The Aftermath Conversation

Dinah and Oliver

“What do we do now?” Bart asked as they left Chloe’s new “Watchtower”.

“We disappear, split up. It’s over,” Oliver said seriously.

Dinah gritted her teeth, “Bart, will you excuse us for a moment? I need to talk to the Jolly Green Giant…alone.”

Bart winced, “Sounds like you’re in trouble, boss man.”

“Of course I am,” He muttered sarcastically. Bart walked away and Dinah turned to face Oliver. Her gaze softened and she stared at him silently.

“Go ahead, yell at me,” he said. “Tell me you’re disappointed and angry.”

She sighed and brought a hand to his face. She softly ran a thumb across his cheek, “This isn’t your fault.”

He closed his eyes and leaned gently into her hand. He opened his eyes and returned her gaze, “Yes it is, Dinah. Jimmy was involved because of me.”

“Jimmy was involved because he was on a downward spiral,” Dinah told him. “You brought him out of that. You gave him something to do with his life. You helped him.”

“A lot of help I was.”

“None of us knew Davis was that far gone. You can’t blame yourself. That won’t help anyone,” she told him sincerely.

Oliver brought his hand to meet the one Dinah had placed on his face, “Dinah, I appreciate this, but…I can’t help but blame myself. Every time I think about it I think if I had just left Jimmy out of this he would still be here right now.”

“So you’re just going to give up?” She asked hopelessly. “Jimmy saved Chloe and probably a lot of other people by killing Davis…as sad as that is. Jimmy didn’t have a leather wearing alter ego and even HE didn’t give up when things looked like they were going all to hell.”

“Then he was a better man than me.”

Dinah glared at him, “Oh shut up!”

His eyes widened as he felt a sudden chill. Her hand had left a cold void on his cheek. He resisted the urge to pull her hand back and place it on his cheek again. She was frustrated with him now. He could tell.

“I don’t care how much you deny it or try to bury it with alcohol YOU are a good man,” She said sternly. “I care a lot about you Oliver, but that doesn’t matter at all if you don’t even care about yourself.”

“You care about me?” He asked with a smirk.

Her glare narrowed, “Not what we’re talking about right now, jack ass.”

“I think maybe we should,” He said as he took a step closer to her. He reached out for the hand she had pulled away from him earlier.

“You’re trying to avoid the subject Oliver. You always do this. You find one thing to keep us from talking about what’s been going on with you lately. It’s not going to work this time,” Dinah told him through gritted teeth.

“So, how do you care about me exactly?” He asked as he brought her hand up to his lips.

Her jaw relaxed and she sighed softly, “Oliver…”

“Come on, Dinah. Am I a friend? More than that? What?”

“Does it matter? Last time I checked Tess Mercer was your current obsession,” Dinah said with a raised eyebrow.

He tensed at the mention of Tess, “Things with Tess are over. She won’t be going back there again.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t go back there with out her,” Dinah told him.

“I don’t understand why you can’t ever just enjoy the moment, Pretty Bird,” Oliver said as he studied her fingers.

“Because, Oliver, I’m not a rebound and I’m not a distraction. Go find one of your wannabe models to fill that quota,” She told him firmly.

“So, you care about me, but you don’t want to do anything about it? How does that make sense?” Oliver asked. He was beginning to get defensive.

“Who said I don’t want to do anything about it?” She asked. “I just don’t want to do anything while you’re caught up in a woman that isn’t good for you. If I do anything about this…I want it to feel right. I want to be the only woman you’re distracted by. Not one of many.”

He swallowed thickly and brought a hand up to caress her cheek just as she had caressed his earlier. He ran his thumb slowly over her cheek, but unlike him she didn’t lean into his hand. She wanted to, but she knew if she did then she would give into everything she just told him she didn’t want.

He gave her a soft smile and spoke up hesitantly, “You’re right. You deserve that…and there’s no way I can give you that right now. But…don’t give up on me Dinah. Please don’t.”

The desperation in his voice as he pleaded with her not to give up nearly broke her heart. Every woman he’d ever dated had given up on him. Even Lois in her own small way. Dinah was determined she wouldn’t be the same as all of those other women.

She gently pulled his hand away from her cheek and squeezed it gently, “Never, Oliver. Not even if I wanted to.”