Things continue to progress...
[][][]
A honeymoon obviously wasn't happening after the wedding, but Peyton and Lex took a few days off of work, officially, just for show. Lex used the plant's delicate state as an excuse for them not to leave and jet off somewhere. And it wasn't exactly a lie either.
Now Peyton sat in a little office, more like a commandeered study, that she made for herself a few doors down from Lex's office. It was convenient for when he had his own phone calls to make or an at-home meeting.
At the moment, Lex was at the plant and she kept herself busy with finishing up some internal memos. Peyton drummed her fingers on her desk as the easy work allowed her mind to wander.
The wedding had been a whirlwind, she was now Peyton Luthor, and between the paperwork for her name change and the lingering rush of the day itself, she found herself still processing everything. She caught sight of her own reflection in the mirror on the far wall and furrowed her brow.
She hadn't forgotten the hairdresser's comment. Annalise's story was more concerning and puzzling in its potential connotations, but a tattoo on her head was more immediately verifiable.
Peyton already tried to look for herself as she took every hairpin out of her wedding hair and combed out the hairspray, but it was impossible for her to see. She would have to ask Lex. And she would, when he got back. She'd ask him to check and she'd finally ask him for the names of those doctors she forgot to bring up before the wedding.
But most of her simple work was done and her thoughts kept swirling and she was feeling impatient. Peyton sat back from her laptop and eyed her cell phone. Could she try to wheedle any information out on her own? She tapped her phone and chewed her lip.
What would her parents say?
Peyton dialed her mom and sat back as she tried to quickly come up with a natural line of questioning before her mom picked up.
"Peyton!" Her mom answered. "How are you, darling? Doing well, I imagine. I didn't expect a call so soon."
"I'm home alone and thought I'd say hi," Peyton said. "How are you and dad doing?"
They made small talk for a few minutes; Peyton listened as her mom told her all about a recent luncheon with her friends and an upcoming fundraiser she planned to attend. She was eager to see one particular couple because their son was being released from rehab and she had just the place to recommend for them to go and "recover" from such an ordeal.
"Is that such a good idea?" Peyton asked.
Her mother let out a confused little scoff.
"Whatever do you mean, darling? Of course it's been such a stressful time for all of them, it'd be good to get away."
"Right," Peyton agreed blandly. "But imagine if I were getting out of rehab. Would you want suggestions like that from people if you didn't ask?"
"Don't be silly, Peyton, you would never be capable of such a thing."
Peyton seized her opportunity and stood up to pace the room.
"You never quite know a person," she said, voice lilting up. "I could have done some crazy things. Went to parties, joined in on some cliff diving, done some drugs…. gotten a tattoo."
That garnered a larger scoff from her mom.
"Well now you're just being ridiculous."
"Am I?" Peyton scratched at the top of her head and stared in the mirror. "The hairstylist at my wedding seemed to think I had one."
The line went eerily silent. A band tightened around Peyton's chest when she couldn't even hear her mom breathe.
"What did she say?" Her mom finally managed.
Peyton forgot about the coy game she was playing.
"You know about the tattoo on my head?"
"Tattoo!" Her mother's voice grew shrill and insulted, but it sounded forced. "You don't have a tattoo. On your head? Can you imagine?"
"She saw-"
"Peyton, darling, you- you have a birthmark. It's incredible that a woman of her professional standing isn't able to tell the difference."
"A birthmark," Peyton said flatly.
"Of course; of course. You were born with it. A tattoo," she muttered. "Think reasonably, darling, don't you think you would know if you had a tattoo? After all, they're not exactly painless and they're not exactly free."
"That's true," Peyton allowed. "But the woman said-"
"That woman clearly couldn't see straight," her mom cut her off. "And I'm your mother, don't you think I'd know my own daughter's birthmark? Of course I would."
Peyton felt strange. Like seeing an optical illusion differently after only ever seeing it one way. Like every time, you saw the picture of the duck but for the first time ever you finally saw the rabbit.
This was the part where, before, she would agree with her mother. She would take her mother at her word, take it for granted, and stop thinking about it. The only problem was now she couldn't. This time Peyton didn't believe her mother; and she didn't understand how she'd only ever seen the duck.
"Right. Well, I better go; I still have some work to finish before Lex gets back."
"Alright, darling. I love you."
"Love you too," Peyton said absently. She hung up.
Her mom was lying to her. Her mom was lying to her, and for the first time, she could see it.
[]
She left her work in her office. There was actually some sourdough starter in the kitchen fridge, so Peyton took advantage and mixed up some dough, let it proof, then took her time with a sharp knife to carve an intricate design in the top. Of course their kitchen had every conceivable dish and gadget, and Peyton found a hefty dutch oven to bake the loaf in.
She paced the kitchen as the bread baked. It needed to bake long enough that she could set a timer and leave, but her mind wouldn't focus enough to allow her that. Peyton clenched her hands into fists and released them over and over as she made rounds around the kitchen island.
Her mother in the other world would never have lied to her. She was a terrible liar to begin with, even over things like trying to hide surprise parties or how badly a bruise hurt. But the point was, she had loved her enough not to deliberately lie to her about something so huge. So blatant.
The more she paced, the more she wanted to throw something. All this time. All this time she was struggling and desperate for answers and her mom knew something. Not just that there was something off about her, but that there was more. And she. Did. Nothing.
Peyton found herself so wound up that she nearly shrieked when someone else entered the kitchen. She jerked before she calmed down enough to realize it was one of the staff.
"I apologize if I startled you, Mrs. Luthor," the woman said. "I was simply coming to do a bit of cleaning."
Peyton breathed out her frustrations and pasted on a reassuring smile. She'd seen the woman around the house before, though generally the woman tried to blend in with the walls and go unseen as well as unheard.
The fact that the woman called her Mrs. Luthor made her stomach flip.
"You don't need to apologize," Peyton said. "I was caught up in my own thoughts."
The woman nodded and moved past Peyton to access the cleaning closet. She looked rigid and uptight. Peyton hoped it wasn't because of her presence.
"You're Mrs. …. Palmer, aren't you?" Peyton asked. "You and your husband work for Lex."
"Yes, ma'am," Mrs. Palmer said. "My husband tends to the grounds."
Mrs. Palmer looked no less nervous or at ease, and Peyton tried to smile in an even more friendly manner.
"He does a fantastic job. You both do."
Mrs. Palmer collected a handful of cleaning supplies and organized them on the countertop. She still wouldn't make more than fleeting eye contact with Peyton and it irked her in a way. Like maybe the woman expected her to demand submission when Peyton had never expressed that.
"Thank you, Mrs. Luthor."
It seemed like Mrs. Palmer was content to let that be the interaction, and Peyton fumbled on how to proceed. Mrs. Palmer wasn't as friendly as the staff at her parent's house. Peyton drummed her fingers on the counter.
"Ah, you have kids, don't you? How are they?"
Mrs. Palmer looked up and her expression was stoic. She could be anything from irritated to interested and Peyton couldn't tell the difference. A perfect employee.
"Two, yes." She replied. "Both in high school. And they're …managing with the move here. Thank you for asking, ma'am."
It sounded like an obligatory thanks rather than real appreciation and Peyton decided to cut her losses. The minute the timer buzzed, she pulled out her bread, sat it to cool, and excused herself as Mrs. Palmer cleaned.
[]
Peyton took one of Lex's cars, her cars, their cars, and drove into Smallville to visit the Beanery. She wanted to get out around other people, and there really weren't a lot of options for mingling in Smallville outside the one coffee shop.
She ordered a large latte and looked around the cafe for a place to sit. It was busy for such a small town.
"Hey! Peyton!"
She turned at her name; Chloe, Pete, and Clark waved from a corner of the cafe. She waved back to acknowledge them and weaved around people as she headed over their way.
"Hey guys." Peyton took a careful sip of her coffee. "How're all of you?"
"Chloe is trying to recruit us to help scavenge for meteor rock," Pete said with a roll of his eyes. Clark shifted awkwardly as he gave a nervous smile.
"I'm telling you," Chloe argued, "there's a connection between the rocks and all the weird occurrences here! If we can collect some samples and have them tested, I'd bet my career as a journalist we'd find some answers."
"Where would you go looking for them?" Peyton inquired between sips of coffee.
Chloe shrugged.
"Well I'd think Riley or Miller's Field would be good places to start, seeing as those were the main places hit during the shower."
Clark shifted uncomfortably again and appeared irritated.
"We can't just go digging around people's fields, Chloe," he said.
"Folks usually don't appreciate that," Pete agreed.
"They might appreciate it if it helped us find a way to stop people from going crazy!"
Both Pete and Clark made faces of exasperation and Peyton forced a small smile at their antics. Lex had been here when the shower had happened, maybe even near one of those fields, given how affected he was. She wouldn't be surprised if there were bits of scattered rock still buried in the dirt.
"What do you think?" Chloe flipped the attention to Peyton. "That whole thing with Tina Greer was weird, right? No one can quite figure out how she was able to almost frame Lex, but I have documents proving she was here during the shower."
Clark and Peyton's eyes met momentarily and Peyton took a sip of her latte as she stalled.
"It's an interesting theory," she said. "But if you think the meteor rocks really are responsible for most of the clippings on your Wall, I would want to be careful with them."
Clark looked around like he just noticed she was in the coffee shop by herself.
"Where's Lex?" He asked. "Did you come here alone?"
"He was still working at the plant." Peyton checked her watch. "But he should be getting back soon, if things are going well. I just needed to get out of the house for a little bit."
"Is everything okay?" Clark looked at her in concern and Peyton held up a hand to ward off the worry.
"I'm fine. Something minor came up and I'm working through it."
"With Lex?" Asked Pete.
"Oh, no." Peyton answered. She wasn't sure exactly how much she wanted to share. "I learned someone close to me, not Lex, has been lying to me. I guess I didn't expect it, is all."
"That sucks," said Chloe. "Are you going to call them out on it?"
Peyton smiled thinly.
"I don't know. But it's not a big deal, so I'll worry about it later. I don't want to disturb your potential meteor rock hunt."
Clark fidgeted and stood as he dusted off his jeans.
"I actually have to go," he said. "I told my parents I'd do the delivery to Luthor mansion today."
"Clark," Chloe complained. "You're always doing something. How are you so busy for a high schooler?"
Clark gave her a cheeky grin.
"Well, a farm doesn't run itself."
Peyton stood as well and dug around her purse for her keys.
"If you're heading our way, I'll follow you up. Lex should be back anyway and I wanted to talk with him. I'll see you both around!"
Peyton followed Clark out of the Beanery and Chloe and Pete waved them off. She was just able to catch Chloe's grumble of,
"I swear, he's always running off at the most inconvenient times."
[]
Clark pulled his truck around to the side of the manor where the kitchen door was and Peyton parked her car back in the garage where she found it. The car Lex took to the plant was back in its spot, so she knew he was somewhere inside.
She checked his office first, it always seemed like the best place to start, and she wasn't disappointed to find him inside.
"Hey." Peyton fought back a strange compulsion to reach for him. Lex smiled at her as he removed his tie and took off his watch, placing both on the end of his desk.
"Hey, how was your day? Hopefully better than mine."
Peyton squinted.
"I don't know, it depends. There is something I want to talk to you about, but right now Clark is down making a delivery in the kitchen."
Lex's expression flickered with concern, but he still moved toward the door. His hand brushed up against her back as he prompted her to follow.
"Okay," he said. "Are you planning on coming? Or do you need a minute?"
Peyton smiled primly.
"I already took a minute. Another won't do anything to help."
Lex swallowed and gave her an unappreciative look.
"You know, you really know how to make a future conversation loom."
[]
They helped Clark unload his truck while the staff on duty in the kitchen appeared perplexed and alarmed that their jobs were being interfered with. Mrs. Palmer was there, and she was quick to gather her two children from elsewhere in the house to help. There was a boy, Jeff, who looked rather sullen, and a girl, Amy. They were quiet teens and listened without arguing, but Amy glared at Peyton the entire time, to the point of looking near tears, while she conversely rushed to help Lex. It was obvious enough that Peyton noticed and couldn't figure out what she'd done to upset the girl.
Amy actually knocked into Peyton with one of the boxes of produce, scraping her arm, and then apologized in an exaggeratedly demure tone; Peyton decided to let it go. Perhaps the girl was just having a bad day. Or maybe she was put-off by Peyton's change in demeanor. In either case, Peyton didn't want to come off as entitled over one encounter.
Clark lingered after they unloaded the truck and Peyton signaled to Lex that their conversation could wait, so he invited Clark up for a rematch at billiards, which Clark happily accepted. She wondered if he was trying to ensure he wouldn't have the chance to be dragged back into Chloe's reckless scheming.
Peyton perched on the edge of the couch the wrong way as she faced the billiards table and watched them cue up. The two joked and teased each other as they faced off and the interaction tugged a smile out of her. Lex really did seem to enjoy Clark's company. Like a little brother he never had. It was sweet.
Clark held his pool stick with both hands as he watched Lex take a shot, his jaw shifted and his expression took on a determined air.
"I've thought about what you said," he told Lex. "And I've decided I'm going to fight for Lana."
Lex looked up with an amused, delighted smile.
"Oh yeah?" He prompted. Clark nodded.
"Like you said, Whitney is just a boyfriend. And he hasn't even been treating her well these last few weeks. Lana deserves someone who will care about her like she deserves."
"Good for you, Clark," Lex praised. "Lana would be a fool not to appreciate you."
Peyton blinked drolly and raised her brows; she swung her feet and then stood and made her way towards the pool table.
"You said what?" He aimed at Lex, tone leaning toward scolding.
Lex smirked in a blatant show of no shame.
"A high-school boyfriend is an obstacle, not a husband. No one has made any vows and all's fair in love and war."
Peyton scoffed and her mouth twisted as she fought back a disbelieving smile.
"You did not. You can't be doling out romance advicelike that, as if you're a writer for Dear Abby."
His smirk only grew.
"I've done pretty well for myself so far," he goaded.
He and Clark exchanged amused looks as Peyton pressed her lips together and felt her face heat up. She couldn't respond properly with Clark in the room, so she settled on a scowl.
"Very smart," she said. She inclined her head and directed her next sentence at Clark. "Just remember, in the end it's Lana's choice what she wants to do."
"I know," Clark defended. "But it can't hurt to let her know she has options. Maybe even better ones."
"It's your turn," Lex said, moving away from the table. He clapped Clark on the back. "Good luck."
[]
They played a few games. Peyton tried to challenge Clark as well, but he was surprisingly good at billiards and, she claimed, had an unfair reach advantage. Really, it was more like he had incredible control over his motor functions, he could snap the pool cue sharply and stop abruptly enough to hit the billiard balls with extreme precision, but saying he was so tall it was cheating was funnier.
Clark stretched an arm behind his head and grinned smugly when their games were over. He'd won more than he lost.
"I should probably get going," he said. "My parent's will be expecting me back before dinner."
Lex went to check the time, but his watch wasn't on his wrist. He looked back to his desk, and frowned at whatever he did, or didn't, see.
"I put my watch down right here, didn't I?" He said as he walked over. Lex picked up his tie and moved it as if the watch might have been underneath. Peyton looked over.
"You took it off with your tie," she said, confusion coloring her tone.
There was no watch on the desk, or around it on the floor. Lex shuffled some papers around but it wasn't there.
"What does it look like?" Asked Clark.
"It's a silver watch with a Napoleon franc as the face."
"Oh," said Clark," that's really unique."
Lex's expression grew tight and frustrated as he couldn't find the watch anywhere near the desk. Peyton felt a pang at his expression. She lifted a few of the couch cushions, but there weren't even crumbs underneath.
"This doesn't make sense," she said. "I saw you take it off and put it down."
Clark stood helplessly to the side and Lex let out a frustrated huff as he placed his hands on his hips.
"It's my favorite watch," he said.
"Why's that?" Clark asked. "You must have a lot of unique watches."
"I have hundreds," Lex agreed. "But this one is special. My mother gave this one to me before she passed."
"I didn't know that," Peyton murmured.
Clark looked mildly confused.
"Why a French franc?"
Lex stepped away from looking along the bookshelf next to his desk and faced Clark.
"You ever see the painting of Napoleon's coronation by Jacques-Louis David?"
Clark shook his head; Peyton listened just as intently. He hadn't spoken about his mother to her since he mentioned she was gone when they were teens. At least, not that she remembered right now. Then again, she hadn't asked him either.
"Napoleon's mother couldn't make it to his coronation." Lex explained. "But when he commissioned it, Napoleon told David to paint her in as if she were there, right in the center. Even though she couldn't be there physically, he brought her into his life through sheer force of will, there to share in his greatness."
There was a brief quiet as Lex's story was absorbed. It tugged at Peyton's heartstrings; here she was struggling with the conflict of two mothers while Lex lost the only one he had.
"I can see why it means a lot to you," said Clark. He pressed his lips together then sighed helplessly as his eyes stopped scanning the office. "But I don't see it anywhere."
"Are you a metal detector?" Peyton inquired with a bit of humor. He hadn't even moved from his spot to attempt looking. But Clark ducked his head marginally and covered it with a smile.
"I was raised on a farm. I'm pretty good at finding needles in haystacks."
"I'll keep that in mind if I can't find it," Lex said.
"Well, thanks for having me over-"
Clark's words were interrupted by a horribly loud banging, like someone rapidly slamming a door over and over, and Peyton jumped out of her skin. They all exchanged looks before they rushed out of the office and followed the noise up the stairs. Peyton's heart beat faster as the noise grew louder. At the top of the stairs they took a turn in the direction of Peyton's room. Her heart rose into her throat as she saw it was her bedroom door that rattled in its frame, a bright light glowing through the cracks in the threshold.
"What's going on?" Peyton questioned aloud. She stepped forward, but Lex held out an arm to stop her from approaching the door.
"Wait here," he said.
He and Clark moved towards the door even as the light shone brighter and it rattled more violently. Lex reached cautiously for the doorknob and with one final hesitation, he opened the door. A gust of wind pulled the door open with more force, Lex let go and stumbled back into Clark, who managed to catch him, and Peyton let out a short yelp of surprise. The hall felt heavily silent now without the door banging. Whatever caused the bright light was gone and the room was couched in darkness. Still, Peyton remained where she was, silently glad to have the two men check out the space first. Both of them entered the room, and when she didn't hear sounds of distress or yelling, she cautiously followed.
Her room was a disaster.
The bedding was ripped from her mattress and strewn across the floor, the curtains were dangling by a thread, and down feathers from torn pillows floated in the air like falling snow. But worse were the walls. On every available surface it looked like someone graffitied threatening messages.
Leave. Liar. Fake. Don't stay.
LEAVE.
LEAVE.
LEAVE.
Peyton's breath hitched and she took a step back as Lex surveyed the room with a grim expression. Clark's face mirrored that foreboding dread.
What in the world?
[]
Lex placed a glass of wine on the coffee table in front of Peyton and sat down on the couch next to her. Close.
"I had the room across from mine made up for you. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather sleep."
Peyton shook her head and grabbed the glass of wine as she shifted around to face him.
"No, that's fine," she said. "I'm not leaving the manor. But, someone still got inside and out again without being caught, so-. I'll feel…" she hesitated and took a stalling sip of wine. "Safer."
Lex placed his arm over around the back of the couch where she sat and Peyton didn't say anything about it. She didn't want to.
"We're going to get this figured out," Lex reassured. "I've already had security do a sweep of the manor and lock it down. No one is here that shouldn't be, and short of poltergeist activity, that's how it's going to stay."
Peyton snorted.
"I don't believe in ghosts."
"I don't know," Lex said. "Between my watch and your room, it's strange."
She looked at him over her glass and raised an eyebrow in doubt; he let slip a small smile in response to her expression.
A comfortable quiet filled the room and Peyton maybe, possibly, slowly, leaned back slightly. Until her side was just barely brushing against Lex's. He didn't make a comment about it, so she told herself he didn't notice. His fingers ghosted over her shoulder, like an accident.
These strange things were only happening to her because she was here, in this world, in the first place, but she couldn't pretend that it wasn't comforting to have Lex nearby anyway. It felt more familiar and reassuring than it should.
Lex took a deep breath and she felt his chest expand next to her.
"You wanted to talk about something earlier today," he said.
"Oh, right." She took another drink of wine. "My mom is lying to me. My mom here," she corrected herself.
Lex tipped his head back in order to see her face better.
"About what?"
That was the weirder part to explain. She swirled her glass as she stared at the dark red liquid spin around.
"Did I ever get a tattoo? I'm assuming you, of all people, would know."
It was Lex's turn to look confused.
"No, you didn't. How does that relate to your mom lying to you?"
"The day of our wedding, the hairdresser made a comment about me having one on the top of my head," Peyto said. Finally, she lifted her eyes and cut them over to watch Lex's reaction. "And, thinking back on it, Clark asked me at one point if I'd ever gotten one too. But when I called my mom and hinted, asked, about it, she got very defensive. Told me it was a birthmark. But I could hear it in her voice. She was trying to get me to leave it alone."
Lex's gaze flickered to her hair.
"It would have been hard to hide getting a tattoo on your head," he said. But curiosity laced his tone.
Peyton tapped her wine glass then put it back down on the coffee table.
"I can't see it myself, I already tried. Do you think-?"
Lex understood her unfinished question and sat up as he drew his arm back off the couch.
"Yeah, of course I can look."
Peyton adjusted her position so her back was facing Lex and managed not to flinch as his fingers combed through her hair. The act felt more vulnerable and intimate than him unbuttoning her dress and Peyton shivered as he carefully parted more sections of hair. She froze in response to his movements suddenly stalling.
"Your mom told you it was a birthmark?" He asked.
And with that alone, Peyton knew that it wasn't.
"That's what she claimed."
He hummed in reply and then continued sifting through her hair, this time with a more
purposeful path. Whatever was on her head must have covered a bit of space, because Peyton could track as he studied the entirety of whatever it was. It took up a good portion of the top of her skull.
"Well?" She prompted at his prolonged silence.
Lex sat back and she turned back to face him. He wore a contemplative expression, something between curiosity and uncertainty.
"It does look like a tattoo," he said. "But it doesn't make sense for you to have one, and it's not a design I recognize. Did you-" he paused, seemingly debating his words, but then broke down and asked anyway. "Did you have one in your memories? In your… other world."
Peyton let out a dry laugh because it was a better option than freaking out.
"Um, no." She said flatly. "I don't like needles, and I never had hair shorter than my jawline." She swallowed and licked her lips. "What does it look like?"
Lex opened his mouth to answer then stopped and got up to grab some paper off his desk.
"It would be easier to show you," he said.
He sat back down next to her with a legal pad and a pen. Peyton pressed up against him and watched avidly as he drew on the paper.
There were two parallel lines, slightly curved at the ends like two long, thin "S"'s. Coming off the outer sides of the curved lines were circles and at either end of the lines were two small dots. Ignoring the parallel lines, the design mirrored itself, essentially. It meant nothing to Peyton.
"I've never seen anything like that before," she said. "Why would my mom be so alarmed about me knowing about it? How would she even know it was there if you didn't?"
She took the drawing from him to continue to study, and Lex sat back as he placed his ankle over his knee.
"I don't know," he admitted.
Her anger reignited; Peyton clenched her jaw and shook her head. All this time. All this time.
"She's been lying to me for years," she snapped as she dropped the pad. "I finally ask her an honest question and the first thing she does is deliberately lie to me. She- she told me she loved me the day we got married; how am I supposed to believe a word she says to me if she's willing to try and gaslight me like this?"
"Hey," Lex reached out to hold her arm and draw her attention. "I get better than most how the betrayal of a parent stings, but I do believe your mom cares about you."
"She only ever cared about the wedding because it was to you." Peyton continued. "For all I know she really does only care about getting her claws into LuthorCorp."
He brushed back a lock of her hair and the touch startled Peyton enough that it broke her out of her tirade. Maybe that was his aim.
"Does that bother you," he questioned analytically. "What does it matter to you if she does or doesn't care about her daughter? Or if she does want to try some foolish power grab?"
Peyton didn't exactly have an answer for him. She pulled back and looked away as she worried her bottom lip.
"It's the principle of it," she decided. "It's wrong. And for all I know she's part of this problem. My problem."
"Our problem." Lex said. When she blinked and looked at him, he smiled. "Your problems are my problems now too; isn't that what you said?"
She had. Foolishly, perhaps. Far too sentimentally. But, God help her, she didn't want to be alone. And she wanted what her other parents had. Peyton pulled her tongue away from the roof of her mouth.
"Right."
Lex's emotions shifted, there was a flash of conflict, then he let out a breath and reached over to put her wine glass back in her hands.
"You haven't talked much about the people you knew… before. Your other family. Do you want to tell me about them?"
Peyton's tongue suddenly felt thick and her throat tight. It didn't escape her that generally Lex avoided or redirected the conversation when she brought up her other life. For him to bring up the topic himself must have gone against all his compulsions. It was too close to admitting something other, of acknowledging there was somewhere else she might rather be.
She cradled her glass in both hands, and if they somehow settled on the couch too close yet again neither of them mentioned it.
"My other parents had the same names," she said quietly. It suddenly felt odd to speak openly about them. Like they'd been mostly a secret in her head. "I guess their personalities were similar, in the basic sense. Mom was the excitable one while dad was the stoic pillar. Jacen and Orion were twins and they tried their hardest to be annoying, but I still loved being around them anyway. They constantly ate my leftovers without remorse when I lived at home. I missed them when I moved out. I do miss them."
Lex listened quietly while she spoke. Peyton ran her hand through her hair.
"Then there was Clara, my roommate but more like an unofficial sister," she said with a small, fond laugh. "She was a nurse on the night shift and I swear if she wasn't working or sleeping, she was reading. I can't even count the number of times she read Jurassic Park. It was her favorite. She used to think it was funny to tell me the different types of injuries the characters in the book would sustain from the dinosaurs."
She spoke and Lex listened. It felt good to share. To get them out of her head and remember them properly.
And for a moment, curled up on the couch next to Lex, so close they might as well be touching, there wasn't some vandal or specter out to torment her and she could forget momentarily that she was being lied to by the woman who should want to protect her the most.
She had her memories and she had Lex. And she wasn't alone.