Summary of THIS chapter: What if Oliver broke it off with Chloe, fearing that she was his weakness? Chloe's not meteor infected in this chapter. Oliver is the Green Arrow, as is the Justice League and Clark. They don't know that Lex is behind all of the 33.1 facilities, but he had just recently found out about Oliver being the Green Arrow.

1/?

Blowing the fire off the lit match, Chloe smiled to herself as she looked around Oliver's bedroom. His usually clean, masculine bedroom was now lit with candles, filling the air with vanilla. On the floor were rose petals spreaded about every inch possible, balloons floating right above the bed, with curly strings hanging midway from the air. Walking towards the bed, Chloe took the remaining rose petals and placed it around the carefully wrapped box.

Four years, the best four years of her life. Four years since they had began dating, four years of them being in love. He admitted that he saw her at the Talon every day, and he couldn't hold the temptation any longer. He had a plan, today, he was going to "accidently" bump into her. He stood up as he saw her walking toward the door, looking the other way to make it seem as though he wasn't watching where he was going. What he didn't expect was for her to spill her coffee all over him. Okay, so that was a miner set back. Maybe he shouldn't have worn his Armani suit today. At first, Chloe hadn't even notice who he was, she kept apologizing profusely as she tried to pat him dry with her napkin, but when she finally did look up, her mouth fell right open. Not only did she spill a coffee on a poor unexpecting man, she spilled coffee on billionaire Oliver Queen, the president of Queen Industries. Being the reporter that she is, she spurted out his name right away, point at him. Laughing, Oliver confirmed that it was indeed him, taking the napkin from her as he tried to clean himself off. Their friendly conversations turned into intimate ones, ending with him asking her out on a date.

A door being closed interrupted her trip down memory lane. Glancing at the clock, it read 8:09. Oliver's flight landed about an hour ago. He was in Star City for an important meeting with Wayne Corp., a merger in the talks.

Upon opening the door, Chloe stepped out into the hallway, quietly closing his bedroom door behind her. Tip-toeing toward the living room, she saw him and couldn't help but grin at the sight before her. One hand trying to take off his tie and the other had a firm grip on his luggage, all the while trying to not bump into the couch. He wore a tired look on his face, and she couldn't help but notice his tensed muscles and kinked eyebrows, which meant something was bothering him. Dating him for four years had her knowing every detail about him.

Sighing, Oliver dragged his luggage toward the living room, placing it aside. He'll unpack later. Meeting with Bruce Wayne and the League was exhausting. Victor did some digging, and found at least 15 more 33.1 facilities. Merging Wayne Corp. and Queen Industries was not just a business matter, but a JLA matter, also. Seeing each other often had helped their strategies on finding out who was behind all of the meteor infected disappearing. Walking toward the balcony, he opened the doors and looked at Metropolis. Chloe should be getting home from the Planet around this time.

Oliver closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the wind picked up. Chloe. A heated argument between him and Clark formed yesterday. Oliver loved Chloe, and he knew she loved him equally as much. But did he love her enough to let her go?

"Oliver, you just can't break up with her," Clark reasoned, "What are you going to say? 'Oh, my enemy knows that I have a green leather fetish. So you can't be with me because he might hurt you. By the way, I'm the Green Arrow.' Yeah, that'll bode well with her."

Oliver looked up from his laptop, annoyed. "What else do you suggest I do? They know, Clark. They'll soon find out about Chloe and use her to get to me. If I call it quits, she'll be safe."

"That's beside the point! You love her, protect her. It's that simple,"

"Look, I don't have a girlfriend like yours, Clark. Chloe doesn't know about these things, her world is politics and nuclear war, not aliens and meteor-infected." Oliver said, closing his laptop.

Clark looked at him with angered eyes, "So you're just going to break her heart and leave her? Did you even consider that?"

Standing up, Oliver clenched his fists, "Of course I did! If breaking her heart keeps her alive, then I'll break her heart ten million times before I see her in a coffin, I'm not going to let some fucking bastard hurt her."

Holding up his hands, Clark looked at Oliver straight in the eye, "Calm down, Oliver. I just want to make sure that this is what you really want before making the biggest mistake of your life,"

In a soft voice, "You're all she has left. After Gabe died, you're her family, just like she is yours. Yes, Lois is there, but it's clearly obvious that she doesn't even live near or work at the Daily Planet anymore," he added.

"I know," running a hand through his hair, Oliver whispered, "But I have to do this. Think about it, Clark. Wouldn't you if it were Lois?"

"Yeah, I would," Clark said without hesitating, "With the lives we live, you can't help but think about these situations, huh?" Clark said with a sad laugh. "Just make sure it's what you want, not a mistake."

"If it means breaking her heart to see her alive and healthy, it's not a mistake."

So, this was it. He came back to Metropolis, with a heart filled with sorrow of what was to come. Breaking up with her would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do. Warm hands were suddenly on his arms, rubbing them as if to keep him warm. Closing his eyes, he couldn't believe that it was about to happen now. I should have known she would be here, he thought. Turning around, he saw Chloe, looking as beautiful as ever. Smooth, silky blonde hair that fell just above her shoulders made her green eyes sparkle. She was wearing a long-sleeved white camisole, along with a brown skirt with brown boots. Boots that he bought her randomly, as he saw hers was getting worn out.

"Surprise," Chloe said as she kissed his cheek. "Aren't you cold?"

Shaking his head, he pulled away from her and walked in the living room. Taken aback with his withdrawal, Chloe followed him.

"Is everything okay? How's the merger going?" Chloe asked.

"It's going great, actually," Oliver said as he took some things out of the luggage, "Bruce is doing well, he says hello."

Chloe watched as he unpacked, still puzzled onto why he was acting like this. Had she done something wrong?

"Are you sure? You seem a little… tense," Chloe said.

"I'm FINE, Chloe,"

Her eyes widened. He had never sounded annoyed at her. Ever. Anger filled her as she walked over toward Oliver, pushing the luggage away.

"Can you please stop unpacking? I haven't seen you in two weeks, and all you're doing is unpacking!"

Sighing, Oliver looked away. Was it supposed to be this hard? Seeing this frustrated with him was something he never experienced. Sure, they had their fights, but they were nothing big. Hell, they couldn't stand being mad at each other for two hours! But what has to be done, has to be done. Dreading this part, he turned away.

"Listen, I don't think this is working out," Oliver said.

Silence was all he heard. For a moment, he thought she had left, but he heard a soft, "What?" he knew she was still there.

"I don't feel like I did before, Chloe," He had this all planned out ahead of time because if he played it by ear, he would surely confess the real reason as to why he was breaking up with her.

"Why are you doing this?" Chloe couldn't believe this was happening, she thought they were heading toward the right direction, hell she thought that they were ready for the next level: marriage.

Closing his eyes, Oliver said the words that he knows he will surely remember for the rest of his life, "I just fell out of love with you, Chloe."

Shaking her head, her eyes glistened with tears. Fell out of love? Where did she go wrong? Two weeks ago, he was passionately making love to her, and now he's saying that he fell out of love?

Oliver's heart clenched as he heard her sniffle. He was the reason she was crying. This was the second time it happened. The first was during their first year together.

Being that it was the anniversary of his parent's death, he was in a bad mood. Chloe had called him in the morning, asking him where he was since she dropped by, but no one had answered. Telling her that he was out buying groceries, he hung up on her. He knew he should tell her, but they only dated a year. True, he admits that he's falling hard for Chloe, but he can't help but feel guarded with his heart. He spent the entire day at the cemetery, just thinking. By nightfall, he returned to his apartment, surprised to see Chloe still there arms wrapped around her knees.

"Hey," he said as he walked towards Chloe when she looked up.

"Were you waiting for me the whole day?" he asked as he walked inside his apartment, holding the elevator so she can get in.

Chloe raised an eyebrow as she walked past, "How was your nine hour grocery shopping?"

When Oliver didn't reply, she stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, handing him a magazine. Confused, he looked down at the page.

IS OLIVER QUEEN ALREADY BACK TO HIS PLAYBOY WAYS?

Underneath the headline, a photograph of Oliver and Dinah Lance getting out of a car. To the world, it would seem that they were dating. To the Justice League, it's platonically JLA business.

"What about it?" Oliver asked as he threw it down the table. He walked past Chloe and into the kitchen to get water. Opening the cap, he turned and stared at her, taking a gulp of water.

"What about it? What about it?! Oliver, it's obvious that you didn't go grocery shopping," Chloe said as she started to get angry.

Closing the cap he stood straight. "And what are you insinuating that I was doing? Cheating on you? Come on, Chloe. Give me some credit."

Sighing, Chloe ran her hand over her face.

"I don't know what to think anymore, Ollie," she said softly, "One minute you're sleeping right next to me, and when I wake up in the middle of the night, you're not." She said.

"You suddenly have to leave early on our date, hell, you even didn't show up to some," she continued as she smiled sadly. "Maybe I'm thinking too much into this, but should I start believing what the magazines are saying?" she continued.

Oliver couldn't believe what he was hearing. There he was earlier, sitting by his parent's graves, softly talking about Chloe Sullivan, the woman who he was falling for. And here she was accusing him of cheating on her? Well damn that all to hell.

"News flash, Chloe. Everything doesn't revolve around you," Oliver said as he grabbed his water bottle and stalked toward the living room.

"Yeah, I go missing sometimes, do you even think before that mind of yours wander? Ever thought I was doing some business and didn't want to wake you up?"

Chloe opened her mouth, but he cut her off, "I was with Dinah on a business matter, god, every time I'm with a girl doesn't mean that I'm fucking them,"

"Ollie," Chloe started, but Oliver cut her off again.

"What Chloe? What? Want to accuse me more of things? Do you want my money? Is that it? Every other woman out there is, I wouldn't be surprised if you were one of them," Oliver said angrily.

Shocked, Chloe stared wide-eyed at Oliver.

"What? I am not with you for your money, Oliver Queen!" she exclaimed, "How can you even think that? You know, I gave you the benefit of a doubt when I said yes to go out on a date with you, and you're proving me wrong by each minute since you got home!"

Anger overtook Oliver as he threw his water bottle across the room, "It should be me who is wondering who is cheating on who."

Aghast by his exclamation, Chloe wanted to pull her hair out.

"What are you talking about? I'm always here for you! Which I can say a hell of a lot more for you! You're always missing at random times! How the hell would I know if you're not off sleeping with some bimbo instead?"

"Jimmy Olsen!" Oliver said as he pointed a finger at her, "He's always following you around like a love-sick puppy, how the hell would I know if you're not the one going behind my back and sleeping with other men! God, you can be the slut of the century," Oliver knew it was wrong taking his anger out on Chloe, but with all the pent up anger he had in him, he had to let out all of his anger, unfortunately it was on his girlfriend.

After hearing what he had said, Chloe shook her head, sadly laughing at the whole situation. She just wanted to spend a day with her boyfriend, and now it seems as if they were on the verge of breaking up.

"You know what? Fine," Chloe started, "I'm the biggest slut in the world, I'm a gold digger, I'm the fucking queen of all whores. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Chloe said as her voice waivered.

"I'm sorry that I accused you of cheating, but can you honestly blame me? You're always missing at the oddest times! I wake up, you're not there, on dates, you're either late or you don't even bother showing up. How the hell would I know that you're not cheating on me? Can you really blame me for thinking that way?" she asked. Brushing a tear away as it fell, she walked towards the elevator.

Turning back to him, she said, "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Oliver. I can't replace the year we were together, but think of it this way, you don't have to worry about breaking my heart every time you're late to a date."

Entering the elevator, she softly said, "It was broken when you started to keep secrets from me," as the elevator door closed.

Oliver stood in the middle of his living room, feeling like a fool. He had no right attacking Chloe like he did. His League business took him away from Chloe most of the time, it would be inevitable that she would think the way she did. Running toward his security system, he stopped the elevator from going down, instead having it go back to his apartment instead.

Waiting impatiently for the door to open, Oliver expected to see an angry Chloe. But what he saw was something he didn't expect. There stood Chloe, wiping away her tears as they kept falling. Noticing that the elevator stopped, she was about to step out to the ground floor when she notice that the stop was at the apartment.

"What? Wanted to have the last word?" she asked sarcastically.

Oliver shook his head, beating himself over that he had made Chloe cry. He had basically ruined the best relationship he had. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Do you expect me to run into your arms, forgiving you? No, I think this slut is smarter than that," she said bitterly. "Let me leave, Oliver."

"No, just hear me out, please?" Oliver begged. He made a motion to grab her hand, but she pulled back, staring at him with untrusting eyes.

"Please, I promise I'll let you go after you hear me out,"

"Fine," walking toward the couch, she crossed her legs and wiped a few tears that remained.

"I wasn't grocery shopping today,"-Chloe murmured, "No shit, Sherlock," Ignoring her statement, Oliver continued, "I was at the cemetery."

Snapping her head up, she looked at him with curious eyes."What?"

Sighing, Oliver rubbed his face with his hands.

"Let's just put it this way," he started, "Ever since my parent's death, I'm very moody and emotional, in a very bad way on the anniversary."

"….Oh," How was she going to reply to that? There she was, not 20 minutes ago, accusing him of cheating on her while he was mourning over his parent's death?

"And you were basically in my line of anger, to put it simply," Oliver sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I called you a slut, I'm sorry for calling you stupid, I'm just so sorry, Chloe."

Chloe looked over at Oliver, who had his clenched hands on either side of his head. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, "I would have understood."

"I, I just-.." Oliver said as he grew frustrated, "I'm not very good at this relationship thing, Chloe. If you hadn't notice, every magazine out there know my reputation, that I'm a "playboy," I use women as if they were napkins, they were all true, I didn't care for those women. They didn't care about me," He said.

He looked up, staring straight into her eyes. "And then I met you."

Chloe sadly looked at him and stared at her hands. "You just can't do this to me, going around, hiding your feelings. It hurts to know that you don't trust me enough to let me know certain things, Ollie," he smiled at the nickname, only when she was mad at him she didn't call him Ollie.

"I know, and I am sorry. I don't want to lose you," he replied.

After many tears, kisses and hugs within the next few hours, Oliver knew right then and there. He wasn't falling for Chloe anymore. He already landed.

Shaking his head, Oliver finally turned to look at Chloe. It was happening again, but this time, their break up wasn't over his emotional breakdown. Red puffy eyes met his as his sadly looked on.

"So this is it? After four years? You just fell out of love?" she cried.

Oliver smiled sadly. Softly, he replied, "Yes. It was the best four years, Chloe, you taught me so many things I didn't know about myself, and I love you for that, but.." he trailed off, not knowing how to finish.

Slowly nodding her head, she left to grab her purse from the couch, walking toward the elevator. Tear filled eyes met his and with her last words, "I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough," and left.

Hearing her say that she wasn't good enough for him was definitely a hard blow. What was she saying, he wasn't good enough for her. He's a damn coward. He can protect her, he can save her from all the 

wrong doings of every villain. But who was he to say all of that when he didn't even know who the villain was?

Letting out a shaky breath, Oliver willed himself not to cry.

"No crying, you damn pussy," he said to himself. You're saving her life from being corrupted, she deserves to live normally.

Deciding to unpack to clear his mind, he grabbed his luggage and pulled it towards his bedroom. Upon opening the door, his mouth fell open. The air was scented with vanilla, candles placed beautifully around his room. Rose petals on the floor, laughing sadly as he sees white, pink and green rose petals. Green rose petals, his favorite color. Right dab in the middle of his bed, was a box surrounded by more rose petals, directly above, balloons with curly strings hung. Dropping his luggage, he slowly walked toward the box.

Sitting on his bed, he grabbed the box and opened the lid. Inside, he stared with his mouth gaped open. There in the box laid his baby blanket, baby bottle, and a picture of his parents and him. How she found this in the attic, he will never know. A folded up piece of paper carefully placed near his bottle was addressed to him. With shaking hands, he grabbed the paper, reading its contents.

You're probably wondering, "How the hell did she find these?" Well! I am a reporter for a reason, my lovely snook-ums! -Oliver smiled and shook his head- Don't shake your head at me! You know you love it when I call you that. –Tears filled Oliver's eyes as he read. She always knew him so well- Anyway! I love you, and I wanted to find these items that you collected. I know that family is important to you, Ollie. You're my family, and I'm your family. And soon, if you hadn't figured it out yet, considering how dense you are – Oliver raised his eyebrow, did she just say she loved him and then insulted him?- we'll be a real family, Oliver Queen. I'm 3 months pregnant. I'll always love you forever and ever, Snook-ums! Now, look towards your bathroom, I think you'll appreciate what you'll see.

Dropping the paper to the floor, Oliver's thoughts were racing a million miles a minute in his head.

What the hell had he done? Did he really just tell his pregnant girlfriend that he fell out of love with her?

Knowing it was useless, he turned towards his bathroom. Seeing the inside, he saw her belongings still inside, a green bra and panties set with stockings on the counter. What had he done?


"What do you mean, you can't come to the banquet?" Lex roared.

Chloe rung her hangs on her shirt as she looked at her husband. "I can't, you know I always go to the cemetery on March 25," she replied nervously. Surely enough, she went with Oliver when they were together on the 26th, but now she had been going a day before so she wouldn't bump into him.

"You're going. That's final. It would make me look bad enough as it is!" Lex exclaimed as walked towards Chloe. "You and that bastard kid of yours are going."

"Lex! Don't call him a bastard, he's MY son!" she said angrily.

Lex sneered, "That's why I'm calling him a bastard, he's YOUR son, not MY son."

"Mommy?" a little boy, not older than 5 years old, asked as he opened the door.

Lex scoffed as he stared at him. His blonde hair and deep blue eyes reminded him of the man he hated most. Oliver Queen.

"Cayden, what are you doing out of bed?" Chloe said as she went over to him and picked him up.

Grabbing onto Chloe, Cayden secured his stuffed toy, Andy, between his mom and him so it wouldn't fall. "I couldn't sleep. Maid Maddie told me that you were in here with Lex."

After marrying Chloe three years ago, Lex insisted that Cayden call him Lex, and not dad. He didn't want a step-son to call him dad, not to mention Queen's son.

"Okay sweetie, go outside the door for a minute, and I'll be right there," she kissed his head and patted his butt out the door, saying "shoo, shoo!" Giggling at his mother's antics, he obeyed and said outside of the now closed door.

"Keep your son out of trouble," Lex said, "He might break something."

Chloe pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming, "Lex, he never broken anything before. It wouldn't hurt you to try to be nice to him," she lectured.

"Woman, don't tell me what to do," suddenly, a slap was heard, and then a cry.

"I'm sorry! Please stop," Chloe cried as she crawled away from him. Lex looked at her disgusted. "You're such a whore, having a baby before even getting married? You're lucky I married you, who else would love you? You're worthless," Lex said as he walked by her, intentionally kicking her back as he did.

Grunting, Chloe couldn't stop the tears from falling. How did it end up like this? She was supposed to be in a happy marriage, but no, she was stuck with an abusive husband who hated her son. Lex was definitely different when she met him. He had bought the Daily Planet, and she had met him on his first day. As charming as he was, he was no Oliver. But still, they had gone on a date, and it all fell into place.

Cayden and Oliver did interact, Oliver calling her right after he found the letter. She didn't pick up his phone calls until a week later, however. They established a routine, Oliver and Cayden meeting and spending time with each other. Even though she had full custody, Cayden has his own room in Oliver's 

place. She had read the magazines that he had his flings. Did it hurt? She wouldn't know. She didn't feel anymore.

"You're so stupid, falling for that Oliver Queen. Have you not read the newspapers that he uses women?" Lex said smug.

Looking up from the floor, she spoke softly, "He did love me,"

Anger filled Lex as he heard those words. Grabbing a vase, he threw it at a wall near Chloe. As the glass fell, some cut her skin, leaving even more scars on her pale body.

Outside, Cayden heard glass breaking and screaming. Going against his mom's wishes, he opened the door and saw his mom on the floor, blood on her.

"Mommy!" he cried as he ran towards her.

"Didn't your mother tell you to STAY OUTSIDE?" Lex roared as he grabbed Cayden's shirt and tossed him on the floor.

"Lex!" Chloe yelled as she caught her son just in time, cringing as the glass pierced her bare legs. Maybe wearing a dress today wasn't the brightest idea. Grabbing onto Chloe, Cayden started to cry.

Laughing, Lex grabbed a chair, "You know, maybe if you discipline the boy, he'd finally listen." At that, he threw the chair at the two, aiming directly at Cayden.

Gasping, Chloe turned her body, shielding Cayden from the chair. It bounced off her back with a sickening thud. She let out a little scream, trying not to alarm Cayden.

"Mommy! Mommy, are you okay?" Cayden cried.

"I'm fine, baby." Chloe said as she struggled to smile. Still crying, Cayden hugged his mom tight. It was always like this, his mom protecting him from Lex and all the baddies out there.

"Hmph," Lex looked at the two and walked out of the study, walking to god knows where.

Chloe sighed as she slowly got up. Carrying Cayden did no good for her back, but her son needed her. He was scared and she had to be there to protect him. She opened the door, sticking her head out for any signs of Lex. Sighing in relief when not spotting him, she walked towards her and Cayden's room. They had shared a room, Chloe opting to not share a bed with Lex.

"Mommy," he said once his sobs subsided, "Why do Lex give you owies?"

"Because mommy deserves them, honey." Chloe said as she brushed his hair aside.

Looking up with curious eyes he asked, "Then do I give others owies too?"

Looking sharply at him, Chloe shook her head violently. "Never. Never ever give anyone else owies, okay? Mommy is the only one who gets them," Chloe said as she hugged him tight, "I will never let anyone give you owies, okay?"

"Okay," Cayden said.

"Good, now do you have Andy?" Chloe asked once she reached the room.

He nodded as she walked in the room, placing him on the bed. Watching her grab a bag from the closet, he saw her stuffing his clothes and toys into them.

"What are you doing, mommy?"

Not receiving an answer, he watched curiously as she grabbed a paper and pen, scribbling something down. Folding the letter, she grabbed his things and reached for his hand. "Come on," she said.

Walking together to the south wing, he noticed that he was in the garage.

"Are we going somewhere mommy?" he asked, "Are we going camping?!" He suddenly thought excitedly. Oliver had promised to take him camping, and when asked if he could bring his mommy, Oliver stayed quiet.

"No sweetie," Chloe said as she looked at Jim, one of the fewest drivers who didn't hate her. Smiling at him, she looked back down to Cayden.

Bending down with a grimace, she took him by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, okay Cayden?" She said in a soft voice. As he nodded, she continued.

"I need you to stay with daddy," At this declaration, Cayden started to shake his head profusely.

"NO! Mommy! I want to be with you!" He cried as he broke her hold and grabbed onto her neck.

"Baby, come on. It's better for you to stay there. You saw what Lex did, what if he did something worse?"

Crying onto his mother's neck, he shook his head. "But who's going to protect you? I protect you, mommy! If I'm gone, you'll be sad."

Chloe smiled soft as she lightly pulled him back, wiping his tears. "I won't be sad, don't worry about me. As long as you're with Oliver, I know that you're safe, and that makes me extremely happy."

"I don't want to go," he said as he rubbed his eyes.

"You have to, I'll see you soon, I promise,"

"Pinky-winky swear?" He asked sticking out his pinky.

Laughing as tears fell, Chloe nodded, looping her finger around his, and at the same time, they both winked. "Pinky-winky swear."

"Be good for your dad, okay?" Chloe said as she kissed his cheek and hugged him tight.

Cayden shook his head. "He won't even notice I'm there."

"He loves you, Cay, of course he'll notice you're there," she scolded.

Cayden frowned, hugging Andy close, "Last time, he promised to take me to the park instead he went to dinner with some lady."

Chloe looked at him, lost at words. Oliver ignored his son in such a way?

"Honey, he doesn't mean to, he just forgot, just give him another chance, okay?"

"Okay,"

Kissing him again, she told Jim where to take Cayden, and to stay to make sure he makes it in alright. When they left, tears started to fall down her cheeks. When did life become so complicated?


DING DING

Who the hell would be coming at this hour, Oliver thought.

As he looked at the screen of his security system, he was surprised to see a little boy carrying a stuffed bear, a duffle bag alongside him. Quickly opening the elevator, he met his son at the entrance.

"Cayden? What are you doing here so late? Why are you alone?" he had a million questions running through his head. Where was Chloe? Why wasn't she taking care of him?

"Mommy told me to come here for a while," he replied as he returned the hug Oliver gave him. He wasn't as enthusiastic as Oliver thought, but he gave no mind.

"How come? Did something happen?" he asked as he grabbed Cayden's duffle bag. Seeing a note stick out, he grabbed it and saw that it was addressed to him.

Cayden looked at his dad with tired eyes. It was way past his bed time and all he wanted to do was sleep. "Mommy told me to give you that letter. She said all the expla….excla…"

"Explanation?" Oliver helped.

"Yeah! That's it. She said that all the expla-something you said is in that letter." Laughing, Oliver picked Cayden up and took him to his room.

Tucking him in, Oliver turned on a night light, and was about to leave when a soft "Dad?" was heard.

"Yes, son?" He asked.

"I hate you," he said and turned over.

With wide eyes, he stared at the back of his son. He didn't expect to hear his only son to say that he hated him. That he loved him, yes, but not hate. Opening his mouth, he was going to ask what was that about, but a soft snore indicated that he was sleeping. Hurt, he looked at Cayden one last time before retiring to his room to read Chloe's letter.

What had he done to make his son hate him? Sure, he was four, but kids usually tell everyone how they felt. And as far as he knew, Cayden never told a lie. Nothing can be compared to the hurt he was feeling as he sighed and sat on his bed. Opening the letter, he stared at Chloe's handwriting, aching just to catch a glimpse of her again. He knew she was married to Lex. He went to school with him, in fact. Never did he expect for him to end up with Chloe.

Oliver

I need you to take care of Cayden for me. I know this is asking a lot, but please. You know I wouldn't be asking you to do such a thing unless it was important. Tell him that I love him and I'll try to see him soon. Things are a little rocky here at the moment, and I don't want Cayden to be in the middle. I never asked for anything concerning Cayden, so please, take good care of him.

Chloe S. Luthor

The letter was short, and a little vague. Even though she said she'd explain everything, she didn't. Probably said that to ease Cayden's mind, he thought. Lying back, he stared at the ceiling. Three years. It's been three years since he had last seen Chloe, let alone talk to her. The 33.1 facilities had mostly been destroyed, all except for one. The League was on it, trying to pin point the area. His break up with Chloe was indeed a good idea, as she has not yet been harmed as far as he knew. They had yet to find the identity of the person behind the facilities, but they were close. So close, he can taste justice brewing about.

His thoughts lingered over to what happened earlier. Why was Cayden so mad at him? All he wanted to do was to wake him up and ask why was he so mad. It hurt, a lot, when he said those three words. Was he that bad of a father? Groaning, he turned to his side, thoughts running wild.


The next day, Cayden looked up as the clock read 8:23 AM. Getting up, he was about to go wake his mom, but realized that he was with Oliver. Telling his dad that he hated him was mean, he knew. His mom taught him to never tell anyone that he hated them. But he couldn't help it. He just got mad and it came out. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he padded toward the kitchen, seeing Oliver there cooking breakfast. Glancing at Cayden, Oliver cracked a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Hey, sport. You hungry?"

"Yeah," Cayden answered as he crawled onto the chair. Watching him from the corner of his eye, Oliver didn't notice that he had gotten so big. His heart clenched as he thought about last night. Maybe it's because he's not there enough? To not see him grow up?

"Can I have bacon, eggs and pancakes, please? Mommy always makes me that on Fridays." Cayden asked with his head bowed down.

"Of course you can, go get cleaned up and it should be done by the time you get out," he replied.

Cayden nodded as he did as he was told.

As the two finished eating, Oliver cleaned up as Cayden watched SpongeBob Square Pants. What was he going to do with Cayden for the whole day? Who knows how long was he going to stay here for? Maybe this was his chance to redeem himself. Finishing up the dishes, he walked over to the couch and sat beside his son. Waiting until the show was over, Oliver took the remote and clicked the TV off. Looking up at Oliver, Cayden watched him with questioning eyes.

"Cayden, why did you tell me that you hated me last night?" Oliver asked.

Cayden suddenly looked down. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't tell people that I hate them. Mommy says so," he said.

"You don't have to be sorry, I just want to know, do you really hate me that much?" Oliver's heart raced, anticipating the answer.

After a long pause, Oliver grew restless. "Was it something that I did? I didn't forget your birthday, or anything, why do-"

"Because Daddies are supposed to protect mommies and their babies!" he interrupted, "You're supposed to beat up the meanies and kiss mommies owies away! Daddies are supposed come home and say that they love mommy and me. But then mommy made me come here to you and no one is there to protect her! I want my mommy," he cried.

Oliver looked down, surprised at his outburst. When he said he wanted his mommy, it reminded him that Cayden was only four, still a baby. Yet, he had the brain of an 11 year old, per se. Cradling Cayden, Oliver was at loss.

"Cayden, what exactly do you mean protect mommy?" Oliver asked.

"Lex is a big butt-head, he hits mommy," he cried.

Oliver felt anger and rage through his body. Lex hits Chloe? What the fuck does he think he's doing? Is this why Cayden said that he hated him? That he wasn't there to protect Chloe? And what exactly did he mean when he said protect mommies and their babies? Was Lex hurting him, too?

"Son, I didn't know! Calm down, it's going t be okay. Now, I have to know. What do you mean by he hits her? And daddies protecting the babies? Is he hitting you?"

Shaking his head, Oliver let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding.

"He doesn't hit me, mommy protects me, so she gets hit more," he sobbed, "And now she's with him alone and there's no one to save her. I want to go back to mommy!"

With a racing heart, Oliver thought that he was going to have a heart attack. He had left Chloe in order to protect her, and here she was, a couple of years later, in an abusive relationship.

"Cay, tell me. Did he ever hit you? When mommy wasn't around?" Oliver asked.

Nodding as he rubbed his eyes, Oliver felt his breath quicken. The anger that filled his body didn't describe what he wanted to do. That fucking bald-headed jackass abused Chloe AND his son?

"I was exploring once, and I got lost," Cayden said as the sobbing ceased, "I ended up in an elevator and when it opened, I walked around until I saw someone. I saw Lex and these people in white like the hospital."

Oliver eyebrows scrunched, wondering what Lex was up to.

"He saw me and he smacked me on the head, telling me that I wasn't supposed to be there," he said nodding, "He made a security guard take me back to the house and when I asked John what was that, he just said something about it being a hospital."

"Hospital? In your house?" Oliver asked, even more confused.

"Uh huh," Cayden continued, "The hospital's name is 33.1."

After hearing that, Oliver's eyes budged out of his head. 33.1? 33.1? Thirty-three point one? THIRTY THREE POINT FUCKING ONE? He was sure that he had died at that moment.

Lex, of all people, was the enemy? Alarmed with the new information, he quickly put Cayden down, calling the JLA over his house. He had Clark and Bart super-speed every one over, as it's the fastest way he can get them there. Cayden looked around, in awe that a bunch of men appeared out of thin air, one by one. He recognized them as his uncles, Uncle Clark, Uncle Bart, Uncle AC, and Uncle Vic.

"Daddy? What are you doing?" Cayden asked as Bart ran towards him and picked him up.

"Aiden! My man, I haven't seen you for so long!" Bart said as he hugged him.

"I'm protecting your mom." Was all Oliver said.

"Clark, get Lois here to take care of Cay," he ordered. In a flash, Lois was there, a bit green, he might add. Upon seeing her little nephew, she brightened up right away. "Cayden!" "Auntie Lois!"

"Boys, follow me," Oliver demanded as he walked toward his Green Arrow room. When they all entered, he closed the doors, looking serious.

"I know who's behind all the 33.1 facilities, and Chloe's in danger as we speak."

A chorus of "What" and "how"? Was asked throughout the room.

Walking toward the large screen, Oliver started searching for the facility located in the Luthor Mansion.

"Lex," was all he said. Everyone looked around the room, each had their eyes wide as they realized the real danger toward Chloe's safety.

"Lex? What do you mean? Chloe's MARRIED to him! We have to get her out of there," AC exclaimed.

"You don't think I know that? Lex has been planning this all along! He knew, he fucking knew I loved her, and planned on making her marry him," Oliver said as he stopped typing, his emotions getting the better of him. Seeing this, Victor placed a hand on his shoulder, gently nudging him off the seat so he can continue the search. As he stood, he walked toward the one-sided glass window, he stared at Cayden and Lois, talking excitingly to each other.

"He fucking knew who I was, and took advantage. He took Chloe, he took my son. How the hell did I let this happen?" A tear fell out of the corner of his eyes as the men nervously looked at one another. They had never seen their leader so lost and vulnerable.

"We'll do everything we can, Ollie," Clark said.

"Yeah! Let's blow up this joint!" Bart joined in.

"We'll get Chloe out of there, safe and sound," AC chimed.

"Found it!" Victor exclaimed.

Everyone surrounded the screen, each giving their input on the situation. Twenty minutes later, a plan formed, each person in their custom, they were ready. Opening the door, Cayden looked up. His mouth gaped open as he saw five men walk out. He knew them from the news, but never in his life had he thought he would see them in person. He watched mesmerized as the Green Arrow walked toward him and picked him up.

"Mr. Arrow! You're my hero ever since I saw you! Can I have your autograph?" he asked excitedly. "Please, please, PLEASE!"

Everyone in the room chuckled, The Green Arrow's distorter making it sound deep. Pulling back his hood and taking off his sun glasses, Cayden eyes, if possible, got even bigger.

"DADDY?! NO WAY!"

Chuckling even more, Oliver placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Be good for Auntie Lois, I'll be back in a few hours with mommy, okay?"

Nodding his head in a vigorous motion, Oliver was afraid that he was going to get whiplash. "Are you going to go save mommy?"

"Yes." Oliver stated strongly as he gave him a little squeeze before setting him down.

"I love you, son."

"I love you daddy, and I'm sorry."

Smiling down at him, he ruffled his hair and nodded towards the League. "Let's go blow up things. Whattya say, boys?"

As they left, Cayden turned towards Lois, grinning cheekily.

"I have the coolest dad, ever!"


Reaching toward the Luthor Mansion was easy in itself, but locating Chloe was the hard part. With the security guards, no doubt Chloe would be well protected from his men. Lex has been planning this for years, he surely had a plan for this event. With Dinah being the watchtower, it made things much easier for them. They had split up, each one having a different mission. Clark had to find the facility, Bart placing bombs throughout the mansion, Victor deactivating the machines around that Dinah couldn't get, AC was off rounding the patients, and Oliver was searching for Chloe.

He ran through the mansion, checking each room he saw. After what it seemed like the 300th room, he came across a room that resembled a little boy's room. Seeing two beds, he was almost certain that it was indeed their room. When his eyes laid upon a picture on the nightstand, he was now certain that it was their room. It was a doodle of Cayden's, stick figures of a female and two males, all holding hands. Above, written in sloppy handwriting was, "Mommy Daddy Me."

Hearing a crash, he immediately looked over to where it came from. It sounded like screaming. When he reached it, he got his bow out, "I'm heading in where I think Chloe's at, Arrow out," he said through the mouthpiece as he opened the door.

Pointing the bow around, he spotted Lex with a gun to Chloe's head. "Well hello there, " he grinned. "I was wondering when you'd stop by,"

"Lex, what are you doing?! Let go of me!" Chloe said as she struggled to get away, but as she did so, she swayed.

"You see, darling, the Green Arrow here and his band of idiots are trying to blow up our home! We can let him do that, now can we," he said as he licked her cheek.

Angered, Oliver couldn't take it anymore.

"The gig is up, let her go Lex," he said.

Smirking, Lex stared at Oliver and back to Chloe, whose eyes were slowly drooping. Laughing as she was in a half conscious state, Lex dropped her to the floor.

"So, Queen, what do you say now that I finally broke the infamous Green Arrow," Lex sneered.

Keeping a close eye on Chloe, Oliver stared at Lex, "What did you do to her," he deadpanned.

"Do what?" Lex asked as if he didn't know, "Do to Chloe? I didn't do anything, just a little drug, but other than that, nothing," he smirked.

Tired of his antics, Oliver pulled the trigger of his bow, arrow heading straight at Lex's arm. Surprised at his sudden reaction, Lex didn't have a chance to move away before it hit him square in the arm. Screaming in pain, Lex pointed the gun at Oliver, only to have it kicked away from his hand.

"You knew all along," Oliver said deadly, "You knew all the fucking long who I was, and you do this? That's even low for you,"

"Happy to be of service, BOYS!" Lex yelled. Arms harshly grabbed at Oliver, knocking his bow across the room. Oliver struggled as he got a few punches in, but was out numbered as even more men came.

"Oliver, Oliver, Oliver," Lex tsked as he walked towards him. Punching him in the face, Lex stood straight, "When I found out the Green Arrow was, surprise wasn't the exact word. But enough of finding out who you were, do you want to hear my plan of destroying you inch by inch," he continued, not waiting for an answer.

"Family was the most important thing to you, considering you lost your parents," Kneeling at Chloe, he grabbed her by the hair. "Let her go," Oliver yelled as he struggled.

"But since they were out of the picture, who else was there but your girlfriend?" Hugging her to himself, he smirked, "Now, her pregnancy was a little unexpected, but a nice touch nonetheless," groping her breasts, his eyes trained on Oliver.

"How does it feel to see me touch the mother of your child?" He said as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

"When I get out," Oliver started but was quickly interrupted as a guard kneed him in the stomach.

"Oh Oliver," Lex laughed, "Let me tell you, even after having a kid, she was the greatest fuck I've ever had, no wonder you put up with her that long. Now, you're probably wondering why is she so sluggish," he began.

"You see," he whispered as if it's the most important thing in the world, "I've been slipping a drug into her drink for a while now, makes her weak every day." Leaning closer, he looked dead onto Oliver's eyes, "It's not too long now when she dies," he smirked.

"You're going to regret this," Oliver said as rage built up in him. What drug has Lex been giving Chloe? It would explain her appearance, but what would he do if it was too late? It was all his fault.

"I've had enough of your band of heros, the end is here. I just wish Chloe was awake to see this, where your bastard son, anyway? I think he'd love to see me kill his parents," picking up his gun, he cocked the lever.

"Remember my face, Oliver Queen, it'll be the last thing you'll ever see," his finger slowly pulled down the trigger, aiming directly at Oliver's head.

A sudden blackout occurred with a swoosh of air passing through the room. When the lights came back on, the guards were all bound in a rope, tightly meshed together. Looking around the room, Lex didn't see the Green Arrow or Chloe. Screaming out in frustration, he looked at the men.

"You fools! How can you let this happen?!" He bellowed. With a blink of an eye, the bundle of men disappeared, a red flash seen. Confused, Lex stood in the middle of the room. A sudden explosion was heard from the south wing as he realized that his facility was now demolished. Turning around, he was met by Oliver and the League, arrow pointed directly at his face.

"Do it," he declared. "You don't even have the guts," Oliver looked at Lex in the eye before smirking and raising his arrow, shooting it. Within moments, Lex looked up as the chandler fell on top of him, trapping him. Screaming out of pain, he was sure that both his legs were now trapped under the heavy metal.

"This isn't over, Queen!" He yelled as they walked away.

Oliver, who now had Chloe in his arms, looked at the pitiful sight, "it's way past over, Lex. This place is going to be blown up, with you in it. Everyone has evacuated." He said as he turned around heading for the door.

"Rot in hell, asshole," Oliver said as Lex started to scream for help.


Cayden was eating dinner when the League came bursting in the door. Seeing his mom in Oliver's arms, he panicked.

"Mommy! Daddy, is she okay." He asked as he ran towards them.

"She's… she's going to be okay, son," he assured. Victor went straight to the office, trying to find what Lex had given her throughout the years. Whatever it was, it was having a dangerous effect on her. Her face ashen, bruises and cuts still evident. Walking towards his room, Cayden followed hurriedly, trying to keep up with his dad's fast pace.

With the help of Oliver, he crawled up the bed, sitting beside Chloe.

"Mommy?" he asked as he poked her arm. "Wake up, I'll make you my famous cereal!"

With no response, he started to tear up, "Why isn't she waking up? She always woke up!" he cried.

Oliver didn't know what to say. He couldn't just tell him that his mom's been drugged for god knows how long and might not make it?

"Cay…" Oliver began but Cayden interrupted, "Is she going to die?" he looked so innocent asking, Oliver didn't know what to say. Thanking the lord when Victor ran in, he was glad he didn't had to answer him.

"I got it, all we need are red kryptonite, water from the Arctic, and this," Victor said as he pulled out a vial. "We need Clark someone away from the red kryptonite, he can get the water while Bart gets it. We have to act fast, before it's too late," he explained.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with all of that?" Oliver asked as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"The red kryptonite will have a side effect on the drug he's been giving her. We have to put that near her heart and have her drink the water. As absurd as it sounds, that's what I found out. We have to try, Ollie," he said.

Bart and AC rushed in, Clark standing a few feet away. "We got it!" they both exclaimed. Hurriedly doing as Victor instructed, they all sat around her and waited.

Grabbing Cayden from the bed, Oliver hugged him tight for comfort. What if it didn't work? What was he going to do, it was all his fault for leaving her, he should have stayed. A sudden gasp interrupted his thoughts as Cayden's eyes widened. "Mommy!" he yelled as he jumped from Oliver's arms to the bed.

Hugging Cayden, Chloe looked around confused as she saw a different but familiar room. "Oliver? Guys?"

Sighing in relief, the tension in the room was gone. "We have a lot of explaining to do," Oliver said as he chucked the red kryptonite in a box. "Come in, Clark,"

"Clark?" Chloe asked as he came in the room. Sighing, Oliver sat on the bed.

"It all started when my parents died and I picked up archery," Oliver began the long story.


A couple of years later, Oliver sat on his balcony, staring out in Metropolis. The years had gone by fast. After explaining to Chloe what happened, she wasn't as freaked as he expected her to be. It took her a while to adjust and comprehend things, but she did. He had to admit, it wasn't all smooth sailing at first, but they had adjusted and was finally together as a family. His whole life of wanting and yearning for one, he finally had one. A tugging of sleeve brought him from his thoughts, looking into the eyes of a little girl. Cathy Queen. She had his temper, and her looks were exactly like Chloe's. She wasn't dating until at least 30. Maybe 40, he decided then and there.

"Mommy's making coffee!" She nodded vigorously. Oliver laughed as he kissed the top of her head, slipping a quarter into her awaiting hand. "Thanks honey. Now go get cleaned up, I remember Cayden and Uncle Bart saying that he's taking you to the zoo,"

"Zoo! Zoo!" she squealed as she clutched onto Mimi, her stuffed penguin. Kissing his cheek, she ran towards Cayden's room to spend a day with him.

Walking towards the kitchen, he saw Chloe pouring a cup of coffee. When she added her cream and sugar, just the way she liked it, she brought it up to her awaiting lips to take a sip. Plucking the cup straight from her hands, Oliver drank the whole cup in one gulp.

"For me? Thank you sweetie," Oliver grinned at Chloe. Sighing, Chloe looked dejectingly at the brown liquid.

"Cat ratted me out?" she asked as she pouted. Laughing, Oliver nodded as he placed a hand on her small bump. "Just a couple of months more, babe. And then you can drink all the coffee you desire," he kissed the side of her head as he led her out of the room and to the couch.

"Knocking me up is one thing, but not having coffee is worse! Why can't I drink coffee, it's not that bad," she argued.

Snorting, Oliver placed a hand over her shoulders, "I highly suspect that you drank coffee when you were pregnant with Cay, look at him! He's only ten and he's drinking coffee every morning," he shook his head. "Only a sip of mine!" Chloe defended.

"Mom, dad, we're going to go. Uncle Bart's here," Cayden interrupted as walked in with Cathy, who was holding Mimi and clutching the end of Cayden's shirt on one hand and had a thumb in her mouth with the other.

"Hey mamacita! Uh, dadcito? That's something you'll never hear me say again," Bart said as he cringed.

Laughing, Chloe kissed each of her kid's goodbye as Oliver ruffed Cayden's hair and blew kisses on Cathy's stomach.

"Now, when you see AC, don't tell him you went to the zoo," Oliver said, "You know how he is with animals and their freedom," as they nodded.

"Good," Chloe said bending down, "Shoo, shoo!" as she patted their butts. Rolling his eyes, Cayden walked ahead as Cathy squealed and ran to hide behind Bart's legs, laughing.

"Alone at last," Oliver said as the door closed. "Whatever shall we do?" Chloe grinned up at him.

"Oh, I have a few suggestions," he replied as he kissed her forehead.

Laughing, Chloe grinned up at him. Finally together, both were glad that they solved their troubles, and had put the past behind them. Her thoughts, were interrupted as Oliver grabbed her suddenly and carried her towards their bedroom, Chloe laughing all the way.

During dinner, the whole gang were there for dinner. Setting a plate down, Chloe smiled at Oliver who sat across the table, one child on the side of them.

"So, what did you guys do today?" AC asked Cathy, who was on the left of him.

Cathy's eyes perked as she grinned widely at him, "We went to the ZOO!"

Oliver, Chloe, Cayden and Bart groaned as the others laughed. Looking appalled, AC stared accusingly at their guilty faces. It was going to be a loooooong night.


This series/prompt is COMPLETED. The next chapter, and so forth, are different. Each chapter represents a whole different, new situation that doesn't revolve around the previous chapters.

Coming up next: Rage. Reviews are appreciated! :D - xlina