Part 9
Making Karma
Veronica had enjoyed her time back in Neptune more than she had expected to but it still felt nice to finally be home, especially with Oliver as her boyfriend. She liked the normalcy of it all. Her relationship with Oliver was going well and on their first night back, they made love for the first time, in her little apartment. It amazed her that it felt like they had been together for years when it was really just days. They just clicked together and the after sex shower had been the best she had ever had.
He had surprised her the next morning with the best breakfast she had ever tasted. He had made her an omelette, muffins, freshly pressed orange juice and a great cup of coffee.
"I didn't know you could cook. This is very good food." She told him with a smile.
"Thank you. My cooking is my best kept secret. Only you know of it." He replied, proud of himself.
"Well, if being a billionaire ever stops working for you, you can always open a restaurant and become a cook." She suggested with a smile.
He laughed it off and kissed her, bringing her back to the bed quickly.
In the back of her mind, Veronica made a mental note that her last remark was pointless. Even if Oliver stopped having money, she'd have enough for the two of them. Indeed, with Mac, they had dusted off the old purity test and were planning a new one. it was an easy way to make money and Veronica planned on investing it to ensure she'd still have plenty of money.
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A few hours later, they were both back under Verdant, back to work. Veronica went back to her researches on Moira and Malcolm Merlyn while John and Oliver looked at what had happened in town while they had been away.
"You know, since there's nobody too important to stop right now, maybe we should start working on your Vigilante outfit, Veronica." Oliver suggested.
"Really? You think so?" She asked him, stopping what she was doing for the moment.
"Sure, no time like the present, right?"
"Okay, so what are we thinking?" John asked, interested as well.
"Well, I've been thinking about it. I wanted some red at first, because Lilly always said that I was a red satin kind of girl but I also wanted some forest green on it to make sure everyone knows that I'm on Oliver's team, so I guess green and black would be best. I don't want people to start calling me the 'elf' or something if I start dressing in red and green." Veronica explained.
"You're small enough though." John joked, getting a ball of paper send right to his head while Oliver hide a chuckle under a cough and a fake serious face.
"Are you sure that you want to make it that obvious that you're working with me? If I ever get in trouble, you'd be in trouble too." Oliver asked her, concerned.
"I don't care. I'm with you and they will know it." She smiled before she went to kiss him.
"Have you ever thought about the design of your outfit or even your name?" John asked her.
"I think I have the name figured out. I want a green mask over my eyes, a leather outfit, green. Black pantyhose, the solid, not transparent, kind, not the kind that will get a hole in it five minute in. A green skirt, a black utility belt with my black electrified whip attached to it, a small camera, a lighter, a knife... I'm not sure what should be in it yet. Maybe some kind of smoke grenade to mask my exit or use as distraction. I'm even considering a small cape but I'm not sure." She explained, seeing it in her mind.
"You've really thought about this seriously." John complimented.
"I like it. What about your hair? Do you want to leave them free or you want to mask them?" Oliver asked her, his hands on her waist.
"I'm not sure. I think we'd have to try. Either a hood like yours to hide them or leave them free. I don't want to hide them under a wig." She replied.
"You guys here? Is it safe to come down? I'm alone!" Tommy's voice interrupted them from the top of the stairs.
"Yes, come on in Tommy." Oliver called back.
"You guys are hard at work I see." Tommy smiled.
"We're discussing Veronica's secret identity. Her outfit and everything." Oliver replied.
"How is that going?" Tommy asked.
"Pretty well." Oliver said.
"The weapon might take some time though." Veronica argued.
"Actually I've asked a contact of mine to work on it when you mentioned it last time, it should be available soon." John corrected her.
"In the mean time, I got you something, so you can practice." Oliver added, going to a table on the side where he picked up a box that had arrived at the club earlier and that he had put aside until the right moment.
Inside, Veronica found a whip. It was the kind she wanted, long, smooth to the touch and black.
"Looks like it was taken out of a western movie." Tommy declared while Veronica jumped in Oliver's arms to thank him.
"I love it." Veronica stated excitedly.
"Now you just need to learn how to use it." John told her.
"Oh I've used one in the past. During the summer between my sophomore and my junior year of College I went home with a friend who needed my help. She had a ranch and her grandfather taught me how to use a whip." Veronica explained and, to prove that she was saying the truth, she cracked the whip in the room and used it to knock the keys out of Tommy's hands without hurting him.
As the whip knocked his keys out of his hand, Tommy cried out, surprised.
"Damn, girl!" Tommy exclaimed, looking from his unharmed hand to the keys on the floor.
"I've heard that one before." She chuckled.
"But you said you'd need to practice when you first mentioned getting this weapon..." John was confused.
"Because I want to learn to do more with it. I want to perfect my whip-grab. Wouldn't it be cool if I could just use it to grab the bad guy's weapons before they try to use it?" She asked him.
"I love you so much!" Oliver exclaimed, turned on by this side of Veronica, who blushed under his declaration.
"So, Tommy, why did you come down if not to get the life scared out of you by Veronica?" John asked.
"Right, I almost forgot. Laurel wants the four of us to have dinner, like a double date." Tommy told Oliver.
"Sure, when?" he asked his friend after Veronica nodded.
"Tonight? Unless you have something planned." Tommy replied, glancing at the arrows.
"We can have an early dinner, tell her that we have something else planned so that if something that requires our attention happens, we have an excuse to run off without it being weird." Veronica suggested.
"Good, I'll make reservations then." Tommy nodded before he ran back upstairs, where he needed to supervise a delivery.
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Oliver went back to his family's home to get changed (and pack a few change of clothes to keep at Veronica's) before he went to pick her up and drove them to the restaurant Tommy and Laurel had chosen.
"So, are you nervous?" She asked him on the way.
"No, why should I be?"
"Well, the last double date you had with them was with Huntress and it didn't exactly go well." Veronica replied.
"It was different then. We were at different places. You and Laurel are friends and I'm completely over her. Why, are you nervous?" he asked her.
"Kind of, yes." She nodded.
"Don't be, everything will go fine. It'll be a dinner between friends who happen to be coupled up." he reassured her before parking the car.
"It won't be weird or awkward?" She asked him.
"No, it won't. Don't worry too much. Trust me." He told her with a smile, making her return the smile and relax.
"I do, Oliver." She assured him.
She was happy and she knew that he was, too. They had a similar view on things and were true partners in all aspects of their lives. He had told her things about his 5 years on the Island that she knew he hadn't told anyone else. He had told her about Shadow, about Sara Lance being alive and even about Constantine and Argus. She knew everything he had been through and she understood him better than most, just like he understood her better than even her father did.
Laurel was happy when they arrived and they all sat and had dinner together, cheerfully. Oliver had been right, there was zero weirdness, they were just two couples of friends having dinner together, on a normal week night.
"I don't know how you do it, Veronica." Laurel stated when their dessert order came.
"What do you mean? How I do what?" Veronica asked her.
"How you eat everything you eat and keep that waist-line. And how you still have room for dessert after everything you ate tonight." Laurel explained.
"My father would say that it's a gift." Veronica smirked.
"He did warn me during our stay to always have enough food because Veronica can eat her weight in lasagna when she sets her mind to it." Oliver added.
"Well, if the lasagnas are good, why not?" The blond Pi replied, unashamed.
"Thea told me that you didn't even work out, is it true?" Laurel asked her.
"Well, I don't go to the gym, but I do work out. With my work, I'm always running after someone to catch them or to keep up and get the money shot. When I don't, well, I find ways to work out on my own." Veronica replied.
"I tried going to the gym a few times but I stopped. It's just too... I don't know, boring I guess. There's too many guys there who only think about flirting and girls who want to be seen." Laurel shrugged.
"I know what you mean, when you actually go there to work out, you're uncomfortable because you're flirted on and feeling humiliated because of the other girls there." Veronica nodded.
"Flirt? Who flirted with you?" Oliver asked Veronica, curious.
"I only went once, on a case. Don't worry, he got tasered in the privates and never came close to me, or any girl working out, ever again." Veronica replied in the same tone one would use to finish a fairy tale.
"That's my girl." He smiled with pride.
"Maybe you should stop going to the gym, Laurel. I mean, Veronica can work out on her own, surely you could too, right?" Tommy suggested, making the two women smile with amusement.
They were just leaving the restaurant when Veronica stopped walking and froze. Tommy, Laurel and Oliver stopped as well, confused. Oliver turned his head to look all around them, wondering if she had spotted a potential threat as he asked her:
"What's wrong? Veronica, what's going on?"
"I... I'm not sure, I'm probably wrong, it couldn't possibly be her." She shook her head.
"What is it? Who did you see?" Laurel asked her.
"What's in that building?" Veronica asked back, pointing to a door a few feet away from them, on the other side of the street.
She was used to seeing Lilly's ghost or spirit occasionally but her mother? That was new and it took her by surprised, like a punch in the guts.
"No idea." Oliver and Tommy replied.
"At this hour they have AA meetings there. I now because I drove my father there a couple of times. What's going on?" Laurel replied.
"I swear I just saw my mother walk in there. But it's impossible, what would she be doing in Starling city?" Veronica replied.
"When's the last time you saw her?" Laurel asked her.
Laurel knew all about Leanne and the effect she had on Veronica. They had spent time together and talked about their parents one time and Veronica had told Laurel about everything her mother had done to her.
"The night I solved my friend Lilly's murder, at the end of my junior year of High school, when she left our house with the 50.000 dollars my father and I had earned on a big case, along with all my savings that were supposed to pay for my college education." Veronica replied, not hiding the resentment in her voice.
"Do you want us to check it out?" Oliver asked her.
"I... Yes, let's just go and take a look." Veronica nodded and the four of them crossed the street and went through the door Veronica saw her mother go through.
Apparently, this place held a different meeting every night. Gamblers, eaters, alcoholics, cheaters, shy people, people with dept, compulsive liars, compulsive buyers... They easily found the room where the meeting took place but the door was closed and there was no window to look inside.
"We can't come in, it's anonymous for a reason..." Laurel argued.
"I know... I... I'll just wait outside, let's go." Veronica decided.
Once back outside, Tommy and Laurel went back to their car to go back home while Oliver stayed with Veronica.
"You know that you don't have to stay, right?" Veronica asked him.
"You need me, I'm here, Veronica. We both know that if the role were reversed, you'd stay with me." he replied.
"I don't even know if I'll be able to speak with her if it's her that I saw." Veronica shook her head.
"You have no idea of what she's been up to during the last few years?" He asked her.
"No, she didn't show up for my high school graduation or for my college graduation. She didn't try to check if I was okay... She obviously doesn't care much about me but if that's the case, why is she here? I've been in the newspaper enough so she has to know that I'm here..." Veronica shook her head.
"Maybe she's doing better and has looked for you to apologize. That's part of their 12 steps program, isn't it?" he asked her.
"I think so but... I don't know. I... Actually you know what? I don't want to think about this anymore, I don't want to know if it's her or not. If it's her, let her find me and find a reason to get me to listen. I don't want to get my hopes up and see them getting crushed when it turns out that she's not here or that she's here but didn't look for me to make amends but to ask me more money. Let's go home." Veronica decided, taking Oliver's hand and guiding him back to his car.
"Are you sure?" he asked her, concerned.
"Yes, I am." she nodded.
Oliver drove back to Veronica's place and, while she went to change in the bathroom, he called John and told him what happened.
"You want me to look into it?" John asked.
"If you don't mind, yes I would. If it's her, try to find out why she's here without revealing who you are and that you know Veronica." Oliver replied in a low voice.
"Sure thing. I'll let you know what I find tomorrow." John agreed before he hung up the phone.
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Veronica didn't mention her mother again and pretended the incident never happened. John hadn't been able to find anything because he had been stuck behind an accident and had arrived after the meeting was over and only one person was left behind, putting everything back in place. However, he promised to keep an eye open, for Veronica.
Oliver decided to call Keith and warn him of what might be going on. Keith had no idea where Leanne was and he warned Oliver to not let the woman hurt Veronica again.
"She has the capacity to hurt Veronica more than any villain you'll encounter, simply because she's her mother and will always have a way in her life. Don't let her go close to your sister, either. She's bad news." Keith warned him before he hung up to meet with an informant of his.
Deciding to follow Veronica's lead, Oliver never mentioned the incident again either, though he kept an eye out, just in case Leanne really was in town.
A few days passed and they easily forgot about Leanne while they chased Bad guys and dug info on Moira Queen and Malcolm Merlyn. Tommy had helped them hack into Merlyn Global's computers after being explained their suspicions and it helped speed their search up.
About a week after having seen her mother from afar, Veronica came to Verdant as she always did after her day job, except that this time, she had a large bag with her.
"What's this, honey?" Oliver asked her, curious.
"My outfit. Or a potential one that is. I want you opinion." She replied before going to the back and changing into it.
She didn't have the electrical whip yet but she was doing well enough with the normal one for now.
When she stepped out, she was wearing a dark green (the same as Oliver's hood) leather top that covered her shoulders but showed her cleavage, a black belt with pockets, a dark green skirt, some black pantyhose and black boots with small large heels. Her mask was made of the same green as her top and her skirt and tied under her hair. She had a large, elegant, black K on her chest and a green bow tied her hair together leaving a couple of strand of hair to surround her face. The black whip that Oliver had gotten her was tied to her belt.
She had considered a cape and had changed her mind for now. Maybe she'd find a design she liked later.
In her belt, Veronica had a small kit to break locks, a couple of small explosive and smock grenades that Oliver had provided, an USB key, because it could always be useful, a pair of cuffs, a flashlight and a knife. She would have loved to be able to put lights around her mask so that she didn't have to carry a flashlight but it wasn't easy to make right now, on her own. Maybe she'd do it later.
"What's the K for?" John asked while Oliver was still looking at her, obviously liking what he was seeing.
"Karma. That's the name I want to use. Because Karma is a bitch." Veronica replied with a smirk.
"God you're hot. I love it." Oliver smiled, going to kiss her.
"Really? I did good?" She asked nervously.
"I think it's perfect. Fits who you are." John nodded.
"Me too. Let's go." he suggested.
"Go where?" She asked him, confused.
"Out, we'll find someone to bust together and we'll introduce you to Starling City's villains." Oliver replied excitedly as he grabbed his own outfit to change into.
He couldn't wait to be out there with her, to see her in action. It made him feel like Arrow was going on his first date with the woman of his dreams and he loved the feeling. It was another proof that they were perfect for each other.
"Okay, let's go." She nodded, just as excited as he was.
"Have fun you two, I'll stay here and supervise." John told them as they left on Oliver's bike.
What did you think? Karma is my new favorite female superhero I think. Should she have a cape? What do you think of my idea for a mask that light on? (that will have to wait until she meets Cisco ;-) )
A little review please? I love reading them.
Lorelei Candice Black
