babydee1: (Chlollie - Snow!Chlollie by Tehzo)
[personal profile] babydee1

Hola, chiquitas! J

 

I know I’ve been quiet on LJ whilst I’ve been on holiday, but I should be back in full swing in a couple of weeks.  Till then, I’ll be out having fun in the sun.  I have loads of fics to catch up on, especially those from [livejournal.com profile] phoenixnz, [livejournal.com profile] lilmoochie  and [livejournal.com profile] mari2anne.  I haven’t forgotten you, peeps!

 

Speaking of fic, here’s a young Chlollie story as a gift for the awesome[info]laurelnola’s birthday.  It’s my first foray into Chlollie, and I hope I did it justice.  Sorry to keep you waiting so long! *hugs*

 

I fully intended to write some pretty fluffy oneshot, but like everything else I’ve written it just took on a life of its own and became something else, something quite dark.  I think it served the story, though.  It'll likely run no longer than three or four chapters.  Hey, who coughed and said 'bullsh!t'? :(

 

Enjoy.  Here’s hoping you had a fantastic birthday, laurelnola!

ETA: Icon by the ever-talented[info]tehzo .  Many thanks!

Edited again: Fic title renamed 'Slingshot' so as not to confuse the masses .  Sorry, they call them catapults where I live! :)

Edited yet again 15.01.11: [livejournal.com profile] geek_or_unique  made this awesome banner for me on request!  Isn't she the best?  Thanks, Juliete!

 

 

Title:               Slingshot

Author:          BabyDee
Pairing:          Chlollie, Oneshot

Rating:           PG

Warnings:      None
Timeline:       A few years after the meteor shower
Disclaimer:    All characters belong to the CW & DC comics. 

Summary:     Young Ollie comes to the gallant rescue of a young fair maiden.  She rescues him right back.

Feedback:      …is better than money. J

 

 

Chapter 1

 

 

Oliver Queen sat on the bench at the bottom of the Dragon’s Lair, waiting for his friends Geoffrey and Alden to finish their ride.  His expression was harder than one would expect to find on a twelve-year-old boy; it was the visage one encountered on the face of a child who had been forced to grow up too soon. 

 

Occasionally he lifted his blond head and glanced around at the screaming revellers with barely veiled disinterest.  Once upon a time, he’d have been excited and happy about a day away from the humdrum routine of Excelsior Prep, but excited and happy no longer registered in his emotions.  Not since the day nonna had brought him the terrible news that had shattered his entire world nearly two years ago.

 

“Oliver, you have to be strong, caro mio,” she’d said, tears in her eyes.  And he’d felt his heart suddenly go hollow and his whole body turn to stone as he realised that what she was going to tell him would alter his life forever.

 

Everything had changed after that.  In many ways, he was still waiting for his Mom and Dad to walk through the door, even though he knew they never would.

 

Nonna had been wonderful.  She made him his favourite pizza from her family’s secret recipe, treated him to real Italian ice-cream and even found a really funny Robin Hood movie for him to watch.  But nothing made him smile.  He didn’t think he’d ever smile again.  He didn’t even feel alive anymore.

 

Almost unconsciously, he slid his right hand into his trouser pocket where he kept the slingshot his dad had got him when he was nine.  He had been going fishing with his dad one weekend, and had attempted to pack his bow and arrows into an overnight case.  Dad had laughed and told him that he’d have to give his favourite sport a break for the next few days, but that he had something else which would fit in his pocket.  He’d disappeared and returned a few minutes later with a slingshot and some stones, and over the course of the weekend had shown him how to use it.  As with the bow, Oliver had been a natural with the slingshot, and had caught the fish to prove it.

 

His eyes softened as he remembered the time in his life when things were normal.  He’d give anything to have those times back.

 

The Dragon’s Lair thundered along the tracks and swept skyward in a death-defying loop, making the occupants of the carriages shriek in adrenaline-fuelled excitement.  Irritated, Oliver got up and walked away from the joyful noises.  Alden and Geoffrey would have to do without him when they were ready to sneak back into school, because he didn’t want to hang around here any longer.

 

He followed a path till he got to a quiet clearing in a wooded area.  There was a boat shed on the edge of the clearing, and he could see that the path led to a dirt road on which a red car was parked. 

 

Oliver went and stood on the other side of the shed, out of view of any possible curious onlookers.  Scowling, he dug his hands into his left pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

 

He’d never smoked before, but he’d seen some of the bigger boys at school smoking behind the stables, and they’d seemed to be enjoying themselves.  He’d managed to score some smokes from Trigger, the resident bad boy, with the usual ‘if you get caught, you’re on your own’ disclaimer, and had bided his time and waited for the perfect opportunity to try them out.  This time was as good as any, he decided.

 

He opened the box and slid one of the cigarettes out.  He stared at it long and hard, feeling slightly guilty.  The guilt increased when he dipped his hand into his right pocket for some matches, and felt the rough wood of his dad’s slingshot.  He knew his parents would disapprove of what he was about to do if they were here.

 

But then, he thought defiantly as he slipped the cigarette between his lips, they weren’t here.  And they never would be, not anymore.

 

Calmly he took a match out of the box and struck it, then cupped his hand around the flame and brought it to his lips.

 

“Stop it,” he heard a fierce voice growl.

 

Startled, he shook the match out and stuffed the cigarette back in his pocket.  Had someone seen him?  He listened intently, and heard footsteps crunching round the other side of the shed.

 

Then he heard something else; the sound of a child whimpering.

 

“I told you, shut up!” hissed the voice again, and this time his curiosity got the better of him.  Peering carefully around the shed, he saw a man in a brown baseball cap and a long coat struggling with a little girl under one arm, carrying her as if she were a stack of newspapers.

 

She was probably crying because she didn’t want to leave the fair, he thought.  Still, something didn’t feel right.  The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and every cell in his body went on red alert.

 

He heard the child mumble again and saw her kicking her little legs furiously, and the man shook her sharply.

 

“You make one more sound, and I will kill you,” he snarled.  “Now keep it shut.”

 

Ollie stared aghast.  Oh, God.  He wasn’t her father at all.  He was abducting her.

 

***

 

Chapter 2


 
 

 

Date: 2009-08-10 01:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lilmoochie.livejournal.com
Happy dance time YOU are writing a Chlollie. Be still my heart! Wahoo!! Loved the beginning. There is so much that's not known about what his experiences were like after the death of his parents...Great Work, I'm already addicted...

Date: 2009-08-10 01:12 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Yahoo, the lilmoochie Seal of Approval!

Glad you like it so far. It's been interesting, trying to get into young Ollie's mind at such a troubled time in his life. Hats off to you & laurelnola for writing him as such a wonderful hero, which is more than Brian & Kelly ever did!

I'll try and update the next chapter tomorrow. Thanks for your awesome words, babes!

Date: 2009-08-10 01:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lilmoochie.livejournal.com
Bah! You're making me blush, or is it the Red wine? LOL. You're doing great! The writers' a flushing huge potential down the ol'...well you know. Glad to see you over on the Chlollie side..If you get a chance check out my new Chlollie- EPIC, you might find in interesting.. LOL :)

Date: 2009-08-10 01:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
I am so behind on my fics, it isn't even funny. I'm typing this at 2:30 in the morning because:

1. I'm still on holiday and hogging the computer is all kinds of wrong;

2. My husbands's laptop goes off at whim, deleting my work in the process; and

3. The other available computer has a dodgy mouse and no Microsoft Word. It's a conspiracy against me. I think it happened that way to get my mind off Smallville for a while. That show will not drive me nuts!

Date: 2009-08-10 01:15 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eternal-moonie.livejournal.com
WOOHOO!!! I LIVED TO SEE THE DAY!
The day you wrote Chlollie! I love it!!

Remember hon, if you ever have some spare time, don't hesitate to pay a visit to my LiveJournal page. :*

Date: 2009-08-10 01:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
"Remember hon, if you ever have some spare time, don't hesitate to pay a visit to my LiveJournal page. "

I will do, Jan, I promise! I'll catch up when I get back from hols.

Glad you like this one so far!

Date: 2009-08-10 01:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurelnola.livejournal.com
Young Chlollie!!! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! *runs in circles*

Okay, must get self settled long enough to read....

"Not since the day nonna had brought him the terrible news that had shattered his entire world nearly two years ago."

Eeps! You remembered NONNA! Awwwwww! I love it already!

"But nothing made him smile. He didn’t think he’d ever smile again. He didn’t even feel alive anymore."

*sniffs* Poor Ollie!

"Ollie stared aghast. Oh, God. He wasn’t her father at all. He was abducting her."

Hey! You can't stop there! Mean!

Oh, Dee, this is awesome! You've captured young Ollie brilliantly. His heartache at the loss of his parents, his defiant nature, his anger, and finally, the inner hero in him that reacts when he sees someone in danger. It almost explains why he becomes a hero later on, the way that his instincts to save rise to the surface and therefore the pain, anger and loss he usually feels gets buried. Being a hero is how he first deals with his grief. Brilliant!

I love, love, love it!!! I should have birthdays more often. ;-)

Date: 2009-08-10 01:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
So sorry this is coming so late, babes!

I'll reply properly when the sun comes up. It's 2:38am here, and if I don't go to bed now, I may just wake up next to a Decree Nisi (Kiddin'!) ;-)

I'm just glad I was finally able to start posting the darned thang! :)

Date: 2009-08-10 07:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Okay, proper response...

"Eeps! You remembered NONNA!"

How could I not? You created a fantastic character there, and since she's such an integral part of Ollie's life (in this AU, anyway), she just had to make an appearance. Thanks for letting me borrow her! :)

"Hey! You can't stop there! Mean!"

Like you don't know me by now...! ;-D

"Oh, Dee, this is awesome! You've captured young Ollie brilliantly. His heartache at the loss of his parents, his defiant nature, his anger, and finally, the inner hero in him that reacts when he sees someone in danger. It almost explains why he becomes a hero later on, the way that his instincts to save rise to the surface and therefore the pain, anger and loss he usually feels gets buried. Being a hero is how he first deals with his grief. Brilliant!"

*blushes* Oh, Dawn, you've made my day. I really wasn't sure I'd be able to rise to the challenge, but you and lilmoochie, the HBIC's of the Chlollie Foundation, have validated me based on the strength of just one chapter. Yay! *flails prettily*

"I love, love, love it!!! I should have birthdays more often. ;-)"

Humph! You'll get one a year like everyone else, missy! (That's birthdays, not fanfics!) ;-)

Sooooooo glad you likeeeee!!!! :-D I'll try not to keep you waiting (too long) for the rest!

Date: 2009-08-10 08:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurelnola.livejournal.com
"How could I not? You created a fantastic character there, and since she's such an integral part of Ollie's life (in this AU, anyway), she just had to make an appearance. Thanks for letting me borrow her! :)"

Ah, I wish I could take credit for Nonna. But the truth is that she was based on Denise (kdsch123's) real-life Nonna, who was the best friend of her grandmother and a surrogate grandmother to her while she was growing up. Denise let me borrow Nonna for my story, but I think she'd be tickled pink to know that Nonna's spirit is so strong she's migrated to other people's fics, as well! *beams*

"I really wasn't sure I'd be able to rise to the challenge, but you and lilmoochie, the HBIC's of the Chlollie Foundation, have validated me based on the strength of just one chapter. Yay!"

Well, the fic is awesome and so are you, so validation wasn't even a question! (*whispers* And I'm a HBIC in Chlollie-land? Get out!! I've never been one of those before. Hmmm, I'm not sure I know what to do with the power. Oh, wait. Yes, I do. By the power of Chlollie, I demand that you write another chapter this minute! Damn, I knew it would go to my head!)

;-)


Date: 2009-08-11 08:20 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
"Ah, I wish I could take credit for Nonna. But the truth is that she was based on Denise (kdsch123's) real-life Nonna, who was the best friend of her grandmother and a surrogate grandmother to her while she was growing up. Denise let me borrow Nonna for my story, but I think she'd be tickled pink to know that Nonna's spirit is so strong she's migrated to other people's fics, as well! *beams*"

Oh, that's AMAZING! Here's hoping she shows up in more and more Chlollie fics (lilmoochie, take note!) :-P


"(*whispers* And I'm a HBIC in Chlollie-land? Get out!!"

Oh, yes you are, girlfrien'! *snaps fingers and does the head thing* Uh-huh! ;-)

"Hmmm, I'm not sure I know what to do with the power. Oh, wait. Yes, I do. By the power of Chlollie, I demand that you write another chapter this minute! Damn, I knew it would go to my head!)"

...and she's caved! I actually have more chapters ready, but I need to edit. So you'll just have to wait. Ha! :-P

I'm so thrilled you're lovin' it, hun! :)

Date: 2009-08-11 06:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mari2anne.livejournal.com
HBIC's...?
all this computer/texting lingo...
Does it mean what I think it means?

(slowly crawling out of the gutter...)

Date: 2009-08-11 08:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Head B!tch(es) in Charge! :-D

Date: 2009-08-10 07:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
PS: Did you see what I did with Trigger? That one was for you and Seamus! ;-)

Date: 2009-08-10 08:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurelnola.livejournal.com
"Did you see what I did with Trigger?"

Ahahaha! "You tart!" I told Seamus just the other night that I wanted to watch Only Fools and Horses and he laughed because for the longest time, he had to interpret the bloody show for me!

Me: What did he say?
S: He said, "How's it goin', Dave?"
Me: And what did the other say?
S: He said, "You stupid plonker!"
Me: *pause* What's a plonker?
S: *sigh*

Heh.

Date: 2009-08-11 08:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
*giggling like a loon* Poor Seamus! At least he's a dab hand with the lingo. Funny; Peckham is pretty much round the corner from where I grew up! Ah, the No 36 Bus...

Date: 2009-08-10 01:31 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lust-4sorrow.livejournal.com
*happydances*
I'm loving this so far =]

Date: 2009-08-10 01:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thank you, babes! Glad you like. :)

Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-10 02:24 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mari2anne.livejournal.com
Aren't you supposed to be on holiday??? Miss us too much, huh?

I've never ever been a Chlollie fan and I'm loving this; really gets me when you write about our heros when they're so young...you have a gift there.

And an evil cliffie on the first chapter, no mercy at all, I swear...

...oh, btw, that was me coughing...got a backroom bet going
(5 to 1 it'll be at least five chapters...don't let me down...)

So looking forward to chapter two...

Re: Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-10 09:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mari2anne.livejournal.com
I forgot to add I had to look up the definition of catapult because I could only think of this definition:

catapult ( ) n. A military machine for hurling missiles, such as large stones or spears, used in ancient and medieval times..

and somewhere else I found: "slingshot..."
ah, yes, it all makes sense now...

Re: Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-10 11:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Gah! Does this mean I have to extensively edit this fic, inclusing the darned title? Grr!!!

Don't ya just lurve the British? :)

Re: Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-11 04:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mari2anne.livejournal.com
Yes, love them...and the lovely King's English; or do they call it the Queen's English these days?

Did you see the movie "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater? There's a scene where Costner & Freeman were 'catapulted' over the castle wall by Slater. That 'machine' they were sitting on would be the catapult I thought of because I had just seen the movie again over the weekend. Now my question is: what would that be called in the King/Queen's English?

Re: Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-11 08:29 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
That IS a catapult, dear, but a ginorous prehistoric one! Everything's smaller these days - mobile phones, computers, catapults - sorry, slingshots...

Re: Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?

Date: 2009-08-10 12:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Yes, I am supposed to be on holiday, babes. We'll be back home on Saturday, but I was getting LJ-withdrawal symptoms and just had to post something. Never before have I felt such an urge to post or die!!!

"And an evil cliffie on the first chapter, no mercy at all, I swear..."

*cackles evilly* I wouldn't be me if I didn't throw one o'them in the mix, now, would I? ;-)

...And I would post Chappie 2, but Hubby's taking me out to lunch, yay! :-P

Thanks for you comment, hun!

Date: 2009-08-10 06:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] phoenixnz.livejournal.com
Ooh Dee, even on holiday you manage to give us a treat. I can't wait to see where this goes. Yay for your first Chloe/Ollie. I guess we're all into trying something new once in a while.
PPMS

Date: 2009-08-10 04:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Thanks, honey! My first Chlollie, yay. Glad you likee!

I haven't forgotten you, and I'll be reading and commenting on all your lovely stories as soon as we get back home!

Date: 2009-08-10 10:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eternal-moonie.livejournal.com
I'll keep you posted! xoxo hon

Busy?

Date: 2009-08-10 07:32 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] eternal-moonie.livejournal.com
Are you busy at the moment?

Re: Busy?

Date: 2009-08-10 07:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Yep - sorting out a friend's wedding pics that I took.

Date: 2009-08-10 08:22 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] carcassi.livejournal.com
You should go on holiday more often, Dee! Obviously, relaxation inspires you. :)

I adore this already! Your young!Ollie is a perfect child-sized version of our favorite archer, hiding his pain with a show of bravado. My heart goes out to him, poor kid.

In many ways, he was still waiting for his Mom and Dad to walk through the door, even though he knew they never would.

*Sighs* That single sentence is one of the saddest I've ever read in any fanfic. It really brought home the nightmare he had to endure at too young an age. And I loved the way you wove the catapult--er,slingshot *G*--into the story. It would be completely natural for Ollie's Dad to give his budding an archer what amounts to a "miniature" crossbow, and the fact that Ollie keeps it with him all the time speaks volumes about how much he loved his Dad.

Count me as another YAY for the Nonna shoutout!! She's one of my fave original characters. :)

Peering carefully around the shed, he saw a man in a brown baseball cap and a long coat struggling with a little girl under one arm, carrying her as if she were a stack of newspapers.

Clever you, with the sly newspaper reference! That's our investigative Chloe, all right. I'll bet she poked her nose into something and is now in danger of getting it bitten off. Unless, that is, a handsome young hero comes to her rescue.....

*Runs off to next chappie*

*Ducks head back in* Great start, Dee!! *g*

Date: 2009-08-11 08:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Oh, Debs! *rugby-tackles you with a hug*

If you lived down my way, I'd be in front of your door with a tub of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice cream with a blue ribbon on top! Why? Because of this:

"Clever you, with the sly newspaper reference!"

I wondered who would catch it, and I just *knew* it wouldn't slip past your stellar mind. Brava, honey!

More later...

Date: 2009-08-12 10:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
...and I'm back!

"And I loved the way you wove the catapult--er,slingshot *G*--into the story. It would be completely natural for Ollie's Dad to give his budding an archer what amounts to a "miniature" crossbow, and the fact that Ollie keeps it with him all the time speaks volumes about how much he loved his Dad."

I had to find a way to get some archery skills in there somehow! :-P

Glad you're likin' it!

Date: 2009-12-13 09:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] modscho.livejournal.com
Wow, totally loved that! I'm normally not into those "the young years of Oliver Queen - or anybody else for that matter" - fics, but this one was truly great. The way you described him hardening his heart after his parent's death was amazing.
So off to chapter 2 I am ....

Date: 2009-12-14 11:11 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
Ooh, what a pretty, pretty icon! Who made it, and is it snaggable?

"Wow, totally loved that! I'm normally not into those "the young years of Oliver Queen - or anybody else for that matter" - fics, but this one was truly great."

You have laurelnola to thank for that. I offered her a choice of Young!Chlollie or Naughty!Chlollie for her birthday, and she went with the PG-version. Good thing she did, because that has become the starting point of my 5-part Chlollie series! :-P

"The way you described him hardening his heart after his parent's death was amazing."

I have to think that that's what made him so cynical when we saw him in his Excelsior years...it was just his way of coping with such a heavy loss.

Glad you like it, and thanks for commenting! :-)

Date: 2010-08-02 05:46 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wsprite68-ad.livejournal.com
I'm going back and re-reading some of my fave fanfiction now that I have LJ account and can comment.

This is one of my favorite young Ollie stories. I love the characterization of him at that age. You set the scene so well and provide such inter-woven explanations for his actions and emotions.

I thought this one line summed up so much in his personality at this stage, "But then, he thought defiantly as he slipped the cigarette between his lips, they weren't here. And they never would be, not anymore." It just expresses so much pain and loss and anger.

And, it's one of the reasons I come back and re-read. :)

Date: 2010-08-02 10:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] babydee1.livejournal.com
"I'm going back and re-reading some of my fave fanfiction now that I have LJ account and can comment."

Oh boy, a re-reader?! I love re-readers!!! *tacklehugs you*

"This is one of my favorite young Ollie stories. I love the characterization of him at that age. You set the scene so well and provide such inter-woven explanations for his actions and emotions."

Why, thank you! It was such a challenge for me, because I'd never written Ollie before, young or otherwise. I knew from Reunion that he'd been a snotty kid and a bully, and it was easy enough to assume that it stemmed from losing his parents a few years earlier. Then I had to get him out of his funk...and what better way to do it than send him an angel? :-)

" thought this one line summed up so much in his personality at this stage, "But then, he thought defiantly as he slipped the cigarette between his lips, they weren't here. And they never would be, not anymore." It just expresses so much pain and loss and anger."

I know; and he was such a sunny child in Veritas where he was playing with Ollie. Chloe came along just in time, I think. They saved each other. ;-)

"And, it's one of the reasons I come back and re-read. :)"

...and I luff you for it! *tacklehugs again*

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