Guardian Angel - NC17 - Chapter Three
Title: Guardian Angel
Category: Smallville/Batman (Crossover)
Rating: NC17
Genre: Romance/Humor/Drama
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce Wayne
Word Count: 1,733
Summary: Her guardian angel was a dark man with a fetish for rodents. Figures.
Previous: Chapter One, Chapter Two
dhfreak
III.
"Where is the copy boy?" her editor barked from down the hall.
Chloe rolled her eyes, finishing off her coffee before she rose from her seat. It was lunch time and she hoping to find a dress now rather than having it prolonged through the week. Grabbing her coat and purse, she waved at one of the other reporters taking phone calls and took the stairs to the main floor. During the day, Gotham was much less scary. She wondered sometimes why so many people stuck around in a place that seemed to be riddled with problems and then she saw how beautiful it could be and she knew. It had its downsides, but there were certainly upsides too.
She found the mall and started searching for something in her size and budget, immediately missing having someone like Lois or even Lana there to talk to about the hideous monstrosities on hangers or the outrageous price tags on some of the more attractive pieces. Four stores later, she was beginning to think it was hopeless, and then she spotted a beautiful black silk gown. It was probably going to cost her three months of salary, but she was so drawn to it, she didn't walk away. Going inside, she fingered the material, surprised at just how soft it was. On a whim, she tried it on and felt like the most beautiful woman in the world as it hugged her curves just right and fell to her toes in a wispy fashion. She twirled back and forth, her hands running up and down her form, unable to stop from feeling sexy.
"Wow," someone said from behind her.
She turned around abruptly, flushing.
The salesgirl's eyes were wide. "I've seen at least a hundred women try that on and they all looked like complete crap." She grinned. "I work on commission, so there was no way I would tell them that. But you... You actually make that dress look good."
Chloe lifted a brow. "After admitting you work for commission, I'm not sure if I should believe you."
She laughed, lifting a shoulder. "I just sold three pairs of Manolo's, so trust me when I say I don't really need the pocket change this dress would get me."
"Pocket change?" Chloe reached around for the tag and her mouth dropped. "That's... doable."
The salesgirl nodded. "It's been marked down, a lot, it just never seemed to work for anyone. Until you."
Chloe nodded, still surprised.
"Don't tell me you're actually going to put it back? You look killer!"
She sighed. "Well... I guess it isn't too bad, right? I'm supposed to go to a gala this Sunday..."
"Get it!"
Chloe nodded agreeably before walking back inside and changing. She couldn't pass it up. After buying the dress, she took the bag from the salesgirl giving her a thumbs up and stopped by a fast food restaurant to put something on her stomach. She had enough shoes, so she didn't need any of those, but she did want to be sure she had the right undergarments for the dress she was going to wearing.
By the time she was done shopping, she was back at work ten minutes late but refreshed. She got back to writing an article her editor wanted written up, nothing too special, more of a space filler than anything. She didn't mind so much, still living off the high of finding the perfect dress, even if it'd only be worn once, for a gala she didn't even want to go to. She'd have to take pictures and send them to Lois.
OoO
"Lois told me you were attacked," Clark's voice came through her phone, stern and worried.
"Sometimes, you remind me of my dad," she replied, rolling her eyes.
"Chloe! This is serious."
"I know," she sighed. "Everything is fine, okay?"
"I think I should call Oliver," he replied quietly.
"No. Geez, Clark. It was one attack. It's nothing unusual in my life, when you think about it." She rubbed the headache forming between her brows. "The last thing I need is the League appearing and playing Chloe's Keeper, all right? I already have a bat out to keep me safe, I don't need five more heroes, all right?"
"Bat?"
"Open mouth. Insert foot," she muttered to herself. "It's nothing. Just... Clark, will you please trust me? I have this under control. If I need you, I'll call."
He sighed and she knew she'd won. "I'm just worried. If you haven't noticed, you're a bit of a danger magnet."
She laughed. "Agreed. But I'm okay and while I know Gotham isn't Superman's playing ground, I'm sure he'll show up if I ever need him." She smiled lightly.
"Of course he will," he said gently, reassuring.
"When he's not wrapped up in Lois Lane, of course."
He paused. "What does your entirely too stubborn for her own good cousin have to do with anything?"
"Clark... I had front row seats for the Clark and Lana show, okay? I know what it looks like when you're mooning over someone."
"I am not mooning over Lois!" he exclaimed.
"Uh yeah, big guy, you are."
"I don't moon, Chloe," he muttered, frustrated.
"Unless there's a Kryptonian word for it, I'm sorry to break it to you but you moon worse than any human alive."
He sighed loudly. "I don't get it! She drives me crazy!"
She laughed. "She's good at that."
"And she's always calling me Smallville! How many years has it been? Does she have to talk to me like I'm a stray who wanders into her life from time to time?"
"Think of it as a petname," she said, shrugging.
He growled with irritation. "And she's always smiling at me, but not really, it's like she's scowling except not. When she realizes I notice, then she scowls..."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Not that I'm not happy you've finally admitted you like Lois, but I really don't have the patience to listen to all the ways she drives you up the wall in an entirely too sexy way. I've got a headache the size of Bart's appetite and I just want some sleep."
"Fine," he sighed. "Is your door locked?"
"Yes, dad. And I watered the plants too." She shook her head, smiling. "Goodnight Clark."
"Night Chlo."
She hung up the phone and turned back to her laptop. Lately, the most interesting villain in Gotham's background appeared to be the Joker... His face was enough to give a person nightmares. With a sigh, she closed her computer and reached for the light. She needed some sleep before she got back to work on fixing up Gotham's nightlife.
OoO
She glanced at her watch, blowing out a breath and hurrying her steps. She hated this. Hurrying home as if she was scared when really she wasn't. She could handle herself in a fight and there was nothing wrong with the mace in her purse. She stayed a little late at the Gazette and now she was hoping to get home before the criminals of Gotham started spreading like wild fire. Her bag was making her shoulder ache; if she hadn't decided to bring home stack after stack of information from the library on former news clippings having to do with the Joker, she might not have a knot forming on her shoulder. But here she was, lugging around a too-heavy bag, muttering under her breath, and scanning the quickly darkening streets for any sign of danger. And that's when it got worse.
Snap.
She nearly collapsed to the ground when her heel gave way but caught herself just so. The last thing she wanted to do was walk through Gotham bare foot. She'd need a tetanus shot, she just knew it. But there weren't many options. Preoccupied with snapping the heel off her other shoe in hopes that might give her a little balance, she didn't hear the approaching man.
"Lookie, lookie... Out all alone, pretty lady?"
She turned her head abruptly. "Of course not," she replied. "My bodyguard will be arriving any second. Run along now," she told him.
He grinned at her, licking his lips. "Feisty... I like that."
"You're not gonna like it so much if you come any closer," she warned, glaring.
"And what's little old you gonna do to me?" He laughed. "Scream for help, I dare ya. Ain't nobody coming!" He kept walking, a swagger in his steps as he got closer and closer. She didn't' move an inch. "What's wrong baby? Scared stiff?"
"Nope. Just wanted to get my aim right." Without waiting for a reply, she lifted her arm and sprayed the mace harshly against his eyes. With a curdled scream of agony, he struggled to run backwards before slipping and falling to the ground.
Smirking, she grabbed her bag and hefted it onto her shoulder before she began to walk once more, a little awkwardly given her lopsided and broken shoes. She was a block away before he appeared.
"Fancy meeting you here," she greeted, glancing at his form as it appeared in front of her, halting her in her steps. "Might want to update the wardrobe, I think you were wearing the same thing the last two times I saw you." She grinned.
"Night fell three hours ago," he growled.
"My watch hasn't broken," she replied, lifting a brow. "I just got caught up at work. Careful, you're starting to sound like a possessive boyfriend." She tipped her head to the side, crossing her arms. "I'm on my way now. No harm, no foul."
"Tell that to the boy you maced."
"He was asking for it," she replied, frowning.
He sighed heavily. "It's safer if you just stay out of the way."
Her lips curled with a smile. "I've been told that before." She walked around him. "You'll notice I don't take orders well," she called over her shoulder.
She was nearly home before she saw him again, perched high on a roof top, hidden mostly by the shadows, but watching her, keeping her safe just in case. She wondered why she was so interesting. Unlocking the front door, she slipped inside and grabbed her mail before hurrying upstairs to her apartment. She had a lot of material on the Joker to look through. She wanted to piece together his mystery as soon as possible.
[ Next: Chapter Four.]