Of Motility and Backup Methods
Chloe shifted uncomfortably on the exam table as she waited for Emil to return. She glanced down at her phone and tapped out a message to Oliver letting him know that they were still on for lunch but that she might be a few minutes late.
She looked up as Emil walked in and closed the door. He cleared his throat, and he seemed to be looking at her rather warily. She felt a prickle of unease. "You're not about to tell me I'm dying, are you?" She thought the joke would lighten the mood, but Emil only smiled at her rather awkwardly.
"Chloe, you changed your birth control pills about two months ago, correct?" He pushed his glasses up and glanced down at her chart again.
Chloe's brows drew together as she answered him. "Yes. I know it's a low dose pill, but when my period was late and then spotty, I assumed the switch was the problem. I thought I should check with you to see if I needed to change my prescription."
Emil sighed and looked at her. "The pill isn't the problem, Chloe. You're pregnant."
Chloe's mouth formed a perfect "O" of shock. It took her a full minute to respond. "I'm what?"
"You're pregnant. I'd say perhaps 4-6 weeks, but we'll need to do an ultrasound to be precise."
"Ok, no – that's not possible," Chloe replied firmly.
Emil's brows rose. "You're not currently sexually active?"
Chloe felt the blush creeping up her cheeks. "I… ok, yes, but we're really careful. As in backup method careful." She could feel the little shock waves reverberating throughout her body in the wake of Emil's announcement. How was this possible?
Emil consulted her chart again. "I recall that you had a mild flu around the same time that you changed your birth control prescription. We discussed the fact that certain medications can make your birth control pills less effective."
"We also use condoms," she said, her voice rising slightly. She took a deep breath in an attempt to quell the panic that was causing her stomach to roll unpleasantly.
"Which have at least a 2% failure rate. Chloe, I'm sure you realize that the only foolproof birth control method is abstinence. No matter how careful you were, it doesn't change the fact that you're pregnant."
"I just always assumed that the 2% failure rate was mostly teenagers who didn't use them correctly. Are you seriously telling me that even though I used two – and sometimes three – methods of birth control, they all failed? Simultaneously?" Her head felt like it was going to explode. How was she supposed to tell Oliver that she was pregnant? They weren't even in a solid relationship, and she was pretty sure that 'Baby Daddy' responsibilities weren't part of the friends with benefits package. And while it was true that they had grown much closer in recent months, especially after her kidnapping by Checkmate and his run-in with Zod, she wasn't ready to test the waters with something so serious.
Emil cleared his throat again. "Frequency of your sexual activities can make a difference too. You're at a prime age for fertility, and if your partner is also in his prime an accidental pregnancy is much more likely. You're both young and healthy, and healthy males in prime physical condition usually have very motile sperm."
"Oh God," Chloe said suddenly. "You know, don't you? About me and Oliver." Her face felt like it was on fire now. Somehow the idea that Emil had guessed that she and Oliver were jumping each other at every possible opportunity was painfully embarrassing, and hearing the words 'motile sperm' come out of his mouth only intensified the feeling.
Emil gazed at her sympathetically. "I guessed, but I wasn't absolutely certain. You've been spending so much time together lately, and Oliver is always at Watchtower with you. I sensed that something had changed."
Neither of them spoke for a long moment. Finally Emil said, "Chloe, you do have options if you feel that this is not what's best for you at the moment."
His words jolted Chloe out of her mental ramblings, and her hands drifted down to her still flat stomach. "I don't think I could do that." Regardless of how it had happened, she didn't think she had it in her to get rid of her baby. And not just her baby – hers and Oliver's. She suddenly wondered what it would look like. Definitely blonde, but would it have brown eyes or green? Would it be a boy or a girl? Her mind spun with questions, and she took a shaky breath to try and get herself back under control.
She listened to Emil as he gave her instructions for the first trimester of her pregnancy. She accepted the prescription for prenatal vitamins, and she also made an appointment for an ultrasound the following day. As she was leaving the hospital, she sent Oliver a message that she wasn't feeling well and was going to head back to Smallville for the rest of the day. She knew she would have to talk to him soon, but she needed to wrap her own mind around this new development first.
Chloe was fighting a vague queasiness when she arrived at Watchtower the following morning. Although she was running later than usual, she was still surprised to find Oliver waiting for her. Oh God, I am so not ready for this, she thought. With sleep eluding her the previous night, she had finally decided that she would wait until after her ultrasound to tell Oliver the news. They could go to his penthouse and order in, maybe watch a movie, and then she would tell him – ease him into what was going to be a shock.
"Hey, how are you feeling this morning?" Oliver held up a coffee tray, grinning at her. "I know you said it was just a headache when I talked to you, but I wanted to check on you this morning. I also brought coffee and those little pastries you like from the bakery near my place."
"I'm pregnant." Or you can just blurt it out like that – nice going, Sullivan. Chloe sighed and sank into her chair in front of the bank of monitors. And here we go.
Oliver stared at her blankly. "What?"
"I'm pregnant. Emil told me yesterday."
"But we were careful," Oliver said, his expression still shocked.
"I'm aware, but as Emil pointed out, nothing's completely foolproof." Chloe was proud of herself. She actually sounded calm and in control of the situation, the exact opposite of how she was really feeling. Funny how we can sit around and discuss alien invaders and end-of-the-world scenarios on a daily basis, but the word 'baby' turns both our brains inside out.
"But we used backup methods. And then there were the times that you had backup methods for the backup methods. I mean, you were like the gestapo on that subject – the birth control Nazi." Oliver appeared to be having just as much trouble processing the news as she had the previous day.
"I know!" Chloe glared at him, feeling her calm façade begin to crack. "I think Emil was right – this is your fault."
Oliver looked at her strangely. "Ok, I think 'fault' is maybe not…"
Chloe interrupted him. "No, it's your fault – you and your super sperm!" She stood up, crossing her arms as she frowned at him.
"My what now?" Despite the situation and his surprise regarding her announcement, Oliver suddenly felt the strangest urge to laugh. "Emil did not say… wait, he knows about us?"
"Fine, he used the term 'motile sperm' but it's the same thing. And yes, he guessed that you're the father." Chloe started pacing. "You know, if you were a normal guy who ate pizza and pork rinds, instead of all those healthy protein shakes, maybe your super sperm wouldn't have wiggled around all of the birth control. And I know you've been sneaking wheat germ and God knows what else into my food – you corrupted my diet and probably made me more fertile. Stupid healthy diet, and you and your super…"
"Please don't say 'super sperm' again," Oliver said, his mouth twitching as he watched Chloe pace back and forth in front of him.
Chloe stopped suddenly in front of the sofa and sat down, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry. But in case you were wondering, I'm freaking out about this."
Like everything else about Chloe Sullivan these days, her words tugged at Oliver's heart. He sat down beside her and pulled her hands away from her face. "Hey, it'll be ok. You know that right?"
"But this was not part of our plan, Ollie. I mean, this is huge and scary and life altering. Something like this was never meant to be a part of what we have. We said no strings, and this – this is definitely a string."
Her eyes were enormous as she looked up at him, and Oliver felt an overwhelming wave of emotion toward the petite blonde at his side. He reached up and pushed her hair back behind her ear, loving the way her eyes darkened as his fingers trailed lightly down the side of her neck. "Chloe, let's be honest. Yes, we said no strings in the beginning, but I think we both know we moved past that a while ago. And no, we haven't defined our relationship, put the boyfriend/girlfriend labels out there, but it's still a relationship. In fact, it's the best relationship I've ever had… with anyone. And I care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone else."
Chloe didn't say anything for a moment, but then she reached out and took his hand. She began to trace the lines on his palm, and he watched her small fingers moving back and forth across his hand. "I care about you too," she finally said softly. "More than I tell you."
Oliver turned his hand over to grasp hers as he ducked his head to look at her. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." She met his gaze then and smiled.
He reached out to rest his other hand lightly against her stomach. "And there's really a baby in there?"
She nodded, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She seemed calmer now, and he stroked his hand lightly over her stomach. "How pregnant are you exactly?"
"Emil said probably 4-6 weeks. I have to go in for an ultrasound this afternoon. He'll be able to determine the due date after that."
"I want to go with you. For the ultrasound, I mean. Is that ok?"
Chloe squeezed his hand. "Of course, but I thought you said you have a board meeting this afternoon."
"I'll reschedule it." When Chloe looked like she would protest, Oliver cut her off. "Chloe, this is important, and I want to be there to support you. It's my baby, too. It's our baby."
Chloe leaned against him and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his body. They sat quietly for a few minutes, Oliver's hand still moving across her stomach in a gentle caress.
"We can handle this, right?" Chloe's quiet voice broke the stillness of the moment.
Oliver tightened his arm around her. "We've handled everything else the Universe has thrown at us. Maybe we didn't plan it, but it's still not a bad thing. Not to me, anyway. We just have to be ready to wade into the deep end together." He tilted her head up and kissed her, rubbing his nose against hers affectionately. "So, you all in Sidekick?"
Her green eyes sparkled as she reached up to trace his jaw with her fingers. "All in," she replied.
A/N: Yeah, I know, that ending is pure mush lol. I needed an antidote for the angst I'm currently editing in Shadows and Letting Go. I know I'm behind on updating, but I was teaching extra classes in January and my schedule got kind of crazy. This one-shot popped into my head yesterday – no Beta, so if you notice any glaring errors please tell me. It's possible I will make this a series of one-shots following Chloe's pregnancy, like an AU Season 10 – my best friend back home is pregnant right now, so my head is full of baby things. If you have suggestions for scenarios you might like to see as part of a one-shot series, let me know. Thanks to all who read and review! :)