A/N: So, I know the kid's name in canon is Jonathan but Robert makes so much more sense so I changed it. Because I could.

Happy reading!

angellwings

With a Little Help

By angellwings

"I'm worried about him," Victor said as he stared at Oliver's penthouse door. They'd gotten up the elevator by using their covert skills but they all knew Oliver wasn't going to let them in. "The last time Chloe went missing he—"

"Chloe's not missing," Bart said sadly. "She left."

Dinah shook her head. "We all knew she wasn't going to stay in Star City forever. None of us ever had the nerve to say anything. She's had other ambitions for as long as we've known her."

"And you don't think we could have helped her with that? Or that he could have helped her with that?" Bart asked.

"He outted himself as Green Arrow. Anywhere he goes people notice. It's hard to do what she does and gain the trust she needs with a public figure riding shotgun," AC said as he agreed with Dinah.

"Besides, she's not that far away," Dinah told them. "She'd never take the kid that far away from Oliver. She knows Oliver's a good dad."

"Then why hasn't she told us where she is?" Bart asked.

"Because the lot of you would come storming after her," Dinah said as she pointed to Victor and Bart. "She's doing exactly what I would do. She's getting a head start. Once she's settled, she'll contact us."

"In the meantime, Oliver's heart is basically shattered," Victor said with a huff.

"You don't think he knew this was coming?" Dinah asked him.

"You think he did?" AC asked in surprise.

"I think Chloe's not the type to cut and ditch without any warning to anyone. She didn't tell us because she knew we'd act on Oliver's behalf. To protect him," Dinah said with a gulp.

"So, you think she just left us out of the loop," Bart stated with a nod. "I could see that."

"No one is all good or all bad and not every decision we make has to be selfless," Dinah told them. "Now, I'm going to go talk to him. You guys can stay out here if you want."

Dinah turned to knock on the door and only one person turned with her. Victor. The sensible romantic, of course. Bart didn't want to know if Chloe had shut him out and AC didn't think it was really any of his business. They ducked back into the elevator and Victor gave Dinah a dry yet amused glance.

"Nice to know under what terms that 'all for one, one for all' thing is null and void, isn't it?" Victor asked with a smirk.

Dinah grinned at him and shook her head as she knocked on Oliver's door. He hadn't come out of his penthouse for days and no one knew what his mindset was. All they knew was that Chloe was gone and Oliver had shut them out. Literally.

A second later there was a voice from behind the door. "How the hell did you guys get passed my security system in the elevator?"

Victor held up his arm and briefly flashed the upgrades at the door's peep hole. "Queen Industries latest and greatest. Hacking your security system was a piece of cake."

"Of course. Where are the other two chuckleheads?" Oliver asked them.

"Hey!" Dinah said in an offended shout. "Do not ever lump me in with those idiots."

They heard a chuckle from behind the door. A good sign. "Right, sorry, Pretty Bird. I should know better."

"They chickened out and are currently hiding in your elevator," Victor answered. "Can we come in?"

The locks on the door clicked and it slowly opened. Both Dinah and Victor hesitantly entered. They were afraid they'd find Oliver and his apartment completely trashed, but to their surprise it was pretty well kept. Oliver hadn't shaved in a while and he was wearing very casual clothes, but it by no means looked like he'd given up.

"How are you?" Dinah asked warily.

"Not stellar as you can imagine," he answered honestly. "But Chloe and I have talked about this on multiple occasions and we never seemed to come up with a solution-"

"Translation: they argued about it constantly and could never really resolve it," Victor said as an aside to Dinah.

Dinah gave Victor a stern glance before looking back at Oliver. "You don't have to soften anything for us. We're not going to take sides."

Oliver sighed and his shoulders slumped. "We weren't happy. We argued all the time. We tried to avoid each other if at all possible—we weren't a couple anymore. We were two strangers sharing an apartment. Roommates, basically. She wanted out and…I couldn't think of a reason to ask her to stay."

"Did you know she was leaving?" Dinah asked. "Did she give you any sort of heads up?"

"Subtle hints," Oliver said with a sigh. "Signs I should have been able to read."

"And Robbie?"

Oliver gave Dinah a heartbroken wince. "Talked to him this morning. He's used to travel so I don't think he really understands what's happening."

"You talked to him? You know where Chloe is?" Victor asked.

"No," Oliver said with a shake of his head. "I have suspicions, but no facts. Even if I did, I'd keep my distance. Chloe will tell me when she's ready."

"You trust her still?" Dinah asked with a quirked brow.

He shrugged. "We may not be the couple we once were but she's still Chloe. She'd never hurt Robbie and she wouldn't keep him from me. I've made a lot of mistakes in this life but I've kept all of those away from him. She knows that."

"We all know that, Ollie," Dinah assured him.

"Then again, just when I think I'd left that old screw up behind me, he seems to find his way back, doesn't he?" Oliver asked as he sat down and slumped back on his couch.

"Green Bean, this isn't all your fault," Dinah told him as she sat down next to him. "It takes two to make a marriage work and it's not as if you sabotaged it. That's what old Oliver would have done. "

"Old Oliver would also be totally wasted right now and as far as I can tell you're sober," Victor added. "So…growth."

Oliver chuckled and nodded. "Good points on both counts."

"Nothing's ruined," Dinah assured him. "It's just…different. We can help you with different."

Victor nodded. "The way you helped us," he agreed. "One day at a time."

"One day at a time, huh?" Oliver said as she rubbed his stubbly chin. "Maybe this one should start with a shave?"

Dinah smirked and shrugged. "I don't know. I think it suits you. New Oliver, new look."

He quirked a brow at her with an amused glance. "You want me to go full Errol Flynn and grow a goatee? Is that it?"

She shrugged and laughed lightly. "Something to consider. It would certainly fit with your Robin Hood obsession, Richie."

He nodded slowly and then smirked before repeating Dinah's words. "New Oliver, new look. Why not? We'll give it a try."

"That's the spirit," Dinah told him. "Have you eaten yet?"

He shook his head. "I was about to order something—"

"You were going to order breakfast?" Victor asked. "Oh hell no. Take out for breakfast is where we draw the line. Come on, let's go find you some real food, boss man."

Dinah stood and pulled Oliver up from the couch. He smiled warmly at his friends and reluctantly followed them. Dinah slipped her arm through his after he locked the door behind them.

"We're here for you, Ollie. Never forget that," she told him as they stepped into the elevator with Bart and AC. "We're family."

He nodded. "I promise I'll remember from now on. Thanks for rallying the troops, Pretty Bird."

She smiled at him and shook her head. "Why do you assume it was me?"

He scoffed and laughed. "Yeah, like these guys would have been brave enough on their own to come and check on me. They're all a bunch of cowards when it comes to emotions."

"It's true," Bart admitted. "We don't do emotions."

"Emotions are why I have Mera," AC told them.

Victor rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, we're definitely family."

Dinah and Oliver laughed and exchanged amused glances as the elevator doors closed. Everything else might be different but some things would never change.