Author's Comment: I had someone mention that dreams aren't necessarily the way certain memories come back to people, and I thought I'd go ahead and say that of course I am no expert on amnesia, and I know the chapter was a bit of a stretch, but from what I understand, usually the senses help memories return, which is why I had the whole ordeal about it being cold in her room reminding her of how she nearly froze in the arctic. (Personally, I've had dreams about plunging into an icy lake or snow-skiing purely because my bedroom was too cold.)
Anyway, a bit of a stretch, I know, but as always with fiction, thank you for suspending your disbelief.
Also thanks for all of the comments and responses. I have had a load of positive feedback for this story, which was honestly the opposite of what I expected when I decided to write a memory-loss story. Thanks everyone!
BlueSuedeShoes
--8--
The next morning Oliver followed Chloe's lead and pretended nothing had happened the night before save the return of her memory. He walked into the kitchen to find that she was already awake. She was pouring over the newspapers Bart had dropped off the other day, flipping through them again and again, and--he noted with interest--constantly returning to the police sketch of the Green Arrow.
"Anything else come back to you?" he asked casually, trying not to betray his desperation.
She shook her head, not looking up from the paper. "Is Clark the Blur?"
"Yep."
Now she looked up. "Really?"
Oliver nodded, pulling out a box of cereal. "Can I get you anything?"
"No thanks. When did he become the Blur?"
"A couple of years ago."
"Wow." She turned back to the paper. Then, after a moment, she seemed to steel herself. "What do you know about the Green Arrow?" Chloe suspected that perhaps her knowledge of Clark's identity was the reason the Green Arrow claimed she knew him. She must have met him through Clark. And if Oliver knew about Clark, then there was a solid chance he knew the second hero as well. She planned on putting the same question to Clark later when he called.
"Why do you ask? Did you remember something about him?" he asked, feeling like a bit of an idiot. It was bizarre to pretend to Chloe that he wasn't the Green Arrow.
"No, I just...I'm curious. I had a strange feeling I'm supposed to know him." She carefully skirted around the fact that she'd had a run in with the mysterious man the night before.
Oliver looked sharply at her, annoyed by her lack of honesty. "Oh?"
She shrugged it off. "Yeah. But oh well. It's probably because I apparently wrote an article or two on him. Whatever."
Oliver smirked bitterly to himself. She was good. Anyone other than him would have bought that line easily.
Chloe looked up at Oliver thoughtfully now. "Question."
"What's that?"
"Why and how do you know about Clark?"
Oliver hadn't been prepared for that one, although he should have been. He bought himself some time by shoving a bite of cereal into his mouth. After he swallowed he answered carefully. "Well, the kid doesn't exactly wear a mask. Anyway, he and I have helped each other out of a tight spot here and there."
Chloe chewed on her tongue, her eyes seeming to search Oliver's. He could tell she was trying to draw more information out of him, to determine whether there was anymore information.
"So Clark and Lois get back in two days, and you have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. You're pretty much free today. What do you want to do?" he asked, pulling the subject away from dangerous waters.
"What are you going to do?"
He shrugged. "I don't have any meetings today, just a function this evening."
"Oh." She felt guilty for secretly hoping he'd be gone like the day before. She was almost afraid to be alone with him.
"So..." he encouraged her.
"Umm...I don't know. What do I do for fun?"
He looked up, surprised by the question. "Erm...."
Chloe was reminded of what Dinah had said the other day about being anti-social. "Am I really that much of a recluse?" she asked wearily.
Oliver looked sympathetically at her but didn't answer.
"What happened? Everyone keeps telling me I've been through a lot. What was so devastating? And don't tell me you can't tell me!" she cut him off, seeing the words already forming on his lips.
Oliver closed his mouth and looked down. With a frustrated sound, Chloe stood up and left the table.
"Where are you going?" he called after her.
"I'm getting out of my pajamas and putting on some clothes, Oliver. And then I'm going to call Lois and ask her what movies I saw in the last couple of years that I liked. And then I'm going to order them on your TV."
Oliver chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, Chloe," he muttered. Then he sobered. How would Chloe react if she remembered Brainiac and Davis and Jimmy and everything else that had happened in the last couple of years? He didn't think he could bear to see the pain in her eyes again. It was what he had run away from once, drowning himself in booze and hiding from her more than anyone. Would she be able to forgive him a second time for the role he had played in bringing her tragedy about? It had astonished him the first time alone.
Maybe Clark has a point, he thought bitterly. Maybe Chloe's better off not remembering all that...not remembering me.
He stood from the table, clearing away his cereal bowl and Chloe's plate. He glanced at it and realized she'd found the leftover blueberry pancakes in his freezer and reheated them. A small smile graced his features.
Chloe did stay in and watch movies all morning. Oliver, in the meantime, was researching Checkmate and some of the JL's new intel on that organization. His head was starting to hurt as he reviewed file after file, trying to figure out what these people were really after. What did they want with heroes? Why had they kidnapped Chloe?
Chloe. This was her job, not his. She was the one who always put the puzzle pieces together. Victor might suffice as a temporary Watchtower the next time they went on a mission, but the truth was they needed her back.
He glanced over to where she was sitting on his couch. He wondered how it would be if she never regained all of her memory. She would undoubtedly figure out the Green Arrow all over again. She'd done it once before, hadn't she? He'd seen the look on her face over breakfast. She was determined to solve that riddle. He suspected she might even be on to the fact that Oliver was somehow involved. He wouldn't be sorry when she did figure it out. It would be nice to restore that part of their relationship at least. And maybe then he could convince her to take up her old job. Would the computer skills come back to her without her memory? It was debatable but doubtful. She could relearn, though. Victor could help her. Perhaps they could have Watchtower back without her having to re-experience the pain of Doomsday all over again.
He shook his head. That wasn't fair. Hadn't he been the one telling her he wanted her to regain every memory, no matter how dark? She'd been grateful to him for that, upset by the fact that Clark wanted the opposite.
The realization that he was starting to think like Clark bothered him, and he pushed away from the table, recognizing that he was not going to make any more progress with Checkmate. At least not for the moment.
He glanced at Chloe again. "I'm going out for a minute," he told her. "Are you all right? Do you need anything?"
Chloe pulled her eyes away from the TV screen. "No, I'm fine."
Oliver grabbed his black leather jacket and left the apartment, Chloe's eyes following him as he did so, wondering where he was going.
Chloe sighed when the door to the lift shut, and she slumped into the couch. This was...weird. Everything around her was weird. She was so glad she remembered Clark and his double life. So many puzzle pieces had fallen into place once she regained her memories of high school, yet so many mysteries remained, most of them centering on Oliver.
She got up to see what he had been working on on his computer, her heart thudding slightly like it always did when she was sticking her nose in other people's business.
Most of the files were encrypted, though, and she didn't think she had time to break the codes before Oliver got back. She wasn't even sure she could. She had some moderate hacking skills, but this looked way too advanced for her. All she could gather was that most of the files had to do with something called Checkmate.
Suddenly Chloe had a vision of an older man, dying before her, his final word, "Check."
But as quickly as it had come, she lost it again, as though it had been water slipping through her fingers, and she couldn't remember it any more.
She shook her head. What was Checkmate and why was Oliver so intently researching it? She thought perhaps it was business related, but when she fetched her own computer to google them, it came up virtually fruitless.
"Checkmate..." she rolled the word around in her mouth, struggling with its disconcerting familiarity. Finally, though, when nothing came to her, she gave up. Closing her computer, she realized she heard the lift moving, meaning that Oliver was returning. She fled the room and landed back on the couch, as though she had never moved. She wanted to rewind the movie, but didn't want to risk him noticing.
Well done, she scolded herself irritably. She hadn't learned a thing.
Oliver entered the room with two coffees in his hand and the first thing he noticed was that his laptop was open again. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement as he brought his eyes over to Chloe. For a moment he wondered whether or not to call her out on her snooping, how she would react if he did, but he decided against it. The very fact that she was sneaking around--investigating him, essentially--was a promising sign that she was returning to a Chloe he was more familiar with. He wondered whether she'd learned anything useful.
Allowing himself a quiet chuckle he walked over and handed her the coffee he'd brought her.
She looked surprised. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," he said, sitting down beside her. He hadn't taken off his jacket and Chloe involuntarily breathed in the smell of leather again.
"You smell good," she said randomly.
He laughed. "Thanks?"
She laughed, too. "Sorry. I don't know. For some reason I like the smell of leather."
Oliver's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't notice, her eyes glued to the TV screen now. Finally, accepting that that was all she was going to say about it, he turned to the screen as well. "What are you watching?"
"The Warrior Angel movie that Lois says they filmed part of on the Kent farm. It's really not too bad. Very summer blockbuster-y, but good." She sipped her coffee. "Lois said I like superhero movies a lot," she added, an eyebrow lifting slightly. "No doubt a direct result of being friends with Clark Kent," she said.
Oliver nodded. "Probably." He hadn't known that about her. He had no idea what kind of movies she liked or disliked.
After a while Chloe spoke up again, her eyes never leaving the movie. "Stop that."
"What?" he asked, grinning.
"Watching me watch the movie. It's unnerving and very annoying."
"Aw," he teased. "Why? It's such fun."
"It's weird. Cut it out."
Smirking, he reluctantly drew his eyes off her and back to the screen. "Fine, fine."
When the movie was over Chloe turned back to him. "What time is the doctor's appointment tomorrow?"
"Not until the afternoon. 12:30, I think."
"Thanks." She stood from the couch and went to throw out her now empty coffee cup. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."
"You're welcome." Oliver watched her and then steeled himself. "How do you feel about going out tonight?"
She looked up, surprised. "What?"
"I have that...function I told you about. Do you want to come? You don't have to," he added quickly. "I can absolutely find someone else," he cursed how stupid that sounded aloud, "but I thought maybe you'd like to get out for the evening."
Chloe eyed him warily. "What kind of function?"
"Nothing major."
She raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.
"Charity Ball," he conceded.
Chloe closed her eyes, thinking. On the one hand, it was a very tempting offer. On the other hand, it was a very bad idea to go on what sounded like a date with Oliver. She bit her lip.
Then again, she asked herself, why is it such a bad idea? I mean, what would it really hurt? Maybe I was wrong about last night. I don't know. It still seems strange that he would think of me like that...but he's asking isn't he? I can't be certain I'll ever regain my memory completely--although last night certainly gives reason to hope--but regardless, maybe I should try actually getting to know him. Everyone insists we're such good friends...
"Why not?" she said aloud. "Although I must say I don't think I saw formal wear among the clothes Clark left for me," she added.
"That's fine. I'll have something brought in for you."
Chloe looked surprised. "No way."
"But you said--"
"I'm not letting you buy me a dress."
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Why not?"
"Because--" she struggled, "because it's inappropriate and...and--"
"You don't have a legitimate reason, do you?"
"No. But I still don't want you to do it. What if I took Dinah over to the Talon so we can find something I already own?" Chloe was surprised by her own genius. It would be a perfect opportunity to scope out the Talon for some clues to her more recent past.
Oliver looked wary. "You'll take Dinah with you?"
"Sure."
He scratched the back of his head. What could he do? It wasn't as though she were his prisoner or something. She was free to go if she wanted. She'll be safe with Canary, he added to himself. "Yeah sure. Why not?"
And that was how Chloe ended up at the Talon, helping Dinah raid her closet.
...or, more accurately, Dinah was raiding Chloe's closet while Chloe inconspicuously explored the changes in the room compared to what she remembered. The lack of photographs surprised her. She'd always liked keeping lots of picture frames around in high school. There were none to be found now. She had the strange inclination that they had been stored away for some unknown reason--as though she hadn't wanted to look at them.
Great, she thought, even I'm keeping secrets from me now.
"What about this one?" Dinah interrupted her thoughts, holding up a bright pink dress.
"Definitely not," Chloe made a face. It was the dress she had worn to homecoming with Clark.
Dinah hung the dress up again. "Yeah, pink isn't really your look, is it? Too Barbie."
Chloe laughed. "What color do you think I should wear?"
Dinah arched a brow at her, eyes dancing. "Definitely green. Let's see if--"
Dinah's words were cut short by someone breaking in the door.
"What the--" Someone grabbed Chloe from behind, and instinct took over as Chloe struggled against her assailant, nearly breaking free before a second person joined the battle.
"Chloe, cover your ears!" Dinah shout and Chloe glanced up in time to see Dinah begin to scream, an unearthly shriek filling the room. Chloe's hands went to her ears instantly, trying to block out the sound. What on earth was going on? Suddenly the noise which had brought two of their attackers to their knees was abruptly cut short when the third man launched himself at Dinah, shooting a strange glue-type liquid over her mouth. Dinah tried to yank the stuff off her face but didn't have a chance as her assailant knocked her over.
The last thing Chloe saw was Dinah grappling with the attacker before Chloe felt a sting on her neck. Within moments everything went black.
Twenty minutes later, Oliver pulled out his cell phone and saw that it read Dinah Lance on the screen. He answered it, but before he could say anything, Dinah spoke frantically.
"Oliver, I lost Chloe."
"YOU WHAT?"