Crossroads 9/?
So I had some free time at hand and decided to put it to good use ... for once you don't have to wait like forever for an update :)
Enjoy!
A big bear hug again goes to prophet87 for being such a great beta! Thanks s much sweetie!
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Summary: Oliver doesn't know about superheros, secret societies, villains, who are after more than just his business until he gets caught in the middle. Meeting Chloe will offer both far more than they'd have ever expected.
This is AU set a few months after Chloe graduated from college.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters used in here belong to The CW and DC Comics. No money is made from this, it's for entertainment only.
CHAPTER 9
Chloe leaned against the stone-wall next to the elevator. The cold touch of it somehow cooled her heated body, yet did nothing for her racing heart and her reeling mind.
Nobody had ever kissed her like that before, and the fact that it all happened in effect due to the circumstances just broke her heart. She had been so happy to have found another friend, one who truly cherished her, and she had been okay with her developing feelings for him. But that kiss had changed everything - and she had no idea how to go on from here.
When she heard the elevator move she pushed herself away from the wall quickly.
She should have known that Oliver would come after her. God, why did he have to be so damn predictable? She didn't want to see him, didn't want to talk to him - she couldn't. All she needed right now was to be left alone to collect her jumbled thoughts and deal with her feelings.
Walking out of the building she realized that her car was still parked at the Daily Planet since Oliver had offered her a ride over earlier. Had it really been just 12 hours ago? It felt like an eternity, with everything that happened.
The rain pouring down had soaked her in a couple of seconds, but she didn't care. This way nobody would see her tears which were mingling with the raindrops on her face. If only she could make it to her car without him catching up with her, she would drive the fastest way home and curl up in her bed.
Running out of the building Oliver saw her walking down the pathway in hurried steps. As much as he'd like to tell himself it was to get away from the cold, he knew better than that. Calling her name he tried to get her to slow down.
Although the heavy rain was absorbing most of his words, she must have heard him; she broke into a run, her steps slightly unsteady due to her heels and the slippery asphalt.
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When he made no attempt to come closer Chloe eventually slowed down for a bit, desperately needing the air to fill her lungs. She knew that if he'd really wanted to catch up with her, he would have done. His legs were much longer and his condition probably was a whole lot better than hers. So she figured that she wasn't really worth the effort - again.
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Oliver was afraid she'd break her legs and end up in a hospital if he kept chasing her. It was all too clear that she didn't want to talk, and even though he was hurt and confused about the way she had reacted he realized that all he could do for now was to make sure she reached the Planet without one of those incidents she seemed to attract more often than not.
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Three days later Chloe walked around her desk in search of a much needed coffee. Maria watched her warily.
She wasn't one to interfere with other people's lives, but Chloe had been so happy and so much in love with Oliver if her words and the blush that had colored her cheeks had been any indication, and now she was walking around like a ghost.
Maria grabbed the coffee pot before Chloe got the chance to take a sip.
Chloe glared at her. "What are you doing? I ..."
" ... need the caffeine to stay awake?" Maria finished her sentence for her.
"Do you actually sleep, Chloe? Or even more important, eat? Because all I can see is you drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee since you came to work yesterday."
"That's none of your concern," Chloe shot back.
"Maybe not, and I will back off if you tell me to, but you look like you need a friend, and I'm here," Maria added, not the slightest bit intimidated by Chloe's harsh tone.
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With a deep sigh Chloe fell into her chair and whispered softly "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to snap. I'm just not feeling so well."
"Does this have anything to do with Oliver Queen? I swear, if he did something to hurt you, I'll uncover his darkest secret and have it printed on every front page of every newspaper in the States," she only half-joked.
Still it elicited a small smile from Chloe.
Shaking her head she brushed it off though. "I think I might be coming down with something and I didn't sleep much these last few nights, but really there's nothing to worry about."
"And no, Oliver didn't do anything," she added. 'Except kiss me and making my insides turn to jelly and then practically taking it all back', she thought bitterly.
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Oliver had sent her a dozen text messages and had tried to call her whenever his schedule allowed it, but she downright ignored him and didn't answer any of them.
To begin with she'd simply pressed the ignore button, but after a while she'd let it go straight to voicemail, not having the strength to fight her feelings anymore.
He had been called back to Star City for a business related emergency that couldn't be postponed, as much as he wished to. His assistant down there in California was one of the best, but this was something that required the CEO's attendance. Not that he was able to really concentrate on the task at hand, his thoughts drifting back to a certain blonde reporter more often than not.
He hadn't thought she'd ever be able to hurt him that badly, but she had. He had been so sure that his feelings were mutual, but obviously he had been wrong about that.
He could live with it though; he would have to store his feelings away, if it meant she'd stay a part of his life. He couldn't lose her. She had wormed herself into his life in a pretty unusual way, and now that he'd let her in he couldn't imagine a life without her.
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One part of Chloe felt bad about the way she had treated Oliver, but after all the heart-break she'd suffered from having been ignored by Clark for all these years she couldn't bring herself to act differently. Maybe it was selfish and maybe she'd regret it, but this time she was determined to think about what was best for her.
She didn't want to lose Oliver's friendship altogether, but she needed more time to harden her heart. She would apologize later and hope that he'd swallow whatever lie she'd have to feed him to cover her story.
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Maria had been right, and what Chloe had told her was just a half-lie. The symptoms might have felt like she was coming down with something, but if she was honest it was what heart-break felt like. She barely had any appetite at all and at night she did nothing but toss and turn, alternating between cursing her stupidity for falling for yet another man who didn't feel the same as she did and searching for ways out of it.
It didn't help much that she'd see pictures of Oliver from the video-feed whenever she managed to drift off to sleep, and that he didn't stop sending her text-messages which she deleted without reading.
If reporting hadn't been her life she would have stayed in bed and wallowed in self pity at least for a little while longer, but work kept her distracted, and besides, self pity had never been her style. Although she had to admit that it was getting more and more difficult to cover her ghostly pale skin and the deep shadows under her eyes.
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Deep in thought she walked out of her apartment building, when she heard a cold voice saying, "Get into the car, Miss Sullivan - now!"
So that it was, chapter 9 of "Crossroads" ... I hope you still enjoy it, although Chloe and Oliver already got everything I ever wished for them. And I couldn't resist wet Oliver even if it isn't relevant here, the mental image was too good to be ignored ;)
Please tell me what you think, feedback means the world to me :)