The Masquerade

Secret

. . .

Summary: There's danger afoot, and tonight everyone has a second identity. Halloween isn't without its usual share of shocks and twists in Starling City. Set during season 1, and featuring Zatanna Zatara.

Note: Well, it started out as a short Halloween party story, and then I can't really account for how it went amiss from there. I should have known better than to promise it would be up by Halloween, but I promise hope that my Thanksgiving story will be more prompt. Um… I made some character concessions and yes, I might have tweaked Zatanna a little bit, but… *shrugs* I'm not a purist. Also, it was going to be a one-shot, but it seemed outright obscene to post this in one chapter, and obnoxiously harder to read. So considering that it's clocking in around 25,000 words…3 parts? I'm not wrapping up the ending this week. This should also be considered AU, I suppose because I pretty much just ignored the fact that Tommy/Laurel ever existed just for the purpose of the story.

. . .

"Zatanna Zatara?" Tommy raised an eyebrow as he glanced the theatrical looking business card over. It was composed of a heavy black cardstock, embossed with some sort of strange insignia and her name in a swirly type, followed in smaller letters by her title, Mistress of Magic.

The last time he was face to face with a mistress it had involved a little more leather, and a significant amount of alcohol. She also didn't look like any magician he'd ever seen before.

"That's an unusual name." He told her, as he handed the card back and gestured for her to take a seat in his office.

But he'd heard it before, he knew he had—that part was gnawing at him. And she came incredibly highly recommended.

"Sorry it's so chaotic, you know how it is….hours before the big event and everything starts to unravel now."

Not only had he lost his entertainment for the event at three AM, with a call from Penn and Teller—or…was it Penn or Teller, he wasn't certain. Whichever one of the duo could talk informed him that due to mystical events that were far beyond the reach of their control they would no longer be able to take on the masquerade ball—which they'd only done every year for the last seven—and they wished him the best of luck, before suggesting that they try with Zatanna.

No, he'd also lost his date for the night. Halloween was not turning up all aces for him this year.

"It's a little bit like the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think, Mr. Merlyn?" Zatanna asked, slowly crossing her trim, fishnet clad legs.

He chuckled, "Well, you're quick with your tongue, you'll need it with this crowd, I think."

God no, not like any magician he'd ever seen before. As a matter of fact, he thought, his eyes skimming the length of the short black shorts, and crisp black lace shirt that was covered up with a suit jacket, and a smart white bow tie. Tommy thought that this looked like the sort of woman who could make card tricks suddenly appealing.

"Does it mean I have the job, Mr. Merlyn?" she asked in a coy tone, brushing her long, raven colored mess of curls from underneath the top hat that was perched on her head.

He needed a magician. It was always a cornerstone of the ball, and even if this girl was only marginally more than a stripper in a top hat, he was in hour zero, and she was the only game in town, or so it appeared.

"Shouldn't you show me a trick first?" Tommy asked, biting back a smile.

A slow smile crossed Zatanna's face.

"What sort of trick would you like?" Zatanna slipped her hat from her head, "Would you like me to pull out a rabbit?"

"I'm not much for animals." Tommy said, leaning back in his chair and watching her with amusement. "Surprise me."

"That's a dangerous thing to say to a magician," Zatanna told him, as she stood up from the chair, and brandished her hand, before placing the hat back on her head.

"Nothing happened." Tommy said with a wry smile, as he decided that at the very least she'd prove he still had the ability to hire the prettiest, and most ineffective woman in the crowd.

At least he was still meeting people's expectations. He thought wryly.

"You think so?" Zatanna raised an eyebrow at him, and gestured behind his desk. "May I?"

Well, he wasn't thinking of that sort of trick. He had Oliver had joked about needing and office for that, but…

"Pull your mind from the gutter Mr. Merlyn," Zatanna said, over the sound of a thump in his desk. "I don't pull those kinds of tricks."

"I—I didn't even—" Tommy shook his head, embarrassed at having been caught by the young woman in his reverie.

"Yes, you did." Zatanna said, with a telling glimpse at him, before leaning over and pulling open the lowest door on his desk.

"I don't do 'ta-da'." Zatanna informed him as she gestured with her arm, "But you get the gist."

A small tawny bunny poked its head over the edge, sniffing the air with its whiskers trembling as it tried to scramble out.

"How the…how did you do that?" Tommy was stunned, unable to come up with a rational explanation for the way she'd magicked a rabbit into his desk.

"A magician, like a lady, never reveals all her secrets upon the first meeting." Zatanna said, rubbing the bunny behind his ears.

What in the name of God was he supposed to do with this rabbit?

Tommy ran his hand through his ear, unable to deny that if nothing else, she was good. Oliver wasn't going to believe this until he saw it with his own eyes.

"I'm not much for animals." Tommy said uneasily.

"Lucky for Penderghast I am." Zatanna scooped the rabbit up into her arms, "I'll be here at 8 pm sharp."

"That's uh…that's fine." Tommy still felt a little thrown by her confidence and also the—how did she get a bunny in his desk? "Great…Uh, thank you. You're really talented."

At the door, Zatanna turned and smiled coyly,

"It's all in the blood, Mr. Merlyn."

As he watched the petite brunette slink out of his office, with the tails of the suit coat billowing out behind her, he could only shake his head. At least she wasn't going to be boring.

Actually, with the way his day was going, he could only imagine that not a second of the night was going to be less than eventful. He just wasn't sure yet if it would be manifesting itself in all good or all bad.

. . .

No one could accuse Tommy Merlyn of doing it halfway.

With a little nod, Oliver looked around the club; sequins, and silk, and velvet draping the walls and the industrialized modern design. The ceiling was filled with tiny lights, and a few ornate looking chandeliers that looked like something that might have been rescued from one of their parents' basements.

Thea hadn't been kidding when she'd compared the event to looking like a high class New Orleans brothel, and he had decided that he didn't want to know where his baby sister picked up such a comparison.

White netting tied large pools of purple, and silver, and black balloons to the ceiling, and Oliver was sure that Tommy had an appointed place and time for those. He obviously wasn't done though.

A few people loitered around the floor of the club working on decorations that littered the dance floor. Silver, reds, and purples seemed to be the colors of the day, and Oliver gave himself a mental kick for having forgotten before. The masquerade was always an incredibly big deal. The Merlyn family had always been noted—much like his own family—for their charitable contributions, but this ball was all Tommy.

While he'd been trying to figure out how to sneak Laurel past security for a romp in his bed, Tommy had turned his love for partying into one of the biggest charity events of the year. For as long as he could remember, his friend brushed it off as one more party…but that was Tommy. The good was always buried under decadence and liquor.

But Oliver knew that it wasn't just about the party, if only for this one night a year; it was about more than the biggest party in the town for Tommy. The free clinic in the Glades had been a cause that Rebecca Merlyn had lived and breathed by, and while Tommy didn't say a word about it, he'd apparently decided to commit himself to the same cause.

"So you're not uh…" Tommy nudged Oliver, and gestured to Felicity, who was rifling through her bag before leaving Verdant. "You two aren't…"

He busied himself with pulling bottles of champagne from the box as he waited for Oliver's answer, and Oliver stopped abruptly, whipping around to look his friend over—because what was that? It was like Tommy had just pulled that question out of nowhere.

It was Felicity; of course not. She was his friend.

"No." Oliver shook his head, wondering where Tommy was going with that. "No! Felicity? She's my friend. It would be like being with my sister."

"If you say so." Tommy said in a low voice, as he watched her with an interested look. "She's not your teenage sister though, you've noticed, right?"

"Oliver!" Felicity called, giving him little time to think about Tommy's words. "I'm going to go and-"

All the better. Oliver thought, this morning was getting too uncomfortable for him. He'd like to entirely forget that any of this conversation had been had. The last thing he wanted was for Felicity and Tommy…well, she wouldn't be interested anyways.

She just wasn't that sort of girl.

Felicity sighed, pushing the blonde waves off of her forehead and looking exasperated.

"What's wrong?" Oliver asked her, eyebrow knitted together as he tried to puzzle through what could be wrong.

Everything was fine a moment ago when they'd left the basement.

"I forgot my tablet." Felicity sighed tiredly, glancing toward the staircase.

"I'll get it." Oliver said, tilting his head and gesturing toward the bar. "Why don't you have a drink before you leave?"

It had been a long day for her, he knew that she had come from Queen Consolidated straight here to help him. He was sure the thing she needed most was some sleep.

"The last thing that I need is alcohol." Felicity said with a laugh, "Thanks Oliver."

He hurried toward the basement, listening vaguely as Felicity engaged Tommy in some casual small talk about the party.

. . .

"So Felicity," Tommy Merlyn peeked his head over the pile of and black and purple balloons that partially eclipsed him from view behind the bar, with an impish smile that reminded her of a boy at play.

And a boy at play he might as well have been. Felicity tucked her blonde hair behind her ear, and turned her attention to him with a smile. There was an incredibly long sparkling garland of silver and purple draped around his shoulders like a scarf, and as he directed the decorating of his staff he looked like he was having a blast.

He was probably just one of those people, Felicity thought. It was hard to imagine him without a smile, he just seemed perpetually euphoric.

"Yes?" She tried to compose herself, wondering where he picked up such a character of child-like delight.

It seemed to contrast incredibly to Oliver's business first attitude, but she supposed she could attribute that to five years of deserted island living. Still…after burying herself in work, and more work, was it so wrong that she enjoyed a little bit of amusement?

Never mind the fact that a little bit of tall, dark, and handsome didn't hurt either.

"You don't uh…have any important meetings tonight, do you?" Tommy asked, jumping up from behind his fort of decorations and alcohol.

Oh god. This wasn't happening, right? No. He wasn't actually doing something stark raving mad like asking her out, right?

Would Oliver be okay with that?

Felicity cleared her throat quietly. You're a grown up woman, act like it. And what the hell does Oliver have to do with it?

"No, not at all. Oliver and I were catching up on some work, but he didn't need me anymore. I'm just going home for a quiet night in."

She shook her head, feeling like she probably looked like a lunatic. If she kept talking, she wouldn't need to worry about it. Once she started babbling there was no one who would want to take her out.

"Well, as usual, Oliver's loss is my gain." Tommy grinned, jumping over a pile of decorations that had yet to be hung and tugging Felicity toward the middle of the club by her hand.

"Um…thank you?" Felicity said, turning her head to the side and studying the grinning face and deciding that it was at least meant as a compliment.

His delight was sort of dizzyingly intoxicating.

The center stage was filled with silver and purple balloons, and tinsel, and…Felicity had to say it looked like Tommy was planning the ball at Verdant to be one serious party. Faintly, sort of with a vague sense of the idea, Felicity thought about the unworn costume in the back of her closet. She'd bought it a few years ago with the best intentions of going to a friend's party…but work called, and as usual she had answered.

"Okay…stay right here." Tommy situated her, placing her hands on her shoulders, and turning her slightly from the stage, then jumping back a few feet, holding his hands up in a motion to remind her not to move.

Well, it wasn't nerve-wracking at all. It wasn't like Carrie hadn't given her nightmares for three years, never mind the fact that nerdy blonde girls were not at the top of the school popularity ladder. Tommy Merlyn was definitely one of the popular kids.

"Oh wow…" Felicity laughed a little as she watched him, "So, this isn't the part of the movie where there the cool kids splash the not-cool kid with pig's blood, right?"

"Well, you need to rethink your definition of cool," Tommy said, with a skeptical shake of his head, "I missed something. You're no Carrie, I think you're more of a Sandy."

"Huh?" Felicity was trying to follow, but was sure she'd gotten lost along the way.

The last ten minutes of her morning had been utterly unreasonable to her. Oliver taking a break from work, the reprieve from the office, and now Tommy Merlyn seemed to be flirting with her. She made a note to turn on the news and make sure that the sky was still blue, and Elvis hadn't started cutting records again.

"Grease." Tommy said with a laugh, then glanced up into the rafters. "Okay, we're all set down here, Greg."

He gestured toward the ceiling, and Felicity shook her head, feeling a smile on the corner of her mouth as she watched him. Tommy had an infectious smile, and she couldn't help but want to join in on whatever this wild scheme was. She used to wonder how these women he was with in the magazines could be foolish enough to think anything would come from it when he traded them in sooner than the Starling Report could catch the name of his newest companion.

But she was getting it. She got it.

"Look up." Tommy told her.

"Oh my god…" Felicity let out a laugh as the glittery confetti fell from the ceiling like snowflakes around her head. "Tommy, that's…"

Some of the glitter stuck to the palm of her hand, and she couldn't help but find it a little…special.

"I've been waiting for someone to come along and take it for a test ride." Tommy said, brushing some stray glitter out of his own hair. "I thought you'd like it."

"It's not every day the sky opens and rains glitter on my head." Felicity said, as Tommy plucked a few pieces of glitter from her hair.

"Yeah, it might take awhile to get rid of it all." Tommy chuckled, "It'll be even bigger tonight. You'll love it. All the proceeds are going to the free clinic in the Glades."

Felicity couldn't think of a subtle way to tell him that she hadn't exactly been planning on it. She wasn't even sure if Oliver was going…and more to the point, she didn't have an invitation, being that she was just a lowly IT girl.

Tommy had started walking back towards the bar when he turned to look at her again,

"You are coming with Oliver tonight, aren't you?"

"No." Felicity shook her head.

Actually, she wasn't even sure that Oliver was going, but it didn't seem to be her place to say so.

"Are you coming with someone in particular?" Tommy asked, "Anyone I know?"

"I wasn't really planning—"

"Ah-ah…" Tommy shook his head and held his hand up. "Don't you dare, it's Halloween, Felicity. This is the one night of the year that we get to hide in plain sight. Don't tell me you're going to abandon the hottest ticket in Starling City this year."

"Well…" Felicity shrugged, "I do have a costume."

"Hey Felicity," Tommy's eyes sparkled as he looked her way, "I don't want to…get in the way with you and Oliver…"

"We're not like that." Felicity said quickly. "Um…we're just friends. We're friends."

"Oh. Great," Tommy said, a smile spreading across his face, "I know its pretty last minute, but…would `you want to go with me? I can promise you'll have a great time."

For a moment, Felicity was frozen. Sure, in her head she might have played out this scenario a million times with Oliver but she knew that it was not ever, ever going to happen—and now, a real date. He wasn't Oliver, but he also wasn't Tim the accountant from the fourteenth floor who chewed off all his fingernails.

Tommy was handsome, and charming and…well, he used to be rich, and you don't care about that anyway.

"Yes." Felicity said bluntly. "I'd love to."

. . .

Oliver was turning the corner, tablet in hand when he heard Tommy pose the question. He'd been expecting to hear her say no, that her card was full for the night so he didn't know how to react when he heard her agree to go with him.

As in, on a date? Oliver really wasn't sure how he felt about that.

He waited another moment, not wanting it to seem like he'd been listening, before walking back around the corner.

Felicity and Tommy hadn't exactly screamed love connection to him.

"Your tablet." Oliver said with a nod, handing it to her and noticing that the both of them seemed to be acting a little strange.

Was that going to be how it was?

One of the reasons he liked Felicity was that she was one of the few people he knew who didn't seem to feel any sway when it came to celebrity, or money.

No, he told himself, he was being unfair. Tommy was a good person, and his best friend…and Felicity was a good judge of character.

None of these points made him feel any better about the situation as Felicity took the tablet with a quick thank you, and slipped it into her bag.

"I'll call you." Oliver said, waving his hand goodbye, "Have a good night."

Felicity's cheeks turned pink, and he wondered if she would say anything about her new plans for the night, but she didn't.

"Have a good…?" Tommy uttered in a hushed tone, giving his best friend a look of incredulity. "What happened to you on that island?"

"Hey, Felicity! Felicity," Tommy nudged some stray balloons out of the way, before relieving the petite blonde of the oversize carryall bag. "You look like you've got your hands full. Let me walk you out to your car."

He glanced back to Oliver, beaming with pleasure,

"Besides, this is the Glades, you can't be too safe."

If he'd thought that she was in danger at all, he wouldn't allow her to come and go on her own. Oliver felt a twinge of annoyance, he was always careful to take care of her.

"Oh, you really don't have to, I mean…I'm fine." Felicity glanced away from him to Oliver and back, clearly looking for some sort of help with the situation. "Really, Tommy you've got your hands full."

Oliver pretended to be engrossed in looking at the bottles that Tommy had unpacked. They didn't honestly intend to play this as a charade, did they?

"It's the least I can do." Tommy said, throwing a look back to Oliver. "Besides, we can't just abandon the pretty girl to her own devices."

If he didn't know better he would think that his best friend was hitting on his other friend, and if history had taught them anything it was that this was a situation that never ended well. "What party?"

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he remembered what he'd forgotten in the haze of Tommy and Felicity turning his life upside down.

"You know," Tommy said, "If we hadn't been best friends since we were four, I'd be offended—hurt that you would forget the Merlyn Masquerade, Oliver."

Oh, Oliver thought as it had slipped from his mind in the moment that this troubling question had started to unfurl in front of him. Of course. But this couldn't possibly be reality.

Tommy was his best friend, and Felicity wasn't…I mean, she's my…she's just…

Oliver stomached a sigh. It wasn't supposed to be that way.

"It's the biggest to-do in the city." Felicity said, crossing her arms as she looked between them. "You really didn't…"

Oliver looked her over pointedly, wondering how it couldn't occur to her that in the midst of trying to save the city, that a Halloween party had escaped his attention. Honestly, if it had occurred to him that she was in the least bit interested he would have brought her and made her happy while appeasing his mother.

"I was distracted."

Besides, Felicity wasn't even nearly Tommy's type. He liked tall brunettes, and Felicity wasn't either.

"That is no excuse to forget the one night of the year when we can all commit ourselves to being ridiculously opulent," Tommy glanced to Felicity with a playful twinkle in his eyes, "And the best part is, everyone is wearing a mask so you don't even have to worry about anyone finding out."

"It used to be an excuse for us to act as terrible as possible and not end up in the paper for our depravity." Oliver explained, feeling a twinge of jealousy as Felicity gave Tommy a sort of look he'd thought was reserved for him.

"Now, it merely remains as an excuse to put on a mask and shoot tequila on Halloween." Tommy grinned, shifting her bag on his shoulder. "I'll tell you all about it."

As Tommy rested his hand on Felicity's back to direct her past Oliver and out of the club toward her car, Oliver started to get a feeling about how this was going to play out. He didn't know what Tommy thought he was doing, but he couldn't possibly be thinking about dating Felicity.

Well, why not? She's young, she's cute…perky…

Oliver groaned, scrubbing his hand over his face as he tried to decide what to do about this. Weren't his hands already filled with trying to manage Thea and her boyfriend? He really couldn't cope with Tommy and Felicity dating.

But that's not really why it is? He dated Laurel, you know he did.

And he got over it.

This is different. She's your girl.

It's not even like Felicity would have been interested in some silly party like this, Oliver thought. It was nothing more than a bunch of the richest people in Starling City dressing up and getting drunk under the guise of charity. He could barely picture her running around in a mask and gown, never mind throwing back shots with Tommy.

She'd be bored, and go home early, wouldn't she?

Then again, he also couldn't think of the last woman that had really been inclined to tell Tommy no. This situation was not making him especially happy. They were all supposed to be taking the night off—he had pictured Felicity being tucked away safely at home while he suited up for a quick patrol before going home and listening to his mother berate him for avoiding her luncheon, and not making an appearance at the masquerade ball.

"Oliver!" Digg's voice boomed into the club as he walked in, the door slamming shut heavily behind him. "You'll never believe who I ran into in the lot."

With a roll of his eyes, Oliver turned to Digg, kicking some of the stray balloons out of the way. Don't say it.

"You'd be surprised, my imagination has really been stretching its limits today, Digg." Oliver told him, making his way over to the bar to pour himself a scotch.

"So, I take it that you already saw Tommy and Felicity?" Diggle asked, with a sort of a chuckle. "She looked happy."

Oliver gritted his teeth, and took another drink of his scotch. It was going to be one of those nights, wasn't it?

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked him.

"Oh, and he's such a friendly guy." Diggle shook his head, and slipped into a seat at the bar. "Why are you in such a mood? Great weather out there for Halloween—it'll be a nice night for trick-or-treating."

"I wouldn't know." Oliver said flatly, "I'll be at a party tonight."

"Don't sound so happy about it." Diggle remarked, with a chuckle. "Your mother asked you to confirm that you would be representing the family at the Halloween party weeks ago, and you told her you were busy."

"How do you even remember that?" Oliver asked him, pouring himself another fifth. "It's not that one anyways. I forgot about Tommy's masked ball until ten minutes ago when he brought it up. Luckily, I have an in with the host."

"Well, your mom will be happy." Diggle told him, "Have a drink for me. Carly and I are taking A.J. around the neighborhood."

"So, no chance of getting you in a mask?" Oliver asked.

Diggle laughed, "Not in this lifetime. Who's the lucky lady?"

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, "I'm going because it's for charity. This is business, not pleasure Digg."

"Is anything for you?" Diggle sighed, and shook his head, "Have a good time, Oliver. Just give it a try. I also don't believe that there isn't a single woman that you can't phone for a date to a costume party."

Not helping. Oliver thought. His only female friend seemed to be taking another offer.

You never offered.

"I don't need a date." He retorted with a stubborn edge to his voice.

"It's too bad that you didn't decide to go any sooner." Digg said, "You could have asked Felicity but I think you missed your chance."

"I have to go." Oliver pushed back his drink, and glanced back at Digg. "Hey, you never said why you're here, is everything okay?"

Diggle seemed to be wrestling with some sort of private joke as he smiled, "I was just in the neighborhood."

. . .

Booting out Penn and Teller was far from her biggest problem.

Zatanna sighed, adjusting her bow tie in front of the long mirror in her hotel room. Appearance was half the battle; just like her father said, sell the magic.

Those two so-called magicians, with their silly act and parlor tricks were easy enough to clear out of the way. She needed to hold up the promise that she'd made to her father though, and she needed into the club to do so.

Tracking the Wizard had led her to Starling City, and this Verdant club, and it was her duty to stop him and fulfil the promise she had made to her father. Cleaning up this mess wasn't going to be the easiest though, and her curiosity about this emerald archer had led her to hope he could help her.

Tommy Merlyn didn't look like much of a revolutionary, Zatanna thought, but then again she was the one whose business day frequently consisted of looking like a stripper so she wasn't exactly in a place to judge.

She wasn't supposed to jump to conclusions though. If she wanted to keep the promise she had made her father, she was going to need to be careful.

Oliver Queen seemed even more unlikely if it was possible, but…the magic was never wrong. The vigilante was close to Verdant.

The both of them still looked like the same trust fund playboys she remembered from when she was a girl, and they both were still oblivious.

Zatanna would watch, and observe the boys at the soiree, and if Tommy didn't pan out as anything special she'd take a look at the next culprit, Oliver. Besides, she had a little spell worked out to help lead her to the right man.

"I'll do whatever it takes." Zatanna whispered into the mirror, watching the picture of her father on the stand. "I won't let you down, dad."

She wouldn't get off track though, because the vigilante wasn't the only one hanging close to Verdant—she was going to catch the Wizard with or without the vigilante archer.

The cursed wizard Franklin had skipped the trap her father had placed him in for the last century, and slipped her three times now. Even with her magic, she wasn't all powerful and he was far more learned than she was.

Each time, she'd gotten there too late, and he'd turned the victims into monsters that she couldn't always put right, not even with the magic she had at hand. She couldn't let him do this again. He had to be stopped, and trapped in a place where he could never be free to hurt people again.

His newest target to attack was Starling City, and this time she had a head start. She was going to be waiting for him, and with any sort of luck, she wouldn't be alone.

"Let's hope you're the hero that people seem to think you are, Hood." Zatanna placed the hat on her head, and nodded to the mirror. "I need all the hero in my life I can get."

. . .