Sorry that this is a little late coming up. I had hoped to post about once a week, but it's been a bit longer than that. A combination of real life, a mild case of writer's block, and the demons of cyber-space has slowed down the process.
As an extra note, I do want to say that I have borrowed certain scenarios from the LnC show to put into this story. This part is where it is first recognizable. I'll leave you to figure out what it is, but I thought it would be interesting to put Jon and Kaylie in similar circomstances and show how they would react similarly or differently from Lois and Clark.
Thanks again to Nancy for BRing this!
PART FIVE
There is a small but exclusive gentleman’s club nestled in the heart of downtown Metropolis. It is named, most unoriginally, The Gentleman’s Club. Its main attractions are the vast selection of high-brow liquor, the seafood sampler platter, and the women; who are all young, fit, and scantily clad. The traditional uniform for a cocktail waitress consists of a tight corset style top, and a short clingy skirt that is better described as a fringe. I think I have belts wider than that skirt. As long as the girl wears the regulation garter, and subscribes to The Gentleman’s Club color scheme, the accessories are for her own choosing. That night, I had chosen a pair of midnight blue fishnets and high spike heels. I had a glittering necklace that swooped across my chest in a vain attempt to disguise my exposed cleavage but I think all it did was draw attention to it. The outfit completely objectified my body, and caused far too many eyes to wander. The corset top made it difficult to breathe, and I couldn’t even cross my legs without showing a flash of coordinating underwear. It was, in short, demeaning, uncomfortable, and embarrassing. But the shoes were awesome.
The biggest risk (although it wasn’t a very big one) in this assignment was that someone would recognize me. That would mean that both of my careers would come to a sudden and unpleasant end. But it was unlikely that any of the parents, staff, and least of all, students from Riverview Alternative would come to The Gentleman’s Club. And even if they did come, it was extremely unlikely they would see Kaylie Stewart as their cocktail waitress. ‘Catty Collins’ sported a bleach-blonde bob that was radically different from my normal shoulder length auburn style, and wore a heavy layer of makeup with dark color around the eyes. I was blessed with a peculiar shade of hazel eyes that absorbed surrounding color, in this case causing my eyes to darken without needing colored contacts. Plus, my four inch heels made me significantly taller than I really was. Catty was nothing like Kaylie. She sauntered around the club, sending smoldering glares at the customers. She pursed her lips seductively and trailed her hands over the shoulders of the clients as she passed them. Eyes swiveled after her in her wake as she ploughed across the floor.
As much as I hated playing the part, it was what kept my cover alive. If Sproxton was looking for an agent to be working in the crowd, he would least suspect the most promiscuous one of the lot to be it. He was, on top of all his other despicable qualities, a chauvinistic pig.
As I cleared away empty whiskey glasses from a nearby table, I struggled to make out the conversation he was having with another middle aged man in a secluded booth.
“…business is doing well, I trust?” the greasy stranger asked Sproxton.
“As well as can be expected,” he replied. “Of course a man in my position always hopes for the best and expects the worst.” He laughed jovially and sucked heavily on his cigar. I wandered innocuously closer to his booth, pretending to clear off empty tables.
“A cautious man such as yourself no doubt considers all consequences before making a business decision,” Greasy simpered.
“You’re certainly correct,” Sproxton declared. “An unwise investment could ruin a… businessman such as myself. Especially in these dangerous times.”
“Ah, yes. You’re very wise. The times are certainly dangerous, what with Intergang’s rise in power.” Finally, they were getting around to the point of the meeting. I polished the same spot on the table over and over again as I strained my ears to hear the conversation over the noise of the club.
“Correct me if I’m wrong my friend, but I have heard rumors that Intergang’s been having some leadership issues lately. Mutiny in the ranks.” Sproxton stabbed his cigar stub in the ashtray and took a swig of his drink. Greasy shook his head and smiled benevolently.
“You of all people should know not to listen to rumors. They’re nothing but unsubstantiated lies spread in an effort to appease the masses. Intergang is not so indiscreet as to allow details of its inner workings to be known to the general public.”
“I suppose,” Sproxton sighed, “that the only way one might really know the strength of Intergang is to speak to one of the executives. Not to pathetic underlings who’ve been sent to offer petty bribes in exchange for half-hearted allegiance.” Here his voice sharpened, and Greasy’s slimy smile slipped. He was about to open his mouth in defense when Sproxton suddenly looked up and locked gazes with me. In my interest in the conversation I had come too close to his booth and remained for too long looking at the pair. I resisted the urge to drop my gaze, a sure giveaway that I had been watching, and instead returned his stare, giving him a long, slow once-over. Sproxton was well built for a man of his age, and I could see at least three conspicuous bulges where various weaponry was no doubt hidden. I felt his eyes crawling over me in return and I submitted to the visual inspection unflinchingly. Finally he dismissed me as a non-threat.
“Another round, miss,” he commanded. Dammit, I cursed inwardly. Although I was able to decipher the innuendo and subtext within the conversation, there was no way that it would hold up in an inquiry. I still had no proof. But he had asked for another drink so I had no choice but to walk away from the pair, leaving them to discuss who knows what as I went to get refills. I was, after all, just a cocktail waitress.
* * *
I was on outfit number six by the time he knocked on my balcony door. I raced over to let him in as I struggled to twist my arm into the blazer I had chosen. I slid open the door and Supernova (or Jor, as I was to call him) stepped into the room.
“Hey,” he grinned at me.
“Where are we going?” I blurted out. He chuckled.
“It’s nice to know that a night apart didn’t change your opinion of me. You still treat me with the highest respect.”
“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to dress for a date when you have no idea where you’re going?” I snapped. “If it’s the traditional dinner date then I have to wear something dressy, but if you’re one of those guys who take girls out paintballing as a first date then I’d end up ruining my nice clothes and then when you finally decide to have a nice date with me I have nothing to wear because all my clothes are covered in paint splotches. So I’ve been trying on about a billion different outfits trying to find something that’s nice, but not too nice and something that I can wash paint out of and that’s a lot harder than it looks.” I straightened my jacket uneasily. Jor cocked his head to the side and peered at my outfit questioningly.
“You don’t have a swimsuit underneath all that, do you?”
“What?! No. Wait, did you *look*?!!!” I crossed my arms in front of me in a vain attempt to protect myself. Jor rolled his eyes.
“Of course not, your virtue’s safe with me. But you might want to change into a swim suit and some beach clothes because that’s where we’re going.”
“We’re going to the beach?” I asked confusedly. “Isn’t it a little out of season?”
“Well that depends on where we go, now doesn’t it?” His eyes twinkled at me. Was he going to take us to a tropical beach on our first date? Wow.
“Okay, just give me a minute to change.” I entered my room dazedly and threw on my swimsuit and warm cover-up clothing, kicking my last attempt at an outfit into the corner. Jor smiled at me as I entered.
“Now it’s time for me to change,” he said. All of a sudden, he disappeared into a spinning blur of colors. I was completely spellbound. I had spent most of our acquaintance convincing him not to use super-speed, so I had never actually seen him doing it up close. The small tornado that contained my date for the evening slowed, and I was able to make out his features once more.
From the neck up he looked the exact same, but instead of the typical spandex uniform I had always known him to wear; he had on a black t-shirt and a pair of dark-rinse jeans that accentuated his long, powerful legs. Very long, and very powerful. My slackened jaw was a testimony to the fact.
“Wow.” I blinked. “So that’s one way to get out of your work clothes.” He smiled at me self-consciously.
“What do you think?”
“I think… that that’s pretty amazing.” I stepped closer to him, taking in his appearance. He ducked his head down to my level and we shared a soft kiss. As we broke apart I could see his eyes questioning me silently, asking if the change was too much. I responded to his question with one of my own.
“So are you going to tell me where this mysterious beach is?”
“Nope. That would spoil the surprise.” I sighed wistfully.
“Well I guess I’ll have to find out when we get there.” Jor grasped my hand and started towards my balcony, and I was suddenly reminded of our mode of transportation. Flying. Right. My heart tripped over itself and Jor must’ve realized that something was wrong because he turned back to me with an expression of concern on his face.
“Kaylie, are you ok with the flying? Because if you’re not we don’t have to go. We can do something else.”
“No! I-I mean I’m not *not* scared but I want to… I mean we can’t spend all our time in my apartment and flying is the way to…” I took a breath and spoke calmly. “I want to do this with you. I want to go to your mystery beach.”
“You know that I won’t let anything happen to you,” He told me. I nodded.
“I trust you.”
* * *
Hours later, we were lying together on the beach with the sand acting as a perfect pillow. The island that Jor had taken us to was completely uninhabited except for the local wildlife, and he refused to tell me where in the world it was. If I had really wanted to I could have taken notice of the angle of the sun, combined with a survey of the flora and fauna and figured out the general location of the island but I didn’t want to. It would’ve spoiled the magic of the whole thing. We thoroughly explored the terrain before Jor led us to the picnic he had prepared for us. The nice thing about having a superhero for a boyfriend is that you don’t need to worry about keeping the drinks cold and the food hot. He just does it all for you.
And now we were lying in each other’s arms as we listened to the sound of the waves hitting the beach. Jor looked into my eyes intently, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke.
“First kiss,” he declared.
“Oh no,” I groaned. “Can’t I pass on this one?”
“Nope,” he replied smugly. “No passes. That’s the rules; you have to answer the question no matter what.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. “My first kiss was with Eddie Schumacher in the eighth grade. We went to go see a movie together and he tried to kiss me during the film.”
“Tried to?”
“Well he scared me,” I explained. “I wasn’t expecting him to do that so I kicked him in the shin and pushed him away.”
“Jeez, I’m starting to think it may be a good thing that I’m invulnerable.” I gave Jor a mock punch on the shoulder and he pretended that it hurt.
“Anyway, I felt really bad about it so after we left the theatre I gave him another kiss without the physical violence.”
“And how was it?”
“What, are you jealous?” I teased.
“Should I be?” I paused for a moment, thinking back.
“It was wet,” I finally decided.
“Wet?”
“Yes. Wet.”
“And… how about this kiss?” He leaned in to kiss me gently on the mouth.
“Mmm… I’m not sure. I think you might have to do it again.” He was happy to oblige.
“Well?”
“I think… I think I need to have it once more to get a full handle on the description. Would you…?”
“Happy to,” he murmured as he drew me in for yet another kiss. “Another?” he asked breathlessly.
“Wait a minute buddy,” I planted my hands on his chest and pulled myself away from his body. “You’re just trying to get out of answering your question! It’s my turn to ask!” Jor sighed dramatically.
“Busted,” he joked. “So what’s my question?”
“I want to know what your first kiss was.” He shook his head.
“No repeats, remember? That’s the-”
“The rules, yeah I know. Fine, I’ll think of something else.” I chewed my lip, stared at him intently for a few moments, and then decided on the perfect question. “When did you discover that your dad was Superman?” I asked. “Your parents must’ve waited until you were old enough to understand how important it was to keep the secret, right? So I want to know when they finally told you.” He was silent for a few minutes, thinking. I started to wonder if I had maybe been too intrusive. Then he finally met my gaze again and I could see the sadness behind his eyes.
“It’s kind of a long story,” he said.
“We have time.” He nodded, collecting himself. Then he took a deep breath and began.
“My parents never told me, I kind of stumbled upon the information myself. I was fifteen years old and I was looking in my parent’s closet when I tripped the secret lever and opened the hidden compartment where all of my dad’s suits were kept.” He shook his head, still working through his emotions. “I had no idea what to think. I kept telling myself that there would be another explanation that I wasn’t thinking of. That my dad couldn’t possibly be Superman because then he would’ve lied to me all those years. My mom came upstairs and found me pulling suits of hangers, chucking them all over the room. She had us all sit down at the kitchen table and have a family meeting. That’s when my parents finally explained everything to my sister and me. Before that we were both completely clueless.”
“That must’ve been a huge shock at fifteen.” I restrained the anger I was feeling. He should’ve been told sooner. Fifteen was much too old to be keeping a secret like that from your kid.
“It was. I had no idea that my dad was anything but an ordinary guy. I actually didn’t believe him at first, and he had to give a demonstration of all his powers right there at the kitchen table. I was really upset. My parents had been lying to me for fifteen years and I felt stupid for not suspecting and scared because I felt like I didn’t even know them.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “I was angry for a long time. I moved out of the house and went to live with my grandparents. It only made matters worse when all the superpowers that my parents thought I didn’t have were suddenly dumped on me like a ton of bricks. It was as if there was some sort of mental block about the whole thing. I wasn’t Superman’s kid so I couldn’t have Superman’s powers. But as soon as I knew the truth all these abilities appeared. It took me a long time to control them, and that was part of the reason why I was son angry. It felt like my own body was betraying me.”
“How could they’ve not told you in fifteen years?” I wondered aloud.
“It wasn’t that they weren’t planning on it. But they always thought they’d tell me when I first started to get a hint of having the powers. But of course I didn’t get any of that stuff until they actually told me the truth. My parents were used to keeping it a secret, and the more used you are to keeping a secret, the harder it is to finally tell the truth.” He sighed heavily. “I didn’t really understand that until about a year ago, but even though I didn’t completely understand it back then, I was able to put that past me. People make mistakes. I was long past the age of thinking my parents were infallible and I could’ve forgiven them for that eventually. But that wasn’t the real reason why I was mad at them.”
“What was it?”
“I was mad at my parents because I desperately wanted to be normal, and my newly discovered superpowers made that impossible. I was lacking so much control that I couldn’t join any sports for a year after, and even then I was too scared of hurting someone to even try. Even though my grandparents live in a small town, I still managed to find the worst crowd possible to hang around with. I started to get into drinking and drugs but that stuff doesn’t have any effect on me so I soon gave it up. Looking back I realize it was a good thing. Who knows what kind of damage I might have caused if my judgment was impaired.”
“But now you’re flying around in spandex rescuing people on a regular basis. You must’ve come to accept your powers sometime.”
“My acceptance kinda snuck up on me. I had to use my powers to do certain things like shave or cut my hair so I got comfortable using them. Gradually, I started using my powers more and more just because it was easier. And of course my sister was always there challenging me to races, arm-wrestling, whatever. I would have to use superpowers just to keep up with her.”
“Sibling rivalry works its charm yet again,” I teased. He smiled in response.
“It was on my nineteenth birthday that I finally realized I no longer needed a normal life.”
“What happened?”
“My parents offered to by me a car as a birthday present.”
“Pretty generous,” I commented.
“It was,” he agreed. “But I didn’t want it.”
“You didn’t?”
“The only thing that ran through my mind at the time was why I would want a car in the first place when I could fly around at super-speed and get anywhere I wanted on my own steam? The moment I thought that I knew that I wasn’t going to live a normal life no matter how hard I tried to fool myself. So I chose to accept what was given to me. A year later I became Supernova and I have been for the last five years.”
“Saving the world from criminals and fighting for truth, justice and the American way.” I traced my hand along his jaw, drawing his face into a smile.
“And also saving crazy schoolteachers from their fate.”
“Hey! I thought we agreed that the word ‘passionate’ would be a better description than crazy.”
“Well I always say that there’s a thin line between passion and insanity.” He drew his hand up along the side of my leg and around my waist.
“Isn’t it supposed to be genius and insanity?” I asked, struggling desperately to remain focused on the conversation.
“I guess it depends on how you look at it.” He ducked in and stole a kiss from me.
“Well I think… I…” I could hardly string two words together because I was having such a difficult time concentrating between all the kisses that were raining down on me. “You know you can be very… very… oh, what the hell.” Finally I gave up and allowed Jor to carry me away.
