Fighting Echoes (10/?)
Author: 
serafina19
Title: Fighting Echoes
Summary: As identities and affiliations are exposed, the Justice League begins to form. But once an old foe re-emerges and raises the stakes, Evie is forced to determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect everyone she cares about. Sequel to “Notbroken,” and the final multi-chapter in the "Calendar Girl" verse.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Coarse language, violence and adult content.
Special thanks to:
552158 for the amazing banners that I couldn’t stop admiring when you sent them to me. Also, big love to
slytherinpunk, without you, I probably wouldn’t have the guts to try this.
August p.1 August p.2 September p.1 September p.2 October p.1 October p.2 October p.3 November p.1 November p.2
December
December 4
Hearing the elevator, Chloe came towards it, ready to greet Oliver home. But to her surprise, it was someone else entering the room.
“Clark?”
It wasn’t like he wasn’t welcome, but Chloe was wondering what was going on. It was late, and it made sense for Oliver to be out because he was in the midst of a deal with a Chinese corporation, but Clark didn’t stop by too often at this hour unless it was an emergency. “Is everything okay?’”
It must have been, because Clark just blinked at Chloe. “What are you doing here?”
It shouldn’t have been a shock to Clark, but Chloe was reminded that they had been distant lately, and her relationship with Oliver was still fairly new, not to mention the likelihood of the two friends having two different definitions of relationships.
Then again, that didn’t exactly cover the recent new development in her relationship with Oliver. “I... I guess I forgot to tell people.” Thinking for a minute, Chloe realized how true that was, besides Evie of course. But things had been going well, so it was probably time, and while Oliver would have likely preferred to be here, Chloe decided there was no point walking around the truth now. “Ollie and I... we’re living together.”
Of course, telling Clark anything of this nature would set off alarm bells, and she even recognized the signature expression. “Don’t give me that look Clark, I practically lived here before.” Although saying so easily that made Chloe want to roll her eyes for ever doubting anything.
“I’m just...” Clark’s voice trailed when he realized that what he thought wasn’t important. Sure, he had his doubts in Oliver, but they had been diminishing every day, and his best friend’s disposition was enough to convince him that, “You’re really happy, aren’t you? With Oliver.”
“Yeah, I am.” Chloe just hoped that her word was enough.
He could see the frustration in her eyes, and Clark thought it was best to try to cool the fire Chloe was containing. “I am happy for you, no matter how little it shows.” Clark watched her blink a couple of times out of shock, but Clark just shrugged as he looked around. “Oliver and I may have our differences, but he’s good to you. I can see that.”
Chloe sighed with relief, glad they didn’t need to have a pointless argument. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.” She chuckled lightly as she added, “Initially, I thought I’d have to use kryptonite for you to accept it.”
To her surprise, Clark actually laughed back, before he paused to look at Chloe again. “Oliver and I have come a long way. Now that I think about it, so have we.”
With a nod, Chloe acknowledged the comment, but she saw in his eyes the undertone of how Clark was thinking about how they had grown apart. “I know that look too.” She watched Clark’s head pop up, so she gave him a quick smile. “You’re not losing me Clark. We’re just growing up.”
He nodded, but still shrugged a shoulder. “Can you blame for me sensing the bittersweet in all this?”
“Hey, I’m still here. And last I checked, you were the one wanting to whoosh out all the time to save the world by himself.” Approaching him, Chloe wrapped an arm around his back, gesturing her head towards the terrace. As they walked towards it, she added, “This time, you have help, Clark Kent. More than just me.”
“You were enough,” Clark immediately replied. It was fitting that she brought up the ‘help’ he had, considering that reason he was here. But Clark wasn’t about to lose the opportunity that was given to him. He knew that there were things he could have handled better when it came to Chloe, and if nothing else, he owed her an apology. “I don’t think I ever told you that you were enough back then, but...”
Chloe stopped him. “You didn’t, but I knew, deep down.” The sentiment was appreciated, but at this point, it was water under the bridge. “A schoolgirl crush aside, we worked well together.”
She meant every word, because besides the awkward Lana drama, something Clark eventually got over, he rose above most of his annoying tendencies, and became the friend Chloe would always need in her life.
It was weird though, thinking back to all those years ago, what they had done to both Clark and Chloe. Back then, they were just regular folk at a high school. Now, Clark was saving the world one save at a time, and Chloe was helping a group of heroes stop Lex Luthor... with a much richer personal bank account than she ever could imagine. Not to mention her current boyfriend.
Chloe never would have pegged herself to have a guy like Ollie in her life, not to mention the fact that he would be interested in her. But every day, Oliver proved that there was more to life than met the eye, a lesson that Clark had previously taught her.
But for now, Clark would simply smirk at her comment. “I’m sorry... I probably should have handled that better.”
“Eighteen-year-old me would have told you yes, but now, now I have a different perspective.” Bringing her arm back to her side, Chloe walked back towards Oliver’s desk, taking another scan of the penthouse around her. It was an unexpected life direction, but Chloe was grateful for everything she had. The Clark and Lana saga wasn’t supposed to be something that she would be grateful for, but in truth, it was the catalyst that changed everything for Chloe. “That decision took us places we had to go, helped mould us into who we are.” And that was something Chloe didn’t want to change.
“True,” was Clark’s quiet reply, for it wasn’t just Chloe who had changed. It woke Clark up in a way. Her moving to Star City made him realize what Chloe’s friendship really meant, even if Clark didn’t always show it properly. The move also allowed Clark’s relationship with Lois to flourish, and likely allowed for Clark’s relationship with Lois to even happen. That was something Clark would never take for granted.
Propping herself on the desk, Chloe figured they had done enough reminiscing for one night. “So what did you need Oliver for?” After all, it was clear that Clark wasn’t looking for her.
He didn’t waste any time, so Clark shook his nerves aside, taking his hands out of his pockets. “I’ve been thinking... about joining you guys.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow, as she knew there were too many options for reasons Clark would want to see Oliver, but she knew Clark had been pretty dead-set on the whole solo act. “Seriously?”
“Like you said, I have help.” Clark closed his eyes as he admitted, “But it’s more than that. I could have helped Lex from turning to his father’s projects.”
It was no secret to either as to how Lex turned from a friend to a foe. Back in Smallville, there were days that they were genuine friends, but a secret like Clark’s changed things, and for Lex, the secrecy was more of a betrayal than anything else.
“Maybe, but at what cost?” Chloe pushed herself from the desk and approached her friend carefully. Sure, Clark had told Lana, Chloe, Lois, Oliver, the team... but there wasn’t a likely scenario in Chloe’s mind that suggested Lex would be as understanding. “There’s no way to know what could have happened.” In fact, Lex was something Chloe thought her best friend had handled right, despite the consequences.
Clark turned his head to look outside the window that overlooked the Metropolis skyline before turning back towards Chloe. “Which is why I want to help. My first priority is here, but... I figure I can still pitch in, even on a part-time basis.”
Smile planted on her face, Chloe slipped on the shoes she had abandoned by the elevator doors. “Well, then it’s time for me to introduce you to Watchtower.” As she slipped her coat through her arms, Chloe realized what she said, so she turned her head back around to clarify. “The building.”
December 5
It had been a fairly routine morning, but the way that Oliver had rushed into her office and slammed the door seemed to imply something was up.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile, taking notice of the newspaper in his hand. “What brings you here?”
He grinned back as he approached the desk. “Checking up on aspects of my company... and dulling all unnecessary fires.” Oliver said the words slowly, wondering if Chloe would recognize the reason, but she just furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I take it that you haven’t read the Inquisitor this morning?”
She hadn’t, and if Chloe could help it, she never did. Hearing the paper’s name only made her roll her eyes. “What stupid line are they spinning now?”
“You... and Clark on a very late-night rendezvous.” Oliver put down the paper showing the photo of Chloe and Clark heading towards Watchtower. It was a completely innocent photo, as Chloe was laughing at something Clark had said, but the writer had done her research to know Clark was a friend. The headline was a groaner pun: Like a Moth to an Old Flame? but Chloe didn’t expect any different.
However, the fact Oliver was here concerned Chloe a little. “Ollie... please tell me that you’re-”
He stopped her words by placing his hand over hers. “I’m not jealous of Clark in the slightest, and I know this headline is bullshit.” The days of Chloe pining for Clark were long over, and if nothing else, Clark and Lois were stronger than ever, not to mention the strength of their own relationship. “I’m here to let them get their shots, let this whole thing die down, because frankly, it’s a slow news day if they’re printing this.”
That made sense, and it felt great for Oliver to be so calm about this. Chloe really felt like their relationship was becoming more stable, even after moving together, so it meant a lot that he trusted her as much as he did.
But before they went and got their statements taken, Chloe had something to tell him. “Well, speaking of news... the reason Clark came by last night is because he wants to help.”
“Help as in...?”
Getting up, Chloe walked around her desk to stand beside Oliver before answering his unfinished question. “Patrol the odd night, maybe even help on missions part-time.”
Oliver wanted to laugh at the thought, as he made a similar offer under a year ago, and Clark had made it clear he wasn’t interested. But Chloe’s expression implied that something had changed. “You’re serious?”
“Very. The reason we were out was because I wanted to show him Watchtower.” She looked down at the paper, sighing at the photo. “I thought I was careful, but at least the guy caught us near the clocktower.”
Noticing the familiar frown on her face, Oliver squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not,” Chloe clarified, “I just... I forget sometimes that this is going to be a part of my life you know.” She could practically hear Oliver open his mouth to apologize, so Chloe quickly stopped him. “Regardless of us, so don’t even go there.”
Still staring at the photo, Chloe found herself smiling as she remembered another facet of the night that was. Reminded of the apology that Clark gave her. He didn’t have to, but it was still nice to hear. It really felt like life was coming into place, even with the potential threat of Lex Luthor in their lives. But for now all they could do was, as Ollie put it, dull this unnecessary fire.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
December 6
Years had passed since the accident, yet this was the first time he had ever visited his parent’s and sister’s gravesite. It felt wrong that Victor considered it another lifetime, after all, they were his family, but he was leery about coming back to this, reminding him of what he lost.
He hadn’t come to the funeral, as Victor was locked up in 33.1, so he never really had a chance to say goodbye. He figured now was good as time as any. Bart was the only one who knew about his little excursion, and the date had no significance whatsoever, but it appeared his roommate had a hard time keeping secrets.
Lifting his head, Victor called out, “You planning on standing there all day?”
There was a second’s pause in the air, as he felt the wind chill on his ears especially, but eventually, there was a crunch in the snow behind him. One footstep after another, Victor heard them come closer, so he peered to his right, seeing Evie standing beside him now.
“I figured you needed space,” was her quiet reply, her hands firmly in the pockets of her coat. While she had come prepared, there was only so much one could do to prepare the wind today.
“Yet you came?”
Evie looked over in his direction. “You’re the one who keeps telling me that I’m not alone.” She sighed, knowing everything Victor had helped her through. “I figured it was my turn to lend a hand.”
He grinned a little before turning his head back towards the tombstones. “Sorry to get your hopes up, but I’m just visiting.” Victor knew she’d call him on his lie, but he thought that at least he’d try not to worry her via his problems this time. “I… I haven’t had a chance to come here yet. Thought they deserved as much as my paying respects.”
“Look, you barely talk about your family and the accident, so I’m not going to overstep.” Evie brought her hands to her mouth, blowing warm air into them, trying to find the most appropriate words. “Something kept you from coming here. It might have been guilt, fear, but something kept you.”
“If that’s true, what about it?”
Evie pointed to the tombstones. “You always said that you belonged here instead, that pushing forward wasn’t worth it because you weren’t human.” Evie rotated her body to face him straight on, letting Victor know she meant everything she was about to say. “I think they’d be proud of who you’ve become.”
Victor didn’t say anything, he just stared ahead, shuffling his feet a couple times. She sighed again before pressing on, “Trust me, I get it, but again, you told me that you have to fight back, accept everything you are.” With Victor’s continued silence, Evie reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, just trying to get his attention. “See in yourself what I see in you. The hope in yourself that you see in everyone else.”
Again, no reaction, so she brought her hand back, realizing space was probably golden to him right now. But she got only two steps away when she finally heard his voice. “You’re right.” Evie just turned her head, for while she was grateful that he spoke up, she wasn’t about to interrupt him. Whatever he had to say… she knew he had to say it. “I forget sometimes that you know me just as well.”
“Is that all?” Evie smirked at him lightly, trying to lighten the mood. “Because I hate to say this, but I knew that.”
Despite the setting, Victor chuckled, always glad to see a smile on her face. “You’re enjoying the switch aren’t you?”
Evie’s grin widened. “A little. But you haven’t bawled your eyes out yet, so I’d say we’re far from even on that front.”
“Well,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand. “I appreciate you coming here. I know you didn’t have to.”
Squeezing his hand gently, Evie quickly disagreed, “Yeah, I did.”
December 19
Walking out of Metro with coffee warming their hands, Lois crinkled her nose as she looked up at the sky. “Ugh, can you believe this?” Lois had met up with Evie at the end of her shift to catch up, but they stayed longer than planned because Lois wanted to see if the snow would ever let up. It didn’t, and Evie poked Lois’ ego, told her to suck it up.
It wasn’t like snow even fazed Evie as she laughed at her friend’s sentiment, sticking her tongue out to catch a snowflake. “Oh come on Lo, this is far from the end of the world.”
The two of them were almost polar opposites as they walked down the street. After all, there was a reason Lois settled in California for a large portion of her life and despite two weeks of snow being a reality on the streets on Metropolis, she hadn’t gotten used to it.
So while she understood Evie’s comment, considering what the girl went through, that didn’t mean that Lois enjoyed walking through the blowing snow. “Seriously, how can you be so cheery right now?”
Shrugging a shoulder, Evie’s smile widened as she contemplated her words. “Because I’m a crazy person who likes winter?” Winter reminded her of her first ‘life,’ of what she had when she was a kid. Furthermore, with Christmas around the corner, she got just as giddy as Chloe, and the snow was a bonus. Evie had grown tired of not having a white Christmas.
Lois disagreed. “You’re absolutely right about that,” she muttered as she placed her steps carefully. “So where are you going that we couldn’t have waited longer?”
“Watchtower,” Evie replied, staring ahead at the building and then glancing down at her watch, showing that she was already a half hour late.
“Why?” If Lois’ memory served her correctly, it wasn’t often the team ventured to Watchtower this early.
“Technical bugs.” Closing her eyes, Evie was reminded of the mess she had encountered when she entered Watchtower a couple of days ago. He had tried, Evie would give him that, but it was inevitable that Bart would eventually cause chaos in Watchtower.
“I thought that was Chloe’s domain.” It may have taken some time for Lois to figure out the specifics, and some details she was still narrowing down, but she always thought her cousin and Victor handled everything computer related.
“She’s better for software than hardware fixes.” Besides, Evie also knew that Oliver and her had plans to take the weekend off from work, superheroes... everything. Considering everything they do, Evie couldn’t blame them, which is why she volunteered to fix things while Bart and Clark took the patrols. After all, she was more than qualified. “Thanks to my dad, I’m comfortable with the inner and outer workings of computers.”
That made sense to Lois, because Evie had to literally start from square one after 33.1, not to mention all the work she did to keep herself off the radar. “So you’re spending a Friday night… fixing computers.”
Evie knew what Lois was trying to do, especially with her boyfriend and cousin busy, not to mention the stale air when it came to news. Unfortunately, Evie couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. “You don’t have to believe me Lois, but my life’s not that exciting. We want to have everything up and running asap.”
They’d been using the clocktower as a substitute Watchtower since, however it didn’t really suit their needs. But Evie didn’t feel comfortable talking about this on the street, so she switched the direction of the conversation. “What’s on your agenda Lois?”
“I think Dinah’s in town,” Lois said with a sigh. “Can’t stand the woman, but she’s a decent drinking buddy.”
Arriving at Watchtower, Evie held the door open to properly say goodbye. “Then I guess I’ll see you later.” Part of her wanted to invite Lois up, but Evie had no idea how long the computer fix would take, and for Lois, it would be like watching paint dry.
“Yep,” Lois replied. “Good luck.”
Evie nodded, watching Lois continue down the street, so she headed towards the elevator. Several emergency protocols later, she felt the elevator starting its ascent and her smile grew. Sure, Evie had sort of lied to Lois when she said all that she was doing was computer related, but Evie had been looking forward to this all week and she wanted to ensure it happened without a hitch.
The elevator opening up, Evie headed towards the double doors and looked around the room. But a voice shook her out of her thoughts.
“Took you long enough.” Looking over towards the stained glass window, Victor sat on one of the nearby couches, sorting through computer equipment. He had been here already for two hours, waiting for Evie to show up. And while he was happy to see her smile, he couldn’t resist the single jab.
Slipping off her coat, Evie showed her apology in the form of her biting her lip. “Lois interrupted my progress.”
Victor had figured as much based on the last couple of texts, but it was good to have it confirmed. With Evie... silence was always a scary concept. But she was here now and they had a lot of work to do. “You ready to fix all this?”
Evie sighed as she looked around at the mess her cousin made. To Bart’s credit, he did offer to clean up, but that would likely only make things worse. Then again, it gave Evie the perfect cover for tonight’s other objective. “Among other things.” Squinting her eyes at the various boxes around, she asked, “You get the decorations?”
Stopping his progress, Victor reached behind him to lift up a couple of boxes to show Evie. “When do I ever let you down?”
She tilted her head to the side, acknowledging his point. “True.” Clapping her hands, she began moving towards the mess of wires. “Okay, let’s get this fixed.” She knelt down and started working. “As serious as we all are, I want this to scream Christmas when we’re done.”
Victor nodded as he let the decorations boxes back down to resume with fixing the technical issues. But he found himself stopping as he heard a familiar tune in the air. Just a couple of months ago, this girl was at her wit’s end, almost wanting to give up entirely, but now, she hummed Christmas carols as she played with the wires, albeit still knowing what she was doing.
But eventually he had been caught staring, and Evie paused to look up at him. “What?”
Not really sure what to say to her, Victor smiled back and said, “You look...happy.”
Evie chuckled lightly as she stood up again. “It’s the holidays... it wouldn’t feel right to be sad right now.” And then it was her time to smile, to remind herself of how good it felt to not be worried about everything and just enjoy the moment. To bask in the here and now, because honestly, it felt pretty good right now, and Evie intended on savouring every second of it.
~0~
Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes. The penthouse looked... nothing like before. Tinsel lined the walls, Christmas lights were almost everywhere. A tree not far away from the clock face that hid the Green Arrow room and if Chloe’s nose served her right, there was something baking.
“Oliver?” she called out in disbelief. Sure, last Christmas was... joyful, but that was because he wanted to cheer Chloe up. This year, he had no reason to do all this. Because she could tell it was Oliver’s handiwork. The man could hire people to decorate this place, but he was too proud for that.
It took a second, but Oliver emerged from the hallway, apron tied around his t-shirt and jeans. Smiling as their eyes met, his pace quickened as he greeted her home with a kiss. “Surprise.”
Reaching up to cup his cheek, Chloe felt her smile widen. “I can’t believe you did all this.”
“Well,” he replied, slipping his hand into hers. “I went shopping with Evie, upon which I’ve discovered that she’d practically memorized the layout of this place, so she picked out some of the stuff.”
Some was probably an understatement as Evie filled up the cart, saying how something would great in a particular place. At one point, Oliver had to stop her, but it appears the little shopping trip had been worth it. “I...wanted to make this place full of holiday cheer.”
Backing away, Chloe lay her purse down his desk, slowly taking off her coat before draping it over the chair. “But you don’t like Christmas.”
“I didn’t, there’s a difference.” Oliver figured that he had made that clear, but he was more than willing to remind Chloe of that change. “I’ve learned to enjoy the holidays since you’ve come into my life.” There was something about the way Chloe smiled during the holidays and between her and Evie, it was hard not to be in a good mood once December hit.
And that was something the team never took for granted, considering how hard the two women would work to ensure the team had structure. Sure, Oliver was the leader, but since Chloe’s abduction, Evie and Chloe had been working hard to create protocol to help prevent another situation like that.
However, as important as all that was to keep the streets of Metropolis safe, it was just as important for them to take care of themselves. To remind themselves of their ‘human’ side, even though they had no abilities. So Oliver decided that him and Chloe should take a weekend off. Besides, taking that time was good for them, as how they spent their holidays was a nice way to look back, a reminder of where they started, and the growth of their relationship.
There was one difference between those years and now, one difference that Oliver was grateful for every day. They were together, happy, and about to enjoy holidays like any other couple in the world.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
serafina19
Title: Fighting Echoes
Summary: As identities and affiliations are exposed, the Justice League begins to form. But once an old foe re-emerges and raises the stakes, Evie is forced to determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect everyone she cares about. Sequel to “Notbroken,” and the final multi-chapter in the "Calendar Girl" verse.
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Coarse language, violence and adult content.
Special thanks to:
552158 for the amazing banners that I couldn’t stop admiring when you sent them to me. Also, big love to
slytherinpunk, without you, I probably wouldn’t have the guts to try this.
August p.1 August p.2 September p.1 September p.2 October p.1 October p.2 October p.3 November p.1 November p.2
December
December 4
Hearing the elevator, Chloe came towards it, ready to greet Oliver home. But to her surprise, it was someone else entering the room.
“Clark?”
It wasn’t like he wasn’t welcome, but Chloe was wondering what was going on. It was late, and it made sense for Oliver to be out because he was in the midst of a deal with a Chinese corporation, but Clark didn’t stop by too often at this hour unless it was an emergency. “Is everything okay?’”
It must have been, because Clark just blinked at Chloe. “What are you doing here?”
It shouldn’t have been a shock to Clark, but Chloe was reminded that they had been distant lately, and her relationship with Oliver was still fairly new, not to mention the likelihood of the two friends having two different definitions of relationships.
Then again, that didn’t exactly cover the recent new development in her relationship with Oliver. “I... I guess I forgot to tell people.” Thinking for a minute, Chloe realized how true that was, besides Evie of course. But things had been going well, so it was probably time, and while Oliver would have likely preferred to be here, Chloe decided there was no point walking around the truth now. “Ollie and I... we’re living together.”
Of course, telling Clark anything of this nature would set off alarm bells, and she even recognized the signature expression. “Don’t give me that look Clark, I practically lived here before.” Although saying so easily that made Chloe want to roll her eyes for ever doubting anything.
“I’m just...” Clark’s voice trailed when he realized that what he thought wasn’t important. Sure, he had his doubts in Oliver, but they had been diminishing every day, and his best friend’s disposition was enough to convince him that, “You’re really happy, aren’t you? With Oliver.”
“Yeah, I am.” Chloe just hoped that her word was enough.
He could see the frustration in her eyes, and Clark thought it was best to try to cool the fire Chloe was containing. “I am happy for you, no matter how little it shows.” Clark watched her blink a couple of times out of shock, but Clark just shrugged as he looked around. “Oliver and I may have our differences, but he’s good to you. I can see that.”
Chloe sighed with relief, glad they didn’t need to have a pointless argument. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.” She chuckled lightly as she added, “Initially, I thought I’d have to use kryptonite for you to accept it.”
To her surprise, Clark actually laughed back, before he paused to look at Chloe again. “Oliver and I have come a long way. Now that I think about it, so have we.”
With a nod, Chloe acknowledged the comment, but she saw in his eyes the undertone of how Clark was thinking about how they had grown apart. “I know that look too.” She watched Clark’s head pop up, so she gave him a quick smile. “You’re not losing me Clark. We’re just growing up.”
He nodded, but still shrugged a shoulder. “Can you blame for me sensing the bittersweet in all this?”
“Hey, I’m still here. And last I checked, you were the one wanting to whoosh out all the time to save the world by himself.” Approaching him, Chloe wrapped an arm around his back, gesturing her head towards the terrace. As they walked towards it, she added, “This time, you have help, Clark Kent. More than just me.”
“You were enough,” Clark immediately replied. It was fitting that she brought up the ‘help’ he had, considering that reason he was here. But Clark wasn’t about to lose the opportunity that was given to him. He knew that there were things he could have handled better when it came to Chloe, and if nothing else, he owed her an apology. “I don’t think I ever told you that you were enough back then, but...”
Chloe stopped him. “You didn’t, but I knew, deep down.” The sentiment was appreciated, but at this point, it was water under the bridge. “A schoolgirl crush aside, we worked well together.”
She meant every word, because besides the awkward Lana drama, something Clark eventually got over, he rose above most of his annoying tendencies, and became the friend Chloe would always need in her life.
It was weird though, thinking back to all those years ago, what they had done to both Clark and Chloe. Back then, they were just regular folk at a high school. Now, Clark was saving the world one save at a time, and Chloe was helping a group of heroes stop Lex Luthor... with a much richer personal bank account than she ever could imagine. Not to mention her current boyfriend.
Chloe never would have pegged herself to have a guy like Ollie in her life, not to mention the fact that he would be interested in her. But every day, Oliver proved that there was more to life than met the eye, a lesson that Clark had previously taught her.
But for now, Clark would simply smirk at her comment. “I’m sorry... I probably should have handled that better.”
“Eighteen-year-old me would have told you yes, but now, now I have a different perspective.” Bringing her arm back to her side, Chloe walked back towards Oliver’s desk, taking another scan of the penthouse around her. It was an unexpected life direction, but Chloe was grateful for everything she had. The Clark and Lana saga wasn’t supposed to be something that she would be grateful for, but in truth, it was the catalyst that changed everything for Chloe. “That decision took us places we had to go, helped mould us into who we are.” And that was something Chloe didn’t want to change.
“True,” was Clark’s quiet reply, for it wasn’t just Chloe who had changed. It woke Clark up in a way. Her moving to Star City made him realize what Chloe’s friendship really meant, even if Clark didn’t always show it properly. The move also allowed Clark’s relationship with Lois to flourish, and likely allowed for Clark’s relationship with Lois to even happen. That was something Clark would never take for granted.
Propping herself on the desk, Chloe figured they had done enough reminiscing for one night. “So what did you need Oliver for?” After all, it was clear that Clark wasn’t looking for her.
He didn’t waste any time, so Clark shook his nerves aside, taking his hands out of his pockets. “I’ve been thinking... about joining you guys.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow, as she knew there were too many options for reasons Clark would want to see Oliver, but she knew Clark had been pretty dead-set on the whole solo act. “Seriously?”
“Like you said, I have help.” Clark closed his eyes as he admitted, “But it’s more than that. I could have helped Lex from turning to his father’s projects.”
It was no secret to either as to how Lex turned from a friend to a foe. Back in Smallville, there were days that they were genuine friends, but a secret like Clark’s changed things, and for Lex, the secrecy was more of a betrayal than anything else.
“Maybe, but at what cost?” Chloe pushed herself from the desk and approached her friend carefully. Sure, Clark had told Lana, Chloe, Lois, Oliver, the team... but there wasn’t a likely scenario in Chloe’s mind that suggested Lex would be as understanding. “There’s no way to know what could have happened.” In fact, Lex was something Chloe thought her best friend had handled right, despite the consequences.
Clark turned his head to look outside the window that overlooked the Metropolis skyline before turning back towards Chloe. “Which is why I want to help. My first priority is here, but... I figure I can still pitch in, even on a part-time basis.”
Smile planted on her face, Chloe slipped on the shoes she had abandoned by the elevator doors. “Well, then it’s time for me to introduce you to Watchtower.” As she slipped her coat through her arms, Chloe realized what she said, so she turned her head back around to clarify. “The building.”
December 5
It had been a fairly routine morning, but the way that Oliver had rushed into her office and slammed the door seemed to imply something was up.
“Good morning,” she said with a smile, taking notice of the newspaper in his hand. “What brings you here?”
He grinned back as he approached the desk. “Checking up on aspects of my company... and dulling all unnecessary fires.” Oliver said the words slowly, wondering if Chloe would recognize the reason, but she just furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I take it that you haven’t read the Inquisitor this morning?”
She hadn’t, and if Chloe could help it, she never did. Hearing the paper’s name only made her roll her eyes. “What stupid line are they spinning now?”
“You... and Clark on a very late-night rendezvous.” Oliver put down the paper showing the photo of Chloe and Clark heading towards Watchtower. It was a completely innocent photo, as Chloe was laughing at something Clark had said, but the writer had done her research to know Clark was a friend. The headline was a groaner pun: Like a Moth to an Old Flame? but Chloe didn’t expect any different.
However, the fact Oliver was here concerned Chloe a little. “Ollie... please tell me that you’re-”
He stopped her words by placing his hand over hers. “I’m not jealous of Clark in the slightest, and I know this headline is bullshit.” The days of Chloe pining for Clark were long over, and if nothing else, Clark and Lois were stronger than ever, not to mention the strength of their own relationship. “I’m here to let them get their shots, let this whole thing die down, because frankly, it’s a slow news day if they’re printing this.”
That made sense, and it felt great for Oliver to be so calm about this. Chloe really felt like their relationship was becoming more stable, even after moving together, so it meant a lot that he trusted her as much as he did.
But before they went and got their statements taken, Chloe had something to tell him. “Well, speaking of news... the reason Clark came by last night is because he wants to help.”
“Help as in...?”
Getting up, Chloe walked around her desk to stand beside Oliver before answering his unfinished question. “Patrol the odd night, maybe even help on missions part-time.”
Oliver wanted to laugh at the thought, as he made a similar offer under a year ago, and Clark had made it clear he wasn’t interested. But Chloe’s expression implied that something had changed. “You’re serious?”
“Very. The reason we were out was because I wanted to show him Watchtower.” She looked down at the paper, sighing at the photo. “I thought I was careful, but at least the guy caught us near the clocktower.”
Noticing the familiar frown on her face, Oliver squeezed her hand a little tighter. “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not,” Chloe clarified, “I just... I forget sometimes that this is going to be a part of my life you know.” She could practically hear Oliver open his mouth to apologize, so Chloe quickly stopped him. “Regardless of us, so don’t even go there.”
Still staring at the photo, Chloe found herself smiling as she remembered another facet of the night that was. Reminded of the apology that Clark gave her. He didn’t have to, but it was still nice to hear. It really felt like life was coming into place, even with the potential threat of Lex Luthor in their lives. But for now all they could do was, as Ollie put it, dull this unnecessary fire.
“Okay, let’s do this.”
December 6
Years had passed since the accident, yet this was the first time he had ever visited his parent’s and sister’s gravesite. It felt wrong that Victor considered it another lifetime, after all, they were his family, but he was leery about coming back to this, reminding him of what he lost.
He hadn’t come to the funeral, as Victor was locked up in 33.1, so he never really had a chance to say goodbye. He figured now was good as time as any. Bart was the only one who knew about his little excursion, and the date had no significance whatsoever, but it appeared his roommate had a hard time keeping secrets.
Lifting his head, Victor called out, “You planning on standing there all day?”
There was a second’s pause in the air, as he felt the wind chill on his ears especially, but eventually, there was a crunch in the snow behind him. One footstep after another, Victor heard them come closer, so he peered to his right, seeing Evie standing beside him now.
“I figured you needed space,” was her quiet reply, her hands firmly in the pockets of her coat. While she had come prepared, there was only so much one could do to prepare the wind today.
“Yet you came?”
Evie looked over in his direction. “You’re the one who keeps telling me that I’m not alone.” She sighed, knowing everything Victor had helped her through. “I figured it was my turn to lend a hand.”
He grinned a little before turning his head back towards the tombstones. “Sorry to get your hopes up, but I’m just visiting.” Victor knew she’d call him on his lie, but he thought that at least he’d try not to worry her via his problems this time. “I… I haven’t had a chance to come here yet. Thought they deserved as much as my paying respects.”
“Look, you barely talk about your family and the accident, so I’m not going to overstep.” Evie brought her hands to her mouth, blowing warm air into them, trying to find the most appropriate words. “Something kept you from coming here. It might have been guilt, fear, but something kept you.”
“If that’s true, what about it?”
Evie pointed to the tombstones. “You always said that you belonged here instead, that pushing forward wasn’t worth it because you weren’t human.” Evie rotated her body to face him straight on, letting Victor know she meant everything she was about to say. “I think they’d be proud of who you’ve become.”
Victor didn’t say anything, he just stared ahead, shuffling his feet a couple times. She sighed again before pressing on, “Trust me, I get it, but again, you told me that you have to fight back, accept everything you are.” With Victor’s continued silence, Evie reached out to place her hand on his shoulder, just trying to get his attention. “See in yourself what I see in you. The hope in yourself that you see in everyone else.”
Again, no reaction, so she brought her hand back, realizing space was probably golden to him right now. But she got only two steps away when she finally heard his voice. “You’re right.” Evie just turned her head, for while she was grateful that he spoke up, she wasn’t about to interrupt him. Whatever he had to say… she knew he had to say it. “I forget sometimes that you know me just as well.”
“Is that all?” Evie smirked at him lightly, trying to lighten the mood. “Because I hate to say this, but I knew that.”
Despite the setting, Victor chuckled, always glad to see a smile on her face. “You’re enjoying the switch aren’t you?”
Evie’s grin widened. “A little. But you haven’t bawled your eyes out yet, so I’d say we’re far from even on that front.”
“Well,” he said, reaching out to grab her hand. “I appreciate you coming here. I know you didn’t have to.”
Squeezing his hand gently, Evie quickly disagreed, “Yeah, I did.”
December 19
Walking out of Metro with coffee warming their hands, Lois crinkled her nose as she looked up at the sky. “Ugh, can you believe this?” Lois had met up with Evie at the end of her shift to catch up, but they stayed longer than planned because Lois wanted to see if the snow would ever let up. It didn’t, and Evie poked Lois’ ego, told her to suck it up.
It wasn’t like snow even fazed Evie as she laughed at her friend’s sentiment, sticking her tongue out to catch a snowflake. “Oh come on Lo, this is far from the end of the world.”
The two of them were almost polar opposites as they walked down the street. After all, there was a reason Lois settled in California for a large portion of her life and despite two weeks of snow being a reality on the streets on Metropolis, she hadn’t gotten used to it.
So while she understood Evie’s comment, considering what the girl went through, that didn’t mean that Lois enjoyed walking through the blowing snow. “Seriously, how can you be so cheery right now?”
Shrugging a shoulder, Evie’s smile widened as she contemplated her words. “Because I’m a crazy person who likes winter?” Winter reminded her of her first ‘life,’ of what she had when she was a kid. Furthermore, with Christmas around the corner, she got just as giddy as Chloe, and the snow was a bonus. Evie had grown tired of not having a white Christmas.
Lois disagreed. “You’re absolutely right about that,” she muttered as she placed her steps carefully. “So where are you going that we couldn’t have waited longer?”
“Watchtower,” Evie replied, staring ahead at the building and then glancing down at her watch, showing that she was already a half hour late.
“Why?” If Lois’ memory served her correctly, it wasn’t often the team ventured to Watchtower this early.
“Technical bugs.” Closing her eyes, Evie was reminded of the mess she had encountered when she entered Watchtower a couple of days ago. He had tried, Evie would give him that, but it was inevitable that Bart would eventually cause chaos in Watchtower.
“I thought that was Chloe’s domain.” It may have taken some time for Lois to figure out the specifics, and some details she was still narrowing down, but she always thought her cousin and Victor handled everything computer related.
“She’s better for software than hardware fixes.” Besides, Evie also knew that Oliver and her had plans to take the weekend off from work, superheroes... everything. Considering everything they do, Evie couldn’t blame them, which is why she volunteered to fix things while Bart and Clark took the patrols. After all, she was more than qualified. “Thanks to my dad, I’m comfortable with the inner and outer workings of computers.”
That made sense to Lois, because Evie had to literally start from square one after 33.1, not to mention all the work she did to keep herself off the radar. “So you’re spending a Friday night… fixing computers.”
Evie knew what Lois was trying to do, especially with her boyfriend and cousin busy, not to mention the stale air when it came to news. Unfortunately, Evie couldn’t give her the answer she wanted. “You don’t have to believe me Lois, but my life’s not that exciting. We want to have everything up and running asap.”
They’d been using the clocktower as a substitute Watchtower since, however it didn’t really suit their needs. But Evie didn’t feel comfortable talking about this on the street, so she switched the direction of the conversation. “What’s on your agenda Lois?”
“I think Dinah’s in town,” Lois said with a sigh. “Can’t stand the woman, but she’s a decent drinking buddy.”
Arriving at Watchtower, Evie held the door open to properly say goodbye. “Then I guess I’ll see you later.” Part of her wanted to invite Lois up, but Evie had no idea how long the computer fix would take, and for Lois, it would be like watching paint dry.
“Yep,” Lois replied. “Good luck.”
Evie nodded, watching Lois continue down the street, so she headed towards the elevator. Several emergency protocols later, she felt the elevator starting its ascent and her smile grew. Sure, Evie had sort of lied to Lois when she said all that she was doing was computer related, but Evie had been looking forward to this all week and she wanted to ensure it happened without a hitch.
The elevator opening up, Evie headed towards the double doors and looked around the room. But a voice shook her out of her thoughts.
“Took you long enough.” Looking over towards the stained glass window, Victor sat on one of the nearby couches, sorting through computer equipment. He had been here already for two hours, waiting for Evie to show up. And while he was happy to see her smile, he couldn’t resist the single jab.
Slipping off her coat, Evie showed her apology in the form of her biting her lip. “Lois interrupted my progress.”
Victor had figured as much based on the last couple of texts, but it was good to have it confirmed. With Evie... silence was always a scary concept. But she was here now and they had a lot of work to do. “You ready to fix all this?”
Evie sighed as she looked around at the mess her cousin made. To Bart’s credit, he did offer to clean up, but that would likely only make things worse. Then again, it gave Evie the perfect cover for tonight’s other objective. “Among other things.” Squinting her eyes at the various boxes around, she asked, “You get the decorations?”
Stopping his progress, Victor reached behind him to lift up a couple of boxes to show Evie. “When do I ever let you down?”
She tilted her head to the side, acknowledging his point. “True.” Clapping her hands, she began moving towards the mess of wires. “Okay, let’s get this fixed.” She knelt down and started working. “As serious as we all are, I want this to scream Christmas when we’re done.”
Victor nodded as he let the decorations boxes back down to resume with fixing the technical issues. But he found himself stopping as he heard a familiar tune in the air. Just a couple of months ago, this girl was at her wit’s end, almost wanting to give up entirely, but now, she hummed Christmas carols as she played with the wires, albeit still knowing what she was doing.
But eventually he had been caught staring, and Evie paused to look up at him. “What?”
Not really sure what to say to her, Victor smiled back and said, “You look...happy.”
Evie chuckled lightly as she stood up again. “It’s the holidays... it wouldn’t feel right to be sad right now.” And then it was her time to smile, to remind herself of how good it felt to not be worried about everything and just enjoy the moment. To bask in the here and now, because honestly, it felt pretty good right now, and Evie intended on savouring every second of it.
~0~
Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes. The penthouse looked... nothing like before. Tinsel lined the walls, Christmas lights were almost everywhere. A tree not far away from the clock face that hid the Green Arrow room and if Chloe’s nose served her right, there was something baking.
“Oliver?” she called out in disbelief. Sure, last Christmas was... joyful, but that was because he wanted to cheer Chloe up. This year, he had no reason to do all this. Because she could tell it was Oliver’s handiwork. The man could hire people to decorate this place, but he was too proud for that.
It took a second, but Oliver emerged from the hallway, apron tied around his t-shirt and jeans. Smiling as their eyes met, his pace quickened as he greeted her home with a kiss. “Surprise.”
Reaching up to cup his cheek, Chloe felt her smile widen. “I can’t believe you did all this.”
“Well,” he replied, slipping his hand into hers. “I went shopping with Evie, upon which I’ve discovered that she’d practically memorized the layout of this place, so she picked out some of the stuff.”
Some was probably an understatement as Evie filled up the cart, saying how something would great in a particular place. At one point, Oliver had to stop her, but it appears the little shopping trip had been worth it. “I...wanted to make this place full of holiday cheer.”
Backing away, Chloe lay her purse down his desk, slowly taking off her coat before draping it over the chair. “But you don’t like Christmas.”
“I didn’t, there’s a difference.” Oliver figured that he had made that clear, but he was more than willing to remind Chloe of that change. “I’ve learned to enjoy the holidays since you’ve come into my life.” There was something about the way Chloe smiled during the holidays and between her and Evie, it was hard not to be in a good mood once December hit.
And that was something the team never took for granted, considering how hard the two women would work to ensure the team had structure. Sure, Oliver was the leader, but since Chloe’s abduction, Evie and Chloe had been working hard to create protocol to help prevent another situation like that.
However, as important as all that was to keep the streets of Metropolis safe, it was just as important for them to take care of themselves. To remind themselves of their ‘human’ side, even though they had no abilities. So Oliver decided that him and Chloe should take a weekend off. Besides, taking that time was good for them, as how they spent their holidays was a nice way to look back, a reminder of where they started, and the growth of their relationship.
There was one difference between those years and now, one difference that Oliver was grateful for every day. They were together, happy, and about to enjoy holidays like any other couple in the world.
Stay Tuned for Part 2