A New Awakening...

Chloe slowly stirred as she felt someone pull hed closer, "Bruce?" She whispered and then woke up to see blond hair...not Bruce. She lightly tried pushing against Steve but he was wrapped too closely around her. She swallowed down a wave of panic, "Help." She whispered, knowing no one could hear her and not caring...why her? She wondered angrily and of course her wrists were still in pain, even if they had been bandaged.

Bruce still wore that damnable wrist band. The one that was still linked up to Chloe's own. Even if Brainiac had hacked it and made it virtually useless, he couldn't part with it. He couldn't separate himself from the woman even though he needed to desperately if she ever wanted to live. His vindictive brother from another dimension had tried to kill her because of him.

It was like Rachael all over again, except the Joker wasn't related to him.

His wrist jolted him, his cold blue eyes flicked down at the wristband. Was it malfunctioning again? No, it couldn't. Chloe was in distress.

Again.

His feet moved immediately, he knew where she was. Hell; he knew where everyone was. Just the sad fact over his overly obnoxious paranoia, which usually saved his and other countless lives. Feet carried him to the Medical Lab as he twisted the knob, preparing himself to fight whatever was causing her distress. The door slammed open as he grit his teeth.

Bruce recoiled only slightly seeing Chloe in bed with another blond. He wasn't aware she had family. Well, she didn't. For all he knew it could have been an alternate version of herself or just a guy. In bed. With the woman he couldn't help but fall head of cowl in love with.

This was not good.

"Chloe, you never told me you had a brother." Bruce hissed out, trying to simmer down his emotions. He didn't want to snap right now. It would be all too easy to just snap the man's neck...

Chloe's eyes widened when Bruce stormed in and just stared at him in shock trying to will herself to speak. "He's not my brother." She snapped and then tried to shove Steve off of her again. "You wouldn't mind helping me move him though would you? My wrists are starting to bleed and he...is...too...heavy." She finally managed to say as she kept trying to move the man off of her.

Bruce resisted every urge to roll his eyes. His nose twitched in agitation but he moved forward and removed the man and not so carefully moved him to a different bed before grabbing gauze and antiseptic while swiveling a chair next to the bed.

"Wrists." He commanded in his Batman voice. It couldn't have her bleeding out on him, no matter how clearly upset he was with her.

Chloe sighed in some relief before holding her wrists out for Bruce to look at, the gauze Johnny had wrapped them with was already damp with her blood. She winced and looked down, "You're still mad at me huh?" She asked quietly, she wasn't dumb, she knew that he was upset with her....but why?

Bruce just stayed silent, choosing to unwrap the bandages slowly before barely twitching at the blood. He had seen worse.

"You haven't healed." Bruce stated flatly, not entirely sure if that meant worse things than what he was picturing.

She sighed and looked away, "Guess my heart wasn't in it." She stated quietly and looked down, after all her healing powers were empathy driven; and she no longer held that much empathy for herself. "Look Bruce...I'm sorry...I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I know you might never forgive me but I hope someday you will." She said as she started to cry. Even after all this time...she still loved him and she probably always would.

Bruce held himself together, he really did better than he would have thought. Chloe was there, upset and he had caused it. Then she started crying. Jesus, he had no idea what to do at this point. This was why he liked dealing with men more (only guy who ever outwardly cried was Dick and if you gave him any bit of attention the tears stopped), he never had to deal with tears. Chloe's hands were in his own, he just held them slightly tighter still not all that okay with what was going on. Chloe was not at fault he was. Everything was screwed up by him.

"Chloe, shut up." Bruce bit out, taking a breath. It might have sounded rude or just plain mean but he really needed her to shut up. He needed to think and having her blabbering like a fool was not something he needed right now. It was hard to be stoic and not just try to pull her into his lap and hug the sadness out of her. It wasn't in character for him as Batman. Bruce Wayne wasn't here; Batman was. He had to be the leader everyone was looking for, looking for him to be.

No dating, only justice.

"It was not your fault, none of it was." Bruce replied with in a tad bit of a softer voice. He didn't want to push her away but he had to. To save them he'd sacrifice what was necessary.

Even if that meant his happiness.

Chloe froze and looked down at their still linked hands, sadness overwhelmed her as she felt the distance grow. She pulled her hands out of his grip, she wasn't going to allow him the chance to break up with her again. Silent tears fell but she kept her composure, "Bruce...I know you think you're protecting me....but please don't say it." She said quietly as she moved to leave. Her heart gave an even harder yank as she turned from him, "We've already had this conversation....and...if leaving me is what you want...I understand." She said quietly. She got up and made her way towards the door, "Someday Bruce...I hope you find who it is you're looking for." She said quietly. She wanted nothing more then to run into his arms but she didn't...and it was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Bruce let his lips form lines. Did her mind always jump to breaking up? It must have. Obviously she didn't remember his... well, obvious emotional stinting. Even he could agree of its existence.

"Why do you always assume I'm here to end it? Is that what you want?" Bruce said in a smaller voice than he ever remembered having. He was throwing his guarded walls up again, not letting her get the chance to rip his heart out like Joker had done.

His only saving grace was the Joker finally was killed and that Jason had done it; even if only on reflex that young adult had enjoyed it before Bruce once again sent the Red Hood to his death. Damn, everyone he ever was close to died. Maybe he should check and make sure Dick was still alive after Chloe would break up with him once more.

Her heart leapt, "You mean...you don't want to break up with me?" She asked in her own quiet voice, and she had messed things up again. She slapped herself angrily, "I always say the wrong things don't I?" She asked sadly and with self-disgust. Why had she freaked like that?? She wanted to take everything back...."I'm such a screw up." She said angrily and sat down on the closest bed. If there's one thing she did well....it was ruin things

"You're sure of yourself, over confidence causes irrationality." Bruce supplied the answer for her.

"Nothing wrong with it, most times." He continued, shifting to a standing position. There wasn't anything wrong with it unless in battle. He, himself, as Bruce Wayne was over confident for good reasons. Chloe, herself, had reasons to be over confident. It just came with living and working in tights and Kevlar.

Chloe sighed, "I'm still a screw up." She muttered and looked back up at him. "I just...I'm always afraid that I'll lose what really matters to me. Thats no excuse but I always have made the wrong descisions and...each time I mess up I know I hurt you." She said softly and rubbed her wrist as she studied the floor intently.

"We indirectly hurt everyone. You can't please everyone no matter how hard you try." Bruce knew that better than anyone, to be perfectly honest. He was the reason so many had lost their lives. Clark, Jason, Joker, Scarecrow, thousands of Gothamites, his parents... it was something he had come to live with; though it didn't make the loss any easier. As much as he tried to compartmentalize the information it never really kept all the pain out.

She nodded in agreement, "I just wish that I could take it all back....and somehow fix everything." She said quietly as she thought out loud. She slowly looked back up at him, "Can you ever forgive me?" She asked quietly.

"Probably." Bruce answered truthfully, if she had or would do something wrong he would probably forgive her. Then again this wasn't her fault. It was his. So he neither found need nor justification for apologetic actions.

She nodded and slowly stood up to face him, "So, anything else we should talk about before I have a shower?" She asked, having become aware that she smelled like...Steve which was not something she wanted to smell for very long.

"Are you sure you should be doing that with bleeding wrists? You dying wouldn't exactly be... the best thing right now." The man just stared at her with a deadpanned look. Sometimes Chloe was so quick to flee she forgot about the more obvious things.

Chloe winced, "I kinda forgot...its just I smell...like him." She said as she gestured to the still sleeping Cap'n. "And no offence to him, but I smell like a gym." She said with a shudder.
[Ooc can't stop giggling now]

Bruce just gave into the childish gesture and rolled his eyes.

"Again, bleeding out isn't exactly the best thing right now. Deal with the smell or... I don't know grab perfume or cologne, if that's to your taste." Bruce said with a shrug, folding his arms slightly under his chest.

She could't help it then she gigged, it was the closest she had come to laughing in weeks. She smiled at him, "All right...I'll live with it." She said with another smile tugging on the corners of her lips.

Bruce didn't see the joke in it. At all. But felt a little pride swell in his chest for amusing her, again for no reason. There seemed to not be a lot of logic behind either of them or their reasoning for being... them either. Odd.

Very odd indeed.

"Your bracelet still works, by the by."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow, "Really? Wait...is that how you knew I was in a bind?" She asked slowly as another smile lit up her face. She felt....happy...well overly so and she liked that feeling....for too long she had been unhappy.

"Yes." Bruce curtly spoke, finding the topic of conversation to be slightly boring.

"How long are you in here for?" At least he could spud a bit more... Well caring. But he didn't want it leaking into his voice so he kept it in his usual monotone.

( Gah iPhone messes up so much )