A/N- Winterain, this chapter has your gift inside, I hope you enjoy it.

Moira smiled at her dutiful husband as he was working diligently at his desk. A desk that should, by rights, belong to Oliver. She prayed that one day her beautiful boy would rise to the occasion and take that seat and continue to build a legacy worthy of the name; Queen.

Over the past year and a bit, she had come to realise that she wouldn't be able to convince her daughter to sit on the chair, her father had once sat upon. She seemed to be joined at the hip with Laurel Lance, and following her into the legal world, rather than the business world.

She had subtlety tried to convince her daughter to get a degree in law, or work either in Queen Consolidated's legal division, or work as a paralegal in a prestigious law firm, rather than slaving over dangerous, or inconsequential work in The Glades, no matter how noble it may seem. But Thea was stubborn and remained at her friend's side. She wanted to be a Good Samaritan like her friend.

"Have you seen my husband? He's supposed to have lunch with me almost an hour ago." She asked Walter.

Walter froze and discreetly looked at the time before looking up at her. "I'm terribly sorry, Moira."

Moira smiled. She loved that he was so attached to his job, to her family's legacy. "It's all right, the restaurant is holding our reservation." She then noticed that her husband seemed a little off. "Is there something wrong?"

Walter smiled, as he casually dismissed it. "Compliance department was worried about a possible IRS audit. They discovered a 2.6 million withdrawal from one of our subsidiaries."

Moira froze. She attempted to pass it off as worry for her company and not for her. "Walter, are you saying someone has embezzled over two and a half million dollars from our company?"

"I wouldn't fret." He said before he kissed her cheek. "Likely a bookkeeping error. Happens more often than it should. Humans are not infallible, Moira"

Laurel had her hands to guard her face, as she waited for Thea to throw the first punch. As she did, Laurel bobbed and ducked under each punch, and occasionally jabbed her where her sister overextended herself.

"Don't punch too far away from your body. Either get in close or wait till they come to you." She advised her sparring partner.

Thea grumbled as she jumped over Laurel's sweep kick. "We should be out there, catching him. He still owes you his hood."

Laurel rolled her eyes, as she sides stepped Thea's kick to her midsection and shoved her ankle away, causing the younger woman to temporarily lose her balance. "We will get him." She promised. "We need to be on our A-game to ensure that he can't or won't overpower us."

That was the plan, emphasising dodges, and manipulating his movements and power, rather than a resorting to brawn vs. brawn. Because he was larger than them, he would always win that sort of confrontation nine times out of ten.

She hoped that the last couple of weeks without spotting The Hood, and their new training regimen gave them the edge when they inevitably face off against each other again.

Laurel walked into her apartment to find that her lights weren't working. Falling back into her training, she slowly crept into the shadows and observed her door had been wedged open and her security alarm had been deactivated.

She clenched her fists. Perhaps Thea was right, she needed to relocate. She crouched down, to pick up the small concealable pistol her father had given her, that was hidden in her boot. She cocked it and moved further into her living room. She noticed movement in the far corner and raised her gun in that direction.

The intruder moved into the light cast by the streetlights outside. She recognized the intruder immediately.

The Hood! The slippery bastard that escaped her grasp when she had almost had him.

Had he somehow found out who she was? If he knew, then he could know about Speedy. Her family was in danger!

Laurel couldn't let that happen! She wouldn't, she would protect her loved ones at any cost.

"Hello, Laurel." He said, his voice was disguised, not unlike her's and Thea's, when they were in their suits.

She could hear her heart beating in her ears, at the sight of the man who had almost killed her. "Don't move!" She commanded the criminal in a cold commanding voice. The same kind of voice she has used countless times on thugs.

He held out his bow and held it in a way that conveyed he had no intent on harming her. And yet, the gesture didn't calm her growing anxiety.

"My father's a cop." She said. "I also know someone, who knows Black Canary, Wildcat and The Red Archer. You're making a huge mistake." She warned The Hood.

"There's a misunderstanding, Laurel. I'm not who you think I am. I need your help." He said, inching his way carefully towards her.

"I think, the understanding is perfectly clear. You tried to kill—her." She said, not lowering her gun. He didn't know she was just as adept with a firearm, as she was with her fists. She also edged closer to her hidden bola by her desk. If he tried to lunge at her, she would first try to dodge and grab it to throw it at him to tie him up.

The Hood gave a slight nod. "I did. An action I deeply regret. Besides, your friend got even. He said, as his spare hand went to his shoulder. "Now, look beyond that incident. Peter Declan will be executed under false charges in two days. The man's wife was preparing to be a whistle-blower. Brodeur had her silenced."

She kept her gun pointed at him. She wouldn't let him get the drop on her. Her finger ready to pull the trigger at a moment's notice.

"There are thousands of attorneys in Starling alone. Why me?"

He gently pulled her hands down, effectively lowering her weapon. There was something about him that made her trust him, in spite of him trying to kill her.

Why did she feel like she could trust him, despite what he had done?

Why did she feel like she could trust him, despite what he had done? Was she going crazy?

"We are both trying to help people." He said.

"What makes you so certain, I'm going to assist you?" She asked looking over her shoulder at him.

She could feel his warm breath on the nape of her neck. "Because I know you would do anything to save an innocent life. Just as you did last year, with… Miss Queen."

Laurel hated that he was right, but she would do anything in that regard. She told him, "You have a point, but if you are going to work with me then we have to set some ground rules for you and your tendency towards killing people."

The Hood just looked at her nonplussed, while Laurel smirked back at him.

Moira walked into the den to find Walter sipping a glass of whisky while reading over the papers.

She frowned. She couldn't let her husband get too close to that. Malcolm would ensure Walter's silence one way or another.

"Still working on the numbers? I believe that we have accountants for that."

"They have been quite ineffective. I will put my nose to the grindstone until I find out what occurred."

Moira pinched the bridge of her nose. "I believe I did it and forgot to account for it. A few years ago, I donated money to a friend's start-up company." She gave him a reassuring smile, praying that he would believe her and put aside the dangerous path he was on.

Walter gave her a small smile, and took a sip of his drink, and packed up his papers. She prayed that he wasn't just going to do the sleuthing away from her line of sight.

Everyone involved in Tempest was on edge. First, Daniel Brickwell, then; Adam Hunt, Marcus Redmond, and Martin Sommers. If Walter continued pulling the loose string he found, Malcolm would suspect he was the man who had been assisting either The Hood or Black Canary or, both.

If Walter started being in Malcolm's crosshairs, it's was not a wild assertion, then she and children were next.

Laurel and Thea walked into Iron Heights. The old prison looked like it belonged in Medieval Europe, with its forlorn grey walls, and steel bars. It certainly wasn't The Four Seasons. As Thea thought as she looked at the walls, she envisioned The Hood behind one of these steel cages.

The girls placed their briefcases, though the metal detector, and were then patted down by the guards. Once they were ensured that they were without weapons or any other illicit items, they were granted entry. Though, unknown to the guards The Birds didn't need to smuggle in weapons because they were proficient in several types of martial arts.

As the pair walked in, a well-dressed man that certainly was not a guard, prisoner nor the warden approached them. He smiled at them pleasantly "Miss Lance, Miss Queen." He greeted them, before looking straight at Laurel. "I'm Mister Winterain. And my client, Mr Brickwell would like to extend his most gracious offer of you visiting him, Miss Lance."

Thea moved slightly in front of Laurel, in a protective manner. "What would a snake like him want with my sister?" She all but snarled.

"My, my..." He tsked, as the attorney looked past Thea to Laurel. "Is this how CNRI operates? Foul language and slander, and defamation?"

Laurel gently pulled Thea back and gave the attorney a practised faux-smile. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm busy. Pro Bono case, I'm sure you would understand, with you wearing your expensive black cashmere and Marino wool suit, with a suit like that, I can tell you help the less privileged." She said sardonically.

She then moved past him, as Thea sniggered. "I doubt he has ever stepped foot in The Glades." She whispered to Laurel, as she followed her sister, who was following one of the guards to Peter Declan.

They then moved to the interview room that held Declan. She opened the door and took a seat, with Thea sitting next to her, opening her notebook, ready to take notes.

"I was asked by a Good Samaritan to check over your case. He believes that you are innocent, but a jury says otherwise. Help me, to help you."

Declan nodded, as he looked between his new legal councillors. "The evidence was made to make me look guilty. I didn't kill my wife, I couldn't! I would never take my daughter's mother from her."
Thea finished jotting down the notes and looked up. "How would you explain the knife that belonged to you covered with your prints and her blood?"

Declan got up to pace. As Laurel kept questioning him. "The bloody knife was found in the boot of your car, your neighbours heard you two arguing."

He turned hot on his heels. Explaining that he had a heated disagreement with his wife, which was about her employer Jason Brodeur, and that she was preparing to go to the media and the police about the toxic waste that was being dumped into The Glades.

As loud as the verbal argument was, it remained just that, verbal. His wife then slept in their daughters' room to both comforts their scared child and to give each other space.

"I went to apologise to Camille the next morning. I found her there. I was shocked and hyperventilating. I grabbed my sleeping daughter and ran outside, and called the police." He then looked at both Thea and Laurel. "I'm innocent Miss Lance, Miss Queen."

Oliver was sitting opposite to Diggle at one of the tables at Big Belly Burger. His gamble with John Diggle had seemingly started to pay off. No cops, he hadn't betrayed his trust. And that was essential. If Black Canary had someone who she could trust like a sibling, he needed to follow that. And Digg was his guy or he hoped he would be.

"Have you considered my offer?"

Diggle snorted at the mention of his offer. "That's one way to put it."

"It is an offer," Oliver assured him. He couldn't go out without backup. Someone at the very least, able to provide Evac, if not support in the field. "It's a chance to do the kind of good that lead you to join the armed forces."

The former soldier-turned-bodyguard scoffed. "You expect me to believe that you had an epiphany after being on an island without any room service?"

Oliver pulled out his father's ledger, his small book. "This book belonged to my father. I found it when I buried him."

Diggle looked at him with both pity and curiosity. "I was at the courthouse. You said…"

"What was said, and what happened are two separate things. We both made it on the life raft. There weren't enough supplies. Very little food or water. So, he shot himself in the head, to give me a chance to live."

Diggle looked at him with that look again. So, Oliver continued. "As much as he was doing it for my survival, I believe that he did it to atone for his sins. I need to right the wrongs of my family."

Because if he didn't who would? Not his mother and he would die before he let Thea out into the world of kill or be killed. He would sacrifice his happiness to ensure that the people he loved; His Mom, Thea, Tommy and Laurel were safe, even if it meant he suffered.

"I'm offering you a chance to right the wrongs done to yours, prevent them from happening to others."

Diggle frowned. "What are you saying?"

"Your brother's shooter was never caught. The bullets were laced with curare. Floyd Lawton was the sniper. I stopped him."

Oliver took a breath. "People like Lawton, Brickwell… And my father. These men and women have no qualms with stepping on other people's throats to achieve their endgame. And they need to be handed justice. If the courts, the SCPD or The Birds won't do it. It's going to be me." He explained adamantly, then pulled his father's booklet back into his jacket. "And I hope, you."

The truth was, as much as he respected his adversaries in black and red, they held back. Sometimes, you had to use extreme measures on people who wouldn't see reason.

After Laurel and Thea interviewed their newest client, she had asked her father for assistance in finding what the police had found, he had given her a copy of the report and gave her insights as to what he remembered about the case.

Later that night, she received a message from The Hood. It told her the location to meet him, which was on top of a building nearby where she lived.

Laurel was feeling conflicted and torn. One on hand a part of her was pushing her to capture the Hood the moment he showed his face. She knew she could do it. She should do it. Laurel and Thea had planned and trained for weeks, and between the two of them, she was confident that they could defeat The Hood and soon have him in prison.

Another part of her, however, was telling her to hold back. The Hood intrigued her. She saw how he possessed the same drive as her when she had just started working with Ted.

The Hood had the potential to be more than what he was. More than a ruthless killer. He could be a hero.

Perhaps she could change his mind and set him on a new path. Laurel with considerable effort, had made The Hood stop robbing and killing people at least, temporarily, while he was working with her.

The Hood, of course, made no promises in the long run, though he had agreed to the terms of her deal. It was a small victory, but an important one nevertheless. She still couldn't find it herself to trust him that much even if her gut was telling her otherwise.

The trust would come with time, along with him earning it. She had asked Thea to stand watch on an adjacent rooftop, as a failsafe, in case things with The Hood went south.

She stood there, as she heard Speedy talking through her earwig.

"I hope you know what you're doing. I wouldn't be in a rush to help Robin Hood, after what he did to you. Even if you two kiss and makeup, he shouldn't expect a Christmas card from me."

Laurel smirked, and immediately hid it behind a mask, as The Hood appeared.

"I have eyes on him, and my bow is nocked, and drawn."

"I got your message," Laurel said, as she held a copy of a police report in the air.

"Declan?" He asked.

"You're right. He may be innocent. He said his wife blew the whistle the day she was murdered."

The Hood nodded, avoiding the lights to ensure his anonymity and tucking his Hood further down his head. "We need to get whoever she divulged the information to testify."

"He already did, Matt Istook. Camille's supervisor" She said looking over her shoulder at The Hood. Laurel knew he didn't wear a mask like she did, but some type of grease paint over his eyes would be her best guess.

"Man, Robin of Loxley really doesn't like you looking at him. He flinches away and immediately hides his face. It's like the opposite of Peek-A-Boo." Speedy said cheekily over the Comms.

"He could be lying." The Hood said.

"I know liars. Been a victim of lies, worked with liars, despite what the police and the jury may believe, Declan was not lying.

The truth was, between Ted and her job as a lawyer, she was pretty good at spotting lies.

"I appreciate the help, Laurel. Thank you." He then shot a grappling arrow and disappeared into the night.

"I can shadow him?" Speedy asked as if she would relish the idea of ghosting him and finding his hidden lair and finally discovering who the mysterious Hood really was.

Laurel shook her head. "We will give him the benefit of the doubt, and besides, he is too well trained. If Dad is right and he has special forces training, he would know counter-espionage tactics. He would know somebody was tailing him."

The man deserved a chance, and she felt she owed him at the very least. He went to her, a known associate of Black Canary during the Turf Wars, to work alongside him.

It took guts to come to her for help. Even more, if he actually knew she was behind the black mask though when she thought about it some more Laurel begin to have serious doubts as he would act differently around her. Of that, she was pretty sure of. Yes, Laurel was going out on a limb for The Hood, but if he broke his word, and betrayed her, then he would be opening Pandora's Box. Black Canary and Speedy would go after him with a vengeance, and this time there would be no quarter given, and they would do everything humanly possible to prevent his escape and ensure his capture.

The Birds would ensure that he would face the full extent of the law.