Notbroken (12/12)
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.
August September October November December January February March April May June
July
Time won't ever steal my soul
We're not broken, so please come home
July 1
Oliver backed away, expression completely dumbfounded. “What?”
Chloe was amused by the fact that there was no denial, just shock in his response, but she had to stay serious. “I know that you’re Green Arrow, I know you work with Victor and AC, and I even found your little watchtower of operations.” Despite her nerves, Chloe had managed to keep eye contact, but that wasn’t easy when Oliver’s reaction hadn’t changed. “Say something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Chloe said, “just... something.” She finally looked away from him, walked away from the entranceway and leaned over at his desk while Oliver slumped down on his couch.
“Victor did warn me. Guess I should have listened.”
She looked up at him, but he doesn’t notice it, as Oliver placed a hand over his face, fingers sliding back out of frustration. All this time, he thought he was protecting Chloe, but now, hearing that she knew his secret made him feel stupid for never telling her.
He felt Chloe sit down next to him and pat his shoulder. “He didn’t tell me, and I didn’t tell anyone -”
“Besides your Blur-tastic best friend?” Oliver said without thinking, then watched as Chloe’s eyes widened at that comment. She wasn’t expecting that at all because Chloe couldn’t fathom a single situation where Oliver could have found out about Clark, but Oliver answered that for her. “You called him to save my life, remember?”
For years, Chloe had carried this secret, and normally she didn’t cave this easily, but at the time, all she could say was, “You were unconscious.”
“Not yet, I actually saw you trying to stop the bleeding.” Oliver let out a sarcastic chuckle. “If I could have talked, I would have blown my cover right there.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered, Ollie. I knew already.”
Oliver shook his head, of course she knew. This was the girl who had the Blur narrowed down in high school. This was the girl who saw through Luthorcorp long before many... in comparison, his secret was nothing.
But in that confession brought a new hope to Oliver, that reaction, the worry in her voice that he never forgot... that was for him, not Green Arrow. The way she looked at the hospital happened because she had seen him in the alley.
He finally responded, “Hence why you called Clark,” realizing that not only was she trying to save him that night, but also save his identity.
“Yeah, but it appears the infamous Impulse... your red Blur... beat him there.”
“I suppose Victor told you about him, right?” Chloe nodded, so Oliver added, “I can’t believe I didn’t put the pieces together sooner. I always knew your friendship seemed more than what it was, but -”
“This coming from the guy who knew who I was when you met me.” Oliver turned to her with raised eyebrows. “AC told me that you knew about my Torch articles.”
“I knew you were Chloe from Smallville... it was a pretty easy connection considering the size of the town, but one I didn’t make until I wanted to prove that I wanted to get to know you.”
“Including fixing it so you’d sit next to me at that game?”
It was the one coincidence that never added up to Chloe. Meeting at the bar was pure chance, spilling coffee on his shirt could be knocked off as wrong-place, wrong-time. But the game, he was there, grinning at her, insisting that he had nothing to do with it. Yet Chloe could never regret that night, as it was the moment where she officially said yes. Yes to a friendship that she wouldn’t trade for anything, which was why she was here now. She had seen secrets tear people apart and she wasn’t going to let that happen to Oliver and her. They had seen too much, worked too hard to allow this to ruin their friendship.
“No,” Oliver replied as he always did when she brought up that subject, “I maintain that someone else was involved, but you always take her side. The only thing I’m guilty of is playing along because you’re cute when you’re angry.”
Chloe rolled her eyes, letting herself chuckle at the pseudo-compliment. “You’re terrible.”
Oliver shrugged at that comment, moving his eyes to see her straight-on. “I had to convince you that I was worth your time somehow.”
“And?” Chloe asked skeptically, not expecting his response.
“I think it’s safe to say that my life is better when you’re around too.”
Hearing those words, Chloe felt her chest tighten, and it was that moment she realized if they continued talking that they’d veer into dangerous territory. “So we’re good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
“Great,” she said as got up to head back towards the elevator. “I should probably be going. We both have work tomorrow and -”
“Wait,” Oliver said, more than aware that she was trying to leave, but he had to know, “why now?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve known for a while, right?” Oliver got up and slipped his hand through hers to slow her down. “Why tell me now?’
“Because...” Chloe started, but realized her voice faltered as his thumb smoothed down her palm. Shaking her head, she tried to maintain her resolve, “Because I didn’t want to lie to you anymore.”
“That doesn’t explain why you would show up at my door at midnight. You could have -”
“I want in,” Chloe blurted, pulling her hand away. It wasn’t a complete lie, as she was tired of trying to help Oliver and his gang by sneaking behind his back, but that didn’t erase the fact that she was here because she hadn’t been able to sleep since the last time she saw Oliver.
“I want to help you take down Lex,” Chloe added, hoping he’d be willing to change the flow of conversation, “Victor told me what you’re doing and I -”
“Absolutely not.”
“Excuse me?” Chloe fired back, surprised by the firmness in his tone.
Realizing that he could have handled that better, Oliver cleared his throat, and tried to explain. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but -”
“Really?” Chloe asked, not caring about how he could finish that sentence. “Because you didn’t trust me enough to tell me about your alter ego. Come on Oliver, you know that I would have kept it. Heck, I helped keep it a secret.”
“It’s just that...”
After waiting for him for long enough, she stuck her arms out and said, “What? I’m a girl and I can’t take care of myself?”
He knew he had walked into that one, so he bowed his head and tried to salvage the conversation. “That’s not it at all.”
“Well then,” Chloe said, crossing her arms over her chest, “What is it?”
Oliver wasted little time answering that question. “I can’t risk losing you. I’ve seen my life without you and I don’t want that again. If that means keeping you safe on the sidelines then so be it.”
“That’s a little selfish, don’t you think Oliver? What makes you think that I want to lose you? Or did you forget that I already know how that feels?”
Before she knew it, Chloe stood inches from him, but she didn’t feel intimidated as she stared up into his eyes. “Do you know how long it took me to write your obituary when I didn’t even believe you were dead? I had to deal with people constantly saying that they were sorry for my loss or that I was a gold-digging whore.”
She spat out the final word, letting him know how much pain she had suffered in that time, “And yet when you came back with Tess, I felt like I was the one being used.”
After that, Chloe knew that she had to get out of the penthouse, so she began to walk away but Oliver stopped her once again. “Tess was a mistake. If I could do it again, Chloe, I’d -”
“Stop!” she yelled, facing Oliver once again. She could feel tears trying to break through, but she easily pushed them back. Staring at the floor, she shook her head. “There’s no point in trying to rationalize it, it’s done.”
“What’s with you?” Oliver asked as he strode towards her. “You stuck with me through one of my darkest hours, and now you have a problem with me all of a sudden?”
It was a valid question, one that stopped her argument cold, one that reminded her of how they worked together to get through their holiday seasons alive, through all their problems really. It reminded her that she could always rely on him, that she could always talk to him, and soon, she found her fear overtaking the anger she felt inside. She finally looked up when his feet came into her line of vision and she stumbled backwards, almost tripping on the step, muttering, “I’m just tired.”
“Stop lying Chloe. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing... just forget it.”
Chloe finally made it to the elevator, but because she knew how persistent Oliver was, she wasn’t surprised to see him put his hand over hers as she pushed the gate open. He just stared down at her initially, wanting her to look at him, but Chloe didn’t give in. In fact, she didn’t even try to pull her hand away
“It’s not nothing Chloe,” Oliver said, noticing the lack of response to him preventing to her exit. It wasn’t much, but it gave him enough confidence to say what he had to. “I’d say that I’m sorry for following you home that night, but I’m not. I meant to do it... in fact it was long overdue.” She didn’t answer him, but she did finally manage to look at him. “And I know you kissed me back.”
“It’s a phase Oliver,” she replied, knowing her past with guys, “it’ll pass.”
“Because no guy should ever want you, right? One guy breaks your heart and you can’t find it in yourself to see that to another guy, you’re everything.”
“Clark didn’t break my heart. He bruised it a little, but if you wanted to know the guy that broke it, look in the mirror.” It was a low blow, she knew it, but she knew she couldn’t stay here. She wanted to pull her hand away, but instead she was lost in the expression her words caused.
“You don’t really-”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Chloe whispered hopefully, “Just let me go, Ollie,” and to her surprise, Oliver backed away. She got inside the shaft and pressed the button, and reached back carefully to close the gate, but again, Oliver’s hand stopped it from closing.
“I messed up, I get it. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you Chloe, and like it or not... I’m not giving up on you.”
Inside, Chloe felt herself freeze at his final words, so much that she didn’t even hear Oliver closing the gate the rest of the way. So by the time she gained the courage to look back at him, all she saw was the elevator shaft.
~0~
Upon hearing the buzzing of her phone, Evie rolled over and grabbed it, wanting to scream once she noticed the caller id.
“Do the world a favour and get up that freakin’ elevator, tell him the truth and let me sleep!” she muttered quietly, even though she knew nothing could wake Lois as she slept on next to her.
Evie waited a possible retort or refutation, but instead, Chloe whispered between sniffles, “I did.”
“What?” Evie yelled, loudly this time, and then looked over again at Lois, snickering as her snoring didn’t miss a beat. “Hold on,” she said, getting out of bed and into the other room. She could hear Chloe trying to hide her emotions from her, and right now, Evie was baffled by what could have possibly happened.
Before she had a chance to ask, Chloe broke the silence. “How did you know where I was?”
“I was downing a glass of water in the kitchen when you left the apartment.” Evie looked at the place where she stood as she heard Chloe’s attempt to sneak out of the apartment unnoticed. It would have worked, but Evie had just gotten home after her graveyard shift at Metro. “Didn’t take too much logic to figure out where you were going.”
“Evie... I screwed up.”
Forgetting Chloe’s current emotional state, Evie fired out, “Thank you captain obvious, I figured out that much by the fact you’re talking to me.” Immediately regretting her word choice, Evie smacked her forehead and sighed. “I didn’t mean that. Well... I did, but it came out wrong.”
“You’re tired, I should go.”
“No wait, don’t hang up yet. I...” Evie’s voice trailed as she bowed her head, knowing what she had to do. “You can’t come back here, Chloe.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have to fix this tonight... or else you’ll always regret it. You’ve both, yes both, have been fighting this for so long... you have to tell him Chloe, you really do.”
Looking up again, Evie walked to the window and stared in the direction of the clocktower, hoping Chloe would listen to her. “If you’re worried about the morning after, don’t. Lauren and I have both of your backs.... we,” Evie paused as she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that this confession wouldn’t backfire, “we might have had a plan.”
“Isn’t that a little -”
“Don’t you dare say it’s wrong or intrusive,” Evie interjected with an element of humour in her voice, “remember you both did it to me first.”
Unfortunately, that remark did nothing to reignite Chloe’s confidence. “And look how well that panned out.”
Evie had to nod her head at that, the aftermath of her own relationship was something she wished she could have done different. However, that didn’t mean that history would repeat, and at this point, Evie was running out of patience when it came to these two. “The comparison between our situations is easy to make, but there are differences too, so stop making excuses for yourself.”
“What did this little plan entail?”
“Sorry, I’d tell you, but you haven’t done your part yet. If you want to know, you have to get back up there, tell Oliver the full truth, because we both know that you didn’t or else you wouldn’t be talking with me. After that, if you decide that you want a couple days off to... have fun, all you have to do is text pineapple to either me or Lauren.”
Evie could practically hear Chloe’s eyebrow raising as she said, “Pineapple?”
“Don’t ask, that was her idea.” Evie waited for a response, more than aware that Chloe was trying to say something, but her words were caught in her throat instead. So Evie smirked, knowing that she was right, and decided to save Chloe from choking on air. “Go up there, you know you want to.”
She heard Chloe exhale on the other side. “You’re a good friend Evie.”
“Is that code for pineapple?” Evie asked, closing her eyes hoping she would finally get the affirmative she needed, even if it meant ignoring the sleep she desperately needed.
~0~
It had been fifteen minutes since Chloe had left, and Oliver hadn’t moved. He had hoped she had realized that she had made a mistake and would come back up, but she hadn’t. He never wanted to give up on the chance that she’d be back, but bowing his head, he turned around, glancing once more at the elevator before finally lifting his feet.
Each step felt like a weight on Oliver’s shoulders, knowing that he didn’t regret a word he said, but Chloe still walked away. Although he didn’t want push her too hard, as Oliver couldn’t risk losing her friendship entirely, he couldn’t stay quiet forever, but that was also because he saw something in Chloe too. The hesitance in her eyes was there, and Oliver thought he sensed that the feelings weren’t one-sided as she fought his touch, not because she wanted to, but because she had to.
However, for now, Oliver knew she needed space again, so he let her walk away, no matter how hard it was for him to do.
He paused at the doorway to his bedroom, taking a breath as he held the door open, but soon he found himself shaking his head as he heard the clattering of the elevator chain. Stumbling back to the entrance of the penthouse, he walked in the line of sight of the elevator just as Chloe stepped out.
“You’re back,” he said, causing her to jump as she located him in the dark. He walked forward to show himself fully to her, but he could still sense the apprehension on her face.
She took a couple of breaths, trying to keep herself together. Sure, it probably wasn’t right to wake up Victor for the elevator code, but Evie was right. Chloe had to settle this tonight before she talked herself out of it. Chloe watched Oliver stop, waiting for her to say something, eyes watching her for a sign, but instead, she just swept a hand through her hair.
“Chloe,” he said, which to her meant that he running out of patience, but it was the way her name rolled off his tongue that stuck with her. Countless people had said her name, but no one said it like him, which is why she was biting her tongue, trying to keep herself from saying something stupid.
In two syllables, he could convey more emotion and concern than anyone else she had met, and after seeing so many people fall in love around her, she almost didn’t believe it would ever happen to her again, especially after losing Ollie for two years. Yet here she stood, ready to face this moment, no matter the consequences.
“What I said,” Chloe whispered, breaking her silence, only to clear her throat upon realizing how quiet she said it. “What I said...you...” Chloe shook her head, wondering why she couldn’t put any words together.
Oliver saw her struggle and said, “It’s okay,” wanting to make things easier on her.
“No,” she immediately replied, “It’s not because you didn’t deserve that. But the truth is, deep down, I’ve been mad at you for months. I was angry that you left me, and came back with Tess, and then I was angry at myself because I thought I should have seen that coming.”
Dropping her purse on the floor, Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. “I figured that I was just supposed to help you see the man, no, the hero you are, but I’ve been cast aside so many times in my life that I thought this wasn’t any different, that this was the world’s way of saying we’d eventually go our separate ways.”
She found herself relaxing a little more, as she took in a deep breath. “In a way, we did when I left, but with every headline, I realized I couldn’t let you go... and then you dropped everything and came here.” Scratching the back of her neck, she risked a glance of him before their eyes locked together. “You pretty much sign the deal with the devil to get here, and I couldn’t figure out why.”
“Then,” Chloe said grazing her fingers over her lips, “that happened and I got scared, realizing that you came... for me.”
Oliver noticed the single tear that began to slip down her cheek, and he never wanted to see her cry, but not wanting to scare her, he just hesitatingly took a step forward. Chloe saw it, and her reaction to his movement was to take a step of her own, so Oliver came close enough to reach out and graze her face with the tips of his fingers, stealing the tear from her face.
Chloe closed her eyes upon feeling the small, momentary point of contact, damning herself for ever walking away. She shook her head and bit her bottom lip, afraid of what she was about to say. “The idea of losing you again ate away at me, because I wasn’t supposed to fall for you again.” Her eyes opened again, as she wanted to see him, see the man that had caused so much in Chloe’s life. “But how can’t I be in love with the guy whose elevator code is the day we met?”
Closing the distance, Chloe wrapped her arms around Oliver, her forehead pressing against his chest. She could feel his laboured breathing, showing he was just as nervous about this as she was, but he didn’t hesitate on returning the embrace. “I’m done pretending I don’t want this, Oliver,” she said lifting her head to meet his beautiful eyes that had never left Chloe since she emerged from the elevator. “I’m done pretending I don’t want you.”
She stopped talking, mainly because she was out of words, but also because she needed him to say something. It wasn’t every day that Chloe did something like this, in fact, she wasn’t entirely sure if she had ever done anything like this, so she needed a sign that everything was okay. Sure, the way he was holding her should have been enough, but she needed more.
Chloe would get it; just not in the form she expected it.
Oliver was always more a man of action than words, and the moment she felt his hand scoop the side of her face, she knew. Chloe allowed herself to relax, covering his hand with her own, leaning to his touch, relishing it. She could feel the various ‘imperfections’ that lined his palm, but Chloe didn’t mind. It was just another sign of the hero Oliver was.
But as good as it felt, she didn’t want to pressure Oliver into anything. Chloe knew what she had said to Evie, but she was going to be noble, do the right thing and step back. But before she could move a foot, Oliver took her wrists into his hands, and that’s when she knew... he didn’t want her to go.
So Chloe stopped moving, and Oliver loosened his grip to confirm her suspicions. “I’m not sure I want to let you to walk away right now.”
Chloe nodded, manoeuvring her hand slightly to entwine their fingers. “So what are you planning on doing to convince me to stay?”
Taking the hint, Oliver leaned in to kiss her, not holding back anything this time, and Chloe was more than happy to oblige. Even if there was an inch of resistance left, she had long pushed that aside, and allowed Oliver to hold her tighter, as if he never wanted to let her go.
Her lips parted open, ready, anticipating his tongue to massage the inside of her mouth, and she did nothing to hide the moan he brought out of her. It was ego stroking, sure, and not that Oliver needed help in that category, but she wanted to give him a clear message this time.
She wasn’t running away from him anymore.
~0~
Eyes fluttering open, Chloe couldn’t help but smile as she noticed the arm wrapped possessively around her. She had been in this position once before, and that time she was wearing clothes, but instead of restricting clothing that held her insecurities, she was free and her mood was almost one of ecstasy.
“Hey Ollie,” she whispered, wondering if he was still asleep. When he didn’t answer, she manoeuvred carefully so that she was facing him, but that just resulted in her eye line admiring his sculpted chest, not that she minded. In fact, she had a whole new appreciation of what his body could do.
Not that his face was a consolation prize, she thought as her gaze moved up to his peaceful expression. There was a reason women around the world would line up to be with him, but at the end of the day, he only wanted her. In a way, she figured ignoring that was the best thing to do, but now, she saw and felt how wrong that was.
Sliding her fingers through his golden hair, mussed up from their early morning activities, Chloe found herself smiling again, but her thought process was interrupted as she heard him mutter, “Has anyone told you it’s impolite to stare at people while they’re asleep?”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she kissed him lightly. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hardly,” he replied, rotating them so he was on top of her. “If I had it my way, you wouldn’t even have to go to work today.”
Peering over to the time on the clock, which displayed the fact that reality would normally interrupt their morning, but Chloe quickly looked back at Oliver and said with optimism, “What if I didn’t have to work today?”
His eyes opened wider, growing darker at the implication, but the rest of him knew better. “Don’t tease me Sullivan.”
Chloe was about to explain, but as if on cue, Oliver’s phone rang. “Get it.”
Oliver shook his head. “That can wait.”
Chloe saw him lowering his body, but she held a hand to stop him, knowing his eyes would meet her with an element of surprise. “Actually, it can’t. That means I’m getting a call too.” Oliver rolled his eyes but Chloe persisted, “Five minutes, and you’ll regret that tease comment.”
Oliver was skeptical, but Chloe nodded, so he begrudgingly took his hands off Chloe. Slipping out of the covers, Chloe watched Oliver grab his phone, answering it before it went to voicemail, while she grabbed the first piece of clothing she could find, her shirt. It was missing a few buttons sure, but at this point, it covered what it had to.
Kneeling down in front of the elevator, she picked up her phone out of her purse, and smiled upon seeing the new message from Evie, which simply read: “Check the elevator.”
With a raised eyebrow, Chloe walked over to Oliver's computer, but as she waited, she couldn't help but contemplate what she was doing. Sure, Evie had a plan, but her roommate never actually said that she'd be sending anything. Looking down at her current attire, she trusted Evie enough to know she wasn't going to make a surprise appearance, but that didn't stop Chloe from worrying as she pulled up the camera feed on his computer.
A couple seconds later, Chloe relaxed upon seeing the garment bag on the floor and quickly activated for the gate to open. While inside, she noticed a yellow post-it attached to the bag, so she lifted it off to read it as she lifted the bag out of the elevator.
Getaway clothes or morning-after necessity.
I don’t care which, I just figured you might need a change of clothes. E
PS... Open the envelope inside only if it’s the latter.
Chloe opened the bag and smirked widely as she noticed the envelope sitting on top of her clothes, so she promptly opened it and noticed a note in her roommate’s handwriting.
If you’re reading this, it means that Operation Pineapple is a success! ...okay, that sounded better when Lauren and I said it.
So your alibi was a little tricky on short notice, but I was able to convince Lois, Clark, and Marnie that you wanted a couple days to yourself at your place in Smallville and they have to answer to me if they even think of disturbing you. Weird thing is... it worked better on Clark than it did on Lois. As for Marnie... she knows, but I didn’t tell her. She just told me to tell you not to mention it at work and that she’ll continue to have your back.
You have 48 hours to enjoy yourselves, so turn off your phone NOW! You both deserve a little privacy.
Evie
Chloe grinned wider as she dropped the letter on the desk to follow the final instruction. Grabbing her phone again from her purse, she held the off button, and watched the screen go black. Tossing it back down, she went to turn around when familiar arms came around her waist.
Oliver leaned his head down, caressing her neck gently with his lips before whispering, “For a second I thought you were leaving.”
“Nope, just getting a package.”
“I noticed,” Oliver replied, peering back towards the note on his desk. “Speaking of said package, what the heck is Operation Pineapple?”
She moved her head back against his chest, barely catching his eyes. “I believe that letter was addressed to me.”
“It wasn’t addressed to anyone actually, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
Chloe bit her lip as his hands trailed further down her body. “And if you consider this punishment for not telling you, I’m not saying a word.”
“Well... I just discovered that we both have a lot of time on our hands, and I had planned on making up for that comment earlier, but if you’re content with this, then...”
It didn’t take long for Chloe to crack, as she turned around in his arms. “Apparently,” she said trailing her fingers up his chest, stopping at his collarbone, “your assistant and our mutual acquaintance found an intrusive way to make sure we get some privacy.” Bringing her arms up to wrap around his neck, she asked, “So what’s your cover story?”
“Apparently, I have the flu.”
“I guess that means that we can’t go outside,” Chloe replied, giving him a sarcastic frown. “Whatever are we going to do?”
“Like I said,” Oliver whispered softly in her ear, “I might have a few ideas.”
Chloe smirked. “Are you planning on sharing your brilliant ideas?”
“Of course,” he replied, “I think you found that I am very good at sharing.”
The emphasis sent a chill down Chloe’s body before she found her voice. “That you are,” was about all she could manage as Chloe felt her chest muscles tighten, her body reminding her just how true that statement was. Oliver straightened up and Chloe found his eyes as she stroked his cheek with her palm, eyes softening as he looked at her. “I’m sorry Ollie.”
Surprised by her apology, his eyebrow lifted. “For what?”
“For taking so long to figure this out,” she said gesturing her hand between them.
Oliver leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “You weren’t ready and that’s okay. I would have waited however long it took, you know that right?”
“I do, but -”
“But you’re ready now.”
“Yeah,” Chloe replied easily, realizing that she should stop talking.
“Good,” Oliver replied as he slipped his hands under the shirt to slide it down her arms, not taking his eyes off hers, even as it fell to the floor, “because you were a little overdressed for what I had in mind.”
“Of course,” Chloe said before appreciatively scanning his body, “One track mind. What am I going to do with you?”
Oliver grinned, sweeping a loose strand of hair behind her hair. “I have a few ideas on that too.”
“I thought you might.”
July 9
Lois walked into Metro Coffee Stop, grin wide across her face. Hearing the bell clang on the door was like the sweet bell of victory. Evie caught her eye, so Lois gestured her towards her. She had won, and she intended on collecting.
Reaching down to grab something, Evie smirked at Lois as she poured two cups of coffee prior to promptly joining Lois at her table.
“You look chipper this morning.”
“Well, you owe me a twenty. Always a good way to begin a day.” Lois slapped an Inquisitor down on the table and quirked an eyebrow. “They always pretended to hold hands, but look at that expression. They totally did it.”
Evie couldn’t help but roll her eyes as with Lois, subtlety came with the force of a two tonne truck. “Here,” she said, showing Lois a twenty-dollar gift card for Metro. “I was wondering when you were going to figure it out.”
Lois’ smile faded as she noticed the confidence in the other woman’s tone. “Wait, you knew?”
Evie smiled and shrugged before she stole a drink of her coffee. “Saw her leaving the apartment the night of.”
“When was that?”
“Sorry, Lo... I’m not saying.”
“It was that damn trip to her home wasn’t it?” Evie did enough silently to concede the point, so Lois rolled her eyes. “I knew Clark was playing me too sweet, did he know too?”
“No,” Evie replied with a chuckle, “but I told him that if he knew what was best for him that he would charm the pants off you.” Pausing after taking another sip of her coffee, Evie let out a sly grin. “Did he take that literally? Because I didn’t see much of you during those two days either.”
“Why you little...”
“You won the bet Lois,” Evie carefully inserted, trying to keep Lois from losing her cool. “I thought for sure that they’d take another month, being their unofficial anniversary and all, but I’ll take now. I even jeopardized my chance by telling her to get the hell up there.”
“Well... I’m a little disappointed I had to find out through a tabloid, but at least it happened, right?”
“Amen to that,” Evie said, happily chinking her mug with Lois before taking a sip.
~0~
Walking towards his office, Chloe felt a little weird showing up at his work, but as usual, Lauren’s happy face greeted her as she approached his office. Of course, that grin turned into a sly smile as Chloe stopped in front of her desk.
“Good afternoon Chloe.”
“Lauren,” Chloe replied, more than aware she hadn’t seen Oliver’s assistant since her change in relationship status, “how are things?”
“Oliver’s been pretty happy for the past week... which makes my job easier.” Patting the phone, her she barely held together her poker face as she said, “Also getting fewer calls about from the Inquisitor... you wouldn’t happen to know the reason behind that, would you?”
Placing her arms on the desk, Chloe leaned in to ask quietly, “I have to be honest; I never realized you and Evie stayed in touch.”
Lauren’s smug expression lifted, shrugging before giving her reply. “We didn’t talk that much actually. The odd text and email... but the truth is when you jetted across the country, we decided to gauge how you were doing without each other.”
Turning her head towards the door of her boss’ office, Lauren sighed. “When Oliver told me that Lois thought he should relocate... I had half a mind to push him onto his jet because he wasn’t the boss I was used to.” Looking back at Chloe, she added, “From what Evie told me, you weren’t doing much better.”
“I have to ask, only because Evie said this was your thing. Why pineapple?”
Lauren’s eyes immediately rolled, sensing that would come up. “It was a pretty stupid codeword wasn’t it? The truth is, I was eating it when we thought of it and it kind of stuck.”
Chloe shook her head, even letting out a grin. “You’re one of a kind, you know that right? I don’t know how anyone would fire you.”
“I think it’s just that sometimes you’re meant to be somewhere, if that makes sense.”
“Yeah... it does,” Chloe replied, looking towards his door. “Is he in?”
Lauren nodded. “And he’s asked if you’ve called. Twice. In case you needed ammunition.”
“Thanks Lauren.”
Chloe approached the door, knocking lightly before opening it. As she entered the office, she watched Oliver lift his head from his desk, smile beaming on his face as he saw her. She closed the door, turning back to greet him, but as she opened her mouth, she noticed he was standing right in front of her.
“Afternoon,” he said confidently, before leaning his head in to kiss her.
“Hmmm,” Chloe said appreciatively once he released her lips, “somebody missed me.”
Trailing his fingers down the top of her ear, Oliver titled his head slightly. “Somebody didn’t call me back.”
“I know, Lauren told me, but I’m here now. So what do you need me for?” Seeing his eyebrow quirk up, Chloe shook her head. “Mind out of the gutter, Ollie. What’s up?”
He backed away slowly to his desk before he responded, “Thought maybe we could get some lunch, but first I wanted to give something back to you.”
Turning back, Oliver walked around Chloe, who felt a little confused at his actions until she saw the familiar heart-shaped pendant come into her eye-sight. She felt Oliver do up the clasp and let go, but Chloe quickly took the pendant in her hands, squeezing it tight. “How did you get this?”
“Lois gave it to me, and pretty much told me to get my act together and come here.”
“I’m sorry for taking it off... it just... it felt wrong at the time.”
“It’s okay, really.” Taking her arm gently, Oliver turned her around. “So what are you in the mood for? Chinese? Italian?”
Chloe didn’t answer as she had opened the locket, staring at the photos she had placed years ago. Closing it, she looked up at him. “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
Oliver shrugged a shoulder. “Sure.”
“The letter,” Chloe started, noticing how his body language changed with just those two words. “I threw that out. Why were you garbage picking?”
“Tess told you, huh?”
“You should have.”
“Yeah,” Oliver said, walking away from her, stopping to lean on his desk, his back towards her. “because that was such a great idea while you were with someone else, when I acted like a complete jerk to get you to leave.”
“Oliver, I...”
He grinned before finding the way to the top drawer of his desk. “The truth is I wasn’t looking for it.” Opening the drawer, he pulled a single sheet and handed it to her. “It was on the floor next to the bin.”
Chloe’s eyes softened as there was finally a good memory attached to the letter, but then Oliver’s final words processed and she peered back up. “That’s not possible.”
“Okay,” Oliver said with a casual shrug, “then Evie’s aim sucks.”
“Evie? No, she wouldn’t...”
“I don’t think she did it on purpose... she gave me quite the verbal lashing that day. I didn’t think she was capable of swearing until that day.”
That explained a lot to Chloe. Evie’s name always seemed to get an odd reaction from Oliver, and she never could put a finger on it. Then she remembered what Evie told her.
“He didn't tell me, if that's what you think. I blurted it out to him and it actually helped our friendship.”
Just like it had with Chloe, that knowledge, the lack of secret keeping brought her two friends together, and she couldn’t help but smile, as she never knew how tense things got between them.
“I’m glad to see that you’ve gotten past it.”
“Me too... I forgot how much I missed her.” Narrowing his eyes, Oliver asked, “Is she okay?”
Chloe wasn’t sure how to answer that, as Evie was better at hiding her problems than anyone she had ever met. “You probably saw her at her worst because I can tell that her shields are back up. She’s happier, but... but I know she’s still hurting.”
“She’s hiding something, isn’t she?”
“Her mother died, Oliver,” Chloe conceded, telling Oliver only what she knew, “and she didn’t tell me for two months.” Seeing Oliver’s widened eyes, Chloe rolled hers. “Based on your expression, she obviously never told you.”
Feeling her frustration, Chloe threw her arms out, and shook her head, “But I can’t tell her to tell me what’s bothering her... especially considering everything she’s done for me.”
“Look,” Oliver said, regretting he ever brought up the subject, “she came to you before.” Rubbing her arms reassuringly, he added, “She’ll come to you when she’s ready.”
“I hope so,” Chloe said optimistically, as she could only hope he was right. “So,” she said, trying to smile, “lunch?”
~0~
Chloe noticed Lois’ head perk up as she entered the apartment. Her cousin seemed to be on a mission of some sort, so Chloe just walked past her towards the coffee machine to grab a fresh cup.
“Is Evie home yet?” she asked, hoping to talk to her friend.
“She’s out,” Lois replied, eyes still on her cousin, even if Chloe insisted on facing away from her, “but if you want to dish about how you’re sneaking around with Oliver, you can totally dish to me.”
Turning around, Chloe tried to explain, “Lois, it’s not...”
“The locket is a dead giveaway, you know.”
Knowing she was beat, Chloe held the pendant in her hand, staring at it is as she stated, “He did say you gave it to him.”
“I don’t understand cuz...why didn’t you tell me?”
Chloe noticed the hurt expression on Lois’ face, and sighed before bowing her head. “The only reason Evie knew was because she saw me leaving the apartment,” she said, purposely leaving out the phone call, not knowing that Lois knew about that already. “The tabs are already begging for a story, so we’re keeping quiet so we can enjoy ourselves. I know I should have told you, but I knew I’d get a thousand ‘I told you so’s’ and well... it was kind of nice just having something for ourselves.”
“While that’s probably true, do you know how bad I wanted to see you two together? I would have done anything if it meant this happened.”
“It was that obvious?”
Lois narrowed her eyes and asked, “That’s a rhetorical question right?”
“Point taken.” Chloe cringed upon pouring her coffee cup, because she knew there was only one way she could make it up to her cousin. “So what do you want to know?”
Chloe turned around with her cup to see Lois patting the seat next to her. “Sit down cuz... this is going to take awhile.”
Continue to part 2......