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

[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.