Innocence


Diggle awoke drenched in sweat. He looked around, unfamiliar with his surroundings. Slowly, Dig sat up and his eyes landed on Oliver leaning against a metal table with Selena and Tim on either side of him, all still wearing their vigilante suits.

"Hey." Oliver greeted as though everything was normal.

Diggle blinked a few times, the sudden realization hitting him that he wasn't dreaming. He was really staring at his boss in a deep green suit. The suit of the Starling City Vigilante. Upon the realization, his reflexes kicked in and he nearly fell off the metal table he was sitting on, "You're that vigilante." he breathed.

"Easy, Dig." Oliver warned.

"You were poisoned." Selena added, taking a few steps closer to the former soldier.

Diggle blinked through his dizziness, the images of Selena and Tim coming into view. Seeing the pair, also donning suits similar to Oliver's, Dig stepped back, his eyes landing on Oliver. "You really did lose your mind on that island." he accused.

"Found a couple things along the way." Oliver noted, still remaining calm.

"Like what? Archery classes?" Dig questioned, catching his breath.

"Clarity." Oliver replied. "Starling City is dying. It's being poisoned by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt, as long as they maintain their wealth and power."

Dig's eyes widened slightly, "What are you gonna do?" he questioned. "Take 'em all down? You and your sidekicks?" He motioned to Tim and Selena.

"Partners." the pair corrected in unison, standing tall with their arms folded over their chests.

Oliver nodded in agreement, "And we want you to join us." Diggle scoffed at the suggestion. "Special Forces out of Kandahar." Oliver continued. "It's perfect. You're a fellow soldier-"

"Oliver, none of you are soldiers." Dig cut him off. "You're all criminals." He looked up and met Oliver's eyes, "And you're a murderer." He turned around and left the Foundry without a second look back.

Selena sighed and leaned against the computer table. "Well that could've gone better." Tim noted, scratching the back of his head, trying to ease the tension in the room. Selena rolled her eyes at her partner's comment.


Oliver opened the front door of his home and was shocked to see Laurel and Andrea sitting at the bottom of the staircase. "Where were you?" Laurel asked as she jumped to her feet.

Oliver sighed heavily, "What are you two doing here?" he asked harshly.

Laurel blinked in shock at the tone of his voice, "We heard about the shooting, and wanted to make sure you were ok." She folded her arms over her chest.

This time Oliver blinked in surprise, "You did?" he questioned.

"I knocked on the door, and found a family terrified for you." Andrea continued. "They had no idea where you were."

Laurel shook her head as she examined her ex's neutral expression, "Oliver, are you so self-centered that you don't think that people who care about you are gonna wonder where you are after you all got shot at?" she scoffed, storming out of the mansion.

Oliver sighed and faced Andrea, "You have anything to add?" he asked.

"Nope, Laurel pretty much covered it." the olive-skinned female replied, shrugging on her coat.

"So, you agree with her?" the blue-eyed male raised his brow.

Andrea sighed, "Yes." she answered, meeting her friend's eyes. "Oliver, I made peace with the fact you can be a selfish ass a long time ago." she admitted, "But Moira, Elena, Thea, and Walter, they don't deserve that. They deserve better, someone who doesn't care only about himself." She brushed past him as she headed for the door.

"Andrea..." Oliver halted, grabbing her arm, making her turn and face him. "...thank you for coming."

A small smile crossed her lips as she pulled her arm away, "I care about the lives of other people, Ollie." Andrea met his eyes, "Maybe you should try it sometime." She turned on her heels and walked out of the mansion, the door closing behind her.

"That was harsh." Elena sighed as she pushed herself off the wall behind her brother. She wore a pair of black yoga pants and a deep purple long-sleeved shirt, her frosted blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail that draped over her shoulder. "You ok?"

"Sure." Oliver answered, putting on a smile. "Second time tonight that a friend of mine has taken me to the woodshed. Kind of tires you out." He wrapped his arm around his little sister's back and hugged her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her hair. "Night Birdie."

A smile crossed Elena's lips at hearing her nickname, "Night Ollie." she replied, getting on her tip-toes to peck her brother's cheek before walking upstairs to her bedroom.


Stirred awake by nightmares from his early days on Lian Yu, Oliver jolted up in bed, panting. Knowing he couldn't fall back asleep, Oliver climbed out of bed and shrugged on his robe, making his way downstairs. He was a bit surprised to see his younger sisters in the living room with the television on. Thea was paying attention to whichever program was playing, while Elena had her head down and a binder on her lap.

Thea was the first to notice Oliver, "Couldn't sleep, either?" she questioned as her older brother took the open spot next to her.

The oldest Queen shook his head, "What are you girls watching?" he asked, glancing to his sisters. Thea took small handful of popcorn from her bowl, while Elena was looking over a large stapled packet.

The blonde sister sighed, "Well, Thea's watching the report on Peter Declan, while I'm studying for my Economics test tomorrow." Elena cast a glance at Oliver, her ponytail falling over her shoulder.

Oliver raised his brow, "Who's Peter Declan?" he asked.

"A man who killed his wife in their daughter's bedroom a couple years ago." Elena answered, turning her attention back to her notes.

"Psycho." Thea added, taking another bite of popcorn.

The news played archived footage of Declan's interview from a few years prior. "Camille was everything to me." he said. "I couldn't kill her any more than I could kill myself."

With a yawn, Elena stood up, grabbing her Economics binder and notes, "I'm gonna try to get some sleep." she tightened her ponytail and leaned down to peck the top of Thea's head, "Night Thea." she pecked Oliver's cheek next. "Night Ollie."

"Night." the two replied in unison as Elena made her way up the stairs, muttering terms and definitions and examples to herself.


In her city condo, Selena stirred in bed as visions of the Guardians flashed through her mind. She saw the four colored animals run through the darkness, morphing into four women in multi-colored suits, their eyes glowing the same as their auras.

Selena awoke with blazing, golden eyes as her Wolf's Paw emitted a faint white glow. She caught her breath and ran her hands over her hair, exhaling a heavy sigh as her eyes returned to their normal brown.


Oliver walked with Elena down the stairs. "Good luck on your test today." he said as he hugged his sister and kissed the side of her head.

"Thanks Ollie." Elena smiled, adjusting her satchel bag and smoothing out her lavender skirt and blazer jacket. She poked her head into the living room and blew her mother a kiss before running out the front door and heading for her car.

Oliver entered the living room where Moria was sitting on the couch, listening to the news while reading the morning paper. "We have a visitor." he noted, seeing a man standing in a suit a few feet away.

Moria glanced over her should, "Ah yes, Mr. Diggle's replacement." she informed. "He tendered his resignation this morning."

"Did he say why?" Oliver questioned, slightly worried that Diggle had mentioned his vigilante activities.

"He said he didn't approve of the way you spend your evenings." Moria continued. "Particularly given that they always begin with you ditching him."

The new bodyguard stepped forward, "Hi, Mr. Queen. Rob Scott." he introduced, shaking Oliver's hand. "I'll be your new body man."

"That's a firm grip you got there, Rob." Oliver noted, squeezing his hand before letting go.

"That's five years S.W.A.T. with Monument Point M.C.U." Rob replied proudly.

"I feel safer already." Oliver said with a forced smile.

"Ah, thank God we don't have to hear about this awful man anymore." Moria sighed, turning her attention to the news, which was again playing a report on Peter Declan.

"Declan's execution is set for midnight two days from now." the female reporter spoke. "Camille Declan's former employer, Jason Brodeur, released a statement saying, quote, 'I hope this gives Camille the peace she deserves.'"

"Jason Brodeur?" Oliver muttered.

"What was that, sweetheart?" Moria asked, glancing to her son.

"The...dead wife worked for Jason Brodeur." Oliver pointed out.

Moria blinked, "Apparently so. Why point that out?"

"No reason." Oliver turned to his new bodyguard. "Say, Rob, I want to go into town. Could you please get the car for me?"

"No offense, Mr. Queen, but I have been filled in on your tendency to slip the leash." Rob informed, straightening his suit jacket. "If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer keeping you in my sights at all times."

Oliver stepped closer, "We're twenty miles from the city." he reminded. "If you don't drive me, how else am I gonna get there?" Rob took a moment to ponder that before nodding and leaving to do as Oliver requested. "I like him." Oliver said with a smile, before heading to the garage and grabbing his motorcycle.


Selena and Tim met Oliver at the Foundry as they discussed the Peter Declan case and Jason Brodeur. "They say Peter Declan murdered his wife in cold blood. He had no alibi, and all the evidence pointed toward him." Tim read off the online news article, sitting at the computer with Selena and Oliver behind him. "He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, an open-and-shut case."

"Except for one thing. Declan's wife, Camille, worked for Jason Brodeur." Oliver pointed out, grabbing his father's notebook. "And Jason Brodeur is on the list." he flipped to an old, worn page with the aforementioned man's name written on it.

"So the odds are good that this Brodeur guy is involved in this woman's murder." Selena concluded. "Which means an innocent man is facing execution."

"Well in that case..." Tim added, leaning back in the chair and folding his hands behind his head, "he'll need a good attorney."

"Yes." Oliver agreed. "He will." He pulled out a picture of him and Andrea that was taken on the Queen's Gambit during the summer when they were teenagers.

Selena saw the picture Oliver held and she reached inside her small, clutch bag and pulled out the Fox Head gem, running her thumb over the pale blue eyes.


Andrea unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside, kicking it shut. "Rachel!" she called out, dropping her key in the bowl on the counter. Next to it sat a note that read 'Studying with Elena and staying over, be home tomorrow. -Rachel'.

Andrea sighed and went to turn on the light, which didn't happen. She heard a creaking noise coming from her living room and she dropped her briefcase and files. "Who's there?" she asked, swallowing the lump rising in her throat. Quickly and carefully, she reached inside a drawer and grabbed her gun.

Standing in the shadows at the opposite end of the living room, Oliver activated a small device on his belt to distort his voice. "Hello, Andrea." he said.

Andrea whipped around, holding the gun up with her finger on the trigger, "Don't move!" she ordered, trying to sound brave even though her voice shook.

Oliver gently lifted his hands, "I'm not gonna hurt you." he assured, taking a step forward.

"Stay back." Andrea shouted, gripping the gun tighter. "You're that vigilante who's been killing people."

"I'm not the person you think I am." Oliver reassured, taking small steps towards her. "I need your help. Peter Declan is gonna be executed in forty-eight hours. I think he's innocent. Declan's wife was gonna blow the whistle on Jason Brodeur. Brodeur had her murdered."

Andrea took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "There are a thousand lawyers in Starling City." she told him, her eyes never leaving his figure. "Why come to me?"

"We're both trying to help." Oliver replied, slowly reaching out and lowering the gun as he moved to stand behind Andrea.

"What makes you sure I'm gonna help you?" Andrea finally asked after a minute of silence, glancing part-way over her shoulder at the hooded man behind her.

"Because I know you'd do anything to save the life of an innocent man." Oliver answered simply, watching as his friend visibly relaxed.

A moment later, Andrea turned around and the hooded vigilante was gone. She let out a shaky breath, flipping the safety back on her gun and running a hand over her hair.

Outside on the adjacent rooftop, Selena stood crouched, the Fox Head giving off a subtle glow in the palm of her glove. The dark-skinned girl let out a sigh, her breath visible in the night air. She closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the gem, taking deep, calming breaths.

Selena stood tall, her eyes flashing gold as they narrowed and a smirk crossed her lips as she touched the Wolf's Paw on her wrist. In a flash of silver, her long dress was replaced with her black and silver uniform, a silver aura in the shape of a wolf appearing around her and letting out a howl.

Next to her, a woman with olive-toned skin, milky brown hair styled in curls, and dark brown eyes, wearing a dark blue dress was engulfed in a white light as she touched the gem that rested against her chest. When the light faded, she stood tall wearing a suit mixed in white and silver, along with a translucent hood shaped like the head of a fox, and a glowing fox aura appeared around her.

Her eyes opened, glowing gold for a brief moment before fading back to their normal brown. "It is you, Andrea." she sighed, watching the woman collapse on her couch and put her face in her hands before clasping them together.


The next morning, Andrea decided to meet with Peter Declan at Iron Heights to discuss his case and see for herself whether he was truly innocent or undeniably guilty. "A jury has charged you as guilty, Mr. Declan." she stated, sitting across from her potential client.

"The evidence was stacked against me, but I didn't kill my wife." Peter told her, clutching the photograph of his daughter. "I didn't take my daughter's mother from her." He set the picture on the table, but kept his eyes locked with Andrea's.

Andrea took a deep breath and exhaled. "The murder weapon was a knife from your kitchen with your prints on it." she reminded, keeping herself calm and in control. "It was found, along with Camille's blood, in the trunk of your car. Your neighbors said they heard an argument that night."

Peter clenched his hands together, "We had a knockdown fight over Jason Brodeur." he clarified, getting to his feet and pacing back and forth. "Camille worked for him, and found out his company had been dumping toxic waste into the Glades. Now, Camille told me that she'd gone and told a supervisor about it." he took in a quick, shaky breath, "I was afraid for my family's safety. And we argued very loudly." he admitted, getting emotional just thinking about it again, and Andrea tried to keep her composure. "Izzy started crying, so Camille went and stayed in her room." Peter took in a shaky breath and sighed as he took the seat opposite Andrea. "In the morning, I went to apologize, and that's when I found her." Andrea leaned forward, keeping her eyes locked with his. "So I just grabbed Izzy, and I ran outside, and I called 9-1-1."

Seeing the look in Peter's eyes, how broken he was when talking about finding his wife's body in their daughter's room, she knew deep down in her gut, that he was innocent.

"I'm innocent, Ms. Rayne." Peter defended. Andrea gave a subtle nod as a smile crossed her lips. The man in the hood was right, Peter Declan was in fact, innocent.


Andrea's next stop was the Starling City Police Department to look over Peter Declan's case file. She waited in the bullpen and found herself staring at the sketch of the hooded vigilante. "Well, I wasn't the lead on this, but from what I recall, we had fingerprints, blood, and motive." Quentin informed, walking out of the file room and sitting at his desk.

Andrea leaned against it, looking over the file, "Jason Brodeur seems like the type of guy with resources needed to frame someone." she noted, taking the file from the detective.

"Andrea, in twenty-four hours, Peter Declan is lying down with a needle in his arm, and he's not getting up." he reminded. "If I thought for a second we didn't have the right guy, do you think there's anything else I'd be doing right now except trying to get at what really happened?"

The young lawyer tucked some hair behind her ear, "Peter said his wife went to her supervisor with allegations that Brodeur was dumping toxic waste." she told him, glancing up.

"Yeah, but that supervisor, said that never happened." Quentin rebuffed, flipping a few pages of the file, "Here you go, Matt Istook. He said he didn't even see Camille that day. Happy now?"

Andrea bit her lip as she scanned over the rest of the file. She glanced up and flashed a smile to the detective. "Yes." she answered simply, setting the file on the desk. "Thank you, Papa Lance." she chuckled and pecked his cheek.

"You know, I thought it'd be a cold day in hell before you started defending criminals." Quentin said as Andrea turned to leave.

The brunette female spun on her heels. "I'm not so sure Peter's the criminal here." she rebuked. "Like you said, he's on a clock. Can't leave any stone unturned. Thanks again." She blew him a kiss and flashed another smile, turning on her heels and heading out.


As Andrea exited the police station, she dug through her purse for her keys and bumped into Selena, both girls dropping a few things. "Oh, Selena, I'm sorry." Andrea apologized.

"No, Andy, I'm sorry." Selena replied, carefully sliding the Fox Head within Andrea's reach to see if there would be a reaction. "What're you doing here?"

"Just this case I'm working on." Andrea answered, grabbing her wallet and keys, her hand brushing against the white gem. The fox's pale blue eyes gave off a faint glow, which caught Andrea's eyes, "Wow, this is beautiful." she gaped, picking up the Fox Head.

Selena could see a faint silver glow in Andrea's eyes as both girls rose to their feet, confirming that Andrea was destined to bond to the Fox Head and become a Guardian. "Oh, that old thing." the dark-skinned girl shrugged, "I saw it in this cute little shop and bought it on impulse."

"Well, it's beautiful." Andrea smiled, handing the gem back to Selena as she adjusted her purse. "So, why are you here?"

Selena dropped the gem back into her bag, "Oh, I was gonna ask Detective Lance if it would be 'legal'-" she used air-quotes around the word, "-if I could work as a waitress at Oliver's new club. Figured since I'm eighteen now, I should be responsible and get a job. I mean, Elena's working on getting her MBA so she can take over Queen Consolidated."

Andrea nodded and couldn't help but smile, "Well, good for you." she encouraged, patting the girl's shoulder. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Selena flashed Andrea a smile as she watched her walk to her car. The smile quickly faded as she sighed heavily, "Now how am I gonna tell her about this." She pulled out the Fox Head and ran her thumb over the gem's features.


Later that night, Oliver went to the Big Belly Burger in the Glades to talk with Diggle. Oliver's new bodyguard scanned the area before letting him in and stood a couple feet behind Oliver and continued to keep watch.

"Hello, Diggle's sister-in-law Carly." Oliver greeted the waitress with a smile. "I'm Oliver Queen."

"I know who you are." Carly replied with an unenthusiastic look.

"No, you really don't." Dig corrected, glancing to Oliver. Carly shook her head and walked off to tend to other customers.

The entry door opened and in walked Tim and Selena. They spotted Oliver, who waved them over and gave a look to his bodyguard that they were okay. Oliver and Selena sat opposite Diggle while Tim sat beside him.

"I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of police cars when I got home." Oliver said casually. "I knew you wouldn't drop a dime on me." a ghost of a smile crossed his lips.

"So..." Selena cleared her throat, folding her hands on top of the table. "...does that mean you've considered the offer?"

"To join our little team?" Tim added, casually taking one of the french fries from Dig's meal.

"Offer." John repeated with a scoff. "That's one hell of a way to put it."

"It is an offer." Oliver said. "It's a chance to do the kind of good that compelled you to join the military."

Dig rolled his eyes, "Please. You were born with a platinum spoon in your mouth, Queen." he pointed out. "What, you spent five years on an island with no room service, and suddenly you found religion?"

Selena took another fry and let out a small chuckle, glancing to Oliver, who pulled out a pocket sized notebook from his jacket. "This was my father's." he informed. "I found it when I buried him."

This new bit of information came as a shock to Diggle, Tim, and Selena. "But wait..." Selena glanced to Oliver, "...I thought you said your father died when the boat went down?"

"We both made it to a life raft, but there wasn't enough food and water for both of us, so he shot himself in the head." Oliver said. "And as much as he was doing it to give me a chance to survive, I believe that he was also atoning for his sins. I need to right the wrongs done by my family..." he kept his eyes even with John's, "...and I'm offering you the chance to right the wrongs done to yours."

Dig blinked in confusion, "Oliver, what are you-"

"The police never caught your brother's shooter." Oliver cut him off. Before Diggle could another word in, he continued, "The bullets were laced with curare. That's Floyd Lawton's M.O. He is the sniper..." he cast a glance to Selena and Tim, "...that we stopped."

"Are you trying to tell me..." Dig tried to wrap his head around what he just heard, "...that you-" he glanced from Tim to Selena and Oliver, "-took down Andy's killer?"

"He's saying we're giving you the chance to help other people's families." Selena clarified, folding her arms on the table.

"Do you remember when the people in this city helped each other?" Oliver asked. "They can't do that anymore, because a group of people, people like my father, they see nothing wrong with raising themselves up by stepping on other people's throats. It needs to stop." he stated. "If it's not gonna be the courts and it's not gonna be the cops...then it's gonna be me." Selena and Tim cleared their throats, making Oliver roll his eyes. "Us." he corrected. "And, we hope, you."

Selena slid out of the booth so Oliver could leave, setting a few bills on the table to pay for Dig's meal before excusing himself to go to the restroom.

"So..." Diggle cleared his throat, his eyes glancing between Selena and Tim. "What do the two of you have to do with the so-called 'offer'?"

Tim looked to Selena for the answer, and the dark-skinned girl just chuckled and tucked her hair behind her ear, her Wolf's Paw rattling against the chain on her wrist. "Well, you'll get that answer if you decide to take us up on that offer." she answered, her eyes turning gold as she flashed her fangs in a grin with a chuckle.

Seeing the gold eyes and fangs made Dig jump in his seat and his eyes went wide. Selena gave him a wink before her and Tim left. "FYI, he's long gone." Tim said to Rob on the way out, referring to Oliver.


Laurel finished up her last meeting of the work day and she saw Andrea sitting at her desk staring at a file and chewing on her pencap. "You really are putting a lot of hours into this Declan thing." she noted, walking up to her friend, watching as she turned the page. "You actually think he's innocent." She folded her arms over her chest.

"Someone does." Andrea answered.

"So you said." Joanna cut in, leaning against the filing cabinet next to Andrea's desk. "But you didn't say who."

Andrea sighed, glancing between her two friends-slash-colleagues. "A guardian angel." she said under her breath so only they could hear.

Laurel blinked in shock, "The guy in the hood?" she questioned in a low voice.

"You're kidding, right?" Jo arched her brow.

Andrea closed the file she was reading, "He tracked me down and asked me to look into the Declan case." she informed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Wait, you've met him?" Laurel's eyes widened and she grabbed Andrea's shoulder.

"Look, I know." Andrea sighed, "He goes against everything that we were taught to believe." she met the other brunette's eyes. "He breaks the law and God knows what else."

Seeing the calm look in her eyes made Jo all kinds of nervous. "Andy, how are you not afraid that he is gonna do God knows what to you?"

"He won't, Joanna." Andrea assured, getting to her feet and packing up her things for the night.

"How can you be sure?" Laurel asked, concerned for her friend's well being.

"I don't know." Andrea shrugged her shoulders as she slipped on her coat. "It's just a feeling." She grabbed her briefcase and purse, "I'll see you girls tomorrow." She smiled at them as she headed out.


Later that night, Andrea met with The Hood on the rooftop of a building. "Is there a reason we can't do this face to face?" she asked calmly, standing a few feet from the vigilante. Unknown to her, on an adjacent roof, his partners were watching and listening.

"You've met with Peter Declan." Oliver stated, keeping his back turned to Andrea.

"You were right, he might be innocent." Andrea informed, a light breeze blowing through her hair. "Declan said his wife blew the whistle on Brodeur the day she was murdered."

"Then we need to get whoever she told about Brodeur to testify." Oliver added, walking past Andrea as she tried to approach him, still keeping his back to her.

"He already has." Andrea replied, still keeping her eyes on the vigilante near her. "Matt Istook, Camille's supervisor. Only, he says that she didn't say a word to him. And if he's lying, he's very convincing. He had the jury and police believing him."

"He hasn't been questioned by me." The Hood noted. From the adjacent roof, Selena could hear everything being said. She kept her golden eyes on the pair, while Tim stood tall and stiff beside her, just observing.

"If what you're doing isn't wrong..." Andrea breathed out, trying to get a glimpse of the face under the hood, but it was too dark. "...then why are you hiding your face with a hood?"

Oliver subtly shifted his stance, still keeping his face obscured from Andrea's view. "To protect the ones I care about." he answered honestly.

Andrea sighed, getting a feeling like there was more to this hooded vigilante than met the eye, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. "That sounds lonely." she admitted, clearing her throat.

This time, Oliver is the one who let out a breath, "It can be." he agreed. "But not today." He pulled an arrow from his quiver and fired it into the next building, using the rope attached to it to swing over, leaving Andrea alone on the roof. She let out the breath she was holding and her eyes caught the sight of two shadowed figures on the next roof, more importantly, she saw the glowing golden eyes of Selena.


Rachel marched into the CEO's office at Queen Consolidated, "Ms. Rayne." Walter greeted in a calm manner.

"Why am I being fired?" she demanded, standing in front of Walter's desk, her arms folded over her chest. "I am without a doubt the single most valuable member of your technical division. That's including my so-called 'supervisor'." she used air quotes over the mentioned position, "Letting me go would be a major error for this company."

"I agree." Walter simply nodded, which came as a shock to Rachel, who blinked in slight confusion. "Which is why you're not being fired."

"Oh-um." Rachel chuckled nervously, lowering her hands, "I assumed when you brought me up here, it was because..." she moved her finger across her neck to symbolize slitting one's throat.

Walter cleared his throat, "It's because I wanted you to look into something for me." he informed. "A variance of $2.6 million on a failed investment from three years ago, authorized by my wife." he handed her a few documents, "I was hoping you could find out some of the details of the transaction for me."

"Find out?" the young blonde repeated, adjusting her glasses.

"Dig up." Walter corrected. "Discreetly, please."

"I'm your girl." Rachel gave a nod, spinning on her heels and walking away. "I mean, I'm not your girl." she recanted, "I wasn't making a pass at you or anything. I mean, you're my best friend's step-father so..." another nervous chuckle escaped her "Thank you for not firing me, Mr. Steel."

Rachel quickly turned around and left the office, her low ponytail swaying between her shoulders.


Matt Istook exited the Brodeur Chemical building and headed for his car. Laying in wait a few yards away were The Hood and his partners. Robin pulled a trank dart from a sheath on his wrist and tossed it right for Istook's neck, and in a matter of seconds he slumped against his car.

Istook awoke some minutes later handcuffed to a train track and could hear a train whistle in the distance. When the grogginess faded, he saw The Hood, Robin, and The Wolf standing before him. "You're him." he gasped. "The guy terrorizing this city. There's more of you freaks?"

"Peter Declan." The Hood stated.

"Your lies helped put him on death row." The Wolf added, her eyes blazing gold. "Now, either it's time to tell me the truth..."

"...or it's time for the 10:15 to Blüdhaven." Robin finished as another whistle from an inbound train sounded in the distance.

"Ok-ok. Brodeur paid me to...to say that Camille never spoke to me." Istook stammered, purely out of fear. "But I didn't have anything to do with her death." he could see the light from the train coming towards them. "Oh, God, please. I'll do anything." he begged. "Y-you could have the file."

"What file?" Selena snarled, baring her fangs.

Istook let out a scream upon seeing the fangs and hearing the animalistic snarl. "Camille gave me a file of evidence against Jason Brodeur." he answered, glancing from the three vigilantes to the oncoming train.

"Where is it?!" Oliver demanded.

"Let me go, and I'll tell you." Istook bargained. When it appeared he wasn't going to cooperate with them, the trio turned and left the tracks, disappearing into the night. They stopped a few feet away from the tracks, hearing Istook yell, "It's in my desk! The file, it's in my desk at the office!"

Oliver fired an arrow from his quiver and cut the chain from the cuffs, freeing Istook. He jumped off the tracks just in time to avoid being run over by the train.


Andrea sat on her living room couch, wearing simple black sweatpants and a Starling Rockets t-shirt, going over Peter Declan's case file and trying to figure out her next move for the case. She grabbed the empty coffee cup off the table and went to her kitchen to refill it, the lights in the apartment suddenly flickered and shut off. Standing in front of the open living-room window was the hooded vigilante.

"It's you." Andrea breathed out, standing some feet away from him.

Oliver dropped a file on the living room table. "Compliments of Matt Istook." he told her, keeping his voice distorted.

Andrea made her way into the living room and took the file, "What's in here?" she asked, looking up.

"Leverage on Jason Brodeur." Oliver answered. "Enough to help save Peter Declan's life."

Andrea opened the file, skimming over its contents. "As an attorney, I never would have gotten a file like this." she noted aloud. She ran her hand through her hair, "I once believed that the law was sacred, that it could fix everything that's wrong in the world."

"And now, Andrea?" Oliver asked, keeping his eyes on his friend. "Now what do you think?"

The brunette sighed, casting a glance to a couple pictures on the mantle, one of her family and the other of her and Oliver in their teenage years. "I think there's too many selfish people in this city. " she admitted, her shoulders sinking. "I think this city needs someone who's the opposite of them. Someone who's selfless..." her dark brown eyes drifted back to the vigilante before her, "...someone like you."

In the blink of an eye, the lights were back on the the hooded vigilante was gone. Andrea took a deep breath and exhaled, closing the window. She heard something coming from the hallway and saw her sister standing in the living room, wearing her pink Mew pajamas and rubbing her eyes. "Andy, who're you talking to?" she asked, scratching the side of her head.

"No one." Andrea replied, putting on a convincing smile. "Just myself. Going over what I'm gonna say to the judge tomorrow. Go back to sleep sweetie."

"Okay." Rachel yawned, slowly turning around and walking back to her room.


"Your Honor." Andrea addressed the judge before her. "The mere existence of the file proves that Mr. Istook perjured himself for Jason Brodeur's benefit."

"That's slander." a man objected as he walked into the room. "Jared Swanstrom, Your Honor. I represent Jason Brodeur and Brodeur Chemical."

Andrea rolled her eyes at the corporate lawyer, turning her attention back to the judge. "The interest of justice requires you to stay the defendant's execution pending exploration of the newly discovered evidence." she noted, standing tall and firm.

"Ours isn't a court of justice, Ms. Rayne, it's a court of law." the judge replied. "Under the law, I don't think your evidence is sufficient to warrant a stay of execution. Your motion for Habeas Corpus is denied." she pounded her gavel on her desk, declaring the meeting over.

As Andrea turned to leave the judge's chambers, she looked Jason Brodeur square in the eye, "This isn't over." she stated with a slight smirk. "I've got the loose end now, and no matter what happens, I am going to pull on it until your whole world unravels." She batted her eyes and flashed a smile, brushing past him and walking out.


Andrea met The Hood on the rooftop of her apartment building, informing him about her failed meeting with the judge about staying Peter Declan's execution. "What do you need to free Peter Declan?" Oliver asked, still keeping his back towards Andrea.

"At this point..." the brunette sighed heavily, her breath visible in the night air, "nothing short of a signed confession from Brodeur." she answered. Oliver pulled another jet-ascending arrow from his quiver and moved to the edge of the roof. "Where are you going?" Andrea called after him.

"To get a confession." Oliver replied, jumping off and swinging to the next roof.


After leaving his meeting with Andrea, Oliver went straight to Brodeur Chemical to get what he needed for the Declan case. Tim and Selena crashed through the windows and slammed Brodeur against the wall. When he tried to move, Selena wrapped her clawed hand around his throat, "You're gonna confess that you arranged to have Peter Declan's wife murdered." she said in a low growl.

"What..." Brodeur panted, "...so I can take his place in prison?"

"So you can avoid the death penalty." Oliver corrected, having an arrow drawn back and ready to fire.

"Except if I'm dead, well, then, you've got no one to pin Camille's murder on." Brodeur reminded in a frantic tone. "You need me to exonerate Peter Declan. You could try to force me to sign a confession or something."

Oliver fired the arrow into Brodeur's hand and he let out a pained scream. "That might be difficult." Tim noted with a sarcastic tone.

The phone in Brodeur's jacket pocket began ringing and Oliver reached inside to grab it. "Just answer it." he ordered, answering the call and holding the device by Brodeur's ear.

"What?" Brodeur shouted into the phone, breathing through the pain from the arrow still in his hand.

"It's Ankov." the CEO's bodyguard answered on the other line. "It's going down, one hour."

Due to her heightened hearing, Selena overheard everything. "What's going down in an hour?!" she demanded, tightening her grip around Brodeur's throat and baring her fangs.

"Let's just say..." Brodeur answered, staring down the vigilante trio, "Peter Declan's execution...it's getting moved up."


Andrea sat across Peter in a meeting room at Iron Heights, "We still have a shot." she assured her client, but she could see the hopelessness reflected in his eyes. "Do you remember the friend that I mentioned, the one who believes in you? He is working on something."

"I told you, Jason Brodeur is powerful." Peter told her, shaking his head. "I've been here before. These lawyers holding out these little nuggets of hope."

Suddenly, the main lights shut off and emergency lights turned on, and alarms started going off everywhere. Andrea jumped to her feet and watched as all the guards scrambled to control the prisoners who had escaped their cells.

With their adrenaline kicking in, Andrea and Peter ran out of the meeting area and tried to find a way out, only to end up right in the middle of the riot going on. When one of the inmates set his sights on her, he ran straight for Andrea, only to be shot in the shoulder with an arrow.

Andrea's head whipped around and she saw a man in a guard's uniform and ski mask, a quiver on his back and a bow in his hand. "Let's go." he held out his hand and Andrea didn't hesitate to take it, grabbing Peter with her free hand and they ran down the hallway, away from the chaos.

Peter and Andrea made it to a large, empty room, but a few inmates had followed them in and attacked them. One just threw Peter to the ground and was quickly taken care of by Oliver in his disguise. The second inmate shoved Andrea into the chain-link barrier before tossing her to the floor, her forehead splitting open upon contact and she screamed.

Hearing her scream, Oliver's eyes landed on her, now being choked by the inmate. She tried to fight back, but he had his weight over her so she could barely move. His blood boiled and Oliver tackled the inmate and started beating on him relentlessly.

Andrea rubbed her throat and saw the savage beating the vigilante was giving the man who attacked her, and she stumbled over and grabbed his arm, "Stop." she begged, pulling him free. He reared back and they locked eyes for a few seconds, until more guards came into the area shouting orders over eachother.


"The company Mrs. Queen...or Steele. Mrs. Queen-Steele." Rachel stammered as she again met with Walter in his office. "She hyphenate? She seems like a woman who would hyphenate."

Walter cleared his throat, motioning for Rachel to get to her point, "The company she invested in doesn't exist." the young IT girl informed.

"I don't understand." Walter blinked in confusion.

"There was no investment." Rachel clarified. "The money was used to set up an offshore LLC called Tempest."

Walter arched his brow, "I don't recall that name being under the Queen Consolidated banner."

"That's 'cause it's not." Rachel replied. "There's nothing registered with the Secretary of State, no federal tax records, no patent applications filed. But in 2009, Tempest purchased a warehouse in Starling City."

She handed her boss a file of everything she collected on the so-called company and saw herself out of his office. As she reached the elevator, her cell rang from her purse. "Hello?" Rachel answered, tapping her shoe as she waited for the elevator doors to open.

"Rach, it's Laurel." answered the woman on the other line. "Andrea was attacked at Iron Heights. I'm on my way to come and get you to take you to her."

Rachel's eyes went wide when she heard what had happened to her sister, "Okay." she bit back her tears, running into the elevator and repeatedly pressing the button for the bottom floor of the building. "I'll meet you out front."


Andrea sat in the back of an ambulance as a paramedic cleaned the cut on her forehead. Once she was done, Andrea was embraced by Quentin, who sighed in relief that she was okay.

"I'm fine, Papa Lance." Andrea sighed, giving him a smile as she stepped out of the ambulance. "I just want to go home."

"Well, Laurel's on her way here with your sister. She can take you guys back to your apartment." Quentin told her. "Also, you were right. Peter Declan is innocent. Brodeur's bodyguard just confessed to Camille Declan's murder."

Laurel's car pulled up to the scene and Rachel jumped out. "Andrea!" she called out, running right into her sister's arms.

"I'm okay sweetie." Andrea soothed, rubbing her sister's back.

From the rooftop of the prison, Oliver, Selena, and Tim watched the scene unfold. They overheard Andrea tell Quentin and Laurel about how the vigilante saved her, but how he also almost killed someone. Oliver let out a shuddering breath, an early memory of his first few days on Lian Yu coming to mind, while Selena just watched Andrea and Rachel, the corner of her lips curling upwards.

"Come on Andy, I'll take you home." Laurel wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders and led her to her car, Rachel going on ahead and climbing into the backseat.

"How'd he get into that prison, anyway?" Quentin asked, holding open the passenger door of Laurel's car. "A grown man in an outfit and a hood, that kind of stands out a little, doesn't it?"

"He wasn't wearing the outfit this time." Andrea replied. "He was in a prison guard uniform and a ski mask." She gave the detective one more smile before sliding into the seat, leaning back with a sigh.


The following morning, Andrea met Peter outside of Iron Heights and took him to a local park so he could enjoy his newfound freedom. "Thank you, Andrea." Peter said, giving the young woman a smile.

Andrea smiled in return, "Don't thank me." she replied, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Thank Brodeur's bodyguard Ankov for flipping him." they both chuckled and he hugged her. Andrea returned the hug and pulled back, patting his shoulder, casting a glance to a bench a few feet away, "I think there's someone that wants to see you."

Peter followed her line of sight and his smile grew wider when he saw a little girl. "Izzy." he sighed as his daughter looked at him. She broke into a run and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Andrea wiped the tear that fell down her cheek, grinning at the sight of father and daughter reunited after a few years.


Oliver walked into the living room where John was standing by the window. "You here for the bodyguard position?" Oliver asked. "'Cause the new guy just quit."

"No, I'm here about the other position." Dig answered, his hands in his pockets. "Just to be clear, I'm not signing on to be a sidekick. But you're right." he stepped closer to the billionaire, "Fighting for this city needs to be done, and you're gonna do this with or without me." Oliver nodded in confirmation. "But with me, there'll be fewer casualties, including you, and your partners."

"Diggle, I'm not looking for anybody to save me." Oliver stated. "And, Selena and Tim can take care of themselves."

"You are fighting a war, Queen, except you have no idea what war does to you." Diggle reminded. "How it scrapes off little pieces of your soul, and you need someone to remind you of who you are, not this thing you're becoming. Same goes for Tim and Selena."

Diggle held out his hand and he and Oliver shook on it, solidifying the new partnership. However, it was cut short when a two SCPD detectives entered the mansion.

"What is this?" Walter demanded. "You can't just barge in here."

"Well, I got a badge and a gun that say different." Quentin replied, two uniformed officers following him and detective Hilton inside.

"Hey, what the hell's going on?!" Oliver asked as he entered the room.

"Oliver Queen, you're under arrest on suspicion of obstruction of justice, aggravated assault..." Lance rattled off as the two officers slapped cuffs on Oliver.

"What is going on?" Thea asked, gripping the banister as she and Elena watched Oliver's arrest.

"Walter, stop them!" Elena shouted, running down the stairs.

"...Trespassing, acting as a vigilante..." Lance continued.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Oliver rebuked with wide eyes.

"And murder." Lance finished listing the charges. Detective Hilton stated the Miranda Rights as he and Detective Lance escorted Oliver out of the Queen Mansion, leaving the rest of his family in shock over everything that just happened.


A/N: Finally, I'm sorry this chapter took forever, but writer's block is a serious pain in the behind. Anyway, It's been about a year since I posted this story and I kinda wish I was further along than five chapters, but it's alright. So much is going on personally that writing has taken a backseat.

Anyway, on a lighter note: Happy Birthday to my big sis DemonGirl123! Without you, my stories wouldn't even exist. Love you lots and hope you like the chapter. XOXO

Again, I only own my OCs (Andrea, Rachel and Elena), Selena belongs to DemonGirl123, the rest belong to DC comics and CW Arrow. For some little trivia tidbits, head over to the page "Wolf's Moon Rising" on Satanic Crusaders Productions Wiki.

Now for some review questions/comments:

FirePheonix11: I am so glad you like the various character interactions from the last chapter and picked up on a future ship in seasons to come. I'm also happy to know that you've gotten into the shows Arrow and Flash and I hope you like what I've got in store for future seasons. Looking forward to your next review girl!

DemonGirl123: Glad you liked all the foreshadowing from the previous chapter and I hope you like what I did with this one. More information about the Fox Guardian are revealed and soon she'll join the team. Looking forward to your next review! Love ya sis!