Special thanks to: autumngold and Rachet for reviewing. It really helps to know that people are actually reading and enjoying this!
The next day, Chloe was thoroughly tired, but her exhilaration from the night before carried over and even at work her mind was still spinning her story.
She was supposed to be writing a news story, but found herself staring blankly at her computer screen.
"Chloe, you've been not-working for the past 30 minutes." Alli whispered quietly at her. Chloe jerked slightly and looked up at Alli with a grin.
"You caught me. Sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night." Chloe explained.
"It's ok, I just didn't want you to get into any trouble. You never know when Mr. Wayne is going to come around."
"Thanks, Alli. I appreciate the heads up. So, how are you?" Chloe's brow furrowed when she thought about the last time she and Alli had been together.
"I'm…I'm ok." Alli said slowly. "In a perverse way, what happened made me want to change the stories that I write. Things like that shouldn't be allowed to happen. Innocent people are hurt by horrible people who have no regard for human suffering. I feel like I need to expose them."
"Alli, I think that's a wonderful idea. I've told you that I think you're one of the best writer's out there." Chloe said, and meant it.
"Yeah. I know." Alli smiled at the compliment, then continued seriously, "I'm going to try to get onto that beat. If that means I have to move to another paper, I will."
Chloe was shocked at that announcement. "That's a big step, Alli. I'm sure that you could work it out here. People are always moving around."
"You've said yourself that no one wants the celebrity gossip crap; therefore, I think that means I'm stuck here. Not really anyplace to go." Alli shrugged. "Don't worry about me, Chloe, I'll figure it out. I've decided it's what I want."
Chloe narrowed her eyes and was lost in thought for a moment. "You want to cover Batman?" Chloe offered.
"Not really. I'm not interested in the hero as much as exposing the criminals that get away."
"Not at all?" Chloe asked again.
"I don't think so. Why are you being so persistent?" Alli asked curiously.
"I'm quitting. I thought it might be a good place for you to start." Chloe told her nonchalantly.
"You're quitting? Are you crazy?" The shock was evident on Alli's face and her voice rose an octave.
"Shh…" Chloe admonished. "Yes, but I haven't given notice yet, so shh!"
"Sorry." Alli looked around, but no one was listening. "When are you going to do it?"
"Later today. Have you ever thought about Star City?" Chloe asked, changing the subject.
"Thought about it how?" Alli was confused by the sudden topic shift.
"A job. I have some connections there. I could probably get you an interview for a job at the paper. It's not Gotham, but it's still a big city with all the problems that come with it." Chloe offered thinking about the fact that Oliver owned Star City's most popular newspaper.
"Really? That would be amazing. I've been thinking about moving somewhere new. I grew up around here, sometimes I think it would be nice to go somewhere where no one knows me. I'm not the girl in braces with frizzy hair or the girl who didn't have a date to prom anymore." Alli said, her mind flashing back to her child/teen hood.
Chloe arched an eyebrow. Alli was by no means stunningly gorgeous, but she had a gentile, quiet kind of beauty. She possessed the kind of beauty that men didn't notice immediately, but once they did, it was stunning. It was probably because Alli made no real move to play up her looks: she wore very little makeup, despite her job being the gossip reporter. Regardless, she was hardly an ugly duckling.
"Well, let me know because I'm more than happy to set something up." Chloe told her finally interrupting Alli's unhappy trip down memory lane.
"I don't even need to think about it. Please set something up. A new start would be nice." Alli said grateful for Chloe's offer.
Chloe watched the floor numbers illuminate as she rode the elevator up to Bruce's office. She was nervous. It was a company policy that when a reporter left the paper, they had to give their notice in person to Bruce Wayne. It seemed like a silly rule, but most people out right quit or were fired, so they didn't have to go through the process. Chloe was being a good girl and giving her full two weeks notice. It was also a good chance to see Bruce again, and try and find out if he'd thought about their conversation anymore.
Bruce sat at his desk rubbing a pencil through his fingers. He didn't know why Chloe was coming to see him, but she didn't really need a reason considering their history together. Still, he felt anxious. He'd been thinking about both his conversation with Chloe and his conversation with Oliver a lot over the past 24 hours.
He loved Chloe, that was not something that he could or wanted to deny anymore. But could he keep her safe?
"Hello, Mr. Wayne." Chloe said with a smile when she walked into his office and sat across from him.
"Ms. Sullivan." He responded and inclined his head in greeting.
"You're probably wondering why I'm here." Chloe started. She didn't really know how to say it, so she thought it was best to just come out with it.
"I am curious, yes." Bruce leaned back and studied her face intently. He could tell that she was nervous and that piqued his curiosity even more.
She took a deep breath. "I'm quitting. You can consider this my two week notice."
For a moment Bruce didn't react. He just sat there in stunned silence. Then suddenly, he exploded out of his chair and came around the desk roughly grabbing Chloe by the shoulder's. He stared into her eyes for a moment, panic racing though him, then he released her and sat on the desk in front of her.
"What do you mean?" Bruce asked carefully.
"I mean, I'm quitting. I'll no longer be an employee of any entity affiliated with Wayne Enterprises." Chloe supplied easily. Which was actually not easy to do, she'd seen the panic in Bruce's eyes.
"Is this some sort of punishment?" Bruce asked causing Chloe to give a light laugh.
"No. It's actually really selfish. I found something that I like more than being a reporter." She grinned when she saw the disbelief in Bruce's eyes. "Why would I punish you?" His question had surprised her.
"I know what you want and I'm not giving it to you." Bruce told her.
"And..so..you..think I would…punish you?" Chloe said slowly. Bruce just looked at her, his silence it's own answer. "Wow. You've either had really shitty relationships or you don't know me at all. I'm hoping it's the former, because if not, we have much more serious problems than I thought."
"I wasn't trying to insult you." Bruce said tersely. "I'm shocked. Where are you going?"
Chloe shrugged. "No where. I'm staying here. I actually quite like Gotham. The gloom has grown on me. I'm not sure I could live somewhere that the sun actually shone more than twice a week."
"Chloe stop being glib. This is serious. What exactly do you mean by you're quitting?" Bruce was clearly getting frustrated by her responses.
"I told you that already. I think the correct question is, what will my new job be?" Chloe corrected. "I'm going to write fiction novels."
Bruce stood there dumbly slightly slack jawed. It was an odd sight. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look so discomposed.
When he didn't say anything, Chloe continued, "I've already started and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Even now, I want to go home so that I can keep writing. I actually like it more than chasing stories, if you can believe that."
"I…Chloe, this isn't for me, is it?" Bruce asked bewildered. She stood up so that their faces were on the same level. She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.
"I'm not going to lie. Your opinion made me think about trying something different, but I feel like I should thank you. Since I've been writing this story, it's made me feel so happy…it's made me love writing again. I know that sounds silly, but I'd forgotten how much I love the simple act of creating sentences and weaving them into something…I can't even describe it." Chloe said with such feeling that Bruce knew it was the truth.
"I'm glad that you've found it then." Bruce meant it too. "I really don't know what to say about this."
"There's not anything to be said. I'm quitting. Honestly, I don't really want to stay a whole two weeks, but I will." Chloe cocked her head to the side a little. "Any idea who will be trailing the Batman since I'm leaving?" Chloe asked specifically to judge his reaction.
He inhaled sharply, obviously not liking her question. "No. I don't think there is anyone suitable at the moment."
"Well, I don't mind giving them pointers. If you find someone before I leave, I'd be more than happy to help train them." Chloe offered.
"I appreciate the offer." Bruce thrust his hands into his pockets and studied her face. "You really aren't going to miss it?"
"I don't think so. I'm very happy simply writing. I'm beginning to think that maybe I was chasing adventure when really all I had to do was let my mind wander; almost like the adventure was already inside of me." Chloe laughed at herself. "That sounds stupid, but -
Bruce cut her off. "I'm glad that you're giving up on it. I won't miss worrying about you constantly. Wondering what trouble you're managing to get into to."
"So you do care?" Chloe posed the question softly.
"You know that I care. Too much." Bruce looked from her face and focused on the carpet. They were silent for a moment. Chloe felt like Bruce was having some sort of internal debate and she didn't want to interrupt that mental process.
Slowly, he looked up at her. "I think we should have dinner tonight. You can come to the mansion, we'll eat in."
Chloe's grin lit up her face. "I'd love to." She accepted easily.
More to come...I'm trying to work out best how the next chapter should go. I have to admit that after watching Smallville on Friday (10-9), I really wish that I could give Ollie a happy ending. BTW...Smallville for Chloe kinda sucks now. Is Chloe always relegated to an afterthought? I've been disgusted with the show for a while, but was shocked by Friday. Don't get me wrong, I love the Clark/Lois stuff, they do have chemistry; but really, Oliver is still hung up on Lois? Whatever! I'm so over all that. Chloe and Ollie would be perfect on the show!!!!