I take a gulp of air and step out of Linda's warm body, though it is tempting to stay. Linda chuckles a little as I work to regain my composure. When I'm settled, I look into Linda's eyes and lose my breath. The way the moonlight hits her makes her look ethereal. Her dress hugs her full curves in all the right ways and the moonlight makes her skin glow. Not even her thick-rimmed glasses can take away from how beautiful she is.

Shit.

"Well, Katherine Kane? You have yet to answer me." I blink then clear my throat.

"Why am I up here?"

Linda smiles and leans against the column I was hiding behind. "How long have you been up here?" she reminds me.

"A while."

Linda rolls her eyes. "How long is a while?"

"I don't know, you and Bruce Wayne were laughing." Linda's shoulders relax. I was so focused on her eyes I hadn't noticed.

"So not long, but long enough to hear what you may not want to hear."

"What do you mean by that?"

Linda raises an eyebrow at me. "Oh, I think you know, Miss Kane."

"Look, I just came up here to find you."

She tilts here head and narrows her eyes at me. "What made you think I was up here?"

"You weren't downstairs." The statement makes Linda straighten and walk towards me. I step back but she keeps coming.

"So, you decided after seeing that neither me or Bruce Wayne was downstairs to come up here and find me. Then after doing so, you decided to listen in on a private conversation instead of just calling for me." I did not like where how this was going.

"That's not-"

"Oh, that is exactly how it went." My back is against the wall, but Linda doesn't stop. "You came up here not for the main reason of wanting to spend time with me." Her face is a few inches from mine again. "You came up here to make sure I wasn't sucking face with Bruce Wayne because…" Now her nose is almost rubbing against mine. "You're jealous."

The sound of my hand smacking Linda's cheek echoes throughout the room.

"How dare you say that?" Linda keeps her eyes on the floor. Her left hand caresses her cheek. It better have hurt, my hand is throbbing so badly that I must have hit her pretty hard. Slowly, Linda bends to pick her glasses of the floor, the glass broken from the fall, and slips them on her face.

"It's true though, and you know it." She doesn't look at me and I don't say anything back. I just push past her and desperately try to make it to the stairs; doing my best to keep the tears from falling.

XXX

I know I'm supposed to be at the charity; flirting with everyone, being friendly and charming so we can get more bids for the auction, but I don't feel like it. I don't feel like putting on a brave face while watching Linda walk around and do interviews. In true Bat fashion, I hide to I sulk, and wait for the night to be over. I'm in a small library, one conjoined to an office my father uses to the check numbers after the auction. They're used to help denote the two sections of the ballroom in case of more than one party.

I look at the clock. It's almost midnight. That party has been over for a short while. As I lean my head against the armchair I'm pouting in, I hear voices from the next room. One of them is the unmistakable tenor of my father. The other is definitely female but I can't tell who it is. I get up from my seat and tip-toe to the sliding doors that separate the rooms. There is a small crack at the opening. I lean as close to the doors as possible and listen in.

"It would be wise of you, Colonel Kane, to think over what I've said." I finally recognize the voice. It belongs to Linda.

"And I am telling you, Miss Danvers, I do not appreciate what you are accusing me of." Great, first Linda attacks me and now she is attacking my father. I'm not particularly happy with the man but he is still my father and Linda should not be acting like a jerk. Okay, perhaps jerk is not a strong enough word to describe what I'm feeling towards her, but at the same I can't bring myself to call her anything worse.

"I'm not accusing you of anything, colonel. I'm telling you that I know what you've been doing and that I will print it."

"I'll sue you for libel!" I hear my father's hands slam against the desk.

"You won't be able to do that, colonel, not with Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne backing me up." My father goes quiet; not a good sign.

"They know?"

"Of course they know. They aren't millionaires—or to be correct—billionaires just because they're hot. Both Mister Queen and Mister Wayne are bright men and figured it out. That's why all the money they donated went only to those homes for battered women." I hear my father sigh. It's a sign of defeat for him.

"What do you think will happen to me?" I can hear the leather seat Linda must be sitting in moan as she shifts.

"Probably a slap on the wrist along with a few other legal things, but you won't go to jail. What you did wasn't illegal, just stupid." I can hear my father get up from his chair.

"If you will excuse me, Miss Danvers, I need to go handle something." I hear my father walk away and leave the room. Linda is alone and just on the other side of these doors. I think it's time I talk with her…

"Is he gone?" … or not.

"No Jimmy, he's just invisible." I hear a door close.

"You know what I mean." The unmistakable sound of Linda's laugh bubbles through the crack. "Anyway, what did he say?"

"Nothing really. I told him what would happen and he accepted it."

"Really?"

"What can I say, when I'm right, I'm right." I hear another laugh but this one belongs to Jimmy. I try to get a look of what is going on by peeking through the crack. All I can see is Linda's crossed legs and Jimmy sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Do you really think he's involved with Intergang?"

Hold on, what?

"No, I just needed to ruffle his feathers a little. Colonel Kane may be a liar but he is a true patriot. He would never work with Intergang because they represent everything the USA is not. Or not supposed to be." Jimmy nods.

"What about his daughter?" I hear Linda sigh and see her hand move, possibly to rub her face or something.

"Kate Kane is also a patriot, in a sense. So no, she's not involved with Intergang."

"And what about your personal relationship with her?" That must have caught Linda off-guard because Jimmy smiles slightly at something Linda does.

"How did you-"

"A reporter never reveals his sources." Linda reaches forward and punches Jimmy in the leg. "Ow, that hurt!"

"Good, 'cause you deserved it." He makes a face at her while rubbing his leg.

"That was an important question, one that you need to answer."

She sighs again. "Jimmy, I'm an idiot."

"Hallelujah, she figured it out." She punches him in the other leg.

"I'm being serious here, James. I really messed up." Jimmy stops rubbing both of his legs and folds his arms across his chest.

"What did you do?" he asks.

"I said something stupid."

"Did you spoil it all by saying something stupid like 'I love you'?" Linda chuckles a little.

"I wish," she says, then takes a breath. "I… I said something cruel. I took these feeling I know she has and pushed them in her face."

"Why'd you do that?" Linda re-crosses her legs.

"I dunno. Because I'm leaving in two weeks and can't have her feeling for me. I've only known her for a little less than a month but this friendship we have is… intense. And I don't know what to do with it."

"So, you decide to be a jerk, so she'll not care if you leave? That's kind of stupid, Linda, especially for you." Of course that's stupid!

"I know, but there's a second reason." Jimmy lifts his chin slightly and crosses his longs legs. "While we were up on the top floor, something didn't feel right... Someone was watching us." Jimmy shoots off the desk.

"Who?"

"I'm not sure, but my best bet is Night Shadow."

"The assassin for Intergang?" Linda gets up from her seat and shushes Jimmy.

"Yell that louder, why don't you? I'm sure downtown Gotham didn't hear you." Jimmy looks down at his feet and shuffles a little.

"Sorry." He looks back at Linda who's standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. "But still, why would Intergang send Night Shadow after you, even just to observe you?"

"They must realize I'm investigating them. They're just waiting for me to give them something new."

"Like the location of the witness."

Linda snaps her fingers and points at Jimmy. "Exactly, it's only a matter of time until I know where he is."

"Why do you want to know where he is? Isn't it safer for you to remain ignorant of the location?"

"Let's just say I'm doing it for a friend."

Jimmy smiles and leans back on the desk. "This 'friend' wouldn't happen to be blonde, tall, and maybe fly?"

"Maybe," she says with a wink. Jimmy stands up and pats her on the shoulder.

"Supergirl better realize how good she has it with you."

Her smile widens. "Oh, she does."

He moves around Linda and out of sight. "Good night, Linda, and make sure you send your story to Perry no later than tomorrow at eight am. Oh, and I'm taking Lucy home." Linda gives Jimmy a look.

"You're not going to drive her all the way to Metropolis, are you?"

"Oh course not. You know her plane leaves today at five am. I booked the same flight." Linda nods in understanding. I hear the door open then close, leaving Linda alone again. With no one else with her in the other room, I walk away from the sliding doors and back to my chair. I stop though when I hear the them open.

"Kate?" I slowly turn and see Linda standing between the doors with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Hey." My reply is weak and my voice is raspy. Linda steps completely through the doors and into the library. She takes a deep breath then starts talking.

"Kate, I-I need to talk with you about earlier." I open my mouth but her raised her hand stops me. "But not here." She takes tentative steps until she is only a foot away from me. "Would you care to come with me to my apartment?" I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and nod. She relaxes and smiles that beautiful bright smile of hers. I should be excited. Linda finally asked me the question I've been waiting to hear for long time. And I should feel happy or excited because of it.

Then why do I feel so scared?