Fic: Redemption (5/?)
Title: Redemption (5?)
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Smallville
Characters: Tess/Oliver, Lois/Clark/Kal-El
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,300
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Tess and Oliver see things differently now.
Beta: paradisekendra
Author’s Notes: In this next chapter, in spite of Oliver’s protests, Tess returned to work, but was it too soon, and later Oliver and Tess come to a difficult and painful understanding. Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D
Story banner by paradisekendra!
~o~o~
Previously:
( Chapter 1) ( Chapter 2) ( Chapter 3) ( Chapter 4)
Chapter 5: You Need Me
A week later at LuthorCorp:
Oliver had learned a long time ago just how stubborn Tess could be, and in spite of his adamant protests to the contrary, she had gone into the office, a full week before the doctors had declared she was ready, which was just plain pigheaded of her. Short of locking her in her apartment, he couldn't do anything about it, but he had managed to convince her to stay only for a few hours. That was a victory of sorts for him. He didn't get too many of those, so he cherished it for what it was.
A few hours after he had dropped her off, Oliver came back to the office to pick her up. He wasn't going to let her stay one minute past those two hours. "Time's up!" He cheerfully announced as he entered her office, but what he found there would haunt him for days. Tess was on the floor in a corner staring into space and her face was wet with tears.
"Oh, no," he whispered as he hurried over to her. He helped her to stand realizing sitting in that position could not have been good for her injury. "Tess, can you hear me?"
She blinked several times as if to clear her mind. "Oliver?"
"We're leaving, Tess," he told her as he grabbed her bag and pulled her close to his side.
"But, I have to …" She began as she looked around her office.
"Everything can wait, Tess. You need time, time to heal, and time to deal with everything."
He didn't wait for an answer. Once they were inside the elevator, he pulled into her his arms holding her close. She burst into tears at his kindness.
He shushed her and stroked her back. "Don't think about the company, about anything, Tess. Just worry about yourself for a change, getting better, healing and feeling like yourself again, but it will take time and you need that." He stroked her tears away. "We both need that."
She admitted to herself that his words were true, as she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest holding him as if her life depended on it. The terror receded for a time.
~o~o~
Once inside his car, he hesitantly told her of his plans. "I know you're not going to like this, but …"
After wiping her eyes with a tissue, Tess turned to face him. "What won't I like, Oliver?"
"We're headed to the airport."
"Oliver, I can't leave now. What about the company?"
He glanced at her amazed she would think about the company now. "The company will be fine without you for a week, Tess."
She sighed, resigned, knowing he was right. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he replied smiling.
Shaking her head, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying not to think about her terror and what she had lived through.
~o~o~
Once on the tarmac before boarding, Oliver pulled the bags from the trunk of his car.
Tess shook her head at him. "How long have you been planning this?"
He had the good grace to look sheepish. "Since you left the hospital, I knew you wouldn't go along with it, so I bided my time until you came to your senses."
"Uh, huh, you really are too much," she stated the obvious and couldn't help smiling at him.
He caught her look; he was enthralled by that smile. He hoped to see a lot more of those on this trip. "Come on, we're ready to take off."
~o~o~
Once they were airborne, had leveled off and the pilot turned off the seat belt signs, Oliver brought her a cool drink and a snack.
"Thank you, Oliver," she said and ate a few bites of her meal. "'Aren't you hungry?"
"I'll eat later," he replied content just to watch her. He didn't want to push so he waited for her to eat. They were going to be in the air for at least five hours, so they seemed to be content just being together.
They were almost at their destination, then Oliver steeled himself for her denials but she needed to talk about what had happened earlier that morning. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Tess sighed and thought about how to answer him. "Alright," she finally replied and then took a deep breath to gather her thoughts.
"Take your time," he told her and took her hand.
She looked at their joined hands and a part of her still couldn't believe she was actually with him here on his private jet headed to wherever they were going. She had almost died and she had resigned herself to that fact, accepted it, and now here they were. Her eyes filled with tears again. "Oliver, am I dreaming?"
He knew exactly what she was feeling. He stood up and pulled her to him. "Is this a dream?" He asked and then he kissed her, slowly at first and then with more passion.
She kissed him back for a minute, loving that he knew what she thinking and feeling.
Suddenly, chimes went off and the pilot announced. "We've reached our destination, Mr. Queen. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing."
"We'll talk later, ok?" Oliver asked when they had pulled apart and were settled in their seats.
"Ok," she replied dreading the inevitable conversation.
~o~o~
Oliver watched her eyes light up when she realized where they were headed.
"Is this … are we …?" Tess was so surprised that she couldn't form a complete sentence.
He smiled at her reaction. "Yes it is, and we're really here. Do you remember?"
"Of course, I remember. You know how I love it here," Tess had to say as she looked around at all the beautiful scenery, even the air was clear, like nothing she had ever breathed before. She took a deep breath, the air reviving her spirit … a true paradise.
Oliver watched her for a minute. Yeah, she needed this alright. There were in the Fiji Islands on the largest island called Nandi. They headed to their resort located on the Coral Coast. Tess was flabbergasted at the beautiful sites before her. How could she have forgotten how beautiful this place was, like out of a dream. Everything about her life since she had awakened in the hospital had felt that way. She hoped it would continue. She never wanted to wake up, not ever.
Oliver took her hand as they headed to their room, and it was a stunning vision to Tess's eyes. Nothing was left to chance, just pure luxury. The Shangri-La Resort and Spa was appropriately named to be sure.
Oliver showed her around their room her eyes lighting up even more. "Well, what do you think?"
"I can't believe you planned all of this," she finally answered him, still in awe of everything that she had seen.
"You don't get it, do you?" He asked as he came closer and took her hand. "Nothing is too good for you, Tess … nothing, not after everything you went through."
She didn't want to talk about that now as she pulled her hand from his and went out onto the balcony and watched the sunset.
He sighed and watched her for a minute. They needed to talk about it and then they could enjoy their trip and not think about it hovering over their heads. He followed her outside. "I know what you did for Clark, for all of us, Tess." He stood beside her as they both looked out at the ocean. "You were very brave."
Her heart warmed at his praise. "I had to do it," she said still not ready to talk about it.
He took her hand and kissed it reverently. "No, you didn't have to do it, but you did, and I wanted to thank you."
She frowned at him. "Is this what this trip is about? You wanting to thank me for what I did?" Her heart constricted.
"Of course not, Tess, and you know that's not why I brought you here."
"Then tell me why. You know this place has wonderful memories for us, Oliver. I thought … I thought we were in love … and …" She couldn't finish as she shook her head, remembering those happy times.
He turned her to face him. "We were in love, at least I thought it was at the time, but we both had a lot of growing up to do, a lot of issues to be resolved. I don't think we were ready for those feelings, Tess. We've both made mistakes, but hopefully, we've learned a lot from those mistakes since the last time we were here."
She turned back to watch the ocean and thought about his words. They had grown up a lot since their time there on the island, but had they really learned from their mistakes? Only time would tell. She took his hand as they went back inside to talk.
All during dinner that night, they talked about their lives since the island and how they had changed and how they didn't want to repeat their mistakes. This was their chance to make it work and they intended to grab hold and not let go.
After a few days of rest and relaxation, Tess finally opened up about her ordeal at LuthorCorp and what Lex had done to her. He held her close as the tears flowed as if to purge that chapter in her life. It was a relief for both of them to talk about it and put it behind them, hopefully forever.
Late one night, they were in bed and Tess had her head on his shoulder. "All during Lex's rant about the two of us being the same, I just kept repeating in my head … 'I'm not your sister, I'm not a Luthor, I'm not, I'm not," she choked out as the tears fell freely then. He held her close stroking her hair and arms. "It's over, sweetheart. He can't hurt you not anymore."
She smiled and wiped at her eyes. "Sweetheart?"
"Go to sleep," he said smiling over her head at his slip of the tongue. Where did that come from?
~o~o~
The next evening, Oliver was going a bit crazy with wanting her. He was still worried about her internal injuries and being careful with her. Earlier that day while Tess was taking a nap, he had called her physician about that very issue, and was assured that enough time had passed for her wound to heal. He had been so relieved and now, as he watched her take a dip in the ocean before their meal, he breathed in the air to calm his racing heart and other parts of his body.
Tess appeared not to notice his discomfort but she knew him entirely too well. She would put him out of his misery in due time.
After finishing dinner, he took her hand in his and decided to get right to the point. "You know I want you, Tess."
She looked at her plate but didn't say anything, her heart was pounding however.
"Don't you want me?" Oliver asked, getting a bit desperate and couldn't help the pleading in his voice.
She put him out of his misery. "Every moment since the day we met," she replied and smiled at the look of pure joy on his face.
He came around the table and the look on his face sent a thrill of excitement into her soul that she shivered with her need of him. He pulled her to him, picked her up and headed to their bedroom.
She kissed his ear, his throat, and then she pulled his head around and kissed him hard. He bumped into a wall, but made it to the bed and laid her there. He stood beside the bed and thought of something he should have said days ago, no years ago.
"I love you, Tess, so much that … I can't seem to think about anything else."
Her eyes filled with tears as she raised her arms to him. "I love you too, so very much."
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Man, was that overdue. Tell me your thoughts, and thanks for reading. Reviews are love! :D
Author: Babette babettew54
Category: Smallville
Characters: Tess/Oliver, Lois/Clark/Kal-El
Rating: T
Word Count: 2,300
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Tess and Oliver see things differently now.
Beta: paradisekendra
Author’s Notes: In this next chapter, in spite of Oliver’s protests, Tess returned to work, but was it too soon, and later Oliver and Tess come to a difficult and painful understanding. Please read and review. Thanks, everyone! :D
Story banner by paradisekendra!
~o~o~
Previously:
( Chapter 1) ( Chapter 2) ( Chapter 3) ( Chapter 4)
Chapter 5: You Need Me
A week later at LuthorCorp:
Oliver had learned a long time ago just how stubborn Tess could be, and in spite of his adamant protests to the contrary, she had gone into the office, a full week before the doctors had declared she was ready, which was just plain pigheaded of her. Short of locking her in her apartment, he couldn't do anything about it, but he had managed to convince her to stay only for a few hours. That was a victory of sorts for him. He didn't get too many of those, so he cherished it for what it was.
A few hours after he had dropped her off, Oliver came back to the office to pick her up. He wasn't going to let her stay one minute past those two hours. "Time's up!" He cheerfully announced as he entered her office, but what he found there would haunt him for days. Tess was on the floor in a corner staring into space and her face was wet with tears.
"Oh, no," he whispered as he hurried over to her. He helped her to stand realizing sitting in that position could not have been good for her injury. "Tess, can you hear me?"
She blinked several times as if to clear her mind. "Oliver?"
"We're leaving, Tess," he told her as he grabbed her bag and pulled her close to his side.
"But, I have to …" She began as she looked around her office.
"Everything can wait, Tess. You need time, time to heal, and time to deal with everything."
He didn't wait for an answer. Once they were inside the elevator, he pulled into her his arms holding her close. She burst into tears at his kindness.
He shushed her and stroked her back. "Don't think about the company, about anything, Tess. Just worry about yourself for a change, getting better, healing and feeling like yourself again, but it will take time and you need that." He stroked her tears away. "We both need that."
She admitted to herself that his words were true, as she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest holding him as if her life depended on it. The terror receded for a time.
~o~o~
Once inside his car, he hesitantly told her of his plans. "I know you're not going to like this, but …"
After wiping her eyes with a tissue, Tess turned to face him. "What won't I like, Oliver?"
"We're headed to the airport."
"Oliver, I can't leave now. What about the company?"
He glanced at her amazed she would think about the company now. "The company will be fine without you for a week, Tess."
She sighed, resigned, knowing he was right. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he replied smiling.
Shaking her head, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying not to think about her terror and what she had lived through.
~o~o~
Once on the tarmac before boarding, Oliver pulled the bags from the trunk of his car.
Tess shook her head at him. "How long have you been planning this?"
He had the good grace to look sheepish. "Since you left the hospital, I knew you wouldn't go along with it, so I bided my time until you came to your senses."
"Uh, huh, you really are too much," she stated the obvious and couldn't help smiling at him.
He caught her look; he was enthralled by that smile. He hoped to see a lot more of those on this trip. "Come on, we're ready to take off."
~o~o~
Once they were airborne, had leveled off and the pilot turned off the seat belt signs, Oliver brought her a cool drink and a snack.
"Thank you, Oliver," she said and ate a few bites of her meal. "'Aren't you hungry?"
"I'll eat later," he replied content just to watch her. He didn't want to push so he waited for her to eat. They were going to be in the air for at least five hours, so they seemed to be content just being together.
They were almost at their destination, then Oliver steeled himself for her denials but she needed to talk about what had happened earlier that morning. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Tess sighed and thought about how to answer him. "Alright," she finally replied and then took a deep breath to gather her thoughts.
"Take your time," he told her and took her hand.
She looked at their joined hands and a part of her still couldn't believe she was actually with him here on his private jet headed to wherever they were going. She had almost died and she had resigned herself to that fact, accepted it, and now here they were. Her eyes filled with tears again. "Oliver, am I dreaming?"
He knew exactly what she was feeling. He stood up and pulled her to him. "Is this a dream?" He asked and then he kissed her, slowly at first and then with more passion.
She kissed him back for a minute, loving that he knew what she thinking and feeling.
Suddenly, chimes went off and the pilot announced. "We've reached our destination, Mr. Queen. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare for landing."
"We'll talk later, ok?" Oliver asked when they had pulled apart and were settled in their seats.
"Ok," she replied dreading the inevitable conversation.
~o~o~
Oliver watched her eyes light up when she realized where they were headed.
"Is this … are we …?" Tess was so surprised that she couldn't form a complete sentence.
He smiled at her reaction. "Yes it is, and we're really here. Do you remember?"
"Of course, I remember. You know how I love it here," Tess had to say as she looked around at all the beautiful scenery, even the air was clear, like nothing she had ever breathed before. She took a deep breath, the air reviving her spirit … a true paradise.
Oliver watched her for a minute. Yeah, she needed this alright. There were in the Fiji Islands on the largest island called Nandi. They headed to their resort located on the Coral Coast. Tess was flabbergasted at the beautiful sites before her. How could she have forgotten how beautiful this place was, like out of a dream. Everything about her life since she had awakened in the hospital had felt that way. She hoped it would continue. She never wanted to wake up, not ever.
Oliver took her hand as they headed to their room, and it was a stunning vision to Tess's eyes. Nothing was left to chance, just pure luxury. The Shangri-La Resort and Spa was appropriately named to be sure.
Oliver showed her around their room her eyes lighting up even more. "Well, what do you think?"
"I can't believe you planned all of this," she finally answered him, still in awe of everything that she had seen.
"You don't get it, do you?" He asked as he came closer and took her hand. "Nothing is too good for you, Tess … nothing, not after everything you went through."
She didn't want to talk about that now as she pulled her hand from his and went out onto the balcony and watched the sunset.
He sighed and watched her for a minute. They needed to talk about it and then they could enjoy their trip and not think about it hovering over their heads. He followed her outside. "I know what you did for Clark, for all of us, Tess." He stood beside her as they both looked out at the ocean. "You were very brave."
Her heart warmed at his praise. "I had to do it," she said still not ready to talk about it.
He took her hand and kissed it reverently. "No, you didn't have to do it, but you did, and I wanted to thank you."
She frowned at him. "Is this what this trip is about? You wanting to thank me for what I did?" Her heart constricted.
"Of course not, Tess, and you know that's not why I brought you here."
"Then tell me why. You know this place has wonderful memories for us, Oliver. I thought … I thought we were in love … and …" She couldn't finish as she shook her head, remembering those happy times.
He turned her to face him. "We were in love, at least I thought it was at the time, but we both had a lot of growing up to do, a lot of issues to be resolved. I don't think we were ready for those feelings, Tess. We've both made mistakes, but hopefully, we've learned a lot from those mistakes since the last time we were here."
She turned back to watch the ocean and thought about his words. They had grown up a lot since their time there on the island, but had they really learned from their mistakes? Only time would tell. She took his hand as they went back inside to talk.
All during dinner that night, they talked about their lives since the island and how they had changed and how they didn't want to repeat their mistakes. This was their chance to make it work and they intended to grab hold and not let go.
After a few days of rest and relaxation, Tess finally opened up about her ordeal at LuthorCorp and what Lex had done to her. He held her close as the tears flowed as if to purge that chapter in her life. It was a relief for both of them to talk about it and put it behind them, hopefully forever.
Late one night, they were in bed and Tess had her head on his shoulder. "All during Lex's rant about the two of us being the same, I just kept repeating in my head … 'I'm not your sister, I'm not a Luthor, I'm not, I'm not," she choked out as the tears fell freely then. He held her close stroking her hair and arms. "It's over, sweetheart. He can't hurt you not anymore."
She smiled and wiped at her eyes. "Sweetheart?"
"Go to sleep," he said smiling over her head at his slip of the tongue. Where did that come from?
~o~o~
The next evening, Oliver was going a bit crazy with wanting her. He was still worried about her internal injuries and being careful with her. Earlier that day while Tess was taking a nap, he had called her physician about that very issue, and was assured that enough time had passed for her wound to heal. He had been so relieved and now, as he watched her take a dip in the ocean before their meal, he breathed in the air to calm his racing heart and other parts of his body.
Tess appeared not to notice his discomfort but she knew him entirely too well. She would put him out of his misery in due time.
After finishing dinner, he took her hand in his and decided to get right to the point. "You know I want you, Tess."
She looked at her plate but didn't say anything, her heart was pounding however.
"Don't you want me?" Oliver asked, getting a bit desperate and couldn't help the pleading in his voice.
She put him out of his misery. "Every moment since the day we met," she replied and smiled at the look of pure joy on his face.
He came around the table and the look on his face sent a thrill of excitement into her soul that she shivered with her need of him. He pulled her to him, picked her up and headed to their bedroom.
She kissed his ear, his throat, and then she pulled his head around and kissed him hard. He bumped into a wall, but made it to the bed and laid her there. He stood beside the bed and thought of something he should have said days ago, no years ago.
"I love you, Tess, so much that … I can't seem to think about anything else."
Her eyes filled with tears as she raised her arms to him. "I love you too, so very much."
TBC!
~o~o~
A/N: Man, was that overdue. Tell me your thoughts, and thanks for reading. Reviews are love! :D