Oliver crept into his bedroom, hoping that his hasty exit and return had gone unnoticed by Chloe. She'd been fast asleep when he got the call to meet the team at a warehouse that Lex Luthor had been using to experiment on people with meteor powers.

He relaxed when he saw her curled up facing his side of the bed. He undressed and slid in beside her, carefully gathering her close. She sighed and burrowed into him for warmth, pressing her face into his shoulder.

It had been three months since their first date, and a month since they'd become intimate. He wasn't sure what he'd expected from her in the beginning. She'd captured his interest, she'd challenged him, and frankly, he'd had to work harder for her attention than he ever had with any other woman. While he wasn't necessarily proud of it, the three-month mark was where most of his relationships ended, if they made it that far at all.

It was the nature of his work, both as the CEO of Queen Industries and as the Green Arrow and leader of the Justice League. Eventually he had to decide if he could risk his secret, and the answer was always no. And yet that secret had been on the tip of his tongue for weeks. It scared the hell out of him.

The path he'd chosen would undoubtedly put her and everyone she cared about at risk. It was something he should have thought about more carefully before he got in this deep with her. He'd have to tell her soon or end things. The latter would hurt her, something he wasn't sure he could bear to do. The terrifying part was the growing certainty that losing her was something he'd never get over.

Oliver let himself into his apartment, smiling when the scents and sounds of dinner preparation drifted from the kitchen. "Chloe?"

"In here," she called back.

When he walked into the kitchen, she was pulling a pie out of the oven, which she carefully set on the counter. A large pot of savory stew bubbled on the stovetop.

He raised his brows. "Allie was here, huh?"

Chloe smiled. "Yes. For the record, this beef stew is my grandmother's recipe and one of the few things I can cook well. The pie though – that's all Allie."

Reaching out for her hand, he pulled her close and kissed her. "I missed you." He'd been gone for two weeks on both QI and League business, and he'd done nothing but think of her whenever he had down time.

"I missed you too." Chloe reached up to trace the still swollen bruise on his temple. "I know you said it was just a little car accident, but are you sure you're okay?"

As it always did when he lied to her about his extracurricular activities, guilt swelled within him. "I'm okay. I actually want to talk to you about something."

"We can talk while we eat. I was just getting ready to warm up the fresh bread Allie brought over."

That distracted him for a minute. "Her yeast rolls?" He stuck to a low carb diet most of the time, but Allie's buttery yeast rolls were worth adding more time to his workout.

"She knew you were coming back tonight and came over to help me make the stew and the pie, and she brought them with her."

He watched her bustling around the kitchen, feeling nervous about the conversation he knew he had to have with her. He'd been thinking about whether or not to tell Chloe his secret for a couple of months, and this recent mission had tipped the scales in favor of telling her. It was either that or walk away – there was no door number three, and he was pretty sure he couldn't walk away from her now if he tried.

Oliver felt like he knew Chloe well enough to be sure she could handle his double life. The question was how angry she was going to be about all the months he'd lied to her. He didn't think she wanted to throw away what they had any more than he did, but he couldn't fault her for being upset over the lies. After all, this wasn't the first random injury he'd had to explain away, and there'd been a few extended trips he'd had to lie about as well.

He distracted himself from his nerves by searching out a bottle of red wine that would pair well with the stew, finally settling on a bottle he'd picked up in Bordeaux a few months ago. Pouring a couple of glasses, he handed one to her after she slid the rolls into the oven.

Chloe looked concerned as she watched him. "Ollie, is everything okay? You seem nervous."

"There's something that I need to tell you. Something I probably should have told you a long time ago," he admitted. "It's just… what I'm about to tell you affects more than just me, and I had to be sure. And even after I was sure of you and me, I had to think about how it would affect your life, and potentially your family and…."

"Hey." Chloe reached out and took his hand with a smile. "Ollie, if you're trying to tell me that you didn't get that bruise in a car accident, I already know. I've known for a long time. I was just waiting for you to be comfortable enough to tell me."

Oliver stared at her, stunned. "Wait. You know what exactly?"

She raised a brow. "I know you're the Green Arrow. The truth is, I suspected it when I interviewed you that first time. Something about the way you brought up Gould and how my investigation must have been dangerous combined with you requesting me, specifically, for that features article. And even though I told myself I was probably crazy, the more I got to know you? The more certain I was that I was right."

He thought back over the times he'd had to spin a tale to cover minor injuries or spur-of-the-moment trips with the team. "Why not just tell me that you knew?"

Chloe sipped her wine before setting it on the counter. "Because I felt like it was important that you be the one to tell me. If you couldn't do that, we wouldn't have much of a future together. I wanted that truth to come out on your terms, not mine."

Oliver wondered what he'd ever done to deserve her. She was the best thing in his life, and suddenly those words he'd been holding in couldn't be contained any longer. "I love you."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she smiled and hugged him fiercely. "I love you too."

The oven timer buzzed, startling both of them. Chloe laughed and pulled away to take the rolls out of the oven.

Oliver followed her over to the counter. "If you love me then marry me."

The pan clattered against the counter. Chloe turned, blue eyes wide as she stared at him. "What?"

"Marry me, Chloe." He was rushing things, but he knew with a bone deep certainty that she was it for him. There would never be anyone else like her. "I know it's a half-assed proposal since I don't have a ring, but I'll fix that tomorrow if you just say yes."

For once, she looked lost for words. But then she said the only word that mattered. "Yes."

Chloe didn't realize how accustomed she'd become to solitude until her privacy in the Watchtower was completely invaded. Both Oliver and Ollie were there when she went to sleep and when she woke up. When Ollie left for the office, someone arrived to keep an eye on things in the morning hours. Ollie usually returned to have lunch with them and if he couldn't leave the office, Bart dropped by with takeout. Then he proceeded to hang around and generally drive her crazy since his inability to sit still meant he was right on her heels wherever she was in the tower.

The rest of the League followed suit, coming and going throughout the day and evening hours as they traded up patrol shifts. While AC, J'onn and Carter made no excuses for their presence and simply treated Watchtower as their new home base, the others were less subtle. Victor asked for her help with coding projects, most of which she knew he could handle alone. Even Courtney began hanging out more often, which Chloe wouldn't have minded if it weren't abundantly clear that the younger woman wanted to keep an eye on Oliver. And when Dinah suggested an afternoon shopping trip, complete with happy hour drinks and a little girl talk, Chloe began wondering if she'd fallen into an alternate reality in her sleep.

Oliver took their blatant distrust in stride, though he didn't allow it to affect his desire to remain close to Chloe. Regardless of who else was there, he stayed with her, eyes following her around the room. She found herself torn by the situation – on the one hand, she wished for some time alone so that she could talk to him about the other Chloe's family. On the other, she knew that might not be so healthy for either of them and in those moments, she was glad to have the team there to act as a buffer.

Lois had canceled their lunch plans earlier in the week when she'd been sent on assignment to Gotham. So, when she returned, Chloe wasted no time packing her overnight bag and driving to Smallville for a little peace and quiet.

"I can't believe you have two Oliver Queens at your beck and call and you're here," Lois said, watching as Chloe unpacked her computer equipment and began setting it up on the table.

"At this point, the entire League should be called the beck and call boys…. and girls," Chloe grumbled. "I can't get anything done because someone is always there, following me around or watching Oliver like they expect him to suddenly sprout devil horns."

Lois raised her brows at that. "Is there a specific reason why they don't trust him?"

Chloe sighed. "He's got some rough edges. He's angry about what happened in his world, and he's angry that the Kandorians are here. He feels like we should be doing more."

"I suppose you can't blame him for feeling that way," Lois admitted, "but Clark is definitely not a fan of Ollie's dark twin. How much do you know about the world he came from, anyway?"

"Not much."

"Clark told me that this other Chloe had a different life – that her parents were still married and living in Smallville. That she had a sister, a husband and a baby on the way. That sounds like a lot."

"None of that has anything to do with me, so…."

"Really?" Lois rolled her eyes. "Chloe, don't kid a kidder. I know you better than that."

"What do you want me to say?" Chloe asked impatiently. "I don't know those people at all. Is it weird to hear the details of her life? Yes, of course it is."

"And the details of her death. And not just hers, either." Lois crossed her arms. "No matter how badly Clark reacted to everything at the meeting, he is taking this seriously, Chloe."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it." Chloe tried to keep her bitterness to a minimum, especially when she was with Lois since she didn't want her cousin to feel like she was caught in the middle. The problem was that it was increasingly difficult to hide just how fractured her relationship with Clark had become.

And as curious as she was about the other Chloe and her world, she felt defensive when others asked her about it. The whole situation had her feeling unsettled lately because she was once again facing the idea of her own mortality.

It wasn't new. After growing up in Smallville, she was practically a pro. She was just tired.

"So where's this family photo that Clark mentioned?"

Chloe looked up with a frown. "Clark told you about that?"

"Just that Oliver had brought a photo of her family. It's weird to think of you having a sister."

Chloe sighed and opened her bag to find the photo, which was stuck in the front cover of the album. She passed it over to Lois without comment.

"Wow," Lois said, her expression thoughtful. "She looks like your Grandma Sullivan, except she has Aunt Moira's eyes. Do you know her name?"

"Allie," Chloe replied. She bit her lip and then added, "Oliver said she was three years younger than Chloe. Apparently, she's enrolled at Met U and had plans to go to culinary school at one point."

"You know it's an alternate universe when a Sullivan-Lane girl is going to culinary school. What about me?"

She smiled. "I don't think Lois Lane is enrolled in culinary school in any universe, Lo."

"Obviously not, but what is she like over there?"

"He hasn't said much, but it sounds like she's more or less Lois Lane. She's a reporter – first for the Planet, and now she works in Gotham. Oh, and she's married," Chloe said with a raised brow. "And it's not to your super powered alien boyfriend."

"Married? To who?" Lois demanded.

"Believe it or not, Bruce Wayne," Chloe replied with a laugh. "I wonder if the sparks flew after she got dragged out of Wayne Enterprises for trespassing? Or maybe they met after…." She stopped talking abruptly as she realized what she'd been about to say – that it was more likely that Lois met Bruce after Chloe and Oliver were engaged, or even at their wedding.

"After what?" Lois asked.

Chloe shrugged. "When she interviewed him or something."

She could tell that Lois realized she'd changed what she was going to say. She had that look in her eyes that she got when she was assessing a situation and deciding just how far she could push to obtain her objective.

Finally, she said, "Huh – Bruce Wayne. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me that much in this world."

Chloe was pretty sure her cousin was right about that considering he'd threatened to have Lois arrested and prosecuted the next time he found her trespassing. "Strange world over there, I guess."

Lois looked down at the photo she was holding and nodded. "Different, anyway."

Lois decided to work from home the next day, despite Chloe's protests.

"If you're playing babysitter…."

"I know you don't need a babysitter, Chloe. I need a break – a pajama and junk food day that I can spend fleshing out a few story ideas while I watch crap TV."

"Don't you have an article due today?" Chloe shot her a suspicious glance.

"Tess isn't in the office this week, so she's not going to care as long as I meet my deadlines," Lois told her. "Geez, you'd think you don't want to spend time with me. It's a good thing I'm not the sensitive type or my feelings would be hurt."

Lois recalled what Ollie had said the last time she saw him. Chloe had canceled lunch plans for the third time in a row, and it dawned on her that she hadn't actually laid eyes on her cousin in two weeks. She'd dropped in on him at the office, unannounced, and ready to read him the riot act about how much time Chloe spent working.

That was when Ollie pulled out his phone and showed her countless messages he'd sent Chloe in recent months – largely unsuccessful attempts to get her out of the tower and back into the real world.

"If she won't come out then I go to her so she'll at least have some company. I do what I can, Lois, but it would be nice to have some help," he'd said with barely suppressed sarcasm.

His jab hit home, making her realize how inaccessible she'd been since her time jump, and especially since she'd learned Clark's secret. She'd told herself that she would be a better support system to her little cousin, who was struggling whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Lois went downstairs and got coffee, muffins and croissants from the Talon, and she and Chloe sat on the sofa while they had breakfast and watched the morning news. Lois flipped stations, finally settling on a Metropolis based morning show featuring Bethany Snow and Ron Troupe.

"And in local crime news, it seems we have two vigilante archers in Metropolis," Bethany was saying.

Chloe set her plate aside, and Lois increased the volume with interest.

"We've heard the stories about the Green Arrow, Black Canary, the Blur, and another local vigilante often referred to as Hawkman," Ron replied. "But multiple sources report seeing two archers last night, one of whom was dressed in black."

"His uniform is black?" Lois asked. She glanced over at her cousin to see her tapping out a message on her phone. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure Ollie knows about this," Chloe said, frowning. "With them patrolling together, I suppose someone was bound to notice there are two of them."

"Does it matter? Metropolis is home to several heroes. Recently, a few people have figured out that there might be two speedsters in town."

"I suppose not," Chloe replied. "But to be on the safe side, I'm going to monitor chatter online and with the police department. People noticing two archers is one thing, but if they notice two Olivers? That's a big problem."

They each settled into their separate routines that morning. Chloe had linked two computers together and appeared to be running a search on one while she reviewed satellite images on the other. Lois flipped channels again, finally settling on a 90s action movie to watch as she went through her story notes. But her mind kept going back to the details she'd learned about the alternate Lois.

Married. To Bruce Wayne, of all people. She couldn't help wondering how different that world must be to result in such an unlikely and, frankly, unholy union.

"Do you think they have sheep in Oliver's world?" Lois asked thoughtfully.

"What?" Chloe glanced over at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't they have sheep?"

"Well, I married Bruce Wayne. Who knows what kind of world he came from?" Lois pointed out. "No sheep or rainbows, coffee rations. I mean, maybe they have day trips to the moon but if I couldn't afford coffee? I'd probably go looking for an alternate universe, too."

"Lois, that's a TV show," Chloe pointed out. "And a far-fetched one at that."

"Well, less far-fetched than before another Oliver Queen showed up in your tower," Lois replied. "Maybe I should interview the producer."

"Just try to remember that you're not working for The Inquisitor now, Lois."

Lois snorted. "I'm dating an alien, Chloe. Anything is possible."

They took turns restarting the coffee pot and ordered in pizza for lunch. When her pen ran out of ink, Lois got up to look for another one. After an unsuccessful search of the kitchen drawers, the bedroom and her own bag, she grabbed Chloe's bag off the end table.

The photo Chloe had shown Lois was on top, and she paused when she saw the photo album beneath it. She glanced up to see that Chloe was still deep in her research, so she pulled out the album to take a look. She expected to see more family photos, or maybe even team photos, but she was shocked when she got to the wedding photos.

"Oh my God." She stared at the images of alternate Chloe and Oliver, who looked deliriously happy together.

"What are you doing?"

Chloe's sharp tone startled her.

"What am I doing? Seriously?" Lois marched across the room and waved the album in front of her cousin. "What are you doing?" She noted her cousin's defensive posture – arms crossed and practically wrapped around herself.

"You had no business snooping, Lois."

"For your information, I was looking for a pen. It never occurred to me that you were hiding something this big. They were married, Chloe! That means the baby that died with her was his daughter." It explained his anger and more importantly, it explained why he'd come so far to warn Chloe. "Does Ollie know about this?"

"No." The finality in Chloe's tone was obvious.

Lois stared at her cousin. "Don't you think this is something he should know?" As far as Lois was concerned, this information changed things. It was one thing to know that Oliver had traveled across the universe, literally, in order to warn them about losing a friend. It was another thing altogether to realize he'd been hunting for his wife's doppelganger.

"No, I don't, and you're not going to tell him either. It would make things uncomfortable for both of us."

"Chloe, this man spent months searching for you across multiple universes because his wife and child were murdered, and his wife? She's basically you with a few plot twists in the story. I think we're way past worrying whether this will make anyone uncomfortable."

"Lois, you have to swear to me that you're not going to tell him. Or anyone, for that matter."

"Chloe…"

"I'm serious." Chloe paused and took a breath, her knuckles white against the edge of the desk she gripped, as if steadying herself. "I can't deal with that on top of everything else right now. I need to focus on the Kandorians and keeping the team on task. The last thing I need is Ollie tiptoeing around me because he thinks I'm looking at him as my future husband."

Lois resisted the urge to continue arguing and took a moment to study her. She could tell Chloe was upset; she tried to hide it, but Lois wasn't fooled. She knew her little cousin wasn't nearly as in control as she seemed to be, which wasn't a surprise when Lois stopped to think about everything she'd been through in the last eighteen months – kidnapped, possessed by alien technology, married, divorced, and witness to Jimmy's murder.

No, she wasn't surprised to see Chloe clinging so fiercely to the status quo when even she must realize that Oliver's arrival was a huge ripple in her otherwise orderly world. It was what Chloe did – she could put up a front and pretend she was fine while the world was crumbling around her. Then, when some people might fall apart in the aftermath, Chloe became a control freak to hold herself together.

"Promise me, Lois."

"Fine." Lois switched off the TV and began throwing her notes in her bag.

"Where are you going?" Chloe asked.

"To the Watchtower."

Chloe looked startled. "What? Why?"

"Because I'd like to meet Oliver," Lois replied. And see for myself exactly why he's here, she added silently.

Back at her workstation, Chloe expected to fall into her usual routine. It was blissfully silent for a change; even Oliver was out, though he'd left a note on her monitor letting her know he'd be back later that afternoon. But having Lois there was a huge distraction, especially since she knew her cousin was waiting to ambush Oliver with who knew what kind of questions.

Lois sat on the sofa, flipping through the photo album she'd refused to relinquish. Chloe wanted to ask her what she was thinking since she'd been unusually quiet for the past two hours. However, she wasn't ready for more of her cousin's relentless nagging, so she turned her attention back to her crime reports.

Between the caffeine she'd been steadily consuming and her nerves, she jumped when she heard the beep that announced Oliver's arrival. She looked at Lois, who stood with a determined gleam in her eyes as she returned the photo album to Chloe's bag.

Oliver pushed through the double doors and paused when he saw Lois. "Hi."

Lois strode forward and held out her hand. "Lois Lane. But I guess you know that, right? I'm sure you've done your homework since your arrival in our little corner of the newly discovered multiverse."

Oliver raised a brow as he shook her hand. "As direct as ever, I see."

But not as direct as Chloe had feared. She regarded her cousin warily, hoping she wouldn't start grilling Oliver the way she was no doubt dying to do.

Oliver looked over at Chloe, and she smiled. "Nice afternoon walk?"

He smiled back. "Don't worry, I'm keeping a low profile. I spent the morning sitting down at the docks, watching the boats. And I was wearing this." He held up a fisherman's hat that had a dark and scruffy men's wig attached to it. "Between this and the sunglasses, no one pays any attention to me."

"Don't you have boats in your universe?" Lois asked.

"Of course. Sitting near the water helps me clear my head."

"Hmm. What about sheep?"

Oliver looked amused. "Do you think I've come here to steal your sheep?"

"Sheep, my cousin – I'm just trying to figure you out," Lois said.

Chloe was going to kill Lois. "Ignore her, Oliver. She watches way too much television and used to work for a tabloid."

"Let me guess. Fringe?" When Lois looked surprised, he shrugged. "The scientists who were working on my multiverse theory were big fans of that show, too. For the record, our worlds are pretty similar, although our money looks different." He pulled out his wallet, removed a bill and passed it over to Lois.

Lois looked at it for a moment, turning it over. "While I applaud the lack of Andrew Jackson on your twenty-dollar bills, I have no idea who this is."

"That's President John F. Kennedy."

"Uh, no it's not. History wasn't my favorite subject, but I know John F. Kennedy was hot, and this guy must be ninety years old."

Chloe took the bill from Lois and studied it. "Lois is right. JFK was assassinated two years into his presidency. He was only in his forties."

"It's him. He wasn't assassinated in my world," Oliver explained. "He served two terms as president and then started a humanitarian aid fund to benefit underprivileged youth, another one to help Cuban families seeking asylum, and too many scholarship programs to count. This photo was taken to celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday – it was put on the twenty a few years after he died, in honor of his public service."

Chloe passed the bill back to him. "It's interesting to think of all the little changes that have to happen in order to result in bigger changes. And yet some things don't change."

"Like my parents, the island and fighting the good fight?" Oliver nodded. "Some things never changed from universe to universe – like my parents, for example. Maybe some things are just…" he broke off abruptly and shook his head.

"Inevitable?" Lois asked. She glanced over at Chloe.

"I don't believe in inevitable," Chloe said. She hoped she sounded more certain than she felt as she turned back to her computers.

Neither Lois nor Oliver spoke for a few moments. Lois finally broke the silence, continuing with her questions. "I suppose with the Kandorian threat neutralized in your world, it must be pretty safe now."

"I've taken precautions," Oliver answered.

"I suppose Chloe told you about my little trip to the future. I saw the destruction first hand, so I can understand taking precautions. Especially after what happened to Chloe and the baby."

Chloe turned to look at her cousin, whose eyes were locked with Oliver's. She could tell by his expression that he knew Lois was onto their secret.

"The Kandorians are no longer a threat in my world. Here though – I believe it's just a matter of time and if that's true, Chloe isn't safe here."

"But you think she would be in your world, right? How would that work, exactly?"

"I'd say that's between me and Chloe."

Chloe recognized the look on her cousin's face – the one that said her temper was rising. "Lois, stop it. We talked about this."

"Oh no, we didn't. We're going to, though." Lois shot her a pointed look as she sat down at one of the workstations and pulled out her notes. "I have a deadline but after that? I have questions."

Chloe sighed and rubbed her temple. She frowned at Oliver when he joined her at her workstation. "Baiting her will only make this worse. If you've met any version of Lois, you have to know that."

"I wasn't baiting her, Chloe. I was being honest. And I think Lois would agree that you're safer in our world if I had told her what I was doing."

"So she doesn't know?"

He shook his head. "No one knows except the scientists I was working with. I'm a little surprised that you told Lois about me and Chloe."

"I didn't," Chloe said. "She found the photo album."

"Ah. Will she tell Clark and the others?"

"No. She might want to tell them, but she won't go behind my back."

"You and Lois seem a lot closer here."

"We weren't in your world?"

He shrugged. "You were, but it was different. Maybe because your parents were alive, and you had Allie. She was family, but there was less of the mama bear vibe I get from your cousin."

"I guess it makes sense," Chloe said. "She doesn't deal well with loss, or even the suggestion of it. It's why I wish I could have kept this from her, but Clark has no filter."

"That's still weird. The only people Clark is really close to back home is his family and yours. As far as I know, he hasn't had any girlfriends since he returned from his training."

Chloe's fingers slowed on the keyboard as she remembered what he suspected – that Clark had been in love with Chloe. If that was true, she wondered if he was still as much in mourning as Oliver was. It was one of the reasons that Oliver's plan to take her back to his world was a bad one. Her presence there, even temporarily, would probably be painful for everyone.

When she glanced up at Oliver, he was staring at the way her fingers were tapping the edges of the keyboard. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just…." He shook his head. "Chloe used to do that too – when she was thinking about something, you know? She used to get so lost in her head when she was working on a story."

Chloe stared down at her fingers. She wondered how many such mannerisms she shared with the other Chloe, and how they affected Oliver. She stilled when he covered her hands with his.

"I'm sorry," he said, keeping his voice low. "I didn't mean to make you feel self-conscious."

"You didn't. I just don't want to bring up painful memories for you," she explained. She studied him, looking for signs that she'd upset him, but she didn't notice anything more than the usual sadness that clung to him like a well-worn glove.

"Being with you isn't painful, Chloe. It's like being given a second chance."

Chloe met his eyes again and suppressed a shiver at the almost reverential intensity they reflected.

The moment was broken when Lois cleared her throat loudly. When Chloe looked at her cousin, her eyes were on Oliver. For once, she couldn't read her cousin's expression.

Ollie surveyed the city from a rooftop near Suicide Slums. The low-income neighborhood bordering the Slums was crowded with cheaply built apartment buildings, and it was often a hotbed of criminal activity.

He, Oliver and Carter were operating in separate quadrants, keeping in contact with the Bluetooth earpieces Chloe insisted they all use. For the first time in a while, she wasn't in his ear talking him through his patrol. When he'd arrived at Watchtower earlier it was to find Oliver helping Chloe go through crime stats for that night's patrol. Lois was also there, chin in hand as she watched them.

Lois had insisted that Chloe join her for dinner and a movie but otherwise, she'd been uncharacteristically quiet. It was enough to make Ollie concerned, and he'd asked her if something was bothering her.

"I'm just thinking," she'd told him. "But do me a favor? Keep Chloe close, Ollie."

He was still turning that over in his mind. It had felt like a warning. He supposed that was to be expected if Clark had told her about the meeting, but her usual brashness had been absent. She was worried, and that worried Ollie.

It was getting late, and activity had slowed in the last hour or so. He tapped his earpiece, ready to tell the others to pack it in for the night, when he heard a scream.

It was coming from Oliver's quadrant, about two blocks away. Through the earpiece he could hear Oliver moving.

Ollie leapt from one rooftop to another. He heard another scream, and then the sounds of a scuffle reached him. He peered over the roof to a back-alley parking lot, where a heavily pregnant young woman cowered against the building. Oliver had her would be mugger in hand, shaking him. Then he punched the man, who slid to the ground without resistance.

Ollie expected him to release the man and place the call to MPD. Instead, Oliver pulled the man up and punched him again, and then again.

"Hey!" Ollie dropped down and grabbed Oliver's arm to pull him back. Oliver rounded on him, catching him by surprise, and he landed a solid punch that knocked Ollie to the ground.

Ollie reacted instantly, sweeping Oliver's legs out from under him. Oliver rolled sideways and they both regained their feet at the same, circling one another warily. From the corner of his eye, Ollie saw an older couple at the mouth of the alley, and the young woman ran towards them.

"Don't ever interfere like that again," Oliver said.

"The perp was down," Ollie shot back. "If you keep hitting him, you could do some serious damage."

"He deserves that and more, preying on a pregnant woman!"

"And the cops will deal with him. We start beating the hell out of people and they'll be looking to drag us in to the station, too."

A sudden rush of air announced Carter's arrival. Ollie felt his feet leave the ground. His stomach heaved as the air whistled past, and then he was falling. He rolled onto the rooftop of the Daily Planet, noticing that Oliver fell right next to him.

Carter landed between them. "J'onn is picking up the mugger."

Oliver swore as he stood up and pushed his hood back. He stared at Carter, his jaw twitching with the rage he was barely holding in check.

Carter crossed his arms and stared back at him. "Go cool off, Oliver. Don't take that anger back to the Watchtower."

Oliver didn't move, and for a moment Ollie thought he might attack Carter, too. Then he turned, fired an arrow and dove off the rooftop, his dark uniform blending into the shadows within seconds.

Ollie removed his dark glasses and pushed his hood back. "Thanks, but I could have handled him."

"From where I was standing, I'm not so sure about that. What set him off?"

"The mugging victim was pregnant – blonde, early twenties. I think it triggered him."

"There's a hell of a lot that triggers him," Carter replied gruffly. "I don't like him."

Ollie snorted. "Well, color me shocked. You don't like me either."

"Maybe I don't always like you, mostly because you're a smartass. But I do respect you. You're not the complete jackass I thought you were."

"It seems like there was a compliment there, but it's buried beneath words like smartass and jackass, so it's hard to say."

Carter walked over to the ledge and leaned against it, not bothering to respond.

Ollie glanced over at Carter as he joined him. "What is it about him that bothers you?"

Carter was silent for a long moment. "He seems wrong somehow. He hides it well; he's like you in some ways, but he's darker and a hell of a lot more violent. You can't tell me you haven't noticed that on our patrols."

"I've noticed." They both stared out at the Metropolis skyline. "His interest in Chloe bothers me," Ollie admitted. It was the first time he'd voiced his concern, and it lifted a weight he hadn't realized he'd been carrying.

"What has he told you about his world?" Carter asked.

"Not much. If I had to guess, I'd say he has a serious problem with Boy Scout in his world. The way he looked at Clark… I don't know. There's a lot of anger there that he can't completely hide – at least, not from me. Other than that, just what he told us about Chloe's family, and how she was murdered." Ollie had to force those words out because the idea of Chloe dying made his palms sweat and his pulse spike up. His fingers flexed against the ledge. He took a breath, letting it out slowly in order to calm down.

"We won't let that happen."

"I've been wondering about his relationship with his world's Chloe. If she pulled him out of the weeds like Chloe did with me, and he felt indebted to her, it would explain the anger." Ollie knew losing Chloe had the potential to send him into a tailspin, so it made sense that Oliver might have lost perspective in seeking justice.

"Do you think he has some motive for being here that he's not telling us?"

"I don't know. I asked him about that, but the only thing I got out of him was that he doesn't plan to leave while he believes the Kandorians are a threat to Chloe."

"What if he asked her to go back with him?" Carter looked at Oliver closely.

"What the hell are you talking about? Has he said something to you?" Ollie demanded, scowling.

Carter shook his head. "I heard him talking to Chloe about her mother, and it seemed to me like he was tempting her with the idea. She has a family there – parents who are still married, a sister. And if he's been filling her head with stories of happily ever after, it's a powerful temptation for someone who's lost as much as Chloe has."

"She has a family here. We're her family, and she wouldn't do that." Ollie's heart started pounding as anxiety shot through him. Was she considering making the jump to the other world? He told himself that was crazy. She probably hadn't said anything because there was nothing to tell. Then again, if she was considering it then she might not say anything because she had to know he'd never let her go. Didn't she?

"Look, I'm going to be blunt. You have feelings for Chloe, but you haven't told her. I think I even understand why."

Carter's words surprised him. "I care about Chloe, but it's not like that."

"Life is short, Queen. It's not my place to interfere or give you a wakeup call, but people are here and gone in the time it takes to blink. While you're dragging your feet, telling yourself you're just her friend, I think he's going there. If I'm right, he's going to do something about it. He can't stay here because he knows this world isn't big enough for the two of you. But he could easily take her with him."

"Over my dead body," Ollie bit out.

"He might not have a problem with that. I've seen the way Oliver looks at you lately, like you're some kind of obstacle. Why the hell do you think I've been patrolling with you? It's damn sure not because I enjoy double the snark and endless yapping."

"So what are you saying, that you think he's going to do something to me? What would that even accomplish?" Chloe would never forgive Oliver if he hurt anyone here. Despite what had happened earlier, he wasn't sure he believed that Oliver meant to harm anyone connected to the team.

"I'm saying I don't know what he'll try to do. I've been on this Earth a lot longer than you. I've learned to listen to my gut, and my gut tells me that he can't be trusted when it comes to Chloe. It occurred to me that maybe he was the father of her baby."

Ollie stared at Carter, incredulous. "Chloe was married to Jimmy."

"Here, yes. But he never said who her husband was over there, did he?"

Ollie felt the rough stone ledge digging into his palms as he gripped it. "She wouldn't hide something like that from me." But even as he said it, he wasn't so sure. Chloe hadn't told him everything that she'd discussed with Oliver that first night in the tower, and she'd been so sure that she could trust him.

"The photos," Ollie finally said.

"When I walked in that first morning, they were looking at that photo album together. I only saw family photos, but I wondered why he would bring so many when one or two would have proved what he was telling her. It seemed like a very personal thing to do."

It fit. It all fit, and it would complete the puzzle that Oliver had presented with his arrival – why he came so far for Chloe, and why he refused to leave even though he'd done what he said he came to do.

"I have to go," Ollie said. He pulled his hood up and put his glasses back on.

Carter nodded. "Talk to her - and be honest with yourself before it's too late."

Ollie made it back to the Watchtower in record time. When he pushed open the double doors, Chloe was there at her workstation. She'd kicked off her shoes, and despite the late hour, she was sipping a cup of coffee from the café down the street.

"You're back early," she commented without taking her eyes off the screen. When he didn't respond, she turned to look at him. "Ollie, are you okay?"

Ollie pushed his hood back and removed his glasses. He stared at her for a moment, noticing several things at once – the way the lights picked up the palest blonde strands in her hair, how her eyes reflected the exact shade of green in her sweater, and how small she looked standing there, barefoot.

And he felt it - the exact moment that something shifted inside him.

"Show me the photo album, Chloe." He knew Carter was right, but he needed to see it. He needed her to tell him why she'd been hiding it.

Chloe visibly started. "Ollie…"

"I need to see it. Please."

Her bag was on the table to his left. He could get to it before she did, but that wasn't how he wanted this to go down. He didn't want to force her to the truth, which would only put her on the defensive. He needed her to make the choice to stop hiding.

The silence grew between them, stretching out until it seemed to fill the room. The soft sounds of her computers took up the space, a cacophonous presence.

Chloe pressed her lips together and walked over to her bag. She removed the album and walked over to give it to him. He noticed her fingers were trembling as she handed it over.

Ollie opened it, flipping through the pages of photos until he saw the first ones of Chloe and Oliver. They were a confirmation even before he reached the photos of their engagement party, and then their wedding.

He knew then that Carter was right about one more thing. Oliver had come here to take Chloe back with him.

A/N: I'm back! I've been struggling with editing these chapters for a couple of weeks now. I ended up rewriting the last 2,000 or so words this evening, so please let me know if you see any mistakes.

Up Next: Chloe and Ollie deal with fallout of Chloe's secrets, and Ollie confronts Oliver. Meanwhile, the Kandorians step up their plans, dividing the team on how to deal with them.