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Epilogue

A large box in his hands, Duke snickered as he leaned in close to Chloe and whispered: "Ten dollars say that Malcolm overthrows the current Dorm Director and becomes sole dictator."

A smaller yet just as filled box was in Chloe's hands, and was obviously the only reason why she didn't slap him up the back of his head. "Be nice."

"I was," Duke assured her, amused at how she babied the boy who still called her his "bro" despite the fact that she'd stopped dressing in drag a very long time ago. "And I figure, if we're going to have to spend our college years with Malcolm, I'll have to make sure the dictator loves me."

Her smile was mischievous and she looked like a playful little sprite as she wore the yellow sundress her father had bought for her so long ago and finally managed to emotionally blackmail her into wearing. "It's a hard thing, loving you."

"Hey!" Duke laughed.

"Malcolm, you need to learn to chill." Andrew, the other one who'd joined them, took the blow-whistle from Malcolm when the boy kept blowing it at one of the movers. "You're going to give Malvolio heartburn."

Malcolm's eyes widened and he held the spider's travel tank under his arm tighter. "You're right."

"Yep. That happens." Andrew turned to look at Duke in utter relief that the whistleblowing was over, and somehow managed to coax Malcolm into going peacefully to the dorm room they'd be sharing.

Something beeped in Duke's pocket and he put down the box to pull his samsung out from his back pocket and check the message. "Toby and Eunice have settled in their campus apartment." He turned the phone towards Chloe to show the picture that Toby had sent of their place now that they'd managed to unpack everything. The decor was a mixture of sporty and occult. No one was sure exactly how Toby and Eunice made their relationship work, but damn it, they put everyone around them to shame, even Duke and Chloe.

"Olivia's doing great in Stanford, says there's a hot guy that's in her pre law class whom she is more than sure is actually a guy and not a girl in drag because, and I quote: he is too tall and muscular and yummmm."

Duke snickered, still unable to see Olivia Lennox as a lawyer. "You don't know how relieved I am that she's gotten over her crush on you. I was starting to get worried."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "What's got me worried are your parents."

Duke paused and then let out a sigh. His parents had been a pain in the butt since they'd found out that Duke wasn't gay, and was instead in a relationship with his crossdressing, assassin-dodging roommate. "I love them, but they drive me crazy too."

"Considering they didn't approve of us at first, you'd think that they wouldn't be so... so... persistent." Chloe frowned.

"Do you remember the expressions on their faces when we said that we'd be moving in together in one of the apartments on campus?" Duke nudged her with his shoulder before he picked up the box once more and they moved towards their own little place.

"Right. I was so uncomfortable." Chloe made a face. "I was sure they were going to give us the safe sex talk right there. Again."

"Oh god. Don't remind me about the condom incident." Duke flinched, stomach going queasy, as it always did, when he thought about that day. "I'm still traumatized."

"You are traumatized?" She gasped. "Your father gave them to me! How could you be traumatized?!"

Duke merely blushed darkly at the memory. He'd always thought that the one he'd had to look out for was his mother, and because of that he'd been totally blindsided by his father's actions. "What is wrong with my parents? I mean, your father is awesome!"

Chloe sent him a sideways look. "He was just grateful for you keeping me safe when he couldn't."

"Still." Duke pursed his lips. "Your father loves me, okay? I didn't know I was good with fathers until him. I mean, all our guy friends else hate me because he and I are so cool."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head, Orsino."

"Yes," another voice begged. "Please don't let it go to your head."

They turned to see Tess and Sebastian leaning against one of the walls, identical smirks on their faces. When they'd started hanging out more after the Veritas Incident Duke had known they'd be nothing but trouble, and he'd been right. They were terrible influences on each other.

"Go take her box from her," Tess ordered as she nudged the musician with her elbow.

"Yes mom." Sebastian winked at her before he trotted over and took Chloe's box. "So, we came for the house warming party. I was promised alcohol."

Duke and Chloe exchanged rolled eyes.

Tess pushed away from the wall and joined them. "So, have Duke's parents finally given in and accepted that you're not planning on getting married any time soon?"

"You make us sound so against commitment," Duke mumbled.

"Not really." The blonde answered the redhead's question. "They're very old fashioned." Chloe looped her arm around Tess'. "They think he should put a ring on my finger, and that I should be pushing for him to do so."

"You guys are waaaaaay too young to be thinking about marriage." Sebastian made a face. "There's just so much you need to do before then. And anyway, you've been basically married - sans a signed paper and bank debt - since you were in high school. I don't think signing your names on a piece of white is gonna change anything."

"That's how we like to think about it," Chloe agreed.

"We'll get married some day, though." Duke sent her as menacing a look as he could muster.

Tess snickered at it. "That was so adorable!"

"He really is." Chloe gave her a large grin.

"She thinks I'm joking." Duke turned his attention to Sebastian as the girls reached the apartment and Chloe unlocked the door. "But after we graduate and get settled inro our jobs, she's got a surprise coming to her."

"What's her deal with marriage?" Sebastian wanted to know curiously as the girls entered the house.

"Her mom abandoned them a couple of times when she was a child. Her father kept accepting her back because she was his wife, and each and every time she left she took some part of Chloe with her. Every time she left she said she couldn't be with them, that they were tying her down." Duke frowned. "I think sometimes Chloe's afraid she'll be like her mother, and that if we made things legal she'd feel tied down too."

"Yeah..." Sebastian made a face. "My parent's divorce was the best thing that happened to me, so I can't relate."

Duke rolled his eyes and they entered after the girls to find Tess admiring the quaint little set up.

Chloe's eyes were wide on the redhead before she turned to Duke as he kicked the door closed behind him. "They joined Veritas!"

Sebastian snickered in dark amusement. "Shout it a little louder, Chlo, I don't think the people in Spain heard you."

She flushed in embarrassment and sat down. "I, uh, I was just caught by surprise." She then blinked. "How did that happen? And is it... uncomfortable... given the fact that Oliver is there?"

"Oliver is annoying as ever, but we get along." Tess gave a shrug.

"You get along." Sebastian pointed a finger accusingly at her. "I, on the other hand, have to do my hardest to keep that rogue away from my sister!"

Chloe's eyes widened in mirth. "Excuse me?"

"Oliver met Viola the other day and let's just say that this idiot here is not happy with the fact that they are obviously into each other."

"That's my sister!" Sebastian glared. "And I know what that asshole did to you, Tess. I will not let him near Vi."

Tess eyed Sebastian before she turned to Chloe. "The only reason we've been allowed to tell you all of this is because, well, you already knew about Veritas. Also? Oliver is sure we'll have to work together again some day so he wants you to know that Sebastian and I are viable contacts for when you do."

"Yep, just call us and we'll come running." Sebastian put the box down on a table and looked around. "So this is your new little lovenest."

"Why does he think we'd have anything to do with Veritas anymore?" Ever since he'd awoken in the hospital and realized how close both he and Chloe had been to dying, how they should be dead, Duke had felt nothing but prickling unease when it came to the Veritas or anything they (or Lex Luthor) were associated with. It was due to his influence that Chloe had left most of that world far behind her. Sometimes he felt guilty, but he was doing his best to protect her, even if it was against herself, and he knew without having to ask that that was part of the reason why Gabe loved him so much. "Chloe already told them that she wouldn't tell them who the Traveler is."

"And we haven't told them about Raya, either," Tess reassured them. "I like having privileged info."

"Plus, aliens." Sebastian grinned toothily.

"How is Raya, anyway?" Tess wanted to know. "Has she finally worked out the intricacies of the common microwave?"

Chloe smirked. "Not really. She still manages to either break it when she's punching in numbers, or somehow get things to shortcircuit."

"And they say aliens are smarter than us," Sebastian snickered goodnaturedly.

Duke disagreed with that alltogether. He knew two aliens, and he didn't think either of them was smarter than Chloe. He'd met Raya more than a couple of times (she came to Chloe to complain about humans - seeming to forget that the blonde was a "Terran" as well), and while Chloe had never told him, he'd figured out on his own that Clark Kent was the Traveler she'd done so much to protect. He'd seen the boy who spoke to Chloe through Skype all the time, and while there'd been something odd about him, Duke hadn't figured it all out until they'd gone to Smallville for a visit and he'd seen the boy do some things that no one but Raya could.

Also, Raya was living with Clark. Chloe said it was because Clark's family had a large farm and would help Raya fit in with humanity, but Duke had figure it all out. The Kents could help Raya learn to blend because they'd already done the same with Clark.

No one but Raya knew that Duke had seen Clark, that he'd figured it all out. According to the blonde alien Duke was trustworthy ("for a Terran") and she'd let him keep his knowledge a secret. She hadn't understood his reason though until he'd explained it to her:

The day Chloe shared this important secret with Duke, the day she trusted him completely, was the day the soccer player would know she was ready to get married. Until then he'd keep the ring hidden away so as not to scare her off.

Raya had called him "quite the odd Terran" but had smiled and offered him her support and approval.

He hadn't needed either, but it'd made him feel better nonethless.

"Oh god, I'm so tired!" Chloe collapsed on the bed with a groan.

"You're tired?" Duke collapsed right next to her. "You sat down and ordered me around!"

"Which was tiring!" Her voice was tinged with laughter. "At least you don't have your first field practice until Wednesday. I, on the other hand, have to get up around 12 for my first class." She made a face. "I am not happy."

Duke grinned and rolled onto her, pinning her hands over her head as he stared down at her.

She looked up at him with squealed laughter. "No! Don't you dare! I'm tired!"

"I'm just going to relax you," he lied as he reached down to kiss her.

Chloe whimpered into the kiss and tried to pull her hands free yet they didn't even budge. "You're getting too strong, mister."

He grinned cheekily down at her before capturing her lips once more.

She rebelled by catching his bottom lip between her teeth and torturing it.

"I love you," he whispered somehow despite his trapped lower lip.

Chloe let it slip free before she arched up and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. "And I you."

As Duke slid to cover her whole body with his, and Chloe kissed him hungrier, they both knew, instinctively, that the blonde was not going to make her first class.

But for right now, in this instance, it didn't matter. All that mattered were his hands, her lips, and the shared love neither of them would ever let go.

The End.