A/N - Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted, favorited, etc. It means a lot that there is a good deal of interest in this story. If you like it and have an opinion, please let me know what you think. I respond to all messages and reviews on my stories. Again, I'm trying to stay true to the spirit of the characters here, so feedback on how I'm doing is greatly appreciated :)
Chloe tried to push through her sleep deprivation the next morning. It had been a long night spent hacking the facility in Germany; they'd had a scare when an unanticipated failsafe had popped up, trapping Victor in the control room he had gained access to. Chloe had to call upon all of her skills to bypass it, allowing Victor to make an escape before the guards arrived. In the end Victor had accessed the mainframe while the others set the charges to blow the main lab facility. There had been no prisoners to release this time; it seemed that this facility had been used strictly for research and not for observation and testing.
Chloe had taken advantage of Oliver's offer to stay at the penthouse that night rather than making the drive back to Smallville. She'd started her morning by attending a journalism class, followed by a meeting with her advisor. They were nearing the end of the term and he'd wanted to talk to her about the classes she planned to register for during the next term. She looked over the class list once more, wondering how she would manage to make it work with all of her other responsibilities. She was already operating on an average of 5-6 hours of sleep on any given day.
She stifled a yawn as she made a stop at her favorite coffee shop for her usual almond mocha. She picked up the copy of the Daily Planet at the counter and flipped through it to find the article she had completed the day before. Her brows drew together as she looked once and then again, failing to find what she was searching for. On her third pass through the pages she felt anger and frustration building within her. It appeared that Lex had exercised his editorial rights again, electing not to use the piece she'd spent the past three days working on. He'd been doing that a lot lately, making sure she was only assigned unimportant research articles. She knew it was a power play and he enjoyed keeping her under his thumb. Not for the first time, she considered abandoning her internship with the Daily Planet. It was tempting, but she'd be damned if she let Lex see that he was getting to her.
Her mood now thoroughly in the black, she pushed open the doors of the Planet and took the elevator to the basement, heading toward her desk with clacking steps that emphasized her aggravation. She paused as she neared her desk to find a huge arrangement of tulips waiting for her, as well as a small, wrapped package. It wasn't her birthday or Valentine's Day - there was no occasion she could think of that would warrant gifts. She set her coffee on the desk and plucked the card from its spot near the base, thinking maybe she'd misjudged Jimmy's ire the previous evening.
An impulsive friend told me that tulips were your flower of choice - I hope he was right. Thanks again for your help last night, we couldn't have done it without you. I hope you took advantage of my offer to stay at the penthouse. Feel free to use it whenever you'd like. If you're feeling the loss of sleep this morning, the other package should help.
Ollie
Chloe opened the package, wondering what he could possibly have sent her. Her jaw dropped when she spied the premium coffee label staring back at her. This was the kind of coffee she dreamed about but rarely had a chance to sample, given her budget. He's certainly found a way to this girl's heart, she thought with a smile. She couldn't wait to get home so she could have the chance to brew a pot. Her musings were interrupted when she saw Jimmy approaching her desk. He looked upset - no, he looked downright angry. She felt a knot of anxiety form in her stomach as she wondered what she'd forgotten this time.
His expression grew darker as he noted the expensive coffee that Chloe was holding. Nodding toward the flowers, he asked, "So, coffee and flowers are the going rate for computer programming assistance? Kind of hard to make the rent with that, isn't it?"
Chloe's brows drew together. "You read the card? That is not ok, Jimmy. Why would you go snooping through my things?"
Jimmy snorted. "You have to ask? Come on, Chloe, it's not like last night's cancelled plans were the first and they probably won't be the last. I thought Clark was my biggest worry and now you're getting personal calls and flowers from a billionaire playboy. What am I supposed to think?"
"I don't know, Jimmy - that I'm telling you the truth when I say it was business?"
Jimmy laughed. "Business - the kind that apparently compels him to hand over a key to his penthouse? Which is where I'm guessing you were last night since you weren't at home."
"He wasn't even there, Jimmy. He gave me the keycard so I could use his computers for a work-related purpose. And yes, I stayed because I was working on the program until nearly 4:00 this morning, so I'm tired and not in the mood to appreciate the Olsen version of the Inquisition."
"But you are in the mood for him - don't think I didn't notice how fast you ran out of here when he called last night." Jimmy's voice was rising and Chloe glanced around the room, noticing that several of their co-workers were now showing a lot of interest in what was going on between them.
"Are you listening to yourself? Do you really think that I'm having a long distance, clandestine affair with Oliver Queen?" She could see his expression shift slightly as he acknowledged the ludicrousness of that statement. Ok, so it was slightly galling how ludicrous it actually was, but surely Jimmy had to see that his suspicions were completely unfounded.
"Chloe, what I think is that I really have no idea what's going on in your life. Fine, maybe you really were helping him with business, but you can't tell me that your relationship isn't friendlier than that. He clearly feels comfortable enough to send personal gifts and I don't think the fact that he dated your cousin two years ago quite explains that. If you're friends then why do I feel like it's something you were hiding?"
Chloe opened her mouth to try and explain, only to close it again. How much to tell him and how much to hide? It was always the same question and meanwhile the knot in her stomach was growing to epic proportions. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw Clark and Lois exiting the elevator. "Oh, God," she muttered. "Jimmy, can we talk about this later?"
Jimmy gestured angrily at the flowers on her desk. "No, we'll talk about it now. I'm tired of waiting for later."
"Jimmy, this isn't really the time or the place," she said as she watched the approach of her cousin and her best friend. She really didn't need either of them witnessing their argument.
Jimmy followed her gaze. "Why, because of Clark? Maybe he needs to hear this too, Chloe, because I'm tired of coming in dead last in your life and as far as I can tell, he's a big part of that problem."
Chloe raised a hand to her throbbing temple and took a calming breath. "It's not like that."
"Then tell me what it's like," he insisted. "Go on Chloe, this should be good." There was dead silence in their section of the newsroom at this point and Chloe saw Lois's expression veering toward antagonistic as she got close enough to hear Jimmy yelling at her.
"Jimmy, please," she hissed, stepping close enough to put her hand on his arm, only to have him jerk away from her, sending her stumbling back a step. Suddenly Clark was there, a concerned expression on his face, while Lois marched straight up between Jimmy and Chloe.
"What the hell, Olsen?" she demanded angrily.
"Exactly what I've been asking Chloe," he shot back. "Only she never has any answers for me."
"Have you been bodysnatched or did you just do a whole lot of drugs this morning?" Lois looked like she was contemplating taking a swing at Jimmy as Chloe stepped forward and linked her arm firmly with Lois'.
"Lois, we really don't need the intervention." Chloe smiled brightly before turning to Clark. "What brings you two down here today?"
Clark shifted his gaze between Chloe and Jimmy. "Lois has that interview, remember? We were going to have lunch afterward."
"Oh, right - sorry, with everything going on lately I guess I forgot." Chloe rubbed her temple again, the knot in her stomach growing teeth and claws as it settled in. She looked over at Jimmy and said, "Maybe another day would be better..."
"Oh don't cancel on my account," Jimmy interrupted with a harsh laugh. "We're done here, so take your flowers and your fancy coffee and have a great life. Oh and Clark, you have some competition now so don't be surprised when she flakes on you too."
Lois tried to go after him but Chloe pulled her back. "Lois, I really don't think you going after him is a good idea."
"Oh, I think it's a great idea. Who the hell does he think he is, yelling at you like that? And did he just break up with you in the middle of the newsroom, in front of everyone, while accusing you of - ok, I have no idea what he was accusing you of, but it's not ok, Chloe!"
Chloe shot Clark a pleading look. "Clark, a little help here?"
Clark opened his mouth but Lois interrupted. "Yeah, Smallville, how about you put those hay-bale toting muscles to work - not that I really need any help kicking that scrawny photographer's a-"
"Ok! Lois, you have an interview remember? Can we please just talk about this later?" Chloe glanced around at their audience. "If we keep this up here, they're going to start selling tickets and popcorn."
Lois put her hands on her hips as she regarded her little cousin. "Fine, but we're talking about this as soon as I'm done with that interview."
Chloe watched as Lois walked away before turning back to her desk and sitting down, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "Well that was fun," she said wryly.
Clark sat next to her and leaned forward as she opened her eyes. "What's going on? What I just saw - that definitely wasn't like Jimmy."
Chloe saw his eyes taking in the flowers on her desk and the coffee she was holding, his gaze questioning. She sighed and handed him the card that came with the flowers.
Clark read the card and then lifted his gaze back to hers. "This is because of Oliver?"
"It's because of all of it, Clark - you, Oliver, the whole complicated mess. Have you ever stopped to think about how all of that affects my life? I mean, I just got dumped - publicly, I might add - by Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy, one of the nicest, most laid back guys I've ever met now hates me and I will forever be known as the girl who turned him into a paranoid jerk." She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes again. "This officially ranks in the top five worst days of my life - and that's saying something, considering how many bad days I've had growing up in Smallville." Chloe took another deep breath and stood, grabbing her coat and purse.
"Where are you going?" Clark asked.
"Can you just tell Lois I'll see her at home? I can't stay here right now and I'm definitely not hungry. I just need some time to myself to think, ok?" She didn't wait for an answer as she headed for the elevators. What she really needed was sleep - maybe if she rested for a couple of hours she'd be ready to handle the questions she was sure Lois would have. She had almost made it out the front doors of the Planet when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She stopped, turning to see Lex approaching her with a smirk on his face.
"I heard I missed quite the performance downstairs, Ms. Sullivan, so I thought I would remind you that this is the Daily Planet, not a sideshow."
Chloe forced a careless smile. "And here I thought we could be your followup act, Lex. A few tattoos on your head and you could certainly pass for The Enigma."
His smile disappeared as he regarded her coldly. "Careful - you're not so high up on the food chain here that you can afford to insult the boss. Your work has been subpar at best lately. The article you turned in yesterday wasn't really up to my standards."
"My work isn't the problem Lex - and we both know you don't have standards. I'm a good journalist and your petty power plays aren't going to change that." She turned to walk away, only to stop as Lex called after her.
"You may be a good journalist, but it will be hard to convince people of that without a byline. I'm sensing that most of your articles won't meet the journalistic standard of this publication."
Chloe looked back at him; he was enjoying this, that much was clear. Before she could lose her nerve, she said, "Then I guess I should thank you for your help with my decision."
A smile played at the corners of his lips again. "And what decision would that be?"
"I quit." Holding her head high, she walked out the doors of the Daily Planet, praying she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.
We have more Chlollie coming up - I just need time to set up the story so that the reasons behind Chloe's later decisions are clear to all. Oliver will be making his debut by Chapter 4 at the latest. But first, Chloe has a heart-to-heart with both Lois and Clark, and Lois has a life-changing suggestion for Chloe. I'll have it up soon :)