Sanity/Insanity
By Tracy Smallville/Batman
Category: Chruce (Chloe/Bruce Wayne)
Spoilers: War Games, Identity Crisis, up through "Unsafe" in SV land, possible future Spoilers
Summary: Falling In Love with Chloe Sullivan was never part of Bruce Wayne's plans
Disclaimer; Not mine, belong to DC and all those good people. No Sue, please.
He carefully planned his life. He had many duties, and was determined to fulfil them all. Failure was not an option in his world; failure meant death and destruction, things that he would not and could not accept. Every day, each activity, thought through, options considered and weighed, living his life was a science he was determined to perfect.
He had a small family that he was extremely devoted to- a family not by blood, but by calling and purpose. He had a few friends; those who were closest to him also patrolled the night, fighting crime and other injustices.
Bruce Wayne had been on People Magazine's list of Top Bachelors in the U.S. since its conception.
His abrupt ineligibility for the issue had caught everyone by surprise- but none more so than Bruce Wayne himself.
The first time he saw Chloe Sullivan, she stormed into his office, a perky smile and tape recorder in hand. She'd questioned him thoroughly about his hiring practices at the new Wayne Tech plant in India.
"I assure you Ms. Sullivan, that Wayne Enterprises wishes to maintain the reputation that has made it one of the most successful companies in the world. You're looking in the wrong place for scandal- we're not exactly LuthorCorp here." Bruce responded.
She laughed, and Bruce lost himself.
Chloe left Bruce's office with an invitation to dinner.
Their relationship grew at a whirlwind speed. They dined at the finest restaurants in Gotham, went to all the society balls that Gotham's wealthiest threw.
Chloe was a frequent visitor to Wayne Manor.
Alfred loved her.
She spent hours in the library- pulling down book after book, many that hadn't been off the shelf since his parent's death. They spent several evenings together at the manor- playing cards, watching DVDs, or playing video games.
Chloe could wipe the floor with him in any game. She totally annihilated him every time they played the Batman game, much to his chagrin.
It was perfect, until Bruce realized that it couldn't be.
A Gang War erupted in Gotham. He'd yelled and fought with Chloe, demanding that she leave. It wasn't safe for her here.
"I can take care of myself, Bruce. I've covered wars before, and I know Gotham. I'm staying." Chloe had stood her ground.
Bruce called in a favor at the paper, and had her transferred.
A furious Chloe broke up with him on her way out of town. "I know you did this Bruce. I can't believe this! I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me! " She yelled, and left both Gotham and his life.
The war was blazing as the superhero community went psycho. Sue Dibny was killed, and everyone was searching for the killer, only to find that the killer was part of the family- the Atom's ex-wife, Jean Loring.
Tim Drake, otherwise known, as Batman's sidekick Robin, was orphaned when Jean arranged for one of the Flash's rouges to off his Dad.
Bruce was in a dark place. Oracle left the city after the Clock Tower was destroyed; Robin and Batgirl took off on their own in neighboring Bludhaven. Dick, Nightwing, was injured while fighting in the gang war, and was recovering under the watchful eye of Alfred at Wayne Manor.
He had every intention of turning down Lois and Clark's invitation to join them for Thanksgiving in Smallville, but loneliness got the best of Bruce. Tim was off with the Titans, Dick was starting to work out with the Outsiders again, as his injury was almost completely healed. Alfred was spending time with Leslie, and Wayne Manor was silent as a tomb.
Bruce drove himself to the airport and hopped upon one of his jets, and flew to Smallville.
He arrived at the Kent farm just as Martha was putting dinner on the table.
He knew Martha and Jonathan well, having been to the farm on more than one occasion in the past. Lois was an old acquaintance; he'd saved her from some dire predicaments under the guise of Batman, and even dated her a couple of times before she started dating Clark.
"It's so nice to see you again, Bruce!" Martha said, pulling up another chair to the table, placing it between Clark and another empty chair. "Sit, sit. I'm so glad you came…what have you been eating, Bruce? Honestly, you need some meat on your bones. We've got plenty to eat, don't we Jonathan?"
"We certainly do." Jonathan Kent said with a smile.
"Are you done with the potatoes?" Lois called out to the kitchen. "Honestly. They're the best part of Thanksgiving. Excuse me Bruce, I'm going to see what in the hell's taking so long."
"Lois and Lana are still going at it, huh?" Bruce said as he sat down next to Clark. Lana was a childhood friend of Clark's, and one of the few people not in the superhero community who knew Clark's secret identity. Lana was a frequent guest at the Kent household; and usually Lois and Lana would spend most of the meal snarking back and forth at each other.
"No, she couldn't make it this year." Clark shook his head. "She's in Washington with Pete, they're trying to work things out, giving their marriage a second chance."
"Glad to hear that. So who is giving Lois the potato coronary?"
"It's her cousin."
"Lois has family? There's more where she came from?"
"Ha, Ha, Wayne." Lois said, carrying a plate of cranberry sauce. "Where would you like this Martha?"
"Anywhere's fine."
"And now, what you've all been waiting for!" A voice said, coming from the kitchen and steadily growing closer. "The potatoes!"
Bruce's mouth dropped open.
Chloe dropped the potatoes, the glass pan shattered on the floor.
"Bruce?"
"Chloe?"
"You know each other?" Clark was aghast.
"Duh, Smallville." His wife chided him as she elbowed him in the side. "I would think that's rather obvious."
"How?"
Chloe was the first to recover. "I worked in Gotham for awhile, you remember that, Clark. Bruce was, well….an acquaintance."
"Oh, no!" Lois squealed. "He's the one, isn't he? The one you were going with, the one you said was the best you'd ever…"
"LOIS!" Chloe exclaimed, her face blushing bright red. "I told you that in confidence…"
"I'm not hearing this." Clark said calmly as he stared down at his empty plate. "I'm not hearing this."
Martha took control of the situation. "That's okay, Chloe." She said, bending down towards the spilled potatoes on the floor. "I picked up some instant mashed potatoes at the market last week, they were on sale. They'll do just fine. Why don't you go get some fresh air, and you too, Bruce. Lois, can you help me with the mashed potatoes? And Clark, can you tear yourself away from your plate long enough to clean this up for me? And Jonathan, you supervise."
Everyone obeyed Martha Kent; for Martha Kent was a force to be reckoned with.
Chloe grabbed her coat and scampered outside before Bruce could react. He grabbed his coat and followed her quickly.
"Chloe."
She turned at the sound of his voice. "What is it, Bruce?"
"You're related to Lois?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "And you're supposed to be the world's greatest detective. Um, yeah. My Mom and her Mom were sisters, which would make us cousins."
"You never mentioned it."
"It's not a fact that I like widely known, okay? I taught her to write- her first article, was at the school paper where I was the editor. She can't even spell to save her life, okay? I don't want to be in Lois' shadow, so I don't advertise it. I love my cousin, but I'm my own woman."
Bruce was silent for a second. "So you two grew up together?"
"Somewhat, until I moved here."
"Here?"
"Smallville."
"You lived in Smallville?"
"My Dad worked for LuthorCorp. He was transferred. That's the story."
"I thought you were from Metropolis."
"Born there. Besides, if I say I'm from Smallville, then I get all the questions about Clark Kent, Do I know him, and has he introduced me to Superman?" She took a deep breath and looked Bruce in the eyes. "Which by the way, he has."
Bruce shrugged. "So what, so have I."
"Ha!" Chloe exclaimed.
"What in the hell are you "HA"ing me about ?"
"Honestly Bruce, you can be so damn dense! I'm throwing you clue after clue, and you just don't get it, do you?"
"Get what? I don't understand you!"
"Obviously."
"I'm sorry I sent you away, Chloe. I….I…didn't want you to get hurt."
"Sending me away wasn't the worst thing. I knew in your own twisted, masochistic way, that you were trying to protect me. Not that I needed protecting. But Bruce…you hurt me."
"I hurt you? What? How?"
"The truth, Bruce." She sighed. "You didn't, you wouldn't…."
"I haven't lied to you…." Bruce was silent as his mind whirred to catch up with hers. "You know?"
"I know." She nodded.
Bruce stood, frozen. "How?"
"I'm a reporter. It's like a sixth sense, or something. Who else in Gotham would even have enough money to finance such at thing? Plus…your butt."
"My butt?"
"I recognized your butt, okay?"
Bruce blushed slightly. "I think you're the first person in the galaxy to ever tell me that."
She shrugged. "It's true."
"And um, how, how do you feel about, you know, Batman?"
"I think he's a pretty good guy. Not that I understand the rodent fetish, exactly, but he does a lot of good. I can't imagine how Gotham would be without him… He even saved me one time, you know?"
"I remember."
"And of course I knew Bruce….why else do you think that any girlfriend worth her salt would put up with her boyfriend being out all hours of the night and coming home with mysterious bruises? I knew Bruce…I don't care that you are Batman…in fact, I think it's kind of cool…it's just, I want…I want to be part of your life, of all of your life."
Part of Bruce wanted to wrap her up in his arms and never let go.
Another part screamed that he shouldn't.
"You say that now, but when things get bad. You could be put in danger, just because you know who I am, it could be dangerous. And I can't see that…I can't let that happen."
"I know, Bruce. I understand, I'm not going into this blindly."
"You don't, Chloe. You don't." He grunted. "There are villains, and even our friends…"
"Bruce." Chloe reached out and put her tiny hands around his large ones. "I know what I'm getting into. I grew up with Lex Luthor, and Lionel Luthor, who makes Lex look like the Diet Coke of evil. I've known about the Superhero community for years. Being with you won't put me in any more danger than I'm already in." She leaned closer. "I know that Clark is Superman. I've known it since high school, even longer than Lois or Lana. I've seen what Lois has been through, and I know all about what happened to Jean, and Sue, and Jack. I know. And I don't care. Nothing means anything if I can't be with you. I love you."
She leaned up and covered his lips with hers, and Bruce couldn't help but respond.
And thus Bruce's carefully laid plans fell to waste.
Their relationship was full of starts and stops, of fights and making up. It wasn't easy, but it was wonderful.
On the next Valentine's Day, Bruce Wayne ceased being eligible for the list of most eligible bachelors.
In April, Tim Drake moved into Wayne Manor and resumed his studies, and graduated from High School.
Chloe continued to beat Bruce at Batman videogames.
She serves as the moderating party when Bruce and Dick get into a screaming match, giving Alfred a well-deserved break.
Clark was best man at their wedding, but still finds it amazing that Chloe and Bruce got married.
Lois told Bruce about the crush Chloe used to have on Clark.
He loves to tease Chloe about that.
Bruce can't understand how Clark ever let Chloe go.
Chloe is the insanity in Batman's world, but she is Bruce's sanity.