The phone ringing woke Oliver up out of a sound sleep, and he sat up, finding his phone in the dark to answer it. He'd gone out on patrol for a little while after he'd brought Chloe home, and had just fallen into bed to catch some rest before his day started.
"Hello?" He grunted. "Oliver Queen."
"Oliver, it's Clark." Clark's voice was urgent and hushed. "I tracked down that Man-bat Lois is trying to uncover. He just disappeared on me, but it's definitely a guy and he's definitely got an agenda. He just left a heap of drug runners wishing they'd stayed home tonight at the waterfront."
"Sht." Oliver breathed. "Does he know you've been keeping an eye on him? I'm thinking we need to warn him about Lois. If he's doing good things in Gotham, then I don't want him to get distracted by her and her ideas." Quickly, Oliver ran over the list of people he was acquainted with in that city in his head. "I don't even have the first clue who this might be. Did you get a look at his face, Clark?"
"No." Clark sounded disgusted with himself. "He's wearing a mask, black body armor."
"Body armor? Really? Heavy duty or lightweight, like mine?"
"You need to get this guy to set you up, Oliver." Clark laughed. "Nothing touched him and he was even wearing a cape…worked it like a hang-glider. Chloe was close to dead on with that guess."
"Figures. That cost a big chunk of change…" Oliver turned the light on. "Keep your eye on him, Clark. How's Lois?"
"Fine. Taking this seriously, Oliver, and I don't know how long I can keep her from doing any more digging, without letting her know I'm here. How's Chloe?" Clark asked, and Oliver grinned.
"She's amazing. You sure you're okay with this? I'm still a little concerned about stepping on your toes, Clark." Oliver yawned. "But not so much that I'd back off now without a stomp or two on them first."
"My toes can take it, and Chloe's my best friend. I want her happy. That's what matters." Clark cleared his throat. "I didn't mean to…um..." He hesitated, trying to think of the polite thing to say.
"She's at her dorm, Clark. Neither one of us is all that interested in rushing things." Oliver switched off the light, putting the thought of Chloe there with him out of his mind completely. "Call me when you're ready to head back. I'm going back to sleep. I'm not from another planet and I need at least four hours without interruption."
"You got it." Clark laughed. "Talk to you then."
Chloe ran to her closet as soon as she got back from the museum. Writing her article would have to wait. She spotted what she was looking for as soon as she opened the doors, a sleek column of deep green velvet that she had bought just after Thanksgiving from a fashion major down the hall because she couldn't resist it, planning to wear it for the Daily Planet Christmas party. Strapless, but lined in plaid taffeta and had come with a wrap of the same velvet and taffeta combination. Chloe smiled, looking at herself in the mirror, holding the dress up against her chest, her cheeks rosy from both the cold and her excitement. She hung the dress up and went to her jewelry box and pulled out her mother's white gold and diamond locket and polished it on her sleeve, making the small stones twinkle like the lights on the Christmas tree at Oliver's apartment. Chloe smiled and giggled a little to herself, giddy over the thought of seeing Oliver in a tuxedo.
Lois had called her earlier, and said she'd seen someone who looked a great deal like Clark roaming around Gotham City and that the elusive Man-bat had made another appearance but got away before she could catch him. Chloe had listened sympathetically, and when Lois asked her what she was doing tonight, Chloe told a half truth and said she was covering the concert for the Daily Planet.
"Well, if you see Oliver, find out how he's doing." Lois said, sounding guilty and Chloe froze until Lois finished her sentence. "After I kissed the Green Arrow, I knew that I couldn't stay with Oliver. I just wasn't feeling it, you know? If I was reacted like that to a stranger, than what hope did Oliver have?" Lois sighed a little, and Chloe nodded, exhaling in relief.
"I'm sure he's fine, Lois. You said it ended well, and that he didn't seem upset." Chloe added reasonably. "Besides, maybe he's met someone else."
"That would be great." Lois said quickly. "I'd feel better about the whole thing if he did. I gotta go, cousin. Have fun tonight!" She hung up and Chloe had tried to assess what she was taking away from that conversation. Lois cared if Oliver was happy, hadn't felt right about things with him since she had kissed the Green Arrow, and broke it off. Chloe looked down at the clippings she'd collected about the Green Arrow and frowned. From the way Clark was acting about Oliver, Chloe had kind of suspected that Oliver might have something to do with the Green Arrow…just the fact that they'd appeared in town at the same time was a red flag. And, Chloe could easily reconcile Oliver's liberal worldview with the action-taking vigilante Green Arrow. But if Lois had kissed them both, and found there was a vast difference, then it couldn't possibly be. She tapped the police sketch picture of Green Arrow and frowned. "You've been quiet. I wonder what's caught your attention?" Oliver's been occupied, too, Chloe said to herself, instincts humming and she laughed, looking up into the mirror again. She smiled and then began to get ready for the concert. If Oliver was the Green Arrow, it didn't really matter. After being Clark's friend for this long, Chloe thought, everyone was entitled to their secrets.
Oliver had gone to the theater from the office, changing at the office into his tuxedo. He checked his messages as he walked up the steps to Metropolis Concert Hall. The hope that Chloe had reconsidered, or managed to find a story that she needed to follow, so he could duck out of the concert, was dying a slow and horrible death. Standing in the lobby of the theater, Oliver checked his watch. 7:30 p.m. He looked around, and saw Lex Luthor and his girlfriend heading right for him. They were talking between themselves, and even with the distance between the couple and where Oliver stood, he could feel the tension pouring off them.
"Great." Oliver turned away, and his breath caught in his chest. Chloe was looking for him, and he just took a minute to let how beautiful she was sink in. There was not another woman in the building that could even compete, and when she saw him, the smile that lit up her face could have kept Metropolis in power for years. She lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to not trip, and glided to him, taking his arm just as Lex and Lana approached.
"Chloe!" Lana smiled, looking slightly pale and the soft pearly color of her gown only making her seem more colorless. "What are you doing here?" Her dark eyes shone seeing her friend, and then she turned to look at Chloe's companion, "You must be…oh." Lana recoiled slightly and then with icy dignity, she greeted Oliver. "Mr. Queen."
"Ms. Lang." Oliver bowed, slightly. "Lex, how are you?"
"I've been better." Lex said. "You'd better up your security, Oliver. The Green Arrow made a surprise visit to my office a few weeks ago." Lex turned his steel colored eyes to Chloe. "Chloe. It's a surprise to see you here. Covering the concert for the Planet? They say the star is sick tonight and the understudy will be on instead. Will you get to interview the understudy? Their perspective might be interesting for the readers – always waiting in the wings, always second best, no matter how hard you work. I'm sure you'll have quite a bit of common ground." He smiled politely, sipping at his champagne, and Chloe blinked, letting the comment pass with a polite smile. Oliver frowned, though and Chloe tightened her grip on his arm.
"No, I'm not here tonight for the paper. Oliver invited me and I couldn't imagine a nicer way to spend the evening." Chloe replied gracefully, smiling at Lana. "How are you, Lana? You look beautiful. That gown is just beautiful."
"Oh, I'm just fine." Lana smiled brightly, her lie obvious to everyone but Lex. "I love yours too, Chloe, it's gorgeous. That is a perfect color for your complexion."
"Green always was your color, wasn't it, Chloe?" Lex asked smoothly, and Chloe looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "The color has so many meanings."
"Yes, it does." Oliver interjected, equally as smooth and twice as calm. "It also happens to be my favorite color. You do look amazing." Oliver winked at her imperceptibly, and much to Chloe's amazement, so did Lex, but with a totally different meaning, meant solely for her, a small pout curving his lip briefly before it disappeared. Chloe wanted to slap Lex' face but thought of the day when she could get even with Lex in a much more final way. "Let's go find our seats."
"Okay." Chloe smiled at Oliver and then at Lana. "See you later, Lana."
"Yes. Call me before the holidays, Chloe. I miss talking to you every day. I'll be at the penthouse here in town." Lana hugged Chloe tightly and whispered. "He's crazy about you.." She let go and beamed at Oliver. "Be good to my friend, Mr. Queen."
"It's my ultimate goal…" Oliver bowed again, and smiled. "Lana." He straightened, and nodded to Lex. "Enjoy the concert."
Lex nodded politely and took Lana's hand as Oliver and Chloe walked in the other direction.
"What the hell was that all about? Second best, waiting in the wings?" Oliver grumbled. "I swear he needs the sht kicked out of him, and by someone who knows how."
"It's okay, Oliver. Lex and I do this all the time. He needs to remind me of my place, I suppose." Chloe shook her head, dismissing Lex and his comments. "Do you really think I look amazing?"
"I was getting ready to tell you that and more before Lex showed up." Oliver handed their tickets to an uniformed usher who led them to a private box and opened the door. The box seated six, but no one else was there. "Good. Thanks." Oliver nodded to the usher who disappeared silently, closing the door behind him. "Muhahahaha." He rubbed his hand together and looked at Chloe with a wolfish expression. "We are completely alone…"
"Except for the thousand other people in the audience." Chloe laughed, looking out at the seats below them. She dropped her handbag on the chair. "You were telling me how gorgeous I am."
"Right." Oliver laughed. "No word, however, on how well I clean up. I'm kind of insulted." He prompted, and Chloe covered her mouth to hide her smile.
"MMM." Chloe purred, studying him. "I like the James Bond thing on you, Oliver, but I have to say I love seeing you in jeans. Call it the Kansas in me." She shrugged, and Oliver caught her hands, pulling her close.
"You, on the other hand, look like Christmas." Oliver said, his voice low and rich. "I love Christmas." He kissed her shoulder. "Especially presents in green wrapping with plaid ribbons."
"I'm sure." Chloe laughed, and he grinned at her, moving up away from her shoulder and kissing her neck. "And now you love Christmas? Two days ago you were all about staying home alone, doing nothing. Now listen to you. The Grinch is gone."
"I've been converted." Oliver said, the words muffled against her skin. "'The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Chloe Sullivan! Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this!'" He held her close and she gasped as his lips touched her ear and then shuddered pleasantly as he moved back down to her neck again. "I'm a better student than Scrooge though, it only took one spirit for me...a pretty blonde spirit in a white hat who let me kiss her on the ice and took me Christmas shopping…"
"I never thought anyone would attempt to seduce me and paraphrase Dickens at the same time." Chloe laughed. "This is going in my blog when I get home."
Oliver smiled and then grimaced. "Ooh, 'Attempt'. That's not good. I have a very small margin of error." He looked up at her. "It's all part of my diabolical plan to get the hell out of here as fast as we can." The music started and as the lights dimmed, he groaned, falling into one of the front seats and sinking low, his long legs stretched out as far as the space between the seat and the edge of the balcony would allow. "We're never going to get to leave now."
Chloe smiled. "Where would you rather go?" Oliver looked up hopefully. "I suppose we can change out of these fancy clothes and finish Christmas shopping."
"Mine's done." Oliver said, standing. "The last gift is on it's way to me now."
"Show off." Chloe poked him. "So? What's the big plan, then?"
"Come on." Oliver took her by the hand and towed her from the box. "I think I can come up with something."
Oliver gave the driver directions as they got into the limousine. "You're going to love this, Miss Christmas." The car moved away from the Metropolis Concert Hall and to the north side of town.
"Where are we going?" Chloe asked, looking out into the festive city.
"There's another concert I want to get to." Oliver said, putting his arm around her. "I'd have made plans to go to this one first, but I didn't hear about it until today."
"Oh?" Chloe asked, and Oliver nodded. "Tell.."
"Nope." He grinned. "You'll see when we get there." He looked out the window. "We're getting close."
"In this neighborhood?" Chloe looked out the window. The neat row houses decorated with lights flooded her with memories. "This is where we lived until we moved to Smallville when I was a teenager."
"Really?" Oliver asked. "Well, then, Miss Christmas, this will be right up your alley."
"Oliver, are we going to the St. Anastasia's children's concert?" Chloe asked, nearly breathless. "How on earth did you find out about that?"
"My secretary Celeste's little girl is in it. She asked me if she could leave early to get ready for it, so I asked her what it was about. This year, the proceeds are going to try and keep their outreach programs afloat. I heard that their food pantry is more like a co-op for the neighborhood and that they're trying to figure out how to keep it open. That particular church does quite a bit of good in this area"
"I know." Chloe smiled, remembering her days of being a student at the parish school and how the congregation had tried to rally around them when her mother first left. "I can't believe I haven't been back here in so long."
"So, it was worth leaving that fancy concert to come here. I'd really like to see more big business take an interest in these kinds of places. Churches and Community Centers like this improve their neighborhoods and support the people that work for Queen Industries, or Luthorcorp…" Oliver continued. "I want to talk to the person running the day care program and the literacy program about contributing to those too and…"
Chloe looked up at Oliver. "Do you know exactly how much good your contributions will do here, Oliver? The families that they'll be able to help because of it? What a wonderful thing to do." She smiled at him. "You're not just doing this because it's Christmas, either, are you?"
"No." He shook his head. "I'm not. I'd have made the contributions anyway. For selfish reasons. I actually have a thing for hot chocolate and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The rector assured me they'll have them in abundance." He smiled. "I might even share them with you."
Chloe reached up and kissed him. "I'm overwhelmed, Oliver. This is more than I can even believe possible." He pulled her close, and smiled. "This is such a wonderful thing."
"Here we are." Oliver said with a grin, as the car came to a stop. He kissed Chloe deeply before the chauffeur opened their door. "Come on." Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car. They walked into the Parish school auditorium and Chloe felt tears spring to her eyes. It all smelled and looked the same. It was hard to imagine such a thing was possible, and a group of children on the stage were singing a song Chloe had never heard before. Their little voices were in perfect harmony, and each little face was bright with excitement. Chloe smiled, remembering her own debut on that stage, probably in one of those very same angel costumes.
"Perhaps
love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm
It exists
to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm
And in those
times of trouble when you are most alone
The memory of love will
bring you home"
Chloe and Oliver slid into seats in the back row, and tucked Chloe's wrap around her shoulders with a smile. The temperature in the auditorium was slightly chilly, but the pure happiness in the air was warming, and Chloe couldn't help but feel the stark contrast from the stifling atmosphere in the Metropolis Concert Hall. The children on stage were dressed in angel costumes, and although Chloe realized the song wasn't meant to be about anything remotely Christmas, it seemed to fit the theme of the concert. She felt Oliver's hand close around hers and she smiled up at him.
"Perhaps
love is like a window, perhaps an open door
It invites you to
come closer, it wants to show you more
And even if you lose
yourself and don't know what to do
The memory of love will see
you through."
"If you were planning on giving me anything for Christmas, don't." Oliver whispered, so low Chloe could just about hear him. "These last few days have been pretty great, and it's still not Christmas yet." He raised her hand to his lips. "I'm looking forward to the rest of the week."
"Oliver.." She began to protest, and he shushed her with a wink and then pointed to the stage, where the children were still singing. She turned, biding her time until she could talk again.
"
Love to some is like a cloud, to
some as strong as steel
For some a way of living, for some a way
to feel
And some say love is holding on and some say letting go
And some say love is everything, and some say they don't know"
"Okay, then." Chloe whispered back as the angel children danced with wrapped packages, placing them by what would eventually hold a newly born brother or sister of one of the children, standing in for the baby Jesus. "Then it works both ways. Don't give me anything either."
"Ooooh." Oliver winced. "Too late. Your present is all taken care of." A flash of wicked smile traced itself across his face and then he looked at her again. "I gave it a lot of thought, too."
"How can you ask me not to give you anything, then?" Chloe hissed, and Oliver shrugged, making a large point of returning his attention to the children on the stage. He squeezed her hand, and Chloe grinned.
"Perhaps
love is like the mountains, full of conflict, full of change
Like
a fire when it's cold outside, thunder when it rains
If I should
live forever, and all my dreams come true
My memories of love
will be of you …"
The children blew kisses to their parents, and Oliver grinned, looking at Chloe, who was rummaging through her little purse for a tissue. She laughed a little at herself, and looked up at Oliver. Tears had tracked down her cheeks, and Oliver pulled a pristine handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"I have a pen, a pad, lipstick, my keys and emergency money, but no tissues." Chloe said, frustrated, dabbing at her face. "I could write an article about this concert, but I couldn't blow my nose."
"Priorities are important in life." Oliver laughed gently. "I always have a handkerchief when I'm dressed in a monkey suit like this. My grandfather always said you'd never know when the girl you were with would need it. It was an easy chance to play the hero."
"You don't have to play the hero, Oliver. You are one already." Chloe replied. "You are going to help so many people with the contributions you make here. It's wonderful."
"Ah, it's okay." Oliver shrugged. "It's not ever really enough." The lights had come up for intermission, and a tall woman was making her way toward them, smiling. She was older than Oliver, maybe thirty, and wearing a red and white Christmas sweater and jeans.
"Mr. Queen! How nice! So glad you could make it!" She looked at Chloe with a pleased expression. "You must be Chloe Sullivan. It's wonderful to meet you. I'm Celeste." The woman's dark hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and her face and hands still bore traces of hastily applied gold glitter. "My husband so wants to meet you, Mr. Queen…"
"I want to meet him. Thank him for letting you work the hours you do." Oliver smiled. "Then introduce me to the rector, I want to talk to him, too."
Chloe watched Celeste's face go through every emotion possible, and then she just shook her head. "Mr. Queen…"
"Thanks, Celeste. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you for telling me about this place." Oliver nodded. "I hope I can help."
"Help?" Celeste gasped. "Oh, you have no idea…" She turned, and called to a red haired man who was surrounded by four children, two with gold angel wings, one dressed as a shepherd. She was trying to stay composed but could just about manage. "John, tell Father Frank that Mr. Queen is here." The red haired man nodded, taking the angels by the hands and sending the shepherd and the youngest, a curly haired toddler to their mother. She turned to Oliver again, sweeping the toddler girl in her arms and wiping her eyes on the little one's hooded sweatshirt. "I can't believe it. What a wonderful thing. A miracle."
Chloe grinned, ready to tear up again herself, and Oliver shook his head modestly.
"Don't be silly, Celeste. My giving the money isn't a miracle. The miracle will be what you all are able to accomplish with it." Celeste's husband and the priest, a short, red faced man Chloe remembered from her childhood appeared. The priest spotted her and opened his arms.
"Good lord, one of our missing lambs! Chloe Sullivan!" He hugged her, beaming. "And you, all elegant and grown up! Remember your first communion?" He nodded, rolling his eyes. "I never answered as many questions in those classes, not before or since. How is your father?"
"He's fine, Father Frank. Doing really well." Chloe turned to Oliver. "Father Frank, this is Oliver Queen."
"Ah, Mr. Queen." Father Frank nodded. "How nice of you to come tonight. We don't get many from the Fortune 500 here…."
"Well, I'd like to talk to you about changing that. Intermission can't be long enough. Can I stop back tomorrow? I have this for you right now, though." Oliver took an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to the priest. "It's a start – okay?"
The priest nodded, holding the envelope tightly. "We'll talk tomorrow. I'll be in my office at the school." He shook Oliver's hand. "I'd better go…the nativity play is always a bit rowdy…Thank you, Mr. Queen. For the donation, and..." Father Frank turned and smiled at Chloe. "For bringing my little question asker back, if only for tonight."
"You're welcome." Oliver nodded, and with a wave to Celeste and her family, he and Chloe went back to their seats for the rest of the concert. Chloe looked up at him, as if seeing Oliver for the first time. She had been having a wonderful time with him, forgetting about who he really was, and how much influence he had in the world at such a young age. She wondered idly if that was what had really been behind Lois' defection, that she wasn't up for the challenge, for all of this Green Arrow kissing nonsense. It was also clear, from conversations Chloe had with Lois after that night that Lois had not shared that info with Oliver as a reason for ending their relationship. It seemed impossible to imagine, that while sitting here watching the parish school children put on their nativity play, she was thinking of what it might be like to stay the night with Oliver. She'd be lying if she didn't admit she'd thought about that the first time she'd ever seen him, in Clark's barn. Chloe looked up at Oliver's profile and sighed. What if Lex was right, and she was simply the understudy for Lois? Granted, Oliver was acting a whole lot more like he was interested in her than Clark had ever done, and Chloe had waited five years for him to look her way with half of Oliver's intensity. It was the intensity that was scary, now that she had it, because in her minds eye she could still see him with Lois on Thanksgiving Day, looking pretty darn happy.
She stood abruptly, and walked out of the row, and went out into the entry of the Parish Hall, feeling her breath come in gulps. Being second choice again wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind, and suddenly Chloe saw how ridiculous she had seemed in Lex's eyes. Instinctively, Chloe walked to the large doors that led into the church itself, down the connecting hallway with it's glassed in gothic windows and went inside the sanctuary itself. It was lit up, and she walked to the pew that her mother had always favored and sat down. She looked up at the round window and sighed.
"I'm an idiot." Chloe said aloud, her voice echoing in the empty church. "A complete and total idiot."
"That's funny." Oliver's voice said from behind her. She turned and he was standing at the top of the center aisle. "I was wondering if it was me that was the idiot. Want to tell me what's going on?"
"Oliver.." Chloe stood. "It's all just too fast. Too much, too soon. You and Lois, me and Jimmy…how much of this." She pointed to herself and then Oliver. "Has been about us? Really?"
"I had thought all of it, but I might have missed something." Oliver frowned. "This is about what Lex said earlier. "
"No." Chloe began, and Oliver looked pointedly at the altar and shook his head.
"Guaranteed to get hit by lightning if you finish that sentence with anything other than the absolute truth. So I'll be absolutely honest with you. Lois and I were going nowhere, fast. Maybe it took a little time to figure that out, I don't know. I don't feel that way about you. The first time I saw you, in Clark's barn? I said to myself, he's pretty lucky to have her. The second time I saw you, after I'd heard everything about you from Lois, you were attached to your cell phone getting twice hourly text messages from that photographer. And I thought to myself, that guy better know how lucky he is. The third time, in the coffee shop? I don't think I've been so grateful to see anyone ever. You've given me something that I didn't even know I lost and the last few days, I've been telling myself that something is going to happen to, " He looked down at the floor and then up at her again. "screw it up. Now if I have Lex to blame for that, I will. If I hadn't wanted to spend time with you, Chloe, I'd have called my driver, given you a lift home and not thought twice about it." Oliver didn't move from where he was standing, but he looked around as if searching for an answer and then sighed. "I want to keep spending time with you, Chloe. But I'll go with whatever you want. You want to believe that I'm with you because Lois doesn't want me? I can't fight you, even though it's not true. The same could be said about you though."
"Oh, really?" Chloe folded her arms, annoyed. "I'd like to hear how."
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? When I saw you in that coffee shop, you were putting the nails in the coffin of your relationship with the photographer. Plus, I do know more about you than you've told me yourself. Lois told me all about your crush on Clark. She was so happy about you and Jimmy because it was progress away from pining for Clark. I could very safely assume that you are with ME because you can't be with Clark or Jimmy." He laughed bitterly. "Which technically puts me in third place with you. It's a good thing I'm a pretty confident person, because you know what? I don't care about the photographer, but Clark is a hard act to follow."
"Clark and I are just friends, that's it. Regardless of what my feelings for him ever were. And what they were aren't what they ARE anymore." Chloe leaned forward, resting her hands on the back of the pew.
"I know that." Oliver agreed calmly. "Which is why I'm here, not letting you talk yourself out of what you've been feeling. Because I know I'm not feeling like this by myself. I'm willing to fight for us, because I think there actually is an 'us' to fight for. All you have to do is tell me what you want." A long silence filled the air around them, and the music from the play echoed through the church. Chloe walked out of the pew and up to Oliver to look into his eyes intently, and when she found what she wanted, she nodded.
"I want to go home." Chloe said resolutely. "Please."
Oliver nodded slowly. "Okay. MetU dorms it is."
Chloe looked up at him and shook her head. "No. I want to go home with you."
Same Night – Gotham City – Almost MidnightLois sighed and hung up her cellphone. For someone with no boyfriend, Chloe wasn't around much lately. The hotel lobby was all decorated for Christmas, something Lois had totally forgotten about in her excitement over the story she was tracking now. But she was still on Metropolis time and the last place she wanted to be was her room. She'd been sleeping kind of late anyway, since the man-bat kept, well, bat's hours. Lois slid her cell-phone into her pocket, and left the hotel, out into the streets of Gotham City. In spite of the late hour, many stores in Gotham were still open. It was a city that was awake very nearly 24 hours a day, and Lois still needed to finish shopping. She'd returned the few things she'd bought for Oliver and used the money to buy things for Mrs. Kent and Chloe. Lois went over her list again, pulling her dark coat around herself against the chill wind. There was someone dogging her steps, someone watching her every move, and Lois hoped it was the Man-Bat. After being stalked by the Green Arrow in Metropolis, Lois was pretty sure she could recognize it again.
"I can handle myself." Lois said, voice full of bravado. "I'm not afraid of anything."
"You should be, honey." A voice said from the depths of the alley Lois was walking past. "Gotham at night ain't for ladies." A hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her into the alley. "But you must not be a lady…"
"GET OFF!" Lois swung a kick at her attacker, and nearly fell in the effort. But, her foot connected with something because her attacker squealed and hit the floor. Another, larger shape came out of the shadows, and Lois was glad she hadn't eaten dinner, because it surely would have been all over the pavement. For a minute, she was blinded by fear, and then she recognized who had come to her aid.
"Geez, Smallville." Lois shook her head, relief flooding her enough to be disappointed to see Clark standing there. "When did you decide to stop stalking me?"
"When this guy tried to grab you. Lois, what are you doing?" Clark asked. "I've been trying to find you all day."
"I could ask you the same thing." Lois raised her chin, ready to argue. "Since when do you need to be in Gotham City?"
"Since Mom wanted me to check out Central University." Clark lied quickly, knowing his mother would back up any questions Lois asked him. "I'm thinking of coming here next semester."
"Really? Huh." Lois nodded. "You should have told me, because we could have flown out together. And how come you didn't mention it on the phone the other night?"
Clark shrugged. "That's why I was trying to find you. I showed Chloe the pictures and she thinks that it might be some attention seeker. Gotham City is full of them." Clark led Lois away from the alley, hand on her elbow.
"Yeah, Chloe. Where is my cousin, Clark? She's completely incommunicado." Lois paused to look in a store window. "She didn't sound so upset about breaking up with Jimmy as all that, either."
"Oh, well, I guess she just needs time. Plus, she told me she's been going to a lot of Christmas events around Metropolis, you know, for the paper." Clark said, and Lois nodded.
"I guess. Hey, you haven't talked to Oliver have you?" She asked, and Clark shrugged, glad that his nose didn't grow every time he told a lie, like Pinocchio, who danced in the store window in front of them in the department store window. "
"No." The answer satisfied Lois and Clark smiled. "I was on my way to a midnight show at the Regency. What do you say, Lois? We can walk back to your hotel and see if your Man-Bat shows himself."
"Sounds good. What's the movie? " Lois asked.
"I have no idea." Clark smiled. "Just thought I'd pick one when I get there. Strange city, nothing else to do." Clark offered his arm. "So, I'll buy the tickets if you get the popcorn."
Lois considered this and then nodded. "Throw in Skittles and you have a deal, Smallville."
"Done." Clark spit in his hand in his best cow trading manner and offered it to Lois to shake.
She grimaced, and then did the same, shaking his hand. "You farmers have some weird habits."
From above them, on the rooftop, an almost shrouded figured watched Clark and Lois walk together toward the multiplex. Silently, it moved in the same direction, keeping careful watch. The guy in the red jacket just appeared out of nowhere, and Bruce Wayne intended to not let THAT happen again. There were enough surprises in Gotham City to keep him busy for a long, long time. Bruce could hear the couple bickering pleasantly together as they walked toward the theater, two pairs of long legs walking in almost perfect, instinctive rhythm. The young woman's voice carried to Bruce, not enough to hear the words, but more than enough to know that she was not being abducted by the tall young man in the red jacket. Maybe the newcomer would get that reporter off the trail for awhile, Bruce thought as he disappeared into the shadows. And maybe, it was time to go to the movies.
Four Days Before Christmas, Metropolis, 10:00 p.m.
The music from the play had stopped, and the sound of loving applause from the little audience surrounded Oliver and Chloe as they stood in the church, hands loosely joined as their eyes met. There really didn't seem to be much more to say, and Oliver smiled, relieved, and Chloe did the same. He looked up at the altar and then led Chloe from the sanctuary and in the little gallery between the Church and parish hall stopped to gather her in his arms and kiss her, his arms tight around her waist. She responded, leaning into him and sliding her arms around his neck and shoulders. There was no real way to prove that time didn't stop right then, but when the world around them started to move again, Chloe could barely look at Oliver without wanting to kiss him again.
Oliver grinned at her, putting his forehead against hers. "I'm not even considering the rest of the evening in there." Oliver nodded toward the church and Chloe burst into giggles. "Don't want the place to fall down around me." He kissed her again, less urgently, but lingering, not wanting to let her go.
"Then we better leave the building entirely." Chloe said, her voice barely a whisper. "Because if you really are thinking what I am, we're in trouble."
"Either way, let's get out of here." Oliver kept an arm around her as they walked out to the car. After a quick stop at Chloe's dorm, they were back at Oliver's apartment, alone. Chloe walked to the balcony, hugging Oliver's tuxedo jacket around her shoulders. She heard music coming from the living room and then felt Oliver take her in his arms, standing behind her to look out at the city with her.
"I'm sorry about before." Chloe said, and Oliver shook his head. "I have this habit of talking myself out of things…."
"Forget it." Oliver told her, pressing a kiss into her hair. "We came out on the other side of it together. That has to count for something."
"I hope it does." Chloe turned around to rest her head over his heart. "It's so surreal, Oliver. If someone had told me last week I'd be here with you tonight, I'd have thought they were crazy."
Oliver laughed softly, and Chloe looked up at him. "Last week, I'd have agreed with you. I'm glad it's not last week anymore."
"Hmm." Chloe smiled. "Me too."
Oliver hugged her tighter and then shivered. "It's cold, Chloe. Let's go inside." He took her by the hand and led her into the living room. He kissed her gently and then looked into her eyes. "Well, we're home."
"I know." Chloe smiled, putting her arms around his neck. "It's nice to be home."
"Yeah." Oliver nodded, sliding his jacket from Chloe's bare shoulders. "I did tell you that you look incredible tonight, didn't I?" He kissed the exposed shoulders, dropping his jacket on the couch carelessly.
"You did." Chloe nodded, pulling Oliver's undone tie away from his collar, her eyes not leaving his. "You do too." She tossed the tie on the jacket and they both grinned.
Oliver pulled her closer. "Chloe, I want you. But I'm willing to wait…I just want you here with me…"
"Oliver. " She sighed, kissing him once, and smiling at him gently. "Shh."
He kissed her, feeling her gasp as he brought his hands to her face, and then again as he lightly traced the line of her neck from her shoulders to the place where her skin disappeared into green velvet, teasing the skin underneath. Chloe pressed against him, pulling on the crisp white dress shirt and she giggled a little as the buttons stubbornly resisted being freed from the buttonholes. She had taken her hair down from the elegant sweep she had pulled it up into and Oliver pushed the silky layers aside to kiss her ear, teasing her earlobe with his teeth gently. Her scent, a heady combination of the soft fragrance she wore and her skin made Oliver want to simply consume her. He groaned as Chloe managed to get the last button open on his shirt, her hands on his bare skin maddeningly soft and determined to learn the way his body felt, memorizing him with every gentle motion.
"Come on." Oliver said, and Chloe nodded, kicking her deep green satin shoes off and letting him lead her up the spiral stairs to his room. The paused in the doorway, Chloe leaned against the doorframe, smiling at Oliver. There was no possible way Lois had ever gotten to this point with Oliver, Chloe thought, breathless. If she had, Chloe's mind raced at the idea, Lois was surely made of stone to not have melted at the sight of him. Oliver was gorgeous, his skin tanned and smooth over hard muscles and Chloe ran her finger up from his belly button to his chin, watching as his eyes darkened with desire. She reached up to touch his mouth and Oliver kissed her fingers, their eyes locked. The thrill from his mouth on her hand was like an electric shock that raced from the floor to the top of her head, and she closed her eyes, almost losing her balance. Oliver caught her easily and carried her the rest of the way into his room, the lights soft and just enough to see. Her breath came in short gasps every time he came into contact with her, and Chloe laughed at herself. Impossible, she thought, tomorrow, I'll wake up in my bed at Met U and this will all have been a dream, and when I see him later that evening for innocent Christmas shopping, I won't be able to think about anything other than this delicious dream. Oliver's mouth was on hers, tongue teasing the inside of her lips as he set her on her feet, deftly undoing the taffeta ribbons that kept her dress tied in the back. Chloe pulled his shirt off him, tossing it away with a challenging gleam in her eye.
"It's like that, is it?" Oliver laughed, as his fingers finished unlacing the ribbons on her dress. Open at the back, the velvet dress fell to the floor in a deep green pool at Chloe's ankles. The playful grin changed to an awestruck smile. "Wow." Chloe thanked whatever happy premonition had led her to buy new lingerie on her way home from the museum, evergreen lace strapless bra and matching panties that had been almost like wearing nothing under the velvet dress. Oliver's eyes were wide, and he caught her up against him again, unhooking her bra with a quick twist of his wrist. The underwire bra fell away from her, and Chloe ached to see him, to touch him. She was no expert in this arena, but let herself be piloted by her instincts. Reaching up to kiss him again, Chloe let her hands go to the waist of his tuxedo pants and she unbuttoned them, her fingers feeling the softness of his skin as she slid her arms around him, pushing pants and underwear down past Oliver's hips. The kiss broke and Oliver kissed down her neck and she leaned back a little, gliding her hands up his back and into Oliver's thick, gold hair. He continued to kiss and touch her, his hands moving over her breasts gently, tentatively, learning her the same way she had begun to learn him. She caught him with her mouth, on a tiny patch of skin just behind his ear and kissed him, loving the growl it elicited from him, and the delicious way he shuddered before he moved away to explore her some more.
"You are perfect." Oliver said, against the space between her breasts, just over her heart. "Gorgeous." He kicked off the last of his clothes and shifted Chloe onto the bed. "Chloe…" He pulled the green lace panties away from her and grinned. "My favorite, favorite color." Oliver tossed them over his shoulder and kissed her flat belly, brushing his cheek against it. Chloe closed her eyes, burying her hands in his hair as his mouth found her breasts. Teasing the nipples with his teeth and tongue, Chloe nearly lost control right then, her breath coming faster, her heart beating in time with Oliver's. She could feel him against her leg, hard and near enough to being inside her that Chloe didn't have to think very long to imagine him inside her.
"Oliver…" Chloe gasped, and he looked up at her, his eyes gleaming. "You feel so good…"
His laugh this time was a rumbling chuckle that Chloe couldn't help but smile at. "You have no idea, unbelievable…heaven help me, Chloe…I just want to…" His hands flexed on her. "I don't want anything else…" Oliver made his way up, falling beside her and pulling her in his arms to kiss her hard, harder than he had before, full of want and hunger. He rolled onto his back with her in his arms, until she was lying on top of him, her weight almost nothing.
It was clear that Oliver was in no rush, and his hands were everywhere and Chloe moved off him, lying beside him resting her head on her hand.
"What?" Oliver asked, moving to his side as well, face to face. He kissed her and she laughed. "Okay, what's funny?"
"Nothing." Chloe whispered. "I'm just setting you in my memory now…so no matter what happens, I'll always have right now…"
"Hundreds of moments like this ahead for us, Chloe." Oliver kissed her again. "You don't have to worry what's going to happen…" His eyes, as green as the dress she had worn to the concert, were full of an emotion Chloe didn't dare recognize. The wheat gold lashes that framed them were long, thick, like his hair, and Oliver kissed her a third time. "I'm not going anywhere." He hugged her tight, his arms like coiled steel, and rolled her onto her back, releasing her enough to prop himself up on his arms. She opened her legs and he smiled, moving gently and slowly to enter her. Chloe reached up and grabbed him, as he pushed in deeper, and then she gasped, closing her eyes as Oliver began to move, in and out. She opened her eyes to look up at him, admiring how his muscles worked under his skin, which, like hers, was dotted with freckles along the shoulders. Idly, Chloe remembered that Clark, from seeing him in bathing suits, or working the farm with no shirt had no such sunspots and Chloe resolved to learn each one of Oliver's by heart. When she did, he'd be hers, so much so no one could lure him away. Because in her heart, Chloe already was Oliver's, even if he didn't know it yet. She'd save telling him that for Christmas.
"Chloe, baby…oh, Chloe…" Oliver gasped, and Chloe blinked, suddenly overcome by her own orgasm as Oliver came too. She felt her breath catch and then the release that swept over her like magic. Oliver was smiling at her, and she felt him withdraw from inside her, but immediately he gathered her in his arms. "Wow." Oliver exhaled deeply and kissed the top of her head.
She smiled, resting her head against his chest, listening to his heart beat. The music from the living room drifted up to them, and Chloe closed her eyes, letting the words sink in. Chloe was home. And home would be where ever Oliver was, from now on.
"…When
you feel in your skin in your bones and the hollow
Of your heart,
there's no way you can wait till tomorrow.
When there isn't any
doubt about it once you come this close
Cos you know and you know
that you know.
You can feel love's around you like the sky
'round blue
This is how love has found you, now you know what to
do.
When you know that you know who you need, you can't deny
it.
Or go back, or give up, or pretend that you don't buy it.
When it's clear this time you've found the one, you'll never let
him go
Cos you know and you know that you know."
"When You Know" Shawn Colvin