Turn the Page (2/?)
Author: 
serafina19
Title: Turn the Page
Rating: R
Summary: Oliver Queen meets Chloe Sullivan right before his life takes a turn for the worse. Together, they work to find peace in their lives and justice for the people they have lost.
Warning: coarse language, adult content, AU
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chloe almost couldn’t believe it, but there was a chance that the Queen flight going down was her first break in a long time. This story had a lot of leads, most of which led nowhere, but this one felt too good to be true. Therefore, ignoring it for much longer wasn’t a luxury Chloe could afford, not after the research she put into the Queens over the past few weeks. Even though it had no guarantee of getting any new results, it was better than nothing, especially because she was ready to put all this behind her.
All this started long before Chloe was involved. It was the trickle of effects that brought it to her attention, but it was something else entirely that ensured her conviction of seeing it through. A missing persons’ case in Star City brought everything into the public eye, as suspicions elevated to a human trafficking ring. However, after five months of trials and tribulations, the whole thing was somehow polished away with the accidental shooting of a young lawyer and the CEO of an investment bank. After that, the signs spread, but no one wanted to connect the dots.
Or at least, that was before Chloe realized the connection that made the so-called random abductions not so random. They did have something in common, something they weren’t likely to reveal in reports. They were metas.It was probably why the world was so willing to let this go, as while the existence of metas were well-known, no one wanted to accept it. The Blur was one thing, Clark was lucky there, but others, not so much.
It had taken a lot of research, as prior to the meta reveal, it was her hope for the front page that piqued her curiosity in the story. Chloe hated admitting that now, but at the time, she had hit a dry spell and needed a break. A few months down the line, she was convinced she had that break when she found a connection between the Star City CEO and a Metropolis politician on the rise. Instead, that was the night when the road went cold.
It was one bad break after another, culminating into the worst possible scenario. Jimmy was killed, the politician resigned and disappeared without a trace within the week. Every fibre of Chloe’s being wanted to blame him for her fiancé’s death, but it was easy to see that he looked scared for his life in his resignation speech. That’s why Chloe never looked for him, because she was convinced that he was a dead man walking.
Because these people, they were careful. No prisoners, no survivors, just loyal workers. It didn’t matter who got hurt along the way.
That included high-profile families, one of the few families who fought for meta equality, including being heavily involved with Help and Opportunity for Metas Everywhere, or H.O.M.E. Not to mention the lengths that the Queens went to protect Clark from Lionel Luthor. She never met them in that capacity, but according to Clark, they were trustworthy.
It was the latter that convinced Chloe that the Queen’s plane went down because they posed a threat to whoever was behind this whole thing. Even if it wasn’t, it was clear to Chloe that they wanted something from the Queens, and they didn’t budge.
That’s why she found herself here, at one the Queen’s last purchases, hoping for a bit of luck. It was a stretch at best, but considering the amount of digging she had to do to find this place, it was clear that the Queens wanted to keep this space private. That was all Chloe needed to come here tonight, as she couldn’t risk waiting and lose any possible evidence.
The space wasn’t much, in fact, most wouldn’t believe the richest family in town owned it, but that probably was the point. Cheap furniture, a desk, file cabinets, storage shelves and enough scattered paper to go around, not to mention the sketchy neighborhood that surrounded it. But Chloe wasn’t interested in anything that was in plain sight.
After picking a few locks, Chloe seemed to have hit the jackpot. Press clippings on the mysterious deaths and disappearances, proving that the Queens weren’t quiet on this matter, but in the back of the file was something Chloe hadn’t seen. It was a simple piece of paper with two words on it.
White Queen.
It wasn’t much, but Chloe wasn’t about to ignore that lead. Shoving the folder in her purse, she continued looking, knowing she couldn’t stay here much longer. However, her mind was focused on those two words.
Was that why the Queens were killed?
It made sense, for while everyone was satisfied with the video showing an airline employee tampering with the plane, Chloe knew better, especially after he died two days ago. From what Chloe had seen, these people killed using one of two ways: cyanide pills for anyone involved or a gunshot to the chest by a 9mm for anyone who stormed the field. The airline worker died from cyanide.
Maybe this white queen would have the answers she needed. Maybe there was a chance that she could finally get justice for Jimmy, for everyone who had been wronged by these people. There was just one problem. She had company.
The doors flung open and she heard the footsteps echo in the room. Counting on their movements to cover any sound she made, Chloe hid behind a pillar, holding her breath as she calculated her next move.
Fortunately, they had spread out, but Chloe could also tell that they weren’t supposed to be here either. Which was just… perfect. It meant she was on the right track, but that also made her exit a lot harder than her entrance.
Luckily, her unexpected company weren’t exactly subtle, so using their footsteps, Chloe moved from her hiding place, ducking behind the file cabinets that she hadn’t searched yet. It was the right call, as she heard the footsteps approach her, and this gave her better cover.
A few minutes passed, and Chloe could tell that she was seconds from being found, so she counted down from five and revealed herself, catching the guy off-guard as she immediately disarmed him. The guy looked down in response, enough time for Chloe to punch him hard in the face, but he wasn’t going down easy. Such were the perks of outweighing her by at least one hundred pounds.
He grabbed her arm and called out, but Chloe had anticipated as much, so she drove her taser into his stomach, forcing him to let go so she could press it against his neck. One down.
But Chloe knew she wasn’t going to be alone for long and she needed a new hiding spot. Grabbing the gun, she moved quickly to hide behind the desk, but she caught a glimpse of another guy out of the corner of her eye. He instinctively shot in her direction, but fortunately way off-target. At the rate Chloe was running, she realized that leaving this place entirely was a better option, but seconds from reaching the exit, a man blocked her path.
“Why don’t you put that thing down?” he said. “We both know you’re not going to shoot me.”
Chloe considered her options, knowing she had never fired a gun before, but at the rate the guy was cornering her, they were looking more limited by the second. So she shot him in the foot.
“Bitch,” he yelled out.
“First class,” Chloe replied once the initial shock wore off. The gun had dropped from her hand, but she was quick to replace it with her taser, which did the rest of the work.
Unfortunately, her confidence didn’t last long, as the unmistakable sound of a gun clicked from behind her, freezing her in place. She tried turning her head, trying to get some sort of advantage back, but she stopped upon hearing a warning shot go off.
“It’s over blondie.”
Chloe grimaced at the name, but unfortunately he was right. There wasn’t anything she could do. He had pretty much every advantage and she was too far from anything to cover herself from a shot. Closing her eyes, Chloe raised her arms, not wanting to know what would happen next, but she didn’t anticipate that being a large thud behind her, accompanied by what she assumed was the gun clattering on the ground.
Turning around slowly, her hands promptly dropped upon seeing Green Arrow standing over the body of the man who had every intention of shooting her seconds ago. But that didn’t stop her from exclaiming, “Seriously?”
Did she have a beaming sign on her back or something? As if it wasn’t trouble that found her, it was heroes. Her work with Clark and various other metas wasn’t a concept to Chloe, but it was something she forced herself to leave behind.
“Most people would say thank you,” he replied with a chuckle. Her response had clearly hit a nerve, because this wasn’t Chloe’s first encounter with the emerald archer. Normally, he didn’t stick around to chat.
“I had the situation at hand,” Chloe said, even though they both knew it was a lie, a point that Green Arrow was more than willing to share with her.
“Maybe the first two, but the last guy had you beat.” It was impressive, he would give her that, but that wasn’t the problem here. “You shouldn’t be in a place like this.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. This was far from the worst place she had snuck into in her life and she knew that it wasn’t going to be the last. “Because I’m a women and needed help with only one guy.”
“No, because -” Hearing a sound from behind him, Green Arrow turned his head over his shoulder and saw the gun pointed at both of them. “Watch out.”
Before Chloe had time to react, Green Arrow had wrapped his arms around her, using his body to shield her from an unexpected shot. They both had lost their balance, but he recovered faster, as shortly after they hit the ground, he shot up and shot a taser arrow at the man who Chloe thought she had knocked out earlier.
As Chloe got up, she noticed him checking the perimeter, making sure that it was safe by kicking the guns far away from their attackers. She was tempted to thank him, but she was distracted by the fact he was grimacing.
“Are you okay?”
Green Arrow looked down at his arm and shrugged. “Just a graze.” He was lucky it wasn’t more than that, but he wasn’t about to go there.
However, Chloe knew that he was lying when she spotted blood on her coat, so she came closer to determine where his vest had been cut through. “That doesn’t explain the blood on your side.”
“Oh that?” It didn’t hurt much initially, as adrenaline had kicked in, but now that it was subsiding, he knew that he couldn’t stay much longer. “Apparently the guy also brought a knife to a gun fight.”
Chloe was tempted to retort that with him it was never a gun fight, but she thought better of it. Noticing that he was doing a worse job at disguising his pain, she grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter, come on.”
The only thing that made him follow her was pure shock, but it eventually grew to curiosity. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t argue with me,” she replied, knowing it was only a matter of steps before he’d try to get away, but she hoped that he could trust her for two minutes. “There are probably more guards and my car’s just outside. I’m your best option for getting out of here while you’re in this condition.”
“And then what?”
“I know a doctor at Met Gen who specializes in discretion.” Reaching into her purse, Chloe pulled out her scarf. It wasn’t ideal, but it would do. “Hold that against the wound in the meantime.”
He laughed. “You’re acting as if you’ve done this before.”
“You might be surprised.” Chloe immediately regretted telling him that, but when Green Arrow just smirked in response, she looked to be getting off easy. The last thing she needed was another hero asking her about her past in helping Clark get out of jams and vice versa.
Chloe had kept an eye out for any other company, but it appeared that they were in the clear when they arrived at her car safely. First, she got him in the back seat before pulling out her phone, almost surprised that Green Arrow was still letting him help her.
But she wasn’t about to argue that fact as she dialled the number and put it to her ear, hoping that Emil wasn’t too busy tonight. Luckily for her, she picked it up on the second ring. “Emil, I need your help. Can you be at the back door in ten minutes?”
After a pause, he responded, “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” Chloe said, hanging up the phone as she got into her car in time to see Green Arrow turn on his comm.
“Impulse, I need a clean-up crew.” He grimaced as he moved in his seat, trying to get comfortable. “I’m assuming that Echo already has my location, but you’ll have to check in on my tracker in about ten minutes to clean up a car.”
“That’s really not necessary,” Chloe said, turning her head momentarily to let him know that he didn’t need to worry about her.
But it didn’t seem to work, as he simply grinned at her. “Miss, you won’t even know he’s there.” Turning his head, his focus went back to the voice on the comm. “I’ll take the heat. Yeah, yeah, I know.”
After that, silence filled the air for the rest of the car ride. It wasn’t like there was a possibility for small talk, and neither of them wanted to talk about what had just happened. So Chloe kept driving, grateful for the lack of cars on the road as the Green Arrow leaned his hood against the window to better conceal his identity.
When she arrived at the hospital, Emil was already waiting, so Chloe knew that they had to act fast. Dr. Emil Hamilton was a contact she had met through Evie, someone that specialized in helping people, while also studying the weird and unexplained. He had helped Clark heal after a few unique situations, so she only hoped Emil would do the same for Green Arrow.
She got out of the car, and sure enough, Green Arrow was trying to feign strength, opening his car door and getting out himself. However, walking was a bit more difficult, so Chloe and Emil both got to him and helped walk him to the door.
Upon arriving, Chloe knew that she had to take her leave here, so she dropped his arm from her shoulder and moved back towards her car. “I know this is an big favour to ask, but… do what you can to help him,” she said to Emil.
“I got this, Chloe. You drive safe okay?” When Chloe nodded, Emil walked both himself and Green Arrow inside, shaking his head as he headed to a more discrete location. “You do know that you’re supposed to be off the streets right, Oliver?”
Oliver scoffed as he reached up to switch off his distorter. He had been reminded of that fact more than a few times tonight. “Good to see you too Emil.”
“Just consider yourself lucky you found the only other person who wouldn’t sell you out.”
~0~
Bart, you haven’t lost your touch.
Chloe smirked as she stood in front of her car, looking good as new from the blood that had been on her seat and door. She knew that Green Arrow wasn’t kidding when he said she wouldn’t notice, but the Bart she remembered wasn’t that open to the messy jobs. It appeared that he had grown up since she had last seen him.
Leaning back against her seat, Chloe let out a slow breath. She knew that she cut it a little close this time, which fired conflicting emotions. This was the closest she had ever been to the truth, but if that was the extent of the danger now, she had to plan better. If Green Arrow hadn’t stepped in, she’d be another body in this mess.
After a few minutes, she found the strength to drive home, watching her mirrors cautiously for any tails. It wouldn’t be the first time, but tonight’s danger looked to be behind her. That didn’t stop her from glancing over her shoulder as she entered her building, up the stairs and in front of her door.
She closed it behind her, sighing as she locked it, letting her satisfaction win over now that she was home safe. Flicking the lights, Chloe turned around, but her hand fell against the doorknob to keep her balance as she noticed she wasn’t alone in her apartment.
“Jesus Clark, you scared me.”
He considered apologizing, but Clark knew that he could have turned a light on, so he decided to skip any small talk. “Why didn’t you tell me you were running this story again?”
Dropping her purse on her entry table, Chloe walked past him into the kitchen. “Because everyone else seems to know without me saying anything?”
This wasn’t news to Clark, as he could always tell too, but he didn’t back down. “You know what I mean.”
She shook her head as she turned on her coffee machine. “Okay, then it’s because you have a higher purpose than following me around. Your words if I remember correctly.”
Clark scoffed behind her. “That’s not even close and you know it.” He remembered the day she was trying to reference and her interpretation didn’t exactly reflect the fact that Clark said he couldn’t always protect her. “You’re my best friend, Chloe and I’m worried about you.”
Chloe bit her lip, knowing that he meant well, but he also knew what this story meant to her, what she had given up and lost to it. “And I’m still standing aren’t I?”
Barely.
It was on the tip of Clark’s tongue, but he bit it back. However, the frustration remained on the surface, as he didn’t like the nonchalance she was showing him as she poured her coffee into her mug.
“You know, I was almost glad when you walked away from helping me. I thought it meant you were going to find your purpose.” Finally, she turned around to face him, so Clark let some of the anger out of his face, trying to make her understand, “Instead, you’re back to living with a death wish.”
Chloe was mid-sip when he spoke the last sentence, so she paused to swallow, shaking her head as she put her mug down. “I repeat. Standing here. Right now.”
Watching as she crossed her arms, Clark was quick to reply, “No thanks to some extra help.”
Her eyes widened, eyebrows raising in consequence before letting out a scoff. “Wow, you really were following me.”
“Someone had to knock out the fourth guy about to join his friends,” Clark justified, knowing how much Chloe hated when he did that, but she gave him little choice when he saw her earlier tonight. He hadn’t anticipated Green Arrow showing up on the scene and Chloe helping him out, but Clark decided to let that go. “So what did you find out?”
“Dead end… another one,” Chloe said, not liking that she was lying to Clark, but for all she knew, it was. She wasn’t involving anyone until she knew more.
~0~
Seeing Oliver in the elevator, Evie sighed. She knew that he was released from the hospital today over his wounds suffered during a ‘motorcycle accident,’ but she had hoped that his first reflex wasn’t to come to headquarters.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said as he entered, not bothering to face him. She knew they were pointless words to Oliver, but someone had to say them.
Sure enough, Oliver came up beside her, looking at what she was working on. “Did Bart get anything after we left?”
Evie smirked, as going straight to business was a common avoidance tactic for Oliver, but if he thought she had forgotten that he was patrolling when he wasn’t supposed to, he was mistaken.
“Besides catching the Blur in action?” she replied, deciding to play along for now. “Sorry, but there was nothing there we didn’t already know. Deeply connected, possibly aligned with the military. It was clear that they were… targeting your parents for a reason.”
Oliver caught the pause in her voice, so he leaned over to see his friend’s changing reaction. Swallowing hard, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Evie, it’s not because of you, they’ve -”
“Veritas, I know,” she interjected, not wanting to dwell on the guilt she felt, whether it was justified or not. “Speaking of, Vic and I couldn’t find any files in any of the Queen Industries databases.”
He nodded. “It was a long shot. I figured they’d keep things close to the chest once they realized I actually gave a damn.” It was actually through their allies in the initiative that he even found out that his parents were involved in Veritas in the first place.
“So you have no idea who the Traveller is?”
His eyes narrowed as he caught something in Evie’s tone. “Do you?”
“Nope,” Evie lied, for as much as she owed Oliver, she wouldn’t betray that secret unless it was absolutely necessary.
While the single word answer seemed to suffice, it led to a familiar sight these days. Oliver didn’t want anyone to know that his parents’ deaths were bothering him, so he left her side to head to the kitchen, believing that he was drinking while no one was looking.
However, Evie had always known, even going as far as checking in on the cameras in his place. It was invasive, she knew that, but she just wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s why she knew that she had to draw the line today.
Once he put the bottle down to get a glass, Evie immediately held out her hand and gestured her fingers towards her, lifting the bottle from the counter and moving it directly into her hand.
Seeing her catch the bottle across the room, Oliver sighed before dipping his head. “I thought you only used your abilities on the bad guys.” It was no secret that Evie was a powerful meta, but she didn’t like using her abilities on a regular basis.
“Well, that is a bad idea. You were almost killed a few days ago and there’s no way I’m letting you mix booze and pain meds.” Putting the bottle down, emphasizing the sound before she turned towards him, crossing her arms. “So let’s talk.”
“Evie, I’m fine.”
That only got her to roll her eyes, as he had to know that she knew that was crap. “Oliver, it doesn’t take a telepath to know that’s not true.” Seeing Oliver sigh, Evie relaxed her arms before stepping forward, “C’mon, you have to talk to -”
“The person who refuses to see her family?” It was a low blow, and Oliver hated using it, but he didn’t want to talk about this with her. He knew that this was what she did, helping people during their low points, but he wouldn’t see past the fact that she refused to keep her birth name and reunite herself with her family. “No thanks.”
Once her mouth closed, Evie bit her lip hard to try and calm her anger, but when she got an elevator alert, she couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Fine, you want someone who’s lost his entire family in the blink of an eye? He’s coming up the elevator right now. But if that doesn’t work for you, then come and get it,” she said, pointing at the bottle.
Except that wasn’t the message that Oliver wanted to send, especially after being reminded of just how worried she was for him. Letting the silence settle in, Oliver waited for Evie to look at him again. It took longer than he wanted, but when their eyes met, he swallowed hard met. “I’m sorry. I… I know how hard it is for you not seeing your family, the sacrifices you’ve made.”
And now Evie felt guilty, but any words she had were cut off by the door opening. Oliver walked across the room without a word, leaving the bottle of scotch still by her side.
She was so focused on what she had said that she didn’t even notice Victor walk up to her. “Hey,” he said, kissing her cheek before noticing the bottle. “A little early for that, don’t you think?”
“That’s what I told our faithful leader,” Evie replied with a sigh. Staring at it again, she collapsed into her chair. “Actually, I think I was little more dramatic than that.”
“Did you -”
“He needs to talk to someone before he kills himself,” Evie interjected quietly, not wanting Oliver to overhear. “I know that there’s always a chance of that with what we do, but if Chloe and Clark weren’t there, then…”
“Right now, you’re realizing that if Oliver hadn’t been there, Chloe would have been dead, right?” Seeing Evie back down, he reached for the bottle, but his girlfriend saw right through him. It helped that he didn’t drink. “Evie, come on.”
Evie immediately shook her head, moving the bottle higher up in the air to keep it from being within her boyfriend’s arms’ reach. “Vic, I love you, but -”
“We have to trust him, Evie. You have to trust him.”
She did trust him, the problem was that Oliver wasn’t himself right now. “Someone has to look out for him.” Evie knew what Oliver was like when he drank like this and it wasn’t pretty. Even though he had a good reason to drink now didn’t mean that it would happen on her watch.
“No there doesn’t,” Victor countered, his words surprising Evie. “He’ll get through this in time, and trust me, he’s not going to throw his life away. Heck he’s probably been patrolling all week without you noticing.”
Evie had figured that much out when she frantically called Hal on the night in question to give him a piece of her mind. She knew that Hal had to know the truth, as fortunately, Oliver wasn’t dumb enough to risk patrolling without telling someone. That fact alone gave her hope, along with the fact that Oliver had survived the previous nights, but he still wasn’t completely on his game yet. “That’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“Maybe not, but that’s not my point and you know it.”
Knowing that Victor was right, Evie took a deep breath and gave up the bottle, as he wouldn’t ask if he didn’t have a plan. “That’s not why I’m giving you this.”
“I know,” he replied, taking it from her, but before walking away, he gave her a quick kiss, seeing a hint of smile come back to her face.
Walking to the kitchen, Victor noticed the glass still on the counter, so he poured the amber liquid inside before grabbing a glass of water for himself. It certainly hadn’t been the easiest time for the team lately, as almost everyone was on edge because of Oliver, but the man himself really did seem to be okay, all things considered.
Granted, that was also because he had become so consumed with answers that it hadn’t really sunk in yet. Hence why the anger rose up, why he needed the adrenaline fix, something Evie should have recognized, but Victor couldn’t blame his girlfriend. She was doing enough now without being the mother hen of the team, trying to keep everyone’s head on straight. If he could give her a bit of a break and get through to Oliver, maybe it would be worth it.
“Hey.” Victor held out the glass of scotch to Oliver and watched him take it before sitting down on the couch next to him.
“Thanks,” Oliver replied, chinking his glass against Victor’s before taking a sip. “How’d you convince your girlfriend to give up the bottle?”
“Trust,” Victor said as he drank from his own glass. “I probably should have mentioned to her that you’re not on pain meds, but that wouldn’t have solved anything.”
After a chuckle, Oliver took another sip. “Nice to know that at least one person talked to Emil before jumping to conclusions.”
Victor frowned at this mention of Evie, knowing that her protective nature got the best of her at times, but that didn’t mean that Oliver was in the right in this case either. “She means well, Oliver.”
Sighing, Oliver put the glass aside before leaning back on the couch. “I know. I’d do the same thing to her if she’d let me.” He turned his head to look across the room at Evie intently working like before. “I don’t even want to know what she’s like when her judgement is clouded.”
Based on what Victor had seen of her, that wasn’t likely to happen. He liked to think that he had witnessed her at her worst during their stint at 33.1, and in all that time, Evie never lost sight of herself. But that wasn’t the issue today, as Victor hoped that knowing both sides of the story would help this argument subside. “So what happened?”
“It was just my usual rounds,” Oliver said.
“That you weren’t supposed to be doing.”
“You’d prefer that I’m patrolling over the alternative, trust me.” Seeing that Victor understood, Oliver continued, “Anyway, I saw Chloe go inside the warehouse and my curiosity got the best of me. That’s when I realized that she was being followed and I turned my comm on… until I got an earful from Evie.”
“You don’t want to hear this, but you can’t push yourself too hard.” Because Victor would be lying if he said that he wasn’t worried about Oliver. However, he also knew how lucky he was to be out of 33.1 at all because he wasn’t part of the extraction plan. That sold him on Oliver’s character, gained the trust he needed to give him space after his parents died, but the reason he was talking to Oliver now wasn’t because of Evie. “I’m mean, it’s good that you saved Chloe, but -”
“How did you do it? Get over the loss, I mean.” He knew that Evie was right about that much, that what he was experiencing wasn’t unique, not even within their own group. But when Victor scoffed, Oliver was reminded of the fact that his question wasn’t as easy to answer as it seemed.
“Evie probably thinks I’m supposed to be some sort of example, but considering I kind of died that day as well, I can’t really give you advice.” The truth was that he had no choice but to ignore the pain to focus on his own survival. Being experimented on and being turned into half-man-half-machine did that to a person.
“But I think I can point you in the right direction,” Victor added, knowing that Oliver wasn’t going to like what he was about to say, but Victor had seen a reaction to a death like this before. “You may find better answers with Chloe than with anyone else.”
Oliver rolled his eyes as he looked away from his friend. “Victor, come on.”
“I know you’re sick of hearing this from us, but you’re the one who risked your life to save hers. You also trusted her with your secret enough to let her drive you to Emil.” When Oliver’s eyes widened, Victor couldn’t help but shake his head before taking a sip from his glass. “Would it really be a stretch to let her in?”
Chapter 3
Sera’s Scribbles: FYI, this is an AU edition of the JL. If you’re looking for Dinah and AC… sorry, they’re not here. This probably suffers from too-many-characters-syndrome as is.
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serafina19
Title: Turn the Page
Rating: R
Summary: Oliver Queen meets Chloe Sullivan right before his life takes a turn for the worse. Together, they work to find peace in their lives and justice for the people they have lost.
Warning: coarse language, adult content, AU
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chloe almost couldn’t believe it, but there was a chance that the Queen flight going down was her first break in a long time. This story had a lot of leads, most of which led nowhere, but this one felt too good to be true. Therefore, ignoring it for much longer wasn’t a luxury Chloe could afford, not after the research she put into the Queens over the past few weeks. Even though it had no guarantee of getting any new results, it was better than nothing, especially because she was ready to put all this behind her.
All this started long before Chloe was involved. It was the trickle of effects that brought it to her attention, but it was something else entirely that ensured her conviction of seeing it through. A missing persons’ case in Star City brought everything into the public eye, as suspicions elevated to a human trafficking ring. However, after five months of trials and tribulations, the whole thing was somehow polished away with the accidental shooting of a young lawyer and the CEO of an investment bank. After that, the signs spread, but no one wanted to connect the dots.
Or at least, that was before Chloe realized the connection that made the so-called random abductions not so random. They did have something in common, something they weren’t likely to reveal in reports. They were metas.It was probably why the world was so willing to let this go, as while the existence of metas were well-known, no one wanted to accept it. The Blur was one thing, Clark was lucky there, but others, not so much.
It had taken a lot of research, as prior to the meta reveal, it was her hope for the front page that piqued her curiosity in the story. Chloe hated admitting that now, but at the time, she had hit a dry spell and needed a break. A few months down the line, she was convinced she had that break when she found a connection between the Star City CEO and a Metropolis politician on the rise. Instead, that was the night when the road went cold.
It was one bad break after another, culminating into the worst possible scenario. Jimmy was killed, the politician resigned and disappeared without a trace within the week. Every fibre of Chloe’s being wanted to blame him for her fiancé’s death, but it was easy to see that he looked scared for his life in his resignation speech. That’s why Chloe never looked for him, because she was convinced that he was a dead man walking.
Because these people, they were careful. No prisoners, no survivors, just loyal workers. It didn’t matter who got hurt along the way.
That included high-profile families, one of the few families who fought for meta equality, including being heavily involved with Help and Opportunity for Metas Everywhere, or H.O.M.E. Not to mention the lengths that the Queens went to protect Clark from Lionel Luthor. She never met them in that capacity, but according to Clark, they were trustworthy.
It was the latter that convinced Chloe that the Queen’s plane went down because they posed a threat to whoever was behind this whole thing. Even if it wasn’t, it was clear to Chloe that they wanted something from the Queens, and they didn’t budge.
That’s why she found herself here, at one the Queen’s last purchases, hoping for a bit of luck. It was a stretch at best, but considering the amount of digging she had to do to find this place, it was clear that the Queens wanted to keep this space private. That was all Chloe needed to come here tonight, as she couldn’t risk waiting and lose any possible evidence.
The space wasn’t much, in fact, most wouldn’t believe the richest family in town owned it, but that probably was the point. Cheap furniture, a desk, file cabinets, storage shelves and enough scattered paper to go around, not to mention the sketchy neighborhood that surrounded it. But Chloe wasn’t interested in anything that was in plain sight.
After picking a few locks, Chloe seemed to have hit the jackpot. Press clippings on the mysterious deaths and disappearances, proving that the Queens weren’t quiet on this matter, but in the back of the file was something Chloe hadn’t seen. It was a simple piece of paper with two words on it.
White Queen.
It wasn’t much, but Chloe wasn’t about to ignore that lead. Shoving the folder in her purse, she continued looking, knowing she couldn’t stay here much longer. However, her mind was focused on those two words.
Was that why the Queens were killed?
It made sense, for while everyone was satisfied with the video showing an airline employee tampering with the plane, Chloe knew better, especially after he died two days ago. From what Chloe had seen, these people killed using one of two ways: cyanide pills for anyone involved or a gunshot to the chest by a 9mm for anyone who stormed the field. The airline worker died from cyanide.
Maybe this white queen would have the answers she needed. Maybe there was a chance that she could finally get justice for Jimmy, for everyone who had been wronged by these people. There was just one problem. She had company.
The doors flung open and she heard the footsteps echo in the room. Counting on their movements to cover any sound she made, Chloe hid behind a pillar, holding her breath as she calculated her next move.
Fortunately, they had spread out, but Chloe could also tell that they weren’t supposed to be here either. Which was just… perfect. It meant she was on the right track, but that also made her exit a lot harder than her entrance.
Luckily, her unexpected company weren’t exactly subtle, so using their footsteps, Chloe moved from her hiding place, ducking behind the file cabinets that she hadn’t searched yet. It was the right call, as she heard the footsteps approach her, and this gave her better cover.
A few minutes passed, and Chloe could tell that she was seconds from being found, so she counted down from five and revealed herself, catching the guy off-guard as she immediately disarmed him. The guy looked down in response, enough time for Chloe to punch him hard in the face, but he wasn’t going down easy. Such were the perks of outweighing her by at least one hundred pounds.
He grabbed her arm and called out, but Chloe had anticipated as much, so she drove her taser into his stomach, forcing him to let go so she could press it against his neck. One down.
But Chloe knew she wasn’t going to be alone for long and she needed a new hiding spot. Grabbing the gun, she moved quickly to hide behind the desk, but she caught a glimpse of another guy out of the corner of her eye. He instinctively shot in her direction, but fortunately way off-target. At the rate Chloe was running, she realized that leaving this place entirely was a better option, but seconds from reaching the exit, a man blocked her path.
“Why don’t you put that thing down?” he said. “We both know you’re not going to shoot me.”
Chloe considered her options, knowing she had never fired a gun before, but at the rate the guy was cornering her, they were looking more limited by the second. So she shot him in the foot.
“Bitch,” he yelled out.
“First class,” Chloe replied once the initial shock wore off. The gun had dropped from her hand, but she was quick to replace it with her taser, which did the rest of the work.
Unfortunately, her confidence didn’t last long, as the unmistakable sound of a gun clicked from behind her, freezing her in place. She tried turning her head, trying to get some sort of advantage back, but she stopped upon hearing a warning shot go off.
“It’s over blondie.”
Chloe grimaced at the name, but unfortunately he was right. There wasn’t anything she could do. He had pretty much every advantage and she was too far from anything to cover herself from a shot. Closing her eyes, Chloe raised her arms, not wanting to know what would happen next, but she didn’t anticipate that being a large thud behind her, accompanied by what she assumed was the gun clattering on the ground.
Turning around slowly, her hands promptly dropped upon seeing Green Arrow standing over the body of the man who had every intention of shooting her seconds ago. But that didn’t stop her from exclaiming, “Seriously?”
Did she have a beaming sign on her back or something? As if it wasn’t trouble that found her, it was heroes. Her work with Clark and various other metas wasn’t a concept to Chloe, but it was something she forced herself to leave behind.
“Most people would say thank you,” he replied with a chuckle. Her response had clearly hit a nerve, because this wasn’t Chloe’s first encounter with the emerald archer. Normally, he didn’t stick around to chat.
“I had the situation at hand,” Chloe said, even though they both knew it was a lie, a point that Green Arrow was more than willing to share with her.
“Maybe the first two, but the last guy had you beat.” It was impressive, he would give her that, but that wasn’t the problem here. “You shouldn’t be in a place like this.”
Chloe rolled her eyes. This was far from the worst place she had snuck into in her life and she knew that it wasn’t going to be the last. “Because I’m a women and needed help with only one guy.”
“No, because -” Hearing a sound from behind him, Green Arrow turned his head over his shoulder and saw the gun pointed at both of them. “Watch out.”
Before Chloe had time to react, Green Arrow had wrapped his arms around her, using his body to shield her from an unexpected shot. They both had lost their balance, but he recovered faster, as shortly after they hit the ground, he shot up and shot a taser arrow at the man who Chloe thought she had knocked out earlier.
As Chloe got up, she noticed him checking the perimeter, making sure that it was safe by kicking the guns far away from their attackers. She was tempted to thank him, but she was distracted by the fact he was grimacing.
“Are you okay?”
Green Arrow looked down at his arm and shrugged. “Just a graze.” He was lucky it wasn’t more than that, but he wasn’t about to go there.
However, Chloe knew that he was lying when she spotted blood on her coat, so she came closer to determine where his vest had been cut through. “That doesn’t explain the blood on your side.”
“Oh that?” It didn’t hurt much initially, as adrenaline had kicked in, but now that it was subsiding, he knew that he couldn’t stay much longer. “Apparently the guy also brought a knife to a gun fight.”
Chloe was tempted to retort that with him it was never a gun fight, but she thought better of it. Noticing that he was doing a worse job at disguising his pain, she grabbed his arm and put it around her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter, come on.”
The only thing that made him follow her was pure shock, but it eventually grew to curiosity. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t argue with me,” she replied, knowing it was only a matter of steps before he’d try to get away, but she hoped that he could trust her for two minutes. “There are probably more guards and my car’s just outside. I’m your best option for getting out of here while you’re in this condition.”
“And then what?”
“I know a doctor at Met Gen who specializes in discretion.” Reaching into her purse, Chloe pulled out her scarf. It wasn’t ideal, but it would do. “Hold that against the wound in the meantime.”
He laughed. “You’re acting as if you’ve done this before.”
“You might be surprised.” Chloe immediately regretted telling him that, but when Green Arrow just smirked in response, she looked to be getting off easy. The last thing she needed was another hero asking her about her past in helping Clark get out of jams and vice versa.
Chloe had kept an eye out for any other company, but it appeared that they were in the clear when they arrived at her car safely. First, she got him in the back seat before pulling out her phone, almost surprised that Green Arrow was still letting him help her.
But she wasn’t about to argue that fact as she dialled the number and put it to her ear, hoping that Emil wasn’t too busy tonight. Luckily for her, she picked it up on the second ring. “Emil, I need your help. Can you be at the back door in ten minutes?”
After a pause, he responded, “Yeah, I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” Chloe said, hanging up the phone as she got into her car in time to see Green Arrow turn on his comm.
“Impulse, I need a clean-up crew.” He grimaced as he moved in his seat, trying to get comfortable. “I’m assuming that Echo already has my location, but you’ll have to check in on my tracker in about ten minutes to clean up a car.”
“That’s really not necessary,” Chloe said, turning her head momentarily to let him know that he didn’t need to worry about her.
But it didn’t seem to work, as he simply grinned at her. “Miss, you won’t even know he’s there.” Turning his head, his focus went back to the voice on the comm. “I’ll take the heat. Yeah, yeah, I know.”
After that, silence filled the air for the rest of the car ride. It wasn’t like there was a possibility for small talk, and neither of them wanted to talk about what had just happened. So Chloe kept driving, grateful for the lack of cars on the road as the Green Arrow leaned his hood against the window to better conceal his identity.
When she arrived at the hospital, Emil was already waiting, so Chloe knew that they had to act fast. Dr. Emil Hamilton was a contact she had met through Evie, someone that specialized in helping people, while also studying the weird and unexplained. He had helped Clark heal after a few unique situations, so she only hoped Emil would do the same for Green Arrow.
She got out of the car, and sure enough, Green Arrow was trying to feign strength, opening his car door and getting out himself. However, walking was a bit more difficult, so Chloe and Emil both got to him and helped walk him to the door.
Upon arriving, Chloe knew that she had to take her leave here, so she dropped his arm from her shoulder and moved back towards her car. “I know this is an big favour to ask, but… do what you can to help him,” she said to Emil.
“I got this, Chloe. You drive safe okay?” When Chloe nodded, Emil walked both himself and Green Arrow inside, shaking his head as he headed to a more discrete location. “You do know that you’re supposed to be off the streets right, Oliver?”
Oliver scoffed as he reached up to switch off his distorter. He had been reminded of that fact more than a few times tonight. “Good to see you too Emil.”
“Just consider yourself lucky you found the only other person who wouldn’t sell you out.”
~0~
Bart, you haven’t lost your touch.
Chloe smirked as she stood in front of her car, looking good as new from the blood that had been on her seat and door. She knew that Green Arrow wasn’t kidding when he said she wouldn’t notice, but the Bart she remembered wasn’t that open to the messy jobs. It appeared that he had grown up since she had last seen him.
Leaning back against her seat, Chloe let out a slow breath. She knew that she cut it a little close this time, which fired conflicting emotions. This was the closest she had ever been to the truth, but if that was the extent of the danger now, she had to plan better. If Green Arrow hadn’t stepped in, she’d be another body in this mess.
After a few minutes, she found the strength to drive home, watching her mirrors cautiously for any tails. It wouldn’t be the first time, but tonight’s danger looked to be behind her. That didn’t stop her from glancing over her shoulder as she entered her building, up the stairs and in front of her door.
She closed it behind her, sighing as she locked it, letting her satisfaction win over now that she was home safe. Flicking the lights, Chloe turned around, but her hand fell against the doorknob to keep her balance as she noticed she wasn’t alone in her apartment.
“Jesus Clark, you scared me.”
He considered apologizing, but Clark knew that he could have turned a light on, so he decided to skip any small talk. “Why didn’t you tell me you were running this story again?”
Dropping her purse on her entry table, Chloe walked past him into the kitchen. “Because everyone else seems to know without me saying anything?”
This wasn’t news to Clark, as he could always tell too, but he didn’t back down. “You know what I mean.”
She shook her head as she turned on her coffee machine. “Okay, then it’s because you have a higher purpose than following me around. Your words if I remember correctly.”
Clark scoffed behind her. “That’s not even close and you know it.” He remembered the day she was trying to reference and her interpretation didn’t exactly reflect the fact that Clark said he couldn’t always protect her. “You’re my best friend, Chloe and I’m worried about you.”
Chloe bit her lip, knowing that he meant well, but he also knew what this story meant to her, what she had given up and lost to it. “And I’m still standing aren’t I?”
Barely.
It was on the tip of Clark’s tongue, but he bit it back. However, the frustration remained on the surface, as he didn’t like the nonchalance she was showing him as she poured her coffee into her mug.
“You know, I was almost glad when you walked away from helping me. I thought it meant you were going to find your purpose.” Finally, she turned around to face him, so Clark let some of the anger out of his face, trying to make her understand, “Instead, you’re back to living with a death wish.”
Chloe was mid-sip when he spoke the last sentence, so she paused to swallow, shaking her head as she put her mug down. “I repeat. Standing here. Right now.”
Watching as she crossed her arms, Clark was quick to reply, “No thanks to some extra help.”
Her eyes widened, eyebrows raising in consequence before letting out a scoff. “Wow, you really were following me.”
“Someone had to knock out the fourth guy about to join his friends,” Clark justified, knowing how much Chloe hated when he did that, but she gave him little choice when he saw her earlier tonight. He hadn’t anticipated Green Arrow showing up on the scene and Chloe helping him out, but Clark decided to let that go. “So what did you find out?”
“Dead end… another one,” Chloe said, not liking that she was lying to Clark, but for all she knew, it was. She wasn’t involving anyone until she knew more.
~0~
Seeing Oliver in the elevator, Evie sighed. She knew that he was released from the hospital today over his wounds suffered during a ‘motorcycle accident,’ but she had hoped that his first reflex wasn’t to come to headquarters.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said as he entered, not bothering to face him. She knew they were pointless words to Oliver, but someone had to say them.
Sure enough, Oliver came up beside her, looking at what she was working on. “Did Bart get anything after we left?”
Evie smirked, as going straight to business was a common avoidance tactic for Oliver, but if he thought she had forgotten that he was patrolling when he wasn’t supposed to, he was mistaken.
“Besides catching the Blur in action?” she replied, deciding to play along for now. “Sorry, but there was nothing there we didn’t already know. Deeply connected, possibly aligned with the military. It was clear that they were… targeting your parents for a reason.”
Oliver caught the pause in her voice, so he leaned over to see his friend’s changing reaction. Swallowing hard, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Evie, it’s not because of you, they’ve -”
“Veritas, I know,” she interjected, not wanting to dwell on the guilt she felt, whether it was justified or not. “Speaking of, Vic and I couldn’t find any files in any of the Queen Industries databases.”
He nodded. “It was a long shot. I figured they’d keep things close to the chest once they realized I actually gave a damn.” It was actually through their allies in the initiative that he even found out that his parents were involved in Veritas in the first place.
“So you have no idea who the Traveller is?”
His eyes narrowed as he caught something in Evie’s tone. “Do you?”
“Nope,” Evie lied, for as much as she owed Oliver, she wouldn’t betray that secret unless it was absolutely necessary.
While the single word answer seemed to suffice, it led to a familiar sight these days. Oliver didn’t want anyone to know that his parents’ deaths were bothering him, so he left her side to head to the kitchen, believing that he was drinking while no one was looking.
However, Evie had always known, even going as far as checking in on the cameras in his place. It was invasive, she knew that, but she just wanted to make sure he was okay. That’s why she knew that she had to draw the line today.
Once he put the bottle down to get a glass, Evie immediately held out her hand and gestured her fingers towards her, lifting the bottle from the counter and moving it directly into her hand.
Seeing her catch the bottle across the room, Oliver sighed before dipping his head. “I thought you only used your abilities on the bad guys.” It was no secret that Evie was a powerful meta, but she didn’t like using her abilities on a regular basis.
“Well, that is a bad idea. You were almost killed a few days ago and there’s no way I’m letting you mix booze and pain meds.” Putting the bottle down, emphasizing the sound before she turned towards him, crossing her arms. “So let’s talk.”
“Evie, I’m fine.”
That only got her to roll her eyes, as he had to know that she knew that was crap. “Oliver, it doesn’t take a telepath to know that’s not true.” Seeing Oliver sigh, Evie relaxed her arms before stepping forward, “C’mon, you have to talk to -”
“The person who refuses to see her family?” It was a low blow, and Oliver hated using it, but he didn’t want to talk about this with her. He knew that this was what she did, helping people during their low points, but he wouldn’t see past the fact that she refused to keep her birth name and reunite herself with her family. “No thanks.”
Once her mouth closed, Evie bit her lip hard to try and calm her anger, but when she got an elevator alert, she couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Fine, you want someone who’s lost his entire family in the blink of an eye? He’s coming up the elevator right now. But if that doesn’t work for you, then come and get it,” she said, pointing at the bottle.
Except that wasn’t the message that Oliver wanted to send, especially after being reminded of just how worried she was for him. Letting the silence settle in, Oliver waited for Evie to look at him again. It took longer than he wanted, but when their eyes met, he swallowed hard met. “I’m sorry. I… I know how hard it is for you not seeing your family, the sacrifices you’ve made.”
And now Evie felt guilty, but any words she had were cut off by the door opening. Oliver walked across the room without a word, leaving the bottle of scotch still by her side.
She was so focused on what she had said that she didn’t even notice Victor walk up to her. “Hey,” he said, kissing her cheek before noticing the bottle. “A little early for that, don’t you think?”
“That’s what I told our faithful leader,” Evie replied with a sigh. Staring at it again, she collapsed into her chair. “Actually, I think I was little more dramatic than that.”
“Did you -”
“He needs to talk to someone before he kills himself,” Evie interjected quietly, not wanting Oliver to overhear. “I know that there’s always a chance of that with what we do, but if Chloe and Clark weren’t there, then…”
“Right now, you’re realizing that if Oliver hadn’t been there, Chloe would have been dead, right?” Seeing Evie back down, he reached for the bottle, but his girlfriend saw right through him. It helped that he didn’t drink. “Evie, come on.”
Evie immediately shook her head, moving the bottle higher up in the air to keep it from being within her boyfriend’s arms’ reach. “Vic, I love you, but -”
“We have to trust him, Evie. You have to trust him.”
She did trust him, the problem was that Oliver wasn’t himself right now. “Someone has to look out for him.” Evie knew what Oliver was like when he drank like this and it wasn’t pretty. Even though he had a good reason to drink now didn’t mean that it would happen on her watch.
“No there doesn’t,” Victor countered, his words surprising Evie. “He’ll get through this in time, and trust me, he’s not going to throw his life away. Heck he’s probably been patrolling all week without you noticing.”
Evie had figured that much out when she frantically called Hal on the night in question to give him a piece of her mind. She knew that Hal had to know the truth, as fortunately, Oliver wasn’t dumb enough to risk patrolling without telling someone. That fact alone gave her hope, along with the fact that Oliver had survived the previous nights, but he still wasn’t completely on his game yet. “That’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“Maybe not, but that’s not my point and you know it.”
Knowing that Victor was right, Evie took a deep breath and gave up the bottle, as he wouldn’t ask if he didn’t have a plan. “That’s not why I’m giving you this.”
“I know,” he replied, taking it from her, but before walking away, he gave her a quick kiss, seeing a hint of smile come back to her face.
Walking to the kitchen, Victor noticed the glass still on the counter, so he poured the amber liquid inside before grabbing a glass of water for himself. It certainly hadn’t been the easiest time for the team lately, as almost everyone was on edge because of Oliver, but the man himself really did seem to be okay, all things considered.
Granted, that was also because he had become so consumed with answers that it hadn’t really sunk in yet. Hence why the anger rose up, why he needed the adrenaline fix, something Evie should have recognized, but Victor couldn’t blame his girlfriend. She was doing enough now without being the mother hen of the team, trying to keep everyone’s head on straight. If he could give her a bit of a break and get through to Oliver, maybe it would be worth it.
“Hey.” Victor held out the glass of scotch to Oliver and watched him take it before sitting down on the couch next to him.
“Thanks,” Oliver replied, chinking his glass against Victor’s before taking a sip. “How’d you convince your girlfriend to give up the bottle?”
“Trust,” Victor said as he drank from his own glass. “I probably should have mentioned to her that you’re not on pain meds, but that wouldn’t have solved anything.”
After a chuckle, Oliver took another sip. “Nice to know that at least one person talked to Emil before jumping to conclusions.”
Victor frowned at this mention of Evie, knowing that her protective nature got the best of her at times, but that didn’t mean that Oliver was in the right in this case either. “She means well, Oliver.”
Sighing, Oliver put the glass aside before leaning back on the couch. “I know. I’d do the same thing to her if she’d let me.” He turned his head to look across the room at Evie intently working like before. “I don’t even want to know what she’s like when her judgement is clouded.”
Based on what Victor had seen of her, that wasn’t likely to happen. He liked to think that he had witnessed her at her worst during their stint at 33.1, and in all that time, Evie never lost sight of herself. But that wasn’t the issue today, as Victor hoped that knowing both sides of the story would help this argument subside. “So what happened?”
“It was just my usual rounds,” Oliver said.
“That you weren’t supposed to be doing.”
“You’d prefer that I’m patrolling over the alternative, trust me.” Seeing that Victor understood, Oliver continued, “Anyway, I saw Chloe go inside the warehouse and my curiosity got the best of me. That’s when I realized that she was being followed and I turned my comm on… until I got an earful from Evie.”
“You don’t want to hear this, but you can’t push yourself too hard.” Because Victor would be lying if he said that he wasn’t worried about Oliver. However, he also knew how lucky he was to be out of 33.1 at all because he wasn’t part of the extraction plan. That sold him on Oliver’s character, gained the trust he needed to give him space after his parents died, but the reason he was talking to Oliver now wasn’t because of Evie. “I’m mean, it’s good that you saved Chloe, but -”
“How did you do it? Get over the loss, I mean.” He knew that Evie was right about that much, that what he was experiencing wasn’t unique, not even within their own group. But when Victor scoffed, Oliver was reminded of the fact that his question wasn’t as easy to answer as it seemed.
“Evie probably thinks I’m supposed to be some sort of example, but considering I kind of died that day as well, I can’t really give you advice.” The truth was that he had no choice but to ignore the pain to focus on his own survival. Being experimented on and being turned into half-man-half-machine did that to a person.
“But I think I can point you in the right direction,” Victor added, knowing that Oliver wasn’t going to like what he was about to say, but Victor had seen a reaction to a death like this before. “You may find better answers with Chloe than with anyone else.”
Oliver rolled his eyes as he looked away from his friend. “Victor, come on.”
“I know you’re sick of hearing this from us, but you’re the one who risked your life to save hers. You also trusted her with your secret enough to let her drive you to Emil.” When Oliver’s eyes widened, Victor couldn’t help but shake his head before taking a sip from his glass. “Would it really be a stretch to let her in?”
Chapter 3
Sera’s Scribbles: FYI, this is an AU edition of the JL. If you’re looking for Dinah and AC… sorry, they’re not here. This probably suffers from too-many-characters-syndrome as is.
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