Prologue

She hadn't felt this tingle in so very long. The awareness that she was a women and not just some computer nerd. That she had curves and spunk and that someone noticed. She wasn't sure if she started making more of an effort first or if he had noticed her. It was kind of like the chicken and the egg.

She laughed to herself and she walked down the long empty hallway. She was doing that a lot too. Smiling at some silly thought. Laughing at life. She didn't know if anything was going to come of it although she did spend a lot of time thinking about it. A lot of time wondering.

What she did know was she liked who she was and even if he stopped watching her tomorrow she wasn't going back. Wasn't going to fade back into the background.

She was disappointed in herself for letting it happen in the first place. She had been so vibrant and alive once but life had worn her down. A girl can only get passed over for the brunette sitting next to her so many times before she had started to believe she was less than.

Never again. She would never let herself judge her worth based on someone else again.

It was weird that his attention had been the one to bring her back to herself. Ironic really.

"What are you thinking about that has you smiling so much. Not that I'm complaining." Oliver winked at her as she walked into his office at Queen Industries.

"Can't a girl just be glad to be alive?" She offered him a cryptic smile. Like she knew the secrets to the universe and he felt a jolt. Somehow he had forgotten how beautiful she was. He tried to think back to the last time he had noticed her and couldn't remember.

"It suits you." She looked at him. Confusion written on her face. "The smiling. You should keep doing it."

"So did you call me up here to talk about my attitude or was there something more important?" She eased herself into the plush chair across from his desk and crossed her legs. She leaned forward when he slid a file across the desk at her. Grabbing it she sat back and smiled as she opened the file. "Is this what passes for an emergency these days?"

"It's an emergency if it doesn't go well. Lois will make her time as Bridezilla seem like a fond memory."

Chloe laughed out loud. Memories of her cousin's near hysterical melt down because there were no blue flowers. "Excellent point." she looked over a few more pages before smiling again. "It looks perfect Ollie."

"Well it isn't everyday your best friends wife gets a Pulitzer prize." He took the file back from her, glancing at it quickly before closing it. She knew he still wasn't convinced.

"Seriously Green, she is going to love it." He smiled at her. Chloe knew Lois and if she said it was perfect then he would take her word for it.

"So are you going to bring a date?" He wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Is there any planet where you think I would bring a date into a room with you and the rest of the boys?" Chloe nodded her head at him. Some things never changed and the boys over protectiveness of her was one of them. They grilled every date she had gone on for the last decade. They couldn't accept she wasn't 22 anymore. That she never went anywhere unarmed and thanks to Oliver and the rest of them she had some serious self defense moves.

"It's not our fault we care."

"And I love you for that but the last date I had snuck out after drinks mumbling something about being haunted and although I can't prove it but I'm pretty sure that had something to do with you and Bart."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The smile that sat on his lips said very much the opposite but she didn't push.

"I'll see you tonight." She got out of the chair and made her way to the door. She stopped before walking out, turning back towards Oliver one last time. "Is everyone from the JL going to be there?"

"Of course. It was Lois's story about heroes that got her the Pulitzer." She nodded and walked out. That secret smile curling her lips again. She was suddenly looking forward to tonight.