Twist of Fate 17/18
Mar. 30th, 2011 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luminare91Summary: 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, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16
Banner by![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=2)
552158
Chapter 17
“Are you sure about this?”
Oliver laughed. “Yes I’m sure.”
“Because I can deal with Lois if you want me to stay.”
“You know if you’re not home when she gets back there’ll be hell to pay.”
“As if I haven’t taken hell from Lois before,” Chloe scoffed. “Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve only had one more nightmare and that was four days ago. No problems since then. I’m not even being overprotective,” Oliver said proudly.
Chloe ignored the last statement. “If something happens, call me. I don’t care what time it is.” She was still freaked by how violent his nightmares had been.
“Don’t worry, I will. Now go. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“All right,” Chloe grumbled.
“Should I be flattered that you’re so reluctant to leave me?” Oliver joked.
Her face relaxed. “Probably. But I’ll leave that up to you to decide. See you tomorrow.” She leaned across the console and kissed him one last time.
Oliver watched her walk into the house, his heart sinking slightly. As positive as he’d been before, he really wasn’t sure he was ready to spend the night alone. It sounded ridiculous, even inside his own head, but having Chloe there beside him as he slept helped him remember that she was alive and well. He honestly wasn’t sure how he’d fare without that living reminder.
But he was going to find out. Chloe had been through enough without having to dodge Lois. Sighing, Oliver put the car in gear and drove away.
--------------------------------
“Wake up! NOW!”
Groaning, Chloe rolled onto her side and glanced at her alarm clock. It was two in the morning.
“Come on, cuz!” Lois shouted. “Up and at ‘em. We need to talk.”
“Lois, it is freakishly early in the morning and we have school. What the hell do you want?” Chloe snapped.
Lois crossed her arms and glared at Chloe. “I get into town and the first thing I find out is that you and Oliver were attacked by psycho bitch and that she kidnapped you. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Oliver and I had a lot to deal with,” Chloe sighed. She should have known that this conversation was coming and she should have prepared but she didn’t. “It was really hard on both of us. I wasn’t ready to tell the story again. We already had to do it once with the paper. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, Lo. I was just trying to deal with it.”
At that answer, Lois seemed slightly mollified. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the bed. “So what happened.”
Chloe groaned, but quickly recounted the story, leaving out no detail, except for the meteor rock elements. The angry quickly left Lois’ body as the story went on. When Chloe was done, her cousin was staring at her.
“God, Chlo. I can’t believe that happened to you. No wonder you and Oliver were holed up all week.” Lois shook her head. “I never would have guessed that Veronica was capable of that.”
“No one did,” Chloe shrugged. “Now is that all? Can I go back to sleep now?”
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Nope. There’s something else we need to talk about.”
“And what might that be?” Chloe asked tiredly, her patience wearing thin.
“I know you don’t like me prying into your personal life and your relationship with Oliver,” Lois said slowly, for once choosing her words carefully. “But I have got to say this. I know that you’re the one holding up the ginormous red stop sign in this relationship, but if you don’t give that boy sex soon, he’s going to walk away.”
“Come on, Lois!” Chloe groaned. “You and Oliver are friends. How can you say that about him?”
“It’s facts,” Lois said stubbornly. “Honestly, I hold Ollie in the highest regards. He’s a decent human being, and that’s rare among guys, especially the guys from his circle. Just look at Lex. But the fact is, he is a guy and a guy who was used to regular sex before he fell for you. The other shoe is going to drop eventually and though you’re both going to regret it, it is going to happen. Now I know you’re little miss goody two shoes, but a little action wouldn’t do you any harm.”
“Okay stop right there,” Chloe said angrily. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? Then tell me how I’m wrong!”
“Lois, it’s really none of your business.”
“Yes it is. You’re my baby cousin. I have the right to be nosy and invasive when I’m worried that said cousin is going to get her heart broken!”
“Damn it! Oliver is the one holding up the stop sign!”
Lois’ mouth dropped open. “What?”
“You heard me,” Chloe snapped. “Every relationship Oliver has ever had was based on sex and he doesn’t want that to happen to us. He wants to wait until we are both sure that it is the right time, and that is not going to change, no matter how much prodding we get from you. Now drop it and let me go sleep!”
Without waiting for a response, Chloe rolled onto her side, pulled the covers up to her chin and promptly ignored Lois. She felt her cousin sitting there for several more minutes before getting up and moving across the room to her own bed.
In all the commotion, Chloe never heard her phone go off.
------------------------
Standing on the steps to Smallville High, Oliver was waiting anxiously for Chloe to arrive. He’d his worst nightmare yet. He had awoke in a cold sweat, wanting nothing more than to feel Chloe beside him, alive and warm. But she wasn’t there. Desperate to hear her voice, he’d grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial, but she hadn’t answered. He’d been halfway out the door before he realized that if he showed up at her doorstep in the middle of the night, he’d freak her out and that was the last thing he wanted. So Oliver had attempted to go back to sleep. It hadn’t helped and he desperately needed to see her. He knew that people were looking at him strangely. The whole town was buzzing with what Veronica had done. She was one of the most popular girls in town and her family was prominent. Oliver’s and Chloe’s part in the whole thing was just as well known and Oliver knew that it meant they’d get a lot a of attention
When he caught sight of her, walking down the sidewalk, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She was walking between Clark and Lois, who was chattering non stop. Chloe looked like she was trying not to strangle her cousin.
Oliver hurried down the steps and hurried toward them. Clark saw him coming and quickly grabbed Lois’ arm, making some excuse before dragging her off. Chloe stared after them in confusion, completely oblivious to Oliver’s approach.
He grabbed her in a crushing hug, burying his face in her hair. Chloe gasped and stiffened just briefly until she realized who it was and returned the embrace.
“Sorry I scared you,” Oliver murmured. “I just...” he trailed off.
“What happened?” Chloe whispered.
He laughed shakily. She always was so good at reading him. For a moment, he didn’t answer and simply pulled her tighter.
“Ollie,” Chloe said timidly. “What is it?”
Shuddering slightly, Oliver pulled back. He couldn’t meet her eyes as he spoke. “I had another nightmare,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “It was worse than the others. By the time I got to the warehouse, you were already dead. You were just laying there. You were so pale and cold. And then Veronica was standing there telling me how it was my fault, that as you were dying you blamed me. I could see you doing it. I could see you telling me that you were dead because of me. Then I was stuck in some dark place with nothing but your lifeless body. And when I woke up, you weren’t there and I thought it was all real. I thought--”
His voice broke and he shuddered again, harder than before. Chloe wrapped her arms more tightly around his waist, pressing her face against his chest. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m right here. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there last night. I should have stayed. I could have dealt with Lois later. Because she came storming in last night, I must not have heard the phone.”
“It’s not your fault,” Oliver murmured, still shaking. “We both thought it would be better if you didn’t stay. And it’s not your fault you didn’t hear the phone.I just...I just needed to see you. I needed proof that you were here. God, I feel like such an idiot. You’re handling this way better than me and you’re the one that was actually kidnapped.”
Pulling back so Chloe could see his face, she whispered, “Hey. It’s not your fault. I...I’ve been having nightmares, too. They haven’t woken me up as much. But um...usually I’m dead and sort of haunting you I guess. You can’t see me, but I can see you. The look in your eyes, that pain. It was the same look I saw in my dad’s eyes when mom left. Knowing that you’re feeling that because of me, that I left you like my mom did. And the fact that I’m right there and I can’t do anything to make it right.
“But those aren’t the worst,” she admitted. “The ones that are real nightmares are the ones where she takes you instead of me. And I’m the one that’s too late. I’ve saved so many people from the meteor freaks and in my dreams I can’t save you. Or, she takes both of us and I have to watch. That one actually woke me up this morning. Lois thought someone had gotten in the house and gone after me. I freaked her out.”
Oliver cupped her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You had enough to deal with,” she answered quietly. “I’m used to this. I knew how bad it was and I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Though his heart melted at her words, Oliver looked at Chloe sternly. “Listen to me. I don’t care what’s going on in my life, you can tell me anything. I want to know what is going in your life. Next time, tell me when something like this happens. And when you have another one of these dreams, tell me about it. I mean, I’m telling you about my dreams. It’ll make me feel like less of an idiot if you do.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “You’re not an idiot, Ollie. It doesn’t matter that you’re having nightmares. I don’t care. It’s not like it makes you any less of a man or anything.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he said quickly, which was only half true, but he wasn’t going to admit that to her. “I’m worried that you’re not going to deal with this because you’re trying to help me deal.”
“Helping you deal is helping me deal, but I get your point,” she quickly added at the sight of his expression. “The next time it happens, I’ll tell you.”
Oliver smiled in relief. “Thank you.”
Standing on her toes, Chloe kissed him gently. “So on another note, how bad do you think the rumors are going to be today?”
“I think there will be lots of funny looks,” he admitted. “But I don’t think it will be too bad. I’m not sure anyone really liked Veronica. Can’t be worse than anything else that’s happened.”
“Hey!” Chloe whacked his arm. “You totally just jinxed us!”
“I did no such thing,” he objected.
“You totally did! Now something, I don’t know what, but something will happen.”
“When did you get so superstitious?” Oliver teased.
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “You do realize where we are right? Smallville? Meteor freak capital of the world? Our best friend is an intergalactic space traveller? Any of this ringing a bell?”
“All right, all right. I get it. You have every reason to be superstitious. What do I need to do to removed the jinx?” His eyes twinkled with humor as he looked down at her.
“Throw salt over your shoulder?” Chloe suggested. “Knock on wood? Oh, I know! Swallow meteor rock.”
“Are you trying to turn me into a murdering psycho?” Oliver demanded with mock indignation.
She thought about it for a minute. “No, you right. I like you too much to do that to you.”
Oliver chuckled and kissed her hair. “Come on, let’s go face the masses.”
-------------------------
The day actually wasn’t that bad. As Oliver had predicted, Veronica hadn’t been that well liked and most people were just amazed that the two of them had survived that kind of ordeal. Aside from a few odd looks, nothing out of the usual happened.
Chloe headed to the Torch at lunch. She was thinking of writing an article for the school paper, just to make sure that no wild rumors got started about what had happened. But she’d barely made it inside when Oliver appeared in the door.
“Not happening,” he said flatly.
“What?” she asked in surprised.
“You are not spending our first day back at school holed up in here. Come on. Clark and Lois are waiting for us.” He held out his hand, waving her toward the door. Chloe took it and allowed him to pull her along.
Lois looked up sheepishly at Chloe when they sat down. Chloe was still royally ticked off and wasn’t speaking to her beloved cousin, despite the nonstop chattering apology on the way to school. She hadn’t told Oliver exactly what had happened, but he guessed that Lois had gotten in her face based on something she’d said when they were talking outside before school, so he sat between the cousins.
Clark looked between the three of them in confusion, then caught Oliver’s eyes silently asking what was going on. Oliver shrugged and gave him a don’t worry about it look.
“So how as your break, Clark?” Oliver asked aloud, breaking the silence.
“All right,” Clark shrugged. “Pretty normal. I just helped out on the farm.”
“Don’t you do anything fun?” Lois teased.
“I like working on the farm,” Clark replied defensively.
“But it’s work!” Lois wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“There’s nothing wrong with that!”
“If you think work is fun, then there is something seriously wrong with you!”
“That’s just because you’re afraid you’ll break a nail.”
Lois turned red. “Just because I don’t enjoy farm work, doesn’t mean I’m afraid to get my hands dirty. I grew up on more army bases than you can count. I’m not some lazy ass slacker, farmboy.”
Gathering her books and flinging them over her shoulder with more force than necessary, Lois stood and stomped away. Looking horrorstruck, Clark followed her.
“Come on, Lois!” he called after her.
Oliver watched them with raised eyebrows then turned back to Chloe. “What’s wrong with her?”
Looking guilty, Chloe chewed her lip. “I think she’s still smarting after last night. She came in, reading me the riot act about not telling her what happened with Veronica and from there she moved on to yelling at me for being the one holding up the stop sign in our relationship. I lost my temper and yelled at her. I’ve been giving her the cold shoulder since we got up this morning.”
“You know she feels bad if she’s acting like that,” Oliver pointed out.
“I know,” she said grudgingly. “But I’m not quite willing to forgive her just yet. She burst into the room at two in the morning and started yelling at me. I’m going to let her stew for a little bit longer.”
Knowing that she was too stubborn to give in, Oliver just rolled his eyes and changed the conversation.
They’d been talking for several minutes when they became aware of someone standing beside their table. Oliver looked up and immediately stiffened while managing to keep his face calm.
“Something we can do for you, Lex?” he asked cooly.
Chloe moved the slightest bit closer to Oliver. She knew that Lex had only be indirectly responsible for what happened. But she never really trusted him to begin with and she didn’t trust him any more now.
Lex cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened. I was angry and jealous and I thought that I could use Veronica to get even, but I had no idea what she was going to do. I’m sorry that this got so out of hand and that you got hurt, Chloe.”
She nodded slightly. “Thanks, Lex.”
Reluctantly, Lex turned to Oliver. “As much as I don’t like you, I didn’t want something like that happening, not even to you. And while I will not apologize for my feelings toward you, I am sorry for what Veronica did and for my part in it.”
Stunned by the apology, Oliver floundered for words and was unable to speak before Lex walked away.
“Well that was unexpected,” Chloe murmured.
“Yeah it was,” Oliver agreed.
-----------------------------
Later that day, after school was over, Chloe tracked Lois down at the Talon. She was sitting at a table in a corner, pouring over her homework, which was unusual for Lois. Chloe dropped her bag in a chair and stood awkwardly beside her cousin.
“Hey, Lo.”
Lois just glared at her and slammed her book shut, picking up another one.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe blurted out. “Things haven’t been easy for me the last week. You just caught me at a bad time. I was having nightmares and I was worried about Oliver and you come bursting in like that. I lost it.”
“Chloe I’m your cousin,” Lois snapped. “You’re supposed to trust me.”
“I do, Lo. I meant what I said when I told you that I was going to tell you about the whole thing with Veronica. And I was going to tell you why Oliver and I are taking things so slowly. But it was just a really bad time for you to get on my case about it.”
Lois sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry for that. I was just worried about you. I come home to find out that my cousin nearly got herself killed by the psycho jealous bitch. On top of that, and you know I love Ollie almost as much as you do just in a different way, but he’s a guy and while I would love to give him the benefit of the doubt, I can’t help but worry that you’re going to get your heart broken. Now that I know what’s going on, I’m not worrying. If you’d just told me, this wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“That’s the thing, Lo,” Chloe sighed. “It wasn’t your business. I get that you’re just trying to look out for me, but it’s my life and my relationship. I should have to tell you why Ollie and I are taking it slow unless I want to. And I wanted to keep it private. All I ask is that next time you respect that.”
“Point taken. I will do my best to respect personal boundaries in the future. Am I forgiven?”
Chloe smiled. “I guess.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ll see you later. As much as I hate to admit it, I have to apologize to Smallville. I was real bitch to him earlier. Do you think he’s at the farm?”
“Probably,” Chloe nodded. “I’m gonna go talk to Ollie. I may not be home. And before you jump to conclusions, that whole thing with Veronica’s been hard on both of us. Ollie’s been having nightmares. I think they’re worse when I’m not there and I feel bad after last night. And if you tell anyone what I just tell you I swear to God, Lois, I will never speak to you again, you got that!”
Lois mimed locking her lips. “I won’t tell a soul. I can keep secrets you know.”
“Sure you can, Lois. Just keep telling yourself that. I’ll see you later, cuz.”
------------------------
Fifteen minutes later, Chloe knocked on Oliver’s door.
“It’s open!” he shouted.
Chloe walked in, dropping her backpack and purse in the entryway before moving further into the house. She found Oliver in the living room, bent over his textbooks. He looked up when she entered the room.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his face lighting up.
“Thought you might like some company,” she said, moving to sit beside him. Oliver kissed her cheek before turning back to his assignment.
“I’m not going to be good company,” he said. “If I don’t get this done, I’m screwed. But you’re more than welcome to stay if you want to.”
“I don’t want to be in the way if you’re trying to study,” Chloe said hesitantly.
“You’re not in the way.” He dropped his pencil on the coffee table and turned to look at her. “What’s the matter? And don’t try to deny it. You know I can always tell with something is wrong.”
Chloe sighed and looked at her hands in her lap. “I feel bad that I wasn’t there for you last night.”
“It’s no use arguing with you, is it?”
“Well, that’s not all of it. I also might have missed you last night.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. “What about Lois?”
“I talked to her and she won’t make trouble.”
“So what’s the plan for tonight?”
Chloe shrugged. “I was thinking I could sleep on the couch tonight. I’ll feel better knowing you’re close and if it gets bad during the night we’re right there for each other. It’ll help us get used to being alone at night. I don’t think we were ready to be alone after what happened.”
“After last night, I would definitely have to agree,” Oliver said dryly. “And I like your plan, but with one ammendment.”
She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.
“We sleep together tonight. I really need it after that last nightmare.”
“I can work with that,” Chloe said, biting her lip.
“Do you need to pick up some clothes?”
She shook her head. “I may have come prepared. Just let me go get my backpack so I can do some homework.”
Grinning Oliver pulled her close for a kiss. “Have I mentioned that I love you?”
“Not today.”
“Well in that case, I love you.”
“I love you too, Ollie. Now let me go so I can get my homework.”
“Yes ma’am.”
That evening, if anyone had looked in the window, they would have seen two normal people enjoying each other’s company. When they were with each other, Chloe wasn’t the editor of the Torch or the girl that was regularly attacked by meteor freaks and Oliver wasn’t the billionaire playboy of the tabloids. They were just a boy and a girl, brought together by the strangest circumstances, from two different worlds, who’d somehow fallen for each other. And that was all that mattered.
Author’s Note: LAST CHAPTER!!! I have an epilogue to post. But this fic is officially put to bed.
Epilogue
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, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16
Banner by
552158 Chapter 17
“Are you sure about this?”
Oliver laughed. “Yes I’m sure.”
“Because I can deal with Lois if you want me to stay.”
“You know if you’re not home when she gets back there’ll be hell to pay.”
“As if I haven’t taken hell from Lois before,” Chloe scoffed. “Are you sure you’ll be all right tonight?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve only had one more nightmare and that was four days ago. No problems since then. I’m not even being overprotective,” Oliver said proudly.
Chloe ignored the last statement. “If something happens, call me. I don’t care what time it is.” She was still freaked by how violent his nightmares had been.
“Don’t worry, I will. Now go. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“All right,” Chloe grumbled.
“Should I be flattered that you’re so reluctant to leave me?” Oliver joked.
Her face relaxed. “Probably. But I’ll leave that up to you to decide. See you tomorrow.” She leaned across the console and kissed him one last time.
Oliver watched her walk into the house, his heart sinking slightly. As positive as he’d been before, he really wasn’t sure he was ready to spend the night alone. It sounded ridiculous, even inside his own head, but having Chloe there beside him as he slept helped him remember that she was alive and well. He honestly wasn’t sure how he’d fare without that living reminder.
But he was going to find out. Chloe had been through enough without having to dodge Lois. Sighing, Oliver put the car in gear and drove away.
--------------------------------
“Wake up! NOW!”
Groaning, Chloe rolled onto her side and glanced at her alarm clock. It was two in the morning.
“Come on, cuz!” Lois shouted. “Up and at ‘em. We need to talk.”
“Lois, it is freakishly early in the morning and we have school. What the hell do you want?” Chloe snapped.
Lois crossed her arms and glared at Chloe. “I get into town and the first thing I find out is that you and Oliver were attacked by psycho bitch and that she kidnapped you. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Oliver and I had a lot to deal with,” Chloe sighed. She should have known that this conversation was coming and she should have prepared but she didn’t. “It was really hard on both of us. I wasn’t ready to tell the story again. We already had to do it once with the paper. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you, Lo. I was just trying to deal with it.”
At that answer, Lois seemed slightly mollified. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the bed. “So what happened.”
Chloe groaned, but quickly recounted the story, leaving out no detail, except for the meteor rock elements. The angry quickly left Lois’ body as the story went on. When Chloe was done, her cousin was staring at her.
“God, Chlo. I can’t believe that happened to you. No wonder you and Oliver were holed up all week.” Lois shook her head. “I never would have guessed that Veronica was capable of that.”
“No one did,” Chloe shrugged. “Now is that all? Can I go back to sleep now?”
Lois’ eyes narrowed. “Nope. There’s something else we need to talk about.”
“And what might that be?” Chloe asked tiredly, her patience wearing thin.
“I know you don’t like me prying into your personal life and your relationship with Oliver,” Lois said slowly, for once choosing her words carefully. “But I have got to say this. I know that you’re the one holding up the ginormous red stop sign in this relationship, but if you don’t give that boy sex soon, he’s going to walk away.”
“Come on, Lois!” Chloe groaned. “You and Oliver are friends. How can you say that about him?”
“It’s facts,” Lois said stubbornly. “Honestly, I hold Ollie in the highest regards. He’s a decent human being, and that’s rare among guys, especially the guys from his circle. Just look at Lex. But the fact is, he is a guy and a guy who was used to regular sex before he fell for you. The other shoe is going to drop eventually and though you’re both going to regret it, it is going to happen. Now I know you’re little miss goody two shoes, but a little action wouldn’t do you any harm.”
“Okay stop right there,” Chloe said angrily. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really? Then tell me how I’m wrong!”
“Lois, it’s really none of your business.”
“Yes it is. You’re my baby cousin. I have the right to be nosy and invasive when I’m worried that said cousin is going to get her heart broken!”
“Damn it! Oliver is the one holding up the stop sign!”
Lois’ mouth dropped open. “What?”
“You heard me,” Chloe snapped. “Every relationship Oliver has ever had was based on sex and he doesn’t want that to happen to us. He wants to wait until we are both sure that it is the right time, and that is not going to change, no matter how much prodding we get from you. Now drop it and let me go sleep!”
Without waiting for a response, Chloe rolled onto her side, pulled the covers up to her chin and promptly ignored Lois. She felt her cousin sitting there for several more minutes before getting up and moving across the room to her own bed.
In all the commotion, Chloe never heard her phone go off.
------------------------
Standing on the steps to Smallville High, Oliver was waiting anxiously for Chloe to arrive. He’d his worst nightmare yet. He had awoke in a cold sweat, wanting nothing more than to feel Chloe beside him, alive and warm. But she wasn’t there. Desperate to hear her voice, he’d grabbed his phone and hit the speed dial, but she hadn’t answered. He’d been halfway out the door before he realized that if he showed up at her doorstep in the middle of the night, he’d freak her out and that was the last thing he wanted. So Oliver had attempted to go back to sleep. It hadn’t helped and he desperately needed to see her. He knew that people were looking at him strangely. The whole town was buzzing with what Veronica had done. She was one of the most popular girls in town and her family was prominent. Oliver’s and Chloe’s part in the whole thing was just as well known and Oliver knew that it meant they’d get a lot a of attention
When he caught sight of her, walking down the sidewalk, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She was walking between Clark and Lois, who was chattering non stop. Chloe looked like she was trying not to strangle her cousin.
Oliver hurried down the steps and hurried toward them. Clark saw him coming and quickly grabbed Lois’ arm, making some excuse before dragging her off. Chloe stared after them in confusion, completely oblivious to Oliver’s approach.
He grabbed her in a crushing hug, burying his face in her hair. Chloe gasped and stiffened just briefly until she realized who it was and returned the embrace.
“Sorry I scared you,” Oliver murmured. “I just...” he trailed off.
“What happened?” Chloe whispered.
He laughed shakily. She always was so good at reading him. For a moment, he didn’t answer and simply pulled her tighter.
“Ollie,” Chloe said timidly. “What is it?”
Shuddering slightly, Oliver pulled back. He couldn’t meet her eyes as he spoke. “I had another nightmare,” he admitted in a quiet voice. “It was worse than the others. By the time I got to the warehouse, you were already dead. You were just laying there. You were so pale and cold. And then Veronica was standing there telling me how it was my fault, that as you were dying you blamed me. I could see you doing it. I could see you telling me that you were dead because of me. Then I was stuck in some dark place with nothing but your lifeless body. And when I woke up, you weren’t there and I thought it was all real. I thought--”
His voice broke and he shuddered again, harder than before. Chloe wrapped her arms more tightly around his waist, pressing her face against his chest. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m right here. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there last night. I should have stayed. I could have dealt with Lois later. Because she came storming in last night, I must not have heard the phone.”
“It’s not your fault,” Oliver murmured, still shaking. “We both thought it would be better if you didn’t stay. And it’s not your fault you didn’t hear the phone.I just...I just needed to see you. I needed proof that you were here. God, I feel like such an idiot. You’re handling this way better than me and you’re the one that was actually kidnapped.”
Pulling back so Chloe could see his face, she whispered, “Hey. It’s not your fault. I...I’ve been having nightmares, too. They haven’t woken me up as much. But um...usually I’m dead and sort of haunting you I guess. You can’t see me, but I can see you. The look in your eyes, that pain. It was the same look I saw in my dad’s eyes when mom left. Knowing that you’re feeling that because of me, that I left you like my mom did. And the fact that I’m right there and I can’t do anything to make it right.
“But those aren’t the worst,” she admitted. “The ones that are real nightmares are the ones where she takes you instead of me. And I’m the one that’s too late. I’ve saved so many people from the meteor freaks and in my dreams I can’t save you. Or, she takes both of us and I have to watch. That one actually woke me up this morning. Lois thought someone had gotten in the house and gone after me. I freaked her out.”
Oliver cupped her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You had enough to deal with,” she answered quietly. “I’m used to this. I knew how bad it was and I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Though his heart melted at her words, Oliver looked at Chloe sternly. “Listen to me. I don’t care what’s going on in my life, you can tell me anything. I want to know what is going in your life. Next time, tell me when something like this happens. And when you have another one of these dreams, tell me about it. I mean, I’m telling you about my dreams. It’ll make me feel like less of an idiot if you do.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. “You’re not an idiot, Ollie. It doesn’t matter that you’re having nightmares. I don’t care. It’s not like it makes you any less of a man or anything.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he said quickly, which was only half true, but he wasn’t going to admit that to her. “I’m worried that you’re not going to deal with this because you’re trying to help me deal.”
“Helping you deal is helping me deal, but I get your point,” she quickly added at the sight of his expression. “The next time it happens, I’ll tell you.”
Oliver smiled in relief. “Thank you.”
Standing on her toes, Chloe kissed him gently. “So on another note, how bad do you think the rumors are going to be today?”
“I think there will be lots of funny looks,” he admitted. “But I don’t think it will be too bad. I’m not sure anyone really liked Veronica. Can’t be worse than anything else that’s happened.”
“Hey!” Chloe whacked his arm. “You totally just jinxed us!”
“I did no such thing,” he objected.
“You totally did! Now something, I don’t know what, but something will happen.”
“When did you get so superstitious?” Oliver teased.
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “You do realize where we are right? Smallville? Meteor freak capital of the world? Our best friend is an intergalactic space traveller? Any of this ringing a bell?”
“All right, all right. I get it. You have every reason to be superstitious. What do I need to do to removed the jinx?” His eyes twinkled with humor as he looked down at her.
“Throw salt over your shoulder?” Chloe suggested. “Knock on wood? Oh, I know! Swallow meteor rock.”
“Are you trying to turn me into a murdering psycho?” Oliver demanded with mock indignation.
She thought about it for a minute. “No, you right. I like you too much to do that to you.”
Oliver chuckled and kissed her hair. “Come on, let’s go face the masses.”
-------------------------
The day actually wasn’t that bad. As Oliver had predicted, Veronica hadn’t been that well liked and most people were just amazed that the two of them had survived that kind of ordeal. Aside from a few odd looks, nothing out of the usual happened.
Chloe headed to the Torch at lunch. She was thinking of writing an article for the school paper, just to make sure that no wild rumors got started about what had happened. But she’d barely made it inside when Oliver appeared in the door.
“Not happening,” he said flatly.
“What?” she asked in surprised.
“You are not spending our first day back at school holed up in here. Come on. Clark and Lois are waiting for us.” He held out his hand, waving her toward the door. Chloe took it and allowed him to pull her along.
Lois looked up sheepishly at Chloe when they sat down. Chloe was still royally ticked off and wasn’t speaking to her beloved cousin, despite the nonstop chattering apology on the way to school. She hadn’t told Oliver exactly what had happened, but he guessed that Lois had gotten in her face based on something she’d said when they were talking outside before school, so he sat between the cousins.
Clark looked between the three of them in confusion, then caught Oliver’s eyes silently asking what was going on. Oliver shrugged and gave him a don’t worry about it look.
“So how as your break, Clark?” Oliver asked aloud, breaking the silence.
“All right,” Clark shrugged. “Pretty normal. I just helped out on the farm.”
“Don’t you do anything fun?” Lois teased.
“I like working on the farm,” Clark replied defensively.
“But it’s work!” Lois wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“There’s nothing wrong with that!”
“If you think work is fun, then there is something seriously wrong with you!”
“That’s just because you’re afraid you’ll break a nail.”
Lois turned red. “Just because I don’t enjoy farm work, doesn’t mean I’m afraid to get my hands dirty. I grew up on more army bases than you can count. I’m not some lazy ass slacker, farmboy.”
Gathering her books and flinging them over her shoulder with more force than necessary, Lois stood and stomped away. Looking horrorstruck, Clark followed her.
“Come on, Lois!” he called after her.
Oliver watched them with raised eyebrows then turned back to Chloe. “What’s wrong with her?”
Looking guilty, Chloe chewed her lip. “I think she’s still smarting after last night. She came in, reading me the riot act about not telling her what happened with Veronica and from there she moved on to yelling at me for being the one holding up the stop sign in our relationship. I lost my temper and yelled at her. I’ve been giving her the cold shoulder since we got up this morning.”
“You know she feels bad if she’s acting like that,” Oliver pointed out.
“I know,” she said grudgingly. “But I’m not quite willing to forgive her just yet. She burst into the room at two in the morning and started yelling at me. I’m going to let her stew for a little bit longer.”
Knowing that she was too stubborn to give in, Oliver just rolled his eyes and changed the conversation.
They’d been talking for several minutes when they became aware of someone standing beside their table. Oliver looked up and immediately stiffened while managing to keep his face calm.
“Something we can do for you, Lex?” he asked cooly.
Chloe moved the slightest bit closer to Oliver. She knew that Lex had only be indirectly responsible for what happened. But she never really trusted him to begin with and she didn’t trust him any more now.
Lex cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for what happened. I was angry and jealous and I thought that I could use Veronica to get even, but I had no idea what she was going to do. I’m sorry that this got so out of hand and that you got hurt, Chloe.”
She nodded slightly. “Thanks, Lex.”
Reluctantly, Lex turned to Oliver. “As much as I don’t like you, I didn’t want something like that happening, not even to you. And while I will not apologize for my feelings toward you, I am sorry for what Veronica did and for my part in it.”
Stunned by the apology, Oliver floundered for words and was unable to speak before Lex walked away.
“Well that was unexpected,” Chloe murmured.
“Yeah it was,” Oliver agreed.
-----------------------------
Later that day, after school was over, Chloe tracked Lois down at the Talon. She was sitting at a table in a corner, pouring over her homework, which was unusual for Lois. Chloe dropped her bag in a chair and stood awkwardly beside her cousin.
“Hey, Lo.”
Lois just glared at her and slammed her book shut, picking up another one.
“I’m sorry,” Chloe blurted out. “Things haven’t been easy for me the last week. You just caught me at a bad time. I was having nightmares and I was worried about Oliver and you come bursting in like that. I lost it.”
“Chloe I’m your cousin,” Lois snapped. “You’re supposed to trust me.”
“I do, Lo. I meant what I said when I told you that I was going to tell you about the whole thing with Veronica. And I was going to tell you why Oliver and I are taking things so slowly. But it was just a really bad time for you to get on my case about it.”
Lois sighed. “I know. And I’m sorry for that. I was just worried about you. I come home to find out that my cousin nearly got herself killed by the psycho jealous bitch. On top of that, and you know I love Ollie almost as much as you do just in a different way, but he’s a guy and while I would love to give him the benefit of the doubt, I can’t help but worry that you’re going to get your heart broken. Now that I know what’s going on, I’m not worrying. If you’d just told me, this wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“That’s the thing, Lo,” Chloe sighed. “It wasn’t your business. I get that you’re just trying to look out for me, but it’s my life and my relationship. I should have to tell you why Ollie and I are taking it slow unless I want to. And I wanted to keep it private. All I ask is that next time you respect that.”
“Point taken. I will do my best to respect personal boundaries in the future. Am I forgiven?”
Chloe smiled. “I guess.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’ll see you later. As much as I hate to admit it, I have to apologize to Smallville. I was real bitch to him earlier. Do you think he’s at the farm?”
“Probably,” Chloe nodded. “I’m gonna go talk to Ollie. I may not be home. And before you jump to conclusions, that whole thing with Veronica’s been hard on both of us. Ollie’s been having nightmares. I think they’re worse when I’m not there and I feel bad after last night. And if you tell anyone what I just tell you I swear to God, Lois, I will never speak to you again, you got that!”
Lois mimed locking her lips. “I won’t tell a soul. I can keep secrets you know.”
“Sure you can, Lois. Just keep telling yourself that. I’ll see you later, cuz.”
------------------------
Fifteen minutes later, Chloe knocked on Oliver’s door.
“It’s open!” he shouted.
Chloe walked in, dropping her backpack and purse in the entryway before moving further into the house. She found Oliver in the living room, bent over his textbooks. He looked up when she entered the room.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his face lighting up.
“Thought you might like some company,” she said, moving to sit beside him. Oliver kissed her cheek before turning back to his assignment.
“I’m not going to be good company,” he said. “If I don’t get this done, I’m screwed. But you’re more than welcome to stay if you want to.”
“I don’t want to be in the way if you’re trying to study,” Chloe said hesitantly.
“You’re not in the way.” He dropped his pencil on the coffee table and turned to look at her. “What’s the matter? And don’t try to deny it. You know I can always tell with something is wrong.”
Chloe sighed and looked at her hands in her lap. “I feel bad that I wasn’t there for you last night.”
“It’s no use arguing with you, is it?”
“Well, that’s not all of it. I also might have missed you last night.”
Oliver raised an eyebrow. “What about Lois?”
“I talked to her and she won’t make trouble.”
“So what’s the plan for tonight?”
Chloe shrugged. “I was thinking I could sleep on the couch tonight. I’ll feel better knowing you’re close and if it gets bad during the night we’re right there for each other. It’ll help us get used to being alone at night. I don’t think we were ready to be alone after what happened.”
“After last night, I would definitely have to agree,” Oliver said dryly. “And I like your plan, but with one ammendment.”
She raised an eyebrow and waited for him to continue.
“We sleep together tonight. I really need it after that last nightmare.”
“I can work with that,” Chloe said, biting her lip.
“Do you need to pick up some clothes?”
She shook her head. “I may have come prepared. Just let me go get my backpack so I can do some homework.”
Grinning Oliver pulled her close for a kiss. “Have I mentioned that I love you?”
“Not today.”
“Well in that case, I love you.”
“I love you too, Ollie. Now let me go so I can get my homework.”
“Yes ma’am.”
That evening, if anyone had looked in the window, they would have seen two normal people enjoying each other’s company. When they were with each other, Chloe wasn’t the editor of the Torch or the girl that was regularly attacked by meteor freaks and Oliver wasn’t the billionaire playboy of the tabloids. They were just a boy and a girl, brought together by the strangest circumstances, from two different worlds, who’d somehow fallen for each other. And that was all that mattered.
Author’s Note: LAST CHAPTER!!! I have an epilogue to post. But this fic is officially put to bed.
Epilogue
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-03-30 10:24 pm (UTC)“Come on, Lois!” he called after her.'
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-30 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 12:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 12:36 am (UTC)If you're writing a sequel, is it going to be continued pretty much where you left off? I couldn't help but wonder because Oliver is a senior and will be graduating soon.
Oooh, Prom? At least Oliver won't be leaving Chloe at the dance by herself.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 12:49 am (UTC)As for the sequel, you'll have to wait for the epilogue to find out what's gonna happen in the sequel. I don't want to give anything away. But I can say, that there will be no prom :(
no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 04:26 am (UTC)G
no subject
Date: 2011-04-02 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-31 02:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-04-02 02:28 am (UTC)