Crossroads 7/?
Author's note: I kind of feel like I start every new chapter with an apology, but I'm incredibly sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done! I really am and I can only hope you'll stick with me to the end - there will be one at some point, I promise! Only one week left for S10 to start ... I can't wait anymore! Let's hope for some Chlollie-goodness!
Summary: Oliver doesn't know about superheros, secret societies, villains, who are after more than just his business until he gets caught in the middle. Meeting Chloe will offer both far more than they'd have ever expected.
This is AU set a few months after Chloe graduated from college.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters used in here belong to The CW and DC Comics. No money is made from this, it's for entertainment only.
Thanks to chloesilvers for being my beta! It was hard work, but you managed it perfectly hun :)
I also want to thank smallvillefics for the work she's done so far ... this wouldn't have been possible w/o you sweetie!
Banner's made by the fabulous miss_morrygan ... you're a genius babes - it's absolutely awesome!
Chloe wrapped her arms around Oliver's body tightly and waited for him to calm down.
She still didn't know the specifics of what had happened, but she was determined to find out. She wasn't going to leave without answers. Not this time.
After a couple of minutes, she felt him pull away slightly. She gave his hand a little tug, and coaxed him over to the couch.
"What did you mean when you said they told you that your parents were killed?" she asked softly.
Chloe looked down as she waited for him to respond. That was when she saw their fingers intertwined. She didn't even realize that she was still holding his hand- and she didn't let go.
He shrugged. "I don't know that much. They just told me over and over again that I was bound to die like my parents did."
He took a deep breath, then continued, "Apparently my parents were members of a secret society or something, and whatever it was about eventually killed them."
"A secret society? Oh..." Chloe wondered. She felt slightly confused, but her interest was piqued and the sensation in her stomach told her that there was a story behind this, a big story. Not that she was going to write it - she wouldn't do that to him, but she could usually trust her instincts.
A small smile escaped him at her obvious excitement, before his expression turned blank again.
"Ever since I've been released from the hospital, I've been trying to come up with something, anything. But no matter how small the detail or who I interrogate, there is nothing. It's always just a dead end, and to be honest, I'm at my wit's end."
Asking Chloe to do some digging on her own was some kind of a last straw, and when he had done it, it hadn't felt right to him. He knew she waited for him to say something, to give her a name or a direction to start searching with, but how could he put her in harm's way? She meant way too much to him to do that to her. Oliver knew that whatever they would come up with meant potential danger.
Sighing, he got up to grant himself a shot of whiskey. He wasn't sure how to handle the whole situation anymore. Maybe it was for the best to just put it behind him and start over again, but he just wasn't sure if he could do that.
He had accepted that his parents would never be around to see what he had become, and had been positive that he'd made peace with it. But now, he didn't know if he had even been right in the first place. He had always missed them, but he'd never felt this underlying hatred at the injustice that had taken them far too early before.
'Injustice?' 'Terrible accident?' Oliver nearly laughed at the choice of words. It was murder, bluntly as this, and the rage he felt at the enormity of it made him throw the glass against the nearby wall where it shattered into a million pieces, its contents flying in every direction.
0-0-0-0-0-
Storming over to the elevator, he punched the button. He needed to get out of here, needed fresh air so that he could breathe again.
0-0-0-0-0-
Oliver's sudden outburst startled Chloe so much, she almost jumped in surprise. Her heart started racing a mile a minute as she watched him march over to the elevator. She had to stop him now. She had seen him angry before, but never this infuriated. She wasn't sure what he'd do once he was outside. Hell, she didn't even know what had triggered it, but getting drunk was probably the most harmless of all things she had running through her mind. And not even this was going to be an option.
Running over she squeezed herself between the gate and Oliver.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, her brows furrowed
"Chloe ..." he warned
Her frown deepened when she felt herself being pushed to the side. With a deep sigh, she let Oliver walk into the elevator. She knew that she didn't stand a chance. She was stubborn, but he was much taller and stronger and if he really wanted to leave, there wasn't much she could do to prevent it.
For a second or so, she contemplated running after him before deciding against it. He wouldn't approve of that at all- in fact, he would probably only get angrier. So she walked over to his kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. It was going to be a long night and she wanted to be awake at whatever time he decided to come back. She briefly considered calling Clark and having him keep an eye on Oliver, but that would probably just end with another discussion.
She never thought she'd ever say this, but having to deal with her best friend right now was the last thing she felt up to right now.
0-0-0-0-
Choosing to put the time to good use, Chloe pulled her laptop from her bag, poured herself a large cup of coffee, and returned to her place at Oliver's couch.
She wanted to help Oliver so badly, but he gave her less to nothing to work with. It was up to her to find something useful. She watched the video feed of his kidnapping about a hundred times, but she still hadn't found a clue as to what had happened to him.
Chloe was sure that she was missing something, so it was as good a place as any to start with. She would just check her e-mail first, just to make sure that she didn't miss anything work-related. After all, she had left the place early this time.
She was scrolling through her messages when an e-mail caught her intention. The sender wasn't listed as any of her contacts and she wondered whom this mail could be from. Expecting it to be from one of her informants, which she had a few of helping her with investigating stuff for stories, she was rather astonished to witness a video instead of pictures or letters.
When the video began to run, Chloe gasped softly as her heart started to hammer painfully in her chest.
Please let me know what you think - your feedback means the world to me!