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babydee1Hi, everyone,
So, I put it off for as long as I possibly could, but it seems the hour of reckoning has arrived. For what I am about to do, I ask that you please forgive me. :-(
I’ll make it better, I promise. xoxo
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ellashy.
Title: Beauty in the Breakdown X: Snow Angel
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13) New Series.
Warnings: ***Angst*** A re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
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. Tenth story in the BITB Series.
Story Summary: Very early into their marriage, Chloe and Oliver suffer a crippling loss. Very angsty
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read the previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
Chloe was right. Lois knocked on her door twenty minutes later, a huge bunch of flowers in her hands.
“Congratulations, li’l mama!” Lois squealed, wrapping her free arm around her in a gentle hug. “You’re having a baby, I can’t believe it!”
“I know, it still feels unreal,” she said smiling at her cousin. “You’re gonna be an auntie, Lo.”
“This is so amazing!” Lois said in awe. She handed the flowers over and closed the door. “So, give me all the details! How and when did you find out?”
“I went for a check-up with my gynaecologist after my periods stopped; I thought it due to stress,” she replied. “I had no idea there was a little Queen on board.”
“Wow,” Lois whispered.
Chloe grinned. “I know.” She lifted the flowers to her nose and inhaled. “These are lovely Lois; thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So, how far along are you?” her cousin asked, following her through to the kitchen. “And how did Oliver react to the news?”
Chloe paused in the act of picking out a vase and smiled. “It was a bit of a shock to both of us, as we weren’t even trying; but all the evidence points to conception taking place on our wedding night.”
Lois’s jaw dropped. “But that’s almost three months ago!”
Chloe nodded. “I know. Scary, huh?”
Lois stared at her midsection and folded her arms. “Huh; I see it now, the tiniest hint of a bump. How did I not notice this before?”
“Hey, none of us did, so you’re well off the hook,” Chloe mused. “I guess we were all mentally preoccupied, what with Mom passing away, and since we weren’t expecting anything to happen, it was the furthest thing from our minds.”
“How do you feel?” Lois asked, studying her carefully. “Is everything okay?
“I feel fine. Now that I know I’m pregnant, I can feel these weird twinges in my lower belly. Like now,” she said, rubbing her abdomen gently.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little bit, but I’m told that’s normal at the start of the second trimester as the baby grows.”
“Can I touch the bump?”
“Of course.”
Lois gently rested her hand on the gentle swell, her eyes widening in fascination. “You should be due a sonogram soon,” Lois observed.
“Yep; we’re having that done today.”
Her cousin’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s perfect timing; now that I’m here, I can go with you!”
Chloe cleared her throat. “Well, um…the thing is, Lo…I think this is something that Oliver and I should do alone.”
Lois’s face fell. “But I’m your cousin!” she said plaintively. “And I’m sure Oliver wouldn’t mind.”
“He wouldn’t mind, no; but we need to do this as first-time parents,” Chloe said gently but firmly. “You’ll get to see the picture after we return from the hospital, and there’ll be more sonogram visits that you can attend later on…but this first time has to be just Oliver and me. I hope you understand.”
Lois looked crestfallen, but she put on a brave face and smiled.
“Of course I do,” she said, ruffling her fingers through Chloe’s hair. “But I had to try. That’s my niece or nephew in there, and I’m dying to know what he or she looks like!”
Chloe sighed. “Well, I’m sure Oliver wouldn’t mind if you waited out in the hall while we’re having the scan,” she relented.
Lois grinned. “That works for me.”
Chloe returned her smile, then winced slightly as she felt another twinge in her belly, stronger than the last one. Lois noticed her discomfort, and tilted her head with a frown.
“Another one?”
Chloe nodded. “Feels like it.”
A worried expression crossed her face. “Are they supposed to be that frequent?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But we’re seeing the doctor in a couple of hours, so I’ll—”
A searing pain lanced across her lower belly, abruptly cutting off her words. At the same time, her abdomen contracted so sharply that tears sprang to her eyes. Chloe groaned and clutched her stomach in a vain attempt to ease the pain, but the ache only intensified.
“Chloe!” Lois was yelling frantically. “Chloe, are you okay?”
“No,” Chloe managed through gritted teeth. She stared up at her cousin. “Call my husband. Now.”
***
Meetings. Sometimes it felt like his life was full of them.
Oliver Queen sighed and packed up his briefcase for the day. The video conference with the governor had run long, leaving him with just enough time to pick up his wife before they headed out to lunch.
And after lunch…a smile crept up his face as it did whenever his baby came to mind. After lunch, they would officially meet their little girl. He knew it was a girl. Chloe would probably protest otherwise until the child made its exit, but Oliver was so sure of his daughter’s presence that he’d already earmarked a small fortune on pink accessories for the nursery. Funny; he’d always been disdainful of parents who kitted their daughters out in signature pink and their baby sons in powder blue, but for the first time in his life, he could understand why.
The express elevator carried him all the way down to the basement parking lot, and he made his way over to his car. Once inside, he reached for his cell to place a call his wife. As if on cue, the phone buzzed and her smiling face appeared on the screen.
Oliver smiled and buckled his seatbelt as he held the phone up to his ear.
“You must have read my mind, Bella, because I was just about to—”
“Oliver, it’s Lois.”
“Lois?” he replied, blinking in surprise. “What are you—?”
“I’m at your apartment, you have to come home now,” she said urgently. “It’s Chloe, she’s—oh, God…”
The worry in her voice instantly turned the blood in his veins to ice.
“What is it, Lois?” he asked, his hand shaking. “Is she okay? What’s happened? How is she?”
“Just get here as fast as you can,” she pleaded.
“But what—?”
The line went dead.
Oliver sat immobile, his limbs suddenly as heavy as lead. A long-buried but unforgotten feeling of dread stole over him, and he stared at the disconnected handset in shock.
Then both phone and briefcase fell to the floor of the car, and he fired up the engine and shot out of the car park at top speed.
***
Traffic lights whizzed by in a maze of colour, but Oliver ignored each and every one. He could deal with the speeding tickets later; right now, he was determined to get home as fast as his vehicle would carry him, even if it meant breaking the law.
He gripped the steering wheel with tight fingers, his knuckles deathly white as his foot flattened the accelerator pedal. Lois’s ominous words reverberated in his brain over and over again, getting louder with every second.
It’s Chloe…just get here as fast as you can.
A still coldness crept along his veins, numbing his entire body. He drew in a shuddering breath and his hands tightened on the wheel. His treacherous mind conjured up haunting memories from the past and gristly images of the sight that could be awaiting him at home; horrible, terrifying images that slid in and out of his brain, each scenario worse than the last.
I can’t lose her, he prayed. Please God, don’t let me lose her.
After what felt like an eternity, his car roared into the underground car park at the Clocktower. In a flash he was out of the car and in the express elevator, pushing the button for his penthouse apartment.
“Come on. Come on…” he urged as the car ascended. Finally there was a soft ping, and the doors slowly began to open. Too slowly. Without a care for his personal safety, he yanked the grate open and lunged into the den of the apartment.
“Chloe?” he bellowed. “Chloe?”
He heard quick footsteps approaching, and then Lois appeared from the bedroom area.
“Lois, where—” the words died on his lips when he saw the expression on her face. Her eyes were full of sadness, and her hands…
…her hands were covered in blood.
“I’m sorry, Ollie,” she whispered hoarsely.
A sickening feeling of dread and pain slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer. He shook his head in denial. “No.”
“We couldn’t stop it, it just…it just happened—”
“NO!” he yelled, shaking his head in fury. It was happening again, just like it had all those years ago. A strange feeling of emptiness crept into his heart, and his vision blurred with tears.
He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t.
He pushed past Lois and ran down the corridor before stumbling into the bedroom he shared with his wife.
“Chloe!” he called desperately. “Chloe?”
His voice caught in his throat as he spotted her sitting motionless in the centre of the bed. Her eyes were fixed in a blank, sightless stare, her mouth slightly parted in shock.
He swallowed past his dry throat and rushed to her side. “Chloe?” he whispered, kneeling beside her. He gently cupped her tearstained cheeks and stared at her shocked expression. “Oh, God…”
Slowly she lifted her gaze to meet his, and the sorrow in her eyes tore into his heart. She shook her head, and her face crumpled as she dropped her gaze. He followed her line of sight, his eyes trailing downwards until his breath hitched in his throat with shock.
She was holding a thick towel between her legs, trying unsuccessfully to staunch the heavy flow emanating from her body, but it was no use, Her hands, the towel and the bed were all soaked with blood.
“No…” he moaned in anguish. “Please God, no…”
“Our baby’s gone,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, Ollie; I’m so sorry...”
***
To be continued…
So, I put it off for as long as I possibly could, but it seems the hour of reckoning has arrived. For what I am about to do, I ask that you please forgive me. :-(
I’ll make it better, I promise. xoxo
Banner by
ellashy. Title: Beauty in the Breakdown X: Snow Angel
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter PG-13) New Series.
Warnings: ***Angst*** A re-telling of Chlollie post-Warrior
Timeline: Season 9
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. Tenth story in the BITB Series.
Story Summary: Very early into their marriage, Chloe and Oliver suffer a crippling loss. Very angsty
Feedback: …Always. :)
Read the previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
Chloe was right. Lois knocked on her door twenty minutes later, a huge bunch of flowers in her hands.
“Congratulations, li’l mama!” Lois squealed, wrapping her free arm around her in a gentle hug. “You’re having a baby, I can’t believe it!”
“I know, it still feels unreal,” she said smiling at her cousin. “You’re gonna be an auntie, Lo.”
“This is so amazing!” Lois said in awe. She handed the flowers over and closed the door. “So, give me all the details! How and when did you find out?”
“I went for a check-up with my gynaecologist after my periods stopped; I thought it due to stress,” she replied. “I had no idea there was a little Queen on board.”
“Wow,” Lois whispered.
Chloe grinned. “I know.” She lifted the flowers to her nose and inhaled. “These are lovely Lois; thank you.”
“You’re welcome. So, how far along are you?” her cousin asked, following her through to the kitchen. “And how did Oliver react to the news?”
Chloe paused in the act of picking out a vase and smiled. “It was a bit of a shock to both of us, as we weren’t even trying; but all the evidence points to conception taking place on our wedding night.”
Lois’s jaw dropped. “But that’s almost three months ago!”
Chloe nodded. “I know. Scary, huh?”
Lois stared at her midsection and folded her arms. “Huh; I see it now, the tiniest hint of a bump. How did I not notice this before?”
“Hey, none of us did, so you’re well off the hook,” Chloe mused. “I guess we were all mentally preoccupied, what with Mom passing away, and since we weren’t expecting anything to happen, it was the furthest thing from our minds.”
“How do you feel?” Lois asked, studying her carefully. “Is everything okay?
“I feel fine. Now that I know I’m pregnant, I can feel these weird twinges in my lower belly. Like now,” she said, rubbing her abdomen gently.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little bit, but I’m told that’s normal at the start of the second trimester as the baby grows.”
“Can I touch the bump?”
“Of course.”
Lois gently rested her hand on the gentle swell, her eyes widening in fascination. “You should be due a sonogram soon,” Lois observed.
“Yep; we’re having that done today.”
Her cousin’s eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s perfect timing; now that I’m here, I can go with you!”
Chloe cleared her throat. “Well, um…the thing is, Lo…I think this is something that Oliver and I should do alone.”
Lois’s face fell. “But I’m your cousin!” she said plaintively. “And I’m sure Oliver wouldn’t mind.”
“He wouldn’t mind, no; but we need to do this as first-time parents,” Chloe said gently but firmly. “You’ll get to see the picture after we return from the hospital, and there’ll be more sonogram visits that you can attend later on…but this first time has to be just Oliver and me. I hope you understand.”
Lois looked crestfallen, but she put on a brave face and smiled.
“Of course I do,” she said, ruffling her fingers through Chloe’s hair. “But I had to try. That’s my niece or nephew in there, and I’m dying to know what he or she looks like!”
Chloe sighed. “Well, I’m sure Oliver wouldn’t mind if you waited out in the hall while we’re having the scan,” she relented.
Lois grinned. “That works for me.”
Chloe returned her smile, then winced slightly as she felt another twinge in her belly, stronger than the last one. Lois noticed her discomfort, and tilted her head with a frown.
“Another one?”
Chloe nodded. “Feels like it.”
A worried expression crossed her face. “Are they supposed to be that frequent?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But we’re seeing the doctor in a couple of hours, so I’ll—”
A searing pain lanced across her lower belly, abruptly cutting off her words. At the same time, her abdomen contracted so sharply that tears sprang to her eyes. Chloe groaned and clutched her stomach in a vain attempt to ease the pain, but the ache only intensified.
“Chloe!” Lois was yelling frantically. “Chloe, are you okay?”
“No,” Chloe managed through gritted teeth. She stared up at her cousin. “Call my husband. Now.”
***
Meetings. Sometimes it felt like his life was full of them.
Oliver Queen sighed and packed up his briefcase for the day. The video conference with the governor had run long, leaving him with just enough time to pick up his wife before they headed out to lunch.
And after lunch…a smile crept up his face as it did whenever his baby came to mind. After lunch, they would officially meet their little girl. He knew it was a girl. Chloe would probably protest otherwise until the child made its exit, but Oliver was so sure of his daughter’s presence that he’d already earmarked a small fortune on pink accessories for the nursery. Funny; he’d always been disdainful of parents who kitted their daughters out in signature pink and their baby sons in powder blue, but for the first time in his life, he could understand why.
The express elevator carried him all the way down to the basement parking lot, and he made his way over to his car. Once inside, he reached for his cell to place a call his wife. As if on cue, the phone buzzed and her smiling face appeared on the screen.
Oliver smiled and buckled his seatbelt as he held the phone up to his ear.
“You must have read my mind, Bella, because I was just about to—”
“Oliver, it’s Lois.”
“Lois?” he replied, blinking in surprise. “What are you—?”
“I’m at your apartment, you have to come home now,” she said urgently. “It’s Chloe, she’s—oh, God…”
The worry in her voice instantly turned the blood in his veins to ice.
“What is it, Lois?” he asked, his hand shaking. “Is she okay? What’s happened? How is she?”
“Just get here as fast as you can,” she pleaded.
“But what—?”
The line went dead.
Oliver sat immobile, his limbs suddenly as heavy as lead. A long-buried but unforgotten feeling of dread stole over him, and he stared at the disconnected handset in shock.
Then both phone and briefcase fell to the floor of the car, and he fired up the engine and shot out of the car park at top speed.
***
Traffic lights whizzed by in a maze of colour, but Oliver ignored each and every one. He could deal with the speeding tickets later; right now, he was determined to get home as fast as his vehicle would carry him, even if it meant breaking the law.
He gripped the steering wheel with tight fingers, his knuckles deathly white as his foot flattened the accelerator pedal. Lois’s ominous words reverberated in his brain over and over again, getting louder with every second.
It’s Chloe…just get here as fast as you can.
A still coldness crept along his veins, numbing his entire body. He drew in a shuddering breath and his hands tightened on the wheel. His treacherous mind conjured up haunting memories from the past and gristly images of the sight that could be awaiting him at home; horrible, terrifying images that slid in and out of his brain, each scenario worse than the last.
I can’t lose her, he prayed. Please God, don’t let me lose her.
After what felt like an eternity, his car roared into the underground car park at the Clocktower. In a flash he was out of the car and in the express elevator, pushing the button for his penthouse apartment.
“Come on. Come on…” he urged as the car ascended. Finally there was a soft ping, and the doors slowly began to open. Too slowly. Without a care for his personal safety, he yanked the grate open and lunged into the den of the apartment.
“Chloe?” he bellowed. “Chloe?”
He heard quick footsteps approaching, and then Lois appeared from the bedroom area.
“Lois, where—” the words died on his lips when he saw the expression on her face. Her eyes were full of sadness, and her hands…
…her hands were covered in blood.
“I’m sorry, Ollie,” she whispered hoarsely.
A sickening feeling of dread and pain slammed into him with the force of a sledgehammer. He shook his head in denial. “No.”
“We couldn’t stop it, it just…it just happened—”
“NO!” he yelled, shaking his head in fury. It was happening again, just like it had all those years ago. A strange feeling of emptiness crept into his heart, and his vision blurred with tears.
He couldn’t lose her. He just couldn’t.
He pushed past Lois and ran down the corridor before stumbling into the bedroom he shared with his wife.
“Chloe!” he called desperately. “Chloe?”
His voice caught in his throat as he spotted her sitting motionless in the centre of the bed. Her eyes were fixed in a blank, sightless stare, her mouth slightly parted in shock.
He swallowed past his dry throat and rushed to her side. “Chloe?” he whispered, kneeling beside her. He gently cupped her tearstained cheeks and stared at her shocked expression. “Oh, God…”
Slowly she lifted her gaze to meet his, and the sorrow in her eyes tore into his heart. She shook her head, and her face crumpled as she dropped her gaze. He followed her line of sight, his eyes trailing downwards until his breath hitched in his throat with shock.
She was holding a thick towel between her legs, trying unsuccessfully to staunch the heavy flow emanating from her body, but it was no use, Her hands, the towel and the bed were all soaked with blood.
“No…” he moaned in anguish. “Please God, no…”
“Our baby’s gone,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry, Ollie; I’m so sorry...”
***
To be continued…
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![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 06:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 03:32 am (UTC)I knew it was coming, but...ugh. *heart broken* Thanks for the chapter. *curls up in a ball*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 06:58 am (UTC)Sorry for making you feel sad. As I said above, I'll make it all better and I'm already mapping out the return to the happy journey.
Many thanks for your comments, hun. *hugs*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 11:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 06:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 04:31 pm (UTC)I refuse to beleive that Chlollie will not ge through this together!!! They have been through so much already and have come so far. Sure Chloe might want to pull away from Ollie, but he knows his wife better then anyone. He won't let her be her own worst enemy and vice versa.
I am really going to hold you to your word that things will get better too!!!
Thank you for the awesomely sad update.
Happy writing.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 04:32 pm (UTC)Thanks for this chapter...
no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:24 pm (UTC)Thanks for commenting!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 04:34 pm (UTC)*sobbing in a corner*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-02 09:57 pm (UTC)I'm sorry, babes. Hand on heart, I'll fix it!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 05:57 pm (UTC)One thing I love is that when Lois called Oliver he got worried sick because he was afraid of losing Chloe, not only the baby. He just thought about her, now that's true love.
I'm also curious as to what caused the miscarriage, it just happened out of the blue, feels like fate's against them...
Now, just fix this Dee! *grumbles* I'm gonna cry in a quiet corner until then! :'(
no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:50 pm (UTC)I am so, so sorry, Mark. I love Chlollie so much, and I don't like to put them through hell (though it makes for damn good storytelling!) This series in particular is meant to be their Happy!Series, and I had gotten to a point in the story where I could either give them the baby and the happy ending, or throw in a bit of grief and stretch it out a little bit more. The good news is that I'll need at least two more instalments to bring them back to that Happy Place, so I figured you'd all forgive me if it meant you get more stories out of it. ;-)
"One thing I love is that when Lois called Oliver he got worried sick because he was afraid of losing Chloe, not only the baby. He just thought about her, now that's true love."
*hi-fives you* I am so, so glad you picked up on that, because it's very significant to the rest of the story. You'll see what I mean when I post the next few chapters. ;-)
"I'm also curious as to what caused the miscarriage, it just happened out of the blue..."
...as miscarriages often do. It's one of those things that sometimes just can't be explained, and looking for reasons leads to the apportionment of blame, and I'm trying not to go down that road. They'll be blaming themselves (not each other!) enough as it is. :-(
"feels like fate's against them..."
Not for long, Mark, I promise. :-)
"Now, just fix this Dee! *grumbles* I'm gonna cry in a quiet corner until then! :'(
There, there, my dear *huggles* Once again, I'm very sorry, and I will fix it! :-)
Thanks for the awesome review, babes.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:27 pm (UTC)Sorry to make you sad, but the sorrow is only temporary (there, I gave you a spoiler after all!)
*hugs*
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:30 pm (UTC)Many thanks for your comments, babes. Glad you like!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-01 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-02 08:58 am (UTC)Okay now that you broke it - fix it please....
no subject
Date: 2013-10-02 05:53 pm (UTC)Thanks for your compliments, babes, and sorry for making you upset. If its any consolation, you were not alone; I went through a few boxes of tissues whilst I was writing it. *sniff* :-(
" Okay now that you broke it - fix it please...."
I'm on it!
no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 10:22 am (UTC)Please dont let my Chlollie falls apart, i cant stand them unhappy :(
U had to fix... soon please :)
Cant wait for the update !
no subject
Date: 2013-10-03 01:37 pm (UTC)I'm sorry! *hugs you* :-(
"Please dont let my Chlollie falls apart, i cant stand them unhappy :( "
There's no way I'll break them up. No way. I don't like to see them sad, and I'm working hard on turning that around.
"U had to fix... soon please :)
Cant wait for the update !"
Hoping to update this week, or next. Thanks for your comments!