superfly: That you liked this chapter so much, comes as a suprise. I wasn't all too happy about it and felt it was kind of boring. So thank you very much! Barry is always the star! He makes every story better, because he's awesome. Hope you're not disappointed with the rest of the story.

I don't own Arrow.

Arrow - Gotham Chronicles

Oliver's back hits the mattress hard and he groans.

"I win!" Cat tells him triumphantly.

"You cheated," Oliver rubs over his sore spot and gets to his feet.

"Of course I cheated. I'd never win against you, if I didn't cheat," she tells him like he was missing something obvious.

Oliver shakes his head and gulps down water from his bottle.

"I agree, you wouldn't be able to win, if you didn't cheat," Bruce remarks from his seat.

"Then what's the use in fighting fair?" Cat retorts.

Bruce rolls his eyes, "But then again you are letting her cheat, Oliver. You can't fall for cheap tricks like that."

Oliver looks offended, "And you think you could do better?" There's a challenge in his tone.

"Can you, now?" Cat baits him as well.

"Fine, you win. I'll spare with you."

Bruce gets up and Cat turns to Oliver. She gives him a wink and takes her black tank top off, leaving her in a sport bra. Oliver crushes a laugh.

"Isn't that a bit of an obvious move?" Bruce asks with a hint of annoyance.

About five minutes later his back hits the mattress. She grins down on him, "Well, I'm going to need a shower now."

Oliver hands him a towel. "She tricked you," he pointed out smugly.

"I know," Bruce answers darkly.

She stops in front of the door and turns around again. "Have you ever considered that maybe I don't cheat? Men's physical strength is superior to women's – in most cases at least. I don't care what a feminist has to say to that. So its fair game if a man overpowers a woman with his physical strength? Those are your rules, rules of a world dominated by men. I use everything I have, just like you. How's that not fair?"

"Do you ever think that maybe her view of the world isn't as wrong as it seems?" Oliver wonders into the silence that resonated through the room after the door fell shut behind her.

"All the time, unfortunately." Bruce grumbles.

"But the kiss really was an underhanded method."

Arrow

Felicity monitors the camera so that they are ready at any given moment. The plan is simple really – the confrontation will be broadcasted all over the country. She doesn't even have to hack the broadcasting network, after a call to the news stations there wasn't a single one declining a live airing of the "clash of the century."

She hears everything loud and clear and is ready to alert the news stations as soon as the league appears. Faintly she wonders if the Demon himself will be there, but no doubt he'll hear all about it whether he makes a personal appearance of not.

Her breath hitches in her throat and she forces her breathing to even out. Some part of her wishes she could be with them, but she has a task here. A nervous giggle passes her lips, her eyes stay trained on the screen. She leans slightly forward when she makes out a shadow on the edge of the screen. Oliver comes into view. The chosen battle field is in the outskirts of town. Abandoned and empty for now.

Then another figure appears and the minute Felicity realises what it is she starts the broadcast.

"Have you decided to take Ra's al Ghul's offer?" Maseo asks and pushes the hood from his identical Arrow suit back.

Oliver meets her eyes, "No, I'm here to inform you that I will no longer accept your presence in my town."

Maseo takes a breath, "There's nothing you can do to stop us. Your city will fall unless you become the Demon Head. It has already begun, the city has started to turn against you, all they will need is another push."

"What makes you think I'll allow that to happen?"

Three assassins dressed as The Arrow step up next to Maseo. They circle Oliver, who watches their every move. One of them makes a move to strike down on him with his bow and Oliver deflects the attack. He avoids the bow of a second one by prostrating and bringing his foot out to hit the third of balance. It takes Oliver about two minutes to disarm all three and the second he does more people appear behind Maseo. They aren't dressed in his Arrow suit, but rather in the black of the League of Assassins. Within minutes Oliver is overpowered.

The loud roar of a car makes him smile and stop his attempts at fighting. Only at the last second do they see the Batmobile coming their way, Oliver doesn't move while some of Maseo's men barely manage to jump aside. Oliver stays expressionless even as the Batmobile races towards where he is standing. It comes to an halt only centimetres before him.

The gull-winged door open and Batman gets out. Oliver turns in time to take out one assassin who snuck up on him. Batman jumps over his car and lands between two assassins. They fall to their knees instantly.

"You'd do well, to get out of our cities!" he proclaims darkly.

A red arrow lodges itself before Maseo's feet and Arsenal strolls up with an arrow drawn. At the same time, Nightwing approaches from the other side. Oliver has met him only a few times, enough to know that the man is not to be underestimated despite not being quite on the same level as Oliver or Bruce. Similar to Batman his suit is dark, a blue strip runs across his chest forming the silhouette of a bird and the strip continues down both his muscular arms. He twirls his escrima sticks between his fingers and engages two members of the League in combat.

"So you brought your sidekicks… is that supposed to scare Ra's?" said man's right hand asks, his eyes turn almost pleadingly to Oliver.

A dark shadow appears above them and something similar to a plane or maybe a helicopter appears. Oliver heard Kate Kane refer to it once as 'Batwing'. The wind whirls it creates are strong and Batwoman lands it perfectly in the middle of the assassins. She gets off it with elegance.

"I hope I didn't miss the party?" she smiles and throws a small nylon cord that wraps itself around the upper body of another assassin and makes him fall.

Maseo holds up his arm and for a second all fighting ceases. "What is this? A declaration of war?"

One of the man to his right grunts out in pain and falls to his knees. Laurel steps up behind him. "Yes!"

Maseo's eyes narrow at Oliver and for a second he is stricken with the thought that he might reveal his name – he hopes Felicity will be able to alter the broadcast in case something goes wrong.

Felicity is way ahead of him (as always) for she did indeed prepare for such an occurrence, the live-broadcast is delayed by twenty seconds before it is transferred to the television stations. Just in case something happens – her finger hovers over the key that could disrupts the connection to the news stations.

But Maseo doesn't say anything more, he nods at his men and the fighting continues. A shot rings out and a bow and arrow falls. Diggle shot one of them in the hands as he was about to fire an arrow at Arsenal.

"Thanks, mate!"

Digg nods curtly. An electric blow takes one of the assassins behind John flying and the A.T.O.M. lands carefully next to him. He raises his arm ready to strike again.

"It doesn't matter how many people you gather…," Maseo is interrupted by a gush of wind that steals the breath from her face. The Flash runs circles around them and Ra's men fall to the floor or find themselves rid of their weapons. Finally he stops next to Oliver.

"Finally! I was getting tired of waiting," the grins almost splits his face and Maseo's face drops for a second before it hardens again.

"We are here to let you know only one thing," Oliver says with distain in his voice as he addresses his former friend (his friend still). "If you don't cease your attacks on our cities, we will come for you… all of us."

A flash of surprise hushes over Maseo's face and Oliver likes to imagine there was something close to pride or appreciation in it.

"Tell Ra's al Ghul, if he makes a move against any of us, it's considered a move against all of us," Batman catches his eyes and Maseo's gaze wanders over the battle field.

While the League outnumbers their opponents by far, he can see that this battle is lost. "I shall let the Demon Head know. But trust me, he's not one to be blackmailed."

Oliver exhales secretly, the plan worked. It's over - for now.

Felicity stops the transmission to the networks, she wonders briefly how the world reacted to what they have seen, but makes not move to consult the internet, her eyes stay glued to the screen.

"Well, that was easy," Barry grins widely at the group.

Oliver looks over to where the League stood not too long ago, "It has only just begun."

"It was a very impressive show either way," Cat jumps from where she had waited and lands gracefully near Roy. She wanders slowly towards them, her lips swaying.

"Hey, that's the woman from the wedding," Ray calls out.

Oliver grimaces and hopes he won't make the connection between Oliver and The Arrow.

Cat brushes past Oliver and Bruce, her gaze altering between the other involved parties. "My, what a party."

Bruce shakes his head at her.

"We should head home. I don't think it'll be long before the press or the police are swarming this place," Nightwing points out.

Oliver nods and walks towards his bike. He stops dead in his tracks and turns to Cat.

She jingles his keys, "Yeah, I'm not giving it back."

"Need a ride?" Batman asks from the side.

"Can I drive?"

"Not a chance."

Oliver rolls his eyes and follows Bruce to his Batmobile.

"Wait, we're all just going to go now? We just confronted the League of Assassins and that's it? No, after party, no big reveal about all of our identities, nothing?" Barry asks disappointed.

"What did you expect? A bonding of super heroes?" Cat laughs despicable, her eyes roam over him and then over Ray's Atom suit. She scoffs.

"Cat, let it go," Nightwing tells her sharply from the side.

"Are they good friends?" Laurel addresses him, she can tell there's something explosive about this situation and tries to diffuse it. "Batman and The Arrow, I mean?"

"They are alike," Cat answers before Nightwing can even open his mouth. "In different ways, but they understand each other in a way none of you will ever understand."

The "none of you" part seems pretty exclusive to Barry and Ray and Laurel remembers Catwoman's reaction to both of them in the lair. She exchanges a look with Diggle, who looks increasingly uncomfortable.

"Do you have a problem with us?" Ray finally has enough. He's only here because The Arrow asked him to, he didn't ask to be here. Sure he feels flattered to be a part of it, but her attitude annoys him.

"As a matter of fact I do."

"Cat!" Batwoman interrupts from the other side.

"No, I want to hear what she has to say," Barry accedes with Ray.

Batwoman groans but steps back.

"Here's the thing. You think yourselves heroes but you're not. You don't even know what a hero is. You think power makes you a hero or hide behind a mechanic suit, so you're safe and sound. But a hero is not someone who wants to be recognised as such, or does it out of obligation or so he can show off how technical advanced he is," her green eyes are hard and filled with contempt, it clashes with the deliberate softness of her voice.

"Hey, I try to save people, I don't care about being called a hero," Barry tells her angrily. "I stop criminals from hurting innocent people."

"See, that's the difference between you and them. You fight against villains, but they – Batman and the Arrow – theydon't only fight against others, they fight against themselves every day. Against the darkness within them and every day they wake up knowing it might be the day they lose that fight."

"I know darkness," Ray flashes back to Anna and he gulps down the pain.

"I don't doubt that you've seen it. But you haven't been touched by it, haven't been tainted by it, consumed by it, corrupted by it and lost yourself in it until you didn't know who you were. They have. And this kind of darkness is not something you'll ever rid yourself off. You take it with you, it drains on you, seduces you - every single day. They are heroes because they fight it, they don't give into it. But it drags on them. They've seen the people they love die, not just once but again and again, over and over, knowing it was their fault - that they could've stopped it or changed it, if only they weren't who they are," her tone had gotten softer – more contemplating. "And then the people you love go and take your worst fear, your worst insecurities and use them against you. Telling you that your love is toxic and that they don't want to be love by you, because you're the reason other people suffer. Your love is what makes them suffer and what makes them hurt and that you've been right all along in assuming you're not worth being loved and you shouldn't love, because your love is like poison."

Felicity recoils from the screen. I don't want to be a woman you love. The words (the ones she said to him, used to hurt him) swirl in her head and cause a feeling of nausea to rise in her. Is it possible that she knew? That those words are meant for her? Had Cat been there?

"But they get up every day and they keep fighting. And that's why people like you can never hope to be the kind of hero that they arem" her eyes go from Barry to Ray and then she gives them a snide smile before turning away from them.

No one speaks, Barry seems shell-shocked and even the ones not addressed feel the intensity of the words chilling them to the bone.

"And how – how do you know so much about fighting the darkness?" Ray asks when she's almost reached Oliver's bike.

Cat looks back at him over her shoulder and when she speaks her voice is void of all emotions, her eyes look haunted, wistful even."Because I've lost that fight a long time ago."

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