AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved and alerted after the last chapter.

Thanks also the Hellza_on_Earth for pre-reading and for being a good sport when nothing she previously read actually ends up being posted. All mistakes are mine.

Quick Recap of the last couple of chapters- Chloe and Oliver have now been married for almost four years and are expecting a bundle of trouble. During Senator Kent's function at the Metropolis Library, Chloe and Lois were kidnapped by an alt Lionel Luthor, with Lionel wanting Chloe to expose her secrets about the world's hero's to Lex via a machine developed for project Intercept.

Lois is released and she promptly reports back to the JLA which have now assembled to save Chloe. The rescue is fraught with danger and only the timely appearance of a certain Boy Scout has saved Chloe and Oliver from being crushed. Chloe in the meantime is fighting the good fight against Lex who is currently inside her mind and Lionel is at large.

Chapter 14: Keep Holding On (Part 2)

So far away, I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end, With you by my side I will fight and defend.

Keep holding on 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong 'cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. Nothing you could do There's no other way when it comes to the truth.– Avril Lavinge

Metropolis, 19th June 2012

Lex grabbed her arm her brief moment of despair replaced with the need to get away from him. She turned and tugged. "Let. Me. Go."

"No. Not until we talk," he replied as he spun her around and pulled her body flush against his. She flinched at the way he was smiling at her, not to mention their physical closeness. Him holding her like this was so not okay with her. He'd left her with no choice and she was about to apply the Martian Mind Numb hold on him when her reality shifted unexpectedly.

Light, the color of freshly churned butter flooded a room where she was standing on the American Eagle. Holy crap she was in the Oval Office and Lex was standing behind the Resolute Desk dressed in a white suit. He looked straight through her before opening a side door and stepping outside.

Disoriented but curious none the less about what was going on especially because he either couldn't see her or didn't care she was there, she followed him into a field of sunflowers and then watched with horror as the entire crop withered and turned into a field of human remains at his touch, the sky loosing its butter hue replacing it with dark grays and angry looking purples reminding her of the storms that had ripped through Kansas on occasion. Instead of water though the rain clouds held big red drops of blood. And Lex looked calm, almost satisfied.

If those images weren't enough to raise her heart rate, four torn and tattered uniforms belonging to Impulse, Aquaman, the Blur and Green Arrow were flying in the distance, posters proclaiming Free from the Terrorists tacked underneath the flags.

A scream was fighting its way up through her throat but her reality shifted back just as abruptly as it had changed in the first instance. Lex was looking at her but didn't move, like he was frozen in time. Her mind raced for an explanation for what had just happened.

She hadn't tried to access his thoughts so somehow the additional up close and personal contact between them must have triggered some kind of physic bleed through effect. It was the only thing that made sense to her and since the scene that had played out in front of her hadn't been the past or the present…that left a glimpse of Lex's vision for the future and what a bleak dystopian future it was.

A world where the population had turned against heroes and her charismatic, loving, snarky, vibrant, full of life husband was dead? That Lex was POTUS?

Not on her watch.

She felt a breath on her cheek signaling the end of his frozen moment and he released his hold on her a little. She didn't have enough room to step away from him but she had a clear view of his face and he was wearing an enlightened expression, although it was unclear to her why.

"Well that was interesting. Not at all the talk I imagined, but you've given me everything I need and more."

Crap oh crap. That threw her, it hadn't occurred to her that the physic bleed through could have been a two-way thing.

"All this time, what I need….is really in my own backyard," he said, clearly pleased with what he had learnt.

She went to move when her body gave way and she crumpled to the floor, every single nerve ending feeling like they were being seared against a white-hot flame. Lex crouched down beside her, a device in his hands.

"Did you really think that I didn't have any contingency plans to get the information I came for or to incapacitate you if I wanted? This is you after all, a girl that I have been dancing with in one-way or another since she started high school."

Back handed compliment aside this was a big underestimation as to how she thought having Lex in her head would unfold. She had been too soft, to passive and he had played her. She shoved those thoughts aside. She could self-analyze to her hearts content later.

"Suppose you think you're clever one now. The door was never stuck was it?" She asked her teeth clenched.

"No, classic Art of War. 'All warfare is based on deception'. And now I have things to do, people to talk to…meteor rocks to harvest." He started towards the door.

Their little 'exchange of minds' had been brief and there were other things he still didn't know… about her, about her abilities, about the team infiltrating the facility Lionel had set up and their subsequent removal…because if he did he wouldn't be looking so smug.

"Oh and I wouldn't wait for any rescue. Lionel has already taken care of Oliver. I'm afraid your vision for a Queen family Christmas with your daughter is something none of you will be alive for, so enjoy the dream while you can."

That was a kick in the guts and she stopped breathing for a moment. Aside from the bad guy now having a blueprint to the league, playing it 'safe' earlier on had exposed her daughters mind to a mass murderer. 'I am so sorry munchkin, I didn't know.'

Damn him for threatening her family. And damn it, she hurt all over but she had to act before the opportunity was gone.

With her focus on Ollie and the people she wanted to protect from Lex she pushed past the pain she was feeling. Gathering what psychic strength she had, she unleashed it on a still self-satisfied Lex, the force of it hitting him with such ferocity that he was swept up from the spot he had been standing on, his body flying towards the red door with enough momentum to shatter it on impact before he even had a chance to blink.

Chloe looked towards the last place she had seen him, a sob of relief that he was gone escaping from her lips hoping she had done enough and then she slipped into darkness.

-xxXxx-

Oliver's eyes were wide. The monitors Chloe was hooked up to showing all kinds of different activity. "Emil?" he said more than a little alarmed.

The doctor took two strides from where he had been examining the data dump Cyborg had extracted from the machine, his two patients having shown no signs of change since Clark had dropped the FedEx truck and its occupants at the team's medical facility in Metropolis several hours ago, until now.

"Oliver, move," Emil barked as he checked vital signs and then checked the charts more than once. Oliver stepped back a little focusing on the monitor for baby Queen, the only one that had remained steady. That gave him some comfort.

After what seemed like an eternity Emil gave his verdict. "I can't answer the how just yet… but Lex and Chloe aren't linked any more. The sedative she was given is also wearing off. That's the good news. But Chloe's body and brain have shut down similar to how it does after she heals someone. Which would led me to conclude that what ever happened while they were linked was traumatic for her and this is her bodies way of coping."

Oliver swallowed ignoring the churning in his stomach and blinking back the liquid in his eyes. "But she'll be okay…right… her and baby?"

"Against the odds, by whatever grace Chloe has, your daughter appears to be unaffected by her mother's latest ordeal. But because her body is also protecting baby, it's also likely that as a consequence Chloe's recovery is going to be much slower than we are used to."

He swallowed and closed his eyes being overcome with a mixture of emotions, a single tear escaping out of the corner of his eye. It was not quiet the 'yes' he wanted to hear but he could work with it.

"One other thing you need to keep in mind," Emil added gently, "is that while she should physically recover, there is really no way to gauge the emotional or psychological side effects of what having Lex inside her head might be. You need to be prepared that she might not wake up as the same person."

His head snapped up looking directly at the partition that had Lex lying behind it. "Get him out of this room now Emil."

The look of pure hatred on Oliver's face when he glanced in the direction towards his one time classmate was enough, Emil didn't need to be told twice and hastily removed the offending person.

Now that he was alone with his wife and they were relatively safe he knelt by her bed for a time, his head resting beside hers. He had been scared for them that maybe the Luthors would win and destroy what had been damn hard at times to build. He'd be lying if he said he still wasn't scared for her. What if she couldn't get past this experience and became a shell of her former self?

Stop it, he chided himself. He had access to people that could do really mind blowing things and they were family. Surely that had to count for something.

He absently moved a stray piece of hair on her face. Time to do something useful and seeing that he could make her more comfortable, he took her feet gently in his hands and started massaging them working his way up. This way when she woke up her limbs wouldn't feel so ridged.

He talked to her as he worked, giving her an update on the switch with John, Lionel sending him to his 'death', how Clark had made an incredibly timely entrance saving them from being buried under the rubble, the team's current efforts in locating Lionel and his struggle not to go into the next room and choke any remaining life out of Lex for doing this to her.

The only thing actually holding him back from that was the thought that Chloe would be disappointed in him if he chose to end the s.o.b's life when he was lying vulnerable still if she did have any lingering side effects…..

His diatribe was cut short by a voice in his mind. "Her altercation with Lex will not leave any lasting scars on her mind Arrow."

John.

"And before you ask, no I did not read your mind. Mary surmised that you might be fretting and we wanted to reassure you."

"Thank-you. And thank-you for earlier. You got Clark out of the Fortress didn't you?"

"It was appropriate. We will need his help to talk to Jor-El if we are to bring this Lionel to Justice."

"Yeah, I don't know that the local PD can charge Lionel with inter-dimensional trespass and destruction of property. Not to mention illegal experimentation."

"No local dimensional justice system is equipped to handle this situation. But I was also an intergalactic bounty hunter in my past life and I believe there is an appropriate place for him to live out the remainder of his days.

"Really?"

"Really – but we need to find him first."

"Good hunting then."

"Get some rest Arrow. The coming days may yet be busy."

And with that John was gone. Fatigue was setting in with the adrenaline rush that he had been on in the last day and half having being exhausted.

He dragged the recliner over to her bed placing a small kiss against her belly and one against the corner of her mouth. "I love you, both of you." Someone would come and get him when he was needed, until then he would stay by Chloe's side.

-xxXxx-

A while later

Clark had come to check up on them, the feeling of déjà-vu acute. When he had left almost four years ago, Chloe and Oliver had both been in a hospital room then too because of Lex Luthor.

The whole Oliver being shot and Chloe healing him experience at the time must have been some kind of catalyst in their romantic relationship because according to Bart they had gotten married on the 30th of October. Less than three weeks later with a small intimate group in attendance made up of AC, Bart, Vic, Lois, Martha, Oliver's mentor Sam and this worlds Lionel Luthor.

And well it seemed like they had all come so far since he had seen them last, yet hadn't moved at all. Not that he had had a chance to talk to either of the blondes about it.

The smell of rosemary and roasted potatoes bought him out of his thoughts as did the hint of the Estee Lauder perfume that his mother favored. He turned around to see Martha Kent carrying a large catering tray and rushed to help her. She had been next on his list to see.

"Mom…Let me help."

Martha smiled, happy to see her son. "I was hoping see you. I heard you were around. "

He gave his mom a long hug. "I was coming to see you. How have you been?"

She squeezed his arm. "Good. Are staying long?"

"I don't know. Jor-El let me help because of the threat of a certain Kryptonian artifact."

"The mirror box," she said nodding her head. "I can't for the life me understand why Jor-El would leave something like that on Earth, on more than one Earth. Really it was just trouble waiting to happen."

He shouldn't have been surprised that his mom knew about the box. "I agree with the trouble part but Jor-El wasn't the mirror box's creator, Zor-El was and it was something that the Kryptonian counsel had ordered destroyed instead he stashed it here."

"Zor-El?"

"Jor-El's brother…also a brilliant scientist although prone to pushing boundaries…but really that's not so important right now."

"Not when someone is trying his hardest to make things difficult for people I care about."

"True." He held the tray out, "Where do you want this?"

"Kitchen. I was originally planning a quiet dinner at the farm with Chloe, Oliver and Lois. But with everything that's happened, the team will end up here sooner or later to be with Chloe and Oliver and well Emil has a habit of forgetting to eat when he's treating a patient."

"Such a mom, mom. I overheard Emil. Chloe should be physically fine."

"That's good to hear. She's in good hands though. Oliver will get heaven and earth moved for her if he has to, to get them through this."

"I can't believe they're married with a baby on the way…I mean they weren't even really dating when I left."

"Oliver cherishes Chloe and this baby is a much welcomed addition to the family. The way he looks at her…sometimes reminds me of the way Jonathan looked at me. Chloe is well loved and she has everything you could have ever wanted for her. As for their actual story both have been fairly vague on how we all ended up in Vegas, but they might tell you."

She knew him so well she had answered questions he hadn't asked but he hadn't missed the hitch in her voice when she spoke about her late husband.

"And what about you mom. Do you have everything?"

"I have plenty of work to fill my days, Lois to keep me in check and several friends who keep me from getting lonely. And in my spare time when I am waiting for my son to return I occasionally get to help out a team of hero's."

Clark had missed this, being around her positive and vivacious spirit. As for his best friend, he should be so lucky to find someone during his life who loved him as much.

"Stay strong Chloe," he murmured. "You have people here for you and I can't wait to talk to you again."

-xxXxx-

Sommerholt Institute Metropolis, 28th June 2012

Tess hurried down the hallway. She had been in England smoothing things over with a transaction that Lex had let slide due to his disappearance when Lana Lang of all people had contacted her to tell her that Lex had resurfaced.

The ex-wife hadn't been very forthcoming about the details only to say that he was much changed and that if Tess did any digging that they wouldn't be so kind in the future and that all the ugly evidence of how he came to be like this would come to light.

Tess could only surmise that by they she had meant the Queen's and she had yet to determine if she wanted call the bluff. She stopped outside a door and knocked before pushing the door open. The staff had also warned her that he was very different from the man about town that they had seen.

The room was like any other sterile hospital room, void of warmth or personality. Her brother was sitting on the bed in white scrubs flicking through a comic.

"Hi, what's your name?"

She remained calm, years of not flinching in the boardroom having helped with that. "Lutessa, but you can call me Tess."

"You're pretty." She smiled at that. He was so…childlike. "I'm Alexander." He stuck his hand out for her to shake it. Which she did.

"Are you here to read to me?"

"Um I…I could do that. What story would you like?"

He pulled open the draw beside the bed. "The nurses borrowed these from the children's ward. "

Jack and The Beanstalk, Peter Pan, Duck Tales and a Warrior Angel Graphic Novel. She was starting to get the scope of how much Lex had changed.

He put Peter Pan in her hands. "I want to be the boy who never grows up," he said smiling.

There was such an innocence about him, not single trace of a hard business man who had taken over the Luthor Dynasty. She blinked fast holding the tears back. "This is one of my favorites too. Before I start can you tell me how old you are?"

"I'm Five….."

She was silent for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. Things could be decidedly much worse… Opening the front page she began. "All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this."*

Lex just beamed at her like she was his new best friend.

-xxXxx-

The Clock Tower, Metropolis, 16th July 2012

Unbelievable he was a world leader in technology and the screen looked completely white. "Hey honey I don't think this is going to work. The only thing I am seeing is a lot of snow and ice."

He couldn't see her, but had a feeling that she was laughing at him. Sure enough went he went to their bedroom she had a big grin on her face.

"All that snow and ice might have something to do with the fact that the Fortress is in the Arctic."

"Very Funny," he said as he kissed her. She had been home now for two weeks, confined to bed rest except for an hour a day and she had wanted to be moved to the sitting room for this.

She wriggled up the bed until she was in a sitting position and then swung her legs over the bed, her now very obvious baby bump pushing the fabric of her smurf nightgown out. Each day she felt stronger but it would still be a while until she was back to doing everything at warp speed.

After she was positioned comfortably on the couch she smiled again as Bart came into focus. "See nothing to worry about. Everyone's there and in one piece."

"Well, I wanted the streaming to be perfect for date night."

"Maybe next week we can just get Thai food and a movie."

"Hell yes, by next week this whole inter-dimensional saga will be behind us. It would be nice to do something normal for a change without a Luthor popping up and throwing a curve ball."

"You better touch wood Ollie...Tess is still after you for some answers about Lex."

He grabbed a wooden bowl. "So any idea what's going to happen, John was kinda tight lipped?"

"Not really other than several Jor-El's across the muti-verse have agreed on a suitable punishment for Lionel. And I think we will have our answer soon enough." Her eye's darting to the screen.

They watched as Lionel was contained in a ray field and image of Jor-El before him.

"Lionel Luthor, you have been caught in an acts unbecoming of your status as our emissary to Earth. Indeed many witnesses have attested to your contempt of the gifts, powers and knowledge bestowed upon you resulting in the loss of life and in some cases even the destruction of civilizations. The council between Jor-El's of the worlds you have tainted is unanimous and we declare you guilty of murder and treachery. Your punishment is to spend the remainder of your days in the intergalactic prison know to us as the Phantom Zone."

Lionel remained defiant. "Do your worst Jor-El."

A burst of light and he was gone and wherever this Phantom Zone was, Oliver hoped it was enough of a punishment for all the trouble faux Lionel had caused.

To be Continued

* Taken from Peter Pan the illustrated edition by JM Barrie. I don't not own the rights to Peter Pan just borrowing the opening lines

AN 2: Thanks for sticking with the story everyone, other plot bunnies wanted to take over and I had a battle to make them 'wait there turn for a new story because they didn't belong in this one' yesh. A lot closer now to those two words that authors write when a story is completed. :-p

Next Chapter: Don't want to Miss a Thing (We meet baby Queen)