Some time had passed. I was still upset with Oliver over revealing his identity to a Merlyn. Although I was not sure whether I was mad at him, or myself. I knew Malcom Merlyn was the Dark Archer.. I knew what his endgame was. Yet because of the... stupid...timeline. I could not take proper action to stop the Undertaking.. To save the Glades. Not to mention I had to keep this enormous secret from Oliver until he found out on his own. I could not use my powers.. I didn't even have access to my Iron Thunder suit for my old AI EDI to help Felicity for tech related things. I was pretty much useless. At least in the future I was able to help the team to the best of my ability to solve the mysteries, but right now I had to wait until they figured it out themselves. Working with the assassin's taught me patience... but that was a concept that was still hard for me to work with.

I had just gotten a bite to eat and was returning to the foundry to find Oliver had just arrived. He had just mentioned giving the bad guys a day of rest and about his 6th date with Mckenna. I chimed in by saying "Well there goes my plans for the day." Oliver looked at me and said "Well I hope you don't have plans for tonight.. You are coming to the club opening right?" I shrugged "I'll see if I can make it." He let out a small chuckle "Dude, you live underneath the club.. I think you can make it." I rolled my eyes and said 'Well now that I am starting to make money legitimately again.. I may just be able to afford an apartment." Dig then said "Well maybe instead of living arrangements and bad guys.. We can focus on the bad girls." He then pulled up video on Helena killing a guy. Oliver said "Helena..." Dig then said "Yes.. Or as I like to call her.. Your Psycho ex-girlfriend. This was taken at Ally cats, the strip joint, Police report lists the stiff's name as Gus sabatoni" Oliver nodded and said "That's bertinelli's lawyer. Why would she come back to Starling City just for him, it's not like he did a good job, her father is serving consecutive life sentences without parole.". Diggle then said "Oliver, we both knew this was just a matter of time. You tried to help her. You couldn't" I then chimed in and said "Ah yes.. The other person you told your secret identity too.. Tried to help her.. And it ended up blowing up in your face." Diggle then nodded "I agree with David. How long before she drops the dime on you, me, this whole operation." Oliver looked at me "When are you going to let it go David?" I then let a small smirk touch my lips "When fate stops proving me right. Or you learn your lesson, whichever comes first." He then sighed and said "Dig, I want you to go to our contacts in the Bratva, see if they can get a bead on Helena, what she is after and where she is." He then turned and left.

Later that day Oliver had returned from home and had summoned his bodyguards.. Which of course meant me and Dig. Oliver had just finished explaining the visit to his house from Helena and wanting extra protection on his sister and mother due to the huntress threatening their safety if Oliver didn't help her kill her father. "We'll watch you all like a hawk" I assured him. He then said "Thank you." Dig then said "It's our job." Oliver then said "For not saying I told you so" Dig then said "The night is still young" and walked away. I then said "That reminds me, I have to talk to you later." and smirked. He smiled slightly back before saying "Listen. What has been with you recently. You have been off since the night of the Humanitarian awards." I shrugged "Are we really are the stage in our friendship we have talks about our feelings?" He inhaled through his teeth before saying "No time like the present." I sighed. "I can't tell you specifics.." He nodded "To keep the timeline intact.. Old news." I nodded back "Yes.. And to keep the timeline intact.. I had to allow some things.. And withhold some things that goes against my better judgement.. That could lead to thousands of deaths. I'm just feeling a little useless is all. Can't use my... you know..powers to turn the tide in battle. I can't tell you who the Dark Archer is or what the Undertaking is. I don't even have my old SHIELD contacts or EDI to help us because EDI is currently in my suit flying around with younger me who is currently working with my old SHIELD contacts. I can do little more than watch your back in the moment and I am realizing this more and more as time goes on. I feel just as helpless as I did when the winter soldier had shot Natasha in the chest, almost killing her.. In the future.." He nodded slowly. "I'm going to be honest with you David. I wish you could do more.. I wish you could tell me everything so it is easy.. However we will find the dark archer.. And I will kill him with your help. Fracturing the timeline could lead to far worse threats you are not prepared for and we will have lost our edge." I then shrugged and said "I'm not sure how much of an edge it really gives us when I can't do anything about it." He nodded slowly and his lips thinned as he considered what I said "I think when the time comes.. You will do something about it. Now if you will excuse me.. I have to talk with Tommy." I nodded and said "Good luck." And then walked away to help Dig with security stuff.

I did attend the club opening, and it wasn't as a bodyguard.. But as a friend. Something that I had not expected to be doing.. Even now. It had been months since joining up with Oliver and Dig.. Yet things were still progressing faster than expect. I had a beer in my hand as I walked along the second floor. Oliver then called out 'David! Over here!" I walked over to see him at a table with Mckenna, Thea and Moria Queen. I said "Good evening Mr Queen, Mrs Queen, Ms Queen. Good to see you again Mckenna." Oliver then smiled and said "You aren't on the clock David, Drop the titles. I invited you here to be you." A knowing look in his eyes. He wanted me to drop the mission act and just have fun. Thea said "I don't know.. I like the way he calls me Ms Queen." Moria chasted "Thea! Mr Shuter, I'm so sorry.." I held up a hand "Don't worry Mrs Queen, I'm off the clock as Oliver said... plus I think its nice when Girls dream big. Even if its never going to happen" I gave Thea a teasing wink.. She rolled her eyes at me but smiled slightly. Oliver then raised his glass 'A toast I think.. To Verdant, another successful Queen Business!" I raised by beer and toasted. Oliver then said "Excuse us.. I have other guests to welcome. David stay, I'm sure Thea would appreciate getting to know you better." He pointed at his sister with a smile before leaving. I had to admit. I did not know how to act around Moria... She was already dead when I joined the team.. Plus right now she was neck deep in the undertaking.. However Thea I could handle.. I had had a few dealings with her through the rest of the team before.

Thea then said "Sooo... have you killed anyone before." Moria sighed. I smirked "Now now, If I told you that... well then my answer would have to be yes." She smiled slightly "Original twist on the 'if I told you I would have to kill you' cliche.. Nice touch." I chuckled "Well I am no copy cat" She smirked "No, you just take others ideas and twist them slightly to make then your own." I sucked in through my teeth "Touche Ms Queen, Touche!" She was kind of right after all.. Iron Thunder to Iron Man... The Ghost to the Hood... maybe I was more a sidekick then I thought. She then said "Sooo.. Are you going to ask me to dance or are we going to keep exchanging one liners." Moria rolled her eyes "Go have fun you two." I shrugged "Lead the way, Ms Queen"

We then went down to the dance floor and began to dance. It felt weird.. Just having fun.. Just dancing. It was nice to let loose. Thea said "now that, is a real smile." I smiled at her and said "Lets just say its nice to just have fun for a change." She then said "well, I'll keep you in mind the next time a party pops up, let you have some more fun." I laughed "I'm not sure your brother would approve." she shrugged "He's my brother not my father." My phone then vibrated. I looked at it, it was a text from Oliver Downstairs. Now. Was all it said. I looked at Thea "Speaking of your brother.. This is him. He needs me in the back room. I'm sorry.. Work related." She shrugged "Go nuts David." I smirked "until next time Ms Queen." She smirked back and I left.

I made it downstairs to Oliver talking to Dig regarding Helena using Tommy as leverage. Dig had said "Oliver, if you didn't still have feelings for this girl, you would have thought of a different solution then letting her extort you into killing someone." I nodded "Yes, this is not you Oliver." He then said almost helplessly "Then what do you want me to do, you want me to kill her" Dig then said "I think you would have a long time ago if she looked like me instead of the T-mobile girl. She's a stone cold killer Oliver." Oliver then said "She's not evil." I then said "And she is not you Oliver. You know restraint. She.. Does not." Oliver turned to me "She's been lost since her father killed her fiancé in cold blood and are you two going to just stand there and tell me that you don't know what it is like to want revenge. Dig, what would you do, if Floyd Lawton was standing right there? David, what would you do, if the Winter Solider was here right now. You could prevent him almost killing Natasha!" I curled my hand in a fist "I should not have told you that story." Dig then said "We both would have not done anything involving blackmailing you into hunting them down." Oliver then sighed and said "You're right.. OK? I can't kill her and I can't take her to the police and risk her exposing all of this, but at least if I am involved, I can contain her, all right? I can minimize the collateral damage."

That was when Helena interrupted "Sorry, am I interrupting something" I twisted around, wishing to the gods I had a weapon on me. "We were just talking about you." Oliver said "I thought you didn't care much about me." She responded "Still don't" Dig said "Never did." I said. Helena looked at me "And you must be the boy in blue. You saved my life that night with my father." I pursed my lips "One of my many regrets. One that I have no qualms with rectifying right now." Oliver then said"David, Stand down. I still haven't located the safe house where the FBI is keeping your father Helena" "I can help with that I have been dying to hack FBI servers." Felicity said walking up to us. Oliver then pointed at her "Get out. Get out. Get out. It's a private thing Felicity.. Please.." She then left slowly "Oh.. Ok.." Helena then said "How many girlfriends do you have exactly." Oliver then changed the subject "Like I said, we don't know where the safe house is. What we do know is the marshal service is taking your father to a hearing at the Justice department tonight. There's a problem Helena. There are two vans. One of them is a decoy." She then said "Well there is a good thing there is three of us then." She gestured to me. Oliver then said "No. David is not a part of this. Just me." I looked at him "What?" He looked at me "We will talk later. Now Helena.. Its not too late to call this off." Helena then said "I think you know me better than that. I don't take prisoners."

Oliver then pulled me aside "Why are you sidelining me Oliver?" He then said "only one of us has to dirty our name.. And the Hood is plenty filthy as it is." I shook my head "The Ghost is the grand mentor of the brotherhood of assassins.. My hands are dripping in blood. I have no problem adding another life.. Even if it is one we don't want to kill.. But have to, to protect your family and friends." his lips then stretched into a thin line as he sucked in breath "Maybe I'm protecting one more. Effective immediately, The Ghost is benched." He then walked away to suit up. My hands curled into fists, but I stalked off, unsure if he was protecting me.. Or Helena.

Dig and I sat and waited. We saw the news of Helena being caught. I almost disobeyed Oliver and suited up on a mission to kill her.. But thought better of it. So I waited.. Saw the attack on the Police department by the Hood.. The escape. Everything seemed to have worked out.

The nest morning we got a call of Oliver.. Helena had attacked Felicity. I raced over to Queen Consolidated to meet Oliver and found the rest of the team there. "Felicity. Are you okay?" I demanded. Felcicity said "Helena.. She wanted the address to the safe house her father is in. She made me hack the FBI database. Sorry Oliver." He then said "Hey, It's not your fault." He then began to walk away. Dig then said "Oliver, what are you going to do?" He then said "What I should have done in the first place." I then said "Me too?" He then nodded "If you want to. I'm not going to Order you." I smirked "Wouldn't get you very far anyways." I then followed him out of the room.

We then suited up and made our way to the safehouse. Helena was already inside. Oliver notched an arrow and said "I'll cut her off upstairs.. You cut off her escape downstairs." I then nodded and said "If I've got the shot?" He nodded "Take it." He then fired his zipline arrow and I followed the trail of bodies inside.

Oliver made contact first. I made it to the foot of the stairs just as the shotgun went off. I fired an arrow but she sidestepped and fired another shot at me, which I had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit. Another shot and a door kick in. I peered out of cover to see she had gone in the room. I then ran after her as Oliver ran past me down the stairs. I climbed through the window on to the roof as Oliver yelled "Helena!" and notched an arrow. I then notched an arrow from the room and yelled down with my voice changer on "This arrow will not be one to save your life Helena!" Helena then said to Oliver "You won't shoot me, you are not a murderer. Remember?" Oliver then responded "But you are.. And if I let you go.. That blood will be on my hands." "And mine" I yelled down. Oliver fired an arrow, but Helena...caught it "Wow" I muttered, suddenly impressed. She then pointed the arrow and me "Don't you try it Ghost!" I pursed me lips and waited for an opening.

She then said to Oliver "You would have killed me" She then engaged in hand to hand combat with Oliver, and I tried to find an opening to fire the arrow, but there wasn't one. Finally Oliver got the upper hand.. But Mckenna ran onto the scene. "Freeze! Drop the bow." She said, not seeing me. I angled my arrow towards her, to disarm her.. But before I could fire Helena shot her. I twisted and fired the arrow, Hitting Helena in the arm, who cried out in pain.. But she ran away. I jumped from the roof, flipping in the air, landing on my feet and rolling before coming up standing and running over to Oliver, who had knelt by Mckenna's body. I heard sirens and said 'Hood.. Hood. We have to go. Come on." I grabbed his arm, he looked at me, pain in his eyes. "I know" I murmured "But we have to go.. Her back up is here..I'm sorry." He nodded and we ran off.

As Oliver waited for Mckenna to wait up from surgery, I shot arrows in the Foundry to train. Although I was shooting out of anger. It was my fault. I had not taken the shot on Mckenna myself.. Which would have allowed Oliver to kill Helena... I failed Oliver Queen. I was sure as hell going to pay for it, probably by him keeping his promise to kill me that he had made me months ago when I first joined up.

Some time later Oliver came down the steps and looked over to me. He was silent for a second before he said "Mckenna... is moving to Coast City.. She had a broken femur.. It will take a year of rehab to recover.. And even then she will never be at 100%." I stopped firing arrows and looked at him. "I'm sorry.. Oliver.." He then said "I think I was wrong.. About being able to have a normal life.. Doing this. The people I love are either put in danger.. Or become the danger. Helena.. Mckenna.. Felicity.. Tommy." I nodded "It's not easy, doing what we do.. But we do it.. So others can be safe. Sometimes we fail though.. And tonight.." I stopped and breathed before continuing "I failed you. I wasn't quick enough in taking the shot on Mckenna to get her out of harms way.. And I didn't even succeed in killing Helena.. " He then said softly "That makes two of us." I then said "Before you.. You know. Can I just say what a honor it has been to have worked with you these past few months. Also a final request... allow me to die with my sword in my hand so I can travel to Alagaesia with my dying breath to be with Zeus..?" He squinted his eyes "What?!" I then said "I failed you.. I believe the deal when I joined was if I had failed you or lied to you.. You would kill me." He shook his head "I don't blame you for anything David. I blame myself. I created the huntress.. I put Mckenna in danger. Yes you made a mistake in the field.. .but one bad mission does not outweigh all the good ones we have been on. Not to mention the core mission was a success.. Frank Bertinelli is alive. Helena will pop up again and when she does.. We will take her down.. Together this time. I have learned my lesson in sidelining you." I nodded and he continued "See you tomorrow then?" I nodded again "we have more names to cross off that list after all." He then left.. And I was still alive.. Not the outcome I had predicted.. But welcome nonetheless.