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Gotham Nights, Part 9 (of 9)
By: C. Leuch

Laura and Matt’s first real, semi-formal date started pretty normally. Laura put on a nice dress, not too revealing but not too conservative, something that was simple but flattering. Her hair was partially gathered up atop her head with a nice clip, and she allowed herself to indulge some nice jewelry, a necklace and bracelet borrowed from her mother. For a brief moment she wished that she was able to wear earrings, real ones, not the lame clip-ons that inevitably came on in styles favored by those old enough for membership in AARP. A pair of heels, which she had to dig out of the back of her closet where they had long been neglected, rounded out the ensemble. When Matt had arrived at her door, she had pleasantly noted that he appeared to have gone the extra mile for her, cutting off his longish hair to a more conservative style, shaving off his persistent stubble, and putting on a liberal dose of aftershave. His clothing she recognized as the interview clothes that his parents had foisted upon him to much grousing on his part, although she couldn’t understand why he would complain – the outfit flattered his body type and was a vast improvement over his usual t-shirt and cargo shorts. The total picture was somewhat breathtaking, if she did say so herself. There was just something about a clean cut man that sparked something inside her, and she was aware that she had an appreciative expression on her face as she looked him over. Never one to give him the upper hand, though, she decided to start things off with a little fun.

“The employment office is closed now,” she said after a moment, which brought a familiar smirk from him.

“Well if I was looking for a job, I would’ve worn a tie,” he said, holding out his arm. Laura reached down to grab her purse, then followed him out the door, locking it behind her.

“My mistake,” she said with a smile, glancing down toward his collar. Yes, the tie was absent, the top button undone, but he was still wearing a suit coat and slacks, and she was pretty sure that was a first for him, at least in Gotham. “You look nice either way. So where are we going?”

“There’s this little café down by the theater that I thought we could try out. The reviews are pretty good, and best of all, I’ll only have to pay for parking once.” They took the stars down to the first floor, then exited toward his car. She had been expecting him to borrow something from CJ, since the two had gotten pretty chummy in the week or so since Matt had ascended to the top of Wayne Tower looking for her. It was actually a bit of a relief to see that he had decided to use his own. “You look fantastic, by the way,” he said, opening the door for her like a gentleman.

She gave him a sly glance and put one leg into the car, striking a sultry pose. The action had the intended affect on him, judging by his expression. “I wondered if you would notice,” she said.

Matt cocked an eyebrow and with apparent effort shifted his gaze toward her face. “I’d have to be blind not to,” he said, then shook himself back to reality and made his way around to the driver’s side.

Their flirtations had taken on a more intimate quality of late, the words and implications from before transitioning into touches and suggestive poses. Laura liked to think of it as a sign of how close they had become, but she had to admit that they were also an expression of how her attitude toward him had changed. She had had a crush on him for a long time, it was true, and that had slowly built into something more, even before that first kiss. But after the night spent dancing, after his new knowledge of her and acceptance of it, she had realized that her smoldering crush had blossomed into real love. She loved him, completely, undeniably, and it was fun to tease him with it, to give him glimpses of her real feelings, and watch as they were mirrored in his eyes.

She had to admit that prospect of him being in on her secret had initially terrified her, and even after spending hours losing herself in the most beautiful and exotic places on earth, she had felt the overwhelming desire to hide away from him. She couldn’t stand the idea that he would look at her differently now, and lamented the fact that they weren’t able to build their romance on a stronger foundation before introducing the one force that could utterly ruin it. And she had managed to stay away for a whole day after the revelation, but then he sang to her. She couldn’t explain how or why she heard him from the other side of campus, why her hearing had picked out his voice above the rest of the city, but if she were honest with herself, she would admit that she had been listening for him, hoping that he would reach out to her. So he had, and in the most patient and understanding way possible. Far from hating her, or being scared by her, he had accepted her with humor and grace, choosing to share his secrets with her to put them on more even footing. Rather than being the end of their relationship, the revelation of her big secret proved to be the beginning.

The drive across town was relaxed, casual, and their conversation started as it always did, soon becoming animated and covering a wide range of completely unrelated topics. When they reached the little café, she found herself sprinkling the little clues and non-sequiters about her other identity into their discussions like she had before, alluding to things she could do and secrets she knew in a way that was still appropriate for public consumption. But unlike before, when all those references had gone over his head, Matt understood and played along. It made her feel more relaxed than she could ever remember, and that came through in the way she joked with him, teased him, and laughed when he did the same to her. Even though she would’ve sworn that she had been happy before, it seemed to her that she hadn’t really known what happiness was, not really. But now she did, and that was all because of Matt.

It was almost a shame that the movie had to interrupt their evening. As much as Matt had tried to sell her on how much fun it would be to watch the big screen exploits of Superman, she still wasn’t excited to be there. But once the movie started, it was hard not to get caught up in the sheer cheesiness of it all. Plus it didn’t hurt that the guy that had cast to play her dad wasn’t bad to look at, although it felt extremely odd to feel even a little bit of attraction toward someone portraying her father. She confessed this to Matt, and he ended up laughing hard enough to garner some dirty looks from around them. As the movie continued, she had to admit that her dad was probably right about the way it changed the narrative about Superman. She had read the reviews, browsed the online forums, and one thing that was crystal clear was that, while aware of the fact that the movie was fiction, most people figured it was more or less based on truth. People believed that the Fortress of Solitude was real, that Superman and Ultra Woman came to Earth as adults, and that their hero was exactly who he presented himself as. The movie Superman had none of the qualities that made her Dad who he was, the humor and intelligence, the quick smile or dogged tenacity. He was a caricature in every way, and that served to distance him from her family. Most people would probably openly scoff at the idea that Superman could have a normal job, could even exist in the real world as a relatable person, and that was the movie’s genius. Of course, Laura made sure to whisper enough to Matt to set him straight, although she was pretty sure that he didn’t need the reminders.

Once the movie was over, they hung around until most of the crowd thinned out, then made their way to the side exit. Perched on the building across the alley was a newly-installed security camera, pointed at the door. Laura led Matt into the depths of the alley, then turned back over her shoulder and zapped the camera while he wasn’t looking. She was planning to surprise him with a little jaunt back to Metropolis, and it wouldn’t do to have their departure caught on camera. As they became enveloped by the darkness, she contemplated how she could get herself positioned so they could take off without him suspecting, but Matt unwittingly solved the problem as he slipped in behind her, wrapping is arms around her waist before bending down and trailing some kisses down her neck. “So, after all your protests, you really seemed to enjoy the movie,” he said.

Laura turned her head and met his lips with hers, indulging in a deep kiss. “I have to admit, I did,” she said. “So, yes, it is possible for me to change my mind about something,”

He gave an exaggerated gasp, then pulled her tighter. “Must be some strange new side to you that you’ve hidden from the world. Tell me, what other deep, dark secrets do you possess?”

She gave him a wicked grin, then covered his arms with her hands and clamped down tightly. Before he had time to process what she was doing, she shot up into the air, and he let out a loud scream of pure shock. The city spread out below them as she climbed, and eventually she set her course toward her hometown. After a few moments, his scream transitioned into nervous laughter. “Where are we going?” he asked breathlessly.

“Dessert,” she said simply, though that wasn’t the total truth. “And my favorite ice cream place is in Metropolis.”

Matt breathed heavily behind her, still recovering from the surprise of finding himself in the air. They flew in silence for a minute, then he spoke again. “It feels like I’m hugging a ballistic missile,” he muttered, which made her laugh.

“You think this is fast?” she asked. At his emphatic nod, she continued. “This isn’t fast. I can usually make this trip in a couple seconds. For you, I’m making this more like a Sunday drive.” She tried to imagine what it was like for him, seeing the world from this vantage point for the first time. Sure, he had probably flown over in an airplane a time or two, but it wasn’t the same. Flying like this was freedom; an airplane felt more like a prison. Out here she could feel the wind in her hair, interact with currents and the winged wildlife, and control her own destiny. Of course, he was at her mercy on this trip, but he didn’t seem to be complaining. As if in response to her thoughts, she could feel him begin to relax, the death grip that he had on her midsection loosening ever so slightly.

“Well,” he said, bringing his lips back toward her neck. “I have to admit that the view is spectacular. And kissing you up here sure beats kissing you on my couch.” She could feel his breath tickling her skin, his lips tracing her jawline and eventually moving up toward her ear lobe. She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath, eliciting a smile from him.

“You better knock that off if you don’t want me to crash into something,” she said, nudging him with her shoulder. He laughed gently, then stilled behind her. After a couple more minutes, the familiar skyline of Metropolis appeared before them, and the scenery on the ground below rapidly transitioned from rural to suburban.

“Aren’t you worried about flying around up here while wearing a dress?” Matt asked as Laura located her destination and began to descend. “I mean, I know you’re pretty open about changing clothing in strange guys’ living rooms, but we’re talking about having the whole city look up your skirt.”

She gave a single, shocked laugh, then turned her head to glance at him. “I keep telling you, the subject is covered. You’ve heard of underwear, right?”

Even in the relative darkness, she could see his eyes twinkling. “You keep saying that, but I have yet to see them. Much like the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch, the absence of any solid proof leads me to believe that these underwear might just be the thing of legend.” One of his hands came free and made its way to her thigh.

She let out another gasp. “I’d smack you if I didn’t think I’d drop you,” she said, though her voice made the humor evident.

“We’re in Metropolis now. I think I might just be able to find another flying superhero to rescue me.”

“Yeah, but they probably know where that hand has been, and might just be willing to let you drop…or at least would make sure you got a good scare before catching you.” She had slowed her descent as she realized that they were probably within ear shot of her dad, and she wasn’t too keen to have him listening in at the moment.

Matt brought his mouth close to her ear and spoke, sending a shot of hot air down her neck. “Then I guess it will have to be our secret,” he said softly, giving her thigh a squeeze before returning his hand to her waist. A shiver worked its way down her spine, and she took a deep breath and squeezed his arms, the moment getting a little more intimate than she had anticipated. A few seconds later, they landed in the back yard of her parents’ house, and the spell was broken as she released Matt and stepped away from him.

Her parents had been aware that Matt knew the big family secret, even before she had gotten a chance to talk to them, thanks to Jon. When she had finally gotten around to calling them after she was able to sort out everything with Matt, far from being upset that they had to hear the news secondhand, her parents had just wanted to make sure she was okay, which was sweet. She actually had to talk them out of stopping by to visit, though the cost was a promise that she would stop by Metropolis before too long, and bring the guest of honor so he could be properly welcomed into the family. Since Jon had undoubtedly told them the whole tale from the night on the Wayne Tower, they were aware that he had already met the unofficial welcoming committee, and had been properly introduced to the family business, but her dad insisted all the same.

Under normal circumstances the invitation would entail having her and Matt stop by for a little gathering of the whole family, but between dealing with babies, secret identities, jobs, and busy lives, those meeting weren’t as easy to arrange as they used to be. The next available opportunity was probably Thanksgiving, which was still a couple months away, so they would have to settle for something impromptu in the meantime, though that wasn’t entirely why she wanted to meet tonight. Taking a few precious minutes out of their date to chat with her folks wasn’t ideal, and would probably end up being the equivalent of pouring a giant bucket of cold water on them right as the fire between them started growing, but Laura thought it was important to provide an immediate counterpoint to the movie, to show Matt in the most direct way possible that it was complete fiction.

“This doesn’t look like an ice cream parlor,” Matt said with a hint of humor. Laura shook her head and looked up into the tree she had landed next to, at the treehouse perched about half way up.

“I want to show you something,” she said, zipping to the garage to turn on the exterior light before working her way up the wood boards nailed to the tree trunk and pointing at the sign displayed over the door. The sign announced that this was, in fact, the authentic Fortress of Solitude. Laura climbed into the treehouse and gestured for Matt to follow, which he did in short order.

“This is the real deal, huh?” he said, looking around as he crawled inside. The treehouse was definitely kid-sized, and she had been too big to stand in it since she had reached double digits in age, but that also meant that her brothers had been too big to fit comfortably in there for a good five years prior to that. For her, it really was a sanctuary, a brother-free place she could retreat to with her other friends, or, more frequently, alone. Her own Fortress of Solitude. “I know some well paid reporters who would kill to find this place.”

“I think they would be a little underwhelmed,” she said, her eyes catching sight of the crayon drawings doodled on the walls long ago. Pictures of robots and princesses, famous movie and cartoon characters, and plenty of scribbled notes and names, remembrances of good times that were now just pleasant memories.

“It’s a little less…arctic than I was lead to believe,” Matt said, though a little smile spread across his face as he drank in all the little details that had been added over the years. He pointed toward one of the drawings on the wall. “Is this yours?” The drawing was a rather elaborate landscape with colorful flowers, birds, and bushes.

“No, that’s Jon’s. He’s actually a pretty decent artist. He did make it for me, though, after a string of rainy, depressing days made it a little miserable to be outside.”She pointed up to the ceiling. “The Sistine Chapel up there is mine.” She had drawn clouds and birds, airplanes and satellites. And, of course, Superman.

He pointed at the painted Superhero streaking across the treehouse sky. “You painted this before you found out?”

She nodded, the corners of her mouth turning upwards. “It’s hard to explain, but I guess it made me feel safer having him up there.” Matt took his hand in hers and they looked at each other in silence, before the sound of her dad saying her name made her look toward the house. Glancing inside, she could see him standing in the archway between the living room and kitchen, looking toward her expectantly. “We’ll be there in a sec,” she said.

Matt was looking at her questioningly, though after a moment recognition came. He pointed toward the house. “Your dad?”

Laura nodded. “Mom hates it when we talk through the walls,” she said, scooting toward the door.

“I can understand,” Matt said, turning toward the house and waving to their audience. Laura rolled her eyes.

“He’s not looking anymore,” she said as she descended the ladder, though inside the house, her father let her know that it was just wishful thinking on her part. “Shush,” she whispered, giving him an annoyed look, and she was greeted with Matt and her dad laughing in stereo.

Entering the house, they found that her mom had joined her dad in the kitchen, the light now on and the table in the process of being cleared off. Her parents greeted Matt warmly, making it clear that they remembered him from his last visit. The four of them seated themselves at the table and made conversation, keeping the discussion topics rather generic at first, before transitioning into more specific topics, including things that could never be discussed in front of someone unfamiliar with their secrets. Clark asked Laura about how she was dealing with her instant fame, and Laura let him know that it was hard to be famous if she never appeared in public. Discussions about her coming out prompted mention of Matt’s article, which had made a big splash in social media, and had ended up reposted on several national and international websites that aggregated news stories. Of course Laura’s parents had read it, but they had given it a second look once they found out who the author was, and made sure to let it be known to Matt that they thought it was well done. The story had been followed with a couple of related pieces on the man who had been stopped by Gotham’s mysterious new hero, stories built off a couple of hints that CJ had dropped to Matt the night of the skyscraper conference, though Matt had been careful to back up his insider knowledge with publicly available sources. In all, it had gotten him quite a bit of notice from people who could be rather important to any future employment prospects.

As the conversation continued, Matt let it slip that they had just watched the Superman movie, which brought a mischievous grin to Clark’s face. He got up from the table and returned a moment later, brandishing the manuscript for the sequel. Matt was excited to see it, though Laura found that her unimpressed reaction was mirrored in her mother’s expression.

“So the way these things work is that the second movie always seems to build on the first. If there was one villain in the first, well, the second needs two. Two heroes in the first? The second needs four. For this movie, the producers thought that Superman needed to team up with someone else to fight the extra villain. Check it out.” Flipping through the document, Clark found the page he was looking for, then set it on the table between Matt and Laura. They crowded together above it to read the page, and Laura found her ambivalence fading away as she read the scene, and she couldn’t suppress the laugh that came.

“Batman? You team up with CJ?” she laughed again, and her dad just raised his eyebrows and nodded once, and she was pretty sure that he saw the possibilities.

“It will be nice to have a partner on the celebrity spokesman circuit next time around.”

“CJ trying to keep a solemn, serious face for more than a couple minutes at a stretch will probably kill him,” Laura said, laughing again at the mental image. It was fun to ponder what that would be like, though she seriously doubted that CJ or Bruce would ever show their costumed faces to the moneyed elite, seeing as they were both rather familiar to that crowd in their normal guises.

Sighing, and suddenly curious, Laura looked back toward the manuscript. “Who else is in this? Jon?”

Clark gestured to her that the document was hers to peruse, so she took a few seconds to speed read it. She had to admit, the sequel sounded…fun, though she would never admit that to him. Jon was indeed in the sequel, but only as a baby. She wasn’t mentioned anywhere, which was fine with her.

As she put the manuscript back on the table, she noticed Matt looking at her with mild surprise. :Did you just read that whole thing?” She shrugged. “Not fair,” he said, then turned toward her mom. “Do you ever feel a little…behind on things when you’re around these guys?” he asked her.

Lois smiled and stood, patting his arm as she passed by him. “Think if it this way, with all the time they save on reading, it leaves them plenty of free time to do other things while you catch up.” She leaned in and whispered to him, “You’ll never have to do dishes again.” She stood up straighter and continued toward the kitchen. “Now, who wants to play some hearts?” A deck of cards was procured from the kitchen drawer before she returned to the table.

The conversation transitioned to other topics, and Laura found that she was glad she came. She had worried that her mom would go into reporter mode and try to dig into Matt’s past, like he had anything worth digging up, but she was pleasant and personable. And she had worried that her dad would play the Superman card and make thinly veiled threats toward her beau, as if Matt dating her made him the second coming of Lex Luthor, but he was plain old goofy Dad, and she was greatly relieved about that. It was a good time, all told, but she knew that they would need to be moving on before it got too late. Apparently she wasn’t the only one with that thought, because a short time later she could see something familiar appear in her dad’s expression, and she knew before he did it that he was going to break out one of his jokes, probably the most embarrassing one he could think of. She mentally kicked herself for not warning Matt beforehand that it was probably coming.

“Okay, so, there were two sausages sitting in a frying pan,” Clark said.

“Ugh, Dad!” Laura said. Her mom was smiling, recognizing the ploy for what it was.

“The first one said, ‘Man it’s hot in here,’ and the second one said, ‘Oh my God, a talking sausage!’”

Matt laughed, and not a hollow or fake laugh. Never let it be said that he didn’t appreciate a cheesy joke. “Have you ever heard of a dad joke?” Laura asked her dad, and Clark shook his head a shrugged. “They are the groaners that dads torture their kids with. I think that one is the textbook example.”

“Well, I did get it from my Dad,” he said.

“I rest my case,” Laura answered smugly.

“But I wore it out in college. My friends all thought it was funny.”

“Apparently the 80’s were a simpler time,” Laura answered.

“I have a million of them,” Clark said, opening his mouth to say another one, but Laura shot up out of her chair before he could start, pulling Matt up as she did. “So we probably need to get going,” she said, looking pleadingly at Matt, who seemed to catch on rather quickly.

“Yeah, I was promised dessert,” he said, looking back at her parents with a smile and an apology in his eyes as she tugged him out of the room and toward the door.

“Well, thanks for stopping by,” her mom said with a wave.

“Good to see you again Mom, Dad,” Laura said, exiting the house. As she closed the door behind her, she heard her dad say, “Mission accomplished,” under his breath to her mom.

“Subtle,” her Mom said, patting his leg. “You could’ve done the normal thing and politely shooed them out of the house.”

“What fun is that?” he answered. “I thought for sure she’d have grown out of the parental embarrassment stage by now. Nice to know I still have the touch.”

“You always did wield bad jokes like deadly weapons,” her mom said with a chuckle.

“I’ll stop doing it when it stops working,” Clark said with a grin, then looked directly through the wall at Laura, who was silently fuming in the back yard, next to her somewhat confused boyfriend. Who knew her embarrassment could be so embarrassing? “Anyway, I would wager that they weren’t in Metropolis just for a social call. They needed to get back to their date.”

Lois stood and slid into his lap. “It’s been so long since one of the kids brought home a date, I almost forgot about that look, you know? The one that a new couple has, when their relationship is still new and exciting,” she said, leaning in to give Clark a kiss.

“Mmm, I remember that feeling.” He regarded her for a second. “Is it still exciting for you, even if it hasn’t been new in a long time?”

Lois put her arms around his neck and smiled. “Clark, as long as I’m with you it will always be exciting.”

“That gives me an idea, though. When was the last time we went on an honest-to-God date?”

“What, where we both put on something special, spend the night making thinly veiled innuendo and end up making out in public?” Clark nodded. “What day is it?” she asked, and they both laughed.

Laura forced herself to turn away and tune out, because she knew what came next. With a sigh, she looked toward Matt, then gestured toward the house. “You don’t want to know,” she said, then walked up next to him. “So the place where I want to go next is a couple miles away, and I figured we would, you know,” she said, holding her hand up in a flying motion.

“You want me to…” Matt asked, moving around behind her.

“No, that was kind of a spur of the moment thing,” she said. “Though it worked pretty well…maybe too well.” She blushed, causing a little smile to form on his face. “I’ve actually thought a lot about other ways to fly together, it’s just that a lot of them seemed…”

“Awkward, yeah,” Matt said, apparently visualizing different potential positions himself. After a moment, the faraway look in his eyes cleared, and he slid in next to her, draping an arm over her shoulders. Reflexively, she brought her arm up around his waist, and he nodded. “Let’s give this one a try.”

She looked at him, then took off. This time, there was no surprised yelp, though she could hear his breath catch in his throat. This was certainly a different way to fly together, though admittedly she didn’t have much experience with carrying other people. When her dad flew with her mom, she was always cradled in his arms, but when he carried CJ, it was always with arms around the waist. This way was more intimate than that, but it also put Matt into a position where he was on equal footing with her. And, as they flew across town, she had to admit that it didn’t feel awkward at all.

It only took a few seconds to reach a darkened alley near the ice cream parlor that Laura had been dying to bring him to. This place was uniquely Metropolis, the type of place that people took special trips just to visit. The shop made their own hard-packed ice cream in a wide range of flavors, and offered many types of toppings, including liqueurs. Matt took a while to peruse the menu and take in all the possibilities, but Laura knew what she wanted, what she had, in fact, been aching for ever since the idea of visiting Metropolis had popped into her head. She ordered a double scoop of their signature triple fudge ice cream, with extra chocolate sauce on top, though she could’ve easily gone for more than that. Matt had a single scoop of raspberry ripple, joking that he had his girlish figure to think of. They settled into an empty two person bench on the patio and dug in, their conversation picking up where it had left off at dinner, though there was one thing Laura felt compelled to ask.

“So, you seemed kinda eager for my dad to break into the world’s lamest comedy routine back there,” Laura said, causing Matt to wrinkle his nose.

“Oh, go easy on him. My dad doesn’t tell jokes at all. Consider yourself lucky – there are way worse things that a dad can be than embarrassing. Though I have no idea why you would think he is.”

Laura sighed. “Years of experience,” she muttered, though he only smiled, his expression thoughtful.

“You have to admit, though, it’s kind of funny if you think about it.” He leaned in toward her, his voice barely a whisper. “Superman’s secret weapon, that he uses to chase us out of the house and rescue our date from the clutches of bad conversation and parental scrutiny, isn’t super strength or x-ray vision or cooling breath or any of those other things, it’s the power of the dad joke.”

“You met my bothers right? You’re surprised by this? Where do you think they got their sense of humor? This is, like, every holiday at our house. Except most of those I can’t escape so easily.”

Matt’s eye twinkled, and Laura realized something: Matt’s personality actually was a good match to the other men in her family. Legend said that girls were destined to end up with men who reminded them of their fathers, and if she stripped away the powers and the general air of dad-liness, her dad and Matt were actually a lot alike. Heck, they even both came from the Midwest, had similar value sets, and apparently shared the same sense of humor. It was enough to make her eyes go a little wider, to make her want to take a step back and reevaluate things, but she forced herself to calm down. Underneath it all, the things that her dad had in common with her boyfriend were the things that she loved about him, despite her grousing. And, she realized, the ultimate thing that tied the two of them together was the fact that they both loved her, and she certainly couldn’t hold that against either one of them.

Matt seemed oblivious to her internal discussion, taking a long moment to clear away some potential drips from his cone. After a while he started speaking again, and she couldn’t help but smile. “You know, I get what you were trying to accomplish by bringing me there tonight. You wanted me to get my head right after watching that movie, but the movie was the farthest thing from my mind while we were talking. That guy on screen was so devoid of anything resembling a personality that there’s no way the thought of him would ever occur to you when talking with a normal person.”

“Well, yeah, that’s the point,” Laura said, then taking out a large bite of her cone.

“Before we went in, though, I was actually worried about getting pulled aside and given the old, ‘be good to my daughter or else’ spiel, with the ‘or else’ part being implied banishment to the moon or something.”

Laura laughed at that. “He would never do that. Mom might, if you get her in the wrong mood. I’m pretty sure she actually did threaten me with that exact punishment once, when she was…empowered. I wasn’t dumb enough to see if she would follow through.”

“Your brothers said something similar when I mentioned that particular fear to them,” Matt answered, and Laura found herself shaking her head. She really wished now that she had been at their little meeting. What else did they talk about? With a sigh, she banished those thoughts and transitioned their conversation to other topics. Laura managed to finish her treat before he did, even though she had twice as much, and Matt wound up with more than a few raspberry-flavored drips on his nice semi-formal clothes.

“So,” Laura said as they left the ice cream shop. It was starting to get a little late now, though Metropolis being the city it was, the sidewalks were still teeming with people. “What do you want to do now?”

Matt took her hand in his as they strolled along the sidewalk. “Well, this is my first visit to Metropolis. Why don’t you to show me your favorite part?”

She slowed down a little, then looked toward the alley they had arrived in. He didn’t need to be told what she was up to, and followed gladly. Once they were fully in shadows and out of sight from the street, she grabbed his waist and took him up to the top of the Metropolis Trade Tower, about a mile away.

The top of the Trade Tower, like many skyscrapers, had a large spire jutting from it, but it also had mechanicals and other equipment scrawled across the rather large expanse of roof, and the only real comfortable places for relaxing were right around the edges, which was fine for a superpowered individual, but potentially hazardous for someone like Matt. It gave Laura a good reason to keep his hand tightly gripped in hers as they made their way around the perimeter of the roof, Laura pointing out all there was to know and see in Metropolis – the Daily Planet building, Centennial Park, Metropolis University, her brother’s place, among others – while Matt stayed prudently silent. After a showing him the sights, she gestured for him to sit down with her, their feet dangling over the edge, and their backs resting against an air conditioning unit.

“I used to spend a lot of time up here,” she said softly. “Even well before I could fly, my dad would bring me up here and we would talk, or I would watch him work. At first it was exciting, but even after that wore off, I still looked forward to coming up here, our own secret place where we could talk about anything and do whatever and just enjoy being ourselves.” She sighed. “Not that we hid ourselves at home, but there were neighbors, and you could only do so much within the confines of a house. But up here, decked out in the uniform, you could be free. And the whole city felt like a playground.”

“You love this place,” Matt said with a little bit of surprise in his voice, waving his hand toward the great open space before them. “This is your home. I know you said you came to Gotham to explore new opportunities, but I can’t help but think that there’s more to it than that.”

She took a shuddering breath, taking in the majesty that was Metropolis, fighting back tears that threatened to come at any second. She did love this place, deeply. But she also knew that there was more to the world than Metropolis. “I’m redundant here,” she said, trying to smile. “Metropolis doesn’t need three super people. And I don’t need to be constantly compared to the two that came before me. There are plenty of other places that could use my services, when the time comes.” His hand came up to her cheek and wiped a rogue tear away, his other arm snaking over her shoulders and pulling her into him. Despite all the powers available to her, all the strength she possessed, at that moment she was reliant on him for support. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I will always love this place, but it’s a memory. It’s my past.”

“And the future?” The hand that had been touching her face rested on her thigh, but this time there was nothing suggestive in his touch. “You never have told me what exactly your plans are for a career after graduation, except that you don’t want to be a reporter.”

She gave a single chuckle. “Because it was hard to explain before you knew.” She pointed toward the dark swath of ocean that spread out beyond the city. “The majority of the Earth is covered with water, yet only something like one percent of the ocean floor has been mapped. Can you imagine what kinds of things could be hidden beneath the water – shipwrecks, creatures we could only imagine, maybe the secrets to plate tectonics or to life itself. Likewise, there are things hidden beneath the ground, lakes of magma, for example, or deposits of minerals, or fossils and other keys to the history of this planet.” She sat up straighter as she began to become more animated. “My Dad and my brothers use their powers to save people or fight crime, occasionally take out megalomaniacs or stop a stray asteroid. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but there’s so much more we could do if we applied ourselves. I could look down through a mile of water and tell you what’s sitting on the floor of the ocean. I actually went out and took a good look at the Titanic one time after watching that movie on cable. I can look through the crust of the Earth, so long as there’s not too much lead in the ground, and see where volcanoes are forming, or find old impact craters. Imagine the advancements in the natural sciences I can make just by using my powers. It’s exciting, actually.”

“But…how? Sure, you can do those things, but nobody else knows that.”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” she said, sighing and settling against him again. There was relative silence for a few moments, then he started speaking.

“I know this is kind of out there, but…what if your other persona went to college? If you can be openly super, then you can study as fast as you want, get a doctorate in geology or something in a matter of weeks, then go off and be a famous explorer of the unknown, advancing the body of knowledge, writing papers, and nobody would bat an eyelash.”

“But then what’s left for Laura Kent?” she asked.

“You become a reclusive novelist?” he said, though his voice said that he wasn’t sold on the idea.

“I can’t live two separate lives like that. It’s one thing to moonlight as a superhero, it’s quite another to walk away from my life to live full-time as the superhero. I would have to have two separate jobs, two separate groups of friends, you name it, and would have to keep them secret from each other. What happens if I get pregnant, or even cut my hair? There would be a lot of tracks to cover, a lot of explanations to be made. It sounds like a good way to go crazy.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I never thought about it that way.”

“I have,” she said quietly. Many a late night had been spent staring up at the ceiling, pondering similar scenarios. She had even gone so far as to research ways that someone without a past could get into college. But just the idea of spending the majority of her life as the caricature was enough to make her rethink her priorities, and give reporting a second look. But there were still ways that she could do what she wanted without sacrificing her identity. “The way I see it, maybe I can use my other self, or Dad or Jon, in a consulting role. Maybe a superpowered individual observes something interesting in a place that no normal person can reach, and gives me a tip that I can follow up on. I might need to partner up with someone to get the technology to expose the discovery to the rest of the world…fortunately I know someone doing research and development at a technology company.” She smiled weakly and looked into Matt’s eyes. “I just need my other identity for that first tip, that first discovery, and everything else can be accomplished by the real me. Because, really, the discovery is somewhat hollow without the analysis, without the ‘why’ behind it.”

He grinned at her, then leaned over and kissed her. “Beautiful AND brilliant. But…” his smile faded somewhat, his getting distant. She remembered what he said, about how he considered himself beneath her, and she wondered if her ambition to make scientific breakthroughs, probably accomplished after earning an advanced degree or two, brought that fear back. “Is there room in this future of yours for a normal guy like me who just wants to tell a good story?”

“Is that really all you want?” she asked in a playful tone, putting her hand on top of his. She hoped the action answered his question.

His eyes got that look in them, and she knew that the seriousness had passed, and it was time to begin to have a little fun again. “Well, you know, a little adventure every now and then would be nice.”

“I think I can help you with that one.”

“I’m beginning to appreciate these rooftop rendezvous, and why your family seems so intent on having them.” He turned his hand over and intertwined his fingers with hers. “I think I also want to know what this mile high club thing is all about,” he said with a grin, leaning in for a kiss. She obliged, deepening it enough that the rest of the world began to fade away. As they pulled apart, the arm that had been over her shoulder dropped down to her waist, and he pulled her onto his lap.

“That seems like a third or fourth date thing,” she said with a small laugh.

“How high up are we here? Maybe we need to work our way up to it,” he said, kissing her again.

Even after they parted, he trailed kisses down her neck. “Uhhh, 1,500 feet or so I think. That’s maybe a quarter mile.”

“So, four times up here and you earn your membership,” he said, earning another little giggle from her. He let go of her hand and moved that arm under her legs, moving his other arm behind her back, then grunted as he stood while holding her. He looked around for a path toward the center of the roof, though nothing seemed to present itself. Laura had to admit that she enjoyed his modest little show of strength, cradling her in the same way that she had seen her dad carry her mom, though she could tell from his twitching muscles that it wasn’t going to last very long. “Assuming there’s a flat space up here where we can go,” he mumbled, taking a few steps to the side.

Laura wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled his ear. “Maybe we should wait on that, and just enjoy this…enjoy just having fun and torturing each other for a while.”

His progress halted and he braced against the equipment, taking a deep breath and giving a pained smile. “You say that, but your actions are stoking the fire,” he said, closing his eyes and devouring her mouth. “And on the edge of a skyscraper, no less. 110 stories up,” he said as they pulled apart.

She trailed her fingers along his jaw, dropping little kisses along his hair line. “Oh, this?” she said between kisses. “This is payback for you distracting me while I was flying. Did I mention that I play dirty?”

“I had that figured out a long time ago,” he said breathlessly, kissing her again. “And what happens if I lose my balance?”

If she didn’t stop soon, she would probably push him a little farther that she intended. Taking pity on him, she backed off, resting her forehead on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you,” she said softly, feeling his arms tighten under hear, drawing her into a closer embrace. Looking at him, feeling his barely contained desire, knowing how her touch could elicit such deep emotions, she felt very loved, very content. It didn’t take much for her mind to conjure images of him returning the favor, summoning feelings within her that she hadn’t even realized she was capable of. It would be easy to take the next step, to give each other the ultimate acknowledgement of their desire for each other. But something was missing, something was still left unsaid.

“Do you love me?” Laura whispered into his ear. He looked at her with momentary surprise, then gave his most devastating smile.

“Utterly. Completely.”

“Then say it,” she said softly, intently.

“Laura Kent, I am in love with you. Man, that feels great to say.”

She gripped his neck more tightly and leaned in for another kiss, although this one was cut short as his grip began to falter. “Come on, stud, let’s take this back home.” As he put her down next to him, she leaned over and whispered into his ear. “We might not be as alone up here as you think.” Her eyes focused on the horizon, at the gathering of police vehicles that had completely escaped her attention as she had gotten lost in Matt’s charms. It was a big enough operation to warrant the attention of the Crimson Superman, though at this point he seemed to have done what he came to do, and was now chatting with the cops on-site. Even as she watched, he tried to act nonchalant, as if he hadn’t been surreptitiously looking her way, but she knew better.

“Fine, but you need to say it, too,” he said, and she sighed theatrically.

“Matt Owens, the day you found out about me was the happiest day of my life, at least before today. I spent so much time denying my feelings, wrapping myself up in my insecurities, that I never thought it would be possible to open my heart to love, or that I could even find someone who would want me for who I am. But I have, and you have made it so easy to fall for you. And I do love you, with all my heart.” She kissed him again, tenderly, sweetly, then looked toward the police operation across town. “You get that?” she asked.

“Nicely put,” she heard her brother say, though she was pretty sure that there was more he would’ve said if he wasn’t in earshot of Metropolis’s finest. She arched an eyebrow at him, gave him her most sisterly expression, then took off with Matt toward Gotham, and the future.

***

EPILOGUE

The day of the big Metropolis – Gotham State football game had arrived, and CJ found himself excited as game time approached. It wasn’t that he was looking forward to cheering for his hated rival Gotham State, because he was pretty sure that it would leave him feeling dirty enough that he would need to come home and take a long, hot shower after the game. He also wasn’t looking forward to going off and leaving Jenny at home again, though it was her choice to stay away, and he couldn’t say that he blamed her for that. The big day was rapidly approaching, and he could tell that she felt generally uncomfortable most of the time, and while he would prefer to spend his time trying to help her chase that discomfort away, she had given him her blessing to go out and have some fun. CJ had to admit, though, that the prospect of going back to a college stadium on game day, even if it was a rival team’s stadium, made his heart pump a little harder. Football was such a huge part of his life for so long that once it was over, it was like a large part of himself was missing. Of course, it was only a couple months after his football career was done that he ‘died’ and officially had other things to worry about and much bigger holes in his past to try and patch, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t still miss it. It would be different to come back as a spectator, to not be part of the action, but he would be back, and that was all that counted.

On the plus side, it meant that he would be able to spend some time with Laura and with Matt, who was quickly becoming a friend. CJ had wanted to take them and their friends tailgating before the game, like he had done with his family at Metropolis football games before he joined the team, but he was aware that the game day atmosphere was a little different in Gotham. Instead of large expanses of concrete parking lot around the stadium, Gotham State had a few parking garages, and on-street, neighborhood parking for as far as the eye could see, which was hardly enough to provide adequate space for the 40,000 anticipated spectators to park. Most of the Gotham State fans rode in on public transportation instead, which was fine, but it wasn’t conducive to tailgating, so CJ figured he could have the tailgate at the mansion instead. That way Jenny and Adam could take part in the fun, and it kept them out of the public eye, freeing them to discuss any topic that they wanted, including some that weren’t fit for public consumption.

Laura and Matt arrived at the mansion’s front door around four hours before game time. CJ answered the door accompanied by his son, who was decked out in a kid-sized Metropolis University football jersey. Adam fairly launched himself at Laura once he saw her, and Matt watched the scene with an amused grin, finally introducing himself once Adam noticed his presence.

“What are you wearing there, pal?” Matt asked, following Laura and Adam into the mansion.

“Um, my daddy played football,” Adam answered, rushing through the hallway. “And Grandpa Clark played football. So that means I’m a football player, too.”

“And who do we root for?” CJ asked.

Adam stopped and turned toward them, thrusting his hands up into the air. “Go, Lions!” he said, eliciting laughter from the three of them, then turned back to hurry down the hall.

“They’re easy to train at this age,” CJ said, pointing his thumb at his son.

“Isn’t Bruce on the Board of Regents for Gotham State? Doesn’t he have something to say about this?” Laura asked. “Hey Adam,” she said loud enough for him to hear as he hustled along. “What do you think about Gotham State?”

“Boooooo Knights!” he said with a shake of his head, his progress unimpeded.

“Told ya,” CJ said. Laura appeared outwardly disappointed, but he could see in her eyes that she found the situation amusing. As much as she tried to play the part of faithful fan to the school she attended, he knew that she was loyal to Metropolis University first, that there would always be some fondness there after all the good times from when he and Jon were there.

CJ led them toward the kitchen area and out onto the covered patio on the back lawn of the house, where the grill and picnic table were set up, along with a couple tailgate games, Adirondack chairs, and his lovely wife. Laura and Adam continued out to the patio, but CJ stopped Matt before leaving the kitchen. “You have something for me?” he asked, holding out his hand. Matt reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small silver box, handing it to CJ. “How was your first try at being a cat burglar?” he asked.

Matt smiled somewhat awkwardly, grabbing the back of his neck. “Uncomfortable. I got in and out of there as fast as I could and felt horrible the whole time.”

CJ clapped his shoulder. “What, it wasn’t fun making a little mischief with my sister?” he asked.

“Well, you know, I guess it was cool getting to be an active part of the team. But if we really want to make mischief, there are a lot of things we could do that are a heck of a lot more fun.” The twinkle in his eye gave his words a suggestive context.

CJ held up a hand and turned his head. “Yeah, I don’t need to know.” He laughed lightly at the mental image. Apparently all his sister needed was a little push and a shot of courage, and she became quite a wildcat. Holding up the box, he focused his thoughts again on the task at hand. “This was a big help,” he said, then moved toward the counter and picked up Matt’s reward, handing it to him. “A token of my appreciation,” he said.

The reward was a certificate proclaiming Matt an official sidekick, and it had the words, “BAM,” “POW,” and “BIFF” in starbursts around the edge, and was officially signed with a Bat-symbol. It was something that could never be taken seriously by any observer who didn’t know the truth, but at the same time it actually was authentic, and CJ could tell by Matt’s expression that he appreciated it. “Never let it be said you aren’t a man of your word,” Matt said with a chuckle. “Though I think I was also promised a pin.”

“The pin’s on backorder,” CJ answered with a smirk. “I’m going to run this downstairs. Go on outside, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” he said, pointing the way toward the patio door. With that, CJ made his way down toward the cave to squirrel away to red kryptonite, or at least put it somewhere safe until one of his family members could launch it into space. He intended to quickly drop the box off and head back upstairs, but his progress was halted by a gust of air and loud whooshing sound, followed by the sudden appearance of his brother, Diane, and two baby carriers.

“Hey!” CJ said, changing course to approach them. “What are you guys doing here?” He gave Diane a one-armed hug before squatting down in front of one of the baby carriers. He hadn’t seen his niece and nephew since shortly after they were born, and they had certainly grown a lot in that time. In front of him was Ellie, decked out in pink and flowers, sleeping peacefully. He moved his attention to the other carrier, where Eddie squirmed happily, giving CJ a smile and reaching for him.

“Jen called me a little while back and said you were going to the game today and leaving her home alone, you jerk,” Jon said, his smirk evident in his voice.

CJ wanted to look offended, but he had Eddie’s captive attention, so he went with an exaggerated smile instead, grabbing at his little hand. “I am being altruistic, I assure you,” he said, his voice taking the affectation that it always seemed to when he talked to babies, and Eddie was eating it up. “The football game is my penance for launching Laura a city block during that whole red kryptonite fiasco.”

“Some punishment. You love watching football, especially when Metropolis is playing.”

CJ made one more face at his nephew, then stood, regarding his brother. “As the t-shirt will tell you, today I have promised to root for the other side. And that will be slow torture. Anyway….”

Jon seemed to only notice his shirt at that moment, and raised an eyebrow in appreciation. “Anyway, Jen thought it would be fun to have some company, and we’ve gotten pretty tired of spending long weekends at home.”

CJ was aware that Diane had gone back to work a month or so ago, which seemed to work wonders for her sanity, but it still meant all time outside of working hours was spent tending to babies, and left little time for any relaxation. Add to it that they were still getting their footing as far as taking the twins out in public went, and it made for a pretty isolating experience.

“When you’ve spent years going off to exotic locations at the drop of a hat, you get pretty spoiled. Man, what I wouldn’t give to be able to take off somewhere nice right now,” Diane said wistfully, leaning into Jon.

“Vegas,” he said bringing a knowing smile from her.

“Greece,” she countered.

“Hawaii.”

Her eyes got a faraway look. “Oooh, Hawaii.”

“Pretty sure that’s where these guys came from,” Jon said with a gesture toward the baby carriers. It was beginning to get a bit…private, so CJ cleared his throat, drawing them out their little conversation. “Anyway, as soon as the twins outgrow the carriers, we won’t even be able to fly as a family anymore, so it’ll be long trips in the car if we want to go anywhere.” That statement brought frowns from both of them, though CJ wasn’t going to shed any tears for their inconvenience. Maybe it was a bit of jealousy, but it would gratifying to have his brother on the level and CJ and all other non-flying mortals. “So here we are at stately Wayne Manor, taking advantage of it while we can, and we’re damn happy to be here,” Jon said.

CJ gestured toward the stairs, then picked up the carrier containing his nephew and started climbing. “Have you heard about Laura’s new boyfriend?” he asked, glancing at Diane. She fell into step behind CJ while Jon took a moment to change, then Jon picked up his daughter’s carrier and followed.

“I have,” she said. “I guess they were up on the Trade Tower the other night making bold proclamations of love while getting rather heated. Jon was still blushing when he got home after seeing that.”

“Serves you right for spying,” CJ said with a laugh.

They soon emerged into the house and went directly to the yard, where Matt and Laura were playing with Adam. Jenny and Diane squealed at each other and embraced, and the party was on. At some point, Diane managed to corner Matt and interrogate him in a way that only a cop could, joined after a few moments by Jenny and the reporter’s questions. Matt’s eyes pleaded to Jon and CJ for rescue, but in this instance, they could only look on in sympathy. CJ eventually fired up the grill, bringing out hamburgers and sausages, making sure to point out to his brother that he was, in fact, supplying all the food this time around. As they ate, stories from tailgates and football parties past were told. CJ was content to listen, since hadn’t been an active participant in most of the stories. Jenny couldn’t resist telling about the time they flew down to Arkansas when CJ’s team had played there, and how much different the tailgating had been down south than it was anywhere in the northeast. “Clark had the foresight to grab a 12 pack of beer, and we wandered around the parking lots, talking with people, trading beers for food. It was like a giant party that just happened to have a football game at the end. I wanted to write a story about that experience to tell the folks in Metropolis what they were missing, but…” she shrugged. The family was only there thanks to Superman, which meant that, officially, she wasn’t there at all. That was true for a lot of the vacations that they had gone on over the years, but that didn’t make them any less fun.

After eating, the babies woke up, so they were passed around, happy for the attention and the new faces to look at. CJ noted with amusement that even Matt seemed to get in on it, though the apprehensive look on his face as he held Ellie was priceless. The tailgate games were also played, the competitive natures of most of the family members becoming immediately evident. Superpowers weren’t much of an advantage when it came to playing bags, though, and Matt and Jenny paired up to become a formidable force. When the time came for CJ, Matt, and Laura to leave, Matt and Jenny were thick as thieves, and CJ wasn’t sure if that should be gratifying or scary. In any case, Laura and Matt promised to return after the game, if only to watch the twins and give Jon and Diane some much earned alone time. Jon stated that most of that alone time would be spent taking a nap in one of the spare bedrooms, and CJ was pretty sure that he was entirely serious.

CJ parked his car at Laura’s apartment and they walked the rest of the way to the stadium, gathering the rest of her friends as they went. CJ was introduced as Laura’s brother-in-law, though his last name was never given. Her friends quizzed him about the fact that he was wearing a Metropolis University hat in contrast to his Gotham State t-shirt, but he only replied that his loyalties were split, and let it go at that. Laura had objected to the hat at first, too, but he reminded her that the agreement between them only involved his t-shirt, and it never said that he couldn’t root for his team, too. Which he fully intended to do.

The seats that CJ had gotten for Laura and her friends were near mid-field on the shady side of the stadium, behind the visitor’s bench. He made sure that the seats were decently high up in the stands, so that he would be comfortably out of sight of the Metropolis University team and coaches, most of whom were also there when CJ had been on the team. Matt had inserted himself between CJ and Laura, explaining that the two of them were a little too friendly with each other, and looked a little too similar for their own good. CJ had never thought of himself as looking all that much like either of his siblings, but he took Matt’s word for it, since Matt had, in fact, found everything out after viewing the two of them together, though it was under different circumstances. Besides, he couldn’t object too much to standing next to his new buddy who, unlike Laura, found CJ’s commentary on the game and the plays that were being run to be endlessly fascinating.

At the first quarter break, CJ decided that it was a good time for some snacks, and being the generous brother that he was, he wanted to treat them. He brought Matt with him for the extra hands, and settled into the nearest concession line, which was rather lengthy. CJ and Matt elaborated on one of the discussions they had been involved in about the sequence of plays just prior to the break, when suddenly he caught a glimpse of a face that he’d seen once before in Gotham. He silently willed the individual to keep walking, to not notice him in the crowd, but the other man stopped, looked at CJ from afar for a long moment, before heading right toward him. “Kent?” he asked as he approached. “Clark Kent!”

CJ resisted the urge to utter a curse. It would figure that today of all days, when he was basically without a disguise, essentially wearing his usual college attire plus sunglasses, this would be the day when his past came back to haunt him. Plastering a smile on his face, he turned toward his nemesis for the day. “Dax Springfield,” he said, taking off his sunglasses, then thrusting out his hand. This was it, the day that everything went to hell. Might as well go down gracefully.

“Man, I haven’t seen you in forever,” Dax said, shaking the offered hand. “What happened to you after graduation, anyway? It’s almost like you fell off the face of the Earth.”

CJ opened his mouth to say something, then closed it, regarding his tormenter quizzically. He had joked with Jenny last time they met that maybe Dax had taken a few too many knocks to the head, but like so many things from that night, it was entirely possible that the joke hit a little too close to home. It was possible that Dax really didn’t have any idea, that he hadn’t heard about the plane crash or read the releases that university put out. He had always been a bit of a partier, sometimes living in his own universe…which meant that maybe there was hope after all. CJ decided to proceed cautiously, not letting on that anything happened, hoping that he was right and Dax really was that clueless. “I, uh, got out of town, took a job in the family business,” he said.

“I’m surprised you didn’t try to go pro or something. Man, you were a brick wall back in the day.”

“Well, I uh…”

“Hey man, is that a Gotham State shirt you have on? What gives?”

CJ pointed his thumb in the general direction of their seats. “My sister goes here, so I thought…”

Dax slapped his shoulder. “No problem, man, I get it. Say, you should come down to the locker room after the game, say hi to Coach. I know I’m going to.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Yeah, fine, but wait until I tell him I saw you here today.”

(continued below)

(Sorry - I think I hit up against a maximum post length?)

CJ felt goosebumps rise on his arm as a new minefield presented itself. If Coach had an inkling that CJ was here, even if it came from someone as flaky as Dax, he might not dismiss it offhand, might put out feelers, because CJ had always been very close with him. Plane crash deaths were pretty definitive, but at the same time, CJ’s body had never been found, even though quite a few from the wreck had. The possibility that CJ could still be alive, no matter how improbable, was still very real, and that was a problem. Giving Dax a little half smile, he pondered for a moment what he would say, when Matt, who to this point had watched the exchange silently, chimed in. “Uh, Clark?” he said, drawing the attention of both CJ and Dax. It briefly occurred to CJ that, even though his friends routinely called him that when he was in college, nobody but his wife had referred to him as Clark for years. It seemed extremely odd to be called that by someone he barely knew, though he tried not to let that show in his expression. “I thought you had a falling out with your football coach from Metropolis University.”

CJ mutely looked at Matt, whose eyebrows were raised in anticipation, his expression completely sincere, then said a little prayer of thanks for his quick thinking. With those simple words, he had his out. Turning back toward Dax, CJ cleared his throat, then shook his head. “Yeah, Coach threw me out of the locker room after that last practice, said he never wanted to see me again. Man, I thought he was going to have a heart attack right there, as red as he got. I wouldn’t want you to ruin his day by mentioning my name in there.”

Dax cringed. “Jeez, what did you do? Oh, never mind, I don’t want to know. Well, hey, it was good seeing you again,” he said, then squinted at CJ. “Did you know you have a double out there? I swear I saw a guy who looked just like you a while back, though I’ll be darned if I can remember where.”

“I’ve heard that, yeah,” CJ said with a half smile, his voice not as strong as he would’ve liked. With a nod and a thumbs up, Dax turned around and left, and CJ let out a long breath.

After watching him walk away, CJ blinked a couple times, turned toward Matt, and smiled. He was not aware of ever having been rescued before. Ever since he could remember, he had been physically tough, and though he had run-ins with glowing rocks that had required assistance, he wouldn’t deem that help a rescue in the traditional sense. And his wife had no doubt saved him from embarrassment on more than one occasion, but this was something different, something bigger. This had literally saved his life. “If I said I loved you in a completely platonic, man-crush kind of way, would it be weird?”

Matt laughed once. “Yeah, a bit,” he said. “And if you did it within earshot of your sister, you’d probably have to fight her off.”

“I’m talking bro love. And anyway, it’s a little late for that,” CJ said. At Matt’s confused look, CJ waived his hand. “I’ll tell you that one later.” He let out a sigh, slipped his sunglasses back on, and felt all the tension drain out of his body. “That was a rescue that even Superman would be proud of.”

Matt beamed. “Glad to be of service.” He was quiet for a moment, then looked around once before speaking again in a lowered voice. “I don’t know how close you were with your coach, but if I had to guess, I’d say that he probably wouldn’t have believed that guy when he said he saw a ghost at the concession stand.”

CJ shrugged. “Probably not, but you never know. And it plants that seed of doubt, which is all it takes to make everything come crashing down. So, thanks.”

Matt blushed lightly and looked away, then a sly smile spread over his face. “You realize, of course, that you owe me now.”

CJ smiled and draped his arm over Matt’s shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe we’re even now, what with …the other night, and all my sage advice to you and you’re lovely date.”

Matt laughed lightly, but he didn’t shrink away from CJ. That night atop the skyscraper, Matt had been somewhat tentative, maybe a little reticent, mostly hanging back and observing, though never shy, and never filled with that slightly wide-eyed awe that always made CJ feel self-conscious. As the weeks had gone by and Laura had welcomed him into all aspects of her life, Matt had come out of shell, and CJ could see his humor, his intelligence, and all the other personality quirks that drew Laura to him. He actually reminded him a bit of himself, and CJ decided that he liked having someone after his own heart to hang around with.

“Hey, you gave that up out of the kindness of your heart, as I recall,” Matt said, giving as good as he got. “Anyway, it’s kinda nice having a little leverage over the guy with the biggest trust fund in town.” There was a gleam in his eye and a teasing quality in his voice that CJ could appreciate. Matt knew he was dealing with the most powerful guy in town in more ways than one, but he wasn’t intimidated. Yes, CJ had a man crush, and it was fun. He would have to give Laura a hug and thank her for coming to Gotham State, for finding someone worthy to bring into the family…for being herself. Life was good, even if he was cheering for Gotham State today. And the future, well, it was still a fascinating place, and getting more so every day.