This is sort of what I think should've happened. Leslie gave such a blatant clue about his intentions, this is what might have happened if Jimmy had picked up on it. All comments welcome.
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Not so Luckabee-A Plot un-twist
by Windfall
“Uggghhhh!” Jimmy groaned in frustration, slamming down the phone. He'd just about had it with these government agencies giving him the runaround! It seemed like that's all they did; give people like him a hard time. “I hate this job!” he exclaimed to himself, or so he thought.
“Better not say that too loud, the owner might overhear you,” a suave voice said behind him.
Jimmy jumped up and turned around to find the Daily Planet's new owner standing there, smiling knowingly. <Oh jeez…>
“Mr. Luckabee!” he laughed nervously. “Huh! I didn't hear you coming or else I wouldn't have stuck…my…foot…in…my…mouth…” he trailed off. <Man, this isn't good>
However, Mr. Luckabee simply smiled in understanding, seeking to put the young man at ease.
“Don't worry about it; truth is, sometimes I'm not crazy about my job either.”
“Really?” Jimmy asked, amazed.
Mr. Luckabee then extended his hand. “We haven't formally met. You're Jimmy Olsen, right?”
“Uh, right!” Jimmy responded, shaking his hand. “You got it, sir.”
“Leslie's fine,” Mr. Luckabee smiled, then glanced down at the phone on Jimmy's desk. “Someone giving you a hard time?”
“Yeah, the FBI. Lois asked me to get her an ATM tape for her investigation, problem is, more often than not, the "FBI' stands for "Forget about It'.”
“I see,” Leslie chuckled. “So tell me, what's it like, working with such a celebrated reporter like Lois Lane day after day?”
“Lois? It's great, she's incredible. I'm the luckiest guy I know, uh, except for Clark. He's way luckier than me, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I think I do,” Leslie grinned. “They must have a very special relationship; being married and working together. Quite remarkable in this day and age…” Leslie trailed off.
“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed.
“Sure hope it lasts,” Leslie said quietly, almost as if he had a secret.
“Well, it will, if you keep your big nose out of it and leave them alone,” Jimmy said matter-of-factly, no trace of nervousness in his voice.
Leslie started, shocked that a mere copy boy had the gall to speak to him like that. “I beg your pardon?” he demanded, uncrossing his arms.
Jimmy crossed his arms, and glared at Leslie. “I may look like some sweet-cheeked, wet-behind-the-ears, gopher-boy, Mr. Luckabee, but I wasn't born yesterday,” he sneered. “I know exactly why you're here, why you bought the Planet, and why you have such an interest in Lois and Clark! I also know what you're planning to do. I know you plan to earn their trust, and then subtly reveal yourself to Lois, catch her off guard, and then announce to the world that you're Lex Luthor Jr., come to Metropolis to redeem your family name through philanthropy. But we both know the truth, don't we, Leslie,” Jimmy said, emphasizing the name. “We both know you're not really Lex Jr. You're just some down on his luck schmuck actor hired by that hideous Troll person to ghost-play him. And you don't even do that well. Your lines sound like the script to a bad soap opera!”
“Wait, I..uh..how?” Leslie sputtered.
“And as if that weren't bad enough,” Jimmy continued. “You're gonna try to break up Lois and Clark through the old "divide and conquer'. Oooh, you're good; sending Lois to Atlantic City, then sending Clark to some execution on the other side of the country at the last minute, and calling the front desk right after Clark to cancel the message he leaves for Lois? Shameful, just shameful. And then! Oh, and then, you hit on Lois, then act all embarrassed and beg her not to tell Clark, then run right up to him and half-tell him what you did, knowing full well Clark would confront her about why she didn't tell him first, creating a temporary rift in their relationship!” Jimmy finished, watching in triumph as Leslie began to shrink into the chair. “Have I left anything out?”
Leslie could only shake his head dumbly, astounded that this kid knew everything! His and Mr. Smith's plan to destroy Lois and Clark, his plan to marry Lois and take her from Metropolis, all of it. Jimmy would undoubtedly go straight to Lois and Clark with this information, and no amount of smoothly delivered lines was going to get them to believe him over the young photographer. He might as well just go get his things and leave now.
“You know, there's really no point in you hanging around here anymore,” Jimmy said. “I don't even have to tell Lois and Clark what I know; sooner or later they'll figure you out. And even if you tried to weasel your way back into their trust, Trollboy won't let you have her for yourself. He'd kill you first.”
“You're right, Jimmy. And I certainly don't want to end up floating in the sewer, shot in the back. Would you tell everyone good-bye for me, and tell Lois I'll always remember her fondly?”
“Sure Mr. Luckabee. Today's only the first of the month. I'll tell her the second…” Jimmy trailed off, waving pleasantly as Mr. Leslie Luckabee nodded gratefully, then hurried to his office to vacate. “…hell freezes over.” He shook his head in disgust and went back to work.
The end.
