ix. He Stands Alone
He stood behind the desk, his hands clasped behind him, looking out of the glass windows and watching the snow fall down and blanket his city. This was how he was born to be.
Bruce Wayne, parentless at fourteen, the world watching him from afar, now watched over the desolate city knowing that the frost had only just begun. The clouds that hung long were within reach, so high up was he.
The crackle of the intercom would have gone unnoticed then, if not for the words, "You have a visitor, Mr Wayne." After that eventful night, he could only hazard a guess as to who would dare come to him. He did not turn around. He knew that what he loved most about her, that contrast she presented with her presence in his cold and gray life, was what was going to grip at his heart now.
"It was so beautiful, Bruce," her soft words reached his ears. He struggled for control, knowing that the moment he laid eyes on her he might never agree to let go. To surrender the fight of a losing battle was not cowardice. It was self-preservation, and it was something he desperately needed now. "Thank you for making it so special." He heard her footsteps coming closer, to stop right in front of his desk. A muted sound of an object placed on the wood.
Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed on the tense set of his back under the suit. Her hands could release that tight draw of his shoulders. She would run her palms under his shirt and his flesh and muscles would yield to the touch of her skin. She took a deep breath and waited for acknowledgment.
He did not give it, and she could not demand it from him. He was never once at fault. What Bruce Wayne had done and undergone, if they had been for another woman, would have been more than enough to warrant a lifetime's loyalty. Perhaps the problem was with her. She wondered what would have happened if Lex had not been waiting in the apartment earlier, and it was Bruce who led her to the waiting room that he had been fixing for a while.
Earlier, concerned that they had been tired, Chloe opened the door to the guest room to show Clark where he could rest, completely forgetting about the surprise that Bruce had been setting up in there. The moment the door swung open, soft music and dim lights came on. The burst of floral fragrance hit her before the colorful sight of the flowers filling every inch of space.
Her eyes settled down on the bed covered completely by rose petals that were pink and red, white and yellow all blending together to create a delightful version of a flower rainbow. There in the middle was the open box, and inside rested a diamond set at the center of smaller ones, displayed on a gold band.
"Lex-"
Lex, who had been standing behind her, wrapped his arms around her. "His is more romantic than mine was," he replied soothingly, with words that would have been inappropriate had it not been his voice that she needed then.
Now the black box sat on Bruce's desk, a figurative block that stood between them. She wished that he would turn around so she could look into his eyes and know if he was angry, or sad, or even if he now despised her. "I guess I'm the only woman who can say that the two proposals of her life were on the happiest and most painful days." She had lost Lex once. Now, she will lose Bruce.
"On the contrary," he said, the sound of his voice relieving her before he continued, "I can probably make today more painful for you." And it was then that he turned around and Chloe sought to meet his eyes. Bruce reached for the box and approached her. He stopped in front of her and held it on his palm, presenting it to her again. "Keep it."
She shook her head sadly and touched the simple engagement ring that had been longer in her possession, and closer to her heart not only for that reason. "I already have one."
He tipped her chin and blue met green. "It's not for now, Chloe. But keep it for the time when you will need me, when you lose him."
There was no threat to his voice, and she did not take the words with any malice. "I don't intend to lose him again," she replied softly.
"But if you-"
"Please, Bruce," she interrupted, with real pleading, "don't."
Reluctantly, he nodded his assent. For the time being, he will let her believe that she will live happily ever after. He was Bruce Wayne though, and there was no such thing. "I'll watch over you, Chloe. Maybe I'll even watch over him."
"We're going home, Bruce, to face our demons, to get back to where the sun shines all year. Gotham is wonderful, but I miss Kansas."
He nodded, pushing aside the weakening thought that Lex Luthor, who had done nothing to merit this devotion as far as he could see, had the right to take her away in one of his luxury vehicles. Lex Luthor, who had lost her once, and was not strong enough to keep her, would get the prize and he, Bruce Wayne, who could protect her and had the presence of mind to bulletproof his car so that he would not leave her to the mercy of the city, was ultimately losing her. "And I'll be here."
She smiled sadly at him, and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, knowing that this was the last time he would hold her. He breathed in deep and embedded the memory of her fragrance. When the door closed behind her, he sat heavily in a leather chair and closed his eyes tightly when the noise of a helicopter chopping away at the air above the building faintly reached his ears.
In the cabin, Chloe sobbed silently into Lex's shoulder as they lifted up from the Wayne building. And then she finally dried her tears and looked into the eyes of the man she was spending the rest of her life with and no matter how much she ached for Bruce, she loved herself too much to stay behind.
Epilogue
In the dark entertainment room, Bruce Wayne relaxed on the couch, remote control in hand, idly looking for a channel. He caught some clips of a national news story that he been following for some time.
"The Metropolis community is thankful to the dark vigilante from Gotham City who apprehended Lionel Luthor before the erstwhile billionaire absconded from the country. Everyone is talking about how the Batman, as the media had fittingly labeled him, held down the helicopter that was heading to South America."
He wondered why they were showing old clips. After a few more minutes watching the clips, he realized that it probably was because the trial was almost over. He turned to another channel in search of more answers.
"This just in. Lionel Luthor has been found guilty of all charges, including tax evasion, bribery, and the attempted murder of his son Alexander. We're trying to get a reaction here from anyone exiting the courtroom."
Bruce smiled thinly in satisfaction. Lex and Chloe had finally, after interminable years, been relieved of the shadow cast by Lionel. He watched closely, still eager after so long to catch a glimpse of her. She was still as beautiful, if not more so, he knew. He had seen pictures of her in some magazines and newspapers. It was hard to miss them when he read the paper everyday. It was harder when he purposely looked for her in sections where he was sure to find her.
Lex fended off the reporters as he hurried to the black car waiting for him at the front of the courthouse. Bruce nodded when he saw the make and model of the vehicle, glad that it appeared to be sturdy, with all the safety features he himself had come to value, and even appeared bulletproof.
"We have our reporter outside the Luthor mansion in Smallville, Kansas where news of the results of the trial has only arrived. Mia?"
Bruce snapped to attention, finally figuring out that Lex had left his family at home and away from the proceedings as much as possible. He tensed at the intrusion of privacy that the cameras and lights must present. The screen swiftly shifted and showed Chloe, in a light summer dress, walking beside another woman who pushed a tram. She never ceased to take his breath away. He watched the change of her expression when she frowned at the sight of the media in her property.
Chloe reached inside the tram and picked up the small infant, bundling it up warmly, and started in another direction after curtly telling the nanny to follow them to the house. Bruce watched her short skirt swing around her thighs as she tried to keep her pace up. He sat up, concerned that she could fall and hurt herself and the baby. The reporter was following them briskly, asking her about her reaction to the decision that would effectively incarcerate her daughter's grandfather for life.
His jaw set and a nerve in his temple ticking, Bruce picked up the phone and called the station. "Give the family their privacy," he demanded. "Well then employ more forceful methods to discipline your reporters. I'm calling as a concerned citizen. She's trying to avoid you and she has a baby with her. Think about it. It could have been your kid," he said in a gravelly voice, "or for that matter, mine."
end
He stood behind the desk, his hands clasped behind him, looking out of the glass windows and watching the snow fall down and blanket his city. This was how he was born to be.
Bruce Wayne, parentless at fourteen, the world watching him from afar, now watched over the desolate city knowing that the frost had only just begun. The clouds that hung long were within reach, so high up was he.
The crackle of the intercom would have gone unnoticed then, if not for the words, "You have a visitor, Mr Wayne." After that eventful night, he could only hazard a guess as to who would dare come to him. He did not turn around. He knew that what he loved most about her, that contrast she presented with her presence in his cold and gray life, was what was going to grip at his heart now.
"It was so beautiful, Bruce," her soft words reached his ears. He struggled for control, knowing that the moment he laid eyes on her he might never agree to let go. To surrender the fight of a losing battle was not cowardice. It was self-preservation, and it was something he desperately needed now. "Thank you for making it so special." He heard her footsteps coming closer, to stop right in front of his desk. A muted sound of an object placed on the wood.
Chloe's eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed on the tense set of his back under the suit. Her hands could release that tight draw of his shoulders. She would run her palms under his shirt and his flesh and muscles would yield to the touch of her skin. She took a deep breath and waited for acknowledgment.
He did not give it, and she could not demand it from him. He was never once at fault. What Bruce Wayne had done and undergone, if they had been for another woman, would have been more than enough to warrant a lifetime's loyalty. Perhaps the problem was with her. She wondered what would have happened if Lex had not been waiting in the apartment earlier, and it was Bruce who led her to the waiting room that he had been fixing for a while.
Earlier, concerned that they had been tired, Chloe opened the door to the guest room to show Clark where he could rest, completely forgetting about the surprise that Bruce had been setting up in there. The moment the door swung open, soft music and dim lights came on. The burst of floral fragrance hit her before the colorful sight of the flowers filling every inch of space.
Her eyes settled down on the bed covered completely by rose petals that were pink and red, white and yellow all blending together to create a delightful version of a flower rainbow. There in the middle was the open box, and inside rested a diamond set at the center of smaller ones, displayed on a gold band.
"Lex-"
Lex, who had been standing behind her, wrapped his arms around her. "His is more romantic than mine was," he replied soothingly, with words that would have been inappropriate had it not been his voice that she needed then.
Now the black box sat on Bruce's desk, a figurative block that stood between them. She wished that he would turn around so she could look into his eyes and know if he was angry, or sad, or even if he now despised her. "I guess I'm the only woman who can say that the two proposals of her life were on the happiest and most painful days." She had lost Lex once. Now, she will lose Bruce.
"On the contrary," he said, the sound of his voice relieving her before he continued, "I can probably make today more painful for you." And it was then that he turned around and Chloe sought to meet his eyes. Bruce reached for the box and approached her. He stopped in front of her and held it on his palm, presenting it to her again. "Keep it."
She shook her head sadly and touched the simple engagement ring that had been longer in her possession, and closer to her heart not only for that reason. "I already have one."
He tipped her chin and blue met green. "It's not for now, Chloe. But keep it for the time when you will need me, when you lose him."
There was no threat to his voice, and she did not take the words with any malice. "I don't intend to lose him again," she replied softly.
"But if you-"
"Please, Bruce," she interrupted, with real pleading, "don't."
Reluctantly, he nodded his assent. For the time being, he will let her believe that she will live happily ever after. He was Bruce Wayne though, and there was no such thing. "I'll watch over you, Chloe. Maybe I'll even watch over him."
"We're going home, Bruce, to face our demons, to get back to where the sun shines all year. Gotham is wonderful, but I miss Kansas."
He nodded, pushing aside the weakening thought that Lex Luthor, who had done nothing to merit this devotion as far as he could see, had the right to take her away in one of his luxury vehicles. Lex Luthor, who had lost her once, and was not strong enough to keep her, would get the prize and he, Bruce Wayne, who could protect her and had the presence of mind to bulletproof his car so that he would not leave her to the mercy of the city, was ultimately losing her. "And I'll be here."
She smiled sadly at him, and stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, knowing that this was the last time he would hold her. He breathed in deep and embedded the memory of her fragrance. When the door closed behind her, he sat heavily in a leather chair and closed his eyes tightly when the noise of a helicopter chopping away at the air above the building faintly reached his ears.
In the cabin, Chloe sobbed silently into Lex's shoulder as they lifted up from the Wayne building. And then she finally dried her tears and looked into the eyes of the man she was spending the rest of her life with and no matter how much she ached for Bruce, she loved herself too much to stay behind.
Epilogue
In the dark entertainment room, Bruce Wayne relaxed on the couch, remote control in hand, idly looking for a channel. He caught some clips of a national news story that he been following for some time.
"The Metropolis community is thankful to the dark vigilante from Gotham City who apprehended Lionel Luthor before the erstwhile billionaire absconded from the country. Everyone is talking about how the Batman, as the media had fittingly labeled him, held down the helicopter that was heading to South America."
He wondered why they were showing old clips. After a few more minutes watching the clips, he realized that it probably was because the trial was almost over. He turned to another channel in search of more answers.
"This just in. Lionel Luthor has been found guilty of all charges, including tax evasion, bribery, and the attempted murder of his son Alexander. We're trying to get a reaction here from anyone exiting the courtroom."
Bruce smiled thinly in satisfaction. Lex and Chloe had finally, after interminable years, been relieved of the shadow cast by Lionel. He watched closely, still eager after so long to catch a glimpse of her. She was still as beautiful, if not more so, he knew. He had seen pictures of her in some magazines and newspapers. It was hard to miss them when he read the paper everyday. It was harder when he purposely looked for her in sections where he was sure to find her.
Lex fended off the reporters as he hurried to the black car waiting for him at the front of the courthouse. Bruce nodded when he saw the make and model of the vehicle, glad that it appeared to be sturdy, with all the safety features he himself had come to value, and even appeared bulletproof.
"We have our reporter outside the Luthor mansion in Smallville, Kansas where news of the results of the trial has only arrived. Mia?"
Bruce snapped to attention, finally figuring out that Lex had left his family at home and away from the proceedings as much as possible. He tensed at the intrusion of privacy that the cameras and lights must present. The screen swiftly shifted and showed Chloe, in a light summer dress, walking beside another woman who pushed a tram. She never ceased to take his breath away. He watched the change of her expression when she frowned at the sight of the media in her property.
Chloe reached inside the tram and picked up the small infant, bundling it up warmly, and started in another direction after curtly telling the nanny to follow them to the house. Bruce watched her short skirt swing around her thighs as she tried to keep her pace up. He sat up, concerned that she could fall and hurt herself and the baby. The reporter was following them briskly, asking her about her reaction to the decision that would effectively incarcerate her daughter's grandfather for life.
His jaw set and a nerve in his temple ticking, Bruce picked up the phone and called the station. "Give the family their privacy," he demanded. "Well then employ more forceful methods to discipline your reporters. I'm calling as a concerned citizen. She's trying to avoid you and she has a baby with her. Think about it. It could have been your kid," he said in a gravelly voice, "or for that matter, mine."
end