A/N: The long awaited epilogue! I wrote it a couple of months ago – it's had some minor editing, and I was planning to edit a little more this week, but I've had a cold and didn't get around to it. So, I'm posting as is. Let me know if you see any issues that need to be fixed (grammar, etc.)

Chloe took the folder from her source, a low-level assistant for a local councilman. "I appreciate the tip." The young man had confirmed the councilman was receiving kickbacks from LuthorCorp in exchange for votes that favored zoning permits for Lex's new factory.

The man nodded and then glanced around nervously. "I'll keep you updated, but that's enough for the D.A. to start an investigation. Just make sure my name stays out of it. I need this job."

"Don't worry. I understand that," she replied in a reassuring tone. "If something happens and you do lose your job, come find me. I have plenty of contacts and I can try to help you."

They parted ways and Chloe gripped the strap of her bag, walking quickly as she kept a close eye on the shifting shadows of the alley. While she wasn't far from the main street of downtown Metropolis, and the Planet was only a couple of blocks down the street, she knew better than to assume she was safe.

Since she'd told Oliver where she was going to be, she'd half expected him to show up and monitor the meeting from a distance. But she hadn't seen or heard anything to indicate he was there, so she assumed he was held up at the office.

As she reached the mouth of the alley, a faint noise drew her attention upwards, just in time to see a leather clad figure drop down from the roof of a nearby building.

Chloe stopped short when he landed behind her. Turning, she raised a knowing brow. "We really have to stop meeting this way." She should have known he was watching because he often popped up unexpectedly whenever she had a late evening meet scheduled with a source.

"I don't know – I'm kind of fond of these little meetings," he answered, circling her.

She bit her lip and tried not to smile at his cocky tone that not even the voice distorter could hide. His expression was hidden behind the shadow of his hood, but she didn't have to try very hard to imagine the smirk on his face.

"Dark alleys aren't the safest places to be at this hour," he continued. "Unless seedy, urban underbelly is your thing?"

"I'm not really the type of girl who gets off on dirty alleys," she replied in a callback to their first meeting in Star City. Crossing her arms, she added, "I think we've established this before, haven't we Arrow?" She shivered when he stepped forward into her personal space, one hand drifting lightly down her arm.

"Nice jacket," he said softly, stroking the green leather gently.

"Thanks," she murmured, allowing her arms to fall away from her chest. She watched in fascination as his gloved hand reversed its path and trailed back up to her shoulder. "My boyfriend gave it to me."

"Boyfriend, huh? Think he'd mind if I took you for a ride?"

She opened her mouth to point out that his motorcycle wasn't there when suddenly he pulled her close and shot an arrow above their heads. She barely had time to wrap her arms around him before they were both soaring upwards. They went from one rooftop to the next, and then the next, until they landed gracefully on the roof of The Daily Planet.

Chloe put a hand to her heart and took a deep breath. She was trembling, a combination of the chilly night air and the adrenaline still rushing through her veins. Before she had time to sufficiently recover, Oliver backed her against the side of the building and slanted his mouth across hers.

She responded without hesitation, moaning when his mouth moved to her neck, nipping the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

"Find out anything interesting?" he asked, running his tongue lightly over her pulse point.

She gasped and then swallowed hard and attempted to corral her thoughts into some semblance of order. "Lex is back to bribing city officials to get that factory approved." He'd been under investigation by the EPA for a similar factory in the northern part of the state. Illegal dumping had resulted in groundwater contamination, and the Metropolis city council members were reticent to approve a factory within the city limits.

Oliver's lips moved back to hers, and they shared deep kisses for a few minutes. Then he pulled back and breathed deeply.

Chloe licked her lips and stared up at him. "That all you got, Arrow?"

He laughed. "You know better than that, but I'll be happy to give you the whole show at my penthouse. Meet you there in thirty?"

"Can't – we're having a late dinner with Clark, Lois and Lucy, remember?" Clark was cooking, and since Lucy had just arrived back in Metropolis for the holidays, she didn't want to skip it.

"Damn."

His dismayed expression made her giggle. "But… if you're a very good boy, I might be convinced to go home with you after dinner." It was Friday, and she could easily work on her LuthorCorp story at his place over the weekend.

"I'm holding you to that, Sullivan." Kissing her once more, he backed away from her. "See you soon."

Chloe watched as he disappeared over the side of the building and then headed downstairs to the bullpen to gather her things.

It was mid-November but already the city was decorated with lights for the upcoming holiday season. She and Clark had picked out a tree for their apartment, and she was planning to coax Oliver into a tree shopping excursion before Thanksgiving. It would be their second time picking out a tree together.

Their first Christmas together had been an adjustment for Oliver since he hadn't bothered with things like trees and holiday decorations in years. She understood how difficult the holidays had been for him in the past, and she'd been prepared to keep it low-key if that's what he needed. She was pleasantly surprised when he seemed to enjoy rediscovering the holiday spirit with her.

When she arrived at her apartment, she could smell Clark's pot roast from the hallway, along with the scent of freshly baked cookies, and her stomach growled in anticipation. She opened the door and paused when she saw Clark, Oliver and Lucy surrounding Lois, who was holding an ice pack to her right hand.

"What happened?" Chloe asked, tossing her bag onto the sofa and approaching her cousin.

"I was checking out a lead and had a little trouble," Lois said, grimacing. "It's too cold, Clark."

"A little trouble?" Chloe asked, arching a brow at her cousin.

"She was at an underground fight club," Lucy said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly Lois, sometimes I think you have a death wish. And you probably need to have that x-rayed."

Chloe reached for her cousin's hand, and Lois moved backwards so fast she nearly fell.

"Don't you dare!" Lois warned, holding her injured hand behind her back.

Exasperated, Chloe stopped and frowned at Lois. "But I can…"

"No!"

This time the sentiment was echoed by everyone – Clark and Lucy had moved in front of Lois, and Oliver placed a restraining hand on Chloe's arm.

Chloe sighed but didn't argue. "Fine. Maybe you should go to the hospital and see Emil then?"

Lois shot a pointed look at Clark. "I don't think it's broken."

Chloe took that to mean that Clark had done his own scan.

The Clark and Lois saga had come to a head a few months back when Clark finally fessed up to being the Blur. Having Lois in on his secret made life much easier for Chloe since it was one less person she had to help him hide his secrets from. Shortly after that, their attraction blew up when Clark pulled Lois out of a sticky situation in Suicide Slums and she'd kissed him mid-lecture.

Lois later told Chloe that if she'd known kissing Clark would derail his disapproval of how she chased down stories, she'd have done it long ago.

While Lucy helped Clark set the table, Lois allowed Oliver to secure a smaller cold pack to her hand with an ace bandage, and then they sat down at the table to eat.

"So, I have some news," Lucy said, sipping her wine and leaning forward conspiratorially. "I think the Blur is in love with me."

Clark choked on his potatoes and Lois, who'd been using her left hand to eat, dropped her fork against her plate with a loud clatter.

Beside Chloe, Oliver leaned in and murmured, "Oh, this should be good."

Clearing her throat, Chloe asked, "Since when do you know the Blur?"

"I don't, but somehow he knows me," Lucy explained. "For the last month or so, he's been… well, blurring in and out of my life. He leaves me notes and little gifts, like exotic flowers and chocolates from Belgium. It's so romantic!"

Chloe stifled a laugh when Lois glared at Clark, who looked bewildered as he gave a subtle shake of his head.

"I've been trying to think of anyone I've met recently who could possibly be the Blur, and all I could come up with was Oliver's birthday party last month," Lucy continued, looking at Oliver expectantly. "I mean, you're the only guy I know who has friends in the hero business."

Bart, Chloe thought in amusement. She recalled the birthday party and how smitten Bart had been with Lucy, though he'd mostly admired her from afar since she'd brought a date.

"Huh." Oliver had apparently come to the same conclusion.

"Well?" Lucy asked impatiently.

"Lucy, you can't really expect Ollie to tell you who he is," Chloe said, her tone disapproving. "If this… the Blur... wants you to know, he'll tell you himself." Meanwhile, a chat with Bart about subtlety and the dangers of outing his secret identity was definitely in order.

"Okay, fine," Lucy replied. She looked resigned but not surprised. "So does that mean you know who he is? Is he cute?"

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Lois demanded. "That guy you brought to the party – Ralph something."

"Rafe," Lucy corrected her sister. She shrugged. "I broke it off a couple of weeks ago. We weren't serious anyway. So, if you happen to see the Blur, maybe you could mention I'm currently single?"

Oliver nodded. "I will definitely pass along that message."

Satisfied with that, Lucy told them about her promotion to assistant editor with the high fashion magazine Bella. "They're opening an office in Metropolis," Lucy said. "It's not official yet, but it's possible I'll be working here starting in January."

"Congratulations," Chloe said with a smile. "I know you've always liked being a jetsetter, but it would be nice to have you around full time."

After dinner they helped Clark clean up and then sat in the living room discussing Chloe's story on LuthorCorp. The team had been investigating Lex for a couple of years, and Chloe's research was a good step towards shutting down some of his dirty business practices. By eleven Chloe was yawning, and she quickly packed her weekend bag before heading back to Oliver's place.

A week later Chloe's story on the city council kickbacks headlined the Sunday edition, and Chloe celebrated by dragging Oliver out to find the perfect tree, which they then had delivered to the clock tower. While shopping for Christmas decorations would never be high on his list of favorite things, Oliver loved how excited Chloe got about the holidays. If stringing tinsel and lights all over his apartment made her happy, then he was happy to go along with it.

They'd been together for almost a year and a half; it was the longest relationship Oliver had ever had. They'd recently discussed Chloe moving in with him, but the truth was he wanted it to be more official than that.

Oliver checked to make sure Chloe was still busy with the packages they'd brought in before sitting down at his desk and opening the top drawer. The small ring box had been there since the previous December, when he'd taken it from the safety deposit box at his bank. He pulled it out, opened it and looked at the sparkling diamond ring that had once belonged to his paternal grandmother.

The green diamond had been in the Queen family for more than a hundred years, though it was reset for his grandmother, who preferred a more classic ring design. It was famous in jeweler's circles due to both the color saturation and the perfect clarity of the three carat stone, and it had been featured in numerous magazines during his grandmother's reign as Queen matriarch.

The simple gold setting was perfect for Chloe, and he'd been thinking of different ways to give it to her for a year now. He'd known since last Christmas that this was where their relationship was leading, but he was also conscious of the fact that Chloe had just graduated and started a new job. Since he didn't want to rush her into anything, he'd back burnered his proposal.

He didn't want to wait any longer.

"Ollie, don't think you're getting out of helping with the decorating," Chloe suddenly called out.

Smiling, he closed the box and placed it back in the drawer. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Thanksgiving was spent at the Kent farm with Lois and Lucy before they took the jet to visit Chloe's dad, Gabe, and his family in Colorado. General Lane was in Washington but had promised he'd spend Christmas in Metropolis, and Gabe had made plans to do the same. They would all be arriving in time for the annual Queen Industries Christmas Gala, and Oliver hoped to have some important news to share by then.

Chloe could hear the strains of Walking in a Winter Wonderland playing softly as she entered Oliver's apartment. Christmas was just days away, and she'd been busy with the arrival of her dad and her step-family the day before. Uncle Sam was due tomorrow, just in time for the Queen Industries Christmas Gala.

Tonight they had dinner plans at the Kent farm. She'd left work early to pick up her dress for the gala, and she draped the garment bag carefully over the back of the sofa. "Oliver?"

"I'll be down in a minute," he called out.

Though she couldn't hear the conversation very well, she surmised he was on the phone and headed into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. She was debating the merits of two different holiday blends that Oliver had ordered for her when she felt his arms wrapping around her waist from behind.

"Hey," he said, kissing the side of her head affectionately. "How is your dad settling in?"

"Fine," she replied as she turned in his arms and smiled up at him. "Thanks for letting them use one of QI's corporate suites. They're much more comfortable there than they would be on my sofa bed or at a hotel." Sharing a bathroom with Clark was easy enough since he could employ super speed when necessary, but she couldn't imagine sharing with five people, including a teenage girl.

The suite was large enough for the family of four and had even been decorated for Christmas, something she thought Oliver might have done for her youngest step-sibling, ten-year-old Anna. Even fifteen-year-old Brit stopped texting long enough to sit beside the large Christmas tree with her sister.

Since they lived so far away she didn't often see them, though that had changed since she began dating Oliver. He had traveled to Colorado with her a few times, and he'd sent the private jet to pick them up as a surprise for her last birthday.

Her dad hadn't quite known what to make of Oliver in the beginning, especially since the reveal of their relationship happened in the midst of her kidnapping, hospitalization, and the drama of their public fight being reported on by the tabloids. Later Gabe told her that the way Oliver stayed at her bedside, putting her ahead of his other obligations and going out of his way to make her as comfortable as possible, helped ease some of his doubts about the merits of her being involved with a renowned billionaire playboy.

"Are they riding out to Smallville with us?" Oliver asked.

She shook her head and turned back to the coffee machine. "They're going to drive out to Grandville first and look at the lights, so they're leaving a little earlier than us." Her dad had been prepared to rent a car until Oliver explained that he kept cars available for visiting businessmen and executives. Though her dad didn't want to be a moocher, as he'd only half-jokingly told Chloe, he conceded that renting a car was a waste when there were two perfectly good vehicles in the parking garage going unused.

They weren't due at the Kent's for a few hours, so they sat on the sofa and talked. It still surprised Chloe at times just how well they managed to strike a balance between the crazy parts of their lives and these quiet moments. Between their day jobs and moonlighting in the hero business, quiet moments should have been hard to come by.

But they both made an effort, as Martha had pointed out at Thanksgiving when Chloe sought her advice about potentially moving in with Oliver. That made all the difference. They still argued, though rarely, and when they did, they resolved to work through issues quickly by never going to bed angry. A year and a half later, it was the most successful relationship Chloe had ever been in.

Chloe watched Oliver as he got up to change the CD playing. He'd first asked her to move in with him at the end of the summer while they were spending a long weekend at the resort winery in Napa. Chloe hadn't been surprised, really – she already spent a lot of her free time at his place, and a portion of her wardrobe had already found a home in his closet.

Still, she didn't want to make such a big change without thinking it through, and she was grateful that Oliver didn't push her to make a decision right away. Clark had been one concern – she'd felt a little like she was abandoning her friend in the apartment, and she didn't want to stick him with double the rent. He couldn't ask just anyone to move in with him, after all.

Then Victor had decided to make the move to Metropolis. He was still splitting time between Star City and Metropolis now, but he'd be a permanent Metropolis resident in January and would need a place to live. She'd talked to Clark, who had talked to Victor, and it was settled. Chloe would pack up and move to Oliver's penthouse right after Christmas.

It was a big step and one she'd never taken before, which made her equal parts excited and nervous.

Oliver seemed to sense what she was thinking about. "How are you doing on the packing?"

"Almost done," she told him, reaching for his hand as he sat beside her again. "Are you sure you're ready for me to be here full time?"

"Trust me – I've never been more sure about anything in my life. The worst part of my day is when you leave."

His sweet words made her smile, and she met him halfway when he leaned down to kiss her.

Dinner at the Kent farm was noisy and wonderful. Lois and Lucy were there, as was Victor, and Gabe, his wife Charlotte, and the girls arrived shortly after she and Oliver did. Chloe felt nostalgic as she helped Martha in the kitchen, following the older woman's instructions carefully. Lois and Lucy mostly watched and gathered requested ingredients since they were equally bad at cooking anything that didn't involve a microwave.

After dinner they all gathered in the living room. Chloe sipped her coffee as she listened to the lively conversation going on between Clark and Lois about Lois' latest investigative snafu.

"You were arrested, Lois," Clark said, pushing his glasses up. "That was seriously your plan?"

"I was undercover, and I had a plan to get the charges dropped later," Lois told him impatiently. "The only way to find out what was going on inside the city jail was to spend some time in jail. Chloe, back me up here."

Oliver raised his brows as he looked at Chloe. "You were in on this plan?"

"Only the part to get the charges dropped," she reassured him, amused. "I promise to tell you if I ever decide to get myself arrested on purpose."

"My lawyers would appreciate that," he replied dryly.

As Lois and Clark resumed their argument, Chloe's attention was caught once again by the erratic blinking of one bulb on the Christmas tree. While the rest of the lights were white or red, this one had been blinking green since they'd arrived. When she pointed it out to Clark, he just shrugged.

Martha waved Chloe away when she got up to help bring in the dessert and hot chocolate, instead calling Jonathan and Clark to assist her, so Chloe walked over to the tree to check the string of lights. The one green bulb continued to blink as she moved an ornament aside to better see the problem, and her breath caught when she saw the ring hanging from the string of lights, right next to the green bulb.

She froze, staring at the glittering green stone. She'd seen the ring before in an old photograph of Oliver's grandmother – it was her engagement ring, and she knew the stone had been in Oliver's family for generations. And yet here it was, hanging from the Kents' Christmas tree.

Chloe sensed Oliver's presence beside her and took a shaky breath as she watched him take the ring from the branch. She finally looked up and met his steady gaze.

"I've imagined different ways to do this for the last year," he told her quietly. "I knew last Christmas that I wanted to marry you, but I didn't want to rush you into anything. I was happy to wait – impatient, maybe, but I knew it would be worth it. And as happy as I am that you've agreed to move in with me, I want it all, Chloe. So will you marry me?"

Feeling completely tongue-tied for once in her life, she nodded wordlessly and watched him slide the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. When he cupped her face and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, she realized she was crying. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He kissed her hair and pulled back in order to see her face.

Chloe laughed and nodded again. "I'm sorry, I just – I love you, Ollie. So much."

"I love you too." He brushed her hair back and smiled down at her. "I can't believe we pulled this off without you suspecting anything, actually. I'm not sure you appreciate how hard it is to hide things from an investigative reporter."

Chloe registered the silence in the room and looked over to see that everyone had stopped to watch Oliver's proposal. "Did all of you know?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, but how did you know that I would find the ring?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Chloe, as long as I've known you, you've been OCD about the Christmas tree lights," Clark reminded her, grinning. "Every string must be placed just so, and there were many, many times you had me checking bulbs for hours."

"We've all been there," Lois interjected, and Lucy and Gabe nodded in agreement.

Chloe giggled as she leaned into Oliver and looked up at him. "Am I really that bad?"

"Well, this is only our second Christmas together, but yeah – we were all very sure that if you noticed a bulb blinking, you'd check it out. I'm honestly surprised it took you this long," he admitted.

Chloe was soon surrounded by the women, who wanted a good look at the ring on her finger.

"It's so beautiful," Charlotte commented. "I wouldn't have thought of an emerald for an engagement ring."

"That's not an emerald," Lucy corrected her. "It's a green diamond. It's a famous Queen family heirloom – very old and probably worth a fortune."

Anna touched the stone gently. "I didn't know diamonds could be green."

Chloe hadn't known that either. Like Charlotte, she'd assumed it was an emerald when she first saw it. She tried not to think too hard about how much it was actually worth. It felt heavy on her finger and would take some getting used to, but she couldn't deny she loved it. She could also tell it meant a lot to Oliver that she was wearing it.

Hours later, lying in bed and wearing only that ring, Chloe traced slow patterns against Oliver's chest. Even in the moonlight, the stone sparkled.

Oliver took her hand and kissed her ring finger gently. "Are you sure you're ready to announce it tomorrow at the gala?"

Chloe laced their fingers together and kissed his shoulder. "Yes. I don't want to take it off, to be honest, and there's no way we'll fly under the radar now that I'm wearing it." It was far too distinctive to go unnoticed.

"I don't suppose I could talk you into a summer wedding date? I know that's only six or seven months to plan and with my business, it will be an event. I can't exactly get away with a backyard wedding." He sounded apologetic.

She knew she should probably feel daunted by the prospect of a big society wedding, but she was completely unfazed. "That's what wedding planners are for, right? And I have Lois and Lucy." She knew her cousins would jump in with both feet, and Lucy would be living in Metropolis soon. "I don't want a long, drawn out engagement Ollie. I'm not worried about the perfect wedding. I just want to be with you."

The Annual Queen Industries Christmas Gala was in full swing, and Chloe hadn't had a moment alone since they arrived. As she'd predicted, they didn't even make it through the press line before an entertainment reporter spotted her ring, and news of their engagement spread like wildfire after that.

She and Oliver had been receiving congratulations and well wishes for more than an hour, and she'd only briefly spoken to Gabe, Charlotte and the girls when they arrived. She also saw Jonathan and Martha with Lois and Clark, who were covering the event for The Daily Planet, but she barely had time to greet them before she was caught up in another round of introductions.

Another hour passed before they managed to break away. Chloe lifted the long skirt of her deep red gown as Oliver led her up the steps away from the ballroom. Spotting her uncle and Lucy near the bar, she raised a hand in greeting.

Lucy hugged Chloe before passing her a glass of champagne. "That ring is the talk of the party."

"Trust me, I'm well aware," Chloe replied with a rueful laugh.

Sam Lane shook Oliver's hand. "Queen."

Oliver nodded. "General Lane."

Chloe and Lucy exchanged a glance at the stoic greeting, and Lucy covered her smile with her hand.

The General's demeanor changed when he turned to Chloe. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Uncle Sam." Chloe took a long sip of her champagne and looked around. At a table across the room, she saw Victor sitting with Emil, Hal, and Tess. She'd had time to speak to each of them when they came in. When she asked Oliver where Bart and A.C. were, he said they didn't often attend formal events like this, though Bart sometimes sped through for the free food.

She looked over at Lucy, who was holding a white flower that was beginning to wilt. Her cousin had been hoping that 'the Blur' would reveal himself to her, and Chloe knew she was probably disappointed that it hadn't happened yet.

Nodding to the flower, Chloe asked, "I take it that's from your admirer?"

Smiling, Lucy nodded. "It appeared on the seat in the town car just as we arrived, along with a note – Kadupul Mal, or Flower from Heaven."

Chloe examined the fragrant flower curiously. With its pale yellow center and broad, white petals, it was beautiful but unfamiliar. "I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"It's ridiculously rare," Lucy explained, touching the petals gently. "I had to look it up. This particular type is native to some parts of Asia, like Sri Lanka, and Central and South America. It's a night blooming flower, but it wilts before the morning, so it can't even be sold. It's called Queen of the Night in some places, or Flower from the Moon since it sometimes blooms at the full moon. In some places it only blooms once a year, if you can believe it."

Chloe was impressed. "That's very romantic." It was hard for her to imagine that kind of sentimentality from Bart, but he was clearly crushing hard on Lucy. She'd told him at the last League meeting that she thought he should actually talk to Lucy, but he was being uncharacteristically shy about approaching her.

Chloe and Oliver managed a couple of dances as the evening progressed, and Chloe finally had time to sit with her family for a few minutes before she moved on to talk to Tess and Emil. She had just rejoined Oliver when she saw Bart weaving his way through the crowd towards Lucy. Biting her lip, she tugged Oliver's arm to get his attention.

They watched as Bart spoke to Lucy; the awkward shuffling of his feet betrayed his nerves. Then he held up a small, white flower identical to the wilted one Lucy had been carrying all evening.

"I'll be damned," Oliver said.

Chloe smiled as Lucy grinned at Bart and took his arm, following him down to the ballroom. "I have a feeling that could get very interesting. I guess the Sullivan-Lane girls have a type."

Oliver glanced sideways at her. "Bart might be fast, but Lucy will probably give him a run for his money."

"Something tells me he can keep up." She wondered if Bart would be the next member of the team to settle in Metropolis permanently.

Soon the event was winding down, and the guests began dwindling in number. Chloe's feet ached and while she was tired, she was also happier than she'd ever been. When Oliver wrapped his arm around her, she looked up and said, "Take me home?"

"Home – I like the sound of that."

So do I, she thought as she followed him out to the car. They still had a busy few days ahead of them, and planning for a summer wedding was going to take military style precision; it would be one more thing to juggle in their busy lives.

But she had a home with Oliver now, and in a few months she would be Chloe Sullivan-Queen. Life was pretty near perfect.

A/N #2 – I might revisit this universe later, in the form of a one shot or something – I have some ideas for the wedding. But for now, it's done. Thanks for reading!