"Aren't you going to dress?" Chloe asked the distracting reflection. The shirtless owner of said reflection grinned and entered the bathroom.

"I would if my girlfriend hadn't decided to hog the bathroom since she bolted out of bed. Besides, I warned you I lived half-naked…"

Oliver's hands settled over her stomach, making her squirm in awareness.

"Thai food in the middle of the night is clearly a no-go but how are you this morning? Feeling better?"

Oliver started to withdraw but she kept him in place. The light pressure of his fingers felt good.

"Yes."

He massaged that spot below her belly button again. Oh yes, she felt good. Really good.

Chloe couldn't help the needy sigh that escaped when he kissed the side of her neck. "Ollie… They're… waiting for us at the farm."

"We can always blame the traffic."

"It's Saturday, Oh!-Oliver."

Her token of a protest weakened by the second. She was tempted… So very tempted when he felt so warm with his arms secured around her.

Chloe reached behind her to thread her fingers through his hair. Oliver allowed her to turn so he could kiss her properly. The lick of heat climbed another notch stealing everything in its path until the doorknob dug into her hip at a weird angle and she whined in discomfort. Oliver released her at once.

"What hurts?"

The protective streak was almost as endearing as the intoxicating feeling of his hands on her. "I'm okay, Ollie…"

He resumed his conquest, one featherlike kiss at a time. "All right. How do you feel about taking a small detour?"

Chloe sighed again when he nibbled at the sensitive flesh of her neck, all the while piloting her back into the bedroom. She had trouble concentrating. Not that she was so keen on it any more…

"If… I let you talk me into a "detour", we'll… never leave this apartment, let… alone the bedroom."

"Not a bad idea…" Chloe yelped when his teeth grazed her shoulder with a bit more force. Oliver laughed and grabbed her for a hard kiss that left her breathless with wobbly knees. "I have another location in mind, though."

He abandoned her for the walk-in closet while she stared. The deep green button down he grabbed covered his naked back. Chloe blinked several times, hands clenched on the edge of the counter to steady herself. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to take a look at that building."

"Now?"

"Why not?"

She was… unable to deny him anything. That's what she was. His smiles, his hands, the way his mind worked… All of Oliver Queen rendered her helpless. Chloe cocked her head to the side. "Do you know something I don't?"

His crooked grin turned mischievous. God. Each time he so much breathed in her direction, her whole body threatened to self-combust.

"You're okay there, Chloe? You're very flushed."

She blinked again, almost relieved when he squeezed her waist with one hand, the other tilting her head back to caress her face with deep, concerned brown eyes. Chloe smiled up at him in reassurance, her head clearing slowly of its lustful cobwebs.

"Yes, all good."

He scrutinized her face a moment longer, then apparently decided not to push.

"All right. To answer your question, I just think it's time to start crossing all our Ts. Victor is looking at our comms problem. You and I have an appointment with Emil on Tuesday for a check-up. We have a plan to get a closer look at that machine in London. Which only left us with that building to check."

Chloe nodded. Oliver kissed her forehead before he stepped away once more to finish buttoning his shirt.

"Glad you approve. Hal will meet us there."

An hour later, they were climbing aboard a discreet SUV with tainted windows and exited the Clock Tower's underground parking.

"At least you don't plate your cars the way Lex does," Chloe teased.

Oliver returned her wry smile. "Somehow, I don't think riding sports cars with a stamp saying "Queen 1" or "Queen 2" would do me any favors."

She laughed. "Point. I do like his Porsche 911, though."

"You do?" he looked surprised.

"It's comfortable," Chloe shrugged. And fast, the way their friend drove.

"Ever drive one?"

"No." She coughed the sudden calculating look on Oliver's face. "And I don't plan to. I like my bug."

"Your car is a liability."

"My car gets me where I want to go just fine. I mean it, Oliver. Don't get any ideas in that thick billionaire skull of yours…"

Oliver made a show of looking shocked. She was pretty sure he would have held his hands up if he hadn't been behind the wheel. He smirked, though, and that one expression put her on guard. "Not even a miniature for your desk at Isis?"

Chloe scrunched her nose. "A miniature? You mean one of those collectibles you keep in their boxes? What do you want me to do with that?"

Her mind stacked up possibilities, though. Some of her clients had young children that had trouble staying still during their sessions. If she kept a small box of toys to entertain them… Oliver chuckled at the pensive look on her face. "Still with me, Sidekick?"

"Yes, just thinking about Isis…"

"So it's a yes for the miniature?"

"Yes. I mean no! No don't bother, I'll take care of it."

Oliver slanted a puzzled glance in her direction. She leaned sideways and kissed his cheek when they stopped at a red light. "Thank you for offering?"

"You're welcome. Though I would prefer if you let me spoil you from time to time."

"You're coming with me at the farm for dinner with Lois, Clark and Martha. That's spoiling in my world."

"It's not a big deal," Oliver replied. Then he seemed to think better of it, straightening his stance in his seat, hand fisted over the gearstick. "Right?"

She chuckled. "Of course not."

Having dinner with her brazen cousin, her overprotective childhood best-friend, and her surrogate mom when they barely managed to keep their hands off each other for more than ten minutes at a time? There was nothing to worry about… Perpetual embarrassment, never-ending teasing, and bodily-harm threats notwithstanding.

Oliver slowed in front of a massive building that looked like it could house a couple of Mack-trucks piled on the top of each other. She had to crane her neck to see the top, and yet could distinguish only two rows of small, narrow windows. The ceilings had to be sky-high, if there was any floor at all.

"It looks much taller than it did on screen."

"Yeah. They tend to do that. Come on, let's take a look inside."

Chloe slipped her hand into Oliver's as he helped her out of the car. One of the heavy wood doors was ajar. She tensed, her hand automatically pulling him back when he started toward the warehouse. "Oliver, something's not right."

He paused at once. "What?"

"I called the police yesterday. So where's the caution tape?"

Oliver pushed her gently aside while he opened her door once more to forage through the glove box. The crossbow he took from it opened with a snap. Its small size made it look more dangerous, if possible.

"Do you have your Taser?"

"Yes."

"Good. Stay behind me."

Oliver strode toward the brimstone building much like he was about to before she stopped him, probably not to alert the person who'd left the door open.

"Why do you want toys for Isis, by the way? You didn't tell me earlier."

Distraction helped settled her nerves. She ran missions behind her computers, not out in the open. Danger was no stranger, but still… Chloe swallowed, doing her best to keep her voice steady. If anyone listened, it'd help distract them as well. Give them a slight advantage. "Some of my clients are young parents. Sometimes they bring their children with them and it can be a little bit… chaotic."

"Kids equal chaos? Imagine the trouble ours will get into, Sidekick…"

Oliver reached for her hand and gave her fingers a quick reassuring squeeze before he gave the door a solid shove.

The cavernous space was dark, darker than she expected. The stones of the walls reflected the heat from the furnace the priests had raging for three days straight. The air inside was drier than the desert hit by the Amon.

An attendant handed them wood masks covered with a wet cloth so they could look into the crucible without risk.

Even before she peered at the white-hot substance, she knew it had worked. She'd felt it. That was why she cajoled her Archer—her husband— into leaving their nuptial bed for a few hours. She'd heard the metal's whisper in the desert.

Now, free of its stony prison, it sang.

"Oliver! Oliver, Chloe, wake up!"

Chloe bolted upright. Nausea sent her immediately in a fit of dry heaves. For a few seconds, she could do nothing but try to suck in air while her stomach blocked her airpipe. Her vision swam in technicolor. The more she fought to breathe, the more constricted her lungs felt. Sheer terror of passing out, of drowning gripped her stomach then it twisted.

A large hand settled on her back, strong and real. Its weight helped her find a rhythm and she calmed down sufficiently to drag in oxygen. After a minute, she managed to seat back, and met with Hal's worried expression.

Oliver's comforting hand looped around her waist to pull her further between his legs, her back to his chest as he buried his nose in her hair.

The light was too bright from the tiny windows. It swirled and swirled in maddening spirals that made her head hurt. "It's here…"

"I know," Oliver whispered back. "I can feel it too."

"We have to—"

"In a minute. Let me hold you for a minute."

She leaned back into him, cocooned in his arms, only aware of the throbbing on her hip and the light. Chloe closed her eyes, willing the room to stop spinning.

"What the hell happened! You guys walked in there and bam, you both collapsed."

Chloe forced her eyes to open once more.

"We're okay, Hal," she said. Oliver's grip around her tightened then relaxed. He pressed a kiss into her hair, then pushed to his feet before he helped her up, ignoring Hal completely as he stared deep into her eyes. "Where?"

"I…"

She shook her head. The throbbing had lessened now she was standing. It tickled the sole of her feet then pulsed up her body to her heart.

"Downstairs."

She took one step forward on shaky legs, looking for a door or a trap. Oliver steadied her when she staggered. "Hal, could you…?"

A green halo illuminated the floor. The stones were littered with dirt and old journals, probably other things, too. The whole building stood sad and empty. She panted a little, the dust in the air making it hard to breathe properly. Chloe licked her lips. They felt parched under her tongue.

Oliver's fingers collided with hers. They entwined on instinct. As soon as they touched, the oppressing feeling eased from her lungs.

Her archer pointed to his right. "There. There's something between the third and the fourth column."

Hal oriented his ring in that direction. Chloe's eyes adjusted and yet she failed to find what Oliver's eagle eye had noticed.

"Come on."

Oliver tugged at her hand and she followed.

The careful craftmanship appeared as they moved closer. The slight angle of the walls and subtle shift of the panels gave the illusion of a continuous flat surface. When they stood a few feet from the wall, the alcove finally appeared for what it was: a camouflaged door.

The lock design was all too familiar: round, with three vertical lines.

Chloe wasn't even surprised when Oliver pulled his grandfather's signet out of his revolver pocket to press it into the hole. The panel swished aside with difficulty and the loud groan of rusted cogs.

Whiffs of stale air and decay escaped through the pitch-black opening. Chloe balked.

"Oliver…"

He gave her fingers a little shake. "Hal? Some more light, please?"

The emerald beam grew tenfold, until the rickety stairs and naked walls bathed in the alien light. Chloe's head started to pound. "We have to hurry."

"You know, I don't mind being the torch bearer and all, but a tiny-winy explanation would be nice…"

Oliver answered for her. "The dagger Carter is looking for is here."

"How do you kn—" Chloe started down the wooden steps without waiting. "Never mind."

They reached the bottom quickly. Oliver stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. "Let me go first, Sidekick."

She understood his reasons. But there was nothing to fear here. The nth metal called to her. Its whispers comforted and enticed. It promised wonders beyond measure. Salvation. Life. Love.