Two updates in one month? Absolutely incredible for me, really. I got inspired for this chapter, so please enjoy a couple different povs!
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Peyton normally didn't mind shopping, but shopping for a wedding gown was on another level than regular clothes. Given her mother's attitude at the wedding boutique, one might think it was a matter of life or death.
It was just her, her mother, and the wedding planner at the shop. Peyton didn't exactly have any friends that she knew about, and this wedding was turning into a short notice event with her mother's rush to make sure neither of the happy couple had a chance to change their minds.
Actually, the rush might have been more so Lionel didn't somehow get in the way, which Peyton supposed was not an unfounded fear.
There were several dresses hanging from hooks in the changing room that she still needed to try on. So far she'd at least narrowed it down that she didn't want a ballgown. There was an extra challenge given the period of fashion here was a bit behind what she was used to, but not impossible. She'd just skip over anything with bows.
The shop consultant helped clip her into a more streamlined dress. It sat off the shoulders and cinched in at the waist while the skirt hugged the hips before flaring out slightly at the bottom. A train started at the hips and trailed behind her with delicate bits of embroidery detailing over it.
When she walked out to step in front of the mirrors her mother gasped in delight, she did almost every time, but this time she even held her hands up in front of her mouth as if the emotions were boiling over.
"Oh, Peyton, you look absolutely stunning."
Peyton smiled in acknowledgement and twisted to catch the different angles in the mirror. The dress was one of the more simple designs, in terms of extra detail, but if felt timeless in a way the others didn't. It made her feel more confident. It made her feel like she was actually an heiress.
Her heart fluttered in her chest and butterflies erupted in her stomach. She swallowed thickly and tried to squash the feeling. It was just her mother making a big deal of it that had her emotions heightened. It was just a dress.
The shop consultant must have recognized something on Peyton's face because she smiled and adjusted the train so the detail was better seen in the mirrors.
"It looks magnificent on you," the consultant said. "It may seem simple, but it's a very fashion forward cut, and it brings all the attention to your face."
"I really like it," Peyton said. There was a tad bit too much emotion in her voice and she cleared her throat. "I think it's my favorite."
Katherine made a note on her clipboard and passed a tissue to Merrill who took it and dabbed at her eyes.
"Is this it then?" Merrill asked. "Is this the one you're picking? There are more options, of course, dear, you don't have to-"
"No," Peyton cut in. "I think- I want this one."
The small group gushed about her choice and how fitting it was all while Peyton eyed her own reflection. It was almost strange to see herself look this way. All dolled up in the fanciest gown like how she used to dress up her Barbies in their faux silk outfits to attend a party or a premiere. She'd wait for her best friend to come up with some crazy plotline for their dolls to go through, and follow her lead. Usually in their games the event would turn into a fight for survival as a bad guy showed up and tried to steal Barbie away, or an asteroid threatened to wipe out the guest list. But the dolls were always well dressed for it.
Hopefully her own wedding didn't go in that direction.
[][][]
The Woods estate looked rather the same as the last time she'd been there. The familiar antique aesthetic, with its rich woods, warm sconces, and patterned wallpapers, somehow struck a chord of fondness in Peyton even the next day. Perhaps it was her memories of Randall's cooking or the Christmas decorating with Lex.
She trailed her hand over the stair banister briefly before footsteps drew her attention away. Her father slowed as he entered the foyer and noted his wife's teary disposition, his eyes scanned over her as if unsure how to approach. Peyton decided to help him out.
"Dad!" She opened her arms for a hug and met him where he stood. Samuel was at least a better father than Lionel, in that he actually seemed happy to see her. His hug was only slightly awkward, a touch too tentative; he appeared to still be confused about her, but at least in a good way.
He cleared his throat as they parted and tried to put on an air of sternness.
"So, how did the shopping go? No new injuries and no new surprises, I hope," he said.
Peyton smiled indulgently.
"No," she replied, "not today. I promise I'm trying to be less exciting."
He harrumphed.
"Bit late for that. You shouldn't have mentioned weddings to your mother if you didn't want exciting." His expression shifted to something like concern as he contemplated his next words. "You don't have to go through with it, you know. Don't let your mother bully you."
Behind her, Merrill balked in offense.
"I am not bullying her, Samuel! She told me she loves him; goodness, she wouldn't have tried to marry him the first time if she didn't."
Peyton swallowed her nerves and doubts as she gave her father the most reassuring smile she could muster.
"I'm not being forced, dad. Why?" Her voice turned teasing. "You know something I don't?"
Samuel's face scrunched, his lips nearly disappearing under his mustache, as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I haven't been around Alexander much, but Lionel is a… calculating man."
Oh, did she know it. Peyton patted his hand and desperately wished there was a way to quickly change the topic of all this marriage stuff without being obvious.
"Lex isn't like his dad. Believe me, I just saw the guy. The differences are stark."
Her mom suddenly sharpened her attention at the mention of Lionel and she clapped her hands.
"Speaking of! Katherine and I already ironed out all the details for the wedding itself, so I believe it's only fair you handle the business matters with Lionel, Samuel. I'm sure he'll, understandably, demand to have prenups drawn up."
"I've already been in contact with him," Samuel said. "Our lawyers are working on the paperwork as we speak."
Never in her wildest dreams would Peyton have ever thought any potential marriage in her future would garner this much legal action. It was nearly headache inducing, and she wasn't even dealing directly with it.
"Well," said Merrill, "no one can say that Lionel isn't pragmatic. Though I think he could stand to be a bit more enthused."
There were too many points Peyton could make on why he wasn't enthused, but she decided not to voice them.
With talk of being excited, Merrill reminded herself of the dress shopping and she gushed to her husband over it and how beautiful Peyton looked and how he would absolutely shed a tear once he saw her and Peyton could only awkwardly stand by without protest.
The thought struck her, as Merrill described the dress in detail to a glaze-eyed Samuel, that this was perhaps the most she'd ever interacted with the two of them in any meaningful way. Parts of them reminded her of her actual parents. Like how her dad was the more level headed one, while her mom indulged in emotion, but the thought only served to send a pang of sadness through her.
After a moment, she had mercy on Samuel and interjected before Merrill could describe all the other dresses that didn't make the cut.
"Hey," she said with good humor. "Just imagine if we had to worry about picking out bridesmaid dresses too."
Merrill blinked in confusion.
"No bridesmaids!" She squawked. "Whatever do you mean? Did you have a falling out with Annalise? Darling she was with you all through school, surely you could have at least one!"
"Oh." Peyton intoned carefully. She almost forgot she probably ought to pretend she had friends and a life of some sort. "I haven't talked to her in awhile, but I can ask her."
"Please do try to contact her as quickly as possible; I'll get Katherine to pick out a few dress options for her to choose from. It'll have to be red, of course, we can't have her standing next to you in gold after all."
"Right," Peyton said.
She glanced at her father and he already looked politely zoned out once more. At this point, she could commiserate.
"I can call her after dinner," she reassured. "Speaking of, I should probably freshen up first."
Once freshened and in a new outfit for dinner, Peyton sat on her old bed for a minute and soaked in the quiet. The only real difference to the room now was the lack of posters on the walls and a different colored comforter. It was a familiar and foreign place all at once. She'd been in the room before, stayed in it. But beyond digging for clothes and some makeup, she really didn't know what it contained. It hadn't seemed important to snoop when she thought her stay was temporary, and now the space and all the things in it felt like an odd forgotten memory.
She twisted her cell phone in her hands and chewed at her bottom lip.
The day was strangely mentally exhausting and all she wanted to do was decompress. But there was pitifully little time she could hole herself away alone and her parents weren't going to ease the uncertainty.
She twisted her phone again and flipped it open.
His name was still listed as "L. Luthor" in her contact list. Peyton wrinkled her nose, drummed her thumbs against the sides of the phone a couple times before coming to a decision, and changed it to "Lex". Then she opened up a text message.
[Picked out a dress today, which was very surreal. Don't worry, I won't ruin the surprise :) ]
She hit send before the potential connotations registered and then desperately attempted to clarify her statement.
[I mean, so you look surprised.]
[Not that I'm expecting a reaction! You don't have to put on a show or anything.]
Dear word, she was digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole of humiliation. Why didn't phone companies allow you to recall texts? Peyton scrunched her eyes and rubbed at her forehead with one hand and gripped the phone in the other. Maybe she could distract from all that with something else.
[I at least won't look like a cupcake.]
Yeah, no. That didn't help.
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Detective Matt Brewer walked into Rose Greer's antique shop with a grimace as an unpleasant odor wafted through the room. It smelled like decay and artificial lavender. He hadn't experienced that strong of a scent since the Jonson's calf came out stillborn and they needed help burying it in the back field.
Matt's eyes flickered over the shop for Rose as he subtly rubbed under his nose. There wasn't any sign of her, but he could see a crown of brunette hair if he peered over the checkout counter, so he cleared his throat and made his way over.
Tina Greer shot up onto her feet and turned to face him, clearly surprised.
"Hey Tina," Matt said. "Hate to be a bother, but is your mom around?"
"She's out right now, actually."
Matt peered over the counter again with a better angle. It looked like Tina had been distracted by scrapbooking, or doing some collage like the kids liked to do. There were several pictures she was in the process of cutting out and gluing, some of herself, others of what looked like the Lang girl, and scraps from some Metropolis tabloid.
Matt nodded and adjusted his notebook in his hold as he scanned the shop again.
"It smells like something died in here, Tina. Have you guys checked to see if something crawled in y'alls attic and keeled over?"
Tina's face dropped and her body stiffened. Matt refocused on her.
"No." She said tightly. "Actually, my mom just got a shipment in from an estate sale. The lady's kids didn't find her for a couple days, so the smell has been… lingering."
Matt nodded again.
"Well you might want to air it out a bit more. And tell your mom to give me a call when she gets back in, will you?"
Tina shifted, her eyes narrowing. For the first time her eyes landed on his badge hanging around his neck and her face, once again, went still.
"What's it about, Mr. Brewer? Is it… are you working right now?"
"'Fraid so," Matt said. "Lex Luthor stopped by the other day with a tip. Someone might've paid your mom using money from the bank robbery. I need to ask her a few questions and see if she's got any of those bills still laying around to check if the serials match."
"You're joking," Tina said, voice hollow.
Matt raised a hand in reassurance.
"No one thinks your mom did it. We just need to track down the person who gave your mom the cash. I know she keeps good books, so it shouldn't be much trouble. Just have her give me a ring and we'll get this all sorted, alright?"
"Yes, Mr. Brewer."
"Atta, girl. I'll leave you to it, then."
Matt made his way back to the door and Tina remained frozen in her spot next to the counter. He stopped with the door partially open and looked over his shoulder.
"But really, Tina. You might want to open the back door. Get some fresh air in here."
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To Peyton's surprise, Annalise responded to the bridesmaid question with a,
"Sweet Gemini, he's actually going to marry you? You know I have to be there to see it."
Peyton took that as a yes.
Merrill ordered five dresses brought to the house and harassed Annalise into coming over the next day to pick one out given the "tight schedule they were working with". Annalise complied without too much fuss and by the time she arrived Merrill had also gotten the staff to put a small spread out of finger foods and drinks; Peyton found it all a bit extra.
They could have met Annalise at a shop to look at dresses. It wasn't necessary to put out snacks and drinks like they were having a party. And did Katherine really need to be there for the bridesmaid's dress fitting?
She sat in an overstuffed chair in a room with snacks and a changing screen and watched Merrill bustle about in the last few minutes before Annalise arrived. Her mother gave some instruction to one of the staff as she pointed to one of the windows and, after, turned and caught Peyton's eye before she could look away. She sent a beaming smile Peyton's way and Peyton smiled back out of reflex as emotion twisted in her chest.
Her mother was excited.
Which, of course, wasn't new information. The woman had projected so loudly on the phone with Lionel that she could be heard across the room, but Peyton hadn't allowed herself to consider the excitement in any sort of genuine way. No doubt most of her planning and efforts were self motivated, but, like her real mother would be, she was ecstatic over the situation and going overboard simply because she could. Given no monetary restraints, Peyton couldn't deny her own mother would likely be behaving similarly.
It was a dissonant realization.
How was Peyton supposed to rectify this woman with the one who'd been near absent the week she'd been here as a teenager? Was this simply because something exciting was happening? Was it possible Peyton's previous "emptiness" kept her parents at arms length?
Perhaps only time would tell.
Not that Peyton wanted to stay that long.
Annalise joined the group with flair. She'd grown into a tall, willowy thing, with brown hair down past her shoulders and a narrow, pixie-like face. She greeted Merrill with an excited hug, gushing about the wedding and being involved, and how it was such an honor, though Peyton could tell it was mostly show. The sort of thing you're supposed to do, especially in circles like theirs.
After trying on every dress and evaluating each one for the pros and cons, she picked a spaghetti strap gown with a dipping neckline and mermaid style skirt. Peyton nibbled on some cheese and crackers and sipped at a mimosa while Annalise made a final turn in her pick.
"It looks incredible on you," Peyton offered. "I think you might look better than me."
To her credit, Annalise stopped staring at her oddly when Peyton spoke after being complimented on the first dress. Now she conversed as if Peyton had been normal their entire "friendship".
"Oh shut up," Annalise said with a wave of her hand. "You've got all the right stuff to fill out a dress. Besides, this is all because you already caught yourself a man. Make sure to tell Lex to invite his single friends, because I do not want this dress to go to waste."
Her mother laughed at the comment and Peyton snorted into her drink. She didn't mention she wasn't even sure how many friends Lex had.
Katherine made a final note in her planner and then stood and walked over to Merrill's chair.
"With that, I'll have the other dresses returned this afternoon and arrange to have Miss Parnell's dress sent to the venue on the wedding day. Is there anything else you'll need from me today, Mrs. Woods?"
Merrill smiled and waved Katherine away.
"No, no. That'll be all; thank you, Katherine."
Katherine nodded.
"I'll call to discuss final catering choices once the restaurant confirms their inventory for the number of guests. Until later."
Merrill also excused herself to attend other, non wedding related, business and Peyton assumed that was that. But after Annalise changed back into her own clothes she showed no interest in immediately leaving. Instead she flopped down onto the quilted chair next to Peyton and sighed dramatically.
"So! It has been so long since we properly hung out! What do you have planned for the rest of the day? Please tell me you have to taste cake."
Peyton gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Unfortunately Lex and I already covered that. All I had planned today was to look through all of my old stuff to figure out what I want to move back with me."
"Bleh." Annalise stuck out her tongue in disgust. "What's that little town called? Tinyburg?"
"Smallville," Peyton supplied.
"That's it. I feel so bad for both of you, having to live there like outcasts. It must be so boring. Are you really going to move your stuff over there? Like, is this permanent?"
Peyton shrugged and put down her mimosa.
"I don't know. But I don't think there's plans to leave any time soon, so I figured it couldn't hurt to bring stuff over. Honestly, I don't even remember all of what I have stored away."
One of the staff cleaning up the snack trays looked over and tilted their head to gesture upwards.
"If it's helpful, miss, a lot of your childhood things were moved to storage in the attic. The boxes should be labeled."
Annalise pushed off the chair and leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.
"Oh my gosh, we have to go look. I swear if I find a childhood diary I'm going to read excerpts at your wedding."
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Lex cracked another billiard ball with his pool cue and watched the white ball smack against a striped one; it nearly made it into the pocket but teetered just on the edge. Lex made a disappointed sound through his teeth and cast a depreciating look to Clark. Clark grinned.
"That's too bad," Clark said, not sounding upset at all. "You almost had it too."
"Don't be so quick to assume victory when you've yet to act."
Lex's brows rose in challenge and Clark squinted as he evaluated the statement.
"Is that some quote from a Roman general or something?"
Lex smirked.
"No, just advice. You'll have to put some spin on that in order to get the eight ball in the hole."
"I think I'll be able to manage."
For a high schooler, he gave it a college try. The eight ball might have even gone in the pocket if the cue ball hit it. Clark's face immediately twisted in chagrined disappointment and Lex let out a laugh.
"Oof, see, you'd think a farmer would know better about counting chickens."
"Okay, okay," Clark spoke over him. "Just take your turn-"
Something caught his attention, and Clark looked out the office doors towards the front entrance. Lex followed his line of sight, but didn't see anything significant in the hall.
"What is it, Clark?"
Clark stammered a bit and put down his pool cue.
"Uh, you didn't hear that?" He asked.
Lex frowned.
"Hear what?"
But Clark continued to look somewhere past the walls of the manor and his lips thinned as his eyes narrowed.
"I thought I heard a noise outside. Maybe we should go check it out."
"Clark, what are you talking about? What did you hear?"
Without answering, Clark headed out of the mansion and Lex followed closely behind. He hadn't heard a thing. There shouldn't be anyone on the grounds, with the staff home for the day and Peyton in Metropolis. Even if there was, how would Clark hear something from outside?
They walked down the front steps and started down the driveway before Clark finally deigned to give a sliver of an explanation.
"I thought I heard a thump," he said nervously.
Lex stared.
"A thump."
"Do you have a gardener working today?"
Lex felt like he was getting more whiplash from their conversation than he got from the car accident. Once more he followed Clark's line of sight out past the front fountain, but this time was able to spot a figure in the distance. It looked like a blonde woman with a shovel digging into his manicured landscaping. A lump of something he couldn't make out lay near the woman's feet.
"Stay here," Lex instructed Clark. "And call the police."
Clark edged forwards.
"I don't think you should go over there alone."
"Whatever's going on, I don't want you involved in it. Here," he tossed Clark his cell phone.
Lex marched across the lawn with a shout to get the person's attention, and the blonde woman snapped her head toward him at the sound. She threw down the shovel at the sight of him and Lex's gut twisted as he stopped ten feet away.
"Peyton?"
Peyton stared up at him with her wide brown eyes almost shining amber with tears in the light. Dirt covered her slacks and blouse and hands; she blinked and folded her hands together as if to beg.
"I didn't mean to, Lex. I swear I didn't mean to. It was, like, an accident."
Lex's eyes dropped to the ground and he took an alarmed step back as the empty eyes of Rose Greer stared back up at him, partially covered in earth. His heart dropped and his stomach curdled.
Peyton was in Metropolis. She'd text him the previous night and hadn't mentioned coming back to Smallville so soon. Peyton wouldn't kill a woman. Peyton wouldn't try to hide it from him if she did.
His gaze turned flinty as it shifted back to the woman in front of him. The woman reached out for him and he kept his distance; her bottom lip jutted out in a pout that looked unnatural on Peyton's face.
"Lex, please," she said. "You have to help me. The cops could be here any minute!" Tears ran down her face and she gripped her hair. "They'll totally send me to prison! Like, I can't go to prison, Lex."
"Lex! I called, they're on their way!"
Lex's anxiety only rose as Clark ran up just behind him; the situation threatened to spiral if he couldn't get control of it soon.
"Stay back, Clark. You don't need to see this."
"Lex, I don't think that's Peyton," Clark said. "You said she's in Metropolis."
"She is," Lex responded flatly. He directed his next statement at the woman. "Who are you?"
"For real?" The woman snapped. "Your own fiance?"
"The ruse is over," Lex snapped back. "The authorities are on their way, and I have a feeling they're going to find a common thread between you and the string of crimes that have been happening in Smallville lately, so you might as well confess."
The woman eyed them both and her face shifted from the doe-eyed confusion to a calculating sneer.
"You really should have minded your own business," she said. "You were already cleared from the robbery, but you just couldn't leave it alone."
"Get back in the mansion, Clark."
Clark ignored Lex's warning and continued to press on.
"Tina," he said, entreatingly, "you don't have to do this. You can get help."
The woman screeched in frustration and her face, Peyton's face, shifted and changed. The jaw narrowed, blonde hair turned brown as it lengthened, and suddenly it was a mousy teenage girl glaring up at them.
"You just have to ruin everything! Every time!" She spat at Clark. "All because of your stupid crush on Lana. But she doesn't deserve the perfect life she has;I do!"
She could change her face. Her shape. Her bones. The revelation threatened to drown Lex as he scrambled for a way to stall the girl until police arrived.
Tina bent down to pick up the shovel again in a darting movement, and Lex reached behind him to push Clark further back. She threw the shovel up over her head then swung it at Lex with all the force of a batter at the plate.
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The attic wasn't anything like the one in her real parent's home in her own world. This one had finished floors and walls, storage shelves lined one side of the room. It even had proper lighting. Peyton dug through another box labeled "Peyton's Room", but this one mostly held those old boy band posters and a few CDs. She sighed and closed the box back up.
Why in the world would they even save those?
"Oh my gosh," Annalise said from across the room. She pulled out a plastic tub and cracked open the lid with a scandalized laugh. "Your mom is either a total hoarder or she's been hoping for grandkids. I can't believe she still has these."
She lifted out a Barbie decked out in a poofy faux satin dress and wiggled it so Peyton could see. Peyton's brow furrowed in disbelief.
"I'm not sure which I'd believe," Peyton replied. "I can't see her playing alongside a child."
Annalise adjusted the Barbie's dress with a bemused expression and tossed it back into the bucket.
"Do you remember the insane stories we used to play with these things? Well, you would just copy me, so maybe I've always been the more imaginative one."
"Maybe you have," Peyton agreed. "But I don't plan on taking dolls back to Smallville, so you can slide that right on back where you found it."
Annalise did with a snicker and Peyton gave up on the group of boxes she'd been poking around and instead moved to the back corner of the attic to try and find something worth being sentimental over.
She managed to find a wooden music box with a painted unicorn figure reared up on its back legs inside. It was cute enough that she sat it to the side to take. Annalise helped add a few books and a family photo to the pile, though Peyton could tell her interest was waning. Truthfully, Peyton's was as well.
There were a few more boxes pushed back against the wall and Peyton's attention zeroed in on one that looked like a lock box. It struck her as a bit odd, given if they had any valuable paperwork or objects it'd make more sense for them to be in an office or safe rather than the attic. She pulled the box out and raised a brow over the fact that the box lacked a lock; maybe it didn't hold anything that important.
Peyton lifted the lid and peeked inside. It was filled with paperwork; it looked like medical records with a few loose leaves of random notes. One paper had a calligraphy "V" inside a sun.
"I don't know how many more boxes I can rifle through," Annalise complained. Peyton snapped the lock box closed and stood.
"That's fine," she said. "I think we found everything that's worth taking."
Annalise eyed the lock box in her hands.
"What's that?"
"Just vaccination records," Peyton replied flippantly. "And a couple birthday cards. Unfortunately for you, nothing juicy or embarrassing."
Annalise jutted out her lower lip and rolled her eyes.
"Boo. You were such a boring kid."
Peyton winced at the comment, but Annalise turned and missed the expression. The statement shouldn't have bothered her, given it was largely true as far as everyone could see, but Peyton still felt it like a sewing needle pricking a finger. Trying to brush it off, Peyton piled what she collected over top of the lock box, rolled her shoulders, then headed for the attic stairs.
"Anyway, I think this is about it. Thanks for helping me look."
"One time only deal," Annalise said through a smarmy grin. "Next time, have more interesting stuff."
When Annalise finally left and dinner with her parents wrapped up, Peyton slipped back up to her old room and pulled the mysterious lock box from under her bed. There had to be something to it, surely. Something about it just didn't feel right.
She pulled out the thin stack of medical records first. The header listed the organization as Metropolis General Hospital and the patient listed was her mother, Merrill Woods. Peyton paused in her snooping and her conscience teeter-tottered between how to proceed. If these were actual medical records, it wasn't right for her to read them without permission. But why would Merrill have kept them? And why shove them in the attic instead of filing them away in an office?
Peyton chewed her bottom lip and glanced back down. Technically, as far as they knew, she was their daughter. It wouldn't be that wrong to just skim them, would it? If it turned out to be something truly serious, she could put it back and pretend she never saw it. On the other hand, it could possibly be something she ought to know about already. There was the chance knowing what it pertained to would help her play her part more seamlessly.
The first few pages looked to be from a fertility doctor with less than hopeful results. Going by the dates, it seemed like they'd had to try for a couple years before finally conceiving her, or rather, their daughter. The papers under that stayed in a similar vein; during her pregnancy, Merrill still struggled. The check up numbers dipped dangerously midway through the pregnancy and the doctor's notes boiled down to warning her parents that the likelihood of a stillborn birth was high.
It was a heartbreaking diagnosis, even knowing that she was, ultimately, born. Still, it was a bit odd that Merrill kept what had to be painful reminders for so many years. Peyton put the medical records to the side and focused on the other papers. The fancy "V" in a sun actually included five stars to the left of the "V", now that Peyton was able to get a good look at it. The paper was a nice stationary, but it looked like most of the paper had been burned. Whatever message it might have contained was gone.
"Huh." Peyton said as she sat it on top of the medical reports. "The weirdness grows."
The rest of the papers made even less sense without proper context. Some were torn, like whoever had saved them was indecisive over keeping them. There was a piece with a curving line, like part of a long, thin "S", but the rest of the design was lost. Another scrap just had the name "John Z"; it was possible the rest of the name had been ripped off.
Peyton placed everything back in the lock box and closed it with a sigh. Perhaps it was all meaningless, but she couldn't help getting stuck on the fact that they'd kept all those papers for a reason.
[][][]
Clark grabbed Lex and yanked them both down to the ground before Lex could think to duck. The shovel flew over their heads and Tina staggered as the momentum pulled her with it. She let out another frustrated yell and tried to recover by stabbing the shovel down at their faces; Lex shoved Clark away and only barely rolled out of the shovel's range before it stuck into the dirt with a clang.
"Get out of here, Clark!"
Lex scrambled to his feet; Clark was already standing behind him.
"I'm not going to leave you here alone," Clark argued.
Tina didn't give them more time to discuss the situation. She ripped the shovel out of the ground with more ease than a teenage girl her size should be capable of, and Lex rushed forwards to close the distance before she could get it raised. He grabbed the other end of the shovel and attempted to wrest it from her grasp, but Tina, incredibly, held on. She jerked the shovel, and Lex, towards herself and then shoved with enough force to break Lex's grip and send him flying.
"Lex!" Clark shouted.
Lex landed on the paved drive, nearly cracking his head on the ground, and all the air rushed out of his lungs. Clark rushed to Lex's side and tried to help him sit up as Lex wheezed. For a moment the only sounds were that of the bubbling fountain next to him and his desperate, empty gasps. Despite his struggle to breathe, Lex adamantly kept Tina in his sights. Her features shifted and changed back into Peyton's likeness while her lips twisted in a cruel smile.
"It'll be such a shame you didn't make it to your wedding day," she said. "But at least your fiance will get back in the tabloids again." She hefted the shovel up once more. "Rich girl snaps, kills two. It'll be the talk around town for the next decade. No one will forget about you after you're gone."
Lex grit his teeth as air rushed into his lungs again.
Tina tossed him several feet away like it was nothing. He'd have to try something besides attempting to overpower her himself. He needed to make sure Clark was out of harm's way, first and foremost.
"I won't say it again, Clark; get inside. In the office on the wall with the fireplace, there's access to a panic room. You need to-"
"Tina just threw you across the driveway like it was nothing," Clark interrupted. "What do you plan to do on your own? We stand a better chance together."
Tina, in Peyton's likeness, marched forward, the shovel dragging next to her; it screeched as it jumped from the grass to the driveway.
"You know what the great part about this power is?" She asked as she continued closer. "After your fiance is arrested and thrown in jail, I can go visit her. And I can show her exactly what you looked like right before you died. All I wanted was the perfect life. Lana's life. But if I can't have my perfect life, then neither-" she lifted the shovel,
"can-" she arced it over her head,
"YOU."
"Go for her arms," Clark said in a rush.
They leapt up together and Lex instead angled to ensure he was the one closer to the blade of the shovel instead of Clark. He could only hope Clark was right, perhaps with two people instead of one, they'd have a chance.
The edge of the shovel blade nicked Lex across one palm and over the shoulder; he grunted from the sharp pain and against the force Tina was able to use. Clark was able to get a hold closer to her hands and he tried to twist the shovel in order to break her grip.
"JUST. DIE."
Tina kicked Clark in the leg and he buckled down to one knee with a pained grunt, but held on. Lex grit his teeth and pushed down on the shovel, trying to get the leverage away from her. Tina tightened her hold and threw her body into a spin. It worked to break both Lex and Clark's grips.
But Tina's leg collided with Clark in her twist and threw her off balance. The momentum was too much for her to stop and she stumbled and fell over the driveway. Her head collided against the side of the fountain with a terrible crack!
The world went still.
Lex and Clark's heavy breathing were the only sounds to fill the quiet. Tina lay under the fountain, silent. Red seeped out onto the pavement and Lex forced himself back into focus.
"Come on," he said, directing Clark away from the scene. "You don't need to see this."
This time Clark complied as he tore his gaze away from Tina's body. Sirens finally sounded down the road, wailing as they grew closer, and Lex sighed as he sat Clark down on the manor's front steps.
Unfortunately, it looked like he'd have to give Peyton a call after all.