Oliver sat in his office, feeling a bit hung over. His mind was on Chloe, not on the work in front of him, and Oliver grinned a little, thinking of her asleep in his bed. It had managed to be a very happy accident that she was staying at his place most of the time. Having Chloe there had made it feel like home.
"Mr. Queen." Celeste's voice snapped Oliver into the here and now. "This was delivered from the Wayne Enterprises office." She handed him a square, cream colored envelope. "The messenger is waiting."
Oliver took the envelope. "Tell the messenger I'll be in touch with Mr. Wayne personally." Celeste nodded. "Thanks, Celeste. Oh, any progress on that project I asked you about?"
"The Twelve Days of Christmas thing?" She smiled. "Well, yes, actually." She raised a hand, and left. Oliver heard her relay his message to the courier, and then she returned. "Okay, three price ranges, and I eliminated anything that was for the Christmas tree or anything."
"Go." Oliver stood, and walked to the window.
"Cartier has gold charms of each thing…partridge, etc. I think they're available in platinum too. Expensive." Celeste shook her head. "Chloe doesn't seem like the type for that kind of trinket, though."
"She's not." Oliver smiled. "Next?" Celeste handed him a printed page of what looked like stuffed toys. "Hmm…toys?" He looked up at Celeste over the page, a quizzical gleam in his green eyes.
"Artist in Maine makes figures of them…soft sculpture, more for children." Celeste smiled. "I thought the swans were cute."
"Okay." Oliver laughed. "We're kind of beyond stuffed animals, but I'll remember that. What else?"
"A baker here in Metropolis, of all places. Makes candy figures. Not for kids. We're back in the pricey range, but a marzipan pear tree is probably the most original thing ever." Celeste gave Oliver another picture. They'll deliver one a day, if you want. The five golden rings are gorgeous." She pointed to the picture. "They use real gold, but it's edible."
Oliver laughed. "This is too funny. Call them. Order it and have them deliver it one a day to my apartment for Chloe. "I'll need today's and yesterday's delivered right away."
"I'm on it." Celeste nodded. "Mr. Queen, can I say something?"
"Sure." Oliver nodded. "What's on your mind?"
"You seem happy lately, and if it's because of Chloe, then I'm glad you found her." Celeste's voice was maternal. "You're having fun. It's just nice to see."
"Thanks." Oliver grinned. "We're done here at lunch, Celeste, and then take off the rest of the week. If I need anything, I'll deal with it myself. You've got kids home from school."
"I do." Celeste, hugged her clipboard. "I'll order that for you and then I'm out of here." She laughed. "Happy New Year, Mr. Queen."
"You too, Celeste." Oliver waved as she left. "See you next week." Oliver sat down and opened the envelope Bruce had sent over. A formal invitation to a New Year's Eve party. Oliver grinned. He and Chloe had discussed the possibility of having one, but this took the pressure off. There was a note attached to it, and Oliver grinned, reading it.
"Oliver –
Sending one to the Kents and Lois Lane. Hope you and Chloe can make it. Want to get together with you before then, though, maybe for lunch on Wednesday or Thursday. We need to talk. Bruce."
Oliver picked up the phone and dialed Chloe's cellphone. It rang once.
"Sullivan." She answered, walking through the maze of the Daily Planet's basement. Activity was high, all of the New Year's hype had begun in earnest.
"I heard you were looking for a job, since Christmas was over." Oliver grinned, and Chloe giggled. "Wanted to know if you were interested in "Miss New Year's Eve", we have an opening for the title."
"I might be." She sat down at her desk. "I'm thinking of studying up so I can be Miss Hallowe'en next year." Chloe sorted through her other messages. "Maybe Miss Fourth of July. But that's as early after this season as I'm willing to go."
"You're going to let Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day slide?" Oliver continued, his voice pleasantly teasing. "I mean, Valentine's Day, sure, it's soppy and silly, but St. Patrick's Day? Your last name is Sullivan. It's got to be some kind of crime to ignore St. Patrick's Day if you're Irish."
"Oddly, no. I can slip by that one. What can I do for you, Mr. Queen?" She smiled. "It's been a whole five hours since I've seen you." She purred the last words and then giggled as Oliver groaned.
"That's my point." Oliver told her. "It's criminal. What are you doing for lunch?"
"Vending machine." Chloe answered automatically, and then spotted Clark with a take out bag walking toward her. "Or, lunch delivered by my favorite farmer."
"Hmm. He's too fast." Oliver laughed. "Fine, have lunch with Clark." He sulked a little and heard Chloe laugh followed by muffled conversation. "What's going on?"
"Clark and I can meet you in Centennial Park. Bring your own lunch, because I'm not sharing what Clark brought me." Chloe said, and Oliver laughed.
"Be there in fifteen minutes. And fine, don't share." He hung up. Chloe looked up at Clark.
"Oliver's going to meet us. Hey, are you okay?" She rubbed Clark's arm and looked up into his face with concern. "What's on your mind?"
"Oh, nothing." Clark said, shaking his head. "Post Christmas let down, I guess."
"Hmm." Chloe eyed him. "This one was a hard one, wasn't it? First one without your Dad."
"Yeah. That's probably it." Clark smiled. "So, are we off to the park?"
"Park." Chloe nodded. She picked up her bag and looked at Clark, who was grinning at her. "What?"
"Oliver is either a great influence or a horrible one. Look at you leaving work." Clark laughed, and Chloe smiled shyly.
"Probably a little of both, but I'm happy about it." Chloe blushed, resting her face against Clark's arm for a minute. "Come on, he's going to beat us there."
Clark and Chloe walked over to the park, enjoying the air and the sun after all the snow.
The city was still decked out for Christmas, and crews were going around with cherry pickers, setting up the decorations for the New Year's Eve celebration Metropolis hosted every year. The feeling was still celebratory, but Clark could feel the electricity in the air.
"It's just as well Oliver's going to meet us. I ran into the man-bat last night." Clark told her, and Chloe looked up at him, listening.
"Batman." Chloe corrected, thinking of her conversation with Bruce Wayne yesterday. "It should be Batman."
"Whatever. He knows me, Chloe. Who I am." Clark saw Oliver walking toward them and waved. "Here comes Oliver."
"Well, well." Oliver smiled, opening his arms. "It's spring all of a sudden." He hugged Chloe and shook Clark's hand. "I guess we had our white Christmas and now it's a muddy New Year."
"Clark was just telling me that Batman knew him, Oliver." Chloe sat and opened the soup Clark had brought her, smelling the fragrant steam with a happy smile. "Mmm."
Oliver set his lunch down and looked at Clark. "Are you kidding?"
"I couldn't be kidding less." Clark said. "He knew me, by name. Suggested I wear a disguise."
"Hmm." Oliver shook his head. "He seemed to know me too. Told me to go home Christmas Eve, that I had someone waiting." He shook his head. "Suspect number one just invited us all to a New Year's Eve party this weekend."
"Bruce?" Chloe asked evenly, after a mouthful of her soup. Both men looked at her in surprise. "He's my suspect number one, anyway."
"What made you think so?" Clark sat down beside Chloe. "Just a hunch?"
"Come on, Clark." Chloe smiled. "I'm a reporter. I'd have been a bad one if I didn't even suspect him. It's kind of odd that the minute Bruce Wayne appears in Metropolis, Batman sightings start. You guys are hardly subtle." She grinned up at Oliver. "Are you?"
Oliver laughed. "You have a point." He leaned over and kissed Chloe. "Shove over, Goldilocks." He sat beside Chloe as well, snatching his lunch. "So, what do we do? I have to call him today."
"We go to the party." Clark said, wrinkling his nose. "I hate big, fancy parties."
"Me too." Oliver nodded. "But we go, all the same. Making nice with Bruce is crucial. Especially if he knows who we are when we're moonlighting."
"Now that we have an idea that he might be moonlighting, too." Clark nodded. "Works for me."
"The thing I'm wondering though is, why now?" Chloe said thoughtfully, stirring her soup. "It's all more than a bit of a coincidence."
Oliver and Clark looked at each other over Chloe's head. "Chloe, Oliver and I have been talking about gathering people together, people like us, to work together…" Clark began, and Chloe nodded.
"I think it's a great idea, Clark. I've always told you that your powers were there to help people. Do you think Bruce Wayne had the same idea?" Chloe dipped a piece of bread into her soup.
"It's possible. It's even more likely that he's further ahead of the game than we've been." Oliver offered, wrapping his sandwich. "Bruce was always an over achiever."
"Aw..." Chloe smiled at him. "My poor slacker."
"I wasn't, but compared to Bruce, yeah." Oliver replied with a grin. "I'll respond for us." He looked at Chloe. "Your invite should be at your house as we speak."
"One way to find out." For a moment, Clark appeared to have vanished, kicking up a breeze, and then returned to the same spot, holding the heavy invitation. "There's one for Mom and Lois as well."
"God, I wish I could do that." Oliver shook his head as he took his phone out of his pocket. "Let's call Bruce."
Bruce hung up the phone and looked at his companion. "Oliver Queen will be here New Year's Eve. So will Clark Kent. Were you able to locate our other guest?"
"I was not." His companion said, standing. She shook her head, her dark hair threatening to fall out of the clip that tried to restrain it at the back of her head. "You didn't ask for much, Bruce. Look for a man who can move fast, fly and whose eyes glow." As always, Bruce found himself in awe of Diana Prince. Her blue eyes were wide and innocent. "I am not your errand girl, at any rate." This was said as a simple statement of fact, and Bruce admired the authority she was able to radiate without being overbearing.
"Of course not." Bruce bowed slightly from the waist. "Your Highness."
Diana smiled. "That's not necessary." All the same, she moved away from the chair to pace the room with long legged strides. She was beautiful, the perfect example of the human form, was clad simply in jeans and a inky blue sweater, the sleeves of which were capped in heavy cuff bracelets. "Do you think they'll agree to your plan?"
"I think there will be room for discussion." Bruce nodded. "Oliver is a bit of a non-conformist and Clark is an unknown quantity. I want you to concentrate on him. He's unique, and I think you and he might have some common ground there. Oliver and I are old schoolmates. I think I can reason with him."
"Then, I have some shopping to do. Evening gowns don't just appear out of nowhere." Diana picked up her coat and bag. "See you New Year's Eve, Bruce."
"Diana." Bruce nodded and as she left, he wondered if he should have asked her to be his date for the party. Dismissing the thought with a shrug, Bruce decided that he'd call Lois Lane instead. Picking up the phone, Bruce wondered if this might ruffle Oliver or Clark's feathers a little, and then laughed. Oliver was pretty happy with Chloe, who was more than a match for him, and Clark didn't seem to be aware of the way he looked at Lois when she was around. Bruce smiled and picked up the phone, dialing the Kent farm. It answered on the second ring by Lois herself, sounding a little flustered.
"Lois? It's Bruce Wayne. I wondered if you'd gotten the invitation to my party this weekend?"
"I did." Lois replied, and Bruce could picture her with the invitation in her hand. "I won't be able to go. My father is going to be in town. I'm sorry, Bruce."
"I'm inviting General Lane." Bruce wrote down the General's name on his list. "How about now? I'd like you to be my date for the party."
Lois sighed. "Really, Bruce, I don't know…" She seemed to laugh. "What the hell. Okay. I'll go, and I'll be your date."
"Great. Now, about before that. I'm new in town and I'd like a tour guide. Are you busy?" Bruce asked, feeling a bit awkward, and then. "Unless you're working…"
Lois did laugh at that. "No, actually, I was drafting a resignation letter for my job. I have a ton of time."
"Great. Tomorrow, then? About ten o'clock tomorrow?" Bruce asked.
"Sure. I'll meet you at the Centennial Park Children's Zoo." Lois suggested, casting around for ideas. "Chloe said the penguin exhibit is really great."
Bruce shuddered. "How about just meeting me at the gates of the zoo? I can do without the penguin exhibit."
"Deal." Lois felt herself smile in spite of herself. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Lois." Bruce hung up and turned to look out the window, thinking of Lois and the gruffness she used to hide her softer side. It wasn't hard to spot, but then, Bruce thought to himself, I know something about that kind of thing.
Clark had left Oliver and Chloe at the Daily Planet and made his way to the Museum Row, to see the sculptures that Oliver had almost died returning before Christmas in their rightful places. He'd put any thought of Lois out of his mind for the time being. The turmoil her innocent peck on the cheek yesterday had caused within him had been almost too much to deal with. Unsure if his interest in Lois was because he was truly interested, or because seeing Chloe and Oliver so happy had tripped some sort of Kryptonian jealousy switch, Clark had decided to pretty much let the whole romance thing go. He walked up the wide marble steps to the art museum, and almost bumped into a tall young woman in a blue peacoat, who was studying the museum façade with a critical glare.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Clark said, and the young woman smiled, her eyes friendly and bluer than any Clark had ever seen before, ringed with long, dark eyelashes. She was fair, her skin a soft and creamy peach, and her black hair was as unruly as his own, but longer, falling almost to her waist, escaping the clip at the back of her neck. Briefly, stupidly, Clark found himself wondering if she was Kryptonian, too. If so, this would be one escapee from the Phantom Zone he'd not want to send back so fast.
"That's okay." She said, her voice slightly tinged with an accent Clark couldn't recognize. "I was just wondering if this museum was designed after a temple I studied last year in Greece." The young woman indicated the sculptures. "They are the right ones."
"Right ones?" Clark asked, looking up. The young woman laughed brightly, covering her mouth with long, perfectly shaped hands.
"I suppose, before an architecture lesson, I should introduce myself. I'm Diana." Her cheeks flushed pink, heightening her beauty. "I'm studying archeology at MetU, my first love is ancient architecture."
Clark smiled. "I'm Clark. I just finished having lunch with friends. Now what were you saying about the sculptures?"
"This is an art museum, isn't it?" Diana frowned, turning back to the facade. "I almost can't tell, your city has some very deceptive buildings, architecturally speaking. Anyway, the sculptures are of the Muses…the seven daughters of Zeus. They inspire the arts, music, literature, art. Well, there they are." Diana pointed, "Calliope, Euterpe, Clio, Erato, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania." She looked up at Clark, who was staring at the museum façade as if he'd never seen it before. "I've lost you, haven't I?"
"No, not at all." Clark assured her quickly. "Never gave the decorations outside much thought before. And you said you thought this building was copied from a temple?" He asked, and Diana nodded, her dark hair blowing in curls around her face as the December wind tossed them wildly. "I was on my way inside to see the sculpture exhibit. Why don't we go in together? You can tell me more about the temple you studied."
"Oh, I don't know." Diana's face was a study of regret. Clark found himself wondering if his self-imposed dating sabbatical had been such a great idea, after all, because it seemed like fate was giving him other directions, putting this girl in his path just then. "I have a party this weekend and I need to go shopping for something to wear to it."
"Oh." Clark nodded, slightly defeated. "Well, then, Diana, it was, um, educational, meeting you." Clark smiled again and Diana sighed. Surely, this one was from the gods, Diana thought, noting his broad shoulders and dark hair, as dark as her own. His eyes were blue-green, like the Aegean Sea, and Diana felt her resolve crumble at the genuine sweetness she saw there. So different from the men of this world, she thought and Diana finally gave in.
"I really need to go shopping, but, there are six days until the party," She studied Clark for a minute and then smiled. "Okay." She took Clark's offered arm. "Be prepared to be bored silly by ancient facts. I'm really terribly snobby about such things."
"I think I'll survive." Clark replied, and Diana smiled.
"Good." They walked up the stairs together, as Diana began to tell Clark about the muses that graced the doorway. "Because I'm counting on you to explain modern art to me."
Chloe got off the elevator and walked into Oliver's apartment. Two boxes sat on the table, and Chloe frowned, wondering what they were. She dropped her coat and bag on the couch, plugged the Christmas tree in, and waked to the table. The labels were from an upscale bakery – confectionery shop in mid-Metropolis, and Chloe traced the raised letters on the gold sticker that graced the top of the box.
"Before you open them, be advised that this is definitely going in the "you've never seen this before" category. I expect extra credit for this." Oliver said, grinning at Chloe from over the counter, spoon in hand, dish of rice pudding open in front of him.
"Oh, Oliver, you aren't eating the pudding right from the dish." Chloe groaned, and Oliver shook his head. "It gets all yucky that way."
"Nonsense, woman. I'm looking for brownie points. I'm not going to hog the rice pudding, although it does qualify as mine, since it's my favorite ever and you don't eat it." He put the lid back on the dish and walked around the counter with a smaller custard cup filled with pudding. "Open the boxes. Big one first."
"What did you do?" Chloe grinned, carefully opening the lid on the bigger box. "Is this candy?" She lifted out the intricate pear tree with it's tiny leaves, painted with shimmering green food paint and teeny ripe pears of marzipan hanging from every branch. "Oh, look at the little partridge!" Chloe cooed, leaning closer to look at the elegant bird. "What is it made out of?"
"Marzipan and chocolate, I think." Oliver nodded, swallowing the mouthful of rice pudding he had just eaten. "Celeste found the bakery. The second box is the second day of Christmas. Doves, since that's the second day present."
Chloe giggled and reached for the second box, and withdrew a pair of sparkling sugar doves. "Oh. Oliver. Look at them." Chloe set them down on the table. "How could anyone eat these?"
He shrugged, laughing. "I was just thinking the same thing. I wonder if they could be preserved or something."
"I can't believe you." Chloe shook her head. "There's going to be one of these every day until January 6th?"
"A delivery, anyway. I'm hoping the twelve lords a leaping are something sensible like gingerbread men." Oliver set down his pudding and studied the doves. "They are pretty."
"And Celeste found this?" Chloe was beaming. "It's amazing."
"She found me three options. One was more jewelry." Oliver smiled as Chloe wrinkled her nose at the idea. "The second was little stuffed versions of these things, which, now that I think about it, might not have been such a bad idea…at least they could be put away with the Christmas ornaments. Then, there was this, and I thought it was pretty special, so…"
"I like this." Chloe sighed happily. "I wonder if I sprayed it with polyurethane…' She grinned at Oliver. "You are too funny. Extra credit given. Definitely moving in the direction of an A+." She walked around the table and kissed him. "And, for not eating the pudding straight out of the big dish, 2 Brownie points of the first magnitude."
Oliver beamed, wrapping her in his arms. "See, I can learn." He kissed her deeply. "So, what are the plans? Out? Staying home?"
"Staying home, I have some studying to do." Chloe looked up at Oliver. "You're out on patrol tonight."
"I am." Oliver nodded. "No matter how many shrouded former classmates of mine might be out there telling me differently. You'll be here when I get back, right?" He asked, not wanting to let her go.
"I stopped at Dad's to get more clothes, so yes, I'm staying." Chloe hugged him tightly. "I was going to make soup or something for tomorrow. I heard it's going to get really cold soon."
"Soup's good." Oliver smiled down at her. "So, dinner tonight. Leftovers?" He asked hopefully, and Chloe grinned.
"Yes, yes. Mrs. Kent sent enough for a week." She kissed Oliver twice. "A kiss for each of my days of Christmas gifts so far. Thank you, my true love, for what you gave to me."
"Now, I didn't count on that…" He laughed, kissing her again, a bit more hungrily. "Let's eat."
Later, after Oliver had gone, Chloe went out on the terrace and looked up at the stars. The winter sky was clear and each star was a crystalline blue white. It had become very easy to think of his apartment as home, and Chloe knew at some point she'd have to go back to the dorms or her father's place. Which would change Oliver's homecoming on patrol nights, she smiled, thinking of the usual procedure, when Oliver came home cold from patrol. It had become a bit of a joke between them, but Chloe felt just a little bit of giddy thinking of when Oliver stripped out of the Green Arrow leathers and slid under the covers, his ice cold arms and hands on her, begging to be warm again. She thanked God hearing him arrive home on patrol nights, and Chloe imagined that those that waited for police officers and firefighters felt the same way. There was a sweet relief seeing him in the doorway, or feeling him beside her. Life was short and fragile. Chloe hugged herself against the chilly wind and went inside. Clark might be indestructible and possibly immortal, but Chloe realized that she didn't want to take that for granted anymore. Loving Oliver as much as she did was tempered with the idea that she could very well lose him, a bullet or a fall, it didn't matter which. And, that made everything twice as precious. She stopped at the table, to look at the delicate little pear tree and it's sugary partridge, the shimmering doves underneath and hummed the Christmas carol to herself.
"On the First Day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me – a partridge in a pear tree…
One
the Second Day of Christmas,
My true love gave to me – two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree..."