The Fall 1/?
Title: The Fall1/?
Author: Calie
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: Smallville
Summary: Sometimes even a hero needs to be rescued.
Notes: Okay, here we go, another multi-chapter story. So this is based on spoilers for Season 9 about Oliver going on another downhill spiral. I'm a bit over that already since they already did it once. But anyway, I had a particular episode in mind. If you read the spoilers it won't take you long to figure it out by the next chapter. This chapter is pretty short, I just wanted to set it up. And sorry about there being no Chloe yet. Let me know what you think. I'm not quite sure how much I'm feeling this story so please review.
“Hello?” Lois called once she stepped off the elevator into the darkness. Lights from the computer monitors lit the room and one lone lamp. “Oliver?” Footsteps echoed from down the hallway and she looked in their direction to find Oliver emerging.
“You haven’t been here in a while.”
She looked for something in his voice, anything to hint at what Chloe had told her, but to her he was the same Oliver, plus a clear glass with dark liquid. That was her only sign. “Yea, I’ve been out of town.”
“Yea I heard about that.” Oliver stopped at the bar, tipped his head back, downing the remainder of his drink, and placed it on the bar as he reached for the bottle of scotch. “Good old farm boy got you back.”
Lois opened her mouth to speak and then shut it as he filled up the glass. He didn’t appear to be drunk, but Chloe’s warning told her otherwise. “Yea. So, what have you been up to?”
He turned to her and studied her for a moment. There was something in her face and her posture that bothered him; it almost seemed as if she was unsure of him. “You know, you don’t have to pretend this is a courtesy call.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lois snapped at his knowing look.
“Right.” He smirked and nodded to the bar. “Drink?”
“No, thanks. Could we sit?” He held out a hand to the sofa and she walked slowly over to it, still slightly wary of him. They took a seat on the same sofa, a half a cushion between them. “I guess I should cut the crap.” She said boldly and continued. “People are worried about you.”
“Of course.” He lounged back into the seat and looked away from her, taking a long swig of his drink.
“Look Oliver, I know I’m known for butting my head into stuff I shouldn’t. But I’m genuinely concerned about you. I mean it’s obvious to any person picking up a paper that your life is going down the toilet. Out all night, blowing off your responsibilities, squandering your own inheritance, and making bad business decisions with Queen Industries. It’s only a matter of time before the board votes to kick you off.” He his head to face her slowly, eyes slanting, but she wouldn’t be deterred. “You know we all were affected. What do you need to get back up again?”
“You know when I was happy?” He mused, more to himself then her. “I remember being pretty happy when we were together.” He looked at her to gage her reaction, her face tensed. “You know I’m still really not quite sure what happened. I mean I do, I know what happened, but I still can’t really figure it out. Because I never really understood what the big deal was. I mean we were great together right?”
“Yea.” Lois admitted softly, her heart still clenching slightly. It wasn’t that she necessarily wanted him back, but she wanted that feeling, she missed it.
Oliver laid his arm over the back of the sofa and leaned into her. “So then what’s the problem?”
His eyes were glassy and she could smell the scotch on his breath, he was drunk. “Oliver the problems that made us break up aren’t the same ones that kept us apart.” She said gently. At this point, she had his attention, his trust; she didn’t want to blow it by wounding his ego. “But people change. Stuff happens to us that changes us.” He laughed, almost cruelly and removed his arm.
He ran her words through his head over and over, sipping his drink as he did so. But no matter how many times he tried he couldn’t make himself believe them. “So, if I asked you again, would you come back?”
She felt her heart thudding in his chest. A part of her believed he might be serious, then another tried to tell her he was a drowning man grasping for anything to keep himself afloat. “I’m not the answer to your problems Oliver.” Another laugh and he shook his head. “I can’t give you what you want. Disregarding the fact that I think we both have truly moved on, like I said, we both are in different places. Forgetting your extracurricular activities, we’re both to goal oriented, to busy.
“Goals.” He smiled. “Right Lois.” Finishing off the remaining scotch in his glass, Oliver stood from the couch and headed to the bar. “So what are you going to do, talk to me, leave, and expect everything to be better?”
She watched him with narrowed eyes as he poured another drink. She wanted to know the glass out of his hand but decided against it. “I don’t know Oliver. I didn’t realize how bad it had gotten for you. I care about you.”
“You care.” He nodded thoughtfully and poured another glass. “But not enough right? What did I do wrong to you?” He turned from the bar to face her and leaned back against it. “You know I would have done anything for you, I still would if you asked me to. I’ve practically begged you on a couple of occasions to come back.” She didn’t say anything, and he knew why, he knew she didn’t want to tell him the ugly truth. That familiar feeling of anger began brewing in him again. “I guess your caring only goes so far.” He bit out angrily, not even caring if he hurt her.
At his words she on her feet and moving towards him, heals ready to dig holes in the floor. “Here’s the truth Oliver. I care about you, but that us you’re talking about is gone. There was never a chance. You want to know how I found out about what was really going on with you, why I’m really here? Chloe. I told her talking to you would be useless, I knew that. You never wanted help. But she insisted. Said that there was no way you’d listen to a thing she said, that maybe I might have luck. So yea, I guess my caring only went so far, but Chloe’s went further. But you won’t talk to her right?”
Oliver snarled at her, bristling at the sound of Chloe’s name. “I’m not another troubled pet for Chloe to pick up along her way. She needs to find salvation some other way.”
“She cares about you! We all do!”
“Then do me a favor and get out.” She was like the rest of them, that much was obvious.
“Oliver.” But he was already turning from her, heading back down the hallway. “Oliver!”
Oliver turned his head to the window and watched Metropolis disappear behind him. It was like a breath of fresh air. At one time he’d enjoyed living there, more so then Star City. But it was suffocating him now, along with his responsibilities and the people he called friends. They’d call it running, Oliver didn’t give a fuck. Let someone else fight the good battle; let Queen Industries implode on itself. For the first time in his life he didn’t care about anything or anyone.