Gift of Fate Chapter 6 (7/?)
Summary: Oliver has been missing for two years, ever since his boat went down in a sudden storm. Chloe is still grieving for him. What will it take for her to move on and live her life again? What happened to Oliver? Will he ever come back? And who's behind the mysterious disappearances in Star City?
Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 (my first attempt, for the record) for sexual content. This fic contains violence and language. Chapters containing sexual content will be preceded by a warning.
Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six with a twist, but anything is fair game if it works for this fic.
Warning: Again, this is AU and is a continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will sexual content and violence.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I'm just playing around with them.
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
Banner by geek_or_unique
Author’s Note: I haven’t gotten many reviews for the past few chapters, which is honestly a little depressing. Please review, people. I’m going a little out of my comfort zone here, so all the encouragement I can get is much appreciated. I am not afraid to hold chapters hostages if need be. *shakes threatening finger*
Chapter 6
They soon fell into a pattern. It was slightly awkward at first, pretending that they were just friends, but then it became natural. They spent the days going about their business, Oliver heading into Queen Industries to prove that he was capable of running the company, and Chloe going to the Register. She was proving herself rather quickly to be an adept reporter now that she wasn’t focused on helping Clark all the time. In the evenings they usually did something together, trying to re-establish their relationship and get to know one another. Often, they just sat in the living room, both working on their respective paperwork, making conversation as they did.
Oliver discovered that Chloe was was a little more closed off, a little more wary of her surroundings. He guessed it was a natural byproduct of living in Smallville and being attacked every other week. She was definitely more world weary than before, and slightly more jaded. But she was still Chloe. He loved to watch her pouring over research for an article.
Pinpointing how Oliver had changed was a little more difficult. He’d always been more than one person depending on the circumstances. It used to amaze Chloe the way he would change as he walked into Smallville High. She’d even been able to tell a slight difference when he called from Star City. Now, those different aspects of himself seemed to be even more separate than before. He often looked over her shoulder as she worked and, being the kind of reporter she was, she was usually working on something that dealt with crime and injustice. Every time Oliver read her research and her articles, he got this strange look on his face and grew unusually quiet and pensive afterwards.
Despite the obvious changes and the undetermined repercussions on their relationship, things had been easy between them. They’d fallen back into an easy, open friendship.
Almost too easy, Oliver muttered to himself.
He and Chloe were sitting side by side on the couch as she poured over the information on her newest article. It honestly bothered him a little that he was finding it so easy to be just friends with her. Oliver knew that his feelings for Chloe weren’t waning, as evidenced by how hard it was sometimes not to kiss her. (Just the other day she’d fallen asleep on the couch and when he lifted her into his arms, his heart had constricted and it had taken all of his self control not to kiss her.) But he was worried that she didn’t feel that way anymore. It seemed so much easier for her. He wondered just how much damage he had done with his insecurities.
It was hard for him to admit that he was insecure. That wasn’t something he was used to feeling. But he had been gone for two years and he’d had a lot of time to freak himself out about what would happen when he got back. Those had been some of his worst nightmares. Even though he was back and it seemed that everything was working out, even that he and Chloe were working out their relationship, Oliver couldn’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Happiness in his life had never lasted long.
The elevator buzzer sounded throughout the apartment. Chloe looked up from her work and glanced at Oliver, her eyebrows raised. “Are you expecting someone?”
“I don’t think so,” he said slowly, rising to his feet and moving to the screen that was connected to the elevator feed. He hit the button and the feed flickered to life. He groaned slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked from the couch.
“I forgot that Tess wanted to stop by this week. She’s been having trouble getting over the whole thing and I’m the only one she’ll talk to. I completely forgot. I meant to warn you.”
Chloe grinned reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. Do you want me to make myself scarce?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I want you to be here for this. She needs to trust you because you’re part of my life and if she wants to be part of it, she’s going to have to get used to you being around. Because I’m choosing you over her every time.”
Touched by his words, she sighed and smile softly. “And you’d be miserable if you had to make that choice. But thanks for the thought.”
“I mean it,” he protested. “You’re the one that’s my friend. As much as I want to help Tess, I don’t want anything else to come between us.”
“What if I help you help her?” Chloe suggested.
His face lit up. “Really?”
Though she wouldn’t admit it, she was a little apprehensive about meeting Tess. It had been so obvious in the pictures how the other woman felt about Oliver. Over the past few days, it had been increasingly difficult to keep from throwing herself at Oliver and resuming their romantic relationship where they’d left off. He was handling it a lot better than she was and she couldn’t help but worry that because she’d been such an idiot about Tess and the whole situation with Jimmy that she’d screwed everything up. Somehow, she didn’t think having Tess hanging around was going to help matters, but if he wanted to help her, Chloe wasn’t going to stop him.
So she nodded reassuringly and said, “Definitely. Are you going to let her up?”
Oliver chuckled and hit the button to the elevator. A few moments later the doors slid open and Tess walked into the room. She seemed nervous, but she smiled slightly when she saw Oliver.
“Sorry to stop by without calling,” she said softly.
“It’s fine,” Oliver assured her. “Is everything all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just can’t get used to the idea that they’re not out there any more. I keep seeing them everywhere I go.”
“That can take some getting used to,” he admitted. “But it will get better.” Noting that the nervous look hadn’t left her face, Oliver gently took her arm and guided her toward the couch. “This is Chloe. She’s my best friend and considering the number of times she’s been captured, I thought she might be able to help.”
Tess raised her eyebrows slightly. “How many times are talking about?”
“I stopped counting after the deranged police officer buried me alive so he could rescue me and look like a hero,” Chloe said, shrugging slightly. “And that was five years ago.”
“Do I even want to know why it happens so often?” Tess whispered, clearly wondering if spending time around Chloe was dangerous.
“Comes with living in the town she grew up in,” Oliver laughed. “Chloe herself isn’t dangerous. Just a trouble magnet.”
“Like you should be the one to talk,” Chloe scoffed. “You were barely in Smallville a month before you got into trouble. It took me years before my first near death experience. So what’s that say about you?” she challenged.
He just rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We both made it out in one piece. And that’s all that matters.”
“You’re just trying to save your manhood,” she teased.
Tess watched their verbal sparring with interest, careful to keep her face passive. The rapport Oliver and Chloe shared did not please her. She had thought that she and Oliver shared something. The way he had kept his arm about her as they waited on the boat for rescuers to come to him had been tender and caring. He’d whispered to her as loudly as his disused voice would let him, probably straining his throat in the process, just to keep the nightmares away. When they’d finally reached land again, he hadn’t let her go, hadn’t left her side, despite the hoops they had to jump through to get from place to place. He’d stayed there beside her until she was taken to a hotel where she could rest. She’d run into him a few times since. At the press conference and a few other times when they were taking care of some of the details of their rescue. Each time, he’d been genuinely happy to see her and had spent the entire time at her side.
Now this girl was suddenly taking all of his attention. Oliver’s eyes were sparkling as they continued to duel back and forth. Tess didn’t know who Chloe was or what she meant to Oliver, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.
Laughing, Chloe turned to Tess. “I swear, my life isn’t as crazy as it sounds,” she promised. “But it has made for some good stories.”
“That’s an understatement,” Oliver snorted.
Chloe shot him a look. “Tess, would you like some coffee? I find myself in need of a refill if I’m going to have to keep dealing with Oliver’s rapier wit.”
“No thanks.” Tess forced a smile onto her face.
Not quite oblivious to the strained nature of the other woman’s smile, Chloe grabbed her coffee cup off the table and moved to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure she like the way Tess had been looking at her as she and Oliver were talking. But she forced herself to swallow her anxieties and give Oliver the benefit of the doubt. Still, deep inside herself, she couldn’t help but fear that Tess would eventually change Oliver’s feelings in her favor and it scared Chloe more than she was willing to admit.
Sighing deeply in an attempt to calm herself, Chloe leaned against the counter and waited for the coffee to finish percolating while she ignored the low voices issuing from the living room.
“So what do you think of Chloe?” Oliver asked with a grin.
Tess slowly perched on the edge of one of the chairs. She wanted to sit on the couch beside Oliver, but since Chloe’s papers were spread out on the table and her laptop was pushed under the couch, she figured it wasn’t the best idea.
“She seems nice,” Tess hedged. “If all the stories you two told are true, she’s led an interesting life.”
“That’s for sure,” Oliver agreed. “But it’s part of what makes her so amazing.”
Shifting on the edge of her seat, she asked, “How did you two meet, exactly?”
His grin broadened. “I got sent to Smallville to keep me out of trouble. Chloe showed me around the school. She always saw me, beneath the playboy facade.”
“So you two were close?”
Oliver paused at that. How was he supposed to answer that? He knew that Tess was interested in him as more than a friend, and telling her that he and Chloe had been dating, past tense, would give her the idea that he was a free man. Telling her that they were dating, present tense, would mean defining their relationship in a way they were actually trying to avoid. So instead, he simply said, “We still are.”
She tensed at that. Oliver and Chloe were either dating or close to take their friendship to the next level.
“So was she your first call when you came back from the dead?” Tess teased, hoping to find out how close they were.
Again he hesitated. Figuring she’d hear some version of the story sooner of later, he decided just to tell her the truth. “Actually, I took the jet out to Kansas as soon as the doctors cleared me. Chloe was my first real friend. She was the one person I wanted to see when I got back. The look on her face when she opened the door was priceless.” Though not necessarily in a good way, he added to himself. The shocked look of disbelief on Chloe’s face when the first saw each other had nearly killed him.
He flew out to see her? Tess repeated to herself. All right, next question. “What’s she doing out here?”
“She’s going to school at SCU,” he explained, again, dancing around the truth of the matter. “And since I could use a friendly face around here with all the third degree I’ve been getting, she agreed to come out early and stay with me. Plus, it’s been two years since we’ve seen each other. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“She must be a really good friend,” Tess observed weakly.
“The best,” Oliver said fervently.
“What’s the best?” Chloe asked, walking back into the room with a fresh cup of coffee.
“No one,” Oliver said quickly. He grinned at her as she sat down beside him. Tess watched in disapproval, noticing that he automatically shifted, not closer, but so that he was more or less facing her. Chloe set her mug on the table and picked up several folders.
“What exactly are you working on?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing interesting,” she sighed. “Just a really boring piece on the traffic problems downtown.”
Oliver glanced over his shoulder. Whatever the two of them were looking at, caused him to frown slightly.
Annoyed at being out of the loop, Tess shifted closer to the edge of her seat. “What’s so interesting?”
“Nothing. Which is what is so interesting,” Oliver joked. “I’m slightly impressed by the fact that Chloe’s managed to sift through all this. I think I’d have fallen asleep.”
Chloe laughed. “I bet you look at more boring stuff than I do at QI.”
“And I often fall asleep,” he pointed out. “It doesn’t go over well with the board.”
“I would assume so,” Tess said. “Maybe you should follow Chloe’s lead and drink more coffee.”
“Oh, no,” Oliver laughed. “Coffee makes me jittery.”
A loud beep echoed through the apartment. It was the alarm on Chloe’s phone. She was supposed to have her article submitted in just a few hours and the alarm was to remind her of the deadline. Tess started violently at the sound and stared around, as though expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and grab her.
Oliver jumped up and put his arms around Tess’s shoulders while Chloe scrambled to shut it off. “I’m so sorry. It’s just my phone.”
Tess shook slightly. “It’s all right,” Oliver said soothingly. “There’s no one there.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I just can’t help it.”
Chloe bit her lip, gazing at Tess sympathetically. “I know what that’s like. It’ll be a while before you stop freaking out over the littlest things. It’s just a process you have to let happen. Ollie and I were kidnapped around spring break the year before he left. It took us weeks to get past it. We both woke up with nightmares. He was incredibly jumpy for a long time after.”
“I kept expected them to jump out of the shadows,” he added softly. “I couldn’t believe that it was actually over. But it passes,” he added, his voice a little louder than before. “You just have to give it time.”
Tess nodded shakily, leaning into his side and resting her head against his shoulder. “I can still feel them watching me.”
“That’s gonna take a while to go away,” Oliver whispered. “Whenever it gets bad, you can call me or stop by.”
“You can have my number, too,” Chloe volunteered. “In case Ollie isn’t available.”
She nodded again. “All right. Sorry about this. I’m not usually such a headcase.”
“Everyone has a right to be a little neurotic after they’ve been abducted,” Oliver chuckled. “It’s fine.” He glanced at the clock and grimaced. “Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to cut this short. I have a gala to attend for Queen Industries.”
Tess abruptly stood, her face becoming an impassive mask. “I should be going anyway.”
“Do you want me to call a cab?”
She shook her head. “No. I think I need to walk. Thanks for everything. It was nice to meet you, Chloe.”
“Likewise,” Chloe replied, smiling reassuringly. “It will get better. Just give it time.”
Nodding wordlessly, Tess spun on her heel and left the penthouse.
The smile slid off Chloe’s face and she turned worriedly to Oliver. “Are you sure she’s all right? She looks really shook up.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe she just needs more time. You and I are a little more used to this than the average person,” he pointed out.
“True,” she admitted. “But I’m still worried.”
He sighed deeply. “Me too. But there’s only so much we can do.”
“I still wish I could do more.”
“Hopefully you’ll be able to help her. I think talking to another girl will help.”
“But she know you and trusts you. You’ll get more out of her.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of Tess’s welfare resting on his shoulders. In an attempt to avoid the subject, he gestured back toward his room. “I need to go shower and change or I’m going to be late for the gala and, as the board has reminded me multiple times, that being late does not make a good impression.”
She almost laughed. He was trying so hard to prove himself. “Then I better not keep you. I have to finish this article anyway, so you go pretty yourself up.”
Clutching his heart as though wounded, he shot her a mock offended look. “I’ll have you know that I am always pretty.”
“Just keep telling yourself that.”
Chuckling under his breath, he disappeared down the hall. Chloe bent over the research she had done and began typing up her article. Barely two sentences had gotten written when her phone rang.
Sighing, she picked it up. “Sullivan.”
“Do you have an evening dress in your closet?” her editor barked without preamble.
She pulled her phone away from her ear, checking the screen to make sure that she was hearing who she thought she was hearing. Convinced it was indeed her editor calling, she pressed the phone back to her ear. “Why?” she asked slowly.
“Because the girl that usually covers the society events is out sick and we need someone to cover the hospital benefit gala. And you’re it, kid.”
“Why me? Isn’t there someone else who’d be be better suited to this?” she almost pleaded.
“I’ve seen you in your element, Sullivan. Now I need out of it,” her editor said firmly. “Now do you have a dress or not.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I do.” It was in Metropolis. So hopefully Clark wouldn’t mind speeding it over to her.
“Do you have a press pass?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I expect great things from you, Sullivan. Turn in the traffic article next week. This is due by Saturday night. Good luck kid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”
As soon as she hung up, she groaned and fell back against the couch, automatically dialing Clark.
“Hey, Chloe,” he answered cheerily. “What’s up?”
“I need a favor,” she said sheepishly.
“Are you all right? I something wrong?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I just need you to get a dress out of my apartment. I have to go to this gala for the Register. I didn’t know about it until the last minute.”
“No problem. Which one is it?” He sounded relieved that it was nothing worse.
“Blue dress in a black garment bag. And would you mind grabbing my silver heals, too?”
“No problem.”
“Just drop it off in my room. I have to take a shower.”
“All right,” Clark said.
“Thank you so much. You’re a life saver.”
“That is the job,” he chuckled.
***
Oliver was already bored and he’d only been at the gala for thirty minutes. The event hadn’t actually started. They were only half an hour in and people were still trickling in. He knew that things wouldn’t actually start for at least another fifteen minutes. He was not looking forward to making smalltalk for the evening.
Sighing heavily, he turned and started wandering the edge of the room. He smiled and murmured a few greetings. Most people returned the greeting, eyeing him speculatively. When he’d attended events previously, as he’d been forced to do by his guardian, he’d made no secret of the fact that he did not want to be there. He’d made a habit of being a detached jerk. And his previous behavior in his personal life hadn’t endeared him to anyone. He had a feeling that once things got started, every conversation he had would center around what had happened on the island. That was not going to be fun.
The gala was about to actually start when he saw her. She was dressed in a simple blue gown that flowed elegantly about her. Her hair was curled and she was wearing more make-up than usual. She was gazing about nervously. As she turned, Oliver saw that she was also wearing a press pass.
Smirking to himself, he made his way across the room to where she stood. She didn’t even notice him coming.
Chloe stared around the room, feeling distinctly out of place. At least the other times she’d had to attend an event like this Clark or Lois had been there with her. A man appeared on the stage at the front of the room. Chloe pulled out her recorder and switched it on as the man explained what the benefit was gala was specifically for. Apparently, they were trying to raise money for a new wing to the children’s hospital.
As the man walked off the stage, Chloe shut off her recorder and slipped it back into her clutch. Now all she had to do was mingle. That was not going to be fun.
“Do I know you?”
She froze. She knew that voice. Biting her lip, Chloe turned around and looked up at Oliver sheepishly.
“Hi.”
Smirking, he arched an eyebrow. “That’s all I get? I’m hurt. What are you doing here?”
She picked up the press pass from around her neck and held it up for him to see. “I’m working. What did you think I was doing?”
“Stalking me,” he teased.
“If I was stalking you, I would have done of better job of staying hidden. And why would I need to stalk you?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “I live with you.”
“Which begs the question. Why didn’t you tell me about this assignment? I could have given you a ride. It’s not as if I’m against associating with reporters or anything.”
Chloe glared at him. “I didn’t get the assignment until last minute.” She lowered her voice so that no one would hear her. “I had to get Clark to run me my dress from Metropolis.”
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me when you did get the call.” He was enjoying making her squirm.
“What was I supposed to do?” she hissed, now thoroughly annoyed. “Burst in on you while you were in the shower?”
Oliver had to force himself not to picture that or dwell on how much he wished Chloe had done just that. Instead he decided to change the subject. “Well since you’re here, would you care to dance?”
“Dance?” Chloe repeated. That was not what she’d expected.
“You are familiar with the concept, right?” he teased.
“I am, but why do you want to dance with me?”
“Maybe because you’re my friend and probably the one person here who doesn’t have some kind of agenda concerning me,” he suggested lightly.
Chloe frowned slightly. Despite the flippant tone, she could see that Oliver really believed that. She was the first to admit, having spent as much time as she had around the Luthors, that there probably plenty of people at the gala to whom the statement applied. But there had to be at least a few people there who actually liked Oliver.
“All right,” she said, reluctantly, knowing that he was going to pout endlessly if she said no. “But you better not step on my feet.”
Chuckling, Oliver tugged her out onto the dance floor. “Have a little faith. I didn’t step on your toes at prom, did I?”
They moved in time to the music. Oliver was acutely aware of her hand on his arm and the feel of the fabric of her dress, gliding over the skin of her back beneath his hand. He couldn’t bring herself to speak. There was something about the moment that seemed fragile and precious. For a moment, he felt like he was back at prom, back when everything had been so much simpler. He could remember, as though it had been yesterday. They had spent almost the entire wrapped in each other’s arms, swaying slightly, stealing kisses.
As he looked down at the woman in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and kiss her. But that would cross a line they weren’t ready to cross. He was still worried that she would walk away from him. And until he got over that, he knew he couldn’t cross the line between friendship and something more. But he couldn’t stop himself from wishing he could.
Chloe found herself unable to look away from Oliver. He was gazing at her intensely, something brewing deep in his dark eyes. She felt her body begin to heat up under his scrutiny. His hand was burning against her back. Neither of them noticed that they had stopped moving and were standing in the middle of the dance floor.
Unconsciously, Chloe stepped the slightest bit closer, pressing her body to his a little bit harder. His gaze became more intense. Oliver slide his hand up her back, just slightly and closed the distance between them, almost infinitesimally.
Then the song ended and the moment broke. Chloe stepped away, her face flaming red. “I have to go get some quotes for this article. I’ll see you later.”
“Do you need a ride home?” Oliver asked weakly.
She shook her head. “I don’t have to stay the whole time. Just for the important stuff. I’m going to leave early to get a head start on the article. I’ll just see you tomorrow.”
Oliver watched helplessly as Chloe disappeared into the crowd. He wasn’t sure what had come over the two of them, but he did know that they had taken a major step back.
Chapter 7
Rating: PG-13 for the most part, however there are sections that are NC-17 (my first attempt, for the record) for sexual content. This fic contains violence and language. Chapters containing sexual content will be preceded by a warning.
Spoilers: The entire series, basically. The basic setting is season six with a twist, but anything is fair game if it works for this fic.
Warning: Again, this is AU and is a continuation of my fic Twist of Fate, which you really need to read first or this isn't going to make any sense. There will sexual content and violence.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, I'm just playing around with them.
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
Banner by geek_or_unique
Author’s Note: I haven’t gotten many reviews for the past few chapters, which is honestly a little depressing. Please review, people. I’m going a little out of my comfort zone here, so all the encouragement I can get is much appreciated. I am not afraid to hold chapters hostages if need be. *shakes threatening finger*
Chapter 6
They soon fell into a pattern. It was slightly awkward at first, pretending that they were just friends, but then it became natural. They spent the days going about their business, Oliver heading into Queen Industries to prove that he was capable of running the company, and Chloe going to the Register. She was proving herself rather quickly to be an adept reporter now that she wasn’t focused on helping Clark all the time. In the evenings they usually did something together, trying to re-establish their relationship and get to know one another. Often, they just sat in the living room, both working on their respective paperwork, making conversation as they did.
Oliver discovered that Chloe was was a little more closed off, a little more wary of her surroundings. He guessed it was a natural byproduct of living in Smallville and being attacked every other week. She was definitely more world weary than before, and slightly more jaded. But she was still Chloe. He loved to watch her pouring over research for an article.
Pinpointing how Oliver had changed was a little more difficult. He’d always been more than one person depending on the circumstances. It used to amaze Chloe the way he would change as he walked into Smallville High. She’d even been able to tell a slight difference when he called from Star City. Now, those different aspects of himself seemed to be even more separate than before. He often looked over her shoulder as she worked and, being the kind of reporter she was, she was usually working on something that dealt with crime and injustice. Every time Oliver read her research and her articles, he got this strange look on his face and grew unusually quiet and pensive afterwards.
Despite the obvious changes and the undetermined repercussions on their relationship, things had been easy between them. They’d fallen back into an easy, open friendship.
Almost too easy, Oliver muttered to himself.
He and Chloe were sitting side by side on the couch as she poured over the information on her newest article. It honestly bothered him a little that he was finding it so easy to be just friends with her. Oliver knew that his feelings for Chloe weren’t waning, as evidenced by how hard it was sometimes not to kiss her. (Just the other day she’d fallen asleep on the couch and when he lifted her into his arms, his heart had constricted and it had taken all of his self control not to kiss her.) But he was worried that she didn’t feel that way anymore. It seemed so much easier for her. He wondered just how much damage he had done with his insecurities.
It was hard for him to admit that he was insecure. That wasn’t something he was used to feeling. But he had been gone for two years and he’d had a lot of time to freak himself out about what would happen when he got back. Those had been some of his worst nightmares. Even though he was back and it seemed that everything was working out, even that he and Chloe were working out their relationship, Oliver couldn’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop. Happiness in his life had never lasted long.
The elevator buzzer sounded throughout the apartment. Chloe looked up from her work and glanced at Oliver, her eyebrows raised. “Are you expecting someone?”
“I don’t think so,” he said slowly, rising to his feet and moving to the screen that was connected to the elevator feed. He hit the button and the feed flickered to life. He groaned slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Chloe asked from the couch.
“I forgot that Tess wanted to stop by this week. She’s been having trouble getting over the whole thing and I’m the only one she’ll talk to. I completely forgot. I meant to warn you.”
Chloe grinned reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. Do you want me to make myself scarce?”
“No,” he said quickly. “I want you to be here for this. She needs to trust you because you’re part of my life and if she wants to be part of it, she’s going to have to get used to you being around. Because I’m choosing you over her every time.”
Touched by his words, she sighed and smile softly. “And you’d be miserable if you had to make that choice. But thanks for the thought.”
“I mean it,” he protested. “You’re the one that’s my friend. As much as I want to help Tess, I don’t want anything else to come between us.”
“What if I help you help her?” Chloe suggested.
His face lit up. “Really?”
Though she wouldn’t admit it, she was a little apprehensive about meeting Tess. It had been so obvious in the pictures how the other woman felt about Oliver. Over the past few days, it had been increasingly difficult to keep from throwing herself at Oliver and resuming their romantic relationship where they’d left off. He was handling it a lot better than she was and she couldn’t help but worry that because she’d been such an idiot about Tess and the whole situation with Jimmy that she’d screwed everything up. Somehow, she didn’t think having Tess hanging around was going to help matters, but if he wanted to help her, Chloe wasn’t going to stop him.
So she nodded reassuringly and said, “Definitely. Are you going to let her up?”
Oliver chuckled and hit the button to the elevator. A few moments later the doors slid open and Tess walked into the room. She seemed nervous, but she smiled slightly when she saw Oliver.
“Sorry to stop by without calling,” she said softly.
“It’s fine,” Oliver assured her. “Is everything all right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just can’t get used to the idea that they’re not out there any more. I keep seeing them everywhere I go.”
“That can take some getting used to,” he admitted. “But it will get better.” Noting that the nervous look hadn’t left her face, Oliver gently took her arm and guided her toward the couch. “This is Chloe. She’s my best friend and considering the number of times she’s been captured, I thought she might be able to help.”
Tess raised her eyebrows slightly. “How many times are talking about?”
“I stopped counting after the deranged police officer buried me alive so he could rescue me and look like a hero,” Chloe said, shrugging slightly. “And that was five years ago.”
“Do I even want to know why it happens so often?” Tess whispered, clearly wondering if spending time around Chloe was dangerous.
“Comes with living in the town she grew up in,” Oliver laughed. “Chloe herself isn’t dangerous. Just a trouble magnet.”
“Like you should be the one to talk,” Chloe scoffed. “You were barely in Smallville a month before you got into trouble. It took me years before my first near death experience. So what’s that say about you?” she challenged.
He just rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We both made it out in one piece. And that’s all that matters.”
“You’re just trying to save your manhood,” she teased.
Tess watched their verbal sparring with interest, careful to keep her face passive. The rapport Oliver and Chloe shared did not please her. She had thought that she and Oliver shared something. The way he had kept his arm about her as they waited on the boat for rescuers to come to him had been tender and caring. He’d whispered to her as loudly as his disused voice would let him, probably straining his throat in the process, just to keep the nightmares away. When they’d finally reached land again, he hadn’t let her go, hadn’t left her side, despite the hoops they had to jump through to get from place to place. He’d stayed there beside her until she was taken to a hotel where she could rest. She’d run into him a few times since. At the press conference and a few other times when they were taking care of some of the details of their rescue. Each time, he’d been genuinely happy to see her and had spent the entire time at her side.
Now this girl was suddenly taking all of his attention. Oliver’s eyes were sparkling as they continued to duel back and forth. Tess didn’t know who Chloe was or what she meant to Oliver, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her.
Laughing, Chloe turned to Tess. “I swear, my life isn’t as crazy as it sounds,” she promised. “But it has made for some good stories.”
“That’s an understatement,” Oliver snorted.
Chloe shot him a look. “Tess, would you like some coffee? I find myself in need of a refill if I’m going to have to keep dealing with Oliver’s rapier wit.”
“No thanks.” Tess forced a smile onto her face.
Not quite oblivious to the strained nature of the other woman’s smile, Chloe grabbed her coffee cup off the table and moved to the kitchen. She wasn’t sure she like the way Tess had been looking at her as she and Oliver were talking. But she forced herself to swallow her anxieties and give Oliver the benefit of the doubt. Still, deep inside herself, she couldn’t help but fear that Tess would eventually change Oliver’s feelings in her favor and it scared Chloe more than she was willing to admit.
Sighing deeply in an attempt to calm herself, Chloe leaned against the counter and waited for the coffee to finish percolating while she ignored the low voices issuing from the living room.
“So what do you think of Chloe?” Oliver asked with a grin.
Tess slowly perched on the edge of one of the chairs. She wanted to sit on the couch beside Oliver, but since Chloe’s papers were spread out on the table and her laptop was pushed under the couch, she figured it wasn’t the best idea.
“She seems nice,” Tess hedged. “If all the stories you two told are true, she’s led an interesting life.”
“That’s for sure,” Oliver agreed. “But it’s part of what makes her so amazing.”
Shifting on the edge of her seat, she asked, “How did you two meet, exactly?”
His grin broadened. “I got sent to Smallville to keep me out of trouble. Chloe showed me around the school. She always saw me, beneath the playboy facade.”
“So you two were close?”
Oliver paused at that. How was he supposed to answer that? He knew that Tess was interested in him as more than a friend, and telling her that he and Chloe had been dating, past tense, would give her the idea that he was a free man. Telling her that they were dating, present tense, would mean defining their relationship in a way they were actually trying to avoid. So instead, he simply said, “We still are.”
She tensed at that. Oliver and Chloe were either dating or close to take their friendship to the next level.
“So was she your first call when you came back from the dead?” Tess teased, hoping to find out how close they were.
Again he hesitated. Figuring she’d hear some version of the story sooner of later, he decided just to tell her the truth. “Actually, I took the jet out to Kansas as soon as the doctors cleared me. Chloe was my first real friend. She was the one person I wanted to see when I got back. The look on her face when she opened the door was priceless.” Though not necessarily in a good way, he added to himself. The shocked look of disbelief on Chloe’s face when the first saw each other had nearly killed him.
He flew out to see her? Tess repeated to herself. All right, next question. “What’s she doing out here?”
“She’s going to school at SCU,” he explained, again, dancing around the truth of the matter. “And since I could use a friendly face around here with all the third degree I’ve been getting, she agreed to come out early and stay with me. Plus, it’s been two years since we’ve seen each other. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“She must be a really good friend,” Tess observed weakly.
“The best,” Oliver said fervently.
“What’s the best?” Chloe asked, walking back into the room with a fresh cup of coffee.
“No one,” Oliver said quickly. He grinned at her as she sat down beside him. Tess watched in disapproval, noticing that he automatically shifted, not closer, but so that he was more or less facing her. Chloe set her mug on the table and picked up several folders.
“What exactly are you working on?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing interesting,” she sighed. “Just a really boring piece on the traffic problems downtown.”
Oliver glanced over his shoulder. Whatever the two of them were looking at, caused him to frown slightly.
Annoyed at being out of the loop, Tess shifted closer to the edge of her seat. “What’s so interesting?”
“Nothing. Which is what is so interesting,” Oliver joked. “I’m slightly impressed by the fact that Chloe’s managed to sift through all this. I think I’d have fallen asleep.”
Chloe laughed. “I bet you look at more boring stuff than I do at QI.”
“And I often fall asleep,” he pointed out. “It doesn’t go over well with the board.”
“I would assume so,” Tess said. “Maybe you should follow Chloe’s lead and drink more coffee.”
“Oh, no,” Oliver laughed. “Coffee makes me jittery.”
A loud beep echoed through the apartment. It was the alarm on Chloe’s phone. She was supposed to have her article submitted in just a few hours and the alarm was to remind her of the deadline. Tess started violently at the sound and stared around, as though expecting someone to jump out of the shadows and grab her.
Oliver jumped up and put his arms around Tess’s shoulders while Chloe scrambled to shut it off. “I’m so sorry. It’s just my phone.”
Tess shook slightly. “It’s all right,” Oliver said soothingly. “There’s no one there.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I just can’t help it.”
Chloe bit her lip, gazing at Tess sympathetically. “I know what that’s like. It’ll be a while before you stop freaking out over the littlest things. It’s just a process you have to let happen. Ollie and I were kidnapped around spring break the year before he left. It took us weeks to get past it. We both woke up with nightmares. He was incredibly jumpy for a long time after.”
“I kept expected them to jump out of the shadows,” he added softly. “I couldn’t believe that it was actually over. But it passes,” he added, his voice a little louder than before. “You just have to give it time.”
Tess nodded shakily, leaning into his side and resting her head against his shoulder. “I can still feel them watching me.”
“That’s gonna take a while to go away,” Oliver whispered. “Whenever it gets bad, you can call me or stop by.”
“You can have my number, too,” Chloe volunteered. “In case Ollie isn’t available.”
She nodded again. “All right. Sorry about this. I’m not usually such a headcase.”
“Everyone has a right to be a little neurotic after they’ve been abducted,” Oliver chuckled. “It’s fine.” He glanced at the clock and grimaced. “Unfortunately, I’m gonna have to cut this short. I have a gala to attend for Queen Industries.”
Tess abruptly stood, her face becoming an impassive mask. “I should be going anyway.”
“Do you want me to call a cab?”
She shook her head. “No. I think I need to walk. Thanks for everything. It was nice to meet you, Chloe.”
“Likewise,” Chloe replied, smiling reassuringly. “It will get better. Just give it time.”
Nodding wordlessly, Tess spun on her heel and left the penthouse.
The smile slid off Chloe’s face and she turned worriedly to Oliver. “Are you sure she’s all right? She looks really shook up.”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Maybe she just needs more time. You and I are a little more used to this than the average person,” he pointed out.
“True,” she admitted. “But I’m still worried.”
He sighed deeply. “Me too. But there’s only so much we can do.”
“I still wish I could do more.”
“Hopefully you’ll be able to help her. I think talking to another girl will help.”
“But she know you and trusts you. You’ll get more out of her.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of Tess’s welfare resting on his shoulders. In an attempt to avoid the subject, he gestured back toward his room. “I need to go shower and change or I’m going to be late for the gala and, as the board has reminded me multiple times, that being late does not make a good impression.”
She almost laughed. He was trying so hard to prove himself. “Then I better not keep you. I have to finish this article anyway, so you go pretty yourself up.”
Clutching his heart as though wounded, he shot her a mock offended look. “I’ll have you know that I am always pretty.”
“Just keep telling yourself that.”
Chuckling under his breath, he disappeared down the hall. Chloe bent over the research she had done and began typing up her article. Barely two sentences had gotten written when her phone rang.
Sighing, she picked it up. “Sullivan.”
“Do you have an evening dress in your closet?” her editor barked without preamble.
She pulled her phone away from her ear, checking the screen to make sure that she was hearing who she thought she was hearing. Convinced it was indeed her editor calling, she pressed the phone back to her ear. “Why?” she asked slowly.
“Because the girl that usually covers the society events is out sick and we need someone to cover the hospital benefit gala. And you’re it, kid.”
“Why me? Isn’t there someone else who’d be be better suited to this?” she almost pleaded.
“I’ve seen you in your element, Sullivan. Now I need out of it,” her editor said firmly. “Now do you have a dress or not.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I do.” It was in Metropolis. So hopefully Clark wouldn’t mind speeding it over to her.
“Do you have a press pass?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I expect great things from you, Sullivan. Turn in the traffic article next week. This is due by Saturday night. Good luck kid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thank you, sir.”
As soon as she hung up, she groaned and fell back against the couch, automatically dialing Clark.
“Hey, Chloe,” he answered cheerily. “What’s up?”
“I need a favor,” she said sheepishly.
“Are you all right? I something wrong?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I just need you to get a dress out of my apartment. I have to go to this gala for the Register. I didn’t know about it until the last minute.”
“No problem. Which one is it?” He sounded relieved that it was nothing worse.
“Blue dress in a black garment bag. And would you mind grabbing my silver heals, too?”
“No problem.”
“Just drop it off in my room. I have to take a shower.”
“All right,” Clark said.
“Thank you so much. You’re a life saver.”
“That is the job,” he chuckled.
***
Oliver was already bored and he’d only been at the gala for thirty minutes. The event hadn’t actually started. They were only half an hour in and people were still trickling in. He knew that things wouldn’t actually start for at least another fifteen minutes. He was not looking forward to making smalltalk for the evening.
Sighing heavily, he turned and started wandering the edge of the room. He smiled and murmured a few greetings. Most people returned the greeting, eyeing him speculatively. When he’d attended events previously, as he’d been forced to do by his guardian, he’d made no secret of the fact that he did not want to be there. He’d made a habit of being a detached jerk. And his previous behavior in his personal life hadn’t endeared him to anyone. He had a feeling that once things got started, every conversation he had would center around what had happened on the island. That was not going to be fun.
The gala was about to actually start when he saw her. She was dressed in a simple blue gown that flowed elegantly about her. Her hair was curled and she was wearing more make-up than usual. She was gazing about nervously. As she turned, Oliver saw that she was also wearing a press pass.
Smirking to himself, he made his way across the room to where she stood. She didn’t even notice him coming.
Chloe stared around the room, feeling distinctly out of place. At least the other times she’d had to attend an event like this Clark or Lois had been there with her. A man appeared on the stage at the front of the room. Chloe pulled out her recorder and switched it on as the man explained what the benefit was gala was specifically for. Apparently, they were trying to raise money for a new wing to the children’s hospital.
As the man walked off the stage, Chloe shut off her recorder and slipped it back into her clutch. Now all she had to do was mingle. That was not going to be fun.
“Do I know you?”
She froze. She knew that voice. Biting her lip, Chloe turned around and looked up at Oliver sheepishly.
“Hi.”
Smirking, he arched an eyebrow. “That’s all I get? I’m hurt. What are you doing here?”
She picked up the press pass from around her neck and held it up for him to see. “I’m working. What did you think I was doing?”
“Stalking me,” he teased.
“If I was stalking you, I would have done of better job of staying hidden. And why would I need to stalk you?” she asked, rolling her eyes. “I live with you.”
“Which begs the question. Why didn’t you tell me about this assignment? I could have given you a ride. It’s not as if I’m against associating with reporters or anything.”
Chloe glared at him. “I didn’t get the assignment until last minute.” She lowered her voice so that no one would hear her. “I had to get Clark to run me my dress from Metropolis.”
“That doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me when you did get the call.” He was enjoying making her squirm.
“What was I supposed to do?” she hissed, now thoroughly annoyed. “Burst in on you while you were in the shower?”
Oliver had to force himself not to picture that or dwell on how much he wished Chloe had done just that. Instead he decided to change the subject. “Well since you’re here, would you care to dance?”
“Dance?” Chloe repeated. That was not what she’d expected.
“You are familiar with the concept, right?” he teased.
“I am, but why do you want to dance with me?”
“Maybe because you’re my friend and probably the one person here who doesn’t have some kind of agenda concerning me,” he suggested lightly.
Chloe frowned slightly. Despite the flippant tone, she could see that Oliver really believed that. She was the first to admit, having spent as much time as she had around the Luthors, that there probably plenty of people at the gala to whom the statement applied. But there had to be at least a few people there who actually liked Oliver.
“All right,” she said, reluctantly, knowing that he was going to pout endlessly if she said no. “But you better not step on my feet.”
Chuckling, Oliver tugged her out onto the dance floor. “Have a little faith. I didn’t step on your toes at prom, did I?”
They moved in time to the music. Oliver was acutely aware of her hand on his arm and the feel of the fabric of her dress, gliding over the skin of her back beneath his hand. He couldn’t bring herself to speak. There was something about the moment that seemed fragile and precious. For a moment, he felt like he was back at prom, back when everything had been so much simpler. He could remember, as though it had been yesterday. They had spent almost the entire wrapped in each other’s arms, swaying slightly, stealing kisses.
As he looked down at the woman in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and kiss her. But that would cross a line they weren’t ready to cross. He was still worried that she would walk away from him. And until he got over that, he knew he couldn’t cross the line between friendship and something more. But he couldn’t stop himself from wishing he could.
Chloe found herself unable to look away from Oliver. He was gazing at her intensely, something brewing deep in his dark eyes. She felt her body begin to heat up under his scrutiny. His hand was burning against her back. Neither of them noticed that they had stopped moving and were standing in the middle of the dance floor.
Unconsciously, Chloe stepped the slightest bit closer, pressing her body to his a little bit harder. His gaze became more intense. Oliver slide his hand up her back, just slightly and closed the distance between them, almost infinitesimally.
Then the song ended and the moment broke. Chloe stepped away, her face flaming red. “I have to go get some quotes for this article. I’ll see you later.”
“Do you need a ride home?” Oliver asked weakly.
She shook her head. “I don’t have to stay the whole time. Just for the important stuff. I’m going to leave early to get a head start on the article. I’ll just see you tomorrow.”
Oliver watched helplessly as Chloe disappeared into the crowd. He wasn’t sure what had come over the two of them, but he did know that they had taken a major step back.
Chapter 7