An Unauthorized Source Confirms... 1/1
Title: An Unauthorized Source Confirms... 1/1
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: R (just briefly, don't get to excited)
Summary: Sometimes things don't go as planned. Especially when it comes to the paparazzi.
Notes: Refer to the end, I don't want to spoil it.
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“Chloe.”
“Hmm?” She quickly shut her book, placed it on the sofa and tossed a pillow over it as she looked up at Clark, who had appeared in front of her.
“Chloe, um....” Clark swallowed nervously, reading material clutched in his grasp. Within the seconds it had taken him to buy every copy off the rack and fly over to her place he had resolved not to listen, to wait until she told him. Yet he couldn’t control himself. He opened himself to the sound, focusing on her with his eyes, and then dropped his chin. It was true. “I don’t know how to say this.”
She rolled her eyes in response. “What is it? Need me to do some researching?” Chloe held out her hand to the stack of books and paper in his hand. “What’s that?”
He looked down at his hand again and held it out, deciding the easiest thing to do was just show her.
What she thoughts were books, were instead magazines. He handed it over willingly and the first thing she caught sight of on the cover was a picture of herself, laptop slung over her shoulder with coffee in one hand, and Oliver walking just a step behind her, talking intently on his cell phone. It wasn’t the picture that bothered her. After all, she’d noticed the photographers for some time now. They liked to suspect that Oliver and she were in a relationship, but they had nothing to confirm it with. No, it wasn’t the picture, it was the headline.
Queen Knocks Up Mystery Woman
She threw the top magazine off to the side and stared down at the second. Different picture, only taken earlier that same day.
CEO of Queen Industries Embarrassed of Pregnant Fling?
The headline made her stomach roll and her mouth water. She let the magazine fall to the floor and stared at the next, and the next, and the next. She finally stopped on one, bile rising in her throat, heart pounding in her chest.
Unauthorized Source Confirms, Oliver Queen’s Girlfriend Two Months Pregnant
She flipped through the trashy magazine, finally landing on a spread of pictures, mostly of her and Oliver. None of them proof of any relationship. One of them in his car, another walking into his building. The third had them sitting outside a coffee shop, her typing away at her laptop and him pounding away at his PDA. There was no hand holding, not even a brush of their hands. They didn’t smile at one another, smirk, or brush a kiss against the others cheek. In fact, in every picture they didn’t even appear to be talking to one another, although she knew they did. There was one picture, which took her only moments to realize had been taken only a day ago. She was walking out of Barnes and Noble, clutching a bag full of books and walking towards her car. She didn’t even remember seeing the camera. She'd worn a pair of jeans, determined to wear them if only for appearances, but she had quickly unbuttoned them after having lunch with Lois. The flowy shirt hid the loosened button well though. A red arrow pointed at her stomach with a bold red circling encircling it. She could barely swallow. Her eyes landed on the headline over the article.
“Mr Queen Doesn’t Even Know.”
The rest of the article was almost too much. Detailed accounts of her visit with a private doctor employed by Oliver, testing over the past three weeks to confirm her pregnancy. Then it went on to cover Oliver’s overseas trips over the past two weeks and offer speculation as to why Chloe had not told him the news. The writer even dared to state that it was because she was manning her arsenal, hiring lawyers and planning how to get her hands on his money. “Oh, God.” Her jaw hardened and she didn’t even stop herself from ripping the pages out.
Clark watched as Chloe, in a fit of anger, fisted as many magazines as she could get into her hands and threw them with a scream of anger. “How long?” he asked.
Chloe turned back to Clark, realizing suddenly that he was still there. She breathed deeply, her chest heaving with her outburst. “Almost two months.”
“And-.” He clamped his mouth shut, almost feeling like he was invading her personnel business, just as the magazines had done. “Is it Oliver?”
She swallowed, for the first time admitting in the open her secret. “Yes.” Silence hung between them for what seemed like hours until it was finally broken but the shrill sound of her cell phone. Chloe grabbed it off the sofa and glanced down. “Lois.”
“Don’t answer it.” Clark said quickly. She looked back up at him in mild shock. “I love Lois and all, but I don’t think you’re ready for that conversation.”
“You’re right.” Chloe hit the silent button and and sighed. “What am I going to do?”
“Does Oliver know?” She shook her head hurriedly. It wasn’t like her not to have a plan, and it was obvious she didn’t. Chloe had faced a lot of dangerous situations, some it was a miracle she had gotten out of, but this one he could tell frightened her.
“He and the team were ready to take off three weeks ago just when I was beginning to suspect. I wanted to bring it up, but I was worried if I told him he wouldn’t go. So I didn’t mention it. After he left I went and saw Dr. Emil. I was going to tell Oliver when he got back.” Another thought, worse then any other began creeping up inside of her. It was only a matter of time before Oliver found out. If Lois hadn’t called him already she had no doubt someone else would have. The phone rang again. She glanced down at it, her heart dropping as she saw the name she feared flash across her screen. Chloe glanced up at Clark in panic. “It's him. I can’t.”
“You can’t just not answer it Chloe! Whether he believes it or not, I know Oliver, and I’m sure he is ready to hit the roof. You ignoring his phone calls won’t help!”
“Okay, okay.” She shuddered, looking down at the phone and hitting silent on the shrill tone. Eventually it stopped, a small box flashing on the screen ‘1 missed call’. “I need to think.” Chloe collapsed on to the sofa. Her phone released a small ding before she had even pressed her back against the cushions. She opened the text message and swallowed. ‘Call me now.’ “God Clark.” She leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her palms. Her laptop dinged and she glanced up to see Oliver’s Green Arrow com flashing on the screen.
“He’s not going to stop.”
“I know.” She rocked back and forth, trying to put together whatever she was going to say. Her cell dinged again and she felt a moment of foreboding as she opened the message. ‘I know you’re there. I’m two hours outside of Metropolis. So answer the damn phone!’ “Asshole.” She muttered to herself. She could see him in his jet now, tossing his phone across the cabin, releasing a string of curse words. “Okay.” She sighed and stood up. “I’m going to call Dr. Emil, if Oliver hasn’t already, and try to get him to find out where this leak came from. Also to make sure he doesn’t say tell Oliver anything, or anyone else for that matter. You call Oliver.”
“What?!” Clark exclaimed. “I’m not carrying his kid!” She frowned at his response.
“I know that Clark. Don’t be ridiculous. But I am not having this conversation with an irate Oliver over the phone when he is only two hours outside of Metropolis.”
“What am I supposed to tell him?”
“I don’t know. Lie. He won’t expect it of you. Tell him I know what’s going on, but I’m not talking to him until he gets here. And if he asks you if it’s true, tell him you don’t know.”
“Come on Chloe! I mean, I can see the baby's heart beating. I can see it in your stomach! He knows that!” Her brow furrowed slightly in response, then it smoothed away.
“Can you really?”
There was a softness to her tone that he hadn’t expected. Gone was her concern and agitation at the sudden turn of events, replaced by innocent wonder. “Yes.” She smiled gently, her hands brushing against her loosely clothed stomach.
“Look, just tell him you haven't seen me. You only phoned me. I asked you to call him. Explain to him that everything is fine, but that I thought this conversation was better had face to face.” She raised an eyebrow at the look of trepidation on Clark’s face. “Got it?” He sighed and nodded. “And as for Lois, just stay away from her, because if you don’t she’ll have the truth out of you in minutes.”
He groaned inwardly, realizing that meant he would have to ignore her call also. Even over the phone she would be able to tell he was lying. “For how long?”
“At least until I can talk to Oliver. Look Clark, I really need to call Dr. Emil. You should leave. That way he can’t pressure you into putting me on the phone.” His unhappiness was more than evident, but he took off towards her balcony doors, shoulders slumped in resignation. Before he even launched himself into the air she was already calling Dr. Emil.
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For the next two hours she awaited Oliver’s return. She spoke only with Dr. Emil, guilting him into ignoring Oliver’s phone calls by reminding him that the leak came from his office. The rest of the time she spent reading the articles, searching the internet and hacking into back accounts belonging to every magazine that covered the story. She hoped to find a transfer of cash to lead her to the perpetrator. There were quite a few large lump sums from different accounts, but nothing she could pin point. These people made a living keeping their source a secret. If they couldn't do that then they wouldn’t be able get the latest gossip and someone else would.
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Oliver had texted her a few more times. First telling her that he was pissed she was hiding behind Clark. The second came a while later proclaiming that he couldn’t believe she didn’t have enough backbone to call him back. She resisted the urge to respond that time and tell him to go to hell. Backbone her ass. She had enough for the two of them. The third came around two hours after Clark had left. ‘Why won’t you even talk to me?’
Oliver buried his head in his hands as the door to the limo shut behind him. The rest of the team had taken off in another car.
“Mr. Queen, we’re not sure how you want to handle this. We’ve contact numerous magazines, but no one wants to talk to us without a statement from you,” said the man on the left.
“And we can’t file anything with the courts without Dr. Emil’s confirmation that medical records were leaked,” the man on the right added.
He sighed and sat back, staring at the two men that sat across from him. One of them his Press Secretary, the other one of many attorneys. “I don’t know.”
“You said over the phone you needed to talk to her. Did you even get confirmation that she is indeed pregnant?”
The reminder that she wouldn’t answer his phone calls reawakened his anger. “No.” Only two people knew something, Clark and Dr. Emil. Clark was being tight lipped about the whole thing, and Dr. Emil had been brushing him off for hours.
“We could release a statement denying everything.”
“No.” Oliver shook his head and gulped, because deep down he was actually worried it was true. “I’m going to see her now, when I find out you’ll be the first to know. I would suspect at that point Dr. Emil will be more than glad to speak with either one of you. If this is a total fabrication I want it cleared up immediately, If it’s truth I want everything they’ve got.” He said through gritted teeth. Momentarily grateful to direct his anxiety and anger elsewhere. “I want the fucking building, the furniture, the carpet, and every fucking pen on the desk.” They mumbled a few affirmatives and proceeded to make a string of phone calls. Oliver settled back into the seat, looking out the window as they left the airport and turned onto the entrance ramp to the interstate. He glanced at his phone again, wishing for a new message from her, but finding none. The anger he had felt earlier left him and he sighed, typing one last message. Whether it was true or not, he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t at least talk to him. Clark swore up and down that she only wanted to see him in person, but Oliver couldn’t control the growing doubt and suspicion that she didn’t really want to talk to him. It wasn’t like her to avoid anything.
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When he pulled up to her building he frowned. As much as he had tried to keep his arrival back in Metropolis a secret he suspected it would have gotten leaked. A crowd a paparazzi stood in front of her building, cameras flashing at the heavily tinted windows of the limo. Two body guards took their places at the door before the limo driver was able to struggle through crowd and open the door. He slid out of the car, ignoring the yelling, the questions, the flash of lights, and looked up at her watchtower, suspecting that she was most likely looking down at him. The two men at his side successfully pushed the paparazzi at the way, and as a couple of them fell to the ground Oliver couldn’t help but be slightly envious that he hadn’t been the one to do it himself. They left him at the entrance, allowing him to make the trek to the elevator on his own.
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She stepped away from the window when Oliver disappeared from her view. For the next couple of minute she paced, sat on the sofa, and stood back up again to continue her pacing. Her hand went to her stomach, clutching it for some kind of support. It was wrong of her to leave him out in the cold, and she’d apologize for it, but she’d waited three weeks just to tell him in person. There was so much in their lives to discuss, and there was no way she felt comfortable doing that over the phone.
She finally stood still and glanced down at her phone. Pressing down the off button she powered it down. The only person she wanted to speak was going to be there in just seconds. With a sigh she tossed the phone onto a nearby chair and waited. There was no need for her to open the door when she heard his footsteps coming from down the hall. He already had a key.
When it opened he took a step in and stopped, staring at her with without any emotion. Then he turned away, closing the door behind him and locking it securely. His hand hovered over the small table next to the door, dropping his cell phone there with a careless clunk.
“You couldn’t even be bothered to answer your phone?”
His tone was clipped and short. She had hoped for something else, perhaps some concern for her well being, but not his indifference. “I’m sorry, I really am. I just couldn’t talk to you about this over the phone.” His eyes flicked down and she resisted the urge to cover her stomach from his gaze, somehow believing that he could see into her just as Clark had. There were no telltale signs though, only a loose fitting shirt to make him suspect that she might be trying to hide something. “I didn’t know about all this really. The magazine articles, the paparazzi.” She waved her hand outside the window. “Clark literally came over here minutes before you called me.”
“So he was here?” Oliver asked evenly, already catching her in what he suspected was a lie.
She cursed herself for not confirming exactly what was said between Clark and Oliver. There was no use in lying though. “Yes, he’s the one that told me about it. Look, I’m sorry I had Clark lie. It was for the best. I knew you’d would try to pry some kind of answer out of him if you knew he was here and the same thing with Dr. Emil. It was just easier to keep you in the dark until I could talk to you.”
“Talk to me!? You haven’t said anything!” Oliver boomed, his anger at her deception and unwillingness to talk coming to the surface. “The whole fucking country thinks you’re pregnant and I can’t even get a damn answer out of you!”
“Yes!” Chloe screamed, her throat protesting at the over use. The silence after her outburst seemed to be suffocating them. “I’m pregnant!” She turned away from him, walking over to the table and snatching up the most offending magazine. “The whole thing is true!” She folded open the magazined and thrust it at his chest before stepping away. When he lowered it to reading level and looked down she continued. “The whole story is true. I went to Dr. Emil after you left for Brazil. He confirmed the pregnancy. I’ve been hiding it from everyone, waiting for you to return for three weeks, but someone from his office leaked my files. They’ve got everything...blood tests, urine test, the exam, the ultrasound.” Her voice broke slightly at the last word. Although the baby was no larger then her finger, she still felt like it had been an invasion of not just her privacy, but the child in her womb. “The whole fucking world knows about my body!”
Her voice was thick with tears, forcing him to look up from the magazine. Her glassy eyes met his for a moment before she turned her head and folding her arms around her body. He felt the fight drain from him at the sight of her crying. When he looked at it now, everything was more his fault then hers. It was his status that had brought on this firestorm. He tossed to magazine to the side, not caring where it fell, and took two steps forward to close the distance between them. When he wrapped his arm around her body she leaned in closer, burying her head into his chest. “I’m sorry for getting angry.” He said more gently. She breathed in deeply, and nodded against his chest. “Hey.” He grasped her by her arms and pulled her back. “Let me take care of this, and then we’ll talk.”
The tone of his voice was much gentler and the look on his face of genuine concern. She couldn’t help but be relieved. “I already crashed some of the websites and shutdown their e-mail.”
Oliver couldn’t help but smirk. “That isn’t going to stop them.”
“I know.” Chloe wiped the tears from her eyes and forced herself to take a deep, shuddering breath. “But it made me feel better. It was the most I could do without leading them back to me.”
He nodded in understanding, and suspected she wasn’t quite through with them yet. Even though she seemed much more relaxed he could still see the concern in her green eyes. “It’s going to be fine.” He brought his hands to her face and lowered his lips to her own. They kissed gently, and much more chastely then he had intended when he had gotten it into his head to jump on the jet in the middle of the night to surprise her. Slowly they pulled apart and he lowered his hands from her face. It was his intention to step away from her, but instead his hands settled on her waist, gripping her hips, thumbs extending over her abdomen.
She felt his thumbs rub gently against her stomach. Instead of looking down she watched his face as his eyes fell from hers and appeared to be trained on her stomach. “Everything's okay.” Chloe whispered softly. “Dr. Emil said all my tests came back and that over the past three weeks everything seems to be progressing normally.” She watched him breathe in slowly, shakily and release it. His thumbs drew away from her stomach as he gripped her hips tighter before nodding. There was a lot more she wanted to tell him and show him, but it would have to wait she realized as his hands fell from her and he stepped away, grabbing for his cell phone again.
“Why don’t you call Dr. Emil and tell him that he can finally start answering his phone.” Oliver hit the speed dial on his phone and looked up to watch her as she moved for her own phone. “How did you get him to keep silent anyway? I am his employer.”
Chloe shrugged as she waited for it to power back on. “I reminded him that I had trusted him with this and it was someone in his office that created this situation. I think he felt guilty enough to hole himself up for a couple of hours.” He cocked an eyebrow in response but didn’t say another word on the subject.
While Oliver made his phone calls she texted Clark with the okay to face Lois again. He’d get it for sure, but Chloe was pretty sure in the end Lois was saving it all for her. Unfortunately it would have to wait. Chloe wasn’t making any more phone call until she could actually have a proper conversation with Oliver. For the next twenty or so minutes she watched Oliver pace as she made herself lunch. The whole situation had her stomach in knots. It wasn’t until she had Oliver there with her and not angry that she felt her appetite return. Although getting his attention was impossible she proceeded to make him something too. She watched with a frown and mild amusement at times as he threatened and yelled on the phone. He hadn’t asked her input on anything, which she normally did not like, but in this case she figured he was better quipped to handle scandal and the paparazzi. In the end it sounded like he was going to refuse to make any kind of statement. Although he had been quite insistent on his attorney procuring a warrant to get any and all of Chloe’s medical records back and file a gag order. And although most of the magazines were untouchable because they had only reprinted information from other magazines, Oliver was very insistent on collecting damages from the one that had purchased the information.
She’d only made it halfway through her sandwich before her stomach turned unpleasantly and she was forced to leave the rest of it on the counter. She walked back towards the sofa and sunk into it was a sigh. Moments later quiet once again filled the room. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Kind of.” He entered the room and looked down at her with a frown. “I can’t undo this, only stop it from getting worse.”
“And make other people’s lives miserable?” She asked with a knowing smile.
“Yeah well, that too.” He took a seat next to her on the sofa “I’m of half the mind to fly out to their headquarters and break in to try and retrieve anything they have.”
“The Green Arrow stealing my medical records would be a tad suspicious.” He only frowned in response, but she knew he wouldn’t dare. Chloe reached over his lap and snagged one of the throw pillows. After laying it on his lap she pulled her legs onto the sofa and propped her head onto the cushion with a yawn. His hands settled on her waist and for a moment she allowed herself to closer her eyes and relax.
“How far?”
His question was rather vague, but as his hand slid underneath the hem of her shirt and settled on her stomach she understood. “About two months. Due October 3.” Chloe rolled onto her back and reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it up underneath her breasts, and then reaching down for the top of the elastic to her pants. Lifting her hips she managed to slid it down underneath where her hipbones still protruded out. His hand pressed against her stomach, still flat, just slightly pudgy.
“Two months and that’s it?” He asked with slight disappointment that surprised even him.
Chloe pinched at the soft skin of her stomach. “Tell that the buttons of my jeans.”
The sat in silence for some time with his hands resting on her stomach and her watching as it rose and fell with each breath. His thumb gently caressed the exposed skin and for a moment she couldn’t help but miss the other ways he touched her. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” She said eventually.
“I know.”
“We were reluctant to even start a relationship.” Chloe admitted to him. There lives were so hectic and dangerous, that falling for one another had seemed more of a problem then a blessing, at least at first.
“I don’t want this to be an accident.” Oliver said suddenly, not even dwelling on the problems of him being CEO of Queen Industries, and their leadership of the Justice League. Her head turned up toward him and her eyes met his own. “I mean I know it wasn’t on purpose, but I don’t want to think of it as an accident Chloe.”
“Ollie...” Chloe pushed herself sat up rather awkwardly with both hands propped on either side of his lap. “Just because it’s an accident doesn’t mean it has to be bad.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He hooked an arm around her waist and urged her onto his lap. He couldn’t help but be slightly satisfied when he straddled his legs. “Just because I was reluctant to start a relationship with you doesn’t mean I don't love you more then any other.” He pulled her hips closer to his own and brought a hand up to cradle her face. “And just because this happened without us planning it doesn’t mean I hadn’t already made up my mind that you were the only woman in the world I would ever want to have children with. And just because you’re having my child now doesn’t mean that didn't already know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, even if we are going about it rather half ass and backwards.” He brought another hand up to her face, and brushed his thumbs over her cheek, wiping away the tears that now spilled over them. “And I know if I asked you to marry me right now you’d tell me you aren’t going to marry me just because you’re pregnant. So whenever you’re ready...”
“That’s a half ass proposal without a ring.” Chloe said through her tears, but could help a watery smile.
He grinned in return. “So I’m not right?”
“I’m not walking down an aisle pregnant or out of shape. I’m not going to have those bastards plastering my picture all of the damn world and pointing out every inch of baby fat.”
“Oh trust me,” Oliver slid a hand down over her breasts and around to rest on her back. he leaned in closer and pressed a kiss against he lips. “I can get you in shape.
“I’m sure.” Chloe mumbled as he drew her bottom lip into his mouth. He pulled her closer, crushing her breasts against his chest. She winced at the pain she had discovered weeks ago in her breasts, but he didn’t seem to notice. At least not yet. She was sure he would have no problem noticing their slight enlargement.
“So, at the risk of sounding like an uneducated fool,” Oliver trailed his hand underneath her shirt and pressed his palm against her bare breast, “We’re okay for extracurricular activities right?”
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh, even as his tongue swept out against the seam of her lips and his fingers pinched gently at her tender nipple. She’d have to make him aware soon of the change in the state of her breasts. “Yes, but not on my stomach.”
“Well that’s unfortunate,” Oliver responded and pulled back from her slightly.
Chloe allowed him to lift her shirt from her body, leaving the upper half of her body exposed to him.
“But that doesn’t exclude you from getting on your hands and knees does it?”
She couldn’t help but notice the wicked glint in his eyes before he dove down and drew one hard and tender nipple into his mouth. “No.” She said breathlessly in response.
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Notes: I'm thinking about continuing this with some stand alone one-shots. Maybe covering her entire pregnancy up to the point of her birth. Please let me know what you think.
Fandom: Smallville
Rating: R (just briefly, don't get to excited)
Summary: Sometimes things don't go as planned. Especially when it comes to the paparazzi.
Notes: Refer to the end, I don't want to spoil it.
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“Chloe.”
“Hmm?” She quickly shut her book, placed it on the sofa and tossed a pillow over it as she looked up at Clark, who had appeared in front of her.
“Chloe, um....” Clark swallowed nervously, reading material clutched in his grasp. Within the seconds it had taken him to buy every copy off the rack and fly over to her place he had resolved not to listen, to wait until she told him. Yet he couldn’t control himself. He opened himself to the sound, focusing on her with his eyes, and then dropped his chin. It was true. “I don’t know how to say this.”
She rolled her eyes in response. “What is it? Need me to do some researching?” Chloe held out her hand to the stack of books and paper in his hand. “What’s that?”
He looked down at his hand again and held it out, deciding the easiest thing to do was just show her.
What she thoughts were books, were instead magazines. He handed it over willingly and the first thing she caught sight of on the cover was a picture of herself, laptop slung over her shoulder with coffee in one hand, and Oliver walking just a step behind her, talking intently on his cell phone. It wasn’t the picture that bothered her. After all, she’d noticed the photographers for some time now. They liked to suspect that Oliver and she were in a relationship, but they had nothing to confirm it with. No, it wasn’t the picture, it was the headline.
Queen Knocks Up Mystery Woman
She threw the top magazine off to the side and stared down at the second. Different picture, only taken earlier that same day.
CEO of Queen Industries Embarrassed of Pregnant Fling?
The headline made her stomach roll and her mouth water. She let the magazine fall to the floor and stared at the next, and the next, and the next. She finally stopped on one, bile rising in her throat, heart pounding in her chest.
Unauthorized Source Confirms, Oliver Queen’s Girlfriend Two Months Pregnant
She flipped through the trashy magazine, finally landing on a spread of pictures, mostly of her and Oliver. None of them proof of any relationship. One of them in his car, another walking into his building. The third had them sitting outside a coffee shop, her typing away at her laptop and him pounding away at his PDA. There was no hand holding, not even a brush of their hands. They didn’t smile at one another, smirk, or brush a kiss against the others cheek. In fact, in every picture they didn’t even appear to be talking to one another, although she knew they did. There was one picture, which took her only moments to realize had been taken only a day ago. She was walking out of Barnes and Noble, clutching a bag full of books and walking towards her car. She didn’t even remember seeing the camera. She'd worn a pair of jeans, determined to wear them if only for appearances, but she had quickly unbuttoned them after having lunch with Lois. The flowy shirt hid the loosened button well though. A red arrow pointed at her stomach with a bold red circling encircling it. She could barely swallow. Her eyes landed on the headline over the article.
“Mr Queen Doesn’t Even Know.”
The rest of the article was almost too much. Detailed accounts of her visit with a private doctor employed by Oliver, testing over the past three weeks to confirm her pregnancy. Then it went on to cover Oliver’s overseas trips over the past two weeks and offer speculation as to why Chloe had not told him the news. The writer even dared to state that it was because she was manning her arsenal, hiring lawyers and planning how to get her hands on his money. “Oh, God.” Her jaw hardened and she didn’t even stop herself from ripping the pages out.
Clark watched as Chloe, in a fit of anger, fisted as many magazines as she could get into her hands and threw them with a scream of anger. “How long?” he asked.
Chloe turned back to Clark, realizing suddenly that he was still there. She breathed deeply, her chest heaving with her outburst. “Almost two months.”
“And-.” He clamped his mouth shut, almost feeling like he was invading her personnel business, just as the magazines had done. “Is it Oliver?”
She swallowed, for the first time admitting in the open her secret. “Yes.” Silence hung between them for what seemed like hours until it was finally broken but the shrill sound of her cell phone. Chloe grabbed it off the sofa and glanced down. “Lois.”
“Don’t answer it.” Clark said quickly. She looked back up at him in mild shock. “I love Lois and all, but I don’t think you’re ready for that conversation.”
“You’re right.” Chloe hit the silent button and and sighed. “What am I going to do?”
“Does Oliver know?” She shook her head hurriedly. It wasn’t like her not to have a plan, and it was obvious she didn’t. Chloe had faced a lot of dangerous situations, some it was a miracle she had gotten out of, but this one he could tell frightened her.
“He and the team were ready to take off three weeks ago just when I was beginning to suspect. I wanted to bring it up, but I was worried if I told him he wouldn’t go. So I didn’t mention it. After he left I went and saw Dr. Emil. I was going to tell Oliver when he got back.” Another thought, worse then any other began creeping up inside of her. It was only a matter of time before Oliver found out. If Lois hadn’t called him already she had no doubt someone else would have. The phone rang again. She glanced down at it, her heart dropping as she saw the name she feared flash across her screen. Chloe glanced up at Clark in panic. “It's him. I can’t.”
“You can’t just not answer it Chloe! Whether he believes it or not, I know Oliver, and I’m sure he is ready to hit the roof. You ignoring his phone calls won’t help!”
“Okay, okay.” She shuddered, looking down at the phone and hitting silent on the shrill tone. Eventually it stopped, a small box flashing on the screen ‘1 missed call’. “I need to think.” Chloe collapsed on to the sofa. Her phone released a small ding before she had even pressed her back against the cushions. She opened the text message and swallowed. ‘Call me now.’ “God Clark.” She leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her palms. Her laptop dinged and she glanced up to see Oliver’s Green Arrow com flashing on the screen.
“He’s not going to stop.”
“I know.” She rocked back and forth, trying to put together whatever she was going to say. Her cell dinged again and she felt a moment of foreboding as she opened the message. ‘I know you’re there. I’m two hours outside of Metropolis. So answer the damn phone!’ “Asshole.” She muttered to herself. She could see him in his jet now, tossing his phone across the cabin, releasing a string of curse words. “Okay.” She sighed and stood up. “I’m going to call Dr. Emil, if Oliver hasn’t already, and try to get him to find out where this leak came from. Also to make sure he doesn’t say tell Oliver anything, or anyone else for that matter. You call Oliver.”
“What?!” Clark exclaimed. “I’m not carrying his kid!” She frowned at his response.
“I know that Clark. Don’t be ridiculous. But I am not having this conversation with an irate Oliver over the phone when he is only two hours outside of Metropolis.”
“What am I supposed to tell him?”
“I don’t know. Lie. He won’t expect it of you. Tell him I know what’s going on, but I’m not talking to him until he gets here. And if he asks you if it’s true, tell him you don’t know.”
“Come on Chloe! I mean, I can see the baby's heart beating. I can see it in your stomach! He knows that!” Her brow furrowed slightly in response, then it smoothed away.
“Can you really?”
There was a softness to her tone that he hadn’t expected. Gone was her concern and agitation at the sudden turn of events, replaced by innocent wonder. “Yes.” She smiled gently, her hands brushing against her loosely clothed stomach.
“Look, just tell him you haven't seen me. You only phoned me. I asked you to call him. Explain to him that everything is fine, but that I thought this conversation was better had face to face.” She raised an eyebrow at the look of trepidation on Clark’s face. “Got it?” He sighed and nodded. “And as for Lois, just stay away from her, because if you don’t she’ll have the truth out of you in minutes.”
He groaned inwardly, realizing that meant he would have to ignore her call also. Even over the phone she would be able to tell he was lying. “For how long?”
“At least until I can talk to Oliver. Look Clark, I really need to call Dr. Emil. You should leave. That way he can’t pressure you into putting me on the phone.” His unhappiness was more than evident, but he took off towards her balcony doors, shoulders slumped in resignation. Before he even launched himself into the air she was already calling Dr. Emil.
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For the next two hours she awaited Oliver’s return. She spoke only with Dr. Emil, guilting him into ignoring Oliver’s phone calls by reminding him that the leak came from his office. The rest of the time she spent reading the articles, searching the internet and hacking into back accounts belonging to every magazine that covered the story. She hoped to find a transfer of cash to lead her to the perpetrator. There were quite a few large lump sums from different accounts, but nothing she could pin point. These people made a living keeping their source a secret. If they couldn't do that then they wouldn’t be able get the latest gossip and someone else would.
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Oliver had texted her a few more times. First telling her that he was pissed she was hiding behind Clark. The second came a while later proclaiming that he couldn’t believe she didn’t have enough backbone to call him back. She resisted the urge to respond that time and tell him to go to hell. Backbone her ass. She had enough for the two of them. The third came around two hours after Clark had left. ‘Why won’t you even talk to me?’
Oliver buried his head in his hands as the door to the limo shut behind him. The rest of the team had taken off in another car.
“Mr. Queen, we’re not sure how you want to handle this. We’ve contact numerous magazines, but no one wants to talk to us without a statement from you,” said the man on the left.
“And we can’t file anything with the courts without Dr. Emil’s confirmation that medical records were leaked,” the man on the right added.
He sighed and sat back, staring at the two men that sat across from him. One of them his Press Secretary, the other one of many attorneys. “I don’t know.”
“You said over the phone you needed to talk to her. Did you even get confirmation that she is indeed pregnant?”
The reminder that she wouldn’t answer his phone calls reawakened his anger. “No.” Only two people knew something, Clark and Dr. Emil. Clark was being tight lipped about the whole thing, and Dr. Emil had been brushing him off for hours.
“We could release a statement denying everything.”
“No.” Oliver shook his head and gulped, because deep down he was actually worried it was true. “I’m going to see her now, when I find out you’ll be the first to know. I would suspect at that point Dr. Emil will be more than glad to speak with either one of you. If this is a total fabrication I want it cleared up immediately, If it’s truth I want everything they’ve got.” He said through gritted teeth. Momentarily grateful to direct his anxiety and anger elsewhere. “I want the fucking building, the furniture, the carpet, and every fucking pen on the desk.” They mumbled a few affirmatives and proceeded to make a string of phone calls. Oliver settled back into the seat, looking out the window as they left the airport and turned onto the entrance ramp to the interstate. He glanced at his phone again, wishing for a new message from her, but finding none. The anger he had felt earlier left him and he sighed, typing one last message. Whether it was true or not, he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t at least talk to him. Clark swore up and down that she only wanted to see him in person, but Oliver couldn’t control the growing doubt and suspicion that she didn’t really want to talk to him. It wasn’t like her to avoid anything.
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When he pulled up to her building he frowned. As much as he had tried to keep his arrival back in Metropolis a secret he suspected it would have gotten leaked. A crowd a paparazzi stood in front of her building, cameras flashing at the heavily tinted windows of the limo. Two body guards took their places at the door before the limo driver was able to struggle through crowd and open the door. He slid out of the car, ignoring the yelling, the questions, the flash of lights, and looked up at her watchtower, suspecting that she was most likely looking down at him. The two men at his side successfully pushed the paparazzi at the way, and as a couple of them fell to the ground Oliver couldn’t help but be slightly envious that he hadn’t been the one to do it himself. They left him at the entrance, allowing him to make the trek to the elevator on his own.
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She stepped away from the window when Oliver disappeared from her view. For the next couple of minute she paced, sat on the sofa, and stood back up again to continue her pacing. Her hand went to her stomach, clutching it for some kind of support. It was wrong of her to leave him out in the cold, and she’d apologize for it, but she’d waited three weeks just to tell him in person. There was so much in their lives to discuss, and there was no way she felt comfortable doing that over the phone.
She finally stood still and glanced down at her phone. Pressing down the off button she powered it down. The only person she wanted to speak was going to be there in just seconds. With a sigh she tossed the phone onto a nearby chair and waited. There was no need for her to open the door when she heard his footsteps coming from down the hall. He already had a key.
When it opened he took a step in and stopped, staring at her with without any emotion. Then he turned away, closing the door behind him and locking it securely. His hand hovered over the small table next to the door, dropping his cell phone there with a careless clunk.
“You couldn’t even be bothered to answer your phone?”
His tone was clipped and short. She had hoped for something else, perhaps some concern for her well being, but not his indifference. “I’m sorry, I really am. I just couldn’t talk to you about this over the phone.” His eyes flicked down and she resisted the urge to cover her stomach from his gaze, somehow believing that he could see into her just as Clark had. There were no telltale signs though, only a loose fitting shirt to make him suspect that she might be trying to hide something. “I didn’t know about all this really. The magazine articles, the paparazzi.” She waved her hand outside the window. “Clark literally came over here minutes before you called me.”
“So he was here?” Oliver asked evenly, already catching her in what he suspected was a lie.
She cursed herself for not confirming exactly what was said between Clark and Oliver. There was no use in lying though. “Yes, he’s the one that told me about it. Look, I’m sorry I had Clark lie. It was for the best. I knew you’d would try to pry some kind of answer out of him if you knew he was here and the same thing with Dr. Emil. It was just easier to keep you in the dark until I could talk to you.”
“Talk to me!? You haven’t said anything!” Oliver boomed, his anger at her deception and unwillingness to talk coming to the surface. “The whole fucking country thinks you’re pregnant and I can’t even get a damn answer out of you!”
“Yes!” Chloe screamed, her throat protesting at the over use. The silence after her outburst seemed to be suffocating them. “I’m pregnant!” She turned away from him, walking over to the table and snatching up the most offending magazine. “The whole thing is true!” She folded open the magazined and thrust it at his chest before stepping away. When he lowered it to reading level and looked down she continued. “The whole story is true. I went to Dr. Emil after you left for Brazil. He confirmed the pregnancy. I’ve been hiding it from everyone, waiting for you to return for three weeks, but someone from his office leaked my files. They’ve got everything...blood tests, urine test, the exam, the ultrasound.” Her voice broke slightly at the last word. Although the baby was no larger then her finger, she still felt like it had been an invasion of not just her privacy, but the child in her womb. “The whole fucking world knows about my body!”
Her voice was thick with tears, forcing him to look up from the magazine. Her glassy eyes met his for a moment before she turned her head and folding her arms around her body. He felt the fight drain from him at the sight of her crying. When he looked at it now, everything was more his fault then hers. It was his status that had brought on this firestorm. He tossed to magazine to the side, not caring where it fell, and took two steps forward to close the distance between them. When he wrapped his arm around her body she leaned in closer, burying her head into his chest. “I’m sorry for getting angry.” He said more gently. She breathed in deeply, and nodded against his chest. “Hey.” He grasped her by her arms and pulled her back. “Let me take care of this, and then we’ll talk.”
The tone of his voice was much gentler and the look on his face of genuine concern. She couldn’t help but be relieved. “I already crashed some of the websites and shutdown their e-mail.”
Oliver couldn’t help but smirk. “That isn’t going to stop them.”
“I know.” Chloe wiped the tears from her eyes and forced herself to take a deep, shuddering breath. “But it made me feel better. It was the most I could do without leading them back to me.”
He nodded in understanding, and suspected she wasn’t quite through with them yet. Even though she seemed much more relaxed he could still see the concern in her green eyes. “It’s going to be fine.” He brought his hands to her face and lowered his lips to her own. They kissed gently, and much more chastely then he had intended when he had gotten it into his head to jump on the jet in the middle of the night to surprise her. Slowly they pulled apart and he lowered his hands from her face. It was his intention to step away from her, but instead his hands settled on her waist, gripping her hips, thumbs extending over her abdomen.
She felt his thumbs rub gently against her stomach. Instead of looking down she watched his face as his eyes fell from hers and appeared to be trained on her stomach. “Everything's okay.” Chloe whispered softly. “Dr. Emil said all my tests came back and that over the past three weeks everything seems to be progressing normally.” She watched him breathe in slowly, shakily and release it. His thumbs drew away from her stomach as he gripped her hips tighter before nodding. There was a lot more she wanted to tell him and show him, but it would have to wait she realized as his hands fell from her and he stepped away, grabbing for his cell phone again.
“Why don’t you call Dr. Emil and tell him that he can finally start answering his phone.” Oliver hit the speed dial on his phone and looked up to watch her as she moved for her own phone. “How did you get him to keep silent anyway? I am his employer.”
Chloe shrugged as she waited for it to power back on. “I reminded him that I had trusted him with this and it was someone in his office that created this situation. I think he felt guilty enough to hole himself up for a couple of hours.” He cocked an eyebrow in response but didn’t say another word on the subject.
While Oliver made his phone calls she texted Clark with the okay to face Lois again. He’d get it for sure, but Chloe was pretty sure in the end Lois was saving it all for her. Unfortunately it would have to wait. Chloe wasn’t making any more phone call until she could actually have a proper conversation with Oliver. For the next twenty or so minutes she watched Oliver pace as she made herself lunch. The whole situation had her stomach in knots. It wasn’t until she had Oliver there with her and not angry that she felt her appetite return. Although getting his attention was impossible she proceeded to make him something too. She watched with a frown and mild amusement at times as he threatened and yelled on the phone. He hadn’t asked her input on anything, which she normally did not like, but in this case she figured he was better quipped to handle scandal and the paparazzi. In the end it sounded like he was going to refuse to make any kind of statement. Although he had been quite insistent on his attorney procuring a warrant to get any and all of Chloe’s medical records back and file a gag order. And although most of the magazines were untouchable because they had only reprinted information from other magazines, Oliver was very insistent on collecting damages from the one that had purchased the information.
She’d only made it halfway through her sandwich before her stomach turned unpleasantly and she was forced to leave the rest of it on the counter. She walked back towards the sofa and sunk into it was a sigh. Moments later quiet once again filled the room. “Everything okay?” she asked.
“Kind of.” He entered the room and looked down at her with a frown. “I can’t undo this, only stop it from getting worse.”
“And make other people’s lives miserable?” She asked with a knowing smile.
“Yeah well, that too.” He took a seat next to her on the sofa “I’m of half the mind to fly out to their headquarters and break in to try and retrieve anything they have.”
“The Green Arrow stealing my medical records would be a tad suspicious.” He only frowned in response, but she knew he wouldn’t dare. Chloe reached over his lap and snagged one of the throw pillows. After laying it on his lap she pulled her legs onto the sofa and propped her head onto the cushion with a yawn. His hands settled on her waist and for a moment she allowed herself to closer her eyes and relax.
“How far?”
His question was rather vague, but as his hand slid underneath the hem of her shirt and settled on her stomach she understood. “About two months. Due October 3.” Chloe rolled onto her back and reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it up underneath her breasts, and then reaching down for the top of the elastic to her pants. Lifting her hips she managed to slid it down underneath where her hipbones still protruded out. His hand pressed against her stomach, still flat, just slightly pudgy.
“Two months and that’s it?” He asked with slight disappointment that surprised even him.
Chloe pinched at the soft skin of her stomach. “Tell that the buttons of my jeans.”
The sat in silence for some time with his hands resting on her stomach and her watching as it rose and fell with each breath. His thumb gently caressed the exposed skin and for a moment she couldn’t help but miss the other ways he touched her. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.” She said eventually.
“I know.”
“We were reluctant to even start a relationship.” Chloe admitted to him. There lives were so hectic and dangerous, that falling for one another had seemed more of a problem then a blessing, at least at first.
“I don’t want this to be an accident.” Oliver said suddenly, not even dwelling on the problems of him being CEO of Queen Industries, and their leadership of the Justice League. Her head turned up toward him and her eyes met his own. “I mean I know it wasn’t on purpose, but I don’t want to think of it as an accident Chloe.”
“Ollie...” Chloe pushed herself sat up rather awkwardly with both hands propped on either side of his lap. “Just because it’s an accident doesn’t mean it has to be bad.”
“That’s not what I mean.” He hooked an arm around her waist and urged her onto his lap. He couldn’t help but be slightly satisfied when he straddled his legs. “Just because I was reluctant to start a relationship with you doesn’t mean I don't love you more then any other.” He pulled her hips closer to his own and brought a hand up to cradle her face. “And just because this happened without us planning it doesn’t mean I hadn’t already made up my mind that you were the only woman in the world I would ever want to have children with. And just because you’re having my child now doesn’t mean that didn't already know I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, even if we are going about it rather half ass and backwards.” He brought another hand up to her face, and brushed his thumbs over her cheek, wiping away the tears that now spilled over them. “And I know if I asked you to marry me right now you’d tell me you aren’t going to marry me just because you’re pregnant. So whenever you’re ready...”
“That’s a half ass proposal without a ring.” Chloe said through her tears, but could help a watery smile.
He grinned in return. “So I’m not right?”
“I’m not walking down an aisle pregnant or out of shape. I’m not going to have those bastards plastering my picture all of the damn world and pointing out every inch of baby fat.”
“Oh trust me,” Oliver slid a hand down over her breasts and around to rest on her back. he leaned in closer and pressed a kiss against he lips. “I can get you in shape.
“I’m sure.” Chloe mumbled as he drew her bottom lip into his mouth. He pulled her closer, crushing her breasts against his chest. She winced at the pain she had discovered weeks ago in her breasts, but he didn’t seem to notice. At least not yet. She was sure he would have no problem noticing their slight enlargement.
“So, at the risk of sounding like an uneducated fool,” Oliver trailed his hand underneath her shirt and pressed his palm against her bare breast, “We’re okay for extracurricular activities right?”
Chloe couldn’t help but laugh, even as his tongue swept out against the seam of her lips and his fingers pinched gently at her tender nipple. She’d have to make him aware soon of the change in the state of her breasts. “Yes, but not on my stomach.”
“Well that’s unfortunate,” Oliver responded and pulled back from her slightly.
Chloe allowed him to lift her shirt from her body, leaving the upper half of her body exposed to him.
“But that doesn’t exclude you from getting on your hands and knees does it?”
She couldn’t help but notice the wicked glint in his eyes before he dove down and drew one hard and tender nipple into his mouth. “No.” She said breathlessly in response.
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Notes: I'm thinking about continuing this with some stand alone one-shots. Maybe covering her entire pregnancy up to the point of her birth. Please let me know what you think.