Guardian Angel - NC17 - Chloe/Bruce - Chapter Nine
Title: Guardian Angel
Category: Smallville/Batman (Crossover)
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce Wayne
Word Count: 1,964
Summary: Her guardian angel was a dark man with a fetish for rodents. Figures.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight,
dhfreak
IX.
"You what?"
"I sort of said... yes," she bit her lip, brows raised.
"Ha! I knew you liked him! Go Sullivan, you just scored yourself a rich hottie!" Lois exclaimed into the phone. "Shut up, Smallville! I'm celebrating!"
"Is that Chloe?"
Lois sighed. "No, it's my long lost love! Now go away!"
"Fine. But I haven't talked to her in a week and I'd like to know how my best friend is doing!"
Chloe smiled. "Tell him I'm fine and I promise I'll phone him tonight."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll let him know. Now tell me exactly what you and your new billionaire boyfriend are doing on this date."
She couldn't help it, she grinned. "I don't even know. He said he'd surprise me by showing me the beauty of Gotham at night."
"Ugh, he sounds like a romantic. You're unbelievably lucky, you know that? You leave here and pick up a gorgeous billionaire while I'm stuck with Smallville."
"Hey!" Clark exclaimed.
Chloe laughed. "Complain all you want, Lo, but I think you're happy to be stuck with Clark."
"I am not! You're so lovestruck by Wayne, you're becoming delusional!"
"Whatever you say," she murmured, shaking her head. "Anyway, I gotta get back to work. When lunch rolls around, I have to hit the mall for something nice to wear on my... thing with Bruce."
"Just call it a date. You know you want to."
"We're leaving it open. I don't want to label it. He said himself he wasn't sure what he could really offer and he didn't want to make assumptions."
"So bang his brains out and make sure he'll never leave you."
"LOIS!" both she and Clark half-yelled.
She laughed loudly. "Joking, geez. Although, I wouldn't pass him up if he offered. The man's drop dead gorgeous."
Chloe nodded her head agreeably. "Still... With everything going on, should I really be getting into a relationship?"
"No," Clark said.
"What is with your hearing? You're not even near the phone!" Lois told him. "Whatever. Look, cuz, I know you're really bogged down with trying to bring crime rings to light and taking down Gotham's dark side with your trusty laptop, but come on! How often does a good looking man walk in to your life and promise to sweep you off your feet?"
"He didn't promise to-"
"He said he'd show you the beauty of Gotham at night, how does that not sound like he's trying to romance you?"
"Well..."
"Go. Have fun! Have sex, please! For both of us!"
Chloe grinned, chuckling. "All right, it's a date and I'll have fun. No promises on sex."
"Hot sex."
"Still no promises."
"Hot, steamy, billionaire sex."
"Lois..." she groaned, shaking her head.
"Hey, I've been there, done that... In-credible."
"Great... Now I won't be able to look Oliver in his face without remembering that."
"Hey... It's not his fault he's a- Ow! Smallville!"
"What? I'm just looking out for everybody in the vicinity. Nobody wants to hear about your and Oliver Queen's sex life."
"Whatever," she muttered. "I have to go. There's a farmboy that I need to beat up."
Chloe smiled. "All right. Later Lo." She hung up her phone and returned to her typing. For a city known for its businesses, export and import, she thought there'd be more to write. But really, she felt like everything was just put on the back burner. The good story was still being written and she needed more time and investigating before she had it all. It didn't help that every day felt like another step closer to Joker's return. She kept waiting to walk outside and see the city in chaos. Broad daylight or night time, it wouldn't matter. But he hadn't made his appearance yet and that just made things more tense.
With a sigh, she checked the time and decided to take an early lunch. She needed to pick a dress for the only good thing marking her calendar. She wondered if Alfred would meet her for a latte. Maybe he'd even be up to a little shopping.
OoO
Two days later, she was anxiously searching her apartment for the right pair of shoes. She had surveillance to do and she wasn't about to wear the only heels she could find. She'd just gotten off the phone with Clark, who she'd assured she'd be fine and would call right after she got home. He was like a mother hen, sometimes. Still, she missed being around him some days. Not that she didn't appreciate Batman's ever-present lookout for her, but once upon a time, the big guy who saved her was an innocent farmboy with a heart of gold.
"Ah ha!" she exclaimed, spotting her running shoes peeking out from beneath her bed. She didn't know how they got all the way over there, but she didn't care. She pulled them on and tied them tight before grabbing her coat and tape recorder. After locking the door, she made her way downstairs and out into the empty street. She could either try the abandoned building where she knew gang activity was on the rise or head toward the docks and hope they still hadn't learned that if they kept moving they were less likely to get caught.
She chose the latter; hands stuffed in her pockets and hood up to make her look less suspicious. She was half way there before he arrived. She sighed, looking over with a lifted brow. "No offence, but you're kinda blowing my cover."
He glanced at her, eyes raking from top to bottom. His lips pursed.
She scoffed. "Like a batsuit is much better," she told him, rolling her eyes.
"It's safer than jeans and a sweatshirt," he growled.
She shook her head. "Yeah, and the pointy ears fend off mosquitoes." She sighed. "To what do I owe the drop in? Usually you wait for me to be attacked and then tell me I told you so."
He didn't reply and they continued to walk further and further into the dark streets, the chaotic noise of another night in Gotham getting louder with each step. She was beginning to think he was just trying to intimidate her into leaving. It wasn't as if she'd get much spying done with the giant black Bat at her side. Instead of hoping he'd disappear, she decided to take advantage of the situation. If there was anyone she trusted besides Alfred, it was him.
"What do you think of Bruce Wayne?"
He paused, his entire body stilling. He turned to look at her with thinned eyes. "Why?"
She lifted a shoulder. "He might've, sort've asked me to dinner... And, I need a second opinion, so..."
"So you're asking me?" He sounded rather incredulous.
"Who better?" She smiled. "So? Is he trustworthy?"
"As trustworthy as a billionaire can be."
She laughed, nodding. "But he's not... I mean I haven't... There's nothing in his background that suggests he's on the wrong side, I just..."
Batman stared at her a moment, lips pursed. "Follow your gut."
She stared back. How was it Bruce Wayne could make her body shiver with the same look? Why was it Batman could growl a few words and her insides seemed to tighten? She felt like she was caught between two infatuations and she wasn't even sure she wanted either. "My gut could be misleading... It's full of butterflies."
He nearly smiled. "That's a good sign, isn't it?"
Not if it's for two different men.
She nodded, instead of telling him something he wouldn't be willing to hear. He was, after all, just a hero looking out for the citizens... There was nothing really between them... Right?
"Hurry up, Nellie Bly," he called back to her in that deep growl.
Shaking her head, she jogged back over to him, keeping up with his long strides. It seemed weird to see him just walking around when she always expected to find him perched roof to roof, watching, waiting. "Where's the Batmobile?" she wondered.
"On standby."
She nodded, fiddling with the inside of her pockets. "Have you heard any news on The Joker?"
"He's laying low."
"So that would be a no..." She sighed. "Have you considered my offer of help?"
He frowned. "Gotham is my city. I don't need anybody else's help!"
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."
It was silent for a long moment, nothing but sirens and distant fighting, before he turned to her once more. "These people... These heroes... How do you know them?"
She lifted a shoulder. "Habit of the job, I guess. I search for trouble; they're always trying to solve it. They're good people, just trying to bring justice to the world."
His lips pursed as he stared forward in thought. "Do you like Bruce Wayne?"
She startled, eyes turning toward him. "Abrupt conversation change," she mumbled. "I... Don't dislike him... I just..." How to explain it? "He's... I expected him to be arrogant and flashy and full of... well, something." She tipped her head, smiling. "But he's actually rather interesting. I don't know him well, but I think I'm hoping to." She shrugged. "Why? Do you think I'm in it for the money or status?"
He glanced at her. "You're not the type."
She snorted. "As long as I have coffee and my laptop... I don't need anything else." She turned to him. "How ‘bout you? What could you never live without?" She lifted a hand. "And don't say Kevlar."
He cracked a slight smile. "I don't know..." His growl was softer now. "There were things I thought I couldn't stand to lose and I lost them... and here I still am."
"Love?"
He nodded. "I loved her."
"Do you still?" she couldn't help but wonder.
He stared ahead before turning to her suddenly. "It's been a long time... I'm not sure she could still love me."
"Does she know about the...?" She motioned to the suit.
He nodded.
"And she didn't tell?"
He shook his head. "Not even when it could've saved her life."
She smiled grimly. "True loyalty is rare."
"So is true love."
She grinned. "Batman and Chloe Sullivan... waxing poetic about loyalty and love." She cocked a brow. "Bet you never thought you'd be doing this on a night in Gotham!"
His mouth twitched. "It wasn't in the schedule, no."
"So what's your five year plan for this fare city?"
"Five years..." His head tipped. "I'm starting to think it might be a life long commitment."
He sounded so sad by the idea and she wondered what it might be like to both love and despise your own heroism. "Sometimes the world cries out for a hero and the only thing you can do is stand up."
"Wouldn't that mean if I stepped down, there's somebody waiting in the wings to take my place?"
He almost sounded hopeful.
She shook her head. "Sorry to burst the bubble but in all honesty... Do you think you could trust anyone else with Gotham?"
He stared at her for a long moment and she felt his dark gaze infiltrate her entirety, somehow making her feel like he'd just discovered her most hidden secrets and decided not to tell them. "No," he said, shaking his head.
She smiled knowingly, but her insides still shook. "Exactly." She didn't know what possessed her, but she reached out and took his hand in hers. What surprised her more was that he didn't pull away. "Personally, I don't think Gotham could ask for a better hero."
He looked over to her, giving a slight nod.
Their hands slowly fell apart and they were back to business once more. But she couldn't pretend she didn't feel something in that moment... What was she getting herself into this time?
[ Next: Chapter Ten.]