Chapter Text
~o~
“Tess is gone!” Oliver was shouting, waking up the whole house in the morning. Lois yawned as she came out of the guest bedroom.
“Whatchayellinbout?” she yawned widely. “Where’s Tess?”
“I don’t know! Does no one have a phone anymore?” Oliver was scattering wrapping paper and looking in jacket pockets for a phone.
“I have one, I’ll call her.” Lois said, getting her phone out of her bag and dialling Tess’ number, which rang for ages as she flicked the kettle on to make coffee. “Hi, Tess!”
*Lois? Hi.*
“Hey. Um. Where are you?”
There was a long pause in which Lois added water and milk and flicked the phone onto speaker.
*I’m in Baton Rouge*
“What are you doing in Baton Rouge?”
“What the Hell is she doing in Baton Rouge?” Oliver snapped, “Oi, Mercy, next time leave a note! You had us all worried.”
“Tess?” Sarah questioned as she entered the kitchen. “Tess, where are you?”
*Hi Mama.* Tess said flatly. *Oliver, what’s the point of leaving a note? I’ve only gone to do some shopping. I didn’t foresee you arriving and even though I have half a mind to give you all coal, I’m getting presents for you guys.* she explained briskly. *Now if you’re done wasting my time…*
And the line went dead. “She hung up on me.” Lois blinked, affronted, and sipped her coffee.
Sarah just shook her head, “Lois, be a sweetie and make an old lady a coffee?” she asked. “Don’t worry about Tess, Oliver.” She looked to the blond man. “She just needed to get out of the house for a bit. She’ll be back. Oh thank you, love.” Sarah gratefully accepted the steaming mug of coffee from Lois.
After a moment, Clark followed Lois into Tess’ bedroom, staring at the photos of a young Tess Mercer on the wall and dresser.
“Lois?” Clark announced his presence, and she turned, her eyes all bright and glistening.
“I love you, Clark,” she said in a rush as he pulled her into his arms. She tucked her head against his shoulder and let him hold her.
“I love you too, baby,” he told her.
“Don’t ever forget it. Don’t ever let me not tell you I love you at least a hundred times a day.”
Clark slipped his hands to the back of her neck and bent to kiss her, sweeping his tongue over her lips to deepen the kiss. He pushed her against the wall, trailing his mouth down her throat. Trying to show her how much he loved her, trying to tell her everything he didn’t have the words to say. He remembered something Oliver once said about his island still being out there somewhere, and wrapped his hands in the pirate flag of her hair.
~o~
It was dark when Tess got home and very late by the time Oliver crept through the house to get a drink of water and found her sitting at the kitchen table, wrapping presents while reading a very dull Luthorcorp dossier.
“So, did you get me a present?” he asked, startling her so much she dropped the scissors. Tess turned to look at him, taking in his smooth, bare chest and low slung pyjama pants.
“Yes. But it’s already wrapped so you can’t peek. It’s the box under the tree,” she warned as he stepped closer to her, and Tess could feel his cool breath hitting the back of her neck.
She tried to keep her hands steady, arranging a few books she’d bought for Clark on the wrapping paper. She was acutely aware of how close he was, of every centimetre of skin that blazed under his steady observation.
“Why do you always run?” he asked.
“I want to ask you something and I need you to answer me honestly,” she said.
Oliver approached her and sat beside her in front of the tree. He looked up to the glittery star at the top.
“Anything.”
“Are you going to remain involved with Chloe? Are you going to shag me at night and search for her by day?”
Her questions shocked him, and scared him a little. He knew what she was about to say and cut her off quickly.
“Mercy…” he covered her tiny hand with his. “Chloe once told me Christmas was her favourite time of year. She wanted to spend it with me and made all these plans… and it’s Christmas Eve. She’s not here and I don’t think she’s coming back. But I think I knew that from the moment you told me you didn’t write the email. I just didn’t want to make it true.”
Tess put her hand on his upper arm and brushed it comfortingly. She nodded and gently put her head against his arm.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Oliver mumbled into her red tresses.
He put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms. They sat like that for a while, until Tess began to doze off against him. Oliver rocked her slowly, inhaling the scent of her hair.
“Let me take you to bed,” he whispered, gathering her up in his arms, hearing her soft protest as he carried her to her room. “Just tell me something, okay? Because it’s Christmas morning.”
“Mm.”
“Do you love me?”
She opened her eyes and fluttered her lashes slowly, sleepily, and incredibly seductively. It was a long moment before Tess stretched forwards until her lips brushed the tight whorl of his ear. “I love you. I love you so much. You are the only man I’ve ever loved.”
~o~
The five languished in the wrapping paper strewn chaos of Christmas morning, opening presents together and laughing. Tess had added vodka to everyone’s drink and no one could be bothered to clean up breakfast remains. They were too intent on ripping open all the presents.
“Oh mother! You shouldn’t have!” Tess was delighted at receiving ‘Marine Biology: An Ecological Approach’ and ‘Marine Life of the North Atlantic’.
Sarah smiled, she was already wearing the blue stone earrings Tess had bought her and was reading through the novels and DVD cases. She thanked Oliver, Lois and Clark for their gifts of fine bourbon and a recipe book.
“OLIVER!” Tess was speechless over the blue Tiffany and Co. box and her green eyes were wide at the diamond necklace within. “This is beautiful” she whispered and kissed him. Rolling her eyes as Lois wolf whistled at them, “Shut up, you. I have presents for you three.”
Tess grinned, handing out the boxes.
Clark was impressed with his novels and Tess liked the Marcel Proust ‘In Search of Lost Time’ he’d given her. Oliver loved the Cartier watch. But Lois was the happiest of them and screamed when she ripped open the wrapping paper to reveal a box printed with CHANEL. Inside was a gorgeous, classic black handbag, the shiny leather embossed with a pattern of camellias.
Tess smiled, genuinely pleased at Lois’ joy. “I thought it was about time you had a piece of Chanel for yourself.”
“I love it! Thank you, thank you!” she launched herself into the redhead’s arms and hugging her fiercely.
Tess squeaked and patted her back awkwardly when Lois didn’t let her go. “Okay, Lois… Merry Christmas… seriously let go now. I can’t breathe!”
The group laughed and Oliver helped Tess get a light lunch together while Lois was enthusiastic but useless, parading around with her bag and examining it from every angle in every reflective surface. Tess and Oliver put the food out and she smiled at him from across the table.
“Best Christmas ever,” she declared.
“Agreed.”
After lunch the young adults collapsed in the living room. Tess was eyeing the liquor cabinet and Lois was playing with the radio station, clicking through until music blared.
“I love this song!” Tess exclaimed when she recognised the tune. She jumped and up and joined Lois in the middle of the floor, singing, “I’ll promise you, I’ll kiss your crown when life takes me down!!”
Lois sung too, dragging the boys to their feet. Tess was suddenly having fun. The four of them in her living room, dancing and singing and laughing. It was the best feeling when Oliver grabbed her hands and twirled her around a few times, eventually letting her stop to catch her mouth in a dizzy kiss.
I saved my last dance for you, my friend!
They pulled away, grinned and kept on dancing. Somewhere towards the end of the track, Tess was aware that Sarah was watching them all from the doorway. She didn’t hesitate and extended her hand her, “Come and dance, Mama!” she shouted. Sarah stepped towards her daughter, catching her hand and following her lead in the dance. She knew her daughter loved her, even if she didn’t say it out loud.
They were all islands in the sky. Her mother, Clark and Lois, Oliver and even herself. Within them were places Tess had never travelled, and places she had been. Maybe with her mother Tess would never fully understand their history, but she realised that it didn’t prevent her from loving and forgiving her. Maybe she would never travel through Lois and Clark the way she had travelled through Oliver. Maybe she still had a ways to go, but in this perfect moment with all the people she loved around her, Tess realised this was her complete home.
I got my light in my hands and your love in my heart; I saved my last dance for you…
Fin!