The angry buzz of the plane phone pulled Oliver out of slumber. He frowned for a second before locating the source of the noise and moved carefully to stand without disturbing the angel still sound asleep on his lap.
"Queen."
"Oliver, thank God… I've been trying to reach you for hours!"
He flipped the phone on Wireless mode to be able to amble back to the peaceful blonde deep in slumber.
"What's wrong, Zee?"
"I found my father's research on the Shenus. They are much more powerful on Soulmates than on normal people and way, way more dangerous. You must not complete the ritual until you're both ready!"
The statuesque brunette tended toward the dark and gloomy, but even with her love for melodramatics, that didn't sound too good.
"Dangerous how?"
Oliver placed one gentle hand on Chloe's shoulder to wake her. She would want to hear this.Chloe stirred, then turned on her side to curl on the loveseat.
"Think of Magic as energy. The Shenu is a magical protection, Once activated, its energy decuples to surround the host. But for soulmates, the soulmate bound taps into Cosmic Energy. The magic of the Shenu is going to multiply, not just tenfold but a thousand times. It's too much for one person to contain alone. When you'll… bound, the energy will start to build up. It will consume Chloe from within unless…"
Oliver's gaze fell on the delicate tattoo on her hip. The teardrop and its mirror linked at the center into a perfect arrow.
"We're fine, Zee."
"Oh good, so you didn't…"
"Oh no, we did." Several times. "But we're fine." He traces the eight form with his index. "We should be landing in Metropolis in two hours. Just log your findings into Watchtower. We'll take a look at it."
He disconnected the call to meet with Chloe's witchy green eyes, beautiful and cloudy. "Zatanna?"
"Yes. She had some information to share about our marks and the consequences of—"
"Sex without feelings?"
Oliver's mouth curled into a lopsided grin. "You caught that, huh?"
Chloe gave a quick pull to his tee-shirt so he retook his place on the seat, and burrowed into him once more. Her eyelids fluttered. The delicate skin under them was shadowed by tiredness. Her pupils gleamed almost unnaturally in contrast.
Oliver wrapped one arm around her. "How are you feeling, really? No more fever?"
Chloe stifled a yawn. "No fever. Just… sleepy. Maybe a bit sore. Someone wore me out last night. And again this morning…"
Her hand rested just above his belt as she faked complaining. Her thumb brushed back and forth over his abs. He'd be damned if each sweep didn't challenge him to wear her out some more.
Oliver glanced through the hatched window at the white streaks clouds created on the green expanse below. Her cuddling tempted him to skip patrolling. At the same time, he missed being out there. "Think you can wake up enough to guide me through patrol tonight?"
"I can do that."
"Cool."
The thrill of the hunt and how good it felt to help innocent people coursed through his veins. She would be here when he'd get home afterward. Tonight, and tomorrow night. And the night after that, for the foreseeable future. For the rest of their lives once she'd be ready to take that step with him.
"It has only been a week and lots happened, but it feels like I've been away forever. It's strange to come back. Good, but strange," Chloe mused.
"We'll repeat the experience. It'll be our anniversary's gift to each other. Just you and I, a week away lounging in the sun or exploring ruins in exotic locations. Minus the cursed birdy, if I may be so bold to ask."
Chloe offered one of those miraculous grins which lit the room each time she bestowed one upon him. "What about the kids?"
"Hal and Vic can take care of the League. Ours we'll send to the farm, so Clark can show them how to tip cows and brood in barns."
"You realize he'll just call Lois for help, right?"
Oliver sighed. "Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Can you imagine little persons with both our DNA with your cousin as a baby sitter?"
Chloe cocked her head to the side, considering then gave a wry smile. "Good thing Clark is fast."
His heart soared at the image of a miniature Chloe running havoc around the Kent Farm. He could hardly wait. "Since we're on the subject…"
"You want to talk about Star City."
"How do you do that?"
Chloe smirked. "I'm the brains of this little operation."
"Not so little, mind you," he glared.
She laughed, hands linked behind his neck while she leaned back to catch his eyes. "I'd like to stay in Metropolis for now. We have too much going on here at the moment, between the League, Isis and well… Carter. But in a couple of years, when we'll be ready to start our family, yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes. I've heard good things about California. And I have a speedster and the Blur at my disposal if I miss my cousin."
"California has very good things going for it."
"Amazing things…"
Oliver slipped one arm in her back to situate her on his lap while he kissed her. Their mouths lingered, moving together gently. Chloe parted her lips for him and the soft caress heated into something stronger, slow and intoxicating. She moaned in pleasure, her bottom automatically molding to his crotch as she moved on the top of him.
He gently coaxed her back an inch. "Definitely not the place, Sidekick…"
He was rock-hard and battled not to carry her to the bedroom cabin to finish what her impromptu lap dance was starting. Chloe cocked an eyebrow while she peppered his jaw with tiny kisses. "The bathroom of an airport wasn't exactly the place either."
"I don't remember you complaining at the time…"
Chloe glared and squirmed away. Oliver grabbed her hips to keep her in place. Her trapeze skirt forbad the type of contact he craved. Chloe relocated his hands before he reached her bottom. "Down, Romeo. You've been out of the patrol loop for more than a month. You have a lot to catch up."
She somehow managed to straddle his thigh and her knee brushed against him.
"Now you're just cruel," Oliver pouted.
"On the contrary. Just giving you an incentive to come back in one piece."
Her smile was saccharine sweet and far too smug to resist. Oliver pressed his fingertips against her mark. Her tiny gasp came with a faint flush of pleasure which contradicted her attempt to scowl.
"Since we're on the same page…" Oliver stood to retrieve her laptop. Foreplay was half the fun. He could do that while she worked. See how long it'd take to distract her from her task… "I'm all ears, Professor."
"You're a genius."
"Thank you, but the design is all Victor's, Ollie…"
Oliver adjusted the glasses over his eyes. "Still your idea, Gorgeous. Using a digital device sensitive to the luminosity so that I don't have to disactivate the infrared intensifier manually is nothing short of brilliant."
He had one too many close calls due to the millisecond it took to switch back and forth by hand.
"Stop playing with your gadget and focus, Arrow."
Chloe paused and Oliver pictured her face glowing with embarrassment. "How bad are you blushing right now?"
"Bad enough without you commenting on it. You're needed at the corner of Galt and Prosper. A duo is stripping a car bare." She groaned in the comm link. Oliver chuckled. "Shut up. Just go."
"On it, Tower."
Oliver only needed a couple of minutes to reach the north-east of the Old District. He spotted the jacked mass of a Chevy immediately. The tires were already gone, the hood lifted while they collected whatever they wanted from the engine.
"I don't think I'll ask you for a tune-up, considering."
Mechanic No. 1 threw his tool at him. Oliver ducked, nocked an arrow and pinned the man to the sidewalk. Mechanic No. 2 grunted and lunged himself at the archer. His pipe wrench almost got Oliver at the elbow. He growled and punch him with his bow, cracking bones. The pain only enraged his assailant. The hard steel went wild. Oliver staggered backward when his knee buckled.
"Fuck! You're going down."
Hand-to-hand combat wasn't his forte but adrenaline and muscle memory pulled him through unused moves that got him enough space to notch another arrow. Oliver aimed through blurry eyes. His adversary saw the danger and tried to hit his leg again. The shaft caught his arm. The deadly tool clattered on the asphalt.
"Arrow?"
The worry-laced whisper in his ear pierced through the throbbing hurt. Oliver took a careful step forward, shot at the ready in case the fool still wanted a taste.
"In one piece, Tower." More or less. "Call the cops."
He retrieved his grappling hook and held on while the pull got him off the ground onto the building roof.
Oliver gritted his teeth as his feet touched the hard surface again. He faltered some, then forced himself to walk to the edge to look down. The terrible two were picking themselves up. Oliver grabbed a trick-arrow in his quiver and fired. The dynamic duo dropped to the ground far below a few seconds later, knocked out.
"Blue shirts are on the way, Arrow."
"Good. I'll take five before the next call, if you don't mind." He inhaled deeply. "I'm more out of patrol shape than I thought." Code for I almost got maimed. He didn't want to worry her more than he could ear she already was.
Oliver backed away from the ledge. He could walk without limping but it felt like one of his darts was lodged inside the rotula and tried to dislocate it with every step. He checked his leg. The padding on the side of his knee was dirty, the fabric of his uniform torn. The reinforced leather must have saved him from shattered bones and months of recovery. He took a careful step, grateful to feel the pain lessen gradually.
Getting hurt was not the way he wanted tonight to go. Oliver pondered about calling it a night and decided to go on for a little longer. He'd just stay at a distance and use taser arrows and knock-out gaz. Metropolis needed all the help it could have, and tonight, it meant him.
"Arrow, if you feel up to it, someone is trying to enter the building you're currently on. I'm pretty sure they didn't lose their key…"
He'd gotten his five minutes. Just.
Oliver pushed away from the vent he was resting against with a grunt.
"On it, Watchtower It's probably just some poor chap looking for a place to sleep."
He hooked his line to the sill and lowered himself to street level once more.
