Chloe pushed the laptop away to stand. She rose on tiptop, sighing in pleasure when her calves' muscles stretched. She rolled her head on her shoulder next and pulled her arms backward until the crick in the side of her neck bordered painful. She'd spent too much time in the past two days stooped over her laptop, poring over the documents Lex had given Oliver and wondering.

She stifled a yawn and grabbed her mug. The coffee in her mug was cold and unpalatable. Dejected, she put it back on the coffee table along with her laptop. The pictures of the certificates Oliver had sent reappeared when she brushed a finger on the mousepad. Dealing with Luthorcorp always left a coppery taste of betrayal in her mouth. Betrayal, and suspicion. So she'd spent hours making sure the certificates were legit, comparing them with other documents of the same area she could find on the internet, or various database. But legit they were. More than. It seemed Lex had handed them the original of the chemical analyses.

The knowledge lodged itself uncomfortably within her. Why the originals? Why all the secrecy? She'd set up a way to exchange information with Lex through his Smallville High School alum spam box long before the mess with Lionel started, so why force Oliver to go to Kansas? Why disguise the exchange as a personal wedding favor? Was his father closing in on them somehow? Was Lex in danger? What if Oliver fell into Lionel's radar as more than a hated competitor, and by extension, her? What if…

What ifs swirled and twirled in her head until she felt dizzy. Last night, she slept with the lights blazing and a knife under her pillow, because her feverish mind saw monsters in the shadows.

Chloe wished Oliver were back and she also dreaded the moment. Her feelings for him confused her. He embodied safety, fondness, and lust in one strong, handsome package. Flirting over the phone, and having him within arm reach were two different things. He had been gone two long weeks. Where were they now? What were they? Friends? Partners of some sort? More than that? She wasn't sure what she wanted them to be, and she was even less sure she knew where he stood.

Chloe returned her attention to the screen. The case was something she had a chance to solve, compared to the infinite mystery of human relationships. The list she'd gotten from Emil and the one from Lex were comparable. Star Lab had identified the two main components as steroids such as testosterone and serotonin, with ferritin and adrenalin to spare. What intrigued her from the start was the fifth component, the one Emil Hamilton had dubbed 2Teta-64, out of its position on the XRD chart. His database had been unable to find a match. A similar spike was visible on the old analysis, the one from Coach Arnold's cocktail. Her problem, though, was that when she overlapped the two, it didn't match. The Kryptonite pic rested stubbornly at fifty-five degrees instead of sixty-four. Same rook shape, same height, same width… eleven degrees apart from the one from Star Lab.

She growled in frustration. "Argh!"

"Not really the welcome I was hoping for…"

Her head jerked up to find Oliver smirking at her from the doorway, casually leaning against the wall. "Oliver!"

Chloe drank him in, all too conscious of the silly smile spreading on her own face. His smile and one day's worth of stubble did little to mask the tired lines under his eyes and the small sag in his shoulders. She patted the place next to her on the couch instead of rushing to him to wrap her arms around him and never let go.

Oliver abandoned his bags next to the elevator to obey her command. Her fingers longed to map his features when he sank on the couch and rested his head in the cushion in his back, eyes closed.

"You're staring…"

She curled her legs under her to scout closer. "Just wondering what you look like with a full beard…"

Oliver raked his knuckles along his jaw. "Not as good as you would think. Plus, it itches. Come here."

Before she could react, he pulled her crossway, with her legs over his thighs and her petite form firmly tucked onto his lap. His free hand settled on the small of her back so she was all but wrapped around his side. Chloe blushed as she was left with no choice but linked both hands behind his neck to stay upright. Her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder. Oliver sighed. "That's more like it…"

He said nothing more for a while, seemingly content to just hold her and relax in the quiet apartment as the afternoon ebbed away. His peace, though, was her torture. Warm air caressed her face every time he exhaled. Each time she breathed, her breasts brushed against the flat plans of his chest as if to remind her how muscular he was. She tried to twist to put some distance between them. The solid palm in her back pressed a little harder. "If you keep squirming, you'll leave me no choice, Sidekick."

"No choice to do what?"

His free hand cupped her jaw, angling her chin just so. Chloe reopened her eyes to find him looking at her. His dark eyes searched her face, smiling. They dipped once toward her mouth and it was enough. Chloe straightened up just in time to touch her lips to his.

Like their first kiss in the garden, that one developed slowly, a gentle nibble here, a delicate pressure there, sweet, unhurried, and all she could think about was "more". Chloe shifted to straddle him, arms wounded tight around his neck while his hand gripped her hip to settle her more firmly against him. The other tangled in her head as he kissed her back, pulled her closer so she was slanted against his chest but it still wasn't enough. He gave softness when she wanted strength, offered warmth when she craved heat… Her fingers dug into his back, urging him on, hooked in his tee-shirt, pleading him to take the lead, to deepen the kiss because she dared not.

"Chloe… Chloe, wait. Stop."

She reeled back in shock. Oliver grasped her by the waist to keep her place when she tried to scramble to her feet. If she'd wondered what they were, friends or more, now she knew. Humiliation seared, but the crack in her heart, the wound opened wide by his refusal, that hurt. She pushed harder on his chest, unable to meet his eyes or to break his hold. "Sorry. Sorry, I—"

"I saw your cousin in Metropolis."

His tone pierced through the pain. "What?"

Chloe allowed herself a quick peek at him, then a second, longer look when she noticed the guilt written all over his face. His smile flashed by so fast and self-depreciating she thought she'd dreamed it. "Loud, brash, long curly chestnut hair, the body of a siren and the mouth of a sailor? Daily Planet reporter?"

"Sounds like Lois."

He nodded once. Chloe tried to ignore the soothing rub of his thumbs on her hips. "She tracked me down at the Ace of Clubs when I was with Lex and Ariane. I should have told you yesterday…" Oliver's grip on her waist hardened. "She doesn't believe you're dead and she's looking for you. She has connected you with me now. She saw the pictures of us at the restaurant… I'm sorry, Chloe, I… I should have told you right away." From her position on his lap, she felt his breath shuddered.

Oliver gave her waist a little tug and she fell forward so her forehead rested against his. Chloe allowed the intimate contact until her heartstrings played a hopeful melody again. "Why are you telling me now, Ollie?" she murmured.

"I… You… I need you to be safe. I'll do anything to keep you safe. I can't lose you, too."

Her heart pitapatted. "Oh, Oliver…"

Chloe stared in the deep chocolate eyes. Whatever troubled him, she wanted it gone. She returned her hands to his chest. "Lois has been looking for years… I'm safe."

She angled her head to the side to kiss his jaw. "Here." Then again, closer to his chin. "With you. I'm not going anywhere."

Oliver's hands ghosted over her until he cupped her face. His heartbeat pulsed against her palm, steady and strong, a little harried. "Chloe, are you sur—"

"Yes."

He didn't hesitate this time. Oliver captured her mouth in another kiss, as languid as the previous ones. Chloe gasped as his fingers traveled south again, skimming over her breasts as he worked on the buttons of her blouse. Their tongues brushed, retreated, touched again. She only noticed she was half-naked when a draft from the opened window cooled her skin. The cold combined with the scorching heat his kisses trailed along her neck made her shiver.

"Ollie…"

"Bedroom. Now."

Chloe wrapped her legs around him as he locked both hands under her thighs and stood. He groaned when she pressed herself closer, her position in his arms giving her the perfect angle to nip at his throat.

She giggled when he all but dropped her on the bed. Then Oliver yanked his tee-shirt over his head, and she didn't want to laugh anymore. Muscles rippled under her stare, gilded by the setting sun bathing his bedroom. He stood before her, her golden prince, all tan skin and fascinating flesh. Hers. Chloe held her arms up in invitation. Oliver lowered himself to the bed, careful not to crush her under his weight and all she could do was surrender when he took her mouth again, hands roaming almost reverently over her.

"You're so beautiful, Chloe…"

"Please…"

Her hips glued to his, tried to hurry him on, to ease the pressure his fingers and mouth created in their wake. Desire and pleasure lured her in. Hers. His. Clothes disappeared as she lost herself to the sensations. She shied from his stare and then offered herself for another kiss, another caress, never enough, already too much. He played her like a virtuoso his instrument, arousing, enchanting, stirring unknown needs inside her, pulling her up, up, toward heights so high she begged for air, for respite, for something to hold on to. The first time hadn't been like that, it'd been about Oliver, and the painful discomfort of losing her virginity. She'd known what was happening then, but now… Now she was scared and curious, afraid she disappointed him, certain of her power over him, alarmed by the abyss opening under her, enraptured by the imminent fall. When he finally slid inside her, more feelings threatened to break her apart, an unbearable, terrifying pressure she cowered from and rushed toward to at the same time.

Chloe dug her nails in his shoulders, eyes widened in fear and passion, seeking comfort in the darkened stare holding her captive, pleading for reassurance, for help, for something to survive the torrent of emotions about to break free inside her…

"Let go. I've got you. I've got you… "

Chloe cried out into his kiss when her world shattered, breathless, unable to resist the maelstrom as he took her up again, brought her over another crest and pulled her under again, and again, until they both lost their minds.