Chapter 20

The Blinded Heart

"There is no instinct like that of the heart."

-Lord Byron

"We have a problem."

Those were definitely not words Bruce wanted to hear the moment they stepped inside of an illegal underground casino. He looked over to Katie, her eyes never leaving the woman who was standing beside the black jack table.

"That woman,the blonde, I know her?"

"How?"

"She's friends with Oliver." Katie said finally turning to the man. "I need to go talk to her."

"Fine, I'll look around." Bruce replied before they split off.

Katie grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a sip. She wish she could drink more, but this night could definitely do without drunk Twinkie. She sifted through the crowd until she was standing right beside the woman at the table. She leaned her back against the table, her eyes scanning the crowd.

"What are you doing here Smoak?"

"That's funny, there's a very angry archer in my ear telling me to ask you that question." Felicity replied as she glanced down to the cards in front of her. "He wants you to leave." Katie turned to the woman with a smile before leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

"We don't always get what we want Liver." she made sure those words were spoken as clear as possible into the earpiece that was in the woman's ear.

"Blackjack!" the dealer called and Felicity's smiled widely down at the cards before looking to Katie's whose eyes were on something else. Felicity followed her gaze to see a man walking over to them. His eyes were on Felicity, and he was not happy.

"Miss, can you come with me?"

"Is something wrong?" Felicity asked and the man seemed to lean in a bit.

"Get. Up." the man asked his voice taking on a serious tone that left no room for opposition.

"That's not nice." Katie said sitting her glass down on the table and moving to stand between Felicity and the man. "Didn't your mother ever teach you how to speak to lady?" Katie looked over his shoulder to see two more guards appear to back him up. "Tough guy needs his friends against a couple of girls?" the man grabbed Katie arm hard, while one of the other guards grabbed Felicity and pushed them off the casino floor. It wasn't until they were in some sort of hallway did they let them go, but kept them surrounded. Felicity walked along side Katie, her eyes seeing a very strange look in the woman's eyes. It was familiar. It was a look of someone planning something. Katie took a quick step forward, but Felicity quickly looped her arm with hers to stop her. Katie turned to Felicity in confusion.

"It's fine." Felicity whispered and just then Katie realized that this was apart of the plan all along. "Oh there's the bathroom." Felicity spoke and Katie followed her eyes. " I should've known the manager's office would be down the hall and to the right of the bathroom."

They were slightly pushed into an office, a man sitting behind a desk looked up to them.

"Mr. Alonzo." one of the men greeted before pushing them further into the office.

"Please-" Dominic said pointing to the seats opposite his desk. "Sit." Felicity nodded and began walking over to one of the chairs, while Katie stood in her spot. Felicity looked back hoping she wasn't planning anything before she could access the computer. Katie met her eyes and simply sighed before walking over to sit in the other chair. "What are your names?"

"Megan" Felicity answered quickly and the man turned to Katie.

"I'm one of those rare humans who was born without a name. You have no idea how hard it was for me in school."

"You're funny. Do you know where the term eighty six comes from?" he asked and Katie simply tilted her head and shrugged.

"I do actually." Felicity said with a nervous smile. Katie looked over and noticed something glowing in Felicity's hands that the woman quickly plugged into the man's computer. Katie turned away to keep from drawing any attention to the action. "There was a- an illegal casino, not like this one, located at 86 Bedford street in New York, and God, you know, I'm just gonna stop talking."

"Now it means to ban someone, someone who's cheating." the man replied looking between the two women sitting in front of him. "You're 86'd. Leave your chips and go." Felicity nodded a look of relief washing over her before standing to her feet. Katie did the same before they began walking toward the door. The hairs on the back of her neck stood, and Katie stopped moving when she heard the man stand from his chair. That's when she slowly moved to stand between Felicity and Alonzo. "Oh ladies one more thing." the guard by the door moved to block their way before taking out some sort of device that beeped a little louder the closer it was to Felicity. "You see the thing about card counters, they sometimes work with a partner on the outside." He placed a hand on Katie's shoulder before pushing her out of the way, causing her to fall to the floor on her hands and knees. Dominic took a step toward Felicity and reached up to her ear and plucked out the hidden earpiece. He dropped it to the floor and stepped on it with a chuckle.

"I don't think my partner is who you should be worried about." Felicity said and the man looked at her amused.

"Oh, really blondie? Who should I be worried about?"

"Probably me." a voice spoke and they all turned to Katie who was now standing to her feet, her heels now tossed aside. It was the guard who went for her first as Katie expected. "We have some questions for you Mr. Alonzo, but first your puppy looks like he needs a nap." The large man reached to grab Katie, but she jumped out of his reach before tossing a kick to his stomach and then to the back of his leg causing him to quickly fall to his knees in front of her. Just as he did, she grabbed the back of his head before jerking her knee up and knocking him out. She let him fall to the floor before climbing over him toward Alonzo, who pulled out a gun and aimed it at her. She held up her hands as if to surrender and sarcastically said, "Oh no, he has a gun. Whatever will we do now?"

The moment the ear piece lost signal, Oliver grabbed his gear and got dressed. He held his bow firmly in his hand, an arrow at the ready for the two guards he knew were going to be at the door. When he rounded the corner, he didn't expect to see both men lying on the ground, and the Batman standing above them.

"What took you so long?" he asked, his voice still rough and gravelly even though the two men knew who was underneath each others disguises. Oliver simply ignored the question before stalking toward the door and going inside. Just as expected gun fire erupted and Oliver was ready with his bow. Bullets and arrows were flying all over the casino that was now chaos with people running and screaming. Oliver was about to go in search of Katie and Felicity when he heard someone running up behind him. He prepared another arrow, and spun around about to shoot when a black bat shaped dagger pierced the man's chest knocking him off his feet. Oliver looked over to Bruce who nodded. "I think the words you're searching for are thank you." Oliver grumbled under his breath and restrained himself from shooting one of his arrows at the man, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Oliver ran to the back of the casino, down the hall where he spotted the bathroom. He turned right and saw the office labeled manager just as a gun shot rang from the other side.

"No." Oliver whispered before running toward the door, before kicking it open, his arrow ready to be fired. Oliver didn't know what he was going to see when he entered that office, but what he didn't expect to see was Katie standing above Dominic Alonzo with a gun pointed at him as he gripped his bleeding knee cap.

"Remember how you said I didn't have it in me to shoot you?" Katie asked glaring down to the man. "Remember that when we ask you a couple of questions." Katie looked over her shoulder to see Oliver, in full on vigilante gear, but it was vigilante behind him that she didn't expect to see.

"Oh my God." Felicity shrieked her eyes drawn to the Batman who walked in behind Oliver. "You're the, well you obviously know who you are because you're well him, I just-" she reached out and poked his arm to see if he really was standing right there just inches away from her. "Oh my God."

Oliver stalked toward the man and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and forced him to his feet, slamming him against the wall.

"Where is Walter Steele?!" Oliver asked angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Dominic asked practically shaking in fear.

Katie turned away from Oliver shaking down Alonzo to the man dressed like a bat who refused to look at her.

"Where is Bruce?" Katie asked walking over to him. He met her eyes and this time, without anything prohibiting her from seeing clearly, she saw it. What he really didn't want her to see. And that was the man behind the mask.

"He's dead. I delivered, They killed him and I heard the gun shot. He's dead." Those words were not what Oliver wanted to hear, and in a moment of pure anger he drew back his fist and punched the man in the face knocking him out.

"Shit." Katie said rushing over to the man, but Oliver caught her arm. "Will you let me go. I'm not done with him yet. He knows whose sending people to kill me."

"We have his computer, we have everything he knows." Oliver replied looking down to her. "We need to get out of here now." He pulled back his hood and looked over to Felicity whose eyes were glistening with tears. "Felicity-" she held up her hands to stop him before she grabbed her bug, turned and rushed out of there. Oliver sighed before looking over to Katie who stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You two know each other, behind the masks I guess." Katie said looking between Oliver and Bruce. "And here I was thinking you two were through surprising me." She turned to Bruce and shook her head. "Some team we are huh?" she shook her head before stalking past the man out the door as well.

"You shouldn't have brought her here."

"Because she clearly can't take care of herself, huh?"

"You had no idea what she could've found down here. Did you even care?"

"You have a lot to learn about me Oliver. One of those things is, everything I do has a purpose."

"What was the purpose of this?"

"Answers." Bruce replied. "She has a lot of questions and no answers and she can't move forward without those answers."

"You need to be careful with her. You have no idea what she's been through and-"

"Oliver, I know more about what she's been through than anyone in this world. Why don't you focus on telling your mother that her husband's dead and then see how she reacts."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Bruce simply shook his head before turning toward the door. "Are you going to answer me?"

"She told me that you have a hard time seeing what's right in front of your face. She also said that you have a difficult time seeing what's not. Open your eyes Oliver and see what's been happening right in front of you."

It was moving around inside of her. The darkness that was created inside of her. She felt it the moment her hands wrapped around the cold steel of that gun. She could feel it even more when she pulled that trigger and heard him scream in pain. She liked it and that made her sick to her stomach. When she got home she quickly ran to her room and stripped off every piece of clothing she had on before jumping in the shower to wash it away. She was in the shower for about an hour when she realized that no amount of scrubbing could wash away something that was now in her blood.

Katie was barely conscious, if conscious at all. It's a very strange feeling when you don't even know if what is happening you is actually happening or if you're hallucinating. Katie wrists were bound above her by chains that were held to the ceiling and her ankles were the same, only chained to the floor. She was no longer standing, she no longer had the strength to stand. At this point she was just hanging by her wrists praying for death. It had been days, probably weeks that she'd been pushed into this room and forced to go without food or water or sunlight. She was imprisoned in the darkness. Everyday...every single God damn day, Ra's paid her a visit. For those few moments, light was brought in, in the form of candles that would be circled around her.

Today when he walked in, she didn't even acknowledge him as she kept her head rested in the most comfortable position she'd found, and that was propped up against her up arm. He walked around, so her dazed eyes met his. He narrowed his gaze as he always did when he looked into her eyes as if searching for something. This time though a smile crept to his lips.

"What are you thinking about right now?" she lifted her eyes slightly and looked at him for a moment.

"Longer chains." her dry, rough voice replied. His brow furrowed for a moment as he let his eyes lift to the shackles around her wrists and the ones on her ankles.

"Why?" a smile came to her lips that even she doesn't know how she was able to form.

"Just a couple of more inches and I could strangle you before you could even call your league of merry men." she replied holding his gaze.

"There it is." Ra's said before lifting a hand and snapping a finger. "I knew today would be the day. It was only a matter of time." two of his men came into the room and began unclasping the shackles. Once she was free, Katie dropped limp in their arms. The practically had to drag her toward the demon head. "I knew it would come out sooner or later."

"What?" she asked and he grabbed her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his.

"The darkness you're going to need if you ever plan on leaving this place."

After her shower Katie sat on the edge of her bed for probably another hour or so, her eyes closed as she tried to make it go away. It was always hard to bury the darkness, but she could feel it moving through her veins. Her finger tips twitched on her lap and she tried to calm herself. A rough laugh cut through the room and she opened her eyes to see her first tormentor.

"You can't fight what you've become. No one can save you from this."

Katie grabbed her jacket and stalked out the door. She couldn't sit still because if she did, her demons came out to play. She needed a distraction and she hoped she would find it at the foundry. The moment she opened her front door, she almost ran into Bruce who was about to knock.

"What are you doing here?" Katie asked before shoving him back and closing her door behind her. She walked around him and began walking down the sidewalk as she snaked her phone from her pocket and pressed a familiar button. "Shouldn't you be visiting your new best- yes, I need a taxi-" her phone was plucked from her hand and she spun around angrily. "What are you doing?" Bruce hung up the phone before looking down to her.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't really care." she replied reaching for her phone, but he held it out of her reach. "You want to dress up as a-" she shook her head at the deja vu in this conversation. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. Maybe I didn't want to see that look in your eyes." he said pointing to her eyes. "That look like you don't know who I am."

"I don't know who you are." she replied once again reaching for her phone, but he wouldn't let her have it. "Why does everyone think I'm the one who's going to spazz when she finds out they have a thing about costumes?"

"I don't have a thing about costumes, I-"

"Like to dress up like a Bat and fly around Gotham and fight bad guys."

"No, I mean, yeah sort of. Well-" he shook his head in frustration. "Shut up for one second. I do this because I was given these skills that my city needs. I can protect them from the Falcone's of the world and stop another kid from growing up without parents." Katie took a step toward him, bringing her so close that there was barely any space between them.

"I know how strong the darkness can be that he brought out in us. I'm glad you found a way to redirect it." she punched his shoulder, before quickly grabbing her phone back. "I think at this point we're beyond hiding from each other, so don't do it again." she turned and began walking again.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business!"

"Are you going to Oliver's secret base of operations that's cleverly located under his club?" Bruce asked and Katie stopped walking and turned to him. "I'm pretty good at what I do." he nudged his head behind him. "And I have a car and can give you a ride." Katie stared at him for a moment inwardly debating on whether she should go. "We're a team Robins. I promise." Katie walked over to him and stared at him for a moment, her eyes unreadable. After a few moments, she walked around him and headed toward his car.

When they arrived at the foundry, Katie lead Bruce down the alley that lead to the basement entrance.

"You think we'll be alright with me being here?" Bruce asked suddenly which caused Katie to stop walking and turned to him.

"You haven't been here before?"

"No."

"Then how did you know where it was?"

"I followed him here once." Bruce said with a shrug that made Katie roll her eyes.

"Fine, just wait here. I'll call you if you're clear to come in." she replied before turning and heading inside. When she opened the door, it was completely dark except for a light from a lamp. Katie walked inside. She could hear his breathing, and so she followed the sound. She used the light from her cell phone to give her light, which helped her spot him sitting on the floor. She let out a sigh before walking over and sliding to sit beside him on the floor beside him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"My house has ghosts. They only disappear when you're there and so I decided to come find my ghost buster." she looked over to him and even though she couldn't see his face, she knew that made him smile. "I'm sorry about Walter. I didn't know him well, only from passing. But what I did see, he seemed like a good man and he loved your mother-" that made Oliver scoff. "What?"

"I told my mother that Walter was dead."

"How did she take it?"

"She didn't believe it. Like she just knew it wasn't true and so when she left the mansion, I followed her."

"Where did she go?"

"To see Malcolm Merlyn." Oliver let out a deep sigh as the information he'd just found out spun around in his head. "Walter's alive. Apparently my mother has been working with Malcolm because he's been keeping Walter held hostage somewhere." They both heard the sounds of footsteps before the lights suddenly came on. When they did, they found that their eyes were looking at each other. Katie could see the pain in his eyes as the realization of his mother's involvement seemed to be hitting him. She placed a hand on the side of his cheek, and he leaned into her touch.

"I've been sitting in the dark too." a familiar voice spoke and they both turned to see Felicity. "Am I interrupting. I feel like I keep interrupting. I should get my Twiver radar checked."

"Twiver?" Katie said looking over to the woman as she came down the stairs.

"Twinkie, Liver" Felicity said looking between the two of them. "That's what I'm calling you guys now."

"How about you just don't" Katie suggested standing to her feet. "And you're fine. You kind of have perfect timing"

"What's going on?" Felicity asked looking between the two. Oliver told her that Walter was alive, and she couldn't believe it. But she saw the certainty in his eyes. And so Oliver told her to trace the call Malcolm made to the location of wherever Walter was being held.

"Can you bring up a satellite image?" Oliver asked and once Felicity did, they all looked to the heavily guarded facility.

"That's a lot of security for low income housing." Felicity muttered as she zoomed into get a better look at what they were dealing with. "There's two guys stationed at all access points."

"And just one on the roof."

"Yeah, and who knows how many on the inside." Katie added and Oliver let out a sigh before turning to her. "I know I'm not in the inner circle of team Katniss, but you going there by yourself is still kind of dangerous. You need back up."

"You're not coming with me."

"Then you're going to have to settle for the alternative." Katie said taking out her cell phone and sending out a quick text.

"What alternative?" and as if on cue, the back door opened and in walked Bruce. "Absolutely not!" he glared over to Bruce before turning to Katie. "You had no right to bring him here!"

"I'm sorry, did I miss the part where you two kicked some serious ass at that casino. Whether you like it or not Liver, you two work very well together and since you were an ass and your usual partner quit, it's either the Batman or Twinkie?" Oliver glared at the woman who simply folded her arms over her chest and just looked back just as defiantly. "Your choice."

In the end Katie and Felicity held down the fort while Bruce and Oliver went to save Walter. The guys had just left and Katie realized that she really didn't have the patience to just wait.

"So you do this like all the time?" Katie asked and Felicity looked over to her from her spot behind her computers. "Hang back, while they go out and catch the bad guys."

"Yeah, I like the safeness that my babies bring." Felicity said glancing down to her computers with a smile. "I leave the heavy lifting to Oliver and John." the smile fell at the mention of her friend. "I guess it's just Oliver now."

"I'm sorry, I feel like I'm to blame for John leaving."

"Oliver's right. What's going on between John and him is definitely just between them."

"But I had a part, right?" Felicity didn't say anything as she turned back to the video that was monitoring the safe house Walter was being held. "I would guess you know where John lives, right?" Felicity turned to the woman with a shake of her head.

"That is definitely a bad idea. I'm like ninety nine point nine percent sure someone will be shot because of it."

"And I'm one hundred percent sure that Oliver can't afford to lose any friends. And I'm one hundred and ten percent positive that I can't be the reason, even if slightly. I have a way with people and I just want to talk to him."

"He doesn't really like you all that much."

"That has never stopped me in the past."

In the end, Felicity caved because at this point she would accept any help to get her team back together. Katie really wasn't sure what she could do exactly, but she knew that if she could just talk to him, then maybe she could help fix what she had broken.

Katie stood outside his door for a full five minutes before actually knocking. It wasn't a loud knock. It was a, "if he doesn't hear it, at least I can say I tried" knock. John Diggle was a man who had very good hearing apparently, because the door soon swung open. Katie met John's darkened glare with a bright smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked impatiently.

"Wow, you don't get many guests do you?" John began to close his door and Katie quickly stepped forward. "Wait, alright, I'm here because I feel guilty."

"For what? Oliver is a grown man who makes his own decisions. He chose to not be there when I needed him, and that's why I left."

"The thing is Oliver is stupid sometimes." Katie stated and despite his annoyance with the woman, that actually made him smile. "And he tries his best to help everyone, and sometimes in his quests he misses someone. Do you know why Oliver and I are even friends?"

"You know I'm still trying to figure that out." John replied crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oliver was surrounded by people who told him what he wanted to hear whether it was true or not. He had one person to tell him that if he didn't focus on something then he wouldn't survive in life. He realized that he needed more people like that. People he could trust, he could count on. Oliver doesn't have many people like that in his life and I doubt he can afford to lose any."

"Look I appreciate you coming here to try to help, but in the end I just need to hear these things from one person."

"Right, I get it. Just know that he's a bit emotionally damaged, and it takes him a very long time to admit when he's wrong about something. So trust me when I say that at some point, very soon he's going to show up at this door to finally say he's sorry. Just keep an open mind about accepting it." John simply gave her a nod. "Alright, that's all I came to say and now I'll leave you to your life of seclusion."

"As compared to your life of seclusion."

"I wish I had seclusion. I'm never alone, even when I am." John looked a bit confused at that statement and Katie just shook her head. "Whatever, I guess I'll see you around." Katie turned about to leave, and John probably should've let her, but there was an opportunity here that he doesn't think he can afford to pass up.

"Let me ask you something." he said and Katie stopped and turned to face him. "Bullshit aside, what aren't you telling us?" Katie let out a deep sigh as she turned away. "Is it bad?"

"Depends on your point of view." Katie replied looking back up to him. "I was taken by very bad people who did very fucked up shit to me and now when I look in the mirror I don't recognize the person looking back at me. Trust me John, me not talking about it isn't me purposely being secretive, I just-" a flash of a memory hit her right then. John glanced down to her hands that twitched at her side and he reached forward to grab her shoulder, but she quickly backed away from his touch. "Nothing I'm not saying in any way bring danger to you guys."

"What about China White? You knew something about that?"

"After she tried to kill me. Hopefully she's the last skeleton I have to worry about?"

"What about whoever wants you dead?"

"A year ago I returned to the DWB, I was in a hospital for about six months before being questioned by probably every government agency in the US before getting on a plane and returning to Starling. In that year no one tried to kill me."

"You're thinking it's someone here."

"It has to be. I mean as soon as I come home, a series of unfortunate events start up. It can't be a coincidence."

"You know I think I've learned more about you in these last couple of moments then I have in all the time that I've known you."

"It's time. I just need time. As I'm sure you can understand from your time in the army, some of the things you see, or that happen to you, you carry it forever. I'm realizing every day just how much of the past I'm carrying."

"Maybe you should let it go."

"I don't think I can, or at least ready to."

"Well then maybe you should find someone to help you carry it. Someone who's familiar with your kind of demons."

"You volunteering Mr. Diggle?"

"No, I'm man enough to admit when I see a challenge I can't beat. You should talk to Oliver. I think you'd be surprise how much in common you two have. All I'm saying is, at some point he's going to come to you, probably very soon asking to help you and I just think that maybe you should consider accepting it." Katie gave the man a smile before nodding. "Do you need a ride or something?"

"No, I borrowed a friend's car" Katie said holding up the keys to Bruce's Lamborghini. "And it is borrowing even if I didn't officially ask him and he didn't officially say yes."

"Keep telling yourself that Twinkie." John replied and Katie pointed a glare at him with a pointed finger. "It is very endearing."

"Bite me." Katie bit back before turning and sauntering off down the hall.

Katie was riding the elevator when a text came to her phone. When she looked down, she read the message from Felicity telling her that Bruce and Oliver found Walter and that they were taking him to the hospital. Since the night was young and Katie wanted to go anywhere but to her empty house, she decided she'd go for support.

Katie arrived at the hospital just moments after Walter was brought in. She bumped into one of his nurses and as luck would have it, an old friend of Katie's from school.

"So he's hooked up to an IV, because I doubt he was being properly feed and hydrated while being held by criminals."

"Yeah, the doctor ordered it first thing. He's really doing alright." the nurse glanced down to her watch. "I should go, but it was good seeing you."

"You too Penny." Katie said with a wave as the woman rushed off. Katie let out a tired sigh before walking over to the waiting area and collapsing in one of the seats. It didn't take long for her to close her eyes and drop her head back, before she let the exhaustion finally take over.

Katie's eyes were closed underneath the blindfold, and there was barely any noise around her, but she knew she wasn't alone. She knew that there were four...no five men surrounding her. She held the katana tightly in her hand, as she tilted her head and listened closely to the heart beats of the men around her. She heard one footstep move closer to her, and she quickly swung her sword blocking a hit. Just as she did, another move was made behind her, so she spun around to block that one. All of sudden they chose to attack at once, and Katie found herself moving to the sounds around her. Suddenly everything stopped and she was just standing, practically out of breath waiting for the next attack, but it didn't come.

There was a single hand clap that broke through the silence and Katie quickly pulled the blindfold from her eyes to see men lying on the floor surrounding her.

"Almost perfect." Ra's said and Katie turned to him with a look of confusion.

"I'm still standing, how is that almost perfect?" his eyes looked down to her arm and Katie followed his gaze to see blood dripping from a wound. She didn't even know she's been hit.

"You were quick, but not quick enough." he said walking over to her and placing himself right in front of her. "You failed-"

"Wait!" Katie practically pleaded knowing where this was all headed.

"You need another lesson in agility."

"No, just give me another-" Ra's lifted his hand and snapped his fingers and before she knew it, men appeared on either side of her, grabbing her and pulling her away. Katie struggled in their grasps, but it was no use. Soon they appeared at a familiar door, one that opened too quickly. Katie was pushed through and landed on her hand and knees on the hot sand when she heard the heavy door slammed closed behind her. Just then, a loud, deep roar sounded around her and Katie quickly jumped to her feet. Her eyes scanned around seeing nothing but sand and rocks, for the source, but she didn't see anything. She knew it was there, probably watching her and waiting.

"I guess this is round two you son of bitch" Katie muttered before she ran in search for a place to hide until morning.

When Katie opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the heart beat underneath her ear once again and she figured she had to be dreaming. She lifted her head slightly, just as Oliver looked down to her with a small smile.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked.

"Well if you are, it has to be one awesome dream if I'm in it." Oliver replied, his arm still wrapped around her. "What are you doing here?"

"Felicity told me you guys were bringing Walter here and I thought I'd-" she let out a yawn as she pulled away to stretch a bit. "I don't know be here for you." she met his eyes and realized how that sounded. "And your mom and Thea." she saw a window and saw that it was now morning. "I must've been here longer than I thought." she turned back to Oliver. "How's Walter?"

"He's fine. My mother and Thea are with him now."

"He mention anything about who took him?" Katie asked an Oliver just shook his head. "Well we know who took him. We know your mother's involved apparently and we know that they're planning something, right?"

"The Undertaking." Oliver muttered and Katie looked at him in confusion. "I don't know what it is, but I'm afraid it's big and it's going to hurt a lot of people."

"Wow." Katie said with a slight shrug. "Well I would help you, but I still haven't been officially inducted into Team Robin Hood."

"Do you just sit and think of this stuff?" Oliver asked and Katie chuckled before dropping her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"So how was teaming up with Bruce? I'm not going to find him riddled with arrows, am I?"

"No, no matter how much I wish he did. Fine, I'll admit, he's good. Really good."

"Can I say it?"

"No."

"Just let me say it Liver."

"I really don't-"

"Please, please please-"

"Fine!"

"I told you so." Katie sang with a smile as she looked up to Oliver who simply shook his head. "I was right, you were wrong. I'm the genius in this relationship and-" Oliver dropped his eyes to hers, and it happened again. They got sucked into those feelings that they tried burying, that they tried ignoring. It seemed to be no use, because in this moment nothing else existed around them. "You're lucky to have me in your life."

"I really am." Oliver replied, his voice suddenly hoarse as he leans in closer to her.

"Ollie!" a voice spoke and Oliver pulled away too quick for it to be unnoticeable. They both turned to see Laurel standing there, her eyes glancing between Katie and Oliver, before she turned to him. "Uh, hey."

"Hey." Oliver said with a smile before standing to his feet. He was about to walk over to her, but stopped and looked down to Katie who looked away from him. "I'm just-"

"Go." Katie said turning back to face him. "It's Laurel. Just go." her phone rang and Katie quickly grabbed it from her pocket. Once she looked down to the number, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Shit. I forgot I stole a car." She jumped to her feet, looking over to Oliver. "I guess I'll see you around." She barely glanced at Laurel, before she rushed down the hall.

Katie's phone was pressed to her ear when she practically ran out the doors of the hospital.

"I know, I'm so, sorry, I'm bringing your car, like right now."

"Don't even bother." a voice spoke from behind her and Katie spun around only to come face to face with Bruce. She pulled the phone from her ear and simply held up the keys to him. "So car thief is on your resume too?"

"Car borrowing" Katie replied with an innocent smile as he took the keys from her. "I'm sorry, I forgot that I don't own a car."

"You know, I could-"

"No you can't" Katie replied looking around and spotting a coffee truck. " They probably sell decent coffee, huh?" she nudged her head and Bruce followed behind her. "So I hear it went well last night."

"Yeah, I was actually impressed. He's helping my perception of him every day." Katie threw him a slight smile. "But I have to say, someone who can't see someone like you standing in front of him, will always be an idiot in my book."

"Hey, I'm standing in front of you and you haven't made a move yet Wayne."

"You know if you weren't practically my sister, and I didn't hear your father threatening me every time I had an impure thought about you, I would totally make a move." Katie shook her head at the man when something...she should probably say someone caught her eyes. Bruce followed eyes to the entrance of the hospital, to see Malcolm Merlyn standing with his phone to his ear.

"You know I don't think I need Felicity to find out what's on the bug. I mean I think we've found our common thread. What are the chances that a place that people who tried to killed me have passed through once or twice would be the same place that Malcolm Merlyn goes when he needs a criminal to do his bidding?"

"You think Malcolm is the one trying to kill you?" Bruce asked, his eyes never leaving the man. "Why would he do that?"

"My father's company." Katie said just realizing what was sitting right in her face. "He's the one who would probably pounce on my father's estate if something happened to me. Plus there's the fact that he hated my father and probably wouldn't mind sticking it to him one more time."

"We need proof Robins." Bruce replied and Katie glanced over to him to see the darkened look in his eyes as he looked over to the man.

"Well we could go ask him." Katie said unexpectedly. Bruce turned to her about to ask if she was kidding, but his question was answered when she suddenly began walking toward the man.

Malcolm turned and saw the two walking over to him and couldn't help the smile that came to his face.

"Let me call you back." he said quickly to whoever was on his phone before pulling it from his ear. "So I guess you heard the good news. It's a miracle isn't it? I thought for sure Walter was dead."

"Well I figure he was just kidnapped by some very stupid criminals"

"I hear the mastermind behind the whole thing is still out there." Bruce said and Malcolm turned to him.

"You know I heard that too. I'm sure whatever Walter knows is going to lead to the son of bitch behind this." she looked over to Bruce. "I bet he's behind a lot of the crime here in Starling." Katie's eyes went Back to Malcolm. "Hell he's probably the one behind my string of bad luck with people trying to shoot me."

"Maybe." Malcolm said before glancing down to his phone. "If you two will excuse me, I should be getting back to work."

"It was great seeing you again Malcolm. We should get some lunch some time to catch up." Bruce said surprising both Katie and Malcolm.

"Yeah we should definitely set that up." Malcolm replied shaking Bruce's hand. The man turned to Katie and just smiled. "Doctor Robins." and with that he walked around them to find his car. Katie and Bruce turned and watched the man until he stepped into his car and sped away.

"Alright, he knows we know something now." Bruce said. "So he's going to start cleaning house." he turned Katie. "We need something. A lead."

"We have one, we just have to get to it."

"Moira"

"That should be interesting." Katie replied before heading back to get her coffee.

That night Katie sat curled up on the could in her pajamas with a bowl of ice cream. If anyone asked her she would tell them it was the first bowl. She lifted her head when she heard the front door and, and soon Oliver appeared.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home with your recently reunited family?"

"Mom is staying at the hospital with Walter and Thea has gone where ever Thea goes when she's not with us, so I decided to come to check on you." Katie stared at him for a moment and he looked like there was more he wanted to say. He turned to the television which was currently some infomercial, as he pulled off his jacket. "I talked to John tonight, he said you stopped by."

"It was nothing." Katie said taking another bite from her ice cream as she kept her eyes on the television. She felt Oliver looking at her, and she tried her best not to turn to him, but it was as if he was in her head because against the voice in her head telling her not to, Katie met his eyes. Oliver grabbed the bowl of ice cream from her hands and sat in on the coffee table in front of them.

"I was still eating that."

"And I will give it back" He replied once again turning to her. "I need to ask you something that's very important." Katie felt her heart begin to pick up speed when he took her hand in his. "The day I met you, I knew there was just something different about you...strange...odd?" Katie punched his shoulder and Oliver couldn't help but laugh. "No seriously, the day I met you I knew you were someone I wanted in my life. And I like to think that in a way I did that." Katie rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. "Fine it was a stupid, mean, self serving way, but I had you and that's all I really cared about at the time."

"My ice cream will be melted by time you're done won't it?"

"Stop, look this is important. A part of me thinks I should do this, and the other part tells me not." Katie's brow furrowed in confusion as Oliver dropped his eyes to her hand before once again meeting her eyes. "Since you've been back I thought keeping you and my other life separate was for the best." Katie's eyes widened at the statement because she just knew where this was going. "Everyday I learn that is becoming very impossible. And surprisingly it was Diggle who made me realize that you were already apart of it. So I'm deciding to make it official."

"Is this how all the team was initiated?"

"Stop talking."

"Like did you hold John's hand too and stare deeply in his eyes?"

"You know what, never mind." Oliver replied dropping her hand and standing to his feet. Katie quickly jumped up and hopped on his back, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"Oh, just come out with it you overly dramatic-"

"Fine, I want you to be apart of the team." Oliver finally said looking over his shoulder to Katie, waiting for a response. "What do you say?" Katie turned away as if in thought, and Oliver just shook his head. Of course after nagging him about this, when he finally asks she would be a pain about it. "I will drop you." Katie just laughed before turning back to him.

"Fine, I will be happy to join team Robins." Katie said before jumping off of his back.

"We will never, ever be called that." Oliver replied turning to see her gabbing her ice cream and turning back to the television. He walked over to sit beside her, grabbing the remote and flipping off the television.

"Now what? You don't have to beg me any more to be about of your team, I already agreed." Katie whined reaching for the remote, but Oliver kept it out of reach.

"Beg? Really?" Katie tried to grab the remote again, but he was being annoying and not giving it to her. "Look if you are going to do this, then you're going to have to follow the rules."

"There are rules?"

"Yes, and the number one rule is not negotiable. I am in charge and if I tell you to do something, then there will be no questions, or smart comeback, you do it, understand?"

"Fine, whatever" Katie replied even though she doesn't even think she's capable of such a thing. "So will I be going out flying across the city and-"

"No, your place will be at the foundry with Felicity. If I come back bleeding profusely, you stop it. That's the scope of your position on the team."

"You're joking?"

"I don't joke." Oliver said seriously before standing to his feet and heading for the kitchen.

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts!"

Author's Note:

And so team Arrow has an official new team member who I'm sure is bound to shake things up. And then there's TWIVER! I love where Felicity's mind goes, and Twiver is the best thing since sliced bread let me tell you.

Anyone else noticed Bruce knowing just a little bit more than everyone around him? What the hell is our caped crusader hiding?"

Review Replieshayden: Oh, how I love teasing you guys. It will only get worse I'm sorry, but trust me when I say you will not leave this story without seeing some good stuff, trust me.

GhostofaGirl03: You know I think you're right, and now Mr. Alonzo will never walk the same again. Haha, I'm glad you're liking the story and thanks for the review!

lovinurbuks: Ah, thanks for another laugh, and uh Liver Flavored Twinkies aren't the number one thing on my grocery list but it's funny as hell. Twinkie is beautiful, but it's hard to escape the stigma of your past I guess. I'm sure she'll get over it at some point. And yeah, maybe your ship doesn't roll off the tongue, try TWIVER! lol I'm way too into this name. Thanks for the review.

Ashilz: Ah, that scene was just so frustrating to write, because Katie finally moved a chess piece and put a possibility out there. "You don't want this to be awkward, do you?" He was supposed to say yes, and yet Oliver Queen said nothing. We will get more situations like this one and they will go a whole lot further then compromising positions on a couch.

SparkysMomma: I totally agree, that was sort of my motivation for writing this story. I mean I would come on here and find numerous beautifully written Olicity fics and the oc stuff just wasn't that good. I wanted to see if there were a group of individuals like myself who wanted to see something different. I'm seeing that there is. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and thanks for the review. I really do love reading these.

Well thanks once again to everyone who has added this story to their favs/follow list. I'm glad you like this story enough to stick with it to the end to see where it goes. I also want to thank the lovely people who took the time to leave a review, they always make me smile. And so as always, to show my appreciation I leave you with a sneak peek and this is going to be a good one. Next chapter will finally show a lot of those scenes you all have been waiting for. "Wink Wink*

Sneak Peek

"You need to be strong, and you need to be smart, because you have been given the unfortunate task of being the person I lean on when I feel like imploding."

"It's not an unfortunate task." Oliver whispers as forces beyond his comprehension seemed to pull them closer together. His hand went to the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him even though head was screaming at him to stop this, to just stop it before it went too far. That voice in his head didn't seem to quite make it to the rest of his body because the moment his eyes looked down to her lips, all reason and logic went out the window.