Undercover Chapter (2/2)

Banner By: Kyra_And_Co

Chapter One: The Trade in The Favor

Chapter 2
‘The Bonds That Form’



Lana glanced at her watch and looked up motioning for the waiter to come over. The young man made his way to her table and smiled.

“Yes Mrs. Luthor, what can I get you?”

“I need one Cosmopolitan, one Pomegranate Martini, and a Cool Blue Hawaiian.”

He nodded.

“Right away.”

She was just slipping out her phone to reply to a few emails when a flustered looking Chloe walked up. She grinned at the brunette who stood and pulled her into a hug.

“Hey sorry I’m late. One of my meetings ran longer than I expected it too.”

“No problem.”

They sat down and Chloe raised an eyebrow as she gazed at the empty seat beside of her. “No Lois either?”

“She’s running late too I guess. So…have you had a chance to talk to Oliver?”

Chloe nodded as she spread a napkin on her lap. “Yea, he said okay.”

“Great! Lex was for it too.”

Chloe grinned at Lana and raised an eyebrow. “He’s not helping plan it either is he?”

Lana chuckled. “No, not a chance.”

“Well at least they’re consistent.”

Lois walked over and sat down right as they were chuckling. She grinned. “What’s so funny?”

Chloe and Lana spoke in unison. “Men.”

“Ah yes, the lesser species.”

Amusement crossed Chloe’s face. “Fighting with Clark again?”

Lois rolled her eyes. “Not so much fighting as he’s just stupid sometimes. How are things with you two any news from my two favorite corporations in Metropolis?” She gave them a grin and Lana shook her head, smile on her face.

“Always looking for a story.”

“Well yeah…that’s my job.”

Chloe glanced at Lana and gave her a thoughtful look, humor evident in her voice. “Hmm you know Lana I’m starting to think that Lois only hangs out with us because of our connections.”

“I think you might be right.”

Lois rolled her eyes and made a face right as the waiter came over with their drinks.

“Haha guys very funny. It’s not my fault you’re married to Lex and happen to have inside information about new and upcoming Luthor Corp projects and you, cousin of mine it isn’t my fault that you spend most of your time with the billionaire boy wonder. I’m just…using that to my advantage that’s all.”

Chloe snorted. “I’ll bet. Well speaking of fortune five hundred companies Lana and I do have some news.”

“Juicy, let’s have it.”

Chloe nodded to Lana who took a sip of her drink before speaking.

“Luthor Corp and Queen Industries are partnering up to host a charity gala to raise money for the Metropolis General Children’s Oncology Ward.”

Lois’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

They nodded.

“Lex and Oliver agreed to this?”

“Yup.”

“How’d you two manage that?”

Lana grinned. “Lex rarely says no when I ask to do something though this one required a bit more convincing than normal and Chloe has Oliver wrapped around her finger.”

Lois turned to her cousin and smirked as Chloe shook her head.

“That’s not even close to true. There were a list of things I had to agree to do in order to get him to say yes.”

Lana and Lois both arched their eyebrows in her direction and she frowned. “What?”

“And what kind of things did you have to do cuz?”

“You’re horrible Lo’! And you’re just as bad Lana. You know Oliver and I are just friends. We work together that’s it. Honestly I have no clue why you think there’s more going on.”

Lois opened her mouth, but Lana cut her off.

“Don’t even bother Lois it’s like talking to a steel wall. Why don’t we get the business out of the way so we can enjoy our lunch? You said over the phone the other day you had a few questions for me about the Art Benefit from last week?”

Lois nodded and pulled out a notebook. “Yeah, I wanted to ask you about what happened to Mrs. Caffrey.”

Lana frowned.

“Oh…I’m gonna be honest with you I don’t really know much. No one saw her get taken and those of us who were there aren’t allowed to talk to the press about it. Metropolis PD is still investigating since she hasn’t been found. I’m sorry I thought you wanted information about the event.”

Lois shrugged and closed her book. “Well I had to ask. I still can’t believe she was the second person kidnapped.”

Lana nodded. “I know, it’s horrible. I know both of them. Crystal Deverox, the first woman taken, is such a nice girl. She’s married to Jean Paul Deverox.”

“The guy who owns that genetics company?”

Lana nodded.

“Yeah, his company manufactures a good portion of the equipment that’s used to do genetic testing and researching. He’s a bit of a snob, but Crystal is a sweetheart. She’s maybe a year or two older than we are. She was taken from the Charity Costume Ball that Wayne Industries hosted two weeks back.”

Chloe frowned. She had attended that benefit at Bruce’s behest. Ever since he started working more with the team her social calendar had gotten a lot fuller. She didn’t remember hearing anything about it though. “I don’t remember that.”

Lana seemed surprised at Chloe’s words as she turned her attention to the blonde. “It didn’t realize you were there.”

She nodded. “Mr. Wayne just recently finished doing some work with Queen Industries and he sent two invites to Oliver.”

“Oh so the two of you attended together?”

“No, I think Oliver took a date. I only saw him briefly while he was there.”

Lana and Lois exchanged a quick look and before they nodded. “Ah…”

Chloe let the look go. She was tired of dealing with Lois and Lana’s prying into her friendship with Oliver attempting to convince her that Oliver was somehow madly in love with her. It was a ridiculous notion.

“But I don’t remember hearing about it.”

“Well that’s because Jean Paul is working privately with the police to keep things quiet. He thinks he’ll have better luck getting Crystal back without the publicity. John Caffrey however seems to feel the opposite. His wife Maria was taken from the Art benefit last week and it’s all you hear about on the news.”

The waiter interrupted their conversation to take their orders and when he left again Chloe sighed and leaned back in her seat, as Lois spoke.

“So what does John Caffrey do?”

“I think his company works with neurological equipment or something? I’m not really sure. I’ve only ever met him once. He’s a nice guy a little overly flirtatious, but harmless. His wife on the other hand…she’s a piece of work.”

Chloe chuckled.

“You’re telling me. The one time I met her she practically accused me of prostituting myself to Oliver to get my job, apartment, and connections in the business world. I felt like I was acting out a scene in Pretty Woman.”

They laughed lightly and Lois shook her head.

“I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with the people you two are around twenty-four seven. It would drive me crazy.”

Lana smiled. “And Clark’s disappearing acts don’t get old? I’d be surprised if that didn’t frustrate you just as much as the people we deal with.”

Lois shrugged and lifted her Cosmopolitan to her lips, sipping briefly and putting it down. “It’s not so bad anymore, plus I think I disappear on him just as much. I’m always so busy chasing after the next story.”

“Or chasing after Superman.”

Chloe eyes flicked to Lois briefly, but her cousin was calm as she grinned.

“It’s not my fault I’m the only reporter he’ll talk to, but it does kinda make me wanna gloat.”

Chloe snorted.

“I’ll bet.”

Lois opened her mouth right as Chloe’s phone went off. She dug around in her purse until her fingers closed around the rectangular object. She pulled it out and Lois shook her head.

“No phones during lunch cuz, you know the rules.”

“It’s a 911 from Oliver. I’ll just be a minute I promise.”

She pushed away from the table and Lana watched her walk down the hall towards the bathrooms. She sighed and turned to Lois.

“Think they’ll ever figure it out?”

“What that they spend 95 percent of their time together? Or that they can’t ever hold on to a single relationship for more than a week because their significant others always think they are cheating on them with each other?”

Lana chuckled. “Both.”

“Probably not. Chloe is the most stubborn person I’ve ever met and after everything that happened with Jimmy, well I think that’s turned her off on the whole commitment thing.”

Lana pursed her lips together and nodded before nudging Lois playfully. “What about you Lane…will I be hearing wedding bells in the future?”

Lois’s eyes widened and she sputtered slightly. “Uh I think not. Clark and I…we’re happy where we are right now. We’re both really busy with work and stuff so being together…living together it’s enough for us for now.”

“Point taken.”

Chloe came back less than ten minutes later and placed her phone inside her bag. “Sorry about that.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just a slight glitch in a merger nothing I couldn’t help with over the phone quickly.”

Lois glanced at her cousin and was about to speak when her phone beeped. “Wasn’t the no phone rule yours Lois?” She glanced down and sighed. Lana chuckled.



_______

Chloe glanced at her watch as she made her way into the elevator at the clock tower. She was running late. It was six twenty-five and she was supposed to pick Mia up at six o’clock. The security system beeped and she put in Oliver’s code making the elevator jerk to a start.

Her day had hit a slight snag after she got back from lunch with the girls and she wound up spending her afternoon helping out the Justice Society with an issue they were dealing with, leaving her work to take a back seat until she had finished running them through a snatch and grab mission.

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open. Chloe peeked her head out as she crossed the threshold keys in hand and frowned slightly. The hallway and living room were slightly dark, but she could see a bright light coming from the kitchen. She called out as she made her way toward the kitchen.

“Oliver…Mia anyone home?”

“We’re in here Sidekick.” She turned the corner and moved under the archway into the kitchen. Oliver was standing in front of the island in jeans and a long sleeve shirt, a stack of papers to his left as he grinned at something Mia said. The teenager turned a smile forming on her lips as she jumped out of the chair and hugged the blonde in front of her.

“Chloe! Oh thank god you’re here. Oliver said you’re taking me shopping?”

She pulled back giving the blonde a hopeful look and Chloe chuckled while nodding. “Yup, sorry I’m late, my boss is a slave driver.” Her eyes shifted towards Oliver a hint of mischief in them and he snorted, voice airy, but playful. “Please, don’t even pretend that actually listen to me when I tell you to do things.”

Chloe smiled and Mia grinned at Oliver. “It’s true Chloe…I don’t know why Oliver won’t just admit that you run the team…everyone listens to you…you’re like the HBIC.”

Oliver frowned slightly, “That’s not true…we…co-run the team…” He nodded satisfied with his answer as the petite blonde in front of him arched a confused eyebrow, “What’s an HBIC?”

Mia gazed between the two adults and rolled her eyes, an exasperated sound coming from her throat. “It means head bitch in charge…not that I’m calling you a bitch…it’s just a figure of speech…”

Chloe pursed her lips in an attempt to keep the smile from her face as she nodded. “Ah I see,” she pointed to herself, “well this HBIC is ready to head out, I didn’t interrupt dinner did I?” Mia shook her head as she moved back over to the island and handed her plate to Oliver who took it and placed it in the sink.

“Nope we were just finishing up, let me go grab my card for you girls and then you can head out.” He left them in the kitchen while he made his way to his bedroom. Oliver rifled through the stuff on his dresser looking for his wallet. He found it a minute or so later, pulled out his card, and moved back into the hallway.

He could hear the excitement in Mia’s voice as she spoke to Chloe in a whispered tone. He grinned, when he had first found Mia he was worried she wouldn’t get along with the team or his friends. She was opinionated and had an attitude that took time to adjust to, but once you got past all that she was a really sweet kid.

It shouldn’t have surprised him that the person she wound up being closest to aside from him was Chloe. She just had this way about her that made people feel like they could trust her and believe it or not Mia had been good for Chloe too.

When he first introduced them, he was hoping that Mia would be able to bring Chloe out from behind those monitors that she loved so much and back into the real world. And though she’d initially fought him on it, he’d been able to guilt her into helping him acclimate his rough around the edges teenager into a life where she no longer needed to be the girl who stood on the corner, but the one who went to school, got an education and lived a life she could be proud of.

And through that Mia and Chloe had formed a bond that rivaled his own with the small brunette. She had come to look up to Chloe, see her as a woman who was strong, independent and made a difference in the world in a positive way, and it had warmed Oliver’s heart when instead of pushing her away, Chloe welcomed Mia into her world.

Lately, that was hard to do. Chloe wasn’t as trusting as she once was. She had built walls around herself that were practically impenetrable, but ever since she brought him back onto the team…saved his life she’d been slowly letting him back into her life again.

And Oliver was glad. He could honestly say that Chloe Sullivan was his best friend and he was almost positive he was hers. The sound of a throat clearing knocked him from his thoughts and he arched an eyebrow, “Yeah?”

Mia shrugged, “You were staring at us.” Oliver chuckled as he shook his head, taking a step forward and handing Chloe his card. “Was I? I didn’t realize. Do you ladies want to take the car? I can have the driver meet you down stairs.”

Chloe shook her head and waved Oliver off, “I brought my car.” Mia bounced on the balls of her feet as she turned her head to Chloe, “Can I drive?” Chloe winced slightly and Oliver bit his lip to keep from smirking. Her eyes fell on Mia and she sighed, “Only if you promise not to go above 50. My car isn’t like Oliver’s Lexus…”

Mia pulled the keys from Chloe’s hand as she grinned and made her ways towards the elevator while calling out to Chloe. “Come on Chlo!” Oliver motioned for her to go ahead and she nodded. “I won’t bring her back too late.”

He shrugged, “I trust you Sidekick…have fun and thanks again for doing this.” Chloe smiled, “We’ll see you later.”

Oliver stood in the kitchen and listened as the sound of heels on his floor faded, right before he heard the elevator doors slide shut. He glanced over at the paperwork on the island and groaned. It looked like he knew what he’d be doing while they were gone.

Chapter Three: The Woes in Event Planning