I Heart Geeks (6 page)

“What, exactly, were you stupid about?”

“I liked him. I thought he was handsome and funny and…”

“He probably is all that. But he’s also friends with the biggest misogynistic bastard in the world.”

“I can’t believe I came to care for him so much in so little time.”

“Love at first banter?”

Julie gave a watery chuckle. “Something like that.”

Kit was silent for a moment. “We still have all day tomorrow. Did you want to leave early?”

Julie stared at the ceiling and thought about it for a moment. “No. I won’t let that creep completely ruin my weekend. Wait.” A glimmer of an idea entered her mind. “What would Catwoman do?”

Kit leaned forward, elbows on knees, excitement lighting her face. “What do you have in mind?”

“I’ll need the use of your magic box, your guys and Deb and the others.”

“For what?”

Julie sat up with a smile. “Here’s what I want to do.”

Julie headed down to the lobby dressed as Catwoman. An anonymous person left a message for Batman and Robin, inviting them to a mock battle at a certain time and place.

She spotted her group and walked down the line of her willing helpers, who were dressed in matching black outfits, with small name tags. Kit was Kitten and her friends were Nip, Nap, Willow, and Mouse. The guys were named Eenie, Meanie, Miny, and Moe.

“Purrfect. Do you have your signs ladies?” They grinned and each held up a sign. “Use them at your discretion. Ah here come our Caped Crusaders now.”

Julie walked into the middle of the floor and turned her back to the Dynamic Duo.

“Easy now lads, don’t break my pretties.” She directed the four men to move loot into packing boxes.

“What’s going on, Catwoman?” Her heart skipped a beat at hearing Adam’s voice, but she had a performance to put on.

Julie turned around, giving them a fake smile. “Well hello Batman and Boy Blunder. I’m simply relocating these valuables to my Cat Lair.”

“But I thought you’d gone straight?” Confusion filled Batman’s tone.

Julie put one hand on her hip. “My incentive to remain law-abiding has dried up. So I’m falling back into my bad habits.”

She heard Robin whisper. “Is this for the battle?”

“I have no idea,” replied Batman.

“Yes, it is.” She laughed and took three steps out of the way. “Get them!”

And the four cat helpers waded into the staged fight. Which was entertaining because no one had practiced. But it was the best they could do on such short notice.

The Kittens held up the signs at appropriate places, reading each card out loud as it was held up.

Biff!

Whammo!

Pow!

A few minutes later, her minions forced the Duo into the box and Kit locked the door.

“Purrrfect timing as usual, Kitten.” Julie purred. Kit rolled her eyes and stepped back.

Julie walked around the outside of the box, trailing her claws lightly along the plastic.

“And so the Cat catches the Bat after all. Tell me, Batman, are you worried?”

“Whatever you’re planning Catwoman it won’t work.”

Julie shook her head and sighed, putting her hand palm out on the door of the cell. He put his hand up to match hers.

“I hoped that this time would be different; that we’d find a way to be together.” She paused. “Batman, I would have gone straight for you.”

She let that sink in. “But as usual the Boy Blunder stuck his feathered nose in where it didn’t belong. And now I’m forced to put you on ice. It’s been a wonderful weekend, Batman and you really know how to show a girl a good time. I wish….”

“So do I,” Adam whispered.

“But it’s too late now.”

“Are you sure?” he asked softly.

“You feline fiend!” Robin shouted.

Any softness in Julie’s gaze hardened at the pronouncement. “I’m sure.”

Taking a step back, she grinned and rubbed her hands together.

“What dastardly death do you have planned for us?” Robin snarled.

“Why something purrrfectly diabolical Boy Blunder. You see, when I throw this switch, the chamber will fill with the most cat-egorically wicked poison I could find, Eau de Chat. And then I’ll be off on my cat-amaran enjoying the purrrloined fruits of my labors. Farewell, Batman.”

Robin pounded on the glass, red face. “Let me out of here, you conniving bitch!”

Batman put his hand on Robin’s arm, but he shoved it off. “Easy, Robin.” Batman looked at Julie. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, Batman, I do.”

“I believe you.”

Julie scoffed, burying the surge of hope. “Sure.”

“Let me go now!” Robin pounded the side of the box with both fists, hard enough Julie thought he might break the plastic. “You bitch! How dare you do this to me? You won’t get away with this!”

Spit formed at the sides of his mouth as his cursing grew louder, his demands, incoherent.

The show must go on. Julie pulled the lever and watched as mist began to fill the box. When it rose to their knees, she turned and walked away, heart pounding in fear. Hopefully, she’d be gone by the time they let Westley out.

“Catwoman!” Batman called, shouting over Robin’s ranting.

She turned with a hand on her hip. “What is it, Batman?”

“I… I….”

Julie shook her head and turned away.

“I love you!”

She took two stumbling steps forward.

“What?” came the outraged squawk from the Boy Blunder. That stopped his rage for the moment. “How can you love that… that bitch?”

Julie turned back and met Batman’s gaze across the distance. “How could I not? She’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a Mrs. Batman.”

Julie put her hand on her heart to stop the traitorous organ from trying to beat out of her chest. “You’re just saying that to free yourself.”

Adam shook his head, got down on one knee, waved the mist away from his face and said in a loud voice. “Julie Ward, will you marry me?”

Julie blinked back the moisture threatening to blind her. Kit appeared at her side. “Should we free them?”

“Only Batman.”

Kit nodded and with an evil grin stepped forward to unlock the box. She pulled Batman out, shoved Robin back in and re-locked the door. Robin pounded on the glass. “Let me out of here!”

Batman strode toward Julie, swept her into his arms and kissed her with an all-consuming passion that threatened to set them on fire. Cheers and clapping filled the air, but neither of them noticed, too caught up in the moment to even care.

Kit jostled Adam’s elbow. “Okay, I think they’ve seen enough. Why don’t you two take this somewhere a little more private? After all, there are kids around.”

Adam reluctantly broke the kiss and strode off to congratulations and pats on the back.

“Married? We’ve only known each other for a few days.” Julie protested.

“Long engagement,” Adam said before leaning down for another kiss.

Julie pressed a claw to his lips. “Why the change of heart? Yesterday you thought I was a lying cat in kitten’s clothing.”

Adam squeezed her. “His story changed too much in the telling and re-telling. Friends of ours told me he’d been deteriorating for a while, but he hid it from me.” Adam shook his head. “He’s not the kid I grew up with.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I blinded myself to his new reality. I wanted him to be the guy I grew up with.”

Julie reached up and cupped his cheek with her clawed glove. “Can I do anything for you?”

His lips twitched. “Oh I’m sure I can think of something.”

Julie gave him a saucy grin. “Heroic or villainous?”

“Heroic of course.” He dipped his head, kissing the stuffing out of her.

Breaking the kiss, he gave her an intense look that melted her heart. “We’re going to use those tickets to come back next year.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As proof that the Bat caught his Cat after all.”

Julie arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not the other way around?”

“Before
Firefly
and
Serenity
there was
GoldStar
and it was awesome. Like 80’s awesome! Big hair, overdone makeup, and crazy storylines that somehow mashup a Wild West cowboy and an extraterrestrial war between alien tribes.”

—The Wisp,
GoldStar
Retrospective video

The frantic, mop-top haired intern looked nervous and young, super young—making Willow feel much older than her thirty years. Mr. Aldrich,
GoldStar’s
publicist, had been “unavoidably detained.” According to the rumor mill, the movie’s starlet was a handful and only Mr. Aldrich could manage her.

“Miss Wisp, you can wait in here,” he said as he opened a nondescript door at the back of the hotel suite. “Your interview should begin shortly.”

She walked through the door and it was immediately shut behind her. Willow had to really marvel at all the money this tiny, independent production company was spending for some obscure 80’s cartoon that no one—but her and a handful fans—remembered.

Admittedly, this was her first press event. Thanks to her semi-popular blog and her near obsessive love of retro cartoons, Will was able to score an interview with the actor playing the titular character GoldStar, before the movie’s RetroComicCon panel later today.

Placing her vintage pink floral tote on the coffee table, she walked to the giant movie poster sitting next to the actor’s chair and suppressed her squeal of delight. With her phone, she snapped a few quick pics. Later, the company was sure to send her high-res images, but a somewhat blurry image of the poster would create great hype amongst her followers.

TheWillowWisp: Check it out! #GoldStar is really happening. Meeting Mr. GoldStar himself soon #RetroComicCon

Making sure the photo was attached, Willow sent the tweet into the wilds of the interwebs. Message sent, she turned her phone to silent and slipped it into her back pocket. That done, she turned back to the poster. It was dark, but richly colored reminiscent of the old 1950’s
GoldStar
comic books. The main protagonist, Wild West sheriff Jedidiah Gold, was standing on a rock outcropping dressed in his barbarian garb and cowboy hat waving a broadsword and a six-shooter. Epic.

The visual department decided to go with an updated version of the logo from the cartoon rather than the comics. And there underneath the gold lettering of the title was a name.

Jack Kendrick.

It wasn’t an uncommon name, but it was uncommonly familiar. Too familiar.

“Hey Cabbage. Been awhile.”

Smooth and deeper than she remembered it, his voice still set her heart racing. Even after thirteen years. Clenching her hands tightly, Willow turned around.

“Jack.”

“How’ve you been?”

He was leaning against the closed doorway, dressed in gray slacks and a pressed white button-down shirt. No tie. Just a single button undone at his throat revealing tempting tanned skin.

It just wasn’t fair. At eighteen Jack Kendrick had been tall, skinny, and a bit awkward in his skin like he hadn’t quite grown into his long limbs. His thin face, shaggy blond hair and nerdy, frameless glasses didn’t attract many girls back in high school, but for seventeen year old Willow Wisp—best friend extraordinaire—Jack was everything her teenage heart could want. Thirteen years later, Jack had grown into his body and looked hotter than ever. He looked every bit the part of an attractive action movie star.

And right now she wasn’t now she wasn’t having a great hair day. Facing the man who utterly crushed all your teenage fantasies required great hair, a sexy outfit, and a hot, successful man by her side. Unfortunately, fate wasn’t in her favor.

“I need to go,” Willow blurted. She hurried and grabbed her bag on her way to the door.

Hand on the knob, freedom just a handle turn away and she couldn’t do it. Jack wasn’t stopping her. In fact it sounded like he had moved toward the far side of the room near the poster.

“Crazy isn’t it? Who’d have thought I’d get to be GoldStar, right? We spent hours watching it when we were little and now it’s going to be me fighting Oathbreaker and the lizardmen. It’s wild.”

Her grip on the door handle tightened, but didn’t turn.

“The loincloth chaffs though. Pain in the ass. Literally.”

Willow laughed—a short puff of a laugh that surprised her.

“Been trying to figure out how I’m going to survive three months of filming in it.”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Can I quote you on that?”

She heard a loud thump of something falling onto a soft surface. Turning she found him sprawled on the plush love seat, legs dangling over the arm.

“My junk is not for public consumption.”

A beat of silence passed between them. Then another. The moment seemed to grow and lay heavy between them, like a bubble about to burst. The tension built and built until—

Snort.

Willow slapped her hand over her mouth and nose, but not before Jack heard a second, soft snort followed by giggling. It’d been over a decade since he’d heard the sound. It was comforting, warm, and missed.

Missed very much.

At eighteen, Jack had seen the quirky girl as his best friend. Willow had been his best friend since they were in diapers. Their moms were best friends so it was only logical that their kids became friends as well.

“You look good, Cabbage,” he told her back. She stiffened, but still didn’t leave. Which he liked to count as a victory.

When he’d saw her, looking at the poster, he’d lost his breath. His Willow—his little cabbage—was at once comfortingly familiar and refreshingly different. She was his personal paradox wrapped in a curvaceous body he was itching to unwrap and explore.

“I’m not a cabbage,” she said, low and soft. So soft that he almost missed it.

“You’ll always be my little cabbage.”

She turned, her eyes darting around the space, looking at everything in the room save for him. He watched her fingers clench into a white-knuckled grip around her bag. With a deep breath and a nod to no one but herself, Willow raised her head and looked him straight in the eye.