A/N: Hi guys, yes, I'm back from all of my travels, suitably exhausted. I had something pretty sad happen to me on my way back. My darling little silky terrier, Mabel, my 16 year old princess passed away on the day I was due to drive back home a couple of days ago. It wasn't unexpected, she'd been fading all week and she ended up dying in my arms. It was the best kind of passing I could have hoped for my little girl, but after having had her for 16 years, since she was 6 weeks old, she's left a huge hole behind her, despite her tiny size. It's the brutal sadness of pets that they just don't live as long as us as a rule. My other puppy, Pearl, is missing her, so we're both being sad together. There's been a lot of tears… mainly from me. Pearl is more of the strong, silent type.

Wow, opened this chapter with somewhat of a downer, sorry about that. Just wanted to explain why I'm possibly a little subpar in my a/n's today… and possibly for a little while to come.

I've also had computer issues… I had my computer in being fixed and they wiped everything, so I'm trying to get it back to how it was… with mixed results. Still working on all of that. But, the good news is that I didn't lose my story. Honestly, if I had, I probably would have lost my mind this week. It wouldn't have been pretty and I probably would have just given up on this story. I couldn't have lost over half my story and just rewritten it – it'd just be too much. But, fortunately, that didn't happen, so it's on with the show, I guess. I hope you all remember where we're up to. I must confess I had to go back and check. Basically my mind is mush these days, between work, home and life and general. It's not a good look on me – mush brain – but then a great deal of things don't look good on me, so I guess it's in good company.

I'm rambling, and even I'm not sure where this is going – so I'm just going to let you read the chapter. That seems like the best plan for now. See you at the end for a quick chat… :D

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Oliver grunted loudly as hammered away at the large tractor tire with his mallet. He'd worked up quite a sweat, which he was forced to blink out of his eyes. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Bunny sitting on a chair, legs crossed, sipping on some kind of drink from a martini glass, and watching him intently. Oliver glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing his work out was done. He jumped down from the tire, and walked over to grab a towel, which he wiped down his dripping torso and face with.

"I really wonder what I used to do with my evenings before taking up residence in your little cave," remarked Bunny idly. "Whatever it was, it feels like a complete waste of my time now that I can have Oliver-vision right there in front of me between seven and eight every night."

Oliver let the towel drop from his face, but threw it carelessly over his neck. "Can you seriously not find anything else to do when I'm working out?" he grumbled.

"Nothing quite as edifying, no," said Bunny cheerfully. He winked at Oliver, and took a sip of his drink. "What's the matter, monkey, am I not the one you're hoping to grab the attention of with all of that heaving male flesh?"

Oliver couldn't help his gaze stray over to the back room where Felicity had secreted herself off to as soon as she got there, mumbling about putting some finishing touches on the suit. She'd been completely absorbed in there ever since. "I don't know what you're talking about," said Oliver, dragging his gaze back to Bunny.

"Oh yes," said Bunny laconically, "clearly you're not bothered at all that our little poppet wasn't witness to all your overt manliness."

"I don't work out to impress Felicity," said Oliver shortly. Although, if that was a byproduct of his fitness regime, he was totally okay with that.

"Mmhm," said Bunny, sounding anything but convinced. "Don't worry, darling, I was impressed enough for both of us tonight. You certainly did work up a sweat. One wonders where you find the energy to now go out on the streets and fight all that crime."

"I have a lot of stamina."

"Oh, I can't tell you how much I love hearing that," said Bunny, fluttering his eyelashes at Oliver.

Oliver rolled his eyes but didn't comment.

Felicity appeared in the doorway, her head buried in her tablet as she hurried back into the room. "Sorry, didn't realize the time. I was just trying to solve that last little heating problem with the suit. I'm almost there, but there are still patches that—arrggh!" Felicity let out a little scream as she walked directly into the tire in the middle of the room without seeing it. She tumbled head first into the middle of it, throwing her tablet up into the air as she went.

Oliver was too far away to save her, but he deftly caught the tablet in one hand as he rushed to her aid. "Felicity! Are you alright?" He was immediately jumping into the tire, and helping a dazed looking Felicity to her feet.

"Oh poppet," said Bunny, also jumping to his feet in concern.

"You were doing your tire work out," she said, putting a shaking hand to straighten her askew glasses. "Is it Friday? Have I just lost a couple of days?"

"No, it's only Tuesday," said Oliver, checking her over worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

"It can't be Tuesday," said Felicity unsteadily. "Friday is tire workout night."

"I changed my routine."

Felicity looked at him blankly, as though he'd just announced he'd bought a Tyrannosaurus Rex or something. "But you don't change your routine," she said, still looking very confused.

"Yes, I do," said Oliver a little stiffly.

"No, you don't."

"On occasion."

"What occasion?"

"Well… this one to start with."

Felicity was looking up at him with real concern. "Um… okay."

"It's not a big deal," protested Oliver. Was he really this entrenched in his ways?

Felicity rubbed her leg. "Tell my shins that."

"I'm so sorry," said Oliver unhappily. "I just figured you see the giant tire in the middle of the room. You know… because it's a tire… a giant one… in the middle of the room."

"But it's Tuesday, and there usually isn't a tire, giant or otherwise in the middle of the room." She took her tablet back off him. "Good hands, by the way."

"I'd rather have caught you," said Oliver, still annoyed at himself that he hadn't been able to.

"The tablet is more important," said Felicity dismissively as she turned her attention back to it, and continued on her way to her desk, this time carefully circumventing the tire. "It's got all the specs for the suit on it." She sent Oliver a regretful look. "It's not quite ready. I'll need another day or two on it. Sorry."

"It's fine, Felicity. I've survived this long without a suit. Another couple of nights aren't going to be a problem."

"I'd just like to know you're as safe as you possibly can be out there," she fretted. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"It won't," said Oliver easily. He crossed to where she was standing and put a hand on her back. "I promise." Oliver leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

"Young love is just so adorable," sighed Bunny.

Oliver turned his head to see Bunny giving them both a sappy smile, a hand over his heart.

"Is there any chance we can have some privacy here?" asked Oliver with some irritation.

"No," sighed Bunny, with exactly the same expression.

"Ignore him, Bunny," said Felicity. "Oliver's always just a little tense before he goes out on the street."

"No, I'm not," said Oliver quickly.

"So, it's just me then," said Felicity with a half-smile.

Oliver put a concerned hands on her arms. "I don't want you to worry about me, Felicity," he said sincerely.

"Sometimes you're an idiot, Oliver Queen," said Felicity in exasperation. "Of course I'm going to worry about you… and Diggle, and Roy. You're not exactly suiting up to join a knitting group. I have a right to worry."

Oliver frowned, not knowing how exactly to address her concerns. "We know what we're doing, Felicity. It's as safe as it can be."

"I know that… but it's not that safe. It's okay, this isn't exactly my first day on the job, I know how to worry and still get my part in this team done."

Oliver grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be crazy. I know you're not doing it intentionally. You've got nothing to apologize for."

Even so Oliver wished he wasn't causing Felicity to worry over him, but it felt really good to know that she did… which made him feel guilty. Sometimes his feelings about Felicity turned him all around in his head.

"I'm here," announced Roy, suddenly appearing at the top of the stairs, two pizza boxes in his hand as he trotted down the stairs. "Just stopped off for a snack before we hit the streets." He opened the top pizza box as he got to the bottom, and fished out a slice, not standing on ceremony. Roy shoved a piece into his mouth, still walking into the room, pizza lid flapping in front of him. "Is Digg— arckk!"

Before anyone could warn him, Roy had done exactly as Felicity had only minutes before and careered directly into the tire. He lurched forward, the pizzas flying out of his hand, and this time it was Ladybug to the rescue. The Newfoundland launched himself from where he'd been curled up on his bed and grabbed one of the pizzas in midflight. It only took three gulps and the pizza's fate was sealed.

"What the hell?" squawked Roy as he attempted to untangle himself from the tire. He righted himself, and looked down at the thing in confusion. "Wait a minute… is it Friday already?"

"No," said Oliver in exasperation, "it's Tuesday."

"But you're doing the tire thing," said Roy, looking at him quizzically. "You do the tire thing on Fridays."

"So, I'm mixing it up a bit," said Oliver defensively.

Roy looked at Felicity. "What's happening? What's going on?"

Felicity shrugged. "I don't know. I guess Oliver is wanting to mix things up a bit, like he said."

Roy lowered his voice, looking worried now. "But it's Oliver, he doesn't do that. He doesn't like change."

"I'm fine with change," proclaimed Oliver loudly.

"Does the mean you're ready to welcome me into your cave with open arms now?" asked Bunny brightly.

"Change for the better," said Oliver sharply, "and stop calling it a cave."

"But the Arrow cave has such a ring to it, darling… or maybe a den, how does the Arrow den sound?"

"Like it's not your call to make," said Oliver shortly.

"Mm," murmured Bunny, sending the others knowing looks. "Not good with change at all."

"I'm fine with change!" Oliver waved his hand at the tapestry currently adorning one of his walls. "I haven't said a single thing about that unnecessary thing hanging on my wall, have I? And you know why… because I'm fine with change, that's why!"

Roy did a comical double take, looking up at the large wall hanging. "Oh wow," he said loudly, "when did that get there? This is the first time I am seeing this, the absolute first time, and I'm as outraged as you are, Oliver, that someone could defile the Arrow Cave like this."

Oliver gave a grunt. "Give it up, Harper, I know you had to have hung it up there."

Roy's outrage was vast and overacted. "How dare you? Like I'm some idiot who could be talked into doing anything just because they talked fast and tried to grab my ass a couple of times."

"And in the meantime, I've got this monstrosity nailed to a perfectly good wall," said an irritated Oliver.

Bunny gave Roy an indulgent look. "I didn't try and grab anything, my darling. They were playful cuffs, you know, like men do when they play sport together."

"We weren't playing sport," said Roy tersely.

"I don't know where you're going with that remark," Bunny waved him off blithely as he turned his attention to Oliver. "And that hanging is anything but a monstrosity. It's Italian, one of a kind, and absolutely gorgeous. That wall was crying out for a little color and movement, and now it has it." His look became pointed. "You're welcome."

"I'm not thanking you for something I didn't want in the first place," said Oliver hotly.

"Because of your aversion to change thing," said Bunny knowingly.

"I'm fine with change!"

"What's all the shouting?" asked Diggle as he walked in from the side door.

"Look out for the tire!" chorused everyone at once.

Diggle stopped walking and arched an eyebrow, looking down at the tire in question. "You mean the enormous, completely obvious tire in the middle of the room? Is that the tire I'm meant to be looking out for?"

"Yes," said Felicity, pulling a face as she rubbed her shins again, "there have been a couple of workplace incidents already because of it."

"Right, because it's not Friday." Diggle gave Oliver an amused look. "Changing your routine, hmm? Wonder why that is?" He glanced up at the wall. "Nice wall hanging. What is that… Italian?"

"Apparently," muttered Oliver, "And I changed my routine because I don't have an issue with it." He knew Diggle was thinking about their earlier conversation. Oliver refused to believe he was as set in his ways as everyone was trying to make out. He was a flexible guy, he just knew it. "And I'm not the one who doesn't seem to be able to cope with change." He looked at the others. "They're the ones falling all over the place."

"It's not about coping," said Felicity. "It was just unexpected, that's all."

"And I lost a pizza because of it," grumbled Roy as he retrieved the other pizza box. He side eyed Ladybug who was still licking his lips. "I hope those anchovies give you heartburn. Now I'm going to be starving out on patrol." Ladybug didn't look particularly moved by Roy's plight.

"You still have an entire pizza to yourself," said Oliver. "Seriously, just how much food do you people need to sustain yourselves?"

"That reminds me," said Bunny blithely, "could one of you lovely boys pick me up some more olives for my nightly martinis? I'm down to my last two olives, and I like my martinis like my men… as dirty as possible." He winked at the men in the room. "In case you were wondering."

"We weren't," said Roy flatly.

"Your continuing resistance only makes me want you more, kitten," cooed Bunny. "I love the chase."

"You can chase all you want," said Roy determinedly. "You're going to catch squat."

Bunny just shrugged. "Never say never."

"That's true, Roy," said Felicity teasingly. "I never thought Oliver and I would happen. You just never know."

Oliver looked at her intently. "Did you really not think we'd ever happen?"

"Well… you spent a lot of time dating other women. That's kind of a dampener on a girl's happily ever after fantasies. Prince Charming was never rocking the Kasbah with the Little Mermaid while Cinderella darned socks… or set up intricate computer systems."

"But I haven't dated anyone for a long time now," said Oliver quickly. "There is only you, Felicity."

"I know," said Felicity. "That wasn't my point."

"No, your point was to jerk my chain when it comes to being seduced by an older man over to the dark side," said an annoyed Roy. "And it's not funny."

"It's a little bit funny," said Felicity with a grin.

"Agreed," smiled Diggle, "it's a little bit funny."

"I get no respect around this place," muttered Roy. He consoled himself with a piece of pizza.

"Okay, coms checks," announced Felicity. "We have to keep this patrol tight tonight. Roy, you're still going out after the dentist tonight?"

"Yeah," said Roy as he put his earpiece in. "We need to find this Ross guy so I can start spending some nights at home with Thea. She's starting to get suspicious about how many nights I spend away from her. I think she thinks I've got someone on the side, which is crazy."

"I'll tell her you're with me," offered Oliver.

"Yeah, because that's less weird," said Roy in exasperation. "Sometimes I think it'd be a lot easier if Thea just knew about Team Arrow."

"It's not easier if it puts her in danger," said Oliver sharply. "Thea can't know about what we're doing down here… ever."

"Unclench," said Roy. "I didn't say I was going to tell her. Just that it'd be easier not to have to lie to her quite as much as I do. I hate doing that."

"It's a necessary evil," said Oliver firmly. "I hate the lying too, but enough people that I care about are involved in this thing I started. I want Thea as far away from it as possible."

"Which isn't that far considering her brother and boyfriend are up to their neck in it," pointed out Felicity.

Oliver frowned at her. "You think I'm wrong in not wanting Thea to know about what we're doing here?"

"I think you're being overly optimistic in hoping that she'll never find out," said Felicity evenly. "That day is going to come, Oliver, it just is. Thea will find out, one way or the other, and I can't help but feel it'd be better coming from you."

"I don't want Thea involved," said Oliver in distress.

"She already is," said Felicity softly, "by default." She rubbed his arm. "It's okay, it's not a problem we have to deal with today. I'm just floating it by you, so you can give it a bit of thought and won't be caught off-guard when it does happen."

The way Felicity had so effortlessly said 'we' when talking about the concept of Thea finding out about their nighttime activities actually made Oliver feel a little bit better about a situation he just wasn't ready to face right then. Knowing Felicity was on his side, no matter what, made everything feel a lot less daunting, even the thought of Thea being involved in this dangerous world he was immersed in.

"Felicity's right," said Diggle. "The Thea thing is an issue for another day. Right now we have some patrolling to do, and the flushing out of some unsavory characters."

Oliver could get behind that, particularly if it meant it got him closer to his date with Felicity that night. "Alright," he said firmly, heading for his suit. "Let's do this already."

#

Roy crouched down on the rooftop, eyes narrowing as he took in the movement going on in the street below. With their initial patrolling finishing up early that night, he'd been able to move onto the stake out at Geoffrey Dahmer, the dentist. "There is definitely something going on," he said in a low voice into his coms.

"Just hang back until you know what it is," Diggle's voice ordered him. "And try not to kill anyone in the process."

"I haven't killed anyone," said Roy in agitation. "Stop saying that."

"We wouldn't even be here if the Mariner wasn't dead," argued Diggle.

"Yeah, but I didn't kill him. Frozen chickens, remember? It was a freak accident."

"Freak accidents you seem to be in the middle of on a regular basis."

"That's not my fault!"

"Tell the broom guy that, or crazy French bitch."

"Gravity took both of those people out! And inertia took out the Mariner."

"Inertia?"

"Resistance of a body to any change in its state of motion."

"I know what inertia is."

"Yeah, well, the van stopped, the frozen chickens didn't because of inertia. So, technically, physics killed Albert Ross."

"You should absolutely open with that if you find his brother tonight. I'm sure that will change Ross Ross' plans to kill Bunny horribly in a heartbeat."

"You're being sarcastic, but maybe it will. You don't know."

"We're talking about a guy who includes humans on his catalog of acceptable big game hunts, and that's before we talk about his cannibalistic bestie. I don't think a discourse on the laws of physics is going to sway the guy on wanting to put a bullet between Bunny's eyes… or anyone else who gets in his way."

"Your pep talks need more pep," said Roy darkly.

"I'm not here to hold your hand—"

"I'll hold anything you like, darling!" called out Bunny in the background.

"I'm here to try and make sure you stay alive," continued on Diggle, ignoring the other man.

"I can take care of myself," huffed Roy. "I did just fine before you and Oliver came into my life. I don't need babysitters." He watched more people making their way into the back of the dentist's building. "Okay, I've got to get closer. There is definitely something going on down there." Roy grimaced. "Maybe the dentist is putting together a hunting party with friends. A lot of them seem to be carrying bags of some description, pretty big ones."

"As in gun bags?"

"I don't know, I'm too far away to make it out in the dark. Like I said, I have to get closer."

"Be careful, kitten," said a concerned sounding Bunny. "I want you back in one delicious piece."

"Could you please not call me delicious when I'm potentially walking into a place with a cannibal in it?" asked Roy unhappily as he lithely scaled down the wall of the building, landing in the alleyway across from the back entrance to the dentist's surgery.

"Sorry, my love."

"And the cannibal thing is just a rumor," said Diggle. "We don't know if it's true or not."

"Actually," said Bunny in a low voice, "I did business with this man once who said he saw this South African guy torture a man, and then eat his foot. I can't help but feel like it was our Mr. Gutz… unless there is more than one South African cannibal out there, which is rather a disheartening thought. As though that poor country doesn't have enough issues."

"You know the coms are open, right?" asked Roy in exasperation. "I can hear what you're saying, Bunny."

"Oh, sorry, kitten, just pretend I didn't say a thing."

"Oh yeah, because a story about one guy eating another guy's foot isn't something which stays with you." Roy peered out from the alleyway, able to have a better view now. "They've got some heavy security on the door. Looks like people are showing some kind of pass to get in."

"There is only the back entrance into the surgery," Diggle informed him. "The front has a complicated alarm system. You'll never get by it without setting it off."

"So, back door entry is my only choice… shut up, Bunny," said Roy sharply.

"What?" asked Bunny innocently. "I wasn't going to say a word."

"Unlikely."

"What are they carrying?" asked Diggle. "Can you see more clearly? Do they look like they could be gun bags?"

"Maybe," said Roy hesitantly. "I still can't tell. I need to get in there." He pulled his hood up, and ducked his head down. "I'm going to try and infiltrate… shut up, Bunny." Roy shoved his hands in his pockets and headed down the street. "They mostly seem to be young guys. I just need one of those passes." A block away, he saw another man heading the opposite way, tote bag slung over his shoulder. Roy saw the flash of the white pass clutched in one hand. He waited until the guy had walked by him before surreptitiously turning around, and crossing over to the same side of the street. Roy came up behind the man, knocking him out and dragging him into the alleyway in one swift move. He quickly grabbed the pass and the bag, stepping out of the shadows and moving towards the dentist's surgery. "I'm going in," he murmured in a low voice.

"Be careful," fretted Bunny.

"Don't kill anyone," instructed Diggle.

"Bite me," said Roy under his breath to the other man, and then he was standing in front of the two men running the door. He gave a curt nod of his head as he handed over the pass, which they returned. One of the men scanned the card, and then Roy was granted access. Roy headed down a dark corridor, body tense as he walked into the unknown.

"What's happening?" asked Diggle. "What do you see?"

"Nothing yet," whispered Roy. "I'm still in a corridor." A swinging door loomed large in front of him and threw the frosted glass of the inlaid windows, he could see the group of men congregating. "Okay, this is it. I'm going in." Roy squared his shoulders, his stride becoming more determined as he headed towards what was potentially a human hunting party with cannibalistic overtones, confident he was ready for anything. He pushed his way through the swinging doors, and came to an abrupt halt at the sight which confronted him. All the blood drained from his face.

Okay, he was wrong… he was not ready for this… this was a nightmare nobody could prepare for.

Roy turned abruptly around, knowing he had to get out of there, but the two large men from the alleyway were locking the door. They folded their arms in front of their huge chests, standing guard. There was no way out. Roy's eyes went wide. He was trapped. Roy's hand tightened on the bag he was holding, trying not to panic…

A/N: Okay, so see, probably just as well I didn't leave you with this chapter before I headed off on my travels – it's a cliff hanger and you would have been hanging for over a week, which would have been annoying… more annoying than just a straight out cliff hanger that is. What could have Roy possibly walked in on? I can confidently predict no one will get it in a million years. Just like Roy, there is no way for you guys to prepare for this… so just assume the crash position and know that this story is going to start to rack up a body count at some point… possibly this point… but I'm neither confirming or denying that rumor… the rumor I just started myself… so, you know, consider the source on that one.

Sidebar… I'm considering putting in spoilers for the next chapter at the end of each chapter – just a little bit of the next chapter as a tease. I can't decide if it'd add to the interest of the story, or take away from it… or do neither. What are your feelings on that one? Can't decide what to do…