Chapter 4
Crazy Love
"Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop."
H. L. Mencken
Never get distracted by fantasy. It was a lesson that Katie could never seem to shake. Katie had found herself living a life that didn't surround itself around the demon head, or ARGUS, or the mysteries of her parents. For just a few precious months, she was a doctor, who had a nice boyfriend, and everything just seemed right with the world. She should've known it would never last.
Katie sat at her desk in her office, staring at the black screen of her computer. She glanced over to her clock, and realized it was pretty late and she should probably head home. She only had one arm out of her lab coat, before there was a knock at her door.
"It never fails." she muttered slipping the lab coat back on before walking over to open the door. The moment she did, she saw the familiar face of Camille Lockhart, one of the counselor's of the shelter, barely keeping an older man on his feet. Katie quickly grabbed the man's other arm and help pull the man in. "What the hell happened?"
"I have no idea, one of the kitchen staff was taking out the garbage and found him lying on the ground muttering to himself." they hoisted the man up to the small exam table in the conjoined exam room connected to Katie's office. Katie grabbed her stethoscope, and placed it to the man's chest.
"He's tachycardic." Katie says pulling the stethoscope from her ears and rushing over to the medical supplies.
"What now?" Camilie asked, just as Katie rushed out with a syringe inserted into a small vial.
"I have to get his heart rate down before he goes into cardiac arrest." Katie replies, before injecting the needle into the man's shoulder. Soon the man's breathing began slowing down, but he still remained too out of it. He was muttering something, and so Katie leaned forward to hear what he was saying.
"Kelly." he said, the name coming out as a whisper.
"He said Kelly." Katie says looking back up to Camille who shrugged. Katie simply sighed before grabbing her flash light and shinning it in the man's eyes. "Call for an ambulance. He needs to get to a hospital."
"Do you know what's wrong?"
"Well he's on something, I'm just not sure what." Katie replied.
The ambulance arrived in no time, and Katie stood watching the EMT's loading their nameless patient into the back of the truck.
"I just need your autograph before we go, doc." Katie turned and smiled, grabbing the clip board. "So word around town is, someone has a birthday in a couple of days." Katie sent a glare to the man as she handed him the clip board.
"I'm not sure who's spreading those rumors, but you shouldn't believe everything you hear Luis." Katie replied glancing back up the man in the back of the truck.
"Poor guy, this is the forth time we've picked him up this week." Luis said and Katie turned to him with a quirk brow. "Same thing, he's found totally incoherent, rambling about needing to find Kelly." the man shakes his head. "Every time we take him to the hospital, and they find nothing in his blood work."
"That's impossible, that man is obviously intoxicated with something." Katie said with a shake of her head.
"No one can figure it out. Once he sobers up, they have no choice but to let him go."
"They didn't find anything?"
"Well they did say his oxytocin and vasopressin levels were way above normal, but not enough to cause this level of delirium." Luis replied. "This is a first that he's actually sought help. We usually find him off of tenth and Howard. That area is a total mess, ever since the Malcolm Meryln decided to try to blow up the city. That part of the Glades is overrun by drugs, so there's no telling what our John Doe got mixed up in." he looked back to the truck to see the doors closing. "We should get going, see you later doc."
"See ya Luis." Katie said before watching the man jump inside the ambulance and pull away. The moment they were gone, Katie turned and headed back into her office where she grabbed her phone, looking down to the picture she took of the man before he was taken away. For some reason, she felt something was off about this whole thing and so she decided to figure out why.
Felicity sat in the lair, her fingers typing away. With no current leads to finding Sara's killer, Oliver wanted to focus on finding Thea and bringing her home. When she glanced over her shoulder she found the man standing in front of the display case staring at Katie's suit and she just rolled her eyes.
"She has a phone, you can call her you know." Felicity said turning back to her computer.
"She doesn't want to talk to me." Oliver replied going back over to his seat and going back to sharpening his arrows. "Any luck finding Thea?"
"My search is still in process, but I'm sure I'll have something soon." Felicity replied, when she suddenly got a text. She stopped typing and picked up her phone. "Speaking of the Twinkie." she muttered opening the text which was an image of an old, rough looking man, and the message "Need ID Asap" Felicity looked to the message in confusion before dialing the woman back.
"Felicity?" Katie whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" Felicity asked.
"Because it's how you talk when you're skulking in abandoned building you think may be like a secret drug lab." Katie whispered.
"I'm sorry, what?" Felicity asked hoping she'd heard her friend wrong. She reached behind her, snapping her fingers to get Oliver's attention who turned to the woman in confusion. Felicity pulled her phone from her ear and put the speaker on as Oliver walked over. "Repeat that for me again?"
"Look Felicity, it's fine, I just need you to see if you can ID that picture I sent over to you." Katie whispered. "I have to-" Katie suddenly went quiet and Oliver and Felicity shared a look of concern.
"Katie?" Oliver spoke as they looked down to the phone, just as the call unexpectedly ended.
And just like that, Oliver found himself moving, acting without hesitation. He grabbed his hood from it's case and headed for the back door.
"Felicity!"
"I'm already tracking her phone!" Felicity called back, her fingers tying away to get a location of where Katie had called from.
Katie's back was pressed against the wall, her phone clutched tightly in her hand as she listened to the heavy footsteps that passed by her. She slowed her breaths as she listened intently.
"He sure this is the smart move? If this blows up in our face, then we're either dead or in prison."
"I told you Hank, the boss knows what he's doing."
"I would be more inclined to believe that-"
Katie's phone suddenly started vibrating and she quickly began trying to turn it off, but it was no use. Soon there were two guns aimed at her. The building was dark, but she could make out the scruffy men who glared at her. One of them reached forward, snatching her phone from her hand.
"Hands up!" the taller of the two ordered, and Katie calmly rose her hands, as she looked between the men. "Alright, who are you?"
"Nobody, I just got lost looking for a friend of mine."
"Yeah, nobody you know is on this side of town princess, try again." the shorter of the pair replied.
"Ok, how about I show you instead." Katie said, and without warning she rushes forward grabbing the arms of the shorter man, and forcing his gun to the air, before throwing a kick to the gun in the taller one's hand, knocking the gun across the room. She struggled to pull the gun from the shorter one's hand, as the gun fired a couple rounds in the air. The man's hands loosened a bit, and so Katie kneed the man in the gut pulling the gun from his hand. "Don't move!" Both men stood out of breath, staring at the woman. "Your boss, where is he?" neither said anything, but both did turn their head to something behind her. "What-" she turned her head, and the moment she did something hit her face. It felt like some sort of powder that made her feel instantly disoriented. The gun fell from her hands, as she dizzily began backing up until she tripped and fell on her back. The last thing she saw was the blurry face of a thin man wearing glasses, before everything went dark.
The adrenaline was the only thing coursing through Katie's veins as she ran down the unfamiliar halls or an unfamiliar building. The unknown wouldn't stop her from running. The guards who appeared down the hall ahead of her might, and so she turned about to run away, only for the doctor along with more guards appeared. She was trapped with no where to run, but she wasn't giving up.
"Ms. Robins!" the doctor called carefully taking steps forward. "I need you to come back to your room. I don't want this to go somewhere it doesn't have to."
"Like where? Like an innocent woman being locked in a room and treated like a prisoner?" Katie asked her eyes searching for something, anything to get her out of this situation. Suddenly a door opened and appeared a very confused older woman holding a folder.
"Close the door!" the doctor yelled, but Katie was already running and pushing the woman out the way. Katie was suddenly in the very fancy hall running past people who didn't even know what was happening. She couldn't stop, not until she was free. And that only happened when she didn't hear the numerous footsteps behind her. There was a guard further down the hall, who reached for his gun the moment he saw her. She quickly jolted down another hall, never stopping her pace. Soon she saw two large doors, and so she didn't hesitated to burst through them.
The sun blinded her for a moment, but she blinked a bit, before she was off. She had no idea where she was going, but she was finally out of her prison. Just not far enough.
"Twinkie." the voice spoke breaking through the the fuzziness of her mind. "Open your eyes." a warm hand touched the skin of her cheek. "Please just open your eyes for me." his forehead fell to rest on hers. "I need you to open your eyes." there was a desperation in his voice that found something inside of her. Something that allowed her to open her eyes.
"Oliver-" she whispered, and Oliver lifted his head before pulling the mask from his face giving her a good look at his eyes. His eyes that were still so breathtakingly blue, and now filled with relief. She placed a hand on the side of his face a smile some how finding her lips, before consciousness once again left her.
There was a pulse, and her chest still rose and fell and it was because of those two things that Oliver wasn't a raging mad man at the moment. He ended up carrying her to her car, which he drove back to the lair in hopes that Ethan would beat them there. The moment they arrived, Oliver didn't waste any time carefully hoisting the woman in his arms, who didn't even stir awake.
The moment he walked through the door, he was met with the worried faces of Felicity, John, and Roy. What was even more strange was that Ethan seemed the calmest of them all as he gestured for Oliver to lay Katie down on the table. They all looked down to the woman, unable to not see the blonde who last laid on that table. It made them more nervous. Sara's death was still fresh, still on the front of their minds and now they watched and prayed that they weren't going to have to go through that again.
"What the hell?" Ethan said, shining his light in the woman's eyes.
"What?" Oliver asked taking a step closer, and looking down to see what had caught the man's attention. The woman's pupils were dilated, and there was a strange hint of pink in her irises. "What is that?"
"No idea, but it's weird. Some guy was brought into the hospital, same discoloration in his eyes." Ethan said looking back to Oliver.
"Wait, Felicity, do you still have that picture Katie sent you?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah." Felicity replied rushing over to get her phone, and pulling up the picture and showing Ethan. "This the guy?"
"Yeah, do you have a name. He's been through the ER a couple of times, but he never remembers his name and he never stays long enough for us to match prints or dental records."
"I'm running a search now, it's just not finished yet." the woman replied glancing over to Katie. "Katie said something about a drug lab?" they turned to Oliver. "Did you see anything?"
"I didn't look around, once I saw her I just-" Nothing else mattered. It was a fact Oliver didn't seem to want say out loud, because it was a fact that even scared Oliver. Oliver's eyes dropped back to Katie who he wished would just open her eyes. "Why isn't she waking up?"
"I don't-" Ethan took a step forward, grabbing her wrist and looking down to his watch. After a few moments, he just shook his head. "Her vitals are normal." he leaned forward. "Hey, Kit can you hear me?" there was no reply and he sighed. "C'mon, I need you to wake up."
"Let me try." Oliver says stepping forward, and the doctor moved out of the way as Oliver reached down and took one of Katie's hand's in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Twinkie, it's me. It's Liver-" he bent down placing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm right here, I just need you to open your eyes." Suddenly a gasp escaped the woman's lips, and she opened her eyes to once again see deep blue eyes looking down to her. "There you are."
"Here I am." she whispered through a dry throat, placing a hand to the side of Oliver's cheek and then surprising everyone in the room before lifting her head, meeting her lips with his.
"Ok, what's happening?" Felicity verbalizing everyone's thought's at the moment.
The moment they pulled apart, Oliver too felt a bit confused but it wasn't the dominant emotion at the moment. The moment his lips parted from hers, he only wanted to bring them back to the place against her lips where they belonged. She smiled, before leaning forward once again, only for Oliver to instantly snap back to reality and pull away. Katie sat up slightly confuse with disappointment written on her face, when she suddenly asked another question everyone was wondering.
"Why did I just kiss you?" Oliver looked at the woman and just wordlessly shrugged. She closed her eyes, groaning as she lied back on the table. "What the hell happened?"
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"There was this John Doe who was brought in by one of the counselors of the shelter. I noticed there was something wrong with his eyes, and he was tachycardic. EMT's came to get him and Luis was there-" she looked over to Ethan who nodded. "Said he knew the guy, they been picking him up in these random places and the last place was this near tenth and Howard. I asked around and that's how I ended up in that abandoned store. There were these guys, but I got the drop on them, and then-" that where her memories end. "I don't-" she looked over to Ethan. "I don't remember."
"I think you were drugged Kit." Ethan said taking a step forward. "Follow my finger." the man moved his finger from side to side and Katie followed it without any problem.
"Really? I feel fine, normal."
"Except for waking up and kissing your ex-boyfriend." Felicity blurted out, looking instantly horrified that she said that out loud. "I mean, I'm glad you're alright." Katie simply shook her head before looking over to Oliver, and there was something different about him. His skin seemed a bit brighter maybe, she hadn't really paid attention, but he also seem a bit bulkier, like he'd really been working out. Her mouth suddenly went dry when very impure thoughts began running rampant around her head and she had to turn away. "You are alright, aren't you?"
"I don't know." Katie says once again sitting up, this time, turning and standing from the table. She felt a bit dizzy, and hobbled a bit, but an arm wrapped around her waist to steady her." Thanks-" she turned to see Oliver, and her heart began to drum in her chest, at the touch of his hand on her waist, and their bodies pressed against each other. She unknowingly began leaning in closer to the man, this time it was she who noticed it and quickly jerked from his grasp. "What the hell is happening to me?" she looked at Oliver for a moment, slowly backing away, before moving Roy to stand in front of her.
"Hey, this is not where I want to be." Roy said, attempting to move, only for Katie to grab his shirt and pull him back. She looked over to Ethan.
"I'm starting to believe I've been drugged." Katie says looking over to Oliver who looked as confused as she.
"What's going on?" Ethan asked and Katie couldn't tear her eyes from Oliver who seemed to be staring at her just as intently.
"I have no freaking clue." she said with a shake of her head, before looking back to Ethan. "I need to get out of here. Something's not right, I feel weird, and I think it has something to do with-" she turned back to the archer. "I think it's you."
"I didn't do anything." Oliver said as the accusing stares turned to him. "I found her and brought her back here. That's it.
"It's something else, and until we figure it out, I just don't think we should be in the same room." Katie says before slapping the back of Roy's head. "Take me home."
"Hey!" Roy said grabbing the back of his head. "I liked it better when you were unconscious." he looked over to Oliver who tossed him the car keys before he turned to Katie who was already heading for the door. Roy had to quicken his step to catch up to the woman who seemed intent on placing as much distance between her and Oliver as possible. "Hey, you were just attacked and left for dead will you-" Katie stopped walking, her hand going to clutch her chest as she collapsed to the ground. "What's wrong, what's happening?" Katie turned to the man with wide eyes unsure how to answer that question. Roy just turned his head back toward the club and yelled for help.
Captain Quentin Lance was bored. It happened all too often lately since he'd been chained to this desk. There was a knock at his door, and a smile pulled at his face at the sight of his daughter.
"You know you look an awful lot like my daughter." The man joked as he stood to his feet. "They must be keeping you busy over there at the DA's office if you can't even pay a visit to your old man."
"I'm sorry dad." Laurel replied bringing her arms around the man in hug.
"Nah, I get it. You're a busy woman, I'm glad you stopped by though." Lance said walking around to take his seat at his desk. "You haven't heard from Sara, have you?"
There was a pang in Laurel's gut at the mention of her sister's name, especially coming from her father. She had yet to tell him the truth about Sara's death. she was too afraid of the damage it could do to his already fragile heart.
"Uh, no why?" she replied hoping her nervousness wasn't too obvious.
"No reason, I just wanted to see how she was doing and ask her about a friend of hers." the man replied with a shrug.
"Sara didn't really have many friends."
"Well the Canary had one or two. One in particular who saved my life, on more that one occasion." the man said with a shake of his head. "I don't even know what I would even ask."
"What's up dad?" Laurel asked taking a step forward the sit across from the man. Quentin looked up to his daughter and sighed.
"I think I know something, I'm not supposed to know and now that I think I know it, I don't know what to do with it." he rambled off.
"Well you're a smart guy, dad. I'm sure you can handle this." Laurel replied when there was sudden knock at Quentin's door. Both Lance's turned to see the familiar reporter who recently returned to Starling.
"Ms. Lane, you're back." Quentin deadpanned. "And for the third time this week. It must be my lucky day."
"I like to think that any man who gets the pleasure of my company as much as you have, must be lucky." Lois said with a smile before turning to Laurel. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"No, I was just stopping by for a visit." Laurel said standing to her feet. "Ms. Lane-"
"Please call me Lois." the reporter suggested with a smile.
"Lois, if you don't mind me asking, what story could you find so compelling that you would leave your city?"
"Well after I broke the story about Sebastian Blood's connection to the attack on the city all those months ago, I got to thinking, how did someone so prestigious, so for the people, hide the fact that he'd been working with the terrorist, Slade Wilson."
"Is there really a story, after they found the man dead in his office?" Laurel asked.
"With Sebastian, probably not, but the thing is, this isn't the first time someone in power was hiding dangerous secrets and every time we find out about them it's too late. I decided I wanted to change that."
"So who's at the center of your next story?"
"Dr. Robins." Quentin answered with a shake of his head.
"Twinkie?" Laurel asked glancing over to her father before turning back to Lois. "You think she's hiding some big dark secret?"
"I don't know. What I do know is that her mother's suicide doesn't make sense, and her father's body mysteriously disappeared from his grave." Lois said with a shrug. "She knows something, and I think I'll be sticking around here until I found out."
"Annoying the hell out of me apparently." Quentin replies and the reporter smiles over to him.
"Oh come on, you're starting to like me. I can tell." Lois replied only for the man to just shake his head.
"Alright, I guess I will leave you two to whatever is you two will be doing." Laurel said before turning to her father. "Talk to you later dad."
"Bye honey." the man waved as his daughter left.
Laurel hurried to the the elevator, pulling her phone from her purse as she did. She dialed the familiar number of Felicity Smoak.
"Hey, it's me. Is Oliver there?"
Katie hated the way their eyes were watching her. They all just stood there, staring as if at any moment she was going to break. She looked over to Ethan who held the stethoscope to her chest.
"I told you I'm fine." she said for what felt like the one hundredth time. "Maybe it was just a side affect from whatever I was given."
"Which we have no idea what it is or what it's actually doing to you." Oliver spoke and she chose to not even look at him. Especially since every time she did, she felt the need to be closer to him.
"Alright, this makes no sense, but from what Roy described , you were tachycardia-"
"English please." Felicity said slightly raising her hand. "For those without a medical degree."
"My heart was beating really fast. Faster than it should-" she shook her head. She placed a hand on her chest as she remembers the sensation suddenly striking her. "Felt like it was going to jump out of my chest."
"What causes that?" Felicity asks.
"Lot of things, but for someone without any history of heart problems, I'm not even sure where to start." Ethan replied looking over to Katie.
"Anyone else think it's weird that Katie's John doe from earlier was having the same problems with his heart and no so is she?" John asked looking around.
"You need to find out what's wrong with the John Doe." Oliver suggest looking over to Ethan. "Since he's still at the hospital, you could run your tests or whatever to figure out that the hell this is."
"The thing is, we've done every test imaginable to figure out what this guy is on and everything comes up clean."
"Well try again!" Oliver snapped. "What happens when this happens again, and it doesn't just go away. What happens when her heart beats so fast that it just gives out." Oliver took a step toward the man. "You're the doctor here-"
"And you're the hero!" Ethan snapped with just as much veracity. It always surprised them that he was never as intimidated by the archer as most would. "I bet the bastard who did this to her knows more about this then I do. So fine, I run the tests again, but how about you find this guy." Ethan said before turning to Katie. "Until we find out what's wrong with you, you don't get alone time. Heart attacks are not fun, especially if there's no one there with you." the doctor grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, and the moment he was gone, everyone's eyes turned back to Katie.
"Will you stop looking at me. I'm fine, really." she hopped from the table.
"Right." Oliver said turning to Roy. "Roy, suit up. We're going back to look around, see if these guys left anything behind." Roy nodded before the pair went about getting suited.
It was when they were all suited up, and ready to go did Katie notice the sudden nervousness moving around her.
"Felicity, let me know when that scan is complete." Oliver said before turning to Katie. "Please stay here until I get back." Katie silently nodded before Oliver then turned to John. "Please make sure she stays here until I get back." John chuckled, but nodded as well. "Let's go Roy." the men began heading for the door, and Katie unconsciously began to follow, but the distance was getting too far too fast, and that's when she felt to ramming in her chest one again. Oliver's hand had only touched the door when she realized what was happening.
"Oliver wait!" she called and the man stopped and turned back to her. "You can't leave." He pulled the hood back from his head and walked back over to her, as her hand went to her chest.
"Hey." he quickly moved, dropping his bow to grab her arm, and help her to sit in a nearby chair before kneeling in front of her. "What's wrong?"
"It was going to happen again. I could feel it." Katie said looking to the man's eyes. "I think it happens when we're not together." the woman turned away. "Kelly-" she looked over to Felicity. "The John Doe kept calling her name. It was happening to him because she wasn't there." she turned back to Oliver. "I was in that abandoned building, and then something happened and the next thing I remember is seeing you."
"You were the first person she saw after she was given the drug." Felicity stated.
"Ok." John says. "Until we figure out the dynamics of this, Oliver stays with Katie." Oliver glanced over to the man and simply nodded. "I'll head out with Roy, see if we can get any leads on these guys."
Oliver turned back to Katie who he caught once again staring at him in a way he hadn't seen in a long time. He quickly cleared his throat, and stood to his feet, taking a step back. He wasn't sure what the hell was happening, but he knew he couldn't get distracted. Not again.
"Right." Oliver said before turning to the man. "Call me if you get something." the men simply nodded before turning and walking away.
"I'm sorry." Katie said suddenly and the man turned back and shook his head.
"This isn't your fault. You're not controlling this." Oliver replied before clearing his throat and nudging his head toward the bathroom. "I'm going to get changed, you'll be alright if I-"
"I think so." Katie replied before the man turned and walked away. She didn't say anything, but the growing distance between them did make her nervous, but it seemed to reassure her to know that he was on the other side of the door. "I can't believe this is happening." Katie stood to her feet and began pacing. "I'm supposed to be placing barriers between me and Oliver, I'm supposed to be getting over him not-" she stopped and glanced over to the bathroom. "Not hating not being able to see his face when he's not around." Felicity was usually silent, and so Katie turned to the woman who simply stared at her. "You're supposed to say something comforting right now."
"Oh, no." Felicity said with a shake of her head. "You don't want to hear what I want to say right now." the woman chuckled before going back to her computer to check her search.
"And why is that?" Katie asked and the woman took a deep breath.
"Because you're not going to like it." Felicity replied.
"Hasn't stopped you before." Katie replied and Felicity smiled before spinning her chair to face the woman.
"I think this was meant to happen." Katie looked at the woman with wide eyes. "That this is a sign that you and Oliver belong together."
"Are you serious?" Katie asked with a shake of her head. "A sign? This whole thing is a sign that there are very fucked up individuals in the world who create mood altering drugs that I don't know can kill me or not. This has nothing to do with me and Oliver. I was given a drug and he was the first person I saw. Hell if you walked in there, I'd probably be imagining you naked right now." Felicity eyes widen and Katie closed her eyes and sighed.
"So you're imagining him naked?" Felicity asked.
"I hate you." Katie muttered turning to continue her pace, glancing over to the door as she did. Her feet only stopped when she heard steps coming down the stairs. She turned to see Laurel. Katie couldn't even explain why the sight of the woman made her angry. "What are you doing here?" her tone was very accusatory, very blunt and for some reason she didn't care and both Laurel and Felicity seemed to noticed.
"I called Felicity, she told me you guys were here." Laurel replied. "I was just visiting with my dad and that reporter, Lois Lane is back in Starling, and she seems obsessed with finding something on you." the door to the bathroom opened and Oliver looked over to see Laurel and for some reason Katie didn't like the way Laurel was looking at him.
"Thanks Laurel, I will handle it." Katie said, an obvious dismissal that everyone in the world saw.
"I'm sorry, did I do something to you because I thought we were actually getting along." Laurel replied very confused in this moment.
"Don't mind the she monster here." Felicity said standing to her feet and grabbing Katie's arm who she noticed kept inching toward Laurel . "She's been drugged."
"Seriously?" the woman asked concerned turning back to Katie. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, just think that I would be better if you would just disappear." Katie said, trying to pull from the grip Felicity had on her.
"What exactly is this drug doing to her?" Laurel asked looking over to Oliver.
"Don't look at him you whore!" Katie yelled, and the moment the words came out of her mouth she instantly regretted it, clamping her hands over her mouth and turning to Felicity who seemed to be fighting off the urge to burst out laughing. "Laurel I-" she turned back to the woman who looked hurt by her words. "I'm sorry, I don't know what-" she shook her head before turning to Oliver who wasn't sure how to even respond. "Take me home-" Oliver simply nodded. "Like now before I call someone else a whore."
"Right." Oliver said, grabbing his jacket and Katie sent another apologetic look to Laurel before quickening her step to follow after the man.
Once they were gone, Laurel and Felicity just stood there before turning to each other, and Felicity couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst into a fit of laughter.
"I'm sorry, but-" she could barely speak as she laughed. "You got to admit that was funny." Laurel simply rolled her eyes before turning and leaving.
The entire ride to Katie's loft was spent in silence, as she sat in the passenger side of her car as Oliver drove. The was until she heard what sounded like a stifled snicker. She turned to him with a quirked brow to see that he was actually fighting not to laugh.
"You think this is funny?" she asked and he turned to her and just shook his head.
"Absolutely not." He answered trying and failing to pull the smile from his mouth. "This is serious, and-" he couldn't finish the sentence without laughing, and Katie simply punched him in the arm before turning back to look out her window. "I'm sorry Twinkie- Katie, sorry. No one has ever been called a whore for looking at me."
"They have, just probably not out loud." Katie says looking over to him. "You probably are loving this." He looked over to her and sighed before turning away.
"I'm not." he said looking to the road ahead. "It's a distraction and we have more important things we should be doing." he looked back over to Katie who looked back to the window in guilt. "Hey, this isn't your fault." Katie didn't say anything. "I will admit that this is slightly entertaining."
"I'm glad I can entertain you." Katie said.
When Katie walked into her loft, she flicked on the light and took in a tired breath, but stopped when she turned to see Oliver still standing outside the door.
"Have you become a vampire since the last time you were here?" she asked and he smiled.
"I told myself I would only come in when you invited me in." Oliver replied. "I would stop coming to you and let you come to me, like you wanted."
"Since when have you cared what I wanted?" Katie muttered with a roll of her eyes. "Get in here, and close the door please. I have nosy neighbors who like the fact that I date a cop." Katie brought her hands to her face and groan. "God, I'm so glad he's working in Central City for that case."
"Yeah, what a relief." Oliver muttered before stepping inside and closing the door.
"I need to like shower this day away." Katie said turning back to the man. "Just stay here, I seem to be fine when I know you're not too far away."
"I'm not going anywhere." Oliver assured and Katie simply nodded before turning and walking toward her room. Oliver did feel a bit sorry for her, because he knew she couldn't control what she was feeling, but there was a very small part of him, one he's not very proud of that likes her having these emotions for him. Since they've started talking again, their relationship has been really cold and he expected it, but he didn't like it. He didn't like not talking to her, kissing her, making love to her just whenever he got the urge. He simply missed being around her, and now it was like for a while he could have that back.
Oliver knew this was probably dangerous, and that it was all just another way that he could once again lose focus on what's really important. And yet he heard the distant sound of water falling from the shower and he couldn't help but wish he could join her. He shook his head and decided to take his mind off of it and so he began looking around. He'd seen this loft many times, but never this close. The design of the place was simple, no bright colors or weird pictures, just necessities. He walked over to stand in front of the glass doors that led to the terrace, before stepping out and taking in a breath of fresh air as he listened to the always audible city. He glanced up to the building he usually stood perched and just shook his head, because even he had to admit how creepy it is for him to just be up there staring at her.
"Are you still there?!" he heard her voice call in the distance, and he chuckled before turning and heading back inside.
"I am still here!" Oliver called back. "I'm still not going anywhere Twinkie." he shook his head, because no matter how much he tried, he could not stop with the nickname. "Sorry, Katie."
"It's fine! I think I will always be your Twinkie anyways." she replied and Oliver stopped and turned in the direction of her room, not expecting her to say that and definitely not expecting the emotions that hit him when she said that she would always be his. He turned away, and began looking around, finding himself drawn to her book shelf. There were mostly medical books, but he did find a few copies of Harry Potter that made him chuckle. He remembers there watching the movie one night it came on tv and he thought it was stupid, but she loved it. He glanced up, and chuckled at the sight of a stuffed smiling banana, wearing a sombrero.
"I should've known you'd be out here snooping." he heard Katie and turned.
"I wasn't-" he stopped and for a few brief moments for got how to speak. "uh-" he didn't expect her to come out wearing a very thin tank top and even shorter shorts. "What-" he forced himself to look away, back at the banana, which he grabbed. "What is this?" Katie walked over and stiffened slightly at the sight of the toy.
"One of the others must have unpacked that." Katie whispered reaching forward and taking the stuffed banana with a shake of her head. "This is nothing." she simply walked off toward the kitchen, opening the garbage and tossing it inside. "Are you hungry, I think there is like left over Chinese." she glanced over to the man who had a very familiar look on his face. It was the look he gave when he wanted her to talk, and that was not accepting her intentional dismissal of the topic. "Don't do that, it's-" Oliver walked over, reaching inside the garbage and pulling out the stuffed fruit and sitting in on the counter. "That's not sanitary."
"I didn't give this to you, did I?" Oliver asked wondering if that's why she hated it so much.
"No, I bought it myself, and it was stupid and right now I just think it should go in the garbage." she reached to grab it, only for Oliver to pull it away. Katie let out a frustrated breath, before meeting the man's eyes one again. "You know what, fine. Do you remember that night in all of the Slade craziness when I stayed with Felicity-"
"When you made up the story that she was scared to stay by herself because of Slade. When you thought-" Oliver stopped, because they were venturing to a topic that they chose to simply ignore once upon a time, and at the moment he wasn't sure he should bring it up.
"It's alright to say it. When I thought I was pregnant." Katie said choosing to look back down to the stuffed hat wearing banana and chuckled. "We stopped at this very shady drug store to get some tests, and I was freaking out a little bit and while I was paying for my stuff, that thing was on the counter staring at me with that stupid smile and it hit me, right there."
"What?" Oliver asked and Katie turned back to him.
"I think it was the moment I realized that I think I wanted it. That even though it made no sense, and that were neck deep in Slade's shit, a part of me wanted that baby, your-" she sighed with a smile. "Your baby. So I bought it as, I don't know, a gift for the possible Twiver baby I could've been carrying." she shook her head before turning and grabbing the banana, only for Oliver to once again pull it away. "Fine, keep it." Katie turned around, her eyes searching her wine rack before grabbing a bottle. "If you want food, it's in the fridge, but I figure I'm going to just drink myself to sleep."
"Do you really think you should mix drunk Twinkie, with mildly psychotic Twinkie?" Oliver asked and Katie sent a playful glare over her shoulder before turning and grabbing a wine glass.
"Probably not, but I have the day off tomorrow and some might say that being given a drug that makes you not want to be separated from you ex boyfriend is reason enough to drink." Katie replied before taking her glass and bottle and venturing back to the living room.
Oliver stood there for a moment, his eyes on the banana for a few moments before he grabbed it and followed the woman into the living room, dropping it on the coffee table.
"We never talked about it." Oliver said and Katie rolled her eyes as she poured her wine. "After it happened, we pretended as if it didn't but we never actually discussed it."
"Well I figured you telling me that if the situation were reversed and that if we were the ones with a pregnancy scare, it would be the worse thing ever." Katie replied turning to the man on the couch as she brings her glass to her lips.
"I know, and that was a very shitty thing to say because I knew it wasn't true. I was so worried about Slade, and not wanting to put anything else in the middle of our fight, and then when I found out it was you that thought she was pregnant, but you weren't and I-" he glanced over to the banana on the table smiling over to them. "I think I was disappointed."
"Wanting something you didn't even know you wanted." Katie said and he turned back to her with a nod. "I get it. It's why seeing Lyla and John with little Sara was tough." the woman placed her glass on the table, and dropped her head to rest on the back of the couch. "Have you ever imagined what our lives would've have been like if that test ended up being positive?"
"Not really." Oliver lied, because he had. Quite a few times it was one of the many thoughts that haunted his dreams.
"Well I have. It was going to be a boy." she smiled lifting her eyes to Oliver. "He was going to be beautiful. Probably have your eyes." Oliver turned to the woman who took his breath away every time he looked at her. He had to remember that this woman sitting across from him, wasn't completely herself at the moment. The woman across from him probably hated him for what he's done. "We were going to name him Thomas." He shouldn't be getting pulled in, shouldn't be losing focus on what's important, and yet in this moment he can feel the Arrow leaving, and the Oliver Queen fleeting only leaving her Liver, the part of himself he keeps just for her. He dropped his head against the couch, only now realizing how close they were as he smelled the hint of wine on her breath.
"Nah, you know I think it would've been a girl." Oliver said returning the smile. "She would be just as beautiful as her mother."
Katie stared at the man in front of her and she couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't pretend that the feelings inside of her weren't there screaming at her to do one thing, and so she gave up and just did it.
"You know what, screw it." Katie muttered before practically jumping into the man's arms and slamming her lips into his. It was that moment that Oliver stopped thinking, stopped pausing and just gave in to what everything inside of him wanted. His arms wrapped around her, deepening the kiss with absolutely no intention to stop.
Felicity shot up her fists in victory when the search finally finished and she finally got an ID on their John Doe.
"Hello Henry." she muttered to herself just as the back entrance opened and in walked John and Roy, who both looked a bit exhausted. "Any luck?"
"Yeah." John says walking over to disarm his gun and return it back to the weapon's drawers. "Apparently now that the Vertigo is off the streets, another big drug is trying to sweep the streets." Roy said with a shake of his head.
"One that turns you into a crazy person?" Felicity asked.
"No, one that makes the person you love, love you back." John replied walking over to take a seat. "Our kingpin is trying to profit off the heart."
"You're kidding me." Felicity said turning to the man.
"I wish he was, but he's not. It's called Number Nine." Roy replied pulling off his hood.
"You're kidding. As in Love Potion Number Nine?" Felicity said with a shake of her head. "Our criminals are so unoriginal. We find the guy?"
"Not yet, but we think we know where he's located. A couple of guys we spoke to said they've been seeing the drug moving along the east side. It's not popular which is why I figure our love doctor is testing the drug on the homeless." John said glancing around the basement. "Where's Katie and Oliver?"
"Oh, he took her home after Katie called Laurel a whore." Felicity said, still giggling at the memory.
"Really?" Roy said pulling back on his hoodie. "I can't believe I missed that."
"It was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. You should've seen the look on Laurel's face. I know it's horrible to find it funny, but in the moment it was." Felicity replied turning to the serious face of John. "You're judging me, aren't you?"
"I am, but that's not what troubles me. You think it was a good idea to let Oliver and Katie go off alone, with this number nine in her system?"
"I'm sure Oliver can stay strong and-" Felicity stopped mid sentence when she realized that it was going to be a lie. "Shit, we should probably get over there-" she stopped talking when the door to the basement once again pulled open, and in rushed Ethan whose eyes darted across the basement.
"Where is Kit?" he asked seriously turning to the others.
"Oliver took her home, why?" Felicity asked standing to her feet. She noticed the look in his eyes and just knew. "The John Doe-"
"We found Kelly. She was the worker who found him behind the shelter. Apparently when she came to visit him to see how he was, he attacked her. We got her out of there, but his heart once again started beating too fast and several of the vessels ruptured."
"Is he alright?" Roy asked and Ethan turned to him.
"No, he's dead." Ethan replied before turning and stalking toward the door. "I'm going to check on Kit."
"Hey, I'll come with you!" John said standing to his feet and turning to Felicity.
"Good idea. I think there might be a brawl if Ethan finds Oliver wasn't as strong as we hoped with Katie while she's not herself." Felicity replied and the man nodded before rushing to catch up to the doctor.
If you asked Oliver years ago if one person could become his whole world in just a matter of moments, he would tell you that you were crazy. But as his lips trailed against Katie's jaw, to the crook of her neck causing a moan to escape her lips, he could honestly say that he had forgotten everything outside the room they were in. They'd somehow ended up on the carpeted floor, their bodies pressed together, as they're lips and hands roamed each others bodies.
The moment was perfect until he heard the distant sound of an annoying banging coming from somewhere. Oliver pulled back, but barely, as they're rapid breaths mingled.
"Do you hear something?" he asked breathlessly.
"No." Katie replied before lifting her head to join their lips once more. "You're wearing too many clothes." she moaned against his lips as she began pulling at his shirt, which he let over his head before hooking her leg along his hip trying to bring him even closer. The banging only got louder, and Oliver once again pulled away.
"Oliver!" he heard John's voice yell and he turned his head. "Oliver, are you in there?" Oliver turned back to Katie who looked up to him, placing a hand on the side of his face.
"Shit." he muttered finally coming back to reality. "What am I-this was a mistake."
"What?" Katie asked in confusion as Oliver pulled himself from her grasp. She sat up unsure what was happening. "Oliver-"
"I shouldn't have-" he shook his head, before grabbing his shirt and pulling it back on. He turned to Katie. "I'm sorry, but we shouldn't do this." the hurt that washed over her face felt like a kick in his gut. He took a step toward her, but she simply jumped to her feet before rushing to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. He was about to go to her when the knocking once again grabbed his attention.
"Oliver!"
Oliver quickly rushed over, before pulling open the door finding John and Ethan standing there.
"What the hell took you so long to open the door?" Ethan asked barging into the loft past Oliver. "Where's Kit?" Oliver stepped aside to let John in before turning to Ethan.
"She's in her bedroom." Oliver replied and Ethan looked at him before looking to his neck. "What?"
"Are those-" he took a step forward and pulled Oliver's shirt, only for Oliver to push him away. "Are those hickeys?" he looked up with wide eyes. "Tell me you didn't sleep with my friend who is under the influence of drugs right now."
"Ethan-" John tried to warn, but the doctor wasn't even listening.
"No, I want to hear the words come out of his mouth." Ethan said taking off his jacket and rolling up her sleeves.
"Ethan, calm down. I didn't sleep with Katie." Oliver replied with a shake of his head. "We just-" he sighed thinking of what almost happened. "We sort of got carried away, but I stopped it."
"Wait, did you say you stopped it?" Ethan asked and Oliver nodded in confusion. "Shit!" Ethan said before rushing down the hall to Katie's room.
"What's going on?" Oliver asked turning to John as the followed the doctor.
"John Doe died. Apparently after being rejected by Kelly." John replied as they both walked over to see Ethan trying to open the door to Katie's bedroom, only to find it locked.
"Kit, it's Ethan , open the door!" Ethan yelled, but there was no answer.
"Move." Oliver practically shoved Ethan out of the way, before throwing a foot to the door, causing it to burst open. All three men, barreled through the door only to find the room empty. "Where-" his eyes went to the open window and he rushed over, sticking his head out. The rain he'd just now noticed, fell hitting his face as he looked up the stairs that led to the roof. He didn't hesitate to climb out, rushing up the stairs. The moment he reached the roof, he came to a stop when he finally saw Katie standing on the edge of the roof. He heard the steps behind him.
"Oh my God, Kit-"
"Don't." Oliver said stopping the man before he could get too close. "Just let me handle this." he turned back to the woman who stood wearing barely anything is the middle of the heavy rain. "Twinkie."
"Go away!" she called over her shoulder as she looked down to the city below her.
"That's not happening until I get you down from that ledge." Oliver said taking careful steps forward. "I need you to come down."
"Why?" she asked turning to him. "What's the point if I can't have you."
"You do have me!" Oliver said taking another step forward. "No matter where we are, or what happens between us, you will always have me." she shook her head before turning away. "Twinkie-"
"You left me. You always leave me, and I don't understand what I did-"
"Nothing, you did nothing Twinkie, I promise you that." Oliver said firmly coming right behind the woman. "It was never your fault. It was me-" he stopped when he saw her move. "Katie, please just come down!"
"Wouldn't it be easier if I wasn't here? If I weren't around making everything so damn complicated."
"I don't think so." Oliver spoke in a shaky breath. "I think if you were gone things would be a little bit more complicated because it would be a world without you, and a world without you doesn't get to have me either." she didn't reply, and Oliver couldn't wait for her to do anything, and so he quickly grabbed the woman, pulling her from the ledge, before they both crashed back on the roof. "Are you alright?" Katie pulled from his grasp, before standing to her feet and heading back toward the stairs back to her room. Oliver made to follow, only for Ethan to step in front of him. "Ethan-"
"Actually, no, right now I talk you listen. Whatever this is, it's dangerous and now you're tangled in this with her. That makes you responsible for her life right now-" Oliver took a step toward the man, bringing them very close.
"I would move if I were you." Oliver ordered, before John placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder. Ethan begrudgingly moved, allowing Oliver to get past them.
"You need to back off a little." John said and Ethan turned to him.
"No, I just saw someone's heart explode, and I don't want that to happen to her." Ethan snapped. "I'm not backing off." he glanced down to his watch. "They should be preforming the autopsy, so hopefully I'll know something soon." he looked back over to John. "Any luck finding the guy responsible."
"Not yet, but we're close. "
"I just hope you get close enough." Ethan muttered before walking around the man.
The next morning, they found themselves back in the lair waiting for Felicity to return from work. That was a whole other can of worms that they'd only recently gotten over. It was still a bit strange to think the woman was working at QC with this Ray Palmer guy who seemed to have come out of no where, but right now it wasn't the issue. At the moment, Oliver stood across the room where he watched Katie who chose to sit off to herself away from him and the others. She hadn't spoken a word to him, and in reality he didn't expect her to. He felt like a jerk all over again, once again breaking her heart and he hated himself for it.
"Should one of us go talk to her?" Roy asked suddenly appearing at Oliver's side. "I should do it, since she's not giving you any of those cutesy looks anymore." Oliver turned a glare toward the man who didn't even notice. "Yeah, I should go. I think I might hit you if you made her cry or something." Roy took a step forward, only for Oliver to grab his shoulder to stop him. They all turned at the sound of high heeled feet coming down the stairs.
"Sorry I'm late. There was this thing with another thing and everything was screwed up." Felicity said rushing over to her computer. She glanced over to Katie who didn't even look in their direction. "She still mad at you?" she whispered looking over to Oliver.
"You said you ID-ed our John Doe." Oliver said ignoring the woman's question.
"Yeah." Felicity replied taking a seat behind her computer before pulling up an image of a young soldier. "Meet Henry Carver. Decorated war vet who I guess fell on hard times."
"Anything in his history give us a clue to whoever did this?" Oliver asked looking over the blonde's shoulder.
"I think so." Felicity said typing away. "Records show that before Henry just went of the grid, he was seeing a counselor who specializes in treating soldiers." another image appeared on the screen. "Doctor Lawrence Price was revoke of his medical license after it was discovered that he'd been doing illegal experiments on some of his patients who couldn't afford their sessions."
"So this Price guy is our love doctor?" Roy asked and Felicity nodded.
"Well it would seem so." the woman replied just as the door open and they all turned to see John and Ethan walk inside.
"Hey, what did the autopsy find?" Oliver asked walking over to the doctor.
"Where is Kit, we need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible." Ethan said seriously, as he looked around the basement. The others did the same, noticing the chair she'd been sitting in earlier was now empty. "Please tell me you know where she is."
"Felicity-"
"Tracking her cell phone." Felicity said spinning her chair and typing away. "Shit-" the woman stood to her feet and walked across the room before reaching down and picking up Katie's discarded phone.
"How do we find her now?" Roy asked and Felicity turned to Oliver who sighed. "Where would she even go?"
"You said that Henry attacked Kelly when he saw her." Oliver said turning to Ethan. "Why?"
"Because he made advances, that she didn't return." Ethan replied with a shake of his head.
"So he loves this woman and then she tells him that she doesn't want him and he tries to kill her." Oliver tries piecing together the rationale.
"She was the reason that they couldn't be together." Felicity spoke turning to the man. "With that logic, why isn't Katie here trying to stick an arrow in you?" Oliver turned away in thought when it suddenly hit him.
"Because she usually only blames one person for us not being together." Oliver muttered before stalking over to one of the drawers and pulling out a vial.
"Laurel." Felicity said as they all watched the man. "She's going after Laurel. The whole whore thing isn't so funny anymore."
"What is that?" Ethan asked coming over to the man who loaded the vial into an injector gun.
"Mild tranquilizer. Should knock her out long enough for us to find this doctor Price tonight and entice him to give us a cure."
Katie sat on the bench across from the courthouse, her hood pulled over her face as she stared at the doors. She watched every person who pushed through the doors, until she saw the woman she'd been waiting for. Laurel was totally oblivious as she walked down the many stairs, her cell phone pressed against her ear. Katie stood to her feet and began following the woman from the other side of the street, never taking her eyes off the woman who stopped at a coffee cart. She was just about to cross the street, when someone caught her arm and pulled her. She turned to see Oliver, and simply rolled her eyes.
"You know I thought us being separated, was a bad thing?" Oliver said sliding his hand to grasp hers as he continued pulling her further and further away from Laurel.
"Maybe the drug is evolving." Katie muttered trying to jerk her arm from Oliver's grasp. "Let me go."
"Why, so you can have a chat with Laurel."
"Well less of a chat and more of a my fist hitting her face." Katie replied still trying to pull away from the man. "It's her fault. Everything is always her fault."
"No-" Oliver said before grabbing the woman's arm and pulling her into an empty alley away from prying eyes. "It's not Laurel's fault and it's not your fault, it's me. I'm to blame, so you want to hate someone, you want to hit someone, then I'm the person." Katie turned her back to him. "Katie,-"
"You're right." she said before turning back to the man. "I do blame you." and without warning she tossed a punch toward the man, that he dodged, before taking a step back.
"Twinkie-"
"Don't Twinkie me!" Katie snapped, before throwing another punch, this time he caught her arm before twisting it behind her back and pushing her toward the wall, only for her to kick her feet up and running up a few feet on the wall before doing a flip over Oliver, causing him to lose his grip. He quickly turned to her out of breath.
"That was good." he said. "But I'm not fighting you."
"That's fine with me." Katie replied before taking a step toward the man, only for something to suddenly hit the back of her shoulder. She glanced over to see a dart sticking from her shoulder before turning to see John standing further down the alley. "And I thought you were on my side." those were the last words before she passed out. Oliver quickly grabbed her, before hoisting her in his arms.
"This feels like deja vu, doesn't it?" John asked and Oliver turned a glare to the man. "Why don't I grab the car."
"Good idea." Oliver said before the man turned and rushed off. Oliver sighed glancing down to the woman in his arms. "Don't worry, I'm going to fix this."
The air was burning Katie's lungs as she climbed over the brick fence that separated the rest of the world from her prison. She practically threw herself from the top, letting herself fall onto the grass with a thump. She wanted to just lay there and let her body rest, but that wasn't possible. Not now, not when she didn't know if she were safe or not. Katie pushed herself to her feet and searched the area. She could see people, and cars past the trees up ahead and she didn't hesitate to run. When she finally made it to the populated streets, she stood unsure which direction she should go. When she arrived at the embassy, she'd been immediately moved to another location, she just wasn't sure where and now she still didn't know. She could tell that she was still in Bosnia, that much she knew, but which part was still in question. Katie decided that standing and doing nothing was not an option, so she began walking, slyly grabbing a hijab from a shop cart, and quickly bringing it around her face as she walked.
Katie walked across the road, when suddenly a man pulling a foot cart almost came crashing into her. She slipped falling to the ground, when someone stepped from the cart and quickly walked over to her.
"I'm sorry, I think my driver is blind in one eye." the man said holding out a hand to her to help her to her feet. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Katie says standing to her feet and letting her eyes scan the street. "I'm fine." she turned to keep walking, only for the man to catch her arm.
"Hey, you're American?" he asked and Katie simply nodded. "So am I, well I'm sure you've figured that out by now. I'm actually here researching a very-"
"Look, I'm fine really, but I have to go, like now."
"Hey, if you want I can give you a ride." the man said pointing to the cart. "I can't promise I can get you where you need to be in one piece, but at least you'll get there." Katie looked unsure as she glanced between the man and the cart and she figured she really did need to get off of her feet and she could use the speed of the cart to place distance between her and the agents after her.
"Alright, I'll take the ride." Katie said and the man nodded before moving aside and helping her inside. He took up the seat beside her before, slapping the side of the cart, and soon the cart was moving.
"You know I didn't get your name." the man said and Katie turned to him.
"Katie." she replied simply and the man held out his hand.
"Harrison." he replied. "Harrison Wells."
"Alright I got him!" Felicity called and they all rushed over to her. "He made a couple of calls to his father, and so I traced the call-"
"The how isn't important Felicity." Oliver said walking to stand behind the woman. "I just need to know where he is."
"He's at the old clinic on Ruby." Felicity spoke, looking at the blinking dot on the map.
"Roy, you're with me." Oliver says turning to the man who nods before turning to get suited up. Oliver turns to John.
"Let me guess, I'm staying here?" John asks.
"I need you to make sure if she wakes up, she doesn't try to kill anyone again." Oliver said before walking back over to where Ethan stood his stethoscope to Katie's chest. "How is she?"
"Her heart beat is fast, but it's hasn't gotten bad yet." Ethan says looking back to the man. "But it will, so you need to get this cure as soon as possible." the man looked back to the woman on the table. Oliver reached forward and took Katie's hand in his.
"You said at the moment I was the one responsible for her." Ethan looked over to Oliver who kept his eyes on the woman still unconscious on the metal table. "It's been longer than a moment." the archer looked back to the doctor. "Much longer than a moment." and with that he places a kiss on the top of Katie's forehead before heading off to the case to retrieve his hood.
Once Oliver and Roy were gone, John walked over to where Ethan stood, his hand around Katie's wrist as he looks at his watch.
"New job has made you a little bit less you." John comments and Ethan lets out a snort before glancing over to the man.
"That's an understatement." Ethan says sliding a hand across his eyes. "Becks made this look so much easier. I'm actually supposed to be sleeping right now, preparing myself for the next fourteen hours of craziness that place has in store for me."
"I'm sorry dude, but hey if this stuff is getting in the way of real life-"
"There is no real life." Ethan said with a shake of his head. "I know about all of this. Seen it first hand. There is no pretending as if it didn't. Especially not when I have to make sure this woman doesn't kill herself by being stupid." Ethan glanced back down to Katie and chuckled. "I knew she was crazy the moment she started GMH. She took risks, wasn't afraid to make the tough decisions." he looked back to John. "They probably would've offered her the job if she stuck around long enough. But I guess she's doing alright. Except with that David guy-" Ethan looked from John, over to Felicity. "Anybody else feel as if something is really off about that guy. He's too-"
"Coincidental." Felicity said walking over to him. "I mean Katie and Oliver broke up, and just a couple of months later, old boyfriend Dave shows up and sweeps her back off her feet."
"Please don't get her started on this." John sighs with a shake of his head. Felicity just waved him off, as she continued talking to Ethan.
"So as any good friend would, I looked into him. He was actually working for the CCPD, until he was transferred to Starling."
"Why was he transferred?" Ethan asked folding his arms over his chest, now completely intrigued.
"Personal request. Which is strange seeing as his time in Central City wasn't bad, he was actually a pretty good cop, decorated. So why would he voluntarily ask to be sent to Starling?"
"Alright, that is enough with conspiracy hour." John says grabbing Felicity's shoulders and turning her toward her computer. "See where Oliver and Roy are please." the woman muttered but did as she was told. John simply turned to Ethan.
"There's something off about the guy, John." Ethan said.
"I know, but for now he's not the issue." John replied before nudging his head to Katie. "Making sure her heart beats the way it's supposed to is." Ethan simply nodded before going back over to check the woman's heart rate.
Oliver and Roy stealthily walked into the empty building, automatically gripping their bows as they moved. Oliver gave Roy a tap on the shoulder before pointing up to the second level, wanting the man to head up. Roy nodded before turning off and disappearing up the stairs to the second level. Oliver continued his quiet steps, his ears catching voices in the distance.
"Ladies and Criminals, I would like to welcome you all here!" came the voice of Doctor Lawrence Price who stood in front of a small crowd of very shady individuals. "Tonight is when history will be made. Number Nine-"
"Makes people's heart explode!" someone called from the crowd. "What's the point of selling a drug that kills the customers you want to come back?"
"I'm not sure where you got your facts, but-"
"Oh come off it Price! Vertigo was good, better than good. It got people high and got them coming back for more. Can you truly say this Number Nine will do that. I mean I'm not even sure what it really does."
"Have you ever been in love?" Dr. Price asked his eyes searching the crowd. "Had that feeling of euphoria that takes over your entire being. It's better than any other drug on the streets. That is a profitable product, and sure there are some minor set backs-"
"Death isn't minor. This thing already has a bad rep with all the bodies you're leaving around here. Nobody's touching this thing at all and you haven't said a damn thing about how you plan to change that!" another voice spoke from the crowd. "I'm out of here." suddenly the lights in the building turned off leaving a room full of criminals in the dark.
"What the hell is this Price?!"
"I don't-"
"Lawrence Price!" came a modulated voice from somewhere in the darkness.
"Shit, it's the Arrow!" someone yelled, and that was enough to get people running.
Lawrence Price, grabbed the case that held his Number Nine, before quickly heading for the closest exit, leaving the others to scramble in confusion. The moment he walked out the door, he didn't expect a red hooded figure to literally fall from the sky in front of him.
"Who the hell are you?" Price asked. "An Arrow copy cat, trying to make a name for himself? I have to tell you kid, I'm not an enemy you want to have." the doctor's hand reached to his pocket, but Roy quickly lifted his bow.
"Don't move!"
"Why, you gonna shoot me with that thing?"
"No." Came a voice from behind him, and the doctor turned to see the Arrow, with his bow held steady and aimed right at him. "But I am."
"Look I don't know what you think you know, but it's not true, it's just not-"
"Last night, a woman found you and you gave her your drug." Oliver spoke.
"She's still alive?" Price asked, quickly regretting it when he hears the slight growl come from the man behind the hood. "I mean, yeah I remember her, why?"
"Because she is going to die without a cure!" Oliver yelled.
"What makes you think I have a cure?" the man asked, now finding that he now had an upper hand. "And if I did, what makes you think I would just give it up."
"Oliver!" Felicity's voice said through the comlink. "Something's happening, she can't breath, and Ethan is trying to help her but-oh god!"
Oliver suddenly shot arrow after arrow at the doctor. One hitting his hand, releasing the case to the ground, the other two hitting his legs, knocking the man to his knees.
"Please don't kill me!" the man pleaded as Oliver stalked over to him, never lowering his bow.
"The cure! Where is it?!"
"The—the case, it's marked in the case." Price said, and just like that Oliver grabbed the case, and bolted back toward his bike.
Oliver wasn't sure how he did it, but he arrived back to the lair in just five minutes. He ran inside, finding Ethan, trying to restrain Katie who was violently gasping for air as John and Felicity stood in worry as they watched. Oliver quickly ran over, dropping the case on the table, and lifting it open, glad the doctor did truly mark one of the vials as the cure. He ran over to the medical cabinet, grabbing a syringe pack, before pulling it out, and ejecting some of the cure from the vial before going over to Katie.
"Wait!" Ethan says holding up a hand. "You sure that's going to work?"
"We don't have time to figure it out." Oliver says before handing Ethan the syringe, and holding Katie down and trying to keep her as still as possible as the doctor injected the cure into her arm. They hoped that the cure would work instantaneous, but Katie continued gasping for air until she just stopped. Her eyes fluttered closed and her body just stopped moving. "Katie?" Oliver looked up to Ethan who grabbed the woman's wrist.
"She doesn't have a pulse." Ethan says looking back up to Oliver. "Are you sure that was the cure?"
"Price said-" Ethan soon shoved Oliver out of the way before he turned to John.
"John, get the paddles!" Ethan yelled and John scurried off without question.
"This isn't happening again." Felicity said staring with watery eyes at the woman lying on the table. "This can't be happening." John was rushing back with the crash cart, when a deep gasp escaped Katie's lungs.
"Twinkie!" Oliver says coming back to the woman's side. "Twinkie, can you hear me?" The woman's eyes opened, looking up to the familiar blue eyes of Oliver Queen. "Twinkie-"
"I told you not to call me that." Katie muttered still taking deep breaths as the air returned to her lungs.
And just like that she was fine, and everyone was relieved. Later that night when everyone felt comfortable enough to go home, Oliver and Katie were left down in the lair. The woman had disappeared to the bathroom and he stood nervously waiting for her to returned. He figured at some point they would have to talk about the things that occurred because of this drug, and he wasn't sure where they were even going to start.
When Katie finally emerged from the bathroom, Oliver turned to face her fully, giving a slight smile.
"I should get home." she said suddenly and the smile fell from Oliver's face as she walked over to grab her jacket. She once again hated him like he knew she would, and now he would have to just deal with it.
"Uh, yeah, I can drive you."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Katie replied with a shake of her head before turning to the man. "Not after I tried to rape and kill you within the last twenty four hours." she let out a deep sigh. "I think right now you and I should probably keep our distance and-"
"And what? You barely talk to me, you cut me out of your life, you come here and we help bring justice to this city and then you go home? Is that really how you want this to work?" Oliver asks.
"Is there really any other way for this to work?" Katie asked walking over to him. "We broke up, I'm not really interested in pretending as if it didn't. I'm not interested in making you feel better about your decision." Katie turned around, and headed for the door.
"You couldn't!" Oliver called and she stopped and turned back to her. "Absolutely no one could make me feel better about the decision I made, and I'm not asking you to."
"Then what are you asking me, Oliver?"
"I'm asking you to just try." the man said sincerely. "Don't completely give up on the idea of us ever being friends again."
"You know you once told me that you didn't want to be my friend, that after everything that has happened between us, that us just being friends just didn't seem possible, and I think you were right."
"No I wasn't, because that would mean that the alternative is that we're just nothing and we can't just be nothing. These last couple of months of not even being able to talk to you have been torture. There has to be some kind of middle ground." Oliver said, before releasing a deep breath. It would seem this was something weighing heavily on his mind and now he was glad he was finally letting it out. Katie turned away from him and he couldn't read her expression, couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"You and me being something is definitely too soon." Katie said before turning back to the man. "But it's also too soon to tell if it will be nothing. We will just have to see."
Oliver figured that at this point that was all the assurance he was going to get, and so he simply nodded before watching the woman turn and head out the door. He stood there for a few moments, thinking of her words, the small glimmer of hope she dangled that one day they could possibly be friends again. A smile found Oliver's lips as he dropped down in a chair. He felt something on his back and he turned to see his jacket hanging behind him, before he reached over and searched the pocket.
He wasn't sure why he even took the damn thing, but for some reason he did. Oliver placed the yellow stuffed banana who wore a ridiculous sombrero in front of him and just looked at it for a moment.
The man soon drifted off into thoughts of a boy named Thomas that had his eyes and Katie's smile.
Fantasy was the worst kind of distraction, and yet it always seemed to catch him off guard, trapping him in thoughts of a life that never was.
Author's Notes
Such a Twiver filled chapter! I loved it, especially talk about the possible Twiver baby that has been coming up a lot lately. I wonder why?
Review Replies
rockyroyal,dr: I loved that scene too. The closer Laurel gets with Team Arrow, the more she gets to see. She's starting to see the truth with Oliver and Katie's relationship, and she's actually rooting for Twiver. I'm not so sure how much after this chapter, and being called a whore for simply looking at the man, but who knows. Thanks for the review!
Elliebelle4444: Oh the Twiver baby thing does not seem to be dying at all. Even now that they're not even together any more. But I guess we'll see what that's all about soon. I really liked this chapter because it forced them to finally talk about the things they refused to talk about. Katie might of been hopped up on some weird love drug, but the things she said was real, and that ledge scene seemed the realest to me.
hayden: I like your theory, but it's not quite close enough. There was actually a bit of a clue in this chapter if you pay attention.
Adela: At first I liked David, he seemed like a nice normal guy, with a good job and he wasn't as complicated as Oliver. He was perfect, except no one is perfect. David's hiding something that we're going to find out pretty soon, but you won't believe what he does next. I actually only have a few chapters of Home, Heart, Hero up on Wattpad right now, so you've probably already read them. But after I finish this part of the series, I upload the entire thing there.
So we're moving right along, getting into the nitty gritty of the story. I want to thank everyone jumping on this crazy train with me, and even adding it to your fav/follow alerts. I also want to thank all those who left reviews, they are the perfect motivation for continuing this story.
As always I will leave you with a sneak peek
"You're looking old." The woman said, leaning in a bit. "Is that gray I see in your hair."
"Probably." Bruce chuckled. "This is nice. Us talking and-"
"Shit." the woman cursed when the elevators once again closed. She moved around the man to press for the elevators once again.
"Where are you trying to go? I can drive you or-"
"I'm trying to catch up to Katie, whose probably half way to the moon at this point." Felicity said with a sigh. "She ran out of here like a bat out of hell after getting a weird birthday present."
"What was the present?"
"Just a single blue flower." Felicity said looking up to the man whose eyes darkened.
WHAT IS THIS BLUE FLOWER?