babydee1: (0Chlollie - Snow by Tehzo)
[personal profile] babydee1
Back again!  Sorry for the delay, but at least it's a nice, long chapter which I hope you'll all like.

Enjoy!  Amazing banner by the lovely [livejournal.com profile] ellashy.  Thanks again for letting me use your awesome work! :-)



                                                 
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 8


Oliver got to the hospital by two-thirty. 

As instructed by Clark, he made his way to the pre-natal imaging department and went into the private waiting room.  He clasped his hands together and tapped his left foot nervously on the ground, hoping and praying that she wouldn’t change her mind at the last minute or reschedule her appointment to a later date. 

He needn’t have worried.  About ten minutes into his wait, the door to the waiting room swung open and Chloe stepped into the room. 

He stood when she approached, his eyes automatically going to her midsection.  It was impossible to tell that she was pregnant; her inner clothing was dark-coloured and she wore an open overcoat, and the large tote bag she carried obscured most of her body from view. 

Her usually fair skin was paler than he’d ever seen, her hair lacklustre, and despite her pregnancy she appeared to have lost some weight on the areas of her body that he could see.  Nevertheless, she was still the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. 

He got to his feet as she approached. “Hey,” he greeted. 

“Hey.”  She glanced at her watch.  “You’re early.” 

As was she, he thought.  “Yeah, I…figured it would give me time to gather my thoughts before our talk.  And I really wanted to see you.”  He took her hands in his and leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.  “You look beautiful.”

She snorted.  “Liar.”

“No kidding.”

“Uh-huh.  I do own a mirror, you know.”

They sat down next to each other, an invisible wall of distance between them. 

“No Lois?” he asked after a while. 

She shook her head.  “No, she’s not coming.”

Oliver inwardly sent up a silent prayer of thanks.  As much as Lois had been a support to Chloe over the past weeks – which he genuinely, sincerely appreciated – he was really looking forward to doing this with Chloe alone.  Having her older cousin berate him for his misdeeds and give him stink-eye across the room was not the way he’d wanted to remember seeing his child for the first time. 

“So, how are you feeling?” he queried. 

Her brow furrowed, and she reached into her bag for a small pack of crackers. 

“Um…okay, I guess; for now, at least.  It’s rough all day, but mornings are a real nightmare.”

“Still?” he said.  “I thought the nausea would have started easing off my now.” 

“I wish,” she snorted, and nibbled on the corner of a cracker.  “I think this kid takes after me, in that respect; it makes everything so unnecessarily complicated.”

Oliver chuckled.  “Yep, that sounds about right.” 

They fell silent for several moments while she finished her cracker, then she went straight for the jugular. 

“You hurt me, Oliver.”

“I know,” he said solemnly.

“You betrayed my trust in the worst way.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely.  “I should have let you know what I was planning to do.”

She turned to him, her expression pained.  “Do you know how hurtful it is for me to know that every time you held me in your arms, every time you made love to me for those two months, you did so with conception in your mind and you never told me?”

Oliver closed his eyes, his own soul hurting at the sight of her sad face. 

“You were ready to start a family but I wasn’t, and you should have respected that,” she continued stonily.  “You knew all the reasons why I was hesitant. You should have respected my boundaries and waited for me to come to you.” 

He nodded.  “You’re right.  I should have.”

“Then why didn’t you?” 

He took a deep breath.  “Because you wouldn’t even discuss the thought of children with me,” he replied honestly.  “And with your reluctance on the subject, I figured I’d be waiting a very long time.”

Her jaw hardened.  “You should have been patient with me.” 

“I tried that once before, remember?” he said wryly.  “When I tried to get you to acknowledge that you were in love with me.”

“And in typical predictable fashion, you ran out of patience and jumped the gun, and very nearly risked losing everything.”

“But it all worked out for us in the end, didn’t it?” he said softly.  “Guess I thought the end would justify the means.”

She folded her arms.  “And now?” 

He had to be very careful how he answered here; one wrong move, and he would be back in the doghouse.

“Are you happy about the baby?” he asked, putting the same question to her in a different way. 

She pursed her lips.  “One of the reasons I didn’t want a baby just yet is that I didn’t want to saddle any child of mine with kryptonite-laced abilities,” she said.  “It was my intent to get my full blood-work done and do whatever I needed to do to make myself as healthy as I possibly could be before getting pregnant, in order to give my baby the best possible start in life.”

“Chloe, your abilities haven’t manifested in years,” he said cautiously.  “I’m hopeful that whatever caused them in the first place has been fully repressed.” 

“Let’s put that to one side for now, and focus on something closer to normal,” she said.  “Did you know there was a list of foods that I’m not supposed to eat for the first three months?”

He nodded.  “Blue cheese, shellfish, sushi, alcohol…” he paused and closed his eyes.  “Coffee.”   

Chloe took a deep, shaky breath.  “I have tried in the last five weeks to not even think of how much coffee I poured into my system since my implant ran out, not to mention all the alcohol I may have drank,” she said darkly.  “I had no pre-natal vitamins for the first eight weeks, no folic acid, nothing to protect my child against foetal alcohol syndrome, spinabifida and a host of other birth defects.”

She turned to face him, her face pale with both anger and fear.  “Do you have any idea how scary it is to spend every minute of every day worrying that I’ve done my baby permanent, irreparable damage?”

This time, it was Oliver’s face that paled.  When he’d gone through all the baby books and seen the many recommendations, do’s and don’ts for early pregnancy, he’d broken out in a cold sweat at the potential risks to his baby’s life.  He’d deliberately told himself they’d cross any such bridges if and when they get to it…and this was the very first bridge.  If he’d caused his child any harm…

“I didn’t think,” he whispered.  “I was so focused the reward, I completely forgot that there would be risks to both of you, not just over the next few months, but...” 

He inhaled deeply and knelt in front of her.  “I really blew it this time,” he said quietly.  He took her hands in his and squeezed them gently.  “I’m sorry, Chloe.  I’m so sorry I deceived you.” 

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she pulled one hand out from under his to wipe her eyes. 

“Why?” she said in a small voice.  “Why did you do it?  You knew I wasn’t ready.” 

“Chloe, I know you had your concerns, but you’re more ready to become a mother than you think,” he said urgently.  “You should see how you are with Sloane and Skye; you’re so careful with them, so maternal.  I could see the longing in your eyes as she washed their hair, and I knew you were ready for this.” 

“So that’s why you did it?” she said incredulously.  “Because I washed the girls’ hair?”

“It was more than that–”

“I did the same with my dolls when I was three! That doesn’t make me mother of the year!” 

“In hindsight, I was impulsive and rash, and I should have done things differently,” he replied honestly.  “I’m sorry.  I truly am, and there’s nothing I want more than for us to move past this.” 

She gave him a scathing glance.  “You think I don’t?”

“I know you do,” he replied honestly.  “But you need to be ready to let me back in; I understand that now.  I appreciate you welcoming me to this appointment, but I know this doesn’t automatically mean that I get to waltz back into our home with you when the sonogram’s over.  Where we go from here is entirely up to you.” 

Chloe stared at him, her brows raised in surprise.  He knew he was taking a risk in giving her free reign to call the shots on their reconciliation, but in the five weeks that they’d been separated, he’d learned that taking her control away in the first place was what had led to the current situation.  He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.  And it was important that she understood that he had learned that vital lesson. 

She turned away and sighed, then fell silent for several seconds.  “It’s hard to get over this, Oliver,” she said quietly.  “I think about you making love to me, trying to get me pregnant without my knowledge, and…” her voice broke, and she paused to collect herself. 

“I need to be able to see you smile about this baby without remembering everything you did to get it here,” she continued in a tremulous whisper.  “I want to be able to laugh with you without the underlying feeling of betrayal and anger at being duped, and I quite honestly don’t know if I’m at that place yet.”

Oliver’s heart sank.  He’d known her forgiveness wouldn’t come easy, but he’d hoped, really hoped she’d be willing to give them a try again. 

“I understand,” he said quietly.  “If you more time is what you need to fully come to terms with everything, I will give you all the space you need.”   

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his for long moments.

“Thank you.  I appreciate that,” she replied.  “If I’m honest, that’s the decision I came to.  But…”

He swallowed.  “But…?” he prompted gently.

“No relationship is without risk,” she continued slowly.  “And ours has racked up some pretty intense risks in its time.”

He smiled.  “That is has.  So…?”

“So, when I look back at this moment, I want to picture it with you in the frame,” she said.  “We may not have started this together…but I want us to finish it together, the way it should be done.” 

Oliver gulped, his heart thumping wildly with hope.  “So I can come home?” he asked hoarsely.

She nodded.  “Yes, Ollie.  You can.” 

***

It was as if a weight had been physically lifted off his shoulders.  The breath left his lungs in a loud whoosh, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her as close as he safely could.

“Oh, Chloe.”   He stroked her hair gently and kissed her forehead.  “Thank you.  Thank you.  God, I’ve missed you so much.” 

“I missed you, too,” she mumbled into his shirt.  “We both have.” 

“I’m sorry.”  He rocked her gently, absorbing the delicious feel of his wife in his arms once more.  “I shouldn’t have risked losing you like that, and I really hope you can forgive me one day.” 

“Oliver?”

“Yes, honey?”

She stared pointedly at him.  “If you ever trick me again, I will skin you alive.” 

He grimaced.  “Noted.” 

“Good.” She took his hand in hers, and gently rested his palm on the warm, smooth, rounded skin of her belly, right over where their baby lay safely nestled.

Their baby.  It never ceased to amaze him that he and Chloe had created life, and his hand shook as he thought of the slumbering child beneath it. 

“Wow,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.  “Are you okay?  Does - does it hurt?”

She rolled her eyes.  “Of course not.”

He rubbed his hand reverently over the bump.  “How does it…feel?”

She frowned.  “Hard to say.  Guess you should ask me that question in a couple of weeks, when the little critter stops making me sick and start’s kicking me, instead.” 

Just then, the door to the doctor’s office opened and she poked her head around the door.  “We’re ready for you, Mrs Queen.”

Chloe smiled up at him.  “Let’s go say hello to our little one.” 

***

“You’re measuring rather large for twelve weeks, Chloe,” the doctor observed. 

Chloe nodded.  “Yes, my OB said the same thing.  She asked if I’ve had fibroids in the past, which I haven’t, but she said she’d know the results from today’s scan.” 

Oliver frowned.  “Is it a problem?”

“Not necessarily,” the doctor replied.  “It could just be water retention, but once we’ve done the scan, we’ll be able to say for sure.  Could you lie back for me?”

Chloe did as requested.  Oliver watched as gel was squirted on her belly, and waited nervously as the doctor moved the wand over her abdomen. 

The monitor suddenly came to life.  Grainy dots appeared on the screen, and Oliver squinted at it, trying to make sense of the barely discernible constantly changing shapes. 

“There you go,” the doctor said with a smile.  Oliver leaned forward and gasped at a small dense mass of white dots on the left side of the screen. 

“Is that our baby?” Chloe asked breathlessly.  Her fingers reached for his she clasped his hand as the dots took on a more defined shape, like a kidney bean with rapidly kicking tiny legs. 

“That’s your baby, Mr and Mrs Queen; and a lively one, at that.  Congratulations.” 

“Oh, my God!” Chloe squealed.  Her fingers tightened on his and she smiled up at him, her eyes glistening with happy tears.

“Can we hear the heartbeat?” he asked. 

“Oh, of course.  Sorry…” She increases the audio on the monitor, and there was a brief scratchy sound, followed by the rapid, repetitive thump-thump of a tiny heartbeat.

“That is amazing,” Oliver managed to whisper past the lump in his throat.  He brushed the hair off Chloe’s forehead and kissed her brow.  “Thank you.  Thank you so much.” 

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she said tearfully.  “I can’t believe we’re going to be parents.” 

“We’re going to do just fine.”  He turned to the doctor, his smile fading as he saw her staring at the monitor with a slightly puzzled expression, almost as if she was looking for something. 

“Is everything okay?” he asked anxiously.  “Is the baby alright?”

“I’m just…trying to find…”  She narrowed her eyes and manoeuvred the wand around to the other side of Chloe’s belly, then her face lit up.  “A-ha!  There you are, playing hide and seek with me.  Had me nervous for a second there.” 

“What did?” Chloe asked anxiously.  “What’s wrong?  What is it?” 

The doctor smiled and pointed to the screen.  “Take a closer look at the monitor, and tell me what you see.” 

Oliver shared a worried glance with his wife, and they both stared intently at the screen in the direction of the doctor’s finger. Right there in front of their eyes, they both made out the presence of another kicking kidney bean shape, tucked snugly behind the previous one. 

Oliver blinked and stared, his jaw dropping open.  “Wait a minute.  Is that...?”

Chloe shook her head.  “It can’t be,” she said hoarsely. 

“It sure is,” the doctor replied with a smile.  “Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Queen.  You’re having twins.”

***

The end. 

Coming soon: Twice the Cutesies

Twice The Cutesies

Date: 2014-05-31 01:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] emeraldarrows.livejournal.com
Eeee, I love this!! Twins and Oliver and Chloe making up! Very much looking forward to the sequel!

Date: 2014-05-31 10:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thanks, hun - glad you like it! The next will be the last in this series, I'm afraid...but you have the futurefic finale in Taking Turnsies, and I have two other Chlollie series that I need to catch up on, so lots of life in the old girl yet. :-)

Date: 2014-05-31 02:07 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] malugargula.livejournal.com
So beautiful
Loved how Chloe wants him there even if she's hurt :)
It's such an amazing thing the first sonogram

Date: 2014-06-01 07:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
It is amazing...and also weird to see another living thing splashing about inside you!

It's about time those two sorted out their differences. :-) Glad you liked it, and thanks for all your encouraging comments along the way! *hugs*

Date: 2014-05-31 04:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tadashee.livejournal.com
Aww. That was a great ending!!!!

Date: 2014-05-31 05:08 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
So glad you liked it, babes! :-D

Date: 2014-05-31 05:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mari2anne.livejournal.com
Super sweet ending... although I was worried for a few paragraphs there that Chloe was going to go it alone... Glad Oliver took his time answering all the important questions; he's become quite 'Chloe-smart.' ♥

Date: 2014-06-01 07:18 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
He has, indeed. I'm so glad they sorted that out; I hate seeing them at odds, though after what Ollie did, some separation was very necessary!

Glad you liked it, my sweet, and thanks for all your lovely comments! :-) *huggles*

Date: 2014-05-31 11:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] watcharrow.livejournal.com
PERFECT thank u so much Dee :-D so glad they're back together and that they shared this important moment and hey they're expecting twins ;) and that picture is so GREAT !! once again thank u !! can t wait to read the next chapt !! congratulations:)

Date: 2014-06-01 08:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
I'm glad you liked it, bebe!

The picture's lovely, isn't it? Unfortunately the original manipper, mixedherbs, doesn't appear to be on LJ anymore, otherwise I'd have asked her/him for a larger version. But this will do quite nicely until then. :-)

Date: 2014-05-31 12:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ica013.livejournal.com
Awww they made up and found out that they were expecting Twins! - While I wouldn't have minded more to this story - more than happy with a different instalment and love the name..... ekkk Lois is going to be in Pink heaven.

Date: 2014-05-31 12:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kawfjw.livejournal.com
Lovely ending! Really enjoyed it and the way you kept it real and gave us a believable ending :-)

Date: 2014-05-31 05:04 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chlollifan84.livejournal.com
Awww... that was so cute!
I'm glad they had a good talk. Not everything is solved but it was necessary for both of them.
And they finally learned THE big news. What a cliffhanger! I can't wait to know their reaction.

Date: 2014-05-31 10:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meetin4.livejournal.com
Love the ending, happy for both of them! I felt relief for both, especially Oliver although still little cross with him. I have enjoyed reading not only the story alone also the comments and replies. Thank you so much for this very interesting controversial story!
“Twice the Cutesies”, I’m now waiting so excitedly to read it. Normally I love boys more but since reading the way you described Skye and the Queens, I cannot wait for Libby and Jo!

Date: 2014-06-01 03:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ghaziak.livejournal.com
awwww ..... yesss!!! loved it!! Loved the talk between Chloe and Oliver. It was about time they had a talk! Beautifully written! Can't wait for Twice the Cutesies!! =D

Date: 2014-06-01 05:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] madlenita.livejournal.com
Twins, twins, twins!!!! Thank you... ANd i am so glad that Chloe let Ollie come back to home... Thank you for this chapter....

Date: 2014-06-01 07:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] faby87.livejournal.com
I love this chapter, so beautiful and sweet and I'm so happy that Ollie and Chloefinaly are back together.
Thank you so much, I can't wait for the sequel. kiss :)

Date: 2014-06-01 07:51 am (UTC)
ext_98692: (Default)
From: [identity profile] aleja221.livejournal.com
Aww this was Adorbs.... Though if I were Chloe I'd have castrated Oliver for the stunt he pulled in this story. :D

Date: 2014-06-02 09:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
"Aww this was Adorbs.... Though if I were Chloe I'd have castrated Oliver for the stunt he pulled in this story. :D"

Well, she's just discovered that what she thought was one baby is actually two, so there's still time! :-D

So glad you liked the story, hun. Many thanks for your comments!

Date: 2014-06-01 10:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mark-online.livejournal.com
What can I say?

So glad Chloe has forgiven him and even though I've been on Oliver's side more than once here, I'm glad she didn't make it easy on him (could have been a lot worse though).

And hey they're having twins! Not so much of a surprise for us but it must be a complete shock for them. Can't wait for the next installment!

Date: 2014-06-01 02:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] scout09.livejournal.com
Aw, I loved their talk. Chloe didn't hold back, and he needed to hear those things from her, but she also realized that she could hold on to her anger or move past it. She actually made a pretty adult decision at the end, but one that also seemed pretty instinctual. She flat out misses him and doesn't want him to miss out on anything, nor does she want what he did to color the entire pregnancy and the rest of their lives. Good on her. Thanks for the wrap up - sounds like some adorableness is on the way. :)

Date: 2014-06-02 01:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jessicakadie.livejournal.com
Awww that was awesome! The whole pregnancy thing has always kinda weirded me out (think its awesome, but its still freaky to me), but loved the way you wrote them in this scene. Very sweet, glad Chloe let him experience that with her. Looking forward to the sequel :)

Oh, and I've been in a Chlex mood the past week and I remembered how awesome Orchestrato was, so I'll probably be re-reading that in the next few days whenever I get the chance. For once not harassing about a sequel, just wanted to let you know how much I love that story and that it was on my mind :)

Date: 2014-06-02 02:10 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dreammaker101.livejournal.com
Lovely ending for such a roller-coaster ride of a story. I’m glad that Chloe and Oliver had a very realistic and frank discussion. It would be unrealistic and unfair to Chloe’s character for her to suddenly “get over” her anger. With the promise of a happy ending in Taking Turnies, I’m glad that Oliver’s love for Chloe did not turn his deception and selfishness into a “no harm, no foul” ending in this story. They cannot change the past and they have very real consequences to deal with – not just with the baby, but with the effect on their relationship. It was very mature for Chloe to make a decision about the kind of life she wants for herself and her baby (babies) – which is a life with Oliver – and take steps towards living that life. Thank you for a wonderful story and for ending the story with a sense of hope.

Date: 2015-01-10 02:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thanks, hun! I knew Oliver's stunt would be controversial, but given his past I felt it's something he would likely try to do especially as Chloe kept stonewalling him about having children. He saw a chance and he took it, and even though things were rocky when Chloe found out what he'd done, he was kind of right in that there was no way she would ever be able to resent their child. Biiiiiig risk... but oh-so-totally worth it. :-)

Many thanks for commenting! :-D

Date: 2014-12-11 06:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] futurescribbler.livejournal.com
Awww that was amazing! I'm so glad that they made up but more importantly dealt with everything that needed to be dealt with - or started to at least. This was brilliant as always. :D Good work!

Date: 2014-12-11 10:53 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thanks, babes! Glad you like, and many thanks for commenting. :-)

Fabulous!!!!!

Date: 2015-01-09 01:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tonikizer.livejournal.com
Great ending. Twins and Chollie have made up too. Can't get better than that. Hurry back with "Twice the Cutsiies" please.

Re: Fabulous!!!!!

Date: 2015-01-10 02:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thanks, tonikizer! So glad you liked this installment. Will get to work on Cutesies as soon as I'm finished with BITB: Baby Love, which will be very soon. :-)

Date: 2015-05-24 11:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] phoenixnz.livejournal.com
Wow, can't believe I missed this chapter, or that I never commented. I loved it, of course. Dare I ask when the sequel's coming?

Would it help if I gave you the puppy dog look and said pretty please with a cherry on top?

Date: 2015-05-24 08:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
"Wow, can't believe I missed this chapter, or that I never commented."

No worries, hun! I've been completely swamped, so much so that I have so many lovely comments here that I still need to reply to. I'm happy to receive feedback at any time of a story's life, be it earlier or later on. And later is very special, because it means people are still reading it. :-)

"I loved it, of course."

Yaay! Glad you like! :-D

"Dare I ask when the sequel's coming?"

I will have to work on a few other very pressing WIPs, and then the next Chlollie fic on my rotation is Redemption, the sequel to Disintegration, which is loooooong overdue.

"Would it help if I gave you the puppy dog look and said pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Ha ha! Well, it always helps to know what people want, so I'll move Cutesies up the fic ladder so that I'll get to it sooner that I would have if you hadn't made a query. How's that? ;-)

Thanks again for commenting, babes! *hugs*

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