To celebrate the fact that I finished the first draft of my BA thesis yesterday, I wrote a new one-shot... and then realised it was very 'Detective Fiction' -universe and wrote this one tonight instead. Not sure what the purpose of this one is, just a couple of scenes that sounded like they would fit in at this point. I realised that while I love the banter when Bruce and Chloe are not really friends, I'd try it a different route this time and boy did this end up in a very different place from what I imagined. Don't really know what to make of it, so you decide. I apologize for any discrepancies or other errors. Other than that, I hope you like it!

Fascination

Bruce stood in the crowd while the man up front spoke, artists gathered behind him. The event was for charity - artists from around Gotham had donated their works for auction, the profits going to various charities. Bruce was there as per request of Lucius. His granddaughter was one of the aforementioned artists and Lucius had invited him along. He was actually enjoying most of the art and was looking forward to taking a tour of the gallery that had been set up. Lucius was beside him and his smile grew when Tessa was mentioned by the host. The modest gallery was situated not too far from Wayne Tower, its large windows offering passers-by a glimpse of the paintings. They had congregated in the large foyer that led into several other display rooms and Lucius had already pointed out where Tessa's painting was hanged.

As he surveyed the room, his eyes landed on one Chloe Sullivan who was making her way to the crowd behind him and Lucius, face flushed from hurrying to make it in time. She gave a young woman, an artist, and mouthed 'Sorry' with an apologetic look. The woman at the front smiled and waved it off. Arranging her windblown hair, she stilled and began admiring a painting on her left.

"...but that's enough from me. I want to thank you all the talents who have taken part, but don't just take my word for it - have a look for yourself! But before that, let's give them a round of applause!" the host finished and clapping filled the air for a moment. "Do remember that cocktails are available and the auction begins in thirty minutes," he concluded as the crowd began to scatter.

Bruce saw Chloe meet the woman she had waved to mere minutes before. They laughed at something, presumably her late arrival, and began moving further into the gallery. Lucius motioned for Bruce to follow and they headed for Tessa and her painting.

"So what kept you?" Josie asked as she and Chloe gravitated towards a cocktail waitress.

"Oh, you know, gotta chase that story."

"I bet you do," she said, laughing. Chloe accepted the drink Josie handed her and the two were left sipping them as they looked the people surrounding them.

"Seems like this'll be a success," said Chloe.

"I know! I just hope someone'll buy my–"

Chloe interrupted her before she could finish. "It'll sell like that," she said, snapping her fingers for good measure.

Josie smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"Speaking of which," said Chloe. "Where is this work of art?"

Josie nodded towards the room next door. "I'll be your personal guide," she said, taking Chloe's arm.

As they stood before the colourful painting that was displayed on the far left of the wall, Chloe couldn't help but praise her handiwork. The colours flowed beautifully; the fantastic scene immersed her in a world far removed from reality.

"Excuse me," said a man who had been standing near them. "I take it you are the artist?" Josie nodded. "Would you be so kind as to tell me what inspired you to create such a vibrant scene?" he asked.

Josie glanced at Chloe. "Do you mind?"

Chloe smiled. "Of course not! This is your night - I'll take stroll around this place, I wanna see what else they've got here."

Chloe turned to look at the painting once more before moving to the next one. She felt the urge to smile again when she heard the animated discussion between Josie and her apparent admirer.

Bruce finished congratulating Tessa and gave Lucius his own congratulatory pat on the shoulder before departing their company. Another reason why he liked this event was that people were not there to get a glimpse of him or to corner him for business purposes. Well, one had tried that, but he had managed to escape claiming he had to meet one of the artists, which was true. Walking around, he finally found her perusing a rather dark abstract painting. For a while, he watched her from across the room. She was swirling the drink absently in her hand, but did not actually seem to be drinking it. Her dark blue blouse had similar patterns to the painting on it and from a certain angle she almost melted into it. When he finally approached her, she was bending ever so slightly to read the description under the painting.

"Miss Sullivan," he greeted.

Chloe glanced in the direction of the voice and straightened up. "Mister Wayne. Fancy meeting you here."

"I could say the same thing," Bruce replied.

They both turned their gazes to the painting before them and stood side by side in silence for a moment.

"I feel like I'm missing something," Bruce said, squinting at the work of art.

"You too, huh?" Chloe asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Abstract art was never my strong point."

"Are you admitting a there's a dent in your sophistication?" Chloe asked with a glint in her eye.

"Your expectations are awfully high, Miss Sullivan," said Bruce, turning his eyes back onto the painting whose name he discovered was 'Despair'.

"Perhaps, but tell me Mister Wayne, what brings you here? It hardly seems like your regular shindig."

"I feel I should be offended by your low opinion of me," he said with a smirk, "but since you asked... Lucius Fox asked me to come."

"He's the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, right?"

"Yep, Tessa Fox," he said, gesturing in their direction as he saw them in the distance, "is his granddaughter."

"Well, that's mighty nice of you, Mister Wayne," Chloe said in her best southern belle imitation.

This time it was Chloe Bruce squinted at, but he was wearing the tiniest of smiles. "Do you believe everything I do is in self-interest?"

Had he not said it with the smile still in place, Chloe might have felt a pang of guilt. Truthfully, she had read of Bruce's many attempts to help Gotham heal, but taking snipes at him much more fun - especially when he played along for some bizarre reason. "I haven't decided yet."

"So it's an ongoing process then?" Bruce asked, nodding. "And exactly how long until you arrive at a conclusion?"

Chloe adopted a thoughtful expression as her eyes focused on a spot somewhere high on the wall, near the ceiling. Dramatically, she sighed before saying, "I haven't planned a schedule yet. I'll see if I can fit it in somewhere, but I have to warn you – I'm a busy woman."

"I'm sure you are."

They began to slowly walk in a random direction as more people began appearing around them. "So I see your arm's back in working condition," Bruce remarked, noting that Chloe held the drink in her previously injured arm.

Chloe shrugged. "It wasn't serious. See? All better," she said, half-heartedly toasting him.

"So it seems," Bruce said, wishing he had a drink on him.

Silence descended upon them as they continued their leisurely walk, dodging the larger groups of people as they passed each other.

"Got your eye on anything in particular?" Chloe asked. Bruce gave her an intense look, which made Chloe snort. "Hardy har-har."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Chloe could not figure him out. Why was Bruce Wayne suddenly hanging out with her in a charity art auction and why was she having such a good time? Sure the world was mysterious and all, but this was stretching it. Her inner reporter was desperately hung-up on knowing why.

Meanwhile Bruce was contemplating his attraction to the woman beside him. She had the ability to be a royal pain if she so wished, but for some reason he didn't mind. Besides, so far it had only been fun and mostly innocent games aside from their initial meeting in the alley. Something about the way she stood her ground and spoke her mind stayed with him. He had already admitted to himself after their last encounter at the Gazette that she fascinated him.

"As lovely as this has been," Chloe said, though not as sarcastically as she might have twenty minutes earlier, "but I should get back to Josie. The auction will start soon."

"Of course. I'll see you around Miss Sullivan," Bruce said, watching Chloe retreat.

"Likewise, Mister Wayne," Chloe called, raising her drink in the air as she disappeared from his view.

The auction began and ended in good spirits. The event raised a respectable sum and as the host of the evening bid the crowd and the auctioneer good night, Chloe gave Josie one last hug.

"Congratulations again, I told you there was nothing to worry about." The gentleman with whom Josie had talked before the auction had begun had bought her painting.

"I'll come by sometimes next week, okay?" Josie asked as Chloe began to pull on her coat.

"Sure thing. Call me, 'k?"

"I will. See ya around!" Josie called as Chloe made her way to the door.

"You bet!"

The air was crisp, but fresh and inviting after spending two hours in a space full of people. She pulled her green wool hat lower over her ears as the wind whisked her hair around. As pretty as Gotham looked, the wind really knew how to bite. She crossed to road along with a dozen other people before deciding on a detour through the park. She was planning to grab some obnoxiously tasty take-out before heading home and lounging on her sofa for the rest of the night. Her stomach felt like it was about to rumble at any moment, but the beauty of the park distracted her. There were no birds singing, but it was pretty darn perfect nevertheless. Lights had been hung between the lampposts and on selected trees. Not too long ago no one would have taken this route this late at night, not that it was very popular now. Come to think of it, most people who took the route relied on strength in numbers. The streets were safer though, and a walk through the park was a viable option these days - even when darkness was setting in. Things were far from fixed, but good enough for what many people would call a possibility for a semblance of normalcy.

"Miss Sullivan."

Chloe turned around to see Bruce not too far behind her. "Mister Wayne?" she said quizzically. How was it possible that the night was getting even stranger?

"Care for some company?" he asked, rubbing his hands together for warmth. His hair was also getting the wind treatment and Chloe almost had to smile at his less than pristine appearance that went against the grain of his usual immaculate appearance.

"And if I said no thank you?"

"I wouldn't bother you, but I am going this way so I really don't see the harm in this."

"Okay then, get those legs moving," Chloe said. "Why are you walking by the way, don't you have a driver to take you places?"

Bruce grinned. "The car broke down."

"Uh huh." Chloe eyed him dubiously, if with a hint of amusement.

"Happy with your purchase?" she asked, referring to the painting he had bid on at the auction.

"Immensely."

"Good."

They walked in companionable silence until Chloe could not resist asking him the question she had been pondering all night.

"Why are you so insistent on spending time with me?"

"Because I enjoy your company."

"But you've spent a grand total of what - twenty minutes with me?" Chloe said, "Of which 19 and a half have been spent taking jibes at each other and on poorly masked sarcasm?"

Bruce laughed at the exasperated manner in which she expressed her bafflement. "Haven't you considered that maybe that's the reason?" Bruce asked.

Chloe frowned. "My low opinion of you makes me preferable company?"

Bruce stopped walking and Chloe faced him eye to eye. "Just say the word and I'll leave you alone."

Chloe took a moment to think before she sighed. "Come on then," she said and resumed walking. Bruce caught up with her with a few long strides, not bothering to hide the grin that was making its way to his lips.

"Just so you know, my low opinion of you hasn't changed that much."

"For some reason I don't find that hard to believe at all," Bruce said as the path came to an end.

Chloe fixed her with the patented Sullivan look and Bruce could see she was still trying to figure out if, or more likely what, his ulterior motive was. Then she shook her head and let out a tiniest laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, many things... Monty Python for one."

"Ah, there's that biting sense of humor."

"Just be careful or it'll bite you in the ass," Chloe said, her perplexed state just a memory.

"If–"

"Ah!" Chloe exclaimed, cutting Bruce off before he could say anything. "In your dreams, playboy. And no, you need not describe them."

Bruce laughed aloud with abandon and Chloe spared another thought for her new friend. Acquaintance? Billionaire art auction companion? Whatever the definition of their apparent relationship, she had no idea how it had come about. They crossed the road and Chloe saw a car waiting for someone by the street, right next to the take-out place she was going to visit. Suspicious? Checked.

"So, the car broke, huh?" Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

"Obviously Alfred fixed it," Bruce replied.

"Ah, your beloved butler," Chloe said, this time with a little more warmth in her voice.

"How'd you know?"

"You're not the only one with sources and the ability scheme," she said mysteriously. Bruce raised an eyebrow and Chloe smirked. "I read it in a magazine, you dumbo."

Bruce nearly laughed again. It was not every day that someone called him 'dumbo' without a second thought. Yes, she definitely fascinated him. "Now that we've cleared that up..."

"Indeed," said Chloe, the satisfaction evident in her voice. "Good night, Mister Wayne."

Chloe managed to take a few steps before Bruce's voice made her stop. "Miss Sullivan, what are you doing on Sunday?"