A/N: I haven't been at FF in forever, I actually forgot my login. Due to Smallville nostalgia, I decided to continue the story. I hope someone out there still reads it. Reviews are appreciated. I do not own anything other than the plot.

XVI: The Button

Leaning back against the chair, and wishing for a hot cup of her favorite latte, Chloe frowned. With the way Oliver was barking orders at the members of his not so merry band of heroes, the tiny blonde decided it was better not to give Oliver the little information she had on Schott. It was obvious Oliver was angry, practically seething when Bart failed to reciprocate the route for tonight's patrol.

Glad that Schott's address was safely tucked away in the large database back at Watchtower, Miss. Sullivan was just about to suggest a coffee break when the foundation's personal landline went off.

"I thought I said no interruptions," barked Oliver, rising from his chair and turning the glare towards the sole female who occupied the room.

Crossly staring at Mr. Queen in return, and just about catching Bart's look of relief for having the billionaire's attention placed elsewhere, Chloe pushed herself off the chair and walked towards the phone. Picking the telephone up off its base, she turned back to the blonde no one wanted to deal with at the moment. "It could be a patient," hissed Chloe as she brought the phone towards her ear. Beside, dealing with a meteor freak trying to come to terms with him or her-self seemed so much easier at the moment.

"Miss. Sullivan, Miss. Lane's here…"

"Lane?"

As soon as Chloe repeated the surname, Bart was already rolling up the blueprints to the city. "I knew we should have met at Watchtower…"

Chloe rubbed her temple and sighed. They couldn't meet at Watchtower. Watchtower was currently home to the Green Arrow's collection of bows and arrows, toys that provided too much of a temptation for the man behind the green leather who was placed on rest, which included no patrol or going after Winslow.

"Lois can't find me here…"

A.C. actually looked nervous.

"Got you covered, senor," Bart exclaimed with a bit of arrogance as he grabbed the tallest of the league's members and darted out the room before Lois even knocked.

Walking towards the door, Chloe watched Victor sit down with a look of defeat.

"I wanted to patrol tonight. Way to take me, Bart."

Shooting him a look of sympathy, the tiny blonde was just about to pull the door open when Lois did it for her. Grateful she didn't meet the door to her head, Chloe quickly stepped out of harms way. "Oh, Chloe...Where are you my cousin?"

Clearing her throat, Chloe tapped Lois on the shoulder. However, the taller woman was no longer paying her cousin's whereabouts any attention for she had now set her sights on a few things that didn't belong in this setting. "What are you doing at Isis?"

Oliver turned in the direction of Lois who had her hands on her hips. "I could be asking you the same question?"

"My cousin works here as an under qualified shrink."

Chloe frowned. That actually kind of hurt.

"That under qualified shrink was my date to the charity."

Frown etching deeper, Chloe shot Oliver a glare, wishing at this moment she could grab one of his tasered arrows and shoot it at not only him but Lois as well.

"You're thinking of going after Schott aren't you?" Lois questioned suddenly, decreasing the distance between her and the blonde as she touched his bandaged arm.

Brows rising and eyes widening, Chloe was surprised when the conversation between the two friends had turned to one filled with emotion, but she supposed to be fair, it came with the fact that these two friends had once been more intimate.

"Ollie, you can't. You'll get hurt."

Shrugging her off, Oliver spun on his heel, his voice nowhere as pleasant as Lois's. "What we had was a long time ago, Lois. You don't need to worry about me anymore."

Chloe actually found herself cringing at Oliver's words. What was worse than a bandaged arm, in her opinion, was being placed under the wrath of Lois Lane.

"You're my friend, Oliver," Lois stated, raising her chin, and doing her best to hide the fact that his words had stung. "I care about you."

Dropping his shoulders, his back still facing the two cousins, Oliver said, "You should go, Lois."

Balling her hands into fists, which she held tight against her sides, Lois bit her lip before shouting, "Fine. Get yourself killed. See me out, Chloe."

xoxoxox

Entering the tiny corridor behind her cousin, Chloe let a sigh escape. Maybe leaving Oliver alone with a silent Victor would be best for now. Thank heavens Oliver was enough of a distraction to keep Lois from questioning Victor's presence. However, as perceptive as Chloe was, she should have seen Lois's next words coming.

"Are you helping him?"

"Helping him?" Chloe repeated, leaning against the door that led to the room the two had just exited. Folding her arms, Chloe asked, "With what?"

"Going after Winslow?"

"And how exactly would I do that?" Chloe pressed, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny. In her defense, Lois had no idea that she had already narrowed in on Winslow's location, a fact she had yet to divulge to Oliver himself.

"Clark's not the only one who is aware of your hacking skills."

"Lois…"

"Chloe, you don't understand what Oliver is capable of…"

The blonde actually felt herself roll her own eyes. No one, except the League, and herself knew better than anyone what exactly Oliver was capable of. Lex was the prime example.

"He's dangerous. You're getting too involved."

"Lois, you're speaking in riddles."

"I don't want this…You to end up broken again if something bad happens."

"Lois!" Abruptly, Chloe paused, meeting her cousin's hazel orbs. 'Too involved?' Lois couldn't possibly think that Chloe was beginning to… She shook her head. Oliver and she were different. Too different. Right? "I'm not in love with Oliver."

"I never said that."

Grinding her teeth, Chloe turned around, her hand poised for the knob that would lead back to Oliver, Victor and their makeshift Watchtower. "You should get back to the Planet, Lois. Oliver isn't himself."

"Chloe, I wish I could make you understand."

Chloe mentally sighed. No, she wished she could make Lois understand that she understood it far better than Lois herself.

xoxoxox

Grateful for the unsteady whoosh that was no doubt the 'Blur', Chloe turned away from the computer to face her best friend. "Glad to see a happy face, I hope."

"Oliver here?"

"I sent him home," she sighed, rubbing at her temple. "Then headed over here."

Clark nodded, heading towards her, but Chloe just as quickly closed the screen. "What're you up to?"

"Sorry," Chloe stated, turning to face him. "It's the location of Schott's office. I keep thinking Oliver's going to sneak up on me. How was the Planet today?"

Clark decided a cup of coffee would be appropriate, and zoomed towards the kitchenette. "Lois was seething. I couldn't get her to tell me what had her so wound up."

"Oh," Chloe began, biting her lip. Her eyes skittered to the coffee Clark was now pouring into a mug. "Make that two. She ran into Oliver at Isis. She thinks I'm going to help him go after Winslow."

"You?"

"My reaction initially," Chloe stated, absently reaching for her phone. Not one text or call from Lois. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise. "But she knows that I can hack." As Clark poured a second cup, Chloe continued to play with her phone, unintentionally turning it over when her eyes caught something she certainty had never noticed before. Sticker was her initial reaction, but the more closely she eyed it, the more she noticed how it protruded in the middle. A button perhaps?

Then it hit her. Her phone had gone off the exact moment she'd heard the blast. Chloe's heart raced. It was she all along. She was the one that had set the teddies a blow. But how had that gotten there? Throat running dry, Chloe remembered the moment she had bumped into Winslow Schott. He must've…

"Chloe?" Clark asked in concern.

Pulling out of her trance, Chloe turned to face a concerned looking Clark with an extended cup of coffee towards her.

The blonde blinked. "I ah…I just remembered there's something I need to do. I should go."

"But Chloe…"

"No time to explain, Clark," Chloe stated, running for her leather jacket. "I'll be back later. You can take over Watchtower duties."

"Chloe."

But Chloe wasn't listening, and Clark didn't bother putting up a fight. He'd had enough of an argument with Lois at work today.