Coming home to dl_greenarrow and <lj site="livejournal.com" user=

[chloesullivan]

Chloe got home a little later than she'd been expecting to, she had expected to be there nearly two hours ago and she was relieved Oliver was living with them now and felt comfortable enough to stay with Maddie, but she didn't want to abuse him or even for Maddie to get too attached to him only for them to have to go their separate ways again.

She had missed dinner time and she was glad she had bathed Maddie before she left for her work meeting and the to go see Lois, which had turned into her seeing Clark instead, but it was almost Maddie's bedtime and she couldn't help but wonder how behind on her schedule her daughter would be.

With a deep breath, Chloe unlocked the door and stepped inside, stilling when she saw her daughter leaning sleepily against Oliver even as she colored whatever drawing that was in front of her. Chloe took a deep breath and pursed her lips together, for someone who had never had a father figure in her life, Maddie seemed to like having him around a lot.

"Hey," she said quietly, "sorry I'm late."

Comments

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She stayed with her daughter just a moment longer, spending most of the day away from her was never easy, but she would make it up for it tomorrow.

With a deep breath, she untangled herself from Maddie slowly and got out of her bed, stepping outside and closing the door halfway before making her way into the living room.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He was already seated on one end of the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees and he glanced up when she came into the room.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe took a deep breath when she saw him and walked around the couch, taking a seat on the edge of the opposite end, "Clark is in town."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He froze at that, staring at her with wide eyes. "W-what?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I went by Lois' after my meeting," Chloe told him, lifting her head to look at him, "he's been staying there apparently, been here for two weeks."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He swallowed hard, diverting his gaze from hers and looking down at his hands. "Oh." His voice was quiet, uncertain.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She looked at him for a moment and nodded a little, "I feel better knowing he's there and he can protect her, but something is going on with him, he seemed... scared."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver didn't look at her. "Does he uh--does he know that I'm back, too?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I told him," Chloe said quietly, "I figured the three of us should meet soon to discuss business." Her stomach tightened a little at the thought and she sat up.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

His chest tightened at that. "Right. Right."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Oliver." She took a deep breath and stood up, moving to sit down closer to him so she could lower her voice, "out of everyone, the last person I want to find out about her is Clark."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He held his breath at that. "Because..." He already knew the answer, he just didn't want to say it aloud.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Because of who her father is." She told him, her jaw tightening as she stared at Oliver, her heart beating fast against her chest, she had never told anyone that before and she didn't know how Oliver would react.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver was quiet for a moment, and he looked over at her, searching her eyes. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "I spent...most of today with her." His voice was soft. "She's perfectly normal."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She took a deep breath and shook her head, "I have run every DNA test and I have looked into everything I could to make sure she has nothing from him, but I can't know for sure and I'm afraid that if they are in the same room together..." she trailed off, her jaw clenching more as she shook her head and looked away.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He swallowed hard and hesitantly reached out to rest a hand on her arm. "You're afraid he'll figure it out and make assumptions."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"You figured it out, didn't you?" She said quietly, shaking her head, "it doesn't take a lot to do the math and..." Chloe swallowed hard, she was exhausted from the day already, seeing Clark and now having to have this conversation was making her more emotional than she would have been.

"I don't want anyone accusing her of being a monster or even thinking that of her, Oliver." She took a deep breath, her eyes tearing up, "most of all, I don't want them to be right."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver's chest tightened at her words. "She's not a monster, Chloe," he whispered, shaking his head. "You've done the DNA tests and everything's come back normal, right?" He gazed at her intently.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe nodded, rubbing her hands over her face and taking a deep breath and pulling herself together, "her DNA matches mine, there doesn't seem to be anything different, but I don't know if Davis' showed anything either Oliver, the only samples I had was after he was already turning full on Doomsday."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He rested a hand lightly on her back. "He grew up human. Which means that somewhere out there he has to have had medical records on file. Including blood tests and vaccines, that kind of thing." He knew schools required that kind of proof.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I've looked," Chloe told him, "Lionel had him at first, although the records don't show that. He told me that. Then he went from orphanage to orphanage, never got sick with the exception of blackouts."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He considered that for a moment. "Are you completely sure Lionel never kept files or records on it?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She stilled, arching her eyebrows as she turned to look at Oliver, her eyes narrowing slightly, "no." Why didn't she think of that before?

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver met her eyes, raising his eyebrows, as well. "Then maybe that's something we should look into." His voice was quiet.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She searched his eyes and nodded slightly, "might as well make the time in Kansas useful." She said quietly.