The Trouble with Love Chapter 2
The Trouble With Love 2/?
Eight Years Ago...
His life with Chloe since his rescue from Darkseid and Granny Goodness settled into a lull. After the defeat of their latest enemies, everything in Metropolis seemed to slow down. He spent more time as a business man than Green Arrow, and it was when he was in Star City for a meeting when he met Sandra Hawke. It started out with coffee with the hippie hell bent on convincing Oliver not to build a new building in Star City’s version of Coney Island. Coffee became dinners, and Oliver knew that the closer he got to the Watchtower, was a step closer in breaking her heart.
He steeled himself as he walked inside Watchtower, and Chloe greeted him with a radiant smile as she walked towards him.
“Hey, you’re early.”
He closed his eyes in her embrace as he loosely returned it with one of his own. “Hey.”
Chloe moved away a little and held his hands as she guided him to the computers. “I’ve got something to show you that may be of interest...”
“Chloe, we have to talk.”
Chloe just nodded and released his hands as her fingers typed a few commands on the keyboard and numerous locations flickered on the gigantic screens that surrounded them. “We do. This... this is something you won’t like. I don’t have enough proof yet...”
“Chloe.”
Chloe stopped as she turned around and looked in concern at Oliver. Did he know already? She’d never seen that expression on his face before.
“What’s wrong?” She asked in concern as she held his hands. “Are you alright, Ollie? Is this about...”
“We can’t see each other anymore.”
Chloe’s hands fell from his face as she looked at him, face pale and confused. “What... what do you mean?”
Oliver swallowed a lump in his throat. He never wanted to hurt Chloe. But he knew the longer this went on, the more he was going to hurt her. “There’s someone in Star City... I... I have no excuse for what happened Chloe. It just happened. ..”
Chloe shook her head as she looked away and Oliver saw her body become rigid as she stepped further away from him. “Someone... in Star City? How long has this been going on?”
“Six months.” Oliver replied and watched as Chloe just bit her lip. “She’s pregnant, Chloe.”
He didn’t expect what happened next. He expected her to cry. To call him names, to slap him. Instead, Chloe just turned away and grabbed a folder from the desk behind her and handed it to Oliver.
“You may want to install a security detail on her then, Arrow. What I was telling you earlier? There’s been sightings of Lex Luthor in Europe.”
“Chloe...” Oliver said as Chloe began to type on her keyboards and a grainy picture appeared on the screen and Oliver looked at his nemesis stepping inside a limousine. At this moment, he didn’t care if Lex Luthor was waiting for him in his apartment. It was Chloe he was worried about. “Chloe...”
“This satellite image was taken two weeks ago. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure yet, and jumping the gun didn’t seem like a good idea. There’s nothing on LuthorCorp’s expenses to suggest someone in the inside is financing Lex during his hibernation, which means trouble for us because it probably means that he’s got some heavy backing.”
“Chloe...” Oliver called her attention but Chloe didn’t even stop with her typing.
“As of a week ago, this image was taken in London. The first image, looked like it came from Scotland. I scanned a background recognition feature and it seemed our old friend was hiding in the highlands, most likely a property that was never in Luthor’s account, because we would’ve known about it.”
Oliver tried to think of what to say, but Chloe kept her back turned to him as numerous pictures appeared on the screen, and the printer kept on printing. “Chloe... I’m sorry...”
“You might want to check and run an audit on your accounts, I’m looking at it now, and nothing looks out of place, but if Lex is ready to make a comeback, you might want to make sure you keep a close eye on your accounts. I doubt Lex would be happy with the merger between Queen Industries and LuthorCorp.”
“Hey, hey, Boss man! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” Bart exclaimed as he appeared next to them in his disguise, and before he could flirt with Chloe, he stopped. There was something in the way Oliver looked, and the way Chloe kept her back turned that worried him. Usually, the two were either flirting or giving PDA’s and to not see either was surprising. “Everything alright?”
“No... it looks like we’re about to get hit by a storm.” Chloe replied as she pointed at the screens.
“Is that Lex Luthor?”
Chloe nodded her head as she picked her jacket up that was on the chair. “Mind giving me a ride, Impulse? I need to see Clark straight away. I know he’s with Lois so picking me up is out of the question. He’d want to know about this.”
Bart just nodded as he looked between Chloe and Oliver. “Sure, the boss not going with us?”
“He’s got business in Star City, I’m sure he’ll have a lot on his plate now that Lex is about to make a return.” She replied without even looking at Oliver. “Ready?”
“Sure.” Bart replied. His Chloelicious and Oliver must be having their first L.Q. “See you later, boss man!”
In a split second, Oliver was alone in the watchtower, and knew that his life just became more complicated. He knew that Chloe would never forgive him, and sooner or later, Lois and Clark would know. He didn’t care about what them, even if Clark could literally break him in half if he wanted. He just wanted Chloe to be alright, even though he knew she would not be, not for a while, and it was all because of him.
_*_*_*
“Dad! You’re not listening to me!”
Oliver turned to see his son who frowned. “You’re not listening!”
“Sorry, Connor. I was thinking of something.”
Connor nodded his head. “You’re thinking about Aunt Chloe’s friend too? I don’t like him. He smiles at her funny.”
Oliver just ruffled his son’s hair. He knew the time would come when Chloe would be ready to trust someone with her heart again. He wanted that time to come, she deserved to be happy, to be with someone who can make her happy and not break her heart. He didn’t know anything about her relationship with George Dean, but if he was the one, he was going to be happy for her.
“They’re just friends, kiddo.”
“Yeah right.” Connor snorted. “That’s what Anna said about her and Duke.” Connor muttered.
Oliver sighed. He knew how attached Connor was to his previous nanny, and he couldn’t blame Anna for not disclosing her real relationship with her boyfriend. There were some things that were difficult to explain to a five year old.
“But she’s happy with Duke, right? Remember, you came to see the baby?”
“I guess.” Connor conceded as he sighed and looked out of the window. “Maybe we shouldn’t go to South Africa, just to make sure Aunt Chloe’s fine.”
“You want your Aunt Chloe to be happy, right?”
Connor didn’t say anything as he scowled. “I still don’t like him.”
“Neither do I, buddy.” Oliver thought as father and son continued to their destination in silence.
_*_*_*
Chapter 3
Chapter 1
Eight Years Ago...
His life with Chloe since his rescue from Darkseid and Granny Goodness settled into a lull. After the defeat of their latest enemies, everything in Metropolis seemed to slow down. He spent more time as a business man than Green Arrow, and it was when he was in Star City for a meeting when he met Sandra Hawke. It started out with coffee with the hippie hell bent on convincing Oliver not to build a new building in Star City’s version of Coney Island. Coffee became dinners, and Oliver knew that the closer he got to the Watchtower, was a step closer in breaking her heart.
He steeled himself as he walked inside Watchtower, and Chloe greeted him with a radiant smile as she walked towards him.
“Hey, you’re early.”
He closed his eyes in her embrace as he loosely returned it with one of his own. “Hey.”
Chloe moved away a little and held his hands as she guided him to the computers. “I’ve got something to show you that may be of interest...”
“Chloe, we have to talk.”
Chloe just nodded and released his hands as her fingers typed a few commands on the keyboard and numerous locations flickered on the gigantic screens that surrounded them. “We do. This... this is something you won’t like. I don’t have enough proof yet...”
“Chloe.”
Chloe stopped as she turned around and looked in concern at Oliver. Did he know already? She’d never seen that expression on his face before.
“What’s wrong?” She asked in concern as she held his hands. “Are you alright, Ollie? Is this about...”
“We can’t see each other anymore.”
Chloe’s hands fell from his face as she looked at him, face pale and confused. “What... what do you mean?”
Oliver swallowed a lump in his throat. He never wanted to hurt Chloe. But he knew the longer this went on, the more he was going to hurt her. “There’s someone in Star City... I... I have no excuse for what happened Chloe. It just happened. ..”
Chloe shook her head as she looked away and Oliver saw her body become rigid as she stepped further away from him. “Someone... in Star City? How long has this been going on?”
“Six months.” Oliver replied and watched as Chloe just bit her lip. “She’s pregnant, Chloe.”
He didn’t expect what happened next. He expected her to cry. To call him names, to slap him. Instead, Chloe just turned away and grabbed a folder from the desk behind her and handed it to Oliver.
“You may want to install a security detail on her then, Arrow. What I was telling you earlier? There’s been sightings of Lex Luthor in Europe.”
“Chloe...” Oliver said as Chloe began to type on her keyboards and a grainy picture appeared on the screen and Oliver looked at his nemesis stepping inside a limousine. At this moment, he didn’t care if Lex Luthor was waiting for him in his apartment. It was Chloe he was worried about. “Chloe...”
“This satellite image was taken two weeks ago. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure yet, and jumping the gun didn’t seem like a good idea. There’s nothing on LuthorCorp’s expenses to suggest someone in the inside is financing Lex during his hibernation, which means trouble for us because it probably means that he’s got some heavy backing.”
“Chloe...” Oliver called her attention but Chloe didn’t even stop with her typing.
“As of a week ago, this image was taken in London. The first image, looked like it came from Scotland. I scanned a background recognition feature and it seemed our old friend was hiding in the highlands, most likely a property that was never in Luthor’s account, because we would’ve known about it.”
Oliver tried to think of what to say, but Chloe kept her back turned to him as numerous pictures appeared on the screen, and the printer kept on printing. “Chloe... I’m sorry...”
“You might want to check and run an audit on your accounts, I’m looking at it now, and nothing looks out of place, but if Lex is ready to make a comeback, you might want to make sure you keep a close eye on your accounts. I doubt Lex would be happy with the merger between Queen Industries and LuthorCorp.”
“Hey, hey, Boss man! I didn’t know you were going to be here!” Bart exclaimed as he appeared next to them in his disguise, and before he could flirt with Chloe, he stopped. There was something in the way Oliver looked, and the way Chloe kept her back turned that worried him. Usually, the two were either flirting or giving PDA’s and to not see either was surprising. “Everything alright?”
“No... it looks like we’re about to get hit by a storm.” Chloe replied as she pointed at the screens.
“Is that Lex Luthor?”
Chloe nodded her head as she picked her jacket up that was on the chair. “Mind giving me a ride, Impulse? I need to see Clark straight away. I know he’s with Lois so picking me up is out of the question. He’d want to know about this.”
Bart just nodded as he looked between Chloe and Oliver. “Sure, the boss not going with us?”
“He’s got business in Star City, I’m sure he’ll have a lot on his plate now that Lex is about to make a return.” She replied without even looking at Oliver. “Ready?”
“Sure.” Bart replied. His Chloelicious and Oliver must be having their first L.Q. “See you later, boss man!”
In a split second, Oliver was alone in the watchtower, and knew that his life just became more complicated. He knew that Chloe would never forgive him, and sooner or later, Lois and Clark would know. He didn’t care about what them, even if Clark could literally break him in half if he wanted. He just wanted Chloe to be alright, even though he knew she would not be, not for a while, and it was all because of him.
_*_*_*
“Dad! You’re not listening to me!”
Oliver turned to see his son who frowned. “You’re not listening!”
“Sorry, Connor. I was thinking of something.”
Connor nodded his head. “You’re thinking about Aunt Chloe’s friend too? I don’t like him. He smiles at her funny.”
Oliver just ruffled his son’s hair. He knew the time would come when Chloe would be ready to trust someone with her heart again. He wanted that time to come, she deserved to be happy, to be with someone who can make her happy and not break her heart. He didn’t know anything about her relationship with George Dean, but if he was the one, he was going to be happy for her.
“They’re just friends, kiddo.”
“Yeah right.” Connor snorted. “That’s what Anna said about her and Duke.” Connor muttered.
Oliver sighed. He knew how attached Connor was to his previous nanny, and he couldn’t blame Anna for not disclosing her real relationship with her boyfriend. There were some things that were difficult to explain to a five year old.
“But she’s happy with Duke, right? Remember, you came to see the baby?”
“I guess.” Connor conceded as he sighed and looked out of the window. “Maybe we shouldn’t go to South Africa, just to make sure Aunt Chloe’s fine.”
“You want your Aunt Chloe to be happy, right?”
Connor didn’t say anything as he scowled. “I still don’t like him.”
“Neither do I, buddy.” Oliver thought as father and son continued to their destination in silence.
_*_*_*
Chapter 3
Chapter 1