Title: Twist of Fate

Rating: PG-13 (Just to be safe. It's mostly mild language and some violence in later chapters, but I don't see it going any further than that. If it does, the rating will change accordingly.

Summary: Oliver finds himself at Smallville high. There he meets Chloe, who changes everything and introduces him to the world of the meteor infected. But will his new-found happiness be threatened by an old enemy?

Warning: This is pretty much AU. I'm going to try to work in as much as I can from the series, but the time-line is all mine. Characters have been aged as I see fit to get them all in High School together, which makes Oliver a year older the Chloe, who is a junior. Chloe knows Clark's secret and Lois is living in Smallville with her cousin.

Epilogue

Half the town was crowded into the gym. The ceiling was strung with streamers and banners. Balloons floated everywhere. One wall was lined with tables where volunteers, mostly grandmothers, were distributing food. People were standing around, paper plates in hand, talking animatedly. Dotted throughout the crowd were students wearing their bright yellow graduation ropes.

Chloe pushed her way through the masses, looking for her cousin and her boyfriend, both of whom had graduated. She'd lost track of them after the ceremony since she's run to the Torch to drop of her notes for the article she had to write for the last edition. Underclassmen still had classes for a week.

Her search unsuccessful, Chloe moved outside where families were taking pictures and milling around, enjoying the early summer warmth. She wished, not for the first time, that she had a few more inches of height so that she could see over people better. Standing beside the large banner that had been erected in honor of the graduating class, Chloe pulled out her cellphone. It was dead, as it had been the past four times she'd checked it. She shoved it back in her purse with a grimace.

An arm slid about her waist, and she felt herself being pulled close to a hard body. "Have you been avoiding me?" Oliver teased, gently kissing her cheek.

She leaned against him, allowing his body to practically consume her. "Hardly," she said with a wry grin. "I had to drop some stuff off at the Torch for the article on graduation."

"You sure that's not just an excuse to get away from me?"

Chloe looked up at him with a mock hurt expression. "Are you honestly implying that I'm trying to avoid you?"

Leaning down, Oliver captured her lips is a slow, passionate kiss that left her feeling breathless. "Never," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "You are ridiculous."

"Only with you."

Smiling warmly, Chloe wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against his chest. "Congratulations," she said softly.

"Thank you," Oliver murmured, returning the embrace.

"So what's next?" she asked, looking up at him.

He grimaced. "I don't know. We've only got a months before I have to go back to Star City for school..." Oliver trailed off. He'd been accepted at Star City University, the premiere ivy league west coast business school. It was the perfect opportunity for him to prove to the Queen Industries Board of directors that he wasn't a completely sex crazed screw up. The school was respected. His father had graduated from SCU. It was what he needed if he ever wanted to be responsible for his company.

But it was halfway across the country. Attending SCU meant spending more of the year away from Chloe. He wasn't sure that it was worth it. He'd never even come close to attempting a long distance relationship before and he wasn't sure that he wanted to risk it, not with Chloe. They're relationship was too important to him.

"Hey! Earth to Oliver!" Chloe waved her hand in front of his face.

He blinked. "Sorry, what?"

"You were doing it again, weren't you?" she frowned.

"Doing what?" Oliver asked, unconvincingly feigning innocence.

She glared at him "Freaking yourself out about going to college in Star City."

"What would make you think that?"

"Ollie, you know you can't hide anything from me. Why do you keep trying?"

Oliver sighed. "Because I don't want you to worry. It's bad enough that I am."

"Well you need to stop," Chloe said firmly. "This is going to work. We have survived gossip mongering teenagers, psychotic meteor freaks, and the nosiest relative on the planet. I think we can handle school."

"Chlo, we aren't talking about weekends or a couple of weeks here and there," he pointed out. "I'm going to be gone for the majority of nine months. I won't even get to come back during break because I'll probably be working at Queen Industries."

"And I'll be calling you so much my dad'll probably kill me for the overage charges," Chloe joked. "Seriously, though. You know we'll be calling and texting and video chatting. And don't forget that I have the Clark Kent express at my disposal. It's not as if we won't be able to see each other. Besides," she added, moving closer to him, "you know that you need this. I'm not about to be the reason that you lose your company."

Oliver laughed quietly under his breath. He raised his hand to caress her cheek. "All right. I'll stop worrying. But you have to promise me that we'll last through this. And that you'll apply to SCU next year."

Leaning into his touch, Chloe rolled her eyes. "That's a given, Ollie. Now will you lighten up? You're totally ruining the happy mood that comes with graduation."

He nodded and reached down to take her hand. "I think I can manage that."

There was something in his tone that made her look up. Oliver captured her lips in a fiery kiss that was almost indecent. Chloe felt herself arching into him automatically. She felt his hand on the small of her back, pressing her close. His tongue swept across the seam of her lips. She parted her mouth for him automatically.

"Break it up you two!" Lois shouted, bodily separating them.

"Nice to see you, Lois," Oliver said flatly, glaring at her.

She smiled brightly at him, before spinning on her heal to face Chloe. "So cuz. What are we going to do to celebrate my miraculous graduation?"

Chloe arched an eyebrow. "You do realize that you have a flight in three hours because the General is whisking you away to some exotic and remote location, right? You and I aren't doing anything."

"You wound me," Lois pouted.

"You'll get over it."

"Aren't you supposed to be my family? You should be happy that I actually managed to graduate."

"And I am," Chloe assured her. "But you and I both know that we don't have time to go do anything, especially considering that you still haven't packed. You'll be lucky to get out of the house on time as it is."

Lois glared at her cousin, but her retort was cut short by the appearance of Clark.

"Hey guys, I've been looking for you. I just finished helping mom and dad bring in the last of the produce for the pitch in."

"Aww, putting those muscles to good use, Smallville?" Lois asked, a sarcastic smile on her face.

Clark rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lois. Because we couldn't have someone as delicate as you carrying boxes of carrots and potatoes."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Clark said innocently.

Lois narrowed her eyes. Unceremoniously, she grabbed Clark's arm and dragged him away, grumbling, "I'll show you how delicate I am."

Oliver chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. Leaning aback against him, Chloe looked up and asked, "Do you think they'll ever get together?"

"Only if Clark get's hit over the head with meteor rock."

"What about Lois?"

Oliver thought for a moment. "Drunk off her ass?"

She elbowed him in the gut lightly. "Be nice, that's my cousin you're talking about."

"Well, it's true," he objected.

"Doesn't mean you shouldn't be nice."

"I'll try," he sighed resignedly, rolling his eyes comically.

Chloe laughed at his antics and poked him.

"Stop that," Oliver admonished. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

She cocked her head at that and led him to a nearby bench. "Sorry," she said apologetically. "My feet are killing me in these heels. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could spend as much time together this summer as humanly possible to make school a little bit easier," he said slowly."

"Makes sense," Chloe said with a grin.

He shot her a look that clearly said "this is important, so stop making jokes." She held up her hands in surrender and gestured for him to go on.

"Adam Reynolds and George Masters, the board member who's been helping me out, have arranged for a boating trip this summer so that I can mingle with the rest of the board. We're..." he paused for a minute and looked down at his hands before going on. "We're actually headed out to where my parents' plane went down. Sort of a goodbye to the past, I guess. Anyway, I can't get out of it, so I was hoping that you would come with me."

"Oh, Ollie," Chloe said softly. "I'd love to. When are you supposed to leave?"

"Week after next."

Her forehead creased. "I've got the Daily Planet internship. I have to be there the first week of June. It lasts the whole month. I thought I told you that."

Oliver groaned. "You did. I forgot. They just called me about this last night."

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I wish I could go. I want to be there for you. This is an amazing opportunity for you to come to terms with your past and become the amazing CEO I know you can be. Besides, what kind of girlfriend would I be if I left you to the sharks?" she joked weakly.

"A smart one?"

Her lips quirked up in a small smile. "I don't suppose there's a way I could meet you when my internship's done, is there?"

"No. We'll already be on our way back. It'll only be a few more weeks before we're in Star City again. It's supposed to take two and half weeks to reach the destination, we'll spend a day there and then we'll spend another two and half weeks coming back. It's five weeks total, a little over a month or pure torture." He pulled a face before breaking into a grin. "Which will make finally seeing you again, that much more amazing."

"Aww. You sweet talker. I can't believe we're gonna be in two different places for half the summer." Chloe looked up at him ruefully. "We just can't catch a break, can we?"

"Apparently not."

"You'll stay in touch?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Oliver wrapped his arms around her, tugging her close to his chest. "So much you'll get sick of me."

"I don't think that's possible," she laughed. "Just keep in mind my long distance charges. I don't want my dad to kill you when you get back."

"That would just be a tragedy," he said with a mock serious expression.

Chloe slapped his chest lightly. "Don't joke about something like that."

He kissed her apologetically. "Sorry."

"Forgiven. Now what are we going to do with the few days we have?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"I say we go back to my place and hang out."

Chloe bit her lips, a wide grin spreading across her face. "I like the way you think, Mr. Queen."

"I thought you would."

(Story Break)

Oliver stood on the edge of the dock, separate from the group of men wearing suits and ties at the opposite end of the dock, while he waited for the captain and small crew to finish checking everything over. The boat had been sitting there since he'd bought it two years ago on a whim, strictly to impress girls.

It was Thursday afternoon, less than a week after graduation and he'd left Kansas the day before. He already missed Chloe, but he knew she was right. It was the chance he needed to come to terms with his past and to prove that he wasn't an idiot. He knew he'd never stop missing his parents, but if he did this, maybe he'd feel a little bit better.

"All right, everyone!" the captain shouted. "Looks like everything's in order. We can set off any time you're ready!"

"Thanks!" Oliver yelled back before turning to the group of board members. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable," he said with a forced smile.

He stood aside so that they could board the vessel, feeling like he was about to enter the ninth circle of hell. Sighing, he picked up his duffel bag and threw it over his shoulder. Most of his stuff was already on board. The bag just contained whatever he'd brought from Smallville.

As he shifted the strap on his shoulder and started toward the boat, mentally cursing the executives that were keeping him from spending the summer with his girlfriend, a gust of wind caught him in the back. If he hadn't spent so much time around Clark, he'd have thought it was a draft off the ocean. As it was, the hair on the back of Oliver's neck stood up and he turned around.

Chloe grinned at him and waved. "Hi."

Oliver gaped at her.

"What's the matter?" she asked, eyebrow cocked. "Did you swallow your tongue or something?"

He didn't speak, just stared at her.

"Seriously," she laughed. "What's wrong with you?"

Dropping his bag on the ground, he moved toward her slowly and finally found his voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Smallville for school."

"I was," she shrugged. "Clark gave me a lift. I'm sure he's still around here somewhere. He didn't' want to risk being seen. Did you really think I was going to let you leave without a proper send off."

Oliver grinned and swept her into her arms, spinning her around happily. "You're amazing!"

"I know," she giggled.

Setting her back on her feet, Oliver captured her lips. The kiss started out tender, but quickly escalated. Their bodies pressed together as tightly as possible. Chloe latched her arms around Oliver's neck and he fastened his hands to her waist. Their tongues dueled in a fiery dance of intense, unbridle passion. When air became imperative, Oliver pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers.

"God, I"m going to miss that."

"Definitely," she agreed, panting slightly. "You're going to be able to stay in touch, right?"

Oliver nodded. "I have a satellite phone, so we don't have to worry about whether or not there's cell service and my laptop is hooked up to the satellite too. I'll video chat you at least once a week, probably more like every day. I'll be texting you constantly. We'll stay in touch. No matter what it takes. Seriously, you will get tired of talking to me."

"I doubt that," Chloe chuckled. "But if you accomplish that, I'll give you a prize."

"You do realize that challenging me is a bad idea, right?"

"Maybe I like living dangerously"

He pulled her into his arms again, burying his face against her neck. "I'm really going to miss you, Chlo."

"I know," she whispered. "I'll miss you too. But it won't be that long before you're back."

"Believe me, I'm making this trip as short as possible. As important as it is, it's not worth being away from you that long."

"Take all the time you need. I know it's important."

"Not as important as you," he argued. Chloe knew he was smirking.

"Don't start that," she admonished. "Now go get on the boat before it leaves without you and start schmoozing."

Oliver shook his head. "Still trying to get rid of me. I should be offended."

"Keep stalling and I'll definitely offend you," she grumbled, pushing him toward the boat."

He laughed. "All right, all right. Sheesh. Shouldn't you be begging me to stay?"

"Nope," Chloe laughed. "I'm a supportive girlfriend."

"Oh, is that it?"

"Yep."

Bending down, Oliver retrieved his bag from the ground. "Do me a favor," he said as he straightened up. "Try to avoid psychotic meteor freaks while I'm gone. I don't want to get a call tell me you've gotten yourself hurt, all right?"

She nodded seriously. "I'm sure Clark will stick to me like glue and I promise that I'll say behind the computer as much as possible."

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I don't want to spend the whole time worrying about you."

"Well try not to get eaten by sharks," Chloe teased. "I don't want to find out that you did an impression of Jaws."

Oliver laughed. "All right." He tossed his bag over the railing, then turned back to Chloe, kissing her one last time. Then reached up and pulled a chain over his head. Taking Chloe's hand in his, he pressed it into her hand. She looked at in confusion. "What is this, Oliver?"

"It was my Dad's," he said. "He gave it to me before he and Mom left on their trip. Told me to get it safe. It's been passed down for years. I've always worn it. But I want you to keep hold of it until I get back."

Slipping the chain over her neck, she whispered, "Thank you."

His eyes smoldered. "I love you, Chloe. I promise to call you every day and I'll be back before you know it."

"I love you too, Ollie," she whispered.

He smiled gently and climbed into the boat. The captain immediately started the engine and pulled away form the dock.

"Be safe!" Chloe shouted. She stood on the end of the dock until the boat disappeared from view. The moment it was gone, Clark materialize by her side, scooped her into his arms, and sped her off to Smallville.

Author's Note: So my happy ending isn't so happy. I'm sure you all know where this is going. Don't worry, I'm already working on the sequel. Review, review, review! The sooner you do, the sooner you read part two! (I must be high on lack of sleep. I'm starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.)