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Title: Taking the long way around
Author(s): isdon_isgood9
Fandom(s): Smallville
Pairing(s): Chloe/Oliver, Lex/Lana, Lex/OFC, one sided Lex/Chloe
Word Count: 40, 554
Rating/Warnings: PG, it’s AU but there are spoilers for Reunion and Lexmas and some of season 3’s plot line.
Beta: jadelillytiger who did a marvellous job. Thank you honey :D
Summary: Lex and Clark are both Chloe’s best friends and she spends a great deal of time juggling the pair of them. When her good friend Hal Jordan drops by for a visit he introduces her to his other best friend, Oliver Queen, who happens to save the world wearing green leather. Taking it upon herself to help him and his team Chloe can’t believe it when she falls for Oliver, putting her friendship with Lex in major jeopardy.
Author's notes: I kinda suck at summaries :D. Really though I just want to give a huge shout to our mod, who happens to be my artist too, irony_rocks. You’ve an amazing job. I never thought I could do anything like this but I’m very glad I got the chance. Thank you for everything.
I hope you enjoy, if there are any mistakes feel free to let me know, I’m not perfect and I’m still learning a lot about writing. I do have to say that I have no understanding of the American military system and how it works. I just made it work the way I wanted it too. Sorry if you don’t like that. Other than that I hope you enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think :D
~~~~
Smiling as she dropped her last bag in the room she looked around. It wasn’t what she was really expecting it to be but then again in all her years of being friends with Lex Luther she had never really stopped and looked around the mansion. She had only really been into his study. It was where they met before going out, where they talked, where they hung out - it really had everything that they needed when they were together. The kitchen would even bring up food if Lex hadn’t thought to provide it for them. There had been no need to explore. That was obviously going to change now that she was going to be living here.
Then again Lana was moving in too so it wasn’t guaranteed that there would be much time for exploring. She was happy that two of her best friends where in a happy and committed relationship together (not that they were calling it that) but she couldn’t get past what it did to Clark. After all, the farm boy was supposed to be one of her best friends too. While she it made her life a little easier at times it also meant that she spent a lot of time listening to Lana drone on about how different Lex was from Clark and Lex whine about how Lana wouldn’t define the relationship. She didn’t want to think about what Clark talked about half the time, it was usually some sort of whine and she had grown accustom to tuning it out.
Of course things hadn’t always been so good between her and Lex. There was a time when he was just one of the best friends to one of her best friends. That’s all that she knew. When they had gone up against Lionel though everything had changed. In most ways it was for the best. The summer before junior year had been spent on an Army base with her uncle, getting to know some of the Air Force cadets that he was helping make the transition from Army to Air Force. Lex would swing through to visit on occasion so that she wasn’t too bored. While some of the Air Force cadets, they had to live by a strict regimen. That had been what had really given them a solid foundation to their friendship. They spent long nights talking about anything and everything as they ate ice cream or as they sat by the lake on the base, just getting to know each other. After all, they were trying to convict a man together and they had barely known each other. Of course she spent time with other men from the base and made some strong friendships - one especially with a brown haired pilot from Coast City - but none of them had been as strong as the friendship that she and Lex had forged that summer.
When life had returned to normal they had kept their friendship strong, even when Lex and Clark had hit a rocky road eventually ending their friendship for good. Chloe was more than willing to stick by both boys, as long as they understood that she was not their go between, she was their friend. It wasn’t her place to relay information about the other or discuss the way she felt about either of them. The same could be said for Lana as she held the rule for all her friends since high school.
After the events of Dark Thursday (where she, Lana and Lex had been holed up in Lex’s LutherCorp office) they had discovered that Met U had been destroyed. Chloe wasn’t prepared to move into Lois’s one bedroom Metropolis apartment so when Lex had offered a room at his mansion she had jumped on it. Now all she had to do was unpack.
Looking at the clock, Chloe sighed, that would have to wait. She had a long commute to get to work and if she didn’t leave soon she wasn’t going to get there at all. Grabbing her bag and laptop she left the room, mentally going over the corridors to take so she was able to return to her room when it was necessary, she paused outside Lex’s office to say goodbye.
Poking her head in Chloe smiled at her friend, as he worked at his desk, “I’m off to work. I probably won’t be back til late.”
“Ok, I’ll have the chef leave you something in the oven for dinner.”
“Thanks, and thanks again for letting me stay here.” Chloe replied with a wide smile.
“It’s no problem at all,” Lex said with his own smile, “What else are friends for?”
~~~~
Waiting for her first cup of coffee of the day, from the vendor near the Planet, Chloe breathed in a deep breath, allowing the aromas around her to be taken in. She found it to be one of the simplest pleasures in her life, being able to breathe in the aroma of coffee. It smelt almost as good as tasting the first drop from her steaming hot coffee cup for the day. Almost. Taking the cup from the man she turned to leave only to run straight into the chest of man. Gasping as her coffee spilled onto his shirt, she grabbed some napkins quickly to mop up the mess that they had made.
Glancing up to offer her apologies Chloe gasped again, dropping the cup in bin before throwing her arms around him and saying in his ear, “What are you doing here?”
Allowing the man to pull her out of the way of the kart before he embraced her properly, she squeezed him tightly as he replied, “Well one of best friends just moved here so I figured I’d help him settle in.”
Smacking him lightly in the chest Chloe rolled her eyes, “I’m not one of your best friends. You didn’t help me settle in when I moved. That’s a good way to hurt someone Hal Jordan.”
“If I really thought it would hurt you I wouldn’t have said it and you know it,” he replied with a laugh, “Besides you’re the one juggling two best friends as it is, I figured you wouldn’t want to add a third to the mix. Surely one of them was able to help you.”
“I might,” Chloe replied with a thoughtful nod, “If you replace the coffee you caused me to spill.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Hal said with a wink before going to stand in the line.
She took a seat because she knew she could spare a few minutes for Hal. He was one of her good friends after all. They had met over the summer while she was ‘dead’ and he had spent plenty of time showing her around the planes. It was fun and she hadn’t been around such a free spirit in a long time - at least not one that wanted to take her along for the ride. When she had returned to Smallville for the trial they had kept in touch. He was one of the sweetest men she had ever met. He was kind and caring and had saved her from some of the more pushy pilots when he didn’t even know her that well. He was only a few years older than she was but by the end of the summer they had a pretty good friendship. She even knew his heroic secret and he had told her about it just after it had happened. With Hal there was a sense of trust that she didn’t feel at times when she was around Lex or Clark. It was nice to feel like someone trusted her with everything and he understood that there was something she couldn’t tell him when it came to Clark. She enjoyed their relationship for that reason. It was nice to know that Hal could understand the fact that it wasn’t her secret to tell - it was probably one of the many reasons that he trusted her with his secret.
Taking the coffee him as he sat in front of her, she smiled, “So how long are you in town for?”
“A couple of weeks,” Hal said with a shrug, “As long as my other job doesn’t get in the way.”
“Good, we’ll have plenty of time to hang out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that can be arranged,” Hal said with a nod, “You’ll have to meet my friend too so that he knows someone here.”
“Who is this friend? And is there any reason why I wouldn’t want to meet him?”
Hal smiled and shrugged, “I think I’m just going to introduce you and let you decide what you think of him.”
“So there is something creepy about him,” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow, “What is it? Does he have eleven fingers or something?”
“No nothing like that,” Hal said with a laugh, “I know. How about we go out Friday night? I know a great new night club and you can bring that hot cousin of yours.”
“She has a name Hal.”
“I know but hot cousin is so much better than anything else,” Hal said, his smile growing.
Rolling her eyes Chloe sighed, “Of course it is.” Glancing at her watch she stood, “Well I have to go to work. I’ll call later in the week and give you my hot cousin’s address. We can meet there since she’s living in Metropolis.”
“Done,” Hal said standing to hug her goodbye.
~~~~
Typing away at her story Chloe didn’t realise that there was someone at her desk until they dropped a vase of tulips on it. Moving her chair back to look at them properly, she was surprise to see that they were a beautiful shade of orange and wrapped in green paper with an orange ribbon bow around them. Picking them up, she took a deep breath in, taking in their smell before reaching for the card that was sitting nestled between two of the flowers. After looking it over she rolled her eyes before dropping the card in the bin.
She couldn’t believe that he was still trying to do this to her. He was the one who had left all those years ago, returning home after their internships had finished, and now that he was back at the Planet all Jimmy wanted to do was win her back. But what did she really expect when it came to Jimmy Olsen? He was a funny boy in her eyes - one who she just happened to lose her virginity to. As far as she was concerned she would be ok if they just remained friends from now on, but he was making it hard. He’d returned to the Planet days before the events of Dark Thursday and he hadn’t left. When he discovered that she was also on the staff he made it his mission to try to woo her but Chloe had came to a very important decision when the events of Dark Thursday had occurred.
She wouldn’t date anyone that she didn’t think that she could be completely honest with about everything.
She just didn’t think that Jimmy was that man and she didn’t want to lead anyone on. She walked over to his desk with the flowers in her left hand. Dropping them onto the desk she looked at him and sighed, “Jimmy, please stop with the flowers and the gifts. I don’t want to go out with you.”
Rounding the desk Jimmy took her hand in his before saying, “Just give me one chance. That’s all I’m asking for.”
“I don’t think I can Jimmy,” she replied with a shrug, “You’re a nice guy. I hope we can be friends.”
She walked away from him rolling her eyes. This wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.
~~~~
Taking the glass of wine from Lex she smiled and continued, “And today he sent me orange tulips. What am I going to do with that boy? He’s just not taking the hint.”
“Well I can always step in if it’s necessary,” Lex suggested, taking the seat opposite from her on the couch.
The pair where sitting in his office, playing a friendly game of chess. They did it on occasion. Lately it was whenever Lana was off shopping. It was a nice tradition. They would play chess, drink wine and forget that the rest of the world was out there. They would talk, joke, and reminisce. It was nice that they could do this, but the thing she enjoyed the most was that it was just the two of them. They switched their phones off and it made it feel like the outside world didn’t exist anywhere other than in their stories.
“I don’t need you to be my big brother Lex. I just need a friend to vent to,” Chloe replied, shaking her head at him.
“Fine, but if he gets too much I’m calling and threatening his sorry ass. You got it?”
“I got it. Now take your turn already.”
Watching as Lex studied the board, she could never get over how calculated he was about the game. It was like he had to try and analyse every possible move and outcome that could come from one simple move in the game. Still that’s what makes it the most fun. She never played against anyway who played the way that Lex did. Clark would normally be too distracted by other things that were happening around them. The game would lose focus and eventually they would just give up on the whole thing. With Lex the talking was always second nature to the game itself. While she enjoyed the catch up time a lot she also enjoyed having her mind stimulated by the amazing game of chess that they would play.
“So how’s the world of Lexana these days?”
“Lexana?” Lex asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction as he made his move.
“Well that’s what the gossip rags are calling the pair of you.”
Laughing Lex shook his head, “You’ve got to stop listening to Lois when she tells you those types of things. But to answer your question Lana and I are doing fine, I guess. She still doesn’t want to define what we are. I want to. It’s getting to be a bit annoying.”
“Well maybe you should just ask her point blank. If I know you well as I think you do, you’re probably just hedging at the idea of defining the relationship.”
“What’s your point?” Lex asked, his eyes narrowing a bit.
“My point is that maybe if you just ask her what she wants then she’ll give you some kind of answer. It would be better than just trying to get her to slip up without asking.”
Lex shook his head, “Stop being rationale about the whole thing.”
“What are you afraid of Lex? Cause I’ve never seen you like this in any relationship that you’ve had,” Chloe said, leaning forward.
“What if she says Clark?”
“And what if she says that she was just waiting for you to bring it up? You won’t know until you ask, so stop being a pansy and ask her.”
“Fine,” Lex said taking a sip from his glass, “Will you take your turn if I do that?”
Reaching for the piece she was going to move, “Of course I can.”
~~~~
After running up the stairs, Chloe smiled at the men she saw standing at Lois’s door. Hal was banging away on the door as the man next to him shook his head, obviously trying to keep in his laughter in. Adjusting the garment bag on her shoulder she stopped just short of the men and waiting for them to notice her. She assumed that the blond was the man Hal knew who had just moved here. Letting her eyes sweep over his body she was impressed with what she saw. His blonde hair was short and spiked, his eyes were the deepest chocolate brown that she had ever seen and he looked impressive in the suit that he was wearing. She would start thinking that Hal was gay if she didn’t already know better. Walking in on him once was more than enough in her books. The man’s smile at first glanced seemed to just be at the expense of her friend, but when she looked closer she could see that it held a slight mystery to it like he was holding one of the greatest secrets in the world.
Shaking her head she took a step forward, “Is Lois not answering?” Not looking at either man as she pulled out her key, opening the door for them and entered the room, “Lo!,” she called, “It’s just us.”
“Great, the knocking has stopped,” Lois called back.
Rolling her eyes at Hal Chloe replied, “Yeah, it would have gone away if you had answered the door.”
Giving Hal a brief hug she went into Lois’s room sighing when her cousin said in confusion, “That’s what you’re wearing?”
“Well why not? The garment bag I’m holding has an invisible dress in it. Anyway I’m not the one in the towel.”
Lois smiled, “Right sorry. It’s been a long day. I’m guessing that Hal was the one knocking?”
Chloe pulled her blouse over her head and nodded, “Yeah, Hal and his friend. I didn’t catch a name before coming in here.”
Lois shook her head, “Why not? And is he cute?”
“Oh he’s more than cute. Try so ridiculously hot that it should be illegal,” Chloe replied with a shrug, “And I was too caught up in thinking about the whole Jimmy situation.”
“Is he still bugging you?”
Chloe nodded, wiggling out of her skirt, “He is but not as much as Lex is with he’s whole macho act.”
“Is he still being overprotective?” Lois asked, fiddling with her hair.
Pulling the dress over her head, Chloe pulled the zipper up at the side before looking in the mirror to straighten it, “Yes. Lex doesn’t realise he’s my friend not my father or my brother. He just won’t listen when I say that he should leave it alone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has called Jimmy with a threat to leave me alone without telling me.”
Turning to Chloe Lois laughed until she caught sight of her cousin’s dress, “Wow, cous, you look amazing. Where did you get that dress?”
Glancing down at her dress Chloe smiled. It wasn’t too fancy. It was a creamy colour, falling to her mid thigh. It had one shoulder strap that was connected to a sheer, flowing piece of material that wrapped around her upper arm and connected back to the side of the dress. The whole dress was covered in small black and silver sequins, which were the most prominent around her chest and at the bottom of the arm piece. Pieces of thread hung from the hem in a fashionable sense. The neck scooped down in a way that hide almost all of her cleavage but made her breasts pop amazingly nonetheless.
Looking back up at Lois she shrugged, “It’s just something I found in my closet while I was moving into the mansion. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”
“And this is it?”
“Well no but I’m sick of it sitting there on the rack and mocking me.” Watching Lois laugh Chloe shook her head, “Well if that’s how you’re going to be I’m going to hang out with Hal.”
“And his hot friend?” Lois asked.
Hitting her cousin gently on the arm on the way out, Chloe smiled. She loved her cousin but sometimes her antics were more than what Chloe could take. Entering the living room she smiled when she saw that Hal looked very relaxed, spread out on Lois’s couch. His friend, on the other hand, looked very awkward sitting on the chair. His back was stiff and his arms were crossed over his chest. Crossing the room she took a seat next to Hal and turned to him.
“Do I get to know your friend’s name now?” Chloe asked.
“My friend is Oliver and he’s my other best friend. I told you that the other day.”
“Stopping saying that or I’m really going to start thinking that you really have replaced me,” Chloe said with a pout.
“I’ve known Ollie almost as long as I’ve known you,” Hal said with a shrug, “You’ve got Lois. Ollie’s new in town and ten times more fun than Lois.”
“I heard that Hal Jordan, you better run when I get out there,” Lois yelled from the bedroom, “And that has yet to be proven.”
“I would have been fine if it was just the two of us. Hell, even if you just brought Oliver. It would stop Lois’ yelling.” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes, “So what happened with you and Carol?”
“My job got too much for her,” Hal said with a shrug, “Honestly I can’t believe that it didn’t happen sooner.”
Opening her mouth to offer condolences Chloe was cut off by the ringing of her phone. Sighing she grabbed the phone from the table and flipped it opened without looking at who was calling.
“Hello,” Chloe said.
“Hey Chloe it is Jimmy, from the Daily Planet.”
Suppressing a groan Chloe rolled her eyes before standing and heading to the kitchen. She didn’t want to have this conversation but she had to have it at some point. Leaning against the counter Chloe sighed, “What can I do for you Jimmy?”
“I was wondering what you were up to tonight?”
“I’m going out with some friends,” Chloe sighed.
“Well maybe I could come with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Jimmy. I think you just need to leave me alone.”
Feeling the phone being taken from her hand she looked over at who had taken the phone. Seeing Oliver she gave him a confused look as he placed the phone to his ear and saying, “Hi who is this and why are you bothering my girl?”
“This is Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet, who’s this?”
“This is the guy who’s going to ruin you Jimmy if you annoy my girl again. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes.”
Taking the phone back once Oliver hung up Chloe chuckled, “Thank you but you didn’t need to do that for me. I don’t need people sticking for me, especially when I’ve been spending my time convincing my best friend that he should leave it alone.”
“I know,” he said with a nod of his head, “But it seemed like he was annoying you and I can never resist saving a damsel in distress.”
“Do I look like a damsel?” Chloe replied before sighing. Really she couldn’t fault a man she didn’t know for getting rid of Jimmy. She was just glad that it wasn’t Lex. That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. She decided just to ignore it for Hal’s sake, “Don’t take this the wrong way but did you pester the girl you lost your virginity to?”
“You lost your virginity to that guy,” Oliver replied with a small laugh, “I can see why he would latch on to you but why haven’t you told him to go away?”
Chloe shrugged, “Maybe cause I don’t really know what the protocol for this is. I thought he was out of my life anyway and now he works with me and won’t leave me alone.”
Oliver smiled before replying, “Well I left the girl I lost my virginity to in a bed, naked, and ran back to school. I never called or spoke to her again, so you should be glad that he’s bugging you. Most guys don’t look back after their first times.”
“So basically I should count my blessings that they guy I had sex with for the first time, in the back seat of a car, is still calling five years later cause he happens to be geographically near me again.”
Oliver shrugged, “I didn’t say it was perfect.”
“No but it was funny and I like,” Chloe replied with a smile, pulling open the door to the fridge, “Do you want a bottle of water?”
“Yeah, that’s what I actually came in for.”
“You mean you didn’t come in to be my knight in shining leather.” Chloe said with a smile, holding out the bottle of water for him to take.
Looking down at his outfit Oliver shrugged, “If the leather shoes fit.”
“Well knight in shining suit didn’t fit quite as well,” Chloe replied with a cheeky grin on her face. Guiding him back to the couch she sat back down next to Hal. She noticed that when Oliver sat down this time he looked a little more relaxed. He allowed himself to sink into the couch back and he rested his arms on the arm rest. Turning to Hal again she asked, “Are you seeing anyone new?”
“No,” Hal whispered, “I just want to forget the whole Carol thing happened and I haven’t wanted to get into anything since. It was just... how do you deal with it?”
“Deal with what?” Chloe questioned, running a hand down his arm.
“Having the person that you love walk away because they can’t deal with a part of you?”
“I don’t think that it matters,” Chloe said, “I’d prefer for the person to walk away than stay out of some twisted sense of obligation.”
“I agree,” Oliver agreed with a nod, “It’s better to be loved for being you than having someone stay just because they can. I think when you find the person you’re supposed to be with they won’t feel obligated to stay. They’ll want to be there and more importantly they’ll love every part of you.”
“Exactly, if she’s the one she’ll learn to love every part of you.” Chloe said with a shrug, “And it’s a good thing you have your best friend and friend here. We’ll be your wing people tonight and find you an even better girl than Carol.”
“Hey! Both of you are my best friends,” Hal argued, “But I’ll defiantly take you up on the wingmen option.”
“I’m a woman doofus,” Chloe replied, slapping his arm as Lois’s door opened. Turning to face her Chloe smiled at her cousin. She was, without a doubt, hot in her black little dress. It was a halter top that fell to her mid thigh. The top was in a heart shape cupping her breasts in a way that highlighted them. When her cousin twirled she turned to watch Hal drool over her cousin. She looked at Oliver and was surprised to see that he was still looking at her. It was a weird concept, having a man look at her while he cousin was flaunting her stuff. Usually she was over looked by everyone. Except Oliver.
Giving him a shy smile she turned back to Lois and pulled her down next to her before turning to the boys, “Ok we are looking fabulous, we should go before the makeup runs.”
“Yes! I’ll go and get my purse, give me one second,” Lois cried, jumping off the couch and running back into her room.
Rolling her eyes Chloe shook her head, “She’ll be another half hour. So what are your expectations of this woman we’re finding for you? And if you say Lois I’m going to hit you so hard it’ll hurt for days.”
Laughing Hal shook his head, “Lois is a look but don’t touch girl. I like to look but I like my friendship with you more so I don’t touch.”
“Aww,” Chloe said, placing a hand over her heart, “I swear, that’s like the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me Hal and it only took three years for that to happen.”
“Well now you can never say that I don’t say sweet things to you.”
Slapping him on the arm she was about to respond when Lois walked out of the room again, her bag slung over her shoulder, “Ok. I’m ready to go, lets bogie.”
Shaking her head at her cousin Chloe used Hal’s leg as leverage to stand she reached over for her bag as Hal and Lois left the apartment laughing. Turning she smiled at Oliver, “You didn’t have to wait for me. I just had to get my bag. You’ve been doing a lot of things you don’t have to tonight.”
Oliver shrugged, “There are some dangerous streets out there and apparently annoying people on the phone. I figured better safe than sorry. Plus I didn’t get to say this before but you look amazing.”
“Thank you,” Chloe whispered with a smile, “It’s such a pity that I can’t say the same thing about you.”
Laughing Oliver offered her his arm. Slipping her arm through his she walked out the door, pulling it shut behind her, “So tell me how you know my best friend.”
Oliver shook his head, “You do realise he’s both of our best friends and I’m ok with that?”
“Well I’m an only child, I don’t share well,” Chloe said with a smile.
“I’m an only child too and I share perfectly well,” Oliver replied with a nod, “Well not perfectly. When it’s come to women I can be territorial, but only if I really like them. Best friends though? Not my forte.”
“Well my two other best friends don’t like each other at all,” Chloe replied, “They used to get on really well but now they don’t at all. It’s been a little rough, it’s nice to have Hal back. He’s so different from my other best friends.”
“He’s a very different man,” Oliver said with a nod, “So how did you two meet?”
“On an Air Force base, Lois is my cousin and her father, my uncle, is an Army General and he was helping some cadet’s transition. I was staying with him and Hal was one of the cadets. We’ve been friends ever since. How did you meet Hal?”
“He went to school with me,” Oliver replied, “My guardian transferred me after an incident at my first school and I met Hal on my first day. He was great and we’ve been friend ever since. How old are you, by the way? It’s just you act like your twenty seven but you met Hal after I met Hal.”
“That’s not what Hal told me that,” Chloe said with a roll of her eyes, “I shouldn’t believe anything he says. And I just turned twenty one.”
“Twenty one!” Oliver gasped, glancing over her body, “You have got to be kidding me.’
“No. I met Hal when I was seventeen.”
“Wow, you were young.”
“I defiantly was but he saved me from some of the older, more hands on cadets. We’ve been friends ever since.”
“It sounds like a good pairing,” Oliver said with a nod, “I think that if I had to give up my title of best friend to anyway I’d have to give it up to you.”
“Well that’s very sweet of you to say. I’ll defiantly be taking you up on that. How about we go and have some fun?” Chloe suggested.
“I’m in for that.”
~~~~
Settling onto her bed, Chloe figured that she had a bit of time to do some reading when her bedroom door flew open. Looking up she was shocked to see Clark standing there pacing. Rolling her eyes she stood and shut the door before Lex or Lana came running to discover what the sound was. Taking a deep breath she composed herself before turning to face her friend. He was still pacing at the end of her bed, his breathing uneven, his hands clenched at his side, and his eyes glancing from side to side. Stepping in front of him she placed her hands on his shoulders before forcing him to sit down.
Smiling at him once he was there Chloe said, “Clark what is going on?”
“Lex is an ass,” Clark growled out, “How you can stand to be here is beyond me?”
“Clark!” Chloe cried, her hands flying onto her hips, “You should know better than this by now. I won’t tolerate you coming here just to talk badly about one of my closest friends.”
“I’m sorry Chloe,” he bellowed back, “But if you had seen the way he was talking to me you would know why this is justified.”
“That doesn’t matter Clark, you agreed not to put me in the middle and that’s what you’re doing right now. So you two choices you can either: leave and go rant to Lois or your mom or you can stay and hang with me, without the ranting.”
“Fine, I’ll stay but only cause your my best friend and I feel like I haven’t seen you in a very long time.” Clark replied crossing his arms over his chest, “But I’m not leaving this room.”
“Deal, now move over and let me on the bed.” Chloe said, swatting at his knee, “So what have you been up too lately?”
“Well I had to get a new part for the tractor,” Clark said moving over so Chloe could lie down on the bed, “And mom made this great apple pie.”
Chloe laughed, “Are there any non farming stories?”
“A few but I don’t plan to share them while we’re here,” Clark replied, “Anyway you’ll never guess what happened to the horses the other day.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe laid back on the bed, listening as Clark went on and on about the horses at his farm. While she missed Clark a lot since she’d moved into the mansion and he’d stopped dropping by she did have to admit that she didn’t miss the farm stories. While they were fine from time to time they showed how rarely Clark got off the farm when he wasn’t off doing his hero business. Even then it was limited. For some reason he’d formed an attachment to the land that she couldn’t explain away and that saddened her for some reasons. She couldn’t explain it. She knew she would never want to be tied to just a piece of land and that’s what the farm had always been to her. Another piece of land. Maybe it was more to Clark, maybe that’s why he could ramble on about it for hours and not take a breath, like he was doing now but that didn’t mean that she had to listen to it. Did she?
“Clark,” she sighed, “While this is very fascinating I’m kind of beat. How about we do lunch tomorrow in Metropolis? Away from the mansion.”
“You just want to hear stories that aren’t all related to the farm,” Clark said with a huff.
“Well of course. You know how much I like your side business.” Chloe replied, grinning, “Plus I really need to read this book.”
She held up the book for him to see and was grateful when he nodded, gave her and quick hug and left, speeding through the doorway. Chloe rolled her eyes. He was worried about talking about his hero business in the mansion but that didn’t stop him from speeding out of the place like it was on fire. Moving back so she was lying on the centre of the bed she realised that she would never understand Clark Kent, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe one day she would stop trying but right now it was just too much fun.
~~~~
Sighing as Lex led her across the grounds Chloe shook her head, “Don’t you have a girlfriend to drag to these events?”
“Normally but she had to go see Nell for some reason,” Lex shrugged, “I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“You don’t listen when your girlfriend talks?”
“Sometimes she’s a bit dull.”
Laughing Chloe pushed him slightly, “You’re a silly, silly man. Why date a girl if she’s dull?”
Lex shrugged, “I said sometimes she’s a bit dull. She’s not always dull. I find her quite fascinating.”
“You and every other man in Smallville,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes. “However if I’m going to make it through this I’m going to need a drink.”
“As you wish,” Lex replied with a smile before he left her alone.
Rolling her eyes at the man she looked around the grounds. The place was quite elegant for school grounds. Then again she hadn’t been expecting it look any other way, especially when the school was most likely trying to get money out of its deep pocketed alumni. The stairs to the school building looked like they were made from marble. The building was a beautiful red brick, with gargoyles on the top, giving an eyrie look to the school. Around the grounds where tables filled with food and drink on lush green grass that looked as though it needed to be watered on a daily basis. There were a few trees scattered around but not enough to provide any real shade. She stopped, surprised to see Hal standing not too far away talking to Oliver. Walking over to the pair she smiled at them.
“What brings the two of you here?”
“Chloe,” they both said, embracing her gently. Oliver only held on for a brief second before moving back.
“What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around, “From what I remember this was a boy’s only school.”
“Oh, one of my best friends dragged me here,” Chloe said with a shrug, “Maybe you know him, Lex Luthor?”
Oliver gave a short nod, “I remember him.”
“Good, ‘cause he’ll catch up with me at some point,” Chloe replied, “He’s just gone to get me a drink since he dragged me here.”
“Doesn’t he have girlfriend to drag to these events?” Hal asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He does but she’s doing something else. Of course he doesn’t know because apparently she’s very dull.”
“I don’t think she’s dull,” Lex said, holding out a glass of champagne for Chloe to take, “What she was saying at the time was very dull. There’s a difference.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Chloe replied.
“You weren’t there, how would you know?”
“Yes, well you obviously weren’t listening when I said I had to work tonight,” Chloe said, not taking the drink from Lex’s hand, “I can’t show up drunk.”
“And I told you I got you out of it,” Lex responded with a shrug, “So you can get as drunk as you want.”
“I may have called my editor, told her that while it was a nice offer, I’d rather have you not give away my shifts for no reason and that I was more than able to do it.” Chloe shrugged, “Not all of us are billionaires and can take the day of to work a crowd. I need the money.”
“I can easily give you money,” Lex argued.
“And I can easily earn the money,” Chloe said before turning to Hal, “So when did you fly back into town and why didn’t call? And are you two on a date?”
Laughing as both Oliver and Hal spit out the mouthfuls that they had just taken Chloe waited patiently for an answer.
“We are not on a date,” Oliver argued, rolling his eyes at Chloe, “I just have to work once the event’s over so I couldn’t bring a date. Hal arrived on my doorstep this morning so I threw him in a tux and pointed out the women he shouldn’t hit on.”
“See that’s your mistake,” Chloe replied with a shake of her head, “You can’t tell him who not to go after, that’s who he’ll want to go after. Instead you tell him that the people who are available are the ones he can’t go after and then he’ll be all over them.”
“So he’s like the child who only wants a toy cause he can’t have it,” Oliver said with an understanding nod.
“Exactly. I just usually pick one and he spends the night chasing her skirt.”
“That’s not what you did Friday night,” Oliver responded, intrigued by the girl.
“What...” Lex cried, “You were with Oliver Queen on Friday night.”
“Yes, I was with Hal and Lois,” Chloe said, speaking slowly, hoping that what she was saying would sink in, “Oliver was the friend that Hal brought along.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me that?” Lex questioned.
“Maybe because the only conversation we’ve had since then was about you getting me to come here with you,” Chloe replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
“That’s not my fault.”
“Well I think it is,” Chloe whispered, “I only leave the mansion to go to work or see Clark and Lois. All things you don’t want to do. Plus I’m not the one living with their girlfriend in the house.”
“Ok, that might be my fault,” Lex conceded with a nod, as the group was joined by two boys.
“Oliver! Lex!,” the first one cried with a bit of a slur, slinging an arm around Oliver’s shoulders “It’s been a long time.”
“A very long time Alden,” Oliver whispered looking to the ground.
Alden turned his head to look at Chloe and Hal, “And who are you? Why are you here?” he shouted a little too loudly, heads turning to look at them, “I don’t remember going to school with either of you.”
“That’s cause you didn’t,” Hal replied, his eyes narrowing at the brown haired boy.
“Hi, I’m Chloe,” she said, sticking out her hand for the boy to shake. Watching as he looked at her hand before taking it in his grasp, he placed a sloppy kiss on her hand before she could protest, “I’m assuming your Alden.”
“I can be anything you want me to be,” Alden slurred, trying to move so that he was standing next to her. “You’re pretty.”
“She’s beautiful,” Lex and Oliver contradicted at the same time.
Shaking her head at both the boys she smiled at Alden and said, “If you say so. Now, was being back at school so hard that you needed to resort to drinking to cope?”
“You are very very pretty,” Alden replied, running a hand through her hair. “Very pretty. Which one of these chumps are you banging?”
“Ok,” Chloe cried pushing the boy away from her, “I think that’s about enough.”
“Nuh uh,” Alden argued.
Shaking her head Chloe circled around Hal so she was standing between him and Oliver when Alden tried to reach for her again. She was grateful when Oliver stepped in front of her, blocking Alden’s hands from reaching for her.
“Ok, I think we need to sober you up,” Oliver said, grabbing the man’s other arm, “How about we go and find some coffee.”
“But I want to stay with pretty Chloe,” Alden whined, trying to reach for Chloe again.
Chloe rolled her eyes. For some reason the drunken community of Metropolis seemed to like her a bit too much. The same thing had happened Friday night when they had been out dancing. Some drunk had decided to take it upon themselves to be all over her. She was lucky that Oliver and Hal had been there. They had spent the night fending off the unwanted attention that she had been getting.
“Its fine Alden, I could use some coffee myself,” Chloe said with a smile,” So let’s go find some.”
Smiling at Lex she handed him back the champagne glass before following Oliver and Alden over to the coffee. It felt weird, trying to appease the drunken man but she was just glad that he had stopped touching her. Thanking Oliver when he handed her a couple of coffee she was about to say something else when she saw what Alden was up to.
Sighing she rolled her eyes and pointed it out to Oliver, “Looks like we’ve got a runaway drunk.”
Laughing Oliver shook his head, “What is it with you and drunken men?”
“It’s not like I asked them to be attracted to me,” Chloe said with a sigh as they walked towards the building where Alden was climbing the stairs, “Sometimes I think there must be something wrong with me. I always seem to attract the wrong kind of guy.”
“There’s no need for you to be so hard on yourself,” Oliver protested, “There’s nothing wrong with you. These guys aren’t silly for being attracted to you. How they go about it though is a very weird but you should consider it flattering.”
“How so?” Chloe asked crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well they have to be drunk before they can talk to you. It shows how intimidated they are by your beauty.”
“While I think you mean that as a compliment it feels more like an insult,” Chloe said with a sigh, “Am I really intimidating?”
“Not at all. Most men just don’t know how to deal with beautiful women.”
Chloe raised a hand and stopped, “Enough with calling me beautiful, okay? It’s a little weird.”
“You don’t have many people call you beautiful do you?” Oliver asked.
“No.”
“Well I don’t understand why. You are a very beautiful woman. In fact I’ve had that opinion of you for since we met.” Oliver said with a shrug, “I guess I’ll just have to constantly tell you til you get use to it.”
“Funny. I didn’t realise I would be seeing that much of you.”
“Well now I have a mission you’ll be seeing a lot of me,” Oliver said, flashing a grin at her before a scream echoed through the yard.
Turning to look at where it was coming from she was surprised to see a woman pointing at a gargoyle that had fallen from the roof of the main school building. She ran two steps behind Oliver, hoping that nobody was seriously hurt. Taking the step two at a time, she gasped when she saw the blood coming out from under the marble. Reaching into her bag she pulled out her phone, turning so she wouldn’t have look to look at the blood. Punching in nine-one-one she reached out a hand to offer Oliver the little comfort she could.
Just before the call connected she heard him whimper, “Its Alden.”
“Hi, I need an ambulance to Excelsior academy. A man has been hit with a gargoyle.” Nodding to what the man said she thanked him and hung up before saying, “They’ll be here in three minutes tops.”
~~~~
Collapsing onto the first couch in Lex’s office, Chloe sighed. She couldn’t believe that the events of the day had ended up the way they were. One of Lex’s room school acquaintances had been killed. They had been there, heard it, she had seen the blood. She couldn’t get the image out of her mind. Smiling softly when Lex sat down next to her she curled into his side, hoping that the day would go away. Even if only so she could have a good night sleep. She had called her editor after the ambulance had left and informed her that she wouldn’t be coming into work after all. Her editor had understood especially after she told her what she had seen.
Curling further into Lex’s side she couldn’t help but feel relax. It was nice to know that there was a place of comfort left in the world. It made her feel even better because it was in her best friend’s arms.
~~~~
Yawning slightly, Lex shifted on the couch, being careful not to awaken the blond in his arms. Smiling, he let that thought wake him slowly. It was nice to feel Chloe in his arms. He never thought that the day would come. Sure they hugged constantly but they had never spent the night in the same room, let alone falling asleep with her on him. It was incredible how nice it felt. He knew it shouldn’t feel this good. It should feel like they were friends who witnessed something bad and needed comfort. In all honesty though, he knew he should have gone to Lana for that comfort but here he was.
With her in his arms.
Maybe it wouldn’t mean anything. After all she had never alluded to having feelings for him but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy it while it was happening. It was nice to think that she felt safe enough with him to live in the mansion while the Met U was being rebuilt and that she felt safe enough to curl into his arms and sleep. If he was honest with himself his feeling for her had started a long time ago, over the summer she was in the witness protection program. They had spent so much time together that it only felt natural to drift together. It felt right.
But she proved she didn’t think of him that way constantly that summer so he hid his feelings, deciding to allow her the time she needed to get over Clark. That didn’t mean he planned to stop dating, just that he would wait for her. As weird as it felt to admit, Chloe felt as though she was his soul mate. She was so kind towards him, loving, they had a relationship that he never had with anyone else. She didn’t constantly wait for him to be wrong and when he apologised she actually accepted it, moved on and left it in the past.
The closest thing that he had to a relationship with her was his one with Lana. And while he enjoyed her company and their passion could be explosive at times, he felt she wasn’t always with him. There was always Clark dangling over their heads. It didn’t feel that way with Chloe. Sure, Clark was still her best friend but they shared the roll equally. Neither of them got more time than the other and neither where disadvantaged. She wouldn’t hear a bad word about either nor would she listen to the problems they had with each other. While it was weird to think he couldn’t share his feelings about Clark with her he understood her position when it came to the matter and he was more than willing to allow for it.
Moving a stray hair from her forehead he laughed as she groaned, “Wake up sleepy head,” he whispered, moving another stray hair.
“What time is it?”
“Early. Probably about seven in the morning.”
“Oh God,” Chloe groaned, “Why are you awake? Why’d you wake me?”
Lex chuckled, he usually forgot that Lana and Chloe weren’t morning people like he was, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Well you did,” Chloe said with a sigh sitting up. Glancing over her shoulder at him she gave him a soft smile, “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I don’t feel anything,” Lex said with a shrug, “Alden wasn’t my friend.”
Rolling her shoulders, Chloe reached for her bag and pulled out her phone. Checking the messages she smiled when she saw a message from Hal. She sighed when she saw the news.
“Did you know a boy named Geoffrey?”
“Yeah,” Lex said with a nod, “He was the boy who came over with Alden.”
“I take it you didn’t like him much either?” Chloe asked.
“Not particularly. He, Alden and Oliver used to bully me and my friend when we were in high school,” Lex replied with a shrug.
Turning to face him Chloe gave him a soft smile, “He was killed last night. Explosion.” She whispered, holding up the phone for him to see the message.
“I see,” he whispered, glancing over the message quickly before shrugging his shoulders. “Is it weird to feel relief?”
“You can feel whatever you want. It’s not weird to feel that way though,” Chloe whispered, “Especially if he bullied you back then. It must be nice to feel safe from him.”
Lex nodded a pensive look on his face, “It kind of is.”
Rubbing a hand down his arm she smiled, “Well I’m going to bed but if you need me don’t hesitate to call. Although I’m sure Lana is around here somewhere.”
Nodding Lex watched her leave before standing and walking over to the drinks cart. Pouring himself a glass of bourbon Lex shook his head. He couldn’t believe that two of his classmates were dead. Sure he felt happy that they were gone, he never particularly liked either boy or was liked by them, but it was odd that it was those two. It felt like someone was taking their revenge. After what had happened to Duncan he was glad, but there was a good chance this wouldn’t turn out well.
He just hoped he didn’t have to tell Chloe the full story when it was all over.
~~~~
Walking into the penthouse with Lex by her side, Chloe was amazed by what she saw. Looking around she couldn’t help but feel at home. The bookcases were lined with books and photos that went all the way along the walkway and into what appeared to be a sitting area. Running her hand over one shelf she was surprised to see a photo of a little boy with two people who looked to be his parents. Studying it closer she could almost feel the love between them without having to try. It was incredible what a parents love could do for a child. It could lift them up, raise them out their darkest times and keep them as pure as possible for as long as possible.
“They’re Oliver’s parent,” Lex whispered from beside her before taking the picture from her hands. “They died when he was nine.”
“Wow,” Chloe replied taking the photo back and placing it where it belonged, “I could never imagine living without my dad.”
“Well I think he was blessed in a twisted messed up way,” Lex replied with a shrug, “I’d give almost anything to not have my dad around.”
“I know you would but I’d give almost anything to have my mom around.”
“Sometimes we turn out bad despite it all,” Lex said with a shrug,
“He still would have been a bully and he still would be the reason that Duncan’s dead.”
“You’re only looking at the negative,” Chloe argued, “When did you get so black and white? The Oliver I’ve met is nice and kind and sweet. He’s not a bully anymore and you should stop thinking of him in just that way.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking of him like that. It’s just one of those things.”
“Of course it is,” Chloe replied with a shake of her head.
She knew that Lex could be stubborn but she had been hoping that since he agreed to meet Oliver he would at least do so with an opened mind. That didn’t look like it was going to be the case though. Lex seemed to be stuck in this black and white view of the world - which was fine when you’re friends with Clark, master of the black and white, but Chloe couldn’t think that way. She knew that there were shades of grey in the world. While you had to tread carefully while in them they could open up a range of possibilities but only if you were open and willing to let them.
Walking down into the sitting area she smiled when she saw both Hal and Oliver sitting there together both looking in opposite direction, as if trying to avoid each other. Clearing her throat Chloe let their presence be known.
“Hey boys,” she said, taking a seat on the lounge across from them, “How’s it hanging?”
Laughing at what she said Oliver shook his head, “I’m not hanging from anything.”
“Oh man, and here I was hoping you’d be hanging from the ceiling like a vampire.”
“Can we get down to business?” Lex asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend and Oliver.
“Sure, I’m just here to make sure you two don’t kill each other,” Chloe said with a shrug.
Hal smiled, “That’s my job too.”
“Then why don’t we go hang out at the kitchen counter,” Chloe suggested, spotting the counter out of the corner of her eye, “And leave these two chumps to it.”
“I’m in,” Hal replied, standing and offering her his arm. Taking it Chloe muttered a play nice to the boys before walking with Hal over to the counter.
Dropping down onto the first stool she could find Chloe smiled at her friend and said, “So how long are you in town for?”
“Until tomorrow. I have some side business to deal with before returning to Coast City on Friday.” Hal said with a shrug pulling them both out bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to her.
Smiling Chloe took it gratefully, “I wish you didn’t always have to do drive by visits. It feels like I hardly see you anymore and that’s sad.”
Laughing at her pout Hal shrugged, “It’s a hazard of the business. I’m sure if you need someone else to hang out with Ollie will be more than happy to do so.”
“Like I don’t have a hard enough time juggling Lex and Clark you want me to add Oliver into the mix. I’d never be able to sleep.”
“That’s true,” Hal said with a nod, “But you should think about it. He gets bored when there aren’t people around to entertain him.”
“His job doesn’t keep him busy enough?”
“It does but he still finds time to be bored.”
Opening her mouth to reply Chloe never got the chance. Hearing a crash from the other room the pair looked at each other before running over. When they entered she was surprised to see Lex sprawled out on the ground next to Oliver. The couch had been tipped over and the table that had been between the two couches was knocked aside. There was glass scattered across the place and it appeared that Lex was out cold. Moving quickly to his side Chloe checked for his pulse as Oliver moved so that he was sitting up.
Running a hand down Oliver’s back to remove the glass there, she allowed for Hal to pull the both to their feet before asking, “What the hell happened?”
“Something attacked us,” Oliver panted, “I think it might be the same thing that attacked Alden and Geoffrey.”
“But that thing killed them,” Chloe gasped.
Both boys jumped in to reassure her, “It’s going to be ok.”
Hearing a noise behind her Chloe jumped and shook her head, “I’m not so sure about that.” She whispered, slowly heading back that way that she and Hal had come.
Chloe was shocked when the clock face on the platform opened to see. She had no idea what was supposed to be in there but by the looks of the arrows on the wall she was sure that no one was suppose to see it. Moving towards it slowly she was jumped when someone grabbed her arm. Spinning she wacked Oliver for scaring her before trying to continue on the path she had been on. She wanted to know what was in that room that would lead to Oliver sealing it over like that.
“Just stay put,” Oliver whispered in her ear, pulling Chloe behind him, “There’s no need for you to get hurt too.”
Chloe nodded stayed behind him as she watched one of the arrows get pulled off the wall. Gasping as it hurtled towards them, she was surprised when Oliver grabbed her in his arms and tuned them so that their backs where facing the arrow. Surprised that when she heard Oliver groan she spun in his arms, taking in the arrow that was embedded in his upper left arm.
“Oh my God,” she whispered as Oliver groaned again, she pulled off her jacket and held it to the wound, hoping to stop some of the blood that was bleeding from around the arrow.
Glancing over his shoulder she gasped again when she saw another arrow floating in the air, as if trying to be sure that it had its target before firing.
“Hal!” she cried, hoping that her friend would come in and save them, “Any time now would be great!”
Closing her eyes as the arrow hurtled towards them she waited to feel the impact of the weapon. When it didn’t come she shook her head and peered over Oliver’s shoulder. To her surprise Hal was standing, in full Green Lantern costume between them and the arrow. A surge seemed to pulse through the room and revealed an electromagnetic man standing where the arrow had been shot from. The man disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared. She turned to Hal, knowing that they couldn’t waste a second.
“You need to get them both to the hospital.” She whispered, holding Oliver out to her friend, “Quickly!”
Watching Hal fly away she shook her head before heading back to where Lex was. Ensure that he had a pulse she looked at her watch. It was a twenty minute car trip to the hospital from where they were. She knew had would only need a quarter of that time to make it to the hospital and back so she knew she only had ten minutes to check out the room behind the clock face. She thought it was weird that there was even a clock face in the penthouse but she tried not to think about it as she headed over. It was defiantly a trait that was unique to this penthouse. The Luthor’s one defiantly didn’t have one.
Shaking her head again to clear her thoughts she entered the room, unprepared to find what she did there.
~~~~
Hal sat next to his friend as he watched television in his hospital bed. He knew that he should be going. There were things in the universe that need his attention. However, he knew he couldn’t go anywhere without reassure Oliver about Chloe. He knew it might take his friend a while to accept the fact but he had to at least try.
Turning to Oliver he said, “Look you can trust Chloe.”
“Oh can I,” Oliver replied, “You want me to trust the best friend of Lex Luthor.”
“Hey! She’s also the best friend of one of your best friends. Shouldn’t that earn her a few points,” Hal argued, “Anyway if she figures it out she won’t tell anyone.”
“Not even Luthor. Because it’s vital that he doesn’t know what the team and I are up too.”
Hal nodded, “Not even Luthor. She knows my secret and has never told anyone.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. He knew what a big deal his friend made out of sharing his secret - it was guarded closer than his own, “She knows? Since when?”
Hal shrugged, “She was the second person I told after Carol. It just seemed right and since then she has been nothing but very supportive. I think she’ll be the same way with you.”
“She barely knows me. There’s a difference.”
“That won’t stop her from taking your secret to the grave, though.” Hal replied with a shrug. He knew it wasn’t much but he had said everything that could possible put his friends mind at ease without breaking the confidence that Chloe had entrusted him. He knew that nothing else would help though. This was something that Oliver was going to have to learn to trust in by himself.
~~~~
“So,” Chloe said, drawing the word out for as long as she possible could, “You’re the Green Arrow.”
Oliver looked up from the work that was sitting on his desk in front of him. He knew that there was a chance that she would figure it out after everything she had seen that day but he hadn’t expected her to wait so long to tell him that she knew.
“Yeah,” he whispered, “Are you going to tell anyway?”
“No, I’ll keep this to myself but on one condition,” Chloe replied raising her eyebrow, “You have to tell how all this started and what you’re planning to do.”
Laughing Oliver nodded his head and gestured to the seat in front of him. He wasn’t sure why he was doing this but something about what Hal had said made sense. It just felt like he could, without a doubt, trust this woman no matter what. It was a nice feeling, knowing that there was someone else he could share with and if she knew Hal’s secret and he wasn’t a lab rat there was a good chance that his secret would be safe. Starting from the beginning he told her about honing his archery skills when he was on the island. That when he had returned he realised what a bad place Star City had become - over run by thieves and criminals at night - so he had decided it was time to do something about that. He told her of how he hired people to train him in four different types of martial arts and that he continued to hone his archery. Six months later he was donning the green leather and hitting the streets. He went on to explain a bit about what it had felt like that first time out there and every time after.
Eventually as the story wound down they landed at why he had transferred to Metropolis. He told her that while the company out here really did need his help it also had to do with the crime rate sky rocketing after the events of Dark Thursday.
“Ok,” Chloe said with a nod once the stories were over, “That leaves me with one comment. When I called you my ‘Knight in Shining Leather’ that night did you think it was funny?”
“Given that you didn’t know about my side job?” Oliver asked. When she nodded again he continued, “Well yeah. It was kind of hilarious. Not that I was planning to let you know that.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “So you do all this good by yourself?”
“For the most part,” Oliver replied with a nod, “When Hal’s in town we patrol together. I’m trying to put a team together, you know for the bigger stuff that no hero should have to deal with alone, but most the time they’re hard to wrangle.”
“Well maybe we can fix that,” Chloe whispered, mainly to herself.
“What do you mean?”
“What if you had someone who looked after everything? Took care of getting the team in one place and finding the information that you needed to pull off your bigger jobs? Hell they could even watch over you while you guys patrol.”
“Like a watchtower?”
“Yeah. An information highway that would take information and turn it into actual plans, get you boys moving. Turn theory into action.”
“Well I say that’s a pretty good pitch. Tell me what you need and we’ll work at getting it set up so it links directly to my Arrow room.”
Holding up her hands Chloe shook her head, “Wait what?”
“The job’s yours if you want it,” Oliver said with a nod, “From what Hal has told me you’re more than qualified. Of course I’ll have to speak to the boys but they’ll be fine with it I’m sure. Of course this is only if you want the job.”
Relaxing back into her chair Chloe was shocked. She couldn’t believe what Oliver was suggesting. He actually wanted to make her plan a reality. It was mind blowing. No one had ever wanted to do that. Sure Lex had always offered but she had never taken him up on it. It just wasn’t the kind of thing you did for a best friend, she knew that. How could she turn it down?
“Ok,” Chloe replied with a wide grin on her face and a small nod, “As long as the other team members are ok with it then I’m so in it isn’t funny.”
“Great,” Oliver said, his smiled matching her own, “Why don’t we get started tomorrow?”
“I am so there.”
Several hours later Oliver waved goodbye to Chloe as the elevator doors took her from his sight. He was very excited about the plans that they had been making. It sounded like this could defiantly be the thing that brought the team together - she could be that thing. It was amazing. There were two things he needed to do first though. He had to inform the team. He was sure that they would be happy about it though. Bart had been constantly complaining that there weren’t enough hot mama’s around. Victor wanted someone to talk tech too who would understand what he was going on about and what had happened to him. AC was just laid back enough to not really care as long as she was cool and wouldn’t spill their secrets. All in all, it seemed like a good plan but there was that other thing he had to do - remove Lex’s names from all the files.
He wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle everything that had happened. He also wasn’t sure if she actually knew about Lex’s shadier deals. Lex was a great manipulator when he wanted to be. It wouldn’t surprise him if the other man had actually been able to keep it quiet from his best friend. It didn’t seem like it was a good move but if he was an evil mastermind he would make sure that his best friend had absolutely no idea what was going on. There would be no chance of losing them that way.
Moving back to his desk Oliver pulled out the pad that had the agenda for the next team meeting and added the two new items. He knew this meant he couldn’t invite Chloe to meet the boys then and there but at least everything would be dealt with.
It was the only way it was going to work.
~~~~
Stepping into Lex’s study Chloe waited in the doorway. She knew Lex wouldn’t notice that she was there. He was too caught up in his work to notice her presence. He rarely did when he was so deeply focused on his work. It seemed to make him happy. It was nice to know that something could do that. Make him happy. Sometimes it seemed like there wasn’t much he could be happy about.
Shaking her head she hoped that she wouldn’t add herself to that list by going to work with Oliver. It would be sad if she disappointed him like he was constantly being disappointed by others. Sometimes she was sure that he brought it on himself by being so secretive. Not that she minded but she knew that Clark had always hated that fact and it seemed like it was bugging Lana of late. Still, she knew that whatever Lex was doing that needed to be kept secret there had to be a reason, a purpose. She knew him well enough to understand that.
Out of all the people she called her best friend she knew that when she said it in regards to Lex it he who was the best friend of all of them. Clark was great but he was so wrapped up in his heritage, the farm and saving people that it usually left little time for her. She didn’t mind it as much as she used to but that didn’t mean that she didn’t need her best friend around. Hal was great too. They had fun together and he was always willing to be there but he spent half his time protecting his section of the galaxy. She couldn’t fault either of her hero best friends but it did mean that Lex helped her work through a lot more issues, read through her stories, congratulate her when she got another article in the Planet and they spent time together without him having to run off at a moment’s notice to save someone’s life. They were little things but they made all the difference.
She wasn’t sure what she would do without Lex and she was hoping that she would never have to find out.
Knocking lightly she smiled at Lex when he looked up at her, “Feel like getting some food. I’m thinking of going and getting a slice.”
Lex nodded, “I think I could use a food break. As long as we’re going to the normal pizza place and not that weird one you took me too last time.”
“I think I can live with that,” Chloe said with a smile. Watching as Lex grabbed his coat she couldn’t help but feel bad for lying to him but it was necessary. It was for the greater good. That’s just what she had to keep telling herself until it finally sunk in.
~~~~
“Green Arrow to Watchtower,” Oliver said over the com.
Chloe sighed and turned to the computer, looking at where Oliver was, “You know I don’t like that code name.”
“Well I don’t like it when you call me Archer but you still do it constantly.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe asked, “Was there anything in particular that you wanted or did you just want to annoy me?”
“I was just letting you know that I’ve reached the meeting point. Now I’m just going to wait for the men to show up.”
“Ok, Archer,” she replied, just to annoy him, “I’m initiating radio silence.”
Switching the com link to silent so that she couldn’t hear him anymore Chloe sighed back into her chair. It was nice playing this role. It had taken the two of them only four months to get the room ready for her debut but when she had made it, it had been amazing. She knew taking on this role would be an incredible opportunity but she hadn’t expected it to feel the way it did. It was like she was finally doing something good for the world and that somehow all its troubles could be taken away if she just kept doing her job. Of course Oliver was paying her but she wasn’t in it for the money, she was here because it was the right thing to do.
She didn’t like that she had to lie to Lex to be here though. Of course she had to tell him something so when they had started doing the renovations to Oliver’s penthouse so she had spun the story that her boss had switched her to night shift indefinitely. Lex had offered to call up her boss, force her to switch Chloe back but she had shrugged and told him it was all part of the reporter’s world. Of course that had been only a semi-lie. She worked the afternoon and evening shifts at the Planet and then she would go to Oliver’s, at first to help with the construction then to be Watchtower.
As much as she hated lying to her friend she was glad that she had been given the chance to get out of the house. Shortly after the events that had transpired with Duncan settled down Lana and Lex had began fighting like mad. Their screaming matches were getting louder and further out of control with each day. There were accusations and insults flying all over the place. Chloe had taken to asking the security men whether the pair were fighting before entering the mansion. It was the only way to avoid them other than returning late after finishing work with Oliver.
Oliver was turning out to be a better friend then she expected. He was funny and charming, he always had time to ask about her day and he was incredible open for someone who had seen so much pain from when they were so young. He amazed her in every sense of the word. Not that she told him that. It would only cause his ego to swell. Of course she was sure that the thing she liked the most about him was the fact that he was such a great friend to joke around with. He had an amazing sense of humour and was able to take a joke, especially when it was at his expense.
“Arrow there are two men coming in on your flank,” Chloe informed him. Waiting for a response she turned on the other computer screen. Usually while she guided Oliver through his patrol route she also had the other computer screen running with information on the latest thirty three point one that they were trying to dismantle.
When Oliver had told her about the thirty three point ones she hadn’t believed him. It was too criminal to make any sense in her mind but slowly it was taking shape. Some mad man just wanted to let them all know that he was willing to use metahuman’s for his personal game.
For some reason the bad guy always ended up being a man, it was weird even in her book. Rarely did she come across an evil woman. They must just use their common sense to make matters better.
The weirder thing was that no matter how hard she looked the man didn’t slip up once. He didn’t leave any trace of where he had come from or who he was. At the moment he was just a man pulling the strings but for the type of operation he was running he had to have sub departments for the information to run to. If only she could trace the name to find it. Oliver kept telling her that Victor was dealing with that then sending it her way. She wished that she could convince him to send it directly to her but for some reason she couldn’t. Victor just wasn’t budging on that.
“I see them,” Oliver whispered. “I’m moving to compensate.”
“Copy that Arrow,” Chloe replied before turning back to the computer screen. It was a weird feeling to think that Oliver could be hiding something from her but she was sure that whatever it was he wouldn’t be doing it unless it was for a good reason. At least that’s what she hoped it would be for. Sometimes she wasn’t sure but she knew that only a man who was willing to risk their life for others had to have good intentions. Besides, the only questionable quality Oliver had only ever proven to her that he was a little womanising and once she had made it clear that she only wanted his friendship and to help he had backed off, only throwing random disarming comments at her on occasion. He hadn’t made another move and she doubted that he would. What other kind of good intentions did she need to prove that to herself?
None, she knew her instincts about Oliver were right. He proved them more and more every day.
~~~~
Smiling at Clark as he placed a brown paper onto her desk she moved it out of the way of her book before saying, “Let me guess, ham and Swiss?”
“Yeah,” Clark replied, “It’s your favourite.”
“Well, no it’s not. Like I said last week and the week before, and each time we end up having out for lunch.” Chloe said with a shake of her head, “One of these days you’re going to have to remember that.”
“Ok, I’ll try to remember for next week.”
“That’s all I ask for,” Chloe replied with a shrug, “Now how about we get out of here. I know a great place around the corner that we can try.”
Threading her arm through his Clark smiled at Chloe before replying as they walked up the stairs, “You know I think you’re secretly happy that I bring you a ham and Swiss sandwich every week so then we get to go out for lunch.”
“Mmm maybe but it would be nice if you got it right just once,” Chloe said as they left the Planet.
“You know what, when you go back to work why don’t you look and see what kind of sandwich I actually brought you.”
Laughing at Clark Chloe couldn’t help but feel happy. It was nice that they had finally found a set time to spend time together away from the mansion. She knew that Clark wasn’t happy about the fact that he had to visit the mansion to see her. It could have taken a toll on their relationship but they finally found time in their schedules for a weekly lunch. It kept them both happy and they got to spend an hour together without having to worry about Lex or even Lana.
Guiding Clark along the street she couldn’t help but feel glad about the fact that she didn’t have to worry about Clark much. He could only be hurt by one thing and only two people knew about it. His mental health was another thing. She knew that Lex and Lana’s relationship was taking quite the toll on him but she also knew that she shouldn’t get in the middle. She hadn’t realised it til the fighting had started but things had been rather frosty between Lex and Lana for some time. She knew neither friend would confide in her as to why, considering it was a rule that she had, but it did worry her a little. She finally thought that Lana was opening up to Lex but that didn’t appear to be the case anymore. She was aloof to say the best and it was clearly taking its toll on Lex. He barely left the office anymore and the other night she could have sworn she heard them arguing as she was coming back from Oliver’s place but she had dismissed it and continued on to her room.
Taking the seat opposite Clark without thinking she was surprised when he said, “What are you thinking about that’s got you so quiet?”
Chloe shook her head smiled, “Just stuff. So tell me, what’s new in your life?”
Listening as he began to go on about the tractor and the cows Chloe smiled, this is what she had needed. A simple, quiet lunch with a friend who wasn’t afraid to tell her exactly what was going on in their life, even if she did find it very boring.
When she returned to the Planet an hour later she opened the brown paper bag and pulled out the sandwich. Laughing she shook her head. It was a chicken and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread with no beetroot, her favourite.
~~~~
Laughing as Bart ran around the room, obviously hyped up on the sugar that was in the bottle of coke he had just downed Chloe turned to Oliver, who was sitting next to her, “So is this how meetings always end up going?”
Oliver nodded, “Pretty much except Bart usually gets jacked up on cookies though. I’ve never seen him down a bottle of coke like that.”
Shaking her head Chloe smiled. She liked there team meetings, even if this was only the second one that she had been at. Her understanding was that they didn’t meet often considering that they were all positioned around the world, fighting off the bad guys in their path. They only came together when they need to take down a thirty three point one and she had just put together a mission for them to do just that. It was nice to feel like she was needed and that’s how the team, especially Oliver, made her feel. It was something she wasn’t use to but she was glad that she got to feel it with the boys.
“Well this looks like a good plan,” Victor said with a nod, “AC and I can start surveillance tomorrow. Make sure that the guard’s rooster that you found is what actually happens.”
“You should find the best place to enter from too,” Chloe said with a nod, “The plan didn’t show anywhere that you could use to get through by water AC.”
“That can be worked out,” AC replied with a nod of his own. “Now why don’t we go and play on Ollie’s X-box.”
Leaving the room without waiting for answer Chloe shook her head as Victor stood, shrugging, before following AC into the lounge. Oliver yelled something at them as they left but she wasn’t paying enough attention to what it was until he called AC a weird name.
“What did you just call him?” Chloe asked.
“Fish sticks.”
“Why?
Oliver shrugged, “I like calling people by nicknames. It’s just something that I happen to do.”
“Is there a reason for that?’ Chloe asked, “Cause I don’t think you’ve ever called by anything other than my own name.”
“Well professor,” Oliver replied, smug grin in place, “I just like too. Usually it has something to do with the person’s personality or something I’ve seen and liked about them. It started when I was younger and I was attending a lot of boardroom meetings. It was fun to give the old men nicknames and then I guess it just stuck.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “Well I think I like it that you don’t call me by a nickname of any variety. I enjoy being just Chloe.”
“Well Just Chloe, enjoy it while it lasts. I’m sure I’ll find a nickname for you that I’ll like and then you’ll be stuck with it.”
“Like AC is stuck with Fish Sticks?”
“Exactly.”
“Well Archer, I don’t think Fish Sticks will be beating you at your X-box tonight. I think that will be my job.”
Laughing as they stood Oliver smiled, “Well I’ll order a lot of pizza and then you can show me whose boss of the X-box. ‘Cause I’ve had a lot of practise and not many people beat me.”
“Not even Victor?”
Oliver smiled and winked, “Only when he’s cheating.”
~~~~
Chloe sighed and moved down the hallway. It had been a long day and she couldn’t believe what she had discovered. It was more than that though. She didn’t want to be in the mansion if Lana and Lex were going to get into another screaming match with each other. They had been doing it since Lex’s high school reunion. It saddened her that two people who considered her one of their best friends could hold in something that was so causing them both pain. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to help she wanted the best for both of them. They didn’t seem to be able to understand that though. So instead of coming home she spent more time with Oliver and his team, hoping to avoid the inevitability of listening to the two of them fight.
Turning she paused, waiting to hear the screaming. When she didn’t hear anything she started walking, pausing at the doorway of Lex’s office. Smiling when she saw him sitting on the couch she walked in, “Hey. I’m glad to see you and Lana aren’t fighting.”
Swirling his glass Lex gave a nod, “That won’t be happening anymore. Lana left while you were at work.”
Sighing Chloe walked over to her friend, sat down and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She knew how much he liked Lana but it was more than that. How could Lana leave without saying goodbye? She would ponder that later, right now she had a friend to console.
“Oh Lex,” she whispered, placing a hand on his wrist, “Are you ok? This can’t be easy on you.”
Shaking his head Lex sighed, “It’s not. I don’t know how to deal with the fact that someone else has willingly left my life. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“I think you deal with it in the way most people do? You pick yourself up and keep moving. It’s the only way and one day you’ll feel a bit better about the whole thing and then a bit better and so on until you release that you actually feel good.” Hugging him properly she whispered in his ear, “And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“I’m very glad for that,” Lex whispered, returning her embrace.
~~~~
Passing Oliver another file she shook her head when he grunted his acknowledgement before returning to his work. When they had first started working together like this it had bugged her. Oliver would get so fixated on what he was doing that he barely acknowledge that she was there expect for the few grunts that he would give when he took papers from her. It was completely daunting at first but then she had learnt that he only ever got this way when he was completely focused on his work. When he didn’t want to focus he was inclined to throw things at her in hopes of getting her to play a game of some variety with him. It only worked half the time.
She was sad that he was completely focused on his work though. All she really wanted to do was see how many grapes she could get into his mouth by tossing them from her side of the table. Smiling she picked up a grape and threw it at him before looking down at her work.
“Did you just throw a grape at me?”
“Maybe,” she replied with a small smile, “What are you going to do about it?”
Shaking his head Oliver picked up a grape of his own threw it at her, “That’s what I’m going to do. Now let me work.”
Brushing the grape out of her hair Chloe sighed, “I was aiming for your mouth.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Since you’re the one of us with pretty impressive aim I would have to guess that for some strange reason that you were aiming for my hair.”
Oliver shrugged, “It made sense at the time.”
“I just wanted to throw grapes in your mouth,” Chloe pouted.
Oliver smiled. For some reason he wasn’t able to say no to her. It was an odd feeling. He never thought he would meet anyone who would cause him to do that. It made him feel weird but happy at the same time. When her face lit up because of something he did Oliver felt his heart flip for joy and his begin pulse race. It was something completely odd and amazing at the same time. One day he wanted to explore what was going on but he was sure she wasn’t anywhere near ready for that.
Smiling he said, “Fine but only one bunch, then we have to go back to work.”
Watching her face light up he knew in that moment they wouldn’t stop until all the grapes were gone.
~~~~
Lex smiled as he poured Chloe another glass of wine. She hadn’t been spending much time around the mansion since Lana had left. Sure she had been a great friend, willing to give him comfort whenever he needed it, but she had kept up her weird schedule of sleeping most of the morning and then working through the afternoon and night. It just didn’t seem right.
Handing her a glass he said, “So work’s been keeping you busy.”
“Yeah,” Chloe replied with a nod, “But hopefully it means that it will pay off soon.”
“You know I can make a phone call, make it so you have nice normal hours.”
Chloe shook her head, “You know what Lex, I’m ok with the hours I have. I’ve gotten very use to the fact that I’ve become nocturnal.”
“Well that’s great but I don’t get to see you very much,” Lex pouted.
“Oh Lex, do you just miss me,” Chloe said, a wide smile on her face. “How about I make time for you later in the week? We can do dinner at some point.”
Lex sighed and looked at Chloe closely. There was something different about her, something had changed in the way she sat and dressed herself. Usually she wore pants with her blouse but lately she had been wearing more and more skirts. It was odd. The colour green was making a big appearance too and if he didn’t know better he would guess that she was dating someone. Still there was no harm in asking.
“Are you seeing someone?” Lex blurted out, not really thinking about why he was asking. He wasn’t jealous after all. Not even a little, Lana had only left a couple of weeks ago. It would be insane to be jealous about someone who didn’t even think of him romantically.
“No,” Chloe whispered, trying not to let out her voice wobble.
Eyeing her carefully Lex raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t tell if she was lying to him or not and that worried him more than anything else. There was a time when she could never have lied to him but it looked like that might be over.
Lex smiled at her, “Ok. Why don’t we play?” He didn’t believe her but he had no real evidence that she was lying. For the moment he would have to give her the benefit of the doubt.
~~~~
Shifting through the information that she had just found Chloe wouldn’t help but smile. She was sure she would find out who was behind the thirty three point ones this time. After actively searching for the last few weeks she would be glad to finally know the name to the man who was behind all this horror. She was actually quite surprised that she hadn’t seen the person’s name. Usually the people that they dealt with were ego maniacs. They wanted nothing more than their names plastered places so at least one person would know who was behind it. Sure it meant that there was little plausible deniability but it meant that someone knew who was behind it.
But this was odd. It was like there was no trace of him whatsoever. It was almost as if whoever owned this was removed on purpose to ensure that no would find out who they were. Even the most careful owner had the tendency to leave a name, slip up. It was just the way it was.
Hearing the computer beep dragged her from her thoughts. Turning she clicked on the screen that told her the background search she had been running was done. Clicking to see the information she couldn’t believe what she had seen there. Clicking the print button she took the information and sat down on Oliver’s couch. She couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t be behind it.
She sat there for hours, not even realising that it had been that long, staring at the piece of paper, praying that it was wrong. She didn’t even hear Oliver when he entered the room, calling out to her from the kitchen.
“Hey, I got us dinner, I was thinking I could convince you to take a break,” he called.
Not moving she didn’t realise that he was there until he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Chloe, what’s wrong?”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
Seeing his face become clouded with confusion he said, “What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Lex owns the thirty three point ones?” Chloe whispered, finally turning to face him, “Cause I’m pretty sure you knew. It’s why I couldn’t find any information on who owned the thirty three point ones.”
“Chloe...” Oliver whispered, “I just...”
“Just what?!” Chloe cried, jumping up from the couch, “How can you explain this to me?!”
“I didn’t think you could handle knowing what your best friend was doing.”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed, “Or did you think I was in on it? Is that the only reason that you agreed to let me on the team?”
“No of course not!” Oliver yelled, “Hal told me you could be trusted and I agreed with him! I just didn’t think that you would be able to handle this very well and you’re proving me right!”
“You know what Oliver I probably would have handled this better had you not spent months lying to me about who I was really going after.” Not waiting for his reply Chloe left, slamming the elevator gate behind her.
Oliver sat down on the couch, running his hands through his hair. He had no idea if he was ever going to be able to fix this.
~~~~
“You miss her,” Hal accused.
It had been a week since Chloe had stormed out of his apartment and she hadn’t came back. Oliver sighed. He knew it was wrong to hide who was creating the thirty three point ones but he didn’t want her to have to choose between her friend and the team. It just wouldn’t be fair.
“Oliver.”
“I’m listening,” Oliver whispered, finally turning to look at his friend, “What do I do?”
“You want to talk to her?” Oliver nodded so Hal continued, “You have to go to her. She’s not going to come here.”
“So what do I do? She lives at Lex Luthor’s mansion.” Oliver replied, “That’s not helpful. How can I apologise if she won’t show up to hear the apology and I can’t go to her?”
“Well... You may not like this but... I’ll have to go and talk to her.”
Oliver shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was trust Hal with going and getting Chloe. Really he should just man up and get her himself but he wasn’t sure she would be that receptive to that.
“Look,” Hal continued, shaking Oliver from his thoughts, “If you go you’re going to say something you’ll regret. We both know it. This isn’t how you want Chloe to find out about your feelings is it?”
Oliver slowly turned to face Hal, his eyes opened wide in shock, “How do you know about that?”
“Please! Everyone on the team knows except Chloe. You go all puppy dog when she enters the room,” Hal replied with a shrug, “The real question is do you want her to find out?”
Oliver sighed, “No. Go talk to her please.”
“I knew you’d see it my way.”
~~~~
Hal walked into Chloe’s room hoping that he hadn’t come into the lion’s den for nothing. While he didn’t really like that Chloe was still living here, knowing what she now knew about Lex, he could understand the reasoning. It had to be hard to find out the way she did. Pausing when he saw her lying on the bed he was surprised she had yet to say anything.
“You know you should forgive them.”
Chloe snorted and tossed the book that she had been reading aside, “Sure. All’s forgiven. You can lie to me whenever you want.”
“Chloe, they were just trying to protect you from having to find out the truth about Lex in some awful way.”
“Oh really, cause the way I found out was so amazing.”
“You have to try to understand where they are coming from. I probably would have done the same thing.”
“Oh wonderful, two of my best friends lying to me wasn’t enough, now a third wants to add themselves into the mix.”
“You know what I mean and we both know that you’re going to forgive Oliver soon enough so why not now.”
“Can’t I let him stew for another day or two,” Chloe said with a pout.
“What kind of friend would I be if I could say no to that.” Hal replied before hopping onto her bed, “Now tell me what you’ve been up to.”
~~~~
Walking off the elevator Chloe was expecting to see chaos. After all a team meeting was suppose to be taking place. However there was only quietness. It was weird how that had happened. She had only been away for two weeks and meetings had gone quiet. Turning into the lounge room she waited to hear the screams but was surprised to see that Oliver was sitting at the table by himself, papers spread all around him. Walking over to the table she leaned across it waiting for him to notice her.
When he didn’t she leaned forward further and asked, “Where are the boys? Shouldn’t the meeting have started by now?”
Watching as Oliver jumped back startled Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. The usually poised hero was startled by her. Well that was always good to know.
Shaking his head Oliver replied, “We cancelled the meeting cause we didn’t think you were going to be here and you weren’t answering the phone.”
“Oh, fair enough. I’ll guess I’ll just drive back to Smallville then.”
“Don’t,” Oliver whispered grabbing her wrist, “Dinner’s on the way. It is Thai. And we should probably talk about what happened. Clear the air, you know.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Chloe replied shotting him a smile.
Helping him move the papers to one side she shot him a shy smile as the elevator bell rang. Watching him go and retrieve their meal she turned to pull out glasses and plates, placing them on the clean table, before grabbing the water from the fridge and starting the coffee machine. Moving back to the table she looked at the food in confusion.
“I thought you said that you didn’t know I was coming,” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow, “There’s enough food here to feed a small army, or Bart.”
Laughing at her joke Oliver shook his head, “I have to keep the fridge stocked for Bart. It’s the only way to ensure that he doesn’t complain.”
“I bet it’s faster than going to the store every day.”
“It defiantly is,” Oliver replied, handing her a fork from the draw, “So what made you come back?”
Chloe shrugged, “I always planned to come back Oliver. The work we do here is so important and it can’t be ignored for some petty feud between us. I don’t know if I trust you though. I just don’t understand how you could keep something so important from me.”
Oliver sighed, sitting down in his seat. Handing her a container he started to explain, “At the time I was willing to trust you with my secret and even the team but that was only because Hal told me you were keeping his secret for him and that you had for a long time. Hal speaks of you in the highest regards, it amazes me. I knew I could trust you with my secret but I wasn’t sure I could trust you with who we were going after. The man’s your best friend. You can’t blame me for having doubts.”
“Fine, Ollie,” Chloe sighed, “But that doesn’t explain why you haven’t told me anytime in the last five months. Surely I’ve proven myself trustworthy.”
“Of course you have Chloe. More than anyone I know. After a while I wanted to tell you but I just couldn’t figure out how.”
Chloe nodded. It made sense, as sad as that was. How do you tell someone the one thing that could hurt them? Of course the hurt got more when you got close to that someone who was keeping the secrets from you. It just wasn't fair. There was no really way to know whether or not to forgive a person for keeping something from you just so that it won't hurt. It seemed unfair, unreasonable but when was anything ever fair in her life. She just had to keep living it. Understand that Oliver had his reasons and move on. It was just that simple.
Nodding again Chloe took the container from him, "Well I guess I have to forgive you. I can't fault you for not wanting to hurt me. I just hope that there will be no more secrets between us."
"I'm glad. I was a little worried for a minute that you wouldn't forgive me."
"I'll always forgive you," Chloe whispered, taking his left hand in her free one, "As long as your reasons are always noble but no more secrets, ok?"
Oliver nodded, "Then I guess I better tell you that when we first met I thought you were hot, especially when you had put that dress on."
"Please, everyone was looking at Lois and we both know it," Chloe replied, laughing at him.
"No I wasn't and you know it. When Lois walked out that door you and Hal looked but I was looking at you. You were wearing this cream dress, it fell to your mid thigh and it had these sequins all over it. But I think the thing that I liked the most was the way that it fell over your arm, just dropping freely, it gave the whole thing this elegant grace that I couldn't help but love."
Chloe gave him a shy smile, a small amount of blush covering her cheeks, "I can't believe you remember that in so much detail. It's astounding."
"You caught my eye," Oliver replied with a shrug, "And you haven't lost it since."
"I work with you, that is to be expected. Though I did tell Lois you were smoking hot while we were getting changed. She seemed to like that a lot."
Laughing Oliver smiled, "Well you know what they say. It's the quiet beauty that catches your eyes for longer, draws a person to it, and can even swell the heart. Lois may have looked hot too, don't get me wrong, but she knew it and she was more than willing to flaunt it."
"Who says that?"
"I do, and I think it should catch on pretty quickly. I am a billionaire after all."
Laughing Chloe shook her head, "That doesn't mean anything. However I think that it should catch on. It's really beautiful though now I'm worried that you'll get a big ego now that I've seen that."
"My ego is fine thank you," Oliver argued, "I think that you have oversized opinions about my ego, and other things that I have that are big."
Laughing Chloe shook her head, "I don't want to know."
Handing her another container, Oliver couldn't help but think that she didn't really get it. Sometimes it took people a bit more than a hit over the head to get it. He really did think that she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. It was shocking how she didn't get that. If he had his way he would spend the rest of his life convincing her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It wasn't just that though. She was smart, funny, she got the life he led, and wanted to lead it with him. It shocked him constantly that she was willing to do that. He didn't think that he would ever find someone who would want to do that with him. The hero business wasn't for the faint of heart. It wasn't for those who thought that they might be able to do it. The only real way to make a life would be to marry someone who was in the business with them or live alone.
It was finally looking like he might not have to be alone after all and that warmed his heart more than anything.
~~~~
Refreshing the computer she couldn't believe this was happening. Their symbols were nowhere to be seen. Nowhere. How could that be? They used state of the art technology, the latest that Queen Industries had to offer, with a few tweaks from herself and Victor. This had never happened before. It was crazy. It didn't make sense. She had tried everything that she could think of. There was only one more thing she could do. Picking up her phone she dialled number three on her speed dial. Waiting for the phone to connect she couldn't help but think that something bad was happening. If anything happened to them it would be her fault, she was the one who had suggested that they would benefit from having an eye in the sky. She was the one who watched over them and she was supposed to keep them safe. Keep him safe. That was something that she couldn't think about. Those feelings, they would just cloud her judgement more.
Hearing the phone finally click through she sighed and started speaking a mile a minute. She was sure that Hal would understand what she was trying to say, what she needed him to do. He always had before. There was no reason this time would be any different. Giving him the address she sighed again, in relief, when he said that he would be there in five minutes no matter what. It was a huge relief knowing someone was going to get the team, even if she wasn't sure that they would be ok. That he would be ok.
She couldn't believe that these feelings were beginning to swell up in her chest for him. They weren't there before. She didn't know what to do with them, how to deal with them. It was insane she wasn't supposed to feel that way about him. He was her boss, she couldn't feel the way that she thought she felt. Surely she didn't feel that way. She couldn't... love him. Could she?
The phone shook her from her thoughts. Picking it up she held it to her ear, "Please tell me you have them."
"I do but you better call for a doctor. A few of them are pretty badly beaten up." Hal whispered.
Nodding Chloe smiled, "Ok, what's your ETA?"
"We'll be there in about... five minutes," Hal replied, "Just hold on ok."
"Ok," Chloe said hanging up the phone. How was she supposed to hang on? She couldn't even breathe properly at the moment and he wanted her to hang on. It felt like her chest was getting tighter by the minute, placing her head between her knees she took in three deep breaths, calming herself slightly before picking up the phone and dialling. Talking to the doctor when he picked up he promised to be there in five minutes.
Standing she walked through the penthouse, into Oliver's room to his bedroom. For some reason in his line of work Oliver seemed think that he should keep the first aid kit in his bathroom. Pausing by the bed she ran her hand over the top sheets. She couldn't believe that she was feeling this way about him. She knew she couldn't keep feeling this way. There was no reason to be thinking about it at the moment. If she did and he came back here injured she would never be able to hold it together. Moving quickly she grabbed the kit and went back to her desk just as the elevator began to rise. Going to met whoever was being raised in that elevator she couldn't help but hope that it wasn't Oliver, that it was the doctor.
As the elevator opened Chloe was shocked to see the three men. AC was strung between Oliver and Hal, arms over their shoulders, his legs looking badly damaged. It was clear that he couldn't walk and that he didn't seem to be able to move at all. Stepping forward she raised his head, seeing his eyes closed. Moving out the way she let the boys place him on the couch as she went to get water for him she was surprised to see them both move back towards the elevator.
"Wait!" she called, "How are the others?"
Oliver moved so he was standing in front of her, looking into her eyes, "They're in pretty bad shape too. We'll be back soon with Victor and Bart."
Grabbing his hand as he tried to move away, "You can't go back there. You have to be injured too."
"Not as badly as they are," Oliver whispered, "Look I'll be back in a minute. I have to help. I can't help but think that this is my fault. So I need to get them out of there before I come back and deal with this mess ok."
Chloe nodded her head, "Of course you have to go." Grabbing the back of his neck she pulled his lips to hers she placed a short, sweet kiss on his lips, "Just make sure that you came back."
Oliver's eyes were wide with shock, "I'll be back, I promise."
Watching as he ran over to the elevator, she waved as he disappeared as the elevator door closed. She hadn't planned to kiss him like that. Though it was a pretty awesome, their kiss. She knew that he was shock by what she did. Hopefully her impulsive action wouldn't make him uncomfortable around her. That would make her very nervous. She didn't want to ruin everything just because she had decided to act impulsive. It wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be fair. Taking the water over to AC she decided not to worry about it for the moment. When the time came they would discuss it and then move on, hopefully. For now though they had a team to save.
Raising the bottle to AC's lips she let the water slip past for a brief moment before allowing it to cover his body and down his legs. Pulling out a pair of scissors she cut up the leg of his pants, hoping to get them out of the way so she could at least contain the bleeding on her legs until the doctor got here. It was the first time that they had needed to use the doctor since the decision had been made to ensure that the team would always be safe. It was wild to think that he would need to be used like this on the first time. Normally Chloe dealt with the injuries of the team, their cuts and grazes.
Hearing the elevator she stood, leaving the towels she had placed on his legs where they were, and heading over to greet whoever was there. When it kept moving she knew that it was Oliver and Hal returning with the next team member. Closing her eyes as the elevator dinged she wanted, taking a deep breath, before opening her eyes, seeing Bart hanging on Oliver and Victor being levitated by the power of Hal’s will. She was grateful that Bart's eyes were open; she couldn't see many visible injuries on him other than the bump on his head. Looking at Victor she was surprised to see an open wound on his side, his cables showing and occasionally sparking.
Guiding them to the couches she picked up the phone, calling to ensure that one of the men who worked on maintaining Victor to the highest standards that was required in keeping him the wonderful piece of machinery that he was. She knew that the man would be discrete and knew exactly how to put him back together. Once off the phone she grabbed the first aid kit and kneeled in front of Bart, turning his head to the side so that she could get a good look at the cuts there.
"You know ‘licious, if you wanted to get near the Bartman all you had to do was ask," Bart joked, a weary smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Chloe shook her head, glad that he was in the mood for jokes, "Just sit still and let me help you." Seeing Oliver move up the stairs as she turned back to Bart, "Or I could just go and help Oliver and leave you to the mercies of the doctor."
Standing to leave she smiled as Bart grabbed her arm, "No please, I don't like doctors. I'll be out of here as soon as you patch up my head."
Smiling she kneeled in front of him again, grabbing out the items she needed from the kit. Cleaning the wound she bandaged it as Hal let the doctor in the look at AC before taking Victor over to Queen Industries. Waving Bart off as he mumbled something about food and promising to text every two hours to ensure that they knew he was alive she turned to the doctor.
"I'll have to take him back to the hospital with me. His legs need some work that I can't do here."
Chloe nodded, "Ok. Hal will help you move him when he gets back. Makes sure you keep him very well hydrated."
"Of course, I remember. Why don't you just take care of the leader upstairs pretending that he’s ok?"
"Yeah of course, that was my next stop.”
Watching as the last of the boys left she dropped down onto the chair where Bart had been sitting. The night had felt like it was longer than it should be but she was glad that the boys were safe. Tomorrow she would start to look over what went wrong and ways to fix it. This couldn't happen again in her opinion. It could never happen again. She wouldn’t allow for the possibility of it to happen again. Standing she knew she had to go and deal with Oliver. She was sure he was feeling just as guilty as she had been earlier. It was odd to think that the two of them could feel a sense of guilt over something that wasn't there doing. It was odd but then again she liked that he wasn't always sane.
Taking the stairs two at a time she paused in the doorway to his bedroom, seeing his vest thrown on the bed. Walking over to the bedroom she stopped. He had a large cut running horizontally across his stomach and bruises all over his arms and chest. She knew he should have let the doctor look over the cut before leaving but she also knew he wouldn't do that. Moving over to him she pushed him back from the counter and lowered her head so she could look closer at the cut.
"I don't think it's too deep."
Chloe nodded, "I think you’re right. I'll wrap it though so it can heal properly."
"Chloe, just leave it for the moment."
"You're hurt. I'm not going to leave it."
Sighing Oliver waited until she had returned with the first aid kit before saying, "We should talk... About what happened earlier... With our lips."
Chloe shook her head, "You don't have to say anything. It was something that happened and it shouldn't have. I don't want it to affect our relationship so let's just forget it ever happened."
"You shocked me but I don't want to forget it. Chloe I meant it when I said I thought that you were beautiful." Oliver replied, "And it hit me when we were fighting for our lives. I knew I had a thing for you and that I thought we could possible had a future. I just didn't realise how much I liked you."
"I didn't realise either," Chloe whispered, "I didn't even know that I had feelings for you, let alone anything else."
"So you feel something for me," Oliver replied, "You might even feel the same way I do."
Smiling Chloe shrugged, "It depends. How do you feel?"
"I know, without a doubt, that I'm in love with you."
Raising up on her tippy toes Chloe captured his lips in hers. Sliding her arms around his chest she smiled as he brought his hands to her face, holding her in place as he returned to kiss with the same vigour that she was giving him. Pulling back slowly she accepted a soft kiss he placed on her lips as she pulled away.
"I'm in love with you too," Chloe whispered, "And I can't believe it took me so long to realise that that was how I felt."
Oliver's grin grew so wide that she was sure it was going to split his face in half before he pulled her lips back to his, trying to pour all the passion, love and desire he felt in that kiss to her. Sighing softly against his lips she tilted her head, sliding one of her arms up his back to rest at the base of his neck as his tongue swept out to her lips. Parting her lips slowly she allowed his tongue to coax hers into movement, threading and twisting around it. Stepping forward to feel him closer she was surprised when she heard a small hiss come from Oliver as her chest pressed against his.
Breaking the kiss she looked down. Seeing the cut she sighed and grabbed the first aid kit, “I should patch that up.”
Oliver shook his head, “No. Just be careful of it and keep kissing me.”
“Oliver,” she scolded, “No. Now sit down and let me fix your wound. I’d rather not hurt you.”
“Fine,” Oliver sighed, “But I’m only doing this for you.”
“Whatever, I’m sure you’d do this for any of the girls who are willing to kiss you.”
Ignoring her as she tried to steer him towards his bed Oliver took her hand in his, “Chloe, I know that you don’t believe me but I don’t want to be with anyone other than you. I don’t want to kiss anyone other than you. You are the first person that I’ve ever thought about spending my whole life with.”
Chloe smiled, “So does this mean we’re dating. Cause there are usually dates involved with that.”
“I think I can spring for a date,” Oliver whispered, kissing her softly again, “As long as I get to call you my girlfriend I don’t care.”
“Mmm, now that’s settled,” Chloe replied, her lips millimetres from his, “Sit down so I can deal with your wound.”
Laughing Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed. He was glad that she was on the same wavelength as him. It was nice to feel the same way about someone as they did about him. He somehow knew that this was going to be the one relationship that he would never want to get out of, as long as she always wanted to be with him.
~~~~
Walking down the corridor Chloe felt nervous. She’d never felt nervous before, entering the mansion, but right now she did and she had good reason for it. She couldn’t keep this a secret from Lex, not if she wanted things between her and Oliver to really work. So instead she was left with the choice. Sure Oliver probably would have let her hide it, them, from the world for a bit, only changing the status of their relationship when they were behind closed doors. But she didn’t want that and she knew he didn’t really want that either. If she guessed she would say that Oliver probably wanted to shout it from rooftops but he couldn’t do that just yet.
Sadly she knew that while she had to tell Lex about her and Oliver she also knew that he wouldn’t take the news very well. She couldn’t fault him for that and Lex was a man who liked to hold a grudge. She just hoped that his grudge wouldn’t affect their relationship too much. The last thing she wanted was to choose between the pair of them because she knew that this time, if he said choose she would say Oliver. It was no contest. She wouldn’t be the middle man in this scenario. She would choose and in doing so she would lose one of her best friends.
Stopping short of the office doors Chloe took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, trying to find her centre, before continuing forward into the room without knocking. Seeing Lex’s head pop up from where he was sitting on the couch she stopped opposite him, opening her mouth to speak.
“Morning,” she whispered.
“You didn’t come home last night,” he replied, his eyes glancing over her clothes.
“No I didn’t. That’s what we need to talk about.”
“Ok,” Lex replied warily, “Why don’t you sit?”
Chloe shook her head, “I’d rather stand if you don’t mind.”
“Well that’s up to you,” Lex said with a shrug, “Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
“Lex, I need you to not interrupt me til I’m finished speaking. There’s something I have to tell you and there’s a good chance that you won’t take it very well.” Chloe said pausing to draw in a deep breath, “But you have to understand. I didn’t set out to hurt you and I never meant for this to happen. Until last night I was aware that my feelings even existed.”
Lex nodded, standing, “I think I know what you’re talking about.”
“No you really don’t.”
“Yes I do Chloe ‘cause I feel the same way.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion, “I don’t understand Lex. How can you feel the same way?”
“I feel the same way about you,” Lex whispered taking her hands in his.
Chloe shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that where apparently threatening to spill. This was the worst possible outcome of this conversation. She hadn’t expected Lex to make a declaration. People had pointed out to her before that sometimes he didn’t always treat her as though he was just her best friend but she had brushed them off, figuring they were wrong and that she knew Lex. Apparently that wasn’t the case.
Taking her hands out of his she whispered, “No you have the wrong idea. It’s not you I’m talking about. It’s Oliver.”
A moment of silence hung in the air before on clear, pain filled word cut through. “What?”
“I’m sorry Lex. I’m in love with Oliver Queen,” Chloe whispered, “But nothing happened before last night.”
“Well I’m glad you hung onto your virtue long enough to ensure you could snag two billionaires,” Lex snapped, moving away from her.
“It’s not like that. I love him and he loves me. I never meant or set out to hurt you.”
“You did a pretty good job of it though,” Lex growled, keeping his back to her, “But don’t think Queen is really in love with you. He’ll say anything to get a girl in bed.”
“No he won’t,” Chloe replied, shaking her head at her friend, “And I knew you wouldn’t take this well but I wasn’t expecting you to be like this.”
“How would you like me to be Chloe? I can’t spin a rainbow out of this just to make you feel better. I won’t conjure star dust to stop your tears and I most certainly won’t do everything in my power to mend your broken heart when he inevitably breaks it.”
Chloe shook her head again as the first tear split over the bottom of her eyelid, “He won’t break my heart, I know it. It’s a shame I can’t say the same thing about my best friend.”
“It really is,” Lex growled, “But you know what? My heart’s breaking right now too. And to think that I had really started to think that you could feel the same way about me that I have about you.”
“I didn’t even know you felt that way,” Chloe cried, wiping stray tears. “You never clued me in. You dated one of my best friends for crying out loud, if that’s not a ‘don’t come to close’ cry than I don’t know what is.”
“I dated Lana cause you said it was ok to do so. I dated other woman cause you didn’t seem to want to look my way. You wanted photographers, drunks and sluts to come after you. I see that now.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I said it was ok for you to date Lana because it was? I care about you Lex, so much, you’re like the older brother I never had but that’s it. There’s no more to this romance than a one sided crush, that you didn’t even have the decency to tell me about. So don’t stand there and yell. We’ve been best friends for the past three years, if you couldn’t tell me that then you were never going to tell me.”
“Why would I want a tramp like you anyway?”
“I may be a tramp in your eyes,” Chloe whispered, trying not to let it show just how hurtful those words had been, “But at least I’m not afraid to love. I’m not afraid to tell someone how much they mean to me. I will never let that be a fault of mine. I can’t say the same for you though.”
Lex laughed hollowly, taking the top of his bottle of bourbon, “And that’s supposed to make me feel bad. Poor little Chloe, always reaching for love in the wrong places cause she could never get the high school quarterback.”
“That’s rich, coming from the guy who dated the prom queen.” Chloe replied, “I’m guessing you’re not going to be ok with this?”
Taking the glass that he’d just poured his bourbon into Lex raised his arm and threw it against the opposite wall. Jumping as the sound echoed around them Chloe gave out a small sob, clutching at her chest in fear as Lex reached for another glass.
“No I won’t be ok with it, ever.” Lex whispered, “And if you think you can walk out of this room and still be best friends and be with Oliver than you’ve got another thing coming.”
“Don’t make me chose Lex. It won’t be good for you.”
“Then go! Leave!” He cried, finally spinning to face her, his arm sweeping across the front of his body as he did so. “You’ve made your bed, now go lie down with the flea ridden dog. But be assured that I will never be able to forgive you if you leave.”
“I don’t want your forgiveness Lex, I want your friendship but it’s clear that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a friend. I’ll be gone within the hour, I won’t be back,” Chloe replied, turning to head towards her former room, not looking back as Lex threw his second glass against another wall.
~~~~
Hearing the elevator ding Oliver headed towards it while glancing at the clock. He wasn’t expecting Chloe to be back so soon. He was glad that she was though, he had been missing her, as sad as that was to say. He’d been in this relationship for about twelve hours and he was already whipped to the extreme. Then again if he was honest with himself he knew he had wanted this relationship for a while now and he was just happy to have her. He wasn’t about to screw it up, at least not in the first day. Waiting patiently near the doors he watched the numbers rise until the elevator stoped. Peering in as the doors opened he was shocked at what he saw there.
Putting his hand inside the panel he hit the emergency stop button, keeping the elevator on his floor. There were four big suitcases sitting on the floor, Chloe standing in the middle. Pulling the two closets bags off the elevator to reach her he scooped her into his arms. To say she looked shell shocked was an understatement. She looked incredibly broken and very sad. Her arms didn’t move to wrap around him, her feet barely moved as he basically carried her off the elevator. Removing his arms from around her body he pulled off her other two bags so that he could start the elevator again. Once the elevator was moving again he swept her into his arms, so that her body was resting against one around and her legs where swung over the other, and he carried her over to the couch before he sat down gently, placing her in his lap.
They sat there for hours.
She didn’t move or speak. Oliver just sat there, on the couch, running one hand over her back as the other sat resting on her leg. He wasn’t sure what happened at Lex’s but he knew he would have to wait for her to speak. It must have been bad though if she was like this. Oliver had known that Lex wouldn’t take the news well. He had known that the other man would probably kick her out but to see Chloe looking so broken because of what happened didn’t raise his opinion about what the other man must have done.
After five hours Oliver finally whispered, “I need you to say something. Just let know you’re going to be ok.”
“I will,” the small, almost strangled voice said, “I have you.”
“Good,” he replied, kissing her temple lightly, “Can I get you anything?”
“A way one ticket to Paris would be nice. Or Italy even. I hear there are some good thirty three point ones in Italy.”
“We can deal with those later, don’t you think you should be here.”
Chloe shook her head, “I tried. I tried my hardest to make him understand. I even said that I didn’t need his forgiveness, I just needed his friendship and he just couldn’t do it. So now I would like to make him pay.”
“Chloe, I know you’re hurting right now but maybe you should sleep on that decision. While taking down thirty three point ones is a noble thing I’m not sure that it should become something we do just to get revenge. You know the drill. It takes a lot of careful planning to execute an operation. You’ve planned five of them yourself.”
“I know Oliver,” Chloe replied, looking at him for the first time, “But I need to do something. Anything and I need for it to be as far away from here as possible. You’re the one who said last night that we should travel the world together anyway, or did you not mean that.”
Oliver sighed, “Of course I meant it.”
“Then let’s go. We can send for the team and anything else later.”
“As much as I would love to I have a very important meeting in the morning and flight plans need to be submitted twenty four hours before you plan to fly. How about we go get some sleep and you find a thirty three point one as far away as your heart desires tomorrow? We’ll call in the flight plan, the boys and we’ll leave in two days time.”
“Is that the best you can do?”
“Yes, trust me. I would move heaven and earth for you.”
“You couldn’t bribe someone.”
“Trust me, I’ve tried,” Oliver replied, a grin pulling at his lips.
“Well if you’re sure than I guess that’s all we can do.”
“I guess so,” Oliver responded, standing with her still in his arms, “Now what do you say to calling it a night. I don’t know about you but the most beautiful blond woman that I have ever seen kept me up to all hours last night, ravishing my body.”
“That’s not how I remember it,” Chloe replied, giving a small laugh. Sighing into his arms as he carried her up the stairs Chloe knew that she had made the right decision, even though her best friend wasn’t able to see it at that point in time.
~~~~
2 years on...
Lying in his bed Oliver ran a hand through Chloe’s hair. He loved these times in the morning, when she would be there, asleep, looking peaceful and angelic at the same time. It was amazing that someone who had as much grace, patience and character as she had would agree to travel around the world with him, let alone want to be in a relationship. Sure he knew she was never going to leave him but that didn’t stop him from revelling in how perfect she was. This woman, his partner in every aspect of his life, made him feel things that he never knew he could feel. His heart pounded every time she walked into the room. His hands seemed to always seek out some part of her when she was standing close and no matter how many women threw themselves at him he had never wandered, never strayed. This woman in his arms kept him grounded in the real world and no matter how many others tried to take away the relationship they had spent years building it had never worked, not even for a second. No one could ever take him away from the beautiful girl in his arms, as far as he was concerned there was nothing anyone could do to take him away from Chloe. It was just that simple.
Smiling at how perfect this moment was he moved from the bed quietly, praying that he wouldn’t wake her and walked over to his sock draw. Pulling it open he moved the socks to one side, finding the black box he was searching for. Opening it slowly he removed the ring, toying with the band as he looked at the rock. He had considered giving her his mother’s ring but then he had seen this ring and it had been perfect. He was still surprised that one of the paparazzi hadn’t seen him leaving the store since they were on engagement watch. They had gotten it into their heads that he was going to propose, and even though he was planning to he didn’t want her to read about it in some magazine before he had a chance to actually ask. Looking back over at Chloe he smiled as she turned a little more so she was lying on her stomach. It was weird that he loved the simple things about her more than he loved anything else, though the ring he had gotten her was exactly that. It was a white gold band with a medium sized circle green diamond in the middle. On both sides it was accompanied by smaller clear diamonds. It was simple, understated but beautiful at the same time, just like the woman lying in his bed.
Moving back to the bed he pulled the sheet up and slide back in beside her, grinning like a fool as Chloe cuddled into his body automatically, her left arm wrapping around her waist while her left leg rested over both of his. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he lifted her hand gently, cradling it in his, before slipping the ring onto her ring finger before kissing her hand gently. Smiling as she stirred against him he pulled her body tighter against his own before laying a kiss on her shoulder.
Listening to her groan he grinned when she said, “Leave me alone. I want sleep.”
“But it’s after ten,” he whispered back, sweeping her hair back on her forehead.
“Fine,” she said, “But I don’t intend to be an active participant in sex. Do what you have to do then get out and let me sleep.”
“Well that’s not fair,” Oliver complained, “I work hard to bring you pleasure and you can’t even admit to wanting morning sex.’
“Oh my god,” Chloe groaned sitting up, “If you’re going to whine like a little girl I’m going to get coffee.”
Oliver shrugged, relaxing back into the green satin sheets as he watched Chloe roll out. He smiled as he watched her, hoping she would see what he had placed on her finger soon otherwise he would go insane. Sure this was an odd way to ask but there was nothing normal about their relationship so why should this be any form of normal. Anyway, if he took her somewhere else to do it the press would find out and then Lois would have a reason to kill him. Hearing a loud gasp from the kitchen he sat up, prepared for the blond to come into the room to talk, or most likely shout, about this. Smiling as the blond entered he waited for her to make the first move.
“Oliver,” she started, approaching quietly, a look of concern on her face, “Is this what I think it is?,” Holding up her hand for him to see.
“Depends on what you think it is,” Oliver replied with a cocky grin.
“I think this is either some joke or you’re proposing and you proposing would be ridiculous, especially like this.”
Raising an eyebrow at her he said, “Ridiculous. Really?”
“Well depends on which it is you’re doing,” Chloe cried, throwing her hands in the air.
“Chloe, really, you don’t know?”
He watched as she took a deep breath, waiting patiently for her response, “Well I think, that it might be the second option but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
Shaking his head Oliver stood from the bed and stood in front of her in all his glory. Taking her hands in his he kissed the finger the ring was on before sliding to one knee, “I love you Chloe Sullivan, more than anything in this world and I hope that I can spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Cause I don’t think that my life would be complete without you in it. So I’m asking, now, properly, will you make me happy forever and marry me?”
He gazed up at her waiting for her to say something as he watched her place her right hand over her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears as she leaned forward a bit and a choking laugh came out. Waving her free hand around she said, “I’m sorry but I can’t help it. You just proposed in the nude. It’s hilarious.”
Rolling his eyes Oliver replied, “You love me naked and you know it. Plus when we tell people this story we’ll just omit that part, ok? So are you going to marry me or what?”
“Who are you trying to kid Oliver Queen? Of course I’ll marry you.”
~~~~
Chloe groaned slightly when she felt Oliver kiss her hand. Turning her head she moved so her face was more hidden from the light streaming in. As far as she was concerned it was too early to be doing anything, though it appeared that Oliver was awake. Shifting again she buried her face further into his chest, inhaling his amazing scent. Sometimes it boggled her mind how much she was still in love with the man under her. It amazed her more that he was still as crazy in love with her as he had once been. Of course the press were always looking for the ring, the telltale sign that she had officially taken the Star City bachelor off the market, but she was happy with their relationship and how it was going. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t marry him if he asked, just that she didn’t feel the need to add anything to it just because someone else wanted them to. They were perfect how they were.
Feeling Oliver lips on her shoulders she groaned again and said, “Leave me alone. I’m trying to sleep.”
“But it’s after ten,” she heard him whisper back as his hand slide up to sweep away the hair that was hanging over her forehead.
“Fine,” she replied, not moving, ‘But I don’t intend to be an active participant in sex. Do what you have to do then get out and let me sleep.”
“Well that’s not fair,” she listened to him complain, “I work hard to bring you pleasure and you can’t even admit to wanting morning sex.”
“Oh my god,” Chloe groaned sitting up, “If you’re going to whine like a little girl I’m going to get coffee.”
Picking up Oliver’s shirt from the ground she slipped it over her head before leaving the room. If Oliver was going to act all chirpy then she was defiantly going to need coffee. It was far too early in the morning to deal with that attitude without it. She loved Oliver with everything she had but that didn’t mean she could stand his chirpiness so early in the morning. Switching on the coffee machine she waited for the coffee she had packed in the machine night before to start to brew. Leaning back against the counter she couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It was times like this, when Oliver was gone and she was alone, that she couldn’t help but missed Lex. He had been such a big part of her life for years but now, because she had feelings for someone Lex didn’t like, they were no longer friends. It wasn’t fair in her book. Lex shouldn’t get to rule her love life just because he thinks he can. Then again there was no more Lex to really be worried about. He took himself out the equation years ago.
It didn’t mean she didn’t miss him though. Sure she had Oliver and he was more than enough. Clark was around when he wasn’t too busy saving the world or fawning over cousin and Hal was too busy off doing whatever he did while off with the Green Lantern Corp. It was times like this that she really wished that she had a best friend who was as dedicated as Lex had been. He always wanted to know what was going on in her life, even when he was having issues of his own and he always wanted to have a part in whatever she was doing, as long as it didn’t involve Clark. It always made her feel special, that one of her friends cared enough to put their own personal issues aside to care about her for a second.
Still she loved Oliver so much that she knew that while she may miss Lex she would miss Oliver a million times more. She had made the right decision in her mind. She wished that it hadn’t cost her one of her best friends, but she knew it was ultimately right. She couldn’t imagine life without Oliver. It would be like life without breathing. It was just physically impossible. Lifting her left hand to grab a mug she stopped when she thought she saw a sparkle. Turning her hand over Chloe gasped loudly when she saw a ring on her third finger. Lowering it so that she could look at the ring closer look she couldn’t believe how perfect it was. Three stones, one green, small simplistic it was everything she wanted from an engagement ring and more.
Taking a shaky breath she closed her eyes tight and opened them again, praying that the ring was still there. Smiling when she saw it she headed back to the bedroom. Pausing before she entered she thought about how she was going to play this. Deciding to pretend to be oblivious and let him spell it out for her she entered the room.
“Oliver,” she started, approaching the bed quietly, where Oliver was sitting up and looking at her expectedly, “Is this what I think it is?”
She held her hand up for him to see the ring and waiting for him to answers, “Depends on what you think it is,” he replied.
Rolling her eyes at his cocky grin she said, “I think this is either some joke or you’re proposing and you proposing would be ridiculous, especially like this.”
“Ridiculous. Really?”
“Well depends on which it is you’re doing,” Chloe cried, throwing her hands in the air.
“Chloe, really, you don’t know?”
Taking a deep breath she thought seriously for a minute before responding, “Well I think, that it might be, the second option but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
Watching he slid the sheet from around his waist and climbing off the bed. She watched quietly as he walked over to her and slid down onto one knee and taking her hands in his, “I love you Chloe Sullivan, more than anything in this world and I hope that I can spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Cause I don’t think that my life would be complete without you in it. So I’m asking, now, properly, will you make me happy forever and marry me?”
Looking down at Oliver she tried to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. He had just said everything she had every dreamed that someone would say it and the perfect guy was saying it too her naked. Pausing on that thought she raised her right hand to her mouth trying to keep it in. When that didn’t succeed she gave a giggle before waving her hand at his confused look, “I’m sorry but I can’t help it. You just proposed in the nude. It’s hilarious.”
Rolling his eyes Oliver replied, “You love me naked and you know it. Plus when we tell people this story we’ll just omit that part, ok? So are you going to marry me or not?”
“Who are you trying to kid Oliver Queen? Of course I’ll marry you.” Chloe whispered, running a hand through his hair before bending down to kiss gently. Sighing she smiled as he stood wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto the bed.
~~~~
Laying her head onto Oliver’s chest Chloe gave a sigh of pleasure. Kissing his chest gently she smiled when it rumbled with laughter. She loved him dearly and she loved the way he worshipped her body when they were in bed together. She couldn’t help but moan, gasp and scream at the pleasure he brought her but at times it was more than that. She was so grateful that she got to share this experience with the man for the rest if her life. He made her feel loved and beautiful, something that no other man had made her feel.
Pressing another kiss to her chest she kept her head there breathing in his scent. She had to tell him now or else it would blow up in their faces. She knew that if Lex found out through the papers he wouldn’t be happy, not that he was going to be happy even if she did tell him herself. She knew his reaction to the news would be better though if he found out from her and she knew it would go a long way if they were ever to find their way back to the friendship that they once had.
Lifting her head Chloe, resting on her right arm as her left ran over his chest, “Oliver,” she whispered, “Don’t take this the wrong way but I want to hold off on telling people.”
Forcing his eyes open Oliver looked at her. Raising a hand to her forehead he swept the hair that had fallen there, “What? Are you ashamed of me already sidekick?”
Shaking her head gently Chloe turned to press a kiss to his palm before replying, “I want to tell Lex first. I know I shouldn’t but I always hope one day that he’ll get over it and be my friend again. It would be so nice to have my friend back but that’s not going to happen unless I try to lessen the blow more.”
Reaching up he pressed a gently kiss to her lips before whispering, “If it means that much to you I’m ok with that. As long as you understand that there is a chance that telling him won’t help at all.”
“I know,” Chloe replied with a short nod, “But I have to try.”
Bringing her lips down to hers Oliver kissed her gently again before reaching for her left leg and sliding it over his hips. Pulling back he smiled when he saw that she was finally on top of him, “Ok then. I’d say we have some more celebrating to do before we go to the charity event tonight.”
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more,” Chloe whispered before capturing his lips in a searing kiss.
~~~~
Smiling to the cameras eight hours later Chloe couldn’t help but be wowed by the way that Oliver interacted around them. It was weird to think that this man, with such grace and humour when it came to the press, was going to be her husband. Not that she was wearing the ring. It was safely tucked away in her purse waiting for the moment when she was going to talk to Lex but first they had to get past the press and they couldn’t see the ring on her finger. It made her feel sad that on the first day she was engaged she had to take her ring off but she knew it was for the best. She would wear the fabulous ring for the rest of her life but if she could salvage her friendship with Lex it would mean the world to her. So she could live with it, as long as she walked out of there wearing the ring.
Sliding her arm around Oliver’s waist she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek lightly before whispering in his ear, “You know we have to go inside right.”
“Yes,” Oliver whispered in reply before turning back to the reporter, “If that’s all we’d like to go inside and enjoy the festivities.”
“One more thing before you leave,” the reporter said, “The question on everyone’s lips is when are you going to propose?”
Laughing Oliver shot Chloe a small smile before turning back to the reporter, “If I tell you that than it won’t a surprise for Chloe and I just love to surprise her.”
Not waiting for the reporter’s response Chloe steered Oliver towards the doors. Camera flashes were going off everywhere and Chloe still couldn’t believe that she wasn’t use to it. She had been coming to these events with Oliver for the last two years and before that she went with Lex whenever he couldn’t get a date. Of course Oliver made walking down the carpet that had been laid out look easy, like he didn’t realise that the flashes were going off around him. She hoped that one day she would get use to it but she doubted she ever could, considering Oliver had been doing it his whole life.
Allowing Oliver to pull the jacket down her arms she smiled back at him before turning and kissing him lightly. “I love you,” She whispered to him, kissing him again.
“I love you too,” he whispered back before wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her into the ballroom. It was beautifully lit, white flowers scattered around the edges. Tables were spread out around the sides, leaving enough room in the centre for people to mingle whilst still allowing enough room for people to dance when dinner was over. The layout was cleverly designed and she would defiantly have to get the name of the organiser, after all Oliver wanted her to help him organise them.
Smiling up at Oliver she glanced over his shoulder to she saw Lex standing near the opposite wall talking to a beautiful looking woman. She had raven hair, was a little taller than Lex in her heels but Chloe was convinced if she took off her shoes she would be smaller. The woman had an amazing smile as she laughed at something Lex said. Nudging Oliver she directed his gaze to the pair. Watching him nod they headed over together, arms wrapped securely around each other. She knew that she should tell him as soon as possible, that’s why they were heading over there. It was more than that though, she wanted to wear her ring out of here. She wanted to tell Lois, her dad, Clark, Hal and the boys as soon as they got out of this event. It would be nice for her family to know.
Smiling at the woman who was standing next to Lex Chloe said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” the woman replied, holding out a hand for her to shake. Going to take it she was shocked when Lex grabbed it inside, pulling it to his side.
“Oliver, Chloe,” Lex growled not making eye contact with either of them.
“Lex,” Chloe replied trying to conceal a sigh, “How have you been?”
“Fine.”
“Who’s your lovely companion tonight?” Oliver asked, gesturing to the woman.
“This is Caroline,” Lex replied, “Though I hope you’re not getting bored with the other girl that you took from my life.”
Rolling her eyes at Lex’s comment Chloe said, “Can we talk, in private?” Not waiting for an answer she took Lex’s free hand and pulled him away. Dragging him out of the ballroom she headed down the corridor to the left she stopped at the first door and tested it. When she found it was unlocked she pushed Lex through before closing the door behind them.
“You know if you wanted to get me alone you could have just asked nicely,” Lex replied, straightening his suit.
“For some reason I didn’t think you would come,” Chloe replied, “And I have something important to tell you. I didn’t think it should wait.”
Laughing Lex shook his head, “What Queen’s bored with you and you want to come running back?” he asked, “Sorry but I don’t take Queen’s sloppy seconds.”
“Why can’t we be friends Lex? I still think of you as my best friend. It’s not my fault that I don’t reciprocate your feelings for me.” Chloe whispered, “And it’s certainly not my fault that I fell in love with Oliver.”
“If this is all you want I’m going back to my date, preferably before Oliver thinks to steal her.” Lex sneered before moving past her.
Shaking her head Chloe called over her shoulder, “Oliver proposed and I said yes. I thought you should know before we tell everyone else.” Hearing Lex pause behind her and sigh she continued, “I was hoping my friend is still in there somewhere and he would be happy for us.”
“Then it’s time to stop living in a fantasy land,” Lex sneered, turning back to face her, “In case I haven’t made clear before I will never ever find the need to be happy for you when you’re with that despicable man.”
“He’s not the boy you knew in high school.”
“No, he is. He just hides it well and you’re blind not to see it. It’s either that or Queen’s so good in bed that it’s got you blinded. Then again you’ve always been blind.” Lex sneered.
“The only thing I was blind too Lex was the fact that you’re not who I thought you were. I really wish you were the kind decant man I once knew. I’d give anything to have him back.”
“Well you just keep lying on your back or knees for Queen. I’m sure he’ll fuck it out of your system soon.” Lex growled.
Shaking her head Chloe rushed from the room, praying that she could hold her tears in until she reached Oliver. She knew Lex didn’t like her much but she had hoped he would at least try to understanding but just like two years ago he had cut her down. He only focused on the things that hurt him. He couldn’t seem to care that this was the right thing for her, that she was in love and it wasn’t her fault. Maybe it was truly time to let go of the notions of her and Lex being friends again. It was obvious he didn’t want that anymore.
Walking into the ballroom she scanned for Oliver, hoping he was near and ready to get out of here. Seeing him against the wall she walked over to him.
~~~~
Smiling politely as Caroline told him about her job Oliver kept a constant scan of the room. While he hoped his theory about Lex was wrong he knew there was a chance that the man would be harsh towards Chloe. That’s how he had been for the last two years and while he understood Chloe’s compulsion to tell Lex he was worried about what would happen. After all Chloe was allowed to hold out hope for her friend, even as he continued to increase the number of thirty three point one’s that he put up.
“... So what do you think?’ Caroline asked, with a small smile on her face.
“It sounds like an amazing organisation. I’d love to be involved in some way, if that’s possible.”
“The street kids of Metropolis can always use help Mr Queen.”
Oliver shook his head, “Please, call me Oliver. It won’t kill you.”
“Fine, Oliver,” Caroline replied, her smile staying in place before she glanced at her watch, “They’ve been gone a while. What do you think they’re up too?”
“Chloe has some news to share. I proposed this morning and she wanted Lex to find out before we tell anyone else,” Oliver replied.
Caroline raised an eyebrow at Oliver, “It seems strange. Lex doesn’t talk about Chloe at all but that would make them seem like they are best friends.”
“More like they were,” Oliver replied, as he spotted Chloe coming in across the room, “But it’s something that you should ask him about.”
Turning to face Chloe he was surprise when she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his shoulder. Quickly wrapping his arms around her he pulled her a little closer, hoping to give her the comfort that she was looking for.
Dropping a kiss to the crown of her head he whispered, “What happened?” Feeling her shake her head against his shoulder he assumed it was bad. Pulling back slightly so that he could see her face he continued, “Let’s go then. You grab our coats while I make our apologises and we’ll curl up on the coach with the movie of your choice and your favourite ice cream.”
Watching as she nodded he wiped the tear that had strayed down her cheek before kissing it lightly and letting her go without another word. Turning back to Caroline he bid her farewell before finding the host and doing the same. Entering the hallway he went to find Chloe when he saw Lex making his way towards him. Turning he met the man half way there. It was time to give him a piece of his mind. He had been silent for too long.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Oliver demanded, crossing his arms as he stopped in front of Lex.
“Who I am is none of your concern,” Lex replied moving to step around him.
Moving in his path Oliver shook his head, “I’ll make this quick then. I have worked my hardest to keep the spark of hope Chloe has for your friendship alive but you insist on making it hard. So I’m just going to put it like this. If you keep acting like this snubby, spoilt rich boy who has no blame in this situation then you should just leave Chloe the hell alone. Let her be loved because whether you believe it or not I do love her and as far as I’m concerned that doesn’t need validation from you.”
Turning and leaving Lex behind him Oliver headed straight for the coat room, smiling when he saw Chloe outside. Walking over to her he wrapped his arms around her waist whispering in her ear, “You ready to get out of here.”
Feeling her pivot in his arms he smiled down at her as she said, “In one second.”
Watching as she pulled her engagement ring out of her bag his smile widened when he saw her slip it onto her finger, “Are you sure? Don’t you want to tell Lois first?” he replied.
Shaking her head he allowed for her to pull him out of the room, wrapping an arm around his waist, making sure her ring could be seen. Pausing at the doorway he kissed her quickly before pushing open the door, ready to face the media onslaught, as long as she was by his side.
~~~~
5 years on...
Sitting on the toilet Chloe kept her eyes squeezed shut. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer. Sure she loved Oliver, they were so happily married, but adding a baby to that mix could change things. How were they supposed to bring a baby into their world? He was a superhero after all and she was his sidekick. When he wasn’t out each night risking his life for other people they were plotting to take down the last of the thirty three point ones. Their lives were in constant danger, how could they even think to bring a baby into this? They weren’t dubbed the globetrotting billionaires for no reason. They were always moving, to take down thirty three point ones, but that would stop if this test come back positive.
She hadn’t always wanted to have a family. When she was a teenager she hadn’t wanted children at all, she wasn’t sure she would ever find a man that would want to settle down with her and start a family, especially considering Clark didn’t seem to want to see her. It never felt like any other boy could want her. Hal had never been an option in her mind and neither had Lex, especially after he had started dating Lana. Then again she hadn’t really thought of Oliver that way until she was in love and that had all happened so fast, one scary night where the team was almost lost. Still it was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to her and she wouldn’t take it back for anything, not even a second chance to have Lex as her best friend. She would just spend her life in regret, hoping that Lex would fall in love and realise that there was someone else out there for him. That hadn’t happened yet, though Caroline, whom she and Oliver had met the night that she had told Lex about her engagement, seemed to be making a frequent appearance by his side these days. She could only hope that it would lead somewhere and allow for Lex to relax when it came to her relationship with Oliver.
Gasping in a breath as her alarm went off she stretched out her hand, shaking the whole way, to pick up the test. Closing her eyes as she brought the test forward so it was level with her eyes she took in two deep breaths before opening her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath she smiled. The results were unexpected but that didn’t stop her from feeling overjoyed. Picking up the phone she sighed. She had to make sure. Dialling the familiar number she listened to it ring. Once, twice, three times before the person on the other end picked up.
“Hi Emil,” she whispered, “I need to make an appointment. I need to see you soon.... Ok I’ll drop around tomorrow.”
~~~~
Smiling as Emil entered the room Chloe held her breath. She wasn’t sure which answer she wanted but she knew she had to know the truth. This was the only way to be sure that the results she had gotten in the bathroom were correct. Watching as Emil walked over to her she smiled at him, praying he would deliver the news quickly.
“Let me be the first to say congratulations. You’re officially six weeks pregnant.”
Closing her eyes Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, “Six weeks. That would be after the mission in Malta. Where he was hurt and I thought he wasn’t going to be ok.”
“I remember,” Emil said with a nod, “But, to be very cheesy, look what your love did. You were scared you were going to lose Oliver and now you’ll have little him running around.”
Laughing Chloe shock her head, “Please no, I love the man to death but I don’t think I could handle two of him. I’d much rather a little girl who just acted a bit like her father.”
“Either way, Oliver is going to be over the moon. Now go home and tell him.”
Impulsively throwing her arms around him she whispered thanks in his ear before grabbing her bag and leaving. Walking down the corridor her hand couldn’t help but drift to her stomach. Smiling to herself she wasn’t paying enough attention to where she was going when she ran into someone. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she looked up to the person she had ran into to offer an apology but was startled to see Lex.
Removing her hand from her stomach quickly Chloe offered a smile, “Hi. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention.”
Lex gave a shrug, his eyes resting on where her hand had just left. “It’s ok, I guess. Well best be off to my appointment.”
Nodding Chloe smiled, “Yeah, well I have lunch with Lois, so I should go.”
“Of course,” Lex replied before pushing past her.
Nodding Chloe sighed as Lex walked past her. She hoped that he hadn’t realised why her hand was on her stomach but somehow she was sure that he would.
~~~~
Oliver looked down at the magazine cover again. He couldn’t help but feel a tiny amount of joy at it but he knew he had to confirm it with Chloe. After all how trustworthy could People magazine be. Drumming his nails against the rail of the elevator he tried to will it to climb faster than it was. He needed to know if he was going to be a dad. He and Chloe had been together for a while now, married for two years, and he had yet to stuff up so majorly that she had left. He saw having kids as the next logical step in their relationship but he wasn’t sure if Chloe was ready for that yet. He planned to raise it either way tonight. They had a similar conversation before they had gotten married but they had decided that neither of them was ready and that when one of them was they would bring it up so that they could talk again.
Smiling as the elevator doors opened he walked into the hallway, placing his jacket into the cupboard before making his way down the, loosening his tie as he went. Pausing as he entered the lounge and kitchen area his smile grew at what he saw. The place was dark, except for the candles that flickered around the room, only really lighting the way to the table. On the table there was a beautiful flower arrangement and two of the nicer pillar candles that they owned, lit. The chairs were snuggled close to each other so that he and Chloe would be sitting side by side instead of across from each other and as he got closer he saw that she had put out their wedding china. Glancing down at the plates he was surprised to see a stick on one. Picking it up, figuring it was put there by accident. Taking a closer look at it before his eyes widened in shock, it couldn’t say what he thought it said.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, as he heard a noise behind him. Turning he smiled when he saw Chloe. “So it’s true?”
“What do you mean, it’s true?” Chloe asked in shock.
Pulling the magazine out his back pocket, where he had put it while waiting in the elevator he showed her the front cover, “This,” he whispered, “Your pregnant.”
“Well, yeah but I kinda wanted to be the one to tell you,” Chloe said with a sigh, “How could they know so fast. I took the test here before going Emil to confirm it this morning and running into Lex.” Groaning she dropped her head into her hands, “Lex. Lex did this.”
“Of course he did,” Oliver sighed. “So you’re pregnant, huh?”
Looking up at Oliver she nodded, “Yeah. Six weeks.”
“So that night in Malta, you were scared I was going to die so I proved I was fine.”
“That would be the one,” Chloe whispered, walking over to him, “It was a pretty incredible celebration.”
Scooping her up into his arms Oliver rubbed his nose against hers, “It was. How about we have another one of those nights to celebrate?”
“So you’re happy about this?”
“No, I’m ecstatic. I’m over the moon. I’d be swinging you around in joy if I thought you’d enjoy that.” Oliver replied, his face breaking out into the biggest grin Chloe had ever seen.
Laughing at his antics Chloe jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, causing his hands to come up to rest on her thighs, “Well it’s good thing I turned the stove off when I heard the elevator then.”
Kissing him passionately she allowed him to carry her away to the bedroom, pushing the Lex issue from her mind for the time being.
~~~~
Making sure that Oliver was really asleep Chloe moved so that she was sitting up against the head board of the bed. It was nice, being back in Metropolis. She missed Lois and Clark, the city, but she also missed the beach of Star City, the boys and working constantly as Watchtower. It was nice to be constantly surrounded by people who wanted to be near her. It was also weird to know that they were constantly being sent into danger, to fix her friend’s mistakes. Now she wasn’t so sure she should think of it that way.
It was clear that the only person who could leak that information was Lex. Emil would never betray their secrets, she knew that. After all he was the doctor for a team of superheroes. Why would he betray them? The simple answer was that he wouldn’t. The longer answered would just be her going over the evidence to reach the same conclusion. In the end it didn’t matter. She knew who it was. Lex obviously suspected why she had her hand over her stomach. She should have known better than to think that he wouldn’t notice. He was the logical choice. He had spent years trying to undermine her relationship with Oliver. This was just his latest way.
While Lex hadn’t lived a life of exclusive celibacy he hadn’t kept a partner for more than a month and he defiantly hadn’t thought to marry anyone. At times she could go months without thinking about him and their failed friendship but every so often it snuck up on her. They saw each other constantly, dealing in same circle led to that but he usually left her and Oliver alone. She was sure Oliver had said something to him after the whole blow out after telling him that they were engaged but she couldn’t prove it. Oliver never talked about that night, other than to comment about how good her dress had looked on the floor next to their bed.
Sighing she closed her eyes. She didn’t know why she kept hoping to keep her relationship with Lex. But after five years it just felt natural. Though now she wasn’t sure why. All he did was try to drive them apart. Obviously Lex thought that Oliver would think that she was hiding the baby from him and that would cause them to fight. But after five years they knew there were no secrets in their relationship even if Lex didn’t realise that. Oliver was the first person she was going to tell the second it was confirmed, it was just a pity that Lex hadn’t figured that out. Still what did she expect from her friend. He didn’t seem to be there anymore.
Absently running a hand through Oliver’s hair she sighed. It was a hard concept to grasp. Lex truly didn’t want to be her friend anymore. It was time she got use to it. After all it had been this way for a long time and it didn’t look like anything was going to change Lex’s mind. Maybe it was time that she changed hers. Maybe it was time to give up on Lex. Sliding back into the bed properly she wrapped herself around Oliver, her head resting over his heart, her arm around his waist and her leg intertwined with his, she couldn’t help but think that this was all she needed in the world.
It was a shame she had to lose Lex to get it though.
~~~~
Smiling up at Oliver as they entered the ballroom Chloe still couldn’t help but feel constantly impressed by what some people could do with an ordinary ballroom. It beautiful, like it was at every other event they attended. The room was done to perfection and she couldn’t fault the designer. Then again she never could, they were great at what they did and she had the upmost respect for what they did, even if the other women who ran in their social circle didn’t.
“You look great in that dress,” Oliver whispered, moving his lips to her ear.
Shaking her head she replied, “But let me guess it would look better floor next to the bed.”
“It’s like you can read my mind,” Oliver said with fake awe.
Wrapping her arm firmly around he’s side Chloe laughed. It had been tough getting into the function, especially with all the baby questions from the reporters, but they weren’t going to tell the press until they had a chance to talk to Lois properly. Chloe knew that her cousin would kill her if she didn’t find out about this before the press. It would lead to the same hounding she had given them when she had to find out about their engagement from the press. Once the calmed cousin had had her say the reporter in Lois couldn’t help but break free and demand to know why she hadn’t been given the scoop before all the other reporters.
Moving further into the room she glanced around for Lex. She felt as nervous as she had three years ago when she had gone to tell him the news of the engagement but this time she knew that he already knew what was going on in her relationship. This time she planned to give him a piece of her mind for invading her privacy. Seeing him standing in the corner she was about to go over when she stopped and pointed out his date to Oliver.
“Is that the woman he was with a couple of years ago? The one who ran the organisation for street kids in Metropolis? Caroline?” Chloe asked.
Squinting Oliver looked down at Chloe in shock, “You know what. I think it is. Do you think Lex has finally found someone to settle down with?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe replied with a shrug. She really didn’t want to speculate. She had been hoping to avoid Lex after the whole baby spilling scandal. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, sure, but right now the most important thing was keep calm, especially for the baby’s sake. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise the baby’s health in anyway and Emil had been telling her all about how stress could affect the baby. It was crazy really but for the first time in five years she was ready to walk away from her relationship with Lex and not look back, letting go of all the regret.
Not that she was getting that vibe considering the pair where heading their way. Sighing Chloe turned and pressed her face into Oliver neck, taking a deep breath of his smell, hoping it would calm he nerves. It was weird that just the smell of Olive calmed her down. It made her feel whole, centred, something that no one else had been able to produce in her. She pulled back just as Lex and Caroline joined them.
“Hi,” she whispered, her hand gripping Oliver’s hip just a little tighter.
“Hey,” Caroline said with a smiled, “Oliver I’ve been meaning to thank you. Your monthly checks to the foundation have been doing amazing work. In fact it’s been so amazing that the number of street kids has dropped. Though it’s not by much but it’s helping us get another building up and running so it can decrease further.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to have helped. Every little thing we do to save the citizens in Metropolis the better.” Oliver said, setting his smile to dazzling. “I just hope it can really do some good.”
“It really is at the moment. Lex was just saying the other day that it was a great initiative.” Carol said, rubbing a hand down his arm, “He even helped us to put up some gyprock at the new facility.”
“And how many will this facility house?” Chloe asked. While she wasn’t happy with Lex at the moment she was an avid supporter of Caroline’s foundation. It was built around the philosophy of building places for teenage runaways to stay and feel safe. They didn’t get in contact with anyone the teenagers were completely safe and able to stay for as long as they needed. They offered support to those who wanted to get off the streets and helped those who wanted to go back to school.
“This one should house an additional fifty. The board is trying to push it so it houses another twenty but I think that’s pushing it too far. If we keep getting the support that we are from the community than it won’t be necessary. We’ll just build another one. I don’t see the need to cramming the kids in their together.”
Chloe nodded, turning to Lex, “Maybe we can talk?’ she whispered, “In private.”
Oliver held up a finger, “Just give us a moment,” he said before pulling Chloe a small distance away, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“No,” Chloe whispered, “But if I keep all this anger in then I’m going to explode and if I don’t explode I’m going to procrastinate and how will that be any better for the baby then getting mad now.”
“Just remember to think before you speak, please,” Oliver replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the forehead, “I would hate for you to procrastinate over something you said cause you regret it later.”
“I just need an answer,” she whispered before pulling back, “And you can tell Caroline we’ll support her on the no room for more than fifty people for the building if she needs it.”
“Deal,” Oliver replied, steering the pair of them back towards Lex and Caroline, “Plus I do support that. Now go have your heart to heart.”
Kissing him gently on the lips before motioning to Lex she headed out onto the balcony, finding a small secluded spot to have their conversation. Stopping she turned and waited for him to join her. She couldn’t help but study him as he walked towards her. His facial features had changed over the years. It made him look older, weary almost, she hadn’t realised the affect that Caroline had on him until they had left her. She watched his eyes glazed over, his head tilted downwards and his smile faded. It was weird to think that one person could have that affect on Lex and she hadn’t seen him like that since they were friends.
“So what did you want?” Lex asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Why did you leak that story to the press?” Chloe whispered, “I know you’ve made it your life mission to not be my friend anymore but I would never have thought you would do something like that. Not after what the press has done to you.”
Lex shook his head and moved so that he was looking out at the Metropolis skyline, “I don’t know.” He whispered, “Maybe it’s just cause I’ve been feeling this way for so long. I don’t know how to feel any other way.”
“And that causes you to want to hurt me,” Chloe replied, her face covered with confusion, “I don’t understand I know that I hurt you when I decided to have a relationship with Oliver but I don’t understand where this is coming from.”
“Did you know, back then, I was in love with you? I didn’t like you or have a crush, I was in love with you?” Lex whispered, “I was so sure that you were going to be married to me one of these days. However you stopped that.”
Chloe sighed, resting a hand on his arm, “I never knew. I swear.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
“No,” Chloe whispered with a shake of her head, “Probably not. But I would have been more considerate, a little less confrontational. I walked in there knowing that if you asked I would have chosen Oliver and while I hate what it’s done to our relationship I could never take back that decision. I know, without a doubt, Oliver’s the love of my life and I’m never going to love anyone as much as I love Oliver.”
Lex nodded solemnly, “I understand.”
“Does this mean you’ll stop with the leaking and the being mean? I don’t know if we can ever be friends again but I’m hoping we could try.”
“I’ve done a lot of bad things Chloe,” Lex whispered, “I don’t know how to be good anymore. I’m not sure that there is even any good left in me to be saved.”
“I know there is,” Chloe replied, “I didn’t notice it until we got out here but your different when you’re with Caroline. Your whole demeanour changes, it’s incredible to watch.”
“I think I might have some really deep feelings for her.”
“Well that’s good, because you seem to be having her on your arm more and more these days,” Chloe said with a wide smile.
“I know and I like that she wants to be around me. How is it that this amazingly good person wants to be around me?” Lex asked.
“Maybe it’s because when you around her you’re a good person. You always remind me of my friend,” Chloe whispered.
“I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“Yes you did,” Chloe replied, “Or you forced me too which seemed to make you become this person you’re not. I don’t think either of us realised what kind of affect that Lionel and LuthorCorp had. All those times we used to hang out, forget the real world, it must have been cleansing. Do you and Caroline do that?”
“No, do you and Oliver?”
Chloe nodded, “Yeah, not the exact same way that you and I used to do it but we still do. It’s nice to forget the world. It’s why we used to do it.”
“So you think that’s what I should do? And that it will solve everything?” Lex scoffed, “I don’t believe you.”
“Maybe it won’t fix everything but it might help. From there you could open up more, move further away from the shadier side of LuthorCorp that we both know exists.”
“I like that idea,” Lex whispered. “I really don’t like the shady side of LutherCorp.”
Resting a hand on his arm Chloe smiled, “I know you don’t. So why not take a step back? Maybe you guys can go on a holiday and you can think about who you are and who you want to be.”
Lex nodded, “I like that idea. I like it a lot. Thanks Chloe. And I’m sorry, for leaking the fake baby story to the press.”
“Well...” Chloe started, placing a hand on her stomach, “It’s not actually false. I’m pregnant, six weeks.”
“Hey!” Oliver cried as he walked out onto the balcony with Caroline, “You two have been gone for a while.”
“Come to make sure we’re all still alive?” Chloe asked, wrapping her hand back around his waist when he reached them.
“Yes... I’m glad to see there’s no bloodshed,” Oliver said with a smile, “Plus I wanted a dance.”
Chloe smiled in return, “Well I’m all yours. Lead the way.”
Waving to goodbye to the pair she squeezed Lex’s arm one more time when he offered his congratulations before allowing Oliver to guide her movements to the dance floor. Wrapping her free arm around his neck she smiled up at him, slowly swaying in his arms.
“So Lex knows,” he said, his voice quiet.
“Yes,” she confessed, “I told him, after he apologised.” Seeing Oliver’s startled look she continued, “I think we’re going to see a real change in him. At least I hope so. We had a pretty good talk out there.”
“Well I for one am very glad,” Oliver whispered pulling her closer, “We can talk about it more at home.”
~~~~
10 years on...
Chloe stood in the centre of lounge room smiling. She couldn’t believe that she had possessed the ability to convince Oliver to move back here without getting naked for him. She’d defiantly had to remember that chocolate chip cookies were his weakness. This house was... perfect. There was no other word for it. It had class and character, it felt like a home. That was probably the most important reason as to why they had chosen it. It had this sense of warmth like they could spend all day there and not get bored. The even better thing was that it had enough space so that she and Oliver could have a room at the other end of the hall to Allyson. They could each have their own study if they chose to, which they didn’t, and the backyard was big enough that they would be able to corner off a section for Oliver to use for safe target practise without it being as big as a farm. It was everything she wanted and more from a home, simple because she was making it with Oliver.
Turning when she heard a noise she smiled as Allyson ran towards her and hugged her legs. Kneeling down she pulled the small girl into her arms. Some days she still couldn’t believe that they had created this perfect little creature in her arms but she knew that they had. Looking up as Oliver entered the room she smiled at him before leaning back and looking at the little girl. Her hair fell in beautiful blond curls to her shoulders and her eyes were the same chocolate brown as her father’s but the thing she was sure she loved most about her daughter was that when she smiled it reminded her so much of her own mother’s smile that she couldn’t help but feel that her mom was always there with them.
“So do you like this house?” Chloe asked the little girl. Smiling as she gave a big nod she continued, “Well good cause, guess what?”
“What?” Allyson cried out.
“This is going to be our house.”
“Really,” she replied hugging Chloe once more before running off.
Laughing as the Allyson left Chloe stood and turned to her husband, “And how about you Mister Queen, do you like this house?”
Sighing Oliver looked over at place before saying, “I don’t like this place Mrs Queen. I love this place.”
Walking over towards him she said, “Are you sure you don’t mind the two hour commute to work? Cause we don’t have to get this place. We can find somewhere closer to Metropolis.”
“Chloe,” Oliver sighed, pulled her to him so that she was flush against his body, “Do you want to live in Smallville and in this house?”
“Well yes. I quite like the idea of the house in Smallville and sending Ally and any future children we have to the school I went to but not if you don’t want that.” Chloe replied. Trailing a hand down his cheek she continued, “But I’m willing give all that up if you want don’t want it too.”
“I want you to have that,” Oliver whispered, “If that means a two hour commute I can live with that. Anyway, some days I’ll take the chopper.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head and said, “Ok then I am very glad we’re buying this house. I love you, Oliver Queen.”
Smiling Oliver shook his head and kissed her gently before pulling back and saying, “I love you too, Chloe Queen. There is one thing that could make this moment perfect though.”
Raising an eyebrow at him Chloe said, “I’m not having sex with you in this lounge room while our daughter is running around the house.”
“While it’s good to see my dirty mind is rubbing off on you that’s not what I meant,” Oliver replied with a laugh before letting her go. Heading over to the stereo he switched it on before fiddling with the cd til a slow song came on. Holding out her hand to him he pulled her to him when she took it. Wrapping an arm around her waist they swayed slowly to the music, her head on his chest.
Closing her eyes she smiled when she felt his chin rest on her head. It was moments like this, with Oliver, that she treasured. Being surrounded by him, knowing he was always willing to make the effort to be a touch romantic, warmed her heart and constantly reminded her that he loved her more than anything in the world, and that she knew without a doubt that she was. The only person she could possible love more was their daughter and there was no way he could fault her for that, sometimes she thought he might love Ally more than her too.
Pulling back when she heard a knock on the door she looked at Oliver in surprise, “That can’t be for us, we don’t technically live here.”
“I know,” Oliver whispered, “Maybe it’s a ghost.”
Smacking him in the chest Chloe stared at him, “Don’t even joke about that, especially since we’re about to move to Smallville. It could come true.”
Laughing Oliver dipped his head and kissed her again, “Crazy woman,” he whispered, “I’ll go see who it is.”
Watching him walk away she shook her head before calling out, “Make sure the ghost knows it’s not welcome.”
“Is there a ghost in the house?” Allyson’s small voice came from behind her.
“No, sweetie, mommy and daddy are just being silly.” Chloe replied with a shake of her head, “Did you decide which bedroom you wanted?”
Nodding eagerly Allyson said, “Yep, the last one at the end of the hall.”
Walking over to the girl she crouched down and kissed her gently on the cheek, “Well it’s all yours” she said as Oliver entered the room with Lex. Smiling at her acquaintance she turned to Allyson and said, “Why don’t you show daddy your room while I talk to Uncle Lex.”
“Ok,” the girl said with a nod before taking her father’s hand and pulling him away.
Smiling as she watched them go she turned to Lex. Sure over the past five years they had grown closer. The rift that had ended their friendship seemed to be healing slowly but she didn’t think that they were so close that he would be making visits to the home they were going to buy.
“What can I do for you Lex?” She asked, “And how did you find us?’
“It’s not like you’re hidden, especially when you’re married to the CEO of a very large, very rich corporation but I found you by calling the real estate agency.” Lex replied with a grin, “Can we sit down to talk about this?”
“Sure,” Chloe replied, a little confused as to what he wanted. Gesturing to the couch she sat down she waited for him to speak.
Sitting down Lex said, “I need your help.”
“Ok,” Chloe said with a nod, “What can I do?”
“I want to propose to Caroline,” Lex said, “And I can’t pick a ring. So I was hoping...”
“That I would help,” Chloe cut in, “Of course I will. Did you bring what you had in mind with you?”
“Of course I did,” Lex scoffed pulling out three ring boxes, “Now the first one may seem a little over the top but it was my mum’s engagement ring so it has sentimental value to go with it.”
Taking the box from Chloe gasped when she saw the ring inside, “That is very extravagant. It doesn’t seem like Caroline’s taste though. What do the other two look like?”
Taking the boxes from Lex Chloe smiled at him before opening the second one. The big square diamond jumped out at her to start with. She blinked. It was a huge diamond, with two smaller, but still quite big, oval shaped diamonds either side of it. Closing the box she sighed and turned to Lex, “Not to break our new friendship but you can’t give her that. It will blind everyone in sight.”
“This isn’t a joking matter.”
“I’m not kidding,” Chloe said with a sigh, “Plus if you put something like that on her finger it’s bound to be taken off by a robber.” Pausing she turned to face him, “Tell me all the rings aren’t like that.”
“No,” Lex sighed before taking back another box, “Just two of them. Anyway who says Carol has your taste?”
“If you knew her taste you wouldn’t have come to me,” Chloe replied with a raised eyebrow, “But if you think you can do this by yourself your free to leave. I’ll go back to letting my husband seduce me.”
Lex groaned, “I didn’t need to hear that.”
“Well it’s true, so do you want my help or not?” Chloe asked.
“Yes, please, help me already.”
Taking the box that was left Chloe pried it open. Sitting back on the couch she blew out a breath. It was amazingly beautiful. The centre stone was a beautiful circled diamond. It wasn’t too big but it wasn’t as small as the diamond on her engagement ring was. It was almost perfect, two triangle diamonds kept the circle enclosed. They were smaller than the circle diamond but gave it enough emphasis. The band was a beautiful silver colour, lighting up the simplicity and the brilliance of the ring.
Turning she to Lex she smiled, holding out the ring, “This is the one. It’s perfect.”
“Almost as good as your own?”
“As far as I’m concerned there will be no engagement ring as perfect as mine but it’s defiantly the ring for Caroline. When do you plan to do this?”
“You’ll know when,” Lex replied with a smile hugging Chloe briefly before standing, “Will we see the three of you tomorrow?”
“I didn’t realise my four year old daughter was invited.”
“Well she is, so save some your money on a baby sitter and bring her along,” Lex replied, as Chloe stood up to walk him out.
“If you insist,” Chloe whispered, “Though you better leave the back door opened in case we need to sneak in.” When she noticed Lex’s raised eyebrow she shrugged, “Don’t go there, it’s better for everyone if you leave it alone.”
“Fair enough,” Lex replied as Chloe pulled the door opened, “Well I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Nodding her agreement she waved the man goodbye. It was hard at times. Being friends with Lex but over the past year he had began to distance himself from LuthorCorp and the thirty three point ones that they raided stopped having deep connections to Lex. It warmed her heart that he was finally starting to become a better man.
Closing the door she turned and headed down the corridor that her husband and daughter had taken. She hadn’t heard a peep from them since Lex had shown up and she was a little worried that they were both up to no good. After all Allyson somehow had inherited her father’s gene for getting into trouble and there was nothing more that she liked doing than dragging her father along for the ride. Slowly peering around the corner she smiled when she saw them sitting on the floor of the bare room. Allyson was sitting in Oliver’s lap and he had pulled out the book that he always carried on him, ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’, and was reading softly, oblivious to the fact that Allyson had fallen asleep in his lap. Taking her phone out of her back pocket she snapped a photo of the pair. They looked too adorable that she wasn’t able to pass up the opportunity.
Stepping into the room she sat down beside her husband smiling up at him before motioning to him that Allyson was asleep. Kissing him softly she whispered against his lips, “Lex is gone.”
“Ok, what he want?”
“Help picking out an engagement ring.”
Oliver nodded, “Fair enough. Were you able to help?”
“Yeah, he invited Ally along tomorrow night so we don’t need to be worrying about a sitter. He even said he would leave the back door open for us so we could use that.”
Oliver shrugged, “You know, as long as Allyson’s ok with the press taking her photo we’ll go through the front entrance.”
“Are you sure? You’re the one who wanted to keep her out of the papers for as long as possible.”
“I know but they already have some pictures of her. I’m not sure I see too much harm, as long as one of us is with her.”
“Which we will be, we’ll always be there for her.”
“I know. I’m kinda getting use to that idea. So, how do you feel about green in this room? It was all Allyson’s idea of course.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, “I’m sure it was.”
~~~~
Looking in the mirror Chloe smooth day the dress she was wearing around the waist. Catching Allyson peek her head into the room she turned and smiled. She loved her daughter deeply, she reminded her so much of Oliver. Walking over to the doorway quietly she crouched, waiting for the little girl to peek around again. When she did Chloe reached out and pulled her into her arms, looking her up and down.
Sighing Chloe rolled her eyes, “Why are you wearing that sweetie?”
“It’s my princess dress, you said I had to look pretty.”
“Well, yes sweetie, you have to look pretty. But this is a dress up dress and you can’t wear a dress up dress outside.”
Grasping the fabric between her fingers she shook her head at the little girl. She should have figured that her daughter would want to wear this dress. Scooping her up in her arms she held the little girl close, feeling her try to wrap her small arms around her shoulders. Looking quickly in the mirror she smiled at the dress. She really liked this one and she had been waiting for the chance to wear it for a while now. She had seen it months ago when they were in Italy, under the pretence of Queen Industry business but were really blowing up one of the few thirty three point ones that were left in existence. They had been shopping for no reason when she had spotted it in the shop window.
It was a simple dress really, nothing extra fancy about it other than the price tag that was on it. It was a bold yellow and had waving lines of brown, green, pink and red that ran through it. The bust area was gathered and it twisted. The straps went up and over her collar in a halt neck fashion. The reason she had purchased it was the back though. Oliver had loved the way the back looked that she couldn’t resist buying it. The two straps joined at the back, looping around a line of fabric that was pulled back from the bust area. The actual back of the dress didn’t start until about a centimetre from the bottom curve of her spine and fell to the ground with a small train following behind it. Of course the heels she had chosen to wear made the train almost disappear but she liked it that way, it meant she wouldn’t trip over it when she was walking.
Smiling as Oliver entered the room and scooped the little girl out of her arms she shook her head when he said, “I love that dress on you.”
“Yeah and I bet you’ll love it more when it’s on the ground next to the bed,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes, “Have you seen what your daughter is wearing?”
Watching his eyebrow crease as he looked at the girl in his arms he shook his head before saying, “Sweetie you can’t wear that dress.”
“Why not?” The little girl asked with a pout, “It’s the best dress I own.”
“No it’s not sweetie, beside it’s a dress up dress,” Oliver said with a sigh, “Why don’t we go find something more appropriate for you to be wearing.”
Shaking her head Allyson got a determined look in her eyes and said, “No. I want to wear this one.”
“Well it doesn’t matter,” Chloe replied, a stern tone in her voice, “Now go and change before we’re late.”
Watching the little girl climb down from her father’s arms she smiled when Oliver wrapped them around her, “I do love your super mom side.” He whispered in her ear, “Makes me wish we’d have more kids already.”
Chloe shrugged, “If you want more kids all you have to do is say so. I’m not fussed about having one or two more.”
“I was thinking seven or eight,” Oliver whispered.
“Of course you were but your thinking with your little brain and I’m not pushing out that many kids.”
“Fine,” Oliver conceded with a small pout, “Maybe three more and I’ll be happy.
“We’ll deal with this later,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes as Allyson entered the room again, dressed more appropriately. “Now that’s better. Let’s get out of here before we’re late.”
~~~~
Stepping out of the limo Oliver smiled at the press, giving them a brief wave before turning back to the limo and taking Allyson into his arms when the little girl climbed over Chloe’s lap. Shifting the girl so that she was sitting on his right side Oliver reached out his hand to help Chloe out of the limo so that they could face the onslaught of the press together. Slipping his arm around her waist they walked forward together, facing the crowd as a united front.
Pausing and smiling for the camera he wasn’t surprised when Allyson suddenly cried out, “Hi Aunt Lois!”
Laughing he brushed the little girls curls back, shaking his head with a fond smile. He remembered what it was like. Being in front of a crowd this big of people who want nothing more than to find the biggest and best story that they could and cram it onto the front page, whether it was true or not. Since he’d been married he’d apparently cheated on Chloe with two red heads and three brunettes. Once upon a time it would have driven him up the wall now days he just showed Chloe and the pair had a good laugh about the whole thing. It was defiantly a well honed system but he was glad that his daughter would know that there would be at least two people in the crowd of strangers who wouldn’t do that to her. It would be nice for her to know that.
Of course that could be used against her when Lois started bugging her for information. Lucky for them that wouldn’t be for another couple of years.
“Ally, honey, we’ll see Aunt Lois inside,” Chloe replied, taking the little girls hand and kissing it gently, “Now why don’t we keep moving. It’d be nice to get inside before they blind us.”
“I like that idea,” Oliver replied, nodding to the press before leading Chloe inside.
Pausing so that Chloe could hand her bag into the check in area the trio entered the patio. It was weird that Lex was holding a party on a patio but she didn’t really think anything of it. Lex had been different for the last couple of years though and she liked it. Taking Allyson out of her father’s arms Chloe walked over to where Clark was standing, leaving Oliver to mingle on his own.
“Uncle Clark,” Ally cried, squirming in Chloe’s arms, “I missed you while away.”
Letting Clark take the girl from her arms she smiled as her friend said, “Well I missed you too kiddo. How was Star City?”
Ally shrugged, “Ok but I like our new house better.”
“New house?” Clark asked raising an eyebrow at Chloe, “And where would this new house be?”
“This new house of ours is going to be in Smallville, isn’t it kiddo?”
Smiling as Ally just nodded her head Chloe turned to the platform as a glass was tapped. Waiting for Lex to start speaking she smiled at Oliver as he made his way over.
“I don’t know why he’s starting his speech so soon,” He whispered in her ear, “It’s a little odd.”
Chloe shrugged, “I’m sure he won’t keep us in suspense long.”
“I hope not, I’m not good with suspense unless there’s a bed involved,” Oliver growled in her ear.
Closing her eyes against the onslaught of his words she suppressed a groan. She loved that after all these years Oliver could still get her humming. It always reminded her of a great saying she read when they were in Australia, just after they had gotten married. It went something like marriage isn’t about falling in love with a person once it’s about falling in love with someone multiple times that grew exponentially. That was exactly how she felt about Oliver. He proved time and time again that he had the ability to make her fall in love with him and that she did they same to him. It was more than that. There was a passion, a spark that ran through them when they were together. It made her so sure about their relationship that she knew he would never stray. He loved her and only her. Even if no one else believed that, she did.
“Ladies and gentlemen if I could have you attention for just a moment, I’ll be very brief. I’d like to thank you all for coming out on this lovely day and hanging out on the patio of the Empire Hotel. LuthorCorp thanks you.”
Watching as he took his glass and moved to the side Chloe tilted her head, she knew that there was something a little off putting about the whole thing.
“I’m sure many of you are wondering why you were invited here on a Sunday afternoon but there’s an important announcement that LuthorCorp has to make,” Lex continued. “As of tomorrow morning I will no longer be the President of LuthorCorp.”
Listening to the shocked gasps around the room, Chloe turned to Oliver, “Did you know anything about this?”
Oliver shook his head, his face completely filled with shock, “No idea whatsoever. That was kept pretty quiet.”
Tapping on his glass again Lex raised it above his head and waited for the chatter to die down, “I know this must come as a shock. I have put a lot of thought into this and while my father doesn’t approve I feel like this is the best move for me and the family I’m about to have. Yesterday I handed in my resignation and went home to propose to my beautiful girlfriend, who said yes.”
Cheering along with the crowd Chloe couldn’t help but feel proud, her best friend was defiantly on the right path. She knew there was a lot more than just leaving LuthorCorp for Caroline. The father son relationship between Lionel and Lex had been bad since Lionel had been realised from jail. So much so that she wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of the reason that Lex was resigning. There had always been a poisonous tendency to Lionel and Lex’s relationship.
“Look, can I have you attention for another moment,” Lex called, “There’s something else. Just after Caroline agreed to make me the happiest man alive, and for all you doubts this is the marriage that’s going to stick, she told me that she’s pregnant with our first child.” Not stopping for the applause Lex power on, “We’re planning on stepping out of the limelight. No more charity events or press conferences. From now on we’re going to be a family and we’d like all the press to respect our wishes. Thank you for your time.”
Smiling as the people clapped lightly for Lex she watched her friend take his fiancé by the arm and leave the event.
“Wow,” she whispered, turning back to Oliver and Clark when Allyson tugged on her dress. Leaning down to scoop the little girl up she smiled at Clark, “I’m guessing you’re going to have to go and get this to the paper.” Clark nodded.
“Well drop by for dinner late next week, we should be in our house by then,” Oliver suggested shaking his hand after he hugged Chloe and Allyson goodbye. Taking the girl back from Clark the trio waved Clark off before turning back to each other.
“So... What do we do now?” Chloe asked.
“Do you want to go and find Lex, talk to about this some more?” Oliver asked.
Chloe shook her head, “Honestly I understanding the reasoning. Lionel is like a parasite at times. Maybe we should go and call Victor. See what’s happening with the buildings.”
“I don’t know,” Oliver said, “The buildings have been decreasing in number over the year. Maybe this explains that. Maybe there won’t be any more after this.”
Chloe nodded, “I really hope so but what I hope for more is that Lionel’s poison hasn’t sunk in.”
“Maybe Caroline is the vaccine.”
“I think love is the vaccine. How about we just go home? Enjoy some family time,” Chloe said with a smile.
Kissing her softly Oliver hugged her close, liking the fact that he could hold his two favourite people close at the same time, “I like that idea a lot. I’m defiantly on board with that.”
~~~~
12 years on...
Chloe laughed as Clark swung Allyson around in the air, trailing behind them. She loved the smell of the parking lot and the feel of the trees brushing up against her. Feeling the little boy in her belly give a kick she smiled and ran her hand over her stomach. Oliver was going to upset that he wasn’t there, he always was, but she figured he’d do what he did the other night, spend a lot of time talking to her stomach til their son kicked up a storm for him. It was still weird, calling that baby their son. They had only found out a week ago that they were having a little boy and since then she had come up with the perfect name, not that she had told anyone.
They hadn’t been expecting another child just yet, though Ally had asked for one constantly and Oliver had discussed it with her. It turned out her second child was going to be just like her first, a surprise to their family. They would love this child as much as they loved their first and, if Oliver had his way, their third. It was nice to have a big family, lots of people around to love, especially considering Lois still hadn’t found the perfect man and Clark was still searching for the person who would be able to handle both he’s Superman and reporter lifestyle. Lex, however, had married Caroline and had his first child all in the space of ten months and now they were expecting another one to join their family. It had surprised her at first but Lex actually turned out to be a pretty decant father and once he left LutherCorp to work as a humanitarian the League could no longer find any trace of the thirty three point ones. It was like they vanished when Lex gave up on his legacy. Overall Lex was happier, content with what he had. He loved his family greatly and in turn had come to further accept her relationship with Oliver. Chloe knew she had to thank Caroline for that, she knew it was the other woman doing that had helped Lex to accept Oliver a bit better. Dinners between the families were strained but they were defiantly better than before and Chloe had a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the tension was due to the fact that the two men just didn’t know how to act around each other.
Feeling a tug on her hand Chloe looked down at her daughter just as she cried out, “Uncle Lex!,” and ran towards the man.
Laughing she allowed Clark to wrap an arm around her and steer them towards where Ally had run off to. She was happy that in time Clark’s relationship with Lex had changed too. Apparently Lionel was more corrupting than they had thought cause the second Lex cut ties he was like a different man. He went to Clark and apologised for all the problems that had happened and he promised to stop digging for whatever Clark’s secret.
Smiling at Lex she embraced him as Alex, he’s son, leaped into Clark’s arms demanding that they play the flying game. Watching Allyson run after them she turned to Lex and said, “Have you picked a tree yet?”
“No, have you?”
Shaking her head Chloe smiled, “I was hoping to steal the one you were going to buy.”
“Like I’d let you,” Lex replied with a role of his eyes, “How did the doctor’s appointment go?”
“It really well,” Chloe replied with a nod, “Our little boy is very healthy.”
Turning to her with a surprised expression Lex raised an eyebrow, “It’s a boy? That’s so amazing Chloe.”
“Yeah, we’re having a boy.”
Letting Lex pull her into another hug she smiled. Seven years ago he’d sold her out to the papers and she had hated him for it. Now though Lex had been strictly no comment when the press came to see him about it. It was really amazing the transformation that had taken place to her friend. He was a completely different man now and she while she thought she knew what happened she wasn’t really sure if it was the truth but she liked it. One of these days she was going to get the answer out of him.
“So have you thought of a name for him yet?” Lex asked.
Nodding Chloe smiled, “Yeah I think I know what we’re going to call him, though I’ll have to talk Oliver into it. I’m sure of that.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I thought Robert Alexander Queen would be fitting name. That way he can always have he’s grandfather and godfather with him. Of course I’m sure I’ll have to argue with Oliver about the godfather part, just so he can save some face.”
Turning to look at Lex she was surprised to see that he’s mouth hung opened in disbelief. Shaking her head she hugged the man to her before whispering in his ear, “I think it’s the perfect name for him.” Feeling Lex’s arms moving around her waist she smiled. It was defiantly nice to be able to hug Lex again, and apparently the baby felt the same way that she did cause it gave a kick just before they pulled apart.
Laughing Lex said with a smile, “Well as long as you don’t tell him that baby kicked while you were hugging me I think you’ll do fine.”
“Oh I know, I already have the outfit picked out to convince him with.”
Lex shook he’s head and groaned, “I don’t need to know things like that.”
“I figured you might want to know,” Chloe said with a shrug as Ally ran back to them while Clark followed with Alex. Smiling as the little girl wrapped her arms around her waist Chloe continued, “We should find a tree. Will we see you tonight at the Kent’s party?”
Nodding Lex hugged them all again saying, “You will defiantly see us there.”
“Give Caroline my best,” Chloe replied with a smile as she steered Allyson and Clark back to the tree that they had found earlier. Smiling she glanced down at her daughter and asked, “Is this tree still the one?”
Allyson nodded and said, “But I think daddy will need Uncle Clark’s help to get it off the car.”
Laughing with the little girl she said, “I think so too. Now let’s buy a tree.”
~~~~
When the Queens arrived at the Kent’s Christmas Eve party it was already in full swing. On first glance it looked like the whole town had turned up but in reality it was probably only half the town. Smiling they waved to Lex and Caroline as they moved over to greet the Kents. Hugging them both briefly Oliver and Chloe smiled and shook their heads as both Martha and Jonathon reached for Allyson at the same time.
Letting her husband swing the young girl into his arms Martha moved a hand to Chloe’s stomach asking, “So how did the doctor’s appointment go the other day?”
Oliver said nodding his head, “Everything looks fine and we know what we’re having now so we can start to get the nursery ready.”
“So...” Martha said her excitement to hear the news obvious.
“I’m getting a brother,” Ally called out from her place in Jonathon’s arms.
Smiling Martha drew the little girl into her arms, “Are you excited about getting a brother?”
Ally nodded, “I am but not as excited as I would be if I was getting a sister.”
Laughing Oliver said, “There’s always next time, kiddo.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe replied, “And what, you’re going push this third child through your pelvis? Not mention everything else that comes with pregnancy.”
“How about you just get through one pregnancy before you start to worry about the next,” Martha offered with a calm smile before turning to the girl in her arms, “Now I saved you some of the cookies in the kitchen. How about we go and get them?”
Watching as her daughter clapped her hands together as Martha carried her into the kitchen and kissing Jonathon’s cheek as he left to mingle, Chloe turned to her husband with a smile. She loved the fact that he’s hair had a few stray grey hairs sticking out, even though he was in his mid thirties. His eyes were still the same though, their beautiful shade of brown, she could get lost in them for hours, not that she minded.
Trailing a hand down his cheek she whispered, “So what are we going to do with ourselves?”
Laughing Oliver leaned down so his mouth was near her ear, “Well I’d suggest playing our favourite indoor game but someone is bound to notice if we disappear.”
Kissing him softly Chloe was about to pull back and was about to reply when Clark called out to them.
“Chloe, Oliver,” he said, heading in their direction, “How have you two been?”
“You mean since you helped us pick out a tree this morning?” Chloe asked.
Laughing Clark shrugged, “You never know what happens, especially with our side jobs.”
“He has a good point,” Oliver said with a nod, “But we’re doing fine. We didn’t anything today other than watching Christmas movies and decorate the tree.”
“A lovely family afternoon,” Chloe said with a nod, running her hand down to the top of Oliver’s ass. Moving it slowly along the top of the curve she smiled at Clark, “What did you do?”
“I helped my parents get ready for tonight,” Clark said with a shrug, “Did you see that Lana came back in town for tonight.”
“No,” Chloe said with a shake of her head, moving closer to Oliver, her hand stopping suddenly.
“Yeah, well I should go find my father and start mingling,” Clark said with a smile, hugging Chloe before he left.
Waiting until Clark had left Oliver pulled Chloe til they were standing with their chests pressed together, “How do you feel about Lana being back?”
Chloe shrugged, “How am I suppose to feel? She left without saying goodbye last time. She can do the same this time for all I care. I have everything I need in you and our family.”
Smiling at her Oliver leant down and kissed her lightly, moving his hand to cup her face gently. Wrapping his other arm around her waist so his palm was flat on her back she listened as she sighed into the kiss. It wasn’t that often that they found time to make out slowly, gently, just kissing for the sake of kissing. They were either pecking quickly as one of them ran out the door for some reason or making love in their bed. They never actually had to time to slow down and make out just for the sake of making out like they did when they first started dating. It was nice to be able to do that again.
Pulling back gently he rested his forehead on hers, “You it’s ok if you want to go and talk to her. No one would fault you for that.”
“I know but after how she left I just don’t want to want to get into that. All that matters is that we’re together. I don’t care what Lana thinks anymore.”
“As long as you’re sure,” Oliver said, dropping a small kiss one her lips, “This could be a chance to clear the air. Settle this whole thing down. Wouldn’t it be nice for that?”
“Oliver yesterday morning I yelled at you for leaving your underwear on the floor next to the hamper instead of in. How do you think my hormones are going to react to the Lana issue?”
Nodding Oliver agreed, “That’s true.”
Opening her mouth to say something else she closed it when she heard the glasses around her making a tinging sound, causing everyone to look at Jonathon. Taking Oliver’s hand the pair moved into the living room, waiting to see what Jonathon had to say.
“Ladies and Gentlemen can you all grab a drink,” Jonathon said. Smiling at Oliver as he grabbed two glasses of orange juice she took the one that he held out to her before turning back to Jonathon, “I have it on good authority that this year’s Kansas Humanitarian Award is going to our very own Lex Luthor.” Turning to Lex he said, “Would you like to say something?”
“Cheers! Cheers!” Chloe called out with the rest of the crowd as Oliver clapped and Allyson climbed down from Jonathon’s arms and ran towards them. Taking Oliver’s glass so that he could bend down to pick her up Chloe turned back to see what Lex had to say.
“Thank you, I can’t remember ever feeling this happy before. I have a beautiful wife, an amazing son and in case you haven’t heard we’re about to be blessed with a daughter. I have amazing friends and I have Chloe,” Lex said, turning to look her in the eyes, “I know we haven’t always had the easiest friendship but I’m so glad that we were able to find our way back to being friends. So thank you and thank you to my beautiful wife Caroline. I would never have become this man without your help.”
Clapping along with the crowd Chloe didn’t even realise that she had been crying until Oliver reached out a hand and gently wiped away a tear. Smiling at him she kissed him lightly before wiping away the rest of her tears. Turning to see Caroline and Lex embrace she smiled before taking Oliver’s hand and leading the pair over there.
“Hey you two,” she whispered, hugging Caroline and then Lex. “That was a pretty amazing speech.”
“Thanks, though it was just off the top of my head,” Lex said with a shrug.
“Well, watch out, cause next year the Humanitarian award is going to be mine,” Oliver joked, shifting Allyson in his arms so that she was sitting there more comfortably.
“It’s all yours if you want it,” Lex said with a shrug.
Caroline shook her head, “Well that’s hardly...” gasping in pain she placed a hand on her stomach.
Moving so that she was standing beside the woman Chloe took her arm and said, “What’s wrong? Where’s the pain?”
“I think my water just broke.”
~~~~
“It’s ok, you’re doing great,” Lex said with a smile as Carol squeezed his hand extra hard. Wiping the sweat from her brow he turned to the doctor as he asked his wife to push again. Holding onto her he sighed and whispered, “Just think, in a couple of minutes we’re going to be meeting our daughter.”
Nodding Carol took in a shaky breath, “Good, keeping saying things like that.”
“Alright, now I need one more big push, ok.” The doctor said.
“You can do it baby,” Lex whispered, “One more and then we can meet our beautiful daughter. You can do.”
Groaning Caroline gave one last push, squeezing Lex’s hand as hard as possible. Hearing the baby start to cry the woman gave a sigh of relief before collapsing against the bed. Accepting a kiss from Lex she whispered against his lips, “Is she as beautiful as I imagined?”
Looking up at the doctor he smiled as the little girl was placed into his arms. Sitting down on the bed he looked down at the girl before replying, “She is more beautiful than either one of us could imagine. She’s perfect, an amazing Christmas gift, Carol. Thank you so much, for giving me a family, a life.”
“Well you did do your part,” she replied with a smile, trailing a hand down his check before placing a hand on the body of their daughter, “Hi little girl. You’re so beautiful.”
Kissing her softly again Lex moved to hand his daughter over to the nurse. Watching her getting taken away again he smiled. She was so beautiful and he still couldn’t believe that they had created something so... perfect. It was truly amazing.
Hearing Carol gasp he turned quickly, wondering what was wrong. Seeing her eyes roll back and her body jolt off the bed he ran to her side, “Carol, are you ok? Somebody help her!”
Watching as the doctor moved to her side it all happened in a blur. He watched as the nurses pushed him aside and the doctor started spitting out words like haemorrhaging and transfusion. He stood around as his daughter was wheeled away and he was forced from the room. Moving to the window he saw as they changed over blood and moved around frantically, even shocking her at one stage. He saw as an IV push was administered and they wheeled his wife past him, straight to an operation room. He stayed where he was though, watching the room through window, praying that his wife would come back. That she wasn’t going to die, she wasn’t going to leave him like everyone else. He couldn’t stand even thinking about it. He barely noticed when Chloe and Oliver showed up, standing by his side.
Glancing behind him as the doctor called his name he waited until the doctor was in front of him before posing his question, “How is she?”
The doctor shook his head, “I’m sorry but your wife has lost a lot of blood. We’re in control of it but...”
Placing a hand over his mouth and trying to keep his emotions in he said, “There’s got to be something we can do.”
Listening as the doctor told him the only option Lex shut his eyes. He knew his only solution he just didn’t want to face it. Still he knew that if all it would take was to save Caroline he would take it. He didn’t even realise that he had turned around, walked towards the exit and entered his car. He was barely aware when the car started and headed towards the mansion he once lived in. He knew it was a stupid and risky decision but it was the only one he could make. It was the only way to save her life, he knew that.
Stepping out of the car he ran up the steps and all the way down the long hallways to his old office, where he was sure his father was. Bursting through the doors he called out, “Dad, I – I need your help.”
Lionel raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting, barely glancing up at his son before saying, “I don’t doubt it. Why else would you be here Christmas Eve?”
“It’s Carol Dad, they started a transfusion but we’ve got to get her to a specialist. There’s a surgeon in Metropolis at the Davis Clinic.”
Exhaling sharply Lionel finally looked up from his work. Shaking his head he replied, “Oh, Lex. What a sorry situation you’ve gotten yourself into this time.”
“Don’t you understand,” Lex said with a shake of his head, “My wife is dying. I need the helijet to save her life.”
“I understand that perfectly but you’re the one who turned your back on me seven years ago. Now you have no problem banging on my door, begging for a favour in the name of family.”
“This is Carol we’re talking about, my wife! I know we’re had out differences but she’s the mother of your grandchildren,” Lex cried, “Don’t you have any compassion?!”
“How can I have grandchildren? I don’t have a son,” Lionel whispered with a stone hard conviction before turning back to his laptop and resuming his work.
Shaking his head Lex knew that he should have been expecting this. After all, his father had become even more of a bastard after his release from prison. Still he couldn’t believe the coldness that his father was displaying, the way he was able to brush under the rug the fact that he could save the mother of his grandchildren. Then again he could barely save his own wife. Lex had always thought that his father wanted him to be like himself but he never would have thought he would go to this extreme.
Moving to leave Lex whispered, “You bastard. You can save her,” before he headed back to his car, not listening as Lionel yelled and ranted about something that was no longer his worry.
~~~~
Standing by Caroline’s bedside table Chloe held the woman’s hand, trying to stop the tears that were running down her face. She didn’t know where Oliver or Lex had gone but she was glad to have a moment alone with the other woman, even if she spent the whole time crying. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. After everything that she had learnt about the woman and the way that she had always been there for Lex Chloe couldn’t believe that she may be ripped from all their lives. In her mind it was like someone ripping Oliver out of her life. She wouldn’t know what to do without the man and she was sure Lex was feeling the same way about Caroline.
Rubbing her hand gently Chloe whispered, “Now you need to get better. I don’t care how you just need to come back. Because I met your little girl tonight and she is so beautiful. You need to be around her so you can watch her break so many boys’ hearts, probably even my sons if he gets Oliver’s good looks.”
“He better,” Oliver whispered from the doorway.
Turning to him Chloe moved and wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close as she could manage. Feeling him do the same to her she smiled before pulling back just enough to see his face, “Where did you go?”
“To make a phone call,” he whispered, “I have a funny feeling Lex is going to Lionel for help and I know he’s not going to give it. So I called the man who pilot’s my helijet and he’ll be here in the next twenty minutes to take her to the clinic. I also had to let the nurses know.”
Pulling her husband down so his lips met hers she kissed him with everything she was feeling. Her husband was an amazing man, willing to give his jet to a man who was once his enemy. It was incredible in her eyes and summed up the relationship she always had with him. He always knew how to be a hero without meaning too.
Hearing a throat clear in the doorway she pulled back, turning to face Lex, “Hey,” she whispered. “Did you hear the good news?”
“There is no good news,” Lex whispered moving to stand by his wife as a doctor and two nurse rushed in.
The doctor stopped in front of Lex, as the two nurses started prepping the equipment for transport, “We need you to be on the roof in two minutes Mr Luthor if you’re going to come with us.”
“Come with you where?” Lex whispered, a confused look glazing over his eyes.
“To the Davis Clinic in the helijet that Mr Queen was kind enough to lend you. We need be going in two minutes if you we’re going to have a chance to save her life. Of course the baby is coming with us too, so you need to make a decision,” The Doctor said just before one of the nurses called for him, “We need a decision.”
“Of course I’m coming,” Lex replied, before turning to the two Queens in the room with him as the Doctor went to help the nurses, “Thank you so much.”
Oliver shrugged, “You don’t have to thank us. I have a feeling you would do the same thing for us if you could.”
Lex nodded silently as Chloe whispered, “Really it was all Oliver. I forgot we even owned a helijet.”
“Well thank you anyway,” Lex whispered, as the Doctor called for him.
“We’ll meet you at the clinic in a couple of hours,” Chloe whispered, hugging her friend as he ran out the door.
Sighing she shook her head and wrapped her arms around Oliver’s waist again. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her too it, “Don’t you ever put me through that. I don’t know what I’d do without you Chloe.”
Laughing Chloe pulled back, “Funnily enough, I’ve been thinking about that all night. I can’t live without you either, so you can’t ever put me through anything more serious than a swipe from a knife, you hear me?”
Kissing her lightly Oliver nodded, “Agreed. Now come on. We’ve a long drive ahead of us.”
Chloe nodded, letting Oliver led her out of the room. Knowing her husband well she whispered, “Are Alex and Ally ok with the Kent’s?”
Laughing Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple before whispering, “Clark played the flying game until everyone else left and then they watched a movie and they were out like a light. I told them we’d drop by tomorrow in time for lunch and then we’d deal with presents. Martha said that they would explain it to them in the morning. How are you and Robbie feeling?”
“You’re on board with the name?”
“Yeah, but only cause it’s a good one.”
Kissing the closet part of his body to her she whispered against his skin, “I’m glad and we’re tired so I’m sleeping during the car ride.”
“I can live with that,” Oliver whispered.
~~~~
Smiling when she saw Lex Chloe stopped beside him, waiting for him to notice her. When she and Oliver had arrived at the hospital they were happy to find that Caroline had come through the travel and surgery safely and was resting in her room, recovering. They had popped their heads in to see her but they hadn’t stayed long. Chloe knew how she felt though, Robbie was making her feel drowsy but before she curled up on Oliver she wanted to check in on Lex.
Rubbing a hand down his arm she looked into the nursery with him for a minute before saying, “She’s really beautiful Lex. Who would have guessed that you’d have a beautiful daughter?”
“Who would have guessed that you would have one?”
Shoving him she rolled her eyes, “You have seen my husband right? Hottest billionaire in America, of course we have beautiful children. The same can’t be said about you.”
“I’m the hottest man to Caroline and that’s all that matter,” Lex replied with a shrug, “Did you get a chance to see her?”
“Briefly, she was still groggy she so we didn’t stay long.”
Nodding Lex turned to face her, “So where is your dumber half?”
“He went to get coffee and I refuse to say anything about the dumber comment,” Chloe said with a sly smile. “I heard the operation went well though.”
“He’s a smart man to go get coffee alone when you can’t have any.” Lex replied, turning back to look at his daughter, “And it did but they had to do a hysterectomy. We can’t have any more children.”
“Two is good though,” Chloe said with a nod, “If Oliver had his way I’d be popping out children for the rest of my life.”
“Well that would good. I could Uncle Lex a million times over.”
“Yeah but I doubt you or Oliver are willing to push the kid out. Two is more than enough for me.” Chloe replied with a shrug, “Plus we can always convince Clark to have a million kids.”
“I like that idea the best,” Lex said with a nod.
“So have you named her yet?” Chloe asked.
“Well not all of us find out the sex before the kid is born.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “And you didn’t have a seven year old around twenty four seven begging to know if she was going to have a brother or sister so she could buy them a Christmas present.”
“You’re not due for another five months,” Lex said with a laugh.
“I know,” Chloe cried, “So what’s her name?”
“I think I’m going to try and convince Caroline to call her Lillian, Lilly, after my mum.”
“It’s beautiful Lex but what if she doesn’t go for it.”
Lex shrugged, “I can live with that. What I think she will really agree with is naming you and Oliver he god parents. What you say?”
Chloe gasped in surprise, tears swelling in her eyes, “Dam hormones,” she whispered quietly, wiping one tear as it rolled down her face. “Of course we will. We’d be honoured.”
“Good,” Lex said with a nod, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, “Now what about some other names.”
“Brianna.”
“Marie-Anne.”
“She’s not going to be a grandma for sixty more years. What about Mia?”
“Or Rebecca?”
“Patricia.”
“Shannon.”
“That’s a boy’s name. You have a girl in there. How about Hannah?”
“Naomi.”
“Or Taylor,” Chloe whispered with a sigh. Their friendship had somehow weathered a lot through years and sometimes it felt like they wouldn’t make it but really... They were just taking the long way around.
The End.
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Author(s): isdon_isgood9
Fandom(s): Smallville
Pairing(s): Chloe/Oliver, Lex/Lana, Lex/OFC, one sided Lex/Chloe
Word Count: 40, 554
Rating/Warnings: PG, it’s AU but there are spoilers for Reunion and Lexmas and some of season 3’s plot line.
Beta: jadelillytiger who did a marvellous job. Thank you honey :D
Summary: Lex and Clark are both Chloe’s best friends and she spends a great deal of time juggling the pair of them. When her good friend Hal Jordan drops by for a visit he introduces her to his other best friend, Oliver Queen, who happens to save the world wearing green leather. Taking it upon herself to help him and his team Chloe can’t believe it when she falls for Oliver, putting her friendship with Lex in major jeopardy.
Author's notes: I kinda suck at summaries :D. Really though I just want to give a huge shout to our mod, who happens to be my artist too, irony_rocks. You’ve an amazing job. I never thought I could do anything like this but I’m very glad I got the chance. Thank you for everything.
I hope you enjoy, if there are any mistakes feel free to let me know, I’m not perfect and I’m still learning a lot about writing. I do have to say that I have no understanding of the American military system and how it works. I just made it work the way I wanted it too. Sorry if you don’t like that. Other than that I hope you enjoy and feel free to tell me what you think :D
~~~~
Smiling as she dropped her last bag in the room she looked around. It wasn’t what she was really expecting it to be but then again in all her years of being friends with Lex Luther she had never really stopped and looked around the mansion. She had only really been into his study. It was where they met before going out, where they talked, where they hung out - it really had everything that they needed when they were together. The kitchen would even bring up food if Lex hadn’t thought to provide it for them. There had been no need to explore. That was obviously going to change now that she was going to be living here.
Then again Lana was moving in too so it wasn’t guaranteed that there would be much time for exploring. She was happy that two of her best friends where in a happy and committed relationship together (not that they were calling it that) but she couldn’t get past what it did to Clark. After all, the farm boy was supposed to be one of her best friends too. While she it made her life a little easier at times it also meant that she spent a lot of time listening to Lana drone on about how different Lex was from Clark and Lex whine about how Lana wouldn’t define the relationship. She didn’t want to think about what Clark talked about half the time, it was usually some sort of whine and she had grown accustom to tuning it out.
Of course things hadn’t always been so good between her and Lex. There was a time when he was just one of the best friends to one of her best friends. That’s all that she knew. When they had gone up against Lionel though everything had changed. In most ways it was for the best. The summer before junior year had been spent on an Army base with her uncle, getting to know some of the Air Force cadets that he was helping make the transition from Army to Air Force. Lex would swing through to visit on occasion so that she wasn’t too bored. While some of the Air Force cadets, they had to live by a strict regimen. That had been what had really given them a solid foundation to their friendship. They spent long nights talking about anything and everything as they ate ice cream or as they sat by the lake on the base, just getting to know each other. After all, they were trying to convict a man together and they had barely known each other. Of course she spent time with other men from the base and made some strong friendships - one especially with a brown haired pilot from Coast City - but none of them had been as strong as the friendship that she and Lex had forged that summer.
When life had returned to normal they had kept their friendship strong, even when Lex and Clark had hit a rocky road eventually ending their friendship for good. Chloe was more than willing to stick by both boys, as long as they understood that she was not their go between, she was their friend. It wasn’t her place to relay information about the other or discuss the way she felt about either of them. The same could be said for Lana as she held the rule for all her friends since high school.
After the events of Dark Thursday (where she, Lana and Lex had been holed up in Lex’s LutherCorp office) they had discovered that Met U had been destroyed. Chloe wasn’t prepared to move into Lois’s one bedroom Metropolis apartment so when Lex had offered a room at his mansion she had jumped on it. Now all she had to do was unpack.
Looking at the clock, Chloe sighed, that would have to wait. She had a long commute to get to work and if she didn’t leave soon she wasn’t going to get there at all. Grabbing her bag and laptop she left the room, mentally going over the corridors to take so she was able to return to her room when it was necessary, she paused outside Lex’s office to say goodbye.
Poking her head in Chloe smiled at her friend, as he worked at his desk, “I’m off to work. I probably won’t be back til late.”
“Ok, I’ll have the chef leave you something in the oven for dinner.”
“Thanks, and thanks again for letting me stay here.” Chloe replied with a wide smile.
“It’s no problem at all,” Lex said with his own smile, “What else are friends for?”
~~~~
Waiting for her first cup of coffee of the day, from the vendor near the Planet, Chloe breathed in a deep breath, allowing the aromas around her to be taken in. She found it to be one of the simplest pleasures in her life, being able to breathe in the aroma of coffee. It smelt almost as good as tasting the first drop from her steaming hot coffee cup for the day. Almost. Taking the cup from the man she turned to leave only to run straight into the chest of man. Gasping as her coffee spilled onto his shirt, she grabbed some napkins quickly to mop up the mess that they had made.
Glancing up to offer her apologies Chloe gasped again, dropping the cup in bin before throwing her arms around him and saying in his ear, “What are you doing here?”
Allowing the man to pull her out of the way of the kart before he embraced her properly, she squeezed him tightly as he replied, “Well one of best friends just moved here so I figured I’d help him settle in.”
Smacking him lightly in the chest Chloe rolled her eyes, “I’m not one of your best friends. You didn’t help me settle in when I moved. That’s a good way to hurt someone Hal Jordan.”
“If I really thought it would hurt you I wouldn’t have said it and you know it,” he replied with a laugh, “Besides you’re the one juggling two best friends as it is, I figured you wouldn’t want to add a third to the mix. Surely one of them was able to help you.”
“I might,” Chloe replied with a thoughtful nod, “If you replace the coffee you caused me to spill.”
“I think that can be arranged,” Hal said with a wink before going to stand in the line.
She took a seat because she knew she could spare a few minutes for Hal. He was one of her good friends after all. They had met over the summer while she was ‘dead’ and he had spent plenty of time showing her around the planes. It was fun and she hadn’t been around such a free spirit in a long time - at least not one that wanted to take her along for the ride. When she had returned to Smallville for the trial they had kept in touch. He was one of the sweetest men she had ever met. He was kind and caring and had saved her from some of the more pushy pilots when he didn’t even know her that well. He was only a few years older than she was but by the end of the summer they had a pretty good friendship. She even knew his heroic secret and he had told her about it just after it had happened. With Hal there was a sense of trust that she didn’t feel at times when she was around Lex or Clark. It was nice to feel like someone trusted her with everything and he understood that there was something she couldn’t tell him when it came to Clark. She enjoyed their relationship for that reason. It was nice to know that Hal could understand the fact that it wasn’t her secret to tell - it was probably one of the many reasons that he trusted her with his secret.
Taking the coffee him as he sat in front of her, she smiled, “So how long are you in town for?”
“A couple of weeks,” Hal said with a shrug, “As long as my other job doesn’t get in the way.”
“Good, we’ll have plenty of time to hang out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that can be arranged,” Hal said with a nod, “You’ll have to meet my friend too so that he knows someone here.”
“Who is this friend? And is there any reason why I wouldn’t want to meet him?”
Hal smiled and shrugged, “I think I’m just going to introduce you and let you decide what you think of him.”
“So there is something creepy about him,” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow, “What is it? Does he have eleven fingers or something?”
“No nothing like that,” Hal said with a laugh, “I know. How about we go out Friday night? I know a great new night club and you can bring that hot cousin of yours.”
“She has a name Hal.”
“I know but hot cousin is so much better than anything else,” Hal said, his smile growing.
Rolling her eyes Chloe sighed, “Of course it is.” Glancing at her watch she stood, “Well I have to go to work. I’ll call later in the week and give you my hot cousin’s address. We can meet there since she’s living in Metropolis.”
“Done,” Hal said standing to hug her goodbye.
~~~~
Typing away at her story Chloe didn’t realise that there was someone at her desk until they dropped a vase of tulips on it. Moving her chair back to look at them properly, she was surprise to see that they were a beautiful shade of orange and wrapped in green paper with an orange ribbon bow around them. Picking them up, she took a deep breath in, taking in their smell before reaching for the card that was sitting nestled between two of the flowers. After looking it over she rolled her eyes before dropping the card in the bin.
She couldn’t believe that he was still trying to do this to her. He was the one who had left all those years ago, returning home after their internships had finished, and now that he was back at the Planet all Jimmy wanted to do was win her back. But what did she really expect when it came to Jimmy Olsen? He was a funny boy in her eyes - one who she just happened to lose her virginity to. As far as she was concerned she would be ok if they just remained friends from now on, but he was making it hard. He’d returned to the Planet days before the events of Dark Thursday and he hadn’t left. When he discovered that she was also on the staff he made it his mission to try to woo her but Chloe had came to a very important decision when the events of Dark Thursday had occurred.
She wouldn’t date anyone that she didn’t think that she could be completely honest with about everything.
She just didn’t think that Jimmy was that man and she didn’t want to lead anyone on. She walked over to his desk with the flowers in her left hand. Dropping them onto the desk she looked at him and sighed, “Jimmy, please stop with the flowers and the gifts. I don’t want to go out with you.”
Rounding the desk Jimmy took her hand in his before saying, “Just give me one chance. That’s all I’m asking for.”
“I don’t think I can Jimmy,” she replied with a shrug, “You’re a nice guy. I hope we can be friends.”
She walked away from him rolling her eyes. This wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.
~~~~
Taking the glass of wine from Lex she smiled and continued, “And today he sent me orange tulips. What am I going to do with that boy? He’s just not taking the hint.”
“Well I can always step in if it’s necessary,” Lex suggested, taking the seat opposite from her on the couch.
The pair where sitting in his office, playing a friendly game of chess. They did it on occasion. Lately it was whenever Lana was off shopping. It was a nice tradition. They would play chess, drink wine and forget that the rest of the world was out there. They would talk, joke, and reminisce. It was nice that they could do this, but the thing she enjoyed the most was that it was just the two of them. They switched their phones off and it made it feel like the outside world didn’t exist anywhere other than in their stories.
“I don’t need you to be my big brother Lex. I just need a friend to vent to,” Chloe replied, shaking her head at him.
“Fine, but if he gets too much I’m calling and threatening his sorry ass. You got it?”
“I got it. Now take your turn already.”
Watching as Lex studied the board, she could never get over how calculated he was about the game. It was like he had to try and analyse every possible move and outcome that could come from one simple move in the game. Still that’s what makes it the most fun. She never played against anyway who played the way that Lex did. Clark would normally be too distracted by other things that were happening around them. The game would lose focus and eventually they would just give up on the whole thing. With Lex the talking was always second nature to the game itself. While she enjoyed the catch up time a lot she also enjoyed having her mind stimulated by the amazing game of chess that they would play.
“So how’s the world of Lexana these days?”
“Lexana?” Lex asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction as he made his move.
“Well that’s what the gossip rags are calling the pair of you.”
Laughing Lex shook his head, “You’ve got to stop listening to Lois when she tells you those types of things. But to answer your question Lana and I are doing fine, I guess. She still doesn’t want to define what we are. I want to. It’s getting to be a bit annoying.”
“Well maybe you should just ask her point blank. If I know you well as I think you do, you’re probably just hedging at the idea of defining the relationship.”
“What’s your point?” Lex asked, his eyes narrowing a bit.
“My point is that maybe if you just ask her what she wants then she’ll give you some kind of answer. It would be better than just trying to get her to slip up without asking.”
Lex shook his head, “Stop being rationale about the whole thing.”
“What are you afraid of Lex? Cause I’ve never seen you like this in any relationship that you’ve had,” Chloe said, leaning forward.
“What if she says Clark?”
“And what if she says that she was just waiting for you to bring it up? You won’t know until you ask, so stop being a pansy and ask her.”
“Fine,” Lex said taking a sip from his glass, “Will you take your turn if I do that?”
Reaching for the piece she was going to move, “Of course I can.”
~~~~
After running up the stairs, Chloe smiled at the men she saw standing at Lois’s door. Hal was banging away on the door as the man next to him shook his head, obviously trying to keep in his laughter in. Adjusting the garment bag on her shoulder she stopped just short of the men and waiting for them to notice her. She assumed that the blond was the man Hal knew who had just moved here. Letting her eyes sweep over his body she was impressed with what she saw. His blonde hair was short and spiked, his eyes were the deepest chocolate brown that she had ever seen and he looked impressive in the suit that he was wearing. She would start thinking that Hal was gay if she didn’t already know better. Walking in on him once was more than enough in her books. The man’s smile at first glanced seemed to just be at the expense of her friend, but when she looked closer she could see that it held a slight mystery to it like he was holding one of the greatest secrets in the world.
Shaking her head she took a step forward, “Is Lois not answering?” Not looking at either man as she pulled out her key, opening the door for them and entered the room, “Lo!,” she called, “It’s just us.”
“Great, the knocking has stopped,” Lois called back.
Rolling her eyes at Hal Chloe replied, “Yeah, it would have gone away if you had answered the door.”
Giving Hal a brief hug she went into Lois’s room sighing when her cousin said in confusion, “That’s what you’re wearing?”
“Well why not? The garment bag I’m holding has an invisible dress in it. Anyway I’m not the one in the towel.”
Lois smiled, “Right sorry. It’s been a long day. I’m guessing that Hal was the one knocking?”
Chloe pulled her blouse over her head and nodded, “Yeah, Hal and his friend. I didn’t catch a name before coming in here.”
Lois shook her head, “Why not? And is he cute?”
“Oh he’s more than cute. Try so ridiculously hot that it should be illegal,” Chloe replied with a shrug, “And I was too caught up in thinking about the whole Jimmy situation.”
“Is he still bugging you?”
Chloe nodded, wiggling out of her skirt, “He is but not as much as Lex is with he’s whole macho act.”
“Is he still being overprotective?” Lois asked, fiddling with her hair.
Pulling the dress over her head, Chloe pulled the zipper up at the side before looking in the mirror to straighten it, “Yes. Lex doesn’t realise he’s my friend not my father or my brother. He just won’t listen when I say that he should leave it alone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has called Jimmy with a threat to leave me alone without telling me.”
Turning to Chloe Lois laughed until she caught sight of her cousin’s dress, “Wow, cous, you look amazing. Where did you get that dress?”
Glancing down at her dress Chloe smiled. It wasn’t too fancy. It was a creamy colour, falling to her mid thigh. It had one shoulder strap that was connected to a sheer, flowing piece of material that wrapped around her upper arm and connected back to the side of the dress. The whole dress was covered in small black and silver sequins, which were the most prominent around her chest and at the bottom of the arm piece. Pieces of thread hung from the hem in a fashionable sense. The neck scooped down in a way that hide almost all of her cleavage but made her breasts pop amazingly nonetheless.
Looking back up at Lois she shrugged, “It’s just something I found in my closet while I was moving into the mansion. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion.”
“And this is it?”
“Well no but I’m sick of it sitting there on the rack and mocking me.” Watching Lois laugh Chloe shook her head, “Well if that’s how you’re going to be I’m going to hang out with Hal.”
“And his hot friend?” Lois asked.
Hitting her cousin gently on the arm on the way out, Chloe smiled. She loved her cousin but sometimes her antics were more than what Chloe could take. Entering the living room she smiled when she saw that Hal looked very relaxed, spread out on Lois’s couch. His friend, on the other hand, looked very awkward sitting on the chair. His back was stiff and his arms were crossed over his chest. Crossing the room she took a seat next to Hal and turned to him.
“Do I get to know your friend’s name now?” Chloe asked.
“My friend is Oliver and he’s my other best friend. I told you that the other day.”
“Stopping saying that or I’m really going to start thinking that you really have replaced me,” Chloe said with a pout.
“I’ve known Ollie almost as long as I’ve known you,” Hal said with a shrug, “You’ve got Lois. Ollie’s new in town and ten times more fun than Lois.”
“I heard that Hal Jordan, you better run when I get out there,” Lois yelled from the bedroom, “And that has yet to be proven.”
“I would have been fine if it was just the two of us. Hell, even if you just brought Oliver. It would stop Lois’ yelling.” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes, “So what happened with you and Carol?”
“My job got too much for her,” Hal said with a shrug, “Honestly I can’t believe that it didn’t happen sooner.”
Opening her mouth to offer condolences Chloe was cut off by the ringing of her phone. Sighing she grabbed the phone from the table and flipped it opened without looking at who was calling.
“Hello,” Chloe said.
“Hey Chloe it is Jimmy, from the Daily Planet.”
Suppressing a groan Chloe rolled her eyes before standing and heading to the kitchen. She didn’t want to have this conversation but she had to have it at some point. Leaning against the counter Chloe sighed, “What can I do for you Jimmy?”
“I was wondering what you were up to tonight?”
“I’m going out with some friends,” Chloe sighed.
“Well maybe I could come with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea Jimmy. I think you just need to leave me alone.”
Feeling the phone being taken from her hand she looked over at who had taken the phone. Seeing Oliver she gave him a confused look as he placed the phone to his ear and saying, “Hi who is this and why are you bothering my girl?”
“This is Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet, who’s this?”
“This is the guy who’s going to ruin you Jimmy if you annoy my girl again. Do we have an understanding?”
“Yes.”
Taking the phone back once Oliver hung up Chloe chuckled, “Thank you but you didn’t need to do that for me. I don’t need people sticking for me, especially when I’ve been spending my time convincing my best friend that he should leave it alone.”
“I know,” he said with a nod of his head, “But it seemed like he was annoying you and I can never resist saving a damsel in distress.”
“Do I look like a damsel?” Chloe replied before sighing. Really she couldn’t fault a man she didn’t know for getting rid of Jimmy. She was just glad that it wasn’t Lex. That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. She decided just to ignore it for Hal’s sake, “Don’t take this the wrong way but did you pester the girl you lost your virginity to?”
“You lost your virginity to that guy,” Oliver replied with a small laugh, “I can see why he would latch on to you but why haven’t you told him to go away?”
Chloe shrugged, “Maybe cause I don’t really know what the protocol for this is. I thought he was out of my life anyway and now he works with me and won’t leave me alone.”
Oliver smiled before replying, “Well I left the girl I lost my virginity to in a bed, naked, and ran back to school. I never called or spoke to her again, so you should be glad that he’s bugging you. Most guys don’t look back after their first times.”
“So basically I should count my blessings that they guy I had sex with for the first time, in the back seat of a car, is still calling five years later cause he happens to be geographically near me again.”
Oliver shrugged, “I didn’t say it was perfect.”
“No but it was funny and I like,” Chloe replied with a smile, pulling open the door to the fridge, “Do you want a bottle of water?”
“Yeah, that’s what I actually came in for.”
“You mean you didn’t come in to be my knight in shining leather.” Chloe said with a smile, holding out the bottle of water for him to take.
Looking down at his outfit Oliver shrugged, “If the leather shoes fit.”
“Well knight in shining suit didn’t fit quite as well,” Chloe replied with a cheeky grin on her face. Guiding him back to the couch she sat back down next to Hal. She noticed that when Oliver sat down this time he looked a little more relaxed. He allowed himself to sink into the couch back and he rested his arms on the arm rest. Turning to Hal again she asked, “Are you seeing anyone new?”
“No,” Hal whispered, “I just want to forget the whole Carol thing happened and I haven’t wanted to get into anything since. It was just... how do you deal with it?”
“Deal with what?” Chloe questioned, running a hand down his arm.
“Having the person that you love walk away because they can’t deal with a part of you?”
“I don’t think that it matters,” Chloe said, “I’d prefer for the person to walk away than stay out of some twisted sense of obligation.”
“I agree,” Oliver agreed with a nod, “It’s better to be loved for being you than having someone stay just because they can. I think when you find the person you’re supposed to be with they won’t feel obligated to stay. They’ll want to be there and more importantly they’ll love every part of you.”
“Exactly, if she’s the one she’ll learn to love every part of you.” Chloe said with a shrug, “And it’s a good thing you have your best friend and friend here. We’ll be your wing people tonight and find you an even better girl than Carol.”
“Hey! Both of you are my best friends,” Hal argued, “But I’ll defiantly take you up on the wingmen option.”
“I’m a woman doofus,” Chloe replied, slapping his arm as Lois’s door opened. Turning to face her Chloe smiled at her cousin. She was, without a doubt, hot in her black little dress. It was a halter top that fell to her mid thigh. The top was in a heart shape cupping her breasts in a way that highlighted them. When her cousin twirled she turned to watch Hal drool over her cousin. She looked at Oliver and was surprised to see that he was still looking at her. It was a weird concept, having a man look at her while he cousin was flaunting her stuff. Usually she was over looked by everyone. Except Oliver.
Giving him a shy smile she turned back to Lois and pulled her down next to her before turning to the boys, “Ok we are looking fabulous, we should go before the makeup runs.”
“Yes! I’ll go and get my purse, give me one second,” Lois cried, jumping off the couch and running back into her room.
Rolling her eyes Chloe shook her head, “She’ll be another half hour. So what are your expectations of this woman we’re finding for you? And if you say Lois I’m going to hit you so hard it’ll hurt for days.”
Laughing Hal shook his head, “Lois is a look but don’t touch girl. I like to look but I like my friendship with you more so I don’t touch.”
“Aww,” Chloe said, placing a hand over her heart, “I swear, that’s like the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me Hal and it only took three years for that to happen.”
“Well now you can never say that I don’t say sweet things to you.”
Slapping him on the arm she was about to respond when Lois walked out of the room again, her bag slung over her shoulder, “Ok. I’m ready to go, lets bogie.”
Shaking her head at her cousin Chloe used Hal’s leg as leverage to stand she reached over for her bag as Hal and Lois left the apartment laughing. Turning she smiled at Oliver, “You didn’t have to wait for me. I just had to get my bag. You’ve been doing a lot of things you don’t have to tonight.”
Oliver shrugged, “There are some dangerous streets out there and apparently annoying people on the phone. I figured better safe than sorry. Plus I didn’t get to say this before but you look amazing.”
“Thank you,” Chloe whispered with a smile, “It’s such a pity that I can’t say the same thing about you.”
Laughing Oliver offered her his arm. Slipping her arm through his she walked out the door, pulling it shut behind her, “So tell me how you know my best friend.”
Oliver shook his head, “You do realise he’s both of our best friends and I’m ok with that?”
“Well I’m an only child, I don’t share well,” Chloe said with a smile.
“I’m an only child too and I share perfectly well,” Oliver replied with a nod, “Well not perfectly. When it’s come to women I can be territorial, but only if I really like them. Best friends though? Not my forte.”
“Well my two other best friends don’t like each other at all,” Chloe replied, “They used to get on really well but now they don’t at all. It’s been a little rough, it’s nice to have Hal back. He’s so different from my other best friends.”
“He’s a very different man,” Oliver said with a nod, “So how did you two meet?”
“On an Air Force base, Lois is my cousin and her father, my uncle, is an Army General and he was helping some cadet’s transition. I was staying with him and Hal was one of the cadets. We’ve been friends ever since. How did you meet Hal?”
“He went to school with me,” Oliver replied, “My guardian transferred me after an incident at my first school and I met Hal on my first day. He was great and we’ve been friend ever since. How old are you, by the way? It’s just you act like your twenty seven but you met Hal after I met Hal.”
“That’s not what Hal told me that,” Chloe said with a roll of her eyes, “I shouldn’t believe anything he says. And I just turned twenty one.”
“Twenty one!” Oliver gasped, glancing over her body, “You have got to be kidding me.’
“No. I met Hal when I was seventeen.”
“Wow, you were young.”
“I defiantly was but he saved me from some of the older, more hands on cadets. We’ve been friends ever since.”
“It sounds like a good pairing,” Oliver said with a nod, “I think that if I had to give up my title of best friend to anyway I’d have to give it up to you.”
“Well that’s very sweet of you to say. I’ll defiantly be taking you up on that. How about we go and have some fun?” Chloe suggested.
“I’m in for that.”
~~~~
Settling onto her bed, Chloe figured that she had a bit of time to do some reading when her bedroom door flew open. Looking up she was shocked to see Clark standing there pacing. Rolling her eyes she stood and shut the door before Lex or Lana came running to discover what the sound was. Taking a deep breath she composed herself before turning to face her friend. He was still pacing at the end of her bed, his breathing uneven, his hands clenched at his side, and his eyes glancing from side to side. Stepping in front of him she placed her hands on his shoulders before forcing him to sit down.
Smiling at him once he was there Chloe said, “Clark what is going on?”
“Lex is an ass,” Clark growled out, “How you can stand to be here is beyond me?”
“Clark!” Chloe cried, her hands flying onto her hips, “You should know better than this by now. I won’t tolerate you coming here just to talk badly about one of my closest friends.”
“I’m sorry Chloe,” he bellowed back, “But if you had seen the way he was talking to me you would know why this is justified.”
“That doesn’t matter Clark, you agreed not to put me in the middle and that’s what you’re doing right now. So you two choices you can either: leave and go rant to Lois or your mom or you can stay and hang with me, without the ranting.”
“Fine, I’ll stay but only cause your my best friend and I feel like I haven’t seen you in a very long time.” Clark replied crossing his arms over his chest, “But I’m not leaving this room.”
“Deal, now move over and let me on the bed.” Chloe said, swatting at his knee, “So what have you been up too lately?”
“Well I had to get a new part for the tractor,” Clark said moving over so Chloe could lie down on the bed, “And mom made this great apple pie.”
Chloe laughed, “Are there any non farming stories?”
“A few but I don’t plan to share them while we’re here,” Clark replied, “Anyway you’ll never guess what happened to the horses the other day.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe laid back on the bed, listening as Clark went on and on about the horses at his farm. While she missed Clark a lot since she’d moved into the mansion and he’d stopped dropping by she did have to admit that she didn’t miss the farm stories. While they were fine from time to time they showed how rarely Clark got off the farm when he wasn’t off doing his hero business. Even then it was limited. For some reason he’d formed an attachment to the land that she couldn’t explain away and that saddened her for some reasons. She couldn’t explain it. She knew she would never want to be tied to just a piece of land and that’s what the farm had always been to her. Another piece of land. Maybe it was more to Clark, maybe that’s why he could ramble on about it for hours and not take a breath, like he was doing now but that didn’t mean that she had to listen to it. Did she?
“Clark,” she sighed, “While this is very fascinating I’m kind of beat. How about we do lunch tomorrow in Metropolis? Away from the mansion.”
“You just want to hear stories that aren’t all related to the farm,” Clark said with a huff.
“Well of course. You know how much I like your side business.” Chloe replied, grinning, “Plus I really need to read this book.”
She held up the book for him to see and was grateful when he nodded, gave her and quick hug and left, speeding through the doorway. Chloe rolled her eyes. He was worried about talking about his hero business in the mansion but that didn’t stop him from speeding out of the place like it was on fire. Moving back so she was lying on the centre of the bed she realised that she would never understand Clark Kent, no matter how hard she tried. Maybe one day she would stop trying but right now it was just too much fun.
~~~~
Sighing as Lex led her across the grounds Chloe shook her head, “Don’t you have a girlfriend to drag to these events?”
“Normally but she had to go see Nell for some reason,” Lex shrugged, “I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“You don’t listen when your girlfriend talks?”
“Sometimes she’s a bit dull.”
Laughing Chloe pushed him slightly, “You’re a silly, silly man. Why date a girl if she’s dull?”
Lex shrugged, “I said sometimes she’s a bit dull. She’s not always dull. I find her quite fascinating.”
“You and every other man in Smallville,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes. “However if I’m going to make it through this I’m going to need a drink.”
“As you wish,” Lex replied with a smile before he left her alone.
Rolling her eyes at the man she looked around the grounds. The place was quite elegant for school grounds. Then again she hadn’t been expecting it look any other way, especially when the school was most likely trying to get money out of its deep pocketed alumni. The stairs to the school building looked like they were made from marble. The building was a beautiful red brick, with gargoyles on the top, giving an eyrie look to the school. Around the grounds where tables filled with food and drink on lush green grass that looked as though it needed to be watered on a daily basis. There were a few trees scattered around but not enough to provide any real shade. She stopped, surprised to see Hal standing not too far away talking to Oliver. Walking over to the pair she smiled at them.
“What brings the two of you here?”
“Chloe,” they both said, embracing her gently. Oliver only held on for a brief second before moving back.
“What are you doing here?” Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around, “From what I remember this was a boy’s only school.”
“Oh, one of my best friends dragged me here,” Chloe said with a shrug, “Maybe you know him, Lex Luthor?”
Oliver gave a short nod, “I remember him.”
“Good, ‘cause he’ll catch up with me at some point,” Chloe replied, “He’s just gone to get me a drink since he dragged me here.”
“Doesn’t he have girlfriend to drag to these events?” Hal asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He does but she’s doing something else. Of course he doesn’t know because apparently she’s very dull.”
“I don’t think she’s dull,” Lex said, holding out a glass of champagne for Chloe to take, “What she was saying at the time was very dull. There’s a difference.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t,” Chloe replied.
“You weren’t there, how would you know?”
“Yes, well you obviously weren’t listening when I said I had to work tonight,” Chloe said, not taking the drink from Lex’s hand, “I can’t show up drunk.”
“And I told you I got you out of it,” Lex responded with a shrug, “So you can get as drunk as you want.”
“I may have called my editor, told her that while it was a nice offer, I’d rather have you not give away my shifts for no reason and that I was more than able to do it.” Chloe shrugged, “Not all of us are billionaires and can take the day of to work a crowd. I need the money.”
“I can easily give you money,” Lex argued.
“And I can easily earn the money,” Chloe said before turning to Hal, “So when did you fly back into town and why didn’t call? And are you two on a date?”
Laughing as both Oliver and Hal spit out the mouthfuls that they had just taken Chloe waited patiently for an answer.
“We are not on a date,” Oliver argued, rolling his eyes at Chloe, “I just have to work once the event’s over so I couldn’t bring a date. Hal arrived on my doorstep this morning so I threw him in a tux and pointed out the women he shouldn’t hit on.”
“See that’s your mistake,” Chloe replied with a shake of her head, “You can’t tell him who not to go after, that’s who he’ll want to go after. Instead you tell him that the people who are available are the ones he can’t go after and then he’ll be all over them.”
“So he’s like the child who only wants a toy cause he can’t have it,” Oliver said with an understanding nod.
“Exactly. I just usually pick one and he spends the night chasing her skirt.”
“That’s not what you did Friday night,” Oliver responded, intrigued by the girl.
“What...” Lex cried, “You were with Oliver Queen on Friday night.”
“Yes, I was with Hal and Lois,” Chloe said, speaking slowly, hoping that what she was saying would sink in, “Oliver was the friend that Hal brought along.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me that?” Lex questioned.
“Maybe because the only conversation we’ve had since then was about you getting me to come here with you,” Chloe replied, crossing her arms over her chest.
“That’s not my fault.”
“Well I think it is,” Chloe whispered, “I only leave the mansion to go to work or see Clark and Lois. All things you don’t want to do. Plus I’m not the one living with their girlfriend in the house.”
“Ok, that might be my fault,” Lex conceded with a nod, as the group was joined by two boys.
“Oliver! Lex!,” the first one cried with a bit of a slur, slinging an arm around Oliver’s shoulders “It’s been a long time.”
“A very long time Alden,” Oliver whispered looking to the ground.
Alden turned his head to look at Chloe and Hal, “And who are you? Why are you here?” he shouted a little too loudly, heads turning to look at them, “I don’t remember going to school with either of you.”
“That’s cause you didn’t,” Hal replied, his eyes narrowing at the brown haired boy.
“Hi, I’m Chloe,” she said, sticking out her hand for the boy to shake. Watching as he looked at her hand before taking it in his grasp, he placed a sloppy kiss on her hand before she could protest, “I’m assuming your Alden.”
“I can be anything you want me to be,” Alden slurred, trying to move so that he was standing next to her. “You’re pretty.”
“She’s beautiful,” Lex and Oliver contradicted at the same time.
Shaking her head at both the boys she smiled at Alden and said, “If you say so. Now, was being back at school so hard that you needed to resort to drinking to cope?”
“You are very very pretty,” Alden replied, running a hand through her hair. “Very pretty. Which one of these chumps are you banging?”
“Ok,” Chloe cried pushing the boy away from her, “I think that’s about enough.”
“Nuh uh,” Alden argued.
Shaking her head Chloe circled around Hal so she was standing between him and Oliver when Alden tried to reach for her again. She was grateful when Oliver stepped in front of her, blocking Alden’s hands from reaching for her.
“Ok, I think we need to sober you up,” Oliver said, grabbing the man’s other arm, “How about we go and find some coffee.”
“But I want to stay with pretty Chloe,” Alden whined, trying to reach for Chloe again.
Chloe rolled her eyes. For some reason the drunken community of Metropolis seemed to like her a bit too much. The same thing had happened Friday night when they had been out dancing. Some drunk had decided to take it upon themselves to be all over her. She was lucky that Oliver and Hal had been there. They had spent the night fending off the unwanted attention that she had been getting.
“Its fine Alden, I could use some coffee myself,” Chloe said with a smile,” So let’s go find some.”
Smiling at Lex she handed him back the champagne glass before following Oliver and Alden over to the coffee. It felt weird, trying to appease the drunken man but she was just glad that he had stopped touching her. Thanking Oliver when he handed her a couple of coffee she was about to say something else when she saw what Alden was up to.
Sighing she rolled her eyes and pointed it out to Oliver, “Looks like we’ve got a runaway drunk.”
Laughing Oliver shook his head, “What is it with you and drunken men?”
“It’s not like I asked them to be attracted to me,” Chloe said with a sigh as they walked towards the building where Alden was climbing the stairs, “Sometimes I think there must be something wrong with me. I always seem to attract the wrong kind of guy.”
“There’s no need for you to be so hard on yourself,” Oliver protested, “There’s nothing wrong with you. These guys aren’t silly for being attracted to you. How they go about it though is a very weird but you should consider it flattering.”
“How so?” Chloe asked crossing her arms over her chest.
“Well they have to be drunk before they can talk to you. It shows how intimidated they are by your beauty.”
“While I think you mean that as a compliment it feels more like an insult,” Chloe said with a sigh, “Am I really intimidating?”
“Not at all. Most men just don’t know how to deal with beautiful women.”
Chloe raised a hand and stopped, “Enough with calling me beautiful, okay? It’s a little weird.”
“You don’t have many people call you beautiful do you?” Oliver asked.
“No.”
“Well I don’t understand why. You are a very beautiful woman. In fact I’ve had that opinion of you for since we met.” Oliver said with a shrug, “I guess I’ll just have to constantly tell you til you get use to it.”
“Funny. I didn’t realise I would be seeing that much of you.”
“Well now I have a mission you’ll be seeing a lot of me,” Oliver said, flashing a grin at her before a scream echoed through the yard.
Turning to look at where it was coming from she was surprised to see a woman pointing at a gargoyle that had fallen from the roof of the main school building. She ran two steps behind Oliver, hoping that nobody was seriously hurt. Taking the step two at a time, she gasped when she saw the blood coming out from under the marble. Reaching into her bag she pulled out her phone, turning so she wouldn’t have look to look at the blood. Punching in nine-one-one she reached out a hand to offer Oliver the little comfort she could.
Just before the call connected she heard him whimper, “Its Alden.”
“Hi, I need an ambulance to Excelsior academy. A man has been hit with a gargoyle.” Nodding to what the man said she thanked him and hung up before saying, “They’ll be here in three minutes tops.”
~~~~
Collapsing onto the first couch in Lex’s office, Chloe sighed. She couldn’t believe that the events of the day had ended up the way they were. One of Lex’s room school acquaintances had been killed. They had been there, heard it, she had seen the blood. She couldn’t get the image out of her mind. Smiling softly when Lex sat down next to her she curled into his side, hoping that the day would go away. Even if only so she could have a good night sleep. She had called her editor after the ambulance had left and informed her that she wouldn’t be coming into work after all. Her editor had understood especially after she told her what she had seen.
Curling further into Lex’s side she couldn’t help but feel relax. It was nice to know that there was a place of comfort left in the world. It made her feel even better because it was in her best friend’s arms.
~~~~
Yawning slightly, Lex shifted on the couch, being careful not to awaken the blond in his arms. Smiling, he let that thought wake him slowly. It was nice to feel Chloe in his arms. He never thought that the day would come. Sure they hugged constantly but they had never spent the night in the same room, let alone falling asleep with her on him. It was incredible how nice it felt. He knew it shouldn’t feel this good. It should feel like they were friends who witnessed something bad and needed comfort. In all honesty though, he knew he should have gone to Lana for that comfort but here he was.
With her in his arms.
Maybe it wouldn’t mean anything. After all she had never alluded to having feelings for him but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy it while it was happening. It was nice to think that she felt safe enough with him to live in the mansion while the Met U was being rebuilt and that she felt safe enough to curl into his arms and sleep. If he was honest with himself his feeling for her had started a long time ago, over the summer she was in the witness protection program. They had spent so much time together that it only felt natural to drift together. It felt right.
But she proved she didn’t think of him that way constantly that summer so he hid his feelings, deciding to allow her the time she needed to get over Clark. That didn’t mean he planned to stop dating, just that he would wait for her. As weird as it felt to admit, Chloe felt as though she was his soul mate. She was so kind towards him, loving, they had a relationship that he never had with anyone else. She didn’t constantly wait for him to be wrong and when he apologised she actually accepted it, moved on and left it in the past.
The closest thing that he had to a relationship with her was his one with Lana. And while he enjoyed her company and their passion could be explosive at times, he felt she wasn’t always with him. There was always Clark dangling over their heads. It didn’t feel that way with Chloe. Sure, Clark was still her best friend but they shared the roll equally. Neither of them got more time than the other and neither where disadvantaged. She wouldn’t hear a bad word about either nor would she listen to the problems they had with each other. While it was weird to think he couldn’t share his feelings about Clark with her he understood her position when it came to the matter and he was more than willing to allow for it.
Moving a stray hair from her forehead he laughed as she groaned, “Wake up sleepy head,” he whispered, moving another stray hair.
“What time is it?”
“Early. Probably about seven in the morning.”
“Oh God,” Chloe groaned, “Why are you awake? Why’d you wake me?”
Lex chuckled, he usually forgot that Lana and Chloe weren’t morning people like he was, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Well you did,” Chloe said with a sigh sitting up. Glancing over her shoulder at him she gave him a soft smile, “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I don’t feel anything,” Lex said with a shrug, “Alden wasn’t my friend.”
Rolling her shoulders, Chloe reached for her bag and pulled out her phone. Checking the messages she smiled when she saw a message from Hal. She sighed when she saw the news.
“Did you know a boy named Geoffrey?”
“Yeah,” Lex said with a nod, “He was the boy who came over with Alden.”
“I take it you didn’t like him much either?” Chloe asked.
“Not particularly. He, Alden and Oliver used to bully me and my friend when we were in high school,” Lex replied with a shrug.
Turning to face him Chloe gave him a soft smile, “He was killed last night. Explosion.” She whispered, holding up the phone for him to see the message.
“I see,” he whispered, glancing over the message quickly before shrugging his shoulders. “Is it weird to feel relief?”
“You can feel whatever you want. It’s not weird to feel that way though,” Chloe whispered, “Especially if he bullied you back then. It must be nice to feel safe from him.”
Lex nodded a pensive look on his face, “It kind of is.”
Rubbing a hand down his arm she smiled, “Well I’m going to bed but if you need me don’t hesitate to call. Although I’m sure Lana is around here somewhere.”
Nodding Lex watched her leave before standing and walking over to the drinks cart. Pouring himself a glass of bourbon Lex shook his head. He couldn’t believe that two of his classmates were dead. Sure he felt happy that they were gone, he never particularly liked either boy or was liked by them, but it was odd that it was those two. It felt like someone was taking their revenge. After what had happened to Duncan he was glad, but there was a good chance this wouldn’t turn out well.
He just hoped he didn’t have to tell Chloe the full story when it was all over.
~~~~
Walking into the penthouse with Lex by her side, Chloe was amazed by what she saw. Looking around she couldn’t help but feel at home. The bookcases were lined with books and photos that went all the way along the walkway and into what appeared to be a sitting area. Running her hand over one shelf she was surprised to see a photo of a little boy with two people who looked to be his parents. Studying it closer she could almost feel the love between them without having to try. It was incredible what a parents love could do for a child. It could lift them up, raise them out their darkest times and keep them as pure as possible for as long as possible.
“They’re Oliver’s parent,” Lex whispered from beside her before taking the picture from her hands. “They died when he was nine.”
“Wow,” Chloe replied taking the photo back and placing it where it belonged, “I could never imagine living without my dad.”
“Well I think he was blessed in a twisted messed up way,” Lex replied with a shrug, “I’d give almost anything to not have my dad around.”
“I know you would but I’d give almost anything to have my mom around.”
“Sometimes we turn out bad despite it all,” Lex said with a shrug,
“He still would have been a bully and he still would be the reason that Duncan’s dead.”
“You’re only looking at the negative,” Chloe argued, “When did you get so black and white? The Oliver I’ve met is nice and kind and sweet. He’s not a bully anymore and you should stop thinking of him in just that way.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking of him like that. It’s just one of those things.”
“Of course it is,” Chloe replied with a shake of her head.
She knew that Lex could be stubborn but she had been hoping that since he agreed to meet Oliver he would at least do so with an opened mind. That didn’t look like it was going to be the case though. Lex seemed to be stuck in this black and white view of the world - which was fine when you’re friends with Clark, master of the black and white, but Chloe couldn’t think that way. She knew that there were shades of grey in the world. While you had to tread carefully while in them they could open up a range of possibilities but only if you were open and willing to let them.
Walking down into the sitting area she smiled when she saw both Hal and Oliver sitting there together both looking in opposite direction, as if trying to avoid each other. Clearing her throat Chloe let their presence be known.
“Hey boys,” she said, taking a seat on the lounge across from them, “How’s it hanging?”
Laughing at what she said Oliver shook his head, “I’m not hanging from anything.”
“Oh man, and here I was hoping you’d be hanging from the ceiling like a vampire.”
“Can we get down to business?” Lex asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend and Oliver.
“Sure, I’m just here to make sure you two don’t kill each other,” Chloe said with a shrug.
Hal smiled, “That’s my job too.”
“Then why don’t we go hang out at the kitchen counter,” Chloe suggested, spotting the counter out of the corner of her eye, “And leave these two chumps to it.”
“I’m in,” Hal replied, standing and offering her his arm. Taking it Chloe muttered a play nice to the boys before walking with Hal over to the counter.
Dropping down onto the first stool she could find Chloe smiled at her friend and said, “So how long are you in town for?”
“Until tomorrow. I have some side business to deal with before returning to Coast City on Friday.” Hal said with a shrug pulling them both out bottles of water from the fridge and handing one to her.
Smiling Chloe took it gratefully, “I wish you didn’t always have to do drive by visits. It feels like I hardly see you anymore and that’s sad.”
Laughing at her pout Hal shrugged, “It’s a hazard of the business. I’m sure if you need someone else to hang out with Ollie will be more than happy to do so.”
“Like I don’t have a hard enough time juggling Lex and Clark you want me to add Oliver into the mix. I’d never be able to sleep.”
“That’s true,” Hal said with a nod, “But you should think about it. He gets bored when there aren’t people around to entertain him.”
“His job doesn’t keep him busy enough?”
“It does but he still finds time to be bored.”
Opening her mouth to reply Chloe never got the chance. Hearing a crash from the other room the pair looked at each other before running over. When they entered she was surprised to see Lex sprawled out on the ground next to Oliver. The couch had been tipped over and the table that had been between the two couches was knocked aside. There was glass scattered across the place and it appeared that Lex was out cold. Moving quickly to his side Chloe checked for his pulse as Oliver moved so that he was sitting up.
Running a hand down Oliver’s back to remove the glass there, she allowed for Hal to pull the both to their feet before asking, “What the hell happened?”
“Something attacked us,” Oliver panted, “I think it might be the same thing that attacked Alden and Geoffrey.”
“But that thing killed them,” Chloe gasped.
Both boys jumped in to reassure her, “It’s going to be ok.”
Hearing a noise behind her Chloe jumped and shook her head, “I’m not so sure about that.” She whispered, slowly heading back that way that she and Hal had come.
Chloe was shocked when the clock face on the platform opened to see. She had no idea what was supposed to be in there but by the looks of the arrows on the wall she was sure that no one was suppose to see it. Moving towards it slowly she was jumped when someone grabbed her arm. Spinning she wacked Oliver for scaring her before trying to continue on the path she had been on. She wanted to know what was in that room that would lead to Oliver sealing it over like that.
“Just stay put,” Oliver whispered in her ear, pulling Chloe behind him, “There’s no need for you to get hurt too.”
Chloe nodded stayed behind him as she watched one of the arrows get pulled off the wall. Gasping as it hurtled towards them, she was surprised when Oliver grabbed her in his arms and tuned them so that their backs where facing the arrow. Surprised that when she heard Oliver groan she spun in his arms, taking in the arrow that was embedded in his upper left arm.
“Oh my God,” she whispered as Oliver groaned again, she pulled off her jacket and held it to the wound, hoping to stop some of the blood that was bleeding from around the arrow.
Glancing over his shoulder she gasped again when she saw another arrow floating in the air, as if trying to be sure that it had its target before firing.
“Hal!” she cried, hoping that her friend would come in and save them, “Any time now would be great!”
Closing her eyes as the arrow hurtled towards them she waited to feel the impact of the weapon. When it didn’t come she shook her head and peered over Oliver’s shoulder. To her surprise Hal was standing, in full Green Lantern costume between them and the arrow. A surge seemed to pulse through the room and revealed an electromagnetic man standing where the arrow had been shot from. The man disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared. She turned to Hal, knowing that they couldn’t waste a second.
“You need to get them both to the hospital.” She whispered, holding Oliver out to her friend, “Quickly!”
Watching Hal fly away she shook her head before heading back to where Lex was. Ensure that he had a pulse she looked at her watch. It was a twenty minute car trip to the hospital from where they were. She knew had would only need a quarter of that time to make it to the hospital and back so she knew she only had ten minutes to check out the room behind the clock face. She thought it was weird that there was even a clock face in the penthouse but she tried not to think about it as she headed over. It was defiantly a trait that was unique to this penthouse. The Luthor’s one defiantly didn’t have one.
Shaking her head again to clear her thoughts she entered the room, unprepared to find what she did there.
~~~~
Hal sat next to his friend as he watched television in his hospital bed. He knew that he should be going. There were things in the universe that need his attention. However, he knew he couldn’t go anywhere without reassure Oliver about Chloe. He knew it might take his friend a while to accept the fact but he had to at least try.
Turning to Oliver he said, “Look you can trust Chloe.”
“Oh can I,” Oliver replied, “You want me to trust the best friend of Lex Luthor.”
“Hey! She’s also the best friend of one of your best friends. Shouldn’t that earn her a few points,” Hal argued, “Anyway if she figures it out she won’t tell anyone.”
“Not even Luthor. Because it’s vital that he doesn’t know what the team and I are up too.”
Hal nodded, “Not even Luthor. She knows my secret and has never told anyone.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. He knew what a big deal his friend made out of sharing his secret - it was guarded closer than his own, “She knows? Since when?”
Hal shrugged, “She was the second person I told after Carol. It just seemed right and since then she has been nothing but very supportive. I think she’ll be the same way with you.”
“She barely knows me. There’s a difference.”
“That won’t stop her from taking your secret to the grave, though.” Hal replied with a shrug. He knew it wasn’t much but he had said everything that could possible put his friends mind at ease without breaking the confidence that Chloe had entrusted him. He knew that nothing else would help though. This was something that Oliver was going to have to learn to trust in by himself.
~~~~
“So,” Chloe said, drawing the word out for as long as she possible could, “You’re the Green Arrow.”
Oliver looked up from the work that was sitting on his desk in front of him. He knew that there was a chance that she would figure it out after everything she had seen that day but he hadn’t expected her to wait so long to tell him that she knew.
“Yeah,” he whispered, “Are you going to tell anyway?”
“No, I’ll keep this to myself but on one condition,” Chloe replied raising her eyebrow, “You have to tell how all this started and what you’re planning to do.”
Laughing Oliver nodded his head and gestured to the seat in front of him. He wasn’t sure why he was doing this but something about what Hal had said made sense. It just felt like he could, without a doubt, trust this woman no matter what. It was a nice feeling, knowing that there was someone else he could share with and if she knew Hal’s secret and he wasn’t a lab rat there was a good chance that his secret would be safe. Starting from the beginning he told her about honing his archery skills when he was on the island. That when he had returned he realised what a bad place Star City had become - over run by thieves and criminals at night - so he had decided it was time to do something about that. He told her of how he hired people to train him in four different types of martial arts and that he continued to hone his archery. Six months later he was donning the green leather and hitting the streets. He went on to explain a bit about what it had felt like that first time out there and every time after.
Eventually as the story wound down they landed at why he had transferred to Metropolis. He told her that while the company out here really did need his help it also had to do with the crime rate sky rocketing after the events of Dark Thursday.
“Ok,” Chloe said with a nod once the stories were over, “That leaves me with one comment. When I called you my ‘Knight in Shining Leather’ that night did you think it was funny?”
“Given that you didn’t know about my side job?” Oliver asked. When she nodded again he continued, “Well yeah. It was kind of hilarious. Not that I was planning to let you know that.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “So you do all this good by yourself?”
“For the most part,” Oliver replied with a nod, “When Hal’s in town we patrol together. I’m trying to put a team together, you know for the bigger stuff that no hero should have to deal with alone, but most the time they’re hard to wrangle.”
“Well maybe we can fix that,” Chloe whispered, mainly to herself.
“What do you mean?”
“What if you had someone who looked after everything? Took care of getting the team in one place and finding the information that you needed to pull off your bigger jobs? Hell they could even watch over you while you guys patrol.”
“Like a watchtower?”
“Yeah. An information highway that would take information and turn it into actual plans, get you boys moving. Turn theory into action.”
“Well I say that’s a pretty good pitch. Tell me what you need and we’ll work at getting it set up so it links directly to my Arrow room.”
Holding up her hands Chloe shook her head, “Wait what?”
“The job’s yours if you want it,” Oliver said with a nod, “From what Hal has told me you’re more than qualified. Of course I’ll have to speak to the boys but they’ll be fine with it I’m sure. Of course this is only if you want the job.”
Relaxing back into her chair Chloe was shocked. She couldn’t believe what Oliver was suggesting. He actually wanted to make her plan a reality. It was mind blowing. No one had ever wanted to do that. Sure Lex had always offered but she had never taken him up on it. It just wasn’t the kind of thing you did for a best friend, she knew that. How could she turn it down?
“Ok,” Chloe replied with a wide grin on her face and a small nod, “As long as the other team members are ok with it then I’m so in it isn’t funny.”
“Great,” Oliver said, his smiled matching her own, “Why don’t we get started tomorrow?”
“I am so there.”
Several hours later Oliver waved goodbye to Chloe as the elevator doors took her from his sight. He was very excited about the plans that they had been making. It sounded like this could defiantly be the thing that brought the team together - she could be that thing. It was amazing. There were two things he needed to do first though. He had to inform the team. He was sure that they would be happy about it though. Bart had been constantly complaining that there weren’t enough hot mama’s around. Victor wanted someone to talk tech too who would understand what he was going on about and what had happened to him. AC was just laid back enough to not really care as long as she was cool and wouldn’t spill their secrets. All in all, it seemed like a good plan but there was that other thing he had to do - remove Lex’s names from all the files.
He wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle everything that had happened. He also wasn’t sure if she actually knew about Lex’s shadier deals. Lex was a great manipulator when he wanted to be. It wouldn’t surprise him if the other man had actually been able to keep it quiet from his best friend. It didn’t seem like it was a good move but if he was an evil mastermind he would make sure that his best friend had absolutely no idea what was going on. There would be no chance of losing them that way.
Moving back to his desk Oliver pulled out the pad that had the agenda for the next team meeting and added the two new items. He knew this meant he couldn’t invite Chloe to meet the boys then and there but at least everything would be dealt with.
It was the only way it was going to work.
~~~~
Stepping into Lex’s study Chloe waited in the doorway. She knew Lex wouldn’t notice that she was there. He was too caught up in his work to notice her presence. He rarely did when he was so deeply focused on his work. It seemed to make him happy. It was nice to know that something could do that. Make him happy. Sometimes it seemed like there wasn’t much he could be happy about.
Shaking her head she hoped that she wouldn’t add herself to that list by going to work with Oliver. It would be sad if she disappointed him like he was constantly being disappointed by others. Sometimes she was sure that he brought it on himself by being so secretive. Not that she minded but she knew that Clark had always hated that fact and it seemed like it was bugging Lana of late. Still, she knew that whatever Lex was doing that needed to be kept secret there had to be a reason, a purpose. She knew him well enough to understand that.
Out of all the people she called her best friend she knew that when she said it in regards to Lex it he who was the best friend of all of them. Clark was great but he was so wrapped up in his heritage, the farm and saving people that it usually left little time for her. She didn’t mind it as much as she used to but that didn’t mean that she didn’t need her best friend around. Hal was great too. They had fun together and he was always willing to be there but he spent half his time protecting his section of the galaxy. She couldn’t fault either of her hero best friends but it did mean that Lex helped her work through a lot more issues, read through her stories, congratulate her when she got another article in the Planet and they spent time together without him having to run off at a moment’s notice to save someone’s life. They were little things but they made all the difference.
She wasn’t sure what she would do without Lex and she was hoping that she would never have to find out.
Knocking lightly she smiled at Lex when he looked up at her, “Feel like getting some food. I’m thinking of going and getting a slice.”
Lex nodded, “I think I could use a food break. As long as we’re going to the normal pizza place and not that weird one you took me too last time.”
“I think I can live with that,” Chloe said with a smile. Watching as Lex grabbed his coat she couldn’t help but feel bad for lying to him but it was necessary. It was for the greater good. That’s just what she had to keep telling herself until it finally sunk in.
~~~~
“Green Arrow to Watchtower,” Oliver said over the com.
Chloe sighed and turned to the computer, looking at where Oliver was, “You know I don’t like that code name.”
“Well I don’t like it when you call me Archer but you still do it constantly.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe asked, “Was there anything in particular that you wanted or did you just want to annoy me?”
“I was just letting you know that I’ve reached the meeting point. Now I’m just going to wait for the men to show up.”
“Ok, Archer,” she replied, just to annoy him, “I’m initiating radio silence.”
Switching the com link to silent so that she couldn’t hear him anymore Chloe sighed back into her chair. It was nice playing this role. It had taken the two of them only four months to get the room ready for her debut but when she had made it, it had been amazing. She knew taking on this role would be an incredible opportunity but she hadn’t expected it to feel the way it did. It was like she was finally doing something good for the world and that somehow all its troubles could be taken away if she just kept doing her job. Of course Oliver was paying her but she wasn’t in it for the money, she was here because it was the right thing to do.
She didn’t like that she had to lie to Lex to be here though. Of course she had to tell him something so when they had started doing the renovations to Oliver’s penthouse so she had spun the story that her boss had switched her to night shift indefinitely. Lex had offered to call up her boss, force her to switch Chloe back but she had shrugged and told him it was all part of the reporter’s world. Of course that had been only a semi-lie. She worked the afternoon and evening shifts at the Planet and then she would go to Oliver’s, at first to help with the construction then to be Watchtower.
As much as she hated lying to her friend she was glad that she had been given the chance to get out of the house. Shortly after the events that had transpired with Duncan settled down Lana and Lex had began fighting like mad. Their screaming matches were getting louder and further out of control with each day. There were accusations and insults flying all over the place. Chloe had taken to asking the security men whether the pair were fighting before entering the mansion. It was the only way to avoid them other than returning late after finishing work with Oliver.
Oliver was turning out to be a better friend then she expected. He was funny and charming, he always had time to ask about her day and he was incredible open for someone who had seen so much pain from when they were so young. He amazed her in every sense of the word. Not that she told him that. It would only cause his ego to swell. Of course she was sure that the thing she liked the most about him was the fact that he was such a great friend to joke around with. He had an amazing sense of humour and was able to take a joke, especially when it was at his expense.
“Arrow there are two men coming in on your flank,” Chloe informed him. Waiting for a response she turned on the other computer screen. Usually while she guided Oliver through his patrol route she also had the other computer screen running with information on the latest thirty three point one that they were trying to dismantle.
When Oliver had told her about the thirty three point ones she hadn’t believed him. It was too criminal to make any sense in her mind but slowly it was taking shape. Some mad man just wanted to let them all know that he was willing to use metahuman’s for his personal game.
For some reason the bad guy always ended up being a man, it was weird even in her book. Rarely did she come across an evil woman. They must just use their common sense to make matters better.
The weirder thing was that no matter how hard she looked the man didn’t slip up once. He didn’t leave any trace of where he had come from or who he was. At the moment he was just a man pulling the strings but for the type of operation he was running he had to have sub departments for the information to run to. If only she could trace the name to find it. Oliver kept telling her that Victor was dealing with that then sending it her way. She wished that she could convince him to send it directly to her but for some reason she couldn’t. Victor just wasn’t budging on that.
“I see them,” Oliver whispered. “I’m moving to compensate.”
“Copy that Arrow,” Chloe replied before turning back to the computer screen. It was a weird feeling to think that Oliver could be hiding something from her but she was sure that whatever it was he wouldn’t be doing it unless it was for a good reason. At least that’s what she hoped it would be for. Sometimes she wasn’t sure but she knew that only a man who was willing to risk their life for others had to have good intentions. Besides, the only questionable quality Oliver had only ever proven to her that he was a little womanising and once she had made it clear that she only wanted his friendship and to help he had backed off, only throwing random disarming comments at her on occasion. He hadn’t made another move and she doubted that he would. What other kind of good intentions did she need to prove that to herself?
None, she knew her instincts about Oliver were right. He proved them more and more every day.
~~~~
Smiling at Clark as he placed a brown paper onto her desk she moved it out of the way of her book before saying, “Let me guess, ham and Swiss?”
“Yeah,” Clark replied, “It’s your favourite.”
“Well, no it’s not. Like I said last week and the week before, and each time we end up having out for lunch.” Chloe said with a shake of her head, “One of these days you’re going to have to remember that.”
“Ok, I’ll try to remember for next week.”
“That’s all I ask for,” Chloe replied with a shrug, “Now how about we get out of here. I know a great place around the corner that we can try.”
Threading her arm through his Clark smiled at Chloe before replying as they walked up the stairs, “You know I think you’re secretly happy that I bring you a ham and Swiss sandwich every week so then we get to go out for lunch.”
“Mmm maybe but it would be nice if you got it right just once,” Chloe said as they left the Planet.
“You know what, when you go back to work why don’t you look and see what kind of sandwich I actually brought you.”
Laughing at Clark Chloe couldn’t help but feel happy. It was nice that they had finally found a set time to spend time together away from the mansion. She knew that Clark wasn’t happy about the fact that he had to visit the mansion to see her. It could have taken a toll on their relationship but they finally found time in their schedules for a weekly lunch. It kept them both happy and they got to spend an hour together without having to worry about Lex or even Lana.
Guiding Clark along the street she couldn’t help but feel glad about the fact that she didn’t have to worry about Clark much. He could only be hurt by one thing and only two people knew about it. His mental health was another thing. She knew that Lex and Lana’s relationship was taking quite the toll on him but she also knew that she shouldn’t get in the middle. She hadn’t realised it til the fighting had started but things had been rather frosty between Lex and Lana for some time. She knew neither friend would confide in her as to why, considering it was a rule that she had, but it did worry her a little. She finally thought that Lana was opening up to Lex but that didn’t appear to be the case anymore. She was aloof to say the best and it was clearly taking its toll on Lex. He barely left the office anymore and the other night she could have sworn she heard them arguing as she was coming back from Oliver’s place but she had dismissed it and continued on to her room.
Taking the seat opposite Clark without thinking she was surprised when he said, “What are you thinking about that’s got you so quiet?”
Chloe shook her head smiled, “Just stuff. So tell me, what’s new in your life?”
Listening as he began to go on about the tractor and the cows Chloe smiled, this is what she had needed. A simple, quiet lunch with a friend who wasn’t afraid to tell her exactly what was going on in their life, even if she did find it very boring.
When she returned to the Planet an hour later she opened the brown paper bag and pulled out the sandwich. Laughing she shook her head. It was a chicken and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread with no beetroot, her favourite.
~~~~
Laughing as Bart ran around the room, obviously hyped up on the sugar that was in the bottle of coke he had just downed Chloe turned to Oliver, who was sitting next to her, “So is this how meetings always end up going?”
Oliver nodded, “Pretty much except Bart usually gets jacked up on cookies though. I’ve never seen him down a bottle of coke like that.”
Shaking her head Chloe smiled. She liked there team meetings, even if this was only the second one that she had been at. Her understanding was that they didn’t meet often considering that they were all positioned around the world, fighting off the bad guys in their path. They only came together when they need to take down a thirty three point one and she had just put together a mission for them to do just that. It was nice to feel like she was needed and that’s how the team, especially Oliver, made her feel. It was something she wasn’t use to but she was glad that she got to feel it with the boys.
“Well this looks like a good plan,” Victor said with a nod, “AC and I can start surveillance tomorrow. Make sure that the guard’s rooster that you found is what actually happens.”
“You should find the best place to enter from too,” Chloe said with a nod, “The plan didn’t show anywhere that you could use to get through by water AC.”
“That can be worked out,” AC replied with a nod of his own. “Now why don’t we go and play on Ollie’s X-box.”
Leaving the room without waiting for answer Chloe shook her head as Victor stood, shrugging, before following AC into the lounge. Oliver yelled something at them as they left but she wasn’t paying enough attention to what it was until he called AC a weird name.
“What did you just call him?” Chloe asked.
“Fish sticks.”
“Why?
Oliver shrugged, “I like calling people by nicknames. It’s just something that I happen to do.”
“Is there a reason for that?’ Chloe asked, “Cause I don’t think you’ve ever called by anything other than my own name.”
“Well professor,” Oliver replied, smug grin in place, “I just like too. Usually it has something to do with the person’s personality or something I’ve seen and liked about them. It started when I was younger and I was attending a lot of boardroom meetings. It was fun to give the old men nicknames and then I guess it just stuck.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “Well I think I like it that you don’t call me by a nickname of any variety. I enjoy being just Chloe.”
“Well Just Chloe, enjoy it while it lasts. I’m sure I’ll find a nickname for you that I’ll like and then you’ll be stuck with it.”
“Like AC is stuck with Fish Sticks?”
“Exactly.”
“Well Archer, I don’t think Fish Sticks will be beating you at your X-box tonight. I think that will be my job.”
Laughing as they stood Oliver smiled, “Well I’ll order a lot of pizza and then you can show me whose boss of the X-box. ‘Cause I’ve had a lot of practise and not many people beat me.”
“Not even Victor?”
Oliver smiled and winked, “Only when he’s cheating.”
~~~~
Chloe sighed and moved down the hallway. It had been a long day and she couldn’t believe what she had discovered. It was more than that though. She didn’t want to be in the mansion if Lana and Lex were going to get into another screaming match with each other. They had been doing it since Lex’s high school reunion. It saddened her that two people who considered her one of their best friends could hold in something that was so causing them both pain. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to help she wanted the best for both of them. They didn’t seem to be able to understand that though. So instead of coming home she spent more time with Oliver and his team, hoping to avoid the inevitability of listening to the two of them fight.
Turning she paused, waiting to hear the screaming. When she didn’t hear anything she started walking, pausing at the doorway of Lex’s office. Smiling when she saw him sitting on the couch she walked in, “Hey. I’m glad to see you and Lana aren’t fighting.”
Swirling his glass Lex gave a nod, “That won’t be happening anymore. Lana left while you were at work.”
Sighing Chloe walked over to her friend, sat down and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. She knew how much he liked Lana but it was more than that. How could Lana leave without saying goodbye? She would ponder that later, right now she had a friend to console.
“Oh Lex,” she whispered, placing a hand on his wrist, “Are you ok? This can’t be easy on you.”
Shaking his head Lex sighed, “It’s not. I don’t know how to deal with the fact that someone else has willingly left my life. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
“I think you deal with it in the way most people do? You pick yourself up and keep moving. It’s the only way and one day you’ll feel a bit better about the whole thing and then a bit better and so on until you release that you actually feel good.” Hugging him properly she whispered in his ear, “And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“I’m very glad for that,” Lex whispered, returning her embrace.
~~~~
Passing Oliver another file she shook her head when he grunted his acknowledgement before returning to his work. When they had first started working together like this it had bugged her. Oliver would get so fixated on what he was doing that he barely acknowledge that she was there expect for the few grunts that he would give when he took papers from her. It was completely daunting at first but then she had learnt that he only ever got this way when he was completely focused on his work. When he didn’t want to focus he was inclined to throw things at her in hopes of getting her to play a game of some variety with him. It only worked half the time.
She was sad that he was completely focused on his work though. All she really wanted to do was see how many grapes she could get into his mouth by tossing them from her side of the table. Smiling she picked up a grape and threw it at him before looking down at her work.
“Did you just throw a grape at me?”
“Maybe,” she replied with a small smile, “What are you going to do about it?”
Shaking his head Oliver picked up a grape of his own threw it at her, “That’s what I’m going to do. Now let me work.”
Brushing the grape out of her hair Chloe sighed, “I was aiming for your mouth.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Since you’re the one of us with pretty impressive aim I would have to guess that for some strange reason that you were aiming for my hair.”
Oliver shrugged, “It made sense at the time.”
“I just wanted to throw grapes in your mouth,” Chloe pouted.
Oliver smiled. For some reason he wasn’t able to say no to her. It was an odd feeling. He never thought he would meet anyone who would cause him to do that. It made him feel weird but happy at the same time. When her face lit up because of something he did Oliver felt his heart flip for joy and his begin pulse race. It was something completely odd and amazing at the same time. One day he wanted to explore what was going on but he was sure she wasn’t anywhere near ready for that.
Smiling he said, “Fine but only one bunch, then we have to go back to work.”
Watching her face light up he knew in that moment they wouldn’t stop until all the grapes were gone.
~~~~
Lex smiled as he poured Chloe another glass of wine. She hadn’t been spending much time around the mansion since Lana had left. Sure she had been a great friend, willing to give him comfort whenever he needed it, but she had kept up her weird schedule of sleeping most of the morning and then working through the afternoon and night. It just didn’t seem right.
Handing her a glass he said, “So work’s been keeping you busy.”
“Yeah,” Chloe replied with a nod, “But hopefully it means that it will pay off soon.”
“You know I can make a phone call, make it so you have nice normal hours.”
Chloe shook her head, “You know what Lex, I’m ok with the hours I have. I’ve gotten very use to the fact that I’ve become nocturnal.”
“Well that’s great but I don’t get to see you very much,” Lex pouted.
“Oh Lex, do you just miss me,” Chloe said, a wide smile on her face. “How about I make time for you later in the week? We can do dinner at some point.”
Lex sighed and looked at Chloe closely. There was something different about her, something had changed in the way she sat and dressed herself. Usually she wore pants with her blouse but lately she had been wearing more and more skirts. It was odd. The colour green was making a big appearance too and if he didn’t know better he would guess that she was dating someone. Still there was no harm in asking.
“Are you seeing someone?” Lex blurted out, not really thinking about why he was asking. He wasn’t jealous after all. Not even a little, Lana had only left a couple of weeks ago. It would be insane to be jealous about someone who didn’t even think of him romantically.
“No,” Chloe whispered, trying not to let out her voice wobble.
Eyeing her carefully Lex raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t tell if she was lying to him or not and that worried him more than anything else. There was a time when she could never have lied to him but it looked like that might be over.
Lex smiled at her, “Ok. Why don’t we play?” He didn’t believe her but he had no real evidence that she was lying. For the moment he would have to give her the benefit of the doubt.
~~~~
Shifting through the information that she had just found Chloe wouldn’t help but smile. She was sure she would find out who was behind the thirty three point ones this time. After actively searching for the last few weeks she would be glad to finally know the name to the man who was behind all this horror. She was actually quite surprised that she hadn’t seen the person’s name. Usually the people that they dealt with were ego maniacs. They wanted nothing more than their names plastered places so at least one person would know who was behind it. Sure it meant that there was little plausible deniability but it meant that someone knew who was behind it.
But this was odd. It was like there was no trace of him whatsoever. It was almost as if whoever owned this was removed on purpose to ensure that no would find out who they were. Even the most careful owner had the tendency to leave a name, slip up. It was just the way it was.
Hearing the computer beep dragged her from her thoughts. Turning she clicked on the screen that told her the background search she had been running was done. Clicking to see the information she couldn’t believe what she had seen there. Clicking the print button she took the information and sat down on Oliver’s couch. She couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be possible. He couldn’t be behind it.
She sat there for hours, not even realising that it had been that long, staring at the piece of paper, praying that it was wrong. She didn’t even hear Oliver when he entered the room, calling out to her from the kitchen.
“Hey, I got us dinner, I was thinking I could convince you to take a break,” he called.
Not moving she didn’t realise that he was there until he placed a hand on her shoulder, “Chloe, what’s wrong?”
“Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
Seeing his face become clouded with confusion he said, “What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Lex owns the thirty three point ones?” Chloe whispered, finally turning to face him, “Cause I’m pretty sure you knew. It’s why I couldn’t find any information on who owned the thirty three point ones.”
“Chloe...” Oliver whispered, “I just...”
“Just what?!” Chloe cried, jumping up from the couch, “How can you explain this to me?!”
“I didn’t think you could handle knowing what your best friend was doing.”
Chloe’s eyes narrowed, “Or did you think I was in on it? Is that the only reason that you agreed to let me on the team?”
“No of course not!” Oliver yelled, “Hal told me you could be trusted and I agreed with him! I just didn’t think that you would be able to handle this very well and you’re proving me right!”
“You know what Oliver I probably would have handled this better had you not spent months lying to me about who I was really going after.” Not waiting for his reply Chloe left, slamming the elevator gate behind her.
Oliver sat down on the couch, running his hands through his hair. He had no idea if he was ever going to be able to fix this.
~~~~
“You miss her,” Hal accused.
It had been a week since Chloe had stormed out of his apartment and she hadn’t came back. Oliver sighed. He knew it was wrong to hide who was creating the thirty three point ones but he didn’t want her to have to choose between her friend and the team. It just wouldn’t be fair.
“Oliver.”
“I’m listening,” Oliver whispered, finally turning to look at his friend, “What do I do?”
“You want to talk to her?” Oliver nodded so Hal continued, “You have to go to her. She’s not going to come here.”
“So what do I do? She lives at Lex Luthor’s mansion.” Oliver replied, “That’s not helpful. How can I apologise if she won’t show up to hear the apology and I can’t go to her?”
“Well... You may not like this but... I’ll have to go and talk to her.”
Oliver shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was trust Hal with going and getting Chloe. Really he should just man up and get her himself but he wasn’t sure she would be that receptive to that.
“Look,” Hal continued, shaking Oliver from his thoughts, “If you go you’re going to say something you’ll regret. We both know it. This isn’t how you want Chloe to find out about your feelings is it?”
Oliver slowly turned to face Hal, his eyes opened wide in shock, “How do you know about that?”
“Please! Everyone on the team knows except Chloe. You go all puppy dog when she enters the room,” Hal replied with a shrug, “The real question is do you want her to find out?”
Oliver sighed, “No. Go talk to her please.”
“I knew you’d see it my way.”
~~~~
Hal walked into Chloe’s room hoping that he hadn’t come into the lion’s den for nothing. While he didn’t really like that Chloe was still living here, knowing what she now knew about Lex, he could understand the reasoning. It had to be hard to find out the way she did. Pausing when he saw her lying on the bed he was surprised she had yet to say anything.
“You know you should forgive them.”
Chloe snorted and tossed the book that she had been reading aside, “Sure. All’s forgiven. You can lie to me whenever you want.”
“Chloe, they were just trying to protect you from having to find out the truth about Lex in some awful way.”
“Oh really, cause the way I found out was so amazing.”
“You have to try to understand where they are coming from. I probably would have done the same thing.”
“Oh wonderful, two of my best friends lying to me wasn’t enough, now a third wants to add themselves into the mix.”
“You know what I mean and we both know that you’re going to forgive Oliver soon enough so why not now.”
“Can’t I let him stew for another day or two,” Chloe said with a pout.
“What kind of friend would I be if I could say no to that.” Hal replied before hopping onto her bed, “Now tell me what you’ve been up to.”
~~~~
Walking off the elevator Chloe was expecting to see chaos. After all a team meeting was suppose to be taking place. However there was only quietness. It was weird how that had happened. She had only been away for two weeks and meetings had gone quiet. Turning into the lounge room she waited to hear the screams but was surprised to see that Oliver was sitting at the table by himself, papers spread all around him. Walking over to the table she leaned across it waiting for him to notice her.
When he didn’t she leaned forward further and asked, “Where are the boys? Shouldn’t the meeting have started by now?”
Watching as Oliver jumped back startled Chloe couldn’t help but laugh. The usually poised hero was startled by her. Well that was always good to know.
Shaking his head Oliver replied, “We cancelled the meeting cause we didn’t think you were going to be here and you weren’t answering the phone.”
“Oh, fair enough. I’ll guess I’ll just drive back to Smallville then.”
“Don’t,” Oliver whispered grabbing her wrist, “Dinner’s on the way. It is Thai. And we should probably talk about what happened. Clear the air, you know.”
“That sounds like a plan,” Chloe replied shotting him a smile.
Helping him move the papers to one side she shot him a shy smile as the elevator bell rang. Watching him go and retrieve their meal she turned to pull out glasses and plates, placing them on the clean table, before grabbing the water from the fridge and starting the coffee machine. Moving back to the table she looked at the food in confusion.
“I thought you said that you didn’t know I was coming,” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow, “There’s enough food here to feed a small army, or Bart.”
Laughing at her joke Oliver shook his head, “I have to keep the fridge stocked for Bart. It’s the only way to ensure that he doesn’t complain.”
“I bet it’s faster than going to the store every day.”
“It defiantly is,” Oliver replied, handing her a fork from the draw, “So what made you come back?”
Chloe shrugged, “I always planned to come back Oliver. The work we do here is so important and it can’t be ignored for some petty feud between us. I don’t know if I trust you though. I just don’t understand how you could keep something so important from me.”
Oliver sighed, sitting down in his seat. Handing her a container he started to explain, “At the time I was willing to trust you with my secret and even the team but that was only because Hal told me you were keeping his secret for him and that you had for a long time. Hal speaks of you in the highest regards, it amazes me. I knew I could trust you with my secret but I wasn’t sure I could trust you with who we were going after. The man’s your best friend. You can’t blame me for having doubts.”
“Fine, Ollie,” Chloe sighed, “But that doesn’t explain why you haven’t told me anytime in the last five months. Surely I’ve proven myself trustworthy.”
“Of course you have Chloe. More than anyone I know. After a while I wanted to tell you but I just couldn’t figure out how.”
Chloe nodded. It made sense, as sad as that was. How do you tell someone the one thing that could hurt them? Of course the hurt got more when you got close to that someone who was keeping the secrets from you. It just wasn't fair. There was no really way to know whether or not to forgive a person for keeping something from you just so that it won't hurt. It seemed unfair, unreasonable but when was anything ever fair in her life. She just had to keep living it. Understand that Oliver had his reasons and move on. It was just that simple.
Nodding again Chloe took the container from him, "Well I guess I have to forgive you. I can't fault you for not wanting to hurt me. I just hope that there will be no more secrets between us."
"I'm glad. I was a little worried for a minute that you wouldn't forgive me."
"I'll always forgive you," Chloe whispered, taking his left hand in her free one, "As long as your reasons are always noble but no more secrets, ok?"
Oliver nodded, "Then I guess I better tell you that when we first met I thought you were hot, especially when you had put that dress on."
"Please, everyone was looking at Lois and we both know it," Chloe replied, laughing at him.
"No I wasn't and you know it. When Lois walked out that door you and Hal looked but I was looking at you. You were wearing this cream dress, it fell to your mid thigh and it had these sequins all over it. But I think the thing that I liked the most was the way that it fell over your arm, just dropping freely, it gave the whole thing this elegant grace that I couldn't help but love."
Chloe gave him a shy smile, a small amount of blush covering her cheeks, "I can't believe you remember that in so much detail. It's astounding."
"You caught my eye," Oliver replied with a shrug, "And you haven't lost it since."
"I work with you, that is to be expected. Though I did tell Lois you were smoking hot while we were getting changed. She seemed to like that a lot."
Laughing Oliver smiled, "Well you know what they say. It's the quiet beauty that catches your eyes for longer, draws a person to it, and can even swell the heart. Lois may have looked hot too, don't get me wrong, but she knew it and she was more than willing to flaunt it."
"Who says that?"
"I do, and I think it should catch on pretty quickly. I am a billionaire after all."
Laughing Chloe shook her head, "That doesn't mean anything. However I think that it should catch on. It's really beautiful though now I'm worried that you'll get a big ego now that I've seen that."
"My ego is fine thank you," Oliver argued, "I think that you have oversized opinions about my ego, and other things that I have that are big."
Laughing Chloe shook her head, "I don't want to know."
Handing her another container, Oliver couldn't help but think that she didn't really get it. Sometimes it took people a bit more than a hit over the head to get it. He really did think that she was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. It was shocking how she didn't get that. If he had his way he would spend the rest of his life convincing her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. It wasn't just that though. She was smart, funny, she got the life he led, and wanted to lead it with him. It shocked him constantly that she was willing to do that. He didn't think that he would ever find someone who would want to do that with him. The hero business wasn't for the faint of heart. It wasn't for those who thought that they might be able to do it. The only real way to make a life would be to marry someone who was in the business with them or live alone.
It was finally looking like he might not have to be alone after all and that warmed his heart more than anything.
~~~~
Refreshing the computer she couldn't believe this was happening. Their symbols were nowhere to be seen. Nowhere. How could that be? They used state of the art technology, the latest that Queen Industries had to offer, with a few tweaks from herself and Victor. This had never happened before. It was crazy. It didn't make sense. She had tried everything that she could think of. There was only one more thing she could do. Picking up her phone she dialled number three on her speed dial. Waiting for the phone to connect she couldn't help but think that something bad was happening. If anything happened to them it would be her fault, she was the one who had suggested that they would benefit from having an eye in the sky. She was the one who watched over them and she was supposed to keep them safe. Keep him safe. That was something that she couldn't think about. Those feelings, they would just cloud her judgement more.
Hearing the phone finally click through she sighed and started speaking a mile a minute. She was sure that Hal would understand what she was trying to say, what she needed him to do. He always had before. There was no reason this time would be any different. Giving him the address she sighed again, in relief, when he said that he would be there in five minutes no matter what. It was a huge relief knowing someone was going to get the team, even if she wasn't sure that they would be ok. That he would be ok.
She couldn't believe that these feelings were beginning to swell up in her chest for him. They weren't there before. She didn't know what to do with them, how to deal with them. It was insane she wasn't supposed to feel that way about him. He was her boss, she couldn't feel the way that she thought she felt. Surely she didn't feel that way. She couldn't... love him. Could she?
The phone shook her from her thoughts. Picking it up she held it to her ear, "Please tell me you have them."
"I do but you better call for a doctor. A few of them are pretty badly beaten up." Hal whispered.
Nodding Chloe smiled, "Ok, what's your ETA?"
"We'll be there in about... five minutes," Hal replied, "Just hold on ok."
"Ok," Chloe said hanging up the phone. How was she supposed to hang on? She couldn't even breathe properly at the moment and he wanted her to hang on. It felt like her chest was getting tighter by the minute, placing her head between her knees she took in three deep breaths, calming herself slightly before picking up the phone and dialling. Talking to the doctor when he picked up he promised to be there in five minutes.
Standing she walked through the penthouse, into Oliver's room to his bedroom. For some reason in his line of work Oliver seemed think that he should keep the first aid kit in his bathroom. Pausing by the bed she ran her hand over the top sheets. She couldn't believe that she was feeling this way about him. She knew she couldn't keep feeling this way. There was no reason to be thinking about it at the moment. If she did and he came back here injured she would never be able to hold it together. Moving quickly she grabbed the kit and went back to her desk just as the elevator began to rise. Going to met whoever was being raised in that elevator she couldn't help but hope that it wasn't Oliver, that it was the doctor.
As the elevator opened Chloe was shocked to see the three men. AC was strung between Oliver and Hal, arms over their shoulders, his legs looking badly damaged. It was clear that he couldn't walk and that he didn't seem to be able to move at all. Stepping forward she raised his head, seeing his eyes closed. Moving out the way she let the boys place him on the couch as she went to get water for him she was surprised to see them both move back towards the elevator.
"Wait!" she called, "How are the others?"
Oliver moved so he was standing in front of her, looking into her eyes, "They're in pretty bad shape too. We'll be back soon with Victor and Bart."
Grabbing his hand as he tried to move away, "You can't go back there. You have to be injured too."
"Not as badly as they are," Oliver whispered, "Look I'll be back in a minute. I have to help. I can't help but think that this is my fault. So I need to get them out of there before I come back and deal with this mess ok."
Chloe nodded her head, "Of course you have to go." Grabbing the back of his neck she pulled his lips to hers she placed a short, sweet kiss on his lips, "Just make sure that you came back."
Oliver's eyes were wide with shock, "I'll be back, I promise."
Watching as he ran over to the elevator, she waved as he disappeared as the elevator door closed. She hadn't planned to kiss him like that. Though it was a pretty awesome, their kiss. She knew that he was shock by what she did. Hopefully her impulsive action wouldn't make him uncomfortable around her. That would make her very nervous. She didn't want to ruin everything just because she had decided to act impulsive. It wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be fair. Taking the water over to AC she decided not to worry about it for the moment. When the time came they would discuss it and then move on, hopefully. For now though they had a team to save.
Raising the bottle to AC's lips she let the water slip past for a brief moment before allowing it to cover his body and down his legs. Pulling out a pair of scissors she cut up the leg of his pants, hoping to get them out of the way so she could at least contain the bleeding on her legs until the doctor got here. It was the first time that they had needed to use the doctor since the decision had been made to ensure that the team would always be safe. It was wild to think that he would need to be used like this on the first time. Normally Chloe dealt with the injuries of the team, their cuts and grazes.
Hearing the elevator she stood, leaving the towels she had placed on his legs where they were, and heading over to greet whoever was there. When it kept moving she knew that it was Oliver and Hal returning with the next team member. Closing her eyes as the elevator dinged she wanted, taking a deep breath, before opening her eyes, seeing Bart hanging on Oliver and Victor being levitated by the power of Hal’s will. She was grateful that Bart's eyes were open; she couldn't see many visible injuries on him other than the bump on his head. Looking at Victor she was surprised to see an open wound on his side, his cables showing and occasionally sparking.
Guiding them to the couches she picked up the phone, calling to ensure that one of the men who worked on maintaining Victor to the highest standards that was required in keeping him the wonderful piece of machinery that he was. She knew that the man would be discrete and knew exactly how to put him back together. Once off the phone she grabbed the first aid kit and kneeled in front of Bart, turning his head to the side so that she could get a good look at the cuts there.
"You know ‘licious, if you wanted to get near the Bartman all you had to do was ask," Bart joked, a weary smile on his face that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Chloe shook her head, glad that he was in the mood for jokes, "Just sit still and let me help you." Seeing Oliver move up the stairs as she turned back to Bart, "Or I could just go and help Oliver and leave you to the mercies of the doctor."
Standing to leave she smiled as Bart grabbed her arm, "No please, I don't like doctors. I'll be out of here as soon as you patch up my head."
Smiling she kneeled in front of him again, grabbing out the items she needed from the kit. Cleaning the wound she bandaged it as Hal let the doctor in the look at AC before taking Victor over to Queen Industries. Waving Bart off as he mumbled something about food and promising to text every two hours to ensure that they knew he was alive she turned to the doctor.
"I'll have to take him back to the hospital with me. His legs need some work that I can't do here."
Chloe nodded, "Ok. Hal will help you move him when he gets back. Makes sure you keep him very well hydrated."
"Of course, I remember. Why don't you just take care of the leader upstairs pretending that he’s ok?"
"Yeah of course, that was my next stop.”
Watching as the last of the boys left she dropped down onto the chair where Bart had been sitting. The night had felt like it was longer than it should be but she was glad that the boys were safe. Tomorrow she would start to look over what went wrong and ways to fix it. This couldn't happen again in her opinion. It could never happen again. She wouldn’t allow for the possibility of it to happen again. Standing she knew she had to go and deal with Oliver. She was sure he was feeling just as guilty as she had been earlier. It was odd to think that the two of them could feel a sense of guilt over something that wasn't there doing. It was odd but then again she liked that he wasn't always sane.
Taking the stairs two at a time she paused in the doorway to his bedroom, seeing his vest thrown on the bed. Walking over to the bedroom she stopped. He had a large cut running horizontally across his stomach and bruises all over his arms and chest. She knew he should have let the doctor look over the cut before leaving but she also knew he wouldn't do that. Moving over to him she pushed him back from the counter and lowered her head so she could look closer at the cut.
"I don't think it's too deep."
Chloe nodded, "I think you’re right. I'll wrap it though so it can heal properly."
"Chloe, just leave it for the moment."
"You're hurt. I'm not going to leave it."
Sighing Oliver waited until she had returned with the first aid kit before saying, "We should talk... About what happened earlier... With our lips."
Chloe shook her head, "You don't have to say anything. It was something that happened and it shouldn't have. I don't want it to affect our relationship so let's just forget it ever happened."
"You shocked me but I don't want to forget it. Chloe I meant it when I said I thought that you were beautiful." Oliver replied, "And it hit me when we were fighting for our lives. I knew I had a thing for you and that I thought we could possible had a future. I just didn't realise how much I liked you."
"I didn't realise either," Chloe whispered, "I didn't even know that I had feelings for you, let alone anything else."
"So you feel something for me," Oliver replied, "You might even feel the same way I do."
Smiling Chloe shrugged, "It depends. How do you feel?"
"I know, without a doubt, that I'm in love with you."
Raising up on her tippy toes Chloe captured his lips in hers. Sliding her arms around his chest she smiled as he brought his hands to her face, holding her in place as he returned to kiss with the same vigour that she was giving him. Pulling back slowly she accepted a soft kiss he placed on her lips as she pulled away.
"I'm in love with you too," Chloe whispered, "And I can't believe it took me so long to realise that that was how I felt."
Oliver's grin grew so wide that she was sure it was going to split his face in half before he pulled her lips back to his, trying to pour all the passion, love and desire he felt in that kiss to her. Sighing softly against his lips she tilted her head, sliding one of her arms up his back to rest at the base of his neck as his tongue swept out to her lips. Parting her lips slowly she allowed his tongue to coax hers into movement, threading and twisting around it. Stepping forward to feel him closer she was surprised when she heard a small hiss come from Oliver as her chest pressed against his.
Breaking the kiss she looked down. Seeing the cut she sighed and grabbed the first aid kit, “I should patch that up.”
Oliver shook his head, “No. Just be careful of it and keep kissing me.”
“Oliver,” she scolded, “No. Now sit down and let me fix your wound. I’d rather not hurt you.”
“Fine,” Oliver sighed, “But I’m only doing this for you.”
“Whatever, I’m sure you’d do this for any of the girls who are willing to kiss you.”
Ignoring her as she tried to steer him towards his bed Oliver took her hand in his, “Chloe, I know that you don’t believe me but I don’t want to be with anyone other than you. I don’t want to kiss anyone other than you. You are the first person that I’ve ever thought about spending my whole life with.”
Chloe smiled, “So does this mean we’re dating. Cause there are usually dates involved with that.”
“I think I can spring for a date,” Oliver whispered, kissing her softly again, “As long as I get to call you my girlfriend I don’t care.”
“Mmm, now that’s settled,” Chloe replied, her lips millimetres from his, “Sit down so I can deal with your wound.”
Laughing Oliver sat down on the edge of the bed. He was glad that she was on the same wavelength as him. It was nice to feel the same way about someone as they did about him. He somehow knew that this was going to be the one relationship that he would never want to get out of, as long as she always wanted to be with him.
~~~~
Walking down the corridor Chloe felt nervous. She’d never felt nervous before, entering the mansion, but right now she did and she had good reason for it. She couldn’t keep this a secret from Lex, not if she wanted things between her and Oliver to really work. So instead she was left with the choice. Sure Oliver probably would have let her hide it, them, from the world for a bit, only changing the status of their relationship when they were behind closed doors. But she didn’t want that and she knew he didn’t really want that either. If she guessed she would say that Oliver probably wanted to shout it from rooftops but he couldn’t do that just yet.
Sadly she knew that while she had to tell Lex about her and Oliver she also knew that he wouldn’t take the news very well. She couldn’t fault him for that and Lex was a man who liked to hold a grudge. She just hoped that his grudge wouldn’t affect their relationship too much. The last thing she wanted was to choose between the pair of them because she knew that this time, if he said choose she would say Oliver. It was no contest. She wouldn’t be the middle man in this scenario. She would choose and in doing so she would lose one of her best friends.
Stopping short of the office doors Chloe took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, trying to find her centre, before continuing forward into the room without knocking. Seeing Lex’s head pop up from where he was sitting on the couch she stopped opposite him, opening her mouth to speak.
“Morning,” she whispered.
“You didn’t come home last night,” he replied, his eyes glancing over her clothes.
“No I didn’t. That’s what we need to talk about.”
“Ok,” Lex replied warily, “Why don’t you sit?”
Chloe shook her head, “I’d rather stand if you don’t mind.”
“Well that’s up to you,” Lex said with a shrug, “Do whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
“Lex, I need you to not interrupt me til I’m finished speaking. There’s something I have to tell you and there’s a good chance that you won’t take it very well.” Chloe said pausing to draw in a deep breath, “But you have to understand. I didn’t set out to hurt you and I never meant for this to happen. Until last night I was aware that my feelings even existed.”
Lex nodded, standing, “I think I know what you’re talking about.”
“No you really don’t.”
“Yes I do Chloe ‘cause I feel the same way.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion, “I don’t understand Lex. How can you feel the same way?”
“I feel the same way about you,” Lex whispered taking her hands in his.
Chloe shook her head, trying to hold back the tears that where apparently threatening to spill. This was the worst possible outcome of this conversation. She hadn’t expected Lex to make a declaration. People had pointed out to her before that sometimes he didn’t always treat her as though he was just her best friend but she had brushed them off, figuring they were wrong and that she knew Lex. Apparently that wasn’t the case.
Taking her hands out of his she whispered, “No you have the wrong idea. It’s not you I’m talking about. It’s Oliver.”
A moment of silence hung in the air before on clear, pain filled word cut through. “What?”
“I’m sorry Lex. I’m in love with Oliver Queen,” Chloe whispered, “But nothing happened before last night.”
“Well I’m glad you hung onto your virtue long enough to ensure you could snag two billionaires,” Lex snapped, moving away from her.
“It’s not like that. I love him and he loves me. I never meant or set out to hurt you.”
“You did a pretty good job of it though,” Lex growled, keeping his back to her, “But don’t think Queen is really in love with you. He’ll say anything to get a girl in bed.”
“No he won’t,” Chloe replied, shaking her head at her friend, “And I knew you wouldn’t take this well but I wasn’t expecting you to be like this.”
“How would you like me to be Chloe? I can’t spin a rainbow out of this just to make you feel better. I won’t conjure star dust to stop your tears and I most certainly won’t do everything in my power to mend your broken heart when he inevitably breaks it.”
Chloe shook her head again as the first tear split over the bottom of her eyelid, “He won’t break my heart, I know it. It’s a shame I can’t say the same thing about my best friend.”
“It really is,” Lex growled, “But you know what? My heart’s breaking right now too. And to think that I had really started to think that you could feel the same way about me that I have about you.”
“I didn’t even know you felt that way,” Chloe cried, wiping stray tears. “You never clued me in. You dated one of my best friends for crying out loud, if that’s not a ‘don’t come to close’ cry than I don’t know what is.”
“I dated Lana cause you said it was ok to do so. I dated other woman cause you didn’t seem to want to look my way. You wanted photographers, drunks and sluts to come after you. I see that now.”
“Did it ever occur to you that I said it was ok for you to date Lana because it was? I care about you Lex, so much, you’re like the older brother I never had but that’s it. There’s no more to this romance than a one sided crush, that you didn’t even have the decency to tell me about. So don’t stand there and yell. We’ve been best friends for the past three years, if you couldn’t tell me that then you were never going to tell me.”
“Why would I want a tramp like you anyway?”
“I may be a tramp in your eyes,” Chloe whispered, trying not to let it show just how hurtful those words had been, “But at least I’m not afraid to love. I’m not afraid to tell someone how much they mean to me. I will never let that be a fault of mine. I can’t say the same for you though.”
Lex laughed hollowly, taking the top of his bottle of bourbon, “And that’s supposed to make me feel bad. Poor little Chloe, always reaching for love in the wrong places cause she could never get the high school quarterback.”
“That’s rich, coming from the guy who dated the prom queen.” Chloe replied, “I’m guessing you’re not going to be ok with this?”
Taking the glass that he’d just poured his bourbon into Lex raised his arm and threw it against the opposite wall. Jumping as the sound echoed around them Chloe gave out a small sob, clutching at her chest in fear as Lex reached for another glass.
“No I won’t be ok with it, ever.” Lex whispered, “And if you think you can walk out of this room and still be best friends and be with Oliver than you’ve got another thing coming.”
“Don’t make me chose Lex. It won’t be good for you.”
“Then go! Leave!” He cried, finally spinning to face her, his arm sweeping across the front of his body as he did so. “You’ve made your bed, now go lie down with the flea ridden dog. But be assured that I will never be able to forgive you if you leave.”
“I don’t want your forgiveness Lex, I want your friendship but it’s clear that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a friend. I’ll be gone within the hour, I won’t be back,” Chloe replied, turning to head towards her former room, not looking back as Lex threw his second glass against another wall.
~~~~
Hearing the elevator ding Oliver headed towards it while glancing at the clock. He wasn’t expecting Chloe to be back so soon. He was glad that she was though, he had been missing her, as sad as that was to say. He’d been in this relationship for about twelve hours and he was already whipped to the extreme. Then again if he was honest with himself he knew he had wanted this relationship for a while now and he was just happy to have her. He wasn’t about to screw it up, at least not in the first day. Waiting patiently near the doors he watched the numbers rise until the elevator stoped. Peering in as the doors opened he was shocked at what he saw there.
Putting his hand inside the panel he hit the emergency stop button, keeping the elevator on his floor. There were four big suitcases sitting on the floor, Chloe standing in the middle. Pulling the two closets bags off the elevator to reach her he scooped her into his arms. To say she looked shell shocked was an understatement. She looked incredibly broken and very sad. Her arms didn’t move to wrap around him, her feet barely moved as he basically carried her off the elevator. Removing his arms from around her body he pulled off her other two bags so that he could start the elevator again. Once the elevator was moving again he swept her into his arms, so that her body was resting against one around and her legs where swung over the other, and he carried her over to the couch before he sat down gently, placing her in his lap.
They sat there for hours.
She didn’t move or speak. Oliver just sat there, on the couch, running one hand over her back as the other sat resting on her leg. He wasn’t sure what happened at Lex’s but he knew he would have to wait for her to speak. It must have been bad though if she was like this. Oliver had known that Lex wouldn’t take the news well. He had known that the other man would probably kick her out but to see Chloe looking so broken because of what happened didn’t raise his opinion about what the other man must have done.
After five hours Oliver finally whispered, “I need you to say something. Just let know you’re going to be ok.”
“I will,” the small, almost strangled voice said, “I have you.”
“Good,” he replied, kissing her temple lightly, “Can I get you anything?”
“A way one ticket to Paris would be nice. Or Italy even. I hear there are some good thirty three point ones in Italy.”
“We can deal with those later, don’t you think you should be here.”
Chloe shook her head, “I tried. I tried my hardest to make him understand. I even said that I didn’t need his forgiveness, I just needed his friendship and he just couldn’t do it. So now I would like to make him pay.”
“Chloe, I know you’re hurting right now but maybe you should sleep on that decision. While taking down thirty three point ones is a noble thing I’m not sure that it should become something we do just to get revenge. You know the drill. It takes a lot of careful planning to execute an operation. You’ve planned five of them yourself.”
“I know Oliver,” Chloe replied, looking at him for the first time, “But I need to do something. Anything and I need for it to be as far away from here as possible. You’re the one who said last night that we should travel the world together anyway, or did you not mean that.”
Oliver sighed, “Of course I meant it.”
“Then let’s go. We can send for the team and anything else later.”
“As much as I would love to I have a very important meeting in the morning and flight plans need to be submitted twenty four hours before you plan to fly. How about we go get some sleep and you find a thirty three point one as far away as your heart desires tomorrow? We’ll call in the flight plan, the boys and we’ll leave in two days time.”
“Is that the best you can do?”
“Yes, trust me. I would move heaven and earth for you.”
“You couldn’t bribe someone.”
“Trust me, I’ve tried,” Oliver replied, a grin pulling at his lips.
“Well if you’re sure than I guess that’s all we can do.”
“I guess so,” Oliver responded, standing with her still in his arms, “Now what do you say to calling it a night. I don’t know about you but the most beautiful blond woman that I have ever seen kept me up to all hours last night, ravishing my body.”
“That’s not how I remember it,” Chloe replied, giving a small laugh. Sighing into his arms as he carried her up the stairs Chloe knew that she had made the right decision, even though her best friend wasn’t able to see it at that point in time.
~~~~
2 years on...
Lying in his bed Oliver ran a hand through Chloe’s hair. He loved these times in the morning, when she would be there, asleep, looking peaceful and angelic at the same time. It was amazing that someone who had as much grace, patience and character as she had would agree to travel around the world with him, let alone want to be in a relationship. Sure he knew she was never going to leave him but that didn’t stop him from revelling in how perfect she was. This woman, his partner in every aspect of his life, made him feel things that he never knew he could feel. His heart pounded every time she walked into the room. His hands seemed to always seek out some part of her when she was standing close and no matter how many women threw themselves at him he had never wandered, never strayed. This woman in his arms kept him grounded in the real world and no matter how many others tried to take away the relationship they had spent years building it had never worked, not even for a second. No one could ever take him away from the beautiful girl in his arms, as far as he was concerned there was nothing anyone could do to take him away from Chloe. It was just that simple.
Smiling at how perfect this moment was he moved from the bed quietly, praying that he wouldn’t wake her and walked over to his sock draw. Pulling it open he moved the socks to one side, finding the black box he was searching for. Opening it slowly he removed the ring, toying with the band as he looked at the rock. He had considered giving her his mother’s ring but then he had seen this ring and it had been perfect. He was still surprised that one of the paparazzi hadn’t seen him leaving the store since they were on engagement watch. They had gotten it into their heads that he was going to propose, and even though he was planning to he didn’t want her to read about it in some magazine before he had a chance to actually ask. Looking back over at Chloe he smiled as she turned a little more so she was lying on her stomach. It was weird that he loved the simple things about her more than he loved anything else, though the ring he had gotten her was exactly that. It was a white gold band with a medium sized circle green diamond in the middle. On both sides it was accompanied by smaller clear diamonds. It was simple, understated but beautiful at the same time, just like the woman lying in his bed.
Moving back to the bed he pulled the sheet up and slide back in beside her, grinning like a fool as Chloe cuddled into his body automatically, her left arm wrapping around her waist while her left leg rested over both of his. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he lifted her hand gently, cradling it in his, before slipping the ring onto her ring finger before kissing her hand gently. Smiling as she stirred against him he pulled her body tighter against his own before laying a kiss on her shoulder.
Listening to her groan he grinned when she said, “Leave me alone. I want sleep.”
“But it’s after ten,” he whispered back, sweeping her hair back on her forehead.
“Fine,” she said, “But I don’t intend to be an active participant in sex. Do what you have to do then get out and let me sleep.”
“Well that’s not fair,” Oliver complained, “I work hard to bring you pleasure and you can’t even admit to wanting morning sex.’
“Oh my god,” Chloe groaned sitting up, “If you’re going to whine like a little girl I’m going to get coffee.”
Oliver shrugged, relaxing back into the green satin sheets as he watched Chloe roll out. He smiled as he watched her, hoping she would see what he had placed on her finger soon otherwise he would go insane. Sure this was an odd way to ask but there was nothing normal about their relationship so why should this be any form of normal. Anyway, if he took her somewhere else to do it the press would find out and then Lois would have a reason to kill him. Hearing a loud gasp from the kitchen he sat up, prepared for the blond to come into the room to talk, or most likely shout, about this. Smiling as the blond entered he waited for her to make the first move.
“Oliver,” she started, approaching quietly, a look of concern on her face, “Is this what I think it is?,” Holding up her hand for him to see.
“Depends on what you think it is,” Oliver replied with a cocky grin.
“I think this is either some joke or you’re proposing and you proposing would be ridiculous, especially like this.”
Raising an eyebrow at her he said, “Ridiculous. Really?”
“Well depends on which it is you’re doing,” Chloe cried, throwing her hands in the air.
“Chloe, really, you don’t know?”
He watched as she took a deep breath, waiting patiently for her response, “Well I think, that it might be the second option but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
Shaking his head Oliver stood from the bed and stood in front of her in all his glory. Taking her hands in his he kissed the finger the ring was on before sliding to one knee, “I love you Chloe Sullivan, more than anything in this world and I hope that I can spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Cause I don’t think that my life would be complete without you in it. So I’m asking, now, properly, will you make me happy forever and marry me?”
He gazed up at her waiting for her to say something as he watched her place her right hand over her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears as she leaned forward a bit and a choking laugh came out. Waving her free hand around she said, “I’m sorry but I can’t help it. You just proposed in the nude. It’s hilarious.”
Rolling his eyes Oliver replied, “You love me naked and you know it. Plus when we tell people this story we’ll just omit that part, ok? So are you going to marry me or what?”
“Who are you trying to kid Oliver Queen? Of course I’ll marry you.”
~~~~
Chloe groaned slightly when she felt Oliver kiss her hand. Turning her head she moved so her face was more hidden from the light streaming in. As far as she was concerned it was too early to be doing anything, though it appeared that Oliver was awake. Shifting again she buried her face further into his chest, inhaling his amazing scent. Sometimes it boggled her mind how much she was still in love with the man under her. It amazed her more that he was still as crazy in love with her as he had once been. Of course the press were always looking for the ring, the telltale sign that she had officially taken the Star City bachelor off the market, but she was happy with their relationship and how it was going. That didn’t mean she wouldn’t marry him if he asked, just that she didn’t feel the need to add anything to it just because someone else wanted them to. They were perfect how they were.
Feeling Oliver lips on her shoulders she groaned again and said, “Leave me alone. I’m trying to sleep.”
“But it’s after ten,” she heard him whisper back as his hand slide up to sweep away the hair that was hanging over her forehead.
“Fine,” she replied, not moving, ‘But I don’t intend to be an active participant in sex. Do what you have to do then get out and let me sleep.”
“Well that’s not fair,” she listened to him complain, “I work hard to bring you pleasure and you can’t even admit to wanting morning sex.”
“Oh my god,” Chloe groaned sitting up, “If you’re going to whine like a little girl I’m going to get coffee.”
Picking up Oliver’s shirt from the ground she slipped it over her head before leaving the room. If Oliver was going to act all chirpy then she was defiantly going to need coffee. It was far too early in the morning to deal with that attitude without it. She loved Oliver with everything she had but that didn’t mean she could stand his chirpiness so early in the morning. Switching on the coffee machine she waited for the coffee she had packed in the machine night before to start to brew. Leaning back against the counter she couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It was times like this, when Oliver was gone and she was alone, that she couldn’t help but missed Lex. He had been such a big part of her life for years but now, because she had feelings for someone Lex didn’t like, they were no longer friends. It wasn’t fair in her book. Lex shouldn’t get to rule her love life just because he thinks he can. Then again there was no more Lex to really be worried about. He took himself out the equation years ago.
It didn’t mean she didn’t miss him though. Sure she had Oliver and he was more than enough. Clark was around when he wasn’t too busy saving the world or fawning over cousin and Hal was too busy off doing whatever he did while off with the Green Lantern Corp. It was times like this that she really wished that she had a best friend who was as dedicated as Lex had been. He always wanted to know what was going on in her life, even when he was having issues of his own and he always wanted to have a part in whatever she was doing, as long as it didn’t involve Clark. It always made her feel special, that one of her friends cared enough to put their own personal issues aside to care about her for a second.
Still she loved Oliver so much that she knew that while she may miss Lex she would miss Oliver a million times more. She had made the right decision in her mind. She wished that it hadn’t cost her one of her best friends, but she knew it was ultimately right. She couldn’t imagine life without Oliver. It would be like life without breathing. It was just physically impossible. Lifting her left hand to grab a mug she stopped when she thought she saw a sparkle. Turning her hand over Chloe gasped loudly when she saw a ring on her third finger. Lowering it so that she could look at the ring closer look she couldn’t believe how perfect it was. Three stones, one green, small simplistic it was everything she wanted from an engagement ring and more.
Taking a shaky breath she closed her eyes tight and opened them again, praying that the ring was still there. Smiling when she saw it she headed back to the bedroom. Pausing before she entered she thought about how she was going to play this. Deciding to pretend to be oblivious and let him spell it out for her she entered the room.
“Oliver,” she started, approaching the bed quietly, where Oliver was sitting up and looking at her expectedly, “Is this what I think it is?”
She held her hand up for him to see the ring and waiting for him to answers, “Depends on what you think it is,” he replied.
Rolling her eyes at his cocky grin she said, “I think this is either some joke or you’re proposing and you proposing would be ridiculous, especially like this.”
“Ridiculous. Really?”
“Well depends on which it is you’re doing,” Chloe cried, throwing her hands in the air.
“Chloe, really, you don’t know?”
Taking a deep breath she thought seriously for a minute before responding, “Well I think, that it might be, the second option but I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”
Watching he slid the sheet from around his waist and climbing off the bed. She watched quietly as he walked over to her and slid down onto one knee and taking her hands in his, “I love you Chloe Sullivan, more than anything in this world and I hope that I can spend the rest of my life proving that to you. Cause I don’t think that my life would be complete without you in it. So I’m asking, now, properly, will you make me happy forever and marry me?”
Looking down at Oliver she tried to stop the tears that were forming in her eyes. He had just said everything she had every dreamed that someone would say it and the perfect guy was saying it too her naked. Pausing on that thought she raised her right hand to her mouth trying to keep it in. When that didn’t succeed she gave a giggle before waving her hand at his confused look, “I’m sorry but I can’t help it. You just proposed in the nude. It’s hilarious.”
Rolling his eyes Oliver replied, “You love me naked and you know it. Plus when we tell people this story we’ll just omit that part, ok? So are you going to marry me or not?”
“Who are you trying to kid Oliver Queen? Of course I’ll marry you.” Chloe whispered, running a hand through his hair before bending down to kiss gently. Sighing she smiled as he stood wrapping his arms around her and pulling her onto the bed.
~~~~
Laying her head onto Oliver’s chest Chloe gave a sigh of pleasure. Kissing his chest gently she smiled when it rumbled with laughter. She loved him dearly and she loved the way he worshipped her body when they were in bed together. She couldn’t help but moan, gasp and scream at the pleasure he brought her but at times it was more than that. She was so grateful that she got to share this experience with the man for the rest if her life. He made her feel loved and beautiful, something that no other man had made her feel.
Pressing another kiss to her chest she kept her head there breathing in his scent. She had to tell him now or else it would blow up in their faces. She knew that if Lex found out through the papers he wouldn’t be happy, not that he was going to be happy even if she did tell him herself. She knew his reaction to the news would be better though if he found out from her and she knew it would go a long way if they were ever to find their way back to the friendship that they once had.
Lifting her head Chloe, resting on her right arm as her left ran over his chest, “Oliver,” she whispered, “Don’t take this the wrong way but I want to hold off on telling people.”
Forcing his eyes open Oliver looked at her. Raising a hand to her forehead he swept the hair that had fallen there, “What? Are you ashamed of me already sidekick?”
Shaking her head gently Chloe turned to press a kiss to his palm before replying, “I want to tell Lex first. I know I shouldn’t but I always hope one day that he’ll get over it and be my friend again. It would be so nice to have my friend back but that’s not going to happen unless I try to lessen the blow more.”
Reaching up he pressed a gently kiss to her lips before whispering, “If it means that much to you I’m ok with that. As long as you understand that there is a chance that telling him won’t help at all.”
“I know,” Chloe replied with a short nod, “But I have to try.”
Bringing her lips down to hers Oliver kissed her gently again before reaching for her left leg and sliding it over his hips. Pulling back he smiled when he saw that she was finally on top of him, “Ok then. I’d say we have some more celebrating to do before we go to the charity event tonight.”
“Oh, I couldn’t agree more,” Chloe whispered before capturing his lips in a searing kiss.
~~~~
Smiling to the cameras eight hours later Chloe couldn’t help but be wowed by the way that Oliver interacted around them. It was weird to think that this man, with such grace and humour when it came to the press, was going to be her husband. Not that she was wearing the ring. It was safely tucked away in her purse waiting for the moment when she was going to talk to Lex but first they had to get past the press and they couldn’t see the ring on her finger. It made her feel sad that on the first day she was engaged she had to take her ring off but she knew it was for the best. She would wear the fabulous ring for the rest of her life but if she could salvage her friendship with Lex it would mean the world to her. So she could live with it, as long as she walked out of there wearing the ring.
Sliding her arm around Oliver’s waist she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek lightly before whispering in his ear, “You know we have to go inside right.”
“Yes,” Oliver whispered in reply before turning back to the reporter, “If that’s all we’d like to go inside and enjoy the festivities.”
“One more thing before you leave,” the reporter said, “The question on everyone’s lips is when are you going to propose?”
Laughing Oliver shot Chloe a small smile before turning back to the reporter, “If I tell you that than it won’t a surprise for Chloe and I just love to surprise her.”
Not waiting for the reporter’s response Chloe steered Oliver towards the doors. Camera flashes were going off everywhere and Chloe still couldn’t believe that she wasn’t use to it. She had been coming to these events with Oliver for the last two years and before that she went with Lex whenever he couldn’t get a date. Of course Oliver made walking down the carpet that had been laid out look easy, like he didn’t realise that the flashes were going off around him. She hoped that one day she would get use to it but she doubted she ever could, considering Oliver had been doing it his whole life.
Allowing Oliver to pull the jacket down her arms she smiled back at him before turning and kissing him lightly. “I love you,” She whispered to him, kissing him again.
“I love you too,” he whispered back before wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her into the ballroom. It was beautifully lit, white flowers scattered around the edges. Tables were spread out around the sides, leaving enough room in the centre for people to mingle whilst still allowing enough room for people to dance when dinner was over. The layout was cleverly designed and she would defiantly have to get the name of the organiser, after all Oliver wanted her to help him organise them.
Smiling up at Oliver she glanced over his shoulder to she saw Lex standing near the opposite wall talking to a beautiful looking woman. She had raven hair, was a little taller than Lex in her heels but Chloe was convinced if she took off her shoes she would be smaller. The woman had an amazing smile as she laughed at something Lex said. Nudging Oliver she directed his gaze to the pair. Watching him nod they headed over together, arms wrapped securely around each other. She knew that she should tell him as soon as possible, that’s why they were heading over there. It was more than that though, she wanted to wear her ring out of here. She wanted to tell Lois, her dad, Clark, Hal and the boys as soon as they got out of this event. It would be nice for her family to know.
Smiling at the woman who was standing next to Lex Chloe said, “Hi.”
“Hi,” the woman replied, holding out a hand for her to shake. Going to take it she was shocked when Lex grabbed it inside, pulling it to his side.
“Oliver, Chloe,” Lex growled not making eye contact with either of them.
“Lex,” Chloe replied trying to conceal a sigh, “How have you been?”
“Fine.”
“Who’s your lovely companion tonight?” Oliver asked, gesturing to the woman.
“This is Caroline,” Lex replied, “Though I hope you’re not getting bored with the other girl that you took from my life.”
Rolling her eyes at Lex’s comment Chloe said, “Can we talk, in private?” Not waiting for an answer she took Lex’s free hand and pulled him away. Dragging him out of the ballroom she headed down the corridor to the left she stopped at the first door and tested it. When she found it was unlocked she pushed Lex through before closing the door behind them.
“You know if you wanted to get me alone you could have just asked nicely,” Lex replied, straightening his suit.
“For some reason I didn’t think you would come,” Chloe replied, “And I have something important to tell you. I didn’t think it should wait.”
Laughing Lex shook his head, “What Queen’s bored with you and you want to come running back?” he asked, “Sorry but I don’t take Queen’s sloppy seconds.”
“Why can’t we be friends Lex? I still think of you as my best friend. It’s not my fault that I don’t reciprocate your feelings for me.” Chloe whispered, “And it’s certainly not my fault that I fell in love with Oliver.”
“If this is all you want I’m going back to my date, preferably before Oliver thinks to steal her.” Lex sneered before moving past her.
Shaking her head Chloe called over her shoulder, “Oliver proposed and I said yes. I thought you should know before we tell everyone else.” Hearing Lex pause behind her and sigh she continued, “I was hoping my friend is still in there somewhere and he would be happy for us.”
“Then it’s time to stop living in a fantasy land,” Lex sneered, turning back to face her, “In case I haven’t made clear before I will never ever find the need to be happy for you when you’re with that despicable man.”
“He’s not the boy you knew in high school.”
“No, he is. He just hides it well and you’re blind not to see it. It’s either that or Queen’s so good in bed that it’s got you blinded. Then again you’ve always been blind.” Lex sneered.
“The only thing I was blind too Lex was the fact that you’re not who I thought you were. I really wish you were the kind decant man I once knew. I’d give anything to have him back.”
“Well you just keep lying on your back or knees for Queen. I’m sure he’ll fuck it out of your system soon.” Lex growled.
Shaking her head Chloe rushed from the room, praying that she could hold her tears in until she reached Oliver. She knew Lex didn’t like her much but she had hoped he would at least try to understanding but just like two years ago he had cut her down. He only focused on the things that hurt him. He couldn’t seem to care that this was the right thing for her, that she was in love and it wasn’t her fault. Maybe it was truly time to let go of the notions of her and Lex being friends again. It was obvious he didn’t want that anymore.
Walking into the ballroom she scanned for Oliver, hoping he was near and ready to get out of here. Seeing him against the wall she walked over to him.
~~~~
Smiling politely as Caroline told him about her job Oliver kept a constant scan of the room. While he hoped his theory about Lex was wrong he knew there was a chance that the man would be harsh towards Chloe. That’s how he had been for the last two years and while he understood Chloe’s compulsion to tell Lex he was worried about what would happen. After all Chloe was allowed to hold out hope for her friend, even as he continued to increase the number of thirty three point one’s that he put up.
“... So what do you think?’ Caroline asked, with a small smile on her face.
“It sounds like an amazing organisation. I’d love to be involved in some way, if that’s possible.”
“The street kids of Metropolis can always use help Mr Queen.”
Oliver shook his head, “Please, call me Oliver. It won’t kill you.”
“Fine, Oliver,” Caroline replied, her smile staying in place before she glanced at her watch, “They’ve been gone a while. What do you think they’re up too?”
“Chloe has some news to share. I proposed this morning and she wanted Lex to find out before we tell anyone else,” Oliver replied.
Caroline raised an eyebrow at Oliver, “It seems strange. Lex doesn’t talk about Chloe at all but that would make them seem like they are best friends.”
“More like they were,” Oliver replied, as he spotted Chloe coming in across the room, “But it’s something that you should ask him about.”
Turning to face Chloe he was surprise when she wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her head into his shoulder. Quickly wrapping his arms around her he pulled her a little closer, hoping to give her the comfort that she was looking for.
Dropping a kiss to the crown of her head he whispered, “What happened?” Feeling her shake her head against his shoulder he assumed it was bad. Pulling back slightly so that he could see her face he continued, “Let’s go then. You grab our coats while I make our apologises and we’ll curl up on the coach with the movie of your choice and your favourite ice cream.”
Watching as she nodded he wiped the tear that had strayed down her cheek before kissing it lightly and letting her go without another word. Turning back to Caroline he bid her farewell before finding the host and doing the same. Entering the hallway he went to find Chloe when he saw Lex making his way towards him. Turning he met the man half way there. It was time to give him a piece of his mind. He had been silent for too long.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Oliver demanded, crossing his arms as he stopped in front of Lex.
“Who I am is none of your concern,” Lex replied moving to step around him.
Moving in his path Oliver shook his head, “I’ll make this quick then. I have worked my hardest to keep the spark of hope Chloe has for your friendship alive but you insist on making it hard. So I’m just going to put it like this. If you keep acting like this snubby, spoilt rich boy who has no blame in this situation then you should just leave Chloe the hell alone. Let her be loved because whether you believe it or not I do love her and as far as I’m concerned that doesn’t need validation from you.”
Turning and leaving Lex behind him Oliver headed straight for the coat room, smiling when he saw Chloe outside. Walking over to her he wrapped his arms around her waist whispering in her ear, “You ready to get out of here.”
Feeling her pivot in his arms he smiled down at her as she said, “In one second.”
Watching as she pulled her engagement ring out of her bag his smile widened when he saw her slip it onto her finger, “Are you sure? Don’t you want to tell Lois first?” he replied.
Shaking her head he allowed for her to pull him out of the room, wrapping an arm around his waist, making sure her ring could be seen. Pausing at the doorway he kissed her quickly before pushing open the door, ready to face the media onslaught, as long as she was by his side.
~~~~
5 years on...
Sitting on the toilet Chloe kept her eyes squeezed shut. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer. Sure she loved Oliver, they were so happily married, but adding a baby to that mix could change things. How were they supposed to bring a baby into their world? He was a superhero after all and she was his sidekick. When he wasn’t out each night risking his life for other people they were plotting to take down the last of the thirty three point ones. Their lives were in constant danger, how could they even think to bring a baby into this? They weren’t dubbed the globetrotting billionaires for no reason. They were always moving, to take down thirty three point ones, but that would stop if this test come back positive.
She hadn’t always wanted to have a family. When she was a teenager she hadn’t wanted children at all, she wasn’t sure she would ever find a man that would want to settle down with her and start a family, especially considering Clark didn’t seem to want to see her. It never felt like any other boy could want her. Hal had never been an option in her mind and neither had Lex, especially after he had started dating Lana. Then again she hadn’t really thought of Oliver that way until she was in love and that had all happened so fast, one scary night where the team was almost lost. Still it was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to her and she wouldn’t take it back for anything, not even a second chance to have Lex as her best friend. She would just spend her life in regret, hoping that Lex would fall in love and realise that there was someone else out there for him. That hadn’t happened yet, though Caroline, whom she and Oliver had met the night that she had told Lex about her engagement, seemed to be making a frequent appearance by his side these days. She could only hope that it would lead somewhere and allow for Lex to relax when it came to her relationship with Oliver.
Gasping in a breath as her alarm went off she stretched out her hand, shaking the whole way, to pick up the test. Closing her eyes as she brought the test forward so it was level with her eyes she took in two deep breaths before opening her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath she smiled. The results were unexpected but that didn’t stop her from feeling overjoyed. Picking up the phone she sighed. She had to make sure. Dialling the familiar number she listened to it ring. Once, twice, three times before the person on the other end picked up.
“Hi Emil,” she whispered, “I need to make an appointment. I need to see you soon.... Ok I’ll drop around tomorrow.”
~~~~
Smiling as Emil entered the room Chloe held her breath. She wasn’t sure which answer she wanted but she knew she had to know the truth. This was the only way to be sure that the results she had gotten in the bathroom were correct. Watching as Emil walked over to her she smiled at him, praying he would deliver the news quickly.
“Let me be the first to say congratulations. You’re officially six weeks pregnant.”
Closing her eyes Chloe breathed a sigh of relief, “Six weeks. That would be after the mission in Malta. Where he was hurt and I thought he wasn’t going to be ok.”
“I remember,” Emil said with a nod, “But, to be very cheesy, look what your love did. You were scared you were going to lose Oliver and now you’ll have little him running around.”
Laughing Chloe shock her head, “Please no, I love the man to death but I don’t think I could handle two of him. I’d much rather a little girl who just acted a bit like her father.”
“Either way, Oliver is going to be over the moon. Now go home and tell him.”
Impulsively throwing her arms around him she whispered thanks in his ear before grabbing her bag and leaving. Walking down the corridor her hand couldn’t help but drift to her stomach. Smiling to herself she wasn’t paying enough attention to where she was going when she ran into someone. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she looked up to the person she had ran into to offer an apology but was startled to see Lex.
Removing her hand from her stomach quickly Chloe offered a smile, “Hi. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention.”
Lex gave a shrug, his eyes resting on where her hand had just left. “It’s ok, I guess. Well best be off to my appointment.”
Nodding Chloe smiled, “Yeah, well I have lunch with Lois, so I should go.”
“Of course,” Lex replied before pushing past her.
Nodding Chloe sighed as Lex walked past her. She hoped that he hadn’t realised why her hand was on her stomach but somehow she was sure that he would.
~~~~
Oliver looked down at the magazine cover again. He couldn’t help but feel a tiny amount of joy at it but he knew he had to confirm it with Chloe. After all how trustworthy could People magazine be. Drumming his nails against the rail of the elevator he tried to will it to climb faster than it was. He needed to know if he was going to be a dad. He and Chloe had been together for a while now, married for two years, and he had yet to stuff up so majorly that she had left. He saw having kids as the next logical step in their relationship but he wasn’t sure if Chloe was ready for that yet. He planned to raise it either way tonight. They had a similar conversation before they had gotten married but they had decided that neither of them was ready and that when one of them was they would bring it up so that they could talk again.
Smiling as the elevator doors opened he walked into the hallway, placing his jacket into the cupboard before making his way down the, loosening his tie as he went. Pausing as he entered the lounge and kitchen area his smile grew at what he saw. The place was dark, except for the candles that flickered around the room, only really lighting the way to the table. On the table there was a beautiful flower arrangement and two of the nicer pillar candles that they owned, lit. The chairs were snuggled close to each other so that he and Chloe would be sitting side by side instead of across from each other and as he got closer he saw that she had put out their wedding china. Glancing down at the plates he was surprised to see a stick on one. Picking it up, figuring it was put there by accident. Taking a closer look at it before his eyes widened in shock, it couldn’t say what he thought it said.
“Oh my God,” he whispered, as he heard a noise behind him. Turning he smiled when he saw Chloe. “So it’s true?”
“What do you mean, it’s true?” Chloe asked in shock.
Pulling the magazine out his back pocket, where he had put it while waiting in the elevator he showed her the front cover, “This,” he whispered, “Your pregnant.”
“Well, yeah but I kinda wanted to be the one to tell you,” Chloe said with a sigh, “How could they know so fast. I took the test here before going Emil to confirm it this morning and running into Lex.” Groaning she dropped her head into her hands, “Lex. Lex did this.”
“Of course he did,” Oliver sighed. “So you’re pregnant, huh?”
Looking up at Oliver she nodded, “Yeah. Six weeks.”
“So that night in Malta, you were scared I was going to die so I proved I was fine.”
“That would be the one,” Chloe whispered, walking over to him, “It was a pretty incredible celebration.”
Scooping her up into his arms Oliver rubbed his nose against hers, “It was. How about we have another one of those nights to celebrate?”
“So you’re happy about this?”
“No, I’m ecstatic. I’m over the moon. I’d be swinging you around in joy if I thought you’d enjoy that.” Oliver replied, his face breaking out into the biggest grin Chloe had ever seen.
Laughing at his antics Chloe jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, causing his hands to come up to rest on her thighs, “Well it’s good thing I turned the stove off when I heard the elevator then.”
Kissing him passionately she allowed him to carry her away to the bedroom, pushing the Lex issue from her mind for the time being.
~~~~
Making sure that Oliver was really asleep Chloe moved so that she was sitting up against the head board of the bed. It was nice, being back in Metropolis. She missed Lois and Clark, the city, but she also missed the beach of Star City, the boys and working constantly as Watchtower. It was nice to be constantly surrounded by people who wanted to be near her. It was also weird to know that they were constantly being sent into danger, to fix her friend’s mistakes. Now she wasn’t so sure she should think of it that way.
It was clear that the only person who could leak that information was Lex. Emil would never betray their secrets, she knew that. After all he was the doctor for a team of superheroes. Why would he betray them? The simple answer was that he wouldn’t. The longer answered would just be her going over the evidence to reach the same conclusion. In the end it didn’t matter. She knew who it was. Lex obviously suspected why she had her hand over her stomach. She should have known better than to think that he wouldn’t notice. He was the logical choice. He had spent years trying to undermine her relationship with Oliver. This was just his latest way.
While Lex hadn’t lived a life of exclusive celibacy he hadn’t kept a partner for more than a month and he defiantly hadn’t thought to marry anyone. At times she could go months without thinking about him and their failed friendship but every so often it snuck up on her. They saw each other constantly, dealing in same circle led to that but he usually left her and Oliver alone. She was sure Oliver had said something to him after the whole blow out after telling him that they were engaged but she couldn’t prove it. Oliver never talked about that night, other than to comment about how good her dress had looked on the floor next to their bed.
Sighing she closed her eyes. She didn’t know why she kept hoping to keep her relationship with Lex. But after five years it just felt natural. Though now she wasn’t sure why. All he did was try to drive them apart. Obviously Lex thought that Oliver would think that she was hiding the baby from him and that would cause them to fight. But after five years they knew there were no secrets in their relationship even if Lex didn’t realise that. Oliver was the first person she was going to tell the second it was confirmed, it was just a pity that Lex hadn’t figured that out. Still what did she expect from her friend. He didn’t seem to be there anymore.
Absently running a hand through Oliver’s hair she sighed. It was a hard concept to grasp. Lex truly didn’t want to be her friend anymore. It was time she got use to it. After all it had been this way for a long time and it didn’t look like anything was going to change Lex’s mind. Maybe it was time that she changed hers. Maybe it was time to give up on Lex. Sliding back into the bed properly she wrapped herself around Oliver, her head resting over his heart, her arm around his waist and her leg intertwined with his, she couldn’t help but think that this was all she needed in the world.
It was a shame she had to lose Lex to get it though.
~~~~
Smiling up at Oliver as they entered the ballroom Chloe still couldn’t help but feel constantly impressed by what some people could do with an ordinary ballroom. It beautiful, like it was at every other event they attended. The room was done to perfection and she couldn’t fault the designer. Then again she never could, they were great at what they did and she had the upmost respect for what they did, even if the other women who ran in their social circle didn’t.
“You look great in that dress,” Oliver whispered, moving his lips to her ear.
Shaking her head she replied, “But let me guess it would look better floor next to the bed.”
“It’s like you can read my mind,” Oliver said with fake awe.
Wrapping her arm firmly around he’s side Chloe laughed. It had been tough getting into the function, especially with all the baby questions from the reporters, but they weren’t going to tell the press until they had a chance to talk to Lois properly. Chloe knew that her cousin would kill her if she didn’t find out about this before the press. It would lead to the same hounding she had given them when she had to find out about their engagement from the press. Once the calmed cousin had had her say the reporter in Lois couldn’t help but break free and demand to know why she hadn’t been given the scoop before all the other reporters.
Moving further into the room she glanced around for Lex. She felt as nervous as she had three years ago when she had gone to tell him the news of the engagement but this time she knew that he already knew what was going on in her relationship. This time she planned to give him a piece of her mind for invading her privacy. Seeing him standing in the corner she was about to go over when she stopped and pointed out his date to Oliver.
“Is that the woman he was with a couple of years ago? The one who ran the organisation for street kids in Metropolis? Caroline?” Chloe asked.
Squinting Oliver looked down at Chloe in shock, “You know what. I think it is. Do you think Lex has finally found someone to settle down with?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe replied with a shrug. She really didn’t want to speculate. She had been hoping to avoid Lex after the whole baby spilling scandal. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind, sure, but right now the most important thing was keep calm, especially for the baby’s sake. She didn’t want to do anything to jeopardise the baby’s health in anyway and Emil had been telling her all about how stress could affect the baby. It was crazy really but for the first time in five years she was ready to walk away from her relationship with Lex and not look back, letting go of all the regret.
Not that she was getting that vibe considering the pair where heading their way. Sighing Chloe turned and pressed her face into Oliver neck, taking a deep breath of his smell, hoping it would calm he nerves. It was weird that just the smell of Olive calmed her down. It made her feel whole, centred, something that no one else had been able to produce in her. She pulled back just as Lex and Caroline joined them.
“Hi,” she whispered, her hand gripping Oliver’s hip just a little tighter.
“Hey,” Caroline said with a smiled, “Oliver I’ve been meaning to thank you. Your monthly checks to the foundation have been doing amazing work. In fact it’s been so amazing that the number of street kids has dropped. Though it’s not by much but it’s helping us get another building up and running so it can decrease further.”
“Well it’s a pleasure to have helped. Every little thing we do to save the citizens in Metropolis the better.” Oliver said, setting his smile to dazzling. “I just hope it can really do some good.”
“It really is at the moment. Lex was just saying the other day that it was a great initiative.” Carol said, rubbing a hand down his arm, “He even helped us to put up some gyprock at the new facility.”
“And how many will this facility house?” Chloe asked. While she wasn’t happy with Lex at the moment she was an avid supporter of Caroline’s foundation. It was built around the philosophy of building places for teenage runaways to stay and feel safe. They didn’t get in contact with anyone the teenagers were completely safe and able to stay for as long as they needed. They offered support to those who wanted to get off the streets and helped those who wanted to go back to school.
“This one should house an additional fifty. The board is trying to push it so it houses another twenty but I think that’s pushing it too far. If we keep getting the support that we are from the community than it won’t be necessary. We’ll just build another one. I don’t see the need to cramming the kids in their together.”
Chloe nodded, turning to Lex, “Maybe we can talk?’ she whispered, “In private.”
Oliver held up a finger, “Just give us a moment,” he said before pulling Chloe a small distance away, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“No,” Chloe whispered, “But if I keep all this anger in then I’m going to explode and if I don’t explode I’m going to procrastinate and how will that be any better for the baby then getting mad now.”
“Just remember to think before you speak, please,” Oliver replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the forehead, “I would hate for you to procrastinate over something you said cause you regret it later.”
“I just need an answer,” she whispered before pulling back, “And you can tell Caroline we’ll support her on the no room for more than fifty people for the building if she needs it.”
“Deal,” Oliver replied, steering the pair of them back towards Lex and Caroline, “Plus I do support that. Now go have your heart to heart.”
Kissing him gently on the lips before motioning to Lex she headed out onto the balcony, finding a small secluded spot to have their conversation. Stopping she turned and waited for him to join her. She couldn’t help but study him as he walked towards her. His facial features had changed over the years. It made him look older, weary almost, she hadn’t realised the affect that Caroline had on him until they had left her. She watched his eyes glazed over, his head tilted downwards and his smile faded. It was weird to think that one person could have that affect on Lex and she hadn’t seen him like that since they were friends.
“So what did you want?” Lex asked, cutting straight to the chase.
“Why did you leak that story to the press?” Chloe whispered, “I know you’ve made it your life mission to not be my friend anymore but I would never have thought you would do something like that. Not after what the press has done to you.”
Lex shook his head and moved so that he was looking out at the Metropolis skyline, “I don’t know.” He whispered, “Maybe it’s just cause I’ve been feeling this way for so long. I don’t know how to feel any other way.”
“And that causes you to want to hurt me,” Chloe replied, her face covered with confusion, “I don’t understand I know that I hurt you when I decided to have a relationship with Oliver but I don’t understand where this is coming from.”
“Did you know, back then, I was in love with you? I didn’t like you or have a crush, I was in love with you?” Lex whispered, “I was so sure that you were going to be married to me one of these days. However you stopped that.”
Chloe sighed, resting a hand on his arm, “I never knew. I swear.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
“No,” Chloe whispered with a shake of her head, “Probably not. But I would have been more considerate, a little less confrontational. I walked in there knowing that if you asked I would have chosen Oliver and while I hate what it’s done to our relationship I could never take back that decision. I know, without a doubt, Oliver’s the love of my life and I’m never going to love anyone as much as I love Oliver.”
Lex nodded solemnly, “I understand.”
“Does this mean you’ll stop with the leaking and the being mean? I don’t know if we can ever be friends again but I’m hoping we could try.”
“I’ve done a lot of bad things Chloe,” Lex whispered, “I don’t know how to be good anymore. I’m not sure that there is even any good left in me to be saved.”
“I know there is,” Chloe replied, “I didn’t notice it until we got out here but your different when you’re with Caroline. Your whole demeanour changes, it’s incredible to watch.”
“I think I might have some really deep feelings for her.”
“Well that’s good, because you seem to be having her on your arm more and more these days,” Chloe said with a wide smile.
“I know and I like that she wants to be around me. How is it that this amazingly good person wants to be around me?” Lex asked.
“Maybe it’s because when you around her you’re a good person. You always remind me of my friend,” Chloe whispered.
“I haven’t gone anywhere.”
“Yes you did,” Chloe replied, “Or you forced me too which seemed to make you become this person you’re not. I don’t think either of us realised what kind of affect that Lionel and LuthorCorp had. All those times we used to hang out, forget the real world, it must have been cleansing. Do you and Caroline do that?”
“No, do you and Oliver?”
Chloe nodded, “Yeah, not the exact same way that you and I used to do it but we still do. It’s nice to forget the world. It’s why we used to do it.”
“So you think that’s what I should do? And that it will solve everything?” Lex scoffed, “I don’t believe you.”
“Maybe it won’t fix everything but it might help. From there you could open up more, move further away from the shadier side of LuthorCorp that we both know exists.”
“I like that idea,” Lex whispered. “I really don’t like the shady side of LutherCorp.”
Resting a hand on his arm Chloe smiled, “I know you don’t. So why not take a step back? Maybe you guys can go on a holiday and you can think about who you are and who you want to be.”
Lex nodded, “I like that idea. I like it a lot. Thanks Chloe. And I’m sorry, for leaking the fake baby story to the press.”
“Well...” Chloe started, placing a hand on her stomach, “It’s not actually false. I’m pregnant, six weeks.”
“Hey!” Oliver cried as he walked out onto the balcony with Caroline, “You two have been gone for a while.”
“Come to make sure we’re all still alive?” Chloe asked, wrapping her hand back around his waist when he reached them.
“Yes... I’m glad to see there’s no bloodshed,” Oliver said with a smile, “Plus I wanted a dance.”
Chloe smiled in return, “Well I’m all yours. Lead the way.”
Waving to goodbye to the pair she squeezed Lex’s arm one more time when he offered his congratulations before allowing Oliver to guide her movements to the dance floor. Wrapping her free arm around his neck she smiled up at him, slowly swaying in his arms.
“So Lex knows,” he said, his voice quiet.
“Yes,” she confessed, “I told him, after he apologised.” Seeing Oliver’s startled look she continued, “I think we’re going to see a real change in him. At least I hope so. We had a pretty good talk out there.”
“Well I for one am very glad,” Oliver whispered pulling her closer, “We can talk about it more at home.”
~~~~
10 years on...
Chloe stood in the centre of lounge room smiling. She couldn’t believe that she had possessed the ability to convince Oliver to move back here without getting naked for him. She’d defiantly had to remember that chocolate chip cookies were his weakness. This house was... perfect. There was no other word for it. It had class and character, it felt like a home. That was probably the most important reason as to why they had chosen it. It had this sense of warmth like they could spend all day there and not get bored. The even better thing was that it had enough space so that she and Oliver could have a room at the other end of the hall to Allyson. They could each have their own study if they chose to, which they didn’t, and the backyard was big enough that they would be able to corner off a section for Oliver to use for safe target practise without it being as big as a farm. It was everything she wanted and more from a home, simple because she was making it with Oliver.
Turning when she heard a noise she smiled as Allyson ran towards her and hugged her legs. Kneeling down she pulled the small girl into her arms. Some days she still couldn’t believe that they had created this perfect little creature in her arms but she knew that they had. Looking up as Oliver entered the room she smiled at him before leaning back and looking at the little girl. Her hair fell in beautiful blond curls to her shoulders and her eyes were the same chocolate brown as her father’s but the thing she was sure she loved most about her daughter was that when she smiled it reminded her so much of her own mother’s smile that she couldn’t help but feel that her mom was always there with them.
“So do you like this house?” Chloe asked the little girl. Smiling as she gave a big nod she continued, “Well good cause, guess what?”
“What?” Allyson cried out.
“This is going to be our house.”
“Really,” she replied hugging Chloe once more before running off.
Laughing as the Allyson left Chloe stood and turned to her husband, “And how about you Mister Queen, do you like this house?”
Sighing Oliver looked over at place before saying, “I don’t like this place Mrs Queen. I love this place.”
Walking over towards him she said, “Are you sure you don’t mind the two hour commute to work? Cause we don’t have to get this place. We can find somewhere closer to Metropolis.”
“Chloe,” Oliver sighed, pulled her to him so that she was flush against his body, “Do you want to live in Smallville and in this house?”
“Well yes. I quite like the idea of the house in Smallville and sending Ally and any future children we have to the school I went to but not if you don’t want that.” Chloe replied. Trailing a hand down his cheek she continued, “But I’m willing give all that up if you want don’t want it too.”
“I want you to have that,” Oliver whispered, “If that means a two hour commute I can live with that. Anyway, some days I’ll take the chopper.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head and said, “Ok then I am very glad we’re buying this house. I love you, Oliver Queen.”
Smiling Oliver shook his head and kissed her gently before pulling back and saying, “I love you too, Chloe Queen. There is one thing that could make this moment perfect though.”
Raising an eyebrow at him Chloe said, “I’m not having sex with you in this lounge room while our daughter is running around the house.”
“While it’s good to see my dirty mind is rubbing off on you that’s not what I meant,” Oliver replied with a laugh before letting her go. Heading over to the stereo he switched it on before fiddling with the cd til a slow song came on. Holding out her hand to him he pulled her to him when she took it. Wrapping an arm around her waist they swayed slowly to the music, her head on his chest.
Closing her eyes she smiled when she felt his chin rest on her head. It was moments like this, with Oliver, that she treasured. Being surrounded by him, knowing he was always willing to make the effort to be a touch romantic, warmed her heart and constantly reminded her that he loved her more than anything in the world, and that she knew without a doubt that she was. The only person she could possible love more was their daughter and there was no way he could fault her for that, sometimes she thought he might love Ally more than her too.
Pulling back when she heard a knock on the door she looked at Oliver in surprise, “That can’t be for us, we don’t technically live here.”
“I know,” Oliver whispered, “Maybe it’s a ghost.”
Smacking him in the chest Chloe stared at him, “Don’t even joke about that, especially since we’re about to move to Smallville. It could come true.”
Laughing Oliver dipped his head and kissed her again, “Crazy woman,” he whispered, “I’ll go see who it is.”
Watching him walk away she shook her head before calling out, “Make sure the ghost knows it’s not welcome.”
“Is there a ghost in the house?” Allyson’s small voice came from behind her.
“No, sweetie, mommy and daddy are just being silly.” Chloe replied with a shake of her head, “Did you decide which bedroom you wanted?”
Nodding eagerly Allyson said, “Yep, the last one at the end of the hall.”
Walking over to the girl she crouched down and kissed her gently on the cheek, “Well it’s all yours” she said as Oliver entered the room with Lex. Smiling at her acquaintance she turned to Allyson and said, “Why don’t you show daddy your room while I talk to Uncle Lex.”
“Ok,” the girl said with a nod before taking her father’s hand and pulling him away.
Smiling as she watched them go she turned to Lex. Sure over the past five years they had grown closer. The rift that had ended their friendship seemed to be healing slowly but she didn’t think that they were so close that he would be making visits to the home they were going to buy.
“What can I do for you Lex?” She asked, “And how did you find us?’
“It’s not like you’re hidden, especially when you’re married to the CEO of a very large, very rich corporation but I found you by calling the real estate agency.” Lex replied with a grin, “Can we sit down to talk about this?”
“Sure,” Chloe replied, a little confused as to what he wanted. Gesturing to the couch she sat down she waited for him to speak.
Sitting down Lex said, “I need your help.”
“Ok,” Chloe said with a nod, “What can I do?”
“I want to propose to Caroline,” Lex said, “And I can’t pick a ring. So I was hoping...”
“That I would help,” Chloe cut in, “Of course I will. Did you bring what you had in mind with you?”
“Of course I did,” Lex scoffed pulling out three ring boxes, “Now the first one may seem a little over the top but it was my mum’s engagement ring so it has sentimental value to go with it.”
Taking the box from Chloe gasped when she saw the ring inside, “That is very extravagant. It doesn’t seem like Caroline’s taste though. What do the other two look like?”
Taking the boxes from Lex Chloe smiled at him before opening the second one. The big square diamond jumped out at her to start with. She blinked. It was a huge diamond, with two smaller, but still quite big, oval shaped diamonds either side of it. Closing the box she sighed and turned to Lex, “Not to break our new friendship but you can’t give her that. It will blind everyone in sight.”
“This isn’t a joking matter.”
“I’m not kidding,” Chloe said with a sigh, “Plus if you put something like that on her finger it’s bound to be taken off by a robber.” Pausing she turned to face him, “Tell me all the rings aren’t like that.”
“No,” Lex sighed before taking back another box, “Just two of them. Anyway who says Carol has your taste?”
“If you knew her taste you wouldn’t have come to me,” Chloe replied with a raised eyebrow, “But if you think you can do this by yourself your free to leave. I’ll go back to letting my husband seduce me.”
Lex groaned, “I didn’t need to hear that.”
“Well it’s true, so do you want my help or not?” Chloe asked.
“Yes, please, help me already.”
Taking the box that was left Chloe pried it open. Sitting back on the couch she blew out a breath. It was amazingly beautiful. The centre stone was a beautiful circled diamond. It wasn’t too big but it wasn’t as small as the diamond on her engagement ring was. It was almost perfect, two triangle diamonds kept the circle enclosed. They were smaller than the circle diamond but gave it enough emphasis. The band was a beautiful silver colour, lighting up the simplicity and the brilliance of the ring.
Turning she to Lex she smiled, holding out the ring, “This is the one. It’s perfect.”
“Almost as good as your own?”
“As far as I’m concerned there will be no engagement ring as perfect as mine but it’s defiantly the ring for Caroline. When do you plan to do this?”
“You’ll know when,” Lex replied with a smile hugging Chloe briefly before standing, “Will we see the three of you tomorrow?”
“I didn’t realise my four year old daughter was invited.”
“Well she is, so save some your money on a baby sitter and bring her along,” Lex replied, as Chloe stood up to walk him out.
“If you insist,” Chloe whispered, “Though you better leave the back door opened in case we need to sneak in.” When she noticed Lex’s raised eyebrow she shrugged, “Don’t go there, it’s better for everyone if you leave it alone.”
“Fair enough,” Lex replied as Chloe pulled the door opened, “Well I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Nodding her agreement she waved the man goodbye. It was hard at times. Being friends with Lex but over the past year he had began to distance himself from LuthorCorp and the thirty three point ones that they raided stopped having deep connections to Lex. It warmed her heart that he was finally starting to become a better man.
Closing the door she turned and headed down the corridor that her husband and daughter had taken. She hadn’t heard a peep from them since Lex had shown up and she was a little worried that they were both up to no good. After all Allyson somehow had inherited her father’s gene for getting into trouble and there was nothing more that she liked doing than dragging her father along for the ride. Slowly peering around the corner she smiled when she saw them sitting on the floor of the bare room. Allyson was sitting in Oliver’s lap and he had pulled out the book that he always carried on him, ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’, and was reading softly, oblivious to the fact that Allyson had fallen asleep in his lap. Taking her phone out of her back pocket she snapped a photo of the pair. They looked too adorable that she wasn’t able to pass up the opportunity.
Stepping into the room she sat down beside her husband smiling up at him before motioning to him that Allyson was asleep. Kissing him softly she whispered against his lips, “Lex is gone.”
“Ok, what he want?”
“Help picking out an engagement ring.”
Oliver nodded, “Fair enough. Were you able to help?”
“Yeah, he invited Ally along tomorrow night so we don’t need to be worrying about a sitter. He even said he would leave the back door open for us so we could use that.”
Oliver shrugged, “You know, as long as Allyson’s ok with the press taking her photo we’ll go through the front entrance.”
“Are you sure? You’re the one who wanted to keep her out of the papers for as long as possible.”
“I know but they already have some pictures of her. I’m not sure I see too much harm, as long as one of us is with her.”
“Which we will be, we’ll always be there for her.”
“I know. I’m kinda getting use to that idea. So, how do you feel about green in this room? It was all Allyson’s idea of course.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, “I’m sure it was.”
~~~~
Looking in the mirror Chloe smooth day the dress she was wearing around the waist. Catching Allyson peek her head into the room she turned and smiled. She loved her daughter deeply, she reminded her so much of Oliver. Walking over to the doorway quietly she crouched, waiting for the little girl to peek around again. When she did Chloe reached out and pulled her into her arms, looking her up and down.
Sighing Chloe rolled her eyes, “Why are you wearing that sweetie?”
“It’s my princess dress, you said I had to look pretty.”
“Well, yes sweetie, you have to look pretty. But this is a dress up dress and you can’t wear a dress up dress outside.”
Grasping the fabric between her fingers she shook her head at the little girl. She should have figured that her daughter would want to wear this dress. Scooping her up in her arms she held the little girl close, feeling her try to wrap her small arms around her shoulders. Looking quickly in the mirror she smiled at the dress. She really liked this one and she had been waiting for the chance to wear it for a while now. She had seen it months ago when they were in Italy, under the pretence of Queen Industry business but were really blowing up one of the few thirty three point ones that were left in existence. They had been shopping for no reason when she had spotted it in the shop window.
It was a simple dress really, nothing extra fancy about it other than the price tag that was on it. It was a bold yellow and had waving lines of brown, green, pink and red that ran through it. The bust area was gathered and it twisted. The straps went up and over her collar in a halt neck fashion. The reason she had purchased it was the back though. Oliver had loved the way the back looked that she couldn’t resist buying it. The two straps joined at the back, looping around a line of fabric that was pulled back from the bust area. The actual back of the dress didn’t start until about a centimetre from the bottom curve of her spine and fell to the ground with a small train following behind it. Of course the heels she had chosen to wear made the train almost disappear but she liked it that way, it meant she wouldn’t trip over it when she was walking.
Smiling as Oliver entered the room and scooped the little girl out of her arms she shook her head when he said, “I love that dress on you.”
“Yeah and I bet you’ll love it more when it’s on the ground next to the bed,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes, “Have you seen what your daughter is wearing?”
Watching his eyebrow crease as he looked at the girl in his arms he shook his head before saying, “Sweetie you can’t wear that dress.”
“Why not?” The little girl asked with a pout, “It’s the best dress I own.”
“No it’s not sweetie, beside it’s a dress up dress,” Oliver said with a sigh, “Why don’t we go find something more appropriate for you to be wearing.”
Shaking her head Allyson got a determined look in her eyes and said, “No. I want to wear this one.”
“Well it doesn’t matter,” Chloe replied, a stern tone in her voice, “Now go and change before we’re late.”
Watching the little girl climb down from her father’s arms she smiled when Oliver wrapped them around her, “I do love your super mom side.” He whispered in her ear, “Makes me wish we’d have more kids already.”
Chloe shrugged, “If you want more kids all you have to do is say so. I’m not fussed about having one or two more.”
“I was thinking seven or eight,” Oliver whispered.
“Of course you were but your thinking with your little brain and I’m not pushing out that many kids.”
“Fine,” Oliver conceded with a small pout, “Maybe three more and I’ll be happy.
“We’ll deal with this later,” Chloe replied with a roll of her eyes as Allyson entered the room again, dressed more appropriately. “Now that’s better. Let’s get out of here before we’re late.”
~~~~
Stepping out of the limo Oliver smiled at the press, giving them a brief wave before turning back to the limo and taking Allyson into his arms when the little girl climbed over Chloe’s lap. Shifting the girl so that she was sitting on his right side Oliver reached out his hand to help Chloe out of the limo so that they could face the onslaught of the press together. Slipping his arm around her waist they walked forward together, facing the crowd as a united front.
Pausing and smiling for the camera he wasn’t surprised when Allyson suddenly cried out, “Hi Aunt Lois!”
Laughing he brushed the little girls curls back, shaking his head with a fond smile. He remembered what it was like. Being in front of a crowd this big of people who want nothing more than to find the biggest and best story that they could and cram it onto the front page, whether it was true or not. Since he’d been married he’d apparently cheated on Chloe with two red heads and three brunettes. Once upon a time it would have driven him up the wall now days he just showed Chloe and the pair had a good laugh about the whole thing. It was defiantly a well honed system but he was glad that his daughter would know that there would be at least two people in the crowd of strangers who wouldn’t do that to her. It would be nice for her to know that.
Of course that could be used against her when Lois started bugging her for information. Lucky for them that wouldn’t be for another couple of years.
“Ally, honey, we’ll see Aunt Lois inside,” Chloe replied, taking the little girls hand and kissing it gently, “Now why don’t we keep moving. It’d be nice to get inside before they blind us.”
“I like that idea,” Oliver replied, nodding to the press before leading Chloe inside.
Pausing so that Chloe could hand her bag into the check in area the trio entered the patio. It was weird that Lex was holding a party on a patio but she didn’t really think anything of it. Lex had been different for the last couple of years though and she liked it. Taking Allyson out of her father’s arms Chloe walked over to where Clark was standing, leaving Oliver to mingle on his own.
“Uncle Clark,” Ally cried, squirming in Chloe’s arms, “I missed you while away.”
Letting Clark take the girl from her arms she smiled as her friend said, “Well I missed you too kiddo. How was Star City?”
Ally shrugged, “Ok but I like our new house better.”
“New house?” Clark asked raising an eyebrow at Chloe, “And where would this new house be?”
“This new house of ours is going to be in Smallville, isn’t it kiddo?”
Smiling as Ally just nodded her head Chloe turned to the platform as a glass was tapped. Waiting for Lex to start speaking she smiled at Oliver as he made his way over.
“I don’t know why he’s starting his speech so soon,” He whispered in her ear, “It’s a little odd.”
Chloe shrugged, “I’m sure he won’t keep us in suspense long.”
“I hope not, I’m not good with suspense unless there’s a bed involved,” Oliver growled in her ear.
Closing her eyes against the onslaught of his words she suppressed a groan. She loved that after all these years Oliver could still get her humming. It always reminded her of a great saying she read when they were in Australia, just after they had gotten married. It went something like marriage isn’t about falling in love with a person once it’s about falling in love with someone multiple times that grew exponentially. That was exactly how she felt about Oliver. He proved time and time again that he had the ability to make her fall in love with him and that she did they same to him. It was more than that. There was a passion, a spark that ran through them when they were together. It made her so sure about their relationship that she knew he would never stray. He loved her and only her. Even if no one else believed that, she did.
“Ladies and gentlemen if I could have you attention for just a moment, I’ll be very brief. I’d like to thank you all for coming out on this lovely day and hanging out on the patio of the Empire Hotel. LuthorCorp thanks you.”
Watching as he took his glass and moved to the side Chloe tilted her head, she knew that there was something a little off putting about the whole thing.
“I’m sure many of you are wondering why you were invited here on a Sunday afternoon but there’s an important announcement that LuthorCorp has to make,” Lex continued. “As of tomorrow morning I will no longer be the President of LuthorCorp.”
Listening to the shocked gasps around the room, Chloe turned to Oliver, “Did you know anything about this?”
Oliver shook his head, his face completely filled with shock, “No idea whatsoever. That was kept pretty quiet.”
Tapping on his glass again Lex raised it above his head and waited for the chatter to die down, “I know this must come as a shock. I have put a lot of thought into this and while my father doesn’t approve I feel like this is the best move for me and the family I’m about to have. Yesterday I handed in my resignation and went home to propose to my beautiful girlfriend, who said yes.”
Cheering along with the crowd Chloe couldn’t help but feel proud, her best friend was defiantly on the right path. She knew there was a lot more than just leaving LuthorCorp for Caroline. The father son relationship between Lionel and Lex had been bad since Lionel had been realised from jail. So much so that she wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of the reason that Lex was resigning. There had always been a poisonous tendency to Lionel and Lex’s relationship.
“Look, can I have you attention for another moment,” Lex called, “There’s something else. Just after Caroline agreed to make me the happiest man alive, and for all you doubts this is the marriage that’s going to stick, she told me that she’s pregnant with our first child.” Not stopping for the applause Lex power on, “We’re planning on stepping out of the limelight. No more charity events or press conferences. From now on we’re going to be a family and we’d like all the press to respect our wishes. Thank you for your time.”
Smiling as the people clapped lightly for Lex she watched her friend take his fiancé by the arm and leave the event.
“Wow,” she whispered, turning back to Oliver and Clark when Allyson tugged on her dress. Leaning down to scoop the little girl up she smiled at Clark, “I’m guessing you’re going to have to go and get this to the paper.” Clark nodded.
“Well drop by for dinner late next week, we should be in our house by then,” Oliver suggested shaking his hand after he hugged Chloe and Allyson goodbye. Taking the girl back from Clark the trio waved Clark off before turning back to each other.
“So... What do we do now?” Chloe asked.
“Do you want to go and find Lex, talk to about this some more?” Oliver asked.
Chloe shook her head, “Honestly I understanding the reasoning. Lionel is like a parasite at times. Maybe we should go and call Victor. See what’s happening with the buildings.”
“I don’t know,” Oliver said, “The buildings have been decreasing in number over the year. Maybe this explains that. Maybe there won’t be any more after this.”
Chloe nodded, “I really hope so but what I hope for more is that Lionel’s poison hasn’t sunk in.”
“Maybe Caroline is the vaccine.”
“I think love is the vaccine. How about we just go home? Enjoy some family time,” Chloe said with a smile.
Kissing her softly Oliver hugged her close, liking the fact that he could hold his two favourite people close at the same time, “I like that idea a lot. I’m defiantly on board with that.”
~~~~
12 years on...
Chloe laughed as Clark swung Allyson around in the air, trailing behind them. She loved the smell of the parking lot and the feel of the trees brushing up against her. Feeling the little boy in her belly give a kick she smiled and ran her hand over her stomach. Oliver was going to upset that he wasn’t there, he always was, but she figured he’d do what he did the other night, spend a lot of time talking to her stomach til their son kicked up a storm for him. It was still weird, calling that baby their son. They had only found out a week ago that they were having a little boy and since then she had come up with the perfect name, not that she had told anyone.
They hadn’t been expecting another child just yet, though Ally had asked for one constantly and Oliver had discussed it with her. It turned out her second child was going to be just like her first, a surprise to their family. They would love this child as much as they loved their first and, if Oliver had his way, their third. It was nice to have a big family, lots of people around to love, especially considering Lois still hadn’t found the perfect man and Clark was still searching for the person who would be able to handle both he’s Superman and reporter lifestyle. Lex, however, had married Caroline and had his first child all in the space of ten months and now they were expecting another one to join their family. It had surprised her at first but Lex actually turned out to be a pretty decant father and once he left LutherCorp to work as a humanitarian the League could no longer find any trace of the thirty three point ones. It was like they vanished when Lex gave up on his legacy. Overall Lex was happier, content with what he had. He loved his family greatly and in turn had come to further accept her relationship with Oliver. Chloe knew she had to thank Caroline for that, she knew it was the other woman doing that had helped Lex to accept Oliver a bit better. Dinners between the families were strained but they were defiantly better than before and Chloe had a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the tension was due to the fact that the two men just didn’t know how to act around each other.
Feeling a tug on her hand Chloe looked down at her daughter just as she cried out, “Uncle Lex!,” and ran towards the man.
Laughing she allowed Clark to wrap an arm around her and steer them towards where Ally had run off to. She was happy that in time Clark’s relationship with Lex had changed too. Apparently Lionel was more corrupting than they had thought cause the second Lex cut ties he was like a different man. He went to Clark and apologised for all the problems that had happened and he promised to stop digging for whatever Clark’s secret.
Smiling at Lex she embraced him as Alex, he’s son, leaped into Clark’s arms demanding that they play the flying game. Watching Allyson run after them she turned to Lex and said, “Have you picked a tree yet?”
“No, have you?”
Shaking her head Chloe smiled, “I was hoping to steal the one you were going to buy.”
“Like I’d let you,” Lex replied with a role of his eyes, “How did the doctor’s appointment go?”
“It really well,” Chloe replied with a nod, “Our little boy is very healthy.”
Turning to her with a surprised expression Lex raised an eyebrow, “It’s a boy? That’s so amazing Chloe.”
“Yeah, we’re having a boy.”
Letting Lex pull her into another hug she smiled. Seven years ago he’d sold her out to the papers and she had hated him for it. Now though Lex had been strictly no comment when the press came to see him about it. It was really amazing the transformation that had taken place to her friend. He was a completely different man now and she while she thought she knew what happened she wasn’t really sure if it was the truth but she liked it. One of these days she was going to get the answer out of him.
“So have you thought of a name for him yet?” Lex asked.
Nodding Chloe smiled, “Yeah I think I know what we’re going to call him, though I’ll have to talk Oliver into it. I’m sure of that.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I thought Robert Alexander Queen would be fitting name. That way he can always have he’s grandfather and godfather with him. Of course I’m sure I’ll have to argue with Oliver about the godfather part, just so he can save some face.”
Turning to look at Lex she was surprised to see that he’s mouth hung opened in disbelief. Shaking her head she hugged the man to her before whispering in his ear, “I think it’s the perfect name for him.” Feeling Lex’s arms moving around her waist she smiled. It was defiantly nice to be able to hug Lex again, and apparently the baby felt the same way that she did cause it gave a kick just before they pulled apart.
Laughing Lex said with a smile, “Well as long as you don’t tell him that baby kicked while you were hugging me I think you’ll do fine.”
“Oh I know, I already have the outfit picked out to convince him with.”
Lex shook he’s head and groaned, “I don’t need to know things like that.”
“I figured you might want to know,” Chloe said with a shrug as Ally ran back to them while Clark followed with Alex. Smiling as the little girl wrapped her arms around her waist Chloe continued, “We should find a tree. Will we see you tonight at the Kent’s party?”
Nodding Lex hugged them all again saying, “You will defiantly see us there.”
“Give Caroline my best,” Chloe replied with a smile as she steered Allyson and Clark back to the tree that they had found earlier. Smiling she glanced down at her daughter and asked, “Is this tree still the one?”
Allyson nodded and said, “But I think daddy will need Uncle Clark’s help to get it off the car.”
Laughing with the little girl she said, “I think so too. Now let’s buy a tree.”
~~~~
When the Queens arrived at the Kent’s Christmas Eve party it was already in full swing. On first glance it looked like the whole town had turned up but in reality it was probably only half the town. Smiling they waved to Lex and Caroline as they moved over to greet the Kents. Hugging them both briefly Oliver and Chloe smiled and shook their heads as both Martha and Jonathon reached for Allyson at the same time.
Letting her husband swing the young girl into his arms Martha moved a hand to Chloe’s stomach asking, “So how did the doctor’s appointment go the other day?”
Oliver said nodding his head, “Everything looks fine and we know what we’re having now so we can start to get the nursery ready.”
“So...” Martha said her excitement to hear the news obvious.
“I’m getting a brother,” Ally called out from her place in Jonathon’s arms.
Smiling Martha drew the little girl into her arms, “Are you excited about getting a brother?”
Ally nodded, “I am but not as excited as I would be if I was getting a sister.”
Laughing Oliver said, “There’s always next time, kiddo.”
Rolling her eyes Chloe replied, “And what, you’re going push this third child through your pelvis? Not mention everything else that comes with pregnancy.”
“How about you just get through one pregnancy before you start to worry about the next,” Martha offered with a calm smile before turning to the girl in her arms, “Now I saved you some of the cookies in the kitchen. How about we go and get them?”
Watching as her daughter clapped her hands together as Martha carried her into the kitchen and kissing Jonathon’s cheek as he left to mingle, Chloe turned to her husband with a smile. She loved the fact that he’s hair had a few stray grey hairs sticking out, even though he was in his mid thirties. His eyes were still the same though, their beautiful shade of brown, she could get lost in them for hours, not that she minded.
Trailing a hand down his cheek she whispered, “So what are we going to do with ourselves?”
Laughing Oliver leaned down so his mouth was near her ear, “Well I’d suggest playing our favourite indoor game but someone is bound to notice if we disappear.”
Kissing him softly Chloe was about to pull back and was about to reply when Clark called out to them.
“Chloe, Oliver,” he said, heading in their direction, “How have you two been?”
“You mean since you helped us pick out a tree this morning?” Chloe asked.
Laughing Clark shrugged, “You never know what happens, especially with our side jobs.”
“He has a good point,” Oliver said with a nod, “But we’re doing fine. We didn’t anything today other than watching Christmas movies and decorate the tree.”
“A lovely family afternoon,” Chloe said with a nod, running her hand down to the top of Oliver’s ass. Moving it slowly along the top of the curve she smiled at Clark, “What did you do?”
“I helped my parents get ready for tonight,” Clark said with a shrug, “Did you see that Lana came back in town for tonight.”
“No,” Chloe said with a shake of her head, moving closer to Oliver, her hand stopping suddenly.
“Yeah, well I should go find my father and start mingling,” Clark said with a smile, hugging Chloe before he left.
Waiting until Clark had left Oliver pulled Chloe til they were standing with their chests pressed together, “How do you feel about Lana being back?”
Chloe shrugged, “How am I suppose to feel? She left without saying goodbye last time. She can do the same this time for all I care. I have everything I need in you and our family.”
Smiling at her Oliver leant down and kissed her lightly, moving his hand to cup her face gently. Wrapping his other arm around her waist so his palm was flat on her back she listened as she sighed into the kiss. It wasn’t that often that they found time to make out slowly, gently, just kissing for the sake of kissing. They were either pecking quickly as one of them ran out the door for some reason or making love in their bed. They never actually had to time to slow down and make out just for the sake of making out like they did when they first started dating. It was nice to be able to do that again.
Pulling back gently he rested his forehead on hers, “You it’s ok if you want to go and talk to her. No one would fault you for that.”
“I know but after how she left I just don’t want to want to get into that. All that matters is that we’re together. I don’t care what Lana thinks anymore.”
“As long as you’re sure,” Oliver said, dropping a small kiss one her lips, “This could be a chance to clear the air. Settle this whole thing down. Wouldn’t it be nice for that?”
“Oliver yesterday morning I yelled at you for leaving your underwear on the floor next to the hamper instead of in. How do you think my hormones are going to react to the Lana issue?”
Nodding Oliver agreed, “That’s true.”
Opening her mouth to say something else she closed it when she heard the glasses around her making a tinging sound, causing everyone to look at Jonathon. Taking Oliver’s hand the pair moved into the living room, waiting to see what Jonathon had to say.
“Ladies and Gentlemen can you all grab a drink,” Jonathon said. Smiling at Oliver as he grabbed two glasses of orange juice she took the one that he held out to her before turning back to Jonathon, “I have it on good authority that this year’s Kansas Humanitarian Award is going to our very own Lex Luthor.” Turning to Lex he said, “Would you like to say something?”
“Cheers! Cheers!” Chloe called out with the rest of the crowd as Oliver clapped and Allyson climbed down from Jonathon’s arms and ran towards them. Taking Oliver’s glass so that he could bend down to pick her up Chloe turned back to see what Lex had to say.
“Thank you, I can’t remember ever feeling this happy before. I have a beautiful wife, an amazing son and in case you haven’t heard we’re about to be blessed with a daughter. I have amazing friends and I have Chloe,” Lex said, turning to look her in the eyes, “I know we haven’t always had the easiest friendship but I’m so glad that we were able to find our way back to being friends. So thank you and thank you to my beautiful wife Caroline. I would never have become this man without your help.”
Clapping along with the crowd Chloe didn’t even realise that she had been crying until Oliver reached out a hand and gently wiped away a tear. Smiling at him she kissed him lightly before wiping away the rest of her tears. Turning to see Caroline and Lex embrace she smiled before taking Oliver’s hand and leading the pair over there.
“Hey you two,” she whispered, hugging Caroline and then Lex. “That was a pretty amazing speech.”
“Thanks, though it was just off the top of my head,” Lex said with a shrug.
“Well, watch out, cause next year the Humanitarian award is going to be mine,” Oliver joked, shifting Allyson in his arms so that she was sitting there more comfortably.
“It’s all yours if you want it,” Lex said with a shrug.
Caroline shook her head, “Well that’s hardly...” gasping in pain she placed a hand on her stomach.
Moving so that she was standing beside the woman Chloe took her arm and said, “What’s wrong? Where’s the pain?”
“I think my water just broke.”
~~~~
“It’s ok, you’re doing great,” Lex said with a smile as Carol squeezed his hand extra hard. Wiping the sweat from her brow he turned to the doctor as he asked his wife to push again. Holding onto her he sighed and whispered, “Just think, in a couple of minutes we’re going to be meeting our daughter.”
Nodding Carol took in a shaky breath, “Good, keeping saying things like that.”
“Alright, now I need one more big push, ok.” The doctor said.
“You can do it baby,” Lex whispered, “One more and then we can meet our beautiful daughter. You can do.”
Groaning Caroline gave one last push, squeezing Lex’s hand as hard as possible. Hearing the baby start to cry the woman gave a sigh of relief before collapsing against the bed. Accepting a kiss from Lex she whispered against his lips, “Is she as beautiful as I imagined?”
Looking up at the doctor he smiled as the little girl was placed into his arms. Sitting down on the bed he looked down at the girl before replying, “She is more beautiful than either one of us could imagine. She’s perfect, an amazing Christmas gift, Carol. Thank you so much, for giving me a family, a life.”
“Well you did do your part,” she replied with a smile, trailing a hand down his check before placing a hand on the body of their daughter, “Hi little girl. You’re so beautiful.”
Kissing her softly again Lex moved to hand his daughter over to the nurse. Watching her getting taken away again he smiled. She was so beautiful and he still couldn’t believe that they had created something so... perfect. It was truly amazing.
Hearing Carol gasp he turned quickly, wondering what was wrong. Seeing her eyes roll back and her body jolt off the bed he ran to her side, “Carol, are you ok? Somebody help her!”
Watching as the doctor moved to her side it all happened in a blur. He watched as the nurses pushed him aside and the doctor started spitting out words like haemorrhaging and transfusion. He stood around as his daughter was wheeled away and he was forced from the room. Moving to the window he saw as they changed over blood and moved around frantically, even shocking her at one stage. He saw as an IV push was administered and they wheeled his wife past him, straight to an operation room. He stayed where he was though, watching the room through window, praying that his wife would come back. That she wasn’t going to die, she wasn’t going to leave him like everyone else. He couldn’t stand even thinking about it. He barely noticed when Chloe and Oliver showed up, standing by his side.
Glancing behind him as the doctor called his name he waited until the doctor was in front of him before posing his question, “How is she?”
The doctor shook his head, “I’m sorry but your wife has lost a lot of blood. We’re in control of it but...”
Placing a hand over his mouth and trying to keep his emotions in he said, “There’s got to be something we can do.”
Listening as the doctor told him the only option Lex shut his eyes. He knew his only solution he just didn’t want to face it. Still he knew that if all it would take was to save Caroline he would take it. He didn’t even realise that he had turned around, walked towards the exit and entered his car. He was barely aware when the car started and headed towards the mansion he once lived in. He knew it was a stupid and risky decision but it was the only one he could make. It was the only way to save her life, he knew that.
Stepping out of the car he ran up the steps and all the way down the long hallways to his old office, where he was sure his father was. Bursting through the doors he called out, “Dad, I – I need your help.”
Lionel raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting, barely glancing up at his son before saying, “I don’t doubt it. Why else would you be here Christmas Eve?”
“It’s Carol Dad, they started a transfusion but we’ve got to get her to a specialist. There’s a surgeon in Metropolis at the Davis Clinic.”
Exhaling sharply Lionel finally looked up from his work. Shaking his head he replied, “Oh, Lex. What a sorry situation you’ve gotten yourself into this time.”
“Don’t you understand,” Lex said with a shake of his head, “My wife is dying. I need the helijet to save her life.”
“I understand that perfectly but you’re the one who turned your back on me seven years ago. Now you have no problem banging on my door, begging for a favour in the name of family.”
“This is Carol we’re talking about, my wife! I know we’re had out differences but she’s the mother of your grandchildren,” Lex cried, “Don’t you have any compassion?!”
“How can I have grandchildren? I don’t have a son,” Lionel whispered with a stone hard conviction before turning back to his laptop and resuming his work.
Shaking his head Lex knew that he should have been expecting this. After all, his father had become even more of a bastard after his release from prison. Still he couldn’t believe the coldness that his father was displaying, the way he was able to brush under the rug the fact that he could save the mother of his grandchildren. Then again he could barely save his own wife. Lex had always thought that his father wanted him to be like himself but he never would have thought he would go to this extreme.
Moving to leave Lex whispered, “You bastard. You can save her,” before he headed back to his car, not listening as Lionel yelled and ranted about something that was no longer his worry.
~~~~
Standing by Caroline’s bedside table Chloe held the woman’s hand, trying to stop the tears that were running down her face. She didn’t know where Oliver or Lex had gone but she was glad to have a moment alone with the other woman, even if she spent the whole time crying. She still couldn’t believe this was happening. After everything that she had learnt about the woman and the way that she had always been there for Lex Chloe couldn’t believe that she may be ripped from all their lives. In her mind it was like someone ripping Oliver out of her life. She wouldn’t know what to do without the man and she was sure Lex was feeling the same way about Caroline.
Rubbing her hand gently Chloe whispered, “Now you need to get better. I don’t care how you just need to come back. Because I met your little girl tonight and she is so beautiful. You need to be around her so you can watch her break so many boys’ hearts, probably even my sons if he gets Oliver’s good looks.”
“He better,” Oliver whispered from the doorway.
Turning to him Chloe moved and wrapped her arms around him, holding him as close as she could manage. Feeling him do the same to her she smiled before pulling back just enough to see his face, “Where did you go?”
“To make a phone call,” he whispered, “I have a funny feeling Lex is going to Lionel for help and I know he’s not going to give it. So I called the man who pilot’s my helijet and he’ll be here in the next twenty minutes to take her to the clinic. I also had to let the nurses know.”
Pulling her husband down so his lips met hers she kissed him with everything she was feeling. Her husband was an amazing man, willing to give his jet to a man who was once his enemy. It was incredible in her eyes and summed up the relationship she always had with him. He always knew how to be a hero without meaning too.
Hearing a throat clear in the doorway she pulled back, turning to face Lex, “Hey,” she whispered. “Did you hear the good news?”
“There is no good news,” Lex whispered moving to stand by his wife as a doctor and two nurse rushed in.
The doctor stopped in front of Lex, as the two nurses started prepping the equipment for transport, “We need you to be on the roof in two minutes Mr Luthor if you’re going to come with us.”
“Come with you where?” Lex whispered, a confused look glazing over his eyes.
“To the Davis Clinic in the helijet that Mr Queen was kind enough to lend you. We need be going in two minutes if you we’re going to have a chance to save her life. Of course the baby is coming with us too, so you need to make a decision,” The Doctor said just before one of the nurses called for him, “We need a decision.”
“Of course I’m coming,” Lex replied, before turning to the two Queens in the room with him as the Doctor went to help the nurses, “Thank you so much.”
Oliver shrugged, “You don’t have to thank us. I have a feeling you would do the same thing for us if you could.”
Lex nodded silently as Chloe whispered, “Really it was all Oliver. I forgot we even owned a helijet.”
“Well thank you anyway,” Lex whispered, as the Doctor called for him.
“We’ll meet you at the clinic in a couple of hours,” Chloe whispered, hugging her friend as he ran out the door.
Sighing she shook her head and wrapped her arms around Oliver’s waist again. She opened her mouth to speak but he beat her too it, “Don’t you ever put me through that. I don’t know what I’d do without you Chloe.”
Laughing Chloe pulled back, “Funnily enough, I’ve been thinking about that all night. I can’t live without you either, so you can’t ever put me through anything more serious than a swipe from a knife, you hear me?”
Kissing her lightly Oliver nodded, “Agreed. Now come on. We’ve a long drive ahead of us.”
Chloe nodded, letting Oliver led her out of the room. Knowing her husband well she whispered, “Are Alex and Ally ok with the Kent’s?”
Laughing Oliver pressed a kiss to her temple before whispering, “Clark played the flying game until everyone else left and then they watched a movie and they were out like a light. I told them we’d drop by tomorrow in time for lunch and then we’d deal with presents. Martha said that they would explain it to them in the morning. How are you and Robbie feeling?”
“You’re on board with the name?”
“Yeah, but only cause it’s a good one.”
Kissing the closet part of his body to her she whispered against his skin, “I’m glad and we’re tired so I’m sleeping during the car ride.”
“I can live with that,” Oliver whispered.
~~~~
Smiling when she saw Lex Chloe stopped beside him, waiting for him to notice her. When she and Oliver had arrived at the hospital they were happy to find that Caroline had come through the travel and surgery safely and was resting in her room, recovering. They had popped their heads in to see her but they hadn’t stayed long. Chloe knew how she felt though, Robbie was making her feel drowsy but before she curled up on Oliver she wanted to check in on Lex.
Rubbing a hand down his arm she looked into the nursery with him for a minute before saying, “She’s really beautiful Lex. Who would have guessed that you’d have a beautiful daughter?”
“Who would have guessed that you would have one?”
Shoving him she rolled her eyes, “You have seen my husband right? Hottest billionaire in America, of course we have beautiful children. The same can’t be said about you.”
“I’m the hottest man to Caroline and that’s all that matter,” Lex replied with a shrug, “Did you get a chance to see her?”
“Briefly, she was still groggy she so we didn’t stay long.”
Nodding Lex turned to face her, “So where is your dumber half?”
“He went to get coffee and I refuse to say anything about the dumber comment,” Chloe said with a sly smile. “I heard the operation went well though.”
“He’s a smart man to go get coffee alone when you can’t have any.” Lex replied, turning back to look at his daughter, “And it did but they had to do a hysterectomy. We can’t have any more children.”
“Two is good though,” Chloe said with a nod, “If Oliver had his way I’d be popping out children for the rest of my life.”
“Well that would good. I could Uncle Lex a million times over.”
“Yeah but I doubt you or Oliver are willing to push the kid out. Two is more than enough for me.” Chloe replied with a shrug, “Plus we can always convince Clark to have a million kids.”
“I like that idea the best,” Lex said with a nod.
“So have you named her yet?” Chloe asked.
“Well not all of us find out the sex before the kid is born.”
Laughing Chloe shook her head, “And you didn’t have a seven year old around twenty four seven begging to know if she was going to have a brother or sister so she could buy them a Christmas present.”
“You’re not due for another five months,” Lex said with a laugh.
“I know,” Chloe cried, “So what’s her name?”
“I think I’m going to try and convince Caroline to call her Lillian, Lilly, after my mum.”
“It’s beautiful Lex but what if she doesn’t go for it.”
Lex shrugged, “I can live with that. What I think she will really agree with is naming you and Oliver he god parents. What you say?”
Chloe gasped in surprise, tears swelling in her eyes, “Dam hormones,” she whispered quietly, wiping one tear as it rolled down her face. “Of course we will. We’d be honoured.”
“Good,” Lex said with a nod, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, “Now what about some other names.”
“Brianna.”
“Marie-Anne.”
“She’s not going to be a grandma for sixty more years. What about Mia?”
“Or Rebecca?”
“Patricia.”
“Shannon.”
“That’s a boy’s name. You have a girl in there. How about Hannah?”
“Naomi.”
“Or Taylor,” Chloe whispered with a sigh. Their friendship had somehow weathered a lot through years and sometimes it felt like they wouldn’t make it but really... They were just taking the long way around.
The End.
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