A/N Thanks so those who have replied! I really appreciate it. This story I'm hoping I can sort of flush out to include quite a few different characters and sort of answer the questions that were left to us in the season eight finale. Let me know what you think! I love feedback!

The Other Side of Grey

Chapter Three: The Stranger you have become

The last time they had been in this room she had run to him, thrown her arms around him and tried to hold onto the last ray of hope that was left in a vastly dark life… that would not happen this time. She stared at him for a moment and he stared back at her; each one of them assessing the changes of the other… those that were visible and those that weren't.

Her eyes looked him over. In the light of day she could see clearly that his hair seemed to have grown a shade darker. Apparently everything about him had become a little darker. Gone were the primary colors of red and blue or the homey flannel shirts. They had been replaced with black jeans, and a deep navy blue shirt. The tone of his skin even seemed a shade darker thanks to the slight stubble covering his face. But the biggest change was in the color of his eyes. His eyes… they weren't as soft as they used to be. Gone was the tenderness and warmth that he used to possess. They were void of the understanding and sympathy that used to cloud his blue orbs and all that remained was an icy certainty. And she realized that she had no idea who this person was in front of her…

She was looking at him as though she had never seen him before. She had traded in her quirky business attire for something a little more chic. She was in a pair of form fitting black pants and what looked to be a corset pinstriped top that hugged her hips. It was set off by the silver chain around her neck. She stood a few inches taller thanks to the black boots that now donned her feet; the sensible velvet flats she once wore now a thing of the past. The outfit seemed more suited to something worn in spring and summer but not in the middle of winter. But then he noticed the cropped jacket slung over the back of her chair. It still seemed a little thin considering it was fifteen below outside but who was he to judge? And in all honesty her attire should be the least of his concerns. The foreign stare that met his eyes was what really threw him. In all the time that he had known Chloe she had always worn her heart on her sleeve. All her emotions could be read in her eyes. Now as he looked at her he realized he had no idea what she was thinking or how she felt. Emerald eyes of sincerity had been replaced with something less comforting… something that bordered on alien. She was staring at him as if he were an alien and for the first time he realized he had no idea who this person was in front of him…

She placed her hands in her pockets as she cocked her head to the side. The stance was more than a little defensive. A ghost of a smile curved the corners of her lips that resembled a wry smirk. He had never seen it before. "I never thought I would see the day that Super Stealth would grace me with his presence. What could you possibly want to discuss with me?" She asked. The smirk remained but there was an edge to her tone as if daring him to cross an invisible line.

He blinked once… twice. For some reason he never thought she would react this way. Chloe didn't act this way with him. He raised his left eyebrow slightly. Even her voice seemed foreign to him now. "I…" He wasn't sure what he wanted to say and then switched tactics. He was here because he needed answers and she had them. Anything else was irrelevant. "What can you tell me about this Batman guy?"

She blinked this time as though not expecting him to ask that. Perhaps she wasn't but then again she wasn't sure what she expected from him… "This Batman guy… nothing." She replied with a slight shrug.

He furrowed his brow. She was being evasive… Chloe was never evasive with him. She trusted him…she used to trust him. "And Bruce Wayne; what about him," he asked.

"Bruce Wayne… born to Thomas and Martha Wayne, runs Wayne Enterprises and lives in Gotham City." She listed off nonchalantly.

"Chloe…"

"…known as a playboy with too much time on his hands and seems to have a fetish for very expensive suits… did I miss anything?" She asked coming down from the perch of the window and beginning towards her desk. He reached out and grabbed her arm causing her to stop. They stood side by side each facing in the opposite direction. She looked up as he looked down into her eyes and they held a stare. His finally drifted lower seeing that her necklace was looped through her wedding ring. He swallowed hard.

"How about the fact that he dresses up as a big black bat and terrorizes Gotham?" He asked softly pulling his eyes away from the jewel around her neck and focusing on her eyes.

She stared at him for a long moment. "I have no idea what you are talking about but just for the record I've never heard of Batman terrorizing anyone except those that harm innocent people!" She remarked forcefully pulling away from him. It wasn't needed as he released her without hesitation and seemed startled that she thought he wouldn't. It almost looked as if he were hurt. She shook it off going to her desk and rifling through files. "Look I'm not sure what you think you know but as far as I know the only things that Batman and Bruce Wayne have in common is an affinity for black clothing and living in Gotham City. Anything more than that and I can't help you." She remarked.

"I saved his life." He stated quietly.

"You saved his life?!" She quipped softly. "Wow… for some reason I remember it differently."

He met her eyes before glancing down at where the bullet wounds had been only hours before. "When did you get your powers back?" He asked softly.

She stopped her movements but didn't look up. "I don't remember." Her tone warned him that she wouldn't talk about it with him. He wasn't privy to that knowledge. "You know, now that I think about it… you're right… you did save his life and I'm sure that the City of Gotham is grateful."

"Are you?" He asked emphasizing the word 'you'.

That smile was back again… that wry smile that seemed far too bitter to ever grace her lips. "I thought Super Stealth only cared for what was good for the masses. Who cares how one person feels about your actions? It's about the greater good right?" She asked.

He felt like he had been slapped but the emotion was void from his features. He had two years of practice. Human emotion slowed him down, made him weak… he had learned that the hard way; they had all learned the hard way and perhaps would forever pay for it. But her words still stung. "And you think he's part of the greater good?" He questioned.

"Batman cares about his city. He's out there helping just like the rest of us. Every city needs a hero… a light of hope at the end of the dark tunnel… Batman is that for Gotham."

"Does he really think that he's doing right by running around and taking the law into his own hands?"

"He's out there helping the Gotham Police clean up the streets! He's doing what you do! What makes it any different? Why; because he wasn't born on another planet and he's not indestructible? Is it because he chooses to live among the people that he saves instead of thinking that he's better than them?" She asked defensively ignoring whatever he opened his mouth about to say. "The crime rate is lower and the last time I checked that was good!" She pointed out. "If you don't like it… then I suggest you stay out of his city!" She warned.

"He could get himself killed! He's running around putting his life as well as countless others in danger."

"The last time I checked that was his choice and anyone else who decides to get involved with him! Look if you have a problem with the way he does things, I suggest you take it up with him. As far as I'm concerned we have nothing else to talk about." She was dismissing him again and he didn't like it.

"Maybe I'll do that." He remarked softly. There was now an edge to his voice that didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Good luck with that." She threw out going back to sitting behind her desk as if he were already gone.

He turned to leave and then stopped seeing the faint stain of blood that still remained even after two years. "Do you really think that Jimmy would have wanted this for you?"

He heard the slight halt of her heartbeat and the gasp she couldn't smother. His words were meant to cut deep, to be a reminder of what her decisions had cost her… what his decisions had cost them all. For a moment he thought she would yell at him or break down. Instead she did neither.

"Since I knew Jimmy better than anyone in this room I can say with the utmost certainty that he would have been proud of what I've done with my life…can you say the same?" She asked coldly.

He didn't answer only supersped away.

Preview of Chapter Four…

"So now you're the expert on Chloe Sullivan?" He asked.

"I see that she used to mean something to you… or at least she used to mean something to Clark Kent…"

"…you're in love with her."