Oliver stood staring at the door in stupor. What had just happened?

One minute Chloe was here, asking questions and the next she'd twisted his half-answers the wrong way and run. She hadn't even given him a chance to take back his poor wording or explain further. "Damned it!"

The bottle of water he hurled exploded in a wet splash on the wall.

"Problem?"

Oliver twirled on his spot. "What the fuck are you doing here? Do you often parade in costume in the middle of the afternoon?"

"It's seven o'clock in the evening."

"Still daylight, Tweetie."

Carter glared back. He stepped out of the balcony inside the living room, his helmet under his arm. Oliver almost snarled at him to go away. He didn't want to deal with the man now. Carter Hall was the root of his heartache. If not for the stupid bird, he would still be wooing his Watchtower one mission at a time. He wouldn't know what it felt to have her in his arms, in his bed, to see her eyes lit up when he told her he loved her…

"Where's Chloe?"

Oliver gritted his teeth. Chloe. Of course he was here for Chloe. She attracted trouble like honey attracted bears.

"She went for a walk. What do you want?"

The blaring first notes of "Highway to hell" cut in. The ringtone had seemed funny at the time they'd picked it up. Now, it put his teeth on edge. Oliver grabbed his cellphone. "What's the emergency, Victor?"

"I got a hit on the man Chloe told me to look out to."

"Where?"

"East Martin."

Oliver clenched his fist. "You mean he's in Metropolis?!"

"Yes."

Oliver cursed out loud. "Tip the feds. I'm calling you back."

He hanged up and walked quickly toward his office to activate his connection to Watchtower, Carter hot on his heels.

"Savage is here. We have to find Chloe before he does."

"You said she went for a walk," the other man pointed out.

"Without her jacket, her keys or even her phone? Take a hint, Birdy! I misspoke, we argued and she left!"

The fist that clipped his jaw knocked his head back and left his ears ringing. Oliver growled. "Feeling better? Get out of my way."

He typed a command quickly on the keyboard to activate the facial recognition software they used. It was his best shot at finding Chloe. Like it or not, he was going to LoJack every single piece of jewelry she owned. Maybe her clothes too. And a subcutaneous GPS chip.

Oliver stopped banging at the keyboard before he smashed the space key. She'd have his head if he damaged her precious material.

The recording of the cameras in the street in front of the Clock Tower showed him an upset Chloe marching away from the building toward her favorite coffee shop. Maybe she'd stopped for coffee, charmed the barista into offering her one on the house. He switched quickly to that view, nearly missed her silhouette crossing the street. "Chloe… Where did you go…"

This was bigger than his ego or their fight. Oliver flipped the communication on. "Cyborg online."

"I need you to find Watchtower. She left my place in a hurry two hours ago and she doesn't have her phone with her. Last I can find her is the Metro Café on Union. She's wearing a forest green cardigan and black yoga pants with sneakers."

"On it, Arrow."

The clock ticked seconds like drips of acid, eating at the marrow of his bones. Oliver fought to keep his emotions under control. How long had he stared at that door before Carter showed up? Ten minutes? One hour? All his Goddamned fault for being unable to hold onto her, to explain gently he couldn't bear seeing her hurt each time he got scrapped. All he wanted was to have her back safely here, to take her in his arms and tell her she was his everything.

"I don't have all day, Cyborg."

"Then don't distract me while I work, Arrow."

He clamped his mouth shut. Harping at Victor would not give him answers any faster. Instead he turned toward Carter. The man pacing behind him was making his teeth ache.

"The dagger is in the safe behind that wall. 58-L-02."

The older man's blue eyes snapped to his before he walked to the safe.

"I have her, Arrow. She walked into Centennial Park about an hour ago. Hadn't come out yet. Arrow…"

"I know. Get the team on stand-bye. Arrow out."

Carter put his helmet back on. "I can take you there faster than your bike."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He hated flying. Correction, he hated flying held up in the air like a bag of rotten potatoes by a human-size bird who used a prehistoric mace as a weapon.

Oliver regretted not gearing up. With his glasses, he could have looked down and searched their surroundings. He refused to risk it. Carter might not be concerned about prancing around, but he couldn't risk Chloe and the League like that. The communicator and the crossbow tugged in his jeans would have to do.

"There."

Oliver squinted at the patch of grass below them, swore under his breath when he noticed how fast they were going down. Then he spotted the two silhouettes on the other hand of the pool. Chloe.

And Savage.

Hawkman lowered him enough so that he could jumped and rolled over his shoulder. Oliver used the momentum to jump on his feet was on his feet. Dark vapor seemed to swirl around her petite frame. The mark on his hip suddenly started to hurt, as if some wild cat had planted its

teeth in his flesh and track to tear him apart. Chloe swayed on her feet. Oliver braced himself against the pain.

"Get away from her!"

Savage sneered at him above his shoulder. "Return where you came from pretty boy… You had your chance. Now she's mine."

One hand gloved hand lifted, its fingers like crooked like claws. "Da the Albse—"

"No! Stop!"

Oliver reached for his weapon in his back. If he was to go down, he would do some damage before he fell. He wanted to scream at her he loved her. The cutting edge in her eyes wouldn't let him.

Oliver watched in horror while Chloe planted both feet firmly on the ground to face Savage. "Stop!"

The nightmares of the night before surged up like a Tsunami inside him. Her giving herself up for him. Dooming herself to a lifetime of slavery and torment, because she wanted to save him from himself. Don't say it. Don't say you'll go with him. Don't leave me…

"There's nothing he can do to harm you. Let him live."

"He can't hurt you, but I can."

Hawkman dove from the sky like a revengeful Archangel. His wings seemed to glow in the dark. Savage threw both hands up for what Oliver supposed was a protective spell. He didn't wait to see the results.

Chloe staggered back and he was there to catch her before she fell to the ground. "I've got you."

"Ollie… We have to—"

As much as he wished to help, there was nothing he could do. Hawkman and Savage were both fighting for their lives, the attacks and counters so fast he could barely catch half of their movements. Savage had the advantage of magic, but Carter was clearly a better fighter. Each of blows found their marks, hard and fast. The slashes came from all angles. Some moves he'd seen by Marines in their knife combat training. Others were simply impossible to describe. Carter used the short blade sometimes as a knife, sometimes as a sword. In his hands each part of the weapon was deadly.

Chloe almost shook free of his grasp when Savage landed a lucky blow that ripped out one of the feathers of Hawkman's helmet. The scream that followed was more beast than man. Savage jerked himself away from Carter. Instead of blood, ashes drizzled from the gash in his arm.

"Come on. We have to get out of here before we get caught in the crossfire."

He grabbed her elbow to pull her away, but she resisted. "Come on!"

Another jab, another slash, and ashes plummeted from a deep cut near the man's threat.

Chloe gasped, "He's like Dorian Gray… He's body's just a shell…"

Oliver stared in disgusted fascination when he noticed the crisscrossed scaring Savage hid under his Crow clothing. Chloe's gag next to him forced his eyes away from the macabre spectacle.

He tugged at her arm again and this time managed to put a few more yards between them and the combatants. Lighting struck at the same instant from a cloudless sky and the bulbs around them exploded in a riot of glass and sparks. The tempest distracted Carter who lost his footing and landed hard on his back. Savage snatched the dagger from his hand and lunged.

"NO!"

Chloe screamed her throat raw.

Oliver tried to pull her farther away but she grabbed his own crossbow and aimed. The shaft embedded himself in the sorcerer's neck.

Oliver's mouth fell open when he saw the man pulled the arrow out his dead flesh without a flinch. The titanium broke between his fingers like a twig.

Oliver took the crossbow from her, reloaded and let fly. The bolt hit Savage in the chest. His next shot found his throat again. The man kept marching upon them with a manic glint in his eyes. Chloe slipped one hand in his belt under his shirt, finding skin. Oliver notched another arrow even though he knew it was futile.

"Clar—"

Before Chloe could call for their super-friend, Savage jerked like a puppet on a string. The hands ready to strike clutched to his chest as he started trashing. Nth metal punctured his right side. Another blade spurted from the left and suddenly he was airborne, pinned by Carter's metallic feathered wings.

Blood poured down Hawkman's stomach and legs as he lifted his prey higher then projected him hard against the concrete wall of the basin and straddled him.

"You'll… never… live again kalb."

The dagger shone from within before it pierced Savage's unnatural heart.

Carter struggled to stay on his feet. Chloe writhed to escape but Oliver caught her by the waist before she could and flipped her around so she didn't witness Hawkman's final act of vengeance. Savage's head rolled in a flurry of black dust.

Then the Hawkman crumbled to the ground.

"Carter!"

Carter lifted his head to stare at them. He coughed. Bloody froth bubbled at the corner of his mouth. "No! No, Carter!"

This time, Oliver let her go, his heart in his throat. The muscle cuirass gleamed in the dark. The coppery stanch of blood was suffocating. Beneath the broken mask, the man's face was too white, the skin stretched over gaunt cheekbones, as if him, too, was nothing more than an empty frame life escaped too fast.

"It's… done… Nedjem." Carter raised one hand to touch her cheek. Chloe sobbed quietly. "Shayera… is waiting… Be happy… My sweet… I…"

The hand dropped from her face to the ground. He knew what she was going to do before he saw her press both hands on Carter's chest.

"Chloe…"

"I brought Lois back! I can save him!"

A soft light trembled from her palms to sip into the lifeless body at his feet. Oliver knelt with her, his stomach twisted into knots. He wanted to stop her, but couldn't find the strength. Instead, he brushed her head aside to kiss the back of her neck. Then, with a whimper, she was too gone.