The next few days passed by quickly. Between Raya’s shocking arrival to the emergence of another zoner, Clark managed to stay busy.
Baern, the latest zoner, fed off radioactive energy. Clark managed to stop him but before he could, Raya ended up sacrificing her life to protect him. He could just be grateful that the young boy, the zoner possessed was okay.
However, Raya’s death hit him hard. His mom hadn’t been around when the situation was going on but he made sure to fill her in the minute she returned.
“Raya sounds like an amazing woman.” Martha commented, as the two of them took a walk.
“I wish you could have met her.” Clark said wistfully. “She loved this place, this whole world. She barely had enough time to discover it, before she gave her life to protect it.”
“Clark . . .,” his mother started.
But Clark cut her off. “Mom, I know how much you love me and how much dad . . .,” he couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence. “But I've always felt different. Because I am. And Raya was the first person I ever met who could really understand that. And I don't think I ever really thought about what I'd lost . . . a family, a whole race of people who were just like me.”
His voice took on a determined edge. “For the first time, I'm ready to stop running from who I really am. From my destiny.”
“Your training with Jor-El,” Martha said, “You want to go?”
Clark nodded. “But I can't, not yet. Not until every prisoner that I released from the Phantom Zone is returned . . . or destroyed.”
His mother didn’t say anything and the walk home was silent. What he loved about his mother was that she was always there when he wanted to talk but seemed to understand when he needed his space.
After getting home, Clark headed straight for his loft. He felt safe there and it was the one place he could be alone and reflect. At least he hadn’t seen Oliver in a while, he couldn’t handle another encounter with the older man.
He was deep in thought, privately mourning Raya’s death, regretting the short amount of time he had with her. But he also was filled with a new resolve- he had to rebuild the Fortress. If not for anything else, he would do it for Raya.
It was when he was in the middle of making plans to go see Jor-El and check out the Arctic castle when he heard that voice coming from the steps.
“Clark.” His name yet from the person it was coming from, it seemed so much more meaningful. He turned and saw the one person he didn’t want to see that night. Oliver.
He gave the blonde a small smile. “Hey, Oliver.”
“Saw the light on.” Oliver said, taking a few steps toward him. “I was in the area and thought I would stop by. I had to talk to your mom but I finished with that and now I just came up to say hi.”
“Oh.” Clark replied, not knowing what else to say. Truth be told he wasn’t really in the mood for anyone’s company, least of all Oliver’s. Nevertheless, he scooted over so Oliver could sit next to him on the couch.
“So what’s new?” Oliver asked, trying to fill the now awkward silence.
“Nothing really,” Clark replied and were they making small talk? “How about you? Everything going alright?”
“Yeah,” Oliver said, nodding, “Business is going good, my other job . . . is working out and Lois and I are doing fine too.” Clark gave him a smile at this but he felt as if tiny needles were prickling at his heart, which was silly but he couldn’t shake the jealousy.
Trying to focus on what Oliver was saying, he replied, “That’s good. So after you talked to her before, she understood?”
Oliver looked puzzled for a moment and then his eyes widened in remembrance. “Oh, yes, the conversation after Duncan . . . yeah, she really understood. I thought she’d be mad but she handled it very well.”
“Lois is a lot stronger than you think,” Clark pointed out. “You don’t need to treat her with kid gloves.”
“I know that,” Oliver said. “It’s just, there are some things I’m not comfortable telling her yet.”
“I can understand that.” Clark agreed. Lois and Oliver hadn’t been dating that long and after thinking about it, he figured that the truth about Oliver’s double life could wait.
“What about you, Clark?” Oliver quizzed. “You seemed upset when I arrived.”
“I’m just fine.” Clark lied.
“You don’t look fine.” Oliver stated.
“And you know me so well that you can read my emotions?” Clark challenged.
Oliver just smirked. “Clark, no need to get defensive. I was just making an observation. You look tired.”
“You can say it’s been a long week.” Clark responded.
“Want to talk about it?” Oliver offered.
“Not really.” Clark said truthfully. At least not to you, he added silently.
“You know Clark,” Oliver said casually, “It’s not a good idea to bottle up your feelings.”
Oh great, whenever Clark started to tolerate Oliver, he did something to get on his nerves again. Did that man ever learn to butt out?
“I don’t bottle up my feelings.” Clark said tightly.
“Of course you do,” Oliver said, “I’ve known you for such a short time and I can already tell.”
“Why do you care anyway?” Clark demanded, words flowing out before he had a good chance to think about what he was saying. “Why would I tell you anything? It’s not as if we’re friends.”
For the first time, Clark saw Oliver look taken aback and he immediately felt guilty for his words, seeing the expression on his face. The hurt in his eyes looked so unusual yet so familiar at the same time.
“I see,” Oliver said, in a low voice. “Well, I’m sorry for bothering you, Clark.” He stood up. “I guess we must’ve gotten our signals crossed.”
Clark bit his lip. He so badly wanted to apologize but the words just weren’t coming out.
“Don’t worry,” Oliver said, his voice chillier, “I won’t get confused again. Good night.” Clark watched helplessly as Oliver left the loft and climbed down the stairs.
When he heard the roar of an engine and the sounds of the car disappearing, he groaned.
How did he manage to screw this one up? He might’ve really hurt Oliver’s feelings. Clark felt horrible. He had been in a bad mood and he took it out on Oliver.
And now he didn’t know what to do. Should he go over there and apologize? When Oliver Queen was angry, he was quite unpredictable.
He knew that from experience.
~Metropolis/October 10, 2003~
It had been two days since that fateful kiss, which sent Clark running from Starlight. The day after he had been extremely careful, doing his best to avoid Oliver. However he didn’t have to work very hard, as it seemed the other man was nowhere to be seen.
Clark hoped he had gone back home, to Star City. Star City, California - Oliver’s home and where the headquarters of Queen Industries was located. He had done some research on the older man and was surprised at what he found out.
His parents died in a plane crash, leaving him an orphan at the young age of ten. He had been in boarding schools most of his life and graduated from Excelsior Academy. Went to an Ivy League school and took over the family business.
From what Clark found out, he traveled a lot and didn’t stick to one place. No steady girlfriends but he was always with a date for every important event. Probably society girls, one night stands.
He wondered why he cared so much but he already knew the answer. Oliver Queen was fascinating and that was the reason he left that night. Because he could lose his heart to this man and that was the last thing he could afford. It would have been fine if it was just a one-night deal but it could never be just one night. At least not for Clark.
Oliver had already gotten into his head and too far into his heart already, it would be too risky to be in contact with him. What he didn’t count on was how much he missed the other man already.
Partying, Clark decided. He just needed to find a gorgeous woman at a club and sleep with her. It wasn’t as if the women weren’t willing, it was him who had been putting the brakes every time. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was saving his virginity for anyone.
Not anymore, anyway. Any shot he had with Lana was long gone and he found that the idea didn’t trouble him as much as he thought it would. Clark was frustrated. He had been in love with Lana Lang since he was five years old and suddenly, some stupid blonde just replaced her? Granted that stupid blonde was not stupid at all but funny, gorgeous and quite intelligent but that really wasn’t the point. The idea was still absurd and he refused to believe it.
Normally, he was more attentive but he was so caught in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the long black stretch limo following him. Usually, he took his dad’s motorcycle, which was parked safely at the hotel, but sometimes he just felt like walking. Especially since he could outrun any vehicle.
Intent on taking a short cut and not afraid of danger, Clark turned into an alley. Not noticing that the limo took the turn after him. Clark felt a prickling in the back of his neck. He was being watched.
Stopping he turned to his right and saw the limo that was parked there. ’Odd’ Clark thought. Who in their right mind would park a limo there? It wasn’t exactly a safe area to leave such an expensive vehicle.
Maybe he should check the license plate number, the vehicle could’ve been stolen and ditched. It was only right to report it. Besides, his curiosity got the best of him.
As he approached the limo, he barely passed the side door when it suddenly swung open and two arms grabbed at him. Overtaken by shock, he found he couldn’t react as he was pulled into the vehicle.
Clark fell on the floor of the limo. He heard the limo door slam. Part of his brain was screaming ‘oh, god, I’ve been kidnapped’ and another part was saying ‘someone is looking to get their ass kicked’.
Getting up, he met the face of his kidnapper and all color drained from his face. Because sitting comfortably in the beige leather seats was none other than Oliver Queen.
“Hey Kal,” he said, smirking, “So nice of you to join me.”
Clark knew he must look like a goldfish, with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging.
Oliver turned to the microphone next to him. “We can go now.”
“As you wish, Mr. Queen.” The answer came, from who Clark assumed was the driver.
“Go?” Clark demanded, regaining his voice. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” But the sudden movement as the vehicle started moving again caused him to hit the floor again.
“It seems,” Oliver said, “that you are.” Clark got up and took a seat.
“This is kidnapping,” Clark hissed, “I hope you know that.”
“Your accusations wound me, Green Eyes.” Oliver said, “Does this mean you didn’t want to come with me?”
Clark gritted his teeth. “You smug bastard.”
“Now, now, Green Eyes,” Oliver continued, “You don’t want to burst a vein there.”
“Mind telling me the reason for this?” Clark demanded.
“Clearly we can’t have a pleasant conversation without you disappearing on me.” Oliver said, his tone cool. “So forgive me if I had to go to drastic measures to gain your attention.”
Clark opened his mouth and closed it. He didn’t have an explanation and he knew he had no grounds to defend himself on.
“I see you’re understanding my reasons.” Oliver went on. “It’s interesting how I can turn around one minute, just for one minute and you’re gone. Especially the night before last, I thought we were getting along quite nicely and you still left.”
Clark flushed, looking away. “It was a mistake, what we were doing. We both got caught up in the moment . . .”
“Kal,” Oliver interrupted, “Can you honestly deny the attraction between us? Can you look me in the eye and say you don’t feel the sexual tension?”
Clark met Oliver’s gaze. “No, I can’t say that. But that’s not the point.”
“What’s the point then?” Oliver asked.
“The point is that I don’t wish to act on it.” Clark told him. “I didn’t mean to do so last night and I regret it completely.” And man, wasn’t he spouting a bunch of bullshit or what?
Something flickered in Oliver’s eyes but it faded just as quickly. “Fine,” he replied, “That’s not a problem. Look Kal, when I’m attracted to someone, I don’t see the point in hiding it. If you didn’t want to pursue anything, you could’ve just said so.”
“And you would’ve just accepted it?” Clark questioned.
“Two things you need to know about me.” Oliver said, “One is that I’m not pushy and two is that I’m not desperate. I can handle a rejection. Granted it doesn’t happen much but the rare times that it does, I can take it.”
Clark was about to say something but Oliver didn’t let him. “What I don’t like is people running off on me. If you want to reject me, do it to my face. I don’t appreciate being left hanging. So in the future, if we could avoid your little need to run at every problem, that would be great.” The last part was clearly sarcastic but Clark knew he deserved it.
Noticing Clark’s silence, Oliver looked slightly amused. “So, what do you say, Green Eyes? Think you could handle it?”
“I suppose.” Clark responded.
“Good,” Oliver said, “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way . . .”
“I can leave?” Clark asked eagerly
“Cold, Green Eyes,” Oliver said, “Am I that unpleasant?”
Clark sighed. “No, you’re not.” He grinned. “Most of the time anyway.”
“Now there’s that smile.” Oliver said, “What do you say? Since our evening got interrupted, why don’t we go clubbing together? You’re certainly dressed for it.”
Clark rested his head against the back of the seat. Might as well give in. Oliver was too stubborn for his own good.
“Sure, why not.” Clark shrugged.
“Great,” Oliver said, “I have a great club in mind.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, this time I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
Clark nodded and couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed at that.
“It will be completely platonic.” Oliver declared.
“Completely platonic.” Clark agreed, though his heart was sinking at the idea.
“Great.” Oliver said, looking satisfied.
Clark, on the other hand, felt worse than ever. But he tried to convince himself it was for the best. Now they would just go clubbing and have a good time, even though part of him wanted to run out of the limo and get as far away as possible.
Besides, it was just clubbing. What was the worst that could happen?
~Present Day~
It was hard to pay attention to what his mother was saying, as his mind kept drifting off to Oliver. He had been a true jerk and he had no idea what to do. The guilty feeling wasn’t going away.
He looked at the bags his mom was having him carry in and tried to tune back into the conversation. Fortunately, she hadn’t realized his attention was not completely on her.
“Mom,” he said, “I know I have a big appetite, but you got enough food here to feed a small army.”
“I thought it'd be a good idea to invite a few people over for Thanksgiving this year.” She told him.
“Actually, I was hoping we could keep it low-key,” Clark said, placing the bags on the counter. “I'm not feeling very thankful this year.”
“Well, I know it's going to be a hard day, Clark, especially after what just happened to Raya, but company could help.” His mom said.
“Mom, it was dad's holiday,” he argued. “He carved the turkey.”
“I can carve this year.” Martha offered.
Clark sighed and continued. “Mom, he was the one who made sure we all said what we were thankful for. He always made sure that I was thankful for my abilities. But you know what? He was wrong.” Clark shook his head. “If I was normal, he would still be here . . . carving the turkey with grandpa's old carving knife.”
Before she could reply, the door opened and Lois entered the house.
“Hey,” she greeted them. “So you can scratch Oliver's name off the Thanksgiving guest list . . . or any other guest list, for that matter. I'm solo.”
“Well that’s too bad,” Martha said, “What happened?”
“Last night he pulled another one of his trademark disappearing acts,” Lois explained, “Smack in the middle of a date.”
“Well, I’m sorry, Lois.” Martha said, sympathetically.
“Oh, don't be.” Lois replied. “I mean, who's kidding who here? We had no future. He's a world renowned billionaire, and I am a nail-biting, talon-doling tabloid reporter.”
“Lois, I'm sure you'll find someone who's better suited for you.” Clark said.
She didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, I know, I know . . . life goes on.”
Then her expression changed. “At least for some people. Have you heard the news? The Green Arrow was shot last night.” Clark froze. But tried not to show any emotion.
“It's in today's Planet.” Lois continued. “A man found him bleeding and ran for help, but when the cops finally got there, all that was left was a bloodstain.”
Immediately, Clark knew that he had to go see Oliver. Maybe he would get a chance to apologize while he was there but the most important part now was checking if he was still alive.