Chapter 1
Reality VS Fantasy
"We don't create a fantasy world to escape reality. We create it to be able to stay."
-Lynda Barry
Fantasy is defined as "the faculty or activity of imagining things, especially things that are impossible or improbable." A lot of people fall victim to fantasy, confusing it with reality which can sometimes be easy to do.
In a quiet neighborhood, in a beautiful house lived two former heroes who gave up the life that seemed to bring just as much pain as happiness. They realized that a life of crime fighting was probably no place for a child, that neither really expected to somehow take over their lives in such little time. They were now just regular people, and they were actually liking it.
Oliver was running. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shinning and Oliver couldn't waste the chance for a nice run around the neighborhood. He smiled, and waved at his neighbors as he passed them. Surprisingly everyone they'd met was really nice, which made settling in and making friends really easy. After a couple of blocks, Oliver finally returned home, heading straight for the kitchen to grab some water. What he didn't expect was there to be someone who didn't live there to already be nosing around the refrigerator.
"You're not my girlfriend." Oliver said and the curly haired woman nearly jumped out of her skin before turning to the man.
"No, I'm not." the woman sighed before closing the fridge and turning to the man. "Your girlfriend is in the exact same spot, looking at the exact same unmoving walls. And I got hungry, but you two need food." the woman looked over to the clock and sighed. "I have a lecture I should be heading over to-" she turned back to Oliver. "Tell your baby mama to make up her mind already." the woman laughed as she walked over, grabbing her bag before heading for the door.
"Nice to see you too Debra." Oliver said with a wave as the woman left. He walked over to the fridge, noticing that she was right and that they did need to head to the market. He grabbed a bottle of water before heading upstairs and going to the room he knows he'll find the woman. The moment he peeks inside, he can't even stop the smile on his lips at the sight of the woman sitting on the floor in her paint stained overalls. Her eyes are looking between the walls, all with a couple of streaks of yellow paint.
"Debra is gone." Oliver spoke from the hallway. "I guess she didn't think helping you paint in here would be a week long job."
"I just want to choose the right color." Katie said.
"They're all yellow." Oliver stated, and Katie turned a glare to the man. "I'm sure whatever color you paint the room, our daughter will love it." Katie simply shook her head before turning back around to the walls. "Twinkie, we can't start moving the furniture in until it's painted. We have to pick a color."
"Fine!" the said glancing around at the walls. She tilted her head slightly before giving a nod. "Lemon twist. That's the color."
"Great, I will call the hardware store and see if they have any in stock, and hopefully I can pick it up tomorrow morning." Oliver gave a smile about to turn, but stopped. "Why aren't you leaving?"
"I like to sit in here." Katie replied not glancing over to the man. He tilted his head, before chuckling as he walked over.
"Why do I get the feeling you've been sitting here for so long because you can't get up without help." he stood above her and she glared up to the man.
"I will never admit that Mr. Queen." the woman replied taking the man's extended hands, and letting him help her to her feet. "How was your run?"
"Great." the man replied placing a kiss to the woman's lips. "I'm getting used to running without chasing someone."
"And I like you less bruised and battered." the woman slides a hand along Oliver's cheek. The man once again leaned in capturing her lips. "And freshly showered. I love you all clean, and freshly showered." she muttered against his lips with a laugh.
"You mean you don't like when I'm all sweaty?" Oliver asked, bringing his arms around the woman, making her squirm. "You know for some reason I thought you did."
"And you say I'm not funny." Katie replied, as she unzipped the man's hoodie. "So I called Speedy again today."
"How'd that go?" Oliver asked tugging off the hoodie.
"Well she answered. Probably said five words maximum before we ended the call." Katie says with a shake of her head. "I knew she was going to take it hard, but I didn't know it would take this long. I mean Felicity got over it in like two weeks."
"Look, she just needs some more time." Oliver says placing another kiss to Katie's cheek. "I mean at some point she's going to want to see her niece, and that means she will have to speak to us."
"So we're probably going to have to wait until the birth of our child to speak to her?" Katie asked and Oliver shrugged.
"I promise Thea won't be mad forever. Right now I'm going shower, then call the hardware store and then we can head to the market."
"Ugh, we're leaving?" she asked as she followed the man to the bedroom. "Why? I don't want to put on real clothes."
"We need food, plus I have to pick some things up for brunch tomorrow." Oliver recounted as he walked into the bedroom. "So yes you have to put on real clothes!"
"Will I have to cook anything for this brunch?!" Katie called.
"We actually like the Hoffman's!" Oliver replied and Katie couldn't help but laugh. "I will do the cooking, unless you want to break out your world famous almost edible pancakes."
"You're still not funny!"
Oliver and Katie's new reality consisted of normal trips to the market. Katie held a basket on her arm as she mulled down the aisles glancing at the fruits and vegetables. She usually only grabbed things she wanted to eat right away, and would let Oliver choose whatever he was going to use for their meals. She stopped and glanced over to see Oliver speaking with one of the vendors and she just shook her head. He'd been on a health food kick since he was cooking for her. Making sure everything he cooked was fresh, and was grown without pesticides. He'd been reading a lot about the joys of pregnancy, and making sure anything that went into her body wouldn't somehow hurt the baby.
Suddenly an instinct Katie hadn't felt in a while kicked in. She felt eyes on her. She lifted her head, turning slightly to the other faces in the market trying to spot anyone out of place. There was a man, holding up a melon with his phone to his ear. He glanced over to her for only a second before putting the fruit down and turning and walking for the door.
"Hey." Oliver spoke suddenly beside her. "Everything alright?" he asked and Katie turned to him wondering what she should say. The truth was she didn't know if anything was truly wrong, and she didn't want some weird moment of paranoia to tear them from the little piece of normalcy they had carved out here.
"Yeah, I was looking for peaches, but I couldn't find them." Katie replied and Oliver quirked a brow. "What?"
"You're standing in front of the peaches." Oliver said and Katie turned and as the man said, there they were. She laughed and just shrugged before grabbing a couple. "You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, pregnancy brain I guess." the woman replied before nudging her head to the clerk. "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah." Oliver replied taking the basket from the woman and heading toward the front to pay. Katie stood beside Oliver as he paid for their food, when a flyer caught her eye. "Hey-" Oliver appeared behind her. "What's that?"
"Looks like there's a carnival tonight." Katie replied reading the flyer. "All proceeds are going to St Agnes Orphanage. That's nice." she turned to Oliver with a smile. "What do you think? Wanna take me out on a date Mr. Queen?" Oliver smiled turning back to the flyer. He wasn't a big fan of crowds. There was always too much risk of someone getting too close to them.
"I don't know—" he started, as he turned to Katie who stared at him with those brown eyes that got him all the time. "I'm going to be a push over dad." Katie laughed with a shake of her head. "Alright, this could be fun."
"Yeah, we can see who can win the most prizes." Katie said as she headed for the door. Oliver let out a sigh, because he knew how competitive the woman could be.
That night Oliver and Katie strolled hand in hand down the aisles of the brightly lit carnival. Katie glanced over to Oliver who had a bit of a frown on his face. They'd actually played a couple of games, and Katie actually was the first to win between the two of them. Unfortunately it was a game of balloon darts. She only popped one more than he did, winning her the game.
"Maybe your aim is a little off." she said, trying not to laugh.
"Twinkie-" she laughed as the man shook his head. "That game was rigged."
"Oliver all of these games are rigged. That's how they make money. I beat the system and won you a very adorable lion that you still have to name." Oliver looked down to the stuffed toy in his hand. "How about Liver?" he turned a look to her. "Liver the lion." the woman just laughed.
"I am going to win you something." Oliver declared staking out the booths for the right one. Katie forgot how competitive the man could get sometimes. "We are not leaving this carnival until I win you something."
"Or I win you something else. I mean I'm obviously better at the games than you are and-" another glare came her way, and she couldn't stop laughing. "Well if you're this determined, then I'm going to need something to snack on."
"No more hotdogs, Twinkie." the man said, still keeping his eyes on the booths. "You had three."
"I would appreciate if you didn't count what I eat and then throw the number in my face."
"I'm just saying they're not good for the baby. Dr. Frances says-" Dr. Frances was the author of one of the baby books Oliver has read and just loves to quote. Katie usually tunes him out when he does.
"Well Dr. Robins says screw Dr. Frances, and let her eat her hotdog." Katie replied with a sweet smile. "And I don't even want a hot dog, I wanted cotton candy."
"That's a lot of sugar Twinkie-"
"You know Dr. Queen, I'm going to go get my own cotton candy." the woman stalked off toward the vendor and Oliver sighed before following behind her.
"Oh I know that look." a voice spoke, and Oliver looked up to see a familiar couple. "You started doing that thing where you recount what she eats, didn't you? I told you not to do that dude. Pregnant ladies get crazy."
"Are you saying I was crazy, Brad?"
"No, I'm just speaking in general."
"Debra, Brad. I think this is the part I remind you that we're in public." Oliver said and the couple turned back to the man with a smile. Oliver and Katie met Debra and Brad the first week of moving into the house. They were nice people, funny, kind of the cool parents in their neighborhood.
"Thanks." Brad said before looking down to the stuffed lion in Oliver's hand. "Did you win that for the future missus-" Debra slapped the man's chest just as Katie walked over, taking a bite out of her cotton candy. "Oh, hey Katie."
"Hey, I didn't know you two were coming here."
"It was spur of the moment. We got a babysitter and couldn't waste another evening going to that stupid bar." Debra said turning a look to her husband.
"You say stupid, I say a great entertainment establishment." Brad replied turning a smile to his wife. The man turned back to the couple. "So what's good here? I've been forced to win as many prizes as possible for this woman."
"I just said if you love me, I won't leave here empty handed." Debra replied and her husband shook his head before turning back to Oliver. "Where did you win the lion?"
"He didn't." Katie chuckled and both Debra and Brad looked from Katie to Oliver, attempting and failing to hold in their laughter.
"Laugh it up. I am going to win something." Oliver replied before grabbing Katie's hand and pulling her with him. Debra and Brad tagged along for the pure entertainment.
The night loomed on, and Oliver was still determined after endless playing and losing of games. At the moment he was stuck on a ring toss game, Katie was positive was rigged. But Oliver wouldn't give up. She found a seat nearby where her and Debra watched Oliver and Brad attempt to beat the unbeatable game.
"Alright, I'm giving them a half an hour, then we're getting out of here. I'm tired and you look like you need to get off of your feet." Debra said and Katie just gave a tired smile as she looked over to her frustrated boyfriend. Debra followed her eyes and smiled. "So I know we've only known each other for a month, and I promised I wouldn't bring this up again but-"
"Deb." Katie warned lightly and the woman sighed.
"Like there is about to be a whole human pulled out of you, wouldn't you want her to come to a world where her mommy and daddy who seem to be crazy about each other are also married." Katie simply rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time the conversation had come up. For some reason when their neighbors find out that Oliver and Katie weren't married, they couldn't fathom the idea of why.
"Me and Oliver will get married when we're meant to get married."
"So if he asked you today, would you say yes?" Katie turned to the woman with a quirked brow. "That's a fair question."
"Also an oddly specific question." Katie replied glancing over to the guys. "You know something I don't?"
"Why would I know anything?" Debra asked with a light laugh as she turned back to the guys. "Oliver only talks to Brad, and I can barely get two words out of Brad when we're at home." the woman smiled. "It's one of the things I love about him."
"You guys are so weird." Katie muttered with a shake of her head before letting out a sigh. "I have to pee. Are there bathrooms here?"
"Just skeevy porta-potties." Debra says helping the woman stand to her feet. "There's a burger place across the street I'm sure it won't be riddled with as many diseases." Katie turned a darkened look to the woman. "C'mon."
"I should tell Oliver I'm leaving." Katie said glancing over to the man who seemed to be focusing intensely on the game.
"I don't think we should bother them when they're in their zone." Debra said with a shake of her head. "By the time we get back, we can finally drag them away." Katie glanced over once more and figured she'd let the man have his fun for a little while longer.
"Fine, let's go." Katie says and the women ventured out of the carnival, to the burger joint across the street.
They walked inside and when Katie spotted the bathroom sign and rushed off. She didn't know that she'd actually caught someone's eye. Someone who didn't expect to see her walk through the doors of his favorite burger spot.
"Excuse me." a voice startled Debra who sat at the booth waiting for Katie. She turned to a handsome man, who turned slightly before looking back to her. "That woman you were just with. Who is she?"
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Debra asked, trying her best to inch away from the man. "Look my husband and her very large boyfriend are across the street and will hurt you-"
"Deb-" both turned to see Kate who looked at the man with wide eyes. "What-" she couldn't believe it. "What are you doing here?"
"No, what are you doing here?" the man asked. "I figured you were smart enough to stay away from here after what happened the last time you were here."
"I'm smart enough to stay far away from Ferris Airfield and people named Hal Jordan." Katie replied before looking over to her friend who looked confused. "We should get back before the guys notice we're gone." Debra simply nodded before following Katie out the door.
"Guys!" Hal called behind them. They both looked back to see he was indeed following them. "Is my old friend Richie here. I'd like to have a little chat with my buddy. I nearly lost my job because of him and his-" the man shook his head. "Apparently very rich wife."
"What is he talking about?" Debra asked looking over to Katie who just shook her head.
"I need to talk to him." Katie replied before nudging her head back to the carnival. "You want to start heading back, and I'll catch up." Debra looked hesitant to walk away. "I'll be fine. He's sort of an old acquaintance. I just need a few minutes."
"Ok I guess." Debra said looking back to the man before heading back toward the carnival. Once the woman was gone, Katie walked over to the man.
"So you and Richie are married and have a baby on the way, thats-" Hal just shook his head. "That's awesome."
"I'm not married to Richard. I never was."
"You know I kind of figured that when my boss brought me into his office and showed me a surveillance video of me talking to my ex con friend and his possible terrorist wife."
"I'm not-"
"I know. I figured that part out when I saw you on television and there weren't armed men trying to put you in jail." Hal replied. "You want to tell me what the hell that was? Why you and Richard came to me, why I was told you were a terrorist, but then it turns out you weren't."
"You're asking for the moon and the stars Hal, and I'm telling you that I can't give them to you. All you need to know is that it's over now."
"That's not enough. You have no idea how close I was to losing everything I worked for, just by being seen with you."
"You're right, I don't and I'm sorry you were brought into it. If it was my decision, you would not have been, but it's done. You have a life now, and so do I so how about you just keep living it." Katie turned and the man grabbed her by the arm. "Hey, let me go!" Katie jerked out of his grasp, unknowingly stumbling back into the street.
"Oh Nura." a familiar voice whispered and Katie whipped her head around for the source. It was the voice of a dead man. A voice she thought she would never hear. She turned and there he was, standing just a few feet away from her with that sadistic smile on his face. In that moment, the world seemed to crumble around her and all sound seemed to float away. It's why she couldn't hear Oliver calling out to her. Why she couldn't hear Hal yelling at her to get out of the street. It's also why she didn't see the semi speeding right toward her.
All she saw was the demon.
The world only came back the moment she was literally jerked from her spot, and forced back onto the sidewalk by Hal, who held the woman by her shoulders yelling at her.
"What is wrong with you?! Are you crazy?" he glanced back to see the truck continue to speed away before turning back to Katie whose eyes still stared behind him. "Hey, seriously, are you ok?"
"Twinkie?" Oliver's voice called as he ran the rest of the distance to Katie, pushing Hal out of the way to look Katie over. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Katie finally turned her eyes to him and shook her head. "What the hell happened?" he looked from Katie to Hal, his eyes darkening at the man. "Who the hell are you?"
"He grabbed her!" Oliver glanced back to see Debra and Brad running over. Debra pointed to Hal. "I saw you grab her and when she pulled away, she almost fell back." Oliver turned back to the man who held up his hands.
"We were just talking."
"What kind of talking were you doing that needed you to touch her." Oliver said, taking a step toward the man before Katie caught his arm. The man turned all of his attention back to Katie. "I'm taking you home." Oliver wrapped an arm around her and ushered her toward the car.
"You're Hal Jordan." Brad said once they were standing in front of the man. He looked over to his wife who glared at the man. "C'mon, you know Hal Jordan. He's one of the pilots over at Ferris."
"I don't care who he is." Debra said turning back to Hal. "What kind of a man puts his hands on a pregnant woman?"
"Hey, it wasn't like that. I wasn't trying to hurt her, I just wanted to talk." Hal said glancing down the block to see Katie and Oliver getting further away. "That woman almost ruined my life." he shook his head before turning back to the couple.
"Look Hal ,I'm a big fan of yours but I should let you know that guy who was just here, the one who almost tore you a new one, that woman is his pregnant girlfriend, pregnant soon to be wife if he's lucky. I'm literally surprised you're not a pool of blood and guts right now because I know for a fact how protective he is of her. I don't know what your deal is, what beef you have with Katie, but if I were you I'd drop it." he brought an arm around his wife before they headed for their car.
Hal stood there for a few moments longer, wondering if he could just drop one of the biggest mysteries of his life.
When Oliver and Katie walked inside the house, Katie was fully prepared to just walk upstairs and go to bed as if the last moments didn't happen.
"We're talking about this!" Oliver called after her before she could walk up the stairs. She let out a sigh before turning to the man. "Who was that guy?"
"His name is Hal Jordan. He's a pilot over at Ferris Air."
"Alright, how do you know him?"
"I don't really know him. I met him once during a very confusing time of my life." Katie answered vaguely. They'd been together for years, but those stories about their lives before returning home was still something very hard to just put out there. "It's not really a big deal." Oliver just stood there, looking at her, waiting for her to finally tell him the truth. Katie let out another deep sigh. "Fine. You know about me running into Harrison Wells in Bosnia. Well ARGUS found me, Lyla to be exact found and passed me off to someone who would be able to get me home."
"Who?"
"Richard Grayson." Katie said and Oliver quirked a brow in confusion. "Some guy shows up on a private plane and tells me my good friend Bruce Wayne sent him to make sure I get home and I for some reason believed him." she shook her head as she thought back on it and how foolish she was. "First he told me that I needed to clear my name. Once I cleared my name I could go home without any problems."
"Why did you need to clear your name?"
"Well maybe because a good portion of the American government thought I was terrorist." Katie said, noticing Oliver's eyes go slightly wide at the statement. He was trying not show any judgment, but she could see the shock in his eyes. "Because when you're kidnapped by extremists for years and one day they just let you go, people get suspicious. They asked me questions and I didn't have answers and because of that I became a suspect. So I ran and because of that, I looked more suspicious."
"So what was Richard's plan to clear your name?"
"Talk to his old pal Hal Jordan who worked for a pretty influential man."
"Carl Ferris?" Oliver asked and Katie nodded.
"He figured he could get Hal to convince Carl that I'm innocent and somehow he could work his magic to let the world know I was innocent. You know saying this out loud makes it seem even more ridiculous." the woman shook her head. "Hal didn't believe Richard, and I stopped believing Richard could help and when I tried to leave I was caught. Carl called lots of men with guns and I was taken away."
"Taken where?"
"Now that's a story for a different day." Katie replied placing a kiss to the man's lips. "Hal's upset because I think his involvement nearly lost him his job I guess. He wants answers and I can't give them to him without putting him in even more danger."
"Well hopefully he got the hint."
"Well you gave him your murder glare, I'm sure he got it." Katie replied before turning and heading upstairs.
"If hasn't, I'll make sure he does." Oliver muttered.
He stood there for a moment watching until she was gone, before letting out a deep breath. This night didn't go as he planned. He didn't expect his girlfriend to almost get hit by truck, or him almost murdering a stranger for being the cause. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box, flipping it open to see his mother's ring. He really didn't expect this to still be in his pocket.
"If at first you don't succeed." the man muttered before closing the box and slipping it back into his pocket.
Felicity Smoak had been dreaming about her bed all day. She'd been in meetings day in and day out since she took over Palmer Tech. She walked into the door of her apartment, kicking off her shoes about to head off to change when there was an immediate knock at her door.
"Why me?" she sighed before turning back to her door, and looking out the peep hole. "This can't be good." she pulled open the door to find Laurel and Thea standing there. The latter looking like she didn't want to be there. "Kind of late for girl's night, isn't it?" Laurel and Thea walked in without an invitation and Felicity could practically see her bed getting further and further away as she closed her door. "So I take it your run in with the ghosts didn't go as planned tonight."
"These guys are good." Laurel said with a shake of her head. "They're quick and we're no match for them."
"I get it, look Bruce is dealing with a bunch of stuff in Gotham, but he said he would drop all of it and come back to help with these ghosts." Felicity said glancing over to Thea who still had a bit of a sour look. "Which I don't believe is the reason you're here." she turned back to Laurel with a quirked brow.
"The city needs the Arrow."
"The Arrow is off living happily ever after with the woman he loves while they prepare to have a baby." Felicity replied with a shake of her head. "Oliver left because he felt you guys could handle these situations."
"You sound like John." Laurel muttered. "Look this could get bad, and I totally respect Oliver wanting to distance himself from this but-"
"But the Arrow's life is more important than Oliver's life?"
"Fine, I will play the bad guy and say yes." Laurel replied with a shrug. "Right now people are afraid to step out of their houses. That's not the type of city we should be living in and if Oliver could help with that, with just that, I promise he can sail back on whatever love boat he and Twinkie are on right now."
"Oliver wouldn't come back even if we asked." Thea said and they looked over to the woman. "It's what he does. He leaves the people who need him the most." she looked over to Laurel. "Save yourself the trouble. I'm going home." and with that the woman stalked out the door.
"So I still she's still upset about them leaving." Felicity said turning back to Laurel. "You're upset too."
"I got why they left. A vacation is good ,I get that, but never coming back. I don't get that. This is their home, this is where their family is. This is their city where they're needed."
"This is where both of their parents died, or thought they died. Where they've been lied to, where they've risked loosing each other dozens of times." Felicity shook her head. "Look I hate that they left and that they aren't coming back, and yeah there was initial shock and anger, but after that I had to think about what they were doing this for. They want a life. The lives that were stolen from them. They have a chance to get that back."
"Those lives may have been stolen, but it lead them to the lives they made here. Look if this thing keeps getting worse with the ghosts, which I'm sure it is, we are going to need Oliver and maybe even Katie in some way." with that the woman also stalked out the door. Felicity stood there for a moment with a shake of her head. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the lives Katie and Oliver had going for them.
The next day, as Oliver moved around the kitchen effortlessly preparing brunch, Katie stood in the bathroom looking back at her reflection.
"You did not see him." she said to herself. She could barely sleep after the previous night. "He's dead. Oliver killed him and he can not hurt you anymore." she dropped her head still unable to not see his face. "You did not see him." she looked back up to the mirror. "He's dead. Oliver-" there was a knock at the door startling her.
"Twinkie, you ready. Steve and Laura are here." Oliver said and Katie let out another sigh before bringing a smile to her face, and pulling open the door.
"Yeah, lets go." she attempted to walk past him toward the door, but he quickly moved in front of her.
"You sure you're alright. I felt you tossing and turning last night."
"And I told you, your kid is a night owl who likes to party like a rock star. I'm fine." she replied before nudging her head for the door. "C'mon lets not keep them waiting."
Laura and Steve Hoffman were their more adult neighbors. They always have very good advice, and kind of reminded Oliver of parents they would like to be. Laura seemed to adore Oliver who shared her love in cooking. Katie practically had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at another compliment about the eggs Oliver made in the slow cooker.
"So I heard you two ran into Deb and Brad at the carnival last night." Laura said looking over to the couple. Laura and Steve weren't fans of Debra and Brad, but in public you'd think they were best friends at the amount of fake smiling and compliments tossed around.
"Laura-" Steve warned slightly to butt out, but the woman simply shrugged.
"No, it's ok. It was pretty fun until some creep started harassing Katie."
"That's why I made Laura carry around pepper spray. These assholes look for helpless women to mess with." Steve said with a shake of his head.
"You should probably get me some pepper spray." Katie says looking over to Oliver. "Maybe then guys will know better than to mess with little ole helpless me."
"I don't think that's necessary. I'm your pepper spray, dear." Oliver said and Katie couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm dear, now?" Katie asked and Oliver shook his head. He actually tried to stray away from calling her Twinkie in front of the Hoffman's who seemed to look at him weird when he did. Katie actually hated how much he wanted to be accepted by this couple. "And I have to once again use the restroom." Oliver stood to his feet to help the woman stand. Something she's told him a million times he didn't have to do, but it hasn't really made a difference. "Thank you, Liver." she made sure to say the stupid nickname so the couple across from them could hear before she hurried inside to the bathroom.
"I didn't mean to offend her." Steve said once Katie was gone and Oliver shook his head.
"She's just pregnant." Oliver replied with a shrug. It had become an excuse he's use a lot for Katie snippy behavior.
"Well I know all about that." Steve chuckled, only to get elbowed by his wife.
"So do you have it on you?" Laura whispered as she leaned in. "You have it on you, right"
"Laura-"
"Oh, shush." Laura said turning to Oliver who glanced over his shoulder to make sure the coast was clear before turning back and slyly slipping the box from his pocket, opening it to show the woman. Steve seems to whistle at the sight of the ring, while his wife just marvels at it. "It's stunning."
"It was my mother's." Oliver said looking down to the ring. He promised the next time he put this ring on Katie's finger, she wouldn't want to take it off.
"So when are you going to pop the question?" Steve asked.
"Tonight." Oliver said. He knew for a while now that after everything that has happened in these last couple of months, the next logical move was once again trying to make this woman his wife. He turned his head slightly when he heard the footsteps behind him and he quickly closed the box and slipped it back into his pocket.
"Oooh, whispering, what are you guys-" the doorbell suddenly rang and Katie turned. "Oh, I got it." Oliver quirked a brow, not sure who would be showing up at their door.
"Excuse me." Oliver says standing to his feet and heading off to the door as well. When he walked over he saw Katie standing at the open door, with wide eyes and he quickly rushed over to see the man from last night standing there. "How did you find out where we live?"
"Look I'm not here to make trouble, I'm just here to talk." he looked down to Katie. "I need answers."
"You're seriously showing up to our house, uninvited demanding answers." Oliver said with a nod. "How about I give them to you. Twinkie, could you step aside please."
"Twinkie?" Hal said in confusion.
"Oliver get me a pen." Katie said and Oliver and Hal looked at her in confusion. She looked back to Oliver with a nudge of her head. "A pen and paper please." Oliver glanced around before spotting a pen and paper on the mail table. He grabbed it and handed to the woman who scribbled something and handed to the man.
"What is this?" Hal asked looking down to the phone number.
"Your pal Richie's number. Tell him you found me and won't leave me alone until you get your answers. The truth Mr. Jordan is you're here because Richard brought you in, whatever you need to know, he will give it to you. Now the next time you show up at our house uninvited, I'm going to have to show you my pepper spray." with that the woman took a step back and closed the door.
"You sure giving him Richard's number was the best thing to do?" Oliver asked and Katie turned with a shrug.
"Richard is a smart man sometimes. Hopefully Hal is too. If not, I think your conversing skills may be needed."
"They were probably needed right now." Oliver says going over to the window to see the man getting into his car.
"But it's brunch day with the Hoffman's!" Katie says with obvious sarcasm. "You've been looking forward to this day, and impressing Laura with your culinary skills and your slow cooker." Oliver looked over to the woman with a shake of his head.
"Is this jealousy, doctor?" Oliver asked walking over to the woman.
"No, more annoyance than anything. C'mon, they probably think we're off having unmarried sex while they're out there." Katie said before turning and heading back out to the deck.
The last moments of their brunch did get a bit awkward, and Katie was glad when the Hoffmans finally left. She gathered dishes from the table, and brought them to the sink where Oliver was already washing dishes. She grabbed a towel and moved to stand beside the man, as she began drying the dishes. Oliver smiled over to her, actually liking simple moments like this where they just do the dishes together.
"You're staring, Mr. Queen." Katie says glancing over to the man. "And you're smiling. What's going on in that head of yours."
"I'm really liking this life we got here."
"I think I am too." Katie replied with a smile as she looked back down to the plate in her hands. She let out a yawn unintentionally. "Sorry."
"Hey, why don't you go take a nap, and I will finish these." Oliver said taking the plate from her hand.
"Oliver this is a lot of dishes, and I'm not even that-" another yawn escaped her lips which didn't help her argument at all. "That proves nothing."
"Go, Twinkie. I got this." Oliver said and Katie shook her head, but decided to listen. He leaned in for a kiss, only for her to stop short.
"Don't stop calling me Twinkie because of what other people think. I'm your Twinkie, and you're my Liver and that's all that matters." Katie says before giving the man a chaste kiss. Oliver watched as the woman turned and headed for the stairs. He was sure tonight would be the night. He was going to ask her to marry him.
Martin Ellis stood outside the familiar door of his bosses penthouse just as he does every time he arrives. He's never quite prepared for what he sees on the other side, but he always takes a deep breath before walking inside. He goes up the stairs, down the long halls until he arrives at Jacob's bedroom that's slightly ajar.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to a hospital. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable and-"
"We've already discussed this." Martin heard Jacob's voice that now wheezed when he spoke. "I have everything you need here, and anything you may need I can get. Your job is to make me better."
"Yes sir." Martin heard the footsteps before the door opened to reveal the young doctor. "Mr. Ellis."
"Dr. Mills." Martin greeted as he stepped aside. "How is he doing?"
"Not good. He's seems to be getting worse." Ethan said glancing back into the room to see the man lying back on the bed, the oxygen mask around his face. "We need to figure out what's wrong with him and I can't do that here."
"You heard him, he's not going to any hospitals. The last thing that can happen is him revealing to the world that he's still alive."
"Fine, doesn't ARGUS have medical facilities?"
"He's not going there either. He doesn't trust any of them. Especially after what happened?" Ethan just shook his head.
"Well then I don't know how I can help him." Ethan said before walking away.
Martin took a deep breath before walking into the bedroom, still never quite ready for the site of Jacob lying in that bed looking utterly helpless. He would never show it though. Always kept on the mask of an unaffected man who could handle anything. He walked over, taking a seat in his usual spot beside the man's bed.
"At some point you're going to have to admit what this is. No tests will find anything natural happening to you because this isn't natural. Darhk-"
"He's still in Star City?" Jacob wheezed and Martin gave a nod. "Lane and Harper?"
"There's still no sign of either of them." Martin replied with a shake of his head. "Chances of either of them being alive-"
"They're useful. Darhk knows that, they're alive." Jacob replied before looking over to the man. "My daughter?"
"They're still in Coast City and don't seem to be making plans to leave. It's close, a little too close for comfort, but right now no one knows where they are." Martin reached into his bag and pulled out his Ipad , before pulling up the images sent to him. He handed the tablet to Jacob, who smiled at the sight of his daughter at some type of carnival. She was laughing as she looked over to Oliver. She looked so happy. He swiped to the next picture that showed just how big she'd gotten and he couldn't get over how much she looked like her mother. "There was a small glitch we didn't expect." Jacob turned to the man. "Hal Jordan, the pilot Richard roped in during Katherine's last visit to Coast City. He spotted Katie near the carnival and hasn't let bygones be. He showed up at the house earlier today, but she gave him something."
"What?"
"No idea, but we're keeping an eye on him."
"Some pilot will not ruin this for her." Jacob said turning back to the picture. "Ensure that."
"Yes sir." Martin says standing to his feet. "It would seem, Mr. Diggle, Ms. Lance and the young Ms. Queen are no match for Darhk's Hive."
"Waller hasn't made any moves?"
"None that I see. She's keeping a low profile. Limiting her involvement for some reason."
"What about Bruce?"
"Bruce is attempting to help Mr. Fox keep both Wayne Enterprises and Robins Incorporated afloat after Mr. Palmer's death."
"We get anything back on that explosion?"
"Not yet. We've read all the evidence reports and the damage is too severe to even expect any type of remains to be found." Martin replied.
"What are you not saying, Martin?"
"Something you don't want to hear." '
"Hasn't stopped you before." Jacob said watching the man.
"This plan, this entire plan started because you want to ensure your daughter was ready to face him." Martin said. "Right now you want to keep her far away from this city, but everyday is proving that maybe this city still needs her and Mr. Queen. They are ready to face him."
"Martin, you were right." Jacob says and Martin looks down to him in confusion. "That is something I don't want to hear. Go. Keep an eye on my daughter and keep trying to find Lane and Harper. If anything has happened to them there are going to be a lot of people on our backs."
"Kent's already becoming a problem."
"I assumed he would."
Katie didn't know how long she'd been sleeping until the whiff of food cooking seemed to stir her awake. She opened her eyes looked over to to the clock to see she'd been napping for a couple of hours. She sat up and looked at the window to see that it was already night time.
"Maybe I was tired." she muttered before standing out of bed and heading downstairs. When she came downstairs, she didn't expect the dining room table to be decked out with their nice plates and lit candles. She watched as Oliver came out of the kitchen to place down silverware. He looked over to her with a smile.
"You're awake. Great. Dinner is almost ready." he rushed back into the kitchen and Katie narrowed her eyes before walking over. Oliver walked back from the kitchen and pulled a chair out for her to sit and she was still a bit confused, but she sat down. "So how was your nap?"
"Much needed. Why didn't you wake me?"
"You looked like you needed the rest." Oliver says before heading back into the kitchen. Katie turned back to the table, with a quirked brow.
"So what's the occasion?"
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked bringing out a pitcher of lemonade and pouring Katie a glass.
"I mean all of this." Katie says gesturing to the table.
"There has to be an occasion for dinner?" he asked before heading back into the kitchen, which Katie was starting to believe was his way of avoiding her questions. "So we're having chicken, it's a new recipe, but I think you're gonna like it."
Katie held her questions during dinner, hoping the truth behind this production would finally come out.
"So I called the hardware store, and I can pick up the paint tomorrow. Hopefully we can finish painting this weekend and start moving in the furniture." Oliver says and Katie gives a nod.
"Sounds great, have you chosen a crib yet?"
"I'm working on it." he replied and Katie chuckled. "It's not an easy decision."
"So are you nervous yet?" Katie asked and the man looked over and sighed.
"Not as nervous as I thought I would be. Maybe once we hit month nine, I'll become a crazy person."
"You're already crazy." Katie chuckles as she takes another bite of her chicken. "This is actually good Mr. Queen." she looked over to the man with a smile. "I think next time I should cook our next random overly extravagant dinner."
"That's not necessary." the man replied bringing his glass to his lips. "I like cooking for you."
"And I like you cooking for me, but I would like to return the favor."
"You don't have to." the man shook his head and Katie looked over to him with a quirk brow and he laughed. "What?"
"Fine, I'm not the best cook in the world, but there are some things I can make that will knock your socks off, Liver."
"I'm sure there is Twinkie." the man said before looking down to her plate. "Done?" the woman gave a nod and watched as the man gathered the plates and headed inside of the kitchen.
"You know I'm still waiting for you to tell me what this is about?"
"This is dinner. Dinner is just dinner." Oliver called back to her, but she didn't believe it.
"I don't know Liver. This seems like something else. Are we celebrating something."
"You know that depends on how desert goes." Oliver replied and Katie sighed as she slid a hand over her belly.
"I think you may have done the impossible, because I can't take another bite." Katie replied as Oliver came back out.
Oliver looked down to the souffle's he'd made and pulled the ring from his pocket, placing it on top of one of them.
"You have to take a bite or two of these souffles I made. There's chocolate, so I'm sure our daughter will love them too." the man said with a smile. Suddenly the doorbell rang and Oliver lifted his head annoyed at the interruption.
"I guess the chocolate will have to wait." Katie says standing to her feet about to go to the door, but Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Why don't I get it, in case our pilot friend is back for that pepper spray." Oliver says walking around toward the door. Katie groaned as she followed behind the man hoping it didn't turn into a bail her boyfriend out of jail kind of night. When the man opened the door, neither expected to see Laurel and Thea standing there.
"Hi." Laurel said looking between the couple. "We probably should've called first." Oliver's face was serious, as he glanced behind the pair before stepping aside to let them in.
"Is everything alright?" Katie asked looking from Laurel to Thea who seemed to be looking around the house instead of her.
"We need your help." Laurel says over to Oliver who moves to stand beside Katie.
"Help with what exactly?" Oliver asked and Thea scoffed. "Thea-"
"This was a mistake." Thea said to Laurel who just shook her head. She turned back to Oliver and Katie. "Have you even been checking in with what's going on back home?"
"Thea we've been kind of busy getting ready for the baby. We don't watch much television."
"Maybe you should start." Laurel said before pointing to the couch. "Sit." she spotted the remote and turned on the television to a news story about an attack on the police station.
"The media has been calling them the Ghosts. They're like nothing we'd ever seen before. Well-trained, well-armed." Laurel sighed with a shake of her head.
"And committed. Anytime we get too close to one of them, they off themselves with cyanide." Thea said.
"What's their agenda?" Oliver asked and Katie glanced to him for a moment before turning back to Laurel and Thea.
"At first we thought they were thieves because they were hitting banks and jewelry stores." Laurel said.
"Then we found out that they'd just been building their war chest. They've now been stealing munitions and heavy arms." Thea continued. "And assassinating people."
"Where are the police?" Oliver asked.
"Overwhelmed." Laurel replied.
"Well, a group of this size has to work out of a central location, a base of operations." Oliver suggested.
"Which we haven't been able to find." Laurel sighed with a shake of her head.
"Dig seems to think we can handle it." Thea added, taking a seat across from the couple.
"You disagree?" Oliver asked.
"I think we're in over our heads with this. And believe me the last place I want to be right now is right here, when you've made your decisions clear,"
"But we need the Arrow." Laurel finally said the words out loud and it's the words Oliver wasn't ready to hear. Not now, not when they had their own reality where the Arrow is just a figment. He sighed, standing to his feet with a shake of his head before turning back to them.
"The Arrow's dead." Oliver countered firmly.
"We're hoping that's not the case. We're hoping that you can't change who you are in your bones." Laurel stated just as firmly.
"Come help us stop these guys." Thea finally said out right as she went to Laurel's side. "And then you can come back to your- your domestic life of tranquility and souffles." Oliver let out a sigh, before looking over to Katie who had yet to say a word.
"You're uncharacteristically quiet." Oliver said and Katie looked from him to Laurel and Thea. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out immediately. The truth was, a trip back to Starling was not something she was jumping at the chance to do. It was actually the last thing she wanted to do. But Laurel and Thea were standing right here asking for Oliver's help and she knows that means the city is probably in some serious trouble. She just thought for a while there, that wasn't their problem anymore.
"I have to pee." Katie said suddenly before standing to her feet and heading upstairs. Oliver let out another sigh before turning back to Laurel and his sister.
"Oliver-" the man held up a hand to stop Laurel from another speech.
"She has to agree. I'm not leaving without her, and if she doesn't want to go, then we won't." Oliver said.
"Then I will talk to her, explain how serious this is." Laurel suggested.
"She knows how serious this is." Thea said with a shake of her head. "She just feels safer here than she did there. It's why you didn't come back." Oliver didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. "You were protecting your family, and I promise this won't risk any of that. Nothing will hurt her with us there." she turned toward the stairs, "I will talk to her." Thea turned and headed up the stairs, not really sure where she was going. She stopped when she spotted Katie in one of the rooms, just sitting on the floor. "Why is this room empty?" Thea walked inside, noticing the streaks of different yellow paint across the wall. "This is the baby's room."
"I finally picked the paint yesterday. Oliver was going to pick it up tomorrow so we could start painting." Katie said as Thea walked over and took the seat beside her on the floor. "I guess that probably isn't happening."
"Katie-"
"We're going." Katie says turning to the young woman. "We're going back home so Oliver can help stop the bad guys terrorizing the city." she looked back to the walls and shook her head. "I knew that the moment the two of you walked through the door."
"I'm sorry." Thea said and Katie looked over to her. "I didn't really understand why you guys weren't coming back but then I come here and I see it." she looked over to Katie , then down to her belly a smile coming to her lips. "It's my niece who's really running the show." she looked up to Katie. "May I?" Katie just gave a nod, before the woman placed her hands on Katie's belly.
"She's usually a night owl, so maybe-" a smile tugged at her lips when she felt the kick. She looked over to Thea whose eyes lit up at the feeling underneath her hands. "I think she's happy to hear your voice."
"She is, isn't she?" Thea said before leaning into Katie's belly to continue talking. Katie smiled before lifting her head to see Oliver standing at the door. She simply gave him a nod, but he could see in her eyes how much she didn't want to do this.
"We should be getting ready." Oliver spoke and Thea looked over to him with a frown. "Don't worry, she actually kicks all the time." Thea stood to her feet about to help Katie stand, but Oliver walked over. "I got her, we should be downstairs soon."
"Ok." Thea said before leaving the couple.
"Do you want to talk?" Oliver asked helping Katie to stand. The woman just shook her head.
"What's there to talk about?" Katie asked placing her hands on the man's chest as she looked up to his eyes.
"How about feelings. All the ones you're desperately trying not to show right now." Oliver replies sliding a hand along her back. "If you don't want to do this then-"
"We're doing this Oliver." Katie says placing a kiss to the man's lips. "I'm going to go pack some stuff just in case." she pulled away from the man, leaving him in the empty nursery.
"We're coming back." he muttered to himself. It was a silent promise he wanted to keep because this life, this new life was something he wasn't ready to give up.
Their fantasy had become their reality and it would take jaws of life to steal it away.
Author's Note :
And so we are back with our fourth part of this series and I can't believe we've come this far. As you can see our favorite Twiver couple as fallen into the hole of fantasy, but their reality was always at their heels. We'll see where this takes them, and maybe find out why Katie has a new ghost friend of her own.
Review Replies (Chapter 27 of Forever, Family, Fearless)
ImsebastianstanButter: I know. There have been subtle hints, but it wasn't too obvious. We assumed we knew why Jacob took Grace away, but the truth was there was a child. One that Jacob, Grace and Ra's agreed that Darhk couldn't know about. We're going to figure out why very soon.
Phoenix-Rising29 : I totally get what you're saying. The whole Ra's/ Nura story was big and there wasn't any real finality to it, which is why their story isn't over. Ra's will still be a presence in this story, one that death can't even stop. I completely understand your frustration with the Twiver relationship as well. They've been through a lot and Katie has forgiven Oliver way too many times, and given him way too many chances. My only explanation for this is she really loves him, really wants that life she's always dreamed of with him, so she bends on a lot, but you are right, the discovery of Oliver's son will change this relationship alot and when the truth comes out about who her parents truly are and what they've passed along to her and most likely her daughter, that's going to create a different kind of crazy for this couple. I'm so glad you're picking apart these characters though and I so glad you're enjoying this story.
kuppcake: Right! Katie and Oliver together and happy is good reading, I know. Their tough times suck, and they both know that, even Katie. She wants to be tough on him, to completely free herself, but Oliver Queen has always held her heart. So for right now, she can't let him go.
Adea: I know that reveal was pretty big! The thing is, this was a pretty big secret. One that I think was kept from a lot of people, especially Damian. The real surprise will be if he finds out the truth. And there's only one living person he can seek out his revenge on.
rockyroyal,dr: Felicity Smoak is a true friend. I love how invested she seems in Oliver and Katie as a couple. She's keeping our Twiver ship afloat and we thank her. The Quentin/ Katie moments are always fun to write as well because I wanted there to be this father daughter dynamic between the two of them. And you're right they have their ups and downs, but they also care very much for each other. And the whole Damian Darhk reveal I see has caught a lot of the readers by surprise. It's going to catch him by surprise as well, just wait and see.
audra626: I'm so glad you like the story! Have you read my series of snippets that followed the story. If so we now now they're having a girl. At this point I think I know what the name is going to be, but I'm still deciding so thanks for your ideas and I welcome more.
ssjmrxi: Wow, thanks! I love OC stories, and before writing this, I actually went in search of an Oliver/OC story and I couldn't find one that I really liked so on a whim I started writing this, and it's taking on a life of it's on. I'm glad so many people actually like it. And I totally agree with you. With a baby on the way, we all hope for smooth sailing for our favorite Twiver couple. But they're coming back to reality. In reality, they're not just Liver and Twinkie. They're the Green Arrow and the Guardian who is going to find out she much more than what she thought she was.
I so felt the love in the last chapter. Thanks so much to all the new comers who found these stories and were hooked. You're making the right choice because the truth is, the craziness will only get crazier. Shout out to everyone who left reviews. I love hearing all your thoughts and being able to reply and having this conversation with you. I take all of your words to heart and weather you know it or not, they sometimes shape these stories so please keep them coming.
No sneak peek this time...just head right over to the next chapter ;)