AN: Just a short diversion to peek in on a few Glee characters who won't be appearing in Gotham, just because I wanted to it was too good to ignore (the way I envisioned it, anyway). Sorry for the diversion; we'll be back in Gotham next time, promise!
Bit o' Finchel follows.
One of Finn Hudson's favorite activities was just flying over Metropolis on an average day. The hustle and bustle of everyday life below, the murmurs of a hundred thousand conversations, the small mundane details of a million different lives all going on below... It was exhilarating. It reminded him of the infinite variety of small, everyday joys and pleasures that made life so wonderful.
"People will always surprise you, Finn," his mother had told him once, "if you just keep your eyes open. It's always amazing, their capacity to love and grow and make the world better." Carole Hudson was a wise woman; Finn had found her every word true.
He made a mental note to visit Smallville after work; it was just a short flight away, after all. The death of Christopher - his father, her husband - had left the Hudson farm a lot quieter than it once was, and he knew his mom always appreciated him stopping by. Maybe he'd bring some eclairs from Paris, or just take her down to Jerry's Diner on Main for a chocolate egg cream...
By the time he arrived at the Daily Planet building, streaking onto the roof too fast to be seen by security cameras, his plan was in place. Being Superman was cool and all, but he wasn't raised to be a big, flashy hero. Some of the best times in his life (he mused as he donned a suit, shook out his hair to its normal ragged state, and put on his glasses) had come when he was just plain old Finn Hudson. Sure, Superman had lifesaving rescues and standing tall in the face of danger, and that was great for everyone, but there was something to be said for the quiet moments too: prom, graduation from journalism school, his first kiss.
Finn jogged down the stairs and emerged into the bustling halls of the Planet, his mind back on his more mundane work. The memory card Dave had given him was all he had promised: the information within was the backup he needed to finally publish his expose. Maybe it would finally spur some action, get Metropolis Sound cleaned up and its exploiters punished. See, there was another nugget of wisdom from Mom: "Superman may be able to stop trains with his bare hands, but Finn Hudson... He can be so much more powerful." After all, what good were superpowers in the courtroom or legislative chamber? The power of the word - Microsoft Word - could penetrate the stubborn cracks and crevices that even X-ray vision couldn't touch. And hey, he could also...
"FINN HUDSON!" He nearly jumped. Strength of a hundred men, capable of flying around the world in minutes, and she could still get to him like that. Like a crackling storm front rolling across the Midwest plains, Rachel Berry swept thunderously across the newsroom. Just the sound of her voice sent some of the newbies cowering, and for good reason. Those who called her "intense" missed reality by several degrees. When Finn first met her, he sometimes wondered if she realized that every other word out of her mouth seemed to be "Pulitzer." She strode towards him with the force and confidence of a woman who knew exactly where she was going and what she was doing, down to the nth degree. "Finally, you've shown up! You have a deadline to meet, you know!"
"Sheesh, calm down, Rach. I have it."
Her eyes began to sparkle in that way he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. "You have it?" She bounced on her feet like a schoolgirl, oh-so-briefly breaking her carefully crafted image. "I knew he'd come through for you. We'll take him out to dinner next time we're in Gotham." Her voice dropped to a whisper at this last word.
The day Finn had told Rachel his secret was one of the most terrifying of his life. He was putting himself out there, confiding in another person, in a way he hadn't done in years. It was a quiet evening in her apartment (her familiar ground, recommended by his mother). He'd proven the truth of his words easily enough. All there was to do was wait for her reaction. Her face was stony, impassive; Finn's heart was trying to climb out his throat. Then came... the tears.
"Oh, God," she whispered, "I am so stupid."
Finn's jaw dropped. "W-what?"
"I'm supposed to be a journalist, an investigator. And I couldn't even tell that one of my own coworkers is Superman. I... I'm a shame to my profession. I shouldn't even be..."
"Hey, hey..." Finn said soothingly, rubbing her arm. "I worked a lot to be able to keep that part of my life hidden."
"I still should've...!" she burst out. "Especially with all the time I've spent watching you..."
"Yeah, you're one of Superman's favorite reporters..." he said with a smile.
"No, not Superman! You. Finn."
For the second time in as many minutes, Finn's world stopped. "Uh... what?"
"I... think I love you, you idiot! Isn't that why you're telling me this now? Because you love me?"
Finn froze. Why was he telling her? He'd been so focused on "how" that it hadn't even entered his mind. His mother hadn't even asked that rather obvious question; just nodded knowingly the way she tended to do. "I... I just thought..."
Rachel's voice turned gentle. "This is the biggest secret in the world, Finn. Your secret. And you're telling me."
"Y-yeah..."
"Because...?"
"I trust you," he said automatically.
She nodded. "And?"
"You're one of my best friends here..."
"And?"
"And I lo..." His mouth hung open, the syllable unfinished. Holy shit. I do. I do love her.
Rachel nodded with a small, satisfied smile. "I guess I haven't completely lost my journalistic instincts after all."
As was typical of Rachel Berry, she was the one to kiss him. Not that he minded. Since then, he felt closer to her than anyone apart from his parents, an oasis of comfort and trust in a hurried, breakneck world, a connection to the entirely human life of his youth that he still sometimes missed.
"Hudson! Berry!" The roar emanating from the editor-in-chief's office dropped Finn out of his memories. The two whirled at the sound. "I need to see you both now! Ben Israel, you too!"
Jacob ben Israel, a Planet photographer and Web guru, popped up from his cubicle like a gopher. He shuffled past Finn and Rachel at top speed, his camera unnecessarily at the ready in his hands.
Rachel's mouth twisted in wry amusement. "She really should get an intercom or something."
Finn shrugged. "I said that once. She said she liked being 'direct.'" The two followed Jacob, the backs of their hands brushing deliberately against each other.
Shannon Beiste waved the three in, unlit cigar clenched between her teeth. Her desk, as usual, was piled with stacks of paper wedged between a desktop computer monitor and a laptop. Though she often lamented the state of the newspaper industry (still, she took pride that the Planet was one of the few papers in the country often on pundits' "most likely to survive the Internet" list, alongside such luminaries as the Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today), she still took up modern tools with gusto, turning the Daily Planet's Web presence into one of the most read news sites in the country. Of course, being the prime pump for breaking news on all things Superman didn't hurt either.
"Shut the door." Finn did so. "First of all, great job on the Metallo story, all of you. Our sales for that day were up 8% over normal."
"Thanks, Chief!" Jacob quickly paled, the effect emphasized by Beiste's glare. "I mean... Editor... Miss... Ms. Beiste," he stammered.
"I'm glad you approve of our work," Rachel said in a clipped voice. "Although I get the feeling that's not all...?"
"No. I got a letter from our favorite legal department at SueCorp." She picked up a manila envelope and drew out a clean white sheet of paper covered in type.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Great. What does Sylvester want now?"
"I think," Finn cut in, "it probably has something to do with my story on the Millenium Square deal?"
"Our story," Rachel corrected, though in an under-her-breath volume that indicated more instinct than thought in her words.
"Right. As for what she wants... The usual, probably," Beiste replied. "Let's see..." Her eyes darted as they skimmed over the words. "Mm hmm. 'Libel...' 'Beloved inventor and financier...' 'Unfounded allegations...' Ah, here we go: 'legal action may be undertaken.'"
Finn pushed his slipping glasses up the bridge of his nose. "And what are you going to say to her...?"
"My usual." Beiste casually turned and fed the letter into a paper shredder. She turned back to the assembled journalists as a sharp buzzing sound pierced the room for a few moments.
"Not that we don't appreciate it..." Finn began, "but how long can you keep doing that? Sylvester's not going to let us slide forever."
Rachel gasped at him in something akin to betrayal. "Finn Hudson! We are journalists! It is our responsibility and duty to the public to uncover the truth wherever it lies, no matter what the consequence!"
"I dunno," Jacob said, "she scares me. That chauffeur of hers, too. I mean, she looks cute and small, but I hear she's really good in a fight. I mean really good." He shuddered.
"You're both right." The group turned towards Beiste with similarly startled looks. "There are consequences to poking at Sue Sylvester and SueCorp. We all know that, and we can't deny it. At the same time, as Berry said, it's our duty. Sylvester may have the mayor and half the country's governments under her thumb, but she doesn't own us. And I think that makes her real mad." She visibly inhaled, clasping her hands in front of her on the desk. "All I'm saying is... be careful. The Planet is going to support you every step of the way, but we all know how dangerous Sylvester is. I want the news, but I'd much rather have my reporters in one piece."
Rachel nodded. "You don't have to worry about us, Shannon."
"But I do anyway." There was a brief pause. "Well? What're you just standing around for? You two have deadlines to meet, and ben Israel has stories to post. Move!" The three hurried out of the office. Finn and Rachel were silent until they got to their desks.
"How is he?" Rachel asked in a quiet voice.
It took Finn a moment to realize who she was talking about. "The usual," he said slowly. "I'm kinda worried about him, though. He just... doesn't see things the way I do. Makes me feel like he's... I dunno... destroying himself, and he won't let anyone help him."
Rachel seemed to ponder this for a moment. "You can't make anyone accept help, least of all someone like him. All you can do is be there for him, be his friend, and be prepared to step in if something serious happens."
"That's the problem, though... He's always so able to take care of himself... or at least make it look like he can. What if... What?" Finn frowned at the weird look on Rachel's face.
"You're so compassionate," she said softly. "You care so much."
Fin couldn't help but smile a little. "So does Dave. We wouldn't be doing what we do if we didn't. He's a good guy. I just wish..." He stopped at the warm feel of Rachel's hand on his shoulder.
"You can't save the world." Finn almost laughed; as Superman, he had saved the world, several times, in fact. But he knew what she meant. "Like I said, just be there for him. I'm sure he appreciates it, even if he doesn't show it."
Finn sighed. "I hope you're right. I..."
"Ms. Berry!" Jacob ben Israel seemed to pop up out of nowhere, camera still in hand. Rachel tore her hand from Finn's shoulder, startled. "Sorry... did I interrupt?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Anyway, I have these new photos of Superman from last week. I thought they'd go well with your story...?"
Rachel took the camera and went through the digital frames, Finn looking over her shoulder. "This one," she finally said firmly, pointing at the screen.
Jacob took the camera back with a grin. "Will do!" He looked at the image, shaking his head. "Geez, Superman's just such a swell guy. What do you think he does in his free time? Think he has a girlfriend?"
Rachel shook her head. "We're journalists, Jacob, not gossip reporters. Besides..." She looked up at Finn, her eyes sparkling. "I'm sure someone cares about him very much." She winked.
Unseen by the rest of the room, Finn's hand, a hand that could crush boulders bare, slid around Rachel's and gently squeezed.