Rated T
Disclaimer: All the characters, locations used are property of DC COMICS.
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Chapter 1
A World without Superman
Jimmy Olsen, the Daily Planet
“It’s astounding; how can one man change a world so much? Sometimes I feel as if the world is slowly fluctuating now. Moreover, it is funny; only one man is gone. However, he was more than that. He was more than a handsome face. He was more than a selfish man fighting for greed. He was a man who rushed in as others rushed out. A man who did not live or care about material computations. A man not divided based upon prejudice, but fighting for everyone. Superman was a true hero.
Up above, way up high, he was larger than life. Soaring in those skies, he stood as a symbol of hope, an everyday reminder: we can still dream. Even though he is gone, his influence will stay forever. I thank whatever God that is out there, for giving us Superman. “
October 25, 2004
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The next day, our lives begin the same as the last. We walk, we talk, and we continue to live. Not a day goes by when someone does not randomly gaze up into sky, hoping to see that same red and blue costume. Opposite of the crime here, he is not.
Across the world, people lost hope, and their dreams had sailed away with Superman. If this is how things were supposed to end, why did we continue to fight? Why did he continue to fight?
I shook my head, and I sat up. My arm removed my aching upper torso from the confines of a red covering; another figure was leaning onto my side.
“Come back to bed, Jimmy.” A feminine voice groaned; it was my wife. Her delicate hand, decorated with the golden ring I gave her a year ago, clumsily crawled down my arm.
I smiled, and I asked, “Shouldn’t you get ready for work too, Babe?”
Long blond hair, trailing down the side of her face, and a cute pouting expression, reminded me how lucky I was. Oh, do not forget the racy outfit too, Jimmy.
I walked to a nearby dresser channeling in to her velvet voice, still sensual yet captivating. Hands roaming around, I discovered what I was looking for: a small black box. Holding it, I glanced backwards.
“It’s too early. “ My wife complained while grabbing a pillow, sinking her beautiful head further into the comfortable item. “Too much work, too busy-“
“I know, too busy tracking down spaceships; I know. “ I opened the container and brandish a gray wristwatch, the one Superman gave me. He told me: whenever in danger, press the button and he would come flying. Now, I ask myself, “But was it ever? Was it ever easy for Superman?” That is a question, I will never know, now. Nevertheless, one thing is certain; Superman changed the world, and Clark changed me.
“Old times,” I whispered, fastening the watch. Pressing the nob, I received… nothing. “Just like Old times…”
Time healed wounds. In addition, people slowly, but surely were living again. They did not want their dreams to die as they assumed Superman had. My wife took that the hardest. Her friend, her only blood was dead. Somehow, we do not know how or why. It kills me; I cannot do anything else for her.
Soft arms wrapped themselves around my neck. Lips touched my rightward cheek, and I turned around to embrace my wife. If it was not one of those days, I may have commented on her one-piece black nightgown. But then again, sometimes it is better not to say anything, not in a moment like this, I guess.
I could say to myself. “Superman had vanished, never to be heard from or seen again.” I could always ask, “Where is Superman?” Still, it always leads me to one conclusion. There can never really be a world without Superman.
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A/N: I had so many ideas with this, but I decided to use Jimmy Olsen's POV as I never used him before in a story. If you didn't realize who his wife is, I won't be saying anything except I had to give it a try. lol, I had several pairings to choose from, but this one stood out to me. Also, mentioning the timeline, it's edited to fit my visions so some things may not make any or much sense until I add it later. This story will be linked with another story, A League without Superman, which is coming soon.
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Chapter 2:A World without Superman
Rated: Teen Plus
Disclaimer: All the characters, locations used are property of DC COMICS.
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Summer in Metropolis was a scorching one. The sun's rays drifted outside, burning everything in sight. Even busy people, like me, found the rays interfering with daily activities. With windows open, I drove down Main Street, and turned my old, rusty vehicle into a parking lot. There were many cars, but then again, I no longer worked at the Daily Planet. Galaxy Edge, a news-broadcasting network, took over the former. Merged into its unit, I was a part of the lucky few given the option: join or quit.
Lois, being the stubborn gal that she was, left and never came back. Heck, I have not seen her in years. Nevertheless, I cannot complain, I guess. Good pay, nice pad. It was not a bad job.
Walking through the entrance, I waved my identification at the security guard. Security had beefed up ever since he left. I began to move until the Hispanic man halted me in place. He pointed to my neck, and I sighed. Letting the camera’s cord loose from underneath my collar, I gave it to him. For seconds his hands and eyes inspected the device. Seeing nothing wrong, he gave it back.
“Move, along.” he said, going to check whoever else just came in behind me.
The office area was packed. People tapped away, pounding computer keys. Somehow, the sound felt soothing. However, it did not match the cold, isolated atmosphere. Keeping my eyes trained in one direction, I traveled towards a hall. No one said anything to me, and I did not say anything to him or her. Leading myself down this corridor, I went left. Opening the door, I entered a studio, my workplace for the day.
Preparing to close the door, I heard a distinctively feminine voice.
“James!” she said, her voice imitating a mockingbird’s melody. “Didn’t you hear me, I was calling you.”
“Sorry.” I said, reopening it completely, letting the black haired woman, Dana Alan, inside. Her long hair fluttered behind, passing me. She walked to a nearby chair, hips alluringly twisting.
“Hot, but dangerous,” I thought, gazing upward to her mid-back length hair. “And you’re a married man, Jimmy!”
“James.” She said, breaking me out of my indecent gawking. “Are you ready to do the interview?”
‘Y-yeah,” I said, walking behind a nearby desk. Sitting down, I looked through a folder. Things surely had changed. There was once a time when the majority of people called me Jimmy, and I hated it. Grabbing the much-needed questions, I gazed upward. “But now, I miss it.”
Ms. Alan crossed one leg over the other. They were smooth; things men desired to touch. In addition, it became painfully obvious that this attractive woman was out to kill me. I gulped; this was not going to be a good day.
“Okay,” Smoothing the paper, I began the interview. “As a superstar actress, what do you like about Metropolis so far?
“Well,” She started, her voice faintly dipping in and out of sarcasm. “It’s definitely brighter than living in Gotham, that’s for sure!” With a quick laugh, she continued this time seriously. “Gotham will always be my home, but Metropolis is the home I need right now.
“You sure you won’t be missing, Batman?” I joked, smiling slightly.
“Uh, no,” she laughed again, a little differently, “I’m sure I won’t be missing a man who dresses up as a Bat; that’s if he really is human.”
“Sure, isn’t that what all the ladies say? I asked, leaning over my desk. “But I must ask again, why did you decide to go to Metropolis?”
“Here, I can be closer to acting studios. Plus, even without Superman, the crime rate is lower here.”
“Mentioning Superman,” I said. “What do you think about his absence?”
“You know, I honestly don’t know.” She paused, glancing at her fingernails: black paint. “Living in Gotham with Batman, it’s hard to say. The world has felt Superman’s disappearance, even us. But Batman has never left us. I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have the Caped Crusader.”
“I understand.” I nodded, and glanced down when her eyes connected with mine. Glancing at the list, I picked the next question. “What do you see in your future acting career while in Metropolis?
Her dark-brown eyes glistened from the lights overhead. “Metropolis is an amazing place, definitely a city of tomorrow.” She sighed. “But most importantly, it’s a place where I can forget the past.”
“Poor girl,” I nodded, averting my eyes. Tapping my wristwatch, I glanced back up. “I know what you mean.”
She cheerfully smiled. “But it’s also the place where I can be a part of blockbuster movies, going more places where I don’t have to worry about my bodyguards fighting off a lunatic, and especially dating some cute, un-creepy guy.”
“Um,” I paused, fiddling with my tie. The look she was giving, felt demanding, and maybe even flirting. “As usual, the guys who listed some questions in the fan letters wanted to know: are you still single?
“Yes,” She smirked, leaning closer. “But I have an eye for this cute ex-photographer of mine.”
Backing away, she moved closer again. My chair wobbled, and I fell backwards. Rubbing the back of my head, I slowly started to get up. With eyes closed, I felt one of Dana’s hands caressing my left arm.
“James,” she whispered, words sinking into my ear. “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah,” I replied, finally noticing how close she was. “But, I’m sorry. We can’t live in the past, Dana.”
“I know you still have feelings for me, Jimmy.” She said certainly, closing her eyes as if she didn’t have any doubt about it. Maybe she was right.
Her face came closer to mine. Closer and closer, I watched until I closed mine. “I’m married.” I spoke firmly, leaving no other question, and my hands held on her shoulders stopping her from moving further. Opening my eyes, I stared back at the second most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. They were shocked or angry, but I did not care.
“She doesn’t deserve you.” She spat, venom slamming directly into my face. “What woman is late for her, own wedding? What woman refuses to have child-“
“Enough!” I pointed to the door, and I hoped she could see I was not joking around anymore. “Get out.”
“Bu-“
“Leave, now.” I said, turning away to face the papers on my desk. Hearing the footsteps, and the clicking off the door opening and closing, I sat down. My fingers curled through my carrot top like hair. With my hands on my head, I did nothing except listen to the silence. Suddenly, my phone rang, and I answered, not surprisingly in a good mood.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Cut the crap, Son!” A man’s voice shouted, breaking my eardrum. Backing slightly away, the man continued his rant like speech. “I pay you good money, good money, and you have the nerve to upset someone who could get me more money.”
“But, sir-“
“I don’t care if you’re married; one outing with a former friend won’t hurt you.” He paused, lowering his voice little by little. “You’re going to take her to dinner, finish this interview, and get a few pictures. If you don’t or I hear from Ms. Alan again, you’re fired!”
The line went dead, and I sighed. “Great, just great…”
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Later that day…
I sat in the Restaurant, King’s Chambers. It was a well-designed bistro, but definitely not meant to serve the rich and famous. I glanced away from Dana, who was wearing sunglasses and a hat. Tapping against my phone, I sent another text message. Anxiously staring at it, I waited a minute for a reply. “Call me, text me… Please, respond.”
“I’m sorry.” I heard Dana say, interrupting my inner chanting.
“What?” I asked the young woman that had her eyes adverted, even though she was wearing un-see-through sunglasses.
“I’m sorry,” she said again, confirming her earlier statement. “I can see that you don’t want to be here. And I have been nothing but selfish.” She stood up, preparing to leave. “I’ll just go.”
“No!” I shouted, gaining all eyes inside on me. “Sorry,” I apologized to everyone, including Dana. “Stay. You don’t have to go home, yet.” I cannot say if I did it because of my job, or because she reminded me of that same girl who practically lost her entire world, crying. Seeing her sit back down, I continued. “Dana, do you remember that day?
“You mean that day… when we first met?”
“Yeah”, I muttered staring at her glasses, searching for the girl I knew before. Nevertheless, I could not find her; she had changed. Just like those glasses, they reminded me when she started blocking everyone out of her life, including me. “We were young, and in-“
“-love at first…”
“No,” I replied. “I loved you; there is no question about that. However, looking back, it wasn’t at first sight. I fell in love with a woman who had dreams… dreams to bring happiness into the world. I fell in love when I saw firsthand that this beautiful person wanted to change the world, and then I slowly fell out of love when I saw she had lost those dreams when her world changed.”
I paused; I had to tell her. She needed to move on. “Even if those dreams never changed, I still wouldn’t love you anymore like I did before. When she crashed into my world, I was gone. “
Only silence surrounded the table. Weights banged against my ribs. Breaking everything like it was made of glass. Trying to tear my eyes away, I observed the ceiling. Even with sunglasses, I knew tears were coming. Meeting Dana was fate, becoming her friend was not a choice, but staying in love with her was in my control. Moreover, my heart decided I wanted…
A loud bang went through the room; debris fell and brown smoke arose. When some of it cleared, I saw Supergirl. Her eyes closed, and her shirt partially ripped. Shaking her head, she dusted the rubble of her body. Our eyes met, and hers suddenly turned red. A second later, our eye contact ended due to the deafening noise of machinery.
Supergirl blasted off, disappearing through the same hole in the roof. Grabbing my camera, I ran, never looking back.
Coming home, the lights were on and the television was playing. “Supergirl stops another rampaging robot attack. When will they learn, you just can’t win against this girl.” The newscaster said. I nodded, hoping no one would ever would.
My wife sat in her red satin nightgown, occupying the couch. One of her straps hanged loose, and I knew what game she was playing. Moving over to the couch, I said, “Hey, sweetheart.”
The wireless home phone sat in her lap. I saw her grab it, and place it to her ear.
“Maybe, I should call, Tim.” She said, keeping eye contact with me. “How would that make you feel?”
“C’mon, Babe…” I tried pleading. “You know, it wasn’t like that.”
“Oh, I guess my husband and his ex-fiancé/ girlfriend wanted to have a make-up dinner?
“Okay, it was like that.” I held my hands, folded skyward against each other. “But I left you over ten text messages, explaining the situation.”
“And you know I was handling league business.” She retorted, coming closer. Her right pointer finger stabbing into my chest, “Didn’t we both agree not to see our ex’s?”
“…”
“Are you not going to answer? “ She must have noticed my in pained expression. “Sorry,” she said, stopping her endless poking. My wife sighed, and I began to wonder, why did I marry her again? However, she smiled, “We both had a tough day. Follow me; we can talk about this tomorrow morning. “
She led me upstairs, and to our bedroom door. After walking up the stairs, I remembered and saw why I married her again. With a quick kiss at the door, she said, “One moment.” Smiling like an idiot, I stared into space. The door, which she closed, then reopened, unexpectedly let something out that felt surprisingly similar to something soft hitting my face. Moving the object from my eyes, I saw it was a pillow. Glancing back to the door, it shut… in my face.
“Couch” I heard my wife say, and I was left bewildered staring at the door.
“C’mon, Kara, open the door!”
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Some stuff was a little cliche and so much romance lol. But it was fun since I tend not to do them, but so far every Fan Fic I have done on here has had some romance element. xD
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