Poison
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
They argued. Bitterly. None of them could agree on where to take Oliver. Chloe and Bart wanted to bring him to a hospital immediately. The others insisted that Oliver would not want his identity revealed, or his name in the press. If it were discovered that he was being hospitalized for a drug overdose or if anyone could connect him to the break-in at Cadmus, it would be disastrous not only for Oliver Queen, but also for the Green Arrow, especially if Lex got wind of it. The others didn’t think Dr. McClellan could be trusted, and thought that he’d probably notified Lex as soon as Chloe and Bart had left the doctor’s home.
Against her wishes and judgment, he was brought back to the penthouse. Chloe sat at his bedside for hours, simply watching him breathe, leaving him only briefly to shower. Food hadn’t even crossed her mind, until Bart offered her a container of chicken soup, half of a sandwich, and a cup of coffee. After some time, she geared herself up for round two of the argument, and left Oliver’s side to step into the living room area where the others waited.
“Is he alright?” Bart inquired as Chloe walked back in the room.
“For now. But I don’t think it will last long.”
“I think we should all stay here tonight.” Clark dropped down on the couch and sighed.
Chloe moved to sit beside him. “I think he needs to be in a hospital.”
“I don’t know, Chloe. We don’t know how long he’ll stay out and if something happens we’ll all need be here. I’ll get him to the hospital.” He buried his face in his hands.
Chloe placed a comforting hand on his knee and frowned. “Are your abilities any closer to full strength now?”
“How touching.”
They all spun around at the familiar voice.
It was Clark who answered him first. “Oliver, how are you feeling?”
“I don’t know.” He walked a little closer, hard, wary eyes falling upon each of them in turn, not sure if he could trust any of them. “I’ve been drugged by my friends, and walk in here to find them conspiring against me.” He cast a venomous glance at Chloe and Clark. “Oh yes, and see you two getting very cozy together in my living room.”
“Oliver, don’t.” Chloe stood up, but Clark was there putting an arm out to stop her.
“Don’t what, Chloe?” He walked past them sizing each of them up, giving them each a piece of himself, daring any one of them to try anything, ready in the event any one of them tried to attack him. As he did so Clark stepped carefully, always facing him and keeping Chloe behind him, away from Oliver. When he reached Clark he stopped. “What do you want Clark?”
“I want to help you.”
“You? Help me? Please. You don’t have the brains for it. Don’t you have a tractor to fix? Or maybe Lana needs you to help her knit a sweater.” He looked at Chloe and saw something there. Hurt maybe. Was it he who had hurt her, forcing her to go to Clark? Was that why Clark was standing in front of her now? Clark, always so foolish and stupid where Chloe was concerned, never really seeing what was in front of him the entire time. Had he finally done something right? Not if Oliver had anything to say about it. Jealousy suddenly boiled in him like a scalding fury, and he needed to do something to unleash it. He knew that asking Clark to get away from Chloe would be useless. He’d let his fists do the talking instead.
Clark knew it wasn’t by far the worst punch he had ever received but it was a lot more than he was expecting from Oliver. He actually fell onto the floor. Clark touched his lip. His fingers came away red-stained. “Stay back!” Clark warned the others, as they moved forward in an attempt to subdue Oliver. There was no telling what would happen if they all became involved, and Clark didn’t want to find out.
Clark rose to his feet, Oliver moved to punch him again, and Clark deflected the blow, delivering his own fist into Oliver’s gut. It amazed Clark how not even that seemed to faze him. Oliver took it as though it were nothing, and then before Clark could move, Oliver had grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the floor briefly before throwing him down onto his back, Oliver then continued to pummel him mercilessly. Somewhere from far away, he thought he heard Chloe’s voice, and the others yelling for him to stop. But it was exhilarating. And Oliver’s jealousy seemed to grow with every punch. No one would have her. None of them would get near her.
In Clark’s weakened state, and Oliver’s enhanced one, Clark knew he was no match for him, but he had to do what he could to protect Chloe. He fought back, and they rolled several times on the floor, before Oliver once again had the upper hand. Clark wouldn’t give in. He didn’t think Oliver would hurt Chloe. But Oliver was definitely not himself, and this was further proof.
“Stop! Stop it!” Chloe watched in horror as Clark hit the ground, terrified at Oliver’s mounting rage. “What are you doing?!” She tried to get Oliver off of Clark, and was relieved when he finally seemed to hear her, and stood up, panting.
Chloe fell to Clark’s side to help him up, but Oliver grabbed her by the neckline of her blouse, yanking her up toward him. “Get away from him!” Oliver seethed, anger flashing in his eyes.
“Ollie! Let her go.” A.C. yelled.
Just as Clark made to reach for Chloe, Oliver moved her in front of him like a shield, his strong arm around her middle. “All of you, back off!” Suddenly he put a knife to her throat. “Will I do it?” he ground out, his eyes wrathful as he gazed at each of them, daring them to come closer. “You think I won’t, that I care about her and I wouldn’t hurt her. All of you stay away from her, or I’ll do it.”
“Ollie, please man, don’t hurt her. You know you don’t want to hurt her.” Bart pleaded.
“Maybe I’d rather kill her than see another man put his hands on her.”
“Oliver.” Chloe gasped. The knife bit painfully into her throat, just breaking the skin. He wasn’t bluffing. Clark started to approach them. “Don’t Clark,” she managed to choke out.
“Shhhh,” Oliver whispered in her ear, and began backing up, dragging her along. “Please don’t talk to him Chloe, it’s only going to make me very angry. Okay?”
She nodded and sniffled. This had to be some horrible nightmare. It wasn’t real. Her Oliver had a knife to her throat. Hadn’t he just kissed her sweetly 24 hours ago? A soft gentle kiss with promise. Was this what she meant to him now? Had whatever feelings he had for her become twisted into this horrible rage?
“And try not to cry will you? I don’t like crying.”
“What are you going to do Oliver?” Victor asked, but didn’t move closer.
“I’m taking what’s mine, and I’m going somewhere to think. I can’t think here with all of you. Always having to watch over my shoulder in case someone tries to stab me in the back or take what belongs to me.”
“What about Chloe?” Clark demanded. Oliver’s arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist making it hard for her to breath.
“Don’t worry about Chloe,” Oliver sneered. “And don’t follow me. I don’t want any of you near her.”
Suddenly, the elevator closed and they were gone.
* * * * *
Chloe recalled the first time she’d ever been on his motorcycle. It happened a few months before their first kiss. They had been in a rush to escape during a mission, and he’d glanced back at her, reaching behind him to grasp her hand as they ran together through a darkened alley toward his bike. She remembered how he’d pulled her onto it behind him, not once letting go of her. He’d tease her later, saying that she had liked being so close to him, since she’d been gripping his middle so tightly throughout the entire ride, clinging to him for dear life. But that was the other Oliver. The one before he was infected. Now the knife was gone and she was sobbing into his back, clinging onto him so that she wouldn’t fall off, and trying to forget that the man in front of her had changed. For a few moments she tried to believe he hadn’t just kidnapped her with a knife to her throat or threatened to kill her, because he’d rather see her dead than near another man, especially Clark.
The ride wasn’t long, but the sky was already growing dark by the time they stopped at an empty building. Before she had time to get off the bike, he was yanking her off.
“Come on.” He pulled her along, trying not to look at her face, or notice the bit of blood on the collar of her blouse. Seeing the terror and tears in her eyes only made his anger worse and he was doing his best to control it, for her sake.
The building he dragged her into was a warehouse he owned, set up for minimal training but Chloe had a hunch that there were other things there. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.” He pulled her to a chair and pushed her into it. “Just stay there.” He lowered his hood, removed his dark glasses and gloves, tossing them onto a nearby table, before he began to pace back and forth like a caged tiger.
“Please Oliver. Everyone can help you. Your friends, people you’ve trusted with your life for years. Don’t run away from them.” He glared down at her but made no move in her direction. “There has to be a way we can fix this. Clark thinks…”
“Enough with Clark!” Oliver grabbed her arms, pulling her up. “Why does it always come back to Clark with you?”
“I didn’t mean…” She should have known better. Why did she have to mention Clark’s name?
“You’re always more worried about Clark.” He pushed her against the wall and when she winced he didn’t notice.
“No.” She shook her head quickly. “I’m not.”
“So after today you wouldn’t just go back to Clark? Get away from crazy Oliver?” He tightened his hands on her arms, and then grasping her wrists in his hands he flattened them against the wall above her head, pressing his body against hers. He gazed down at her, his eyes fiery, and Chloe watched his face as his expression slowly changed from anger to lust or some combination of both.
He seemed to be waiting for some kind of reaction. When she gave him none, he’d decided to take what he wanted anyway, lowering his head to devour her mouth with his, in a hard, oppressive kiss. “I’ll make you forget Clark,” he hissed against her lips. Chloe whimpered, his lips bruising hers painfully.
His kisses became more frantic and agitated, his body practically crushing hers against the wall, and Chloe knew that if she didn’t do something soon, there’d be no stopping him from what might happen next. “Stop!” Chloe managed to shout hoarsely, turning her head away. “No, no!” She cried. “Not like this Oliver.”
There was no way she could overpower him, he was bigger and stronger, and even if there were no drug to increase his strength, she couldn’t stop him. But she knew that somewhere inside, her Oliver was still there and to her surprise and relief, he did listen to her. He stopped. “I want you back. Remember?” She breathed erratically close to his ear. “Before you left, you said after the mission, we would finish what we’d started. But not like this. I just want you back, Oliver!” She sobbed and felt her knees beginning to give out but forced herself to stand. “I do want you, Ollie, I do. But not like this. Please,” she wept uncontrollably now. Her head fell forward against his chest, her body trembling with the effort it took to stand.
Something in him changed at her words. Chloe could feel it. Slowly, he loosened his grip on her wrists, releasing her, removing his hands from her, and the tension in his body seemed to ease against her. She brought trembling fingertips up to his cheeks. “You touched me like this,” she whispered, her eyes searching his, trying to find him somewhere inside. She cradled his hardened face gently. “So soft. Then you kissed me. You said you’d come back safely so we could continue what we started, remember? I don’t care Oliver. I don’t care; we’ll do whatever it takes. Just come back to me.” Another tear slipped down her cheek. “I love you.”
“Chloe.” Oliver took a faltering step back from her, his breathing unsteady, and Chloe could see the internal warring within him. It was as if the other part of him vied for control and he seemed to realize with horror what he was about to do to a woman he cared about more than anything.
“Lex,” he said, his tone accusatory.
Suddenly he reached for her again, grabbing her forearm and pulling her toward a small storage closet. He shoved her inside roughly and closed the door, locking it from the outside. Chloe’s back hit the wall and she leaned against it. Her legs began to quiver and she slid down to the floor.
Moments later she heard the engine of his motorcycle in the distance. “Oliver!”
End Chapter 5
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