Her entire body woke up in a surge of electricity, as if every nerve sparked to life at once.

Chloe breathed through the pain, surprised not to feel as cold as she normally did when she came back.

She was thirsty, and hungry. That was usual. Her limbs felt heavy, particularly her legs. Bracing herself against he inevitable pins and needles of renewed circulation, she wriggled her feet a little, then frowned.

It should have hurt to move. It always did, at first.

"Take it easy beautiful…"

Oliver's warm hand curled around her neck to help her head up. Chloe sipped from the cup he's brought to her lips gratefully. "Juice?"

"Emil suggested it. Vitamins are good for you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm…" Alive. Warm. Not in pain. Chloe bolted upright. "Carter!"

"He's still in surgery."

"In surgery? But…"

Chloe leaned back against her pillow, silenced by the sudden pressure of a migraine inside her skull. It took a full minute before she was able to form words again. "What time is it?"

Oliver put the glass down on the side table. "Close to 2 a.m. You slept for about three hours." He wrapped one arm around her. "Clark arrived almost the minute you fainted. Carter was barely breathing so he took him to the hospital."

"Why am I…" not dead? She knew already. She'd failed. Her powers had misfunctioned somehow and she couldn't save Carter.

Tears crept out from under her lashes. She felt drained of energy, and guilty. She'd failed. Her head hurt. Oliver brought his other arm around her and the tender hug only made her cry harder.

"Oh Chloe… It's okay… He'll pull through… Carter's strong as an ox and way too stubborn to let me get away from it this easily…"

Painful sobs tore small whimpers with each tremor which racked up and down her spine. Oliver pushed hair off her forehead to kiss her temple. She winced.

"Your head hurts?"

"Yes…"

"I'll get you Tylenol."

Chloe turned her back to him to press her cheek on the pillow. Now she was alone, she opened her eyes to stare at the empty space between the bed and the wall. The bedside lamp cast small bubbles of light on the fabric of the armchair. She had flakes of blood under her nails.

She screwed her lids shut tight, as if it was enough to stop the tears from falling and the world to stop spinning.

The bed dipped in her back but she refused to move.

Oliver brushed one hand over her arm. She didn't turn. Taken her rebuttal, he pulled her into his chest, but the tender embrace felt forced.

Chloe hesitated then curled into him. Just for a little while, she told herself. Just until she felt strong enough to stand and get on with her life without Oliver. She wanted to sleep and forget. She wanted things to go back the way they were before they came back from Europe. Before he realized she wasn't enough.

"What did Emil say?" It was easier to focus on that than how safe she felt in the cocoon of Oliver's arms.

"Nothing I'll repeat when Zee is within earshot, that's for sure. He wants to run some tests."

Any hope Oliver hadn't noticed her hard swallow plummeted when his hold on her waist tightened. "We should talk about Zatanna."

The migraine she'd all but forgotten reared its hurtful head. "Can we… Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm tired…"

With luck, she would manage to postpone the discussion until he had to go to the office, and make her escape then.

"So you can sneak out while I'm stuck in meetings?"

The heat on her cheeks helped to push the headache down a little. "You made your point already, Oliver, what else is there to discuss?"

His hand on her hip forced her to turn and face him. "Maybe the fact that you misunderstood what I was trying to say."

Chloe kept her eyes shut. "Look at me. Please."

She thought about disobeying. Then decided he deserved to see how much pain he was causing her. His gaze darkened as he took in the swirl of unguarded emotions in her greens orbs. She clenched her jaw. "You had no right to ask Zatanna to remove it without my consent."

"The hell if I don't. The Shenu is hurting you, Chloe. I can't let it drain you of your energy each time I get scratched on patrol."

She straightened up abruptly, the sheet clutched into her fists.

"How is that different from me healing you when you come back? Just admit you realized you don't want—"

Me. She couldn't say it out loud.

Chloe threw the covers away to stand. Oliver was quicker. He grabbed her around the waist and all but tossed her back on the mattress. He crowded her, one forearm planted on each side of her head, one of her legs trapped between his knees.

Chloe gulped, her lungs barely functioning. Her defenses threatened to crumble at the show of dominance. He'd been so patient and attentive she'd forgotten somewhere above the Atlantic that Oliver was the Alpha of their little pack of heroes.

"Get off me."

The skin on her hip burned. His sneer infuriated her further.

"I mean it, Oliver, get off me now!"

"It's not your turn to talk."

She forced herself to meet him glare for glare.

"I love you."

Chloe started to open her mouth and closed it when his brow furrowed.

"And you love me."

She snorted.

"That gives me the right to hover, and do what I must to protect you, even from yourself."

"Bull. That's the excuse men invented to act as they please. I must protect the inept female. Guess what, I don't—"

Oliver crooked an eyebrow. She shut up instantly. When had she become so submissive? Their position was starting to affect a different part of their bodies. Her cheeks warmed as she fought to stay still under him and focused on Oliver's mout—words.

"You're anything but inept. You're brave, kind, and so incredibly stubborn you would give a mule a run for its money. Use that brilliant mind of yours Sidekick. Why do you think you couldn't heal Carter? What if next time it's AC or Bart or even Clark that needs your healing and you cannot help because you're exhausted?"

Her eyes widened in shock and fury. How dare he use their friends to make her cave? Chloe managed to swing her head to the side. Oliver gently used one finger to turn her face back to him. "What if it's me?"

A tiny smirk fought its way to curl at the corner of her mouth. "I'll let you writhe in pain for the count.

Oliver smirked back. "Duly noted. Chloe…" His handsome face sobered up once more. Her eyes itched when Oliver used his free hand to place hers on the small of his back. Her own mark started to pulse too. "Our bond is still here. Zatanna might have adjusted it a little but that's all. I will never ask her to try and remove it. And even if that happens in the future for one reason or the other, it won't change how I feel about you. How I will always feel about you."

Oh.

In Lois' favorite rom-coms, this would be the moment the violins would start playing. The idea popped out of nowhere, as amusing as it was upsetting. People argued. Then they made up, or they broke up. Being in love hurt. She knew that. She was too much of a pragmatic to believe relationships were only roses and rainbows.

"Sidekick? Aren't you going to say something?"

When had her life taken such a melodramatic turn?

"I…"

Oliver misinterpreted her hesitation. She noticed the moment his eyes clouded, as he struggled to mask his emotions. He gave her a faint smile then stretched to kiss her forehead before he pushed away once more, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I… To the guest room."

"Ollie… Stay."

He swallowed hard but only switched off the lamp then laid on his back on the other side of the bed, a solid foot from her. The air stilled in the room, barely shaken by their uneven breathing.

She wanted to reach for him but her hand stopped millimeters from his arm, as if she was scared of the contact. Oliver took the choice from her and meshed their fingers together in the empty space between them. Yesterday, he would have brought their joined hands to his heart.

Tears wet her lashes again. Melodramatic AND emotional. Good job, Chloe.

She wiped her wet cheeks with her free hand angrily. Oliver gave her arm a little tug, and suddenly she was huddled into his side again.

"I really hate when you cry…Even worse when it's my fault. Makes me feel like a giant heel."

She gurgled out a watery chuckle.

"It's not your fault… Well it is but… I'm sorry too."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. This one is on me." He squeezed her hand once. "It's late… Let's try to get some sleep and… talk some more in the morning?"

"Okay."

Chloe closed her eyes. She was at a loss of what to do, of what to feel. She felt empty. And she felt too much. She wanted to pummel Oliver until he hurt as much as he did her, and hide in his embrace until the world rightened itself. Love made absolutely no sense.

A low buzz insisted it was morning. Or so it seemed. Chloe groaned in displeasure when Oliver's movement allowed the cold air to slip inside her warm cocoon. She burrowed farther into the folds for warmth and recapture the softness of her dream.

"…Okay… Okay that's great, thanks."

A caress, a light kiss in her hair… Chloe stretched like a cat caught between the loving touches and her own indulgence. "Chloe…"

"Mmmmm…"

"Chloe, it was the hospital." She startled awake for good, heart pounding. "Carter's awake."

An hour later, she was ready to go, while Oliver dragged his feet.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you? I can—"

His silk tie flapped over his sleeve as he tied the knot with jerky movements and effectively swept away the rest of his sentence as he considered her attire. The plum color of her wrap dress highlighted the soft glow she'd gained in Turkey. Considering Oliver's otherwise sour mood, she decided the admirative glance was a stamp of approval and returned to the conversation at hand. "It's fine, Ollie, I know my way around MetGen, you know?"

"Don't remind me," Oliver grouched. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

His mood seemed to lift a bit as he returned her soft smile. Then he made his way out of the walk-in to forage in a drawer for cufflinks. Chloe finally caught on what he was doing and giggled in his back.

Oliver glanced at her over his shoulder. "What?"

"You're stalling. And pouting."

"I don't pout."

"Oh yes you are…"

Chloe pitapatted barefoot to beam at him from up close, still laughing.

Oliver pursed his lips. "I don't pout. My girlfriend is trying to get rid of me to see a man who calls her "my sweet". I am concerned."

Chloe only laughed harder. "I'm going to the hospital visit a man my mother flirted with Oliver."

"Maybe his kind appeals to the women in your family. Lois fawned all over him after she was convinced he was telling the truth."

"My cousin's taste in men leaves a lot to be desired."

Her petite hands looped around his neck to arrange his shirt collar. With their difference in height, her lithe body pressed into his stronger one and the feeling was wonderful. Oliver slipped his arms around her to keep her with a lopsided grin she'd longed to see since they'd gotten up.

"Her loss is your gain, though…"

"Arrogant, Arrow."

He swooped in for a kiss she happily returned. At what point during the night she had forgotten how hurt she felt, she didn't know. Her hormones were always all over the place right before her time, and…

Chloe froze. Sensing her sudden unease, Oliver pressed a kiss on the top of her blonde head. "I have to go."

The sudden movement gave her an additional jolt. The disagreeable smell of the detergent his drycleaner service used for his suits prickled her nose. The nausea increased, as if she'd swallowed something vile with a taste equivalent to the smell. "Tell Big Bird not to harass the nurses?"

Chloe hooted out a strangled something. Her throat burned up. "Sidekick?"

She slammed the door of the bathroom behind her.