An Exceptional Young Woman--Part 20/23
Title: An Exceptional Young Woman
Category: Smallville
Rating: Teen/PG13
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: AU, barely detectable OOC
Summary: Chloe gets thrown out of Smallville High, landing her in boarding school, or more specifically, the sister school to Excelsior Academy. What will she think when she meets the young Oliver Queen?
banner by sarcastic_fina
I apologize for the shameful lack of Oliver in this chapter. I promise there will be plenty in the next. I don't know if this was somehow my internal Chlark shipper coming out, or just the fact that I'm more in the mood for friends than lovers the past couple of days. Take it as you will, but either way, I hope you enjoy!
Blue
"Oliver, relax, I'm fine."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come down there?"
Chloe sighed. The amount of damage control she'd had to do after the tornado was bordering on ridiculous, particularly considering she hadn't even begun to actually help clean up yet. Claire had by chance caught on the weather that a huge storm had hit her area of Kansas, naturally alerting Oliver to this fact. She'd spent about half an hour calming Claire down and convincing her that no, she was not now a resident of the Land of Oz, she was still in Kansas. Apparently the fact that the tornado had actually hit Smallville had confirmed all of Claire's worst fears about small towns in the middle of nowhere.
Oliver, while much more rational with his concerns, was no less worked up over it. Especially because Chloe had informed him that she didn't know when she could make it back to school because the airport in Metropolis was in utter tumult. What frustrated Chloe was that with Clark, she technically didn't need the airport, but then, how would she explain how she'd gotten back? It was no use. She'd have to wait it out regardless.
"Yes, Ollie, I'm sure. We'll all be just fine. I need to go check on Lana at the hospital, though. I'll let you know if there's anything you can do. I promise."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Oliver!"
"Okay, okay. Sorry. That news report just freaked me out. It looks awful out there."
You're telling me, Chloe thought miserably. "We'll be fine. Just relax. I'll be back as soon as there's an available flight out of Metropolis, okay?"
"All right. Well, keep me posted."
"I will. Go to class, Ollie."
He grumbled something about going somewhere all right and Chloe rolled her eyes. "Bye, Ollie."
"Bye, Chloe."
She found herself smiling as she hung up.
"And you thought you hated him last fall," came an amused voice from the doorway. Chloe glanced up to see Martha Kent. She was currently in the Kent's kitchen, using their land-line, which was already up and running, unlike the cell tower.
"I think a lot of things," Chloe said in a dignified voice, trying to stop smiling and failing. "I'm just not always as right as I think I am."
"Mmhmm." Martha nodded before heading over to the sink to wash her hands. She'd been helping Jonathan repair the fence while Clark rebuilt the barn when Chloe stopped by. Chloe was relieved for the Kent's sake that they had Clark to help them rebuild, but meanwhile the rest of Smallville was in pretty bad shape.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Chloe offered hopefully.
"You go stop by the hospital to visit Lana and your father--" Chloe's father had gotten a nice little concussion over at the LuthorCorp plant, "--and bring Clark with you before he breaks something."
Chloe raised an eyebrow and Martha glanced at her. "He's so worried about her he's getting careless."
Chloe sighed and nodded. "Of course he is. Well, I'll go ask him. But when I get back, I expect you to put me to work," she added cheerfully, hopping down from the barstool.
"How is everything at your house?"
Chloe shrugged dismissively. "There are workers having a go at our roof, but otherwise we got pretty lucky. No major damage. Just waiting on the electricity to get turned back on."
Martha nodded. "That's a relief. What about the rest of your neighborhood?"
"About the same over all. Most of the damage hit the more rural areas it seems."
It was Martha's turn to sigh. "That it did."
Chloe cringed. The Kents had lost a fair amount of livestock in the weather. Not to mention a lot of their fields had been torn apart.
Well, at least they've got Boy Wonder out there, she looked out the window at the barn. "Yeah, well, I guess we'll be back in a little while. I'll try to get Clark to relax."
"Thanks, Chloe," Martha called after her as she headed out the kitchen door.
"Hey, anything for you, Mrs. K." Chloe let the screen door swing shut behind her.
She breathed in the clean farm air and let loose one more deep sigh. It was amazing. Even in the aftermath of utter disaster, Smallville smelled like...hay, apple-pie, and....meteor rock.
Okay, so the meteors didn't actually have a smell, but still...the eternal sameness was...comforting. She found Clark zipping back and forth through the barn, rebuilding a couple of broken beams, the roof already repaired. He didn't acknowledge her when she walked in, but kept straight on with the repairs until he was finished one minute later.
"Hey, Chloe. How's your dad?"
"He'll be fine. Just a little conk to the head."
"It was a concussion."
She shrugged. "Compared to what some people went through, it barely registers on the Richter scale. He's coming home this afternoon. They just kept him a little late since they had more pressing issues to deal with yesterday. Obviously. I'm about to head over there myself. I thought we'd stop by and check on Lana."
Clark shifted slightly, his attention obviously caught with the last word. Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Clark in love was a lot like candy. Pleasant and sweet in small doses, but after a while it starts to make your mouth sore and your stomach starts questioning why you thought so much of it was a good idea. A small smile graced her lips.
Clark Kent, you're just lucky I love you.
"Come on, super-swain. Let's go see the fair Miss Lang so you can woo her with your big, sappy puppy-dog eyes and your incredible guilt complex."
She started to turn and head to her car, expecting him to follow, but Clark spoke again.
"Chloe, thanks."
She stopped, surprised. "For what?" she turned back, raising an eyebrow.
He shoved his hands in his pockets in an awkward, Clark Kent kind of way. "Being so okay with...me," he finished lamely.
Chloe opened her mouth to give her "I've seen weirder" bit, but he kept talking.
"I mean, I know you're an abnormally open-minded person, but it's just nice to not have to hide. I mean, even knowing what you do, not a lot of people would have been okay with being ditched in the middle of prom and a natural disaster. So...thanks."
Chloe tilted her head to the side, appraising him. "What's bringing this on?"
He looked up at the newly built ceiling of the barn. "I just...all that stuff that happened with Nixon. It reminded me of all the reasons I have to hide, and that's hard. Most kids' parents tell them not to lie, you know? And so it's nice to have someone who knows the whole story and doesn't look at me like--like--"
"Like you're from another planet?" Chloe offered up, laughter in her eyes. She walked up to Clark and rose up on her tiptoes, steadying herself with his shoulders and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Clark, you're my best friend, and I'm not going to let a little thing like you being from outer space change that. Now lets go watch you fail miserably at sweeping the girl of your dreams off her feet. I need a good laugh." This time she did leave him to head for the car and Clark watched her go, shaking his head.
"The honesty thing is great, too!" he called after her, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"You love me!" Chloe said without turning around.
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; Chapter Fifteen; Chapter Sixteen; Chapter Seventeen; Chapter Eighteen; Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty; Chapter Twenty-One; Chapter Twenty-Two; Chapter Twenty-Three; Epilogue
Category: Smallville
Rating: Teen/PG13
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: AU, barely detectable OOC
Summary: Chloe gets thrown out of Smallville High, landing her in boarding school, or more specifically, the sister school to Excelsior Academy. What will she think when she meets the young Oliver Queen?
banner by sarcastic_fina
I apologize for the shameful lack of Oliver in this chapter. I promise there will be plenty in the next. I don't know if this was somehow my internal Chlark shipper coming out, or just the fact that I'm more in the mood for friends than lovers the past couple of days. Take it as you will, but either way, I hope you enjoy!
Blue
"Oliver, relax, I'm fine."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come down there?"
Chloe sighed. The amount of damage control she'd had to do after the tornado was bordering on ridiculous, particularly considering she hadn't even begun to actually help clean up yet. Claire had by chance caught on the weather that a huge storm had hit her area of Kansas, naturally alerting Oliver to this fact. She'd spent about half an hour calming Claire down and convincing her that no, she was not now a resident of the Land of Oz, she was still in Kansas. Apparently the fact that the tornado had actually hit Smallville had confirmed all of Claire's worst fears about small towns in the middle of nowhere.
Oliver, while much more rational with his concerns, was no less worked up over it. Especially because Chloe had informed him that she didn't know when she could make it back to school because the airport in Metropolis was in utter tumult. What frustrated Chloe was that with Clark, she technically didn't need the airport, but then, how would she explain how she'd gotten back? It was no use. She'd have to wait it out regardless.
"Yes, Ollie, I'm sure. We'll all be just fine. I need to go check on Lana at the hospital, though. I'll let you know if there's anything you can do. I promise."
"You're sure you're okay?"
"Oliver!"
"Okay, okay. Sorry. That news report just freaked me out. It looks awful out there."
You're telling me, Chloe thought miserably. "We'll be fine. Just relax. I'll be back as soon as there's an available flight out of Metropolis, okay?"
"All right. Well, keep me posted."
"I will. Go to class, Ollie."
He grumbled something about going somewhere all right and Chloe rolled her eyes. "Bye, Ollie."
"Bye, Chloe."
She found herself smiling as she hung up.
"And you thought you hated him last fall," came an amused voice from the doorway. Chloe glanced up to see Martha Kent. She was currently in the Kent's kitchen, using their land-line, which was already up and running, unlike the cell tower.
"I think a lot of things," Chloe said in a dignified voice, trying to stop smiling and failing. "I'm just not always as right as I think I am."
"Mmhmm." Martha nodded before heading over to the sink to wash her hands. She'd been helping Jonathan repair the fence while Clark rebuilt the barn when Chloe stopped by. Chloe was relieved for the Kent's sake that they had Clark to help them rebuild, but meanwhile the rest of Smallville was in pretty bad shape.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Chloe offered hopefully.
"You go stop by the hospital to visit Lana and your father--" Chloe's father had gotten a nice little concussion over at the LuthorCorp plant, "--and bring Clark with you before he breaks something."
Chloe raised an eyebrow and Martha glanced at her. "He's so worried about her he's getting careless."
Chloe sighed and nodded. "Of course he is. Well, I'll go ask him. But when I get back, I expect you to put me to work," she added cheerfully, hopping down from the barstool.
"How is everything at your house?"
Chloe shrugged dismissively. "There are workers having a go at our roof, but otherwise we got pretty lucky. No major damage. Just waiting on the electricity to get turned back on."
Martha nodded. "That's a relief. What about the rest of your neighborhood?"
"About the same over all. Most of the damage hit the more rural areas it seems."
It was Martha's turn to sigh. "That it did."
Chloe cringed. The Kents had lost a fair amount of livestock in the weather. Not to mention a lot of their fields had been torn apart.
Well, at least they've got Boy Wonder out there, she looked out the window at the barn. "Yeah, well, I guess we'll be back in a little while. I'll try to get Clark to relax."
"Thanks, Chloe," Martha called after her as she headed out the kitchen door.
"Hey, anything for you, Mrs. K." Chloe let the screen door swing shut behind her.
She breathed in the clean farm air and let loose one more deep sigh. It was amazing. Even in the aftermath of utter disaster, Smallville smelled like...hay, apple-pie, and....meteor rock.
Okay, so the meteors didn't actually have a smell, but still...the eternal sameness was...comforting. She found Clark zipping back and forth through the barn, rebuilding a couple of broken beams, the roof already repaired. He didn't acknowledge her when she walked in, but kept straight on with the repairs until he was finished one minute later.
"Hey, Chloe. How's your dad?"
"He'll be fine. Just a little conk to the head."
"It was a concussion."
She shrugged. "Compared to what some people went through, it barely registers on the Richter scale. He's coming home this afternoon. They just kept him a little late since they had more pressing issues to deal with yesterday. Obviously. I'm about to head over there myself. I thought we'd stop by and check on Lana."
Clark shifted slightly, his attention obviously caught with the last word. Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Clark in love was a lot like candy. Pleasant and sweet in small doses, but after a while it starts to make your mouth sore and your stomach starts questioning why you thought so much of it was a good idea. A small smile graced her lips.
Clark Kent, you're just lucky I love you.
"Come on, super-swain. Let's go see the fair Miss Lang so you can woo her with your big, sappy puppy-dog eyes and your incredible guilt complex."
She started to turn and head to her car, expecting him to follow, but Clark spoke again.
"Chloe, thanks."
She stopped, surprised. "For what?" she turned back, raising an eyebrow.
He shoved his hands in his pockets in an awkward, Clark Kent kind of way. "Being so okay with...me," he finished lamely.
Chloe opened her mouth to give her "I've seen weirder" bit, but he kept talking.
"I mean, I know you're an abnormally open-minded person, but it's just nice to not have to hide. I mean, even knowing what you do, not a lot of people would have been okay with being ditched in the middle of prom and a natural disaster. So...thanks."
Chloe tilted her head to the side, appraising him. "What's bringing this on?"
He looked up at the newly built ceiling of the barn. "I just...all that stuff that happened with Nixon. It reminded me of all the reasons I have to hide, and that's hard. Most kids' parents tell them not to lie, you know? And so it's nice to have someone who knows the whole story and doesn't look at me like--like--"
"Like you're from another planet?" Chloe offered up, laughter in her eyes. She walked up to Clark and rose up on her tiptoes, steadying herself with his shoulders and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Clark, you're my best friend, and I'm not going to let a little thing like you being from outer space change that. Now lets go watch you fail miserably at sweeping the girl of your dreams off her feet. I need a good laugh." This time she did leave him to head for the car and Clark watched her go, shaking his head.
"The honesty thing is great, too!" he called after her, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"You love me!" Chloe said without turning around.
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; Chapter Fifteen; Chapter Sixteen; Chapter Seventeen; Chapter Eighteen; Chapter Nineteen; Chapter Twenty; Chapter Twenty-One; Chapter Twenty-Two; Chapter Twenty-Three; Epilogue