Reviews have been amazing. Simply amazing.
I'm loving how hung up on this story some of you are. I feel so powerful. I could actually kill her if I wanted. I could ruin her life!
Okay, power trip is over.
Clearly some people are reading the entire thing new, and apparently staying up all night to do so. So that's great for you, but remember sleep is important.
Speaking of sleep, the plot should be picking up much faster, so except for the odd filler if I need a passage of time to be shown then things should be all action.
I'm writing ahead as well (for once), so I can tell you Oliver gets A LOT more action ;)
Followers & favourites; it's all crashing into my inbox and it's FANTASTIC to feel as I do when I open my mail :D Huge thanks to everyone who has given me a smile via that.
I'm loving the casual 'I hate you, write more' and 'Loved it' I get dropped by guests too. It's brilliant to hear back.
Anyhoo, I'm addressing some points made in reviews at the bottom, feel free to not read :)
More news; good and bad.
Bad; this chapter is short.
Bad; next chapter is short.
Bad; they wouldn't fit together how I liked it so they had to be separate chapters
Good; next posting should be out before the week is up, and then another long one on Monday/Tuesday. So, smile :)
Previously; Chloe committed some B&E with Arrow and things got steaming on the shop floor ;) But, they were interrupted again. Chloe went to see her dear contact Alfie, regretfully, he gave her information which took her to a red door. Chloe got dragged a little deeper than she wanted into the murky waters of the red door's business. Beaten, questioned, re-beaten and re-questioned our heroine prays for hero Arrow, while dear Oliver sits at a restaurant thinking he's been stood up.
Apologies, but it makes me chuckle slightly that you expected a date from the last chapter and instead I serve you that. If there was an award for being an evil writer... I think I may have won it.
But don't worry the date will come soon, and it will be awesome.
Chapter Sixteen; Healing
'In the darkest hour, the soul is replenished and given strength to continue and endure.'- Lionel Luthor (Season Seven, Episode Lara)
The expected hand didn't come, instead noise exploded all around her, she ducked her head, covering from whatever blast was heading her way. Then there was silence.
Chloe lifted her head, and blinked her eyes to the new sight. The door lay hanging open, only attached by one latch, her would-be rapists had left body shaped craters in the walls, but were no-where to be found.
Arrow? Had he come?!
Chloe remained quiet, and listened to the voices further down the corridor.
"Get the girls, I'll drop these at the police station with the documents." One voice spoke, it was oddly familiar. Somewhere in the back of her mind she thought she'd heard that voice before. But it wasn't Arrow's and her mind slumped back in its corner.
He didn't come.
"Always willing to help the senoritas." Bart?
"Yeah, well perhaps a man, however small and pathetic looking, isn't quite what they want right now." It was a woman's voice. Could it be Canary? Was this Arrow's team? "I'll get the girls, you get the documents and get them back to Cyborg."
Arrow had come after all! She sighed a breath of relief and pushed herself into a sitting position. Even through the pain she didn't want Arrow to see her vulnerable.
"Sure thing." Chloe heard the voices come closer, the female's heels stop sooner and then a wash of relief crashed over her as the other footsteps came closer. But it wasn't Arrow walking past her door.
"Bart!" Chloe called out, and the figure stopped, looking into the room.
"Jesus Christ. Chloe? What the hell you doing in here?!" He crossed the metres distance at super speed and wrapped his arms around her. He must have slipped a blade from his pocket and cut the ties behind her back, because her wrist suddenly felt the flow of blood back again and she threw them around Bart.
Tears of happiness and relief tumbled down her cheeks.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." she whispered, letting him free from the embrace to cut her ankles bindings.
"How the hell did you end up mixed in this?" His thumb stroked down her cheek, wiping the tears.
"Long story." she answered. "Where's Arrow?"
Bart felt the warmth in his stomach turn a few degrees colder. Arrow, huh? He wanted so much to say he wasn't here, to tell her he had better things to do, but the way the tears sparkled in her bright eyes… she needed comfort.
Ollie owed him one. Big style!
"He's at the other address, taking care of the others." It was true they'd had two addresses they thought possible. Vic and AC were at the other one and had just messaged back that it was a dead end. Clark was running in between.
"Oh." The noise fell her from lips still sounding like the disappointment he had hoped to avoid. "Good. That's good." she finally spoke again, and took Bart's offered help to stand.
"You alright? You look barely alive." he noted with concern, seeing the effort and pain she tried to hide when standing.
"No hospitals."
"Yes, well." Both sets of eyes click up to the voice of the female in the doorway. "Impulse, we need Boyscout back, the other girls need a rush to the hospital." Bart nodded, pulling out his phone and throwing it to Dinah.
"My bag." Chloe whispered to Bart as Canary dialled in the corridor. "It has all my ID's and phones." Bart nodded, helping Chloe. She nudged him off after the first few steps, determined to be fine on her own two feet. Bart just chuckled and pointed the way down the hall to where all the documents and girl's possessions were.
Dinah held the phone back out to Bart, breaking his stare at the female stumbling her way down the hall.
"She's not yours anymore." she simply told him. Bart's eyes clicked back to Dinah.
"And he's not yours anymore." he spoke back, admitting for the first time he knew about what had happened between Ollie and Dinah.
"He never was." The bitterness was still evident.
"Doesn't mean we stop caring though." His eyes lifted to find those than Dinah desperately wanted to hide. "Does it?"
Bart followed the direction Chloe had taken to find her sat at the table, her bag's contents before her, but something else had captured her attention.
Chloe raked her eyes over the pieces of paper. How big was this operation? Littered across the table was buying information, regular clients and then the records of all the girls. The names went on forever, and there she was; Pixie. The latest addition. Nothing other than a cover name to identify her. She read the notes to her questions and answers, read the pencilled additions of clients names next to her replies. Already setting to sell her piece by piece. Bart's hand came to her shoulder.
"Don't torture yourself." he advised.
"How long has this been going on?"
"We stumbled across it when looking into-" Into Lex's test labs, he wanted to finish… but he changed his words. "Some research." Chloe either didn't pick up on his pause, or didn't bother to question it, she just kept looking at the page before her.
"Burn these." she finally spoke, turning back to him.
"Chloe, we need them to hand over to the police… and to make sure this is over."
"These you don't." She cast her eyes to the many questionnaires across the table. "The girls deserve some privacy." She shuffled the papers into one pile and handed them to Bart in one swift move.
Chloe's tears were silent but obvious, even to Canary who stood at the edge of the room on-looking the scene. "Unless you think rifling through pages of sexual habits is going to help." Her force of the papers into Bart's hands told him where she stood on her opinion of what he should do.
Chloe sidestepped and went back to her bag checking her ID's and phone's lock hadn't been tampered with. Everything seemed in order. Either they didn't bother with invading this area of privacy or they hadn't got around to it for her yet. Heels and fishnet stocking came into her view as Canary took the papers from Bart, dumped them in a metal trash can and threw in a lit match.
"They never existed." she voiced to the room. Chloe would have found the energy to smile to the other female, but she felt a dark tug of pain wash over her. "Take her someplace safe and I'll collect what files are relevant."
Bart's arms came back around her as she almost slumped from the chair to the floor. Canary rolled her eyes. "Sooner is better." she reminded. Bart narrowed his eyes and took Chloe into his arms, running her from the building.
The air seemed to bring her back to him.
"Stop." she called to him. At first he didn't obey, thinking it was just the motion sickness. "Bart, stop." she cried again and he slowed his pace to stop. "Not the mansion. Oasis Avenue. Penthouse."
"I think the hospital would be a better choice, you look terrible Chlo." His concern was clear.
"Please Bart." And he found himself changing direction. Away from the Luthor mansion, away from the hospital and towards her new home.
After the first cup of coffee, she looked a whole lot better, something Bart just couldn't understand. Chloe had looped the security feed as soon as they'd got into the building from her phone and settled on the couch while she begged Bart to make her coffee.
"How long Chloe?"
Her eyes cast to the clock, 9:27pm. Shit, she'd missed her date with Queen completely. She needed to phone him, apologise… she'd think of a good reason. She should probably text Lex as well, get some drugs to clear up the mess called her body. Bart waved his hand in front of her breaking the daydream.
"Umm, not long. I must have got there around half 6."
"They didn't… did they?" His meaning got across.
"No. No, you got there in time." And she was forever thankful for it.
"Pizza and film night?" he offered, not wanting to leave her alone quite yet.
"Hmmm, you're reading my mind." She smiled. "I've just got a few phone calls and a shower and we can kill the night with a movie marathon... if you're game." His eyes twinkled as he smiled. "Good, now I need to phone Queen and grovel." she grumbled, reaching for her mobile from the table where her bag lay.
"Oliver Queen?" Bart asked, pausing his motions.
"Hmmm. Lex has me dating him. I was meant to meet him at 8 tonight."
Bart's pulse skyrocketed, Ollie didn't know yet, surely she wouldn't be telling him the truth, right?
Bart hovered by the coffee maker while she called.
Chloe hit the call button and tucked her legs underneath her, then snapped them back out as the pain hit her.
"Aspirin." she mouthed to Bart while it rang. He nodded and started his search through the cupboards. Chloe started nibbling at her thumb nail while it rang. If she had lost her chance with Queen, Lex would be mad as hell. On and on it continued. Finally, the voicemail lady offered her the option to leave a message. So much for a phone call. She decided to end the call without leaving a message. He was probably out, or he'd just ignored it… suppose she deserved that.
"Not answering." she explained to Bart. He nodded and brought her two tablets and a glass of water.
"Any request for the pizza?"
"Hmmm." she pondered. "Something so fatty I slip into a food coma and enjoy my death?" Bart grinned and took his leave.
Chloe stood to go to the shower, but paused on her way, retrieving her phone again and sending a text to Lex.
'RL-90, ASAP'
There was a text awaiting her as she came out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her torso and dripping hair.
'What happened?'
She tapped back out a quick reply, hearing her front door click open again, Bart returning no doubt.
'Bad lead.'
She dressed into her comfiest pyjamas, the kind that hugged you and made you feel like you were in a snuggle monster's arms. She wrapped a dressing gown over her, a fluffy thing that wasn't really needed for warmth, but it covered the bruises that were going to darken soon. She stepped out from the bedroom and words tumbled from her lips with ease at the sight.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
There, lined along the counter was the most magnificent display she had ever seen. Three boxes of extra large and- she inhaled,- extra cheesy pizza, her favourite sweets, three different popcorn flavours, and the favourite bagged blend of coffee that she rarely ever could find the energy to travel to buy. Her mouth was salivating at the mere memory of its taste. Bart grinned at her in reply.
"You never need to. I know." he joked and wriggled into his place on the sofa. "We've got a little of everything from every genre, so I will be a gentleman and let you have first pickings."
"Oh Bart, you spoil me."
"Someone's got to." She laughed and grabbed the pizzas on her way to him. She spotted the DVD's lined up around the TV. "Oh baby, the latest Die Hard!" She grinned.
"You only want to watch it because you're crushing on his son."
"Choose whatever reason you like, but I've made up my mind." She lowered herself to the couch.
"Alright alright. Pizza first I presume." Chloe nodded, finding somewhere comfy in her bruised condition. "I've got the Hawaiian because I know what a freak you are. The Margherita for classic taste principles, and, the Meat Medley for the working man."
"Uh-huh. So, which one are you eating?" she laughed out, accepting the Hawaiian with a happy smile.
"So, you don't want that coffee?" he teased back.
"Forgive me?" she pleaded with her eyes. They still had such spirit in them even after a day like today.
"Start the damn movie and I'll bring you the coffee." Chloe smiled. She was lucky to have someone like Bart. Very very lucky.
Dinah sat herself down in Ollie's chair. He hadn't answered her calls, hadn't replied to Bart's texting attempts and she had decided to pay him a visit now.
By the sounds of the running water turning off, he'd just come out of the shower. By the gym equipment he hadn't bothered to pack away yet, she was relatively happy she'd chosen after the shower and not before.
Getting comfy, she toed off the boots and unfastened the knife holsters on her thigh.
"I'm not in the mood Dinah, get out." His voice confirmed his statement. He sounded pissed. And she was going to make his day worse. Knowing just how quickly Arrow had fallen head over heels for this little blonde.
Her positivity regarding them had turned sour. She had no want to soften the blow for him.
"Let me guess, little miss sunshine didn't come to your play date." She stayed sitting, ignoring the fact Oliver had walked out of the room.
"Out." he repeated.
"Alright alright… if you really want that." She picked her boots from the floor and stood. "But… of course, if you wanted to know why… I could stay and tell you." The bait was dropped and the billionaire fish stuck his head out from the kitchen, glaring at the fisher.
"This better be good."
"Then you won't like what I'm about to say." The truth came out with a edge of superiority Oliver couldn't place. "Your plaything stumbled across our location on 42nd street while looking for Arrow. Naturally, the little bird got in over her head. Another few minutes later and she wouldn't have been as 'innocently' seductive as you seem to like." She watched the emotions play over his face, annoyance first as she spoke, then suspicion… and then anger. Blaring fiery red anger.
"Where is she?"
"Safe." Dinah simply answered.
"Where. Is. She?" he repeated, crossing the room.
"Don't you want the full story?" she teased again, slipping from his grasp neatly.
"I'm not in the mood for games Dinah."
What difference a few months could make… what difference a blonde little Luthor minion could make.
What a very quick difference.
He never felt anything close to this for her, and she'd been by his side for almost a year now. She'd been in and out of his bed. She'd seen bad and good, and still this Luthor demon got more than she did. She felt her anger slip from the reins.
"Who are you planning to go as? Queen who got stood up? Or Arrow who was busy saving some other girls from another location?" Ollie sighed, seeing her point and found himself to sit on the arm of the sofa.
"Tell me."
"Clark broke the doors off everything and took the crooks to see the inside of metropolis' cells. She was as bruised as the others, but Bart stopped as he went past. She asked where you were… so as far as she knows you were with machine man and fish boy checking out the other house, saving girls and the like."
Dinah looked up to see Oliver's head in his hands. She let him come back in his own time. It took a few minutes, but he exploded his anger in a single curse.
"Fuck." He lifted his head to her, ashamed of himself. "I can't even keep her safe when she's meant to be with me." Dinah crossed the room to him, offering her hand to his shoulder.
"It's not your fault. You know that, right?"
"The woman needs constant fucking surveillance."
"Between Oliver and Green Arrow you're doing all you can. But the girl is trouble herself."
"Where is she?"
"Dunno. Bart's with her."
"Bart?!" The single name seemed to send his anger firing again.
"He's comforting her and that's it. He knows that. Besides, the first thing she asks for being jolly green can really bring a guy down a few pegs."
"I should see her." Dinah held out her arm, stopping the warrior from donning his armour.
"If you want to do what's best for her, you'll leave her tonight. You'll pretend you know nothing. You'll let her phone Oliver Queen tomorrow and you'll act like you were stood up. You'll keep Arrow inside so you don't go psycho and kill anyone, and you'll stick to the story. The moment she gets a whiff that you were doing anything else and you'll be top of Lex Luthor's cabinet of decapitated trophy heads."
"She wouldn't do that." And he sounded so sure of himself.
"Really?" Dinah's disbelief came shining through. "So the allegiance to Lex is nothing. The trade for her old life back means nothing to her." Dinah stepped closer to Oliver, her eyes lifting to his, her face inches from him. "You know you can't trust her."
Oliver looked down at her, and for the first time since they'd called it off he wanted to be with her again. And he knew why, she made him feel powerful, made him feel like he could do anything. Made him a king atop a castle. She had no ulterior motive, she wasn't after his money, wasn't wanting his business, wasn't seeking to get splashed all over the tabloids… she wasn't looking to sell out his identity.
Dinah blinked her long lashes, stepping closer to Oliver.
He found himself again, a hand on her shoulders and stepping around her.
"We can't." he spoke.
"What's so special about her anyway?!" Dinah stalked after his footsteps. "She wants you to sell out for her own freedom and you're head over heels. I want nothing but some fucking company and you can't even do me the decency you used to hand out to ever other girl that flew into your sight."
"You don't have to like her, but you'll keep your opinion of her to yourself."
"Wake up Ollie, she doesn't want you, she wants to sell your identity. She wants nothing more than to see under that mask!" How could he not see how bad she was for him?!
"You're wrong!"
"You're pathetic. Why are you pining for this chic you barely know? She's dirty, she's broken and she's Lex's."
"So were you!" he snapped. A cold quiet enveloped the room. Guilt slamming into both parties.
"But you never pined for me." Dinah spoke, finding the comeback in the silence. Oliver breathed out his anger again, trying to control the waves of emotion hitting him from all directions tonight. "Fine." Dinah snatched her heels from the floor. "Do whatever you like. Just don't expect my help when you're boxed up in one of Lex's labs because of that little bitch."
"Another one!" Chloe called across the room, pouring herself the sexiest cup of coffee she'd ever made at home.
"No." Bart whined. "No more."
"Yes!" Chloe argued.
"Alright fine. One more." Bart cleared his throat again. "There was an old man from Gosham" Chloe was already grinning from ear to ear. "Who took out his ball to wash 'em. His wife said 'Jack! If you don't put 'em back, I'll stand on the fuckers and squash 'em." Chloe laughed over her coffee.
"I really don't see why you find these so funny." Though her laughter was infectious to him too.
"How can you not love dirty limericks?!" She settled herself down into the sofa again as Bart knelt to change film. "Okay, okay I've got one." Chloe set her coffee on the table after a quick sip. "There once was a fellow O'Doole, who found little red spots on his tool. His doctor; a cynic, said 'Get out of my clinic, and wipe off that lipstick you fool!'" Chloe laughed to herself pleased with the memory. Her eyes pleaded with Bart again.
"Okay, fine. One more and then we watch the film and start on the sweets." Chloe clapped her hands like a happy child. Bart rolled his eyes, wondering how he hadn't discovered her love for these dirty poems before. "A pirate, history relates, was scuffling with some of his mates, when he slipped on a cutlass, which rendered him nutless and practically useless on dates!" Chloe rocked back on the sofa, howling with laughter. Bart could help but smile at her, she was so carefree like this. Even battered and bruised, aching every time she moved, she was beautifully amazing.
Chloe calmed down only to see the movie paused and Bart looking at her curiously.
"What?" She lifted herself up to catch her reflection in the mirror. Nothing wrong there.
"You moved." he stated. Chloe smiled, tagging onto his words as his eyes roamed the penthouse.
"Temporary." she added.
"And?" he prompted. She grinned, knowing what he wanted.
"And you may have been right about Lex getting inside my head. May." she repeated. "The jury is still out." He smirked, and settled back down, the remote in his hand. Chloe took it from him before he could press the button.
"Ah-ah. Since we're having these kinds of talks. What was happening earlier?"
"I already said, we stumbled across and we ended up in time."
"Full story Bart."
He narrowed his eyes and reached for the remote from her. She evaded his normal speed with ease. Clearly he was in a playing mood or he would have just taken it at super speed.
"There's not a lot more to tell. We stumbled across the information, tracked them down in several places in Europe, but we always got there a day too late. Found they were in Metropolis and we decided not to waste any time before they moved on."
"I'm glad you came when you did." And she laid her lips in a quick kiss to his cheek. He grinned and reached for the remote, she tugged it back from him again.
"You really wanna play this game?" he challenged, a sparkle in his eye.
"No super speed and I won't bite."
"Usually I'd be game, but you can barely move Chlo-"
"Scared?" she taunted. "Terrified you're going to suffer another humiliating defeat?"
"You'll get hurt." he warned.
"When has that ever stopped anyone?" She stood, waving the remote between her fingers.
"Chlo, give me the controller." He stood too, on the opposite side of the sofa that she currently stood on.
"Or what?"
"I'll tickle you." he threatened. Her smile dropped, her eyes darkened.
"You wouldn't." she tested, uncertain. "I'm injured."
"Then give me the remote, or I'll be super speed tickle and you'll be a mess."
With a grumble, she threw Bart the remote.
"You're evil." she hissed, but grinned and wriggled back into her comfy spot leaning against him as he restarted the film.
"We'll finish this when you have ribs again." She smiled up at him and pulled open the offered bag of jelly sweets, evading all the blackcurrant flavour ones.
By midnight Oliver was still awake.
By 1o'clock he was considering visiting her.
By 2o'clock he was dressed in his Green Arrow gear and outside her window, but he stopped himself from entering. Bart was crashed, asleep on the sofa, while she laughed to an old fashion comedy film he'd never seen. He could see her bruises, see her pain as she hurt from laughing, but she was happy.
Dinah was wrong, there was nothing wrong with the girl, she was perfect. Oliver felt better having seen her, it was better to have something other than his wild imagination when it came to Dinah's story. He pulled his Arrow phone from his pocket.
'I'm glad you're okay' he text out, as simple as could be. He considered erasing it several times, and writing something else… but this was all he could think to say when he looked at her. He sent her the message and watched her head turn to the vibrating phone. She smiled even from looking at the sender and reached across to open the message.
Within seconds her reply came back.
'I missed you too'
Ollie felt a warmth encompass his body.
Whatever noise came from the film claimed Chloe's attention and woke up Bart. Oliver took a step back, feeling safe leaving her as she was. He turned himself around, and set off home to actually get some sleep now that the nightmares would stop.
Bart finally left around 4am, finally letting her collect her package from the front desk. RL-90 was an updated version of its predecessor and healer, RL-65. Lex had handed his scientists a test tube of the original and had them remove the aggressive side effects. The chemical was still being developed to its best form without any consequences at all.
But RL-90 was the best so far, it's only side-effect was extreme drowsiness.
It practically knocked you out the next minute after you drank it for a dreamless sleep.
Chloe settled herself back into bed, drank the potion down. The effects were quick and she felt herself sleepy before she could lay the bottle back down.
Her head hit the pillow and she was gone, the empty container rolling from her hand and dropping soundlessly to the carpeted floors.
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Next chapter up soon :)
Oki-dokie, so, as amazing as reviews were, I'm straighteneing some things out. Just for my own piece of mind.
I know I'm pedantic about spelling, grammar and americanisms. But it bothers me, so you'll just have to find a way to deal with that if my author notes bugs you :) Also, the idea of a Beta is a very interesting one (thanks for the offer too) but I like to work on my own. It's my process, and so far it's working (with a few minor plot slips which I will ignore, haha) so I'm sticking with it, but thanks for the offer.
Someone mentioned the divide between Oliver and Arrow's personalities and approaches towards dear Chloe. Good point. Very good. But I have an answer (which was totally planned and not just a happy coincidence ;))
Prepare for a little lesson kiddies.
Deindividuation; a psychological term refering to the loss of one's identity. Happens when the person in question takes on a role or group. Increases if the person can hide their facial features behind a mask, sunglasses or costume of some description.
So, basically, in putting on the costume, Oliver can be more arrogant, he can show more emotions he wouldn't usually and plus that to the whole 'he doesn't want Chloe to know' thing. You get the two personas we see in Arrow and Ollie. (As I said; totally planned)
If you have anything else you want answering, or tiny little nitpicks, I'd love to hear them. They aren't bothersome, I quite like it because it shows people are actually reading and taking in what I've written and it makes me smile that you want to ask questions :)
Review if you feel it ;)