His Weakness 1/1
Title: His Weakness
Rating: PG
Summary: “You took my life, you ruined it, now I’m going to find out exactly what I need to do to ruin yours. Celeste will find your weakness, she’ll know exactly what will break you, what will cause you pain. I don’t want to cause you physical pain, that would be too simple. I just want to make you suffer, make your life miserable.”
Notes: I SWEAR I am working on The Fall. But I've been in the mood for one-shots lately.
“This is ridiculous.”
Oliver sighed, he had to agree.
“I mean you of all people; can’t you get us out of this?”
He wasn’t sure if he should have been flattered or not. “I’m not a miracle worker Lois.”
“What are the odds that we get tied together for a second time?” She yanked roughly on the bonds. “Ow!”
“Obviously high, and you already know that isn’t going to work, so stop it. Besides, you’re hurting the hell out of my wrists.”
“Enough!”
Oliver turned to the man standing there with the gun pointed at them. He narrowed his eyes. “Why don’t you come on over here?”
“I said shut up!”
The butt of the gun connected with his head, knocking it to the side. His vision swam for a moment and then he felt something warm tricking down his temple. Turning back to the man he cocked an eyebrow. “That the best you’ve got?” The man pulled his arm back again, but the sound of a door opening drew his attention.
“Now that isn’t any way to treat our guests.”
Oliver frowned at the sound of a new voice. It wasn’t until the man came closer that he could see his face clearly. “What do you want?”
“How kind of you to ask Mr. Queen. And who is this lovely lady?”
“Leave her out of this.” Oliver snarled.
“Oliver, what’s going on?”
He glanced back at Lois, hearing the concern in her voice. There was no way of knowing what Donovan Reed would do.
“Oh I’m sorry, we haven’t met. I’m Donovan Reed.” He held his hand out and then chuckled, pulling it back. “Of course. Well Mr. Queen and I, we used to work together.”
Lois rolled her eyes. “Oliver how many workers have you pissed off.”
“Quite a lot it would seem.” Donovan rolled a chair across the floor and took a seat in front of his prisoners. “My grievances are totally separate though from his other disgruntled employees.”
“Reed here was selling equipment and plans to other countries. Terrorists were his favorite buyers.” He nodded his head at Reed. “Are you really surprised you were canned?”
“Surprised? Not at all.” He leaned back and crossed his legs. “But the fact of the matter is I lost everything. My money, my job, my connections, my wife, my children. Even my own parents won’t even speak to me. Do you know how that feels Miss?”
Lois rolled her eyes and looked away.
“So what? You deserved it. Move on. Obviously you got out of jail.”
“Obviously.” Donovan nodded at the door. “Bring her in.” Turning back to Oliver he smiled. “But things are looking up for me. And now that I’ve been able to get some of my life back together I now have the resources to address the man at the root of my problems.”
Oliver watched the man with the gun exit. When he turned back to Donovan he was grinning. The sound of footsteps sounded, more than one. The man with the gun entered again, and behind him a small petite woman, no taller than Lois, and much thinner. Her face was slightly blank, except for a ghost of a smile.
“This is Celeste. My associates have lent her to me. She has an ability which many would find useful.” Donovan waived her forward. “Celeste, Mr. Queen please.”
She walked forward, appearing almost as if she was walking on water, and when her cold hand brushed his forehead he snapped his face away. “What the hell is going on?”
Donovan chuckled. “Well I guess telling you would be half the fun. A minute Celeste. You see Mr. Queen, Celeste has this ability to know things about people. Fears, hopes, dreams, you get the point.” He leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the young man before him. “You took my life, you ruined it, now I’m going to find out exactly what I need to do to ruin yours. Celeste will find your weakness, she’ll know exactly what will break you, what will cause you pain. I don’t want to cause you physical pain, that would be too simple. I just want to make you suffer, make your life miserable.” He sat up and nodded. “Proceed.”
He pulled his head from her outstretched hand, but it was no use. He tried to clear his head, but it was useless. Everything that he feared he could lose came forefront in his mind. Then she pulled away, leaving him no clue as to what she had found, but he knew, he knew before she had even touched his head.
“A girl.” Celeste said, a small smile spreading across her face.
“Her?” Donovan nodded at the girl tied to Oliver.
“No.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Yes.”
Donovan slapped his leg and stood up. “Well that will be all Mr. Queen. I think we’ll leave you here for a bit, at least until I’m through. Look me up one day; I’m sure you’ll be looking for retribution.”
His heart hammered in his chest as he watched them file out of the room. “No! I’m going to kill you! If you even touch her I’m going to fucking kill you!”
Donovan stopped in the doorway and turned with a smile. “I must admit, I’m feeling better already.”
The three were gone, shutting the door behind them.
“Clark.” Oliver said to Lois.
“What? Oliver, what’s going on? Who are they talking about?”
“Just call for Clark damnit!”
She sighed, drew in a deep breath and screamed. “Clark!!!!”
He waited in abated breath, praying that Clark would hear Lois. He always heard Lois. He had too. The seconds drug on, seeming like minutes. Lois tried to pry an answer out of him, but he wouldn’t say a word. What he’d tried so hard to hide, to forget, to move on from, had wound up still coming out in the end. He felt sick. If she died…
“Lois! Oliver!” Clark sped through the doorway and kneeled in front of them. “Don’t move.” Grabbing their combined wrist he narrowed his eyes, a red beam shooting out, successfully burning through their bindings. “What happ-.”
“There’s no time.” Oliver stood up. “Go get Chloe.”
Standing up Clark looked between Lois and Oliver in confusion. “Chloe? What does she-.”
“If you want your best friend to still be alive tomorrow go get her!” The severity of the situation must have just hit Clark then, because he squared his shoulders and then was gone. A hand on his arm made him turn.
“Oliver.” Lois shook her head and looked up at him with concern. He turned to her, face tense but she could see the pain in his eyes. “Does she-.”
“No, she doesn’t know. So don’t say a word.” He said firmly. She nodded.
“I’m sorry Oliver. I didn’t know. Why didn’t you-.”
“What? Tell you?” He laughed and shook his head. “Tell her? Right Lois.” There was noise behind him and he spun around to find Clark landing on his balcony, Chloe held in his arms. He let his eyes run over her small form as her feet settled to the ground. She was fine.
“Hey Lois.” Chloe stepped back, allowing her cousin to step inside. “Feeling alright?”
“Yea you know. Bruised wrists.” Lois held them up. “Nothing that hasn’t happened before.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.” Chloe shut the door behind her and followed Lois to the sofa. “What’s going on? Everything alright?”
“Yea, I’m fine.” Lois sighed and watched Chloe sit. For the first time since her and Oliver had been captured she studied her cousin. She was a great woman to be sure, smart, attractive and just as determined and stubborn as herself. Anyone would be attracted to her. But she had to wonder what it was that made Oliver fall so hard. He never had admitted exactly how strong his feelings were. But there were a few things Lois did know. She knew Oliver had friends he cared about. His team, Clark, and she knew he had to have held some regard for her. After all, he had been in love with her at some point. He felt for Chloe more than that, enough that those people knew what it would do to him. She’d promised him she’d keep her mouth shut; she’d never been very good at keeping secrets. “Look, about earlier..” She sighed.
“Everything okay?” Chloe tilted her head to the side, studying her cousin. “You look a little…distraught?”
Oliver was going to kill her. The problem was she remembered when he’d come to her that day, over two years ago, professing his love to her, trying to get her back. She’d been honest with him, telling him that her heart belonged to Clark, but promising to be his friend, always. He’d been ready to love then, why he wasn’t now she didn’t understand. But she promised to be his friend, and as his friend she couldn’t stand to see him alone, or her cousin.
Oliver looked up from his laptop at the set of monitors that relayed the feed from his security cameras. Chloe.
“I know you’re home Oliver.”
He sighed and buzzed her up. After shutting his laptop he turned in his chair, facing the elevator. The gate opened and she stepped in, smiling that soft smile that made his chest tighten in regret. “What can I help you with sideckick?”
“Just checking on my favorite hero.” He laughed, but she could see that there was no humor in it. “You’re not?”
“Wasn’t it Clark that got you out of trouble?”
“Wasn’t it you that sent Clark after me?” She countered and stepped forward.
He wanted to tell her it was because of him that her life had been in danger, but he wouldn’t. He’d lied to her earlier, not telling her exactly what the woman’s power was and why they were hunting her. Instead he’d lied. “Well I’m fine Chloe. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I worry. I always worry about you.” She studied him, looking for some sign, but there was none. “Can we talk?” She nodded at the sofa.
“Yea, sure.” Standing from his chair he followed her to the sofa and took a seat, sure to keep some distance between them. He watched her, waiting for her to say something, but she was silent. “What’s going on Chloe?”
“Ollie…” She scooted closer, feeling nervous as she did so. “Tell me what happened.”
“You mean earlier? I told you what happened.”
“Lois came by earlier.” Chloe blurted out. “She told me about what this guy Donovan wanted to do to you, the woman with the abilities, and what her abilities are.” She didn’t want to do it, force him into explaining, but he wasn’t saying a word. “She said you told her not to say why they were coming after me.”
“But she told you.” Oliver finished for her. She nodded and he felt as if the floor was falling out from underneath him. “Chloe, just forget it. Move on.” He moved to stand, but her hand grabbed his own, stopping him.
“Just talk to me.” She pleaded.
“What do you want from me Chloe? Don’t you think there was a reason I told Lois to keep her mouth shut?”
“Well then what was the reason, just help me understand. What happened? I want you to tell me.” She curled her fingers tighter around his hand. “Please.”
“Donovan felt I ruined his life, took away everything that mattered to him. He wanted to do the same to me.” He could see her swallow, but she didn’t respond, and the pressure of her hand around his own didn’t ease. But he couldn’t do it; he couldn’t lay it all out for her. “Chloe, I can’t.” He stood up and pulling his hand from her own.
She wouldn’t let him go that easily. “Don’t you think I care about you?” He stopped with his back facing her. Slowly, she stood up and walked closer to him. When she reached him he turned and looked down at her. “Don’t do this.”
He’d been burned before. In fact his life was filled with failed relationships. That wasn’t the only reason though. Her life would always be in danger because of him. Their lives were to closely entwined, and to tell her what he really felt, and for her to return his feelings… He didn’t even want to think what that could mean for their safety.
“Ollie, please.” There was an internal battle on his face but she waited, hoping that he would take the next step.
“They could have killed you.” He responded in a last ditch effort.
“They didn’t. You and Clark were waiting for them.”
She didn’t care and he wanted to shake her. They were going to kill her because of him and she didn’t even care.
“He didn’t want to kill me. He wanted to find something that would break me. I ruined his life, and he wanted to ruin mine.” She waited, patient green eyes looking up at him. “That woman…”
“Celeste Montgomery.” Chloe added. “I searched for her and this ability she has. She works off of emotions. Hate, anger, love, jealousy, fear. She can find the root of any emotion. Her employers use it for their benefit.”
“Right.” He sighed and shook his head. “She got into my head, and she found you.” He paused for a minute, letting everything sink in. She knew, maybe not how deep his feelings went, but she knew. He felt like he was falling, like every wall he’d put up to ignore his inner turmoil was crashing down around him and he could do nothing to stop it. He was falling and he couldn’t even stop himself. “I don’t want to lose you.” He stepped forward and took her face in his hands. “Chloe, don’t you think all I’ve wanted to do was tell you? But falling for you was one of the most confusing and scary things that I can remember. I wasn’t ready for it and it didn’t seem right, with the league, Lois, Clark.”
She understood doubts; she’d had a lot of her own. She struggled to find something to say, but he wasn’t done.
“Now along with everything else I’m realizing that just caring about you puts you in danger.”
She took his hands in hers and pulled them away. “And don’t you think I know the danger? You’re going to have to take a chance one day. Don’t you think I’m taking a chance being here? Don’t you think I’m scared? Maybe I’m wrong, maybe you don’t feel that way, and then I’m-.”
Grabbing her arms he pulled her against him, startling her into silence. “That you’re wrong? Chloe aren’t you listening to me? I’m in love with you. That lunatic was going to kill you because he knew I loved you and he knew what it would do to me. What you saw me go through two years ago…that was nothing. It makes me sick to think of something happening to you. He didn’t know it was me when I caught him, all he saw was the Green Arrow, but I can tell you he’s lucky he’s in the hospital alive and not in a body bag. He’s lucky Clark was there or I would have killed him, you know I would have.”
There were no words, nothing she could think of to say in response to his confession. She only stared up at him in shock, not sure of even how she was supposed to respond to a man who had just admitted he loved her and would have killed someone in one speech
“I’m sorry.” He released her reluctantly and turned away. She may have had feelings for him, but it wasn’t the same as him professing his love. Her tolerance for temper was never high and he was pretty sure no amount of feelings she had for him would have been able to make her ignore his proclamation that he would have so easily killed again. He walked a fine line, which he always felt he was in danger of falling off of. Losing her would have pushed him.
Chloe reached out for him, pulling him back around and throwing her arms around his neck. “Don’t walk away from me.” Slowly his arms encircled her waist and she relaxed, sighing and laying her cheek against his chest. “Olli, I love you too.”
He tried to swallow, but his throat wouldn’t work. Instead he sighed and buried his face in her hair. She held tightly to him, making it difficult for him to even pull away in the slightest. When he was finally looking down at her, cradling one of her cheeks in one hand he searched her face. “Say it again.”
“I love you.” Sliding her fingers into his hair she pulled his head down. “Don’t leave me.”
“I won’t.” Happiness had never come at the right time for him. But here she was now, when he needed her the most, telling him that she loved him also. He brushed his thumb over her lips, watching as they parted for him, and kissed her.