Secret Identities Chapter 5

Secret Identities
Chapter 5

“Who’s Dr. Reynolds?” Clark asked, brow raised.

“Chloe and I were investigating him. We’d discovered that a handful of his patients had connections to Belle Reve, and that those patients had connections to none other than Lex Luthor.”

“You and Chloe… going after Lex. Seems as though there’s a lot I don’t know...”

“Clark,” Oliver interrupted. “She didn’t like keeping things from you… or Lois. It ate her up. After the last time she worked with me, and your reaction, you can imagine why she didn’t tell you.” He looked over at the small woman on the bed next to him with sympathy. “And now I think I understand why she didn’t tell me she that she was meteor infected. Maybe she was afraid of what I’d think, how I’d react,” his shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “I don’t know.”

“I get why she didn’t tell me she was working with you. I even understand why she didn’t tell Lois. What I don’t get is why she’d care so much about what you’d think about her meteor infection. If she’s working with the League, her having an ability shouldn’t matter, and she knows that.” Clark felt there had to be more, but some part of him hoped he was wrong, and thus far Oliver had not been forthcoming with any more information about what kind of relationship he and Chloe actually had. Clark wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer. Still, he waited for Oliver to respond.

* * * * *

Chloe awoke gradually some time later. She had almost forgotten where she was, but she knew. She was nestled in the arms of Oliver Queen. It was surreal. Sometime during sleep they had switched positions, and Chloe found herself stuck between the back of the couch and Oliver, his arm and leg draped over her, effectively trapping her in the cocoon of his body. Chloe felt a pang of guilt twist in her chest. This was Lois’s ex-boyfriend, a man her cousin had cared about deeply. Chloe loved Lois, and would never want to hurt her, but right now she wasn’t sure what was happening between herself and Oliver. They believed in the same things, they worked well together. Of course, she was attracted to him. When he kissed her, he made her feel things no one else had. But none of that stopped her from feeling horrible, wondering what Lois would think of it all. And then there was Clark. What would he say? Would he care? What would he…

“Don’t think so much,” she felt more than heard Oliver’s voice rumble softly, interrupting her thoughts before they could snowball further.

She craned her neck to look up at him. “Hi.” Couches were definitely not made for two people to sleep on comfortably, especially when one of them was 6’3.

“Hi.” He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. “ I think we’ve been slacking off, Sidekick,” he whispered and then placed another kiss on her temple. “I also think my arm fell asleep.” She stifled a laugh, and he pressed his smiling lips to the top of her head.

“How about if I put on the coffee, while you get your arm to wake up?” she suggested. “Then we can get back to work.”

“Do we have to?”

“Yes.”

“Oliver?”

“Yes?”

“You need to let me up first.”

Later, Chloe sat at her laptop while Oliver picked up their plates from an early breakfast and carried them to the kitchen sink. They’d already discovered that three patients from Belle Reve matched Dr. Reynolds’ patient list. Now Chloe was searching for information on Dr. Reynolds himself.

“Oh my God.”

“What?” he asked as he returned to the living room.

“It really is a small world after all,” she pointed to the screen, awestruck.

“What?” He dropped down beside her.

“It appears that our Dr. Reynolds is the younger brother of Smallville High School’s very own Principal Reynolds! Or at least he was the principal there when I graduated.”

“Principal Reynolds. Terrence Reynolds?”

“The very same,” she nodded.

“Huh. He was the headmaster at Excelsior when Lex and I were there until he was fired. It was rumored that Lionel Luthor had a hand in his firing. I think he made me write an essay once about where I saw myself in the future.”

She gave him a sidelong glance and raised a brow. “Did your essay include having a green leather fetish?”

“Har. Har.”

She grinned at him cheekily, and Oliver had the strong urge to kiss her. Chloe then turned her gaze back to the computer screen. She tipped her head to the side in thought. “Now, why would the physician brother of an Excelsior headmaster, fired by Lionel
Luthor years ago have connections with Lex, Belle Reve patients, and meteor rock?”

She clicked away at the keyboard, doing another search. “Ollie, look at this.” She turned the laptop toward him, as he scooted closer to her.

His eyes scanned the screen. “According to this archived news article…it says… Principal Terrence Reynolds retired two years ago to Los Angeles. Two months after his retirement his body was found in his home… coroner ruled the death a… suicide?”

They looked at each other in the same moment. “I think we need to pay a visit to Dr. Reynolds,” she said.

“I think you’re right. But it’ll have to wait a few days. I have some things I need to take care of here.”

Chloe glanced at the Clock Tower. “And I do have a job I have to get to in about three hours, and I still need to shower and change clothes, and come up with some excuse for why I was out all night for Lois.” She turned off her laptop, and began putting it away, then stopped momentarily. “Lois may find out you’re here, you know,” she said softly without looking at him, and then continued to gather up her things.

“I doubt she’ll come calling,” he answered.

“Okay, well… I have to go,” she said a bit too brightly. Her back was to him, as she slung her laptop bag over her shoulder, and moved to the chair for her jacket. Chloe felt a tug on her bag, pulling her backwards as Oliver grasped her arm and turned her around to face him. He removed the bag from her shoulder, let it fall onto the couch, and took her face in his hands making her look up at him.

“Chloe,” he whispered. “I admit I’m not exactly sure what’s happening here with us… but I know I want to find out.”

“It’s just… it’s just that it’s a little weird, you know? I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

The sadness in her eyes pained him. “I know you don’t.” He lifted one hand from her face to stroke her hair and tuck the golden strands behind her ear, “But it was her choice, and I accepted that and moved on. It was nice. I cared about Lois. But this… with you, it’s different somehow, and unless you tell me you’re not interested, then I’m not backing away from it.”

Chloe saw the question in his brown eyes, waiting for her answer. She didn’t speak. She moved closer to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt. She felt him release the tensed breath he was holding as his arms enfolded her, pulling her against him tightly.

* * * * *

“So?” Clark repeated. “Why would she care what you think?”

Oliver hesitated a moment before raising his eyes from Chloe. He was well aware of the deep friendship between Chloe and Clark. He was painfully aware of the feelings Chloe may have had for Clark. It didn’t matter anymore. If she didn’t come back from the dead, nothing mattered. He stood from the bedside chair, turned determined, dark eyes to Clark, and said the only words that came to him. Words he knew to be true. Words he hadn’t said to her yet. “Because I love her. I’m in love with her,” he said with a quiet passion. His voice grew in intensity as he went on. “And I’ve been sitting here for hours, just praying that I'll get the chance to tell her, and it’s killing me that she was afraid I wouldn’t accept her as she is… because…” Oliver ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and his voice grew quiet again as he hung his head. “Because she’s so easy to love.”

Clark looked down at his feet, wanting to hide his reaction. He simply nodded in agreement. “Yeah. She is.”

End Chapter 5

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