She felt the moment he broke free of the darkness and returned to being Oliver. The feel of his hand changed in temperature and texture, his palm warmer when it rubbed against her skin. His fingers brushed over her small of her back rather than bruising her hip. His mouth on her caressed rather than assaulted, the kiss turning from urgent to languid. What did it say about her that she had enjoyed the ravishing as much as she enjoyed the delicate touch now? He was always so careful with her, treating her like some kind of porcelain doll on the verge of breaking. Chloe willed her face not to redden. Slow seduction was amazing, but Oliver manhandling her like the archetypal alpha-male of a sleazy romance novel was hot.
The reason behind his sudden change in behavior was more concerning. He had only held onto the syringe this time and only for a few minutes. But there was no mistaking it. He'd acted exactly the same way that weekend after he'd been injected with the mix. It'd been more intense, more predatory at the time, but he gave off the same allure of danger and lust. Chloe shivered under the light touch guiding her toward the living room. She wondered vaguely if she was feeling lightheaded because she was under the influence too, or if it was just Oliver's scent and touch turning her to goo. Hal hadn't been affected, but maybe he was protected by his Lantern Ring. The drug had to be laced with Red-K, or green, she didn't know which but—
"Oh, I am such an idiot!"
"Beg your pardon?"
"That's why the profiles were the same, but not on the same position. The crystal structure is different. It is Kryptonite, but not the same kind…"
She gripped his arm tightly. "Chloe?"
"Huh guys… You might want to see this…"
The emergency in Hal's voice pierced through the fog in her head. Chloe ignored Oliver's concern look and literally dragged him to the other room on wobbly legs.
Hal was standing before the large flat screen, opened on CNN. Oliver tugged her closer into his side immediately. The familiar square building was lit like a torch, its top engulfed in so smoke it was impossible to see the rooftop. The off-voice chilled her to the bone.
"As you can see, the fire department is still at work. The fire has been raging for a solid four hours now, and won't back down. We're expecting a press conference from the MPD any minute now, but it seems that two major explosion occurred shortly after midnight. Unfortunately, we had some reports that there were some journalists still working in the building. but—"
Chloe jerked away from Oliver.
"Wow… Sidekick, calm down… Chloe listen to me."
His hand was too hot around hers, her lungs burning from the inside out. She tried to wipe her hands on the flaps of the shirt, but the movement made her stumble. Blood started to pound against her temples.
"Chloe… Chloe sweetheart breathe… Shut the damned TV, Hal, Godamnit! Breathe for me Sidekick…"
"Shit, it's gonna crash… Oh! What the fuck was that!"
The ball on the top of the planet was so bright, a brilliant sphere of rose gold. It keeled vaguely forward, or maybe it was her falling? She could hear talking, Oliver, Hal, but the words were mumbled, drown in the buzzing in her ears. Her head was so light, so heavy… No air, no air, can't hold on, please, make it stop… The bees won't stop. It hurts. Where's the phone? No, the laptop, the laptop is secure. Watchtower can call. Need to call. Lois. Make sure. Lois.
"Lois? Lois… Are you…"
Tears welled and poured down her cheeks, too hot, too wet. The scream caught in her throat made it hard to speak. Impossible to breathe. Her hands trembled. She couldn't hold the laptop. Talk to Lois. Listen to Lois' shout for Clark. "Lois… Lois… Lois…"
Then, it came, unbidden, the call she thought she'd never made again. "CLARK!"
A whoosh of air made her shiver. Cold. The scent of hay and dog and cows. Not Oliver. Familiar. Alien. Arms of steel banding around her. Bruising. Cold. Not Oliver. The night so dark. So many stars. You can't see the stars in the city. Too dark. Too fast. Can't breathe. Darkness fell.
"Chloe!"
Oliver stood frozen into place. The beautiful blonde was gone, torn from his arms by a shadow. She'd staggered as they watched the ball on the top of the Daily Planet hurtled toward the ground until it rose again to slump back into place. He'd taken his gaze away for a second, half of it really. She was starting to hyperventilate. How could he be so careless? He should have…
"Oliver, did you see—"
Oliver pounced on the laptop that lay askew on the floor. The call had been cut off but it took him less than a minute to track it down.
"Take me to Smallville. That's where she is."
"Oliver…"
He used the satellite dedicated to Watchtower to zoom on a pretty yellow house, surrounded by corn field and dirt roads.
"Now Hal!"
Chloe held onto her cousin for dear life. Lois hugged her back just as fiercely. "I knew it… I never stopped searching for you lil cuz… I just knew…"
The blonde sucked in a shuddering breath. Her heart still beat too fast, hurting her ribs. Her stomach jumped up and down. But she had found Lois. Clark had brought her to Lois. She lifted her head just enough to see her childhood friend hovering with a concerned look on his face. "I'm fine, Clark… I'm fine now."
"I heard…"
"I know. I was just so scared… We saw… The planet… Where's Oliver?"
"Oliver Queen?" Lois asked.
Oliver had been right here when her panic attack had started. She'd never told him… He had to be worried sick or mad as Hell…
"Lois, phone…"
"That won't be necessary."
Oliver's voice. Calm. Smooth as that old scotch he loved to drink. Oliver crouched near them. With his height, their eyes were nearly on the same level. His eyes, dark and warm. The world tilted back into place, finally. Her heart relented to a more reasonable pace, reassured by his forced smile, and Lois' arms around her.
"You're okay, Sidekick?"
She nodded from her cousin's shoulder, not ready yet to let go just yet. Oliver lifted one hand as if to collect an errant tear on her cheek, but dropped it without pulling her away from Lois, as if he sensed she needed her still. Lois eased her embrace just enough to allow her a good look at them both.
"Chloe, if Lionel…"
"Me alive, Lionel Luthor won't put one foot on Kent land. She's safe here. I'll protect her."
"Like you protected her four years ago?"
Oliver stood to his full height between the women and the dark-haired man. His 6 ft 3 gave him a couple of inches on Clark. The dark-hair man glared. Oliver smirked in response. Chloe whimpered.
Lois squeezed her hand then shifted to glower at both posturing men. Oliver was closer so she slapped him on the arm first. "You, can it."
Then she shot daggers at Clark. "You, drop the attitude. Golden Boy over here cares about her, that's all I need to know. For now."
A chuckled answered her lashing. "Are you sure she's not related to Tess?"
Lois glared at the third man in the room. "My name is Lois Lane, and I am Chloe's surrogate sister. Spandex will offer very little protection if I decide to hurt you, Greenie. So shut it and explain how you got here so fast."
Chloe hiccupped. A new wave of nausea hit her. She slapped one hand over her mouth and dashed to the bathroom.
When she finished, her throat was raw from the drive heaves and irritating bile. Lois gently brushed her hair back. "Feeling better?"
"Yes…" She took the offered wet cloth to wash her face. "Thank you."
"Remind me of that time we hit the General's liquor cabinet."
"You did. I couldn't stand the taste."
"Whatever. Do you want to shower? I can send your arm candy in to help."
"Lois!"
"You're wearing his shirt, lil cuz."
"And you're wearing Clark's football jersey. So what?"
Lois's Cheshire cat grin turned Chloe's face bright pink. "That's what I thought. I'll find you some clothes."
"I…" Chloe couldn't muster the courage to speak. The brunette stood then helped her up for a quick hug. "I know you have to get back. It pains me to admit it, but despite the Blur's best efforts, Smallville and Metropolis are still the rats' playground. The Green Arrow will look after you."
Chloe's chuckle faded into shock. Lois shrugged then started foraging the cabinet for a bath towel. "What? I'm engaged to Clark Kent, and your man showed with the Green Lantern in tow. Did you think I wouldn't add two and two and end up with Oliver Queen?"
"Lo…"
"Just saying. You're not going anywhere until you've had breakfast. When was the last time you ate anything? You're too thin. What are they feeding you in California?"
Chloe closed her eyes and sighed while Lois started to rant about veggie burgers, low caloric beers and crazy joggers. "Lois?"
"Hum?"
"I missed you."
