Of Love and Friendship - NC17 - Chlollie- Part Twenty-Six (2/2)
Title: Of Love and Friendship
Category: Smallville
Genre: Friendship/Romance/Humor/Action/Drama
Ship: Chloe/Oliver
Rating: NC17
Word Count: 6,408
Spoiler(s): 6x04 - Arrow
Summary: (AU) Chloe Sullivan grew up in Star City, California with high hopes of becoming a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, but destiny has other plans. Finding a best friend in billionaire Oliver Queen, their lives intersect and take them on a journey neither of them ever expected.
Previous: Prologue, Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, Part XVII, Part XVIII, Part XIX, Part XX, Part XXI, Part XXII, Part XXIII, Part XXIV, Part XXV, Part XXVI (1/2),
dhfreak
XXVI. Of Stolen Necklaces and Revealed Identities
Part II.
That night, Oliver stood atop a ledge on the Daily Planet building and touched the comm. in his ear. "In position. Building in sight," he said, his voice masked with the distorter. "Remind me again why this couldn't be a two-man job?"
"My suit's in for cleaning," Chloe joked, sitting safe back at Queen Towers. "Look, I'm all for team activities but with Cyborg out of town again, I really don't like it when we don't have a visual on the location… Impulse is always good for a quick extraction, but I can't leave him alone with the computers. Besides… Now's as good as time as any for you to let Mrs. Westcott know you're available. And I'd only be in the way," she teased.
He snorted. "Don't even joke about that."
She chuckled softly. "You're right, your luck with women lately is subpar."
He rolled his eyes. "Just because I couldn't talk Lois into a vacation…"
"A vacation she's been begging you for! How did you screw that up?"
He snorted. "Apparently, I'm more important than pedicures."
She scoffed lightly. "Prove it… You ready?"
"And waiting," he replied.
"Go," she told him.
Lips curving up in a smirk, Oliver zoomed his glasses in to see Simon Westcott smoking away on his balcony, arguing on his phone. Reaching back, he plucked an arrow from his back, aimed for the man and then raised his bow until it ran equal with the top of the building's flag pole. Drawing tight on the string, he relaxed, felt the wind around him, readjusted and released the arrow into the night. He felt as it locked onto its target, attached to a wire pinned into a wall behind him. Lowering his bow, he waited as it readjusted and lifted it up to attach to the cable before he leapt off the ledge and zip-lined down to the top of Westcott's apartment building. At he reached the end, he let go and jumped into a barrel-roll, returning to his feet and scanning the rooftop for any security guards.
"You know your way in or you want a step-by-step guide?" Chloe's voice spoke into his ear.
"I remember the blueprint," he assured.
Ten minutes later he was standing inside the carefully guarded room where an ancient statue wore the necklace in question. "We're sure this is the only stolen item?" he asked, looking around at the various artifacts lining shelves, tabletops and locked away in cases.
"It's the only one we have a record on," she replied. "Eyes on the prize, Arrow."
Grinning, he lifted his bow, notching a gem-tipped arrow in it and aimed center for the laser security on the ceiling. Successfully turning the lasers to the sides, he was free and clear to walk directly to the statue. As his bow retracted to a compact size, he placed it in his holster and jogged silently to where the statue sat. Carefully taking the necklace from its position, he drew out a cloth bag and placed it inside. Just as he turned to leave, he saw a figure standing at the end of the room, shrouded by darkness.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Hand on his bow, Oliver turned toward him. "Haven't you read? I'm the Green Arrow."
"Bandit," Chloe snickered in his ear.
Clark Kent's face became visible as he stepped closer. "Well… I hope you enjoyed your cult status while it lasted."
Chloe sighed. "I trust you can handle this, but Bart's on standby if you need him."
Oliver half-smiled, looking Kent up and down. "I think you're taking the whole neighborhood-watch thing a bit too seriously." Walking forward, aiming to go right past him without a problem, Clark reached out and shoved a hand into his gut, stopping him in his place.
Slightly surprised by the strength behind it, Oliver looked down at the hand on him and then back up at the farm boy glaring at him.
He hadn't wanted to fight, but if the kid wasn't going to let it go… Curling his hand into a fist, he took a swing at him, surprised when Clark easily caught it and then tossed him across the room, crashing into a glass case and rolling to the floor. Alarms began blaring loudly.
Cursing at the sudden impact and the noise that followed, Oliver rolled to his back.
"Okay, that was not Johnny Do-Gooder's grunt of pain… Arrow, what's your status?" Chloe demanded.
Grunting as he sat up, he shook his head to clear it. "I've got it." Looking up to Clark, he pushed himself from the floor. "That was fun… Looks like I'm not the only one with a secret." Walking toward a fiercely glaring Clark Kent, Oliver grinned. "Hate to break it to you, tough guy, but you're on the wrong side."
Clark's brows furrowed. "I'm not sure the police would agree."
"Look around you, Beav," he said, motioning with his arm as the alarms sung wildly. "The days of the good guy running the show are over." Drawing his hand-held bow out, he squeezed the trigger and let loose an arrow meant to stun Farmer Kent.
Catching it easily, Clark simply stared at it, rolling it between his fingers.
Mouth ajar, Oliver cocked his head. "Bad sign…" he muttered.
"Ollie?" Chloe asked. "Security's going to be there any second-"
Just then, a security guard entered the room and Oliver turned, releasing a second stun arrow; this time successfully dropping the man. And as Clark turned to check on him, Oliver shook his head and made his escape.
"I'm on my way back... Call off Impulse."
"Affirmative," she replied, though the hesitancy in her voice made him pause.
"No worries, Sunshine…" He half-grinned. "He caught me off guard, but I'm fine."
"Except for that bruised ego, I take it," she returned lightly.
"There is that…" he laughed.
"Come home," she ordered.
With a smile, he listened.
…
While waiting for Oliver to get back, Chloe noticed his phone was buzzing, for the third time since he'd left. She'd been gnawing at her lip non-stop since he'd found himself face-to-face with somebody looking to thwart their plans. Very rarely had they been caught in the act; especially since their team had increased in size. With so many extra hands and eyes watching, they were able to strategize ways to get around just this sort of thing. But there was always the chance they'd be caught; who it was that did the catching she didn't know. Not many could successfully take on Oliver and while he'd had a good run of it, Ollie had come out the victor in the end. But it was close; too close for her liking.
As the buzzing continued, she finally reached over and grabbed up his cell. It was Alden again; he'd been trying to set up a dinner date or meeting with Oliver for the last month. Shaking her head, she turned off the ringer. She knew the bad blood between them and Alden had a tendency to bring it all back up. But it was Oliver's business and she wasn't going to get in the middle of it; in her opinion, they all needed to do a lot of apologizing and forgiving and move on already. Wasting their lives in booze and women wasn't getting them anywhere.
She heard the clang of his bow unhooking from the chord and heard the slap of his leather boots against the floor as he entered through the window and rolled to his feet once more. Reaching for his side, he leaned back and tried to loosen up the muscles, grimacing all the while. "Remind me never to let anybody throw me anywhere ever again."
She snorted. "Because you had much say in the matter."
He rolled his eyes. "This job should come with medical…"
Laughing, she crossed the room to him, reaching for the zipper on his vest and lowering it in one quick pull of her arm. Shifting it back off his shoulders, she drew it down his arms and tugged it away. "You want me to grab the A535 or just run a hot bath?"
His nose wrinkled. "I'll take a shower later… I wanna show you what Senator Kent's son can do." While he made his way to the computer, Chloe bee-lined it for the bathroom, searching through the cabinet for the Rub A535 before making her way to the office. He'd hooked his glasses up and was fast-forwarding the video to where he wanted it when she reached him.
Shifting his black muscle tee out of the way, she bunched it so it would stay in place before she spread the cream into her hands. "This'll be cold," she warned before pressing her fingers against his lower back.
Inhaling sharply through his teeth, he leaned forward on the desk. "It's mostly my left side," he told her.
"'Kay." Kneeling down, she rubbed her hand along his side and up near his ribs, spreading the gel with her palm. "Show me," she asked, nodding up to the computer.
Oliver pressed the play button and then stared at the screen as he watched the scene between he and Clark play out before his eyes. Chloe's fingers stroked up and down his side as she watched, thumbs rubbing circles along his ribs, only stilling when Clark caught the arrow meant to stun him before she began rubbing once more.
Distracted by her touch, his eyes fell sightlessly to the desktop as she kneaded gently at his side. He could feel a tingle along his skin as the gel activated, warm and cool at the same time. He swallowed thickly as her fingers danced low, skimming the top of his leather pants.
"He doesn't even blink when you fire at him," she murmured. "Like he knew that whatever you had, whatever was coming, it couldn't hurt him." Her brows furrowed. "Powers… like Lex had." She turned, staring up at him searchingly. "You think this is the guy that blew out the fire?" She scoffed rather incredulously. "Senator Kent's son has super-powers… Wait a second." She stood suddenly, her hands leaving him, for which he found himself sorely disappointed. "Oh my god, I can't believe I…" Shaking her head, she threw her hands up. "Clark Kent! Of course!"
"Of course what?" He leaned back in the chair, shaking his head. "Wanna let the rest of us in on the epiphany?"
"You remember I told you that for the longest time I kept looking into Lex Luthor and coming up with stuff about some regular farmboy named Clark?" She smiled at her slow train of thought. "Lex has been investigating Clark since they were friends, years ago… He was under the impression that meteor rock was somehow influencing some of the people in Smallville and that Clark had come into some powers of his own, powers he didn't tell his former best friend about, no matter how much Lex asked…" She shook her head. "Whatever powers he might've had though, it seemed he was always using them for good."
"Which is probably why he tried to stop me tonight…" He frowned. "He doesn't care if the necklaces are previously stolen, he just knows they're being stolen again and he won't let it happen…"
"He probably wants the necklace that we took from Martha back so she can return it to Lionel…" Her lips pursed. "This guy's black and white, there's no grey with him…"
"So what do we do? Play nice?" He scoffed. "He threw me across the room… And just because he wants to help his mom and he's done a few good deeds back home, doesn't mean we can trust him or his powers… Look at what Lex did with his! He nearly leveled Metropolis."
"Let's not jump to conclusions… Just because he threw you off your game is no reason to string him up…" Shaking her head, she sighed. "Look, why don't you get out of your leathers and I'll look into this guy a little more, all right?"
Frowning, he nodded. Rising from his seat, he started for the room they were keeping their things in. Thanks to a highly secure contractor, they were able to build a safe room to keep their gear and gadgets out of sight. While Oliver mumbled to himself over his current dislike for all things Clark Kent and super-powers, Chloe began searching out everything she could find on him, including her own files filched off of Lex over the years.
It seemed Clark had a history of being in the right place at the right time, or vice-versa depending on the outcome; saving people was practically his only job. Having grown up in Smallville, he hadn't ventured much outside of home except when a helping hand was needed. More than any other search engine could bring up, Lex's files were overflowing with information; from Clark's good deeds to his lack of trust in the younger, balder Luthor. Chloe chalked that up to smart thinking, but she found herself wondering if perhaps Clark had bigger secrets; the kind that Lex might've exploited given the chance. It wasn't as if he didn't like playing with things best left alone; Victor being one of his many experiments over the years.
Just then, Chloe's cell phone began ringing and vibrating for attention. Reaching over, she angled it to check the number and smiled to herself as Lois' name blinked. Flipping it open, she held it up to her ear. "Lois, hey."
"AGHHHH! Chloe!" a distant scream replied. "HELP!"
Brows furrowing, Chloe jumped from her chair, backing up as she listened hard for any more to go off of than banging and Lois' terrified cry for help. Her heart lurched in her chest before a burning anger exploded inside. Like hell they were going to get her cousin! Snapping her phone shut, she pulled up the GPS coordinates on her cousin and found her cell was showing her back at her apartment. Turning, she crossed the apartment at a run, entering the safe room where Oliver was putting away the last of his equipment. Dressed down in a pair of sweatpants and his favorite Excelsior hoodie, Green Arrow was hung up for later.
"You need to suit back up," she said urgently.
Brows furrowed, he nodded, walking back toward his leathers, dragging his hoodie off as he went. Chloe didn't take the time to enjoy the sight, instead telling him, "Lois called… In the midst of screaming for help I got the idea she was being kidnapped."
He scowled. "For what?"
"Information, I'd assume." She shook her head. "She got on her kick about Green Arrow and she was making connections that SafeTex couldn't. They probably saw her article and assumed she knew something they didn't… They'll want to know who her source is and if they're smart, they'll realize it's me. Put two and two together and they'll know that I wasn't just at the benefit to hear a speech." Worriedly, she bit her lip. "Oliver… We need to get Lois back…" Her eyes hardened. "I won't be the reason she gets hurt."
"Nobody's getting hurt…" he said firmly. He dragged his black muscle shirt back on and reached for his vest. "How do you want to play this?"
"We go in together, extract her, teach SafeTex a little lesson and maybe we show Clark Kent what a real hero does on his off-time."
A smile slowly crept up his face.
…
Two SafeTex thugs dragged Lois Lane down a damp, dirty hallway to a large tub of water, her arms tied in front of her. Dropping her to her knees, they pulled the tape from her mouth and glared down at her gasping, tear-stained face. "How much do you know about the Green Arrow?" one demanded.
Lois sneered back, "I should've known he wouldn't have the stones to face me in person."
The two men looked at each other before picking her up. A hand each on her shoulder and the other on her knee, they lifted her up and dunked her deep into the water, holding her as she struggled pointlessly, head shaking to and fro, desperate for air. Drawing her back out and dropping her to her knees, one grabbed her throat and said, "Tell us who your source is!"
Coughing, gasping for air, Lois glared up at him before finally spitting in his face.
Growling, he picked her up again and dunked her deep into the tub of water, holding her in place until she was no doubt sure she was going to suffocate before finally dragging her back out. "Who is the Green Arrow?"
"Like you don't know," she gasped thickly, eyes narrowing. "A good reporter never reveals her sources…"
Sneering, he reached once more, turning back toward the water.
"That's enough," came a voice. Milo stepped out from the shadows to glare down at Lois thoughtfully. "This Bandit... has made a joke of the firm I've worked my life to build. He's walked off with more than $30 million from my clients."
Lois stared up at him. "Then why am I the one with bruises on my knees right now?"
Milo tilted his head. "Because your cousin isn't as easy a target…"
Confused, Lois' eyes narrowed.
"Seconds before Green Arrow interrupts the party, Chloe Sullivan smiles… And the next day you've got pieces to a story nobody else has…" He shook his head. "Green Arrow was first sighted in Star City, first written about by your cousin, and you expect me to believe she didn't know it was him?" He cocked his head, frowning darkly. "We may not be able to get to her, but she trusted you enough to tell you something."
"I don't know who he is. For that matter, neither does Chloe." She struggled against the arms holding her. "You think she'd keep a story like that locked up?" She scoffed. "So she smiled, big deal! She was there with Oliver Queen; any woman with a heartbeat would've been smiling." Her eyes narrowed, lips curving in a smirk. "You've got squat and you're taking it out on me because you know it."
"You splashed my humiliation across the front page of the paper," he bit out. "And now you're going to help me rectify that.
"I'm not helping you do anything."
Milo lifted his brows at his henchmen, who promptly thrust Lois back down into the water. Silently, he watched as she jerked and fought to no avail, her struggled beginning to fail before finally she was still. They drew her out; she unconsciously fell back against their legs.
Milo didn't even blink. "She doesn't know anything. Kill her."
Stepping back, they let her fall limply to the floor, while one of them drew a gun from his waist and aimed it at her, both hands on the grip, squeezing the trigger without remorse. Half-way through its trajectory the bullet was intercepted by a green arrow, sending it off its course. As the three men turned to see where it was coming from, eyes moving to and fro and spotting nothing except a slight shimmering, there above the landing, a second white arrow appeared from exactly where they were looking. It lodged in the other henchmen's shoulder, throwing him off his feet. While the gunmen searched for that same shimmery sign, an arrow came from his left, hit the wall behind him, and Green Arrow zip-lined in, landing just feet from him as the henchman lifted his gun. Oliver used his bow to knock the man to the side, crashing into crates and boxes and unconscious against the hard concrete.
Behind him, Milo raised his own gun, only to have a white arrow slam painfully into his hand, protruding as he waved it about, his gun falling to the ground. Growling, he bent low to grab it, but two more arrows pierced either of his shoulders, the force behind them sending him flying backward until he lay staring dazedly at the ceiling. Oliver glanced up to the overhang to see if he could see Chloe, but the sound of her boots drew his attention back to Milo's body, where she stood over him, glaring down, her white back in focus.
Brows furrowed, Milo stared in confusion at her. "Who… Who are you?"
Kneeling next to him, the lights above made her glow ethereally, like some vengeful angel that had come down for him, her wrath following. "Get a different job, Milo… Take up a trade, invest in stocks, retire for all I care, but get out of the security business… Or I'll make you."
Swallowing thickly, he opened his mouth as if to argue, but she reached for the end of one of her arrows and twisted the quiver, releasing a green gas that effectively knocked him out. Rising to her feet, she crossed the room to stand next to Oliver, who was frowning down at Lois. "I bet she'll take me up on that vacation at the Lodge now…" he muttered.
Chloe scoffed lightly. "Do me a favor and get her out of here, will you?"
He turned, lifting a brow at her. "And what are you going to do?"
She smiled. "Clean up."
With a sigh, he bent low and lifted Lois up into his arms, hooking her tied hands behind his neck. "She's not as light as she looks," he muttered before lifting his cross bow and shot a rope through the ceiling to lift them away to safety.
Chloe turned back around and smirked. As far as she was concerned, SafeTex had just put in its resignation and she was going to make sure it stayed that way.
…
Oliver dropped Lois carefully to the ground, just beneath the bright lights of a billboard. Bringing her home would only arouse her suspicion more and the last thing he needed was for her to keep asking questions and following her current train of thought. Hands on his hips, he wondered if he should leave her alone or call in the cops. If it were Chloe, he would have brought her back to the penthouse and waited by her side. Her favorite tea would be on hand, the kind she always asked for when she was feeling down or a particular fight had ended in too many bruises to count. With Lois, he only knew how to banter with her, tease her endlessly, and treat her generally like an older brother might.
Suddenly, she stirred, and he argued with himself over whether now was a good time to leave or not. Some part of him wanted to remind her that he hadn't been the person behind her kidnapping and hopefully get Green Arrow on her good side, while another part just thought he should get his ass out of sight and hopefully track Chloe down before she blew up the SafeTex facility out of vengeance. True his best friend had a heart of gold, but Milo and his goons had just tried to kill her favorite cousin; she wasn't going to walk away and let it be.
Against his better judgment, Oliver walked closer, peering down at the slowly waking Lois Lane. Groggily and clearly feeling the pain she'd been put through, she reached up for her throbbing head.
"You okay?" he asked.
Striking suddenly, she slammed her hand into his chest, grabbed his head and flipped him over onto the pebble floor beside her while she rose to her feet, taking his crossbow with her. "No thanks to you!" she snarled, aiming his own bow at him.
Sighing from his position on the ground, he sat up slowly. He really shouldn't have underestimated her; Chloe warned him that Lois had a hate on for the Green Arrow. Jaw set, he told her, "I saved you." Admittedly, with some help. Mentioning Watchtower would only add another story to the pile and the longer she could stay out of the limelight, the better.
"Yeah," she scoffed. "From goons who were trying to find you." She backed up as he rose to his feet, keeping his bow trained on him. "They're not the only ones with a "V" for Vendetta on your little leather ass."
He frowned. "Little? I've been really working the glutes lately, too."
Her brows spiked, unamused. "Did the humor come with the costume?"
"Did the "Tomb Raider" routine come from wanting daddy's attention?"
Lois squeezed the trigger, planting and arrow in her the billboards wooden leg, just a few inches from his body. "Oops... Guess my aim's a little rusty. Now…" She began She raised the bow, equipped with another arrow, and walked toward him. "Let's take off those glasses and unveil our Prince of Thieves, shall we?" With one hand training the bow and the other reaching for his glasses, Oliver's jaw tightened.
He could imagine just how badly this was going to play out; Lois was going to have a fit, she'd call Chloe, who would try and calm her down and then the two of them would begin fighting just as soon as Lois realized Chloe knew all along. If they were lucky, she wouldn't whisper a word of it in her paper, but she'd still be hurt that they were doing something this big and dangerous and she didn't know about it. And worse, she might even want to join them. He loved Lois like family, he did, but the last place he wanted her was on his team.
Just as her fingers nearly made contact, the billboard above them began sparking angrily; lights exploding until only one was left. With Lois' attention diverted, Oliver made his escape, leaping off the building to a lower landing and finding his way to the bike he had parked below. Taking off down the road, he turned onto a side street but was forced to stop mid-way when none other than Clark Kent stood in his way.
"Oliver Queen… You owe me one."
Kicking the stand down on his bike, Oliver sat back and drew his helmet off. Surprised by what he knew and how he'd helped, Oliver stared wide-eyed at him. "That was you on the roof?"
Clark nodded.
He shook his head. "Why'd you let me get away?"
"I'm not sure…" He frowned. "Maybe it's because I know there was some good deed underneath all this... And maybe because I know how important certain secrets are."
He nodded slightly, eyes darting to the side. Finally, he asked. "How'd you figure it out?"
"I got a text message, said to drop by SafeTex facility, see for myself…" He crossed his arms over his chest. "The things Milo was saying, they all made sense. Chloe Sullivan knew it was Green Arrow, meaning she trusted him." He shook his head. "I did some digging though; the only person she's ever been close to… is you. So then I asked myself, who could afford to buy untraceable titanium-based arrows… Who has an in to every one of these banquets and would know all of the people on that SafeTex client list…?" He frowned. "You were the only one who fit the profile… The only one she would've trusted and never sold out for a story."
"Looks like you might just have a little reporter in you, Clark..." His eyes narrowed, jaw ticking. "Look, she pointed you in this direction for one reason only… To open your eyes."
He sighed to himself, glancing away. "If this is about Lionel…"
He shrugged. "Not just him. Look, Kent, things aren't always what they seem…"
Clark pursed his lips. "You mean like how you and your girlfriend seemed like socialites in the daylight but at night you run around stealing from others?"
Oliver lifted his chin stubbornly. "We only steal what was already stolen… And we don't hurt anybody while we do it. Maybe a few people get knocked out or their egos take a bruising, but they all walk away alive…" His brows arched. "You think the people that first stole those things worried about anything other than money? You think the people that bought them cared if it cost somebody else's life?" He shook his head. "Take what you want from the situation, let the world know who I am… but take a good hard look before you make any judgment calls." Sitting back on his bike, he lifted his helmet. "Now if you don't mind, I'm still smarting from when you tossed me into a glass case… I'm going home to sleep it off."
"Outing you isn't my business… But the necklace you stole from my mom is… Like I said, you owe me… and returning what you stole from Lionel will make us even." With that, he turned and walked off into the night.
Sighing, Oliver frowned after him.
…
Sitting in the Metro Station Café, enjoying a hot cup of coffee, Chloe shook her at the two papers in front of her. "Unbelievable… On the one hand, we've got your good deeds being toted by the DP… Seven stolen artifacts were anonymously returned to the Met, the Tate, and the Louvre. And at the Inquisitor, Lois is crying kidnapper!" She laughed to herself.
"Not that I don't appreciate Lois' career, but… Is it too much to ask that she drop the Bandit part?"
"Every other paper has, but she's holding strong…" She frowned, leaning in to tell him, "And you should know, despite your knight-in-shining-armor save-the-girl act last night, she's still out for blood. As far as she's concerned, Green Arrow is a threat to Metropolis, and she's not gonna stop until she finds out who he is." Her brows hiked for emphasis. "Trust me…"
"I wasn't the only one playing hero… You're getting better with that bow; we might just have to change your name to White Arrow."
She snorted. "Thanks, but this was a one-time deal… I'm happier with hand-to-hand combat rather than the shoot 'em up, drop from the sky effect."
He grinned. "Doesn't mean you're not good at it… Which reminds me, what did you do SafeTex after I left?"
She smirked. "Every single record they had on file is deleted; the company was completely tech reliant. I shut every single inch of them down and it'll cost millions just to start from scratch." She shook her head. "Nobody hurts my family."
Oliver nodded. He couldn't argue with her; knowing that Lois had become the unwitting target in their high-stakes heroics had worried him. Seeing her dunked in that tank of water, a man ready to put a bullet between her eyes, he knew then that everybody had a dark side. For once, he wanted his arrow to strike lethally. But it wouldn't solve the problem and they wouldn't sink to the same lows as Milo and his goons. Maybe they didn't follow the same rules as everybody else, but that didn't mean they weren't without boundaries. And murder was a big one of them.
Sitting back in her seat, she said, "So you never told me how it went with Clark stealing-is-bad Kent the other night…" She cocked a brow.
"He put the pieces together a lot quicker than I expected," he mused. "He knows who I am but he says as long as the necklace gets returned, it's not his business." His brows furrowed. Lips pursed, he asked, "What do you want to do?"
Thoughtful, Chloe sat back in her chair. "You know… I've always wanted to visit the Meteor Capital of the World."
Oliver slowly grinned.
…
Later that night, Clark Kent arrived back to his barn to find none other than Oliver Queen sitting with his feet up on his desk, holding a very old Daily Planet newspaper Clark had hunted down, the headline reading Queen Industries CEO and Wife Dead At Sea. Looking up, Oliver said, "I didn't realize I was such a fascinating subject." Closing the paper, he held it up and nodded. "You've been reading up on me…" Motioning to the other papers littering the desktop, he said, "And it seems you're following in your mom's footsteps." He held up three papers, all of then with one of Chloe's headlining pieces. "You a fan yet? She has a habit of gripping you from the first word… Hey, maybe you and Martha could start a fan club."
Clark frowned.
"Be nice," Chloe said lightly, appearing next to him. She cocked her at Clark. "We didn't snoop as much as we might've liked… Only what was out in the open," she promised.
He looked around the room as if to see just what it was they might've gotten their hands on.
"Oliver tells me you figured him out all on your own…" Chloe's eyes narrowed. "He also says you have some pretty interesting powers."
Clark's jaw ticked. "He seems to be saying a lot."
"We tell each other everything…" She shrugged. "I guess it helps to have that one confidante when you're leading a double life." Her brow rose. "I wonder if you missed that class in Heroes 101."
"I'm no hero…" Teeth clenched, he sighed. "I'm just a guy who's there at the right time… And I'm not so sure you two should be taking up the mantle either."
Oliver cocked his head. "You read a few papers, you hear a few stories, and you think you've got us all figured out…" He smirked to himself. "You've got a long road ahead of you still."
Fed up, Clark wondered, "Is there any specific reason you dropped by?" He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
Chloe lifted a cloth bag from her purse, turned it over and let the diamond necklace slide into Oliver's open palm. He walked it over to Clark, musing, "Well, you seem to have all the answers. So I guess it's a good thing I've decided to put this into safer hands..." He dropped it in Clark's outstretched fingers and as Chloe reached his side, put his hand to the small of her back, walking them toward the stairs. "For the record," he called back, "Lionel bought that off a notorious Bosnian warlord, used it to launder Luthercorp money."
Clark watched after them, asking uncertainly, "So why give it to me?"
Oliver half-smiled. "Well, you seem to have a crystal-clear idea of what's right and what's wrong... You decide who it belongs to."
Clark looked rather sheepish as he glanced down at the necklace and then back up to the couple. "It's not as clear as it used to be…" He took a few steps toward them and asked point-blank, "You really think it's right to steal, as long as it goes to a good cause?"
Oliver and Chloe exchanged a look, their lips tilting as if there was no question there, just understanding.
Oliver looked up Clark before telling him firmly, "That the end justifies the means? Absolutely, yes."
He shook his head. "I'll never feel that way."
Chloe smiled softly. "Because you hear the word 'steal' and something in your head brings you back to childhood… Where your mother told you it was wrong and like a good little boy, you didn't question her." She shook her head. "We're not talking about stealing for the sake of stealing, Clark… There are facts here that you either aren't seeing or are all too comfortable overlooking…" She sighed, taking a step toward him and staring up at him searchingly. "Would you steal a loaf of bread to feed a starving family?"
"That's not the same," he argued.
"Answer the question."
"No… Yes…" He frowned. "I don't know. There are… There are other ways, there has to be."
"The days when the police figured out your diabolical scheme before anybody got hurt are over… if they ever even existed…" She shook her head. "What we do, what you're so quick to judge as wrong, is take from those who've already taken, and give to those who rightly deserve it… Those artifacts were better off somewhere they could be appreciated, rather than around some corrupt politician's date's neck…" She rolled her eyes. "We returned it to its rightful place and took nothing for it… Can you really tell me that's wrong?"
Clark looked away, his brows furrowed. "You don't have to explain yourselves to me… And with what you know, you didn't even have to return the necklace… So why are you really here?"
Oliver half-smiled, walking back into the room. "Clark, you have abilities…" He shook his head. "I couldn't even dream of… And I admire that you use them to save the people you're close to…"
Clark nodded. "But?"
He and Chloe exchanged another of their looks, as if a whole conversation was shared in one glance before Oliver returned his eyes to Clark. "But there's a whole world of people out there, Clark. They need us. With your potential... you can't wait for them to come to you..."
Clark's eyes fell thoughtfully.
"When you're ready to do something about that..." He nodded. "You let us know."
Leaving him to consider their offer, Oliver led Chloe out of the barn and to the car waiting outside.
"You think he'll go for it?" she asked, hooking her arm with his.
"I think he'll think it to death…" He half-smiled, opening her door for her before circling to the driver's side.
Glancing back at the barn, where Clark stood watching them from the lit up window, she frowned. "Some of us just don't see our calling right away…"
Oliver stared at her over the car, his hands clasped atop the roof. "The guys took a little prodding," he reminded with a half-grin.
She cocked a brow at him, snorting under her breath. "Somehow, I don't think Clark Kent will be forced into action any faster than he wants."
He shrugged. "We'll just have to see how it all plays out then."
She smiled. "For the record… I don't think you need powers to be a hero, Ollie. You fill the quota better than anyone I know."
"Looked in a mirror lately?" he teased back.
She rolled her eyes lightly. "Let's go home, Arrow."
"I aim to please."
Climbing into the car, they drove off back toward Metropolis, leaving Clark Kent to ponder the attributes of a hero and wonder just where he fit in the grand scheme.
[Next: Part XXVII - Of Reunions and Bald Billionaires.]