Time Exposure
A/N: This story is the third in my "Jimmy Olsen series" (Infinity Shot and Action Capture are the first two), but it can be read as a stand-alone fic. (For those who'd like to know what happened at the Daily Planet's Halloween party, it's explained in Action Capture.)
Chapter One
My Dad used to say that some folks improved with absence. As far as I was concerned, no one fit that description better than Jimmy Olsen.
I grabbed a thick pine fence post from the pile at my feet and shoved it three feet into the packed dirt of our newest cow pasture, not bothering to use the mallet I'd brought for the job.
What Chloe saw in that guy, I had no idea. He seemed nice enough, for someone who thought Egyptians still used hieroglyphs, but he wasn't in her league at all. In fact, from the way she mothered him sometimes, I wasn't sure if she wanted to date the kid, or adopt him. So why did Chloe's face light up like a Christmas tree whenever he sent her a stupid text message? She could do a lot better.
I knew it was no business of mine, of course, because Chloe and I were just friends. It's just that he came between Chloe and me, and I was used to having her to myself.
Glancing up, I was surprised to notice that a long line of pine pillars now marched along the pasture's boundary, and the pile of posts at my feet had dwindled almost to nothing. Had I really done all that just now? Weird. I shot a cautious look around me to check for any witnesses, and switched into X-ray mode to peer through the thick trunks of a clump of nearby trees, but all I noticed were a few grazing does and a rabbit or two. Breathing a small sigh of relief, I grabbed the mallet and made a point of finishing the job at human speed, reminding myself to be more careful.
Lately, I'd tried to steer clear of Chloe whenever Jimmy was around, especially since last month's Halloween party at the Daily Planet, when I'd seen the two of them kiss. The evening wasn't a complete disaster—I did save Jimmy, and the Planet, from being blown away by a couple of would-be bombers—but it was the kiss that stuck in my mind.
It made me think of another kiss, in that same office, only a few months before, when the world was going crazy and Chloe pressed up against me like there wasn't going to be a tomorrow. I still remember the sound of her heartbeat against my chest, and the silky feel of her hair under my hand. I remembered how much I wanted to keep holding her close, no matter what happened. It might have been only a "goodbye" kiss to her, but to me it meant a lot more.
It's funny, isn't it? I trust Chloe with my deepest secrets, and even with my life, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to tell her how I felt. It wasn't fair to ask Chloe to give up all hope of a normal life, in exchange for a guy from another planet who came saddled with problems that would send most people off the deep end.
Oh, who am I kidding? My reasons weren't that noble. The truth is I was just scared I'd be hurt, once Chloe got tired of putting up with me, and that I'd wind up losing my best friend. That's why I held back—and by the time I finally spoke up, it was too late.
Now, Jimmy was the one tasting those soft lips, and feeling that warm body pressed against his.
A loud "thump" made me look down. The fence post I'd been holding was now drilled at least twenty feet into the ground. Crap. Unless I wanted to bore down deep enough to pull it out, it was gone for good. Guiltily, I covered over the hole and reached for another pine shaft, forcing myself to concentrate on the job.
It was for the best, after all. Chloe had a right to date within her own species. And it wasn't as if Chloe and I didn't have plenty of other, more serious, problems to keep us busy, like rounding up dangerous alien criminals, and keeping an eye on that arrow-slinging millionaire who was dating Lois. As a friend, I really should be happy Chloe's found someone she loves.
The post I was hammering splintered into matchstick-size pieces that burst into sudden flame as they fell to the ground. Horrified, I beat back the heat behind my eyes and blew freezing air on the burning chips before they hit the dry meadow grass.
This had to stop. I needed to think about something else.
The buzzing from my cell phone was a welcome distraction. I pulled it out of my jeans pocket, flipped it open without bothering to check caller ID, and grinned in startled delight at the sound of a very familiar voice.
TBC……