Look After You 9/20
banner by: kyra_and_co
Title: Look After You
Chapter: 9/20
Fandom: Smallville
Pairing: Chloe Sullivan and Oliver Queen
Rating: PG-13 (for now, subject to change)
Word Count: 4,890
Summary: Chloe Sullivan agrees to be the sidekick to Oliver Queen's Green Arrow, but neither one of them realizes that's only the beginning of what fate has in store for them.
Previous Chapters: One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down
-The Fray
“Hey Chloe, have you seen my gray jacket?” Lois called. She finished buttoning her blouse and made her way into the living room. She frowned when she spotted Chloe in her pajamas on the couch, her attention focused solely on the laptop in front of her. “Chloe,” she said.
“Sorry, Lois, did you say something?” Chloe replied without looking up from the computer.
Lois raised an eyebrow. “This was the way I left you last night,” she pointed out. “Please tell me you went to bed and you haven’t been staring at that thing this entire time.” She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for an answer.
“I slept for a few hours,” Chloe replied truthfully. She had been going over data with AC when Lois had gone to sleep just after midnight. They’d finished around one and Chloe had spent another hour installing new programs before she’d decided to get some sleep.
“Are you coming to the office?” Lois asked. “I don’t think Tess would approve of your wardrobe,” she said, gesturing to the pajama bottoms and oversized t-shirt Chloe was currently clad in.
Chloe shook her head. “I left a message that I would be working from home today,” she said. She had already finished her articles for the next edition and she wanted to focus on the kind of research she wasn’t about to do from her desk at the Planet. Since Tess seemed to have little use for her aside from the suspicious looks she shot in her direction when they crossed paths, Chloe doubted their favorite she-devil would even notice she wasn’t there.
“Veritas?” Lois guessed. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, tossed in a heavy amount of sugar and made her way back to the couch to sit beside her cousin.
“Yes,” Chloe replied. It had been nearly a week since the Project Ares mission and she was really starting to enjoy being able to tell Lois what was actually going on in her life. “I’m running a new database search to see if I can turn up anything useful. It should be done soon.” She glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen. “It’s been running for almost three hours.”
Lois nodded and sipped her coffee. Computer research was not her forte, but she wanted to be supportive. She was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around the fact that her baby cousin had been moonlighting with a team of superheroes, but after watching Chloe in action, she could see how seriously Chloe took her role and she was incredibly proud of her and more than a little impressed by her skills.
Chloe rolled her head from side to side, trying to ease the stiffness in her neck, her eyes never leaving her laptop as she waited for the latest search results. She had been sitting in the same spot since she’d gotten out of the shower just after six and she was determined to find something - anything - that would explain the mysterious Veritas.
The hourglass disappeared from the screen and she held her breath, only to let it out seconds later in a frustrated huff when she saw the program’s response: no match found. She had been coming up with the same answer for days and it was really starting to piss her off. What was so important that Lex had gone through this much trouble to hide it? She’d had an easier time hacking into his 33.1 labs and he’d been experimenting on people in those.
“Judging from your expression, I’m guessing you didn’t find anything,” Lois said.
“No,” Chloe muttered. She set the computer down on the table, picked up her coffee mug and leaned back against the couch, her eyes drifting closed as she sipped the lukewarm coffee. The only thing they knew about Veritas was that it was the name of the goddess of truth in Roman mythology. She highly doubted Lex was this secretive about being a history buff.
“What does Oliver think about this?” Lois asked. She watched her cousin closely as she waited for her response.
“We haven’t had much time to talk about it since he’s been out of town,” Chloe replied without opening her eyes.
Oliver had been forced to go back to Star City to deal with a crisis at Queen Industries and he’d told her the problem was worse than he’d originally thought and he wasn’t sure how long he’d be in California. It had already been five days and he was so busy they rarely talked for more than a few minutes at a time and he was usually surrounded by people so most of his responses came in the form of “interesting” and “uh-huh.”
“That must be hard for you since the two of you spend so much time working together,” Lois commented, her eyes never leaving Chloe’s face.
Recognizing Lois’s tone, Chloe opened her eyes and looked at her cousin. “What exactly are you fishing for, Lois?” she asked even though she had a pretty good idea. Lois had been making less than subtle comments about Chloe and her relationship with Oliver ever since the night she’d seen them together after the mission.
“I’m just saying that you probably miss him since you’re so used to spending every night with him,” Lois said. She gave Chloe her best innocent smile.
“Working,” Chloe pointed out. “We spend every night working.” She rolled her eyes when Lois just looked at her like she was kidding herself. She’d been getting that look from her cousin a lot lately and she did not appreciate it.
Okay, so maybe she did miss Oliver. But he was her friend and he was the person she worked closest with when it came to these missions so it made sense that she wished her was there to help her when she just kept coming up empty.
And maybe there was more to it than just that, if she was being completely honest with herself. Chloe missed spending time with him. They had fallen into an almost nightly habit of meeting at his penthouse after work and sharing takeout food and stories of their days before he headed out for patrol.
But just because that had become her favorite part of the day did not mean that she had feelings for Oliver that went past friendship no matter how many times Lois rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.
Just like it didn’t mean anything that she had replayed that moment in his kitchen over and over again in her head and wondered if there was a chance Oliver had been serious when he mentioned them being more than friends. That was just her imagination working overtime or Lois’s craziness seeping into her head.
Lois smiled to herself as she watched Chloe get lost in her own thoughts. She was willing to bet her cousin had no clue that the tiny smile on her lips and the gleam in her eyes was a dead giveaway that she was thinking about Oliver. The girl had it bad even if she was too stubborn to admit it.
“What’s the next step?” Lois asked.
“Huh?” Chloe forced herself to stop thinking about Oliver and how nice his hands had felt on her hips and focused on her cousin. “What next step?” she asked.
Lois bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing out loud. “Veritas,” she reminded her gently. “What’s the next step?”
Chloe blew out a frustrated breath. “I wish I knew. All I can find in Lex’s files are vague references, but there’s nothing indicating what it is or why it keeps coming up so often.” She picked up her laptop and opened the program containing the files Oliver had gotten from Tess’s computer. “Maybe I’ll just start from the beginning and see if I can cross reference Veritas with other stuff that was going on at the time.”
“Good idea,” Lois said even though she wasn’t entirely sure what Chloe was talking about. “When’s the first reference from?” she asked.
“1985,” Chloe replied. She frowned and double checked the date. “That can’t be right,” she said. She looked closer and saw that the next slew of Veritas references were also from the mid-eighties.
“Well either Lex’s psychopathic tendencies sprouted at an extremely young age or he wasn’t the first person to start this Veritas thingy,” Lois said.
Chloe’s heart began to beat faster as the pieces started clicking together in her mind. Maybe the reason she was having such a hard time finding anything about Veritas in Lex’s files was because he’d had a hard time finding anything. There was only one person she could think of whose secret project would capture Lex’s attention and if she was right, there was a good chance she knew what the project centered around.
Lois waved her hand in front of her cousin’s face. “It looked like a lost you for a minute. Do you have a new theory?” she asked.
“Maybe, but it’s too early to speculate,” Chloe replied. She hated having to resort back to being less than honest with Lois, but she needed to talk to Clark before she said anything. “Shouldn’t you be getting to work?”
“I’m going to be late!” Lois cried. She chugged her coffee and stood up quickly glancing around for her missing jacket. She spotted it hanging on the coat hook behind the door. “Weird,” she muttered. She shrugged it on and grabbed her purse, glancing over her shoulder in time to see Chloe reaching for her cell phone. “Say hi to Ollie for me,” she teased.
“Good-bye, Lois,” Chloe said pointedly as she quickly typed out the text to Clark telling him she needed to see him immediately, but to avoid running into Lois at all costs.
Lois left and two minutes later, Chloe heard the loud knock on the door. She set the computer down on the table and crossed the apartment to let Clark in. “That super speed of yours comes in handy,” she teased.
“I would have been here sooner, but I had to wait for Lois to get in her car,” Clark said. He followed Chloe inside, closing the door at his back. “Why didn’t you want her to see me?” he asked.
“She left as I was texting you and assumed I was calling Ollie. If you showed up before she had a chance to walk down the stairs, she might have been suspicious,” Chloe replied. She sat down on the couch and pulled her legs underneath her. “I have a new theory about Veritas,” she said.
Confused, Clark sat down beside her. “I thought you told Lois about your Veritas research.” He was still getting used to the idea of Lois being more involved with the team. Their talk about his Green Arrow knowledge and him covering for Oliver had gone a lot better than he’d expected it to, but he was still nervous about putting her in danger.
“She does and she was sitting here with me this morning when I made a discovery,” Chloe said. She gestured toward her computer. “The first Veritas reference is from 1985 and most of the other references are from before the first meteor shower. Clark, I think Veritas might have been Lionel’s secret, not Lex’s.”
Clark’s shoulders stiffened with the familiar guilt and tension that always seemed to creep into him when he thought about Lionel. He considered what Chloe was saying and his frown deepened. “Do you think it has something to do with my secret?” he asked.
“I think that’s a possibility,” Chloe admitted. “Lionel knew a lot about you before you even came to Earth. I think it’s safe to say that he probably had some research files that he kept hidden. Maybe Lex stumbled onto Veritas and was trying to put the pieces together. He obviously didn’t have much luck,” she added.
“Or maybe he did find something and that’s why he disappeared,” Clark said. He stood up, suddenly feeling the urge to move around. “Chloe, we need to find more information.”
“Obviously,” Chloe snarked as she watched him pace. She had a feeling Clark was still missing the point as to why she wanted to talk to him. “Clark, if Veritas does have something to do with your secret, there’s a good chance Lois is going to find out,” she said.
His eyes widened. “Chloe, I still don’t know if telling Lois is such a good idea. The burden might be too much for her.” He dropped back down on the couch beside her.
“Clark,” Chloe started. She waited for his eyes to meet hers. “I know I’ve said this before, but I want you to try and hear me this time. I really think you should tell Lois the truth. She took the whole Watchtower thing really well and considering how many times you’ve saved her life, she’s already a fan of the Blur.”
“That doesn’t mean she wants to date him,” Clark replied.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Give me a break, Clark. Lois is crazy about you and finding out that you’re a superhero will just be an added bonus. If you’re worried because of what happened with her and Ollie, you shouldn’t be. This is a different situation and she will be a lot more understanding if you’re the one to tell her.”
Clark made a face. He didn’t particularly like being reminded of the relationship Lois had once had with Oliver. “If I tell her the truth about me, I’ll be putting her in danger. Keeping this secret is a burden, Chloe. You know that better than anyone.”
“You’re the one who makes it a burden,” Chloe said gently. “I’m here because I want to be, Clark. It’s just like when I started working with Ollie. I do it because it gives me a greater purpose in life. I love working at the Planet and being a reporter, but saving the world isn’t a bad side job for a girl to have,” she joked.
“I suppose all the time you spend with Oliver is an added bonus,” Clark commented dryly.
She couldn’t stop her face from turning red, but she glared at him all the same. “Okay, first of all, do not throw my own words back at me. Second, Oliver and I are just friends. We’ve been through this. Besides, we’re not talking about Ollie and me. We’re talking about you and Lois. I really think you should tell her.”
Clark sighed. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I’m not ready yet. Do you think you can keep whatever you find on Veritas from her for awhile longer?” he asked hopefully.
“Considering that I still haven’t found anything, that shouldn’t be a problem,” Chloe replied. “But now that we have this Lionel angle, I need to talk to Victor and see what kind of files the team has on Lionel.”
“Thanks Chloe,” Clark replied. He stood up. “I need to get to work. Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
“You knew Lionel pretty well,” Chloe said. “Maybe you can try and remember if he ever mentioned anything that might help us. Other than that, just think about telling Lois,” she suggested.
Clark nodded. “Call me if you need anything.” He was gone in a blur before she could respond.
Chloe shook her head and reached for her phone. She hoped Clark would make the right choice, but she knew she couldn’t force him. She needed to call Oliver and let him know that she had a new theory that she wanted his take on.
Her cell phone rang in her hand before she had a chance to dial and Chloe glanced at the caller ID, smiling when she saw Oliver’s name. He really did have an uncanny knack for knowing when she needed him. “Hey, I was just about to call and leave you a message,” she answered.
Oliver smiled at the greeting. It was nice to hear her voice after listening to hostile investors for three days straight. “What’s up, Sidekick?” he asked.
“I have a new theory on our latest situation,” Chloe said. She was mindful that she was using her regular cell phone and not the secure one she used during missions. “I think we might have to go back a generation to find the information we’re looking for. In fact, I think that’s what our favorite person was doing,” she said carefully.
Oliver’s eyebrows shot up as he deciphered her words. As far as he was concerned, Lionel Luthor had been every bit as evil as Lex despite all of his insistences that he had only wanted to help Clark. “That’s an interesting development. Maybe we can talk about it tonight over dinner. I’m thinking Italian,” he said.
“Are you coming back to Metropolis?” Chloe asked hopefully as her heart began to beat faster in her chest.
“I’m already here,” Oliver replied. “Unfortunately, I had to come straight to the office and I’ve got meetings all day, but I wanted to let you know I was back. Are you free tonight?” he asked.
“Well, I’ll have to check my schedule, but I might be able to fit you in,” Chloe teased. She was extremely grateful Lois and Clark had both left before Oliver called so neither of them could see the huge smile she couldn’t seem to suppress.
Oliver laughed. “I go out of town for a few days and you already found someone new to have dinner with? That hurts, Chloe,” he deadpanned.
Chloe let out an exaggerated sigh. “Well, if you’re going to pout, I suppose I can have dinner with you. What time do you think you’ll be done?” she asked.
“I’ll be home by seven,” Oliver said. He wasn’t sure he would survive another full day in the office after the week he’d had. “Is Italian okay?” he asked. “There will be wine. Lots of wine,” he added.
“That sounds good,” Chloe said. She could hear the stress in his voice despite the light tone he was trying to pull off. “Ollie, is there anything I can do?” she asked.
“You’re already doing it,” Oliver assured her. They’d been talking for less than five minutes and he already felt better than he had in days. “I have to prepare for my next meeting, but I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay,” Chloe said. “Bye, Ollie.”
“Bye, Chloe,” Oliver replied. He hung up the phone and turned his attention back to the memo in front of him, trying to focus on business and not on how much he was looking forward to finally seeing Chloe again.
The door to his office was thrown open and Lois stormed in, his obviously flustered assistant right on her heels. “I told you that you can’t just barge in!” she cried. She looked at Oliver helplessly. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Queen. I told Ms. Lane that you were busy but she insisted that she had clearance. Would you like me to call security?”
Lois eyed the older woman with disdain. “Are you kidding me, lady?” she demanded. “I already told you that I’m welcome here anytime. Right, Ollie?” She sent him a look that warned he’d better not contradict her.
“Right,” Oliver muttered. He rose from his chair and gestured for Lois to have a seat in the visitor’s chair before putting his hand on Mary’s shoulder and gently guiding her back to the door. “Sorry about that, Mary. I must have forgotten to put Ms. Lane on the list we discussed. She’s a friend,” he explained.
Mary nodded and glanced over her shoulder at Lois who offered her a wave and a smug smile. “Will there be anything else, Mr. Queen?’ she asked with a tight smile.
“Just hold all my calls for the time being,” Oliver said. He flashed a reassuring smile and closed the door behind her before making his way back to his desk. He didn’t know why Lois was storming his office or how she even knew he was back in town when he’d barely had time to let Chloe know, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate little things like questions or his billion-dollar business problems interrupting her.
“You really should find an assistant who doesn’t scare so easily,” Lois commented.
Oliver chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He settled back into his chair and gave Lois his full attention. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
Lois leaned forward, her eyes locked with his. “What are your intentions toward my cousin?” she asked.
He blinked in surprise. Oliver had not been expecting that particular question. “I’m not sure what you mean,” he said carefully.
Lois rolled her eyes and let out a very unladylike snort. “Don’t you dare pull that evasive bullshit with me, Oliver Queen,” she warned. She crossed her arms in front of her and leaned on his desk. “Spill,” she ordered.
Oliver swallowed hard. He’d had a lot of time to think about his relationship with Chloe while he’d been away and he’d come to the conclusion that things had to change. He wanted things to change. He supposed having this conversation with Lois was a good first step toward making that happen, but it was an awkward step.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
Lois eyed him closely, searching for signs that he was still trying to stall her. His shoulders were tense, but he was looking her in the eye. It was a start. “Chloe keeps insisting that there’s nothing going on between the two of you. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Oliver replied. He saw her eyes narrow and knew he’d better expand his answer. “For the moment,” he clarified.
She smiled triumphantly. “I knew it! What’s the problem? Why haven’t you made a move yet? Are you afraid of Clark? He probably won’t like the idea at first, but he’ll get used to it and even if he doesn’t, it’s not his business.”
Oliver’s eyes widened at her rapid-fire speech and he held up his hands. “One thing at a time, Lois,” he said. He ran his hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his neck to try and ease some of the tension this conversation was causing him. “You do realize this is an awkward conversation, right?”
“What’s awkward about my ex-boyfriend lusting after my baby cousin?” Lois rolled her eyes when he winced. “Of course, it’s awkward, Oliver. Why do you think I’m here?”
“I’m not really sure,” Oliver admitted. He folded his hands in front of him to keep himself from fidgeting and tried to figure out what Lois’s angle was. She seemed remarkably okay with the whole thing, but he had a feeling she had a lot more to say.
Lois sighed. “For a smart guy, you can be really dense,” she said. “I want you to be happy. I want Chloe to be happy. If the two of you can be happy together, I call that a huge win.” She chewed on her lip as she got to the awkward part. “But I thought our past relationship might be an issue so I thought we should talk about it.”
He nodded; grateful she had brought up the huge elephant in the room. “I know this is a weird situation, but the truth is that Chloe means a lot to me and I want our relationship to go past the friendship level.”
“Finally,” Lois muttered. She leaned back in her chair with a smile. “I was starting to think I would have to use torture to get you to admit that,” she said.
Oliver refrained from pointing out that this conversation was worse than any torture he’d been subjected to and considering the life he lived, that was saying something. “But that doesn’t mean that Chloe is interested. I tried to broach the subject last week and she thought I was joking,” he said.
Lois raised an eyebrow. “How exactly did you ‘broach the subject?’ Were you direct or did you go straight for the Queen Charm offensive?”
He bristled at the term. “I thought it was fairly direct.” He reconsidered when he saw the doubtful look on Lois’s face. “All right, so maybe my approach left some wiggle room. What am I supposed to do, hit her over the head?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do,” Lois replied. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Are you serious about this Oliver? Chloe’s not some bimbo who you can just smile at and expect her to fall into your arms.”
“I know that,” Oliver snapped, his jaw tight with tension.
“Good,” Lois replied. She was pleased that he was getting worked up. It showed how much he obviously cared about Chloe. “I love my cousin and she’s probably the smartest person I know, but when it comes to situations like this, she’s more clueless than the rest of us put together.”
Oliver sighed. “Chloe isn’t clueless about anything,” he said defensively. “But I think she has doubts about the two of us getting involved that go beyond the fact that you and I used to be involved.” The conversation was making his head hurt.
Lois smiled at the way he instantly defended Chloe even though she hadn’t meant anything offensive by her statement. “Chloe probably has more reasons in her head why the two of you shouldn’t be together than you can imagine.” She saw his face fall and reached for his hand. “But that’s just how she protects herself. It’s your job to prove her wrong.” She squeezed his hand. “Are you up for the challenge?” she asked.
“Yes,” Oliver replied without hesitation.
“Good,” Lois replied. She stood up and walked around the desk to give him a hug. “I’m serious about hitting her over the head, Oliver. It’s the only way to get through her thick skull.”
He laughed and kissed her cheek affectionately. “Thanks, Lois. I appreciate you telling me all of this even if it wasn’t the easiest chat ever,” he said.
“That’s what friends and future in-laws are for,” Lois replied. She burst out laughing when she saw the shock on his face.
“One thing at a time,” Oliver muttered. He reached for a bottle of water to try and soothe his suddenly dry throat.
Lois just laughed harder and waved over her shoulder as she made her way out of his office.
Oliver shook his head. She was something else. He set the water down and ignored the memo he was supposed to be reading, instead swiveling his chair around to stare out the window at the Metropolis skyline.
He knew Lois had a point. If he wanted Chloe to take him seriously, he was going to have to be direct and make sure his actions could not be misinterpreted. But there was a chance he was wrong about Chloe’s feelings and she had no interest in moving past the friendship level with him. His instincts told him that wasn’t the case, but Oliver knew it was a risk and he had to take it into consideration.
After all, taking risks was what he did best.
***
Oliver walked into his penthouse just before six. He had literally stood up and dismissed his management staff in the middle of his last meeting. His marketing VP had been droning on and on and Oliver had enough. He told everyone they would pick up at a later date and left before anyone could protest.
He tossed his jacket on the couch and pulled off his tie as he reached for the phone. He wanted to make sure the food was already there when Chloe arrived. Oliver waited impatiently as he listened to the phone ringing on the other end.
“This is Oliver Queen. I’d like to place an order and have it delivered as soon as possible,” he told the hostess.
“Of course, what can I get for you, Mr. Queen?” she asked.
Oliver placed the order and the hostess assured him it would be there within forty minutes. He thanked her, tossed the phone on the desk and made his way into the kitchen. He could feel the tension of the day still rolling through his body and Oliver tried to shake it off.
He opened the wine and quickly set the table. He reached in the drawer and his fingers hesitated over the candles. Were candles too much?
“Get a grip, Queen,” Oliver muttered. He closed the drawer, leaving the candles where they were. Chloe deserved more than some silly romantic cliché. He left the kitchen, walking quickly toward the stairs, unbuttoning his dress shirt as he went. He wanted to take a quick shower before the food got there.
He paused to grab his jacket and tie and was halfway up the stairs when he heard the buzzer indicating someone was in the elevator. It was too early to be the food and Chloe had a key. Oliver jogged back down the stairs and turned on the monitor to see who was in the elevator. His eyes widened in surprise.
Tess.
Ten.