A/N: THIS IS A ONE-SHOT DEDICATED TO ChamberlinofMusic who requested I write something Chlollie within the episode, "Rabid". And I also for all the reviewers of my previous story; A Dozen or So, thank you by the way. I'm sorry it took so long, but I've been studying for proficiencies, and I just got cast a part in my school play. O.o

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville

The city was in chaos, but it was as silent as a safe, the very eeriness of it made Chloe shiver. Cities were supposed to have cars honking horns, and the murmur of people, even the occasional airplane or helicopter above. But the infestation, the disease, had reached so many people, made them mindless beasts, she was afraid to even leave her tower. The virus had spread so rapidly, from the moment that Clark came with the blood sample, to this time, about thirty minutes later; more than 75% of the city had been affected.

But instead, like anything she was afraid of, she decided to fight it, challenge it. She was going to find a cure. She and Emil had worked hours, and she had isolated the chemical format of the virus was, but hadn't a clue what on this earth that was still living could help cure it.

She was going through the chemical formulas and compositions of about forty different tropical plants that ranged from tree to root; when she heard someone walk in. Emil was working on the above floor, downing coffee from endless research, checking the lead on Davis's blood. She had made sure that the codes and doorways had been re-enforced, what if someone afflicted had found their way in?! What if it was someone she knew and cared for? She knew that the Daily Planet had been the first of the mysteriously inflicted of the city, and prayed that Lois had decided to take the day off, and had called her about twenty times, but she was busy, or infected.

She grabbed the bat she kept by her computer and as she heard the steps getting closer, she rapidly stood up and swung as she turned, hoping the extra inertia would give an especially hard hit. But the person had ducked taken a step back then another forward as her arms went to the left side, and grabbed her arms, tossing the bat from her hold. Damn, she might have to break out the handgun she kept on her side; Emil had the tranquilizer gun upstairs, maybe if she screamed….

But then she saw the handsome face of one of the people she feared most for at this time, with his habit for heroics. She had been worried sick that he would try rescuing the whole city by himself.

"I know I've been a jerk lately but I was expecting better than this." She looked into his still knee melting brown eyes, stubble covered jaw.

And then her anger, her contempt, the disappointment she had felt in him, for him, had all melted away. He was here, with normal eyes and his pearly whites. She wouldn't have to keep him in holding, or worse exterminate him… Her arms flung around his neck. And all she wanted to do was keep him there, in her arms, with her ear pressed against his heart; still beating strongly after all the danger he had put himself through. And she started to feel herself tear up.

"Oliver, you're ok!" she whispered in a relieved sob, her voice almost breaking.

He pushed her down, and stared her in the eyes boring down on her.

"I just needed you to back-track this feed Mercy has on me. And, what do you mean, ok? This city is fucked up, something's wrong." How could he not know? It was all over every news feed, and radio station.

She tried to explain what was going on, the whole events of the day. But all that came out as she whispered and said between sobs, "Tess….Daily Planet…Sick… Lois… Clark"

But in his complete disregard for her, he only heard about his two past lovers, and how the daily planet was mentioned, a location plus the two people he couldn't get off his mind for the past hours.

"I have to go", and with that he was whisked out of her watchtower, and ignored her as she told him to be safe. He only said with a small whisper as the elevator doors closed, "And I'm not ok, Chloe, I'm not."

And as she watched him go, she let a couple more tears slip out. Then she wiped her eyes and straightened her demeanor, the very city could be coming to an end, and she shouldn't be allowing herself to become pre-occupied by this. She should have been used to it by now anyways.

~"*"~

Later, after all the explanations, and as he sat in the elevator with Lois, he felt that even though he was here protecting the love of his life, something was off. He felt he should have been with a certain green eyed side-kick, protecting, comforting, her instead.

The feeling churned in the pit of his stomach, making him feel guilty. But he mistook it, and tried to explain his feeling to Lois, what he had been going through, and when he got stuck, it wasn't because the lack of reply, but the slow realization that he felt that he should have been apologizing to Chloe instead. But when he turned, he saw, that Lois had fallen asleep, and the next thing he knew, she was throwing him against the opposite wall and out of his protection.

He was a failure, if he couldn't even keep Lois awake, how was he going to protect anyone, much less Chloe? And he knew that it was his fault, because he had let his own selfishness take control, and make him reckless. He knew then that it was better to just stay how he was, being a hero was a mistake, something he couldn't handle, he wasn't Clark.

~"*"~

After distributing the cure, Chloe sat back down on Oliver's jet passenger seat, and talked out her actions in more detail to Emil. She was in love with Oliver, and she couldn't stand to see how he was falling, and how he was acting. And she knew that she couldn't find a way to stop him, help him, she was just watchtower, sidekick, what else could she do but try to watch over him, to find the right time to interfere, to talk, or at least try to… With Oliver, she felt so… powerless.

Like almost all her past one-sided affections, she always had no true grip on his heart strings, only a fading friendship card. After Emil had heard all her explanations, and even patted her back as she let a couple of tears trickle, he offered her this, "If you want to help, don't just be a fly on the wall, work with what you know about him, change him back, help him fix himself, push him. If you love him, really, then you should figure out the right way how."

~"*"~

And with that, she began planning. Then after about twenty-five different ideas, she was stumped. But when she saw how Oliver had stepped off the pressure plate with the Toy-Man incident, she threw herself back into full plan mode again. And this time every little detail came clearly, and she knew, absolutely knew, how her Oliver should react. She was going to help him to get back. And after about four very convincing calls, and even some visits, to some free-lancing heroes, she was ready.

She was going to call Roulette.

A/N: so what do you think? This story came to me faster, and the plot came clearer then my other in the works. I had one whole outline done, but when I re-watched 'rabid' to make sure that I had everything down, I realized I had a LOT of mistakes. Cause it was before 'roulette' so I had to switch it up.

Reviews are always uplifting.