Title: His Silent Watchtower Fandom: Smallville Genre: Romance Pairing: Chloe/Oliver Rating: PGSpoilers: Hints from EscapeSummary: Prompt based - prompt from Smallvillefics. What happens when Chloe doesn't respond to Oliver. Pure fluff.
Author Note: I have no Betas so all mistakes are entirely my own. All comments and reviews are appreciated - they're like crack to me!
Oliver was on patrol and had been for the better part of the evening. He felt sweaty and dirty; all he wanted was a hot shower and to crawl into bed with his favourite blonde.
It was now three in the morning and he was more than ready to head home, and home these days seemed to be wherever Chloe Sullivan was waiting.
He had heard nothing from Watchtower for the past twenty minutes after initiating radio silence. "I'm on my way back to you now 'Tower."
He could feel a grin creeping onto his face. He hadn't seen Chloe since the early hours of the previous morning, and he was looking forward to her welcoming home her 'hero'.
"Didn't you hear me Watchtower? I've ended radio silence."
He rounded the corner to his parked motorbike and once seated he pressed his finger to his earpiece he tried again. "Tower. Are you there?"
Silence.
"Chloe!" He practically yelled and still received no response.
Chloe always answered. Something had to be wrong. He started the engine and sped out of the alleyway.
They would have to have taken her quickly and by surprise, she would have called to him for help. How had they managed to bypass the security and get the jump on Chloe before she could reach out to him? He knew she was armed and Watchtower was set up like a fortress. What the hell had happened to her?
It had taken him all of five minutes to reach the JLA's headquarters. He felt physically sick at the scenarios racing through his mind. As the images in his mind became more severe, more desperate, his heart hammered harder in his chest.
He burst through the double doors with a frantic look on his face, his hood already thrown back and his glasses in his hand. He was about to call out when he saw her. Getting over the initial shock all he could do is shake his head in disbelief.
There she was, legs curled in her chair with her upper body laying on her console. Her blonde hair messy and covering most of her face.
Oliver quietly walked over to her, not wanting to startle her from her sleep.
She had been working so hard lately - they both had. The sleeping beauty in front of him had assured him that she was not overdoing things and that she was catching up on her sleep. The truth was that she had clearly exaggerated.
He knelt beside her desk and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Chloe. Come on, you need to wake up."
She wrinkled her nose in response but remained firmly in her slumber.
"Chloe…" He lightly ran his hand over her back.
She shivered and began to rouse under his touch; it seemed as though she didn't need to be awake for him to have an effect on her physically.
"Wake up sleepy head."
Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Ollie?"
"You've officially been caught sleeping on the job." He smiled.
Chloe lifted her head from the console and Olive had to smother the laugh before it started. There were indentations along her cheek from the keyboard she had been using as a pillow.
She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It took her several seconds for her to come round from her sleepy haze and realise what had happened. Chloe's eyes were now wide and alert, taking in his dishevelled appearance. "Oh my God! I can't believe I fell asleep while you were on patrol! I am so sorry! Is everything okay?"
"No, everything is not okay." He said trying to take a serious tone.
Her face was full of concern. It was obvious she felt guilty that something could have happened while she was supposed to be watching over him. She would never have forgiven herself if he had been injured. "Ollie what happened?"
"You haven't been honest with me. When I left you last night did you stay in bed or did you get up and work?"
She felt his eyes bore right through her, and she resisted the urge to look away like a naughty schoolgirl. "I didn't intend to but Watchtower alerted me to-"
Oliver cut her off with a wave of his hand. "What about the night before while I was in Star City? When I got off the phone with you, you said you were about to turn in. Did you?"
"I was going to, but I had a call from AC and he really needed my help..."
That was when he really looked at her. She looked exhausted - it was no wonder she eventually crashed. "When was the last time you got a full eight hours?"
She looked at him sheepishly, unaware that she was starting to nibble on her lower lip. Her silence was as good as an answer. She couldn't honestly remember when she had last slept through the night.
He stood up abruptly. "Okay, that's it. I'm taking you home with me now."
"And that will help me with my lack of sleep how? If memory serves me, spending the night with you is hardly a restful experience."
"Well there's a first for everything." He reached for her hand and pulled her into his arms. "I am going to make sure you get at least eight hours sleep with no interruptions. Then, when I feel you are actually able to sit still for five minutes without passing out you are coming away with me for the weekend."
"Ollie…" She shook her head.
"No arguments. We could both do with a vacation." Using his finger he lifted her chin to look into her eyes "And this way I can guarantee you're looking after yourself - at least for a couple of days."
"If I remember correctly it wasn't that long ago we had a weekend away. I don't think we can ask the guys to hold the fort down again so soon an-"
"Last time didn't count." He interrupted.
"Didn't count?" She raised an eyebrow. "How did you work that out?"
"We didn't really get to see each other. What between screaming banshees, body possession and naked showers with a certain boy scout, there wasn't much of a vacation in there."
"You're never going to let that go are you?" She cringed at the thought of what happened in the bathroom of the McDougal Inn. She had wished so many times since that it had been Oliver she had walked in on. That evening would have been much more fun.
"You can think of ways to make it up to me later. In the meantime you are going to be on bed rest while I pack up your things."
"Okay, you win. But only because I'm so tired I could fall asleep standing up."
"Well we wouldn't want that!" He smiled at her before scooping her up in his arms and walking her to the door.
"Oliver! Put me down!"
"Not a chance. Can't have you falling asleep again."
She relished the warm feeling of being this close to him. She could breathe in the many smells that she associated with Oliver - the sweat, the leather, the cologne. Just him - and she loved it. With her arms around his neck and her face against his chest she felt content. She could feel sleep tugging at her consciousness again "Got to say there is just as much chance of me falling asleep here."
"Go ahead. I'll be here when you wake up."
She fell asleep before realising it was happening. She didn't rouse during the car journey to his penthouse or as he carried her to his room and settled her in. The only time she stirred was when she felt herself being pulled into his warm embrace as he got into bed and she couldn't help but smile. She should fall asleep at work more often…
AN - Prompt = Chloe found asleep at her Watchtower terminal