Title: Penance 16/?

Author: Smileeface

Fandom: Smallville AU

Pairings: Chloe/Oliver,

Rating: Over all rating R

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville/DC or the characters. I am just playing with them.

Summary: Penance: an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin. I am really not like Chloe's story arc so I've decided to change it a little to suit my own needs. That's what fan fiction is right? LOL

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"Come on guys," Bruce said to the other men as Oliver rushed over to her and grabbed her shoulders trying to calm her and wake her from the night terror that she was experiencing. AC, Bart, and Victor all stood frozen in agony as they watched her thrash in the bed trying to kick away the imaginary assailant. Bart shivered violently as Chloe's scream of "NO! DAVIS, NO PLEASE," escaped her lips. Tears welled in his eyes as he realized just exactly what had happened to her. His stomach clenched tightly as the bile rose up burning the back of his throat. "Let's give them some private time. It looks like there are a lot of unresolved issues here. I think Oliver's got this under control. We'll be in the other room, so if he needs us then we can be here in a flash. Come on guys. I don't think Chloe would want us to see her like this." Bruce said his voice gruff with emotion.

"Yeah, he's right." Victor said softly, mostly he was in shock at seeing Chloe like this. AC still hadn't said a word. He just turned and walked straight out of the room. Bart stood rooted in his spot. For the first time in his life, he did not want to move. He wanted to stand there perfectly still, just in case she needed him. He had failed her. They all had failed her. They were heroes but they couldn't even keep her safe. She was the best of them and they had let her get hurt. Bart felt a hand on his shoulder pulling him from his thoughts.

"Come on, Bart. Let's give Chloe and Oliver some privacy." Victor said as he tried to stare the younger man towards the door.

"What if she needs me…us, Vic? We let her down. We let this happen to her. I can't leave her like this." He said thickly as his throat began to close with the sorrow that he was feeling.

"Ollie's got this, Bart. You've got to let Oliver handle this. He'll take care of her." Victor said softly. "He loves her too, man. Give him a chance."

"I know, it's just…" Bart was at a loss for words, "It's just…Chloe, Vic. Chloe." Bart couldn't hold his tears back any longer and freely they slid down his face.

"I know, man. I know." Victor's voice was thick with the sorrow and the anger he felt for Chloe as he gently guided Bart from the room. Bruce was waiting on the other side of the door waiting to close it behind them. AC had moved to stare out the window; silently he was lost in his own thoughts.

"Dude," AC finally spoke as he turned around once the door was closed and Chloe's anguished cries had been silenced. He was addressing everyone, but mostly looked to Bruce for answers, concern for Chloe etched all over his face, "What do you think really happened to her?" He said already having some idea by witnessing her nightmarish screams and her thrashing, but torn between wanting and not wanting to know for sure what had happened.

"It's obvious that nothing good has happened to her. And when she's ready to talk about it she'll let you know. But in the meantime, all we can do is just be there for her; let her know that we love her and that we support her." Bruce said to them, hoping that he could ease their pain as well as his own a little. He really didn't know what to say.

"OF COURSE WE LOVE HER!!" Bart stood up from his seat on the couch and interrupted Bruce angrily. "And by the screams that I just heard," he pointed towards the now closed door, "saying that 'nothing good happened to her' seems like a HUGE understatement. We all know what that bastard did to her. YOU KNOW!" he pointed at Bruce. "AND YOU KNOW!" he pointed at AC. "AND YOU KNOW!" he pointed at Victor. "AND I KNOW!" he placed his hand on his chest over his broken heart. "I could tell from her cries! Oh my Chloelicious!" He looked mournfully at the door then looked back at the other men in the room, murder ablaze in his eyes, "Killing that bastard will be too good for him! I vote we castrate that son of a bitch and rip him a part limb by limb and put his head on a stake in front of the Luther mansion in Smallville as a warning to never and I mean NEVER mess with our Chloe again." He all but growled the last part. The guys had never seen Bart looking so fierce before. Gone was his youthful enthusiasm in its place was the pure lust of hatred. The other men felt very similar.

Silence descended over the room as the men all got lost within their own thoughts only to be interrupted by the loud buzz of the intercom. Clark was back and was buzzing to be let into the apartment. As the lift doors opened Clark was met with deathly silence. Gone was the boisterous banter. He knew something was wrong.

"Whoa, what's going on guys? Where are Chloe and Oliver? Did he take her to see Dr. Emil?" He asked as he walked into the living room to see them all there but all silent.

"Chloe's here, Clark." Victor said.

"Ahh ok? Are they in his room? How'd the appointment with Emil go?" He asked casually not wanting to give away anything, completely unaware of the scene that they all just witnessed moments before his arrival.

"No, Dude…they never made it to see the Doc. She had another run in with that beastie guy, Clark. Ollie got there just in time to catch her as she fainted. He had Bart bring her back here." AC said to him.

Panic struck Clark's heart. "Is she alright? WHERE IS SHE?" He looked around, using his super hearing he located her heart beat and though it was beating irregularly fast it was calming down.

"WHAT!? NOW YOU CARE?" Bart jumped up and rounded on him standing toe to toe with him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark was offended. "Of course I care, she's my best friend! What's your problem, Bart? Get out of my face!" He looked at the younger man angrily.

"I should kick your ass, Clark. Really I should! This wouldn't have happened if you had just done your job and kept her safe." He poked Clark in the chest, hurting his finger more than Clark's chest but he welcomed the pain.

"Hang on! Tell me what happened before you jump all over me for it. Is Chloe ok? Somebody better tell me, and tell me right now." Clark looked around the room getting angry at the men just standing there letting Bart get all up in his face for something he wasn't sure was even his fault.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" Bart yelled at Clark. "I'll tell you what happened. Our Chloe, my Chloelicious was attacked…AGAIN…TONIGHT! And where were you, huh? Where were you? Ollie had to fight the beast and I had to bring an unconscious Chloe back here! GOD DAMN IT, Clark! He hurt her and you left her alone…AGAIN!"

"He hurt her?" Clark spun towards the door, "Oh God!" He took a step towards the room that Ollie and Chloe were in but all the guys hastened to block his entrance. AC, Victor, and Bart all blocked his path to the room.

"No way, Dude. Ollie's in there with Chloe. They need some time." AC said to Clark.

"But you said she was hurt." He looked at Bart. "I have the right to know if she's ok, especially after what happened last time." Bruce walked up to the distraught man. He had heard enough about Clark to know that if he really wanted to get into that room, nothing but a green rock found only in Smallville would stop him. Bruce placed his hand on Clark's shoulder.

"Clark, I am sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances, but Oliver had things well in hand. Chloe was not seriously injured tonight, just a couple of bumps and bruises. What the guys, I think, are referring to are the injuries that she sustained the first time around. She was raped, was she not, Clark?" Clark numbly shook his head yes. "There was no evidence on her body to suggest that the rape had occurred tonight. So I assume that it happened sometime in the recent past. Am I correct in my assumption?"

"Yes, it happened just recently. How'd you know? She didn't want anyone to know." Clark looked sadly at the guys.

"Her screams, Clark. Her screams from her nightmare." Tears once again welled in Bart's eyes. "My Licious, my beautiful Licious, Clark. He did that to her."

"Ollie's with her, man." Victor said to Clark trying to give Bart a few moments to calm himself again. Bruce held out his hand for Clark to shake it.

"I'm Bruce, Clark. Normally, I'd say it is nice to meet you but under the circumstances I think we can forgo civil pleasantries, don't you?" Clark grabbed Bruce's hand and firmly shook it.

"Thanks for coming. So, you're the one that dresses up like a large bat? How's that working for you?" Clark smirked at Bruce causing Bruce to return the smirk.

"It's working quite well, thanks. So, I think that we all should just get right down to business to get our minds off of the current situation. Chloe has already gotten me up to speed on the Doomsday problem," when the guys were about to protest that they could handle it without calling in reinforcements Bruce cut them off. "By the sounds of it and there was no way that Chloe thought that 'her boys' couldn't handle this on their own, but she also felt that the more people there were to help the better it would work out. She was also going to call Dinah back from her assignment, but I am unsure as to whether she got to call her or not. Now, instead of arguing amongst ourselves, how about we put our heads together and come up with a plan to destroy this thing you all called Doomsday?"

"Well," Clark started, "Chloe and I did come up with a preliminary plan that we wanted to run by you guys and Oliver. That's where I had to go before; I had to go get an essential piece of the puzzle. Because even after all she's suffered at his hands, Chloe still wants to save Davis. She and I have figured out a way to save the man from the beast."

"Are you serious, Dude? How could she want to save him still after all he's done to her?" AC asked Clark what all the other guys were thinking.

"I'm going to tell you guys what I told Oliver this afternoon. She is a true hero. She wants justice NOT revenge. She wants justice for the wrongs that Davis has committed and sometimes justice is not about making the easy decisions. Sometimes it's about finding that last bit of good in someone and saving them from themselves. Chloe taught me that. And that's what she wants. She wants justice."

"You are right, Clark, she is a hero," Bruce said, "and if this is what she wants to do then this is how we should handle it. This tragedy was done to her and no matter how we feel about it or what we want to do about it; the decision is and should ultimately be hers." The guys all nodded in agreement with Bruce. "So, Clark, what's the plan?"

"Well, I sort of think that Chloe and Ollie should be here when we go over this. From what I gather, they've been in there for awhile now. How about I just turn up my hearing and see if they're done and if they're done, I'll knock on the door and ask them to come out? If they're not, we'll wait for them. I really think that that they should be here." The other guys agreed with him. Oliver and Chloe should be there while they were planning this mission. Not to mention, Oliver had footage of the beast that they all needed to see so they could plan accordingly. Clark walked over to the door and though he generally doesn't like to use his super hearing to eavesdrop, he also didn't want to disturb them if they were in the middle of something. What he over heard lightened his heart.

"Ok, so here's the deal Sidekick, you forgive me and I will forgive you. Our penance for our stupidity's completed. What do you say we pick up from where we were before Davis Bloome interrupted our lives?"

Clark could hear Chloe begin to sob and he heard the anxiety in Oliver's voice. "What? What'd I say?"

"You called me Sidekick." Her voice cracked. "I've missed you calling me Sidekick. Deal. I love you, Hero. I swear on all that I am I will never leave your side again."

"I love you too, Sidekick. And I swear on all that I am, that I will never let you leave my side. I can't be the hero I am supposed to be without you by my side." When he couldn't hear their voices any longer Clark softly knocked on the door.

"Chloe? Ollie?" He called through the door, not opening it until they called back to him.

"Yeah, Clark, you can come in." He could hear the smile in Chloe's voice. He could feel the happiness at being reunited with Oliver radiate from her. He didn't want to shatter her happiness but he really wanted to find out if she was ok.

"Well, the guys were just telling me about your run in earlier today and also about your dream. I was concerned, Chlo. Are you ok?" He looked at her earnestly taking note that Oliver still had her wrapped tightly in his arms as if he were never going to let her go. He was glad that they had reconciled and he was glad to see that Oliver was going to stand beside her. His respect for Oliver as a man doubled today.

"I'm ok, Clark," she said as she untangled herself from Oliver. Clark gave her a doubtful look and she just smiled at him. "Really, for the first time in weeks I'm really ok now."

"I'm glad to hear that, Chlo. Ollie, have you heard from Dr. Emil? Weren't you supposed to have an appointment with him?" Clark asked and Oliver grimaced. Clark knew why Oliver was going to see him and he figured that Oliver would have better luck bringing Chloe there than he would.

"Ahh, in all the excitement, Clark, believe it or not, I forgot all about that appointment. Maybe it'll just be better for all involved if he were to just come here."

"Oliver, why do you need to see Emil?" Chloe asked suspiciously, she knew that Emil had figured out what had happened. "Are you hurt? Sick? Are you ok?" Her concern for him was genuine although she was still suspicious of his motives.

"The appointment was not really for me, Sidekick. Emil had some information for me, yes, but it was you that he really wanted to see." He looked over at Clark who stood close to the door as if to say silently, 'thanks a lot.'

"Why would Emil want to see me, Oliver? Did he tell you something that I should know?" Chloe narrowed her eyes.

"Sidekick, Emil called me this afternoon and said that he wanted me to bring you to see him. He wouldn't tell me why, he just said that he wanted to make sure that you were ok and to make sure that you didn't need medical treatment. Of course that got my attention, but he refused to say any more about it, to me. Then Clark showed up and I went to get you at Isis. I had a run in with Beastie man himself, which I have yet to tell you about and show the others the video I took. So, to get back to Emil, what do you say, Sidekick, how about we let Dr. Emil check you out?" He did his best impression of a lost puppy; he knew that this was the look that always got him what he wanted with Chloe.

"No." She said simply and quietly.

"Chloe, please recon…" She interrupted Oliver.

"No, Oliver. No. I am fine. I am not hurt, physically. I do not want him or anyone right now prodding me. So, the answer is no."

"Chloe," Clark began gently but she cut him off with a single look before he could start in on her too.

"No, Clark. I am telling you both NO and to drop it. Oliver call back Dr. Emil and tell him I thank him for his concern but I won't be coming by."

"Chloe," Oliver tried again, "I really think you should get checked out by a doctor."

"Oliver," she huffed the hair out of her eyes as she stood from the bed, frustration definitely in her stance, "I'm fine, please just drop it. Let's just work on our plan and get this over with once and for all. Once Doomsday is taken care of then maybe I'll go see a doctor ok? Right now I really just need to keep my head in the game and I just can't deal with what happened, ok? Please understand and just let it go for now."

"Fine, Chloe, it's your call, but I swear if for one moment I even suspect something is wrong I am dragging you to Emil's office."

"Kicking and screaming, Oliver?" She asked with a smile.

"Yes, even if you are kicking and screaming." He grinned at her. Chloe laughed at the image of him dragging her kicking and screaming into Emil's office in her mind.

"Oh Oliver," she said saucily fully aware of Clark still in the room watching their exchange, "how very caveman of you. Hmmm, that's such a turn on." She laughed at the shocked looks on their faces. "I'm kidding, guys, I'm kidding. What happen to your sense of humor?"

"It's been a long day, Chloe." Clark said to her dead panned.

"A very long day." Oliver chimed in as Chloe laughed her way towards the bathroom.

"Well, I'll meet you guys out in the living room. I have to wash up and take care of some female business in here. Oliver, why don't you show they guys that video and what Doomsday looks like. I really don't need to see it again. I've seen that thing enough in my lifetime." She said as she shut the door to the bathroom. She listened intently through the door as Oliver and Clark exited the bedroom, their male voices carrying quietly through the door until they entered the living room. Once their voices faded away to practically nothing Chloe leaned heavily on the door. The happy façade she just had on her face vanished as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't stop the tears from falling.

They all knew. They all knew what had happened to her. The one thing she never wanted them to know, to see and they did. Another failure on her part. She wanted to keep her shame to herself, but now they all knew. She cupped her hands over her face to muffle the sounds of her sobs and she slid listlessly to the floor where she pulled her knees up to her chin. They all knew.

TBC…

A/N: Constructive Feedback is always welcomed.