A/N: Sorry for the delay. I know that everyone was looking forward to the Warrior chapter, because that's when Chlollie really launches. I wanted to make sure that I did a good job on it…which also explains why this is my longest chapter yet. 7,135 words. Enjoy!
***
Chapter Ten: Releasing Fears
Chloe was in the Watchtower when the door opened. She looked up to see Dinah walk in.
"Dinah!" she said, startled by her presence, but smiling all the same.
"Hey, I'm in Metropolis for the day because of work. Thought I'd stop by and check in. What's new?"
Chloe stood up to greet her teammate. "I'm glad you're here. A lot's happened since you guys left, and I didn't want to risk sending an e-mail."
"Do you want to grab some lunch? You can fill me in." Dinah asked her
"Sure. Let me grab my bag."
***
"So, what's new?" Dinah asked her female companion
"Where to start?" Chloe murmured
"Most people start at the beginning", Dinah laughed
"Well, I can confirm that Lois was in the future." Chloe started. Dinah gave her a questioning look.
"Tess Mercer kidnapped her and tapped into the memories in her brain." Chloe explained.
"Okay, so good future or bad future?" Dinah inquired
"Bad. Very bad. And we have to prevent it from happening." Chloe told her
"What happens?"
"Kandorians take over the world. They have Clark's abilities. They have to turn the sun's rays red in order to do it, and that removes Clark's powers."
"And we're helpless", Dinah assumed. Chloe nodded.
"When is it supposed to happen?" Dinah asked her
"Lois travelled a year into the future, but the towers that turn the sun red are being constructed."
"What is Clark doing about it?"
"He's befriending the Kandorians. He's trying to get them to integrate into human society."
Dinah detected a hint of bitterness in her voice. "And you disagree."
"Dinah, this is Clark we're talking about. You know that he will do anything to prevent himself from getting his hands dirty."
"I know. We can't have a Doomsday repeat- what's the backup plan?"
Chloe reached in her bag and pulled out a small notebook. "In the future, Oliver and I create a resistance group. We supposedly develop Kryptonite weapons, and I think it's a good idea."
"What can I help with?" Dinah asked
"This is just a backup plan. If Clark succeeds, we won't even need them. We had knives and arrows. Arrows are pretty self-explanatory, and I can get a mold for them later. The knives were throwing knives, and I don't really know much about them. I'm thinking this for the design", Chloe said, showing her a picture on the notebook.
"These dimensions aren't good for throwing. We need something with a good center of gravity." Dinah reached in her bag, and grabbed a pen. She immediately began sketching a new design for the knives on the next page of the notebook.
"Lead handles and cases would be perfect- keep Clark safe in case he stumbles into them. And the handles would give the perfect weight distribution." Dinah said.
Suddenly, Dinah saw the waitress behind Chloe heading towards their table with their meals. She closed the notebook, and placed it on her lap. Chloe raised an eyebrow and suspected what was happening.
"We should have lunch together more often, Chloe. I feel like I've missed so much", Dinah told her.
"It'd be better if you were around more, Dinah" Chloe chuckled lightly, as the waitress placed their meals on the table and turned to leave from the table.
"I'm sorry about that. My absence, I mean. It's just that I've been trying to make a name for myself in Star City, both as a reporter and for my…extracurricular activities. The others have visited though, haven't they?" Dinah asked, the moment that the waitress was beyond
Chloe shook her head. "They e-mail, but they haven't visited. Not even Bart, who can literally speed in whenever he wants to. And I would tell them what's going on in the future, but I don't want someone tracing the e-mails, or tapping into the phone calls, regardless of how secure the servers are."
"They will, Chloe. This isn't like last time. I promise you, this isn't going to be like last time."
Chloe nodded her head, determined. "I know. I won't let it happen. I can't."
"Chloe, that's not all there is to the story, is it? There's more- something you're not telling me."
Chloe stared at her plate for a moment. She looked at Dinah, and wasn't sure if she should tell her. She had been so used to hiding her secrets from Lois, that it had never occurred to her that she could tell Dinah everything.
"I die."
"And this is for self-preservation. There's no crime in that, Chloe."
"No, it's not just me. I think all of us die."
Dinah raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Chloe took a deep breath. "In the future, the League isn't there. You guys aren't part of the resistance group. So either you guys are caught up in the Kandorians in your respective cities, or you are dead. And regardless of our hectic lifestyles, I know that you guys would be there if there was a Kandorian apocalypse, regardless of your locations."
"So we're dead as well."
Chloe nodded. "I die, you guys die, Clark dies, and right after I die, Oliver…"
Dinah nodded in understanding. She took out the notebook, and continued to work on her sketch.
"What does Oliver think about the weapons?" Dinah asked when she was finished.
"I haven't told him that I'm creating them." Chloe told her
"You have to tell him", Dinah said simply.
"This is part of my job, Dinah. He told me a while back that the weapons are a good idea. That's as good as giving me permission."
"No Chloe, you don't understand. As a group, we have to stick together. The smallest of lies will pull us apart."
"We've all been through a lot recently, and while you guys have gone off on your own, Oliver and I have been working together. He's become my best friend- he's been there for me when Clark hasn't been. And I just don't want to test those waters yet." Chloe explained
"I understand. And in the end, it's going to be your call. But try not to hold off on telling him for too long." Dinah said
"This is just a backup plan. Hopefully, the Kandorians will never get their powers, and we won't need the weapons."
Dinah gave her a look. "I know. I guess there's a small part of me that's still hoping that Clark's right." Chloe explained
"But the blind loyalty is gone."
Chloe nodded. "It's not worth the safety of the human race."
"I agree." Dinah gave Chloe back the notebook. "I think that this should be a good prototype."
"Thanks Dinah. I really appreciate it", Chloe told her sincerely, putting the notebook away.
"Just keep in mind that if you want to develop Kryptonite arrows, you're going to have to tell Oliver", Dinah reminded her.
"I promise that if there is a single sign that shows that the Kandorians have powers, Oliver will be the first to know about the weapons." Chloe promised
After splitting the bill, the two went their separate ways. Chloe unlocked the doors to the Watchtower with a good feeling. She liked spending time with Dinah, and most of all, she liked being honest.
She was about to get back to work when she heard her phone ring. It was Lois.
"Hey Lois, what's up?"
"So I've been thinking that we haven't done a girls night out in a while."
Chloe glanced at the monitors. She hadn't gotten much work done today. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Lo. I've just been really busy recently."
"We've both been busy. I don't even see you anymore, and we live together!"
"Well, you've been chasing down leads. And chasing down Clark, which is a full time job in itself", she added.
"Alright, so we're both to blame here. Listen, there's this comic book convention, and I have to go to find a good human interest piece. It should be fun!"
"Lois, I don't know. I don't have a costume or anything", Chloe said, immediately trying to get out of it.
"I don't care how you're dressed. You can put on a jacket and go as my funky cousin, for all I care. I just want to hang out." Lois told her
Chloe glanced at the powered off monitors calling her name. And then, she thought about how nice it was to have lunch with Dinah and just tell her everything. She needed to spend more time with Lois if they were even going to have a shot at honesty. They didn't need complete honesty, at least the big things.
"I guess I can come along for a little bit", she said.
"Okay, I'll see you at the convention. Love you, Chloe." Lois hung up the phone.
Chloe pressed the end button on her phone, and let out a groan as she put her head down on her desk.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything", Oliver said from the doorway.
Her head shot up. "Hey" she greeted.
"So what's going on in the life of Chloe Sullivan?" he asked, as he handed her a cup of coffee.
She inhaled the aroma of her usual almond mocha. "Keep spoiling me like this, and I may have to keep you", she joked.
"So what's new?" he asked again
She wanted more than anything to tell him about the design for the Kryptonite weapons, but found it unnecessary. It was a Plan B, exactly the way she told Dinah earlier. She didn't need to tell him now.
"Canary's in town for the day. I just came back from lunch with her. And now, Lois wants me to go to some comic book convention with her. I don't know how I'm supposed to get any work done." She sighed
"Good", he replied.
She raised an eyebrow. "I don't know how me not doing my work is a good thing."
"I think the League can survive without you on watch for one day", he assured her.
"Okay, but I'm syncing my cell phone to the Watchtower's alert system. Make sure you have your phone on during patrol tonight. The slightest of hiccups, and I want you there."
"Deal. Go have fun with Lois, everything's under control here." He told her
She synced her phone to the Watchtower, grabbed her things, and headed out the door. Oliver stuck around, and turned on the computers.
She turned around. "Hey", she called out.
He looked at her.
"Thank you."
Oliver just smiled.
***
Chloe was walking around the comic book convention, trying to be invisible. She would be having a fun time with Lois, but her cousin ran off somewhere to change, and was nowhere to be found.
She was trying to keep up with everything away from the base- she had hooked up all Watchtower alerts to her cell phone, and was having Oliver take care of everything while he was out on patrol.
There was currently a disturbance, and she was worried about him. She didn't know what he was up against, and they didn't have the headsets for communication. She was relying on her cell phone, and Oliver was walking in blind. That didn't sit well with her.
She was texting Oliver on the phone when suddenly, a Star Wars Storm Trooper bumped into her. "Hey!" she exclaimed at the character. It didn't even have the decency to apologize. She was about to tell it off, when the helmet came off and she saw her cousin. Lois looked irritated.
"Sorry. I can't see a thing in this helmet", Lois apologized.
Chloe let out a chuckle "Lois", she said, shaking her head slightly.
"This is not what I had in mind when Randall said that I had to be embedded journalist for the day." Lois said
"Come on" Chloe said, taking her arm. "It shouldn't be hard for Lois Lane to nail down a human interest piece here", she told her as they walked.
"Save the hammer, Mamma's going to need a crowbar. I can't get anything out of these people!" Lois said as Chloe prevented her from bumping into someone dressed as an alien.
"Well, that armor doesn't exactly make you Miss Approachable", Chloe explained. She pointed at two women getting their pictures taken. Lois was wearing armor, while they were wearing hardly anything at all.
"Right", Lois said in realization. "No wonder Clark's been avoiding me- I'm losing touch with fantasy without even realizing it!"
Chloe looked at her in disbelief. "The last thing Clark feels when he thinks about you is boredom", she told her.
"Maybe I'm doing this to myself. You know, maybe it's a deep-rooted fear of intimacy. Maybe I'm not letting loose because every time I do, things fall apart!" Lois said, in an attempt to understand her own actions as they walked.
"Maybe my therapist is right. You know, she said that I used to have these fantasies about Clark, and now? Not so much as a dirty limerick!" Lois exclaimed
"Lois!" Chloe said, cutting her off. The last thing that she wanted to do tonight was analyze Lois' sex life with Clark.
Chloe was starting to think that going out tonight with Lois was a mistake. She was starting to feel like the third wheel again. At least in the Watchtower, she was paving her own path in the world.
In the Watchtower, she was by herself and when she wasn't, she was with Oliver. He had never made her feel like the third wheel, never made her feel unimportant. Chloe was waiting for some confirmation from him that he was okay, something to distract her from this whole thing.
In the end though, Lois was her cousin, and she was right: being Watchtower had taken up a lot of her time, and they really needed to bond again. And right now, Lois needed her.
"Maybe you just need to calm down and focus on your work." She told Lois. Suddenly her phone rang, and she silently cheered. It was him. She read the message: Target Acquired. Maniac with boomerangs… Hooray
Oliver was alright. She suddenly felt better, and began to type a response.
"You're right", Lois said. "And maybe you should take advantage of being immersed in your element", she said, putting a hand over the screen. Chloe looked up at Lois. For a moment, she had almost forgotten that she was even there.
"Get your hands off of the digital world and onto some hunky, human fantasy for a change." Lois told her.
Chloe smiled at her cousin.
"Have a little fun, one of us should." Lois said
Chloe looked around the convention. "Alright"
"Good. Now, I have to go make a phone call. Promise me you're going to kick the Crackberry to the curb."
"I promise", Chloe said with a smile.
"Okay", Lois said, going off to make her phone call.
Chloe returned her attention to the phone the instant the Lois was a good distance away. She finished typing out her response, and started walking around the convention in search of something interesting.
She saw a bright light, and a couple of wires short circuiting above her. She turned around, and looked up to see a huge spaceship about to collapse on her. It was coming down fast.
She quickly turned her back on it, and got down. She expected the ultimate collision that the spaceship would make on her body, when she heard it making contact with something else.
She knew not to expect Clark- he would never risk his identity, especially with Lois nearby. She looked up to see a masked man with tights and a cape holding the spaceship. She was vaguely reminded of when she found out Clark's secret- the man was holding the spaceship in a way almost identical to Clark catching that car all those years ago.
She heard cheering, and the man asked if she was okay. She gave him a nod and a smile. Almost instantly, he set down the spaceship, and disappeared.
***
Chloe didn't wait an extra second to process what had just happened. There had been enough near misses in her life for her to get over it very quickly. She had already tracked this guy down, and was outside the building that he was hiding out in.
This hero- he had super-speed and super-strength. There was so much possibility. He could be a Kryptonian or even a Kandorian with his powers. Or he could just be a guy who had just come to grips with his powers. He could be an amazing asset in the future if he was on her side.
Excited by the possibility, she called Oliver. He picked up on the first ring, "Chloe" he acknowledged
"Hi Oliver, I was just at the comic book convention with Lois when a spaceship fell on me."
"Are you okay? Are you at the hospital?" he asked, worried.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. There was this masked guy that caught the spaceship right before it hit me and sped away."
"Have you ever seen him before? Do you think that he's a Kandorian with his powers intact?" he asked
"That was my first thought, but I think he's a new hero just making a name for himself in the city."
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, he's not very good at covering his tracks. It only took me 3 minutes on my phone to find him. Zod would know better. I'm in my car right outside the building this guy's in. Thought I'd see what you think about this whole thing before I go barging in." She explained
"Chloe, stop. It's late, and he's probably no good to us angry if you break into his place. He's camping out there, which means he'll probably be there in the morning."
"And if he isn't? Oliver, he can be a huge asset to the team if he joins us. We can't lose him now."
"And barging in there is no way to gain his trust. Not to mention that you're tired, which means that you won't be on top of your game when it comes to winning him over."
"So what do you want me to do, just leave him alone?" Chloe asked, mad now.
"No, I'm asking you to take care of yourself. Get at least 8 hours of sleep, wake up to a new day, and then we'll deal with this new character."
"I can't just put everything on hold because I'm…"
"Human?" he chuckled
"Maybe."
"Chloe, you were in a hospital weeks ago because of sleep deprivation because you were pushing yourself."
"I was in the hospital mostly because of the frost bite delivered by a super-villain, if you recall."
"Chloe…"
"Fine, I won't confront the guy right this second. But I'm going to the Watchtower to find out what I can."
"Good. At least try to get some sleep." Oliver pleaded with her.
"Okay. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone, and looked at the front door of the building.
For a moment, she contemplated ignoring Oliver and just confronting the guy. Oliver wasn't in charge of her- she was her own person, and displayed time and again that she could take care of herself.
She glanced at her handbag, which was resting on the passenger's seat. She always carried a stun gun with her, and would be safe. However, if this was a Kandorian with powers, there was nothing that she could do to protect herself. She didn't have any Kryptonite with her. Chloe let out a sigh, turned on her car, and pulled away.
***
Chloe started carrying Kryptonite in her bag with her stun gun. It was sitting in a small lead box: perfectly harmless if Clark was nearby, but would provide her with protection. After a night of researching and coming up with no history or information on this guy, she was definitely interested.
Chloe stepped into the abandoned apartment and saw the man staring at himself in the mirror topless. She saw him flexing his muscles and looking impressed with himself. She tried not to roll her eyes, but he looked good.
"You know, after that heroic hit and run, it would be hard for even the most distressed damsel not to take offense." She said, stepping into sight.
"What would a hero say?" he murmured to himself after glancing at her. He turned around. "You're welcome, citizen." He said strongly
She saw the full sight of him. She was impressed, but still tried to maintain a sense of professionalism. "And you left a not so subtle trail of breadcrumbs on your way over here for the quick change."
"I'm sorry; this is all kind of new to me. I didn't realize how fast I was. A sonic boom- it's not that fast, I guess", he finished in a low whisper.
So he was new hero after all. He wasn't a Kandorian- he wouldn't be telling her all of this if he was. She smiled at him.
"Did you want to…?" she started
"What?" he asked
He glanced at himself, and saw that he was shirtless. "Oh", he said, now embarrassed. He picked up a nearby shirt, and put it on.
"Not very heroic", he said, looking at his reflection.
"Good street look though", he added as he turned around to look at Chloe.
"Well look, whether you feel like it or not, I know a superhero when I see one. I'm sort of in the business of helping superheroes." She explained
"I don't think anyone's dad talked about that on career day. Are you for real?" He asked, astonished.
"Yeah, I'm about as real as it gets. Chloe Sullivan", she introduced herself, holding out a hand.
"Steven Swift", he said excitedly, clutching her hand.
"Ow", she exclaimed as she felt the pain of the handshake in her hand.
"Sorry." He released her hand.
She let out a chuckle. She was being reminded of Clark before he changed his mind about humanity. Once during her senior year of high school, he lost his memory- all recollection of his powers destroyed. This guy reminded of the friendship that she built with Clark that day as she reintroduced him to his powers.
She was starting to think that maybe everything that had happened with Clark recently was a way of fate letting Steven Swift into her life. Maybe it was time to move on from one hero to another. She could help him become an important member of the team, and he could be the hero that she was looking for to help prevent the future from happening.
"You know, maybe we can talk about how you fit in around the world's finest over coffee sometime." She told him
"That sounds…pretty cool." He said, taking her hand again for a more normal handshake.
"Great."
"So, did you want to get that coffee now, or…?" he asked
"Now? Yeah, okay, if you're not doing anything." She agreed
"Yeah, ladies first", he said.
***
Steven and Chloe walked to the nearest coffee shop. Chloe walked inside, and peered at the menu.
This place didn't make a very good caffeine buzz, but they did make good decaf drinks. She loved coffee, not just for the effects of the caffeine, but for taste as well. But on the other hand, she hadn't done much Watchtower work, and was probably looking at a long night. Time to load up on the sugar and espresso shots- she gave the man her drink order and waited.
In no time, her drink was ready. "And you made sure that my decaf caramel java-chip white chocolate mocha has three shots in it?" she inquired
"Yeah" the man told her.
She smiled "Great." She stepped aside so that Steven could order. She dipped a finger in the whipped cream, and tasted perfection.
"Can I get you something?" the barista asked Steven, as Chloe dipped her finger in the whipped cream again.
"Uh, a glass of milk would be great." He answered
The barista and Chloe gave him a confused look. People don't order milk at coffee shops. Coffee, tea, even hot chocolate is acceptable, just not milk.
Steven caught on. "I mean coffee. Dark, black, please." He corrected. The barista nodded.
Chloe secured a lid on her cup as Steven accepted the coffee that the barista gave him. He took one sip, and nearly choked on his drink.
Chloe and the barista shared a smile- this guy was obviously new to coffee.
"Are you okay?" she asked her new friend
"Yeah, just strong is all." He answered
"So, if I'm going to help you become acclimated, I just need to ask you", Chloe started, as they walked out of the coffee shop.
"-Do you really know superheroes?" he interrupted
"Yeah", she said, astounded at his bluntness in the middle of the streets of Metropolis. She continued to walk. "Let's just focus on"
"-All of them?" he asked
"Most of them, I guess." She answered
He gave her a look of amazement. "What?" she asked
"You know actual superheroes, and you couldn't sound more bored. That's amazing, is what it is." He told her
"Well, it's a living", she said humbly.
"Can you at least tell me which heroes you know?" he pried
"No, wait, don't! That would compromise their identities." He stopped her before she had the opportunity to say no.
"I can't believe I asked that", he said, disappointed in himself.
"Let's just focus on what makes Steven Swift so super. So were you exposed to meteor rock? Or maybe you were actually born this way? That would make you a meta-human." She changed the topic
"Or are you from space?" she asked with a light chuckle
He looked at her astounded. "That last one was a joke", she said, trying to cover her tracks so that he didn't know that much about her friends.
"Kind of. Oh god, you're not actually from space, are you?" She felt her stomach sink. She had done it again- she was attracted to another alien.
"No. Just…sorry…I'm an orphan. I got sent to Metropolis to live with my aunt when I was…little. And then a couple of weeks ago, I got caught in a chemical fire, and well, here we are." He explained
She gave him a smile. Not an alien. "It's common to the archetype", he explained
"Yeah, and I thought I was the expert", she said with a laugh. Suddenly, he turned away from her, and listened to something. That was exactly how Clark looked when he was using his super-hearing.
"Excuse me, Miss Sullivan", he said politely, handing her his coffee before going off. She smiled as he sped away.
Steven Swift was just almost exactly the way she pictured Clark would be when he finally got his act together. He was loyal, polite, innocent, and trusted in her. It had been a long time since she had seen someone in the world act as innocent- it was nice.
She ran into the vague direction that Steven speeded to, coffees in hand. She saw kids running her way, and knew that she had found him. He was in uniform when she saw him. He sped back into his street clothes.
"Sorry", he said as he stuffed the uniform back into his backpack. "I just had to save the day. So, what's next?"
***
She thought of introducing Steven to Oliver right away, but figured that she ought to get a real handle of what all of his abilities are.
Knowing that Lois was still at the comic book convention, she took him to the Talon, and after Steven convinced her, they disappeared upstairs to the apartment. She wasn't sure what he was going to do, and was nervous. They had just met, and she was still upset over losing her husband.
He saw Lois' X-box, and turned it on immediately. He grabbed a controller, and started to play whatever game was in the system. Chloe sat on the couch, and watch him completely let himself go. He was like a little kid- no stress, no worries. It was amazing how he was able to save the day, and still relax.
"I don't get why you didn't want to come up here. This place is awesome! It's way cooler than my room! I mean my pad."
"You know, I must have gotten my signals mixed. I certainly didn't think this is what you meant when you said you wanted to come upstairs", she said with an awkward laugh.
"Why do you keep doing that?" he asked
"Doing what?"
"You keep trying not to smile, like the whole night. We're having fun, right?" he asked
"Uh, sure! I guess" she answered
"You guess? Come on, get up here!"
"What? No, I've never even touched Lois' X-Box, I would look ridiculous."
"That's the whole point! Maybe you need to look ridiculous. When's the last time you had any fun?" he inquired
"I have lots of fun!" Chloe defended
"Just tell me when, and you can keep sitting there watching me have all the fun you're not having."
"Alright, fine! If I get up, do you promise to answer all of my questions?" she asked him
"Cross my heart." He promised
She got up from the couch, and grabbed a controller.
"Alright, a deal's a deal. Powers: what's under the hood?" she asked as they played
"Oh, you know, your standard super-speed, enhanced strength, augmented hearing- I like to call it angel hearing. But I think that's it", he said floating above her.
She looked up at him, and let of a laugh. "How about flight?" she asked
"What? Why would you think I can…" he stopped as he looked directly down. He was flying.
"Holy crap, I can fly?" he asked
She smiled. "Holy crap!! I can fly!!" he exclaimed before he fell to the ground.
He got up, walked towards the window and looked outside. He stepped back, and held out his hand for Chloe to take. "Come on", he told her.
She took his hand, and they stepped out of the window onto the fire escape. She grabbed onto the fire escape with her free hand, and looked down.
"We have to give this a whirl", Steven told her, exhilarated at the thought of flight.
"What happens if I fall?" she asked rationally
"Don't worry. I'll catch you." He said with a sense of confidence worthy of Oliver Queen.
She let go of the fire escape, and they fell. She wrapped her arms around Steven tightly, and suddenly, they were flying.
They flew high above the skies of Metropolis, and Chloe felt liberated of all of the weight the future held. She felt free.
***
Chloe headed back to the Watchtower to meet Clark and Zatanna. All of her barriers and walls went back up, and she went back into a professional mode. She walked into one of the rooms when she saw Zatanna and Clark very close together.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked the pair
Clark said "No" at the same moment that Zatanna replied "Yes".
Regardless, she smiled at the two of them. "Well, you certainly seem to be in good spirits", Zatanna told her.
"Yeah, well I had a really good night for the first time in a while", Chloe said brightly.
"Which is more than I can say for the two of you", she added as she saw one of the screen filled with a magical spell. She looked at Clark, and he began to explain.
"The company that published the Warrior Angel took the idea from a friend of Zatanna's father." He said, getting down to business
"In order to exact some old world retribution, my father put a curse on the original comic, hoping to teach the publisher a lesson", Zatanna added
"The publisher never opened the comic book and neither did anyone else. Not until yesterday." Clark finished
Chloe opened the comic book, and flipped through the pages. She saw the name Steven Swift, and her eyes widened.
"Steven Swift. There isn't anything wrong with having another hero on the street. Right?" she asked. Steven was doing some real good in the city, and she was okay with him keeping his powers.
"There is when he's just a kid. And according to Zatanna's research," Clark said
"The curse should have turned Alec into a full grown hero", Zatanna finished for him.
Chloe turned around and looked at the monitor to see a little boy stealing a comic book. Every awkward sentence that Steven had said, every cover-up, it all made sense.
"Oh my god, he is just a boy", Chloe realized.
"Chloe, if we can figure out what he looks like as an adult, we can use Watchtower to track him down." Clark told her
"And then I can slap him with a counter-curse, and we'll have him home by breakfast." Zatanna said
Chloe gave Zatanna the comic book back, and started to walk out of the room.
"Chloe?" Clark called behind her.
"That's fine, I just have a few things I have to look into. I'll let you know if I find anything." She called out as she left the Watchtower.
She pulled out her cell phone, and typed out a text message to Steven, saying that they needed to talk. Before she could press send, Steven flew down to her.
"I got a bunch of new games I think you might like. Or maybe we could order some pizza, or…what's wrong?" he asked the second that he felt something was different about Chloe
"I know your real secret. I know that you stole the cursed comic book and that's how you got your powers, and I know you're a lot younger than you look, Alec", she said, using his real name.
"It was just an accident. I had to look inside, and now I'm finally a hero! I won't go back." He said stubbornly
"My friend Zatanna can reverse the curse, okay? I just wanted to get to you first so that you wouldn't freak out. We're going to get you back to normal." She explained
"Normal? Normal means being wailed on at school every day. Normal means not having the power to defend myself. Do you have any idea how much my actual life sucked? This is everything I ever wanted, no one can ever hurt me again!"
"But this isn't real, Alec. Look, you're going to find a way to get through this, okay? That's what being a kid is all about. Now just calm down." She told him
"My name is not Alec. This is who I am now. And I won't go back- you can't make me! No one can."
Chloe took a deep breath as she saw the malice take over the once innocent eyes of Steven Swift. His eyes turned red, and she was reminded of the transformations that Davis used to undergo in becoming Doomsday.
She was becoming very scared very fast. She turned around as Steven Swift super-sped behind her. God, she wished that the Kryptonite would help her. But it wouldn't, and she doubted that her stun-gun would be of any use.
"I have a feeling that no one's going to push me around ever again." He took her into the air, and this time, Chloe felt terrified rather than liberated.
"Put me down!" she exclaimed
He put her down on a roof. "Tell me where your friend is, so I can stop her", he said cruelly.
"I don't want to hurt you, Chloe. But I will if I need to", he added.
"Think this through. You want to be a hero, right? This isn't something a hero would do!" She tried to snap him out of it, while backing up from him slowly.
"Lethal enforcers are way more interesting. They were big in the nineties." He said forcefully
"See, that's Alec talking. You're still in there. Think about your parents, Alec. You think that they would want their little boy to"
"-You don't know anything about my parents, and you don't know anything about me!" He told her.
Suddenly, Zatanna's counter-curse was in effect, and there was a bright red light in the shape of a pentagram surrounding Steven Swift.
The impact of the blast threw Chloe off of the roof. As she fell, she started to feel regret instantly. She should have called Oliver before she had done any of this. He could have come with her to check everything out at the very beginning.
She should have gotten some sort of feedback before she confronted Steven, hell even Clark or Zatanna would have done the job. And now she was going to die before she had the chance to explain herself.
She readied herself for the impact, but felt Clark jump up and catch her. They landed back onto the roof, and Clark let Chloe down. She looked at Alec, who appeared to be crying.
"You all right?" she asked
"It was just an accident" he said feebly. She took him into her arms, her own eyes wet with tears.
She stared into space. She could have died today, and there was only one person that she was thinking of. And it wasn't Jimmy or Clark.
***
Chloe opened the doors to the Watchtower. She was exhausted, and felt as if she had just wasted the day. She failed to recruit a hero, and wanted nothing more than to just sit on her computer chair and keep the city save while enjoying some Chinese food.
Instead, she found Oliver shooting an arrow at a nearby target. This wasn't new to her- Oliver had been spending a lot of time at the Watchtower recently, and she kept spare equipment at the Tower in case it was needed.
"Slow night?" she asked him. If nothing else, at least she could rely on him not only being a good guy, but actually being his own age.
"Figured I'd squeeze in some target practice", he said as he placed a new arrow in his bow. "And a single malt", he added, gesturing towards the bottle on the table.
"Did you bring enough for the rest of the class?" she asked, taking off her jacket as she walked towards the couch.
"Help yourself, professor." He said, as Chloe reached for a glass.
"Running a little light on allegory tonight. Bumpy day?" he asked, releasing an arrow.
She didn't bother looking back at the arrow. She trusted Oliver enough to know that he would never hit her.
She sat down on the couch "Not the smoothest." She put her jacket down, and set the bottle and glass on the table.
"Someone asked me when the last time I had a good time was", she said, uncorking the bottle and slipping out of her heels, "and I didn't have an answer." She poured a little bit of the dark liquid into her glass.
He looked back at her as she corked the bottle and reached for her glass. She took a sip.
"I don't think anybody can fault you for on edge Chloe. If anyone can relate, it's me. I get it", he said, loading his bow once more.
She smiled at the truth of that statement. "Yeah, you can."
"You know, sometimes you've got to take your fun", he said, pulling back on the bowstring. "Where you can get it", he released the string, letting another arrow fly.
"And sometimes", he said, reaching for another arrow and loading it into his bow, "it's right in front of your face."
He looked back at her again. "You just have to want to see it."
She smiled at him. Whenever Oliver was around, she wasn't afraid to smile.
He smiled back. "Come on", he said, gesturing towards the bow.
Chloe took a sip from her glass, and swallowed. She was about to use the same excuse that she did with Steven- how she had never used a bow before, that she would miss and look ridiculous.
But now, she wanted to take a chance. After a split second of hesitation, she set the glass down. She stood up, determined.
Barefoot, she padded over to him, and took the compound bow. She slowly pulled back the bowstring with her right hand. Oliver held her left hand in place, and stepped behind her.
"How do I know when to let go?" she asked, her voice faltering.
"It's all about your heart", he said, almost in a whisper. She looked at her hand when she felt his hand touching it.
"Just listen. Right there, in between the beats", he said, as his hand continued to caress hers. She looked at the target, and then again at Oliver's hand.
She realized it then- he had feelings for her too.
"That's when you let go", he told her.
She gulped as Oliver's hand left hers. She looked straight ahead at the target as she kept the bow steady.
She had two options- she could pretend that nothing had ever happened between the two of them, or she could move on and start something new with Oliver. Chloe chose to move on.
She felt the tension in her right arm build as she gathered all of her stress: Jimmy's death, her relationship with Lois faltering, Clark abandoning her, the need for Kryptonite weapons, fear over the future, her reluctance in starting a relationship with Oliver due to her own fear of loss. She aimed all of her stress at the target.
She felt her heart beating wildly as Oliver held her left arm steady. Out of everything in her life, he was the one constant, the one thing that she could always rely on, the one thing worth taking a chance on. It was time to move on from one hero to another, except it wasn't Steven Swift. It was Ollie.
She looked right at the target, and let go. She let go of the arrow, and with it, her past as well.
She looked at the target, praying that the arrow hit it. "Bullseye", she whispered as she saw it. She turned around, and saw Oliver right there with her.
The space between then was closing fast. Feeling the adrenaline, she got on her toes and kissed him. The bow was abandoned along with her fears- she wasn't afraid to feel anymore. Not with him by her side.
He pulled away from her. "Do you trust me?" he asked, looking into her eyes.
She nodded. "I trust you", she answered confidently.
He leaned back down to kiss her, and she continued to trust him with everything that she had left.
***
A/N: I really hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. I really hope I lived up to everyone's expectations. Please review!