Fourth Day of Christmas….

Clark couldn't quite remember getting home. But here he was, in the loft, stretched out on clean horse blankets on the floor. He sat up, and there on the couch was a similarly covered lump, a mass of dark curls pouring around the sleeping face. He looked down, and found, to his immense relief, that he was still completely dressed. The lump on the couch stirred, blue eyes twinkled at him and Diana smiled, sitting up. Her dress was wrinkled, but in place, and Clark smiled back at her.

"Good morning." He said, looking out the window at the dawn sky. "Hope it wasn't too cold for you."

"No, not at all." Diana stretched. "It was perfect, actually. The fresh air was heavenly." She blinked over at the telescope. "I can't believe you set that up just for me to look through."

"Well, you didn't believe me about that star…I told you they were wrong at the Planetarium." Clark ruffled his own hair and grinned. "I haven't used that telescope in a long time."

"I'm honored." Diana bowed a little, pulling the mass of hair around her neck to spill down one shoulder. "But, I should probably go…I don't want your mother thinking I'm some wanton who would be disrespected or dishonored. It's a bad way to start a friendship."

"She wouldn't think that." Clark said, "Mom is pretty understanding."

"Yes I am." Martha said, from the stairs. "Clark, could I have a minute, please?"

Clark and Diana exchanged embarrassed smiles as he got up and went down to speak to his mother.

Martha's expression was unreadable. "Clark, honey? What's going on? Who is that?"

"Her name is Diana, and I met her the other day at the museum. We went to the Planetarium last night, came back here to use the telescope and fell asleep talking. That's it." He explained quickly, and Martha sighed, relieved.

"Well, then, next time, no matter what the hour, the female guests sleep in the house and YOU are out here…" She made her expression stern, but then smiled. "Come in for breakfast. I'd like to meet this girl." Martha raised her voice. "You're welcome to breakfast, Diana, and I'm sure we can find something for you if you want to get freshened up. Oh." Martha smiled as Diana appeared at the top of the stairs. "Hello."

"Hello." Diana nodded shyly. "I'm sorry if I've intruded, I meant no disrespect."

"Not at all. It would have been too long a drive to make back so late." Martha said. "I'm making French toast."

Diana nodded, but Clark noticed that she was merely being polite, as if French toast was an alien concept. "That sounds lovely. Thank you." She looked down at her rumpled dress. "I may need to take you up on that change of clothes, too."

"Come." Martha held out her hand, and Diana walked down the stairs, past Clark with a small, shy smile and let Martha tow her from the barn. Clark watched them go with a smile. He and Diana had a wonderful time last night, she was beautiful, smart, sweet and like Clark, seemed to be a bit outside the rest of the people around them. He'd been able to determine some information about her past, but still wasn't all that sure if she was Kryptonian or a Phantom Zone escapee. What Diana wasn't was human, that much Clark was absolutely sure of. He could feel it, inside, somehow. He walked toward the house, and hearing wheels in the driveway, looked up to see Lois. She waved, and got out of her car.

"I thought once you stopped working for my mother I'd see you less, not more." Clark said, and Lois smiled.

"Well, life is full of disappointments, Smallville, believe me." She walked up to him. "I went to this play last night, and the company was fine, but the play itself was the worst. Bruce is great, really, but I still say rich guys aren't my thing…" Lois clapped her hands. "I was hoping that maybe we could go into Metropolis today and get Chloe and Oliver to go see a loud, violent movie…" She looked over Clark's shoulder. "later…" Clark turned to see what had caught Lois' attention and he saw Diana framed in the kitchen window, talking to Martha. "Who is that?"

"Oh," Clark smiled nervously. "That's Diana."

"Diana." Lois nodded. "is she working for Mrs. Kent now, you know, my old job? Maybe I should go in and give her some pointers…" Lois started walking toward the kitchen door, a too bright, too big smile on her face. "Can't hurt."

"Wait, Lois." Clark stopped her. "Diana is a friend of mine…"

"Of yours." Lois turned and looked at him, the smile fading, replaced by a look of blind surprise. "Since when?"

"I met her the other day." Clark said, "We went to the planetarium last night and I brought her back here…there's a good view of this red star that you can only see on certain nights, the planetarium wasn't right about the dates it was best visible..I even put the telescope back together…"

"Telescope? Smallville, come on." Lois put her hands on her hips, her voice tight and brittle. "I'm not a total idiot and you don't owe me any explanations about your social life. And, calling Clark, Jr a telescope…very ambitious. Even for you." She turned on one heel and strode back to her car. "See ya, Smallville." Lois got in the car and drove off, ignoring Clark as he called out to her to wait.

"Clark?" Martha came out onto the porch. "I thought I heard Lois. Is that her leaving already?"

"Yeah." Clark nodded, watching Lois' car turn in the direction of the interstate. "Breakfast ready?"

"Yes." Martha said, her voice soft. "Diana is up in the shower."

"Okay. I'll be there in just a minute." Clark turned toward the barn. "Just want to get some chores done before we eat." He walked away, and Martha sighed, watching him go.

"Hello?" Chloe answered her phone, yawning widely, her eyes not open. "Lois? What's wrong?"

"I don't know…nothing….everything…I'm either pms-ing big time or losing my mind." Lois said. "I'm on my way to Metropolis. You working today?"

"No." Chloe opened her eyes. Oliver was sitting on the bed, working on his laptop. He smiled at her and she waved a little. "I'm off."

"I'm on my way to Uncle Gabe's…I need to see you." Lois sniffed loudly, and Chloe sat up.

"What's wrong? And I'm not at Dad's…" Chloe looked over at Oliver again, who shrugged, shutting his computer. "I'm at Oliver's."

"What is it with all the sleepovers? You people. Don't you have anything better to do?" Lois wailed impatiently. "I'll be at Oliver's in an hour. Be dressed, so I don't have to feel completely weird about this. I'm bringing bagels, cream cheese and chocolate ice cream." She blew her nose. "And ,tell him to deal with the carbs for once. Oliver wants to be my friend, this is part of the deal."

"I'll pass that along." Chloe said gently as her call waiting beeped, and then immediately, Oliver's phone rang. He picked it up, and pointed. "Clark", the screen said, and Chloe shrugged. Oliver got up and answered his phone, walking off into the bathroom.

"Okay, and I'm getting lox, too. I need the salt. See you in a little bit." Lois hung up, and Chloe jumped out of bed, pulling on Oliver's t-shirt as she went.

"Well, Clark, she's on her way here. No, I don't know the particulars…."Oliver looked at Chloe as she appeared in the bathroom door. He grinned. "How was your date?"

"It was fine, I mean, Diana is nice, and gorgeous, but…"Clark stopped himself from thinking about Lois' lips on his in that alley. "Is Chloe there? Her line was busy…"

"Just got here, hold on." Oliver handed Chloe the phone. Chloe glared at him a little, but he shrugged, as if to say, "Well, you did just get HERE."

"Clark? What's going on?" Chloe asked, and Clark sighed, ragged and long. He sounds terrible, Chloe thought, and then, oh God, please let this new drama NOT be about Lana….

"It's Lois. She showed up here this morning and got the wrong idea about Diana being here…" His words hit Chloe with overwhelming relief and surprise. She sat down on the edge of Oliver's bed, her voice bright.

"Diana spent the night? At the farm? With your mom home? My, things have changed…" Chloe grinned and Oliver bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"Don't you start. I could ask you what you are doing at Oliver's at 7:30 in the morning." Clark snapped. "I know what you sound like when you first wake up, Chloe."

"Clark." Chloe's voice held a note of warning that even made Oliver pause. " This is not about me. Focus on you."

"Right, sorry." Clark apologized. "So, I feel like a jerk and I have no reason to. I don't owe Lois anything, and she was on a date with Bruce Wayne last night, so I don't really see the problem…"

"Then that's it. I'll talk to her, Clark. Don't worry." Chloe reassured him quickly. "She's coming here with breakfast. At least now I know why she was acting the way she was, I think."

"Acting what way?" Clark asked, and Chloe shook her head.

"Upset. Thrown off…" Chloe said, listening to Clark sigh again. "Just like you."

"Great." Clark spat, and then, "I'll be there in ten minutes. Diana just left, and I have chores…"

"Clark…wait…can't you wait until later? It's probably not a good idea for you to be here when Lois is…."The line went dead, and Chloe handed Oliver back his phone. "here."

Oliver took his phone back, and closed it, sitting down on the bed beside Chloe. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "So, what's the ETA on the explosion?"

"Lois will be here in about an hour." Chloe rested her head against Oliver's shoulder. "With a carbfest breakfast. She said you have to deal with it."

Oliver laughed. "Okay, because I'm obsessed with what I eat…."

"I know." Chloe shook her head. "Clark is on his way, he'll be here in ten minutes."

"Why can't he drive?" Oliver asked, not expecting an answer. "Okay, let's get this moving." He kissed her quickly. "I've been up since 5, worked out and showered, so the shower is all yours. I'll go down and wait for Clark."

Five minutes later, Chloe was out of the shower, and she heard Clark's voice downstairs, talking to Oliver in that mopey, sulky tone that make Chloe want to shake him. She dried off, quickly blew her hair dry, scrunching it into waves and pulled on clothes, jeans and a sweater. Bracing herself for Clark at his most judgmental, Chloe walked down the stairs. He was sitting on the couch, head in his hands.

"Hey." Chloe said, and Clark looked up. "You okay? This isn't all over a fight with Lois."

Chloe sat down beside Clark on the couch and rubbed his shoulder. "You guys bicker all the time."

Clark smiled a little. "I don't know what it is, exactly. It's just strange, because I don't think of Lois that way…I think." He shook his head, as if trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Looking at Chloe again, he blushed a little. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding on you and Oliver. I know how it is when things are new and happy…" He trailed off, looking down at the floor.

"You're not intruding on us, Clark." Chloe said gently, as Oliver returned to the living room from the kitchen. He handed Clark a glass of juice, and then sat down in the armchair next to the couch. "We're your friends, but...it is going to be awkward when Lois gets here."

"On more than one level." Clark said quietly, bumping Chloe a little, and both Chloe and Oliver laughed.

"This is all on you." Chloe said, protesting with a small smile. She looked over at Oliver. "What time is your meeting with Bruce Wayne today? Early this morning or later?"

"Later." Oliver raised his eyebrows. "Not early enough to be much help now, unfortunately. That would have been too easy."

Chloe sighed. "Well, then you have to get this dealt with here, now. She's going to wonder how you beat her here, though."

Clark stood, nodding. "I'll be back in a half hour." Chloe and Oliver walked him to the elevator, and Clark sighed. "This would be easier if I knew why she was so mad."

"I guess we'll find out when Lois gets here, Clark." Chloe said, and she smiled at him. "How was your date with Diana?"

Clark laughed as the elevator arrived. "Nice." The doors opened. "Very nice." He stepped into the elevator and shrugged, looking slightly bemused and dreamy. "Next time, I'll think twice about bringing anyone back to the loft to look at stars, but it was nice. See you in a little bit." The elevator doors closed.

Chloe and Oliver looked at each other for a minute and then laughed. "This is just going to get worse, isn't it?" Oliver asked, finally, hugging Chloe close. "You go through this all the time with both of them?"

"Never with their situation this closely connected, no." Chloe said, thinking. "It's hard because I don't think either of them really knows what they want."

"Makes it hard for everyone, then." Oliver kissed her twice. "I'm glad I knew what I wanted."

"Oh?" Chloe grinned at him. "What was that?"

"That first night, all I wanted to do was kiss you. First in the limo when you were trying to get me to wear that Santa hat, and then on the ice. It was nice having a target to aim for." Oliver said, kissing her again.

"Wait." Chloe broke away and bounced on her toes, smiling. "Oliver, that's it. It was that stupid kiss...it's got them both scrambled. Lois has been all weird since, and Clark has to be feeling something…I can't believe I'm just figuring this out."

"What do we have to do? Get them to kiss again? We're a little old for 'spin the bottle' as a party game, Chloe." Oliver said, and Chloe nodded, biting her lip.

"I know." She pulled on his arm, thinking. "But, there has to be something we can do…"

"We can listen. We can be good friends, and we can eat bagels when Lois gets here." Oliver peered at her intently. "That's it. If your intuition is on, they'll figure it out."

"Oh, sure." Chloe grinned. "You have actually met Lois and Clark, right?" She shook her head. "Figure it out on their own…okay. It will take a lifetime."

"Men are pigs, that's all I'm saying." Lois spat later, setting down her bagel and shaking her

head. She looked over at Oliver, who was innocently listening to her rant as he put his plate in the sink. "Even you." She simpered. "A nice pig, but a pig just the same."

"Thanks, Lois. I'm glad to know you still think so highly of me." Oliver replied neutrally, darting his eyes in Chloe's direction, winking at her. She flashed him a quick smile, and then a comical pout. "This pig has some work to do. Going upstairs. Thanks for breakfast, Lois." Oliver said, laughing a little as he went up to his room. "If you need me, I'm just a "Soooeey" away."

"Just go before someone blows your house of straw down." Lois snapped, causing Oliver to laugh harder. Chloe stifled the giggle and shook her head. This was going to be tricky, she thought.

"If you'll just tell me what happened." Chloe began, "Who is the pig in question?"

"Of all people." Lois said, shocked. "You'll never guess."

"I couldn't." Chloe sipped her coffee, so she didn't blurt out what she already knew from Clark.

"One Clark Kent." Lois leveled a stern eye at Chloe. "And you can't defend him this time."

"I can't even begin to defend him if I don't know what happened." Chloe said, and Lois nodded.

"I drove out there this morning, to say hi, and to see if Clark wanted to head into Metropolis with me to collect you and Prince Porkchop up there to go to a movie. Something violent and gory. I get there, and there's a girl in the kitchen, with Martha Kent." Lois said this as if it were the most remarkable thing in the world. "A tall girl with black hair and big boobs." The emphasis fell on the last two words, and Lois nodded, picking up her coffee mug.

Chloe rolled her eyes, and grinned at her cousin. "You can't possibly be serious, faulting someone for being well endowed, Lois."

"No." Lois shook her head, not hearing Oliver come down the stairs to greet Clark at the elevator. "I don't know…it's all so weird…Clark had just told me he wasn't dating anyone…it was kind of nice, he wasn't seeing anyone…"

Chloe sighed. "Clark can date whomever he wants, Lois. As far as any of us knew, you by luck consider him a friend."

"I do think of him as a friend. I guess that's why it bothered me. A friend tells a friend when they meet someone…" Lois dropped her head to the countertop. "This is so stupid."

"Oink, oink." Oliver said, as he and Clark made their way into the kitchen. "Look who's here."

Lois head shot up and she recoiled as she looked at Clark. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you." Clark said, his expression stormy. "Do you want to explain to me what right you have in jumping to conclusions about anything…."

"What right? You just about came out and told me about your 'telescope' and that Diana person in the loft! " Lois interrupted and Clark groaned. "I mean really, I'm supposed to believe that you and Ms. 34 double duh were really looking at stars all night?"

"So what is the problem exactly, that I was on a date at all? You weren't exactly home alone with your cat, Lois. And, why does it matter what happened on my date with Diana, anyway…" Clark asked helplessly, trying to stay calm. "It's not your business. If I choose to tell you NOTHING happened, then you should just accept it and not act like….well…this…"

"If you're implying that I am jealous, I'm not, but really…what happened to "I'm staying out of the dating thing for now…need to figure things out…"" Lois scoffed. "The first raven haired bimbo you meet has you on the prowl again. You're such a guy."

"You didn't have a problem with that when I was pulling you out of trouble in Gotham City last week. And the last thing Diana could ever be is a bimbo, Lois" Clark said, heatedly, and Lois folded her arms over her chest, coldly glaring at him tapping her foot. Oliver put his arm around Chloe, fascinated. She leaned into him, and he looked at her, mouthing "Wow" and then grinning widely. She shook her head, but smiled, too.

"She dumps me for no reason and I'm a pig," Oliver whispered to Chloe, "Clark apparently cheats on her without knowing it and he's a guy."

Chloe looked up at him and laughed. "Ooh, poor Oliver. That was kind of low, I know."

"You'll have to make it up to me later." Oliver said, kissing Chloe gently. "Your friends are fun."

"I didn't ask you for your help. I could have handled that guy." Lois' reply was cocky, overly confident.

"There were four of them, Lois." Clark rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't ask or care what you do on your dates with Bruce Wayne, Lois. We're friends, I'm not your boyfriend. You don't owe me explanations. And if I happened to meet someone who made me rethink that not dating thing, you should be HAPPY for me.…"

"No." Lois shook her head, and grabbed her bag. "I'm done. I'm going to see what my new BOYFRIEND wants to do for lunch. If anyone CARES..." She pushed past Clark and stomped to the elevator. "Or was going to ASK…"

"Lois." Clark sighed. "You're overreacting."

"Whatever, Smallville." Lois shook her head as the elevator opened. She went to walk in and a white box was thrust out at her. "What's this?" Lois took it and read the label, frowning. "It's for Chloe. When did this become your address?" She looked over at her cousin curiously. "I dated him for two months and was here three times. You get deliveries?"

"Thanks, Lois." Oliver went to her and took the box. "For breakfast and everything. It's been quite a morning."

She eyed him, and then shook her head. "You know, Oliver, I like you much better with Chloe. You're nicer."

"Thanks." Oliver said, in the same tone has he had earlier when Lois had called him a pig. "I like you better now that I'm with Chloe, too."

Lois nodded. "Worked out for the best."

"Yes." Oliver nodded. "It sure did." He opened the elevator for her. "See you New Year's Eve. You're going with Bruce, right?"

"Right, I'm going with BRUCE." She glared at Clark and then got on the elevator and left.

"Hurricane Lois, Ladies and Gentlemen." Oliver said, handing Chloe her box. "Fourth Day of Christmas…"

"Oh.." Chloe smiled. "Come on Clark, you have to see this. Oliver found this bakery that makes Twelve Days of Christmas candies and stuff. I've been getting one every day…"

Clark smiled. "Every day, huh?" He looked at Oliver, who shrugged and smiled. "Spoiled, much?"

"Yes. I'm being spoiled. Shut up." Chloe's eyes widened, as she grinned at him. "Not all of us are involved in such angsty, volatile relationships." Clark laughed as Chloe opened the box. "OH, Oliver, look." She took out the offering of the day, a delicate, spun sugar birdcage, and inside the cage, four fat birds, sculpted out of what looked like painted chocolate, decorated with sparkling colored sugar.

"Four calling birds." Oliver smiled, kissing Chloe as she set the sugar cage on the table. "I'm glad Lois didn't decide to throw that box."

"That is something." Clark looked at it studying the intricate creation. "People eat these?"

"We've been saying the same thing." Chloe laughed. "Yesterday's got eaten...we have one left…want a French hen?"

"No." Clark shook his head. "I'm going to get going. Maybe later, we all can go out. It'd be nice for you all to meet Diana."

"Sure." Oliver said. "I'll call you after I meet with Bruce this afternoon."

"Good." Clark went to the elevator. "Bye. And sorry."

"Don't worry, Clark. She'll calm down. Lois always flies off the handle." Chloe offered. "You know that."

"Yeah. It's okay. It cleared my head, though. I'm thinking straight again. So, it's good." He nodded. "See you both later."

"Bye." Clark got on the elevator, and after the doors closed, Oliver grabbed Chloe and kissed her passionately.

"I like this being your address." He grinned when the kiss broke, and Chloe laughed. "Make it your address permanently. We can get you moved in tomorrow, and start the new year right."

"No, no. When Christmas break is over, I go back to the dorm." Chloe said, as Oliver kissed her neck, pushing aside the neck of her sweater to get to her collarbone. She gasped a little as his tongue flicked in the hollow of her neck and he chuckled.

"I'd never get any work done…I'd always be up here, bothering you. " He kissed her. "Speaking of bothering, now that Lois is on her way to see Bruce, I wonder if my meeting with him is still on? I should probably check my office voicemail."

"It's twenty to twelve. If not, he should be calling soon." Chloe said. "We'll have all afternoon together, alone, until tonight."

Oliver closed his eyes tight, concentrating hard. Chloe frowned, shaking her head. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if I can will Bruce to call and cancel the meeting. All afternoon? Alone with you? You should have told me that was a possibility before I set the meeting." He opened his eyes and grinned at her. "I really would get nothing done at work if you lived here. Queen Industries would go down in flames. But, what a way to go." Oliver buried his face in her neck again.

"I can't let that happen, now, can I? The lives of your employees count on my leaving when Christmas break is over..." Chloe laughed. "Go get ready. If it is cancelled, we can go from there."

The phone rang, and Oliver eyed Chloe, smiling slightly as he answered it. "Oliver Queen."

"Oliver, Bruce here. Something has come up." Bruce looked over at where Lois sat on the couch. "We need to talk, but I really need to give this new situation some attention. I'm not leaving Metropolis until a few days after the New Year – might be a better time to discuss our little cooperative effort."

"Right. I completely understand." Oliver looked at Chloe, who was watching him with a smile. "See you at the party, then."

"Possibly before, if you and Chloe wouldn't mind going with Lois and I to dinner tomorrow night." Bruce said, and Lois smiled, nodding.

"I'll talk to Chloe." Oliver said, "Call you later and let you know." He hung up, and grinned. "Now, where were we? All afternoon, all alone…."

Chloe's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah, some new situation that needed his undivided attention." Oliver put the phone down. "Apparently my Jedi mind powers are exceptional." He caught Chloe by the hand. "There's this girl here that definitely deserves my time…"

"Is that so?" Chloe laughed. "Well, Hero, what's your plan?"

"Well." Oliver looked down at the floor. "It's belated, so it's not going to be perfectly what I wanted. I meant to get started on this plan earlier today. Then the war happened…" He grinned at Chloe, mischievously. "So, it's not quite what it should be."

"Oh." Chloe nodded sagely. "Let's take it in steps then, and see what happens. I think the results will be what matters."

"Good." Oliver led her to the stairs. He looked up the stairs and nodded, thoughtfully. "Okay, it was supposed to start up there."

"Let's go, then." Chloe's eyes twinkled. "I can't wait to see how this plan unfolds."

"Me too." Oliver nodded, kissing her hand. "I think you're going to like it."

Clark looked at his watch. "It's not like Chloe to be late…I'm really sorry, Diana." They were standing outside the restaurant Oliver had suggested, five minutes late for their reservation.

"Don't be. It sounds like they are very much in love." Diana smiled. "Oh, look. Is that Chloe?" Clark looked up and waved. Chloe waved back, and Clark couldn't help but smile at her sparkling eyes and pink cheeks. Happy Chloe was a very beautiful Chloe, and Oliver seemed very happy, too.

"Yes, that's them." He smiled at Diana. "Prepare to be blown away by witty conversation at the speed of light. Chloe has finally found someone that can out talk her."

"They amuse you, don't they?" Diana asked and Clark turned to look at her.

"Amuse me? No. Chloe is my friend and Oliver is my friend. They found each other and that makes me happy." Clark said, and Diana nodded.

"I understand." She smiled at Clark, and he took her hand. Looking into Diana's blue eyes, Clark hoped that she wasn't some potentially dangerous escapee from the Phantom Zone, because it would make things very awkward, since he intended to see Diana as often as she would allow. He smiled back at her, squeezing her hand.

"I'm glad." Clark leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I just wanted you to know that the last couple days have been very special. Thank you."

Diana's hand went to the place on her cheek Clark had just kissed, her eyes wide with wonder. "Clark…"

"I'm sorry. I know it seems like I'm rushing things, I should have never presumed…" His words were stopped by Diana's lips, her arms around him. It took a second to get over his surprise, because he kissed her back, sensing Chloe and Oliver's appraisal of them but not caring. Diana didn't cling to him, but stood on her own feet, and her strength made Clark a little weak at the knees himself. She broke away from him, panting a little, but smiling, and Clark laughed himself, overcome by her.

"You know…I think that was the first one." Oliver said to Chloe conversationally. "You can't miss the first kiss ever. It stands out. Might as well have a big neon sign over it."

"Right." Chloe laughed. "Hi, Clark. I hope we're not interrupting…"

"Chloe." Clark said ,a surprised smile lighting his face, not looking away from Diana. "This is Diana."

It was Diana that broke the eye contact, turning to Chloe. "It is so nice to meet you, Chloe. I've heard everything about you from Clark. You must be Oliver Queen."

"I am." Oliver nodded. "It's an honor, Diana…"

She smiled. "Oddly enough, my last name is Prince." Oliver grinned and bowed formally.

"Only for tonight, will I say that it should have been the other way around." Oliver replied politely, and Diana laughed.

"Apollo himself could not have paid such a pretty compliment." Diana said, and Oliver grinned, as Chloe beamed up at him proudly. "Thank you."

"If we're going to be friends, you'd best not get used to it." Oliver told her and Diana nodded. "I try to call things the way I see them."

"Finally. I thought Clark was the only one who did." Diana replied, sounding relieved. With a great smile, she took Clark's arm and they went into the restaurant.

The dinner went extremely well, and when they parted ways, Chloe and Diana had promised to coordinate their class schedules, both girls finding plenty of common ground over the course of the evening. Kicking off her shoes as they got off the elevator, Chloe sighed.

"You okay?" Oliver asked. "You sound tired."

"I am." Chloe turned, tipping her head to look at Oliver questioningly. "What did you think of Diana?"

"What did I think?" Oliver shrugged. "Like someone built her out of Clark's spare parts and gave her a sense of humor."

Chloe laughed. "He smiled a lot tonight."

"Yeah." Oliver nodded. "He did. The question, Goldilocks, is not what I thought of Diana, but, what did you, Clark's oldest and closest friend, think of her."

"I like her." Chloe nodded, thinking. "She's got the same personal edit button that Clark does, did you notice?"

"You mean, the um, uh, when a simple question like where are you from comes up?" Oliver asked, taking Chloe's coat and his own and hanging them up.

"Yes, exactly." Chloe said. "Clark was adopted…"Chloe tapped her chin. "What if she's his sister…"

"No way." Oliver laughed. "Fate is just not that unkind. They look good together."

"I know, that's what's so weird." Chloe said, remembering that Oliver did not know the entirety of Clark's history. "Stranger things have happened."

"Not that strange." Oliver went to her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking down into her face. "So, what is it really?"

"Just the usual where Clark is concerned, I guess. His abilities, and how he might get hurt if he tells Diana about them and she freaks." Chloe said, looking up at Oliver. "It's not the same as you going out at night and fighting crime. You're still you…"

"And Clark is still Clark." Oliver said, hugging Chloe tightly. "But, thank you for thinking it's different."

"It is, Oliver. You don't have his abilities. He's always afraid people are going to judge him…" Chloe said, and Oliver kissed the top of her head.

"And I wasn't scared to tell you about being Green Arrow?" Chloe looked up at him and Oliver nodded. "I was petrified."

"Ooh." Chloe kissed him. "It didn't show."

"Well, it's easy to be tough when it's your girlfriend you've got on a roof…plus, it was fun, once we were there." He grinned, remembering. "You were so feisty and mouthy. Good thing it was me."

"It was fun." Chloe laughed. "I was glad it was you, too. I kept thinking, oh my God, Oliver will never understand, and then in the next minute, I'd be so sure it was you…" She smiled softly. "I just hope when he tells Diana, if he tells her, Clark doesn't get hurt."

Oliver nodded. "Me too, Goldilocks." He looked at his watch. "It's still kind of early. Clark said he's taking tonight after he brings Diana home, so I'm off tonight."

"Really?" Chloe grinned, and Oliver looked down into her face. "That's very interesting."

'Why?" Oliver asked innocently. "I was thinking I'd break out that book I bought last week and read. Did you have other plans?"

"No." Chloe shook her head. "Why don't you read to me?"

"I could do that." Oliver grinned. "In English or French? I might be able to scare up some Latin from my Excelsior days…."

"Ooh." Chloe sighed, and Oliver laughed. "In Latin, Oliver." She squealed like a little school girl, the hint of sarcasm hanging in her words enough to make Oliver want to tickle her silly. "So sexy…"

"Right. How about this, in English…I love you, Chloe Sullivan. Now, get upstairs so I can show you how much." Oliver said, kissing her as they paused on the stairs. "Read to you…in Latin…" Chloe's answering giggle made him scoop her up from behind and run with her into the room. "The only thing I'm reading tonight is you…"

"On the Fourth Day of Christmas,

my true love gave to me,

Four calling birds, three French hens,

Two turtle doves, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.."