Author Note: Have had very few reviews on the last couple of chapters. I would really appreciate some constructive criticism. I would like to know what I'm doing wrong, or what I could do to make my writing better.

A big thank you to aleishapotter for being my beta on this chapter, and to selene2 for my fab banner.

Chloe felt nothing apart from warmth and comfort as she awoke the following morning. It took her a few seconds to realise that it was Oliver pressed against her back, his arms protectively surrounding her, keeping her close.

Turning her head to look over her shoulder, she was met with the sleepy smile of Oliver Queen.

"Morning."

Moving forward he kissed her softly on the lips. "Good morning to you too."

Smiling, she turned in his arms to rest her head on his chest. "A girl could get used to this."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable. I was thinking of heading down to the kitchen to grab you some coffee."

"As nice as that sounds, I am perfectly happy with you here." She nuzzled into his body, pressing light kisses against his warm skin.

"I'm trying to keep things PG13 here Chloe, and if I have to watch you walk around in those shorts I think I might start acting like a horny teenager."

"They're just shorts."

"No, they are practically underwear."

Chloe pulled her head up from its comfortable position to look at him.

"Now you're exaggerating."

She felt his hands slide down her back until they glided over her ass, massaging the exposed flesh there.

"So, you're telling me that that isn't your skin I can feel there? Because I swear that I'm touching your ass."

Leaning forward she began to lay soft kisses along his jaw. She could already feel his growing interest pressing into her, and realised that his restraint really could be as weak as he claimed.

"Maybe you should make sure. I'd hate for you to be wrong," she teased, before sucking on his lower lip.

Ollie released a sound similar to a groan from his throat, sending a wave of excitement through her.

He kissed her deeply before his arms gripped her tightly and pulled her onto her stomach. He edged out from beneath her and put a hand on her lower back, keeping her where he was.

"You want me to be thorough about this, right?" he whispered into her ear.

"Absolutely." Her voice was breathy with anticipation, hoping that she would finally be able to enjoy him on solid ground.

She felt his hands, warm and heavy, on her lower back. He massaged the skin there before slowly trailing his fingers down, and over the waistband of her shorts. They continued their path down the soft fabric until he reached the flesh of her ass.

He slipped his fingers under the edge and pushed the fabric up, exposing more of her to his eyes.

"Most definitely your ass," he said before giving it a firm squeeze.

She tried not to squirm under his touch. "You're sure?"

"Oh yeah."

Chloe felt more of her backside being exposed as Oliver played. She was both aroused and amused as he focused so much attention to that particular part of her body. These shorts really must have driven him crazy.

She turned her head and saw that he was still fully focused on the job at hand. "Uh, not to sound ungrateful for the appreciation, but I'm starting to feel a little neglected and forgotten up here."

"I can fix that." His voice was lower, and just the way he spoke the words sounded predatory.

Grasping her hip he turned her quickly onto her back. Too quickly.

"Owowow!" The pain had shot straight through her leg, and she clutched at it instinctively.

His lust filled eyes seemed to clear with the sounds of her pain. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I forgot."

"I'm okay, really. We'll just have to take things a bit easier until I can handle more."

She sat up and pulled him towards her. She kissed him lightly on the lips, but was surprised to find that he didn't respond.

"Ollie? What's the matter?"

"We shouldn't be doing this, you're not ready."

She dropped her hand from his face and looked him squarely in the eye. "Please, tell me that you are kidding, because you are not the only one that's ready to snap from tension here."

"I don't want to hurt you again. I'm being selfish trying to take things further until you are healed."

She couldn't believe that he was doing this now. She wanted to lay back and scream into her pillows; maybe even throw a few at his over protective head.

"So, we'll get creative."

"Chloe…"

He was going to argue his point and then refuse to listen anyway. If she didn't act now, he would think his way out of an erection and leave her alone and very horny.

Acting quickly, she swiftly pulled off her top, revealing her breasts to him. His eyes quickly focused on her hardening nipples, giving her the added distraction she needed.

"I swear Ollie, if you don't make love to me right now, I'm going to sit here and finish the job myself."

"You know, part of me would really like to see that."

That voice was back, and she could feel herself getting wetter.

"You won't hurt me, Ollie. We both want this."

Reaching forward she cupped his hard length through his underwear, and she was satisfied when she felt him push further into her hand on instinct.

"You're sure?" he asked. His eyes were closed, and she could tell that he was holding on to that last piece of restraint for all he was worth.

"Very."

His eyes opened and he removed her hand before quickly easing her back onto the bed.

He quickly shed his underwear as Chloe took the opportunity to remove a condom from her bedside table.

She barely had the packet open before he was pulling her shorts off and throwing them carelessly to the floor. Leaning forward, he kissed her deeply.

While she enjoyed the sensation of his lips moving against hers, she was distracted by the feel of his cock brushing against her. She needed him inside of her already. The past few days had been foreplay enough.

"Ollie, please."

He must have understood what she needed because he took the condom from her hand and sat back on his knees.

"Lay on your side, Chloe." he instructed as he grabbed a pillow after putting on the condom.

She didn't need to be told twice as she rolled onto her good side. This was something she had never tried before. Jimmy had had a routine three positions he liked to stick to, and that was it. Already, Oliver was improving her sex life.

She felt him gently ease her injured leg forward, helping it to bend slightly before supporting it with the pillow. It was comfortable; she just hoped that they could work this position. She had never come without some kind of clitoral stimulation before.

Oliver lay down behind her, kissing her shoulder as his fingers sought her wet arousal from behind.

A moan escaped her lips as she felt his fingers enter her, and her hips rocked backwards, trying to bring them in further.

He spread the wetness along her sensitive flesh as he withdrew them. She was going to complain, but his hand was swiftly replaced by the tip of his cock.

He eased into her tight channel slowly and she bit her lip to stop herself from cursing loudly. This position left her feeling nicely full, and she loved that his hand could roam her body freely.

"God, Chloe, you feel so good."

She reached her arm behind her and cupped his face as he pressed kisses along her neck. "You too."

She rolled her hips backwards, meeting his first thrust; both of them groaned at the pleasant sensations. His cock was able to hit that delicious spot inside her that Jimmy had always failed to find, and she wanted more.

Between them, they found a comfortable rhythm. The only sound in the room was their increased breathing and the sound of flesh on flesh.

Chloe's mind was clouded over with the pleasure she was feeling. Oliver was everything she hoped for, not only in a man, but in a lover, too. He was attentive and thorough, making sure to explore her body as much as he could while thrusting firmly into her from behind.

Oliver's hand moved from the breast it was currently squeezing to between her legs. His talented fingers quickly found what they were searching for, and Chloe could no longer keep quiet. Her approaching orgasm had been given an added boost by the extra stimulation.

"Faster, please!"

"Are you gonna…"

"Yes! Just-"

She wasn't sure she could have answered even if she had wanted to. Oliver picked up the pace as he continued to work at her clit. It wasn't going to take much more. Her pussy was wildly fluttering with every stroke of his cock.

"Ollie! Yes!" Three more thrusts and she came so loudly she was sure the whole house would hear. Her internal muscles clenched viciously around him, drawing him into his own orgasm shortly after.

"That was…wow," he mumbled against her skin.

"Oh yeah." All handle on the English language was temporarily lost. She had just experienced the best sex of her life with a man she loved.

Life was great.

Chloe woke to the feel of the late afternoon sun warming her skin. Judging by the height of the sun it was obvious that she and Oliver had spent most of the day enjoying each other before succumbing to sleep.

The warm arm draped over her and the soft snoring from behind her made her smile. It was nice, and if it wasn't for the sticky feeling between her thighs and the rumbling in her stomach, she could have easily lay there until he awoke.

Carefully lifting his arm she slipped from the sheets, happy that he clung to her pillow instead. She made her way quickly and quietly towards the bathroom and turned on the shower.

She was glad he hadn't woken. He needed his sleep; the last few days had taken their toll on him, too.

After a short shower, she quickly dressed into her jeans and a shirt, before quietly leaving the room. Oliver was still completely out of it, and she felt guilty over being the main cause behind it. Chloe knew that not all of the exhaustion was from sex. There had been a heaviness surrounding him lately, but at least last night she had seen some of it lift.

She carefully manoeuvred herself downstairs, grateful that her knee seemed to be feeling a lot better than the day before, and headed towards the kitchen.

While waiting for her coffee to brew, Chloe happily ate her way through two pastries she presumed had been left over from the breakfast she never came down for. It was a true sign of friendship that Bart hadn't consumed them before running out the door.

With a full stomach and the aroma of fresh coffee surrounding her, she felt something that she hadn't for a long while. She felt happy. Content.

She allowed herself to grin widely as she stirred the sugar into her drink. Oliver was the main cause of her happy glow, but she knew that he was just the cherry on top. Her career was finally flourishing, and never in a million years would she have thought that she would feel so at home with this crazy bunch of guys.

She had everything she wanted.

The home phone ringing snapped her from her happy daydreams. She snatched the phone from its cradle before it could disturb Oliver.

"Queen residence," she answered merrily.

"Hello, could I please speak with a Miss Chloe Sullivan? I've been told I can reach her on this number temporarily."

She frowned at the unfamiliar voice. Only her editor and her mother's hospital had this number.

"This is Chloe."

There was a small, relieved sigh on the other end of the line.

"Miss Sullivan, my name is Doctor Lowo. Your mother is currently under my care."

"My mom? Is everything okay?" Her heart began to beat rapidly. The hospital had never called her at home before.

"I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this, but your mother's condition has deteriorated rapidly in the last two hours. We believe she has had a major stroke."

"But…but she's going to be okay. Right? You're taking her to a stroke unit, or something?" She could feel tears forming and a wave of nausea as she waited for his response. She knew what his words would be, but she still needed to cling to hope.

"I'm afraid her condition is beyond anything we can treat. Miss Sullivan, I am so sorry to tell you this over the phone, but I'm calling to give you the opportunity to be by her side before she passes."

"I'm on my way."

Chloe dropped the phone into its cradle and tried to remember how to breathe.

Her mom was going to die.

That thought had the tears flowing freely, and the ache in her chest intensified.

It shouldn't be happening. Her mom had been doing so well, and life was good again.

She had so much to tell that woman lying in her hospital bed, and now she would never have the opportunity. There would never be a chance for the doctors to find a cure; her mother would never be able to wrap her arms around her and call her a 'little cub reporter'.

As the tears continued to fall she pushed herself from the kitchen stool and towards the front door. She grabbed her purse and Ollie's car keys. Her physical injuries didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.

Doctor Lowo hung up the phone and tried to keep his shaking to a minimum. There was a time when he believed he had nerves of steel, hardened by years of every horror his profession could throw his way. However, thirty years' worth of experience could never ready a man to lie to a woman while an arrow was pointed at his head.

"I love small, private hospitals. So much more quiet. Intimate." Merlyn spoke as he shoved the good doctor to the floor next to the rest of his staff. They were still bound and gagged, whimpering with fear.

Doctor Lowe winced as he was forced to sit directly next to the body of a security guard, the arrow still proudly sticking out from the centre of his chest.

Merlyn dragged one of the nurses to her feet and removed her gag.

"Now, when the lovely Miss Sullivan arrives, you are to lead her directly into her mother's room. Once she is inside, you will lock it," he cut the zip tie from her wrists before forcing her chin upwards, with a painful grip, to look at him. "If you fail, not only will you and your colleagues die, but I will find your family and take their lives one by one. Do you understand?"

The woman nodded slightly. "Yes, I will do it."