Of Love and Friendship - NC17 - Chlollie - Part Twenty-Four [1/2]
Title: Of Love and Friendship
Category: Smallville
Genre: Friendship/Romance/Humor/Action/Drama
Ship: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: NC17
Spoiler(s): 6x02 - Sneeze
Word Count: 5,406
Summary: (AU) Chloe Sullivan grew up in Star City, California with high hopes of becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, but destiny has other plans. Finding a best friend in billionaire Oliver Queen, their lives intersect and take them on a journey neither of them ever expected.
Previous: Prologue, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII,
dhfreak
XXIV. Of Relocating and Double-Teaming Reporters
Part I.
"Didn't we just have this conversation?" Chloe wondered, circling her office desk to the metal filing cabinet against the far wall. "Perry White said Daily Planet and I said, 'No, thanks, but I'm more than happy where I'm at.'" Scoffing, she added, "Which is probably good since he was recently fired from the DP and I'm not sure they would've taken his word that I was worth having around."
Oliver pursed his lips. "As if they'd pass up a chance to work with you."
She half-smiled. "Your loyalty is unsurpassable."
Leaning back in his seat, Oliver smirked. "Feel encouraged to get me a trophy."
Chuckling, she returned to her seat across from. "All right, so what's up? Is there some Metropolis-related Intel me and the boys should be aware of…?"
"Not… quite…" Frowning, he mused aloud, "Lois let you in on the Dark Thursday debacle, didn't she?"
Brows high and eyes wide, she nodded. "Disaster central. She gave me enough to write an article," she smirked, "but not enough to overshadow anything she wrote."
Oliver nodded. "Yeah, well, let's say the satellite picked up something not so normal in the way of Lex Luthor."
Chloe cocked her head. "Define 'not so normal'…" she pressed.
His lips pursed. "As in inhuman powers…"
"Powers," she repeated slowly, eyes narrowing. "You sure this wasn't induced by very few hours of sleep and a long lingering dislike for a certain bald billionaire?"
He rolled his eyes. "At least I personally knew Lex… Your dislike for him stems from his dad firing your dad, resulting in only the best friendship you or I could've ever found…" he added imperiously.
With a snort, she shook her head. "Not only that, although it was a deciding factor… Look, I've been monitoring Lex since before we even met and there is very little normal about him, but inhuman? What are we talking about here?"
Leaning forward, he said seriously, "Regardless of the bad blood between me and Lex, this is a whole new level of weird… I can cover my trip to Metropolis with Queen Industries related business, but I think it's important we check this out."
"We…" she repeated. "Because if I give Jim absolutely no reason except that my best friend feels like having me around, he's going to give me the go-ahead to leave for however long?" She shook her head. "I'll admit I'm curious and that Vic and I will be taking apart every inch of that satellite feed, but I don't think I can pack up and follow you over."
He stared at her smugly, lips curling.
"What did you do?" she sighed, already sounding defeated.
"If I happened to convince Jim to let you check out the DP for yourself and see that it wasn't where you wanted to be, then I'm more genius than even you suspected."
She laughed incredulously. "How would you convince him I'd go to Metropolis and not be enthralled?"
He looked away in mock-thought. "I might've promised him I'd drag you back regardless of your decision and that I'd personally buy up the DP and destroy it if you didn't, but that it was important for him to let you see for yourself that the Gazette was more to your comfort…"
Shaking her head, she sighed, sitting back in her seat with a bemused expression. "You know we're going to have to visit Lois, right?"
He grinned. "She's still being nice to me in hopes I'll send her back to the Lodge for a year-long vacation."
Blinking, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm in… But don't think I won't check out the Daily Planet just to prove to myself I made the right decision."
With a smirk, Oliver leaned forward in his seat. "You and I both know that the best decision you ever made was sticking around at that benefit when we first met and ever since then I've only been proving how right you were."
Pursing her lips so not to smile, she shook her head. "Redirect that charm, Ollie… I'm so past immune it's a world record."
He chuckled, rising from his seat. "You've got until dinner to shut down work here at the Gazette before we're on the jet en route to Metropolis…"
"Dinner," she repeated incredulously. "I can't have everything done by then! I have-"
"Four hours, Sunshine," he interrupted. "And then we're off to solve the mystery that is Lex Luthor and Dark Thursday."
She frowned at him and his knowing grin.
Curiosity was always her worst enemy and once more it would defeat her. By dinner, she'd be sitting next to Oliver on his private jet, watching the video feed that had him so interested in the goings-on of Luthor and those not so normal powers of his. Questions, questions, and she wanted answers.
…
Chloe frowned at the various video feeds she had up on her computer screen. "Metropolis is a mess…" She looked up at him, concerned. "Some of the buildings are still on fire."
He nodded absently, offering, "I already spoke to the mayor… I promised we'd be helping with the relief fund."
She smiled at his generosity. "A hero in every respect," she said, grinning.
He shrugged it off, turning in his seat enough to face her properly. "You heard from the guys yet?"
"Mmm, Victor's got eyes on everything. He says the clean-up crews are getting a lot done…" She turned her eyes up thoughtfully. "Bart's been tripping around Metropolis all night and he says his favorite hot dog vendor is officially missing." She grinned. "AC's keeping the Arrow spirit alive for Star City; he should be out patrolling in your suit right about now, actually."
Oliver frowned. "You realize I can never wear that specific suit again, right?"
She snorted. "Nobody said you had to go commando under those leathers."
"Nobody said AC had to either…" His lip curled with disgust.
Smiling, she shook her head. "He's doing you a favor. As long as everybody continues to think Green Arrow and his trusty tights are all over Star City there are fewer people connecting the dots to Oliver Queen."
He narrowed his eyes. "Not. Tights."
Her lips twitched with amusement. Leaving that particular argument for another time, she instead said, "Speaking of connecting the dots, have you found any where Lex is concerned?"
Oliver's brows furrowed. "I have a few connections to explore before I put anything in motion."
She nodded. "All right, well I wanna be there when these connections get explored." Her chin jutted out stubbornly, as if she expected him to put up a fight. Where most things were concerned, Oliver brought her into the loop. But in the past those things hadn't involved Lex Luthor and he was an enemy Oliver put high on the dangerous list.
He frowned. "And if them not knowing you might be safer…?"
She scoffed. "Ollie… Everybody knows we're connected. If they know you, they know about me." Unfortunately, with the tabloid fodder that trailed after him, that was all too true. "Just because they don't see me face-to-face doesn't mean they won't utilize whatever weakness they can find."
Scowling, he leaned back in his seat. "You don't make a very convincing argument for keeping you around."
She laughed, replying honestly, "I don't have to convince you."
Pursing his lips, he propped his head up on his hand, staring at her thoughtfully. "It's probably what makes you my weakness."
Shaking her head, she argued, "No, I definitely think it's the fact that I'm smarter and cuter than you."
He smirked. "I didn't see you on this year's hottest bachelor's list..."
"That thing is rigged…" Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. "I have to be in the six zeroes department before I even get looked at." She sighed with fake mourning.
Laughing, he didn't bother hiding his amusement.
"I win," she declared. "And just so we're clear. You talked me into coming along, so you can't pull the just-trying-to-keep-you-safe card for this entire trip…" She stared at him with wide, serious eyes until he nodded.
He pouted. "I still think I should get a veto card for special occasions."
"No," she said simply.
"Not even on my birthday…?"
"Especially not on your birthday," she scoffed. "How am I supposed to surprise and embarrass you if you veto all my plans?"
His brows furrowed. "I would guess that'd be the point…"
"Exactly." Shaking her head, she closed her laptop and leaned back in her seat, turning to look at him. "We'll be landing in a few hours. You wanna sleep…?"
He nodded, reaching over to pop the armrest up and out of the way from between them. "I've got an early meeting with those connections… Should probably get in as much sleep as I can."
She smiled at him. "We have an early meeting," she reminded.
With a roll of his eyes, he wrapped an arm around her and drew her over until her legs were curled beneath her and she was comfortably tucked against his side, her head lying lightly atop his chest. He stroked her hair gently back from her face before playfully tugging on her earlobe when he said, "You're not nearly as argumentative when you're sleeping."
She snorted, but curled up close, wrapping an arm at his waist, and let herself fall prey to the warmth and comforting scent of him. When she woke up, she'd be in Metropolis, seeing the ruins of Dark Thursday for herself and investigating the enemy. For now, she could take comfort in her closest ally.
…
Hours later, freshly showered and back in his element, Oliver made an intimidating figure from where he stood in his Metropolis apartment, staring out at the city landscape that was still smoldering and in desperate need of clean-up.
Perched atop his desk in her favorite pencil skirt, her legs crossed at the knee, Chloe stared through slitted eyes at the man Oliver called his connection.
Wagner. A tall, slim man with a buzzcut, a constant furrow at his brow, and a square jaw that seemed clenched. He radiated ARMY to her and she wouldn't be surprised to find out it was where he got his special training.
"You've seen the footage?" Oliver finally asked, cutting through the tension.
Wagner gave a sharp nod. "Yes, sir."
"And you know Lex Luthor?"
"Of him."
He turned, his expression dark. "Extract and interrogate."
No surprise registered on his face. "With force, sir?"
He shook his head slightly. "No violence unless you're in danger," he said, lifting his brow for emphasis.
"Can I ask what constitutes danger?" Wagner wondered.
Chloe's lips curled at the corners. "You'll know it when it happens… Otherwise, you keep your gun holstered and your trigger finger under control."
Wagner turned toward her and seeing that Oliver was not arguing nor even surprised that she answered for him, he nodded as though she too was his boss.
"You have a team?" Chloe wondered, rising from the desk.
"My men will do what I tell them to, when I tell them to."
She nodded thoughtfully. "And you have expertise in this?"
Wagner's jaw ticked. "The extraction, yes. I have someone specifically trained in interrogation."
Her lips pursed. "Someone you trust?"
Wagner turned to stare at her. "He will get the job done, ma'am."
"Same rules apply," Oliver said. "Nobody comes to harm… Not unless absolutely necessary."
He nodded sharply in compliance.
"I want regular updates..."
"Yes, sir."
"The usual payment plan applies. Half now, half when you've finished what I've asked."
Again, Wagner nodded, and seeing that he was dismissed, he looked between them both in farewell and left.
Chloe stared at the closed door. "What do you think they'll find out?"
Oliver frowned. "Honestly… Right now, I couldn't begin to imagine." He sighed. "What gives a human the ability to withstand bullets? They ricocheted off of him…"
She nodded, her brows furrowed. She'd seen strange things in her life, and read up on the many unusual happenings of Smallville until she'd begun to hear the Twilight Zone theme song in her head, but this felt like a whole new level of bizarre. "This Wagner…" She returned her attention to Oliver, who stood pensively in front of her. "You trust he won't hurt Lex?"
He half-smiled. "If a bullet isn't going to take him down, what could Wagner do?"
Her eyes narrowed, uncertain. "I'm not sure I like working outside our team," she admitted. "At least with the boys, I know they'll do what we ask… There's no coloring outside the lines."
Oliver crossed the space between them. "If this goes South, we stick to our people from now on…" he promised. "Remember they're still green though; the last thing we needed was to put Bart in a room with Lex and have him turn into his next lab experiment."
She shivered at the very thought. "Some part of me actually wants Wagner and his boys to take a few shots at Lex…" Her brows furrowed. "Even if he's human, if those powers of his are easily explained away… There's something not right with him." Her lips firmed with displeasure.
"So we find out what it is and if possible… we fix it."
"How do you fix a person, Oliver?" She stared up at him. "Is there even a cure for someone so sick, so- so demented that he willingly uses people like they're his toys?"
He didn't know, but with the way she was looking at him, as if she hoped that yes, he did have a cure for that, just lying around, he didn't want to tell her different. So instead, he took her hand and he drew her close, squeezing her fingers in his reassuringly. "While our personal henchmen are out doing our dirty work, why don't you let me take you for breakfast…? And then, if you're still interested, we could drop by the Daily Planet and see what you passed up?"
"You're playing with fire…" Her lips twitched with a smirk. "I could walk in the DP and fall in love."
He grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist snugly and directing her toward the door. "I'll take my chances and hope you stick around."
She laughed lightly.
They both knew she wasn't going anywhere; not if it meant leaving him.
…
Oliver received texts all morning; updates on where Lex was and what he was doing. After a light breakfast, where they agreed the coffee was nowhere near as good as their favorite café in Star City, he escorted her to the Daily Planet, where every reporter inside seemed to be bustling with frantic energy. In the background, a news reporter was speaking out from the chaos of middle-Metropolis, "Pentagon officials continue to deny any security breach and any responsibility for the events of Dark Thursday… Experts' predicted recovery will take years. But here in Metropolis, clean up efforts have been remarkably smooth. The public is stunned at how fast rubble has been cleared from the streets… This is Genevieve Sparling reporting live from-"
Arm in arm, they continued past the busy news room, searching for any sign of the editor. A young man was coming down the stairs, fiddling with a camera in his hands. Oliver spotted the bowtie and couldn't hide an amused smile. He waved to catch his attention and when the boy came to a stop, nodded. "Pauline Kahn?" he asked.
He stared up at him, wide-eyed. "Hey, aren't you-" His attention was then swiftly turned when he spotted Chloe next to him. "Y-You're Chloe Sullivan!" he exclaimed. "You just won the Pulitzer prize for journalism!"
Chloe grinned slightly. "Yeah," she said, a light laugh escaping her. "Um, I'm sorry…" She glanced at Oliver, feeling uncomfortable with the attention. "We didn't get your name…?"
"Jimmy, uh, James. I-I'm James." He glanced at Oliver and then back at her. "I read your article on that drug bust, about how you risked your own neck going inside and I just…" He shook his head, grinning widely. "Wow. Really, it was just-"
"Wow, yeah, we know," Oliver interrupted. "Your editor, Jimmy? Where can we find her?"
"Oh, right, um… Well, she's two floors up, actually…" Flushed, he turned back to Chloe. "Are-Are you thinking of transferring? Because, I-I mean the Daily Planet would be so lucky to have you. I'm the on-location photographer." He fiddled with his camera. "So, y'know, if you ever need a picture taken… I'm your man."
Chloe smiled, nodding. "Thank you… James." She looked to Oliver. "Two floors, right?"
His brows rose, teasing, "Unless you wanted to get your picture taken."
She squeezed the bicep beneath her hand. "No, no, I- We should really go meet Pauline…"
Amused, Oliver nodded and started walking toward the stairs. "Thanks Jimmy," he called back over his shoulder.
"Uh, it… It's James," he muttered in reply, staring after Chloe.
"You did that on purpose," Chloe chastised, keeping step with him.
"He was falling in love with you with each passing second," Oliver scoffed. "Besides, we're on a deadline."
"Are we?" she mused, cocking a brow. "You know, for a shareholder, you don't seem to know the layout around here very well."
As they crested the first of two floors, he shrugged. "Queen Industries is a shareholder in a lot of things… I don't visit often."
Her eyes scanned the area with delight. "You should. It's beautiful here."
He half-frowned. "So the Gazette isn't quite as… shiny."
She snorted. "Star City Gazette is like the DP's ugly cousin…" She slid her hand along the smooth banister and smiled. "Seriously, it's like good journalism is weeping from the walls. It makes me wanna cry when I think about how badly the Gazette needs a new paint job… and carpets… and maybe even chairs that don't squeak every time I move."
He rolled his eyes. "Message received; I'll send the designers in as soon as we get back and the Gazette will be like brand new."
Chloe scoffed. "I was not hinting… I was just admiring the sheer awesome that is the Daily Planet."
Stubbornly, he said, "I'll sign a blank check and you can fill it in for whatever it takes."
Laughing, Chloe hurried up the stairs and blocked his way. Hands on his shoulders, she squeezed, and stared him dead in the eye. "Ollie," she laughed, "I'm not giving up Star City or the Gazette just because the Daily Planet happens to be prettier…" She shook her head. "I told you, I like my life there and my job and while the DP certainly has its upsides-"
"Like chairs that don't squeak," he interrupted.
"Yes, like that…" She rolled her eyes slightly. "It doesn't mean I'm handing in my Gazette nametag for it."
He pursed his lips, staring back at her searchingly. "I'm still remodeling."
She grinned. "I won't argue with you. It certainly needs and deserves it… But nothing extravagant." She narrowed her eyes at him seriously. "No extra floors, no gold plating, and no marble…"
He frowned. "An extra floor would just be smart building."
Rolling her eyes, she let him go and turned around, returning to climbing the stairs.
"And marble floors are classy," he added.
She snorted, glancing at him over her shoulder and cocking a brow.
"We could get a solid gold plate to hang on your door," He held his hands out to emphasize the rectangular shape. "Chloe Sullivan: Journalist Extraordinaire."
"You're not funny," she sing-songed back to him.
He screwed up his nose, grinning. "Kinda funny," he argued.
She paused at the top of the stairs and waited for him to meet her before they walked down the hall where an arrow pointed them toward the Editor in Chief.
Just before they reached the door, Oliver glanced at her, probing, "What are we gonna say if she offers us a job?"
Chloe smiled at him. "Only if Oliver gets to be my personal assistant."
He frowned. "I bet the pay is awful."
She scoffed. "Who said we'd pay you? The privilege should be enough."
With a chuckle, he reached out to knock on the door.
…
Oliver glanced at his buzzing cell phone that sat atop the white table cloth, his good mood fading slightly.
Chloe lifted a brow. Dinner had been going well; after their drop-in at the Daily Planet, where Pauline Kahn made a pretty good, though pointless, pitch for her to move over and take up a corner office with her own headline, they'd stopped by the Metropolis Museum. Hours were spent moving from exhibit to exhibit, discussing art pieces and comparing it to many museums they'd visited in the past; often during their trips out of town. While Oliver was usually bogged down with Queen Industries meetings, Chloe, when she had the time to join him, took up sight-seeing. And when he was finished with his many board meetings, they would meet up and debate art, history and what it all meant.
Now they were enjoying dinner at Metropolis' highly acclaimed and boasted steakhouse. Red wine had been poured and she was feeling a nice buzz that seemed to soothe her nerves over current events. It wasn't just that the city was still in such disrepair and working hard to fix it, but that Lex Luthor could very well be the reason behind it and they had people on the case, looking for a way to figure it all out for them. She wasn't used to not getting her hands dirty; usually it was her, Oliver, and the team working all the angles and putting it in somebody else's hands just put her on edge.
Her belly full and her wine glass near empty, she was enjoying her time with Oliver, however. It seemed no matter the situation, good or bad, mysterious or solved, he always made her feel comfortable, at ease; as if she wasn't hours away from home, in a city she didn't know well, surrounded by destruction and a possible alien angle.
"Still in Stalk mode, or have they moved on to extraction?" Chloe wondered, cocking an eyebrow.
Lips pursed, Oliver lifted his gaze from the phone to meet hers. "He's at Luthorcorp now… They're in place and they think they can get him out quietly."
His trouble expression had her leaning forward, bracing her elbows on the table. She stared at her best friend thoughtfully. "Regretting the outside help or…?"
His jaw ticked and a long sigh expelled from him. "I think we've spent so long cleaning up messes in Star City that to hand it over to anyone else feels like we're slacking…" A half-smile curved his lips. "Even if today has been great, just you and me enjoying what Metropolis has to offer..."
She nodded slowly. "We're hands-on people, Ollie… And if this falls through, I can almost guarantee we'll both feel like it's because we weren't there to oversee things."
He sat back, frowning. "So we call them off or we wait to see what they get?" He tapped his fingers against the phone wonderingly.
"There's no lessons learned if we don't make mistakes… Let them go ahead; for all we know, we're worrying over nothing." She shrugged, even if a pit in her stomach had begun to grow. "But if they screw up, you keep your word… Our team and no outsiders."
He nodded shortly. "You wanna shake on it or should I sign my name in blood?"
She grinned. "Blood pact feels so old-school… Just sell me your soul and we'll leave it at that."
His eyes brightened with humor. "Is that all? One little soul?"
She lifted her glass to him. "Make a deal with the devil, Queen…"
His hand curled around the stem of his own glass. "From where I'm sitting… You're the angel on my shoulder."
"This angel's got a crooked halo," she warned.
He smirked, clinking their glasses. "Looks good on her," he assured warmly.
…
A couple hours later, they were sitting in his less-than-homey penthouse apartment when he got the call. A smirk drew up the corners of his mouth and he turned in his corner seat of the couch to call out to her in the kitchen. "Hey Chlo, guess who didn't want to wait for that breakfast date tomorrow…?"
With a snort, Chloe appeared in the doorway, leaning against it. "Lois is here?" She shook her head, smiling. "What part of 'I will see you tomorrow,' did she not get?"
"The part where you were in town all day and didn't invite her for shopping on Ollie's dime," Lois chimed from behind them.
Their eyes moved to meet her.
Hands on her hips, she looked from her cousin to Oliver. "Hello! You're in my city and you don't even buy me three square meals? This reporter has to eat!"
Oliver scoffed. "Last I heard, the Inquisitor was still paying you for all those typos."
Eyes narrowed, she pursed her lips in his direction. "Don't think I'm not still going to try and convince you that the world would be a better place if I was housed in that über expensive and luxurious spa you sent us to, but seriously, you get her three-hundred and sixty three days out of the year… When you visit, there should be Chlo-Lo time… and lots of it!" Crossing her arms over her chest, she amended, "Admittedly, since you're moving here, there's bound to be more cousin time anyway, but-"
"Moving here?" Chloe interjected, head cocked. "Who said we were-?"
"The paper," Lois interrupted. "Oliver Queen and Girlfriend Set Up House In Metropolis… It's been running all day; there's a blog dedicated to it."
Her brows furrowed. "One visit and we've moved?"
Oliver bit his lip to keep from grinning. "So I'll have my publicist print a retraction… And my apologies, Lois. Visiting without feeding you or letting you have… Chloe time won't happen again."
She pouted. "Wait, so you're not moving here?"
Chloe snorted. "No. But…" She half-smiled. "We'll probably be visiting a lot more. Oliver has some business here and with Dark Thursday there's a lot of questions I'm sure Jim will want me to ask…"
Lois frowned. "We'll see… And about the unforgiveable act of not including me all day… I can be bought with an express ticked back to The Lodge…" Suddenly looking more hopeful than upset, she lifted her hands in a pleading gesture. "Come on, Ollie! Cut a bound-to-be cousin-in-law a break!"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that we are not getting married?"
"I dunno… A June wedding wouldn't be bad…" Oliver mused teasingly. "We could elope; send back pictures for Lois to drool over… What d'you think about Morocco? Bungalow on the beach."
"Send pictures?" Lois was outraged. "Uh, no! I've been rooting for your Harry-and-Sally friendship-begets-epic-love from the beginning and I refuse to be an outsider looking in!"
Chloe rubbed the furrow at her brow, feeling a headache coming on. "Why, why are you encouraging her?"
Oliver could only grin. "Green bridesmaid dresses. Maybe Christy from the Gazette could be your maid of honor," he suggested.
Lois literally gasped. "Oh. No. You. Didn't!" She marched toward him, looking angry enough to attack. "Maid of honor's been my role since we were pre-teens salivating over JTT, so don't even go there, Queen!"
With a laugh, he sat back into the couch and just sighed, hearty amusement evident.
"Lois…" Chloe sighed. "We're not getting married. Ever. And this Harry-and-Sally theory of yours is getting old. So how about, since you're obviously staying, I make a bowl of popcorn and we catch up?"
Eyes narrowed and lip stuck out in a pout, her shoulders slumped. "Fine… But I wanna know what's so important that you couldn't spare a few hours to visit me at the Inquisitor."
Oliver raised his brows. "And if we go with the assumption that you were busy covering Dark Thursday…?"
"Not gonna fly. My paper covers alien conspiracies, not real news," she told him rather smugly.
"It's shocking you don't have a Pulitzer of your own," he returned with a completely straight face.
"Shut up," she muttered. "And spill the beans…" She looked between them. "You have a scoop, don't you?"
"I'm gonna go make popcorn," Chloe decided, leaving them to their bickering debate. But as she made it into the kitchen, she frowned. "Uh, Ollie…?"
"Groceries should be stocked. Best guess where the popcorn is," he replied knowingly.
With a shrug, she went in search and hoped that after the three and half minutes of popcorn stand-by, she'd return to a living room where Lois Lane wasn't ready to interrogate them about their business in Metropolis.
No such luck.
A half an hour after Lois arrived, Oliver decided he'd leave them alone for their girl talk. Kissing Chloe's forehead and Lois' cheek in goodnight, he made his escape to his bedroom.
Lois watched him go with a suggestive grin. "So… You two sharing the bed or what?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, we have mad, passionate love to all hours of the night; it's the stuff Harlequin was built on," she said, dead-pan.
She frowned at her. "Why is that so hard for you to believe?"
Her brows quirked. "Uh, the fact that I live in reality with Oliver and there has been no love-making whatsoever could be behind it…"
She sat up smugly. "Except for those dreams of yours…" She wiggled her brows.
Chloe felt a flush hit her cheeks. "Lois…" she said, warningly. "We discussed this… Even the psychiatrist I saw said it was just a comfort thing."
"Pfft!" she scoffed. "What does he know?"
"Whatever his many years of college taught him, I would assume." Standing from her seat on the couch, she walked toward the kitchen to put the empty popcorn bowl in the sink.
Lois was quick at her heels. "College hasn't been watching you two get closer over the years. College doesn't see how Oliver looks at you or you at him. And it doesn't see how much you lean on each other, how you finish each other's thoughts, how-"
"Okay!" She turned quickly, staring at her cousin seriously. "I get it. You think Ollie and I are soul mates of some epic love story, but Lois…" She sighed. "Even if that was true, even if some part of me -deep, deep down- was in love with my best friend…" She shook her head meaningfully. "I would never risk what we have on the slight chance that we might work out…"
Lois, ever determined, reached out and gripped her shoulders, giving her a good shake for emphasis. "Not might, cuz… Will."
Giving her an indulgent smile, she shook her head. "I love Oliver, I do… Just not the way you want me to."
Frowning, Lois let her go. "You're stubborn and you wanna fight this, reason it out, pro-and-con list it to death, I get it… But I know what I'm seeing… I know that whatever it is between you, it's not just friendship. And you could save yourself a long period of denial and regret if you'd just see it already." With that, she turned and left, leaving a stunned and contemplative Chloe behind.
…
It was just after five in the morning when Lois woke her up, shaking her shoulder hard and rousing her from her sleep in the spare bedroom.
"L-Lo?" She sat up, squinting through the darkness. "I told you… You kick in your sleep. It's either the couch or you can take a cab home," she muttered.
"I do not kick… And that's not why I'm waking you up." She paused for drama and then whisper-exclaimed, "Cuz, I just got the tip of a lifetime!"
Chloe let her eyes slide back closed and wrinkled her nose. "And you had to wake me up because…?"
"Because linking your Pulitzer prize winning name to mine will give me more credit," she admitted honestly. "Now get dressed… You and me gotta date with Lex Luthor's captors."
Chloe was about to argue when she paused suddenly. "Did you just say Lex Luthor?"
Lois smirked back. "He was kidnapped… and I know just where to find him."
Only one word went through Chloe's mind right then… Crap.
[Next: Part II.]