Chapter 8
Anchors of the Past
"There is no such thing as paranoia.
Your worst fears can come true at any moment."
-Hunter S. Thompson
Moving forward seemed to be the most impossible task on this earth. Especially for Katie who stood in her living room, looking down to her ex boyfriend who was asleep on her couch. It would seem that the weeks following her kidnapping, Oliver refused to let her be alone. And now a whole month later, and here he was, still sleeping on her couch.
Oliver must have felt the eyes on him, so when he opened his eyes he lifted his head to see Katie just standing there looking at him.
"What?" he asks through a sleep filled voice. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine." Katie said simply and the man looked at her with confusion. "I'm fine. I will be fine, but you need to go home." she sighed before turning and stalking off toward the kitchen. She needed coffee, especially since she heard the man following behind her.
"Someone took you-"
"They did, but now I'm right here." Katie said as she pressed a button on the coffee maker before turning to the man. "I'm still fine."
"David is still out there-"
"He is, and I'm still right here waiting for the moment he decides he wants to come for me." Katie replied. "I'm fine, but you need to-"
"Will you stop saying that." Oliver interrupted walking over and placing his hands on the counter that separated them. "You were gone and I-" the man released a long breath because he had no idea how to express the sadness and fear that hit him the moment he thought she was gone. "That can't happen again." Oliver watched her for a moment, waiting for a response, and the only thing she did was stand there looking at him with folded arms. "Twinkie-" she held her hand up to stop him before she walked around the counter to stand in front of him.
"I'm sorry Oliver that you were scared, and I'm sorry that I was the reason, but without all of that, without the kidnapping, and without the fire, leaves me having to wake up every morning to the man who is afraid to be with me." Katie said.
"Katie-"
"So being here makes you feel better, being able to see me when you want calms you, but you being here and me not being able to-" she shook her head before turning away. "You made a choice Oliver." she turned back to the man's eyes. "And you stood behind that choice and now you must live with it. You need to leave." and with that the woman turned, leaving the kitchen and the man alone with her words. Oliver didn't follow her this time, even if everything inside of him was screaming for him to just go after her. And yet his feet didn't move, because there was something still inside of him, pulling him away from her, away from the life he knows that he wants. At first he thought it was his duties to his city that held him back, but everyday it seems as if it's something else. He's just not sure. And he figures that until he does, that he has to follow her wishes.
Katie sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her closed door. She know she shouldn't but she's secretly hoping that Oliver will burst into her room and tell her that he doesn't want to leave because him leaving in the first place was a mistake.
"C'mon Liver." she whispered her eyes bore into the door. The sound of her loft door opening and then closing felt like a knife through her heart as she realized that Oliver was really gone. She closed her eyes and released a deep sigh, before standing to her feet and getting ready for her day.
When Oliver arrived back to the lair, he hoped no one would be there, but that hope was tarnished when he found Roy and John sparring, while Felicity sat behind her computer. The moment they turned to him, they all looked a bit surprised to see him.
"What?" he asked as he tossed down his bag and began pulling off of his jacket.
"What are you doing here?" Felicity asked standing to her feet, and Oliver turned to her in confusion. "I didn't mean it like-" the woman shook her head. "Actually I did, what are you doing here?"
"I think what Felicity is trying to ask is, why are you here after being MIA for the past couple of weeks." John said grabbing a towel and walking over to the man as well.
"I haven't been MIA, I was-"
"You were with Twinkie." Felicity said with a smile. "You have been with Twinkie since she came home, and we're just wondering why you're here now and not with her." Oliver let out a sigh before turning away from the woman. "You did that thing you do, didn't you?"
"What thing do I do, Felicity?" Oliver asked turning back to the woman.
"That thing where she tells you to go, and you actually go." Felicity replied with a shake of her head before turning and walking back to grab her purse.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that when someone tells you to leave, that you should stay and hurt them even more." Oliver replied in frustration.
"Of course that's what you think." Felicity muttered.
"Felicity-" John warned and the blonde simply held up a hand and nods.
"But as I have been told countless times, it's none of my business." Felicity looks over to Oliver. "There have been no leads on David, he's gone ghost."
"No, he tried to kill her for a reason, now that he knows she isn't, he might try again." Oliver replied.
"Well until he does, there's nothing left to do." Felicity said grabbing her jacket. "I have to go, Ray is meeting with Bruce and Mr. Fox again, and this time Katie will be there." she glanced over to John and Roy. "This meeting is important, so call me if you really need me." they simply nodded before watching the woman rush off.
"I'm going to get changed." Roy muttered before stalking off to the bathroom.
"How's he doing?" Oliver asked to John. Just a few weeks ago, Roy revealed that he believed he was the one who killed Sara while infected with the Mirakuru. Oliver was able to help the young man access the memories from that night, and while he found out that it wasn't Sara he killed, the guilt still weighed heavy on him in finding that he'd killed a cop.
"Not good. I thought suggesting a spar might get him out of his funk, but I don't think it worked." John replied grabbing his bottle of water. "So now that our overbearing friend is gone, how about you tell me the truth."
"About what?"
"What are you doing here Oliver?" John asked and Oliver turned away with a shake of his head. "She was gone, for a moment we thought-"
"I did too." Oliver said turning back to the man. "I thought she was gone and I would never get a chance to tell her just how much of an idiot I am to have let her go." John stared at the man for a moment, a bit surprised that he'd revealed so much to him. Oliver Queen was not a talker, so this conversation was very surprising. "And then she was back and I-" he looked over to John. "I chickened out, and I don't even know why."
"In all the years I've known you Oliver, you have never let fear drive your decisions." John replied with a nod. "This shouldn't be any different." the man glanced down to his watch. "I should check in with Lyla." Oliver nodded before watching the man walk off. Oliver let his eyes go over to the display case that held the Guardian's suit, before walking over. All this began when he told himself that he could never again be distracted by the life of Oliver Queen, and it would seem that Oliver Queen wasn't going out without a fight.
Katie stood in front of a grand window of one of many Queen Consolidated conference rooms, with her arms folded over her chest as she let her eyes move across the business district.
"Hey." a voice said suddenly from beside her, and Katie turned to see Felicity standing there. "How are you?"
"You know my ego is the only thing hurting right now." Katie replied turning back to look out the window. "I should've seen through his act."
"Well you were a girl, who really wanted to like a guy." Felicity said looping her arm with Katie's. "It happens sometimes."
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" came a voice that made both women roll their eyes. They turned to see Bruce walking over to them with that same obnoxious smile that usually got him anything he wanted.
"Would you care if you did?" Katie asked the man.
"Well I would pretend as if I did." Bruce replied with a shrug. "And I'd be good at it too." he walked over, bringing his arms around the woman in a hug. "Sorry I couldn't stop by sooner to check on you."
"Well you're Bruce Wayne, I wasn't holding my breath." Katie muttered and the man pulled back, a look of offense taken by the comment.
"That was kind of mean." Bruce said before looking over to Felicity. "You told her."
"That your dumbass went to have tea with Ra's, why yes she did." Katie said before sending a fist to the man's shoulder, causing him to grimace.
"I knew you were gonna hit me." Bruce said grabbing his shoulder. "It's your go to reaction to everything you don't like." he shook his head turning back to the woman. "Fine, yeah, I went and he's playing at some if you build it, they will come game.
"Did he seem confident?"
"When does he not seem confident?" Bruce asked with a shrug. "The guy is bat shit crazy, because there's absolutely nothing in this world that would make you voluntarily go back there."
"Right." Katie lied, because there was one thing she could think of right of the top of her head. Or should she say one person she knew she'd do pretty much anything for. They all turned as Lucius and Ray walked in laughing at something before they looked over as as well.
"There she is." Lucius says walking over to Katie who meets him half way in a hug. "One woman turned the world upside down for a couple of days. I'm glad you're alright."
"Well thanks Mr. Fox." Katie said pulling from the hug. "I'm glad I'm alright too." she turned to Ray who suddenly engulfed her in a hug. "Wow, I guess I do have to hug everyone."
"Sorry-" the man said pulling back. "I was worried too, and I'm really happy you're back."
"I am too." Katie says before pointing to the boardroom table. "We have a lot to get accomplished, so why don't we start." They all nodded before they went to sit, Bruce and Lucius on one side, Felicity and Ray on the other, as Katie took the seat at the head of the table between both.
"Alright, I guess I can begin-" Ray started about to stand to his feet.
"Actually you don't." Katie says stopping the man who is instantly confused. "I would rather not have some big presentation that has a lot words and puns." she said before picking up the packet in front of her. "I actually read this."
"You did?" it was Felicity and Bruce who asked the question and Katie sent a glare to both of them.
"I did. Lucius sends me a copy of all the proposals for the company and I read them. I don't understand half the jargin, but that's not what I look for when I read these." Katie said before sliding her copy of the proposal to Ray, who opened it, his eyes going wide at the amount of red pen corrections were written. "I don't know who gave me a red pen, but when I have it, I just go nuts."
"We can see that." Felicity said looking over to the notes as well. "So I guess you hated it?" they all looked over to Katie who just shook her head.
"Oh, no, I love the basis of the ideas, revitalizing hospital equipment, funding medical research, investing in science based majors in the universities-"
"But-" Ray trailed, knowing that there was red pen around his proposal for some reason.
"Let me ask you this Ray, do you think really fast?" Katie asked and the man thought about it for a moment. "Like can you go from a problem, or an equation, work it out on your brain, before finding a solution in just a matter of minutes."
"Actually, yeah." Ray said with a nod. "I don't understand how that connects to this though." Ray said flipping through the pages, and not seeing a single page without red pen.
"Ray, it's too complicated." Katie replied and the man looked over to her. "I like where you want to go, I'm totally on board with the destination, but it's the journey that I don't agree with." she looked over to Lucius and Bruce who weren't saying much. "I feel like I'm talking entirely way too much for someone who doesn't attend a lot of these meetings. Did you guys want to-"
"Oh, no." Bruce said with a shake of his head. "You're actually doing really good Robins, so keep going." Katie glanced over to Lucius who nodded and so Katie too a deep breath before turning back to Ray. "You want to help the medical field, invest because investments have proved to get results, innovation helps get results, but I feel like you're more focused on the technological aspect associated with it, which I assume is your forte being a scientist and all." the man simply nodded. "I once heard my father say that people were the most valuable asset to any company. That includes both shareholders and stakeholders in both our companies. And this-" Katie pointed to the proposal. "They expect this, they expect new gadgets and new studies that have words with too many syllables." Katie looked back to the man. "They expect the tin man, but what they don't expect is the heart. We need to give this proposal a heart."
"And how do you want to do that?" Ray asked and Katie smiled.
"I want all positions needed to complete all the projects to be offered to the public. The unemployment rate in Starling is staggering, and this could open up so many needed jobs. So if the medical research finds absolutely nothing, and the money invested provides no results, at least we will be able to say that something good came out of this." Katie finished, letting out another deep breath before looking around at the eyes on her. "Somebody say something. I feel like I probably have the lowest IQ of everyone in this room, so please tell me if anything I just said was totally ridiculous."
"I think I can speak for everyone in this room when I say that this has probably been one of the only meetings we've been to that hasn't been ridiculous." Lucius replied with a smile.
"He's right Robins. I've been to lots of meetings, and none of them reverted to Wizard of Oz puns and actually made sense." Bruce said and Katie shook her head before turning to Ray and waited for him to say something.
"Ray, this is your proposal, so in the end, it goes where you want it to go. If what I'm asking is impossible-"
"It's not." Ray replied with a shake of his head, as a smile came to his lips. "This is the type of things I think could help Palmer Technologies." Katie looked at the man in confusion. "Oh, you don't know, right." he smiled over to Felicity before turning back to Katie. "In keeping with rejuvenating my company, I've decided to change Queen Consolidated to Palmer Technologies." Katie didn't say anything as she looked over to Felicity.
"We felt changing the name would help get past the negative stigma associated with the Queen name." Felicity added with a nervous smile.
"That makes sense." Katie said with a nod.
"I'm actually announcing the change today-" he glanced down to his watch, his eyes going wide. "In five minutes actually." he glanced over to Felicity. "We should probably-"
"Get going." Felicity said turning to the others. "Thanks everyone for coming to this meeting so short notice." they all stood to their feet.
"Yes, thank you so much." Ray said turning to Katie and shaking her hand. "If you don't mind I would like to mention this venture in the press conference."
"Well nothing's in stone yet-" Bruce started, but Katie just waved him off.
"Sure Ray, that would be fine." Katie answered shaking the man's hand. He smiled before shaking both Bruce and Lucius' hand before he and Felicity rushed out to their press conference. She noticed the look in Bruce's eyes as he saw Ray's hand, go to the small of Felicity's back as they left the conference room.
"When did your eyes turn green, Bruce?" Katie asked and the man turned to her with a look of confusion. The woman simply laughed before turning to Lucius. "I could've sworn you said that you were going to help me out. You two were uncharacteristically silent for the entire meeting."
"You didn't seem to need our help." Lucius said with a smile as he placed a kiss to Katie's cheek. "You know, that's been happening a lot lately." Katie looked at the man with confusion. "Well I should be heading back to Gotham." he turned to Bruce. "I bet you're not coming with me."
"Not yet, I would like see the actual action plan for this whole deal." Bruce said before looking over to Katie. "I would love for successful business ventures to float away into success on the wings of unicorns, but there still needs to be someone there who makes sure RI isn't taken advantage of."
"I trust Ray. He seems genuine enough, plus I don't think Felicity would've brought this to me if there was a chance it could be bad for my company." Katie said with a shrug. "I think this will be good for ole Robin." she chuckled to herself. "That's what dad use to call the company."
"I remember." Bruce said before turning to Lucius. "C'mon Mr. Fox we'll walk you to your car before Robins and I head to lunch." they all headed out into the hall, walking toward the elevator.
"We're going to lunch?" Katie asked turning to the man with a quirked brow.
"Do you have better plans?"
"Actually I do."
"Plans that don't include barricading yourself in your loft and watching netflix, and eating ice cream in your pajamas." Bruce said and Katie turned away with a shrug.
"That sounds way better than having lunch with you." Katie replied with a shake of her head as they stepped onto the elevator.
Katie was right, because soon she found herself picking at the remnants of her salad, as she and Bruce sat with little conversation having between them.
"How's work?" Bruce asked and Katie looked up to him. "I didn't even know shelter's had personal physicians."
"Not a lot do. It's kind of sad actually because a lot of the people who pass in and out of there have some serious health issues, but don't trust our health system enough to go to a hospital." Katie replied with a smile.
"So you're enjoying the work you're doing?" Bruce asked and Katie nodded. "Well that's good."
"You seem disappointed." Katie replied as she watched the man.
"No, of course not." he replied with a shake of his head. There was a television playing across the restaurant, and a certain blonde on the screen caught his attention. Katie looked over to the man, before turning and following his gaze. It was a recap of Ray's press conference announcing Queen Consolidated now becoming Palmer Technologies. Neither much paid any attention to the speech, but they did notice the look Palmer sent to Felicity who stood by his side. There was something more than friendship in that look, and both noticed it. Katie sighed, turning back to Bruce who rose a hand.
"Bourbon, please." he requested from the bartender.
"It's kind of early, isn't it?" Katie asked and the man simply shrugged.
"It's never too early." Bruce replied pulling a smile to his face before turning to look out the window.
"I don't get it." Katie said dropping her fork and crossing her arms over her chest. "You love her, she still loves you and yet you won't be together because of some twisted need to be unhappy."
"That's not what it is."
"It's not what you tell yourself, but that's what it is." Katie said with a shake of her head. "No, you tell yourself that to be the person your city needs, you have to give them all of you."
"Relationships, and families, it's not a distraction a lot of us can afford to have." Bruce said as his drink arrived.
"I guess that's the problem. Being in love and letting them love you back shouldn't be seen as a distraction. It's not a bad thing, but you and Oliver, you make yourselves martyrs, and you justify it by saying it's for the good of the city, but that's not true." she looked over to the waiter. "Check please!"
"Now wait a minute, Robins. You're upset with me now?"
"I'm not upset with you Bruce, I'm just-" she shook her head. "I'm disappointed."
"In me?"
"In the type of person you're choosing to be." Katie said as the waiter brought over the check and she began opening her purse.
"I can pay the bill." Bruce muttered and Katie shook her head.
"You sacrifice enough Bruce, let someone else pick up the bill for once." Katie replied placing a couple of bills in the folder before handing it to the waiter. "Keep the change." she looked back over to Bruce. "I guess I'll see you around." and with that the woman turned and headed out the restaurant.
Katie thought heavily on the idea of returning to her loft and just closing herself off to the world, and burying herself in pizza and netflix, but she found the idea kind of depressing. So she ended up at Verdant. When she walked through to door, she spotted Thea directing a couple of people carrying chairs before turning and spotting the doctor with a smile.
"Twinkie!" Thea said rushing over and engulfing the woman in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you."
"You've literally seen me everyday since I've been back." Katie said as she hugged the woman.
"I know, but I really was freaked that I wasn't going to see you again." Thea replied pulling from the hug. "So any word on Mr. Number One on my hit list?"
"No, David has seemed to fallen off the face of the earth since locking me in a house and setting it on fire." Katie said stepping around the woman to see the progress coming along in the club.
"So where's Ollie, I thought he'd be attached to you at the hip." Thea said walking over to the woman.
"I told Oliver that it was time for him to leave." Katie said turning to the young woman. "And he did." Katie sighed turning away. "The place is really looking good Ms. Queen."
"So he just left?" Thea asked, ignoring the woman's blatant subject change.
"Thea, drop it please." Thea shook her head as she moved to stand in front of Katie. "Oliver and I are over, and him squatting on my couch because it made him feel better wasn't something I was comfortable with. I'm fine, so things have to go back to the way they were. End of story." Thea just stared at her.
"So he left?"
"I'm not talking to you anymore." Katie said spotting Roy carrying a case of glasses up the stairs. "I'm going to go say hi to Roy." and without waiting for Thea to say a word, she was off. Katie hurried up the stairs behind Roy, as he walked around to the storage room. "I swear no matter how old she gets, she will always be a nosy speedy." Roy seemed to be in his own little world, and Katie reached forward and tapped him on his shoulder. The man jumped and she quickly ran to grab the case, before the glasses fell.
"Thanks." Roy said, getting a grip on the case, before pushing through to the storage room. "Where did you come from?"
"I've been behind you this entire time." Katie said, watching the man place the glasses on the shelf. "Where's your head Mr. Harper?" he glanced over to her and sighed before checking the bottles that were just brought up. "You're thinking about the cop?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Roy said, heading for the door, but coming to to halt when Katie moved to block him.
"The very first person I killed, he was a pretty tall guy, muscle, but not too much."
"Katie, what are you-" he stopped when she held up a hand.
"He smelled like garlic for some strange reason, he had a cut on the corner of his right eye, and-"
"Katie-"
"I never knew his name. But I remember not sleeping afterward, I remember vomiting until it felt like I was going to die. I still see his face, and the faces of every other life that ended at my hands. Do I wish it didn't happen? Yes, everyday, but I can't change what happened and neither can you." she shook her head. "I know you feel guilty and you feel like a monster, but you are not Roy. Your choice was taken away, and in the end something bad happened."
"He was a cop, someone's husband, someone's father and I-" he shook his head before turning his back to the woman. "I'm the one who took him away from all of it." he turned back to the woman. "Just because I wasn't me, doesn't make it hurt any less, doesn't make it any more right." he looked down to his watch. "I can't do this now, there's still a lot that has to be done." he looked back up to Katie before placing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm glad you're back." and with that the man, moved around her out the door. Katie let out a deep sigh, before turning and leaving as well.
Katie doesn't know why she does it, but she slips away down to the basement and she's a bit relieved that no one is even there. She's also a bit disappointed, but she ignores the feeling. Katie simply peels off her jacket and tosses down her purse, before kicking off her heels. She walked over to the center of the sparring mat, before closing her eyes and inhaling a deep breath, before releasing it. Tai chi was something she learned before all the craziness in her life began. Her father suggested it as a way to relieve stress, and it actually worked. She now questioned his motives, but he was right. Katie lifted her arms slowly, before moving her arms slightly to the side, as she crossed her right leg, in front of her her left. The key to Tai chi was pulling yourself from the moment, and just letting your body flow fluidly of it's own accord. Each sway of her arms, and tilt of her leg had a purpose, and for a few brief moments everything was simple. Her mind usually drifted far away, so when she heard the sudden footstep, she stood up straight and opened her eyes.
"Felicity, said she's on her-" John stopped talking, and both he and Oliver looked over to the woman who stared back to them.
"I-" her eyes looked over to Oliver who pulled his hood from his head, and lifted his mask. For some reason Katie didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry, I should-" she rushed over to grab her jacket and purse before her eyes looked over to an arrow with the point of a red spade. She walked over picking it up and looking at it closely, but she just shook her head before putting it down and glancing between the men. "I should go." she turned and quickly headed for the door. John glanced over to Oliver, before nudging his arm. The archer turned to him, and John simply gave him a look as he nudge his head to the fleeing woman.
"Twinkie wait!" Oliver said suddenly, and the woman stopped before she could leave. She turned back to the men. "We could uh-" he cleared his throat. "We could use your help."
"That sounded painful." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "Which means it's probably not true." her phone suddenly rang, and she pulled it from her purse. "It's Lance." she quickly answered the phone.
"Captain, this is a surprise."
"Yeah, well we need to talk. You think you could head down to the station?" Quentin asked
Katie looked over to John and Oliver still watched her.
"Sure, I can't be there in ten minutes." Katie replied before ending the call and slipping her phone back into her purse.
"Is it David?" Oliver asked taking a step forward and Katie shrugged.
"He didn't say, he wants me to meet him at the station." Katie replied before dropping her shoes to the floor and slipping them back on her feet. She was about to turn to leave but she stopped and looked back to Oliver. "I'll call if there's any news." the man gave her a nod, before watching her turn and leave. Oliver let out a sigh, before turning to John who simply shook his head before walking off.
Katie felt strange walking into the SCPD. She'd visited often over the past couple of months when she would visit David, and now the place felt different. When she walked through the doors, her eyes instantly went to the empty desk that was once his.
"Hey." a voice said startling her, and she turned with a smile to see Lance who looked over to the desk. "Sorry, maybe meeting here wasn't a good idea."
"It's fine, what did you want to talk about?" Katie asked and the man simply gestured for her to come to his office, which she did. The man closed the door behind them, and drew the blinds closed. "Now you're making me nervous, what's going on?" Quentin finally took the seat behind his desk and looked over to the woman. "You found him, didn't you?"
"No." the man said with a shake of his head. "But we're still looking, trust me. Wherever he is, we will find him and make sure he doesn't get a chance to hurt you again." the man suddenly wiped sweat from his brow, and Katie wasn't sure why he was so nervous.
"Captain, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just-" he found himself unsure how to begin this conversation. He was actually unsure he should even have this conversation. "You know what, I just asked you here to see how you were holding up."
"I'm fine." Katie replied, still watching the man warily. "That's all you called me down here for?"
"Yeah, that's it." the man said with a smile.
"Well alright then." Katie said standing to her feet. "I will talk to you later." she turned to leave, and Quentin just couldn't let it go.
"No, stop!" the man said standing to his feet and Katie turned to face him in confusion.
"What?"
"You need to stop." Quentin replied finally figuring out what he need to say.
"Stop what exactly?" Katie asked talking back over. Quentin took another deep breath, before dropping his head and Katie just knew what was making him so nervous. "How-" the man lifted his eyes to meet hers. "How do you know?"
"You talk too much." the man replied with a shake of his head. "I was laying on the ground, my heart practically beating out of my chest, when this woman in a mask tells me that everything is going to be alright, and that the next time I should stay behind my desk." he chuckled to himself. "Then I'm sitting in the hospital, and you-" he looked over to her and sigh. "You have to stop."
"Look, I don't know what you think, but trust me, I know what I'm doing." Katie replied turning away from the man's eyes.
"Do you?" He asked and she looked back over to him. "Do you know what you risk when you put on a mask and put yourself in harms way. I already have to live with one daughter-"
"But I'm not your daughter!" Katie snapped harshly, and she regretted it instantly. "I'm sorry, I-" she let out a deep sigh before meeting the man's eyes. "I should go." she turned to leave, when the man spoke.
"Do you know why the heart is important?" Quentin suddenly asked and Katie stopped and turned back to him. "Sure it keeps the blood flowing, and it keeps you alive, but the thing about your heart is that it doesn't just beat for you."
"Sage advice." Katie said with a slight smile. "Fortune cookie?"
"No pain in the ass woman who I happen to care about." Lance replied. "You do just as much good with that lab coat doc, remember that."
"I will." Katie replied with a nod before turning and finally leaving the office. She definitely didn't expect to run into a woman she really didn't have the patience to see today.
"Oh, Ms. Robins, this is a surprise." Lois Lane said with a smile. "I'm glad you're doing well. You know if you have a spare moment, I would love to get your side of the story of what happened-"
"There was statement already released to the press Ms. Lane." Katie replied before attempting to move around the woman, only for Lois to step to block her path. "Oh Ms. Lane, I am standing in the middle of a police station, but I will hit you right now and gladly get carted away in cuffs."
"I just wanted to ask if you'd had any more insight into the disappearance into your father's body?" Lois asked and Katie shook her head.
"Ms. Lane if I knew where my father's body was, the police would be the first call I made." Katie said once again trying to step around her, only for Lois to move to block her. "I don't get what you want from me. There are probably millions of things more fascinating in this world and yet here you are, trying to dig up dirt on me."
"No doctor, I'm actually trying to help you." Lois replied before digging in her bag and pulling out a folder. She opened it before pulling out a photo and handing it to the woman. "Do you know this man?" Katie glanced down to the picture, recognizing him instantly. "His name is Martin Ellis, he used to work for your father."
"He looks vaguely familiar." Katie replied handing the woman back her photograph. "What's the point?"
"The point is, this is a lead and you don't even seem interested." Lois said with a shake of her head. "You know something, and because you won't talk, the people of this city will never be able to lay to rest a man who helped make it great."
"My father is dead Ms. Lane." Katie said with a shrug. "Has been for a while now. He's no longer here. He wasn't here when he was in that grave, and he's not here even though he's not. Some freak wanted to steal a body, fine, but I'm not going to waste anymore time looking for ghosts." and with that Katie slipped around her, before stalking out the door.
Felicity Smoak seemed to be a busy woman lately. She was attempting work life and Arrow life and she had to say that so far she wasn't doing a terrible job. She found a name of their stalker who seemed obsessed with their favorite archer. And all it took was a little detective work, and some quick fingers on her keyboard. Oliver stood looking at the photo this Carrie person had sent him of a notorious mob boss tied to a chair, with explosives.
"So what if she's keeping Gravano in a greenhouse?" Oliver suggested, when they noticed the fertilizer in the background of the photo.
"Yeah." Felicity said before turning and typing away. "The closest one to her apartment is Sherwood Florist, 7884 Hauser."
"Have Roy gear up and meet me there." Oliver said already turning to leave.
"Should I call Twinkie?" Felicity asked turning her chair. Oliver simply stopped walking, but he didn't turn to her. The man let out a sigh before finally turning to the woman. "What?"
"Felicity, could you not-" he let out groan in annoyance before turning and heading over to his hood.
"David's gone." Felicity spoke as the man pulled the hood from the case. "He was a total jackass who tried to kill her, but he was one guy." Oliver stopped and turned to her. "And she is still an amazing woman who any guy would be lucky to have. There will be other guys Oliver, and at some point she will just move on and then you won't have her." she shook her head. "You'll have your hood and all your arrows, but you won't have her. In the end, will you really know why?" Oliver looked at her for a moment before turning and just walking away to get changed.
At some point, Katie just knew that she would be standing right where she is. Standing on an elevator between two heavily armed ARGUS agents who haven't spoken a word since she found herself outside of the secret facility. Soon the elevator doors slid open and there awaiting her was a face she'd be glad to never see again.
"Agent Cooper." Katie sighs finally stepping off the elevator. "Long time no see."
"Could've been longer." The man replies before turning and heading down the hall. Katie simply rolled her eyes before turning and rushing the catch up to the man. "So what is it this time?"
"If you don't mind, I think I'd rather just speak with the head bitch in charge." Katie replied, her eyes meeting every agent that she passed. Even after all these years they still held the same suspicion behind their eyes when they looked at her.
"Well she's in a meeting, so you can either talk to me, or you can wait." the man said, his eyes focusing on his phone as he spoke.
"Fine." Katie says rushing to stand in front of the man, almost tripping him up. "My father, I want his body back in his grave." Agent Cooper lowered his phone, as he met the woman's eyes.
"So that's what this is about?" he asked before chuckling, and Katie just looked at him in confusion.
"Why? What did you think I was here for?" Katie asked and the man shook his head before looking back down to his phone.
"Nothing, look I'll see what we can do about your dad's body, but I'm not making any promises." the man said, already zoning out of the conversation which only seemed to annoy Katie. So without really giving any warning, Katie grabbed the man's cell phone and threw it against the wall, causing it to shatter. The man turned with wide eyes from the phone back to the woman. "What the hell-"
"Listen to me you arrogant bastard, I want my father's body put back in his grave within the next twenty four hours or I'm going to literally beat the shit out of you." Katie threatened and the man took a step forward.
"Agent Cooper." a new voice spoke, and both turned to see the annoyed face of Special Agent Amanda Waller.
"She-"
"I know, just go." the woman orders and the man turned a glare back to Katie before turning and stalking down the hall. "Doctor Robins, isn't this a surprise."
"I doubt that very much." Katie says walking over to the woman. "We had a deal, you were supposed to find my father and put him back in his grave."
"That's going to be impossible." Waller replied and Katie let out deep breath trying to control her emotions.
"And why is that?"
"Your father was cremated." Waller replied and Katie's eyes went wide. "Once we recovered his body, we wanted to make sure nothing like it happened again, so he was cremated."
"You cremated my father without even telling me!" Katie snapped angrily. She shook her head not really believing this."Where are his ashes?"
"They were spread during a mission over the Atlantic. He liked the water and being at sea, so I thought it was fitting." Amanda said, and Katie turned away from her. "Doctor, it's over. Your father was recovered and now he's resting in peace."
"Yeah, now he's resting in peace and I'm living in shambles." Katie replied before turning and stalking off down the hall.
Once she stepped on the elevator, Amanda let out a deep breath that she'd been holding. She felt him behind her and glanced over her shoulder.
"Don't even say it." Jacob said walking over to her, and looking down the hall to the elevator his daughter had just stepped on.
"I don't usually pry-" Waller started and Jacob turned a quirked brow to her. "Even I can see that when she finds out the truth, any relationship you're hoping to have with her will be impossible."
"In the end she will see that everything I've done for her was for her." Jacob said with a nod, before turning and walking away. It was those words that gave him the confidence to continue hiding from the only family he had left.
Oliver was not happy right now. He stalked into the lair, walking past John as he sat down his bow.
"She took me out. It shouldn't have happened." Oliver said angrily looking over to his friend. They thought they had her at the greenhouse, but Carrie knew they were coming.
"You're not at your best." John replied watching the man.
"I'm fine." was the expected reply.
" Looks like you weren't the only person that Carrie stalked. She was put on limited duty after becoming obsessed with her partner. The department sent her to St. Walker's for a psych eval. She quit the force a little bit after."
"Is Felicity on this?" Oliver asked.
"She says she's working late. Said she told you." John replied and Oliver nodded.
"Yeah, she did, I must've-" he shook his head before turning to grab his bow.
"Wasn't the whole point of you ending your relationship with Katie, so you wouldn't be distracted?" John asked and Oliver stopped and looked over to him. "I mean, I remember when you two were together, and you were never as distracted as you are right now."
"I'm fine John." was another expected reply before the man grabbed his bow and stalked for the door.
"Where are you going?" John asked watching the man.
"The psychiatrist that the SCPD sent Cutter to." Oliver replied not even stopping.
"You need back up!"
"No, I got it." and just like that he was gone.
Oliver carefully stalked down the empty halls of St Walkers. He saw the small light behind the doctor's door. When he pushed it open, and the man standing behind the desk suddenly jumped.
"Dr. Nicholas Adams-" Oliver's modulated voice spoke.
"You're the Arrow." Nick said suddenly as he looked at the hooded man standing in front of him.
"I need to ask you some questions about Carrie Cutter." Oliver replied.
"Can't, patient confidentiality, but you are the Arrow. Standing right here in my office." Nick said still finding this hard to believe.
"Carrie Cutter!" Oliver growled trying to get the man to focus. "Your patient killed a man, kidnapped another, and I'm trying to stop her before she hurts anyone else. To do that, I need to understand her." Nick continued to stare, and Oliver could see the internal battle happening inside the man. "Please."
"I can only diagnose her." Nick finally started. "Attachment disorder, the inability to form real, lasting relationships. They push everyone away, and fixate on a single person. Someone they feel mirrors their emotional state."
"How do I stop her?"
"Give her the connection that she craves- honesty, sincerity..." The doctor stated and Oliver gave a nod. "If you lie to her, she'll know."
"Thank you." Oliver replied before turning to leave.
"Wait!" Nick called after him and Oliver stopped and turned back to the man. "I could use a favor from you."
"What?"
"Dr. Katherine Robins." Nick said, and Oliver was glad for the dim light because the doctor would see just how surprised he was when he mentioned Katie's name. "Look I remember seeing videos floating around of you showing up to the house in Central City where she was being kept."
"I help doctor, it's what I do." Oliver replied, hating that he'd let himself be caught on camera, especially in that moment, when Oliver Queen wasn't the Arrow, he was just a heartbroken man wearing a mask.
"Yeah, but you went to a different city for one woman." Nick said before waving off the words. "Look I don't care why you did it, that's not what this is about. It's about her and the fact that after what happened, she should probably talk to someone."
That was the second time someone had told him that, and he knew it was true. Knew Katie was the type of person to lock away all of her emotions inside, much like himself.
"If you have a way of contacting her, tell her to call me." Nick replied
"Why you?"
"Doctor, Patient confidentiality," was all the doctor said and Oliver simply gave a nod, before turning and leaving.
The next day found Katie lying on her couch staring blankly at her television. At this point her Netflix had timed out and asked her if she was still watching, but she wasn't. There was a knock at her door, and she didn't move a muscle. She figured if she could just lie here, and do nothing then maybe all her problems would just magically disappear on their own.
"Twinkie, it's me!" called one Thea Queen from the other side, but it just wasn't enough to spur Katie into movement. "Fine, then I'm coming in!" true to her word, Thea plucked Katie's spare key from the worst hiding spot, before opening her door. She walked inside, letting her eyes go over the dark apartment. "Why is it so dark in here?" the woman went over and pulled open the curtain, letting in the blinding sunlight.
"Ugh." Katie groaned turning away from the light, and burying her head under a pillow. "Go away Thea."
"Like that's happening." Thea replied walking over to the woman and plucking the pillow from her head. "I'm not letting you do this to yourself."
"What am I doing?" Katie asked standing to her feet and heading to her bedroom, fully prepared to lock herself inside until the woman just went away.
"You're giving up!" Thea called after her and Katie stopped at the words. "I'm just not sure why." Katie turned back to the young woman. "Cus you see you don't turn your life upside down because of guys. You're not here wasting your life away over David, or even Oliver. So I don't get it."
"Thea, there's only so many times you can get knocked down-"
"No there isn't. You always get back up, because lying on the floor is never an option." Thea said before walking over to stand in front of the woman. "Now go get dressed."
"Why?"
"Because you're coming with me, we're going shopping for you an outfit for the opening."
"That damn club has already had two openings, and I've been to both, do you really expect me to come to a third."
"I do, because you love me." Thea replied with a smile before giving the woman a slight shove. "Now go, shower, and get dressed, so we can go." Katie groaned before turning and stalking off into her room.
Thea Queen could shop forever and be happy. Katie however could only take a couple of stores, before she told the woman to just pick something so they could go. In the end, Katie wished they did go to at least one more store, because that night when she stood looking in the mirror, she just didn't want to leave her room.
"How does it look?" Thea called from the other side of Katie's door.
"I'm not leaving this room!" Katie replied with a shake of her head, when her door opened and Thea walked inside.
"What the hell are you talking about, you look hot." Thea said letting her eyes go over the woman. The dress was simple, black, maybe a little short, but this was a club. "Plus I have to go, like now, so come on."
"I'm not wearing this outside this room." Katie said turning about to head for the bathroom.
"Oh yes you are." Thea said rushing over to grab the woman's arm. "You are going out tonight, you are going to meet a nice normal guy, maybe it'll lead to a date, maybe just a one night stand." They were all the way in the living room, as Thea grabbed their purses and jacket and pulled them to the door. "I'm not letting you quit." and with that they were out the door.
The older Katie got, the more she hated clubs. The music was too loud, there were too many people and she was left all alone at the bar while Thea went about the club making sure everything was alright.
"You look like you're having fun." a voice suddenly spoke from beside her. Katie turned her head to see an attractive man, tall, dark hair, sit on the stool beside her. "I'm not very much into the club scene either. My friends dragged me to this opening saying it would be great. I'm just getting a migraine." he lifted a finger to the bartender who walked over. "Did you want something?"
"Uh no, alcohol is not my friend and since I'm virtually alone right now, I think I should keep a clear head, but thanks." Katie replied before grabbing her glass of club soda and taking a sip.
"A woman in a club whose not drinking booze and not dancing." the man said turning to her. "There's a story there, I just know it."
"There is." Katie replied turning to the man. "My friend owns the club and dragged me to the opening in an attempt to help me get over my ex trying to set me on fire. It's not working though." the man looked at her with wide eyes for a moment before slipping from the stool, and rushing off. "Bye!" she said swiveling back around.
"You know beautiful women sitting at my bar and looking totally depressed will not bring people into my club." said Thea who was now on the other side of the bar. "C'mon Twinkie this is a club, go dance, be wild."
"When have you ever known me to be wild?" Katie asked the woman as she grabbed her glass.
"Well not drinking club soda." Thea replied before grabbing Katie glass from her hand, and placing another drink in front of her. Katie stared at the pink liquid with a quirked brow.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's call Cupid's Kiss." Thea said. "Lady down the bar ordered one and I thought it would be perfect for you." she watched Katie grab the glass, and take a slight sip, her face scrunching in disgust. The woman simply placed the glass back on the bar and pushed toward Thea.
"Get that away from me." Katie said making Thea laugh. She noticed someone raise their hand down the bar.
"Oh, I gotta go." Thea said sliding the drink back. "Release drunk Twinkie from her tomb." the woman said before rushing away.
Katie shook her head before grabbing the glass once again and taking another sip, grimacing at the taste.
"Hey." a voice said from behind her and Katie turned to see John.
"What's wrong?" Katie asked, noting the seriousness written all over the man's face.
"Carrie Cutter-" he glanced over to Thea behind the bar before looking back to Katie. "The woman whose been shooting the spade arrows. She was here-" Katie quickly stood to her feet and began scanning the club.
"Do you see her?" Katie asked when she suddenly remembered something. Her eyes went back to her martini glass before she rushed down the bar. "Thea, the woman who ordered that drink, is she still here?"
"I don't think so." Thea replied looking around, "Why?"
"No reason." Katie replied before walking back over to John.
"We got a trace to her phone, Oliver must have called her and lured her away." John replied with a shake of his head.
"Hey, what's up?" Roy asked appearing beside them.
"Watch Thea." Katie ordered before tapping John's arm. "C'mon, I want you to tell me everything about how some woman with an arrow is still around to even think about threatening Thea."
John and Katie headed down to the basement where they found Felicity already sitting behind her computer.
"Smoaks?" Katie said and Felicity turned with wide eyes as she stood to her feet. Katie looked over the woman who wore a beautiful blue dress, that fit her perfectly. "Nice dress."
"I was at a dinner with Palmer." Felicity replied, before shaking her head. "Not like a date or anything, more like a business dinner. I mean not that there would be anything wrong if it was a date. I'm single, he's single-"
"Felicity." Katie interrupted. "Bruce isn't here and neither one of us is judging you." Felicity glanced over to John who simply nodded. "Now where is Oliver?"
"I don't know yet." Felicity said walking back over to her computer. "I'm waiting for him to call. Carrie told him to meet her, and now we're waiting."
"I don't like waiting." Katie said walking over to stand behind the woman. "Just call—" suddenly the phone rang and Felicity went to answer it.
"Dig, you there?" came Oliver's voice.
"And me." Felicity answered. "Me being Felicity. You probably already knew that." Felicity glanced over to Katie. "Twinkie's here too." Katie sent a look of annoyance to the woman.
"Oliver." John spoke coming to stand on the other side of Felicity. "What's your twenty?"
"Subway stop downtown."
"Why did she have you meet you meet her there?" Katie asked.
"Because this is where I saved her." Oliver replied.
"Hello lover." a voice spoke and Katie's eyes narrowed at the voice.
"Alright, I'm going to need the quickest story about who exactly this woman is." Katie said.
"Crazy ex cop, Oliver saved her during Slade's tirade, now she's obsessed and killing bad guys to please him." Felicity said all in one breath. "I guess she's like his number one fan."
"Carrie, I'm here to help you, because you're not well." Oliver said.
"Crazy people don't like to be told their crazy." Katie muttered standing up straighter.
"Don't ever say that again." the woman snapped. "You sound like that shrink that they sent me to."
"I spoke to him." Oliver replied.
Katie glanced over to John who nodded. They turned back to listen to the conversation.
"You talked to that psycho?" Carrie asked with a slight chuckle. "Good ole Dr. Adams. He just wanted me to take pills, pills, pills."
"Did she just say Dr. Adams?" Katie asked and Felicity turned to her with a quirked brow. "Oliver went to see him?" she looked over to John who looked confused as well.
"He thinks that love is a disease." Carrie continued. "But it's not. Love is the cure."
"Well, I'm not the man you think I am." Oliver replied.
"You're a hero... Who saved me."
"I understand that you're hurting." Oliver said, his voice less aggressive, still trying to get through to the woman. " And I know what it's like to want someone... but not be able to be with them."
The statement made Katie take a step back because those were words she didn't need to hear right now. Not after everything that had been thrown at her today, she didn't need the knife that were Oliver's words to cut through her.
"How you wish things can be different, but they can't. I can't be with you." he stated firmly. "I can't be with anyone. I have to be alone."
Katie closed her eyes and she didn't even know that she was crying until she felt the dampness on her cheek. There wasn't a knife in the world sharper than this man's words, and she couldn't even attempt to pretend as if they weren't.
"Katie." Felicity whispered taking the woman's hand, but Katie simply shook her head before pulling away and turning to leave. Felicity glanced over to John who simply shook his head.
Katie wasn't sure where she was going as she walked down the dark streets of the Glades, tears still falling from her eyes. She told herself to be strong, to not let it get to her, and yet it didn't work. She'd just heard Oliver say that he couldn't be with her. It may not have been the first time, but hearing the words today seemed to make them real. Katie was so distracted, that she didn't even notice the presence behind her until she was a couple of blocks away from the club. When she turned she saw a group of about four guys, all moving suspiciously slow behind her. It was this moment that Katie realized her situation. She was a young woman, dressed in a very provocative dress in a very dangerous neighborhood. Katie stopped walking because she wasn't one to draw out the inevitable. She turned to face the men, who stopped as well, all smirking at the woman like she was their prey.
"I feel I should at least warn you." Katie said looking between the men. "You have this idea in your head how you think this will happen, but it won't. Trust me."
"Pretty little thing like you, walking around our neighborhood by yourself, this can only end one way sweetheart." One of them said, and Katie didn't even know who. In honesty, she didn't care who said it. "Don't worry though, we gonna show you a real good time."
"I doubt that, but hey, I've really wanted to hit something for the better part of this day." Katie said before tossing down her purse and taking only a single step forward before the men in front of her suddenly stared in terror before turning and running off. Katie watched the fleeing men for a moment before the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She slowly turned to see one of the demon's league, holding his sword as if ready to attack, the only thing visible is his eyes. "Is this it?" the man simply dropped his sword before slipping it back in its sheath behind his back. "Are you alone, because I have to warn you that I'm not going back without a fight."
"I'm not here to fight you." the man spoke, and a chill went down Katie's body, because it was voice she thinks she'd recognize anywhere. The man pulled the mask from his face, and Katie's eyes widen at the sight of Lian Yu. "Hello Nura." Katie didn't reply because words were failing her at the moment.
"They-" she realized something. She glanced over her shoulder before turning back to him. "They saw you, which means-" Katie couldn't finish the sentence, because it was impossible. She began stepping away from him, her entire body now buzzing in both nervousness, and fear or was it anticipation for a fight she thinks she'd been expecting. She didn't know, but at the moment she wasn't ready for any of it. "Nura-"
"Why are you calling me that?!" she snapped before looking over his clothes. "Wait? You work for ARGUS, why-" she shook her head as the pieces began falling into place. "The demon has you."
"I am a child of the demon." Lian declared.
Katie's heart rammed in her chest as she began to realize that this was actually happening. That the tormentor who turned her life upside down was now working for the monster who made her who she is. "Nura, you must-" he took another step forward, and without thinking, Katie turned and ran away.
Sarab stood there for a moment still wondering why the demon wanted him to reveal himself knew every move made by the demon had been carefully selected. There was purpose in this, he just didn't know what. He shook off the thoughts before going to follow after the woman.
In the end, the Carrie Cutter story would end in a way that was both positive and negative. Oliver couldn't get through to her and because of that, she attacked, but he was able to get her down and keep her down. He handed her over to ARGUS in hopes that the woman would get some help and actually be of some use. It was no secret that the woman had skills, he just hopes that one day they could be used for good again.
When he arrived back to the lair he found only John. After changing out of his hood and back into his normal clothes, Oliver took a seat and couldn't seem to get his conversation with Carrie out of his head. "Well, it's done. Lyla said Cutter's even nuttier than the last woman they had in the Suicide Squad." John says walking over to the man.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Oliver asked looking up to the man. "Handing her over to Waller?"
"Iron Heights isn't right for her." John said with a shake of his head. "At least, on the squad, she can make a difference." Oliver simply nodded before once again turning away. "Lyla is preparing a late dinner, if you want to join."
"No." Oliver replied with an appreciative nod. "No, I'm good. Thank you."
"Listen Oliver..." John sighed figuring Oliver should know why he's the only one here tonight. "Katie heard what you said to Cutter. About you being alone, and if her reaction is any indication, she does not want to be." Oliver turned away with a shake of his head. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I get the feeling you need to hear it. I think she's it for you." Oliver turned back to the man. "That one person you search your whole life for, that person who-" John looked up trying to find the right words, and when they hit him they made him chuckle. " That person who just completes you. Look whatever is holding you back man, you have to fight it. You have tell her how you feel, or one day you'll lose her." John gave the man a nod before finally turning and leaving.
Oliver sat there alone, the man's words playing in his head. Each one of them was true and he knew it. Katherine Robins did complete him, she did own a piece of him that he thinks she'll have until he's dead. When Oliver thought about why finally taking that plunge, and letting himself be happy was so hard, dozens of thoughts ran through his head, but he knew there was only one that was true.
He was afraid that one day she would realize just how much better she could do than him and in the end it would be her that leaves, and Oliver thinks that would probably break him half. Oliver's eyes turned, finding sitting on a shelf looking right at him was a stuffed banana, with a stupid smile, wearing an even dumber sombrero. A smile came to the man's lips because that's when it happened. The moment that he realized that he could have that life he only dreams about if he stops being afraid of what might happen. Oliver stood to his feet and grabbed his jacket, determined to go to Katie's loft and finally tell her the truth and hope she takes him back. The archer was half way to the door, when his cell phone rang. He looked down to the ID to see Katie's picture. A smile pulled at his lips as he quickly answered. "Twinkie, hey-"
"Is this Oliver Queen?" a voice not belonging to Katie said, and Oliver quickly sobered up, his demeanor becoming suddenly serious.
"Who is this?" he asks, his voice low, dark. "Where is Katie?"
"My name is Nicholas Adams, I'm her psychiatrist." the man replied. "Look I don't know what's going on, but she just showed up to my house, now she's pacing in my living room, mumbling to herself." the man sighed. "Look we're old friends, and I don't want to call the cops-"
"Where do you live?" Oliver asked rushing for the door. "I'm on my way."
When Oliver arrived to the suburban neighborhood, he spotted the man standing on his porch in a white t shirt and a pair of boxers, his eyes searching down the street. He quickly went over to Oliver the moment he spotted him.
"Where is she?" Oliver asked and the man pointed down the street.
"She said she wasn't going to let it happen again, and then she left. Went that way." Nick replied turning to the man. Oliver was about to walk away, when the man caught his arm. "Look, something happened tonight that broke down the walls she has built up to hold in her emotions. Try to keep her calm, I think you may be the only one who can get through to her." Oliver simply nodded before turning and rushing off down the street.
There was a park, not too far from Nick's house, and that's where Oliver found her. Lazily swaying back and forth on a swing.
"Twinkie." Oliver spoke, his voice attempting to be soothing, but he was sure the nervousness was evident in his tone. Her eyes looked up to meet his and she sighed. "What happened?"
"The impossible." Katie replied with a shake of her head, before continuing her soothing sway. "How do you move on from the past? How do you forget, when at every turn, there it is." she met Oliver's eyes once again.
"Twinkie-" Oliver walked over, lowering himself in front of her, as he placed his hands on her knees to stop her from swinging. "Tell me what happened?"
"He's here." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "Lian Yu is here."
Author's notes:
Check mate. The demon just made a move, and now he's just going to wait. Next chapter he makes another that will send Oliver looking for help from an unexpected person.
Review Replies:
rockyroyal,dr: I loved Katie telling David off. Sure she was just trying to make him angry enough to get close to her, but it didn't make what she was saying any less true. Oh, and that whole part with Oliver and Barry when they think Katie was dead, that was actually difficult to write. Oliver Queen is such a strong, rarely emotional kind of guy, but I figure the moment the woman you loves blows up, then those walls on your emotions just burst open. I also liked that last scene, where Katie wordlessly caresses Oliver cheek letting him know that none of what happened was his fault, and that last "I love you, too." just fit perfectly. So I have your chapter here, what did you think? Katie kicked Oliver out, and he just left even though she really didn't want him to. And then in the end when he finally comes to his senses, another crisis erupts. The demon just moved another chess piece.
Adela: I know that explosion probably threw a lot of people for a loop, but you knew she was going to make it out. I really wanted that scene where Oliver thought she was gone. That was a pretty sad scene. We're going to see how the feelings from the scene have grown after all of this has happened. I seriously can't wait for these two to stop dancing around what I hope is the inevitable. I'm a Twiver shipper, so I promise that things are going to come full circle, we just got to get all the crap from between them first. Starting with the demon head himself who is going to make another move in the next chapter.
Shutup and Read2: I am so glad you like the chapter! It is very pleasing to hear...now on to your questions, (1) I would totally love to be able to post every week, but I work full time, and I'm usually pretty pooped after, so I fit this in whenever I have a bit of energy. What I will promise is that I will try my best to post once a week. (2) Hmmm...To be honest I'm feeling my way through the Reverse Flash story line. I have an idea where it's going, but I haven't decided how it's going to get there. It'll probably be a future plot after the whole Ra's Al Ghul thing. What I will reveal is that as she learns more about herself and her family, the closer she'll get to finding out the truth about our dear Dr. Wells. (3) Grrr...you're asking questions I can't just out right answer because I don't want to ruin any surprise I might have up my sleeve. What I will tell you is that by the end of this story you'll have an answer to your question.
Wow, eight chapters in and we're really getting into the grit of the story. Lots of twist and turn which I'm glad you all have decided to venture with me. Shout outs to all the brave souls who have added this story to your fav and follow lists. I promise you, it only will keep getting crazier with each chapter. As always I want to send ten million virtual cookies to the wonderful active readers who dropped some pretty awesome reviews. I love the thoughts and questions and even though I can't really answer some of them without giving too much away, I hope my cryptic clues were good enough. Hey keep those reviews coming and maybe I'll let something slip...like the supernatural theme that's going to make a brief appearance by the end of this story, leading to some pretty crazy stuff in the next. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Here is your sneak peek
Oliver ended up outside of a house he hadn't seen in months. Katie had put the house for sale, and yet there were still no buyers. He took a deep breath before walking along the walkway. He noticed the door slightly open, and he carefully pushed it open. It was strange walking into the house, and not seeing any of the pictures or the furniture. It was just empty. He quietly walked inside, his eyes scanning the dark house cautiously.
"I'm not even sure why we're here." a voice spoke and Oliver stopped and turned to see a man standing in the empty living room.
"Martin." Oliver said taking a few steps closer. "Where is he?"
"And who would we be talking about, Mr. Queen?" Martin asked letting his back fall back against the wall.
"Don't play dumb with me. Jacob, where is he?"