DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters you might recognize in this fic. DC Comics, Warner Brothers, the CW, and a lot more people than I can possibly name here do and I am making no gains from this. I'm just borrowing them and I'll put them back when I'm finished, maybe a little the worse for wear, but I'll give them back. Please don't sue me.
Author's Note: This bunny bit me while I was watching Season 8 when Oliver started his downward spiral. It's obviously set in an AU, since none of this happened in canon. If AU stories offend you, then give this one a pass, okay?
Author's Note #2: My beloved AJ was helping me to RP this out, and helped me a great deal before her passing in March 2010. She was the driving force behind the bunny and my sounding board, my research partner, and so much more. This fic is therefore dedicated to her memory. I will always love you and miss you. Rest in peace, my darling.
Beta thanks go to Rick Berko, River, and Ithil-Valon. You guys have been terrific, and believe me, if there are any mistakes left, they're all totally mine. I take full credit for them.
And Lastly: HUGE thanks go to Rick and company for helping me research the best kind of liquor to use for this story. It was fun, wasn't it? *gryns* Thujone is the ingredient found in European blends of absinthe. To my knowledge, it's still illegal to include thujone in American absinthe. The stuff is so powerful that "one shot of this stuff will have you seeing green faeries in seconds," according to Rick's BF (a bartender). Unless you're a hardened alcoholic, of course. Then it takes a few minutes. *LOL*
Part Six
Oliver waited on the line for only a moment. The discussion was short, concise, and quite hushed. And once the receiver was back on the hook, he hurried back to Larry's hole to talk to Mouse.
Not much had changed in the few minutes he'd been gone. Mouse still huddled miserably next to their unconscious visitor and she looked like hell to his eyes. Lines of strain showed clearly on her face but she wasn't giving in to the pain, either. For a moment Oliver envied her that determination. Larry still stood behind her, watching over both women silently, one hand on her shoulder as though for support. Oliver wondered what Mouse was feeling from that contact.
He shook himself mentally and went to them. "Emil will be in the alley behind Kazinsky's in half an hour. I'll bring him here and he can look at her. He's a good guy, I'll vouch for him." He knew someone would have to. Outsiders weren't welcome here unless one of the residents took responsibility for them. Mouse had done it for him; and he'd taken the step for Emil. Besides, he knew it would likely be a one time trip.
Mouse simply nodded. It was taking all she had to keep the swirling emotions from overwhelming her completely; only Larry's calming presence at her back kept them at bay. And still, she felt nothing from their guest.
Oliver touched her shoulder reassuringly and put as much comfort into the touch as he could. Then he went back up through the warren of the Barrens into the hustle of the real world.
For a moment he just stood still, secure in the knowledge that at first glance, nobody would recognize him. He'd grown a short beard, his clothes were fresh from someone's rag bag, and he knew the absinthe he had been consuming in huge quantities had roughened his voice considerably. He also knew that it would go back to normal if he stopped drinking that crap, but then he'd have to deal with the nightmares and he so wasn't going there anytime soon.
But once in the alley he began to get nervous. Where was Emil? It wasn't like the man to stand anyone up.
"Excuse me." A young woman, decently dressed, had come up behind him and he had a fleeting thought that she didn't belong in a back alley behind a dive bar. "Are you here to meet Emil?"
His eyes never left her face, searching for signs of deception or danger. Finding none, he nodded slowly.
"He sent me with some equipment to take some tests on your friend," she explained patiently. "Something came up and he just can't leave. He also told me that he'll be better able to diagnose her that way and that your secret is safe with him. Oh, I'm Kelly. I help him in the lab sometimes."
Oliver simply nodded again. He didn't know this girl, and that would make keeping his secret easier. Emil would never let on that he'd talked to Oliver in a hundred years; he might not even be one hundred percent sure it had been Oliver, not with the voice shift from all the hard drinking he'd been doing. He gestured for her to follow him and picked up the case she was carrying to help her out. One eyebrow raised at the weight of the thing.
"I know. There's a lot of stuff in there, but it's all miniaturized. And it won't take long to create the link to Doc's lab. We'll help your friend if we can." Kelly felt like she had to say something to make up for the silence of her escort. She was nervous; most people who went into the Barrens didn't come back out. It was a reputation that protected the inhabitants from outside interference, but she had no desire to put it to the test. She was counting on this man's integrity to get her back out once she was done with the testing.
It took only a few minutes to get back to the cubby and Mouse shook her head at him as he entered to show there was no change in their visitor's condition. He went straight to her and touched her cheek, willing some of his calm onto her. Larry moved back, breaking his connection with Mouse, letting the other man in closer but some of his resentment showed in his eyes. He'd known Mouse much longer and was a little jealous of Blondie's obvious place in her affections.
"Easy, Larry," Oliver murmured over Mouse's head. "She's my friend, that's all." She'd never be anything else because she deserved better than the broken down wreck of an ex-hero he'd become. And he had no ambition to fix himself, either. It wasn't worth it.
Kelly was busily attaching leads and sensors and Oliver had no idea what else to the girl's head and chest. Mouse was helping her, and Oliver decided it was time to settle things with Larry. He drew the man aside.
"Look," he began carefully. "Mouse is my friend, Larry, that's all. That's all she'll ever be. Trust me, she's worth a lot more than my sorry hide." Absolutely. When he tried to do the right thing, people died. No, he'd stay down here, drunk and semi-content. "I'm not trying to horn in on what you want. But let her decide, okay?" He half turned to watch the girls minister to their guest and nodded slightly as he heard Larry sigh. "Let's get this finished so we can find out what's wrong with our cat lady. Then you and Mouse should talk."
"Yeah, I guess we should." Larry let it lay, then. "Let's find out what's going on here anyway."
Mouse finished up placing little sensors where Kelly told her and stepped back. Whatever was going on between Larry and Blondie was being kept hushed; she couldn't even feel what they were feeling. Meant it was serious, with Blondie. Normally she could get at least a surface read of him. Abruptly she realized that her head was quiet again and she let down her defenses slightly. Nothing. But was it good or bad? She didn't know. Maybe having something to focus on besides the pain helped. It seemed to, anyway.
Several minutes passed in silence and Mouse watched carefully, making sure their visitor did nothing to harm the woman she'd been called to help. It didn't matter to her that they'd called in outside help. She was too used to distrusting the updwellers to stop being paranoid now.
"Okay, that should be it. Emil will send over instructions in a few minutes when he's assessed the data." Kelly's words were loud in the stillness of the room but she didn't care. She wanted to help.
"Kelly, start an IV drip, she's dehydrated among other things," Emil's voice issued from the little machine. "There are some serious anomalies in her readings. You said her eyes were slitted like a cat's?" he asked quietly. "There's some feline data coming through as well. Kelly, what are you seeing?" He wouldn't mention Oliver's name. His friend had obviously retreated from the real world and he wouldn't judge or compromise him.
"Nothing but what's on the instruments, Emil," Kelly replied as Mouse and the others looked on. "She seems baseline human from physical examination except for the eyes. No claws or fangs or anything. Just human."
Emil rattled off some tongue twisting medicine names and Kelly administered them smoothly. "Keep an eye on her. Those should help if the data is correct. She should wake up soon. Kelly can leave the sensors and I'll keep an eye from here."
Kelly rose and looked to Oliver. "You can take me back now," she said quietly. "This'll be just as good as him being right here. The meds are in the case, and they're hospital grade, so if she needs something, he can tell you. She should be okay."
Oliver nodded and gestured to Mouse. "I'll take the lady back upstairs," he said simply as he walked toward the door. "You and Larry can handle this. I'll be back in a little bit."
Mouse nodded affirmation and went to sit by the bed, Larry right behind her. They would wait for instructions and for Blondie's return before doing anything else.
TBC...
