DISCLAIMER: I claim none of the characters. They are all DC's; a good majority of the characters are from the Superman comics, but there are a few of them from the Supergirl comic series. In short, they're not mine; I'm just borrowing them. I'll return them, I promise!
- - - -
Clark and Lois sat around the table in the Kent kitchen, their suitcases sitting near the back door. Martha and Jonathan were with them, and all four of them were eating sandwiches and talking - something Clark and Lois wanted to do before they headed to Australia.
“So, you think this Lex guy might be an imposter like the others?” Martha asked.
“We’re not sure,” Clark answered. “This guy is . . . .” He trailed off and sighed.
“He seems legit,” Lois spoke up. “But then again so did Luckabee, and look who he turned out to be.”
“Well, if this guy isn’t legit, we know you two will be able to disprove him,” Jonathan said.
“Well, there’s an another problem,” Lois added.
“What is it?” Martha asked. She saw the look her son and daughter-in-law were sharing, and Martha knew whatever they wanted to say wasn’t going to be good.
“It’s Linda,” Clark said.
“Is everything okay?” Martha asked.
“Lex is making passes at Linda,” Clark answered. “And he’s not making any attempts to hide it either. Telling her she’s pretty, sending her flowers . . . .”
“Linda’s a smart girl, Clark,” Jonathan said. “And it’s obvious she cares about Jimmy. She won’t do anything to jeopardize that.”
“Well, maybe not if things were going well, but she and Jimmy are having some problems,” Clark answered. “Jimmy’s been getting agitated with her whenever Supergirl’s needed and . . . well, he’s starting to push her away by lying to her.”
“And Linda’s still naïve about the whole dating thing,” Lois added. “It’s a Catch 22 situation: if Lex isn’t really Luthor’s son, he’s lying for some reason, and we know it’s not going to be a good reason. If he really is Lex Luthor II, then I’m not sure how I’d feel about that, especially if Linda starts dating him. It just wouldn’t feel right.”
Martha leaned over and hugged Lois. “Lois, honey, nothing about Lex Luthor was right. He was an evil man, and I know you’re both worried about Linda, considering what kind of monster Lex was, and you have every right to be, but until we know the truth about this man who claims to be his son, you have to trust Linda. She’s still new at a lot of things, and it’s tempting to want to step in and tell her what to do, but you have to let her do things on her own - no matter what the outcome is.”
“And what about Jimmy?” Clark asked. “Lois said maybe it’s time for him to know the truth about Linda being Supergirl.”
“Have you talked with Linda about that?” Jonathan asked. “It’s her secret, and her choice to tell Jimmy or not.”
“We know it’s her secret,” Lois replied, “but we really hate seeing Jimmy hurting the way he is. I’ve known him for as long as I’ve been at the Planet, and he’s had so many girlfriends that I’ve lost count, but I do remember he was never really serious about any of them. That all changed with Linda. He is crazy about her.” She sighed. “I just . . . I just don’t want to see Supergirl come between them.”
“Well, Superman didn’t come between you and Clark, did he, honey?” Jonathan asked as they finished eating. He stood up and gathered their empty plates, heading for the kitchen. “And you were in Jimmy’s position once, right?”
Lois nodded. “Yeah, I know exactly what he’s going through, and I just want him to understand that it’s not because Linda’s a bad person or inconsiderate when she makes up an excuse to go save the world.”
“If he thought she was an inconsiderate person he wouldn’t have started dating her,” Martha said. She took Lois’s hand. “Believe me, Lois, we know it’s tempting to just tell Jimmy the truth about why Linda keeps making all those excuses, but that’s up to Linda. It’s her choice, regardless of what we feel or want.” She squeezed Lois’ hand gently. “You’re both trusting them enough to let them work on a story by themselves. Trust them enough to be able to work out their problems by themselves.”
“We’ll try,” Clark smiled, feeling slightly better after hearing his parents’ advice. He and Lois stood up. “Well, we better get going. The sooner we get to Australia, the sooner we can find out if Lex is who he says he is.” He quickly spun into Superman, then he went over and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Bye, Mom.”
Martha turned around and hugged her son. “You be careful, okay? Both of you.”
“Keep us posted too, if you can,” Jonathan added, kissing Lois’s cheek.
“We’ll do our best,” Lois replied. She opened the door and picked up the two pieces of luggage. Superman picked up Lois, luggage and all, and walked out the front door. A few seconds later Jonathan and Martha heard the familiar whooshing sound and sonic boom as Jonathan shut the door.
- - - -
“And he managed to knock her all over the place?” Cutter asked as the six friends sat around, going through the different items that Linda managed to get from the Planet when she did her research. Most of it consisted of newspaper clippings, but there were quite a number of black and white photographs. “Man, I so wish I could have been there to see *that.*”
Linda bristled slightly as she glared up at Cutter, along with the others. He glanced up and saw their expressions.
“What?” he asked. Mattie smacked him across the back of his head. “Ow!”
“Serves you right,” Mattie replied.
Cutter rubbed the back of his head, looking annoyed. “So I like a good match-up now and then; so sue me!”
“Cutter, in case you don’t know this,” Wally replied, “Supergirl’s one of the good guys.”
“I know she’s a good guy,” Cutter replied, indignant. “Er, girl. And I know Superman’s a good guy, okay? I’m just saying it would have been cool to see. You know, like a real-life comic book.”
“Unfortunately, this is not a comic book,” Linda replied. “This is real life. And if anyone can beat up either Superman or Supergirl, then it’s very serious. Possibly dangerous.”
“Yeah,” Wally added. “And it’s not like we know what side of the law *this* Guardian’s on.”
Linda turned her attention to Wally. “*This* Guardian?” she asked. She remembered that article on the computer earlier that day. “So, he *was* around in 1943, huh?”
“Yeah, he was Metropolis’ first hero,” Wally replied. “Came into the scene *way* before Superman. Back during the Big One.” Linda looked puzzled. “World War II.”
“Oh,” Linda replied. She still didn’t know what he was talking about, but that was a moot point at the moment. “So, what else do you know about this Guardian? I mean, these articles really don’t give much on what kind of person he was, aside from him fighting crime.”
“Actually, they give quite a bit of info,” Wally replied. “You just have to learn to read between the lines. For instance, the Guardian fought crime in Suicide Slum. He also exhibited no superhuman powers, meaning he probably had good hand-to-hand fighting skills - like Batman.”
“Batman?” Linda asked.
“You know, the Dark Knight, Gotham City,” Andy answered. “Vigilante.”
“Anyway,” Wally shot Andy and Linda a look before continuing, “the Guardian also had a shield he used - virtually indestructible.”
“How do you know so much about the Guardian?” Linda asked. “A lot of that stuff wasn’t in any of the articles I pulled up at the Planet.”
Wally shrugged. “I did a research assignment last semester in my History class about Metropolis during the 1940s. It included a piece about the Guardian.”
“So, he was definitely a good guy?” Linda asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Wally replied. “Nothing like this new Guardian character. Anyone who fights Supergirl or preys on little kids can’t be good news.”
“Speaking of which,” Mattie said, “know anything about what why he’d want those kids in the first place?”
“No idea,” Linda replied. “What’s odd is that Supergirl told me that it seemed like they knew him, but they were scared of him at the same time. And the Guardian wanted to take them back, but then again, back where?”
“That is *never* a good sign,” Cutter replied. “And you’re sure that the kids aren’t reported as being missing or anything?”
“Clark and Lois checked every missing child database in the city,” Linda replied. “Nothing. Then again, there wasn’t much to go on anyway. Only descriptions. Oh, and the name Scrapper, but I don’t think that’s a real name.”
Wally’s head shot up. “Did you say Scrapper?”
“Yeah, why?” Linda asked.
Wally chuckled. “Oh, man, this story just got pushed into the X-Files section,” he grinned.
“What are you talking about?” Linda asked, looking absolutely confused.
“You never watched the X-Files?” Andy asked.
“No,” Linda replied. “I’ve been busy. I do work at a newspaper, remember?” And I happen to be a superhero in my spare time, she added mentally. “Not a lot of free time.”
“We’ll have to fix that,” Mattie replied. She turned to Wally. “In the meantime, explain why you’re comparing a television show to Linda’s story.”
Wally leaned back and folded his arms, smiling. “You’re not familiar with a group called the Newsboy Legion, are you, Linda?”
“Not really,” Linda replied. “Who are they?”
“*Were* is the more appropriate word,” Wally replied. “And I only know a little bit about them.”
“Well, spill it,” Dick spoke up. He had been unusually quiet after he and Cutter arrived earlier, but when asked why he told everyone to drop it.
“They were a group of young boys in the early 1940s,” Wally explained. “About twelve years old, hung out together that sort of thing. Had nicknames for each other: Tommy, Gabby, Big Words, and -”
“Scrapper,” Linda finished, the light bulb mentally clicking on. It was only four names, and there were five kids she remembered at Centennial Park, but it was a start.
Wally leaned back, grinning. “Exactly.”
“Weird,” Linda replied. She paused, thinking about what to do next, but the only thing that came to mind was going back to the Planet and looking through the archives about anything dealing with the Newsboy Legion. She sighed, not really wanting to go back there; she was still angry and hurt from her fight with Jimmy, and the last thing she wanted at the moment was to fight with him again.
“Hey, you okay?” Mattie asked.
Linda smiled slightly. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She gathered up the papers and photographs. “Guys, thanks so much for your help; I really do appreciate it.”
“What are you going to do now?” Andy asked.
“Well, thanks to Wally, I’ve got a new lead to follow.”
“You gonna keep us posted?” Wally asked.
“I’ll try. And if you guys have anymore information for me, call me. I have some business cards in my purse . . . .” She trailed off as she glanced around the area. “Uh, where’s my purse?”
“You left it back at the office,” Mattie replied. “And your coat too, remember? That’s why you have Lex’s.” She nodded to the dark coat that Linda had forgotten to grab.
Linda looked sheepish as she grabbed the coat, holding it and her research folder tightly. “Thanks,” she replied, trying not to sound frustrated. She couldn’t understand why she was starting to forget things; it wasn’t like her. “I’ll see you guys around.” She left the group and headed out of the coffeehouse.
- - - -
Jimmy was sitting at his desk, leaning back in his chair, his feet propped up as he read a couple of newspaper clippings that had been on Linda’s desk; after she had stormed out he had grabbed them. He tried reading them, but he couldn’t get the fight he had with Linda out of his mind. He was still angry and hurt, but Perry had been right; he had been mean to Linda with how he had treated her. He was hoping to make it up to her by getting something done before she got back.
“Well, it seems your workload got lighter all of a sudden.”
Jimmy glanced up and saw Linda walking past him to her desk. He could sense the sarcasm in her tone, something he expected, but he wasn’t expecting to see her wearing a dark coat. He knew she had left without hers; he glanced over and saw her coat hung up on the coat rack near her desk, along with her purse. He furrowed his eyebrows, wanting to know where she had gotten it. He opened his mouth as he got to his feet, but he stopped himself, sensing she would probably get upset at him if he asked her about where she got the coat, and that was the last thing he wanted at the moment. He took a deep breath and slowly made his way over to her desk, his hands in his pockets, as she took of the coat and hung it beside hers before sitting down.
“Hey, Linda,” he said, giving her a small smile.
“Mmm,” she replied as she started rearranging the flowers Lex had sent her, making sure the flowers were all standing upright in the vase and that all the petals looked just right. She told herself that there was nothing wrong with that, that she was just taking proper care of a very gracious gift, but part of her knew that she was doing it because she knew that Jimmy was watching; she was prodding him, trying to get a response out of him. What response she wanted, she wasn’t sure.
Linda knew that this wasn't like her, that she didn't normally needle people just to see what they'd do - it reminded her a little too much of rats in a cage. But for some reason lately she'd been doing a lot of things that weren't like her. Right now, though, she was feeling plucky, gaining energy for her investigation, and she preferred not to analyze her behavior or the reasons behind it; one thing she learned from being on Earth for so long was that sometimes it was easier just to ignore a problem.
Jimmy watched as she arranged the flowers, his face hardening slightly as he felt his hands tense in his pockets. He knew he had every reason to be bothered by a complete stranger coming out of nowhere (who even claimed to be the son of one of the worst guys ever to live), flirting with his girlfriend (right in front of him, nonetheless), and giving her flowers. Any guy in his position had the right to be bothered by something like that, and he knew he would be justified in just taking those flowers and tossing them in the garbage - something he had wanted to do the moment he found out they were a gift from Lex.
The young photographer knew that money and charisma were the two things Lex had that he didn’t, and he also knew that it was those two things that women were attracted to. Jimmy wanted - needed - to know that, despite the money, the power, and the charm, Linda would choose him over Lex. He would do anything, say anything, to keep her, but the only thing he could think of was an apology for how he treated her earlier. He knew it was probably stupid, but it was a start.
“Hey, can I, uh, talk to for a moment?” he asked quietly.
“I’m a little busy,” Linda replied curtly, turning her chair to face her computer. “You know, on the story?” She started typing, doing her best to pretend he wasn’t standing beside her. She refused to acknowledge the uncertainty in the pit of her stomach - the uncertainty which came from the fact that this was the first time he'd been angry with her, and the tiny part of her that feared for their relationship was warring with the strange feeling of awe that his anger could affect her so deeply. Telling herself through gritted mental teeth that she was being silly and that he was irrelevant to her right now, Linda shook these thoughts from her head and tried to focus. She watched and waited, then she growled under her breath when she couldn’t find anything.
In spite of his anger Jimmy smiled inwardly. He had to admit she was cute when she was frustrated - especially the way her eyes darted as she mentally tried to figure out the next move. He had always been fond of her eyes, the way they always danced or how he always seemed to get lost in them, like they were shimmering pools of -
Olsen, get a grip, he said to himself. He closed his eyes and willed those thoughts from his mind. He had a job to do - two jobs, in fact - and he wasn’t going to accomplish either one if he continued thinking about her . . . eyes. He took a deep breath and decided to make his move, something that he hoped would get the ball rolling on both fixing their relationship *and* getting their story finished.
“Hey,” he said softly as he rolled up another chair, sitting beside her, “you want some help?”
Linda turned her head suddenly, her eyes locking with his. She had almost forgotten how brown his eyes were - like two pieces of a Hershey’s chocolate bar: sweet and tempting. But chocolate was the last thing she wanted - and so was Jimmy’s help, especially after the way he had treated her. She could do the story on her own. She squared her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and turned back to the computer screen.
“Not really,” she replied. She had no clue what to do next, but she didn’t want him to know that, so she pretended to look for something in her desk drawers.
Jimmy knew he wasn’t the smartest person in the newsroom - far from it, actually. But the one thing that he knew better than anyone else at the Daily Planet - even better than Clark and Lois - was the way Linda would always look at him; it was a special look reserved just for him. He had seen it briefly when she looked at him, right before she turned away, and it gave him hope to keep pressing, despite her rebuffs.
“Hey, look,” he said quietly, “about what happened earlier, I -”
“- need to just leave me alone,” Linda interrupted coldly. “I’ve got work to do.” She glanced over and saw the hurt look on his face as he got to his feet, but she focused her attention back on her computer screen as Jimmy left her and went back to his own desk. She cross-referenced the names Wally had given her with the Newsboy Legion, but there was still nothing. Puzzled, she leaned back in her chair, thinking about everything she had discussed with her new friends. There was nothing on the Newsboy Legion in the archives, but that didn’t mean they weren’t real. It just meant she probably wasn’t looking in the right place; she just had no clue as to where that right place would be. As much as she hated to admit it she needed help. She reflexively glanced over at Jimmy, who was busy trying to look busy at his desk. She got to her feet and walked over to Perry’s office, knocking a few times before opening the door.
“Mr. White?” she asked as she poked her head inside.
“You’re back,” Perry replied as he looked up from some paperwork. “Feeling better?”
Linda shrugged. “I guess. Can I ask you a question about the story that I'm working on?”
“What is it, Linda?”
“Can I work by myself? Please, Mr. White, I know I’m not a real reporter, but I can prove myself. Just give me -”
Perry held up a hand, silencing her. “Linda, you are not a reporter. You were assigned to work with Jimmy.”
“But -”
“No buts, Linda. You and Jimmy are going to work together, or I’ll reassign you to work with Ralph. Do you want that?”
“No, sir,” Linda replied quietly.
“Okay. Now, get back out there and get to work. If you have any problems, ask Jimmy for help. He knows a few tricks of researching that you could learn from.”
Linda didn’t bother to hide her frustration as she left the office, closing the door behind her. What could she possibly learn from him? She had nothing against his intellect, but Linda was a Kryptonian; the technology she learned to deal with in her home city was much more advanced that the most advanced technology found on Earth. What could she learn from Jimmy that she didn’t already know? Still, she had been told to work with Jimmy or work with Ralph. Neither prospect was inviting, so she decided on the lesser of the two evils as she walked over to Jimmy’s desk.
“Look,” she said, “Perry said we have to work together. You got anything to offer, fine; if not, stay out of my way.”
“Why are you taking this story so personally?” Jimmy asked. “You were never like this in any of the other stories you researched.”
“Do you want to help or not?” Linda asked, folding her arms.
Jimmy had to bite his tongue at her question. He didn’t like being blown off, especially by her when he made the first move in trying to fix their problems, and he hated anyone insulting his abilities - especially someone who had been on the job for less than three months. He was tempted to tell her to do her own work as he looked up at her, but instead he unconsciously followed her lead by putting up a wall of his own, folding his arms.
“I’ll see what I can do,” he replied coolly, his head tilted to one side.
“Fine,” Linda replied, just as coolly.
“Fine,” Jimmy added. He watched as Linda turn around, flounce back to her desk, and sat down, keeping her back toward Jimmy as she sorted through some papers in her In box. He stared at her for a few moments before he sat up straighter, unfolded his arms, and began working on his computer. He was glad he had seen what she was working on before being blown off; the last thing he wanted to do was ask her questions about what she was researching.
He angrily banged on his computer as he searched all the Planet’s databases for the Newsboy Legion, making sure to check the ones she had missed - quite a few, he noted - and checking a few databases outside the Planet’s server. He even put out an email to a few sources of his own, working on a hunch with what he knew about the case. He was mad - no, furious - at Linda, but there was a new costumed freak in town who might be preying on innocent children; they had a job to do, regardless.
Linda finished sorting her papers then decided to steal a glance to see if Jimmy was faring as bad as she was. She was a little startled to see him staring intently at his screen. She thought he was faking it, just to appear busy, but something told her he was making progress where she couldn’t. Curious, she got up, keeping the cool expression on her face, as she walked over. As she got closer, she could see the hurt on his face, but she bit her tongue, refusing to ask what he was up to. That would mean making a concession, something she didn’t want to do.
Jimmy saw her heading towards him out of his peripheral vision. He couldn’t believe her gall: get stuck in research, insult his intelligence, and then come see what he’s found. He would have laughed if he wasn’t so mad at her. Instead, as she came over, he swiftly turned off his monitor and turned his chair, looking up at her as he folded his arms.
“Something I can help you with?” he asked abruptly.
“Who said I was coming to see you?” Linda asked, crossing her arms reflexively.
Jimmy gave a mirthless chuckle as he got to his feet. He stared right at her. “Look,” he said in a low, serious tone, “you want to be mad, fine. Be mad. At this point, I can’t really spare the energy to care. You’ve insulted practically everything about me. But don’t come over here and insult my intelligence. I’m a busy man and I don’t have time for people who can’t be professional enough to respect that.”
Linda could feel his words - the first time she ever really felt he was mad at her. She knew it was her fault, but she was too mad to care. If he didn’t want her to be around, then that was perfectly fine with her. She held his gaze for a moment, her jaw set, before she turned and walked back to her desk. She gathered up her things - her research folder, her purse, her coat, and Lex’s coat - before walking as calmly as she could to the elevators. She pressed the button and waited, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.
“Linda, wait.” The young woman instinctively turned her head and saw Jimmy standing next to her. She was a bit startled that he managed to surprise her, but she was hurting, and the last thing she wanted was to think about or even look at him.
“Just leave me alone,” she replied softly but firmly.
Jimmy had meant every word of what he said, but he instantly regretted it when he saw her hurt expression behind the cold façade as she headed for the elevators. He followed her, hoping to apologize, but the last thing he expected to see was her on the verge of crying, knowing it was because of what he said to her.
“Look,” he said, his tone soft, “I’m -”
“Save it,” she interrupted, staring straight ahead. Why was the elevator taking so long? She took a deep breath. “Go back to your research, Jimmy. Go work on your story; you don’t want my help, then fine. I’ll go somewhere where I’m appreciated.” The elevator pinged and the doors opened. She got on and pressed the button for the first floor, trying not to look at him, but she couldn’t help it. She hated the silence; she had to fill the void with something.
"You know, Jimmy,” she said, “that’s what sets you apart from Lex - while you’re scampering around here, pretending that you are the great keeper of secrets, Lex is man enough to be honest about who he is and what he wants from me. And he’s going to get it.” The doors closed as she finished her sentence, gloating to herself that she managed to floor him with what she said. Serves him right, she thought. He doesn’t want me, then I don’t want him. She sighed inwardly - lying to oneself took a surprising amount of energy.
Jimmy stood there, staring at the closed doors. He couldn’t believe what she had just said to him. He was stunned into silence, not even able to draw up a reaction in his mind; he was totally dumfounded. He turned around, blocking everything around him, as he made his way back to his desk, feeling like he was walking in water; he couldn't get there fast enough, but he finally collapsed into his chair and leaned back, feeling like he had been hit by an eighteen wheeler. When her words finally sank in, it was all he could do to keep his composure in the newsroom; he was hurt, angry, devastated . . . but the last thing he wanted to do was to show any emotion of any kind.
“Jimmy?” The young man looked up and saw Perry standing nearby, looking concerned. “Can I see you for a moment, son?”
“Look, Chief,” Jimmy said quietly, “no offense, but if it’s about Linda I don’t want to talk about it.”
Perry sighed as he walked over and leaned against Jimmy’s desk, looking down at him. He didn’t see a budding young photographer; he saw a young man who looked like his world had just ended. “Jimmy, what’s going on between you two? Honestly.”
Jimmy took a deep breath, not meeting Perry’s eyes as he shrugged. “I can’t tell you. It’s personal.”
“Jimmy, look -”
“Chief, don’t.” Jimmy didn’t mean to sound as harsh as he did. He was angry and hurting, but he still cared enough about Linda to not tell on her. “Just don’t. Please.”
Perry considered himself the father figure of the newsroom, and his employees were more like children to him than anything; he regarded them as his family, and it hurt him to see anyone in his family fighting. Like a father, he also knew that sometimes he didn’t have to ask questions to know what was going on; the look on Jimmy’s face said it all. In all his years he had learned that there were times when he had to leave well enough alone, no matter how hard it was. He nodded a bit as he stood up straight and headed back to his office. As he past Jimmy he put a hand on the young man’s shoulder.
“If you want to talk, son,” he said, “my door’s always opened.” He gently patted the shoulder a few times before walking back to his office.
Jimmy sat still for a few moments, just trying to collect his thoughts. He reached over and switched his monitor back on, sitting up straighter and getting back to his work. He stared numbly at his screen as he typed, trying to clear his mind and get back to work. But it was no use. He was hurting, angry, shattered, and restless; the last place he wanted to be was in that newsroom. He needed to get out; he wasn’t sure where he would go, but he knew he needed to get out. Getting to his feet, he grabbed some papers and files from his printer, his jacket from the coat rack, and headed for the stairs, refusing to even look in the direction of the elevators.
(End of Chapter 6)
