++++++ Here, have another chapter cause I'm feeling generous. If I don't go into labor or anything in the next few days, I will be doing a fight scene between Oliver and Felicity soon. After he finds out she's Cypher and challenges her to prove her worth cause Oliver is a stubborn mother. I've been fiddling with River in Gotham as well. Should be good. For now it's just notes but I should be able to start something soon. Enjoy! ++++++

Thirty-Five

Almost two months had passed since our encounter with the Dark Archer.

Two months later and I found myself sitting in the Watchtower listening to the renovations going on downstairs whilst staring at a picture of our new enemy. Taking the last sip of my Red Bull, I tossed the can behind me, just missing Felicity by a couple inches.

"You're aim is way better than that," she snorted as she came in beside me, tablet in hand. "Bìnàn has gotten some pretty good press coverage thanks to Tara. I like her."

I smiled at the screen. Tara West, Moira's party planner was an amazing woman who would take no for an answer. The weirdest ideas and she would turn them into brilliant masterpiece sketches. She and Marcus were like some sort of freaky power team. Tara had offered to take over any and all advertisements for Bìnàn and had a friend working on recruitment.

Felicity was working on lining up interviews whilst I hid away working on the identity of the Dark Archer whilst also helping Moira without her knowing. After the incident on Christmas Eve, Walter had gone into the office to finish up with some work only to be kidnapped. They didn't know who by or where he was but he was gone and the trail was getting colder and colder. Every night I was out there, busting low life criminals for some kind of clue but so far, nothing.

I'd seen Roy a couple times since the whole incident on Christmas to which he was pissed off that I'd been out with Oliver. I'd lied and told him we were sorting out our differences. He believed me which made the whole lying thing worse. A guy I was developing legit feelings for and I was lying to him.

"Roy's downstairs," Felicity told me.

I stood up and stretched, feeling particularly frumpy today. "Working, F."

Felicity rolled her eyes. "You've been working none stop since you two had that huge argument over you and Oliver. I think he just wants to talk to you. Just because you're a big, bad ass vigilante doesn't mean you can't have a romantic or social life. Or are you distancing yourself from him because you have feelings for him?"

I shot her a glare. "Felicity, it's really not any of your business, is it?" I growled.

Felicity stared me down. "Considering my head almost got taken off by some looser with a pipe three nights ago because you're head isn't in the game means that yeah it is my business. Stop hiding behind the mask and suck it up."

I growled and stuck my tongue out at her, thinking that it was the only response I had for the IT queen.

"And don't forget, tomorrow night, we have the fundraiser at the Queen Mansion," she reminded me. "I'll pick your dress up from the cleaners in the morning. Roy said he even has a suit."

I grinned internally when I heard that Roy was going to wear a suit but kept my evil eye on my best friend. "Fine, I'll go talk to him. But pray tell, F, what excuse do you have for me looking like I've gone ten rounds with a bus?"

"Cocaine addiction?" she shrugged, pushing me down the stairs.

I stumbled a little but eventually found my footing before I headed down to the first floor where all the work was happening.

Roy was talking with Marcus whilst they were going over ideas for the Gamer Bay. He handed Marcus back the iPad when he saw me and came over, a brown paper bag in his other hand. "You look like shit."

"Felicity thinks it's my new cocaine addiction," I tried to joke.

Roy raised an eyebrow.

I chuckled nervously. "Sorry. I'm trying to help find Walter. It's keeping me up. Between that and this place I really should be focusing on myself but I can't. Too much to do."

Roy held the paper bag out to me. "Peace offering. Felicity says you need some time off. So I'm taking you back to your place, getting your cleaned up and we're going out to dinner."

"Bed would be so much better," I smirked.

"Maybe later," he shot back.

I dropped my bottom lip as he dragged me out of the work zone. "But-"

"You need to rest," Felicity shouted out after us.

I sighed. Burying myself into my work as a vigilante-gee-my mother burying herself into her work to escape her problems. Not really a path I wanted to go down. When we got in the taxi, I opened up the paper bag and laughed. "Doughnut holes," I grinned. "Filled with custard?"

"I don't have a death wish," he shot back.

I snuggled in against him and sighed. "I wish I could find Walter."

"Let the police do their job," Roy advised me.

I sighed. I wish I could tell you the truth, I thought. I'd never expected to come back to Starling City and become a vigilante and actually find the perfect guy.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Roy asked me after ten minutes of silence.

"Nothing," I lied. "Just thinking about the Island."

"You never tell me about the Island," Roy frowned. "Just bits and pieces."

"I don't want to relive it," I shrugged, admitting a partial truth. The taxi pulled up in front of the apartment building and I was surprised to find Diggle waiting out the front for me. "Hey, Dig. Any word on Walter?" I asked him.

Diggle shook his head. "Listen, can I talk to River alone?" he asked Roy. "It's kinda important."

Roy crossed his arms. "You can say whatever you need to say in front of me," he argued.

Diggle shoved his hands in his pocket. "Oliver's stubborn. I've been following his mother around for a few days and last night I found out that she's got the wreckage of the Queen's Gambit stored in a warehouse somewhere in the city."

My jaw dropped. "Say again?"

"She knows the yacht was sabotaged," he finished up.

I frowned. "Walter was investigating Robert's murder," I muttered to myself. "And whoever found out about it took him…keep looking at Moira."

"Oliver doesn't want me to," Diggle told me, glancing over at Roy who was a little shocked by what he'd heard. "Since this concerns you, I think you should know."

"So should the police!" Roy objected. He stared over at me. "River!"

"With what evidence?" I asked him. "Diggle's most likely to get fired if Moira finds out she'd been followed. And probably arrested. We both know the kind of power Moira Queen holds."

Roy sighed. "River-she knows whoever trapped you on that island for five years."

"We need more evidence Roy," I argued back at him. "Please-just-please. I've the right to investigate my own possible murder, don't I? It wasn't just Robert, it was my father and the entire crew of that boat. It was me and Oliver. Please-Roy. I will tell you everything once we find out what the truth is. For now, Diggle can get in a lot of trouble doing what he did."

Roy paused and threw his hands up in the air. "Fine!"

I grinned and hugged him. "Thank you!"

Roy sighed and hugged me back. "I put up with a lot of shit from you, River."

That just made me grin even more. "And that's what makes me love you even more. Now, I need a shower. Than we can go to dinner."

Roy led me inside after he waved at Diggle.

It was going to be a complicated evening.