For Richer or Poorer - NC17 - Chloe/Oliver - Part Two
Title: For Richer or Poorer
Category: Smallville
Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor/Action
Ship: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: NC17
Spoiler(s): Season 6 - Arrow
Word Count: 5,954
Summary: (AU) Oliver Queen, former journalist and current computer specialist, has met his match in Chloe Sullivan, billionaire CEO and secret leather-wearing vigilante.
Previous: Part One,
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II.
Nothing.
Hours upon hours of looking into Chloe Sullivan had brought up only good deeds and a sad history.
Sitting in his loft above The Talon, surrounded by computers old and new, Oliver was stretching his far-reaching fingers to delve into every little detail of the billionaire he'd recently met. Should anyone ask him why, he would have answered that he had a point to prove. But if he were to ask himself, the real answer was that she had surprised him and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Throughout his life, growing up in meteor-capital of the world, Smallville, Kansas, with only his workaholic dad and his mother away in a mental hospital, Oliver had seen his fair share of unusual things. As best friend to an alien being, he'd witnessed things nobody would believe. And having been a friend of Lex Luthor, back when he was the polar opposite of his conniving father, Oliver had seen the good and bad in humanity. By the time he graduated high school, he knew what absolute power could do.
The Luthors were known for their money and power and they extended their long, selfish arm whenever needed, disregarding the people around them. And maybe it had been their influence that had encouraged the thought in the first place, or maybe it was knowing that his dad, no matter how hard he worked, was always just one head away from the chopping block. He'd seen him struggle and fight and earn his way through life, time and again, while the Luthors need only snap their fingers to get whatever they want. When Jonathon Kent stood up and said he wanted to be Senator, something inside Oliver had cheered. Finally someone who would see the little people and not crush them beneath his personal agenda. And then Jonathon died and Martha took his place, and while she was every bit as good a person as her husband, she wasn't as jaded. She saw the good in people that Oliver had long stopped looking for. The good that he never expected to see in Chloe Sullivan but was now wondering if she embodied.
Chloe was no usual billionaire. At five years old, her parents, Gabe and Moira Sullivan, had boarded a plane for business and never returned. A sudden, mysterious, and unfortunate plane crash had left their daughter orphaned, with nothing but a distant uncle to sweep in and take care of her. She was painted like a martyr; the sad, lonely girl who had no friends or true family to love her. Her distantly related great uncle had taken over work at Sullivan Inc and nearly ran it into the ground before Chloe's eighteenth birthday brought with it the title of CEO and her billions of dollars. Removing him from his position, she took over and quickly turned the company around, making it an eco-friendly technological wonder. And in the last five years, she'd done nothing but shine. While she graced the covers of Glamour and Vanity Fair, looking just as ethereally beautiful as the night he met her, there was something hollow in her brilliant green eyes, something empty. Where in Lex he might have seen tyrannical insanity, in Chloe he only saw sadness, loneliness.
And Martha was right; she gave and gave and gave and never took. Her company pulled in billions of dollars and nearly just as much went out in charity work. She kept her business running strong, avoiding cutbacks wherever she could, giving as many benefits to her workers as possible and she was praised highly for it. Sullivan Inc was named America's best company to work for three years in a row. And it seemed she wanted to give back to Metropolis as well as Star City. While her company was based in her hometown, she was bringing business to Metropolis and getting attention for it. Luthorcorp was, of course, interested in a merge, but Sullivan Inc was staying mum on the topic.
Her financial records were clean; there were no off-shore accounts that he could find and most of the checks she wrote ended up funding the world's charities. Except for a few noticeable charges to various small town jails situated all over the world, spread out over a few years. The records didn't give him much other than the fact that there were three culprits, all male, of varying heights and ethnicities. Everything else was blacked out. So either she had really bad taste in men, or something else was going on that nobody had uncovered, yet. Smirking, he knew with a little hard work, he'd find them. He hadn't met a hacker yet that could outdo him.
Looking further back brought him to Star City Post, the local newspaper that covered everything under the sun; he catalogued various guests she'd been seen with. In all her time, she'd never brought a date, no man gracing her arm. He told himself that her being single didn't make him happy; he knew he was lying. There were a few times she'd had personal security at her back, two men she seemed to trust absolutely. And as he peered at the screen, zooming in on the gala shots, he was fairly sure he recognized them. Victor Stone and Arthur "AC" Curry… Memory a little fuzzy, he had to bring up his old wall of weird to find them, but when he did, it started a whole new line of thinking. AC previously dated his cousin, Lois, and from what Oliver remembered of him, he had powers over water that weren't exactly normal. And he was pretty familiar with the unnatural. Victor, on the other hand, had been one of Lex's science projects some time ago; the man was equipped with his own built-in computer making up half of his body. Now what were the odds that Chloe Sullivan, a Luthor rival and a tech company CEO, didn't know anything about that?
The more he dug, the more intriguing things became. The further back he read, the less inclined he was to believe that the All-American Dream Chloe's life was portrayed as was so cut and dry at all. While he'd set out to find what schemes she might be involved in to increase her already grandiose pay grade, he found himself on a completely different path. Ignoring the business section, Oliver became more interested in the articles written about a certain masked vigilante that worked the streets each night, saving people when the police were unable. Cited as the main cause for recent drops in crime, the mysterious hero had been patrolling Star City for just about as long as Chloe Sullivan had been CEO…
With two meta-humans at her back and a vigilante making headlines, the timeline was converging for him. He began drawing very real, very revealing parallels. And while he always liked cracking a good mystery, it made things a lot more complicated. With the knowledge he now possessed came decisions and a new quest for understanding that only the girl in question could give him.
…
A sheen of sweat decorated Chloe's body as she held the scorpion pose. The sun was high as she practiced her morning yoga routine, warming her skin and shoving what was left of sleep's crooked finger far out of her reach. She had a long day ahead of her; three meetings and lunch with Martha Kent. The previous night had left her with a few bumps and bruises and if she wasn't so used to it, she would gladly curl up on her couch with a throw blanket and immerse herself in daytime TV. But the life of a CEO demanded she forgo simple amenities like sick days and with each stretch and pull of her muscles, she felt her resolve firming.
Her relaxing music suddenly stopped as the phone rang shrilly through her meditation room. "Call from… Victor Stone," the automated voice informed.
"Answer," she replied loudly.
There was a click that let her know the phone had done as it was asked and Chloe smiled. "Hey Vic," she said in greeting.
"I'm on speaker, aren't I?" he sighed knowingly.
"I'm a little stuck at the moment," she returned, blowing a chunk of her hair off her face. "What's up?"
"Besides your legs over your head?"
"Ha. Ha." With a chuckle, she relaxed her body and drew her legs down, rolling slowly until she was flat on the floor. Moving onto her back, she stared up at the metal beams of her ceiling for a second, just panting to herself. Her hand reached absently for the green towel she kept nearby before dabbing it along her face and upper-chest. "How's Star City holding up?"
"I can't tell if we've had a crime wave or the police are just as sloppy as ever," he muttered cynically.
Rolling her eyes, she sat up, resting her forearms on her knees. "I thought Bart was patrolling for me."
"He's easily distracted by hot dog vendors."
"Shut up! Am not!" came the irritated voice of the boy in question. "Gimme that!"
After a short struggle, Bart's smooth voice filtered through the speaker box of her phone. "Hey mamacita, when you comin' home?"
"Not for a while, Bart…" she reminded, a smile tugging at her mouth. "You know I have business here with the Senate race… Not to mention the recent burglaries on Metropolis' wealthiest."
He chuckled. "How are the suits handling it anyway?"
"Like anybody would when they know going to the police means admitting their ties to the black market." Pushing to her feet, she walked down the platform stairs to the desk setup and fell into her seat, lifting her feet up to sit at the edge and wiggling her toes absently; she needed a pedicure, she thought. "Have you been listening to Victor?" she asked, a tone of motherly chastisement shining through.
"Aww, come on… Chlo, he's so boring! He's like a ninety-year-old stuck in a forty-year-old's body."
"What? Hey! I am not forty, okay?" Victor shouted. "Just because your pre-teen ass can't add-"
"Okay, okay, guys…" she laughed. "Self control, please."
"He started it," they both whined.
Sighing, she rubbed at her forehead. "Please tell me my voice of reason is somewhere nearby…?"
"Hey Fish-face, mom wants to talk to you," Bart called childishly.
"I resent the fact that I'm not considered reasonable," Victor said. "I'm the oldest and most mature of any of these guys."
"Sure… When you're not fighting with Bart about trivial things, I'd swear in court that you were just that," Chloe admitted. "But put you two in a room together and suddenly it's like you're a couple of little boys fighting over G.I. Joe's."
"Bet Vicky preferred Barbie."
"Shortstack, if I ever catch you…" Victor growled.
Bart laughed before, she was sure, he took off in a flash.
"Chloe?" came a third male voice.
"AC," she sighed with relief. "Please tell me you're keeping the children out of trouble."
"As much as can be expected," he chuckled. "Victor's got the business end of things pretty much handled. Sullivan Inc is always in good hands. Bart's been… eating a lot more since you left," he admitted. "I'm pretty sure I've had to send out for groceries six times already… You think that's suspicious?"
She blinked. "Not if you lived at a frat house, but since there are only three of you? Yeah, maybe a little…"
He sighed. "All right, I'll do the shopping myself from now on… At least then, I can make sure these guys stick to the fish-friendly labels I keep telling them about!" he said, getting progressively louder, as if to tell said boys that same message once more.
"Good luck with that," she murmured, amused. "Anyway, I just wanted to call and see how you guys were holding up… And also to let you know that I've been making progress with Mrs. Kent."
"So she's not letting Luthor eat her up and chew her out like the life-ruining succubus he is?" Victor asked stiffly.
"No… Actually, she genuinely seems like a good person. I honestly think she might be just what the senate needs."
"And you're not worried?" AC wondered. "Luthor's manipulative and having him this close to a senator…? I feel like that spells out disaster in big block letters…"
"I know…" She chewed her lip, brows furrowed. "She seems to think he's a better person than before. That he's reformed or something… I don't know if she's right." She frowned. "I do know that Lex Luthor is our main target right now and we have to keep our eyes on him. We can't let anything distract us."
There was silence on the other end for a moment.
"Who said anybody was distracted?" Victor asked, a tone of suspicion slithering through.
"What?" She sat forward a little. "No one. I just… I just wanted to make sure that we-"
"What's going on?" AC asked quickly. "Have you run into trouble? Is there something getting in the way of our mission or-?"
"I can be there in five, Chloelicious!" Bart interrupted swiftly. "Maybe ten if Tony's got his stand open… You want a dog with all the fixings? Awesome hot dogs are awesome, babe."
She laughed slightly. "Look, I'm not in danger and I'm not distracted. There's nothing in the way, I just…" She worked her jaw, looking away thoughtfully. It wasn't as if Oliver Queen had really done anything to turn her head. Sure, he'd been handsome and even a little charming and yes, she'd spent a good portion of her time wondering if that smile of his was really as dazzling as she remembered. But she had work to do. Save the world type of work. And no man, no matter how handsome, was going to get in her way. "It's nothing. I was just… Projecting a bit, all right?" Before they could start in questioning her again, she sighed. "Look, I have a meeting in an hour and I stink… I'll call you guys later with an update, keep me informed, be good, and please, please, don't do anything I wouldn't be able to bail you out for without a jury or judge."
"Roger that," Bart joked.
"Affirmative," Victor sighed.
"Loud and clear."
"Thank you." She grinned. "I love you guys and I'll talk to you later, all right?"
Met with the usual male grumbles, aside from Bart's declaration of, "I love you too, mamacita! See? I'm totally her favorite!" Chloe chuckled, shook her head, and hit the end button on her phone. Leaning back in her plush leather computer chair, she sighed, staring once more at the ceiling. Without their friendly voices filling her office, it was just a large, empty apartment surrounding her. She pushed up and out of her seat, crossing the room and stripping her workout shirt as she went. It was time to put Chloe away and pick up Ms. Sullivan, CEO and billionaire. It seemed neither of her double identities had time for distraction and she warned herself for what seemed like the millionth time, that Oliver Queen was just that.
…
It was early morning when Oliver found Clark baling hay. Not so unusual, if it weren't for the fact that his best friend could lift them up as if they were feather light.
"Hey," he called out, crossing to sit on the wooden stairs leading up to Clark's loft.
"Hey." Clark grinned at him briefly. "Mom said you were a pretty good date."
He half-rolled his eyes. "I've got a pocketful of numbers that say I could make a great living as an escort."
Chuckling, he shook his head. "The way mom puts it, you had your head turned by a certain backer last night… Chloe something?" His brows furrowed.
Oliver sighed, nodding. Leaning back on his elbows he chewed his lip. "You think money and stature makes a person, Clark?"
Pausing to contemplate the question, he stuck his hands on his hips and frowned. "I think… sometimes, with some people, it's all they have, all they appreciate…" He shook his head. "But I also think people are basically good… Some can't be bought or sold and others make a living off it…" He shrugged. "I know you don't like Lionel, and I don't trust him either… But mom seems to think he can really help her and it doesn't matter what we say or think, she's gotta do this…"
"This isn't just about Lionel." He cocked his head, adding, "Although, I still put my two cents in that he's got something else going on in the background…"
Clark half-frowned. "I wouldn't doubt it."
"I met someone. I probably won't ever see her again, but…" He sighed, scraping a palm down his face before telling him, "And she's somewhere in the ten figures, so it's not like we have anything in common… I'm sure if she had a Facebook page, and like the stalker I am, I checked - she doesn't - but if she did, there wouldn't be any Smallville natives on there, and let's be honest, my pool of friends consists mostly of high school buddies, you and Lois…" He frowned, adding, "And acquaintances that turned meteor freak, tried to kill me and are now either medicated at Belle Reve or dead, so…" Rolling his eyes at his rant, he shook his head. "But this girl… Woman…" He shrugged. "She's just… She's interesting."
"Interesting like you'd like to write her biography, or interesting like you can't get her out of your head?" he asked, brows lifted teasingly.
"Both, really…" He frowned. "I think her biopic would be a lot more explosive than any of us would expect…" He shook his head. "But I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with that information."
Clark stared at him. "Am I supposed to be reading between the lines here?"
"No… Yes…" He sighed. "I don't know…" He scraped a hand down his face. "We've all got secrets right? I mean, you know that better than anyone…"
He nodded slowly.
"So maybe it's not even my place to share them… The only reason I know is because I have an unhealthy obsession with playing detective." He snorted to himself. "And I'm not even sure if what she's doing is wrong, really… I mean, from what I can tell, she's the poster-girl for good, but… You ask anybody in Metropolis and they'd probably say the Luthors were good people and we both know that's a lie."
Clark stared at him, forehead wrinkled. "I'm gonna need a little more information if I'm supposed to be adding to this, Ollie…"
"Yeah, I know, I just…" He groaned, letting his head fall back. "I feel like I'm keeping a secret for a girl who doesn't even know I know it… And I'm pretty sure my quota for secrets is overflowing, so…"
He grinned lightly. "Well, she's lucky then… That she's got you safeguarding this." He shook his head. "Look, I know you… If you really thought she was dangerous, I think you'd do the right thing…"
Lifting his head, he stared back at the wholesome and maybe too trusting man in front of him. "Maybe… Or maybe I'm letting her smile get to me."
Amused, he cocked a brow. "So how'd you meet her anyway? I thought you said you were going to keep close to mom and beat the leaches off with a stick…?"
Oliver leaned back against the stairs and laughed shortly. "Your mom and I made a bet…"
Clark chuckled under his breath. "I can already tell this conversation is leading somewhere weird."
He snorted. "She picked a billionaire and dared me to find something wrong with them."
Getting it, his eyes lifted, widening. "A billionaire with a secret… Why is that not surprising?"
He smiled rather bitterly, nodding.
"Are we talking Luthor-style secrets or…?" He shook his head wonderingly.
He sighed, eyes falling. There were things he could tell Clark, of a personal nature, that would explain his weird behavior. And admittedly, given all that they'd been through over the years and all the secrets shared, it wouldn't be unlike him to let him in on this one. But secrets were something Oliver collected whether other people wanted him to or not and he wasn't sure yet if he wanted Clark to know about Chloe's extracurriculars. Like her predilection to green leather, her nightly heroics, or even her current steal from the rich, give to the poor thought process. Instead, he found himself saying, "No… Not like the Luthors." He shook his head firmly, certain of this, at least. "She's unexpected… When she could be vacationing in Cabo, she's personally visiting Children's hospitals to see where she can help… When there are movie premieres begging for her to walk the red carpet, she's campaigning for AIDS Relief in Africa… When the economy is in a downward spiral, layoffs and cutbacks at an all time high, she's hiring more people than necessary, just trying to keep people from having to go through foreclosures…" He shook his head, surprised at the burst of genuine admiration that filled his chest. He shook his head still, almost incredulous. "She's the anti-Luthor…"
Clark smiled. "She sounds like a really good person."
"She is…" His brows furrowed. "And even while I'm saying it, I'm questioning it… Why do I do that?"
"It's in your nature to be suspicious, Oliver…" He tossed another hay bale onto the stack. "You wouldn't have kept the Torch running all those years, or helped save all those meteor-infected people, if you weren't."
"Yeah, but when do I stop being suspicious and just see fact?" he sighed.
"When all your questions are answered, I guess."
Frowning, he stared at the floor. "You're right."
"Contrary to your cousin's opinion, that does occasionally happen," he laughed lightly.
Oliver grinned. "How'd it go with Lois anyway?"
Clark gave a long, suffering sigh and Oliver knew he was in for more of the hilarious, if not confusing Clark and Lois show.
He welcomed the distraction.
…
Having lunch with Martha almost seemed like a break. Yes, she was in the running for a seat on the United States senate, but she was also a lot less stuffy or pretentious than the men Chloe had spent her morning arguing with over budget cuts and mergers. When she sat down in the small Italian restaurant, waiting on a glass of wine to help her loosen up, she thought it might actually be the highlight of her day. She still had patrolling tonight and a lot of homework to do on a few local businessmen. She checked her phone for the third time since leaving her downtown office and found a message from Bart.
You're totally missing out, Chlo. Tony makes the best dogs in all of Cali. ;)
She grinned. An ache in her chest told her she missed her boys and she missed her home town. While Star City had only become her city of choice in the last few years, having spent the majority of her life at Excelsior prep, she considered it home above all else. She remembered sadly when her parents died; Moira and Gabe Sullivan had been loving and doting parents. They'd instilled in her a strong sense of justice and honor. She had only been five when they died, but she remembered well how her mother's blue eyes used to soften at the sight of her, how she'd drag her fingers through Chloe's blonde hair and tell her that she was the most beautiful and brilliant child in the world. And her dad, how he used to haul her up onto his shoulders and spread his arms wide to show her Star City outside Sullivan Inc's window, the cityscape filled with skyscrapers and bright lights. He introduced her to his business partners, to his coworkers and employees, as the future CEO - bound to do great things and make the world a better place. She was honored to be their daughter and she took their passing hard to this day.
Growing up at Excelsior with a large bank account and an uncle who knew nothing about business, Chloe had worked her butt of to be exactly what her parents wanted of her. She needed a head for business and a heart for people. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, she'd forgotten how to just be her own person, to be selfish in any regard. Constantly, she put herself and her needs on the backburner. It all became about Sullivan Inc, until the day it became about something more.
She'd first had the idea at Excelsior. A quiet, hard-working student, she usually spent her days working ahead for classes or submerged in archery club. But one afternoon, when the target practice was shut down for repairs, she found herself roaming the school grounds. It was then that she noticed Lex Luthor and Duncan Allenmeyer walking through the quad, excitedly discussing Warrior Angel, a comic book, when a couple senior boys - Geoffrey and Alden - had begun harassing them. Seeing as she'd tried her very best to blend in to the natural scheme of things, getting in the way now would seem a stupid thing to do. So she did nothing. But watching as the bald Luthor heir was made fun of and laughed at, as Duncan was treated unfairly for his lacking bank statement, she realized that standing with the crowd and doing nothing was just like saying it was okay. She regretted standing there, letting it happen and even acting as though she didn't notice, and she regretted it even more when less than a week later Duncan Allenmeyer was killed just outside of Excelsior school, having walked into traffic after being bullied and beaten up by none other than Lex Luthor himself.
She knew then, as the news whispered through the halls and people began pointing fingers and saying it was all Lex and that he was insane, that Geoffrey and Alden weren't at fault in any way, that something had to change. She wondered what it might have been like if Warrior Angel was real, if the hero those boys had worshipped had been able to pop out of the confines of his fictional comic book world and step forth to help those who truly needed it. Boys like Duncan who were picked on and put down, or every other person out there in the world that were harmed and overlooked. And then she began wondering why it had to be some fictional hero; why a regular person with the means and the will couldn't do it instead. She began shedding her stand back and do nothing attitude and instead sought to stand up and speak out.
When she was eighteen, she took over Sullivan Inc. That same year, she spoke out against bullying and hailed zero tolerance in schools. Going a step further, behind closed doors, she designed her own leather suit and then worked with a highly paid and very confidential employee at her company to have it and various weapons made. She practiced every form of martial arts she could, working herself until every muscle and bone in her body seemed to liquefy with exhaustion. But as much as she wanted to know about subduing others, she also wanted to know how to control herself, and so she found meditation to help her keep her wits in battle. She took her decision seriously; she took what was happening in the world to be a bad sign for the future. And while she was working to become a better person, she knew Lex was becoming a worse one. Through business dealings and a satellite that could monitor just about anything, she kept a close eye on the Luthors, delving into the past and watching as their present played out, becoming more lethal with every bad decision they made. She had known from a young age that Lionel Luthor was and always would be a dangerous adversary; she knew now that his son was far more deadly. When she was finally primed to scour the streets of Star City and save it from its darkened alleys and the even darker souls that roamed it, she took up her position on the ledge of Sullivan Inc, leapt out into the sky and fell into her second identity. Masked vigilante.
Jarring her from her thoughts, Martha appeared next to the table. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized, eyes wide and expression flustered. "Time just got away with me and I always forget what city traffic is like."
Standing, Chloe grinned and reached out to shake her hand. "I imagine you'll become well acquainted with it soon enough."
Laughing lightly, Martha nodded, taking her seat across from her. "Here's hoping."
"From what I'm hearing, Metropolis is welcoming you with open arms…" She wrapped her fingers around the stem of her wine glass and tipped it in congratulations at the woman across from her. "I guess it helps to have someone like Lionel Luthor in your corner."
She smiled, looking up at the waiter in thanks as he poured her a glass as well. Shrugging her jacket off, she hung it over the back of her chair and then sighed. "You know, I really can't thank Lionel enough for his support…" She shook her head. "I honestly think I'd be lost without him."
"Well I'm sure he recognized the good you can do if he's trying to get your face out like he has." She was still hesitant about his endgame, though.
Her eyes widened. "I assume you've heard of the benefit next week?" She reached out and clasped Chloe's hand. "I would be honored if you would attend." She shook her head quickly. "I won't take no for an answer." With a sly smile, she added, "In fact, I think I know a certain Smallville native that would be especially excited to learn of your attendance."
Blinking quickly, Chloe felt a sudden flush fill her cheeks. "I-I would love to come to the benefit next week, Mrs. Kent."
"Please, call me Martha," she sat, patting her hand in a motherly fashion. "Now, I hope you won't find this too forward of me, and please-" She held up a hand to show her honesty, "Tell me if I'm overstepping my boundaries… But the other night I noticed you were speaking with a friend of mine? Oliver Queen…" She stared at her searchingly.
Chloe swallowed tightly. She hadn't expected this. And seeing the curious and somewhat mischievous twinkle in Martha Kent's eyes, she knew then to never underestimate the woman again. Clearing her throat, she nodded. "We met, yes."
"Met." She laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen Oliver so stunned in my life… I swear, you'd think he was in junior high and the prom queen offered him a dance."
Amused, she grinned wryly. "I imagine he was just startled… He said something about being a former reporter and his honesty was refreshing, I suppose I just wanted to return the favor." Sitting back in her seat, she twirled her wine glass and searched for a topic-changer. She was as surprised as anyone when she instead asked, "How is it you know Mr. Queen anyway?"
"Oliver and my son Clark have been friends since high school… They met when they were, oh, thirteen, I think." She smiled fondly. "Inseparable since." Her head tipped curiously. "Do you have any close friends like that?"
Remembering Victor, AC and Bart, Chloe nodded. "Unfortunately, I didn't have the pleasure of knowing them in high school; it probably would have made Excelsior a lot more entertaining. But yes, I have a few close friends that I would trust my life with."
Martha nodded agreeably. "That's how Clark and Oliver are. Have been since they met. And I guess with how unusual Smallville is, the chaos only encouraged a sense of brotherhood." She smiled warmly. "Which I'm glad for. Friendships like that are worth holding onto."
"Yes, they are. It sounds like your son and Oliver were very lucky."
"Fate is funny that way… You know, Clark has only recently begun dating Oliver's cousin, Lois. For all her stubborn nature, I think she might just be perfect for him…" Eyes glimmering knowingly, she peered up at Chloe. "I suppose love has a way of finding you even when you're not looking for it… In the most unexpected of people too."
She stared at her a long moment before finally glancing away. "I think I read somewhere that you were a city girl before you met your husband?" She swallowed tightly. "That you left it all for farm life in Smallville?"
"I don't think I left anything… I think I found something better." She sipped her wine before musing, "Oliver's a lot like my Jonathon was… He could be too prideful, unwilling to accept help sometimes… And he thought little of people with too much money or power…"
"And yet he wanted to be a senator?" Her brows quirked.
"He wanted to give the little people a voice," Martha explained. "And he thought there was no one better than someone who knew what they'd been through."
She nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, Martha… But I am happy that you've decided to continue with his work."
"So am I." She smiled widely. "And I'm glad to have your support, Miss. Sullivan. To be honest, I feel a bit out of my element trying to gain backers… I don't know who to trust and who to avoid… Lionel's been a great help in that."
"Lionel suggested you accept my support?" she asked, surprised.
"Actually, I didn't ask for his opinion in the matter of you," she admitted. "I did my research on you myself and I liked what I found out… You're charitable, Miss. Sullivan, and I think you're a very genuine person."
"I try to be," she said softly.
"You've succeeded." Reaching across, she squeezed Chloe's hand. "I think your parents would be very proud of you."
Chloe couldn't help the way her eyes shone with gratitude. She was too choked to thank her for that.
The waiter approached and asked if they knew what they wanted to order and the moment was lost. The rest of their lunch was spent discussing Martha's platform and what she wanted to accomplish as a senator. But Chloe held on to her words and thought for the first time that it was nice to be recognized; while she'd read dozens of articles toting her as a great person for her humanitarian acts, to hear it from a real person, someone who truly believed what they were saying, a mother no less, meant far more. And even though she was half sure that Martha was interested in setting her up with Oliver, she still couldn't say it wasn't all worth it.
As they parted outside the restaurant, Chloe smiled at the woman buttoning her coat next to her. "So I guess I'll see you at the benefit next week?"
"Yes," Martha agreed, nodding. "And if you're ever in Smallville, please look me up…" As she began walking away, she paused. "And stop by The Talon," she suggested with a knowing smile. "I think you'll like their special." With a wave, she bid farewell and turned to leave.
Chloe watched after her and shook her head. While Martha seemed a good, wholesome, down-to-earth woman, she just knew there was a manipulative, scheming side to her. She would make a good politician, she thought; emphasis on the good.
[Next: Part III.]