Hello everyone. This is my first ever Chlollie fic, so hopefully I do them so kind of justice. I hope you all like it.
DISCLAIMER: As much as I wish I did, I DO NOT own these characters.
Chloe knew as soon as she decided to put on the Helmet of Nabu that things would never be the same.
Knew that the road she was destined to travel was one that was meant to be walked alone.
Knew that to find the archer meant giving up a large piece of herself.
But she also knew that knowing and caring were two different things.
She didn't care that things would be different, as long as their mission wasn't compromised.
She didn't care that she'd be alone, as long as the people she cared the most for would have each other.
She didn't care how much of herself she had to give, as long as it meant that Oliver would be alive and home.
They would understand, she reasoned, because they were heroes; and as such knew that nothing came without sacrifice.
She was Watchtower and she would do what she was hired to do; watch after her family.
The whole team, including Lois and Tess, had gathered to welcome her back to the fold, but it felt more like a funeral than a homecoming. They were all staring at her, as if they were waiting for her to vanish into thin air. She tried her best to reassure them that she was home to stay, that everything that the helmet warned her about had been averted, but they still seemed doubtful.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that they still had their reservations about where her loyalty lay, but she couldn't make them trust her.
After all, she was the best liar they knew.
"Why didn't you let us help you? Why did you just leave?" Bart asked solemnly.
Chloe let out a breath before answering. "There was nothing you guys could do. If I didn't put on the helmet, we would've never found Ollie in time and that was something that I couldn't let happen. It wasn't because I didn't trust you. I did it to spare you. I knew how much would have to be sacrificed in order to do what needed to be done and I wasn't about to put that burden on you guys' shoulders."
Clark noticeably tensed at her words. "That wasn't your call to make Chloe. We are a team and we make all decisions as team."
"I know we're a team Clark. I've never forgotten that. But I had a decision to make and I made it. Whether you approve or not is not going to change that," she said forcibly.
Oliver took a few steps towards her when he saw Clark stepping into her personal space. "So if you had to do it again, you'd do the same thing? You'd walk out on us?"
Lois sat back, watching the drama unfold, waiting for the right time to intervene. She knew her cousin did what she felt was right, but she also knew Chloe owed her team an explanation.
Chloe looked from team member to team member, from friend to friend, then back to Clark, "In a heartbeat." She said the words in such a way that it left little room for doubt.
No apology.
No remorse.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Tess, her replacement of all people, spoke the words that they were all dying to say, "How do we know you won't pick up and leave again?"
Taking a few steps back from Clark, she began pacing the room. She knew that coming home would be hard, but she didn't think she'd have to convince them to trust her.
How long had she known all their secrets and never spoken a word to anyone?
How many times have they let her guide them into the unknown on just her word alone?
With a deep sigh, she stopped with her back facing them. "All I can give you is my word. Once upon a time, that would have been enough."
Lois couldn't take anymore. She could see how Chloe's back became ramrod straight, how her hands were balled up into fists. She was putting up her infamous walls and if that happened, they'd never really have her back. "Look guys, all that matters is that she's here… now. She saved Ollie. She stopped the Suicide Squad from killing my dad and she saved all of us from the VRA. Why can't you all just let it go?"
Victor nodded. "Lois is right. Chloe has never given us a reason not to trust her and I for one am not going to start now. She did what she had to do to protect us and I'm grateful. Do I wish she'd went about it differently, yes, but we can't always have things the way we want it."
When AC, Bart and Dinah all made sounds in agreement, Lois relaxed a bit. "Good. Now can we get to celebrating already, I'm hungry," she said trying to break the tension a bit.
Suddenly, Oliver spoke stopping everyone in their tracks. "I can't let it go because she left me. She left me." His voice was low and dangerous and held more than a bit of betrayal. "She can't just walk back in here like nothing happened."
He walked over to Chloe and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. "You can't act like things are the same!" As soon as Oliver saw the tears streaming down her face he let her go and backed away. He knew from experience that Chloe didn't cry often. It was a sign of weakness and she was anything but.
She wiped her face with the back of her hand and looked into Oliver's eyes with a resolve that she didn't even know she had left in her.
"I left knowing that when I finally came back things wouldn't be the same. I knew I'd have a lot of explaining to do and tons of amends to make, and that's what I'm trying to do.
"What I won't do is stand here and let you and Clark judge me for something you've both done to me. After Jimmy died, you guys left me! When you finally decided to come back, I never did what you're doing to me now. Relationships may have been strained, but I never treated you guys like the enemy."
Clark let out an incredulous snort. "You know why we left Chloe. It's not the same thing."
Chloe shook her head. Every time she spoke to Clark it was like she was talking to a stranger. He didn't get her anymore and she was sad to know he never would again. "It is the same Clark. Because even though I knew your reasons, it didn't change the fact that I couldn't be sure that you wouldn't do it again. You expected me to just accept your explanations and go on like nothing ever happened."
At this point her tears were flowing freely and she made no move to hide them. "Trust works both ways. Yeah, I left. But I did it to save you guys and for that, I will never apologize."
With that she turned on her heel and walked towards the rest of the team, leaving Clark and Oliver staring at her back. Dinah was about to open her mouth to speak when Chloe stopped her. "I love you guys and I'm sorry if my leaving hurt you, but I had to do it." She hugged them all and then turned to Tess. "Thank you for watching over them. If you need anything let me know."
Chloe then picked up her jacket and began to put it on. Oliver wasn't sure what was happening. "Where are you going? And why would Tess need anything from you? You're back. You're Watchtower!"
She picked up her purse and began walking towards the door as if he'd never spoken, before she finally stopped. "I was Watchtower. This is your family Arrow. When you hired me, you did so because you trusted me with your secrets and the secrets of the League." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And that's no longer the case."
She opened the door and took a step through before he responded. "You said you were sticking around," he said softly.
She turned back and looked at him with the saddest green eyes he'd ever seen. "And you said you trusted me with your life."
Then, just like that, she was gone.
I've never done this so reviews would really be appreciated. Thank you for reading.