Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow or anything else you may recognize. All characters belong to their creators.

Alright, well here is the Seventh Chapter. This one is altered from the show as to fit with where I want to take it. I'd appreciate helpful comments on the altered parts. Thanks, in advance. Hope You Enjoy.

[Queen Consolidated]

Moira is walking out of Queen Consolidated with a man trying to get her attention. Sara is also walking out with Diggle to go back to the lair to do some more digging into Koroleva.

"Mrs. Queen, all I'm asking for is a chance to sit down and discuss our proposal. Hmm?"

"If that's all it is, then I can save us both the time. It's rejected." She told the man.

"I see. May I ask why?"

"Do I really need to answer that, Mr. Copani? Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm meeting my daughter for lunch."

As Sara makes her way past Moira and the man named Mr. Copani, she stops at the sound of a motorcycle. Looking over at the sound she sees a man on the bike pull out a gun and point at Copani and Moira, "Get down!"

Copani turns around to see what's going on when the man open fires hitting Copani and killing him sending him backwards on top of Moira. Sara and Diggle run over to her, "Are you okay?"

"I'm all right."

"Are you hurt, Mrs. Queen?" Diggle asks as he looks her over for signs of a gunshot wound.

"No, I'm I'm " She can't finish the sentence as she looks to her right and sees the man she was just talking to dead on the ground.

"Are you sure?" Sara asks still concerned.

"I'm fine."

"You're sure you're fine?" Sara asks once again as Moira nods, she turns to Diggle, "Call 9 1 1!"

She takes off after the biker across the street, nearly avoiding a car before proceeding to cut down an alleyway to gain ground of the bike, just as she sees the bike make a turn she spots a piece of rebar and grabs it. As the biker comes into view she throws the rebar like a spear hitting the back tire and damaging the bike, however, before she is able to close the distance a garbage truck comes through and blocks her path. Once the truck is gone she looks around but there are no signs of the biker.

Back at QC an Asian man sees what happens and take out his phone, once the call is connected he speaks, "Watashitachi ni wa mondai ga arimasu (We have a problem). Satsuei ga arimashita1 (There was a shooting)."

"Sono chiiki no ta no menbā ni renraku shite kudasai. Moshi sore ni kurunara, kare o seifuku suru junbi o shite kudasai (Please contact other members in the area. Please prepare to subdue him if it comes down to it)." Came the worried voice from the other side.

"Anata no sukina yō ni (As you wish)." The man says before he walks off as the ambulance arrives.

[Starling General]

Sara walks into the room reserved for the Queen family, "Hi, Mrs. Queen. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The look of concern on Sara made her smile and repeated, "I'm fine, Sara, really."

Moira looked to her daughter who had just returned to the room, "Did you reach Walter?

"No. I'm sorry."

"As I was telling you Moira, the CAT Scan shows a grade two concussion. You can go home so long as someone stays with you just to make sure there are no after effects." Dr. Lamb tells her as Moira nods in understanding.

"Thank you." Moira says to the doctor, then turns back to Sara and Thea.

"What did you think you were doing anyway, Sara? You could have gotten hurt or worse." She scolds the younger woman.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you, but I thought I could get a license plate. I thought you were alright, and Mr. Diggle was there with you, so, I took off without thinking." Sara told Moira with an apologetic look on her face.

"Well, that was foolish, your father will be furious that you took off after an armed man." Sara winced as she knew that Moira had a point.

"Yeah, I'm going to be hearing about it for a long, very long time." She sighed as Moira and Thea couldn't help but laugh a little. She smiled at them and decided to give the family the room and walked out into the hall.

"So, did you get the license plate?" Diggle asks her having been waiting at the door.

"No. He got away, I was only able to damage the rear wheel." She said as they walked down the hall.

"Detectives." Diggle smiled as both Lance and Hilton walked around the corner.

"Hey daddy," she said as she hugged her father, "Do you have any leads on the shooter?" Diggle interjected before Lance could scold Sara.

"Not yet." Lance said as he looked at Sara, "Did you get a good look at him?"

"No. He was wearing a helmet." She replied.

"Don't worry. We'll find him." He told her before adding, "What were you thinking about going after them Sara? It was reckless, you could have been hurt. I lost you once already Sara, I can't lose you again." He hugged her tighter as Diggle spoke.

"The head of security is on his way. I want to make sure there are men outside Mrs. Queen's door. She needs to be protected."

"Well, you know they're at the tippy toppy of my list of priorities, but the guy that she was with was connected, mobbed up to the eyeballs connected." Hilton told Diggle.

"She wasn't the target." Lance said as Diggle nodded and walked of taking his phone out as Hilton muttered, "And you're welcome." Before he walked off as well leaving both Sara and Quinten to talk.

"Are you alright?" Quinten asks, his anger at her recklessness forgotten for a while.

"Yes, I'm alright daddy, me and Mr. Diggle were just making our way out when we saw what happened." She explained before adding, "I'm sorry for being reckless." He sighed and kissed her forehead.

When she pulls out of her father's embrace, Nyssa walks around the corner and smiles at them. She walks past them and on into Moira's room.

"Who's that?" Quinten asks seeing the woman his daughter was looking at.

"She's a possible investor in my nightclub, a woman by the name of Nyssa Koroleva." She explains as Quinten nod in understanding. He gives her one more hug before proceeding to join his partner in the room.

Sara considers what to do and decides to go to the door of the room, and using her camera's phone she uses it as a mirror to see where Nyssa is standing. Seeing that she can see her face just enough she takes a picture and walks off to meet with Diggle. Unknown to her, Nyssa had caught the movement and smiled.

[Lair]

Sara and Diggle rushed back to the lair after Sara had gotten the picture. She showed it to Diggle who understood and pulled up the facial recognition software on the computer as Sara plugged her phone in.

"Hopefully this will get us something, I'm tired of not knowing who she really is or why she has shown up after the warnings." Sara sighed as Diggle nodded in agreement.

"Well if she's in any government database we'll know."

[Laurel's Place]

Laurel is sitting down working on her computer when there's a knock on the door. She goes to open it and finds Tommy and a delivery boy standing there both with food.

"Technically I did get here like 10 seconds before this guy." Tommy points out making Laurel smile.

She hands the delivery boy a wad of cash, "Keep the change."

As she walks back towards the kitchen, Tommy follows closing the door behind him, "So, Tommy, what brings you by so late?"

"Well, I assumed, rightly, that you would be at home working tonight, and I also assumed that you might be hungry. Also, rightly."

"I don't know. This is a mushroom and olive pizza from Mario's." she says placing the pizza box down.

Tommy exhales, "That is damn good pie."

"All right, what do you have to offer?"

"Spicy tuna on crispy rice from Toro's." He raises the bag within reach of her.

"Ohh. Damn you, Merlyn." She says as she takes the bag and walks towards her couch, "I hope Sushi was all you had in mind."

"Uh, actually, there was something that I wanted to ask you." Tommy says nervously.

"And what's that?" she asks before Tommy blurts out, "Will you go out with me? Like on a date."

"You brought me dinner to ask me to dinner?"

"Well, I also did throw you a really big charity gala." He points out.

"See, I thought you threw it for the hundreds of people it would benefit."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hundreds of people. Plus, one more." He adds stepping closer to her.

"Tommy." She says as they both laugh.

"Laurel, I get it. Okay, this is all happening for us in the wrong order. You know, first we're friends for many years, and then briefly we are friends with benefits, extremely excellent benefits. And now I am just hoping that we can be two people sitting at the same restaurant at the same table at the same time. See, when I see it like that, it doesn't sound so scary, does it?" he says with a hopeful look in his eyes.

[League Safe House]

Nyssa and Haraba' and the handful of members, that were close enough to come, gear up with non-lethal injection arrows. She would have preferred it if he didn't have to find out but she hated keeping things from him more. As they get ready to walk into the main room to meet Hayij, Khatiya walks up behind them about to speak but Nyssa raises her hand to silence her.

They move in with all the members pointing their arrows at Hayij, except for Nyssa, Haraba' and Khatiya who is dumbstruck as to why the league has their weapons raised against Hayij. He on the other hand turns around from the practice dummy he was practicing on.

"Ma maenaa hudha (What is the meaning of this)?" Comes his voice from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. This made the members slightly step back, they had all heard the rumors of what Hayij was capable of.

"Faqat ka'iijra' waqayiyi, alhabib. ladayna 'akhbar min 'amk (Only a precautionary measure, beloved. We have news of your mother)." Nyssa said softly as she walked up to him. She placed her right hand on his heart, "She suffered a minor concussion when the man she was speaking to was shot down."

His body tensed at the information making the members steady their aim, even Haraba' had drawn his bow but Nyssa raised her left hand at them, signaling them to hold. She kept her other hand on his chest, leaned in and whispered something that no one heard except for him. As she did she placed her other hand on his masked cheek and he leaned against it.

Haraba' at seeing his reaction motioned the other members leave, as Khatiya was about to when Haraba' stopped her. He took her over to where Nyssa and Hayij were still standing in the same position. Nyssa smiled at her when Haraba' walked her over, "I know you have questions about all of this but they'll have to wait."

Khatiya nodded in understanding before Nyssa spoke again, "I need you to look into who the gunman was at Queen Consolidated this morning."

Khatiya nodded again before leaving, once she was gone, Nyssa leaned into Hayij who wrapped his arms around her tighter than usual, but it did not matter to her, he was still here with her.

[Flashback]

Five days had passed since she had found him on the island, when the on-board doctor first looked at him while in his clothes it seemed he was just malnourished and dehydrated. However, when they removed his clothes they found signs of torture and abuse, his body was badly beaten and bruised, his will to survive was something that had impressed them all. She had been present to see all of the scars and wounds that were still healing and remained until the doctor told her to get some rest.

Five days had passed since and she still found herself visiting him again, and again but there was no change, he was still unconscious. He looked peaceful, she thought to herself, 'this might be the best sleep he's had in a while.'

They continued on their journey, and as the days progressed she found herself talking more and more to the stranger, who being unconscious couldn't talk to her. She was confused on why a stranger gave her peace from the chaotic life she had grown around, why was this the case she wondered, why?

[Lair]

"Alright well while we wait on the program to run the scan, let's get back at who could have shot that man." Diggle said and Sara nodded from where she sat at the other computer, "Well we know that Mrs. Queen wasn't the target, this man was, Paul Copani. Copani works for Bertinelli Construction and Frank Bertinelli."

"The mob boss?" Diggle asked.

"Yeap, well Hilton did say that he was connected." Sara told him as she pulled up articles about recent murders all connected to Bertinelli, "I did some digging. Copani isn't the first member of Bertinelli's crew who's been hit."

"Bertinelli has a lot of enemies." Diggle stated, "There's a number of them that would benefit greatly from his family being out of the way."

"Yeah and the best way to figure out who's trying to target his organization is to get inside of it. Fortunately, I have a way to get in without too many questions. And, Diggle, when I find out who this guy is, he's a dead man."

[Laurel's Place]

"Hey, I heard what happened. Is Moira, all, right?" Laurel asked as she let Sara in.

"Well she's resting up with Thea. More shaken up than anything." Really.

"Hey, I have something to tell you and I don't want you to find this out from someone else, that someone else especially being Tommy." Sara looked at her sister with a mischievous grin, "We're going to dinner. As in a date. Just a date."

"That's good. You deserve someone special." Sara smiled at her sister and hugged her.

"Thanks." Laurel smiles.

"Hey look I got to run to this thing. I just stopped by to tell you I was fine and that Thea's mom was fine."

"All right. Thanks for coming just to tell me."

"I'll catch you later. Oh, and, Tommy, if he hurts you, tell him I'll snap his neck." Sara starts for the door before she turns back to Laurel and smiles, "I'm just kidding."

[League Safe House]

Khatiya walks into the warehouse and goes directly to where she hears the unmistakable noises of Hayij training on one of his dummies. She sees Nyssa meditating on the floor behind him.

"Have you found something, Khatiya?" Nyssa says without turning around.

"Yeah, word on the street is that Copani is just another body in the wake of someone targeting Frank Bertinelli." She tells them as she sits down next to Nyssa.

"So, he was the intended target after all." Nyssa said just as Hayij shattered the dummies head with he's weighted hawks making Khatiya jump. He walked to his gear and dropped them off before sitting down behind Nyssa, back to back.

"Does anyone have a clue as to who it might be?" Nyssa asks as she tilts her head back resting it on Hayij's shoulder.

"Not really, some are saying the triad but some say it's someone inside the family." Khatiya informs them. Before anything can be said her phone goes off and she answers it, "Hey Haraba'. Yeah, I'm here giving them what I found out. Alright I'll tell them."

She looks at Nyssa who is still just resting her head on Hayij's shoulder with her eyes closed, "Haraba' says that Lance has made her way to Bertinelli, as an intermediary between them and the Bratva, as a favor to a friend."

"Seems she's on the same path as us, we should let her handle it, for now, Beloved." Nyssa says and after a few minutes of silence, "Hasanana (Ok)."

[Bertinelli Residence]

Sara walks up to the door and rings the doorbell, "Mr. Bertinelli." Sara says as the man opens the door and shake her hand.

"Call me Frank, please." He says as he leads her into the house.

"Ahh. Call me Sara, then."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me at my home. Nick Salvati, my associate." They shake hands, "Let's have a drink."

As they walk toward the sitting area, Sara catches a glimpse of a young woman walking upstairs, their eyes meet and Sara stops to watch her move away. She then continues after Bertinelli as Salvati hands them each a glass of scotch, "So, Sara, I'll be honest with you. I was surprised to hear that the intermediary was the daughter of a cop. It was my impression that your fathers and sisters work would make you join them."

"Well, apparently, people constructed a better version of myself while I was away for 5 years. I was never like my family, and well I owed a friend a favor and this was it, I couldn't refuse. Plus, you're not stupid enough to kill a cop's daughter in your own home, that might be the reason for him asking me to come."

As soon as Sara finishes Salvati's phone rings and he heads out to take it, "So, Sara, I'll be blunt."

"Mm hmm."

"Why has the Bratva chosen now to reach out?"

"They want me to inform you that they have nothing to do with what's happening to your family. And, Frank, they are very sorry to hear about what happened to Paul Copani, losing family is never easy."

"Paul was a good friend. He was a good man. Yeah. The violence in this city. You know, sometimes I wonder why I stay."

"I've had the same thought."

"So, why did you come back? After that island, you could have gone anywhere in the world."

"Because Starling City is my home, and my family is here."

"Non importa in che modo si va o si, si finisce sempre a casa," The young woman she had just seen walks into the sitting room, "No matter which way you go or turn, you always end up at home."

Bertinelli stand up and smiles as he introduces her, "Sara, this is my daughter Helena."

"Hello." Sara says as she shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you." She replies before looking to her father, "I'm heading out."

"All right. Take one of the guys with you."

"I can take care of myself." She replies.

"I wasn't asking, sweetie."

Just then Salvati walks in, "Frank, that meeting you requested. They can do it. Now."

"I can come back another time." Sara interjects but Bertinelli shakes his head, "No, no, no. Just, uh. Just excuse us for a moment, would you?" Sara nods, "Thank you." He says as he, Helena and Salvati move into the dining room.

"Sara Lance, associating yourself with a cop's daughter now?"

Frank turns to his daughter, "Look, um... I've got to go to this other meeting, but I need someone to take her to dinner."

"So, you pimp out your daughter." She shoots back.

"No. I ask her to help me close a deal. A reminder that the family business is dying and that we need this connection, and Sara can give it to us. Please, Sweet Pea. For us. For me. Hmm?" She smiles lightly, "That's my girl."

Sara is lead into the room by Salvati who hangs in the back once they're into view, "Sara, I'm so sorry. Something has come up. But Helena would love to take you to dinner and discuss the deal further."

"Oh. Well I was asked to speak with you." She replies.

"Well, as you speak in their absence, my daughter also speaks for ours." He replies as Sara looks at Helena who also doesn't seem to like the idea.

"It's... It's really not necessary." She begins but Helena interjects, "It would be my pleasure."

"Sure." She says as Frank shakes her hand.

[Bertinelli Meeting]

Frank and Salvati are waiting outside their car when another car pulls up, stepping out are an Asian man and woman with white hair.

"Thank you for coming." Frank tells them as the two come to a stop.

"Anything for a friend." The woman replies.

"Wǒmen bùduì nín de rén de gōngjí fùzé." The man says as the woman translates for him, "We're not responsible for the attacks on your people."

"These attacks on my business are my family's life blood. They stop now, or I'm coming for you." They look at one another before the man and woman walk back to their car and leave.

"What does the Triad have to gain by provoking you now?" Salvati asks.

"Well, no one ever credited the Triad with rational thinking? If not them, then who? Whoever it is, when I find out who's behind this, there will be blood." Frank finishes, meanwhile back at the precinct Hilton and Lance have been listening in on the meeting.

"Sounds like Bertinelli's ready to put the screws to everyone who pays him protection money." Lance looks at his partner, "Yeah, well, 3 of his best earners have been murdered. He's got to make up the cash somewhere.

Whoever is pruning the family tree is looking to make Bertinelli suffer."

"So, you do think it's one of the other families."

"No."

"Then who?" Lance asks his partner as Hilton looks at the board filled with the Bertinelli hierarchy with red crosses on the victim's photos.

"Well, according to the coroner's reports, none of the vics took a clean shot. Half the bullets missed. Our killer's not a pro." Hilton points out.

"That's not stopping him from pulling that trigger." Lance says.

"That's up to us. Or this is going to blow up into an all-out mob war." Hilton finishes looking back at the board.

[Italian Restaurant]

Helena and Sara are taken to a table by the owner of the restaurant, "You are an angel, Helena. So, beautiful. Well, we are gonna take good care of both of you tonight." He says looking at Sara and handing her a napkin, "You'll tell your father hello from us?" He says as he points to his daughter.

"Of course, Mr. Russo." Helena smiles back at the man.

"I'll give you a minute."

"Thank you." Sara replies as Russo walks off with his daughter in tow.

"I heard about the accident at Queen Consolidated. Is Mrs. Queen alright?" Helena asks earnestly. "Is she going to be okay?"

"She's going to be fine. More shaken up than anything." Sara replies with a smile.

"I'm glad. So, why would are you helping the Bratva go into business with my father?" Helena asked her.

"You don't approve of your family's enterprises?" Sara asks her back.

"We share a name, and that name defines us whether we want it to or not. You've already made judgments about me, just like I've already made judgments about you."

"Right. I'm just a sop's daughter, after all." Sara replies with a grin.

Helena sighs, "Sorry." But at seeing Sara's grin she smiles a little herself.

"That's okay." Sara says honestly.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Helena asks as she begins to touch the necklace around her neck with a crucifix.

"Yeah."

"I know it must have been hell for you, alone on that island for 5 years, but I'm..." She begins but is hesitant to continue not wanting to pry.

"But what?"

"But was there ever a day when you were just... Happy to be away from everything? No pressure from your family, no need to be the person everyone else expects you to be. Was there ever a day when " Helena finally speaks with sadness in her voice, "When I didn't feel lost and I felt... free?" Sara finishes for her as Helena nods.

"More than one. And, uh... Those are the days that I miss." She says and they both smile, any awkwardness vanishing.

[Indian Restaurant]

Laurel is silently laughing at Tommy who is wiping tears off his eyes, "Whew! Ohh..." He laughs as Laurel continues to watch in amusement.

"What, is it too spicy for you, Merlyn?"

"No. No, not really. I'm just, um, I'm just crying because I was thinking of a Hallmark commercial I saw earlier today, featuring a sick kitty. It was very emotional." They both laugh.

The waiter comes up to them, "Will there be anything else?"

"No. Thank you." Tommy tells him.

"Yeah." Replies the waiter as he leaves with the card Tommy handed him.

He turns to Laurel, "Thanks for letting me take you to dinner."

"Well, thank you for letting me choose Indian."

"You know, I read this article by a film critic once, who said if he could have one wish, it would be to watch his favorite movie again for the first time.

I kind of wish that was us."

"So, you want dinner and a movie."

"No. I wish we had just met and that all this was just beginning and there wasn't so much of me I wish you'd forget."

"Well, keep saying nice things like that and maybe next time I'll let you choose the restaurant.

"Mr. Merlyn..." The waiter says as he walks back to the table.

"Yeah?" Tommy turns to the man.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid you credit card has been declined." He says apologetically.

"Did you swipe it a few times? You know, sometimes those things can be a little glitchy."

"I did, and, um, I'm afraid the credit card company wants me to confiscate it. Sorry." The waiter says, leaving Tommy and Laurel dumbstruck.

[Russo's]

Sara and Helena are the last people remaining in the restaurant, "People are always asking me, what did I miss the most?" Sara breaths, "Air conditioning. Satellite radio. Tagliet uh ta "

"Tagliatelle?" Helena offered.

"Right." Sara smiles.

"Mm." Helena nods

"But those are the answers that I give people because those are the answers they're expecting."

"Why can't you just be truthful?"

"I don't know how truthful I can be."

"You've been through a crucible, and it changed you. How can it not?" Helena asks.

Sara remains quiet, thinking before breaking the silence avoiding the question, "That's beautiful. Your cross."

"It's a gift. From my fiancée." Helena says sadly holding onto the cross.

"Fiancée."

"Mm." Helena continues to touch the cross fondly.

"I didn't know you were engaged." Sara says a little disappointed.

"I'm not. Anymore. She died." Helena informs her.

"I'm sorry."

"Me, too. That was my crucible."

"It's nice to... It's really nice to be with someone that I can be myself with." Sara tells her honestly.

"It's nice to be with someone who knows how hard it can be."

Sara's phone rings, "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Take it."

"Thank you." She says as she answers, "Yeah."

"It's Diggle. Something came up. You got to get out of there and call me back." She hangs up and looks at Helena sadly.

"Helena, I have to go. There's something that I have to do. It's about my father, otherwise I would, uh, I would stay."

"And I would like that." Helena says honestly.

Sara puts money on the table but Helena puts her hand on top of hers, "My father would kill me if I let you pay." She leaves the money anyways.

"I have a confession. I didn't want to go out with you tonight." Sara tells her and Helena replies, "That makes two of us."

"I'm really glad that I did."

"That makes two of us."

"Hmm."

"Oliver. Be careful with my father."

Sara makes her way to her car as she calls diggle, "What happened?"

"Yeah, it's what's about to happen. Bertinelli's enforcer Nick Salvati Yeah."

"We drank a scotch together. He seems like a real stand up mobster."

"Yeah, well, he's been paying visits to everyone who owes the mob protection money."

"Diggle, I'm trying to figure out who took a shot at Mrs. Queen, not take on all of organized crime."

"Well, listen, Sara, Salvati and his goons have already put 4 people in the hospital tonight, and if somebody doesn't stop them, the poor b*st*rd who owns Russo's is going to be next."

"Wait, wait. Russo's?" Sara asks, turning around looking at the restaurant she came out of.

"It's at the corner of Adams and "

"I know where it is, Diggle. I'm here right now."

"What?"

"I was having dinner with Bertinelli's daughter."

"Sara, you're supposed to be going undercover, not speed dating, although that explains so much."

"Hey no judging, plus I didn't have a choice."

"Yeah, well, uh, I've seen her on the web. You made quite the sacrifice."

"Salvati's here." Sara says noticing a car stop in front of the restaurant, she hangs up and heads to the trunk of the car to grab her gear.

Inside the restaurant Salvati walks in as Russo's daughter was about to close, "I'm sorry, we're closed." Salvati just walks over to Russo.

"Oh, Mr. Salvati. Buona sera. I have some fresh made lasagna." He tells them nervously.

"We're not here for food, Mr. Russo. Your payment's due."

"I already made my payment this month."

"You need to pay again."

"Please. I can't afford to make another payment if I'm going to " Russo tries to explain but is caught off, "Going to what? Restock your bar?" Salvati throws a couple of bottles of wine on the floor.

"Break his fingers." He commands to his two goons.

Russo's daughter tries to stop them, "Leave him alone!" It just annoys Salvati, "Break hers, too."

Russo screams at the men, "No! Don't touch her!" Just then the hood shoots the breaker sending the restaurant into darkness, and proceeds to attack the goon grabbing Russo's daughter all the while using the bow as a staff to attack Salvati, "GO!" she yells to the Russo's who do so, the second goon takes his gun and shoots at the hood but hits the other goon.

During this time the shooter from QC busts through the door and opens fire on the goon with the gun, shooting him first on the thigh then the heart. The shooter then turns to Salvati and manages to fire three times, not one of them hitting a mark, before the hood throws a dart disarming them.

They engage in hand to hand all the while Salvati makes his escape through the back, the biker is skilled and hold their own against the hood up until the hood gets a knee strike to the side of the helmet causing the biker to almost fall before they regain their footing and come back up, when the hood gets in an elbow strike shattering the visor of the helmet consequently hooking it and removing the helmet to reveal, Helena.

This causes the hood to pause in shock during which time Helena flees the scene leaving the hood to wonder what is going on.

On top of the roof across from Russo's stands Haraba' and after seeing who the biker is takes out a phone and dials, "Ladayna mudaeafat (We have a complication)."

"Ma hdha (What is it)?" Nyssa asked from the other end, "Mutlaq alnnar hi aibnat Bertinelli (The shooter is Bertinelli's daughter)."

"Tarqub ealayha (keep an eye on them)." Nyssa sighs as she ends the call.

"The shooter was Bertinelli's own daughter," Nyssa tells Hayij who sighs, "We will keep an eye on her and see what fuels her." She assures him, "alana, wayati albaqi (Now, come rest)."

[Lair]

She and Diggle are talking about what happened, "I don't understand. Why is she targeting her family?"

"I don't know. And here I thought you had parental issues."

"It's not a joke, Diggle."

"Sara, you're not falling for this girl, are you? Because I know you can't be that crazy. Helena Bertinelli shot at Mrs. Queen. She also murdered 4 men in cold blood."

"She has to have reasons for what she's doing." Sara tries to reason.

"Reasons? Sara, since when do you care about the bad guys' reasons? Oh, she is the bad guy, Sara. She's the killer. And whatever's going on in your head, you better get it straight. Any attempt on his right hand is going to send your new friend's father on the warpath."

"I know what I'm doing." She says not sure she actually does know what to do.

"Now I know how your family feels when you lie to them." Diggle says as he walks out.

[SCPD]

"Is this the only angle you got?" Hilton asks the computer tech who's checking the footage from the incident at Russo's.

"The Russo's chintzed out a bit on their security package."

"Somebody is in the wings with a gun shooting at these guys. What do you have from earlier?"

"You mean before the shooting?"

"Yeah."

"A business dinner, a birthday dinner, a couple of blind dates." The tech informs him.

"Any guests of the Chinese persuasion?"

"Why?"

"Humor me." Hilton replies as the tech scans the footage and does a digital close up of the footage before something catches Hilton's eyes, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second. What was that?" He grabs the mouse from the tech to get a look at what caught his eyes.

"Help yourself."

"Come on. Son of a bitch." Hilton sighs as he looks at a still of Helena and Sara at the restaurant.

[Lance's Apartment]

Sara hears a knock on the door and opens it to find Hilton standing there, "Detective. Is everything okay?" She asks hoping her dad is fine.

"Your, um, your buddy with the arrows was at Russo's last night."

"And I was there earlier with a date. So... what? You think I'm the hooded woman again?" She asks a little annoyed.

"No. Your date. Helena Bertinelli. If I were you, I'd stay away from her. Her family's bad news on a good day."

"Why the sudden concern for my well being? A few weeks ago, you couldn't wait to put me behind bars."

"A few weeks ago, I made a mistake. I almost got you and your sister killed."

"And you felt like you owed me one?"

"If I did, as far as I'm concerned, this clears the books." He says as he turns and walks down the hall.

[Church Cemetery]

Helena is at a grave paying her respects and going to touch her necklace but she doesn't have it on and she gets a worried look, Sara walks up behind her, "Helena."

"How did you find me here?"

"I followed you from your house. Your fiancée?"

"Yeah." Helena nods, she lays flowers on the grave and stands to face her.

"You said that losing her was your own crucible. That it changed you. You didn't say how."

"When you love someone as much as I loved her, with all of your heart, and you can't just turn that emotion off when they're taken from you. You still feel things as deeply. And if it can't be love that you feel, then... then it becomes hate."

"Hate for who?"

"Sara... you should stay away from me." Helena walks away as Sara goes after her, "Helena?"

A van stops in front of them and Salvati gets out of the van along with more goons who point their guns at Helena and Sara, "Get in."

[Warehouse]

Helena is sitting in a chair her hands are zip tied behind her, "My father is going to kill you for this." Salvati smacks her as Sara clenches her jaw and works on escaping from her own zip tied hands, "I've been wanting to do that for years. Spoiled bitch. I knew it was someone from the inside waging war against your father and me. I just never thought it'd be this inside."

He takes her necklace out of his pocket and shows it to her, "You dropped this at Russo's."

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for, Nicky."

"You're not." As he raises his hands to hit her again Sara yells at him, "Hey! You're a businessman, right? So, let's talk business. I can offer you a lot of goods courtesy of the Bratva if you let us go."

"This isn't about money or power. This is about loyalty."

"She's got nothing to do with any of this." Helena points out drawing his attention back to her, "Then what the hell is it about?"

"My father had Michelle murdered."

Salvati 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 friggin' FBI. The love of your life was going to destroy your father!"

"You're wrong."

"Uhh. I found a laptop in Michelle's bag, Helena. Everything that could send your father and me to prison for the rest of our lives was on it. That computer " He is interrupted by Helena's revelation, "Was mine. Michelle wasn't the one talking to the FBI. I was."

"You?"

"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 Michelle's dead. Not your father for ordering the hit or me for carrying it out. Yours." Salvati tells her getting into her face.

"You shot Michael." Helena realizes as Salvati gets his gun and motions the way he did it, "In the chest, so he knew it was me. Just... like... this." However, before being able to fire Sara broke free and tackles him away from Helena, who in turns breaks free in the commotion and engages Salvati.

Sara in turn kicks a goon coming for after which she grabs the goon as a shield as the other fires, she throws him at the other one and then engaging him in hand to hand disarming him and then using the butt of the gun she knocks him in the head before twisting around and grabbing him in a chokehold. Helena having fought with Salvati pins him up against a forklift with her hand on his neck, "You're gonna burn in hell for what you've done."

"It'll be worth it." She replies as both Sara and Helena snap the necks of the men. "Helena..." Sara says softly as Helena looks at her, "I didn't have a choice, Sara. No one can know my secret."

[SCPD]

"CSU didn't find any usable prints except for the 3 victims. One of them had a GSW to the chest." Quinten says as he walks toward Hilton.

"So, who broke the necks of Salvati and his buddy?" Hilton replies.

"Look, it's been a while since the Hood broke anyone's neck. And I didn't see any arrows laying around." Quinten states.

"We better pray that Frank Bertinelli blames the Hood for this. Cause if he thinks it's the Triad, Starling City is ground zero to World War III." Hilton sighs.

[Laurel's Place]

She hears a knock on the door and walks to answer it, she finds a gloomy Tommy, "You okay?"

"I spoke to my dad today."

"I bet that was fun." They walk to her living room.

"He explained to me what happened with my credit card yesterday. And my checking account, my savings account, my brokerage account, my stock portfolio. He cut me off completely."

"What?"

"My car got repossessed. That was fun. Oh, and I have to move out of my apartment by the end of the month."

"You are going to be fine, Tommy. In fact, you are going to be great.

Merlyn money or not. And you know, I have a mushroom and olive Mario pizza in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten." She tells him as she holds his hand and intertwines her fingers with his.

"I suppose it's already paid for, right?"

"Exactly." They sit there looking at each other smiling.

[Helena's Room]

Helena walks out from her bathroom and sighs, "I'd ask how you got in here, but the Starling City vigilante comes and goes as she pleases, doesn't she?"

Sara remains where she is looking out the window, "How'd you know?"

"I saw you fight." She walks toward her as Sara turns around, "And I saw your eyes. That island changed you in ways that only someone like me could understand." Sara walks towards Helena, "No. What you're doing right now, I know that if feels like justice, but it's not. It's revenge."

"Sometimes revenge is justice."

"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 valid than mine? We're the same, you and I." She says but Sara looks at her, "No, we're not."

Helena scoffs, "Hiding in plain sight. Concealing our anger with smiles and lies. Don't lie to me, Sara. You feel the same as I do, I know it." She says with tearful eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Sara asks as she steps closer.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because I have been alone in my hate for so long.

I feel " Sara finishes her thought, "It feels so good to tell the truth."

Tears fall down Helena's eyes as Sara embraces her, and kisses her.

[Lair]

Diggle decided to check on the computer running the facial recognition software across the different agencies having forgotten to take a look when Sara was her having left after their disagreement.

He turns on the lights and finds that the program has found a match, he opens the file and on the screen, is another photo of Nyssa, only that her name isn't Koroleva but Raatko. "Well, I'll be damned." But then he notices something a little more disturbing, she's wanted by A.R.G.U.S and is on their highest danger warning and on the top of their list. "What the hell is going on…"

[A.R.G.U.S]

"Sir, we got an alert on an unauthorized scan for an individual, Nyssa Raatko.*" An agent informs her superior.

"Where was the search run from?"

"Right here in the states, Starling City to be precise." The agent responds.

"Looks like she's found someone of interest to me. This is the first lead on her we've had in a while. Move your team and find her, remember we want her alive." The agent nods in understanding, "Sir, if the rumors are true and we take her, the loss of life would be the entire city."

"If we take her we'll have answers to these myths, and have a chance to question her about her organization. Plus, the Starling City vigilante won't let a bloodshed occur in her city." The agent remains calm as her superior looks at her, "In fact it may be time for you to introduce yourself to her, agent Michaels, after all I know that you have a friend in common."

The agent looks at her confused before her superior continues, "Find your ex-husband and ask for an introduction," Lyla looks stunned, "You can give him this," her superior hands her a folder, "If they are looking for information on her we give it to them. Is that understood agent Michaels?"

Lyla looks at her and nods, "Yes, sir."

[League Safe House]

Haraba' approaches Hayij, "Qutil khatibuha qabl 'awamir waldduha (Her fiancée was killed by her father's orders). 'innaha fi 'alam waealaa alhafati (She is in pain and on the edge)."

"Thumm laday salih akhar 'ann yatlub minkum. dun sart mmuerifatan, wusul 'iilaa alrruh almafqudat waleafn laha (Then I have another favor to ask of you. Without Sara finding out, reach out to the lost soul and mold her)." Haraba' nods in acceptance, this is not what he was expecting, but when he looks up he sees Nyssa smiling at her beloved's back he knows that it was her idea and doesn't question it further.

He turns and walks just as Khatiya walks into the room, Haraba' nods at her in greeting, "Good to see you too, Haraba'!" she laughs and continues on to greet Nyssa with a hug and Hayij with a mock salute that makes them laugh.

"Khatiya, the one and only, reporting for duty!" she laughs as Hayij shakes his head. She wonders if he's rolling his eyes at her under the mask, but as she wonders Nyssa calls her from her thoughts, "Now, Khatiya we promised answers after the events of the last couple of days. We will answer any that you may have, as best we can, if we can."

She thinks about what she wants to ask first and then she makes up her mind, "Why did you save me that night. You guys treat me differently than how you treat the members here. Why am I so special to you guys?" Nyssa looks at Hayij, "I mean not that I have a problem with it, just seems like there's more to it than you just happened to be there that night."

Nyssa thinks on what to say but Hayij speaks, "For that to make any sense to you it will reveal who I am under this mask, and it will bring you pain from your past and closure at the same time. If you truly wish to know I will tell you." Nyssa places her hand on his shoulder and looks to Khatiya, "The choice is yours to make."

She thinks for a minute; does she want to know? what does Hayij know about her past? what kind of pain is he referring to? Who Is He Behind The Mask? The last question is what causes her to answer, "I want to know the truth." Hayij nods as Nyssa moves in front of him to take his mask off, Khatiya's eyes widen in shock, "Alkhara' almuqaddasat (Holy Shit)!"

Authors note:

Hayij – Berserk(er)

Haraba' – Chameleon

Khatiya – Sin (literal translation)

*- Sara's good but not good enough when she's distracted.