Chloe tried to be silent as she went into the Watchtower. It had been a full two weeks of ignoring Bart, making sure not to stay in one place too long, avoiding his phone calls and burying herself in work, but this one was harder. She was at the Watchtower now and it was the place he was most likely to be found, but she had to talk to Oliver about the new threat looming in Metropolis so she'd have to chance it.
An hour later she was on her way out and feeling like an escaped felon who'd eluded a cop, she'd talked to Oliver, dealt with the problem and there was still no sign of Bart.
"You were going to leave without saying goodbye?"
She jumped, actually jumped and it was almost shameful for a superhero to not realize someone else was in the room and then to freak when they spoke.
Of course most someone's didn't move at superhuman speed.
"Bart," she said, turning toward him and trying to seem calm, "I was….I didn't realize you were here."
"You hoped I wasn't here," he corrected, "Since you've been trying to avoid me for two weeks." There was a hint of bitterness and anger in his voice and it put her on edge.
"I haven't been trying to; I've been succeeding at it."
She saw him roll his eyes, "Chloelicious I can go around the world in mere seconds, so there really isn't a place you could hide that I wouldn't find you eventually. I've been letting you avoid me, letting you figure things out, waiting for you to come to me…." He smiled, his usual flirtatious, aren't I adorable smile, "Any chance you've figured things out and were just on your way to find me and jump into bed with me."
She took a deep breath, "Look Bart, the thing is…"
"Let me guess," He said calmly, "you've thought it over and decided that we're all wrong for each other. And that we should just forget that night and go back to being friends."
She smiled, somewhat relieved, "Well, yes actually I think…"
"No."
"What?" she said, confused at being interrupted at the beginning of a speech she'd been practicing for two weeks, "What do you mean no?"
"I mean," he said, looking more annoyed than she'd ever seen, "I don't want to be your friend, Chloe, I'm sick to death of being your friend. I'm sick to death of watching you fall in love with men who never love you back. Sick of watching you wait for Clark to come back, even if he does he won't be coming back to you, it'll be to Lois, just like Bruce will always want Rachel and Ollie will always want Dinah and I…" he moved forward, his hand coming up to touch her cheek, "I will always want you Chloe. Don't you see it? Don't you see how much I love, how great we could be together if you just gave us a chance?"
"Bart," she said, looking up into his eyes, feeling tears come into her own, "I….it wouldn't work I can't…."
His eyes fell, "You can, Chloe, you just won't. You know," he moved away from her now; put his back to her, "If I thought you really didn't feel the same I might be able to get over it. Unlike you I don't want to spend the rest of my life loving someone who doesn't love me back."
"Hey," she said, "That's a horrible thing to say to me Bart."
"It's the truth," he said, turning back, "Just like it's the truth that you feel something for me, maybe it's not love now, but it could be Chloe, I know it could and deep down so do you."
She shook her head, "I'm sorry Bart, but I don't….I can't be with you like that."
He looked like he was about to yell back, but his mouth closed o a sigh, "Fine," eh said, "But we can't be friends wither."
Her eyes widened, "But Bart."
"You can't have it both ways, my love, you just can't." He came closer to her again and before she could stop him planted a soft kiss on her lips, "There's nothing but the League between us now," he said, "I won't spend my life chasing you."
He shot off before she could respond, leaving her there with tears running down her cheeks, trying to figure out why it felt like her heart was broken.
