Chapter 14

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others.

And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."
-Dalai Lama

Katie could practically hear the clapping of the demon's hands as she stood above the now beaten Argus agents who laid on the floor beneath her. Her fists were still clenched at her side as her chest heaved. She noticed the side arm attached to one of the men and she knelt down to pick it up.

"Don't do it!" a voice ordered and Katie lifted her eyes to see the barrel of a gun aimed right at her. Her eyes trailed to the person holding it with a dark glare. "Stand up, now!" Katie lifted her hands in surrender as she stood up straight. "What the fuck do you think you were doing?"

"Just a nice stroll and then these guys just came out of nowhere." Katie replied with a cocky smirk. "Drop the gun Agent Michaels, you and I both know you can't shoot me." Katie turned back to the door she'd tried to escape through and was about to walk over when a gun shot rang through the hall. Her hand quickly shot to her neck where she felt blood from the bullet grazing her before she turned back to the woman.

"I can't kill you, but I can shoot you." Lyla growled in anger as she stormed over to Katie. "This isn't a game, or some trick. You're here Ms. Robins, so you might as well give up." and with that the agent turned and walked off. "Tomorrow you're given your first assignment!"

"What assignment?!"

"You're not the only one who escaped Ra's Al Ghul." Lyla simply called.

The next morning Katie's eyes snapped open from the dream, and the first thing she noticed was the panic and fear that usually followed such a dream just wasn't there. What was there was a strong arm wrapped around her middle, and a warm body pressed against her back. Oliver Queen was making what she had to do so much harder and if at all possible, it made her love him even more. Her eyes drifted to the sunlight that filtered through the window, and just like every other morning she wondered if today would be the day Ra's made his move. She hated the fear that just the mere thought of the man put inside of her. Soon she felt the hand that rest above her stomach move underneath her shirt.

"I see you're awake." she said, her voice still filled with sleep.

"Mhm." he muttered as his lips soon began moving across her neck.

"You have meetings today." Katie replied trying not to get lost in the man's arms as he continues his dance with his lips.

"I went in yesterday." he replied as his hands began searching for something she was sure he was going to find if she didn't stop him.

"Yes, but you promised your mother and devil woman that your place would remain at the company and-" a moan escaped her lips as Oliver's hand seemed to get closer and closer to removing all rationale from the room. She quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. "You have a responsibility."

"I have many responsibilities doctor." Oliver says turning the woman to her back and shifting her leg over his hip. "To the city, to my company and to you and right now I am prioritizing." and with that he dropped his lips to meet hers, swallowing the moan that escaped her lips as he brought their bodies closer. It took no expert to see where this moment was leading as the room filled with the sounds of their combined moans. Everything seemed perfect for a few moments, until the shrill sound of the doorbell sounded though the room and tearing them from the moment. Oliver lifted his head and turned toward the door.

"You forgot to call your driver who takes you to these meetings didn't you?" Katie asked and Oliver turned back to her and just marveled at her for a moment. It was the way her chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath, or maybe it was her slightly swollen lips that he wanted to kiss once again, but he found himself leaning back to her. "Liver-" his lips were mere inches away from hers when the doorbell rang again. Oliver lets out a frustrated groan before dropping his head to Katie's shoulder. "If someone doesn't answer, he's going to think something is wrong." Oliver lifted his head to meet her eyes. "I tried to stop you before you went too far and now we're both all hot and bothered. This is your fault."

"I know." Oliver replied before finally slipping out of bed. He grabs a t shirt and a pair of shorts before heading downstairs to let John in.

While Oliver is upstairs getting ready, Katie sits across from John ignoring his eyes on her as she sips her coffee.

"You're being annoying, you know that."

"When are you leaving?" John asked suddenly and Katie turned to him with a look of confusion. "Don't look at me like that. It's happening, I know it's happening and I'm sure Oliver knows it's happening too, he just thinks he can somehow stop it from happening."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Katie replied once again turning away from the man.

"Look I don't know anything about this Ra's Al Ghul guy, other then what I've heard, so him coming for you or whatever, I don't know what that really entails."

"It entails death and destruction until he gets what he wants." Katie replied looking down at the coffee in her mug before turning back over to John.

"He loves you."

"I know that."

"Then you know he won't just let you leave. He will try to find you and that means that thing he didn't want happening. Him forgetting his responsibility to this city will go right out the window." Katie stood to her feet and walked over to place her cup in the sink.

"Don't worry John." Katie says with her back to the man. "Oliver won't have to find me, because he won't have to look."

"Alright." Oliver says walking into the kitchen, now dressed in the suit he hates. He looks between John and Katie and can't help but feel the tension in the room. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah." John says standing to his feet. "I will meet you outside." and with that the man walks from the kitchen and heads outside to the car.

"What was that about?" Oliver asked and Katie turned to him and just shrugged. He looked over her clothes to see she was still wearing her flannel pajama bottoms and t shirt. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"Because I'm not coming to QC with you today." Katie replied folding her arms over her chest. Oliver walked over to her with an expected protest, but she wouldn't even let him start. "I'm home and this place has been installed with all the bells and whistles necessary to keep me safe and I know Felicity has given you access to some of them so you know what's happening when you aren't here." Katie places her hands above his chest.

"I find myself worrying about you when I'm not with you." Oliver admitted and Katie sent the man a small smile.

"One day you won't have to." she replied and he just stared into her eyes for a moment before bringing his lips to hers in a short, but sweet kiss.

"Think about the vacation please." he said before one final kiss and then he was off.

Once the door closed behind him, Katie felt her insides crumbling. She turned and grasp the sink, just to keep her on her feet. Soon the doorbell rings and Katie lifts her head and takes a deep breath before turning and heading for the door. She only stops to grab the gun she has taped underneath the hallway table. When she is just a couple of feet away from the door, she stops and stands a bit straighter.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice low.

"Courier!" came the voice from the other side of the door, and Katie takes a step forward and pulls open the door, keeping the gun out of sight. "Delivery for a Ms. Katherine Robins. Sign here" the young man holds a tablet to her, and she signs her name before he hands her a large envelope. "Have a nice day." Katie simply nods before closing the door. Her feet seem heavy as the walk into they living room. She drops on the couch sitting her gun on the table as she examines the envelope. She knew what was inside, knew it would be coming soon and she guesses now it was here. As expected her phone rang, and she knew it was only Oliver calling to see who had come by. After explaining that it was just neighborhood kids messing around, Katie found herself just sadly moving about the house.

At some point she knew it was going to happen again, she was going to find herself outside the door that leads to the hole in her heart and it was going to stop her and make her look at it. This time, Katie takes another step forward, and then another, and her hand touches the cold metal of the doorknob. All it would take was a turn of her wrist, and yet she can't do it, sadly such a task seemed impossible at the moment.

Katie went back to her room and headed straight for her closet where she pushed aside the hanging clothes to reveal the polka dot suit case that she'd been dreading for the past couple of days. The night Oliver revealed what he knew about Ra's, the first things she did when he fell asleep was dump as many clothes as she could into the case before storing it in her closet for when it was needed.

Each day she planned to leave and every time something happened. Something stopped her and nine times out of ten that something was Oliver. He seemed so intent on keeping her here and protecting her and she could never find it in herself to just walk away. That's not how it could happen and so she came up with a plan that now had a time clock. If this was happening then it was happening soon and so she would have to get some things in order. The door bell rang, and Katie moved the clothes to once again hide the suit case before going to see who was at the door. She did make a bit of a detour to grab her gun, before going to the door.

"It's me Robins!" a voice called from the other side before she could even speak. Katie rolled her eyes before reaching forward and pulling open the door. Bruce stood there for a moment, his eyes looking her over, studying her.

"What are you doing here Bruce?" Katie asked turning and walking from the door. Bruce took it as a silent invitation, to which he walked inside as well, closing the door behind him.

"I came to check on you. After finding about Ra's-"

"About that." Katie says stopping and turning to him, making sure her gun was in full view. "Why the hell did you tell Oliver and not me."

"You weren't talking to me and-"

"Bullshit. You know if you came to me with this, if you were honest for once in your life then I would've listen. And now you've made a mess of everything. "

"What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't have told him Bruce. This would be easier if you just didn't tell him."

"What would be easier?" Bruce asked, but Katie just turned away and it suddenly clicked. "You're leaving?" he took a few steps forward. "Good, I can get the plane ready to go and we could be in Gotham by tomorrow morning."

"I'm not going to Gotham Bruce." Katie replied with a shake of her head. " Because despite what you may believe, you're no match for Ra's and beyond that, I'm not looking for someone to protect me. I just need to disappear and get away from the things he's going to try to use against me." she turned and headed for the kitchen, sitting the gun down on the table.

"And then what?" Bruce asked following behind her. "You run until he gets tired, because you and I both know that won't happen."

"Who says I'm going to be running from him?" Katie asked turning back to Bruce who stared at her waiting for her to tell him she was kidding, but nothing came.

"Please tell me you're not planning to go back there and face this bastard by yourself, because I don't think I have to tell you how much of a dumbass plan that is." Katie just shook her head before walking out of the kitchen, and trying her best to just get out of this conversation. She ended up in the living room where Bruce followed her. "I won't let you do that Robins, you know that don't you."

"Will you stop trying to control this!" Katie snapped turning back to him. "That's your problem and Oliver's problem. You think because you put on that mask that you can just take on anything." Katie walked over placing herself in front of him. "I spent far more time with the demon than you. I know him, know what he's doing. He wants me to pull my hair out with anticipation of his next move, but I won't let him get that satisfaction. I will beat him." Katie turned and stormed away, climbing the stairs and not looking back. Bruce was about to follow after her, when he spotted the envelope on the table. He reached down and picked it up before pulling out its contents. His eyes widen at what he was reading and he took out his cell phone with a shake of his head.

"Mr. Wayne, this is a surprise. I've been hearing rumors that all the time you're spending in Starling is a sign that you may be moving there."

"You know not to pay attention to rumors Lucius." Bruce said letting his eyes scan over the document. "I'm calling because I need you to set up a meeting with the board today."

"May I ask why?" Lucius Fox asked.

"Remember that just in case I mentioned before coming to Starling, well I think we're at that point."

"Are you sure?"

"At this point I'm not being given much of a choice."

Bruce wasn't sure if he should leave after hanging up with Lucius and so he sat down on the couch in hopes that Katie would come back downstairs so he could talk some sense into her. At some point he must have dozed off, because he suddenly heard what sounded like someone trying to get in the front door. Bruce jumped to his feet and moved swiftly toward the door, taking on the persona that usually made an appearance at night. He stopped at the hall and waited forever was coming inside so he could catch them by surprise. Soon the door popped open and Bruce stood up a little bit straighter as he readied to attack.

"No, I thought I would call and let you know that I was here instead of you calling me." came the familiar voice of Felicity Smoak. "It's called being proactive Oliver. Look, we should be headed over to the foundry in a few." Felicity hung up the phone and nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned to see Bruce who she clearly didn't expect. "son of a-" she placed a hand above her heart that now felt like it was trying to beat out of her chest. "Are you trying to kill me? What are you doing here?"

"Came to check on Robins." Bruce said walking over to the woman. "I hadn't spoken to her since she found out about Ra's and I wanted to see how she was doing."

"And?"

"And, I'm still not so sure." Bruce chose to say instead of the entire truth. "Robins has a way of building up this wall so you don't see what she's really feeling unless she tells you."

"Sounds like someone else I know." Felicity said with a hint of a smirk as she looked to the man.

"I hope my feelings aren't too much of a mystery Felicity."

"Sometimes they aren't." the woman replied as Bruce's hand slid around her waist. "But then you tell me that maybe we should postpone our date and then I'm confused again." Felicity placed her hands along Bruce's chest and looked up to meet his eyes. "I'm sort of always confused when it comes to you Bruce." Bruce leaned into her and Felicity thought he was just going to kiss her, but he stopped just a few inches short of her lips.

"Well Felicity, I'm usually confused with the majority of my life." the man replied as a smile came to his lips. "Except when I'm with you. So please don't misunderstand my wanting to wait for our date. When it happens, I want to focus completely on you and our moment."

"Well when you put it like that." Felicity whispered before Bruce's lips finally met hers. Felicity's mind usually goes completely blank when she kisses the man and the complete opposite happens with Bruce. His mind fills with possibilities he wasn't sure could happen once upon a time. Hell, to this day he still isn't sure, but when he's with her there's a flicker of hope that he holds on to. Soon Felicity's back is against the wall, and there is practically no space between them and if one of them doesn't stop this then it won't happen. And yet at the moment, neither seems to have the ability to stop what was happening. Bruce's hand reached behind her for the zipper of her dress, as Felicity's hand reached for the his belt buckle.

"Whoa!" a voice yelled and both Felicity and Bruce pulled away quickly and turned to see Katie standing on the stairs with an utter look of horror on her face. "What in the actual fuck is happening in my house right now."

"Well we-" Felicity and Bruce spoke, turning to each other in hopes of a believable story would just aparate and yet nothing came to mind.

"Look Robins, we got a little carried away."

"No Bruce you got a lot carried away and if I didn't come when I did, then you two were going to force me to burn my house to the ground." Katie replied with a shake of her head as she continued down the stairs. "I thought you were in Central city checking in with Barry."

"I was and then I heard about our city's new bomber and thought you guys might need me." Felicity replied as she tried to straighten her dress. "Which is why I'm here. I told Oliver I would give you a ride to the foundry and we would meet him and John there."

"Or more like Oliver was busy with some work stuff and he asked if you could come here and babysit me?"

"Potato, potahto." Felicity replied with a smirk as she turned back to Bruce. "What about you, are we gaining a Batman for this case?"

"Actually no." Bruce replied turning to Katie. "Something has come up with Wayne Enterprises and I am due for a video meeting in oh,-" he glanced down to his watch. "Half an hour."

"Do you have your key?" Felicity asked and the man just nodded before placing a kiss to the woman's cheek. He turned back to Katie before leaving.

"Make sure all your moves are smart moves, Robins." Bruce said and Katie simply nodded before watching the man hurry out the door.

"So-" Katie says and Felicity turns to her. "He has a key?"

"It's just a key."

"Keys are kind of serious Smoaks." Katie replied as she walked over to grab her jacket. "I just want you to be careful with Bruce."

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked and Katie turned back to her.

"That invisible elephant you two probably refuse to talk about. He lives in Gotham and you live in Starling. At some point that is going to be an issue and I just don't want you to get too deep before it does."

"I think that what happens with me and Bruce should stay between me and Bruce." Felicity replied not sure why she was so offensive all of a sudden. The truth was Katie was right and it really was the last thing she wanted to think about. Katie just looked at the woman for a moment before giving a nod.

"Right, what do I know? Me and Oliver are the poster children for dysfunctional relationships." Katie replied before heading out with Felicity.

Felicity and Katie arrived at the foundry first. While Felicity typed away on her computer, Katie found herself off to the side holding Oliver's bow, with an arrow at the ready at a target she had set up on the wall on the other side of the basement. Katie kept her breaths slow and to a minimum as she kept her eyes on the target. She blocked out everything around her as her fingers pulled the bow string back. She had become so focused that she didn't even hear Oliver and John come in. She wasn't even aware of their presence until she felt a warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

"That's an easy shot." Oliver spoke and Katie tried to fight the smile that tugged at her lips, but she couldn't. He suddenly held out a tennis ball and Katie turned to look at it. "Now this, this I would find impressive."

"Seriously?" Katie asked looking over her shoulder to the man who simply nodded. "I don't know. I guess I could try." Oliver smiled before turning and with jerk of his arm sent the ball flying. Katie's eyes shot to the ball, her eyes focused completely on it and at the perfect moment she released the arrow hitting the ball, and meeting the target against the wall. "Wow." Katie says turning to Oliver with wide eyes. "Lucky shot, right?" Oliver knew she was being sarcastic and just shook his head before reaching over to take the bow from her hand before leaning forward to place a quick kiss to her lips.

"You're such a smart ass." he replied as he turned to return the bow to his case.

"Alright you two, stop being adorable!" Felicity called before Oliver and Katie looked over to her. "I've contacted Lance, and he has a meeting with the Arrow tonight at the meeting spot with some pieces of the bomb that were collected." Oliver just nodded before glancing down to his watch.

"What?" Felicity said suddenly and everyone's eyes went over to the woman who couldn't tear her gaze from the computer. John and Oliver walked over to see what the woman was looking at, and suddenly they all turned to Katie who looked at them in confusion.

"What?" Katie asked before walking over to see what had everyone being so weird. Katie read the breaking news and her eyes narrowed before taking a couple of steps back and turning and heading for the door.

"Twinkie?" Oliver calls going after her. Katie doesn't say anything as she keeps walking. Oliver just looks over to John and Felicity. "I'll be back to meet with Lance." they both nodded before watching the man rush from the door. Felicity and John both turn back to the computer screen and Felicity places a hand over her mouth.

"Did you know about this?" John asked and Felicity looked at him with clear offense.

"Of course I didn't know about this." The woman turned back to the computer and just shook her head. "I can't believe he would do this."

When Katie stepped off the elevators of Robins Incorporate, she walked tall and practically oozed the anger she was feeling. Everyone in her way quickly moved aside.

"Twinkie you need to calm down, maybe this is all a misunderstanding." Oliver said hoping to put the woman's mind at ease, but it didn't work. Katie didn't say anything until she reached the desk of Jeremy's assistant who was packing her things in a box, and holding back tears. The moment Katie walked over, the woman looked up with wide eyes.

"Where is he?" Katie asked.

"He's gone." the woman replied. "The moment it happened, he went crazy, he was throwing things and yelling and then he just left." the woman shook her head. "I didn't know what else I was supposed to do, so I just started packing my things."

"Kim-" Katie says with a slight smile. "Unpack your things, you are not fired." The woman gave Katie a smile as she let out a sigh of relief. "Where is the board?"

"They're in a meeting. I thought someone would have called you."

"So did I." Katie replied before turning and storming down the hall toward the board room. She stopped in front of the double doors, before looking over to Oliver.

"You're not going to hit anyone." Oliver warned and Katie shook her head before turning and bursting through the doors. Suddenly all eyes turned to her, but Katie's eyes were on the man sitting at the head of the table.

"Ms. Robins." Bruce said standing to his feet with a smile. "I was going to call, but I thought the board and I should meet first." Katie silently took a step forward, but Oliver grabbed her arm as he saw a familiar look in her eyes. Bruce looked back to the faces of the board members. "I think that is all for today. Thank you all for coming and I look forward to doing great things with all of you." The board members stood to their feet, giving Bruce a nod and purposefully avoiding Katie's eyes as they filed out of the room. Once they were gone, all that was left were Katie, Bruce and Oliver.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Oliver asked glaring over to the man, but Bruce kept his eyes on Katie.

"Being proactive before Robins here made the biggest mistake of her life." Bruce replied.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked looking over to Katie and then back to Bruce.

"She knows what I mean, don't you Robins?" Katie didn't say anything for a few moments before she turned to Oliver.

"I need a moment alone with Bruce." Katie said and Oliver's brow furrowed in confusion. "I won't be long." Oliver still wasn't sure what was going on, but nodded and turned leaving the pair alone.

"I found the contract Robins." Bruce said and Katie turned back to him. "You were going to sign it all over to Jeremy. What were you thinking?! Jeremy was the last person your father wanted running this company."

"And yet for the past year he has been running this company and it has never been more profitable!" Katie snapped angrily.

"And never has he!" Bruce replied picking up a folder and tossing it across the table causing papers to fly out. "Escrow accounts all over the place. He's been stealing from the company Robins and the minute you handed him the wheel, would be the day this company died." Katie picked up one of the papers and just shook her head before glancing back to Bruce.

"You want to run this company, fine. Make sure it prospers." she tossed the paper aside before turning and heading for the door.

"You think taking on this fight will be easier by yourself?!" Bruce called after her and Katie stopped and shook her head. "It won't."

"No, but it would be fair." Katie said turning back to Bruce. "If it's just me and him-"

"And you think that would be fair?!" Bruce replied. "You're good Robins, but you're not good enough to beat the demon."

"I guess we'll just see, won't we?" she said with a slight shrug before turning and finally leaving the room. She found Oliver waiting just outside in the hall and she glanced over to hanging clock. "You should go, you have your meeting with Lance."

"What was that about?" Oliver asked glancing over to the door. "What's happening?"

"Wayne Enterprises has taken over control of Robins Incorporated." Katie said simply before turning and walking down the hall. Oliver stood for a moment in confusion before going after her.

"Why? Shouldn't you be doing something? Contacting lawyers or shareholders?" he asked as they walked over to the elevator.

"I probably should, but I'm not." Katie replied turning to Oliver. "C'mon, you know I don't belong running some place like this." she let her eyes scan around the halls she remembers visiting as a child with her father. "Someone should be here who knows what they're doing."

"And Jeremy?" Oliver asked and Katie let out a light chuckle.

"Apparently he was stealing from the company." she replied as the doors to the elevators slid open and she stepped in side.

"So, no Hospital and no company." Oliver said walking on as well. He looked over to Katie who simply let her back fall back against the wall. "What's going on Twinkie?"

"What do you mean?" Katie replied rubbing her tired eyes.

"You're letting it all go, am I next?" Oliver asked and Katie stopped and brought her eyes to him.

"We're not having this conversation now." Katie replied glancing up to the numbers on the elevator. The doors finally reached their floor and she moved to leave, but Oliver blocked her before reaching over to press the emergency stop causing the door to close again. "What are you doing?"

"I love you." Oliver said and Katie shook her head and turned her back to him. "Whatever is going on in your head right now, I want you to know that."

"I do." she replied turning back to him. "Just like I hope you know that every part of me loves you." Oliver stared at her for a second before grabbing her waist and pressing her back against the wall. "Oliver, you still have that meeting with Lance." Oliver continued to stare into Katie's eyes as if he didn't hear anything she'd said as he leaned in closer. "Liv-" her words were cut by Oliver's lips against hers and all objects left her and she found herself in this moment. Soon his lips moved to the soft skin of her neck and a moan escaped her lips, and his fingers dug deeper into her hips. It wasn't until his fingers slid down and popped open the buttons of her pants, before sliding inside did they both know that they were gong to be late for any plans they made before this moment.

When they finally arrived at the foundry, Oliver and Katie both rushed inside. Oliver hurried over to grab his hood as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"Where the hell have you been? Your meeting with Lance is like now." John said looking from Oliver to Katie who looked just as ruffled as Oliver. "Really?" Both Oliver and Katie avoided his gaze when they realized he knew they were late. "Oliver, I thought we had an understanding about-"

"I'm here Diggle!" Oliver snapped looking back to the man. "I'm going to change and meet Lance so we can find this guy and stop him." John just shook his head before turning and walking back over to where Felicity sat behind her computer trying to stay out of the conversation. Oliver looks over to Katie can't hide the look of guilt on her face. He walks over and takes her hand in his. "Hey, it's alright."

"No, it's not." she whispered back. Oliver wanted to stay and convince her that she shouldn't feel guilty about what they did, but really didn't have time. He placed a kiss to her cheek before going to change. Once Oliver was gone, and the Arrow was in his place, there were no farewells before the man left to meet with Lance.

"You know I remember us all having a really uncomfortable conversation about how your relationship wouldn't change this. The work we're doing here." John said looking over to Katie who refused to look at him.

"John, we are both very much aware that what happened shouldn't have happened. Not with this guy still running loose, so please just stop." John opened his mouth to speak, but Felicity stood to her feet.

"John, it's done, it's over. Let's just move on." John just shook his head and turned and walked away. Felicity looked over to Katie with an apologetic smile before walking over to her. "Don't worry about him, how did it go? Was what the news said true?"

"Yeah, hostile take over by Wayne Enterprises of Robins incorporated has gone into effect." Katie sighed.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was planning this and if I did, I would've definitely told you."

"I know, and I don't blame you. Hell, I don't really blame him." Katie sighed as she looked over to John. "John was right. Oliver has a duty to this city."

"He also has a duty to you." Felicity replied and Katie turned to her. "His girlfriend, the woman he loves. So sometimes he will choose you over everything else."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Katie muttered before turning and grabbing her bag and rushing out the door.

Later that night Katie found herself sitting on the edge of her bed with her cell phone gripped in her hands. She had thought up a plan and it was the last thing she wanted to do. She analyzed over and over again and came to the same conclusion. It would work. So when she heard the sound of the front door opening, Katie closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before standing to her feet and walking into the bathroom, making sure to leave it open just a crack.

Oliver quietly opened the door to the bedroom not wanting to wake Katie if she was asleep, but when he walked in he saw the bed empty. His eyes went over to the bathroom, where he could see that the light was still on. He let out an exhausted breath, before pulling off his jacket.

"That's impossible." he heard her say from the bathroom and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Because I can't. Not now, not yet. " Oliver walked over and tilted his head slightly to the door. "Well that was your own fault, I told you it was too risky with so many people around." she was silent once again. "I know, I do too, but soon. I promise. Look I have to go, I'll talk to you later."

Oliver quickly moved from the door and went about unbuttoning his shirt when Katie walked out.

"Oh, hey, I didn't hear you come in. How did the meeting with Lance go?" Oliver looked over to her, and wanted so badly to ask her about yet another secret phone call he'd overheard. He knew like every other time, she'd brush it off, so he figure he'd look into without her.

"Fine until there was another explosion." Oliver said.

"Seriously?" Katie asked walking over and sliding onto the bed in front of him.

"Felicity was able to grab the signal of the device he used, but I guess he's really good with computers because he scrambled the signal and Felicity almost got me hit by a bus."

"Well if this guy was able to get one over on Felicity, then he must be good." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "I'm sure at some point this guy is going to slip up and we will have him."

"Hopefully before he blows up another building."

"Well fingers crossed." Katie says sliding from the bed. "I'm hungry. You want something?" Oliver just shook his head. Katie simply nodded before pressing a kiss to his cheek and walking out the room. Oliver's eyes went to the bed where she had left her phone. He knew he shouldn't do what he's thinking, but with the way Katie's been acting lately, he doesn't think he has a choice. And so he walks over and picks up her phone and finds to the last call to see the letters, "LL" on the screen.

"What is going on with you Twinkie?" he muttered to himself.

"Hey, Liver! You may want to come down to see this!" Katie called and Oliver placed her phone back on the bed before going to see what was happening. When he walked downstairs, he walked into the living room, his eyes going to Sebastian Blood on the television giving a speech.

"Tomorrow night, I am holding Starling's first ever unity rally at City Plaza. We are going to show the world that the people of this great city will not back down to terrorists."

"Because when financial and political institutions are being blown to bits, of course you should throw a rally." Katie said before turning to Oliver.

"He's committing suicide and he just invited the entire city to join him." Oliver said still staring at the screen incredulously before turning to Katie.

"Someone needs to talk him out of this." She replied turning back to the television. "You two have become awful chummy lately, you think you could talk some sense into him."

"I don't think there is anything Oliver Queen can tell him that can change his mind." Oliver said and Katie shook her head and looked back over to him.

"It's still weird when you do that." she replied. "And do you really think a visit from our hooded hero is the best idea right now?"

"I guess I'll find out."

"So you're leaving again?" Katie asked and Oliver met her eyes as she shook her head. "Right, this is the life of being the girlfriend to a hero." Oliver walked over to her with slight confusion. This was the first time she'd ever had a problem with his duties as the Arrow.

"Hey, I"m sorry, but this is important and I don't think it should wait." Oliver says wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. "I won't be gone long."

"I know." Katie replied with a slight smile. Oliver placed a soft kiss to her lips and looked into her eyes for a few moments. He'd often try to see the things she wouldn't tell him in her eyes and more often then none he was unsuccessful. "You should go before you miss him." Oliver just nodded before pulling away. Once he was gone, Katie sat down on the couch and flicked off the television and surrounding herself in darkness. Her plan was in motion and she was sure there was no stopping it now.

The next day, the mission was simple. If Blood was going to go through with this Rally, then they were going to have to find the guy blowing up the city. They all mulled about watching the news and waiting on Felicity to finish analyzing the remnants from the last explosion Lance had given to Oliver.

"You're quiet." Oliver says walking over to Katie who stood leaning against a wall off to herself. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, just thinking." Katie replied turning to him. "About this guy who likes to blow up things. Just reminds me that no matter how many bad guys you take down a night, there's always another one to take their place. You have to ask yourself if there is even a point?"

"I haven't gotten to that point yet." Oliver replied watching the woman closely. He still felt as if she was hiding something and he just didn't know what it was. "Have you?"

"I haven't been given the chance to get to that point." Katie replied turning away from him. "You seem to think I'm too fragile to actually go out there and make a difference."

"Not fragile, just...vulnerable." Oliver said and Katie turned to him in confusion.

"Vulnerable to what?"

"Ra's unlocked something inside of you. This thing that won't even let you sleep at night. I think going out there, putting on that mask is only going to awaken whatever that was. This Nura. She's not a hero, she's Ra's monster." Katie stared at Oliver with wide eyes obviously not expecting that answer from him. The crazy thing about is she thinks it's the truth and she's been trying to avoid it. "I just think you need to take some time to-" Katie held up a hand for him to stop talking. "Twinkie-"

"I think I got something." Felicity spoke and Katie just shook her head before they all walked over to hear Felicity's findings.

"I analyzed the bomb remnants we got from Lance. The design's identical to the bombs used by an anti government militia group called the Movement."

"Huh?" Katie muttered and their eyes turned to her. "Oh, sorry. I've heard of the movement. They're name was tossed around during my time with Doctors Without Boarders. They were causing headaches."

"Well lucky for us, they have a very active and hackable message board." Felicity said before typing in a few keys bringing up the board. "One of their most prolific fans has an IP address right here in Starling."

"Tell me." Oliver ordered his eyes still on the screen.

"The computer's in a local souvenir shop. The whackadoo in question goes by the username Shrapnel."

"You want back up?" John asked and Oliver glanced between him and Katie before shaking his head.

"No, you should head to the rally. Cover all our bases." Oliver said before glancing to Katie. "You should-"

"Go with him." Katie said before turning and grabbing her coat.

"That's not what I was going to say." Oliver replied following after her.

"I know that. I know you think me attempting to do good will some how feed the darkness inside of me-"

"That's not what I -"

"The opposite happens Oliver." Katie said and Oliver's words stopped when she said his name, something she rarely did. "The things I've done, lives I've helped saved are all things the demon taught me not to do. He taught me to think about only me, only my survival and when I go out there and put other's lives before mine, that's me beating him. So yes, I am going with John to the rally, in case this bastard tries to blow up our city once again." she glanced over to John with expectant look. "We should go." John glanced over to Oliver, unsure of what he should do until Oliver turned to him and just nodded. John walked over to grab his jacket before he and Katie left.

Oliver stood in the same spot for a few moments and Felicity turned to him.

"At some point you're going to have to get on the train Oliver." Felicity said and the man looked over to her. "You know you see it. We all do. She's good at this hero thing. Has the heart for it. It's time to just let her give it a try." Oliver stood there for a moment before turning and walking away.

Once everyone was gone, Felicity was left at the helm to make sure her team all came back safe and sound. She kept her eyes fixed on the monitor in front of her when she heard the back door of the basement open. She turned looking over her shoulder, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed at the man who walked inside before turning back to the screen.

"You know I expected that look, and it still gives me chills." Bruce said walking inside, looking around before turning back to Felicity. "Where is everyone?" He waited for a response, but got only silence, so he walked over and dropped in the seat beside her. "I'm sorry, I didn't plan on this, but-"

"What is this?" Felicity asked suddenly turning to the man. "Us. You and me, what are we doing?" Bruce stared at her for a moment, an immediate reply not hitting him at the moment. She let out a sigh before turning back to her computer. "We don't go on dates, and you don't tell me when you're going to take our friend's company from her, so tell what are we to each other?"

"That's a very big question Ms. Smoak." Bruce said and he smiled at the way she scrunched up her face at him using her last name. "I don't know what this is, but what I do know is that I care about you more than I thought I could care for another person. I know that when my life seems like shit, and I have absolutely no idea what my next move is, I think about you and it doesn't seem so bad." Bruce slid the chair closer to her and Felicity turned meeting his eyes. "I know that whenever you and I are in the same room, I count the seconds to when you will let me kiss you. It's been ninety seconds by the way." She didn't want to, but a smile curled at her lips. "So no, I don't know what this is, but I look forward to finding out." Felicity turned back to her computer with a shake of her head.

"Good answer Mr. Wayne." she soon felt Bruce's lips on her cheek and turned once again to meet his eyes.

"Too many seconds had gone by." he replied before looking over her shoulder to the computer. "You guys have any luck finding this guy who likes to blow things up."

"Yeah, we've found an IP address at this shop, Oliver is on his way to check it out, while Katie and John are at the rally as a back up in case things go south."

"This guy doesn't like the financial and business industry, right?" Bruce asked and Felicity simply nodded. "Well then maybe I could head there and make an appearance. Hopefully this guy takes the bait."

"That's awfully nice of you." Felicity replied watching the man stand to his feet. "Be careful."

"Careful is my middle name, Ms. Smoak." Bruce said and the woman rolled her eyes as she turned away from him. "Actually it's Anthony." she looked at him with a quirked eyebrow. "No else knows that so count yourself lucky." the man chuckled before turning and leaving.

John and Katie sifted through the crowd, keeping their eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. They'd been moving around for a while, and neither saw anything that looked like a bomb.

"This is too much area to cover." Katie said glancing over to John. "We should split up."

"I don't think so." John said and Katie just shook her head before turning and walking off. John tried to go after her, but the crowd was a bit thick and he soon lost her.

Vigilance was a lesson all on it's own taught religiously by the demon. Katie soon realized that there were some parts of her time with the league she just wouldn't be able to forget and those lessons were one of them. It's why her eyes moved analyzing everything around, every face she saw, every gesture in hopes that something stands out.

"You want to make a statement." she muttered to herself. "That means you'd kill them all." her eyes continued moving until she noticed something. The speakers. They surrounded the entire plaza and would be the perfect place to store a bomb that would cause the most damage. In so Katie went about her search.

She didn't realize that there were quite a few speakers, and each one she searched were clean. She had reached the last speaker she would search before trying a new angle. It wasn't until she noticed a removable back to the speaker. Removing the piece she soon found what she thinks they were looking for. It was a cellular device attached to the speaker. Katie lifts her eyes back to the crowd in search of John. When she sees him, he's still looking around until he meets her eyes. She waves him over and he rushes to see what she's found. Katie lowers her eyes back to the device when John appears beside her.

"I don't know a lot about bombs, but this doesn't look like something that should be in a speaker." Katie says glancing over to John whose eyes are looking down as well.

"It looks like a trigger." John says before placing a finger to his earpiece. "Yeah, Felicity." he glanced out into the crowd. "We're on the east side and I think Katie may have found the trigger. Alright."

"Felicity's here?" Katie asked and John nodded. "What happened with Oliver?" John simply shrugged before turning back to the device.

"Oliver said that the whole place was ringed with explosives." Felicity said walking over to them. She moved in closer to the device. "And I'm guessing this is the trigger."

"What happened at the shop with Oliver?" Katie asked.

"Our friend Shrapnel got one over on us again. We think he's somewhere here though. Oliver is on his way." Felicity said not tearing her gaze from the device. "He's going to activate it with a cellular transmission."

"Well we don't have to disarm it, just disable it." John says.

"I can do that...I think..." Felicity tilts her head slightly as she looks over the trigger. "I hope."

"At least sound a bit more confident Smoaks." Katie said before looking out into the crowd and then to the stage where Sebastian seemed to be in the middle of his speech. She notices a familiar face on the stage and her eyes go wide. "What the hell is Bruce doing here?"

"Hoping his presence will coax our friend to make an appearance." Felicity mutters as she types along the device.

"Listen, you be careful. He probably put in a safeguard. Tampering with it will set off a deadman's switch." John warns as he watches Felicity cautiously.

"Yeah, so don't die." Katie says bluntly gaining a look from the woman.

"Alright, step back." they all look up to see a man with a gun aimed right at them They figured from the gun and the phone in his hand, that there standing in front of them was none other than Shrapnel himself. "Or well all know how this ends."

"It doesn't have to." Katie says raising her hands and taking a slight step forward.

"Katie-" John warns, making sure to keep an eye on the man with the gun, but Katie chooses to ignore him.

"I know you think this somehow furthers your cause, but what you're doing doesn't do anything but brings more pain and crime to this city and that is something we could do with out. You're a smart guy, just think about this." Shrapnel stares at her for a moment and Katie noticed the slight twitch of his gun hand and she knew he wasn't used to being this close to the action. "We can help-" Katie takes another step forward which must have startled the man, because he lifted the gun a little more. John suddenly stepped forward, pushing Katie out of the way, just as Shrapnel pulled the trigger,a bullet hitting him square in the shoulder. The moment the shot was fired, all hell broke loose and the crowd erupted in chaos. Katie dropped to the ground beside John, her hand going to place pressure on his bleeding shoulder. "You stupid bastard."

"You're welcome!" John said before lifting his eyes to see Oliver pull up on his bike as Shrapnel tosses a grenade out in to the crowd. Oliver quickly pulls an arrow from his quiver that shoots out hitting the grenade causing it to explode mid air above the crowd. They turn back just as Shrapnel turns and runs off.

"Felicity." Katie says turning to the woman. "Here, place pressure on his shoulder." Katie removes her hands and Felicity replaces them.

"What are you doing?" John asks as Katie stands to her feet.

"Trying to help." Katie replied before turning and running after the man. She came to sliding halt when Oliver's bike slide in front of her. "What are you-"

"Go back to John, now!" his modulated voice growled before speeding off after Shrapnel.

Katie stood there both shocked and dumbfounded. Here she was with this undeniable need to help and yet he just wouldn't let her. She realized right then and there that maybe it was time to come to terms with the fact that she didn't have a place here. She wasn't the doctor and she wasn't the hero. She was the woman that was a walking poison that was going to hurt her friends at some point. It was time to stop pretending to be something she wasn't. It was time just give up. And that's what she did.

She walked away.

Author's Note:

She walked away? But where?!

Review Replies:

blue-lily295: We won't actually see this plan in motion until the next chapter. What we do know is that she walked away. There's no way Oliver is going to let her walk away without looking for her. She knows that too. Oh, yes there will be another Lex interaction, next chapter actually. He's actually part of the plan. Hmmmm, I haven't planned on crossing comic verses, but hey I'm going with the flow, so some marvel crossing couple possibly happen.

Estrelinha19: Well thank you very much. I'm so glad you're enjoying the chapter. I love dropping those sneak peeks just to get you all wondering what is going to happen next. You're gonna love the one I leave today.

Ashilz: In a perfect world there would be no secrets or deception, but we have yet to find that world. Oliver and Katie love each other, but they're still trying to acclimate to a world outside of their imprisonments and that mean letting go some of the lessons that kept them a live for so many years. I want them to be happy too and stop running from each other, but they have to figure it out for themselves. Katie's demons are still alive and it's making it hard for her to just be happy and soon we're going to see a ghost from Oliver's past whose gonna be seeking revenge. Mr. Wilson's coming, and he's definitely gonna shake things up a bit. Apparently there is not only a connection with Oliver, but a connect with the late Jacob Robins.

hayden: I know Lex and Katie don't seem like a match, but people are never who they seem when we first meet them. I'm glad she realized there was something off about Lex before it was too late. I'm glad I got the wheels spinning about Lian, but nope not Malcolm or Jacob. Here's another hint...the closest connection to Lian Katie has just so happens to be Oliver. That reveal is going to be very surprising, trust me.

Can you believe our favorite show comes on tonight?! I just had to post this because I'm sure I won't even be able to form thoughts after getting my much needed Arrow dose. Special shout outs to everyone whose discovered this story and added to your favs and follow lists. I'm glad you liked it enough to see where it goes. I also want to thank those who took the time out to leave a review. I do get super nervous when I don't hear anything from you guys and just like knowing that this story isn't completely horrible.

And now for your sneak peek...

"What's going on?" Bruce asked looking over to Oliver who looked way more tense then usual. He let his eyes glance around the lair before they narrowed back to Oliver. "Where's Robins?" Oliver simply turned to him with annoyed look that seemed to be answer enough for the mogul. "Felicity, you need to check all the airports, train stations, bus-"

"I don't have to." Felicity spoke staring at her computer. "She's in Starling." she looks over her shoulder to Oliver. "Apparently at the Starling City Plaza Hotel. I guess she just needed some time to herself." Oliver turned away for a moment, before a slight growl escaped his lips. He turned, grabbing his jacket and keys before storming out. "I thought this would be a good thing."

"It probably would be if Lex Luthor also wasn't staying at the Plaza." Bruce muttered