Love by a Different Name (5/?)
Title: Love by a Different Name
Summary: "It was nothing but a chance encounter, a simple set-up that neither of them wanted to attend. But they did, and they had found each other." Sequel to “Time Makes it Harder,” takes place in the Mirror-verse.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language.
Dedication: To
daydreamer22688, I don't know if you remembering asking for this, but ask and you shall receive.
Thanks to:
alxnhnt22 for the banner.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5
The sun shone through the window, marking the sign of a new day, but as Oliver opened his eyes, he was reminded of the night that was. The blonde hair in front of him was proof enough, but there was the bonus of her happy expression as Chloe continued to sleep next to him.
It was still a rarity for her, sleep that is. Oliver could see the circles under her eyes and based on the work he had researched, it wasn’t too hard to see why. She was completely run down, the whole reason Hal had set them up in the first place.
He told Oliver that the air show was the equivalent to her vacation, the few days off that she took, and it seemed the constant work was getting it to her. He cringed at how she must have been living, the many days of being so close to Oliver, yet staying behind the shadows. Just like Oliver had to after Tess had taken him off the streets.
~0~
“How did you know?” Oliver said, watching the screen as the news reported his death.
“Easy,” Tess replied from behind him. “You did reveal his weakness.” She had to admit that she didn’t see that one coming, but unfortunately, Oliver underestimated the consequences of his decision.
Then again, that was something the blonde billionaire knew all too well. When he met Clark Kent, when he said that they could save the world together, for a second.... Oliver believed it. But Clark Luthor was a different man, and it didn’t seem like the other Clark’s prophecy would ever happen.
Luthors were what they were. Even if Tess was the bastard daughter, Oliver always figured that included her, especially after what she did to start this whole mess. But she did save his life. “Why? Why do this?”
Tess looked back at Oliver, the answer so seemingly clear to her, but to him... well... she wouldn’t blame Oliver if he didn’t believe her. “Chloe,” she spoke softly. Tess had done plenty wrong, but no one deserved to die. When she disclosed the blonde reporter’s relationship status with Oliver to Lionel, Tess didn’t think he’d make Clark kill her.
After that, Tess tried everything to change her ways, even literally sleeping with the enemy, trying to pull Clark away from their father’s ways. But he wouldn’t listen to her, no one did. So when Oliver announced the effects of green kryptonite, Tess acted fast, and did everything she could to convince Oliver to take a chance in believe in her. To Tess’ surprise, it worked, and here they now sat, watching the aftermath.
The deal was, if she was right, Tess would overlook Queen Industries until it was fit for Oliver to come back and then Tess would be free of all this. She hated being a Luthor, the power and politics that came with it. All she wanted to do was save the world, and she couldn't do that under her father's name.
It was a tough deal for Oliver to make, but it seemed to be the right decision to accept. No one else had a clue about what they had done, and he noticed that Tess covered her bases. The only other person she involved was probably the only person who would keep quiet on this matter if he did find out the whole truth. He was someone that Oliver trusted, one of his few confidantes since Chloe’s death.
Even then, it wasn’t much, just creating fake papers with no names on them, but Tess filled in the blanks. She never disclosed to her partner who the papers were for, and quickly formulated a fake story to cover her tracks. There was a part of Oliver that wanted to tell him the truth, but Tess convinced Oliver otherwise.
He was resourceful, so Tess made numerous leads that corroborated her story, and soon, he was off the trail. But Tess ensured a reward for his efforts, a decision that Oliver fully supported. A promotion, a healthy one at that, worked out well for both sides.
Yet even though the plan worked, Tess felt a pang in her chest as she stared at Oliver. It wasn’t enough. Chloe was still dead, she could see the pain in Oliver’s eyes as she said her name, and it killed her. “I’m so sorry Oliver.” Shaking her head, Tess got up from the couch. “I know this doesn’t bring her back or fix anything I’ve done to you. But I assure you, she’s my biggest mistake.”
~0~
It was something that he and Tess had in common, but it seemed that there was more to the picture than either of them realized. Combing his fingers through her hair, Oliver smiled, taking in the ways her mouth twitched more into a grin as he touched her. Eventually, he noticed Chloe shifting in bed slightly and soon enough, she was opening her eyes. “Good morning.”
“Best morning I’ve had in a while,” he replied, his fingers still lingering in her hair. But his smile faded as he continued to stare at her. Last night, Oliver could let it rest, now was a different matter. “Chloe...”
“We really need to talk don’t we?” She had been expecting as much, because she did say that she owed him an explanation.
“How about you start by telling me the ‘complicated reason’ that separated us?”
“Being enemy number one on Ultraman’s kill list?” Chloe joked, knowing that Oliver knew that much, but it was something both their deaths had in common. Even a Luthor saviour of sorts, but that was something Oliver didn’t know. “Lex... saved my life.”
His eyes understandably widened at her admission. “You mean I actually owe a Luthor for something?”
“Says the man who has Tess running his company.”
Oliver chuckled lightly; he should have known that Chloe would piece together everything so easily. “She’s only half,” he rationalized, implying to how Tess’ last name had been formally changed to Jenkins, after her mother. “Besides, even you know she wasn’t Lionel’s biggest fan.”
“That wasn’t a no.” Nor was it that hard to figure out. Except Chloe couldn’t figure out why Oliver would trust Tess with something like Queen Industries, but he also trusted her with his life, so maybe Tess had changed since Chloe had last seen her.
More than aware that he didn’t directly answer her question, Oliver examined her expression. “You’re not jealous are you?”
Chloe scoffed as she shuffled closer to him. “Hardly, word was that she had a thing for you though.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “Gossip runs what it must.” But on the subject of people knowing, Oliver wanted to cover his bases. “Does Hal know?” After all, he would likely be seeing Hal before Chloe, and while he didn’t want to cross any lines, the way that Chloe raised her eyebrow told him everything. Smirking back at her, Oliver leaned his forehead down to hers. “I should have kept looking for you.”
Closing her eyes at the contact, Chloe moved her hand up Oliver’s chest then around his back. “I had to stay hidden.” She couldn’t risk anyone else if Clark Luthor was that serious about taking out her enemies. She wasn’t risking Oliver to come back, so she did the selfless thing and held back, a decision Chloe would make every time.
“You could have called, said something.”
“I couldn’t, you know that.” Or else Chloe would have. She would have gone to see him, but then she knew that she couldn’t leave him again. Part of her thought about reaching out, but by the moment the timing seemed to finally be right, everything went downhill. “When Clark changed, you were...gone. So I figured this was my new life.”
“In Star City?”
“Cleaning up the mess you left behind,” Chloe replied with a grin as she peered up at him. “Or so I thought.”
Her gaze signified the shift in explanations, and Oliver was ready. “As you guessed, Tess caught on that Ultraman wanted me gone. But a difference was made.in taking someone like me down.” Not the one that Oliver anticipated, but he knew there were a million ways it could have been worse. “I didn’t expect Clark Luthor to end up with my wife six months later, but hey, apparently crime rates in Metropolis are the lowest ever.”
Hearing that, Chloe closed her eyes again and pulled herself away from Oliver. Now sitting up, Chloe shifted even further away from him, sighing as she looked out the window. “I forgot you married Lois.”
She took a deep breath, yet still found a way to swallow hard. Chloe may have seen him and her cousin pull away, but that didn’t change the guilt Chloe felt inside. Seeing Lois cry at Ollie’s funeral, it was possible that things were getting better.
Chloe’s silence worried Oliver, so he sat up and moved carefully to sit behind her. “We got married because... it was like holding onto the last piece we had of you.” He never thought that he would have to explain this to Chloe, but it seemed like it was needed. “If you were alive, it never would have happened.”
Her feet now outside the covers on the opposite side of the bed, Chloe whispered, “That doesn’t change anything.” It didn’t change their current status, because even if the world didn’t know that Oliver Queen was alive, Chloe did. It was complicated, but it felt wrong.
Oliver wasn’t a fool; he knew exactly what was going on in her head, and he knew he had to dispel it quickly. “Does her being engaged to Clark Luthor?” he quickly countered, noticing how Chloe’s head jerked in response. “I know you follow her life enough to know of her recent status.”
She did. She had forgotten, but Chloe had read about the recent engagement between the two. Initially, Chloe was horrified by the prospect, as Lois knew Clark was responsible for Oliver’s ‘death.’ But then, she was reminded of how Luthor had changed, and oddly for the better.
Except now, she just felt stupid. It seemed that it was in Chloe’s nature to doubt things, but she felt herself biting down on her bottom lip hard, an action Oliver didn’t miss.
“You really haven’t changed at all,” he said, pulling her back towards him so that her back rested against his chest. “Always fighting against what you want. Badly.”
Feeling Oliver kiss her cheek, Chloe tilted her head up slightly to catch his eyes. “What is it about you that makes me lose all rational argument?”
“I don’t know,” Oliver replied as he began kissing her neck, “maybe it’s because you love me?”
“I do... love you.”
“I know, I love you too.” Sitting back up, Oliver placed his hands on her belly, hearing the soft moan that came from Chloe as he brought his entire body closer. “So how exactly have you been so under the radar since Lex died?”
Chloe blinked, not expecting the question, as she thought the explaining was over, but Chloe figured it was better to answer the question instead of ignoring it. “I can handle myself just fine you know. But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have help.”
“Anyone I know?” Oliver asked. From her tone, it seemed clear to Oliver that Lex wasn’t the only one who helped her out, but there didn’t seem to be anyone in Chloe’s new life.
There was, but it wasn’t something that Chloe could tell Oliver. “Sorry, that’s their secret, even from you.” Chloe owed them too much to betray their trust now. “But I meant it when I said Hal had no idea.” He really had been the biggest coincidence of all.
Turning her body so that Chloe now faced him, she admitted to him what she could. “Our team inherited Lex’s entire estate, and between that and our day jobs... we did what we have to in order to survive.” However, there was still one thing she didn’t understand. “We looked for you everywhere. We were all supposed to be dead, so we figured there was a chance... how?”
Staring at Chloe, Oliver could see how her eyes were becoming glassy, as he could only imagine how much time she had spent looking for him. “Tess handled that part of things. I was underground for a few months, but Chloe, if I would have known...”
That was the thing. He could have known, and not just from her. But she decided it was best to keep herself away from him. “That doesn’t matter anymore.” Seeing Oliver here now, it made Chloe care less about the hows and whys. For the first time in a very long time, she just wanted to focus on the future.
Instead, it was Oliver that a little hesitant. He knew there was more to how Chloe disappeared, heck, they had only scratched the surface of his own disappearance, but eventually Oliver silently let it slide. Carefully pulling them both back towards the mattress, Oliver kissed her gently. “How long are you here for?”
Chloe frowned as she propped herself up so that her upper body rested on his chest. “My flight... leaves tonight actually. But I can change it.”
Oliver shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” Streaming his hand down her bare back, he eyed his situation, treasuring the moment. “I’ll be in Star City before you know it and... we can start again.”
Smiling, Chloe moved so that she was straddling Oliver. “Anything is truly possible isn’t it?” Leaning down towards him, Chloe teased before kissing him, “Roy.”
But Oliver wasn’t having any of that as he grabbed the back of her head, deepening the kiss. When air became necessary, he let up on his grip enough so that Chloe could back away slightly. “I’m starting to believe that’s the case... Cora.”
Knowing that they had a schedule to keep, Oliver moved his hands down her body, pulling the rest of her down on top of him. “Just how long till we have before your flight?”
Part 6
Summary: "It was nothing but a chance encounter, a simple set-up that neither of them wanted to attend. But they did, and they had found each other." Sequel to “Time Makes it Harder,” takes place in the Mirror-verse.
Rating: NC-17
Warning: adult content, coarse language.
Dedication: To
daydreamer22688, I don't know if you remembering asking for this, but ask and you shall receive.
Thanks to:
alxnhnt22 for the banner.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Part 5
The sun shone through the window, marking the sign of a new day, but as Oliver opened his eyes, he was reminded of the night that was. The blonde hair in front of him was proof enough, but there was the bonus of her happy expression as Chloe continued to sleep next to him.
It was still a rarity for her, sleep that is. Oliver could see the circles under her eyes and based on the work he had researched, it wasn’t too hard to see why. She was completely run down, the whole reason Hal had set them up in the first place.
He told Oliver that the air show was the equivalent to her vacation, the few days off that she took, and it seemed the constant work was getting it to her. He cringed at how she must have been living, the many days of being so close to Oliver, yet staying behind the shadows. Just like Oliver had to after Tess had taken him off the streets.
~0~
“How did you know?” Oliver said, watching the screen as the news reported his death.
“Easy,” Tess replied from behind him. “You did reveal his weakness.” She had to admit that she didn’t see that one coming, but unfortunately, Oliver underestimated the consequences of his decision.
Then again, that was something the blonde billionaire knew all too well. When he met Clark Kent, when he said that they could save the world together, for a second.... Oliver believed it. But Clark Luthor was a different man, and it didn’t seem like the other Clark’s prophecy would ever happen.
Luthors were what they were. Even if Tess was the bastard daughter, Oliver always figured that included her, especially after what she did to start this whole mess. But she did save his life. “Why? Why do this?”
Tess looked back at Oliver, the answer so seemingly clear to her, but to him... well... she wouldn’t blame Oliver if he didn’t believe her. “Chloe,” she spoke softly. Tess had done plenty wrong, but no one deserved to die. When she disclosed the blonde reporter’s relationship status with Oliver to Lionel, Tess didn’t think he’d make Clark kill her.
After that, Tess tried everything to change her ways, even literally sleeping with the enemy, trying to pull Clark away from their father’s ways. But he wouldn’t listen to her, no one did. So when Oliver announced the effects of green kryptonite, Tess acted fast, and did everything she could to convince Oliver to take a chance in believe in her. To Tess’ surprise, it worked, and here they now sat, watching the aftermath.
The deal was, if she was right, Tess would overlook Queen Industries until it was fit for Oliver to come back and then Tess would be free of all this. She hated being a Luthor, the power and politics that came with it. All she wanted to do was save the world, and she couldn't do that under her father's name.
It was a tough deal for Oliver to make, but it seemed to be the right decision to accept. No one else had a clue about what they had done, and he noticed that Tess covered her bases. The only other person she involved was probably the only person who would keep quiet on this matter if he did find out the whole truth. He was someone that Oliver trusted, one of his few confidantes since Chloe’s death.
Even then, it wasn’t much, just creating fake papers with no names on them, but Tess filled in the blanks. She never disclosed to her partner who the papers were for, and quickly formulated a fake story to cover her tracks. There was a part of Oliver that wanted to tell him the truth, but Tess convinced Oliver otherwise.
He was resourceful, so Tess made numerous leads that corroborated her story, and soon, he was off the trail. But Tess ensured a reward for his efforts, a decision that Oliver fully supported. A promotion, a healthy one at that, worked out well for both sides.
Yet even though the plan worked, Tess felt a pang in her chest as she stared at Oliver. It wasn’t enough. Chloe was still dead, she could see the pain in Oliver’s eyes as she said her name, and it killed her. “I’m so sorry Oliver.” Shaking her head, Tess got up from the couch. “I know this doesn’t bring her back or fix anything I’ve done to you. But I assure you, she’s my biggest mistake.”
~0~
It was something that he and Tess had in common, but it seemed that there was more to the picture than either of them realized. Combing his fingers through her hair, Oliver smiled, taking in the ways her mouth twitched more into a grin as he touched her. Eventually, he noticed Chloe shifting in bed slightly and soon enough, she was opening her eyes. “Good morning.”
“Best morning I’ve had in a while,” he replied, his fingers still lingering in her hair. But his smile faded as he continued to stare at her. Last night, Oliver could let it rest, now was a different matter. “Chloe...”
“We really need to talk don’t we?” She had been expecting as much, because she did say that she owed him an explanation.
“How about you start by telling me the ‘complicated reason’ that separated us?”
“Being enemy number one on Ultraman’s kill list?” Chloe joked, knowing that Oliver knew that much, but it was something both their deaths had in common. Even a Luthor saviour of sorts, but that was something Oliver didn’t know. “Lex... saved my life.”
His eyes understandably widened at her admission. “You mean I actually owe a Luthor for something?”
“Says the man who has Tess running his company.”
Oliver chuckled lightly; he should have known that Chloe would piece together everything so easily. “She’s only half,” he rationalized, implying to how Tess’ last name had been formally changed to Jenkins, after her mother. “Besides, even you know she wasn’t Lionel’s biggest fan.”
“That wasn’t a no.” Nor was it that hard to figure out. Except Chloe couldn’t figure out why Oliver would trust Tess with something like Queen Industries, but he also trusted her with his life, so maybe Tess had changed since Chloe had last seen her.
More than aware that he didn’t directly answer her question, Oliver examined her expression. “You’re not jealous are you?”
Chloe scoffed as she shuffled closer to him. “Hardly, word was that she had a thing for you though.”
Oliver rolled his eyes. “Gossip runs what it must.” But on the subject of people knowing, Oliver wanted to cover his bases. “Does Hal know?” After all, he would likely be seeing Hal before Chloe, and while he didn’t want to cross any lines, the way that Chloe raised her eyebrow told him everything. Smirking back at her, Oliver leaned his forehead down to hers. “I should have kept looking for you.”
Closing her eyes at the contact, Chloe moved her hand up Oliver’s chest then around his back. “I had to stay hidden.” She couldn’t risk anyone else if Clark Luthor was that serious about taking out her enemies. She wasn’t risking Oliver to come back, so she did the selfless thing and held back, a decision Chloe would make every time.
“You could have called, said something.”
“I couldn’t, you know that.” Or else Chloe would have. She would have gone to see him, but then she knew that she couldn’t leave him again. Part of her thought about reaching out, but by the moment the timing seemed to finally be right, everything went downhill. “When Clark changed, you were...gone. So I figured this was my new life.”
“In Star City?”
“Cleaning up the mess you left behind,” Chloe replied with a grin as she peered up at him. “Or so I thought.”
Her gaze signified the shift in explanations, and Oliver was ready. “As you guessed, Tess caught on that Ultraman wanted me gone. But a difference was made.in taking someone like me down.” Not the one that Oliver anticipated, but he knew there were a million ways it could have been worse. “I didn’t expect Clark Luthor to end up with my wife six months later, but hey, apparently crime rates in Metropolis are the lowest ever.”
Hearing that, Chloe closed her eyes again and pulled herself away from Oliver. Now sitting up, Chloe shifted even further away from him, sighing as she looked out the window. “I forgot you married Lois.”
She took a deep breath, yet still found a way to swallow hard. Chloe may have seen him and her cousin pull away, but that didn’t change the guilt Chloe felt inside. Seeing Lois cry at Ollie’s funeral, it was possible that things were getting better.
Chloe’s silence worried Oliver, so he sat up and moved carefully to sit behind her. “We got married because... it was like holding onto the last piece we had of you.” He never thought that he would have to explain this to Chloe, but it seemed like it was needed. “If you were alive, it never would have happened.”
Her feet now outside the covers on the opposite side of the bed, Chloe whispered, “That doesn’t change anything.” It didn’t change their current status, because even if the world didn’t know that Oliver Queen was alive, Chloe did. It was complicated, but it felt wrong.
Oliver wasn’t a fool; he knew exactly what was going on in her head, and he knew he had to dispel it quickly. “Does her being engaged to Clark Luthor?” he quickly countered, noticing how Chloe’s head jerked in response. “I know you follow her life enough to know of her recent status.”
She did. She had forgotten, but Chloe had read about the recent engagement between the two. Initially, Chloe was horrified by the prospect, as Lois knew Clark was responsible for Oliver’s ‘death.’ But then, she was reminded of how Luthor had changed, and oddly for the better.
Except now, she just felt stupid. It seemed that it was in Chloe’s nature to doubt things, but she felt herself biting down on her bottom lip hard, an action Oliver didn’t miss.
“You really haven’t changed at all,” he said, pulling her back towards him so that her back rested against his chest. “Always fighting against what you want. Badly.”
Feeling Oliver kiss her cheek, Chloe tilted her head up slightly to catch his eyes. “What is it about you that makes me lose all rational argument?”
“I don’t know,” Oliver replied as he began kissing her neck, “maybe it’s because you love me?”
“I do... love you.”
“I know, I love you too.” Sitting back up, Oliver placed his hands on her belly, hearing the soft moan that came from Chloe as he brought his entire body closer. “So how exactly have you been so under the radar since Lex died?”
Chloe blinked, not expecting the question, as she thought the explaining was over, but Chloe figured it was better to answer the question instead of ignoring it. “I can handle myself just fine you know. But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have help.”
“Anyone I know?” Oliver asked. From her tone, it seemed clear to Oliver that Lex wasn’t the only one who helped her out, but there didn’t seem to be anyone in Chloe’s new life.
There was, but it wasn’t something that Chloe could tell Oliver. “Sorry, that’s their secret, even from you.” Chloe owed them too much to betray their trust now. “But I meant it when I said Hal had no idea.” He really had been the biggest coincidence of all.
Turning her body so that Chloe now faced him, she admitted to him what she could. “Our team inherited Lex’s entire estate, and between that and our day jobs... we did what we have to in order to survive.” However, there was still one thing she didn’t understand. “We looked for you everywhere. We were all supposed to be dead, so we figured there was a chance... how?”
Staring at Chloe, Oliver could see how her eyes were becoming glassy, as he could only imagine how much time she had spent looking for him. “Tess handled that part of things. I was underground for a few months, but Chloe, if I would have known...”
That was the thing. He could have known, and not just from her. But she decided it was best to keep herself away from him. “That doesn’t matter anymore.” Seeing Oliver here now, it made Chloe care less about the hows and whys. For the first time in a very long time, she just wanted to focus on the future.
Instead, it was Oliver that a little hesitant. He knew there was more to how Chloe disappeared, heck, they had only scratched the surface of his own disappearance, but eventually Oliver silently let it slide. Carefully pulling them both back towards the mattress, Oliver kissed her gently. “How long are you here for?”
Chloe frowned as she propped herself up so that her upper body rested on his chest. “My flight... leaves tonight actually. But I can change it.”
Oliver shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.” Streaming his hand down her bare back, he eyed his situation, treasuring the moment. “I’ll be in Star City before you know it and... we can start again.”
Smiling, Chloe moved so that she was straddling Oliver. “Anything is truly possible isn’t it?” Leaning down towards him, Chloe teased before kissing him, “Roy.”
But Oliver wasn’t having any of that as he grabbed the back of her head, deepening the kiss. When air became necessary, he let up on his grip enough so that Chloe could back away slightly. “I’m starting to believe that’s the case... Cora.”
Knowing that they had a schedule to keep, Oliver moved his hands down her body, pulling the rest of her down on top of him. “Just how long till we have before your flight?”
Part 6