Waking Up in Vegas Chapter (10/15)

Banner By: Andrea

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Chapter 10



Chloe glanced at the numbers on the elevator as she leaned against the metal railing, plastic bag in hand. She had just finished running a mission for Victor, AC and Bart about thirty minutes ago and decided to leave Mia in charge of Watchtower so she could surprise Oliver with lunch.

It had been a week since she and Oliver had their big blow out and things had been surprisingly calm since then. He had stopped pushing the whole wife thing on her and in turn she was finally starting to feel more comfortable with where they were.

She’d gone a whole week without feeling suffocated and Oliver had been a big part of that. She stopped pulling away and in turn he opened up more, which had really helped the anxiety that made her think being married had changed things between them.

The elevator chimed pulling Chloe from her thoughts as she made her way onto the floor his office was on. She smiled as she made her way to Annabeth’s desk. “Hey Anna, how are you?”

She smiled up at the blonde in front of her, voice warm when she spoke. “Good afternoon Mrs. Queen, I’m good how are you?”

Chloe chuckled, “It’s Chloe, Anna…and I’m doing well. Would you happen to know where that husband of mine is? I wanted to surprise him with lunch.”

Anna grinned at Chloe and motioned to his office, “I think he’s finishing up a meeting with the board, but he should be back in his office any minute. Do you want to wait in there for him?”

Chloe nodded, “Yeah…thanks,” She smiled and waved as she headed down the hall towards Oliver’s office to wait for him. Further up the hall Cynthia had seen Chloe come off the elevator and when she paused to talk to Oliver’s secretary, the red head ducked into Oliver’s office.

She had been stopping by to see her father so they could discuss the best possible way to get the papers he’d drawn up into her possession without Oliver knowing and it looked like the perfect opportunity had just presented itself.

She quickly pulled the papers out of her purse, placing them on Oliver’s desk before sitting down on them and leaning over pretending to read something as she heard the sound of heels against the floor before the door was pushed open.

Chloe paused when she saw Cynthia sitting on the side of Oliver’s desk. She frowned and glanced around, but didn’t see him anywhere. Cynthia turned and gave Chloe a large smile. “Hello Chloe…how are you?”

She gave the woman in front of her a small smile, “Hi Cynthia, I’m doing well. You?”

“I’m wonderful. Are you looking for Oliver? Because he’s still in a meeting with the board and my father.”

Chloe nodded and she made her way further into the room, “Yeah, I know…he should be done soon though…I’ve been meaning to thank you. That folder full of information you gave me for the benefit really helped. I went with a lot of the places you suggested…so thanks.”

Cynthia waved off her thanks and chuckled lightly, “Oh you don’t have to thank me…anything I can do to help Oliver…” She made a show of sliding off his desk displacing the papers underneath her. She gave Chloe a sheepish look before pushing the papers together, glancing down on them, and picking them up.

Cynthia held out the papers to Chloe, “Oh, it looks like these are for you. Oliver must have had them drawn up to give to you.”

Chloe frowned before taking the papers from the other woman. Cynthia pulled her purse over her shoulder, “Well I should be going. Let Oliver know I left would you?” She gave Chloe a little wave and walked past her and out of the office with a grin all the while thinking, let’s see how little miss perfect deals with that.

Chloe placed the bag on the desk before glancing down at the papers. She sucked in a deep breath, tears stinging her eyes as she read through the pages. Her heart clenched, stomach sinking as she turned to the last page.

Oliver had drawn up papers for her to sign relinquishing all rights she had to his company and assets should they end up getting divorced. She felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of her.

He didn’t trust her...and after everything they’d been through this past week…where she poured her heart out to him about everything…he still didn’t trust her not to run from them. She had never been interested in his company or his money…and she thought he knew that.

Just when she was finally starting to feel like they were making progress…apparently she was wrong. She brought her hand up brushing away her tears as she heard his office door open. She took a deep breath and schooled her features.

Oliver smiled as he walked into his office and noticed Chloe standing with her back to him, "Hey, this is a great surprise." He moved to his desk, dropping a folder down onto it before turning to Chloe. He had been stuck in a meeting, arguing with the board from topics on their branches overseas, to his marriage once again, when he promptly told them it was none of their business.

Chloe was exactly what he needed after a hard day, and she couldn't have picked a more perfect time. "Lunch," he observed quickly, "Man do you have thoughtful and perfect timing." Oliver leaned forward to kiss her cheek when he saw what he believed was a glint of a tear in the corner of her eye and he drew back, "Chloe what's wrong? Did something happen?"

She swallowed hard, hurt filling her chest making her feel like she couldn't breathe as he stood there pretending everything was fine. She shook her head.

"No...I...thought you could use some lunch...just thought I'd bring some by, but I need to go." She gripped the papers to her side tightly rolled up as she gave him a small smile, "I'll see you at home Oliver."

He stared at her, unsure for a moment if he should let her go, but then decided to relent. They had made progress in their relationship lately, with trust and sharing, and if something was seriously wrong, he trusted she would tell him. "Alright," he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "Thank you for lunch, be safe, I'll see you when I get home."

She accepted the kiss and the minute she turned around to go she couldn't help the water that pooled in her eyes. She moved through the door quickly, shutting it behind her and walking back towards the elevator. She passed Annabeth's desk and the young woman smiled, "It was nice seeing you Chloe." but Chloe didn't hear her.

She was lost in her own thoughts as she stepped into the elevator a single tear falling from her eyes as the doors slid shut. Annabeth frowned when she caught sight of the distress on her face wondering if she should inform her employer.

She was lifting the phone when long nails tapped on the counter in front of her. She glanced up and came face to face with Jack Wilson's daughter. The red head tossed a folder at the young woman. "Make yourself useful and fax these out would you? And make sure you hold all of Oliver's calls for the next hour."



______


Mia frowned and pushed a button as the screen in front of her blinked. Okay so maybe when she told Chloe she’d hold down the fort at Watchtower she hadn’t exactly known what she was doing. She shifted as the computer spoke, its robotic voice echoing around the room.

“Incoming communication from Cyborg…”

Mia looked between the three screens spotting the decal and reaching forward pressing the touch screen linking the communication to up to Watchtower. Victor’s confused voice came over the line.

“Chloe what on earth are you doing to the system?”

Mia winced, “Uh…hey Victor…it’s Mia. Chloe’s not here right now. She sort of went to go visit Oliver for lunch and I think I pushed something I wasn’t supposed to.”

She could hear him chuckled lightly on the other end of the line, “You need some help getting things back in order Arrow Jr.?”

Mia glared at the screen, “Yes and don’t call me that.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Victor spent twenty minutes explaining how to bring the system back online and restore everything she managed to mess up. She was just ending the link when the doors were pushed open and Chloe came in. Mia’s shoulders sagged and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god your back…so there was a slight issue with…” Mia paused as she took in Chloe’s stiff posture and the blank look on her face. Something wasn’t right. She watched as the blonde moved to her desk, took out a pen and scribbled furiously on something before looking through her drawers and pulling out an envelope.

Chloe shoved the papers inside and dropped it on her desk before moving over towards the mainframe. She clicked a few buttons and a list of menus popped up on one of the displays. She motioned to it and spoke without turning towards Mia.

“Did you get a chance to look at any of the menus? What do you think we should serve at the fundraiser?” The younger woman’s brow furrowed at the tone of Chloe’s voice and she took a hesitant step forward as she spoke.

“Chloe…is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine…did you hear my question?” She glanced over her shoulder and Mia caught her red-rimmed eyes. She let out a heavy breath…she knew something was wrong. First off Chloe was back from lunch way too soon and if her face was any indication, she’d been crying.

She bit her lip, voice quiet, “Yeah…I thought the second menu was best…it seemed to have a little bit of everything.”

Chloe nodded, “I think you’re right…listen I need you to do me a favor. I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on and I’ve still got a few more things to order today for the fundraiser. I made dinner and stuck it in the oven earlier today. Can you head home and turn it on at around five?”

Panic rose in her throat as she swallowed hard. “Why? Won’t you be home?”

She moved over to the next screen, swiping her fingers against the touch screen. “No, I’m going to need to work late today. Also can you take the envelope on my desk and leave it with Oliver’s plate of food. I know it’s a lot to do, but there’s so much going on right now…”

Mia nodded, “Sure…it’s not a big deal. What kinda stuff is going on?”

Chloe stopped what she was doing and turned to face Mia. It was obvious that the teenager in front of her knew something was up, but what was she supposed to tell her? This was something that after the past week even she didn’t understand.

“Just work stuff…”

Mia studied Chloe and after a minute or two of silence she spoke, voice slightly strained. “You and Oliver are fighting again aren’t you?”

Chloe pursed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest. “Mia…now really isn’t the time for this conversation…please just head home…I can handle things from here…”

“Chloe if you need to talk--”

But she didn’t let her finish. Her face softened slightly. “I know okay? Just…please can you go do this for me?”

Mia sighed and moved to her desk grabbing the envelope. ”When will you be home?”

Chloe shrugged turning back toward the computers. “I’m not sure…later.” Mia stared at her back for another minute or so before getting her stuff together and heading towards the exit. Mia wasn’t sure what happened or why Chloe was so upset, but she had a feeling that whatever it was it had to do with Oliver and if that was the case they were surely in for a long night.



______

Oliver grinned as he stepped into the foyer, the best part about coming home was the way the weight of his business, and crime-fighting activities always seemed to instantly lift off his shoulders when he walked through the door and was finally able to be home with his family.

He crossed the floorboards to the dining room, tossing his jacket on his chair before smiling at the set table and the fresh pot roast steaming from his plate. He ducked into the kitchen, eager to greet his incredible wife before calling Mia down stairs for dinner.

He froze as he entered an empty kitchen, his eyebrows furrowing before he turned back around and walked back into the dining room. Noticing a white envelope leaning against a wine glass in front of his plate, Oliver frowned and picked it up, carefully opening it and pulling out the few papers that had been tucked inside for him.

His eyes skimmed over the words, his gut wrenching as he realized what they were. He swallowed hard as he hesitated to turn to the last page, and when he finally gathered the courage his heart plummeted to his stomach as his eyes landed on Chloe's signature scrawled onto a dotted line.

Where had she gotten the papers? Oliver knew Annabeth had destroyed the very same documents Jack Wilson had shoved into his hands in advisement, but that didn't explain why he was currently holding them. Nor did it explain why his wife's signature, which was clearly not forged, was signed at the bottom.

Oliver recalled his interaction with Chloe in his office earlier, when she had dropped by with lunch and he instantly realized the reason for her tension earlier—and it was currently in his hand.

What could she possibly have been thinking when she signed these? His chest burned with the tightening of his throat as a fear struck him; did Chloe think he wanted her to sign the papers?

Mia had watched him pick up the envelope seeing his body tense upon reading the papers and she couldn't keep quiet any longer. She'd tried to respect their privacy and so she didn't read them, but not knowing what was going on had her stomach in knots.

These last few weeks since they all started living together, she finally started to feel like she had a real family and she was scared of losing that. Her voice was soft, a hint of worry filling it as she broke the silence in the room. "Is she leaving? Is that what the papers are? Are you two....getting a divorce?"

The end of her question was whispered as her eyes bore into his back. Oliver spun around to face Mia, a look of pure pain on his features as if he had just been stabbed with her words, "Divorce? Is that what she said?"

Mia shook her head quickly, "No...no I thought...I mean I didn't want to be nosey...I didn't read the papers, but what else would they be? She wouldn't talk to me...she came back to Watchtower and she just...didn't look right and I asked what was wrong...but she said nothing and when I tried to call you...you didn't answer either of your phones..."

Her words trailed off and she tried to read Oliver's expression but all she could see there was pain. A look of confusion crossed his face, "I know I missed a call from you on my cell, but Annabeth never mentioned you tried the office..." He shook his head and gripped the pages, "Where did Chloe get these?"

Mia shrugged, "I don't even know what they are...She had them when she came back to Watchtower...I don't know where she got them. I assumed she got them from you."

"She didn't," his eyes fell back to the paper and his jaw tensed. "Where is she now?"

Mia swallowed hard her eyes meeting Oliver's. "She said to let you know she was working late....I asked her when she'd be home and she said she didn't know."

Oliver bit the inside of his cheek and reached for his jacket, tossing it on and grabbing the papers before digging out his keys, "I'm going to fix this, don't worry."

Mia nodded as she watched him make his way to the door, opening and closing it quickly behind him. She really hoped Oliver knew what he was doing.



______

Chloe pounded away at the keyboard, she’d lost count of how long she’d been at Watchtower, but however long it was…it wasn’t long enough. She still couldn’t believe Oliver had those papers drawn up. What had he been thinking?

She’d never wanted him for his money and she thought he knew that…but now well she didn’t know what to think. She reached up and brushed away a few stray tears before attempting to focus back on the busy work she was doing.

She supposed Oliver was just protecting his interests…it’s not like she hadn’t admitted she had doubts about them and their marriage.

She told him marriage hadn’t been in her plan, but she was willing to try because she loved him and thought they could make this work…but maybe after hearing that, now he was having doubts and she guessed she couldn’t blame him.

But of all the people in his life…how could he possibly think that money would be an issue? He’d known her for years…seen her at her best and worst…even if something did happen and things didn’t work out, there’s no way she’d take part of his company or his money. It just wasn’t the type of person she was.

Chloe closed her eyes briefly trying to make the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach leave, but after everything that had happened today she was feeling physically sick and honestly considering calling Clark and having him run her to Metropolis for the night…but really what would running fix? Absolutely nothing…

She was in the middle of going through Bart’s latest Intel when a small red light flashed to her left. She glanced at the monitor and froze. Oliver was in the elevator on his way up. Her heart lept into her throat as she panicked.

The elevator door opened on the floor and she immediately typed in a series of codes, sending Watchtower into lockdown mode…She bit her lip as he walked down the hallway. She’d changed the override codes after Mia left because she knew at some point he’d come looking for her and she wasn’t ready to see him yet.

Oliver reached watchtower's doors, about to pull them open when there was a small beep suddenly, and he rushed to grip the handle. He tugged on the doors with as much of his upper body strength that he could summon, but only found it futile and he bit back a curse.

He pounded his hand against the door, slamming the palm of his hand three times, "Chloe! Don't be a coward! Let me in! Please"

She glared at the door before turning the monitor on so she could see him. She pressed a few buttons and her voice filled the speaker outside coming out stronger than she felt at that moment, but for that at least she was grateful. "Go away Oliver, if I wanted to talk to you I'd be at home. I told Mia I'd be home later. I'm working."

Oliver scowled, "Oh, sure, okay," he replied sarcastically before reaching into his pocket for his phone. He dialed Victor's cell phone number immediately, waiting for him to pick up and he was thankful it only took two rings. "Vic hey, I need a favor now."

Victor cleared his throat and swallowed the food he was eating, "Hey Oliver, what’s up? What do you need man?"

"Shut off watchtower now, before I call the electric company and have them cut off the power to this building." He gripped the phone tightly before glancing up into the camera he knew Chloe was watching him from on her monitors, "And unlock the doors first please."

Victor paused sensing the tension in Oliver's voice, "Is everything okay? Do we have a breach?" He started going through Watchtowers information, numbers and codes running through his head as he accessed Watchtowers mainframe and immediately hit a wall.

He paused and input his access code, but it didn't work. He frowned and put in the override codes and was met with a flashing ‘Access Denied’. "Oliver...did you change the access codes? I'm hitting a wall and when I try to use the override code it's telling me my access is denied..."

Chloe watched Oliver on the phone through the monitor when things on her screen started blinking. She shook her head and spoke out loud to herself, "That sneaky little..." She clenched her jaw and threw up a firewall before pressing the intercom button.

"If you don't tell Victor to stop trying to hack my Watchtower you won't be the only person locked out of here. Do Not bring the team into our personal lives...it isn't fair to them Oliver. When I'm ready to talk to you I will come home."

Victor was still on the phone with Oliver and when he didn't answer him he starting talking again. "Oliver...man did you hear me? I said the access codes don't work did you change them?"

Oliver kept his eyes locked onto the camera, "You know I wouldn't have to if you'd actually talk to me, Chloe. But the second you involved watchtower in your personal life, you involved the team." He turned his attention back to the phone, "Vic, you can hack any computer in the world, now do it please or call the electric company and have them pull the plug before I do."

Victor suddenly realized the situation had nothing to do with a crisis and everything to do with Oliver and Chloe. He'd heard they were having some...adjustment issues with their relationship, but he didn't think they weren't speaking.

He cleared his throat voice quiet as he spoke. "Oliver...of course I can hack any system...but those are my firewalls...it's not a one two three thing. It will take time. Instead of having me hack in and possibly getting your wife more angry why don't you just use the service elevator? At the back of Watchtower towards the bedrooms there's a back door it leads to the other end of the hallway that comes from the service elevator. It isn't on the floor plans because it didn't work when you purchased the building but we fixed it. That way if we ever got into a jam or had a breach where Watchtower was locked down by an enemy we would still be able to get in or out."

He paused hoping Oliver was understanding what he was saying and didn't get angry. "It isn't connected to the lock down feature...you should be able to get in that way."

Oliver nodded, "Thanks Vic, in the mean time keep working on those firewalls so it keeps Chloe distracted." He turned his phone off before Victor could object, and headed out of sight of the cameras, and back down the halls to follow Victor's advice.

He had known the building a little longer than Chloe, and had stared at the blue-prints for hours with Victor when they had been searching for a new headquarters. It didn't take long for him to find the service elevator.

Chloe watched Oliver head down the hall and she frowned. That was too easy. She knew Oliver better than anyone and if he was walking away that meant he had a plan. She glanced to her side looking at the video feeds trying to figure out where the hell he was going, but he had dropped off the screen when he turned down the other hallway and when she activated the other camera he was nowhere to be found.

She sighed as a beeping sounded on the computer signaling someone was hacking through the firewall, most likely Victor. She was tired of this. She didn’t want to talk to Oliver but throwing up firewalls and getting the team involved was immature and reckless.

That wasn’t what she wanted. All she had wanted was some time to herself so she could try and face Oliver without breaking down. He was the one who’d been telling her their marriage could work that everything would be fine that they could get through this…and then he goes and does this?

How was she supposed to take that? And why is it that he thought she was the coward when this was his fault? She couldn’t keep doing this. She’d never been an overly emotional person, but lately everything seemed to set her off.

She was being overly sensitive and needy, but if even Oliver, who was so sure about their relationship didn’t think they were going to last…why was she even bothering to try? She pressed a few buttons and took the firewall down before sending Victor a message.

She plopped down in her chair, her elbows resting on the work station head in hands as she tried to fight the mixture of tears and anger surging through her body.

Oliver came out of the room behind her, noticing her sitting in a chair, holding her head up as her shoulders tensed. "Can you please talk to me now?" He asked as he took a step closer to her, "Or are you going to taser me with one of my crossbows next?"

She spun startled at his voice confusion on her face. How had he gotten in? She glanced around the room and Watchtower was still locked down. His words finally registered and she would have smiled if she wasn't close to tears already.

Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, "No...and if you don't leave I just might." She stood quickly and shook her head trying to control her emotions. Her voice was angry and there was a note of pleading in it. "Why can't you just respect the fact that I don't want to see you right now Oliver. I said I'd be home when I was ready...just leave me a..."

She choked on the end of her sentence and turned away from him bringing up a hand to cover her face as she sucked in a deep breath. She didn't want to cry in front of him again.

She was tired of breaking down, it wasn't the person she was. Chloe was stronger than this, but for some reason when it came to Oliver...everything always seemed so much more intense emotionally.

The sight of Chloe getting so choked up felt like a firing squad had just aimed at his heart. "I can't do that Chloe," he took another step closer to her, watching her pull away with another step back.

"I need to know where you got these," he reached inside his jacket and pulled out the papers, holding them out in between them. "And I need to know why you signed them and apparently decided to shut me out."

She whirled around fury in her red-rimmed eyes as she pointed at him, anger seeping into her voice, "You're going to actually stand there and act like you haven't seen those? Because seriously after everything that's happened over the past week I thought we were through hiding things from each other."

She didn't give him a chance to respond as a fresh wave of tears pooled in her eyes. "You know if you would have just come to me and asked me to sign them I would have...I wouldn't have cared. I've never been in this relationship for your money...and if we ever did get a divorce...I wouldn’t accept money or shares in your company no matter what the law is...but to leave it in your office...to have someone else give them to me...god Oliver."

He took a step forward and she moved back and shouted, her voice unsteady. "No! Stop just...you said you were sure about us...you told me you thought we could do this...if your doubting things now why am I even trying? If you don't think I can do this...just tell me now."

She paused for a second trying to catch her breath through her tears, voice soft as she continued. "Do you know I almost called Clark tonight to come take me home to Metropolis? But I couldn't do it...I couldn't just run away. So I stayed here," she motioned to the room around her, "to try and figure out why you wouldn't just come to me with this...the only thing that's been holding me together lately Oliver was knowing you were sure...that you believed in me even though I didn't believe in me..."

Tears were once again sliding down her cheeks as she stood in front of him looking completely broken, the feeling of Déjà Bu creeping up on her.

"I poured my heart out to you last week...I told you everything I was afraid of...and if what I said about not originally having marriage in my plan...that this wasn't a role I intended, changed your mind about us...then you need to let me know because we can't both doubt this relationship...it won't survive Oliver."

Oliver frowned, "I admit, I've seen these before." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "But I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about. Doubt you? I told Jack Wilson when he gave me these papers last week to give to you, that there was no one I trusted my company with more, should anything unfortunate unexpectedly happen to me."

He shook the papers, still rattled with confusion and anger, "I told him I wanted to make sure I had something to leave you and our children and then I had Anna shred them."

His hands twisted around the edges of the paper before ripping them apart right down the center, "I don't want you to sign these. I never wanted you to sign these." He folded the torn pieces of the papers over and ripped them apart into smaller pieces before letting them fall to the floor.

Oliver pointed down at the papers as he stepped on them, "Now tell me who gave you these, because I'm sick of the board acting like our marriage is their business, thinking they can intervene anytime they please."

Chloe paused, brows furrowing, hand resting over her stomach as she took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself down as the knots in her stomach slowly loosened. Confusion was written clearly on her face, her voice hesitant.

"I...I went to bring you lunch and Cynthia was in your office...we talked I thanked her for her help and when she moved off your desk she dropped a few papers that were there and I saw her look at them...she must have seen my name on them," Chloe licked her lips, "She said you must have left them there for me...and she gave them to me before leaving."

Oliver raised an eyebrow in disarray, "Cynthia? What was she doing in my office?" He shook his head, "Even if it was her intention to give them to you, how would she have known you were going to stop by to see me? Even I was surprised."

Chloe frowned, "How should I know what she was doing there? And I didn't say that...I don't think she meant to give them to me. She was sitting on your desk when she knocked the papers down...I wasn't..."

Chloe hesitated and shrugged looked away from Oliver, voice quite still slightly shaky. "I wasn't accusing her of anything."

His jaw clenched, "Oh but you have no problem accusing me..." He bent down so she couldn't avoid him, "I thought I had proven how I felt about you, Chloe. How I wouldn't give up..." He laughed bitterly, "Don't you get it yet? I don't just want this marriage to work, I need it to."

He felt the salt of his tears sting his eyes once more as they threatened to spill over while he pleaded with her, "If I lose you, Chloe...I lose everything...Nothing else matters."

She looked up ready to yell when she saw his face and she paused, her face softening as she swallowed hard. "You were the one who was just defending her...and they were on your desk...what else was I supposed to think?"

She sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry...and I told you if I was going to leave I would have done it already...I just didn't want to do this again."

She motioned between them. "I'm tired of yelling and crying and being unsure. I just wanted some space so I could get myself together before I came home to talk to you about it...that's all."

She closed the distance between them and reached out a hand hesitantly before placing it gently on his arm, voice soft. "Why didn't you tell me? If you weren't even thinking about it why didn’t you tell how much they were breathing down your back Oliver?"

"I wasn't defending her, I was asking you." He tilted his head, pushing his tongue into the top corner of his mouth as he tried to remain calm, "You were already freaking out about the pressure with the fundraiser, why would I want to add to that and make you worry about the board?"

He reached out, his fingers slipping into the back of her hair before his palm cupped the back of her head, "Call me old fashioned, but it's my job to reassure and protect you."

She closed her eyes briefly at the feel of his hand against the back of her head, leaning into his touch. When she opened them again green eyes stared into brown ones.

"I get that...but Oliver...they aren't going away and keeping things from me is just going to keep leaving me blindsided when things like this happen."

She pursed her lips together, choosing her words carefully. "When we started this...we were friends. Adding sex into the mix changed things, but one thing it didn't change was the way we worked together."

Her hand encircled his arm as she tried to make him understand. "The only reason we have lasted this long is because you have never treated me like anything other than a partner in this relationship. We've always been partners and now that we're married...it shouldn't be any different."

She let out a frustrated sigh, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. One of the reasons this whole marriage thing has been putting me on edge so much...is because ever since I became your wife it's like you have this overwhelming need to shelter me from things and while I appreciate that, you should be including me and letting me help...we protect each other...that's how we've always done it Ollie...and it scares me that, that's changing..."

He sighed, his broad shoulders falling, "It's a primitive nature, Chloe...I can't just turn it off." He ran his hand through his hair, "But I promise to try more, alright? Just stop running away or avoiding me every time we have a problem..."

Oliver wrapped an arm around her waist, "If you had just told me from the moment I came into my office, you wouldn't have been miserable all day." He held her gaze as his fingers flexed over her hip, "Partnership, Chloe. You said it, but we both have to do it."

She shook her head, leaning into his body as she spoke against his chest, hands wrapping around him. "I wasn't going to cause a scene where you work Oliver...that would have led to a whole other set of problems...and I already told you I wasn't running away...I needed space to think."

She groaned, "Seriously...we suck at this. I'm looking forward to the day where a week ends and we aren't yelling at each other and I’m not crying my eyes out because this is ridiculous. Look at me I'm an emotional roller coaster...and I'm a mess..."

"Make a scene at my office, I'll say we were role playing to have awesome make-up sex--" He lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "I don't know. But we could have worked it out without yelling, don't you think? A simple question and explanation, an apology on my end, then on your end..."

Oliver shook his head in protest, "We don't suck at this, we're just--" His mouth twitched, "We're learning. This is new territory for both of us. I've never been near where we are, and the closest you came was with Jimmy and even then..."

His voice trailed off and he tucked a loose tendril of blond curls behind her ear, "You're not a mess..." He smiled down at her before bending down and dropping his lips to her neck, "You're gorgeous, and sexy, and..."

He exhaled, his nostrils flaring slightly, "Fuck... Here comes my primitive nature again..." He uttered the warning, backing away from her slightly, "God, can I comfort you without wanting to get you naked and have a rut fest?"

Chloe smirked not letting him fully pull away from her, amusement dancing behind her eyes. “I think that’s the only part of your primitive nature that I actually enjoy.”

Oliver tried to step back again but found it futile, "You think it's wise to encourage that side of me after we just had another fight?"

Chloe scrunched her nose and pretended to look thoughtful for a moment before replying, a spark of desire in her eyes.

"I am always looking for promising ways to encourage you're more...sexually primitive urges...they usually end with me having multiple orgasms...if you need more incentive I'm sure I could give you some...the way you always put your toothbrush practically on top of mine bugs the hell out of me...don't even get me started on your obsession with all things green...."

She trailed off eyebrow arched as she watched him, her lip twitching lightly as she tried to hold back a grin. Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? So no more sex with Green Arrow then?--Is that what you're saying?" He smirked, "Cause that’s what it sounds like, you know, with your sudden dislike for my..." He fought to keep a straight face, "Green things."

Chloe's jaw dropped her tone appalled. "You would take away my quality time with Star City’s masked vigilante? Cause I think that would be detrimental to the health of the city...and I was referring to the green throw pillows...and mugs...and clothes and even the bar of soap...yes I saw it tucked away in the back of the bathroom closet..weirdo." She made a face, but her tone was affectionate.

"Mhm," he hummed unconvincingly. "And you look so good in green, that's probably not an incentive for me to have so much of it around, right?"

He squinted one eye at her as his fingers played with the bottom edge of her shirt, "So stopping Green Arrow playtime and, let's see...Should I stop buying you green underwear to rip off with my teeth, as well?"

Chloe glared lightly at him, but her face smoothed out quickly and she gave a nonchalant shrug. He wanted to play this game that was just fine with her.

"Well the green panties are strictly for your benefit so if you don't want me to wear them anymore that's fine...we can also get rid of that lacey contraption that I wore on our two year anniversary...I mean sine we're getting rid of everything green...oh and then there was that leather corset with the green trimming...guess that'll have to go too...Hmm."

"Alright," Oliver gripped her hips, lifting her up and placing her on her desk. "I'm ignoring everything you just said," he fisted his hands in her shirt and ripped it straight down the middle before she could reply. "No more word play unless it's sign language," he grinned at her wolfishly.

Her eyes widened, shock covering her features as she glanced down at her shirt and then back up at Oliver, voice catching in her throat. "What am I supposed to wear when we go home?"

His eyes slipped to her chest before holding her gaze again, "I was thinking a fresh coat of sweat that you'll work up here shortly..." A wave of arousal rushed through her body, her temperature rising at the look he was bestowing on her. He inclined his head, his tongue trailing down her neck and dipping into the valley between her breasts, "But you can have my shirt or jacket..."

A moan started low in her throat, her body arching forward, hands behind her, palms pressing firmly against the hard surface as his tongue touched her flesh, setting her skin on fire, "Oh god..." Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply, "Someone's awfully sure he's getting some..."

His lips curved upwards against her skin, "I warned you about encouraging my primitive side..." He nudged her bra down with his nose before taking a pert nipple in his mouth, flicking his tongue against the hard bud.

Her eyes fluttered shut at the feel of his warm mouth latching onto her nipple, heart picking up speed as she lifted her hands to clutch his head momentarily forgetting they were holding her up. Her body started to slip back nudging the monitor towards the edge of the desk as she let out a small yelp, hands gripping his arms, nails biting into his skin.

Oliver's hands slipped around her back stopping her from knocking the computer down. She sucked in a shaky breath as she tried to glance over her shoulder, eyes hazy with desire. "Is the computer okay?"

"Like we couldn't buy a new one?" His teeth nipped her breast, "Should I move you to the couch so you can stop getting distracted and focus on me and--" His lips suctioned around her nipple once more, before releasing it with a small 'pop', "My mouth."

Chloe let out another moan both at his actions and words as she lifted one leg, hooked it behind his and pulled him into the cradle of her thighs. A smirk formed on her lips, tone teasing as a challenging gleam showing in her eyes.

"Someone's jealous of my computers...maybe you and your mouth just need to work a little harder at keeping my attention..."

Oliver snorted before hoisting her up, carrying her over to the couch and tossing her down on it. "Keep up the talking and you're going to be walking out of here without a shirt, and skirt."

Her back hit the plush cushions, breasts bouncing slightly, bra askew as she arched an eyebrow at him, a look of mock shock on her face, her tone bordering on sarcastic. "Is that so...I'm shaking in my new heels Romeo."

Oliver smirked down at her, "Those I'll let you keep on."

She grinned shaking her head as she glanced up at him, lifting one heel clad foot, nudging the toe of it up his leg, encouraging him to come closer to her. "Perv, I bet if you had your way I'd be walking around all day in nothing but a pair of stilettos."

He shrugged, "Depends on where you're walking..." His eyes darkened as he slid his eyes up her legs, to her black pencil skirt, leaning over her, his fingers sliding behind her to pinch her zipper, pulling it down swiftly.

He slipped his fingers below her waistband, tugging it down and over her hips before removing it completely. He groaned as his hands skimmed up her bare legs, "Jesus, you're the best sight to lay eyes on."

The way his eyes roamed her body made Chloe swallow hard to moisten her throat. She could feel her stomach coil in anticipation as she parted her legs for him, hands reaching up, yanking his body against hers, thighs on either side of him. She leaned up placing a kiss to his jaw, warm breath caressing his skin, as she whispered against it. "One of us is incredibly over dressed..."

Oliver nodded, pulling back from her tossing off his jacket and slowly unbuttoning his shirt, "Can't rip this one off if you need something to wear out of here..."

Chloe shifted, propping herself up on the cushions behind her, and pushed his hands aside, her eyes following the movements of her hands as she undid each button slowly, small palms gripping the sides of his shirt.

She parted it, licking her lips before running her fingers lightly against his chest sliding them up to his shoulders and pushing the shirt off his body. Chloe's hands moved to his belt, her movements measured as she unbuckled and pulled it from the loops, tossing it aside.

His pants were next as two small fingers gripped his zipper, inching it down at a leisurely pace. She tugged them partway down, her eyes flickering up to his face, expression softening as she pulled him back towards her body hooking a leg around his hip bringing him flush against her.

Chloe cupped his cheek, soft voice floating through the quiet room. "Do you know how much I love you?" Oliver stared at her, his eyes filled with complete adoration, "As much as I love you..." He kissed her collarbone, than let his lips flutter over the beat of her pulse point before moving up her jaw and meeting her mouth with his.

His fingers hooked themselves under her panties, prying them down her legs slowly. She lifted her legs slightly as he pulled them over her heels and dropped them to the floor. Chloe pushed herself up on her knees, shoving him back towards the opposite end of the couch, hands slipping his pants the rest of the way off as he kicked off his shoes.

She straddled his waist, knees on either side of him, heels pressing into the cushion of the sofa. She bent her head forward placing a trail of open mouthed kisses from his stomach, up his chest, tongue circling around his nipple before making her way to his neck, teeth nipping at his pulse point.

Chloe shifted against him, hips rotating as she moved away from him, body arching forward and reaching behind her undoing the clasp of her bra, letting it fall open and off, the material tumbling to the floor all the while her hips still moving against him, creating a pleasant ache between her thighs.

A moan tumbled from her lips, one hand falling to his chest, eyes closing as she snagged her bottom lip between her teeth head arched back, chest pushed forward as she continued rubbing her body against his, seeking the friction against her heated flesh.

A groan escaped his lips before he was grabbing her hips, lifting her up and repositioning her so that her slit was just above his pulsating cock. He flattened his palms over her hips, his fingers stretching and sprawling out as he rocked her back and forth on him, moistening his dick in her juices as she moved against him.

"Mmm," Oliver moaned into her ear, feeling the juncture and curve of her ass brushing the tip of his erection before she slid back to him, adding another coat of her arousal over him. "You're so wet and so warm..." His hips lifted off the couch before she slipped herself over him again.

One of her hands gripped his shoulder the other slipping between them, gripping his shaft as she leveraged herself over him, gliding down on him inch by inch until her body was engulfing him. She groaned at the feel of him inside of her.

Chloe moved forward pressing her body against his, hardened nipples grazing his chest as she kissed him and sucked his lower lip into her mouth, teeth grazing it lightly. She squeezed her inner muscles while lifting herself off him, creating more friction between them as she moved against him setting a steady pace.

Chloe moved her lips to his ear, warm puffs of breath fanning against it, “God, I love having you inside of me…no better feeling…in the world.”

His grip on her hips tightened as he tried to guide her into faster movements, with his fingers sliding into her hair to tilt her head back as he kissed the path along her jaw, "I love you."

His breath left his lungs every time she slid back down on him, sheathing his entire length back into her warm core, causing a moan to escape his lips as he leaned his forehead against hers, "So perfect."

She took his hint and quickened her pace, capturing his lips with hers. He opened his mouth beneath hers letting her deepen the kiss as she shifted trying to spread her legs further and change the angle of her thrusts.

She could feel the pressure building inside of her and she groaned as she rocked against him a small whimper leaving her throat, breathing heavy as she sat up, pushing her hands against his lower abdomen to try and steady her movements.

Her head fell forward, curls pooling around her face as she let out a frustrated moan his name coming out as a breath. “Ollie…” she clenched her inner muscles around him again, “I need more…please.”

He scooped one arm around her back, the other holding onto her hip tightly as he pushed her to lay back onto the sofa, causing him to sink deeper inside of her at their new position. He had to gasp for air as her legs wound around his waist, inviting him in even further and his head fell to hers again.

His lips fell over hers, pushing and pulling her mouth as he pulled back and rolled his hips into hers until he was surrounded by her heat once more, "God, you're so tight..."

She tightened her legs around him, heels biting into his ass as she arched her body up to meet his a strangled moan leaving her throat at his words as he plunged back into her body. Chloe didn’t think she ever enjoyed sex more than when she was with Oliver.

He took her to new heights of pleasure when they were together and her body never got tired of him. He knew exactly where to touch her to make her body respond, every caress, every flick of his tongue. She could feel her muscles coil beneath him, as she felt her orgasm approaching, but not quickly enough.

“Harder…so close...” She gripped his head lips pressing against his jaw as she sucked in a few quick breaths.

Oliver slammed back into her, murmuring softly as he quickened his pace, the sense of his climax chasing and closing in on him as he continued to plunge inside of her.

He felt her muscles clamping around him, a quiver running down her spine as she arched up and into him, her passage squeezing him tightly as she brought his climax down on him, forcing him to empty his orgasm inside of her.

His head dropped to her neck and she tilted her head to the side hands running up and down his back as she tried to calm her breathing. She placed a kiss to his shoulder, breaking the silence a minute later. “…so is this considered make-up sex? Cause if so…I’m thinking we should do it a lot.”

He lifted his head and she grinned against his chin her lips placing a soft kiss there as she shifted, her sweat slicked body, rubbing against his her inner muscles squeezing him lightly when she moved. Chloe heard him groan and she froze.

“Sorry…”

Oliver inhaled, reaching for a deep breath, "It's alright..." He ran his hand up her side, "As much as I'd love to go for a round two...Mia was pretty worried when I left..."

His eyes flicked up to meet hers seriously, "She was panicked and thought you were leaving us." Chloe swallowed hard, as she brushed a thumb across his cheek. “Oh god…I didn’t mean…” she shook her head, worry creasing her brow.

“We should get home. I never meant to upset her.” Chloe sighed, “She seems so much older than she actually is and sometimes I forget how much she counts on us…you and me…this working it’s really important to her too isn’t it?”

He nodded and squeezed her hand, "We may not have children right now, but we do have a family."

Chloe nodded and gave him a warm smile, “Yeah…I guess we do.” She nudged him lightly and he moved pulling out of her, reaching down and tossing her bra and panties to her.

“Come on…let’s get home. We should stop at that little ice cream place on the way…I’ve been meaning to try it and I’m craving Black Raspberry ice cream…we can get something for Mia too.” She pulled on her panties, clasped her bra and glanced around for her skirt as Oliver got dressed.

She was pulling it on facing away from him as she spoke. “You know…we’ve all been really busy lately,” she hesitated briefly before spinning around to face him as she continued while he buckled his pants, “Maybe we should take some time this weekend…do something together. All of us.”

He smiled at her as he finished with his pants and started buttoning up his shirt, "I'd like that. I think it sounds like a great idea." He handed her his coat to cover up her torn shirt with, "I know we don't have this marriage thing down yet..." Oliver lifted a shoulder, "But it's you and me, and I don't think we fit into any stereotypical guidelines for marriage."

His lips twitched into a smirk, "And we're already having more sex than most married couples, so I think it's safe to say we'll get the hang of this." He tucked a loose blond curl behind her ear, "Just be patient with me."

She grinned, “Thank god for that…if I had to deal with sexual frustration and anxiety my head might literally explode…and I think as long as we’re patient with each other we’ll be able to do this. We just need to remember that married, not married, either way we’re Chloe and Oliver…and we’re a team.”

His jacket engulfed her small body and she buttoned it up as her eyes met his again before she took his hand and pulled him towards the door. “We’ve fought aliens, meta-humans and saved the world together…I think we can handle this. Now come on I’m starving I haven’t eaten anything all day…ice cream…”

Oliver chuckled as he followed her towards the door, "Ice cream to go. We can reheat the dinner you made earlier when we get home."

She nodded as they headed towards the elevator hand in hand. “Sounds like a plan…you’ll have to run in and get the ice cream yourself. Don’t forget the extra cherries and Mia likes rainbow sprinkles not chocolate…”

Oliver smiled and shook his head before leaning in to brush his lips over her forehead, "Of course." He pretended to scoff, "I know what my girls like."

He leaned forward and pushed the button as she relaxed against his side, her hand playing with the buttons on his shirt, small smile playing at her lips. “You take good care of us...I hope you know how much we appreciate that.”

She turned her head up, voice affectionate. “Mia thinks the world of you…you my sexy husband are her hero…and she’s not the only one.”

Oliver grinned, "Well you're my hero..." He lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles, "Since the day you saved me."

She rolled her eyes jokingly as the elevator doors opened and they made their way out towards his car. “You give me too much credit. I didn’t save you…you saved yourself. I just gave you a little push.”

He opened the car door for her and before getting in she leaned up pressing a kiss to his lips. When she broke away, she patted his chest and ducked into the car. She watched him move around to the driver’s side and she felt a fluttering low in her stomach.

They might not have this marriage thing down yet, but they were both willing to try and even though they have had some pretty intense misunderstandings lately…they were still able to pick up the pieces and Chloe was pretty sure it was all because of Oliver…she really was a lucky girl…

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