May

Tell you these forgotten truths you never thought were real

May 5

It felt surreal for Chloe to walk through the doors of the Daily Planet, alongside Clark Kent no less. But his sudden interest in journalism made sense, as he could figure out where people needed help quickly while still maintaining his distance from the limelight.

Of course, he wasn't pleased at the nerdy glasses he had to adopt over the past couple of months, as not too long ago, he had been the talk of Met U. Clark was supposed to be the guy who was going to break it big, even if it meant as a coach because of his 'injury.'

But since football season ended, Clark put all his efforts into his studies, hoping that people would forget him, which seemed to work. Gone were the days of Clark Kent, football prodigy, because now he could only watch as the guy he had mentored over the past few years was slated to go top 10 in the NFL draft. Chloe initially felt bad, but to Clark, football was never a full-time job, just a hobby. He much preferred helping people, and here he could do just that.

"So... we're here," he said, looking around the bustling bullpen, people scrambling around between desks, doors opening and closing.

"Yeah," Chloe replied, breathing in the atmosphere, her excitement taking over. This wasn't just her dream anymore, this was her reality.

She was about to risk stepping foot into the bullpen when a young man stopped in front of the pair, holding his hand out to Clark. "Brennan Miles, big fan of yours in your college ball days, and proud to have you in my shadow for the coming months, Clark." Clark shook his hand, and then Brennan pointed his thumb towards a separate hallway. "How about we head to my office and discuss the details of your internship."

Clark nodded and waved at Chloe, who stood there, looking around, wondering where Tess would send her. It did worry her that she had signed up to work with someone who she didn't necessarily get along with, but she had worked too long to let personal difference get in her way."

"Miss Sullivan."

"Hmm?" Chloe managed, turning around to find a man in his mid-forties gesturing her to follow him.

"Miss Mercer wishes to speak to you in her office." Not wasting any time, he turned to head towards the elevators, and Chloe knew better than to try and make Tess angry on her first day. Sure, she wasn't bowing to Tess, but at the end of the day, she was still her boss, and status or not, Tess wouldn't likely hesitate in putting Chloe in her place now that Tess had aligned herself with the Luthors.

Chloe followed the man out of the elevator, who held the door open to Tess' office, which showed the women herself filtering through the paperwork on her desk. Chloe had to give her credit, it really looked like Tess took her responsibility seriously, and not just another walk in the park.

He motioned for Chloe to enter before speaking. "Miss Mercer…"

"Thank you Frank," Tess replied plainly, allowing a small smirk to come across her face before she brought her head up. "Close the door behind you." Frank obliged, titling his head before shutting the door, and upon hearing the click, Tess stated, "Chloe."

"Tess… or do I have to call you…"

"Tess is fine."

There was a chill laced within Tess' tone that Chloe should have expected, but didn't, making the silence between them more awkward than Chloe ever figured it would. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to let you know that I'll be treating you like everyone else around here. No special treatment, positive or negative."

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Good, because I figured you wanted the chance to prove yourself instead of letting your status dictate what you're capable of, so show me what you've got." Chloe nodded, and went to leave when she heard Tess' voice again. "I have to admit that I was a little surprised to see your name on applicant files though."

Chloe raised an eyebrow, allowing herself to face Tess again. "Why?"

Tess filed away a stack of papers, taking her time to respond as she got up from her seat. "Considering how fast you ran from this place after high school, I figured you wouldn't be coming back."

"So why hire me?"

Tess replied with a shrug, "You're talented and you'd bring us credibility, even as an intern."

Chloe nodded, realizing the slippery slope she was risking and wanted nothing more but to cut this conversation short. "Well, if that's all, I should probably–"

Unfortunately, Tess wasn't letting her off that easily, and waited for Chloe's hand to reach the doorknob before pressing on. "Oliver never told you why I broke up with him, did he?"

Chloe's eyes widened, as she hadn't anticipated Oliver's name coming up, but she suddenly grateful that she was facing the door. After a few seconds, she shrugged as she kept her grip on the doorknob. "It was hardly my business, don't you think?"

"Quite the opposite actually."

Relaxing her hand, Chloe turned her head, eyebrow firmly raised. She honestly had no idea what Tess was talking about, even as she took a couple of steps away from the door. "How?"

Seeing that she caught Chloe's attention again, Tess decided not to waste time or mince words. She crossed her arms, leaning against a file cabinet and said, "I found the letter he wrote to you."

Chloe stopped cold in her spot. "That's not possible... I threw that out ages ago."

Tess rolled her eyes, almost as if she expected a response like that, scoffing once before saying, "Well, Oliver found it, and kept it in his desk." Chloe had opened her mouth to interject, but Tess put a hand up to stop her. "Don't apologize, it was actually a blessing in disguise... it's what made me realize that I was never going to be the most important woman in his life." Making sure that Chloe was looking at her, Tess added, "He had already found her."

Chloe was taken aback from the comments, but she tried to cover it with a shake of her head. "Me? Come on Tess."

"Think about it," Tess countered, "He's away from the life he knows for two years and what's the first thing he wants to do?"

Chloe knew the answer to that question; their trip to Kansas to meet everyone else in her life. He wanted to be seen as someone important. He had offered to buy her childhood home so that she maintained a piece of her parents. Knowing her shields were down, Chloe felt her head drop slightly, just waiting for what Tess would say next.

"From the look on your face, I take it you know the answer." Tess said, leaning forward to put a file folder in her desk.

Chloe meanwhile, stood baffled in front of the other woman. She couldn't figure out why she was having this conversation with Tess, or why Tess even wanted to have this conversation with her. It almost felt planned, based on the cool and collected nature of Tess' words and actions. "Last I checked Tess, there's no crime in missing a friend, right?"

"True," Tess replied, standing up straight again, "but you're kidding yourself if you don't see it. Heck, I should have seen it in the way he talked about you, the way how he said that you deserved better than him. He stared at those dog tags of your father's for hours, knowing he had to get back to you."

"Which explains how he started dating you."

Tess saw it in Chloe's eyes that she regretted the words the moment they escaped their lips, but the damage was done, the redhead's grin widening before stating, "I don't think he expected you to wait, as he always figured that if there was anyone who could keep their personal life quiet, it'd be you. Then, of course, there was a chance that he overstepped and he didn't want to force you into anything when he got back."

She finally moved off her spot, walking towards Chloe while still maintaining an effective distance between the two women. "As for me, he saved my life, and while it's a pathetic reason to attempt to love someone, it was nice to have someone to talk to... to have a sense of human contact that I hadn't had in so long. But with Oliver, it was a pointless battle."

Turning around, Tess leaned over her desk to pick up a piece of paper. "It was actually you telling me to re-evaluate everything that made me realize that it was over. Oddly enough, that's when I found the letter. Everything," she enunciated slowly, twirling the paper in her hands, "confirmed on an eight-and-a-half by eleven. I didn't even feel guilty once I saw Oliver break down, because I knew it was because of you, not because of me."

"And now you're here," Tess concluded, letting go of the paper, "running from it."

Chloe peered down, watching as the single piece of loose-leaf swayed down to the floor, before looking back up. "Why tell me this, Tess? What are you looking for from me?"

Tess had to admit that she was impressed by the blonde in front of her. The cracks were showing enough to know that she was right, but Chloe held her own better than expected. "Just because I gave you the job opportunity, doesn't mean that I expected you to take it. I'm grateful for the positive buzz, but I don't want personal issues getting in the way of your work." Tess stopped just barely in front of Chloe, using her height advantage to stare down at the blonde. "I also wanted to see the reaction you got from my side of things, and I got exactly what I expected."

"Which was?" Chloe replied nervously.

"No matter how hard you try to hide it, you're in love with him... and I think it's my turn to tell you to re-evaluate what you're doing here." Knowing that she caught Chloe speechless, Tess backed down, heading back to her chair and sitting down. "That'll be all."

Chloe felt herself swallow, nodding shakily as she came back to the door. Not even caring to shut it behind her, she found herself rushing towards the elevators, hitting her head against the wall as she stood alone while it descended. On the way up, Chloe remembered the normal jazzy music in elevators, but now, all she could hear was her heart pounding in her chest, Tess' words echoing in her mind. She wasn't even paying enough attention when the door opened to notice that she ran straight into Clark.

"Chloe, hey," he said happily before noticing his friend's discomfort, "Are you –"

"Not right now, Clark." Chloe said, knowing that the last person she wanted to talk to right now was her best friend. He'd mean well, but she knew that nothing he could say could help her. More importantly, she wanted to be alone, as it gave her a chance to catch her breath. Clark seemed to sense that, allowing Chloe to walk around him as she pursued the bathroom, leaning over a sink before bringing her head up to analyze her expression.

Was she that transparent? She thought that she had learned to stand on her own two feet, but even within seconds, Tess could see that Chloe missed him. She had only been gone for nine days, and it already felt like another lifetime away.

Not that she gave up the life she had in California, Lois would have disowned her if she had. But her cousin's articles weren't the only reason Chloe regularly checked the Register website. With each article pronouncing the Green Arrow as a hero, and with the continuous rise of Queen Industries, Chloe couldn't help but feel more proud of him each day. But that feeling died fast as a familiar realization hit her. His life was okay without her. Just like Clark, Oliver didn't need her anymore, and that was something that she'd just have to live with.

A toilet flushed behind her and a woman emerged, noticing Chloe's overall posture, and was able to zero in the cause within seconds. "Tess isn't too bad once you get used to her." She turned on the taps, testing the water before washing her hands. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she grinned before bringing a hand up to sweep a strand of hair behind her ear. "But then again, anyone beats Lex in my book, although you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Chloe crinkled her eyebrows, curious to how the woman came up with that remark, but instead of replying, she watched the woman walk around her to dry her hands, throwing out the towel carefully, trying not to touch the flap on the garbage can, before holding out her hand to Chloe. "Sorry, my manners have appeared to run away with me. This wasn't exactly where I was planning on introducing myself, but, what can you do?" Shaking her hand she had held out, she said, "Marnie Wilder, and you're Chloe Sullivan, right?" Chloe nodded and hesitatingly shook her hand.

Satisfied, Marnie sized Chloe up and smiled. "Quite an impressive resume you've got. When you're not saving multi-billion dollar companies, you've got a knack for bringing the truth to the front page. Your high school pieces are some of the most interesting things I've read and with your work on Green Arrow for the Journal... well, let's just say that you'll fit in here with our own mysterious figure."

"You mean the Blur?"

"The one and the only."

"I thought you were wrote more about corporate espionage."

Marnie sighed. "That used to be true. Personally, I'd prefer to let him be, despite what the boss says on selling papers. Of course, if I had my way, the goal would be to bring Luthorcorp down, but the fact that they own the paper essentially kills that idea, even though I can just sense that there's something sleazy going on."

Dangerous talk for a Luthorcorp employee, Chloe thought, prompting her to ask, "Why tell me this?"

Not even the slightest bit flustered by the question, Marnie replied, "The short version? You're friends with Oliver Queen, which automatically means that you're not exactly chummy with Luthors, which means that we're likely to get along. And not to brag or anything, but you're lucky that you're shadowing me. Any other girl in this place would be humping your leg for his number." She held up her hand, proudly showing her wedding ring. "Two years and couldn't be happier, so idle gossip's pointless to me. I only care about your work, which like I said, is solid, but that doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you."

"Bring it on," Chloe said with confidence. Without further words, Marnie left the bathroom, Chloe following close behind. Feeling the rush of headline hunting allowed her to relax and forget her problems. Or at least, it did for now.

May 11

This had to be wrong. It's her house, it belonged to her, yet minus the first few steps inside, all she could think about the last time she was here with Oliver.

The couch was the place he slept, refusing to take her parent's bedroom because he didn't want to intrude on their space, even if they weren't around. A couple mornings, Chloe caught him catching a few extra minutes of shut-eye, but usually by the time she got up, he was already in the kitchen, frying up breakfast.

He had always insisted on cooking as a thanks for her accommodation, which sounded preposterous, but there wasn't any way that she was going to assure him otherwise, especially consider her lack of cooking ability.

So when they weren't at the Kents, which usually led to Oliver and Mrs. Kent to chat about her now-successful campaign, he filled the kitchen with some of the most delicious smells she could ever remember.

When the weather wasn't promising, they spent plenty of time in the living room, playing cards, reading, or just catching up. But when the sun decided to cooperate, Oliver insisted on cleaning up the back yard, even fixing the back fence.

Despite the initial awkwardness, the trip had been a success as they managed to mend their friendship with some alone time, but the consequence of that trip was that every piece of this house had a memory tied to him. However, it didn't matter how much she missed him, she couldn't go back because she had made her choice. Of course, that didn't stop Tess' little speech from replaying in her mind even as days went by.

She wasn't running, was she? This was her dream, this had always been the plan. They had always known that, but back then, the Daily Planet wasn't Luthorcorp property. Back then, she didn't have the corporate experience, the reminder of how great it felt to save the day, even if her work was behind the scenes, and she didn't think it would have been that hard to walk away.

All things being considered, the dream felt emptier than she thought, but the people around her were doing their best to keep her smiling. At the Planet, it was great having Clark around, as they were able to get caught up, and Marnie was an excellent shield as she protected Chloe from the insistent society writers who wanted an exclusive.

Looking out the window, she found it in herself to smile as she watched Evie in the back yard. In Chloe's toughest times, Evie had always been her rock, as she had a knack at knowing what to say, and now was no different, despite what had happened to Evie herself. The change of address seemed to bring the jump back in her step and even bringing her to Smallville seemed to help.

In a scene that seemed to fit a Disney film, she continued to pick rhubarb along the fence, singing along with the birds before eventually sensing Chloe's stare. She turned and yelled from a distance, "I hope you don't mind. I figured we could make a pie or something once we drove back."

"I didn't know that you baked," Chloe yelled back.

Evie waited until she was at the back door to reply, "I don't, but my mom taught me how to make rhubarb-strawberry pie, and while I can cook, that pie is the only thing I trust myself to bake." She continued through the house, settling the rhubarb on the front porch. Turning around, she caught Chloe's expression and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You never mentioned your mother to me before. All this time, and I don't know anything about your family except that you have one."

"There's a reason for that."

Chloe leaned against the outer wall, lowering her eyebrows. "What did you do to make them hate you so much?"

"Something I can't undo." Evie said as she went down the first step. "I know it's vague, but it's just that... it's really complicated.

"I could come with you... if you wanted, or pull some strings if you needed."

Evie shook her head. "That's a nice offer Chloe and I appreciate it, but sometimes it's best to just let things be. As much as I want to walk back through that door, at this point, I'm pretty much dead to them."

Chloe was shocked by the chuckle that left her friend's mouth after that statement. "But something's changed, hasn't it?" She noticed Evie's mouth gape open, likely trying to find an explanation, but she shut it promptly. "I can tell this is eating away at you more now than ever, and you've done so much for me. Please... let me help you."

Chloe had half expected to watch her roommate run to the car without a further word, but instead Evie calmly sat down on the steps, patting the space next to her for Chloe to follow suit. She brought her fingers to her eyes, sweeping them free of tears, as memories she was trying so hard to forget came back to the surface.

After a minute, Chloe did sit down, and, not wanting to waste any time, Evie said, "You're right... something did happen."

"I'm sorry, Evie, you don't..."

"No, it's okay." Evie shook her fingers before she wiped her eyes again. "My mom... she passed away in March."

"And you're only telling us now? Evie, we could have...wait, are you meaning to tell me that—"

Evie interrupted Chloe with sarcastic laughter, because there was no humour in her words. "Fastest way to get over your mother's death... get dumped by the guy you're still in love with."

"Did he know?"

Evie shook her head. "If Scott knew, it would have only prolonged the inevitable. Chloe, I had screwed up that relationship so bad that I... you know what, that doesn't matter anymore." She brought up her head and stared at the sunset. "That's why I had to get out of Michigan... too many bad memories. I can't say Kansas has better memories for me, but with you, no offence meant, but I feel like I can forget all that."

"Am I that troublesome?"

"Not really. From what I've seen, the only problems you have are the ones you choose to ignore."

"What do you mean?"

Evie scoffed, shaking her head as she stared at her feet. "Come on Chloe. You know the answer to that question, and I know it's the last thing you want to talk about."

Chloe knew she had a point, and looked to move the conversation in another direction. "What was your mom like?"

"Nothing like me," Evie replied with ease, "which was probably we never saw eye-to-eye. But I know that she loved me, despite everything that happened."

Taking her eyes off her roommate, Chloe noticed it was getting dark, and knowing they had a long drive ahead of them, she got up from the steps and held out a hand to Evie. "Come on... let's get home."

Cradling the picked rhubarb in the other arm, Evie took Chloe's hand and picked up her pace to get to the car.

Chloe caught up soon after Evie deposited her things in the back seat, and as she sat down in the car, she couldn't help but feel a little selfish. She had been so caught up with her problems that she didn't even notice all the pain behind Evie's eyes. But today assured Chloe that was the way Evie wanted it, and apparently the best thing Chloe could do was to let the whole thing go.

May 24

Oliver walked into the apartment, as Lois had told him she left the door open for him. When she had called him, telling him that she had to talk to him, he hadn't expected to see her packing her things.

He knocked on the bedroom door once, and Lois promptly looked up before he said the obvious, "You're leaving."

She nodded, continuing to fold her clothes into one of the many large suitcases littered on the floor. "It took a heck of an amount of kiss-assing, but Tess gave a job at the Planet." She paused as she glanced over to a photo on the dresser, walking over to it to pack it neatly in her bag. "It took Chloe leaving for me to realize that the majority of what matters to me is across the country. Besides, Clark's put the effort in, it's my turn to make that sacrifice."

"Oh."

"Granted, I thought that you'd beat me out of town."

"Why?"

Lois stopped what she was doing to give an are you kidding me? expression, but when his reaction didn't change, she continued stuffing clothes in. "Oliver, you've got enough money to buy Metropolis... not to mention a local Queen Industries. No one would raise an eyebrow to relocation."

"It's not that easy."

"Says the man who has a private jet at his beck and call."

At this point, Oliver felt lost. There was a simple reason for why he couldn't just up and leave at a drop of a hat, but he couldn't just spout out his alter ego to Lois. She had wanted to fry him when Green Arrow first came on the scene, and even though he had saved Lois' life... it didn't feel right telling her, especially because he hadn't told Chloe.

Lois sensed Oliver's confusion and shut a bag before slamming it on the ground in frustration. His head popped up, caught off-guard by her reaction, but all he saw was Lois shaking her head. "You two are the most stubborn people ever. Both of you spew have infinite reasons for why you can't, but did you ever consider that you can make it work?"

He was still a little dumbstruck, so the only word he could manage was, "Both?"

"Don't sound so surprised Oliver... you know how she feels about you. I know you know and that's why it's killing me that you're still here."

"She deserves better," was his response. Short and painful for Oliver to say, but to him, it was the truth.

Lois disagreed. "At one point, she did. You screwed up, Oliver, and if it wasn't for my cousin, I would have beaten you so bad that you'd wish for island life again. But then, you re-emerged, and I thought just maybe there was a chance I didn't have to smack your heads together to figure this out."

She grunted as she began to stuff some of her other belongings into another suitcase. "I'm not an idiot, I know there's something that makes this more than just the air miles, but for once in my life, I'm going to stop asking what it is because it's clear that neither of you will ever tell me. "

Lois stopped talking to zip up her bag, but upon seeing Oliver's expression, she shook her head again. "All I know is when your life seemed to be going down the drain, she picked you up and when she wanted to give up or break down, you made her happy. I thought that mattered more... to both of you."

"Lois, I –"

"I don't have time for you to lay on some pathetic line Oliver, you're better than that. I know now that you were never that egotistical rich playboy, not even when you wanted the world to believe you were. Over the last couple of months, you got your priorities straight and brought your company back up, and people are starting to respect you for the right reasons. "

Oliver again was at a loss for words, knowing the only reason for the revival was because Chloe took the time to show him that he mattered to someone... and then he let her walk away. "I wouldn't have done any of that if it weren't for Chloe."

Between Oliver's words and the fact that her patience was continuing to run thin, Lois was surprised that she was still able to keep her composure as she reminded Oliver that, "She might have pushed you in the right direction, but it isn't her face on the business page right now, or have you forgotten that it was your idea that saved thousands of jobs within your own company?"

As Lois started to lug her bags towards the door, Oliver leaned over in an attempt to help, but Lois held a hand out to stop him. "I'm good, Clark's coming to help." Reaching into her pocket, she held something out to Oliver, waiting for him to put his hand out. He obliged and watched as she dropped Chloe's locket into it. His eyes understandingly widened, and Lois found herself smirking.

"She told me to mail it to her, but I think she'd much rather get it from you personally." She shrugged and walked past him, pausing in the doorway to add, "Everyone has their baggage Oliver, but if you love her that much, stop hiding behind whatever excuse you have and go get her."

May 30

"Get inside now!"

Confused at what Marnie could possibly want so close to closing time on a Friday, Chloe got up from her seat at her desk and calmly walked into Marnie's office. Once inside, Marnie proceeded to lock the door and breathe a sigh of relief before sitting back at her desk, giving Chloe a sense that girl's night out with Lois was going to have to wait. However, once Marnie settled in her chair, she didn't say anything, prompting Chloe to raise an eyebrow and ask, "Is everything okay?"

"For now, yes," Marnie replied, crossing out marks a rough draft of her latest draft of her article, "but I'm expecting a stampede any second, and well, my door has a lock."

"Why?"

"What I thought was the equivalent of hell freezing over, but hey, at least we know what the boss was up to in California." Marnie picked up a remote to turn the television that sat on the opposite wall on. There had been a couple theories rolling around the bullpen as to why Tess would take off to California, but Chloe didn't expect that Oliver was involved. Yet, there was the proof, as he and Tess were still in time, shaking hands as the headline filled the bottom portion of the screen

"Luthorcorp and QI are merging... good news for you is that apparently he's slated to be coming to town until the specifics are determined." As if on cue, the knocking began, followed by the jostling of the door knob, causing Marnie to mouth See? to Chloe before yelling, "Get a life," to the screamers outside the door.

It seemed to pacify the madness for a little while, but after her initial outburst, Marnie wasn't about to do much more, so she pointed her head towards her spare chair. "Get comfortable Chloe Sullivan, the only way to win against this kind of crazy is patience."

Chloe sat down with every attempt to get some work done, but instead she found herself lost on the image that remained on the screen.

Oliver was coming... to Metropolis. That was good news. So why couldn't her heart stop pounding like a drum?

Sera's Scribbles: Okay, I guess I picked the wrong chapter to apologize for the lack of Chlollie. June makes up for that though, I swear.

That being said, good news/bad news, but I'll say the bad news first to end on a good note. I have no clue when I'm updating because not only is June not cooperating (July isn't much better) but I also want to get start on some of my other projects. However, I am 99.9% sure that the wait will be worth it (fingers crossed I'm right about that).