Chlollie Fanfic: Beauty in the Breakdown IX, 'Fessing Up, Chapter 4
Sorry this is late, everyone!
I tried to fit the girly conversation into just one chapter, but it got too long for LJ to handle, so I've split it. The good news is that I should be able to post the next chapter either tomorrow or Friday. Huzzah!
Enjoy! Bee-yoo-ti-ful banner by alxnhnt22. Love ya, babes! :-)
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown IX - ‘Fessing Up
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: PG-13 (for adult themes)
Warnings: A Re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: Chloe upped and got married. Lois is not amused. :)
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 4
It was a huge bombshell she had just dropped on her cousin, and Lois’s reaction was just as Chloe had expected. She was staring at her in disbelief, a horrified expression in her eyes that were rapidly filling with tears.
“My God,” she whispered, pressing her hands to her cheeks as her voice rose. “Oh, my God. How did I not know this? Chloe, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” she replied reaching for Lois’s trembling hand. “You were getting your life together, and I didn’t want to burden you with my problems. And…” she paused. “After everything with my Mom, I didn’t want you looking at me like I was crazy.”
“I’d never have done that!” she exclaimed. “I’m your big cousin, Chlo, it’s my job to worry about you!”
“I know, Lois; but…” she sighed. “It goes both ways. I worry about you, too, and I didn’t want to do anything that would get in the way of your success.”
“You should have told me,” Lois insisted, her face grim. She got up and went to stand at the window, still in a state of shock. “You should have told me, Chloe. I’d have looked after you, no matter what.” She rested her forehead in her palm and shook her head sadly. “God, there is so much I don’t know about you. We all have our secrets, sure, but this…?”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said quietly. There really wasn’t much else she could say. Until Clark decided to expand his circle of trust to include Lois, the heavy secrets would have to remain.
“What happened to you?” Lois finally asked, turning to face her.
Chloe frowned. “It’s really hard to explain. I, um… I contracted a very rare virus; a foreign virus that infected my brain, resulting in significant lapses of memory among other things.”
Lois’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did Clark know?”
She nodded. “Yes, he and Ollie, and they---”
“Oliver? You told Oliver, back then?” she said incredulously. “But aside from the fact that you were my cousin, he barely knew you!”
“He…kind of found out, but once he knew he did everything he could to help,” she explained, doing her utmost not to say anything that would reveal too much. “It was pretty serious. I was forgetting things, forgetting people, missing appointments, until it got to a point whn my brain was almost a blank slate.”
Lois’s eyes widened. “Did you…did you forget me?”
Chloe nodded, very slowly. “Yeah.”
“That must have been really scary for you.”
“It was. I was pretty much out of it towards the end, and there’s still a whole chunk of time that I can’t really remember; but with Oliver’s resources and contacts, and with Clark’s help, I got better and made a full recovery. See?” She gave Lois a bright grin. “I can tell you where you were born, who gave you your first kiss, and when you got your first bad dye job.”
Lois cracked a smile then, and some of the sternness left her face.
“I’m just glad you’re all OK. Sounds like a modern day miracle, almost,” she said wistfully.
Chloe’s smile faded. “Almost. My relationship with Jimmy couldn’t be saved, though.”
“Probably just as well, if you weren’t in a position to really consent to the marriage,” Lois said thoughtfully.
“True. But I was this time,” Chloe pointed out. “And it’s the best decision I ever made in my life. Oliver and I…” she brushed her fingertips over her wedding rings and sighed contentedly. “We’re so happy together. I really love him, Lois.”
Lois nodded in agreement. “And Clark?” she asked softly. “How do you feel about him?”
Chloe smiled. “I let go of all that a long, long time ago, with Oliver’s help,” she replied. “Ancient history.”
Lois sighed heavily and sat down on the couch. “That’s a relief,” she said looking visibly more relaxed even though there was still a degree of tension in her gait. “I guess I…” She paused and clasped her hands tightly, looking suddenly nervous. Chloe waited patiently for her to continue.
“Ever since I started working at the Daily Planet and you got fired…and then I suddenly found myself side by side with Clark…” she stopped again and waited for several seconds before speaking again.
“I feel like I stole all your dreams somehow,” she finished brokenly.
“Lois, that’s crazy,” she admonished, but Lois shook her head.
“I knew you still loved Clark when you married Jimmy, and I should have said something, but I didn’t, and I feel responsible for everything that happened afterward,” she said, the words tumbling out of her. “And…and when I heard you’d married Oliver…”
“…You thought it was happening all over again?” Chloe finished.
Lois nodded, visibly upset. “I’m so sorry, Chlo.”
Chloe sad down next to her cousin and wrapped her arms around her heaving shoulders, giving her the biggest hug she possibly could. When Lois had calmed down a little, Chloe leaned back and took her cousin’s hands in hers.
“Lois, please believe me when I say that none of this is your fault,” she said earnestly. “I’ve explained about my state of mind when I married Jimmy, so don’t you ever feel guilty for that, okay?”
Lois nodded, and she continued. “As for Clark…people change, Lois. Feelings change. If anyone had told me this time last year that I’d be married to Oliver freakin’ Queen twelve months later, I’d have laughed in their faces. Yet now he’s the one person I can’t do without. We’re crazy about each other, and we couldn’t be happier. Oliver sings me cheesy love songs all the time, and I pretend to be embarrassed, but honestly? I can’t get enough of it!”
Lois laughed a little bit then, though her expression remained slightly dubious.
“Would I have been happy with Clark?” Chloe asked, and shrugged. “Probably, yes. Maybe not. Who knows? But it’s completely moot. None of that even matters because, my God, I am so in love with my husband. And I wouldn’t change a thing about this crazy journey, because it’s what led us to each other.”
She put her hands on Lois’s face and stared into her eyes. “So please…no more silly talk about stealing my dreams and such, okay?”
“Okay,” Lois sniffed, smiling through her tears. “Okay.”
Chloe grinned. “Good.”
“Only…”
Chloe rolled her eyes at that one hanging word. “Only what?” she asked, exasperated.
“Well…I know you’re in love with Oliver now, so that’s all sorted; but what about your other dream?” she asked.
Chloe frowned. “What other dream?”
“The Daily Planet,” Lois qualified. “When are you coming back to the Planet, Chloe? Because there’s no way you can tell me you don’t still dream about that.”
***
Chapter 5…
I tried to fit the girly conversation into just one chapter, but it got too long for LJ to handle, so I've split it. The good news is that I should be able to post the next chapter either tomorrow or Friday. Huzzah!
Enjoy! Bee-yoo-ti-ful banner by alxnhnt22. Love ya, babes! :-)
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown IX - ‘Fessing Up
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: PG-13 (for adult themes)
Warnings: A Re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: Chloe upped and got married. Lois is not amused. :)
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 4
It was a huge bombshell she had just dropped on her cousin, and Lois’s reaction was just as Chloe had expected. She was staring at her in disbelief, a horrified expression in her eyes that were rapidly filling with tears.
“My God,” she whispered, pressing her hands to her cheeks as her voice rose. “Oh, my God. How did I not know this? Chloe, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to worry,” she replied reaching for Lois’s trembling hand. “You were getting your life together, and I didn’t want to burden you with my problems. And…” she paused. “After everything with my Mom, I didn’t want you looking at me like I was crazy.”
“I’d never have done that!” she exclaimed. “I’m your big cousin, Chlo, it’s my job to worry about you!”
“I know, Lois; but…” she sighed. “It goes both ways. I worry about you, too, and I didn’t want to do anything that would get in the way of your success.”
“You should have told me,” Lois insisted, her face grim. She got up and went to stand at the window, still in a state of shock. “You should have told me, Chloe. I’d have looked after you, no matter what.” She rested her forehead in her palm and shook her head sadly. “God, there is so much I don’t know about you. We all have our secrets, sure, but this…?”
“I’m sorry,” Chloe said quietly. There really wasn’t much else she could say. Until Clark decided to expand his circle of trust to include Lois, the heavy secrets would have to remain.
“What happened to you?” Lois finally asked, turning to face her.
Chloe frowned. “It’s really hard to explain. I, um… I contracted a very rare virus; a foreign virus that infected my brain, resulting in significant lapses of memory among other things.”
Lois’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Did Clark know?”
She nodded. “Yes, he and Ollie, and they---”
“Oliver? You told Oliver, back then?” she said incredulously. “But aside from the fact that you were my cousin, he barely knew you!”
“He…kind of found out, but once he knew he did everything he could to help,” she explained, doing her utmost not to say anything that would reveal too much. “It was pretty serious. I was forgetting things, forgetting people, missing appointments, until it got to a point whn my brain was almost a blank slate.”
Lois’s eyes widened. “Did you…did you forget me?”
Chloe nodded, very slowly. “Yeah.”
“That must have been really scary for you.”
“It was. I was pretty much out of it towards the end, and there’s still a whole chunk of time that I can’t really remember; but with Oliver’s resources and contacts, and with Clark’s help, I got better and made a full recovery. See?” She gave Lois a bright grin. “I can tell you where you were born, who gave you your first kiss, and when you got your first bad dye job.”
Lois cracked a smile then, and some of the sternness left her face.
“I’m just glad you’re all OK. Sounds like a modern day miracle, almost,” she said wistfully.
Chloe’s smile faded. “Almost. My relationship with Jimmy couldn’t be saved, though.”
“Probably just as well, if you weren’t in a position to really consent to the marriage,” Lois said thoughtfully.
“True. But I was this time,” Chloe pointed out. “And it’s the best decision I ever made in my life. Oliver and I…” she brushed her fingertips over her wedding rings and sighed contentedly. “We’re so happy together. I really love him, Lois.”
Lois nodded in agreement. “And Clark?” she asked softly. “How do you feel about him?”
Chloe smiled. “I let go of all that a long, long time ago, with Oliver’s help,” she replied. “Ancient history.”
Lois sighed heavily and sat down on the couch. “That’s a relief,” she said looking visibly more relaxed even though there was still a degree of tension in her gait. “I guess I…” She paused and clasped her hands tightly, looking suddenly nervous. Chloe waited patiently for her to continue.
“Ever since I started working at the Daily Planet and you got fired…and then I suddenly found myself side by side with Clark…” she stopped again and waited for several seconds before speaking again.
“I feel like I stole all your dreams somehow,” she finished brokenly.
“Lois, that’s crazy,” she admonished, but Lois shook her head.
“I knew you still loved Clark when you married Jimmy, and I should have said something, but I didn’t, and I feel responsible for everything that happened afterward,” she said, the words tumbling out of her. “And…and when I heard you’d married Oliver…”
“…You thought it was happening all over again?” Chloe finished.
Lois nodded, visibly upset. “I’m so sorry, Chlo.”
Chloe sad down next to her cousin and wrapped her arms around her heaving shoulders, giving her the biggest hug she possibly could. When Lois had calmed down a little, Chloe leaned back and took her cousin’s hands in hers.
“Lois, please believe me when I say that none of this is your fault,” she said earnestly. “I’ve explained about my state of mind when I married Jimmy, so don’t you ever feel guilty for that, okay?”
Lois nodded, and she continued. “As for Clark…people change, Lois. Feelings change. If anyone had told me this time last year that I’d be married to Oliver freakin’ Queen twelve months later, I’d have laughed in their faces. Yet now he’s the one person I can’t do without. We’re crazy about each other, and we couldn’t be happier. Oliver sings me cheesy love songs all the time, and I pretend to be embarrassed, but honestly? I can’t get enough of it!”
Lois laughed a little bit then, though her expression remained slightly dubious.
“Would I have been happy with Clark?” Chloe asked, and shrugged. “Probably, yes. Maybe not. Who knows? But it’s completely moot. None of that even matters because, my God, I am so in love with my husband. And I wouldn’t change a thing about this crazy journey, because it’s what led us to each other.”
She put her hands on Lois’s face and stared into her eyes. “So please…no more silly talk about stealing my dreams and such, okay?”
“Okay,” Lois sniffed, smiling through her tears. “Okay.”
Chloe grinned. “Good.”
“Only…”
Chloe rolled her eyes at that one hanging word. “Only what?” she asked, exasperated.
“Well…I know you’re in love with Oliver now, so that’s all sorted; but what about your other dream?” she asked.
Chloe frowned. “What other dream?”
“The Daily Planet,” Lois qualified. “When are you coming back to the Planet, Chloe? Because there’s no way you can tell me you don’t still dream about that.”
***
Chapter 5…