All the Right Moves 2/10

[ihearttvsnark]

Title: All the Right Moves
Author: ihearttvsnark
Chapter: 2/10
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen
Banners: geek_or_unique
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 8,164 (total)
Summary: This is the sequel to  Everybody Loves M e. When Oliver returns from the other universe, he realizes that he wants the kind of life the other Oliver has. Chloe is determined to help him become the man she knows he’s capable of being, but it’s not an easy road for either one of them. 
Previous Chapters: | One |





Chapter 2: The Right Friends in All the Wrong Places

Chloe stifled a yawn as she made her way off the elevator, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. It was her fourth cup since she’d gotten out of bed and it still didn’t seem to be enough to keep her awake. She’d been at the command center until almost three a.m. guiding Victor through a complicated mission. She’d recently come up with a new way to send messages directly to his internal system, allowing him to respond to her without having to stop what he was doing and they’d tested it for the first time last night. It seemed to work well and it had eased some of her fears about sending the guys into the field without backup. But somehow, it still didn’t feel like she was doing enough to help them.

Shaking her thoughts away, Chloe took another sip of coffee as she moved down the hall, knowing she needed to switch her brain to work mode because there was a lot of stuff that had to be done today. Chloe’s eyes widened when she saw that the office door was open and the light was already on. Her heart started beating a little faster as she hurried inside, but her face immediately fell when she saw that the blonde man in the office was not the one she’d been hoping for.

“Morning AC,” Chloe said, offering him a small smile as she walked around her desk and set down her coffee and purse. “What brings you here so early?” she asked.

“Hi Chloe,” AC replied. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dark suit as he returned her smile with what was clearly a forced one of his own. “I take it you haven’t heard from Mr. Queen either.”

Chloe shook her head. The last time she’d seen Oliver was the night she’d angrily stormed out of his penthouse after telling him that she was done with him. That had been over a month ago. Since then, Oliver had stopped coming to the office, he hadn’t answered his phone and as far as Chloe knew, no one had seen or heard from him. She monitored the tabloids on a daily basis but there was no mention of him anywhere; it was like he had completely vanished and she couldn’t help blaming herself for that.

Maybe she’d been too hard on him. Oliver obviously wasn’t ready to change if he’d fallen back into his old habits so quickly after his admission that he wanted something more in his life. Chloe knew she’d put a lot of pressure on him and instead of helping him like she’d promised, she’d yelled at him and basically called him worthless. But she hadn’t known what else to do. She really was tired of watching Oliver throw his life away and she wanted him to wake up. She’d never imagined that he would just disappear without a trace.

Chloe pushed her thoughts aside and attempted to focus on AC, noting that he looked uncomfortable. “Is there something I can help you with?” she asked.

“I’m just wondering if I should look for another job,” AC admitted. “The company has still been paying me but obviously I’m not doing anything since Oliver isn’t here and I don’t know; it’s not like I ever set out to be a bodyguard. I sort of fell into this job and I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but I don’t really know what to do.” His voice trailed off and he looked at Chloe uncertainly.

She wasn’t sure what to tell him. Chloe had no idea when Oliver was coming back or if he planned on coming back at all. But she didn’t want AC to look for another job; selfishly, she didn’t want to take the risk that he might leave Star City altogether. Chloe wasn’t sure she had the right to ask him to stay, especially since she couldn’t be honest with him about her true motives.

“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “I wish I knew what Oliver was thinking or where he was, but I have no idea. I understand if you need to leave, but maybe you can hold out awhile longer. If you’re bored, I can try and find a different position for you in the company,” she offered, hoping that would be enough to appease him.

AC nodded and gave her a genuine smile. “I would really appreciate that, Chloe. It’s not about being bored either; I just need to do something. I’m feeling a little useless,” he told her.

“I understand,” Chloe replied softly. She turned to her computer, quickly logging into the system and pulling up the human resources screen. She scrolled through the different job postings, chewing on the corner of her lip as she tried to figure out where AC might fit in. Her eyes widened a little when she saw the perfect solution. “Do you know Victor Stone in the IT department?” she asked, glancing up at AC.

“Sure, I’ve seen him around a few times. I’m not really much of a computer guy though,” AC admitted sheepishly.

Chloe shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Victor is working on a big project and it’s an ‘all hands on deck’ kind of thing.” She was already opening her email and clicking on the icon to start a new message as she spoke. “I’m going to let Victor know that I’m sending you down. If it turns out not to be something you’re interested, come back up here and we’ll find something else,” she said.

AC’s smile widened. “Thanks, Chloe. I’ll head down there now.” He lifted his hand to wave and then made his way out of the office. Chloe let out a light sigh as she watched him go, hoping that this new arrangement would work out. Maybe if Victor and AC took the time to get to know each other, they might realize they have a lot in common.

She turned her attention to the computer again, sorting through her inbox to see what needed to take priority. People were starting to get anxious about Oliver being gone and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to stall. So far stock prices were holding steady but she knew that wouldn’t last if Oliver wasn’t back in time for the annual quarterly meeting.

Chloe sighed again and got to work. Ten minutes later, she was in the middle of a lengthy email when she heard heels clicking across the floor and she knew without even looking up who was standing on the other side of her desk.

“Now is not a good time,” Chloe said. She typed the rest of the email, hit send and glanced sideways at Tess. She could see that the other woman was worked up about something and Chloe was not in the mood for whatever it was.

“Oh, I think you’ll want to make time for this,” Tess replied. She tossed a large envelope on Chloe’s desk before crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for Chloe to pay attention to her.

Chloe fought the urge to roll her eyes as she glanced at the envelope, a bored look on her face when she met Tess’s annoyed gaze. The woman had been in a worse mood than usual since Oliver had disappeared, but aside from checking to see if he was in his office the first day he’d been gone, Tess hadn’t spoken to Chloe and it had been a nice reprieve. She assumed whatever was in the envelope had to be fairly important for her to break her self-imposed silence.

“Am I supposed to know what this is?” she asked, still making no move to open the envelope. Chloe wasn’t about to give Tess the satisfaction of thinking she cared about whatever it was, even though she was curious.

Tess rolled her eyes. “You can drop the act, Chloe. You’re getting what you wanted. Frankly, I’m surprised you haven’t called security to have me escorted out of the building yet,” she replied dryly.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at her words, wondering why Tess would say something like that. Chloe couldn’t deny that she relished the idea of Tess being tossed out of the company, but it wasn’t like she had that kind of power. Tess was still Oliver’s wife, even if it was all for show. “Tess, I don’t know about you, but I have actual work to do. Why don’t you just tell me what you want?” she suggested.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Tess laughed but there was no humor in the bitter sound. “Maybe you don’t know Oliver as well as you act like you do.” She reached out and pushed the envelope across the desk to Chloe. “Those are our divorce papers. Oliver sent them to me via messenger and told me that my services were no longer needed here.”

There was nothing Chloe could do to hide the shock that crossed her face, her mouth falling open as she stared at Tess. Oliver had sent her divorce papers and he’d fired her? Chloe’s mind was barely processing that as more questions popped into her head. Did this mean Oliver was coming back? Had he been in touch with Tess other than to tell her to get out of his life? If he was making a rational decision to end their fake marriage, did that mean that he was all right? All this time, Chloe had been picturing him drowning himself in alcohol and drugs. Was it possible he was actually getting his life together?

She mentally admonished herself for jumping to conclusions. The only thing she knew for certain was that Oliver was smart enough to get Tess out of their lives. She closed her mouth, doing her best to put her bored expression back on her face. “Well, I hope you don’t expect me to miss you,” Chloe said as her eyes flickered to the envelope again. “Why exactly are you bringing these to me?”

Tess glared at her. “I assumed you knew where Oliver was hiding out but I’m starting to rethink that,” she admitted. A cold smile crossed her face as she met Chloe’s eyes. “What’s the matter, Chloe? Did you and my husband have a falling out? Too bad,” she mocked.

Chloe rolled her eyes, returning Tess’s smile with a cold one of her own. “Ex-husband,” she replied cheerfully as she finally picked up the envelope and tucked it into her desk drawer. “What are you going to do now, Tess? Lex disowned you, Oliver divorced you…are there any other billionaires left to reject you?”

“I really don’t know what you’re so smug about,” Tess snapped. She rested her palms on the desk, leaning forward as she narrowed her eyes at Chloe. “It’s not like Oliver is suddenly going to look in your direction now that we’re divorced. He’s never going to want you, Chloe.”

“So says the woman who married him as a business deal,” Chloe replied. She smirked at the shock on Tess’s face. “That’s right; Oliver told me about that,” she said, deciding it didn’t matter that it was a different Oliver who had filled her in. “Was there anything else, Tess? I could call security if you’d like.”

Tess shook her head. “You two deserve each other. He’s going to ruin your life, Chloe. The only thing Oliver Queen knows how to do is fail,” she snapped as she turned on her heel to walk away.

“From where I’m sitting, you’re the one who failed. Have a nice day, Tess,” Chloe replied. Tess’s back stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. As she stormed down the hall toward the elevator, Chloe picked up her phone and dialed the security office. When the head of security picked up the phone, Chloe told him to make sure once Tess was out of the building that all of her clearances were revoked.

Chloe hung up the phone and turned back to her email, opening another new message to Victor. She assumed things were going well with AC since the other man hadn’t come back to see her. She let Victor know that Tess was no longer with the company and asked him to take care of all of her electronic passwords and clearances. Less than a minute later, Victor emailed her back and assured her that he was on it. Satisfied, Chloe reached into her drawer and grabbed the envelope, pulling out the divorce papers.

Oliver had signed and dated the paper two days earlier and Tess had added her signature that day. Chloe chewed on her lip as she flipped through the pages until she saw the name of the notary Oliver had used to witness his signature. She opened a new search on her computer and typed in the name, waiting to see where the notary operated out of. Less than ten seconds later, the screen changed, showing her the name and address for the notary’s office.

“Metropolis,” Chloe read. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the screen. “Oliver, what are you doing in Metropolis?”

***

Clark grabbed the would-be burglar and threw him away from the window he’d been attempting to jimmy open; knocking him clear across the alley. The man groaned as he landed on the ground with a thud. Clark sped to his side and less than one second later, the man was tied up and sitting on the sidewalk in front of the store he’d been trying to rob. Clark used the man’s cell phone to send a text to the police and then dropped it on the sidewalk in front of him.

“Impressive.”

He froze when he heard the voice at his back and Clark was about to speed away, but there was something familiar about it. He turned slowly and his eyes widened when he saw Oliver standing behind him, arms crossed over his chest as he watched him with a tight smile on his face. “What are you doing here?” Clark asked, confused.

“I was in the neighborhood,” Oliver replied. That was only partially true, but he didn’t think the middle of the street was the best place to have this conversation. He pointed over his shoulder at the clock tower that was a few blocks to the east. “Can you stop by my place when you’re done with your nightly activities? I’d like to talk to you. Please,” he added when the other man continued to stare at him like he had two heads.

Clark nodded. “Sure,” he said uncertainly as he wondered what Oliver could possibly want to talk to him about. After Oliver had left the farm with Lois and Chloe, Clark had never expected to see any of them again. “I’ll be there soon.”

“Great,” Oliver replied. He sent Clark another tight smile before he turned, slipped his hands into his pockets and walked away. He couldn’t really blame Clark for being confused. Oliver had barely said two words to him after the whole alien reveal, but he had been in shock then. Now he felt like he was thinking clearly for the first time in years and he needed to take action.

Nearly a full hour went by before Oliver heard the elevator coming to life. He made his way into the main room of the apartment just as the doors opened and Clark hesitated, sending Oliver a small smile as he stepped out of the elevator. “Hey,” he said. “Sorry it took so long but there was an attempted bank robbery.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “That’s the third one this week,” he commented as he walked to the wet bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. “You’d think the criminals in this city would know by now that the Blur is going to stop them.” He poured a second glass and held it out to Clark. “Does alcohol have an effect on you?” he asked as he motioned for him to take a seat on the couch.

Clark shook his head as he accepted the drink, but remained standing. He was even more confused now that it didn’t seem like a coincidence that Oliver had run into him after he’d stopped the attempted burglary. “It doesn’t. I didn’t realize you were in town or that you were keeping track of the crimes happening here.”

“I’ve been flying under the radar,” Oliver said. He sat down in the armchair and pointed to the couch again. “I’ll try not to take up too much of your time. I just wanted to ask you a few questions.” He had more than a few questions, but Oliver had a feeling he was going to need to ease Clark into them. For a guy with superpowers, he seemed awfully nervous about sitting down and having a drink with him.

“Are Lois and Chloe here with you?” Clark asked as he finally sat down. He took a small sip of the scotch, made a face and placed the glass on the coffee table.

“No, it’s just me,” Oliver replied, amused at Clark’s apparent dislike of scotch. “Lois and I are about as far removed from friends as you can get and I haven’t talked to Chloe since I left Star City.” His chest tightened as he thought about that ugly night in his penthouse, but he pushed it aside. Oliver knew he had a lot to make up for, but he could only deal with one thing at a time. Right now, he needed to explain to Clark why he’d decided to approach him.

“Tonight wasn’t the first time I saw you doing your thing since I’ve been in town. I’ve been monitoring the police scanner and spending time in some questionable neighborhoods.” That was putting it mildly. Oliver knew his life had been fairly sheltered thanks to his money, but he’d really had no idea just how bad things were in the world. He was starting to understand why Chloe was so desperate to help people.

Clark’s brow furrowed and the uncertain look was back on his face. Even though people he’d saved had shared stories of ‘the Blur’ with reporters, Clark was uncomfortable with the thought that anyone was paying close attention to his patrols. He wondered how someone like Oliver had been able to stick to the shadows with anyone noticing. Clark realized he should have noticed. “You’ve been watching me?” he asked.

“Yeah that probably sounds a lot creeper than I meant for it to,” Oliver admitted sheepishly as he reached for his drink again. He had been more or less stalking Clark, but it was only because he wanted to see a vigilante in action and he was the only one Oliver knew outside of Star City. “I wanted to see how you do the whole ‘saving people’ thing. Obviously your super speed and strength come in handy. I also noticed that you show up before the police more often than not. How does that work?”

“I can hear things other people can’t,” Clark replied. “I do my nightly patrols and I listen for people who are calling for help or I listen for crashes or the sound of alarms or glass breaking.” He shrugged. “It’s not perfect and I can’t be everywhere at once but I try to do everything I can.” He paused, watching Oliver for a moment. “Are you considering a double life like the other Oliver has?” he asked.

Oliver automatically bristled at being compared to the other Oliver even though it was mostly accurate. “I’m not him,” he replied, pausing to finish his drink. “My motives aren’t completely selfless. Some might say they’re not selfless at all but does it matter if it works out in the end?” he asked. His tone was on the sarcastic side, but the question was serious. Oliver watched Clark, waiting to see what he had to say.

“I don’t know,” Clark replied truthfully. He wasn’t sure anyone out there was completely selfless, him included. But if Oliver wanted to help people, Clark thought that was a good thing and it was also an improvement from the man Lois and Chloe had described to him when they’d asked for his help. Even now, Oliver seemed different than he had the day Clark had met him in Lex’s room. He seemed a little lost but there was something else there; a hopefulness that Clark could see he wasn’t sure what to do with.

“From what I understand about the other Oliver, he wasn’t always a vigilante. He mentioned that he had some kind of wakeup call that led to him wanting to change his life,” Clark commented. He assumed this Oliver’s experience in the other universe had jump-started his need to change.

“Yeah, I guess you could say I had an epiphany too,” Oliver muttered dryly. He considered getting another drink and decided against it. He’d been trying not to overindulge himself since that never led to anything good. The last conversation he’d had with Chloe was never far from his mind. “I take it you know about the whole Green Arrow thing from the other Oliver.” He stood up and motioned for Clark to follow him down the hall as he spoke over his shoulder.

“My dad taught me archery when I was a kid but it’s been awhile since I picked up a bow.” He pushed the sleeve of his shirt up and showed Clark the fading bruises up and down his arm where the string had slapped him one too many times. “I’m getting better,” he assured him as he led Clark into his training room.

Clark glanced around at the state-of-the-art equipment that filled the large room. In addition to the weights, fitness machines and large punching bag, there were several targets on the back wall and a wide-range of bows and arrows lined up on a shelf. “It looks like you’ve been busy,” he commented, not sure why Oliver was showing him this.

“I have,” Oliver replied. He’d spent the past month doing little else besides working out and designing the special equipment he was going to need to pull this whole thing off. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here,” he said, noting the confusion on Clark’s face. Oliver wasn’t sure he’d actually seen Clark display another expression in the brief time they’d known each other, aside from his obvious annoyance with Lois, which Oliver could appreciate.

“Do you need my help?” Clark asked. He wasn’t really sure what else Oliver could want from him; not that he thought he could be much help to the other man either. Clark had always worked alone and he preferred it that way so he didn’t have to worry about anyone else getting hurt because of him.

Oliver nodded. “There’s only so much training I can do on my own and I could hire someone to help me but then I run the risk of it ending up in the tabloids. I’m sure you can see how it would be a problem if people found out I was spending all my time training with bows and arrows,” he said. Oliver knew secrecy was a huge part of the operation Chloe had and he didn’t want his reputation to mess things up for her or anyone else. If he was going to do this, no one outside of their inner circle could ever find out his real identity.

Clark hesitated as his eyes scanned the equipment again. “I’m not really sure how much help I can be. I don’t really train and I wouldn’t want to hurt you.” He was aware of his own strength and the training he had done with Jor-El had disciplined him so he knew how to control it, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

“I’m not suggesting we arm wrestle,” Oliver told him, amusement on his face. “I’m talking more along the lines of simulations based on the experiences you’ve had. You’ve been doing this for awhile, right?” He raised an eyebrow at Clark and the other man nodded. “I know Chloe has been walking the guys through missions and she knows what’s out there, but it’s not really the same thing as firsthand experience.”

Once again, Oliver was only telling Clark half the truth. Oliver didn’t doubt that Chloe could probably tell him everything he needed to know. But he wanted to show Chloe that he could do this; that he wasn’t a lost cause and that he was still worth her faith in him, assuming he hadn’t completely destroyed it. Oliver had a lot to make up to her and he wanted her to see that he was willing to do whatever he had to, including humble himself to ask someone he barely knew for help. For once, he wasn’t going to let his pride get in the way.

“I’ll help,” Clark agreed. He still wasn’t sure how much help he could be, but he could see that this was important to Oliver. “Where should we start?”

***

Lois tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the numbers steadily rising as the elevator ascended to the top floor of Queen Industries. It had taken almost twenty minutes for her to convince Bart to let her slip in through one of the service entrances as he’d been on his way out. She’d finally promised him a date with her cousin, something that Chloe was not going to be amused by, but Lois didn’t care. Maybe if she came home once and awhile, Lois wouldn’t have to resort to desperate measures just to get face time with her.

The elevator doors opened and Lois walked briskly down the hall, half expecting a security guard to jump out and attempt to stop her. That’s what had happened when she’d tried to walk through the lobby like a normal person. Apparently it didn’t matter that Oliver had fallen off the planet, he still had her listed as banned from the building for life. He was such a pain in the ass.

She turned the corner, marching into the office and coming to an abrupt stop in front of her cousin’s desk. Chloe was so absorbed in whatever she was doing on the computer that she didn’t seem to notice there was anyone else in the room. Lois crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her cousin. “What is so important that you’re not paying attention to your surroundings?” she asked. “You know better than this, Chlo. What if I was some crazy person with a gun?”

“I heard you coming as soon as you stepped off the elevator,” Chloe replied without looking up from the computer. No one could stomp through a hallway quite like Lois Lane. Chloe finished typing the proposal, saved it and closed the document before turning to her cousin with a tight smile. “What’s up, Lo?” How did you get past security?” she added.

“Bart let me in through the service entrance,” Lois replied. She walked around Chloe’s desk and hoisted herself up to sit on the corner. “I told him I’d put in a good word with you so you’d have dinner with him.” She held up her hand when she saw Chloe open her mouth. “You should think about it, cuz. You need to get out of this office and back into the real world.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I wish you hadn’t done that. Bart’s a good guy and I don’t want to lead him on. You know I don’t see him that way.” She pointedly ignored everything else Lois had said as she turned her attention back to the computer. “Were you in the neighborhood or do you need something?” she asked.

Lois sighed. Her cousin was ridiculously stubborn. But so was she and Lois was done pretending everything was normal. She wasn’t sure what had happened between Chloe and Oliver before he’d left town since her cousin had been tight-lipped about the whole thing, but it had obviously rattled Chloe and sent her into extreme workaholic mode. Lois didn’t know what her cousin was trying to prove, but she’d hardly seen her lately.

“I came to rescue you from your self-imposed exile and take you out into the real world,” Lois replied. “I’m not going to sit back and let you work yourself to death, Chloe. Why don’t you log out for the night, we’ll grab dinner, some wine and then stay up all night watching chick flicks?” she suggested.

“We can do that this weekend,” Chloe replied. She knew her cousin meant well, but she was too busy to take a break. Once she was finished at the office, she wanted to go to the command center for a few hours and do some more research on a possible new gang that she’d heard was trying to infiltrate the city.

“Chloe, it is the weekend. Today is Friday,” Lois told her. She shook her head when she saw the obvious surprise on her cousin’s face. “This is what I’m talking about. Since when does Chloe Sullivan not know what day it is?” She reached out and placed her hands on Chloe’s shoulders, shaking her gently. “You need to stop this. He’s not worth it,” she said.

“This isn’t about Oliver,” Chloe replied quickly as she shifted her chair so she was out of her cousin’s reach. She could tell by the expression on Lois’s face that she’d somehow just proved whatever point she’d been trying to make. Chloe chewed on her lip, focusing on the wall behind Lois instead of meeting her gaze. “I mean, obviously the fact that he’s gone has added to my work level, but that’s it. I’m busy here and I’m busy at my other job.”

Lois rolled her eyes. “I don’t know who you think you’re fooling with that lie, but it’s not me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Chloe, I get it. We spent all that time with the other Oliver and he was heroic and not a total jackass, but the Oliver we know and loathe is,” she stressed. “I know you want to believe otherwise, but you need to face facts, cuz. Oliver Queen is hopeless.”

“No one is hopeless, Lois,” Chloe replied quietly. She really didn’t want to fight with her cousin about Oliver. She knew Lois thought she was wasting her time; she’d been telling her that since she’d taken the job, but Lois didn’t know Oliver the same way Chloe did. She’d seen the good in him and she knew he’d meant it that day he’d come to the command center and told her that he wanted something more.

“You’re right,” Lois agreed. “No one is hopeless but that still doesn’t mean that Oliver is going to change just because there’s a better version of him living in a different universe. I know you think it’s your job to fix him, but it’s not,” she assured her. Lois liked to see the good in people too, but she was also a realist. “Oliver is too selfish to change.”

Chloe’s chest tightened as she thought of all the horrible things she’d said to Oliver the last night she’d seen him. Every word had been true, but she’d let her anger get the better of her and that had made the situation worse. She just hated that Oliver refused to trust her. She did want to help him and she’d thought she had. It was hard to reconcile the man who had broken into her command center with the man who had called her while he was drunk and wallowing in his own self-hatred.

“He divorced Tess,” Chloe pointed out, finally meeting her cousin’s gaze again. She’d already filled Lois in on the conversation she’d had with Tess earlier in the week. “He’s taking steps to change, Lois. He’s just doing it in his own way.” Chloe had been trying to figure out what he was doing in Metropolis or if he was even still there, but she hadn’t been able to turn up anything. Oliver obviously didn’t want to be found. She just hoped that he was okay.

Lois rolled her eyes. “Just because Oliver wised up enough to get rid of his fake wife does not mean that he’s suddenly going to turn over a new leaf and be a great guy,” she scoffed. Lois really didn’t understand why Chloe was so adamant about defending Oliver when all the guy ever did was let her down. “Has he bothered to pick up the phone and tell you where he is yet?” she asked.

“No,” Chloe replied, doing her best not to get irritated. She knew there was no point in continuing this conversation because they were going to keep going round in round in circles. “Why don’t you head home and I promise we can do the wine and movies thing tomorrow? I’ll be all yours for the whole day and night,” she said, hoping her cousin would take her up on the compromise.

“We’re going to do that tomorrow even if I have to chain you to the couch,” Lois said, holding Chloe’s gaze so she would know that she meant business. Lois knew Chloe was just trying to calm her down and change the subject but she wasn’t quite ready to let it go yet. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked. “Ever since our little alternate universe fiasco, you’ve been different. Did I miss something?” All of her instincts told her that whatever was going on with Chloe was more than just the weirdness of knowing there was such a thing as an alternative universe where other versions of themselves interacted.

Chloe did her best not to let her expression give her away. She’d never told Lois what the other Oliver had said about her being the only person who was capable of getting through to Oliver. She’d also never told her cousin the other thing he’d said; the thing she spent most of her time trying not to think about and refused to acknowledge. Chloe wasn’t sure how Lois would react to the first part and there was no way in hell she would ever speak the other part out loud.

“That whole experience just opened my eyes,” she said carefully. “According to that Oliver, they all work as a team there. He made it sound like it was a really good thing. Would it really be so bad to want that here?” she asked.

“Of course not,” Lois replied. Her face softened and she reached out for Chloe’s hand, squeezing it in hers. “But you don’t need Oliver to have that. You’re already working with Victor, Bart and AC. Just tell them who you are and then you can go from there. If you really want another hero for your collection, you can always call Farm Boy and have him run right out here,” she pointed out.

Chloe raised an eyebrow at that. This wasn’t the first time her cousin had mentioned Clark since they’d been back in Star City. She’d made a few farmer jokes when they’d been at the grocery store and she still complained about the pizza that she’d never gotten to eat that night. “You know, I have Clark’s number if you want to give him a call.” She let her voice trail off as she watched her cousin closely.

Lois snorted. “Why would I want Farm Boy’s number? It’s not like we’re going to bond and become lifelong friends or anything.” She scoffed at the thought as she slid off the desk. “Just because the other Lois got saddled with him for eternity doesn’t mean I have to just like you’re not suddenly going to fall in love with Oliver. They’re different people, Chloe.” She made her way to the door, pausing to look back at her cousin. “You’d better not try to get out of our day tomorrow.”

“I won’t,” Chloe promised. She held up her pinky and Lois laughed, shaking her head as she made her way back to the elevator. Chloe leaned back in her chair, her cousin’s words echoing in her head.

They’re different people.

Part Two