Of Love and Friendship - NC17 - Chloe/Oliver - Part Twenty-Six (I/2)
Title: Of Love and Friendship
Category: Smallville
Genre: Friendship/Romance/Humor/Action/Drama
Ship: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: NC17
Word Count: 6,646
Spoiler(s): 6x04 - Arrow
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, Part XXIV, Part XXV,
dhfreak
XXVI. Of Stolen Necklaces and Revealed Identities
Part I.
"All right, according to SafeTex and their not so secure database, Lionel has them hired for the event, with a special warning that the necklace he's lending Senator Kent is more than a little pricey…" She scoffed under her breath. "And given the picture's I've seen and the research I've done, it's more like black-market pricey." Chloe leaned back in her chair and looked up to Oliver who was leaning over her shoulder.
"Last thing I want to do is give Senator Kent any bad coverage…" He frowned. "Then again, she doesn't have the best choice in allies, does she?"
"I think her platform is solid, though." She lifted a shoulder. "Regardless of whatever influence Lionel might be trying to encourage, I'm not seeing it in her history. She's clean-cut and for whatever reason he really seems to be supporting her… Maybe this leopard is trying to change his spots."
"He can paint himself all he wants, the spots are still there," Oliver murmured thoughtfully.
"Did you get your invite to the banquet?" she wondered, arching a brow.
"Came yesterday…" He smiled to himself. "I think Lionel wants to keep an eye on me."
"Two events in as many weeks, you're getting popular," she teased.
"With any lucky, I won't be spending it with a certain nosy cousin…" He half-rolled his eyes. "She's got a room full of politicians and she chooses to grill me… I gotta tell ya, I don't think her Pulitzer is soon in coming."
Chloe chuckled under her breath. "You didn't tell me how that went. When I asked Lois, she said she gave you time for an epiphany…" Her lips curled. "She's still trying her hand at matchmaking, I gather."
"Not sure she ever gave it up…" Sighing, he leaned back against the table behind him. "She was persistent…" He turned his eyes up in thought. "Not completely wrong, but too bullheaded to hear reason."
She snorted. "Yeah, that sounds like her."
He returned his gaze to her. "So how about it, Sunshine? Wanna trade in the white suit for a night and play my date?"
Smiling, she made him wait as she considered his proposal. "I dunno… The last few heists have been fun. My personal favorite was the Faberge egg… but I think seeing Bart in that 14th century Bishop's Miter was definitely a highlight."
"His dancing skills have improved," Oliver agreed, remembering the young speedster doing the Egyptian with a touch of the moonwalk.
She chuckled lightly. "As long as he stops doing the Dolphin and calling himself AC, anything is an improvement."
"We'll have to show him how it's done," he returned, grinning.
She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "All right, all right… I'll see what my closet has to offer for formal wear."
He grinned. "I may have already ordered you a dress…" At her unamused expression, he shrugged. "Ralph Lauren owed me a favor."
"What could you have possibly done that Ralph Lauren is on your speed dial for just this sort of occasion?"
He merely smirked. "Does it matter? You've got a new dress and I've got a date. I'm chalking this up to the win column."
A rather incredulous laugh escaped her. "You're ridiculous."
"I prefer eccentric."
"Uh-huh." She rolled her eyes. "Back to business… Let's make a plan. We usually do this when there aren't a good two dozen people to eye-witness you."
"So I'll have to take out the lights…" He winked at her. "I do my best work in the dark."
…
That night, with the party in full swing, they arrived arm in arm. Pausing in the doorway to the banquet room, their eyes did an automatic sweep. "I count six stories at least, all dressed up and playing their part when they should be planning their next move in the courtroom," she scoffed.
"Play nice, dear," he replied lightly. "We keep a low profile and maybe fewer people will be looking at us when I pull my Houdini act."
"Speaking of, how stiff is the suit beneath the suit?" she wondered, turning toward him and readjusting the lapels of his jacket, feeling the stiff leather just beneath the fine fabric.
He smiled down at her. "Leather and Armani have never been so different."
She snorted. "Makes you feel better, I don't think it's noticeable." She eyed him up and down and then gave him a wink, tugging on his lapels teasingly. "No, you're definitely making discomfort look good."
He laughed under his breath and then let his eyes take her in. The strapless black silk, beaded dress was stunning on her; hugging her curves while still being demure enough for the event, it was thirteen hundred dollars well spent… not that he'd ever tell Chloe how much he'd spent on her. Forever the bargain shopper, she would have happily and easily found a dress for a hundred or less and still would have fit in just fine with the haute couture dress-up dolls that surrounded them. It was a habit of his she couldn't break, however; the desire to give her things that could've but weren't out of her reach. Which was why her embroidered black clutch was another $2500 gift she'd never see the price tag of.
"Have you I mentioned yet how stunning you look?"
She popped her hip out and laughed sweetly. "Just a few dozen times, Romeo."
He inhaled through his teeth and shook his head. "I'll be batting them off with a stick."
"Leave the cute ones and I'll take my pick," she replied with a wink.
"Ollie! Chloe!" called a man, drawing their attention. "It's been too long!" Separating from his group of friends, Simon Westcott brought his much younger wife along by her hand and waved them toward him. "Come over here."
Smile stiff, Oliver hugged Chloe to his side as they walked slowly in compliance. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "Three coffee dates, no cell phone, says he hits on you."
She scoffed. "Please, Candice is already eye-sexing you."
Clearing his throat to cover a laugh, he turned back to the couple as they paused in front of them. "Hello," he said, trying to avoid the inviting smile Candice Westcott was sending in his direction.
"Hi Oliver," she drawled, her eyes taking the time to roam him from head to toe.
Chloe stifled her amusement. "Mr. Westcott," she greeted, smiling politely. "It really has been just… forever."
"Busy times, dear," he agreed, reaching for and holding onto her hand longer than needed.
"Too early for an interview on the indictment hearings?" she asked, grinning ruefully.
He laughed robustly, waving his finger at her. "You've got a little minx on your hands, Ollie! She won't let up, I tell you."
Candice frowned. "Even when polite company demands it…"
Chloe glanced at her, her eyes narrowing, just as her mouth opened to no doubt say something about how polite she was being by acting as though she wanted to eat Oliver alive, with her husband standing right there next to her no less, Oliver squeezed her hip.
"Well, we were just going to get something to drink, so…" He motioned behind them. "We'll talk again soon," he assured before tugging Chloe away.
"Oh, it was nice seeing you both…" Simon called after their retreating backs, eyes lingering on Chloe.
"I wasn't going to claw her eyes out… Just take her down a peg or two," Chloe assured. "And you owe me three coffee dates, sans interruption."
He half-grinned. "How ever will I stand the torture…?"
She rolled her eyes, smiling up at him. "All right, so you get the goods and I'll be your cover story. We've got Bart on stand-by and Victor on the roof." She arched a brow and told him, "When you're back in your black and white duds, you can meet me by the punch bowl."
Smirking, he nodded. "Have I mentioned how good a team we make?"
Biting her lip to stop her smile, she shook her head. "Just a few hundred times over the last few years… Now get to the little boy's room, Lionel looks like he's getting ready for a speech."
Bending, he kissed her cheek. "Thank you." Making his way toward the bathrooms, he nodded toward various guests he recognized but continued his path.
Chloe watched him go, waiting to start her countdown until he was safely hidden away behind the bathroom door.
Turning, she looked out across the crowd as a glass clinked for attention.
Lionel Luthor stepped forward, drawing all eyes to him. "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight," he began. "I hope you're having a splendid time and that you've had a chance to reconnect with some old friends. Right now though I'd like to introduce you to someone who I hope will be a new friend, a valuable new friend. Someone I'm sure you'll be glad to have on your side. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, our KansasState Senator and your future United States Senator, Martha Kent." He turned back to her, nodding for her to take his place as he stood back.
Just as Martha stood before the group, Chloe allowed herself a slight smirk of expectation before an arrow cut through the air and slammed point-blank into a panel against the wall, cutting off the lighting. As everyone turned to see where it had come from, Green Arrow ran through the part in the crowd to stand equal with Martha, and grabbed her necklace quick and easy from her neck. Holding it tight in his green-gloved fist, he said, "Thank you…" before turning and rushing back out. As he disappeared from sight, the crowd went wild with speculation.
Chloe stood back and waited for the lights to return. Just a couple short minutes later, a buzzing in her clutch drew her attention. Reaching inside, she drew it out and read across the white screen of her cell phone: Eggs with Rooster. See you soon.
Her lips curled; Victor had the necklace in hand and Oliver was on his way back. Just then, the lights were turned back on thanks to a little technical assistance from the guards. But the event was clearly over; everybody was more interested in what had just happened than what Senator Kent might have to say. Chloe moved across the room to stand near the drink table against the bright blue panel walls and smiled as a warm hand slid along her bare shoulder. She glanced up at her best friend's smiling face.
"What's all the hubbub about?" he wondered.
She pursed her lips and lifted a shoulder. "Some tight-wearing vigilante broke up the festivities… It's really too bad, I was looking forward to the dinner they were offering. At a thousand-dollars a plate, I was expecting caviar and crumpets."
He snorted. "If you ever ate caviar, AC would never forgive you… and when have we ever had crumpets at one of these things?" He shook his head.
"Hey, don't ruin my fantasy dinner just because you missed all the action…" she teased.
Oliver scanned the room, seeing the many security guards all talking into their cufflinks and eyeing guests. "Think they'll let us out of here anytime soon?"
She shrugged. "We'll leave a forwarding address for their questions…" Wrinkling her nose, she looked up at him, "Pizza and beer? I can order it now and it'll probably be arriving by the time we get home."
He grinned. "What happened to caviar and crumpets?"
"Last I checked, Domino's didn't have that on their toppings list," she returned, dialing her cell phone as they left the room.
Chuckling lightly, he helped her get her coat on as she ordered their usual. "Yeah, we're ordering a large for delivery… Hey, you guys don't happen to have caviar, do you?" She glanced up at Oliver with bright eyes. "Yeah, well, fish are friends I guess… All right, so I'm getting a double pepperoni, green pepper, olives-"
He pointed purposefully at her. "Don't forget-"
"And can we get it light on the sauce…? Yeah, he seems to think it overpowers the flavor." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, and we're at-" She nodded. "Yeah, that's us… Do we really order that often?"
Oliver hit the button for the elevator and leaned against the wall, waiting for her to finish. Behind them, the main room was still in chaos, while a beautiful Chloe was hanging up with the pizza man. What an unusual life they lived.
…
By the time SafeTex Security arrived, Chloe and Oliver were in the pajamas and watching Ocean's Twelve on his oversized couch. Feet up on the coffee table, near-empty box of pizza cooling close by, and each of them on their third beer, they were in relax mode by the time Milo, the company runner, came knocking on the elevator door.
Milo was in his mid-fifties, by Chloe's assessment. He was tall, something he appeared proud of, using it to tower over those he wanted answers from. Broad shoulders, a square jaw, and a sharp suit helped that image.
"Mr. Queen, Miss. Sullivan…" He nodded at each of them, his expression of supreme seriousness. "I'm sorry to call this late, but you understand that situation, I'm sure."
Chloe tucked her hands away in the silk bathrobe she nicked off Oliver, the Q insignia on the breast a shiny gold thread that drew the eye. "We know the man who robbed Senator Kent of that necklace was pretty ballsy to come in when he did…" Her eyes narrowed. "You know, I'd be looking into my workers if I were you. He had to have some connections to get in and out the way he did… Have you figured out how he did that?" She circled him, taking a seat at the couch across from where he stood, his arms crossed in front of him. "For that matter, do you have any footage from the break-in?"
"Excuse her," Oliver interrupted. "She's a reporter… Questions are her life."
Chloe smiled. "Habit of the job."
Milo nodded shortly. "If I'm to understand correctly, Miss. Sullivan, you were in the crowd when the attack happened, but your date… Mr. Queen," he turned to glance at him, "You left for the bathroom, is that right?"
"Nature calls," he replied, smiling.
"He'd been drinking champagne the whole drive over," Chloe said, waving her hand absently. "I warned him it'd come back on him. He missed Mr. Luthor's opening speech for the Senator and everything." She shook her head, frowning.
"Unfortunate, really," Oliver agreed.
Milo looked between them once more. "We might not have the footage from the attack, but we have what happened prior to it…" His eyes thinned, falling once more on Chloe. "If you remember anything, anything at all, please contact us." He handed over his card before taking his leave.
As the elevator lowered, Chloe's smile slipped away. "Did you see that?"
"The cold stare? Yeah, little hard to miss."
She frowned. "He knows something… or he thinks he does." She rose from her seat. "I have to get my hands on that footage."
Oliver nodded. "All right, we'll have Bart and Victor infiltrate."
"No…" She shook her head. "I'll hack it from a safe server. Right now, I think we should leave it alone. He just mentioned it; if I go in now, he'll think he struck a nerve and my going in could be a trap." Gnawing at her lip, she made her way back into the living room. "First thing tomorrow, I'll look into it."
Brows furrowed, he followed after her. "You sure? 'Cause usually when you get like this you think it to death… I doubt you'll get any sleep if you've got this on your mind."
"Better to lose a little sleep than have him and his team bust in on us Black Ops style," she assured, making her way back to the couch. "We'll finish the movie and then we'll get some sleep and take a look at everything in the morning."
"All right…" Not completely convinced but unwilling to bug her about it, he joined her on the couch once more.
He could tell the moment her mind had wandered from the movie; her eyes turned just to the left of the screen, staring off into space, and her fingers began tapping away at the arm of the couch. Rolling his eyes and smiling to himself knowingly, he reached over, grabbed up her feet and drew them into his lap.
Startled out of her thoughts, she shook her head. "Sorry… Shutting off my head isn't as easy as you'd think."
"With everything that goes on in that head, I'm not surprised."
Working his thumbs up the arch of her left foot, he kneaded into the knots. "Did I tell you Senator Kent was asking about you?"
Her brow furrowed. "Really? Why?"
He half-smiled. "Apparently, the gossip factory told her you'd likely be on my arm and knows you're a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, so… Autograph, I'm guessing?"
She snorted. "I'll get a headshot made up just for her."
"Can't argue that having a Senator as a fan is a good feeling."
Leaning back against the arm of the couch, she nodded. "It's an ego boost… Then again, she follows the gossip that you and I are a couple, so just how flattered should I be?"
He chuckled lightly. "We all have our guilty pleasures… And we really are infamously adorable."
She grinned. "And slightly arrogant about it, too."
He pursed his lips, shrugging. "Can you argue different?"
"No, we're definitely adorable… At least I am…"
He smiled, tugging at her big toe playfully. "This little piggy partied in Paris, and this one danced in Rome…" He wiggled her third. "This little piggy saved Borneo, and this one robbed Metropolis… But this little piggy," He reached for the smallest, with its deep purple polish shining atop the nail, "Smartest of them all, hacked security feeds, alllll night long."
She laughed, shaking her head at him. "Don't tell me the story ends there…"
He grinned. "We've got five toes left, who knows where this is going."
With a giggle, she moved her foot over. "Carry on…"
So he did, until she laughed, tears in her eyes, mind settling down. They finished Ocean's Twelve, tossed their garbage away, and went to bed. Everything else could wait.
…
Oliver woke to a banging on the elevator door; instincts roaring to life, he immediately sat up, tossing the sheet and blanket away. When he realized whoever it was wasn't coming in, but definitely weren't just going to get the message and leave either, he pursed his lips in irritation. Searching his bedroom, caring little that his morning intruders had to wait, he was annoyed that he couldn't find his bathrobe until he remembered Chloe had basically stolen it for herself. Shaking his head, he simply made his way toward the front foyer.
Chloe met him, tying said green robe at the waist as her stride fell in sync with his. "I don't even think Sara's in yet, who gets up this early on a Sunday?" She rolled her eyes.
"The camera feed is set up in the elevator, right?" he asked, brows furrowed.
"Yeah." She walked toward the computer, glancing back at him as it loaded. "You going to scare them off with your naked chest or hope they're the swooning type?"
He smirked. "If somebody would stop stealing my robe, I wouldn't be half-naked right now."
"No," she argued, "if somebody wore more clothes to bed you wouldn't be near-naked right now."
Biting his lip to keep in his chuckle, he shook his head. "What's the camera got for us?"
Looking back to the screen, her brows furrowed. "Huh… Senator Kent and her very handsome… Either that's her son or she like 'em young."
Oliver circled to take a look. "Full breakfast at Petites Gelées says he's her son."
"Coffee at Metro Station Café, with a muffin if you're lucky, says he's her bodyguard or boy toy," she said, grinning. "I know farmer's put in a good day's work but he's too built for cow raising."
Scoffing under his breath, he reached over for the sound and turned it on.
"You didn't have to come," her male companion said, glaring at the door.
"I wanted to meet Miss. Sullivan…" Senator Kent replied, lifting a shoulder. "I didn't get a chance to speak with her at the banquet last night…"
"You mean being robbed wasn't a good conversation starter?" he scoffed.
"Clark," she sighed, rolling her eyes to herself. "I know you're hesitant to trust Lionel, but he only wants the best for me… And I need his support." She turned toward him. "Mr. Queen has kindly offered to back my position as well, so please… Be nice."
Jaw ticking, Clark nodded. "But if they know anything, we can't ignore it…"
"I hardly think a billionaire needs to steal a necklace… If you'd seen Miss. Sullivan last night, Clark, the dress she was wearing was Ralph Lauren… Her necklace alone was probably a down payment on a house." She sighed. "Can you imagine being that accustomed to fine things?" She laughed to herself. "Lionel let me wear that necklace and I felt like I had the Crown Jewels around my neck… It's no wonder somebody stole them, they looked completely out of place on me."
"Mom, that's ridiculous… I'm sure you looked beautiful. And I don't know who Ralph Lauren is, but you don't need one of his dresses to make you feel good about yourself."
She smiled gently at him. "Just because they have money doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, Clark. They've both been involved with charities all over the globe for years now. Sometimes, some people get the breaks others don't; it doesn't make them any more or less of a person. It's what they choose to do with what they have that reflects who they are."
"So far they don't like answering doors…" he grumbled.
"I told you we should've waited until we could speak to the receptionist about an appointment."
"Waiting isn't getting us any closer to finding out where that necklace is."
She sighed, but didn't argue.
"Think we should put them out of their misery yet?" Chloe wondered, chewing her lip.
"Sure, and then you and I are getting breakfast," he said, smiling back at her smugly.
With a roll of her eyes, she pushed the button to unlock the elevator and watched as the metal paneling parted. Inside, Clark Kent frowned at each of them but reached for the cage door to slide it open, letting his mother step out.
"Senator Kent," Oliver said, grinning. "I'm sorry we're not dressed for guests."
Martha flushed, blinking at his non-existent apparel and then lifted her bright green eyes to his face. "We're sorry to drop in so early… Farm life does have a very different schedule…"
"With last night's events, we can definitely understand," Chloe replied, rising from her seat to join Oliver's side.
Senator Kent smiled at her. "Excuse the lack of manners, but it is so nice to finally meet you, Miss. Sullivan. When Lionel told me he'd invited Mr. Queen, I was hoping you'd be accompanying him."
She smiled, glancing at Oliver as if she couldn't understand why Martha Kent would be interested at all. "Please," she said. "Call me Chloe… And before his ego inflates too much, it's just Oliver."
The Senator grinned between them. "Then you must call me Martha…" She turned slightly. "This is my son, Clark." She reached over to squeeze his forearm affectionately. "He's been speaking personally to each of the guests from last night's banquet."
"That's a committed son," Oliver said, nodding to him.
Clark firmed his mouth but simply nodded his head back in reply.
"How can we help?" Chloe wondered, tucking her hands in the pockets of her housecoat.
"We just have a few questions…" Clark turned to look at her. "I know you were both there, but from what I hear, Mr. Queen, you weren't in the room when the robbery happened."
He shook his head. "Bathroom break."
"And Miss. Sullivan, you said you didn't see anything…" He stared at her curiously. "You didn't make out any memorable features?"
She frowned slowly. "You know, it happened so fast… We were all waiting for Senator-" She smiled slightly. "Sorry, Martha's speech and then… Arrow whizzes by and it's literally lights out."
"See, that's the part that really stands out to me… He used an arrow… Kind of like Star City's famed Green Arrow, which you yourself wrote about in your paper back home." He stared at her with narrowed eyes. "I'm surprised the similarity didn't jump out at you… for a Pultizer prize winning reporter and everything."
Martha frowned back at her son, her eyes clearly telling him to be nice.
Chloe smiled, though there was no humor in it. "Mr. Kent, I appreciate your investigative skills and I'm sure it's been really hard on you and your mother, especially with it all happening so quickly and SafeTex having no real leads… But Green Arrow and his many accomplishments in Star City have been toted about for a reason… And if he's the one that stole your mother's necklace, I really only have one thing to say…" Her lips pursed. "That necklace must have quite the history behind it; the kind of history that doesn't come with a proof of purchase receipt."
His brows wrinkled. "Are you saying the necklace was stolen before it was stolen?" He glanced at his mother and then back at Chloe. "How do you know that?"
"Her Pulitzer wasn't a shiny shelf decoration," Oliver interceded. "Now, I'm sorry Senator about what happened to you, but I didn't see anything and Chloe, try as she might, has little to go on."
"Really?" Clark crossed his arms over his broad chest. "'Cause from where I'm standing, it looks like she knows a lot more than she's saying."
Oliver reached out, his hand falling on Chloe's shoulder.
She mellowed her temper and smiled at their company. "I did some research. Anybody with fingers and a background in computers could pull up what I did." Okay, that was a bit of a stretch, but still… "Like any good reporter worth her salt, I looked into things… Senator Kent isn't the only one of Metropolis' who's-who to be hit… In fact, most of those under SafeTex have suffered the same fate. Interesting little fact though…"
"For victims, they're pretty uncooperative," Oliver finished for her. "Funny how none of them called the police after being robbed." He lifted a brow.
Martha frowned. "How can you be sure they knew what they were buying wasn't legitimate?" But even as she asked, her doubt was showing.
Oliver offered a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Senator Kent… I'm sure you and Lionel have history and I know he's been a good friend in helping you with your candidacy… But we're only telling you what we know."
She nodded. "Well, thank you…" She looked up to Clark. "But I think it's time we go."
Unconvinced, Clark looked as though he had more questions to asked, but sighed at his mother's persistent stare. "Yes, thank you for your cooperation."
"Sure…" Chloe turned back to the Senator. "It was nice to meet you. Maybe next time we can discuss something a little less depressing." She grinned warmly.
Martha nodded. "Yes, I'm not sure Oliver told you but I'm an avid reader of your work. You have a way with words." She waved her hand dismissively. "Next time then." She inclined her head to each of them before following Clark to the elevator.
As the doors closed, Clark Kent's suspicious eyes stared back at them.
"That was fun," Oliver muttered.
"Terribly…" she sighed. Looking up at him, she cocked her head. "So…? Breakfast?"
He grinned. "Twist my rubber arm."
…
Sitting at a table in Petites Gelées, Chloe reached into her purse for her buzzing phone while Oliver was away at the bathroom. Seeing her cousin's phone number, she smiled, shaking her head to herself. Pushing the talk button, she greeted, "Lois."
"Hey," Lois returned, her tone excited. "Not too early, right? I tried to let you get in your bendy yoga porn."
She rolled her eyes. "No, we're up and out… We're just sitting down for breakfast now."
"And my invitation got lost in the mail, I suppose," she scoffed. "Anyway, on to more important things than my morning OJ…"
"Let me guess," she said wryly. "You need help researching your next article."
"Yeah, the Inquisitor's search engine consists of a highlighter and the yellow pages," she complained. "Annnd… A little birdy, namely one with a camera, spotted you and Oliver at a certain botched Senator's funding something-or-other."
Stirring the cream she'd poured into her coffee, Chloe shrugged slightly. "It wasn't completely botched…" She took a long sip, licking her lips of the leftover caffeine buzz. "Her name's out there more than before."
"Yeah, but not for anything good…"
She sighed. "I'm sure she'll pull out on top anyway. She's got a great platform behind her and with Oliver and Lionel supporting her, she'll have a few more donators sooner than you think."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered dismissively. "What I really want to know is just who this masked burglar was doing there and what he got away with. More importantly, I wanna know who he is."
" And you're coming to me because I just so happened to unmask him and didn't mention it?"
"Please," she scoffed. "If you had it'd be plastered all over the papers by now. No, I just need some info on him and I'll do the rest of the digging."
"Info like what? Lois, I didn't exactly sit him down and interview him in between his minor act of theft, which by the way, was of a stolen necklace to begin with."
"Well all I got on the scumbag if everything everybody else is saying. Green leather, tights, and an archery badge… Y'know, if I didn't know better, I'd say this was Star City's jolly green reject come to spread a little mischief around Metropolis."
"First of all, Green Arrow's been highly praised in Star City… Why does everybody forget that fact when somebody wearing leather does something that doesn't immediately scream good?"
"What d'you mean immediately? Chloe, he stole a necklace off a Senator's neck… How arrogant can one guy get?"
"He said thank you," she muttered.
"Aha, so you do know something else… I can roll with that… Green Arrow Bandit Thanks His Victims…"
"Okay, can we back up the headline train a bit? One, I just told you that this wasn't Green Arrow… And two… The Bandit part feels a little out of place."
"Is there a third point I can ignore?" she snarked.
"Technically, Martha wasn't the victim… Lionel was. It was his necklace and Martha just happened to be wearing it."
"Martha?" she repeated, scoffing. "Since when are you on a first name basis with the Senator of Kansas?"
"Since she woke me up this morning while I was still snug in my pj's," she returned, half-smiling.
"Great… I meet her, all smiles and polite, and I get the standard go-to answers. You meet her in your Charlie Brown two-piece and you get to call her Martha… Where is the justice?"
Chloe chuckled, shaking her head. "My apologies, Lois… I'll be sure to insult her next time."
"Whatever, just give me a little more scoop on this sucker so I can put something together that doesn't sound like a repeat of everybody else's take."
"I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore than what I have… I didn't get a good look at him; it was dark."
Lois scoffed. "As if the dark has ever scared off a journalist… This was a big story, cuz, why weren't you chasing it down?"
She sighed, taking another drink of her coffee. "It happened really fast… He was there and gone so quick I would've thought I'd imagined it if it wasn't for everybody else. I'm sorry; I can't make something out of nothing."
"All right, fine…" she sighed. "I'll just have to go this one alone." Returning to her former excitement, she boasted, "I'm telling you, Chlo, this is gonna be my big break. I can feel it!"
She smiled. "Just keep me updated."
Lois hesitated before finally saying, "Actually, you know, since we're both in the same biz and one of us already has a Pulitzer, I probably shouldn't be leaking my story."
Chloe laughed incredulously. "I can't believe you don't trust me!" Admittedly, given the situation, she did see the irony of the situation. But still…
"It's not all of you I don't trust. It's just… one little side of you," she explained.
"Lois, I'm not gonna scoop your story but since we don't know much about this Bandit and with your track record of running headfirst into things…" She stared at her seriously. "I just want to be sure you're safe, all right?"
She rolled her eyes. "What, you think he's going to escalate from burglary to battery?" She blew out a breath of dismissal. "He wears tights… He's not getting the pinch on me anytime soon."
She smiled to herself, checking the immediate response of telling her they weren't tight, Oliver's voice ringing in her mind. "Uh-huh, just be careful, okay?"
"Cross my heart!"
As they hung up, Oliver returned to the table, nodding as she put her phone away. "Anyone special?"
"Just your favorite cousin of mine," she replied, resting her elbows on the table.
Oliver wrinkled his nose. "She want an exclusive on the robbery?"
"Of course."
"And?"
"And I told her to be careful… That this non-Green-Arrow-affiliated bandit could be dangerous and that she has a bad habit of attracting that danger."
"They saw the suit, they'll start connecting the dots," he reminded, reaching for his own coffee, which she'd already added his favored cream and sugar to.
"Yes, but I don't have to be the one to open their eyes."
He shrugged. "Let them do their digging and come to their conclusions…" He shrugged. "Those who want to believe, will, and those who don't care will just run with whatever's being fed to them."
Eyes wide with emphasis, she said, "Let's hope there's more believers and less mudslinging."
The waitress returned with their breakfast then and their attention was turned.
Chloe moved one of her pancakes over to his plate and stole a piece of his sausage while Oliver slid the ketchup over for her to spread on her hashbrowns. Until said yay- or nay-sayers started up, they could at least enjoy their morning.
…
Come Monday morning, Chloe had Lois' paper in hand and was shaking her head. "I can't believe her…"
Meeting her in the kitchen, he sat down next to her at the island and read the headline over her shoulder. "The Green Arrow Bandit… It doesn't really roll off the tongue."
"I told her that Green Arrow had nothing to do with this…" she sighed.
"Except that… he did." Oliver grinned. "Maybe she did some digging and came up with the first connection."
"Or maybe she fudged a few facts in favor of a bigger story…" At Oliver amusement, she rolled her yes. "Don't get too sure of yourself… FYI, Lois has it out for him. She wants his face plastered all over the front page and soon. She's hunting for his name as we speak."
Quirking a brow at her, he asked, "Should I get out my boots and make a show of quaking in them?"
She rolled her eyes. "Ollie, if she gets Green Arrow's name out there and people believe her, it puts your integrity at risk… Yes, we know we're doing it for the right reasons, but having a bunch of vigilante haters out there doesn't exactly make our job easy."
He shrugged. "It had to come out sometime."
She shook her head. "Read her article… She's practically calling for blood. In her opinion, the Green Arrow is the enemy and she'll do whatever she can to unmask him."
He frowned. "For any specific reason or just because it's a slow news day?"
"She wants a headline. Lois has never been the sit around and wait for action to come to you type… She gets her head out there, gets run over and only does it again and again." Sighing, she leaned forward against the counter. "We need to get her off the scent…" Her eyes began darting to and fro; she had a plan to work out.
…
Frowning down at his phone, Oliver dialed the number and sat back, waiting for an answer on the other end.
"Too busy to banter, what's up?" Lois said in greeting.
He half-smiled. "Too busy for a trip back to the Lodge…?" he suggested.
"The Lodge," she asked, her voice taking on a dreamy texture. "Hey, wait a second… Did Chloe put you up to this?"
He frowned. "No… Why?"
"'Cause just this morning she was telling me to be careful and keep her updated and she kept trying to convince me I had this Bandit guy all wrong…" She scoffed. "I've done a little research, Oliver, and from the descriptions I'm getting off these guests, this guy's a dead ringer for Star City's Green Arrow… I can't believe Chloe missed that."
"Yeah, well, it was dark and all that…" he dismissed. "Look, I can have you pampered and relaxed before the night's out. Pack your bags and I'll have the jet ready and fueled."
"Much as I'd like that, and I'd really like that…" she mused, "I've got the lead of my life dangling in front of me, so I'm gonna have to rain-check on the offer."
Oliver sighed, closing his eyes. "Lois, you've been bugging me about it since you and Chloe checked out, you really wanna pass up on this rare opportunity?"
"What's this really about, Oliver?" she asked. "Like you said, I've been asking for weeks and only now are you actually saying yes…? I know Chloe's a big influence on you, but come on… You have to know how important this is to me."
"I know. It's just…" He pursed his lips. "Listen, I don't like the idea of you dangling yourself out as bait in front of this guy, you know? I mean, anyone after the Green Arrow's gonna come after you."
"So you admit you think it's the Green Arrow?"
He rolled his eyes. "I admit you think it is."
"Uh-huh. Well, it doesn't matter. 'Cause anyone after the Green Arrow is a friend of mine, and I will be sitting front and center with them when they lock this guy up!" she boasted.
Oliver sighed. "Wow, wouldn't want you on my jury."
She scoffed. "Meaning...?"
"Well, you know, I thought we did away with the shoot first, ask questions later mentality with covered wagons… In any of this research you did, did you happen to come across this neat little tid-bit about how the necklace was previously stolen…? Black Market mean anything to you?"
"Oh, come on. Don't feed me the Robin Hood line…" she snorted.
"All right, Lois, you needle away at this until you find what you're looking for… But keep an open mind, all right? Let's not hang him before we get the whole story."
"Yes, dad…"
Rolling his eyes, he hung up the phone, tucking it back in his pocket. Chloe was not going to be happy. He sighed. The things he did for his best friend…
[Continued in Part II.]