Home Again. With chloeas.

[olliequeen]

The Watchtower was quiet.

Even though they'd arrived home with Mia over an hour ago, they had all been pretty silent. Emil had allowed Mia to leave under the condition she get plenty of rest at least for the next twenty-four hours, so she was currently curled up asleep--or at least feigning sleep very well (with Mia it was almost impossible to tell)--in her bed. He stood in the doorway of her room, listening intently. Occasionally he heard the faint sound of Chloe's heels on the floor below, and the electronic whirring noise of all the computers.

He leaned his head against the wooden frame of the door, as if simply watching over her would keep her safe. He knew better.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, folding his arms across his chest. He heard footsteps on the stairs and he resisted the urge to look over his shoulder, even when he felt the familiar touch land there a moment later. He shut his eyes for a second, then turned slowly, his expression uncertain as he met Chloe's eyes.

Comments

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Once she had checked in on everything at the Watchtower, not that she had to check anything considering Victor had been running the computer while they were in the hospital, she went upstairs.

She was worried about Oliver, he had barely been able to look at her and Mia since they got back from the hospital and even before that and she knew it was because he was blaming himself for putting Mia's life in danger.

After a quick glance inside the room to make sure Mia was okay, Chloe dropped her hand from his shoulder to his hand and gave it a light squeeze, "c'mon," she whispered.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly, reluctantly allowing her to lead him across the hall to his own room. "Everything been all right?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet. "Anything big going down in the city?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Nothing big, things seem pretty calm," she assured him once they were in his room, she turned to face him, but kept her voice quiet since the door was still open.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Good. That's good," he said with a nod, glancing toward the stained glass window.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Hey," she said quietly, reaching up to cup his cheek and watching him closely, "what's going on?"

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver closed his eyes at the touch, leaning into it unconsciously. "What do you mean?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

She brushed her thumb over his cheek gently, "you're avoiding looking at me, and Mia," she pointed out quietly and moved closer, lifting her other hand to his arm, "you're guilt tripping yourself." It wasn't a question.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He pulled her closer, resting his chin atop her head. "That's not really what I meant," he whispered. "I meant...I dragged her into this life. I didn't stop to think if it was really what was best for her. "I didn't stop to think about the possible consequences."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Sighing softly, she rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, "considering the alternative, I think this is a lot better." She told him seriously, rubbing a hand over his back soothingly.

"We need to figure out a way to protect her better, but everything you've given her, Ollie, a home, a family, a chance to belong and do good and take care of herself, love and respect, these things count too."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He buried his face against her hair. "I know," he murmured. "I know it counts. It just doesn't feel like enough," he confessed.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe lifted a hand to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair gently, "and it probably never will, because that's just who you are."

She pulled back enough to look at him and smiled slightly, "you always want to make things better for people, you always want to help them more, but what you're doing for her is more than anyone else has, if not her entire life, at least for a while and you need to give yourself a break every now and then."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He swallowed hard, relaxing at her touch without even realizing it. He exhaled slowly and nodded, letting his eyes drift shut. "A break huh?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"A break," she repeated quietly, turning her head and pressing a kiss to his cheek, still moving her fingers slowly over his hair, "relax, slow down, let someone else take care of you instead, because there is only so much worrying you can do until you can't take it anymore."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He fell silent, leaning his forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered, his hands moving to rest against her hips.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"I love you too," she told him quietly, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and pulling back after a second, "we should lay down for while, before Mia wakes up, we've been awake for almost forty-eight hours at this point."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He hesitated, watching her, then glancing toward the hallway. "I don't want her to wake up from a nightmare and one of us not be there," he said uncertainly. "Why don't you lie down for awhile and I'll sit on the floor in there and when you wake up we can trade?"

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"She'll be okay, Ollie," Chloe told him, standing up and moving to adjust the sheets, "her door is open, we'll leave this door open and we'll hear her if she wakes up," she told him and nodded a little, "c'mon, we'll just lay down for a while, we'll probably wake up before she does."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. He knew he was being ridiculously overprotective, considering. Nothing like too little, too late. "Right, okay." He hesitantly laid down on the bed beside her.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

"Ollie," she sighed softly, turning on her side to face him once he laid down, wrapping an arm around him, "we're okay, he's gone, Mia will be fine and we'll take care of things as they come, you can't worry like that."

Sounded like hypocrisy coming from her, but she had seen him like this before, when he was blaming himself so much for what had happened to Jimmy and what he thought he had done to Lex, he didn't care about himself and she wasn't going to let that happen again.

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

He smirked, kissing her throat next, a hand traveling up her back to cup the back of her neck. "That's because you love being in control," he teased. "But I know your secret, Chloe."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

At that, she pulled back, smiling up at him and cocking her head, "and what would my secret be?"

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

Oliver grinned at her and leaned closer, whispering against her ear. "You like being out of control under the right circumstances."

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

Chloe shivered softly but grinned, pulling back enough to look at him as she moved her lower body closer then wrapped a leg around him, "just because I let you be in control the first time, it doesn't mean it will always be that way, Mr. Queen."

[dl-greenarrow.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I really hope not," he informed her with a smirk, kissing her mouth.

[chloeas.livejournal.com]

With a soft grin, she leaned in and returned the kiss, pulling him closer to as she did then pulling back, just enough to speak, "maybe we should invite Bart to come with us on our trip, that way he can keep Mia company and she won't have to worry about us checking if she's breathing right every five seconds."