Chapter Two

Two Weeks Later

She had been through every scenario possible. She had made lists and weighed the pros and cons. At first she had considered relocating to Star City to be closer to more members of the league, but that did not their guarantee safety. Checkmate operatives knew who she was and therefore still a target with a glaringly obvious vulnerability. She thought about pretending the baby was not Oliver's, but he was not an idiot. There was no other way that she could keep her baby and keep him or her safe, and there was no chance in hell that she would give up her baby. She knew what it felt like to be abandoned by your mother and the pain never went away no matter how good the intentions.

There had been a sense of déjà vu as she left the bank that morning. Just over a year ago she had closed her bank accounts ready to live on the run with Davis to protect those she loved. Now she was taking the same steps for the same reasons but she was on her own. If Chloe Sullivan disappeared then the League would be safe; Oliver would be safe; her child would be safe.

Chloe had sold her faithful little Yaris and bought a cheap old car to help transport her to her new life. She wouldn't be keeping it. It was only the first step and she knew there were those who would be trying to trace her steps. The trunk and back seat were filled with bags and boxes. Amongst the clothes there were photo albums and memories she couldn't bear to leave behind including a tiny souvenir spoon.

She had become so adept at creating new identities for the Kandorians that creating one for herself was not a problem. Erasing all of the evidence had taken a little longer. Chloe knew that there was a good chance Clark or Oliver would try to chase her down using Watchtower's systems but the effort she put in to stop them would be worth it. She just wished that she could have had the coffee she craved to help her through because there was only so much make up could do to hide the dark circles under her eyes.

The brown envelope in front of her contained everything she would need to start over. Chloe Sullivan would just disappear. Jennifer Hanniger would be making a new life for herself in Gotham as a freelance writer. Who knows, maybe she could try for a journalist position? She would be leaving the hero business behind her, maybe this would be the perfect opportunity to return to her roots.

For the past hour she had been standing, looking at the front door of the Talon apartment. She was all set to go, all she needed to do was walk out that door. She knew what was stopping her. She felt as though she needed to leave an explanation, that there was a good reason. More than anything it was the guilt of not telling Oliver that he was going to be a father, that she would be robbing him of the opportunity to be a part of this child's life. They had spoken on the phone everyday for the past two weeks and since she had made the decision to leave she felt like she was a lying, cold hearted bitch. Wasn't that why she had started this thing with Oliver? To avoid becoming that?

"I can't do it. I can't do it yet." She spoke to herself, sighing as she dropped her bag to the floor. One chance. She was going to give Oliver one chance, she owed him that much. The car was packed and it could stay that way. Oliver was due back that afternoon, maybe she could catch him as he made his way to Watchtower.

_________