An Exceptional Reunion--Part 3/3

[bluesuedeshoes]

Title: An Exceptional Reunion
Category: Smallville
Rating: PG
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Oliver
Warnings: AU, occasional but barely detectable OOC, Smallville Timeline has totally gone out the window
Summary: rewrite of season 6 Reunion according to the Exceptional Universe.


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Chapter One

AN: Well, judging by the small response to the last chapter, I'm guessing the sequel was a bit of a let down for most people. It's true what they say, I suppose: the sequel is never better than the original. lol I guess there's a reason I rarely do follow-ups.

Either way, thank you to those people who read and reviewed; sorry if any of you were disappointed. I hope the final segment here at least lives up to your expectations! :)

Also, please note that I didn't not include much of the action because it would have mostly consisted of retelling the episode Reunion, which would have been more tedious than anything.  If you don't remember much about the episode, give the Smallville Wiki page a try.

---

 

–3–

"I can't believe Duncan Allenmeyer is dead. Again."

Claire looked across the table at Alden and raised an eyebrow. "Tactful as always, Alden, dear."

Diana shook her head and took a sip of her martini. Everyone else at the table more or less followed suit.

Chloe had found Duncan Allenmeyer in his vegetative state…or lack thereof. She and Oliver had given each other a debrief earlier that evening. She had explained the Kryptonite cocktail–his latest experimental treatment–that had allowed Duncan to seek telepathic revenge on those he deemed responsible for his death, and Oliver's electromagnetic arrow had payed for itself in spades by counteracting the meteor juiced brainwaves that had attacked him and Lex in the same room. Geoff had had a close call, but Mr. Williams had texted in a warning just in the nick of time, allowing Oliver to stop Geoff from getting in the car that had exploded before their very eyes.

All in all, it had been a close call, but other than Alden's broken leg–which Claire stoutly (but good naturedly) maintained was karma–no one had been seriously hurt. Chloe found it amusing that while Claire kept claiming Alden had deserved the leg cast, she had been the one to hover anxiously outside of his hospital room every minute until his release.

Chloe had accompanied Oliver to Lex's mansion that evening and watched in silent dismay as Lex threw Oliver's apology back in his face, no matter that Oliver had saved his life and expressed sincere regret for the way he had treated Lex in school. She looked upon the man with sad eyes, thinking what a bitter soul he must have to become the man he was today. He hadn't even acknowledged Chloe's presence as they both turned to leave, except to call after her that he was sorry to see her taste in men hadn't improved since high school.

Oliver had been right about one thing: While Oliver had spent the last several years doing his best to scrub the blood off of his hands, Lex's hands just kept getting bloodier.

And now, a day after the reunion, the six friends sat in a large private booth at an expensive restaurant, having the kind of reunion they deserved.

Chloe's eyes were on Geoff and Diana who were talking quietly to one another. Diana, to Chloe's surprise, did not have her dark lashes turned down as she spoke, but instead was meeting Geoff's eyes earnestly. Perhaps the near death experience had reminded the pair of what was important, Chloe mused. The thought made her turn to Oliver, and she reached for his hand under the table.

"So when are you two going to get married?" Claire demanded, causing Oliver to choke on his drink.

Chloe blushed embarrassedly as Oliver stammered and the boys laughed.

"Yeah, c'mon, Ollie. I can't believe you haven't made an honest woman out of her yet," Alden clapped Oliver on the back. "I'd be worried she might take a look at Geoff here and run off with him," he winked.

"No time like the present," Geoff agreed, smirking in the embarrassed couple's direction.

Diana just smiled.

"We…"

"Are doing just fine, thank you," Chloe rescued Oliver. "We've been taking things slowly."

Alden snorted and Claire elbowed him.

"I think Oliver knows what he wants and when he wants it," Diana said pleasantly, and the whole table stared at her. Somehow, whenever Diana spoke to a whole roomful of people, it always seemed to leave them all shocked.

Oliver's mind darted to a certain blue Tiffany's box that had been residing in his coat pocket for weeks. He'd decided months ago that the Excelsior Reunion was a mark of the fact that it was about time he asked Chloe to move in with him. Interestingly enough, his mind hadn't taken much more than an hour to jump from moving in together to getting married. He'd shrugged, grabbed his wallet, and headed for the jewelry store.

All of which Chloe was conveniently ignorant of, but which Diana seemed to sense like it was a second nature.

"I'm sure he does," Claire agreed. "But don't make us wait too long. And Chloe, I'll never forgive you if you don't let me design your wedding gown. Just remember that. I don't care if you simply must make your cousin your Maid of Honor–because I'm sure you will–but I get to design the gown."

Chloe laughed nervously. "Claire, you're forgetting that Oliver hasn't proposed," she reminded her friend.

Claire just waved a dismissive hand. "Details," she said, taking a bite of filet mignon.

Oliver gave a nervous laugh.

"What about you, Claire? I heard rumors of an impending engagement to an Italian dignitary last winter. Whatever happened to him? I expected to see him here."

Claire laughed sparklingly. "Darling Benito. He was a doll, wasn't he? But we were never serious about one another. The media just thought we looked pretty on the covers of magazines and decided to make our relationship out to be more than it was. Can you really imagine me with a dignitary? Or anyone dignified, for that matter? I need wild and fun. No, not you, Alden," she cut him off before he could make any suggestions on the matter.

"Oh, Claire, when will you remember you're desperately in love with me?"

"When I find out it was your evil twin who was caught in the lounge with the tequila and the Carlos twins."

Diana giggled and Alden failed to look subdued. "I was young and foolish. When will you ever forgive a man his sins, Claire?"

"When he stops being young and foolish?" Claire answered easily.

The group laughed, and Alden joined them, not really as hurt as he pretended to be.

"Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" Chloe sighed, snuggling into Oliver's side on the couch, her stilettos abandoned on the floor.

"Always nice to hear," Oliver admitted tiredly, tilting her face up to kiss her.

Chloe felt the familiar ache building in her thighs and she deepened the kiss greedily, threading a hand through his hair. She turned her head to the side and he brushed his lips over her throat, causing her to shiver with desire. "You are impossibly good at that."

"Nice to know you still think I've got it," he teased.

She laughed at him, burying her face in his neck. "Please. You've always made me weak in the knees."

"Oh really," he said, looking at her slyly.

"Well, not always," she caught herself, hastening to correct her statement. "I mean, obviously the first time you kissed me I went through an entire bottle of mouthwash," she said, referring to the time they had gotten into a shouting match that had ended with Oliver laying one on her before storming out of the room.

"Oh no," Oliver said, smirking maddeningly. "You finally admitted it. You've been head over heels for me since we first met. I knew it. I knew you wanted me."

"You're so arrogant."

"But right," he added, clearly enjoying himself, even as she playfully shoved his shoulder and rolled her eyes, doing her best to conceal a smile.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," she said, starting to get off the couch. Oliver quickly caught her wrist and tugged her down onto his lap.

"Oh you're not getting away that easily," he warned, claiming her lips again, his hands grazing her back, his left hand settling just beneath her breast, leaving her frustrated and aching for more.

"Ollie," she whined into his mouth and he smirked.

"Do I hear an admittance of defeat?" he asked.

"Never," she said stubbornly.

In response, Oliver suddenly pinned her beneath him on the couch. "That so. I bet I can make you say 'uncle' first," he warned with obvious pleasure.

Chloe moaned, knowing he would be as good as his word. They had played that game before. She never won. …then again, maybe she did. "I was thinking something a little more proactive," she said breathlessly. "Like a long, hot shower, and then a warm, comfy bed."

"I might go along with that plan, but it all depends."

"On?" she asked, looking up into his dark brown eyes, giving in to the impulse to press a sucking kiss to the cleft of his chin.

"Well there's three things, really."

She pressed her lips together to avoid a smile. "First?"

"First, I get to join you in the shower," he said, leaning down to kiss the base of her throat, tongue darting out to trace the contour of her collar bone.

Chloe sucked in a sharp breath. "I suppose I can live with that demand, however agonizing it may be," she conceded.

Oliver made his way down her torso, lips brushing between the valley of her breasts down to her navel, causing Chloe to arch into him slightly as her thighs tensed with need.

"Second?" she prompted breathlessly.

"Second, I demand that there be no actual sleeping in this warm, comfy bed. I will accept cuddling as the bare minimum offering, but I expect you to offer up your body to my whims for at least the first seven hours of the night."

Chloe was beyond responding at this point, and only groaned her acquiescence.

Oliver breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent, lips still pressed to her lower stomach as he debated the next step. Chloe's hand eventually made its way into his hair, and he pulled it around to kiss her palm. His lips feathered over each finger and Chloe sighed luxuriously, groaning when he sucked her middle finger into his mouth.

"Third?" she murmured, making a feeble attempt to pull him back up her body so she could have his mouth on hers again.

But Oliver didn't move. Heart pounding in his chest, he pulled the small blue box out of his pocket. Chloe, whose head was laid back and eyes were still closed, didn't see the movement. "Third," he said softly, "we have to do something about this hand."

"Hmm?" she asked vaguely.

"It's missing something."

Chloe opened an eye and glanced at him confusedly. Her eye caught the sight of a sparkle and she caught her breath, sitting up to look at him properly.

Oliver gently climbed off her and kneeled on the floor beside her, still holding her hand in his. "Chloe Ann Sullivan–"

"Yes!"

Oliver gave a breathy laugh. "Chloe, I haven't even–"

"Yes!"

"Damn it, woman, let me finish."

"But yes!"

Oliver dragged her head down to his and kissed her hard. He released her and she was silent. "Good," he said. "Chloe Ann Sullivan," he repeated, sliding the ring onto her finger, "who I love so much and can't imagine what good thing I did to deserve: Will you consent to bring out the best in me for the rest of our lives, to always remind me when I'm being an idiot, to forever argue with me until I have no choice but to kiss you, and to let me love you senseless for as long as you're alive?"

Chloe could only sigh wistfully, tears in her eyes.

Oliver chuckled, rolling his eyes. He pressed his nose to hers, nudging her slightly. "This is the part where you say yes."

She laughed as well, capturing his lips for a long, lingering kiss, sighing deeply as she pulled away. "Yes," she whispered.

Oliver rose, gathering her in his arms, and lifting her up from the couch until she'd wrapped her legs around his waist. "Good. Consider my conditions met, then," he said, making her laugh.

 

Comments

[brightcat12.livejournal.com]

luv it shame there was no jl or chlo-lo interaction alos i was wonderin do geoff, diana, alden & claire know about ollie's leather fetish? ;D still a good follow up i loved the original though.

more stories pleaase maybe a chloe/ac or chloe/arthur (sv/merlin) or a sam/chloe/dean or adam milligan/chloe? just a suggestion.

[serafina19.livejournal.com]

My weekend camping trip got cut short due to a bout of heat exhaustion/food poisoning (joy), so I was glad to read both updates just now. I know I'm kind of hypocritical in saying this, but I get the sequel apprehension, but I genuinely enjoyed both.

This part though was my favourite. The bickering and banter was well-executed, and sometimes having a chapter with overall happiness is really nice to read. Claire and Diana were amazing as always, they're both one of my favourite OC's in general, and the proposal was kind of awesome too (Had to chuckle at "Damn it woman, let me finish").

So thanks for writing this... like I said, I enjoyed it.

[phoenix-173.livejournal.com]

Awwww! Wonderful ending to a fantastic fic! While you may not have received the praise you so rightfully deserve for honoring us with a sequel, let me tell you how wonderful you are to acquiescing to our demands! You are supercalifragilisticexpealidocious wonderful! :D

Galen

[kaylaclaus.livejournal.com]

Aw... What a perfectly lovely and yet sexy proposal! That Oliver is so smooth, it was so 'him':) Really endearing, loved it.

[winchestersrock.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for doing this sequel. I had to re-read "An Exceptional Young Woman" before moving onto this because I love that story to bits. I really love the ending here with Ollie proposing. It was a beautiful ending to an extremely well written story :)

[tenshinrtaiga.livejournal.com]

Yey! I'll admit, the actual episode was left out more that I was hoping for and I wish their friends had a more interesting/dramatic reaction, but it's still a really good fic and this chapter more than made up for those small disappointments. I LOVE IT! Yey! :DDD

[liselle2010.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this whole sequel. Sorry I didn't comment after the last post, not sure what happened there. The prequel to this is one of my all time favorites and I thought this was a very good wrap up to the whole thing.

I have to say though...I loved this proposal. Can you call it that when he didn't actually get the question out?

Will you be writing any new multi-chapter fics?

[vamp1987.livejournal.com]

It was a cute ending! Love that they got engaged.

[lilisullivan.livejournal.com]

I had no internet last week so i caught up with the whole story today. Thank you for the sequel. I always liked "an exceptional young woman". I remember reading it till very late in the night because i couldn't get enough of it.
Your proposal was very sweet.

Just one thing, i was a bit confused as to when they left the others at the restaurant. One moment they were talking to Claire and then they're just by themselves. Maybe i missed something.

[the-bluesuede.livejournal.com]

Just one thing, i was a bit confused as to when they left the others at the restaurant. One moment they were talking to Claire and then they're just by themselves. Maybe i missed something.

I apologize about that. There was a mistake in the text break (It occurred a line before it was supposed to.), and my internet decided to glitch at the exact moment I noticed it, so I wasn't able to fix it until this morning.

[552158.livejournal.com]

You know this was the most romantic and heartfelt proposal I have read about :D I love it and I think it was the perfect sequel.

[hieispike.livejournal.com]

Oh... especially loved the proposal, how Chloe kept saying yes before Ollie got the actual proposal in. :)

[pompeypearly-v2.livejournal.com]

aww! lovely.

I love the original characters that you have written for these two stories, and it's great that you have fleshed out the Geoff and Alden characters. Would love to see more with these characters in another story...(subtle hint, right?)

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

Great sequel! Not only did it give me an excuse to go back and reread Exceptional Woman, but we get to see a lovely, romantic proposal as well, love it!

[julie-chan.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to tell you how much I LOVED this story. It was amazing seeing these characters again, and I loved every minute of it. Claire and Diana should have been in Smallville because they're really amazing. And I loved how their relationships with Geoff and Alden played out in the end.
And the proposal? Amazing :D you make the six of them grow, but keep them the same. This lines?
"Will you consent to bring out the best in me for the rest of our lives, to always remind me when I'm being an idiot, to forever argue with me until I have no choice but to kiss you, and to let me love you senseless for as long as you're alive?"
They make me long to re-re-re-re-read "An Exceptional Young Woman", because you were able to sum everything that was Chlollie in a few lines...
I don't know what else to say... I will miss the six of them. A whole lot.
Thank you very much for this sequel :)