Folded Disguises

To this minute, Chloe still didn't know how Lois scored an invite to the biggest Halloween party of the year. She was actually quite convinced that they had snuck in somehow, but all signs pointed towards a legit invite.

It was typical Halloween fare from the looks of things, just with an exaggerated price tag so the Ace of Clubs could justify some sort of exclusivity. Of course, Chloe had no problem hanging back and watching people look like idiots while dressed in costumes that something justified or contradicted their personalities. After all, Chloe was good at blending in while in plain sight, so she grabbed her drink and leaned against a nearby wall, counting the seconds of the night going by in front of her.

That was when she saw him.

He was a prime example of how the mind remembers the weirdest things. It was a split second meeting that happened years ago, but there was something about that night she didn't want to let go. Maybe it was because he saved the files that would accumulate to her biggest story as a reporter, maybe it was something else, but some reason, she felt disappointment when she saw him now, chatting up some bigwigs, no care in the world. But it didn't take long for Chloe to justify that was who Oliver Queen was, among other things, which actually included the owner of the Daily Planet until he inevitably lost it in his divorce.

That particular event was announced two months ago, the two of them filing irreconcilable differences after two years, so here he was, likely exploring the benefits of freedom. A picture a lot different than the person who volunteered to get soaked for her benefit.

But go figure, he as dressed up as something that only amplified the conflicting qualms in her head. Someone who was misunderstood in society, someone who went out of his way to help others, no matter the consequence. While he probably chose the costume because it showed off his arms and allowed him to carry a weapon of some sort, there was a part of Chloe that was convinced that the subliminal messaging behind it may not be so far off.

However, she shook that voice away soon after, knowing that it was just one meeting and one act did not completely define a person. Turning her head, Chloe focused her sights on the rest of the room, trying to survive the night and satisfy her cousin's concern in order to get back to the article she was writing.

~0~

He had been at the party for at least an hour before he saw her enter. The costume was fitting, a nod to older popular culture and a slight protest to the current fads. It was also simple and off-putting to the guys, as she separated from her cousin to settle in the background, drinking her flute without a care in the world.

It would have been nice to see Chloe Sullivan let go for Halloween, but she looked better than the last time he saw her, drenched, slightly defeated as all she wanted was to get home for the night. If circumstances were different, he would have offered her a lift himself, because even after the years that passed, he remembered that night.

Maybe because for once there weren't any judgments or expectations, just two people on the street, him doing something out of the goodness of his heart, her just trying to get by. In the end, the reason never really mattered to Oliver, but he realized that he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers tonight.

Excusing himself from his current conversation, he approached her, expecting for their eyes to meet at some point, but she seemed determined on staring ahead. When he was close enough, he leaned against the wall she was standing by, taking her in before breaking the silence.

"And see, this is why I don't follow current pop culture trends." Chloe's head whirled around to look at him, so he pointed towards the wooden stake in her hand. "You're definitely someone I don't want hunting me. At least… not with that."

Holding back her desire to roll her eyes, Chloe feigned innocence. "Do I know you?"

He pulled back his mask, flashing the smile she had seen in thousands of publications. "You know me from my exploits, my business deals and less than shiny personal record." Chloe nodded, as that was a more accurate depiction than she expected from him. "I know you for a lot of things Miss Sullivan, but I think the only time we've technically met was a certain night in the rain a few years ago." Chloe tried to hide her surprise, but she knew that she was doing a bad job when Oliver's grin widened. "You've come a long way since."

Chloe thought about commenting, but she didn't trust her words, so she turned to face the crowd, sipping from her flute, hoping he'd take the hint and leave.

Except he didn't.

No, instead he walked in front of her. "Don't tell me that you're surprised that I knew the staff of the paper I owned?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe looked up at him. "You weren't exactly present at the Daily Planet." She wasn't a fool, and with his use of past tense, he had practically admitted that it was one of the many things he'd lose to Tess Mercer, so it wasn't like he really cared about owning the paper.

"It was complicated." Or rather, it was the price for actual journalism, as if he hadn't bought the paper, it would have been under the thumb of Lex Luthor. Sure, it had to settle for his bastard sister, but at least Tess would print the truth.

"I'm sure it was," Chloe said after a scoff at the typical cliché. "How is the divorce coming?"

"Should be finalized by the end of the week."

Chloe laughed, as she had long suspected the relationship was bogus, but this pretty much clinched it. "Interesting for a couple so much in love when your wedding splashed around the tabloids."

She was right to laugh, as Oliver knew that Tess and him were a lot of things, but in love… not so much. Their marriage was more a business venture than a romantic endeavour. They pulled the strings they had to, sold the charade, but now it was time to carry on. Tess in charge of the Daily Planet that she didn't have the capital to buy with, Oliver returning to the life he knew. It was a win-win in his book, but there was no way Chloe was getting that story.

So he grinned at her and fired an equally uncomfortable point for her. "Interesting how you're trying to glaze over the fact that you remember that night as well."

Chloe shrugged with an air of innocence. "Not every day does a billionaire abandon his Lambourghini to help a girl who lost her umbrella."

"Do you still have it?"

Her eyes widened initially, wondering why he would ask such a question, but she regained her composure easily. "Would it matter if I did?"

It was Oliver's turn to shrug. "Just harmless curiosity." From there, he stepped out of her view to stand next to her, leaning his back against the wall once more. "Did you know all along?"

"Actually... no," Chloe said, slightly embarrassed of that fact but there were more important matters at the time. "But the car and umbrella gave it away pretty quickly."

"That's a first."

Chloe snorted. "You're saying that you knew it was me all along?"

"Go ahead, don't believe me, but I did." Her eyes had caught his attention from the moment they met his as he had been going through the DP staff files that morning. A simple coincidence, but it made his story true.

However, he could see that Chloe wasn't going to believe him, so he switched the direction of their conversation. "You know, we'd make a great team." Oliver gestured between their costumes. "I handle the snobby rich people, you handle the supernatural."

"You're a snobby rich person."

Oliver laughed at her insinuation. "Trust me, after you talk with half of the people in this room, you'll be dying for my company."

Chloe's eyebrows raised as she suppressed a skeptical laugh. "Did I mention humble too?"

"Yet enough of a gentlemen to risk my car being stolen and pneumonia to help someone in need." Glancing back at her, he wanted to see how she argued against that. "I think that's a fair enough compromise."

Against her better judgment, Chloe nodded. "I suppose there are worse combinations."

Taking his victory, Oliver pushed himself off the wall. "It's been a pleasure Miss Sullivan. Enjoy the rest of your night."

~0~

Having enough to drink and enough of the tireless conversations, Oliver headed towards the elevator, ready to call it a night. Entering it, he hit the lobby button, waiting for the door to close. In fact, he was about to press the button when he noticed a small blonde woman sneak inside.

"Hello again," he said, grin wide on his face as he recognized the woman joining him. She smiled back at him, but she wasn't in the mood to talk apparently. However, that didn't stop Oliver from continuing a conversation. "You lose your cousin?"

"She can handle herself just fine," Chloe said, even though the truth was that Lois had apparently left with a guy an hour ago. Looking back at the text message she had received from Lois, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, but when the elevator arrived at its destination, Chloe saw freedom, so she was quick to leave it, with Oliver not far behind.

"Do you need a lift back to wherever it is you're going?"

"The offer's appreciated," Chloe replied as she turned her head over her shoulder, "but I can manage just fine too."

Oliver figured as much, but after their last encounter, he figured it didn't hurt to ask. However, before he had a chance to say anything else, he felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. "Excuse me."

Chloe nodded, as that call couldn't have been better timed. She didn't want to have him see that she did still have the umbrella, but if the view from where she was standing was any indication, the rainstorm that was reserved for tonight had decided to delay its presence for awhile.

So she took her coat and walked outside, ready for the brisk air and a nice walk home. If it decided to rain after all, so be it. A little bit of rain never hurt anyone.

~0~

Hanging up the phone, Oliver wasn't overly surprised to see that Chloe was no longer accompanying him, but he had every intention of going home, so he headed towards the coat check.

The lady was quick to come back with his coat, passing it to him gently. "Mr. Queen, the young lady who was accompanying you out of the elevator said to give you this." Leaning down, she placed the umbrella on the counter. "She mentioned that there was more where this came from, so she thought you might want to use it."

"Thank you," he said, tipping the woman generously before heading towards the doors. After a few steps, Oliver put the umbrella in his quiver as he continued to walk down the street, as he could have taken a cab, but he couldn't stop thinking about the night he first met Chloe Sullivan. It was simple, innocent, two words that rarely described events in his life. Then tonight, a completely different side of them had come out and Oliver wasn't entirely sure that he was opposed to either memory.

However the irony wasn't lost on him as he entered his building and noticed that the raindrops had begun to fall down. He only hoped that Chloe got home before it got much worse, but that was her choice and there wasn't anything he could do this time.

~0~

Standing at her window, Chloe sipped her coffee as she watched the rainstorm beat the streets and the windows. Take out the thunder and lightning in the air and it looked oddly like the night she first met Oliver Queen. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about that, but she chalked it up to a coincidence, the back cover of two chance meetings. The umbrella was back in his hands, and once the divorce was finalized, he had no reason to stay in the city anymore.

Chloe chalked that up as a victory, as compared to her past experience with billionaires, this one at least had a satisfying end to both parties. So with a smirk, she moved away from the window and back to the piece she was working on. She had a deadline to meet and the real world didn't stop because Chloe decided to reminisce over a few memories.

But after a few minutes of typing, Chloe stopped to glance at the storm once more, grinning at the sight in front of her before returning to her work.

~End~

Sera's Scribbles: This was not supposed to happen. I blame the fact I wanted to write one holiday fic that wasn't based around New Year's and dropping the ball on my Valentine's Day piece (which I have every intention of doing in 2014). And I'm not entirely sure this even counts as a Chlollieween fic, but… roll with it.