- 5 -
Lying in bed that night, Claire found herself tossing and turning and unable to get to sleep. This was unusual for her. Ordinarily she was asleep within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, but for some reason she could not get Bruce Wayne out of her mind, could not stop thinking about him. It was maddening and it made no sense but it was also making sleep impossible. Sighing, she got out of bed and padded over to the window, gazing out over the quiet town. Apart from a few late-night bars and a couple of small clubs catering to older teens, Smallville did not boast much of a night life. Being essentially a farming town meant early morning starts for most of the menfolk, which usually also meant early nights, too. Claire seldom ventured out this late on a school day but she decided that a night-flight might be the very thing to clear her head. Donning her Super-Sister costume, she quietly opened her window and slipped out into the darkness.
Not having any particular plan in mind, Claire flew slowly and aimlessly over the town at first until it occurred to her that this was the perfect opportunity to check out the one-man 'tank' Lana had told her about. If the Flying Fox had knocked it over in the manner she claimed then he might well have left some trace of himself on it, something by which Claire could track him down. The local police had impounded the tank, so Claire headed over to their small impound lot. This would be locked, of course, but that was no impediment to someone who could fly straight over the fence.
The lot was unlit, but no sooner had Claire arrived than she realised she was not the only one interested in the tank. Under cover of darkness, two shadowy figures were examining it.
"Who are you?" demanded Claire, landing twenty feet away from them. "And what are you doing here?"
Startled, the two figures exploded into action, one soaring into the air on giant wings while the other leapt forward, growing and transforming as it did into a mass of fur, fangs and muscle. Whatever the beast might be, it was no match for a Kryptonian and Claire easily tossed it aside, slamming it into a pile of junked cars where it lay, dazed.
Claire walked over to the creature but she had barely taken a step before a powerful green beam lanced down out of the sky causing a small explosion of asphalt in front of her. Startled, she took a step back, glancing up instinctively and seeing nothing. When she looked back at where the beast had lain it was gone. In the second or so her attention was elsewhere it had vanished without trace. The whole encounter had barely lasted ten seconds and Claire had not got a good look at either intruder.
"What the heck was that thing?" came a voice from behind her, as the impound lights came on. "And where did that green laser beam come from?"
Claire turned to face the newcomer. He was dressed in ordinary street clothes to which he had added a cape and cowl she recognised from Lana's description.
"The mysterious Flying Fox, I presume," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"Follow-up," he said. "After taking out that tank today I left in a hurry before the police arrived, but I really wanted a closer look at it. I got here barely a minute ago, but I turned the lights on too late to get a good look at the intruders. Do you have any idea why those two were interested in the tank?"
"No, none at all, but at the moment I'm more interested in you. Who are you and why have you decided to become a masked crime fighter?"
He pulled back his cowl to reveal the face that had filled Claire's thoughts all day.
"I'm Bruce Wayne," he said. "Hello, Claire."
- 6 -
"Wh..what?" said Claire.
"There's no use denying it," he said. "Knowing Clark Kent was Superboy, it wasn't difficult to figure out you must be Super-Sister."
"How could you possibly know about Clark?"
"This isn't my first time in Smallville," admitted Bruce.
"It isn't? But when...?"
"I passed through town a few months ago, in the company of a small time hood named Thad Linnis. I could do stuff like that before Alfred decided I needed to have guardians when I was away from Gotham. Anyway, Linnis was a low-life, but not particularly dangerous or threatening. He wanted me to uncover Superboy's secret identity since he thought he could then use that knowledge to blackmail him. I agreed for reasons of my own, but I never intended to tell Linnis. And I didn't."
"So you figured out my brother's secret identity. But why were you with Linnis in the first place?"
"I'm training myself to be the greatest detective I can. Understanding what makes lowlifes like Linnis tick is as important a part of that task as being skilled enough to uncover that Clark Kent was Superboy."
"But you looked different then," said Claire.
"I didn't want anyone to recognise me, so I altered my appearance a little - another important skill...but wait. You weren't in Smallville yet so how did you know what I looked like then, unless...oh. I knew the death of Clark Kent had to have been faked, but I never worked out why. You're him, aren't you?. You're Superboy."
"Not anymore. Superboy is gone, and he's not coming back."
Claire's heart was pounding. She could not read Bruce's expression, could not guess what he was thinking. Would he consider her some sort of freak? The thought that he might was almost unbearable.
"Can you tell me how it happened?" he asked, gently.
Claire bit her lip, then nodded. Haltingly at first, she related the story of Superboy's encounter with what he assumed to be an alien spacecraft but which turned out to be a timeship, one piloted by a vengeful woman who used a strange ring to switch his gender as punishment for having spurned her.
"And thanks to the wonders of time travel, I hadn't even met and spurned her younger self yet," said Claire, bitterly.
"That's a terrible thing to have happen," said Bruce, gently placing a hand on each of her shoulders and gazing into Claire's eyes. "I can imagine how difficult it must be to deal with something like that. How're you holding up."
"OK," I guess," replied Claire, relieved at the evident concern in his voice. "It was really difficult at first, but I think I'm adapting, that I'm slowly getting used to being a girl."
"Good," said Bruce, lifting her chin, "because while the feelings may be new to you, I'm pretty sure you're attracted to me and it would be a crushing blow for my belief I'll one day be a great detective to discover my powers of observation aren't as sharp as I think."
"They are," said Claire, admitting it to herself for the first time, her mouth dry and her heart racing, "every bit as sharp."
"That's good to know," he smiled, leaning in to kiss her.
It was a gentle kiss, a lingering meeting of lips that they broke after half a minute or so, but Claire felt it all the way down to her toes.
"Wow!" she whispered, surprised to find she was trembling.
"First kiss as a girl?" grinned Bruce.
"First voluntary one," smiled Claire, feeling a giddy mixture of excitement and trepidation. The part of her that was still Clark Kent was confused and worried by her reaction, but she consciously decided to ignore it, for now.
"'Voluntary'?" said Bruce, raising an eyebrow.
"Look, we both have school tomorrow," said Claire, "so I'll tell you all about Super-Bully while I fly you home."
- 7 -
"OK, spill!" said Lana Lang after classes the next day as she and Claire sat in the bleachers at Smallville High, watching the football tryouts on the field below.
"About what?" asked Claire, feigning innocence.
"You know what," said Lana. "Watching how you and Bruce were around each other today, even a guy could have figured out that something had happened between you since yesterday."
From long experience, Claire knew the only way to deal with Lana when she got like this was to come clean and give her the truth, or at least a version of it.
"If you must know, I crept out after dark and met up with Bruce," she said, "and we kissed."
"You did not!" squealed Lana, her mouth making a perfect 'O' of shocked surprise.
"Did, too!" said Claire, smiling at the memory.
"What was it like?" said Lana. "I need to know all the details. Did he take you in his arms?"
"No, he didn't," said Claire. "We were facing each other and he lifted my chin and looked deep into my eyes. My heart was racing and I swear my knees started to tremble."
"Then what happened?" said Lana, hanging on Claire's every word.
"Then he leaned in and kissed me. He's a very good kisser. I felt that kiss through my entire body."
"Ooh, you lucky cow!" sighed Lana. "I so envy you!"
"Well, there's always the new boy," said Claire, nodding in the direction of the football field. "I saw the way your eyes lit up when Mr Surn introduced him to the class this morning."
"I can't deny it," said Lana, grinning. "I like this trend of a gorgeous new boy joining the school every day. I hope it continues."
The new boy was Pete Ross. Good-looking and blond, he and his family had only just moved to town but he was already down on the football field, attending the tryouts alongside Bruce. Both boys had shown impressive kicking and ball-handling skills, easily equal to those of the best players at Smallville High, and Claire was pretty sure both would make the team next season if they kept in shape over the summer.
"You weren't the only girl in class who liked what she saw," said Claire. "If you're going to make a move on him you need to do it sooner rather than later."
"You're right," said Lana. "It looks like they're just finishing up down there so I may get my chance in a few minutes. Y'know, if the boys do make the team we ought to try out for the cheerleading squad."
"What? Are you kidding?"
"Why shouldn't we?" said Lana "Rumour has it Jane Collins is pregnant, and with Kate Atkins and her family moving to Metropolis that'll open two slots. I know we're on the young side, but we're both pretty enough and tall enough - though you might need a padded bra to improve your 'assets' a bit."
"Lana!"
"OK, OK, only joking about the bra," laughed Lana.
"Good," said Claire. "Oh, and one other thing about Bruce."
"What's that?"
"He told me it was your idea for him to become the Flying Fox."
"Ah," said Lana, looking sheepish.
"C'mon Lang, it's your turn to spill now. What were you thinking?"
"Hey, I was showing him this witch doctor's cape and cowl my Dad had brought back from Africa - I had it with me in case we had a show'n'tell - and we heard a report about the bank attack on the radio. I could tell Bruce wanted to get over there but that something was holding him back. I'm not even really sure why I did it, but I fished the cape and cowl out of my school bag and told him that if he didn't want to be recognised he could take them. He did, and the rest you know."
"I wonder why he didn't want to be seen?"
"Who knows? I...hey, they've finished! C'mon!"
- 8 -
When the girls joined them on the field the boys were comparing notes about their performances in the tryouts.
"Hi, boys!" said Lana, attracting their attention.
"Oh, hi!" said Pete Ross. "Lana...Lang, isn't it?"
"That's right, Pete, and this is Claire Kent, Bruce's girlfriend."
Girlfriend? Mortified, Claire shot Lana an evil look. She might have said something to her then and there had Bruce not smoothly slid his arm around her waist, saving her any embarrassment from Lana having put her - put them - on the spot.
"Say, how about we all go to the coffee bar together?" said Lana. "That way you boys can relax after your exertions and we can fill Pete in on everything he needs to know about Smallville."
"Sounds good to me|" said Pete.
"Me too," said Bruce. "We'll see you out front after we've showered.
"'Girlfriend'?" said Claire after the boys had departed. "What ever possessed you to introduce me as Bruce's girlfriend?"
"Hey, you and he are creeping out after dark for make-out sessions," said Lana. "If you're not boyfriend and girlfriend you should be. Plus, I've seen how skittish you can be around boys who look like they might be interested in you, Claire. You needed a push so I gave you one. You should be thanking me."
"Yes, well. Never do that again."
Claire had been both pleased and surprised when Bruce had put his arm around her waist, but did it mean anything beyond him wanting to spare her embarrassment? She was encouraged when, after they all met up in front of the school twenty minutes later, he took her hand and they walked hand-in-hand all the way to the coffee bar.
Bruce treated them all to coffees.
"So, Pete," said Lana, when they had settled in at a table, "tell us about yourself."
"Not much to tell, really. My Dad's job means we move around a lot and he's just been assigned to Smallville so here we are."
"What does he do?" asked Claire.
"He's a police forensic scientist. Chief Parker of Smallville P.D. requested more manpower to deal with the increasing - and increasingly odd - crimes you're seeing here. Actually, both sides of my family have been involved in law enforcement. My grandfather was a Secret Service agent and, on my mother's side, I have an uncle in Scotland Yard. I might go into it myself one day. I mean, I'm fascinated by my Dad's forensic work and he's been teaching me some of his techniques."
"Really?" said Bruce, his interest piqued. "Do you follow the 'Journal of Forensic Science'?"
"Every issue. It's only one of my favorite reads."
And then they were off, discussing all manner of abstruse and obscure matters and totally ignoring the girls.
"Boys!" sighed Lana, turning to her friend.
"So, Claire, what did you think of the new shades of lipstick they reviewed in 'Teen Celebrity USA'? Which one do you think we'll all be wearing next season?"
Claire was actually interested in what the boys were discussing but she could see Lana was bored silly by it so she was happy to indulge her friend in some girl talk. She had slowly developed an interest in such matters since becoming a girl herself anyway, and she did have a genuine preference when it came to which lipstick she and Lana were likely to be wearing in a few months time. Surprisingly, getting all girly and arguing the merits of various lipsticks with Lana was a lot of fun.
"I think we're boring the girls," said Bruce, eventually noticing their separate conversations.
"Only a little," said Claire, giving him a smile and squeezing his arm.
"I have an announcement," said Bruce. "My foster parents are taking me out camping in the woods over near Beaver Creek this weekend. They want to commune with nature and I'm happy for the chance to brush up on my basic woodsman's skills. I know it's kind of late to spring this on you, what with it already being Thursday, but it would be great if your parents would let you join us."
They all thought this was a great idea.
"Wait!" said Claire, turning to face Lana. "You do realise there are no shops or boutiques in the woods, right?"
Lana gave her shoulder a playful thump while the boys laughed.
Later, back home, Claire asked Ma Kent for permission to go on the camping trip.
"What will the sleeping arrangements be?" she asked.
"Doctor Wayne and his wife will have a big double tent while we'll sleep in our own individual single tents."
"And you give me your word there won't be any funny business? I've seen how much you like Bruce Wayne."
"Ma, we're only fifteen!" said Claire, exasperated. "And I'm nowhere near ready to go that far with a boy yet."
"Fifteen or not, you still have those raging teenage hormones surging through you. I remember what it was like to be that age. You may say you're not ready, but in the heat of the moment you can throw caution to the winds."
"I give you my word, that won't happen," said Claire.
"OK, that's good enough for me," said Ma Kent, mollified. "You're a sensible enough girl that I know when the time does come you'll use protection."
"Ma!"