I swear this story will have a plot eventually. I'm gearing up for Things (TM).

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Peyton took another bite of chocolate cake and danced slightly from side to side as she chewed happily. For being Smallville's only real bakery, the cakes were better than she expected. The owner of the shop sat next to Peyton and Lex, beaming as they finished up the taste test; she'd been kind enough to accommodate them moving their appointment to the next day after the bank robbery.

"You like that one?" Lex inquired with an amused tone. He sat his fork down, only half the test cake eaten, while Peyton finished hers off.

"It has a wonderful, rich flavor," Peyton complimented. "And some warm, nutty notes, if I'm right."

The baker nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right. It's a recipe from my grandmother that I modified; one of our most popular flavors. Everyone likes a good chocolate cake."

Lex gestured to his leftover cake in an offering as Peyton put her own fork down, and she eyed the couple bites in temptation before shaking her head. If she wanted to look halfway decent in a wedding dress she probably shouldn't.

Which was still a weird thought.

"Well," the baker continued, "I do appreciate you coming back despite that bank robbery craziness. Will you need some time to talk things over?"

They'd already decided to stay local, and the cake was actually good. Peyton inclined her head to Lex and he reached up to clasp his hand over hers.

"Actually, I think we'd like to employ your services." He said. "What sorts of decorating options do you offer?"

The baker's beaming smile grew.

[][][]

There was a certain edge to the town as Peyton and Lex left the bakery. It was sharply felt when people recognized Lex. Peyton mused she could guess their thought journey.

Recognition, recalling the robbery, and then the sheriff's announcement of Lex's sound alibi which only left subsequent confusion.

Most would hopefully know the sheriff enough not to believe he was in Lex's pocket. But if he wasn't, then those who'd seen the imposter Lex run off surely had their heads spinning trying to figure out what had happened. Peyton still couldn't.

Lex grabbed her hand as they left the bakery and walked down the sidewalk. He kept doing that. And given they were currently planning a wedding it seemed silly for her to tell him not to. Still, it made her feel funny. She wasn't going to stop and think about why.

"We should go check in on the investigation," Lex said, making a beeline for the sheriff's office.

Peyton pulled on his arm and brought him to a stop.

"It's still early, and I doubt they have much given they haven't called or made any announcements," she said. "Let's at least wait until after lunch and give them a chance. There's a few boutiques around this strip, we can, I don't know, look around. Maybe there's something we can use for… the wedding."

He clearly would rather go harass the police for answers, and Peyton couldn't exactly blame him. If someone were committing crimes with her face, she would want them caught as quickly as possible too, but she wasn't confident they would have many leads just yet.

Lex sighed and relented to her with a tip of his head.

"You're probably right." He said. "I hope they take advantage of the extra time."

"Come on," she tugged him alongside her in the opposite direction. "I want to see if I can find something that'll confound my mother and the wedding planner."

They stopped into a couple shops which seemed more geared towards knick knacks and household decor than anything suitable for a wedding. One shop that sat tucked back off the road looked to be selling antiques; Peyton brightened at the potential.

"There could be something cool in there," she said.

A bell rang as they entered the store and the wooden floors creaked under their feet. The shop was filled with various pieces of old furniture, vintage frames and lamps, and other bits and bobs tucked and stacked around the room. There was a faint, unpleasant odor to the shop as well, though Peyton couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was. Probably just the accumulation of old items stored together.

There were no other shoppers currently in the store, and Peyton drifted away from Lex as she began to wander. He tailed after her looking far less interested. Peyton held up a couple candle sticks covered in gold leaf and turned to him as she eyed them.

"What do you think of these?"

"I don't think they'll confuse your mother." He suddenly grinned in a mischievous way. "Don't tell me you're putting actual thought into this wedding now."

She shot him a side-eye.

"You're trying to be funny again," she said.

"You already think I'm funny."

Peyton scoffed but shuffling footsteps drew their attention to a third person before she could respond to Lex in kind. A middle aged woman emerged from a back room; her eyes widened and she startled as she spotted them. Her alarm lasted a few seconds too long to be reasonable at finding customers in her store. Finally, she pulled her mouth into a nervous, polite smile.

"Oh, hello," the woman said. She wrung her hands, eyes lingering over to Lex a minute before she seemed to force her focus on Peyton.

"Hi," said Peyton. "We were just perusing."

She tried to smile to set the woman at ease, but the woman still had a sharpness to her movements that spoke of nerves. For the life of her, Peyton couldn't understand why. Lex didn't say anything, but he'd clearly picked up the woman's unease as well. He eyed her suspiciously, his guard going up as he put his hands in his pockets.

The store's bell rang again before the awkwardness really bloomed and they all turned to see Martha and Clark enter the store.

Peyton had never lived in a town quite this small.

The woman looked alarmed once again, but hid it more quickly this time. She smiled more familiarly at Martha.

"Good morning Rose," Martha said. "Lex, Peyton; the same to you."

They all exchanged greetings and it was stilted and strange. Clark stared at Rose with a squinting expression as if he were confused by something he saw.

"Hey, Mrs. Greer," Clark said. "How's Tina? Do you know where she is?"

Rose's lips thinned.

"She's out with Lana Lang, I believe," she replied. "You know, those two are always bound at the hip."

Clark's face flickered with doubt at her statement but he thanked her for telling him anyway. He nodded at both of them as he passed on his way back out of the store. Lex's gaze lingered on Clark's retreating figure, but he said nothing. Peyton picked up a picture frame and pretended to be interested in it.

"I'm here to pick up the lamp," Martha said to Rose.

"Oh. Right, of course. Let me go check on it."

Rose left for the back of the shop and Martha frowned. Peyton put down the frame and tried to casually make her way over.

"Everything alright, Martha?"

"I'm fine," Martha responded. "It's just- Rose seems a bit off today. She's usually friendlier than that. And she's the one who told me the lamp would be finished by today."

Martha's gaze drifted for a moment in thought, but quickly sharpened again. She let out a small puff of air in alarm. There was something on the floor just visible under the checkout counter and she sat her purse down on the counter so she could more easily bend down to pick it up.

It was a pile of cash.

"Does she not usually leave money lying around like that either?" Lex asked dryly.

Martha turned and gave Lex a look that was half acknowledgement of his sarcasm and half the chiding look of a mother when you said something ridiculous.

"At least not while the store is open."

The stack of bills made Peyton anxious. It was a good chunk of change, and despite being on the floor, they were still fairly evenly lined up. None were wrinkled or bent or torn. It didn't look like the used bills from someone's wallet. But there wasn't time to mention any of that, Rose came back into the storefront empty handed; Peyton quickly attempted to look interested in the candlesticks again.

"I'm afraid it's not quite done," Rose said. "I should have it finished for you by next week."

"Oh, alright."

Rose's face remained polite and stiff, then her eyes traveled down and landed on the money Martha set on the counter and her eyes widened. Martha noticed the change in expression and gestured to the money.

"I found that on the floor right over there."

Rose spoke in a rush.

"Someone came in early and made an expensive purchase," she explained. "I must have dropped it. Thank you."

Peyton looked to Lex and his silent response told her he found the entire situation unusual as well.

"I'll have to ask Katherine if the candlesticks would work with her vision," Peyton said as she sat them down. She turned back and gave Rose a smile. "You have a lovely store and I'm sure we'll be back."

The statement didn't garner the usual amount of excitement it had with other shop owners in town. Instead Rose looked ever more wary.

"Thank you," she said again, flatly.

Lex took Peyton's cue and they waved to Martha as they exited, though it looked like she was about to leave as well. The door jingled as they exited and Peyton brushed her fingers against Lex's hand to stop him a few feet down the sidewalk.

"That was weird, right," she prompted. "Lex, those bills were… they looked new."

"They did," he agreed. "Though, in an attempt at fairness, someone could have pulled money out specifically to make a purchase."

Peyton's expression turned doubtful and Lex tipped his head.

"I didn't say I believed that's what happened."

The store bell jangled again and Martha stepped out onto the sidewalk, still looking perplexed. She made her way over to them and cast one more look back at Rose's antique shop.

"Something isn't right," she said. "Rose isn't acting like herself. And all that money; I can't imagine she'd leave that lying around. Smallville is a small town, sure, but nowhere is small enough to leave that out unattended."

"Do you believe her story about someone making a big purchase?" Peyton asked.

Martha pressed her lips together.

"There was a Smallville Savings and Loan band around those bills. It seems too unusual to be a coincidence, but I can't imagine Rose would rob the bank."

Lex let out a breath.

"Peyton and I were already going to stop by the police department after this anyway. I can ask if-"

Tires squealed, interrupting Lex, and they whipped around in time to see a red truck barrelling toward them. It swerved off the road onto the sidewalk as it neared and they were able to see Clark behind the steering wheel.

Everything happened quickly. Martha stumbled back, out of the way, and Lex grabbed Peyton's arm and yanked her towards himself and out of the way of the vehicle.

For one split second, Peyton could only see the bridge again. See Clark's face as they sped towards him. For one split second she wondered if this was some bit of twisted justice.

The truck barely missed them as it swung back into the road and raced down main street and out of sight. Peyton found herself pressed against Lex's chest; his heart hammering just as rapidly as hers and his arms wrapped around her as he cradled her close, as if that would have been enough to shield her from the full force of a pick up truck. Still, the gesture struck her deeply.

"Mom! Mom, are you alright?"

Clark ran from around the corner and rushed to help his mother to her feet; Martha openly gaped up at him as she stood. Peyton watched, wide-eyed and confused.

It had been Clark driving the truck.

It had looked exactly like Clark.

Lex shifted and the movement drew Peyton's focus back to the present. She got her feet under her and detangled herself from Lex's arms.

"Are you okay?" They both asked each other at the same time.

Peyton let out a small laugh and Lex flashed an acknowledging smile, but anger bubbled up too quickly for the mirth to last. They both stood and Clark glanced over them.

"No one got hurt?"

"No, I think we're all okay." Peyton replied.

"Clark," Lex said stiffly, "it was you in the truck."

Clark's brows furrowed and his lips pulled into a frown as he glanced in the direction the truck went.

"I was looking for Tina, Rose's daughter, but she wasn't with Lana so I came back."

"Maybe we have more than a bank robber running around Smallville," Lex said. "We'll report this to the police and see if we can't get a fire lit under them to catch this guy."

Clark pressed his lips together and looked down but didn't offer a response. Martha looked up from her purse with concern.

"My car keys are gone. I don't understand, I had them right before we went into Rose's. The only person who could have taken them were… were in the shop."

A shudder ran down Peyton's back. It was impossible. Rose was a middle aged woman. She wasn't even as tall as Clark and she certainly couldn't be mistaken for him. Him or Lex. Nothing about the situation was adding up.

"Well," said Lex, "if that really was your truck, it looks like you'll be joining us at the station."

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The Smallville police station had a few desks, an office for the chief, and a couple jail cells in the back. Likely, they were more familiar with writing the occasional traffic ticket rather than bank robberies, but they were all busy and moving when their group stepped into the lobby.

"Mrs. Kent," one officer said as he approached, "how can I help you?"
"I'm afraid my truck was stolen."

That caught the officer's attention and he was quick to take her statement, surprise shining clearly when she told him she witnessed the theft just a few minutes ago. Clark appeared anxious, like he wanted to leave or had something else on his mind, but it probably was due to him being a teenager.

The cop turned to Lex and Peyton when he started wrapping up with Martha.

"And are you two here as additional witnesses?"

"We're here to inquire about your search for the bank robber suspect. And to say there may be a possible lead you should look into."

The cop blinked in surprise and nodded.

"In that case I'll get Detective Brewer. He's overseeing the investigation."

Martha brushed the back of Lex's arm to get his attention; he hid any surprise at the contact well.

"We should get going, but I'll try to stay in contact if we hear anything new. You both stay safe, alright?"

"Of course, Mrs. Kent," Lex said. "We'll do the same."

Clark cleared his throat and shifted where he stood.

"If either of you see Tina Greer, just be careful. If her… mom had that money, she might know something."

"You be careful too," Peyton said pointedly. "Remember, the cops have a job for a reason."

Martha gave her son an additional Mom Look, then she and Clark left by the time the detective came by to speak with them.

Tina Greer, Peyton repeated internally. Clark was looking for her even before they spotted the money. Did he know something else that he wasn't sharing?

"Good afternoon, I'm Detective Brewer."

The voice was vaguely familiar, and not in a good way. Peyton froze and grimaced the moment she looked up at the face of the detective. It was yet another person she'd met before; the guy who'd approached her in town awhile ago, before Lex showed up to give her a ride back to the mansion. Matt? She thought his name was Matt.

"Ah," she said as she pasted on a polite smile, "hello… Detective."

Lex muttered under his breath, and Matt gave them the sort of toothless smile that said he was enjoying their discomfort.

"I've been informed you've dropped in to check in on my investigation?"

Peyton put her hand on Lex's arm and spoke in his stead.

"We wanted to see if there were any updates. As you can imagine someone trying to impersonate Lex is very alarming to both of us."

"And we have a possible person of interest," Lex spoke up. "If that's something you're interested in."

Matt sucked on his teeth in a dismissive display and made a clicking sound with his tongue.

"Sure thing," he drawled. "And just who would this person of interest be?"

"Rose Greer."

Peyton winced as Matt kept still, his eyes rose up and he stared at them from under his brow in a display of near contempt.

"Rose Greer." He said flatly. "Now that's a pretty far-fetched accusation."

"There were stacks of bills on the floor of her antique shop," Lex defended. "Martha Kent is the one who noticed them, so you can talk to her if you don't believe us."

"Rose lost her husband and should have lost her daughter to bone disease, according to the doctors. You expect me to believe she'd throw the life she built away by robbing her own bank?"

"We're not accusing her of anything." Peyton said. "We're just asking you to take a look. Maybe she didn't recognize it could be money from the robbery."

Matt stared a moment longer then sighed and wrote a note.

"I'll give Martha a call for corroboration then see about Rose. Now, Ms. Woods, you were present as a witness to the original crime, correct?"

"Well, I saw the person running out of the bank."

"Right; I'd actually like to talk to you about what you saw a minute, if you have the time. I know an officer took your statement, but I wasn't on the scene yet and I like to get my information firsthand."

Peyton hesitated as Matt watched unabashedly. Lex glared.

"We don't have a lot of time," she hedged. But Matt wasn't deterred.

"Great, I only have a couple questions." He opened the small gate separating the lobby from their offices, and waved her in with his notepad. Peyton walked through, determined to hurry this along and be done with it. Lex moved to follow, but Matt clicked the door shut the moment she passed and gave Lex a bitter smile.

"Sorry," he said, not at all sounding it, "but you understand how your presence might be a conflict of interest."

Lex's jaw ticked.

"I was cleared," he said stiffly.

Matt gave Lex a sardonic wink and moved away.

"We'll just be a minute. Feel free to help yourself to some coffee. Complimentary."

Hot indignation flashed through Peyton at Matt's condescension; clearly there was still no love loss for any Luthor with some of the townsfolk. And evidently Matt wasn't letting go of their little stand off a while back. But she kept herself from snippily commenting. It wouldn't help. Matt was a cop and whoever robbed the bank could somehow disguise themselves as other people. It wouldn't be good to push the detective's buttons any more than they already were.

It didn't mean she was going to be overly polite to him anymore.

They entered his office and Peyton sat with a near silent sigh when he gestured to the seat across from his desk. He took his own seat and didn't immediately reach for his notebook; instead he folded his hands on his desk and settled her with a look.

"I really don't know what more I can tell you," Peyton said. "Like I said, I didn't see the robbery, and I have no idea who the actual thief might be."

"You're not married yet. I can still have you testify, when we find something."

Peyton's eyes flashed in anger.

"It wasn't him. I called him the minute the robber left, and I could hear the fundraiser in the background when I talked to him. There were no sirens."

"So it was just someone who looked exactly like Lex Luthor. Enough that you, despite being part of one of Metropolis's most famous 'will they, won't they' couples, were confused by the person."

She rolled her tongue in her mouth and decided to ignore his jab.

"I knew something was off," she said. "Something wasn't right about the guy; he didn't move right. His eyes were wrong. But whoever is doing this has good prosthetics or something. Whoever tried to hit us with the Kent's truck looked just like Clark too, only Clark came right after the truck drove away to help his mom."

Matt raised his brow.

"Those are two wildly different looks," he said. "You expect me to believe someone put on a bald cap to rob the bank, then stuck around just to try and hit you all with a truck?"

"It makes more sense if it's a local," Peyton argued. That caused anger to flash through Matt's eyes in return.

"It'd be convenient for the two of you, for sure," he sneered.

A scathing, scoff of a laugh escaped Peyton's throat despite her resolve to play it safe and play nice.

"What do you think? That Lex and I have some Bonnie and Clyde plot going on? Please, tell me, what in the world would the two heirs to Kansas' largest corporations need to rob a bank in Smallville for? If we wanted to, we could buy the bank. If you could overcome your biases for one minute, you might be able to make some headway in this case."

Matt stared at her and ground his teeth behind closed lips. Peyton blinked.

She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Certainly, she'd been thinking it, but it probably wasn't smart to say so blatantly. Lex may be rubbing off on her.

"Figures you're no different than the Luthors; you two deserve each other."

Peyton stood from her chair with a huff and exchanged glares with Matt.

"Why did you really have me come back here? To try and warn me off from marrying Lex or insult me for not being the dumb model you thought I was?"

The look in Matt's expression shifted from tight and angry to something more concerned; he overstepped the professional boundaries his position called for and he knew it.

"No, no. I do want your statement. I-" he swallowed as if the words were hard to force out, "I apologize."

Peyton sucked on her teeth a moment and sat back down.

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Lex stepped aside as Peyton stormed out of the police office and she purposely grabbed Lex's hand as she passed by. He, unsurprisingly, accepted the contact and cast another disparaging look back at Matt as they exited the precinct.

"I take it the conversation didn't go well," he said.

Peyton scowled.

"In small towns you'll either meet the nicest people ever or the most backwards, rude, uncalled for-"

"Aren't you the one always telling me to be nice?"

"I was nice," Peyton huffed. "I didn't complain about him to his captain."

Lex perked up at that statement and pulled her hand closer to him.

"Don't tell me I missed you being snippy."

Peyton gave him an exaggeration of a smile.

"I wouldn't call it 'snippy', per say. I just know my rights."

"What I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall."

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Merrill and the wedding coordinator only stayed a couple days before preparing to head back to Metropolis. In the short amount of time they were in Smallville, they managed to get everything arranged and ready outside Peyton's dress.

Peyton stared, puzzled, as she looked over the order receipt for the invitations.

"Did we decide on a date?" She asked, adrenaline spiking. "I don't remember deciding on one."

"Well, of course we did," said her mother. "Don't you remember? It was after we discussed locations and spoke with the church manager on what they had available. Luckily for us, their schedule is fairly wide open. They can host us in a month, which gives us time to get the invitations out."
"But that doesn't give guests a lot of time to plan or RSVP," Peyton argued.

Merrill rolled her eyes in motherly exasperation.

"Peyton, darling, I've already sent messages to everyone important; the physical invitation is just a courtesy. You have nothing to worry about, everyone who matters will be there."

"Right. Of course. Wonderful."

Lex looked over with a playful challenge in his eyes and raised his brows in mock innocence.

"Some might say a month is too long," he said.

Merrill nodded in complete understanding, missing Lex's sardonic tone, and Peyton gave him a scowl.

"You both are still young," said Merrill, "so we can afford to wait a month. But it's best not to wait long enough for the first attempt at marriage to slip out. I still cannot believe you didn't tell me about it, Peyton."

"Well, it won't happen again."

"I should hope so!"

Lex got up and joined them where Merrill was reorganizing all the wedding information on his coffee table, and he once again sat on the arm of Peyton's chair and placed an arm on her back. A sizzle of heat rippled over her skin and nearly made her shudder.

"If the wedding is in a month, when do you plan to get your dress? They usually have to tailor it, don't they?"

Merrill sat up straight and reached for Peyton's hand.

"Oh, he's right! We really ought to get that sorted as soon as possible. You know, why don't you just come back to Metropolis with me? We can go to this boutique there, I know the owner, and I'm sure she'll have something you'll love; it's all the latest fashions."

Peyton raised a brow in amusement.

"How long have you kept tabs on wedding businesses?"

Merrill sniffed.

"It's advantageous to have insight into these things. You never know when you'll need to make connections."

"I think you should go." Lex said as his hand ran up to her shoulder in a reassuring movement and Peyton bit the inside of her cheek. "It might be good for you to get out of Smallville for a bit anyway, with all that's going on."

"And leave you here to deal with it alone?" Peyton questioned. "Metropolis is hours away, what if-"

"There's nothing you'll be able to do anyway," Lex interrupted. "You already gave your statement and the police are investigating. At least if you go you'll be out of any potential danger if they take a couple days to find this guy."

"Lex is right, darling." Merrill glowed at the proposed idea. "And you really do need to get your dress ordered. You can stay with us in your old room and it'll give us time to go over wedding details. Besides, your father would love to see you."

His hand was still warm on her shoulder, her mother was staring at her with her own version of puppy eyes, and Peyton groaned as she rubbed her face.

"Fine," she relented. "I suppose it'd be good timing for me to get some of my things anyway." She glanced over to Lex and gave him a stern look. "But if anything happens-"

"You'll obviously be the first person I call," Lex reassured.

Merrill clapped her hands in delight at yet another victory.

"Wonderful," she sang. "Now hurry and pack a suitcase, darling; we have a helicopter to catch."

Peyton balked.

"A helicopter?"

"Well, of course," chided Merrill. "Honestly, we don't have time for the drive with our current schedule. There's still so much to do."

Peyton already felt tired.

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Finally! I got Peyton back in Metropolis to get her stuff. :)