"Lex. Thanks for coming." Oliver scratched the back of his head. "I… The apology comes twelve years too late, but… I am sorry."

Lex looked behind Oliver at the blonde woman seated on the couch typing away on her phone, then back at Oliver, one eyebrow arched. "Should I thank Chloe for that?"

"She didn't tell me to apologize, if that's what you're implying. I did a lot of stupid things that I am not proud of, including treating you like crap. And I am sorry."

Lex cocked his head to the side, the ghost of a smirk tilting his mouth. "Wonders never cease."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Normal people would just say 'I forgive you', you know?"

"You called me a freak and an anomaly often enough. I guess there was a grain of truth in that after all," Lex shot back. He adjusted the cuffs of his jacket. "Take care of Chloe and show up on time on my wedding day, and I'll consider us even."

"I think I can do that. Say hello to Ariane for me."

"I think I can do that, too. I'll be in touch."

The elevator doors closed on the youngest Luthor. Chloe looked up from her phone at the same moment and smiled at him, patting the seat next to her. He wondered if she heard his conversation with Lex and it was the reason for the serene expression on her face. No matter, he loved it. Oliver joined her on the couch. "Where's Hal?"

"He went to see Tess. He wanted to ask her if she noticed something unusual."

Oliver nodded. Maybe it was her opening to discuss the situation further. He chose not to. The only thing they had discussed in the past week had been Arrow-related one way or the other. He missed just hanging out with her.

"Or he used that excuse to go see her."

Chloe grinned. "Or that."

"Is he coming back?"

"I don't know. I suppose he will. Didn't you make plans to patrol together later?"

"Yeah." He chewed the inner side of his cheek before opening his mouth again. "Can I ask you a question?"

Chloe sat cross-legs on the couch to face him, eyebrows high in curiosity. "Of course."

"Did anything ever happen? Between you and Lex?"

Her mouth opened in shock, before she closed it and her luscious lips curved into a smile. "Jealous?"

He'd expected the tease, and answered honestly. "Not of him, no." The same couldn't be said of Clark Kent. But that would be a discussion for another night, when the fact that The Blur hadn't been there for his so-called best friend stopped making him want to stick an arrow in the guy. One custom-made of Kryptonite. "He's terribly protective of you."

"That's my meteor power: I attract overprotective people," Chloe joked.

Oliver refused to let himself distracted from the subject at hand. "So… Nothing happened?"

"Well, we did spend that torrid night in the backseat of his Porsche Carrera when—" Chloe shrieked when Oliver tickled her side in retaliation for messing with him. "Hiiiiiiiiiii, no, stop it! I'm kidding! You know I'm kiddiiiiiiin—"

He stopped the torture only to pluck her off her seat and perched Chloe on his lap. She wrapped both arms around his neck, her smile wide and her eyes wet from laughter. She was so beautiful it took his breath away.

"Why all the questions about my next to non-existent relationship history anyway?"

Oliver brushed strands of hair out of her eyes. "You know everything there is to know about mine. It's only fair…"

Chloe caught his chin in her hand and tilted his head toward her. Her bright green eyes did the rest. "It just… I don't know. We never talked about those things. We're having a baby, and I haven't even taken you on a proper date yet."

"Oh, Oliver…" Her hand slipped to cup his cheek and he leaned into the touch, unable to decipher her tone. "I don't need you to take me on dates or to buy me flowers to know you care."

"Maybe I am the one who need it. I want to do this right, Chloe."

"You are." She kissed him softly, somehow knowing he needed to hear the words. "You remember what my favorite flowers were. You take the time to find a tea you think I will like since I cannot have coffee anymore. You trust me and you listen to me—most of the time. That's doing things right in my book. We don't have to play the twenty questions dating game."

He ruminated her answer, unsure it satisfied him. The gentle play of her fingers in the short hair on the nape of his neck made it hard to concentrate. "One question."

Oliver pulled her a little closer, so he could nibble at the tempting swan-like curve of her neck. The sigh that rewarded his efforts missed the long-suffering mark by far. "Ask away…"

His hand found the sliver of silky skin bared by her dislodged shirt as he nuzzled the sensitive spot behind her ear. "What does Chloe Sullivan consider romantic? And endless supply of gourmet coffee doesn't count."

Her head fell back, offering more skin to taste. "See… You… know… everything already…"

Oliver smirked against the column of her throat. "Romance. Concentrate, Sidekick."

"Can't…"

He would happily spend hours—days— listing new ways to make her sigh. "I like…"

Her pulse quickened under his tongue. "Pic-picnics."

Her hands clung to his shoulders as Oliver leaned her backward so they lay side by side on the sofa. "Picnics."

Chloe arched against him, but Oliver resisted the invitation to kiss her, determined to have his answer. His own concentration ebbed fast. "What else?"

Nibble fingers trembled as she tried to tug his shirt off his pants. Oliver trapped her hand in his, pulling them back to his heart. She pouted. "Stars."

Her eyes were full of those. Brilliant and beaconing. Oliver lost his train of thoughts for a while, captive of the lovely sparkle in her gaze. "I can work with that. You're so beautiful…"

She blushed each time he said it, as if she didn't believe it. Oliver gave in his own desires and stole a kiss from her mouth. Chloe returned it with abandon. Her body fit perfectly into his, like they'd been molded for each other, supple curves for hard plans, two sides of the same coin.

"Second question."

She pouted against his collarbone. "You said one question."

"I lied… What do you want for Christmas?"

Chloe squirmed until she was able to look at him in the eye. "You don't have to get my anything."

"I want to." He wanted to spoil her because no one had never taken the time to, and she deserved to be treated like a queen. He wanted to offer her diamonds from Tiffany, and to buy her cotton candy at the summer fair in Coast City, to make her laugh, and hold her when she slept. A bit overwhelmed by the surge of emotions inside him, Oliver retreated to his usual teasing. "If you don't tell me, I'll have to improvise… What will it be? A castle in South France? A palacio in Venice? What about—"

Chloe silenced him with a kiss. Oliver smiled against her lips. "No?" He took a cue from her body pressed against his. "Something closer then. The Star City Gazette, maybe?"

She shook her head at the goofiness and tried to shove him in the shoulder. Oliver caught himself just in time to avoid sprawling off the couch. "Smaller then? Help me, here, Sidekick…"

Chloe somehow managed to push on one elbow, pinned as she was between him and the couch. "What do you want for Christmas, Oliver?"

That answer was so simple and so complicated all at once. "I'll show you…"