So Much has Happened 1/?
Title: So Much has happened
Author: Batgirl2992
Pairing: Chruce, Clois, Chollie, Dollie
Rating: PG13 for innuendo
Set after the season 8 finale, Chloe works to bring the Justice League back together, including a caped crusader who isn't too keen on the idea.
Part 1
_______________________________________________________________
Prologue: batgirl-2992.livejournal.com/740.html
Arrow
Oliver Queen had spent many of the last few nights thinking about Chloe. No not Chloe, she wasn’t really Chloe anymore. Chloe smiled when the team walked into Watchtower, she would giggle when Bart hit on her, and Chloe was an angel. Oliver dreamt of the angry woman whose voice would scream in his ear when Arrow made a wrong turn during a mission. Sometimes Oliver wondered if Chloe still existed. Oliver’s dreams had been of Chloe, she had looked at him with the smile Oliver hadn’t seen since before she married Jimmy, then her face would cover in tears and Watchtower’s voice would say, “Why, Oliver? It’s your fault.” And Oliver would wake in a cold sweat.
Then sitting on the edge of his bed, Oliver’s mind would turn to that fateful day, he offered Jimmy a job doing favors for Oliver and the League. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Clark’s plan didn’t go so well. Besides betraying the League and everything they stood for Chloe used that damned piece of kryptonite and let loose a monster much worse than Doomsday. It turned out Oliver was right about Davis truly being a murderer. Jimmy Olsen died knowing the truth about Clark and Chloe, but he died because Oliver had gotten him involved. That was the point each night Oliver would grab one of the many bottles of liquor in his apartment
Part of Oliver blamed Chloe; she went rouge, because she thought she could save Davis. Oliver would have killed the man himself if he had gotten the chance, but she fooled them all and took him out of town. Another part of Oliver blamed Clark, he was the reason Davis was in Metropolis. He listened to Chloe, because he didn’t send the Beast into the Phantom Zone, and more so because he gave Chloe that stupid idea with the kryptonite. Oliver had yet to confront Clark, but it was coming. Oliver wouldn’t have even known that Clark was still alive if not for Clark’s sweet little note:
Oliver, I’m done, going off the grid. Don’t try to find me. I’m looking for Lois, and then I’m gone. - Kal El
Kal El, Oliver was ticked. It was bad enough he was leaving, but he was renouncing his humanity too. It killed Oliver inside for the first two months while Lois was gone. He knew she was planning on meeting the Red Blue Blur that night, in the middle of Metropolis’ worst disaster since Black Thursday, which was before Oliver moved here.
Of course last week when Lois reappeared, so did Clark Kent, now he was acting like dropping off the planet for months was no big deal. Oliver knew none of the team; especially Chloe had forgiven him for that yet. But the crime rate dropped severely once Lois wrote, “The Blur is Back” so Clark was at least hero-ing. Oliver wished he knew what happened to Lois, but she seemed to be amnesiac. Emil Hamilton, the League’s full time physician, had run every test he could think of, but he told Oliver waiting was the best plan at this point.
Tonight, just like every other night Oliver’s blood alcohol content was pushing maximum, but unlike every other night the team was supposed to be infiltrating a Luthor Corp. warehouse. This one Oliver Queen, the current CEO was not able to gain access to. So Watchtower set up this mission, mostly because things were slow, and you never knew when one of Lex’s old secrets was lurking below the surface.
Dressed as the Green Arrow, Oliver stopped at the coordinates Tower had sent him 10 minutes before. He stuck to the shadows waiting for the others; from where he stood he could see the heavy guard patrolling around the building. “Tower, heavy protection around the perimeter” Oliver slurred into his com link.
“Arrow, wait for Canary and Impulse before proceeding.” Chloe quietly replied.
Less than a minute later Canary dropped from the building above him. “Arrow, you ready?” she asked smirking at the blond billionaire.
“No action without Impulse” Tower commanded into their ears. But less than a second later Impulse appeared before the twosome, with a burrito in his hand. “Yo Aqui, Senorita.”
“Arrow and Canary take out the perimeter and Impulse check if we can take the easy way in or if we’ll have to use Canary’s special gifts to gain access.” Tower explained as she watched from her tower in the middle of Metropolis, using Queen Industry satellites.
The mission went smoothly, the trio even got to walk in through the front door, but Oliver’s blood went cold the second they reached their destination. Chloe had guided them toward the room with the most action on her thermalimaging screen. Unfortunately, none of them could have guessed what would be waiting for them in the center of the warehouse.
The Kiss
“Clark, I need this sent to the editor.” Lois Lane was multitasking once again. She just finished a third article for tomorrow’s edition. Missing two months of work, she felt obligated to do her best. Tess informed her yesterday that she had too much to do, so the Planet was getting a new editor in chief. This guy named Perry White, Lois was hoping that he would give her better stories than Tess had the last few weeks. Kitten adoptions were not the type of stuff that Lois liked to write about.
Lois looked up to see Clark staring at her. “What Smallville? Get a move on, we’ve got more articles to write.” He grabbed the paper out of her hand; Lois’s skin felt like it was on fire where his skin had grazed her. She tugged her hand away, “Geeze took you long enough.”
“Lois?” Clark stared at her searchingly.
She ignored him. “Listen Smallville. We’re getting a new editor. If we want to get out of this dank basement we’ve got to rock these articles.” Clark grabbed her by the hand. “What….” Before Lois got another word out Clark pressed his lips to hers. After a second of shock, she relaxed and kissed him back.
Villain
Lex Luthor stood next to Tess Mercer holding a gun to her head. “Well, well… well, if it isn’t Robin Hood and his merry band of thieves. I figured this would be as good of time as any to let you know I’m back. This is the second time I’ve rose from the dead, do you think it will be different this time, I sure hope not. But I did notice that there really wasn’t anyone at my funeral, seeing as how you thought you killed me you would have graced us with your presence.”
Looking directly at the Green Arrow he continued, “You have got to see were I’m coming from. My wife Helen thought she killed me once, and she made what I heard was a very emotional display. Mr. Arrow, I would have expected you front and center.” He had watched the footage from the trailer many times, he could have sworn that the Arrow was out for vengeance when he killed Lex’s clone. “Or my friend Clark at least; ah, a story for another time.”
The Black Canary spat, “The world was better off with you dead!” Bart was getting jumpy waiting for orders. Chloe wasn’t giving any, and Oliver looked frozen.
Lex smiled, as his eyes rose to look at the costumed people in front of him, he had met each of these foes multiple times before. The boy in the red could move faster than a bullet, he could almost be invisible, but Lex was prepared for him. “You are standing on a pressurized platform move one muscle and you are all dead. Speedy over there, could you live with yourself if you killed your boss and his pretty girlfriend? I thought not.” He looked to Dinah. “Same to you missy, I know your name.”
Looking directly at Oliver, Lex cocked the gun at Tess’s head. “Say goodbye Tess, I think you’ve overstayed your welcome.” Tears ran down her face and she looked directly into the Green Arrow’s eyes. Seeing the look of utter anguish on the Green Arrow’s face, Lex cracked a bigger smile and blew a hole through Tess’s head.
“Enough of the monologue-ing, I’ll be killing all of you soon. Warn your freaky friends, Lex Luthor is going to save the human race. Oh, a good friend of mine recently told me ‘you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain,’ which road are you taking Mr. Arrow, you are a murderer and yet you want to save us all?” Raising his arm, Lex shot up into the sky into a Helicopter, as the heroes stood still as statues.
Throughout the entire conversation, Chloe had been screaming into Oliver’s Com to do something ‘shoot him,’ but now minutes later Oliver was catatonic. Bart offered to grab them, but Dinah told him to shut up. Chloe was sick of waiting, “Arrow if you do not respond I am going to have Boy Scout come pick up your sorry ass!” Canary answered instead, “Do it, Luthor just killed Mercer, and I think it will be a bit before he recovers.” Two seconds later Clark Kent appeared, standing next to Tess Mercer’s body.
“What the hell!” Clark exclaimed as he looked at Tess’s body. Chloe quickly explained the situation. “Okay, Impulse you grab Canary and I’ll get Arrow. Let’s get them back to Watchtower. She says this place is going to blow.”
The Justice League
“Okay, you go out on a recon mission, and not only do I need to call Clark to go save you, but you bring Oliver back drunk!” Chloe was venomous as the heroes returned to the Watchtower.
“He was like this before we started the mission, but he could have handled himself if it had been a different situation! Chloe, Lex is alive, Tess is dead, and you can’t just keep yelling like it makes a difference. Because obviously he is still not responsive.” Canary bellowed.
“How?” Oliver finally moved of his own free will. “He exploded, I killed him, and yet he’s still here. How?” tears were flowing down Oliver’s face. Chloe walked up behind him and tried to comfort Oliver with a hand to his shoulder. He shrugged her off and turned back toward Chloe, “Arrow out!” Oliver left the group and storming out the front door.
Clark looked around the room, “Lex must have used a clone last year when Oliver attacked him after the Wedding.” He looked a Chloe, whose eyes’ had filled with tears, she curtly nodded. Clark continued, deep in thought. “He had cloned Lana and his brother Julian, so that part makes sense, but I have no idea where he could have been for the last year. And now we have no…”
Chloe quickly interrupted wiping the tears away from her eyes. “I think it is time to expand the League.” Jaws dropped on the three superheroes surrounding her. “Lex has been God knows where making friends with God knows who for the past year while we were lulled into a false sense of security. Back in the days of the Justice Society the criminals quaked in their boots before the might of the heroes united. What if we take our little group, and add some of our friends then make more. We barely made it out of the Doomsday situation alive, and Lex is beginning to sound, well crazier than he was last time.” Clark raised his eyebrows. “Just think, we could get Zatanna, those twins who were impersonating you, Jon Jones, try pulling in others like Oliver and boom! We could combat anything Lex could throw at us.”
Dinah looked skeptical, Bart looked excited, but Chloe really wanted to have Clark in on this before she got too far ahead of herself. “Chloe, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“Clark you’ve used all these excuses before. But we need this, and we need you to come in full here. If not forever, until Lex is done. You are in as much danger as anyone. He knows who you are! You need us.” Chloe almost pleaded to her Kryptonian friend. “Clark you left me when I needed you most, but I can’t do that to you, so please listen to me.”
“Well, if Ollie is okay with this, I’m all for it. I’d even start recruiting if you want; this isn’t the first team I’ve worked on.” Dinah said with more enthusiasm than she had ever showed Chloe the entire time they’d known each other.
“Chloelishous, you knew I’d be in before you asked. I know the Tin Man and Fish Stick would totally be in too.” Bart gave Chloe the look. The ‘I’d do anything no matter what as long as you’re happy’ look. The same look that Jimmy had once given her every day. It gave Chloe a sad strength.
She stood tall. “Dinah, I want you to talk to Oliver, try convincing him. If you can’t I’ll talk to him, but this is going ahead. Clark, are you in?”
“What do you want me to do?” Clark’s eyes looked reserved, like he finally figured out it would be easier if he wasn’t alone.
Chloe looked to Dinah and Bart, “I want you two to track down Oliver and get him home. We don’t want the Green Arrow’s identity revealed.” They took off.
“Clark, first I want you to come out. Get Lois to write an article.” He began to interrupt. “Clark, if you two are together, then she’ll find out eventually. It will probably be easier if we do it now. If you can’t then let’s have the Blur give an exclusive. We’re going to need good press if we want anyone to join us. Just remember how she was last time, before you used the ring.” Her voice softened, “then I want you to contact the Wonder Twins, they like you more than me. Then Jon, he’s practically in anyway.”
Clark’s eyes brightened as he interrupted her, “Kara! If I have a good enough reason she’ll come back. She was pretty doubtful that Kandor survived anyway.”
“Perfect, I’d love to see your cousin again. The more Kryptonians the better.” Chloe smiled, happy in a way she hadn’t been in months.
“On the Lois front, I’m going to need your help.” Clark almost looked guiltily. “I may have kissed her and she may have responded by treating me as a piece of furniture. Most of our communication since has been ‘I’m busy Smallville’ and ‘Smallville cover this, I’m going in the field.’”
“Tough break big guy. I’ll talk to her; we need a girl’s night any way.” Chloe just shook her head as Clark super-sped away. “Only took him five years.”
The Clock Tower
Oliver had made it back to his apartment before anyone had come looking. He was pretty sure Chloe was going to kill him in the morning but at this point what could make her angrier. He poured himself another drink, raised it to his lips before Dinah grabbed his arm. “World War 3 is about to start and you decide to stay drunk?”
“How is any of that your business?” Oliver’s eyes betrayed his fear, she saw right through his voice. He could tell. “Dinah, not now. I just can’t take anymore, my parents, Jimmy and Lex, now Tess. And then he’s not dead. How many other lives? I thought this was over.” He started to sink to the ground, she took his drink.
“Oliver Queen. You are a hero; the Green Arrow is the leader of the Justice League. He would have made your parents proud.” She took his head in her hands. “Ollie, Chloe proposed that we expand. Right after you left. I think she’s got a point.” He shook his head, and turned his eyes away from her.
“Ollie, Lex made friends last year. While we thought he was dead. He found people who could help him. They join, we need to join. We need to be stronger than them. I have done it before; it’s easier when you can rely on others. Then we won’t get stuck like we did tonight. Victor and A.C. were unavailable, but we should have had more back up.” Without notice Oliver grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed her. Dinah pushed him back, “if you think that is going to….”
Oliver interrupted, “Dinah, can I say anything?” she nodded. “It could work, but we need Clark. Without him I don’t see how we could convince anyone else.”
“He’s in.” Oliver’s eyes widened. Drunkenly smiling, Oliver started to stand up. “This is going to work, I just need to… sleep, and then talk to Chloe. Sleep first, good idea me.” He looked into Dinah’s eyes. “Can you stay tonight?”
“Oliver, I’ve got stuff to do. I’m going to call into Watchtower. Tell them you are safe. Then I’m taking off to Gotham. I don’t have any time to waste.” Oliver’s eyes betrayed a moment of pain, and then he wished her luck.
A House of Stone and a House of Sticks
After Clark had left Chloe decided it was time to knock some sense back into Oliver, no matter what it took. Chloe had a renewed mission in life and she wasn’t going to let Oliver ruin the chances of this working out.
She hoped he was at least conscious as she rode the elevator to the penthouse. She lifted the gate open on the elevator and saw Oliver sitting on the couch. He was staring at the open window, Dinah must have just left.
“Chloe what are you doing here?” Oliver was still slurring his words.
“Mr. Queen, I understand this summer has been hard for you, but you need to act more responsibly.” He looked at Chloe, she sounded just like his teachers in boarding school. “How would you have felt if we lost Dinah or Bart because you can’t keep the bottle out of your hand?” When he didn’t answer, she grabbed his face and made him look into her eyes. “Oliver, I’m here to let you know, we are going to try expanding the league. I’m not asking your permission, I’m telling you. Your leadership has been subpar; this is turning into a democracy.” He looked like she slapped him across the face.
“Shut up Tower.” He stood up, pulling away from her. He stumbled for a second, then stood up to his full height and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I want to talk to Chloe. She would understand that someone I loved just died.” Chloe scoffed. “She wouldn’t do that. I agree with all the moves you are making professionally, but Chloe’s got to come back or Watchtower will be put on the sidelines until she does.”
Chloe still looked pissed, “see who decided to be the boss.”
“Don’t talk to me like that. Who do you want me to get in contact with?” Oliver seemed almost dead sober at this point. Chloe could see what Dinah was talking about earlier that night.
“Zatanna, anyone you saved during the 33.1 missions who you know is active, and make sure to contact A.C. he’s in Miami with his new Amazonian girlfriend. I’m pretty sure they’ll both come. I wouldn’t expect Bart to remember them. When he starts to bicker with Victor, they tend to not stop until someone else intervenes.” Oliver nodded.
“Chloe, I’m sorry.” She turned to leave.
“Me too.”
___________________________________
Prologue: batgirl-2992.livejournal.com/740.html
Author: Batgirl2992
Pairing: Chruce, Clois, Chollie, Dollie
Rating: PG13 for innuendo
Set after the season 8 finale, Chloe works to bring the Justice League back together, including a caped crusader who isn't too keen on the idea.
Part 1
_______________________________________________________________
Prologue: batgirl-2992.livejournal.com/740.html
Arrow
Oliver Queen had spent many of the last few nights thinking about Chloe. No not Chloe, she wasn’t really Chloe anymore. Chloe smiled when the team walked into Watchtower, she would giggle when Bart hit on her, and Chloe was an angel. Oliver dreamt of the angry woman whose voice would scream in his ear when Arrow made a wrong turn during a mission. Sometimes Oliver wondered if Chloe still existed. Oliver’s dreams had been of Chloe, she had looked at him with the smile Oliver hadn’t seen since before she married Jimmy, then her face would cover in tears and Watchtower’s voice would say, “Why, Oliver? It’s your fault.” And Oliver would wake in a cold sweat.
Then sitting on the edge of his bed, Oliver’s mind would turn to that fateful day, he offered Jimmy a job doing favors for Oliver and the League. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Clark’s plan didn’t go so well. Besides betraying the League and everything they stood for Chloe used that damned piece of kryptonite and let loose a monster much worse than Doomsday. It turned out Oliver was right about Davis truly being a murderer. Jimmy Olsen died knowing the truth about Clark and Chloe, but he died because Oliver had gotten him involved. That was the point each night Oliver would grab one of the many bottles of liquor in his apartment
Part of Oliver blamed Chloe; she went rouge, because she thought she could save Davis. Oliver would have killed the man himself if he had gotten the chance, but she fooled them all and took him out of town. Another part of Oliver blamed Clark, he was the reason Davis was in Metropolis. He listened to Chloe, because he didn’t send the Beast into the Phantom Zone, and more so because he gave Chloe that stupid idea with the kryptonite. Oliver had yet to confront Clark, but it was coming. Oliver wouldn’t have even known that Clark was still alive if not for Clark’s sweet little note:
Oliver, I’m done, going off the grid. Don’t try to find me. I’m looking for Lois, and then I’m gone. - Kal El
Kal El, Oliver was ticked. It was bad enough he was leaving, but he was renouncing his humanity too. It killed Oliver inside for the first two months while Lois was gone. He knew she was planning on meeting the Red Blue Blur that night, in the middle of Metropolis’ worst disaster since Black Thursday, which was before Oliver moved here.
Of course last week when Lois reappeared, so did Clark Kent, now he was acting like dropping off the planet for months was no big deal. Oliver knew none of the team; especially Chloe had forgiven him for that yet. But the crime rate dropped severely once Lois wrote, “The Blur is Back” so Clark was at least hero-ing. Oliver wished he knew what happened to Lois, but she seemed to be amnesiac. Emil Hamilton, the League’s full time physician, had run every test he could think of, but he told Oliver waiting was the best plan at this point.
Tonight, just like every other night Oliver’s blood alcohol content was pushing maximum, but unlike every other night the team was supposed to be infiltrating a Luthor Corp. warehouse. This one Oliver Queen, the current CEO was not able to gain access to. So Watchtower set up this mission, mostly because things were slow, and you never knew when one of Lex’s old secrets was lurking below the surface.
Dressed as the Green Arrow, Oliver stopped at the coordinates Tower had sent him 10 minutes before. He stuck to the shadows waiting for the others; from where he stood he could see the heavy guard patrolling around the building. “Tower, heavy protection around the perimeter” Oliver slurred into his com link.
“Arrow, wait for Canary and Impulse before proceeding.” Chloe quietly replied.
Less than a minute later Canary dropped from the building above him. “Arrow, you ready?” she asked smirking at the blond billionaire.
“No action without Impulse” Tower commanded into their ears. But less than a second later Impulse appeared before the twosome, with a burrito in his hand. “Yo Aqui, Senorita.”
“Arrow and Canary take out the perimeter and Impulse check if we can take the easy way in or if we’ll have to use Canary’s special gifts to gain access.” Tower explained as she watched from her tower in the middle of Metropolis, using Queen Industry satellites.
The mission went smoothly, the trio even got to walk in through the front door, but Oliver’s blood went cold the second they reached their destination. Chloe had guided them toward the room with the most action on her thermalimaging screen. Unfortunately, none of them could have guessed what would be waiting for them in the center of the warehouse.
The Kiss
“Clark, I need this sent to the editor.” Lois Lane was multitasking once again. She just finished a third article for tomorrow’s edition. Missing two months of work, she felt obligated to do her best. Tess informed her yesterday that she had too much to do, so the Planet was getting a new editor in chief. This guy named Perry White, Lois was hoping that he would give her better stories than Tess had the last few weeks. Kitten adoptions were not the type of stuff that Lois liked to write about.
Lois looked up to see Clark staring at her. “What Smallville? Get a move on, we’ve got more articles to write.” He grabbed the paper out of her hand; Lois’s skin felt like it was on fire where his skin had grazed her. She tugged her hand away, “Geeze took you long enough.”
“Lois?” Clark stared at her searchingly.
She ignored him. “Listen Smallville. We’re getting a new editor. If we want to get out of this dank basement we’ve got to rock these articles.” Clark grabbed her by the hand. “What….” Before Lois got another word out Clark pressed his lips to hers. After a second of shock, she relaxed and kissed him back.
Villain
Lex Luthor stood next to Tess Mercer holding a gun to her head. “Well, well… well, if it isn’t Robin Hood and his merry band of thieves. I figured this would be as good of time as any to let you know I’m back. This is the second time I’ve rose from the dead, do you think it will be different this time, I sure hope not. But I did notice that there really wasn’t anyone at my funeral, seeing as how you thought you killed me you would have graced us with your presence.”
Looking directly at the Green Arrow he continued, “You have got to see were I’m coming from. My wife Helen thought she killed me once, and she made what I heard was a very emotional display. Mr. Arrow, I would have expected you front and center.” He had watched the footage from the trailer many times, he could have sworn that the Arrow was out for vengeance when he killed Lex’s clone. “Or my friend Clark at least; ah, a story for another time.”
The Black Canary spat, “The world was better off with you dead!” Bart was getting jumpy waiting for orders. Chloe wasn’t giving any, and Oliver looked frozen.
Lex smiled, as his eyes rose to look at the costumed people in front of him, he had met each of these foes multiple times before. The boy in the red could move faster than a bullet, he could almost be invisible, but Lex was prepared for him. “You are standing on a pressurized platform move one muscle and you are all dead. Speedy over there, could you live with yourself if you killed your boss and his pretty girlfriend? I thought not.” He looked to Dinah. “Same to you missy, I know your name.”
Looking directly at Oliver, Lex cocked the gun at Tess’s head. “Say goodbye Tess, I think you’ve overstayed your welcome.” Tears ran down her face and she looked directly into the Green Arrow’s eyes. Seeing the look of utter anguish on the Green Arrow’s face, Lex cracked a bigger smile and blew a hole through Tess’s head.
“Enough of the monologue-ing, I’ll be killing all of you soon. Warn your freaky friends, Lex Luthor is going to save the human race. Oh, a good friend of mine recently told me ‘you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain,’ which road are you taking Mr. Arrow, you are a murderer and yet you want to save us all?” Raising his arm, Lex shot up into the sky into a Helicopter, as the heroes stood still as statues.
Throughout the entire conversation, Chloe had been screaming into Oliver’s Com to do something ‘shoot him,’ but now minutes later Oliver was catatonic. Bart offered to grab them, but Dinah told him to shut up. Chloe was sick of waiting, “Arrow if you do not respond I am going to have Boy Scout come pick up your sorry ass!” Canary answered instead, “Do it, Luthor just killed Mercer, and I think it will be a bit before he recovers.” Two seconds later Clark Kent appeared, standing next to Tess Mercer’s body.
“What the hell!” Clark exclaimed as he looked at Tess’s body. Chloe quickly explained the situation. “Okay, Impulse you grab Canary and I’ll get Arrow. Let’s get them back to Watchtower. She says this place is going to blow.”
The Justice League
“Okay, you go out on a recon mission, and not only do I need to call Clark to go save you, but you bring Oliver back drunk!” Chloe was venomous as the heroes returned to the Watchtower.
“He was like this before we started the mission, but he could have handled himself if it had been a different situation! Chloe, Lex is alive, Tess is dead, and you can’t just keep yelling like it makes a difference. Because obviously he is still not responsive.” Canary bellowed.
“How?” Oliver finally moved of his own free will. “He exploded, I killed him, and yet he’s still here. How?” tears were flowing down Oliver’s face. Chloe walked up behind him and tried to comfort Oliver with a hand to his shoulder. He shrugged her off and turned back toward Chloe, “Arrow out!” Oliver left the group and storming out the front door.
Clark looked around the room, “Lex must have used a clone last year when Oliver attacked him after the Wedding.” He looked a Chloe, whose eyes’ had filled with tears, she curtly nodded. Clark continued, deep in thought. “He had cloned Lana and his brother Julian, so that part makes sense, but I have no idea where he could have been for the last year. And now we have no…”
Chloe quickly interrupted wiping the tears away from her eyes. “I think it is time to expand the League.” Jaws dropped on the three superheroes surrounding her. “Lex has been God knows where making friends with God knows who for the past year while we were lulled into a false sense of security. Back in the days of the Justice Society the criminals quaked in their boots before the might of the heroes united. What if we take our little group, and add some of our friends then make more. We barely made it out of the Doomsday situation alive, and Lex is beginning to sound, well crazier than he was last time.” Clark raised his eyebrows. “Just think, we could get Zatanna, those twins who were impersonating you, Jon Jones, try pulling in others like Oliver and boom! We could combat anything Lex could throw at us.”
Dinah looked skeptical, Bart looked excited, but Chloe really wanted to have Clark in on this before she got too far ahead of herself. “Chloe, I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“Clark you’ve used all these excuses before. But we need this, and we need you to come in full here. If not forever, until Lex is done. You are in as much danger as anyone. He knows who you are! You need us.” Chloe almost pleaded to her Kryptonian friend. “Clark you left me when I needed you most, but I can’t do that to you, so please listen to me.”
“Well, if Ollie is okay with this, I’m all for it. I’d even start recruiting if you want; this isn’t the first team I’ve worked on.” Dinah said with more enthusiasm than she had ever showed Chloe the entire time they’d known each other.
“Chloelishous, you knew I’d be in before you asked. I know the Tin Man and Fish Stick would totally be in too.” Bart gave Chloe the look. The ‘I’d do anything no matter what as long as you’re happy’ look. The same look that Jimmy had once given her every day. It gave Chloe a sad strength.
She stood tall. “Dinah, I want you to talk to Oliver, try convincing him. If you can’t I’ll talk to him, but this is going ahead. Clark, are you in?”
“What do you want me to do?” Clark’s eyes looked reserved, like he finally figured out it would be easier if he wasn’t alone.
Chloe looked to Dinah and Bart, “I want you two to track down Oliver and get him home. We don’t want the Green Arrow’s identity revealed.” They took off.
“Clark, first I want you to come out. Get Lois to write an article.” He began to interrupt. “Clark, if you two are together, then she’ll find out eventually. It will probably be easier if we do it now. If you can’t then let’s have the Blur give an exclusive. We’re going to need good press if we want anyone to join us. Just remember how she was last time, before you used the ring.” Her voice softened, “then I want you to contact the Wonder Twins, they like you more than me. Then Jon, he’s practically in anyway.”
Clark’s eyes brightened as he interrupted her, “Kara! If I have a good enough reason she’ll come back. She was pretty doubtful that Kandor survived anyway.”
“Perfect, I’d love to see your cousin again. The more Kryptonians the better.” Chloe smiled, happy in a way she hadn’t been in months.
“On the Lois front, I’m going to need your help.” Clark almost looked guiltily. “I may have kissed her and she may have responded by treating me as a piece of furniture. Most of our communication since has been ‘I’m busy Smallville’ and ‘Smallville cover this, I’m going in the field.’”
“Tough break big guy. I’ll talk to her; we need a girl’s night any way.” Chloe just shook her head as Clark super-sped away. “Only took him five years.”
The Clock Tower
Oliver had made it back to his apartment before anyone had come looking. He was pretty sure Chloe was going to kill him in the morning but at this point what could make her angrier. He poured himself another drink, raised it to his lips before Dinah grabbed his arm. “World War 3 is about to start and you decide to stay drunk?”
“How is any of that your business?” Oliver’s eyes betrayed his fear, she saw right through his voice. He could tell. “Dinah, not now. I just can’t take anymore, my parents, Jimmy and Lex, now Tess. And then he’s not dead. How many other lives? I thought this was over.” He started to sink to the ground, she took his drink.
“Oliver Queen. You are a hero; the Green Arrow is the leader of the Justice League. He would have made your parents proud.” She took his head in her hands. “Ollie, Chloe proposed that we expand. Right after you left. I think she’s got a point.” He shook his head, and turned his eyes away from her.
“Ollie, Lex made friends last year. While we thought he was dead. He found people who could help him. They join, we need to join. We need to be stronger than them. I have done it before; it’s easier when you can rely on others. Then we won’t get stuck like we did tonight. Victor and A.C. were unavailable, but we should have had more back up.” Without notice Oliver grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed her. Dinah pushed him back, “if you think that is going to….”
Oliver interrupted, “Dinah, can I say anything?” she nodded. “It could work, but we need Clark. Without him I don’t see how we could convince anyone else.”
“He’s in.” Oliver’s eyes widened. Drunkenly smiling, Oliver started to stand up. “This is going to work, I just need to… sleep, and then talk to Chloe. Sleep first, good idea me.” He looked into Dinah’s eyes. “Can you stay tonight?”
“Oliver, I’ve got stuff to do. I’m going to call into Watchtower. Tell them you are safe. Then I’m taking off to Gotham. I don’t have any time to waste.” Oliver’s eyes betrayed a moment of pain, and then he wished her luck.
A House of Stone and a House of Sticks
After Clark had left Chloe decided it was time to knock some sense back into Oliver, no matter what it took. Chloe had a renewed mission in life and she wasn’t going to let Oliver ruin the chances of this working out.
She hoped he was at least conscious as she rode the elevator to the penthouse. She lifted the gate open on the elevator and saw Oliver sitting on the couch. He was staring at the open window, Dinah must have just left.
“Chloe what are you doing here?” Oliver was still slurring his words.
“Mr. Queen, I understand this summer has been hard for you, but you need to act more responsibly.” He looked at Chloe, she sounded just like his teachers in boarding school. “How would you have felt if we lost Dinah or Bart because you can’t keep the bottle out of your hand?” When he didn’t answer, she grabbed his face and made him look into her eyes. “Oliver, I’m here to let you know, we are going to try expanding the league. I’m not asking your permission, I’m telling you. Your leadership has been subpar; this is turning into a democracy.” He looked like she slapped him across the face.
“Shut up Tower.” He stood up, pulling away from her. He stumbled for a second, then stood up to his full height and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I want to talk to Chloe. She would understand that someone I loved just died.” Chloe scoffed. “She wouldn’t do that. I agree with all the moves you are making professionally, but Chloe’s got to come back or Watchtower will be put on the sidelines until she does.”
Chloe still looked pissed, “see who decided to be the boss.”
“Don’t talk to me like that. Who do you want me to get in contact with?” Oliver seemed almost dead sober at this point. Chloe could see what Dinah was talking about earlier that night.
“Zatanna, anyone you saved during the 33.1 missions who you know is active, and make sure to contact A.C. he’s in Miami with his new Amazonian girlfriend. I’m pretty sure they’ll both come. I wouldn’t expect Bart to remember them. When he starts to bicker with Victor, they tend to not stop until someone else intervenes.” Oliver nodded.
“Chloe, I’m sorry.” She turned to leave.
“Me too.”
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Prologue: batgirl-2992.livejournal.com/740.html