Lex was dressed impeccably. Black pinstripe suit, pale lavender shirt and matching silk tie. He led Tess to her office. An elegant and expensive breakfast was waiting for her.

"You found me after that disaster in the Artic and you have been by my side the entire time." He spoke pulling out her chair for her. "A thank you."

She shook her head, "The doctors said you were in chronic vegetative state…."

"I was waiting, biding my time until I would have great power again. I was once a vessel." he spoke drifting to memory. "I don't remember how or even why, just the feel of such intoxicating power. The lamp, will return it to me, my father was weak and if I can get my hands…"

"We…"

"Excuse me?" he asked

"We, if we get our hands on it. I'm the one who's done all the work. I've sacrificed a lot to locate this treasure."

"Ohhh, absolutely I apologize. When we get our hands on it there will be no stopping us." He smiled. She figured it out, his smile, it wasn't reaching his eyes.

"Last night you mentioned something about a beckoning? What is that?"

"How about I let you read about it instead." He spoke handing her a folder. . . . .

--

Oliver was back lounging on the hammock; Chloe went for quick swim to freshen up. He closed his eyes thinking about Chloe. There was a heaviness in his chest, he knew that the Evil was getting stronger and closer. He sighed trying to squash the feeling down. The wind was gentle and thought he heard giggling. He sat up and looked and saw the little girl with the ringlets that he had dreamt of running up the beach. She turned and waived to him then disappeared. He shook his head.

"You okay?" she asked approaching. She was dressed in a blue bikini.

"Yeah…"

"Really? You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Maybe I did." he smiled. He needed to tell her the truth about the evil. "Please sit." He spoke softly. He held her hand in his while he gathered his bravery.

"Uh oh." she teased.

"I didn't want to bring this up because I didn't want to ruin your day. I just feel like I'm running out of time and I need your help."

"Okaaayyyy?

"I just, I don't know where to start?" He stood and sighed. "For the last few years, I have felt the presence of a great evil stalking me. When the lamp got put into the museum I thought I was safe until it passed. Then the fates got involved and I ended up in the bazaar and then with you." He smiled wistfully. "We genies have rules that we abide by. One master, in possession for the duration of wishes and then onto the next; that has been the rule for millennia until some time at the turn of the century. A few turns ago that was changed by a woman scorned. She fell in love with her genie and he didn't feel the same. She made a deal with some one to enslave him. This someone created a curse; it's called the beckoning. We can be called away from our Masters and enslaved with the keepers. They are thick manacles for want of a better term. 4 wishes repeating for eternity." She stood and put a gentle hand on his back.

"So the genie was trapped?" He nodded. "Did he ever escape?"

"He had happened to fall in love while the crazy woman was concocting her plan. His love had found his lamp in a bin going to an orphanage, she was a nurse there. The genie was crazy in love with her. She made a sacrifice, to us, it's the ultimate sacrifice," he looked at her as she removed her hand from his back. Chloe got a mortified look on her face. "No not death, she used her 4th wish to will him back to the fates, it was the only way to set him free. He was released from the manacles and sent onto another Master. He never got to say goodbye, and he never saw his love again. All she had were the keepers and she locked them in a chest and hid them."

Chloe was crying. "So her love really never got to see her again?"

"It was at least a hundred years until he found his way back to that territory. She had died the year of the release from cholera. That was my great to the what ever power grandfather." He turned and wiped her tears away, "As you have haunted my dreams Chloe, so does the Evil that follows me. I am bound to you until your wishes are filled, that's unbreakable. If this evil speaks the beckoning? It will be unimaginable hell for me to be bound to you and forced to do his bidding."

"The evil coming is a Him?"

He nodded. "The evil feels masculine."

"You can sense that?"

"Apparently I can sense a lot of things as of late." He smiled at her. "I knew when you got home from work that something was wrong. I've not had that precognition before." She blushed.

"So lets find this evil and stop him before he can use this beckoning?"

"You would do that for me?" he asked stunned.

"Well, yeah." she spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"And here I thought I was to be granting your wishes. No one has ever put my needs before their own." She wrapped her arms around him. "Everything in my life was so simple until you," He sighed heavily, "I am genie Chloe. At the end of the day, when the lamp is no longer my duty, the magic is still me. No curses to break, no freedom to grant. Could you be happy with that?" he asked, almost afraid of her answer.

"Well, it would be a total hardship, and look at what you would be getting? I have no magic, I live alone, and I'm pretty high maintenance." she sassed.

"You hold more magic than you think." He smirked. She just shook her head and laughed and he kissed her. "So now, lets finish this wish of yours shall we?" He sighed and then got an idea he took her hand in his and led her down the beach…...

--

"So this will trap it?" she asked. Lex nodded

"How do we find the words?" she looked confused.

"That will be the challenge. The language is extinct." He stood and held a hand to her, "Tell me have you ever been to National Library?" She took it and again his touch was far different than she ever imagined. She couldn't help but think of that adage, 'be careful what you wish for.'

--

"Chloe, its Lois and yes this is the 8th time I've called you. You had better have a good reason for not answering your phone. We will be in town tonight so call me, we'll do dinner." The voice mail cut her off.

"Still no answer?"

"Nope and I'm worried Smallville, she doesn't take personal days."

"I did it!!" she cheered as her surfboard made it to shore. He smiled at her victory. They had spent the remainder of the day in the water, snorkeling and surfing. The sun was starting to set. He came up to her and picked her up and spun her around.

"You were fantastic." He smiled, he looked up at the sky and his smile waned.

"Time to go back isn't it?"

"Yes." He studied her face trying to memorize all of her features.

"Oliver….genie,"she kissed him. " I don't want to give you up either. I will do what ever I have too to keep you safe." She spoke.

"How about we take it one day at a time," he smiled. She nodded. He closed his eyes and they were in jeans and t-shirts. He kissed her one more time and then they sifted back to her condo. Laughing, they exitwd her bedroom and come face to face with Lois and Clark. Clark stood in a Superman type stance as Lois glared at the blond she was with.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked. Oliver took a protective stance of his own glaring at the other male in the room.

"If you had answered your phone, you would have known. A personal day Chloe? Really?" she looked at the man with his arms crossed behind her. "And who his he?"

"Lois. back off."

"What? You cut work for a guy?"

"She had better watch her self." Ollie spoke.

"Are you talking to me?" Lois shouted.

Chloe turned trying to calm him down. "Alright, enough everybody," Chloe spoke. She looked to Oliver and put her hand on his chest. "Please, let me talk to them." She spoke as she removed his pendant and handed it to him. "She's my cousin and he's my very overprotective friend." She glared at Clark. "I'll be fine." She whispered. He nodded than turned and went back to her bedroom.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" Lois asked "And again who is he?" she pointed to the bed room door.

"That's Oliver." She spoke going to her kitchen to get a drink.

"And?"

"Look Lois, remember the bottle I found? Well I found the owner, its Oliver's and he's in a little bit of trouble and needs my help."

"What do you know about him, where's he from?" Clark started.

"Will you two just back off already?" she was getting angry. "You act as if I've just fallen onto the planet. Guess what? I'm not dense. I'm not dumb; I know what I'm doing." She yelled.

Lois sighed and looked at Clark. "We're sorry short stuff. It's just that after Jimmy,"

"Yeah he was a total mistake, but I survived, and I wish you two would trust me I know what I'm doing."

"We just don't want to see you getting hurt, that's all." Clark spoke.

"I can't say it won't happen, but you have to let me live my life, please." She spoke.

"Alright…look do you want to go to dinner?" Clark asked.

"No, not really in the mood to hang out with you two." She spoke.

"Alright, we'll go. You'll call if you need anything?"

"Yeah," she spoke. Lois shook her head then she and Clark walked out of the condo.

"You okay?" Oliver asked appearing next to her.

"I just get so angry when they treat me like I'm five."

He pulled her to him. "Look, I need to go and try to talk to my father."

"Oh," she spoke.

"I won't be gone long."

"S'okay," She shrugged her shoulders. "I can get started on the 'Great Evil' thing. You said it started a few years ago?"

"Yeah, three years."

"Who was your Master?" he snapped his fingers and piece of paper appeared in his hand. He handed it to her.

"Lois isn't going to be satisfied with just a first name for you,"

"Well, I really don't have a last name, but if you must have one, then I am the son of a Queen, so Oliver Queen?" he smiled kissed her cheek and disappeared.

"Oh god," she spoke. "I've fallen for a genie Prince."