Notbroken (11/12)
Title: Notbroken
Summary: Two years after the events in "Calendar Girl," Chloe finds herself days from beginning her final year at SCU when Oliver suddenly returns to Star City. But between balancing her ambitions, school, and her investigative tendencies towards the new vigilantes in town, Chloe finds herself struggling to choose the life she wants.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a couple original characters. The title/lyrics are from a song of the same name by Goo Goo Dolls.
Warning: I sample from seasons 8-9, so there are spoilers, but this story is very much an alt-verse.
Thanks to:
tehzo for the amazing banner and
slytherinpunk for being my beta/sanity maintainer.
Dedication: This one's for
paulingui, who's been having a tough couple of weeks. I'm hoping this helps a little.
August September October November December January February March April May
June
And I get like you,
I'm alone and confused
But you know it's not forever
June 2
"Can you believe this trash?" Lois said holding up the most recent copy of the Inquisitor depicting Tess and Oliver walking down the street together. It had been the talk of the town since Oliver had came to Metropolis... Tollie reunions. The 'couple' name made Chloe feel kind of sick, but not enough to let the pictures get to her. After all, for all the things she had seen the papparazzi do, the name was tame in comparison.
"Hey Lois, that's just someone paying the bills. Remember that this was your lifestyle for a long time."
"Very funny," Lois replied as she slammed the paper down on Chloe's desk. "Look at this. I mean sure the merger would raise a couple of eyebrows, but after their fallout ... come on people."
Chloe rolled her eyes as she tried to get some work done despite her cousin's constant bickering. "Lois, you're just overreacting."
"No, I think the problem is you're not taking this seriously enough."
"Look, Lo," Chloe said as she looked over her shoulder, praying she could change the conversation... or attempt to get Lois to leave, "as much as I'd love to talk about this, this is the Daily Planet, so first get that off my desk. Marnie will be back any second and I really don't want her to think I like this sort of gossip."
"Don't be so sure of that."
"Huh?" Chloe turned around again and sure enough, walking through the hallway was Marnie and Oliver, talking like they'd known each other for years. Her no-nonsense was boss was giggling, as Oliver seemed to be his normal charming self. Before she knew it, Chloe was biting her lip, desperately trying to hold back the part of her that wanted to scream Are you kidding me? to Oliver.
"Morning Lane," Marnie said addressing Lois before taking the handful of papers in Chloe's hands. "Thanks for doing those copies for me, Chloe. Have fun."
It was that moment that Chloe was grateful that those were the copies she wanted. Wanting to have a sigh of relief, Chloe remembered the other half of her comment and sputtered, "What are you..." before her voice trailed to look over at Oliver. As usual, he sported his cocky grin, but she wasn't having any of it. When the door was safely closed, Chloe fired out, "Oliver, she's married."
His grin faded at that accusation, ignoring Lois' chuckle in the background. Gesturing to the door, Oliver tried defending himself. "I know, her husband's an engineer. We were talking about job opportunities for him."
"You're joking."
"Nope," Oliver replied honestly, only to raise an eyebrow to ask, "Did you seriously think I was flirting with her?"
Chloe felt speechless. It seemed like a rational idea when she thought it, but when he said it aloud, she felt so stupid. "It looked like -"
"What happens when my cousin doesn't get her regular intake of caffeine," Lois finished for her, seeing that her cousin's nerves starting to get the best of her. "She hallucinates." Chloe turned to her cousin to subtly mouth Thanks to which Lois just nodded.
Chuckling, Oliver turned to Lois, "Good to see you haven't changed Lois."
"Well, it's good to see you here, Oliver," Lois fired back, the intention not escaping Oliver. "But seriously, if you took any longer to track us down, I'd start assuming the Tess reunion rumours are true."
At that, Chloe did everything to not choke on her own saliva before glaring at Lois, who insisted on keeping eye contact with Oliver. Quickly taking note of Chloe's reaction, Oliver shrugged before replying to Lois' not-so-subtle comment. "Merger proceedings have taken most of my time... even though I'd prefer to get caught up with you guys. That being said," he added before looking back at Chloe, " I was hoping that if you were free, we could go out for lunch."
"I don't know Ollie," Chloe replied, looking at the crowd of people who pretended to be working around them, "if I say yes then the girls will be hounding me for the rest of the day."
"They will if they say no too, you know," Oliver pointed out as he looked over his shoulder at the crowds. "I'll even sweeten the deal and get your coffee before I bring you back."
Chloe looked over at Lois for assistance, but at this point, Lois decided she was no longer part of this conversation. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, she was kind of screwed either way, and if she was going to be annoyed for the rest of the day, she might as well have fun. Sighing, she finally responded, "Fine, just give me twenty minutes to wrap this up what I'm doing."
Oliver nodded and turned back down the hallway, leaving the two cousins at Chloe's desk. Lois leaned over to grab the maple doughnut Chloe had bought her, but Chloe pulled it back. "Nice try cuz, but you're not getting off the hook that easily."
"Hey! I helped." Lois said, reaching over the desk, only resulting in a further raised eyebrow from Chloe. "Besides, you said that the Tess rumours weren't getting to you."
Chloe realized that she had walked straight into that one, and, at a risk of not hitting any further landmines, threw the bag towards Lois. "Enjoy," Chloe said as she leaned over to grab her purse.
"I will, in fact," Lois replied as she took a bite, but persisted to talk with a full mouth, "You should do the same."
Rolling her eyes, Chloe walked past her cousin and eventually got to the entrance where she found Oliver waiting for her. She wanted to be happy, but there were so many conflicting emotions going through her head right now.
As Oliver noticed her presence from across the room, he caught the odd look on her face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," Chloe lied, shaking off her confusion, "With you here... it just confirms the whole merger thing... which is something I still don't understand."
"The Luthors and I may never have seen eye-to-eye, but Luthorcorp is more than just a one-man organization. People's jobs and livelihoods rely on the company's stability. If I can help with that," Oliver added as he held the door open for Chloe, "it's worth it to me and Queen Industries."
She scoffed as she walked past Oliver in the doorway. "How many times did you practice that in front of a mirror?"
"A couple," he replied, going along with her little joke, "but seriously, the humanitarian reasons are enough, even if the business aspects weren't."
"I'll have to take your word on it, because it's not a deal I'd make personally... although you have to love seeing the reuniting with Tess headlines. Who on earth was the insider within the company that came up with that idea?"
"That would be my assistant's fault."
Chloe's head immediately bolted up. "Lauren? But she hated- I mean, I can't believe that."
Oliver chuckled at her failed cover-up job before replying. "No, the one here apparently had spent too much time reading Cosmo to realize that people do things for business reasons."
"I see," Chloe said with a nod as they started to cross the street. Noticing where they were, Chloe asked, "You've seen Evie yet?"
"Nope."
"Then let's go. I'd rather get coffee personally, and it'd be like old times."
It wasn't exactly what Oliver was looking for, but he supposed it was a decent compromise. "Alright, where are we heading?"
"Actually," Chloe said opening the door, "we're already here."
Oliver headed inside and turned before they got to the line-up. "Grab a seat... this one's on me."
"I'll never argue against a free coffee," Chloe said as she shrugged a shoulder.
However, before Oliver had a chance to get in line he was greeted by the arms of Evie. "Long time stranger." Opening her eyes, she grinned at Chloe. "Nice to see you too."
"Hey roomie, you think you can spare a minute."
"Love to," Evie lied, as she could already tell that despite Oliver's happiness to see her, Evie knew that she was nowhere near the reason he was in town, "but I already took my morning break and it'll be rush hour here soon enough with the lunch breaks. You two have a seat though... I'll bring the usuals." Chloe turned to leave, Oliver following suit, but Evie stopped him. He raised an eyebrow in her direction, but Evie ignored it to whisper, "Please... don't screw this up."
"Not planning on it," he whispered back.
"Good," she said patting his shoulder and then going behind the counter to fix their drinks.
June 3
"Miss Sullivan? Chloe? Please just a sentence on the -"
"No comment." Chloe had managed to get through the lobby no problem, but seconds after she entered the bullpen, three society girls decided to swarm her for information on Oliver, and even though Chloe knew it was only a matter of time before they came after her, she had been hoping it'd take more than just one coffee get-together.
"Come on, you must have something to say," another one of them pleaded.
"Are you deaf?" Marnie said as she blocked the women's path. "She said no comment." Petrified, they backed away, so Marnie pointed her head towards her office, expecting Chloe to get to work. "You must get sick of that."
"Hazards of life's choices," Chloe said, sighing as she dropped her purse at her desk before entering Marnie's office. "It got easier at SCU, I'm only hoping that's the case here. Between you and Lois though I have a pretty decent firing squad."
"You hold your own well actually. Much better than I expected."
"Thank you," Chloe replied, noticing the notes on her desk. "So what's on the news today?"
"New superhero in town." Chloe cringed upon hearing that, hoping Oliver wasn't stupid enough to come out the shadows that fast. He had only just come to town, his face plastered amongst every paper headline for the last couple of days, he was smarter than that. Marnie had caught Chloe's surprised expression, so she added, "Or vigilante, depending on your preference."
"Hero, definitely."
"Well, one can never be too careful."
"So... what have you got?"
"Another blur," Marnie replied, piquing Chloe's interest, "just fantastic right?" She dropped a photo on her desk, which depicted a less than favourable shot in the journalistic perspective. All the normal tells were there: short stature, red outfit, and blur lines to illustrate his speed, but nothing else for Chloe to go on. "It's not great, but it's more than any other photog has gotten in his other stops. Definitely on the right side of the fence, as he stopped two bank robberies just as they were breaking last night. There's also a rumour swirling around that he's faster than our Blur."
Looking over at Chloe, Marnie could see the wheels in her head turning, so she handed her the photograph. "You're good with these kinds of stories, so keep your ear out for anything."
Chloe took the photo and scanned it for any possible details. "Will do."
"And could I bother you to grab me a coffee? Your friend makes the best hazelnut latte."
"Sure," Chloe replied, only half-listening to her boss, "I'll be back in a bit."
"Take your time," Marnie replied, hoping Chloe could find something that she had missed.
Filing the photo in her desk, she grabbed her purse and headed towards the exit, where fittingly enough, Chloe ran into Clark. "Coffee duty?" she asked hopefully.
"You know it."
"For Brennan or Lois?"
Clark rolled his eyes as he answered, "Both."
Chloe giggled as they went outside. "This is perfect actually," she said looking around, "I was hoping to talk to you."
Sensing the reason, Clark rolled his eyes again. "This is about the mini-me, isn't it?"
"'Mini-me?'"
"It's what Lois calls the new Blur."
Chloe asked out of curiosity, "Have you seen him?"
"Briefly."
"Briefly huh?" Chloe teased, finding humour in his word choice, despite the glare Clark gave her. "So the rumours are true."
"I know for a fact that speed is all he's got," Clark said out of frustration. "At the second bank robbery, all he did was run around in circles, before the thieves got dizzy and then knocked them out."
Chloe persisted, "But he's faster than you?"
"Yes!" Clark yelled, causing people to stare. Lowering his voice, he added, "Is that what you wanted to hear?"
"Actually, I was curious if you could tell me anything else about him?"
"Not much," he admitted.
Remembering her previous conversation with Victor, Chloe nodded, "He's not much of a chatter I guess."
"Oh, he talks," Clark countered, "a little too highly of himself, but he's smart enough not to actually give me any idea who he is."
"Not even a codename or moniker?"
"That I did get, although he apparently hates it. Impulse."
That struck a chord with Chloe, as she wondered where the name could possibly come from considering his dislike for it. "Well... it's not much, but it's a start," she said, holding the door open to Metro. "It looks like this guy is following Oliver around and you should probably keep an eye on him, and let me know the moment you find out anything."
"What's to say that we see this guy again? He doesn't exactly pop out on the radar."
"Just... keep an eye out," Chloe said as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. "The more we know about this guy, the better."
"What guy?" Evie asked.
Head popping up, Chloe smiled at her friend. "You heard about the bank robberies last night, right?"
"Oh that guy? He's been the talk of the shop today... Marnie's wanting an expose right?"
"It is her current area of expertise in the paper."
Evie nodded as she stared at the register. "Four usuals are on the way, but are you getting something today Clark?"
"Regular black coffee."
Evie shook her head as she paged her co-worker before taking the gift card from Chloe, "You have to live a little Clark, loosen up or something. There are days where I think you're the most boring person who comes into this place."
"Excuse me?"
Chloe meanwhile, clutched her stomach to hold back her laughter. She couldn't blame Evie, as she didn't know Clark's secret, but seeing her laid-back roommate call out her best friend was something Chloe hadn't expected.
"Sorry, I just mean that... life's short, right? Might as well experiment while you can."
"I'll keep that in mind," Clark replied as he grabbed his tray and promptly left the cafe, a still-chuckling Chloe not far behind him.
June 11
Heading back to the Daily Planet, Clark couldn't help but feel confident right now. It was the perfect cover. While he went for coffee runs, or deliveries or anything else Brennan needed, he could help people without suspicion. Already today he had stopped a mugging and a carjacking, and it was only noon. As he walked by a hot dog stand, he noticed a teenager in a red t-shirt pointing at things around the cart. It took Clark a moment, but when he got to the end of the block, he realized that there was something familiar about him. Clark sized up him, right size, right build, and the voice... he had always knew it wasn't distorted, but he was shocked to find Impulse just walking the streets of Metropolis.
As he began to walk away, Clark whooshed in his direction, catching the other guy off-guard and pulled him into the nearest alley. Clark knew that he was risking his identity in doing this, but if it brought answers, it was worth it. Holding the guy by his collar, Clark watched as he tried to squirm away, but it was a pointless battle.
"Hey," he said in protest, "I paid and everything, which used to be a concept for me."
Unfortunately for him, Clark wasn't really up for small talk. "Start talking Impulse."
"Wait," the teenager replied, analyzing Clark's face. "That was you? Cool."
"Who are you?"
He grinned before answering, "Nice try, but I know you've got a pretty blonde sidekick who'd track me down in seconds."
"What do you want?"
Impulse tried to shrug, but the action didn't really work while he was dangling in the air. "Same thing you do. Making the world an easier place to walk in."
"What do you know about Lex Luthor?" Clark asked, hoping at least to get some form of answer on his former friend's status.
"Crazy bald dude who would experiment on me... and you... in a heartbeat."
"How did you get the information you've sent to the Green Arrow?"
"Sorry man, you know the saying. Magician can't reveal his tricks."
"Hey, get off me," a voice called down a couple of blocks, causing Clark to let off his grip, and the teenager wasted little time in taking his opening.
"Later," was his final word before speeding off.
Realizing that it would be a waste of time chasing after him, Clark zoomed towards where he heard the voice and saw a man running with a purse. It seemed to be a standard mugging, but the guy wasn't alone. About fifteen feet behind him was Evie in pursuit, and when she looked up and saw Clark, she yelled, "Hey... a little help."
Clark didn't need to be told twice as he cut the thief off, and after a minor scuffle, he had the purse back in his hand, while the guy quickly ran away.
When Evie caught up, she leaned over and said through her panting, "Thanks."
"No problem," Clark answered. Just another day at the office, he added mentally. "Although how did the guy take this from you? I thought you were a black belt."
"Not my purse." Gesturing her hand in the other direction, Evie started to walk back. "Come on."
After three blocks, Clark noticed a woman waiting by a car. As they got closer, her eyes widened. "Oh thank god!" she said as she ran towards them. "I'd be in so much trouble if I lost that... my life is on that phone, not to mention everything else in that purse."
"Clark," Evie said as she pointed towards the other woman. "did you ever meet Oliver's assistant Lauren?"
"No, but I've heard stories" Clark replied as he returned her purse. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise."
"Don't you work in Star City though? What brings you to Kansas?"
Lauren nodded. "Oliver called and told me that if I found a replacement for the Star City HQ, he'd set me up in a nice place here and give me another raise. I'm pretty sure my response was 'Where do I sign?'"
"Well... be careful."
"I normally am," Lauren replied as she looked around, "but that guy just caught me off-guard I guess. I'm just glad you two were able to help me out."
"It's no problem," Clark said as he waved goodbye to the two women to head back to the Daily Planet.
When Clark was out of ear-shot, Lauren turned to Evie and grinned. "I have to get going too, I'd hate for Oliver to be mad at me already."
Evie chuckled, knowing what state Oliver had been at Queen Industries without Lauren. "I doubt that's going to happen. But I can count on you for this, right?"
"You know it."
June 12
Exiting the elevator, Chloe found herself smiling as she approached Oliver's office. "Clark mentioned that Oliver had come to his senses but I had to see it for myself."
Lauren laughed as she filed some paperwork into a drawer. "Well, in the end it was my decision, but I might have missed your visits and I like working for Oliver personally. The board is... aptly named."
"Believe me; it's worth it for him too, the previous one was a complete PR disaster."
"You flatter me way too much Chloe." She turned her head towards the door and grinned slightly. "And I think you underestimate Oliver a bit too."
"Someone has to keep the ego in check."
"Don't let him hear you say that."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure that he knows."
Lauren knew that was true, but as her phone started ringing she sighed before putting the call on hold. "Well, as much as I'm enjoying our little talk, the truth is that you'll have to wait to see Oliver right now."
Chloe had been expecting as much, so she laid her press pass down on her desk. "Expecting someone from the Daily Planet in regards to the function this weekend right?"
Blinking at the pass, Lauren raised an eyebrow. "You're the reporter Tess wants for this?"
Chloe shrugged. "A momentary time out of the shadows because apparently they want the buddy-buddy feel for Oliver's official welcome to the city. Despite the obvious conflict of interest, the board and Tess determined that it would make the merger look better and sell papers. In that order if I'm not mistaken."
"Well... he'll be surprised."
"That might have been on Tess' list too."
"Go on in," Lauren said before picking up the unanswered call.
June 14
Chloe had lost track of how many events she had been to, but this one had a special occasion attached to it. She wasn't the friend of the CEO, she wasn't the CEO, just a reporter, and Chloe had to admit it felt nice. Granted, the fact that Oliver had answered most of her questions prior to the event allowed her to loosen up more. A couple quotes here and there would be all she needed and Chloe knew that she could handle that before the guests of honour even showed up.
This was also the first time she had a say in her own dress that didn't require a certain price tag. Even when she lead Queen Industries, there was a certain standard she had to uphold, but now... she could almost relax in the simple gown she had chosen for the evening.
She had easily collected her quotes from shareholders and company executives, who seemed either less than pleased with the idea or relatively open-minded. It seemed at least some of the people had faith in Oliver's ideas, and only a few jabbed at the fact she was Oliver's friend. Eventually, she settled at the wall near the window, admiring the view around her, from the dancing couples to the centrepieces to the star-filled sky.
"You're not hiding are you?" a familiar voice asked.
"No... just taking a break."
"Well," Oliver said as he turned her around, "I need a dance partner to keep me from answering some awkward questions, and I was hoping..."
Chloe shook her head. "Say no more."
He didn't, Oliver just took her hand and led her onto the floor, admiring the smile that framed her face. "You have to admit," he said, putting his hand on her waist, "you're glad that we did the article questions early."
Chloe tilted her head slightly to concede his point. "Maybe."
"Well, this way we can have a lot more fun tonight."
She crinkled her nose at that statement. "No offence, but 'fun' was never a word I used to describe one of these events."
Out of curiosity, Oliver asked, "So you've never enjoyed any of these?"
"Okay," Chloe admitted, "Maybe my first... it was fun seeing all of the costumes."
"How about the time when we spent the entire evening mocking people in the corner? Or the time where you became the 'heroine of society'?"
Chloe let out a chuckle. "The former was fun, as for the latter, I enjoyed the moment, but the entire event, not so much."
Oliver persisted, "But you had to have one in two years that you enjoyed even in its slightest."
She looked up at his smile as he spun her around. Chloe knew the only thing she remotely liked about the high-end gatherings was spending time with Oliver because he always made her feel like the only woman in the room. Placing his hand on her waist again, they moved to the music, Chloe rested her head on his chest and whispered, "Not really."
"Why not?"
"You weren't there," Chloe blurted, bringing her head up the moment she said it. "I mean, having a welcoming face always made it easier. That, and I didn't always have to be so careful. I don't know how you deal with all these events."
"Alcohol... and plenty smiles," he remarked as he grinned back at her, but as a familiar song came across the speakers, he stopped moving. "Well... how about that?"
It took Chloe an extra second to recognize the song as the first song they had danced to all those years ago, but once she did, she tilted her head and said, "Oliver, you didn't..."
"I didn't... but what if I did?"
"I can't believe you remembered this."
"Can you really blame me? You did too."
Before Chloe had a chance to reply, the song's pace sped up, so Oliver decided to show off again, leading her on the floor, Chloe barely able to keep up with the steps, but smiling at each step taken. It was like turning back time, when she was in a suit, him in his tights... Robin Hood tights. But the look he gave her was the same, and that scared her.
The melody kicked back in and as he pulled her close, she could feel his head leaning against hers, which should have made her more nervous, yet instead of pulling away, Chloe found herself relaxing. No matter how many problems their lives had, Chloe always felt safe here.
For these moments, she could forget that there was a glaring secret between them, even though it was technically known on both sides. She could forget that he once broke her heart standing at his doorway just seconds after he mended it by proving that he was alive. She could forget the days where alcohol absorbed his soul, causing him to forget who he was.
All those were replaced by days that he protected her, whether he was in a suit, jeans, or green leather. Turns out she got it right all along, he was her knight in shining leather, because he let her take care of herself, but whenever she needed him, he was there, even when she moved across the country to get away from him.
Chloe felt his head move, so she titled hers up slightly, looking straight into his eyes. There was so much compassion in them, which soothed her momentarily until she felt his face inch closer to her. Initially, she felt herself freeze but when the song finished, she panicked and tried to back away subtly.
"I have to go."
"Wait... Chloe," he said, attempting to grab her arm as she walked by, but Chloe ensured that she got past him.
Grateful for the crowd, Chloe was able to work her way out of the room and into the open elevator. Looking across at the couple who accompanied her on her journey down, she momentarily grinned at them and murmured, "Thanks," although she wasn't entirely sure what good it would do. Although she had no idea what she had just done, or what had just happened.
Maybe she was just overreacting again, but she couldn't go back now. The decision had been made, so she called her driver to meet her out front, and sure enough, by the time she got off the elevator, he stood at the front door waiting for her.
The entire ride home, Chloe replayed the moment in her head. The song, the look in his eyes, the push and pull feeling she had inside. It was then Chloe realized that it was a good thing that she left. She needed to sleep this off, or at least think things through. If she had stayed, who knows what would have happened?
When the car pulled to a stop, Chloe thanked her driver and got out slowly, fully ready to sleep this night away. But fate had other plans, as seconds after her car had taken off, leaving Chloe on the sidewalk, she heard his voice call out to her.
"Chloe!"
"Ollie?" she said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
By the time she turned around, she watched as he ran towards her, a look of determination in his eyes. Leaning to her right, she caught the view down the street; the idling car he had abandoned a block down, front door wide open, almost begging to be stolen. But that was appeared to be the last thing on his mind as Oliver came closer, eventually blocking her view, forcing Chloe to look up at him, and once her eyes met his, Oliver finally responded, "I realized something."
"You...you had a speech planned, people to..."
"I. don't. care." Each word was emphasized by an action, his fingers working through her hair, his hand pushing her closer, his head leaning down, causing Chloe to panic, but she couldn't go anywhere, Oliver had made sure of that.
So her only reaction as he continued to lower his head was a sharp intake of breath just seconds before his lips crashed against hers. She would have to be lying if she said that she never thought of this moment, but actually standing there, feeling his lips, his tongue begging to break her final barrier, was likely better than anything she imagined.
Then again, she had lost all thought the moment she felt his hand on the curve of her back, so that was probably why she let him in, let herself enjoy the kiss, even reciprocate as she found herself lifting her arms around his neck, begging for him to be closer.
Initially, time was lost on them as they stood on the street alone in each other's arms, but eventually time became their enemy as Chloe shook out of her trance and pushed herself away.
Seeing the momentary panic in her eyes, Oliver decided it was best to leave before he risked overstaying his welcome more than he likely already had.
"Goodnight," he said, turning back to his car, hoping to catch a glimpse of her eyes before she left his sight.
But Chloe refused to look up, afraid to face what they had just done. It had been amazing, but all she could see was the memories of what had happened in the past when they were on the cusp of something more. It was those moments that reminded Chloe that she couldn't risk herself getting too attached; she couldn't let herself go through that pain again. So she let him go, praying that everything hadn't just been ruined by a momentary lapse in judgment.
~0~
It had been Evie's plan to distract Lois with ice cream for a girl's night in, and it was almost working too well. Apparently when it came to ice cream, Lois Lane was a very indecisive woman, causing her to filter through a monologue why certain flavours didn't work.
Lois didn't want something too girly because it wasn't a break-up night, but it had to be sweet enough to keep her worries at a minimum. After all, Clark had a perfectly decent reason to stand her up again, he always did. Evie tried getting a word it, but Lois wouldn't stop talking. As a result, she stopped paying attention to what Lois was saying, and just nodded or said yes to pretty much every question without Lois noticing... until now.
"You're not even listening to me are you?" she fired out.
Relieved that Lois had stopped babbling, Evie just rolled her eyes and pointed to a carton of Rocky Road. "Lois, this is your boy problems ice cream. You always say how the name's fitting and you down a bucket of that every time Clark screws up, yelling about how selfless he is but it's getting in the way of your love and/or sex life. I warn you now that I do not want details, so please try to keep it PG rated this time."
"I'm going to ignore the last part because I'm surprised that I didn't know that."
"Too much going on up here," Evie said as she poked Lois' head, but Lois grabbed her finger before she had a chance to retract.
"Poke me again, and you'll regret it." Evie raised her other hand in defeat, and waited for Lois to release her finger, which she did in order to grab the ice cream. "That's it, right?"
Evie peered down at her watch. Twenty minutes. That should be enough, she thought, but after Lois paid, Evie walked slower to ensure they took their time in getting back to their apartment, even with ice cream in tow. When it came to this matter, Evie wasn't about to take any chances, unfortunately, all her measures didn't seem to matter as she opened the door to their apartment.
"Hey!" Chloe yelled from her computer, happy to see her friend and cousin when she noticed the odd expression Evie had. "You look so surprised... I do live here, remember?"
"I remember," Evie replied as she closed the door, "I... thought you'd stay at the event a little longer."
"Deadline's looming," Chloe pointed out as she typed away. "I figured I'd make sure of the particulars before sending it off to Tess. It's my first piece, after all."
"Well," Lois said as she opened the ice cream and put what looked like four scoops into a bowl, "we're doing a girl-power night... are you in?"
Chloe shook her head. "I'm out for now, but I might join you partway through."
"Okay E, let's get the show on the road."
Evie nodded, but looked back as Chloe looked focused on something, but Evie knew it wasn't her article. Chloe had said herself that it was 99% finished before heading out tonight. With Chloe's talents, Evie knew she probably could have sent that article in the time it took for her and Lois to get the ice cream.
But she was still here, despite the frustration and fear that was laced throughout her expression. It had happened, it had been real, that much Evie knew for sure, but Chloe was still here. Oliver had put himself out there, and she was still here. Evie shook her head. What is she waiting for?
June 28
Two weeks.
Two weeks Evie had kept this secret, not that it was a concept. When it came to secrets, Evie had no problem keeping them... but this one had seemed to be her exception. Everyone knew there was something going on, as Clark would ask her at work, but Evie found it easy to lie to him.
Lois was a different matter, as she had bothered Evie since that night, wondering why Chloe insisted on working late and refusing to go out, but fortunately for Chloe, Evie had the perfect alibi. Everyone knew that shadowing Marnie wasn't likely where Chloe wanted to work for the rest of her life, and with her ambition, it was only a matter of time before she became that ace reporter to which she aspired to be.
However, the real reason to why now had nothing to do with her job, not even close, and it was driving Evie up the wall.
Granted, Oliver wasn't helping, but Evie couldn't blame the guy. To him, this time apart was the equivalent of rejection, so he had been working long hours too, even though she doubted that his idea of a good time included spending multiple hours each day with his ex-girlfriend. But this was also why Chloe had to be the one to initiate anything, despite all of her fear of what may go wrong.
So when Lois had convinced Chloe to take a night off, Evie saw her opening, especially once Lois said that she needed to freshen up before starting their movie. When the water started running, Evie sat next to Chloe, who had been flipping channels since Lois left the room, trying to find something on the television.
Tired of waiting, Evie stole the remote from Chloe's hands and turned off the television, not surprised to see Chloe's eyes on her seconds after. After a deep breath, Evie said, "I know what's holding you back."
Chloe did her usual, confused look with raised eyebrow followed by her saying with a hint of question, "I'm sorry."
"Oliver...you..." Evie peered down at the familiar green leather jacket that Chloe had received from Oliver for their first Christmas together, chuckling at the convenience as she tugged on it. "This."
"Not following."
"Okay," Evie replied, trying to select her words carefully in case Lois came back randomly, "in what I just said, substitute the word 'you' with an equal sign."
It took Chloe a second to understand, but her epiphany was clear by her mouth gaping open. Eventually, she found her voice and said, "So... you know?"
"He didn't tell me, if that's what you think. I blurted it out to him and it actually helped our friendship. I've tried to keep quiet about all this, but it's killing me trying to figure out why you haven't told him."
"I tried," Chloe said, "but it was right when Tess left. I figured it was the world trying to tell me something."
Evie raised an eyebrow. "Honesty's the best policy?" It got no reaction out of Chloe, so Evie found herself sighing. "No offence Chloe, but I can't help but think this is an excuse."
"You know what happened last time we got this close."
"No," Evie replied after scoffing at her friend's words, "because you never got this close. Last time, your father died before Oliver had a chance to be honest. Last time, you didn't know how you felt about him until it was too late. Last time, and please, correct me if I'm wrong, you two didn't make out in front of our dorm building."
Chloe whipped her head in Evie's direction, her panic causing Evie to smile wider than she had in a while. "Lois has no idea, but we were on our way back from shopping when I saw you... and him." Her smile faded as she broke their eye contact. "I hoped if we gave you some time, you'd take off after him. Guess I was wrong."
"It's complicated."
"No it's not," Evie countered. "You're just afraid of losing him again, but that should be what makes you take that risk even more, if nothing else to know how it feels, even if it is for just one night. Trust me, you'll be much happier with a what once was instead of wondering what might have been."
Those words rang true to Evie, her own experiences coming back to life. The relationship's fallout was less than ideal, and she missed Scott more than she could ever imagine, but that wouldn't help Chloe right now. "There's always a chance that a relationship might crash and burn, but the memories you make while you're together are worth it," she said honestly, hoping Chloe would understand. "Oliver's made his decision, Chloe...from here-"
Evie's words were cut off by Lois' barging into the main room, ruffling a towel through her hair. "Did you guys decide on a movie?"
Seeing the defeat in Chloe's eyes, Evie stood up from the couch and finished her thought, "It's all you." Looking up at Lois, she said, "I think I'm going to call it a night actually. You guys have fun."
After Evie shut the door, Lois took a look up at the clock, which displayed a time way earlier than any of their bedtimes, but she ignored it and sat down next to her cousin. "Works for me... what did you decide?"
Chloe didn't hear Lois, just sitting there with a blank expression as Evie's words repeated in her head.
It's all you.
From here... it's all you.
After a few times it wasn't Evie's voice anymore... it was his.
There...now the rest... is all you.
He wasn't even there and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, remembering how their fingers were nearly entwined, as he guided her to the perfect shot. He wasn't there, yet she could still feel the warmth that he gave her as his chest met her back. Opening her eyes, she stared at the wall and didn't see her television across from her, but rather the path of her arrow.
"Bulls-eye," she whispered, completing the memory.
Confused as hell, Lois began to wave a hand in Chloe's face. "Yoo hoo... anybody in there?"
Shaking her head to the present, Chloe turned to face her cousin. "Sorry Lois. It's just that... I have an early morning tomorrow," she replied unconvincingly, "I should probably head to bed too."
She got off the couch, despite the confused look her cousin was giving her, ignoring the fact Lois had yelled, "Did I miss something?" through the door.
Pulling back the sheets, Chloe got into bed, not caring about the fact she was still in her clothes, and stared at the ceiling. The bathroom door squeaked open seconds later, and she could hear Evie crawling into the other bed, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to.
So Chloe broke the silence instead, whispering, " 'Night," before turning over to her side.
"Goodnight," Evie replied as she turned off her bed-side lamp, but even as darkness engulfed the room, Chloe had a sneaking suspicion that sleep would continue to avoid her tonight.
June 30
This was a bad idea, but it was too late to turn back. He was already aware that, despite the late hour, she was coming up, and the elevator had already begun to move. She had made her decision, but what the heck was she supposed to say to him after avoiding him for so long?
That was something she had to figure out quickly because when the gate opened, he stood there, searching for a reason why she was here now. They hadn't seen each other in weeks, the tabloids speculating a torrential break-up due to Tess, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Only three people knew the truth of their last encounter, but Oliver didn't even know that. However, the only thing that mattered to him was the exact reason she pushed away.
Regardless of what happened, that didn't change the way Oliver felt about her, although he also knew that he probably couldn't stop loving Chloe Sullivan if he tried. The clearest reminder of that fact was the moment she wrapped her arms around him when he got back. Tess was a few feet away, but that didn't matter, because Chloe was there. But he had made his decision and decided to pretend it wasn't there. However, the moment he found the letter he wrote to her on the floor in his office, dispatched as if he had been responsible for breaking her, Oliver knew that things could never be the same.
Yet, he couldn't let her go, nor could he convince Chloe to move on. No matter how bad he screwed up, she was there. Oliver continued to let her down, yet she still came to him. It was that fact that Oliver held onto as he stared back at her, hoping that she was willing to forgive him, or even admit that she felt the same way, but he knew better than to jump to conclusions.
Silence killing him, Oliver finally spoke, "Look Chloe, about-"
Unable to hold it in anymore, Chloe blurted, "I know you're Green Arrow."
July
Sera's Scribbles: I haven't posted anything in a couple weeks... and now LJ decides to change posting/formatting methods. I hate it. A lot!