I'm back! Yey. My lovelies, how I've missed you all!

It should be a straight run to the end now, I may add another posting day if I feel like it to speed it up but we'll see later.

Right now there's an evil dam to save Chloe from, so we shall concerntrate on that. xx

Previously; Meteor freaks are being hunted. Heat wave over the city. Bart ran off to find the missing teen. Psychic teen saw Chloe jump from Smallville dam.

Chapter Twenty Seven; Venus Trap

Bart returned back with Amber some time later. She had passed out from the heat. It didn't help ease Hannah's guilt that she had almost killed her best friend. Chloe sat in her locked state of mind while Bart chatted with the girls, taking lists of the addresses of all the meteor infected they knew and promising to give them Michael's address in Gotham and help them to get there. Bart also came with food and filled the starving bellies of two teenage runaways. They couldn't have been more grateful.

Chloe passed on the food, instead choosing to sit outside in the warm breeze as the heat wave started to gradually cool. It would take another day or two before she was back to jackets and scarves but it was no longer skin melting temperatures. Chloe felt the change in the air as Hannah sat beside her.

"Bart's speeding Amber around, she's telling the others we know. Trying to arrange a time to meet on the subway and travel together." Hannah had a cool air about her, it came with the meteor power, but today it was burning hot. Maybe a side effect of the over use from the fight. "We figured it would be safer if we travelled in numbers." she continued. "Bart's very special. Very skilled." Her aura warmed again. Maybe it was something else that warmed her. Maybe that something else was a crush on Bart. "He's sweet as well. Say's he'll come with us, make sure we get there alright." Yep, that was crush talk. "I wish you would come with us. We'll keep you safe. You've done so much for us. We can't let you end that way."

"I won't jump." she swore, thought it was a promise she knew she would break. Amber hadn't seen anything that didn't happen. Maybe there was a loop hole. Maybe Ollie would swoop in and save her after she jumped.

Then again maybe she would take the final plunge herself, a final escape from the shadows. Goosebumps raced up her arm in a frozen fear.

"Please Miss Chloe."

"Bart will be back soon and he'll take you somewhere safe for the night." Chloe spoke, her tone finalising the conversation.

She'd have to keep out of Smallville; that was all. She wouldn't lie and say she wasn't scared. No, it terrified her. But neither would she share this with anyone else. Oliver would go ballistic and insist she be strapped to a chair in Africa for the next few years. Bart would more or less do the same. Dinah would be a little more aggressive toward the situation. Maybe tell her to invest in jet packs or learn to fly then force her to jump then and there. The whole 'face your fears' thing.

But there were a lot of details amiss in predictions. You can see someone with a gun, pointed at a heart and the trigger being pulled. That scene could come true, but what you could miss is the film studio, the blood pack and the victim standing back up, being applauded. You still see them dead, but you miss the entire context. Maybe this would be something like that. Maybe she would jump, or maybe it might not be her at all. Maybe just someone claiming her shape.

"Chlo-a-licious? You still with us?" Chloe blinked, clearing the mist of water from her eyes. Bart was tilting his head at her in wonder. She pulled out her smile for him. Her burden was her own.

"Yeah. Sorry. I zoned out."

"Must have been pretty deep stuff, you were lost. Anyway. I called the team and we figured we can get them all out of Metropolis tonight. Wanna play leader?"

"Sure. Of course." Anything to get her mind off the morbid topic of her possibly bleak future.

Despite her words earlier and the emergency stop he'd performed she wordlessly handed the keys over to Bart, claiming she was tired. She was; she was tired of being targeted. She needed to nip this in the bud. Regardless that there were other possibilities to the scenario, she couldn't just sit back to wait and see. If she did jump, it would be because of the shadow man. Suicidal she was not.

Therefore, eliminate shadow guy, eliminate the future shadow guy had. Eliminate her own future that had been wrapped with his. It was all win-win. She had to stand up now, to push that bar and say right then and there she would not be helpless, she would go out and find this sick bastard and finish him before he finished her. But if she ever wanted to do more than tickle her enemies or run screaming back to Oliver, she needed to find inner violence. She needed to know more than just how to break someone's nose. She needed to know how to kill. At the thought she noticed the absence of gut wrenching fear, it was kill or be killed and she had no current problem with the former.

The problem lied elsewhere; she wasn't the marksman Oliver was, so guns and crossbows were pretty useless, and taking a wild guess she'd say since he could sink into shadows that he could make himself incorporeal if she shot at him. She'd either have to trap him in daylight where he couldn't slink back or, she have to fight him herself, hand to hand and keep him away from dark corners that way.

This was her fight, and her fight alone.

She wouldn't ask Oliver to stand in and take her place. The only thing she needed from Oliver was his knowledge. But to get such a thing, he'd need to agree again. She could always bet with him, but she would have to know, without a doubt, that she would win. If she didn't, surely Oliver would make her lose Brainiac.

An idea hit her: she could use Brainiac to help her win a bet, nobody could beat Brainiac. And Oliver would be sure… oh yes, this was going to work. A grin lit her face as the idea tumbled into a full formation, turning cogs inside her accelerated brain's thinking. Sighing she leant back and watched Bart battle with the ever changing streetlights of downtown metropolis.

Oliver was baking outside when they came back, he cringed as Bart skidded in, tyres squealing and invoking a wince, his poor baby was being put through so much strain. If Bart thought he was borrowing it again he was sourly mistaken.

The sun wasn't planning on letting up any time soon and violently threw its rays on Chloe as soon as she stepped out. Instantly she was sweating. Neither of the males seemed to care. She rolled her eyes and side stepped them to go inside out of the heat.

Lois would kick herself for missing this, she loved the sun, anything that made her look fabulous. Speaking of the devil… she should probably call her back later. She probably wouldn't be handling the 'my cousins is sleeping with my ex' very well.

Ollie and Bart talked cars while Chloe was pleasantly surprised at Lois' lack of fit. In fact Lois had figured they'd been screwing long before she moved in with him. Of course Chloe corrected, but Lois was a stubborn fool and wouldn't deviate from her made up world. It seemed her cousin would be coming back soon and she made a point of fully booking Chloe's day when she did.

While she was in a phone mood she checked in with Clark. Good news lifted her mood and fixed her smile again. Kara was fine, just had a little police trouble and had to stay low for a while, hence the no phone calls. But they were spending a few more days 'cousin time' while Lois finished her shopping. Then Clark told her something she couldn't have been more pleased to hear:

"I think I'm going to tell Lois. It's not fair that I keep running out, and I don't know how long I can keep lying to her. Besides, she's alright with the Blur, and she's more than alright with Clark Kent. She should know they are one and the same."

"I think that's great Clark." Chloe's pom-poms were fluttering at high speed. No more lying to her cousin. Yey!

"Thanks Chloe, I can only hope she sees it the same."

He'd gone off to save someone after that and she couldn't be more thrilled. Lois and Clark would get their happily ever after. Lois would be over the moon knowing that she was right all along about Clark Kent not being a 'normal' farm boy. Of course, that would after she was mightily pissed for him not telling her sooner. Oh yes, Clark was in for some good fun.

Chloe floated to the stairs, her sour mood vanished through her vicarious happiness for Lois. She paused, eyes locked, watching the show as Oliver stripped off his shirt. His back to her and showing the nail marks on his back that belonged to her. Clearly Bart had run off. Her cheeks heated. There was something about the marks that churned a deep desire inside her. Some possessive drive that took Oliver off the market for every other woman. They would know he belonged to someone. Chloe bit her lip, leaning on the rail of the stairs to let the view bathe her. That god was hers.

"Liking the view?" Oliver asked, his back still turned. How did he even know she was there?

"I don't know, twirl for me." He turned only 180 degrees and stalked up to her, his hands on the railing beneath her. "How did you know I was watching you?" she asked, leaning across to stare down at him.

"I'm magic." he simply stated.

"And the serious answer?" He just smiled and followed the rail around to meet her at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm thinking we should make the most of this heat. Spend the day outside. Well, what's left of the day." he proposed taking her hand in his.

"And how long do we have left?"

"An hour or so."

"And what do you propose we do for the next few hours?" His hands took hold of her shirt. "Right. One track mind. I forgot." she breathed and held her arms up as he pulled it over her.

"Actually. I just thought we could get some fresh air, but if you wanna go there." He winked and trailed his hands down over her smooth skin to her jeans. She felt herself lifted, the jeans claimed by gravity as Oliver kissed the life from her before burying himself in the strong female scent from the pulse on her neck.

"Okay. Oliver you live in the middle of the city. Fresh air literally runs screaming from here. And I'm not walking outside naked." He thought about it for a second, mocking her.

"Alright." He nodded, setting her down and suddenly he was gone, leaving her in just her underwear. What the hell? Was this meant to be some sort of twisted sex game?

"Oliver?" He turned and grinned before darting up the stairs, taking 2 steps in each stride. Darn long legs. She hissed under her breath and folded herself onto the sofa, not bothering to re-dress. Before she could get comfy he was back down balancing the sex book in one hand and a bottle of sun tan lotion in the other. She rose an eyebrow. Oliver didn't give her a chance for anything else and slipped his freed arm around her, lifting her again. "Oliver!" she protested, but he was a lot stronger than she was and it seemed she was coming along to wherever he wanted. His desire; outside.

She finally found herself set down on a sun lounger.

"Oliver. I don't sun bathe." Her lack of tan clearly evidenced that statement.

"Hmmm. Would you like to?" he asked, an arm still around her, not risking her bolting for the door. "Of course. You could take full advantage of our position and avoid getting those nasty tan lines." He grinned and slipped a finger down, feeling the bumps of her ribs then soft tight track of her stomach. She caught his hand before it could go lower and scanned around. It was a prime spot for sunbathing. Nobody could look in, nobody could see them and the sun was oh so inviting. She opened her mouth but couldn't find a complaint or reason why to not. Oliver was shining with success.

"Fine. But I'm not laying naked outside. What if Bart speeds in?"

"Bart won't be back for a long while. Clark's still out of the area. Dinah has a lunch date. Victor is playing techno boy at his home. Ac is out with his girlfriend. And Lois is still travelling. And just in case. There is a lock on the door." She shrugged, at a loss for another arguing point. It's not like Oliver hadn't seen her naked. But this wasn't for the down and dirty, this was being content in her skin, lying freely, letting his eyes travel wherever they wanted. True enough, it would lead to the down and dirty, but there were those moments before where she wasn't covered by another body pressed hard against hers or drawing gasps of pleasure as she lost all thought and care.

That would have bothered 'old Chloe' she told herself, but she had to become stronger. Both mentally and physically.

"Shut up and give me that darn book." she spat venomously. Oliver grinned but complied, handing her the 'light' reading material. She rolled over onto her stomach, elbows propped up as she opened the first page.

Contents page; she was safe. But after that…

She didn't even know there were so many sexual practices existing. Over the years Dinah had sprouted more than a few at her, so she recognised the names of a few. Your more popular were there, like Tantric. Then there were things like Taoist which apparently had a section devoted to 'when and where to have sex' for certain benefits. Magical Sex, no kidding, there was a chapter of how to get your way with the magic's during sex. Different techniques to make the most out of your experience and… Chloe's eyes drifted to three words. 'One hour Orgasm'. Her brain stopped criticising and started wondering. It was one of the four headings under Orgasm Control. Not that she was worried about being out of control… but it did sound promising.

Oliver's laughter came from over her shoulder and he straddled her hips. She turned her head, finding him with sun tan lotion in his hand, not care about being caught reading over her shoulder. She sighed and let his travel his hands over her. Burning would not be fun… and his hands were dancing devils dragging her further into sin. Her eyes went back to the page, reading the 2 chapters devoted to the tantric art seemed to be in her future. Maybe she'd let Brainiac tackle those. And yey; orgasm facts. She turned her head again.

"Have you read this?" she asked. He cocked her a smile.

"Only the good chapters." He lowered himself to her. "Did you know orgasms can cure headaches?"

"You're just full of useful information."

"Hm. Did you know women are more easily stimulated than men?"

"Easier than you?" she scoffed. "I doubt it." But she betrayed her own words with a half moan half gasp as his hand slipped between her thighs.

"Right. I'm the uncontrollable sex fiend around here." he mocked and set his hands back to her shoulders, the smell of the lotion invading his memory. His best memories came with the sun, the vanilla lotion flooded them all back. He met Chloe in summer.

"Hey. I'm not uncontrollable. Compared to you I'm the more innocent."

"Says the woman flicking through illustrations of sexual positions." he teased, knowing it would rally her up. She bucked her hips and turned around under him.

"Pick a number, below 392." she invited, resting the book against his front. He sighed, seeing where she was going.

"212." He smirked, knowing what was on that page. She flipped to it then looked back up at him.

"Nope. Not that one. Choose another number."

"I don't think that's how you play the game Chloe." he laughed. She shook her head.

"Who's making the rules? Now choose another number."

"184?" She flipped, she should have known.

"No."

"Fine. Okay. We'll start off easily. 76." She narrowed her eyes at him, looking for a clue but eventually gave in and turned the pages. Venus butterfly? Oh! Venus butterfly… interesting. "Need a hand? Or maybe a mouth?" he offered and shuffled back, a hand on each of her knees, pushing them apart.

"Ollie –oh!" He cut her off, his palm against her lace.

"You're already wet for me." he praised and laid his lips against the material. She let her head drop back, the book hitting the floor and leaving her mind completely. The tip of his finger brushed against the apex of her thigh and slid across, taking the material with it. She gasped, exposed to the air.

"Ollie, what if… the lock. Ollie." Coherent thinking just wasn't happening.

"Relax. Vic isn't setting up the computers for another hour."

Good.

Good.

Wait.

Victor?

Computers?

No. Not good.

"Ollie?" His tongue laved against her but she was too muddled. Her hand reached out to his head and she shuffled back, away from him. "What do you mean Vic's coming to set up the computers?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." She didn't lose the confusion so he rested his chin on his hands. "Victor is coming over in another hour and going to fiddle with the computers and install something new. No idea what. I didn't ask. He'll change the system so we can access it from wherever we are. It makes it easier so we don't need a central station." No, it made her obsolete.

"I'm not helping tonight am I?" she guessed rightly. Her expression was bordering on angry. Oliver overestimated his skills to bring her back to happy land. He ran a finger up her leg but she shuffled back and stood from the lounger. "Why?" she hissed.

"Chloe I'm not risking it. We can work without-" he stopped his words. Seeing Chloe in the midst of anger was like a shot of pure sex swimming through his system, but he knew the words would push her a little too far for his own good.

"No say it Ollie: You can work without me. I know that. But I thought the point was to be helpful. I can be helpful. I've already proved that."

"Chloe. It's dangerous putting you back in the system. If you get tracked or traced and we're all out. It's safer to have you where we know you are safe, where they can't find you."

"Fine." she huffed and turned storming out through the doors and back into the apartment. She didn't have the energy to argue. Especially not with Oliver. Not with her arousal suddenly snapping wholly into anger. God, she wanted to lay a fist into him right now. So high handed and controlling. Her nails bit into her palm as she fisted her hands. It's not his choice to make about whether she should help or not. He didn't even say anything to her, just carried on like it was perfectly fine.

Argh!

She may not be the general's daughter but the stubborn temper was a strong gene in the entire family. But the worst part was that she wanted to go back to Oliver's arms and ignore everything. It fuelled her anger ever more so.

"Chloe? Wait." Oh please don't. She didn't want to snap at Oliver. Her more rational side understood his reasoning and emotional investment into why he did this, but she didn't have to like it, nor did she have to accept it. "Chloe."

"If it was Victor…" She wheeled at the top of the steps, the height different giving her the higher ground for once. "If Victor was the target of all this, would you stop him from helping you?"

"Chloe that's different. Victor can protect himself." Ollie realised he had slipped up after the words came out. A prime example of why he should think before he talked.

"Then teach me!" she hissed.

"Chloe we've been through this before."

"Then let's go through it again. Because I'm still not seeing sense. If I knew how to fight, to protect myself, would you let me help?" He didn't answer, his eyes conveying a hurt past what she could comprehend. She repeated her original question, sensing his conversational block. "If it was Victor, would you let him help still?"

"No." Oliver spoke, trying to sound as strong as she did.

"Okay. Bad example. If it was you. If you were being targeted. If it was you he wanted dead. Would you let yourself be caged up and guarded at all hours? Would you let all contact with the outside world drop? Could you part with everything you had?" Angry tears stung like toxic in her eyes.

"If it was easier for the team. If it would keep me safe I would." She huffed and turned back.

"Liar." she muttered. Oliver didn't part with anything. He saw, he wanted, he took. Simple as that.

"No." he disagreed. "I wouldn't put my friends at risk. I wouldn't let them worry about my safety constantly. I would want them to be-"

"You would go off and take the situation into your own hands. As you have done many times before. Need I remind you of your recent descent into alcoholism? Your attempt at suicide maybe? Should I bring up Lex?"

"Lex was a danger to us all. Something needed to be done. If I was the only one able to step up to that line, then that's fine. But I did what I felt was necessary."

"My point exactly. You did what you thought necessary given the situation. If you're trying to say that our creep isn't a danger, or isn't worthy of the same treatment. Then you're not the man you claim to be. You may say this is all to protect me, and you can say this is just the one time. But how much longer Ollie? Whatever happens, whatever situation, I willingly risk my life every time as the rest of you do. You don't ask Bart to skip a task. You don't pull Ac from the waters. You don't-"

"That's not the same thing and you know it. I won't be judged because I feel something for you so forgive me if I don't like the idea of standing over your grave. I love you Chloe, and you can't ask me to try ignore that and risk your life." Chloe's heart skipped a beat. The anger subsided rapidly leaving her feel empty and shallow. She closed herself off, a wall over her heart again, locking in the words she wanted to reply back.

"So this is it then" she summarised. "I'm back to being normal old Chloe. Friend to the superstar, blinded by the limelight, unable to take flight. Normal, safe, overly protected Chloe. The normal job, the normal life. Nothing but the very ordinary to live for. It doesn't sound most appealing to me." she confessed. "I like helping people. I like doing good. Forgive me if I say I like the rush of adrenaline it gives me."

"Chloe. It's too dangerous." he simply said. Her eyelashes fell, the first tear leisurely caressing her cheek and taking his heart prisoner to guilt.

"Fine." she breathed, her voice wavering too much for anything else. Washed out journalist was all she would ever have. 'You could have Oliver' she answered herself mentally. 'You could fall asleep every night with him. He'd keep you safe. He'd love you every hour of every day. He'd be good for you.' But there was a difference between good and happy. Maybe it was selfish, but she wanted more than just a contentment with her life.

"Chloe?" His voice was begging. She blinked away another tear and shut the door to the bedroom, blocking him out.

It was childish and not any way to deal with the situation but she refused to cry and Oliver looking at her like she was the very essence of his life was breaking down all the barriers she had built inside her. It shattered her strong will and destroyed every piece of terror into acidic leaks, streaming in oceans from her eyes. She sunk down against the door, her body weight pinning it shut. Oliver's hand hovered over the handle but he stopped. He wasn't going to change his mind, and without that he couldn't soothe her like she needed. He rested his forehead against the polished wood, all energy sapped by her haunting tear forever embedded in his vision.

The boys arrived later. Dinah already on her way to Gotham so she could escort the kids from there and check out the city. Chloe sat down on the sofa, her iPod on her happiest of playlists she had, trying and thankfully succeeding in lifting her mood. Victor couldn't help but look guilty as he changed the systems to Oliver's request. Ac was raiding the fridge, Oliver overseeing Victor's work. Bart grinned and jumped onto the seat next to Chloe, bumping hips and pulling her earphone from her ear to sit in his.

"The girl has good taste." he complimented. Without asking, her iPod was sitting in his hands, his fingers flicking through her songs. She watched as he made different faces; Approval, disproval, confusion, indifference and then wierded out. He pulled the latter and turned the screen back to her for explanation.

"You don't like?" she asked.

"No. I like. I'm just wondering why you have it on your iPod."

Okay, so the song wasn't exactly subtle in its lyrics and it was one of those songs designed for the dirtier of moods. The lyrics went something along the lines of 'I wanna fuck you like an animal' to accompany a sound that stirred blood. It wasn't exactly what you'd expect to find on a girl's music list. Personally she blamed Lois; she'd only discovered the gem after borrowing her laptop for a night due to a faulty battery in her own. It was on a playlist Lois had craftily (*cough cough*) called 'XXX extra's' a.k.a Lois's sex mix tape.

Though in all honesty, Chloe had stolen more than a few songs from it and still had them to date. And from Bart's grin, he had found the rest of her guilty pleasures. Some of the highlights included; 'I get off', 'I like it rough', 'Something in your mouth', 'Inside of you' and a little bit of 'Take me on the floor'. Every single one courtesy of Lois.

Bart cocked her a knowing grin. "I'm liking your style Chlo-a-licious." He winked. Blood heating in embarrassment she took the earphone from him and put it back in her ear, sending him the 'go away' neon signal and he joined Ac in the kitchen for a pre-hunt feast.

In her blocked out world she watched Oliver's lips move, talking to Victor as they swapped chairs and something else went on in the virtual world. Who knows what? She was trying hard not to care. She couldn't help but feel like they were treading on her territory while she was locked inside, unable to do anything but watch. But… to admit the unwanted truth, to see Oliver get his technology on… it did something for her, despite how severely pissed she was. Victor nodded a few more times, fingers went across shoulder pointing to different options.

Chloe rolled her eyes, she would have been finished by now. Multitasking was definitely not a male thing and they were just failing epically at their attempts. It gave her some comfort in knowing that as much as Oliver denied it, she was still needed. She wouldn't have been surprised if he looked up and beckoned her over to ease his pain. She laughed internally, toying with the idea of refusal and letting him struggle. But it seemed the thought was wasted and he grinned successfully, Victor nodding a final time then fetching the others from the kitchen. Oliver wandered over and knelt before her, slipping his fingers along her cheeks and lifting the earphones out like one would with an unruly teenager.

"We're off." he stated. She rose her eyebrows and shrugged as if to say 'right… why should I care?' He sighed, the hurt a dull shadow in his eyes. "Be safe, and nothing reckless. Any problems and Bart can speed back." She wasn't five; she could stay in a locked house for the next few hours. His hand dropped, resting on her thigh. She took the contact as permission to tease.

"What do I do if I get bored?" she asked. "No-body's here to relieve me." She rolled the word 'relieved' over her tongue, the implication fresh in the air. He grinned.

"I'll make sure I hurry back then."

"Don't bother." she spoke lightly. "I doubt I'll need you for a long while. I just wondered." She took the earphones back from him and put them back in her ears as he shook his head disbelieving her teasing mood and stood as the others came back. They parted with a wave and a goodbye. Oliver was the last to turn away and she naughtily blew him a seductive kiss, complete with a finger wave. Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. It would be a long night tonight.

I think I covered a good range of emotions in that chapter.

We had some tears, some anger, some lust, some tease.

As far as the sex guide goes I got a lot of the weirder stuff from the internet. (Yep, that was fun searching for… lots of weird results) And I had a good flick on the cosmopolitan website and found myself naturally falling to the sex heading and I actually found that a recent study discovered 48% of regular headaches sufferers found relief from an orgasm (faster than pain meds too). Haven't tried it out myself yet, but I'll bet you migraine sufferers have a new hope blooming. There was also some other 'interesting' findings and facts about the big 'O' if you want to give it a read later.