Fighting Echoes (22/23)
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. Or the banner used for this chapter.
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 p.2 January p.1 January p.2 February p.1 February p.2 March April May June p.1 June p.2 July p.1
July 9
Leaning up to stare at the clock, Scott was surprised to still see the empty bed on the other side of the room. He wanted to think they had handled the situation quite well, but he also figured that her problems ran a little deeper than their drama. But with that, he pulled back the sheets to get out of bed, hoping if nothing else that Evie was okay. Opening the door, he sighed as he noticed Evie sitting on the couch.
“You probably could use some shut-eye at this point,” he said, announcing his presence. “Just my two cents.”
Evie jumped in her seat before turning back to see him coming closer. Usually, she could hear everything, but she chose to stop and focus on what he told her... all the validity in what he said. “I couldn’t sleep if I tried,” she replied honestly, knowing that no matter where she tried to sleep, she could never calm herself enough to get any sleep. “Less than a day ago, I thought I was ready for everything, but between Oliver, Chloe, even you said my fears getting the best of me.”
“Well, I don’t think you’re going to find the answers at 2 a.m.”
“You’d be surprised,” Evie replied, realizing just what she had been doing. It was hard to protect other people, to worry about other people when she overlooked bringing her own life together. Scott was right, she couldn’t stay in Metropolis, she needed a fresh start. In fact, by taking this time for herself made Evie realize all the things she had avoided, because she always put herself last, even in a time when she needed to put herself first.
Worst of all was that Chloe was right and Evie wasn’t wearing renewed life as easily as she should. “I always assumed the worst, so it never crossed my mind that I’d actually hold onto anything resembling a life.”
“It doesn’t help that you’re always taking care of other people.”
Turning back to stare at her feet, Evie added, “Well, to me, happiness was a fairytale I didn’t deserve, because the moment I accepted it, something bad happened. The least I could do is try to give it to someone who could.”
“But you have nothing to be afraid of anymore.” Scott didn’t know everything, but last he talked with everyone, the world seemed to be a better place for Evie now.
Of course, even though every fibre of Evie wanted to believe it, she couldn’t let go because the only reason this whole thing happened was because she let her guard down. “What’s to say there won’t be someone else looking for me? I don’t want anyone to go through that again, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost anyone else.”
It was a valid concern on most days, likely during their entire relationship, but Scott didn’t see a chance of things getting darker than they did... and they survived that. “Evie, you have a band of superheroes in your arsenal to fix things.” She looked up at him, still unconvinced, so Scott cut to the chase. “But I’m willing to bet that your fears are unnecessary.”
Evie let out a tired sigh as she averted her eyes once more. “Can you blame me for being scared?”
He couldn’t, but Evie was letting her fears define her again and that was the real problem. This whole problem stemmed from years ago, and even that was a prominent memory in her mind. “You know who was at fault for the safe house fire?” Her body jerked out of surprise, but Scott only noticed it from the corner of his eye as he stared ahead. “I was the reason my father changed his assignment, LuthorCorp was after him, you may have been the reason he lit the match, but he lit the match. You have to let that, and the rest of it, go.”
Scott laughed as he leaned back on the couch, remembering all the disappointment his father brought him as a kid, all those birthday presents left untouched, the compliments ignored. But he did provide one thing that Scott would never be able to thank him for.
“Despite everything, him sacrificing his life allowed me to meet you.” Slipping his hand under hers, Scott squeezed it softly. “And that’s something I’ll never regret whether I’m sitting next to you or countries away. Even as your friend.”
Evie shook her head as she covered his hand, still in disbelief at how well Scott was taking the whole thing. “I really have to stop underestimating you.”
After a shrug, Scott smiled, as all this became a lot easier to handle now that he had free will again. “You’re a part of my life. I tried running from it, but now... I’m ready for us to be friends.”
“You will find someone else, I swear. I’m happy to give a positive reference if you need.”
“Yeah,” Scott replied with a scoff, “that’s what I need, my ex as my wingwoman.”
“Friend,” Evie corrected, reminding him of the word Scott himself had used earlier. “The other word has an unnecessary negative connotation.”
Smiling, Scott stood up and took a look outside at the Metropolis skyline. While he appreciated the offer, it seemed like he would be taking that role first. “Do yourself a favour... and get out of here,” he said softly, knowing to expect her confused reaction.
He didn’t know what she was going through or the path to take to find herself, and this wasn’t likely his place. But every question Evie was asking, it was a lot easier to answer once she figured out the ‘who’ in her life, and he had a feeling that Evie would re-find her spark if she was with Victor.
Part of Scott couldn’t believe that he was about to do this, but there was a small part of him that thought he had gotten through to her. “Victor told you to fight to get your life back, so I think it’s time you fought for him.” He pulled her off the couch, keeping her hand as he walked her over to the door. “Be selfish for once, because you’re a hard woman to say no to when you decide that you want something.”
~0~
She hated rain, especially when it came up unannounced. Still in her bachelorette party dress, or at least, that’s what it used to be before the storm started, Evie couldn’t believe that she was doing this. She had told Scott that she’d think about it, but he locked her out of her own apartment. He only opened the door once more to toss out her purse, telling her to call a cab, but Evie decided it was better to walk it off, make sure what she was doing was remotely the right call.
It was this moment that she understood everything Chloe had put off. Except Oliver had kissed her, he had made the first move. Evie had done that months ago, and sure, a crappy situation took them apart, but he was still acting strange around her, and as much as she wanted to know what was going on inside his head, Evie refused to step over that line. That was his business, not hers, and she would do this the human way, regardless of the ending.
Her whole life since 33.1, she calculated moves like on a chess board. Evie had lost pieces, and she even thought she had lost the game, but what Evie forgot was that she was never alone. She really had friends this time, as invisible hands had played their part. Watchtower had its fair share of answers, as she poured over the database, seeing the consequences of her decision to disappear in April. Chloe had an entire folder, which included a layout of Metropolis where Bart had ran to, where Clark had been, the extent that Lois had used her contacts at the Daily Planet, the extent Oliver had pushed his name, trying for answers.
Evie had returned to work at Metro a couple of weeks ago, the entire staff surprised to see her, but Tess had covered for her, so in the end everything was normal, except with Angie. She was the person Evie had gotten closest to at Metro, and she walked up to Evie during a lull in business and asked her for the truth.
Evie had to lie, but that’s when Evie found out about Victor’s visits to her workplace. Angie disclosed the genuine worry in his voice, the nerves in his movement. So when Evie went back and looked over the database a few days ago, she paid special attention to his contributions. Pages of notes, details about the alias she had created, the hotel video footage, and the abandoned building she actually called home for two days.
It was because of Victor that they almost found her, because in the end, he knew her, probably better than she did herself.
As she stared up at the rain, pouring down against her skin, soaking in her hair, Evie noticed that she couldn’t feel the chill in the air while keeping up her pace. Her thought process had turned to focus the symbolism of what rain had been in the past. It had rained the day of Riley Kane’s funeral, the day Evie realized Victor wasn’t joining her and Issac in protective custody, the day she was dumped, and it even carried over to Star City. Sure, rain had existed on other days, but it was these moments that thrived in Evie’s mind.
It was the guilt she carried with her, the same guilt that everyone told her to let go of, but couldn’t. Why couldn’t it have rained the day of the fire? Why did Riley tell her to leave? Why couldn’t have she just left everyone be and lived a life somewhere else?
But when this is all done... things will be different. It will be worth it, trust me.
Maybe that’s why she felt hesitant now, walking down this street, doing this at all, but as she reached the building, she knew it was too late now. She had to do this, her purse even contained the key Bart had given her so she could get inside. From the front door to the apartment door, it was a blur, so once she aligned herself in front of the door, she slipped her key back in her purse, feeling a shiver go through her body.
Lifting her hand, she knocked on the door twice, hoping that he was here. The time wasn't an issue, as she knew that Victor stayed up late most nights. However, with each second that went by, the sound ticking in her head rose in sound, increasing the nerves in her head.
Finally hearing footsteps, Evie took a couple deep breaths, but that was pointless, as the door swung open. Before she could say anything, she noticed Victor’s mouth gape open in surprise. “Evie, what are you doing here?” He shrugged off his hoodie, walking towards her to drape it over her shoulders, pausing momentarily as their eyes met. “There’s no reason for you to be out during this storm.”
When he gestured for her to enter the apartment, Evie did so. “I’m not afraid of a little rain.” Although little may be an understatement, the weather was probably a blessing in disguise. “And you and I both know I’ve gone through much worse.” Turning around after she heard the door click shut, she narrowed her eyes, wondering how Victor could have disappeared in such a short period of time.
“Here,” Victor called from the bathroom, soon emerging from it with a towel for Evie, but upon seeing how soaked she was, he said, “On second thought, that’s probably not going to be enough.”
Evie held out her other hand to stop him, taking the towel and running it through her hair. “No… it’s fine. I won’t be staying long.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He waited for a second to see her expression at him echoing her words back at her. No matter what he had done, there was no way he was letting her go back out there. The retort she would give him was inevitable, but as he left his bedroom with sweatpants and a t-shirt, he said simply, “From personal experience, pneumonia sucks. You’re strong Evie, but not invincible.”
“Fine, I’ll be... right back.” She walked towards the bathroom, slightly frustrated because this was not the way Evie saw this going. After closing the door, she leaned her head back as she heard Victor’s voice from the other side of the door.
“Must have been quite the party if you’re still out.”
Evie smirked as she pulled out her phone, realizing just what time it was. “I wouldn’t know... I left early.” She began to change, almost glad for his offer for clothes now that her cold dress was off her body. It certainly helped her comfort level now that she didn’t have to worry about being soaked.
But she felt herself stiffen as she heard approaching footsteps. “So... what has you up at this time?”
“You,” Evie replied before she could stop herself. There were other things that kept her awake, but those were all things he knew. “Everyone looks at me and sees some sort of hero, but the truth is... I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you.”
“I don’t think that’s -”
“We know each other... better than anyone else,” she interjected, knowing he’d refute that. “It’s how I know that you continuously doubt who you are, even though you truly understand the human side of everyone you meet.”
Shaking her head, Evie brought her face up to the mirror, seeing her make-up streaming down her cheeks. She could wash it off, maybe try to pull herself together, but instead, she just smiled. “You brought people together, kept secrets when you had to, and you had an open ear no matter what happened.”
One particular conversation flashed back in her mind, one that she desperately needed. She isolated herself on purpose after she was shot, yet he always found a way through to her. “Trust me, I know this is going to sound twisted, but you were the one thing the Luthors did right. You beat the system and in the end, you were the reason he fell.”
Stopping suddenly, realizing that she had to stop talking to him from the bathroom. After tucking her phone into the pocket of the hoodie Victor lent her, Evie approached the door, almost scared to see his reaction once she opened it. “Because the piece that brought and held everyone together wasn’t me.” Looking up, there he was, inches from the door. “It was you.”
It was more than her reason to stay and her recent freedom. Victor was the reason she stayed in the States, keeping herself to close to his life. Without wanting to save him, Evie never would have met Chloe, Oliver... anyone in her life now. She never would have reunited with Bart.
“Evie... why are you here?”
She thought she had made herself pretty clear, but apparently not. “I know we’ve been ignoring my prior admission and I also know how much a blow Katherine leaving was but...if you don’t feel the same way about me, can you just man up and admit it?”
“What?”
It probably wasn’t the approach Scott had in mind when he told her to fight, but her nerves re-emerged the moment she saw him once she opened the door. “Vic, I had to figure out me, and like always, you respected that. But it felt like you dropped me from your life.” As much as she appreciated the apology, Evie wanted an explanation; a reason why he felt ignoring her would be better than what Victor had always done.
“That’s what you thought I was doing?” He considered laughing, but he bit his tongue. All this time, Victor thought he wasn’t even close to being subtle, and he always figured that she read his mind on New Year’s Eve after he kissed her. The whole reason he did that was because it was the one chance to show her how he felt without stepping over the line.
It didn’t help that their timing always sucked, but it was clear that they really did need to talk about this. “Think back at what happened... only put yourself in my shoes.”
Walking away from her, Victor collapsed on the couch, turning his head towards the window. Fitting considering he could see Watchtower from this view. “After you said that... you never gave me a chance to respond. Then you left, with no intention of coming back. When you did, you weren’t forced to choose the only option in front of you.”
Evie dropped the towel in her hand, stunned. Part of that made her feel pretty stupid, but there was one word stood out amongst all that.
Forced?, she almost blurted, completely blindsided. “You are... an idiot.” His eyes widened, contrary to Evie shutting hers. She didn’t think this situation was nearly this messed up. “I offered Scott a place to stay was that I knew it was the only place he could go that wasn’t Watchtower. Considering the memories that place held for him, I thought the least I could provide him was a temporary change of scenery.” Evie silently added that she wanted to gain the strength to tell Scott the truth, to get that closure, it just never happened the way she imagined.
He gave a nonchalant shrug, as Victor knew that he could never fully justify his behaviour. So much had changed that he couldn’t bear the thought of her changing her mind. The fact they never talked about it didn’t help, so he let it go. “I figured if you had the choice... I mean the guy saved your life.”
Her head cocked to the side, as Evie couldn’t believe that was best he had. “33.1, Germany, a Metropolis park bench,” she said, slowly walking towards him. “If saving my life is a criterion... you still win. Unless you want me to list more.”
Victor shook his head as he stood up. “It’s what we do.” Reaching forward, he interlaced his fingers in hers, relieved when she let him. “I never wanted to lose you like that, even if it was your choice. I’d take more than a bullet if it meant that you were safe again.” Feeling himself smile, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “Although it’s pretty hard to believe that after all this time... we’re still here.”
They had their fair share of close calls, but they had made their way through all of them. As she felt Victor place his other hand on her hip, Evie felt a single tear slip, except for once, it was out of relief. “I know the feeling, but if I needed to go through this to bring me here, then I’m okay with that.”
“Me too.”
There wasn’t much distance between them, so Evie lifted her chin slightly, wanting to ask if they were okay, but Victor answered that for her. The kiss was short, but all she needed, although the smile he gave her afterwards didn’t hurt either.
As they stood there, Victor lifted his hand to cup her cheek, feeling her wet hair on his fingertips, reminding him of the initial reason he told her to stay. “C’mon,” he whispered, “let’s warm you up.”
~0~
Opening her eyes, Evie smiled as she remembered her circumstances. The soft cotton on her skin, the strong arms wrapped tightly around her body, the talk of just a few hours ago, likely the reason she hardly slept once she set her head down on the pillow. This moment... felt perfect.
Although the constant buzzing sound, not to mention the consistent vibration against her was an unwanted interruption. Titling her head against his chest, she muttered, “Your phone’s ringing.”
She vaguely heard him chuckle, as Victor was clearly more coherent than she was. “That’s not mine.”
“Hmmm?” Evie shuffled back slightly, still feeling the vibration. “So it’s not.” Suddenly, she remembered grabbing her phone so that she woke up in time to meet Chloe. Except now, as she saw her friend’s name light up her phone, she decided that she could call Chloe back.
Victor narrowed his eyes, as he didn’t expect for Evie to grab her phone while she was in the bathroom. Initially, he figured there was a reason, but now, he was confused. “You sure you don’t want to get that?”
Evie nodded, as there was something more important now than coffee with Chloe. As she finally looked up at him, she reminded herself of how her make-up looked in the mirror earlier, and how she never had time to fix it. "How bad do I look right now?”
“I’m not answering that,” Victor replied with no hesitation. “That’s like boyfriend bait.”
Evie chuckled. “Boyfriend, huh?”
“That a problem?”
Far from it in her mind, as Evie shook her head. “Just didn’t think you’d acknowledge it so quickly.” Hearing another cell phone ringing, Evie sighed as she turned her head over her shoulder. “Okay, that’s not mine.”
It was his phone this time, but like his girlfriend, Victor was content where he was. “It’s in the other room... perfectly good reason to ignore a call.”
Or rather, it was until both of them heard Bart answer his phone, causing Evie to narrow her eyes. “Wait... was that Bart’s phone?”
Victor shook his head as he wondered why exactly Bart had decided to answer his phone now. It wasn’t that early. “We have an open phone policy,” was the only rationale he could tell Evie at the time, fully expecting the raised eyebrow she gave him as Victor looked back at her.
Despite his position, Victor shrugged, knowing the reason for the policy in the first place, “If I’m busy working on something and I have the world’s fastest man at my disposal, I’d be a fool to not take advantage of that. Peering up, Victor realized that, “I’m going to have to rethink that strategy now though.”
Rotating her head slightly, Evie caught sight of the door as she heard Bart’s voice getting closer. “Do you have an open door policy too?”
“Not established yet... something tells me that I’m might have to start one.”
Sure enough, the door started to open, Bart’s voice filling the room. “Yeah, I’ll just check and see if he’s...” Bart’s voice trailed upon looking up at the sight in front of him. There was a moment of silent shock, but he gained his composure. “Sorry Oliver... looks like he’s out.”
Evie and Victor were surprised at how nonchalantly Bart hung up, before he gave them both a glare. “You two owe me,” he said before either had a chance to start explaining. He didn’t want an explanation, or rather, he didn’t need it. Looking solely at Victor, he added, “If you do anything -”
“There’s nowhere I can run from you,” Victor finished, giving the other man a reassuring smile. “Got it.”
“Good, but I’m not your answering service.” Bart tossed the phone on the bed, and knew that he wanted nothing to do with staying in this situation. “Even though it’s about damn time,” were his final words before shutting the door behind him.
“Well, I’ve got cousin approval.”
Evie chuckled, knowing there was a lot more to that conversation than the words that were said. “Sounds like you’ve had it for awhile.”
Truthfully, Victor never really knew where he stood with Bart on this matter, all he knew was that he didn’t want to see his cousin get hurt. And Victor had no intention of ever doing so, which is why he wasted no time turning off his phone to focus on her again, only to hear the familiar buzzing again. “Is someone expecting you?”
Pulling out her phone again in frustration, Evie replied honestly. “I was supposed to meet up for coffee today with Chloe.” This time, she checked the time on her phone and realized there was a reason to why Chloe was calling her. “An hour ago.”
Victor nodded, as he didn’t want to keep Evie from her life. “You can go, if you want.”
She felt him loosen his grip on her, so Evie quickly reached up to keep his arm in place. Coffee with Chloe could happen whenever... this was different. Evie had been waiting a long time for this. “I’m rather comfortable, thank you.”
Her words brought a smile to his lips, but Victor glanced down at her phone and realized that this wasn’t a call that could stay unanswered. “But you should let her know that you’re not answering.”
“Fine,” she replied, just barely catching the call before it went to voicemail. “Hey Chloe.”
“Where are you?”
“I slept in,” Evie blurted, almost surprised at how easily it came out. It was technically the truth, where and who she slept with didn’t have to be disclosed unless absolutely necessary.
“I stopped by the apartment, but Scott said you weren’t there.”
Evie bit her lip, not entirely sure what to tell her right now. “Chloe, I’m fine.”
“I want to believe you, but you tend use that saying for granted.”
A solid point, sure, but Evie was kind of hoping that she could keep this a secret for at least a little while. Or at least until they figured things out. “Can you make an exception?”
Hearing her friend sigh on the other end of the line, Evie should have known that was way too much to ask. “No. What’s going on?”
“You know what? Turnabout’s fair play.” Closing her eyes, a part of her knowing she’d regret the single word, but she gave in, knowing it was the only way. “Pineapple.”
Victor blinked as he watched Evie turn off her phone, toss it aside. When he caught her eye, he was asking what he figured was an understandable question. “Pineapple?”
Evie smiled, knowing how dumb it sounded to him. “Chloe knows what it means.”
“It’s a.... fruit.”
“And that word alone buys all the privacy we need.” Feeling pretty smug at the moment, Evie peered up, playfulness in her eyes. “You have a problem?” When all Victor gave her was a smile, she kissed him. “Didn’t think so.”
~0~
Well, that certainly answered a lot of questions.
To think a few weeks ago, that word wouldn't have helped Chloe at all, but as she stood outside of Oliver’s office, she couldn’t help but reminisce over the short conversation Oliver and her shared at Metro after Scott and Evie left.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed immediately as Oliver’s words sunk in. It wasn’t something she had been looking for, but now that it was mentioned to her, Chloe wondered how she didn’t see it. “How long have you known?”
“Since Evie disappeared.” Oliver stared down as he remembered the state his friend was in when Victor told him that Evie had left. “Victor was a wreck and he knew that he had to tell someone else about the night she disappeared.”
The look on his face said it all, not to mention how Victor told him how Evie had visited Watchtower one last time. It didn’t take much more than that for Oliver to realize how his friend was feeling. “I know all too well what it’s like... being in love with someone and not being able to tell them because extraordinary circumstances keep you away from her.”
“Does she know now?”
Oliver shrugged, for while Evie had the capability to figure that out, he knew that she would never use it. That choice had its consequences. “Knowing Victor, he’s letting her decide, letting her make her choice. Knowing Evie... she’s likely too scared to acknowledge what she wants.”
So as she opened the door to the office to help her boyfriend with a technical problem, Chloe had a renewed smile on her face. “Hey.”
"Hey." Seeing Chloe enter the office, Oliver rolled his chair to the side, allowing her to work on his computer. Some of the technical stuff he could handle, but sometimes, it was better to let the pros handle it. “Thanks for this. I know I probably interrupted your time with Evie... and normally I’d call Vic for this, but he seems to be busy.” Stepping behind her, Oliver wrapped his arms around her back and kissed the top of her head. “It’s not that I don’t trust you to do the job. I just... see ourselves getting distracted before the job’s done.”
After a deep breath, Chloe continued to type away. “A fair point, but our mutual friend stood me up this morning, so I was on my way to see you anyway.”
That could have been a throwaway comment, but there was something in Chloe’s voice that caught Oliver’s attention. She was oddly happy; especially considering this was Evie they were talking about. “What’s going on?”
Besides Chloe’s fingers on the keyboard, silence filled the air, as Chloe’s grin returned while she finished up the work she needed. With the last key stroke, she retreated her hands from the keyboard, turning around to lean her back against the desk and curling her fingers around the desk’s edge. “Evie said ‘pineapple’ to me this morning.”
“You mean...”
It didn’t take long for Chloe to nod, as Oliver would be more than capable of filling in that blank. “I visited the apartment, Scott was there, she wasn’t, and he had no idea where she was. So what do you want to bet that your normal repairman’s excuse is related?”
Leaning his forehead down to touch hers, Oliver shook his head slightly as everything started to make sense. “And Bart’s covering for both of them.”
Part 3
Sera’s Scribbles: As an fic writer, Victor/Evie is like my personal Chlollie, because oddly enough, this was not my original outcome for Evie’s love life. The last three months were around 60% written when I passed August to Sly... when she gave Victor/Evie the OTP stamp. Except my original ending had Scott and Evie reuniting... and I may have killed off Victor.
So what changed my mind? It helped (and blew me away) that a few people shipped them in “Notbroken,” and Sly played her part, leading to me experimenting with my old ending. Oddly enough, at least half of my original words made the cut, they just needed to be tweaked.
However, the true turning point was the first scene in October part 3, my personal “Roulette” moment. The rest, they say, is history... including finding a way to write them in another story (which no one called me on).
So to everyone who said that they liked them... thank you. It’s intimidating to attempt this, but to know that people like them as much as I like to write them... it means the world. So thank you and I hope you enjoy the concluding chapter to come.
.
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. Or the banner used for this chapter.
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 p.2 January p.1 January p.2 February p.1 February p.2 March April May June p.1 June p.2 July p.1
July 9
Leaning up to stare at the clock, Scott was surprised to still see the empty bed on the other side of the room. He wanted to think they had handled the situation quite well, but he also figured that her problems ran a little deeper than their drama. But with that, he pulled back the sheets to get out of bed, hoping if nothing else that Evie was okay. Opening the door, he sighed as he noticed Evie sitting on the couch.
“You probably could use some shut-eye at this point,” he said, announcing his presence. “Just my two cents.”
Evie jumped in her seat before turning back to see him coming closer. Usually, she could hear everything, but she chose to stop and focus on what he told her... all the validity in what he said. “I couldn’t sleep if I tried,” she replied honestly, knowing that no matter where she tried to sleep, she could never calm herself enough to get any sleep. “Less than a day ago, I thought I was ready for everything, but between Oliver, Chloe, even you said my fears getting the best of me.”
“Well, I don’t think you’re going to find the answers at 2 a.m.”
“You’d be surprised,” Evie replied, realizing just what she had been doing. It was hard to protect other people, to worry about other people when she overlooked bringing her own life together. Scott was right, she couldn’t stay in Metropolis, she needed a fresh start. In fact, by taking this time for herself made Evie realize all the things she had avoided, because she always put herself last, even in a time when she needed to put herself first.
Worst of all was that Chloe was right and Evie wasn’t wearing renewed life as easily as she should. “I always assumed the worst, so it never crossed my mind that I’d actually hold onto anything resembling a life.”
“It doesn’t help that you’re always taking care of other people.”
Turning back to stare at her feet, Evie added, “Well, to me, happiness was a fairytale I didn’t deserve, because the moment I accepted it, something bad happened. The least I could do is try to give it to someone who could.”
“But you have nothing to be afraid of anymore.” Scott didn’t know everything, but last he talked with everyone, the world seemed to be a better place for Evie now.
Of course, even though every fibre of Evie wanted to believe it, she couldn’t let go because the only reason this whole thing happened was because she let her guard down. “What’s to say there won’t be someone else looking for me? I don’t want anyone to go through that again, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost anyone else.”
It was a valid concern on most days, likely during their entire relationship, but Scott didn’t see a chance of things getting darker than they did... and they survived that. “Evie, you have a band of superheroes in your arsenal to fix things.” She looked up at him, still unconvinced, so Scott cut to the chase. “But I’m willing to bet that your fears are unnecessary.”
Evie let out a tired sigh as she averted her eyes once more. “Can you blame me for being scared?”
He couldn’t, but Evie was letting her fears define her again and that was the real problem. This whole problem stemmed from years ago, and even that was a prominent memory in her mind. “You know who was at fault for the safe house fire?” Her body jerked out of surprise, but Scott only noticed it from the corner of his eye as he stared ahead. “I was the reason my father changed his assignment, LuthorCorp was after him, you may have been the reason he lit the match, but he lit the match. You have to let that, and the rest of it, go.”
Scott laughed as he leaned back on the couch, remembering all the disappointment his father brought him as a kid, all those birthday presents left untouched, the compliments ignored. But he did provide one thing that Scott would never be able to thank him for.
“Despite everything, him sacrificing his life allowed me to meet you.” Slipping his hand under hers, Scott squeezed it softly. “And that’s something I’ll never regret whether I’m sitting next to you or countries away. Even as your friend.”
Evie shook her head as she covered his hand, still in disbelief at how well Scott was taking the whole thing. “I really have to stop underestimating you.”
After a shrug, Scott smiled, as all this became a lot easier to handle now that he had free will again. “You’re a part of my life. I tried running from it, but now... I’m ready for us to be friends.”
“You will find someone else, I swear. I’m happy to give a positive reference if you need.”
“Yeah,” Scott replied with a scoff, “that’s what I need, my ex as my wingwoman.”
“Friend,” Evie corrected, reminding him of the word Scott himself had used earlier. “The other word has an unnecessary negative connotation.”
Smiling, Scott stood up and took a look outside at the Metropolis skyline. While he appreciated the offer, it seemed like he would be taking that role first. “Do yourself a favour... and get out of here,” he said softly, knowing to expect her confused reaction.
He didn’t know what she was going through or the path to take to find herself, and this wasn’t likely his place. But every question Evie was asking, it was a lot easier to answer once she figured out the ‘who’ in her life, and he had a feeling that Evie would re-find her spark if she was with Victor.
Part of Scott couldn’t believe that he was about to do this, but there was a small part of him that thought he had gotten through to her. “Victor told you to fight to get your life back, so I think it’s time you fought for him.” He pulled her off the couch, keeping her hand as he walked her over to the door. “Be selfish for once, because you’re a hard woman to say no to when you decide that you want something.”
~0~
She hated rain, especially when it came up unannounced. Still in her bachelorette party dress, or at least, that’s what it used to be before the storm started, Evie couldn’t believe that she was doing this. She had told Scott that she’d think about it, but he locked her out of her own apartment. He only opened the door once more to toss out her purse, telling her to call a cab, but Evie decided it was better to walk it off, make sure what she was doing was remotely the right call.
It was this moment that she understood everything Chloe had put off. Except Oliver had kissed her, he had made the first move. Evie had done that months ago, and sure, a crappy situation took them apart, but he was still acting strange around her, and as much as she wanted to know what was going on inside his head, Evie refused to step over that line. That was his business, not hers, and she would do this the human way, regardless of the ending.
Her whole life since 33.1, she calculated moves like on a chess board. Evie had lost pieces, and she even thought she had lost the game, but what Evie forgot was that she was never alone. She really had friends this time, as invisible hands had played their part. Watchtower had its fair share of answers, as she poured over the database, seeing the consequences of her decision to disappear in April. Chloe had an entire folder, which included a layout of Metropolis where Bart had ran to, where Clark had been, the extent that Lois had used her contacts at the Daily Planet, the extent Oliver had pushed his name, trying for answers.
Evie had returned to work at Metro a couple of weeks ago, the entire staff surprised to see her, but Tess had covered for her, so in the end everything was normal, except with Angie. She was the person Evie had gotten closest to at Metro, and she walked up to Evie during a lull in business and asked her for the truth.
Evie had to lie, but that’s when Evie found out about Victor’s visits to her workplace. Angie disclosed the genuine worry in his voice, the nerves in his movement. So when Evie went back and looked over the database a few days ago, she paid special attention to his contributions. Pages of notes, details about the alias she had created, the hotel video footage, and the abandoned building she actually called home for two days.
It was because of Victor that they almost found her, because in the end, he knew her, probably better than she did herself.
As she stared up at the rain, pouring down against her skin, soaking in her hair, Evie noticed that she couldn’t feel the chill in the air while keeping up her pace. Her thought process had turned to focus the symbolism of what rain had been in the past. It had rained the day of Riley Kane’s funeral, the day Evie realized Victor wasn’t joining her and Issac in protective custody, the day she was dumped, and it even carried over to Star City. Sure, rain had existed on other days, but it was these moments that thrived in Evie’s mind.
It was the guilt she carried with her, the same guilt that everyone told her to let go of, but couldn’t. Why couldn’t it have rained the day of the fire? Why did Riley tell her to leave? Why couldn’t have she just left everyone be and lived a life somewhere else?
But when this is all done... things will be different. It will be worth it, trust me.
Maybe that’s why she felt hesitant now, walking down this street, doing this at all, but as she reached the building, she knew it was too late now. She had to do this, her purse even contained the key Bart had given her so she could get inside. From the front door to the apartment door, it was a blur, so once she aligned herself in front of the door, she slipped her key back in her purse, feeling a shiver go through her body.
Lifting her hand, she knocked on the door twice, hoping that he was here. The time wasn't an issue, as she knew that Victor stayed up late most nights. However, with each second that went by, the sound ticking in her head rose in sound, increasing the nerves in her head.
Finally hearing footsteps, Evie took a couple deep breaths, but that was pointless, as the door swung open. Before she could say anything, she noticed Victor’s mouth gape open in surprise. “Evie, what are you doing here?” He shrugged off his hoodie, walking towards her to drape it over her shoulders, pausing momentarily as their eyes met. “There’s no reason for you to be out during this storm.”
When he gestured for her to enter the apartment, Evie did so. “I’m not afraid of a little rain.” Although little may be an understatement, the weather was probably a blessing in disguise. “And you and I both know I’ve gone through much worse.” Turning around after she heard the door click shut, she narrowed her eyes, wondering how Victor could have disappeared in such a short period of time.
“Here,” Victor called from the bathroom, soon emerging from it with a towel for Evie, but upon seeing how soaked she was, he said, “On second thought, that’s probably not going to be enough.”
Evie held out her other hand to stop him, taking the towel and running it through her hair. “No… it’s fine. I won’t be staying long.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He waited for a second to see her expression at him echoing her words back at her. No matter what he had done, there was no way he was letting her go back out there. The retort she would give him was inevitable, but as he left his bedroom with sweatpants and a t-shirt, he said simply, “From personal experience, pneumonia sucks. You’re strong Evie, but not invincible.”
“Fine, I’ll be... right back.” She walked towards the bathroom, slightly frustrated because this was not the way Evie saw this going. After closing the door, she leaned her head back as she heard Victor’s voice from the other side of the door.
“Must have been quite the party if you’re still out.”
Evie smirked as she pulled out her phone, realizing just what time it was. “I wouldn’t know... I left early.” She began to change, almost glad for his offer for clothes now that her cold dress was off her body. It certainly helped her comfort level now that she didn’t have to worry about being soaked.
But she felt herself stiffen as she heard approaching footsteps. “So... what has you up at this time?”
“You,” Evie replied before she could stop herself. There were other things that kept her awake, but those were all things he knew. “Everyone looks at me and sees some sort of hero, but the truth is... I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for you.”
“I don’t think that’s -”
“We know each other... better than anyone else,” she interjected, knowing he’d refute that. “It’s how I know that you continuously doubt who you are, even though you truly understand the human side of everyone you meet.”
Shaking her head, Evie brought her face up to the mirror, seeing her make-up streaming down her cheeks. She could wash it off, maybe try to pull herself together, but instead, she just smiled. “You brought people together, kept secrets when you had to, and you had an open ear no matter what happened.”
One particular conversation flashed back in her mind, one that she desperately needed. She isolated herself on purpose after she was shot, yet he always found a way through to her. “Trust me, I know this is going to sound twisted, but you were the one thing the Luthors did right. You beat the system and in the end, you were the reason he fell.”
Stopping suddenly, realizing that she had to stop talking to him from the bathroom. After tucking her phone into the pocket of the hoodie Victor lent her, Evie approached the door, almost scared to see his reaction once she opened it. “Because the piece that brought and held everyone together wasn’t me.” Looking up, there he was, inches from the door. “It was you.”
It was more than her reason to stay and her recent freedom. Victor was the reason she stayed in the States, keeping herself to close to his life. Without wanting to save him, Evie never would have met Chloe, Oliver... anyone in her life now. She never would have reunited with Bart.
“Evie... why are you here?”
She thought she had made herself pretty clear, but apparently not. “I know we’ve been ignoring my prior admission and I also know how much a blow Katherine leaving was but...if you don’t feel the same way about me, can you just man up and admit it?”
“What?”
It probably wasn’t the approach Scott had in mind when he told her to fight, but her nerves re-emerged the moment she saw him once she opened the door. “Vic, I had to figure out me, and like always, you respected that. But it felt like you dropped me from your life.” As much as she appreciated the apology, Evie wanted an explanation; a reason why he felt ignoring her would be better than what Victor had always done.
“That’s what you thought I was doing?” He considered laughing, but he bit his tongue. All this time, Victor thought he wasn’t even close to being subtle, and he always figured that she read his mind on New Year’s Eve after he kissed her. The whole reason he did that was because it was the one chance to show her how he felt without stepping over the line.
It didn’t help that their timing always sucked, but it was clear that they really did need to talk about this. “Think back at what happened... only put yourself in my shoes.”
Walking away from her, Victor collapsed on the couch, turning his head towards the window. Fitting considering he could see Watchtower from this view. “After you said that... you never gave me a chance to respond. Then you left, with no intention of coming back. When you did, you weren’t forced to choose the only option in front of you.”
Evie dropped the towel in her hand, stunned. Part of that made her feel pretty stupid, but there was one word stood out amongst all that.
Forced?, she almost blurted, completely blindsided. “You are... an idiot.” His eyes widened, contrary to Evie shutting hers. She didn’t think this situation was nearly this messed up. “I offered Scott a place to stay was that I knew it was the only place he could go that wasn’t Watchtower. Considering the memories that place held for him, I thought the least I could provide him was a temporary change of scenery.” Evie silently added that she wanted to gain the strength to tell Scott the truth, to get that closure, it just never happened the way she imagined.
He gave a nonchalant shrug, as Victor knew that he could never fully justify his behaviour. So much had changed that he couldn’t bear the thought of her changing her mind. The fact they never talked about it didn’t help, so he let it go. “I figured if you had the choice... I mean the guy saved your life.”
Her head cocked to the side, as Evie couldn’t believe that was best he had. “33.1, Germany, a Metropolis park bench,” she said, slowly walking towards him. “If saving my life is a criterion... you still win. Unless you want me to list more.”
Victor shook his head as he stood up. “It’s what we do.” Reaching forward, he interlaced his fingers in hers, relieved when she let him. “I never wanted to lose you like that, even if it was your choice. I’d take more than a bullet if it meant that you were safe again.” Feeling himself smile, he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “Although it’s pretty hard to believe that after all this time... we’re still here.”
They had their fair share of close calls, but they had made their way through all of them. As she felt Victor place his other hand on her hip, Evie felt a single tear slip, except for once, it was out of relief. “I know the feeling, but if I needed to go through this to bring me here, then I’m okay with that.”
“Me too.”
There wasn’t much distance between them, so Evie lifted her chin slightly, wanting to ask if they were okay, but Victor answered that for her. The kiss was short, but all she needed, although the smile he gave her afterwards didn’t hurt either.
As they stood there, Victor lifted his hand to cup her cheek, feeling her wet hair on his fingertips, reminding him of the initial reason he told her to stay. “C’mon,” he whispered, “let’s warm you up.”
~0~
Opening her eyes, Evie smiled as she remembered her circumstances. The soft cotton on her skin, the strong arms wrapped tightly around her body, the talk of just a few hours ago, likely the reason she hardly slept once she set her head down on the pillow. This moment... felt perfect.
Although the constant buzzing sound, not to mention the consistent vibration against her was an unwanted interruption. Titling her head against his chest, she muttered, “Your phone’s ringing.”
She vaguely heard him chuckle, as Victor was clearly more coherent than she was. “That’s not mine.”
“Hmmm?” Evie shuffled back slightly, still feeling the vibration. “So it’s not.” Suddenly, she remembered grabbing her phone so that she woke up in time to meet Chloe. Except now, as she saw her friend’s name light up her phone, she decided that she could call Chloe back.
Victor narrowed his eyes, as he didn’t expect for Evie to grab her phone while she was in the bathroom. Initially, he figured there was a reason, but now, he was confused. “You sure you don’t want to get that?”
Evie nodded, as there was something more important now than coffee with Chloe. As she finally looked up at him, she reminded herself of how her make-up looked in the mirror earlier, and how she never had time to fix it. "How bad do I look right now?”
“I’m not answering that,” Victor replied with no hesitation. “That’s like boyfriend bait.”
Evie chuckled. “Boyfriend, huh?”
“That a problem?”
Far from it in her mind, as Evie shook her head. “Just didn’t think you’d acknowledge it so quickly.” Hearing another cell phone ringing, Evie sighed as she turned her head over her shoulder. “Okay, that’s not mine.”
It was his phone this time, but like his girlfriend, Victor was content where he was. “It’s in the other room... perfectly good reason to ignore a call.”
Or rather, it was until both of them heard Bart answer his phone, causing Evie to narrow her eyes. “Wait... was that Bart’s phone?”
Victor shook his head as he wondered why exactly Bart had decided to answer his phone now. It wasn’t that early. “We have an open phone policy,” was the only rationale he could tell Evie at the time, fully expecting the raised eyebrow she gave him as Victor looked back at her.
Despite his position, Victor shrugged, knowing the reason for the policy in the first place, “If I’m busy working on something and I have the world’s fastest man at my disposal, I’d be a fool to not take advantage of that. Peering up, Victor realized that, “I’m going to have to rethink that strategy now though.”
Rotating her head slightly, Evie caught sight of the door as she heard Bart’s voice getting closer. “Do you have an open door policy too?”
“Not established yet... something tells me that I’m might have to start one.”
Sure enough, the door started to open, Bart’s voice filling the room. “Yeah, I’ll just check and see if he’s...” Bart’s voice trailed upon looking up at the sight in front of him. There was a moment of silent shock, but he gained his composure. “Sorry Oliver... looks like he’s out.”
Evie and Victor were surprised at how nonchalantly Bart hung up, before he gave them both a glare. “You two owe me,” he said before either had a chance to start explaining. He didn’t want an explanation, or rather, he didn’t need it. Looking solely at Victor, he added, “If you do anything -”
“There’s nowhere I can run from you,” Victor finished, giving the other man a reassuring smile. “Got it.”
“Good, but I’m not your answering service.” Bart tossed the phone on the bed, and knew that he wanted nothing to do with staying in this situation. “Even though it’s about damn time,” were his final words before shutting the door behind him.
“Well, I’ve got cousin approval.”
Evie chuckled, knowing there was a lot more to that conversation than the words that were said. “Sounds like you’ve had it for awhile.”
Truthfully, Victor never really knew where he stood with Bart on this matter, all he knew was that he didn’t want to see his cousin get hurt. And Victor had no intention of ever doing so, which is why he wasted no time turning off his phone to focus on her again, only to hear the familiar buzzing again. “Is someone expecting you?”
Pulling out her phone again in frustration, Evie replied honestly. “I was supposed to meet up for coffee today with Chloe.” This time, she checked the time on her phone and realized there was a reason to why Chloe was calling her. “An hour ago.”
Victor nodded, as he didn’t want to keep Evie from her life. “You can go, if you want.”
She felt him loosen his grip on her, so Evie quickly reached up to keep his arm in place. Coffee with Chloe could happen whenever... this was different. Evie had been waiting a long time for this. “I’m rather comfortable, thank you.”
Her words brought a smile to his lips, but Victor glanced down at her phone and realized that this wasn’t a call that could stay unanswered. “But you should let her know that you’re not answering.”
“Fine,” she replied, just barely catching the call before it went to voicemail. “Hey Chloe.”
“Where are you?”
“I slept in,” Evie blurted, almost surprised at how easily it came out. It was technically the truth, where and who she slept with didn’t have to be disclosed unless absolutely necessary.
“I stopped by the apartment, but Scott said you weren’t there.”
Evie bit her lip, not entirely sure what to tell her right now. “Chloe, I’m fine.”
“I want to believe you, but you tend use that saying for granted.”
A solid point, sure, but Evie was kind of hoping that she could keep this a secret for at least a little while. Or at least until they figured things out. “Can you make an exception?”
Hearing her friend sigh on the other end of the line, Evie should have known that was way too much to ask. “No. What’s going on?”
“You know what? Turnabout’s fair play.” Closing her eyes, a part of her knowing she’d regret the single word, but she gave in, knowing it was the only way. “Pineapple.”
Victor blinked as he watched Evie turn off her phone, toss it aside. When he caught her eye, he was asking what he figured was an understandable question. “Pineapple?”
Evie smiled, knowing how dumb it sounded to him. “Chloe knows what it means.”
“It’s a.... fruit.”
“And that word alone buys all the privacy we need.” Feeling pretty smug at the moment, Evie peered up, playfulness in her eyes. “You have a problem?” When all Victor gave her was a smile, she kissed him. “Didn’t think so.”
~0~
Well, that certainly answered a lot of questions.
To think a few weeks ago, that word wouldn't have helped Chloe at all, but as she stood outside of Oliver’s office, she couldn’t help but reminisce over the short conversation Oliver and her shared at Metro after Scott and Evie left.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed immediately as Oliver’s words sunk in. It wasn’t something she had been looking for, but now that it was mentioned to her, Chloe wondered how she didn’t see it. “How long have you known?”
“Since Evie disappeared.” Oliver stared down as he remembered the state his friend was in when Victor told him that Evie had left. “Victor was a wreck and he knew that he had to tell someone else about the night she disappeared.”
The look on his face said it all, not to mention how Victor told him how Evie had visited Watchtower one last time. It didn’t take much more than that for Oliver to realize how his friend was feeling. “I know all too well what it’s like... being in love with someone and not being able to tell them because extraordinary circumstances keep you away from her.”
“Does she know now?”
Oliver shrugged, for while Evie had the capability to figure that out, he knew that she would never use it. That choice had its consequences. “Knowing Victor, he’s letting her decide, letting her make her choice. Knowing Evie... she’s likely too scared to acknowledge what she wants.”
So as she opened the door to the office to help her boyfriend with a technical problem, Chloe had a renewed smile on her face. “Hey.”
"Hey." Seeing Chloe enter the office, Oliver rolled his chair to the side, allowing her to work on his computer. Some of the technical stuff he could handle, but sometimes, it was better to let the pros handle it. “Thanks for this. I know I probably interrupted your time with Evie... and normally I’d call Vic for this, but he seems to be busy.” Stepping behind her, Oliver wrapped his arms around her back and kissed the top of her head. “It’s not that I don’t trust you to do the job. I just... see ourselves getting distracted before the job’s done.”
After a deep breath, Chloe continued to type away. “A fair point, but our mutual friend stood me up this morning, so I was on my way to see you anyway.”
That could have been a throwaway comment, but there was something in Chloe’s voice that caught Oliver’s attention. She was oddly happy; especially considering this was Evie they were talking about. “What’s going on?”
Besides Chloe’s fingers on the keyboard, silence filled the air, as Chloe’s grin returned while she finished up the work she needed. With the last key stroke, she retreated her hands from the keyboard, turning around to lean her back against the desk and curling her fingers around the desk’s edge. “Evie said ‘pineapple’ to me this morning.”
“You mean...”
It didn’t take long for Chloe to nod, as Oliver would be more than capable of filling in that blank. “I visited the apartment, Scott was there, she wasn’t, and he had no idea where she was. So what do you want to bet that your normal repairman’s excuse is related?”
Leaning his forehead down to touch hers, Oliver shook his head slightly as everything started to make sense. “And Bart’s covering for both of them.”
Part 3
Sera’s Scribbles: As an fic writer, Victor/Evie is like my personal Chlollie, because oddly enough, this was not my original outcome for Evie’s love life. The last three months were around 60% written when I passed August to Sly... when she gave Victor/Evie the OTP stamp. Except my original ending had Scott and Evie reuniting... and I may have killed off Victor.
So what changed my mind? It helped (and blew me away) that a few people shipped them in “Notbroken,” and Sly played her part, leading to me experimenting with my old ending. Oddly enough, at least half of my original words made the cut, they just needed to be tweaked.
However, the true turning point was the first scene in October part 3, my personal “Roulette” moment. The rest, they say, is history... including finding a way to write them in another story (which no one called me on).
So to everyone who said that they liked them... thank you. It’s intimidating to attempt this, but to know that people like them as much as I like to write them... it means the world. So thank you and I hope you enjoy the concluding chapter to come.
.