Fic: The Great Red K Caper (A Chlollieween Story) - Part Seven
A/N - This story was supposed to be 5 parts but since I've broken each chapter in half for easier posting, I think it will be about 10. Still taking a long time to post though - sorry. The best Internet available in my area is 4G but I think I'm getting WAY less than that - I'm ready to kill my Internet provider (Skype won't even run - urgh.) I'm getting the updates done as fast as I can though. Hope you like this one...
Part Seven
Oliver had just finished placing a food order for the team when a gust of wind blew through the room. Without turning around, he said, “Clark - nice of you to finally join us. We need to have a talk about you and your habit of turning off your cell phone.” Oliver turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.
“Where’s Chloe? Is she ok?” Clark looked around the room with a concerned expression. “And Lois made me turn it off because we were on a stakeout and the last time we were on one, my phone rang. Where’s Chloe?”
“I’m here, Clark, and I’m fine. Not a scratch on me,” Chloe answered as she walked into the main room with Victor and AC behind her. “Victor was showing me a new QI upgrade that has a bug he’s trying to fix.”
Clark crossed to her in three quick strides and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”
“Clark, it’s fine. I know how Lois can be and if you and I were on a stakeout, I’d make you turn your phone off too.” She hugged him back tightly. “The Justice League rode in on their white horses and saved the handcuffed damsel, and things turned out not to be what they seemed anyway.”
Clark pulled back and examined her wrists with a frown. “Handcuffed by whom exactly? And these bruises don’t look like nothing, Chloe.”
Chloe took his hand and pulled him over to the sofa as she began telling him the story of what she was now calling The Great Red K Caper, much to Oliver’s amusement. His smile faded as he watched Chloe and Clark sitting together on the sofa. They just looked so natural together, and he knew that they had been friends for years, much longer than he himself had known Chloe. He knew that Chloe had been hung up on Clark for a number of those years, and she’d all but said that something had happened between them in the past while working on undercover story assignments. And maybe it was silly, but he was beginning to realize how much that bothered him.
Victor walked over to join him at the desk. “They’re not like that you know.”
Oliver ran a hand through his hair as he turned away from the couple on the sofa. “Maybe not, but they have a history that no one else can even begin to compete with.”
“True,” Victor acknowledged. “But there’s a reason we call it history - because it’s in the past. Maybe you need to focus on the here and now because I saw the way she looked at you today. It’s not the same way she looks at Clark - not anymore.”
Oliver remained quiet during dinner as he thought about this. There was definitely something between him and Chloe. There was absolutely no denying that now, not that he wanted to. And after her initial skittish reaction, it seemed that Chloe was done denying it as well. After months of trying to forget about the kiss, of pretending it didn’t bother him that Chloe had moved in with Jimmy afterward, he was still trying to wrap his head around the way everything had changed in less than a day.
As they were cleaning up after dinner, Chloe said, “Before we head out, I need to get my costume from my apartment.”
Clark groaned. “Do we really need costumes?”
Chloe shrugged. “Maybe not, but if we’re all in street clothes at the biggest costume party of the year, we’re going to stick out. It’s better to blend in.”
AC spoke up. “I’m going as a beach bum - practically what I wear all the time anyway except when I’m in the water - then I’m naked.”
Bart held up a hand. “Dude - I just ate. No naked swimming stories.”
“I can put together something Tron-like,” Victor added. “What about you Bart? I bet we could score some mouse ears and a tail - Speedy Gonzalez might be a good look for you.” He grinned as he ducked to avoid the pillow Bart threw at him.
“I have a costume, bolt brain,” Bart shot back. A gust of wind later, Bart reappeared wearing a Spanish bull fighting costume. “I love Halloween,” he added in excitement, whipping his cape off and holding it out. “Cool, huh?”
Clark looked at Chloe. “You know I hate costumes. If everyone else is wearing a costume, it won’t matter if I don’t.”
“Fine, you don’t have to wear one,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Oliver with a raised brow. “What about you?”
Oliver shrugged. “I don’t have anything here in Metropolis. I might sit this one out too.” He wasn’t in the mood to wear a costume, though he admitted he didn’t mind seeing Chloe in another one.
“I can run you over to your apartment, Chloe,” Clark offered.
“I’ll take her,” Oliver said abruptly. “We can meet you guys at the party.”
Chloe stood up and got her bag. “Ready when you are.”
The drive to Chloe’s apartment was mostly quiet with Chloe shooting him questioning looks, probably wondering why he was being so quiet. When they arrived, Oliver made note of the building. It was an older structure but well maintained, and the neighborhood seemed comprised of young professionals as well as young married couples. There appeared to be a neighborhood barbecue going on, and Chloe called greetings to a few people as they entered the building. Oliver didn’t miss the curious looks he got from everyone, particularly the women.
“Mine’s a third floor walkup,” Chloe said as they took the stairs. “I was lucky to find this place. It’s old but nice, and the rent is reasonable.” She stopped at a door at the end of the hall and unlocked it, waving Oliver in ahead of her.
Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked around. “You and Jimmy got this place together, right?”
Chloe set her bag down on the bar that separated her small kitchen from the living room. “Yes. We had a joint lease, but he was nice enough to let me have this place. He moved in with a friend of his who lives closer to the center of the city.”
He nodded, walking around to look at the brightly colored artwork she had put up. “Nice paintings.”
“Gotta love a good estate sale,” Chloe joked. “The only new things I bought are the sofa, chair and my bed. Lois and I hit a bunch of estate and moving sales the summer after I graduated, and I painted the walls after Jimmy moved out. I like more color than he does.”
The room was painted a soft, warm brown shade with one brighter accent wall in a burnt orange shade. The cream colored sofa had a colorful throw across the back and the pillows mirrored the shades of the walls and artwork. “I like the colors,” he commented.
“Thanks. The rest of the apartment is kind of bare though - this is the only room I’ve had time to work on so far. Anyway, I’ll go put my costume on and we can get going.”
Oliver sat on the sofa and waited for her. He’d been expecting to see signs that Jimmy had lived there with Chloe, but the place looked more like her than anything. She had a small flat screen TV on the wall; he remembered Lois and Clark had both chipped in to buy it for her as a housewarming present.
He heard the bedroom door open and looked up, promptly forgetting what he’d been about to say. Chloe was wearing a school girl costume - a very sexy one with a short plaid skirt and a fitted white shirt tied at her waist. She had left a few buttons undone, revealing tantalizing glimpses of the soft swell of her breasts. White thigh highs with black, platform Mary Janes completed the look, and her hair fell in loose waves around her face.
Chloe bit her lip as he continued to stare at her. “It was my costume for a Halloween party freshman year - actually, it’s the only Halloween party I went to at Met U.”
Oliver cleared his throat. “Come here.”
Chloe looked almost shy walking across the room to stand in front of him, and he put his hands on her hips to pull her down on his lap. He was hard, and with her thighs gripping him at the waist, he knew she must be able to feel it.
She settled against him, her breath hitching a little, and put her arms around his neck. “So what do you think?”
His answer was to kiss her slowly, and she responded with enough enthusiasm to make him want to forget the damn party and take her to bed. He pulled back, his voice husky as he answered her. “I think you look sexy as hell.” His hands moved down to her hips, squeezing and pulling her in closer.
She kissed him again, and when they broke apart he continued. “I want you to stay with me tonight, but I don’t want to rush you into anything you’re not ready for. And I want Clark and Lois to know about us.”
Chloe met his gaze, her fingers rubbing against the back of his neck lightly. “There’s an us?”
“Yeah, I think there is. I want there to be an us.”
She was quiet for a minute and then she nodded. “Okay.”
Oliver released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Okay to…?”
“Okay to both,” she answered with a smile.
He stood with her in his arms and kissed her once more before setting her on her feet. “Then let’s get this party started, Sullivan.”
She giggled in response. She always sounded so happy when she laughed, and he couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to hear a lot more laughter from her. Maybe things were happening fast - or maybe he’d just been really good at ignoring what had been there for months. Either way, he wasn’t letting Chloe Sullivan get away from him again.
Part Seven
Oliver had just finished placing a food order for the team when a gust of wind blew through the room. Without turning around, he said, “Clark - nice of you to finally join us. We need to have a talk about you and your habit of turning off your cell phone.” Oliver turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms.
“Where’s Chloe? Is she ok?” Clark looked around the room with a concerned expression. “And Lois made me turn it off because we were on a stakeout and the last time we were on one, my phone rang. Where’s Chloe?”
“I’m here, Clark, and I’m fine. Not a scratch on me,” Chloe answered as she walked into the main room with Victor and AC behind her. “Victor was showing me a new QI upgrade that has a bug he’s trying to fix.”
Clark crossed to her in three quick strides and put his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”
“Clark, it’s fine. I know how Lois can be and if you and I were on a stakeout, I’d make you turn your phone off too.” She hugged him back tightly. “The Justice League rode in on their white horses and saved the handcuffed damsel, and things turned out not to be what they seemed anyway.”
Clark pulled back and examined her wrists with a frown. “Handcuffed by whom exactly? And these bruises don’t look like nothing, Chloe.”
Chloe took his hand and pulled him over to the sofa as she began telling him the story of what she was now calling The Great Red K Caper, much to Oliver’s amusement. His smile faded as he watched Chloe and Clark sitting together on the sofa. They just looked so natural together, and he knew that they had been friends for years, much longer than he himself had known Chloe. He knew that Chloe had been hung up on Clark for a number of those years, and she’d all but said that something had happened between them in the past while working on undercover story assignments. And maybe it was silly, but he was beginning to realize how much that bothered him.
Victor walked over to join him at the desk. “They’re not like that you know.”
Oliver ran a hand through his hair as he turned away from the couple on the sofa. “Maybe not, but they have a history that no one else can even begin to compete with.”
“True,” Victor acknowledged. “But there’s a reason we call it history - because it’s in the past. Maybe you need to focus on the here and now because I saw the way she looked at you today. It’s not the same way she looks at Clark - not anymore.”
Oliver remained quiet during dinner as he thought about this. There was definitely something between him and Chloe. There was absolutely no denying that now, not that he wanted to. And after her initial skittish reaction, it seemed that Chloe was done denying it as well. After months of trying to forget about the kiss, of pretending it didn’t bother him that Chloe had moved in with Jimmy afterward, he was still trying to wrap his head around the way everything had changed in less than a day.
As they were cleaning up after dinner, Chloe said, “Before we head out, I need to get my costume from my apartment.”
Clark groaned. “Do we really need costumes?”
Chloe shrugged. “Maybe not, but if we’re all in street clothes at the biggest costume party of the year, we’re going to stick out. It’s better to blend in.”
AC spoke up. “I’m going as a beach bum - practically what I wear all the time anyway except when I’m in the water - then I’m naked.”
Bart held up a hand. “Dude - I just ate. No naked swimming stories.”
“I can put together something Tron-like,” Victor added. “What about you Bart? I bet we could score some mouse ears and a tail - Speedy Gonzalez might be a good look for you.” He grinned as he ducked to avoid the pillow Bart threw at him.
“I have a costume, bolt brain,” Bart shot back. A gust of wind later, Bart reappeared wearing a Spanish bull fighting costume. “I love Halloween,” he added in excitement, whipping his cape off and holding it out. “Cool, huh?”
Clark looked at Chloe. “You know I hate costumes. If everyone else is wearing a costume, it won’t matter if I don’t.”
“Fine, you don’t have to wear one,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Oliver with a raised brow. “What about you?”
Oliver shrugged. “I don’t have anything here in Metropolis. I might sit this one out too.” He wasn’t in the mood to wear a costume, though he admitted he didn’t mind seeing Chloe in another one.
“I can run you over to your apartment, Chloe,” Clark offered.
“I’ll take her,” Oliver said abruptly. “We can meet you guys at the party.”
Chloe stood up and got her bag. “Ready when you are.”
The drive to Chloe’s apartment was mostly quiet with Chloe shooting him questioning looks, probably wondering why he was being so quiet. When they arrived, Oliver made note of the building. It was an older structure but well maintained, and the neighborhood seemed comprised of young professionals as well as young married couples. There appeared to be a neighborhood barbecue going on, and Chloe called greetings to a few people as they entered the building. Oliver didn’t miss the curious looks he got from everyone, particularly the women.
“Mine’s a third floor walkup,” Chloe said as they took the stairs. “I was lucky to find this place. It’s old but nice, and the rent is reasonable.” She stopped at a door at the end of the hall and unlocked it, waving Oliver in ahead of her.
Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked around. “You and Jimmy got this place together, right?”
Chloe set her bag down on the bar that separated her small kitchen from the living room. “Yes. We had a joint lease, but he was nice enough to let me have this place. He moved in with a friend of his who lives closer to the center of the city.”
He nodded, walking around to look at the brightly colored artwork she had put up. “Nice paintings.”
“Gotta love a good estate sale,” Chloe joked. “The only new things I bought are the sofa, chair and my bed. Lois and I hit a bunch of estate and moving sales the summer after I graduated, and I painted the walls after Jimmy moved out. I like more color than he does.”
The room was painted a soft, warm brown shade with one brighter accent wall in a burnt orange shade. The cream colored sofa had a colorful throw across the back and the pillows mirrored the shades of the walls and artwork. “I like the colors,” he commented.
“Thanks. The rest of the apartment is kind of bare though - this is the only room I’ve had time to work on so far. Anyway, I’ll go put my costume on and we can get going.”
Oliver sat on the sofa and waited for her. He’d been expecting to see signs that Jimmy had lived there with Chloe, but the place looked more like her than anything. She had a small flat screen TV on the wall; he remembered Lois and Clark had both chipped in to buy it for her as a housewarming present.
He heard the bedroom door open and looked up, promptly forgetting what he’d been about to say. Chloe was wearing a school girl costume - a very sexy one with a short plaid skirt and a fitted white shirt tied at her waist. She had left a few buttons undone, revealing tantalizing glimpses of the soft swell of her breasts. White thigh highs with black, platform Mary Janes completed the look, and her hair fell in loose waves around her face.
Chloe bit her lip as he continued to stare at her. “It was my costume for a Halloween party freshman year - actually, it’s the only Halloween party I went to at Met U.”
Oliver cleared his throat. “Come here.”
Chloe looked almost shy walking across the room to stand in front of him, and he put his hands on her hips to pull her down on his lap. He was hard, and with her thighs gripping him at the waist, he knew she must be able to feel it.
She settled against him, her breath hitching a little, and put her arms around his neck. “So what do you think?”
His answer was to kiss her slowly, and she responded with enough enthusiasm to make him want to forget the damn party and take her to bed. He pulled back, his voice husky as he answered her. “I think you look sexy as hell.” His hands moved down to her hips, squeezing and pulling her in closer.
She kissed him again, and when they broke apart he continued. “I want you to stay with me tonight, but I don’t want to rush you into anything you’re not ready for. And I want Clark and Lois to know about us.”
Chloe met his gaze, her fingers rubbing against the back of his neck lightly. “There’s an us?”
“Yeah, I think there is. I want there to be an us.”
She was quiet for a minute and then she nodded. “Okay.”
Oliver released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Okay to…?”
“Okay to both,” she answered with a smile.
He stood with her in his arms and kissed her once more before setting her on her feet. “Then let’s get this party started, Sullivan.”
She giggled in response. She always sounded so happy when she laughed, and he couldn’t help thinking that he wanted to hear a lot more laughter from her. Maybe things were happening fast - or maybe he’d just been really good at ignoring what had been there for months. Either way, he wasn’t letting Chloe Sullivan get away from him again.