Chloe took nice, deep breaths as she slowly made her way down the stairs. It was the first time she hadn't had to resort to sliding down on her ass or calling for help. The pain was still there, but it was tolerable now and her knee was at least willing to try moving again.
She felt a sense of achievement by reaching Oliver's study without using a single curse word. Despite the small victory, it was nice to take the weight off her feet in the large leather chair before setting up her laptop.
Her article was writing itself lately, and she was glad. If this was the last article that she would write, she wanted it to be her best. Chloe wasn't sure if it was the lack of distraction that made the words flow freely, or if it was her desire to have the target removed from her back.
She wanted her life back, and the previous evening with Oliver in the pool reinforced that message. She wanted some kind of normal with him, even if it wasn't normality in the conventional sense of the word, and they couldn't have that under Merlyn's constant threat.
Merlyn was already altering their lives dramatically. Oliver's twenty-four hour babysitting was already putting the residents of Star City at risk. This was his city, and despite how great the guys were, Oliver knew this place like the back of his hand. No one could patrol it quite like him.
It was only a matter of time before Queen Industries started to suffer too. Even now he was there at the office, wrapping loose ends up so he could be there with her at the mansion. He was going to do what he could from home and try to delegate the rest. There was no way she would let herself be the reason for his family's legacy going down the pan.
A couple of hours passed as she compiled her evidence, she only noticed the head pop round the door because of the knock that came before it.
"Victor! Hi!"
"I come baring gifts." He lifted the coffee cup and began walking towards her, while keeping one arm behind his back.
Chloe licked her lips as she gratefully received the steaming mug. "Thank you. That's just what this reporter needs."
"That's not all. I also have this," Victor produced a small basket from behind his back and put it down next to her computer. "I think I can guess who this is from."
Chloe briefly glanced over the contents of coffee, chocolate and cookies before finding the small card attached. Opening the envelope swiftly, she read the contents.
Victor saw the frown forming on her brow, "From Lois?" he asked.
"Yeah, looks like Clark finally spoke to her."
She twirled the card between her fingers before finally placing it on the desk. The gift basket was an olive branch, but Chloe knew in her heart that she wasn't ready to fully accept it.
More than anything, Chloe wanted that sister-like relationship again with Lois. They used to be so close and she missed that, but she already knew that she wouldn't be the one to make that phone call. For weeks, she chased Lois for a conversation in Metropolis and she wasn't about to restart that game.
A gift basket didn't solve their problems, and just over a week ago it probably would have been enough, but not now. She was worth more than this. She could have died this week and cookies just didn't cut it. Lois knew it too; she knew her cousin too well.
Chloe knew that Lois would want her to make the phone call. It was all about saving face, and wiping away some of her cousin's guilt, and she was more than certain that there was guilt. If Lois felt nothing she would have ignored Clark, and told him to mind his own business. His intervention gave the brunette the excuse she needed to send the basket.
"So, is this a good thing?" Victor's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Perhaps. I'm just not sure how I feel about it yet." She plucked the box of chocolates and set them to the side.
"We always expect our loved ones to accept us no matter what. There's no bigger disappointment when you learn that they can't. If anyone understands, it's me. So if you ever need to talk, the offer's there."
It was easy to forget just how much Victor had gone through, and how much he could relate to what she felt. They were both seen as too different by the people they loved the most, and boy did it hurt.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
"Not a problem." His gaze flicked over towards the basket "So do you want me give you some alone time with your chocolate covered caffeine overload?"
"Actually, would you mind putting this in the kitchen? Tell the guys to help themselves."
"Famous last words. You know there will be nothing left by early evening, right?"
"It's okay. I'm happy to share my baked goods."
"Seeing as you're offering cookies, how about I top off that coffee mug in about an hour?"
"You don't have to pamper me, Vic. I'm still pretty capable." She smiled at the roll of his eyes, "Although if you feel the urge to feed my addiction, I won't complain!"
That earned her a smile of her own. "Then I'll be back in a few with a refill." He picked up the basket and left the room, leaving her with her work.
She looked at the discarded note on the table once more before getting back to work. She'd give herself that night to think about what her response should be.
Oliver had succeeded in rescheduling his meetings for the week, and had redirected the majority of his work through email. The board wasn't happy about his sudden declaration about taking time for himself for a few days, but it would be worth it to be home with Chloe.
Home with Chloe. He was really warming to the idea of her being there every time he returned. Her presence made his home complete – it felt like he had a real family now.
As he walked through the rooms of the manor, he found her in the same place she had been when he'd called her that afternoon; his study.
"Have you been in here all day?"
She turned to him with a smile, happy to see him home. "I haven't been here all day."
It wasn't a lie. At least not completely, anyway. With all the coffee Victor had been providing, there had been numerous bathroom breaks.
He crossed his arms as he leaned against the door frame. "Yeah, I'm not buying it. I bet you've not even done your exercises today, right?"
The guilt must have been plain on her face, and all she could do was bite her lip in answer. There was no way she could lie to him, Victor knew the real extent of her inactivity, and he wouldn't be afraid to squeal.
Oliver sighed and pushed away from the door. "You know you're supposed to do them three times a day. That was the deal, remember? You stick to the plan, and I don't have to call in the professionals."
"I know, I know. They're 'essential to my recovery'," She said with air quotation marks, "but I am almost finished here. Once my article is completed, I can concentrate on the rehabilitation."
She turned her chair back to face the desk. "Just give me five minutes – half an hour tops."
She assumed that the silence was the one of defeat, and that he would leave her to her work. So when Oliver flipped the brakes off of the wheels and grabbed onto the back of her chair, she squeaked in surprised. He pulled the office chair backwards and out of the room, and down the hall towards the gym.
"This is completely inappropriate, Ollie. Do you think that these are the mature actions of a grown man? Would you allow me to pull this stunt on you at work?"
She grabbed onto the armrests as the chair came abruptly to a halt.
Coming to stand in front of her, he steadied the chair with his hands before crouching down to her level. "If you have a problem with your schedule, Chloe, just walk back to your computer. I won't stop you."
She narrowed her eyes at her handsome torturer. "You know that I can't walk without my crutches, and you left them back in the study."
"If you stuck to your rehab exercises, that wouldn't be a problem."
"You know what it's like, Ollie. When I'm working, that's all I can focus on. My writing is important to me."
"Just like you're important to me," Smiling he stood and took hold of the chair again, "and now that I'll be home, I can help you full time."
Chloe covered her face with her hands, groaning as he continued to pull her chair backwards.
"That's it! I'm done."
Chloe's leg was on fire, and she was seriously considering re-hiring the physical therapist. Oliver had dragged her to the gym, and set her to work on her exercises immediately.
There was a smug look on his face that she was just itching to slap off. She had been slacking, she could admit to that, but gloating at her discomfort was the quickest way to making her angry.
"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself."
His face softened as he looked into her angry eyes. "Believe me, I don't enjoy seeing you like this." He said sincerely.
"That makes two of us. I already feel like I'm developing cabin fever."
"How about this then," Oliver started as he helped her from the table to her feet "If you can walk unaided from one side of the gym to the other, I'll take you out."
"Really? You mean 'out' out right? Not just in the gardens?"
He nodded, and smiled as her eyes lit up at the thought. "But if you fail, then you have to agree to go on a date with me of my choosing, tonight."
"You're on, Queen."
She steadied her body and cleared her mind, determined to win their little bet. Letting go of the table she tentatively took her first step and cringed at the shooting pain that shot through her leg. Biting her lip to distract from the pain, she proceeded forward, never once looking away from the target in front of her. A plain white wall never held such appeal before.
With each step, Oliver was by her side, just within reach if she needed him. He hadn't said a word, and for that she was grateful. All she could feel was the pain in her knee and the stinging sensation in her lip.
Even biting down wasn't preventing the small whimpers of pain from escaping past her lips. She dreaded each step, but forced herself further.
She was so close. Six more steps and she would reach the wall, but she could feel her body's resistance. It was going to give up, no matter what her mind screamed.
Her knee buckled three steps from the wall; Oliver's arms catching her before she fell to the ground.
"Damn it!" The cry was not only from frustration, but from the pain. She didn't want to be this helpless, and she knew that she hadn't helped to remedy that.
"You did so well."
She wiped at the tears that had escaped, still feeling the frustration of her failure. She was disappointed in herself, and at the loss of being outside for a short while.
Oliver kissed the top of her head before picking her up in his arms. "I promise you, by the end of tonight you'll be glad you didn't make it."
"As long as it doesn't involve stepping back into this room, I'll be ecstatic." She mumbled into his shoulder, relaxing in his arms.
"The only thing you need to do is relax for a couple of hours in your room. Take your meds, soak in the bath, and just leave everything to me. I don't want you coming out until I knock for you at eight."
He walked out of the gym and headed towards her room. "In fact, I've left a little something for you in your closet."
"I'm not really happy about taking things from you Ollie. I'm not with you for the gifts."
He sighed dramatically. "I know that. Just tell me, did you pack anything you would normally wear on a date?"
She knew that he didn't have to ask. He put half of the clothes in the bag himself. "You know that I didn't."
"Then it's a practical gift. You either wear it or wait for me in your underwear, still wondering what to wear. Personally, either way I'm happy."
She resisted the urge to slap the arm that was currently holding her weight. "You want the guys to see me in my underwear?"
"The guys won't be here. Victor is meeting up with his 'non-girlfriend', Bart's patrolling, and AC has been persuaded to go for a very long swim."
"Oh!" They had the place to themselves; alone and without a chance of interruption. Her heart began to beat faster at the thought. "Well…I better stay in my room and relax. I wouldn't want to anger my physical therapist. He can be a real slave driver"
"Just as long as you stay in your room until I knock, the slave driver will stay away. He wouldn't want you to ruin your surprise."