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Helmet perched on his knees, Jay Garrick settled a bit deeper into his chair as the Shade poured some coffee into a demitasse.
He'd fought the Shade he'd lost track of the number of times, and here he was in the man's parlor being served what smelled like very good coffee, all utterly prim and proper and polite. Provided you overlooked the fact that the Shade had abruptly, well, zapped wasn't quite the right word for it ... taken him from Jack Knight's house and brought him here.
Wherever "here" was. A proper old fashioned parlor, of the sort that Jay remembered from his childhood, full of the ornate, well beeswaxed sort of furniture his grandparents had had. Not Victorian but ... Edwardian. Yes, that was it. Edwardian, with a few pieces from the 1920s thrown in, but nothing newer than the 1930s Bakelite clock on the mantel.
And here he was, sitting in a wingback chair whose smells brought him back to Sundays after church and having to sit still and be very quiet and very very bored while the adults talked. And you got to take one cookie before dinner, and then just had to look at the rest of them on the plate, when really, you wanted to have them all and then go play in the yard after dinner, but you couldn't because it was Sunday and you had your good clothes on ....
"Jack said you wanted to talk privately?"
Jay blinked, jolted out of his reverie. He smiled a bit at himself and said, "The Spider. The new one "
Shade gave a heavy sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. "The Ludlows. Charming family."
Curious. Lot of history there judging by the way he said it. Jay wondered what it was, since it obviously involved more than that strange incident nearly 50 years ago where The Shade of all people intervened to save both his and Joan's lives from the first Spider. No explanation for that either.
"Do you think he'll ...?"
"No," the Shade said. He settled back and took a swallow of coffee before continuing, "Believe it or not, there are a few rules among the rogues, Mr. Garrick. It is simply known that there are certain things you do not do."
"Really?" Jay could not keep a bit of sarcasm out of his voice.
The Shade quirked an eyebrow at that. "You do not raise a ruckus in Opal City, what's left of it." A pause and a flash of deep sorrow on the Shade's face. "And you do not threaten, harass, or take a contract out on any of the Knights or on Joan Garrick."
Jay tasted his coffee. A first rate brew, he had to give that to the man. "And what happens if they do?"
"I happen if they do." The sheer menace in that voice sent a corkscrew down Jay's spine. "But on to more pleasant matters," the Shade said with an abrupt shift to sunny. "I understand the two of you have a young speedster living with you these days. Barry Allen's grandson, I believe. How is that working out?"
"Well," Jay began with a gusty sigh
"Say no more," the Shade laughed.
Jay had to laugh too. "No, it's not that bad. Really, Bart's a nice boy. But he's a teen-ager, with all the problems that come with that, and he's got super-speed, and a cadre of his own enemies. I guess you could say that life is never dull at home. But Joan couldn't be happier, so that's what really matters."
A rare, genuine, smile crossed the Shade's face at that. "And how is she? Anniversary number 61 is on the horizon."
"Yeah. It is."
"What do you plan to get her?"
Oh, jeez, he had no idea. But his face must have shown something because the Shade leaned forward and asked, "What were you thinking?"
"Well it's nothing it's nothing I can get today. When we were honeymooning we stopped in this antiques dealer, and there was this vanity set, Tiffany or Cartier or something like that, a real ritzy brand, and no way could we afford it. It wasn't really an antique, even. About 20 years old. White enamel with gold edging and mother of pearl inlay and a Fleur d'Lys design ...." Jay snorted wistfully. "That's what I've always wanted to give her."
The Shade turned even paler. He set his cup down on the saucer with a clatter. "Excuse me. I shall be but a moment," he choked out before slipping through the shadows and vanishing. He returned less than a minute later with a mirrored tray containing a vanity set. "Like this?"
"It " Jay struggled to find words "That " He swallowed. "Yes. Yes, that's the one. Would you? How How much?"
"Please," the Shade said, handing it to him.
Pause.
"Her name was Marguerite."