Rescue with dl_greenarrow.

[chloesullivan]

It had taken her weeks before she managed to find him again. Luckily he hadn't left town and since she was still operating from his Star City penthouse, she didn't even need a ride from Bart to get to him, she had managed to track him down to one of his properties, the building had been under construction for a while and it wasn't finished yet, but she had found satellite images of him walking into it three separate times so she guessed that was where he was staying.

Of course, it was twenty stories high and with no elevators so she was breathless by the time she reached the nineteenth floor. There had been no sign of Oliver anywhere, but if she knew him at all, he would have picked the very top floor.

She made her way to the twentieth floor as quietly as she could after stopping for a few moments to catch her breath and as she reached it, she held her breath. There were a couple of things scattered around the floor, empty bottles and a t-shirt, he really was there. Or had been as it seemed that the floor was not completely empty except...

Pursing her lips together, she looked over her shoulder back at the stairs, she could feel the wind, the sea breeze hitting her and it wasn't coming from below. Of course. The roof. Oliver seemed to have a thing for roofs especially when he had to clear his mind, it was usually where he stood, the place he chose to hide.

With a deep breath, she reached for her shoes and took them off, dropping them to the ground silently along with her purse before slowly making her way up the last few steps and, sure enough, the roof door was open, she could hear the ocean outside, there wasn't a lot of traffic anymore, it was past two in the morning after all. She wondered if he was patrolling, but she doubted it.

Holding her breath, she stepped out on the roof, her eyes falling on him instantly and then she stilled completely.

Comments

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He didn't hear her approach as he stood on the edge of the roof, staring blankly into the night sky. It was completely dark above him. The storm clouds rolling in blocked the stars and the moon and he tilted his face to look up, then shut his eyes as the cool breeze hit his skin.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe held her breath and stared at him, her stomach clenched tight, she started approaching him slowly, but the second she saw him leaning forward, all reason was gone and without even blinking, she ran, she ran toward him and stopped right behind him, not hesitating for even a second before grabbing onto his pants and pulling him with all of her strength toward her.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

One moment, he was standing, and the next, he was falling, fear shooting through him involuntarily even as he fell backwards instead of forward and down to the ground below.

A startled yelp escaped him as his back slammed onto the roof's hard concrete pavement and he shut his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe gasped, pain shooting through her as she hit the ground hard, Oliver half on top of her but luckily, the moment they started to fall, she managed to let go of his pants and wrap her arms around him.

She closed her eyes and held on to him tightly, her heart beating fast against her chest.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver felt the arms around him as he regained the ability to breathe and he frowned in confusion, trying to shift enough to look over his shoulder and when he did, he froze, staring at Chloe.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She felt him move, but she refused to loosen her arms, she didn't want to chance letting him go. She knew what he had been doing, she knew what he was up there for, and if she had been a few seconds later.

Shaking her head slightly, she took a deep, shaky breath and opened her eyes, her vision was completely blurred by tears and she was terrified.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"What are you doing here?" He let out a breath, rubbing a hand over his face as he tried to pull away from her.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Her arms remained locked around him, she swallowed hard and looked up at him, shaking her head a little, "were you..." she gasped a little, closing her mouth.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Chloe." His voice was tired and he moved his hand down to one of hers, gently pulling it away from him.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Were you?" She pressed, holding on to his wrist, her voice firmer, but it shook when she spoke.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Let go," he said blankly, well aware of the fact that he could pull away from her forcefully, but he didn't want to hurt her.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"No," She said firmly, sitting up as much as she could with his body still slightly over her, "I have let go long enough."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver let out a breath. "I don't want to hurt you, Chloe. Just let go of me." He shifted so he was on his side next to her, resting his hands on the pavement to push himself up.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe's jaw clenched and she let go of him for a second, pushing herself up and moving to sit over his lap a second later, her heart beating fast against her chest and she could feel her hands were shaking with leftover adrenaline from pulling him from the edge, "I'm not letting you run away from me again."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He didn't look her in the eyes even as his hands moved to rest on her hips. Taking a deep breath, he picked her up, shifting her off of him as he rose to his feet.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Her jaw tightened and she got to her feet as fast as she could, both because she wanted to stop him but mostly because she was afraid he was going to-- fear just shot through her again and overwrote the annoyance over being so weak compared to him. This wasn't about her.

"Oliver, please," she said, her voice breaking as she reached for his hand.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"What do you want from me?" His expression was distant, and he shook his head, not reaching out for her hand, even as his chest tightened.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe didn't care that he didn't take her offered hand, she took his in hers anyway, right now her own self-preservation instincts didn't matter, nothing did, not after what she saw, assuming she was right, "listen to me." She said quietly, her voice shaking again.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He looked down at their hands, swallowing hard and falling silent, still. Waiting.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She stared at him for a moment, her chest beating fast against her chest as she tried to think of what to say, something powerful, something that would make him want to go back, make him believe her that he wasn't guilty, something that told him how much everyone needed him back, but her brain was completely blank, her chest painfully tight as her vision became blurry once more, she couldn't think of anything else and she couldn't miss the opportunity of trying to get through to him.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice shaking again as tears ran down her cheek.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

His chest tightened painfully and he quickly pulled his hand away from her, his own eyes feeling warm. "Don't," he whispered harshly, turning away from her and heading toward the stairwell.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Oliver, please," she tried again, rushing after him barely noticing that it had started raining, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I never told you before, I'm sorry I pushed you away, I'm sorry for everything," she sobbed quietly, "please stop running," she whispered.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, turning to face her, shaking his head as the rain began to pour down onto them. "Why?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She sniffed, blinking the water away from her eyes, she wasn't sure if it was the rain or tears, "because I need you."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

A short, humorless chuckle escaped him. "No, you don't, Chloe. You've never needed me. It's always been the other way around. And I don't have anything to offer you now."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Yes, you do," she told him, rubbing her hands over her face and shaking her head, "I was too scared to tell you Oliver, I was too scared of what it meant, that's why I pushed you away," she sobbed quietly and took a deep breath, "I was stupid and selfish and I'm so sorry I made you hurt like I did." She told him, her voice angry, but her anger was all directed to herself.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He shut his eyes, wishing she would just stop talking. He knew what this was about. Knew what she'd thought. Knew what she'd been right about.

"I can't," he said almost inaudibly.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe swallowed hard and she stepped forward once more, "yes, you can," she whispered, wrapping both hands tightly around one of his, "I need you, Ollie, I've known this for a long time, I was just afraid to admit it."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I'm not that guy anymore, Chloe. He's dead," he said very quietly, not looking at her but not pulling away either.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe's grip on his hand tightened at his words and she sobbed, sniffing as she started to cry harder, shaking her head, she took a deep breath and stepped closer, "no," she breathed, sniffing again, "he's not."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I murdered a man." He swallowed hard.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I don't care," she told him, taking another deep breath and slowly pulling one of her shaky hands from his and placing it on his stomach as she moved to stand in front of him, "it was an accident, I know it was an accident, I saw the satellite footage," Chloe sniffed, "and he was a murderer and a pedophile, Ollie, the world is better without him."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"And what if it happens again?" He shook his head, his chest tight. "And what if next time it's really an innocent person? I can't do this anymore. I can't take the risk."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I won't let it happen," she told him, taking a deep breath and stepping closer, "if you never want to put on the uniform again, if you never want to hold a bow in your hand again, I don't care, I just need you to come back with me, I need you in my life, Ollie."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I don't have anything left to give you," he whispered, shutting his eyes. "I'm too tired."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Her chest tightened and sighed softly, stepping right in front of him and cupping his face in both her hands, "let me help you," she whispered, looking up at him and holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He didn't pull away, even though every instinct in his body told him to. He let out a slow, shuddering breath. He just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up again.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Let me take you home," she whispered quietly, sniffing and brushing her thumbs over his wet skin.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"I just want to sleep," he murmured, opening his eyes but not looking at her.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Her face fell and she was suddenly scared again, she didn't like what he was saying, she didn't know what she expected when she found him, but she hadn't expected this and now she couldn't help but wonder if she could help him, if she was enough.

"Ollie, look at me." She whispered.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He reluctantly shifted his gaze to her face, his expression weary. Like he hadn't slept well in weeks. Which he hadn't.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

The look in his eyes nearly made her break down, but she knew she couldn't, she had to be the strong one, for him, "I meant what I said," she whispered, "I know what happened and I don't care." Chloe took a deep breath to try and pull herself together, "I love you," she told him again, the words making her chest and stomach clench painfully once more, "let me help you."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver lifted a hand up and rubbed his face tiredly. "Let's just...go to the penthouse for now. I'm tired," he said quietly, defeated.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe swallowed hard and nodded a little, dropping her hands from his face and taking his hand in hers, still afraid that he would just take off in the opposite direction and jump, so she wasn't planning on letting go of him at all, or taking her eyes off him or leaving his side for anything.

With her eyes on his face, she pulled him toward the stairs, watching him carefully.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He followed silently, his eyes haunted as they made their way back inside and into the stairwell.

She was doing what she thought she had to do to keep him from doing something he could never take back.

She didn't love him. She'd never loved him.

And she never would.