Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: I know that I should be working on my other fics. But this story just won't let go. So here, this was inspired by John Mayer's song 'Love Soon', I actually took some of him lyrics and used it in this story. Now that I have this out of my system, I just might find the time to write the updates for my three other fics, hopefully I'll find the time between work, school, household chores. Well, I'll make time!
This fic is dedicated to Diane (pipersmum). It's three days late, sorry about that, but belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hope you enjoy this fic.
Love Soon
The truth was it was the last thing he expected to happen.
He had other things on his mind: a billion dollar empire to manage, the quest for truth and justice. He simply had no time for some ill-timed romance. And yet he found himself in the most unpleasant predicament.
It started with a kiss; sweet and chaste.
Christmas 2007
Oliver Queen was a man of means. Something he was incredibly thankful for. If he weren't then he wouldn't have been able to ship his band of heroes to Los Angeles, after a particularly grueling mission at the Antarctic, where Lex Luthor tried to set up shop for his run-of-the-mill evil factories.
His team had been complaining incessantly, which prompted him to arrange the impromptu vacation.
Victor was complaining that if they didn't move to a warmer climate he would eventually rust and cease to be of use to their league. AC was grumbling about the temperature of the ocean, particularly since he was fond of going au natural on their missions. Bart, well Bart was whining about the lack of female company and the fact he had to plow through massive snow in order to resolve such grievous oversight.
And so Oliver made a call and soon they were on their way to sunshiny California. He wouldn't admit it to anyone on the team, but he was also relieved to go somewhere that snow would not fall.
His beach house at Malibu was cleaned and well-stocked by the time the four of them arrived.
Bart was grinning with such glee that he didn't even stop to eat; he just went straight for the beach and started hounding the women. So did AC, who was positively staring at the ocean with such adoration. Victor, well he still had to complain, his only concession was the fact that Silicon Valley was not thousands of miles away from them.
Oliver was just relieved that he could stop listening to the complaints of three grown men (well two men and one child since Bart acted like a kid more often than not). He was not that fond of the beach, so while his team was gallivanting, he immersed himself back into his business façade, because while evil took the holiday off (Clark mentioned that Lex was too wrapped up with everything that was going on in Smallville and Metropolis), his empire went on running.
He had a talk with his three quasi-roommates. All four of them agreed that the break had nothing to do with Christmas. That they were under no illusions of celebrating the holiday.
All of that changed at HER arrival.
On their second day he saw the CHANGE.
His day was packed with back to back meetings so he was truly looking forward to just lounging around, provided that the rest of the team were willing to keep an eye out for trouble that usually plagued the city of Angels.
He staggered to a stop when he noticed the colors red and green. Someone set up a freaking Christmas tree. His gaze then landed on the fireplace and he saw five Christmas stockings, each with a name on them, four were thoroughly decorated only one looked particularly sad and it had his name on it.
Oliver's eyes narrowed when he saw a name that did not belong on the list of his team. A blur appeared at the corner of his eye and materialized as the one and only Bart Allen.
"Now, I know we all agreed not to celebrate Christmas." Bart held up a conciliatory hand as he spoke.
He simply looked at the younger man.
"But Chloelicious called." Bart continued stubbornly. "Her dad's busy in Gotham…Lois…is in New York and Clark was too busy with Lana and she just broke up with her boyfriend." The last statement was uttered with a mild grin.
Oliver raised a brow.
"And she said how much she loved Christmas." The younger man shrugged helplessly.
"So you invite her here, allow her to take over completely." Oliver said curtly.
Bart raised both hands in surrender. "Don't just pin this on me, boss. Vic and AC were all for it."
Oliver really had no reason to complain. He liked Chloe well enough. He even sometimes asked for her assistance for some intel and she sometimes asked for favors, they had a functional give and take relationship. And it wasn't as though they would have to hide what they do from her. He just disliked surprises and he had a sore spot for all family oriented holidays.
"Where is she now?" He asked nonchalantly.
Bart grinned at his obvious acceptance of the situation. "Out with AC, I think I just got some competition in fish man." He wrinkled his nose. "Chloe offered to go with him at some fish rally and he totally made goo-goo eyes at her."
Oliver smirked slightly. He felt that their quiet vacation was about to be thrown into chaos.
Fortunately, Chloe exhibited some amazing time management skills. Her presence seemed to have woken the men in everyone. All the three guys were clamoring for her attention. Bart was not wrong in his prediction that AC had the beginnings of a crush on Chloe. And it was supremely amusing to watch the two compete for her affections.
But Chloe handled herself well. In the mornings she would go for a walk with AC. In the afternoons she traipsed around LA with Bart. Mid-afternoons were spent with Victor, who had a grudging admiration for the blonde reporter for her hacking skills; they typically spent the time talking about computer hardware, or as Bart called it: boring stuff.
Before Chloe entered the picture, the group hardly spent time together since the plane landed. Because of her they had dinner together. And Oliver saw firsthand how well she seemed to fit in. She talked to the guys comfortably. And it was obvious that she was actually interested in what they were talking about, even Bart's latest pickup line was listened to with such patience.
Even he, with his busy schedule, got to spend some time with her. She helped him decorate his Christmas stocking (she vehemently insisted), which looked less sad after they were done with it. He could even admit that Christmas wasn't so bad.
On Christmas Day she offered to cook for them. Oliver had to put his foot down.
On her second day at the beach house she almost set the house on fire, trying to bake cookies…with Victor of all people (well Bart was there as well but he sped away the moment that Oliver stepped into the house). He was stupefied when he saw the kitchen, there was flour everywhere, when he stepped into the room the floor was a sticky mess, and there was a distinct scent of something burning. The only thing that kept him from erupting completely was the plucky smile that she gave him and the promise that Bart would be cleaning up the mess.
So he arranged to have their Christmas feast catered. He had never celebrated Christmas before, not since his parents died. Oliver had to admit that maybe celebrating family-oriented holidays wouldn't be so bad.
All throughout dinner Bart kept asking Chloe to get something from the fridge and AC kept running interference, glaring at Bart before getting what he asked. In return Bart would glare back. He, Chloe and Victor simply looked at each other questioningly.
At the end of their meal everyone headed to the family room, to watch a bunch of Christmas movies that Chloe rented for them.
In the middle of watching 'It's a Wonderful Life', Chloe's phone rang. She excused herself and the rest of the gang went back to their previous occupation. Until Bart asked AC to get him a soda, rather than listen to the two argue, Oliver just got up to do it himself, he needed a refill anyway.
He walked into the kitchen and found Chloe sitting on the barstool, while talking on the phone. He shrugged and headed for the refrigerator.
"Tomorrow." She said to the person on the other line impatiently. "It's not my fault you didn't know." Chloe looked at him apologetically.
Oliver tried not to eavesdrop. He really did. He had a feeling that Clark was on the other line. He was a little surprised at Chloe's tone.
"Bart's taking me. No, you don't need to bother." She murmured in a long-suffering tone. "Merry Christmas, Clark." Chloe uttered with such finality before hanging up the phone.
Oliver turned around and held up a soda.
She grinned as she walked up to him, taking the proffered drink with a grateful smile. "Thanks and thanks for letting me stay here. I had fun."
"Glad to be of assistance." Oliver grabbed another can and shut the fridge. He was a little uncomfortable at her gratitude, especially since he didn't roll out the welcome mat upon hearing about her arrival. He turned his stare up the ceiling and saw something interesting. "I think I just solved the mystery of Bart's earlier behavior." He smiled slightly.
Chloe's brows furrowed and looked up as well. She shook her head in disapproval. "A mistletoe, really?" She smiled indulgently. "Too bad for him AC was in extremely generous mood tonight." She shrugged as she took a drink.
Oliver shook his head imperceptibly. There was just no way that Chloe was unaware of the fight for supremacy between Bart and AC, because of her.
All his thoughts were placed at the back burner when Chloe stood on her tiptoes, grabbed the back of his head and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
The kiss was soft, sweet and chaste.
He blinked when they finally parted. He cleared his throat before speaking. "What was that for?"
Chloe gave him her trademark megawatt beam. "What can I say; I'm a sucker for traditions." She murmured before heading back to the family room.
Oliver watched her walk away, all of a sudden not feeling as satisfied with their vacation as he did earlier that night.
Chloe left the very next day and so did the league. Oliver decided to forget the entire mistletoe incident. It wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a simple kiss; there wasn't even tongue involved, no need to obsess about it.
New Year's 2007
It was New Year's Eve.
Oliver found himself at Rockefeller Center, with thousands of people, waiting for some damn ball to drop.
A number of better things to do ran through his mind. He could be up at one of those high rises, watching everything from a distance. Or he could be back at Star City, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous at yet another New Year's Eve Ball, if only to maintain his business persona. Or he could be in Gotham, hanging out with his buddy, Bruce Wayne. His friend was particularly morose this time of the year. The list could go on.
Yet there he was, freezing his ass off.
The Justice League (yes they finally settled on a name), ended up in New York. They discovered that Lex acquired a silent partner. Someone from the US Senate had been giving generously to Luthorcorp and was trying to cover up the messy dealings by transferring the money from one account to another.
It was through a joint effort by Victor and Chloe that they finally managed to track down the culprit, Senator Murray Scott. An article by Moira Gabriel (Chloe said she would never get the story printed if she submitted it to her editor, so he made one phone call) was set to be published in the Times, on New Year's Day, revealing Scott's mishandling of government funds.
In celebration, the team decided to paint the town red. Bart once again decided that Chloe needed to be there to celebrate as well, since she was back in Smallville all throughout the mission, working behind the scenes. And that was how Oliver found himself in the middle of a crowd on New Year's Eve.
Along the way, they lost Victor to some brunette, AC to a redhead and Bart to a blonde who actually gave him a time of day.
So Oliver was left with Chloe. And he couldn't help but think back on their last moment together. He tried hard not to remember the way her lips felt against his. There was no reason why he should obsess about it; after all he was still not completely over Lois.
The next thing he knew the crowd was counting the seconds before they had to welcome 2008. He looked at his companion and she was clearly enjoying everything. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and she was wearing the colorful bonnet that AC gave her for Christmas.
She looked up at him and grinned when she saw him watching her. The couples around them acted according to tradition and everywhere he looked there was kissing. His gaze landed back on her and she in turn shrugged before standing on her tiptoes, grabbing the back of his head and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
The kiss was soft, sweet and chaste.
When they finally parted she just smiled at him and went back to watching the fireworks.
It took all of Oliver's willpower not to touch his lips, to convince himself that he did not just imagine everything. So maybe he wasn't as hung up on Lois as he thought he was.
Valentine's 2008
He really did not need the lecture from Clark, especially about Chloe's safety.
After their successful mission over the New Year, the team convinced him (or so they thought) to place Chloe on their payroll. And so she had been 'with' them on most of their missions.
Their latest attempt to foil Lex landed him back in Metropolis. He was already full of self-recriminations over the attempt on Chloe's life by some misguided woman. To hear it from Clark, he merely used Clark and Chloe's history as a defense mechanism.
Chloe seemed to have shrugged everything off with no difficulty. In fact she thought that the woman who attacked her was 'wicked cool'. It annoyed him to no end. He had to bring her back to the clock tower and treat her wounds. She called him a mother hen and proceeded to ask him if he was going to see Lois.
And so he did. Apparently their kisses meant nothing to her, especially if she was trying to hook him up with his former flame.
He was just a teeny bit grateful that Dinah Lance interrupted his reunion with Lois. Because he wanted to be honest with himself and Lois was not the one he wanted, not anymore.
Clark tried to pawn off Dinah as his new blonde sidekick. He didn't tell the younger man that Chloe was never a sidekick, no one in the league thought of her as anything less than their equal. Still he was grateful for the added muscle. The more members they garnered the better. But no one would be able to replace Chloe Sullivan.
She asked him about his meeting with Lois. So he told her every detail, how Lois said that she wouldn't be able to share him with the world. She seemed crestfallen upon hearing that there was no chance that he and Lois would be getting back together. And she seemed to expect him to be desolate. She even hugged him, to comfort him he supposed.
But because he was finally being honest with himself, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled back slightly, lowered his mouth and captured her lips in a searing kiss.
The kiss wasn't soft, it wasn't gentle and it definitely was not chaste.
"Happy Valentine's Day." He murmured against her ear when they finally parted.
Chloe was quiet. She was still enveloped in his arms. He released her at her gentle pushing. She gathered her bag and headed for the elevator.
"Happy Valentine's, Oliver." She said without looking back.
Oliver had no idea what to think.
His visits to Metropolis had increased.
No one knew he was there. Except her. Not his team, not their mutual friend, Clark Kent (who thought that after getting Dinah he would leave Chloe alone).
After their not-so-chaste kiss on Valentine's Day, Oliver came to one conclusion: he was falling in love with Chloe Sullivan. And he had to ascertain what she felt for him exactly. He couldn't do that through the communicator that he provided her. He had to do it face to face.
And so every other week he was in Metropolis.
In the beginning she practically shunned him. It was a clue that she didn't think too highly of their kiss.
But Oliver was nothing if not relentless. He kept dropping by unannounced. He would just call her, tell her to meet up with him (they weren't exactly safe at the Planet, especially since evil incarnate Lex Luthor bought the place and the fact that she was living on same evil incarnates property).
Little by little she warmed up to him again. She treated him like a friend, nothing more, and nothing less.
Well, he became more on a fateful Easter Sunday.
Easter 2008
Queen Industries figured that it would be a great publicity stunt to host the 2008 Easter Egg Hunt in Metropolis, or rather its CEO wanted to spend some quality time with a budding journalist and orchestrated the entire thing in order to get what he wanted.
Chloe Sullivan was assigned the dreary task of covering the event. And Oliver just found it prudent to be there as well, after all he was the face of the company, it wouldn't do them any good if the press coverage wasn't fully utilized.
Oliver had the honor of opening up the day's proceedings. Children from four orphanages gathered in Metropolis Park, all eager to be part of the Easter Egg Hunt.
He watched Chloe as she first spoke with the various organizers and then focused her attention to the children. Mentally, he was already thinking of ways to try and get her alone.
Until he saw a little girl stumble. Oliver was never the type of guy that children gravitated to but he instinctively rushed to the little girl's side, helping her to her feet.
The girl was about six years old; her blonde hair framed her cute face. Her green dress was dirtied by her fall. As Oliver dusted off the dirt from her clothes, he noticed the lack of tears. Instead she was looking at him rather defiantly. "Are you okay?" He asked her with such concern.
"Rebecca told me not to talk to strangers." She replied petulantly.
Oliver nodded. "Rebecca seems smart." He said, despite the fact that he had no idea who Rebecca was. The girl nodded decidedly. "Well then, let me introduce myself, my name's Ollie."
She looked at him suspiciously before speaking. "Adriana."
"That's a beautiful name. Now we're not strangers anymore, are we? Only my friends get to call me Ollie." He murmured conspiratorially.
She seemed doubtful but she returned the smile that he flashed. "You can call me Addy." She replied, as though he had been granted such a grand favor.
"Well Addy, are you okay?" He surveyed her clothes, the mud would come off and she didn't seem to have hurt herself.
She nodded. "I want to get as much eggs as I could. Jamie said I won't win the contest." Addy's eyes narrowed.
Oliver smiled slightly. Addy seemed determined to prove this Jamie wrong.
Addy looked at him thoughtfully before she gave him a megawatt grin, her smile made him think of Chloe. "You can help me!" She declared happily as she grabbed his hand and tugged.
He wasn't sure how to tell a six year old no. So he ended up traipsing around the park with a blonde girl leading him around. And whenever they found an egg that she could not reach, he ended up getting it for her. Before the day was over, his good suit was muddied and wrinkled.
When Addy's basket was full of Easter eggs she led him to a group of kids and adults, where he was introduced to the famous Rebecca (who she talked about endlessly) and the infamous Jamie (who she complained about endlessly).
Once he was secure that he was leaving Addy in safe hands he bade her goodbye.
"You're not so bad, for a…dult." She declared with such conviction.
Oliver crouched down so he could be at her level. "You're not bad yourself, for a kid." He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear and gave her a smile.
She beamed at him. "Thanks for helping me, Ollie." She said before skipping away.
He rose to his full height and watched her join her group with a fond smile. His thoughts were interrupted when a hip bumped against his side. The elusive Ms. Sullivan had finally graced him with her presence.
"Walk?" She asked him as she fiddled with her camera.
He nodded and then the two of them were on their way. A long quiet settled over them. Oliver had no idea what to do now that he finally achieved his entire goal of having her all to himself.
"This is bad you know." She murmured, still not looking at him.
"What is?" His brows furrowed as he looked at her.
"This." She held up her camera and showed him pictures, of him and Addy. One had him on his knees, reaching behind the bushes; another was of him being led around the park by the little blonde girl; and the last one was their goodbye. "What would happen to your reputation, especially if everyone in the business community finds out that you were rendered helpless by a mere six year old?" She said with such mischief.
Oliver grinned at her fondly. "Then you'll just have to tell me what I can do in order to keep this from the press." He looked at her expectantly as he placed a hand over hers, which still contained the incriminating camera.
Chloe looked at him thoughtfully. "I could think of a few things." She gazed at him through her lowered lashes.
A hopeful feeling fluttered in his chest. Chloe was being, dare he say it, flirtatious, a definite change from their previous encounters. "Name it and it's yours." He replied without hesitation.
"You must be really worried about my evidence." Chloe finally stopped walking; they were effectively out of the crowd's sight. "I've had my eye on the new MacBook Air." She grinned at him.
Oliver nodded gravely, as though he was actually taking her answer seriously. Chloe would never take such expensive gifts, even under the guise of official league business.
"Or you can just give me a…" Her smile turned sly.
His brows furrowed as he waited for her to finish her sentence. Before he knew it he had an armful of Chloe Sullivan. She had her arms wrapped around his neck; she was tracing circular patterns on the back of his neck. He knew, without prompting what he could give her in order to maintain his untouchable reputation.
The kiss wasn't soft, it wasn't gentle and it definitely was not chaste. And yet there was a certain feeling that was never present in their other kisses.
"Happy Easter, Ollie." She murmured when they finally parted.
Oliver just found a new appreciation for the holiday and for the Cadbury cream eggs that Queen Industries were giving to the children.
And so began their whirlwind…something. Chloe refused to label what they were to each other. She also refused to define what exactly they were doing.
Their meetings were no longer platonic, that much was clear. Whenever he was in town he and Chloe would spend the entire time together. They would usually spend it at him place, watching movies, generally hanging out and making out.
No one was in the know. Not Lois, not the Justice League and not Clark, who was taking such liberties with his penthouse he discovered as his…relationship with Chloe progressed.
The movie was being ignored.
It didn't matter that the two of them argued whether or not to rent the film in the first place, he just enjoyed getting Chloe all riled up.
His much more comfortable couch was getting such mileage. Oliver rained kisses on her exposed throat and Chloe was making the most delectable noises. Her hands were making a mess of his hairstyle, not that he cared.
Somehow he ended up flat on his back and Chloe was in control, which he did not mind in the least.
They both froze when they heard the unmistakable sound of the elevator. Chloe's eyes widened as she sat up and tugged at him to get up as well.
The two of them scrambled to get everything in order, mainly Chloe's rumpled clothes and his. They managed to shut the TV and they scrambled towards the bedroom.
"You have to hide." Chloe whispered forcefully.
"This is my house." He whispered back.
"No one knows you're here." She countered stubbornly.
"My place." He replied.
She started pushing him towards the closet. "I think it's Clark."
"Chloe-"
"Please." She looked at him pleadingly.
He deflated at the thought that Chloe was determined to keep their relationship a secret. Oliver headed for the closet without another word.
"I'll make it up to you." She said sadly as she shut the door.
"Chloe?" It was definitely Clark.
"Hey Clark!" He heard her reply perkily.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just hanging out. What about you?"
"I tried calling you, you weren't picking up." He could practically hear the accusation in Clark's tone.
"I…I was busy." Guilty.
"Yeah, hanging out." Derisive.
"So what brought you here?" Defensive.
"Lana's in danger." Concern and that seemed to be the end of the Chloe interrogation.
Oliver thought about changing the locks to his place. Clark was just lucky that Chloe was true to her word, she did make up for forcing him to hide in the closet.
Their secret relationship went on for months. Not once did he ask Chloe to declare her feelings for him.
Over the course of their time together he found out a lot of things about her. He learned that she had such deep-seated insecurities, particularly when it came to romantic relationships. He was amazed at the fact that she did not seem to think that she could find someone who could fully commit to her. Her past experience had exemplified the fact that the object of her affection would always pick someone else.
He decided to be patient. He would prove to her that he would pick her, whatever the situation he would pick her.
She tried his patience though. As if she was daring him to leave her, to end their liaison. Chloe even said that he was Lois', it angered him so much. He told her he wasn't and proceeded to shut her up by kissing her. His mind was screaming to tell her, he could be hers.
Fourth of July 2008
His patience was wearing thin. And still there was no sign that Chloe considered him to be more than the guy she got to make out with. Oliver decided to stop being patient. He was always more of the take action guy anyway.
He managed to wrangle an invitation to Kent Farm for the fourth of July.
Chloe was surprised to see him when he got there. He just flashed her a small smile and pretended that they weren't more than acquaintances.
The party was composed of him, Chloe, Clark and Lana. Lana cooked them dinner, which they enjoyed before they watched the fireworks. Only the fireworks started at dinner and not after.
"So Oliver, how's Dinah fitting in with the team?" Clark inquired as they ate.
"She's doing okay." Oliver replied. "The guys like her well enough."
"Really, what about you? Are you getting along with her?" Clark had a big grin as he posed the question.
His brows furrowed as he saw Clark and Lana exchange amused smiles. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Chloe stab her chicken viciously. "Yeah, we're getting along." He answered absently. His main concern was right next to him. Chloe seemed to be out to kill the chicken all over again.
"That's not what I heard." Clark seemed to be in a teasing mood.
Oliver focused his attention on his friend. He could still hear Chloe's attack on the food. "I don't know what you mean." He looked at Clark critically.
Clark eyed him curiously. "Bart said that he could see sparks."
"Do you like Dinah?" Lana gave him a slight smile.
"I like her. She works great with the team." Oliver replied curtly.
"You don't like her beyond that." Clark seemed incredibly interested in his answer.
He shook his head. "She's not my type."
Clark took Lana's hand in his. "Oh yeah, your type run along the lines of…Lois."
Oliver almost choked on his mashed potatoes, someday he was going to come up with a way to incapacitate the farm boy. "Lois and I, we're old news, Kent." He muttered in a hard tone.
Clark held up both hands in surrender. "Backing off."
The conversation turned to more pleasant subjects.
Through the course of dinner he tried to hold Chloe's hand under the table. But she practically wrenched her hand from his and looked at Clark meaningfully.
His remaining patience all but disappeared. So when Chloe excused herself to go to the bathroom, he followed after her a minute later.
Oliver put a hand up just as she was closing the door. He slipped in unceremoniously, ignoring the bewildered expression on her face.
"Oliver, what the hell?" She hissed at him.
"Why won't you hold my hand back there?" He jerked his thumb in the general direction of the dining room.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "You know Clark, he could see through anything."
Oliver took a deep breath. He had months to prepare for this moment. Granted he never expected their relationship to come to a head in a bathroom, but he would take what he could get. "So what? So what if he saw us holding hands?" He folded his arms across his chest and looked at her expectantly.
"What do you mean so what" She assumed the same stance as him. "Our secret relationship won't remain so secret if they catch us." She spoke as though she was talking to a child.
"I don't care." He retorted defiantly. He dropped his arms to his side and truly looked at her. Earlier, when they were talking about Dinah, she was jealous. He reached out and settled his hands on her waist. "You can cross the line whenever you want to, but I'm calling this…us, love soon."
Her eyes widened at his words.
"I understand I wasn't part of your plan. Believe me I never planned on falling for my ex-girlfriend's cousin. But here we are." He moved closer to her and stared deeply into her eyes. "I am yours, Chloe Sullivan. Not Dinah's, not Lois. I am your man."
She broke their eye contact and stared at her shoes.
"You have to face it. It's not just about you now. Love, it's what we are." He said tenderly as he caressed her cheek.
Chloe finally raised her eyes to meet his. "It's what we are." She whispered achingly before she wrapped her arms around him.
The kiss wasn't soft, it wasn't gentle and it definitely was not chaste. It was everything he could hope for. As Oliver Queen kissed Chloe Sullivan, as she kissed him back, he knew, it was definitely love.
The End.
AN2: Fluffy I know. But I hope you liked it anyway, hope it wasn't confusing either, what with the time changes. And I just might write a Chloe perspective :).