One Second Chance

Chapter 10

It was dusk when she woke up and for a moment a panic began to set in because as Tess opened her eyes she could not identify where she was. Her heart began to race and she searched the dark room for anything that looked familiar.

She moved around on the bed and was met immediately with the feel of something solid behind her.

Tess looked to see what it was and she furrowed her eyebrows when she saw Oliver sleeping next to her in the bed. She put her head back on the pillow as she began to replay the images from the last day in her mind.

It all came back to her in the form of a tidal wave. She lay there and stared at the ceiling. They were in Bruce Wayne's manor, per her request, in Gotham City, and if that was not awkward enough last night she had slept with Oliver.

Oh God, she had slept with Oliver.

She put her hand to her forehead.

A new kind of panic began to set in. What the hell was she going to do now? It's not like Oliver and she were going to get back together. He had made it abundantly clear on many occasions over the last few years that reconciliation was not on his agenda.

For crying out loud when she joined Watchtower Clark had to strong arm Oliver into agreeing to the arrangement merely out of necessity. Neither he or Clark or anyone else other than she and Chloe would be able to handle that complex of a computer system so they had to let her into their little club of superheroes.

Tess shut her eyes as another thought chased her current one. Chloe was yet another reason why she knew that Oliver and she were never getting back together. Before she disappeared, Chloe and Oliver were pretty hot and heavy much to her dismay.

It churned her soul that out of all the women in the world Oliver could have gotten serious with he had chosen Chloe.

Tess would never admit out loud that she was jealous but she was. Oliver was the only man she had ever loved. After she had gotten to Metropolis and started working at the Daily Planet she had hated seeing Lois around knowing she was another of former flame of his.

Tears started to sting her eyes. It was harder on her than she would ever admit to always be surrounded by women that were currently or formerly involved with Oliver Queen. Tess had never wanted to think she was one of the many but it was the truth.

She was one of the many people that Oliver had loved in his life and there was nothing she could do about it because he was the only one for her.

Tess held no delusions that her feelings mattered to him and she would never put her heart on the line again when at any second it would be broken by him again.

There was nothing that Tess wanted less than to get her hopes up about Oliver only to have Chloe sweep back in from nowhere and be left alone and broken hearted.

And she had no reason to believe that anything but that would happen if she was stupid enough to get involved with Oliver again. Chloe could come back at anytime and she was not looking to get her heart broken or put herself in an awkward position with the members of Watchtower.

It wasn't just her heart that was on the line but the family she had gained by joining Watchtower. It was the acceptance she had always craved. She had once thought that she had found all of those things with Oliver on an island in the middle of the ocean but she was wrong.

She had that now and she knew that if she risked it all on a fling with Oliver. Plus, if it ever came down to a choice between Chloe and herself she knew that not only would Oliver choose the first option but so would Clark and Lois and that would be more than she could handle.

The tears that had been stinging her eyes began to spill over her cheeks and she decided it was time to leave before she woke him up and things got awkward. Besides, the last thing their complicated friendship needed was the morning after weirdness.

Tess slowly sat up in bed as she made up her mind to chalk up this night to nothing more than a fluke if he mentioned it the next day.

A few seconds of stealth movement and she found herself dressed in her gray shorts with her Metropolis Sharks t-shirt on. She crept quietly toward the door and when she had her hand on the doorknob she threw one last glance over her shoulder at Oliver.

He was now sitting up in bed with his arms crossed over his naked chest with a smirk on his face and was looking straight at her.

She immediately let go of the doorknob and turned around.

"Don't look at me like that." She admonished.

He shrugged. "How am I looking at you?"

"You're looking at me like you have caught me with my hand in the cookie jar." She sighed.

"I was just simply going back to my room."

Oliver nodded his head. "I figured as much but what I can't figure out is why?"

Tess cocked an eyebrow at him. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this was a mistake and the last thing we need is an awkward morning after experience. Goodnight."

She turned quickly and was halfway through the door when she felt him catch her wrist. Tess turned slowly and gave him a confused and desperate stare begging him to let her go. Her heart began to pound in her chest when she locked eyes with him.

All she saw on his face was determination. "You can go back to your room but I am going too. I can't stand not being with you anymore Tess. I love you."

She shook her head and shut the door. Tess stepped back into the room and yanked her wrist from him.

"What?" Tess whispered. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Oliver stepped closer to her but she was not having any of that.

She was wild with anger and pushed him back when he tried to pull her in to him. Tess began to shake with anxious energy because she could hardly believe he was going to put her through this yet again.

"No! You don't get to say anything like that and get my hopes up again just because you're lonely and missing Chloe. Last night was nothing more than a mistake and we will never speak of it again. But don't use it against me, Oliver; you don't get to play with my emotions again."

Oliver shook his head. "This has nothing to do with Chloe. She and I are over. I love you Tess! I know that it is out of the blue or it may seem that way to you but I can't run from the truth anymore either. You're the only woman that I have ever loved so much that it scares the shit out of me!"

She just looked at him and shook her head. Tess could not let him in again. She would not survive losing him a second time.

"I love you, Tess. Just please let me."

He took a step closer.

She could feel herself giving in but she could not do it.

"You've said that before Oliver and I believed it. You broke my heart, you broke me." Tess added the last part quietly.

She could see tears welling in his eyes that matched the ones that were streaming down her face now.

He stepped closer again. "I know and I will never hurt you again, I love you. No one else means more to me. Not Chloe, Lois, or anyone else. Please, let me prove it to you."

He was standing in front of her now with pleading eyes and honesty on his lips…

And she couldn't resist.

She just nodded her head as the tears continued and a smile broke out on his face like she had never seen before. The next thing Tess knew Oliver had swept her up in a bone crushing hug that she returned with every ounce of strength she had in her.

Tess smiled.

She was home.

End of Chapter 10.

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