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 Three
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By the next day, Clark was obviously depressed and needed a distraction from his thoughts which never seemed to stray from a certain blond and the pain of said blond's apparent rejection. His various farm chores were taking a lot longer than normal to complete, because Clark was desperately trying to keep his mind off of the blond billionaire and hoped that doing his chores the normal way would occupy his mind enough that he wouldn't have time to think. It wasn't working all that well.
No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get Oliver out of his head. He couldn't understand why he was so upset that the blond had just up and left without a word. True, he considered Oliver a friend, but he hadn't known him all that long. Clark had lost touch with friends before and he didn't feel this way. Just look at his relationship with Pete Ross – they'd been friends since before the first grade and while it hurt that he hadn't heard a word from Pete since he left at the end of junior year, he certainly wasn't anywhere near as broken up about it as he was with Oliver. Of course, one distinct difference with that was that Pete had said goodbye and Oliver hadn't. Clark honestly wasn't sure if it was simply a lack of closure that had him so upset or if it was something more and that's what not only confused him, but scared him as well.
The Kansas State Senate was in recess at the moment, so, Martha Kent had returned to Smallville to spend time with Clark. To say she was worried about him would be the understatement of the century. She could tell that something was obviously wrong with him the night before when she offered him a large piece of her apple pie after dinner and he just said "No, thanks," and retreated to his loft without another word. Martha knew her son very well and for him to turn down pie meant that something was very wrong. Normally, she would have gone out to the barn to try and figure out what it was, but something in his expression told her that Clark was dealing with something that he needed some time to sort through on his own and that he would tell her when he was ready.
After a fairly restless night, because she found it very hard to fall asleep because she was engaging in the activity that mothers seem to do best, worrying about their children, Martha was tired as she made breakfast, but knew that she had to do something. Once she'd made sure that Clark had eaten and getting him to do so had been a challenge in itself, she allowed him to head outside to start his chores. Watching him from the kitchen window, she only worried more when she realized that Clark was doing all of his chores the normal way. Something was definitely off and if Clark wasn't going to tell her then she was going to have to find out some other way.
Martha had always been pretty good at reading people, especially the people closest to her, so she had a feeling that whatever it was that Clark was dealing with was something that he wasn't comfortable talking about with her. It made her kind of sad to know there was anything her son felt like he couldn't talk to her about, but, thinking back to her own youth, she knew there were quite a few topics that she never discussed with her parents. Determined to help her son though, Martha picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Sullivan," said the voice on the other end.
"Chloe, its Martha Kent."
"Oh, hi, Mrs. Kent, how's life in Topeka?"
"Busy, but I'm actually in Smallville right now," Martha answered. "Chloe, could you come over? I'm not sure what's wrong, but Clark is obviously upset about something and he's not talking to me."
"Of course, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said. "I'm always glad to help Clark. I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Chloe," Martha said.
"No problem, Mrs. Kent," Chloe said as they exchanged goodbyes and hung up.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe in Rome, Italy, Oliver was thrilled when he awoke in the arms of the man he'd secretly loved for months. He had been seriously worried, to be honest, that the previous night had been a dream – it certainly wouldn't be the first time that the blond had had very explicit dreams about the brunet. The only difference was that with the dreams, the only thing he woke up to was stained sheets. He definitely wasn't about to complain about that element being replaced with Clark's arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
Feeling the brunet waking up, Oliver turned in his arms and smiled, kissing the younger man's forehead. "Morning." He said.
Clark grinned and said, "So, last night wasn't a dream."
A part of Oliver was thrilled that Clark had the same thought he did, but the other part was screaming that perhaps he should make sure that Clark was actually happy that the previous night hadn't been a dream. After all, in the light of day Clark might think that the previous night hadn't been a dream, but a nightmare. Oliver silently cursed his mind for its tendency to make him deal with the worst case scenarios when it came to emotional and romantic attachments, but it was something of a defense mechanism he'd developed since his parents died. It was part of the wall around his heart that basically insured that all of his relationships failed because deep down he was still the scared little boy that was so afraid that if he got too close to someone that he'd lose them like he did his parents.
Finding his voice, Oliver asked, "Do you wish it had been?" He hoped that he didn't sound pathetic when he asked that, but he wasn't all that confident.
Clark looked at him like he had just grown a second head and said, "What have you been smoking, Oliver? Of course I don't wish last night was only a dream. Do you?"
"No," Oliver replied quickly.
"Good, then shut up and kiss me!" Clark said, not giving the blond any choice because a fraction of a second later, the brunet's lips were on his and all the negative thoughts that his mind insisted on showing him evaporated.
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Arriving at the Kent Farm, Chloe got out of her car and saw Martha sitting on the front porch. She smiled and raised a finger to point towards the barn. Chloe returned the smile and nodded, before heading over to the barn to find her best friend. Entering the barn, Chloe was shocked to see Clark putting bales of hay in the topmost hayloft. The reason it shocked her was because he was using the rope winch to hoist the bales into the loft – rather than just picking them up and throwing them up like he usually did.
"What are you doing, Clark?"
Turning his attention to Chloe, the look on his face one that clearly said, "Isn't it obvious?" Clark asked, "What does it look like I'm doing, Chloe?"
"It looks like you're doing your chores," Chloe said. "The question is why are you doing them the normal way?"
"I just felt like it," Clark said as he turned his attention back to the bale of hay he was hoisting upwards. Getting the bale up to the loft, Clark turned and prepared to grab the last of the bales, but Chloe was faster and quickly sat down on it. A frown on his face, Clark said, "Chloe, please move."
"No, Clark," Chloe said. "Not until you tell me what's wrong with you."
"Nothing's wrong with me," Clark said in an exasperated tone. "I just decided to do my chores the normal way for once. Is that a crime?"
"No, it isn't," Chloe said, "but I know you Clark Kent. I can tell just by the look in your eyes that something is wrong. Now, tell me what it is."
"Nothing's wrong," Clark said.
"Clark, you and I both know that you're lying right now," Chloe said. "So, you can save us both a lot of time and frustration by just telling me the truth now, rather than dragging it out."
Clark frowned. He really didn't know why he'd even tried to hide the truth from Chloe. His friend knew him way too well – perhaps too well for his own liking – and he really should have known better. Sitting down one of the steps that led up to his loft, Clark sighed and Chloe turned on the hay bale so that she was facing her friend, an expectant look on her face.
"Oliver and his team left," Clark said.
"They did?" Chloe asked. This was news to her.
"Yeah, they did," Clark said. "I have no idea where they went or what they're doing, though I expect it has something to do with 33.1. It's just a phone call would have been nice."
"So, you're upset they didn't call and say goodbye?" Chloe asked and Clark nodded. Looking at her best friend, she could tell there was something more to it.
"What aren't you telling me?" Chloe asked as she studied her friend closely and then it hit her. "It's Oliver, isn't it?"
Clark looked up, shocked, and asked, "What?"
"The reason you're so upset is because Oliver didn't call to say goodbye, isn't it?"
Clark shook his head and said, "That's ridiculous, Chlo."
But the look on his face told Chloe everything she needed to know. Suddenly, everything fell into place. Ever since Thanksgiving, Chloe had had a vague feeling that something was off with Clark where Oliver was concerned, but she could never put her finger on what that was – until just now.
"I don't think it is," Chloe said.
Persisting, Clark said, "Of course it is Chloe. I'm upset the entire team left without saying goodbye – why would you think I'm only upset that Oliver didn't?"
"Because you haven't known the other team members as long as you've known Oliver," Chloe rationalized. "Victor, A.C., Bart, the last time you met each of them before – they were only around a few days at most. You've known Oliver on the other hand for several months now. He's come to mean something to you hasn't he?"
"Just what is it that you're implying, Chloe?"
Looking at her best friend, a small smile on her face, Chloe asked, "You're in love with him, aren't you, Clark?"
The look on Clark's face clearly showed that he thought Chloe was certifiably insane. Maybe insanity truly did run in the family and Chloe had finally started down the same path as her mother.
"That's crazy, Chloe," Clark said. "I am not in love with Oliver."
Ignoring her friend's denial, Chloe said, "It all makes sense now. The look on your face at Thanksgiving when Lois and Oliver kissed, how sad you always seem to look whenever Lois says how happy she is with Oliver, why you seemed like you wanted to talk Lois out of going to Monte Carlo with Oliver... need I say more?"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Chloe."
"Come on, Clark. It's so obvious that you're jealous and I know you aren't jealous of Oliver because you want Lois, so that means you must be jealous of Lois because you want Oliver."
"You couldn't be more off base if you tried, Chloe," Clark said. "I am not in love with Oliver. I do not want Oliver. I don't even like Oliver!"
"Okay, stop lying Clark."
"I'm not lying!" It was obvious to Chloe, however, that Clark was lying through his teeth, whether he wanted to admit that to himself or not.
"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, Clark," Chloe said.
"I am not in denial, Chloe!" Clark exclaimed. "I do not love Oliver and I am not going to stand here anymore and listen to you say something that I know is not true! For pity sake, I'm not gay! Or did you somehow miss the fact that I've been obsessed with Lana since I was five?"
Not giving his friend a chance to answer, Clark super-sped out of the barn. If he had stayed, he would have heard what Chloe's response to that had been. "Trust me, Clark, nobody with eyes could have missed that - but Lana is with Lex now. Its way past time you move on. And I never said you were gay. Try bisexual."
Sighing, Chloe headed for the house. Martha was still waiting on the porch.
"So, do you have any idea what's wrong?" She asked.
"Well, Oliver left town without saying goodbye to him," Chloe said.
"Oliver? You mean Oliver Queen?" Martha asked.
"Yeah," Chloe said. "Mrs. Kent, have you noticed anything odd there? I mean have you ever noticed that Clark seems to act oddly whenever Oliver's name is brought up?"
Thinking for a moment, Martha looked at Chloe and said, "Come to think of it, I have. You don't think?"
"Mrs. Kent, I think Clark is in love with Oliver and doesn't want to admit it," Chloe said.
Martha took a deep breath and then nodded. "I think you're probably right. My poor boy – he keeps falling for people who aren't available."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Mrs. Kent."
"Why?" Martha asked, confused. "Last time I checked Oliver is dating Lois – not to mention the fact that he's straight."
"Actually you're wrong on both counts," Chloe said and noticing the confused look on Martha's face, she said, "Lois and Oliver broke up. She told me herself. As for Oliver being straight, well, he's actually bisexual – he said so himself in an interview he did with the Star City Tribune three years ago."
"I never knew," Martha said.
"Well, that's not really surprising," Chloe said with a smile. "I doubt you get the Star City Tribune in Smallville. The only reason I know is because of my job. The Star City Tribune and the Daily Planet are owned by the same company. So you're not mad or anything?"
Confused by the question, Martha asked, "Mad? Why would I be mad that Oliver is bisexual?"
"No, I mean, you're not mad that Clark could be in love with him?"
"No," Martha said immediately. "All I ever wanted for Clark was for him to be happy. If being with Oliver or another man makes him happy, then, I don't have a problem with it."
"Well, then, I guess I'll go and track down a certain blond," Chloe said. "Give him a piece of my mind for leaving without even saying goodbye."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt, Clark," Martha said, although the tone in her voice clearly said she wasn't really trying to talk Chloe out of giving him a piece of her mind.
"Well, regardless of whether or not he meant to, he did, so he'll have to deal with me."
Smiling, Martha said, "I'm so glad my son has loyal friends like you, Chloe."
Chloe smiled and waved, before heading for her car and leaving the farm. Wherever he was, Oliver Queen had better be shaking in his boots, because he'd incurred the wrath of Chloe Sullivan – and that is reason enough to be very, very scared.
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"Okay, today is the day guys," Oliver said, as he looked at his team members. "As you know, Clark and I have reconned the target and I think we're ready now to wipe it off the map."
"Cool," Bart said with a grin, as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"So you guys know the drill," Oliver said. "Gear up and let's get ready to serve up Lex some serious justice."
"What about Kent?" Victor said. "Is he just going to wear street clothes like he did at the Ridge?"
"No, Stone," Clark said. "Ollie and I took care of that. I've got a costume and a new codename to match."
"What's wrong with Boyscout?" A.C. asked.
"Well, I don't like it, Curry Powder," Clark said, and A.C. groaned at the new nickname, although, at least it wasn't fish-related. "So unless you'd like me to use my heat vision to cut you some new gills, never call me that again."
Hands held up in surrender, A.C. said, "Okay, okay, I won't call you that again. So, what's the new codename?"
Clark smiled and said, "Obsidian."
"Interesting choice," Victor said. "Where'd that idea come from?"
"My costume," Clark said, before super-speeding out of the room and returning about a minute-and-a-half later dressed in what was basically a copy of Oliver's Green Arrow costume. Except that there was no hood and other than a few small hunter green accents, the leather was completely black.
"Whoa, nice costume, amigo," Bart said with a grin.
"Do I detect a note of hero worship?" Victor asked. "I mean with a few differences you look like Robin Hood in his costume."
"How could I not worship this man?" Clark asked with a mischievous grin as he pulled Oliver in for a kiss. "He's sexy, rich, smart, romantic, and great in bed."
"Too much information!" A.C. exclaimed, as both Bart and Victor nodded in agreement.
Oliver just grinned, before wrapping his arms tightly around Clark and kissing him soundly as a thank you for the compliments. The others had been a little shocked upon learning that Clark and Oliver were now a couple, but, if they were truly honest, they weren't all that surprised. Well, at least not in Oliver's case, because they'd all seen how their leader lit up when he talked about Clark, so they all kind of guessed that the blond's feelings ran deeper than friendship. They had been more surprised in Clark's case, what with the whole Lana thing, but, as long as they were happy, none of them really cared.
After about a minute, Victor cleared his throat and Clark and Oliver broke their kiss to look at him. "Not to interrupt or anything, guys, but I think we have work to do."
Nodding, Oliver said, "You're right, can-opener. Grab your gear and we'll meet at the rendezvous point in fifteen minutes."
Everyone nodded and Victor, A.C., and Bart left the room. Just before he left, Bart grinned as Clark and Oliver went back to sucking face and said, "Don't be late now, lovebirds."
Not breaking the kiss, Clark simply stuck up his middle finger at Bart, who said, "No thank you – save that for Oliver." Thanks to his faster than Clark's super-speed, Bart was out the door and long gone before the sofa pillow that the brunet had thrown at him could find its mark.
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When he left the barn, Clark didn't stop running until he found himself atop the windmill in Chandler's Field. He wasn't particularly fond of heights, but then, he figured he could deal with it because he'd be alone here. Chloe knew about his fear of heights, so he figured that his friend would never think to look for him on top of the tallest windmill in Smallville. He just couldn't believe what his friend had been saying. It was complete and utter nonsense! For Chloe to even think that he was in love with Oliver Queen was ludicrous.
He was seriously worried about Chloe, to be honest, because he couldn't help but think that maybe she finally was going crazy like her mother. He had never put much stock in the idea that insanity somehow ran in her family, but now he wasn't so sure. She had to be crazy if she thought for even a second that he was in love with Oliver. Clark just could not understand how his friend could have possibly come up with such an erroneous idea. He certainly wasn't gay; as he would have thought had been made abundantly clear by his years of mooning over Lana Lang.
Him in love with Oliver Queen? Clark just couldn't help but laugh like a mad man at that idea. There was simply no way it was true. No way at all.
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Arriving on the island of Corto Maltese, Clark landed gracefully on the secluded and deserted beach that they had chosen as their rendezvous point. Letting go of Victor, but keeping his arm firmly around Oliver's waist, Clark looked around and grinned when he realized that they were the first ones here.
Ten seconds later, a red blur came into view, as Bart came to a stop, a look of genuine surprise on his face when he realized he wasn't the first one to arrive. Grinning at the younger man, Clark said, "You may run faster than me, Impulse, but it looks like I can fly faster than you."
Pouting a bit, Bart said, "Wasn't really a fair competition, amigo. I mean, you could fly in a straight line. I may be able to run fast, but I still have to dodge all the buildings and other things between here and Rome."
"Excuses, excuses," Clark said.
Grinning at the exchange, Victor said, "Well, I guess as soon as fish boy gets here we can get this party started."
Coming up out of the water and putting his shirt back on, A.C. said, "I heard that you giant trash compactor."
"Now, now, boys, let's play nice," Oliver said with a grin. "Well, at least with each other – not so much with Lex's goons."
Pulling a small handheld video screen out of a pocket, Oliver turned it on and everyone gathered around. "Okay, Aquaman, the facility has a larger sewer drain on the northeastern side – once Cyborg gets the perimeter security down, you'll enter from there." Aquaman nodded. "Impulse, I want you to enter from the western entrance and start planting the charges. Cyborg, Obsidian, and I will enter from the south and head for the central control room, download any information we can from the mainframe and destroy the security footage."
"Once that's done, we can issue the warning for all of Lex's people to clear out before we blow the building," Clark said. "We'll have given them fair warning - if they don't get out in time, well, that's their own fault."
Noticing the looks on the other's faces, Clark said, "I know, I know, that doesn't sound like something I would normally say, but, I've come to realize that despite my powers, I can't save everybody – especially those who don't want to be saved. If they choose to ignore our warning, that isn't our fault. If anything, it's their fault for being there in the first place by choosing to work for a megalomaniac like Lex."
"True," Oliver said. "All right, guys, let's move out!"
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Pushing aside the gate and entering Oliver's penthouse, Clark looked around and seeing the blond, he said, "Oliver."
Looking over at the brunet, Oliver said, "Look, Clark, whatever has your tighty whities in a bunch, now is not the time."
Ignoring the blond's comment, Clark asked, "Where's Bart?" This immediately caused Oliver to look up from the papers he was reading, and Clark could tell the blond was rather shocked that Clark knew about Bart. "I saw his phone records. I know he's working for you."
Coming down the steps and walking over to his desk, Oliver said, "Not for me. Working with me. There's a difference."
"It's not gonna matter much when he ends up in jail or worse."
"Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about," Oliver said, as he sat down behind his desk.
Coming closer and looking down at the blond, Clark said, "I know how much you hate Lex. Is that why you recruited Bart – to help with your little vendetta?"
Leaning forward, Oliver said, "No, to stop 33.1."
Shock clearly etched on Clark's face, he asked, "You know about 33.1?" Oliver nodded almost imperceptibly, causing Clark to ask, "Why didn't you tell me what you were up to?"
Looking like he couldn't believe what the brunet was asking him, he asked, "Clark, do you check in with me every time you run off to save the world?"
Standing up from his desk and walking away from the younger man, Oliver said, "Oh that's right. For a second there I forgot – you like to just wait for trouble to show up on your doorstep."
Clark exclaimed, "That's not true!"
"Then why haven't you done anything to stop 33.1?"
"I was busy with another problem."
"What could possibly be more urgent than stopping 33.1, Clark?"
Remaining silent for a moment, Clark suddenly exclaimed, "This!" Entering the blond's personal space, Clark grabbed him and smashed their lips together in a passionate kiss, his tongue demanding entrance into the blond's mouth, which was soon granted as the older man wrapped his arms around Clark's waist and returned the kiss – both of them putting weeks of pent up passion for one another into it as they deepened the kiss. In fact the kiss was so deep that if anyone was watching right now, they'd probably think that the blond and brunet were conjoined twins – joined at the lips.
When the incessant need for air finally forced the two of them to part, Oliver was gasping for breath. Finally catching it, he started, "Clark, what..." but he never got to finish as the brunet put his finger over the blond's lips and shook his head.
"No talking," Clark said, as he began to plant kisses all over the blond's face. "I want you in me, Ollie... NOW!"
Nodding, Oliver grabbed Clark and began to lead him over towards his desk, as both the blond and brunet lost clothes on the way. Taking his arms off of the brunet for a moment, Oliver swept an arm over his desk and knocked everything on it to the floor, before opening his desk drawer and pulling out a bottle of lubricant.
"You keep lube in your desk drawer?" Clark asked with an amused expression, despite the passion and lust coursing through every nerve and blood vessel in his body.
"I like to be prepared," Oliver said in a low growl as he grabbed Clark in his arms and hoisted him up so that he was seated on the desk, before he began to unfasten Clark's button-fly jeans while planting kisses all over the brunet's naked chest. Getting the last button undone, Clark placed his hands on the desk and pushed himself up so that the blond could get his pants off.
Oliver pulled the brunet's jeans down and was confronted by a very lovely tent in the younger man's hunter green boxer-briefs. Clark smiled and said, "As you can see, Ollie, I don't wear tighty whities."
"Yeah, I can see that," Oliver said. "You should wear green more often – it looks good on you. It matches your eyes."
"It reminds me of you," Clark said. "So, you're the only person I want to see me wearing it. Now get your pants off already before I tear them off!"
And no sooner had he said that, did Clark jolt awake in his bed at the farm – quickly noting the sticky and stained sheets. Panting from his recent orgasm, Clark struggled to catch his breath, before whispering to himself, "What the hell was that? Why am I dreaming about having sex with Oliver?"
Pausing, Clark said, "Damn you, Chloe! Why did you have to plant that insane idea in my head?" He was one hundred percent sure that the dream was all Chloe's fault. She was the one who planted the ludicrous and completely insane idea in his head that he was in love with Oliver. It simply was not true! He did not love Oliver. He couldn't. He didn't swing that way, never had, and never would. The small part of his mind that tried to point out that straight men don't have erotic dreams about other men just because someone told them they were in love with one was quickly silenced, as Clark got out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers.
He just prayed that when he shouted Oliver's name, it had only been in the dream and not in reality – the last thing he needed was for his mother to have heard that.
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The destruction of the Corto Maltese 33.1 facility had gone off without a hitch. All of Luthor's people exited the building in a timely fashion after hearing the warning and minutes later the building was consumed in an inferno of flames as it blew sky high. Shortly afterward, the team of five were back on the secluded beach they'd arrived on, quickly congratulating each other, before A.C. dove into the water, Bart took off running across it, and Clark grabbed Oliver and Victor and rocketed up into the sky, all on their way back to Rome.
Arriving in their suite, Clark pushed down the blond's green hood and both men removed their sunglasses and set them aside, before they sealed their mouths together in a celebratory kiss. The information they'd gotten from the Ridge Facility's computer had certainly been helpful, but the Corto Maltese facility's information was a gold mine. They knew that from this point on they'd have to take any further information they took from the computers of future facilities with a grain of salt – as Lex would probably start planting false information to attempt to prevent further destruction of his 33.1 labs.
Pulling apart, Clark smiled at Oliver and asked, "I'm going to go take a shower, care to join me, sexy?"
Oliver grinned and said, "Go start the water and I'll join you in a minute. I just want to check my messages, first."
"Okay," Clark said as he headed for the bedroom, and the bathroom beyond. "Don't be too long."
"I won't," Oliver said, as he sat down in a nearby chair and picked up his cell phone from the coffee table. Flipping it open and punching in the necessary code to retrieve his messages, Oliver was shocked when he put it to his ear and the digital voice said, "You have 30 new messages."
"Oliver, this is Chloe. Call me."
"Oliver, this is Chloe again, where are you? Call me."
"Damn it, Oliver, call me already you ass!"
"Oliver, this is Chloe, I'm getting really impatient here. Call me!"
"Oliver, its Chloe. I thought you should know that one doesn't grow up with a three-star general as an uncle and not learn a few things. You'll call me if you know what's good for you, you jackass - because if I have to come find you, you won't be enjoying it!"
Pulling the phone away from his ear so fast one would think it had just burned him, he stared at the phone - a completely confused look on his face. He could hear Chloe leaving him another message. He couldn't hear every word clearly, but the words "red-hot fireplace poker" and "your ass" were audible nonetheless.
"What the hell?" Oliver thought. "Why is Chloe so mad at me? And why is she leaving me threatening voicemail messages? What did I do?"
Quickly stopping the message playback, Oliver scrolled through his calling list, found Chloe's number, and pushed the call button. Placing the phone to his ear, he pulled it back a moment later, as Chloe's voice screamed from the other end, "OLIVER! It's about fucking time! Where in the hell are you and what took you so long to call me?"
Gulping, Oliver placed the phone back to his ear and said, "I'm in Rome, Italy with the team. I had my phone off because we just took out a 33.1 lab on the island of Corto Maltese. Chloe, why are you so mad at me? What did I do to you? I don't understand."
"Don't play dumb with me, Oliver Jonas Queen!" Chloe exclaimed. "You know perfectly well what you did!"
"No, Chloe, I swear, I don't," Oliver said and then a light bulb went off in his head. "If this is about Lois, I'm sorry I hurt her, but we just weren't right for each other."
"This has nothing to do with Lois," Chloe said. "You hurt my best friend!"
"Best friend?" Oliver asked, suddenly even more confused. "You mean Clark?"
"Of course I mean Clark," Chloe said. "Oliver, are you a natural blond? Because if not I think the hair dye has seeped into your brain!"
"Yes, I'm a natural blond," Oliver said. "And what do you mean I hurt Clark? How?"
"By leaving town without at least calling him to say goodbye, you jackass!"
If Oliver was confused before, now he was so confused that he didn't think there was a word for it. "Chloe, why would I call Clark to say goodbye when he's here in Rome with me?"
Silence. And then, "What did you just say?"
"I said why would I call Clark to say goodbye when he's here in Rome with me?" Oliver repeated.
"That's what I thought you said," Chloe said. "Oliver that's impossible. Clark can't be in Rome."
"I assure you, Chloe, he is," Oliver said. "We're sharing a hotel room." He figured maybe it was best to leave out the part about them sharing a bed and going at it like rabbits for the moment.
"Oliver, I don't know what kind of game you think you're playing, but Clark cannot be in Rome with you, because he's here in Smallville with me!"
"What, Chloe that's impossible," Oliver said. "I swear Clark is here in Rome with me."
"You're lying, Oliver."
"No, Chloe, I'm not," Oliver said. "I swear on my parents' graves that Clark is here in Rome with me!"
Again silence. "He's really in Rome with you?" Chloe finally asked.
"Yes, he is," Oliver said - his voice clearly exasperated.
Chloe was silent for a moment and Oliver could hear her taking a deep breath. "Oliver, what happened at the Ridge Facility?"
"You know what happened, Chloe. We blew it up."
"No, I mean, did anything out of the ordinary happen?"
"Well, when I was rescuing Clark from the refinement room, I accidentally broke the detonator," Oliver said, thinking back. "I didn't know that it had been broken until we got outside. Then Clark went back in to set off the explosives manually."
"He what?" Chloe asked, obviously shocked.
"I didn't really want him to do it either," Oliver said, "but he said he was fast and invulnerable. Bart volunteered to do it, but Clark wouldn't let him. He super-sped back in before we could stop him."
Chloe was silent again and Oliver could swear he heard the blond's mind working, trying to figure out what could possibly have happened. Then suddenly, she gasped and he asked, "Chloe, what's wrong?"
"Black kryptonite," Chloe said.
"What? Black kryptonite?" Oliver asked, obviously confused. "What are you talking about?"
"Oliver, you know how I said that different colors of kryptonite affect Clark in different ways?"
"Yeah, I remember," Oliver said. "What does black do?"
"It separates him into two different people," Chloe said. "Has he been acting differently? Like an evil person?"
"What? No!" Oliver said. "I mean, yes, he's been acting differently, but I wouldn't say his behavior has been evil. Why would you think he's been acting evil, Chloe?"
"Well, before you came to Metropolis the first time," Chloe said, "there was an accident at LuthorCorp. Lex was experimenting with green kryptonite – heating it to a certain temperature. It turns out when green kryptonite is heated to the correct temperature it'll turn into black kryptonite. The black kryptonite exposure split Lex into two different people. One good and the other evil – the evil Lex locked the good Lex up in the basement of the Luthor mansion. Eventually, Clark got them to merge back after he used his heat vision to turn the green kryptonite ring that the evil Lex had started wearing into black kryptonite."
"Well, Clark hasn't been acting like an evil person, Chloe," Oliver said. "He's just been acting less up tight. He's refused to wear red or blue the entire time he's been with us, and he's started calling Victor can-opener, A.C. fish stick, and Bart speedy. He also... well..."
"He what, Oliver?"
"Started flirting with me," Oliver said, a bit embarrassed, though he didn't really know why. "We've sort of been sharing a hotel room with only one bed, as a lot more than friends if you get my meaning."
"I knew it!" Chloe said. "I knew Clark was in love with you. The one here in Smallville has been denying it, but it must be because he hasn't consciously admitted it, where the one with you has. Of course, the one with you sounds like Clark on Red K."
"Red K?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, red kryptonite," Chloe answered. "Red makes him lose all of his inhibitions. When he went into the Ridge Facility to trigger the explosives, the heat must have turned some of the green kryptonite into black kryptonite. He must have been exposed and two separate Clark Kents walked out of that building. There's the normal one, who is here in Smallville with me and then there's the one who's in Rome with you – a freer, more laid-back version. The way Clark would act if he didn't have any inhibitions. I suspect it's the normal Clark's inhibitions that are preventing him from consciously accepting the fact that he's in love with you, because he doesn't understand how that's possible, since he's spent so long pining after Lana."
"So, there are really two Clarks running around?" Oliver asked, amazed by that possibility. "What do we do?"
"I should think that's obvious, Oliver," Chloe said. "We get them in the same room together, expose them to black kryptonite, and make them a single person again – as they're supposed to be."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Oliver said. He knew Chloe was right, but a part of him couldn't help but be afraid that once the two Clarks were one again that he'd lose Clark – that his inhibitions would get in the way and it would be the end of their romantic relationship.
"Get the Clark with you back to Metropolis, Oliver," Chloe said.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
"Tell him that your secretary called," Chloe answered. "Say that as much as you want to stay on the hunt for 33.1 labs, a major business deal is about to fall through and you have no choice but to deal with it personally. You said you're romantically involved with the Clark with you, I'm sure you can convince him that you don't want to be away from him and that he needs to come with you."
"Well, okay, that could work," Oliver said. "Though I think going to Star City would make more sense – it's the main headquarters of my company, after all."
"Yeah, well, Metropolis will have to do," Chloe said. "How am I supposed to get the Clark with me to go to Star City?"
"Well, couldn't you tell him there's a zoner there?" Oliver asked. "I'm sure if you said you'd tracked one to Star City, he'd go."
Chloe remained silent for a moment, and then said, "You're right, Oliver. Okay, grab your Clark, I'll grab mine, and we'll meet in Star City. How fast can you get here in your jet?"
Oliver hadn't really been sure if Chloe knew that Clark could fly or not, but he wasn't going to point it out. Flying through the open air from Rome to Corto Maltese and back with Clark's arm wrapped tightly around him had been exhilarating, yes, but, to be perfectly honest, Oliver had also been quite scared. He knew that Clark would not drop him, but, he was used to flying enclosed in his jet and he wasn't really sure he was used to flying with Clark enough to be comfortable flying such a long distance as that between Rome, Italy and Star City, California.
"Roughly ten-and-a-half hours," Oliver answered.
"Okay, well, it's almost nine in the morning here in Smallville," Chloe said, "so, that means it's like seven in the morning in Star City – so how does six o'clock tonight Star City time sound?"
"Better make it seven, seven-thirty just to be safe," Oliver said. "We can't take off the second I get off the phone, after all. Meet us at Queen Industries – I'll call my assistant and make sure she knows you're coming. You can't miss it – it's the tall tower in the center of the city. The top floor looks very much like the Seattle Space Needle."
"Let me guess – its green isn't it?" Chloe asked.
Oliver laughed. "Yes, it is and before you say anything about me being obsessed with that color, it was my father who built it and picked the color. I had nothing to do with it."
"Okay, Ollie, have a safe flight," Chloe said.
"Goodbye Chloe," Oliver said, as he hung up.
-o-0-o-
To be continued.