Chapter Three
The next day the rest of the League wanted an update on Watchtower. Oliver looked at the guys and pursed his lips. "Guys," he paused, not really knowing what else to say. What had been said was pretty much between Clark and Chloe and Oliver didn't want to get into something that was significantly personal for the both of them. But he needed to make sure that the League understood that Watchtower was being straight and honest with them.
At that moment, Clark burst in to the penthouse in a blur of colors, papers from the desk flying into the air.
Sighing, Oliver went about grabbing up the papers that were on the floor while Bart ran around, pulling the ones that hadn't landed yet, out of the air.
"Has she contacted you yet?"
Oliver looked at Clark. Apparently Clark wasn't as concerned as he was with keeping his and Watchtower's conversation between the three of them. "No, she hasn't. Chances are she won't until she has something for us or she gets some type of answer from you."
"What are you guys talking about?" Victor was looking between the two of them as Bart set the papers he had collected on Oliver's desk.
"Watchtower. She's Chloe, the friend I thought died in that safe house." Clark said, a variety of emotions coloring the words.
Oliver blinked at Clark in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Clark? Didn't Watchtower tell us that it was vitally important for her identity to be kept secret? How dangerous it is for her to be known to be alive?"
Clark looked at Oliver, a slight look of defiance on his face. "Her secret's still safe. None of them are going to tell anyone."
Oliver's mouth opened slightly and he turned towards his desk shaking his head. "That's not the point, Clark and you know it. Watchtower has kept all of your secrets, for over a decade and not even twelve hours later, you're dropping a secret she told you specifically to keep your mouth shut on."
Victor, Bart and AC were slowly putting pieces of the puzzling conversation together, quietly watching their boss and the most powerful man in the world's confrontation.
Oliver walked into Clark's personal space before continuing. "Her secret is hers to tell, not yours. You've never revealed your 'allergy' to any of us; I suppose there's a reason for that, huh?"
Clark had the grace to look away before returning his gaze to Queen, "That's different and how can you be so close mouthed about her when she hasn't been completely truthful with you."
Oliver stepped back, his body tense, completely taken aback by Clark's attitude and remarks. "Are you really this stupid, Clark? This childish? She does something without your knowledge, asks you to understand and accept her life and judgment on what she's done and you act like a kid. This is her life, it's her decision. She told you everything last night."
Clark stepped forward, right into Oliver's space, "You have no idea what you're talking about, Oliver. Chloe's not the same person she was before her disappearance. She's in danger and she doesn't care. She walked away from her friends when she should have stayed."
Oliver took a step back from his friend. Clark's self-righteous attitude of the entire situation was really making him angry. "You know, some of us sacrifice being with the people we really care about so that we can go make a difference. Watchtower's done that, in a pretty huge way. You, you worked out on a farm, for years, and now you're a reporter, still sitting on your hands while a world of trouble spins outside your door!
"You don't have any right to judge her. No one does."
Clark looked at his friend. "Clearly you and I differ on the subject. Chloe may be the smartest person I know but she attracts trouble like a magnet. Now that she's surfaced, she's going to need protection.
Oliver shook his head, his eyes widening slightly and he huffed out a breath. "Weren't you listening last night at all? Or were you just ignoring everything she said, knowing that you, in all your infinite Kansas farm boy wisdom, must be right?"
Clark's expression grew hard while Oliver continued, "She's been Watchtower for a handful of years now, she's trained for self-defense. Hell, she's been patrolling Star City while I've been here in Metropolis! She's not defenseless, Clark. Didn't you see any of the weapons she was carrying when you x-rayed her?"
At Clark's expression, Oliver put on a mask of surprise, his voice sarcastic, "Oh, I'm sorry, that was a secret wasn't it. Don't worry, they," he motioned to the three other League members in the room who were looking at Clark in wonder and disbelief, "won't tell anyone."
Clark's face darkened and he stepped towards Oliver angrily, "Look Oliver, you don't have any idea what you're talking about or dealing with. Chloe is a master at getting herself in to trouble. I'm not going to let her continue to flaunt her nose at staying out of Lex or Lionel's way because one day, she's going to end up getting hurt."
"You know, Clark… I'm willing to bet that Chloe got into trouble all the time with you around, because of you, not because of who she is. She said last night that she hadn't had any near death experiences since the explosion of the safe house; how many has she had in order for her to think that any near death experience is normal?"
Not expecting an answer, Oliver continued, never taking his eyes off Clark. "Why don't you give her the benefit of the doubt that she knows what she's doing and that she's perfectly capable of doing it and that she doesn't need your mother-hen act."
Clark's jaw clenched and without another word, he supersped out of the penthouse and Metropolis so fast there was a sonic boom that caused everyone outside to look to the sky.
Oliver fell into the couch, resting the back of his head on the cushion and stared at the ceiling for a moment.
"Wow, boss."
AC and Victor were speechless and let Bart's comment stand for them.
"Yeah." Oliver let out a huge sigh wondering what was going to happen next.
An hour after Clark fled the penthouse, Oliver decided to contact Watchtower. She had every right to know what Clark had done and said. He only hoped she wouldn't shut them out because, obviously, Clark wasn't going to let the situation go.
He requested a video conference with her so that she could speak with Aquaman, Impulse and Cyborg as well and she, reluctantly, agreed.
The others hadn't seen her except for the few minutes of footage that Green Arrow's glasses had captured during his and Watchtower's first meeting and he'd deliberately cut the feed and turned his communicator off during their second meeting.
Of course, as soon as her image appeared on the flatscreen, Impulse's jaw dropped and he started with the flirting. "Oh, wow. Chloelicious, Mama Mia."
"Impulse!" Green Arrow chastised the youngest League member, hoping that Watchtower wouldn't be too offended. To his surprise, she smiled and shook her head.
During the communication, Arrow couldn't help but hope that Watchtower would take her shades off again so he could see her eyes but it didn't happen. She took the news better than he expected, at least outwardly, and told him that she would be in touch whenever she had something for them but asked them not to contact her unless it was important.
Watchtower didn't want to take the chance that any of their communications would be intercepted and wanted to put into place some extra safeguards and precautions and implement some other protocols in case her secret fell into the wrong hands or she was compromised in some way. She was also adamant that they refer to her, in any way, as 'Watchtower,' that way there was less of a chance of something getting out.
Oliver could tell that Chloe was upset about the entire situation and with Clark's attitude but that she wasn't going to let it stop her. To her, the search for truth was as much an obsession as justice was to him. He really hoped they could get to know each other better some day.
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Late 2009 -- Metropolis
Lex had often visited various floors of his newspaper, especially that of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and had always stopped at their desks whenever he was there. Knowing that Lois Lane was the cousin of Chloe Sullivan, he kept an eye on her, not wanting to be surprised by anything the reporter might come into possession of. He also made a habit of keeping tabs on Clark, just like he always had.
So he was quite puzzled when, after all these years, Clark decided to have a picture of Chloe on his desk. Lois had always had one but Clark had never shown any indication of wanting anything really personal in his space, not even one of his father and mother.
Lex didn't like to be puzzled. He believed that knowledge was power and that puzzles, any kind, needed to be solved. So the next time he saw Clark, he asked about the picture of Chloe. Clark never did lie well. Telling him that he just started missing her for some reason was something that Lex just didn't buy. However, he let Clark think he'd accepted the falsehood and continued on his way.
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Early 2010 – Metropolis
Over the next few weeks, Oliver tried to come up with ways of communicating with Chloe that would not jeopardize her safety or compromise who she was in any of her personas. Needless to say, it was difficult because Watchtower was quite adamant about keeping herself beneath the radar; she wasn't exactly paranoid, but Queen could certainly understand her reluctance to do anything excessive that would bring her to the attention of the Luthors.
There was another large benefit that Oliver had to attend, taking place at LuthorCorp, at the end of the current week and he couldn't help wondering if Watchtower would be there in her 'daytime persona.' He knew Senator Kent would be there and she had told him that she had invited Clark to come with her. Oliver suspected that, since the Luthors were supposed to be there as well, that Clark would find Chloe and try and 'protect' her from them and Oliver was anxious to find out who she was.
.
An hour into the evening, Lex observed the blonde billionaire of Queen Industries talking with a very uncomfortable looking Clark. Lex smirked. His former best friend looked as out of place as his father, Lionel, would probably look on the Kent farm back in Smallville, despite his attire. Then he noticed that they were actually standing and talking with a very non-discrepant brown haired woman. While Queen seemed quite taken with her, Clark seemed upset with the situation. Puzzled, Lex made his way over to the threesome.
"Oliver," Lex announced himself, "glad you could make it."
Queen raised his head from the conversation he was having with the woman while Clark moved closer to her. Lex furrowed his brow momentarily.
"Lex, always a pleasure." Oliver nodded towards him, both knowing they'd rather not have any association with the other.
"Aren't you going to introduce me to the lady who seems to have snagged your attention?" Lex looked pointedly at the woman in question.
Oliver chuckled and put a hand to the woman's back, "Lex Luthor, this is Caly Scott, freelance reporter. Caly, this is Lex Luthor."
Caly looked to Lex, giving him a small smile and shook the hand that he offered her. Lex, taking a moment, raised the hand to his lips and kissed it, looking into the woman's brown eyes.
Scott ducked her head slightly, a light blush staining her cheeks, before taking back her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Luthor."
"Lex, please." He watched her nod her head slightly but noticed that Clark seemed quite tense.
"Clark, you seem pretty tense tonight. Anything wrong?" He watched his former best friend flick his eyes to Caly before answering, a somewhat tense grin on his face. The young man shook his head, "No, Lex, just… you know how I feel about attending these things."
"Then why bother coming?" Lex looked between Caly and Clark, noticing Caly's easy stance and how Clark seemed to be holding himself ready to move at a moment's notice, almost as if he were a bodyguard of some sort.
Oliver noticed Lex's observation of Clark and his curiosity regarding Clark's behavior towards Chloe, err, Caly. Before he could think of creating a distraction to sidetrack Lex's curiosity, Caly excused herself from the group, stating that she wished to pay her respects to a few of the other guests, as well as get more source material for the article she was putting together for the event.
The three men watched her leave, all sporting different expressions and concealing a variety of thoughts and emotions.
.
Another hour passed when Lex came upon Oliver Queen once again in the company of Caly Scott. Honestly, what was the man's interest in the woman? Puzzled once again, he began making his way towards them when he was intercepted by two of his investors who wanted to talk shop.
Oliver, having caught sight of Lex making his way towards them, was extremely relieved to find him caught by the people he was now talking with. Chloe, having followed his look, turned back to Oliver, "I think it's time I called it a night. He's taking far too much interest in me for my liking."
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Throughout the evening, Oliver had been watching Chloe, in the persona of the freelance reporter that had interviewed him a few times over the years as well as covered many of the charities he'd been involved with, with mixed emotions. He had remembered their 2007 introduction that she'd spoken of during the second meeting of Watchtower and Green Arrow, just after finding Clark hovering near her a few minutes before Lex found them the first time.
Oliver couldn't help thinking that something about her had interested him even then because of how he had responded to her. With everything he knew about her now, she intrigued him so much more and on so many levels; Queen found himself wanting to spend a lot more time with her but was at a loss as to how to do so without bringing suspicion to her doorstep.
As he watched Lex making for them a second time before being sidetracked, he thought that perhaps he'd already done so.
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Given Lex's curiosity and the attention he and Clark had already brought to Caly Scott, Oliver knew that it wouldn't be a good idea for him to accompany her to the hotel. However, Oliver wanted to discuss something with her that was best done in private and in person. Thinking that they could say they had been discussing one of his charity projects, Oliver escorted her to the coat room where they retrieved their outerwear and then out to the curb to meet his limo.
"I'd like to discuss something with you, if you don't mind, Chloe." She looked at him questioningly but nodded for him to continue as their driver made his way through traffic in the long vehicle. Oliver wasn't sure how to say what he wanted to without the possibility of offending the very independent and fierce spirited woman sitting beside him.
Chloe must have sensed his uneasiness because she placed one of her hands over his and leaned a little closer to him, "What's on your mind, Oliver? You aren't the type of person to hesitate usually." She had slid her shoes off and had her feet curled up beside her on the seat and looked as comfortable as if she were on a couch at home.
Enjoying the warmth of her hand on his and the heat of her body, he continued, deciding to just bite the bullet, "While I appreciate the help you're giving us, I feel that you aren't getting enough in return. You spend a lot of your own resources to keep track of everything, like coming to Metropolis for tonight's benefit, but I know that your finances limit you significantly in your self-appointed duties as Watchtower, which, if I may say, are staggering."
Chloe thought she saw where Oliver was going with his thought process and started to interrupt him but he gently, yet firmly, ran right over her.
"Chloe, I want to contribute to the needs Watchtower has, in all areas. I want to set up some type of fund that you can draw on for all those expenses. Think of it as me being selfish; the less time, energy and running around that you have to spend on concerning yourself with bringing in an income, the more time and energy and running around you can do as Watchtower, which, really, benefits much more than the League."
She ducked her head and pulled away from him slightly. Oliver missed the warmth of her hand and the heat of her body immediately but didn't move or take offense at her withdrawal. Chloe was obviously very self-sufficient and had been taking care of herself for years. She'd pulled herself back from nothing after the explosion of the safe house and had spent years juggling her life in order to get to where she was now. What Oliver was asking her to do was probably akin to accepting some type of charity in her way of thinking and, while not opposed to asking for help when she needed it, she did, he knew, have her pride.
Yes, there was no shame in asking for help when one needed it, however, this would be different. She'd already proven that she could do what needed to be done, but accepting his offer would allow her to back off of working so hard to actually meet the day-to-day expenses of living. It would give her a chance to actually be Watchtower without having to worry about going out as Caly Scott to bring in the income that was needed to juggle the expenses that Watchtower incurred while searching for the truth and helping the Justice League and Batman, not to mention whatever she handed over to the police or other authorities.
Would Chloe allow someone, allow him, to help her, after all these years of doing everything herself?
By this time, they had reached their destination and the limo was at the curb, the driver waiting for Oliver's signal of their conversation to be finished.
Chloe uncurled her feet from off the seat and put her shoes on before looking at Oliver again. He could tell by her eyes that she wasn't ready to make a decision on his proposal yet and he gave her an understanding smile. Flicking his eyes in the driver's direction, the driver nodded his head and got out of the limo to make his way around to the curbside door.
Wishing she would allow him to walk her to her room, he stayed in his seat when the door was opened. Before she moved to climb out of the car, he clasped one of her hands, raising it to his lips and kissed her fingers. Chloe blushed as deeply now as she did when he'd done it two years ago; much more deeply, and for an entirely different reason, he believed, than she had when Lex had done the same thing.
"You're still my Watchtower, Chloe, no matter what you decide."
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"You're still my Watchtower, Chloe, no matter what you decide."
The phrase kept repeating in her head throughout the night and into the next morning. Oliver was a force to be reckoned with, in whatever form he was; businessman; Green Arrow; leader of the Justice League and, of course, a very charming, intelligent, physically fit, gorgeous, charismatic male.
Chloe had been attracted to Queen from the moment she first saw him and each time spent with him gave her more reason to stay away. Chloe's life was complicated and dangerous enough without having to add the blonde playboy and green leather clad hero to the mix. Being completely honest with herself, no matter how she truly felt about him, there was just too much at stake to become involved with him.
Chloe had sacrificed a lot to become who she was today. While she had a small circle of friends, they had no idea who she really was; the persona of Caly Scott, not to mention Watchtower, was completely unknown to them. Living such a life, it was incredibly difficult to have any type of close or intimate relationship. Given her experience with Clark and now, knowing Bruce and the guys of the Justice League, she understood how solitary the lives they had chosen, or that had chosen them, made them.
That didn't mean she spent all of her time thinking about being alone; on the contrary, it only happened once in a while. She'd been in love with Clark for years, had watched him pine after Lana all that time, and she knew how Bruce dealt with being alone, in both his personas. Throughout the years, she had come to realize that, if she did get into a relationship with someone, it would take a very special person – someone who could handle all the secrets she kept and the job she did.
Usually these moods only lasted a few minutes, sometimes an hour or two, where she found herself putting in a chick flick and reaching for a tub of her favorite ice cream. Her life was simply too hectic and busy for her to actually contemplate them for long. However, Oliver's phrase kept repeating in her head, following her into sleep and continuing into the next day.
Oliver had convinced her to have lunch with him today before he drove her to the airport to return home. Knowing this and herself, she needed to do something to preoccupy her mind drastically or she'd be in a very bitchy mood when he arrived. Oliver didn't deserve the brunt of her frustration with how life worked, so she dressed in her workout clothes and headed to the gym across the street from her hotel. A couple of hours of intense physical activity would do her some good and get that damn phrase out of her head.
She hoped.
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"You're still my Watchtower, Chloe, no matter what you decide."
God, Oliver, could you have been any more pathetically sappy? He chastised himself for his mouth running away from him in that last moment with Chloe, hours ago, in his limo, for the umpteenth time that night. Oliver's mind refused to let him forget what he'd said to her and here he was, out on patrol as Green Arrow, in the very early morning hours, and he couldn't get his mind to forget the phrase he'd uttered.
Giving up for the night, he headed home, hoping a shower and a few hours of sleep would get his mind off the woman he'd become more and more obsessed with over the last several months. Caly… Watchtower… Chloe… Whatever persona she was, it didn't matter. She had begun haunting his thoughts much more frequently of late and it was becoming harder and harder to focus on anything other than the remarkable blonde with the amazing green eyes.
Waking to his alarm the next morning, his sheets wet with the evidence of his passionate dreams for the umpteenth night in a row, he threw them aside in a rare physical outburst of frustration, Oliver sat up in bed, throwing his legs over the side, and rubbing his face hard with both hands.
This had to stop.
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Oliver had arrived much earlier than planned, his mind completely focused on the problem of his preoccupation and obvious infatuation with Watchtower. Noting the time, he groaned to himself. Thinking for a moment, he realized that it would look really odd for him to have his driver take him elsewhere and come back and he didn't relish simply waiting in the car.
Sighing to himself once again, he got out of the limo and made his way up to Chloe's room. Knowing he was early, he didn't think about it when he knocked a second time. But he began to grow concerned when, after several minutes had passed, Chloe didn't answer the door.
Looking around, he bent down to the doorknob, his lock pick tool already in hand. A moment later, the lock clicked and he turned the knob, quickly entering the room and closing the door. The reason for Chloe's not answering the door became obvious as soon as he was in the room, as he heard water running. Unable to restrain himself, Oliver found his way to the bathroom, looking into the room and towards the shower. Not wishing for Chloe to think of him as a peeping Tom, he was about to turn to go back into the main room when he stopped at the sound that emanated from behind the semi-transparent, gauzy type curtain.
He had enough experience to recognize a woman's burgeoning gasp of desire and it coming from Chloe stopped him dead in his tracks. Oliver could see the outline of her body through the curtain and he realized that he had been correct about her having long hair. Queen could just make out the blonde length stuck to her body as one of her hands moved about her breasts, the other much lower on her body.
Knowing he was witnessing something intensely private and personal, he tried to pull himself away but it was like he was frozen in place and had no control over his body. As Chloe's hands moved about herself, her breathing becoming more pronounced and faster, Oliver blushed as he felt his own body responding to the unintended stimulation.
A vibration emanating from his pants pocket seemed to break the spell that froze him in place. But as he pulled the cell phone from his pocket and moved to exit the bathroom, he could hear Chloe reach her climax, a stuttered breath and a gasped cry; his eyes flew wide open and he dropped his cell phone on the carpet of the bedroom floor as the name she'd cried reached his ears.
"Oliver!"
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Oliver hurriedly exited the hotel room and made his way back to his limo. A multitude of emotions and thoughts were racing through his mind and he knew that he wasn't in any shape to see Chloe at the moment. Sitting in his limo, he went over the scene he'd just been privy to.
Obviously the attraction wasn't just one sided. But how to deal with it.
He'd never been so infatuated with a woman before, but now, on top of his CEO duties and responsibilities of Queen Industries, he was also Green Arrow. Oliver's life was busy and hectic, not his own, and it was full of secrets, danger and was completely unpredictable.
After becoming Green Arrow, and especially after meeting Bruce Wayne, Oliver had come to the conclusion that the life he led would never allow him the 'luxury' of being in a committed relationship with anyone.
He snorted at himself, Oliver's closest friends were in the Justice League; he didn't have to hide from them and how could you be in an intimate, committed relationship with anyone if you were hiding a part of yourself, a huge part, from them?
Yes, Oliver was a man and had lived the playboy persona, just as Bruce Wayne did. However, while the need for the release of sexual tension was something he found very enjoyable, it was only momentary and Queen found the casual relationships he used to alleviate it to be extremely unrewarding
But Chloe knew him, all sides of him he realized. Closing his eyes, Oliver rested his head against the back of the seat for a few moments before raising his arm to look at his watch. He had to decide if he was going to face Chloe as he'd planned before the events of this morning or if he was going to be a coward and plead other business.
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Her body trembling, her knees weak, Chloe slid down the wall of the shower to sit on the floor of the tub, head tilted backward, eyes closed against the spray that poured down her body. Two hours spent at the gym hadn't lessened her mind's preoccupation with Oliver, so she'd gone for a run with thoughts of coming back and getting ready to meet him for their planned lunch.
But the run hadn't done anything for her either; in fact, Chloe's mind and body had begun to fantasize about what it might be like to have Oliver's complete focus on her and she'd found herself completely hot and incredibly bothered by the time she'd returned to her room to shower. Having experienced unresolved sexual tension several times over the years, she knew the only way to get rid of the feeling was to masturbate. Chloe had read something somewhere years ago that suggested if you thought you were in love, to go masturbate and if it felt less after, then it wasn't real.
She'd done that, a lot, when she was in high school, because of Clark.
Chloe had used the same process a couple of times since but, unlike this time, the feelings had gone away.
Apparently she was head over heels in love with Oliver Queen, AKA another hero, a billionaire and the leader of the Justice League.
Chloe groaned, putting her face in her hands and continued to let the water from the shower rain down on her.
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Just as Oliver was about to step out of the limo to head back to Chloe's room, his cell phone went off once more. Checking the caller ID, he found it to be one of his business assistants. His brow furrowed as the assistant told him of the contract dispute that was currently taking place in one of their conference rooms; the situation seemed to have reached a stand-still and both parties were refusing to go any further unless Mr. Queen came to personally resolve the situation.
Sighing, not even knowing, himself, if it was in relief or frustration, he ended the call. Telling his driver to take them to the airport, he called his pilot and requested the jet be placed in queue for flying back to Star City and then called Chloe.
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Chloe sighed with relief after getting off her phone with Oliver. A moment later, she sighed again, this time in frustration. On one hand, she would have more time to figure out what was going on with her mind and her heart without having to worry about seeing Oliver today at least. On the other, she was very well aware of her feeling upset over not seeing him once more before leaving Metropolis.
However, Chloe also knew that, until she came to some type of resolution and could get her mind back on track, this infatuation with Oliver Queen would be whirling around and ambushing her thoughts significantly and, she was willing to bet, at the most inappropriate times.
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A few days after the benefit they'd attended, Chloe had agreed to accept Oliver's proposal of letting him fund a portion of Watchtower's activities. Since Clark was still unable to come to terms with Chloe's resurrection, the easiest way to get the funds to Watchtower without leaving a paper trail, would be for Oliver to have Bart, AC or Victor drop off an envelope of cash to be used at Chloe's discretion, a couple of times a month. Even though Bart flirted insatiably with her, Watchtower actually preferred to have him be the one to drop in on her because, with his speed, he wouldn't be seen visiting her.
This was how Oliver confirmed to himself, once more, that Chloe was actually based in Star City and was patrolling for him whenever he wasn't there. Once he knew this, Queen made a note to himself that any face-to-face meetings they needed to have with Watchtower, other than those of a dire nature, would have them going to her. It was much easier, as well as less suspicious, for him to return home to Star City with his private jet, then having someone from Star City, with no real ties or business in Metropolis, to come to him.
.
Several days later saw them both, once again, at a benefit, this time in Star City. There was no Lex Luthor or Clark Kent. There was no real tension about having to be anyone else but Oliver Queen and Chloe Sullivan, in disguise as Caly Scott, of course.
Oliver had come stag, almost positive that Chloe would be making an appearance. This would allow him to dance with his Watchtower without raising too much curiosity or suspicion. In order to dance with Chloe, Queen made sure to favor none of the women in attendance, dancing with them just as often as he did with her, not giving anyone any reason to take any pictures of he and Caly together. And, at the end of the evening, he made sure that Caly was seen leaving in a cab by herself and that he was seen getting into his limo and going home, alone, about a half an hour later.
Once home, he dismissed his driver for the night, changed into some very causal clothes and grabbed the keys to his Dente Mag Q. Several minutes later, he parked the expensive sports car a couple of blocks away in a large parking garage and began walking towards Chloe's apartment.
He'd been trying to think of anything other than seeing her again since he'd been called away on business and had been able to resist the pull of those thoughts, until he saw her tonight.
Oliver had wanted to spend the entire night dancing with her; he'd wanted to whisper into her ear about all manner of things, hear her laugh, see her incredible smile, feel the heat of her body as they danced far more intimately than they could safely have done at the benefit tonight.
The ringing of his cell phone brought him out of his musings. Stopping on the sidewalk just outside Chloe's building to check the caller ID and finding it to be Victor, he brought the phone to his ear somewhat reluctantly, knowing that he wasn't going to see Chloe tonight.
Looking up to the top floor of the three level building, he closed his eyes, his suspicions confirmed. Victor had come up with some information tonight that put another 33.1 mission on the docket. He needed to meet up with the guys and get plans together.
Opening his eyes, he could have sworn that he caught a glimpse of Chloe looking down at him from the roof top but in the blink of any eye, there wasn't anyone there. Sighing, he turned on his heel and quickly walked back to the parking garage.
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Chloe often found herself on the roof top of the building she now called home. You couldn't see as many stars here as you could back in Smallville due to the city lights, but the night sky still offered her something to be inspired by. Coming up here usually cleared her head. Some people thought best when they were in the shower or driving along the highway or, like Clark, in a barn loft. But Chloe had gotten used to thinking under the stars.
Dancing with Oliver tonight had been … it had been absolutely wonderful, an incredibly wonderful few moments that she was sure would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Lost in the memory, she had been standing, looking out at the stars, seeing nothing but what was playing through her mind, when she heard someone's cell phone go off. Out of habit, she looked around and then over the side of the building, almost doing the classic double take when she saw Oliver stopped on the sidewalk. Ducking down as he started to look up, she took the time to observe him after he closed his eyes. He looked resigned and she wondered what the call was about.
Suddenly he opened his eyes and she ducked out of sight once again. Peering over the roof top ledge, she saw him walking quickly back to the parking garage a couple of blocks away. Several moments later, she saw a vehicle leave.
She frowned, puzzled. What had Oliver been doing here? Not to see her, surely; they had just had time to chat at the benefit and neither of them had had any information to exchange. Her mind, of course, gave her another reason that he might have come by, one her body was in complete agreement with. Letting out a huff of a breath she mentally told that part of her mind and her body to shut up.
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The information that Victor had disseminated, correlating it with what Watchtower had already provided them with, gave them a 33.1 lab that was relatively obscure. Based on the data available, whoever ran comm would have to be on location due to the lab's location as being in an area that couldn't provide them with full satellite imagery. Oliver would have to make a choice due to Clark's stand on the issue of Chloe. Either there would be Watchtower on location or there would be Boy Scout on the team.
Green Arrow, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get both on the team, knew that the wisest decision would be having Watchtower with them. The need for the information she could provide for them in real time would be better, overall, than having the abilities Clark would bring to the mission.
Still, he wished Clark would get over his attitude with Watchtower.
.
The mission had, thus far, been a success and Watchtower was now leading 'her boys' out of the labs. They had planted the detonators strategically throughout the building, Cyborg was able to download everything from the mainframe and the personnel who were on-site were fleeing the building.
That's when things went south.
Arrow and Cyborg had cleared the building and Impulse was on stand-by near the communications van with Aquaman just yards away from his exit point.
"Aquaman, you have two heat signatures in the corridor moving quickly to your location from behind you."
AC was in the midst of acknowledging Watchtower's comment when there was gunfire coming over the comm. Impulse ran towards the building in preparation for backup; Arrow and Cyborg, already on their way around the large structure, stopped when the gunfire sounded.
Aquaman's yelp of pain let them all know that he'd been hit. Impulse sped inside as sounds of a struggle and more gunfire continued. Knocking the two assailants to the floor, Bart appeared at Aquaman's side.
"I've got you Dude, let's get outta here before it blows." Impulse's voice came over the comm, straining with the effort of assisting the larger man. At the door, they were met by Arrow and Cyborg and all of them did their best to help their wounded friend make it to some type of safe distance as the building began to explode.
As debris that had been shot into the air began to rain down on them, they made it to the communications van and Watchtower met them at the doors with their first-aid kit. Seeing the amount of blood flowing down AC's chest, she knew it wasn't going to be as simple as that.
"Sit him down." Oliver and Victor sat their comrade down near the back of the van, allowing AC to lean against the vehicle. Watchtower immediately started cutting off the top of his uniform, noting there was an exit wound. "Through and through, we're going to need a doctor for this."
Even as Chloe said it, she knew that AC probably wouldn't last the trip. He was bleeding far too heavily and was already going into shock. Looking towards the still crouching Green Arrow, she saw that he knew it also.
Taking a calming breath, Watchtower plunged ahead. "When we're done here, take me to the penthouse. Everything will be fine."
Oliver took off his eyewear and removed his hood, his expression showing obvious confusion at the seeming non-sequitur. Not wanting to explain, not wanting to even think about what she was doing, Chloe put one hand on each of the wounds in Aquaman's body and concentrated on her own special ability.
She heard the others gasp as the light of her healing power began to bathe AC, herself and their immediate area in bright golden light. Chloe felt her essence going into the wounds, stitching tendon, muscle, veins, tissues and skin together. As AC began to heal and strengthen, she began to weaken and die, taking on his pain and when her light started fading towards the end, Chloe fell into darkness.
.
As AC came to, he instinctively grabbed at the body that fell into him. Blinking, he found himself holding the black clad body of Watchtower and being stared at by his teammates. Remembering the last few minutes, he looked to his chest where Oliver's hand was already wiping the blood away to find no wound.
Oliver grabbed one of Watchtower's hands, only to find her skin cold and excessively pale, even for her; searching for a heartbeat, he found none.
His shock was mirrored by his companions.
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