Fighting Echoes (11/?)
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 p.1
December 25
After everyone had seen the work Victor and Evie had done to Watchtower, everyone had been in holiday mode. There would still be patrols, but they also decided they needed to celebrate. After all, this team was the closest thing most had to family.
But Christmas had hit and they realized they didn't have a tree in Watchtower. That was solved by Oliver and Clark, using the latter’s super strength to easily bring it up the stairs when it didn’t fit in the elevator.
From there, the league left Evie and Chloe to decorate because they were the most in spirit. It also made sense as Evie could reach the taller branches via telekinesis without breaking a bulb. It was also hard not to get nostalgic as ornaments were hung on the tree.
For a while, they would just hum along to the carols in the background, but eventually Chloe asked, “What was Christmas like at the Hopkins residence?”
She knew it was hard asking Evie anything about her family, but Chloe couldn’t resist. Despite everything that had happened to her, Christmas lit up Evie’s eyes, and Chloe figured there was a reason.
To Chloe’s surprise, Evie even smiled as she determined the next spot for an ornament. “Nothing special... dinner, family nights together. We’d usually watch the game and banter about things.”
“Lucky... my dad was usually working.” Chloe leaned back after placing an ornament on the tree. “If you get through this, do you ever think of going back?”
Evie’s smile quickly fell, as did the ornament she was holding, but she was able to stop it before it hit the ground. Moving it into the air, she settled it up on a higher branch. “I have to get through this first. Counting chickens before they hatched is part of the reason I have to live this way.” It wasn’t likely the answer Chloe was looking for, but it was all Evie could give at this point. “The fact that you guys are willing to walk this path with me... I couldn’t ask for a greater family than this league.”
Neither could Chloe, so she backed off, looking at the work they had done so far. They had been doing this for at least an hour and it finally looked like the tree was getting covered. “This is a big tree, isn’t it?”
Evie chuckled as she looked up, guiding an ornament towards the middle of the tree. “Oliver went all out on this one, that’s for sure.” Looking at the base of the tree, Evie noticed a couple presents that were lining the bottom, as Oliver insisted it wasn’t a real Christmas tree without them. “Hey Chloe.”
She turned her head, noticing her friend’s expression as she looked at the floor. “Yeah?”
Biting the inside of her lip, Evie finally said softly, “I... I didn’t get you anything for Christmas.” She couldn’t explain why she hadn’t bought gifts for her, or for anyone. She hadn’t been strapped for cash, or time, but nothing seemed good enough. Everything she looked at paled in comparison to the people she wanted to spoil this Christmas, the most honest one she had experienced since her stint in 33.1.
But instead of shrugging it off, as Evie had been expecting, Chloe smiled and said simply without hesitation, “You already did, trust me.”
As far as Chloe was concerned, Evie owed her nothing. All those days she spent by Chloe during what were probably the roughest years of her life, not wavering, even when Chloe was inches from losing her mind.
Evie bit her lip again, suddenly feeling tears coming to her eyes. This time, she was at least grateful that they were happy tears. “Okay.”
Just then, the door to Watchtower opened with Bart, Victor, and AC, the latter two with food dishes, as Bart rightly was not to be trusted with food. Oliver had insisted on treating the league with Christmas dinner, as his feelings towards the holiday had been increased by the spirit of the people around him. Seeing the guys set everything up signalled that everything was getting close.
Wiping the tears that had found their way to the surface, Evie picked up the star from the box. She tossed it lightly in the air and guided it up all the way to the top, smiling as it landed perfectly. She took a couple steps back, admiring the work Chloe and her had done, when the lights went out in Watchtower. But just as quickly, the black was replaced by the lights on the tree, and as Evie turned around, she saw Oliver standing at the entryway, Clark beside him with the turkey roaster, Lois standing in awe in front of the two men.
Peering towards Chloe, Evie grinned at seeing the way her friend’s smile lit up the room more than the tree’s lights as she looked at the man she loved. It had almost taken everything in Evie’s arsenal, aside from manipulation, to help get them together, but the happiness in their expressions as they looked at each other, Evie couldn’t help but be happy in that moment.
Someone clearing their throat brought Evie back to reality, and she turned towards her cousin holding out a gift for her. “It’s not much, but... merry Christmas cuz.”
Her mouth gaped as she looked down at the little gift in his hands. Normally, she would chuckle at his questionable wrapping skills, but this time, her words were lost as she wanted to refuse it. “Bart, I didn’t...”
When Evie’s voice trailed, Bart pushed it a little further. It wasn’t much, but he still wanted to show his appreciation to his cousin after everything they gone through. Flashing his signature smile, he said, “You’ve been busy, but I know you’re good for it.”
Taking the gift into her hands, she smiled again, wrapping her arm around her cousin to pull him into a hug. “Thanks.”
Bart backed away, eyeing Evie, wanting her to open it. So she obliged him and her mouth widened in surprise. “Bart...” she said, looking at the frame, holding a picture of the two cousins when they were younger. Smiles plastered on their faces, wearing Christmas sweaters, it painted a simpler time. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Bart replied, grateful for the reaction his gift had received. “The last couple of years would have been impossible without you.”
Setting down the frame, Evie looked up towards the table, where everyone was setting up for dinner. “Come on,” she said, “let’s go eat.”
December 31
New Year’s Eve at the Kent farm was always enjoyed by all, except there was always someone missing. At least this time, the guy had an excuse.
Granted, being shipwrecked likely qualified as a decent excuse on Oliver’s part, but this year was supposed to be different. But business took him to Montreal for a ‘quick trip’ that had gone two days overdue.
Everyone tried to make the most of it for Chloe, but Evie knew it wasn’t enough. Even the offer to bring Oliver here wasn’t enough, as Chloe didn’t want him to mess with the negotiations, knowing how big of a deal this was for Queen Industries. It’s just one night, she’d say, and with that the conversation was dropped.
It was wrong, but Evie was glad that for once, it wasn’t her that wore the expression that Chloe tried to hide from everyone. This was something that she could solve, she just wasn’t sure how. So as she approached Chloe, the wheels in Evie's mind were turning.
"Are you sure that you're okay?"
Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I just..." Hearing her voice trail, she decided to be honest with Evie. "I really should have gone with him, but I didn’t think his business in Montreal would take so long.” Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket, Chloe picked it up, smirking at the caller id. “Speak of the devil.”
Evie watched as Chloe left the room, a smile gracing her features for the first time in awhile. Turning around, she noticed everyone talking, or in her cousin’s case, eating like there was no tomorrow. That was when she realized that they had looked at this the wrong way. It would likely take some convincing, but Evie knew it would be worth it.
“Cuz, could you do me a favour?”
“What?” he replied, his mouth full of food, causing Evie to laugh a little before leaning over to whisper in Bart's ear. Initially, he wasn't pleased with the idea, but with a little reassurance, he nodded.
So Evie walked back over and quickly grabbed Chloe’s phone from her hand. “Oliver, hey, how are you doing?”
Oliver was rightfully surprised at the change of callers. “Fine Evie… is everything okay?”
“Yep.” Evie quickly looked over her shoulder, smiling when she noticed everything was going well so far. “I just didn’t want Chloe hogging up all the call time. We’re all friends after all, right?”
“Of course.”
Wanting to have the small talk last a little longer, Evie fished for the first throw-away question she could find. “How’s Montreal?”
She could hear him sigh on the other end, but he still replied optimistically, “Not bad… definitely wish I could back in Smallville with you guys.”
Evie frowned, but upon seeing Bart shove snow off his shoulders, a sly grin quickly replaced it. “Well, I got Bart to send something your way. Should be outside your door.”
There was a momentary pause on the line before Oliver asked, “What is it?”
“You’ll see. Happy New Year Oliver, you deserve it,” Evie replied, hanging up before he had a chance to respond. “Merry Christmas you two,” she whispered as she turned Chloe’s phone off before placing it down on the table.
She was about to join their own festivities when she noticed her cousin had failed to close the front door. Approaching it, Evie found herself mesmerized by the snow again.
Another year. As each day ticked by, she began to wonder more and more if she was living on borrowed time. It was only a matter of time before Lex made his move, and Evie wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay hidden. Or, more importantly, how much longer she could protect everyone she cared about.
Walking out onto the porch in her sweater, Evie breathed in the cool air. She had dealt with colder weather conditions, so she leaned against the beam that lined the stairs, calmly looking at the landscape that lay beyond the steps of the Kent farm. But the creak of the front door implied that she wouldn’t be alone for long.
“Hey,” Clark called out from the doorway, but when Evie didn’t react, he came closer.
“How do you do it?” Evie asked, still facing away from him.
That question had a thousand possible answers, and Clark wasn’t about to jump to any conclusions. He knew what Evie was going through, and he wanted to know for sure what she meant. “What?”
“Stay sane,” Evie replied, “Your secret could be revealed any day. Your life... turned completely upside down.” Sighing, she finally turned so that her profile was in line with where Clark was standing. “I know I’ve lived the life too... but you make it look so easy.”
“It’s not easy... far from it.” Leaning on the other side of the entryway, Clark rolled his eyes as to how many times he had made questionable decisions. “Chloe can attest to the times I’ve broken down, Lois too.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Evie was more than aware of Clark’s mistakes, it was how she got to meet Chloe in the first place, but while the status of her secret was always in question... Clark always seemed to have his under control. “I’m sorry, with New Year’s and all, it’s easy for me to jump to the worst case scenario. I wish I didn’t but I think the other shoe is just waiting to drop.”
Clark understood the mentality, but he told her, “You can’t worry about that.” The resulting glare he received was expected, so he justified his comment, “Easier said than done- absolutely. But it doesn’t make it any less true.”
She sighed again, standing up straight. “You’re right.” After a few steps towards the door, she paused, looking over her shoulder to look at Clark. “Thanks... I know we don’t talk much but really... thank you Clark.”
“Anytime, Evie,” he replied. “You’ve done more for me than I think I could ever give back so if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
With that, they both returned inside the house, with Evie feeling much more refreshed. She took her shoes off, carefully settling them aside before heading towards the kitchen for a glass of water.
Watching the glass fill up, Evie took a deep breath, realizing that she should ignore her insecurities for one night and truly celebrate what tonight was. For while it was easy to be afraid, to run away, she had come too far to go back now. No matter what it took... this time she would fight and she would win.
Finding her confidence again, she turned the tap off before walking back towards the main room. But she wasn’t watching where she was going and she felt herself bump into someone, causing the glass to fall from her hands, shattering on the floor.
“Sorry,” she said, slightly flustered as she backed away.
Victor leaned his head down, catching the pink hue that rose from her cheeks. “You okay?”
She nodded, wanting to push all his worry aside. “Yeah.” Lately, things had been great between them. No freak-outs or irrational crying sessions on her part, which meant that they could just talk, be their sense of normal. “It’s easy to get reflective on New Year’s.” It was the truth, and it kept the mood still relatively light.
Kneeling down to grab the loose glass pieces, Victor asked, “Nervous?”
“Not anymore,” Evie said honestly, grabbing the nearest garbage bin so there was an easy disposal system for the broken glass. “If the last... however many years have taught me anything... it’s to be grateful for every day you have.” Kneeling down to help him, she added, “I got more than I ever expected.”
She noticed Victor open his mouth in response, but Clark’s voice interrupted him. “Everything okay here?”
Evie rolled her eyes, not surprised that the others heard the crash the glass had made. “Yeah, just a complete klutz attack.”
Clark wasn’t initially convinced, but when Evie nodded, he believed her. Pointing his thumb towards the door, he said, “We’re heading to the barn to prepare the fireworks.”
Victor dropped another piece of glass in the garbage before looking over his shoulder. “We’ll be right there.”
Clark nodded, and was about to leave when he heard Evie’s voice. “Clark, where’s your first aid kit?” He was about to ask why when Victor answered his question.
“Evie, it’s fine.”
She scoffed as she grabbed his hand before rotating his arm to show the place where a piece of glass had embedded in his skin. "It's the right arm at least, but I’m not letting that get infected.” If the other arm had been cut, it wouldn’t have been blood clotting, but the fluid maintaining his parts.
Clark flashed away momentarily but came back to hand Evie the kit. “Here.”
“Thanks Clark,” she replied with a smile, pulling Victor up with her. “I’ve got it from here.” Looking towards the other tiny shards of glass, Evie telekinetically lifted them up to put it in the garbage.
So Clark left, leaving Evie and Victor alone in the house. She tilted her head towards the kitchen table, and Victor followed her to sit down so she could start treating the wound. Victor was more than capable of doing it, but he knew that Evie wouldn’t have it.
As she pulled the glass out, Victor bit his tongue, but the pain was short. When she turned her head away, he asked, “How did you even know?” He had felt the glass cut, but he didn’t want to worry her, so he made sure to hide it from Evie, but to no avail.
Her eyes widened as she started placing the gauze against his arm. “I... might have... you know...” Evie knew there was no reason to lie to Victor, she wasn’t great at it anyway, and he’d likely figure it out anyway. “I only did it because I wanted to make sure that you weren’t worried about me.”
Victor smirked as he noticed Evie blush again, but initially he didn’t say anything back. He knew the way she was with her abilities and Evie didn’t use her telepathy often. But his eyes locked momentarily as he noticed something.
The kitchen wasn’t lit too well, but the moon was bringing light to a scar that Evie hadn’t covered. Being winter, she didn’t fret about covering them up, but she had pulled the sleeve of her sweater back to treat his arm and it was on full display.
Lifting his other hand to trace a finger down the outline, he felt Evie twitch under the contact. She stopped moving and looked up in confusion. Victor didn’t meet her eyes, feeling a twinge of guilt hit him. “Things will get better, I promise.”
Looking down, Evie noticed what Victor was looking at, but she knew why Victor would say that. Finishing up her work on Victor’s arm, Evie now realized that maybe she did overreact, as it was a mild cut compared to some of the things they had been through.
Standing up, she watched Victor follow suit, so she gave him a quick embrace. “I know,” she whispered, her head resting on his shoulder.
After a second, she felt Victor turn his head towards her, so she froze momentarily, surprised when she felt him kiss her cheek as she backed away.
The way he saw it was that it was her first New Year’s in a while that she had been single. Sure, they were friends, but Victor knew he didn’t want Evie to feel like this one was any different. Even in the smallest action, he wanted her to know always that her life was still okay. “It’s not midnight I know, but... Happy New Year.” Holding out his hand, Victor figured they better get outside to enjoy the fireworks, there wasn’t much time left if memory served him correct.
She was still confused, but she soon found a smile as she took his hand. “Happy New Year.”
~0~
Staring at his phone, Oliver had to admit, he felt a little confused. First was Evie’s abrupt interruption, which wasn’t like her, then the short conversation, but his curiosity got the best of him. With a single look to acknowledge the torrential snowstorm outside his window, Oliver went to the door, wondering how Evie, or more likely Bart, knew which door to leave his package. It was one of those hotels with multiple penthouses, and there were at least two other doors to choose from.
Turning the handle, he looked down to find nothing, but looking up again, he saw a flash of a person turning the corner. Narrowing his eyes, Oliver stepped out of his room, walking down the hallway until he aligned with the corner. He peeked around it just the slightest, but it was enough for Evie’s cryptic comment to make sense.
Apparently, the door dilemma was an issue, as whom else but Chloe stood in the hallway, looking back and forth between the door in front of her and towards the opposite corner.
Oliver silently chuckled, smiling at her discomfort, and while he wanted to tell her he was standing here, there was something about watching her that stopped him. Instead, he walked a couple steps towards her, careful not to make any sounds, even though he thought he was caught when she heard her voice.
“Damn it Evie, why did you have to take my phone?”
It was hard enough standing here, knowing that she was close enough to him, but not knowing his room number kyboshed any plan of actually knocking on a door. Sure, it was New Year’s Eve, but it was still late, which meant that she could wake someone up, or interrupt activities already in progress.
She had almost knocked on a door, but she heard footsteps coming towards her so Chloe panicked. Tired of looking around, she backed up against the wall across from one particular door and sighed. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes, wondering what the heck she was supposed to do, when she felt like she was being stared at.
Opening her eyes slowly, she looked to her left and finally she saw him, which only meant one thing. She had picked the right door and played chicken. The footsteps were coming towards her because Evie told Oliver she was here, so he was coming to let her in. Chloe had just been too stupid to see it.
Pushing herself off the wall, she titled her head, grinning as she approached him. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
She pushed the side of her mouth with her tongue as she reminded herself of her earlier actions. “Sorry for bailing at your door.”
“Well,” Oliver replied, standing close enough to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “if Evie said that she had sent someone instead of something, I would have come faster.”
Chloe chuckled. “She can be a little puzzling sometimes, can’t she?”
Oliver just grinned as he stared down at her, only to feel it tug further when he noticed her eyes had met his. “What time is it?”
Confused to his question, Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”
For once, it actually did. Oliver looked away for a split second, kept his ear out for any sounds of celebrations before he looked back at her. “Don’t want to jump the gun. If my memory serves me right, patience -”
January
Sera's Scribbles: The next chapter is giving me a little trouble, so it may be a little while (by which I mean 1-2 weeks, not 6 months) until I get it up. Other than that, it should be relatively smooth sailing from here... but we have a long ways to go.
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 p.1
December 25
After everyone had seen the work Victor and Evie had done to Watchtower, everyone had been in holiday mode. There would still be patrols, but they also decided they needed to celebrate. After all, this team was the closest thing most had to family.
But Christmas had hit and they realized they didn't have a tree in Watchtower. That was solved by Oliver and Clark, using the latter’s super strength to easily bring it up the stairs when it didn’t fit in the elevator.
From there, the league left Evie and Chloe to decorate because they were the most in spirit. It also made sense as Evie could reach the taller branches via telekinesis without breaking a bulb. It was also hard not to get nostalgic as ornaments were hung on the tree.
For a while, they would just hum along to the carols in the background, but eventually Chloe asked, “What was Christmas like at the Hopkins residence?”
She knew it was hard asking Evie anything about her family, but Chloe couldn’t resist. Despite everything that had happened to her, Christmas lit up Evie’s eyes, and Chloe figured there was a reason.
To Chloe’s surprise, Evie even smiled as she determined the next spot for an ornament. “Nothing special... dinner, family nights together. We’d usually watch the game and banter about things.”
“Lucky... my dad was usually working.” Chloe leaned back after placing an ornament on the tree. “If you get through this, do you ever think of going back?”
Evie’s smile quickly fell, as did the ornament she was holding, but she was able to stop it before it hit the ground. Moving it into the air, she settled it up on a higher branch. “I have to get through this first. Counting chickens before they hatched is part of the reason I have to live this way.” It wasn’t likely the answer Chloe was looking for, but it was all Evie could give at this point. “The fact that you guys are willing to walk this path with me... I couldn’t ask for a greater family than this league.”
Neither could Chloe, so she backed off, looking at the work they had done so far. They had been doing this for at least an hour and it finally looked like the tree was getting covered. “This is a big tree, isn’t it?”
Evie chuckled as she looked up, guiding an ornament towards the middle of the tree. “Oliver went all out on this one, that’s for sure.” Looking at the base of the tree, Evie noticed a couple presents that were lining the bottom, as Oliver insisted it wasn’t a real Christmas tree without them. “Hey Chloe.”
She turned her head, noticing her friend’s expression as she looked at the floor. “Yeah?”
Biting the inside of her lip, Evie finally said softly, “I... I didn’t get you anything for Christmas.” She couldn’t explain why she hadn’t bought gifts for her, or for anyone. She hadn’t been strapped for cash, or time, but nothing seemed good enough. Everything she looked at paled in comparison to the people she wanted to spoil this Christmas, the most honest one she had experienced since her stint in 33.1.
But instead of shrugging it off, as Evie had been expecting, Chloe smiled and said simply without hesitation, “You already did, trust me.”
As far as Chloe was concerned, Evie owed her nothing. All those days she spent by Chloe during what were probably the roughest years of her life, not wavering, even when Chloe was inches from losing her mind.
Evie bit her lip again, suddenly feeling tears coming to her eyes. This time, she was at least grateful that they were happy tears. “Okay.”
Just then, the door to Watchtower opened with Bart, Victor, and AC, the latter two with food dishes, as Bart rightly was not to be trusted with food. Oliver had insisted on treating the league with Christmas dinner, as his feelings towards the holiday had been increased by the spirit of the people around him. Seeing the guys set everything up signalled that everything was getting close.
Wiping the tears that had found their way to the surface, Evie picked up the star from the box. She tossed it lightly in the air and guided it up all the way to the top, smiling as it landed perfectly. She took a couple steps back, admiring the work Chloe and her had done, when the lights went out in Watchtower. But just as quickly, the black was replaced by the lights on the tree, and as Evie turned around, she saw Oliver standing at the entryway, Clark beside him with the turkey roaster, Lois standing in awe in front of the two men.
Peering towards Chloe, Evie grinned at seeing the way her friend’s smile lit up the room more than the tree’s lights as she looked at the man she loved. It had almost taken everything in Evie’s arsenal, aside from manipulation, to help get them together, but the happiness in their expressions as they looked at each other, Evie couldn’t help but be happy in that moment.
Someone clearing their throat brought Evie back to reality, and she turned towards her cousin holding out a gift for her. “It’s not much, but... merry Christmas cuz.”
Her mouth gaped as she looked down at the little gift in his hands. Normally, she would chuckle at his questionable wrapping skills, but this time, her words were lost as she wanted to refuse it. “Bart, I didn’t...”
When Evie’s voice trailed, Bart pushed it a little further. It wasn’t much, but he still wanted to show his appreciation to his cousin after everything they gone through. Flashing his signature smile, he said, “You’ve been busy, but I know you’re good for it.”
Taking the gift into her hands, she smiled again, wrapping her arm around her cousin to pull him into a hug. “Thanks.”
Bart backed away, eyeing Evie, wanting her to open it. So she obliged him and her mouth widened in surprise. “Bart...” she said, looking at the frame, holding a picture of the two cousins when they were younger. Smiles plastered on their faces, wearing Christmas sweaters, it painted a simpler time. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Bart replied, grateful for the reaction his gift had received. “The last couple of years would have been impossible without you.”
Setting down the frame, Evie looked up towards the table, where everyone was setting up for dinner. “Come on,” she said, “let’s go eat.”
December 31
New Year’s Eve at the Kent farm was always enjoyed by all, except there was always someone missing. At least this time, the guy had an excuse.
Granted, being shipwrecked likely qualified as a decent excuse on Oliver’s part, but this year was supposed to be different. But business took him to Montreal for a ‘quick trip’ that had gone two days overdue.
Everyone tried to make the most of it for Chloe, but Evie knew it wasn’t enough. Even the offer to bring Oliver here wasn’t enough, as Chloe didn’t want him to mess with the negotiations, knowing how big of a deal this was for Queen Industries. It’s just one night, she’d say, and with that the conversation was dropped.
It was wrong, but Evie was glad that for once, it wasn’t her that wore the expression that Chloe tried to hide from everyone. This was something that she could solve, she just wasn’t sure how. So as she approached Chloe, the wheels in Evie's mind were turning.
"Are you sure that you're okay?"
Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I just..." Hearing her voice trail, she decided to be honest with Evie. "I really should have gone with him, but I didn’t think his business in Montreal would take so long.” Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket, Chloe picked it up, smirking at the caller id. “Speak of the devil.”
Evie watched as Chloe left the room, a smile gracing her features for the first time in awhile. Turning around, she noticed everyone talking, or in her cousin’s case, eating like there was no tomorrow. That was when she realized that they had looked at this the wrong way. It would likely take some convincing, but Evie knew it would be worth it.
“Cuz, could you do me a favour?”
“What?” he replied, his mouth full of food, causing Evie to laugh a little before leaning over to whisper in Bart's ear. Initially, he wasn't pleased with the idea, but with a little reassurance, he nodded.
So Evie walked back over and quickly grabbed Chloe’s phone from her hand. “Oliver, hey, how are you doing?”
Oliver was rightfully surprised at the change of callers. “Fine Evie… is everything okay?”
“Yep.” Evie quickly looked over her shoulder, smiling when she noticed everything was going well so far. “I just didn’t want Chloe hogging up all the call time. We’re all friends after all, right?”
“Of course.”
Wanting to have the small talk last a little longer, Evie fished for the first throw-away question she could find. “How’s Montreal?”
She could hear him sigh on the other end, but he still replied optimistically, “Not bad… definitely wish I could back in Smallville with you guys.”
Evie frowned, but upon seeing Bart shove snow off his shoulders, a sly grin quickly replaced it. “Well, I got Bart to send something your way. Should be outside your door.”
There was a momentary pause on the line before Oliver asked, “What is it?”
“You’ll see. Happy New Year Oliver, you deserve it,” Evie replied, hanging up before he had a chance to respond. “Merry Christmas you two,” she whispered as she turned Chloe’s phone off before placing it down on the table.
She was about to join their own festivities when she noticed her cousin had failed to close the front door. Approaching it, Evie found herself mesmerized by the snow again.
Another year. As each day ticked by, she began to wonder more and more if she was living on borrowed time. It was only a matter of time before Lex made his move, and Evie wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay hidden. Or, more importantly, how much longer she could protect everyone she cared about.
Walking out onto the porch in her sweater, Evie breathed in the cool air. She had dealt with colder weather conditions, so she leaned against the beam that lined the stairs, calmly looking at the landscape that lay beyond the steps of the Kent farm. But the creak of the front door implied that she wouldn’t be alone for long.
“Hey,” Clark called out from the doorway, but when Evie didn’t react, he came closer.
“How do you do it?” Evie asked, still facing away from him.
That question had a thousand possible answers, and Clark wasn’t about to jump to any conclusions. He knew what Evie was going through, and he wanted to know for sure what she meant. “What?”
“Stay sane,” Evie replied, “Your secret could be revealed any day. Your life... turned completely upside down.” Sighing, she finally turned so that her profile was in line with where Clark was standing. “I know I’ve lived the life too... but you make it look so easy.”
“It’s not easy... far from it.” Leaning on the other side of the entryway, Clark rolled his eyes as to how many times he had made questionable decisions. “Chloe can attest to the times I’ve broken down, Lois too.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Evie was more than aware of Clark’s mistakes, it was how she got to meet Chloe in the first place, but while the status of her secret was always in question... Clark always seemed to have his under control. “I’m sorry, with New Year’s and all, it’s easy for me to jump to the worst case scenario. I wish I didn’t but I think the other shoe is just waiting to drop.”
Clark understood the mentality, but he told her, “You can’t worry about that.” The resulting glare he received was expected, so he justified his comment, “Easier said than done- absolutely. But it doesn’t make it any less true.”
She sighed again, standing up straight. “You’re right.” After a few steps towards the door, she paused, looking over her shoulder to look at Clark. “Thanks... I know we don’t talk much but really... thank you Clark.”
“Anytime, Evie,” he replied. “You’ve done more for me than I think I could ever give back so if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
With that, they both returned inside the house, with Evie feeling much more refreshed. She took her shoes off, carefully settling them aside before heading towards the kitchen for a glass of water.
Watching the glass fill up, Evie took a deep breath, realizing that she should ignore her insecurities for one night and truly celebrate what tonight was. For while it was easy to be afraid, to run away, she had come too far to go back now. No matter what it took... this time she would fight and she would win.
Finding her confidence again, she turned the tap off before walking back towards the main room. But she wasn’t watching where she was going and she felt herself bump into someone, causing the glass to fall from her hands, shattering on the floor.
“Sorry,” she said, slightly flustered as she backed away.
Victor leaned his head down, catching the pink hue that rose from her cheeks. “You okay?”
She nodded, wanting to push all his worry aside. “Yeah.” Lately, things had been great between them. No freak-outs or irrational crying sessions on her part, which meant that they could just talk, be their sense of normal. “It’s easy to get reflective on New Year’s.” It was the truth, and it kept the mood still relatively light.
Kneeling down to grab the loose glass pieces, Victor asked, “Nervous?”
“Not anymore,” Evie said honestly, grabbing the nearest garbage bin so there was an easy disposal system for the broken glass. “If the last... however many years have taught me anything... it’s to be grateful for every day you have.” Kneeling down to help him, she added, “I got more than I ever expected.”
She noticed Victor open his mouth in response, but Clark’s voice interrupted him. “Everything okay here?”
Evie rolled her eyes, not surprised that the others heard the crash the glass had made. “Yeah, just a complete klutz attack.”
Clark wasn’t initially convinced, but when Evie nodded, he believed her. Pointing his thumb towards the door, he said, “We’re heading to the barn to prepare the fireworks.”
Victor dropped another piece of glass in the garbage before looking over his shoulder. “We’ll be right there.”
Clark nodded, and was about to leave when he heard Evie’s voice. “Clark, where’s your first aid kit?” He was about to ask why when Victor answered his question.
“Evie, it’s fine.”
She scoffed as she grabbed his hand before rotating his arm to show the place where a piece of glass had embedded in his skin. "It's the right arm at least, but I’m not letting that get infected.” If the other arm had been cut, it wouldn’t have been blood clotting, but the fluid maintaining his parts.
Clark flashed away momentarily but came back to hand Evie the kit. “Here.”
“Thanks Clark,” she replied with a smile, pulling Victor up with her. “I’ve got it from here.” Looking towards the other tiny shards of glass, Evie telekinetically lifted them up to put it in the garbage.
So Clark left, leaving Evie and Victor alone in the house. She tilted her head towards the kitchen table, and Victor followed her to sit down so she could start treating the wound. Victor was more than capable of doing it, but he knew that Evie wouldn’t have it.
As she pulled the glass out, Victor bit his tongue, but the pain was short. When she turned her head away, he asked, “How did you even know?” He had felt the glass cut, but he didn’t want to worry her, so he made sure to hide it from Evie, but to no avail.
Her eyes widened as she started placing the gauze against his arm. “I... might have... you know...” Evie knew there was no reason to lie to Victor, she wasn’t great at it anyway, and he’d likely figure it out anyway. “I only did it because I wanted to make sure that you weren’t worried about me.”
Victor smirked as he noticed Evie blush again, but initially he didn’t say anything back. He knew the way she was with her abilities and Evie didn’t use her telepathy often. But his eyes locked momentarily as he noticed something.
The kitchen wasn’t lit too well, but the moon was bringing light to a scar that Evie hadn’t covered. Being winter, she didn’t fret about covering them up, but she had pulled the sleeve of her sweater back to treat his arm and it was on full display.
Lifting his other hand to trace a finger down the outline, he felt Evie twitch under the contact. She stopped moving and looked up in confusion. Victor didn’t meet her eyes, feeling a twinge of guilt hit him. “Things will get better, I promise.”
Looking down, Evie noticed what Victor was looking at, but she knew why Victor would say that. Finishing up her work on Victor’s arm, Evie now realized that maybe she did overreact, as it was a mild cut compared to some of the things they had been through.
Standing up, she watched Victor follow suit, so she gave him a quick embrace. “I know,” she whispered, her head resting on his shoulder.
After a second, she felt Victor turn his head towards her, so she froze momentarily, surprised when she felt him kiss her cheek as she backed away.
The way he saw it was that it was her first New Year’s in a while that she had been single. Sure, they were friends, but Victor knew he didn’t want Evie to feel like this one was any different. Even in the smallest action, he wanted her to know always that her life was still okay. “It’s not midnight I know, but... Happy New Year.” Holding out his hand, Victor figured they better get outside to enjoy the fireworks, there wasn’t much time left if memory served him correct.
She was still confused, but she soon found a smile as she took his hand. “Happy New Year.”
~0~
Staring at his phone, Oliver had to admit, he felt a little confused. First was Evie’s abrupt interruption, which wasn’t like her, then the short conversation, but his curiosity got the best of him. With a single look to acknowledge the torrential snowstorm outside his window, Oliver went to the door, wondering how Evie, or more likely Bart, knew which door to leave his package. It was one of those hotels with multiple penthouses, and there were at least two other doors to choose from.
Turning the handle, he looked down to find nothing, but looking up again, he saw a flash of a person turning the corner. Narrowing his eyes, Oliver stepped out of his room, walking down the hallway until he aligned with the corner. He peeked around it just the slightest, but it was enough for Evie’s cryptic comment to make sense.
Apparently, the door dilemma was an issue, as whom else but Chloe stood in the hallway, looking back and forth between the door in front of her and towards the opposite corner.
Oliver silently chuckled, smiling at her discomfort, and while he wanted to tell her he was standing here, there was something about watching her that stopped him. Instead, he walked a couple steps towards her, careful not to make any sounds, even though he thought he was caught when she heard her voice.
“Damn it Evie, why did you have to take my phone?”
It was hard enough standing here, knowing that she was close enough to him, but not knowing his room number kyboshed any plan of actually knocking on a door. Sure, it was New Year’s Eve, but it was still late, which meant that she could wake someone up, or interrupt activities already in progress.
She had almost knocked on a door, but she heard footsteps coming towards her so Chloe panicked. Tired of looking around, she backed up against the wall across from one particular door and sighed. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes, wondering what the heck she was supposed to do, when she felt like she was being stared at.
Opening her eyes slowly, she looked to her left and finally she saw him, which only meant one thing. She had picked the right door and played chicken. The footsteps were coming towards her because Evie told Oliver she was here, so he was coming to let her in. Chloe had just been too stupid to see it.
Pushing herself off the wall, she titled her head, grinning as she approached him. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
She pushed the side of her mouth with her tongue as she reminded herself of her earlier actions. “Sorry for bailing at your door.”
“Well,” Oliver replied, standing close enough to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “if Evie said that she had sent someone instead of something, I would have come faster.”
Chloe chuckled. “She can be a little puzzling sometimes, can’t she?”
Oliver just grinned as he stared down at her, only to feel it tug further when he noticed her eyes had met his. “What time is it?”
Confused to his question, Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Does it matter?”
For once, it actually did. Oliver looked away for a split second, kept his ear out for any sounds of celebrations before he looked back at her. “Don’t want to jump the gun. If my memory serves me right, patience -”
January
Sera's Scribbles: The next chapter is giving me a little trouble, so it may be a little while (by which I mean 1-2 weeks, not 6 months) until I get it up. Other than that, it should be relatively smooth sailing from here... but we have a long ways to go.