Author Note: All comments and reviews are appreciated. They are my addiction, so please feed it!
I know there are some very talented people within this fandom, and I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to design a banner for this fic? I lack the technology and talent and would love to borrow yours!
Chloe stifled a yawn as she pulled her shoes on. Spending the evening with Bart, even at normal speed, was a major energy drain. She put on her jacket before beginning the inevitable hunt for her purse. One of these days she would remember to put it in the same place, avoiding this tedious morning routine.
A knock at the door distracted her from her search. After checking the security monitor she opened her door, greeted by Bart who smiled at her brightly. "Morning gorgeous. I come bearing gifts." He said as he handed her a small thermos flask. She accepted the gift but looked at him questioningly.
"It's espresso, fresh from this little place I know in Italy. It's my way of apologising for keeping you out so late last night. I'm not totally sorry though - that headline had to be celebrated."
Chloe unscrewed the lid before inhaling deeply. She closed her eyes and sighed at the aroma. Bart really knew the way to her heart. "Oh god, that smells so good."
"I thought I'd walk you to work before I meet up with the guys for breakfast."
"Sure. Just give me five minutes to find my purse." Chloe turned back into her apartment only for Bart to appear in front of her, the elusive purse dangling from his finger. Smiling she took the bag from him and led him out of the door. "You're my kind of hero, Bart."
"You just remember that!" He grabbed her by the hand and led her down the hall.
Unsurprisingly, it was a nice day outside. Chloe didn't think she would get used to the seemingly never changing weather. She could count on two hands the number of clouds she had seen since moving to Star City. Not that she was complaining. She'd always been told she needed a little more sun.
"So how are AC and Victor?" Chloe asked as she walked, sipping her coffee.
"They're doing great. AC loves being this close to the water. Land locked Kansas drove him a little crazy. If he gets arrested at one more 'Save the Dolphins' rally, Oliver's threatening to send him back."
"How about Victor?"
"He's been taking advantage of being so close to Queen Industries' R and D department."
"I hope Oliver's keeping a count of his expenses."
"The last couple of weeks Vic's been taking it easy on the gadgets. He's started seeing a girl and has been out every night. Think she's called Sarah Something. She teaches handicapped kids., so she's not freaking out at all his extra parts."
Chloe slapped Bart mildly on the arm. "Give the guy some slack. Thos 'extras' have saved you a time or two. I just can't believe that you took this much notice of his love life!"
"I've got no choice. It's 'Sarah this' and 'Sarah that'. They need to get it together already."
"So they're not together?"
"Not yet. But seriously, any more sparks and the guy's gonna short a fuse or something."
Chloe laughed out loud causing a few passer-bys to give her strange looks. "So are you guys meeting up just for breakfast or are you working?"
"If I tell you I'd have to kill you. No shop talk, remember?"
"Okay, I can take the hint. Throwing my own rules back at me? Such a low blow." Chloe linked her arm with his as they continued down the busy sidewalk. "You know, you're going to spoil me with all this attention. Give it time and you'll have me wondering what you want from me."
"Just enjoying the company, 'licious. Although there is something you could do for me, but I'm not in the mood for a slap to the face. I'm sure that if you give me time, I'll wear you down."
Chloe laughed. "Keep on dreaming, Impulse."
It wasn't long before they reached Chloe's workplace. "Thanks for the coffee and company. I'm sure I'll see you around soon." Chloe gave him a quick peck on the cheek, making the young man smile brightly.
"You can count on it Beautiful!"
She gave him a smile and a small wave before she entered the building, and out of his sight. Bart pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial. "Hey Bossman, just walked Chloe to work. I could only get one on her…yeah, the GPS is in her purse. I'm heading back to her apartment now to do the rest - just make sure Victor's there to help me get in…Great. I'll be there now."
Her day had started so promising, but all hopes of a pleasant working day flew out of the window before she had even poured her first cup of coffee. Word had spread quickly through the office about her association with Oliver and her editor was giving her two options. Chloe had to either provide her Dark Archer story, or use her personal connections and submit an interview with Star City's most eligible bachelor. So much for hard hitting journalism.
She continued with her research, trying to find a way to genuinely identify King as the Dark Archer. If she could produce something it might just get her editor off her back about Oliver.
Her desk phone began to ring and she automatically picked it up. "Sullivan."
"You really need to work on your telephone manners."
She shook her head in amusement. "Morning to you too, Oliver."
"So…I've had a business lunch cancel on me. I was wondering if you had any plans? Be my hero and save me from eating alone?"
Having lunch with Oliver again would only fuel the office gossip fires, inevitably leading to her editor demanding that interview piece despite her Dark Archer article. She wanted to refuse but her mind drifted to what Bart had told her the previous night. Oliver had been shutting himself off from the world recently, maybe he just needed some time with friends.
"Okay, I'll save you from yourself. What did you have in mind?"
"How about I meet you around, say, one o'clock? Outside that little Italian I took you to yesterday? Meeting you there might keep the vultures at bay."
She smiled. It was as if he had just read her thoughts. "Sure, that would be great. I'll meet you there."
Chloe ended the call quickly. Too many colleagues were keeping an ear to her conversations lately, hoping to pick up on the latest Oliver Queen scandal.
She hummed happily to herself as she opened her email. She started to go through the usual junk that still seemed to make its way into her inbox. As she happily deleted the latest offers for cheap Viagra and penis extensions she came across a birthday alert. It was her one week warning to get her butt into gear and buy his card.
Chloe stopped humming and just sat staring at the screen in silence. Clark had forgotten her birthday for the last two years, and she still hadn't heard from him since her move from Metropolis. Her 'best friend' hadn't even sent a message to ask how she was. She hovered the cursor over the email and hit delete.
That little action lifted a weight from her shoulders. She was moving away from the ghosts of her past; there was no point in hoping and wondering about the people she left behind. Otherwise what was the point of relocating and trying to start something new? If Clark, Lois, or even Lana wanted to be a part of her life then they knew where to find her.
As she closed down her email she shut down all conscious thought of her old friends. She had work to do and a lunch date with Oliver to look forward to. After spending the evening with Bart it was clear that Oliver had held back on the gossip during their last lunch together. It was inevitable that she would need all of her journalistic skills to weed out the juicy details about Victor's new love interest. She couldn't wait.
Oliver absentmindedly tapped his finger against his water glass. He made sure he was early for their lunch together so he could be composed by the time Chloe arrived. Under his napkin he had a small GPS chip, just waiting. Bart had been unable to get it into her phone that morning so now it was Oliver's turn.
Making sure she could be traced at all times would be important in the upcoming days, but it was only one of the reasons to invite Chloe out. He enjoyed her company, and compared to the testosterone filled days he was used to, it was refreshing. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so relaxed in someone else's company. The guys were okay, but he could never switch off. There was always work to be done. Chloe was happy to leave work where it was and that was just fine by him. She was worth rescheduling that important lunch meeting for.
Hearing the restaurant door open, he glanced over in its direction. A flustered looking Chloe caught his eye and made her way over to their table.
"Are you okay?" Oliver asked.
"I'm fine. I'm sorry I'm running a little late. A couple of my colleagues were a bit too interested in my plans for lunch so I had to take a detour or two." She sat down in her chair and visibly relaxed. "I warned you that it would happen, didn't I?" She teased.
"But I'm worth it, right?" He asked smiling.
Chloe just rolled her eyes at his flirtatious charm and picked up her menu. "I'll let you know if you're worth it the next time I get on the scales. Italian twice in two days? All this bread and pasta you're forcing me to eat will do me no favours."
Oliver laughed as she ended her statement by picking up a breadstick and bit off the end. "I do have an ulterior motive for asking you here, but that wasn't it."
That got her attention. "Oh? You have some more information for me, for my article?" She asked hopefully.
"No. Not yet. This is kind of a personal request." He picked up the bottle of wine from the bucket beside him and poured them both a glass. "The other day you asked me why I had a place in the city when I own my family's mansion. I wasn't entire honest why I spend more time in the apartment."
"You weren't?" Chloe asked, picking up her wine to sip.
"The truth is that I live in that penthouse. I haven't spent any time at the mansion since leaving for college. I've been back maybe twice." Oliver drank from his own glass.
"It's widely assumed that your penthouse was only a temporary residence."
"It was supposed to be, and I move a lot to keep up the assumption. That house…it's just so big. Living there on my own…it felt cold. It was never like that when my parents were alive, I don't want to tarnish that feeling."
"So what do you need my help with?" Chloe asked
"The team have been living out of hotels for the past few months, and the novelty has started to wear off. The mansion is just sitting there, and it is such a waste. Me and the guys are going to fix the place up, make it habitable again."
"And you want my help?" She asked, surprised. "Not to risk looking silly here, but couldn't you hire professionals for that sort of thing?"
"I could, but strangers would have no respect for how much that place means to me. I don't want to see it just ripped apart. Who's going to understand the value of my childhood home more than my friends?" It wasn't a lie. Very few people saw this side of him, how his parents' death had left a raw wound even after all these years.
Chloe reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I'd be happy to help."
Oliver laughed softly. "I know I'll need it. Can you imagine the other three doing this without some form of guidance?"
"Bart with a paintbrush," Chloe laughed at the image in her mind "I can see why you're scared. So what exactly are you wanting us to do? I'm thinking a mansion will require more than a weekend to spring clean."
"Normally, although with Bart's help most of it could be done this weekend."
"You're wanting it done this weekend? As in tomorrow?" It would really cut into her research time if she spent the weekend out of her apartment, but the look on Oliver's face melted her heart. He looked almost desperate for her to say yes.
"I know it's asking a lot. You've just moved and probably have your own decorating to do; but I promise to return the favour. Any time you need me to move furniture I'm there." He said with a smile.
"I'd be happy to help."
His smile widened. "I can pick you up around nine tomorrow? I know it's early for a weekend, but -"
"Actually," She cut him off, "would it be okay if I meet you there later? I have an important errand to run first."
"That's not a problem. We can run your errand together then head up to the house. I promised the guys I would bring lunch in anyway. It'll save us both time." He lied smoothly. Chloe avoided looking at his eyes and he noticed she was fidgeting slightly. Oliver could tell that she didn't like the idea, and it was met with a strange, sinking feeling in his gut. "Unless you'd rather not spend the morning with me?"
"No, it's not that." She finished her wine, and Oliver happily refilled it "I'm going to visit my mom, Oliver. It's probably best if I catch up with you at the mansion."
Oliver should have known. The only thing that made Chloe revert to an introverted, vulnerable shadow of her herself were the people she loved. When Clark asked for him to find a safe place for Chloe's mother he had personally visited the facility before moving her in. The staff were friendly, the doctors were some of the best in their field, and every room was clean and bright.
He had visited Chloe's mother every other week since she arrived in Star City. He had never told anyone, but he wanted to make sure that she was settled and had company that wasn't paid to be there. Oliver had discovered that first day just how hard it was to have a completely one-sided conversation. As a stranger he found it hard, he could only imagine for Chloe it would be heartbreaking.
"Seeing as we are being so honest with each other, I have another confession. I've visited your mother since she was transferred to Star City."
"You have? Why would you want to do that?" Chloe was surprised, and didn't fail to hide it.
"Thought she would appreciate a friendly face, even if it was a strange one. I promised Clark that I would look after her for you."
"Thank you." Her voice was soft and thick. He saw that her eyes were watery. "Excuse me, I just need to use the bathroom." Chloe quickly got up from the table, and swiftly made her way to the ladies.
Oliver's plan this lunch had been to ply her with so much wine that she would naturally need a bathroom break. He hadn't meant to upset her by talking about her mother.
Glancing over at her chair, he noticed that she had left her purse behind. Seizing the opportunity he quickly picked it up and looked through it. Finding her phone almost immediately he slipped the back off and slid the GPS chip out of his napkin.
It took him less than a minute to secure the chip in her phone before he returned it to its rightful place. There had been no need to rush. He had had time to replace the bag and order their food before Chloe returned to the table.
"Sorry about that, I had something in my eye." She apologised as he sat down
Oliver could see that she had been crying, but if she wanted to ignore it then he would gladly play along. "No problem. I hope you don't mind but I ordered for you."
"No, that's fine."
"So…pick you up at nine?" He asked.
Looking up she finally met his eyes. "Thank you."