Chloe held her breath while the man in front of her weighted his words. She'd rather he'd be blunt and give her a straight answer. Her hearty meal started to make her queasy. The longer Carter delayed, the colder apprehension made her, and the more nauseous she became. In the shadows of the café's corner, Carter suddenly looked every bit of his forty something years, crushed by the weight of memories from a life long gone.

Oliver's hand around hers anchored her in the here and now.

"You're… I suppose the best way to describe it is to say you have an affinity with meteorites."

Chloe gripped Oliver's hand hard.

"You feel and understand them, somehow." Carter spoke of meteorites as if they were living things. "You… I mean Annurefret found the mother load in the desert. She was the first to understand the metal properties, and insisted to study it."

"So you think that Savage would try to use Chloe to find the dagger somehow," Oliver summarized.

"I can't find meteorites."

She protested but at the same time, it made so much sense… A waiter came by to pick up their empty dishes. It was getting late, but the street was still busy, the merchants joining friends in one of the cafés, or stopping to talk with the patrons seated on the terraces. Oliver squeezed her hand again as if he'd felt the dread that trickled through her.

"With you as his hostage, Savage would have one hell of a bargaining chip, Sidekick. We can't give him that."

"So you want us to pick up and leave?"

Oliver grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "You know me better than that."

She thought she did but right now, she had absolutely no clue what insane plan his mind was drawing.

Carter too looked suspicious. "I'd rather you and your team don't get involved, Archer. Take Chloe back to Metropolis and protect her. I'll deal with Savage my way."

"And how did that work for you the first seventy or eighty times?"

Carter bared his teeth.

Chloe interfered. "Carter, let us help. Please."

The older man relented. "What do you have in mind?"

Oliver released her hand to loop his arm around her shoulder instead. He seemed to be unable not to have a physical contact with her and she craved the touch. Chloe pushed the thought away for the time being to focus on his explanation.

"Let's pool resources. I am sure you compiled a lot of information about that dagger. Arrange for the files to be transferred to Watchtower. We'll see if we can come up with something worth a look. If we do, we have people that can investigate without making a ripple. As for us, you don't want to arouse suspicions. Savage saw us at the museum. If he has you watch, he already knows we met. But if we continue to play the tourists, he'll have no reason to believe you're doing anything besides trying to get a check out of me. Chloe and I will visit the rest of the Akropolis, hit the bazaar district in Izmir. Troy is a little far away but it could make the list too. Then we'll head back as planned at the end of the week. No one is the wiser."

Carter considered. "You're keeping her far away from him."

"Absolutely."

Chloe grumbled. "Does she have a word to say? Or is she supposed to seat and look pretty will the big He-Men do all the work?"

Oliver gave her an angelic smile. "You are pretty. But when I said "we" would study the information, I meant you, Sidekick. You're the brains of the operation, I'm just here to follow orders."

She made a face at him.

"For people who pretend to be "just friends", you flirt a lot," Carter commented.

"And that's my cue to go take care of the check."

The archeologist moved to push to his feet as well but Oliver shook his head and disappeared inside the café. Minutes later, the waiter came back, this time with a tray of coffee and rosewater-flavored lokums. Chloe picked up a cup, sniffing the strong coffee like a connoisseur.

"Chloe."

She stared at the older man above the rim of her cup.

"Promise me you'll be careful."

"I can take care of myself, Carter, even when I don't have a hero underfoot. Nothing happened to me in Metropolis, did it? And I'm sure Savage have been around more than once."

Carter leaned back in his chair. "No, he has not come in America in the past twenty years."

"Why not?"

She knew the answer before Hawkman answered her question, and acutely regretted asking. "He's wanted for the murder of my wife."

They made no plans to meet again, even though Carter left a number to reach him. Chloe suspected the archeologist needed some time to digest the idea he had allies he couldn't control. She needed the space herself. She'd come to Turkey to make peace with the past, and ended up biting more than she could chew. Again.

At Oliver's suggestion, they put Chloe's purchases in the car and then strolled along the pier, away from the noise and hurdle of the cafés.

Chloe was glad she'd opted for jeans and a 3/4 sleeve wrap blouse. Still, the cotton did little to ward off the fresh wind. Oliver didn't seem to mind the lost degrees. She supposed muscle mass and nightly patrols in a sleeveless costume made him more or less immune to lower temperatures.

Now that they were away from the crowd, he mostly kept his hands in his pockets. She missed the connection as much as his warmth. Chloe slipped one hand around his elbow. Oliver smiled down at her but didn't comment.

Finally, they stopped at the end of the quay. The moon was yet to rise, so the sea was shrouded in darkness, the lights of the city a few scattered stars on its wet mirror.

She stared at his profile for a moment.

"I'm surprised you didn't jump on the opportunity to whisk me away to safety…"

"Would you have agreed to it?"

"Of course not."

"Then I saved us a pointless argument."

The clear-obscure gave his patrician nose and strong jaw a marble quality, as if one of the ancient gods had crossed the Aegean Sea to stand beside her. The surf sprayed a few salty drops that the wind flung at them. Chloe shivered. Oliver instinctively pulled her into his side. She'd been right about his warmth. She wrapped her arms around his waist and felt him stiffened.

"What is it?"

"You're cold. Let's get back."

He oozed so much heat she snuggled into him instead. Oliver rubbed his hands up her arms and down her back. Her whole body convulsed so unawares Chloe gasped. Desire pulsed in her womb, loud and urgent. Suddenly, there was only Oliver and need. She clung to him, fighting to control her breathing. "Ollie…"

He brushed a light kiss on her forehead. Tantalizing. Not enough.

"Not just me then. Come on… We should go."

She resisted, more to give her legs another minute to steady than anything else. He sighed, his breath tormenting her some more with a barely-there touch.

"Let's just say we both have new erogenous zones…"

"New… The marks?" Chloe flushed. Then it all came back, the tension she felt each time they brushed against each other, the underlying stress whenever skin met skin. "I've been torturing you all evening, haven't I?"

Oliver took her hand as he guided her back to the car with a humorous grin. "Try all day, Sidekick."

"It's not funny! I'm sorry! I wasn't doing it on purpose…"

If he felt half of what she did just now. Oh God…

Oliver chuckled. "It's fine. Now that I know it works both ways…"

Oh. God! His signature grin made her face scarlet and the rest of her liquefy. Chloe held onto his hand and grumbled. 'What else did you discover, then?"

Better focus on the practical, and stay far, far away from the way his callous fingers felt against her bare skin.

Oliver dangled the keys in front of her nose rather than answering. Chloe started. "Do you want me to drive?"

"I'm one step above sober. Better be safe."

"Okay."

He didn't look drunk at all, but at least this way she'd have her hands occupied. Her body still hummed from the feel of his against her. Chloe climbed behind the wheel and waited for him to clip her seatbelt to start the car.

"Guess you hold your liquor pretty well."

"Experience."

Even small talk felt awkward. Did Oliver feel it too? He shrugged, and returned to her previous question. "Well, I discovered the Shenu makes us incredibly possessive. You particularly."

"I'm no—Why do you say that?"

The car lights jerked when she hit a pot hole. Chloe tightened her grip on the wheel.

"Darling you tried to dig a hole through my back with your nails until the waitress called you my wife."

Chloe opened her mouth to deny it and close it just as abruptly. The way the other woman fawned all over Oliver annoyed her. Did she have to simper while they ordered food and drinks? Oliver spoke up, unaware of her inner grousing.

"For my part, there's jealousy too. And it seems to err on the side of protectiveness."

"You're handsy."

Oliver put his arm back to his side.

"Apparently." He paused. "I'm ill-at-ease with other women's touch."

Good. No! Not good! Chloe what are you thinking!

"That I must say it's a novelty," Oliver quipped. She wanted to scold him and found out she couldn't. He was so earnest about it all. It was… endearing.

The house's security sensors reacted to the car's stop and the outdoor wall lanterns lit in welcome. "What are we going to do about this, Ollie?"

He took her murmur for an invitation to cup her face in both hands. "Hey… We're in this together, all right? We'll figure it out."

His thumbs stroked her cheeks. His brown eyes mated with her greens, warm and tender. A bit lost, Chloe nibbled at her bottom lip. The dark gaze heated and narrowed.

Oliver dropped his hands. "Let's go in. You're up for a movie?"

Chloe swallowed and nodded, searching for an even ground when she felt so uncertain. "Indiana Jones again? Since we're going after a lost treasure…"

"I was thinking about the Mummy. You know, Egyptian lovers, curses and all that…"

"You do know that the star-crossed lovers are the villains in that one, right?"

"You're too literal, Sidekick. Come on."

They curled in front of the flat screen, much the same way they had in Metropolis a few days before except this time, Chloe was fully awake and acutely aware of Oliver's proximity. The steady rise and fall of his chest distracted her from Rachel Weisz's struggle with her ladder. John Hannah's antics fared little better, even though she loved the actor. Finally, she wasn't unable to bear the strain any longer. "It's too bad we don't have a map like theirs…"

"Hum? Yeah, yeah sure." Oliver seemed engrossed in the plot so she returned to Brendan Fraser, winced when he got punched in the gut, swooned along Evie later on… Oliver brushed her neck. Goose bumps erupted down her arms at the graze.

"Sorry."

He inched toward the other side of the couch. The loss ripped through her like a sharp knife. Chloe twisted to face him. "It's all right to touch me, Oliver."

"Oh, thank God."

In an instant, his arm clasped her hips and she skid over him, half-sprawled half-seated on his lap. Her free hand gripped his shoulder for balance. His seized the back of her neck. Chloe barely had time to gasp before his mouth took hers.

Oliver coaxed her lips open. By the time she realized it, he was invading her mouth, stealing her breath and sending her heart into a gallop. Chloe moaned and he captured that as well. Her hands grasped his shirt, her body molding to his, desperate for an anchor in the lustful storm.

She couldn't remember sinking into a kiss so fast or so deeply, ever. Not with Clark, and certainly not with Jimmy. She didn't want to think about Jimmy.

Oliver was everywhere, around her, under her, close, not close enough, his tongue teasing hers, his hands on her waist, imprinting his scent all over her. And yet it was her who pulled him closer still, who needed more contact, more skin. She resituated herself with her knees bracketing his hips to grind against him, begging him to move.

Chloe wrenched her mouth free, grasping for air. Oliver's forehead fell on her shoulder, sucking in air as he trembled beneath her in an effort to stop her movements. Chloe whined.

"Ollie…"

It was too fast. It was madness. Oliver tightened his grip on her hips as he leaned back against the couch. Everything inside her flowed like lava.

"I… God, Chloe… You want to go slow and I…"

She flattened her palm on his chest.

Oliver instinctively bucked then blushed like a schoolboy. "Sorry."

"Please. Please just… stop moving."

"I'm trying."

They stayed like this for a moment, staring at each other, neither daring to even bat a lash.

When she felt calmer, Chloe squirmed in his arms until Oliver understood and leaned on his side, taking her with him. One of Oliver's leg pressed between hers while her own was curled around his thigh. The intimate position lulled and excited her at the same time. Their chests and stomachs brushed each time one of them breathed.

"What do you want, Ollie?"

He held his head back to be able to look at her properly. Oliver used his free hand to press her more firmly against his erection. "You can't seriously be asking that question…"

Arousal soared against, almost irresistible. She felt so hot she wondered why their clothes weren't melting. Chloe clutched at her sanity by straws. "I'm not talking about sex, Oliver."

She untangled one of her hands from his back to thread her fingers through his hair. His eyes half-closed under the caress. Her heart pitapatted at the longing on his face. "Tell me what you want…"

Oliver followed the gentle curve of her neck up to her jaw with a knuckle, touching her like she was too precious for anything firmer than a feather's caress.

"I want… I want the PDA and the strings and all the complications. I want the right to tell Bart off when he calls you his Chloelicious because you're my girlfriend."

Her heart threatened to escape her ribcage to jump into his hand. "I met Bart first. He has seniority privileges."

Oliver flicked her nose at the quip. "I want to yell at Clark each time he forgets you're a person not a convenience."

"You do that already…"

"I'm answering your question, Sidekick, stop interrupting."

His finger taped her mouth once, then returned to the tender worshiping of her features. "You're so beautiful… You're what I want Chloe. I want you."

Her eyes filled with happy tears. She stretched against him, this time the one to initiate the kiss, because for the first time in her life words were failing her.