Chapter 3
Welcome to Your Life
"I used to think the worst feeling in the world is losing someone you love.
But I was wrong, the worst feeling in the world is the moment that you realize you've lost yourself."
L.J Smith
Love is a scary thing. It drives you and manipulates you into becoming someone totally different. It has so much control and most of the time you're completely unaware of it's affects. Oliver Queen was the perfect example of this case. Oliver sat in a chair, his eyes looking up to the woman still unconscious in the bed in front of him and he was sure it was love that made him ignore everything outside the walls they were in.
Oliver wasn't sure what reaction he'd get from his wife when he finally saw her. There were so many people around her, yelling her name and he knows the whole situation was just a lot. He wasn't that surprised that the moment she saw him, she fainted. He quickly reached forward, catching her in his arms and hiking her up. Oliver held the woman firmly in his arms, his eyes looking down to her and his heart swelled. He'd sat by her bedside for months, each day hope seemed to be dwindling that she would ever wake up, and now here she is.
"Mr. Queen!" Oliver lifted his eyes, now remembering the crowd surrounding them, taking their pictures.
"How is this possible?!"
"We thought she was in a coma!"
"Where has she been this whole time?!"
Each question was yelled one right after the other, but Oliver had no intention of answering. Right now only one thing matter.
"Ollie!" Oliver turned to see his sister pushing her way through the crowd. The moment Thea was standing in front of them, her eyes looked down to Katie suddenly overcome with emotions. "I can't believe it. She's really-" Thea shook her head.
"Thea, we need to get out of here, now." Oliver said and Thea looked up to her brother who seemed to be eyeing the crowd with a look she didn't like. He looked like he'd fight his way out of here right now if there were no other option.
"I know, I made a call." Thea said and Oliver turned to her, before hearing the sound of high pitched whistle. He lifted his eyes to see the police pushing the crowd back. Soon there was enough space for them to move and so Oliver quickly carried Katie away from the crowd and out the door.
She'd been out for hours, and Oliver felt this moment so reminiscent of the many nights he spent sitting in that hospital room at her bedside. Only this time was different. This time she would mutter in her sleep, or her fingers slightly twitched and her head, it turned.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and Oliver sighed knowing he couldn't ignore the world forever. He pulled the phone from his pocket and looked down to see Ari's face and he let out a sigh. He's sure at this point the appearance of Katie has been playing on the news and he knows Ari has questions. Oliver glanced over to Katie once more before standing to his feet and walking out of the room to finally answer.
Ari stood near the window, peaking out to see the herd of reporters standing in the front of their house. Hours earlier, Thea showed up to pull her out of school and when she asked what was going on, Thea simply told her that Oliver would explain everything. Hank, Steve and a few other guards actually had to escort them into the house as they made sure no one got too close to them. Ari expected to find Oliver inside, but the man was nowhere in sight.
"Thea?" Ari turned to Thea who hurried upstairs with Robyn. Ari followed after the woman, to see her walk into the nursery where she laid the baby down. "Thea, will you tell me what's going on?" Thea turned to the girl with a frown, but she didn't say anything. Ari simply shook her head before turning and stalking toward Oliver's room, pushing open the door. It was empty as well, and so she headed over to the drawer next to the bed.
"Ari, what are you-" Thea now stood at the door watching as the girl pulled opened the drawer, and picked up her confiscated cell phone. "Ari, wait-" Thea quickly went over as Ari powered on the cell phone. "Ari-" Ari jumped up on the bed to get away from the woman before quickly running inside of the bathroom and locking the door behind her. "Ari! Open the door!" Thea pounded on the door, but Ari's eyes looked down to the phone until it powered on completely and the moment it did, it was flooded with messages and news alerts. Ari pressed one of the notifications only to be brought to a video. She gasped at the sight of her cousin who was standing there completely conscious. The pounding on the door continued, until Ari turned and pulled open the door. "Ari-" Ari turned the phone and showed it to Thea who sighed.
"Is she awake?" Ari asked and Thea looked from the phone to the girl and nodded. "And Oliver is with her now. Right?"
"Ari, he's-"
"Where is she? I want to see her?"
"That can't happen right now. Let's just-" Ari rolled her eyes before once again closing the door and dialing Oliver's number.
Oliver stood in the hallway, his eyes glancing back to the bedroom door before answering the call and bringing the phone to his ear.
"Ari-"
"My cousin has awaken from a coma and I get to find out from some cell phone captured video online!" Ari snapped angrily.
"Ari, I'm sorry, but-"
"No, I don't want your apology because that won't change anything. You just need to know that me finding out like this, from the internet instead of you seriously-" Ari shook her head as she let out a shaky breath as the realization that her cousin was awake and back just hit her right there. She slid to the floor, letting her back fall against the door. "Is she ok?"
Oliver glanced back to the door once more and sighed. He wasn't sure how to answer the question because he honestly didn't know.
"I don't know yet." Oliver replied. "Ari, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I just wanted to make sure she really was alright before I told you anything."
"I want to see her. Where are you?"
"Ari, it's just-" Olive once again glanced over to the door. "When she woke up, she didn't remember a lot of things about the last couple of years of her life."
"Seriously? She has like amnesia?"
"I'm not completely sure, but what I know is that she doesn't remember anything about her life from the past three or four years." Oliver said before turning at the sound of the doorbell. "Listen Ari, I have to go, I'm going to call you later." Oliver quickly ended the call, once again looking back to the bedroom door before heading downstairs.
Ari let out a huff of annoyance as she looked down to her phone. She shook her head as she thought about what Oliver had said, and she was still a bit shocked that all of this was happening so suddenly. There was a knock at the door and Ari lifted her head.
"Ari?" Thea said and Ari stood to her feet before opening the door. Thea looked at the girl for a moment before looking to the phone in her hand. "You talked to Oliver?"
"Yeah, my cousin is awake and doesn't remember a lot of stuff about her life." Ari replied turning her head away.
"Listen Ari, I know all of this is a lot and Oliver really doesn't want you to worry about-"
"Pictures!" Ari said suddenly turning to Thea. "Maybe pictures will help jog her memory?" Thea looked at the girl, seeing the sudden hope and Thea just nodded.
"That's a good idea. Why don't you scrounge up as many pictures as you can and we'll send them to Oliver to show Katie." Ari gave a nod before hurrying out of the room. Thea stood there for a moment before dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed. Her eyes looked over to the picture of Oliver and Katie on the table beside the bed and she let out a shaky breath. Her thoughts ventured back to the time she last saw her sister in law. How the darkness had turned her into someone totally different. She hopes this is real, that their Twinkie is back and that the darkness is gone. "This has to be real." the distant sound of Robyn's cries made Thea jump to her feet to check on the child.
Oliver walked to the front door warily. No one knew they were here, so for someone to ring the bell just made him suspicious. Oliver pulled the curtain of the window near the door slightly, not expecting the familiar face. He let out a sigh before pulling open the door.
"Hey Debra," Oliver greeted the woman. Now looking at her just reminded him just how long they'd been gone from their fantasy life here in Coast City.
"Hi, I saw the lights and-" the woman shook her head. "I've seen the news. She's really awake?"
"Yeah, she is. There's just a lot happening, and I thought getting away from the city would be the best for her right now." Oliver said and the woman gave a nod.
"Well we're still just across the street, if you need anything." the woman replied.
"Thanks Debra, and if you don't mind, I don't want us to get a lot of attention here, so if you wouldn't mind-"
"My lips are sealed." she glanced over her should before turning back to the man. "I should get back home. It was good seeing you again Oliver and let Katie know we're praying for her."
"Thanks," With that, Debra turned and left. Oliver closed the door, turning about to head upstairs when his phone once again rang.
Consciousness struck Katie so quick like a slap to the face. She gasped, sitting up quickly taking in her surroundings. Her mind was trying to juggle too many things at once. She was at the rail station and then something happened, suddenly she was surrounded by a crowd of people. From the crowd walked a man she wouldn't have expected in her wildest dreams.
"Oliver." she whispered to her self before standing to her feet. Right now she had to focus on the present and how she ended up in a bed room she doesn't remember walking into. Her eyes looked over to the door, before standing a bit straighter and walking over. She pulled open the door slowly, her eyes peeking out to an empty hall. When she was certain no one was there, she pulled open the door fully before stepping out. She continued to be vigilant, her ears open. There was someone here, she just didn't know where they were. As she walked, she heard someone speaking. The voice got louder the closer she got to the flight of stairs that seemed to lead to a lower level of the house. She glanced down first before taking a step down. Her movements seemed to be unnoticed, and so she continued.
"No, she hasn't waken up yet." Katie stopped walking because that voice seemed very close. "I think she's alright, I just-" he let out a sigh. "Felicity I think I would know if something was really wrong, and then yes I would take her to the hospital." his voice was different, and yet familiar at the same time. Katie tilted her head as she continued to listen. "No, not right now. Now it's just going to be me and then-" Katie turned at the door that was pushed opened behind her. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man she wasn't sure she wanted to be real. "Felicity I have to call you back." he ended the call quickly, turning back to her with a smile. He took a step forward, but she took a step back and so he stopped. Oliver remembered that she probably believes he's dead and the fact that he's standing in front of her is probably freaking her out right now. "Twinkie-"
"Wait!" she said holding up a hand. "Just wait, I kind of need silence in this moment just to-" she couldn't take her eyes off of him. Theories of what was happening started muttering out of her mouth. "Maybe I hit my head, and now I'm still unconscious."
"Twinkie, you're not-"
"You're not supposed to be talking." she said and the man smiled but closed his mouth. "Maybe I've been drugged." she turned away. "I'm probably still in ARGUS in some drug induced coma and now I'm having dreams about dead people." she turned back to Oliver. "Is my mother here?" Oliver continued to look at her a smile firmly on his face, but he didn't say anything. "You mute all of a sudden?"
"You told me not to say anything."
"Since when do you listen to what I say!" she said as she shook her head and began looking around. They were in some large living room, that was beautifully decorated, but like the rest of the house, there were no pictures around. Her eyes spotted the front door and so she took a step forward.
"Twinkie, wait!" he called and she stopped and she has no idea why, but she turned back to him. "I know none of this makes sense." he wanted to move close to her, to touch her, but he's sure she's still extremely confused and one wrong move could end with her beating the crap out of him. "why don't we sit down?" he gestured for them to go to a conjoined room. He took a step toward the room, but she kept her feet planted, and so he stopped. "Or we can stay here." Her eyes were still on him, and for the life of him he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was right here, in front of him, her eyes opened, talking, standing, all the things he was afraid she would never do. They once again stood in silence, and he assumed she was still processing this moment before she spoke again.
"Maybe I'm dead!" she said her eyes going wide as if the realization made complete sense. "I mean that's the only probable way I would be standing here in front of you."
"There is another option." Oliver said and she turned back to him. "You're not dead, and neither am I."
"That's impossible, I was at your funeral!" she said closing her eyes and running her fingers through her hair. "I remember staring at your headstone." she was assaulted with the memory of standing in the grass in front of a headstone with Oliver's name on it. Her father had to practically carry her away.
"There was a storm." Oliver said, but she didn't open her eyes. "The yacht was destroyed. I ended up on an island, and my dad-" Oliver paused unsure why a memory from so long ago still pulled out so much emotion. Katie opened her eyes to see the emotion written on his face. "My dad didn't make it. I was on that island for years before I was rescued." He knew he was leaving out some very important details like crazy soldiers and doctors, men with masks and impossible drugs. He figured right now he should just keep everything as simple as possible. "I came back home." he smiled as he let out a deep sigh. "Then a couple of months later I ran into an old friend. Well more like she showed up on our front lawn, stepped on my friend's foot before making a run for it." she didn't say anything, and he's unsure what to make of it. He remembers all those years ago how those walls she built around herself prevented him from deciphering what she was actually feeling in the moment. He could never tell from the emotionless expression on her face and he forgot how frustrating that was until this moment.
"Maybe I've been abducted by aliens, and this is all just some sort of simulation to study my mind and learn how they can take over earth." she said and Oliver chuckled with a shake of his head. "My theory seems just as plausible as zombie Oliver." she turned and walked further into the living room, needing a moment to determine if she could believe this moment was real. She heard his footsteps behind her and she let out a sigh. That was definitely not an Oliver Queen trait. Going after the woman who seemed upset. He usually jolted in the opposite direction which made believing any of this that much harder.
"Twinkie-" she groaned in annoyance.
"You keep calling me that and you want me to believe we're still friends? You want me to believe I'd go years without telling you how much I hate that stupid ass name?" she asked and the annoying bastard just kept smiling and it made her want to just punch him. "Why the hell do you keep on smiling at me?!"
"I'm sorry, Twinkie—sorry Katie, it's just-" he shook his head before bringing his eyes back to hers. "You were in the coma for a while, and I thought—I thought I would never get this moment, and I'm just here glad I was wrong."
"So the coma was real?" she muttered to herself. She wasn't quite sure how much of her father's story she should believe. She turned back to Oliver. "And the year is-"
"2016." he said and she sighed. "Katie, I know-"
"Have you been in a coma and not remembered anything about your life for the past four years?" she asked and Oliver just shook his head. "Then you don't know." she rubbed her eyes before turning and walking over to the window that was behind her. "I don't know anything, and I have no idea why. I mean that's a big chunk of my life just gone."
"We're going to figure this out." Oliver said, and Katie once again turned her eyes to him and frowned.
"Why are there no pictures in this house? Is it like a safe house?" she asked and Oliver shook his head.
"There were pictures here, but we took them all with us to our house in Star City." Oliver replied and Katie glanced around the house a bit more. It looked nice, actually better than nice, but it was definitely not a house she figures Oliver would live in. She turned back to him, only now noticing the wedding ring on his finger, and she's unsure why she's surprised. Of course he was married, he's Oliver freaking Queen.
"I'm guessing I should blame your wife for this total you make over." she said as she began walking further around the room.
"Well she had a big part in it." he said as his eyes continued to follow her. "She saved my life really." Katie glanced over to him for a moment, seeing that look on his face once again. It was the smile, and that look in his eyes she doesn't think she's seen before.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she finally asked, unable to take it anymore.
"Like what?" he asked and she huffed in annoyance before stalking over to stand in front of him, and pointing to his face.
"Like that, like-" she shook her head. "Like all weird."
"This is how I always look at you."
"I feel so sorry for your wife because she married a weirdo." Katie replied before stalking away from the man and he couldn't help but laugh as he turned to continue following her. They ended up in the large kitchen where Katie continued to look around. "We're the only people here?" she turned around to Oliver.
"Yes, I just thought after what happened at the train station-" Katie turned away, suddenly remembering that moment she was surrounded by so many people. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish I got to you sooner."
"Why did that happen?" Katie asked turning back to the man. "Those people looked at me like I was a ghost they were actually happy to see."
"They were. A lot of people are happy you're awake. You've really helped a lot of people in Star City. You're a bit of a local hero." she looked at the man like he was crazy.
"You're not making this very easy to believe." she said turning away from the man. She couldn't believe that she, fresh out of the hell she'd been in for years could come home and what, become some sort of local saint. She had to have lied to them. She had to have been able to hide the darkness a little too well. That's the only way that was possible. That's the only way Oliver would still be her friend.
"I know given what you probably remember of your life before coming home, none of this probably seems real, but it is. You made it real. You didn't let what happened to you keep you from making a life for yourself." she turned back to the man with a quirked brow before taking a step back. "Katie-"
"After what happened to me? What the hell do you know about what happened to me?" she glanced around the room. "Do you work for ARGUS too?" she turned back to the man, suddenly mad at herself for not considering that possibility. She spotted another door that lead outside, and she made a run for it.
"Katie, wait! I don't work for ARGUS!" Oliver called running after her. She stopped and turned back to him. "Everything I know about what happened to you, I know from you." she shook her head.
"And why the hell would I tell you that? I wouldn't tell anyone that."
"At first you didn't. You didn't trust anyone, but over time, I did that thing where I'm always there trying to get you to talk to me, and then you did." Oliver took a step forward to close the distance. And Katie once again saw that weird look on his face again.
"And why should I believe you?" she asked. "Why should I believe anything you've said. That's bit me in the ass before."
"Your dad is an asshole and I'm sorry if that offends you-"
"It doesn't." she mutters.
"I'm sorry you had to wake up like that. For him to lie to you was not supposed to happen. I should've been there."
"You didn't answer my question, Oliver. Why should I believe you?" Oliver looked down to her eyes for a moment, still too afraid to turn away in case this was all some sort of dream or hallucination.
"Because I wouldn't lie to you." he said before reaching forward and taking her hand, now noticing her wedding ring still on her finger. He smiled down to the ring because his wife who can't remember their life together didn't take off her wedding ring for some reason. He looked back up to her eyes. She looked in to his eyes as well, strangely able to just see from that look that those words are true. And then there's a tingly in her stomach she can't ignore anymore. A tingly she's sure she's not supposed to feel for the very married man still holding her hands.
"You shouldn't-" she pulled her hands from him before walking around the man and placing distance between him. "Ok, I believe you but you shouldn't touch me like that, or-" he turned to face with that look on his face. "Or look at me like that. You're married, and-" she looked down to her own hand. "And I'm married, and I doubt either one of them would appreciate the amount of touches and looks happening right now." she frowned as she turned away. "I mean I would assume since I know nothing about these people we've married." she turned back to Oliver who looked slightly amused. "What?"
"Nothing, I just don't think you should worry about my wife being upset, or your husband either." he said and she furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Wait, this isn't like some weird swingers thing, because that would be-" he began laughing again, and she still couldn't see the amusement because here she was totally and completely confused and he was laughing at her. "Hey, don't laugh at me! I don't know what's going on and I just want to understand."
"I'm sorry Twinkie—" ugh, this was going to be a hard habit to quit, Oliver thought. "sorry, Katie. I didn't mean to laugh, but c'mon swingers?" she turned away now seeing the amusement and couldn't stop the smile from curling on her lips.
"Well, give me a better possibility." she said turning back to him and the smile widened on his face. "What?"
"What if I was your husband, and you were my wife?" Oliver asked and this time Katie burst out laughing, because of all the theories tossed around today, that was the most ridiculous.
"Yeah, sure." she said before pushing her way through another door to a new room that looks like a den of some sort. She looks around the room spotting a few stuffed animals in a basket, along with other toys she can't make out. She walks over and plucks out a little plush rabbit and looks down to it. "And let me guess, this belongs to our imaginary children?" she turns back to Oliver who looks at the toy before turning back to her eyes.
"Child. We only have one, and she's not imaginary." Oliver said and Katie looked at him for a moment to see if he's actually telling the truth. "Her name is Robyn, she will actually be one in couple of months. And the day after will be our one year wedding anniversary."
"So you're saying we got married the day after our imaginary daughter was born?" Katie asked and Oliver sighed as he walked over to her as he pulled his phone from his pocket and walked over to her. Katie watch as he pulled out a cell phone that looks quite larger than the phones she remembers. He pressed and swiped a few times before smiling down to whatever he was looking at.
"Yeah, we did." Oliver says before turning to phone to the woman. She held his eyes for a moment before looking down to the screen. It was a picture, and it was of her, Oliver and a small bundle cradled in her arms. Katie took the phone from his hand, analyzing it even more. She was in a hospital bed, Oliver sitting on the edge of the bed beside her as they both looked down to the tiny child in her arms. They were both smiling so wide. Katie dropped into the couch beside her.
"This doesn't make any sense." she says, not able to stop looking at the picture. She was looking at herself. Looking at this extremely important moment, and yet she didn't remember it at all. "I can't remember-"
"Katie-"
"No," she stood to her feet and turned to the man. " I'm Katherine Robins, and you're Oliver Queen and this-" she looked down to the phone once again, pulled into it's fantasy. "This is impossible." she shook her head, before turning and noticing the stairs and so she hurried toward them.
"No, you're Katherine Queen." Oliver said turning to her. She stopped walking, but didn't turn to face him. "And I'm Oliver Queen. And that's a picture of the child we created out of the love we share for each other." she glanced over her shoulder to him. "And I love you so much, it's scary sometimes, but it's beautiful all the time. I know none of this makes sense to you right now, I know you can't remember any of it and it's frustrating, but I'm here to help you through this. You're not alone Twinkie. You will never have to go through this alone." she wasn't quite sure what to say, but then the phone in her hand rang, and she jumped slightly before looking down to it.
"It's someone named Felicity-" Katie says turning and holding out the phone to him. "You should answer it. It could be important."
"Nothing is more important than this moment."
"Oliver, you have a daughter. I hope she's more important, and if she's my daughter, she better be more important than this moment. Take the phone." Oliver sighed before taking the phone and watching as Katie hurried up the stairs.
Oliver quickly answered the phone in annoyance. "Felicity, I told you I would call you back."
"Why call me back, when you can talk to me face to face?" Felicity said sheepishly and Oliver frowned before walking back to the hall and opening the front door to see both Bruce and Felicity standing there. "Hi, I know you said-"
"Why are you here?"
"What do you mean why we're here? My friend is here and I want to make sure she's alright." Felicity said before pushing her way inside the house and looking around. Oliver turned a glare to Bruce who held up his hands. Oliver sighed before moving out of the way to let the man inside. "Where is she?" Oliver turned back to Felicity who was looking around before looking up the stairs. "Is she upstairs?" she began walking up, before Oliver hurried over to stop her.
"Felicity, wait, you can't." he said and Felicity's dark glare turn to him. "Look, I know you want to see her, but I don't think now is the best time."
"And why not?" Felicity asked, and the look that passed over his face told her everything. "Because she doesn't know who I am." Oliver gave a nod, and Felicity dropped her head and turned away.
"Hey-" Bruce walked over to the woman, bringing his arms around her and turned her eyes to him. "It's going to be alright. She's alive, she's safe, and she's here." the woman was still a bit sad at the fact that her best friend didn't even know who she was, but Bruce was right. She's here, and she's safe. They both turned to Oliver who glanced up the steps. "How much have you told her so far?"
"That we're married and have a daughter." Oliver sighed looking back to the couple. "It was a lot and she freaked and ran upstairs before you two got here."
"And did she seem..." Bruce let the question hang in the air, but Oliver knew what he was asking and just shook his head.
"No, it didn't seem like the darkness was there?"
"And are you sure?" Bruce asked, and Oliver huffed and walked away, Bruce right behind him as they walked into the kitchen. "I get it , you want to believe it's gone, but we need to know if it truly is."
"It is." Oliver said turning back to the man. "When I look at her-" Oliver closed his eyes and sighed. "She was standing in front of me, looking at me and I could see her. She was confused, angry, probably scared, but there was no darkness."
"Have you talked to Constantine, or Zatanna?"
"Haven't had a chance to." Oliver replied. His eyes lifted to the ceiling, suddenly nervous about not seeing her. "I should go up to check on her, and I'll tell her that you two are here." Oliver didn't wait for a response, before stalking out of the kitchen, and up the steps. Bruce walked back to the hall where he found Felicity sitting on the steps, and the sadness in her eyes broke his heart.
"Ms. Smoak-" the woman lifted her eyes to the man, and the glint of annoyance made him smile. "It's going to be alright." Felicity stood to her feet and wrapped her arms around Bruce's neck. "She's back."
"I know, it's just-" Felicity sighed. "She lost a huge part of her life. That's unfair, especially after everything she's gone through. She doesn't deserve this."
"I know, but she's going to get through this. And we're going to help her. She may not remember who you are, but that doesn't mean you still can't be her friend."
"I know I just-" Felicity words were cut off from the scream from upstairs. They both turned their heads before Bruce rushed up the steps. Felicity was about to follow.
"Stay, Felicity!" he called his stride never stopping. Once Bruce came to the second floor, he turned down the hall only to stop at the sight of Oliver being pushed from the bedroom, the door slamming in his face. Oliver groaned before turning, finally noticing Bruce. "What happened, we heard screaming."
"That's my fault." Oliver sighed as he walked toward the man. "Everything's fine, I just—I walked into the bedroom, only to realize Twinkie was taking a shower, and I wanted to tell her that you were here, because she knows you and maybe everything wouldn't be as crazy for her. Without thinking, I walked into the bathroom without knocking because I never knock. She screamed because I'm still the guy she only realized was alive a few minutes ago." Oliver walked around the man toward the stairs.
"Oliver-"
"I wasn't thinking." Oliver says actually upset with himself. He stopped and turned back to the man. "I should've known better and I probably only freaked her out more." Oliver shook his head about to turn. "She needs clothes. Yet another thing I didn't think of before bringing her here." Bruce watched as the man stalked down the hall, and down the stairs before turning and glanced over to the bedroom door before walking over. He lifted his fist and knocked.
"I said go away, Oliver!" came the voice from the otherside, and Bruce smiled before lifting his fist and knocking again. "Alright, your funeral you-" she swung open the door, and froze in place because the face she definitely did not expect to see was Bruce Wayne. "Wayne?"
"Hey there, Robins." Bruce said, his eyes transfixed on the woman. He couldn't help but to stare, because he too was one of those people who didn't expect her to wake up from the coma. But here she was, those big brown eyes staring back at him, wearing an over sized robe, her hair completely wet.
"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked. "You're not supposed to be here! I thought we agreed-"
"To keep our distance to not gain the attention of the demon."
"Exactly!"
"Well we don't have to worry about that anymore, because he's dead. Has been for a while now." Katie's eyes widened at the news, not quite sure of what to say. She silently turned and walked back into the room, dropping down to sit on the bed. "Robins-"
"The demon is dead." she says more to herself than to the man in front of her. "I'm married to Oliver Queen, and we have a daughter." she lifted her eyes to Bruce. "And I get the feeling that's not even half of what I can't remember. What the hell happened to me?" that was a question Bruce was unsure how to answer because he honestly doesn't know.
"I don't know Robins," he took another step forward, his eyes down to her. "But we're going to figure it out." she looked at him for a moment, only now noticing the way he was staring at her. It was like he was looking for something and it was making her uneasy.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what? "
"I don't know, just weird. Oliver was looking at me weird too, but that was a different kind of weird." she dropped her eyes and sighed. "Did I scare him away?"
"Nah, there's nothing you could do to scare that man away." Bruce said and Katie looked back up to him before standing to her feet and walking over to close the distance. "What are you doing?"
"Three and a half years, Bruce." She says looking the man over, seeing the slight changes in his features, and in his build. She noticed a strike of gray hair and reached up the smooth it with her fingers. "You're going gray on me."
"Well most of that is your doing." he says with a smile before reaching up and taking her hand in his. "I was worried about you Robins. I thought-" Bruce always tried to prepare himself for the moment they would get the call that she was gone and he never could. "I thought you were gone."
"Well I kind of am." she replied pulling the large robe tighter around her. "I had this whole life and I can't remember any of it." she looked around the bedroom and let a heavy sigh. "What if I never remember?" she turned back to Bruce. "What if I never get those years back."
"Then you make new memories. You move forward, because that's who you are." Katie looked at the man kind of relieved at the sight of a familiar face and without thinking she tossed her arms around him in a hug that he didn't hesitate to return. "I knew you cared about me."
"Don't flatter yourself. You still annoy me, but I am happy to see you."
"I'm happy to see you too Robins." Bruce said before pulling back from the hug.
"Right, now down to business." Katie says walking over to sit on the bed again before patting the spot beside her. "I need you to tell me everything."
"Everything...as in-"
"My life, what I don't remember. How did me and Oliver happen? When did the demon die? Did I kill him? How much about that part of my life does Oliver know?" she looked up to Bruce. "My dad! Did you know about my dad and the fact that he worked for ARGUS?" she frowned before standing to her feet. "Of course you knew-" she looked over to the man. "You were all buddy, buddy with Rick Flag and Amanda Waller, of course you knew my father was the reason I was even there."
"Robins, that's not completely true, I-"
"Did you know he worked for ARGUS?"
"At the time we ran into each other in Nanda Parbat, no but-"
"What about when you got me out of Arkham?" she asked and Bruce sighed, and she just shook her head because she can't believe she didn't see it before. "You knew!"
"Robins-"
"You need to leave." she says turning away from the man.
"Robins, please if you just listen I will explain everything. You don't know the whole story."
"Really, and what is that?!"
"The fact that you knew your father worked for ARGUS. You found out the truth, and sure you were angry about it, but you got over if. I mean the two of you were never close again like before but you knew. Everyone knew. And I'm sorry, I know you don't remember any of this, but I'm telling you that we've done this already. You upset with me because I knew about Jacob and ARGUS, and you forgave me."
"You're right, I don't remember. Right now I just have how I feel and it sucks, so I'm going to ask you again, to just leave." Bruce stood there for a moment, wanting to explain himself more, but he didn't want to push her. He'd give her time, and so he turned, finally leaving and closing the door behind him. Katie stood there, her eyes on the door, before glancing around the room. "I need to get the hell out of this place."
Oliver and Felicity turned as Bruce came down the stairs, and from the look on his face, they knew the reunion wasn't a happy one.
"How did it go?" Felicity asked, and Bruce turned to her.
"At first we were good, and then the subject of Jacob came up and the fact that I knew he worked for ARGUS, and she got upset and kicked me out." Bruce glance over to Oliver who shook his head. "Oliver-"
"I'm screwing this up." Oliver said turning to Bruce. "I wanted her back so bad, and then I got her and I brought her here. I thought-" Oliver turned away, his eyes going to those stairs. "This is a lot for someone who doesn't remember their life."
"Oliver, you're right, it is a lot." Felicity said taking a step toward the man and he turned back to her. "But you and I both know that if anyone can navigate their way through this, it's that woman you married whose upstairs right now. She's here, and it's time you do that thing you do that thing you always do."
"Felicity, I told you I don't do anything with my eyes." Oliver huffed in annoyance, and Felicity chuckled.
"No, what I was going to say, is that you be there for her just like you always do. That's what she needs. Let her know that you're here." Felicity turned to Bruce, a slight look of disappointment in his eyes, letting her know the exchange between he and Katie really did affect him. "Bruce and I will get her clothes-" the man turned to her and she gave a nod before turning back to Oliver. "You broke down those walls before Oliver, you just have to find out a way to do it again."
"Felicity, I know you wanted to see her." Oliver said and the woman glanced over to the stairs in hopes that her friend would suddenly appear.
"And I will." Felicity turned back to Oliver. "I will, but right now I have to let you do that thing you do." Felicity took Bruce's hand and pulled him with her out the door. She began walking toward the car, but Bruce pulled her back to him. "I'm fine." she said instantly. "This needs to happen."
"I know, but I know it sucks." he slid a hand behind her back, his eyes on hers before glancing up and looking around the quiet suburban neighborhood. "This looks like a pretty nice place. Why did they leave?" Felicity turned in Bruce's arms to look out to the neighborhood as well.
"It was a fantasy they couldn't hold on to." Felicity sighed with a shake of her head before turning back to Bruce. "C'mon, let's go spend your money." Felicity grabbed Bruce's hand and tugged him toward the car.
Oliver hesitated outside of Katie's door. He was nervous. Scared even. He loved the woman on the other side of that door so much and he was scared to death that him screwing this up could cause him to lose her.
"You sulk loudly!" she called. "Just get in here, Oliver." the man let out a sigh before pushing open the door and walking inside. He glanced around the room before spotting the doors to the closet open. He walked over to find Katie sitting on the floor as she dug in boxes he wasn't aware were even in here. "You know I found it hard to believe I even lived here when there isn't even a stitch of clothing here that belonged to me. Then I discovered these and-" with a furrowed brow she reached into a box and pulled out a dress that looked too big for her. "Either these aren't my clothes, or-"
"Those were your maternity clothes."Oliver said with a smile before crouching down beside her and looking into the box. "The movers must've missed these." she looked up to the man who continued to dig around the box and even now, in this moment she just couldn't believe it. He was her husband. Oliver Queen was her husband, and she couldn't even fathom a world where that was possible and yet here she was. He felt her eyes on him, and turned to her to see her eyes on him. "About earlier, I'm sorry, I should've knocked and-"
"Oliver it's fine." Katie said standing to her feet and walking back into the bedroom. "I probably shouldn't have freaked out as much as I did. I mean you've probably seen me naked a couple of times." she turned to the man who dropped his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Yeah," he replied glancing up to meet her examining gaze. "A couple." he once again dropped his eyes, and Katie couldn't help but smile. He was flustered, and it was a look she hadn't seen often with the man. "So Bruce and Felicity went to get you some clothes and anything else you might need."
"Felicity?" the woman asked and Oliver looked over to her and smiled with a nod.
"She's our friend. Really good friend. You and her are very close." Oliver replied and Katie looked at him for a moment before simply giving a nod before turning and climbing on the bed. "She's also Bruce's girlfriend." the woman gave a snort.
"Bruce has a girlfriend, and she and I are really good friends." she looked over to Oliver and just shrugged. "This is crazy." she closed her eyes and dropped back on the bed.
"Hey," Oliver walked over and sat down on the bed beside her. "Talk to me." she opened her eyes and looked over to the man with a furrowed brow. "What?"
"That!" she said pointing to the man before standing to her feet and taking a few steps away. "I have memories of Oliver Queen and he didn't say things like that. He use to climb through my window with some stupid lines about having nothing else to do but hang out with me, but he didn't say things like that." she watched as Oliver stood to his feet and walked over to her, but she took another step back. "I remember Oliver Queen, and he ran from moments like this one." he stood there staring at her with that look that caused that familiar flutter in her stomach. "He didn't do that either. Look at me like-"
"Like I'm over the moon in love with you." he replied, taking another step forward, and she took a slight step back. "Do you want to know something I've never told you before."
"To be honest, nothing you've told me I've heard before." she replied and the smile on his face widen, and that fluttering only got worse.
"I never climbed in your window because I had nothing better to do. That's just something I would tell you instead of the truth."
"And what was the truth?"
"When I would see you in the hall at school, it always made me sick that I couldn't find it in myself to ever just walk over to you, and just talk to you. I just had to walk past you as if you weren't there. And sometimes I would see you talking about something so animatedly, or you were laughing so hard at something and I always wanted to know why. So in those moments, I knew I would be climbing into your bedroom window." The man in front of her couldn't be real. He looked like the old Oliver, but everything else was just different. She swallowed the thick emotion suddenly settling in her throat before turning away from his eyes that were too intense. "Twinkie, I know I'm not the Oliver you remember. That guy was an idiot." she turned back to him. "That guy had you standing right in front of him and he didn't tell you how he felt about you." With one final step, Oliver found himself standing right in front of her, and this time she didn't back away. "The man standing in front of you couldn't hide from it any longer, even though I tried."
"What do you mean you tried?" she asked and he lightly laughed. "What?"
"How would you like to hear our story?" she looked at him for a moment, both curious and scared. She wasn't sure she was prepared for more earth shattering information. They stood there for a moment in silence, unintentionally moving in closer to each other. Katie realized what she was doing, letting out a deep breath before walking around the man and climbing back to sit on the bed.
"I want to hear it." she said and Oliver turned back to her. "Uh, but I'm not sure I should." Oliver frowned as he walked over to sit beside her. "I saw this doctor and-" she turned away and shook her head. "I'm not even sure he was a real doctor. He was probably just another ARGUS fraud and-" she sighed turning back to Oliver realizing she was about to go off on another angry rant. "What he said about dissociative amnesia is true. I have to be careful with the information I learn because I don't know if it could trigger some sort of mental breakdown, I mean I don't even know why I can't remember my life and that scares the crap out of me." she turned to Oliver. "What was so bad that happened to me, that I'm blocking it from myself?"
"Hey Twinkie," Oliver slipped his hands to cup her face, letting his thumbs brush across her cheek. "You will get through this and I will be here to help you, every step of the way." he smiled down to her eyes. "And I can definitely say that our story isn't a trigger for anything."
"You sound confident, and stop calling me Twinkie." she said with a slight smile, and he was going to do it. He was going to kiss her, but a voice in his head screamed, because he knew he couldn't right now. Not yet, and so he dropped his hands and backed away a bit. She cleared her throat and once again turned away. "Ok-" she slid back to sit in the center of the bed before turning to face him. "I'm going to trust you. I'm not sure why, but I'm going to trust that your story will not cause me to go crazy. More because I'm really interested in learning how this happened." she tilted her head and he smiled at her. "Now go on, tell me this fairy tale of how Oliver Queen and Katherine Robins got married and had a baby."
"Well I should start by saying that it's the farthest thing from a fairy-tale." he said with a smile as he slid further into the bed. "It started with me chasing you on the front lawn of my old house." she quirked a brow and he chuckled about to continue, but his phone rang and he frowned before pulling it from his pocket and glancing down to the screen.
"Everything alright?" Katie asked and Oliver looked up to her and smiled with a nod. It was Curtis, and he was almost positive the topic the man wanted to talk about was a subject he wasn't sure he should bring up to his wife just yet.
"Yeah, just work." he said standing to his feet and heading for the door.
"Wait," she said and he stopped and turned back to her. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm-" he wasn't sure why he paused. He remembers Katie rallying with him to become mayor and he always imagined how happy she would be when she found out that they did it. "I'm the mayor of Star City." Katie's eyes widened as she slid to stand to her feet.
"I'm sorry, did you just say that you're the mayor of Star City?"
"Yes."
"People voted for you?"
"Yes," he says not missing the disbelief in her tone. His phone rang again, and he turned back to her. "I really have to take this, I'll be right back." Oliver turned and stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. "Curtis, I thought I told you that I would be unreachable. I found Katie and-"
"And I get that, and I'm so sorry about calling but we have a problem. Those emails I've been monitoring. I have chatter of Machin meeting with a possible seller of the materials he's going to need for this bomb. Someone needs to be there or-"
"Machin will be that much closer to building a bomb and planting it somewhere in the city." Oliver said, his eyes turning back to the bedroom door. This house, in this suburb of Coast City once again made him forget the reality of their lives. He let out a sigh. "I'll meet you at the bunker." Oliver ended the call, before once again finding himself hesitating outside the bedroom door. He knew he needed to leave. There was a crazy person roaming around the city trying to make a bomb and because all of his friends abandoned him, it was him who had to stop it. He had to once again choose being the other guy instead of the husband to the woman on the other side of their door. He pushed open the door to find Katie sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes meeting his.
"Ok, just for my own peace of mind, " she says standing to her feet and walking over to him. "When you say Mayor, you actually mean the political figure whose job it is to make decisions for the betterment of the city?" he looked at her and smiled with a shake of his head.
"Is it that hard to believe that I could be the mayor?"
"I mean, no, I've always believed you could be anything you wanted, I just find it hard to believe that you'd actually want this." she replied once again locking eyes with the man. This new Oliver was getting harder and harder to believe and without thinking she reached forward and place a hand on his chest. It wasn't until she felt the thump of his heart underneath her fingers did she truly believe that this was real, and that Oliver was standing right here in front of her. His hand lifted, and covered the hand she had on his chest.
"I'm right here, Twinkie." he replied and he saw the annoyed look on her face. "You actually like that name now." she pulled back her hand and turned walking away.
"No, she did." Katie replied. "The woman you know, but I can't remember being her." she turned back to the man. "For right now, just call me Katie, ok?" Oliver simply gave her a nod. "And now you have to go." his brow furrowed in confusion.
"How did you know?" he asked and she looked at him for a moment before her face too scrunched in confusion.
"I don't know, really. You have a look about you that I can somehow tell means you're not happy and I can only assume the only thing that would make you unhappy right now is having to leave." she turned away for a moment still unable to figure out how she came to that conclusion. She turned back to Oliver, his eyes completely focused on her with a look she couldn't decipher. "So, work?" he dropped his eyes back to his phone before looking back up to her.
"Yeah, it's something only I can take care of." he replied taking a step toward her. "You could tell me to stay."
"Why would I do that?" she asked, now suddenly gaining the urge to reach forward to grab him and never let go.
"I don't know, but I want you to know that whenever you need me. Whenever you need me more than whatever is happening out there, I need you to know that I will stay, every time." Katie folded her arms over her chest, and he could tell from the look on her face that she was thinking about something, he just couldn't figure out what.
"You're my husband?" she asked because for the life of her, that single fact wasn't sticking. Everything else he's told her, she could believe, even the baby, but him marrying her seemed so far fetched. Oliver let out a sigh, before closing the distance between them, and taking both of her hands in his. Her eyes widen, not expecting the sudden contact, but she didn't pull away.
"I am your husband, and you are my beautiful wife." he placed a kiss on the back of both of her hands before lifting his eyes to hers. "You are not alone in any of this." he turned his head at the sound of the front door opening, figuring the Bruce and Felicity must be back. He turned back to Katie, staring at her silently, before once again speaking. "You want to run-" she frowned before turning away, unsure how he knew that. He actually interrupted her escape plan. She was going to find some clothes and sneak out the window before anyone noticed."I know this is all scary, and confusing and running away seems like the easiest solution." she turned back to meet his eyes. "Just stay. You've been running all of your life, and you ended up here with me. At least stick around to figure out why you stayed." he leaned forward, placing a kiss to her cheek, before reluctantly releasing her hands and walking toward the door.
"If I told you to stay, you would?" she suddenly asked, and Oliver smiled slightly, because with every passing moment, remnants of his wife appeared. He stopped and turned back to her.
"Absolutely." he replied, and she looked at him and from the look in his eyes she knew he was telling the truth. "Do you want to tell me to stay?"
"Yes," she said against her better judgment. Everything was still too unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. "But I won't." she dropped her eyes and turned away. "You should go." she turned back to the man with a nod. "I'll be fine." he looked at her for a moment before giving her a nod and turning to leave.
When Oliver arrived downstairs he didn't expect the number of shopping bags that now lined the floor.
"You weren't even gone that long, how did you-" he looked over to Felicity who was standing in the middle of the bags, as Bruce carried them inside.
"I think that's the last of it." Bruce said turning to Oliver who had a look of disbelief. "Did you underestimate Felicity Smoak when it comes to shopping?"
"Never again." Oliver said glancing over to Felicity. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." the woman said glancing over to the stairs. "How is she?"
"She's-" Oliver slightly smiled as he thought about the few moments he'd just spent with his wife and that feeling that even though she didn't remember so much, she was still there. "I think she's passed the wanting to flee stage at this point." he turned back to Felicity who gave. "I actually have to go." the woman frowned glancing over to Bruce before turning back to Oliver.
"I sort of assumed priority wise, your wife awakening from a coma trumps whatever mayoral duties you may have." Felicity folded her arms over her chest and Oliver sighed.
"This isn't about being Mayor," Oliver replied glancing over to Bruce. "Lonnie Machin is back, and we think he's building a bomb."
"Oh," Felicity said now feeling guilty about her instant judgement. "But even so-" Oliver turned back to woman who pointed upstairs. "She's awake Oliver. We spent months waiting-"
"Felicity, I'm the last person you have explain that to, because that's my wife, and I sat at her bedside scared to death that she wouldn't open her eyes again." Oliver dropped his head before once again glancing over to the steps. The last thing he wanted to do right now was leave her. He doesn't even know how he's been breathing for so long without seeing those eyes or hearing her voice. He wanted nothing more than to barricade them in that bedroom and never come out. But there was a man with a bomb and he promised this city he would protect them. It's a choice he hated, but he knew in his heart what his wife would tell him to do if she remembered who they were. He turned back to Felicity and gave a nod. "It's only me. Everyone left and now it's my job to make sure people like Lonnie Machin don't hurt my city. I have to go."
"How about I go." Bruce volunteered and Oliver turned to the man who shrugged. "I mean you're right, you've been flying solo for months, you could use some time off to deal with more important things." Oliver turned away for a moment before shaking his head.
"No thanks, Bruce." Oliver said simply before turning back to the man. "I will probably be back late, but call me if she needs me. I'm going to check on the kids, but then I'll be right back." He glanced up to the ceiling. "I should probably get her phone."
"No need, we got one." Felicity replied. Oliver glanced over to her with a smile and a nod. "Are you sure you—"
"I should go." Oliver slipped his phone into his pocket before moving around Bruce out the door. Bruce glanced over to Felicity noting the look of guilt on her face and so he groaned before turning and following after Oliver.
"You're not going to make us feel guilty for leaving!" Bruce called after the man. Oliver had only opened the door before he stopped and glanced back to the man.
"I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty, Bruce." Oliver replied with a shake of his head. He was about to get into the car, but for the life of him he just couldn't and so he turned back to the man. "I understand why you left, but it doesn't change the fact that I was here, raising two kids, being the mayor and sitting at the bedside of my comatose wife afraid I was going to lose her." Oliver slammed the door closed before turning to the man fully. "And on top of that, I also had to be the person to keep Star City safe. So maybe I am harboring some resentment because all of my friends left when I needed them." the man let out a huff unsure why he's revealing so many emotions he thought he had a cap on. He just shook his head before sliding a hand across his face before looking back up to Bruce. "I'm sorry, I just-" Oliver's eyes glanced up to the upstairs window, seeing the glow from the light inside. She was right there, and he didn't realize until this moment how hard leaving would be until he was standing right next to this car.
"Hey," Bruce walked over closer, "I get it. This is all a lot, but we're here now. And I can help."
"Bruce-"
"Fine, I'll just be back up." Oliver turned away and Bruce waited for him to respond. He knew Oliver's head was completely unfocused right now and going out there alone probably wasn't the best idea. Especially with a crazy person building a bomb. Oliver turned back to the man, figuring is lack of focus too and simply gave a nod. "Good, I'm going to tell Felicity and then I'll meet you at the bunker."
Jacob Robins sat in his dimlit office in a much needed silence. That silence was broken by the sound of the door opening and Martin walking inside.
"Sir-" Martin stepped further inside as Jacob turned to him. "We have confirmation. Oliver has taken her to their Coast City home. We have a few men in the area keeping watch."
"Pull them." Jacob said simply and Martin looked to his boss in confusion.
"Sir-"
"Martin, Ra's is gone, and so is Damien Darhk. All the threats to her are gone. Right now my daughter just needs the love and comfort of her husband to get past her memory loss."
"Sir, we're also unsure if the entity that lived inside of her and tried to wipe out all human existence is still inside of her." Martin walked over to take a seat on the other side of the desk. "I know after what happened-"
"I was foolish in thinking that I could have her again." Jacob glanced over to Martin with a shake of his head. "That I could have my daughter back and that look of hatred and betrayal wouldn't be in her eyes when she looked at me. I lied again, foolish enough to believe it wouldn't bite me in the ass again and now she will hate me forever."
"Except she's never hated you." Martin replied. "She's been angry with you, she's shot you and hit you, but she's never hated you. She will get past this, and one day you will have your daughter again." Martin stood to his feet. "Sir, I really believe the security detail would be—"
"Fine, they can stay, but they make no contact unless necessary, and you make that call." Jacob says pointing to Martin who gave a nod before turning and heading back for the door. "This will be done soon, Martin." Martin stopped and turned back to his boss. "Once we confirm my daughter's safety, then this is all over. Our job will be done." Martin silently nodded before finally leaving.
Jacob glanced over to the old picture that sat on his desk of his wife and daughter, both smiling and he reached forward to pick it up.
"I think I did it Grace. She's safe." Jacob sighed before placing the picture back on his desk and standing to his feet. He walked toward the door, only to stop at the sound of something breaking. He turned to see the picture on his desk now laying flat. He walked over, picking it up to see the cracked glass, that seemed to be solely located around his daughter's face. An unexplainable breeze touched his neck and Jacob turned, but he saw nothing in the darkness.
Thea was glad she had a bit of a distraction as she placed a sleeping Robyn in her crib. The baby was fed, bathed and they even played a bit to tucker her out, and now she was out like a light. Thea smiled down to the child.
"Your mommy is back." she whispered before quietly leaving the room. She walked down the hall, peeking into Ari's room to find the girl's eyes barely opened as she types away on her laptop. "I know for a fact you're not supposed to have that. I thought Oliver took that."
"He took my much faster, newer laptop." Ari said as she continued to type. "I was compiling pictures for Katie when-" the girl groaned as she slapped a fist on the keyboard before slamming the screen shut. "Felicity Smoak has turned into my nemesis and I will beat her."
"What are you talking about?" Thea asked and Ari looked over to the woman and just shook her head before standing to her feet and holding out a flash drive.
"I have the pictures, when do we leave?"
"Leave?"
"To see my cousin." Ari said and Thea sighed which was a sign that the teen didn't like. "I want to see her."
"I know you do, but right now we can't. There's a media circus outside the house, and Katie's—" Thea averted her eyes still sad about Katie's memory loss.
"She doesn't remember the last couple of years of her life, I know, but she knows who I am." Ari said and Thea turned back to her.
"I'm sorry Ari, but we can't leave this house. Not until Oliver gets back." Ari groaned before turning back and sliding back to her bed. "And I have to take that. You know you're not supposed to have it and—" Ari simply held out the laptop to the woman without argument.
"It's useless anyway. Just take it and get out." Ari replied. Thea knew the girl was hurting, but she also knew there was nothing she could do or say that could help, and so she took the laptop and left.
Felicity had no idea why she was so nervous. Bruce and Oliver had been gone for a while and she finally worked up the courage to gather a few shopping bags and come upstairs. She stopped in front of the closed bedroom door, now hesitant to knock. She couldn't stop thinking about her best friend who was on the other side of the door who had no clue about who she was.
"You can do this." Felicity muttered before maneuvering the bags to one hand and reaching up with the other to knock. Soon the door pulled open, and Felicity couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She felt sudden tears prickle her eyes and she knew she must've looked completely insane to the woman standing in front of her.
"Um, hello," Katie greeted with an awkward wave. She tightened the large robe around her before glancing down to the bags. "Are those for me?" the blonde didn't answer and so Katie looked back up to the woman who silently smiled, her eyes slightly glistening. "Are you ok?" Felicity brought herself back to reality, clearing her throat and holding up the bags.
"Yes, Oliver said you needed clothes and so Bruce and I went to this nice little clothing store not to far from here. They have everything you could think of. Shirts, tank tops, jeans, skirts-" she looked back up to Katie. "I really wasn't sure what you preferred so I picked out a little bit of everything, in all different colors. I mean you usually like dark clothing, but maybe the new amnesiac you likes bright colors, so I got-"
"Whoa! Wait, you're talking really fast and I think we should start with something simple." Katie says holding out her hand to the woman. "I'm Katherine Robins, and you are—" Felicity laughed before reaching forward and shaking the woman's hand.
"I'm Felicity Smoak,"
"Felicity, right, Oliver told me you were Bruce's girlfriend." Katie replied and Felicity's confusion turned to annoyance.
"Well yeah, I am Bruce's girlfriend, but I was kind of you and Oliver's friend first." Felicity clarified releasing Katie's hand before walking inside and dropping the bags on the bed. "And him not making that distinction only verifies my suspicions that he really is upset with us." Felicity began pulling the clothes out of the bag and placing them on the bed. She looked over to Katie who still stood by the door, her head tilted as she looks over to the blonde. "He and Bruce left, so I thought I would come up here, give you your clothes and maybe introduce myself...again."
"Right, so we've met at some point in the last three and half years?" Katie asked, and Felicity nodded. Katie looked at the woman for a moment, trying to grasp at just glimmer of familiarity and yet there was nothing. She turned away in frustration, hating moments like this. Reminders that something stole her life and she doesn't even know why. "I'm sorry, I don't—"
"Hey, you don't have to apologize." Felicity walked over to the woman with a smile. "I can only imagine what you're going through right now. So we can take this slow. Why don't you pick out something to wear, and I will see how much longer that pizza I ordered will be." Felicity walked around the woman toward the door.
"Felicity—" the blonde stopped and turned back to the woman who finally returned the smile. "Thanks—" she gestured to the clothes before turning back to the woman. "For all of this."
"You really never have to thank me." Felicity replied.
It didn't take long for their pizza to arrive. Felicity had just brought it into the house and headed for the kitchen where she placed it on the table. She hurried about to get some plates and glasses for the wine she's pretty sure Katie could use at the moment. She'd only placed them on the table when a knock at the back door stopped her. She turned in confusion. Oliver and Bruce had been gone for almost an hour and she didn't expect them back this soon, and definitely didn't expect them to knock. She walked toward the door, peeking through the curtain, before letting out a sigh at the unexpected guest. She pulled open the door with a shake of her head.
"You shouldn't be here, Nyssa." Felicity greeted, though the ravened haired woman in front of her seemed unfazed as she glanced inside of the house.
"So it's true?" Nyssa said dropping her eyes back to Felicity. "Nura is awake." Felicity saw that light of hope she's sure matched the one in her own eyes.
"Yes, she's—"
"Nyssa," a voice spoke and both turned to see Katie whose dark glared bore into the woman standing just a couple of feet away. Katie felt her heart race, as fears she didn't expect suddenly began moving under her skin. That survival instinct kicked into overdrive. Her eyes darted around the kitchen, spotting a butcher's block and without hesitation she rushed forward, grabbing a knife.
"Katie, just wait, just—" Felicity's pleas fell upon deaf ears because before she could get a full sentence out of her mouth, Katie was running toward them. The blonde practically stumbled backwards as Katie tackled Nyssa out the door. Felicity quickly ran out the door in time to see Katie straddled on top of Nyssa, the blade of the butcher's knife now pressed to her throat.
"I'm not going back!" Katie yelled pressing the knife even deeper. "I will kill you before I go back!"
Author's Note: As always thanks. we have one more prologue chapter before jump into season 5.
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Sneak Peek
"Katie, we heard that Ari was here, so I thought me and Thea would bring Robyn." Oliver said watching the dazed stare of the woman who continued to stare into the nursery, her eyes locked on the crib. "Would you like to meet her?" Katie took a step toward the nursery, stopping just before she could enter. It happened so suddenly. Katie's eyes clenched shut as she turned away. Her heart began ramming in her chest. "Twinkie?" Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder, only now realizing that she was shaking again.