My newest try on a story. I started with the story before "The Offer", but I might include some of the newer developments.
The story is kind of a Crossover with Gotham (though you don't need to know it), but it's not really, because it's set after the events of Gotham, so I'm not sure if I should put it down as a crossover. Maybe tell me what you think?
I hope you enjoy it.
I don't own Arrow (or Gotham or Batman or anyone, really).
Arrow – Gotham Chronicles
"How's married life treating you so far?"
Diggle laughs loudly at his friend's question, "Oliver, it's barely been two hours. Ask me in a week."
Oliver gives him an honest smile. After what they had been through over the past weeks, Digg deserves the best day of his life to be calm and beautiful – like the weather. He really hopes nothing will happen to ruin this day for his friend.
"How are you holding up?" Diggle asks and nods in the direction of the dance floor.
Oliver tenses when his eyes fall on the blonde woman currently being twirled by the tall dark man. It's like a knife to his heart whenever he sees them together. Just like the first time. But he wants her to be happy – and she looks happy.
"It can't be easy seeing her with him." Diggle said compassionately.
Oliver averts his gaze and chooses instead to look at the happy, glowing bride fussing over her daughter at the table with Roy and Laurel watching from the side-line. "She made her choice and she deserves to be happy. That's not something I can ever give her."
Diggle takes a breath, but refrains from saying anything. He's been blindsided by Felicity's choice to be with Ray. Sure he saw the expression on her face back then in the foundry, understood her refusal to accept dying alone– still he had thought Oliver and Felicity eventually would figure it out. But Oliver won't make a move now that she's taken (he understands that – not because he necessarily agrees, but because he knows how Oliver regards himself and how he sees himself in comparison to Ray Palmer). Felicity seems happy, even Digg can see that. Oliver is miserable.
"It's a beautiful wedding," Oliver comments in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Diggle grins, "I wasn't allowed to make a single choice regarding this wedding. Apparently I stroke out at being qualified after commenting that the blue bridesmaid dresses were perfectly fine. I'm still not sure where I went wrong there. So Lyla deserves all the credit."
Oliver nods curtly, though Diggle can see the frown in his eyes that isn't expressed in his face.
"You're worried about the many windows, aren't you?" Diggle shakes his head. "You need to learn to relax, Oliver. Half of ARGUS is here; I don't think there's a place with better security in all of Starling."
Oliver gives a tight smile. The fact that ARGUS is watching doesn't gives him reason to relax.
"Another drink?" Digg offers from the side and Oliver nods.
They are halfway to the open bar when the window comes crashing down. The man that comes flying thought hits the ground hard and groans in pain – one of the ARGUS-Agents stationed outside.
Oliver tenses up and focuses his attention on his surroundings. His hands automatically miss the arrow in them and his eyes take in the surroundings. Every potential weapon is categorized (either for him to use or to be used against him). The room is full of ARGUS Agents, but the amounts of weapons drawn do little to appease him. Something's wrong but he can't quite put his fingers on it.
For a few seconds nothing happens then the man on the ground manages to get a hold of his weapon. He sits up with a groan, but instead of directing it to the open window like everyone else, Oliver finds the gun directed at his head. Digg tackles him to the ground before he can move, but the shot never comes. Out of the corner of his eyes (he's falling so maybe he's imagining it) he sees a whip – sharp and precise as he remembers it – ripping the gun from the agents hand.
"Weapons down," Amanda Waller commands sharply and catches Oliver's eyes for less than a second.
Diggle sits up confused. He could've sworn Oliver just let out a relieved breath. Indeed it seems as if the tension left Oliver's body and the hard look on his face was replaced by some half smirk.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What an oversight on your part, Miss Waller," the shadow figure jumps from the windows hill down to the venue with simple elegance. Agile – like a cat. "Not realising that one of your guards holds a special grudge against…" she smirks at Oliver, "Mr. Queen here."
"What's going on?" Ray whispers confused to Felicity. "Why are there even guards here? What kind of wedding is that?"
She shifts uncomfortably and gives a noncommittal smile, "I wonder."
"Cat," Oliver mumbles so lowly not even Diggle is sure he heard him right and Oliver has to try to keep the smile from his face.
"Who?" Diggle asks blankly.
He and Oliver get up from the floor and Digg dust off his clothes as good as possible. Why couldn't he simply have a normal, regular, boring wedding?
"What do you want here?" Amanda Waller stalks up to the woman and tries to stare her down. Not very effective it appears as the woman towers over her (might be the shoes with heels high, thin and sharp as a weapon – she can use them as such, Oliver knows).
The stranger is dressed all in black, a skin-tight cat suit that accents every curve of her body, a mask hides her face leaving only her eyes and the lower part of her face visible. But what stands out prominently are the animal ears that adore her mask.
"That's Catwoman!" Roy half-whispers, half-shouts exited. "Oh my god, that's Catwoman. I can't believe it. This is the coolest thing that ever happened to me."
Felicity rolls her eyes – there we have Arsenal, risking his life on a daily basis helping the Arrow to keep the city safe, just as much of a hero as the archer himself – and he wets himself over a burglar cat. Maybe it's the knock-out body, Felicity thinks, and she refuses to acknowledge that tiny part of envy in her. What truly baffles her however is Oliver's unconcerned stance regarding the woman. She expected him ready for attack at the unknown situation (or woman), but if she's honest he might even look… happy or in the very least surprisingly pleased at the appearance of the masked thief. They know each other, Felicity realises.
Diggle comes to the same conclusion and steps slightly back to give Oliver space to breath. He still wishes he had his weapon ("It's our wedding, John. You won't need a gun and how would it look. I'm not going to wear mine." Well, look how that worked out, Lyla.)
"Now, Mr. Queen," Catwoman purrs in a voice that makes even Felicity shiver. Her voice alone would make men fall at her feet. "Don't I deserve a reward for saving your life?"
Oliver's eyes narrow but he makes no move to step back from the slowly but steadily approaching burglar. Diggle tenses his muscles but Oliver doesn't look alarmed, so he allows her to reach him.
Then her fingers wrap around his tie and she's pulling him in for a kiss. Felicity can feel the crackle in the air all the way to where she's still cowering on the floor, being held by Ray. And she can't fight the part of her that hurts at seeing Oliver with another woman.
Roy makes an open sound of shock while Diggle manages to handle his surprise in a more dignified though no less flabbergasted way – he simply stares at his (former) boss being "assaulted" by a renowned thief.
Cat lets go of him and Oliver fights the urge to roll his eyes at her. She gives him a wink and takes a step back, then she runs-up to take the exit out of the window in a way that looks way more elegant than it should be, considering the height of the window. Everyone who doesn't understand where her nickname Catwoman comes from certainly does now. She climbs out of it with a jump, leaving a speechless wedding party in her wake.
"Well, it's not truly a wedding unless some masked individual makes an appearance," Lyla notes dryly and sips at her drink while walking up to her husband. She still nursing, so it's only orange juice and therefore completely inadequate for processing recent events. Digg assesses her quickly and finds no signs of harm on her. He turns to Oliver just in time to catch him pulling something out of his mouth. His eyes widen slightly and Oliver sees the question in his eyes, he opens his palm and Digg frowns.
"She gave you a key?" Then something bigger occurs to him, "Wait, you know her! How? When? You know Catwoman? Are you kidding me?" Most of his outrage is due to the fact that he hasn't heard of that yet.
"I got to go," Oliver ignores the question. "Any chance you can cover for me?"
Diggle gives him a nod. And Lyla grins, "Sure thing, but only if we get to hear the whole story later."
"Sorry about your wedding."
"Nah, Lyla's right. What's a wedding without some action? We'd be bored to death otherwise. Now this party will be talked about in years."
Digg stops him at the elbow as he walks past, "But Oliver. I expect an explanation later."
Oliver smirks and slips out, leaving the chaos that followed Catwoman's departure.
Arrow
"The mission is simply, really."
He starts to really hate Amanda Waller's voice. It was a deal with the devil, but one he had to make to ensure his friends safety. In exchange for his "continued willingness to assist in national security matters" Amanda Waller let Maseo and Tatsu live their life in peace and released Maseo from her service. After what happened Akio… they deserved at least that.
He'd spent some time in Russia for her first. His – to him so far unknown – connection to the Bratva caused Waller to offer him this deal in the first place. He'd risen the ranks fairly quickly and it wasn't long before Anatoly made him Captain. Compared to Waller and ARGUS, his time in Bratva seemed like a nice walk in the park – and it was the Russian mafia, a feared and terrifying brotherhood based on unquestioned loyalty. Yet Amanda Waller and her indifference to lives (especially his) made them seem the more harmless option.
Death no longer scares him like it used to, if she wants to kill him… he's only going to regret not being able to fulfil his father's last wish. And he promises himself (he has done so more times than he can count) – if he makes it home, if he survives this – he will stop at nothing to life up to his father's expectations.
Waller's sharp voice brings him out of his thoughts, "You'll work with a partner on this one. She's a… mercenary, we require her services. Do not trust her, Mr. Queen."
"Got it. If you'd kindly tell me what I actually have to do," Oliver retorts impatiently.
"You are to watch her and make sure she does as she is told. We cannot trust her, but we have no choice in the matter. There's no one else as good as her."
He doesn't like the sound of that, but then he never did and it's not like he has a choice.
Waller hands him the file and Oliver flips it open. His eyes widen at the sight. It's only a shot of her face, but the woman in the picture is absolutely stunning. She has short curly hair, it's of a vibrant brown, but it's her face that gets to him. Her heart-shaped face is probaly one of the most beautifuls things he's ever seen with a perfectly straight and small nose and a plump mouth. Her eyes are big, of a deep green. They give her an intelligent look, a dangerour aura - she's beautiful.
"Quite a looker, isn't she?" Waller eyes him suspiciously. "Her name is Selena Kyle."
Tell me what you think!
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