Unlike Felicity Smoak, Vincent Keller was having pleasant dreams. The images were blurry and the motion indistinct, like watching a movie through bubble-wrap, but there were pleasant smells and soft touches and the sense of being someplace very peaceful. It was a place where he knew instinctively he could let down his guard without risk of the Beast taking over. The Beast was still there, of course - he would never disappear entirely – but he had ceded his power and become merely another one of God's creatures, neither innately good nor evil. It would be nice, Vincent thought, to stay here a while.

But as was often the case with dreams, things began to change. The pleasant smells and soft touches grew more distant and he was dimly aware of a tinny noise persistently clanging nearby. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, determined to make the noise go away. Eventually it did, replaced by a more pleasing, familiar sound.

Cautiously, he removed the pillow and opened his eyes to a room that was still fairly dark. Catherine was sitting on the opposite side of the bed facing away from him, her naked back looking youthful and vulnerable as she talked on the phone. Vincent eyed the four-foot gap between his body and hers and understood now why the agreeable scent in his dream had disappeared; it was because Catherine had moved away to take the call.

"J.T.," she was saying softly, "can't this wait another couple of hours? Vincent is still asleep and I'm pretty sure that whatever you think is going to happen won't happen until people are actually up and have started their day." She was using the same tone she used when dealing with agitated suspects – gentle and reasonable, as if soothing a frightened animal. Vincent had seen her employ it to great effect numerous times but it couldn't have been working now, because he could also hear J.T.'s voice continue to squawk faintly over the phone.

He squinted at the clock on the bedside table: 6:28. Catherine was right, it was early. His shift at the hospital didn't start until 9:00, which meant he should still be able to snatch another hour or two of sleep, preferably with Catherine draped over him. He just needed to get J.T. to postpone his meltdown for another couple of hours.

He sighed and sat up. "Give me the phone," he said to her groggily.

She turned and smiled, surprised but clearly pleased to see him awake. She slid across the bed to hand him the phone, pulling the covers up to her chin and wrapping one arm around his waist. He lay back down and put his head close to hers so that she could hear both sides of the conversation.

"J.T.," he said sleepily, "What's got you going at…" - he glanced once more at the clock – "6:29 in the morning?"

"They're planning to go to Martin's house." J.T. replied instantly, as if that explained everything.

Vincent rested the hand not holding the phone on top of Catherine's arm, pulling her closer. "Who is planning to go to Martin's house?" he asked patiently. He noticed he was using the same tone she had used moments earlier. J.T. must inspire it in people.

"Your army buddy and Felicity. They researched the car that tried to grab her yesterday and traced it back to William Martin's old company, Velograph. Digg suggested they stop beating around the bush and just go to the Martin's house to speak with Jeff. They plan to ask him directly what this is all about." J.T.'s voice rose with a hint of hysteria on the word "about."

Vincent frowned. The scheme, while potentially awkward, hardly seemed to merit the anxiety attack that J.T. was having. Everything kept pointing back to Martin – why not ask him? He glanced at Catherine. She also looked puzzled but not terribly worried. Given her preference for tackling obstacles head on, he suspected she probably approved of the plan.

"O…kay," he said slowly to J.T. "I take it you think this is a bad idea?"

"Of course it's a bad idea. Don't tell me you've forgotten that when Felicity and I first encountered Jeff Martin he had a Beast as his wingman? You know, the guy with the claws who made you spend a good couple of hours stitching up her back? And now she's going to his house?"

Vincent sighed. "No, I haven't forgotten that, J.T. But Jeff Martin didn't Beast out himself. I'm still not seeing the problem."

"No he didn't Beast out himself," J.T. admitted. "But if Jeff Martin knows a Beast, there's a chance he could also be a Beast and just didn't show it at the time. It's a pretty small club."

"J.T., I doubt Jeff Martin is a Beast. I remember you telling me Felicity took him down with a knee to his nuts." Vincent felt, rather than heard, Catherine chuckle beside him. "If he really were a Beast, that move wouldn't have worked; he would have Beasted-out on the spot. You know that. What's really got you worried?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone which Vincent took to mean that J.T. was collecting his thoughts and trying to calm down. This was good. Hell, depending on what J.T. said next, there might even be a chance for another hour of sleep. He waited.

"Fine," J.T. said at last. "Jeff Martin probably isn't a Beast." His voice sounded steadier and Vincent smiled at Catherine. But then J.T. continued, "Martin's buddy, on the other hand, definitely is a Beast and maybe he'll be there this morning, too. I don't care how good your army pal Diggle is – if a Beast shows up, he doesn't stand a chance. And if by some miracle he and Felicity do manage to get away, they're going to have all kinds of questions. She was pretty out of it the other night with the sedative and she hasn't really pushed the whole Beast issue. But if they run into a Beast this morning, Digg'll see it too and there'll be no way to dismiss it." There was a pause, then J.T. added more quietly, "You must have noticed that there's something funny about those three. For a CEO, a bodyguard and an EA, they seem pretty damn good at investigations. I get the feeling they've looked into weird shit before and I don't like the idea of them starting to investigate Beasts. It could eventually circle back to you."

And there you had it – the real reason for J.T.'s nervousness. As much as he might be worried about Felicity encountering a Beast, ultimately this was about him protecting Vincent, same as always. After ten years of keeping Vincent hidden – of keeping his secret hidden – J.T. was still doing everything he could to keep the world from learning that Vincent was a Beast. Vincent glanced down at Catherine with a reluctant smile. It was tough to be too annoyed with your best friend when his anxiety attack was the result of him having your back. She smiled in return and tightened the arm around his waist.

Vincent stretched out in the bed, facing up to the fact that he might have to leave its comfortable warmth soon. "So," he said to J.T., "what are you proposing that we do? If you think they're going to run into a Beast I could go there with them as protection…"

"No," J.T. said sharply, "that's exactly what you shouldn't do. If the Beast really does show up then you might have to Beast-out to fight him. And then the cat's out of the bag."

"So we let them walk in there and take their chances? That doesn't feel right."

"I don't know that we have much choice. I tried talking them out of going but your pal Digg is pretty stubborn. And without giving them a whole Beast story, I really didn't have a good reason to offer."

Vincent lay still a long moment, thinking about his time with Diggle in the army. They guy was as tough as nails, but he was also empathetic and as honest as they come. Digg was a man he would trust with his life…hell, he'd trust him with Catherine's life. So why not his secret? There were a few people who knew; Tess, Catherine's father, that ass of a district attorney, Gabe Lowen. Digg could handle it. He'd be surprised, sure, but Vincent could explain about Muirfield and the experiments.

"J.T.," he said at last, very carefully, "If I have to tell Digg, I'm not sure that's the worst thing in the world. We saw a lot in Afghanistan. I don't think he'll judge me. And he used to be in covert ops, he can keep a secret."

J.T. snorted, "There's secrets and then there's secrets. This isn't exactly like hiding an affair or owing money. And even if he does buy into the whole Beast story, there's Felicity and – worse – there's Oliver Queen. Those three stick together. If Digg and Felicity find out, you can sure as hell bet that Queen will too. And we know nothing about him except that he has a reputation for partying and apparently can throw a pretty good punch. You've finally been able to come out of hiding and resume your medical career. Do you really want to risk that?"

Vincent thought about it. Maybe J.T. had a point. "No," he said reluctantly, "probably not."

"So you're not going to go near the Martin's this morning, right?"

Vincent chuckled. This was so J.T. "Is that why you called in a panic, J.T.? To tell me not to go near someplace I had no plans to go near this morning?" Catherine smiled.

There was a pause. When he spoke, J.T. sounded a bit embarrassed. "I suppose so," he said sheepishly.

"Well, message received. And now maybe we can all get back to a little more sleep."

There was another pause. "Right. Talk to you later."

Vincent ended the call. Despite what he'd said to J.T., however, going back to sleep didn't seem like an option anymore. While he thought the chances were remote, letting Diggle and his friends walk into a potential Beast situation without warning didn't sit well. He glanced down at Catherine, still curled around him with a thoughtful look on her face.

"So," he said, "what do you think we should do?"

Felicity Smoak was a very intelligent woman and a surprisingly good judge of character for someone so young. During their two years working together, Digg had developed a healthy respect for her ability to see through peoples' facades; she'd figured out Moira Queen's devious side pretty quickly, for example, even at the risk of her friendship with Oliver. And he could tell that she had taken to Vincent. Her trust in him was evident. Digg considered that another example of her good sense.

If there were anyone that Felicity occasionally had a blind spot about, it was herself. It wasn't so much that she lacked confidence; it was more that she doubted others' ability to recognize her value. She knew she was smart and capable, but she saw herself as a square peg in a round hole, not conforming to the world's notion of a beautiful, successful woman. When someone saw her differently, she was surprised. And when someone truly appreciated her worth – like Oliver or Walter Steele – well, then she gave them her all.

So it hadn't surprised Diggle when Felicity had said that William Martin, founder of Velograph, would have no interest in her. It was consistent with her notion of how others saw her. He also wasn't surprised, however, when that turned out to be entirely untrue.

They had waited until 8:30 to go to the Martin's house. It was still on the early side for a social call, but Digg was worried that they'd lose folks to their daily activities if they waited much longer. As they approached the multi-storied stone home with the imposing iron gate, they reviewed their strategy. Oliver would wait on the sidewalk down the block, out of sight of the front door. Felicity would ring the doorbell and do most of the talking. And Digg would stick by her side saying as little as possible, with his phone connected to Oliver's. If pressed to explain himself, he was going to go with the truth; he was a colleague and friend of Felicity's, making sure she got safely through her alumni visits. Felicity had prepared a short tale about a get-together for MIT alums in the classes of the 2000's and 2010's. Digg hoped it would be enough to get their foot in the door. Given their lack of appointment and the Martin's billionaire status, he thought there was a decent chance that security would turn them away.

That turned out to be not at all the case. As they approached the Martin's, Diggle could hear cameras swing in their direction, no doubt sending pictures of them to monitors somewhere inside. He then heard a short buzz and watched the gate swung inward before they even had a chance to ring the bell. The heavy wooden door to the house opened to reveal William Martin himself standing there.

"Felicity Smoak!" he called out as they walked up the front steps. "I can't tell you how long I've wanted to meet you. And now here you are, at my home. I'm so delighted! Please come in."

Felicity paused on the threshold, clearly dumbfounded. "You know who I am?" she asked him.

He smiled at her. "I certainly do," he replied warmly. "I've always made it a point to keep my eye on young, technical talent, and I became aware of you a few years ago when you got into MIT. I'm an alum myself and a donor to the scholarship fund. You were one of the brightest and most worthy recipients." He gestured toward a small, sitting room off the front hallway and added, "Please have a seat while I get us some coffee. I'm so interested in hearing what brings you to my door this morning." And without waiting further, he disappeared down the hall.

Felicity raised one eyebrow in puzzlement at Diggle and then, as requested, walked into the room and perched on the edge of a small sofa. Digg sat down beside her.

"Did that seem a little weird to you?" she asked him in a low voice.

Digg shrugged. "That he knows who you are or that he's a billionaire getting his own coffee?" In his year working at the Queen Mansion he doubted Moira knew how to find the kitchen, let alone actually use the coffee maker.

She rolled her eyes slightly. "That he knows who I am."

"Felicity, from what J.T. says, two thirds of the people at the hacking convention know who you are. Why should he be any different?"

"He's William Martin, founder of Velograph. He's brilliant in his own right, and he's probably had access to some of the best technical minds in the computing industry."

"Well, apparently he puts your mind in that category as well. And his story about the scholarship fund makes sense. It's really not that weird."

She frowned, but before they could talk further, William Martin entered the room bearing a tray with cups and a large pot. As he put the tray down and fussed with the coffee and cream, Diggle took an opportunity to study the man. He recalled Tess telling Catherine that Martin was attractive and supposed he could see the appeal to women. In addition to being very wealthy, Martin was tall, with vibrant blue eyes and a thick head of salt and pepper hair. His energy and charisma took over the room, not unlike the way Oliver's presence took command of the foundry. Still, Diggle wondered if Martin had experienced some setback recently. His clothes hung a little loosely on his body as if he'd lost weight, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

"So," Martin said to Felicity, "tell me what you're up to these days. I recall you went to Queen Consolidated when you graduated. I was a little surprised you didn't go to a startup, but then I suppose QC works on some cutting edge technologies. Of course, if I'd still owned Velograph I would have made you an offer myself, but I had sold the company by then." He took a sip of coffee. "Are you still with QC?" He studied Felicity intently as he awaited her response. Diggle could have been invisible for all the notice Martin was taking of him.

Felicity shook her head. "No, I left a few months ago. There was a…change in management."

Martin frowned. "And the new management didn't appreciate your skills? I find that hard to believe."

Felicity shrugged slightly. "I was uncomfortable with the direction the new CEO was taking the company in."

Martin squinted thoughtfully. "That's right. Isabel Rochev took over. I never met her myself, but she had a reputation as a pretty ruthless businesswoman. Still, I'm not sure she would have been worse than Oliver Queen as CEO. She had experience. Queen didn't. If he hadn't been the son of the founder and owned a huge block of shares, he would never have been given a chance to run the company." His face grew harder. "Sons shouldn't take their inheritance for granted," he said shortly. "Some things need to be earned." Looking at his face, Digg had the feeling that he was no longer speaking about Oliver Queen. He wondered about Martin's relationship with his own son.

There was a brief silence. Felicity made no comment about Oliver's skills as CEO and didn't mention that her last position at QC had been as his assistant. It seemed a wise move; given Martin's admiration of her technical skills and his less than generous statements about Oliver, he probably wouldn't have reacted well to hearing that her most recent job duties included scheduling lunch appointments and picking up dry cleaning. Martin smiled again at Felicity. "So where are you working now?" he asked more cheerfully.

Felicity pursed her lips. "I'm actually between jobs at the moment."

"Taking time to assess what you want to do?" Martin finished for her. "Well, that's wise. For someone with your talents, there will be plenty of options. You should consider coming back East. There's another tech boom started; you could get your foot in the door of a new company and progress much more quickly than you could at a stodgy, big place like QC. And believe me, there's a lot of CEO's out there who will be much better for your career than Isabel Rochev or Oliver Queen."

Felicity flushed slightly. She was aware, no doubt, that Oliver was hearing most of this conversation through Digg's cell phone and probably recalling when she had told her former boss that he was hurting her career. It had been almost a year, but Digg remembered the day Oliver had made Felicity his EA as if it were yesterday. She hadn't been happy and had certainly let Oliver know it. At the time, Oliver had gotten his way – as he often did. But hearing someone like Martin talk about her potential now, well…maybe it was giving Oliver pause. Digg hoped he was at least thinking about what Felicity had sacrificed for him.

Felicity certainly looked as if she were thinking about it; she was staring at Martin as if she were actually considering his career advice. Digg wondered if she would be willing to leave Starling. A half a year ago he would have said no way – she was too dedicated to Oliver and to their mission - but now he wasn't so sure. Despite her bravado at the time, watching Oliver with Sara had to have hurt. If Oliver dove into another relationship…well, there was only so much she could take. And she did need to earn a living.

Felicity smiled pleasantly at William Martin. "I appreciate your guidance," she said. "I will certainly think about it." She took a sip of coffee then put her cup down on the tray. "I actually came here today looking for Jeffrey. It's kind of impromptu, but we're planning a get-together for local alums and I was hoping he might be interested. I believe he was class of 2012?"

Martin waved his hand dismissively. "Jeff – oh, he squeaked through with enough credits to get a piece of paper in 2012. I'm not sure I'd consider him a true graduate. He certainly didn't have your passion for the sciences and he's not working in technology." Digg was once again struck by the tone of his voice. It was disinterested – as if Martin had passed disappointed some time ago and his son barely existed for him now. Felicity heard it too. Digg saw her eyes narrow and her jaw drop a little.

"Not everyone can love computing the way we do," she said softly.

"I suppose," Martin agreed shortly, "But a man's got to have some kind of skill. And he needs to be capable of earning his own living. Like I said, a son shouldn't take his inheritance for granted." He shrugged, "Anyway, I'm sure Jeff's somewhere around the house. He doesn't have a job to go to, although he often manages to disappear for most of the day. Oh – here he is now."

As if on cue, Jeff Martin poked his head in the door. "Dad? I thought I heard…" He stopped when he saw Felicity and Digg. His face grew a paler. If Diggle had had any doubts that Jeff Martin was the man in pursuit of Felicity, they were gone now. He had to hand it to him, though, the kid recovered quickly. After a few awkward seconds he added, "I didn't realize you had company" in an even voice.

"Jeff," his father replied, "this is Felicity Smoak and her friend." (Martin had never bothered to ask Digg's name). "I think I've mentioned her to you before – the young woman who got a full scholarship to MIT?"

"Yeah, you may have said something a couple hundred times."

Martin ignored his son's sarcasm. "Well, she's here to see you, to talk about an alumni get-together."

Jeff Martin's eyes narrowed. "Really? I don't remember reading anything in the newsletter."

"It's kind of spontaneous," Felicity said sweetly, staring at Jeff. "As you might have guessed, a few of us are in town for the hacking convention, and we thought it would be fun to meet up." She sat a little straighter on the sofa. "In fact, I heard that you might have been looking for me after the convention on Tuesday evening. I thought I'd make it easier for you - stop by and introduce myself."

William Martin raised his eyebrows. "Is that true, Jeff?"

Jeff shook his head. "No, Ms. Smoak is mistaken. I didn't go to the convention."

His father nodded. "Well, I can certainly believe that. You've never shown much inclination for computing before." His brief moment of interest in his son was over. "I'll tell you what, though," he said to Felicity with more animation. "My annual benefit for the New York City hospitals is tomorrow night. I realize it's short notice, but there will be quite a few prominent business folks there. Why don't you come? If you're between jobs, you can do a little networking. I'd be happy to make any introductions."

Felicity flushed. "Thank you. But I'm not sure…"

"You can bring a date, if want," Martin continued, glancing at Diggle for the first time. "And, of course, you don't need to bother with the $5000 a plate contribution. Who knows, you might walk out of it with a new career."

"It's really kind of you. But I'm not sure I've got a dress that…"

"Felicity would love to go." Digg stepped in, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the Martin house. "She'll certainly be here tomorrow night. Thanks." Felicity turned to give Diggle a hard stare. He ignored it.

Jeff Martin looked at his father and then toward Felicity. "I've always found the thing incredibly boring, myself," he said to her, "but given how well you and my father seem to click, it might be right up your alley. At any rate, the food is really good." He turned toward the door.

"Felicity and I are headed to the bagel place down the street for breakfast," Diggle called after him. "If you'd like to join us, she can tell you more about the alumni get-together. The two of you probably have a lot you can catch up on."

Jeff Martin studied him for a minute. "Maybe," he said at last. "It's kind of a busy day, though." His father shook his head but said nothing, and after one last glance at Felicity, Martin junior left.

"Well," Felicity said to Martin senior, "we really have to be going as well. Thank you again for the career advice and the…invitation." She gave Digg a wry glance as she stood up. "I'm looking forward to it."

Martin took her hand and gently shook it. "It's been my pleasure. And I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow night." He led her into the hallway and opened the front door. "Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Digg," Felicity said sharply as they reached the sidewalk, "why on earth did you sign me up to go to the charity event?"

Diggle smiled and steered her toward Oliver, still waiting a half a block away. "A couple of reasons. One - you do need to be thinking about a real job and the networking opportunity can't hurt. You don't know who you might meet. You may not want to come back East but you could still make a useful career connection."

"And the other reason?"

"Our friend Jeff appears to be a pretty cool customer. Even if he does show up at the bagel place, I think there's a good chance he's not going to spill the beans."

"And going to a charity ball will change that how?"

"It'll give you access to the house. Once the ball gets going and everyone's had a few glasses of champagne, you can take the opportunity to disappear for twenty minutes to take a look at Jeff's room and his computer. Maybe there's something there that will give us a clue."

"It's a good idea," Oliver said, pocketing his cell phone as they caught up to him. "Jeff's probably never thought about the need to hide physical evidence. Felicity, you and I can go together." She frowned, but said nothing.

"And who knows," Digg added to Felicity. "You might even have some fun. It's a ball, after all."

Felicity grimaced. "Spoken from the person who doesn't have to find a gown and get her hair done in one of the most expensive cities in the world."

Digg smiled, "I'll bet Cat will be happy to assist you with that."

That seemed to help. "I like her," Felicity said softly. "Your friend Vincent has good sense when it comes to girlfriends." She didn't look at Oliver, but Digg wondered if she were thinking about Helena. Oliver hadn't shown a lot of sense with that one. As they turned the corner and headed toward the bagel place, he heard a low rumble.

"Even if Martin doesn't meet us, I guess it's good that we're headed toward breakfast," Digg joked. "I can hear someone's stomach growling."

"It's not my stomach…" Oliver and Felicity said simultaneously. The three of them stopped.

There was another snarl, louder this time. It sounded like a cross between a large jungle cat and something…well, something almost human. They looked at each other and then turned to scan their surroundings.

There was a third growl.

"What the hell?" Diggle asked.

Oliver looked up. "On the fire escape," he said shortly.

Digg and Felicity followed Oliver's gaze to see a man staring fiercely down at them from the 3rd story of a red brick building. At least he had the clothing and the shape of a man. His hands, however, sported claws and his eyes were yellow and almost feline. He leapt off the fire escape and dropped 25 feet to land easily in a crouched position a short distance away. He appeared poised to spring, but also seemed to be sizing up the three of them. His eyes moved back and forth, then finally focused on Felicity.

"Oh, hell," she said softly. "It's him again."

"Him?" Diggle asked nervously.

"The guy who came after me on Tuesday night after the conference. The Mirakuru guy who isn't a Mirakuru guy."

The man growled again.

"I've never seen Mirakuru do this," Oliver said tensely. "Felicity, he wants you. Run – get the hell out of here. Digg and I will hold him."

"Oliver, I don't think…"

"Don't argue with me, Felicity, just go. Run back to the Martin's and ring the doorbell."

"Oliver…" She stared at him and Digg could see they were about to head into one of their battles of will. Please, Felicity, he thought, now is not a good time.

She blinked, "Fine," and turned and headed down the street at a jog.

The snarling man started after her and Oliver blocked his way. "I don't think so," he said, then connected with a hard right to man's jaw. The guy didn't even stagger. His eyes moved from Felicity's retreating form to Oliver and he grabbed Starling City's vigilante by the upper arms and threw him effortlessly against the building. Oliver landed hard on his side and began slowly getting to his feet, clearly winded. The man walked toward him.

"Hey asshole," Digg called out, drawing the man's – the thing's - attention away from Oliver. "Why don't you head back to the zoo where you belong?" The guy stared at him curiously and then, in a blink of an eye, covered the 20 feet separating them and tossed Digg just as easily through the air as he had Oliver. As Digg landed on his back, he had the sinking realization that this was hopeless. They had no weapons, no tranquilizers, nothing to stop this guy except their bodies. And those bodies weren't going to hold up very long. As he got to his feet and glanced at Oliver and he could tell Oliver was thinking the same thing. This…creature, whatever he was, could move inhumanly fast and was impossibly strong. Digg looked down the street and was relieved to see that Felicity was out of sight. Maybe she'd made it back to the Martin's.

The man growled yet again, and started advancing toward Diggle. He took a deep breath and waited.

And, suddenly, there were two of them. Two men/beasts with super-strength and claws and yellow eyes and - glory be! – they were fighting each other. Things were moving so quickly that Digg's eyes could barely follow it, but he could tell they were circling each other and fists were flying and the second creature seemed to be driving the first one away. After about 90 seconds the first guy leapt effortlessly back up to the fire escape with the second one right on his heels. They bounded over the side of the building and were gone.

He stared at Oliver and Oliver stared back in stunned silence. After a minute of tense waiting, Digg felt his breathing ease a little. It looked like the two...whatever they were... weren't coming back.

"Holy shit," Felicity's voice interrupted the silence. "There are two of them?"

Oliver looked at her. "Where did you come from? I thought you ran back to the Martin's."

She shook her head. "I went down to the end of the street and hid behind the dumpster."

He studied her for a long moment. "You're not great at following orders, are you?"

Felicity smiled.