(no subject)
Author: Poetgirl925
Title: All That Glitters in the Light, Shines on in the Dark
Summary: Prequel one shot to 'Into the Dark' - a Chlollie mirrorverse story. When Oliver Queen met Chloe Sullivan, his world was forever changed for the better. But when the unthinkable happens, he descends into a darkness he may never be able to escape.
Rating: T
Pairing: Chloe / Oliver
Fandom: Smallville
Warnings: Character death and major angst. Could be triggering.
Disclaimer: Don’t own, just playing :)
A/N: Okay, so there’s a big fat warning with this story. It is dark, it’s angsty, there’s major character death, and it could be triggering. It’s a one shot prequel to my other story, ‘Into the Dark’, which I plan to start posting later this month. If you’re curious about the summary for that story, it’s listed on my LiveJournal page (Poetgirl925) on my Master Fic List. I would really appreciate feedback on this because this type of angst is a total departure from my usual romantic comedy style of writing.
The next update coming will be for If You Want Me.
All That Glitters in the Light, Shines on in the Dark
Oliver couldn’t help smiling as he watched his wife turn her face up to the sun like a flower opening towards the light. Self-professed city girl she might be, but he knew that she loved coming home and spending time in the sleepy farming community where she’d grown up. It was home - home to her parents and the parents of her best friend, Clark Kent. The two families had the kind of close relationship that he could only dream about given that he’d been orphaned at a young age.
But then it wasn’t a dream anymore. Life was a funny thing, the way one decision could alter so much. Two years ago he’d been in Metropolis on a business trip when he and his team had decided to steal back a Renoir purchased on the black market by one Ronald Gould. One of the city’s shadier business leaders, he’d made his fortune in the import/export business. To Oliver’s surprise, he hadn’t been the only one taking advantage of Gould’s trip out of the country.
The moment Oliver met Chloe Sullivan, he felt a spark unlike anything he’d ever felt before. She was brave and spunky, and she barely blinked an eye when she came face to face with the hooded vigilante known as Green Arrow. He’d taken her for a common thief at first. But one look at the evidence of human trafficking she’d dug up in Gould’s files had proven otherwise. He got the painting and returned it to the museum from which it had been stolen. And Chloe Sullivan got the story that launched her career.
Unable to stop thinking about Chloe, he’d decided to work from the Metropolis branch of Queen Industries for a while. The news outlets all wanted the exclusive on his transfer to Metropolis, and he promised it to The Daily Planet with one provision - that he would only talk to Chloe. She’d been all business at that first meeting despite his attempts to charm her. But a quitter he wasn’t, and he’d been nothing if not determined.
Eventually, Chloe saw beneath the carefully orchestrated image that protected his League activities. And when her friend Clark returned from touring Europe at the same time Superman appeared in Metropolis, he’d realized she was protecting secrets of her own. Now Superman was part of the Justice League Oliver had formed with his old friend Bruce Wayne, and the Kent farm had become a haven for its members.
Today they were all together to celebrate Bruce’s recent wedding to Chloe’s cousin, Lois Lane. They’d had a high profile society wedding to please the General and the business world, but this smaller gathering at the farm was for the League. Chloe’s parents and sister were also in attendance. He’d been surprised to learn that the Sullivans had been privy to Clark’s alien heritage since his and Chloe’s freshman year of high school. And after seeing how loyal they were to Clark, the rest of the League had eventually accepted them as well.
Oliver sometimes wondered if their story would have been different had Clark not decided to go to his Fortress for training after graduating from high school. He’d long suspected Clark had feelings for Chloe that went beyond friendship, though Chloe never gave any indication his feelings had ever been returned. As hard as it was for him to believe at times, Chloe loved him. Their relationship had deepened quickly, and she’d married him a year after their whirlwind courtship began. Getting pregnant six months later hadn’t exactly been part of their plan, but they’d both been happy about the surprising news.
Chloe’s laughter shook him from his thoughts, and he smiled in reflex as her arms cradled her round belly. She was deep in conversation with her sister Allie, Lois, Dinah, Zatanna, and Barbara. He suspected they were talking about the upcoming baby shower.
“You do realize this baby is going to be completely spoiled, right?” Bruce clapped him on the shoulder as he and Clark joined Oliver on the porch.
Oliver grinned proudly. “I keep telling Chloe that a little spoiling never hurt anyone, but she’s already made me promise to keep the material goods to a minimum.”
“So no ponies, then?” Bruce shook his head playfully.
“Laugh now, but my prediction is that Lois is going to be warming up your Amex card in preparation for the arrival of baby Queen,” Oliver replied. “Actually, between Chloe’s Smallville friends, university and work friends, and the League, I may not get to buy anything.”
“Mom said the baby shower she and Moira are planning is going to be big,” Clark commented. “Chloe was always popular, and Moira and my mom are both involved in a lot of community programs. My guess is the whole town will turn out for it.”
“And Lois has already started shopping,” Bruce added with a smile. “I’ve never seen her as excited as she was the day Chloe told her she was pregnant.”
“What about you?” Oliver asked. “Any plans for a little Wayne to join the world now that the two of you are finally hitched?”
“I think we might need a few years yet. You know Lois, all fired up about the news world. And aren’t you the one who said the best things are worth waiting for?” Bruce’s phone rang at that moment, and he grimaced upon checking the screen. “This is important - if you’ll excuse me?”
Oliver turned his attention back to Chloe, noticing she was barefoot again. Ever since hitting her eighth month, she’d been complaining about wearing shoes. The irony had made him laugh given that shoe shopping had been one of her favorite activities prior to pregnancy. But God was she beautiful standing there, his barefoot, blue eyed beauty shining like a golden goddess in the sunlight.
“You’re a lucky man, Oliver,” Clark remarked quietly. “And Chloe is so happy. I’m glad for both of you.”
“She’s my light,” Oliver said, glancing at the man beside him. “You’ll find yours one day, too.”
Clark smiled, his expression a bit wistful. “I hope so. But my destiny was made clear to me during my training, and Jor-El told me that sacrifices have to be made.”
“That’s true. But now there are the Kandorians. And as much as I still don’t entirely trust General Zod, maybe there’s a Mrs. Kent among them?”
“Maybe. But when I’m with them, it becomes very clear to me how much more human I am than Kryptonian. It’s not just about my powers - it’s about the way I was raised. Zod would like to convince me to abandon my human side and lead my people, but…”
“But in the end you’re Jonathan Kent’s son more than Jor-El’s. I get that. I’ll admit I was a little worried when they showed up, but Chloe scoffed at the idea of you flying off into the sunset with Zod. She knew you’d never abandon your family.”
“Chloe’s always had a lot of faith in me, sometimes more than I thought I deserved,” Clark said. “She and Allie, Moira and Gabe - they’re as much my family as Mom and Dad. They’ve protected me all these years. I could never turn my back on any of them.”
“And Zod?” Oliver asked. “I hate to always be the voice of doom when it comes to that guy, but I don’t trust him.”
Clark sighed. “I’m not blind to the potential threat he poses. For one thing, he’s become more and more obsessed with the idea of having powers. He also thinks that my human ties are a weakness, and I know I’ll never be able to make him understand why that’s not true. But we have to remember that he was born into a very different world, one that was much harsher than the one we live in.”
“Which is exactly what makes him dangerous,” Oliver pointed out. “Just don’t let him creep into your blind zone.”
The other man nodded before suddenly smiling as Chloe approached. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a beached whale,” Chloe joked. “She feels like she could come any time, but we still have a few weeks to go.” Her hand came out as she reached Oliver, their fingers linking automatically.
“Have you decided on a name yet?” Clark asked.
She raised a brow at Oliver. “That is currently a very popular argument at our house.”
“I prefer to think of it as a healthy debate,” Oliver commented. When Chloe snorted, he continued, “Aww, come on. Admit it - you love arguing with me.”
Chloe laughed at that, turning into his arms and smiling up at him. “I thought you said it was a debate?”
“Or we could just call it what it really is.” Oliver leaned down until his lips brushed her ear and whispered, “Foreplay.”
She giggled and Clark cleared his throat. “I think I’ll help my dad at the grill. If my nose is correct, we should be ready to eat in about thirty minutes.”
Chloe arched a reproving brow at her husband. “I think he heard that.”
“Yeah, well, I whispered. He should turn off the super hearing at social functions.” Oliver rested his hands on her belly, smiling when he felt their daughter kick back a greeting. “She’s feisty today.”
“Trust me, I’m well aware of that,” she replied ruefully. “I feel like I’ve been pregnant for years.”
“Are you sure this isn’t too much for you? I know you’ve been tired lately.” He rubbed his palms soothingly over her belly and felt a little of her tension ease.
“I’m fine. But I wouldn’t say no to a chair and a nice foot massage from my husband.” She bit her lip and glanced up at him hopefully. “I mean you can’t say no to making little Anna more comfortable, right?”
Oliver laughed at her expression. “Like I ever say no to you period. And we are not naming her Anna. I told you - I had a very bad experience with a woman named Anna.”
“Ollie, if we have to eliminate names based on all the women you dated before me, we’re going to be left with a very short list to choose from.”
He shot her a wounded expression. “Hey, if you had met this woman, you wouldn’t want to name our daughter Anna either.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped back before taking his hand and leading him towards the chairs at the other end of the porch. “Fine, we’ll take Anna off the list. But we need to get serious about names because she’ll be here in about three weeks.”
As always, the reminder that his daughter would be born so soon filled him with a sense of elation and wonder. He was going to be a father. In just a few weeks, their daughter would be a real part of their family and if they were lucky, she’d be joined by a little brother or sister in a couple of years. He and Chloe had decided on at least two children with a possibility of a third. And while it was still a little terrifying to think they’d be responsible for this tiny being, he’d never been happier in his life.
As Chloe settled into one of the cushioned rocking chairs, Oliver knelt before her and pressed a kiss to her swollen belly. Looking up, he said softly, “I love you - both of you. I just… I never thought I would have this. There was a time when I wouldn’t have thought I deserved it.”
Tears sparkled in her eyes, making them a brighter shade of blue. “Ollie, you deserve everything that’s good in life. You had a rocky childhood, and that changed your path. Maybe you made a few mistakes along the way. But you turned it all around, and I know that your parents would be so happy to see the man you’ve become. I couldn’t ask for a better husband or a better father for our future children.”
Oliver raised her palm to his mouth, pressing a kiss there. “Because of you. Let me get a wet towel to clean up my barefoot bride. I also brought the foot massage cream you like and your favorite outside slippers.” At her surprised expression, he grinned. “Come on, Chloe, you’ve been kicking your shoes off at every opportunity for the last month. I knew those cute little sandals you were wearing would never last the day.”
“My hero,” she replied with a smile, leaning back and closing her eyes.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, with Chloe dozing off a couple of times. Despite her protests that she was fine, she gave in to Oliver’s insistence that she stay off her feet with a minimum of fuss, so he knew that she was more tired than she let on. As the sun began to go down, the air became cooler. Oliver stood to get a throw from Martha’s sofa only to find Allie coming out with one in her hands.
She passed it over to him. “I thought she might get cold.”
“Thanks,” he answered, spreading it over the sleeping blonde. “She’s hot more often than not lately, but the evenings are getting cooler.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt in just a few weeks. And you guys - you’ll be parents. Parents always seemed so old.”
“Hey now - I’m only 30,” Oliver protested with a laugh. “I’m not ready for the retirement home yet.”
“It’s probably a good thing you started early. I can only imagine what a handful your kids are going to be,” Allie said with a smirk, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder.
“So how’s school?” Oliver asked. “Chloe said you were thinking of changing majors again.”
“Shh.” Allie glanced back at the open kitchen door. “My mom’s in there talking to Martha.”
“Changing majors isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
“No - unless you’re a junior and this is the fifth time you’ve changed your mind about what you want to be when you grow up,” she answered with humor as she sat in the chair next to Oliver. “I get why they find it a little exasperating. I mean, Chloe knew she wanted to be a reporter when she was eight years old, and she never once changed her mind. And Lois may have followed her into it, but you have to give her props for sticking with it. Me, on the other hand? There are just so many options, and I’m interested in so many things. It’s hard to choose just one.”
“Well, you know Chloe will support whatever decision you make as long as it’s not joining a commune.”
“Okay, I was never going to join a commune,” Allie replied, grinning. “I only told her that because I was mad at her. She had just started dating you and she stopped coming home to visit as often. I’m big enough to admit I was jealous. And it worked, right? She came home that weekend and talked me out of it.”
“You know, it occurs to me that I should be more concerned that my daughter shares a gene pool with you and Lois,” Oliver said, shaking his head.
“She’ll probably be a mini-Chloe - if we’re lucky, right? She was the best sister, and I know she’ll be a great mom.”
“Considering how different you are, it always surprised me that you and Chloe are so close,” Oliver observed.
“Because of Lois and Lucy, probably. And they love each other - they’re just hardheaded. Maybe it’s because we had to rely on each other so much since we lived in Freakville. I’ll admit she’s a tough act to follow sometimes - in high school she was valedictorian, co-head cheerleader, the editor of The Torch, prom queen, and she still found time to volunteer at the hospital.” She ticked the accomplishments off one by one on her fingers. “Then she went off to Metropolis, sailed through university and had a front page story in The Daily Planet barely a month after starting work there. Now she’s married to People’s Sexiest Man Alive - what is it? Three years running now? She tamed the billionaire playboy voted most likely to never settle down in just a few months and got him to put a ring on it. She’s worked hard for it, but she’s definitely led a charmed life.”
“Wow, you make me sound awesome.” Chloe stretched and blinked at them sleepily. “You have accomplishments too, you know. Singing, dance, drama - you could have gone to Juilliard, Allie. And I definitely envy your culinary ability.”
“You could do it. You and Lois are just too impatient to stick with it and learn.” Allie lowered her voice. “Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking of doing. Going to culinary school. But if I do that, I thought it would be a good idea to get a business degree in case I ever wanted to open my own café or bakery. Do you think Mom and Dad will freak if I change my mind again? I like public relations too, but I’m not sure it’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Chloe struggled to sit up and reached for her sister’s hand. “I think they want you to be happy. Why don’t you come up to Metropolis this weekend and we’ll go over your options? That way you can make a plan before you talk to them.”
Allie beamed at her. She stood up and hugged Chloe. “Best sister ever. And oww - my niece is kicking like a future football star. Does it hurt?”
“No.” She suddenly winced. “Okay, maybe a little.”
Oliver rubbed a hand across her belly. “I think it’s time we headed back, Chloe. Emil said you need to rest as much as possible during the last month.”
The fact that she didn’t argue spoke volumns. “Probably a good idea.”
Goodbyes took another half hour. Moira and Martha had been fussing over Chloe most of the day, and they had packed a large basket with leftovers that would last for a few days. After hugging everyone more than once, they were finally on the road.
“We really do need to pick a name,” Chloe told him as they turned onto the main highway leading back to Metropolis.
“I still like Emma,” he replied.
“It’s too common now,” she protested. “I don’t want to call my daughter’s name on the playground and have five little girls answering.”
“What about Abby? We both liked that one.”
Chloe thought about it for a moment. “I don’t like it as much as Anna, but it’s a possibility. Sophia?”
“Eh. Olivia?”
She laughed. “Narcissist. Hannah?”
“No. Isabella?”
Chloe shuddered. “Twilight ruined that for me. What about a middle name? I thought maybe we could call her Claire after your grandmother Queen. What do you think?”
“I like it. So what sounds good with Claire?”
They continued throwing names out for the next thirty minutes, laughing at some of the silly suggestions. Suddenly Chloe said, “What about Zoe?”
Oliver glanced over at her. “Huh. Zoe. Zoe Claire Queen. I think I like it.”
Chloe clasped her hands over her stomach. “Zoe Claire. What do you think, baby?” A few seconds later, she giggled. “She’s poking me and turning around, so I think she likes it?”
Oliver opened his mouth to reply when suddenly he heard a loud popping sound, and the car careened out of control. Chloe screamed as they went through the guard rail and rolled down the embankment. Then the airbags deployed and the windshield shattered.
Oliver drifted in and out of consciousness, hearing voices.
“She’s still alive but not for long.” It was a woman’s voice, cold and unemotional. “He’s unconscious. Do you want me to finish it, Major?”
“No. It has to look like an accident or this will never work. The gas leak at the Kent farm last month was unsuccessful, so we must wait to try again with them. But when this one is dead, along with her family, we’ll be one step closer to our goal. We need Kal-El to lead our people, Alia.”
“Her pulse is slowing, and her breathing is shallow. It won’t be more than five or ten minutes. We should go and make sure Kal-El remains distracted by the diversion we created.”
Major Zod and Alia. What were they doing there? Oliver tried to remember what happened. They’d been driving and then they’d run off the road. Chloe. Where was Chloe? “Chloe.”
Pain shot through him as he spoke, and he realized a couple of his ribs must be broken since it hurt to breathe. He tried again. “Chloe.” He turned his head, horrified when he saw Chloe covered in blood in the seat next to him. “God, please no. Chloe…”
Struggling to unfasten his seatbelt, Oliver managed to move his upper body closer to her but was unable to move his legs. Looking down, he saw that the front of the car had collapsed and he was pinned. “Fuck.”
He used all of the upper body strength he could muster trying to get out, but it was impossible. Panic set in, and he got as close to Chloe as possible as he felt for her pulse. It was barely discernible, and she made a rattling sound with each breath. She was dying, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Oliver’s eyes were burning, and he realized he was crying. “Chloe, baby please. You have to fight.” She didn’t respond, and her breaths were harsher now. “Clark!” He hissed in pain as he tried to call out louder than before, but his throat felt raw. Vaguely he remembered Zod saying they had distracted Clark. He called again and then again until his voice weakened. Then he noticed the stillness in the car.
He laid his head against Chloe’s chest, but he knew she was gone. His hand stroked over her belly and he felt a weak kick. His wife was dead. And now his daughter would die too. Oliver moved his head down, tracing his hand over the place where he’d felt the kick. “I’m sorry baby.”
She kicked a couple more times, a fighter just like her mother. Then she was still. Oliver felt numb and cold as he closed his eyes and waited to join them.
**
A steady beeping noise drew him from the darkness. Oliver turned his head, his eyes cracking open. He was in a hospital room.
“Oliver? Oliver?”
Groaning, he turned his head the other way to see Allie sitting in a chair beside his bed. “Where…?”
“You’re at Metropolis General,” she said quietly. “You’ve been in and out for almost two days now.”
He closed his eyes, trying to remember. The car crash… Zod and Alia. They killed Chloe and his baby. His heart monitor began beeping wildly as he struggled to sit up. “I have to find them.”
“Oliver, stop!” Allie tried to push him back, but when he resisted, she hit the call button. “We need help!”
A couple of nurses ran into the room moments later followed closely by Dr. Emil Hamilton. “Oliver, you have to stop. You’re going to tear out the IV and do more damage to your ribs.”
“They murdered Chloe!” Oliver screamed, ignoring the burning pain in his chest and side. “That son of a bitch murdered my wife and my baby, and I need to find him!” Two orderlies pushed him down and he felt a prick in his arm. His body felt lighter now, the pain fading. “Please.”
Emil leaned down, his expression concerned. “Oliver it was a car accident, not murder.”
Oliver’s tongue felt thick, and his words slurred as he spoke. “You don’t understand. He was there… after the crash. He was waiting for her to die.” His vision blurred, but he could see Allie standing behind Emil, a hand over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save them.”
“Who, Oliver? Who was there?” Emil leaned closer.
He allowed his eyes to drift shut. “Zod.”
**
The funeral was a blur. Oliver couldn’t look at the other mourners - Chloe’s family, her friends, the League members. The service earlier had been attended by hundreds, though he couldn’t recall a single person by name. The graveside service had been more private. He sat in the front row beside Chloe’s parents, waiting to feel something. All he felt was numb.
Chloe and their baby had been buried together, with Zoe dressed in the little gown they’d picked out for her christening. At the funeral home he sat beside them and said goodbye, barely noticing when Moira, Gabe and Allie came in to do the same. They were followed by a few others, and then they’d closed the casket, preferring not to put mother and daughter on display. Chloe wouldn’t have wanted that.
He was finally home, alone in the penthouse apartment they’d recently finished renovating in preparation for their new family. The Sullivans had wanted him to come home with them, but Oliver couldn’t look at them. For the next day he sat in the floor of the nursery, wondering why it couldn’t have been him. It should have been anyone but Chloe and the baby. Standing, he turned on the mobile above the Zoe’s crib and listened to the sweet tune that he was sure she would have loved. Only now she’d never hear it.
His phone buzzed, again and again. He ignored it that day, and the next day too. Then Clark was there, and suddenly Oliver felt something besides numb. He felt angry.
“Get out.” Oliver’s voice sounded flat and cold in the silence of the nursery.
“Oliver. Chloe wouldn’t want you to do this to yourself.” Clark leaned against the wall next to the door, not leaving but not invading the space any more than necessary.
“Chloe also didn’t want to die. She didn’t want our baby to die.” Oliver squeezed the small bear he held in his hands, trying to get himself under control. “Is he dead?”
Clark hesitated before speaking. “No.”
Oliver raised his head slowly. “You said the Kandorians would ask for his death. Hers too.”
“I said that was one way they handled this type of… offense.” Clark’s words were careful, as he were unsure how to approach the situation.
Oliver laughed bitterly. “Offense? Is that what they’re calling it? He stood there watching Chloe and our baby die, Clark. My wife… your best friend. The friend who protected you all those years. It’s not a fucking offense. It was cold blooded murder, all so they could bring you into the fold. I want him dead. You should want that too.”
“Oliver, they’ve agreed to send Zod and Alia to the Phantom Zone. They’ll pay for their sins, but spilling blood in retaliation for spilled blood isn’t the right thing to do. You know that. Evil doesn’t banish evil.”
“What I know is that you like to keep your hands clean,” he replied harshly. “If they won’t do it and you can’t? I can, and I will.”
Clark heaved a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. “She wouldn’t want that for you. To be a murderer. You know that.”
“Stop telling me what she wouldn’t have wanted!” Oliver shouted, struggling to his feet and advancing on the other man. “She wanted to be a mother. She wanted to bring our daughter home to this room, and now it’s empty because they’re dead and buried. And it’s all because of you!”
“You think I don’t know that?” Clark clenched his fists, his eyes red. “You’re not the only one who loved her, Oliver. I did too. So did Allie and her parents. So did my parents and Lois and Lucy. She’s gone and there’s a hole in the world where she used to be - I know that. And I know it’s because of me, and I’ll have to live with that. But Chloe was the best part of all of us. She was kind and forgiving and she loved you too much to want you to do this to yourself. And I know she wouldn’t have wanted blood for blood because she wasn’t like that.”
Oliver ignored the pain in his ribs as he struggled to control his breathing. “When?”
“Three days. The others had no idea what Zod and Alia were planning. Jor-El is certain they’re telling the truth about that. With them gone, it will be over.”
Oliver turned and sat down slowly in the rocking chair. “Fine. Now leave. I don’t want you here. I don’t want anyone here.”
Clark hesitated. “I know you need time to grieve, Oliver. Just remember that there are people in the world who still care about you. The light that Chloe brought into your life isn’t gone. It’s still inside you. You just have to let it banish the dark.”
He ignored that, reaching over and turning on the mobile again, letting the soft music calm him. Finally Clark left, and Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket. He pulled up the photos, searching out his favorite shots of Chloe. They went back to their first date, their first weekend getaway together, their engagement party, their wedding day, their honeymoon.
At the end was the last ultrasound they’d had performed. It was amazingly detailed, and he traced Zoe’s features with his finger. Clark couldn’t do what needed to be done, but he could. Whatever Clark believed, he couldn’t find peace knowing that the people who murdered his family were still alive, albeit in another time and place. Chloe would understand that.
A/N: Coming next: ‘Into the Dark’ - a mirrorverse Chlollie story
“Memories and feelings of nostalgia are nothing more than cruelties; they are the most beautiful lies we will ever convince ourselves to believe. We chase the false hope so fiercely that we nearly push ourselves past the edges of our sanity, longing for that which can never be in our possession again. These edges are blurred by our regrets and desperation all throughout the darkest hours of the night, until finally we are set free from the illusions and the ghosts of our past with the rising of the sun… and we are changed in some small, yet permanent way.”
Margaret E. Rise