Painted Wings

Summary: Mini-character study on a young Tess Mercer when she first meets Oliver Queen on the island. Taking place during 8x03 Toxic.
Rated: G

I don't own Smallville.

She could fly, but thinks her wings are only painted on … when Tess first met Oliver…

Her brain whirred and ticked. It was a dull pain, her mind spinning through her own thoughts like wild horses. She gritted her teeth and tried to remember. "Megan!" she hissed, not taking her eyes off the purple berry stain on the hand that hung limply a foot away from her face. Her best friend stirred slightly, Tess could tell she was listening. "Megan, what's the name of the plant? Remember, the lecture we had about marine leeches and their relation to Elasmobranch hosts because James said… I did the extra research and…" she trailed off, "If that plant really is in the same family as oleander then…" she took a breath and, ignoring the agony in her muscles, the grazes on her legs, the shattering pain in her heart and the voice in her head telling her this could be very risky and very stupid, Tess jumped to her feet and said as loudly as she could, "I know how to save him!"

The two captors, Marcos and Nathaniel, turned slowly and stared at her for a moment.

"What?" Marcos spoke first, stepping close to her. While tall for her seventeen years, Marcos towered over Tess, exploiting his power advantage over her. "What did you say?"

"At Harvard we studied leeches and their medical uses," Tess told him as she stood up, ignoring Megan's whisper of 'Tess, be careful!'

"Leeches can provide a healing effect against certain types of poisons, and if that man's been poisoned by what I think he has, then the reaction will neutralise the toxin and coagulate his blood." She took another deep breath, dizzy with the terror, keeping one eye on the machine guns that could rip her tiny body to shreds. "It will save him."

Marcos and Nathaniel huddled together, whispering urgently and gesturing towards the unconscious man they called Oliver Queen. Tess was sure she had heard that name before, but couldn't place it as she sank back down beside Megan. Megan's bound hands reached out for Tess.

"Alright," Marcos said, reapproaching Tess. "But if this doesn't work, if he dies – you're gonna wish you were never born." He warned in a low voice, as Tess stood again.

"Don't worry. It will work," she said defiantly, and earned a solid backhand across the face. She blinked away the stars and galaxies that spiraled in front of her eyes and steadied herself. She gave Marcos the nastiest glare she could muster, silently wishing him an awful death before she turned and walked out of the tent, intent on finding some leeches.

"What do you need?" Nathaniel asked, falling into step beside her as she walked out of the tent. He was there to guard her.

Tess looked around, trying to orientate herself toward the bodies of water she had seen before as they made their way up the steep incline to pitch the tent. She started walking, keeping her eye out for ponds or puddles. "I need leeches. As many as I can find."

Nathaniel nodded silently and followed along behind her. Tess was glad for the near solitude, it gave her time to think ... to breathe, though the knotted bundle of fear in her stomach wasn't disappearing.

Oliver Queen.

Tess bit the corner of her chapped lower lip as her heart seemed to skip a beat, thinking about the crazy twist of luck, about her task and how daunting and impossible it seemed. But there was something about him, him and his unusual name, about the smooth curve of his lips. Tess had only managed a few glances at him, but there was something about him, something that made her feel like once he was out of danger everything would be okay, something that made her feel like she'd known him for a lifetime already.

Then she saw it, a murky pond, the colour of dark beer and covered in drifts of green algae. Nathaniel had fallen behind, lighting a cigarette, watching her from a distance. She knelt at the water's edge, a bird cried overhead and in the distance she could see the azure sparkle of the ocean. It was then that she was gripped by a sudden, bright yet terribly dark idea.

She could run.

She could run now, into the dense green shelter of the trees and plants, get down to the ocean, take the boat and push out to sea. She could escape.

Tess stood up, blind to the three leeches beginning their odd flexing crawl over her thin sneaker, fixed on her ankles. Her heart pounded sharply in her chest, knocking against her ribs. It would be so easy, when Nathaniel's back was turned, her legs already sparking with the adrenaline needed to bolt and get as far away as possible.

Megan.

Tess felt rational thought and something else, shame and guilt, sweep back in slowly. How could she live with herself, if she escaped without Megan? And that man, that poor beautiful man called Oliver. She looked away from the ocean, angry at herself, and recoiled slightly at the sight of fat leeches hanging on to her. She was running out of time. Quickly she ducked down and plucked them off, dropping the black squiggles into a cup Marcos had given her. When she had got all of the leeches she started walking back up the hill, Nathaniel shadowing her again, to their camp where, with shaking hands she set the leeches free on Oliver's suntanned chest. She watched for a moment as the leeches began their work and gently she reached out and rested her hand over his heart, feeling a strange jolt in her body like she might be able to fly, but she thinks her wings are only painted on. His heart was beating rapidly against her palm. She kept it there until his heart rate began to slow, the flicker of his eyes behind their tightly shut lids calming as well. She breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back. There was nothing to do now but wait.

Seeing that Oliver was sleeping deeply now, Tess sank down beside Megan and pressed her forehead to her knees.

When she felt her own heart calm down again she sat up and turned to Megan. "Oh Meg." She felt her heart flood with compassion at her friend and gently helped her sit up, brushing her bangs back into order, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, cleaning away the blood at the corner of her lip before she finally loosened the ropes at her wrists and massaged the deep grooves they had cut into her skin.

"I'm so sorry." Tess whispered to her.

"This isn't your fault." Megan whispered back after a long silence. "You took forever to get those leeches. I was worried."

Guilt bubbled hotly but she shook her head, "It was a decent walk to find them. For a moment, I thought I might have been gone longer, but I changed my mind. I just hope I'm not too late for him."

"I was counting. Provided we didn't screw up the estimation of when he was first poisoned, he should make it." Megan replied, lacing her fingers with Tess's. "Throughout this whole nightmare, you've been so brave."

"I'm not." Tess disagreed, closing her eyes, "I'm so scared. But I'm… I'm trying."

"I know." Megan was the one who felt guilty. She could barely move or speak in her shocked state. Her brilliance exceeded everyone's expectations, but her fragile spirit remained her albatross. Tess had been handling everything. Megan knew that Tess was stronger, but she also knew that Tess shouldn't have to be taking care of her, and taking care of this new stranger all by herself. And yet she was, with complete grace. Megan's hand caressed Tess's cheek, "You're doing so well. I should be your comrade in this, your partner in crime who stands up and fights with you. I'm sorry for being so useless."

There was something in Megan's voice that made Tess look up to meet her dark hazel eyes.

"Megan?"

"It's okay if I don't make it."

"Don't say things like that!"

"No, listen to me, Tess. If things don't go the way we planned, you have to promise to get yourself out," Megan said with a new strength to her voice, then switching back to speaking with tenderness, she added, "You are so strong and kind, Tess. You have to survive. You just have to. You've got big things to do in this life. Big things, my friend."

Tess looked adoringly at her brilliant, all-seeing best friend. "And you, Megan Li, always underestimate yourself. We both have great things to do in this world. So stick with me. Hang in there a little longer."

Tess looked over at the new stranger, checking on his progress.

"They want me to save him so...he must have something they want. And if he complies, we won't be of much use any longer. Either way, we'll be free soon."

"And this guy, while he's not looking so good right now, is still pretty hot! You better keep in touch with him." Megan continued with a wink, a feeble attempt at the carefree, joking girl she was at Harvard, before all of this. Before the loss and fear had given her sparkling eyes a deep heaviness and sadness. "I love you, Tess. You're the greatest friend I've ever had." Megan kissed her cheek.

Tess fought the tears. She didn't want this to be goodbye - not in a tent on a desert island with the shadow of death and fear hanging over them. They had so many plans, they had dreams to achieve and the apartment they wanted to buy, the husbands and the vow to be godmother to each other's children. Tess wasn't sure if she would ever see a tomorrow that didn't have Megan grinning back at her in it.

"I love you too. And we are all going to make it off this island. I promise, Megan. I'm not going to leave you. So you never know - this guy might fall in love with you!"

Megan managed a smile, nodding along with Tess, and their tiny, intimate moment was broken by a low groan from the man on the table. Tess stood up, Megan's hand slowly slipping from hers as she went to his side. He was waking and as Tess watched his face shift and his sandy eyelids flutter open to reveal beautiful soft, chocolatey eyes, she felt her heart skip a beat and mentally agreed with Megan. She could see herself mirrored in his eyes, she could hear Marcos cursing the engine on the boat and Megan's rattling breath. He was alive. She would get them out this mess.

Tess leaned down, "Hey! Can you hear me?"

Fin