Fallout - 2016 - Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 1 CG3 15/16
Previously
The day before Morgana and her family moved, the kids had a gathering and eventually the conversation got around to the Homecoming Dance.
Jon related the story, “We had a run in with Bud and his family around Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a result my mom has been following his family. It turns out that his father is a drunk and an abuser. His mother is an enabler which makes a bad, a very bad combination. I think that Bud’s bullying was a reflection of his home life. He wanted to strike out at his father, but didn’t dare, so he took it out on his schoolmates. I think he resorted to weapons because Hattie and I bested him and his posse in a fair fight. He didn’t know that we were both studying karate.”
“Seems a shame. His poor home life will probably now result in a criminal record.”
“Yeah, and since he probably won’t accept responsibility for his own actions, he’ll blame me and you and Hattie and the rest of the school. My guess is that if he ever returns it will be to try and ‘even’ the score.”
“At least I won’t be around to experience his wrath,” Morgana replied, “but I feel sorry for those of you that have to stay.” She looked significantly at Jon as she said, “At least you will have Kam-El,” she shifted her gaze to Lara and said, “and Ultra Woman 2 to help keep you safe.”
Jon and Lara each picked up on Morgana’s body language, but they couldn’t be sure if she was indicating the superheroes or simply emphasizing her statements to them. Frankly, they would have felt better if she had addressed her statement to Hattie or JJ.
Morgana turned to Hattie and asked, “Do you have any idea who they really are?”
This was one of Hattie’s favorite topics and she warmed to it. “No, no idea. There are a couple of schools of thought. The main one is that they are new visitors from New Krypton.”
Morgana smiled and said, “Personally, I’m of the opinion that they are Superman and Ultra Woman’s children.”
Hattie scoffed and said, “How could that be? Ultra Woman hasn’t been back from New Krypton long enough to have children that old.”
“What if she wasn’t really on New Krypton? What if she was simply here, hiding in plain sight the entire time? Then they could be their children.”
“But there were numerous emergencies that if she had been around, surely she would have helped with. She wouldn’t have left Superman alone to handle them if she had been around.”
“Okay, but she’s here now and they are living among us. If you found out who they really were, what would you do?”
“I’d keep it a secret! It would place them in danger if the secret became known.”
“I agree, but it wouldn’t only place them in danger. It would place anyone that knew in danger. If you find out, you not only need to keep the secret, you also need to keep it secret that you know. No one must suspect that you have any idea who they are or else somebody may try to make you tell.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lara and Jon were there to see Morgana off and just before she got into the car, she put her arms around Jon’s neck and kissed him, a lingering kiss that held much promise. As she pulled back, she made a decision to let Jon know that she knew and whispered, “My hero.”
She smiled and climbed into the car. As she did, she said, “I’ll be in touch.” She waved as the car pulled away.
Jon nodded and returned the wave.
Lara sent, /”I heard that. She knows.”/
/”Yeah, but she’ll never tell anyone.”/
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A week later they heard that Bud and his gang had been tried. They had been found guilty of terrorism, attempted murder, arson, illegal entry and use of an IED in the commission of a felony.
They had been tried as adults and each was sentenced to a long prison term.
And now
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chapter 15 – Epilogue pt 1
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Universal Locator designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 – Prime%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
As the car pulled away, Morgana smiled and thought, <“It isn’t like we won’t be able to stay in touch, we have texts, e-mail, Facebook, Facetime, Skype… We will definitely be stay touch.>
Her father’s next assignment was in New York and the trip was done in easy stages. They left right after the moving van and would be arriving the day after. The company had a liaison person on site to open the new house and direct the unloading.
As soon as they arrived, she sent an e-mail:
FROM: Morgana256@space.net
TO: Distribution List - Metropolis
Hi from upstate New York!
Well, it was an uneventful trip, just long and boring. I’m just glad I had my pad and my Kindle, between the games, music and books I had enough to entertain myself during the trip. Without them it would have been worse.
I really miss you guys already and it has only been a couple of days and it is a couple of months until school starts. I hope I meet some nice people, but I’m sure they won’t be as great as you guys.
Maybe we could get together over the holidays. Let’s plan.
Love,
Morgana
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
On December 28th Hattie and her father, Jack Kaplin, were at the airport, waiting for an arriving flight.
Hattie was the first to spot Morgana and the two ran together and hugged then with their arms around one another they joined Jack.
“Well, Morgana, have a good flight?” Jack asked.
Smiling, Morgana replied, “Yes, sir. It was a good flight, but I couldn’t wait for the plane to arrive. At times, I wanted to get out and push, it seemed to be going so slow.”
Hattie laughed at that imagery and said, “Well, let’s go collect your luggage.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“As soon as we get home, we’ll get you settled in and then we have a surprise planned.”
“Oh, what?”
Laughing, Hattie replied, “If I told you, there wouldn’t be a surprise.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When they walked in the door the lights were switched on and Jon, Lara and JJ all shouted, “Surprise!” The gang was back together.
Morgana was close to tears as she said, “Oh, you guys! I love you all!” but she was looking right at Jon as she said it.
Jon caught that look and was instantly apprehensive. Morgana obviously had more feelings for him than he had for her. He could foresee an uncomfortable discussion in the offing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A little later, Morgana managed to get Jon outside, just the two of them. She reached for his hand and said, “I’ve missed you. More than anyone else in my life, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Morgana and it’s good to see you again.”
“Hattie’s parents have extended an invitation for me to stay. It’d be like Hattie and I were sisters.” Coyly she looked down before she asked, “Would you want me to stay and … and be your girlfriend?”
Here it was, the conversation that Jon had been dreading from the first day he had met her on that cruise ship. How was he going to say what needed to be said, without hurting her terribly?
“Morgana, I like you, I like you a lot, but … but there’s something you need to understand. You know who I am, but you don’t know everything about me. I don’t know that I understand it completely myself, but my mom and dad have explained it and I’ve seen it with Lara. You know that my dad is Kryptonian … well, there’s something about Kryptonians that nobody outside of the family knows. That is that with Kryptonians as soon as a Kryptonian meets that special someone that completes them, they fall in love. With Kryptonians ‘love at first sight’ is a fact and cannot be denied. I saw it happen with Lara. From the minute she met Mike, she knew that he was THE one. By the same token, if it isn’t love at first sight then it isn’t meant to be. Morgana, I like you a whole lot, but it wasn’t love at first sight. We are friends, good friends, very good friends … and we will always be … friends, but that is all we can ever be.”
Morgana’s head hung down as she repeated, “But that’s all we will ever be.”
“I’m sorry, Morgana. That’s just the way it is. Someday, I’ll find the one for me…”
She interrupted, “But what if you don’t? What if you never
find your special someone?”
“Then, I guess I’ll be alone.”
“But we have something, something
special between us. There’s an old saying … ‘Half a loaf is better than none.’ I’d be satisfied with half a loaf.”
“Morgana, I’m convinced that someday I’ll find my special someone and that you will find your special someone also.”
“I thought I already had.”
“We’re young yet. We have plenty of time to find who we are supposed to be with. In the mean time, we can enjoy being together, can’t we?”
Morgana suggested, “I suppose so. Maybe we could be boyfriend and girlfriend. Sort of a ‘dry run’ for the future. If nothing comes of it then it wasn’t meant to be or if one of us finds our special someone, then no hard feelings, we go our separate ways. Besides, if I had a boyfriend the guys in my new school wouldn’t be bothering me.”
“That would be difficult. You’re in New York and I’m here.”
“Lara and Mike are making a long distance relationship work. I’d really like to be your girlfriend for however long we can be.” Morgana smiled at him in a very attractive way.
Jon caved. She understood as no one outside the family understood. Smiling, he said, “You present a strong case. You and Lara are like two peas in a pod. She wants to be a lawyer and you ought to be a lawyer too.” Then Jon took off his letterman’s jacket and placed it on her shoulders, helping her put her arms in. As he did he asked, “How does it feel to be the quarterback’s girlfriend?”
Smiling at him Morgana ran her hands down the sleeves of the jacket and said, “It feels great.”
“I think we need to get back. They’re gonna wonder what happened to us.”
Still smiling, Morgana said, “As soon as they see the jacket, they’ll know.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Graduation was that following summer, 2018. The school calendars were out of sync and as a result, Morgana’s graduation ceremony was two days before Metropolis High’s. The day after graduation, Morgana hopped a plane so that she could attend the graduation of her Metropolis posse.
It was going to be the last ‘free’ summer before they all started college and were scattered to the four winds.
Jack Kaplin again picked her up at the airport and took her to their home. The next day, she and Hattie helped each other to dress and then went to the graduation together.
When Morgana walked into the graduation ceremony she was dressed in a cocktail style dress, but she carried Clark’s letterman’s jacket over her arm. She was with Mel and Jack Kaplin and when they found Lois and Clark they sat with them. Mike Lee was also there, having flown in for Lara’s graduation.
After the ceremony numerous pictures were taken. In one of the pictures of Jon, Morgana joined him and she wore Jon’s jacket.
That summer, Morgana lived with Hattie and the posse spent a lot of time together, some of it at the beach but most of it just ‘hanging out’ together. Naturally, Jon and Morgana went to see some movies and other dating activities.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Morgana had been accepted as an English major at Vassar while Lara Kent and Mike Lee had been accepted in pre-Law at Stanford with full academic scholarships. Jon and Hattie were going to go to MetU. JJ was going to Temple in Philadelphia. Hattie and JJ were going into journalism while Jon was going into the sciences. Jon, JJ and Hattie each had dual scholarships, academic and sports. Jon’s and JJ’s were in football and Hattie’s was in tennis.
As soon as Jon’s flight power manifested he started making trips to Poughkeepsie, New York where Vassar was located so that he and Morgana could spend time together. They had a regular Saturday evening date.
As they were leaving the theater on one of their dates, Morgana was hanging on Jon’s arm and said, “That was a wonderful movie. Just imagine, if they hadn’t met, they would have both been lonely for the rest of their lives.”
Jon was starting to have second thoughts about their relationship. Should they keep it on the same level? Should he be waiting for someone he may never find? A bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, after all. NO, he resolved. He would wait.
Looking around and seeing no one nearby, Morgana asked, “When are you going to take me flying?”
Jon smiled and replied, “Soon.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
In March of 2021 Morgana received a call from Lara. “Hey, Morgana, it’s been a while.”
“It sure has, Lara. How are things?”
“Things are just fine! That’s why I’m calling. You know that with my parent’s permission, Mike and I have been living together all this last semester.”
“Yeah, I knew that. So why are you calling?”
“You’re still Jon’s girlfriend, right? How is that brother of mine?”
Lara could hear the smile in her voice s her friend replied, “He’s fine and we are, for the foreseeable future, at least.”
“Okay, I need a favor.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I need a Maid of Honor. Jon’s going to be best man so you and he will be paired up at the reception.”
“I would be honored, but what about the gowns?”
“We will need to discuss them. I think I can arrange transportation so that you can come out here for fittings.”
Morgana’s excitement was mounting, she had been flying with Jon whenever they could for a couple of years now and she loved it. As she thought about flying in Jon’s arms from Poughkeepsie to Stanford, she smiled. She knew that she had to be careful with what she said so she couched her words carefully, “Okay, I look forward to seeing you, Mike and Jon. When?”
“Saturday good for you?”
“That’ll be good.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jon picked her up at four thirty Saturday and they flew to Stanford. Most of the time she spent looking at the passing scenery, but some of the time, she had her arms around his neck and her face in the angle formed between his neck and shoulder.
The four of them had a good time and the girls picked out their respective gowns. Lara chose a shop that had an outlet in Metropolis so that the rest of the bridal party could get their gown locally. Hattie and JJ as well as the rest of her sisters and brothers made up the balance of the party.
The wedding itself would be held in Metropolis. Lara had the gowns shipped by the store to the local outlet and when the time came she flew home with Mike.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As they say, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ And that happened in 2024.
The Kent family was together and that included Mike. His Great Uncle Wayne Irig had passed away and left the farm to his favorite Grand nephew so he and Lara were staying there, but on the July Fourth holiday they were all at Smallville Lake when the inevitable happened.
Jon was on the beach when a strikingly beautiful blond dove off the float and became tangled in some submerged limbs that a recent storm has washed into the lake. Without stopping to think, Jon ran and dove then flew underwater to her rescue. As soon as he had her in his arms he knew that she was the one. Her name was Jennifer Jenkins and she was a niece of Lana Lang Ross.
Over the course of the next few weeks he got to know her and became even more convinced. She was preparing to return to school at Midwest U where she was studying to be an elementary school teacher. (for the complete story see – First Love in the archives)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jon had been on vacation when he met Jen and then they had spent a lot of time together. He had made the decision to follow her to Midwest-U and had pulled together his transcripts so that he could apply for an associate professor position there. Along with that had been the decision to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Kent in Smallville.
All of this had taken several weeks and in that time, he thought about Morgana and wondered how he was going to break this news to her.
He decided that he needed some help on this one, so after making a phone call, he flew to California.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He talked it over with Lara. “What do I do Sis? She’s the one; I know she is, but all these years I’ve been with Morgana.” His voice trailed off as if he couldn’t express his feelings.
“You both knew that this could happen. You were up front with her right from the start, weren’t you?”
“Of course I was and yeah, we both knew that this could happen, but that doesn’t make this any easier. She’s gonna be crushed. We’ve gotten so close over the last four years.”
“Just how close have you gotten, Bro?”
“Well, not that close … not that way. We’re just friends.”
“It’s been four years. Have you been close enough for your aura to…?”
“No, we aren’t close that way.”
“Okay, so she can’t be pregnant. That’ll make it easier.”
“Not really. We have gotten extremely close. How could you help it in four years? What should I do?”
“My suggestion is … be up front. Don’t beat around the bush, but don’t be harsh.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Straight out of college, Morgana had taken a job with a newspaper. She’d had some aspirations toward being a reporter; however, after almost six months as a gofer and then several months doing the obits, she had decided that the newspaper game was not for her. She had left that job and had recently taken a job that her college education had prepared her for with a book publisher as an editor.
When she had first started, as part of the check-in process, she had been set up with a computer. The IT tech that set her up was named Tim. While he set up her equipment and account, they had chatted. Morgana hadn’t been too thrilled about the interest he had displayed and had tried to dissuade him, but he persisted. Finally, she had pointed to the picture on her desk of her and Jon, it was the picture take at his graduation where she was wearing his letterman’s jacket, and asked, “What do you think of my boyfriend?”
Noting that the picture had been taken some time previously, he commented, “If he was that good a boyfriend, you wouldn’t still be boyfriend and girlfriend, you’d be engaged.”
“Well, I never…”
“You asked. Now, if I were your boyfriend, I wouldn’t keep you hanging for that long. I’d have asked you to marry me, long ago.”
Feeling defensive, Morgana blurted out, ”But we like our relationship just the way it is.”
Smugly, Tim replied, “That’s the point. You shouldn’t.”
Annoyed, Morgana challenged, “Oh, and I’d be happier … how?”
Still somewhat smugly, Tim replied, “With someone like me.”
Aghast, Morgana blurted out, “Someone like you?”
“Yeah, someone, like, me. How about a date?”
“Why … you insufferable … I wouldn’t date you if you were the last man on earth.”
“Careful, I may make you eat those words.”
Angry now, Morgana stormed, “Take your tools and your attitude and get out of here.”
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