Wednesday, February 9, 2000; 4:37pm – Hilo Farmers Market; Hilo, Hawaii

He wasn't stalking her. At least not on purpose. It had been purely by accident that he had seen her in her class yesterday at the university and purely by accident that he had been hiding out in the pool viewing area when she was swimming. Now it was a complete accident that he was here at the same time as her. Bruce had accidentally made a comment earlier in the day about being hungry, much to his mistake. Alfred took it as the need to find his employer food, so here they were at the only fresh produce market off the highway in Hilo.

And coincidentally, she was here as well.

Only now he was facing the girl alone, which was probably for the best. Alfred would never let him live it down. The butler had remained in the car after finally receiving a phone call from Gotham about the delivery of the jet parts, leaving Bruce to fend for himself in the marketplace.

Bruce picked up a shiny green apple and offered it to the girl carefully. She plucked it from his hand and examined it before dropping it into the empty tote she had just slipped onto her uninjured arm. He began looking for another perfect apple while she glanced over the peaches.

"So do you have a name?" she suddenly asked.

"Bruce."

She offered her hand, abandoning her search for a peach. "Ana. Pleasure to meet you, Bruce."

He nodded as they shook hands before turning back to scour the fruit in front of them.

"So, how'd you manage with that burrito?"

Bruce glanced to her, surprised. She recognized him from that restaurant? Scratch that. She remembered that he had tried to eat that beast of a burrito? "As well as could be expected, I suppose."

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" she replied, dropping a couple of peaches into the tote.

He shook his head as he handed her another apple.

They continued their browsing in silence for a few moments. Ana took a moment to glance into the backpack she kept slung over one shoulder before heading towards the bananas as Bruce followed.

"So where are you from, Bruce?" she asked, her bright eyes scanning over the yellow fruit.

"Gotham," he replied simply, taking a moment to glance around instead of examine fruit. It wasn't hard to evade the paparazzi, but he had quickly learned over the years that they always had a knack of finding him where he least expected it. And here he definitely least expected it.

But when his eyes returned to her, he was slightly surprised to find her eyes locked on him. "Really?"

"…Yes, why?"

She shrugged thoughtfully before turning back towards the bananas, but Bruce could tell that her attention wasn't all on fruit anymore. "Nothing."

"Are you from here?" he questioned curiously, his eyes still on her.

"Phoenix," she replied just as simply as he had.

"Really?"

She suddenly glanced up at him, but her perplexed expression changed as her bright blue eyes narrowed once she spotted his amused expression poorly hidden behind a composed face. "You're hilarious."

Wednesday, February 9, 2000; 4:46pm – Hilo Farmers Market; Hilo, Hawaii

Once Ana's tote was nearly full again, and Bruce's small bag had plenty of fruit as well, they both finally headed towards the cashier. As promised, Bruce promptly paid for both. But he could still tell that Ana was unsure about it. Ever the responsible and independent one. Rachel still didn't like it when Bruce did things for her.

As they headed for the exit, Ana quickly scooped up her waiting longboard that had been perched behind the friendly cashier and headed out as Bruce followed.

"Well, thanks again," she began hesitantly, obviously unsure of what exactly to say.

Bruce nodded, "Of course. Would you like a ride so I don't have to buy you any more groceries?"

Her eyes instantly narrowed, but her expression calmed just as quickly as she forced herself to be humble. Bruce knew how to do that all too well. "I think I'll be fine, thanks."

She dropped the skateboard onto the asphalt before making sure it didn't roll away by setting her foot on top of it. As he watched her, she adjusted the bags to a comfortable position before pushing off…only to stop a good twenty yards away. She frowned as she readjusted the bags in order to get a better look at her injured elbow. Bruce paused, watching her. She had refused his offer. And she didn't seem like one who like to be bothered with chivalry.

She adjusted the bags again and pushed off, this time managing to make it out of the parking lot and head up the street. He continued to watch her go, hesitantly. He probably should try again. He didn't know how far away she lived, but the gentleman instilled in him by Alfred was inwardly reprimanding him anyway. Finally, he shrugged it off and headed for the rental. If he saw her again, which was doubtful, he could make it up then.

A/N: I know it's a really short and pointless chapter, but I suppose I just wanted to switch up the viewpoints really quick. And yes, they keep running into each other. That's the point. They're not going to fall head over heels for a complete stranger. It's not in either of their characters. So it's going to take a while.