On Monday, Oliver made his way to his office walking backward. He'd left Chloe curled in bed, and if not for the insistent chirping of his alarm, would have happily stayed there with her. Thankfully, Christmas was just a handful of days away and for the first time in years, he looked forward to it.

"Morning Mark. When you have a minute, I'd like to review my calendar for this week, see if we can reschedu—"

"Oliver."

"Lex." Oliver covered his surprise with an easy smile, stepping forward to shake hands as if he'd expected the visit. Inside, his mood was souring, fast. "Mark, hold my calls."

The door of his office clenched in his back with a heavy thud.

Oliver won a few seconds by putting his briefcase on his desk, before he motioned to the sofa. "Have a seat. I wasn't expecting you so soon." Or without a phone call. "Coffee? Tea?" Do I have to send Kent a thank-you card for the visit or did you find what I asked for?

"Tea. How's Chloe holding up?"

Kent, then.

"She's…" pregnant "okay. The accident at the Planet spooked her. But I am sure you already know all about it."

Oliver automatically opened the button of his jacket as he sat after handing Lex a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea.

"I know that it wasn't an accident."

Dread drizzled down his back. He reasoned past it. They'd been careful. Lois' public scene at the Ace of Clubs had barely warranted a note in Metropolis tabloids. Besides, bombing one of the biggest newspapers in the country to lure out one woman was excessive, even for Lionel. Lex had to be hinting at something else.

His visitor eyed him before he added, "Someone is testing the Blur."

"Sorry, what?"

"The Planet is the third incident of the genre. The first one was a problem on a tanker three weeks ago. The ship almost crashed into Miami Marina before it was mysteriously rerouted. Then two trains almost collide in Central City. Now the Daily Planet."

"The Blur is active all over the country?"

That was news to Oliver. He hadn't really looked into it, but he thought the Boy Scout stuck to his farm, more or less.

"I… am looking into it."

Not good. Lex's hesitation before he answered failed to reassure him. Especially if the man suspected his father to have a hand in it. Oliver stared at his somewhat-friend straight in the eye. "Chloe wants to spend the holidays with Kent and her cousin."

Lex narrowed his eyes. "That's a terrible idea."

"I know."

"Then for once in your life, Oliver, resist the siren song of a dynamite pair of legs and a pretty smile and tell her no. Lock her in your tower if you have to but keep Chloe far away from Smallville."

"How often do you say no to Ariane?" Oliver shot back. Lex crooked a surprised eyebrow but didn't answer. "That's what I thought," the blonde smirked, unaware of the other man's curiosity. "Now did you come all this way to nag or…"

"I have some business to handle with Star Lab. A geological project."

That got Oliver's attention. "Color me intrigued."

Lex's mouth twitched. "I do know that green is your favorite color, but I like red, personally."

"How Christmassy of you." They smirked at each other. They'd both mastered double-entendre at a young age. "I'm sure Dr. Hamilton will appreciate your effort at holiday's cheer."

A rap on the door interrupted before Lex could retort. Oliver checked his watch. Barbara was punctual, as usual. In this case, he could have done with a little more time. Lex pushed to his feet in turn, readying to leave. Oliver imitated him.

"Why don't you come by after your meetings at Star Lab? We can have an earlier diner if you fly back tonight."

The offer surprised them both. Lex blinked, the only display of emotion on his face. Oliver patted him in the back none too gently.

"Come on. When was the last time we had a drink together?"

"Last week."

"You're hilarious. I promise I'll be on my best behavior." If not, he had no doubt Chloe would have his head, once she'd recovered from the shock. "I'll call Hal, too. For old times' sake."

Lex's reply came out with a wry smirk. "I'd rather make new memories. I should be done by five."

His office phone crackled. "Oliver, Mrs. Hall is here to see you."

Oliver walked behind his desk to answer. "Thanks, I'll be right there." He walked to the door, opening it for Lex. "Sorry about that. Duty calls. I'll see you tonight."

"Until then. Mrs. Hall."

The older woman stared at the younger Luthor in puzzlement, but returned his nod before she entered Oliver's office and closed the door. Oliver finished his text to both Chloe and Hal and grinned.

"Ah, to take arms against a sea of troubles…"

"It's too early for Hamlet, Oliver. What did Lex Luthor want?"

"Personal visit. He asked me to stand by him on his big day."

"Did he now. I thought he couldn't stand you… Or you couldn't stand him, whichever came first."

"A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age."

Barbara shook his hand in amusement. "Look at you, stepping on the world' Stage rather than making much ado about nothing."

"Nice one, we should go see a play soon, it's been a while." He caught Barbara's face, remembered the tabloid frenzy after their last Shakespearean venture, and swerved away from the topic. "Do you want some coffee?"

"I'm good. Sit down."

Oliver leaned against his desk instead, serious again. "It cannot be that bad…"

Besides the gossip column in the Register mentioning his appearance at the annual QI Christmas Party, and the usual non-sense from the Inquisitor, they had travelled the weekend under the radar according to Chloe's alert feed.

"You're right, it's not. I want to know, however, if I should prepare a statement."

Oliver started. "A statement for what? I've never made public announcement about my personal life before."

He scrutinized the elegant face, wondering if Barbara—or Carter, the man had a knack to know more than he should— had somehow unearthed one of Chloe's secrets. The last one would warrant some kind of press release at some point, at the very least to demand some improbable privacy, just not yet.

Barbara shook her head. "You've never dated an employee before."

"Chloe is a consultant, not an employee." They were dating. They'd jumped from somewhat friends to lovers to parents-to-be without so much of a romantic outing, but they were. Oliver frowned. Even Hal had taken her places, while Oliver hid behind excuses of keeping her safe and out of the public eye. He took a mental note to call the florist. No official date was bad, but no flowers was a Crime, with a capital C.

"Don't be dense, Oliver."

"I'm not, I… It's complicated."

Barbara crossed her legs. "Things worth having generally are. Tell me."

He started at his mother's best friend for a full minute, then started filling the blanks: Lionel, the explosion, Chloe's disappearance act. He left out the Green Arrow's intervention for obvious reasons, but told her everything else. Almost.

Barbara pursed her lips. "Hum."

She stared for a moment longer, searching his face. "What else? Beside the fact that you finally found your match?"

"I…" Oliver hesitated, torn between denial and awe. How did she do that? "Chloe's pregnant."

The truth stumbled out of his mouth and he felt a weight he hadn't realized he carried lift. The tiny blonde had walked into his life by accident, they'd taken all the wrong turns, and somehow, they'd become each other's second chance.

His gaze cleared. He'd told Hal, but Barbara… To tell Barbara felt like announcing the news to his mother. "I'm in love with an amazing woman, and we're going to have a baby."

The smile on his face widened to blinding. He wanted to sing and to dance. He was drunk, without a drop of alcohol in his blood.

Barbara swatted at his hands when he grabbed her for a spin. "None of that." Her face softened. "I'm happy for you, Oliver. And for Chloe. You both deserve a happy ending. Give me a couple of days, and I'll make sure that happens with a minimum of fuss."

"I… Thank you."

If someone could do that for them, it was Barbara. He winked. "Do you think your plan can involve Carter not punching me for knocking up my girlfriend out of wedlock?"

Barbara gaped then closed her mouth before she cocked her head in thought. "That's not a bad idea."

"Carter punching me?" Oliver cringed. His jaw still remembered the last time a little too well.

"The wedlock part."

He choked on his saliva. "Wha-what? I… We… But… I… How… Huh… That's… Chlo… And… But… I… What… And… If… Ma-marriage?"

Barbara licked her lips in amusement. "I don't hear a "no" in there."

"I-I-I—"

"Breathe, Oliver. I am not telling you to rush to get your grandmother's engagement ring refitted. Chloe Sullivan is a target, even more so as your girlfriend. Chloe Queen however, would be much harder to touch. Queen is a powerful name. It comes with money and influence, and also some respect a Luthor will never have, despite all the redeemed quality Lex seems to display. Not just because of your parents, but because of you, too. People like you, for some reason I am yet to fathom…"

Oliver swallowed hard despite the tease. All a sudden, his eyes burned more than his abused pipe. "Do you… Do you think they would have liked her?"

Barbara cupped his face in her palm, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Yes. I am sure of it. You're very well suited. Also, look at the bright side, I won't nag you about your plus-one for future events."

"There'll less of those, too. Family comes first."

One could only hope. His parents had had social obligations, for the company and their charities. Barbara echoed his thoughts as she looked to the ceiling as if praying for patience, before she stood to take her leave. "Keep telling yourself that and get to work. And let everything else to me."

Oliver stared at the door for a long time before he managed to seat behind his desk and fire his computer to start his day.