The Beginning of the End 3/?
Title: The Beginning of the End
Rating: R for language
Pairing: Oliver/Chloe
Word Count: 2898
Summary: A mystery man from the future attempts to break apart Oliver and Chloe before they can even have their first date.
A/N: This is the sequel to, "Chloe Sullivan's Idea of Fun"
Read Here: http://her-who-is-me.livejournal.com/5546.html
"Lois, don't," Chloe managed to shout as she caught sight of her cousin and Zod having a rather intimate conversation. Of course, if she had managed to actually stop and assess the situation first she would've come out with a neater plan that didn't involve putting herself and Lois in immediate danger. But she had been impulsive. Zod was dangerous and he didn't care if they lived or died. And there both girls were without any superheroes in sight.
"Chloe," Lois asked, both surprised and confused to see Chloe in the middle of Glenmorgan Square in nothing but her pajamas.
Something in Zod's face flickered and Chloe saw the flash of anger, she forced herself not to shrink away.
"He's not the Blur, Lois."
She stepped closer to her cousin.
"She's lying. She's working with Clark," he said smoothly, "Give it to me."
Chloe had to give her cousin credit. She never flinched.
"I don't have it. I hid it," Lois said evenly.
"You what," he growled, "where is it?"
"I hid it in the place where I confessed to you that you were the most important person of my life."
Her voice shook only a little.
Zod laughed, "I don't have time for games." And without further warning he flicked his wrist as if he were shooing a fly and sent Lois flying into a nearby building.
Chloe gasped, "Lois!"
She ran towards her cousin kneeling and examining her carefully.
"In my pocket," Lois whispered.
Chloe grabbed the metal disc triumphantly and looked around to see where Zod was.
"Right behind you," he whispered, Chloe flinched as he lifted her by a fistful of hair.
"I'll take that, thank you."
"Let me go," she said, trying to wriggle herself free.
"Oh a feisty one, I like that," he snarled, "But did you really think that you could stop me, you stupid, stupid girl."
His beautiful face was contorted in ugly lines and Chloe was forced to look away.
He brought his face close to her and took a deep breath, "I can smell your fear."
Chloe forced herself to bite back an indignant response.
"Do you know what happens now," he asked, giving her an almost pleasant smile.
"Let her go, Zod."
Clark!
"He's got the Book of Raol, Clark," Chloe shouted.
"I know," Clark's eyes darted nervously between her and Zod.
"You have two very loyal friends, Clark," Zod said as he slowly took a few steps back to where Lois was laying in heap. He still held Chloe firmly by the hair.
"Zod," Clark warned.
"So which one are you loyal to," he asked quietly. He bent down and picked up Lois by the back of her shirt.
Chloe saw Clark's eyes widen with fear a brief second before she felt herself flying through the air.
She heard rather than felt herself hit the glass from the bus stop. Clark was there within seconds, "I'm sorry, Chlo."
"Lois," she asked flinching from the sudden pain that shot up her right arm.
"She'll be fine. I have to go," he apologized, "Oliver will be here soon."
She groaned, Oliver was going to assassinate her.
The moment Clark was gone Chloe forced herself to get up, swaying from the pain. She steadied herself and carefully made her way out of the shards of broken glass and metal. She could see Lois across from her, a good distance away, sitting up with her knees against her chest. She was staring at the general direction where Clark had taken off from. Chloe sighed audibly and slowly made her way over to her cousin. Besides her arm that was bleeding and the slight pain on her leg she wasn't too badly injured. But Lois...well...
"He should've just told me the truth," Lois said loudly. And for a brief moment Chloe wondered if she was speaking to the emptiness of the night. "I asked him so many times to be honest with me." She finally looked over at Chloe, eyes brimming with unshed tears and an ugly gash running along her cheek. "But he didn't trust me."
"No," Chloe disagreed, "Clark was trying to protect you. It has always been about protecting you."
There was silence. And the sound of Chloe's footsteps as she closed the distance between her and Lois.
And then a loud sob escaped Lois and Chloe felt herself begin to tear up, "And I betrayed him."
"You didn't know," Chloe protested.
"It all made perfect sense at the time," Lois said quietly, "the secrets, the lies...I thought I was fighting with the good guys, you know." Bitter laughter.
Chloe bit down on her lip and squatted down next to her cousin wrapping her good arm around her shoulder. Lois dropped her head on her cousin's shoulder. "Where do we go from here?"
"Home," Chloe suggested softly, "are you OK to walk?"
Lois nodded, pulling herself up, "Uh, cuz, we've got company."
Chloe took a deep breath before forcing herself off the pavement, the pain in her arm was getting progressively worse. She glanced up and wasn't the least bit surprised to see the Green Arrow standing a mere 5 feet away, Impulse was by his side.
"You know, you really should've gotten here 15 minutes ago. Your timing is way off," Lois taunted.
"Lois," Chloe warned. Even with the hood and glasses on she could tell that Oliver was upset by the way his jaw was set.
"It's a miracle," Arrow finally spoke, voice hard and edgy, "that neither one of you are dead." He lifted a hand and gestured to Impulse, "Take Lois home."
"I'm not leaving without..." Her voice trailed off as Bart super sped her away.
Chloe was left behind like a sheep in a lion's den. She waited for him to unleash his fury and was not the least bit disappointed.
"What the hell do you think you were doing!"
Chloe shifted nervously from one foot to the other. What could she say.
"He could've killed you Chloe," he whispered angrily, "How did you even know to come here? And why and this is what disturbs me the most, would you come without any backup?" Oliver watched her carefully.
"I didn't know for sure. It was just a hunch."
"A hunch," Oliver repeated mockingly, "a hunch doesn't drive you out of the house in the middle of the night in your pajamas, Goddammit Chloe," he shouted, removing his hood and glasses to glare at her.
Something shifted in his expression when he saw her arm. He reached for it in such a gentle manner and Chloe just stood there and allowed herself to be comforted. "It's just a scratch," her voice came out hoarse.
"The hell it is. Where else are you hurt," he asked, observing her carefully.
Chloe lifted her chin defiantly, "no where, I'm fine. Clark broke my fall..." Kind of, he rescued Lois first...because he had to...
Oliver sighed, "We need to talk Chloe."
"Go ahead."
Oliver hesitated, "Have you any idea what could've happened to you because you didn't follow protocol?"
Chloe didn't answer.
"I'm thinking maybe you need to step down from your Watchtower duties. What you did was reckless and I can't have anyone on my team putting themselves or others in danger," he paused.
Chloe had to stop herself from doubling over in pain because what Oliver had just said felt like a punch in the gut.
Instead she shrugged, "You're the boss."
A ghost of a reaction flickered in his eyes but he didn't say anything.
"That's it," he called after her as she started to walk away, "That's all you have to say."
She turned around indignantly, "What do you want from you?"
"Chloe, I'm scared," he announced, "You can't be angry with me for being scared."
"I'm not angry," Chloe shook her head, "I'm tired. I'm beat. And the last thing I want to do is fight, with you. So yeah, that's all I have to say."
"You can't be serious," he called after her, "Chloe, where are you going?"
"Home."
"You can't walk home."
He caught up to her quickly.
She spun around angrily, "I can do a lot more than you give me credit for."
"Being reckless does not grant you any points. Chloe, look at you," he emphasized, running a hand over his face, "were you trying to commit suicide?"
"My arm is bleeding I would hardly call that suicide."
"Oh you are unbelievable." He gave her a vague look that could have meant anything followed by some pacing and hair pulling.
"I did what I had to do," she said finally.
He stopped pacing and the heaviness of his gaze almost weighed her down.
"Well congratulations babe. Your work here is done."
She swallowed passed the lump in her throat and nodded, "OK," she said simply, understanding that he had just fired her.
"I'm looking out for you, Chloe. That's my job," he said in a gentler tone.
Chloe put some distance between them, "yeah," she said low, "I know. Funny thing about this Oliver," she paused, choosing her words carefully, "we were good together, me and you..." Her voice trailed off at the pained expression on his face. Chloe turned around. What did any of this matter, come tonight she wouldn't even be here.
"Chloe, I..."
"Don't," she cut him off, "just bid me a good night. It's been a long day, it's gotta end some time."
"Chloe," he called her one last time.
But she didn't answer. She didn't turn around. She wanted to put as much distance between them. And she wasn't the least bit surprised when he didn't follow. The irony of it all was that she had wanted him to follow her. God, how she had wanted it...
***
Of course he'd followed her home, watched her until he was sure that she was OK. He wouldn't just up and abandon her because he was mad at her. And he was mad at her. No, not mad, livid. When Clark had called him with the emergency that Chloe had confronted Zod about the Book of Raol he had been scared to death. And then to hear her lie to him...it was just too much. Maybe he had been too harsh. But the more he thought about it the more he agreed with his decision to have her step down as Watchtower. Especially when he remembered his conversation with the stranger from the future. He wouldn't have Chloe in any kind of danger because of him. He'd protect her even if it meant pushing her away.
But then if his decision had been so right why was he having trouble sleeping? The exhaustion was there but he was listless. A fear lingered so thick that he could choke on it. He'd have felt better if he had spoken to Clark about this man wearing the Legion ring. About the threat to Chloe. But Clark was gone now and there was no one he could speak to. Oliver was confused and he was scared, he wanted to both embrace Chloe and push her away.
He forced himself to close his eyes. It was so quiet. The silence was loud. He rolled over on his side and his thoughts drifted to a little boy named Connor. The name brought him grief. It wasn't right. His future wasn't right.
Oliver lay there for a long time, in the darkness, listening to the voices in his head until finally the stillness came.
The hours slid by and he slept long and hard. When he awoke it was in swirls and glimpses. He had slept late into the morning. He shot out of bed, startled and made his way towards the window, a sickening feeling in his gut. He didn't know what he had expected to see, chaos, fire, destruction...But beyond the window the city rushed on.
"You did it, Clark," he murmured.
This was the moment where he called Chloe, picked her up for brunch and conversed in an enthusiastic manner. He almost did call her. He made a million and one excuses throughout the day to call her but he never did. It was she, actually, who showed up at his place later that evening.
He looked up, curious. Eyes met and locked and there was a glimmer of regret that seemed to pass from him to her. She quirked her lip up in a smile, but the smile lacked luster.
"How's the arm," he asked, trying to hide his surprise at having her actually show up at his penthouse so soon after their exchange of words just last night.
"Much better," she answered, "soon I'll be ready to throw some mean punches again," she gave a nervous chuckle.
"Chloe, not that I mind the visit at all but, what's going on? You seem a bit...flustered."
She laughed again.
"Actually there is a point to my visit," she cleared her throat, "I don't want you to think that this has anything to do with last night..."
His eyes widened and he waited for her to continue.
"I uh, already kind of had these plans and I was just looking for the right time to mention them..."
"Chloe, what is it," he asked impatiently, "You sound like you're saying good bye or something."
"Well," she shrugged a little, "I kind of am, but only temporarily," she added quickly.
"What? No," he stated firmly.
"No," she repeated giving him an odd look, "no offense Ollie but you really don't have a say on what I do from now on. Look," she raised her hands to stop him from speaking, "I didn't come here to ask permission. I'm going. I just wanted to say good bye and let you know not to worry about me."
Oliver chuckled dryly, "Yeah well, I'm worried. Where are you going, Chloe? What are you running away from?"
"I'm not running," she said patiently, "I need some time away from Metropolis. I made plans to spend some time with an old friend."
She was lying.
"Look Chloe," he explained as he began to pace, "I'm sorry if I was nasty last night. I'm sorry if I offended you. But I never meant that I didn't want you around, I just didn't want you participating in any missions...for a while..."
"I already said, this has nothing to do with last night."
"Is it because Clark's no longer here," he asked, his voice raising slightly, "because you still have Lois, you still have the team, and me, you have me Chloe."
"I know," she acknowledged, placing a warm hand on his arm to still his pacing, "it's only a couple of days, a week at most."
"So when is this trip," he asked skeptically, better to play along with her little game.
"I leave tomorrow morning."
"Great, I'll give you a ride." He gave her a long inquisitive look.
"I actually already bought my tickets. I'm looking forward to my bus trip," she said without hesitation.
"To," he questioned.
"Wichita, to visit Pete, remember Pete?"
She was getting better at lying.
"Vaguely."
"Oliver, what's with the third degree? I mean, really? I highly doubt that you give Dinah or Bart or even Mia this hard a time and Mia's what, fifteen?"
"No, I wouldn't," he answered promptly, "but you seem to have a tendency of getting into trouble. Are you in trouble now?" He lowered his voice, "You can tell me if you are. Give me a sign of some type."
He waited, holding his breath, standing very still. Now's your chance to tell me the truth.
She laughed, "I think this whole thing with Zod has you a little paranoid." She put a grin in her voice.
"Maybe." Or maybe you're a fucking liar.
He thought he saw a flick of something in her eyes but he couldn't tell what.
"Stay for dinner," he said abruptly, maybe if she stayed a bit longer he could actually find out what was going on with her.
"No," she answered quickly, "I really have to pack, I just came to say goodbye." She gave him an apologetic look. For a moment they both stood in a force field of silence. She looked very small to him, very vulnerable. He wanted to reach for her so bad. Oliver shifted, shoving his hands into his pockets. Chloe looked towards the door as if she were ready to bolt at any moment.
"OK,” he said simply, not quite trusting himself to speak, “Just promise me one thing. Find your way back home…" to me.
She smiled, "Don't get all nostalgic on me, I'll be back before you know."
And then much to his surprise she gave him a hug. Oh shit.
He crushed her against him. Held her longer than he should've. She felt so good in his arms because dammit that's where she belonged. She pulled away first and reluctantly Oliver dropped his hands to his side.
"Only a couple of days," she repeated in a whisper before walking out. Oliver watched her descend in the elevator. He’d made a choice. He’d let her leave. It was a mistake. He couldn’t get past that. Before he fully understood what he was doing he dialed Bart.
"Bart, I think Chloe's in trouble. She just left the penthouse, I need you to follow her."
Rating: R for language
Pairing: Oliver/Chloe
Word Count: 2898
Summary: A mystery man from the future attempts to break apart Oliver and Chloe before they can even have their first date.
A/N: This is the sequel to, "Chloe Sullivan's Idea of Fun"
Read Here: http://her-who-is-me.livejournal.com/5546.html
"Lois, don't," Chloe managed to shout as she caught sight of her cousin and Zod having a rather intimate conversation. Of course, if she had managed to actually stop and assess the situation first she would've come out with a neater plan that didn't involve putting herself and Lois in immediate danger. But she had been impulsive. Zod was dangerous and he didn't care if they lived or died. And there both girls were without any superheroes in sight.
"Chloe," Lois asked, both surprised and confused to see Chloe in the middle of Glenmorgan Square in nothing but her pajamas.
Something in Zod's face flickered and Chloe saw the flash of anger, she forced herself not to shrink away.
"He's not the Blur, Lois."
She stepped closer to her cousin.
"She's lying. She's working with Clark," he said smoothly, "Give it to me."
Chloe had to give her cousin credit. She never flinched.
"I don't have it. I hid it," Lois said evenly.
"You what," he growled, "where is it?"
"I hid it in the place where I confessed to you that you were the most important person of my life."
Her voice shook only a little.
Zod laughed, "I don't have time for games." And without further warning he flicked his wrist as if he were shooing a fly and sent Lois flying into a nearby building.
Chloe gasped, "Lois!"
She ran towards her cousin kneeling and examining her carefully.
"In my pocket," Lois whispered.
Chloe grabbed the metal disc triumphantly and looked around to see where Zod was.
"Right behind you," he whispered, Chloe flinched as he lifted her by a fistful of hair.
"I'll take that, thank you."
"Let me go," she said, trying to wriggle herself free.
"Oh a feisty one, I like that," he snarled, "But did you really think that you could stop me, you stupid, stupid girl."
His beautiful face was contorted in ugly lines and Chloe was forced to look away.
He brought his face close to her and took a deep breath, "I can smell your fear."
Chloe forced herself to bite back an indignant response.
"Do you know what happens now," he asked, giving her an almost pleasant smile.
"Let her go, Zod."
Clark!
"He's got the Book of Raol, Clark," Chloe shouted.
"I know," Clark's eyes darted nervously between her and Zod.
"You have two very loyal friends, Clark," Zod said as he slowly took a few steps back to where Lois was laying in heap. He still held Chloe firmly by the hair.
"Zod," Clark warned.
"So which one are you loyal to," he asked quietly. He bent down and picked up Lois by the back of her shirt.
Chloe saw Clark's eyes widen with fear a brief second before she felt herself flying through the air.
She heard rather than felt herself hit the glass from the bus stop. Clark was there within seconds, "I'm sorry, Chlo."
"Lois," she asked flinching from the sudden pain that shot up her right arm.
"She'll be fine. I have to go," he apologized, "Oliver will be here soon."
She groaned, Oliver was going to assassinate her.
The moment Clark was gone Chloe forced herself to get up, swaying from the pain. She steadied herself and carefully made her way out of the shards of broken glass and metal. She could see Lois across from her, a good distance away, sitting up with her knees against her chest. She was staring at the general direction where Clark had taken off from. Chloe sighed audibly and slowly made her way over to her cousin. Besides her arm that was bleeding and the slight pain on her leg she wasn't too badly injured. But Lois...well...
"He should've just told me the truth," Lois said loudly. And for a brief moment Chloe wondered if she was speaking to the emptiness of the night. "I asked him so many times to be honest with me." She finally looked over at Chloe, eyes brimming with unshed tears and an ugly gash running along her cheek. "But he didn't trust me."
"No," Chloe disagreed, "Clark was trying to protect you. It has always been about protecting you."
There was silence. And the sound of Chloe's footsteps as she closed the distance between her and Lois.
And then a loud sob escaped Lois and Chloe felt herself begin to tear up, "And I betrayed him."
"You didn't know," Chloe protested.
"It all made perfect sense at the time," Lois said quietly, "the secrets, the lies...I thought I was fighting with the good guys, you know." Bitter laughter.
Chloe bit down on her lip and squatted down next to her cousin wrapping her good arm around her shoulder. Lois dropped her head on her cousin's shoulder. "Where do we go from here?"
"Home," Chloe suggested softly, "are you OK to walk?"
Lois nodded, pulling herself up, "Uh, cuz, we've got company."
Chloe took a deep breath before forcing herself off the pavement, the pain in her arm was getting progressively worse. She glanced up and wasn't the least bit surprised to see the Green Arrow standing a mere 5 feet away, Impulse was by his side.
"You know, you really should've gotten here 15 minutes ago. Your timing is way off," Lois taunted.
"Lois," Chloe warned. Even with the hood and glasses on she could tell that Oliver was upset by the way his jaw was set.
"It's a miracle," Arrow finally spoke, voice hard and edgy, "that neither one of you are dead." He lifted a hand and gestured to Impulse, "Take Lois home."
"I'm not leaving without..." Her voice trailed off as Bart super sped her away.
Chloe was left behind like a sheep in a lion's den. She waited for him to unleash his fury and was not the least bit disappointed.
"What the hell do you think you were doing!"
Chloe shifted nervously from one foot to the other. What could she say.
"He could've killed you Chloe," he whispered angrily, "How did you even know to come here? And why and this is what disturbs me the most, would you come without any backup?" Oliver watched her carefully.
"I didn't know for sure. It was just a hunch."
"A hunch," Oliver repeated mockingly, "a hunch doesn't drive you out of the house in the middle of the night in your pajamas, Goddammit Chloe," he shouted, removing his hood and glasses to glare at her.
Something shifted in his expression when he saw her arm. He reached for it in such a gentle manner and Chloe just stood there and allowed herself to be comforted. "It's just a scratch," her voice came out hoarse.
"The hell it is. Where else are you hurt," he asked, observing her carefully.
Chloe lifted her chin defiantly, "no where, I'm fine. Clark broke my fall..." Kind of, he rescued Lois first...because he had to...
Oliver sighed, "We need to talk Chloe."
"Go ahead."
Oliver hesitated, "Have you any idea what could've happened to you because you didn't follow protocol?"
Chloe didn't answer.
"I'm thinking maybe you need to step down from your Watchtower duties. What you did was reckless and I can't have anyone on my team putting themselves or others in danger," he paused.
Chloe had to stop herself from doubling over in pain because what Oliver had just said felt like a punch in the gut.
Instead she shrugged, "You're the boss."
A ghost of a reaction flickered in his eyes but he didn't say anything.
"That's it," he called after her as she started to walk away, "That's all you have to say."
She turned around indignantly, "What do you want from you?"
"Chloe, I'm scared," he announced, "You can't be angry with me for being scared."
"I'm not angry," Chloe shook her head, "I'm tired. I'm beat. And the last thing I want to do is fight, with you. So yeah, that's all I have to say."
"You can't be serious," he called after her, "Chloe, where are you going?"
"Home."
"You can't walk home."
He caught up to her quickly.
She spun around angrily, "I can do a lot more than you give me credit for."
"Being reckless does not grant you any points. Chloe, look at you," he emphasized, running a hand over his face, "were you trying to commit suicide?"
"My arm is bleeding I would hardly call that suicide."
"Oh you are unbelievable." He gave her a vague look that could have meant anything followed by some pacing and hair pulling.
"I did what I had to do," she said finally.
He stopped pacing and the heaviness of his gaze almost weighed her down.
"Well congratulations babe. Your work here is done."
She swallowed passed the lump in her throat and nodded, "OK," she said simply, understanding that he had just fired her.
"I'm looking out for you, Chloe. That's my job," he said in a gentler tone.
Chloe put some distance between them, "yeah," she said low, "I know. Funny thing about this Oliver," she paused, choosing her words carefully, "we were good together, me and you..." Her voice trailed off at the pained expression on his face. Chloe turned around. What did any of this matter, come tonight she wouldn't even be here.
"Chloe, I..."
"Don't," she cut him off, "just bid me a good night. It's been a long day, it's gotta end some time."
"Chloe," he called her one last time.
But she didn't answer. She didn't turn around. She wanted to put as much distance between them. And she wasn't the least bit surprised when he didn't follow. The irony of it all was that she had wanted him to follow her. God, how she had wanted it...
***
Of course he'd followed her home, watched her until he was sure that she was OK. He wouldn't just up and abandon her because he was mad at her. And he was mad at her. No, not mad, livid. When Clark had called him with the emergency that Chloe had confronted Zod about the Book of Raol he had been scared to death. And then to hear her lie to him...it was just too much. Maybe he had been too harsh. But the more he thought about it the more he agreed with his decision to have her step down as Watchtower. Especially when he remembered his conversation with the stranger from the future. He wouldn't have Chloe in any kind of danger because of him. He'd protect her even if it meant pushing her away.
But then if his decision had been so right why was he having trouble sleeping? The exhaustion was there but he was listless. A fear lingered so thick that he could choke on it. He'd have felt better if he had spoken to Clark about this man wearing the Legion ring. About the threat to Chloe. But Clark was gone now and there was no one he could speak to. Oliver was confused and he was scared, he wanted to both embrace Chloe and push her away.
He forced himself to close his eyes. It was so quiet. The silence was loud. He rolled over on his side and his thoughts drifted to a little boy named Connor. The name brought him grief. It wasn't right. His future wasn't right.
Oliver lay there for a long time, in the darkness, listening to the voices in his head until finally the stillness came.
The hours slid by and he slept long and hard. When he awoke it was in swirls and glimpses. He had slept late into the morning. He shot out of bed, startled and made his way towards the window, a sickening feeling in his gut. He didn't know what he had expected to see, chaos, fire, destruction...But beyond the window the city rushed on.
"You did it, Clark," he murmured.
This was the moment where he called Chloe, picked her up for brunch and conversed in an enthusiastic manner. He almost did call her. He made a million and one excuses throughout the day to call her but he never did. It was she, actually, who showed up at his place later that evening.
He looked up, curious. Eyes met and locked and there was a glimmer of regret that seemed to pass from him to her. She quirked her lip up in a smile, but the smile lacked luster.
"How's the arm," he asked, trying to hide his surprise at having her actually show up at his penthouse so soon after their exchange of words just last night.
"Much better," she answered, "soon I'll be ready to throw some mean punches again," she gave a nervous chuckle.
"Chloe, not that I mind the visit at all but, what's going on? You seem a bit...flustered."
She laughed again.
"Actually there is a point to my visit," she cleared her throat, "I don't want you to think that this has anything to do with last night..."
His eyes widened and he waited for her to continue.
"I uh, already kind of had these plans and I was just looking for the right time to mention them..."
"Chloe, what is it," he asked impatiently, "You sound like you're saying good bye or something."
"Well," she shrugged a little, "I kind of am, but only temporarily," she added quickly.
"What? No," he stated firmly.
"No," she repeated giving him an odd look, "no offense Ollie but you really don't have a say on what I do from now on. Look," she raised her hands to stop him from speaking, "I didn't come here to ask permission. I'm going. I just wanted to say good bye and let you know not to worry about me."
Oliver chuckled dryly, "Yeah well, I'm worried. Where are you going, Chloe? What are you running away from?"
"I'm not running," she said patiently, "I need some time away from Metropolis. I made plans to spend some time with an old friend."
She was lying.
"Look Chloe," he explained as he began to pace, "I'm sorry if I was nasty last night. I'm sorry if I offended you. But I never meant that I didn't want you around, I just didn't want you participating in any missions...for a while..."
"I already said, this has nothing to do with last night."
"Is it because Clark's no longer here," he asked, his voice raising slightly, "because you still have Lois, you still have the team, and me, you have me Chloe."
"I know," she acknowledged, placing a warm hand on his arm to still his pacing, "it's only a couple of days, a week at most."
"So when is this trip," he asked skeptically, better to play along with her little game.
"I leave tomorrow morning."
"Great, I'll give you a ride." He gave her a long inquisitive look.
"I actually already bought my tickets. I'm looking forward to my bus trip," she said without hesitation.
"To," he questioned.
"Wichita, to visit Pete, remember Pete?"
She was getting better at lying.
"Vaguely."
"Oliver, what's with the third degree? I mean, really? I highly doubt that you give Dinah or Bart or even Mia this hard a time and Mia's what, fifteen?"
"No, I wouldn't," he answered promptly, "but you seem to have a tendency of getting into trouble. Are you in trouble now?" He lowered his voice, "You can tell me if you are. Give me a sign of some type."
He waited, holding his breath, standing very still. Now's your chance to tell me the truth.
She laughed, "I think this whole thing with Zod has you a little paranoid." She put a grin in her voice.
"Maybe." Or maybe you're a fucking liar.
He thought he saw a flick of something in her eyes but he couldn't tell what.
"Stay for dinner," he said abruptly, maybe if she stayed a bit longer he could actually find out what was going on with her.
"No," she answered quickly, "I really have to pack, I just came to say goodbye." She gave him an apologetic look. For a moment they both stood in a force field of silence. She looked very small to him, very vulnerable. He wanted to reach for her so bad. Oliver shifted, shoving his hands into his pockets. Chloe looked towards the door as if she were ready to bolt at any moment.
"OK,” he said simply, not quite trusting himself to speak, “Just promise me one thing. Find your way back home…" to me.
She smiled, "Don't get all nostalgic on me, I'll be back before you know."
And then much to his surprise she gave him a hug. Oh shit.
He crushed her against him. Held her longer than he should've. She felt so good in his arms because dammit that's where she belonged. She pulled away first and reluctantly Oliver dropped his hands to his side.
"Only a couple of days," she repeated in a whisper before walking out. Oliver watched her descend in the elevator. He’d made a choice. He’d let her leave. It was a mistake. He couldn’t get past that. Before he fully understood what he was doing he dialed Bart.
"Bart, I think Chloe's in trouble. She just left the penthouse, I need you to follow her."