I disclaim. None of these characters belong to me.

AN: This chapter is really long. But there was a lot I had to cover. I hope everyone enjoys it.


Who is to separate us, pray? They'll meet the fate of Milo! -Wuthering Heights

They had reached a point where they needed to stop talking to one another. That point where the next statement from either one of them could irrevocably change the course of their relationship. So Chloe got them home in record time. Davis figured it was in his best interest not to comment on her talking to Lois while driving so recklessly. And Chloe bit back her inner bitch long enough to help him out of the car and into the apartment. Didn't stop her from leaving him at the door, completely ignoring him as she stripped her way into the bedroom.

"I don't want you involved in this, Chloe."

"You don't want a lot of things today, Davis."

Dropping onto the bed Davis bit back is retort. He didn't think it was fair when she argued in her bra and panties. Once he'd even pointed that out to her to which she responded by giving him the most incredible smile, crawling on top of him, and making his head spin. He figured if he mention it now she'd throw something at him. As it was, she'd start calling him names at any second. "Do you mind if we take a bath instead of a shower tonight?"

At the moment, what amazed Chloe more than anything was that he was a hundred percent serious. And he was so incredibly wrong on so many levels. "You can't do either one with your bandages, genius. Just take off your clothes and get in the bed."

He knew it was most definitely in his best interest to keep quiet and do as she said, but the wound in his side still burned like hell whenever he lifted his arms. "Baby, can you...."

Still in nothing more than her bra and panties, Chloe marched back over to the bed to yank the top over Davis' head before pushing him onto his back. Her hands went to the waist band of the scrubs to tug the pants roughly off his hips before she dropped to her knees to remove his shoes and the pants.

For some reason that went a whole lot differently in his mind. "Chloe-"

"Don't." Chloe snapped as she started for the bathroom again. And though she knew she should spend the next hour in the bathtub soaking off the worst part of the day she whirled back to face him on the bed. "You are such an asshole."

"I know I could have handled that better."

"You could have turned into your alter ego, run through the walls of the hospital, and it would have been better than what I can only describe as your complete break from reality freak out."

Davis frowned. He knew he hadn't handled the news well. Through his initial excitement, fear and despair had worked it's way into his psyche. But he couldn't say it was as bad as all that. "I wouldn't say-"

"I believe the words you used were monster baby."

"I never-"

"Those were your exact words." Chloe cut him off angrily. " 'What happens when you give birth to a monster baby.' That's how you described our child. Our child, Davis."

"I didn't mean it like that." He mumbled dejectedly.

"Whatever." Before she gave into the urge to throw a lamp at his head or, even worse, climb into the bed and comfort him, she rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door at her back.

Davis stayed where he was. He'd done the one thing he vowed never to do, he hurt her. It was funny. He'd had nightmares, frequently reoccurring nightmares, of blacking out and that monster inside him attacking her. Of being unable to control the thing inside of him and coming to only to discover her destroyed and broken. But she was hurt now and it had nothing to do with the monster.

In theory, oh God in theory, a baby with Chloe would be the greatest thing to ever happen to him. For as long as he'd known Chloe, whenever he was with her, he could go long periods of time feeling as though he was as average as the next guy. She kept the monster at bay. But neither of them could make the monster go away.

Absently his hand went to the injury at his side. For a moment, when the arrow initially went through him, he'd been relieved. He'd been hurt which, for him, meant he was human. Then the pain hit and he couldn't think past it. By the time they reached the hospital, the pain had long subsided, but he hadn't healed, which was a relief since he didn't know how he was suppose to explain that to anyone. And it was all another reminder of just how far from human he really was.

The fact was, Davis was fairly certain he couldn't get Chloe pregnant, having began his life as genetic matter from another planet. If he was to believe what Lois had told him while she'd been...possessed. And given what he was, he and Chloe decided odds were good that she was telling the truth. He tried to be a better man, offered her an out, a chance to have a normal life. But she chose him and he held on. He held on and resigned himself to the fact that she'd likely never carry his child. Resigned himself to the fact that they would never raise a child, because there was no way he could bring a child into their home knowing what he was. It hurt, but he had her. What more could he possibly want.

Now Chloe was pregnant. He already had more than he ever imagined he could. Sure there had been nights when he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like to see Chloe grow big with his child. Imagined a little face with big green eyes and a wide smile. But he didn't trust reality to be at all as he'd imagined. There were too many variables. Too many ways this could go wrong.

"I'm just scared, Chloe." He didn't have to turn around to know she'd stepped back into the room. "I know I said some stupid stuff, but I'm just scared."

It wasn't just the sadness in his voice that got to her, it was that he seemed to turn in on himself. Tossing the towel she was using to dry her hair aside, Chloe climbed onto the bed. "Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about your run of the mill new daddy fear?"

"Maybe it was my monster baby rant."

Yeah that was probably it. "Davis, look at me." Chloe waited until he turned to face her. "You have to talk to me, baby. Please."

Tentatively he slid his hand along her bare leg, relaxing when she didn't push him away. It may have been foolish at a time like this, but he hated that he missed his favorite part of their showers together; watching, and often times helping, her apply those incredible scented lotions she used. "We don't know what I am. Not really. What if the baby's like me? How do we protect him, how do we send him out into the world knowing what he becomes?"

"But we don't know. It may be naive of me to think, but everything could turn out fine."

"But what if," He clutched at her leg tighter, a pain unlike anything he'd ever known pounding in his chest. "What if having my baby....what if your body can't handle it....what if...."

"Oh baby," Chloe pulled at his shoulders until she could wrap her arms around him properly.

"If anything were to happen to you..." He didn't think he could be a father, care for a child, when she was gone. How could he love something that would be responsible for her death?

"Davis, I hate to be all doom and gloom here. But that....even if you weren't....." She was trying to reassure him, but realized her thoughts couldn't straighten themselves out. "I've been through a lot in a very short amount of time. I've had all of my body heat sucked out. For twenty-four to forty-eight hours I had a parasite inhabit me. I've died, more than once. I don't know how my body's going to take to this pregnancy, but the same would be true if you were perfectly normal. Too many things, really out there strange things, have happened to me that my body must have changed in some way."

"I can't lose you, Chloe. I can't."

"Shh," Chloe pressed her mouth to his ear. He was trembling, his hold on her almost painful. "It's okay, I'm right here." It took a lot of effort, a lot of comforting words, but she was finally able to pull out of his arms. She couldn't have him touching her when he answered her question. "Davis? Do you, do you want me to get rid of the baby?"

He couldn't risk her, he couldn't risk a life without her. But then he saw her face, took in the protective way she wrapped her arms around her middle. Shielding herself and the baby from him. It ripped him open, he'd been behaving so selfishly. Thinking only of himself of his needs. But this wasn't just about him.

Chloe loved this child. Already she loved the baby in that all encompassing way that only Chloe could love. Our baby, a voice whispered in his head. Slowly, he reached out to place a large hand over the ones she held to her stomach. Their child, the child he imagined, a tiny little replica of the woman he loved. "No," He spoke the word softly, then more firmly. "No."


As she let herself into Davis and Chloe's apartment, Lois prepared to let loose with a loud quip about Davis getting his ass handed to him when she caught sight of the newlyweds cuddled in bed together. Chloe lay on her back absorbed in a book while Davis lay fast asleep with his head pillowed on his wife's breast. Lois didn't know how her cousin could have possibly been comfortable, Davis had one arm locked around her waist, his leg thrown over both of hers, but Chloe didn't seem the least bit bothered as she contentedly ran her fingers over his back. Although Lois had learned, after barging into their place a few nights, Davis often slept on top of her cousin and Chloe seemed to have no problem whatsoever with that arrangement.

Before she could announce her presence, Davis shifted until his face was buried in Chloe's neck one large hand coming up to rest possessively on her stomach. At this point Chloe paused in her reading and did nothing more than watch him. Her eyes filling with an emotion so strong it took Lois back. After a few moments, Chloe pressed a kiss to his brow, closed her eyes, and rested her cheek against the place her lips just touched.

She nearly lost him, Lois thought as she watched the tears leak from Chloe's closed eyes. She loves him and she nearly lost him. Initially, Lois liked Davis for no other reason then because he wasn't trying to kill her cousin. Then she liked him because he wasn't Clark or a total douche ala Jimmy. He went up in her esteem when she saw just how much he loved her cousin, how Chloe was the center of his world no matter who else was around. For Lois it had always been about making sure her cousin was loved, appreciated, and adored. But in all the time they'd been together or the number of times she spent with the couple, she never really took Chloe's feelings into account.

At the wedding Chloe tried to explain her feelings and Lois had said she understood. Obviously she didn't, at least not really. But there it was. Lois realized that if something more severe had happened to Davis, if, God forbid, he'd have died, Chloe would have been lost. That man, she thought, he's the love of Chloe's life.

"Cuz." Lois spoke the word softly, but it was enough to gain the other woman's attention.

Chloe placed a finger to her lips, recognizing the signs of a Lois rant in the making.

Lois couldn't help but wonder what Chloe whispered in Davis' ear before she eased out of the bed. Thought about asking but her cousin cut that thought off at it's conception.

"I think we're allowed to have some secrets from you." Chloe tossed out as she lead Lois into the living room.

She was wearing one of Davis' shirts, Lois noted. But she realized that whenever Chloe was home, she wore her husband's shirts. Well, not counting the times Lois had come over and her cousin hadn't been wearing anything at all. "You're in love with him."

Chloe frowned at her cousin's accusing tone. "He is my husband."

"No," Lois shook her head, pacing while her cousin sat calmly on the couch. "You're really in love with him."

"Lois, why are you acting like this is all new to you."

"Because it is." She tossed out in a hushed yell. "I knew he loved you and that he made you happy. I just...I was so focused on that. I never saw....the way you looked at him just now. This is forever, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

It may have been one simple word, but it had a bigger impact than any speech Chloe could have given. And made Lois' resolve to figure out why this was done to Davis even stronger. "How's he doing?" She asked as she took a seat on the couch opposite the younger woman.

"Surprisingly well with the whole attacked and shot thing. Impending fatherhood, however, has him in full panic mood." Not that she could blame him for that. He was so afraid of that thing inside him, afraid that their child would be cursed with that same fate, afraid of hurting her and the baby. Afraid of the thing inside of him fully taking over and missing out on being a part of his child's life.

She asked, trying desperately not to let her emotions show, if he wanted her to get rid of the baby. And he looked devastated, looked exactly as she felt. For long moments he couldn't speak, only stared at her as if he didn't know whether to be angry with her or apologize to her. When he finally did speak his answer, an emphatic 'no', she knew that already he loved this baby just as she did.

"How are you doing with the whole mommy thing?"

"That's the thing, I'm doing very well with the mommy thing. It's the my husband was attacked and nearly killed that's bothering me. Did you find out anything else?"

"Mike told me exactly what he told you and it appears that he was the only one to see anything other then a couple of blurs. Naturally Ollie's not taking my calls" She missed Chloe's questioning look. "I'm not certain, but I bet Smallville had something to do with him being there. Don't get me wrong Ollie's always jonesing to strap on the green leather so Clark probably didn't have to do all that much whining, but still..."

As Lois continued to bitch about Oliver and Clark, Chloe tried to tune into her cousin over the white noise buzzing in her ear. There was something just at the edges of her memory....Lois holding up a ring in The Planet's basement....There was some type of symbol on the ring, a family crest, one she'd seen somewhere else....More secrets and stuttered excuses from Clark.....The Green Arrow on the roof of The Daily Planet....Meeting Oliver Queen in Clark's barn....Clark blushing as Lois described a kiss between herself and the Archer....Archer....Watchtower....Ollie....Sidekick....

"Cuz, hey cuz."

Dazed and overwhelmed, Chloe frowned at her cousin. "I'm sorry what?"

"Are you alright? You tuned out on me there."

"Yeah," But her voice was far from sure. "Oliver? The Green Arrow? He attacked Davis. He tried to kill my husband." And it hit her all over again, only this time a thousand times worse. Oliver. They'd been friends. And even if she'd forgotten it, he shouldn't have. Yet he did this, he was responsible for, took part in, the attack against Davis. "How could he do something like this?"

Lois moved quickly to wrap her arms around her cousin. "Come on, sweetie, it'll be okay. We don't even know if it was really even Oliver. It could have been someone else, they could be trying to make you think it was Oliver."

That was possible, of course that was possible. Her husband was part monster, so better than anyone Chloe knew any damn thing was possible. "But why? And who would do this?"

Clark, Lois wanted to answer again. He'd been so pissy and childish when it came to Davis, she wouldn't put anything pass the farm boy at this point. But she didn't say it, he was still Chloe's best friend. And her cousin was already doubting Oliver, Lois didn't feel it necessary to toss Clark's name out there as well.

There was always the convenient Lex Luthor, ruining Chloe's life by killing her husband and making it look like someone she trusted was a Luthor move if ever there was one. And botching the whole thing was totally Luthor. But she didn't want to add that fear to her cousin's plate as well. Chloe was finally happy and Lois felt it was her duty as older cousin to make sure she stayed that way.

"Did you find out anything more about these damn blurs?" Composing herself, Chloe pulled out of her cousin's arms to pace the room. "Two? None of your notes, none of your other eyewitness reports ever mentions anything about two different blurs."

"Yeah, but who's to say that I've been reporting on the same one blur."

"That's true. And do you mind if we stop calling them blurs." It made her feel ridiculous.

"What do you suggest then? Thing one and Thing two."

Since this was the same woman who came up with red-blue blur, Chloe couldn't help but wonder if her cousin wasn't just a little serious. "Cute, but how about...Flash and, uh...Impulse." The buzzing in her ears started again, but she quickly shook it off. She couldn't allow herself to be sidetracked, not now.

"Okay, but which is which?"

"Does it really matter, Lo?"

"Not really. Tracking these things are going to be damn near impossible."

"Are you saying you didn't find Mike's description of reddish-blue and reddish fire like blurs to be helpful?"

Lois turned to see Davis strolling out of the bedroom. True to the word he'd given at the wedding, he wore a pair of gym shorts, but the way they were hanging off his hips she figured he could have just been naked. His midsection was wrapped and the back of his head was bandaged.

"Hey, pincushion, how ya feeling?"

"Probably like he's just been shot with an arrow." Chloe was at his side in record time. The bump on the back of his head was already healed, though the wound from the arrow was taking a lot longer. He said he felt fine, but she couldn't be sure how much of his pain he was owning up to. Not to mention it would look suspicious if he was up and about so soon after the attack. He was on day two of his sick leave and nearly besides himself with boredom. "If you needed something I would have brought it to you."

"I hate being in bed without you." Running a hand down her back he lead her back to the couch.

"It's not like you can do anything in your condition." Lois teased, but she caught the way Chloe quickly averted her eyes. "Wait..." Try as he might, it was clear Davis couldn't keep the grin from his lips. "He was shot with an arrow for Christ's sake. No wonder you're pregnant, you two are like bunnies."

Chloe really didn't know how Lois could blame her. Davis was in full weekend mode. He hadn't gone for a haircut since they came back from their honeymoon and hadn't shaved in the two days he'd been off. So after his shower he'd done no more than run a hand roughly through his hair and pulled on his favorite pair of shorts. The only reason she'd left him in bed at all was because Lois showed up. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Right." Lois pushed to her feet. "Well, I'm going to head over to Ollie's. You stay here," She recognized the look on Chloe's face and cut her off immediately. "Have more inappropriate sex with your husband. I'll be back."

"Why don't you take a night off, Lois. Stay at your own place."

Lois seemed to be thinking it over. "No, I rather come here and bug you, Davis. Later cuz."

Davis waited until he heard Lois lock the door behind her, then shifted until he was laying on his back and pulled Chloe down with him.

Chloe shifted until she lay with her head resting on Davis' chest. "What do you want to do for dinner? Just know I'm not in much of a cooking mood."

"Neither am I." Davis began to pull at the shirt she wore, wondering if he could maneuver it over her head without either of them moving. "Guess that makes it a take out night."

"I hate take out night." Mainly because he ate anything and it became entirely her decision on what exactly they had. Then most nights she had to take into account that Lois was likely joining them and that just never went well. "And you can stop with the shirt, it's staying on." She felt his laugh rumbling in his chest.

Although he was more than a little disappointed, Davis contented himself with sliding his hands under her shirt and running them along her back. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"As long as it's not Star Wars. And that includes the extras DVD." The way he immediately slumped back down on the couch let her know that she'd kiboshed his plans. "It's been a week sweetie, I can't take anymore."

"TIVO?"

"I'm not watching the cartoon either."

Completely defeated, Davis gave up and handed her the remote. Figured he'd simply cut out the middle man. He could feel the smile spread across her face, so he knew and accepted the fact that he'd just been played. But how could he mind when she settled more comfortably against him as she turned the TV on.

He loved this part of their life together. He liked talking about what they would have for dinner. He liked how on Saturday mornings they each popped in their headphones and cleaned the apartment, how despite the music blasting in her ears she knew when he was coming up behind her to kiss her neck. He loved coming home after her, following the trail of clothes she left leading to the bedroom. And more than anything he loved the nights they both got home early or days when they were both home, how they'd lay on the couch together watching TV or reading or just relaxing.

"You know we're going to need a bigger couch."

"Why's that?"

"Well, there's not going to be enough room for you on the outside and I wouldn't want to hold the baby over here because it might roll off or something."

Chloe said nothing, just angled her head to look at him. His face was set in the most adorable frown she'd ever seen.

"I'm going to be on sick leave for a while, so I guess we can go anytime and find something big enough for the three of us to lay on comfortably. Christ, we're going to need a bigger apartment, I guess we could keep the crib in our room but the kid is going to eventually need his own space." He noticed the way she was watching him. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just quite the turn around from the image you painted of the baby tearing it's way out of my body and terrorizing the delivery room."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, giving her a quick tug until she lay beneath him. "You really aren't going to let me live that down are you."

"It's not something one can really forget." She shifted so that he could settle between her thighs.

"I'm sorry for acting like a complete-"

"Stark raving lunatic."

Yeah, she was never going to let him live this down. "So how much time do I have before the little monster baby's due to arrive."

"Seven months." She ran her hand over his stubble roughened cheeks. "Are you really okay with this?"

"I am." His hands found their way back under her shirt, while his lips busied themselves on her neck. He wanted to spend the rest of his life just here. "You know what's going to be really cool. If it's a girl when she gets to high school and some idiot boy asks her what her parents do she's going to tell him her mom is the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist at The Daily Planet and her dad's earths ultimate destroyer. She won't date until I'm dead."

"I'm glad you found an upside to having a beast of destruction inside you." When his eyes lit up in a smile, she gave an exasperated sigh. "Please don't make that statement."

"But it's so easy." He murmured against her lips. "And I want to be inside you."

"Are you sure it's safe with the monster-"

He was left with no other choice but to cover her mouth with his to keep her quiet.


"You green leather wearing son of a bitch."

Oliver winced, he looked over to his team. Bart had disappeared, Victor seemed to be seriously contemplating going out the window, AC was deceptively calm, and Clark....well, Clark was just useless when faced with an angry woman.

"Lois-"

"Don't. Don't you dare greet me like nothings happened." Her eyes cut over every face in the room. "Smallville. I knew it. I knew you had something to do with this."

"To do with what?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. Clark's innocent act would have been a lot move believable if his voice hadn't cracked mid-sentence. And the whole avoiding looking anyone in the eye bit was beyond guilty. "Lois, maybe we should do this in private."

"Why?" She demanded. "A group of men attacked my cousin's husband. A group, like the one standing in this room. How could you do this Oliver?"

"Clark was worried. We all were."

Lois was hoping that he would deny the whole thing. That, somehow, he was completely uninvolved with what happened to Davis. Clearly, that wasn't the case. "Where was all this concern when she was going to marry that jackass Jimmy. Jimmy," She said his name with so much contempt it took Oliver by surprise. "Who took her virginity and didn't have the decency to call her again. Who dropped her the first time some empty headed bimbo batted her eyes at him. The guy who gave her shit for being friends with Clark. How come no one was rushing to kick his ass for the number of times he hurt Chloe? How come no one objected to that wedding?"

AC raised his hand. "I did."

Lois frowned at him a moment before turning her attention back to her other ex. "You could have killed him, Oliver."

"That was not my intention. The arrow I used....it was a prototype. It was smaller, almost like a bullet." This next part, Oliver knew, was not going to go over well. But he needed to tell Lois the truth, so that she in turn would go back and tell Chloe. Because right now, he honestly didn't think he could face her. "The tip was made with...refined pieces of the meteor rock. It was meant to sedate him, I never figured it would have gone through him that way."

"Meteor...sedate him...Jesus, Ollie. The guy risked his job to help you. And you're treating him like he's King Kong or something."

"He's dangerous, Lois." Clark began in a rush. "There's something different about him, something not right. You have to see that."

What Lois saw was a sad farm boy who couldn't come to terms with that fact that Chloe was no longer his alone anymore. Clark, Lois firmly believed, had liked Jimmy because he'd never come between the two friends. Chloe had no problem dropping Jimmy whenever Clark called. But things were different with Davis. Davis changed Chloe's priorities and it was clear Clark was having trouble being bumped down the list. "She's never going to forgive you for this Oliver."

Oliver looked up sharply. "She knows it was me."

"Davis' partner saw the Green Arrow."

"But what did Chloe say?" Oliver asked anxiously. "What were her exact words?"

"Something along the lines of how could Oliver do something like this"

Defeated, Oliver sank back in his chair. Of all the times for her to remember, it was now. It may have been better if she never remembered. Because now, he was almost sure, that friendship was lost. And there was only one person to blame for that, Oliver thought as he shot an accusatory look at Clark. It may have taken a while and Davis may have put up one hell of a fight, but the guy had gone down like a brick. Oliver would never forget the way Davis' blood pooled around him, the way he lay motionless on the ground. "Tell her I'm sorry."

"Tell her yourself. I hope you guys got whatever it was you wanted. But you should know that I saw Chloe. She's still afraid, she's still clinging to Davis because she's afraid someone's going to come and take him away from her."

"We were trying to protect her." Clark stressed.

"He's her husband!" Lois fist slammed down roughly on Oliver's desk. "Damn it, Clark, can't you see that she loves him. I don't understand how come you can't see that." Realizing that arguing with Clark about this would be pointless, she turned to leave. But stopped at the door of the elevators. "I think you guys should know, just in case you have a mind to go after him again in the name of protecting Chloe. It wouldn't just be her husband you're attacking. But the father of her baby as well."