This is a sequel to my story, "Target: Green Arrow", and picks up the action about twenty-four hours after it finishes. If you haven't read it (or can't remember), here's a quick summary:

Oliver was captured by a bounty hunter named Brown, who planned to sell him to Lex. Chloe, Clark and the Justice League tried to find him, resulting in Chloe being kidnapped by Brown and AC falling into the hands of Lex. During their captivity and torture Chloe and Oliver began to recognise their feelings for each other, and eventually they were rescued by Clark. Lex was frustrated to have come so close to capturing the Green Arrow, and vowed to not stop until he has destroyed his adversary.

So here we go with the next stage of my developing story. This is all set before Season Seven, but after "Justice", so Chloe has no powers at this stage. There is going to be a lot of Chlollie, a lot of Lex v. the Green Arrow, and a lot of angst and drama.

Oh, and it looks like we're going to get a lot of Oliver in Season Eight - great news!!

Chapter One: Awakenings

For a split second Chloe experienced what so many feel when they first awaken from a long sleep – a feeling of complete disorientation. She was aware that she had slept soundly, a sign that at last her body had started to relax after the traumatic events of the last few days. And now those events started to tumble back into her mind – Oliver's capture, their ordeal at the hands of Brown and Stadler, their escape and eventual rescue, her heart-to-heart with Oliver….

Had that really happened? Had he really said he loved her, and kissed her with a tenderness that she had never thought possible?

She tilted her head upwards, and saw Oliver's face a few inches above her, at peace as she must have been at peace just a few seconds before. Her head was resting on his chest, and she could hear his heart beating as she felt the slow rise and fall of his lungs as he breathed. His arm was wrapped around her, seemingly offering the protection and the security which he felt that it was his destiny to provide, not simply to her but to the world. She knew that she would always have to share him, and that his mission as the Green Arrow would always mean that he would never wholly be hers. But at that moment that seemed like a distant reality – he was here, with her, and she intended to cherish this moment of intimacy for as long as possible.

She lay for what seemed like an eternity, everything silent save for the sound of Oliver's breathing. Occasionally she would look upwards at his face, so serene and calm despite the bruises that provided an outward sign of the ordeal he had just endured. But for the most part she was content simply to rest her head on the smooth, firm muscle of his chest, the rhythm of its rising and falling almost hypnotic in its effect. It was a perfect moment, when all the troubles and complexities of life – of the past, of the future – seemed to fly from the room. Chloe felt a level of happiness that she had never experienced before in those minutes she lay in the arms of the man she loved, a contentment that she was not to experience again for many weeks to come.

A sound.

What was it?

Chloe turned her head, and looked across the bedroom in the direction of the door which led out into the large open space that lay at the heart of the Queen penthouse. Her eyes met Clark's, and for a moment neither moved, or said a word. Chloe suddenly felt the world intruding once more, and even though the intrusion came in the benign form of Clark, he still represented a new reality that would now have to be confronted. Explanations and moments of awkwardness inevitably lay ahead, something that she didn't know she was ready for. She wanted to keep Oliver to herself, and somehow having to go public with their relationship didn't feel right. But going public was now unavoidable, and Clark seemed like as good a person as any to try out her explanations.

Clark's eyes had widened slightly at the sight of Chloe lying in bed with Oliver, but other than that he gave no reaction. Instead he nodded his head to one side, beckoning her from the room. It was clear that he had something he needed to tell her.

AC!

Chloe felt guilty as she remembered that one of the team was missing, presumed captured. She felt selfish for having experienced her moments of joy with Oliver, whilst AC might be languishing in some LuthorCorp cell somewhere. And of course Oliver didn't know – they had thought it best to keep the news from him, to persuade him to take the rest that his body so desperately needed. But he would have to be told, and told soon – more awkward conversations. Chloe sighed as she felt life's complexities crowding in once more.

Gently Chloe lifted Oliver's arm from her body and moved it carefully to one side. She then slipped out of the bed, taking care not to disturb the young man who continued to sleep so soundly. She tip-toed towards the door, casting one last look over her shoulder at Oliver, before leaving the room with Clark, silently closing the door behind them.

"Clark, I…"

"Chloe, you don't need to say anything."

She looked at the man who had been her rock for so long now. He smiled reassuringly back at her, as he had done so many times before. She had always suspected that he knew about how she felt about Oliver, but he had never asked her about it - he had always given her the space to bring it up in her own time, if that ever came. She guessed that time was fast approaching.

"Clark, I want to tell you everything, but the others…I don't think I can face talking to them, not just yet. Do you mind?"

"Whatever you want, Chloe. I'm just glad you're happy." He paused, searching her face for some sort of confirmation. "You are happy, aren't you?"

A broad smile broke across Chloe's lips.

"Happier than I have ever been in my life."

She hugged Clark, eager to share her delight with her surrogate brother. She knew that he was happy for her, and in that moment she knew that nothing had changed between them – he would still be there for her, whatever might lie ahead.

After a few seconds Clark pulled away from her, his face now etched with concern. Chloe now knew why Clark her come to find her – he had news, and it wasn't going to be good.

"You haven't found him?" she asked, the happiness disappearing from her features.

"No. We've looked everywhere, but there's nothing. I think we've got to prepare ourselves for the worst."

"You think Lex has him?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. He staked out where Lex had his meeting with Brown, and now he's disappeared – there's no other obvious explanation."

"How are the others taking it?"

"Bart's not good – keeps threatening to bust in on Lex and beat AC's location out of him."

"Just what Lex wants."

"Of course – and Bart knows it. He'll be okay – Victor will keep an eye on him."

Chloe looked around the empty penthouse.

"Where are they?"

"Still out looking. I just came back to check on you and Oliver, but…" Clark stopped himself mid-sentence. He was about to tease Chloe about how he'd found the two of them, but given the circumstances it didn't seem right.

"We're going to have to tell him, Chloe," he continued. "He has a right to know."

"A right to know what?"

Both Chloe and Clark turned towards the bedroom door, to find Oliver framed in the archway, clad only in his boxer shorts. Chloe looked back at Clark, as if searching for guidance about what to say, before looking back towards Oliver.

This was not going to be easy.

Lex stepped out of his limousine and paused, breathing in deeply. He had always found the air at the Wallis Facility particularly invigorating, its freshness undoubtedly a product of the altitude and the remote location, nearly a hundred miles from Metropolis. In fact the facility was a good many miles from any form of habitation, one reason why Lex had chosen this spot for this, his most secret operation. The experiments conducted here would not be easy to explain to the prying eyes of the world's media, and consequently security was exceptionally tight – not even the Justice League had attempted to breach these systems. That was all about to change, Lex had no doubt about that – but that was all part of the plan that was now shaping itself in his mind.

A woman stepped forward to meet him. She was tall, and dressed immaculately in a modern designer suit and thigh length black leather boots. Jet black hair crowned a strikingly beautiful face, a porcelain complexion serving to highlight the scarlet of her lip gloss. She appeared every inch the modern career woman, which in a way she was, but not in a conventional sense. This was Miss Rachel Akunin, daughter of a Russian scientist who had worked for LexCorp for many years, until his death in his early sixties. Rachel had also decided to make her career with LexCorp, but not as a scientist. She had carved out a niche for herself as Lex's enforcer, a woman prepared to take care of anything, or anyone, who got in his way. Her services had proved invaluable on many occasions; her amorality, her willingness to do whatever it took to achieve an objective, had marked her out in Lex's mind as a woman with a future in his organisation. So it was no surprise that when it came to setting up the Wallis Facility her name was the only one he considered as director of the complex; she would have no qualms in supervising the experiments that had to be conducted here.

"Mr Luthor, always a pleasure," she said, offering her hand.

"Rachel, it's good to see you. How is our new arrival?"

"He regained consciousness a few hours ago. We've been monitoring him, but Dr Thomas has not begun any treatment, as per your instructions."

"That's good. I'd like to see Curry now, if that's possible."

"Of course. This way."

Akunin gestured for Lex to follow, and the two of them entered the main building of the complex. Five minutes and four security checks later, they arrived at a small room, banks of computers down one side and blackened glass stretching along the full length of the other.

A man in his late fifties stepped forward to meet the new arrivals.

"Dr Thomas, good to see you," said Lex, offering his hand.

"Mr Luthor. Everything is as you requested – we simply await your instructions."

"You've prepared the programs for the Oceania Treatment?"

"Everything is ready. Of course it's experimental, but I'm confident that it will work, given the right number of doses", said Thomas. "And with a subject like this," he added, nodding towards the blackened glass, "well, the opportunity to test on such a live specimen is too good to pass up."

Luthor smiled. He'd thrown Thomas a lifeline eight months previously, when he'd been fired by his university for unethical experiments. A brilliant mind, without question, and one which to Lex should not be straightjacketed by some outdated morality. He'd done exceptional things on the 33.1 program, and the Oceania Treatment was his most exciting work to date. It was a treatment that now figured prominently in his plans for his young captive – and in his desire to capture the Green Arrow.

"Let's see him, shall we?", said Lex, looking towards the blackened glass.

"Of course."

Thomas typed in a code on a keyboard, and instantly the glass that had once been blackened now cleared, to reveal a small cell beyond.

In the center of the room hung AC, his arms stretched him above him to where his hands were manacled and attached to thick chains. Green leggings covered his body from the waist down, but his torso and arms were exposed to the harsh glare of the light that seemed to flood the cell from all directions. Lex realised that the light, and the heat generated, had been instrumental in humbling the young hero; the discoloration of AC's skin, obvious across the expanse of his muscular torso and upper arms, was a sign of his weakness.

Lex smiled to himself. He might not have the Green Arrow, not yet anyway. But he did have Curry – and he was determined to have his fun with the helpless man.

"He's awake?" asked Lex, noting that AC's head appeared lifeless as his chin rested on his chest.

"Oh yes," replied Thomas. "He came round two hours ago. Struggled for a bit, as you might imagine, but he soon tired himself out. I'm afraid our young guest is now all too aware of his own predicament."

"Then I think it's time I said hello, don't you?"

Hope this has got you interested! Please review - you can't know how great it is to have your feedback, and the reviews for my first story really helped me to get on with my writing.