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Chlollie Fanfic: Beauty in the Breakdown IX, 'Fessing Up, Chapter 8
Many thanks for all your lovely feedback, it really keeps me going. I promise to respond to you all eventually; I think you'd all much prefer I crank these chapters out as fast as I possibly can. ;-)
PS: I've included the Clark/Ollie conversation from Season 8's Bloodline, as a number of readers weren't aware that Oliver's stern words were the catalyst for Clark's mindwipe. Text quoted from the conversation is pretty much verbatim.
Enjoy!
*Winner of Best Chloe/Oliver Fanfiction in the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif){kind=small}
sv_fca Awards
**Nominated for Best Series in thesv_fca Awards
***Best Chlollie Fanfiction Cover win for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
ellashy for BITB IV: Falling In (thanks, Ella!) 
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown IX – ‘Fessing Up
Author: BabyDee
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: PG-13 (for adult themes)
Warnings: A Re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline*: Season 9 (recap of Clark/Ollie talk from Season 8’s Bloodline)*
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Series Summary: With Oliver by her side, Chloe learns to let go, find peace, and fall in love.
Story Summary: Chloe upped and got married. Lois is not amused. :)
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 8
“I spoke to Chloe,” Clark said. “She said if it wasn’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. Thanks.”
Oliver regarded him with a raised brow. “Actually, if it wasn’t for Chloe tweaking into a supercomputer, you wouldn’t be here right now,” he said dryly. “Her eyes went white, and she…with one hand, mind you…pushed me into the other room.” He got to his feet and stared at the other man with a challenging stare. “What happened to her?”
Clark swallowed. “Brainiac, he infected her somehow.”
Oliver’s heart filled with dread. He and Chloe weren’t the closest of friends, but seeing her eyes go lifeless as the blood drained out of her nose had shaken him to the core. She’d brushed it off afterward, but he’d suspected there’d been more to it than met the eye.
Now the worst had been confirmed. He’d always been wary of Clark’s alien nature and tended to steer clear of the finer points of the other man’s heritage, but even he knew that Brainiac was bad news.
“What are you doing about this?” he demanded.
Clark shrugged. “Everything I can. I’ve tried to talk to her, but I can’t control her life,” he replied lamely.
“Her life?” Oliver echoed. “It’s not her life anymore, Clark – she’s living yours. Chloe’s knee-deep in these situations that – pardon the expression – that humans just don’t understand.” He lowered his voice and his eyes bore into Clark’s. “As her best friend, make her stop before she gets hurt.”
***
The pacing stopped.
Oliver swallowed past the dryness in his throat as Chloe stood stock still and stared at him, her wide eyes utterly confused.
“You?” she echoed in a whisper. “Oliver, I don’t understand...”
“I kind of...pressured Clark into taking decisive action about your safety,” he replied quietly.
Chloe frowned. “When was this?”
“Last year,” he said bleakly. “When you used that Kryptonian crystal to pull Clark out of the Phantom Zone and back to earth.”
She nodded, but a frown still creased her brow. “What did you say to him?” she asked curiously.
Oliver swallowed and took her hand. “Basically that he was selfish, and that if he wasn’t careful you were going to end up dead because of him.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What? But why?”
He sighed and stroked her hair. “Chloe, I was there, remember?” he said. “When you held your hand over that Kryptonian machine, you started shaking. Your eyes went white, and you started bleeding right there in front of me. I tried to stop you, to break the connection, but you shoved me so hard, I passed out.”
She gaped. “I did?”
He nodded. “I went clean into the next room. When I came to, everything was back to normal, but there was still blood on your face, and…well, I guess I’d just seen enough,” he continued. “I accosted Clark at the Farm and told him that you almost died trying to save his life.”
He took her hands and rested his forehead against hers. “I threatened him, Chloe. I ordered him to make some important changes to his life before he did something that would get you hurt again; but never in my wildest dreams did I think he would do something as serious as erase your memories.”
Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly.
“I wish he’d told me sooner,” she said sadly after several long minutes. “A lot sooner. I’ve been going out of my mind all this time, wondering…” she trailed off and took his hand, tightening her fingers around his.
“At least now I know why,” she went on. “But he was an idiot to think he could ever get away with not telling me.”
“He’s told you now,” Oliver said gently.
Her expression darkened and she shook her head. “He wouldn’t have if you hadn’t compelled him to, and that’s not right.” Her fingers uncurled from his and she went back to leaning on the balcony railing. “I can’t believe Clark would do such a thing to someone he called his best friend. He would have let me go to my grave with no knowledge of this, and I’d have been none the wiser.”
Oliver turned her to face him and held her face in his hands. “It was a bone-headed thing he did, for sure, there’s no disputing that,” he said softly. “But he was between a rock and a hard place at the time, and he honestly thought he was protecting you. All of us have made at least one stupid decision that had serious repercussions which we’ve regretted; this is his. But he’s told you the truth now, and he’s very, very sorry.” He stroked her arms and kissed the top of her head gently. “Forgive him, Chloe. Let it go.”
She sighed deeply and turned into his arms, squeezing him tight.
“Already have,” she whispered against his chest, and he smiled into her hair.
“Attagirl.”
“But that doesn’t mean I’m not still mad about this,” she added harshly. “Oliver, he let me get married with half a brain in my head!”
There was a long pause before Oliver answered.
“So did I,” he whispered brokenly, “Chloe, I…I had the chance to stop you, and I didn’t.”
She paused for all of one second before replying.
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
***
Oliver blinked suddenly. Those were not the words he’d expected to hear, positive though they were. He leaned back and looked at her carefully.
“You are?”
She nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
“But…but I could have stopped you from marrying Jimmy.”
“Let’s say you did,” she said, “…and he and all our guests were waiting at the barn when Doomsday showed up. What do you think would have happened then?”
“Well, he’d still have gone on a rampage, that much is sure,” he replied, wondering where she was going with this.
“And what would he have done when he hadn’t found me there?”
“Probably torn through half of Kansas trying to find you,” he replied, his eyes widening in realisation.
“Exactly,” she replied. “And who knows how many people he may have killed then?”
Oliver stared at his wife as her logic made complete sense. Doomsday would have ripped the barn apart trying to find her, killing everyone including Clark, and he would have stopped at nothing to find her.
Chloe tilted her head and smiled up at him. “A wise person once told me that the decisions we made in the past have led us to where we are today,” she said. “I like where we are today. And I know you do, too.”
He felt a smile spreading across his face. “I do, as it happens,” he said. “And I’m intrigued as to who this wise person might be. Any pointers?”
She shrugged daintily. “Some tall blond gentleman with a penchant for archery…I forget his name,” she replied, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to brush her lips against his. “…but I think I may have married him a couple of weeks ago.”
Not just married him, but clearly also forgiven him, he thought jubilantly as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with all the love in his heart. He hadn’t even had to apologise, obviously because as far as she was concerned, there was nothing to apologise for.
He loved her so damned much right now.
“Did I tell you I love you yet?” he murmured against her lips, and she smiled.
“Only every day.”
***
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AWESOME new chapter sweetie! Love that S8 Bloodline talk! *sniff* no Kara. lol
Really missing you in my journals.
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I'll never read Chlollie. You can't make me. Nuh-uh, no way. Nope. Not a chance.
So I didn't read the story, but I wanted to congratulate you on your nomination and win.
You're so awesome Dee. I want to be just like Dee when I grow up!
x
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It was good that Chloe and Oliver have everything out in the open. That's what bothered me the most of the whole mind wipe was that it was just swept under the rug without consequences.
“Did I tell you I love you yet?” he murmured against her lips, and she smiled.
“Only every day.”
Oh my adorable blondes!!!! so cute and lovely!!!!
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This chapter... Glad you addressed the mind wipe thing...Chloe rationale for not being mad at Ollie not stopping her was a good call, reinforcing the "giving" side of Chloe.
Ahhh another fantastic installment to the series almost done.
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Lovely chapter, thanks for updating :)
And yeah, Clark is forgiven, but it doesn't mean Chloe can't give him a hard time about it LOL
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Can I just say how proud and happy it makes me to see those banners up there for you? *g* So, SO well-deserved, my petal. *applauds wildly*
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I'm so glad Oliver and Chloe talked about this. Aren't they just perfect, aren't they doing things right this time around? It makes me so happy.
I like the ending. Telling them you love them every day? Checked!
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Remember those moments in Bloodline, was perfect. Oliver was very concerned about Chloe there, he and Clark lived in this contest for Chloe, and dueling over who put her in more danger (an absurd, childish of both). And now Oliver is being totally honest with her, with his wife, something that he loves to remember and it's wonderful, because it is the basis of their relationship, and shows how they love one another. Chloe's reaction was great, I loved how she referred to him as a tall blonde with whom she is married.lol They love being married, love the married life.:D Beautiful story. :)
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Be back to comment in full later, just want to put the finishing touches to Chapter 9. ;-)
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Oh, this quote! It pushes so many of my buttons. I remember being insanely furious at Oliver to presume to speak for Chloe. Sure, maybe he didn't have a clue and didn't want to have a clue about all that alien crap, but that didn't mean that Chloe wasn't handling what was thrown at her as well or better than anyone, human or Kryptonian, could. GRRRRR!!!!!
Of course he was right that Clark was being an arse and a half sticking his head in the ground and ignoring her Brainiac infection like he pretty much did her healing ability. Oh, well, she says she's handling it, so I'll just leave her more alone then ever before. Clark was being stupid and blind, but I wanted to and still want to slap Oliver for projecting his own freak out about alien things on to Chloe. It's not like being from Krypton made Clark a sudden expert on things he didn't know about! It was like Oliver in one fell swoop erased Clark's memory of all that Chloe HAD accomplished and come to understand about "these situations".
I can't help but remember when he bragged to Kara that she was the smartest person he knew and called Chloe to mind to refute the crap Fine was spewing about humans being unreliable. Suddenly she should was not capable of dealing with anything alien in nature?
Chloe was in over her head (mostly because something had taken over it) but Oliver's latent xenophobia was the cherry on the top that stripped Chloe's status as partner in figuring Clark's life out, to don't mess with my business, just watch my back girl.
Sorry, unresolved anger issues. Season eight has a hell of a lot to answer for.
Clears throat. Putting my Chlollie hat back on.
I give Oliver a lot of credit for getting his head back on straight and owning up to his mistakes and I remain so proud of the levelheaded, big hearted, FORGIVING, woman Chloe has become. I'm very pleased that she has found the happiness she is looking for and alone with it, some closure on questions that must have been plauging her all alone.