Chapter 08 - Hero

A gunshot rings out. Roger Nixon is dead on the ground. His shirt was covered in blood. Lex was standing there, gun in hand. A hand grabs her arm. Lex was standing in front of her. "Zoey, you can't tell anyone what happened." Her back hits the tree. "You can't tell anyone what happened."

Zoey shoots up in the bed. She looks around the room before recognizing her bedroom at Max's house in Star City. The summer she had hoped would be filled with fun and spending time with Bruce had turned into the opposite. She had changed her mind on going to Gotham. Instead, she had locked herself in Max's house. She had chosen to avoid as many people as she could, including Oliver.

Zoey runs a hand over her face and reluctantly climbs out of bed. The nightmares had been plaguing her since leaving Smallville. The town was quickly rebuilt after the tornado. She walks through the house, enjoying the quietness. The sun was slowly rising. Zoey quickly makes her way to the front door and opens it, hoping to find the latest edition of the Star City Observer.

A few months prior, reports of a mysterious figure wearing a Robin Hood outfit and wielding a bow and arrow had appeared on the scene. Star City had been plagued with crime for a few years. It wasn't any near as bad as Gotham, but there was still enough. Zoey had been enthralled by the idea of a masked man running around the city and saving people. She had spent most of the summer so far researching the figure the press was calling the Archer.

Zoey opens the front door, expecting to find the newspaper. She stops. The newspaper was there. Except Oliver was holding it. "Why are you avoiding me," he questions. She reaches for the newspaper, but he holds it above his head. "I'm not giving you this until you talk to me, Zo."

"You can't tell anyone what happened."

Zoey shifts. "I haven't been avoiding you," she softly says, avoiding his gaze. "I was in a tornado. I've been dealing with that. I mean, I did almost die. Can I have the newspaper now?"

Oliver sighs and hands her the paper. She shoots him a smile and rushes back into the house. He grabs the paper bag he had previously set down and follows her. "What are you doing next Friday," he questions.

"Why," Zoey asks, searching through the newspaper.

"Because I think we should hang out. We can do movie night at my place," Oliver tells her. He sets a cup of coffee and a scone in her front of her. "You should try this. I got it from this new vegan coffee shop not far from my apartment."

Zoey looks up at him, confused. "Vegan?"

"Yeah, I've been giving it a try. No animal products in anything. Give it a try. It's really good."

Zoey takes a bit of the scone, then turns her attention back to the newspaper. "I don't know if that girl living with you would like it if we did a movie night at your place."

"Are you talking about Mercy?" She nods. "We broke up. She moved out last week."

"I'm sorry," Zoey softly tells him.

Oliver shrugs. "It happens. So, movie night next Friday?"

"Sure. Movie night next Friday."

Oliver leans in. "What in the newspaper has you so obsessed that you've barely looked at me?"

"Zoey's obsessed with the Archer," Max answers, walking into the kitchen. He was freshly showered and wearing shorts with a bright polo shirt. "By the way, Bruce is coming to the party this afternoon."

Zoey looks up, alarmed. "What? Why?"

Max raises an eyebrow. "I think it's because he cares about you and wants to see you. Which if you don't want him to know that you blew him off this summer, whatever you've been dealing with you need to deal with it before the party. Or he will figure it out, Zoey."

"I didn't blow him off," Zoey weakly argues.

"You lied and said you were staying in Smallville a few extra weeks to help with tornado recovery," Max counters. "Instead, you've been holed up in your room, obsessing over this archer." He turns to Oliver. "She made a theory board in her room and has been talking with a bunch of random people on the internet about it. And she made a binder filled with newspaper clippings." He runs a hand over his face. "Zoey, please just be a normal fucking teenager today. That is all that I'm asking. You can go back to whatever the fuck you want tomorrow. But just be a normal teenager today with Bruce."

Zoey silently stands up and walks out of the kitchen. Oliver sighs. "Max, I think you need to lay off," he says.

Max shakes his head. "I love my niece. I love that she is weird and unique. But I just want her to be a normal teenager for a day. That's it."

Zoey takes a deep breath. Bruce was standing at the barbecue table. She walks over to him and lightly taps him on the shoulder. He turns and smiles at her. "Hi," she nervously greets. Her heart was racing.

"Hey. How are you doing," Bruce replies, setting the plate down. "Max told me you were caught in the tornado."

"Um, yeah. Yeah, it-it-it was scary. Do-do you want to go and talk?"

"Sure."

Zoey nods and leads Bruce away from the Fourth of July party. She knew that Max and a few of the other guests would notice she and Bruce were missing from the party. Max would be happy since she was being a normal teenager. Once they're well on the path to the cabin, she stops and turns to him. She leans up and softly kisses him. His hands settle on her waist, before pulling her close. The kiss between them deepens. Her back hits the tree.

"You can't tell anyone what happened."

Zoey's hands go to the top of the cargo shorts he was wearing. She needed to drown out the voice. His hands are under her dress, tugging off the white lace panties she was wearing. Bruce grips her hips and lifts her. She lets out a gasp when he guides his cock into her. Her arm is wrapped around his neck. "Bruce," she softly lets out. She could something building inside of her.

Bruce slows his movements. He wanted to make this last. He wanted this to be better than the other time. His foot slips and they fall to the ground. She was lying on top of him. Zoey sits up. She could feel him against her. She reaches between them and grasps his cock. His gaze doesn't leave hers as she slides down onto him. Her hand is on his chest; she moves slowly up and down. Bruce sits up. His lips are on her neck before moving down. The strap of her dress had fallen. He pulls down the top, exposing her breast, and gently nips at her nipple.

Zoey feels a jolt shoot through her. "Fuck." She picks up her pace. She felt like she was going to burst. He pulls down the rest of the dress, leaving her bare to him. His lips travel over her chest. Another nip. Then she feels her body shake; that release she had been searching for had finally arrived. She doesn't stop moving. She felt alive. Bruce comes with a grunt and falls backward. She slows her movements. She doesn't realize that he's slid a hand under her dress once more until she feels the light circular movements on her clit. "Ah, fuck," she lets out when the second orgasm encases her. She falls on top of him, limp. The only sound either of them can hear is their panting.

Bruce shifts. "My birthday is in November and I'm having a party. Would you like to come?"

Zoey softly smiles. "Yes."

"I'll make sure Alfred sends you an invite. We're staying a couple of extra days since Alfred wants to visit a friend. Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"I was thinking of heading to the beach. You are more than welcome to join me."

A twig snaps. Zoey sits up; her gaze darts around the wooded path. It wasn't an area that many people knew about. Bruce had been the only person she had shown the cabin to.

"Did you hear that," Zoey softly questions. She pulls up the top of her dress before standing up. Her legs felt like jello.

"Probably a bird or a squirrel," Bruce replies, fixing his shorts. He stands up and grabs her hand.

"Hey." She looks at him and he sees a hint of fear in her gaze. "Let's go to the cabin to get cleaned up a bit."

Zoey nods. "Sure. It's just down the path," she softly tells him. He squeezes her hand before leading her down the trail. Neither of them is aware of the figure standing in the woods, watching them.

Oliver raises an eyebrow at seeing the pile of magazines sitting on the kitchen counter in Max's kitchen. Zoey was sitting at the counter, eating a sandwich. "What is all that," he questions, sitting down next to Zoey.

Zoey reaches across and grabs one of the magazines. On the cover was an obvious paparazzi photo of her and Bruce at the beach. They were standing in the water; her arms were wrapped around his neck. His hands were resting on her hips. Lips were locked. Oliver rolls his eyes, seeing the headline.

'Bruce and Zoey: Happy Ending after Tragic Childhood'

"Why is Max collecting this bullshit," Oliver asks, tossing the magazine across the counter.

"I'm assuming that it's because he's happy that the world thinks I'm a normal teenager," Zoey answers, before taking another bite of her sandwich.

"And what do you think?"

"I think it's an invasion of privacy. And that I'll be bullied in school about it. I haven't been bullied since the fall and now when the school year starts, I'm sure the bullying will resume."

Oliver frowns. "You're being bullied? Zo, why didn't you tell me?"

"You wanted me to tell you about getting bullied after you just came back from an island?"

"Yes," Oliver exclaims. "Zo, you don't keep things from me. I mean it, I don't care what it's about. Zoey sighs. She was unsure if she should tell him. "Hey." He grabs her hand. "What's bothering you?"

"I…Bruce and I had…we had sex in the woods last week at the party. And I think someone was watching us."

"And you think that if someone was watching you they probably took pictures or something?"

Zoey buries her face in her hands. "Yes!"

Oliver stands up. He places a hand on her back. "Zo, look at me." Reluctantly, Zoey looks up at him. "You're both under eighteen. No one is going to sell photos or videos of you and Bruce in the woods. They would go to prison." He rests his forehead against hers. "Now, why did you spend half the summer avoiding me?"

A tear slips out. "I saw Lex Luthor kill a man," she whispers. "I keep having nightmares about it."

"Why didn't you tell the police?"

"Because Lex was protecting me. The man…he was hurting Clark and I attacked him with a branch, then he grabbed the branch. He was…he was going to hit me with it. Then Lex shot him."

Oliver tightly embraces her. He runs a hand down her back. He doesn't say anything but just holds her.

Oliver plops down on the couch next to Zoey. "We need to talk," he tells her. She grabs the bookmark off the coffee table and shoves it into her book. She had been surprised to find that he was gone when she woke up that morning. They had stayed up late the night before, watching movies.

"Is this about why you were gone this morning," Zoey questions, turning towards him. He silently hands her a folder. She takes it and looks through it, frowning. She looks up at him. "Is this real?"

"Yeah," Oliver answers.

"It can't be through."

"Zo, on your twenty-fifth birthday you'll own half of Queen Industries."

Zoey shakes her head. "But why me? Why not you? It's your family's company."

"The paperwork says that my dad sold half to your dad six months after you were born. Queen Industries wasn't doing so well and my dad needed some money. I guess he went to your dad and sold half the company. I'm surprised that he went to your dad and not your mom."

Zoey shifts. "I don't think it really matters now, Ollie."

"No. I guess not."

She closes the folder and hands it back to him. "I don't want it. I don't want the trust."

"Zo—"

"It doesn't belong to me. I don't want it. It's your family company. Not mine."

"Zoey, look at me," Oliver says. She grows quiet and looks at him. "It's okay. We'll figure it out. We have plenty of time." She lets out a sad sigh and lays her head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around. "I know of this great taco place. Wanna go for lunch?"

Zoey yawns as she walks towards the Rosewood. She had convinced Max that she would be fine on her own. An author she greatly enjoyed held an event a few blocks down from the famed hotel. Max had been worried. He didn't like the idea of her being in downtown Star City alone. But she had convinced him that she would be fine walking from the Rosewood to the bookstore a couple of blocks away. Tugging on her arm causes her to turn and see a man pulling on her purse. "Let go," she coldly says, pulling her purse close to her.

The mugger pulls out a switchblade. "Give me your money."

"I don't have any," Zoey tells him. She continues down the street, picking up her pace. She could see the Rosewood one block ahead of her. The mugger runs towards her. He shoves her to the ground, ripping her purse out of her grasp. Zoey pushes herself up just in time to see an arrow hit the mugger's shoulder, knocking him out. She watches as the green hooded figure lands on the ground near the mugger and grabs her purse out of the criminal's hands.

The green hooded figure walks towards her and she's frozen. He holds out her purse. "I think this belongs to you."

Zoey takes her ruined bag from him. "Yeah," she softly says. She can't help but stare at him.

The green hooded figure lightly touches her forehead. A small cut was there from when she hit the ground. "Are you okay, Zo?"

"Yeah."

The green hooded figure has an amused smile on his lips. It seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. "You should probably be more aware of things if you're walking the streets by yourself," he tells her. "That mugger was following you for a couple of blocks."

"Yeah."

"Where were you headed?"

"Rosewood."

The green hooded figure chuckles. "Well, I'm glad to see that you know more than one word."

"Yeah."

"Zoey!" The green hooded figure turns and they see Max running towards her with one of the security guards from the Rosewood. The green hooded figure shoots her another smile, then fires an arrow into the dark sky and vanishes. "Zoey, are you okay?"

"Um, yeah. I-I-I'm fine," Zoey softly replies. Then it clicks. There was only one person who called her 'Zo'. But there was no way this mysterious new figure was him. At the same time, all the dots connected to him.

"Zoey."

Zoey blinks and finds a concerned Max in front of her. "Are you sure that you're okay? I can call a doctor."

"I'm fine. I just want to go home."

Zoey sits on her bed and stares at the wall. On it, she had put everything she had managed to find on the archer. The biggest clue on her board came from her interaction with the archer the night before. His use of a nickname. A knock on her door causes her to stand up. She rolls her eyes. Max had been worried all morning about her. "I'm fine," she says, opening the door. Instead of Max through, Oliver was there. Her gaze widens and she quickly pulls the door closed behind her. "H-Hi."

"Max told me what happened to you last night," Oliver says. "I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Oh. I-I'm fine. Just a scratch."

"Can I see your theory board?"

Zoey's eyes widen. "No!" She shifts. "I-I-I took it down. Just now." She places a hand on his chest and pushes him back. "Why don't you tell me what this whole vegan thing is? It seems very interesting."

Oliver stares at her for a moment. Then he smiles. "Sure. I know this great vegan restaurant downtown. We can go for lunch and I'll explain more."

"Sounds great," Zoey replies, smiling. She knew that Oliver would be worried about her if he knew that she knew about his secret. The Archer helping people was more important. Part of her also didn't want to acknowledge how firm his chest was.

I can be your hero, baby
I can kiss away the pain
I will stand by you forever
You can take my breath away