So... I may have been a 'little' evil with Oliver's mind in the last chapter... this is the aftermath.

Happy reading Xx

Chapter Thirty Seven; The Cure-All

Chloe was pacing a front the elevator. Dinah was sat scowling at it, she would have been pacing as well if the stitching would have allowed it. Emil had joined them a little while ago, the inner doctor wanting to know everything and anything about these tubes of power. Stability and what not. Except he was calmly seated, like he hadn't a care in the world. Of course Chloe knew that wasn't true, but he should at least pace to show it.

Chloe huffed out another breath, as soon as Oliver walked through those doors she would take a second to make sure he was in one piece then unload her wrath. 'Not, it's not too dangerous' he said, 'yes, I can follow instructions' he bragged. But no! Oh, she could kill him for being so reckless. Taking out the earpiece and loosing communication with her was just one thing, the principle that he'd hung up on her (so to speak) was only minor. But the fact he'd been stubborn enough to go alone, cocky enough to think he stood a chance. They could have killed him then and there and he wouldn't have been able to do anything. Over-cockiness, that would be his downfall. If there was just someone else there with him he wouldn't have been at such risk. It was only through the shadows man's liking to mess with her head that he still lived. Another few seconds and he would have been wrapped in a body bag and buried six feet under. Oh, he was getting her wrath when he got back. Cocky ass jerk! Her feet whispered secrets of death to the wooden floors, Dinah's eyes following. Dinah was upset because she had missed out on fighting side by side with her man. Almost like he had one upped her because he wasn't injured. He wasn't even meant to be doing anything in the mission and yet he'd practically claimed the saviour title.

"I hope he's limping." she hissed. Chloe knew it was the worry that made her into super bitch. She knew because it was the same thing driving her. The elevator clunked and Clark was suddenly between her and the metal doors. Just in case. Chloe scoffed and marched back into a seat where she insisted upon tiny little bounces to keep her awake and alive. All her attention was poured into the doors, well, it was poured into Clark's back since he took up most of the doors. Chloe suddenly felt a hand over hers. She turned back to find Lois, offering her a calming smile.

"He'll be fine. But just in case. I suggest you give him a few hours before you rip him limb from limb." Chloe nodded. But Lois was so cool and calm about this. Maybe it was because she knew where her honey was. She knew what he was doing, and that he was safe. Lois picked up on her inspection. "I'm worried on the inside. It's all about composure Chlo. Letting them think you are unaffected when you feel like your heart split apart and scattered across hell." Yep, Chloe had that very feeling. "At least your guy doesn't listen to your heartbeat to find out when you're pissed." Lois hissed and scowled at Clark's back again.

The doors opened and heads turned. So many things happened at once it was easy to get lost in the action. Clark had a burned out Bart settled on the sofa, Emil running over. Dinah risked a serious pull on her stitched with the speed she leapt into Batman's arms. Victor was helping move Oliver down his corridor and vanished out of sight. Even Lois had something to do, helping the doctor. But Chloe suddenly felt washed out in a sea of bodies. Like the whole world had gone super speed and left her behind.

She turned, scanning the room for Oliver again but everything seemed to blur. A fear froze her, her head met a suddenly expected throbbing. Avoiding eyes wasn't tricky since everyone was already busy and she slipped upstairs, careful of the wobbles in the stairs as the colours pulled together. Her hand reached out to the wall, guiding her as she walked along. Her blood was burning, her head melting inside her skull. She caught her eyes again. White over. Everything white. A hand flew to her stomach, a wave of nausea trying to drag her under. Her eyes wanted to close, to let go of the world. Reaching out she turned the tap through the blur and splashed cold water on her face. It cooled the ache, dulled the sickness, but it didn't take away the blur of life flying by at full speed. The hand to her chest was under constant buzz from her heart beat. It was racing ahead of herself. With a practiced patience she started breathing slowly and deeply, trying to calm whatever panic attack her body was suffering from. She didn't know how long it took but the vision started to clear, her heart stopped vibrating with speed in her chest and her blood cooled. Pulling herself to her feet she checking over her reflection. It was like nothing had happened. She sighed, a ghost haunting her thoughts. Why could Brainiac not leave her be? It was meant to be gone for good. Was there still something there? If so she had none of the benefits and a million times the weaknesses.

Ollie! Her brain kicked up the word and she was racing back down the stairs to find him. Not a single head was turned her way. Emil was getting Bart to try super speeding in short bursts. He was successful, which pleased Victor. She looked around. No Dinah, no Batman, no Clark, no Lois. More importantly; no Oliver. Vic caught her eye, he nodded silently to the sofa. Chloe stepped closer, spotting a huddle of a man dressed in green leather. She slipped around the front and knelt before him. His eyes opened and he tried cracking a smile.

"Hey Chlo." he muttered.

"I gave him a sedative." Emil called over his shoulder between instructions to Bart. He needed a sedative? What the hell for?

"He wasn't in a good state Chloe." Victor answered. "Shadow showed him some bad stuff whatever it is. Be thankful he's crashed on the sofa and not in a whisky bottle." Her hand ran over his hair, the spiked controlled mess in disarray. His skin was clammy and sickly.

"Ollie. What happened?" she asked through the fear. Was this like how she was when she got back?

"Don't." Vic warned her and settled beside her, taking her back to the sofa opposite. "He won't say. But when we asked he went a bit mental. Clark had to pin him."

"Clark pinned him? Why?" Her fear was rising again and fast.

"He kept saying he was going to hurt you; that he had to get away." Vic explained, then turned back to her. "Where did you go?"

"Ummm. Just upstairs. I wasn't feeling too good." Emil turned around, the doctor on show. "Emotionally wise." she added before he started quizzing her. He nodded and turned back to Bart. "How's Bart doing?"

"He's recovering. Whatever that bastard did wasn't finished and is creeping back slowly. Doc says he'll be fine and back to normal in another few hours. But… another few seconds of contact with him and it would be an entirely different story." Vic answered, stretching out his frame.

"Batman okay?"

"Perfect. No powers to take means no drain. It was probably the thing that saved both their lives."

"I like to think I had control of the situation." Bart chimed in.

"Control is not the same thing as heading toward an early grave." Vic corrected.

"Another few seconds and I would have pulled something out of the bag. The tables would have been turned so fast he would have been dazed for weeks." Bart continued.

"Another few seconds and the only thing you'd be pulling would be dead chics in hell. Even then it's slim chances."

"Hey. I like to think I'd have my moves anywhere and everywhere. Besides, there's a spot in heaven for me, next to some beautiful blonde angel who just happens to be smoking hot."

"Yeah. The girl next door never sleeps with the hero though. Haven't you watched TV?"

"Spiderman?" Bart countered.

"The exception that makes the rule. None others work. And besides, who cares? She'll probably already have an angel husband."

"Not in my type of heaven."

"How about we concentrate on living a while longer and wait till we die before we start laying claim on the angels? Okay?" Emil came as the voice of reason and let Bart speed out from under his grasp. It was still stop and starting, nowhere near full speed, but it was coming back.

"Alright then Doc. On with the real issues, how we going to destroy of all these meteor powers?" Bart turned on the spot, addressing Emil.

"You're just going to destroy them?" Chloe piped up.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"They're people's lives. Each one is a different person."

"I still don't get how this transfer thing works." Vic admitted. Emil took centre stage to clear things up.

"The man Bart met with-"

"Freaky slow creepy stealing powers man." Bart corrected with humour. "Or we could just call him Alan." he proposed.

"Right. Well 'Alan' obviously has the meteor power to extract other variations of the subnormal-"

"Are we really sub? Because I'd say we were way above normal. Clearly super human." Bart was met by Emil's glare. "I'll be quiet."

"Good. Thank you. Well, like I was saying; 'Alan' as you have dubbed him, can take the powers of these 'super humans'." Bart grinned at the use of his terminology. "And bottle them into their purest form from his body. However, when extracting it can only go so far. When he takes the power, he only takes the actual ability, not the residual effect in the person's body. A telepath for example could have their power taken, but it's still engraved in their DNA. Because their body cannot cope without the actual ability it attempts to remove the DNA strand, and ultimately collapses in on itself, after what I imagine are a few very painful days, killing the donor-" Bart opened his mouth then snapped it shut. Emil corrected himself. "Killing the victim. It also explains why it can only be put into those with meteor powers already in the DNA, as then the gene with the power only need to adapt. The shots of adrenaline given should easily help that along. But putting it into a human without powers originally would cause a full body system shutdown as it is unable to cope with the demands."

"I really hate to ask this… but why is Chloe alive?" Vic asked, already looking remorseful. Chloe smiled back at him, but it faltered when Emil dithered over his answer.

"Well. It's… I mean it's clearly more complex than that. It could be that Brainiac was merely neutralised instead of removed."

"But would the body no longer be able to cope without the actual ability. So according to your logic. Chloe should be dead." Or dying… she added mentally, the headaches and spells of sickness suddenly making sense. Her body wasn't coping without the Brainiac bugs, all she had was empty cells trying to re-build on nothing.

"You have to remember that Brainiac was a lot different than normal meteor powers though. Even I cannot fully understand it. As long as Chloe is healthy, I'm willing to leave it alone." Eyes came to her direction.

"I'm healthy as a horse. Swear it." she lied easily, having said the same thing to Oliver for days now. She took her fingers out from the tip of her nose then back again. Passing the drunk driver test easily and getting a chuckle from Bart. She could hardly break it to them that she was dying.

"See. She'll out-live us all." he jested and nudged into the seat next to her. "But this brings us full circle to our original problem. What do we do with them?"
"I honestly don't know." Emil spoke up. "I don't know if they even can be destroyed without ramifications to our environment. I don't even know if it's the right thing to do. If it's respectful to let the remains of someone slip away without anyone knowing."

"We could always decide later. After all this has gone away." Chloe spoke. If she was to live, she'd probably need a new meteor power in her to sustain her body's demands. To make up for the lost cells. She needed one of those new powers in her system. "Keep them safe somewhere. A vault. Or buried somewhere secret. Just so shadow man can't get to them. When he's gone, then we can decide." she proposed, already planning her next moves.

"I'm agreeing with the licious here." Bart piped up. Victor nodded and Emil copied suit.

"So it's agreed. We'll contact the others tomorrow to confirm. Till then Oliver shouldn't mind us keeping them behind his clock face." Chloe nodded and took some of the cases from Vic to help him place them out of sight. Then she turned back to another problem. What was she going to do about Oliver?

Emil seemed to adopt some psychic ability and stood, addressing the remaining troops.

"Victor, Bart. Stay safe on the way home. Bart, no speeding till tomorrow at earliest and I want to see you before you do. Okay?" They both nodded. Emil waved them goodbye before turning back to a worried Chloe knelt beside Oliver. "He'll be out for another few hours." Chloe nodded.

"Is he… Is he alright?" she asked, choking on the tears before they could reach her eyes.

"I'm sure you remember how you felt after you saw into the shadows." Chloe nodded. "How long did you stay in there?"

"A few minutes at most." she admitted. It had seemed so long, but the slow ticking of the minute hand on the clock had only moved a few almost immeasurable degrees.

"From what Victor says, he was taken by shadows for almost 10 minutes. He truly believes what he saw to be real. The sedative should give his head a chance to catch up. Fingers crossed he'll be back to his normal self when he wakes up."

"Anything I can do till then?"

"Steer clear I'd advise. From the ranting I'm guessing he saw himself abuse you and it won't be easy to see you with bandages on and believe that wasn't real. Till then. I do need to talk to you." He nodded toward the kitchen and soon they were settled with a coffee in their hands. Water for Emil of course since he abjures caffeine.

"What's up?"

"I ran Oliver's blood." he admitted. "You were right. There's some power in it. It's minuscule. Ever so very and a completely different strand from what I've seen before. From having studied him before I can only guess that it's linked to some type of aim. It is only very small though and even at best wouldn't be useable to the extent of others. Even if nourished. It may only be a guideline to what he already has. There's no way of knowing. But best guess… I'd say his perfect aim is more than just from training. It explains adaptability to other areas. I'm led to believe he holds high scores on video games for this talent as well." Chloe nodded. "But whatever it is doesn't seem at all dangerous and if anything is a gift to him. I would of course like to run some tests. But that can wait till later." Emil ran his fingers over his mug. "I re-ran your blood after I found this Chloe." He paused.

"And…"

"I found something. I didn't want to say anything in front of the others, but it's linked to Brainiac." Chloe gulped, did he know she was dying? "When you were injected with the two twin powers they neutralised themselves as well as Brainiac. When I told you Brainiac was gone, that wasn't true. Brainiac is still there. But deactivated. It's doing nothing so isn't harmful at all. Neither are the electro twins juice. But, we can't remove them without a chance they could deprive your DNA of the cells to control and…"

"Removing them would kill me." she summarised.

"Yes. Unfortunately. But there doesn't seem to be any issue with leaving them in, so I believe you are safe. Unless you're having problems?" What could he possibly do to save her though? He said himself they can't take out Brainiac, and there was no way to put it back inside her alive and kicking. To keep him awake all night trying to find a cure where there was none was just cruel. To work him to the bone to prevent what she already knew was coming true; that was soulless. Besides, she was jumping from a dam soon, it wouldn't matter.

"No. No problems." she lied.

"The headaches are gone?"

"Came and went." she simply answered.

"Sleeping patterns?"

"Waking up every two hours or so. Better than usual."

"Good. Good. The nightmares?"

"Less death, same amount of blood, more good before the kicking and screaming bad."

"If it gets worse-"

"I'll speed dial for you irrelevant of the time." she finished for him. He smiled.

"Call me if you have problems with Oliver. There's another sedative by the desk if it gets too out of hand. It's a stronger dose and will drop him straight back down so you can get one of us back to help."

"Thank you." Chloe walked him to the door, bidding him a safe drive and soundless sleep. The sedative went to the bedroom, placed in her nightstand, where she intended to crash for the night, out of sight of Oliver. But after changing into her pyjamas and re-brushing her hair for the 6th time she couldn't help but pad downstairs and find room to push the other couch across to him to make their own double width make-shift sofa bed. She crept beside him, her fingers tight with his and closed her eyes.

Chloe woke by the rustle of clothes, aware of the fact she had slept dreamlessly. A huge smile lit her and she found the source of her wake-up. Oliver was tugging off his clothes, the leather pants rubbing against each other as he moved stiffly.

"Ollie." She rubbed across her eyes, her voice sleepy and soft in the air.

"Hey. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No. It's good." She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make him out clearly in the darkness. "You alright?"

"My ego's a little wounded I went crazy and had to be sedated, but otherwise yeah. I'm glad I didn't hurt you." he admitted honestly.

"Well, the ego needed taking down a peg or two if I'm being honest." He chuckled. "Come back here and get some real sleep." She reached out her hand to his general direction, the other rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Maybe she had been sedated… she sure felt like it. A yawn crept from her right on cue and Oliver chuckled again, lost in the dark.

"I'll be back. I just need a change of clothes. Sleeping in leather is not my kind of fun." She lost her tiny bubbles of laughter to another yawn and dropped back down. "I'm liking the new bed by the way. Ever thought of being a designer?"

"Dressing doesn't require talking, or teasing for that matter. Come back and snuggle with me. I'm getting cold." A minute later he was back in her reach, the duvet with him. Her arms wrapped around his cold body, cuddled together under the duvet. But the cold had ragged her into some kind of relaxed awaken state and she lounged across him, drawing soft patterns on his arms. "Do you want to tell me what you saw?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. She waited for an answer, assuming he had fallen asleep till she heard him wriggle around and turn to face her.

"Do you?" he countered. She smirked. He hadn't forgotten about her omission about that either.

"I'll trade." she proposed.

"No. I don't like it." Of course he didn't. He had to be sedated to get the visions away from him. Her hand traced along his cheek, soft and tender, trying to soothe the ache that riddled him with agony at the sheer thought.

"I already half know what is was. It's alright. I know it's not you." Her voice rolled in smooth waves, a whisper in the dark room. He dropped back to lie down, her hand left with a tingle where she had held him.

"But it could be…" His hand went to the bridge of his nose. You didn't have to be a telepath to know Oliver was tormented by the idea of ever hurting her.

"Ollie. I know you. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

"Not on purpose. But I've got angry before, I'm practically lethal with my hands… it just… It all felt so real. I could see and hear things, I could even smell you damn perfume it was so real."

"But it wasn't real. Come here." She wove her fingers back with his. "Tell me what happened."

"Chloe. I'm not talking about this…" The voice said he wanted to, almost begging for something to remove the pain, but at the same time, talking about it would make that deeply hidden emotional side rise above the surface. It was the side that missed his parents, the side that wanted to be held, the side that spoke the rare words of apology because the guilt had utterly consumed him over a silly and simple event. It was also the side that pulled out every instinct in Chloe that made her want to love him, to never let him go and make sure he never frowned ever again.

"Oliver…" But what could she say to draw out that emotion? What would make this alright? She searched across his closed eyes where fears played behind. She could feel her insides grow cold, wanting to weep, to take all his pain if it would only make him better. "Oliver. Listen to me. It wasn't real. This is real. Me. Here. Right now." Her fingers curled around his, a tight grip, unbreakable even by his standards. His hazed orbs fell to hers. "You would never hurt me. Never." she told him, making him believe every word. He heard them, he felt them. But he had also felt the feel of his fist slamming against her. He had felt her cold body in his arms, unable to grieve properly, unable to do anything but watch as he was trapped inside his own body. "Oliver." It was the full name. The serious edge that told him no matter what was going to happen this was what was important. The pause drew his attention closer and she shaded her eyes.

She had sensed those three special words on her tongue, bubbling, ready to burst and her common sense kicked back in before they could structure properly. What good was it to tell Oliver she loved him if she would be going soon? It would only hurt him more. But to see him lay in agony, she had to do something. "I saw my mother." She flashed her eyes back up, wary of whether she should continue, she only saw the water rimming his eyes, letting her speak as free as she wanted. "I was becoming her, the illness, and the hospital. I could have sworn it was real. The damn scent of hospitals was all over me, the same hand cream my mother always loved still clinging to her skin. She had the same face, the same happy wrinkles, the same loving gaze that she would do anything for me. Except she told me how low she was, how terrible her life was. How stuck she was…" Chloe swallowed, the tears chocking her, but she wouldn't let them have their way. She was stronger than that. "She pleaded with me to kill her, to take her out of this misery. The misery that would become mine. I was doomed to her fate. Her lonely miserable fate without a single soul in the world." The emotion easily broke her mental barrier and spilled from her reddened eyes. "I haven't visited her Ollie. I haven't seen her. I didn't want to… I was so scared…"

Ollie pulled her to him, letting her collapse apart in his arms. He would put her back together. He'd always put her back together. But for now, she could take all the time she wanted to break, to finally let him in. Her mother was one of the things that scared her the most. Not her mother personally, but the chance of the genetics taking over her, winning her battle and taking her as another trophy victim for the mentally sick. She couldn't even bear to go and visit her own mother it was so bad. She sent flowers to her. She kept contact making sure she was okay. But to visit was a step she couldn't take. To see her so lifeless, the unspoken forewarning about what she might become… it took so much from her.

Oliver knew the hardest thing for Chloe was to let someone in, to lay herself bare and risk the chance of them being close enough to hurt her or desert her. But her she was, sobbing in his arms, not for herself or own selfish need for comfort, but to give him what he needed. He tightened his arms around her, pushing his love through her. His lips touched to her hair, her usual smell invading all his thoughts with clouds of her.

Tiredness claimed her as soon as the tears vacated room in her fried brain. She ran her fingers under her eyes, dropping her head back to Oliver's chest and back into his arms yet again. His words were gentle, caressing her in whispers as they met with her. He said nothing of his own fears, but calmed hers, removing the guilt she felt, removing the ache across her soul, taking from her anything but the need for him. His thumb ran across her cheek as he felt her slipping into sleep. Behind her lids they eyes were still bloodshot, a match to his, though he wouldn't let her see.

She curled into his side, a leg tangled with his, hands still looped around him, her head resting against his shoulder. It was doubtful he'd ever be able to sleep again without her body pressed to his. Personally he never wanted to try.

Chloe whipped her head back around at the sound of fabric gliding together. Her movement froze, her heart thundering. If she was caught at this stage it was nothing too serious, but in a few minutes everything would change. Scanning over the form on the make-shift sofa-bed she concluded yet again that he was still asleep and her mission could continue. She was fighting the start of a headache which only swore to bring something more deadly. It was getting out of control, she needed a fix for her body, one that wouldn't get taken away. Sure she was probably going to die sometime soon, but she shouldn't have to suffer before that.

Careful not to make any noise at all she slid the door of Oliver's clock face open centimetre by centimetre, crouching low to the floor as she did. Finally there was enough space to slide her body through the doors and she spied her target. 10 briefcases. Full of god knows how many powers that could all save her life. With a final look over her shoulder in case Oliver had turned ninja and was silently stood behind her with accusing eyes, she turned her full attention to the cases. Who knew what powers they were? They could be anything. Any number of things. Fire, flight, material manipulation. She could become anything. But compared to the throbbing, the constant throbbing of which was becoming more common occurrence in her life, she was ready to give up her daily life and become super hero Chloe. Maybe one could help her kill shadow man and re-write her future. Maybe this was the answer she was looking for all along. A blessing in disguise.

With more enthusiasm she ran her fingers over the first case she saw and popped it open. Two vials. One with red juice, the other a mystical yellow. Choices were never her strong suit. She could make them for other people, but when it came to her own life and death situation she was looking for a coin to flip. Maybe a childish choosing rhyme. No, this was just silly. She shook out her head and mentally straightened her weak spine.

'Get a grip Sullivan, this is life and death. Just choose one.'

Her hand outstretched, falling to the red potion.

Needle, she thought. She needed a syringe.

Her bare feet padded back out and across the room to the kitchen where Ollie kept the first aid. Not everybody keeps a syringe in their first aid kit, but not everybody had a doctor who came on multiple occasions who needed to shoot you up with his drugs so you don't feel him re-setting your bones. Needless to say, Oliver was better than a boy scout when it came to medical prep. She set it down and put the cabinet back to order. But when her fingers wrapped back around it she was hit by a sudden wave, and this time it didn't stem from the raging headache, nor the sickness in her gut, it was doubt. Was this the right thing to do? Could Emil find a safer route?

No, she answered herself, they had already been through this. She would rely on herself. Her problems were her own and that was it. Nobody else needed this darkness poisoning their system. Chloe went back past Oliver, luckily he was still prey to the sandman and happily trapped in his web of dreams. Her fingers held tighter on the syringe. If there was even the slightest chance this would let her see a future with her and Oliver, then it was 100% worth it.

She went on autopilot setting it up, only returning when the metallic red liquid cure secure in the syringe was poised next to the crease in her elbow. No going back if she did this. Who knew what she would turn into? It could disfigure her entirely. It could turn her into a monster. It could shred her apart limb by limb with debilitating pain. It could drive her insane with voices in her head. Oh, her head was already throbbing, the sickness threatening to blow. She turned back to Oliver. This was for him, she reminded herself. A shaking breath came deep into her lungs forced through her haze and she took the crimson fluid into her body, watching it drain from the syringe.

I understand this chapter may cause a little confusion. I tried to clear it up as best as possible without ruining the plot, but if you have questions you can message me, either review or PM, and i'll try my best to answer without spoiling the rest of the story. Otherwise, you can muddle through and hope it all clears up in a few chapters time. Whichever.

Xx