All the Right Moves 9/10
Title: All the Right Moves
Author: ihearttvsnark
Chapter: 9/10
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen
Banners: geek_or_unique
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 7,127 (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 | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight |
Read Part 1 here
Chapter 9: Part 2: Rain Can Fall Only When it’s Over Our Heads
Chloe was too wound up to go home after she left Oliver’s, but she couldn’t go to the office in the same clothes she’d worn the day before and she certainly wasn’t going to the command center. She couldn’t face the rest of the team and she had no idea if Oliver was going to follow through on his plan to go there. She headed downtown and spent the next few hours wandering aimlessly through several stores before she stopped in a coffee shop and sat down in the back with a magazine that she wasn’t even sure what the name of it was.
She stared out the window for hours, drank four large coffees and did everything she could to ignore the ache in her chest. Chloe wouldn’t let herself think about Oliver or the mission or anything. Everything hurt but at the same time, she felt completely numb. Her phone buzzed several times and she checked the caller ID, but when she didn’t see Oliver’s name, Chloe just slipped it back into her pocket and stared out the window some more until she finally forced herself to go back to her apartment.
It was barely five o’clock so Chloe assumed she’d have the place to herself. She planned on taking a long shower and then spending the rest of the night in her room. It was still too soon for her to even think about talking to Oliver or anyone else and Chloe hoped a decent night’s sleep would help her gain some perspective. She let herself into the apartment, dropped her bag on the couch and headed straight for the shower.
Thirty minutes later, Chloe had changed into comfortable pajamas and padded barefoot down the hall to get her phone so she could order takeout. She stopped short when she spotted Lois standing in the kitchen, searching through the cabinets. “You’re home early,” she commented, hoping that her cousin had other plans for the evening. Chloe desperately wanted to be alone.
“Yeah, I needed to grab a few things before I head to the airport tonight,” Lois replied, glancing at Chloe over her shoulder as she pulled a bag of microwave popcorn out of the cabinet. She frowned when she caught sight of the look on her face. “Are you okay? You’re never home this time of day.”
“I’m just tired,” Chloe replied. She tried to remember if her cousin had said anything about another business trip, not that her last trip had been business related in the slightest. “Where are you going?”
“Metropolis,” Lois said. She leaned back against the counter, watching Chloe carefully. “Something is definitely wrong, cuz. What happened?”
Chloe glared at her, irritated that she couldn’t take a hint. “Why don’t you just be honest for a change, Lois, and admit that you’re going to Smallville to spend more time with Clark? Do you really think I don’t know that you’ve been sleeping with him for months? Neither one of you knows how to be subtle,” she added snidely.
Lois’s mouth dropped open; she was completely taken aback by the venom in her cousin’s tone. “What the hell is your problem, Chloe?” Lois hadn’t seen her for a few days since they’d both been busy, but last time she’d checked, everything had been fine between them. She wasn’t sure how or why she’d suddenly become public enemy number one in her cousin’s eyes.
“I just don’t understand why it’s so hard for you to admit that you’re with Clark. Do you think I’m going to judge you for that or something? I like Clark. He’s a good guy and you’re obviously crazy about him. So stop making up lies about business trips and just admit that you’re going to spend a few more days with your boyfriend,” Chloe replied. She started toward the refrigerator, but Lois stepped into her path.
“Are you sure this is a game you want to play, Chlo?” Lois asked. She narrowed her eyes at her cousin, wondering what had gotten into her. When Chloe just continued to glare at her, Lois snapped. “Fine, cuz,” she said. “If you want to talk about secret relationships, why don’t we talk about how you’ve been sleeping with Oliver for two months now?” she suggested. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”
It was Chloe’s turn to gape at her cousin. She couldn’t believe that Lois not only knew about her and Oliver, but could pinpoint exactly when things had changed between them. Chloe wasn’t sure how Lois had figured it out. She did spend most of her time with Oliver, but that had started when he’d made the decision to become Green Arrow so the only thing that had really changed was that she spent the night at his place a lot. But Chloe had assumed Lois hadn’t noticed because she hadn’t said a word.
“Yes, Chloe, I know about you and Oliver. Do you know what else I know?” Lois asked. She continued talking without giving Chloe a chance to answer. “I know that you knew about Clark and me. I know that Oliver knows about us too. But do you want to know why I don’t talk about it? Clark is the best man I have ever met. He’s amazing and I don’t really know how to do relationships so I thought keeping it quiet would be one way not to jinx it. I didn’t want to screw things up.”
“Lois,” Chloe started, guilt making her chest tight. But Lois shook her head, holding up a hand to warn Chloe that she was finished talking yet.
“Is it really so hard to understand that I wanted things to stay between us? Maybe it would have been different if we didn’t have that whole other universe Lois and Clark hanging over our heads. We never would have met if Oliver hadn’t ended up here, but I needed to see that my relationship with Clark had nothing to do with anyone except us. You of all people should understand that,” Lois added pointedly.
Chloe was ashamed of herself. Lois was right; she did understand the stigma that the existence of the other universe brought them. She’d used that excuse herself over and over again when she’d started falling for Oliver. She’d told herself that it was just an extension of everything that had happened and she was projecting because of what the other Oliver had told her. It was one of the reasons she’d hesitated to admit what was happening so it made perfect sense to her that Lois had more or less done the same thing.
“I’m sorry,” she told Lois quietly. Chloe knew she had no right to judge her cousin and she also had no right to take her mood out on Lois when she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“What’s your excuse, Chloe?” Lois asked, ignoring her cousin’s apology for the moment. “Why haven’t you said anything to me about Oliver? Are you worried that I’m not going to approve? I might not like Oliver, but I know that you do. You always have or you would have quit working for him ages ago. Or is there another reason you don’t want anyone to know that the two of you are together?”
Chloe wanted to tell her it was because she’d been afraid Lois wouldn’t approve, but she knew that wasn’t the whole truth. It had played a factor and it was the excuse she’d used in her mind, but she knew it wasn’t completely true. Some of her reasoning had to do with the other universe as well; Chloe hadn’t wanted Lois to assume that she was with Oliver because the other Chloe and Oliver had been a couple. But it was more than just that. On some level, Chloe had assumed from the beginning that things would fall apart and she’d have to admit to her cousin that she’d failed.
Oliver’s accusation echoed through her mind. He thought she didn’t trust him and she’d been hurt by that and angry that he was being ridiculous. But she was starting to see that he hadn’t been that far off the mark. Except it wasn’t Oliver that she didn’t trust, it was her and her history. Chloe was used to people walking out on her and leaving her behind so it was only natural for her to assume that Oliver would eventually do the same thing. Her hand flew to her mouth as a sob bubbled in her throat.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe whispered. She turned and hurried down the hall to her room, closing the door and throwing herself down on the bed as her body was racked by sobs. She couldn’t believe she’d managed to alienate the two most important people in her life on the same day all because she couldn’t get past her own issues. Chloe cried harder, curling up in the fetal position and clutching her pillow to her chest. She had ruined everything and she had no idea how to fix it.
She cried until there weren’t any more tears left inside of her. Chloe’s throat felt raw and scratchy and her eyes were puffy, but she couldn’t bring herself to get up and wash her face. She felt weak and helpless and all she wanted was Oliver. Chloe knew she’d hurt him and she hated herself for walking out on him. She needed to tell him how sorry she was, but Chloe didn’t even know where to start.
The door opened and Lois walked in, an ice cream container in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. “All right, cuz, I gave you an hour. That’s more than enough tears.” She motioned for Chloe to sit up and when she did, Lois sat down next to her on the bed and handed her the ice cream container. “Talk to me,” she said.
“Lois, I’m sorry. I had no right to say those things to you about Clark especially since I was acting like a hypocrite,” Chloe added. “I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy and I’m sorry I for being such a brat about the whole thing.”
“He does make me happy,” Lois admitted. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she nudged Chloe, nodding toward the ice cream container in her hand. “Start eating that. It’ll help,” she said.
Chloe took a bite of the ice cream and let it soothe her dry throat. It did help. She took another bite and gave Lois a grateful smile. “Thank you for being so nice to me after I bit your head off for no reason.”
“We’re family, Chlo,” Lois reminded her with a shrug. “These things happen.” She took a sip of the wine straight from the bottle and then passed that to Chloe, taking the ice cream from her. “Do you want to tell me why you’re in such a bad mood? I assume it has something to do with Oliver. Is he back from his trip?”
“He came home last night,” Chloe replied. She took a long sip of wine and then handed it back to Lois as she took the ice cream. Chloe figured it was better to stick with the sugar since her head was messed up enough without adding alcohol to the mix. “But this actually started a few days ago.” She quickly filled Lois in on her conversation with Victor and the mission he was putting together.
Lois nodded. “Clark mentioned that to me and said he’d probably be the one who stayed in Star City while the rest of the team took care of this organization. The whole thing seems pretty complicated,” she commented.
“It is,” Chloe agreed. “It’s going to have to be coordinated down to the last detail and Vic’s been on top of everything. Oliver has too.” She bit into her lip, her eyes on the ice cream instead of on her cousin. “I got mad when Ollie didn’t tell me himself about the mission and then I told him that I don’t think he’s ready to go on something like that.”
“Okay,” Lois said slowly. She had a feeling there was more to the story and she waited for her cousin to fill her in.
“I told him that he was being reckless and putting the rest of the team in danger and that he should be the one to stay here. He accused me of not trusting him and of being angry at him for being Green Arrow,” Chloe said. Saying the words out loud made her realize once again just how insane she must have sounded to Oliver. She still couldn’t bring herself to look at Lois.
“Why don’t you want him to go?” Lois asked. “Is it because he didn’t tell you first or are you just worried about his safety?”
“I am worried about him, but I’m always worried about him. I know Oliver has trained hard for this and he’s more than capable. He’s a great leader, Lois. He knows what he’s doing and the guys trust him and depend on him. It makes sense for him to go on the mission. But I don’t want him to. I know how selfish that is but I’m afraid of losing him,” Chloe admitted. She finally turned to Lois with fresh tears in her eyes.
Lois was starting to understand. She took the ice cream from Chloe and set it down along with the wine, moving closer and wrapping her arms around Chloe in a tight hug. “So instead of admitting that you’re worried he’s going to get hurt or worse, you picked a fight with him and now he thinks you don’t trust him to be the hero,” she summarized.
Chloe nodded, feeling like a terrible person. “I hurt him, Lois. Instead of just telling him that I was scared, I made him feel like I didn’t believe in him. You should have seen the look on his face. I just walked out on him.” She swallowed hard, guilt churning in her stomach. “What if he can’t forgive me?” she asked.
“Then he’s even dumber than I thought he was all these years,” Lois replied. “I’m kidding,” she said quickly before Chloe could admonish her. “You need to talk to him and tell him the truth about how you’re feeling. I know it’s hard. Believe me,” she added. Talking about feelings had never been her strong point either. “Tell him you’re sorry and go from there.”
It was good advice, but Chloe was still nervous. Oliver was stubborn and he was good at closing himself off. She was never going to forgive herself if she’d ruined things between them because of her own insecurities. “I need to find him. Thank you,” she told Lois sincerely as she hugged her again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Oliver and me.”
“I understand,” Lois replied. “By the way, I really am going to Metropolis for business but I will be staying with Clark while I’m there. My flight leaves in like two hours so I need to go but call me if you need anything and I’ll call you back as soon as I can.”
Chloe nodded. “Have a safe trip,” she said as she hugged Lois one more time before scrambling off the bed and heading for the bathroom to clean herself up. She needed to find Oliver and make things right.
***
The elevator seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace as Chloe chewed on the corner of her lip, her heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest. It had taken her longer than she’d intended to pull herself together and drive back to Oliver’s and then she’d sat in her car for twenty minutes, trying to work up the nerve to face him. She wasn’t good at putting her emotions on the line, but she knew it was long past time that she did. Oliver had been amazing to her and Chloe hated herself for making him think that she didn’t believe in him.
She took a deep breath when the doors opened and made her way into the penthouse. “Oliver?” Chloe called. She was greeted by silence as she walked through the living room and then down the hall, checking his office and his bedroom. When she didn’t find him, Chloe headed for his equipment room. She let herself in and her heart clenched in her chest when she saw that his gear was gone. It too early for him to be on patrol.
Chloe reached for her cell phone and quickly dialed Oliver’s. His voicemail picked up on the first ring so she tried Victor’s phone next. She got his voicemail as well and her hand was shaking as she pressed AC’s number on her contact list. She could feel tears pooling in the corners of her eyes when she got his voicemail greeting too. They had already left for the mission.
She was too late.
Ten.