Leaving Her Heart 1/1
Title: Leaving Her Heart
Rating: PG
Summary: Set about four years after Finding Her Heart. Chloe makes another sacrifice.
Notes: This is a follow up to Finding Her Heart. I plan on writing at least one more follow up to this one.
His cell phone rang, buzzing on the table, vibrating within inches of the edge. Grabbing it, he glanced at the number. Some people could be ignored. The number was unknown. And while he was wary of an unknown number, it might be important. He looked up at the group of men he was having lunch with, some partners, some lower level management, all there to wine and dine a possible investor. “Excuse me.” He stood up and upon his third step he answered. “Hello?”
“Mr. Queen?”
A woman's voice, and not one that he recognized. “Yes. Who is this?”
“That’s not really important. Are you home?”
He paused, unsure if he should reveal anything to the mystery caller. The conversation was already suspicious. “No.”
“I was hoping you would be. Be that as it may, I’m sitting outside the gate.”
Oliver pushed open the door to the restaurant and stopped on the sidewalk. The crowd moved around him, not even giving him a second glance. “I’m going to ask again. Who are you?”
“I’m nobody. I would tell you, but she asked me not to give you my name, even though I don’t understand why.”
“Who is she?” There was a sigh on the other end and he was slowly becoming more and more suspicious that this might have something to do with the more secret aspects of his life. The phone beeped and he pulled it away, seeing Dinah’s name flash on the screen. With a sigh he put the phone back to his ear.
“Look, she told me to tell you nothing. I have something for you and I know you're probably suspecting the worst, but I’d much rather do this in person instead of over the phone. I swear, you have nothing to worry about. Bring someone else with you if you wish, but I’m not leaving and you have to come back sometime.”
There was a pause on the other end as he weighed his options.
“Please.”
Oliver knew people lied, and some were very good at it, but she sounded desperate. “Okay.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When he pulled up to the entrance a small red car was the first thing he saw. The plates read commercial, making him suspect it was most likely a rental. He made a mental note of the plate and pulled up next to it. A woman in her mid 40’s was standing against it. She was average looking, nothing very memorable, and didn’t appear threatening. Of course he was the last person to be fooled by an innocent look.
“Mr. Queen?” She smiled. “I should have known. Would you mind if we discussed this inside?”
“I’m not in the habit of letting strangers into my house.”
“And neither am I, but like I said, this conversation is best had in person, and not outside the gate. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
He hated that she had piqued his curiosity. That was his first clue that he was about to walk into trouble. With a nod he rolled up his window and buzzed open the gate. He watched in the rearview mirror as she walked around the car and climbed in. He pulled around the driveway, leaving his car in the front as opposed to pulling it into the garage, and stepped out. She was close behind, stopping her own car behind his and exiting her vehicle. Instead of walking towards him though she turned away and walked to the rear door. He watched, waiting for something out of the ordinary. She leaned in, reaching for something, but whatever it was the glare from the windows made it impossible to see. When she did stand up though she was holding the last thing he had expected to see. A kid.
She stopped in front of him and nodded at the door. “May we talk inside?”
Oliver nodded shakily. The kid was a little boy, not very big, with short blond hair. Oliver couldn’t see his face, it was buried into the women’s neck. If he was right, the child appeared to be sleeping. Turning away with a shake of his head he climbed the granite steps and allowed her in.
“Is there somewhere we can sit? He is kind of heavy and I’d rather not wake him.”
He nodded again, leading her to one of the closer sitting rooms. He stayed standing as she approached the couch and sat carefully.
Noticing his eyes on the child she smiled. “Oh, he’s not mine. I’m just his nanny.” Pulling the little boy away from her she adjusted him so that he was cradled against her, his head now pillowed on her chest. “Mr. Queen,” she began, the smile no longer there, “I’m not sure how to explain, because the woman who sent me, she told me her name was Tracey Pearsons. I didn’t realize until three days ago that wasn’t her real name, and it was only because she told me. I still don’t know her real name; she said it was safer that way. I met her when he was an infant and have helped her take care of him since then. He’s almost four now.” She pursed her lips together. “She said to tell you that she got pregnant March of 2010 and that this is your son.”
He scoffed, laughing. “My son?” The child jumped, and for a moment Oliver feared he’d woken him, but his eyes remained closed. “I don’t think so. I’d know if I had a kid out there. And no offense, but most of the women I’ve met would jump at the chance to claim Oliver Queen as the father of their love child.”
She frowned. “I have no doubt. But she didn’t. In fact, she was very secretive about everything. Paranoid even. Keeping Connor very close always.” She stopped, noting the way his eyes dropped on Connor again. “That’s his name Connor Pearsons. Of course, if her real name wasn’t Pearsons, I suspect that his isn’t either. Mr Queen, she said you could keep him safe.”
The weight of it all was becoming a burden. Paranoid, secretive, March, 2010...it all pieced together creating one impossible possibility.
“And she said to tell you she’s sorry she ran, this is why. And that what happened, what she left behind, it wasn’t as black and white as it appeared to be.”
When he finally did breathe he was shocked to hear how shaky it was. Slowly he backed up, and when his legs bumped into a chair he sank into it. “Where is she?”
He wasn’t denying it anymore, so she could only assume he had accepted it, or was beginning to. “I don’t know. She said she’d been found, and she didn’t think she could protect him anymore.” For a moment she paused, reluctant to say more, but feeling the need to. “She didn’t want to, I can tell you that. It broke her to leave him behind.”
The boy shifted, yawning and cuddling closer. After a few moments he began to blink, squinting his eyes.
“Mom?”
“No baby, remember mommy had to go on a trip for a little while?” Connor squinted in confusion and turned his head. When he spotted the man across the room he scrunched his face into a scowl and turned his face into her. “Connor, why don’t you meet Mr. Queen. He is a friend of mommy’s.”
“I don’t wanna.”
She sighed. “He’s just tired.” Adjusting Connor, she moved him so that she was sitting on her lap. He twisted his body, trying to hid his face. “Now stop that.” Sliding him off her lap she sat him next to her.
“Where’s mommy?”
She sighed and held him to her side. “Mr. Queen, I know this is a lot to absorb, and you still don’t believe me, but-.”
“No.” He shook his head. The little boy met his eyes, glaring, then turned away again. “I believe you. I know her name.” Chloe, jesus christ. Standing, he was heading out of the doorway. “I’ll be right back.”
She stared after him, mouth hanging open slightly, and then turned her face back down to Connor. “Are you hungry?” He shook his head. With a sigh she smoothed his rumpled hair and pressed a kiss against it. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving.” At least not yet. Moments latter he was walking back in, a piece of paper clutched in his hand.
“This her?” Oliver thrust the photograph forward, one of many he had in the file he created during his search for her.
She squinted at the picture and nodded. “Yea, but she had brown hair and blue eyes while I’ve known her. It was still short when I first met her, but it’s much longer now.”
“Mommy!” Connor exclaimed and grabbed the photo.
Oliver released it, shocked by the boys exclamation and change in attitude. Stepping back, he watched the little boy grin down at the photo.
“Her hair is different. Nana, Why’s it that color?” Connor asked, squinting at the picture.
“She dyed it baby,” she explained. “You know, like you color your pictures? Well mommy must have colored hers brown. It must be really this color.
Oliver moved away again, taking a seat on the opposite sofa, watching Connor grin over the photo. “Where did she go?”
She nodded. “I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me. She gave me money though, a lot of money. Enough to pay for my apartment for a few months and bring Connor over here. I think she was hoping I would stay some time to get him settled in.”
“Settled in?” Oliver asked, his eyes shooting back up to the woman for the first time. “You’re not saying-”
“Shhhh,” she said sharply, not wanting Connor to know yet exactly what was going on. “Yes, that is what I am saying. I’ll stay some time, and while I hate to have to-” She shook her head, reluctant to say anything more. “It was her wish that he come here, and as I said, she believed you could protect him. She said she feared not just for her safety, but his and yours as well.”
There were too many questions, to many gaps in the story for him to understand Chloe’s decision. She’d left, killed Tess and taken off. No note, no nothing. Everything was left behind except her laptop and her purse. A couple of days later he realized she lifted a few hundred thousand from his account. He’d tried to track it, but had no luck. He’d been angry, upset, hurt. He’d cursed her up and down, intent to find her and find some way to make her pay for what she did. Now everything he’d known, everything he believed, was different. It made him wonder what really happened with Tess. The woman in front of him said Chloe said it wasn’t black and white. So if it wasn’t so simple as Chloe being a cold blooded murderer, what had made her shoot her, leave her for dead. There was no doubt in his mind now why she left. If Tess’ murder had been self defense she wouldn’t have left, they could have taken care of it. It wasn’t Tess that made her leave, it was the little boy sitting across from him. Except she hadn’t told him, there was no reason not to tell him. And although he found himself understanding, he was overcome by a new anger.
“There was one more message that she asked me to give you,” she said, waiting for him to focus on her again. “She said to be careful. That when it’s safe she’ll come back and explain everything. And she said the reason she’s doing this...” She reached into her purse, pulling out an envelope and handing it over to him.
He accepted it with shaking hands, recognizing his name and the familiar scrawl. Tearing it open the first thing he noticed on the piece of paper was the lack of length. There would be no explanations in the short letter.
Oliver,
I can’t explain or apologize in a letter, so I’d rather pretend I can do that at a later time and make you aware of more serious matters.
I’ve paid Connor’s Nana enough that she should be able to stay with you for a month and get him settled.
I only ask that you don’t tell anyone about me, and if you must, please don’t let it go any further then Clark. It’s too risky.
Sending him away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it was becoming too dangerous for me. I fear that your greatest sin isn’t as dead as we thought he was. You weren’t the only one looking for me after Mercy.
Sidekick
The way she signed it made his heart stop. It had become a term of endearment between the two of them. Oliver knew she signed it that way to disguise her identity, but it meant so much more than if she would have signed her name.
It was too much information to absorb. His first hint of Chloe in almost four years, a son, and now the possibility of Lex returning.
“Do you have more?”
Oliver looked up at the sound. Only inches from his stood Connor, holding the picture of Chloe. “More what?”
“Pictures. I like her hair. Can I see more pictures?”
He looked hopeful. Gone was the the frustrated, angry little boy.
“She’s got freckles, too,” Connor said and pointed to his face. “Like me. I’ve got some on my stomach too.” He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it. “See?”
“Yeah,” Oliver said softly and nodded.
“You don’t have freckles,” Connor pointed out. “You’re tall though. Taller than my mom. My mom said I’ll be tall. Maybe I’ll be taller than you.”
“Maybe.” Although Oliver seriously doubted it. There had to be some drawback to Chloe being so short.
“The doctor did say Connor will be tall for his age,” the nanny confirmed. “Now I can see why. I thought Connor got his brown eyes from Tracey, but I guess not.”
Glancing again at the little boy he caught the touch of brown in his eyes.
“Can I see the pictures?” Connor prodded again.
Glancing up at the woman across from him, he remained silent, unsure how to proceed. She nodded. “Okay, yeah, I guess so.”
“Why don’t you go with Mr. Queen, Connor. He has a really big house, I’m sure he could show it to you.” Connor glanced back at her and she smiled reassuringly. “I’ll be sitting right here waiting for you; I’m not going anywhere.”
“K.” He nodded and tossed the picture onto the table. “Do you have a slide?”
Oliver stood, watching the little boy warily as she walked out of the room, little feet just trailing behind him. “What? No.”
“Do you have any toys?”
“No.” Oliver shook his head. “There aren’t any kids here.”
“Well I have cars. A whole box full of them. My mom said I could bring them with me. She said you’d play cars with me. I’ve got a ball too. My mom doesn’t like playing ball. She says playing outside is hot. Do you like playing ball?” Connor asked and starting hopping as they walked. “Listen.” A loud echo flooded the halls each time his feet hit the ground. “My mom said that’s an echo.”
“It is,” Oliver agreed, unable to say more than that.
“My mom said she had to go away, but that she’d come pick me up from here. But you’d play with me until she got here. When is she coming?”
“I-” OIiver stopped at his office and paused. “I don’t know.” Slowly, he pushed the door open and held it open for Connor to follow him in.
“Cool.” Connor observed the large office. “That desk is huge! So is my mom coming before dinner?”
He swallowed passed the lump forming in his throat, because he had no idea when Chloe was coming back. He was confident now that she would, but how long was anyone's guess.