So I wrote this in one afternoon. It was an idea that popped into my head. It may be a two parter- I haven't decided yet. Don't hate please!
There will be grammer errors!
Important Notes: AU after Lazarus/Shield from Smallville. So Chloe still traded herself for Oliver. This is an undetermined future timeline.
This will run semi along The Dark Knight Rises aftermath or most of the fic with obvious change of Dick Grayson/Nightwing, Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Jason Todd(Current Robin) mentions of Tim Drake(future Robin) participation/existance. Also- Bruce/Batman is deemed alive and well by Gotham/World. General Bat universe knowledge is helpful. I did vaguely age up Jason.
Hopefully it makes sense.
Notes at the end!
Chapter 1: Girl in Question
"Hey Hero!"
Chloe called from the doorway as she scrolled through her phone with one hand. She rolled as eyes when she saw everyone's head turn at the sound of her voice.
Seriously.
She arched an eyebrow at several open mouths that just hung open as they stared at her. Amused, her eyes scanned over the visiting occupants in the large office. Literally, everyone in the room was borderline devastatingly handsome. A man with dark hair and blue eyes whom the world called Superman. A well built blonde who looked like he just came from the beach: Aquaman. Another one dressed in red with boyish features: Impulse. A handsome African American man with dark eyes: Cyborg and of course who didn't know the blonde billionaire playboy known as Green Arrow. Yet, here they were staring at her with a mixture of horror, bewilderment, seemingly frozen with a loss for words and also with...something she couldn't place.
Had they never seen a woman before? She sincerely doubted that. Hell, in another life Chloe would have definitely drooled over each and every one of them. They definitely all had ladies lining up for each of them. So if it wasn't that- what could cause a bunch of self proclaimed superheroes to gape as her as if she just told them she had come back from the dead. Though, in a way she supposed she did.
Or maybe they didn't expect the famed Batman to work with one? That was probably the most logical answer. He was famed for being independent and exclusive save for the sidekicks and company. Here she was, clearly not suited up and a regular blonde female. Her phone beeped at her as it shook at from her thoughts. Her eyes scanned over them as she landed on one particularly attractive male. The reason why she had come up from the cave.
"Boy Wonder- Let's go" She arched an eyebrow as Jason tossed her a smirk and gracefully walked over to her. She couldn't help the smile that creeped onto her face when he stood up. Tall, muscular but somehow lean. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. Even better he was all hers; How lucky could a girl with no past get?
She continued to ignore the open mouths of the so called heroes of the world as he sauntered over and draped an arm around her shoulders. He raised a hand to signal his exit. Bruce tilted his head in acknowledgement from his desk as they left. She smiled warmly up at Jason as they made their way through the halls of the mansion. Even though they hadn't been together romantically for too long, they always seemed to fall into the same wavelength. Not for the first time, she was eternally grateful to have him and everyone else.
For the life of her, she really couldn't understand why Bruce was even letting the Justice League think that he would join much less the rest of the bat family. He had his own sidekicks, his own support system and more importantly he had his own family. Even to someone like her, she could tell. The look of people who has seen death and not quite shook it off. Bruce, Dick, Jason, even Tim and Barbara had it but they were held together by a common goal. For all their fights and harsh worlds- they were a family. From what she could tell, the Justice League was about to fall apart at the seams. Even she had heard about the in house fighting and leadership issues the Justice League had. She looked up when Jason shifted slightly as they walked. He noticed her watching him and shrugged.
"You know he doesn't play well with others" Chloe let out a small laugh. Wasn't that the truth?
Jason had been training with Bruce for years now, he could interpret sounds and silence a lot of the mansion more than she could. Bruce was probably making sarcastic remarks and comebacks now that they were out of the room. No need to behave with the kiddos gone. Not that she was a kid but then again in a way she was. Everyone knew what his answer would be. They wouldn't join. They had voted privately and Chloe was firmly in the against. After all, in Gotham's greatest time of need, where were they? When Gotham was literally falling apart; no one came. Thousands dead and millions in damage; no one came. She didn't want to hear excuses that the league would give. In the end, Gotham saved itself. With its own heroes and people. Gotham didn't need these so called league. Call her biased but Chloe felt she was all the evidence she needed. She was living proof.
When she woke up, all she could remember was pain. It overwhelmed her completely. She didn't know where she was or even she who she was. In fact, it took her several weeks to even be able to speak properly without needing to be drugged out of her mind to function. She was like blank slate with no idea of the world. She was in the shock of her unremembered life when she was told that she had been caught up in a terrorist attack in Gotham City. A monster named Bane had taken over the city and blown up a stadium where she had been attending a game. The aftermath of that event was something straight out of a movie or a comic book. It was surreal that even despite watching the video footage and even visiting the remaining rubble- it seemed unreal. More unreal was how she ended up in this mixed up family.
Eventually, after Batman with help from the bat family and the police force had saved the city; the true work began. These other so called heroes didn't come to help rebuild the broken city. The people of Gotham didn't need false their inspiration. Gotham has its own heroes- who pulled themselves out of the fire. In the midst of all the horror, no one had time to look for survivors in any of the attacks. Apparently after many grim days, Officer Dick Grayson found her-more than halfway in deaths door. From that attack only her and a young boy survived.
She had been in a coma for 8 months after they found her. After so much destruction and death- Dick Grayson saw a miracle in her and the boy who survived: Tim Drake. Which is really the reason she ended up in such a wonderfully wacky life. Perhaps it was a shared orphan thing but he never gave up on her. While Tim was released fairly quickly in comparison, no one had expected her to survive but she did. Waking up without any memories was an acceptable loss according to her doctors and frankly even to herself. No one had claimed her in the 8 months of her coma and up to date. Whomever she had been, it clearly didn't matter to anyone except for the few in Gotham City.
Dick. Barbara. Alfred. Jim Gordon. Tim. Bruce. Jason.
Barbara had been there when she woke up. Dick had been there pushing her pushing her every physical therapy session. Alfred came by everyday with home cooked food to help her gain strength. Commissioner Jim Gordon came by originally to try to find her family. However, just going by her first name wasn't much. Gotham City had thousands who had died or fled during the siege so when her picture and fingerprints didn't yield any results; Chloe let it go. To say that it probably struck a chord in him was an understatement. A lost girl with no memory. The Gordon family adopted her. Barbara was an absolute angel. She welcomed Chloe with all the gusto of someone who always wanted a sister. Never mind that she was an amnesiac orphan. Though ironically, they both seemed to be borderline geniuses'. It clearly ran in the family.
Timothy Drake had been in her section when the stadium collapsed. He had stumbled upon her when the dust settled. They were only together for a few minutes which is when she told him her name. Chloe. It was the only connection to her past. She had told him everything would be okay and that someone would rescue them. But then a shift in rubble caused them to separate. She pushed him away and then everything went dark. Eventually when he was found, he asked for her. He visited her everyday- telling her about school and his life.
Bruce Wayne has been a complete surprise. Though if you really looked it shouldn't have surprised her. After all Dick Grayson was his adopted ward and heir. At first, she thought he was testing her to see if she really did have amnesia. She did. Then slowly over time a tentative friendship. Eventually a sidekick to his sidekick.
Jason Todd. Bruce's second ward. Loudmouthed and cocky. With dark hair blue eyes and body to drool over; he was her rock. At 20, he was a few years younger than her but what did they say about age and love? Nothing but a number. Perhaps he saw something in her. Perhaps he felt a kindred spirit. Perhaps he just thought she was cute. Chloe once wondered why he kept coming by. He didn't owe her anything. He didn't know her. He could have just as easily stayed away and she wouldn't begrudge him for it. The one time she had the courage to voice the question; Jason shrugged and went " ...Starting over is scary as hell".
And that had been that. Over the months after she woke up, they found something in each other. Beneath the snarky and sarcastic comments and quips; they developed something. Something real. The way her eyes lit up when he walked into a room. The smile that was clearly only for her. He accepted her for all the new faults she found in herself and all the eccentricities she developed along the way. He had been drowning in the superhero life without a purpose and she was a girl left behind. Sure, Jason liked the action, adrenaline and of course being adopted by Bruce had many advantages but he wanted more. Even if he didn't realize it, Jason was being consumed in the darkness that he fought all the time. Each time a little more reckless, a little more dangerous and a little more close to the edge.
Once, Bruce had commented once that she gave Jason a reason. A purpose. Even with all the money, cars and women there was a unbearable loneliness needing to be filled. For Bruce, it was his odd family. It gave him something to protect, to watch over and to come home too. For Dick, it was Barbara. They shared the sense of justice, morality and of course love. Jason hadn't found a reason yet. In fact, he was close to spiraling out of control that it even gave Bruce pause. It had always been Bruce's greatest fear- to be the one who would have to put down one of his proteges. You could only look into the dark for so long before it looked back.
Maybe it was because she didn't remember any of her past- with no baggage and hang ups but it was easy. An easygoing friendship that just as easy turned into a fierce intense love. When she discovered the night activities of this particular rag tag group- he didn't deny it. In fact, he asked if she was ready to go into the rabbit hole. He held out his hand and she didn't even hesitate to take it. Between his smart mouth an her tendency to get into trouble they were a match made in bat heaven. Whatever she was to Jason, he was the same to her. A smile in the light. A lifeline in the dark. A love worth coming home for. It was odd she supposed, she would probably never remember her past life due to the extensive damage from the attack but she doubted it could be as interesting or even as happy as her current one.
"Hey Sidekick, you going to boss me around or what?"
Blinking rapidly; Chloe realized they were already in the Batcave. Jason had already suited up and getting on his bike. Grinning, she sat down in front of the computer and switched on her comm as he raced off.
"You're so going to pay for that. Nightwing and Batgirl sent a messageā¦."
Notes:
Hope you enjoyed that! So as I noted this is AU after S10 Ep1/2.
I chose Jason Todd as a romantic pairing instead of Bruce/Dick Grayson as honestly I saw Titans Jason Todd and felt-I can work with that! I did age him up to have it fit in the fic. Though I did keep Chloe's age vaguely older- in my head she's about 25-26 of age. I love Dick/Barbara so that was out(forever supporter) and felt that because the time frame I did- Selina Kyle would stay Bruce's love interest tho its not mentioned(may be mentioned later on).
So basically, yes the JL has come to ask Bruce to join b/c Bruce is a billionaire playboy with many a sidekicks! Who wouldn't want that! Since, Chloe disappeared and it was accepted- no one in the JLA would have come to look for her. She deleted her entire digital footprint so there wouldnt be much of anything to find. Not to say that Batman wouldn't/hasn't found something. As to why they no one came to help during Bane/Talia- I purposely left it vague. Since I edited the time lines it could be due a number of reason- I might address it in another chapter.
Ofc, lots of parallels to Smallville romance of CS/OQ- hopefully not to cringey. I tried to really emphasis the love felt between Jason/Chloe.
