Deepest Desire 1/?
Title: Deepest Desire 1/?
Author: Calie
Rating:PG
Summary: Spoilers for Hex. Oliver finds his deepest desire and Chloe has a revelation.
Notes: Oops, I posted this on fanficiton.net last not and forgot to post it on here. I've got most of the second part written. I might post it today.
“I don’t have time for this.” Oliver turned away from the woman and headed back to his computer. “I think you have me confused with someone else. I can’t help you.”
“You’re the Green Arrow.” The dark haired woman said and took a couple of steps closer to his desk. “I know a lot about you.”
Oliver turned back around, curbing his shock. “I don’t know how you got in here, but I suggest you leave.”
“I can go anywhere I want.” She walked forward and took a seat on the edge of his desk, her fishnet clad legs crossing at her thighs. “Except to Lex Luthor.” There was a glint in his eyes, now she had his attention.
“What was your name again?” As always, all things came back to Lex.
“You can call me Zatanna. Luthor has something of mine, and from what I know you are pretty good at stealing things. I thought we might be able to be of service to one another.” The wheels were turning in his head she could tell. Everyone could be bought.
“You just said you could get in anywhere.” He walked around his desk and took at seat. “If you can break in here I don’t see why you can’t break in there.” There was a flash of annoyance on her face and he knew he had hit a soar spot.
“Yes, well. It seems that Luthor was expecting me. My powers seem to be useless in this case.”
“What are you?” Oliver said in confusion and waved a hand at her. For a moment he had forgotten about her offer and became sidetracked by her attire.
“A magician.” She smirked. “But I can do a lot more then pull bunnies out of hats.”
“So you can break in to by penthouse, so could I. Look,” He was up again, ready to walk her out. “I hate to tell you, but there isn’t anything that you could offer me that I can’t already get for myself.”
“What about your deepest desire Mr. Queen.” He stopped in front of her and seemed to be at least listening. “I can give it to you. No amount of money in the world could do that.” She studied him carefully, trying to guess on her own what it was that he craved, but he was right, he had money. So whatever it was either unattainable for him or he didn’t even know. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his heart. Most of her powers worked by touching a persons head, but desires, that came from someone’s heart. His hand wrapped around her wrist painfully and he pushed her away, but it was enough. “Sorry.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” He said angrily and headed towards the door. Oliver yanked it open and stood to the side. “Leave, now.”
“You don’t even know.” She smiled softly. The coincidence of it all was amazing. So much so that she began to think it was met to be. By the look on his face it didn’t appear that he believed a word she was saying. “You want a lot of things, revenge for you parents death, Lex Luthor brought to justice, peace with Tess, protection for your friends, and justice for all.” She walked closer to him and stopped in front of him. “But none of those things are what you really crave. It won’t get you through the night, and you will still be empty inside. You’ll still be alone.” There was an anger that had built up in his eyes as she spoke. “Okay, so maybe you need a little bit more convincing.” Zatanna looked around his townhouse for something to hit her. “Ah. Okay watch that glass.”
Oliver’s eyes followed in the direction she was pointing to. What he saw was a glass of water. Just as he was about to open his mouth to question the importance of his water the liquid in the glass floated out of the glass. At first it remained in the same cylinder shape as the glass, and then suddenly it grew longer, twisting like a rope, and then falling back into the glass. Small droplets of water splattered on his paper but he didn’t care. “What are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I can do so much more then that. I just want back what’s mine, no questions asked. What Luthor has is dangerous, it belongs to me. But I promise you that I’m good. I mean no one harm. Help me and I promise I’ll give you your deepest desire.” Zatanna smiled. “And trust me it’s deep, even you don’t know what it is.”
“If I don’t know what it is then I won’t miss it.” Even Oliver knew he didn’t really mean that. The strange woman’s show of power had him beginning to wonder if she could really follow through on her promise.
“You don’t believe that.” She waited, knowing that he was finally considering her offer.
“What is it that I’m taking?”
Oliver handed the statue over to her and watched cautiously as she surveyed its condition. He still wasn’t quite sure he trusted her and her intentions. “I’m guessing this is what you wanted?”
“Yes.” Zatanna looked up to him and smiled gratefully. “This means a lot to me. It holds a lot of power; it’s been in our family for centuries.” She turned to the wooden box opened on the table and slid it back into its velvet cut out. After shutting the cover and locking it she turned to him. “Will he know it was you who stole it?”
Oliver shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I can’t imagine I could piss him of much more then I already have. Plus, I kind of like doing it.”
“I suspected as much. Look, your secret it’s safe with me. I have a lot of secrets and I’m very good at keeping them. You can trust me.”
Although Oliver only had her word for it there was something sincere in her words. He did trust her, even if he didn’t believe she would really be able to follow through on her promise.
“Now it’s my turn.” Zatanna began pulling her gloves off, yanking on one gloved finger and then the next. “You must understand that providing someone their deepest desire is dangerous. Many people would do anything to have it.” She laid one glove on the table and then proceeded to remove the second. “But I know how to read people, and I know that you would give anything to protect those you care about.” She laid the other to the side and looked up him squarely. “I’m not giving anything to you. It isn’t that easy. Life isn’t. But I want to show you, give you the chance. I firmly believe that if I wasn’t here to give you this push that you wouldn’t have done it on your own. So, do you trust me?”
Everything she had just said made no sense to him, but he had to admit he was curious. “Maybe, but I am curious.”
Zatanna smiled. “That’s good enough.” She laid her hand on his chest over his heart. “You won’t feel a thing.”
Oliver waited for something. He expected to feel something, see some light, for something to spontaneously appear before him. She withdrew her hand and yet there was nothing. “Wha-.”
“What the-! Where? Oliver!”
“Chloe?” He bounded forward, forgetting about Zatanna and switched over his camera view on the TV and found Chloe standing just outside his door. He rung the buzzer to let her in and headed for the door. As it opened she was staring at him wide eyed. “What are you doing here?”
“I-.” She looked down at her hands. The red manicured nails were gone, replaced by her own neatly trimmed plain nails. Then next thing she inspected was her hair. After holding a blond strand in front of her she breathed a sigh of relief. Hadn’t Oliver just said her name? “What am I doing here?” There was a soft cough that came from inside his townhouse and she tilted her head to look behind him. “What is she doing here?!”
Before he could even utter a word Chloe was pushing past him.
“How could you do that to me!?” Chloe stopped a few feet from the other woman and pointed her finger in accusation.
“I gave you what you asked. You needed to see her life for what it really was, and figure out your own.” Zatanna studied her for a moment then looked back at Oliver whose eyes were focused on the blond. “You did didn’t you? I can tell. Like an epiphany?” Zatanna smiled and reached for her locked case. “Everything happens for a reason Chloe. You and I met for a reason. You know what’s fact and fiction about your cousin’s life and now you understand yourself. And now you here.” She offered Chloe a genuine smile even though the other woman seemed slightly bewildered and angry. “I wish you luck.” Zatanna moved to make her exit but stopped when she reached Oliver. “You too Mr. Queen. Make what you will of your own personnel revelation.”
Oliver watched the brunette exit and then looked back at Chloe. He couldn’t even think about how Chloe knew the strange woman when he couldn’t even wrap his mind around what Zatanna had just revealed. “I’ll be back.” If Chloe said something he didn’t hear her as he shut the door. “Wait.”
Zatanna turned to him and stood. He’d want answers she knew, but there wasn’t much else she had to offer.
“Chloe, on my doorstep. That’s it? Chloe is-.” He couldn’t say it. Even the thought of it made him panic.
“Your deepest desire? It would appear so. You crave companionship and love above everything else. It’s the one thing you feel that you’ll never be able to achieve because of your duel life.” When he didn’t speak she sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was spell it out for him. Love was something a person should figure out for themselves. “Perhaps Chloe should tell you her entire story, but tonight she found out what love really was and she realized she never had it to begin with.”
“Chloe? No.” He shook his head. It was impossible. He wouldn’t even think of the implication of what that could mean or even try to imagine why Zatanna came to her conclusions. “Absolutely not. You’re wrong.”
“I am not.” She said slightly affronted. “Figure it out for yourself. But on some level you desire that woman in there. You may not know it yet but you do.”
“Even if what you were saying was even slightly the truth didn’t you realize that she is married?”
“Yes, but Chloe came to her own realization tonight.” Zatanna stepped back from him. “Thank you for your help. I hope that everything works out for both of you.”
Oliver opened his mouth to tell her she was wrong again but she disappeared in a plume of smoke.
When he turned back to the door he stood there silently. There was no way he was going to reveal to Chloe what Zatanna had told him. And although he was curious what Chloe had to do with Zatanna he was pretty sure that she wouldn’t tell him what happened either. He’d go in there, try to brush it off, and get her home.
Zatanna had been wrong about Chloe though. If anyone would know what his deepest desire was it would have been him.