Justice Retold
By J.C. Vascardi
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Disclaimer: All characters and places featured in this story that relate to the television show Smallville are the property of its creators. I am not profiting from this story and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The only things about this story that I own are the storylines, places, and characters that are not featured on the show.
Author's Note: This version of the story has been edited for posting on this site. If you'd like to read the story in its entirety, including the steamier parts, it's posted on my eFiction archives, the links to which are in my profile.
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Chapter Two
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Walking into the main room of his penthouse from one of the side rooms, Oliver had his cell phone to his ear, talking to his pilot. "Have the jet fueled and ready. I want to be in the air as soon as possible."
Ending his call, Oliver looked up as the elevator opened and Lois walked in, pulling a large suitcase behind her.
"Hey. I hope your bird has some serious lift, 'cause this thing weighs a ton," Lois said. Looking around she can't help but notice that none of Oliver's luggage is visible, so she asked, "Aren't you packed yet? Where's your stuff?"
"Lois, um..." Oliver started, not quite sure what to say. Not that Lois allowed him to finish his thought anyway.
"Don't even think about saying what I think you're gonna say," Lois warned him.
Oliver hated hurting her. While it was true that he was head over heals in love with Clark, that didn't mean he didn't love Lois – because he did. Of course, he would have preferred to be dating Clark for the last several months, but since Clark was so obviously straight, the blond figured Lois would work as a distraction. That's what she started out as, at least, but he honestly did fall in love with her along the way – it's just that Clark had a much bigger piece of his heart.
A truly regretful look on his face, Oliver said, "I'm sorry. I, um, I have to go away on business."
"Postpone it."
"It's not that simple."
"Why? Why isn't it that simple, Ollie?" Lois asked, truly not understanding. "I mean last time I checked you're the CEO of Queen Industries. Hell, you own over 70% of the stock. You're not going to get into trouble if you take a week off to go on vacation with your girlfriend every now and then!"
Lois certainly had some valid points. As CEO and majority stockholder, there was nobody at Queen Industries that he could get into trouble with for taking a week off for a vacation. Even if he wasn't the majority stockholder, the entire board of directors loved him just as much as they loved his father and Oliver knew that short of running the company into bankruptcy there was nothing he could do to make them fire him. Of course, what Lois didn't know was that the business he had to go out of town for was not for Queen Industries. But, how could she possibly know that? He didn't trust her enough to tell her that he was the Green Arrow. Who could really blame him though? Considering that she was always talking about wanting to send the Green Arrow to prison?
"I'm sorry, Lois. I can't go to Monte Carlo with you," Oliver said. "I really wanted to, but I just can't. There are more important things in this world than what I want... and what I love. I hope someday I can explain why."
"Don't expect me to be waiting around for that when you get back."
"I'm not coming back, Lois, at least not anytime soon. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."
Lois looked at Oliver with a very sad look on her face as she said, "Well, you finally got around to it anyway, didn't you? We're through, Ollie. I can't be with a man who seems to never have time for me and makes plans, only to break them at the last second. I loved you, Ollie, I really did – but it's clear to me that we're no good together."
Grabbing her suitcase, Lois dragged it back towards the elevator and prepared to leave. Opening the gate, she turned back to look at the blond and said, "I hope someday you find the right person for you and that you treat them a whole lot better than you've treated me."
With that, Lois pulled her suitcase into the elevator, closed the gate, and left Oliver's life. It probably sounded bad, but only a small part of him was upset over the breakup. He certainly had enjoyed his time with Lois and he loved her. But the love he felt for her was only a very small fraction of what he felt for Clark. Too bad the younger man would never know.
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Half-an-hour later, Oliver closed his cell phone and said, "Well, according to the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, they're going to run with the story that a gas explosion destroyed the "vacant" LuthorCorp building down by the docks."
"Vacant? Looks like the Luthor cover-up machine is in full swing," a familiar voice said.
Turning towards the open balcony doors, which were not open a second ago, Oliver, Bart, Victor, and A.C. were shocked to see Clark standing there – wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a hunter green t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.
"Clark?" Victor asked.
"Hi can-opener," Clark said with a smile, greatly surprising Victor.
"What's with the clothes?" A.C. asked.
"What don't you like them, fish stick?"
"No, they look great on you, space cadet," A.C. retorted. If Clark was going to resort to the fish jokes, than A.C. was sure as hell going to resort to the space alien jokes. "We're just so used to seeing you wearing blue and red."
"Those colors are so overrated," Clark said with a scowl. "I don't know where my head was. Honestly, I think I need to have it examined. Too bad I can't get an MRI – I don't think the doctors would understand what they were seeing."
"Are you okay, amigo?" Bart asked.
"I'm great, speedy," Clark said. "Why?"
"Well, you're just not really acting like yourself," Oliver said.
"Well, Robin Hood, I almost died in that vault before you rescued me – thanks by the way. Anyway, before your sexy self showed up I honestly thought I was a dead man. Gave me time to rethink some things and I realized I was too uptight, so I vowed that if I lived through that, I'd loosen up."
"Did he just call me sexy?" Oliver thought to himself. Clark must have noticed the look on his face, because he soon walked over to the blond – stepping right up into his personal space.
Whispering in Oliver's ear, Clark said, "Yes, I did call you, "sexy". You are you know – I must have been crazy not to realize it before now." And as if that didn't totally shock Oliver – and thrill him at the same time – Clark then threw his arms around him and dipped him backwards into a passionate kiss. Letting the blond up, Clark grinned at him and said, for the whole room to hear, "That was for saving my life."
"Um, Clark, if I ever save your life, a hand shake will suffice," Victor said.
"And that's all you'll get, Vic," Clark said. "Sorry, but you're just not my type."
"And what is your type, amigo?" Bart asked, obviously amused.
"Sexy blonds," Clark answered immediately and noticing the slightly scared look on A.C.'s face, Clark added, "with fetishes for green leather and arrows."
Oliver's eyes almost bugged out of his head at that statement. What was up with Clark all of a sudden? Oliver could understand the whole "I almost died and did a lot of rethinking my life" logic. For the briefest period of time after he'd been shot saving that couple from a carjacking just before Thanksgiving, he'd found himself in the same position, until he remembered the RL65 and dragged himself home for an injection. Oliver just prayed that Clark was being serious when he made the green leather and arrows comment. The kiss seemed pretty serious, true, but he'd have to make sure. Just not right now. The team had important business to discuss right now.
Seeing that Oliver seemed to be at a loss for words following Clark's comment, Victor decided that maybe a change of subject was in order. "Well, LuthorCorp may be trying to save face, but at least we got Bart out before Lex ran him into an early grave."
Bart scoffed. "Come on – no worries. I had plenty of juice left."
Victor raised an eyebrow and said, "Could have fooled me the way you cleaned out Ollie's fridge."
"That's 'cause I like to stay fueled up," Bart said in his defense.
"So, Impulse, Cyborg, Aquaman, Green Arrow – what do you guys call your team?" Clark asked.
"I don't know. I've been thinking we need something cool. We need something like, uh –- like, uh-"
Deciding to save Bart from straining his brain too hard, Oliver said, "I was thinking of something with the word "Justice" in it. After all, that's what Lex is gonna get a big dose of. Victor and A.C. were able to hack into the 33.1 mainframe before we blew the building."
"So that was your other mission," Clark said with a grin. "What did you guys find out?"
"That Lex isn't satisfied playing in his own backyard anymore," A.C. added with a grim look on his face.
"LuthorCorp is starting up divisions of 33.1 all across the globe," Oliver revealed. "Wherever there's evidence of people with abilities, there'll be laboratories to do experiments on them."
"We can't let that happen," Clark said.
Oliver nodded and said, "We won't. Gentlemen, our first target is a large facility on the island of Corto Maltese. You guys know the drill. Wheels up in 30 minutes – get your gear."
Turning to look at Clark, Bart asked, "You coming, amigo?"
"Yeah, you got to come with us, man." A.C. said.
Victor nodded. "We could use the big guns."
Oliver looked at Clark and prayed with every fiber of his being that the brunet would agree to go with them. "They're right you know. You'd be a major asset to the team."
"I want to be a part of this guys," Clark said. "I really do."
"But..." Oliver said, sure that there was a but coming.
"No buts," Clark said with a grin, as he quickly ducked out of the penthouse and onto Oliver's balcony before re-appearing – with a black duffel bag over his shoulder. "You think I'm going to let you guys run off and have all the fun?"
Oliver was certainly pleased that Clark wanted to come, but before he could stop himself, he asked, "What about that other problem?"
"What you mean the zoners?" Clark asked and noticing the questioning looks on everyone's faces, he elaborated. "The criminals are escapees of the Phantom Zone – but as Chloe pointed out – "escaped super-criminals from the Phantom Zone" is a bit of a mouthful, so we just call them zoners for short."
"Am I missing something, amigo?" Bart asked with a confused look on his face – after all, he was rather busy running around in circles earlier when the others learned the truth about Clark's origins.
"Oh, that's right you weren't here," Clark said. "I'm not from this planet, speedy. I did grow up here, but I wasn't born here. My home planet, Krypton, was on the verge of total annihilation, so my biological parents put me in a ship and sent me here to save me. My ship crashed in a field during the meteor shower in the 80's. The Kents found me and raised me as their own. As for the zoners, I accidentally released them from prison and since my biological father, Jor-El, was responsible for putting them there they want revenge, but he's dead, so I'm the next best thing."
"Wow," was all Bart could say.
Oliver said. "So what about that problem?"
Looking at Oliver, Clark said, "You once accused me of waiting for trouble to show up at my doorstep. Well, this is me going out and confronting the trouble before it does. The way I see it, I can stay here in Kansas and bale hay while looking for the zoners or I can go with you guys and help stop 33.1 while looking for the zoners. Personally, I think I like the latter option better. So, handsome, if you're done trying to change my mind, I have a question."
"Shoot," Oliver said, confident that he kept his cool, even though he felt like he was floating miles above the ground when Clark called him handsome. Maybe there was hope for the two of them after all.
"You said wheels up in 30 minutes," Clark said and Oliver nodded. "I assume you're referring to your jet." Again Oliver nodded. "The Queen Industries company jet?"
"Yes, why?" Oliver asked.
"And we're actually going to land on Corto Maltese?" Clark asked.
"Well, that is where our first target is," A.C. said, "so, yeah that was the plan."
"And does Queen Industries have any offices or subsidiaries on Corto Maltese?" Clark asked.
"No," Oliver said. Perhaps if his mind wasn't racing from all the comments that Clark had made since arriving, he might have been able to understand where Clark was going with these questions.
"Bad plan." Clark said.
"Why?" Victor asked.
"Think about it," Clark said. "All of Lex's 33.1 labs start getting attacked. How long do you think it'll take him to start investigating? Trying to find similarities? If he does too much digging, do we really want him to notice that the Queen Industries jet keeps landing in the same location as his 33.1 labs, right before they're wiped off the map?"
Silence filled the room for a moment. It was Bart who finally broke the silence, as he nodded and said, "You know, I think my amigo has a point. We've underestimated baldie in the past and it's gotten us in trouble."
"True," Victor said. "So, what alternative would you suggest, Clark?"
"Well, Corto Maltese is near Italy, correct?" Clark asked and Oliver nodded. "Well, then I suggest we land somewhere in Italy. Rome or Venice or something and then find alternate transportation to Corto Maltese. I've seen Bart run across water, so he certainly would have no problem and A.C. could easily swim there."
"That's true," A.C. said. "What about Victor and Ollie, though?"
"Well, I'm sure I'm strong enough to hold onto them and fly them over," Clark said with a grin.
"Did you just say fly?" Victor asked.
"Yeah, I did," Clark said. "Did I forget to mention that flying is one of my abilities?" To prove his point, Clark rose about a foot off the ground.
"You truly are amazing, Clark Kent," Oliver said with a smile, as he pulled out his cell phone. "Anyway, you're right. I'll call my pilot and change the flight plan from Corto Maltese to Rome. Unlike Corto Maltese, Queen Industries has holdings in Rome, so for me to go there shouldn't look all that suspicious and it's far enough away that I doubt Lex would connect me to the Corto Maltese facility's destruction."
"Well, now, aren't you glad I'm coming along?" Clark asked with a smug look on his face. "I'm already saving you guys from making a stupid mistake."
While this new much more open and laid back Clark was certainly a lot to take in, Oliver found that he couldn't really dislike him. He might be different from the Clark he fell in love with, but it was still Clark and better yet, this Clark didn't seem so obviously straight – giving the blond hope that maybe he might actually have a chance with the brunet.
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Later that evening, Clark was sitting alone in the loft, tossing a ball against a nearby wall. He'd stopped by Oliver's penthouse earlier to find it deserted. He tried getting in touch with the blond, but none of his messages went through. Talking to Oliver's assistant at Queen Industries had also been a complete waste of time because all she would tell him is that Mr. Queen had left Metropolis and was not expected back anytime soon. She adamantly refused to give any more details than that, so Clark made his way back to the farm.
He honestly didn't know why, but the fact that the blond and the others had left without even so much as a phone call to say goodbye, really made him sad. But, what confused him the most was that he wasn't nearly as upset about the fact that Bart, Victor, and A.C. didn't say goodbye. No what really hurt was the fact that Oliver had left without saying goodbye. What was it about the blond man that had such an effect on him? Clark had asked himself that question more times than he could count, but he just could not come up with an answer.
Clark knew that if he really wanted to find Oliver, he could. Chloe could probably very easily find out what Oliver's flight plan had been when he left Metropolis, but Clark decided not to go looking for the blond. He had thought they were friends, but maybe the friendship didn't mean as much to Oliver as it meant to him. If the blond really valued their friendship, he would have at least called to say goodbye right? Instead, nothing – Oliver had just packed up and left without a word. Clark just wished he could figure out why that hurt so much.
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Touching down in Rome, Italy at around midnight Roman time, everyone decided to head for a hotel and get some rest, as none of them had been able to sleep on the jet – mainly because everyone was interested in hearing more about Clark's origins and had asked him every question under the sun.
Pulling up in front of one of the best hotels in the city, everyone got out of the limousine that had brought them from the airport and Oliver handed Clark a bank card.
Looking at the card, Clark was rather shocked to see that it had his name on it. "What's this?" he asked.
"Well, you're part of the team now," Oliver said with a smile. "All the guys have one. It's connected to the expense account I setup for the team."
"Thanks," Clark said with a smile as he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and added the card to it.
"Why don't you go check us in?" Oliver asked. "The rest of us will get the luggage."
"Sure," Clark said with a smile and headed into the hotel.
Walking up to the front desk, the clerk asked, "Can I help you?" Of course, the only real problem was that she had said it in Italian and Clark didn't know Italian.
"Do you happen to speak English?" Clark asked with a hopeful look.
"Yes, sir, I do," the clerk said, this time in English. It didn't sound quite as comfortable as her native language, but it was understandable at least.
"Well, some friends and I need to check in," Clark said. "Do you have any vacancies?"
"Well, we have several conventions in town right now," the clerk said as she checked the computer. "However, we do have three rooms available - one with a single bed, one with two queen beds, and a suite with a king bed."
Pulling out the bank card that Oliver had just given him, Clark said, "I'll take all three of them."
Nodding, the clerk accepted the card, and after a few minutes she smiled, as she handed the card back to Clark. "I hope you enjoy your stay, Mr. Kent. How many room keys will you require?"
"One for the single room and two each for the other two," Clark answered and again the clerk nodded before handing him the card keys, which were marked with the room numbers. Turning away from the front desk, Clark headed over to the entrance, where the others had just entered.
"We all checked in, amigo?" Bart asked.
Clark nodded. "Yeah, we got their last three rooms." Holding the card keys for the single room and the room with two beds in Victor, Bart, and A.C.'s direction, Clark said, "You three can argue which of you gets the single and who'll be sharing the double. Ollie and I will be in the other room."
Oliver couldn't help but smile when he found out that the brunet wanted to share a hotel room with him. Of course, he didn't know yet that the room he'd be sharing with the younger man only had one bed. It was quickly decided that Victor would get the single room and A.C. would share with Bart – to keep an eye on the impulsive younger man. He was a little upset that the others felt he needed a babysitter, but, he quickly got over it. It's not like A.C. stood a chance of catching up with him if he really wanted to give him the slip.
Heading up to their rooms, the team all said goodnight to one another and agreed to meet up in Clark and Oliver's suite at noon for lunch and a team meeting. Entering their room, Clark super-sped into the bedroom and smiled when he saw the large bed. Putting his duffel bag down, Clark hid behind the door, waiting for Oliver to come in. He didn't have to wait long. The blond soon entered the room and to say he was shocked to only see one bed would be an understatement. Oliver set his luggage down and not seeing Clark, he asked, "Clark?"
The sound of the door closing made Oliver turn around and that's when he saw Clark standing there. Before Oliver could say anything, the brunet advanced on him and for the second time that day was in the blond's personal space.
"Finally, we're alone," Clark said as he wrapped his arms around the blond's waist. "Don't get me wrong, the other guys are great and I agree the whole 33.1 thing must stop, but you want to know the real reason I joined this team?"
Not able to find his voice, Oliver just nodded.
"You," the brunet said.
"Me?" Oliver asked, finally finding his voice.
Clark grinned as he removed one of his hands from the blond's waist. Putting it between them as he grabbed the blond's crotch, Clark was pleased to find the older man was rock hard. "If Ollie Jr.'s reaction is anything to go by, you definitely don't find this uncomfortable."
"No, I don't," Oliver said.
"I'd really like to kiss you now," Clark said. "That okay?"
Instead of answering the brunet, Oliver just smiled and leaned in, bringing their lips together. It was the second time that day that they kissed and just like the first time, Oliver felt like every single nerve in his body was on fire. The sensations and the passion that the younger man stirred in him were beyond what the blond's vocabulary could adequately describe. Wrapping his arms around the younger man's waist, Oliver pulled him closer and shuddered as he felt Clark's erection brushing pressing up against his own.
When the need for air finally forced them to part, Oliver rested his head against the younger man's and said, "Lois and I broke up."
"I can't say as I'm upset to hear that," Clark said, "because I'd much rather you be free to be with me, but let's not talk about her right now, okay?"
"Okay," Oliver said. "Then what would you like to talk about?"
"Nothing," Clark said. "I can think of things to do that are much more fun than talking."
"Oh really?" The blond asked as he raised an eyebrow. If this was a dream, he didn't ever want to wake up.
"Yes, but we're both wearing far too much clothing," Clark commented. "Of course, I can fix that."
Before Oliver could even blink both he and Clark were completely naked and he found himself getting pushed down onto the bed by a very enthusiastic brunet. Lying down on top of the blond, they both moaned in pleasure at the feel of full body skin to skin contact. Capturing the blond's lips, Clark initiated what Oliver was sure had to be the most passionate kiss he'd ever had in his entire life. Tongues were soon battling, as they eagerly explored every crevice of the other's mouth.
The kissing did not stop when the need for air separated them. Kissing his way down the side of the blond's face, Clark was soon trailing kisses across the older man's left collarbone and down his chest. Oliver moaned as Clark reached his left nipple and swirled his tongue around on it, before he very lightly bit down on it. Oliver was sure that he'd just found heaven on Earth and he never wanted the sensations he was feeling to end – nor for the person causing them to stop. Continuing to kiss his way ever lower, Clark paused to kiss each of the blond's six-pack abs, in addition to laving his tongue over each gorgeous section, before continuing his descent.
Much to Oliver's combined pleasure and displeasure, the younger man completely ignored his straining cock, as he kissed and licked his way down the blond's right leg, all the way down to his toes, before he moved over and began kissing and licking his way back up the blond's left leg. Nearing the older man's member, Clark ignored it for a little bit longer, as he paid special attention to the blond's inner thighs, before finally he placed his tongue at the base of the older man's penis and licked it from base to tip and back – causing Oliver to moan loudly, as the waves of pleasure swept over him.
Finally breaking their kiss, Clark looked down at the blond with a lascivious gaze, his green eyes burning with lust, and asked, "Did you enjoy that, lover?"
Struggling to catch his breath, Oliver nodded and said, "Hell yes."
Clark smiled and said, "Good, because that's only the beginning." Planting a quick kiss on the blond, Clark said, "I'll be right back."
Though the contact of their naked flesh was only broken for a split second thanks to Clark's super-speed, Oliver found himself thoroughly missing the younger man's body pressed up against his own and sighed happily as the contact was restored. Kissing the blond briefly, Clark soon pushed Oliver's legs apart and kneeled between them as he popped open the top of a bottle of lubricant.
Pulling back the covers and getting into bed, Oliver sighed contentedly as he lie on his side and felt Clark coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around him securely. Their bodies fit together like two pieces of the same puzzle and Oliver had never been happier in his entire life. Exhausted from the long flight and their recent activities, Oliver could feel sleep overtaking him, and whispered, "I love you, Clark.
"Love you too, Ollie," Clark said as he tightened his hold on the blond and the two drifted off to sleep.
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To be continued.