Chapter 12

CONVERSATIONS WITH GHOSTS

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win."

-Stephen King


There are some people in the world that you try, with everything you have, to make the impossible happen. For Katie, Oliver Queen was one of those people. No, Oliver Queen was the person. So when she got a call saying that he needed her, everything else went out the window. She didn't care about flying men, or crazy people who kidnapped her coworker. Her only concern was getting on a plane and getting home to the man that she loved. The moment the words came out of John's mouth, she turned to Bruce.

"I need your plane now."

"What-"

"Now Bruce!" she practically demanded and it had to be something in her eyes, because the man didn't argue any further. He made a call and Katie was off.

For some reason the plane ride to Starling seemed longer than it should be. Katie's knee bounced as she stared out the window. She didn't give John a chance to actually explain what was wrong, because she was afraid that it would probably drive her insane to know what was happening and not be there to do anything.

The moment the plane landed, Katie was to her feet and practically running to get off. She left all her luggage in Metropolis, so there was nothing that would get in her way. She flagged down the first cab she saw, and told them to get to the foundry as soon as possible. Her heart raced in her chest when she spotted the club up ahead. When the car finally stopped, she pulled whatever money was in her pocket and practically tossed it at the driver. She was sure it was probably more than what she owed, but at the moment it just didn't matter. Katie ran toward the basement entrance of the club, ignoring her aching muscles. When she burst through the entrance of the basement, everyone jumped to their feet, but Katie didn't see them. She saw the man lying on the metal slab, unconscious. She rushed over placing her fingers on the inside of his wrist, and letting her eyes trail over the tubes that were in his skin.

"Katie." John said, his voice trying to speak calmly to the woman who was clearly upset. "He's fine, he's just-"

"Why isn't he waking up?" Katie asked not looking to anyone but Oliver. It meant she didn't care who answered it, as long as it is answered.

"I think he was given a very large dose of whatever this mystery super villain is juiced on. It caused intravenous coagulation, which means-" Katie turned to the man who was speaking who definitely wasn't John. "Well you know what it means. You're the doctor, right?" Katie didn't say anything as her brow furrowed in confusion, before turning to John. "You're probably wondering who I am?"

"No, I'm still wondering why Oliver's eyes aren't open." Katie says choosing to speak to John and not the stranger in the room. "John, speak please."

"We found the guy, Oliver went after him, but the guy bested him. Injected him with this serum or whatever and left him for dead. Felicity called Barry-" John glanced over to the man who nodded. "Who was able undo what ever was happening to him."

"Coagulation?" Katie asked turning back to Barry. "How did you counteract that?"

"Well, there weren't many options, so I had to think on the fly which is not an easy thing to do in a very stressful situation. It's very difficult and-"

"Dude, I'm this close to murdering you. What did you do?!" Katie snapped angrily. Barry simply stepped aside revealing a box of rat poison.

"It was the only thing-"

"Stop talking." Katie once again interrupted the man before turning back to Oliver. "The warfarin in the poison helped stop the coagulation. That was a good idea." Katie placed a hand on the side of Oliver cheek. "How long has he been out?"

"Just a couple of hours, but his pulse seems to be back to normal." Barry replied and Katie glanced over to him and gave him a nod.

"Uh, I need my bag." Katie said looking over the medical area.

"I'll get it." Felicity said rushing over to grab the bag, and bringing it back to Katie. When Katie reached for the bag, Felicity noticed the bruising on her hands, and pulled the bag back. "What happened?" Katie didn't say anything before reaching forward and taking the bag from Felicity's hand. "Katie-"

"I need him to wake up before I deal with anything else, alright?" Katie said pulling the stethoscope from her bag.

After checking his pulse, and heart rate and a slew of other things, Katie found that Oliver really was fine. He just needed to wake up and for some reason he wasn't. The others had dispersed, giving her a moment alone with him. Katie stop above him, her eyes searching for something, anything to explain why he wasn't waking up. She found nothing, which only angered and saddened her at the same time. She dropped her forehead to rest on top of his and closed her eyes.

"You have to wake up Liver. I need you here, ok?" she whispered before placing a kiss to his forehead.

The others soon found themselves watching Katie pace back and forth beside Oliver. She would glance over to him ever so often, but never would slow her pace. It was when her phone rang, did she stop and pull it from her pocket already knowing who it was.

"How is he Bruce?"

"He's good. A little shaken up, but I guess some people get that way after being kidnapped." Bruce replied. "They're going to be releasing him soon, so we should be headed home later today."

"I want all of his medical expenses taken care of."

"Already done. I've even had a little talk with our Dr. Mills, and I think I've convinced him to keep this little trip hush hush."

"And by convinced you mean bribe don't you?"

"Robins-"

"He's my friend. I don't want him to feel as if he's just another person I can buy off."

"He's fine, he's happy and he has some fatter pockets. Right now I think it's time for you to start thinking about the future about my proposal."

"Bruce I'm not coming to Gotham."

"And when this happens again and doesn't end with the bad guys losing, then what?"

"Then I deal with it. Look thanks for your help, the truth still remains that this is my problem and I will be the one to take care of it."

"At some point you're going to have to admit that you can't do all of this on your own."

"Maybe, but at some point isn't today. Get Ethan home safe and let him know that I'm sorry, and-"

"It's still not your fault."

"Yeah it is. I have to go. Text me when you guys make it."

Katie ended the call and glanced over to Oliver before once again resuming her pace beside his motionless body.

"Is she like this all the time?"Barry whispered over to Felicity who gave a tired smile. "She looks completely exhausted."

"She's not big on sleep." Felicity replied looking back over to the woman, before she remember something and turned back to the man. "Oh, and we should probably not mention that you-know-what that fell out of his hood.

"You mean the rin-"

"Don't even say it out loud." Felicity interrupted. glancing over to make sure Katie didn't hear. "Katie doesn't know, and she's not supposed to know."

"If she was out of town, why was he carrying it with him?" Barry asked and a smile came to Felicity's face.

"I think he really wants to ask, but he's either scared it's too soon, or afraid she won't say yes."

"Oh, well my lips are sealed."

It was John who finally walked over and caught Katie's arm to stop her from pacing. She sent him a pointed look as he handed an ice pack to her and slid a chair over for her to sit.

"You're not the boss of me." Katie muttered taking the ice pack and sitting down, an exhausted sigh escaping her lips as she looks back over to Oliver.

"So I'm guessing Metropolis wasn't the vacation you were hoping for?" John asked and Katie just shook her head.

"Let's just say I'm not even sure if most of what happened wasn't just a creation of my imagination." Katie replied as she looked down to her bruised knuckles. She looked up to Oliver, whose hand looked like it twitched, and she quickly jumps to her feet, letting the ice pack fall to the floor. "Hey, Liver can you hear me?" Oliver eyes snap open and he jumps up violently. "Hey, Liver you're alright!" Katie says trying to calm the man, placing her hands on the sides of his face. "Look at me for a moment." it does seem to calm him, his breaths calming.

"Twinkie." he croaks through a dry throat. She smile before bringing her lips to his forehead. "What-" his head turned slightly and noticed the face of someone who shouldn't be here and he quickly jumps to his feet and lunges toward Barry.

"Oliver!" Felicity yells moving to stand between the man.

"What the hell is going on?!" Oliver snapped angrily as he glared over to the man. "What is he doing here?"

"You were injected with a blood coagulant." Felicity said

"You would've stroked out, but fortunately you have a very effective blood thinner lying around." Barry said before glancing over to the box nearby. "Warfarin, aka rat poison." Oliver turns to Katie as if to verify what he was just told.

"I called Katie, but she was too far and you didn't look like you could afford to wait." John added moving in closer as well.

"So I called Barry." Felicity said with a nod.

"The kid saved you life Oliver." John said, but Oliver shook his head still clearly upset.

"You told him who I am. That's my secret to tell." Oliver stated and Felicity opened her mouth to speak, but Katie held up a hand to stop her before she moved to stand in front of Oliver.

"Your blood was going to stop pumping through your veins and you were gonna die." Katie stated and Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. "There was no one here who could help you and so they did the one thing they could think of to save your life. You're not dead right now because of Barry Allen. I don't think someone who just saved your life would be excited to go rat you out."

"We don't know that." Oliver replied sending a sharp look to the CSI.

"Well how is this any different than you telling Felicity or John, hell even me."

"I did my research on all of you!" Oliver snapped turning back to the woman.

"I disappeared for four years! You didn't know if I was a Russian spy or an undercover clown!" Katie replied just as loud. "You're being an ass. You're alive and that's really all that I care about. Plus if you really think about it, some guy from Central City saying Oliver Queen is the vigilante is pretty far fetched."

"Plus I wouldn't do it." Barry added raising his hand slightly. "Look you don't have to thank me, but you should thank your friends because you're being a jerk." Oliver's glare went back to the man, causing an audible gulp. "Mr. Queen." Before Oliver could reply, his phone suddenly beeped. He walked over and looked down to a message from his mother.

"I have to go home." Oliver said, sounding completely worn before looking over to Felicity and John. "That man that I fought in the bunker, he has what he needs to mass produce the serum from the island, and we have to stop him." he turned to Katie and held out his hand. "You're coming with me." Katie stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes.

"I am, but I'm not holding your hand Mr. Queen." Katie replied before walking past the man. He let out a sigh about to walk after her.

"That man that I fought in the bunker, he has what he needs to mass produce the serum from the island. And we have to stop him." Oliver said looking to the others before turning to leave.

"He touched your skin when he grabbed your neck." Barry says, causing Oliver to stop and turn to the man with a look of annoyance."I was able to absorb the residual oils from his skin, which, when added to a gel-based polymer, might be able to recreate his fingerprint." Oliver just silently nods before turning and walking off.

When he's finally changed, he finds Katie in the bar with a cup of coffee in front of her. She's leaning on her hand, with her eyes closed and that's when he notices the bruising on her hand. He rushes over and takes her hand to get a closer look.

"What are you-" Katie turns to see the dark look he has as he looks from her hand to her eyes. "It's not a big deal."

"I told Bruce to keep you away from this!"

"It's not Bruce's fault, he tried to ditch me but I-" Katie stopped because she finally realized what he'd just said. "You told Bruce to keep me away from what, exactly?"

"Twinkie, look-"

"So you and Bruce talk now? Are you guys friends all of a sudden?"

"It's not what you think. Yes, Bruce did call me and tell me about Ethan's kidnapping, which I'm still wondering why it wasn't you who told me."

"I guess it doesn't matter now because your best bud Bruce keeps you in the loop I guess." Katie replied with a shake of her head before sliding from her stool. "I'm going home." she began walking toward the door when suddenly her phone beeped and she slipped it from her pocket. "It's Thea. She wants to know if I'm back in town, and if so, could I come by the mansion." Katie glances over to Oliver who walks over to look down to the message.

"Let's just go and we'll talk about this later." Oliver sighs and Katie looked at him for a moment, but just rolled her eyes and walked with him out the door.

The car ride was brutally silent, but ever so often Katie caught the sound of one of Oliver's labored breaths and she would turn to him.

"If I were to merely suggest you go to a hospital-"

"I would say that I'm fine and don't need one. Plus I have my own personal doctor at my beckoned call." Oliver replied glancing over to her with a tired smile.

"Lets just see how long that lasts." Katie replied as they pulled up in front of the house. The moment the car stopped, Katie stepped out not letting Oliver even get a chance to reply. He quickly got out as well, rushing to catch her arm before she could inside the house.

"It's not what you think." Oliver said and Katie turned to him with a quirked brow. "We will talk about this, but later." he glanced over to the house and sighed before looking back to Katie. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned away before his lips could meet hers.

"Oh, it will not be that easy Mr. Queen." Katie said before walking off toward the door. "Secrets and kisses just don't blend well. One of them has to be eliminated and since you want to talk later, then I guess it's going to have to be the kisses."

"You're being unreasonable." Oliver replied walking up to open the door for her to walk in. They both walked in to see Moira standing below a beautifully decorated Christmas tree.

"Is it really Christmas?" Katie whispered over to Oliver who looked at her with a shrug before Moira turned finally noticing the pair.

"Hey Mom, is everything ok?"

"I don't know." Moira replied walking over to them. "Your sister has locked herself in her room and she won't talk to me."

"She sent me a text saying she needed to see me." Katie said glancing between Oliver and Moira. "Maybe I should go up and see what's going on."

"I'll come with you." Oliver said.

"I think I can find my way." Katie countered before giving a nod to Moira before turning and heading for the stairs.

"Are you two fighting?" Moira asked once Katie was gone.

"No, we're fine."

"Well given the last gala that we threw, I think we're going to skip this year's Christmas party." Moira said and Oliver not really caring one way or the other, simply nodded before turning and going to catch up to Katie.

When Oliver finally spotted Katie, she was walking slowly down the hall running a finger along her slightly swollen hand.

"If I just mentioned the mere possibility of you going to a hospital-" Oliver said walking along side of her, smiling at the annoyed look on her face.

"It's not broken, just hurts like hell." Katie replied when Oliver suddenly grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her bruises.

"Better?"

"You can't be sweet when I'm upset with you." she replied before storming off down the hall toward Thea's room. Oliver couldn't help the smile that came to his face as he followed behind her just as she knocked at the door. "Speedy it's me and Liver, open up!"

"Is mom with you?" Thea called from the other side of the door. Katie and Oliver shared a look of confusion before turning back to the door.

"Uh, no." just moments later Thea opened the door just a crack to look out and make sure it really was just Oliver and Katie.

"I didn't want mom to see."

"See what?" Oliver asked and Thea simply opened the door wider to let them inside. That's when they saw Roy lying on Thea's bed, an arrow sticking from his leg, and blood everywhere.

"What the hell happened?" Katie asked rushing over to the man's side and placed a hand on his head.

"Vigilante decided to use him as target practice." Thea said walking beside her before looking over to Oliver. "You're right, the guy's a psycho." Katie sent a silent glare over her shoulder to Oliver tried to ignore it, but he couldn't.

"Why isn't he at the hospital?" Katie asked glancing over to the young girl who she didn't recognize sitting beside Roy. She just shook her head before bending down slightly to get a better look at his leg.

"Because around here, the hood is like a bullet and a sure fire way to get the police involved." Roy said.

"Plus what's the point of having a friend who's a doctor if you can't call on them every now and then to pull arrows out of my boyfriend." Thea added.

"That's not funny Thea." Katie muttered not even looking over to the woman. "This is serious. If not treated it could get infected and an infection could kill him." she stood up straight and turned to Oliver. "I need your help." Oliver sighed before walking over hesitantly unsure if she really needed his help or wanted him close enough for her to hit him. Katie continued to glare at him before turning back to Roy. "Alright Roy, this is going to hurt."

"My anger is dulling the pain." Roy muttered.

"This will dull it better." the girl said from beside him, holding up a bottle of vodka. Roy grabbed the bottle and took a quick swig, before Katie grabbed it and poured it on his leg.

"Alright." she said turning to Oliver. "Do it." Oliver simply nodded as he walked over and grabbing a nearby towel, before using it to pull the arrow from Roy's leg. The moment the arrow was out, Katie quickly grabbed the towel and pressed it against the wound. "Here put pressure on this." the girl nodded before placing her hands on the towel. "I need some medical supplies that I have over at my house." Thea and Roy nodded before Katie turned, sending a final glare to Oliver as she passed him.

"Are you two like fighting?" Thea asked.

"No, we're fine." Oliver replied before turning and going after her.

Katie stormed out of Thea's room angrily, not daring to look back. She tried to ignore the prickling of her skin as yet another thing took a crap on her day. She thought she was holding it together pretty well, but then something happened. A sudden dizzy spell she didn't expect caused her to fall against the wall.

"How much longer do you think you can keep this up?" a familiar voice asked with a chuckle and Katie looked up where she saw her own personal ghost, Lian. Katie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before releasing a heavy breath.

"Katie!" she heard Oliver call, but she didn't move. At the moment she was focusing on stopping the voice in her head from breaking her in half. After a few moments, its seemed as if she had succeeded. Everything seemed a bit quieter, except for a distant voice. Katie opened her eyes when she realized she recognized the voice speaking. It was Oliver, but she didn't hear anyone else. When she turned back down the hall, she indeed spotted Oliver, but he was staring at the spot in front of him like someone was there.

"Who are you talking to?" Katie asked and Oliver lifted his eyes to her and just shook his head.

"I don't-" he blinked a couple of times and Katie walked over to him. "The rat poison-"

"Shit." Katie muttered with a shake of her head before looking to Oliver. "Hallucinations?" he nodded and Katie sighed. "It's a side effect, is there anything else?"

"At the moment, no."

"Who do you see?" Katie asked out of curiosity.

"A woman, Shado, she was on the island with me." Oliver replied and Katie turned away slightly. "What?"

"Nothing." Katie says turning back to the man. "It should pass, but I should check your blood just to make sure." she glanced down the hall and sighed. "After I patch Roy's leg." she suddenly punched his arm, not as hard as she wanted, but it got her point across.

"I deserved that and I already called Diggle for Roy's leg." Oliver said and Katie turned to him in confusion. "And I will go to the foundry later and let Barry check my blood."

"Are you firing me?"

"No, but I think right now you and I just need a few minutes."

"In those few moments does the the truth about what's going on with you and Bruce come up?" Katie asked and Oliver just didn't say anything. "Then I'm good. If John is helping Roy and you're turning to Mr. Allen, then fine. I'm going home." and with that she turned on her heel and stalked away. Oliver growled under his breath before following after her.

"Oh, are you leaving?" Moira asked as Katie headed for the door.

"Uh, yeah." Oliver said walking up as well. "Thea's fine, so we were just going to head over to the house." Katie scoffed before turning and storming out the front door, letting it slam behind her.

"Honey, I really think you two are fighting." Moira said. Oliver turned to his mother with a slight.

"No really, we're fine." Oliver says moving toward the door. "Uh, I'll talk to you later."

Once he stepped outside, he spotted Katie all the way across the lawn headed for the drive up. "Twinkie!" she didn't stop or turn and so he had to run to catch up to her. When he finally did catch up to her, they were walking down the sidewalk. "What happened in Metropolis?"

"A lot of fucked up shit," she muttered not sparing a glance. "But I'm sure your pal Bruce will fill you in later."

"Hey, would you just stop!" Oliver snapped grabbing Katie's arm and moving to stand in front of her.

"It's me, right?" Katie asked with a shake of her head. "There's always something about me. People die or they get kidnapped, and then people tell me it's not my fault, but it is." she moved to walk around him, but he wouldn't let her. "Let me go."

"Fine, but I'm going with you." Oliver replied simply taking her hand and continuing their walk.

"There's a mad man with an unnatural amount of strength roaming around this city trying to expose people to a dangerous serum. That's where your focus should be." she pulled her hand from his grasp and turned to him. "You said you can't be that guy you need to be when you put on that hood when I'm around. Right now, right here is not where you should be."

"Fine, just let me take you home." Oliver replied. Katie looks to him for a moment before turning and walking. The rest of the walk was silent, neither one not sure what else to say. Oliver would glance over to Katie every now and then, noticing the sadness that was behind her eyes which just made him think her trip was worse than he believes. When they finally arrived at the house, Oliver caught Katie's arm before she could step through the door. "Just let me check it out first." he replied and Katie rolled her eyes and just waved him off to go inside. Katie impatiently waited on her porch while Oliver was inside.

"How much longer do you think it's gonna take?" a voice speaks, but she doesn't turn. She doesn't acknowledge the man who isn't really there. "Before this lie you're so intent on living gets to him and the others. Look how close it got to your doctor friend." Lian spoke and Katie looked over to the side of the porch where her own hallucination stood. "It's only a matter of time. If you're not careful, you're going to get them all killed."

The front door opens and Katie turns to see Oliver standing in front of her. She takes a deep breath hoping all of the warring emotions inside of her aren't showing on her face.

"It's clear." he says and Katie nods before slipping in past him. "You're apart of the team, right?" it was a random question that caused Katie to stop walking and turn to him.

"What?"

"The team, you're apart of it, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, come with me to the foundry and help us find this madman before he does anymore harm to our city." At this point Oliver was trying anything to not leave this woman alone.

"Question, "Katie takes a few steps toward him. "Are you asking me to do this because you really want my help, or do you just want to keep an eye on me?"

"Maybe it's both." Oliver replied closing the distance between them. "Is that a problem? That I care about the well being of my girlfriend?"

"Look, whatever, I have been in these clothes for days, and I need to shower and not feel like crap anymore." Katie says before turning and stalking up the stairs. Once she was gone, Oliver snaked his phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number.

"Queen, I guess this means you're not dead?" came the voice of Bruce Wayne.

"Funny. What the hell happened to her in Metropolis?"

"I guess if you're asking me, then it means she hasn't told you."

"Told me what? I know you tried to keep her from finding Ethan, but she came anyway. What else happened?"

"Ethan was kidnapped by people who wanted money from her. That's what happened. That's what's eating her up inside."

"I know." Oliver replies glancing up the stairs. "How's Ethan?"

"Fine, we're heading to Starling as we speak."

"Any information on the kidnappers?"

"Only that they were apart of the Intergang. I think Robins may know a little more, but you're the one who is going to have to get her to talk."

"That's easier said than done."

"Well you're the one who decided to take on the challenge, right?"

After her shower, Katie changed and just sat on her bed staring at the empty space in front of her. Fears and anxieties that she hadn't felt in a while were starting to creep back up inside of her. She was pulled from her thoughts by her door opening and in walking Oliver.

"Before you start, I did knock." he stated. "I was about to head over to the foundry to see what Felicity and Barry have found out." Katie looked at him for a moment before standing to her feet. He moved to stand in front of her, once again attempting to coaxing her out of her anger toward him. She looked up to his eyes, not moving and a small smile came to his face. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yes Mr. Queen I do." Katie sighed before walking around him out the door. He stood there for just a moment before turning and following after her.

It didn't take long for them to return to the foundry where they found both Barry and Felicity hovering around the computers. They were about to walk over, when Katie grabbed Oliver's arm.

"I need to draw that blood." Katie said and Oliver simply nodded before walking over to the table and taking a seat.

"What's happening?" Felicity asked walking over.

"I think the rat poison is causing Mr. Queen to hallucination." Katie replied walking over to her medical cabinet.

"What's with the Mr. Queen all of a sudden?" Oliver asked and Katie looked over to him with a quirked brow and Oliver had to assume it was her way showing him that she really was upset with him for hiding his contact with Bruce. "Never mind."

"Wait, what hallucinations?" Felicity asked turning to Oliver. "What are you seeing?"

"Shado." Oliver replied. "This woman who was marooned with me on the island."

"Why?" Katie asked walking back over to the man and he turned to her with a look of confusion. "Why her?"

"I-" Oliver cleared his throat with a shake of his head. "I don't know." when he looked back to Katie she stared t him with narrowed eyes and he just knew she knew he was lying. Of course she does. She simply scoffs before walking over and beginning to clean the intended area on his arm. Felicity looks between the pair noticing the obvious hostility.

"Are you two fighting?" she asked and Oliver looked over to her and shook his head.

"We're fine." he replied in annoyance for what felt like the one hundredth time.

Felicity backed away, holding her hands up in surrender. "Alright, there just seems to be some hostility in this general vicinity." she turned and headed back over to her computers, just as John arrived.

"How's Roy?" Katie asked looking over to the man.

"Fine. I gave him some of those pain relievers and he was dozing off when I left. "John replied tossing off his jacket.

"Good." Katie replied turning back to Oliver's arm.

"What's happening here?"

"Oliver is hallucinating from the rat poison and now Katie is drawing some blood to see if there's any signs." Barry spoke from his spot where he's been observing. John glanced over to the man with a slight smirk. "You know what I don't get? Why don't you have a mask?"

"Because he likes wearing make up." Katie replied smirking at the glare Oliver was sending her as she stuck the needle into his arm.

"Not to tell you how to do your vigilanteing," Barry added walking over to the man. "but the grease paint thing? It's a poor identity concealer."

"So find me a mask that conforms perfectly to my face and doesn't affect my ability to aim while I'm on the run. " replied his eyes staring intently at the woman in front of him.

"You should look into a compressible micro fabric. It could be great." Barry said, but at this point Oliver was barely listening. Barry looked at the man for a response, but none came.

"I wouldn't bother." John muttered up beside the man. "He's in Twinkie land at the moment." the man chuckled before walking over to Felicity.

"What's Twinkie land?" Barry asked glancing over to John before turning back to Oliver who seemed enamored with Katie at the moment. When she was finished drawing his blood, she bandaged his arm and brought her eyes to his.

"Done, Mr. Queen." she was about to walk away, but Oliver caught her arm.

"You can stop with the Mr. Queen you know. You're upset, I get it."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that with kisses, also goes loving nicknames like Liver. As long as there are secrets, then you don't get either." Katie replied before turning to go test his blood. Oliver wasn't ready to give up that easily and hopped off the table before walking toward her.

"I've found Cyrus Gold!" Felicity announced and Oliver turned stopped and turned to her.

"Who is Cyrus Gold?" he asked begrudgingly tearing himself away from his path toward Katie and over to Felicity.

"The human weapon that left you nearly dead the other night." John replied dryly, glancing over to Oliver. "The kid did manage to pull his print off your neck."

Katie probably should be listening to what was being said, but at the moment her focus was on Oliver's blood sample. It was a nice distraction from the craziness she's been through for the past couple of days. Once the test had started, she finally lifted her head to see what was going on with the others.

"I got this." Oliver said and that caught Katie's attention.

"Got what exactly?" Katie asked and all eyes went to her. "Sorry, I was busy and missed what was happening?" she turned to Oliver. "What do you got?"

"Felicity and Barry found our guy and now I'm going to check it out." he replied and Katie looked at him with wide eyes.

"I don't think so." Katie says with a shake of her head.

"I'm sorry."

"No, you heard me right." Katie replied as she walked around the table and over to him. "You're hallucinating, meaning you going out there is dangerous."

"Oliver's she's right." John added. "Plus it's just recon. Why don't you let me handle this."

"Fine." Oliver replied after a brief pause. "But I'm coming as your back up." he turned to Katie. "Is that alright with you, doctor?"

"Would it matter if is wasn't, Mr. Queen?" Katie countered before turning and heading back over to check on the test. Oliver simply shook his head before turning to Diggle and nodding toward the door. Once they were gone, Barry glanced over to Katie before turning to Felicity.

"They're fighting. "The woman answered the question she knew he was about to ask.

The basement fell into silence, and Barry couldn't help but glance over to Katie, a question burning on the tip of his tongue.

"The bruises on her hand." Barry whispered over to Felicity who was slightly startled by the interruption. "What's that about?" Felicity glanced over to Katie, who had now taking up her nervous pace as she waited for the results of the blood test.

"I'm still not sure." Felicity replied before standing to her feet and walking in front of her. "Can we talk?" Katie glanced over to the woman, but didn't say anything. "So I figured right, you still are upset with me for telling Oliver the truth." Katie just kept pacing, not even uttering a word. "Well, I'm not sorry. I told you I was uncomfortable keeping something that big from him and you promised that when we knew the truth, that you would tell him. How am I the bad guy?" Katie finally stopped and turned to the woman. "He deserved to know."

"I know." Katie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "He deserved to know and I should've told him when I knew the truth and I shouldn't have put you in that position and for that I'm sorry." Felicity stared with wide eyes, clearly not expecting that response.

"Oh, ok." she said before a smile came to her face. "Good. I'm glad that's all cleared up." the woman took a couple of steps forward. "Now tell me what happened in Metropolis." Katie waved toward the chairs beside them and they both took a seat before Katie divulged the interesting happenings of her vacation to Metropolis. Once she was done, Felicity stared in slight shock. "Does Oliver know?"

"I'm guess he does, since he and Bruce are bosom buddies all of a sudden." Katie said with a shake of her.

"That's so weird. Bruce never mentioned a thing and he's been parked on my couch for weeks." Felicity replied and Katie turned to the woman in confusion. "You had no idea Bruce has been in Starling, have you?" Katie just shook her head. "But I'm guessing Oliver has. I wonder what those two have gotten into?"

"You and I both Smoaks." Katie replied before letting out a yawn and turning back to the running test.

"This is getting ridiculous, you know that right?" Felicity asked, but Katie didn't even turn to her. "When do you start this therapy or whatever to figure out why you're afraid to go to sleep?"

"I don't need anyone to tell me what I already know." Katie says standing to her feet hoping to jolt some energy back into her body.

"But you may need someone to help you get past it." Felicity replied standing to her feet as well. "You keep this up and you're going to make yourself sick and no one here wants that to happen. Plus I'm positive if it does, then this city will lose a hero." Felicity walked back over to where Barry stood unsuccessfully pretending he wasn't listening. She just shook her head at the man before walking back over to see if John and Oliver have found anything.

Katie once again began pacing in hopes of ignoring the needs for sleep that was pulsating from her body.

"So is it like bad dreams?" Barry spoke, and Katie looked over to see him now standing beside her . She didn't say anything, but he knew he was right. "Felicity is right you know. When I was a kid, I used to have terrible nightmares. I talked to some one who was able to explain certain things and it got better."

"Were your dreams of killing someone with your bare hands Mr. Allen?" Katie asked glancing over to the man, not even breaking her stride. The man seemed to suddenly tense. "Or about being practically tortured for months?" Barry still didn't say anything, and Katie just shook her head. "Mr. Allen, no offense, but I doubt there is a therapist that can handle my version on crazy." Barry simply nodded before turning and leaving the woman to her pacing.

"On it!" Felicity said suddenly and Katie stopped and looked over to the woman who had picked up her cell phone.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure." Felicity said dialing the familiar number. "Oliver said to call for back up and that means only one person."

"Lance?" and Felicity simply nodded in response as she brought the phone to her ear.

Soon, John stumbled through the door, and Katie and Barry quickly ran over to help him inside. They brought him to a chair to sit.

"So I'm guess your recon turned into a whole lot more?" Katie asked and Diggle simply glared at her as she began searching for any broken bones. The man was plenty bruised, but other than that he was fine. When she was done examining him, she met his eyes. "You're lucky. You're going to live."

"I don't feel so lucky." John grimaced as he held his arm to his chest. Katie walked over to her medical cabinet and grabbed some pain killers before bringing them to the man.

"You're going to take these. They're going to knock you out and hopefully when you wake up, you only feel mildly sore." she looked over to Felicity and Barry. "You guys want to take him home?" the both nodded before each grabbed one of the man's arms and helped him to the door. Katie stood there for a couple of moments by her self, her mind trying everything it could to find a solution to their problem. This guy was good, he was strong and fast and could beat Oliver and Diggle. They were obviously coming at this wrong.

Katie's back pressed against the cold brick wall of her new prison. There were cameras everywhere, but she thought she was doing a pretty good job at evading them. She was almost to her destination, which came in the form of double doors that led out of the ARGUS facility. When the coast was completely clear, Katie ran as fast as she could toward the door. She rose her fist that was wrapped in a torn bed sheet and began punching as hard as she could against the glass of the door. She kept hitting and hitting, not even causing a dent, but she didn't stop. She couldn't fail another escape attempt.

"That's enough Robins!" a deep male voice said from behind her. She finally gave up and dropped her hands to her side before turning to see three large agents standing in front of her. "Back to your room."

"You know how this goes." Katie says shaking the sheet from her hands. "If I'm going back to my cell then you better believe I'm not going down without a fight."

"Don't do this Robins." Another one of the men said and Katie turned to him with a quirked brow. "We have absolutely no problem hitting a woman. And we have orders not to take it easy on you." that caused a small smile that she didn't even know she had.

"Well that's good to know." Katie replied as she raised her fists as she glanced to the three men. She was outnumbered by three guys who looked like they could fit her in their pockets and yet she felt sorry for them. "Have you ever heard of the demon?" the question seemed to baffle the men standing in front of her. "He had many lessons and each and everyone of them I had to remember down to the letter." She tilted her head to the left and right as she stretched the muscles in her neck. " One lesson that comes to mind now is winning a supposed unwinnable situation. Does anyone here know how you win and unwinnable situation?" she waited for a reply, but the men only kept dark glares on her as they watched her movements closely. "The answer is there are no unwinnable situations." she quirked a brow and looked each man in the eyes. "So, who's first?"

Katie walked over to the closet that was in the far corner of the basement and pulled it open to see the clothing of the part of her that seemed to be always trying to claw it's way out. Whenever the subject of her once again dawning the outfit came up, Oliver changed the subject. She didn't push as hard as she thought she would, because a part of her, a very small part held out hope for normal Dr. Katherine Robins, whose biggest battles happened in the operating room. That was a fool's dream and this trip to Metropolis only verified that.

"Maybe our Mr. Gold should meet Nura." Katie whispered the impossible thought. Suddenly her phone rang and she slipped it from her pocket to see Oliver's number. "Hey."

"Hey, where are you?"

"Still at the foundry. Where are you?"

"Just came from seeing Lance. I gave him what we have on Gold, so hopefully the SCPD can gets some headway."

"That's a very big maybe."

"At the moment it's our only option."

"What if it wasn't?" Katie asked as she turned back to the black hood. She reached forward and let her fingers slide across the material. "I have an idea that I want to run by you. Were you going home or were you coming back here?"

"I was going to stop by the mansion to check on Roy before I came back to the club, so we could head home." Oliver replied. That wasn't the first time Oliver referred to her house as their home. He had actually made the reference quite a few times and every time it made those stupid girly butterflies go crazy inside of her.

"I can just meet you at the mansion." Katie replied heading for the back entrance of the basement.

"How? You don't have a car. It's late and I don't want you alone." Oliver spoke and Katie stopped walking. "Hello?" Katie wanted to ask so many more question about this sudden over protectiveness the man seemed to have taken on, but she's sure he'll only avoid the subject.

"I'm grabbing a cab and meeting you at the mansion, it won't-"

"Twinkie." Oliver interrupted with that familiar stern tone. "It's late and I would very much just like you to wait for me. Please."

"What aren't you telling me Oliver?" Katie asked finally, tired of dancing around this invisible elephant. "Just tell me." he didn't say anything, but she did hear a sigh escape his lips and she could practically picture the hand sliding across the back of his head. "Alright, new plan. How about I go home and you call me when you're ready to tell me the truth." she ended the call without even giving him a chance to reply before heading for the door. She stopped before she actually left though. A sudden thought striking her. One of those thoughts you're supposed to throw away and forget. For some reason, Katie just couldn't. She looked over her shoulder to the closet, before walking over and snagging to black hood, and domino mask from it's prison and tucked it under her arm, before running over and grabbing a vile of something she thinks she could use before turning and not looking back as she left.

When Katie stepped outside, she glanced up to the sky that was slowly waking up and bringing the sun with it. Nura's name meant light, but she only came out at night. She would have to wait before she took a crack at Mr. Gold.

Oliver returned to the mansion, but kept quiet as to not wake anyone. He was going to head over to the house to see Katie, but figureed she wanted a conversation he wasn't ready to have yet. He was still worried for her though. Ra's league was still out there, still lurking and he had no idea when they would make their move. His only solace came when the security system at the house sent him a message notifying him of Katie's arrival. It was a feature he had to practically beg Felicity to enable, and he was glad it worked. Oliver had long changed from his hood and tossed it into his bag that he kept in the trunk of his car. When he walked through the door, he fully intended to head upstairs to shower and try to get some sleep. That plan was thwarted the moment he heard movement from the living room that was now illuminated by their Christmas tree. Oliver slowly walked over, peering inside.

"Nice tree." came a familiar voice that made Oliver roll his eyes. "I almost forgot tis the season to be merry. I haven't really found anything to be merry about lately."

"What are you doing here Bruce?" Oliver asked flicking on the light to see the man just sitting on the couch looking just as exhausted. "Do you have news on Ra's?"

"I wish I did, but I knew it wouldn't be easy." Bruce replied standing to his feet and walking over to the mini bar to pour himself a drink. "I came by because we need to talk."

"That's what phones are for." Oliver snipped not in the mood to deal with this man at the moment. "And it's been a rough day, so if you wouldn't mind showing yourself to the door."

"Sure, but first we need to talk." Bruce replied bringing the glass to his lips. "It's time we started planning for the future."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean this place Oliver. She's vulnerable here. She's a walking target, just waiting for Ra's to make his move. It's time the tough decisions were made." Oliver stared at the man for a moment, still trying to understand what Bruce was trying to get at and then it hit him.

"You're still trying to get her to move to Gotham." Oliver stated with a shake of his head.

"I can protect her, keep her safe. I know how Ra's operates and know how he moves. It's what's going to be best for her in the long run."

"Nah." Oliver said with a shake of his head before walking over to the mini bar as well to pour himself a drink. "That's a pretty good excuse, but it's not the truth."

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into by going against this man. I'm trying to save you before you bite off way more than you can chew."

"Oh, so now this is you trying to help me?" Oliver asked with sarcastic chuckle. "So Katie packing up and heading to Gotham helps her and it helps me. Sounds like the perfect plan, except for one small problem."

"Oliver-"

"I will kill you with my bare hands if you even attempt to take her from me." Oliver said, his tone so serious that it caused a slight chill to run up Bruce's spine. "She's not going anywhere with you."

"Ethan Mills." Bruce said before downing the contents of his glass. "Kidnapped, beaten, drugged and is currently at home resting peacefully with a lump sum now transferred into his bank account."

"Your point?"

"You know for someone who claims to love her, you know absolutely nothing about her." Bruce replied stalking over to stand in front of the man. "Cause and effect. That's how it works with her. You know this. Ethan's kidnapping is going to change something. I know it and you know it. She's going to reevaluate things and one of those things is going to be if staying here is what is best for everyone."

"You don't know what you're talking about?"

"You haven't told her about the league because you already know what will happen. You know how her head works." Oliver's jaw clench as the sound of the man's voice was beginning to agitate him with every syllable that passed through his lip. Oliver's patience was running thin.

"I think it's time for you to leave." Oliver commanded and Bruce simply held up his hands before sitting down the glass.

"You're still holding out hope that this is going to end with you two riding off in the sunset." Bruce said as he gathered his coat and pulled it open. "I'm just trying to show you that it won't happen. If given the chance, Ra's won't let it happen. Think about this."

"Leave." Oliver ordered leaving absolutely no room in his tone for anything else but compliance. Bruce didn't say another word before turning and finally leaving.

Once Oliver was left alone, he dropped onto the couch and glanced up to the beautifully lit Christmas tree before he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box that seem to be a new appendage. He stared at the box before flipping it open and looking at the engagement ring that sparkle against the lights of the tree. Ever since his mother gave it to him, he couldn't seem to just put it in a drawer and lock it away until he was ready for it. He seemed to need it with him, just in case he stumbled into the perfect moment. Oliver couldn't explain what was happening to him, or even why this ring had become a beacon of hope he wasn't even sure he could have. And yet every time her eyes meet his and she smiles that smile, his hand slips into his pocket and his fingers curl around the box. Once upon at time, Oliver's life was split between being Oliver Queen and being the man who wears the hood. Then one day a woman comes back into his life, and suddenly there is this third person he discovers within himself. This person who laughs, and tells horrible jokes. This person who is content with watching horrible television with this woman latched onto him. This person who exists because of her and he likes it. Likes who he is when he's with her and he doesn't think he's ready to let that go. And he knows for sure that he's not ready to let her go, and so that was that. That was him thinking about Bruce's proposal and finding it nothing but bullshit. Katie was where she belonged and he would keep her safe or die trying.

Katie laid in bed, her eyes wide open and her chest heaving up and down as the remnants of her latest nightmare slowly passes away. She really tried fighting to stay awake, but it was exhausting and if she planned on meeting with their latest foe than she would definitely need to have her full energy. She tossed the covers aside and sat up from her bed, glancing over to her phone to see the many missed calls from Oliver. She grabbed her phone to see that he'd called a few times, but seemed to have only left one message. Although nervous, she brought the phone to her ear to hear what he had to say.

"Hey, I know you're upset and you have every right to be. I have been keeping something from you and given everything we agreed on with this relationship, I know it isn't fair and it's not right. It's time you knew the truth. Please just talk to me."

Katie pulled the phone from her ear and looked down to it for a few moments. She wasn't sure he would give in that easily and the fact that he was going to be honest with her made her nervous. There were all these saying about how the truth sets you free, but the truth also opened doors that couldn't be closed. She'd learned that the hard way with her father. She just hoped whatever Oliver's truth was, that it wouldn't end them.

She decided to just get dressed and pop over to the mansion before the day officially started and everyone's focus was once again on finding and beating Cyrus Gold. That would come later. Once dressed, Katie pulled on her jacket and glanced over to the dark hood, and mask that laid on her bed. Tonight Nura would finally get a chance to let out some pent up aggression. First she would go see Oliver.

She decided to walk since the mansion wasn't too far and it seemed like a good idea at the time, that is until she felt it. That tingling in the tips of her fingers that make her entire body go on alert. Katie stopped walking and just stood there for a moment and listened. She had to tear through the cold breeze and the rustling of the trees, but she still didn't hear anything which was strange. Her eyes turned to scan the area, and it would seem as if no one was around and yet Katie knew the truth. Someone was there and someone who could be next to invisible only meant one thing. Katie let out a deep sigh, before turning and continuing her walk toward the mansion. When she finally arrived, she spotted a familiar car parked in front and her entire mood suddenly soured. Katie glanced from the car to the house, suddenly not wanting to go inside. In the end, she decided that whatever was waiting on the other side of that door wouldn't break her and so she took a deep breath before walking up to the door. She reached forward and pressed the doorbell before waiting for an answer. She glanced around once again, still not able to shake the feeling of being watched. The door opened behind her and turned to see Oliver standing there. She opened her mouth to speak, when her eyes caught sight of Laurel standing there inside.

"I didn't know you-" she turned back to Oliver who glanced back to Laurel, suddenly realizing what Katie must be thinking. "I should go, I guess." she made to turn and leave, when Oliver caught her arm and pulled her inside. "What are you-"

"Laurel's here to speak to Thea." Oliver announced and Laurel simply nodded as she barely met Katie's gaze. Since Oliver announced his relationship with Katie, he hadn't really spoken to Laurel and it would see the awkwardness was bound to happen when they all found themselves together.

"Good to see you again Katie." Laurel practically muttered before turning to Oliver and pointing toward the stairs. "Thea's in her room, right?"

"Uh, yeah." Oliver replied before watching the woman rush from the room, and hurry upstairs. Once she was gone, Oliver turned to Katie who stared at him for a moment before turning to walk into the living room. He followed her inside as she walked over to marvel at the Christmas tree."Mom outdid herself this year." he walked over to stand beside her before letting out a chuckle. "You know I remember one Christmas, I was at your house and your mom and dad had delegated us to decorate the tree."he glanced over to Katie who suddenly wore a ghost of a smile. "That damn tree had everything under the sun on it. Candy, popcorn, dental floss, I think one of my shoes made it on that year." he laughed once again as he looked to the tree. "I don't think I've ever had that much fun decorating a tree ever. We should get one for the house. A tree and decorate it." Katie glanced over to see the smile on his face that he turned toward her. "Our first Christmas tree together."

"Well first I think it's time we cleared the air." Katie replied turning to the man. "What's going on with you and Bruce?" Oliver opened his mouth to speak when Bruce's words crept inside of his head. He did know Katie and knew how much like him she was. If she felt her presence in this city was danger to the people she loved then she wouldn't hesitate to leave and doesn't think he would be able to bear it if that happened. "Oliver?"

"Bruce is looking for Sara." Oliver suddenly said and he doesn't know why he said it, but he did and he just couldn't take it back. "He wants to make sure there wasn't any backlash from killing Al Owal. He asked if he could stick around and I told him only if he stayed away from you and he agreed." the lie came too easily to him, but the way she was looking at him, that look in her eyes that always seemed to be seeing something inside of him, made him nervous. She usually saw the things he didn't want seen and he just hopes this was one time she just didn't. She didn't say anything for a few moments before turning back to the tree.

"I should head back to see how far along your test has gotten." Katie says turning to the man.

"Right, I'll come with you." he replied looking up to the ceiling. "This place has gotten a bit more crowded." he looked back to her with a slight smile and Katie just nodded.

When they arrived to the foundry, they found Felicity and Barry crowded around one of the computers. Both glanced up as they walked in.

"Hey." Felicity said walking over and looking over to Oliver. "How are you feeling? Any more snuffaluffagus sightings?"

"My demons seem a little more darker than Snuffie." Oliver replied as he watched Katie turn off to check on the test.

"So how are you two doing?" Felicity whispered so only he could hear. "Still fighting?" Oliver turned a dark eye to her, before looking back to Katie who hadn't said much to him since leaving the mansion which on verified his fear that she knew the story he gave her was a lie. "Whatever you did, just apologize and do that thing with your eyes and everything will be better."

"I wish it was that easy." Oliver muttered turning to the woman. "And what thing with my eyes?"

"Don't play blonde with me Oliver." Felicity replied before heading over to her computer. The man just shook his head before walking over to stand beside Katie.

"This is the slowest test ever." Katie replied seeing that the sample was still being processed. Oliver glanced over to Felicity and Barry before nudging his head for the stairs for them to leave.

"Oh, Barry we could watch the countdown from Big Belly Burger." Felicity said and Barry simply stood in slight confusion before following after the woman.

"That was smooth." Katie said as she typed a few keys on the computer.

"We haven't had any real time alone since you've been back." Oliver says, his hand sliding across the small of her back. Katie just scoffed before walking off to the combat mat which definitely verified that she knew he had lied to her.

"Bruce wouldn't go looking for Sara." Katie says as she slipped off her jacket and tossed it to the side. "Sara is hiding from a very dangerous man and he wouldn't risk her getting caught by looking for her. So that story was a lie, right?"

"Twinkie-" Oliver walked over hoping to explain to her why he did it.

"It's fine." Katie said suddenly which confused the hell out of him. "I mean there's this superfast, superstrong guy trying to mass produce this serum, you're hallucinating about old girlfriends that were trapped with you on your hell island and I'm-" she turned her eyes to him and shook her head. "I have to focus on just breathing right now."

"I can explain-"

"I'm sure you can, but at the moment you and me aren't what's important. Cyrus Gold is."

"What are you talking about, the police-"

"That was a stupid plan Oliver." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "This guy can pick up a house, and our fine officers won't be a match."

"Right now it's our only option."

"No, it's not." Katie said taking a step forward. Oliver looked at her for a moment before it clicked.

"Absolutely not." Oliver replied closing the distance between them. "This guy is beyond more dangerous than anyone we've come across, and the last thing I'm going to let you do is go up against him." Katie's jaw clenched and before Oliver knew what was happening, she threw a fist right toward his face, that he quickly blocked. "Katie, what are you-"

"You can't see it." Katie replied tossing another punch that Oliver blocked. "I'm not that innocent little Twinkie who needs someone to block her from the darkness." she tossed another punch, to which Oliver grabbed her arm before twisting it and spinning her around and holding her there. In a move he didn't expect, Katie hooked her leg behind him bending it and bringing him to the floor and relinquishing his grip on her. Oliver angrily punched the mat with his fist before standing to his feet.

"You don't see it!" Oliver snapped angrily looking to her. "I know you can protect yourself. That has never gone into question."

"Then what has! What are you so afraid of?!" Katie asked as Oliver took a few steps forward, placing his hands on her shoulders and staring deep into her eyes.

"I'm afraid of losing you. I can't-" he shook his head, because he wasn't even sure how to truly explain the way he felt for the woman in front of him. "I can't lose you." Katie didn't know what to say to counter that even though she wanted to. She wanted to tell him so many things, but the main thing she wanted to tell him was that for some reason beyond her level of understanding she felt pulled to be in this fight. She wanted to fight the bad guys and help the good ones. Maybe she thought it made up for all the horrible things she was forced to do, she didn't know. Katie stared into the eyes of a man who held so much love for her and she just couldn't say any of it.

"Ok." was all she said instead. "Fine. I will stick to the medical part of my place here." Oliver looked at her for a moment before leaning into kiss her, but she backed away. "Secrets and lies Mr. Queen equals no kissing." Katie pulled from his grasp before walking back over to see how the test was coming. "Look this is almost done." she turned back to Oliver who was walking over to her. "Since no one here is in dire need of medical attention, then I should go home."

"Twinkie, you don't have to leave."

"Yeah I do. I mean you could use this time to think up how you're going to explain your secret relationship with Bruce or why you lied to me back at the mansion." Katie said as she grabbed her bag. "I'm sure you have very good reasons or at least you better."

"I do." he muttered and Katie just nodded. "I can take you home."

"You should stay here in case you get word from Lance about Gold." Katie replied and Oliver knew she was right, but it still didn't change the fact that he didn't want her leaving alone."I will call a taxi." When Katie's taxi arrived, Oliver made sure to at least walk her to the car.

"You do know at some point we're going to have to once again discuss you getting a car." Oliver said opening the door for her. Katie was about to get inside, but stopped and turned to him.

"The day you and your father sailed out was the same day my dad and I were going to get me a new car as a gift for graduating from college. So he gave me the address of this place that sold cars, belonged to an old friend of his, I guess, and I went there and waited for him. I waited for what felt like forever until I got a call from-" Katie swallowed the lump in her throat. "I got a call from the hospital, telling me that he'd had a stroke and when I finally got to the hospital, they told me he had already fallen into a coma." Oliver's hand slid across her cheek and Katie shook her head. "I'm not in a hurry to get a car Mr. Queen." and with that she stepped inside of the taxi and Oliver watched it drive off.

Katie sat in the back of the taxi staring out the window for a few moments before a sudden thought struck her. One that was supposed to pass over her, but once again it didn't.

"Actually," Katie spoke turning to the driver. "Take me to SCPD please."

Katie walked nervously through the doors of the bustling police station. The plan in her head consisted of hopefully overhearing any information or sightings about Cyrus Gold. It wasn't until she walked through the doors and saw just how fast everyone was moving around did she realize that stumbling on that information just might not be as easy as it seems.

"This was a bad idea." Katie muttered turning about to make a speedy exit, only to bump into someone. It wasn't until she looked up to the person's eyes did she realized she knew him.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Detective Lance said with a curve of his lip. "I can't say I'm not happy about that. Your face around here has never been anything good. So what are you doing here?"

"I uh-" Katie scratched the back of her head, glancing around the station trying to think up a believable story. She turned back to the man with a smile. "I was in the neighborhood and I thought I would say hi." Lance looked at her with a quirked brow, about to speak when another officer walked over to him.

"Lance, Hilton is asking for you. Your suspect was sighted going into that old warehouse off fifth." the woman said. Katie turned her head slightly when she realized she knew what warehouse that was.

"You're busy." Katie said suddenly and Lance turned back to her. "I should let you get back to work." without even giving him a chance to speak, Katie was already out the door.

That familiar tingling sensation had moved over Katie's entire body the moment she slipped on the dark colored hood and slipped on the mask. She found easing from Katie to Nura so easy. Natural even. She arrived at the warehouse just in time to hear the gun fire erupting from inside.

"Shit." she muttered searching for a way inside. There was an open window just a few feet off the ground. With a running start, she thinks she could make it. Katie glanced around the still barren alley before running and barely catching the edge of the window. She pulls her self up and climbs inside, trying to make as little sound as possible. The place isn't brightly lit, but there are lights around letting her see. The smell of gun powder and blood filled the air as she took silent steps. She stopped at the sight of a large man standing above an unmoving body.

"Cyrus Gold!" Katie called angry and the masked eyes turned to her. "It's time for you to go away!" the gun in Gold's hand suddenly aimed at Katie but she jumped to the ground behind a stack of boxes, dodging the shots. The man pulled the trigger until no more bullets were left before tossing the gun to the ground and walking over to catch the woman behind the boxes. When he walked over he found that she wasn't there. "Made you look." a voice spoke from behind him and when he turned Katie jumped tossing a kick to his face, that didn't seem to affect him much. He reached to grab her, but she flipped back out of his reach before reaching behind her and pulling two knives she had tucked away. She threw both knives, both hitting him in the chest, neither seeming to weaken the man either. Not at first. Gold takes a single step forward and stops before looking down to the knives in his chest that seem to be dripping a green liquid. "Have you heard of Vertigo?" a growl escapes his lips before he turns and runs. Katie is about to chase him, but a groan from the room catches her attention. She lets her eyes scan the warehouse when she spots a familiar face lying on the ground. "Lance!" she hurries over and crouches beside the man who his badly beaten and bloody."Don't worry you're going to be alright." she grabs the man's walkie talkie. "Officer down! Repeat Officer down at the warehouse off fifth and Stanton." she drops the walkie and takes the man's hand in hers. She sits there until she hears the sound of nearing sirens.

Oliver found himself on the floor staring up to the ceiling. It was another hallucination. This one seeming oddly real. He saw a man he thought he'd never have to see again. It was a reunion that seemed to turn violent very quickly and he's sure if it were real that there would me no difference in their reunion. Oliver picked himself from the floor and looked at the wreck of the basement and just shook his head. He just hoped whatever was in that poison will work it's way out of his system soon. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs and turned to see Felicity, John and Barry.

"What happened here?" Felicity asked looking at the mess that the basement had become. "Did someone break in."

"No." Oliver replied simply when one of the computers began beeping.

"I think that's your blood analysis." Barry said looking around. "Is Dr. Robins gone?"

"Yes she is." Oliver sighed walking over to the computer. "What does is say?" Barry glanced down to the screen for a few moment with a furrowed brow.

"Huh?"

"What?" Oliver asked and Barry brought his eyes to him.

"Your blood analysis is clean." Barry replied

"Then why am I hallucinating!" Oliver demanded.

"I-I don't know." Was all Barry could say. "Whatever is wrong with you, it's not pharmaceutical, it's psychological. It's in your head."

It was John who noticed the ajar closet first and the moment he did something made him feel uneasy. He began walking over and pulled open the door, only to reveal what he feared.

"Oliver?" John spoke and Oliver looked over to the man standing by the closet. "Where exactly did Katie go?" with a furrowed brow, Oliver walked over to the closet and looked inside to see Katie's hood and mask now gone and his eyes immediately darkened. He turned and went for his hood, just as Felicity called his name.

"Oh my god! Oliver!" the man stopped and turned to see her eyes on something on the computer in front of her. She lifted sad eyes to meet hers. "It's Lance. He was hurt after a run in with Gold and taken to the hospital. He's the only survivor."

"Katie?" Oliver asked and Felicity shook her head.

"No mention of her." Felicity replied glancing down to the screen. Oliver let out a low growl, before turning and grabbing his own hood from it's case.

Katie had long changed and now sat in the halls of Starling General with her head resting in her hands. She'd been waiting here since Lance was brought in, hoping to get word on how he was doing.

"Should I be worried that I'm seeing you?" a familiar voice spoke, and Katie lifted her head to see Dr. Christian James.

"Detective Lance was brought in and I was just making sure he was alright." Katie replied standing to her feet. "Have you heard anything?"

"He should be fine. He took a good beating but physically he's going to pull through, but his whole unit was killed, it's gonna be hard to get past." Christian replied and Katie nodded. He looked at her for a moment, noticing the dark circles around her eyes. "You're still not sleeping."

"Don't do that. Don't diagnose me."

"You still have yet to talk to that counselor friend of mine. I really think he could help you figure out these nightmares you're having."

"I told you I don't need a psychiatrist. I'm fine, I get enough sleep to properly function and I'm sure as a doctor, so do you."

"Will you just think about it. I think it could really help you to talk to someone." the man replied and Katie just nodded before glancing down the hall to see Laurel stepping from her father's room.

"I'm going to go, I will talk to you later." Katie replied before walking around the man and over to the woman. The moment Laurel saw her, she couldn't hide the initial shock, that seemed to turn to annoyance. "Hey, I heard about your dad. How's he doing?"

"He's fine." Laurel replied as she dug in her purse for her phone, purposely not meeting Katie's eyes.

"Is he a wake, I would love to maybe talk to him or-"

"That won't be necessary." Laurel replied angrily finally looking to Katie. "Actually how about you just leave."

"What is your problem?"

"You!" Laurel snapped angrily. "You have always been my problem Twinkie." the name always sounded so bitter when she said it, as if it left a bad taste on her tongue. "And now you've sunken your hooks into Oliver and he can't see who you really are."

"Do you know who I really am Laurel? You have never once even attempted to get to know me." Katie shook her head. "I didn't sink anything into Oliver, I fell in love with him and I guess he fell in love with me. You don't have to like it or accept that Laurel, because in the end it's just me and him. Tell your dad I hope he gets better." and with that Katie turned and walked away.

When Katie stepped outside the hospital,she tightened her jacket around her before walking along the sidewalk. She should probably call a cab, but she need the solitude for just a few more moments. Soon that familiar instinct kicked in and she just knew someone was following her. For some reason tonight, she just didn't have the patience, so she stopped walking.

"Whoever you are, just come out, because you're horrible at following people." she announced glancing around the dark streets. She turned to look behind her, but there was nothing there when suddenly she felt someone was definitely in front of her. She slowly turned back and let out an annoyed groan as she looked up the hooded face of her boyfriend. "That's not funny." she smacked his arm with a shake of her head. "You heard about Lance?"

"That's not the only thing I heard." Oliver growled before snatching the bag from Katie's arm.

"What are you-" Oliver pulled out the hood and looked over to her. "I was taking it to get washed." Oliver stuffed the hood back into the bag before reaching over and grabbing Katie's arm and pulling her toward his bike. "This isn't going to be a pleasant conversation."

When they arrive back at the foundry, it seemed Oliver couldn't even wait to start in on the woman. He didn't even ask the others leave, which is why they stood on the other side of the basement pretending they weren't listening.

"Ok, just so I have this straight." Barry whispered glancing over to where Oliver and Katie were talking. "Dr. Robins wears a mask too?"

"Sometimes, but Oliver doesn't want her to." Felicity replied glancing over as well. "He doesn't want her to get hurt."

"I'm not sure that's what he's afraid of." John muttered with a shake of his head.

Oliver had finally stopped lecturing Katie about how dangerous it was for her to go out there alone and now he just stood there looking at her waiting for her to respond.

"Say something." Oliver finally said and Katie sighed.

"You, John and the SCPD have all gone against this man and I'm the only one whose come back without a scratch." Katie replies with a shake of her head. "Do you know why? Because sure he's bigger and he's stronger, but everything can be weakened. There is no excuse for failure."

"Is that you talking, or Ra's?" Oliver asked and Katie scoffed about to leave, but he caught her arm. "I told you I was afraid of losing you, that didn't just mean death." Katie looked at him for a moment before turning away.

"I injected him with Vertigo that I stole from your case over there. I'm not sure how it will effect him, but it will." Katie said turning to Oliver. "When it does, someone should be there."

"And you think that someone should be you?"

"I think that someone should be anyone who can finally take this bastard down." she turned to walk away, but stopped and looked back to him. "Your analysis should be done now. What did it say?"

"Apparently it's not the poison. Maybe I'm going crazy." Oliver replied and Katie turned back to him. "Why else would I be hallucinating?"

"You're not crazy, because if you're crazy then so am I." Katie said and Oliver looked at her for a moment before realizing what she was saying.

"How long?" Oliver asked taking a step closer to the woman.

"Since coming back home. I read up on hallucinations though. The book says that if you can figure out what they're trying to tell you then maybe they will go away."

"Is it working for you?" Katie shook her head before turning back to him.

"Shado is dead, right?" Oliver just nodded. "It's guilt. Survivor's guilt maybe."

"And yours?"

"Lian Yu." Katie said and she saw Oliver stiffen at the name. "He worked for Waller and when I asked what I should call him, he said Lian Yu. Never made any sense until recently." Katie shook her head at the memory of the man. "I guess his job was to scare the shit out of me, while training me. I don't feel guilt when I see him, it's just plain fear. Something I haven't been able to shake."

"What is he telling you?" Oliver asked and Katie turned away, wondering of his accusations of her being a monster is something she wants to divulge.

"I think it's only meant for me to hear." Katie replied turning back to him. "Find out what yours are trying to say and maybe they'll go away."

"Guys, we got something here." Felicity announced and Oliver glanced over to her.

"You should go." Katie said and he turned back to her. "Just the doctor, remember?"

"I wish that's all you were." he replied grabbing her hand and pulling her with him toward the others.

"I scanned the key Lance gave you, and traced its serial code back to the manufacturer. This particular key fits a locked gate somewhere on Crescent Circle in the Glades." Felicity said before glancing over to Oliver who seemed to nod before turning and walking toward his quiver.

"Where are you going?" Katie asked. "I thought it was a unanimous decision that since you're still seeing things that aren't there, that having you go against superfreak is a bad idea."

"I have to stop this."

"I agree, it needs to be stopped, but the last time you went up against this guy I came here and found you unconscious, so tell me again why I should be alright with this?" Oliver walked over to stand in front of her, making sure there was little distance between them so she could see the seriousness in his eyes.

"Because I'm coming back."

"Did your crystal ball tell you that Mr. Queen?" she asked and Oliver's hand grabbed her waist and pulled her against his chest.

"I have a reason to come back doctor, so I'm coming back."

"I should come with you. I can help."

"I still need to figure out how to be alright with you wearing that hood and not being afraid for you when you're out there. I need everything inside of me to be focused on Cyrus Gold right now." Katie bit her bottom lip before grabbing the front of Oliver's hood and looking into his eyes.

"You better come back because if you don't, if you die, I will hate you." Katie said and Oliver seeing this as an opportunity he'd been waiting for, dipped his head so his lips could meet hers. It was short and sweet, but he wouldn't trade the moment for anything in the world. Katie stood there and watched as he turned and walked out the door.

She was pacing again after that and this time no one in the room tried to stop her. Felicity sat behind her computer guiding Oliver to Gold's location. John and Barry stood behind her. Katie didn't notice the door to the basement opening, which is why she didn't expect a hand to touch her shoulder. Her initial reaction was to attack, but she stopped herself when she saw who it was.

"You know sneaking up on me is a bad idea Bruce." Katie said before turning and continuing her pace.

"You're pacing, so something must be wrong." he looked over to the other who seemed distracted with what was on the computer screen. "Where's my best bud Oliver?"

"At the moment he's taking on a superjuiced villain who has already beat him once."

"Sounds like a Tuesday in Gotham." Bruce muttered looking over to the other and spotting the new face. "Whose the kid?" Katie followed his eyes to Barry and chuckled. "What?"

"Barry Allen, and you know I've noticed that in your absence, he and Smoaks have been really chummy." Bruce quirked a brow before walking over to see what had everyone so entranced.

"What are we looking at?" Bruce asked and all their surprised eyes went to him.

"Bruce!" Felicity said standing to her feet. "You're here."

"I am." Bruce said meeting the wide eyes of Mr. Allen.

"You're Bruce Wayne." Barry said still trying to believe that he was really looking at the billionaire. He turned to Felicity. "He's Bruce Wayne."

"Barry, breathe." Felicity said still smiling over to Bruce who couldn't help but to return it. The pair did seem to gravitate closer to each other, the eyes on them seeming to disappear."When did you get back?"

"Yesterday." Bruce replied and he noticed the smile leave the woman's face. "I would've called but-"

"Bruce it's good to see you and all, but at the moment we're in the middle of something." John interrupted turning back to Felicity.

"Right." The woman replied coming back to the reality of the moment. She turned and dropped back into her seat.

The wait was torturous. Katie had finally stopped pacing and dropped into a seat as the thoughts of Oliver not returning began creeping inside her head.

"Gold is dead and Oliver is alright!" Felicity called and Katie felt herself breathe again. "Oliver, wait what?" the woman listened to him for a few moments longer. "Alright."

"What's wrong?" Katie asked walking over to them.

"Roy was somehow captured by Gold, and injected with the serum." Felicity says with a slight shake of her head. "Oliver says he was dead, but he was able to revive him. He's taking him back to the mansion."

"I should head over there to check him out." Katie says turning and heading for the door.

"No!" Felicity called and Katie stopped. "He says he doesn't want you to leave. Roy is stable. He's going to come back here after he drops off Roy." Katie stood there for a moment in confusion before letting out a deep sigh.

"I need a drink." Katie muttered with a shake of her head before deciding to head up to the empty club and raid the booze.

Oliver arrived through the club to see Katie standing behind the bar with a bottle of something in her hand.

"Twinkie or Drunk Twinkie, that is the question." Oliver said walking over to her and taking the bottle from her hand.

"I'm not drunk yet." she replied reaching for the bottle but he only pulled it further away.

"Roy-"

"Is fine. I'm positive. Right now I worried about you."

"Well I'm worried about me too." Katie replied when the sound of the door to the basement pushed open and they both turned to see Bruce. "But right now I think it's time we finally got whatever the hell this is in the open."

"What's going on?" Bruce asked walking over. "Wait, are you two fighting?" And that was the straw that broke the camel's back, because Oliver took a step to finally hit the man, but Katie held up a hand to stop him.

"Well I recently found out that you and my boyfriend here have been having secretive conversations and I just want to know what about." Bruce glanced over to Oliver who seemed hesitant to meet his gaze. Katie looked between the two men and sighed. "It's either about me or you two are having an affair." neither seemed to even smirk at the joke. "I'm going to go with the first choice then. That's the only thing that could warrant you two working together. Just tell me."

"Oliver, she deserves to know." Bruce said, and the darkened look Oliver sent made him turn away. "It's time."

"Twinkie, look before I tell you this I want you to know that we will handle this. I promise."

"Oliver just say it."

"A couple of weeks ago, Bruce found one of Ra' s Al Ghul's league hiding around the house." Oliver said and Katie looked to him in confusion.

"They think I'm hiding Sara?"

"They weren't looking for Sara, Robins." Bruce replied and she turned to him and it clicked. "He hasn't just given up like we hoped." Katie closed her eyes and just dropped her head when suddenly a familiar dry chuckle met her ears. When she opened her eyes, she spotted her own ghost leaning against the wall staring back at her.

"You knew it was only a matter of time before the demon came looking for his monster."


Author's Note:

Ugh, I love that last line. Just gives me chills.

Now to the chapter...

This was a long one and a lot did happen in it, so I hope you all picked out the important parts like that conversation between Bruce and Oliver about cause and effect because we are going to see some of those effects in the next chapter. Also, Oliver's thoughts about that ring were sweet and we're really starting to see this other part of himself. Oh and there was the introduction of a new hero, Mr. Allen who we all know and love. We'll see him again and he'll have a part in the mystery's of Starling's version of Romeo and Juliet.

Review Replies

GhostofaGirl03: Yeah, in my story a lot of the heroes have come across each other, but they don't necessarily know about their true identities. And you were right, Katie's hero journey was taking a back burner for a while, but there is a reason for that. To put on the mask, she needs a push, something I think happened in this chapter. Don't worry we're going to see her step closer to that mask and we'll also see that causing a bit of a wedge between our lovely couple. Oh and Bruce and Felicity were a totally unexpected couple that was actually was created by am idea from one of my reviewers. I'm liking though. I like showing the differences and similarities with heroes trying to balance normal lives. With Bruce and Felicity there is going to be another obstacle that happens when they realize that they don't actually live in the same city. Decisions will be made and that's all I'm saying on the matter.

Ashilz: Very epic.I love tinkering with the DC heroes and having little cameos. It opens up so much opportunity for future story lines. This chapter was filled with some Twiver angst. Lies are becoming too much apart of their relationship. Twiver is going to start cracking.

Hayden: I'm glad you're liking the chapters. A lot did happen in the chapter, but that superman scene was one of my favorites. I also liked the Lois Lane scene because it would seem our lovely reporter smells a story...maybe that story will lead her and her spectacle wearing partner to Starling City. I loved that kiss between Bruce and Felicity and now we're gonna see a shift in that relationship. Oh Katie was a bit late to save her Liver, but I don't think she minds as long as he was saved. That Barry/Katie scene was also a favorite of mine.

Arianna Le Fay: Sorry for the wait but here's a nice long update for you.

Alright, and now for the moment when I dote upon you all. Thanks to all who have added this story to your fav and follow lists. And a very special thanks to the few who left reviews. They really do make me smile and give me great ideas.

And now for your sneak peek

SNEAK PEEK

"You know Felicity made this dummy proof for if she ever had to go out of town, and I'm still lost." John said looking over the monitor as he found himself pressing random buttons.

"Didn't she leave directions or something around here?" Katie asked glancing around, when she spotted a packet on one of shelves, right next to where Oliver had stored his clothes. "There it is." Katie walked over to the shelf to grab the packet when she saw something sticking from Oliver's pocket. She knew she's not supposed to go through his things, but it's right there and she's too curious and so she reaches into the pocket and grabs what just so happens to be a small box. Her heart rams in her chest as she stares blankly at the box and it seems only one word seems to slip from her mouth. "Shit."

"What's wro-" John turned and his eyes went wide at the sight of the box in Katie's hand. "Shit."