"It was you."

Oliver looked up from the couch where he'd been enjoying a nice quiet cup of coffee. "Excuse me?"

Lois' roommate, Chloe Sullivan, was standing over him with her arms crossed, smirking down at him. A smirk that removed all doubt that she was indeed cousin to Lois Lane. "The crest on the ring that Lois nabbed off of the Green Arrow? It was the Queen family crest. Your family crest."

He shrugged, trying to look nonchalant and thoughtful at the same time. Inside, he was torn between intense fear and applause. He'd always been impressed with the little blond reporter's amazing capacity to help Clark and uncover truths but the unknown was what she would do with this truth. "I thought Clark told me you lost all the data on that."

"I always back up my back ups, Mr. Queen. I'm from Smallville after all. You never know when they could come in handy."

He shifted, trying to convey indifference. "Maybe the Green Arrow stole it from me."

She raised her eyebrows at him, blinking. "Seriously? You're going to try and pull that on me? Have we met before?" She gestured to herself. "Chloe Sullivan? Ace reporter for the Daily Planet? So what's your story? He's got a crush on you so he wears it on a chain around his neck? Or maybe you have matching ones because you're Best Friends Forever?" She clasped her hands together in mock happiness before giving him one of her best condescending Chloe looks. "Cute but I'm not an idiot."

He glanced quickly over at Lois, who was busy putting the finishing touches on dinner, which meant arranging the take out on plates instead of leaving it in the cartons, then back to Chloe. "So what? I'm the Green Arrow? C'mon Miss Sullivan. Have we met before? Oliver Queen? Billionaire CEO? Give me a break. I'm too busy to be running around at night punishing the wicked and saving the innocent. And leather? Not really my style. I'm more of an Armani guy."

She smiled. "Alright then, Mr. Queen." Laughing slightly, she turning away and grabbed her coat and her bag. "Sorry, Lo. I've got to go. I just forgot I had to finish a story for tomorrow's print. So, I'll see you two later."

"Alright cuz. Ollie, where did we put that last bottle of wine we'd opened?" Lois was so busy checking cupboards that she didn't notice Oliver track Chloe to the door where she was trying to make a quick getaway.

He grabbed her arm. "You're not going to write a story about this, are you? I mean, it's completely ridiculous. It's absurd. You work for the Planet, not the Inquisitor. Who would believe it? You don't have any evidence..."

She smirked. "Give me a little more credit than that, Archer. I'm a terrific secret keeper. I'd worry more about the witch hunt Lois is involved in before little old me. Have a good night." With that, she slipped out the door.

"What? You need to kiss her goodbye?"

He turned, shutting the door. "What?"

Lois was standing in the kitchen, hands on her hips, eyebrow raised. "Well? Help me find the wine."

She didn't hear anything out of the ordinary about him until she was in the apartment doing work just before Thanksgiving. Lois was in the kitchen baking for dinner at the Kents'. She heard the door open and Clark enter and his smart comment about the place being a florist shop.

She faded out and when she came back, they were arguing about Oliver.

"... I think he has a drug problem."

What? Oliver has a drug problem?

"... Unlike you, I don't abandon my friends when they're in trouble."

Chloe shook her head. Oh, Lois. If only you knew. She waited until the apartment was quiet then snuck out the door to the top of the stairs. Downstairs, Clark had stopped Lois and was arguing with her again about going to visit Oliver. She tiptoed back into the apartment and slipped out the window. There was no way Oliver was going to jerk around her cousin. And, as Green Arrow, he was too dangerous on drugs. Climbing into her car, she revved the engine and headed towards the city.



Two hours later, she was in the elevator to his apartment, pressing on the buzzer for the fourth time. "Mr. Queen? Hello?" Waiting one more minute, she pulled the electronic keypad out of the wall and hacked in. After a few minutes, the light flashed green and the elevator doors opened to an empty apartment.

"Hello?" She moved cautiously through the apartment, eyes darting around. Oliver was getting sloppy – the doors to the room where he kept all his Green Arrow gear were wide open. "Oliver?" A sixth sense she'd acquired from years of living in Smallville and being around Clark made her duck and dodge to the side.

Oliver, dressed in full Green Arrow garb, anticipated her move and grabbed her by the arm, swinging her around and slamming her against the wall, pinning an arm across her throat. "What are you doing here?" he snarled, momentarily not recognizing her through the haze in his brain.

She tried not to let him see her fear as her hands scrabbled against his arm. "Oliver, it's me, Chloe Sullivan. I'm here to help you."

He pulled back momentarily. "I'm not-"

"Oh, give it up!" Suddenly she was mad, madder than she'd been in a long time. She was no longer afraid of him or what he could do to her. "Where the hell do you get off trying to cover this up? I know you're the Green Arrow and Oliver Queen and I know you're taking some sort of drugs and I can't stand the fact that you're such a selfish asshole that you would do something like this! How could you think that your actions wouldn't hurt her? How could you ever think that you'd be able to get away with this without her finding out? Without me finding out?" She was working herself up and couldn't help it. Shoving him off her, she backed him up until he was against the railing. Poking him in the chest, she almost yelled, "How could you be so stupid?! Drugs, Oliver? Drugs?!"

He clenched his jaw, his vision hazed in red. "Who the hell are you to come in here and make accusations?"

"Who am I? I'm your girlfriend's cousin. I might as well be her sister! She is practically the only family I have left and I'm not going to have you messing around with her heart, Oliver! More importantly, I can't believe that you would be stupid enough to do drugs? Why?" She seemed to tower over him, as if daring him to prove her wrong.

"They make me better," he growled back, his own passion flaring up. He moved into her space, forcing her back until she was back against the wall next to the elevator. "Stronger, faster, more capable. I can do whatever I want." In a moment of self-weakness, he eyed her slight frame, giving her the once over.

"Excuse me!" She pulled her coat shut over her body. "Didn't I just tell you that I'd kill you if you broke my cousin's heart? Which includes cheating on her with her previously mentioned closer-than-a-sister cousin. What is wrong with you?"

His lips curved into a smirk, eyes half closing in satisfaction. "So, you have thought about it, Miss Sullivan. I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd have it in you. Must be the Lane side of the family coming out."

She swallowed hard, the anger draining out of her, the energy draining out of her. Suddenly this was not such a good idea. Once again, she'd charged in without really knowing what she was doing. "Listen, this-"

He closed the space between them and his lips slanted down on hers. He kissed her hard, kissed her thoroughly, exploring her mouth. It was different kissing her than kissing Lois. Lois was dominating and wanting to be in control all the time but at this moment, Chloe was scared, allowing him to take over and right now that was what he wanted.

She pulled away, feeling scandalized. "-is not a good idea. Just stop. I'm going to overlook this as drug-induced. I have to go."

He reached over, hitting the lockdown button on the elevator and the door slid down and shut, steel bars sliding down into place inside with thuds of finality. "Now, now, Miss Sullivan. We're just getting to know each other."

"Oliver, please." She was now scared. Not scared for her life but scared that if she stayed in this apartment any longer, something bad was going to happen. Something as bad as how she had enjoyed that kiss. She moved around his desk, putting something between them. Maybe she could talk him down from this. "You're with-"

"Lois and I are over," he growled. "We obviously have differences of opinion in the whole hero area. I can't tell her about me and being the Green Arrow and she wants to nail my leather ass to the wall." He stalked after her, upending the desk out of the way. It shattered, scattering electronics and papers among the glass. "But you... you seem to have figured it out all on your own and you're not running for the hills. You obviously know about Clark and aren't afraid of that. So tell me again why this isn't a good idea?" He pinned her up against the railing.

"Jimmy."

"The photokid?" He gave a bark of laughter. "C'mon, Chloe. He's an archiver for the Daily Planet. He works in the basement."

She glared up at him and felt unnerved by the fact that she couldn't see his eyes. "I work in the basement."

"You won't always be in the basement. You're an amazing writer and sooner or later they're going to figure that out." He removed her bag, tossing it behind him. Next, his fingers pulled her jacket down and away, throwing it to the side.

The feeling of cool leather caressed her bare arms and she closed her eyes, shivering. "Oliver, you're not yourself."

His lips caressed her neck. "You don't even know me," he whispered.

"Exactly. This is wrong."

He paused then smiled against her pulse. "But then again, maybe you do know me, don't you Chloe?"

She shook her head, trying to convince him, convince herself, but it was true. Lois talked about him all the time. And then all the research she'd done... "Please."

"Tell me it's nothing then, Chloe. I'll leave you alone if you feel nothing." He straightened, staring down at her.

She reached up, pulling off his sunglasses and he blinked in the sudden brightness. A flash went through him, as if he'd just been punched in the stomach and all the wind were knocked out of him. Never had he felt so vulnerable until she'd taken away his last shield. He was feeling the drug's effects dissipating in his system. His strength, his confidence, his feelings of invincibility were leaving him. He needed it. He pushed off the railing and away, moving towards the upper level, towards the desk, towards the drugs.

She blinked, confused. When she'd pulled off the sunglasses, his eyes had shown such shock, such openness and then fear. She watched him move away, realizing what he was going for and went after him, tossing the sunglasses on top of the desk and rushing towards him. "No, Oliver, you don't need them."

He lost his balance as she tried to push him away and they tumbled onto the gym mats he kept for training, rolling over until he was balancing himself over her. His hood had fallen off and he looked young to her somehow, his hair mussed, his eyes wide and defenceless.

She thought of struggling to get from under him but realized it might put them into a more embarrassing position. Then she almost rolled her eyes over the idea that someone like her could affect someone like Oliver who went to bed at night with someone like Lois. So she didn't move.

He gazed down at her, trying to figure out what to do. She was staring up at him, waiting to see what he was going to do yet he had no idea. The fight had gone out of both of them, leaving smouldering ashes. The momentary pang of disappointment and insecurity that flashed across her face made the decision for him. He bent his head and kissed her.

She didn't know what made her kiss back, whether it was her insecurities egging her on, or wanting to show the Loises and the Clarks of the world that she wasn't invisible or perhaps it was just the simple idea that Oliver was an attractive male and she just wanted consent that she was someone to be desired. She didn't stop until she realized that she was suddenly on top, Oliver's Green Arrow top unzipped and pulled down to his waist, his shirt was gone, and hers was in the process of being removed. "Wait... wait..."

His hands stilled, three buttons of the six undone, her pale skin teasing his eyes, his breathing laboured and deep. "Chloe."

"I can't. Please, Oliver, just... I can't." She pulled away, sat up, rebuttoned her shirt, and stood up. "Please just let me go."

He raised himself onto his elbows. The drugs were out of his system, leaving him to feel weak and scattered. "I'm sorry." Reaching up to the desk, he typed a code and the elevator reopened. Then he looked away from her in shame.

She bolted, retrieving her things and careful to avoid the glass, got in the elevator and was gone.

He fell back onto his back. What was he thinking? How could he have been so weak? He stood up, pulling his Green Arrow costume back on and pulled open the desk drawer.

The syringes winked up at him seductively.

