Chapter 13
Snow
"All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope."
-Alexandre Dumas
There is just something peaceful about falling snow. It brings back memories of childhood, and an innocence that seems almost too hard to believe. Oliver sat in the back of a pick up truck, his eyes staring off the side as he watched the snow. After Ra's men attacked, there were no questions about the place being compromised, so there was really nothing left to do. He'd been away from home for too long, and if Maseo's warning about the happenings in Starling were valid, then Oliver just knew he had to get back. Tatsu was against it. She wanted him to rest a little longer, that a couple of days wasn't enough recuperation time from being near death. The thing is Oliver didn't have time to rest, or to take it one step at a time. His city needed him...Katie needed him, and those two thoughts alone were enough to push him into action.
Once the truck stopped, Oliver lifted his head to see an old rickety airplane. This was it. He was going home.
It was a series of unexpected and confusing events that all surrounded one Danny Brickwell. One man's need for power lead to a city being blackmailed by the monster. Danny Brickwell had forced the Mayor of Starling to make an order that cleared all the police from the Glades. With the addresses of every city elected official at his disposal, the mayor had no choice.
Brickwell thought he won...that a city where there was absolutely no one to save them. He thought that he could have the power.
That all changed one night.
Bruce Wayne, dawned as the infamous caped crusader, stood perched on top at his designated spot, staring down to a scene he didn't think he'd ever see in his life.
One man threatened Starling with intimidation and threats, and he thought since the police had stayed put like he wanted, then he'd won. Danny Brickwell didn't expect that practically the entire Glades would show up, armed and in the masses to fight for their city. And to be honest, Bruce couldn't quite believe it himself.
"Batman, are you in place?" came the voice Bruce wished wasn't in his head at the moment. It had been months since they ended their relationship, and yet just the sound of her voice is still too much of a distraction.
"You know you can call me Bruce." came the gravelly voice of the man.
"Well when you talk like you need a lozenge, I think I'll call you Batman." Felicity quipped. "Do you have Brickwell in sights." Bruce held up his gun that he'd souped up for his nightly adventures. He gripped the gun, as he closed one eye, while the other one looked through the digital periscope that was attached.
"I don't have a clear shot." Bruce replied.
"Get em!" he heard Brick yell and soon, all hell broke loose as fighting erupted.
"I think I'm going to get closer." Bruce said standing up straight.
"Bruce, no killing." Felicity warned and Bruce just couldn't help but to chuckle. "I'm serious."
"Don't worry, Ms. Smoak." Bruce replies as he takes a step up to the edge of the building "I know how to restrain myself." And with that the man jumped from the building, igniting the gliders of his cape.
Bruce lost sight of Brick in the fight. He dodged hits, and threw a couple of punches, trying to keep he eyes scanning the riot that was happening around him.
"Anyone have eyes on Brickwell?" Bruce asked before being tackled from behind. He easily evaded the coward, before giving a sharp kick to the gut. "Forget it." Bruce just strapped the gun to his back, and finally focused on the bastards attacking the people around him.
There was something different in the air, as a city of people who were so use to being saved, finally decided to stand up and save themselves, and against all odds, they were actually winning. Brick's men were getting knocked down, and staying down. Soon flashing lights in the distance let Brick's men know they were going to be outnumbered.
In the midst of the commotion, Bruce nudged Laurel and Roy's arms and they all slipped away before the police arrived. They all ended up back on the roof where they watched as police rounded up Brick's men and carted them away. They spotted a badly beaten Brickwell in cuffs being ushered by the police.
"Oh my god." Laurel spoke taking a step closer when someone she didn't expect to see climb on top of the police truck. "It's Oliver." They all took a step forward, to see that it was indeed Oliver, no the Arrow standing, perched looking down to the brave people of the Glades.
"I've been gone, and I'm sorry...sorry for what the city has had to endure in my absence, but you did endure it, and the evidence of that struggle is lying at my feet." Oliver looked down to the eyes of the people he vowed to protect. "You did not fail this city, and I promise I will not fail you by leaving it again." and without another word, Oliver rose his bow, and shot a grappling line to the building about before shooting up. The crowd lifted their eyes, but he was just gone.
"We should get back to the foundry." Roy suggested, figuring that's where they would find their reappearing friend.
When they arrived back to the foundry, Felicity jumped from her seat her eyes searching for Oliver, but not seeing him. She looked between her friends, hoping someone would tell her what's going on.
"Where is he?" Felicity asked looking between her friends. "Did he talk to you? Has he seen Katie? Wait, was Katie there?"
"Felicity." Bruce said taking a step forward, and placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Calm down."
"I can't just calm down. I thought he was dead—" she looked over to the others. "We all thought he was dead, but now he's not and I think we deserve an explanation."
"Which I'm sure he's going to have when he gets here." Bruce replied before going off to change out of his suit. He had a feeling they were going to be waiting for a while.
Oliver stared up to the familiar door, working up the courage to just walk inside. He let his hand move across his sore ribs, glad the pain seemed to be lessening everyday. That's how he knew it was time to leave the cabin with Tatsu. . His city needed him and he would be there as much as he could. He knew it wouldn't be able to completely give himself to the hood, to just let it be his guide anymore. That was impossible when there was always a piece of him screaming to run to Nanda Parbat. But he would have to wait and think this through. He would also need to finally see the family he left behind. With a deep breath, Oliver reached forward and pushed open the door.
"Is my room still available?" Oliver walked in his eyes going right to his sister, but glancing over to the man sitting beside her. He'd only just a few hours earlier saw Malcolm about to kill Brick, but he was able to stop him.
"Oh, Oliver." Thea said, rushing over to hug her brother. "Where have you been? I've been so worried about you?" she pulled from the hug, the relief of seeing his face showing in all her features. "Is Twinkie with you?"
"Uh, no." Oliver replied with a shake of his head. "She—I think she's doing something for the company overseas. At least that's what Felicity told me." he smiled at his sister. " I was in Bludhaven. Ran into an old friend of mine, things got-ahem- interesting, and I actually spent the past few weeks in jail."
"Jail, really Oliver? I thought you grew out of that." Thea said with a shake of her head. "You're supposed to be focusing on winning back Twinkie, not reverting back to that dumbass stage in your life." she noticed Oliver's eyes veer to Malcolm. "Ollie-"
"It's ok." Oliver's reassured, just as Malcolm stood to his feet and walked over with a open hand.
"Good to see you again, Oliver." Malcolm said, and Oliver simply shook the man's hand.
"I think I'm hallucinating, but thank you for being cool with this." Thea said with a small smile as she glanced between her brother and father. " I-I'm gonna make some tea and try to keep things zen." they watched as the woman turned and headed for the kitchen before turning back to one another.
"Thank you for not making this difficult for her." Malcolm spoke in hushed tones. He nudged his head across the room, and Oliver followed the man to the windows of the balcony. "I wasn't always like this, you know? Before Rebecca died, I was a good father."
"I remember." Oliver replies glancing over to his sister.
"Killing changes you. It takes away a piece of your soul, and you can never get it back again. Oliver, I know I wasn't there for Tommy, but-" Malcolm glanced over to Thea who stood preparing the tea.
"I see Thea as my chance for redemption."
"You turned my sister into a killer, and then you put her in the cross hairs of one of the most dangerous men on the planet. "
"And you won't believe me, but I did so with a heavy heart and expecting a different outcome." Malcolm said in his defense.
"Ra's is going to come for me, and he will learn the truth about Sara eventually." Oliver said and noticed the confusion on Malcolm's face.
"It would be harder for him now. Ra's is a die hard believer in the League's law, and he's already broken them once." Malcolm replied. "He knows there's is greater risk with attempting again." he turned away. "But you're right, if he comes for you, he'll come for me and Thea."
"That's why I have to kill him." Oliver declared and Malcolm turned back to him and could see something familiar in his eyes.
"You still have hope that you can have her back." Malcolm said, and Oliver simply looked away, back over to his sister. "Oliver, that place it does something to people. Changes them. Trust me I know. After all this time, I doubt any remnants of Katherine Robins is still alive."
"You don't know her." Oliver replies turning to the man.
"And from what I've learned recently, neither do you." Malcolm replied before reaching into his jacket and grabbing his phone, before swiping at something. "I may have gotten a bit curious about Katie's connection to the demon, and so I went to her loft."
"You broke into her place?" Oliver asked and Malcolm met his eyes with a shrug.
"She had a door, with a very fancy lock, but I was able to crack it and found something very interesting." Malcolm said, before handing Oliver his phone. Oliver looked at what looked like a picture of pages of a journal. "That's Grace's handwriting." Oliver looked back to the man. "Read the last line." Oliver dropped his eyes back to the screen, magnifying the letters, and couldn't believe what he'd just read. "She's his niece, so I'm pretty sure he's not going to let you have her without a fight." Oliver met the man's eyes once again. "She's his blood, and there's nothing the demon holds more dear then his blood. I don't know how you plan to fight him, when you couldn't beat him before."
"Well this time, I will have you to train me." Oliver declared and Malcolm saw the determination in his eyes and he had the small hope that this could work.
"Only the student has hope of defeating the master." Malcolm replied, just as Thea came over with the tea.
Felicity hated pacing. It always annoyed her when Katie would suddenly going into a fit of nervous pacing, but here she was, pacing away.
"Felicity-"
"I'm not going to sit, so just shut it Bruce." Felicity replied not stopping her stride.
"Felicity, I'm sure everything is alright." John said trying to reassure the woman, but it obviously didn't work. Suddenly they heard the sound of the door opening and they all turned to see the face that none of them thought they would see again. Felicity let a relieved sigh before walking over to hug her friend.
"It's ok." Oliver said hugging the woman. "I'm ok."
"Well according to Malcolm and the bloody sword he brought back, you're supposed to be dead." Bruce said walking over to the man.
"Well I was close." Oliver replied with a sigh as he looked to his friends. "Sorry I didn't reach out sooner. I wasn't exactly in a...cell service area." he walked over and shook the hands of John, and then Roy. "You saved the Glades." he found himself in front of Bruce with a hand held out to him, but the man didn't take it. "Well done."
"Well a bad guy was being bad, so we did what we do." Bruce replied still staring at the man, and Oliver realized that handshake wasn't coming and dropped his hand. "So yeah, Brick is in cuffs and about to be someone's wife, but we still have a problem."
"Katie-" Oliver said knowing the eyes on him were waiting for some news on the woman. "She's still in Nanda Parbat."
"I'm sorry." Felicity replied taking a step forward. "You've been alive and kicking and the first thing on your to do list wasn't saving the woman you love from the league of monsters."
"Felicity-" John tried to warn, but the blonde waved him off.
"Since we found out that Ra's wanted Katie, it was our job to make sure he didn't get her. He played a game, and he got her anyway, and everyone here knew that it was a possibility." Felicity moved to meet Oliver's eyes. "She went there, back to the hell that trapped her for so many years because there was only one person she would voluntarily go back for."
"Felicity, I'm the last person you need to explain what happened that day. I was there, I saw it, I heard her give herself up just to save me."
"So what's the plan?" Felicity asked. "How do we get her out of there?" Oliver dropped his head once again, because it was the question he'd asked himself the moment he saw her walk off that mountain.
"I don't know, but I'm working with Malcolm to-"
"whoa, I'm sorry, I think I may have just misheard you, because I know you didn't just say that you're working with Malcolm." Felicity said, and Oliver didn't even try to convince her otherwise. He knows how it looks, how bad it looks, but he was out of options.
"I need to know how to defeat Ra's, and Malcolm has information-"
"Bruce has information!" Felicity snapped pointing to the man who couldn't even give an opinion in the moment. He found that Felicity was saying all that needed to be said, but he couldn't help but seeing both sides of this argument. "Bruce has knowledge of Ra's."
"Malcolm trained with him longer." Bruce said finally and Felicity turned to him with wide eyes of betrayal. "I'm just saying he was able to get closer to the demon, to Nyssa to learn more about him and way he moves, that I may not know."
"I can't believe you're behind this idiotic, bound to blow up in his face plan." Felicity said turning back to Oliver. "You're in this situation, Thea's in this situation, hell Katie is living with this monster because of what Malcolm did. There would be no problem if it wasn't for him." Felicity shook her head in anger. "She wouldn't-" she looked back up to Oliver. "What would Katie say right now, huh?" she took a step toward Oliver. "This plan that has you working with the man who has done nothing to deserve any trust."
"Katie's not here." Oliver said, the words stinging his tongue. They were true, and with every passing second, he could feel the emptiness inside of him growing because of her absence. "And I need her here and I don't care who I have to work with or what I have to do to make that happen."
Felicity stared at the man, before just shaking her head and turning to grab her jacket. She didn't utter a word before stalking out the back exit of the club.
"I will talk to her." Bruce said before turning and going after the woman. The woman was walking very quickly down the dark alley. So much so that Bruce had to run a little to catch up to her. "Felicity, just wait!"
"This is a bad idea!" Felicity snapped, finally stopping and turning back to the man. "I can feel it. I mean every time we've given Malcolm the slightest inkling of trust it just gets thrown back in our faces. I mean he's the reason Sara is dead, he made Thea a murderer, he's the reason Katie is being held prisoner."
"Every last one of those things is true, but it doesn't change where we are right now." Bruce spoke finally standing in front of the woman. "Ra's is going to come looking for Oliver, he's going to find out what Malcolm did and likely come after him and Thea. Oliver needs to be ready."
"And Malcolm is the one to do that?"
"Maybe, but I will be there. I will be there to watch that bastard and make sure he doesn't do anything that could burn us again." Bruce replied. "Right now we need all the help we can get." Felicity shook her head, turning away from him.
"This big plan, the one where the bad guys and the good guys work together against a common enemy, the problem is, it takes time. She doesn't have time. She can't stay there with those people and expect to come out the other end still our Twinkie."
"She's right." A voice spoke suddenly, and Bruce quickly brought an arm around Felicity, pulling her behind him. Both turned to see someone neither expected to see tonight or any other night. "Bruce, Ms Smoak."
"That's-" Felicity pointed a finger to the man she'd believe was dead. "That's-" she turned to Bruce, still unable to vocalize the craziness suddenly in her head.
"This is a surprise Jacob." Bruce spoke, still with a protective arm around Felicity. "I'm usually talking to your errand boy."
"I thought this was something I should do personally." Jacob replied walking past the pair toward the club. Felicity and Bruce shared a look before turning to follow after the man.
Captain Lance sat back in his chair after a pretty hectic night. There was still paperwork that needed to be filed, still witnesses that needed to be questioned, but he just needed five minutes to take a break. There was a knock on the door, and he looked up with a tired smile to see his daughter.
"I saw the news, and wanted to see for myself." Laurel spoke. "The Arrow really is back?"
"It would seem so. Brick is in lock up and so are his goons. The city is once again a little bit safer."
"You don't seem so excited." Laurel replied, walking over to take a seat.
"I spoke to your sister." Quentin said. He didn't notice his daughter slightly stiffen at the statement. "I don't know something seemed different about her."
"I'm sure she's fine." Laurel replied with a nod. "I mean it's Sara. Nothing can keep her down."
"Right." Quentin said with a nod as well. "Hey, you and Queen talk right?"
"Yeah, why, what's up?"
"No, it's just he's been MIA for a while, and so has the Doc."
"You think Katie may be with Oliver?" Laurel asked, and her father just shrugged.
"I don't know, I just get the feeling something's not right." Lance said with a shake of his head. Since finding out about Katie's secret life, Lance gets a bit more worried when he doesn't hear from her. "Maybe I'm reading too much into nothing." the man simply stood to his feet. "I should probably get back out there."
"Yeah, and I should get home." Laurel replied walking around to give her father a hug. "I love you daddy."
"I love you too baby girl." the man replied, placing a kiss to the side of the woman's face, before watching her turn to leave.
The lair had never been so quiet. Even that mysterious buzzing sound that no one could find, seemed to have stopped as a team of heroes stared at the back of the living dead. Jacob stood staring at a costume in a display case. When he walked inside, there was no greeting, no pleasantries. He simply walked inside, and froze the room.
"This was a drunken idea." Jacob muttered to himself, as he let his eyes move over the Guardian suit that he'd actually picked out personally. "I felt death on the back of my neck, and knew it was coming for me. I couldn't just leave this city helpless." he finally turned to the dark eyes of Oliver Queen that hadn't moved from him since he walked inside. "And then I saw her picture, there on my desk."
"And you decided to destroy everything she was?" Oliver asked harshly.
"He won't answer that." Bruce stated, his eyes just as dark as Oliver's as he looks over to the man. "Not to you."
"Bruce is right. I have a lot of answers to give, but to no one in this room." Jacob replied.
"Just the daughter you've made think you're dead?" Felicity spoke, and suddenly clasped her hand over her mouth. She decided that she probably shouldn't say anything in this moment, but just couldn't stop the words from flying out of her mouth.
"I understand-"
"Why haven't you gotten her yet?" Oliver asked interrupting the man. "Why are you here, talking to us, and not there getting her far away from the bastard?"
"You can't." Bruce stated and Jacob turned to him. "You're in the same boat as we are. No way to get her out of there, so you're here."
"I would love to tell you why I'm here if there weren't so many interruptions." Jacob snipped before turning back to Oliver. "I'm here to tell you to stay away from Nanda Parbat."
"What?" Oliver asked with a shake of his head. "How could you—I'm not leaving her there."
"You want to save her, I understand, but I'm telling you that you can't save her. There is no plot or ruse that you can use that gets her out of there, because one thing will always be true."
"Ra's will come after her." John spoke, and Jacob turned to him with a nod.
"Right you are, Mr. Diggle."
"So with your logic, we just leave her there?" Oliver asked and Jacob let out a sigh.
"You're just like your father." Jacob said with a shake of his head as he turned back to the man. "You assume that you're needed at all to get her out of there."
"You mean she could get herself out?" Bruce asked and Jacob looked over to him. "How?"
"By proving to Ra's what everyone in this room knows." Jacob replied. "He wants another puppet on a string, but she will never be that, and once he realizes that, he will let her go."
"Ra's is persistent." Bruce countered and Jacob chuckled.
"Have you met my daughter?" Jacob asked with a shake of his head before turning back to Oliver. "I know your initial instinct is to try to save her, but this is one fight she has to get out of on her own. You're supposed to be dead, and if you walk in there you will be. Trust me-"
"Why should we do that?" It was Roy who surprisingly asked the question. He too decided to just stand and listen, since he doesn't know much about the man in front of him. Jacob turned to him at the question. "Why should we trust you?"
"You're right. You shouldn't trust me, Mr. Harper." Jacob said with a nod as he looked to the faces staring back at him. "Trust Katie. You all know what she is capable of." his eyes ended on Oliver who still had doubt written all over his face. "She is her mother's daughter after all." Jacob sighed solemnly as he always did at the memory of his departed wife. "I should go now." Jacob turned and didn't even wait for anyone to say anything before he was heading for the door.
"Wait!" it was Felicity Smoak once again, and the man stopped and turned to her. "I'm not afraid of you." she took a step forward, but Bruce caught her arm. She simply pushed him away. "You have absolutely no idea what thinking you were dead did to her. I'm not keeping this secret from her, so either it comes from you or it comes from me."
"And what if I were to say neither one of those choices works for me?" Jacob asked turning back to face the woman.
"I would say tough shit." Felicity replied folding her arms over her chest. "She needs to know the truth. She needs to stop blaming herself for why you're not here." Jacob stared at the woman who only stared with determination. He simply gave a nod before turning and leaving.
The room was silent, except for that annoying buzzing sound that once again came out of no where.
"That was kind of bad ass, Felicity." Roy said breaking the silence. All eyes turned to Oliver, who they all seemed to be waiting for the next move. "So do we just do nothing?" Oliver stood there, his eyes on the Guardians' suit , before he shook his head and walked off toward the stairs that lead to the bar.
Katie could see the flickering shadow of the single torch that was supposed to illuminate the room she was in. Her head lazily rests against her arms that were chained to the dirt floor, that she'd laid. It was a position that she was all too familiar with, since her last time here. It felt as if these walls had been her prison for years, but she's sure it's only been a couple of days. There was little food, and water was given sparingly. Blurry faces passed her often, but it was only his face that she could make out, no matter her state of delirium.
She had no idea the time of day, when the squeaky door to her prison opened, and heavy footsteps moved toward her. Soon water was tossed on her head jilting her to sit up. Arabic orders struck her ears, and she stood to her feet, before she was unchained and pushed out of the room. It had become some sick and twisted routine. She would fight, different members of the league, none she knew personally. The first couple of times she'd beaten her opponents, but the last couple, she'd all but given up. She was exhausted and had nothing inside of her to fight.
Katie was pushed into the fighting circle, falling to her hands and knees.
"How long does this usually lasts?" she asked through her dry throat. "How long does it take to beat the soul from someone."
"I'll be honest, it usually doesn't take this long." Ra's spoke from somewhere around her. "But I knew you would be different. So I think it's time I tried different." The doors once again opened and Katie turned her head to see her next opponent and she quickly stood to her feet.
"This is different." Katie spoke as she looked into the eyes of her next opponent. "So, fight to the death with my cousin." Nyssa simply smirked. "Who do you think he's rooting for?"
"Please just choose a weapon, so I can finally end your incessant voice, once and for all." Nyssa replied unsheathing her sword. Katie glanced around looking for Ra's who she knew was somewhere, watching.
"This doesn't make any sense." she spoke. "If having me here is so important to you, why have a fight between me and her."
"Maybe he's finally giving up on trying to save you." Nyssa replied with a smirk, and Katie turned to her with a quirked brow. "It's time to put an end to this chapter." Katie simply stared for a moment before turning and heading over to grab her sword. Her hands wrapped firmly around the handle before turning back to Nyssa, and they began circling.
"He wants to see which one us gives up first." Katie replied, her eyes watching the woman warily, waiting for a move. "It's going to be you." Nyssa swung her sword, and Katie met each swing with her own, before there was once again space between them.
"I've been training since I was a child. There is no way this fight ends any other way then me standing over your dead body."
"The burger. You got me a burger. It was not tactically necessary, it didn't benefit you at all."Katie replied, her hands still gripping her sword. "You may not like me Nyssa, but I am your family, and that means something to you." Nyssa once again swung her sword, and this time Katie had to roll out of the swing to miss it. She quickly jumped back to her feet, as Nyssa kicked up a foot striking her in the stomach. Katie stumbled back as Nyssa quickly moved to once again strike her again.
"You may share my blood, but you are nothing to me." Nyssa replied swinging her sword once again, only for Katie to meet the swing with her own. "I've hated you since the moment you opened your mouth. I will take pleasure in your death." Nyssa pushed the woman back, and with a sharp swing struck Katie's hand, knocking the sword from her hand. "You're not a warrior." Nyssa held her sword toward the unarmed woman. "You're weak, and I'm ashamed that we share blood."
"I couldn't agree with you more." Katie said, and without warning, she dropped, and slid a leg underneath Nyssa's feet knocking the woman on her back. Katie quickly kicked the sword from her hand, before placing her foot on the woman's neck. "Do you want to know your mistake, Nyssa?" The woman tried to pull free, but Katie kept her foot in the right spot, so that just a jerk could snap the woman's neck. "Hate is an emotion. There is no room for emotions here, not in this circle. You survive, and that happens by proving you're better, not by trying to win." Katie reached down and picked up Nyssa's discarded sword.
"You don't have it in you to kill me." Nyssa grit through her teeth straining underneath the pressure of Katie's foot on her neck.
"Nyssa, I've been in a room for days, with no food, little water, and my only contact with the outside world, are these fights your nut job of a father puts me through. So yeah, you've been doing this since you were a kid, but it still doesn't compare to the hell my life has been." Katie moved her foot and brought the knife to Nyssa's jugular. "I told you once before that I did have it in me, because your father put it in me to kill. But do you know what's also inside of me?" Katie glanced up, still in search of the demon who she knew was still watching. "My soul. You'll never take that. You'll never take away Katherine Robins, and I'm actually getting tired of your attempts." she shook her head before turning and heading for the door, only for two of Ra's league to step inside to block her. "Just two of you now, huh?" Katie didn't hesitate with her attack.
Bruce Wayne stood staring at his reflection in the mirror his bathroom in Starling Plaza. He let out a deep sigh, before turning and heading back to his room, and zipping up the bag that was on his bed. Bruce's only motivation for being in Starling was making sure Katie was safe, and now he's not even sure if there was anything he could do. Sure he could go to Nanda Parbat, but it doesn't change the fact that she took the blood oath, it doesn't change the fact that Ra's has always been one of his toughest opponents, and it definitely doesn't change that any fight they brought there, they would always be outnumbered. A part of him hated himself, because he felt as if doing nothing mean he was giving up. Bruce felt helpless here, and just hoped going back to Gotham, and going over all of his options could offer some new perspective.
There was a sudden knock that stopped him, and so he walked over to the door, and glanced out the peep hole and sighed. When he pulled opened the door, he was met with the exhausted face of Oliver Queen.
"He's wrong." Oliver spoke, before bursting inside without an invitation. The moment he was inside, his eyes went to the bag on Bruce's bed, and the suit case not too far. "You're leaving?" he turned back to Bruce with a quirked brow. "You're leaving right now?"
"Oliver my only reason for being in Starling was trying to prevent Ra's from getting to Katie. Now he has her and there's absolutely no plan of action I can think of that gets her out. And if Jacob, the man who has had a plan for everything so far says there's nothing to do, then I'm just inclined to believe him." Bruce replied with a shake of his head.
"This is about Felicity, isn't it?" Oliver asked and Bruce sighed before walking toward the bag on his bed, but Oliver moved to block him.
"Oliver, in words I'm sure you will understand, Felicity and I are none of your business." Bruce replied.
"Fine, you're right, but you leaving right now-"
"Oliver there is nothing for me to do here. You're going to be learning from Malcolm on how to beat the demon, and Jacob seems to believe that Katie can get herself out of the fortress."
"And he's wrong!" Oliver snapped. "Everything I've heard about Ra's, is how much of sick son of a bitch he is. He was able to get her there, what if he was able to get inside her head, turn her into one of his murderers."
"C'mon Oliver. You know Robins, I know Robins, and he will try his damnedest, but he will realize that she isn't going to be conditioned, and she isn't going to be controlled."
"Then tell me, when he realizes this, what do you think he's going to do. Just let her go?"Oliver asked and Bruce turned away. "You know he won't. He's too arrogant to let her just walk away. We have to go there and get her out ourselves."
"You still don't get it,do you?" Bruce asked with a shake of his head. "Ra's and this League, they're trained to win. They're trained to survive by any means necessary, to protect their league by any means necessary. You're not walking in there and telling him you're taking her with you."
"Then what do I do?! How do I work this, because me standing here, doing nothing can't be my only option. She's there, I know where she is and you're telling me that I can't go there and get her."
"That's what I'm telling you Oliver. If you go there you'll be killed and then all of this, her sacrifice would've been for nothing." Oliver just looked at the man for a moment, before simply stalking toward the door. He'd only opened it, before he stopped and turned back to the man.
"Leaving without saying goodbye is easy." Oliver said. "Or at least it feels easy, but it will hurt her. Trust me." and with that the man turned and left.
Ra's Al Ghul stood, his jaw clenched as he stares down to the unconscious bodies of his men. He glances over to his daughter, who still rubs her neck.
"I want her found." Ra's spoke looking over to Nyssa who sighed.
"And when we find her, then what?" Nyssa asked. "This was an act of treason, betrayal, she may share our blood, but that does not give her the right to betray our name." Ra's turned away from his daughter, his eyes looking as his men are dragged from the battle room. "Father-"
"I want her found." Ra's ordered once again. "And then bring her to me, and I will deal with her." Nyssa simply sneered, before stalking out of the room .
Ra's chose to wait in his throne room, but the moment he stepped inside he knew he wasn't alone.
"You didn't try to run." he spoke, his voice echoing around. "I'm surprised."
"No you're not." Katie voice spoke from somewhere up high. Ra' lifted his head to the high ceiling trying to see through the darkness of the rafters. "Running doesn't solve anything."
"Smart girl." Ra's spoke, still letting his eyes scan the darkness. "Why are you hiding? You're not afraid of me. It's one of the qualities I find so fascinating about you." he suddenly heard the distinctive sound of feet hitting the floor, and looked out as Katie stood to her feet.
"This was always going to end with you and me." Katie said walking toward the man, a sword still in her hand.
"Oh really, how does this end?" he asked, and Katie simply tossed the sword aside.
"My mother used to sing this lullaby when I was a child." Katie recounted, and Ra's seemed put off by the change of subject. "I never understood the words, it wasn't English, but I never asked her about it, because at the time I didn't care." she smiled as she turned away, trying to recount the words. "A chta tata tata ...A wlidat lherata..." she shook her head turning back to the man. "I can't remember the rest.
"A lmaalm Bouzekri..." Ra's ruff voice, spoke and Katie watched that softness once again in his eyes. "Tybli khbzi bekri ...Bach naachi wlidati...Wlidati aand lqadi ...Wlqadi majab khebar." He turned back to Katie. "It was song our mother sang to us when it would rain." the man swallowed the emotions, and his features were once again, hard and cold. "You have committed a very serious crime against my league."
"I have done nothing but do as you've asked me." Katie replied taking another dangerous step forward. "I'm surviving." his eyes looked deep within hers for a few moments. "She left because she knew what I know right now." she lifted her hand, turning to see the scar across her palm. "We may share a bloodline, but-" she lifted her eyes to meet his. "But we could never be family. Family to you is weakness. It's why you can barely show your own daughter affection. It's why she has no idea how to love anything." Katie just shook her head. "You let Minnah go because you knew you could never fully be the demon when there was still someone around here who still called you Saḡīr. It's why you're going to let me go, because I remind you of her, and it awakens something inside of you that you thought you killed a long time ago." Ra's let out a bored sigh, as he stalked toward his throne.
"So you think it would be that easy?" Ra's asks and Katie turns as he finally sits. "That I would just let you walk out of here." soon the doors to the throne room opened, and in marched more of the league then Katie had ever seen, and they were all surrounding her. "You want out of here dear Nura, prove it." Ra's turned to his men. "Kill her."
Katie spun around, searching the eyes of the men who had no hesitation to an order she was sure they didn't even understand.
"You make it out of those front doors Nura, and you're released from any obligations to this league, and it shall be released of all obligations to you." Ra's spoke, before looking over to his daughter who walked inside, giving a nod before turning and leaving.
"So all of you are what's standing between me and my home?" Katie asked, still spinning around waiting for one of them to make a move. "Well I would love to prove how inadequate you all are but, a las, I must say goodbye." she turned, her eyes spotting Nyssa in the crowd of men. "Do you smell smoke?" Nyssa looked on in confusion, before the smell did waft pass her nose. She lifted her eyes, now noticing the sudden cloud of dark smoke. "You guys should really lock up your gun powder." and without warning, there was an explosion from up above, and the room suddenly filled with a thick black smoke.
Someone opened the doors, and the men came rushing out from the smoke that was burning their eyes and lungs. The halls were filled with a fit of hacking and coughing as Nyssa walked, letting her eyes dart around.
"She's gone!" Nyssa yelled. "Find her before she gets away!" there was no hesitation before those men were gone.
Katie skulked down the halls carefully. She wasn't too far from the doors, and knew that with just a couple of more feet she could be home free. She heard the smooth sound of unsheathing metal, and her feet stopped. When she turned, her eyes were met with the dark eyes of her cousin.
"Back for round two?" Katie asked.
"You had everything, and yet you throw it all away." Nyssa spoke, her hand firmly gripping her sword. "This could've been your home."
"This place will never be my home. So if you're going to kill me, then kill me." Katie spoke and the raven haired woman looked at her for a few moments, before dropping her sword to her side.
"Death would be a gift." Nyssa replied. "Traitors should receive the harshest punishment. We shall cross paths again Nura, and I promise you that it will be a moment you will never forget."
"I look forward to it." Katie countered before turning and heading for the door. She was stopped in her tracks by a sudden sharp pain in her side. She looks behind her to see a knife sticking in her side, before her eyes go back to Nyssa. "A scar to remember me by."
"Like that bruise on your neck." Katie grit through her teeth as she pulls the knife out, and doesn't hesitate before running out those doors and not even daring to look back.
Ra's found himself standing on the balcony in his room, humming a long forgotten tune from a life that should be dead to him. Once he realized what he was doing, he angrily growled before grabbing the dagger at his side and stabbing himself in the hand as if to punish himself.
There was a knock at his door, and before he could reply the door was opening.
"Father-"
"She's gone." Ra's spoke already knowing what his daughter was going to say. "I knew she would."
"Why did you show her mercy?" Nyssa asked, and Ra's lifted his head and turned to her.
"Why did you?" he asked and Nyssa features hardened at the accusation. "Leave me."
"Is that it? After all of this, she's just free to walk away without any consequences?" Nyssa asked taking a step forward. "She desecrated the Al Ghul name, threw your kindness in your face without a second thought. That alone should be grounds for her persecution."
"Leave me Nyssa." Ra's said turning back to the snow covered mountains.
"But father-"
"I shall not tell you twice, you insolent child!" Ra's snapped, his growl causing a chill down his daughter's spine. She took a slight step back as his eyes turned back to her. "After all these years at some point you will realize that I know all, and all that will be, do you understand?"
"Yes father." Nyssa replied simply.
"Now leave." this time, Nyssa doesn't hesitate to turn and leave her father's room.
Ra's turns, looking down to his bleeding hand, trying to imagine what the pain even feels like. He lifts his head at the sudden tickle at the back of his neck and he turns searching for a source.
"I know it's you." he speaks to the wind. "I could've protected her. I would've protected her, but she refused just like you." suddenly the candles along the far wall are all blown out, and the man sneers. "You better hope she's ready when he comes for her."
Katie wasn't sure how far she would get on foot, as blood seeped from her side. Her exhaustion was finally catching up to her once again. Her fast paced run, now a sluggish limp through to cold winter snow. She can no longer see the fortress behind her which is probably a good thing, but she has no idea where she's going. She isn't familiar with the land, or the surrounding area. Soon she can't move any longer and drops to the ground. She lifts her hand from her bleeding side and knows if she doesn't get some medical supplies soon, it's going to get infected.
"What I wouldn't do to be rescued right about now!" she yelled through the trees. She fell back to the snow, too tired to even take another step. The snow was cold, and wet, but after a while she couldn't feel it. After a while she wasn't lying in the middle of nowhere on the brink of bleeding to death.
She was with him. Oliver. The man who can make the bad stuff go away, even for just a little while. And so she closed her eyes and let her Liver take all of the bad things away.
Author's note:
OMG! So much good stuff from this chapter. That little scene between Ra's and Katie where she gets to him once again, and in a twisted way she was able to beat him. I think he realized it out on his balcony when he stabbed himself in the hand.
Oh, and Oliver is back in Starling, and...working with Malcolm. Malcolm is bound to once again screw this up with the evilness that lies inside of him. Another Jacob sighting. This one an actual warning, and he was right. Totally loved that Katie didn't play the damsel, now I just hopes she lives to actually make it home.
Side note: What did you think of that scene between Ra's and..."the wind"
P.S...Saḡīr-- Arabic for "little brother" (According to google translate)
Review Replies:
Adela: Oh it was big! Katie got into Ra's head, and hit a very sensitive nerve. There is a human buried deep inside the demon, and she came in contact. I'm surprise he didn't just kill her for that...we'll find out why he spare her life in later chapters.
rockyroyal,dr: So I have this thing about whenever I write villains. I kind of have this theory that they weren't born evil, that something happened to them and that switch was flipped. I like to think that even after all the evil deeds, that deep down that person they used to be is still in there somewhere. I really wanted to show that with Ra's, especially with the sudden memories of his sister, and showing Katie her mother's room when he himself hasn't even stepped into the room since she left. I don't think that at this point, Katie would win in a physical battle with Ra's, but I think she was able to identify a weakness, something neither he or she thought was possible. She saw that glimmer of humanity and she poked at it until he finally realized that she needed to leave. Oh, and yes Katherine Robins is not dead, and this time she declared it herself. I really wanted to see that change, because if you remember when she first arrived to the league, she was kind of drifting, accepting this as her life, but Ra's pushed harder and she pushed back. It would seem that Katherine Robins wasn't going down without a fight. That Nyssa, burger scene was just too weird, and I think even Nyssa realized it. I think Katie was right in this chapter when she said that family means something to Nyssa, it's probably why she didn't fight as hard as we know she probably could've with Katie, and probably why she let her walk out the doors. P.S Twiver love is forever...A very big event is going to come from this truth in the coming chapters.
Once again, I would like to thank everyone for tagging along on this very cray cray ride I call a story. I write to unwind and to just get out of my life for a little while, and I'm glad it's also serving as entertainment for you all. Gotta thank those who added this story to your alerts. I'm glad the story piqued your interest enough that you want to find out what happens next. Special shout out to the MVPs who keep the reviews coming. I love reading them, so please keep them coming. They honestly make me smile, and I love to smile.
And now for you sneak peek...
"Felicity?" a voice suddenly spoke, and the woman nearly jumped out of her skin. She was once again back in the moment, back in the meeting, now with eyes suddenly on her. She gave an apologetic smile before turning to Ray whose eyes were on her as well.
"Yes?"
"Your phone." he said and the woman looked down to her vibrating phone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll just—" she was about to turn it off when she noticed the number, and her brow furrow. "Actually I have to take this."
"Is everything alright?" Ray asked and Felicity turned to him with a nod.
"I'm sure it is." she replied as she stood to her feet and hurried from the boardroom. She quickly answered the phone and brought it to her ear. "Barry, this better be good."
The moment the words came out of Barry's mouth, Felicity nearly dropped to the floor.