Guardian Angel - NC17 - Chloe/Bruce - Chapter Thirteen
Title: Guardian Angel
Category: Smallville/Batman [Crossover]
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce Wayne
Word Count: 2,200
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, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve,
dhfreak
XIII.
"Realty, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, peering over Bruce's shoulder with a lifted brow. "I hadn't realized you were in the market."
Briskly closing the paper, Bruce raised his eyes to his friend. "It's a good investment... And if I should buy a few apartment buildings and sell the suites for less than usual, people will have a good chance of moving away from the darker and more dangerous areas..." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"And would any of these 'people' you're referring to happen to be a charming blonde reporter we both know?" Alfred asked, lips twitching slightly with amusement.
Bruce sighed. "You seem to think everything I do lately has something to do with Chloe..."
"And I haven't been proved wrong yet, have I?"
He glared at his butler, frowning darkly. "How many times must I tell you that she's only a distraction, Alfred?"
Smiling to himself, Alfred replied, "Until you believe it yourself, sir."
Bruce sighed.
OoO
"Where's the copy boy?" Chloe's editor could be heard shouting loudly from his office.
With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, she knocked briefly before stepping inside to see him.
"Sullivan! Thank God, girl. I need you on this harbor thing. I want to know when, why and who, and I want to know yesterday."
"Yes, sir."
"Well get on it!"
With a chuckle, she nodded before walking out and across the hall to her own office. She noticed Julie eyeing her from across the room with wide eyes. Chloe hadn't even known she was back from her sick leave until that moment. As she opened her office door, she knew what had Julie looking at her like she had. Sitting on the center of her desk were three things. A vase of tulips, a tall cup of coffee (from her favorite shop, too), and a plate of cucumber sandwiches with a small post it on top that said "Lunch."
She dropped her purse on the chair next to her door and crossed to the tulips, inhaling their sweet scent before she plucked the note sitting in them. "Our workaholic natures aside, I'd like to see you again. -Bruce" There was a seven digit phone number waiting for her to call him.
She grinned before rounding her desk to take a seat; she leaned back and found herself unable to stop smiling giddily. When there was a knock at the door, she looked up to see Julie hurry inside.
"Just wanted to come see you... Sick leave's over and I'm back to the Gazette, so..." She eyes up the contents and smiled at Chloe curiously. "Secret admirer?"
Chloe half-smiled. "So you're feeling better?"
"Much." She nodded, looking grateful to be able to get through a sentence without nausea or sneezing.
"Good. That means you're free to cover any and all gossip from now on." She grinned wryly. "No offense, but I'm just not cut out for your kind of work."
Julie smiled. "Thankfully, I'm happy to do it." Her eyes fell to the flowers once more. "So... anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
Chloe lifted a brow. "You do realize the harbor blew up, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I meant anything juicy happen," she said excitedly, leaning closer for the scoop.
"Much as I love a little girl talk..." Also interpreted as: I'd rather it not become headline news. "I really have to get this harbor thing written up."
With a sigh, Julie rose from her seat. "Fine... But know that while the Gazette hasn't always been the best paper, the gossip columnist just happens to be incredibly adept at her job." She winked before leaving, closing the door behind her.
Leaning back in her chair, Chloe shook her head. The last thing she needed right now was a whole column on how she and Bruce hammed it up on his yacht... She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. She couldn't regret her night in the least. Straightening, she booted up her laptop. Now was not the time to be thinking of handsome billionaires but instead about a certain joker with a fetish for face paint and bombs...
OoO
"Wait, wait, wait... Tell me again how it felt."
Grinning, Chloe rolled her eyes. "Lois, seriously, there are only so many ways I can tell you that Bruce Wayne is an incredibly kisser."
Lois sighed. "Fine... But just so we're clear, you said incredible, right? Not just fantastic or sweet or passionate, but incredible?"
"In-credible," she emphasized, laughing lightly. "Now, are you satisfied?"
"I have a feeling I'd be even more satisfied if you called Hot Hunk up for another date and gave me even juicier details after..."
"Or... you could finally give in and ask Clark out and give me the details of that..."
"Pfft... Still delusional. Must be all that crime-induced hysteria over there. It's causing you to lose your mind."
"Hey, just because I started bringing up the sexual tension between you and Clark now doesn't mean I only just realized it." She grinned. "You two have been fighting against it for too long, Lo. It's time to give in to the allure that is Clark Kent."
"Please! Allure? Clark Kent?" She snorted. "Smallville doesn't know the first thing about-" She cut herself off abruptly. 'What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I work here," Clark could be heard replying.
"I know that. But you said you were leaving, as in out of the building, meaning you weren't listening to this very private phone call with absolutely nobody you know..."
"Is that Chloe?" he wondered. "She's not still talking about that Wayne guy is she? He doesn't have the best track record..."
"Did he Google Bruce?" Chloe asked laughingly.
"You Googled Chloe's Hot Hunk, Smallville?" Lois teased.
Even from where she sat, without the visual of Clark's face, she knew he was frowning at Lois lightly after he rolled his eyes at her.
"I was only looking out for her," he said. "And this guy isn't what anybody would call monogamous."
"Who cares about monogamy? We just want some hot-hot-"
"We?" Clark interrupted.
"Chloe, we, whatever... The point is-"
"Uh guys," Chloe called out, shaking her head. "Lois, will you put Clark on? I haven't talked to him in awhile and I think we're finally done discussing the great kissing techniques of a certain billionaire."
"Fine..." she sighed. "But take my advice and give him a call... And then give me a call and tell me how it all went."
"All right," she agreed, smiling.
The phone was jostled around with Lois and Clark arguing before finally, he answered. "Chloe! Hey!"
"Hey! So... How's life?"
"Good. Fine... Frustrating, if Lois is anywhere in the vicinity."
"Just doing my job, Smallville!" Lois could be heard replying in the background.
Chloe chuckled under her breath.
"So have you learned anything, about the harbor explosion I mean...?"
"It's complicated by one of Gotham's elite terrorists has returned and this was his debut of sorts..." She shrugged, hoping he didn't read too far into her explanation.
"Terrorist," he repeated.
"Well, Gotham doesn't exactly house the nicest of people, Clark. You knew that when I told you I was moving here."
"Yeah, but at that time there was no worry over former terrorists and exploding harbors," he reminded, voice rising with worry.
"Look, I understand your concern but... I live here now and I'll deal with this just like I have everything else. I mean, to be honest, this is unusually good for me. One minute I'm writing about the goings-on of certain individuals, some of which aren't even around anymore, and now those people are here to further prove my point and drive the reasoning home. What's an expose when all of the criminals are in hiding?"
"It's safe!"
She sighed. "Please don't lecture me about this. I'm perfectly fine. I-"
"How far do you live from the harbor?"
She chewed her lip. "Far enough."
"Chloe..."
"Clark, really... I have this under control. And if I don't, you know that I'll call you, all right?"
He sighed. "All right."
"Good." She smiled. "Now, tell me all about the frustrations of Lois Lane... And keep it PG."
He snorted indelicately.
OoO
"Then it's settled," the realtor said, shaking Bruce's hand heavily. "I'm so glad we could do business, Mr. Wayne. Each of these apartments is sure to make you a vast amount of money. The previous owner was selling them each for over a quarter of a million dollars and-"
"I'll be renting them out," he interrupted, still inspecting the view from the balcony.
"R-Renting?" he repeated. "Here? But this is all..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Paying as much as you are for these buildings, it would be in your best interest to sell them to the highest bidder. Given your background, you'll have much more success than myself."
Bruce turned toward him. "And renting them out for a lower price would be better for Gotham. The more people we get out of the slums, the less problems we'll have controlling them." He shook his head. "And maybe, in time, there won't be a place in Gotham that can be called the slums."
The realtor didn't look convinced and gave a befuddled look toward Alfred before simply nodding. "Well, they're your apartments, sir."
"Hmm," he replied stoically before turning around with a fake grin. "Great doing business with you. Feel free to contact me if you have any other buildings available."
He nodded agreeably before turning and leaving, a skip in his step over the commission he'd just made.
"You're sure to make headlines, Master Wayne," Alfred told him, stepping up next to him and looking out over Gotham's landscape.
"I think she'll like this one best," he answered before gripping the balcony rail and testing its strength. "We'll keep it for her until she comes to her senses."
Alfred half-smiled. "Were you testing the rail to make sure she'd be safe or that you'd be able to land on it, sir?"
Bruce raised a brow at him. "What do you think?"
"Both."
He shook his head, sighing. "It's not what you think."
"I believe the opposite is true. And that in actuality, you're still not sure what to think."
Bruce stepped back inside, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "You're a bit of a nag, Alfred. Has anyone ever told you that?"
He smiled. "I only nag for your benefit, sir."
Frowning, Bruce left the apartment, locking the door and pocketing the key.
Tomorrow, he'd have contractors come in and complete fix-ups on every floor and then he'd advertise the new low-rent apartments and set up a team to interview each and every person who wanted to move in. Hopefully, it would help the city turn around even just a little.
OoO
He hadn't seen her all night. He stood high on the roof overlooking the harbor, his gear on and his cape silently dancing in the wind. He expected to see her walking right into the middle of trouble at any second but not once had he seen her blonde hair heading in that direction. He wanted to be happy over the fact. She shouldn't be out there, situating herself in the middle of gang wars. But at the same time, he found he missed her presence. Sure, she could be a bit of a nuisance, but he was coming to realize now he rather welcomed it. And the fact that she wasn't out didn't satisfy him any; it only made him wonder.
He couldn't explain whether it was Bruce Wayne or Batman that held such an avid interest in her. The Dark Knight in him was fascinated with the inner-workings of her mind; how she threw herself into precarious situations for a story and the truth, for justice to come to light. While the man in him was drawn in by her realism; by how in love she was with Gotham and how much she wanted to help it despite having only moved there recently. She was beautiful and bright and when she looked at him he didn't feel like Bruce Wayne the philandering billionaire or Batman, the chaos chasing, justice seeker that roamed the streets at night. He was somewhere in between; someone who was both dark and light.
The problem now was that she was angry with Batman for not trusting her, for not taking her advice and accepting help. But what did she think of Bruce? Their night out on the water, the all-consuming kiss that nearly bowled him over... Whether she liked either or didn't, couldn't, matter in the end. She was only a distraction. One he didn't need with the Joker returning. He couldn't confuse himself with ridiculous wonders about charismatic reporters, no matter how tempting they may be. It was time to put the charm and the curiosity away and focus on the Bat. He had a city to keep safe and Chloe Sullivan wasn't going to draw his attention away from that any longer.
He hoped.
[Next: Chapter Fourteen.]