Chlollie Fanfic: Beauty in the Breakdown IX, 'Fessing Up, Chapter 9/9
Another instalment draws to a close, but this isn't the end - not by a long shot. ;-)
Many thanks for all your wonderful comments, and I hope to be back again with more lovely Chlollie for you very soon!
Enjoy. Banner of awesomeness by the lovely & talented alxnhnt22. Thanks, hun! :-)
*Winner of Best Chloe/Oliver Fanfiction in thesv_fca Awards
**Nominated for Best Series in thesv_fca Awards
*** Best Chlollie Fanfiction Cover win for ellashy for BITB IV: Falling In (thanks, Ella!)
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 9
They spent another half hour on the balcony sharing sweet, languid kisses and soft laughs, enjoying the warmth of each other’s company. Eventually Oliver lifted his head and peered through the window into the living room of the Talon where Clark remained grimly seated.
“Are you gonna talk to him?” he asked, and she snorted.
“What’s the point?” she retorted. “What’s done is done; all the yelling and screaming in the world won’t make a difference now.” She paused and smiled wryly. “I admit, I am tempted to let him stew and suffer in pain a little bit longer, he certainly deserves it…but I think we’ve all endured enough pain for one year.”
He gave a relieved sigh and nodded. “Well spoken, Mrs Queen.”
“Besides,” she added with a wry smile as she leaned back to observe Clark through a crack in the door. “He does seem very cut up about everything.”
Oliver leaned with her and sure enough Clark was staring at the floor in abject misery, his shoulders hunched and his general gait altogether defeated.
“Aw,” she said with a touch of sympathy. “He looks like he’s lost his best friend, bless him.”
“Well, he kind of did,” Oliver replied, tightening his arm around her waist as he gazed into her eyes. “To me.”
Chloe rested a hand on his cheek and smiled before lifting her mouth to his for another kiss. He claimed her lips, kissing her deeply for several seconds before lifting his head.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he said, his voice thick with regret. “I didn’t want to hurt you, but I don’t want any secrets between us whatsoever.”
She smiled. “I know,” she whispered. “And you can’t even begin to imagine how much I appreciate your honesty. Like you said, it wasn’t your secret to tell, but you still made sure I knew the truth, even though it was difficult for you. I love you, Oliver; with all my heart.”
He bent his head and rubbed his nose against hers. “Ditto.”
They kissed some more, and then eventually pulled apart with extreme reluctance.
“How long have we been out here?” she asked curiously.
Oliver checked his watch. “About an hour.”
“Long enough for Clark to have soberly reflected on the error of his ways, I think,” she murmured with a grin, and reached for his hand. “Come on; let’s go put him out of his misery.”
***
Clark looked up expectantly as they approached, his eyes red-rimmed and miserable, yet hopeful. He swallowed and looked from her to Oliver and back to her again, waiting for her to rip him a new one.
Chloe stopped in front of him with folded arms and stared at him in silence. Clark’s chest rose and fell with deep breaths as he waited for the tirade the he was sure would follow.
So when she simply smiled and opened her arms to him for a hug, Clark almost collapsed with relief. His eyes lit up and he wrapped his big arms around her and held her tight, rocking her back and forth slowly.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m so sorry, Chloe.”
“I know,” she replied, her voice slightly muffled against his chest. She leaned back and fixed him with a stern gaze. “I understand why you took my memories, Clark, I do; I know what you were up against. What really upset me, though, was that you didn’t have the balls to tell me about it after I got those memories back, and that if it hadn’t been for my husband, you probably never would have.”
Clark sighed and lowered his gaze to the floor, suitably ashamed. “I didn’t know if you’d ever forgive me,” he whispered.
“You should have trusted me,” she simply replied, her heart tinged with pain.
He nodded. “Yes, I should have. I’m sorry.” He moved to hug her again, but she pointed a stern finger in his face.
“Don’t do it again,” she warned, and he vehemently shook his head.
“No. Never.”
Chloe smiled. “Good. Come here.” She hugged him again, patting his back reassuringly as he clung to her.
“One last thing,” she said into his shoulder.
“Name it.”
She leaned back again. “Can you please find your way back to the red and blue section of the wardrobe?” she begged. “Black is so not your colour.”
He laughed. “It’s a deal.”
She smiled and made to move out of his arms but to Oliver’s surprise Clark hugged her again and held on, clearly making up for a year’s worth of lost hugs in one afternoon.
Chloe frowned as the clock ticked on and Clark made no move to let her go. Rather, his arms tightened around her, and she caught Oliver’s eye and saw his brow furrow with wry suspicion at her friend’s sudden clinginess.
“Um…Clark?” she queried.
No answer. This time, Oliver folded his arms and openly scowled, and Chloe stifled a giggle. Clark was apparently very quick to fall back into old comfort zones. Yes, she wanted them to be close again, but not that close. She tried once more to disengage from arms, but he simply wouldn’t budge. Sighing, she glanced at her husband and made a silent plea for help.
Oliver gave a discreet but deliberate cough which jarred Clark out of his languorous haze. Quickly he let go of her and took a large step back, having the good grace to look embarrassed.
“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I forget I can’t hold you so closely now.”
“Yeah, you lucked out, dude,” Oliver smirked, linking his arms around her waist from behind and pulling her up against him. “But I’m glad you’re friends again.”
Clark smiled. “Me too. It’s been a…difficult year, for all of us.”
They nodded in agreement and stood together in a comfortable silence, reflecting on the turbulence of the past twelve months. Suddenly the door to the apartment was ceremoniously flung open, startling all three of them.
“Oooooo-kay,” Lois said breezily as she swept back into the room. “What did I miss?”
“Everything, as usual,” Oliver chuckled under his breath, and Chloe gave him a hard nudge in the ribs with her elbow.
“Nothing much,” Chloe replied with a bright smile. “How’s things at the office? All okay?”
“Meh, nothing they can’t handle without me,” she replied. “Oh, and I spoke to HR on your behalf---”
Chloe gasped. “Lois, you didn’t!”
Lois smirked. “I did. They remember you from before, and they’d be delighted to have you come in for a ‘quick chat’.” Her grin widened. “Personally, I think that’s code for ‘we miss you, and we’d love to have you back’, but that’s just me.”
Oliver frowned in confusion, as did Clark. “Back where?” they echoed in unison.
Lois rolled her eyes in exasperation. “The Daily Planet, fools, where else?” she retorted.
This time, Oliver’s brows shot upwards. “You’re going back to the Planet?” he said, staring at her with wide eyes. “When did this happen?”
Chloe sighed. “Long story, I’ll fill you in over cake and champagne,” she replied. “And I haven’t definitely said I’m going back there yet---”
“But you will,” he said with a confident smile as he brushed her nose with his fingertip. “I know you will.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” she said in a huff.
“Because it’s where you belong,” Clark simply said. “Hasn’t been the same without you.”
Lois nodded. “I concur,” she said matter-of-factly. “And I can’t wait until we’re all back working under the same roof again. Of course, you haven’t definitively said you’re coming back, but...”
“Okay, enough with the possibly pending job change!” Chloe pleaded. “Can we cut this cake now?”
“Oh, please,” Lois said, and handed her the gilded knife before going to pick up her camera. “Ready? Don’t forget to make a wish!”
“That’s for birthday cakes, Lois,” Clark cut in, and she waved her hand at him dismissively.
“It’s for cakes, period,” she replied stubbornly. “Okay, you two - go for it!”
Oliver placed his hand over his wife’s, and together they cut the cake as Lois took a commemorative photo.
“So, what did you wish for?” Lois asked.
“That’s between me and my husband,” Chloe declared with a grin, and Lois rolled her eyes.
“Oh, pass the sick bucket,” she grumbled. “Or better yet, pass the plates, and get slicing. Clark, you’re on champagne-popping duty.”
***
As after-parties went, this was the best one Oliver Queen had ever attended.
There were speeches and toasts and well-wishes from the two people who cared for them the most, and the smile on his wife’s face told him she couldn’t be happier.
Lois had let go of her grudge, and seemed a lot more at peace with herself, and Clark was clearly more relaxed that he’d been in months - and out of that godawful all-black wardrobe. Confession had certainly been good for his soul.
Oliver sat on the couch and pulled his wife into his lap before snagging her champagne flute for a sip of bubbly. “You okay?” he whispered, and she nodded.
“Never better.”
He smiled. “You didn’t have to wish to be back at the DP, you know,” he whispered. “That’s gonna happen regardless.”
She giggled and shrugged one shoulder. “You’re not saying that because you happen to be the CEO of the company, are you?”
“No, I’m saying it because I know how good you are, and how much you really want this,” he said seriously. “You don’t need me to get this job for you, Chloe.”
“So you’re not gonna fiddle with my application, or give me any special privileges?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“Like I said, I don’t need to,” he said warmly. “Let me know when you’re back under the spinning globe, and we’ll go celebrate.”
Her eyes softened, and she pressed her fingertips to his heart. “Did I tell you I love you yet?” she asked in a soft whisper.
He smiled, captured her fingers and brought them to his lips for a kiss before answering.
“Only everyday.”
They grinned at each other, and then looked up as Clark approached and took a seat beside them.
“So, how about you two tell us all about your lovely honeymoon?” Clark asked as he bit into a hefty chunk of his third slice of triple layered chocolate cake.
Lois groaned and shook her head. “You don’t want to know all about that honeymoon, Clark,” she warned. “Trust me.”
***
You were better to me than I was to myself
For me, there's you and nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby…
…How sweet it is to be loved by you
- James Taylor, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
***
The End.
07.07.13 - Read the sequel: Beauty in the Breakdown X: Snow Angel
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