So… sorry all. Detective Fiction is still on the backburner. I was writing the actual story that follows the three published chapters, but then I got ill and then uni started back up again and my writing mojo's been fairly absent since. Thank you very much for all the feedback, you make me very happy :)

Instead, I offer you some snippets I thought of including in the forementioned fic (now slightly altered), but that never made it in and other scribblings from the same fandom. This is for all of you lovely people that sent me reviews and PMs asking for Chloe/Bruce shippiness. These are basically one-shots that all take place in the same universe. Apologies for any goofs.

Indulge Me

She noticed him as soon as he walked in through the Gazette doors. Then again, so did pretty much everyone. She had no idea what he was doing there, but staying informed on his comings and goings was not very high on her to-do list. As he disappeared from view and the room returned to its previous, less tense state, Chloe was already on her way to the nearest pot of coffee.

Walking past her desk, hands stuffed in his pockets, looking casual as ever, Bruce noted the 'get well' –cards next to the computer screen. One had the words 'Welcome back' draped across it in large glittering letters and there was a vase of tulips ranging from bright yellow to dark red behind the cards. They were beginning to wilt, but would probably last for one more day.

"Mister Wayne, care to tell me why you're looming over my workspace?" asked a calm voice from behind him. "I doubt it merits such scrutiny – I'm sure there are similar desks on offer at Pottery Barn."

Bruce smirked as Chloe sipped her steaming cup of coffee. "Miss Sullivan. I was here so I thought it only appropriate to see how you were. I heard you got into some trouble that landed you in the hospital."

Chloe wanted to roll her eyes at his use of language, but instead plastered on a smirk of her own, trying to keep the sarcasm at bay a little. "Appropriate? My, you must be bored."

"Or well-mannered," he said, casting an eye on the chair behind him. "Mind if I sit?" To his credit Bruce did wait for her to nod before laying his coat on the arm rest and sitting down and leaning back casually. "I'm also curious. What were you doing that resulted in that and what I'm assuming are other less visible injuries?" he asked, eyeing the cast on Chloe's left arm. "And more importantly, why?"

She unconsciously adjusted the sling on her shoulder as she too sat down. "Why do you ask? We're barely even acquaintances and I don't think you go around collecting dull stories for an anthology on minor injuries."

Bruce leaned forward until he could rest his arms on his legs. "Indulge me."

Chloe raised an eyebrow and mirrored his posture, allowing more of her weight to shift on her free hand resting on the table. "I think there are enough people doing that already, don't you think?"

He almost smiled, but kept the smirk firmly in place. "Then what's one more?"

"One you have no need for."

Bruce decided to change tactics figuring the exchange would not lead anywhere otherwise no matter how much fun it was. At least not where he wanted it to go. "I heard you got some help from Batman," he said while casting a cursory glance to somewhere on his right.

As the words left his lips Chloe began to look irate. "While believe he is good for Gotham, I was fine on my own and didn't need his help nor did he really do so." She reached for the forgotten coffee mug and clutched it in her hand. "Unless you call growling orders on innocent reporters help," she huffed. "I mean really, what's a broken arm and a few bruises when you have the story of the month in your hands?"

She had been hiding behind a bunch of trashcans and bags while Jeremy Hanson, the policy director of the Mayor, approached Richard Addison. Addison had found out about the plan to alter voting results so that the current Mayor would stay in office for another term. She had been following them for a good hour while they tailed Addison. In the end she had listened in on the entire conversation from her hiding spot, if one could call the threats and forced hush-money that. Everything had been going stellar until she'd snapped the money shot. She never did figure out why Hanson himself was there to offer the money, otherwise the picture would have been worth peanuts. Anyway, as the shutter clicked she was made and rushed to get away. Hanson had yelled for the men to get her and Addison got a chance to escape. She had been halfway down the alley with the camera showed down her bag when the more long-legged aggressor had tackled her and they had landed on the ground with a cry of pain. She had managed to punch him smack-dab on the nose – she still had the litle droplets of blood on her jacket – but the fall and subsequent struggle had broken her arm and she had bit her lip to keep from crying out again. The other perb had run after Addison and with a swift kick at the attacker she had been about to make her escape as she had scrambled up while supporting her arm securely against her chest when Batman had made his entrance. He had dragged the goon up off the ground and muttered something unintelligible and that was when she had noticed the second goon hanging off a fire escape by his jacket.

"Go write your story," he ordered.

"Have you smoked a pack a day since you were five or has your voice always been like that?" she asked while wincing and wanting desperately to dust the bits of dirt off her clothes. She

"You shouldn't be here."

"No one should be here and yet there were six of us not a minute ago." Batman glared at her and Chloe arched an eyebrow in return. "And we're all quite annoyed, aren't we boys?" she said, her voice pained, but not without spirit.

The thug still in Batman's grip held his nose while the other one struggled trying to get free from the makeshift human coat rack. Neither Addison nor Hanson was nowhere to be seen, but that wouldn't matter once the article got published.

"Am I still bleeding?" the former asked and Batman tightened his grip on the front of his shirt and rattled him to shut him up.

"Can you get to the hospital?"

"Yes, it's only a couple of blocks away." She wanted to be more annoyed, but he had helped. It would have been immature to say otherwise, but she maintained that she would have been fine on her own – this wasn't her first time .

"Then go."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You know, for Gotham's protector you're very rude." He nodded towards the street that would take her to the hospital. "Fine, but don't think you saved me – he's gonna have a hell of a shiner come morning."

"Yes, I read it. You heard the exchange and got it on tape along with a picture. Addison refused the money, didn't he? Not bad for someone who arrived here less than four months ago." The last sentence was directed straight at Chloe.

"Like I told you before: The stories are there, it's just a matter of sticking your nose where they think it doesn't belong to find out about them."

"And that would be when the accidents happen?"

Chloe squinted at Bruce. She knew he was baiting her and boy did she want to take the bait and say just what was on her mind but thought better of it and adopted a *** look instead. "No pain, no gain?" she offered.

Bruce chuckled and began to rise and grabbed his coat. "Ah, 'For every pleasure you enjoy, you must suffer some pain' – Do you really subscribe to that?"

"Seems about right to me," said Chloe. "How about you?"

"'They say hard work never hurt anybody, but I figure why take the chance.'"

Chloe bit her lip at the serious way he delivered the quote. "Really? For some reason I don't believe you truly side with that… Nor did I peg you for a reaganite."

Bruce stopped to look at her for a moment, only one arm fully in the sleeve. A second passed before he pulled the coat on all the way and shoved his hands in the pockets. There was something about the things she said and the way she said them that intrigued him, attracted him to her.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you Miss Sullivan," he said, a slight smile gracing his features, "but I'll leave you to your… reporting."

"Likewise Mister Wayne," she replied, stopping for a moment as Bruce turned his back to leave. "Just one question: Why are you here?"

"Like I said, I was curious," he answered over his shoulder.

"I meant why are you here at the Gazette?" she asked again, but only got a cryptic smile in return.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here?"

It was Chloe's turn to smirk. She still didn't understand why he was interested in the story she had written a while ago, nor his real reason for hanging around her desk on a Wednesday afternoon, but she would find out sooner or later – just not today. "You first."

They held each other's gaze for a moment, but soon realised neither was going to elaborate any further, yet knowing the discussion would continue another time should the opportunity present itself.

"Goodbye Mister Wayne," Chloe said as she got ready to resume work and Bruce turned to leave once again.

"Goodbye Miss Sullivan."