Hope you guys are enjoying this. The disclaimer's in my first one, if you want to know copyrright stuff and all. Enjoy!
- - - -
Jonathan scooped hay with the pitchfork and tossed forkfulls into the cows’ stalls. The cows - some with newborn calves nursing hungrily - munched the hay, paying no attention to their owner as he made his way down the center of the barn. The elder farmer loved the harvest season, especially after a good crop, but it was winter that was his favorite time of the yea, and not just because of Christmas. Sure, he enjoyed the holiday just as much as anyone, but winter itself was Jonathan’s special time - a chance to just reflect on everything from the past year. He breathed in the crisp, cool air mingled with the smell of hay and cows and sod, and smiled as he continued his chores.
There was a small noise behind him, barely audible, but it sounded almost like a sigh. Jonathan knew it couldn’t be Martha. If she had returned home from shopping in town, he would have heard the truck pull up or her footsteps crunching in the snow outside; Jonathan may have been old, but his senses were fine-tuned from working on the farm, something that had never changed over the years. He turned around and was a bit startled to see Supergirl standing in the large, open doorway. He quickly overcame his surprise and smiled at his adopted daughter.
“Hi, honey,” he said warmly. He noticed Clark wasn’t with her, something that wasn’t unusual - Linda had started becoming more and more comfortable flying out to Smallville without Clark’s ‘assistance.’ What was a concern was the fact that she wasn’t smiling, and based on what Clark and Lois had told Jonathan and Martha about Linda’s problems with Jimmy, the elder farmer had a hunch why the young heroine was visiting.
“Can I come in?” Supergirl asked softly, leaning every so slightly against the wood frame.
“Sure,” Jonathan answered. “Martha’s in town; she should be home shortly, but you’re more than welcome to stay with me until then - if you’d like.”
“You sure I won’t be bothering you?” The young woman eyed the bovines in their stalls and the hay that Jonathan was tossing in.
“No,” Jonathan replied. “And the cows are too busy eating to be bothered by anything.” He was glad that he got a smile - albeit a small one - from the young woman as she walked into the barn. He watched her as she walked over to one of the stalls and peered in. Jonathan knew she was fascinated with the farm animals, especially the babies. Pitchfork in hand, he joined her. “We got some new calves earlier this week; this one was born last night.”
“They’re so small,” Supergirl replied softly.
“Yeah, but they’re full of potential if they’re taken care of.” He reached out and smoothed a strand of hair from her face. “Just like two people I know.” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “There are some of Clark’s spare clothes in the guest room, if you’d like to change.”
The young woman glanced down and seemed to notice for the first time she was in her costume. She nodded before leaving the barn in a red and blue blur. She came back a couple seconds later, stopping in the same place, dressed in a long-sleeved, green plaid shirt that was very baggy on her - the cuffs had to be rolled up to her wrists; the shirt was tucked into a pair of very baggy jeans, with a belt looped around her waist. Her red boots were still visible, but the jeans covered most of them to the point where they looked like nothing more than a bright red pair of shoes. Out of habit, she kept her hair down and didn’t bother with her glasses when she was with the Kents, unless someone else showed up.
“So, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Jonathan asked as he walked over to a nearby bucket and overturned it near the stall where he and Linda had been looking at the calf earlier; he patted it. “Make yourself comfy while I finish up these chores.”
“I could help you out with the chores,” Linda offered.
Jonathan waved a hand. “No, that’s okay; it’s not a lot of work.” His eyes twinkled as he smiled at her. “Besides, an old coot like me loves working in this weather.” He patted the bucket again. “Now, you sit here and just relax, okay?”
Linda looked hesitant, but she followed her adopted father’s instructions and sat on the bucket. As Jonathan went back to his work, the calf teetered over on unsteady legs, and Linda stuck her hand over the stall gate and petted it gently. Neither Jonathan nor Linda said anything for several minutes. Jonathan knew from past experiences in dealing with Clark that Linda had come to talk about a problem she was having, but he knew that she wasn’t the type of person to be prodded; she had to open up to him on her terms, and until she was ready, he wasn’t going to say a word.
“Jimmy’s in the hopsital,” Linda blurted out tearfully.
Jonathan looked up, worried. “What?”
“He’s in the hospital,” Linda repeated. “And it’s all my fault.”
Jonathan dropped his pitchfork and walked over to Linda. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her close to him. “Aw, honey, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault.”
“But it was,” the young woman said. “I didn’t think, and he got hurt.”
“Do you feel like telling me what happened?” Jonathan asked gently.
Linda nodded slowly and began explaining what happened with her and Jimmy and Cadmus, leading up to them being captured by the Guardian and taken to Mt. Curtiss. She told of them getting help from the Newsboys and escaping through the drainage tunnel.
“What happened next?” Jonathan asked.
“I punched the grate so we could get out, and then I flew us back to my apartment,” Linda replied.
Jonathan paused and looked down at her. “Was he conscious at the time?”
Linda nodded. “Yeah, he told me he might never get used to the fact that I can fly.” She stopped when she realized what she just said. She slowly looked up at Jonathan and saw a shocked expression on his face.
“He knows you can fly?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Linda replied slowly, looking meek.
Jonathan sighed. “Linda,“ he asked gently, “does he know you’re Supergirl?” Linda nodded. “Did you tell him or have to become Supergirl to save him?”
Linda shook her head. “No, he figured it out on his own. A long time ago.” The young woman told Jonathan everything about how Jimmy told her he knew, when he knew, and how they made up. When she was finished, she took a ragged breath.
“And he told you he knew about you being Supergirl before you got captured by Cadmus?” Jonathan asked. Linda nodded. Jonthan put his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. “Linda, I know Jimmy, and he can be very headstrong at times; you didn’t make him come with you, did you?”
Linda replied softly, “No.”
“Then you can’t always expect to be responsible for him if he chooses to do something dangerous,” the elder man continued. “I know you feel you have to watch out for everyone because you have these abilities, but people have to sometimes take responsibility for themselves.”
“But he said he was fine this morning, and he’s not,” Linda protested. “He lied to me about being okay, and it just . . .” She sighed as she trailed off.
“Hurts?” Jonathan suggested. “Makes you mad?”
“Yeah,” Linda answered. She looked up. “And I don’t know what to do.”
“Talk to him,” Jonathan said. “Tell him how you feel. You did it once before; you can do it again.” Linda gave a small smile, and he ruffled her hair a bit as he smiled down at her. “Feel better?”
“Yeah,” Linda replied. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she dared. “Thank you.”
Jonathan leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome.” He cleared his throat. “Do Clark and Lois know that Jimmy knows?”
“No,” Linda replied. “Jimmy said he wanted to keep me to himself for a while.”
Jonathan smiled and brushed a loose strand of hair from Linda’s face. “I can understand that.”
Linda blushed and smiled. “Will you promise not to tell Lois and Clark?” she asked. “I’m not even sure if it was okay to tell you.”
Jonathan sighed and looked at the young woman seriously. “Linda, you know I’m not one to condone keeping secrets from family, but I won’t tell them about Jimmy.”
“You won’t?” Linda looked surprised.
“No. You two aren’t putting anyone in danger with this secret; if it was, then all bets are off. And I respect your privacy. However, I would like to ask for a couple things in return.”
“Like what?”
“I would like to tell Martha. I don’t want to keep this a secret from her, and I’ll tell her that you and Jimmy want to tell Clark and Lois on your own terms.”
“Okay,” Linda replied. “That’s not a problem.”
“And I want you to tell Jimmy that we know,” Jonathan added.
“But I wasn’t supposed to tell *anyone,*” Linda replied. “He’s going to be mad at me.”
“He might,” Jonathan replied. “but don’t you think he’d be even more upset if you didn’t tell him, and he later found out you kept something from him - again? It would be very hard for him to ever trust you if you kept keeping things from him.”
Linda sighed. She knew Jonathan was right, but it didn’t make her any happier about facing a possibly angry boyfriend - again.
He stood back and watched as Linda spun in a circle, changing into Supergirl. The young heroine kissed Jonathan’s cheek before leaving the barn and leaping into the air, heading east. He heard the familiar sonic boom, then a small thump and a soft moo. He turned and saw that the newborn calf, startled by the sudden sound, had stumbled and fallen over into the soft hay. His mother was already nuzzling and comforting him. Smiling, Jonathan grabbed the pitchfork where he had dropped it and going back to work.
- - - -
“Did she say where she was going?” Clark asked as he spoke to Lois over a payphone near the emergency room entrance of Metropolis General.
“No, but she was pretty upset,” Lois replied. “She feels responsible for Jimmy’s condition, and you know how hard she can be on herself sometimes.”
“Yeah,” Clark said.
“How’s Jimmy?“ Lois asked.
Clark had dropped Jimmy off at the emergency room of Metropolis General as Superman, then left and returned a few minutes as Clark. He found out from the receptionist where Jimmy was staying and had started over, when Lois paged him; he called her and she told him about Linda disappearing. “The doctor’s checking him out now,” Clark replied. “I’ll keep you posted about Jimmy and Linda.”
“Okay,” Lois said. “I’ll do the same with Lex, if I can find anything.”
Clark smiled. “Love you.”
“Love you more.”
Clark hung up and headed down the corridor to Jimmy’s cubicle. He stopped when his hearing picked up the conversation inside the room.
“Look, you can examine me all you like,” Clark heard Jimmy mumble, “but I’m staying in my own clothes.”
Clark sighed; even when Jimmy was semi-conscious with a concussion he was still acting up. He came over and parted the cubicle curtain. The doctor who was examining him, Dr. Blank, was holding out a hospital gown to Jimmy, who was laying on the bed, in a semi-sitting position, arms folded, looking like a little boy in the middle of pouting.
“Jimmy, do what the doctor tells you to, okay?” Clark said.
“But they want me to change CK,” Jimmy mumbled, almost whining.
Clark sighed; his hackles were a little up, so he wasn’t feeling too sympathetic for his friend at the moment. He leaned over and looked Jimmy square in the eyes. “Jimmy,” he said, his voice low and calm, “you have a choice: either get into the gown on your own, or I will put you in it. Trust me, the first choice is going to be your best option.”
Jimmy looked at his best friend, effectively his older brother. He couldn’t remember ever seeing Clark that upset, but he was smart enough to know that it would physically be in his best interests not to argue with a man who could bend steel bars as easily as breaking a pencil in half.
“Fine,“ Jimmy replied indignantly. He took the gown from the doctor. He unfolded it, then looked up at Clark. “Can I have a little privacy, please?”
“Okay,” Clark replied. “But don’t give your doctor any problems.” He gave Jimmy another look as he left the cubicle and closed the curtain.
“Clark?”
Clark turned when he heard the timid voice and saw Linda slowly walking towards him, looking hesitant and frightened.
Clark sighed with relief and frustration at seeing his cousin. “Linda, where have you been?” he asked.
Linda stopped within a few feet of Clark, her eyes growing wide with fear. “I was with your father,” she said in a mere whisper. She lowered her head in shame. “I messed up again, didn’t I?”
Clark stopped, softening his expression and voice. He took a deep breath and walked over to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Linda, look at me.” The young woman slowly looked up, her eyes bright with tears. “You didn’t mess up; it’s okay to see my folks.”
“Really?” Linda asked.
“Really,” Clark replied. He gave her a small smile to convince Linda he was serious. “You just have to let people know where you’re going. Lois and Perry were worried when you left the Planet upset.”
“How did you know I left?” Linda asked.
“Lois paged me.” He took a deep breath. “And when she told me what happened, that worried me too.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“Because of Jimmy,” Linda replied.
“I’m not mad at you for that,” Clark said. “I know I might have seemed that way at the Planet, but I’m not. If Jimmy didn’t tell you the truth, then I can’t hold you responsible for him.”
“That’s what your father said,” Linda whispered.
Clark smiled and replied, “He’s a smart man.” His expression became more serious. “But, all things considered, you should have said something to someone about Jimmy being hurt before he collapsed. Finding out what happened after the fact was a little frustrating.”
“Even though Jimmy asked me not to?” Linda asked.
Clark nodded. “Yes.”
“But I said I wouldn’t,” Linda protested. “He’s going to be mad at me for betraying his trust.”
“Linda, sometimes you have to tell secrets, even if people tell you not to. If someone’s in trouble or if their well-being - or life - is at stake, then it’s okay to not keep a secret.”
Linda tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows, trying to absorb and understand what Clark has just told her. Even after living on Earth for the past few months, there were still some things - quite a few things - about Earth customs that she didn’t really get.
“Did I just confuse you?” Clark asked.
“I don’t think so,” Linda replied slowly. “I just have a question.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Do you think Jimmy’s mad at me?”
“I don’t know,” Clark replied. “He seemed a little too out of it at the time to be mad. In fact, I think he was concentrating on revolting against wearing the hospital gown to be much of anything else. I convinced him that it would be in his best interest to cooperate with the doctor.”
Linda chuckled a bit at her cousin’s remark, wondering if Clark had convinced Jimmy by his own merits, or if Jimmy obeyed because he knew that Clark was Superman - even if Clark didn’t know that Jimmy knew. She figured it was probably the latter, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“So, you think he’s going to be okay?” she asked.
Clark nodded. “He’s probably going to have a headache for a while, not to mention a large bump on his head, but I think he’s going to be just fine.”
“Good,” Linda replied as the curtain surrounding Jimmy's cubical area parted and Dr. Blank stepped out, closing the curtain behind him. He came over to the two.
“Mr. Olsen has finished changing,” he said to Clark. “He’s getting settle in while I get everything set up for his examination.” He noticed Linda and looked at Clark questioningly.
“Uh, Dr. Blank, this is my cousin and Jimmy’s girlfriend, Linda Lee,” Clark replied. “Linda, this is Dr. Blank; he’s taking care of Jimmy.”
“Nice to meet you,” Dr. Blank said, extending his hand. Linda shook it harder than she intended, causing the physician to grimace and pull his hand away. “Ooh, quite a grip there, miss.”
“She works out,” Clark replied quickly, shooting Linda a look.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. She tilted her head slightly. “Uh, Dr. Blank, why does Jimmy have to change to get his head examined?”
“Uh, he has to change,” Clark replied, “because when Superman dropped him off, he requested a *thorough* examination due to unclear circumstances.”
Linda raised an eyebrow at her cousin. “I take it Superman was upset?” she asked.
“Very,” Clark answered.
Linda nodded. “Oh.” She turned to Dr. Blank. “Can I go see Jimmy?” she asked.
Dr. Blank nodded. “Sure, I don’t see a problem with that,” he replied. “He’s a little groggy, but he’s awake. A nurse will be along in a few minutes to get him for his examination.” He left the two and headed off to take care of his other patients.
“I’m going to get back to the Planet to help Lois with Lex,” Clark said.
“Okay,” Linda replied. “I’ll stay with Jimmy for awhile.” She was glad he was going to be fine, but there were a few things she was going to discuss with him, concussion or no concussion.
Clark saw the determination in her eyes, but he just nodded and kissed her cheek. He left her side and headed down the corridor. After he was gone from sight, Linda eyed the curtain then walked over. She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and parted the curtain.
Jimmy, having changed into the hospital gown, was laying in his bed, under the sheets. He was leaning against the pillows in a semi-upright position, looking completely wrung out. Linda could see his skin was ashen in color, and his eyes were foggy and flat, dull circles around them; he was staring up and off to one side of the ceiling, so he didn’t notice his girlfriend standing nearby.
“Jimmy?” Linda said softly.
Jimmy turned his head towards her, but it took him a few seconds to focus. “Linda?” he mumbled.
“Hi,” she said, closing the curtian behind her. She came over and carefully sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at Jimmy. “How do you feel?”
Jimmy shrugged. “Okay, I guess . . . my head hurts . . .”
“I’m sorry,” Linda replied sincerely. She stopped and took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts before she spoke. “Jimmy, can I be honest with you?”
“Sure,” Jimmy mumbled.
“I’m not very happy with you right now. In fact, I’m very hurt and very upset.” Jimmy started to say something, but Linda held up her hand. “I need you to let me talk, and don’t interrupt me, okay?” Jimmy paused, then he slowly nodded. Linda took a deep breath. “Jimmy, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling better?”
“Because I didn’t want you to worry about me,” Jimmy replied quietly.
“By risking your own health?” Linda asked. He nodded. “Okay, I can’t see the logic in that, so you want to enlighten me?”
“Linda, I -”
“Jimmy, don’t,” Linda interrupted. She sighed. “You know, I used to think that because of everything I can do, I have certain responsibilities to make sure that people stay safe - especially the people I care about. But Clark and Jonathan have made this point to me over and over again, and I think I'm finally starting to get it - maybe I can't always be responsible when other people make choices that get themselves hurt.”
“You can’t,” Jimmy said. He sighed. “Linda, you’re not responsible for me or what I did.”
“You know how hard it is for me to believe that?” Linda asked. “I know in my head that I have limitations, that even with everything I can do I can’t be responsible for everything, but you know how hard it is for me to accept that in my heart?”
“Linda, I -”
“You lied to me,” Linda said bluntly, the hurt evident in her voice. “I was so worried about you, and I still am, but I am so angry and hurt because you lied to me about your condition. You know, you were the one who said you wanted to have an honest relationship, but then you do something like this. Why?”
“Linda, I -”
“Was this because I lied to you about who I was, huh?” Linda asked. “Is that why you lied to me? Because I lied to you?”
“No,” Jimmy sighed, looking even more weary. “It wasn’t because you lied to me . . . .”
“Then why did you do it?” Linda asked. “Why did you feel so compelled to lie to me after we had a long talk about being honest with each other?”
“I just . . . I just didn’t want to make a big deal about it,” Jimmy said slowly. “I didn’t want to seem like a big wimp.”
Linda sighed. She was still frustrated with him, but she took a deep breath to calm down. “Jimmy, you were injured - knocked out for almost an hour. I’d say that’s a big deal, but showing you’re vulnerable doesn’t make you a wimp. I used to believe that, because of the way I was raised, but living here . . . I’ve learned that showing my vulnerability to the people I care about lets me know that there *are* people who care about me, and *that* makes me stronger than I ever thought possible.” She sighed. “Jimmy, how would you feel if I got injured and I didn’t tell you or anyone else?”
“Well, for starters,” Jimmy replied, “upset wouldn’t begin to describe how I’d feel, not to mention how ballistic CK or Lois or the Kents or Perry’d get.”
“Okay, well, then you should know how I - we all - feel right now because *you* decided to lie to us about being hurt,” Linda said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but the curtain parted, and a nurse was standing on the other side with a wheelchair.
“James Olsen, it’s time for your examination,” she said briskly.
“Uh, okay,” Jimmy said as Linda stood up and moved to one side. She watched as the nurse pulled back the sheets and helped Jimmy out of bed into the wheelchair. “Uh, can you tell me why I have to wear this gown just for head X-ray?”
The nurse said, “Honey, I don’t know what they told you, but this ain’t no little ol’ head X-ray - Superman said you’ve been through some sort of unexplained trauma, so we have to check all of you for injuries, especially those you might have blocked out or can’t feel.”
Jimmy’s expression changed so suddenly. “Uh,” he squeaked softly, his voice rising an octave, “*all* of me?”
“Every inch,” the nurse answered. She eyed him full-length and patted his arm. “But don’t worry, sweetcheeks, it shouldn’t take too long.”
It was all Linda could do to not burst into laughter, despite the seriousness of the situation. She had been poked and prodded by S.T.A.R. Labs enough to know about examinations. Under normal conditions she might have felt sorry for Jimmy and spoken up on his behalf, but she was still frustrated with him and knew he would be just fine, so she kept her mouth shut.
The nurse stopped in front of a set of double doors and looked at Linda. “Sorry, miss, this is as far as you go; no one’s allowed back here except patients and personnel.”
“Okay,” Linda replied. “I have to get back to work anyway. Just keep me informed of his condition, please.” She smiled at Jimmy and patted his hand. “Be good for the doctors, Jimmy.”
Jimmy looked up at her. “Linda, tell them what really happened,” he pleaded. “Please.”
“You were traumatized,” Linda replied honestly. “They’re going to take good care of you.” She patted his hand again before turning and leaving. Jimmy turned and watched her, open-mouthed, as the nurse pushed him through the double doors and they closed behind him.
- - - -
Lois was sitting at her desk, researching some information when Clark got off the elevators and headed for her. She smiled as he approached.
“How’s Jimmy?” she asked as Clark leaned over and kissed her.
“He’s going to be fine,” Clark answered as he pulled up a chair and sat beside his wife. “Just a big bump on the head and a huge headache. Oh, and Linda is fine too.”
“Really?” Lois asked. “So, you found her?”
“Actually, she found me,” Clark replied. “She came to the hospital to see Jimmy after going to see my father and talking with him. She blamed herself for Jimmy getting hurt.”
“And your father set her straight on that?” Lois asked.
“I think so,” Clark answered. He sighed. “I think she’s finally starting to accept that she can’t always responsible for other people’s actions, but I think we still might have to keep reminding her about her limitations every once in a while.”
“Just so long as we don’t come across as being over-protective parents,” Lois added. “You know how she hates that.”
“Don’t remind me,” Clark replied wryly.
“So, where is she now?”
“She said she was going to stay and talk with Jimmy for a while.” He nodded at Lois’ computer screen. “So, you dig up anything on Lex?”
“It’s funny you should mention digging,” Lois said, “because I have an idea.”
“Oh, boy,” Clark teased.
“Oh, hush,” Lois playfully smacked him. “It’s not that bad.”
“And when you say that, it usually means it is,” Clark grinned. “So, what is your idea, oh great and magnificent one?”
“Well, remember a couple years back when Leigh-Anne Stipanovic claimed that Jesse was your love child?” Clark grimaced. “By that look, I’ll take it you do.”
“How could I forget?” Clark asked wryly.
“Anyway,” Lois continued, “remember what almost took place to prove that Jesse wasn’t your son?”
“A DNA test,” Clark replied. It suddenly clicked. He smiled slowly. “That’s brilliant, honey.”
“I know,” Lois smiled. “If we can get samples of Lex’s DNA and his supposed parents, then we can definitely prove who he really is. And since they’re all human -”
“In the loosest sense of the word,” Clark interrupted tightly.
“ - the results can be in much quicker,” Lois finished.
Clark stopped and looked at her. “Wait a second,” he said. “In order to get samples of Lex Luthor Senior and Dr. Kelly’s DNA . . . .”
“We’re going to have to get their bodies exhumed,” Lois finished.
Clark groaned. “I don’t know what’s worse: exhuming bodies in general, or exhuming bodies of two of the lowest forms of life imaginable.”
“Did I miss something?” Linda asked as she walked up to the two reporters.
“I thought you were going to stay with Jimmy,” Clark said, looking a little surprised.
“I did until they took him away for his thorough examination,” Linda replied. She shot a knowing look to Clark. “Care of Superman.”
“‘Care of Superman?’” Lois asked. She looked at her husband. “Explain.”
Clark chuckled. “Well, Superman felt that Jimmy needed to be reminded of the consequences of lying to one’s friends.”
“And you didn’t mind?” Lois asked Linda.
“No,” Linda replied. “He made me feel horrible; he needs to squirm a little bit.”
“You know, part of me is thinking that you two are horrible for letting Jimmy go through that,” Lois replied.
“And the other part?” Clark asked.
“Is glad that Jimmy’s squirming,” Lois answered. Clark and Linda shared a smile. “Now, back to the matter at hand.”
“Which is?” Linda asked.
“Digging up corpses,” Clark replied.
Linda furrowed her eyebrows. “Okay, I *definitely* missed something. When did you go from looking up information on Lex to digging up corpses?”
“Since we decided that it was the best way to see if Lex Luthor II is really who he says he is,” Lois replied.
“You’re familiar with genetics, right, Linda?” Clark asked.
“Quite,” Linda replied.
“Well, we’re going to dig up the bodies of the two people that we’ve been told might be the parents of Lex Luthor II,” Clark explained. “If their DNA matches Lex Luthor’s DNA, then he’s really Luthor’s son.”
“And if it doesn’t match?” Linda asked.
“We’ll nail him to the wall as a fraud,” Clark answered. He turned to Lois. “And just how do we expect to get authorization to dig up said corpses, honey?”
“Why do I have to do all the hard work, huh?” Lois asked. “You’re Mr. Superspandex; you figure it out.”
“Because *you* were the one who suggesting digging up corpses in the first place,” Clark replied sweetly.
Lois grumbled, but she reached for her phone and dialed a number. She waited and tapped her fingers against the desk. “Henderson?” she said after a few moments. “Lois Lane. You remember that favor you owe Clark and me? Well, it’s time to cash in.” Clark mouthed ‘what are you doing?’ to her, but Lois ignored him. “Oh, don’t worry, Henderson, it’s nothing illegal, but we will need a few strings pulled.” She grinned. “Great, we’ll see you in half an hour to discuss the terms.” She hung up and turned to Clark. “I think I figured it out.”
“I can’t believe you’re going to use a favor that Henderson owes us to get those bodies exhumed,” Clark replied. “We could have used it for other things.”
“You can grouse and complain all you want,” Lois replied as she gathered her things and got to her feet. She headed for the elevators, but she stopped when she realized Clark wasn’t with her. She turned. “You coming or not?”
Clark sighed and got to his feet. He and Lois headed for the elevators. Linda watched them for a few seconds, then hurried after them, catching up with them as they waited for the elevators.
“I’m coming too,” she said.
“Oh, no you’re not,” Clark replied.
“Why not?” Linda asked.
“Well, for starters, you are already working on a story,” Clark answered. “All by yourself, since Jimmy’s in the hospital.”
“The story is as good as written,” Linda replied. “I want to come and help out with *your* story. I’m practically part of it, since I *am* the first person that Lex dated when he got here.” Lois and Clark stopped and stared at her. Linda grimaced, realizing what she just said. “Oops.”
“What do you mean you dated him?” Clark asked quietly but with an edge in his voice. The elevator pinged and the doors opened.
“You know, maybe I *should* stay and work on the Cadmus story,“ Linda said as she backed away from the couple. Clark reached out and gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into the elevator. Lois got in behind them, and stood in front of the doors as they closed. Still holding Linda with one hand, Clark reached out and pulled the emergency stop button. The elevator shuddered and stopped as Clark turned back to Linda, looking down at her sternly.
“Look,” Linda said quietly, “before you get too upset, maybe I should explain what happened.”
“I think you’re a little late for that,” Lois replied, looking upset as well, but her voice didn’t have quite the edge as Clark’s did. “But go on.”
“It’s not what you think,” Linda replied. “Honestly. It was a big mistake.” She sighed. “You know how Jimmy was treating me so awfully a few days ago? Well, I thought he was pushing me away, that he was tired of me . . . and then Lex was being so nice to me; I didn’t think it was wrong to have dinner with him.” She sighed. “But I kept having this . . . uncertain feeling . . . and it only grew more and more while I was with Lex until I felt so sick that I had to leave. And then I realized why I was feeling that way: I was only going out with Lex because I wanted to see what Jimmy would do about it; it was wrong, I know that now, but I still wanted to see how much Jimmy cared about me.” She put her head down. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you; I wanted to forget that ever happened.”
Clark and Lois shared a private glance. They were both all ready to lay into Linda for being so careless, but it was clear she was truly sorry for what she did. Clark sighed and turned back to his cousin.
“Linda,” he said gently, “was this before or after Jimmy punched Lex?”
“Before,” Linda replied. “Jimmy punched him the following morning.” She looked up. “Do you really think Lex is a bad person?”
“In all honesty,” Clark said, “yes.” He sighed, choosing his words carefully. “Linda, he knew you and Jimmy were a couple, but he still went after you. Jimmy has never lost his temper before, but he punched Lex after Lex . . . after Lex said what he said. You want my opinion? I think he’s just as bad as his father was.”
“If he is who he says he is,” Lois added. She came over and put a hand on Linda’s shoulder. “Linda, we’re not mad; just a little frustrated, okay? Do you understand why?” Linda nodded. Lois smiled and patted her shoulder. “Okay. Now, you want to help us discover who Lex Luthor II really is?”
“Is that okay?” Linda asked quietly. Both women looked at Clark. Clark took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
“It’s okay,” Clark replied. He gave Linda a small smile as he squeezed her arm gently. Linda smiled slightly as Clark restarted the elevator, and the trio rode down.
After a few silent moments, Linda muttered, “Well, he *was* really nice to me - he talked to me, acted like he liked me, he even gave me his coat when he thought I was cold.”
Both reporters heard her, but it was Clark’s hackles that went up again. Still bugged by how another Luthor was trying to weasel into his life - by going after *another* woman he cared about - he reached out and hit the emergency stop button again. He turned to look at her with wider eyes.
“He gave you his coat?” he asked slowly, putting emphasis on ‘gave’ and ‘coat,’ his incredulity apparent.
Linda shrugged. “Well, yeah, I mean, he saw me walking without my jacket, and it was windy that day - he was being a gentleman. You know what that is, right? One of those men who can be around a woman without constantly acting like . . like his underwear’s too tight.” Her tone was partly matter of fact and partly teasing.
Lois was standing off to the side, watching the cousins with one arm across her abdomen, her hand supporting her other elbow, her other hand over her mouth. She knew Linda was being serious and teasing at the same time, but she was still a little worried about Clark’s reaction to it, given his reaction to finding out Linda had Lex’s coat.
Clark sighed and rolled his eyes. “Funny, Linda,” he said. He knew she was kidding, but he was still a little upset as he released the emergency button, and the elevator started down again. “So, did you return his coat after everything that’s happened?”
Linda looked a bit guilty. “No, I haven’t,” she replied. “I’ve been a little busy lately.” She leaned against the side of the elevator. “You know, even though I didn’t get it dirty, should I wash it before giving it back?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary, Linda,” Lois replied. “Not for a coat.”
“I was thinking just as a courtesy,” Linda said. “Or at least take one of those lint roller thingies to it.” She started talking quietly to herself, and Lois and Clark were only half listening as the elevator reached their level on the parking garage. The trio stepped off and headed toward Lois’ car, Linda walking between and slightly behind the couple, her hands stuffed in her own coat pockets.
“It *is* a really nice coat,” Linda said quietly. “And I wouldn't want to return it with dust and hair all over it, even if it is his hair.”
Clark and Lois glanced at each other as they continued walking, a bit amused. It took them a few seconds to realize that Linda wasn’t talking anymore. They stopped and turned and saw the young woman standing stock still, eyes wide, stunned.
“Linda, are you okay?” Clark asked.
“Hair . . .” Linda replied slowly, looking at the two reporters in awe. “Long, red strands of hair, on the collar and shoulders of his coat. His coat. Which is in. My. Apartment.” Linda’s speech sped up and her eyes grew even wider as she realized that for once she had the key to the investigation. “It’s in my apartment! His DNA! You want to know who he really is - then you need me! Hah! Finally!” She walked to and then past them, murmuring low as she passed between them, “So the great hero needs help after all.”
Clark and Lois glanced at each other and chuckled as they shook their heads, heading to the car where Linda was already waiting, looking smug.
“Just remember this great hero is still bigger than you,” Clark replied with a smile as Lois got her keys from her purse and unlocked the car. The trio got in – Lois in the driver’s seat, Clark beside her, and Linda in the back behind her cousin.
“Your point?” Linda asked with a smile as they buckled themselves in and Lois started the engine. “Just because I’m smaller, it doesn’t mean you’re stronger than me.”
“Is that a challenge?” Clark asked, turning his head a bit as Lois pulled out of her space and headed for the exit.
“You know, that would be an interesting story to do,” Lois mused, smiling at the bantering back and forth between the cousins. “Superman vs. Supergirl.”
“No way,” Linda replied quickly. “Wouldn’t want to humiliate Clark in public with him being beaten by a girl.”
“And what makes you think that you’d win?” Clark asked, trying to look annoyed at his cousin.
“Because ‘I am woman, hear me roar,’” Linda started chanting. “‘In numbers too big to ignore. Oh, I am woman, I am invincible, I am strong!’”
Without missing a beat, Clark took a small travel pillow from under the seat and– without turning around - gently whapped Linda in the face with it. “You are stuffed,” he said with calm enthusiasm.
It was all Lois could do to keep from laughing as she drove the car out the exit and into traffic. “Just out of curiosity, Linda,” she grinned as Linda stuck her tongue out at her cousin before settling back in her seat, “where did you hear that song?”
“Jimmy and I were in Best Buy last week, looking for some CDs to buy,” Linda replied, “and he pointed out the CD with that song on it to me; he said I might like it, because it’s the ultimate girl power song – whatever that means. Anyway, I bought it; it’s pretty catchy stuff on there.”
“Remind me to thank Jimmy later,” Clark muttered, smiling. Lois smacked him with one hand as she drove down the street.
(End of Chapter 19)
