Hello readers! It's been too long since an update, but I've been writing hard on several pieces. I hope all mothers had a Happy Mother's day and the fathers that have to play double duty.
Challenge King: Glad you enjoyed it and hope you enjoy this one too.
Xemtlenc: I wanted to do something different with the Joker and Harley, something no one has really done before: they're not crazy, they're just wearing masks too with understandable motivations instead of just doing it for the giggles.
You're correct with the allusions to Cat. Whether she'll go full bore with it later, is left to be seen and in the spoiler territory.
Fanfic-Reader-88: I'm glad that the chapter was illuminating. Will people start putting some pieces together, perhaps as once can only stretch credibility to a point before giving some characters 'idiot balls'.
I'm sorry if I can't remember some updates to give some shout outs to some fellow authors.
Rating T: Violence, Language
Chapter 18: Save the Day, Meet the Parents
Madison Street
Downtown Gotham City
Detective Vega was hunkered down behind the wheel well of his personal vehicle and gripping his .38 Detective Special with white knuckles. He had missed the fighting during the War with his unit being station at the Panama Canal, but he had been in a few shootouts, but nothing like the one that he found himself. He shouted over to his left, "Damn, they want him bad."
Gary shouted from his position of hiding behind the back wheel well, holding a shotgun vertical in front of himself that he was able to grab from his partner's vehicle before they dove out of it under a hail of gunfire, "He must pay his crew really well! I thought we got them all!"
The graying hair detective got up and looked over the hood of the trunk, aiming the shotgun towards one of the gangsters behind the passenger windshields. He returned fire, striking the passenger window, but the glass spider web cracked and stopped the buckshot from penetrating, indicating that it was bullet resistant glass.
The near impact was enough for them to duck their heads, giving them a momentary pause from the incoming fire.
Vega peek his head out just enough to look over the hood of the car to see the mobsters retaking their firing positions on the other side of the car. He took the chance to raise his arm over the hood and trained his weapon on one of them. He pulled the trigger and hit him in the left shoulder, spinning him out of sight.
The other mobster finished reloading his submachine gun and started firing again just as the detectives ducked back down and pressed their backs to the wheels.
Vega demanded of his partner, "Where's that backup?!"
"They said they were five minutes out!"
He looked to his older partner and shouted in frustration, "This is going to be over in five minutes!"
The gangsters seeing that there wasn't much return fire opened up with full automatic fire, spraying the vehicle with bullets, shattering the windows, bursting the tires facing them and starting to turn it into Swiss Cheese as the rounds ripped through the metal.
As they sprayed covering fire, one of the mobsters armed with a Tommy Gun walked around the end of the blocking vehicle to make his way up the sidewalk to flank the officers.
Their plan was a sound one to eliminate the cops and get to Quincy, but they didn't count on the source of loud thump behind them, one they couldn't hear with the automatic fire filling their ears.
One mobster felt a strong grip on his shoulder then saw a hand out to grab the barrel of the BAR. The hand squeezed it, squishing the metal close as if it was modeling clay which caused the lower half of the barrel to violently split as the last bullet fired was prevented from leaving the barrel. He looked over his shoulder to see Superman wearing a cold expression.
Superman flung the criminal backwards, sending him flying down the street more than a dozen yards and into the intersection. Fortunately for the mobster, the other three roads had been cleared of cars wanting to get away from the gunfire. The vigilante turned to one of the other gangsters firing.
Another one noticed what had happened and raised his Tommy Gun and opened fired. The subsonic rounds harmlessly bounced off the Metropolis Marvel and started ricocheting off the pavement, striking one of the mobsters in the back of the shin. He screamed out in surprise and pain, dropping back and wildly firing in the air.
Superman reached out for the barrel of the gun and yanked it out of the man's grip. He held the barrel and gripped right behind the grip and brought his hands together, snapping the wood frame and bending the metal into a U-shape. He tossed it away then grabbed him by the collar and lifting him off his feet. He reached down and grabbed the other gangster then smacked them together, sending them to dreamland. He tossed them aside onto the sidewalk then dashed around the end of the car to catch up with the other gangster.
The sneaking criminal turned to see what happened to his covering fire and saw the Man of Steel walking towards him. The gangster raised his weapon and opened fired. The stream of bullets bounced off his chest and pieces of the projectiles went flying and shattering the neighboring store's windows.
Superman crossed the distances in a flash, grabbing the end of the gun and the man's neck. He yanked the weapon out of his hand then tossed him against the neighboring wall. The gangster crashed into it with a considerable thud then dropped to the pavement while Superman pulled the magazine out of the submachine gun then tossed both away from each other.
The continued gunfire at the end of the police column drew his attention, so he sprinted down to the end and jumped over the top of the car and into the middle of the group of mobsters that were firing at the end of the convoy. He turned and slugged one in the face, sending him against the side of the car and bouncing off, then turned to the one behind him and threw a jab to the center of his face, snapping his head back and falling against another mob soldier. They tumbled together to the ground while the fourth one turned his shotgun onto Superman, but the brightly colored vigilante was faster and grabbed the barrel with both hands, curling the end of it back right out of a Looney Toons cartoon.
He fortunately was caught off guard by the action and stared at Superman dumbfounded instead of pulling the trigger or he'd have blown his own head off. The weapon was pulled out of his hand then threw out his open palm to hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards and threw a pane glass window and into a shop.
The mobster that had been knocked over got back on his feet and raised his shotgun at Superman, but the blue dressed man raised his hand and placed his palm at the end of the double barrel shotgun just before the well-dressed criminal pulled the trigger. The show was instantly stopped by Superman's palm while barrel exploded from the backed up gas to the sides and causing the criminal to stumble backward and land on his back.
Superman walked over and kicked the man in the face with the heel of his boot, knocking him unconscious. He turned to his right to see several police cruisers pulled to a stop at the end of the column.
The arriving officers and SWAT exited their vehicles, some rushing past to secure the front of the stopped convoy while others started arresting the downed gangsters, cautiously avoiding the vigilante as they didn't know what to make of him.
Superman ignored them and headed back to the patty wagon to meet Detectives Vega and Mitchell at the end of the truck. "Are you alright?"
Detective Vega nodded and huffed out a breath, "Yes, thanks."
Superman answered with a confident smile, "You're welcome."
Gary cautiously eyed the bulletproof man while his partner banged the back of the truck.
"It's Vega, I'm opening the door."
He grabbed the handle and opened the door, stepping away with the swinging door in case the officer inside with him was a bit trigger happy, ad revealed Quincy lying flat on the floor with the accompanying officer on top of him to shield him.
The officer cleared his throat and sat up, brushing the front of his shirt to make himself presentable then took one of the lined seats.
Vega asked the officer, "Are you alright?"
"Yes sir, you?"
"Little worse for wear, but we're alright." He turned his eyes to Quincy and remarked, "It looks like we'll be able to keep your appointment with county lockup."
Quincy sat up on his knees and glared at the detective then looked past to see Superman.
Gary raised his weapon to point at the gangster. "Why don't we finish this right now. 'Shot while trying to escape.'"
Vega reached over and placed a hand on his partner's forearm. "No… I don't want to miss out on watching him fry in the electric chair."
"Electric chair? You can't prove I had anything to do with this!"
"Maybe not right now, but at least you'll have your day in court."
Vega stepped into the back of the truck and helped him back onto his feet to sit in the seat and fasten the seatbelt.
The detective turned his head to look at Superman and began, "Thanks for the help…" He squinted at seeing that the flying vigilante had disappeared.
Gary shook his head and muttered, "He's a fast one isn't he?"
"Yeah… glad he was fast enough to help us."
The other detective passed looks to the surrounding officers and grudgingly admitted with a nod of his head that the big blue Boy Scout had come in handy.
Gotham General Hospital
Gotham City, NJ
Inside Robbie's private hospital room, the quartet helplessly watched the television and the ongoing gunfight between the police and the attempted jail breakers. Robbie looked on furiously as he couldn't believe the Mob would openly attack the police in such a manner, Cat was practically biting her nails in fear and Jade was fighting the urge to run out of the room and somehow get back to West Tower to grab an extra suit and get out there to help.
Tori held her balled fists to her mouth, silently praying that help would arrive in time to save her father and as if her prayer was answered, a blur of red and blue streaked out of heaven and passed the helicopter capturing the shootout. The camera focused on the ground to reveal Superman's presence behind one group of mobsters. They watched with rapt attention as Superman disarmed and put down each of the mobsters, almost too fast for the camera to keep track of him.
The news reporter shouted in wonder, "What is that? Is that? That's Superman. It appears that Superman has arrived on the scene and disarming all the men firing on the police."
The Metropolis hero took less than a minute to disarm and put down the ambushing criminals though it felt like an eternity to Tori as she watched him.
After the last criminal was put down, the camera panned over one more time to focus on him and the detectives meeting up at the end of the prisoner truck.
Tori covered her mouth and let out a cry in relief that he was alright and her legs were starting to give out. Jade and Cat caught her from each side and hugged her then walking her to have a seat on the bed next to Robbie.
Jade grabbed her friend's upper arms and assured her with a firm voice, "Tori, he's right. He's alright."
The brunette wiped under her nose with the back of her hand and nodded her head. She lifted her chin and smiled in relief.
The dark haired millionaire joined her in smiling, sharing in her relief at the safety of the actress's father.
They looked to the television and the scene switched to news reporters that had followed the convoy on the ground rushing to the scene and repeating what had just been broadcasted, "Moments ago, an ambush on the police in an attempt to either free or possibly kill Shawn Quincy ended with the arrival of Superman. He single handily stopped the would-be killers in their brazen attempt to murder officers of the GCPD."
The reporter rushed to Detective Vega as he was speaking with his partner and several other officers. She called out, trying to shove a microphone in his face, "Detective, detective, can you give us a statement about what just happened?"
Vega looked up out of the frame of the camera to spot one of the news helicopters circling overhead then looked to the reporter. "I think you and the public got an eyeful at what we have to deal with on the streets of Gotham. The suspects we have in custody stopped our way to the county jail and either attempted to rescue Mister Quincy or perhaps murder him to prevent him from naming people in his organization… while trying to kill us in the process. The D.A. is going to be busy for the next couple of months putting away attempted cop killers, but you'll have to excuse me; we have a prisoner to get to lockup."
The detective turned away from the reporter and called out, "Get those cars out of the way!"
The reporter looked back to the camera and excitedly spoke, "There you have it ladies and gentlemen. It looks like organized crime has finally and unequivocally come out of the shadows in a vaunted display of destruction on the streets of Gotham and the police commissioner is going to have a lot of explaining to the mayor and the city—"
Tori picked up the remote and hit the mute button then pulled her phone from her pocket and started dialing a number. "I got to call my dad—"
Jade took a gentle hold of Tori's elbow and pulled her to a stop. "Wait, give him a little while to get Quincy to jail and handle arresting all those mobsters and let him take a breath. The best thing you can do is just text him, stay right here so he knows that you're safe and he can do his job."
Tori wanted to argue with her, but she still had enough rational to see her point. She plopped back in her original seat and blew out a breath.
The millionaire looked visibly relieved that Tori wouldn't argue with her, so she suggested to the group, "Okay, we're going to just wait to hear from Tori's dad and I assume your people. Your office is going to be working overtime putting away the guys Superman just put down, so… I'm going to order us some real food not that mess they're giving you."
Rex's voice escaped past Robbie's lips and pleaded, "I want a burrito!"
Robbie countered, "I want a hamburger. A real hamburger."
Jade wanted to question whether he could actually eat either one of those menu items, but she wasn't going to get in his way to try. She pulled her phone out and started looking up places that would deliver.
Cat curiously looked around and realized that someone was missing. She innocently asked, "Where's Freddie?"
Mason Thornesmith Office
Gotham City, NJ
Mason sat behind his desk fuming as he watched the news of Superman dismantling what was left of the upper echelon of Quincy's crew with ease. He had left the courthouse as soon as Quincy and his lawyer retired to the judge's chambers to waste their time in trying to get the charges dropped as everyone knew that the judge was a no nonsense judge that wasn't swayed by the person's position in society and un-bribable. It was a reputation that he was going to ride all the way to the state supreme court. He wanted to make sure the final touches were in place for Quincy's miraculous escape and give himself a nice alibi of being home during the escape.
However, the little plan had just blown up in his face. His chance to get rid of Quincy was swept away by the appearance of the big blue brick. If he was just a minute late, the cops would have done the job for him and killed Quincy during his escape.
He couldn't take control of Gotham with the Bat and Superman meddling in his business or he'd end up like the rest of the Mob bosses in Metropolis. He had to find a way to get rid of Superman from interfering with his plans.
He pounded his fist on the desk and called out, "Chelsea?!"
A British accented and approaching young lady's voice called out, "Yes sir?"
Mason answered when his assistant stopped at the open office door, "Find me everything and I mean everything that's been published on Superman. I want to know everything that can be known about him."
The dirty blonde nodded and answered, "Yes sir." She turned and rushed to fulfill her boss's order.
The Mob boss relaxed in his chair, stippling his fingertips and continued watching the unfolding news, stewing in his anger.
Gotham General Hospital
Gotham City, NJ
About half an hour after the shootout that played out on every major news outlet, Freddie brushed the front of his shirt down after buttoning it up and quietly walked back into the hospital room, observing that the quartet was eating and glued to the television as the talking-heads were chattering up a storm about the attack on the police taking Quincy to the county jail.
Tori noticed Freddie's return and asked in nearly a panicked tone, "Where have you been?"
The reporter nervously grinned, unsure exactly how to lie to the girl or even if he would be able to pull it off. "I ah… was getting a hold of Superman…"
The actress sighed and hugged the reporter, trying to squeeze him if not for his solid build. She released the report and beamed a smile to him. "So you do have a way to contact him?"
Freddie's nervous grin grew and tried not to trip over his words, "I ah… used a trick that Superman gave our photographer, Dice, to contact him if he needed it. I heard on the radio that he showed up?"
Jade wore a hint of a smile as she idly commented, "I guess we're lucky Superman was able to hear."
The reporter passed a quick glance to Jade to answer, "Well… I know Superman has a soft spot for him. He let Dice get the first real clear photograph of him."
She lazily shrugged a shoulder, eyeing her investigating partner and remarked, "That's pretty kind of him."
The reporter maintained a bashful smile and turned the conversation, "So, is everyone alright?"
"Yeah. He made it just in time. I hope you saw it. He tore them apart."
Freddie bashfully smiled, a little embarrassed with her praise and her exaggeration of what he did, but he couldn't exactly correct her. "I'm glad he was able to help. He seems to show up just in the nick of time."
Tori glanced over her shoulder to the others then took Freddie by the elbow and walked with him to the doorway. She looked over them again, seeing their curious expressions of why she would pull him away from the rest of the group.
Jade knotted her brow, certainly curious as to why Tori wanted to discreetly talk to Freddie. Cat and Robbie shared Jade's curiosity, but the redhead felt a twinge of concern that Tori perhaps could like the handsome reporter. Jade and Tori competing for the same man would not do anyone any good with the history of Jade and Beck's relationship.
The actress lowered her gaze and whispered, "Did you get a chance to tell him that I needed to see him?"
Freddie wasn't sure how to answer such a question as it could give away his secret. "Ah… I was too busy to let him know what was happening, but I'll let him know."
"Thank you," she answered with a beaming smile then pulled him into another tight hug.
Jade watched the exchange, especially the hug and old feelings started rising to the surface and not the pleasant kind.
Cat and Robbie exchanged glances, acknowledging to each other that they saw Jade had a look of jealousy in her eyes.
Tori walked Freddie back to the others and informed the intrepid reporter, "Jade just called out for us to have lunch while we're here."
Freddie pointed out, "We just had brunch."
Jade crossed her arms over her chest and answered, "We're trying to keep Tori occupied so she doesn't bother her father. He's obviously busy making sure Quincy and the rest are booked and locked up."
Freddie raised his eyebrows above the rim of his glasses and uttered, "Oh… then I guess we're going to have a nice lunch."
The second personality in the D.A.'s head demanded, "I still want my burrito."
The others looked on in concern and awkwardness.
Jade sighed with very little patience left, "Fine, we'll get you a burrito."
A genuine smile appeared on the half they could see of his face, making Cat feel a little better that something so simple could make him happy.
West Residence
Outside of Gotham City, NJ
After the celebratory lunch, the secret vigilantes left the hospital to return to the millionaire's home before Sikowitz started calling and demanding that Jade return home. She was surprised that he hadn't done such a thing, but then again if something happened, she was in a hospital.
There wasn't much to say during the ride back to her place over the fact that he had dashed off at her urging to go save the day, simply which it was oddly normal between them due to their circumstances. Jade had wanted to bring up why Tori' had pulled him away from them for a moment, but she didn't want to necessarily open an emotional can of worms. She didn't want to come of jealous, especially since they really didn't have anything going on, just… some connection that may or may not turn into something.
Freddie pulled Jade's vehicle into the garage then the pair stepped out of the vehicle. He walked around and offered his arm to her, still concerned about the strain she had put on herself simply by going out.
Jade returned with a questioning look, wondering if he was serious about being that gentlemanly.
He just continued to hold his friendly smile, wearing down her defenses and returning with a grudging smile. She accepted his offered arm and walked with him out of the garage and into the house. He opened the door for Jade and they headed towards the living room. They cut through the kitchen then stopped when they reached the living room and Jade spotted the back of the head of an unknown woman with shoulder length brunette with a tinge of red hair sitting on the couch and cattycorner to Sikowitz.
The butler noticed past the woman Jade and Freddie's arrival. He stood up and warmly greeted the mistress of the home, "Ah, Madam West, you're home."
Jade turned her eyes to the older woman that stood up and turned to face the arrivals, "Yes and I see we have company?"
Freddie smiled at the appearance of the older woman and called out to her while opening his arms, "Mom."
Jade turned a stunned look to Freddie as apparently his mother walked around the couch and embraced her son.
Mrs. Benson patted him on the back then pulled back to get a good look at him. "You look well."
"And you look great," he answered just as warmly. He turned away from his mother and introduced her to Jade, "Jade, this is my mom, Marissa Benson."
Jade smiled and awkwardly greeted her, offering her a hand, "Mrs. Benson, it's nice to meet you."
Mrs. Benson tentatively smiled to the woman and reluctantly took her hand. "Hello Miss West. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
The millionaire could feel that the handshake was weak as she would expect. She glanced to Freddie for a possible explanation, but he tightened his smile and looked a bit bashful as if he had an explanation but couldn't explain for the moment. She looked to her guest and answered, "I know this must be a nice surprise for Freddie."
The older woman passed a fleeting glance to her son, but unexpectedly answered, "I'm happy to see my son, but I'm told you're the one that I needed to see."
The lovely millionaire slightly knotted her brow and questioned, "See me?"
The nurse took a close look at the left side of Jade's face and answered, "I'm told that you got hurt, but you refused to go see a doctor. Your cheek looks like it is bruised under the makeup." She lowered her voice and asked, "Did someone hit you? Someone close to you that you don't want to get in trouble if you went to see a doctor?"
Jade pursed her lips to a thin line and turned an accusing gaze towards Freddie and Sikowitz, demanding an explanation with a gaze. She crossed her arms under her chest, stifling a groan as her forearms brushed her bruised left side. She pushed down the pain and continued in a curt tone, "I'm not in a domestic abuse relationship. I'm not in a relationship at all…" She trailed off when she realized how she sounded. She looked to Freddie and stumbled over her words, unsure how to explain her feelings. "What I mean is… I'm not in a… urahh, I don't know how to explain it right now, just that I wasn't beaten up by a significant other and I don't need anyone looking at me."
The others clearly saw her discomfort and Sikowitz pointed out, "She's correct Mrs. Benson, but she does someone to look at her." He looked to his charge and explained, "Mister Benson pointed out to me while you were getting ready this morning that his mother was a nurse. Since you refused to have anyone look at you, she was the next best thing."
"Why would she be the next best thing?"
"Because you know she can keep a secret."
Mrs. Benson looked dubious as she nodded her head and asked, "What happened to you?"
Jade continued to attempt to deny the obvious, "Nothing happened to me."
"Jade," Sikowitz gently warned.
The dark haired young woman turned a withering glance to Freddie, daring him to push her.
Mrs. Benson pointed out, "You're clearly hurt if they're calling me to examine you, but I'm not a doctor. If you're really hurt, you need to see one."
Sikowitz glanced to her from the corner of his eye and offered with a smile, "She's too stubborn for that ma'am."
"I'm not stubborn, it's just…" she trailed off while she turned a cautious gaze to Mrs. Benson.
Freddie gently smiled and pointed out, "You don't have to tip toe around my mother."
Jade's annoyed expression turned to one of apprehension. She couldn't give away anything that would jeopardize her secret, assuming that Sikowitz didn't just blab it to the woman.
Freddie slipped his fingers into her palm and assured her, "I'll take the first step."
She returned with an apprehensive gaze that was met with a supportive smile. He looked to his mother and licked his lips before awkwardly grinning, snorting out a breath and admitting, "Mom, she knows."
Mrs. Benson paused, unsure what he meant then knotted her brow and asked, "Knows what?"
"Knows what I am… that I'm not a human being. That I'm from another planet… that I'm Superman."
The Kansas nurse stiffened and her eyes went wide. She tried to speak, but all her mouth did was move up and down without speaking. She finally found her voice and hissed out in fear, "You told her?"
Freddie shook his head and answered, "No, she figured it out."
Mrs. Benson slightly squinted and questioned, "She figured it out? What do you mean she figured it out?"
"She ah…" He glanced to Jade, trying to phrase what had happened. She returned with an awkwardly bashful smile. "She saw past the glasses and… she saw past the 'S'… she saw… me."
Jade tightened her smile to a grin and bashfully added, "The eyes really gave it away."
Mrs. Benson remained apprehensive, taking another moment to observe the pair holding hands, then responded, "I always thought that the glasses wouldn't be enough, that someone would figure it out really easily, but then you started your… hero business and it never came… No one ever put it together, I thought you'd be alright."
Freddie grinned with a roll of his eyes. "Jade's not exactly everyone and I'm alright."
Mrs. Benson struggled with a smile, wondering what her son meant with his cryptic answer. She looked to Jade and asked, "What now?"
Jade slightly squinted and asked, "What do you mean 'what now'?"
Mrs. Benson took a step forward and looked Jade directly in the eyes. "You know what my son is… you know he's Superman… what are you going to do?"
Jade saw the look that was a little frightening and that she was a bit fearful of her answer. She did something she really did with people and smiled to assure her. "I'm not going to tell anyone about Freddie."
The nurse turned a probative look on Jade, trying to determine if she was lying to her.
Jade had been scrutinized a number of times in her life, from high school to corporate board meetings, but the look of a concerned mother wasn't one she had much familiarity. She cleared her throat and attempted to reassure her, "I'm not going to tell anyone. Freddie's my…"
She looked to him, trying to put into words exactly what they were to each other.
He looked back at her with a supportive smile, inadvertently making her feel guilty that she couldn't give a definitive answer. She looked to the nurse and attempted again, "I'm not going to tell anyone about Freddie."
Marissa studied the young woman and was not as reassured as the millionaire had intended with such a lack of confidence and uncertainty in her voice. However, she really couldn't argue the point and answered, "Okay, I'll have to just trust you, but I don't see how that explains how you got injured."
Jade passed a glance to Freddie then to Sikowitz, attempting to perhaps starve off telling the truth, but saw it was pointless to stale any longer, "I don't know if you've seen the news in Gotham, but there has been a dark dressed vigilante… the 'Bat' and I'm the one that's been—"
Mrs. Benson interrupted with a stunned expression, "You're her?"
Jade rolled her eyes and muttered, "I see you've heard of me…"
"I heard about you through Freddie."
Jade looked to Freddie with an accusing gaze, hurt that he would reveal her secret even to his mother and was about to yank her hand out of his grip that she had forgotten holding his hand.
The nurse looked to her son and explained, "I read nearly everything they print about you and she was mentioned when you were saving that lawyer. I just heard about what happened last night…"
Jade bowed her head to try to hide her embarrassment for jumping to such a conclusion about Freddie, squeezing his hand a bit in an apology.
Freddie passed her a glance, but remained silent.
The nurse from Kansas continued, "The reports were that the Bat was in that fight with that mercenary from South America that kidnapped that actress?"
"Yep… it was a fight alright…" Jade admitted with an awkward laugh and avoidance of her eyes.
The tone form the young woman told the nurse that it sounded like a one sided one. She carefully turned the topic, "So, Mister Sikowitz said he examined you…" She looked to her son and asked, "Did you look at her?"
Understanding his mother's meaning, he answered, "I looked under the skin. The bruises run deep and there is some inflammation of her muscles, especially down her spine, but I didn't see any broken bones or even fractures."
The widow of a farmer looked agape to the millionaire. "Why are you still standing? You're risking paralysis."
Sikowitz muttered with a frustrated tone, "Because she's stubborn and never wants to listen."
Jade crossed her arms and threw an impatience glance to her faithful butler. She defiantly answered, "There are more important things for me to worry about. I had to check on Robbie and Tori."
"You could have called them," Freddie pointed out. "They would have understood."
Jade turned a withering gaze to Freddie, but he refused to flinch. "Not without having to tell them the truth."
Mrs. Benson eyed Jade and remarked, "Stubborn certainly sounds right."
The emotionally tortured young woman refrained from making a comment to the farmwoman, not wishing to offend the woman.
The nurse looked to her son and asked, "Did you take a look at her brain? Did you notice any bruising to it?"
"Yes and I didn't see any bruising or no blood vessel damage, but I'm not a doctor."
"Blood clots?"
"Fortunately no, but I'm still afraid they could form. She got banged up pretty good."
Jade sighed, growing annoyed as if she was a child sitting in front of adults being talked about instead of being addressed, "I didn't hit my head that hard. The cowl did its job."
Sikowitz pointed out, "The cowl prevents skull fractures, not concussions. I shouldn't have let you sleep last night, but…" He glanced to Freddie. "I'm not sure you would have actually rested if I hadn't…"
Mrs. Benson looked confused as to why the butler was looking to her son.
Jade wanted to turn another withering gaze to her faithful butler, but she really couldn't argue his point, either of his points.
The late-farmer's wife slipped her arm under Jade's left arm to take her elbow and instruct her, "Come along, I need to examine you. I assume your bedroom is free?"
The millionaire sighed, passing another look to Sikowitz and Freddie, each giving her an expression hoping she wouldn't argue with the nurse. She forced a smile and answered, "Yes it is."
"Good, then you can show me where it is."
Jade reluctantly started them on their way to the stairs while Freddie called out, "While you two get acquainted, I'm going to head over to Tori's place and pick up your gadget."
Mrs. Benson stopped and glanced over her shoulder to her son and asked, "Gadget?"
Jade rolled her eyes to admonish herself, "Something I left during my fight with the guy that gave me these bruises. The cops had it, but someone was kind enough to get it back before they could link it to me."
"And this Tori person has it and just going to give it to Freddie? Isn't that going to be a little suspicious?"
"She doesn't expect me to pick it up, but Superman, so…"
"Oh, so she expects you to give it back to Jade, the 'Bat'?"
"Yes."
Mrs. Benson gave her son a curious gaze. "I never imagined you'd get a partner in fighting crime."
"We're not…" He trailed and looked to Jade. "I guess we're…"
Jade licked her lips and a soft smile formed as she replied, "I'm letting him help me… he's a guest in my city, so he's kind of like a junior partner."
Freddie half smirked and cocked his head to the side, trying not to laugh.
Mrs. Benson darted her eyes back and forth, observing the nonverbal exchange between her son and the lovely orphan. She unexpectedly felt a wave of apprehension in her stomach and the need to separate the pair. She slightly tugged on Jade's elbow and insisted, "Come along."
Jade eyes went wide in suddenly being pulled along towards the stairs.
Sikowitz exchanged a glance with Freddie, curious with the nurse's sudden urging Jade to go with her.
Freddie lazily shrugged a shoulder and answered, "She's protective of me, so…"
"Ah, I can understand that…"
The reporter lazily breathed out, not wishing to swerve into that potentially explosive conversation, "I'll be going… I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Right. You can use the cave exit to cover leaving. I assume you can fly pretty low to the ground?"
"Or run, either works," he answered with a laugh as he followed Sikowitz deeper into the home.
Vega Residence
Suburbs of Gotham City, NJ
After the 'eventful' day, Detective Vega finally got home to a relaxing evening. After everything that had happened to Robbie and his daughter, he was seriously thinking about a much needed vacation. He never asked for anything from his daughter after she became famous and quite independently wealthy, but was considering asking her if she wouldn't mind treating the family to say a vacation in Hawaii.
Detective Vega was cutting through his living room to head for the kitchen to treat himself to a snack, but noticed from the corner of his eye something red fluttering in the breeze. He stopped and turned to look out of the kitchen window and saw that Superman was floating down to the ground between the house and the pool.
Vega stared in wonder for a moment at the unexpected visit then approached the back patio door. He slid open the glass doors and stepped out, keeping a watchful eye on the visitor.
"Detective Vega," Superman greeted him while he finished landing.
The police detective guardedly smiled and returned the greeting, "Mister… Superman, this is a surprise."
"Well, I wanted to see how you and Miss Vega were doing. It's been a rough two days."
"That's kind of you. I know Tori would appreciate the visit and it gives me a chance to thank you for saving her."
Superman slightly bowed his head to the side and attempted to deflect the praise, "I can't take all the credit. The Bat did practically all the work. I'm the one that showed up late. I just made sure nothing happened to your daughter until you and the rest of the police arrived."
The detective politely smiled, seeing that he really didn't want the credit and answered, "I know Tori wants to give praise to the 'Bat' and have people think it was entirely her doing—a woman's empowerment thing—but I know it was you. I saw what happened to Gibson and the dent left in the door. The Bat certainly didn't do that."
Superman's smile wavered and cautiously answered, "She hurt him plenty. I just mopped up when decided that he didn't want to stay down. She had the matter well in hand."
Vega had interviewed plenty of suspects and had developed a sixth sense when someone was lying and he could tell that the vigilante wasn't being completely honest in his telling of his part. He slowly answered with a tone that suggested as much, "Right…"
Superman politely smiled in return, not wanting to get into such a discussion.
Fortunately he was saved when Mrs. Vega was walking through the living room and noticed her husband outside and the fluttering red cape in the wind. She stepped out to join her husband and looked to the handsome vigilante from Metropolis with wonder in her eyes.
Superman noticed the woman's approach and assumed the woman's identity. "Hello Mrs. Vega, I'm—"
"Wow, Superman," she muttered in astonishment, eyeing him with an admiring gaze. "This is a pleasant surprise. I've read so much about you…" She let out an embarrassing laugh then added, "I'm sorry, where are my manners? Thank you so much for what you've done for my family. I can't tell you how grateful I am."
"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help. I was just dropping by to see how your husband and daughter were doing."
"That's very nice of you…" She interrupted herself with a laugh and waved him to follow them inside. "I'm being rude, come inside. Let me get you something to drink."
Detective Vega struggled with a smile and offered, "Darling, I'm sure Mister… Superman is quite busy—"
"David, now don't be rude… I've been rude enough for both of us," Holly softly admonished her husband as she looped her arm with blue dress vigilante. "He said he dropped by to check on you and Tori. She'd be upset if you just shooed him away without her getting a chance to see him."
He bit his tongue, preferring not to get into an argument with his wife in front of the strange visitor.
Mrs. Vega led Superman inside and walked him with her to the foot of the stairs. She called up to the second floor, "Tori, we have a visitor you might want to see."
Tori shouted down the hallway, presumably sticking her head out of her old bedroom door to be heard, "Who is it?"
The mother looked from the corner of her eye to Superman then laughed, "It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."
"Fine, I'll be right down," Tori called down with a loud sigh.
Mrs. Vega turned from the end of the short stairs and smiled to the muscular vigilante.
Footsteps could easily be heard trotting down the hallway then Tori then appeared at the top of the stairs. "Okay, so who's here…" She paused at meeting the marvel from Metropolis then smiled at seeing the handsome hero, clearly delighted in seeing him again. She warmly greeted him, "Hello Superman."
Superman returned the smile, feeling a little bashful around the actress, and answered, "Hello Miss Vega. I'm glad to see that you're alright."
"Yes, I'm fine. So…" She hesitantly glanced to her parents, trying to remain unaware of his true reason for the visit, then asked, "What brings you by?"
He bashfully nodded his head to the side. "I came by to check on you and your father. The last twenty-four hours have been rough."
The actress let out a tired laugh, "It's been a rough four days."
Superman slightly knotted his brow, visibly contemplating her meaning then realized what she meant. "Oh yes, the robbery at the police banquet at the West home. With everything that has happened, I wonder how that investigation is going with Mister Carson's death."
Detective Vega regretfully updated, "There hasn't been an official ruling, but it's still looking like a suicide."
Superman half-smiled and casually sighed, "I certainly have my doubts about that."
Vega eagerly asked, "Do you have some proof that it wasn't a suicide?"
The cape wearing man was careful to explain, "I know Mister Benson and Miss West are continuing their own investigation of the matter. I have confidence that they'll expose the truth."
The detective studied the vigilante, trying to gauge his truthfulness with his next question and maybe find out what the reporter may have turned up, "And what truth do you expect them to expose?"
"The identity of the one who murdered him and perhaps take another pillar out of the Mob in Gotham."
"Is that just speculation or do you know of something solid?"
"I couldn't say. It's not as if they are keeping me up-to-date with their investigation, but I'm sure they're going to make a break soon. They had put it on hold to try to prove it was Mrs. Lee behind Mister Shapiro's kidnapping."
Vega answered with a morbid laced tone, "Well they don't have to worry about that now, do they?"
"No, I guess they don't…"
Tori looked at her father from the corner of her eye, wondering what he was thinking, but decided to inquire about it later and happily offered, "Would you like something to drink? I have some lemonade."
Mrs. Vega followed up, "Yes, I was just inviting him inside for something."
He answered the actress, "I would love some. I haven't had any since my last visit home."
Tori lopped her arm around one of his muscular arm and led him towards the kitchen, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu but said nothing of it.
Detective Vega gave a weary expression behind the vigilante's back, cautious about any man getting close to his little girl.
Mrs. Vega hid a smile at her daughter's subtle moves, not minding at all her actions. She followed her daughter inside with her husband trailing behind.
Tori led Superman to have a seat at the end of the dining room table in the kitchen. He brushed his cape back over the backrest and had a seat while Tori walked to the refrigerator.
Detective Vega took a seat at the other end of the table to observe in a sense, helplessly at the visitor. He had watched the man take gunshots that bounced off of him and place his palm against the end of a shotgun and it exploded. The sight was quite amazing and he was grateful for the rescue, but now that the Metropolis Marvel was in his home, his abilities were quite the concern.
Mrs. Vega didn't seem to be concern about the overwhelming power of their guest and took a seat to his right cattycorner.
Tori returned to the table and sat a poured glassed of lemonade in front of the cape wearing fellow.
The blue eye vigilante asked, "Pink?"
The actress knotted her brow and asked almost offended by the question, "What's wrong with pink?"
Superman attempted to cover up his question with a boyish laugh, "Nothing, I'm just used to yellow where I'm from."
The head of the household casually asked, "Where are you from?"
Superman met the detective's eyes, seeing the subtle attempt at an opening move to an interrogation. He politely smiled while he answered, "I'd whether not say… secrecy and all."
"So you maintain some other identity?"
The colorfully dressed vigilante answered with a polite smile, "I'm not Superman all the time. It's what I do, not who I truly am."
Detective Vega carefully probed, "So it's an act?"
The muscular hero thought for a moment how to best answer the detective. "It's a role I take on so that I can help people… a larger than life persona… as Zorro or the Lone Ranger did in the American Old West under the mask. They had dual identities: who they were and the masks."
Vega tightened his smile, feeling momentarily thrown back on his heels with the reference to the famed folk hero of California from the last century.
The actress interrupted while she sat the pitcher on the table then took a seat on his cattycorner left, "Don't interrogate him dad."
The father of the home gathered his composure and easily let it roll off his tongue, "I'm not interrogating him sweaty, just a little curious."
Tori gave her father a look that showed that she was seeing right through his attempts and that he should stop.
Detective Vega saw from the corner of his eye that his wife was giving him a similar expression and perhaps that for everyone—especially his—best interest if he didn't try to pursue that line of inquire.
Mrs. Vega politely asked while she poured her own glass of lemonade, "So what brings you to Metropolis Mister Superman? I've only read your… 'activities' are usually just in Metropolis."
Superman took a sip from the lemonade then answered, "I guess you would say that Metropolis is my adoptive hometown, but I've been investigating and taking down the Mob in Metropolis where I can and some of the threads have led me to Gotham. I'm hoping to sever them so the Mob can't get any outside help since they're thankfully on the ropes."
The police detective followed up, "I've read some of them too, about how you've cleaned out Mob dens and who—houses of ill repute and thought they were outlandish, but what I saw today…"
The cape wearing man struggled with tired smile as he sat the glass down and offered, "Yes… drugged up prostitutes and child prostitutes… I still wonder if I should have brought the building down. They tried to start it up again after I cleaned it out. It took people protesting outside to stop… I would give more credit to the reporters sharing with the world what I've exposed. They've done for more in tearing down the Mob in Metropolis than I have in picking up a few Mobsters and stopping a few plots."
Vega lazily remarked, "Not too many people here would be eager to report on any suspected gangland activity. Things are pretty good. The Commissioner and the Mayor are right, crime is down across the city and people are fat and happy—"
"—as long as they make sure they pay off the right people: mobsters, politician, reporters… cops…" Superman interrupted with a curt tone.
Detective Vega sat up in his seat, looking clearly offended by the end of Superman's remark.
Mother and daughter shared quick expressions, wondering if a verbal sparring match would break out.
Superman pushed his point, unconcern if the detective was offended by his words, "Are you going to sit there and tell me you don't know of any police officers on the Mob's take? How many times do you have to look away just to make sure they don't decide to just put a bullet in your back for not going on the take?"
Vega felt insulted by the way the visitor had remarked about his fellow officers, but he couldn't necessarily disagree with the assessment. The idea that there were dirty cops on the force worried Holly to no end that something would befall her husband for not being on the take. She almost wished he was simply to ensure his safety.
On the positive side, Superman made it a point in saying that he believed he wasn't on the Mob take. He pressed on however, not willing to wholeheartedly support the idea of vigilantism, "And that's why you believe that you and the Bat can take the law into your own hands? You can't trust the police to do their jobs?"
Tori gave her father a scathing expression, but the father stuck to his principles as a peace officer.
Superman disarmingly smiled and answered, "When their hands are tied through either outright bribes or answering to a Mob controlled commissioner who wouldn't even acknowledge the Mob's existence in Gotham? Yes or the law becomes meaningless and we devolve into the strong ruling over the weak. What choice do we have when the mechanism for society to check such ambitions have failed? Just be at their mercy? I don't have any interest in living that way at the whims of some criminal tyrant or his government lapdog. My father didn't eventually die for freedom fighting in France just so I would be ruled over here."
Detective Vega nearly blushed with anger at the multiple accusation. He particularly was troubled by the remark of the strong simply ruling the weak when facing something that was apparently bulletproof. "There's no proof that the Commissioner is controlled by the Mob."
"Then he's incompetent with refusing to acknowledge their existence and fighting back. They're entrenched and nothing is done to uproot them. It finally took them kidnapping the D.A. and your daughter for the police to really go after them."
Vega turned a nearly hateful glare to the muscular vigilante. He wasn't sure what he was angrier about, the vigilante pointing out the truth or that the force had been impotent against the Mob everyone knew existed.
Mrs. Vega thought about how best to dial down the tension, but Tori verbally stepped into the mix, "He's right dad. The Mob exists and it seems like no one wanted to do a thing until they did something about it."
Vega motioned to Superman and demanded with a bit of disgust, "So we have to depend on him… whatever you are… to come down like some angel from Heaven and save the day?"
Tori was quick to snap back, "He certainly did that for you today and if it took a… dark creature out of the night to save me, then I don't care. I'm going to be grateful to them and we should follow their lead and finally bring the Mob down."
The detective shook his head, frustrated at his daughter not seeing the ramifications of vigilantes taking the law into their own hands despite their apparent noble intentions.
Superman shook his head and muttered with a soft smile, "I'm not an angel."
Vega knew he couldn't squander the opportunity to perhaps get an idea of what the mysterious stranger could be. "Then what are you? You can fly, lift cars above your head and bullets bounce off of you. That's not exactly… 'human'."
Superman took a deep breath, wondering how exactly to answer such a question as they all had their eyes on him. He couldn't reveal the truth as that would be too profound at the moment and was still at times not comfortable thinking about it. His mind recalled something his mother said to him when he started to realize that he was different from everyone else, but they weren't ready to tell him of his otherworldly origins.
He smiled and answered as if a weight was off his shoulders, "I'll tell you what my mother told me… what every mother tells their child: 'You are my precious gift from God'. She simply accepts and loves me and that's enough for her."
Mrs. Vega couldn't help but smile in agreement as that's how she saw Tori while the daughter thought it was a sweet sentiment.
However, the detective was far more pragmatic and carefully replied, "That's very poetic, but that doesn't answer my question. So… not an angel… not a demon?"
Tori turned a disapproving look to her father.
Superman tightened a smiled casually laughed in the hopes of keeping the tone conversational even if tensions had retched up, "No… I might be a god as I told Miss Valentine, but…" He finished with a laugh, "…I'm still a Methodist."
The detective's eyes went wide and he uttered, "A god?"
The blue costumed young man bashfully shrugged a shoulder and answered with a hint of tribulation, "If you woke up one day and started experiencing the things I did, you'd speculate too and try to find something to explain it. I was exposed to the classics just like any other child. I read some of the great Ancient Greek works and other traditions. I have the strength of Samson or Hercules, the flight of Hermes but without the sandals, the apparent invulnerability of Achilles and unleash burning light from my eyes. It might make you come to certain conclusions and I think I would be forgiven for possibly coming to the wrong ones."
The family passed glances towards one another, Holly one of curiosity, Tori one of compassion while David felt a sense of dread and perhaps a little helplessness.
Superman picked up his glass and took a sip, hiding most of his embarrass facial expression.
The quartet sipped on their drinks and remained quiet for the next few minutes.
Tori was the first to finish her drink and casually questioned, hoping the question would turn the conversation away from the more confrontational or awkward aspects, "Will you be seeing the 'Bat' anytime soon?"
Superman passed looks over the married couple, gauging whether he should attempt to dodge the question in their presence. "I ah… I may, why do you ask?"
Tori glanced to her parents, hoping they would buy her acting skills and answered, "I was wondering if you could pass along a small gift of thanks for what she did for me and Robbie."
Her parents shared curious and surprise glances to their daughter, her father particularly concerned about more blatant support for the vigilante.
Superman politely smiled and attempted to decline, "I'm sure she would appreciate the gesture, but she's not looking for any tangible reward for helping you and Mister Shaprio."
Tori stood up and reached for his wrist, taking it with a curl of her fingers. She turned on her Hollywood smile. "Oh, I insist." She gave him a gentle tug and he got up from his seat, deciding to follow the actress through the living room and up the stairs.
Detective Vega was about to say something, but his wife turned a look to him that suggested that he let it go. He kept his mouth shut as the pair disappeared up the stairs.
They stopped at Tori's old bedroom and she led him inside. She turned and closed the door behind him.
Superman felt a tad apprehensive, remembering the feeling of being in a room with just Melanie after she blatantly revealed her feelings for him.
Tori walked past him and knelt down to the side of her bed. She pulled out a duffle bag then picked it up to put it on the bed. As she retrieved the bag, she asked, "So Freddie told you why I needed you to see me—" She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "—assuming that you're not really here to check on me."
"I was concerned about your wellbeing, but yes, Mister Benson passed along your message that you had something that belonged to the Bat and hope that I would give back to her."
"Yes, something… found its way to me and I wanted to make sure it got back to her. I don't want the cops to somehow get a hold of it and trace it back to her real identity." She turned and walked to her bed. She knelt down and pulled a duffle bag from under it then dropped it on the bed. She unzipped the bag and pulled out the evidence bag containing the bat-a-rang then offered it to him.
Superman accepted the bag and raised a questioning eyebrow and asked, "Should I ask you how you obtained this? I assume that your dad didn't have anything to do with this?"
"No, he didn't have anything to do with this. He was home at the time with my mom."
The muscular hero still cautiously looked at her and asked while taking the bag from her, "So how did you get this?"
The actress looked to the floor and fiddled with her fingertips, retreating into her own thoughts then asked, "Can I tell you the truth?"
Superman returned with an uncomfortable expression. "It's up to you."
The expression on Tori's face showed she struggled with being honest, but decided to take the leap and answer, "I broke into the police station and got it."
Superman took a deep breath, trying to act surprised at the revelation of the truth he already suspected. He quietly questioned, "You did what?"
Tori found Superman's expression amusing and questioned, "I thought you had super-hearing?"
The blue and red dressed vigilante sighed, trying to keep the smile off his face from her teasing. "Why did you break into the police station?"
"I didn't want them to somehow found out about who she really could be. I don't want her arrested and after talking to Robbie today, he said that he would have to get warrants for her arrest."
"He is a law and order kind of D.A., isn't he?"
"Yes he is. I don't want to put him in that position."
"Considerate towards the Bat…"
She turned back to the duffle bag and pulled out the cylinders that she retrieved from the station. "I got these too. It's what was left of the drug that the police recovered. One of the Commissioner's detectives was really interested in it, so I went ahead and grabbed it. I thought it would be safer in your hands than the Commissioner."
Superman took the canister from her hand and answered, "You're probably right. I don't exactly trust him with it after what I saw what it could do to a person." His smile brightened and commented, "It gives us more to analyze to see if it'll work for Mister Shapiro."
Tori turned a hopeful expression on him and asked, "Do you really think it could help Robbie?"
"I don't know, but we have to try. I just hope I can have it analyzed to be able to help him."
"Maybe you could give it to Jade. She could get it analyzed to see if it's safe. West Enterprise has a top notch medical research division."
The handsome vigilante struggled with a smile. "I'd prefer not to get her involved. If something did come out of this, the cops would start looking at her and the company and think they had something to do with the theft and then there are the people that made it in the first place. They may not like that she's had it and turned it into something useful."
"No, the Army probably wouldn't like that," Tori remarked with an eye roll.
"The Army?"
"Yes. When I was waiting for my chance the grab the Bat's weapon, a General from the Army showed up wanting the drug. He said it belonged to them. The detective wanted to argue with him, so I figured he was trying to hold on to it to get it to the Commissioner, so when they went to see someone higher up to stall the general, I was able to slip inside the lab and grab it."
Superman sighed and rubbed his chin, "So the Army made it?"
"I guess or maybe they want to get their hands on it to make some kind of super-soldier drug. You know how in Europe they've been going on and on about being members of the 'master race' and the 'supermen'…" She closed her mouth, realizing the phrase she had just used.
Superman laughed and assured her with a boyish grin, "I'm not German… but I was in Germany the summer after I graduated from college to see Jesse beat the socks off their so-called 'supermen' during the Summer Olympics." He added with a laugh, "And I thought I was fast."
The pair shared another private laugh at the triumph of the racer then Superman continued, "Anyway… so if you broke into the police station to get this, would it be safe to assume you're the one that broke into Mister Thornesmith's apartment and stole his papers for Mister Shapiro?"
Tori crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "You're going to lecture me about vigilantism?"
Superman took a deep breath then answered with a bit of a smirk, "It's different for me."
"How?"
The red and blue dressed man sighed then answered, "I've already had this conversation with the Bat: I'm different from you."
Tori corrected from her point-of-view, "You had this conversation with Jade."
Superman knotted his brow, feeling like he had missed something.
Tori looked to him in return with a curious gaze and continued, "You were trying to talk her out of further investigating what happened with Steven's death after what happened with Robbie. You didn't want her to get hurt."
He embarrassingly smiled and nodded along, "Yes I did… I had a similar conversation with the Bat. I'm concerned about her safety being a vigilante, especially with what happened at the warehouse. It was pretty dangerous with what she did being so outnumbered and outgunned. She doesn't care any firearms."
Tori slightly bowed her head and raised her right eyebrow. "You want her to stop?"
"I don't want her to get hurt or worst… it was a close call with Gibson. Her being a long vigilante like that without backup… her luck would eventually run out."
"You really believe what she does is luck?"
"No, but you have to have some with doing what we do when you're not bulletproof. She's certainly not bulletproof and I don't want to imagine what could happen to her. I saw enough of the damage she took from Gibson and…"
He trailed off with a mournful expression that shifted into an angry gaze.
Tori faintly smiled to him, showing her sympathy then raising a hand to pat his upper left arm. "Is she alright?"
His anger seemed to fade a bit and answered with a tired voice, "Nothing that won't heal up—if she'll take the time to rest. I've found she can be stubborn. I still don't want to see her go through the meat grinder though, so there's a little tension there."
Tori cracked a smile and commented with a little devious look in her eyes, "Sounds like a friend of mine—Jade actually. She can be really stubborn…"
She trailed off as some pieces of information started rearranging themselves into making new complex web of connections. She slightly squinted and leaned forward, taking a probative glace at Superman's face.
Superman tightened his smile, wondering what had shifted and why she was looking at him in such a way. His wondering quickly turned into concern and decided to beat a quick exit. He held up the bag with the bat-a-rang inside. "Thank you for this. I know she'll appreciate it, so I better get going. We don't want your parents—especially your dad—getting suspicious."
His mentioning of making a quick departure threw her off from trying to figure him out like a puzzle piece and she covered herself with an awkward laugh.
He walked around her and towards the window. He opened the latch then pushed up the window then let the canister roll down the sloped roof and safely land on the grass then tossed the bag with it.
Tori knotted her brow and asked, "Why did you do that?"
He walked past her to the door and opened it, motioning with his other arm to allow her to exit the room. "Your parents are downstairs, so I just can't walk down there carrying the stuff. I'll have to swing back around and pick it up. Just make sure you distract them for a minute so they won't look out a window."
"Gotcha," she answered with a conspiratorial smile.
Tori walked past him and exited her room, but she stopped and turned not a few feet down the hallway. She directed a heart filled smile and said, "Thank you for my dad and Robbie and everything else you've done."
Superman returned the smile and answered, "You're welcome."
"And one more thing?"
"Yes?"
"Whatever you are… be it a god… an angel… maybe even the devil, I don't care. I'm just grateful you're here and for helping."
He returned with a grateful smile and answered, "Or maybe… I'm just a man in a funny red sheet?"
Tori laughed and looped her arm around his arm and led him back down the stairs.
They were immediately met by Tori's parents eagerly waiting for them at the foot of the steps. He smiled to Tori's parents, seeing a bit of uneasiness in the detective's eyes.
Superman wanted to pull his arm from Tori's grasp with the eyeing he was receiving from her father, but thought that might cause more of a scene. Instead, he attempted to focus on something the obvious, "Thank you for your hospitality."
Mrs. Vega nudged her husband with her elbow gently against his ribs.
The detective smile and politely began, "Oh, don't mention it. It's the least we could do for what you've done for me and my family."
Holly eyed her husband again, signaling she didn't think he was done.
David tightened his smile and continued, "Mister Superman… I hope I didn't come across as ungrateful with some of my remarks."
"No, of course not sir. It's not much of a republic if we can't vigorously debate our positions and… I still find myself a curiosity at times…" He thumbed towards the backyard with an awkward laugh, "I need to be going. I hope you have a pleasant afternoon and evening."
Vega eagerly agreed, "Yes, we've taken up far too much of your time."
Tori passed another disproving glance at her father then escorted Superman through the sliding doors and to the patio.
Superman slipped from Tori's arm then lifted off the ground and leisurely floated up then picked up speed to fly away, but not before taking a look over his shoulder and waving to them.
Mrs. Vega glanced to her daughter and asked, "You should have asked for a ride."
Tori grinned and shook her head, thinking perhaps her mother was right.
Detective Vega suppressed a disapproving gaze of his own at the friendliness or perhaps the outright coziness between his daughter and the flying man.
The actress suddenly remembered what the flying vigilante suggested about what to do after he left, so she waved her parents to follow her back inside and commented, "Let's see if there's any news about them finding Gibson." She led them back inside with only her father pausing for a few more moments to watch Superman fly away.
As soon as they were back in the house, Superman turned sharply and headed back down to pick up the dropped items and soar back away without touching the ground.
West Residence
Bristol Township, NJ
Jade deeply sighed and patiently gave Mrs. Benson a look as she took a seat on her bed. She could be appreciative of Sikowitz and Freddie's concern—particularly the reporter's concern as she found it surprisingly flattering. It just added to the confused mess of feelings she was developing for the man of tomorrow.
The nurse without ceremony instructed the young woman, "Okay, take the jacket and your shirt off."
Jade gave her a nearly sour look, but complied by taking off her jacket and tossing it to her right. She followed by pulling her shirt over her head and letting it remained tangled up in her right arm resting by her side. She heard a quick intake of breath and looked up at the startled look on her guest's face.
Mrs. Benson took a slow breath, assessing the blotchy blue, black and yellow discoloration of skin from the bra down to her hip. She had seen bruises like that before on women, usually women who didn't want to talk about what happened to them, least long call out the law. She took a seat next to the millionaire and had a look down her spine. She saw some bruising over her shoulder blades and her upper spine.
She ran her hand up the back of her head, running her fingers through her hand and fingertips over her scalps.
Jade tried to turn, but the nurse held her in place to continue her examination. "What are you doing?"
Mrs. Benson answered, "Checking for bumps."
The younger woman rolled her eyes and explained, "The cowl has padding, so no lumps. I checked."
The older woman gently turned Jade's face to look at her, taking a moment to look into her eyes. "There's still the risk of a concussion. You haven't experienced double vision or any other vision problems?"
Jade didn't care for the touching, but refrained from commenting on it and answered, "No, just the initial blurring when I got hit, but it went away."
The nurse dropped her hands away from Jade's cheeks and asked, "Did you sleep last night?"
"Yes. I slept fine."
The Kansas woman nearly scowled, clearly not liking that answer. "I wish Mister Sikowitz would have kept you up. It was dangerous to let you sleep with such a risk. You might not have woken up."
Jade began with a laugh, "I guess he was afraid of…" She trailed off when she realized how she would have to finish the statement and Mrs. Benson would probably find it uncomfortable about hearing her son in such a situation.
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid might not be the most accurate description. I guess he was concerned about having Freddie stay the night to keep me awake."
"Why would he be concerned about such a thing? I was under the impression that Freddie stayed in case your condition turned for the worst and he had to get you to a hospital quickly."
"Yes, but… to keep me awake, he would have to stay with me… in my room…"
Mrs. Benson scoffed, "What did he expect my son to behave? As some teenager boy that's never been alone with a girl before?"
"I'm just saying that he's always been protective of me… he just doesn't seem to realize that I'm an adult now."
Marissa took a deep breath, refraining from saying anything further as she didn't want to even dignify Sikowitz's concerns about her son or make it sound like she approved as she had always been protective of her son. She turned back to the matter at hand and glanced over Jade's side again, gently placing her fingers on the bruises and muttered, "He hurt you pretty good…"
Jade surpassed a hiss for even the faint touch and hated to admit such a thing, so she pivoted with a smile that made her jaw ache, "Not as bad as I hear Freddie did to him."
The older woman questioned with concern lacing her voice as she continued to check to make sure she really hadn't broken any ribs, "What do you mean?"
The young woman turned in her seat to get away from the nurse's examination and proudly smiled as she recounted what she heard, "Gibson thought he could win a fight with your son and he was wrong."
Mrs. Benson sighed, finding the whole idea of challenging her son to be ludicrous, "Of course he'd be wrong. My son is very, very strong… like Samson strong. He lifted the end of our pickup truck when he was three and the jack slipped when my late husband was changing a tire."
Jade's mind flashed to what could have been a serious injury yet perhaps humorous scene of a young Freddie not even ready to go to kindergarten would be able to lift the end of a vehicle. She chuckled at the thought then continued, "And it got him put in the hospital. He broke a number of his bones trying to fight your son."
The nurse looked disturbed by the revelation that her son would have to be that violent.
Jade tightened her smile into an embarrassing one, seeing that the woman didn't appreciate hearing such things about her son and explained, "What I understand that he had to in order to stop him. He was on this drug that made him super-strong and he wouldn't quit. I saw him hit your son hard enough to send him back to break a few crates." She nodded her head down to her left and added, "Look what he did to me through my suit's padding."
The woman from Kansas' expression grew as she asked, "He was able to hit my son hard enough to do that?"
"Yes… I think it amused Freddie, then… he showed him which one of them was the 'Superman'."
Mrs. Benson let he remark go without comment and glanced back to Jade's side. She commented on the sight before her, "You're lucky you're not dead. You need some bed rest. I'm shocked that you're able to walk."
Jade glanced away towards the opposite wall and muttered, "I don't have much of a choice…"
Mrs. Benson quietly asked, "Since you're 'the Bat'?
Jade took a deep breath then answered with a barely restrained sarcasm, "Yes, since I'm 'the Bat'. I can trust that you won't repeat that?"
Mrs. Benson was just as quick to question the millionaire's ability to keep a secret, "As I can trust that you won't tell anyone about my son?"
Jade took a deep breath and repeated, "I told you I wouldn't tell anyone about Freddie and I'm not going to."
She countered with an almost accusing voice, "Because he knows about you? That he might tell the world who you are? They really can't do anything to my son, but they can put you in jail."
Jade stood up and reached for her shirt. She pulled it over her head and pulled it down to adjust around her waist as she answered, "No, I will not tell anyone about Freddie because he knows my secret too. I'm not going to tell anyone because he's…"
"He's what?"
She glanced to the floor and uttered, "I don't know…"
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Jade snapped back, confused about her own feelings and how everything seemed to be moving at a lightning pace, "I don't know, okay?!"
Mrs. Benson slightly leaned, taken aback by her outburst.
The troubled young woman took a few calming breaths then continued, "I'm not close to people and the ones that I am, that took years to happen. I didn't even make it official with my high school boyfriend until six months after is not being exclusive, but Freddie…" She shook her head, still unsure how to put her jumbled feelings into words.
The wife of a late farmer calmly answered, "My boy is special… he makes you look at life in a whole new perspective."
The dark haired millionaire glanced off to the side and muttered, "Yeah, he's special alright…"
Something in Jade's tone triggered a defensive reaction for the nurse. "What do you mean by that? The way you said it makes it sound like there is something wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with him. He's the way he is because that's just how God made his species to be… just like He made birds to fly, horses to run and fish to swim."
Jade shook her head and answered with an apologetic tone, "No, I didn't mean it like that. Yes, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he's not human… wow, aliens really are real… but that's not it. It's just he's…"
"He's what?"
She retook a seat next to the mother and sighed, letting her shoulders slump.
Mrs. Benson took a moment of pity on the clearly confused young woman. She reached over and rested a hand on top of younger woman and asked, "Are you developing feelings for my son?"
Jade slightly smirked at the woman simply getting to the heart of the matter. "Like I said, I don't know what my feelings are. I just know that… he obviously cares about me and I've… grown kind of attached to him. He's been a pretty good… partner…"
The pair sat quietly for a few moments until Mrs. Benson pointed out, "That's something you're going to have to figure out for your emotional wellbeing… and my piece of mind… and you can do that over a good night's sleep, something you need to do anyway."
She got up and headed to what she presumed was the closet. "So, what do you have to wear…"
Jade patiently smiled and answered, "Mrs. Benson, I appreciate your concern. I appreciate you coming halfway across the country, but I just can't 'go to bed'. I'm trying to stop the Mob and can't afford to just take time off now that we've got them on the ropes."
The older woman turned as she reached the door and answered, "The Mob will be there tomorrow. From what I saw on the news on my way here, one of them is dead and another one of them is in jail. You can afford to take a day—a few actually—to recuperate, especially with my son here. He is Superman after all."
She opened the door and paused at seeing the walk-in closet that was bigger than some rooms on her family farmhouse. She walked inside and attempted to find night clothes for the young woman, taking only brief seconds to allow herself to be stunned by the size of it. She had full rooms smaller than this back at the farmhouse.
Jade walked to the entrance to the walk-in closet and replied, "This is my city, not his to… patrol or take care of."
Mrs. Benson poked her head out of the row of clothes and pointed out, "You would be dead if it wasn't for my son, so you should be grateful for his help."
Jade closed her eyes and answered with a barely restrained voice of patience, "I'm not ungrateful, but it is my responsibility, not his."
"Well, if you say that he's your friend then you need to trust him to pick up the slack. Don't you have friends that do that for you?"
"I've always been one of those that did things on my own. Like I said, I have trust issues, but I don't want him to think that I can't do this and use it as another point to try to convince me to stop. He doesn't want me to do it at all…"
Mrs. Benson returned with some tasteful pajamas for the millionaire and asked, "After what happened to you, do you blame him?"
"I'm not his wife. I'm not going to be instructed on how to live my life. I had enough of that with Beck in high school."
"You didn't say he told you that you can't do it; you said he didn't want you to do it and as your bruises point out, it's dangerous for you to dress up as a bat and go out to try to nab criminals on your own."
Jade shook her head and muttered, "I've already had this discussion with Freddie and I'm just too tired to get into another argument."
"See, you do need a good night sleep, but I doubt my son is arguing with you. He clearly wants you to stop because he's concerned about your wellbeing, but he's not going to make you. That's your decision to make."
Jade took a tired breath and studied the Kansas woman's eyes and saw the same compassion and concern that she saw in Freddie's eyes. She reluctantly answered, "Fine, fine… I'll go to bed."
The nurse smiled in triumph and suggested, "I do suggest a warm bath to relax the muscles then you can have a relaxing night's sleep."
Jade didn't bother to argue as she pulled her shirt off again and headed to the master bathroom.
Author's Note: Well I hope you enjoyed that update. Some secrets revealed and perhaps a bit of shifting relationships. I hope to get the next exciting chapter to you fairly soon. Thanks, OneHorseShay.