at her statement and she wasn't quite sure why, but at that point it was time for him to go home and she walked him to the front door before seeing him off.

On her way back in the house she could hear Merrill calling her name from an office down the all. She held a finger up to her lips as she passed one of the staff and made a silent dash for her room.

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Peyton did not wake up in her own bed the next day. She was not entirely surprised, but she spent half an hour under the spray of the shower just staring at the expensive tiling and zoning out.

Shell shocked, that's the word that came to mind as she sat in the kitchens and ate breakfast. Lex sent her a text, as was now routine, but by then she had calmed down again and decided that she had a few errands she wanted to run. She told him she'd let him know when she was free.

Then she recruited a chauffeur, which came with an accompanying security guard apparently, and asked to be taken out to Metropolis. After dinner the previous night and the fact that she couldn't prove that she was actually an adult, at least mentally, she wanted to stay on everyone's good side. Being grounded when she should be able to buy her own house was not something she wanted to be stuck with.

Metropolis was bustling with businessmen (and women) and last minute gift shoppers. Peyton considered herself one of the former, although by no fault of her own. After all, she'd only discovered it was almost Christmas a few days ago. She forced her bodyguard, whose name was James, to keep pace with her as she hurried from store to store. As she hadn't really spent enough time around the mansion staff to get to know them properly, she pestered him to tell her about the various workers likes and hobbies so she could buy for them.

Having a credit card due to a dear, old Daddy Warbucks was the one plus she could come up with for her situation so far. James didn't exactly work alongside the house staff regularly, but he knew them well enough to offer bits of advice. She tried to get them at least one semi personal gift, and tossed in a few various gift cards to play it safe.

For the people who were supposed to be her parents, she didn't have a clue. Surely anything they wanted they'd already bought. And their behavior had been so stereotypically Rich Person so far that she couldn't exactly make a guess as to what they might enjoy.

In the end she got an expensive bottle of some floral perfume for her "mom" and a nice leather planner for her "dad".

"I'm winging it," she said to James as she let the bags with her supposed-parent's gifts dangle from her fingers. "Do you have any better ideas?"

"I'm afraid I don't, Miss Woods," he replied diplomatically. "I'm sure your parents will love that you thought of them."

Peyton snorted.

"Have you met them? I should probably have gotten some gift receipts."

James suddenly burst into a mild coughing fit and Peyton grinned knowingly as she waited for him to recover.

"You ok?"

"Fine, Miss Woods."

She snagged something for James on the sly while he had been glancing at exits and eyeing people as if any of them could be potential criminals. Peyton found that, at least, a bit unsettling. She couldn't quite shake her middle-class mindset. She was Peyton Woods. Just Peyton. She did not need a bodyguard. But this Peyton supposedly did and it was weird. It felt unnecessary and embarrassing, actually. But, if it kept her from getting permanently locked up in that mansion, she supposed she could swallow her pride and accept the extra security.

Lex was the last person she had to buy for and she was struggling. Nothing seemed right, and she really wanted to pick him out something good. Even despite his stunt at dinner and pretending they were dating, which was still so wrong, she knew that of all the people on her list a personal gift would probably mean the most to him.

Did his dad even give him gifts?

Eventually she was able to find an almost hidden comic book store and demanded that they stop inside before lunch.

The man at the counter eyed her warily when she stepped inside followed by James. But after a moment he must have realized the gist of the situation and understood it to mean that she had money to spend, because he smiled and came around to ask if he could help her find anything.

"Do you have, um, Warrior Angel stuff," she asked while glancing around the space. "Or, what was the bad guy. Devilicious?"
"Devilicus," the man corrected congenially. "And we absolutely do. Right over here, actually."

He led her over to a far corner in the store and tried to point out comic issues he thought she should start with or what was currently available in way of limited editions. Peyton politely declined his help, as she was sure Lex already had every issue physically available. He just seemed like the collector type. Instead her eyes fell to a selection of miniature figurines that were available and she plucked up two who she assumed were the main characters.

"These are them, right," she asked the clerk. "The Angel Warrior and Devil dude?"

"Yes, miss. Do you need help finding anything else?"

"No, no."

She studied the two inch figures and felt the beginnings of a plan forming. With a smile she gripped the figurines in her fist and toted them over to drop them on the front counter.

"This'll be all," she said.

The man looked a little disappointed.

Peyton had thought she'd be free at lunch, but those thoughts were vanquished when her chauffeur, Gibson, pulled away from the curb without her giving him a destination and informed her that she was was to be meeting her mother at a nearby cafe. From there she was supposed to join her mother in shopping for something to wear to the Luthor's Christmas party. Peyton groaned as she flopped back in the seat of the SUV.

"There are a million dresses in her-I mean, my closet. Do I really need another one?"

"I don't think I have ever heard you say that before," James commented with a wry look. And then he seemed to have realized what he said because he snapped his mouth shut. Peyton just laughed.

"I've been hearing a lot of that lately. Enjoy it now; I have no idea how long it'll stick around."

The cafe was no corner bistro. There were a couple chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and Grecian style pillars in the front foyer. They even took her jacket at the door and she was escorted to a table where Merrill was already waiting. She watched as the woman stood and moved forward to greet her with with a quick embrace and a kiss to each cheek.

"Darling! Look at you, must you rebel like this when I've made sure you have such a wonderful wardrobe?"

Peyton grimaced in irritation and glanced down at her ensemble. She'd only meant to dress festively for her shopping trip, but apparently the green dress and red tights and boots weren't magazine worthy.

"I thought it was cute," she commented. And really, she was doing the best with what she had. For her, the fashion of 1997 was a bit of an unwelcome throwback.

"It's fine, I suppose," Merrill said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "At least you won't be wearing it to the party tomorrow. Now come, sit. We have to discuss what look we'll be going for. There's several promising pieces that I already have in mind."

This was supposed to be the part where she complained about the hours of shopping and how awful it was for her, but Peyton found she didn't really mind trying on dresses. She liked shopping, generally, and here she didn't seem to have any sort of price limit. Her only real obstacle was trying to find a dress that was a bit more classic instead of trendy. She'd try to be a few years fashion forward if she could.

After a few stores, a couple off topic buys, and several awkward conversations, she finally found a dress that she could tolerate and that Merrill approved of. It was a velvet dress in a dark emerald that sat off the shoulder with a scalloped neck and short sleeves. With a pair of black tights to help protect her from the cold, it would work just fine, and she actually felt comfortable in it. It was still weird, though, when she twirled in front of the mirror, to see her sixteen year old self looking back at her.

Merrill rode with her in the SUV on the way back to the mansion; their combined purchases filled up the entire trunk of the car. The woman hummed happily as the car made its way out of the city and back towards the private estate.

"Oh Peyton, you've done so well. This party will be such a great opportunity for you. Alexander Luthor is training to help run his father's business, of course, and it would be prudent of you to keep that connection close."

"Not everything has to be a power play." Peyton huffed as she leaned against the car door. "Lex is just a good person. I like hanging out with him."

"Of course you do, dear. But, like I've told you before, nothing in our world is quite so simple."

She reached over to run a hand down Peyton's face, and Peyton tried not to lean away from the contact.

"I know you've never had a mind or inclination for business, which is why I'm trying to help you. Play your cards right with a boy like Alexander, and you won't have to worry about anything at all."

Peyton could only frown as she clamped her teeth together. The mother probably had a fair point in regards to her actual daughter. It was just a bit insulting to have those perceptions applied to herself. After all the schooling and hard work she'd put into starting to build her career, she was quite proud of her accomplishments.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly.

When they finally arrived back at the mansion, Peyton hurried to collect all her bags, refusing help on the account that someone could peek inside and ruin the surprise. She set the bags down at the foot of her bed and finally got around to checking her phone. There were unread texts from Lex, unsurprisingly, and they only became more insistent the later in the afternoon it got.

[Sorry, had to go shopping. No thanks to you.]

With nothing else to do, she changed into a more comfortable outfit and began the work of organizing and preparing gifts for wrapping. She'd managed to get some wrapping paper and bags as well, because she hadn't been quite sure if that was something a family like this would have tucked away in a spare closet.

Out of the last bag, she pulled out the small comic book figurines and smiled to herself as she turned them over in her hand. With a few adjustments, she could have a little gift that she hoped Lex wouldn't find too cheesy. But really, she'd only known him a matter of days and she still struggled with buying gifts for her own brothers.

Everything she needed was in the craft room from the previous day. She worked on his gift, briefly running downstairs for a cup of cocoa and the tabloid she'd been confronted with the night before. Lex's gift was halfway done when she received an answering text from him asking if they could meet. Peyton rubbed at her eyes as she fiddled with the flip phone and deliberated. It probably wasn't a great idea to see him so much. He obviously got attached quickly and it would be harder this time than before when she finally woke up back in her real body. But then, she could understand how he might not want to miss a chance to be around someone actually from another universe.

And she was pretty cool, if she did say so herself.

"Jail," she muttered to herself. "You'd be carted off to jail back home, and what would mom think?"
Actually, her mother would probably want to invite Lex over and fuss over him as she baked a batch of whatever his favorite cookies were. She growled under her breath.

[Just give me an address. Ur begging won't work every time, I hope u know.]

He replied shortly after with a location and smug little 'time will tell', which Peyton scoffed at. She should've just told him no. He was still a spoiled rich boy at heart, wasn't he? She had to remember that.

Regardless, she'd already agreed so she sheepishly relocated the driver and had him take her to the park Lex had specified. James had to tag along as well, and it made Peyton feel like a bit of a burden even if this was their jobs.

It was late afternoon, but still considerably cold as Peyton clipped down the park grounds. James trailed a short ways behind her, giving what illusion of privacy he could, she supposed, and she tried to take that in stride. Lex was waiting on a park bench, a cup of coffee in each hand, and he passed her one as she took a seat next to him.

"Thank you," she said while cradling the warm cup. "I feel like you're always giving me coffee or cocoa or something. I should probably return the favor a bit more often."

Lex smiled thinly.

"I don't mind," he said. "I'm the reason you're out here anyway. Sorry, but I couldn't make the drive all the way out tonight. My dad would notice how late I got home what with the party tomorrow."

"It's fine. Maybe I'd take turns driving over, but I'm not sure if she has her driver's license yet."

"You don't."

Peyton rolled her eyes as she took a large drag of her coffee.

"I'm still not her," she said lowly.

Lex chose not to respond.

They chatted idly and walked a bit around the park, James always in sight, until they'd finished their drinks and the sky started to dim. Then Lex had to go and she was getting a bit cold in her bones anyway, so they parted ways.

When she woke the next morning in the princess bed yet again, Peyton only blinked lethargically and mulled over the idea that perhaps this was some sort of Christmas spirit mission like she'd seen in the movies. Maybe after she helped Lex have a nice Christmas she'd finally be free to go back home and to her own body. She snorted at her own daydreams as she crawled out of the bed and forced herself to go through her morning routines.

Life was no Hallmark or Nicholas Cage movie.

But apparently it could be some weird sort of sci-fi flick.

The party wasn't until the evening, so Peyton only threw her hair up in a bun and dressed in jeans and a sweater as she went to the craft room to finish Lex's gift. She planned on giving it to him at the party as she expected not to see him Christmas day. Even if his father didn't "do" Christmas, surely they still spent some time together, right? Her stomach twisted painfully at the idea of Lex sitting by himself in an empty living room Christmas morning, not even a tree or garland to keep him company. That couldn't be right. Who could possibly be that cold? And towards their own child?

She'd ask and make sure that wasn't the case at the party. And, if it was, well, perhaps she'd have a few things to say to his dad.

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Thank you all for reading, and sorry again for the wait! The next update shouldn't take so long. Feedback is always appreciated! :)