Well it's been a week, I went on a short vacation, it sucked, and when I got back I wanted to get to work on the next episode but I was just so tired, I decided to give myself the rest of the week to recover. I just posted a new piece for Momentos it's short, and it's more Raylicity than I thought it would be but it's a fun read (at least in my opinion).

A longtime loyal reader of mine suggested I put the English translations next to all the Russian I'm using, I'm going to try it this time, hopefully it will help you understand better. Although don't expect me to do it every time because sometimes I may want what is said to be a mystery.

Now, the Huntress Episode! This episode will use episode 1.07 with some more continuous hints of 1.09. Enjoy!

The Muse

Oliver Queen: My name is Oliver Queen, for five years I was trapped in Russia, and during my time there I had one goal, survive so that I can fulfill my quest to punish those that left me there to suffer. To do this I must become someone else…I must become something else so that no one can know my plans. Plans such as hiring Floyd Lawton, Deadshot himself, to come to Starling City and take out some petty criminals so that I could draw attention to the auction of UNIDAC Industries, a corporation created by my mother to develop technologies for Malcom Merlyn. The code told me about the 2.6 million my mother siphoned out of Queen Consolidated to start the company, and I had a woman named Felicity Smoak dig up the necessary information so that I could deliver the information to Walter Steele the now CEO of my father's company. It's also fortunate that Floyd Lawton killed John Diggle's brother in a hit in St. Petersburg, so John put a bullet in his head after everything was done, which also allowed me to cover my tracks. For now, my family just believes I'm a novice getting my feet wet in the family business, little do they know, I know more about the family business than they'll ever want.

Oliver feels his earpiece buzzing in his ear and pulls over his Ducati to answer his earpiece, "Hello?"

"I'm supposed to remind you to pick up mother for lunch." Thea Queen sighs.

"I'm supposed to have lunch with her today?" Oliver groans.

"She left you like five messages," Thea answers, "Just bite the bullet and have a cobb salad with the woman alright?"

"You know Thea, sometimes it's difficult to realize which one of you two is really my mother." Oliver pops his earpiece to end the call, places his helmet back on and races to Queen Consolidated.

Moira Queen wants desperately to rid the man so that she can go to lunch with her son.

"Mrs. Queen, all I'm asking is just a few minutes so that I can talk to you about our proposal." The man presents himself, almost clinging to Moira Queen.

"If that's all it is than I can save us both the time, it's rejected."

"May I ask why?" The man persists.

Moira sighs and glares at the man giving more warning with her eyes than with her words, "Do I really need to answer that Mr. Capone? Now if you'll excuse me I have a lunch date with my son."

Oliver pulls his bike to a parking space opposite from the building and takes off his helmet, he waves to his mother, who waves back, when Oliver notices another motorcycle approaching his mother and the other man coming up the sidewalk, he then sees the rider of that motorcycle pull out a pistol from its jacket.

"Get down!" Oliver screams out as he runs toward his mother. The figure on the motorcycle unleashes a series of blast that enter through the man's chest, Moira falls to the ground. Oliver runs up to his mother, "Mom are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Moira pleads with her son.

"Are you sure are you hurt?" Oliver interrogates.

"Oliver I'm fine," Three armed guards exit Queen Consolidated and rush Moira and Oliver into the building.

"Who was that?" Oliver demands.

Moira shakes her head, "Somebody that wanted me dead, it happens more than you think Oliver. Luckily they hit Mr. Capone instead, one less slime ball in this city now, look at me I must have a concussion I sound like I would think that Robin Hood guy sounds like."

A few hours later they arrive at Starling City General, "Your mother is diagnosed with a grade two concussion, she should be fine going home as long as someone stays with her for a few days."

Oliver nods, "Thea did you get a hold of Walter?"

Thea shakes her head, "I tried but nothing."

Oliver sees detective Lance and his partner outside the door, "Thea watch over mom, I'm going to talk to detective Lance."

Thea smiles, "Yes dad."

Oliver walks out into the hallway, "Detectives have you gotten a lead on the shooter?"

Oliver turns to Lance, "My head of security will be here soon, I want a guard posted outside my mother's door until she leaves here."

Lance sighs, "Well you know that the Queens are at the top of my priority list," Lance states sarcastically, "But she wasn't the target, the guy she was with is mobbed up to the eyeballs, Bertinelli Family. I thought your mother was a little more discreet than that."

Oliver simply glares at the smirking Lance before he storms down the hall.

Oliver was up against a wall, it was the only position that his body could settle into without thinking he was going to pass out. He fell asleep shortly after, he didn't remember much, perhaps he passed out anyway. The familiar light of the door opening shown through and once again his tormentor stepped inside.

"Доброе Утро (Good Morning), Mr. Queen, мы все еще живы сегодня? (are we still alive today?)"

All Oliver could manage was simple grunt, the man turned his head in his direction, "Mr. Queen, I am quite impressed, you in fact did survive, Sergi owes me a few Rubles after this." The man lifts his hand into the air and moves his index and middle finger toward Oliver.

"What are you doing?" Oliver groaned out.

"I'm getting you out of this room, just like I promised Mr. Queen."

Laurel Lance opens the door and to her surprise not only is the pizza man there with her mushroom pizza, but Tommy Merlyn is also there, with takeout of his own.

"Technically I was here ten seconds before this guy." Tommy smiles.

Laurel sighs, and pays the pizza man and lets Tommy inside, "So Tommy what brings you around here so late?"

"Well I rightly thought that you would be at home working tonight, I also assumed that you might be hungry, which apparently I was right on both instances."

Laurel turns toward him, "I may not need your takeout because this is a mushroom and olive pizza from Mario's."

Tommy groans, "Oh that is a DAMN good pie."

Laurel places the pizza box on her table, "Alright what do you have to offer?"

"Spicy tuna on crispy rice from Toro?"

Laurel groans and snatches Tommy's bag, "Damn you Merlyn, I hope sushi was all you had in mind."

"Uh, well there's one thing that I wanted to ask you"

"And what's that?" Laurel quickly responds.

"Will you go out with me?" Tommy smirks, "Like on a date."

"You brought me dinner to ask me to dinner?" Laurel jokes.

"I also threw you a really big charity gala."

"See I thought you through it for the hundreds of people that would benefit."

"Yeah yeah, hundreds of people, plus one more."

"Tommy," Laurel couldn't help but laugh even if she knew that what Tommy wanted her to do in the first place.

"I know this is happening in the wrong order," Tommy starts, "First were friends for a really long time, then were friends with benefits for a brief amount of time, extremely excellent benefits I may add, now I'm just hoping we can be two people sitting at the same restaurant, at the same table, at the same time, when I say it like that it doesn't sound so scary does it?"

Oliver does his best to take out his family frustrations on his practice dummy, he had revenge in mind but he wanted to see it done his way, not with some amateur on a motorcycle in broad daylight during lunch traffic, plus now this new distraction would pull him away from his operations.

"Oliver your mom was nearly killed, it's probably best that you head home and care for her as the man of the house now," John Diggle attempts to reason.

"Unfortunately, my mother wasn't the target," Oliver steps back from the dummy and walks over to one of the laptops, "This man was, Paul Capone, he was trying to close a deal with her when I arrived this afternoon, Capone works for Bertinelli Construction, and Frank Bertinelli."

"The mob boss," Diggle finishes.

"I did some digging," Oliver continues, "Capone wasn't the first member of Bertinelli's crew to have been hit."

"It's just digging," Diggle reminds Oliver.

"Bertinelli has a lot of enemies, the best way of trying to figure out who's trying to target his organization, is to get inside of it."

"Why does it matter?" Diggle remarks, "You didn't care when Floyd Lawton was taking out buyers for UNIDAC industries left and right, why does it matter now that someone is taking out members of the Bertinelli family? Perhaps still deep down inside you can't get over the fact that Moira Queen is still your mother."

"Believe me Diggle, that, has nothing to do with it, and the difference is in this case, is that the code showed that the auction was just a farce, so Lawton taking out numerous pawns didn't really matter when the point was revealing the farce in the first place, and then exploiting it. In this case, we need to identify who this killer is and use them to our advantage, they obviously know things, and once we figure out that information we can once again exploit it."

"Detective Lance?" Quentin Lance looks up from his desk to see a deputy holding a packaged envelope, "Sign here please."

Lance quickly signs the package and surveys it for a few moments, he notices that there is no return address posted, he wonders for a second if it's a great idea to open it being that he's a lead detective in organized crime, but he figures if it's a lethal, Laurel would sue the pants off them for not protecting him in the first place, he rips open the envelope and pulls out a smartphone. Immediately at the point that he holds it in his hands, the phone rings, revealing a blocked number, curiosity gets the best of him and he answers.

"I had nothing to do with the murder of Adam Hunt," a modulated voice begins.

Lance grimaces, "Of course you didn't, but you're little boy in the dark suit did."

"I have no idea who that is, but for the record, I'm not exactly grieving." The voice answers.

"Neither am I," Lance responds back, "Guess you weren't too upset about Paul Capone's death either. You see what you've done, you vigilantes don't see things through, someone like you gets on the news and now everyone wants to take the law into their own hands."

"I agree, and that's why I'm going to stop the shooter, so I'll make a deal with you detective, I give you the information on the shooter, and you give me the information on the other archer. Then you can take the shooter down, and I'll take the archer down, think about it, call me, the number is programmed into the phone."

Thea Queen descends down the stairs in a short gold and black dress.

"Speedy!" Oliver yells out , "Where are you going may I ask curiously?"

"Clubbing," which means I have to leave because the Queen mansion isn't a club."

Oliver sighs, "I really need to go out tonight, I thought you were watching mom."

Thea glares at her brother, "I watched her all day, I thought you were getting the night shift?"

"I'm sorry, but this thing, it's important." Oliver responds already preparing himself for the reaction he's going to get.

Thea snarls, "You know sometimes Ollie I just don't get you, and by sometimes I mean never."

Oliver smiles, "You're actually not the first person to say that to me today."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Tommy then walks in the front door, "Thea nice dress where you headed?"

Thea glares at Oliver, "Upstairs, apparently."

"Hey I heard about your mom, is she alright?"

"Yeah," Oliver responded shortly, "Doctor says she's gonna be fine," Oliver swipes his keys to his Bentley, "I gotta business thing tonight, for the club."

"That's great," Tommy answers, "But can I talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah sure, but make it quick, I'm already running late."

Tommy smiles, "No offense Oliver, but if someone is expecting you, than they are probably going to expect you to be late, so about what I came here to talk about you with, I just didn't want you to find this out from somebody else, that someone else especially being Laurel," Tommy sighs, "Were going to dinner, as in a date."

Oliver smiles, "That's good, Laurel deserves someone special, and so do you."

Tommy smiles, "Thanks man."

Oliver smiles back, "I gotta run to this thing."

"Absolutely, I'll talk to you later."

Oliver turns back around, "Oh and Tommy, if you hurt her I'll snap your neck."

Tommy tenses up and then Oliver smiles, "I'm just kidding." He pats him on the shoulder and heads out the door.

Oliver forgot how cold, "outside" really was. The burst of frigid air colliding with his newly stitched wounds provided Oliver with a new kind of pain he can add on to his list. It wasn't as bad as "being fileted with a machete" pain, but it was up there for sure.

"Ты хороший человек (You're a good man)," his tormentor began, Oliver wanted nothing more than to break through the binds that lashed his hands together and choke the man out with his bare hands, or at least attempt to. "Behind the privileged upbringing and porcelain veneer, есть человек внутри есть (there's a man inside there), when I received you as my payment, I knew I really couldn't sell you as a sex slave, you're image would have been splashed in the media the first time you were in public, no so instead I made you mine, I got to toy with you, torture you, and yet you refused to give up. So answer this question for me Mr. Queen, if I can't make a profit off of your sale, and I can't get any more enjoyment out of you myself, how am I supposed to get my return on investment hm?"

"Offer me back for ransom, my mother would pay anything at this point."

The man laughed in his face, "Вы растяпа дерьма (You sad sack of shit), you don't even realize what your mother has done, haven't you? Your father the patriarch of the Queen Family is missing so is his heir to the throne, who does that leave in charge? Who do you think had knowledge of this deal? That's right your mother, she saw the opportunity, she took, it she knew of the exchange your father was making with you, and she then offered us a deal, if we killed your father and you, she'd close down her St. Petersburg affiliate so that we could take it. What your mother didn't think of however is that we could also profit from you Mr. Queen. In order to do that we had to see if there was actually a man underneath all that privilege. So without a doubt you have proven your worth to the Братва (Bratva)."

Oliver turned to the man, "Bratva?"

"Yes, organized crime, you have just passed the most intense initiation anyone has ever dealt with, your scars will be proof to everyone that you're a not a man to be fucked with, and with that I hand you over to your new possessor, Yvgenny Feodorov."

Oliver arrives at Frank Bertinelli and is surprised to see that he answers the door himself, clearly he doesn't see Oliver as much of a threat to his livelihood.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me at my home." Bertinelli begins.

"My father used to say that living rooms make the best conference rooms." Oliver smiles back.

Bertinelli laughs and invites him for a drink, Oliver looks up and notices a young dark haired woman, wearing a short black dress, and very high heels for someone walking around their house, Oliver pauses to observe the woman he simply looks at him and continues walking.

"So Oliver," Bertinelli smiles at him as he hands him a neat glass of scotch, "I was surprised to hear from you, it's been my impression that you weren't going to be involved with your family's real business."

"Apparently there were a few catchphrases that I've missed while I've been away for five years, one of them being lame stream media," both Oliver and Bertinelli share a laugh, "The press never gets anything right."

"Oh I know a thing or two about that." One of Frank Bertinelli's managers gets a phone call an leaves the room. "So Oliver I'll be blunt," Bertinelli starts again, "I want the contract to build Queen Consolidated's new Applied Sciences Division."

"And I'm inclined to give it to you." Oliver answers quickly, trying to make himself seem amateurish.

"Your mother wasn't quite so enthusiastic," Bertinelli smiles, "How is she by the way?"

"She's recuperating at home thank you."

"What a terrible thing that happened." Bertinelli sighs.

"And I was very sorry to hear what happened to Paul Capone."

"Paul was a good friend," Bertinelli rubs his eyes, "He's a good man," Bertinelli sighs, "The violence in this city, sometimes I wonder why I stay."

"I had the same thought," Oliver adds.

"So why'd you come back? After Russia, you could have settled anywhere in the world."

"Because Starling City is my home," Oliver answers.

"Non importa dove si gira sarai sempre finisce in casa," The dark haired woman from earlier walks into the room, "No matter where you turn you always end up at home."

Bertinelli smiles, "Oliver this is my daughter, Helena."

Oliver stands up and offers his hand, "Hello."

Helena shakes it, "Nice to meet you." She turns to her father, "I'm heading out."

"Take one of the guys with you," Bertinelli demands.

"I can take care of myself," Helena responds.

"I wasn't asking sweetie," Bertinelli counters.

"Frank," Bertinelli's assistant walks back in the room, "That meeting you requested, he can do it, now."

Oliver turns to Bertinelli, "I can come back another time."

Bertinelli shakes his head, "No, no, no, no," He looks at his daughter, "Let's excuse us for a moment would you?"

Helena walks out into the dining room, "Oliver Queen the rich man's Lindsey Lohan."

Bertinelli sighs, "Look um, I've got to go this other meeting, so I need someone to take him to dinner."

"So you pimp out your daughter?" Helena glares.

"No, I'm asking you to close a business deal. A reminder that the family business is dying and that we need this contract and Oliver Queen can give it to us, please sweet pea, for us? For me?"

Helena does nothing but snort.

Bertinelli smiles, "That's my girl, Oliver?"

Oliver enters the room, "Oliver something's come up, but Helena would love to take you to dinner, to discuss the deal further."

Oliver turns, knowing that this meeting has just become extremely awkward, instead of being new to business Oliver, he now has to be playboy Oliver as well, "Oh," Oliver makes himself look disappointed, but not enough to insult the Bertinelli's daughter, "I was hoping to be speaking with you."

"Well as you speak for you family, my daughter also speaks for ours."

Oliver sighs, "It's really not necessary," he stops himself, without a doubt Bertinelli's daughter is attractive, and he hasn't been with a woman since he's been home, but this was not the circumstance he wanted his first date to be, a mob bosses daughter, not even Ollie would be comfortable with that.

"No worries, it would be my pleasure," the woman answers back.

"Are you sure?"

Bertinelli shakes Oliver's hand, "I look forward to working together." Bertinelli walk away while the to look at each other, Oliver finally offers his hand to lead her out the door and she walks out first.

A phone next to Moira Queen's bed starts ringing, she sees the number and sighs, "Thea I need to take this could I have some privacy just for a moment?"

"People do realize you almost died right?" Thea grumbles.

"Unfortunately not, please Thea, I'll keep the call short, can't do much with a scrambled brain."

Thea gets up, "When Walter gets back I'm going to kill him myself."

Moira answers the phone, "What do you want?"

"I'm sorry to hear about your husband's disappearance, wow, when and where have a said that before?" Malcom Merlyn begins, "I want to hope that this is merely a coincidence that your second husband left right after the auction, and right after a little birdy told me that he was snooping around a 2.6 million dollar transaction."

"He doesn't know the true ramifications of it." Moira answers.

"We've come too far, and we're too close to stop now, if Walter Steele has knowledge of the information that is hidden behind the code than something must be done about it do you agree?"

"Yes I do," Moira answers stoically, "But it's a moot point, he knows nothing, he thinks that is was just a shady business deal, and he thinks one of us hired the sniper, that's it, I swear."

"Patel is too soft to make that move, never the less, he must pay the price, the others must know what happens when they interfere with our business, including your husband, this is your last warning."

Immediately upon entering the restaurant the owner begins to gravel towards the two, both obviously know that it has nothing to do with them.

After the owner finally leaves the two alone Helena sighs, "I heard about your mother's accident, is she going to be alright?"

"She's going to be fine," Oliver comments as he tucks his napkin in his lap.

"So," Helena begins as he attempts to stare at the menu, "Why would you want to go into business with my father? You know who he is and how he made his money."

"I've grown up with it like you, I take it that you don't approve of your family's enterprises?"

"We share a name, that name defines us and we chose if we want to live by it or not, you've already made judgments about me as I have made judgments by you on your name only."

"Right," Oliver smiles, "I'm the rich man's Lindsey Lohan."

Helena intakes a breath, "Sorry," Helena nearly squeaks.

Oliver smiles to ensure her he's not offended, "That's okay, you won't be the last to think of me as that."

Helena plays with her pendant and then sighs again, "Hey can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," Oliver answers.

"I know it must have been hell for you," Helena begins, "Stranded in Russia for five years, but um," Helena then can't help but unleash a smirk.

"But what?"

"Was there ever a day, where you were just, happy to be away from everything, no pressure from your family, no need to be the person everyone expects you to be, was there ever a day when…"

"When I didn't feel lost," Oliver interrupts, "I felt free, more than once, and those are the days that I miss." Oliver answers, his mind starts to remember a time where he did actually feel that way, but he couldn't think of one. However the answer seems good enough for Helena as she unleashes another smile. The two talk through the closing of the restaurant when Oliver notices the pendant Helena keeps massages. "That's beautiful, your cross."

Helena unleashes a heavy breath, "It's a gift from my fiancée."

Then it's Oliver's turn to unleash a breath, for a moment he pauses to control the anger in him for letting himself be played, "I didn't know you were engaged, I'm sure he wouldn't approve of you in public with someone like me."

"I'm not anymore," Helena wipes her face, "He died."

For a moment a brief sense of relief washes over Oliver until he actually realizes the situation he's in, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Helena bites back, "You had Russia, I had him, those are our crucibles."

Oliver smiles, "Boy it's nice to be with someone, that I can be myself with."

Helena smiles and then pulls it back, "It's nice to be with someone who knows how hard it can be."

Oliver feels his phone vibrate he sees the number and sighs, "I'm sorry I have to take this, 'Hello?'"

"Hey it's Dig, Bertinelli has a crew at the docks, I think they're trying to make a move on it with the Triad down, you got to get down there now."

Oliver hangs up the phone, "Helena I have to go, it's something to do with my mother, otherwise I would love to stay with you."

"And I would like that," she coos.

Oliver smiles feeling his body chill for the first time since he's returned to Starling, Oliver places some cash on the table, Helena shakes her head, and massages her hand across his, "Uh, ah, my father would kill me if he found out I made you pay."

Oliver smiles and stands up leaving the cash on the table, knowing that Bertinelli would still appreciate that he tried to take care of his daughter, "I have a confession to make," Oliver begins as he buttons his coat, "I didn't really want to go out with you tonight."

Helena smiles, "That makes two of us."

Oliver smiles, "But I'm really glad that I did."

"That makes two of us," Helena whispers. Oliver turns to head out the door, "Oliver?" Helena stops him, "Be careful with my father."

Oliver nods and exits the restaurant, already knowing full well Frank Bertinelli's capabilities.

Warren Patel exits his shower only to see what he hopes is only a nightmare or a vision, that's when the arrow pierces through his heart, and the last image he sees before he falls to the granite floor his bathroom is that same nightmare.

Bertinelli's assistant is holding the new dock manager at gunpoint, demanding he reveal the access codes to the bank accounts that run the docks, he cocks the gun back only to see the gun fly out of his hands after being struck by an arrow. Oliver is controlling the situation until he sees the same gunman, black leathers, dark helmet and visor and all start unloading bullets in all directions, this allows Bertinelli's assistant to escape, Oliver growls at the gunman and charges at him, Oliver is able to use another arrow to rid the shooter of their gun as well, Oliver notices quite quickly that without a gun the assailant is practically useless, he is able to free the gunman of their helmet to revel none other than Helena Bertinelli. Oliver simply pauses in shock, which allows Helena to escape to her motorcycle and drive off.

"Что в ебать она думает? (What in the fuck is she thinking?)", taking on the entire Bertinelli family? Is she insane?"

"Since when did you ever worry about the wellbeing of those that are taking out the competition, oh when you go on dates with them, and when they look like Helena Bertinelli."

"Dig I can get it whenever I want, that's not the issue."

Diggle gets up from his seat, "You may be able to lie to your family, but don't bullshit with me."

Oliver turns away from Diggle as he goes to cool off, his search program on the location of a certain gravesite has returned and Oliver takes his keys to the Ducati making sure to avoid Diggle on the way out. A few way over the speed limit minutes later he arrives at Starling City cathedral where Helena Bertinelli is kneeling by the grave of Michael Stanton, "Helena?" Oliver starts.

Helena who is still dressed in her leathers, looks up, "How did you find me here?"

"I'm Oliver Queen I know people, so I assume this is your fiancée?"

Helena nods, "Yeah."

"You said that losing him was your crucible, that it changed you, you didn't say how."

Helena grimaces, "When you love someone, as much as I loved him, with all of your heart, you can't just turn that emotion off when they're not there anymore, you still feel things as deeply, and if it can't be love that you feel, than it becomes hate."

"Hate for who?"

"Oliver," Helena shakes her head, she approaches him and then walks off, "You should stay away from me." But just as Helena begins to walk away a black van stops in front of the cathedral, Bertinelli's assistant exits, a large bandage is over his head and a gun is in his hand.

"Get in," he yells at her, Helena does not resist, but then one of the men grabs Oliver as well and throws him violently in the back of a van. They are driven to a warehouse in the Glades and are tied to chair, Oliver laughs briefly wondering how many times he's going to end up in a Glades warehouse tied to a chair.

"My father is going to kill you for this," Helena begins, the assistant smiles and then backhands her across the face.

"I've wanted to do that for years," The assistant begins, "You spoiled bitch, I knew it was someone from the inside waging war against your father and me, I just never thought it would be this inside." The assistant holds up the cross, "You left this at Russos."

"You're a smarter man than I give you credit for," Helena remarks.

The assistant is going in for shot number two, until Oliver interrupts, "Look let's talk business my mother would certainly be willing to pay you a lot of money to release us." Oliver knows it sounds bad, he doesn't care he's just buying some time to release himself from the bonds, again.

"This isn't about money richy rich, this is about loyalty."

"This also has nothing to do with him," Helena adds.

"Then what does it have to do?"

"My father had Michael murdered." Helena answers.

The assistant laughs, "Of course he did, he didn't want you to know the truth, your rat of a fiancée was gathering evidence, he was talking to the fucking FBI, the love of your life was going to destroy your father."

Bertinelli smiles, "You're wrong."

The assistant just shakes his head, "I found a laptop in his bag, Helena, everything that could send your father and I to prison for the rest of our lives was on it."

"That computer was mine!" Helena screams, "Michael wasn't the one talking to the feds, I was."

"You," the assistant snarls.

"My father is a monster, he doesn't care who he hurts to keep his money and power and I wanted it to stop."

"Well then it's your fault Michael is dead," the assistant concludes, "Not your father or me for carrying it out, yours."

Helena snarls back, "You shot Michael."

The assistant grabs Helena by the hair, "In the chest so he knew it was me," he then pulls out a gun from his coat, "Just like this."

"Идеальное время (Perfect timing)," Oliver grunts as he frees himself from the bonds and tackles the assistant, the three other men pull their weapons out, but they are quickly met with flanking gunfire and go for cover, Oliver breaks the assistant's arm and takes the gun from him freeing Helena afterwards. Helena then immediately knocks Oliver in the back of the head and steals the gun back, she fires a round of shots at the assistant, a little bit later three more bullets fire from the second floor of the warehouse finishing the others. Oliver looks up to see Diggle, on the second floor, he simply shakes his head and leaves the warehouse.

Oliver turns back to Helena, Helena is looking at him with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry no one can know my secret, she turns the gun on Oliver but Oliver knows better and as she pulls the trigger nothing comes out. Oliver walks over and removes the gun from her hand, "And no one will."

Moira Queen feels a hand caress her forehead and she opens her eyes to see her husband Walter Steele, "When did you get back?"

"Just now," Walter smiles.

"I'm so happy to see you," Moira sits up in her bed, "But did you come home only because you found out I was hurt?"

"No," Walter answers definitively, "I was already on my way when Thea called. I actually came home because I miss my wife."

Moira nearly tears up and caresses Walter's face delivering a kiss to his lips. Oliver sees them from the hallway embracing and realizes at that moment that someone else needs support as well.

Oliver walks away and sees Thea, "Is she alright?" Thea asks.

"She's gonna be fine, Walter's home." Oliver smiles.

"Look I'm sorry, I was a bitch with you earlier." Thea starts.

"There were a few times, can you be more specific?" Oliver jokes.

"Don't push it," Thea smiles.

"Don't worry you weren't a bitch," Oliver responds, "At the hospital you were a little, I have to admit, but just a little bit."

Thea releases a laugh, "Look, I'm just worried about you, you seem really lonely. We all have our secrets Ollie, and clearly you have yours, and it's fine if you don't want to share them with us, but I really think you should share them with someone." Thea kisses Oliver on the cheek and proceeds to enter her mother's room.

Helena Bertinelli exits out of her shower wearing a red silk robe, as she goes into her bedroom of her father's spare condo downtown she sees him, "I'd ask you how you got in here, but the Starling City vigilante comes and goes as he pleases doesn't he?"

Oliver turns to her not wearing his gear, "How'd you know?"

"I saw you fight, then I saw your eyes, Russia changed you in ways that only someone like me can understand."

Oliver shakes his head, "No, what you're doing right now, I know that it feels like justice but it's not, it's revenge."

"Sometimes, revenge is justice." Helena growls back.

Oliver sighs, "Your father killed your fiancée."

"And what did your father do to you? Isn't the man in the hood fighting to set things right? Why is your vendetta more valuable than mine, were the same you and I?"

Oliver shakes his head, "No we're not."

Helena shakes her head, "Hiding in plain sight, concealing our anger with smiles and lies, don't judge me Oliver, were the same and you absolutely know it."

Oliver squints at her, "Why are you crying?"

Helena pauses, "I don't know, maybe it's because I've been alone in my hatred for so long, it feels."

"он чувствует себя так хорошо, чтобы сказать правду." Oliver interrupts before locking his lips onto hers, she cries at first before all her feelings consume her and she kisses back with all emotion.

So an interesting concept brought along by Helena Bertinelli, Helena only knows Oliver as the vigilante, she doesn't know about his other secret that he is a Bratva Captain as well, knowing her hatred of her father's business, how will their relationship be affected if the truth gets out? Will it get out at all? Or is Oliver simply using his vigilante persona to manipulate Helena to get inside and take over Frank Bertinelli's operations? Or is it Helena Bertinelli the one that is pulling the strings?