Hidden Agendas

Summary: Tess is a smart cookie. It's about time she put two and two together to figure out another secret identity. After all, Clark is no mystery any more. AU—Obviously set before Checkmate, but after Conspiracy.

From the corner of her eye she watches him. She notices the subtle way he periodically checks his phone or doodles on his agenda, all the while pretending to listen intently to the board member that was presenting. Oh sure, he'll nod in their direction, affirm his support for an idea, and pop in a question here and there, but Oliver Queen was distracted by something.

Something was more important that the inner workings of their business and it troubled her. Oh sure, for a time she knew he cared more about getting wasted at night than their bottom line. She had even gone as far as dragging his ass back from Mexico. But she was no fool, and his playboy persona only masked the intelligence that lurked behind those big brown eyes. It was certainly a front, a tactic devised to waylay those who assumed he was little more than a tabloid king, infatuated with fast cars, women, and extravagance. Sure, sometimes Oliver needed a kick-start in the rear, but Tess recognized that he was more than intelligent enough to play in her business sandbox, even though she hated to admit it.

Oh, there was no question about it, when Oliver put his mind to it, he knew more about running this business than most of the fifty year old men who had been at it for the last thirty years. He was innovative, creative, and had an uncanny knack for siding with the next big advancement in technology. The fact that he refused to let anyone outthink him strategically annoyed the crap out of her, but she appreciated his abilities at the same time. Long ago, she came to the conclusion that underestimating Oliver was not only foolish, but costly.

However, others continued to do the same again and again. They only saw the namesake of Queen Industries as the media presented him. And those that saw him as a mere "pretty boy" typically paid dearly for it in the long run.

So right now, Tess dearly wanted to know what was more important than this board meeting to discuss the leading projects of the cooperation. The deal with China alone was worth their time.

Perhaps it had something to do with his mysterious business with Chloe Sullivan and the weapons she was helping him develop. Yes, behind that dashing smile she knows he is involved with something.

But what is he helping Chloe Sullivan with? The same Chloe Sullivan that is in cahoots with Clark Kent—boy wonder. The same Chloe Sullivan who literally kills her in the future she witnessed in Lois' memories.

Wait, Oliver was in that future too, she remembers. He infiltrated the Kandorian's set-up at the Luthor manor as well, toting a cross-bow none-the-less.

What would prompt Oliver to leave his cushy lifestyle and band with a bunch of renegade vigilantes? From what the future indicated, he certainly did not lack in skills. But then again, how could she forget savvy Oliver from their introduction on that island, so many years ago. This thing with Chloe Sullivan had to start somewhere. Perhaps, she wondered, the two had met back with Oliver had dated Lois. The two cousins were close, Tess had to admit. And now that Lois and Clark were together, Chloe had to find someone else to spend time with. The picture her man had taken, showed both Chloe and Oliver in very close proximity—even for the space constraints of the shipping box. What. Were. They. Up. To?

Tess continued to ponder as Oliver not so discretely checked his phone again. This time, he blatantly took the time to answer the text—with a characteristic smile on his face. This smile, she knew, was one reserved for times and people very close to him. Someone was going to be the recipient of a very personal text, judging by the satisfied smirk on his face. But none of the other board members seemed to care at this point, from what she noticed. Was she the only one observing the other members in the room?

Suddenly, a secretary walked through the doors into the room and strode over to Oliver. She whispered something in his ear before exiting as quietly as she entered. Tess watched as he stood, made eye contact with her a moment longer than anyone else, and apologized for his abrupt departure. Something had come up that needed his attention.

Something always seemed to come up with him—Tess reasoned. It wasn't the day-to-day work that bothered her, but deep down in her gut she felt that he had a hidden agenda of some kind. Once you kept your own personal agenda hidden enough, it was not hard to see similarities amongst others.

As the meeting adjourned, Tess swept her papers together and put them neatly into her file folder before leaving the boardroom. Something more was going on with Oliver and she desperately wanted to find out.

In her office she decided to do a little digging. Hacking into his phone would not be an option—there were too many layers of encryption to keep her out. Besides, the man had at least three that she knew of. His bank records were not an option either. Someone was doing an excellent job protecting him—and it was bugging the crap out of her.

Media sources offered little help—not that they were ever a completely reliable source of information. Oliver was shone making appearances at all of the major social functions, donating money left and right toward 'good' causes. Of course there were the elite social functions as well, i.e. the clubs and parties, but those had been scarce of late. The schedule his secretary maintained also outlined his workdays, philanthropic functions, and business related travels. That left his evenings/nights open, and he certainly seemed to have turned into a hermit lately.

But this business with Chloe left her wondering, what they were up to? She assumed it had something to do with Clark. After all, she even confronted Oliver on the destruction of Zod's towers and he did not even fake concern for the loss. If she had to bet, she would take the stance that Oliver knew about Clark. Perhaps, because he certainly funded Sullivan on the side, after she called his attention to the missing funds, her personal investigation had revealed the connection. And Sullivan did whatever necessary to protect Kent.

But what if Oliver did more? Due to her hand in Waller's organization of Checkmate, she knew the Blur had ties to the Green Arrow. Did Oliver help fund that operation as well? After all, the man was a champion of lost causes to help the poor. A modern day Robin Hood would be right up Oliver's liberal alley.

Robin Hood—now that was an interesting concept. Metropolis had been haunted by this Emerald Archer for several years, and was an elusive figure. Not one for seeking public eye and blowing in and out of town regularly. The Green Arrow seemed to call Metropolis home about as frequently as Oliver Queen did.

Hold the phone.

They both seemed to pop up and cause mischief with uncanny similarity. Leaning back in her chair, Tess let that bit of information sink in. Hypothetically speaking, what if Oliver secretly ran around as a masked vigilante? Okay, she admitted, the guy preferred a hood and shades instead of a "mask", but he did have similar characteristics.

Tall, muscular, and bow toting gentlemen. Tess had been privy to enough shirtless moments around Oliver to realize that he was more than physically in shape enough to fit the bill. The archery prowess had her thinking too. The Queen family crest that Oliver splashed over everything mockingly displayed arrows.

Of course, now all she needed to do was prove her theory. No big deal, right?

Catch the Green Arrow and unmask him—not exactly an easy endeavor. But when had she ever been one to shy away from a challenge?

'Twas just something I found on my hard drive. Go figure.