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babydee1Happy Easter, Everybody! :-)
Another update on Tricksies, early as promised as I was inspired to write by all your lovely comments, and nice and long to make up for the brevity of the previous one. Hope you like it!
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ellashy.
Title: Up to Tricksies
Author:babydee1
Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Timeline: FutureFic
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Through covert scheming and careful planning (or not!), Oliver Queen finally gets his wish. Sixth story in the Funsies Series.
Feedback: …is a terrible thing to keep to yourself. ;-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
He had a split lip and a swollen eye, but Oliver ignored the pain thrumming through his face and paced worriedly as he waited for Clark to return.
This wasn’t going down the way he’d thought it would. If she was pregnant – and he was sure she was – he’d imagined she’d show some initial reproach, but thought that the joy of starting a family with him would overshadow any ill-feelings she might have harboured about his deception.
Now…
He glanced at his wife on the other side of the room, and saw her tapping her foot nervously on the floor. Now he wasn’t so sure his marriage would emerge unscathed, whether she was pregnant or not.
Lois hung up the phone and re-entered the room. “That was Perry,” she said apologetically. “He said that if I’m not at the airport in half an hour, I can kiss my job goodbye. I really don’t want to leave you right now, but…”
“It’s okay, Lo; I understand,” Chloe replied. “You have a plane to catch.”
Lois hugged her. “I’ll see you as soon as I get back. You’ll keep me posted, alright?”
“I will.”
Lois turned her flinty gaze on him. “As for you,” she said reproachfully, “Deleting that reminder was wrong on so many levels. But no matter how it happened, what’s done is done, and you two need to have a seriously long talk.”
“We will,” Oliver promised.
“We won’t,” Chloe said under her breath.
“Lois gave her one last hug. “Try not to get too worked up, okay?” she said gently. “I have to go. Say goodbye to Clark for me; I expect he’s in the little boy’s room.”
She left the apartment, leaving them alone in silence. Oliver took a deep breath and spoke.
“Chloe –”
“Don’t.” She paced up and down on the other side of the room, exhaling loudly when Clark sped in a few moments later.
“I just got a whole bunch,” he said apologetically as he handed over three different types of pregnancy tests. Silently Chloe took them from him and headed to the bathroom, slamming the door loudly behind her.
Clark turned to him and shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus, Oliver, what were you thinking?”
Oliver closed his eyes. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“And now?”
“I feel bad for upsetting her…but I’m not sorry she’s pregnant,” he admitted.
“She may not be.”
“She is,” he said confidently. “I know she is.”
“If she is, then you’re in a lot of trouble,” Clark said grimly. “This is not something you decide on your own, Oliver; you should have been more patient. Couldn’t you have talked to her about it first?”
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve brought it up, only for her to change the subject?” he grated. “Don’t talk to me about patience, Clark. I waited over a year for her to admit that she even loved me, and that was only because she thought I was dead!”
“Well, I still say this is a moot point until she comes out of the bathroom,” Clark replied. “If she’s not pregnant, you’ve just dodged a major bullet and you have some serious apologising to do. If she is…” Clark took a deep breath. “I don’t know, man. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that will make the situation better.”
“Chloe and I have been through worse and come out fine,” Oliver said tersely. “Starting a family was always part of our plan.”
“Long term plan, I’ll bet.”
Oliver flashed him a stony glare. “She loves me, and once she gets used to the idea of becoming a mom, she’ll love the baby, too. We’ll get through this, like we get through everything. Successfully.”
“I really hope you’re right, for both your sakes,” Clark replied, clearly unconvinced.
Oliver paced some more, his gaze only leaving the bathroom door to glance at his watch.
“Damn it, how long does it take to pee on a stick?” he finally said in exasperation.
“Three sticks,” Clark corrected. “Actually six, since each pack contains two test kits.”
“And you think she’s going to use all six of them?”
Just then, Chloe emerged from the bathroom, clutching a handful of test wands.
“There’s your answer,” Clark replied.
Oliver gulped, his heart thumping wildly and his hands shaking in anticipation. Chloe had been crying; her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was sniffing loudly as she walked towards them.
“Well?” he whispered, not quite daring to hope.
She glared at him and threw all the sticks at his chest without breaking stride. “Satisfied?” she growled as she stormed past.
She went and stood by the Clocktower window, her shoulders shaking with barely contained fury. Oliver picked one of the wands off the floor and held his breath as he lifted it to his eye level.
There was a smiley face in the indicator window, beside which the words pregnant: 7 weeks + 4 days were clearly visible.
***
Even though he’d expected it, seeing it confirmed was a huge, life-altering moment. Oliver trembled and fell to his knees, scrambling to check the readers on the other five test wands one by one. All of them, though worded slightly differently, contained the same basic information: his wife was pregnant with his child.
“She’s pregnant,” he whispered. “Oh, man. This shit just got real.”
Clark leaned down behind him and read the information on the wand Oliver was holding in his unsteady hand. “Nearly eight weeks already,” he said, his eyes wide. “Wow.”
“We’re having a baby,” Oliver said in a daze. “We’re actually having a baby.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Clark’s smiling face.
“Congratulations, Oliver,” he said warmly. “You’ll be a great father.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a wry smile as he glanced at Chloe’s stiff back. “Assuming the mother lets me live long enough to witness it.” He stood up and carefully prodded his still stinging, reddening jaw. “She’s never hit me before. I’ve just realised exactly how much of a responsibility I’ve placed on Chloe without her permission. In fact, I’ve never seen her so mad in her life.”
“Neither have I, and that’s going back quite far,” Clark said, his expression grim.
“Clark, could you leave us alone, please?” she said quietly, not even turning to look at them. “As I’m sure you’ll expect, my husband and I have much to discuss.”
Clark left his side and went over to Chloe. “Will you promise not to kill him if I leave?” he asked her with a hesitant smile.
She snorted. “And tell my kid what?” she asked derisively. “Hey, I ripped your dad’s balls off because he put you in me?”
Clark blushed as red as a beetroot. “Good point. And another mental image I can live without,” he said weakly. He gave her a gentle hug. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but congratulations. We’ll talk later, okay?”
She smiled thinly. “Sure.”
“I’ll see you out,” Oliver offered. Together he and Clark walked to the door and got into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Oliver let out a huge breath.
“What am I gonna do, Clark?” he asked. “I don’t think she’s ready to forgive me.”
“This is a huge breach of her trust, and she’s not going to get over that in a hurry,” Clark said honestly. “I have no doubt that deep down she wants this baby…but becoming a parent should have been on her terms. She’s the one whose life is going to be at risk for the next several months, and possibly longer. This will change your lives forever, and she needed to have been a part of that decision.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Oliver said. “Do you know how many times I tried to talk to her about this?”
“One less time than was necessary,” Clark replied pointedly.
“I just wanted to start a family with the woman I love,” he said, his voice breaking. “Surely you of all people can understand that.”
Clark’s expression softened. “You know I do,” he replied. “I can’t even begin to imagine how traumatic it was for you to lose your parents when you did, and not to have anyone fill that void until Chloe. You just wanted that back again, with her.”
Oliver sighed and nodded. Clark understood him better than he’d thought.
“Your task now is to make Chloe understand that, too,” Clark continued. “I’m sure she already does, but right now she can’t see past the injustice of not being consulted about it. She also missed out on the first seven weeks of her pregnancy. You have to be patient with her while she gets over that.”
Oliver nodded again. “Okay. Listen…thanks for being here, I may not have survived it otherwise.”
The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open. “You’re welcome, and good luck with everything. Holler if you need me.”
***
The ride back up the elevator felt curiously like the Green Mile.
Oliver rehearsed his apology speech, and by the time he reached the Clocktower, he felt he had a passable defence in place. The sooner they got this part behind them, the better, and they could begin to enjoy their coming baby and plan properly for their future.
The main elevator door slid open, as did the security door…but the grate remained closed. Thinking it must be on manual, Oliver yanked on the handle but was surprised to meet with resistance.
“Chloe?” he called. He tried the grate again, but without success. “Honey, the door’s stuck. Can you let me in?”
He waited several seconds, and then she appeared from the other side of the room.
“Oh, there you are,” he said relieved. “The door seems to be stuck –”
“The door’s fine,” she replied calmly. “I changed the access codes.”
Oliver frowned. “Why? Was the security compromised while I was away?”
She stared coldly at him, and realisation dawned. She’d changed them just now, which could mean only one thing...
She was kicking him out.
“Chloe, no –”
“Get out.”
He swallowed. “You said you wanted to talk…”
“Talk?” she echoed, and laughed shortly. “I can barely look at you right now, let alone even think about having a civil conversation with you.”
“But we need to talk about this.” He rattled the door handle even though he knew that it wouldn’t budge. “Please let me in, honey.”
“You need to leave, Oliver,” she said flatly. “Right now.”
He shook his head, determined not to give up that easily. “Chloe, we’re having a baby together. We need to talk about this.”
“Like you talked about it with me before deliberately getting me pregnant?” she retorted. “Get out, Oliver. I won’t ask you again.”
She turned her back on him and folded her arms, and he sighed loudly. “Chloe, come on. At least let me explain myself.”
“I need to stay calm for the baby’s sake, and I can’t do that with you in my line of sight, smirking about your victory as my belly begins to swell,” she said curtly. “If I’m to develop any positive feelings about this child, I can’t have you around me. You need to go away.”
Fear and dread clutched at his heart. “For how long?” he whispered.
“For as long as it takes.”
Oh, no. No, no, no…
Panic gripped him as he realised she meant an indefinite separation. “Chloe, please…let me in, and we can discuss this,” he pleaded through the bars.
“I want you gone, Oliver.”
“Don’t say that, honey, please don’t say that. I love you so much…”
“So you keep saying.”
“Chloe, you know I love you, and as crazy as it sounds, that’s why I did this!”
She spun around and faced him, her nostrils flared in fury. “You know what’s crazy?” she cried. “Forcing someone you claim to love to become a parent before they’re ready! You betrayed me, Oliver! Why don’t you even get that?”
“I know you’re not happy about this right now, but if you let me in, I promise you, we’ll get through this together,” he said desperately. “Don’t throw our future away because you’re pissed at me.”
“The only thing stopping me from calling a divorce lawyer right now is this baby,” she said tightly. “I won’t have him or her being born into a broken home. Now leave, before I change my mind, pick up the phone and take my chances.”
Oliver watched helplessly as she went over to the access panels and pressed the code to activate the main security door.
“Chloe, don’t do this!” he cried. “Please–!”
His plea landed on deaf ears. The security door slammed shut, leaving him alone on the other side with no access to his home or his family.
***
Chapter 6…
Another update on Tricksies, early as promised as I was inspired to write by all your lovely comments, and nice and long to make up for the brevity of the previous one. Hope you like it!
Awesome banner by
ellashy.Title: Up to Tricksies
Author:
babydee1Pairing: Chlollie
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Timeline: FutureFic
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the CW & DC comics.
Summary: Through covert scheming and careful planning (or not!), Oliver Queen finally gets his wish. Sixth story in the Funsies Series.
Feedback: …is a terrible thing to keep to yourself. ;-)
Read previous chapter here.
Read story from the beginning here.
Chapter 5
He had a split lip and a swollen eye, but Oliver ignored the pain thrumming through his face and paced worriedly as he waited for Clark to return.
This wasn’t going down the way he’d thought it would. If she was pregnant – and he was sure she was – he’d imagined she’d show some initial reproach, but thought that the joy of starting a family with him would overshadow any ill-feelings she might have harboured about his deception.
Now…
He glanced at his wife on the other side of the room, and saw her tapping her foot nervously on the floor. Now he wasn’t so sure his marriage would emerge unscathed, whether she was pregnant or not.
Lois hung up the phone and re-entered the room. “That was Perry,” she said apologetically. “He said that if I’m not at the airport in half an hour, I can kiss my job goodbye. I really don’t want to leave you right now, but…”
“It’s okay, Lo; I understand,” Chloe replied. “You have a plane to catch.”
Lois hugged her. “I’ll see you as soon as I get back. You’ll keep me posted, alright?”
“I will.”
Lois turned her flinty gaze on him. “As for you,” she said reproachfully, “Deleting that reminder was wrong on so many levels. But no matter how it happened, what’s done is done, and you two need to have a seriously long talk.”
“We will,” Oliver promised.
“We won’t,” Chloe said under her breath.
“Lois gave her one last hug. “Try not to get too worked up, okay?” she said gently. “I have to go. Say goodbye to Clark for me; I expect he’s in the little boy’s room.”
She left the apartment, leaving them alone in silence. Oliver took a deep breath and spoke.
“Chloe –”
“Don’t.” She paced up and down on the other side of the room, exhaling loudly when Clark sped in a few moments later.
“I just got a whole bunch,” he said apologetically as he handed over three different types of pregnancy tests. Silently Chloe took them from him and headed to the bathroom, slamming the door loudly behind her.
Clark turned to him and shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus, Oliver, what were you thinking?”
Oliver closed his eyes. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“And now?”
“I feel bad for upsetting her…but I’m not sorry she’s pregnant,” he admitted.
“She may not be.”
“She is,” he said confidently. “I know she is.”
“If she is, then you’re in a lot of trouble,” Clark said grimly. “This is not something you decide on your own, Oliver; you should have been more patient. Couldn’t you have talked to her about it first?”
“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve brought it up, only for her to change the subject?” he grated. “Don’t talk to me about patience, Clark. I waited over a year for her to admit that she even loved me, and that was only because she thought I was dead!”
“Well, I still say this is a moot point until she comes out of the bathroom,” Clark replied. “If she’s not pregnant, you’ve just dodged a major bullet and you have some serious apologising to do. If she is…” Clark took a deep breath. “I don’t know, man. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that will make the situation better.”
“Chloe and I have been through worse and come out fine,” Oliver said tersely. “Starting a family was always part of our plan.”
“Long term plan, I’ll bet.”
Oliver flashed him a stony glare. “She loves me, and once she gets used to the idea of becoming a mom, she’ll love the baby, too. We’ll get through this, like we get through everything. Successfully.”
“I really hope you’re right, for both your sakes,” Clark replied, clearly unconvinced.
Oliver paced some more, his gaze only leaving the bathroom door to glance at his watch.
“Damn it, how long does it take to pee on a stick?” he finally said in exasperation.
“Three sticks,” Clark corrected. “Actually six, since each pack contains two test kits.”
“And you think she’s going to use all six of them?”
Just then, Chloe emerged from the bathroom, clutching a handful of test wands.
“There’s your answer,” Clark replied.
Oliver gulped, his heart thumping wildly and his hands shaking in anticipation. Chloe had been crying; her eyes were red-rimmed, and she was sniffing loudly as she walked towards them.
“Well?” he whispered, not quite daring to hope.
She glared at him and threw all the sticks at his chest without breaking stride. “Satisfied?” she growled as she stormed past.
She went and stood by the Clocktower window, her shoulders shaking with barely contained fury. Oliver picked one of the wands off the floor and held his breath as he lifted it to his eye level.
There was a smiley face in the indicator window, beside which the words pregnant: 7 weeks + 4 days were clearly visible.
***
Even though he’d expected it, seeing it confirmed was a huge, life-altering moment. Oliver trembled and fell to his knees, scrambling to check the readers on the other five test wands one by one. All of them, though worded slightly differently, contained the same basic information: his wife was pregnant with his child.
“She’s pregnant,” he whispered. “Oh, man. This shit just got real.”
Clark leaned down behind him and read the information on the wand Oliver was holding in his unsteady hand. “Nearly eight weeks already,” he said, his eyes wide. “Wow.”
“We’re having a baby,” Oliver said in a daze. “We’re actually having a baby.”
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Clark’s smiling face.
“Congratulations, Oliver,” he said warmly. “You’ll be a great father.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a wry smile as he glanced at Chloe’s stiff back. “Assuming the mother lets me live long enough to witness it.” He stood up and carefully prodded his still stinging, reddening jaw. “She’s never hit me before. I’ve just realised exactly how much of a responsibility I’ve placed on Chloe without her permission. In fact, I’ve never seen her so mad in her life.”
“Neither have I, and that’s going back quite far,” Clark said, his expression grim.
“Clark, could you leave us alone, please?” she said quietly, not even turning to look at them. “As I’m sure you’ll expect, my husband and I have much to discuss.”
Clark left his side and went over to Chloe. “Will you promise not to kill him if I leave?” he asked her with a hesitant smile.
She snorted. “And tell my kid what?” she asked derisively. “Hey, I ripped your dad’s balls off because he put you in me?”
Clark blushed as red as a beetroot. “Good point. And another mental image I can live without,” he said weakly. He gave her a gentle hug. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear right now, but congratulations. We’ll talk later, okay?”
She smiled thinly. “Sure.”
“I’ll see you out,” Oliver offered. Together he and Clark walked to the door and got into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Oliver let out a huge breath.
“What am I gonna do, Clark?” he asked. “I don’t think she’s ready to forgive me.”
“This is a huge breach of her trust, and she’s not going to get over that in a hurry,” Clark said honestly. “I have no doubt that deep down she wants this baby…but becoming a parent should have been on her terms. She’s the one whose life is going to be at risk for the next several months, and possibly longer. This will change your lives forever, and she needed to have been a part of that decision.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Oliver said. “Do you know how many times I tried to talk to her about this?”
“One less time than was necessary,” Clark replied pointedly.
“I just wanted to start a family with the woman I love,” he said, his voice breaking. “Surely you of all people can understand that.”
Clark’s expression softened. “You know I do,” he replied. “I can’t even begin to imagine how traumatic it was for you to lose your parents when you did, and not to have anyone fill that void until Chloe. You just wanted that back again, with her.”
Oliver sighed and nodded. Clark understood him better than he’d thought.
“Your task now is to make Chloe understand that, too,” Clark continued. “I’m sure she already does, but right now she can’t see past the injustice of not being consulted about it. She also missed out on the first seven weeks of her pregnancy. You have to be patient with her while she gets over that.”
Oliver nodded again. “Okay. Listen…thanks for being here, I may not have survived it otherwise.”
The elevator came to a halt and the doors slid open. “You’re welcome, and good luck with everything. Holler if you need me.”
***
The ride back up the elevator felt curiously like the Green Mile.
Oliver rehearsed his apology speech, and by the time he reached the Clocktower, he felt he had a passable defence in place. The sooner they got this part behind them, the better, and they could begin to enjoy their coming baby and plan properly for their future.
The main elevator door slid open, as did the security door…but the grate remained closed. Thinking it must be on manual, Oliver yanked on the handle but was surprised to meet with resistance.
“Chloe?” he called. He tried the grate again, but without success. “Honey, the door’s stuck. Can you let me in?”
He waited several seconds, and then she appeared from the other side of the room.
“Oh, there you are,” he said relieved. “The door seems to be stuck –”
“The door’s fine,” she replied calmly. “I changed the access codes.”
Oliver frowned. “Why? Was the security compromised while I was away?”
She stared coldly at him, and realisation dawned. She’d changed them just now, which could mean only one thing...
She was kicking him out.
“Chloe, no –”
“Get out.”
He swallowed. “You said you wanted to talk…”
“Talk?” she echoed, and laughed shortly. “I can barely look at you right now, let alone even think about having a civil conversation with you.”
“But we need to talk about this.” He rattled the door handle even though he knew that it wouldn’t budge. “Please let me in, honey.”
“You need to leave, Oliver,” she said flatly. “Right now.”
He shook his head, determined not to give up that easily. “Chloe, we’re having a baby together. We need to talk about this.”
“Like you talked about it with me before deliberately getting me pregnant?” she retorted. “Get out, Oliver. I won’t ask you again.”
She turned her back on him and folded her arms, and he sighed loudly. “Chloe, come on. At least let me explain myself.”
“I need to stay calm for the baby’s sake, and I can’t do that with you in my line of sight, smirking about your victory as my belly begins to swell,” she said curtly. “If I’m to develop any positive feelings about this child, I can’t have you around me. You need to go away.”
Fear and dread clutched at his heart. “For how long?” he whispered.
“For as long as it takes.”
Oh, no. No, no, no…
Panic gripped him as he realised she meant an indefinite separation. “Chloe, please…let me in, and we can discuss this,” he pleaded through the bars.
“I want you gone, Oliver.”
“Don’t say that, honey, please don’t say that. I love you so much…”
“So you keep saying.”
“Chloe, you know I love you, and as crazy as it sounds, that’s why I did this!”
She spun around and faced him, her nostrils flared in fury. “You know what’s crazy?” she cried. “Forcing someone you claim to love to become a parent before they’re ready! You betrayed me, Oliver! Why don’t you even get that?”
“I know you’re not happy about this right now, but if you let me in, I promise you, we’ll get through this together,” he said desperately. “Don’t throw our future away because you’re pissed at me.”
“The only thing stopping me from calling a divorce lawyer right now is this baby,” she said tightly. “I won’t have him or her being born into a broken home. Now leave, before I change my mind, pick up the phone and take my chances.”
Oliver watched helplessly as she went over to the access panels and pressed the code to activate the main security door.
“Chloe, don’t do this!” he cried. “Please–!”
His plea landed on deaf ears. The security door slammed shut, leaving him alone on the other side with no access to his home or his family.
***
Chapter 6…
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Date: 2014-04-21 06:32 am (UTC)