The Beginning in the End

Chapter 7

Tess blinked at first.

His words refused to sink into her head and they sure as hell were not going to sink into her heart. She was not sure what was happening but there was no way that she heard him correctly.

"What did you just say because I know what I think you said but there is no way that you actually said-"

"I love you." Oliver said.

His smile warmed her heart in the same way that his words pissed her off.

A lot.

"Who do you think you are?" She asked him and if she was fully in control of her body then she would have smacked him across the face just for good measure.

But an incredulous look just appeared on his face as he replied, "Excuse me?"

She threw her arms up in exasperation. "Who do you think you are? You waltz in here, a married man, and you just announce you love me like it's five years ago? Who in the hell do you think you are Oliver, the last man on earth?"

But Oliver was undeterred. "I don't think I am the last man on earth and I know that things have changed but I also know with absolute certainty that I love you."

Tess just shook her head and stared at him. She would have never believed him to be this cruel but here he was kicking her while she was down simply because he was having another one of his emotional mood swings. But she was not going to fall for it and she sure as hell was not going to let her hurt or her hope show.

She took a deep breath. "You know Oliver; you may want to speak to my doctor because you're confusing you're words. You're saying 'I love you' but what you're supposed to be saying is 'I am sorry' and you know that those sort of problems could be signs of a deeper issue going on inside of your brain… but oh wait. They can't fix stupid."

Tess smirked and Oliver looked down at his shoes with a look of indignation on his face and his snapped his fingers together a few times. She knew that she was getting to him but she had to give him credit because he was obviously resisting the urge to give into her taunts.

It made no difference. She would just have to keep trying. "Of course, maybe you're not stupid. You must just think I am because you think I am going to believe your lies."

And his head snapped up and he was looking at her with a fierce passion that almost punched her in the gut because it was just so sincere.

He stepped closer to her until he was standing next to her bed.

"I am not lying to you. I love you. Why can't you just believe me?"

Tess turned her head away from him because his sincerity was starting to chip away at her defense with his words. She really couldn't acknowledge the possibility that he might be serious. The emotions that would dig up would be too much for her to handle. The pain that would come with it and knowing that he would just be getting her hopes up would be overwhelming.

She had her masochistic moments but this wasn't one of them.

Tess sighed and attempted to run a hand through her hair in frustration but she tugged too roughly on her IV line. The pain instantly shot through her hand at the IV site.

"Damn it." She whispered furiously.

"Are you okay? Do you need the nurse? Here, let me look at that." Oliver said as he closed the distance between them and bent over the bed. He took her hand in his and loosely held it while he examined it with concern in his eyes.

She was so taken off guard by it that she just let him hold her hand. He was so close that she could smell his natural scent. It was a musky, manly type of scent that reminded her of the woods after it had rained.

However, she was quite sure he hadn't showered in days because she could still see blood on his shirt and his jeans.

It was her blood. And the gravity of the situation hit her. She suddenly understood his anger, his tantrum, his confession, and now, his concern. She had almost taken herself from him. Tess could understand it all. If something ever happened to him she wouldn't be able to handle it.

And if he were to put himself in danger knowing he might never come back?

She'd be pissed.

So she understood why he was saying everything he was right now.

If the situation was reversed she would have a hard time controlling her emotions too.

Actually, she was having a hard time of doing that anyway.

Her heart was pounding.

His touch was making her skin warm.

She stared at him intently.

The worry was written all over his face. She could tell he hadn't gotten any rest in days.

But his gaze was steady when he brought it up to hers.

And for the first time she noticed how close their faces were. Their lips were only inches apart. Their breathing became shallow. The air around them was thick with tension and everything that usually went unsaid between them.

She licked her lips.

Her gaze remained fixed on his.

Oliver was staring at her so earnestly and he had been so honest just a moment ago.

Tess let herself give in to the fact that maybe he wasn't joking around or trying to get her hopes up. He was just telling her how he felt. And now it was her turn. She wasn't as afraid as she usually was.

For the first time, in a long time, she felt safe. She felt like Oliver was there to take care of her and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. It brought tears to her eyes.

He saw this and furrowed his brow at her. And then he brought one hand up to her face and touched her cheek gently.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She smiled through her tears. "I'm sorry."

He furrowed his brows even more. "Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about?"

Tess shrugged. "I am sorry I scared you."

Oliver smirked. "Your spitfire, take no shit, never back down attitude is what I admire about you the most."

He looked down at her lips then back at her eyes. He slowly moved in and touched his lips to her in the sweetest and most loving kiss she had ever had. The warmth spread throughout her entire body and it lasted only a few seconds but she felt loved.

Tess felt like she was at home when he was around. She always had but it was so hard to let those feelings be voiced or shown because of the distance that had grown between them. But none of that mattered now.

Oliver pulled away but rested his forehead on hers and stared into her eyes.

There were tears in his eyes too.

She smiled at him brightly and he smiled back.

"I love you." He repeated.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that so? I was beginning to forget seeing as it's been a full two minutes since the last time you said that."

Oliver smirked back. "Well, what can I say? I get around you and I just can't help myself, Mercy."

"I thought I told you not to call me that." Tess countered.

He shrugged. "I decided to take my chances."

She nodded. "Well, I'll let you get away with one. Next time, I might have to put you in a world of hurt. Of course, after I get out of this ridiculous nightgown."

"We can get you out of that ridiculous nightgown right now, if you want." He smiled suggestively.

She laughed and shook her head. "I think that the nurses on rotation every fifteen minutes might make that a bit awkward."

He finally relented. "Yeah, well, don't say I never tried."

Oliver leaned back and just held her hand.

She looked at him awkwardly.

When she wasn't surrounded by his scent and his warmth, her mind was able to clear long enough to realize the gravity of the situation. And she remembered a blonde with a wedding ring that matched the one the man in front of her was wearing.

Tess pulled away.

Oliver tried to reach for her hand but she pulled back. Her anger and annoyance immediately resurfaced at the knowledge he had just let her be so vulnerable with him when it was all just a momentary reaction on his part to his fear.

Nothing would change. How could she have been so silly, even for a few seconds, to think otherwise?

"Tess?"

She glanced down at his ring pointedly.

"You're still wearing your ring."

He looked down at his hand and shrugged.

He tore off the ring.

He tossed it aside.

"Not anymore."

She looked at him with confusion.

He took her face in his hands.

She pulled her face back from him trying to create distance but she could only go so far and he was not letting go.

His gaze was too intense for her. She wasn't going to give in. She had been so foolish to do it a few moments ago.

Oliver held a certain power over her that she fought so hard to not let it affect her better judgment.

But he was so close.

His touch was so warm.

"I want you. Not her. I want you and me." Oliver said. "I will do anything to make you realize I am serious. I know this is sudden but damn it, you're the one."

Tess fought the feelings bubbling up inside of her.

His grip on her face was still intense and the emotions rolling off of him were so hard to ignore.

They just felt so real.

"I want to believe you." She whispered.

God, she really wanted to.

"Then believe me." He pleaded.

There was a long moment of silence.

She realized as she looked at him and he waited for her answer that she held his heart in her hands.

And she knew then that everything that was happening was real.

For the first time in a long time it was back to being them, together, for real.

So she let herself give in and believe.

She nodded.

Oliver smiled so brightly that she couldn't help but smile back at him.

Oliver was about to kiss her again. He was leaning in and her heart was pounding in her chest.

The door burst open at the precise moment their lips touched and it startled both of them. Tess flew back against her bed and Oliver fell onto the chair beside it.

A bouncing Lois was the last thing Tess had expected to see and the brunette was so distracted by her obvious good mood to notice she had interrupted an intimate moment.

But the ever observant Clark was shooting looks at Oliver and herself that let Tess know that he wasn't fooled.

"How could you not tell me?" Lois shrieked and pulled a very confused Oliver into such a tight hug that Tess thought Lois was going to break one of his ribs and Oliver just stood there sharing a wondering glance at Clark.

"What are you talking about!?"

Lois pulled back. "I am talking about the baby, of course."

Oliver held up his arms suddenly and pulled Lois from him.

He stared at her darkly. "What baby?"

"The baby you are having with Chloe, silly. Congratulations, Daddy."

And suddenly everything that Tess thought that she had gotten back just two seconds before was ripped from her grasp again.

She was torn somewhere between anger and despair.

It wouldn't have hurt anymore if she had been stabbed in the stomach and she knew exactly what that felt like.

She stared at Oliver who was now staring at her with a pleading look in his eyes.

Tess smiled sadly and managed to get out only one word.

"Congratulations."

End of Chapter 7