Author's Note: Sorry for taking so damn long to write this chapter but I've had others to write as well (My Friday the 13th series, & Supernatural). Hopefully I can get this moving smoothly along with the others. I know you all begging for more "Clark and Ollie" slashy action but after their "little" arguement at the end of this chapter, I'm sorry to say that it's not going to happen for a while. Again I apologise but it's the way it goes but I do promise that there will be hot action in the next episode and it will be rated M for sexual content so watch out for that!

Okay, so I'm gonna let you go so you can read this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Chow for now!


The Isis Foundation, Metropolis

Chloe, whilst checking through her mail, opens the door to the office and shuts it behind her, looking up to just in time to see a someone's silhouette disappear in the next room. Hurrying to see if it might be a burglar Chloe pokes her head round to see the secret room doors open and Davis standing inside, his arms crossed over his chest. Somehow sensing her presence Davis jerks his head round and meets her gaze.

"I -- I thought I closed those." She utters, her pace quickening as she walks into the secret room and switches off the computer and the surrounding screens.

"I'm sorry, they were open," Davis simply replies, looking at her as though she has two heads instead of one.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asks once she's shut down the computer.

Stepping away Davis allows his arms to dangle beside him as he ambles his way towards the round table in her main office, "Well, erm, I was checking in on Oliver. Had a close call last night…he has a pretty great crew of friends." He then shoves his hands into his pockets, looking at the untidy mess that is Chloe's desk which is full of papers of graphs and pictures of flora and fauna.

Chloe hurries to the round table, frantically picking up all the papers that are scattered all around it, "Renegade paramedic included," Chloe adds with a chuff of a laugh, picking up the papers as she followed Davis around the table.

"Looks like you did well on your SATs. I thought you said you studied journalism?" He asks, picking up a sheet that had some kind of flower on it, decorated with pink petals.

"Well, of course there was journalism, as well as a core of other classes, you know, and lectures and stuff." Chloe answered hurriedly, trying to pick up all the papers from the desk without Davis seeing them.

"Level with me Chloe, are you some kind of genius?" He has to ask when Chloe suddenly rips the piece of paper from his hand and he can see that she's uncomfortable with his questioning, "I'm embarrassing you, aren't I?"

Chloe stops with the picking up and looks up at Davis, the sound of the papers slapping against the side of her leg, "There's a reason why I like to keep the doors closed," she sighs.

"You know Chloe, there's nothing wrong with being smart." Davis answers with a dimpled smile but this look doesn't seem to faze Chloe who places her hands on her hips, "When the seating chart at your wedding starts to look more like a Euclidean algorithm than dining hall tables, you know you've got something seriously wrong." And with that said Chloe storms her way across the room to the filing cabinets and shoves all the papers she'd picked up in there, slamming the drawer a little too harshly afterwards.

Davis, with his hands now in his jacket pockets and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, looks down before returning his gaze to the frustrated-looking Chloe, "And the guy who sits next to you on the seating chart, what does he think of this?" He asks, his arms now crossed over his chest.

Chloe didn't answer. She just looks at the table, still bombarded with papers, before looking down at her feet.

"He doesn't know, does he?"

"Well, it's all sorta just happening which is why I would really appreciate it if we keep it to ourselves."

Davis lets out a sigh before answering, "Look, Chloe, I think that in some weird way we all have something, something inside us, that we'd like to keep under the surface. Even I do." He shrugs with his shoulders as Chloe can only crease her brow and smirk in her usual manner.

Queen Tower, Metropolis

After all that has happened in just one night, all Clark wants to do is to see Oliver, make sure he's okay and back to his normal self and, if Ollie's up to it, spend the night together. Just thinking about Ollie's strong, warm body lying next to his makes Clark's entire body shake, and he admits gladly that he absolutely loves it. Loves the way he feels whenever he's in Ollie's vicinity; whether they're fighting crime together, chilling out together or simply sleeping together, he feels that they truly have a chance of becoming a fully-fledged couple.

Yet, as soon as he exits the elevator to Ollie's penthouse, the sight before him begs to differ on what Clark was just thinking about just moments ago. There, sitting on one of the stools that surround the breakfast bar, sits Ollie himself, knocking back shots of whatever it is that he's drinking and still wearing the clothes he'd wore to the party, obviously not having the common decency to take a shower and dress into some clean clothes.

Ollie hears him coming out of the elevator and turns on his seat to look back at him before returning to his next shot and taking another gulp, "I hear I'm not the only one who owes you a drink. Tess Mercer's attacker was arrested last night." He then waves the glass in the air to say "cheers" before swigging it all down.

Clark makes his way over to the bar, leaning against it on one elbow, and looks straight at Ollie, "Why didn't you tell me that you knew Tess Mercer before?"

Without turning to face him Ollie rests the glass on one of the coasters, "Because it was in the past. And I wasn't particularly proud of how things turned out between the two of us."

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that she knew the person who tried to kill you." Clark replies, watching Ollie as he takes yet another gulp of his drink, suddenly concerned about how many drinks he has had before he got there.

"Yeah, well it makes perfect sense to me. The guy goes after me. He goes after her as she's the other captain of industry in town, so…"

Clark looks with concern as Ollie takes a swig of his drink, "Look, Oliver, with all that poison in your system, do you think adding more to it is such a good idea right now?" He consoles affectionately, even stepping up to him and placing a gentle hand on top of Ollie's.

His blond lover rests the glass on the bar and finally turns to face him squarely, jerking his hand away from under Clark's, "Yeah, Clark, why don't you stick to your milkshakes, huh? I'll know when I've had enough." He then slides a red folder, one given to him by Tess Mercer herself, over to Clark who picks it up reluctantly and opens it out. Looking at the report inside Clark glances up at Oliver, seeing such anger in those otherwise beautiful green eyes.

"Lionel Luthor killed my parents." He utters quite matter-of-factly, pouring himself yet another drink.

"And you figured that out from flight records? It was a plane crash after all." Clark asks, watching as he pours the alcohol into his glass like he hasn't a care in the world. Why is his lover acting in such a manner?

"Yes, it was a plane crash, but according to that there were Luthorcorp employees on the maintenance log." He informs, pointing at the file in Clark's hands.

Clark has to think for a moment before continuing, "Do you think Lionel paid them to sabotage the plane?"

Ollie puts the glass back down, wanders closer to Clark and places a hand on his cheek, caressing it with his thumb, looking straight into his brilliant blue eyes, "Did you know about this Clark?"

Clark leans into the touch, closing his eyes, before opening them again and looking down to the floor, not wanting to answer unless it might strike a bigger argument, "You were the son Lionel never had. The guy knew everything about you, right? So don't stand there and tell me that you don't know a few of his dirty little secrets." Ollie spits out, taking his hand away and stepping slowly away from him.

"Look, Oliver, I was afraid that you'd do something that you might regret." Clark places a hand on Ollie's shoulder, squeezing it gently for added comfort but his lover shakes it away, "Something I'll regret, like what Clark? You thought I was going to kill him, huh?! Is that it? I wouldn't have killed him."

Now Ollie's standing as tall as Clark and his face's back to being filled with such anger, his cheeks reddening a little at every passing breath, "I survived on an deserted island for two years, Clark! If it was pouring rain, it was blustering Sun! There were mosquitoes that ate me alive! It's okay because you may have your super strength. You may be invincible, but you are not fearless, are you?" Ollie's tone has quieten down now as he continues his lecture, "You're afraid to trust your friends, even me your lover, and you're afraid to face who you're really meant to be. You're afraid of everything. Maybe you haven't been put to the test yet. I bet your island's still out there, Clark."

Ollie then lightly kisses Clark on the lips and pulls away just as fast, walking past him and stopping just short of the hallway that leads to the back of the penthouse. He turns on the spot to face Clark once again, "I'm going to stay in Star City for a couple of days, maybe a week. To straighten some things out. You can stay here if you so wish. It'll also give you some time to think about what I said. See you later, Clark." He then disappears down the hallway, leaving Clark to stand on the spot, already contemplating about what Ollie had said.

Elsewhere in Metropolis

Standing on the pavement in one of Metropolis' many streets, a taxi driver's loading Marcus' luggage into the trunk before climbing into the front and hearing his passenger say, "Take me to the airport."

Climbing into the back Marcus' just about to close the door when someone scratches him with something sharp. Looking at the sudden wound, Marcus gasps, "What the hell?"

This someone happens to be Tess Mercer, who leans down in order for Marcus to see who had scratched him. "You," he mutters as he starts to feel a little light-headed.

"Who do you think paid your bail? Jail's too good for you." She says with a smirk on her lips as his vision starts to blur and he can hear her voice echoing. Soon he's gasping for breath and slumps down in the back seat.

Tess then faces the taxi driver, "My friend's having a heart attack. You should take him to the hospital." She notifies, yet her voice doesn't contain any concern.

"What am I, an ambulance?" The driver scoffs, hearing the door shut behind him.

"They'll know what to do."

And with that said, the taxi driver speeds off in the direction of the nearest hospital, leaving Tess to drop the flower in her hand. She then disappears into the night without a trace, the sound of her silver Porsche with the words "No Mercy" on her license plate roaring out of sight...