Title: Old Friend
Category: Smallville/Batman Crossover
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance/Humor
Pairing: Chloe/Bruce
Prompt: Computer by fran06
Word Count: 802
Summary: After all these years, all they'd gone through...

Old Friend
-Drabble-

She was ready to tear her hair out. There was nothing worse than having her most trusted companion die on her. After all these years, all they'd gone through together, the stories they'd accomplished... Her laptop had finally given out on her. The screen went black and no matter how much she shook it or pushed the power button, it just wasn't coming back to her. What was even worse was that this particular model wasn't being made any longer. Sure, there were quicker and more modern laptops out there, for a very shiny penny, but she didn't want them. She wanted her computer; the one that got her through some of the biggest stories of her life. The one that was there at four in the morning when she was running on nothing but coffee and sleep was a distant dream. She wanted the laptop that was with her during most of high school, all of college, her days in the Daily Planet, and had followed her into darker corners at the Gotham Gazette.

But now it was gone; pushed away, never to reboot. She could almost cry... Almost.

There was a knock at the door and she sighed. "Come in, Alfred..."

The door opened but it wasn't Alfred whose head popped in. Her brow furrowed; he never knocked. It was his room too, there was no point. "You look just as depressed as you did yesterday," he commented.

She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thank you, husband of mine, you're so unbelievably sweet in this moment of disaster."

He chuckled, walking closer, arms crossed behind his back. "Disaster, Chloe? A little dramatic, don't you think?"

"You wouldn't understand..." She frowned. "Imagine if your bat suit suddenly wasn't useable anymore and you had to get another one. One that was probably better and safer, but didn't fit as right. It hadn't been there during some of your most dangerous fights or the biggest moments of your life." She shook her head. "I know it's a little much, but I loved that computer."

He sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I know." He nodded. "Which is why I have something for you..."

Her brow lifted and his arms came out from behind him, placing a large, thin box in her lap. She stared down at it, chewing her lip. She knew Bruce, and this was probably the best computer in the entire world, but she didn't want one of those, as thoughtful as it was. She decided not to disappoint however, he was being sincere after all, and opened the top to look at it. Her fake smile dwindled away immediately... The laptop sitting inside was not of the latest models, or even something many computer users could only dream of. This was her laptop. The one she'd had for ages. It even had her faded sticker on top, barely readable anymore. She reached out, let her fingers brush over the top and then asked, "How?"

"I had Lucius look into it... He suggested throwing it out and getting a new one but after looking it over, he was finally able to fix it. It's a little bit more updated than the last one, but it'll last another ten years or so. I considered getting you a new one but then I realized how much you-"

She cut him off with a kiss that nearly knocked him back on the bed. Her arms wrapped tight around him, hands tight around the collar of his shirt, her tongue tangling with his erotically, air a forgotten necessity. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into his lap, hands spreading out over her back. When she finally pulled back, they were both breathing heavy, lips swollen and eyes half-lidded.

"I was expecting a tearful thank you," he said, panting.

She grinned, licking her lips before she stroked the side of his face affectionately. "I love you! This is... This is above and beyond, really!"

He lifted a shoulder. "I know how much it mattered to you."

She felt tears well up in her eyes, now she was pretty sure she would cry. "I knew there was a reason I married you, Bruce Wayne!"

He smiled, chuckling deeply. "It wasn't my good looks and incredible charm?"

She tipped her head to one side. "It certainly helped."

He rubbed her back, drawing her in until her head was resting on his shoulder. "So you're happy now? No more moping around the manor?"

She played with the buttons on his shirt before undoing them one by one. "I know a way you can make me even happier..." She tipped her head and kissed his neck, nibbling his skin teasingly.

"I like the sound of that..." he growled.

She did too.