Author's notes: I do not own Arrow, Flash, or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again, as my computer is getting an update, and I just got surprisingly busy with a summer job, but I'll do my best.


A week has passed since the attack on the mayor and the deputy mayor. Ian Quinn was charged with attempted murder, illegal drug and weapon dealing, and a lost list of other incriminating things, after he handed in his signed confession after a visit by the vigilante. However, something was wrong. Oliver was ninety percent sure that the man had some kind of play in mind in this case scenario. People like him always had a backup plan.

But that was only one thing. There was also the murder that had taken place about a week ago. Oliver and team Arrow didn't get much further concerning the killer's case: there was simply too little to go on, and Team Flash hasn't found anything either. The teethmarks on the victim matched that of a human's teeth, however, Cisco stated that no human would be able to bite off a foot, and if they did, why would they even do that? But the Central team did confirm that the DNA sample (that Dinah may or may not have stolen from evidence lockup) was from a meta, but otherwise, didn't find out much more. Barry has been checking up a on them too: he even offered to sweep the city, trying to find the meta, but Oliver refused. He saw what this meta could do, and he had absolutely no intention to send Barry to face it.

They did hear about Skye more and more. Oliver couldn't say he was fond of the idea, a hacker on Felicity's level, just out there with no chance of being found. But also, he couldn't deny she(?) has been helpful. She only talked with Felicity so far, but provided intel and because of her, Felicity was intrigued enough to come by the bunker more frequently again.

Oliver rubbed his temple. There was just so much going on right now, he didn't even know where to start. And also, there was the question of Daisy. She just wouldn't leave his thoughts for some reason.

Oliver checked his watch: he still had half an hour until the meeting in city hall.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." He shouted, and Thea entered. She had a smile on her face, looking happier than Oliver has seen her in a while.

"Speedy, what got you so cheerful? Not planning to take another week off, are you?" He asked, amused.

"No, but I do have some good news." She handed him a paper. "The council approved of your plan of helping the hospitals with a fundraiser gala. You will have to make a speech of course, and it wouldn't hurt if you arrived on time for once. Or, you know, arrived at all. And you should really start looking for a date."

"That is great news. But" Oliver lifted an eyebrow "why do I need a date?"

"Well, you are the mayor, it would look good if you brought someone with you. As long as it's not Susan." She did nothing to try and hide the disapproval in her voice.

"Susan is not around anymore." Oliver sighed. "I'll just ask Dinah."

"Or you know, you could bring that girl, Daisy. I heard you get along quite well."

"And where exactly did you hear that, Speedy?" Oliver asked, even though he wasn't that curious about the answer, already expecting it.

"Oh, just here and there." Thea smiled mysteriously. "I may or may not have asked Diggle to find a replacement in bodyguards for Quentin on the gala."

"You are kidding right?" Oliver felt his tiredness take over. His sister was playing matchmaker again.

"Nope." Thea smirked at him unashamedly before turning around and heading towards the exit. "And don't forget the city hall meeting!" She shouted back from the door.

"How could I?" Oliver asked himself and the paper in front of him.


Daisy barely noticed the week that flew by. She had been busy. The bodyguard job was a good choice: Nobody questioned why her eyes always searched for the exit first. Why she saw everyone as a potential threat. Because she could see that Diggle noticed. He never said anything though. Never asked anything. But she knew he was watching her.

She made friends with Angie and her friends. It wasn't a bond anywhere near as deep as she the one she had with Jemma, nor it could ever be, but it was enough to keep her company.

She was kind of disappointed she didn't really get to talk to Oliver for a week. He was nice enough when they met, but he was closed off, showing nowhere near the kind friendliness he had showed before. Maybe it was for the best. So why was she disappointed?

There was another thing she did, that she shouldn't have, to be honest. The crime in this city wasn't her problem. This wasn't her universe, wasn't her responsibility. Yet, every time the glorified leather squad wrote to her, she answered.

The other hacker, Overwatch, and Daisy would work together on cases, becoming almost unstoppable. However, it wasn't the same as it was with Miles. Daisy remembered what it was like to work with a hacker who clicked with her, like puzzle pieces, and Overwatch wasn't that person. You can tell a lot about someone just by the way they work together with other people who are on the same skill level, and Daisy felt like whoever Overwatch was, she was a very self-centered person. She did not work well with Daisy, it became obvious for her very soon. Yes, Overwatch was a good hacker, but the more Daisy interacted with her, the less she had liked her.

But it was surprisingly good to work with the vigilantes nonetheless. Daisy felt useful, powerful once again. It helped dealing with the emptiness in her that has been growing bigger and bigger every day since she left her universe, and the fact that she couldn't use her powers here didn't help at all. Maybe she should move to Central city, find the Flash, work with him. Help metahumans like she helped Inhumans.

As nice as it sounded, Daisy knew she could never do that. Just the thought of it made her heart ache with sadness, wishing so hard she could go home. Going to Central right now would just be acid on her wounds. Also, she wasn't a metahuman. She was an inhuman, and she was proud of that.

There was also the question of the metal ball. It has not exhibited any other strange signs ever since the break-in. There was no cue as to what the hell it was supposed to be, none at all. Daisy would spend hours upon hours trying to figure it out, searching it, even quaking it. No result.

Right now, Daisy was standing quietly at the side of the room, not bothering and yet being there. Lance hasn't complained about having a bodyguard since the attack, and that was good, but that didn't mean he was happy she was there. Mostly he just ignored her, sometimes even forgetting about her.

He was talking to Thea Queen right now, about some fundraising gala for the hospitals.

This wasn't the first time Daisy has met Thea. She came by frequently, sometimes in official business, sometimes just to chat with Lance. Daisy never listened in, not because she didn't want to, but because it seemed too personal.

She decided early on she liked the younger Queen sibling. They have talked once or twice and although Daisy wouldn't go as far as saying they were friends, they definitely clicked.

"Daisy!" Thea stepped up to her, her conversation about the gala with Lance obviously done.

"Miss Queen," Daisy greeted her.

"You know there is this gala next week?"

"Yeah."

"I just wanted to let you know that you will not be Quentin's bodyguard on the gala, so you know, if someone happens to ask you to be their plus one, you can say yes." She winked at her, turned around, and walked away. Just like that. Daisy was left there dumbfounded, asking what the hell was that. She automatically looked at Lance, her confusion written on her face.

"Don't look at me, I have no idea what she's talking about," the ex-police officer deflected with a shrug.

"Well okay then," she muttered. Did she like Thea Queen? Yes. Did she understand Thea Queen? Not in the slightest.

It wasn't until Lance's lunchbreak that she understood. He was talking to some guys from the police station, so she has been asked to step away a little. That's when Oliver approached her.

"Mr. Mayor, what can I help you with?" She asked in a playful tone, and at the edge of her vision she could see Lance rolling his eyes.

"It's about the fundraising gala next week." He didn't exactly seem embarrassed, but he did seem uncomfortable a bit. It wasn't obvious, and had Daisy not been near May for four years, she would have totally missed it. But once you can more or less read May's emotions, you can basically read anyone else too. However, Oliver proved to be a challenge on that side too. That was possibly one reason why Daisy seemed to find herself being so intrigued by him. "I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me as my plus one?" Oliver asked.

And oh, that explained it. Thea was planning, that's what it was all about.

Daisy considered. Did she want to? Yes, most definitely. But should she? Oliver Queen was handsome, and he was a nice person. But he was also the mayor, who happened to be a very reckless human. He could get hurt. He could be killed any time.

Little did Daisy know that very similar things were going through Oliver's head.

They stared at each other, doubt whirling in both of their heads.

Maybe that's why. Maybe they just knew, as they looked into each other's eyes. Maybe on a basic, instinct level, they realized it, recognized it.

"I can't really refuse an offer like that, can I?" Daisy asked with a smile. "I'd be honored."

Oliver seemed surprised at that, but masked it quickly. Again, his emotions were hardly readable. Like a whisper in a loud room, his real face was shaded by the face he showed to everyone. A face Daisy believed she could finally start to see through.

He smiled at her, and that smile was real, she could tell, and it made her chest just a little bit warmer.


"You seem oddly happy." Felicity pointed out, looking up from her computer. "Did you beat someone up again?"

"What? No." Oliver frowned, putting down the arrowhead he was sharpening. "I can't just be happy?"

"Uhm, no? You are Oliver Queen. You are like 'I am grumpy all the time after I have spent five years in hell." She imitated with her best Oliver voice, completely missing how a flash of hurt appeared in Oliver's eyes. He didn't show it. He would never show it.

He didn't comment, didn't add how his voice did not sound like that, even though he wanted to, on some part. Instead, he just raised an eyebrow and went back to sharpening his arrowhead, and if he did it a little more aggressively, well nobody would notice it.

There was only the two of them down there. Diggle asked for a night off with his family, Oliver gladly agreeing to it. Rene hasn't yet arrived, and Dinah was called in for an investigation. But at least Curtis was coming back soon.

"So what is it?" Felicity asked, not letting the question go.

"It's nothing." Oliver didn't feel like talking about it. He knew how Felicity thought that Daisy was suspicious, and apparently, she managed to convince Dig too. However, he may deny it, but it was obviously that Diggle took a liking to Daisy too.

Felicity looked at him suspiciously, but he was saved by Rene arriving with a loud "Oh man, these cab drivers are lousy. I am surprised they were ever allowed to walk on these goddamn streets, not even mentioning driving on them." He stopped abruptly when he saw how empty the bunker way. "I hope I ain't interrupting."

"Rene." Oliver almost sounded relieved as he greeted the newest arrival. "Good that you are here. Yesterday, I noticed that in hand to hand combat, you have a tendency not to notice attacks that come from the left. Thought it was time for some training."

Rene's eyebrows shot up. "You noticed that while you were fighting with four other guys?" He asked, unbelieving.

"It's hard not to notice," Oliver offered. "You swear really loud."

It's ironic how it didn't happen that night, when everybody was on leave but Felicity: it happened next day, when Felicity decided not to show up, and her phone was turned off too, and Oliver tried both her numbers.

"We have no chance of finding that place without Felicity." Diggle stated, looking at the monitor.

"We can't just leave the hostages to their fate!" Dinah exclaimed, anger burning in her eyes as she watched the video.

It was on TV. Three people, captured by some crazy guy with a gun. He hacked into the official channels to broadcast the video of him and the hostages: Two kids and their mother.

He must have been clever, because nobody was able to find where he was, but he was also nuts. It showed in his eyes, and the longer Oliver watched the video, the more he realized that.

"I have seen it you know," the guy breathed, his eyes glinting in the light "it's here. It's a monster. And it will kill and kill and kill and you can't kill it. You can't touch it. It travels in the shadows, and it kills and kills AND KILLS." He laughed, but it was desperate. "It's an abomination. A freak of nature," the man continued, "and the look in its eyes… that look…" He shook his head, and screamed. "But nobody believed me. Nobody would ever believe me. Do you believe me now? I demand that the city acknowledge the threat and I promise the prisoners will go home safe. I want a citywide search. Civilians need to go, or they will die. I want the mayor to make the statement."

And that was it. That was the video. Everything they knew, in one three-minute video. And they could do nothing to find its source, because their IT person wasn't here.

Oliver tried calling her again, hoping against hope, but it went to voicemail once again. "Felicity, where the hell are you? We need you here NOW." he slammed the phone down on the table, taking a big breath, trying to calm down.

"Oliver, you are the mayor. You need to make a statement." Diggle said finally, looking at the archer with sadness.

"I know that." He said angrily, unsure what to do.

In that moment, a chat panel popped up.

"Overwatch, this is Skye. I'm here to help. I think I know how to find the guy." – It said in bold green letters.

Oliver wasted no time, sitting in front of the computer, his heartbeat picking up. "This is Green Arrow. Where is he?"

"I narrowed it down to six city blocks, but the video was too short. Just another half a minute would be enough, I could find him. We need to get him to release another video."

Oliver stared at the screen, then nodded. "I will take care of that. Be ready."

He stood up, looking at the team. "Get ready. I'll meet you at the back of City Hall. Bring my suit." With that, he was off.


He was standing in front of city Hall, cameras flashing in his face. "Aaron Swayer. We understand you have demands, and we are willing to negotiate with you, but you need to be more specific about what you want us to do. And we need proof that the other three hostages are alright."

He turned around, and walked into the building, just to walk right through it. The others were waiting for him in a van where he told them to meet him. There would be no negotiation. This man was going down. Oliver jumped into the van, grabbing the bag with his suit.

Soon, the answer came. The man was standing in front of the hostages, who were tied up, a tape on their mouth. "Here they are." He gestured at them. "Now, I believe my demands were clear. There is a monster in this city, something that's dark and unnatural, living in the Glades. I want the Glades cleared of civilians, and I want the police to deploy forces there, to search it."

The video may have went on, but it didn't matter, because in that moment, Rene shouted "We've got him" in their comms, and Diggle stepped on the gas pedal.

It didn't take long to take the man out. He barely lifted his gun and he was shot in the arm. All the hostages were fine, the kids crying into their mother's lap. The mother looked at them with such gratefulness that it made the whole thing worth it. The civilians were safe, nobody died.

Felicity was waiting for them in the bunker when they got back, her eyes downcast. "I am so sorry." She said, and Oliver wanted to shout, wanted to ask 'Where were you?' but he didn't. Instead, he just went around her, and sat in front of the computer. The chat panel was still open.

"Thanks to you we saved a mother and two kids. If you ever need help, you know how to contact us." He typed in, then stood up abruptly, went around Felicity again.

"I'm not mad at you, Felicity." He said finally, as the whole team was standing there, their breaths kept in. Diggle had an unreadable expression on. "But I need you to decide. Are you in, or are you out. You can't have it both ways Felicity. I can't have you challenging my authority again and again, I can't have you appearing and disappearing as you wish."

Felicity stared at him. She seemed incredibly guilty, which was probably why she didn't fight back, just stood there. Her obvious guilt was one reason why Oliver didn't shout at her. The other was that he just didn't have the power to fight anymore. Not with Felicity. Not again. And in the end everything turned out fine.


In her apartment, Daisy stared at the screen. She hasn't felt this happy since… She wasn't sure, but it has been long. She felt purely good, as she stared at the open chat panel. She helped. Saved lives. Kids. A mother.

But she was also spooked, and she hasn't been spooked in a long time either. There was something in that guy's eyes. He was crazy, no doubt about it. But he was very, very afraid of something. A fear so primordial it most likely made him crazy.

The same thoughts were in Oliver's head that night. He thought about how they found that body in the Glades. A body torn up so bad it made even the strongest people step back, horrified. Only a monster could do that.

There was something in Star city. Something dark. And it arrived the same time as the unnatural breach opened.

Oliver did not believe in coincidences.

Neither did Daisy.

Because she noticed another thing: the crazy guy said it traveled in the shadows.

Just like the inhuman that was sent after her in her universe.