"So, you think she's sick or something?" Dick asked as he leaned against the filing cabinets in the Torch office while Cutter and Wally worked at their computers.

"In a little over twelve hours," Wally replied, "Linda went from farm girl conservative to that fashion disaster we saw in the hall."

"Not to mention her behavior," Cutter added. "The way she acted, especially snapping at Mattie and flirting with Gar," he glanced briefly at Dick, "and you." Dick shifted, embarrassed, as his cheeks grew warm, "not to mention skipping her classes."

"Or maybe she's just reacting to losing all her money," Wally said, holding up the latest edition of the Torch, showing a big bold headline about the attacks at the Savings and Loan and Oliver's plant.

"Still doesn't explain where she got that outfit," Dick said. "There's no way her folks would've allowed her to get those clothes, regardless." He sighed. "Look, in all honestly, Linda doesn't seem the type to react like that to losing any amount of money—and she certainly didn't look sick."

"And you, of all people, know you don't have to look sick to be sick," Cutter said, fixing him with a look. Dick narrowed his eyes briefly, and Cutter quickly looked back at his screen.

"Hey, guys, what about this?" Wally spoke up. Cutter and Dick walked over to Wally's side and leaned over. On the computer screen was an old Torch article written by Chloe from over ten years ago; a photo of a large yellow flower caught their attention.

"What is it?" Dick asked.

"The Nicodemus flower," Wally answered, reading. "Says eleven years ago a strange flower caused erratic behavior to those who were exposed."

"Yeah, but it's extinct," Cutter pointed out, reading further. "Says all the seeds and plants were destroyed after the last incident—and there's been no recorded events since, so no way Linda could have been exposed."

"What about a cave parasite?" Wally asked, bringing up another article. "Again, I know it's been years since there's been any reported incidences, but maybe there're some still in the caves; it would explain Linda's behavior."

"And Linda hasn't been in the caves since the cave-in," Dick replied, "and those parasite things act almost immediately."

Cutter sighed with frustration. "Well, maybe she's started experimenting with drugs," he said sarcastically, "I don't know." He glanced at Dick, who appeared worried—and was trying hard to hide it. "I don't think she's on drugs, okay?" Dick didn't look convinced, and Cutter patted his shoulder. "Look, man, it's lunch; why don't we get something to eat, see how the others are doing, okay?"

"You guys go," Dick replied as he walked over to the couch and sat down, leaning forward, his hands on his heard. "I'm not hungry."

Wally glanced at Cutter, who just shook his head; Wally got up and followed Cutter out of the office, leaving their friend alone. Dick sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Dick opened his eyes and looked over as he recognized the voice. Linda stood in the doorway, still dressed in her black outfit, smirking at him; Dick quickly got to his feet. "Where've you been?"

"Around," Linda answered dismissively as she slinked into the room, running her hands lightly over the desks as she approached him.

"What is going on with you?" Dick asked.

"What do you mean?" Linda retorted.

"This," Dick replied, his tone a mixture between worry and frustration. "The clothes, the way you treated Mattie and Gar earlier, skipping your classes…."

"Everyone's entitled to having a little fun every once in a while," Linda said.

"Yeah, why don't I believe that," Dick replied, unconvinced. "Look, Linda, this isn't you."

"And you know that because?" Linda asked, folding her arms.

"Because you're my friend," Dick answered, putting his hands on her shoulders, "and I know you."

"Not as well as you could," Linda replied, "but we can quickly fix that." Before Dick could respond, Linda grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close, forcefully kissing him. Dick let out a muffled squeak as he struggled, trying to pull back, but Linda held tight, kissing him deeper. After a few moments, Linda slowly pulled away, still holding onto his shirt, smiling at Dick's stunned reaction.

"What was that?" Dick asked, gasping as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Come on, Dick," Linda said, "I know how you feel about me." She moved close and kissed him again, but Dick quickly turned his head; Linda sighed, slightly annoyed. "Come on, Dick. I've seen the way you look at me—I know what you want." She put her hand on his cheek and gently turned his face toward her. "Just kiss me." She leaned toward him, brushing her lips against his, kissing him softly.

Dick started pulling away, but he paused as he felt Linda's lips against his, her tongue invading his mouth. He closed his eyes and slowly wrapped his arms around her, his thoughts blurring together; he couldn't even remember why he'd been upset earlier as he pulled her close, deepening the kiss.

"See?" Linda said softly against his mouth. "This is nice, isn't it?"

"Mmmm hmmmm," Dick mumbled.

"Wanna move this to the couch?" Linda asked, smiling, as she slowly moved her hands down his chest.

Dick's eyes flew open in shock as he pulled back a little. "What?" he asked, confused.

"You, me, and the couch," Linda answered. "Shouldn't take more than a few minutes?" Dick furrowed his eyebrows as he extracted himself from Linda's grip; Linda sighed, annoyed. "What?"

"I can't do this," Dick replied, before taking a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Look, it's not that I didn't enjoy that kiss—because I really did—but…this is wrong."

"So," Linda said, tilting her head, crossing her arms, "you've been fantasizing about kissing me for months, and when I finally do, you say it's wrong?"

"Because you're sick," Dick protested. "I don't know with what, but I do know that this is not the Linda I know—and it's definitely not the Linda I want."

Linda pursed his lips. "Well, if that's the case," she said after a few moments, "then I'm just going to find someone who does." She turned to leave and stopped when she saw Gar standing in the doorway, furrowing his eyebrows; she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Great, another killjoy. I'm outta here." She sauntered out of the office, brushing past Gar and heading down the hall.

Gar stared at his friend in disbelief before glancing back at Dick. "What was that?" he asked.

"Hell if I know," Dick muttered, looking embarrassed and hurt as he stormed out of the other office door, leaving Gar by himself with a worried expression on his face.

(End of Chapter 7)