Summary: Nothing ever seems to last the way it should.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make nothing. All characters, plot points, and recognizable dialogue belong to DC comics, Warner Bros., December 3rd Productions and anyone else with a stake in the Superman franchise.
Author’s Note: This is in response to Kerth Challenge #2, which asked to have a character start off happy and end up sad.
***
Jimmy Olsen was feeling on top of the world. In fact, he nearly felt like he was floating in his ecstasy as he made his way through the bullpen. Three Kerth nominations! Three! One for his stunning photograph of Superman as the hero diverted the flow of lava from an erupting volcano away from the quaint, unsuspecting little Hawaiian town where he, Lois, and Clark had been sent on a conference. Man, talk about being in the right place at the right time!
Another nomination for his coverage of the continued devastation that the long-defunct LexLabs was causing – one of the first news stories he’d covered as a budding reporter. As it turned out, the Metamide concoction that Luthor’s scientists had pumped into those poor orphaned kids several years ago had lingered in their young systems longer than anyone had thought, causing damage no one had foreseen. That toxic sludge had altered their brains to make the kids smarter, yes…but only at first. Now, ten years later, all but one of them – the oldest of them all - had developed Alzheimer’s and required round-the-clock care. Not one of them was expected to live much past their twenties, if that. Lois had been particularly helpful as he’d worked on that story; she was still burning with righteous fury after seeing how Aimee, the “smart kid” who’d once sheltered in her apartment, was now completely incapacitated.
And finally, the final nomination had been bestowed upon him for his controversial Op-Ed piece calling for tighter restrictions on Bruce Wayne’s vast empire. While, yes, the billionaire appeared to be a genuine philanthropist, so had Lex Luthor, and just look at what vile acts he’d managed to accomplish as LexCorp had swelled to the immense size it had been just before the criminal mastermind had died…the first time. Jimmy didn’t expect much to come of that nomination. Too many people were too enamored of Bruce Wayne to agree with his viewpoint.
But still!
Three Kerth nominations!
Sure, Jimmy had been nominated before. He’d even won a few of the coveted awards throughout his tenure with the Daily Planet. But three nominations in a single year was nearly unheard of.
And yet, the nominations – which he had to admit to himself, were only just nominations, not guaranteed wins – were just the icing on top of the cake.
For the past fourteen months, he’d been dating Caitlin, a neonatal nurse at Metropolis General. He’d met her after visiting Lois and Clark after the birth of their daughter. Jimmy had arrived while Lois had been occupied with feeding the baby, so he’d had wandered down to the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat. With so many of the tables occupied, he’d somewhat shyly asked the attractive young nurse if he could use the empty chair at her table. She’d agreed and before Jimmy knew it, they were deep in discussion and laughing like they’d known each other for years.
Caitlin!
Just the thought of her sent Jimmy’s heartrate skyrocketing.
She was simply amazing. Tall, blonde, athletic, gorgeous, smart as a whip, incredible in the bedroom, and, to top it all off, a gamer, just like Jimmy. She was absolute perfection as far as Jimmy was concerned. She made him feel complete in ways he’d never felt before. Wherever they went, Jimmy felt like he was home, simply because she was with him. He felt safe and comfortable in ways he’d never known were possible before he met her. When she looked at him, Jimmy felt utter peace in his heart.
For the first time in his life, he had what Lois and Clark had – a soulmate. Someone he could easily spend the rest of his life with. Someone he wanted, even needed, to spend his life with. Because a life without her by his side was too bleak to contemplate. He knew that was the way Lois and Clark felt about each other. After all, he’d been right there, by their sides, as they’d navigated their early relationship. He’d seen every crest onto the highest of highs and every crash into the lowest of lows. Jimmy was just glad that whatever Lois and Clark had gone through – and it seemed like they’d gone through too many periods where their relationship had nearly crumbled into mummified remains – he and Caitlin had been fortunate enough to avoid.
He’d made up his mind. Seeing how Clark had almost lost Lois too many times to count, Jimmy wasn’t going to take any chances. Besides, he knew he was ready to take the next step.
Tonight, after the Kerths, he was going to ask Caitlin to marry him.
He had it all planned out. While Caitlin couldn’t attend the ceremony with him – she was on call until midnight – Jimmy was going to pick her up on his motorcycle once her shift was over. He’d arranged for a late dinner reservation at Tavern In The Park, only the most exclusive restaurant in the city. Situated right in the heart of Centennial Park, the place was said to offer not only a stunning view but some of the best food in the city. Jimmy certainly hoped so after sneaking a peak at the exorbitantly priced menu. And while he certainly couldn’t afford the place on the regular – not on a newsman’s salary at any rate – this was a special occasion.
His life was about to change, and he could hardly stand the slow ticking of time leading up to it.
He just wasn’t sure if he was going to ask during dessert or if he should wait until after the meal during a walk in the park. The idea of proposing under the moonlight seemed the more attractive option, but would it be too late? Would Caitlin be too exhausted from her long day in the hospital to do more than eat and ask for a ride home? But was a dessert proposal too cliché? Caitlin deserved so much better than some tired old Hollywood trope.
The only thing he was certain of was that he physically could not hold off until another time. It had to be done tonight.
Jimmy decided that the best way to handle the decision of when to ask was not to make it until he saw Caitlin that night. Then he could gage her energy level and figure out which option was the best.
Win or lose at the Kerths, this was going to be the best night of his life.
“Hey, Jimmy! Ready for tonight?” Clark Kent called out as Jimmy neared his friend’s desk.
“You have no idea!” Jimmy replied with the biggest grin of his life.
“I’ll bet you take all three Kerths,” Clark continued, smiling, and misreading Jimmy’s enthusiasm. “Your work on them was impeccable. Even if I don’t necessarily think you’re right about Bruce Wayne,” he added lightly.
Clark had been the first to respectfully disagree with Jimmy’s Op-Ed. But for Jimmy’s part, he couldn’t figure it out. Wayne Industries was even bigger than LexCorp had ever been. Yet Clark seemed to believe that the power Bruce Wayne had over Gotham – over the country – wasn’t a bad thing. But Clark had been gunning for Lex Luthor from the moment he’d arrived at the Planet, well before the disgraced billionaire’s criminal misdeeds had come to light.
“I still don’t get what you see in Bruce Wayne,” Jimmy admitted, shaking his head. “He’s more influential than Luthor ever was.”
“I know,” Clark admitted with a bob of his head. “But let’s just say that I can see the differences between Luthor and him. Bruce Wayne doesn’t make my skin crawl the way Luthor always did.”
“And it helps that he never hit on your wife either,” Jimmy teased with a smirk.
Clark chuckled. “That does help. A little,” he admitted. “But it’s more than that. I can’t really explain it.”
“If you say so,” Jimmy replied in concession, wondering what Clark knew that he didn’t. He decided to let the subject drop. If Clark wanted to be all mysterious about things, let him. Then, suddenly, he came to one firm, major decision. “Hey…CK? Can we talk for a minute? In private?”
His friend nodded seriously. “Yeah, sure. Everything okay?”
Jimmy nodded in turn. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just…” He gestured vaguely, unwilling to divulge the secret he was carrying out in the heart of the newsroom.
Clark seemed to immediately understand. “The conference room?” he suggested.
“That’ll work, yeah,” Jimmy agreed. “Um, Lois? You better come too,” he added after a moment as she approached, two steaming mugs of coffee in her hands.
“Okay, but…what’s up?” she asked, setting the mugs down – one on her desk, one on her husband’s.
“Beats me,” Clark replied, shrugging. “We were talking about Bruce Wayne and then Jimmy got all cagey,” he teased, sticking his hands into his pockets like an innocent schoolboy.
“It’s too important to talk about out here, that’s all,” he assured them. “Nothing bad, I promise.”
Clark nodded in understanding, then he and Lois followed quietly as Jimmy cut a quick pace through the bullpen. Jimmy stood alongside the door as his friends filed in; Lois first with Clark a step behind her. Jimmy closed the door behind them, took a deep breath, and turned to face them.
“So…um…tonight’s a big night,” he offered after a moment.
Understatement of the century, his mind chided him, rolling its figurative eyes.
“The Kerths, yeah,” Lois responded. “Clark and I are really pulling for you, Jimmy. If you take all three…”
“It’ll be a Daily Planet record,” Clark finished for her.
“Well…yeah,” Jimmy stammered, toeing the floor a little. “And don’t get me wrong, I’d love to take that record. But, um…that’s not what I’m most excited about. There’s something else. Something…bigger. I, uh….after the ceremony and the after party and everything…I’m going to ask Caitlin to marry me.”
As he spoke the words, he produced a small ring box from his pants pocket and popped open the lid.
“I just picked it up from the jeweler this morning on my way in,” he continued, holding the box out so they could peer at the ring nestled in the black velvet within.
“Jimmy, that’s fantastic!” Clark exclaimed enthusiastically. Happiness and even a little pride sparkled in his eyes. “Congratulations!” He gave Jimmy a friendly hug and a gentle slap on the back.
“Thanks, CK. I can hardly wait for tonight,” he said, feeling a huge rush of adrenaline coursing through his body. Saying the words out loud for the first time made it feel so much realer in his mind. The feeling was intoxicating.
“I’m so happy for you,” Lois added, giving him a tight hug. She kissed his cheek for good measure. “Caitlin is a wonderful woman. Clark and I are just thrilled. You’re so good for each other.”
“Thanks,” Jimmy repeated, feeling the heat of a blush beginning to burn his cheeks. “You think she’ll like it?” he asked, nodding at the ring he held.
He was proud of the ring he’d chosen. The half-caret diamond in the center was nearly flawless, and the tiny emeralds flanking it on either side perfectly matched Caitlin’s eyes. He could scarcely wait to see her reaction to it tonight.
“It’s gorgeous, Jimmy,” Lois told him. “She’s going to love it.”
Clark nodded in agreement. “It’s beautiful. Nice choice. Specially made?” he guessed.
Jimmy shook his head. “No. I just got lucky. As soon as I saw it, I knew this was the one.”
“Well, she’ll have a hard time saying no to it,” Lois gently teased with a smile.
“Thanks. Uh…CK? I might be jumping the gun a bit here but…once she says yes…if she says yes…I want you to be my best man.” Jimmy gave him a hopeful smile as he closed the ring box and placed in back into his pocket.
Clark’s grin exploded onto his face. “Absolutely!”
Jimmy sighed with relief. “Okay then. I guess that’s that. All I have to do now is just get through the rest of this day.”
Continued Below....
