Chapter 23

Later that evening… Robinson Park…

Inside the West Gate of Gotham's Robinson Park, inside an awkward geometric space made by a group of parked cars, five men and one woman waited. And each dealt with the waiting in their own way.

Gabe Sullivan paced, checked his watch repeatedly, and paced some more.

Captain Jim Gordon calmly sipped his coffee, occasionally listed to the police radio at his belt.

Officer Renee Montoya, in attendance only because Gordon worried that Chloe Sullivan might need "a female presence to calm her down" stood at rapt attention, anxious to comply with a direct order from her boss. Her hands fiddled with the blanket Gordon suggested she should bring and the thermos of hot coffee that Gabe Sullivan had insisted she bring.

Ted Dandridge followed Gabe Sullivan's pacing with his eyes and occasionally made futile attempts to get the man to relax.

Danny Pena chewed on his thumbnail and engaged on a largely one-sided glaring match with Lex Luthor.

Lex Luthor stared at the west gate. His stood with his hands in the pockets of his pants and did not say a word or even look at anyone. The only things distinguishing him from the statue of the dead general behind him were the horse, the wind fluttering through his clothes, and the fact that he did need to blink every now and again.

The minutes ticked by. Gabe Sullivan tapped his watch. "What time do you have?" he asked no one in particular.

This earned him a sympathetic smile from Ted but no other response.

Finally, the all heard the sound of a roaring engine approaching and turned in the direction of the sound. A sleek black vehicle that looked to be equal parts tank and sports car spun through the gates and came to a skidding halt a few yards away.

Danny Pena and Renee Montoya's jaws dropped and she almost dropped the coffee.

Gabe Sullivan cursed and muttered "He drives like that with my daughter in the car?!!!"

Ted Dandridge attempted to tell Gabe to calm down yet again.

Lex Luthor frowned and started toward the car.

Jim Gordon stopped him with a hand on his arm as he crumpled his paper coffee cup with his other hand. "Give it a minute, son."

They all watched as the driver side door opened and a black-clad, pointy-ear figure stepped out and stood beside the car. The passenger side door did not open and the windows were tinted so black, that it was impossible to see inside the vehicle.

Batman made no attempt to approach them.

Gordon dropped Lex's arm. "Stay here, all of you. He wants to talk to me."

"How the hell do you know that? He hasn't said anything." Danny asked.

Gordon ignored him and looked from Batman back to the group standing with him. "Just stay here." He was looked directly at Lex as he spoke so there could be no doubt as to who his directive as meant for.

Batman as relieved when Gordon started walking towards him. Alone. He had been hoping that Gordon could read him well enough to know that he had no intention of dealing with that many people, least of all Lex. Come to think of it, that Ted Dandridge was far too sharp for Batman to be comfortable around either. No wonder the man respected Chloe so much.

As he thought of Chloe, his gaze flicked briefly towards the Batmobile. He and Gordon really didn't have too much time to chat before Chloe revolted at being left in the car.

Gordon approached, hands buried deeply into the pockets of his trench coat.

"Evening. Thanks for the footage from the cameras. The Feds nearly wet themselves when they saw it. Prosecuting him will be a lot easier with those recordings. Mills died on the table and Kline's in ICU. There's no guarantee he'll make it so it will be good to have some other evidence."

Batman nodded.

"How'd you get that footage anyway? And how'd you know who the guy was?"

"Chloe Sullivan."

"Chloe?"

"She got into the museum's security system. She also ID'd Mitchell from his profile while I was trying to take him down. Matched his face to his ID in a military database."

Gordon looked impressed. "Damn. She sounds pretty handy. You sure you want to give her back?" He joked.

Batman frowned at him and immediately changed the subject. "Mitchell seems to think he'll be dead before this comes to trial."

"Yeah, he rambled on about that for a while during booking. Seems to think his 'customers' will want him dead more than the Feds want him alive. I doubt that, though. I think the government's going to make an example of him. They'll make it the terror trial of the century. A real media circus."

Batman nodded. "Exactly, and that's why he'd rather be dead."

"Pardon?"

"Read his file." Said Batman, although truth be told, he hadn't done so himself. Chloe had read it too him on his way back to the Batcave. "He's third generation military. No male in his family has left the service with a ranking below Major since the World War II. It's all he knows. He got captured by insurgents in the Middle East ten years ago, passed around as a bargaining chip among different factions for three years before the Air Force got around to breaking him out."

Gordon exhaled in disbelief.

"They gave him the standard psych eval, handed him some medals, and stuck him behind a desk at the Pentagon. I guess everyone hoped three years of being locked in a hole in the ground and tortured would only give him a few bad dreams."

"So you think he snapped?"

"I looked in his eyes, Jim. I know he snapped."

A muffled pounding came from the car and Batman sighed. Their time was almost up.

"He's still somewhat lucid though," he continued. "He's sane enough to know what he did was wrong but apparently not sane enough to stop himself from trying to exact some revenge on the government and get what he felt he was owed. But the real reason he wanted me to kill him was so he wouldn't have to face his own family as a traitor."

"You think that's the reason?"

"He went into the service with a distinguished family name to uphold and this is how he ends up.? I'm very sure that's the reason."

"Well, his lawyers should have some fun sorting it all out; it's in their hands now."

The pounding from the car grew louder and more insistent. Gordon shot him a look that was part amusement, part disbelief.

Batman frowned and said flatly, "I suppose I should let her out before she blows the damn thing up."

Gordon snickered. "You think?"

"Head on back and tell them she'll be over in a minute."

Gordon nodded, recognizing that their conversation was over. "OK… ah…nice work, Batman."

Batman nodded curtly at the compliment and circled around to the passenger side of the car and waited while Gordon began heading back to the others. Then he remembered something.

"Jim?"

Gordon turned. "Yeah?"

"Tell Luthor and her father…she's still hurt…from the docks…bruised ribs." Batman felt uncharacteristically foolish relaying that information but for some reason, it seemed necessary.

Gordon looked at him oddly for a fraction of a second and then resumed walking.

Batman waited until he was certain Gordon had relayed his message before opening the car door.

Chloe looked up at him, her legs in mid-kick at the dashboard.

"About damn time! What the hell? Locking me in a cave for days on end wasn't enough? You needed to lock me in the damn car too? After all I did for you, you ungrateful, pointy—!"

"I needed to talk to Gordon." Batman said calmly, reaching over her to release her safety belt.

"Call his cell next time! I was dying in here!" She unfolded himself from the car and pulled herself up to her full height - which was still a good foot shorter than his - and glared at him.

Batman only slammed the door and stepped back, wordlessly indicating that she was free to go. With an exaggerated huff she started away from him towards the others. After a few steps, she froze, as if the reality of the situation had just hit her. She spun around and walked slowly back to stand in front of him. Batman was momentarily struck by how small she was and looking even smaller in the ill-fitting clothes Leslie had given her. Small in stature but not so in any other way.

"I never thanked you…for fishing me out of the river. I know its part and parcel of the whole hero thing, but I can still show my gratitude," she said.

The thing about being Batman was that he rarely got thanked. He didn't deal with cats in trees and that kind of thing. The criminals he strung up weren't exactly grateful for his efforts. He was usually long gone before the police arrived to collect these 'gifts' and the odd civilian he rescued from a violent act was typically too scared out of their wits by the sight of him to say much of anything.

Which is why he had no idea how to respond to Chloe's 'thank you.' No idea at all.

In the end, he could only nod in reply but he managed to do so without frowning so he figured it was something.

She turned again and walked away for real this time.

Chloe wasn't sure what she expected from Batman when they parted. A hug? Certainly not. A handshake? Perhaps. But a wordless nod? That really took the whole dark and brooding thing too far, didn't it?

She shrugged to herself as she turned away. It was who he was and she was not likely to see him again so it really didn't matter. What mattered now was that she was free to go back.

She was relieved to see the small group of mostly familiar faces waiting for her. She couldn't deal with strangers now. Gordon, of course, her dad, Ted, Danny, some female officer she had never seen before…and Lex.

Lex got to her first, which came as no surprise. Before she could say a word, his hands were on either side of her face. Her hands landed at his waist and she hung on tight.

"Are you OK? He said you were hurt…" Lex whispered, his face very close to hers.

"I'm fine, it's just bruised ribs from the fight on the docks," she told him.

He looked like he wanted to kiss her but something was holding him back. Perhaps the fact that there were seven other pairs of eyes on them. Instead, she leaned up and kissed the side of his mouth, then tucked her head into the crook of his neck, content to inhale his familiar scent once again and enjoy being near him, even if she could not be as close to him as she wanted to be.

Gabe caught up with them by this time and Chloe pulled away only to be engulfed in another embrace from her father.

"God sweetie, I thought…. Thank God, you're alright!" He let her go quickly to look her over, apparently checking her for sign of injury or something.

"I'm OK, really. I'm fine."

Lex was caught her hand again. "He didn't hurt you?" he asked.

Chloe blinked. "Who?"

Lex nodded toward Batman, who was still standing motionless several yards away. "Him."

Chloe smiled shakily and shook her head. "No, of course not. Everything was fine."

Lex looked at the black-clad figure standing next to a tank of a car, cape fluttering in the wind. "But…"

Chloe squeezed his hand back. "I'm fine, Lex." She shifted her attention to the others. "Hi, Ted. Hey, Danny…I miss anything?"

"You crazy brat," Ted said, pulling her from Lex for a quick and gentle hug. "You're going to be the death of me."

Chloe almost laughed when Lex caught her hand again as soon as Ted let go of her and he defiantly pulled her closer to him when she turned to greet Danny.

"Hey, Danny. Didn't I tell you I had it all under control?" she joked.

Perhaps it was her imagination but Danny seemed to look warily at both Ted and Lex before answering. "I shouldn't have doubted you for a minute, CJ."

"Damn right."

The female officer stepped forward, introduced herself and offered her a blanket which Chloe readily declined, instead eyeing the thermos. "No thanks, but if there's coffee in there, I just may tackle you."

Gordon nudged Montoya. "You heard the lady, hand it over. After what she's been through, I don't want to have to arrest her for assaulting a police officer!"

Montoya knew better than to disobey a direct order. Chloe tore the lid off the thermos in seconds and took a long swig.

"Speaking of assault," Gordon added. "I'm going to need to get you to file a report with the PD about the assault at the docks…"

Gabe, Lex, and Ted all opened their mouths to protest but Gordon held up his hand.

"…but since one of the suspects is dead and the other is in intensive care and likely not going anywhere, I don't think it's something that needs to happen tonight."

Chloe stiffened at the revelation that someone actually had died in all of this. Once again, the reality of the situation slammed into her and she leaned against Lex for support.

Bless Gordon for taking pity on her. "Go home and get some rest, Ms. Sullivan." Smiling faintly, he added, "I imagine he wasn't exactly easy to deal with."

There was no question who 'he' was.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."

As if one cue, the bat-mobile's engine roared to life and they all turned to watch it speed away, screeching across the pavement.

Chloe turned her head to see Lex staring intently at the retreating vehicle. His jaw was tightly set, his eyes were dark, and he radiated tension all of a sudden. The entire effect made Chloe slightly…uneasy. Uneasy because she was certain she'd seen that look on his face before.

Later that evening…Lex's Penthouse…

An hour and a half later, Chloe realized that she had been too tired to worry about whatever it was Lex was brooding about. The activities of the preceding days were finally catching up with her. She had barely slept during the day in the Batcave – who could, really? Staying up all night to match Batman's schedule was easy to do when you were running on adrenaline but when that the adrenaline was gone…she was just about ready to drop.

She fell asleep in Lex's car as they drove her father back to his hotel. She vaguely heard Lex promising Gabe that he and Chloe would drive him to the airport the following afternoon but she didn't recall contributing anything coherent to the conversation. Her father placed a kiss on her forehead and was gone.

Lex then stopped at her loft and let her snooze in the car while he ran up and grabbed some clothes and toiletries for her. She hadn't asked, he just did. She didn't even recall agreeing to stay at his Penthouse with him but she didn't feel like arguing.

Once back in Lex's apartment and somewhat recharged from her nap,, she decided she really wanted a shower. In Lex's amazing bathrooms with all the showerheads on full blast. Using her own nice-smelling soap, not the hospital-y stuff that she had used in the Batcave.

She grunted something incoherent in Lex's direction and disappeared into his bathroom. She emerged a half an hour later, having exhausted all the possible showerhead combinations. She was dressed in a silky blue nightgown and robe and feeling truly female for the first time in day. Lex was nowhere in sight.

She found him minutes later, in his study, leaning over his desk, his back to the door.

He looked tired and rumpled, not that the latter was a bad thing. His black shirt was untucked and partially unbuttoned. Naturally, he was sexy, but the worry lines around his eyes and mouth concerned her.

Wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, she placed her head against his shoulder. "How many more times do I have to tell you that I'm OK?"

"A few more hundred should do it," he replied dryly.

"Please say you're joking."

Lex turned in her arms and leaned his weight against the desk so he could pull her closer.

"Fine, I'm joking."

"I don't believe you."

"You told me to say it!"

"I meant for you to say it and mean it."

Lex kissed the bare skin just above the neckline of her robe. "Be more specific next time."

Chloe rolled her eyes then looked at his face. "You look like hell, you know that right?"

"I've been told that I've looked better."

"Did you sleep at all while I was gone?"

"Sleep? Yes. Well? No."

"At least you're honest," she muttered. "Lex, the whole reason for sending you and Dad those messages was so that you wouldn't worry about me. Didn't you believe me when I told you that I was alright?"

"Of course I believed you, it was the messenger I wasn't so sure about."

"Batman? You didn't trust Batman? After everything that happened, you didn't trust Batman?"

"Chloe, it's one thing to trust Batman to bring down a terrorist, it's another thing entirely to trust him with someone I…with you. Seriously, the man doesn't come across as the picture of sanity."

"I know, I tried to tell him that the pointy ears were too much but he wouldn't hear of it."

Lex half-smiled at her quip. "Where did he keep you anyway?"

"Ah…I'm not sure I really want to tell you. You're just going to freak out."

"Try me."

"….In a cave…somewhere outside Gotham. I don't know where, though."

"A CAVE!!!!"

"Nice job not freaking out! It wasn't like a bear's cave in the woods somewhere. It was some kind of techno-cave, fitted out with computers, labs, and stuff. I had a room, a bed, running water, and everything. I think it was a natural cave that he renovated himself. It was actually fine…except for the bats."

"BATS!???!"

"You said you wouldn't get upset."

"I made no such promise!"

Chloe realized he was right. Well, it was too late now. She might as well tell him everything.

"Yes, there were bats, up in the high parts of the cave. They pretty much stayed up there …and I got used to the screeching."

"Screeching?" Lex released her and pressed his hands to his head. "So let me get this straight, this man lives…in a cave…filled with bats, somewhere outside Gotham?"

"I told you, it's not just bats, he has computers and stuff."

"Well that makes it all better, then. So many of your bat-infested caves come without net access these days, I'm glad he thought ahead." Lex drawled sarcastically.

"Lex, can you please just let it go? Batman is just a man. He kept his word and took care of me. I'm back now. We caught the guy. Your robots won't be sold to terrorists. You've got your government contract…"

"Wait, you know about that?" he interrupted.

"Of course, I know about that. I asked Batman and he told me it was one of the conditions for destroying the plant. The Defense Department would reimburse you and you'd get a contract."

"How did he know that?"

Chloe shrugged. "I have no idea, he knew everything else about this, why not that? He probably found out from Gordon through the FBI."

Lex shook his head, "I don't know. I thought that our contact at the FBI was keeping that part quiet until everything died down. It was just going to be between Bruce, myself and him for now. Why would he tell Gordon?"

Chloe ran her hands up Lex's chest to get his attention back. "Who knows? Who cares? My point is, it's over. I'm fine. I'm here. With you. Can you relax now?"

"Maybe, if you answer one more question."

"What?"

"What about us?"

"Us?"

"Yes, the 'us' that you acknowledged did exist…before everything went to hell for while there."

"Oh that 'us'…"

"Right, that 'us'."

Chloe made a show of pretending to think about the question and Lex pulled her close again, letting her body fit between his legs.

"I like the idea of 'us'…" she began, gasping a little; as Lex's lips found her throat again.

"Good," was his muffled reply.

"But…."

Lex head shot up. "But?"

"Do we need it label it right now? I mean, it's three in the morning. We've just been through a whole lot of craziness. I don't think either of us is ready to decide whether this is 'Casual Dating Us', 'Serious Dating Us'…'Forever Us' or whatever."

At first, Lex face gave away nothing. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you and I should just be 'us' for a while before we try to be anything else. Together but with a definition to be determined at a later date. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it actually does…although, if the need arises, you're explaining this arrangement to your father. Not me. He and I have had enough strained conversations to last for quite some time."

"Deal."

He kissed her before she could question him further; it was their first real kiss since she came back. It was deep, warm, and needy – a kind of neediness that had little to do with sex.

Neither of them was in much of a hurry to end the kiss or turn it into something deeper, at first. But after several minutes, the warmth Lex was radiating through his thin silk shirt was too tempting and Chloe leaned into him to get closer and she heard the crumpling of paper behind him, reminding them both that they were now sprawled across his desk.

Chloe pulled back and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"First rule of 'Us' – Don't apologize for jumping me."

"I did not jump you! You kissed me!" Chloe joked back, as Lex tried to shove the papers put of the way. Once he had done that, he reached for her again, but Chloe was distracted by something she saw on one of the papers.

It looked like a map. Of Gotham. Covered with dozens, maybe hundreds of location points.

"What's that?"

Lex looked confused. Then guilty. "It's nothing. Come here."

"No. What is that?" Chloe reached over Lex to grab the top sheet. It was a map. And the location points were marked with times of day. The map itself had a date on it. There were dozens more sheets behind Lex on the desk, all with similar location points, times, and dates.

"Chloe, it's just something I was tracking while you were gone. I was going crazy worrying about you…it's nothing. Just forget it."

"Tell me what it is." The tone of Chloe's voice told him she would not let it go.

"They're maps of sightings of Batman on given days. Mapped out by hour."

"Sightings? Lex, he's a real person, a vigilante - not Sasquatch."

"I know that. I was trying to see if I could find a pattern, maybe trace him back to wherever it is he was coming from."

Chloe was impressed, in spite of herself. It was a very 'Lex' thing to do. But why?

"Why did you do it, though? I told you, I was OK."

"I know that, but I didn't know for sure that when it was over, that he'd…you have to understand, I was worried, panicked even."

"You didn't know for sure that he'd what?" she insisted.

Lex sighed. "That he'd actually give you back. I thought I'd have to come find you myself. I was trying to find a way to do it."

Chloe's jaw dropped and it took her several seconds to formulate a response. Even then, it wasn't terribly coherent.

"Wha-? Why….I don't understand…why you thought he wouldn't give me back. First of all, I don't 'belong' to him or anyone else for that matter so the whole concept of 'giving' doesn't really apply…"

"You know what I meant."

"I know, whatever, so that aside, what did you think? That he would fall madly in love with me and not want to share me with the rest of the world? That's crazy!" Chloe could barely get the words out between her giggles. The whole idea was rather absurd to her.

"It's not crazy! You just said yourself, he's human. He's a man…" Lex's voice was suddenly louder and an octave higher, revealing a rare degree of emotion. He clearly was not seeing the humor here.

"Yeah, but that kind of thing doesn't happen…people don't just fall in love with me like that…"

"Idid!" he exclaimed, then his eyes widened as he realized what he had said.

Chloe stopped laughing abruptly. She swallowed and let the silence hang over them for a full minute before looking up at him again. He looked unsure, worried. As if he thought he had scared her off.

"When? Ten years ago?" she asked softly.

"Yes, although I didn't know it for sure at the time. I thought I was infatuated with you because you needed me to protect you. Then, when it was over, I realized I needed you, too."

"And by that time I was gone."

"Yes. You were gone."

Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist once more.

"I'm here now."

She received a genuine Lex Luthor smile in return.

"Yes, you certainly are."

End chapter.