Fanfic: In Our Hands - Chlollie

[slytherinpunk]

Title: In Our Hands
Authors: slytherinpunk  and sxymami0909
Rating: M for Mature (eventually NC-17)
Summary: “The palms’ don’t lie, Oliver.” Zatanna acclaimed as he snatched his hand away from her grip, “You have a son."
Spoilers: Canon til Season 10 episode 3... And goes AU from there (Oliver never revealed himself as Green Arrow, and Tess never ran Watchtower) runs with the timeline of the five years of Superman Returns.
Pairings: Chlollie
Status: 15/27
Previous Chapters: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen
Disclaimer: We do not own Smallville, nor do we claim to own any other characters therefore owned by DC Comics or CW network.
Fic Banner by: dhfreak
Chapter Banners by: sanaazzy
Special Thanks to: dhfreak  and sanaazzy  for contributing their art skills to this story.
Dedicated to: The wonderful sanaazzy  who fell in love with this fic when I shared the first few chapters, and for never letting me give up on this story, even after brainstorming and failing for a year. Thank you so much for everything. ♥





Chapter Fifteen

Oliver stood off to the side, watching as Connor lined up his next shot before running up to the line of soccer balls Oliver had placed in a row. He kicked the first ball hard, and without looking up he ran to the next ball and then the next, till he had kicked the last one.

“Three out of six balls went in the net,” said Oliver as he set out to retrieve the soccer balls. “Thats pretty good.”

Using the back of his hand, Connor wiped his forehead free of sweat, “Eh... It’s not bad...”

Oliver chuckled, walking away from the goal, as he placed the balls down at differently, avoiding a straight line, “You’re too hard on yourself. You’re only six, Con... You can give yourself a break.”

“I’m going on seven,” Connor repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. He looked up at Oliver and raised his brow, noticing the pattern placement of the soccer balls, “What are you doing?”

Oliver grinned as he placed down the last ball and moved to grab the orange cones on the side of the field before placing two at a time across from each other, with a good three feet apart as he created a marked path.

“You can make a goal easy when you have time to line up a shot,” he placed down the last cone and stepped a few feet back, turning to look at Connor. “But the real challenge is having to make a shot while running and dodging other players.”

“You want me to run through that line?” Connor guessed.

“Hence the line,” Oliver nodded as he crossed his arms. “I read about this training exercise in one of the books we got from the fair.”

“Cool,” Connor stretched his legs a bit. “So what do you want me to do specifically?”

“Run, dodge through the cones, and aim and kick the ball.” Oliver glanced down at Connor, “The goal is not just to make sure you don’t knock down a cone, but its how well you can react and aim for the goal in the little time you have to kick.”

Exhaling a long breath, Connor nodded again, “Okay, so... On your mark?”

Oliver gave a short nod, reaching for the silver whistle around his neck. He waited a few seconds, giving Connor a chance to catch a few extra breaths and then he blew the whistle, his eyes glued to Connor’s back as he took off, running in between the cones swiftly.

After the book fair, they had all gone out to lunch and then gone shopping for the soccer supplies Oliver had wanted to purchase for his practices with Connor. Coach Hartmann had given him directions to a good sports store, and then he had given him a list of supplies and few instructions following what he had wanted Connor to work on.

Coach Hartmann had explained, for his age, Connor was an exceptionally good player. But the problem was it was becoming easily noticeable by the opposing teams that they had to worry about Connor, and try to keep the ball away from him. So the coach had asked Oliver to make sure Connor worked on reaction time.

After their shopping spree, Oliver had returned back to Chloe and Connor’s townhouse with twelve soccer balls, twenty orange cones, a whistle, and he had also purchased a couple pairs of track pants and extra t-shirts, having not anticipated his need for them when he packed for his trip originally.

Chloe had shaken her head, exclaiming that Oliver was going above his call of duty but he just shook his head. He had missed out on six years of Connor’s life, and this sport and his games were the most important thing to him. And if Connor wanted to be a better player, Oliver was determined to help him achieve his goal.

While Connor returned to school, Oliver spent his day reading books and watching the discs of Connor’s old games, trying to absorb and learn everything he could. And in the past few days that they had been practicing after school and homework, Oliver had already noticed the progress Connor was making.

Even Chloe, who insisted of attending their practice sessions at the park, commented on how well Connor was learning and improving from Oliver’s help. She stuck to grading her papers off to the side, on the bleachers while Oliver and Connor stretched and ran through the drills he had chosen, occasionally glimpsing up to see how hard their son was working.

There was no question about how hard Connor pushed himself, and while Oliver thought their son was a little too young to put so much pressure on himself, he realized it probably had yet again to do with his genetics. But while Connor was so determined, he also made sure to have fun, which was an accomplishment in itself after working as hard as he did.

As Connor kicked the last ball at the end of the cone-lined path, it soared over to the corner of the goal and Oliver blew his whistle again, signalling for Connor to stop. He jogged over to him, unable to suppress his grin, “Awesome job, Con.”

Connor nodded, his breathing a little heavy, “Thanks... You were right, its harder going through the curves, trying to dodge and think at the same time.”

“Yeah, but you did pretty well,” Oliver praised him as he started to collect the soccer balls again.

“Yeah... So, again?” Connor asked as he walked over to the side, grabbing his water bottle for a quick drink.

Oliver glanced over at Chloe on the bleachers, “I don’t know, it’s getting pretty late.” He turned back to Connor, “What do you say we pick up again tomorrow? Its getting a little colder out.”

Connor pursed his lips for a moment, but then nodded, “Okay, sounds good.”

Oliver ruffled Connor’s hair, “Cool, now help me gather and pack everything up so we can get back to have dinner soon.” Connor smirked, heading back toward the goal and began collecting the cones.

Chloe glanced up and caught sight of Oliver and Connor on the field packing up. She glanced down at her watch and smiled; perfect timing. She'd made a homemade turkey pot pie while Connor was doing his homework and stuck it in the oven so that when they got home all she had to do was turn it on for a half-hour and heat it up. And since Oliver and Connor had been working so hard the past few days, she went out of her way to make both of their favorite desserts while they were preoccupied with history homework.

She slid her papers back into her bag and stood quickly, faltering as a wave of dizzyness hit her. Reaching out, she grabbed the bench railing to steady herself and sighed lightly. She'd woken up this morning feeling slightly under the weather and it had only gotten worse since the day went on. When her head stopped spinning she took out a tissue and blew her nose before tossing it in the garbage next to the bench and making her way out onto the field.

Chloe crossed her arms over her body rubbing her arms slightly as she called out to them, voice slightly hoarse, "Done with practice for the day boys?"

Connor smiled at his mom as he handed Oliver the last of the cones, “Did you see me, Mom? Did you see Oliver’s last drill? How’d I do?” He spoke fast, with excitement while Oliver grinned, placing the cones into the bag with the soccer balls.

She moved over to him, smoothing over his hair lightly with her hand and even that small action had her internally groaning. Her body hurt, but she still had a ton of things to do before the night was over. Chloe gave him a wide smile, "You did amazing kid. I don't think I've ever seen you move so fast through a course like that."

She pulled him to her side and he grinned up at her, before taking her hand in his he frowned slightly, "Your hands are really warm."

Chloe chuckled, "Yeah cause I've had them stuffed in my pocket silly, it's chilly out and some of us are running all over the field."

Connor laughed, letting go of her hand and moving slightly ahead of Chloe and Oliver as they fell into step beside each other, heading towards the car. Connor was walking backwards so he could look at them as he spoke, "Oliver and I are gonna practice real hard the rest of the week. We're so gonna kick butt at the next game."

He bounced slightly as he walked and Chloe chuckled and cleared her throat, "Well since you two have been working so hard I've got something special for my boys when we get home." Chloe completely missed how she included Oliver in her sentence as she pulled her bag tighter over her shoulder and continued to walk with them to the car.

Connor’s smile widened, “Awesome! You’re the best Mom ever!” He waited for his mom and Oliver to catch up before he threw his arms around her waist.

Oliver glanced at Chloe, smiling naturally from her contagious smile as their son hugged her, “Did you finish grading your papers?” He asked, unlocking the car and throwing the large bag into the trunk.

Chloe stifled a yawn and patted Connor's head before he moved to the back of the car and got in. She turned to Oliver and nodded slightly, smile still in place, "Most of them."

She pulled open the passenger side door and plopped into the car, wincing slightly as she shut the door and buckled herself in while Oliver got into the other side. He started the car and pulled away from the curb as Chloe leaned back in her seat and covered her mouth as she let out a yawn she couldn't hide this time.

Turning the car right, Oliver glimpsed over Chloe again, a soft smile on his face as he turned to look forward as he drove down the street, “If you’re too tired to cook dinner, I don’t mind taking the reins tonight.”

She shook her head, "I'm fine... I made it while you guys were doing homework, just gotta pop it in the oven for a half hour to forty-five minutes. But thanks," she gave him a small grin before glancing back at Connor who was leaning back in his seat and arched an eyebrow, "What about you favorite son of mine? You look tired."

Connor chuckled and shook his head, "No I'm good, just resting... And again... I'm you're only son. so I'm your favorite by default."

Chloe shrugged, "I can call you my favorite if I want to. You're my son... Technically I can call you anything I want since I went through all that trouble having you."

She smirked towards the back seat a playful look on her face as Connor rolled his eyes good-naturedly at her, "Oh Mom... What am I going to do with you?"

Chloe shifted in her seat as Oliver turned down the street their house was on, "Love me forever and ever."

Oliver parked the car, turning the key and pulling it out of the ignition, “Speaking of calling him whatever you want... How did you pick the name Connor?”

Chloe glanced briefly at their son who was already unstrapping himself and pushing open the car door to head towards the house. She unbuckled her seat belt and shrugged before glancing at Oliver, "I wanted to name him something sturdy that meant something... And Connor means strong willed... Wise."

Her voice lowered considerably even though Connor was by the front door waving for them to get out of the car, "I figured it was the perfect combination of us..." Chloe's voice trailed off as she pushed her door open, shut it lightly and met Connor at the door unlocking it and leaving it open for Oliver.

Oliver exited the car, leaving the soccer bag in the trunk for tomorrow and locked it before jogging up the steps and entering the house. Connor was running upstairs, and Oliver took the moment to follow Chloe into the kitchen, “You’re right you know...” When she turned around to face him, he offered her a smile, “It’s the perfect name, and it fits him so well... He looks like a Connor.”

She smiled, "Thanks Ollie..." She had just put her briefcase down and moved over to the stove to start heating up dinner. She leaned away from the food and sneezed into her arm before scrunching her nose lightly. She shook her head which only served to make her slightly dizzy, which she ignored as she lifted the dishtowel and playfully swatted it at Oliver, "Now go wash up... Make sure Connor does too. Dinner should be ready in thirty-five minutes."

“Gesundheit,” Oliver blessed her sneeze in German before nodding. “I’ll go wash up, and probably change.” He started to head out of the kitchen when he paused and glanced at her, “You sure you’re feeling okay?”

Chloe waved him off without turning around as she set the timer on the oven. Oliver let out a small sigh not entirely convinced, but didn't push the issue as he made his way upstairs to wash up and change.

Chloe spent the next fifteen minutes turning everything on and setting the table. By the time she made it back to the stove her head was pounding and she was freezing. She turned glancing around the kitchen to see if she'd left her cardigan in there, but the only thing in the room was Oliver's hoodie.

She bit her lip before moving towards the chair, lifting it up, and pulling it over her head. It was huge on her, but it warmed her up slightly which was exactly what she had needed. Normally they kept the house toasty and she wondered if maybe Oliver or Conner had turned the heat down.

She heard a mixture of light and heavy footfalls on the steps signaling that the boys were making their way downstairs. Connor popped into the kitchen first followed closely by Oliver. Their son frowned at his mother wrapped in the over-sized sweater, "Aren't you hot Mom?"

Chloe shook her head, "No, its freezing in here..." She spun around quickly to grab something when a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her body to falter as she lost her balance.

“Mom!” Connor called out when he noticed her falling before Oliver rushed to her side and caught her in his arms in enough time to keep her from hitting the floor.

Oliver heard Connor sigh in relief, as he pulled Chloe into his arms, one slipping behind her back securely before he lifted the other arm, gently pressing it to her forehead, and he cursed, “You’re burning up and definitely running a fever...” His brown eyes fell to her gaze, “I think you should lay down.”

She glanced at him slightly confused by how he'd gotten to her so quickly, wondering if maybe she quite literally lost time. Her hand came up to his arm gripping it tightly as she spoke voice slightly scratchy, "I'm fine...I just--" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as she let out a string of coughs, turning away from Oliver so she didn't cough on him.

“Uh-huh,” Oliver replied, unconvinced. “Yeah, you’re going to bed,” he tugged her arm tenderly, putting it behind his neck as he stood up straighter, shifting her slightly to make sure he had a strong hold. “We’ll bring dinner up to you once its done,” he told her quietly as he started to carry her up the stairs, Connor close behind them.

Chloe's brows furrowed and she pouted, "Put me down... I'm not sick... I can walk...I..." She paused as Oliver ignored her, continuing to move up the steps and she glanced over his shoulder to Connor, "Con... Sweetie... Tell the big caveman that your Mother isn't sick. He'll listen to you."

The constant shifting of her head was making her dizzy again, which was causing her stomach to roll. She took a deep breath, her hand clenching against Oliver's chest as she gripped him tightly, her voice strained and slightly panicked whisper as a wave over nausea flowed through her, "Ollie... Put me down... I think I'm gonna be sick."

Oliver reached the top of the stairs and moved to the bathroom fairly quickly. He glimpsed over his shoulder at Connor, “Hey Sport, think you can go into your moms room and pull back her blankets from her bed? I’ll carry her in there in a minute.”

Connor nodded before breaking down the hallway to his mother’s room, and Oliver turned back to Chloe, taking in her pale appearance, “Still feel like you’re going to be sick?”

Chloe nodded and winced slightly, "Yes, now put me down and get out please." Her voice wasn't harsh, and she wasn't trying to be mean, but having her lunch make its way back up in front of Oliver was not really high on her list of things to do. Showing weakness was one of the things she hating doing most.

He hesitated before letting her down briefly and as soon as her feet hit the floor she pushed at his stomach lightly as she mumbled 'get out' before moving herself over the toilet bowl, effectively losing any battle she had at keeping her lunch down.

Oliver shut the door behind him, wincing as he heard Chloe empty the contents of her stomach. Connor appeared from the doorway of Chloe’s bedroom, and he hugged the wall slightly, leaning in as he peered up at Oliver with evident worry, “Is mom going to be okay? She never gets sick...”

Moving away from bathroom door, Oliver walked over to Connor and patted his head softly, running his hand down the back of his head, “Yeah... Your mom just probably caught the flu. She just needs to keep warm with plenty of rest and warm food and liquids.”

Connor nodded, his bottom lip overpowering the upper as he tried to keep it from quivering.

“Hey,” Oliver reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. “I bet your mom takes care of you when you’re sick.”

“Yeah, she makes me soup and reads me stories and,” Connor paused. “She needs medicine, right? Mommy always makes sure I take medicine when I’m sick.”

Oliver chuckled softly, “Trust me, thats probably a losing battle... And she probably won’t let you read too close to her--she’ll be too worried about getting you sick too.” He patted his hand on Connor’s back, “Why don’t you go pick out a book to read her, and we’ll bring her dinner and make sure she gets rest, okay?”

Nodding, Connor shuffled over to his room, “I think thats a good idea.”

Oliver gave him a small smile before he moved back to the bathroom, tapping lightly on the door, “Are you okay? Do you need me to hold your hair?”

Chloe was sitting on the floor, her head resting against the cold closed lid of the toilet as she groaned. She was officially done denying the fact that she was sick. Her whole body hurt and the floor was making her bare legs cold. Her head was throbbing and her throat was definitely raw.

She shifted a pout forming on her lips as her hoarse voice reached Oliver's ears, "I'm dying... Go away and let me die in peace."

Oliver shook his head and grasped the doorknob, opening the door slowly, “We should get you to bed... Do you want to brush your teeth, or should I just bring you a small waste basket?”

Chloe looked up at him as she sat up straight, leaning her back against the tub, "I need to brush my teeth." She scrunched her nose at the bad taste in her mouth and lifted her arms up so her hands could grip the edge of the tub.

Pushing herself up onto shaky legs, she moved over to the sink, pulling out her toothbrush and tooth paste. It took her five minutes to get the disgusting taste out of her mouth and when she finally shut the water off and turned in Oliver's direction, she tilted her head to the side and pouted, voice soft with a slight hint of a whine to it. "Ollie, I don't feel good... I think I'm sick..."

He licked his dry lips while he nodded and tried not to smile at how adorable she looked despite her health, “I think thats a safe bet, Professor.” Hesitating slightly, he took a step forward and reached for her, placing an arm behind her back as he bent down, scooping her up into his arms again slowly. He tucked her head into his neck and tried to walk at a slow pace down the hallway before entering her room.

Placing her down in the bed gently, Oliver pulled back the blankets and comforter, making sure she was covered from head to toe just as their son came barreling into the room, holding out a book. “Okay Mom... You usually read to me when I’m sick and Oliver and I want to help you get better,” said Connor as he plopped a thick hardcover book down onto the bed. “Which story would you like me to read to you?”

Chloe gave Connor a warm smile, "Have I ever told you how awesome I think you are kid?"

Connor grinned, "Yup."

He shifted toward her and she shook her head, "Not on the bed sweetie... I don't want you to get sick." She pointed to a chair across from the bed, tucked in the corner of her room, "You can sit there." She frowned slightly, "You really should have dinner though... Maybe I should make you a plate..." She sat up, her head throbbing again as she started to move the covers off of her.

“No,” Oliver held up his hand in protest and moved back over to the bed, pulling her blankets back into place. “You said you already made dinner and it was in the oven for thirty to forty-five minutes. I’ll feed Connor and bring up some soup for you.” He glimpsed over his shoulder at Connor, seated in the chair, “Hey buddy, why don’t we give your mom the book so she can pick a story for you to read after dinner, okay?”

Connor nodded, standing up from the chair and handing the book to Oliver, “Get better Mom. Call us if you need anything.”

Oliver smiled at their son and placed the book at Chloe’s side, “I’ll move your waste basket over here also, just in case.” He stepped away from the bed, going over to a small waste bin by her nightstand. He pulled it closer to the bed, and nodded at her as he ushered Connor out of the room, “We’ll be right back, don’t move from the bed.”

Connor frowned, “Yeah, don’t move. You have to get better.”

Chloe sighed at Oliver's words and watched them go. The truth was she felt awful, and all she wanted to do was sleep until her head stopped pounding. She snuggled into Oliver's sweatshirt, the combination of the hoodie and blankets finally warming her up some. She shifted her head slightly on the pillow before pulling her hands up to her chin and closing her eyes.

Ten minutes later she vaguely heard the sound of feet, but her eyes were heavy and when she heard Connor call out to her she groaned slightly, snuggling further into the sweater.

Connor paused, Oliver behind him with a bowl of soup in his hands. He lowered his voice as he addressed Oliver, "I think she fell asleep."

Chloe grunted, voice muffled, "I'm up." She moved, poking her head out of the top of the blankets. She caught sight of the bowl of soup in Oliver's hands and cringed, "I appreciate the soup, but I'm not hungry hun."

Oliver raised a brow, but kept his face neutral, “Uh-huh... But your body needs fluids and vitamins, so sit up,” he instructed as he walked to the other side of the bed and picked up the book Connor had left for her. He held it out to Connor, and nodded his head toward the chair in the corner, “Why don’t you read the story your mom picked out while I feed her?”

Taking the book, Connor nodded and climbed into the chair, “What story did you pick, Mom? I’ll read it, I practically know most of these by heart.”

Oliver smiled as he sat down carefully on the opposite side of the bed, and shifted slowly, grasping the spoon and stirring the soup as he waited for her to sit up.

Chloe stuck out her bottom lip and glared at Oliver as she whined slightly, "I don't wanna sit up... I'm not hungry, Ollie... The smell is making me nauseous."

Connor chuckled and Chloe shifted in the bed, pulling her body up slowly as she leaned against the headboard, Oliver's sweater swallowing her small frame as she raised an eyebrow at their son. "And what are you laughing at kid?"

She turned her head away from Oliver coughing a few times as Connor grinned, "I don't think I've ever heard you whine. You sound like me when I'm sick."

Chloe snorted, "I'm older... Technically you sound like me when I'm sick."

Connor grinned and pointed to the book, "What story?"

Chloe pursed her lips a thoughtful look on her face, "Umm Sleeping Beauty." Her face softened as Connor opened the book searching for the page it started on. She gave Oliver a sideways glance, her voice low as she leaned her head towards him, voice quiet, "Thank you... But I'm not eating that soup..." She moved back and settled against the pillow, pulling the long sleeves over her hands so they didn't get cold.

Frowning, Oliver dipped the spoon into the bowl before lifting it out to her again, “Set an example for Connor... You just threw up, and your body needs fluids in order for you to get better.”

Connor nodded as he continued to search for the starting page of Sleeping Beauty, “Yup, thats true! You tell me that all the time when I’m sick, Mom.”

Oliver grinned as he inched the spoonful closer to her, holding the bowl carefully underneath it to make sure he didn’t spill anything, “Now open up. Would you prefer choo-choo trains or airplanes?”

Her eyes turned to slits as she glared at Oliver, although her glare wasn't as mean as she intended it to be. Now she had to eat the damn soup.

She whispered so only he could hear, but there wasn't even the tiniest hint of malice in her voice, "I hate you and if I blow chunks I'm aiming for your shirt. I don't like sounds, just put it in," she smiled and opened her mouth.

Oliver smirked, and chuckled low in a whisper, “Well, I can’t say no to an offer like that.” He placed the spoon to her lips, not pulling it away till the last drop was gone. When she swallowed, his eyes fell to her throat, glued at the transaction.

“Once upon a time, in a far away land, there lived a King and Queen, who wanted desperately to have a child,” Connor began reading, and it shook Oliver from his haze.

Blinking, Oliver tore his eyes away from her neck and refilled the spoon with more vegetable soup, holding it out to her as Connor continued reading.

Chloe sat there listening as Connor read, taking his time to sound out the bigger words and she smiled softly. When she was teaching him how to read, they used to take turns with stories all the time, but ever since he passed his grade level for reading they hadn't done that much anymore. She took another spoonful of soup that Oliver held out for her and swallowed before sighing lightly.

It had been a long time since she'd gotten sick and surprisingly having Oliver there was a big help. She didn't plan on taking off work or anything, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about who was going to take care of Connor while she was sick. This way Connor hopefully wouldn't catch whatever it was she had.

Her nose was itchy and she lifted her hand, shaking it slightly so the sleeve was move and she could scratch her nose. When she finally did, she turned her head and spoke softly, "I'm going to have to disinfect this sweater before I give it back to you... Sorry about that. It was the only thing in the kitchen at the time."

She opened her mouth as he held the spoon out yet again as Connor continued to read, "She asked all the fairies in the kingdom to the christening, but unfortunately forgot to invite one of them, who was a bit of a witch as well. She came anyway, but as she passed the baby's cradle, she uttered a curse: 'When you are sixteen, you will injure yourself with a spindle and die!' 'Oh, no!' screamed the Queen in horror. A good fairy quickly chanted a magic spell to change the curse. When she hurt herself, the girl would fall into a very deep sleep instead of dying."

“I’m not worried about my sweatshirt,” Oliver whispered to her as Connor kept reading. “Besides... I think the hoodie looks good on you...” He felt his face heat up lightly, and he cleared his throat, “And its good that its keeping you warm.” Oliver smiled, filling the spoon again and holding it out to Chloe again.

She covered her mouth, letting out a few more coughs before taking the spoonful of soup into her mouth and swallowing, the warm liquid soothing her sore throat. She took a deep breath and rubbed her chest gently.

It hurt from all the coughing and when she tilted her head to the side there was a light smirk on her face, "Of course it looks better on me... Wait you didn't say better did you...?" She trailed off, humor in her tired eyes.

Oliver shook his head, lifting the spoon out to her again, “Shush and eat. Patients should be nice to their nurses.”

Chloe almost spit the soup out at him, but covered her mouth at the last minute and swallowed, letting out a few chuckles before it turned to coughing. When she finally calmed down she winced and rubbed her chest again as she bit her bottom lip, eyebrow arched, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Aww, nurse Ollie, where's your dress?"

Oliver glared at her, “Hey, I only took the nurse role because Connor insisted he had to be the doctor.”

Connor glanced up from his book, catching Oliver’s words, “Well yeah! I’m reading to Mom to make her feel better and you’re assisting me by feeding her soup. So naturally I’m the doctor.” He pulled the book up again, “Now shush, you guys should be listening.”

Oliver raised a brow at Chloe, “See?” He nudged her arm with his elbow lightly, “Now come on, only a few more bites left.”

Chloe turned slightly tilting her head in Oliver's direction, giving him her best puppy eyes that she'd perfected long ago by watching him and pouted, her voice soft with an adorable whine to it, "Ollie, I'm full... Honest. Can't we just pretend I finished it? Please..." She scrunched her nose right as Connor got to the part about the Prince showing up, drawing her attention to him briefly before she smiled at Oliver, "My favorite part is coming up." She covered her mouth as she yawned.

Oliver gave her a doubtful look, but relented and placed the bowl on her nightstand, and then shifted on the bed awkwardly, not sure what to do or if he should move from the bed.

“Oliver,” Connor whined. “I can’t pronounce this word.”

Smiling softly, Oliver pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the chair, and bent his head down, glancing at the book in Connor’s hand, “What word?”

Connor pointed to a long word on the page, “This one.”

“Hmm, hold on.” Placing his hands on both sides of their son, he lifted him up, and sat down in the chair, sitting Connor on his knee as he glimpsed over his shoulder at the page again, “Which word was it?”

“This one,” Connor pointed again.

“Ah, right... That one.” Oliver smiled and started helping Connor pronounce the word out a few times before Connor caught on to the proper sounds of the vowels and continued reading. After finishing the page, he nudged Oliver’s arm, asking him to take a turn and Oliver jumped into character, reading each word with enthusiasm, but with a soft voice.

While Oliver read the last few pages, Connor’s eyes started to slowly drift shut, despite how hard he kept fighting to keep his eyes open. His head lulled over to Oliver’s arm, using it as a pillow, and Oliver smiled but continued reading.

Chloe watched them with bated eyes, warmth pooling in her chest at how perfect they looked together. She couldn't believe she'd spent seven years without this... She wasn't sure how she was going to let Oliver go when the time came that he had to get back to his life, but she'd worry about that later. For once she didn't want to worry... She just wanted to enjoy the illusion of the family she'd never had, but always wanted.

Chloe watched Connor's breathing even out, signalling that he was fast asleep and she could feel her eyes getting heavy. She cleared her throat lightly, fighting another yawn as she called out to Oliver softly. "He's out cold Ollie... Would you mind getting him ready for bed?"

Oliver nodded, carefully shifting and placing the book on the arm of the chair before he lifted Connor against his chest, a small smile resident on his lips as Connor buried his head in Oliver’s chest, tightening his arms around his neck unconsciously.

Taking each step slowly, Oliver walked out of Chloe’s room and down the hallway, carrying their son to his bedroom before laying him down gently on the bed. He went over to the dresser, pulling open a drawer and snatching out a pair of pajamas. He shut the drawer quietly, moving back to the bed as he tried to get Connor up into a seated position so he could switch his shirt.

Stirring, Connor opened his eyes a fraction of an inch, and slid his arms out of his sleeves as Oliver tugged the shirt up and over his head. Connor stifled a yawn before lifting his arms up while Oliver placed the new shirt over his head, as Connor pushed his arms through the sleeves.

“Did I fall asleep before the end of the story?” Connor mumbled through another yawn.

“Yes,” Oliver whispered with a small grin. “But you almost made it to the end.”

Connor shifted, allowing Oliver to pull back the blankets so he could cover him. “Is Mom going to get better?” He murmured, with a yawn following behind his words.

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded to reassure him. “You helped her get better and now she just needs a good nights rest.”

“Good,” Connor yawned again, his eyes slowly falling closed again as his breathing evened back out.

Tucking the blankets around Connor, Oliver told him goodnight, his voice low to not wake him again while he carefully stood up from the bed. He cautiously stepped out the room, slowly sliding the door shut till there was only a crack of light shinning into Connor’s room from the hallway.

He quietly stepped down to Chloe’s room, and approached her beside quietly, pulling the covers up around her, “Connor’s asleep in his bed... Do you need anything?” He murmured softly.

Her eyes had already started to shut again and Oliver's voice drew them open as she attempted to fight off sleep, thinking of all the things she still had to do before work tomorrow. "I..." She paused yawing and snuggling further into the pillow and his sweater.

She managed to pop one eye open, a small grin on her face, voice raspy, but filled with humor, "What, I don't get the end of my story?" She closed her eyes again and scrunched her nose as yet another yawn left her.

Chloe could feel her body finally relaxing, voice barely a whisper as she spoke while starting to drift off to sleep again, "So do the prince and princess live happily ever after?"

Oliver’s face softened as he watched her starting to drift off to sleep, much like their son just had. His throat felt tight, as he tried to swallow and find his voice, “Yeah... They lived happily ever after.”

She nodded into her pillow, a smile playing on her lips as she mumbled into it, though he could still hear her words, "That's why I love fairy tales... No matter what happens in the end... They always live happily ever after..."

She shifted, making part of the blanket fall off her arms as she let out a content sigh. Finally letting sleep claim her, she hoped when she woke up in the more she'd feel better and forget the small slip of words that she couldn't be bothered worrying about right now.

Oliver reached for the blanket again, pulling it up over her again to make sure she was warm. Chloe let out another content sigh and he studied her for a moment as her breathing evened out. She looked more relaxed and a little bit of coloring was returning to her pale face.

He lifted his hand to brush her bangs to the side, when he paused, and returned his hand to his side. Being with Chloe and Connor had been better than he had imagined when he pictured himself having a family with her.

He pursed his lips, realizing there was one thing that he hadn’t gotten right when he had fantasized settling down with Chloe years ago... And that was the absence of a ring on her finger.

Swallowing hard, he leaned over to turn off the lamp on her nightstand, before collecting the soup bowl and tip-toeing out of her bedroom. Shutting the door softly behind him, he headed back downstairs to rinse the bowl before curling up onto the air mattress in the living room; determined to shut off his thoughts once he managed to fall asleep on a bed he never anticipated on needing because unlike Connor’s fairytale book, Oliver didn’t get the happy ending he wanted.

Next Chapter
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Authors note: Unfortunately, sanaazzy 's computer crashed, and there is no banner for chapter fifteen as of yet, hence the late chapter update. My plan was to wait at least another five days hopefully for a banner, but as ihearttvsnark went above her friendly-call of duty by taking my request for a sequel to her awesome fic I'm sure you've all read (or definitely should read) Everybody Loves Me, I wanted to release this update for her as a thank you ♥ You may thank her for the update =)