A/N: Okay, this story is finally finished. *Throws Confetti* It took me awhile, especially since I started this before A Petty Squabble. Blame the writers block! It's long, so I've decided to present it as a two-shot, as in two parts, but you probably already knew that ^_^.

Warning: I don't read comic books, so if things seem vague, this is exactly why.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own anything, and I don't think I could afford to.

Checkmate

She turned the miniature object in her hand, watching as the light leaking through the window played off it. It was tainted with bits of dirt locked in nooks and crannies no cleaning tool could ever reach, not even one purchased from Queen Industries. Somehow, that didn't matter.

This tiny inanimate object, missing from the set it belonged to, meant more to her than all the riches in the world. Even if those riches included her own personal satellite that she could use to do the job she was destined for all long. To think she wanted to be a reporter all her life. Chloe shook her head, what she had really wanted was to bring truth to the world, and justice. And with the JL, she could do just that.

She set the tiny queen statue upon a stack of papers she had just alphabetized. Typed sheets showered with red markings and strikethroughs. Lois's drafts of various Daily Planet articles that more often than not Clark had contributed to. She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears that threatened to find a way out. She'd been doing that a lot this past year-crying. The moment when she had found a little happiness, it was once more pulled from under her feet. Why was life so cruel? Why was life so cruel to her? She gave the chess piece a final squeeze before unraveling her fingers from the object.

He had told her that she had saved both the myth and the man. She had pushed him over the ledge in order to bring him back. How was she going to do that now? Life was making it out to be impossible. She had no idea where he was…how he was. She pressed a finger to her temple, some sort of feeble attempt to regain composure. It worked…a mere few minutes before a hiccup erupted from her throat that sounded more like a sob. It was amazing how she still had tears in her after all the crying she'd been doing lately. Amazing.

"Chloe?"

This time, she did hiccup, and nearly choked on her sob as she turned herself to face the visitor. Scratch that, she was another resident. Her family. Her Lois. "Lo…"

"Why are you standing around in the dark, dear cuz? We left the Dark Ages behind a long time ago."

Her face twisted. In a normal situation, she would have challenged the older female. Make her pick at her brain to try and prove to Chloe that she knew the years the Dark Ages had loomed over Europe, but this wasn't a normal situation. It was a dire one. So she let out a huff, swiped a hand over her bangs, sweeping them to the side, and blinked back the tears staining her eyes glassy. She feigned a smile, scanning the gray mist coating the space in semi-darkness. Had it gotten that late already? "I lost track of time."

"What were you doing?"

"Organizing."

Lois didn't buy it. She had bitten down onto her lip, staring back at the petite blonde with eyes narrowed like a hawk as if she could see right through her. It wasn't Chloe she was staring at, the girl noted, as she followed her cousin's gaze, it was the chess piece. The queen. The queen Oliver had given her for saving him…God, why did everything have to go back to him?

She promised herself to not get attached. She had teased him for falling for her, when in reality, she was doing the same. How could she not have noticed it? She was usually smarter than that. He was gone. It was all her fault. Chloe bit down onto her lip, hard, trying her best to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't, she thought pathetically as she forced her shoulders from quaking, not in front of Lois. She couldn't.

The saint that Lois was, and it was a word Chloe used lightly, Lois didn't make any indication of what she had seen. Besides, it was just a stupid chess piece. In the end, it really was just a trinket from a game both girls were terrible at. Then, why did she still hold onto it? Even before she had started that relationship with Oliver, why had she held onto it? Because he told her he saved her? Had that flutter to her heart and smile to her lips been the reason? Or even then were her feelings for Oliver alive, just buried? Instead, bless her soul, Lois brought the one thing that caused a legitimate, even if it was tiny, smile to make its way across Chloe's lips.

"Coffee fix," she grinned, holding forth one of two cups, "Almond Mocha. My reporter skills have made it apparent that it's your favorite."

"Or the fact that I'm your roommate," the blonde pointed out, taking the cup and folding back the flap to the lid as she automatically gave a slight jerk of the head.

"You're a mess," Lois stated over the rim of her cup.

Chloe swallowed, trying to sink the lodged lump in her throat to no avail. That had hit home. She squeezed the polystyrene cup in her hand tighter, only to keep it from slipping between her fingers. Her lip quivered and she broke down right in front of Lois. This wasn't a normal situation; it wasn't a normal situation at all. She was the composed one, the one that never fumbled. She had learned how to shield her emotions, something Oliver had unintentionally taught her while she got him to open up a bit more. Lois delivered whatever she was feeling, and if it was rage, the receiving end got the worst of it. Her tears made the audience want to comfort her. Chloe, on the other hand, was great at comforting herself. How had she let this slipup occur?

The brunette set down her cup of coffee, wishing she had sought to bring along a maple doughnut, not for herself, but for Chloe. If anyone could use sugar, it was her sweet little Chloe. There was nothing sweet or little about the situation at hand. Chloe was a mess, and for once, Lois's gut was failing her. She had no idea of what to do. "This is why normal people don't fall for heroes, kido," Lois whispered kindly, stroking the girl's hair.

"I'm not normal," Chloe stammered between a gulp of breath, "and I never have been. I was his hero, I was his guardian angel."

"He told you that?"

Chloe nodded.

At least, Lois assumed it was a nod.

"I didn't want attachments. I wanted no strings, no labels."

"Like I said before," Lois chuckled, "this is a relationship, Chloe, not a spelling bee." It was strange to have their roles reversed. Chloe was the one that comforted her. Chloe was the one that gave her advice, but now, here Lois stood, doing just that to Chloe. "You're way too young to be going through all this in this short span."

She giggled, as bitter as it may have been, but she giggled. "Life works out the way it wants to."

"And what about making your own destiny?"

Chloe tore herself away from her cousin's embrace. "If I had the slightest bit of choice, I'd be living your life."

The taller girl frowned. "I thought you wiser, Chlo. No you wouldn't. You've always been meant for more than reporting."

"And have your clairvoyant abilities told you that?"

"My gut instinct…or rather you. You've always been the strong one; I've always been the screw up."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. She gathered a clump of the mess atop her head before dropping it all together. "You're no screw up, Lois. You're smart, independent, and you follow your heart. It's how I've always seen you; my smart, driven, and beautiful cousin."

Lois waved her hand, a playful grin to her lips. "Keep going," she told Chloe as her sweet worded speech had ended, "I'd like to hear more about me."

Chloe, however, catching up with her cousin's current Cheer-Up-Chloe-Scheme, shook her head. The brief smile that had consumed her lips was replaced with a frown. "Nice try."

"Bummer," was all Lois had managed to say. She leaned back against the counter, folding her arms and staring back at the blonde who was once more wiping tears from her face. It was rather heart wrenching. Chloe Sullivan had been through a lot, and Lois wasn't thinking that lightly. Between Jimmy's death, the Davis fiasco, which was the reason behind Jimmy's death, and now Ollie, this was too much to handle for anyone. "It's not fair."

Chloe stared back at Lois for a moment as if she could see the cogs in her brain turning, deciphering yet another way to try and stamp a smile across the blonde's lips. Even Lois should have learned by now that the only way Chloe was going to smile again was if Oliver Queen magically waltzed through the door of the girls' Talon Apartment. "No, its not," Chloe added, placing her cup of coffee behind her, empty cup of coffee to be exact. Now, that was a fast finish, even for a coffee addict.

"How about we…"

"Watchtower is down," the blonde cut Lois off, "I've lost everything. It'll take days to even…"

"But that satellite Oliver gave you…"

"Is still running." Chloe didn't see the point in that. Without the computers, Oliver's gift was pretty much useless at this point.

"Well, standing here isn't going to bring him back, Chlo."

"Don't you think I know that? I just don't know what to do. I told you I didn't want to get attached. This is exactly why."

With a huff, Lois walked towards her. "You should have known from the start that when you go in with Oliver, he's going to sweep you off your feet." Her eyes settled kindly upon her younger cousin's heart shaped face. "Besides, this lack of relationship you got yourself into, it was never you. You need definitions, Chloe, you need labels."

She pressed the tip of her finger against her forehead. "But with Oliver, I could lose what I needed…"

Lois, however, shook her head, disagreeing. "Trust me Chlo, Oliver knows you better than anyone, even Clark. He knew exactly what he was getting into."

Chloe let out a deep breath. Did Lois not understand that this was not helping her aching heart in the least? The look of pity she was throwing into the mix was making it worse. "Just go, Lo…"

Lois blinked. "I live here."

"Please," she stated in a tone that was on the verge of pleading, "just go."

"Fine," the brunette said with a shake of her head, "but giving up is not you. Maybe Oliver was wrong; you're not as strong as you let on." That was harsh, and Lois knew it, but sometimes people had to be pushed over the edge in order to bounce back, and Chloe was no exception. She walked towards the door, catching Chloe eyeing the chess piece from the corner of her eye. Lois squared her shoulders. "In chess, the Queen is the King's greatest ally. You've been Oliver's greatest ally, Chloe, and he'll never forget that, so you shouldn't either." The brunette didn't bother waiting for Chloe's reaction, but if the sniffle or sob she heard was any indication, then Chloe had taken the words to heart.

She stepped towards the door, placing her hand upon the knob. She guessed she could discuss the Chloe situation with Clark. Together, the dynamic duo could come up with some sort of incentive to cheer up one of their most treasured friends. Just as she was about to turn the knob, it rattled, twisting around her hand. A smile of relief coursed through her lips as she pulled her hand away, letting the person on the other end take the liberty of opening the door. "Smallville, I was hoping you'd show…"

A/N: I left off on a cliff hanger, I think…Anyways, please share your thoughts and opinions, it would be much appreciated. Part II will most likely be up tomorrow. I really hope you guys enjoyed the Chlo-lo interaction!