Chapter 10: I'm gonna run spread the news/Help say the word

If he were able to formulate words at the moment, Oliver knew everything that came out of his mouth would contain the word "fuck". Are your fucking kidding me? This is, inFUCKINGcredible, reFUCKINGdiculous … fuck.

Really… it was a damned it you do, damned if you don't situation. Do you freak out, pitch a fit and let your undercover watch you slowly unravel or do you act calm, hide all emotions under layers of repressed fear and frustration and come off as nonchalant when you know damn well they will find the man standing in front of you and kill him in cold blood?

A quick wave of nausea swept over Oliver and he raised a shaky hand to his right temple, pressing gently hoping to avoid the headache he knew was sure to follow.

Finally able to find his voice again he spoke. "Find the spy?"

"Ya."

"That was it?

"What else needed to be said?"

Oliver eyed the man through thick dark lashes, numerous curses wetting his lips as he forced the words back. Thought after nauseating thought raced through his mind. It was like standing at the gate right before you flew out onto the pitch, every possible scenario whipping by like unintelligible chatter.

"They know there is a traitor among them. I have to work smart and fast, beat them at getting what I want before they get to me."

There was a long pause before…

"I'm afraid this is above me," the words almost slicing his skin as spoke them. Oliver hated admitting he couldn't do something, hated relaying on others to finish things for him. It made him feel incompetent and weak.

The figure quickly grabbed his file from Oliver's desk and waved it in front of the other man's face. "This is all I am to you isn't it? Just some damn folder! You don't care what happens as long as you get something out of me."

"Don't you get it man? I can't do anything for you!" Oliver rose from his seat, his chair falling back behind him with a loud thud. "If someone knows about you…. shit…." his voice suddenly softened. "If someone knows about you then the Aurors need to know. They can help you, they can protect you."

"Oh hell no!" The man was now fuming. "No, no, no, no."

"You don't trust them?"

"No. Not with this."

"Yet you trust me with it?"

There was a long silence before a soft "yes" came from the other man. "With this... yes."

Oliver rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. "They need to know. If your cover gets blown..."

"Then I'm as good as dead, no matter who tries to help me."

"I have to tell them!"

"Let me get what I can before anything happens."

"Do you have a death wish or something?"

The man didn't move he just stared at Oliver as he spoke.

"Alright, let's think about this rationally." Oliver needed to gain some kind of control over the situation. If he can handle having bludgers aimed strait at his head, not falling to his death and making a save all in the one quick movement then he can think though this. His mind went to work piecing together all of the bit on information he had at hand.

"O.K.- so they know there is a spy."

"Ya."

"But they don't know who."

"Right."

A thought popped into Oliver mind. "Well they certainly don't suspect you then."

"And why is that?" the man asked slightly confused.

"You heard You-Know-Who mention it… do you think he would want you in earshot of that if he suspected you?"

"Could have been doing it to scare me into tellin' him."

"Doubtful."

"Why's that?"

"Well you said it yourself," Oliver bent over and picked his chair back up before sitting back behind his desk. "If he suspected you he would have just killed you, no questions asked. I mean you are just another body to him right? You are expendable."

The other man grumbled. "That doesn't make me feel any better."

"Well it should. Means he doesn't think it's you."

"And I am supposed to take your impromptu word for it that he doesn't know about me?"

"Hey- you were the one who just said you trusted me."

Oliver could hear the man practically growl under his breath.

"I still have to report it to the Aurors though, let them make the final judgment call." He reached for a pen to start making notes in the spy's file as he spoke.

It was only a matter of seconds before the other man had him slammed up against the wall of his office, hand positioned tightly around Oliver's throat.

"I don't think so," the words hissed out.

Black threatened to cloud Oliver's vision as his head bounced off the wall, a muffled yelp barely escaping his lips.

"You won't tell them anything," the spy said, leaning all of his weight against his arm pressed under firmly under Oliver's jaw.

Oliver didn't mean to do it; instinct just kicked in as he grabbed the man by his wrists, shifted his weight and pushed. Before he knew it he had the spy pinned face first into the wall with his arm wrenched behind his back. He made a mental note to thank Marcus for always picking fights with him back at Hogwarts- seems all those years of fighting finally paid off.

"What the hell is your deal?" Oliver roared as he twisted the man's arm hard.

"Fuck, that fucking hurts!"

"That was the point," he tugged a little more, hoping to drive the point home.

The man could feel his shoulder pulling and straining ready to pop at any moment.

"You work for them," Oliver was crushing down on the other man, just wanting the situation to be over.

"That's not the point," he managed to choke out.

"Then just what is the point?"

"You tell them and they will pull me."

Oliver froze, unsure of just exactly what this man was saying to him.

"What are you talking about and so help me Merlin if you lie to me I will rip your arm right off." He pulled a little harder on his arm to show he meant it.

"Damnit…. you trying to kill me?"

"That doesn't sound like an answer to me…"

"Alright alright, look… if they even suspect my cover is blown they will pull me from this job and that just can't happen."

Oliver leaned harder into the spy's back shifting most of he weight against him. It suddenly struck him just how remarkably warm this other body felt against his. Oliver had always just assumed he would feel cold, a deep blue ice running through his veins instead of a warm steady flow of blood. Thought a normal human couldn't function under the circumstance this guys was under. He could smell him too, leaning his head in just a little closer than he should have his nose barely ghosting over the black fabric hiding the other man's neck. He couldn't quite place it, but it was soft and heavy and Oliver felt himself relaxing his grip and closing his eyes.

"I'm close."

Oliver heard the words, imagined them ripped from the other man's throat as he stroked him hard, hips bucking up into his hand. It was only a quick second later and Oliver was cursing his hormones pushing himself as far away from the spy as fast as he could. He drew a hard shaky breath trying to steady his nerves as realization flooded back to him.

"Fucking shit man." The spy instantly doubled over and rubbed at his shoulder.

"Why can't you leave?" Oliver snapped not knowing if he was more angry at himself for his sudden neediness or at the man standing across from him for not realizing it.

The man looked up threw the shadows on his face.

"Job's not done, but I'm close."

"Close to what?"

The spy just shook his head and walked towards the door. "Trust yourself man… you know more than you think you do."

And with that he walked out the door leaving Oliver alone once again.

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"They guy is certifiably crazy," Oliver picked at the rest of his dinner as he spoke with Katie and Tonks.

"You don't really think that Ollie," Katie sat across from him listening him recount the details of his day.

"Sure I do. He is nutters."

Tonks snorted at Oliver's response.

"Not only that, but he is violent as hell. Damn near about took my head off." Oliver rubbed gingerly at the small fingertip shaped purple bruises peppered across his neck.

A storm was kicking up outside and the tree branches were beginning to slowly scratch and scrape on the glass panes of the kitchen. The night was raining down drops black as ink against the night sky. The low creaking of the mansion's front door was hidden behind the cracking of the thunder. It was only when the door slammed back shut did it grab their attention. Seconds later Marcus rounded the corner only to find three sets of eyes staring back at him. The uncomfortable tension that suddenly filled the room was enough to make him gage. Forcing his feet to move he made his way over to the stove. He hadn't eaten all day and he wasn't about to let a few sets of questioning eyes stop him now.

"Hey Marcus," Katie piped up smiling at the man as he crossed the room.

"Hey," his voice was soft as he smiled back at her, the action feeling a little too foreign to him.

Oliver just rolled his eyes as he walked over to the sink to fill up his glass. Now was not the time he wanted to watch Katie fawn over Flint. Slamming his glass down in the skin he turned on the water faucet and waited for the glass to fill. The action earned him a quick stare from Flint who immediately noticed the markings on his neck.

"You're staring." Oliver stated, knowing fully well it would embarrass the hell out of Flint.

"Just trying to figure out how you managed to give yourself hickeys cuz Merlin knows no one else would."

Oliver could hear Tonks and Katie trying to hold in their amusement behind him.

"Ya ya, laugh it up. Glad you find me being attacked by some psychotic…" he paused looking for the right word.

"Nutter?" Katie interjected.

Tonks couldn't help but laugh out loud this time.

"Yes!" Oliver continued, completely unfazed by the quip. "Attacked by some psychotic crazy person. And everyone here finds that soooooooooo funny."

"You're right, you're right. Sorry. So then why don't you tell us exactly what happened then?" Katie said.

"It's like I said. One minute we were talking and the next he had me pinned up against the wall as he tried to choke me to death."

"Well you must have pissed him off somehow Wood. In fact, that sounds like something you would be good at." Marcus grabbed his plate from the counter and headed over to the table grabbing a seat next to Katie. His hunger winning over the rational side of him that was yelling go back to your room and shut yourself up there for the rest of the night before you do something stupid… before you muck something up.

"That's just the thing… I didn't. I mean-sure I was giving him shit when he first came in, but that was just because he pissed me off the last time. This happened at the end, after we already talked and got things straightened out. I just don't know." A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as the thought back on the day.

"So what happened after that? Did you have to call security?" Tonks was obviously concerned by now.

"Nah, I got out of it. Slammed him into the wall and wrenched on his arm for a bit until he calmed down." Until I couldn't control myself anymore and had to back away before he noticed I was sporting wood right there. "Which reminds me… I guess I owe you one Flint."

Marcus stopped mid bite. "For?"

"All those years of fighting with me. Finally paid off I guess."

Oliver smiled at Flint and Marcus could feel his stomach flip flop.

"So what set him off? Were you yelling at him or something?" asked Katie.

Oliver thought about it… he knew the answer. Much like that spy, Oliver was someone who didn't give up, someone who was so devoted to what they did that they couldn't stand not seeing it through to the end at any cost. He didn't expect anyone else sitting at the to understand that.

"Ollie?" Katie's voice cut through his thoughts.

"I don't know Katie…" the lie stinging his lips. "He just did."

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It was burning. It was the middle of the fucking night and the damned mark on his arm was blackening his skin right before his eyes, beckoning him to join his master. He sat cross legged on the floor, the cold from the wood stinging his legs as he held a tarnished mask in his lap.

He knew he would go, knew he had to. A choice otherwise was a choice to be buried ten feet under. A strangled laughed escaped his lips as he tried to choke back the tears threatening to stain his cheeks. Timidly he ran his finger over the cold surface of the face staring back at him.

If they could see you now what would they say? Go and fight. Go do your job. Don't be weak. You have never been weak. Even they can't break you.

In one quick movement he snatched up the mask and cloak and headed outside. One look around told him the clear. With every ounce of courage he could muster he slammed his wand tip into the mark and closed his eyes, his body being pulled away into the death of night.