Forgiveness 7/?
Title: Forgiveness 7/?
Author: Calie
Rating: M
Summary:Two people that have wronged each other and their friends will only find forgiveness with one another.
Notes: Note: I think this story is nearing its wrapping up point. I'm hoping to finish it in the next chapter unless something else hits me (which I don't think it will). Hope you enjoy it. Not very long, but a new twist.
“Oh Oliver.” Chloe pouted as he refilled her wine glass. She was already on her third glass.
“What?” He asked innocently and set the empty bottle to the side. Oliver had only just poured his second.
“I won’t be able to walk.” She took the glass and brought it to her lips. The golden liquid slid over her tongue and she sighed as she settled it back on the table. She’d never had a bottle of wine over thirty dollars. The one they had just finished was over three hundred.
“I’m sure I could find a better reason for you not being able to walk.” She raised her eyebrows at him and he only smirked behind his wineglass. In fact he was counting on her not being able to walk. To his displeasure, when they arrived back in Metropolis the previous night, she had fallen asleep on him. He’d walked away for only a few minutes to shower and came back to find her sprawled out in his bed passed out. Oliver swore he’d make up for it.
“You promise?” She grinned playfully. All of their earlier reservations were gone since the previous day.
“Do you know how long it’s been since we were in Gotham?” He sat back and raised his eyebrows.
Chloe fought against smiling. Oliver was different then most men she’d been with, meaning that he didn’t mind being so blatantly obvious about wanting to have sex with her. Her mind briefly flew to their one and only time together and she knew she was just as anxious. It wasn’t all about that she knew. After all, it was rather difficult to hide the fact that Oliver had been spending so much time with her. Photographers and a few annoying paparazzi had followed them into the restaurant bombarding Oliver with questions about her and their trip to Gotham. Their relationship was no longer secret.
“Go ahead and finish your wine. We’re getting out of here while the going is good.” Oliver waved to the waiter and leaned forward to pull his wallet out of his back pocket.
Chloe glanced towards the windows far at the head of the restaurant. He was right. The paparazzi that had lingered around for about an hour were now gone. She sipped idly on the wine while he paid and asked the waiter to have his car brought around. As usual the waiter was nothing but courteous. Chloe had been out to eat at restaurants before, but she had never gotten the royal treatment that Oliver did. “I don’t think I ever get that kind of service.” She whispered once the waiter walked off.
Oliver laid money on the table and smirked. “As long as you’re with me you will. Come on princess.”
Chloe took one last huge gulp of her wine and allowed him to take her hand. She’d never been a big drinker, but something about the surreal situation she’d found herself in with Oliver made her feel like she might need that last bit.
“This isn’t my place.” Chloe grinned up at him and stepped back when he moved closer only to find her back against the gate of the elevator.
“No.” Oliver leaned forward and rested a hand beside her head. “It’s not. If you’d like you can call it kidnapping.” He dropped the other hand to her hip and pulled her towards him as the gate opened. Just as he was about to lower his head to hers he became fully aware of their company.
The playful, sexy look that Chloe had become accustomed to the whole night suddenly disappeared. She opened her mouth to question him, but it didn’t take her long to realize he was staring behind her, face hard and angry. She spun around and the first person she saw in the room was Clark. She started to speak, but then she saw Lois. “Lois!” All thoughts of Clark and Oliver forgotten, she bounded forward and enveloped her cousin in a hug then she pushed her back. “Are you okay? Where were you?”
Lois looked to Oliver questioningly then to Chloe. “I’m fine.” She shook her head. “Smallville here came to bail me out, said I wound up in the future somehow.” Lois waved her hand. “Whatever. I don’t remember a thing and neither does he since we got back.”
Chloe glanced quickly to Clark, but it didn’t take her long to determine that Clark knew a lot more then Lois did. “Doesn’t matter. As long as you’re safe. You’re safe right?” Oliver moved out of the corner of her eye and her heart began thudding in her chest when she noticed Clark’s head follow him all the way until Oliver sat down.
“Yea, I’m great.” Lois looked with a confused expression at Oliver then Clark before shaking her head and turning back to Chloe. “Clark, told me about Jimmy and what happened. Chloe I’m-.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it.” She smiled sadly at her cousin who for the first time looked as if she was without words.
“I know, but I should have been here for you, instead of lost somewhere in a future I don’t even remember. I just should have been here.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” Chloe rested a hand on her distressed cousin’s arm.
“I’m just glad your okay. Clark and I went looking for you and when we couldn’t find you...” Lois snapped her mouth shut and shot a warning glance at Clark, but it was too late.
“When we couldn’t find you we happened to walk past a newsstand and find the infamous Oliver Queen plastered over the Gazette with his new girlfriend that he took to Gotham City.” Clark bit out icily.
Chloe drew away from Lois and straitened up. “It wasn’t like that.” She tried not to falter, but it was Clark’s disapproving glare that got to her. Even as much as she wanted to be mad at him for deserting her she was the one that wound up feeling guilty. “We went to Gotham City for work.”
“And just now?” Clark stepped forward, disregarding the other two people in the room. “I felt guilty for leaving you. All I could think about was what you were going through by yourself. Now I can see I was wrong.”
“Clark, stop it.” Lois admonished, but no one was listening to her.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Chloe grounded out. His words made her feel ashamed, but at the same time she felt the need to defend herself. Clark had no business criticizing her when he hadn’t been around for the past two months of her life.
“Don’t I? Jimmy has been gone two months and you’re off gallivanting around with Oliver as if your husband didn’t just die? I felt horrible about it. That’s why I left. But you, you move on with your life like nothing happened!”
He could barely see her face from were he sat lounging back in the bar stool. But her body jumped when Clark yelled, and her head lowered, taking Clark’s admonishment as if she deserved it. Oliver could see Clark breaking her back down to the woman he had to force back on her own two feet three months ago.
“Did you even care?!” Clark yelled, determined to get a response out of her.
“Hey!” Oliver stepped off the stool and took his place between Chloe and Clark. “You’re more then welcome to leave whenever you feel ready.” Oliver tried to bite his tongue, but then he heard Chloe sniffle behind him and his temper got the better of him. “Or I have a special arrow with your name on it Clark.”
“You couldn’t keep your hands to yourself, could you Oliver?”
“Clark, stop it.” Lois grabbed his arm and tried pulling him away, but he wouldn’t have it.
“No.” Oliver shook his head. “How much has Chloe given up in her life, just for you. Jobs, friends, love, any kind of relationship, then you decide at the worst time in her life you need to find yourself.”
“I went to find Lois.” Clark grounded out defending himself.
“You went to find Lois, but I also know what you said.” Oliver shot back. “You’ve been the most important thing in her life for to long. Everything else she has put to the side, just for you.” It was just too much for him to stand there and not say anything. Oliver was probably just as much out of line as the self righteous alien before him, but when it came to keeping the women standing behind him he really didn’t care. “I won’t be pushed to the side Clark.” It didn’t matter that Clark had more power then Oliver and thirty or more men put together. It didn’t bother him, because the one thing Oliver knew is that Clark was insecure and pulling Chloe away from him, telling him that she wasn’t dependent on him, wasn’t living her life to protect him, would hurt him. It was within Oliver’s power to take Chloe from Clark, and he would. It was mean, but it was the only way to insure that Chloe would remain his. It wasn’t Oliver’s intention to hurt Clark, but there was only one way to protect his own happiness. “And I don’t share.”
Chloe feared Clark’s reaction to Oliver’s bold statement, but some part of her was grateful that he said it. There was always that small part of her that knew one day she wouldn’t be able to devote her whole being to Clark. That day came with the arrival of Oliver. Clark’s eyes met her for the briefest of seconds. He seemed to be waiting, expecting her to step out from behind Oliver and say that it wasn’t true. Instead she kept her feet planted to the ground and met his gazed head on. When his eyes broke away he was already heading out the door.
“Clark!” Lois called after him and frowned. She slowly shook her head and turned back to Chloe. “Sorry about that. He’s been on edge the whole time.”
Chloe nodded absentmindedly and turned to Oliver. “Can we have a minute?” He stood their, stock still, as if debating on whether he would leave her alone or night. Eventually he nodded and left Chloe alone with Lois. “Look, about Oliver…”
“It doesn’t matter.” Lois waved her off. “I mean it’s weird. But I understand. Oliver is Oliver and obviously the two of you have that super hero stuff in common. Plus, from what I can tell he’s been the only one here for you.” She waited for Chloe to respond, but her cousin seemed to be at a loss for words, and Lois knew it wasn’t Oliver’s doing. “He’ll come around. Clark’s just weird, I don’t get it. Whatever happened….” Lois sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know. Then when he saw that picture of you and Oliver…”
“I know.” But she refused to worry about Clark at that moment. Chloe had made her decision about Oliver knowing full well that Clark would return at some point. “Lois, your job at the Planet. I told them that you needed to take a sabbatical to take care of a sick relative in Germany.”
“And that worked?”
Chloe shrugged. “I think they decided they didn’t have much choice if they wanted their favorite reporter back.” A smug smile passed over Lois’ face and Chloe fought from rolling her eyes. “Your stuff on the other hand is jammed into a storage facility. Which by the way you owe me about three hundred dollars for at this point. Your apartment is a goner though. I wasn’t going to keep up your rent.” Arms enveloped her and Chloe’s eyes went wide as Lois squeezed the breath out of her.
“I knew you were my favorite cousin.”
“I’m your only cousin.” Chloe smiled and hugged her back. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“Clark’s an idiot and Oliver is lucky.”
“I know.” But it helped to hear someone say it. They pulled away and Chloe reached into her purse, pulling out a set of keys. “You can stay with me right now though. Let me just let Olive know I’m leaving.” Just the thought of leaving him bothered her. She should have wanted to leave, spend time with her cousin. But her thoughts were still so full of Oliver.
“No!” Lois cringed at her exclamation and turned to where Oliver disappeared. She smirked haughtily. “From the look of Mr. Queen I don’t think he’s ready to let you leave the tower yet.”
“Lois, that really isn’t necessary…”
“No, I insist. Plus, I rode down here with Clark. I’m sure he’s sitting in the car now pouting. Let me deal with Smallville. He’s going to wish he left me in the future.” Lois grinned and snagged the keys from Chloe. “Why don’t you go put that man in a better mood?”
Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but Lois was already walking away.
“And don’t call me.” Lois stepped into the elevator. “I know you worry, but I’ll call you. I’m going to spend tomorrow getting my job back. Good luck!”
Chloe breathed in deeply as the elevator went down, taking Lois with it. The tower was quite, she couldn’t even hear Oliver. Slowly, she began making her way to his bedroom. Her heart hammered in her chest as she opened the door. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Oliver grabbed his jacket and tie, which he had laid on the bed, and tossed them to the floor.
Chloe took that as an invitation and crossed the room to take a seat next to him. “I’m sorry about earlier. It wasn’t your fault.”
“It wasn’t yours either.” He tilted his head to the side to get a better look at her face. He was all too familiar with that sad look. “But I don’t think I helped matters much.”
“No.” Even so, Chloe smiled slightly at his outburst. “But Clark didn’t want human entanglements did he?”
“That isn’t the point.” She turned to look at him, waiting for him to elaborate further. “Regardless of what his current mood is I was serious. Call me selfish if you like, but I won’t be pushed to the side for Clark. He’s your friend, your best friend, I understand that. But what’s going on between us is more then that and I won’t be second to Clark.” At first he was worried he’d crossed the line, demanded a bit more then he should have. Then she smiled.
“Aren’t you demanding?”
“No.” Oliver lifted his hand to her face and cradled her cheek “Just a spoiled billionaire who likes attention. Are you leaving?”
“No. Lois made it quite clear that I should stay. I’m kind of glad she did. I just don’t really feel like talking tonight.” His fingers gently combed through her hair, pushing a few stray strands behind her ear. “Should I have gone with her?”
Oliver threaded his fingers through her hair and cradled the back of her head with his hand. “You’re asking me?” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Remember, I don’t like to share.”
“I just feel bad.” Chloe sighed and lifted her hand to the buttons of his shirt and fiddled with them idly.
“Would you feel better leaving?” Oliver should have been playing fair. He shouldn’t have been sliding his fingers through her hair or pressing kisses against her neck. He wasn’t foolish; there was no way she would leave if he continued to touch her. With all the control he could muster he pulled back and looked into her eyes for reassurance.
“No.” Chloe shook her head and sighed. “Would it be selfish of me to say I’d rather hide out here with you?”
“You mean any more selfish then me wanting to keep you here in my bed when your cousin and best friend just returned.” Oliver pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “No, I don’t consider you selfish at all.”
Chloe glanced at the dark green comforter and slid her hand over it, smoothing out the wrinkles. She idly noticed that the bed was made and she had to wonder if he usually did so or if it had just been for her benefit. “It is a nice bed.” She looked back at him and smirked. “It would be a shame not to use it.”
“I’m glad you agree.” He said before kissing her and pushing her back onto the bed.