Twist of Fate 11/?
Mar. 13th, 2011 02:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luminare91Title: Twist of Fate
Summary: Oliver finds himself at Smallville High were he meets Chloe and discovers the world of Meta-humans. But will his newfound happiness be threatened by the presence of an old enemy?
Rating: PG-13 (Mostly for mild language and violence in later chapters, I don't see it going any further, but if it does, the rating will change accordingly)
Warning: This is mostly AU. I plan to work in as much from the series as I can, but the timeline is completely mine and character ages have been changed as I see fit. Oliver's only a year older than Chloe in this. She already knows about Clark's powers. And Lois is living with Chloe.
Relationships: Chlollie, Clois (just a teeny, tiny bit)
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4,Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10
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552158
Chapter 11
The sound of laughter drifted out of the living room, overriding the sounds of the movie they were supposed to be watching. Clark leaned against the counter, watching the popcorn carefully to make sure that it didn’t burn.
He still couldn’t quite believe how everything had changed since October. Chloe had always been his best friend and he’d always wanted the best for her. Unfortunately, he’d been totally oblivious to the fact that for the longest time she’d wanted him.
For Clark, Chloe had always been his best friend, the person he turned to when things got weird and complicated, even before she managed to figure out his secret. All it had taken was one too many super-saves and she put the pieces together like a kiddie puzzle. It had never occurred to him to think of her as something more. And frankly, he was glad of that. After everything that had gone wrong with Lana, he was beginning to think that he just wasn’t cut out for relationships. He’d found out about Chloe’s feelings the same time that she managed to get over him, thanks to Lois and her big mouth. Chloe never had explained what exactly had happened and Clark doubted that she ever would. But he’d felt horrible for never seeing it and had wanted nothing more than for Chloe to find someone who appreciated her, especially after all the psychotic meteor freaks she’d fallen for.
But if someone had suggested when Oliver Queen first transferred to Smallville High that he and Chloe would not only start dating but would actually fall for each other, Clark would have laughed in their faces and asked if they’d been exposed to meteor rock lately. He’d seen enough of the playboy rich kid to know that he was nowhere near what Chloe needed. Boy had he been wrong.
Chuckling quietly to himself, Clark pulled open the popcorn and dumped it in a bowl before sticking another bag in the microwave. He’d been pretty freaked by the thought that Oliver knew his secret, even if he had agreed to let Chloe tell him. He’d been pretty confident that the other man would keep his alien origins secret, but that hadn’t meant that Clark was wholly comfortable with it. But Chloe had had her life complicated by his secret and the effects of the meteor rock one too many times and he’d seen the way Oliver looked at her while she was unconscious and the crestfallen expression on her face when she found out he wasn’t there. It had been enough to make Clark give him the benefit of the doubt.
What he’d truly never expected was for Oliver to go out of his way to assure him that his secret was safe. When he’d offered to help deal with the meteor freaks, Clark had been dumbfounded.
That had been the beginning of something Clark could never have predicted. Though he’d never admit it, even under the effects of meteor rock, he’d been worried that Chloe and Oliver’s relationship wouldn’t last. It wasn’t that he doubted their feelings. Even he could see that they were head over heals for each other. But they barely knew each other and their feelings had come to be in less than ideal circumstances and he had worried that eventually the attraction would just disappear.
It hadn’t.
Clark had had a front row seat to their budding romance. Chloe had always been a bit of workaholic, often spending lunch and copious amounts of after school time in the Torch. Oliver had quickly taken to dragging her to the cafeteria for food and if she was still in the Torch at four-thirty, he either sat in there with her if she was in the middle of something, or dragged her home if she wasn’t. True to his word, he started helping with the usual Smallville meteor freak emergencies. At first, he’d stuck to helping with the research. But when Pete moved away just before Christmas break, he’d taken a more active roll, actually accompanying Chloe and Clark when they went snooping. He’d even landed himself in the hospital a few times alongside Chloe when they got on the wrong side of one of the meteor freaks. Oliver had taken his secret in stride and had actually become Clark’s closest friends.
Being around Chloe had changed Oliver a lot. He was more open than before. Clark watched him interacting with other people, and the hesitancy and guardedness that had been there when he first moved to Smallville was completely gone. The careless playboy had been completely abandoned and in his place was a person with a genuinely good and courageous heart.
Chloe had changed too. She wasn’t as absorbed in the Torch and actually had fun every once in a while. Clark actually saw more of her now that she was with Oliver than when she’d been single. She laughed and she smiled more.
Grabbing the popcorn, Clark headed into the living room. He paused at the door and absorbed the scene in front of him. It was the perfect example of how things had changed and just how far his two friends had fallen for each other.
Oliver had done the impossible when he befriended Lois. The two of them had fallen into an antagonistic and sarcastic relationship that somehow worked for them. It hadn’t been long after that the group had settled on a weekly movie night. Every week, someone picked a movie and they all met up to hang out. Currently, the movie was being ignored while Lois and Oliver traded their usual goodnatured acerbic barbs. Lois was curled up in the armchair while Chloe and Oliver occupied one end of the couch. Oliver was leaning against the arm of the sofa at a slight angle so that he was facing the TV and was currently looking over his shoulder to talk to Lois. Chloe was leaned against him, stretched out along the couch. Her head was resting on his chest, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Though her eyes were fixed on the TV, Clark could tell from the quirk of her lips that she was actually listening to her cousin and her boyfriend argue. It was very entertaining. Oliver had one arm draped possessively across Chloe’s stomach, their finger entwined.
The whole scene was completely innocent if you didn’t know Chloe and Oliver. She had never been the touchy-feely type. It taken years before she’d gotten comfortable enough with Clark to hug him on a regular basis. Despite his playboy image, Oliver was very much the same way. Clark had noticed that with other girls Oliver was outwardly affectionate, but there’d always been a stiffness and a reservation behind it. That wasn’t there with Chloe. They almost always had an arm wrapped around each other.
And it wasn’t just that. They got each other on a level that Clark never could. He’d never even understood Lana that way. Half the time, Chloe and Oliver seemed to know what each other were thinking.
“Smallville!” Lois called, breaking through Clark’s thoughts. “You just gonna stand there all day?”
“If it means watching you two argue, then yes,” he said smirking.
“We aren’t arguing,” she pouted. “We’re having a discussion.”
Chloe chuckled. “You’re arguing.”
“Hey,” Oliver protested, poking her ribs. “Whose side are you on?”
“Whosever side I chose to be on,” she said with a grin.
“You wound me woman,” Oliver pouted.
She frowned. “Don’t call me that.”
He just smirked.
Grinning, Clark placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and sat in the other chair.
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Across the room, Lois was trying not to look at the way the muscles rippled under Clark’s shirt as he lowered himself onto the chair. No, she wasn’t at all attracted to the farmboy muscles or his geeky ways.
She tore her eyes away before Clark could notice (not that there was anything to notice anyway) and instead focused on her cousin and her current boy toy. Of course, she could have watched the movie, but Chloe and Oliver were way more interesting.
Those two are just too cute for their own good, she thought to herself, suppressing a smile at the sight of the two of them curled up at the end of the couch. Now they were focused on the movie. Chloe was absentmindedly caressing the arm that Oliver had wrapped around her waist. She’d shifted slightly so that she was more laying against him than sitting beside him and leaning against him as she had before. Oliver didn’t seem to mind. In fact, as Lois watched out of the corner of her eye, she saw him tug her cousin closer.
She cocked her head slightly and turned back to the TV before anyone could notice her scrutiny.
Chloe had definitely lucked out in the boyfriend department and Lois couldn’t help but be the slightest bit jealous of her baby cuz. She had always been more the bang ‘em and leave ‘em type herself. She’d never really had the connection it was so obvious Chloe had with the billionaire boy wonder. For crying out loud, they even finished each other’s sentences every once in while.
To be perfectly honest--and if anyone suggested this to Lois she would punch them in the face because it soo wasn’t true--she was just the slightest bit jealous of Oliver, too. He’d somehow become part of the three musketeers that had once been Chloe, Pete, and Clark, especially once Pete had moved. Lois knew that there was a ton of stuff that her cousin didn’t tell her. If Chloe thought she was completely oblivious to the crazy ass things that happened in Smallville, then she wasn’t as smart as Lois thought she was, which might explain why she seemed to think that her beloved and very observant cousin had no idea that Chloe was somehow right in the middle of all the weirdness. Fact was, Lois was acutely aware that her cousin was a weird magnet. Seriously, how many times had she ended up in the hospital since freshman year?
And Oliver was part of that in a way that Lois wasn’t. She supposed that Chloe was trying to protect her and that after being abducted, Oliver had been inducted into the danger magnet club. He was part of Chloe’s life that Lois wasn’t.
Which honestly is just proof of how twitter-pated Chloe is, Lois chuckled to herself. I’ve been living with her for what, a year and a half, and she still doesn’t trust me that much? Not that I blame her, she admitted. I get in enough trouble without painting a meteor rock target on my back.
A pillow suddenly sailed across the room, effectively breaking Lois out of her thoughts when it whacked her full in the face. She turned and glared at the grinning blonde that was her blood.
“What the hell was that for?”
Chloe shrugged innocently. “You looked way too serious. I thought I should do something before you burst a vein thinking so hard.”
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that I don’t usually think?”
“Who me? After the battle of wits you and Ollie just had? I would never even consider suggesting that your brain is usually three miles behind your mouth.”
Clark suppressed a laugh. Without even bothering to look, Lois chucked the pillow at him then turned back to the movie. She’d always known that Chloe had inherited the Lane tendency to be sarcastic and snarky, but until she’d met Oliver, she’d never been one to just start a battle of the snark. Start one with her and she’d gladly finish it, but that was different. And Lois had watched on more than one occasion as Chloe, Clark, and Pete had traded witty banter (well not so much Clark, but he got the occasional semi-clever remark in once in a blue moon). Oliver had brought the mischievous, much repressed Lane side of Chloe out. Lois had seen it just the week before when, once again, Veronica Morgan (the very definition of jealous bimbo) had confronted Chloe.
----------------------------------------------------
Lois was late and she knew it. She was supposed to be meeting Chloe and Oliver for coffee at the Talon, but she might have gotten caught up making out with some hot guy from the football team.
Huffing and puffing, she hurried up to the front door of the Talon. She was still a couple of shops down when she saw Veronica head into the coffee shop.
“What the hell does she want?” Lois whispered.
The bimbo bitch had been giving Chloe problems from the beginning. Lois knew what had happened that first day she and Oliver were publicly together. Chloe hadn’t told her, but when the hottest, most popular girl in school was not only rejected but threatened by the new hot guy that every one was drooling over all because of someone who was both unpopular and (according to most people, but not Lois of course) slightly weird, the gossip spread fast. For weeks afterward, Veronica had bombarded Chloe with snide comments about how she would never keep Oliver, that he was going to leave her for someone more his type. Of course, she’d been careful to say all those things when Oliver wasn’t around.
But when her tactics hadn’t worked and Chloe and Oliver were still together (and probably more into each other than before if you asked Lois, which no one did), Veronica had moved on, setting her sights on someone else. Lois had been more than a bit surprised to find that she’d moved on to Lex of all people. The kid definitely didn’t have Oliver’s looks or charisma. But he did have this strangely disconcerting and magnetic personality. And he was rich and somehow had most of the school kowtowing to him. At first Lois had assumed the Victoria had gone for him to make Oliver jealous and angry. Everyone knew that there was some sort of rivalry between him and Lex. No one knew what is about, except maybe Chloe. But it was a big deal. It was clear at first that Victoria really didn’t like Lex. Lois wasn’t sure anyone could like that bald weirdo. But inexplicably the arrangement had turned into something more and soon it was easy to see that Veronica was actually into Lex. Lois wasn’t so sure that baldy was into her, but it didn’t seem to matter. Since then, Veronica had pretty much left Chloe alone, except for a few hateful glares.
Eyes narrowed, Lois tiptoed closer to the door and slipped inside, careful not to draw attention to herself, which was almost impossible for Lois to do.
Chloe was sitting at the usual table in the corner. She was alone, which was unusual. Oliver was almost never late. It used to annoy Lois because it made her look bad. Now she was annoyed that he wasn’t there to play white knight for her cousin.
Veronica stood in front of Chloe for almost a full five minutes before the blonde looked up and noticed.
Chloe raised an eyebrow and set her coffee aside. “Can I help you with something?”
“I just wanted to know what it felt like to be Oliver’s whore?” Veronica sneered.
The slightest flicker of anger crossed Chloe’s face before she answered. “Considering that of the two of us, you are the whore, I’d suggest you ask yourself that question.”
Lois, still hidden beside the door, smirked to herself. Way to go cuz!
Tensing angrily, Veronica turned to leave, but before she did, she glanced back over her shoulder and hissed, “I wonder how many heiresses Oliver bangs while he’s in Star City every other weekend because there’s no way a nobody like you could keep him happy.”
“And yet he’s with me instead of you,” Chloe said calmly. “What’s that say about you?”
Grumbling under her breath, Veronica stormed out, narrowly missing Lois who just managed to duck behind a potted plant.
As soon as she was gone, Lois slipped out from behind the plant and made her way over to her cousin, who was sitting back calmly, as though nothing had happened. She looked up with a grin when Lois plopped down beside her.
“Hey Lo,” Chloe said. “Are you ever on time for anything?”
“Well, I would have been closer to on time if I hadn’t seen little miss bimbo walk in!” Lois’ face softened slightly. “You all right?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. She’s just desperate.”
“I thought she was with baldy.” Lois flagged down a serving girl as she spoke and ordered her coffee before going on. “Shouldn’t she be over the fact that you got Oliver and she didn’t?”
“She is,” Chloe chucked. “Now she just trying to get to Oliver through me. You know Lex hates him, and I’m pretty sure she’s infatuated with our resident billionaire.”
“What’s that make me?” Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Our commuting billionaire,” Chloe answered, her face lighting up slightly. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long,” he shrugged. “Just enough to hear that Veronica was on to you again. How bad was it?”
“Not bad,” Chloe said noncommittally.
Lois grinned. “It was actually pretty awesome. Chloe totally put that bimbo in her place.”
“Really?” Oliver looked impressed.
“What can I say? I’ve been spending way too much time with Lois.”
“Yeah right,” Lois scoffed. “If that had been the case, you’d have been standing up for yourself a long time ago cuz. I think blondie’s rubbing off on ya.”
“Blondie?” Chloe deadpanned.
Oliver laughed lightly. “Glad you think I’m such a good influence.”
“I didn’t say that,” Lois snarked.
“Really? Cuz I could have sworn--”
“You corrupted my sweet, innocent baby cousin. I should be making you pay for that.”
“Oh please,” Chloe scoffed. “You’ve corrupted me way more than Ollie.”
“Defending my honor?” Oliver murmured in a low voice, scooting his chair closer to hers.
“No,” she said simply. “One-upping my cousin. You just happen to have gotten a few benefits in the process.”
Harrumphing, Lois crossed her arms.
“You wound me,” he said dramatically, clutching his chest.
She patted his arm. “You’ll get over it.”
“Sure,” he chuckled, kissing her cheek.
The tiniest bit of color touched Chloe’s face as she leaned into him, turning into the kiss so that their lips touched.
Lois fought the urge to gag or make a rude comment about the fact that she was being ignored.
Oh who am I kidding, she asked herself. “Oy! Love birds. Break it up! We’re in public and people eat here. If you start having sex on the table, you’re going to get us thrown out and you’re going to scar me for life, which is saying something.”
***
Lois spared another glance at the couple in question. They had shifted even closer, if that was possible. They were practically laying across the couch and Chloe looked about ready to fall asleep. It had been a long time since Lois had seen her cousin that comfortable with someone she hadn’t known for less than six years. Lois just hoped that something didn’t happen to screw it up.
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The mansion was cold and empty, despite the people who lived there, but that had never bothered Lex. He was used to it.
A hand trailed across his shoulders. He turned and saw Veronica standing behind him. She was dressed as provocatively as usual, a skin tight dress showing off all her assets. He smirked and pulled her closer, kissing her possessively. A faint sense of triumph washed through him at the thought that he’d completely won her over. It had taken months of hard work. He’d been well aware of the fact that when they first got together she was just trying to make Oliver jealous. He hadn’t minded one bit. She was a means to an end and nothing more.
As soon as he realized that Veronica’s feelings had begun to cease to be fake, Lex had started dropping hints and commenting more frequently on why he and Oliver hated each other so much. Once it was clear that she really had fallen for him, he told her stories of the horrible things that Oliver had done when they were at Excelsior, careful to omit his own part in the stories, of course.
When he’d heard that Veronica had stormed into the Talon and confronted Chloe the same day that he’d told her the story about Duncan, Lex had almost leapt for joy. But of course, he didn’t do that. Instead, he’d simply smiled grimly, and said, “It’s time.”
Lex pulled way from the kiss and turned back to the window, gazing moodily out the window, his body tense. It was all an act. But Veronica wasn’t to know that.
“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked, voice low and seductive as she draped herself across his shoulders.
“Nothing,” he said shortly .
Veronica sashayed around so that she was standing in front of him. “You can’t lie to me, Lex. Something’s bothering you. Is it Oliver again?”
He didn’t answer and refused to meet her gaze. That was all the answer she needed.
She frowned. “What did he do this time?”
“Nothing specific,” Lex said evasively.
“You can tell me anything’ Veronica said in a whisper.
“It’s just...it doesn’t seem right that after everything he’s done, he should be so happy. Everyone loves him, just because he flashes them a smile. No one cares about the things he’s done.”
“You’re right,” Veronica agreed. “It’s not fair.”
“And did he have to get together with that nosey wannabe reporter?” Lex ranted. “She’s supposed to be all about the truth, but when it comes to him it’s like it doesn’t matter. Sometimes, I just wish there was a way to ruin his life the way he ruined mine, that I could take away the person he cares the most about.”
“I know,” she said soothingly, placing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Lex smiled weakly. “I’m sorry. We’re supposed to be enjoying out time together, not listening to me whine about Oliver. What do you want to do?”
“Actually” Veronica bit her lip, “I can’t stay, I have something I need to take care of. I’ll see you later?”
He watched her go, a grim smile playing across his lips, reveling in his triumph. Soon, Oliver would suffer the same kind of loss he had. Lex could almost envision the look on his enemy’s face when Chloe walked away from him. It would be too easy for Veronica to tear them apart.
Lex was so absorbed in his daydreams, he never noticed the way Veronica’s eyes glowed as she rounded the corner.
Author's Note: Things are definitely heating up. Read and review to find out what happens next. (Yes, I am shamelessly begging for reviews. Not afraid to admit it.)
Chapter 12
Summary: Oliver finds himself at Smallville High were he meets Chloe and discovers the world of Meta-humans. But will his newfound happiness be threatened by the presence of an old enemy?
Rating: PG-13 (Mostly for mild language and violence in later chapters, I don't see it going any further, but if it does, the rating will change accordingly)
Warning: This is mostly AU. I plan to work in as much from the series as I can, but the timeline is completely mine and character ages have been changed as I see fit. Oliver's only a year older than Chloe in this. She already knows about Clark's powers. And Lois is living with Chloe.
Relationships: Chlollie, Clois (just a teeny, tiny bit)
Previous Chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4,Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10
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552158 Chapter 11
The sound of laughter drifted out of the living room, overriding the sounds of the movie they were supposed to be watching. Clark leaned against the counter, watching the popcorn carefully to make sure that it didn’t burn.
He still couldn’t quite believe how everything had changed since October. Chloe had always been his best friend and he’d always wanted the best for her. Unfortunately, he’d been totally oblivious to the fact that for the longest time she’d wanted him.
For Clark, Chloe had always been his best friend, the person he turned to when things got weird and complicated, even before she managed to figure out his secret. All it had taken was one too many super-saves and she put the pieces together like a kiddie puzzle. It had never occurred to him to think of her as something more. And frankly, he was glad of that. After everything that had gone wrong with Lana, he was beginning to think that he just wasn’t cut out for relationships. He’d found out about Chloe’s feelings the same time that she managed to get over him, thanks to Lois and her big mouth. Chloe never had explained what exactly had happened and Clark doubted that she ever would. But he’d felt horrible for never seeing it and had wanted nothing more than for Chloe to find someone who appreciated her, especially after all the psychotic meteor freaks she’d fallen for.
But if someone had suggested when Oliver Queen first transferred to Smallville High that he and Chloe would not only start dating but would actually fall for each other, Clark would have laughed in their faces and asked if they’d been exposed to meteor rock lately. He’d seen enough of the playboy rich kid to know that he was nowhere near what Chloe needed. Boy had he been wrong.
Chuckling quietly to himself, Clark pulled open the popcorn and dumped it in a bowl before sticking another bag in the microwave. He’d been pretty freaked by the thought that Oliver knew his secret, even if he had agreed to let Chloe tell him. He’d been pretty confident that the other man would keep his alien origins secret, but that hadn’t meant that Clark was wholly comfortable with it. But Chloe had had her life complicated by his secret and the effects of the meteor rock one too many times and he’d seen the way Oliver looked at her while she was unconscious and the crestfallen expression on her face when she found out he wasn’t there. It had been enough to make Clark give him the benefit of the doubt.
What he’d truly never expected was for Oliver to go out of his way to assure him that his secret was safe. When he’d offered to help deal with the meteor freaks, Clark had been dumbfounded.
That had been the beginning of something Clark could never have predicted. Though he’d never admit it, even under the effects of meteor rock, he’d been worried that Chloe and Oliver’s relationship wouldn’t last. It wasn’t that he doubted their feelings. Even he could see that they were head over heals for each other. But they barely knew each other and their feelings had come to be in less than ideal circumstances and he had worried that eventually the attraction would just disappear.
It hadn’t.
Clark had had a front row seat to their budding romance. Chloe had always been a bit of workaholic, often spending lunch and copious amounts of after school time in the Torch. Oliver had quickly taken to dragging her to the cafeteria for food and if she was still in the Torch at four-thirty, he either sat in there with her if she was in the middle of something, or dragged her home if she wasn’t. True to his word, he started helping with the usual Smallville meteor freak emergencies. At first, he’d stuck to helping with the research. But when Pete moved away just before Christmas break, he’d taken a more active roll, actually accompanying Chloe and Clark when they went snooping. He’d even landed himself in the hospital a few times alongside Chloe when they got on the wrong side of one of the meteor freaks. Oliver had taken his secret in stride and had actually become Clark’s closest friends.
Being around Chloe had changed Oliver a lot. He was more open than before. Clark watched him interacting with other people, and the hesitancy and guardedness that had been there when he first moved to Smallville was completely gone. The careless playboy had been completely abandoned and in his place was a person with a genuinely good and courageous heart.
Chloe had changed too. She wasn’t as absorbed in the Torch and actually had fun every once in a while. Clark actually saw more of her now that she was with Oliver than when she’d been single. She laughed and she smiled more.
Grabbing the popcorn, Clark headed into the living room. He paused at the door and absorbed the scene in front of him. It was the perfect example of how things had changed and just how far his two friends had fallen for each other.
Oliver had done the impossible when he befriended Lois. The two of them had fallen into an antagonistic and sarcastic relationship that somehow worked for them. It hadn’t been long after that the group had settled on a weekly movie night. Every week, someone picked a movie and they all met up to hang out. Currently, the movie was being ignored while Lois and Oliver traded their usual goodnatured acerbic barbs. Lois was curled up in the armchair while Chloe and Oliver occupied one end of the couch. Oliver was leaning against the arm of the sofa at a slight angle so that he was facing the TV and was currently looking over his shoulder to talk to Lois. Chloe was leaned against him, stretched out along the couch. Her head was resting on his chest, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Though her eyes were fixed on the TV, Clark could tell from the quirk of her lips that she was actually listening to her cousin and her boyfriend argue. It was very entertaining. Oliver had one arm draped possessively across Chloe’s stomach, their finger entwined.
The whole scene was completely innocent if you didn’t know Chloe and Oliver. She had never been the touchy-feely type. It taken years before she’d gotten comfortable enough with Clark to hug him on a regular basis. Despite his playboy image, Oliver was very much the same way. Clark had noticed that with other girls Oliver was outwardly affectionate, but there’d always been a stiffness and a reservation behind it. That wasn’t there with Chloe. They almost always had an arm wrapped around each other.
And it wasn’t just that. They got each other on a level that Clark never could. He’d never even understood Lana that way. Half the time, Chloe and Oliver seemed to know what each other were thinking.
“Smallville!” Lois called, breaking through Clark’s thoughts. “You just gonna stand there all day?”
“If it means watching you two argue, then yes,” he said smirking.
“We aren’t arguing,” she pouted. “We’re having a discussion.”
Chloe chuckled. “You’re arguing.”
“Hey,” Oliver protested, poking her ribs. “Whose side are you on?”
“Whosever side I chose to be on,” she said with a grin.
“You wound me woman,” Oliver pouted.
She frowned. “Don’t call me that.”
He just smirked.
Grinning, Clark placed the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and sat in the other chair.
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Across the room, Lois was trying not to look at the way the muscles rippled under Clark’s shirt as he lowered himself onto the chair. No, she wasn’t at all attracted to the farmboy muscles or his geeky ways.
She tore her eyes away before Clark could notice (not that there was anything to notice anyway) and instead focused on her cousin and her current boy toy. Of course, she could have watched the movie, but Chloe and Oliver were way more interesting.
Those two are just too cute for their own good, she thought to herself, suppressing a smile at the sight of the two of them curled up at the end of the couch. Now they were focused on the movie. Chloe was absentmindedly caressing the arm that Oliver had wrapped around her waist. She’d shifted slightly so that she was more laying against him than sitting beside him and leaning against him as she had before. Oliver didn’t seem to mind. In fact, as Lois watched out of the corner of her eye, she saw him tug her cousin closer.
She cocked her head slightly and turned back to the TV before anyone could notice her scrutiny.
Chloe had definitely lucked out in the boyfriend department and Lois couldn’t help but be the slightest bit jealous of her baby cuz. She had always been more the bang ‘em and leave ‘em type herself. She’d never really had the connection it was so obvious Chloe had with the billionaire boy wonder. For crying out loud, they even finished each other’s sentences every once in while.
To be perfectly honest--and if anyone suggested this to Lois she would punch them in the face because it soo wasn’t true--she was just the slightest bit jealous of Oliver, too. He’d somehow become part of the three musketeers that had once been Chloe, Pete, and Clark, especially once Pete had moved. Lois knew that there was a ton of stuff that her cousin didn’t tell her. If Chloe thought she was completely oblivious to the crazy ass things that happened in Smallville, then she wasn’t as smart as Lois thought she was, which might explain why she seemed to think that her beloved and very observant cousin had no idea that Chloe was somehow right in the middle of all the weirdness. Fact was, Lois was acutely aware that her cousin was a weird magnet. Seriously, how many times had she ended up in the hospital since freshman year?
And Oliver was part of that in a way that Lois wasn’t. She supposed that Chloe was trying to protect her and that after being abducted, Oliver had been inducted into the danger magnet club. He was part of Chloe’s life that Lois wasn’t.
Which honestly is just proof of how twitter-pated Chloe is, Lois chuckled to herself. I’ve been living with her for what, a year and a half, and she still doesn’t trust me that much? Not that I blame her, she admitted. I get in enough trouble without painting a meteor rock target on my back.
A pillow suddenly sailed across the room, effectively breaking Lois out of her thoughts when it whacked her full in the face. She turned and glared at the grinning blonde that was her blood.
“What the hell was that for?”
Chloe shrugged innocently. “You looked way too serious. I thought I should do something before you burst a vein thinking so hard.”
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that I don’t usually think?”
“Who me? After the battle of wits you and Ollie just had? I would never even consider suggesting that your brain is usually three miles behind your mouth.”
Clark suppressed a laugh. Without even bothering to look, Lois chucked the pillow at him then turned back to the movie. She’d always known that Chloe had inherited the Lane tendency to be sarcastic and snarky, but until she’d met Oliver, she’d never been one to just start a battle of the snark. Start one with her and she’d gladly finish it, but that was different. And Lois had watched on more than one occasion as Chloe, Clark, and Pete had traded witty banter (well not so much Clark, but he got the occasional semi-clever remark in once in a blue moon). Oliver had brought the mischievous, much repressed Lane side of Chloe out. Lois had seen it just the week before when, once again, Veronica Morgan (the very definition of jealous bimbo) had confronted Chloe.
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Lois was late and she knew it. She was supposed to be meeting Chloe and Oliver for coffee at the Talon, but she might have gotten caught up making out with some hot guy from the football team.
Huffing and puffing, she hurried up to the front door of the Talon. She was still a couple of shops down when she saw Veronica head into the coffee shop.
“What the hell does she want?” Lois whispered.
The bimbo bitch had been giving Chloe problems from the beginning. Lois knew what had happened that first day she and Oliver were publicly together. Chloe hadn’t told her, but when the hottest, most popular girl in school was not only rejected but threatened by the new hot guy that every one was drooling over all because of someone who was both unpopular and (according to most people, but not Lois of course) slightly weird, the gossip spread fast. For weeks afterward, Veronica had bombarded Chloe with snide comments about how she would never keep Oliver, that he was going to leave her for someone more his type. Of course, she’d been careful to say all those things when Oliver wasn’t around.
But when her tactics hadn’t worked and Chloe and Oliver were still together (and probably more into each other than before if you asked Lois, which no one did), Veronica had moved on, setting her sights on someone else. Lois had been more than a bit surprised to find that she’d moved on to Lex of all people. The kid definitely didn’t have Oliver’s looks or charisma. But he did have this strangely disconcerting and magnetic personality. And he was rich and somehow had most of the school kowtowing to him. At first Lois had assumed the Victoria had gone for him to make Oliver jealous and angry. Everyone knew that there was some sort of rivalry between him and Lex. No one knew what is about, except maybe Chloe. But it was a big deal. It was clear at first that Victoria really didn’t like Lex. Lois wasn’t sure anyone could like that bald weirdo. But inexplicably the arrangement had turned into something more and soon it was easy to see that Veronica was actually into Lex. Lois wasn’t so sure that baldy was into her, but it didn’t seem to matter. Since then, Veronica had pretty much left Chloe alone, except for a few hateful glares.
Eyes narrowed, Lois tiptoed closer to the door and slipped inside, careful not to draw attention to herself, which was almost impossible for Lois to do.
Chloe was sitting at the usual table in the corner. She was alone, which was unusual. Oliver was almost never late. It used to annoy Lois because it made her look bad. Now she was annoyed that he wasn’t there to play white knight for her cousin.
Veronica stood in front of Chloe for almost a full five minutes before the blonde looked up and noticed.
Chloe raised an eyebrow and set her coffee aside. “Can I help you with something?”
“I just wanted to know what it felt like to be Oliver’s whore?” Veronica sneered.
The slightest flicker of anger crossed Chloe’s face before she answered. “Considering that of the two of us, you are the whore, I’d suggest you ask yourself that question.”
Lois, still hidden beside the door, smirked to herself. Way to go cuz!
Tensing angrily, Veronica turned to leave, but before she did, she glanced back over her shoulder and hissed, “I wonder how many heiresses Oliver bangs while he’s in Star City every other weekend because there’s no way a nobody like you could keep him happy.”
“And yet he’s with me instead of you,” Chloe said calmly. “What’s that say about you?”
Grumbling under her breath, Veronica stormed out, narrowly missing Lois who just managed to duck behind a potted plant.
As soon as she was gone, Lois slipped out from behind the plant and made her way over to her cousin, who was sitting back calmly, as though nothing had happened. She looked up with a grin when Lois plopped down beside her.
“Hey Lo,” Chloe said. “Are you ever on time for anything?”
“Well, I would have been closer to on time if I hadn’t seen little miss bimbo walk in!” Lois’ face softened slightly. “You all right?”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. She’s just desperate.”
“I thought she was with baldy.” Lois flagged down a serving girl as she spoke and ordered her coffee before going on. “Shouldn’t she be over the fact that you got Oliver and she didn’t?”
“She is,” Chloe chucked. “Now she just trying to get to Oliver through me. You know Lex hates him, and I’m pretty sure she’s infatuated with our resident billionaire.”
“What’s that make me?” Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Our commuting billionaire,” Chloe answered, her face lighting up slightly. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Not long,” he shrugged. “Just enough to hear that Veronica was on to you again. How bad was it?”
“Not bad,” Chloe said noncommittally.
Lois grinned. “It was actually pretty awesome. Chloe totally put that bimbo in her place.”
“Really?” Oliver looked impressed.
“What can I say? I’ve been spending way too much time with Lois.”
“Yeah right,” Lois scoffed. “If that had been the case, you’d have been standing up for yourself a long time ago cuz. I think blondie’s rubbing off on ya.”
“Blondie?” Chloe deadpanned.
Oliver laughed lightly. “Glad you think I’m such a good influence.”
“I didn’t say that,” Lois snarked.
“Really? Cuz I could have sworn--”
“You corrupted my sweet, innocent baby cousin. I should be making you pay for that.”
“Oh please,” Chloe scoffed. “You’ve corrupted me way more than Ollie.”
“Defending my honor?” Oliver murmured in a low voice, scooting his chair closer to hers.
“No,” she said simply. “One-upping my cousin. You just happen to have gotten a few benefits in the process.”
Harrumphing, Lois crossed her arms.
“You wound me,” he said dramatically, clutching his chest.
She patted his arm. “You’ll get over it.”
“Sure,” he chuckled, kissing her cheek.
The tiniest bit of color touched Chloe’s face as she leaned into him, turning into the kiss so that their lips touched.
Lois fought the urge to gag or make a rude comment about the fact that she was being ignored.
Oh who am I kidding, she asked herself. “Oy! Love birds. Break it up! We’re in public and people eat here. If you start having sex on the table, you’re going to get us thrown out and you’re going to scar me for life, which is saying something.”
***
Lois spared another glance at the couple in question. They had shifted even closer, if that was possible. They were practically laying across the couch and Chloe looked about ready to fall asleep. It had been a long time since Lois had seen her cousin that comfortable with someone she hadn’t known for less than six years. Lois just hoped that something didn’t happen to screw it up.
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The mansion was cold and empty, despite the people who lived there, but that had never bothered Lex. He was used to it.
A hand trailed across his shoulders. He turned and saw Veronica standing behind him. She was dressed as provocatively as usual, a skin tight dress showing off all her assets. He smirked and pulled her closer, kissing her possessively. A faint sense of triumph washed through him at the thought that he’d completely won her over. It had taken months of hard work. He’d been well aware of the fact that when they first got together she was just trying to make Oliver jealous. He hadn’t minded one bit. She was a means to an end and nothing more.
As soon as he realized that Veronica’s feelings had begun to cease to be fake, Lex had started dropping hints and commenting more frequently on why he and Oliver hated each other so much. Once it was clear that she really had fallen for him, he told her stories of the horrible things that Oliver had done when they were at Excelsior, careful to omit his own part in the stories, of course.
When he’d heard that Veronica had stormed into the Talon and confronted Chloe the same day that he’d told her the story about Duncan, Lex had almost leapt for joy. But of course, he didn’t do that. Instead, he’d simply smiled grimly, and said, “It’s time.”
Lex pulled way from the kiss and turned back to the window, gazing moodily out the window, his body tense. It was all an act. But Veronica wasn’t to know that.
“What’s wrong, baby?” she asked, voice low and seductive as she draped herself across his shoulders.
“Nothing,” he said shortly .
Veronica sashayed around so that she was standing in front of him. “You can’t lie to me, Lex. Something’s bothering you. Is it Oliver again?”
He didn’t answer and refused to meet her gaze. That was all the answer she needed.
She frowned. “What did he do this time?”
“Nothing specific,” Lex said evasively.
“You can tell me anything’ Veronica said in a whisper.
“It’s just...it doesn’t seem right that after everything he’s done, he should be so happy. Everyone loves him, just because he flashes them a smile. No one cares about the things he’s done.”
“You’re right,” Veronica agreed. “It’s not fair.”
“And did he have to get together with that nosey wannabe reporter?” Lex ranted. “She’s supposed to be all about the truth, but when it comes to him it’s like it doesn’t matter. Sometimes, I just wish there was a way to ruin his life the way he ruined mine, that I could take away the person he cares the most about.”
“I know,” she said soothingly, placing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Lex smiled weakly. “I’m sorry. We’re supposed to be enjoying out time together, not listening to me whine about Oliver. What do you want to do?”
“Actually” Veronica bit her lip, “I can’t stay, I have something I need to take care of. I’ll see you later?”
He watched her go, a grim smile playing across his lips, reveling in his triumph. Soon, Oliver would suffer the same kind of loss he had. Lex could almost envision the look on his enemy’s face when Chloe walked away from him. It would be too easy for Veronica to tear them apart.
Lex was so absorbed in his daydreams, he never noticed the way Veronica’s eyes glowed as she rounded the corner.
Author's Note: Things are definitely heating up. Read and review to find out what happens next. (Yes, I am shamelessly begging for reviews. Not afraid to admit it.)
Chapter 12
