Title: To the Rescue
Category: Smallville
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Angst
Ship: Clark/Chloe friendship, Chlollie, JL
Rating: PG
Word Count:2,794
Status: Complete
Summary: Oliver is missing. Clark, along with Mrs. K's famous chicken noodle soup, finally gets Chloe to take a break before she kills herself. The superfriends come to the rescue
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N: I've really wanted to see Chloe and Clark have that close friendship that they used to…because I'm really tired of him being such a douchebag. Takes place after Oliver is kidnapped, Chloe is searching for him, but I started this before I knew that she traded herself for him…so she won't be doing that in this one.
Chloe surfaced slowly from a deep sleep, strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She smiled, snuggling deeper into the soft bed, before rolling over to say good morning. Her smile faded as she awoke fully, realizing that she had been dreaming. Their huge bed was empty as it had been for weeks. Her heart sank deeper into her chest, tears welling up in her eyes as she reached over and grabbed his green satin covered pillow. Wrapping her arms around it, she buried her nose in the pillow, trying to find his lingering scent. It was still there, but only faintly, having faded over the weeks he'd been gone. It was a smell that was uniquely and only Oliver; a musky mix of leather and soap.
Tears slowly slid down her face and she tightened her grip on the pillow, her heart aching for him. He'd been missing two weeks, two days, and twelve hours. She'd barely left Watchtower except to get coffee and maybe get some food. Most days she barely remembered to eat, spending all her time at her computers searching for clues to find Oliver. She knew she looked terrible, having caught brief glimpses of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were sunken, ringed with dark circles and she'd lost weight, her clothes hanging loosely on her body. The dark circles were getting worse from the lack of sleep and emotional toll his disappearance had taken on her. She continued to search till she dropped from exhaustion, usually falling asleep at her desk, unable to handle sleeping in their huge bed without him.
She sat up, brow furrowed as she realized that she was in bed. Swiping at her tears, she tried to remember what she'd been doing before she fell asleep. She remembered putting her head down on her desk to rest for a few minutes…but how did she end up in bed? Her gaze snapped towards the door to see Clark appear, a tray of food in his hands.
He gave her a crooked smile. "Hey Chlo."
"Hi Clark." She whispered.
He moved toward the bed, setting the tray down on the nightstand and sitting down next to her. She sat still, trying to gather her composure, but the tears continued to spill down her cheeks. Clark gently rubbed a hand up and down her back, silently trying to comfort her, but it just made her cry harder. Leaning forward she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. He folded her in his embrace, just holding her as she let all the pain out.
Clark's heart broke at the heart wrenching sobs wracking Chloe's body. He'd known she would break eventually, finally letting the façade she'd been showing everyone slip away. For weeks she'd been telling him and the others that she was fine and was holding up, but he'd seen the strain in her face and the weight she was losing. They'd all tried to get her to eat and take breaks, but she'd refused. He'd come by Watchtower every night to check on her and most nights had found her still working, running on empty and very little sleep. He knew nothing he said would sway her, so he kept watch over her, wanting to be there for her when she finally let him.
As her sobs subsided Clark pulled back to look at her. "Are you okay?" Clark asked.
She nodded as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm fine. I need to get up."
He put a hand on her shoulder. "You need to eat something and get some rest Chloe," he chided gently.
"I said I'm fine Clark. I don't have time to rest," she said sharply as she pushed to her feet. As soon as she was upright the room started to spin. Trying to shove it away, she took one step before swaying dizzily and almost falling. Clark reacted quickly, grabbing her shoulders and setting her down on the bed.
Pressing a hand to her forehead she took a deep breath trying to get her spinning world to settle. "I don't have time to rest…I need to find him," she whispered, tears of frustration building up in her eyes.
"You need to rest." Clark gently helped her back under the covers, propping some pillows behind her back, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Do you feel up to eating something?"
She shook her head. "I'm really not hungry…"
"You need to regain your strength Chlo. C'mon…it's chicken noodle soup." He coaxed.
She brightened slightly. "Your mom's recipe?"
"Of course," Clark grinned. "Delivered here by the Impulse Express all the way from Washington. Mom made it special just for you."
"Bart's here?" she asked looking around him.
"He was. He just dropped the soup off and headed back to meet up with Victor to do some more recon. He didn't want to disturb you cuz he knew you were resting." Clark picked up the tray and set it on her lap.
The delicious smell of the soup wafted past Chloe's nose, causing her stomach to rumble loudly. Pressing a hand to her stomach, she looked up at Clark, her face flushing as she saw him grinning at her.
"Not hungry huh?" He smirked.
She spooned a bite into her mouth, closing her eyes as the warm deliciousness slid down her throat. Hungrily she quickly took another, groaning at how good it was. "This is so good! Your mom is a genius, Clark." Warmth flowed through her body as she ate, her eyelids drooping as she began to feel drowsy. Slowly, she finished, enjoying the deliciousness and warmth of every bite. Setting the spoon in the bowl she handed it to Clark, before sinking farther down in the bed.
Setting the bowl on the tray, Clark turned and pulled the covers up over her gently. Brushing a lock of hair back from her face, he was relieved to see some color back in her face. Green eyes huge as she stared up at him, he could still see fear and pain mixed with exhaustion in their depths.
Reaching for his hand she gripped it tightly. "We have to find him Clark," she whispered drowsily.
"We will. Till he's found we have no other mission." He leaned down, brushing a kiss across her forehead. "I promise we'll find him. Now sleep Chlo, I'll be right here."
Sighing softly, she slipped into a deep and restful sleep.
Chloe struggled against the pull of sleep as someone shook her. "Chloe…Chloe!"
Opening her eyes she saw Clark looming over her. Groggily, she stared up into his face, trying to get her eyes to focus. "What is it Clark?" she asked confusedly.
Clark's blue eyes sparkled. "We found him," he said simply.
She bolted upright, hope beginning to bloom in her chest. "What?"
Clark grasped her shoulders. "Chloe, we found him," he told her with a grin. "He's fine, badly beaten but alive. Victor and Bart are bringing him here right now."
Sliding out of bed she stood, praying that she wouldn't be overcome by dizziness again. Clark held his hands out to brace her, just in case. Cautiously she took a step forward, relief running through her when her legs felt strong and steady.
Glancing up at Clark, she worried her lip, an uncertain look on her face. "I'm not dreaming am I? If this is a dream and I wake up…and Ollie's still gone…my heart can't take it Clark."
"We found him Chloe. I promise you this is not a dream."
She threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you," she whispered tearfully. "Thank you for finding Ollie…and taking care of me."
Clark pulled back, and cupping her face in his hands, gave her a small smile. "You're always taking care of everyone else Chlo. It's our turn to take care of you for once." He tilted his head, a faraway look in his eyes telling her that he was using his super hearing. "C'mon, they're in the elevator. You will be the first thing he'll want to see."
"Did you call Emil?"
Clark nodded. "Yeah, he's on his way."
As they walked into the living room Chloe was surprised to see the members of the League scattered through the room. Dinah, Zatanna, Lois, Tess, and Kara were sprawled tiredly on the big L shaped couch with Mia and Courtney lying next to each other on the huge matching ottoman. Carter, J'onn, and Hal sat at the dining room table deep in conversation over cups of coffee.
"What is everyone doing here?" Chloe asked in a low voice.
"I called them after you fell sleep. No one wanted to wake you…you've been sleeping for almost 48 hours."
"I've been asleep for two days?" she asked in shock.
"Chlo, you were exhausted and dehydrated. You obviously needed the rest. When the team heard about you collapsing they dropped everything and showed up. They picked up where you left off, and worked around the clock until last night when we finally got a break. There'd been some suspicious activity going on down by the docks so Victor, Bart and AC went to investigate the lead and found Oliver in the old brewery. They came back this morning and worked up a plan to go in and get him."
Tears filled her eyes as she glanced around at the people closest to her. They'd travelled from all over the world, no questions asked, to help save one of their own. Pressing a hand to her lips she struggled to hold back the tears as her emotions started to overrun her.
Lois glanced up to see Chloe across the room. Her face softened with sympathy and she hurried to embrace her cousin, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. "Chlo…" she whispered, enfolding Chloe in a tight embrace.
Chloe buried her face in Lois's shoulder and took a deep shuddering breath.
Pulling back Lois brushed a lock of hair behind Chloe's ear, searching her eyes earnestly. "Are you okay?" she asked concernedly.
"I'm fine now Lo." Glancing around at her closest friends, Chloe met their gazes. "Thank you. All of you."
"You'd do the same for any of us Chloe," Mia piped up as she stood to give Chloe a hug. "Ollie's the only family I've got left," she shrugged, ducking her head to hide her tears.
A wave of sympathy rushed through Chloe as she wrapped the girl in her arms. She often forgot how young Mia really was because she was so mature. Ollie had saved her from her former profession and become like a father to her. She had helped Chloe direct missions many a night and the two had grown close.
"Not the only family, Mia," Chloe whispered. "You have all of us. We love you just as much as Ollie does."
Mia nodded, emotion choking her as she swiped at her tears. "I'm just thankful we found him. I can't lose him Chloe."
Chloe clasped the sides of her face. "I know Mia, I know." She smiled gently, trying to push her tears back and be strong for the young woman.
Her head snapped towards the door as she heard the elevator rumble to a stop and the doors slide open. Holding her breath, she kept one arm wrapped around Mia's shoulder, anxiously waiting for a glimpse of him.
And then he was there in the doorway, leaning heavily on AC and Victor with Bart trailing behind them. He wore only a pair of loose black pants, his chest and feet both bare. Chloe gasped at the sight of him, relief flowing so quickly through her that her knees went weak. She leaned heavily on Mia who tightened her grip to help keep her upright.
At the sound of her gasp, Oliver raised his head, his gaze immediately snapping to hers. Relief filled his eyes and he reached a hand out towards her.
Letting go of her death grip on Mia, she moved forward with a cry and threw herself into his arms. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him down until their lips met in a desperate kiss. Chloe poured all of her love into the kiss as his arms came tight around her petite body pulling her up onto her toes. Their tongues tangled sliding over each other and he drank her in like a fresh drink of water.
Lack of oxygen was the only reason Chloe finally pulled away. Staring up into his beautiful brown eyes, tears of relief streamed down her cheeks. "I thought I'd never see you again," she tearfully whispered. "I was so afraid…" she brushed her hand softly over the bruises and cuts on his face. "What did they do to you?"
He shrugged and set her back on her feet, grimacing at the pain from the movement. "Mostly beatings, electric shock. They were trying to get information on Watchtower and all our superfriends. I didn't give them anything; there's no way I was gonna let them use me to get to you."
Chloe looked him in horror. Running her hands down his chest she could see the burn marks from where they'd pressed the electricity to his skin. Bruises were littered up and down his ribcage, turning bright green and purple. "Oh Ollie…" she bit back a sob as she gently took hold of his chin, turning his face so she could really examine it. His left eye was black and blue and almost swollen shut; cuts were littered across his cheekbones and forehead.
"I kept picturing your face... you're the only thing that kept me going." Oliver brushed away her tears with his thumbs as he gently cupped her face. "If only just to hear you say it to me in person. I didn't want to die and never have done that. "
She instantly knew what he wanted to hear. "I love you Oliver. And I always will."
He stared at her seriously. "Say it again."
She framed his face gently with her hands. "I love you Ollie."
His lips widened with a brilliant smile before he pulled her into his tight embrace, burying his face in her hair. "I love you too, Chloe."
Clapping and cheers broke out, startling them from their own little world. The rest of the League stood around them huge smiles on their faces as they cheered for their friends.
Mia couldn't contain herself anymore and moved forward to stand in front of Oliver. Chloe stepped back to give them a moment. The younger girl stared up at him for a moment before her face crumpled and she burst into tears. Oliver wrapped her tightly in his arms, laying his cheek on top of her head.
"I'm so glad you're okay. I just…" she broke off with another sob. "You can't leave me Ollie. I don't think I could take it."
Tears welled up in his eyes and he gathered her closer. Next to Chloe, Mia was the other most important person in his life. "I'm sorry Mia. I'm so sorry." Pulling back he framed her face and looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."
Tears slid down her face as she nodded. Ollie wiped them away with his thumbs before giving her a crooked smile. "You're not getting rid of me that easily Kid," he joked.
She laughed and hugged him again pulling back quickly when he grunted in pain. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized, her eyes wide.
He chuckled. "I'm okay, just need to sit down and rest for a while."
Chloe watched as Mia helped Oliver to the couch and curled up under his arm as he got comfortable.
Everyone gathered around, finding places to sprawl, content to just hang out and relax now that they'd rescued one of their own. Chloe glanced from face to face, moving around until she'd gone over everyone. She had never thought the league would grow to the size it was but today she was thankful for each and every one of them. They'd become a family, and stuck together through thick and thin.
Sinking down next to Oliver she sighed deeply.
Oliver shot her a knowing look. "We got pretty lucky huh?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We got lucky to have such a great family," he said with a grin. "Despite the fact that more often than not we drive each other crazy, you know you can always count on each other to come to the rescue."
Chloe smiled as she glanced around the room. "Yes, yes we did."
A/N: So I know the ending was corny and cheesy but thats the way it goes lol. Hopefully it doesnt completely suck. Please let me know what you thought.