AN: Thank you to those who alerted the story since the last chapter was posted in September...For those of you who have been following the story since I posted in January 2012, I went back and did a bit of a polish on chapters 1-12 to help the story flow better before I posted this chapter if you're interested in reading (I haven't changed any major plot points, just taken some out that didn't end up going anywhere and worked with some of the dialogue)

Thanks to Hellza On Earth for reading the draft of this chapter. Any mistakes are all mine though.


Chapter 13: Keep Holding On (Part 1)

So far away, I wish you were here. Before it's too late, this could all disappear. Before the doors close and it comes to an end, With you by my side I will fight and defend.

Keep holding on 'cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through Just stay strong 'cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you. Nothing you could do There's no other way when it comes to the truth.– Avril Lavinge

Metropolis, 18th June 2012 (late evening)

Oliver looked at the last rays of the summer sun as they were splayed on the horizon in soft pastel shades, the edges of color touching the evening sky for the last few moments of the day before it genuinely became night.

While he had watched many a beautiful sunset, he couldn't enjoy this one knowing where his wife was and the final moments before the sun no longer shone on there part of the world seemed more like hours. It was easier for them to work in the cover of night, to move around on the ground without being seen by the naked eye. Explosions were always more spectacular looking at night too and once they got who thy came for there was no way this facility was remaining intact to be another area 33.1.

'I love you Chloe,' he sent out 'I'm here, we're coming to get you." He listened with both his ears and his heart and nothing, no acknowledgement that she had heard. Didn't make his statement any less true.

The communicator beeped. "Arrow – Manhunter's in position. We have a go."

-xxXxx-

Ten storey's under where her husband stood, Chloe struggled in vain against her restraints, the clanking sound failing to elicit any kind of reaction from the men in lab coats as they monitored a variety of screens and monitors around her. Her palms felt clammy as flashes of memory of another time and place where she had been strapped against her will interspersed with her current thoughts.

"Now Ms Sullivan… this won't hurt a bit," said the voice belonging to Lionel 2.0.

She eyed the needle warily, concerned about whatever that liquid was going to do to her baby. If anyone was aware that she was pregnant no one had said anything and she doubted announcing the fact would get her off the lab bed and back home with Oliver.

Then there was her concern about what effect the Luthor's hoped it would have on her. She briefly thought about her options to avoid having Lex rummage around in her head looking for a box labeled 'Top Secret' at all but realized save a timely rescue that Lex would at least attempt to try and find answers to the questions he had had for years. She shuddered inwardly at the inevitability that Lex was going to enter her mind.

He was such a liar, this Lionel. He intended to hurt her, hurt the people she cared about. He'd done it before, his comment about sending her to another Oliver…one he had left destitute… coming to the forefront of her thoughts. What he done to the other Chloe? To the other Oliver?

No. She mentally shook off those thoughts. She couldn't dwell on the fate of their parallel universe selves, she had more immediate concerns. Like her baby. Like Lex. And to breathe, she needed to stop holding her breath.

The tip of the needle was going to pierce her skin any moment now and her best strategy was to hold on to her hope. Oliver would come to get her out of here, she just needed to stay strong and make it through the situation.

She felt the icy liquid they had injected her spread through her veins, causing her extremities to go numb and making her want to close her eyes, an urge she fought. Some sort of sedative then, an attempt to put into her a dream state, thereby more pliable during the interrogation process.

"I'm sorry munchkin," she thought wishing she could rub her belly reassuringly. "Daddy and I love you. You have to come out of this okay."

Her half lidded eyes cast a glance at the reason why her daughter wasn't as safe as she would have liked. The last thing she heard before she completely slipped into her subconscious was a technician prepping Lex and going through his protocols as interrogator.

-xxXxx-

John grimaced, contorting the handsome face of Oliver Queen he was currently wearing, as two men working for Lionel patted him down. He was wearing a small device that looked like a shirt button that was relaying a visual image back to the team and Victor, who was working extracting building schematics from the data stream.

The mirror box and journals that had been requested and were the reason he was standing in this spot were taken somewhat forcefully from him. Lionel looking very smug. He didn't need his telepathy to know Lionel was thinking 'I have the Queens exactly where I want them…at my disposal,' his face said it all.

When he probed the surface of Lionel's physic he got a clearer picture of what was driving the man before him. This Lionel had also been an emissary of Jor-El in his original universe, but the time line of events had played out very differently.

He had used his title as emissary for his own self-serving purposes. His Chloe had found out that he was relaying false information to Kal-El and the team and she had been killed. Rather than stick around to face Justice he had stolen the mirror box and used it causing havoc on multiple worlds.

Finding an Earth where Lionel hadn't been alive had been unexpected and welcome. He had decided to stop running, embrace his own flesh and blood that he had previously discarded and pursue his idea of power. But in order to do that, Lionel had to correct what he perceived to be his doppelgangers mistakes.

This Lionel was as close to pure evil as John had encounter in all his years. His sliding from one reality to another had caused irreparable damage to many lives. Jor-El's choice of emissary to his son had always a questionable in his mind, a prime example of what could've gone wrong with Jor-El's choice was standing in front of him.

That their Lionel had chosen a different path, to essentially allow himself to be killed before giving up his secrets spoke to the man the Lionel Luthor of this Earth had tried to become.

John filed away all he had learnt about this Lionel. They would need to return him to his own dimension…if he lived to face justice and if they were to do that, they would need a certain son of Krypton' s help.

Pushing his mind further he searched for Chloe but was unable to find her and that was an immediate concern. If they were to late….., what would Oliver do.? What would Oliver do really if he was standing in this spot right now? He would demand.

Pushing the guards closest to him in a display of moving towards the inter-dimensional visitor he clenched his fists. "I gave you what you asked for, now I want to see Chloe…Lionel!"

He sensed the man was feeling that it would be very benevolent of himself to allow a husband one last look at his wife and was very grateful that it was he that was standing in Oliver's place.

About 20 minutes later he looked through the observation window, a feeling of rage ripping through him and a feral snarl leaving his lips. But he wouldn't have time to free her from her restraints, before Lionel 'got rid of him.' Sure enough he heard two bullets leaving the barrel of their respective guns – the target, his back.

Acting the part of the fallen, he allowed his body to slump to the ground, the illusion of blood adding to the charade that Oliver Queen was taken care of. Obviously satisfied with their work two men grabbed his legs and moved him onto a waiting gurney.

He sought out Chloe's mind again and was able to touch her psychic. Fatherly pride replaced the rage as he observed how she was handling the invasion of her psychic, all the mental training that they had done proving useful.

While the Luthor's may have thought a heavily sedated Chloe would provide an easier way to extract the secrets that she guarded with her life, Lex was finding that nothing about the scenario he was in was as expected. For the moment both she and the baby were okay and he could let the others know.

'Keep holding on,' he sent on a thread to her mind. 'We are coming for you.' He hoped she heard him, her current condition explaining why he couldn't get through to her earlier.

-xxXxx-

John's assuring message echoed within the walls of her sub-conscious providing her with an infusion of encouragement as she returned to observing the intruder in her mind from the shadows of the setting she had created.

A green and gold legal lamp provided the illumination to the setting, which was her 'Study' at the Villa in Star City. The beauty of this room was that while it appeared to be a well-loved personal space, it really was just for show. A room that looked the way it did because that was what was expected of a person of her affluence.

Personally she preferred to work in Oliver's office, even when he wasn't there, the couch in his office now draped in two throw over's to hide the stains her coffee mug had inadvertently left. But Lex didn't know that intimate little detail of their lives and she didn't want him to. She had more than just the team roster and what abilities they had to protect.

Lex on entering through the red door that linked their minds appeared to have been genuinely puzzled at her absence. He had obviously come expecting a confrontation of sorts, but he had been content to be in a space that looked like she occupied it on a regular basis and spent time shuffling the papers on her desk, looking through the books on the shelves. He seemed especially pleased when he located a file on her computer labeled Veritas.

While her original plan had involved giving him a number of up slaps on the side of the head and then using the Martian mind numb hold to essentially render him comatose, those actions would have required her to be close to him and the thought right now repulsed her.

Leading Lex on in this fashion was almost as satisfying as slapping him would have been. She grinned as she saw Lex's face as he tried to access the Veritas File on her computer– Access Denied.

"Chloe," he called out into the empty room. "You probably think you're being very clever…but your forgetting a very important thing."

She held her tongue, as tempting as it was to bite at his invitation for a response.

Lex pressed his lips together and rose from the table, making his way back towards the red doorway that had allowed him in.

Seeing that he was headed back, Chloe was a little concerned. While she didn't want Lex hanging around any longer, she couldn't have him whining back to daddy that the procedure didn't work just yet. There would be no telling what they might do to her then.

Needing to stall him from making an exit stage right, her guest found himself at the beginning of a maze that was between him and the door leading back to his own body. For right now he was stuck until she decided to let him go.

The picture of Lex trying to crack the maze wall with his fist was….priceless. At least she got a moment of victory and damn if it didn't feel good to be back in control of something.

"CHLOE!"

-xxXxx-

Green Arrow put one foot in front of the other on the industrial piping that was broad and strong enough to allow him access to the room Lionel was using without being seen. People rarely looked above them without reason.

"Baby I'm here… please be okay."

He averted his eyes from his wife's still form except for the small rise and fall of her chest, knowing he would be unable to maintain his focus if he continued looking at her.

As it was the temptation to put one of his arrows in between Lionel's eyes was great, but John had hinted to a fate far worse than death for him, so he refrained, instead moving his body so that he was lying horizontal and could overhear what was being said.

"Both subjects vitals are stable Mr Luthor," one of the technicians confirmed.

"Good, another ten minutes and then give Lex the bell….I don't want to give Ms…"

The usual lighting flickered as the Amber lights began rotating. "Warning perimeter security breach."

Good, the others were progressing through the complex as planned.

Lionel shot a look of venom at his security chief ."Enact security protocol 32," he instructed, his voice clipped. The man left taking the two other armed guards with him. Pointing to a technician he barked, "give Lex the order to return now," while retrieving a .38 from one of the draws and loading it with Kryptonite bullets. He also pulled out a silver ball and put it in his pocket.

The technician pressed a few buttons and a couple of lights flashed. And nothing.

"Mr Luthor your, your son is not responding…."

"Damn it Lex! You get out of there or you will be left behind."

"Still no response sir."

"Then your services are no longer required."

He couldn't quiet see what Lionel had done to cause both men to go fall to the ground, tongues hanging out but he was now moving closer to Chloe, and that was something he wouldn't tolerate.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off her."

Lionel stilled at the digitized voice and seemingly did as he was instructed, his eyes scanning the room for the source of the voice.

The bowstring had been drawn back and the arrow aimed at Lionel's heart, the anger that he had been keeping in check now spilling over his internal barriers. He was so tired of Lionel Luthor fracking with his life, with Chloe's life and putting his baby girl in danger was unforgiveable. Letting go of that arrow would be so easy.

But Lionel's plans it seemed, didn't extend to standing still long enough to be a target. With a speed that surprised the green leather hero, Lionel hit the floor hard pulling out the little silver ball and tossing it in his direction whilst rolling the other way. He didn't have enough time to shield his head. The effect of the flash on his eyes was similar to that of having someone shine a bright torch point blank at them, and that was with the protection that his glasses gave him. The ringing in his ears caused him to drop to the ground though, making him vulnerable.

"Arrow. Arrow what's your status?" He was sure Mary was yelling. He closed his eyes willing them to readjust quickly and at least when he opened them he wasn't seeing stars.

Sitting up slowly he looked around the room. Damn it. "I've lost Lionel. He needs to be found."

"What about Chloe, I sense she is struggling?"

Even with all the commotion, Chloe hadn't stirred. Sure that they were in no immediate physical danger he moved to stand over Chloe and he wiped the beads of sweat of her forehead with his glove. Her skin was clammy to the touch and his heart clenched at her condition. With great efficiency he had the shackles binding her wrists ankles and abdomen undone, the imprints of where they had dug into her swollen ankles likely to be visible for some time.

Ranting about all the ways he could make Lionel pay wasn't going to help her now and he willed himself to answer the question asked in a clinical manner. "Chloe's breathing, but Lex is still connected to her… I don't' want to risk moving her."

"Talk to her…reassure her… we'll…"

Boom! The ground shook beneath him and a crack was rapidly moving across the far wall. What the hell? "Cyborg, immediate sit rep. I cannot move Chloe, repeat she cannot be moved from this location yet!" His eyes darted over to the monitors.

"There has been an explosion. Stand by Arrow, help is on its way."

No sooner had Cyborg said those words then he felt the familiar breeze of wind that accompanied Bart aka Impulse. Except, it wasn't Bart that was standing in front of him. "Boyscout?"

The formally plaid wearing farm boy gave a cursory nod to Oliver before taking in the scene. "We need to get them out of here."

"Hello to you too. Look I don't give a damn about Lex, but I am not putting Chloe in any further danger and you don't have the arm span to take them and all the equipment together."

Clark seemed to get his friend's dilemma. "I have an idea. You might want to get out of the way."

-xxXxx-

She felt Oliver's presence before she heard him ask her to be okay. Not that she had ever doubted him or the team for a minute. Eager to be rid of her guest the walls of the maze disappeared to reveal the red door.

Lex looked back into the darkness. "Don't think I'll forget this Chloe." He tugged on the handle of the door…. and it wouldn't budge.

For the first time that day…Chloe genuinely felt the panic rising and the exhaustion that she had been keeping at bay kick in. The door was supposed to open, Lex was supposed to leave…. And now, now it seemed that Lex was stuck in here with her.

"Ollie?…Mom? John?….help me, please."

"Yell all you want Chloe...I don't think they can hear you. But I can and I've been wanting to talk to you."

The person she had been avoiding was now standing in front of her, a wicked gleam in his eye.

To be continued


This chapter took a looong while to come together in a way that I was happy with. The bad news is I decided to split it because there are a lot of ends to tie up before we get to baby Chlollie (i've had the name picked out for over a year - any guesses?). The good news is that now my muse is co-operating again you shouldn't have to wait 4 months for an update.