A low, steady sound jolted Oliver awake. He blinked at the television, surprised that he'd fallen asleep on the sofa while watching movies with Chloe. The Christmas marathon was over, now replaced by an old comedy show. The laugh track was what woke him – that and a warm weight against his left side. Turning his head, he smiled when he saw Chloe curled against him, sleeping peacefully.
The room was lit only by the cheerful, twinkling lights of the Christmas tree in the corner by the window, and they cast a glow upon her that made her look almost ethereal. He'd never seen her like this – fresh faced, hair mussed, and dressed for bed. Even though her pajamas were loungewear as opposed to lingerie, the combined effect softened her. In this moment she wasn't Chloe Sullivan, star reporter, best friend to the Blur, or Watchtower to a team of heroes. She was just a young woman. A very pretty one.
It wasn't the first time he'd noticed that Chloe was beautiful, but the attraction had become harder to ignore in recent months. He'd found himself staring at her at least half a dozen times throughout the day. He noticed things now that he hadn't paid attention to before, such as how small and delicate her hands were, or the way she pressed her lips together when she tried to hide her amusement.
He could pinpoint the moment when he realized something had changed. Though he preferred to keep her out of the field after what happened with Dinah, he'd recognized early on what a valuable resource she was. He approached Chloe about helping out with team research, and whenever he was patrolling in Metropolis, he allowed her to guide him to the city hotspots. He could patrol without her, of course, but her assistance streamlined his approach to crime fighting and as a businessman, efficiency appealed to him. That her quick-witted commentary appealed to him for other reasons was just a bonus.
Everything had gone smoothly until the night he ran across a back alley drug deal going down two blocks over from Isis. What he thought was a group of four turned out to be twice that number, and he'd been well on his way to getting his ass kicked when Chloe arrived, armed with a couple of stun guns and a sonic weapon she'd been testing with Dinah and Victor.
She'd pointed the sonic weapon at three of the gang leaders, shattering windows as they dropped to their knees before losing consciousness. Two others turned their guns on her, which galvanized Oliver. Forgetting his aching ribs, he leapt to her defense. Between the two of them the other gangbangers were swiftly dealt with and waiting for the police, who arrived on the scene moments after he ziplined them out of the alley.
Seeing guns pointed at her had scared him, which made him angry, and they argued when they got back to Isis.
"Oliver, you were outnumbered and no one else was around to come help you," Chloe pointed out reasonably. "I was close enough to do something, so I did. You're welcome, by the way." She'd disguised herself in one of Bart's extra hoodies, and she'd wrapped a scarf around the lower part of her face, both of which she now pulled off and tossed on the chair beside her desk.
"You could have called Clark."
"I did call Clark. He didn't pick up, which I was half-expecting because he and Lois went away for the weekend," she answered. "And we both know Bart is impossible to track down when he's not on call. Look, I know we agreed after the rooftop Canary incident that my place was more valuable behind my computer, but – silly me – I assumed you didn't actually want to be beaten senseless and left for dead in an alley. And in case you've forgotten how I spent my impressionable teen years, I'm no stranger to self-defense."
She had a point and he knew it, but he was even more irritated when he saw the nasty scratch on her arm. "What the hell is that? Did one of those guys cut you?"
Chloe shook her head. "I cut my arm on the fire escape I bumped into. It's the literal definition of a scratch."
"Which was rusty, wasn't it? Damn it, you probably need a tetanus shot," he said as he leaned closer to get a better look at the wound.
"Do you really think that after growing up in Smallville, and considering what I do in my day and night jobs, that I'm not up to date on things like preventative shots?" She raised a brow as she pulled out the first aid kit. "Honestly, Ollie, what's wrong with you tonight?"
He curbed the rest of his complaints as she doctored his various cuts and abrasions. He wasn't sure why he was so upset, really. Chloe had never been the shrinking violet type, and she was hardly a damsel in distress despite the times she'd run afoul of trouble while helping him or Clark. He could even admit that without her timely arrival in the alley, he probably wouldn't have made it back without serious injury.
He opened his eyes when she finished applying antiseptic to a cut on his forehead and took a deep breath. She smelled good. He took another breath when she bent her head, realizing there were two different scents – something floral and a hint of vanilla. Then she leaned over to get a towel and his attention was caught by the way her jeans outlined the curve of her hips. When she turned back to him, he immediately jerked his head to the left before she realized he'd been staring at her ass.
Oliver stripped off his vest and body armor to allow her to check the bruising on his rib cage and immediately tensed up when her light touch elicited a physical reaction he wasn't expecting.
"Sorry," she said, her tone sympathetic. She probed gently. "Does that hurt?"
What hurt was a little further south and he shifted uncomfortably, glad that the towel he held hid the evidence of his sudden arousal. "It's fine." And embarrassing – he'd been a teenager the last time so little stimulation had caused such a reaction. When she was finished, he insisted she sit and allow him to take care of the scratch on her arm. He was thinking of ways to extend the evening, maybe by ordering takeout, when her phone rang and he saw Jimmy's name flash across her screen before she answered it.
Something had changed that night, or maybe it had been a slow change that crept up on him and finally clicked into place in those moments in Isis. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he'd tried to let it go for the last few months and after today, he wondered if it was possible. He wondered if he even wanted to.
Jimmy was no longer an issue, but there were others. She was Lois' cousin, and the two women were closer than most sisters. Chloe had probably gotten a blow-by-blow of his relationship with Lois after they broke up, though she'd never let on that she was privy to those details. He and Lois were long over and both were happier as friends than they'd ever been while dating, but he had to acknowledge the potential for awkwardness.
His bigger concern was the team. He wanted to bring Chloe fully into the Justice League fold and have her play a much larger role as Watchtower. She had her career of course, and he didn't want to interfere with that, but he'd been planning to talk to Chloe after the holidays and see what they could work out. He'd purchased a building in downtown Metropolis, and for the past six months he'd been renovating it. While it would serve as a base of operations, he'd also built apartments on each floor, and there were other amenities such as an indoor lap pool and a state-of-the-art gym.
The apartments would serve as crash pads for the others when they were in town, but he'd designed the largest one with Chloe in mind. If she accepted his offer, he hoped she would also accept the apartment as part of the package. It was closer to the Daily Planet than the building where she currently lived, and it was much more secure.
All of this brought him back to his current dilemma, which was how he could make both a partnership and a romantic relationship work with Chloe. He wasn't even sure if she would be interested in that. His track record with women was terrible – he'd moved past a lot of the behaviors which had caused him problems in the past, but facts were facts, and he'd never made a relationship work for more than a few months. Either he blew it up intentionally at some point or he walked away to keep people at arm's length, as was the case with Lois.
Oliver knew he couldn't start something with Chloe without looking at all of the potential pitfalls because he needed her – as a friend and as a partner. If they tried and it ended badly, it could affect the entire team. Still, there were plenty of items he could tick off in the pro column. For one thing, he wasn't hiding anything from her. Good or bad, she pretty much knew it all. For another, she understood the cost of what they did better than most because she'd made sacrifices of her own over the years. Her relationship with Jimmy had been one such casualty. More than anyone, she could probably understand why he'd ended things with Lois when he did.
She was beautiful and he was attracted to her, but today proved what he felt went beyond attraction. They'd spent the entire day together and not once had he felt the need to put distance between them. He'd never taken anyone with him when he went to light a candle for his parents, but he'd appreciated having her there. She was supportive without being intrusive. They could talk about anything, yet their silences throughout the day had been comfortable ones.
They were both goal-oriented, driven individuals. Since their goals were so similar, he figured that was one for the plus column because they were compatible where it counted. Somehow he didn't think sexual compatibility would be a problem – of course, he had to figure out a way to move them out of the friend zone before he could confirm that, which brought him back to wondering how she felt about him. She seemed to enjoy it when he flirted with her over the comms, but she was usually more business-like in person. There was an abstract appreciation in the way she looked at him that confirmed his attraction wasn't one-sided, but he doubted she'd ever given it much thought or had any ideas about pursuing it. Maybe this time together would change that.
Chloe shifted against him, snuggling in closer. With the barest brush of his fingertips, Oliver smoothed her hair away from her face. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and sleep right there on the sofa, but he knew she would probably wake up at some point. She didn't look like she'd slept well while in Boston. She needed a good night's rest.
He eased away from her and stood before carefully gathering her in his arms. She mumbled something but didn't wake up as he carried her to the guest suite. The bed had already been turned down. He laid her carefully on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom and pulled the duvet up, tucking it in around her so she wouldn't get cold.
The storm had hit with a vengeance. The thick glass windows muffled the sound of the wind whistling and howling between the buildings, but Oliver could see the heavy snowfall blowing in a horizontal line past the windows. He turned on the news to get an update and learned that airports were closed throughout the northeast and were expected to remain closed for at least a couple of days. Power outages were already being reported, making him glad he'd purchased a backup generator for the shelter.
In his suite he picked up a bag that he'd been keeping on the jet in preparation for his next trip to Metropolis. He found the gift box he'd requested from the manager and wrapped Chloe's present before putting it under the tree and going to bed.
The faint aroma of coffee woke Chloe; she stretched under the covers and rolled onto her back with a happy sigh. She was going to miss this bed with its whisper soft linens and fluffy pillows. It was the best night's sleep she'd had in months. She didn't recall falling asleep during the movie but she had a vague, dream-like recollection of Oliver carrying her to bed.
She lay against the pillows for a minute, enjoying the rare opportunity to be lazy. Her life had been nothing but work for so long she couldn't remember what it felt like to relax. From the meteor-freak-of-the-week in high school to the hustle and bustle of investigative journalism in Metropolis, there was never a shortage of stories to hold her attention, and she'd been chasing those stories relentlessly since she graduated in an effort to prove herself to her editor. Add to that her work with Isis and helping Clark and Oliver, and it was no wonder she didn't have time to sleep.
As much as she wanted to have a lie-in, the smell of freshly brewed coffee proved too much to resist. She made a quick trip to the bathroom, splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth, and then ventured from her room. Chloe peeked into the living room first. The television was on and the local news station was reporting on the storm currently raging throughout the northeast, but Oliver wasn't there. In the kitchen she found a cup waiting beside the coffee machine, under which lay a note.
Back soon. Breakfast will be here at nine-thirty.
Chloe glanced at the clock – that gave her about thirty minutes to shower and get dressed. She poured a cup of coffee and took it with her into the bathroom. She showered quickly, using the Guerlain products provided by the hotel. The lotion felt like liquid velvet as she smoothed it on. She applied just enough cosmetics to brighten up her naturally pale complexion but spent an extra couple of minutes on her eyes before drying her hair.
She considered the outfits hanging in the wardrobe. Thankfully she had plenty of clothes since she'd spent a week in Boston and had planned to be in Raleigh for an additional week before flying back to Metropolis. The problem was that her clothes fell into two categories – work appropriate or the comfy casual style she preferred in her downtime.
Casual is fine, she told herself. Oliver isn't going to dress up to hang around the hotel room. You're not trying to impress anyone here.
She finally chose jeans and a soft jersey pullover in a flattering midnight blue shade before grabbing her empty cup and walking to the kitchen for a refill. Chloe heard noises in the dining room and found Oliver there with a room service waiter, who was setting up breakfast.
Oliver looked up as she entered. "Hey. Sleep well?"
"Very well," she confirmed. "Where did you go so early?"
"To the gym," he answered. "And I visited the florist downstairs." He walked over to a side table and picked up a large floral arrangement. "Merry Christmas, Chloe."
"Oh… Ollie, they're beautiful," Chloe said, surprised and touched. The vase was shaped like a gift box and had been wrapped in heavy gold paper. Red, green and gold plaid ribbons decorated the sides, and holly leaves with bright red berries were arranged along the edges. An array of winter greenery filled the box, and more than a dozen flowers – antique gold roses, snowy white lilies and a deep red flower she didn't recognize – dotted the greenery like ornaments. She touched one of the red flowers. "What are these?"
"Tulips," he told her. "The florist called them Midnight Magic – they're a double bloom variety. I remembered that you like tulips."
"Thank you," she said. Suddenly, she felt emotional and hid her reaction by leaning in to smell the fresh greenery and lush blooms while the waiter finished laying out their breakfast. The flowers were placed on the table while they ate, and her eyes strayed to them often. It had been a long time – a year, maybe two – since she'd gotten flowers, and she'd never received flowers like these.
After breakfast Chloe insisted on moving the arrangement to the living room. Then she went to her suite to get her laptop. When she came back, she said, "This isn't a Christmas present, exactly, but I've been working on something for you." She pulled up the design for a new type of arrow and let Oliver study it. "I sent Bart to New York to check out stories of Spiderman, and he brought back a sample of the webbing he uses."
Oliver looked surprised. "You were able to duplicate it?"
She nodded. "It's not exact, but it's very close. Victor and I have been working on this design together. When the arrow hits its target, the webbing shoots out from both sides. Based on how you position the fletching, you can change the direction of the web projectiles. We can make them bigger or smaller – the possibilities are endless, really. The prototypes should be ready after the New Year. Do you like it?"
"Very much," he said, smiling at her. "Thank you. In the spirit of not-exactly-a-Christmas-present, I have something for you, too." He stood and walked over to the Christmas tree, where he retrieved a gift box.
Chloe bit her lip as she opened the box. A book lay on top of the red tissue paper. On the cover there was a familiar building with a distinctive green roof. "Isn't that building in Metropolis?"
"It is. I bought it. Take a look."
She opened the book to see building plans along with professional mock-ups which showed designs for each floor. The basement level had been turned into a garage while the ground floor was a lobby, and directly above it there was a gym, a sauna and an indoor lap pool. The remaining floors held large apartments, and the top floor appeared to be a library. The walls were lined with bookshelves from one end to the other, and there was a computer station in the center of the room.
"Ollie, what is this?" she asked curiously.
"I'm calling it Watchtower," he said. "A base of operations for the League. The top floor looks like a library, and it is, but all of these bookcases open up – they hide servers, a med bay area where Emil can store medical supplies, extra storage compartments for equipment, and upstairs there's an office."
Chloe nodded as she studied the plans. "And the apartments?"
"They're listed as executive suites for one of my shell companies, but they're really crash pads for team members when they're in town, which is more and more often lately. This apartment just below the tower room is yours if you want it."
She nibbled her lip as she studied the plans for the apartment. It was much larger than her current and very tiny walk-up, and its central location meant she'd be closer to work and all of her shopping needs. But with her day job and duties at Isis, she wasn't sure she had any more time to devote to the team at the moment.
Oliver seemed to sense the direction of her thoughts. "Chloe, I know you have a job and your work at Isis. I'm not expecting you to take this on full time. However, I do think this set-up will make League responsibilities more convenient for all of us. The security is going to be far better than what you have at Isis."
He had a point. And she had been thinking of passing more responsibility to her office manager at Isis, which would free up more of her time. "I don't know. The apartment seems like… it's too much."
"Too much for you but not the rest of the team? I'm not sure you realize how invaluable your help is, whether it's full time or not. The only difference, really, is that you'll be running ops from this building and when you're done, home is just one floor down. You're closer to work and shopping, and just think of all the work research you can do for the Planet with the use of my satellites and the Watchtower servers."
Servers. Plural. He really knew her weak spots, she thought as she suppressed a smile. "My lease isn't up for another six months."
"It'll take at least four months to finish the remodeling." His tone indicated that he knew he was wearing her down.
She noted that the apartment had a roomy home office lined with bookshelves, and she'd have a killer city view from both the living room and her bedroom. Despite the larger size, the layout still gave it a cozy, homey feel. Pointing to the space across from her apartment, she asked, "And this?"
Oliver shrugged. "Storage, if we need it. I figured you wouldn't want an apartment so big that it took up the entire floor, and there are enough apartments downstairs for the rest of the team."
And a few to spare if they added more team members – something to consider with the number of vigilantes popping up around the country.
"Having a secure home base is a really good idea," she admitted. "And you know that I want to help with the team as much as possible. I'll think about the apartment. But when Lois wants her own floor, it's on you."
"Hey, she's welcome to one of the apartments, but I seriously doubt Clark would want to live that close to the whole team. He thinks they're too loud."
"In his defense, I think the city takes some getting used to after all his years of barn brooding," Chloe replied. "But you're right. I don't think this set-up would be ideal for him. I kind of like the idea of knowing my neighbors, though."
She started to set the box on the table, but Oliver stopped her.
"There's something else there," he told her.
Chloe pulled back the red tissue paper to reveal buttery soft, green leather. Laughing, she looked at Oliver. "Looking for a literal sidekick now? I can't imagine pulling off the green leather tights as well as you do."
He grinned. "Funny, but no. I happened to see this in a store window when I was in Milan. I thought it would look good on you."
She pulled the folded leather out of the box and saw that it was a jacket. When she slipped it on, the soft leather fit like a dream. "It fits perfectly, which is weird because when you're short, tailoring is your friend."
"I know the tailor you use in Metropolis – you stopped there to pick up a suit when we were leaving Isis one night. I asked Bart to take the jacket to them. Since it was a gift, they were happy to keep the secret."
"It's beautiful." She tried not to read into the fact that Oliver had been reminded of her while on a business trip. It was his favorite color, and green leather fit with the Watchtower surprise. And while the flowers that morning were atypical for her, Oliver probably bought flowers for a lot of people.
"So what do you usually do on Christmas Day?" he asked.
Chloe took off the jacket and shrugged. "When I lived in Smallville, my dad and I spent a lot of holidays at the Kent Farm. I liked helping Martha bake cookies. Clark and I would play in the snow, and our dads would usually join in for a snow fight before dinner. Then Dad and I would take leftovers home and play board games."
"What about since you moved to Metropolis?"
"Nothing, really. Clark is usually with Martha, Jimmy always goes home for the holidays and I haven't seen my dad since he moved to Raleigh. I call him, and we do video chats, but it's obviously not the same. Lois and I go out to eat if she's in Metropolis." It hadn't occurred to her until just now how lonely that sounded. From Oliver's expression, he guessed what she was thinking. His brown eyes were sympathetic, but she also realized in that moment that he understood how she felt.
"I think we'll have to pass on the snow fights until the storm dies down, but I bet we could have the ingredients delivered if you want to make cookies. Fair warning – I'm pretty decent in the kitchen, but I've never made cookies."
"I need to call Lois anyway, so I'll ask Martha for a couple of her recipes," Chloe said.
After hanging her new jacket in the wardrobe, she got another cup of coffee and settled on the sofa with her laptop to check her emails while watching the news on TV. A few minutes later Oliver joined her.
"There are a lot of power outages. Do you think the women and kids at the shelter are okay?" she asked.
"They have a generator and backup heat sources," Oliver told her. "They'll be fine. Any idea what we'll need for the cookies?"
"Flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, salt. We'll need a mixer, rolling pin and cookie sheet. If they have cookie cutters and decorating tools for the icing, that would be great because half the fun is decorating them. If not then we can cut them out with a glass."
"Okay. Why don't you make your calls and I'll see about getting those ingredients."
Chloe's first call was to Lois. "Hey, Lo. Merry Christmas."
"It would be a lot merrier if you were here," Lois grumbled. "Lucy and the General are barely speaking to each other because he objects to her new boyfriend's tattoos, and Jimmy is snowed in with us until the airports open."
"I hope you're being nice to Jimmy and Kara," Chloe said. "Remember – it was my idea to break our engagement."
"I'm being nice," Lois replied just as Clark appeared onscreen.
Clark cleared his throat. "She's being civil, at least. Merry Christmas, Chloe. You should have let us know that you got stuck in New York. I could have come for you."
"I didn't want things to be awkward," Chloe said.
"See – I told you." Lois crossed her arms and glanced at Clark. "That is why I object to Jimmy being here. Breaking the engagement was a great idea but now that he's getting frisky with your cousin, Chloe is shut out of her own family."
"Lois, stop being so dramatic." Chloe sighed, wondering how they'd found out she was stuck in New York. Lois must have texted her dad.
"Well, at least you have power. We heard half the city is blacked out. Where are you staying?" Lois asked. "The furniture looks nice."
Chloe hesitated. Would it seem weird that she was here with Oliver? But then lying about it would make it seem weird later if they found out. "I'm at the Waldorf."
"Since when does any airline shell out for the Waldorf?" Lois asked, surprised. "Because I know our editor didn't."
"I was ready to settle in at a hostel near the airport when I ran into Oliver. He insisted I take the extra room in his suite."
"You're staying at the Waldorf with Oliver?" Lois didn't sound like this news made her uncomfortable. In fact, she looked positively delighted. "Well that's cozy."
Chloe eyed her cousin warily. "We're in separate rooms, Lo. I have my own bathroom and everything."
"So did you pack the satin pajama set I got you for Christmas?"
"No, I did not. I packed the Star Wars pajamas Clark gave me, and my bunny slippers." Was Lois seriously hinting that she should make a play for her ex?
Lois muttered something about missed opportunities, and Clark coughed to cover his obvious embarrassment. Apparently that was exactly what Lois was hinting at.
Chloe glanced at her watch. "Wow, look at the time. I still have to call Dad so I'll talk to you later. Love you." She disconnected the video call before Lois could protest and then sent Martha a text asking for her famous sugar cookie recipe. She responded within a few minutes, wished her a happy holiday, and said to tell Oliver hello.
"Lois Loudmouth Lane," Chloe said, exasperated.
"What?"
She glanced up to see Oliver coming from the kitchen. "Nothing, just Lois being Lois. I made the mistake of mentioning that you invited me to stay here and…" she trailed off, beginning to regret she'd brought it up.
"And?" he prompted. "She can't possibly be upset about it."
She sighed. "The opposite, actually. It sounded like she was… matchmaking."
"Ah, I see." Oliver grinned. "Well, there are far worse things than being linked to a brainy blonde beauty who enjoys being bossy on comms."
"I'm bossy?" Okay, she knew she was, but it was the first time Oliver had ever called her on it.
He raised a knowing brow. "Just a little. One of your more endearing qualities."
She wasn't imagining the flirtatious tone. She tilted her head and studied him for a moment. "And it doesn't bother you that Lois thinks – or hopes - something is going on here?"
Oliver strolled casually across the room until he was standing in front of her. Bending down, he murmured, "Not in the least."
Chloe swallowed hard as her heart rate sped up. Well, then. He was definitely flirting with her. It was always fun to banter over the comms, but up close and personal, it was a whole new ball game. He was smiling at her now, and there was something like a challenge in his eyes. Teasing, but a challenge nonetheless.
Before she could properly process the last few minutes and figure out how to proceed, there was a knock at the door.
"Our cookie supplies," Oliver said as he took a step back. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."
Cookies, Chloe. She shook her head and pulled up the recipe Martha had sent. Concentrate on the cookies.
A/N – Getting back to updating. Sorry it took so long! I had a busy end of semester, but I'm on vacation. Now that I've had an opportunity to decompress, I'm back to writing and editing. My classes don't start until September, so I should have time to work on my Chlollie stories. Hope y'all are having a great summer!