bluesuedeshoes | Talking in Your Sleep-7/21

Author: BlueSuede
Title: Talking in Your Sleep
Rating: NC17
Genre: Friendship/Romance
Pairings: Chloe/Oliver, Chloe/Green Arrow, Lois/Bruce, Lois/Clark
Summary: Intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet, Chloe Sullivan, has her heart stolen by the masked hero, Green Arrow, but can she be satisfied with not knowing his real identity?
Warnings: There will probably be some minor spoilers, particularly for Season 6. There will also be a ridiculously unnecessary amount of smut. You've been warned.

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Chapter 1

Previous (Chapter 6)
Next (Chapter 8)

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Author's Note: Just wanted to take a moment to make something clear, just in case people were getting confused: Even though I've been -ahem- borrowing some plot points from Season 6, that is not the time line of this story. Hence Senator Kent's RE-election campaign, and the fact that Chloe is old enough to drink, etc.

Thanks for reading!
BlueSuede

Closing time: You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.

I know who I want to take me home.

Closing Time
Green Day

-7-

Chloe's fingers flew across the computer's keyboard, the bluetooth device she'd received in a package that morning hooked up to her ear.

She was alone in the Daily Planet at 11:00 at night, the building once again abandoned, the walls the only witnesses present as she hacked past Lex's system, her pulse going a little more quickly than she preferred. There was no immediate danger, but she had tangoed with Luthors enough times to know that a move like this always held some level of risk. Not that she didn't thrive on that kind of risk, anyway. But the distorted voice in her ear was annoyingly protective.

"And you're sure there's no one in the building?"

She rolled her eyes when he repeated the question for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, I'm sure. Look, believe it or not, this isn't my first time to the rodeo, you know. As a matter of fact - " she caught herself just before she said, 'I used to do it all the time for Superman.' "As a matter of fact, it's almost too easy for me."

She grinned in triumph. "Speaking of which. I've downloaded the files you need and saved them to the hard-drive." Her eyes scanned the information rapidly, taking in as much of it as she could for herself before she started typing again. "And I'm deleting all evidence that I've been in. Need anything else?"

"That's it...and be sure you double check everything. I'll never forgive myself if Luthor comes after you."

Chloe sighed. "I'm fine. I will be fine. Quit worrying, you nancy," she ordered, pulling the flash drive out of the computer and slipping it into her purse before her fingers returned to the keyboard once more.

"Nancy? You've got to be kidding me."

"You're a total worry-wart."

"Hey, just because you don't value your own life doesn't mean I don't."

"I value my life plenty, thank you."

"Well in that case you've got screwed up priorities, which is worse. Why are you doing this again?" he asked, and she could hear the smirk in his voice.

She could tell he was teasing her now, but she couldn't help retorting. "Because you asked me to, you oversized lima bean."

"I prefer asparagus, thanks. And why would you be dumb enough to let me talk you into something? I clearly am not someone you should be listening to."

Chloe laughed and shut down the computer. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I've got everything. What do you want me to do with it?" she asked, expecting he'd give her some mysterious drop-off spot or a P.O. box to ship it to.

"Meet me on the roof in five," he informed her before disconnecting.

Chloe's body froze. Meet him on the roof? MEET HIM ON THE ROOF? An irrational sense of panic swept over her. It was one thing to run into him at the dock or on the street. This felt weird. She was expected to walk up there and stand on the roof, knowing he was going to be there.

Well, she demanded of herself, why should that bother you? He's just a person. Like anyone else. So you've got a little crush on him. Who cares? Quit freaking out.

She nodded to herself, collected once again. She threw her bag over her shoulder and headed for the elevator, taking it to the top floor and then the flight of stairs that led to the roof.

She walked out and the cool night air hit her. When had the nights gotten so cold? The afternoons were still warm enough not to need a coat when she went out.

She shivered gently as she looked around, spotlights on the giant revolving globe that perched on top of the building provided the only real light from that height. Rubbing her arms gently and knowing deep down that she was shivering partly out of nervousness, she looked around, wondering which direction he would come from.

Oliver watched her from a neighboring roof, taking in the scene to be safe. She looked slightly cold, in spite of the brown corduroy jacket she wore over an ivory lace top. He momentarily mourned the absence of the pencil skirt she'd been wearing the day he had to steal his father's ring back from her. She'd opted for a sensible pair of dark brown slacks, with matching heels that added three or four inches to her height.

He shook his head, smirking in humor. She was still tiny.

Not noticing as he landed silently just six inches behind her, Chloe started violently when a voice spoke behind her.

"Come here often?"

She spun on her heel, finding herself once again face-to-face with the Green Arrow. She rolled her eyes at his theatrical entrance. "Dramatic much?" she asked, quirking an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

He smirked. "Part of the fun. Got the drive?" he added.

Chloe wasn't listening, she was staring under the shadow of his hood, studying him intently, trying to make out whatever of his features that she could. His back to the only light source, there wasn't much. Only the faint outline of his jaw, and the mirrored lenses of the glasses he wore. She chewed on her lip unconsciously until his words registered with her and she reached into her purse, pulling out the flash drive, never taking her eyes off his face, even as she handed it to him.

She could feel her body tingling with awareness of his proximity to her, and her lips parted unconsciously. He took the drive from her hand but didn't let go of it, and before either of them had a chance to stop and think about the repercussions of it, his other arm had wrapped around her waist, hauling her against him, and his lips had come crashing down on hers, sending a jolt through her entire body.

Her free hand grasped his bicep, steadying herself as she craned her neck back to meet his lips, gasping into his mouth in surprise. His soft lips molded against hers, but he refused to ease the pressure as he slowly persuaded them to respond, sucking on her bottom lip as he momentarily pulled back, only to return again with equal force, his other hand releasing hers to slide around her neck, still clutching the small plastic hard-drive. A low, soft moan quietly escaped her throat and he groaned in response, his lips pressing still more firmly against hers as they moved together. And then he was pulling back and opening his eyes. He released her reluctantly, backing up a step and stopping himself before he did something really stupid.

Chloe bit back a whimper when he released her, her eyes flying back open as shock settled in on her, her stomach full of frantic butterflies. There was a brief pause where neither of them spoke, before finally he turned to leave her, vanishing into the night. She stayed where she was for a few moments, coming to terms with what had happened before heading for the door, slipping off her jacket as she did. She was suddenly feeling rather warm.

Oliver followed her home, making sure she was safe, all the while thinking he would give his entire fortune to know what was going on inside her fascinating mind.

He didn't fail to notice that she kept absentmindedly raising her fingers to her lips and brushing the tips over them.

She was at home, making herself a strong cup of coffee and settling onto the couch in front of the TV, unaware that he was watching her through the bay windows from a neighboring roof-top, trying to unravel her mind. She'd changed into plaid flannel pajama pants and a cotton tank top and wrapped a light blanket around her shoulders while she clutched the oversized cup gratefully in her hands. She flipped on the TV and channel-surfed for a bit and settled on Titanic, something she'd seen enough times not to have to concentrate on it too hard.

She had her laptop open on the coffee table mostly out of habit, not really expecting to hear from him at least for the night, but she was surprised an hour later when her computer came to life, a message alert, startling her from the world of the movie.

emeraldarcher1 so.

There was a pause and she quirked an eyebrow, not about to help him.

emeraldarcher1 You watching Titanic, too?

She laughed, almost with a feeling of relief that apparently they were still in the same territory...mostly. She grinned as she leaned over and pulled the computer into her lap, typing her response.

sidekick101 duh. Wanna explain to me why you're watching a sappy romance film?

emeraldarcher1 nothing else on.

emeraldarcher1 and it's not a sappy romance. it's an archetypal myth. ...sort of.

sidekick101 how could you possibly come up with that theory?

emeraldarcher1 well, first off, the story's not about Jack and Rose. It's about Rose.

sidekick101 ...

sidekick101 so what you're saying is that Jack is Rose's Obe Wan Kenobi.

emeraldarcher1 exactly.

sidekick101 ...this sounds like an elaborate excuse to make it okay for you to like a sappy romance movie.

"Come with me."

"What?" Chloe asked, wide eyes snapping up to settle on her cousin.

"Please?" she asked, her face taking on a pleading expression as she clasped her hands together. "Please please please please please please pl - "

"Okay, stop that," Chloe said firmly. "Explain this to me. Why would I want to come to Gotham with you?"

Lois chewed her lip nervously. "For moral support?"

"Lois," Chloe chided, taking a sip of her raspberry mojito and shaking her head. "Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "I know; I know."

"I mean, this is you we're talking about! I've never seen a guy make you this nervous. Do you really like Bruce that much?" she asked, feeling a slight pang for Clark's sake.

Lois stared into her martini glass noncommittally, swirling the liquid around. "Kinda..."

"My two favorite ladies doing all right?" Bobby interrupted, walking over to check on them. He paused, humor in his eyes as he corrected himself, "Well...lady, anyway." He winked at Chloe who snickered.

"Har har," Lois said sarcastically. "You're a real comedian. We're doing just fine," she glared.

Chloe smiled gently. "Lois is having guy troubles."

Bobby raised a good-natured eyebrow. "What's the trouble?"

"Her not-boyfriend wants her to visit and she's freaking out."

He studied Lois. "Well, I always say to trust your gut. Are you freaking out because you're excited or because you think you're making a mistake?"

"I'm not freaking out," Lois protested.

"Lo," Chloe said simply, rolling her eyes.

"Fine, I'm freaking out a little."

"So which one is it?" Chloe asked as Bobby waited curiously.

Lois bit her lip uncertainly.

He nodded, understanding. "That's what you need to figure out. But in the meantime, as long as you at least like the guy, you might as well go as not. Hang on, ladies, I'll be back in a second," he added, noting one of the waitresses needed him.

"He makes a fair point," Chloe said, taking another sip of her drink.

Lois nodded, "Yeah, the nosy bartender's right. I should just go." She eyed Chloe cautiously. "But are you sure you won't come? Please. Partly 'cause I really do need moral support, but you have to admit we aren't seeing each other much lately, either, and you could use a vacation, too. We'll have a guy-free day at least one day while I'm there, and when I'm with Bruce you can just enjoy a little nice R&R at the hotel."

Chloe was poised to decline but she stopped herself, debating. It would be nice to get away for a few days, at least for a short time. She hadn't cashed in on vacation time in ages. Besides, one look at her cousin's face told her she should be there for her. "All right," she caved. "I'll come."

"Yay!" Lois squealed, throwing her arms around Chloe and nearly spilling both their drinks.

"Okay, jeez," Chloe said, patting Lois on the back. "It's not that big of a deal," she said amusedly.

"It is to me," Lois said seriously, pulling back. "And anyway, even if it weren't, we're going to have so much fun!"

"She's going to Gotham?" Clark asked, heart obviously sinking.

Chloe felt for him, giving him a sympathetic look. They'd both been on the lousy side of unrequited love a few too many times in their lives. "Yeah. I just wanted to be sure you heard it from me so you didn't find out at work."

Clark nodded pitifully. "Thanks."

"Aw, come on, Clark, it's not so bad," Chloe said. They were interrupted as a waitress came up to them and Chloe ordered a BLT and Clark glumly said he hadn't decided yet. "Clark," Chloe said when the waitress left to give him more time, "you should eat. And anyway, you can't sulk. Things always turn out."

He raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Why are you so chipper? What's going on with you?"

Chloe blushed. She'd spent the entirety of the previous evening talking online to the Green Arrow, and their flirtation was starting to get excessive. It had left her in a good mood. "Nothing," she said brightly. "I'm just having a good day. No disaster's have struck yet, and it's already - " she checked her watch, "2:00 in the afternoon. I think that's some kind of record. I know this trip sucks for you, but I'm looking forward to a bit of vacation for once," she lied smoothly.

Clark accepted the answer readily enough, although he suspected there was at least a bit more to it than that. The waitress came back and Chloe ordered a bacon cheeseburger for him. Their food came out shortly and Clark poked at the burger noncommittally. "You know," he said frustratedly, "it's just frustrating because I know the reason she doesn't give Clark Kent the time of day is because she's more interested in the cool, confident type. But I can't be that because - "

"Because you have to protect your secret. I know, Clark. It's one of the many sacrifices you've made over time. But that doesn't mean the right girl won't see past it to all the wonderful things there are about you."

Clark smiled a bit at the compliment. "Thanks, Chlo. You're a good friend."

"I know," she joked, taking a bite of her sandwich and groaning at how good it tasted. "Why did we ever stop coming here?" she asked. "I love this place."

He shrugged, lightly, taking a sip of his drink. "We both get so busy."

"We need to fix that. I vote we do this at least once every other week. I'd say once a week but - "

"Neither of us can afford that," Clark finished, chuckling.

"Mmhmm," Chloe agreed. She glanced at Clark and swallowed before speaking again. "You know, I always promised Lo I'd never told you this, so you can't use it against her, but does it make you feel any better to know she thinks you're attractive?"

He looked up in surprise.

"Oh yeah," Chloe said casually, truthfully, taking another bite and swallowing. "Mentioned it on one of the times we were having girls' night. We were talking about guys - you know, 'Which actor would you want to date and why?' 'Which politician would you want to date and why? - and we got to 'Which guy at work would you date and why?' and she said you because you're really polite and nice, and she thinks your hot."

Clark choked on his own saliva. "What?" he demanded.

Chloe shrugged, pleased with his reaction. "Well it's no secret that you're really muscular under those business clothes. She's seen you do too many farm chores not to be aware of that. And she said the nerdy glasses were oddly attractive."

Clark subconsciously pushed said glasses a little higher up the bridge of his nose, not realizing he'd done it. "She did?"

Chloe laughed. "You sound so shocked!"

"I am," he pointed out as though this should be obvious.

"Clark Kent has a lot going for him," Chloe said sincerely. "Even if he's no Superman," she winked.

He took a large bite of his burger now, chewing hungrily before he looked back up curiously, narrowing his eyes at her. "Who did you say?" he asked.

Chloe looked confused. "Who did I say what?"

"Who at work would you date?" he asked.

"Oh," she said, then shrugged. "Either Perry White or Jimmy Olsen."

Clark's jaw fell open, not sure which to be more shocked by. "What?" he asked.

"Well, with Perry, he's one of my childhood heroes, so I admire him a lot. Plus, if I was going to be dumb enough to date in the workplace - no offense - I might as well do it to help my career out a smidge. Not that I think Perry would show an ounce of favoritism to even his own grandmother, but in the sense that I'd have a chance to learn a lot from him."

"And Jimmy?" Clark asked weakly, his morals still recovering from her first assault.

She smirked. "Well, he's not really my type at the end of the day, but he's really sweet. And he's just adorable, really...in a bow-tie kind of way."

Clark shook his head. "I will never understand women."

She reached over and patted his shoulder kindly. "No, no you won't."

Chloe's trip with Lois wasn't set until the end of the month, meaning that Chloe had several more adventures with the Green Arrow, one or two of which involved still further clandestine meetings on rooftops, with still further knee-weakening kisses, each one more intense than the last.

It was the night before Chloe was leaving for Gotham, and she'd just come home from a evening with coworkers, celebrating one of the reporter's birthdays. Tomorrow morning she would get up for a 6 AM flight for a four day weekend.

She sighed heavily in relief as she reached the door to her apartment, ready to get out of the shoes she had on. She unlocked the numerous locks on her door and shoved it open, leaning over to start undoing the buckle on her strappy black stilettos as she did so. She flipped on the kitchen lights and tossed her clutch on the counter, slipping out of her shrug and slinging her heels over her shoulder, heading straight for her room and her bathroom.

She opened the door and was about to flick on the light switch when a familiar voice met her ears.

"You look nice."

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