"Is this all that rich people do? Go to each other's parties?" Claire groaned, rolling her eyes as she and Barry walked up to the entrance of the Metropolis Grand Theatre lobby, which was hosting a Metropolis Young Professionals Gala that Bruce had insisted they needed to attend in order to gather intelligence.

In order to keep tabs on any impending threats in Metropolis, Bruce had reasoned with them, they needed a finger on the pulse - even if it meant attending every prominent event in the city. And, Bruce reasoned, he had no place attending an event for young professionals. So here they were.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" Barry asked as he and Claire made their way inside. "All this free food for the people in Metropolis who need it the least. It feels... very let-them-eat-cakey."

Claire snickered, shaking her head and bumping Barry with her shoulder good-naturedly. "So," she began, glancing around and realizing that they hadn't come up with a game plan for the evening. "Do we just... talk to anyone?"

"I was planning on following your lead," Barry shrugged honestly. "You're used to this kind of thing, aren't you?"

"I'm not used to doing this kind of thing alone," Claire said, her gaze shifting away briefly - just long enough for Barry to realize that he had touched upon a sore subject. Of course it was a sore subject - she had only started attending these kinds of events on the arm of Lex Luthor, and now that she no longer had that crutch, she seemed just as unsure as she would have been if this were her first time. However, this kind of vulnerability was still as uncomfortable as ever, and instinctively, Claire's eyes began scanning the room to find some escape, some means of changing the subject. Her reprieve came in the form of a group by the refreshment table wearing jackets bearing the Metropolis PD insignia.

"There you go!" Claire said brightly. "Cops! They should speak your language. Start there," she said matter-of-factly and nudging her elbow into Barry's side. "I'll figure something out. Don't worry about me."

"You sure?"

"I'm a big girl. With super strength," Claire said, adding the final bit in a low voice. "I think I'll be fine."

Claire shooed Barry off to go and mingle with a few individuals more his speed - though not literally - and lingered in the same spot for a moment before drifting towards the relatively uncrowded bar. If they were supposed to be getting information and getting people to talk, the pretty girl at the bar schtick was probably as good a strategy as any. In any case, it was better than unwittingly drifting into the wrong circle of people and being asked if she was that girl, the one who used to hang around Lex Luthor. Claire was capable of many things, many more thing, even, than she had been before - but that was a conversation she still felt completely unwilling to have.

Perhaps too lost in her thoughts about how much she wanted to avoid such a situation, Claire felt entirely unfocused on her surroundings until a scotch glass filled with a familiar-smelling, nearly golden liquid was slowly nudged towards her across the bartop.

"I didn't order this," Claire said hesitantly, though being a reasonably attractive woman her age alone at a bar, she felt reasonably certain what the explanation would be. "What is it?"

"Compliments of the man at the end of the bar," the bartender said with a wry grin. "Butterscotch Schnapps."

A flutter of a grin graced Claire's face, though only for a matter of seconds before she cleared her throat and regained her composure, glancing down the bar and feeling no surprise upon seeing Lex there. He smirked and tilted his head to one side, raising his own glass of the same drink. Claire rolled her eyes, realizing that of course the mere thought of Lex Luthor would somehow make him appear. Still, she allowed a small shadow of a grin on her lips, which as far as Lex was concerned was an open invitation. Taking his own drink in his hand, he walked down the bar to the open stool next to Claire, taking a seat and paying no mind to the eyes that now flitted in their direction. Claire, however, scoffed. The least they could do, she thought, was practice a little more discretion.

"Well, you waste no time before your first night on the town," Lex chirped matter-of-factly. "No time at all."

"I can think of plenty of places I'd rather be than here playing Super Spy," Claire said with a grimace, not thinking about what she was saying before taking a small swig from her drink. Lex's eyebrows piqued in interest, and he tilted his head to one side.

"Oh? Is that so?" he asked with feigned humor. "Your new boss keeping you on a short leash?"

"I'm not on a leash."

"Then leave with me," Lex shrugged simply - and something about the ease with which he suggested it washed over Claire suddenly, forcing her to clear her throat to keep from choking on her drink in surprise. He smirked and leaned in closer to Claire. "Unless you'd like to keep pretending that... things have changed."

"Things have changed."

"How?"

"You know how," Claire said, unable to help a twinge of exasperation and pain from seeping into her voice. "It's just not that simple anymore."

"I'd beg to differ, but since you're insisting on being delightfully mulish about it," Lex smirked, tilting his glass in her direction. "At least have a drink with me."

Claire sighed, her tongue running over the front of her teeth so her lower lip jutted out in a wordless show of her thoughts. That was what they were here for, wasn't it? To have drinks and talk and blend in? Perhaps it was a moment of weakness on her part, but it seemed as though it surely couldn't hurt.

Clearing her throat and giving a small, resigned nod, she picked up her glass again and took a drink.

"That's better," Lex chortled, reaching out and quickly tilting Claire's chin upward. "I was always under the impression that you hated these kinds of shindigs, Claire."

"Oh, I do. Believe me," she said with a snort that was almost unpretty in its derision. "Just as much as I always have."

"Even in the company of the ever-so-gregarious Barry Allen? I'm surprised," Lex said, his expression taking on a sour character that was more akin to a sneer. "You always were amused by him, weren't you?"

"He's my friend. He's in town more nowadays, and he's the closest friend I have in Metropolis ever since I've gotten back," Claire retorted, and Lex's eyes glinted in a strange kind of glee at her eagerness to nip his insinuation in the bud. He clucked his tongue and shook his head.

"So defensive," he taunted. "You have no reason to explain yourself to me, do you, Claire?"

"I..." Claire began quickly, but something about how quickly the intensity in the conversation built, even from Lex's simple taunting, stopped her midsentence so she could take a larger swig from her drink, draining the last of the contents in her glass. "I'm much too sober to be having a conversation like this."

Lex believed, now as much as ever, that a little bit of chaos looked good on Claire Branigan, and now as much as ever, he enjoyed making her sweat a little bit. It felt so much as though things had come full circle, resuming the cat-and-mouse quality of what seemed like an entire lifetime ago. It was still the same game, Lex concluded. The stakes were simply higher. Even knowing what had happened, what Claire was now, Lex felt a sort possessiveness over her - because she had been central to his return to power, and he saw her as some kind of good luck charm, some kind of talisman. Whatever good happened for him didn't happen without her.

So if that meant resorting to old games not to scare her off, then so be it. He gave a deceptively boyish smirk as he gestured for the bartender to refill her glass, to which she responded with an almost comically relieved groan before immediately taking another drink.

Claire, on her part, couldn't easily decide how to navigate the waters of being around Lex Luthor again. Regardless of what Lex claimed, things were different. Claire knew that he was planning something, and while this was not in any way a surprise, it was different now because she was not a part of it. She wasn't at his right hand. The only thing that was relatively straightforward in this moment was that they both wanted to be in another's presence - but both handled this want differently. Lex saw Claire's company as something to which he had earned his rights long ago. Claire saw his as something to which she no longer had any right. Ignoring how much things had changed in just a matter of months was wrong.

...but everyone was entitled to being wrong at times, weren't they? Maybe she was somewhat superhuman, but she was still only human, and she was allowed a moment of weakness to miss the life she'd never had the chance to mourn.

"So why are you here?" Claire asked, and in an instant, Lex realized that her willingness to prolong their conversation meant a small victory on his part, because he had worn down her resolve enough to get to this point. "Metropolis Young Professionals? This isn't exactly your target market of investors."

"In general, perhaps not," Lex shrugged, gesturing with the index finger of his free hand. "But in the spirit of complete transparency, I came here in hopes of encountering one young professional in particular."

Claire found her face inexplicably flushed, partially because of the large gulp of her drink she'd taken while Lex was speaking, and partially because of the smirk on his face after having spoken. The insinuation clearly hadn't been lost on her. Sensing the window of vulnerability, Lex leaned forward, resting his forearm on the bar in between them.

"You're not afraid of having a drink with me, are you?" Lex taunted with an irk of his eyebrows. "I can't imagine why you would be."

Lex drank in the sense of amusement that came with watching that familiar glint appear in Claire's eyes that only appeared when she was being challenged and pride would not allow her to back down. "I'm not," she said pointedly. For someone as clever as Lex knew she was, she was also delightfully quick to walk right into a setup when it was Lex Luthor doing the setting, which was fine by him.

"Good," Lex smirked, his voice lowered as he leaned closer to her. "I was beginning to think you'd returned to Metropolis only to deprive me of the pleasure of your company."

Claire opened her mouth to respond and stammered a little bit, unsure of how to respond. She had intended to keep away from him, after all. She'd had all of the best intentions of doing so that now seemed to be down the drain. However, before she could provide a proper reply, the lights in the venue turned on, illuminating the room fully while the managers turned on the television sets to the local news.

"This just in," the anchorperson said, her voice blaring over the sound system in the venue and replacing the music that had been playing. "A string of robberies have been reported throughout Metropolis, and all business owners within the city limits are encouraged to take all possible security precautions until a suspect has been identified and apprehended..."

The screen split into several different camera shots, and one in particular made Lex Luthor sit up completely straight in his seat, halting his taunting of Claire whose eyes seemed to have caught sight of the exact same sight. There were camera shots of all of the locations that had been hit - including LexCorp Headquarters.

This, Lex thought as his upper lip curled into a sneer, was too familiar. It was too great a violation, and for a moment, his eyes roved suspiciously over Claire. Bruce Wayne had robbed him once and he could have done it again. Was sending Claire to the Gala a setup? Would they have expected him to look for her here?

But, Lex was able to reason, what quarrel did Bruce Wayne have with any of the other locations that had been hit? What need did the Bat have? Who else could it have been? The fact that it could have been anyone caused Lex to tense visibly.

"I need to go," Lex said in a near-snarl, getting up from the bar stool and practically slamming down the glass which he had been gripping far more tightly than he'd realized. He paused when he felt Claire's hand close around his forearm, gently tugging him back.

"Where are you going?"

"Where I need to be right now."

"Then," Claire said, getting up from her seat without releasing her hold on Lex's arm, "I'm going with you."

A/N

I know, definitely a delayed post again - caring for a newborn has definitely taken the bulk of my time, but I am able to squeeze in some writing here and there. This chapter was a lot of talking, but it was necessary setup for the first big event in this story in a while.

I can't promise when exactly the next update will be, just that it is on its way and that I am doing as much as I can! As always, I want to thank all of you for your reviews, messages, and support! I want to be better at responding, but I am hoping that will come with time. My little guy is turning 2 months old this Sunday, and I can't believe how time flies! Thank you, thank you, and I pinky promise that the next update will come as soon as I am able to finish it. Until next time, cheers!