Felicity rang the bell at the gate to William Martin's brownstone and waited. A lot can happen in a short time, she thought, staring through the iron bars. In the three days since she'd stood here with Digg, she'd discovered that Billy Martin, long believed dead, was alive and in New York City. She'd learned about the genetic experiments that produced Beasts, and that both Billy and Digg's old friend, Vincent Keller, had been subjected to those experiments. She'd found another team, not unlike Team Arrow, that stuck together and kept a huge secret hidden from the rest of the world.
And Oliver had kissed her.
Really kissed her.
No, it hadn't been a frenzied thrashing of tongues, but it hadn't been a friend-zone peck on the lips either. She knew the difference. It had been a spontaneous, heartfelt kiss; the kind you give on a first date when there's attraction but also uncertainty. A starter kiss, she thought.
And a kiss that Oliver now seemed determined to ignore based on some kind of weird Oliver-logic.
She shifted on her feet and tried to push him and the kiss to the back of her mind. There were more important matters at the moment, like making William Martin aware that his oldest son was alive and in need of his help. Like making sure Billy and his brother didn't try to abduct any more hackers or scientists. She needed to stay focused.
It helped that Oliver wasn't here at this moment, reminding her of his lips and the tingle she'd felt as they moved over hers. Everyone had agreed that it made sense for Felicity to visit William Martin accompanied only by Vincent and Catherine. Felicity, because Martin liked and respected her. Vincent, because he was proof that a Beast could live a relatively normal life. And Catherine - partly because she was a cop and an authority figure - but mostly because she was...well...Catherine. She had an indomitable optimism that made her a force to be reckoned with.
Jeff and Billy, meanwhile, waited on a nearby side street, out of sight of Martin's security cameras. The plan was for Felicity to give them a call after she'd let their father know that Billy was alive.
As he had before, Martin came to the front door himself to let them in. If he recalled that the last time he had seen Felicity, she was being carried out of his charity ball, he didn't mention it. He greeted her with warmth, reaching out to grasp both of her hands in his.
"My dear, back to see me so soon? To what do I owe the honor?" He glanced over her head at Vincent and acknowledged him with a nod. "Dr. Keller."
"Mr. Martin," Vincent replied.
"I'm not sure you know Detective Chandler," Felicity added, gesturing at Catherine. "She's with the NYPD and was part of the security detail at your benefit."
"Oh?" Martin looked surprised and then a little anxious. "Is that what this visit is about - some kind of security problem at the hospital benefit? I recall we had a bit of...drama."
He smiled at Felicity, giving her no doubt that he remembered her unconventional exit from his home. She flushed. "Sort of." Then, she took refuge in, "Maybe we should all sit down."
"Of course. Where are my manners - come on in."
They went to the same room off the front hallway that he'd led Felicity and Digg to a few days earlier. The four of them sat, and there was a moment of silence while Felicity, Catherine and Vincent eyed one another, unsure of how to begin. Finally, Felicity simply blurted out, "We want to talk to you about your son, Mr. Martin."
"Jeff?" Martin's eyebrows went up. "Was he the one causing trouble at the benefit? I don't recall seeing him there."
Felicity shook her head. "Not Jeff." She hesitated and then amended, "Well, not just Jeff. This is about both your sons. Jeff and Billy."
"Billy? How can it possibly be about Billy? He's been gone for years now." There was an echo of sorrow in his voice.
Felicity gave Catherine a desperate look. With an understanding nod, the detective took up the narrative. "We've had a bit of a breakthrough in your son's case, Mr. Martin."
"A breakthrough?" Martin's brow furrowed. "I thought the police stopped working his case long ago. You have new information?"
"Not just information," Catherine replied. "We've found him - very much alive. Or I should say, he found us."
Martin went pale. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't understand."
"Your son is alive, Mr. Martin, and living in New York City."
There was a pause as Martin's face cycled through a variety of emotions - shock, hope, fear. Eventually, he settled on anger. "That's not funny," he said sharply. "If Billy were alive and in New York, I would sure as hell know about it. Why wouldn't he have called me? Why wouldn't he have come home?" He shook his head. "There must be some mistake. Whoever contacted you is not my son. You should have looked into this more thoroughly before bringing me a wild story."
Felicity reached across the coffee table and rested her hand on Martin's. "There's no mistake," she said gently. "I've spoken with Billy myself. And Jeff's known about him for a long time. He's the one who's been hiding him...helping him."
"Hiding him? That makes no sense. Why would Billy need to be hidden? And why wouldn't Jeff have said something to me?" Martin shrugged dismissively. "Jeff comes up with a lot of crazy stories. If he's the one who told you all this, it's most likely another one of his schemes."
Felicity patted his hand. "It's not a scheme, Mr. Martin, believe me. I would never joke or guess about something like this. The reason Billy didn't come to you is that he's...changed." And that's putting it mildly, she thought, remembering the last time she had seen him as a Beast. "When he disappeared years ago, he'd been abducted. The people who took him used him for a series of experiments. They modified his DNA."
"Abducted?" Martin zeroed in on the word. "You're saying he was kidnapped - he didn't drown, after all?"
Catherine nodded. "Yes, sir, he was kidnapped. And held for a couple of years against his will."
Martin sat silently. He seemed to be absorbing what they'd told him. "Modified his DNA," he repeated. Then he shook his head. "What on earth could they have done to his DNA that would change him that much - so much that he felt he couldn't come home? If they were testing cures for diseases-"
"They weren't," Vincent interjected. "This had nothing to do with genetic cures for illnesses. They were splicing sequences of non-human DNA into the human genome, experimenting with ways to increase human strength, reflexes and aggression. That experimental DNA replicated, and produced physical and behavioral changes in the test subjects."
Martin turned from Felicity to Vincent. "Non-human DNA? Is that another way of saying animal DNA?"
"Yes."
"This sounds like science fiction."
Vincent gave Catherine a sad smile. "I only wish it were, Mr. Martin."
Martin sat back and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "Let's say I actually believe all this." His tone said that he didn't, not fully. "I still don't understand why Billy wouldn't want to come home. He'll always be my son, no matter how he's changed."
Felicity let out a breath. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, Mr. Martin. You're right. He is still your son. And he needs your help." When she saw the flash of doubt in his eyes, she continued, "He didn't come home earlier because he wasn't certain how you would react. He's afraid. You're a brilliant, successful man. You can…" she searched for words, "expect a lot from people."
He raised an eyebrow. "You say that as if it's a bad thing."
"No," she stumbled. "Not exactly. But you have a tendency to dismiss people who aren't as smart or successful as you. I've seen it myself." When he narrowed his eyes, Felicity went on doggedly, "I mean, look at how you spoke of Jeff just now. You said, another one of his schemes, as if that's all he's ever produced. I think you'd be amazed at how protective he's been of Billy - how he's worked hard for years to take care of him. He's been a loving brother."
Martin frowned.
"Billy's remained hidden," Felicity went on, "because he's afraid you won't accept him. But he's ready to come home now. He just needs to know that you'll be his father and support him, no matter how he's changed."
He gave her a wry look. "You sound as though you think me a complete ass - a man who won't accept his own son."
"Not an ass. Just a person with a blind spot. Like all of us." She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "I'm going to call Billy and Jeff now. Then we can all talk about this together." She dialed Jeff's number.
"We're ready," she said, when he answered. "It's time for you both to come home."
Tess was milking her kidnapping for all it was worth.
That was Oliver's opinion, as they sat in J.T.'s living room with the TV tuned to a local news station. Tess lay on the couch and ordered her boyfriend around continuously. A drink, a snack, a foot rub; the requests didn't stop, even though it was obvious that the sedative had left her system hours ago. And J.T., the poor sucker, didn't object. Oliver suspected he would have climbed the Empire State Building if she'd said she wanted a pebble from the observation deck. He was so happy to have her back.
It was both amusing and annoying, which was probably just as well, because it provided a distraction as Oliver waited for Felicity. She'd left with Vincent and Catherine more than three hours ago to pave the way for Billy Martin's return home. He couldn't for the life of him imagine what was taking so long. To his mind, the conversation should have been brief:
Felicity: Mr. Martin, your son is alive and wants to come home.
Martin: That's wonderful, send him on in. Please take care on your trip back to Starling City.
Apparently, more was being said because it was nearly three in the afternoon. Oliver tried to imagine the possibilities. Maybe Martin was asking for details about the genetic modifications. Maybe he was quizzing his sons about how they'd managed to keep Billy a secret for years. Maybe Billy had transformed into a Beast and was tearing up every human being in Martin's house...
He realized Digg had said something.
"What?" He turned and looked at his friend.
"I said," Digg repeated, with a small smile, "that there's been no mention of a break-in at Velograph on the news." He nodded at the TV. "I guess our B and E skills aren't rusty."
"Oh." Oliver glanced at the screen and noticed that a whole five minutes had passed since he'd last checked the clock.
Digg's smile grew broader. "She's fine, Oliver. She's got Vincent there for protection. He can handle Billy. And you know this all has to be a huge shock for Martin, finding out that his boy is alive. He's probably got a lot of questions."
"I wasn't worried," Oliver said quickly, all the while thinking that three hours of questions seemed excessive for any situation. He hadn't even talked to his mother for three hours the night he'd gotten home from Lian Yu.
"And you and Felicity have all day tomorrow," Digg continued. "Remember, our flights aren't until Tuesday morning. The two of you can spend the day sightseeing again. That seemed to be a big hit yesterday." There was amusement in his eyes.
Oliver registered the amusement and refused to rise to the bait. The truth was, he wasn't sure repeating his day alone with Felicity was a good idea. Saturday had been fun and comfortable, largely because there had been no expectations. The carriage ride in Central Park, Coney Island - even the damn kiss. They had been reactions to the moment. Honest reactions, certainly, but without a care for the consequences.
Going sightseeing alone tomorrow would have an entirely different vibe. That kiss would be hanging there between them, not to mention the words from the damn fortune teller. Your lives have always been entwined. Your joint life-force is strong. The woman had made it sound as though he and Felicity were destined for each other when they had, in fact, met by accident over a friggin' laptop. He didn't think there was any way he and Felicity could go back to a casual and easy day together - not after all that.
Of course, the scariest part was that he wasn't sure he wanted to go back. He had felt something during their day together that was rare and special for him. He had felt at peace. It came with being accepted for who he was - no worries about secrets, or about not being a good enough brother, son or businessman. As Catherine Chandler had said, he and Felicity had connected. Not over a mission or a crises; just...connected. It was a nice experience.
But it was dangerous, because someone in his position had no business feeling at peace.
Crap.
He glanced at J.T. The man was handing Tess what had to be her fourth cup of tea and looking perfectly contented to do it. Oliver wanted to think less of him for jumping at her every command, but found instead that he envied J.T. The guy knew what Tess was doing and it didn't bother him in the least. In fact, it made him happy.
Oliver wondered if love always made people stupidly happy - if it would make him stupidly happy. He wondered if it would make him soft. He was never going to know, he supposed, unless he was willing to take that leap.
J.T. said something to Tess in his broad, New York accent and Oliver was struck with an idea. Maybe there was a way to repeat the sightseeing experience and still avoid the pressure of being alone with Felicity. He hated to give up the day with her entirely.
He cleared his throat.
"About tomorrow," he began, speaking to the room in general.
Digg, Tess and J.T. turned to look at him.
"I was thinking it would be great to be shown around New York City by a native. I mean, Felicity and I enjoyed ourselves yesterday, but we kinda stuck to the tour book. I'll bet there's a great list of things to do that only the locals know about. I was wondering if you," he nodded at J.T., "and Tess were free."
He ignored Digg when the man muttered "coward," under his breath.
Tess shook her head decisively. "Sorry - Cat and I are both on duty tomorrow. And I'm pretty sure Vincent's scheduled to be in the ER. We're not free to play tour guide, as much as we'd like to."
"I could probably swing it," J.T. offered. "I've got an eight o'clock lecture to give, but I'm available at ten for the rest of the day. It would be fun to show you around."
Digg and Tess stared at him. Pointedly.
J.T. flushed.
"What are looking at me like that for?" he asked defensively. "I do have time. It's one of the perks of being a professor - lots of schedule flexibility."
Tess rolled her eyes. Before she could say anything, however, Oliver spoke up. "Thanks, J.T. I appreciate it. Maybe we could-" He stopped when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket, hoping to see Felicity's face. Instead, he saw Laurel's name. He frowned.
He had forgotten all about her and their efforts to legally recover Queen Consolidated. She was probably still wading through documents, he realized, wondering why he hadn't called. He felt a pang of guilt. The truth was, the company had never entered his mind after he'd set foot in New York City. He'd been too worried about Felicity and Beasts and unintentional kisses. He'd have to apologize to Laurel now and let her know that he was coming home in a couple of days.
"Excuse me," he said, getting up from his chair. "I'm just going to step into another room to take this."
As he walked out of the living room, he heard Tess say, "J.T., for a man with a PhD in biochemistry, you can be a real idiot."
"Damn right," Digg agreed.
As far as reunions went, Felicity thought this was one going pretty well. When Billy walked into the house, William Martin had stared at his oldest son as if he were water in the desert. Then he'd enfolded Billy in his arms and held onto him for a long moment. His eyes were damp, Billy's were damp - hell, everyone's eyes were damp.
When Martin finally let go and everyone had sat down, Billy told him about the night he'd disappeared. He concluded with, "I don't think it had anything to do with being your son or having money, Dad. I don't even think they knew who I was. They were just looking for people to be guinea pigs, and a kid disappearing during spring break where there was partying and drinking was easy pickings. I wasn't the only one. I sometimes saw other guys in the lab, although they did their best to separate us."
"And you don't know where the lab is?" Catherine asked, the cop in her rising to the surface.
Billy shook his head. "Somewhere in the U.S. - that's all I know. I managed to escape one night when they forgot to sedate me. I broke the lock to the laboratory door and climbed on top of one of their vans. Then I held onto it for hours until I was far away. Eventually, I got to Chicago - the first place I recognized. I called Jeff and he wired me the money to get back to New York. He's been taking care of me ever since." He glanced warmly at his brother.
Martin Senior followed his son's glance. Felicity could see that while he was pleased to have Billy home, he remained skeptical about how much Jeff had helped. It was sad, she thought, that Martin couldn't recognize his younger son's better qualities. Jeff was persistent, resourceful (almost ruthlessly so, given that he'd resorted to kidnapping), and brave. But he didn't share his father's technical interests and abilities, and that made Martin blind to his other talents.
She began thinking about blind spots; how focus on one thing could make people forget to see something else, something that was right in front of them. She wondered if Oliver was so intent upon his mission to save Starling City that he would never consider her as anything more than a trusted partner. When they were on their own sightseeing yesterday, it felt as though he had seen her as something else. But now he seemed to be backing away from that, leaving her hanging, uncertain how to be around him.
She wondered how long she should allow herself to hang. She wondered if she had blind spots about him, the same way he had them about her.
Martin's voice roused her out of her thoughts.
"Dr. Keller told me about the genetic experiments," he was saying to Billy. "I think now that you're home, we should take you to see some doctors - specialists. If the modifications are making you sick, they can come up with a cure, or at least a course of treatment to ease the symptoms."
Billy shot his brother an alarmed look. "We can't do that, Dad. If we start telling scientists about this, I run the risk of becoming a lab rat again - only for somebody else this time. And, worse; the people who took me might come after me if they find out I'm making a fuss in New York. They'll want to clean up their mess, either by kidnapping me or killing me."
Martin shook his head. "Not this time. You're not in Mexico at some small resort. You're in New York City and you'll have my resources to keep you safe."
"They have resources too, Dad," Billy said. "A lot of resources. You should have seen their lab. It's not a good idea-"
"Nonsense. My pockets are deep and I have friends in the law enforcement and the scientific communities. A few calls and we'll see about getting you well again. We can start with MIT. They've got an excellent genetics department. They can sequence your DNA and we'll know exactly what we're dealing with."
Billy was beginning to breathe rapidly. Felicity could see his chest moving up and down.
"Dad," he tried again, his hands fisting and unfisting. "I don't want-"
"And, of course, there's Harvard and Columbia."
Caught up in his determination to make his son well, Martin didn't see that he was upsetting him - really upsetting him. But then, Felicity thought, he doesn't know what happens when Billy gets upset.
"Dad," Jeff spoke now, his voice a warning. "You're making Billy nervous. You've got to listen-"
"I've got plenty of contacts at MIT," Martin went on, still not heeding them. "And I've been a generous donor. They'll take this on, I'm certain of it."
Vincent held out a hand. "Mr Martin-"
"A few calls," Martin repeated, "and we can have full-time security. We can-"
"Dad!"
Jeff's shout forced his father to pause.
But it was too late. Felicity watched as Billy's face began to contort and his eyes took on a yellowish tint. She knew what was coming next. The claws were going to emerge. And then, if Billy didn't calm down, all hell was going to break loose.
Vincent rose quickly and stepped in front of him. "Breathe," he ordered, his voice both soothing and commanding. "Breathe slowly and deeply. And think about something else - think about your brother. You don't want him to get hurt, do you?"
Billy's eyes turned toward Jeff but the Beast in them didn't lessen.
"You're safe," Vincent continued. "And we'll keep your secret. Everyone in this room will keep your secret, I promise."
Billy growled.
"Think about the people who love you." Vincent sounded almost hypnotic. "And how much you want to have a real life again."
"What the hell is going on?" Martin demanded, staring at his son. "What's happening to Billy?"
"Sshhhhh," Felicity reached out and grabbed his hand. "You don't want to make him angry - well, angrier. We all need to be quiet right now."
"But-"
"Quiet!" she hissed again.
Martin closed his mouth.
"I'm here, Bill," Jeff said evenly. "Same as always. I won't let you be a lab rat again, I promise."
Billy growled once more, but to Felicity's ears, he sounded a little less like an animal. She noticed that his hands remained as hands - no claws.
She held her breath and waited.
And gradually, Billy became himself. His eyes lost their yellow hue and his face resumed its human shape. He breathed slowly for a minute or two, then turned to Jeff and appeared to ease further when his brother rewarded him with a shaky grin. For a moment, no one said a word.
Vincent broke the silence. "Good job," he said to Billy. "You brought yourself back from the edge. Now you know you can do it."
Billy exhaled and gave Vincent a grateful smile. "With your help. I'm not sure I could have done it on my own. I was so close to losing it." He turned to his father. "So, now you see what they did to me, Dad. Now you see why I've been hiding."
Martin frowned. "I'm not sure what I saw."
"You saw me Beast-out. Well, almost Beast-out."
Martin looked at Vincent. "This is what you meant about the animal sequence in his DNA producing changes?"
"Yes. When he becomes angry, frightened or feels trapped - pretty much any time adrenaline kicks in, the normal human responses are suppressed. He becomes aggressive - a cornered animal. The last thing you ever want to do in that situation is corner him further. You need to give him space."
Martin nodded, although it was clear he was still trying to comprehend what he had seen. After a moment, he added to Vincent, "You sound as though you've seen this before."
"I have some experience with it."
"As a doctor? As a researcher?"
Vincent turned to Catherine, his eyebrows raised. When she tilted her head in assent, he said quietly, "As a victim of the experiments."
Martin worked through the implications of the statement. "You're saying someone did to you what was done to Billy. Someone modified your DNA?"
"Yes."
"But you aren't in hiding. You came to my benefit the other night. And you work at the hospital."
Felicity's muscles tightened. Martin might be using Vincent's example to assure himself that Billy would be okay, but he sounded judgmental. It was as if he were saying to Billy, why aren't you dealing with this, too? She saw Billy's shoulders slump.
Vincent saw it as well. He gave Martin a hard stare. "My life is not entirely normal, but I am able to hold a job and have relationships. It took me more than ten years to get here, though, and that was with a lot of help from the people who love me. I have Catherine," he gestured at her, "and an old friend who took me into his home, kept my existence a secret, and never gave up on me. Other than that, very few people know what happened. Billy's going to need that same kind of support from you if he's going to go out in the world again."
Martin ran one hand over his face. "Support how? Do you take some kind of medication?"
"No. There isn't a drug for this...at least not at this time. It's about controlling emotions and avoiding situations that trigger Beasting-out until you can figure out how to handle them. It takes practice and incredible patience from the people around you. That's what Jeff's given Billy and what your son is going to need from you - patience and acceptance." When Martin gave a small, disbelieving shrug, Vincent continued, "If you don't think you can give him that - if you're going to push him too hard to be normal - then Catherine and I will help him disappear again."
There was no doubt that Vincent meant what he said. Martin grimaced. "Of course, he'll get my patience and acceptance. He's my son - I love him. I love both my sons." He gazed at his boys, saw their expressions, and his anger faded. "But apparently, judging by the way they're looking at me, I've given them reason to doubt that."
Jeff and Billy glanced at each other.
"Do you really mean it, Dad?" Jeff asked. "You're not going to push Billy into doing something he doesn't want to do?"
Martin studied his son's hopeful face. "I do. And I can see that you've worked hard, Jeff, to take care of Billy. All those times I accused you of running off to avoid responsibilities, you were helping him. I'm sorry I didn't know that, or recognize that there might be a purpose in the things you were doing."
A little of the tension left Felicity's body.
"Mr Martin - you understand that this has to remain a secret," Vincent went on. "Your sons are right about that. There are organizations out there that want to exploit Beasts and the science that created them. If you turn this over to a university to study, you're putting your son and the researchers at risk - not to mention every other person who's had his or her DNA modified."
Martin sighed. "I get that," he said. "I just wish there was something more I could do. I know it makes me sound as if I don't accept Billy as he is, but it's hard for any father to see his child in pain."
Vincent looked at Catherine and smiled. "Well, we do know one researcher who's been trying to develop a cure. He's a biochemist who's been working for years now, but he doesn't have a lot of resources. A better lab for him would be a great start."
"Done," Martin said crisply. He turned to Felicity. "You know, if you wanted to stay and help, I'd be happy to fund you, too. It could become your job - you'd have a salary and a place to live. You told me the other night that you were looking."
Felicity frowned. "It's not my specialty. I'm not a biologist or a chemist - or any combination of the two."
"No. But I'll bet you could develop computer models to help the biochemist. Not to mention perform data searches. And you'd learn over time."
She felt Vincent's and Catherine's eyes on her. "I'll think about it," was all she said.
"In the meantime," Martin continued, "I'll see what I can do about building a lab."
She smiled. "That's great."
"The two of you," Vincent turned to Jeff and Billy, "just have to promise not to lock J.T. up in it. Let him go home when he's not performing research."
They grinned and nodded.