DISCLAIMER: None of these characters are mine. This story's villian (er, villianess) was loosely based on a villian in the Animated Series called Live Wire. She is not mine, the characters are not mine - just the story idea is mine. Please don't sue! I'm just a poor college student!
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“Okay, so we have a problem,” Clark said as he paced the kitchen. Linda and Jonathan were sitting at the kitchen table while Martha brewed cups of tea at the stove. Linda had changed into a pair of cutoff jeans and a black t-shirt with the Buffalo Bills logo on it. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “You can’t shape shift anymore. That means that . . . I have no idea what that means.”
“Clark, sit down,” Martha replied as she came over with the cups of tea. “We’ll figure this out, but you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.” She set them on the table then sat next to her husband. Clark knew better than to argue with her, especially since she had that look on her face. He took the remaining chair, though he looked like he was about to start fidgeting. The elder woman looked at Linda. “Linda, honey, do you feel any different.”
“Well, not really,” Linda replied. “I don’t feel sick or anything. I just . . . can’t shape shift anymore. I even tried moving things psychokinetically. Nothing.”
“What about your other powers?” Jonathan asked.
“I was able to fly here without any problems, so I’m assuming the others are just fine.” She got a hesitant look on her face, and the others saw it.
“Linda, what aren’t you telling us?” Martha asked.
Linda sighed. “Well, to be quite honest . . .” she looked almost guilty at them. “I kind of knew this was going to happen.”
“What?” Clark asked angrily as he got to his feet. Martha quickly grabbed his arm and yanked him back down, warning him with a look not to get up again. Clark sighed a little, frustrated that he wasn’t going to be able to blow up at Linda for keeping something from him, but he remained in his chair.
“What do you mean you knew this was going to happen?” Martha asked.
Linda paused and got to her feet. “Ever since Clark introduced me to Dr. Klein, he’s been running tests on my powers, to see why they were different than Clark’s.”
“But I was the one who suggested it,” Clark replied.
“Yes, but Dr. Klein and I talked one time a few weeks back,” Linda said. “I came to him secretly a week after we met; I had been noticing that when I was using my extra powers, I was having to concentrate and focus more and more of my attention on executing them properly, something that got more and more difficult as the days passed. Dr. Klein began a series of tests to determine why that was happening, but we both believed it was due to the same thing.”
“Which was what?” Jonathan asked.
“My extra powers were only temporary,” Linda answered. “We both believed that, because there was such a tremendous amount of energy that was needed to sustain my life source during my journey to Earth that there was a surge, so to speak, and the extra energy was absorbed into my system on the molecular level, resulting in the extra powers that I exhibited.”
“You mean you’ve been losing your powers, and we’re just now finding out about it?” Clark asked angrily.
“Clark, please,” Martha said gently.
“No, Mom, what she did was wrong. She should have said something about it to us.”
“I know that, Clark, but you yelling at her isn’t going to change anything.” Martha looked at Linda. The young woman’s expression was not angry as it was forlorn. “Linda, honey, why didn’t you say anything to us earlier?”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry,” Linda replied. She sighed. “I thought if I knew more about what was going on, I could . . . I don’t know, fix it or something.”
Jonathan reached over and took her hand. “Linda, you don’t have to do things on your own anymore. You’re a member of this family, and that means we help each other.”
“Well, it seems to me that some people here don’t want me to be a part of this family.” She glared right at Clark.
“That’s not true,” Clark replied. “You’re my cousin.”
“Than how come you treat me like I’m a little child instead?”
“Because you don’t listen,” Clark said. “You do things the way you want to, and you don’t care about how anyone else might feel.”
“Oh, you’re one to be talking, Clark,” Linda replied. “You said that I could have my own life when I moved to Metropolis, but instead you’ve done nothing but tell me what to do, where to go, how to act . . . .”
“Because I don’t want you to get hurt,” Clark said. He paused, realizing what he just said. Martha, Jonathan, and Linda looked at him. His expression softened, figuring out for the first time the real reason behind his behavior lately. “Linda, you’re my cousin, and I want you to enjoy yourself here, but . . . I just don’t want to see anything happen to you.”
Linda smiled, touched by her older cousin’s real reason for his attitude towards her. “I know I haven’t been on Earth as long as you have, Clark, but I can’t learn or enjoy myself if you keep holding me back. What, you think I’m going to discover Earth and leave you behind?” She noticed Clark’s expression changed. “Oh, Clark, I would never do that. You’re my cousin; you have taught me so much ever since I’ve been here, and I’ll always be grateful for that.” She paused, trying to organize her thoughts.
“For as long as I can remember,” she continued, “I have had people telling me what to do, how to dress, where to go, how to act, and they would all say it was for my own good, that it was for the betterment of Kryptonian society. It was something that I accepted until I learned about you and Earth. I saw a world where people got to make choices about what they were able to do with their lives, and it was something I wanted.”
“And I want you to have that opportunity, Linda,” Clark said. “I just . . . I just don’t know how that will be possible.”
“What if I had a place of my own?” Linda asked. “I know it requires money, but I have a job; I can pay for it myself.”
“What do you mean, you have a job?” Clark looked up. Jonathan and Martha watched with interest.
“I was at the Planet this morning,” Linda answered. “I was waiting for you, and Mr. White wanted to talk to me. He offered me a job.”
“Don’t tell me as a reporter,” Clark said.
“Not exactly. He wants me to be his personal assistant.”
“And how, exactly, will you explain to Mr. White or the payroll office that you don’t have a social security number to file your taxes?”
“Taxes?” Linda asked, looking confused.
“See what I mean?” Clark asked. “You don’t know anything about taxes, social security, birth certificates.” He realized he was sounding a bit harsh, so he softened his tone. “Linda, I’m not mad. I just don’t see how it’s going to work out.”
“What if we could figure out a way?” Linda asked.
Clark sighed as his young cousin looked at him. “If we can find a way, then sure. But until then, you don’t do anything further without me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“That includes doing something about your appearance. We’ll have to find a wig and some contacts or something.”
“Why can’t I just stay like this?”
“Because you weren’t Linda like that. Linda Lee has brown hair and brown eyes. If you suddenly have a new appearance, it might arouse suspicion. For now, you will have to remain as Supergirl until we can figure something out.”
Linda nodded. “Okay, that being said, what do we do about Traci Jones?”
“We need to figure out how she got that way and where she went,” Clark answered. “And if it’s possible to reverse her condition.”
“I want to help,” Linda said.
“You can, after you get checked out by Dr. Klein,” Clark replied. “We need to make sure there’s no lasting effects with you.”
“Okay.” She looked at Jonathan and Martha, who were both smiling.
“What?” Clark asked.
“See what happens when you two sit down and talk your problems out instead of yelling?” Jonathan asked.
“You get so much farther along,” Martha added.
Clark smiled and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thank you.” He got to his feet. “Linda, you ready head back?”
“Sure,” Linda got to her feet.
The Kents followed the two as the walked outside. They waited on the porch as Clark and Linda walked down the steps. Clark spun in a circle, changing into Superman. Linda looked hesitant, but she took a deep breath and spun in a circle, changing into Supergirl. The heroes leapt into the air and flew away as the two parents watched. They waited until the two were out of sight before going back into the house.
(End of Chapter 6)
