A/N: Sorry for the late update and if this chapter seems rushed and/or all over the place. Thank you to those of you who reviewed, I appreciate it alot. Enjoy and tell me what you thought. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not the characters. Not the plot. zilch. zip. nada. They all belong to their respective owners. (Not me)

Chapter Five

It's as if she had been walking in a haze, like she was outside looking in.

Earlier while she had been getting ready her reality had shifted. She had seen herself with them, the league, Oliver and Clark. She had heard that voice and felt the fear.

It had been different this time, it all changed before her eyes and most of all she had remembered, everything. It wasn't like the previous times, there was no pain before hand, no feeling of forgetfulness afterward, just sheer confusion and it really did terrify her because she didn't understand, it didn't make sense.

What is happening to me? Am I going insane?

Insane! You're insane. Beautifully insane! Haha! Nothing is reeeaal. Pick one! This or that? A or B? Hahaha.

The laughing and mocking in her heard stopped, but before it ended completely she heard it again, it was laced with hatred and malevolence.

You will end up like you're mother.

That did it. It made her sick, it crawled inside of her and made that dreadful feeling drill into her skin, blood and bones, like it was burying itself deep within her basest form. She snapped, the turmoil was too much for her to handle and she started crying. She cried for the uncertainty it left behind, for the mess her mind was becoming, and for the silent promise the last statement made.

She was sitting in the darkest corner of her room, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth mumbling to herself as she cried. "It's not real. This isn't happening. It's a dream, that's it. Just a dream. Wake up. Wake up. Please, Wake up!" She dropped her head into knees and her cries became louder.

She thought of her mother, her poor mother who had no control over her mind.

I don't want to be like her.

That was how Sandy found her, crying and hugging herself.

"Chloe? Hun what's wrong?" She approached the blonde on the floor, unsure and confused. "Chloe, did you hear me? What happened to you?"

There was faint mumbling coming from Chloe and Sandy shifted closer to get a better look at the blonde.

She kneeled down next to the girl and finally made out what she was saying and noticed how tightly her eyes were closed and how her cheeks were tainted by the tears that were cascading down her face.

"You're not real. You're not real. You're not real. Go away."

She laid her hand gently on Chloe's shoulder and her eyes snapped open. The fear was evident in her gaze.

"Chloe, honey you're not making any sense. What is wrong? Talk to me."

She tried to pull her into an embrace but she retreated and backed up more into the wall. Tears were running down her face. "Why are you doing this to me? Just leave me alone."

"I don't understand what is it that I'm doing?"

"You're just a dream, a figment nothing more. Go away." She was sobbing and rocking back and forth and laid her head on her knees once again.

Sandy grabbed her head and pulled it up to look at her, she saw the faraway look before she closed her eyes.

"A dream? Chloe. Look at me, open your eyes!" Chloe shook her head. "Open your eyes and look at me! I'm real, I'm here." She opened her eyes slowly and then stared at her friend.

Chloe whispered the next words, scared that if she spoke them too loud something bad would happen.

"What about them? They seemed real too. I felt and knew them there but not here. It doesn't make sense."

"Them? Knew them where, in your dreams? Is that what this is about?" Chloe just nodded.

"Sweetie, those are dreams nothing more." Sandy's face broke from the worrying expression into one of pity.

"But-"

"No buts Chloe. Those are dreams. Look I'm going to go call Stanley and let him know we won't be going to the event and then get one of the other reporters to cover it. Ok? Chloe?"

Chloe looked at her friend and nodded, her sobbing had stopped but the tears kept falling. Sandy walked out of the room and Chloe sat there still mumbling to herself. "This is real and they aren't. They're not real." She closed her eyes inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath.

They aren't real.

Are you sure?

She opened her eyes and looked around her franticly, she wasn't in her room anymore, instead she was in the living room of the penthouse, the door to the bedroom opened and Oliver walked out. He was looking down as he was buttoning up his sleeves. She could feel the wetness run down her cheeks as the fear return. Her body started to shake as she sat on the couch and all she could think was, "NO! He's not real!"

"It's not nice to lead someone on into thinking that you were going to join them in the shower. Next time-" he stopped and looked up at her.

He noticed the discomfort, the fear in her eyes, how she was trying to stop her body from shaking, he saw the death grip her hands had on the couch. She was scared, of him. His eyebrows furrowed together as he slowly approached her.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" She could hear the worry in his voice and it broke her. She started sobbing, not hysterically, but enough to alert him that something was definitely wrong.

She was sitting at the edge staring at him through blurry sight. He was getting closer and she wanted nothing more than to run.

"Chloe talk to me." He was getting close and once he was a few feet away she shot up and backed away from him.

"Stay away from me! Go away!" She brought her hands up to her hand and closed her eyes. "You're not real. Wake up! Come on wake up!"

Oliver walked up to her and grabbed her arms and pulled them down. Her eyes snapped up to his and he saw the fear and it was directed at him.

She started pulling her arms trying to get out of his grip but he wouldn't budge, he held on. "Please, leave me alone. You're not real. Why won't you just leave me alone? I want to wake up."

She begged him and she noticed the hurt in his face. He spoke softly to her, "Chlo, what are you talking about? Of course I'm real. Look at me, can't you feel me." He grabbed her hands and pulled them up to his face. "Feel me. I'm real babe."

She started crying and her sobs shook her body. He pulled her to him and as he held her close to him he kissed the top of her head and mumbled. "I'm real. I'm real."

She remembered what Sandy said and then pulled away from him and started to walk backwards. She looked at him and said, "No you're not! Sandy said this was all a dream. This isn't real."

"Yes, it is. This is as real as it gets! Chloe look at me I'm right here! It's me, Oliver. I'm real!"

"Oliver? No. You don't exist." For a second there she was going to give in but then shook her head and kept walking backwards.

"Yes I do. I'm here. I'm real." She saw the sincerity in his face and tears fell from her face, again. She stopped walking and he approached her cautiously and brought a hand up to her face to wipe away the wetness. He kissed her forehead and whispered "Chloe, I'm real."

"You're real." He felt her body resign.

He hugged her and walked them both back to the couch then made her sit down.

"I'm going to call Lois and Clark, Ok?" She nodded and just sat there and watched as he walked away.

"Oliver is real. He's real." She whispered to herself as she looked down at her hands. "Oliver is real."

He's real.

Think again!

Everything shifted in front of her again, she was back in the room and this time Stanley and Sandy were there staring at her.

"Chloe, who's Oliver?"