Emma was nervous. She hadn't expected her book series to take off quite so well, and now she was at some fancy gala or another smoozing with the rich and bored.

She did her best to fake a smile, because her publisher insisted. So you could imagine her relief seeing Lex nearby and looking almost as bored as she was.

Her publisher noticed Lex too, and an idea clearly formed in his head. It was well known that Lex was a bit of a playboy, and Emma was quite the looker when cleaned up.

Emma decided a bit of a prank was in order because it was likely Lex hadn't seen her yet.

Grinning, Emma made a beeline for him.

"Be careful Kent, Luthor is known for having one-night stands," warned her publisher, even as he plastered the same fake smile on to hopefully worm some extra cash out of the people there.

Emma ignored him, and walked right up to Lex.

"Lex! I had no idea you'd be here at the party!" said Emma.

Lex turned to see who had addressed him so casually, before a broad smile came to his face.

"Emma! You look fantastic. I'll have to compliment whoever did your wardrobe."

Emma and Lex were a tad gleeful at the sudden shocked expressions on everyone's face, hearing Lex Luthor of all people talk so familiarly with a rather minor but successful author. And with actual delight at seeing her there.

Then, to the shocked horror of her publisher she hugged him without giving a damn who saw. Lex didn't hesitate to hug back.

"Thank god, I thought I'd have to suffer this rather boring party alone," said Lex, who was only half joking.

"I know right? I don't know how you stand these things solo," said Emma laughing.

By this point her publisher had rebooted and was looking between the two.

"You know Lex Luthor?"

"He's an old friend, practically my second older brother at this point," said Emma.

"I used to be good friends with her older brother Clark, but we had a bit of a falling out," confirmed Lex. "At least Emma didn't inherit Jonathan's stubborn pride."

"Clark did though...I keep telling him he needs to loosen up, but he refuses to listen," said Emma exasperated.

Emma could care less that the only thing people could talk about at the party was her mysterious 'relationship' with Lex Luthor.

There honestly wasn't anything between them beside the fact that they considered each other siblings.

Her publisher took her aside the next morning once the hangover wore off.

"Why didn't you tell me you had an in with Luthor of all people?"

"Who do you think paid for my college tuition and paid for the publishing fee before the series took off?" countered Emma. "I don't name drop Lex and I know I can go to him when I need help. I'm one of the very few healthy relationships he has in his life. Hell, he's crashed on my couch a few times when he needs a break."

Lex had paid for her apartment, though she only found out after the fact that he had made her the landlord as well. Most of her tenants loved having her around, because she was reasonable with the rent and was pretty quick to solve issues when they rose up. The entire building was under her name under an LLC Lex had made with her as the primary owner. It also allowed him to funnel money to her on the sly without being overt about everything.

Besides, they had a strict "No Work Talk" allowed policy when they met up, which Lex rather appreciated.

A few weeks after that, Emma got a text from Lex.

I hate to ask this, but would you be my date to the theater later tonight? -Lex

What happened? - Emma

I caught my date going through some private information earlier.- Lex

Say no more, and what time?- Emma

7 tonight. Semi-formal, since it's a play. -Lex

Got it. Afterwards you can crash at my place and vent. I have a few tubs of ice cream -Emma

Lex looked openly relieved to see Emma dress in a nice, but not revealing dress. Mostly because it was one he had gotten to her when her book sales hit over a million.

"So what's the play about?"

"Honestly at this point I could care less," said Lex tiredly. It was nice having someone he could talk to without having to worry about it getting out to the tabliods.

"Want to skive off and have a quiet pizza at home?" she asked.

"Maybe tomorrow. I got these from a business partner and if I don't use them personally it'll look bad," said Lex.

Emma put her hand on his shoulder with a sympathetic look.

"You know if you need a partner for these boring things you just have to call."

Lex nodded, and it was honestly one of the reasons he liked Emma. There was no pointless small talk, he could freely vent without having to worry about it getting out to the tabloids later, and she didn't judge him. She could care less about what he was doing in his company unless it was to complain about some idiot who screwed up, and she actually cared about his well being.

The fact she could dress up nice and not embarrass him in public was a major bonus, since it meant he could have a date of sorts with someone he could actually relax around and not worry about things.

The play was semi interesting, and the two crashed at Lex's home.

"That was fun," said Emma.

"That play was dry and boring and you know it," Lex shot back, taking a beer from the fridge.

"Well yeah, but I meant spending time with you dummy," she shot back.

Lex grinned at her, and relaxed. Emma kicked off her shoes without preamble, as they both knew she'd be sleeping off the fancy wines they had at the play.

She had her own private room to crash in for just this reason.

Lex changed the channel, and paused when he saw a familiar face on it.

"Ugh...Bruce is at it again," said Lex annoyed.

"Oh this I have to hear," grinned Emma.

"Where do I even begin...the guy's a bigger train wreck than me, and that's saying something!" said Lex, all too happy to extol the headache that was Bruce Wayne.

It was certainly more fun than the rather dry play, and Lex began to perk up properly as he gleefully told Emma of the latest disaster Bruce had caused.

"I swear, one of these days you have to introduce me to him. I want to see if he really is that much of a himbo," said Emma laughing.

"Well there's some art gala next week and he's on the guest list," said Lex grinning. Hearing her commentary was sure to make the event vastly more entertaining.

"This is going to be hilarious."

"I'll pay for the mandatory spa day and shopping spree. And I'll send you a picture of the suit I'll be wearing ahead of time so the store can coordinate properly."

Emma's sense of fashion was sturdy, but fashionable. Not exactly the sort of thing that people would wear to a fancy art gala. She was still a farm girl at heart, and it wasn't like the Kents could afford (or were interested in) the latest fashions.

Emma grinned at him, and Lex knew he would at least have a fun date to the gala.

~~*~*~*

Clark barely paid attention to the gala. He was on edge because he knew Lex would be there. The two still had a strained relationship that was barely kept together by their love for Emma. It was one of the very rare things they could agree on.

So you could imagine his disbelief when he realized the pretty blond woman on Lex's arm was his sister.

"Clark," said Lex coolly.

"Lex," he replied in the same tone.

"Boys, you know the rules," said Emma rolling her eyes. "No fighting between you two or I won't speak to either of you for a month."

The two made a brief nod to each other, and quietly went their separate ways. They could pretend not to see each other for the event to keep the peace, which was as much as Emma asked for.

Lex suddenly grinned when he spotted a familiar face.

"He's here."

"That the himbo?" said Emma with a dark grin on her face. Lex gave a short nod. "This should be hilarious. His date looks like a professional ditz."

Lex snorted, as he had hired the same woman himself and Emma wasn't that far off the mark.

Emma watched as the walking catastrophe that was Bruce Wayne played out in full view in front of her. She had to repress a snort.

"See what I mean?" said Lex quietly.

"Yeah, you neglected to mention his himbo act was a total fake," she shot back.

"Fake?"

"I've been watching some of the videos. His movements are far too well trained for that klutz act to be real. And he moves like a damn ninja," said Emma rolling her eyes.

Lex gave Bruce a proper look...and realized she had a point.

Before he could say anything, she gave him a Look. It was a silent reminder of the agreement...they didn't talk 'work' when they were together. Lex inclined his head in quiet acknowledgment, and said nothing.

Clark didn't bother to warn Bruce Emma had seen through his playboy persona. Let the world's greatest detective find out the hard way that Emma was onto him.

"Lex! Who's this lovely lady?" said Bruce.

He didn't eye her like a piece of meat like most of the men had, and he was looking directly at her eyes. Emma liked him a bit more already.

"This is Emma Swan."

Bruce blinked.

"As in the author of the Fairy Tale Trials series?" he asked.

"The same," said Lex proudly.

"My son loves that series," admitted Bruce. "I have to admit, the trials are well thought out and researched. I'm particularly fond of how you go into actual detail of the time period the original stories were published."

"I've always had a weird fascination with the older folktales," said Emma honestly. "And for some reason I've always been drawn to Snow White."

Lex didn't know how or why, but he ended up at the same table as Bruce Wayne of all people discussing fairy tales. He chalked it up to Emma's odd charisma and just enjoyed his drink.

Later...

Bruce raised an eyebrow when he looked at the private information on Emma Swan. AKA Emma Kent.

He dialed up Superman.

"Are you aware your little sister has close ties to Lex Luthor?"

Hearing Superman sigh was a bit odd.

"I'm aware. She talks to him more than me these days, and he pretty much considers her a little sister at this point."

"I'm sorry, what?" said Batman.

"Bruce, I used to be friends with Lex. I saved his life when I was fifteen, and we started to grow close until things drew us apart. It didn't help that my father was beyond suspicious because of all the damage Lex's father did to the community and his own reputation. Emma is about the only thing Lex and I can agree on these days."

"And you're okay with this?" said Bruce incredulous.

"He would never hurt her, and he's the one who paid the initial costs for the lawsuit when she was eighteen," said Clark.

"Lawsuit?" said Bruce alarmed.

Clark rattled off a case file he knew by heart, considering how personal it was. Bruce looked it up and skimmed it. Then he paused and had to reread the whole thing again to be sure he wasn't imagining things. No wonder Clark tolerated his sister being around Lex.

"Before you try to ask, Emma has a strict 'No Work Talk' policy with Lex. She doesn't tell him any personal or incriminating details about Superman, and he keeps her firmly out of the loop regarding any plots. She doesn't want to get in the middle of that mess and we respect her wishes," said Clark.

"Sensible," said Bruce. No wonder Lex looked oddly relaxed around his date the other night. She was likely one of the rare people he was allowed to drop his defense around and be himself without judgment.

In a way, Bruce couldn't help but consider Lex a lucky bastard for that.