Renewal: Comfortably Numb (2/?)
Oct. 15th, 2011 04:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina19Title: Renewal: Comfortably Numb
Author:![[info]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/c706a1f33506/744780-108113/serafina19.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=3)
serafina19
Series Summary: How do you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
Segment Summary: While trying to pick up the pieces of the Doomsday debacle, Oliver and the JL try to get Chloe over her own memories of that night.
Segment Timeline: Doomsday- Pandora
Series Rating: R Segment Rating: PG-13
Series Warning: Coarse language; AU, but canon up to Turbulence; eventual adult content; and maybe a little OOC.
Thanks to:alxnhnt22 for making the banners, and brittany2922 for her help on this project.
Part 2
Hearing the beep once again, Oliver began his message. “Lois, it’s Oliver... and before you pull the stalker line on me for calling you five times in two hours,” he said, pausing for a second as he covered his eyes with his hand, “it’s just that Chloe really wants to see you. Call me back okay?”
Slamming his phone shut, Oliver wanted to curse, but knowing that Chloe was finally sleeping got him to stop. But it was also the thought of the blonde in his guest room that made Oliver realize that this was going to be harder than he thought. If he didn't know any better, Lois was missing.
Oliver had called Victor, asked him to go through hospital records but nothing had come through. Various calls to the Planet and other places Lois would be also came up empty-handed. Hitting his fist on the table, Oliver immediately regretted his decision as he felt his nerves tingling, but that was almost lost in his thought process, as nothing made sense right now.
They had paid their dues already, seen the consequences of their actions, and Oliver thought it was supposed to get easier from here. However, between Clark and Lois being missing in action, and the overwhelming guilt of each members of the team, that looked far from the case.
In fact, Oliver was so tangled up that he didn’t hear the elevator chain rattling, nor the gate opening. No, the only reason he knew that someone had entered the penthouse was seeing a different pair of hands on his desk.
“How is she?” Dinah asked, prompting Oliver to sit up properly to look at the woman in front of him.
“Not great, but she’s sleeping, which I consider progress.”
She momentarily looked towards the hallway before looking at him, taking note of the dark circles under his eyes. “You should consider doing the same Oliver... you don’t look so good.”
“Nah,” he said, “I’m fine.”
Dinah was far from convinced, but she knew better than to push him further. Oliver was about as stubborn as they came, so any further word would have been a pointless battle, so she got right to business. “Just so you know, Bart’s with Emil... between the two blows, he got a nasty concussion. He barely got to the news to me the other night.”
“Wait, then does Clark know about what happened to Chloe?”
Dinah shrugged, as initially she wasn’t sure how to answer the question. She exhaled loudly as she found her words, “I tried calling him, but it was just voicemail... now the number’s disconnected.” Looking into his eyes, she knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but unfortunately, Dinah had more bad news. “No response on the com either.”
Oliver nodded, taking in all that Dinah had given him. Clark was gone, that much was clear. Why and how were questions that went through his head, but answers at this point were just theories, and theories wouldn’t help anyone.
Wanting a change in conversation, Oliver gestured his hand in her direction. “And how about you?”
“A little worse for wear, but not too bad,” Dinah replied as she stood up straight. “Nothing a few pops of pain meds won’t fix.”
“I called AC and Victor,” Oliver said as he got out of his chair. “They should be here by tomorrow night, so try to take it easy in the interim okay? They can handle patrolling for a little while.”
“What are you planning on doing?”
After filing away a stack of papers into his desk, Oliver headed towards the clockface. Pulling the sides apart, he inspected his gear, now clear of blood residue from that fateful night. Dinah was right; he hadn’t slept at all last night, as he cleaned most of his equipment while keeping an ear out for Chloe, who had anything but an easy night. Every hour, she would cry out in her sleep, so Oliver stayed close, so he could get to her quickly, tell her that it was just a dream. But that didn't erase the reality from her brain, as it continued throughout the night, and the only word to come from her shaking lips was Sorry.
Dinah marked his silence as she leaned against the entryway. “Oliver?”
“She was there for me,” Oliver replied as he filtered his fingers through his vest, “even when she knew I killed Lex. I’m not abandoning her now.”
She nodded, and walked over to him to place a hand on his shoulder. “We’re all here for her too, you know, for both of you. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Letting out a slight grin, he managed, “I appreciate that.”
Dinah got the hint, so she backed away. “Well, I’ve got a show to do. I’ll try to check in later.”
Oliver kept his head down, even though he could hear the clacking of her heels as she approached the elevator. “Thanks for stopping by,” he said, hoping to catch her as he finally looked up.
Catching his glance, Dinah smiled. “It’s the least I can do, right?” Shrugging before turning to open the gate, she added, “We all wished we could have handled this better.”
~0~
Hearing the elevator gate open, Oliver lifted his head to see Victor and AC entering the penthouse. They shared grins before Oliver got up from the desk.
"Hey," AC greeted Oliver. "How're things?"
Not really sure how to answer, Oliver shrugged a shoulder, a gesture that caught Victor attention, prompting him to ask, “Is she still here?”
Oliver shook his head. “Emil took her to visit Bart.... he was worried about her, but he’s not allowed to speed around for a week.”
“Yeah,” Victor said with a scoff, “good luck with that one.”
Oliver titled his head, understanding Victor's point. “Actually, Bart’s taking Emil’s advice seriously, which is a good sign.” He sighed before adding, “I’m sorry for taking you guys away from—”
“Don’t,” AC replied. “This is a lot more important.”
“Besides, we should have been here... for everyone.” Victor caught Oliver’s eyes, knowing that his implication wasn’t lost on the older man. “Dinah told us about Lex, and while we agree that it certainly wasn’t your brightest hour... you’re still our leader.”
Oliver looked over at AC, who just nodded, before looking back at Victor. “Thank you.”
He sat his visitors on the couch, giving them an account of everything that had happened, including his plan to go against Clark, the subsequent fall-out and the surprising final act. AC asked about Clark, but there wasn’t much to say. Two days and no word. That was as much of a goodbye as they were going to get, Oliver figured. He knew Clark was still out there somewhere, the man was practically impenetrable after all and while Doomsday was much the same, Oliver had to hold onto that hope, if nothing else for Chloe’s sake especially since Lois went missing.
He had tried his best to track her down, including multiple calls to the police station, but no one there took him seriously. They all figured that Oliver wanted his ex-girlfriend back, that Oliver wasn’t anything more than the papers claimed. So he resorted to posters on the streets, even through pouring rain, all for a sign. All he wanted was something positive he could tell Chloe to get her spirits up, because while there were signs of improvements, Clark’s and Lois’ disappearances were understandingly hitting her hard and he knew that she couldn’t truly move forward without them.
So he sat in front of his teammates, wondering how they could still call him a leader after he had let them all down. But their reassurance gave him hope. Seeing their smiles over what they had accomplished away from Kansas allowed Oliver to realize that life does go on.
Eventually, Oliver found himself smiling as Victor told a story about how he busted AC out of prison, which brought up a memory of ‘tin cans’, a time where the team had a sounder foundation, not that the girls had caused the problems. What caused the tension were the problems themselves. Doomsday hit a little too close to home, and especially since it came so close to Oliver's murder of Lex, the drama and tension had overflowed. But Oliver would make this right, no matter what it took. He owed his teammates that much.
Suddenly, the three men heard her voice. “Victor? AC? What are you guys doing here?”
AC got off the couch first to hug Chloe, who had just emerged from the elevator. Giving her a cocky grin as he backed away, he replied, “Covering the streets while everyone heals up.”
Poking his head into her eyesight, Victor asked, “How are you Chloe?”
“Better than before?” She shrugged as she tried to seem optimistic, but it wasn’t happening. Bart had gotten her to smile, but walking from his place had restored her solemn mood. Even though much of the destruction had been cleaned up, there were still windows that needed to be replaced, cars that had seen better days and numerous closed-down businesses. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, the subtle reminder was enough to bring her guilt back to the surface.
Seeing three pairs of eyes staring at her out of concern, Chloe shrugged again. “Sorry, it hasn’t been the easiest of weeks.”
“Well,” AC said, trying to lighten the mood, “we were hoping to catch some dinner. Arrow’s paying of course, but Victor here has been killing me with the cyber jargon.”
“What can I say?” Victor added, matching AC’s smile. “The guys just don’t get it.”
Oliver wanted to say something to convince her to go, but the way she bit her bottom lip made him realize that there wasn’t much he could say. To her credit, Chloe had managed the tiniest of smiles before she replied, “Thanks guys, but... I’m not hungry... you guys go ahead.”
“I’ve got a mountain-load of paperwork anyway. The...” Oliver wanted to say that the devastation had affected Queen Industries too, but he knew that wouldn’t help anyone. “I’ve let this stack slide a little too long.”
Unfortunately, Chloe saw right through his cover attempt, and walked silently by the guys.
“Great,” Oliver said quietly before looking back at the other guys. “Rain check on dinner okay? I mean, feel free to stick around, but...”
“We got it,” Victor said, cutting him off. “See you around Oliver.”
Oliver nodded at both men before heading towards the guest bedroom that Chloe had been using since Doomsday. He had considered driving back to the Talon, but as long as Lois was missing, Oliver couldn’t do that to Chloe. He refused to let her feel alone again, that she had been abandoned by everyone.
Knocking lightly on the door, Oliver heard no response, so he opened it slightly. “Chloe? It’s just me.”
When she didn’t say anything, Oliver opened the door further and sat next to her on the bed. Looking at Chloe, he watched as she stared out the window, the light bringing life into her features.
Chloe took a single breath before bowing her head. “How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much damage to your company?”
He replied honestly, “Nothing we can’t recover Chloe. It’s more paperwork than anything, everything will be fine soon.”
Her hair covered her eyes, so Oliver couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear the anxiety in her voice as she said, “Stop sugar-coating it.”
“I’m not, I know you better than that. One of our factories got destroyed, but aside from that, it’s easily fixable. No casualties that I’m aware of either.” Seeing her nod, Oliver asked, “How’s Bart?”
“His solution for a headache is to eat a cookie...classic Impulse as far as I’m concerned.” That statement was followed by a single chuckle, but the humour in her eyes died in seconds. “Did you know Clark’s phone is disconnected?”
“Dinah mentioned trying to call him.”
“Why would he leave? I know I told him to forget about me, but that was in the past.”
Oliver tried to reassure her, “I’m sure he has a good reason."
“I just,” Chloe paused as she shuffled fully on the bed to face Oliver straight on. “I want to know for sure that he’s alive you know. There weren’t any out of the ordinary saves last night, and we never got any notification that he got out of the explosion.”
Oliver could see where she was going with this, so he stopped her, because as much as he didn't want to mislead her, the least Oliver could do was give Chloe hope. “This is Clark we’re talking about. He’s probably just tying up some loose ends.”
Rolling her eyes, Chloe sighed. “When did you become Mr. Optimism?”
A valid question, but one Oliver had an answer for. Placing a hand on her knee, Oliver tried to find her eyes. “When someone convinced me when I hit rock bottom that I actually hit rock bottom, meaning there was no way things could get worse.”
“That was a big lie.”
“No offence, but you were right about me, about Lex." Oliver's stare moved to his hands, and he thought about the struggle he faced after he murdered Lex, what he did with his own hands. There wasn't anyone else to blame, it was his fault and his fault alone. That was why it was so easy for him to say, "That internal torture hurts more than any of this.”
“That’s because this is all my fault.”
Oliver shook his head, knowing that Chloe would say something along those lines. “There are way too many factors to even begin to point fingers for what happened.”
“Even if you're right...it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“It never is,” Oliver replied, removing his hand from her, “just remember that the only murderer in this room is me.”
That activated something out of Chloe that he hadn’t expected. She leaned forward and grabbed his arm, hoping he’d turn back to look at her. “Come on Ollie, there’s no reason to say that.” When nothing had happened, she looked back out the window, sighing once more. “Besides, even that isn’t true.”
“It was Brainiac, Chloe,” Oliver half-heartedly replied.
Without hesitation, Chloe fired back, “I’m not so sure about that.”
Her admission had shocked Oliver, because even though he had accused her otherwise in the past, part of him always assumed that Brainiac could have been a possibility.
Seeing his reaction, Chloe added, “I think there was an element in me that wanted to do that... to make sure Clark’s secret was safe.” Getting up from the bed, Chloe walked over to the window and analyzed the city around her. Even though it was before nightfall, the skyline seemed incomplete without Clark. Even though her romantic ideals for him were gone, Clark was always a part of her life, and the idea of him not being around right now hurt more than Chloe wanted to admit.
“I’d do anything he asked and... now he’s gone.”
Realizing they had come full circle, Oliver made sure to choose his next words carefully. “Well, just know that you haven’t lost everything... and you haven’t lost everyone either.”
“I know,” was her reply, which came out in a subtle whisper. “It’s just that... best friend, closest cousin... you’d figure they’d stick around, or even check in.” Knowing Oliver would likely interject, Chloe added, “I know there’s been no leads on Lois, I heard you leave two voicemails.”
“Chloe you were—”
“How am I supposed to sleep Oliver?” She turned around with an expression of hurt on her face. “I get an hour, maybe two and...” her voice trailed as she worked her fingers together to form a gun, mockingly shooting it. “Bang.”
Not allowing her to re-live that memory longer than she had to, Oliver covered her hands with his own. “It gets better,” he replied as he lowered their hands, eyes not leaving hers. “I know it sounds crazy, but eventually... life goes on. You find a purpose and soon the pain fades away.”
“What was yours?”
Oliver took in a breath, knowing to expect such a question at some point, but knew that he had to tread carefully if he wanted Chloe to believe him. “You were the first person who could look me in the eye after finding out what I did. Sure, there was that sense of animosity, but you didn’t give up on me because you still saw the hero in me.”
Closing his eyes momentarily, Oliver remembered the days where he’d see Lex’s face no matter where he looked, so he broke the glass with his fist, or he’d throw a glass against it. It was Chloe who had noticed the gashes in his hands and told Oliver to move forward, be the leader she knew he was. It was Chloe who reminded him that Oliver no longer had time to toss around glasses or go near the alcohol that filled them because the world needed him.
“All I know is...you didn’t deserve to sacrifice your life like that, especially considering what you sacrificed already.”
Finally looking back at her, noticing how her mouth had opened due to his confession, Chloe soon shook it off. “But you were right... we should have killed him.”
“For all we know, he was immortal Chloe. With Clark’s krypto-stuff, anything’s possible. Patting her hands as he released them, Oliver added, “Besides, we all know we can’t exactly press the undo button. We just have to learn from our mistakes.”
Chloe let out a chuckle, walking around him carefully to sit on the bed again. “Out of everyone that I knew... I never expected you to take this position. Seeing your walls come down like this, Oliver Queen admit faults and so on, it’s a different perspective... but not a bad one.”
Oliver grinned as he took a couple steps towards her, but decided against sitting next to her to allow Chloe to have her space. “Well, don’t get used to it.”
“Wasn’t planning on it, but... thanks Ollie. This means more than you know.”
“As long as you start to feel better, okay?”
“I’m getting there.”
Nodding, Oliver walked over to the door, pausing in the doorway to say, “If you need anything...”
“I know where to go,” Chloe finished confidently as she watched him close the door,
Things weren’t perfect, that much Chloe could say with ease, but she had people there for her, looking out for her. Sure, part of it was because they felt guilty or obligated, but whenever Chloe was around Oliver, she sensed concern in everything he did for her. Furthermore, hearing that she was the reason he turned his life around, Chloe couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride.
Then there’s Bart, who even with a concussion, went out of his way to lift her spirits. Emil, who called to offer an ear of support if she needed. Dinah offered a girl’s night out when she felt up to it and finally there was Victor and AC who had dropped everything to make things easier.
So even though life wasn’t perfect, and Chloe couldn’t sleep, there were signs that Oliver was right. It would get better.
Part 3
Author:
serafina19Series Summary: How do you save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
Segment Summary: While trying to pick up the pieces of the Doomsday debacle, Oliver and the JL try to get Chloe over her own memories of that night.
Segment Timeline: Doomsday- Pandora
Series Rating: R Segment Rating: PG-13
Series Warning: Coarse language; AU, but canon up to Turbulence; eventual adult content; and maybe a little OOC.
Thanks to:
alxnhnt22 for making the banners, and brittany2922 for her help on this project.
Part 2
Hearing the beep once again, Oliver began his message. “Lois, it’s Oliver... and before you pull the stalker line on me for calling you five times in two hours,” he said, pausing for a second as he covered his eyes with his hand, “it’s just that Chloe really wants to see you. Call me back okay?”
Slamming his phone shut, Oliver wanted to curse, but knowing that Chloe was finally sleeping got him to stop. But it was also the thought of the blonde in his guest room that made Oliver realize that this was going to be harder than he thought. If he didn't know any better, Lois was missing.
Oliver had called Victor, asked him to go through hospital records but nothing had come through. Various calls to the Planet and other places Lois would be also came up empty-handed. Hitting his fist on the table, Oliver immediately regretted his decision as he felt his nerves tingling, but that was almost lost in his thought process, as nothing made sense right now.
They had paid their dues already, seen the consequences of their actions, and Oliver thought it was supposed to get easier from here. However, between Clark and Lois being missing in action, and the overwhelming guilt of each members of the team, that looked far from the case.
In fact, Oliver was so tangled up that he didn’t hear the elevator chain rattling, nor the gate opening. No, the only reason he knew that someone had entered the penthouse was seeing a different pair of hands on his desk.
“How is she?” Dinah asked, prompting Oliver to sit up properly to look at the woman in front of him.
“Not great, but she’s sleeping, which I consider progress.”
She momentarily looked towards the hallway before looking at him, taking note of the dark circles under his eyes. “You should consider doing the same Oliver... you don’t look so good.”
“Nah,” he said, “I’m fine.”
Dinah was far from convinced, but she knew better than to push him further. Oliver was about as stubborn as they came, so any further word would have been a pointless battle, so she got right to business. “Just so you know, Bart’s with Emil... between the two blows, he got a nasty concussion. He barely got to the news to me the other night.”
“Wait, then does Clark know about what happened to Chloe?”
Dinah shrugged, as initially she wasn’t sure how to answer the question. She exhaled loudly as she found her words, “I tried calling him, but it was just voicemail... now the number’s disconnected.” Looking into his eyes, she knew it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but unfortunately, Dinah had more bad news. “No response on the com either.”
Oliver nodded, taking in all that Dinah had given him. Clark was gone, that much was clear. Why and how were questions that went through his head, but answers at this point were just theories, and theories wouldn’t help anyone.
Wanting a change in conversation, Oliver gestured his hand in her direction. “And how about you?”
“A little worse for wear, but not too bad,” Dinah replied as she stood up straight. “Nothing a few pops of pain meds won’t fix.”
“I called AC and Victor,” Oliver said as he got out of his chair. “They should be here by tomorrow night, so try to take it easy in the interim okay? They can handle patrolling for a little while.”
“What are you planning on doing?”
After filing away a stack of papers into his desk, Oliver headed towards the clockface. Pulling the sides apart, he inspected his gear, now clear of blood residue from that fateful night. Dinah was right; he hadn’t slept at all last night, as he cleaned most of his equipment while keeping an ear out for Chloe, who had anything but an easy night. Every hour, she would cry out in her sleep, so Oliver stayed close, so he could get to her quickly, tell her that it was just a dream. But that didn't erase the reality from her brain, as it continued throughout the night, and the only word to come from her shaking lips was Sorry.
Dinah marked his silence as she leaned against the entryway. “Oliver?”
“She was there for me,” Oliver replied as he filtered his fingers through his vest, “even when she knew I killed Lex. I’m not abandoning her now.”
She nodded, and walked over to him to place a hand on his shoulder. “We’re all here for her too, you know, for both of you. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Letting out a slight grin, he managed, “I appreciate that.”
Dinah got the hint, so she backed away. “Well, I’ve got a show to do. I’ll try to check in later.”
Oliver kept his head down, even though he could hear the clacking of her heels as she approached the elevator. “Thanks for stopping by,” he said, hoping to catch her as he finally looked up.
Catching his glance, Dinah smiled. “It’s the least I can do, right?” Shrugging before turning to open the gate, she added, “We all wished we could have handled this better.”
Hearing the elevator gate open, Oliver lifted his head to see Victor and AC entering the penthouse. They shared grins before Oliver got up from the desk.
"Hey," AC greeted Oliver. "How're things?"
Not really sure how to answer, Oliver shrugged a shoulder, a gesture that caught Victor attention, prompting him to ask, “Is she still here?”
Oliver shook his head. “Emil took her to visit Bart.... he was worried about her, but he’s not allowed to speed around for a week.”
“Yeah,” Victor said with a scoff, “good luck with that one.”
Oliver titled his head, understanding Victor's point. “Actually, Bart’s taking Emil’s advice seriously, which is a good sign.” He sighed before adding, “I’m sorry for taking you guys away from—”
“Don’t,” AC replied. “This is a lot more important.”
“Besides, we should have been here... for everyone.” Victor caught Oliver’s eyes, knowing that his implication wasn’t lost on the older man. “Dinah told us about Lex, and while we agree that it certainly wasn’t your brightest hour... you’re still our leader.”
Oliver looked over at AC, who just nodded, before looking back at Victor. “Thank you.”
He sat his visitors on the couch, giving them an account of everything that had happened, including his plan to go against Clark, the subsequent fall-out and the surprising final act. AC asked about Clark, but there wasn’t much to say. Two days and no word. That was as much of a goodbye as they were going to get, Oliver figured. He knew Clark was still out there somewhere, the man was practically impenetrable after all and while Doomsday was much the same, Oliver had to hold onto that hope, if nothing else for Chloe’s sake especially since Lois went missing.
He had tried his best to track her down, including multiple calls to the police station, but no one there took him seriously. They all figured that Oliver wanted his ex-girlfriend back, that Oliver wasn’t anything more than the papers claimed. So he resorted to posters on the streets, even through pouring rain, all for a sign. All he wanted was something positive he could tell Chloe to get her spirits up, because while there were signs of improvements, Clark’s and Lois’ disappearances were understandingly hitting her hard and he knew that she couldn’t truly move forward without them.
So he sat in front of his teammates, wondering how they could still call him a leader after he had let them all down. But their reassurance gave him hope. Seeing their smiles over what they had accomplished away from Kansas allowed Oliver to realize that life does go on.
Eventually, Oliver found himself smiling as Victor told a story about how he busted AC out of prison, which brought up a memory of ‘tin cans’, a time where the team had a sounder foundation, not that the girls had caused the problems. What caused the tension were the problems themselves. Doomsday hit a little too close to home, and especially since it came so close to Oliver's murder of Lex, the drama and tension had overflowed. But Oliver would make this right, no matter what it took. He owed his teammates that much.
Suddenly, the three men heard her voice. “Victor? AC? What are you guys doing here?”
AC got off the couch first to hug Chloe, who had just emerged from the elevator. Giving her a cocky grin as he backed away, he replied, “Covering the streets while everyone heals up.”
Poking his head into her eyesight, Victor asked, “How are you Chloe?”
“Better than before?” She shrugged as she tried to seem optimistic, but it wasn’t happening. Bart had gotten her to smile, but walking from his place had restored her solemn mood. Even though much of the destruction had been cleaned up, there were still windows that needed to be replaced, cars that had seen better days and numerous closed-down businesses. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, the subtle reminder was enough to bring her guilt back to the surface.
Seeing three pairs of eyes staring at her out of concern, Chloe shrugged again. “Sorry, it hasn’t been the easiest of weeks.”
“Well,” AC said, trying to lighten the mood, “we were hoping to catch some dinner. Arrow’s paying of course, but Victor here has been killing me with the cyber jargon.”
“What can I say?” Victor added, matching AC’s smile. “The guys just don’t get it.”
Oliver wanted to say something to convince her to go, but the way she bit her bottom lip made him realize that there wasn’t much he could say. To her credit, Chloe had managed the tiniest of smiles before she replied, “Thanks guys, but... I’m not hungry... you guys go ahead.”
“I’ve got a mountain-load of paperwork anyway. The...” Oliver wanted to say that the devastation had affected Queen Industries too, but he knew that wouldn’t help anyone. “I’ve let this stack slide a little too long.”
Unfortunately, Chloe saw right through his cover attempt, and walked silently by the guys.
“Great,” Oliver said quietly before looking back at the other guys. “Rain check on dinner okay? I mean, feel free to stick around, but...”
“We got it,” Victor said, cutting him off. “See you around Oliver.”
Oliver nodded at both men before heading towards the guest bedroom that Chloe had been using since Doomsday. He had considered driving back to the Talon, but as long as Lois was missing, Oliver couldn’t do that to Chloe. He refused to let her feel alone again, that she had been abandoned by everyone.
Knocking lightly on the door, Oliver heard no response, so he opened it slightly. “Chloe? It’s just me.”
When she didn’t say anything, Oliver opened the door further and sat next to her on the bed. Looking at Chloe, he watched as she stared out the window, the light bringing life into her features.
Chloe took a single breath before bowing her head. “How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much damage to your company?”
He replied honestly, “Nothing we can’t recover Chloe. It’s more paperwork than anything, everything will be fine soon.”
Her hair covered her eyes, so Oliver couldn’t see her expression, but he could hear the anxiety in her voice as she said, “Stop sugar-coating it.”
“I’m not, I know you better than that. One of our factories got destroyed, but aside from that, it’s easily fixable. No casualties that I’m aware of either.” Seeing her nod, Oliver asked, “How’s Bart?”
“His solution for a headache is to eat a cookie...classic Impulse as far as I’m concerned.” That statement was followed by a single chuckle, but the humour in her eyes died in seconds. “Did you know Clark’s phone is disconnected?”
“Dinah mentioned trying to call him.”
“Why would he leave? I know I told him to forget about me, but that was in the past.”
Oliver tried to reassure her, “I’m sure he has a good reason."
“I just,” Chloe paused as she shuffled fully on the bed to face Oliver straight on. “I want to know for sure that he’s alive you know. There weren’t any out of the ordinary saves last night, and we never got any notification that he got out of the explosion.”
Oliver could see where she was going with this, so he stopped her, because as much as he didn't want to mislead her, the least Oliver could do was give Chloe hope. “This is Clark we’re talking about. He’s probably just tying up some loose ends.”
Rolling her eyes, Chloe sighed. “When did you become Mr. Optimism?”
A valid question, but one Oliver had an answer for. Placing a hand on her knee, Oliver tried to find her eyes. “When someone convinced me when I hit rock bottom that I actually hit rock bottom, meaning there was no way things could get worse.”
“That was a big lie.”
“No offence, but you were right about me, about Lex." Oliver's stare moved to his hands, and he thought about the struggle he faced after he murdered Lex, what he did with his own hands. There wasn't anyone else to blame, it was his fault and his fault alone. That was why it was so easy for him to say, "That internal torture hurts more than any of this.”
“That’s because this is all my fault.”
Oliver shook his head, knowing that Chloe would say something along those lines. “There are way too many factors to even begin to point fingers for what happened.”
“Even if you're right...it doesn’t make it any easier.”
“It never is,” Oliver replied, removing his hand from her, “just remember that the only murderer in this room is me.”
That activated something out of Chloe that he hadn’t expected. She leaned forward and grabbed his arm, hoping he’d turn back to look at her. “Come on Ollie, there’s no reason to say that.” When nothing had happened, she looked back out the window, sighing once more. “Besides, even that isn’t true.”
“It was Brainiac, Chloe,” Oliver half-heartedly replied.
Without hesitation, Chloe fired back, “I’m not so sure about that.”
Her admission had shocked Oliver, because even though he had accused her otherwise in the past, part of him always assumed that Brainiac could have been a possibility.
Seeing his reaction, Chloe added, “I think there was an element in me that wanted to do that... to make sure Clark’s secret was safe.” Getting up from the bed, Chloe walked over to the window and analyzed the city around her. Even though it was before nightfall, the skyline seemed incomplete without Clark. Even though her romantic ideals for him were gone, Clark was always a part of her life, and the idea of him not being around right now hurt more than Chloe wanted to admit.
“I’d do anything he asked and... now he’s gone.”
Realizing they had come full circle, Oliver made sure to choose his next words carefully. “Well, just know that you haven’t lost everything... and you haven’t lost everyone either.”
“I know,” was her reply, which came out in a subtle whisper. “It’s just that... best friend, closest cousin... you’d figure they’d stick around, or even check in.” Knowing Oliver would likely interject, Chloe added, “I know there’s been no leads on Lois, I heard you leave two voicemails.”
“Chloe you were—”
“How am I supposed to sleep Oliver?” She turned around with an expression of hurt on her face. “I get an hour, maybe two and...” her voice trailed as she worked her fingers together to form a gun, mockingly shooting it. “Bang.”
Not allowing her to re-live that memory longer than she had to, Oliver covered her hands with his own. “It gets better,” he replied as he lowered their hands, eyes not leaving hers. “I know it sounds crazy, but eventually... life goes on. You find a purpose and soon the pain fades away.”
“What was yours?”
Oliver took in a breath, knowing to expect such a question at some point, but knew that he had to tread carefully if he wanted Chloe to believe him. “You were the first person who could look me in the eye after finding out what I did. Sure, there was that sense of animosity, but you didn’t give up on me because you still saw the hero in me.”
Closing his eyes momentarily, Oliver remembered the days where he’d see Lex’s face no matter where he looked, so he broke the glass with his fist, or he’d throw a glass against it. It was Chloe who had noticed the gashes in his hands and told Oliver to move forward, be the leader she knew he was. It was Chloe who reminded him that Oliver no longer had time to toss around glasses or go near the alcohol that filled them because the world needed him.
“All I know is...you didn’t deserve to sacrifice your life like that, especially considering what you sacrificed already.”
Finally looking back at her, noticing how her mouth had opened due to his confession, Chloe soon shook it off. “But you were right... we should have killed him.”
“For all we know, he was immortal Chloe. With Clark’s krypto-stuff, anything’s possible. Patting her hands as he released them, Oliver added, “Besides, we all know we can’t exactly press the undo button. We just have to learn from our mistakes.”
Chloe let out a chuckle, walking around him carefully to sit on the bed again. “Out of everyone that I knew... I never expected you to take this position. Seeing your walls come down like this, Oliver Queen admit faults and so on, it’s a different perspective... but not a bad one.”
Oliver grinned as he took a couple steps towards her, but decided against sitting next to her to allow Chloe to have her space. “Well, don’t get used to it.”
“Wasn’t planning on it, but... thanks Ollie. This means more than you know.”
“As long as you start to feel better, okay?”
“I’m getting there.”
Nodding, Oliver walked over to the door, pausing in the doorway to say, “If you need anything...”
“I know where to go,” Chloe finished confidently as she watched him close the door,
Things weren’t perfect, that much Chloe could say with ease, but she had people there for her, looking out for her. Sure, part of it was because they felt guilty or obligated, but whenever Chloe was around Oliver, she sensed concern in everything he did for her. Furthermore, hearing that she was the reason he turned his life around, Chloe couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride.
Then there’s Bart, who even with a concussion, went out of his way to lift her spirits. Emil, who called to offer an ear of support if she needed. Dinah offered a girl’s night out when she felt up to it and finally there was Victor and AC who had dropped everything to make things easier.
So even though life wasn’t perfect, and Chloe couldn’t sleep, there were signs that Oliver was right. It would get better.
Part 3
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on October 16th, 2011 01:00 am (UTC)Favorite part is Chloe having been the one to give Ollie his turning point. I love how you're filling in the details between the two of them for everything that happened in S8. :)
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on October 16th, 2011 01:43 am (UTC)To be honest, that little storyline developed more than I had planned (which seems to happen a lot for me), but Chlollie always has a way of saving each other, so it seemed to fit.
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on October 16th, 2011 10:58 pm (UTC)This is just a lovely chapter and I can't wait to read more!
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on October 17th, 2011 12:18 am (UTC)I have the next chapter's outline completed... just a matter of filling in blanks. I hope to have it up soon, but school is crazy right now, so no guarantees.
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on October 17th, 2011 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
on October 18th, 2011 05:21 am (UTC)I'm glad you're enjoying this. I hope to have a shorter delay this time around, as plenty happens in the next chapter.
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on October 18th, 2011 02:42 pm (UTC)no subject
on October 23rd, 2011 01:49 am (UTC)Great job... can't wait to read more... :D
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on October 23rd, 2011 05:06 am (UTC)no subject
on August 7th, 2014 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
on August 18th, 2014 01:31 am (UTC)Thanks!