Forever Fearless Family

by kayemen22

How do you fight an unbeatable opponent? Someone with both physical and mental strength beyond anything ever imagined. The Demon finally makes a move leaving Starling in the middle. Blood is thicker than water, and the demon is coming for his blood. Leaving the Arrow and his team to stop him. They're going to need they're Guardian. That's if she's ready to face her past. Oliver/OC

20. Unraveling The Truth

Chapter 20

Unraveling the Truth

"For every good reason there is to lie,

there is a better reason to tell the truth."

-Bo Bennett

---

Everything was fine.

That was a lie.

It was a lie the moment the words passed Oliver's lips. It was a lie the first time he said them, and pretty much every time after in an effort to convince Katie of their truth.

When Oliver returned, it seemed those were the words he wanted everyone to believe. Once he let Nyssa go, who too was confused, he wanted to get back to their lives before Ra's. That meant finding the bad guys and bringing them to justice. Everyone seemed to drop it, they knew just how stubborn Oliver was, and they seemed to figure that there was probably a good reason behind him not sharing what really happened during his time in Nanda Parbat. But Katie knew that everything wasn't fine, and she refused to just ignore it because Oliver didn't want to talk about it.

At the moment she was giving him the silent treatment. At this exact moment he was also asleep in their bed beside her. She was angry with him, upset that he still felt the need to keep things from her that he believed would upset her, but she also still needed to see him, be around him. And in all honesty a part of her really wasn't even sure she wanted to know the truth, but she knew she had to.

It was either very late, or extremely early when Katie glanced over to a still sleeping Oliver. She wanted to believe him. She so desperately wanted to believe that everything truly was fine, but despite his words, there was this nagging feeling she couldn't shake. It's why since he's been back, that she can't seem to sleep, even when he's with her. She finds herself in this moment often recently. The moment she realizes that sleep isn't something that's going to happen for her, and so she does what she does every night. She slowly attempts to pull from the grasp he somehow seems get around her waist every night. Each night it's a difficult task, since he holds on so tight, but as always she's able to slip away. Katie carefully and quietly tip toes her bare feet out of the room, closing the door behind her, so she doesn't wake him. Soon she's sitting on the counter in the kitchen as the smell of fresh coffee waifs through the air. She opens her eyes and scans the kitchen before spotting something tucked on the bookshelf. With a roll of her eyes, she hops off the counter and walks over plucking the book that seems to be popping up everywhere around this place.

"No one will ever say you're not determined, Smoaks." Katie muttered as she walked over to the kitchen table and flipped opened the book immediately hit with...the list. The wedding checklist that she hasn't even attempted to start. Her eyes look over every unchecked box, and she shakes her head before suddenly closing it. She stands to her feet and walks back over to the coffee maker. It isn't quite done, but she grabs a mug knowing it will be soon.

Suddenly she hears a chuckle. A sound so familiar it almost scares her. Katie turns her head, glancing back over to the table to see someone sitting there that can't be sitting there. In utter shock, Katie somehow walks over, plopping back at the table, staring at the woman who she's really wanted to see for a long time.

"Mom." Katie whispers, and the blonde glances up with that smile that Katie could never forget. "How-" she looks around the kitchen before letting out a sigh and turning back to the woman.

"I'm dreaming."

"Some of this is a dream." Grace replied as she looked back down to the book. "You know I didn't have a wedding book when I married your father. You know-" the woman laughed, and Katie felt the tears in her eyes at the sound. "Your father dreaded the thought of some big wedding, and I really didn't care one way or the other and so we went to Vegas." she met her daughter's eyes still laughing. "I still can't believe we actually did that, but we did and it was the best day of my life. Well until you were born." she glanced back down to the book. "You haven't started planning, have you?"

"Well I would, but I have a psychotic uncle-" the smile fell from the woman's lips as she looked back to her daughter. "Your brother who seems to know the perfect moment to strike to make my life a living hell."

"I remember when there was light behind his eyes all the time." Grace said with a sad smile. "I mean his laughter used to bring joy to the room." she dropped her head and sighed. "I wanted to keep you from him, it's why we left, why we-"

"Wait-"

"No, I don't have much time." Grace replied reaching over and taking Katie's hand. "It's time you found it. I'm afraid it's the only thing that can stop him."

"Find what, stop who?" Katie asked and Grace smiled.

"You're going to have to talk to your father." Grace replied standing to her feet. "And maybe you can give him a break this time." the woman turned leaving the kitchen. "And don't shoot him!" Katie jumped to her feet, before running to follow the woman.

"Twinkie!"

Katie's eyes snap open, and she's instantly confused. She sits up, finding herself still in bed, the smell of coffee in the air. Oliver walks out of the closet, suit in hand, a smile coming to his face when he looks over to his wild haired fiance.

"Good morning Twinkie, you're looking beautiful this morning." Oliver said and Katie turned to him with narrowed eyes before standing to her feet and stalking into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. "So I'm still getting the silent treatment!" there was no response as expected. "We will see how long that lasts."

Katie stood in the bathroom, first staring at herself in the mirror trying to wrap her head around that weird dream. She let out a sigh because she know she didn't have nearly enough time today. Today there was a wedding. And for some reason she was the maid of honor.

Oliver headed for the kitchen, stopping at the sound of knocking on the door. He walked over, looking through the peep hole, letting out a sigh before opening the door.

"You're still here." Richard said to Oliver's annoyance. Oliver still didn't quite understand the reason behind Richard's presence in Starling. What he knew was that he was close with Bruce, that he's aware of Bruce's nightly duties, and now because he tried to play the vigilante he got himself into trouble that Bruce thinks sticking around here could help solve. "Isn't it like bad luck to live with your fiance before you get married?" the man stalked inside not waiting for an invitation. Oliver's initial reaction was to grab the man and toss him out, but he was working on his anger issues.

"Richard-" Oliver said before closing the door and turning to see the man headed down the hall. "What-" he stopped as he watched Richard step in front of the door that was always locked, before reaching up and pressing a few buttons before the door unlocked. "Why do you have the password to that room?" Richard glanced over to the man. "I don't have the password to that room."

"Well when you're a bit of a genius when it comes to locks-" Richard says turning back to the door. "No door can remain locked." he stepped inside, and Oliver groaned before following after him. "Aren't you guys supposed to be at that wedding?" Richard walked across the room where an array of boxes were piled. He knelt down and began sifting through.

"Richard, I don't know you-"

"I'm a Virgo, I like long walks on the beach, I'm secretly a fan of the Real Housewives franchise, uh-" he chuckled. "I once auditioned for this stage play because I was trying to get a date with the chick playing the lead." he glanced over to Oliver. "I was actually pretty good." he shook his head before looking back down to the box. "What else do you want to know?"

"How do you know Katie?" Oliver asked and Richard stopped and glanced over to the man.

"Old friends."

"That's hard to believe seeing as she doesn't seem to like you very much."

"She doesn't really like anybody." Richard said before plucking a book from the box and walking over to sit at the desk. "But I'm here and-" Oliver walked over and stood in front of the desk, towering over the man which should've intimidated the young man. The thing was, Richard lived with Bruce Wayne. The most intimidating person he'd ever met, and there weren't many who could come close. Especially not the guy who shoots arrows.

"Oliver I would love to regale you with tales from the past, but that's not going to happen. You want to know about her, then you ask her." Richard replied before flipping open the book. "You know you think you'd be done asking questions before you asked her to marry you."

"Fine, next question. Why are you here?"

"Oh-" Richard said looking up to the man. "Have either of you read these?" Oliver tilted his head to the book that he now notices is handwritten.

"Grace's journal?"

"Yeah, one of them." Richard says placing the journal down and flipping through the pages. "They're filled with some pretty weird stuff."

"Well she lived in Nanda Parbat, and her brother was Ra's Al Ghul." Oliver sighed, glancing down to his watch. "Look you're in Starling to stay out of trouble, fine. That doesn't mean you impose on our lives." Oliver grabbed the journal and Richard lifted a glare to the man. "Like I said, I don't know you and the little that I do know, doesn't paint you in a good light. So you're going to go to where ever you're staying, and stay there until Bruce comes to get you."

Richard opened his mouth to object, but turned when he noticed Katie standing at the doorway wearing just a towel. Words suddenly failed the man. Oliver turned following the man's eyes to the woman who just shook her head before turning and heading down the hall.

"You should just tell her." Richard said suddenly and Oliver turned to him with a quirked brow. "Nine times out of ten, whatever it is, it's gonna upset her, but the longer you drag this out, the more she's gonna start thinking that this is the life she's gonna sign up for when she marries you." Oliver simply looks at the man blankly. "I should probably mind my business, huh?"

"Probably." Oliver says with a shake of his head before turning and leaving the room. "You should probably leave before you start to upset me."

Richard sighed, before standing to his feet. Despite what they all thought, he knew there was something very interesting in the journals of Grace Robins, and he was going to figure it out and so he grabbed them and stuffed them inside his book bag before heading out the door.

Oliver found Katie standing in the kitchen, a mug of coffee to her lips. She took a sip, before glancing over to the man.

"So this Richard guy, why do I feel like I should know more about him?" Oliver asked and Katie rolled her eyes, before turning to leave the kitchen. "Twinkie please, just-" she stopped and turned to him. "Cut me a break. I'm really trying to move forward, and I don't see why you have a problem with that." Katie looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable, before she placed her mug on the counter and walked over to stand in front of him.

"What happened in Nanda Parbat?" It was the last question she asked before she stopped speaking to him, because the answer was the only thing she needed to hear. Oliver dropped his head, because he knew what would happen the moment he told her the truth. He'd been trying to avoid it the past couple of days, but he knew that was going to be impossible. Oliver took a deep breath, before raising his eyes back to Katie.

"The Demon asked me to be the next Ra's Al Ghul." he said simply and then he waited. He knew her reaction wouldn't be pleasant, but he was sure it would be unpredictable.

"Why?" she asked eerily calm.

"He says he's sick, this thing, this pit-"

"The Lazarus Pit." Katie spoke and Oliver nodded.

"He says it's unable to heal whatever is happening to him and-"

"He asked you to replace him when he dies?" Katie asked and Oliver once again nodded. Katie turned away, and he could see the wheels spinning. She was trying to understand.

"He said that when I survived his blade, it was a sign." Oliver added and Katie turned back to him. "Apparently surviving death from Ra's Al Ghul is a big deal."

"You refused."

"Of course I refused." Oliver replied. "I would never lead a team of murderers."

"No, you refused and then he let you go."

"Right, he said as a sign of good faith." Oliver replied and Katie nodded. They stood in silence, neither moving from their spots.

"I have to get ready for the wedding." Katie said looking up to Oliver before turning and stalking off. She practically bumped into Richard, who was obviously eavesdropping.

"Twinkie, would you-" Oliver stopped as well when he spotted the man that was supposed to be gone. "You're still here."

"I was just-" Richard chuckled, trying to think of a lie, but the dark look Katie was giving him was making it hard.

"You wanted to see my gun again, huh?" Katie asked with a smile that made the man nervous. "Well wait here, I'll go get it." she walked around the man toward her bed room. Richard watched her, unsure if she was serious.

"You should be running." Oliver spoke, and Richard turned to the man who nudged toward the door. "If she doesn't hurt you, I will." Richard didn't hesitate to rush out the door. Oliver let out an annoyed breath, before continuing down the hall where he found Katie laying a garment bag on the bed. "You need to say something." she glanced over to him with a quirked brow. "You not saying anything and not letting me know where your head is right now, scares me."

"My head is here, today, where I will be the maid of honor and you will be the best man." Katie replied as she unzipped the bag and pulled out the beautiful pale pink dress. She glanced back over to the man. "Today will be their day, tomorrow you'll get a reaction." with that the woman headed to the bathroom to get dressed, leaving Oliver a bit relieved, and somewhat nervous about tomorrow.

When Katie arrived at the banquet hall it was still pretty early. She could see the staff still hanging flowers and arranging seats. She balanced an array of bags, and a box of donuts in her hand before rushing off to Lyla's dressing room. When she walked in, she found the woman alone, putting on her make up.

"Good, you're here!" Lyla said standing to her feet and rushing over to Katie. "Did you bring them?" Katie lifted the box and Lyla graciously taking it before opening the box and grabbing one of the donuts and practically devouring it. "This is so good."

"Of all the requests you've given over this entire process, donuts have to be the weirdest."

"I know, but I've been dieting to fit in that dress, and for some reason I was craving these jelly donuts." Lyla chuckled as she watched Katie sit the bags down. "Are those-"

"I have a sewing kit in case anything gets torn, there's flats when heels no longer have a place in this day, I brought other snacks in case you had any other weird cravings, and then there is-" Katie reached into one of the bags and pulled out a pink stuffed giraffe. "This." she spun around when she saw baby Sara sitting in her play pen. "I brought this just for you my little bridesmaid." the baby smiled wide at the toy she grabbed instantly. Katie smiled softly as she slid her hand through the baby's short hair.

"Is Oliver with you?" Lyla asked and Katie turned with a shake of her head.

"He will be here later, hopefully he makes it for the wedding pictures, but that's almost wishful thinking at this point." Katie replied walked over to stand behind the bride. "So are you nervous?"

"Not really." Lyla replied sitting down the doughnut. "I love John, and I think this time is it for us."

"Well don't worry about anything. I will make sure this day is perfect." Katie replied walking over to grab her phone. "The hall looks great and it looks to be almost done. I walked by the reception hall which looks great as well. The cake is gorgeous, food is being prepped, the only hitch we're having is getting in contact with Rick. Which I don't like since he's supposed to be officiating."

"Rick wouldn't stand me up, he's probably still asleep. Keep calling I'm sure he'll answer soon."

"Right, we still have time." Katie replied as she turned to beautiful white dress that hung on the door.

"Have you started dress shopping yet?" Lyla asked and Katie turned with a shake of her head. "Have you guys picked a date?"

"Not yet." Katie replied walking back over to pick up baby Sara in hopes of ending this conversation. "Oliver and I aren't there yet." she glanced over to Lyla. "We're not where you and John are. I'm not even quite sure where we are."

"Are you in love?"

"It takes more than that and you know it." Katie said turning back to the baby in her arms.

"He told you about Nanda Parbat, didn't he?" Lyla asked and Katie turned to her in confusion. "John told me. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, and we're not talking about this today." Katie replied placing a kiss to the little girl's head before placing her back in the play pen. "I'm going to go see how they're coming along, and I will come get you when the photographer gets here." Before giving the woman a chance to say anything, Katie was rushing out the door.

Katie wasn't sure about the whole maid of honor thing at first, but it soon grew on her. She liked having something to focus on that was actually normal, that she could control. But now it seemed everything was planned, and done. The moment the photographer arrived, Katie stood on the steps that overlook the beautiful garden where John and Lyla posed for their pictures. She envied them in that moment. They somehow found a way to not let the bad stuff stop them from their happiness, and Katie wasn't sure she could do that.

The fact that Ra's asked Oliver to be the next Ra's Al Ghul was still something bouncing around in Katie's head. Oliver refused and Ra's just let them go, and that part of the story just seems off. She knows Oliver wants to believe that it really is over, but she knows it's not. She knows Ra's doesn't take no for an answer.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that Oliver isn't going to make the photos." a voice spoke and Katie turned to see John standing at the base of the stairs. She looked over to see Lyla now taking pictures with her parents, and her brother.

"I mentioned it to him, but you know Oliver." Katie said with a light chuckle. "He has a lot on his mind."

"It would seem he isn't the only one." John replied as he climbed the stairs. "What's up?"

"You mean besides the demon asking my fiance to replace him?" Katie asked looking over to John who let out a sigh.

"I'm glad he finally told you. We told him that if you asked, we weren't going to lie."

"We?" Katie asked and John let out another sigh. "So everyone knew but me. That's just-" she shook her head before letting out a long, deep breath. "Today isn't about the league. It's about the union of two people in love." she looked over to John with a smile. "People should be arriving soon, so I'll go make sure everything is all set." once again Katie left, dropping the conversation.

When Oliver finally arrived, his eyes only searched for one person. He let his eyes scan over the crowd, when he spotted John.

"You're late."

"It's 12:45, the invitation said 1:00. I'm early, and I'm never early." Oliver replied, still looking around the room.

"Yeah, well, the ceremony's at 1:00. Photos were at noon." John said, and Oliver turned back to him now slightly guilty. "Last time Lyla and I got married, we said our vows on an ATV in the Registan desert. This time, she hired a photographer, so, yes, Oliver, photos."

"That whole "best man" thing, it's more like a "not so good"-" Oliver said, looking back out to the guests, still searching for Katie.

"Don't worry about it, we'll photo shop you in brother." John said, giving the man a pat on the shoulder, as he followed the man's eyes. "At least there was a maid of honor for the photos."

"Where is Twinkie by the way?" Oliver asked turning back to his friend. "After she got dressed for the wedding she's rushed out of the apartment before I could even say anything to her."

"Well she's been doing that a lot today." John replied with a shake of his head. "So what was the reaction when you told her."

"There wasn't one." Oliver sighed. "She was just calm." he shook his head still trying to wrap his head around it. "She told me I'd get a reaction tomorrow."

"You already hide the weapons in the apartment?"

"Oh, absolutely." Oliver said with a nod. "I think I will look around some more."

"Well as long as you're not late for the wedding-" John joked and Oliver just gave a sarcastic chuckle as he walked away.

John glanced down to his phone, when he felt someone walking over, a smile instantly coming to his face when he saw who it was.

"Look at you!" Felicity said smiling wide as she pulled the man to a hug. "You look so handsome."

"Thanks, you look great too." John said pulling from the hug and looking to the man smiling behind her. "So I see you brought your plus one."

"Ray Palmer, and it's nice to meet you." Ray said holding out a hand to John who took it with a smile, and even pulled the man into a half hug.

"You hurt her, and they'll never find the body." he whispered for only the man to hear before pulling back, smile still firmly on his face.

"This place really looks great." Felicity commented. "So has there been a Twiver sighting yet?"

"Twiver?" Ray asked in confusion. "What's that?" Felicity and John simply laughed.

Oliver had found himself looking everywhere, and when he still hadn't found Katie, he began to get worried. It's that worry that brought him outside the door marked bride. This was the last place he needed to check and hoped she was on the other side. With a single knock, Oliver stood and waited.

"Just a moment!" a voice called from the other side of the door. Soon the door opened and a older woman appeared, with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Oliver tried coming up with an excuse that didn't reveal how worried he was. Soon Lyla appeared, and Oliver let out a sigh. "Hi, you look beautiful."

"Thank you Oliver."

"Oh, this is her Oliver?" the woman asked turning back to Lyla.

"Yes mom." Lyla chuckled before turning back to the man. "Let me guess, you're looking for her."

"Yeah, is she here?"

"No, Sara was getting a little fussy, so Katie took her for a walk so I could finish getting ready." Lyla replied. "She should be back soon though." Oliver let out another sigh before nodding about to leave. "Actually, can we talk?" Oliver turned back to her in confusion, but gave a nod. "Mom, could you give us like two minutes."

"Sure honey, I'll go make sure your father isn't drinking yet." Lyla's mother replied before turning to Oliver with a smile before leaving the two.

"Come in." Lyla replied turning and lifting her dress a bit so she didn't step on it. Oliver followed her inside, watching as she takes a seat and points to the couch in front of her so he can do the same. "I know we're not the closest of friends, but I feel there's something we should talk about." Oliver sat down, still a bit nervous about this conversation.

"Katie."

"Yeah." Lyla replied with a nod. "She just seems a bit off today, and that's how I knew you told her about what happened in Nanda Parbat."

"I should've told her sooner." Oliver muttered with a shake of his head. "I just thought I-

"Could save her from the truth?" she asked, and Oliver lifted his head meeting the woman's eyes. "The first time I met Katie she'd escape from an inescapable prison, walked miles with no idea where she was going, and I never saw her show any fear or sadness." Lyla shook her head at the thought. "She kind of scared me. I read her file. She was a doctor who grew up in Starling with a silver spoon, and then I looked at her eyes-" she glanced back up to Oliver. "I was first told that it was a rescue mission. That we needed to find her and take her to China where the two pieces of a very intricate puzzle would finally meet." Oliver's brow furrowed in confusion. "But then a very fatal drug was released, and things changed, plans changed. I was briefed, she never was. Apparently that was how this operation would succeed."

"What operation?"

"That I don't know. I got bits and pieces, but what I could gather, they were building a soldier for some reason. Actually they were building two." she shook her head, because to this day she still didn't quite understand the reason. "Her life has been this great story, with twists and turns and murder and torture, and no one will actually tell her why." she met Oliver's eyes once again. "You can't lie to her because when you do, she can't separate you from everyone else. And if you're like everyone else, then she'll do what she always does."

"Run." Oliver said and Lyla nodded.

"I don't know much about the whys that surround the events that took place with you and her, but what I do know is that the two of you were inevitably supposed to find each other. You're strongest together and I think you know that."

"I do." Oliver said finally standing to his feet. "Thanks for-" Oliver just shook his head and Lyla laughed as she stood as well.

"Well she's a friend, you're a friend, and I would very much like to witness the moment you two say I do." Lyla replied just as the door opened and both turned to see Katie. "There you are. Where's Sara?"

"Your mother kidnapped her." Katie replied, her eyes on Oliver. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, I was looking for you." Oliver replied walking over to the woman, and placing a kiss to her cheek.

"Uh-huh." Katie said before glancing over to Lyla. "So Rick-"

"Is being deployed, I know, but John texted and said we have a back up." Lyla replied with two thumbs up.

It would seem that Ray Palmer is a minister. There were questions, but at the moment everyone was happy the wedding would go on.

Katie listened to the very sweet words of John Diggle and Lyla Michaels as they vowed themselves to each other. She glanced over to Oliver who she caught very blatantly staring at her with a smile that she couldn't help but share.

"All right." Ray spoke with a smile as he looked between the couple. "John Diggle, Lyla Michaels, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Both seemed too anxious as they pulled each other into a kiss. The crowd stood and applauded Mr. and Mrs. Diggle.

Soon everyone filed out, heading next door to the reception hall, leaving Katie and Oliver now standing at the alter alone.

"We should probably head out to the party?" Katie said finally breaking the silence. She nudged her head toward the door. "Best man and maid of honor still have to keep up appearances." she turned to walk off, but Oliver took a couple of steps forward to block her.

"I think they could miss us for a couple of moments." Oliver spoke, his hand sliding to Katie's waist, and she turns her eyes away from his, letting out a sigh. "You're still upset."

"At what point was I supposed to stop being upset?" she asked. " After you kept yet another secret from me, or after you finally told the truth and acted as if it were no big deal."

"Because it isn't, Twinkie-"

"Will you just stop!" Katie snapped angrily as she turned back to the man. "Stop pretending that everything is alright. That everything will be alright, because it won't. He won't let it." she pulled from her his grasp and headed for the door.

"So what, we just stop our lives, we give all of our attention to the demon, focus on him-" Oliver took a step forward. "What John and Lyla did today, they didn't just roll over because things weren't easy. They took control of their lives, of their destiny, I guess I thought we could do the same." Katie turned away once again, glancing around the beautifully decorated room, with rows of chairs all facing an altar.

"When I was first taken to Nanda Parbat, I'd never been more afraid of anything." Katie dropped her head as words she never planned to say suddenly came to her lips. "It was like I was falling through the different levels of hell and there was absolutely no sign of an escape."

"Katie-" Oliver started but Katie held up a hand to stop him and Oliver just let out a heavy sigh.

"You were on an island, it was big, you could run, you had places you could hide. I had a room. A room that-" she let out a shaky breath and Oliver took a step toward her, but she once again held out a hand to stop him, needing to just let this out. "I had a room and when I wasn't in that room, there was a weapon in my hand and I was told to kill." she shook her head. "One man reached inside of me and shook my world, made me someone else...something else." Katie slid her hand across her face and just shrugged. "It's not over. Because it's not over, there is no moving forward, there's no pretending that everything is fine."

"So what now? Do we chase the devil for the rest of our lives?"

"No, we chase happily ever after." Katie replied with a nod. "You promise me that we'll have it."

"You don't like promises."

"I know, but right now if you tell me that you won't let him take away our happily ever after, if you tell me that in the end it's just you and me, I think I might believe it." Katie replied and Oliver closed the distance between them, bringing his arms around the woman and pulling her close to him.

"I promise that I won't let him take away our happily ever after." Oliver promised and Katie let out a sigh of relief letting him know that she really needed to hear those words. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"I never need a warning." Katie muttered as Oliver's lips crashed into hers.

It was quite rare that Ethan Mills got any free time from the hospital, and he was glad that for the first time in a long time, that day landed on a day he was invited for free food and booze. Both of which he was gladly enjoying at the moment as he sat at bar eating a plate full of mini sandwiches, with a beer within arm's reach.

"You look like you're having a good time." a voice spoke and Ethan lifted his head, and turned to see Laurel who stared in amusement at the doctor. "You skip breakfast this morning?"

"Well since I got the new job, I've been forced on this whole no food diet. So when the angels smile down on me, and send a few scraps my way, I don't tempt the fates." Ethan replied before glancing down to the woman's casted arm. "Broken?"

"Sprang." Laurel said with a shake of her head. "I've gotten a new sparring partner and she doesn't take it easy on me." she smiled back up to the man. "Not that I would want her to."

"Of course not." Ethan replied grabbing his bottle and drinking the last remnants of his beer. He glanced over to her cast. "Those are rich people bandages-" Laurel glanced over to him with a quirked brow. "You went to General, didn't you?"

"Well it was closer and I figure I shouldn't wait to get it treated, right doctor?" Laurel asked and Ethan simply nodded. "You know if I didn't know any better, I would say you're a little bit jealous."

"Ethan Mills doesn't get jealous Ms. Lance." Ethan replied standing to his feet, a move that seemed to bring them noticeably closer. Laurel's eyes looked up to the man, who now stared down to her in a way neither expected in this moment. Suddenly the playfulness was gone, and there was something else in the air between them. Laurel opened her mouth to speak, but a sudden beeping interrupted her. Disappointment washed over Ethan's face as he reached inside his breast pocket to retrieve his pager. "I'm sorry I-" he glanced down to the pager and sighed. "I have to go." he looked back up to Laurel.

"No rest for heroes, I guess." Laurel replied and Ethan chuckled.

"Hard to think of myself as a hero when I actually know heroes and I ain't it." Ethan said before glancing over to John who met his eyes. The doctor simply held up his pager, and John nodded in understanding before giving the man a wave goodbye. "Well it has been fun Ms. Lance, but I'm afraid I must kick the shit."

"You should write poetry?"

"Whose to say I already haven't?" Ethan said and the woman laughed as the man began backing away. "See later Laur." the man turned and headed out.

"Laur?!" Laurel called and the man turned with a big smile. "I don't think so."

"It'll grow on you. Just like I did." the doctor replied before turning and leaving. Laurel stood there watching the man until he was gone. She suddenly felt eyes on her, and turned to see Felicity staring at her with a very annoying smile.

"What?"

"Don't what me, you were just checking out our annoying doctor friend who is unfortunately also hot." Felicity replied and Laurel let out a laugh. "So..."

"So what?" Laurel asked trying to evade this line of questions. "Ethan is a friend."

"Please, a blind man could see the flirting that was happening just now." Felicity replied taking the seat beside the woman. "You know he's an ass, but he's a good person." Laurel rolled her eyes as she glanced around the party. "You know what I mean. He's family." Laurel turned back to the woman who she now noticed was holding a bouquet of flowers. "No one gets that title without having a good heart. So if you like him, you should I don't know, make a move."

"Nice flowers." Laurel commented hoping to change the subject.

"Thank you, I sort of...caught them." Felicity said as she smiled down to the bouquet. "It was a team effort really." she glanced over to Laurel. "Katie played defense while I went in for the kill. There was no way I was leaving without these flowers."

"So if catching that is a sign that you're next to get married, tell me which suitor are you hoping takes the plunge?"

"You made suitor plural, which would mean there was more than one and there isn't. There's Ray." Felicity replied with a smile as she looked down to the flowers. "I like Ray. He makes me happy."

"But he isn't Bruce." Laurel said and Felicity sent to glare toward the woman.

"A lot of people aren't Bruce. Hell Bruce isn't Bruce half the time." Felicity replied with a shake of her head as she spun around to look out to the crowd. Her eyes landed on Katie and Oliver who stood huddled together looking annoyingly in love. "I like Ray."

"But-"

"But I love Bruce." Felicity said with a sigh as she turned back to Laurel. "How do you stop loving a jerk."

"You don't." Laurel replied giving the woman a nudge with her elbow. "You like Ray or whoever you want until the like turns to love. Then you love them. That's how it works."

In the snap of a finger, the world could suddenly disappear around Oliver and Katie and neither would even noticed it. Here they were in a room filled with people, and music, and they couldn't even hear any of it as they stood wrapped in each others arms.

"You two are sickening." said the familiar voice of Thea Queen, before tossing a grape between the couple to break them out of their trance. Oliver and Katie turned to the woman in annoyance.

"Hi Thea, it's good to see you too." Oliver said, the annoyance clear in his voice. "Did you need something?"

"Yes." Thea replied before turning to Katie. "We need to talk."

"Is this about me knocking you on your ass because I've already forgotten it."

"Wait what?" Oliver asked, only now hearing about this. "When did this happen?"

"It doesn't matter, and no that's not what this is about." Thea replied before glancing over to Oliver. "I'm stealing her." the young woman suddenly grabbed Katie's arm and pulled her across the room, out to a hall that was quieter.

"Ok, Thea, what is this about?" Katie asked pulling from the woman's grasp. "If you're mad about Oliver bringing Malcolm home, it's him you should be yelling at right now."

"This isn't about Oliver or Malcolm, this is about you and this reporter woman." Thea said and Katie was confused for a moment, before finally realizing who she was talking about.

"Lois Lane." Katie said and Thea just gave a nod. "What has she done this time?" Thea took out her phone, before passing it to Katie whose eyes widened at the article.

"Jacob Robins, America's Hero, Starling's biggest Villain." Katie said reading the headline. "She's mentioning connections with criminals and ARGUS, and-" the woman let out a dry chuckle. "Says I may know more than what I'm letting on." Katie looked back to Thea before handing the woman her phone. The woman closed her eyes, letting out a long heavy breath in an effort to calm herself down.

"How bad is this?"

"It's a bunch of accusations." Katie replied looking back to the woman. "But accusations gain attention, and attention is not something I want right now. Especially not when it comes to my father."

"What are you going to do?" Thea asked and Katie just shrugged.

"Try to play the dumb rich kid role like my life depended on it." Katie replied before looking back into the reception. "Thanks for the heads up Thea." the woman turned back to the Thea with a smile. "I know we've been at odds lately."

"Apparently that's how sisters are." Thea replied before walking back toward the party. "Oh, and I'm still waiting on that sparring session so I can show you why that was a lucky kick."

"I just think it would be pointless, because all my kicks are lucky." Katie called after the woman, who simply flipped her off and Katie couldn't help but laugh. When Katie walked back to the rest of the party, she stopped for a moment. She glanced over to where John and Lyla stood, their arms wrapped around each other, their love practically radiating off of them. Katie did truly envy them. She envied their courage to not let the crap that got thrown at them, stop then from getting to this moment. Katie still isn't sure that's something she could do. She just feels as if giving into the happy moment is the equivalent of letting her guard down, and that's something she can't really afford to do. It's something she's been trained not to do. The sick and twisted lessons of her past are so ingrained inside of her that even after all of this time, she can't let them go.

"No offense, to John and Lyla, I love them to death, but our wedding is so gonna kick their wedding's ass." a voice spoke from behind Katie and the woman couldn't help but chuckle as she turned to see Felicity.

"Our wedding?" Katie asked.

"Well you know what I mean. It's ours in the sense that I will be as much apart of it as you and Oliver are." Felicity replied looping her arm with Katie as she smiled over to the couple as well. "I'm so happy for them. They deserve this."

"Yeah, they do." Katie said with a slight smile. Felicity looked over to the woman, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"What?" Felicity asked and Katie turned to the woman with a quirked brow. "There's something up with you, what is it?" Katie simply shook her head before turning back to John and Lyla. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"What if I can't have that?"Katie asked. It wasn't the first time she asked herself the question, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. "What if I'm not wired to have that?"

"What are you talking about?" Felicity asked, before raising the woman's hand. "Do you see this?" Katie glanced down to the engagement ring on her finger. "You're going to have that moment. This sort of predicts that." With her eyes on her ring, Katie tried really hard to believe the words, but for the life of her, she just couldn't. She knew the truth, knew that nothing was definite until they were both standing at that altar. Felicity's phone suddenly beeped and the woman reached inside of her purse. Mere seconds later, Katie's phone beeped as well and she pulled her phone from her purse. There was some sort of notification, and the moment she opened it her eyes went wide. "Oh my god." Felicity looked up to Katie's eyes before the pair looked over to Oliver who too now held his phone in his hand.

"We should go." Katie said and Felicity simply nodded before splitting off into the crowd.

It was strange how one moment they all forgot who they really were. How they got caught up in the party, caught up in the normalcy of celebrating the union of friends, and in the blink of an eye reality crept back in and now just hours later, they were back in the lair watching a news report that no one expected. Someone was out killing people, and their weapon of choice was an arrow. The evidence was too obvious to ignore and so only one suspect made sense. The Arrow. There was a press conference reporting the incidents, Captain Lance at the forefront trying to answer questions as best he could. Beside him stood Laurel, and the Mayor.

"There were eight victims total, all shot with arrows." Lance said as he glanced out into the sea of reporters. "However, one escaped and has given us a statement. Which remains uncorroborated, so the district attorney's office is going to continue to investigate before filing charges."

"So which one is it?!" one of the reporters called. "Is the Arrow being implicated here or not?"

"We're not sure of anything yet." Laurel chose to answer for him. The Mayor stepped in front of the microphone with a nod.

"We have a statement from Mr. Palmer." the mayor said, and soon Ray appeared in front of the cameras.

"What the hell does Ray have to do with this?" Katie muttered, as none of them are able to take their eyes from the monitor.

"While it's hard to ignore all the good the Arrow has done for the city, it is equally hard to ignore the evidence of his apparent guilt." Ray spoke. "In any case, the Arrow needs to be apprehended, and at least brought to trial, not justice."

"I didn't know he was going to do that." Felicity said completely stunned by the man's words.

"And I am devoting all of my substantial resources towards making certain the Arrow is apprehended." Ray said, which only seemed to encourage more questions from the reporters.

Katie took a deep breath before walking around the monitors away from the others. Roy suggested Oliver go to Lance to plead his case, but after Sara's death Oliver knew Lance wouldn't hear him. Lyla suggested just finding the one really behind this and bring them in, but that was impossible.

"That won't work." Katie said and they glanced over to her. "We know whose doing this." she glanced over to Oliver who sighed.

"So, this is how Ra's handles rejection huh?"

"No I think the point is that he doesn't." Oliver replied before looking to Roy "Hit the streets. Whoever's doing this is targeting criminals. We need to know who they're going to hit next." Roy simply nodded before turning to get suited up. Oliver then turned to Felicity. "We need all the information that the police have from the crime scene. Whoever is under that hood has to leave a trail, something to follow."

"On it." the blonde answered before heading to her computer and dropping to her seat.

"How can we help?" John asked as he and Lyla stepped forward.

"Go to Starling City airport." Oliver answered and John nodded.

"Ok, to do what?"

"It's called a honeymoon." Oliver replied and John scoffed.

"Fiji can wait." John countered not even wanting to leave when things were this crazy.

"No. Fiji can't wait. All right?" Oliver said seriously. "This is still your day, and I'm not going to let Ra's al Ghul ruin that."

"Oliver... " John started still trying to protest, but it would seem his best man wasn't budging.

"You followed me into the lion's den once already. This time, choose your family." Oliver said glancing over to Lyla with a smile before turning back to John. "Go, live. We got this." John still hesitated for a moment, before turning to Lyla and knew deep down Oliver was right. And so even though a part of him didn't want to leave his team when they could possibly use him, he turned to Oliver and gave a nod.

"Alright, fine, but if you need us-"

"We won't hesitate to call." Olive replied and John gave a skeptical look. "Well we will hesitate, but if it gets bad we'll call you."

"It's already bad." John countered with a shake of his head as he gave the man a slight clap on the man's should before turning to Lyla. She simply gave him a smile that he couldn't help return. "Alright." he took his wife's hand and the pair were off on their honeymoon.

Oliver stood there for a moment before turning, only to find that Katie was no where in sight.

"Where-" he glanced around the basement,suddenly nervous. This was not a moment he didn't want to know where she was or where her head was. He glanced over to the back door, and quickly rushed over hoping she didn't get far. The moment he opened the door, a relieved sigh escaped his lips because there she was, pacing back and forth. She glanced over to him and could see everything he was feeling.

"You thought I left?" she asked not breaking her stride.

"It's sort of your M.O." Oliver replied walking over to stand in front of her to stop her pace. "Disappear into the night to try to fix the problem."

"Well that probably still will happen when I actually figure out how to actually solve this shit-tastic turn of events." Katie said as Oliver brought his arms around her. "This isn't it. There will be more, and it'll probably get worse before it's better if we don't stop him."

"I know." Oliver replied before placing a kiss to the side of the woman's head. "But we'll find him." Katie let out a sigh, because she just didn't have the optimism Oliver had. "It's cold, you should come inside." Oliver said taking the woman's hand and pulling her toward the foundry.

"Wait. I can talk to him." Katie said and Oliver turned to her in confusion. "Lance. He knows my connection to the Arrow, maybe I can plead your case."

"Or put yourself in an impossible situation. If Lance thinks you know where the Arrow is and you don't tell him, he can arrest you for being an accessory."

"He wouldn't do that. Because doing that reveals my secret and he wouldn't do that. I know he wouldn't."

"But you can't be sure. Right now our main focus should be finding whoever is shooting these arrows." Oliver said. "We need to place as much distance between us and these crimes as possible."

"How long do you think that's gonna last. Lance is smart, and with the pressure from the mayor and press for answers, he's going to start looking and I'm going to be at the top of his list of people to question."

"Then you steer clear, keep a low profile. We can stick around the club-"

"I'm not hiding Oliver." Katie said firmly. "I really believe I can do this, you just have to have faith that I know what I'm doing."

"I trust you completely, there's just risks and right now I don't need losing you to be a possibility. I won't let it be a possibility." Oliver replied just as firmly, and Katie placed a hand on his cheek.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing." Oliver brought an arm around, pulling her close to him. "Lance may be angry with me for keeping Sara's death a secret, but he wouldn't out me as a vigilante."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because whether either of us like it, we have become what some would call close." Katie replied with a shake of his head. "I care about the old man, and if my instincts are right I would bet my life that he cares for me too." Oliver turned away, the doubt written all over his face. When he looked back down to the woman's eyes he let out a sigh and she thinks the impossible happened.

"Did I just win this?" she asked and Oliver groaned with a shake of his head. "Like did I really finally wear you down, and now you're going to actually let me out of your little overprotective bubble."

"Over protective bubble?" Oliver muttered with a shake of his head. "If you're going then I'm coming with you." with that the man turned and headed back inside. Katie let out a groan, before turning and following after him.

"It's a police station." Katie said once inside and the man stopped and turned to her. "It's not Nanda Parbat, or even ARGUS. Right now you need to be here in case Felicity or Roy has any news."

"If this is the league and you're alone-"

"Right now I'm not their target. They're not trying to hurt me, they want to hurt you."

"Well hurting you does hurt me." Oliver replied taking a step toward. "Actually, hurting you could kill me, so tell me why I should be alright with letting you go out alone?"

"Because I am the only person you know who could handle an attack from league." Katie countered firmly, but the man didn't reply and she let out a sigh. "Oliver right now Lance needs another voice in his ear. A voice who actually knows the truth and he'll actually believe."

"Laurel is that voice." Oliver replied. "The truth is that Lance will not believe anything he can't see for himself. We need to focus on bringing in whoever Ra's has doing this, then the Arrow's name will be cleared." Katie turned away, before turning to the man and giving him a nod.

"Alright." Katie said before glancing around. "I need to change. I believe I have clothes here." she turned back to Oliver. "I'll be right back." the man watched as she walked over to the closet before disappearing into the bathroom.

"That was too easy." a voice spoke suddenly, and Oliver turned to Felicity who somehow mimicked his thoughts. "Not that I was listening or anything." Oliver walked over to stand beside the woman.

"Anything yet?"

"Not yet, but I'll let you know." Felicity replied. "So you want to tell me why you're so against Katie going out there."

"Like I said-"

"Oliver, this is the first team mission Katie has been apart of since she's come back from Nanda Parbat." Felicity said glancing over to the man. "And you just told her she couldn't help."

"I didn't say that. She's here, she can help you-"

"Help me do what?" Felicity asked in confusion. "I'm the computer girl. I sit behind the monitors and I try to make sure you guys come back alive." Felicity nudged her head toward the bathroom. "That woman doesn't sit and do anything."

"So you think I should let her go?" Oliver asked and Felicity let out a snort before turning back to her computer. "I didn't actually stop her from leaving, did I?"

"It's cute that you actually thought you did though." Felicity replied when the bathroom suddenly, and out came Katie who was now changed out of her bridesmaid dress. She glanced over to Oliver before hanging the dress in the closet.

"I think I need coffee!" Katie called over to him. "I'm going to go upstairs and-"

"To the police station, and then come right back." Oliver said and Katie stopped and looked at him. "I forgot you only listen to me when you think I'm right." Katie smiled before walking over and placing her hands on his chest, as his hands go to her waist. "No detours."

"Did I just win this one?" Oliver shook his head before dropping his lips to hers.

"I love you, Mrs. Queen."

"You know I was kind of thinking of keeping my last name." Katie said and Oliver lifted his head to meet her eyes, and Katie wanted to laugh. "That was a joke." she laughed before giving the man a final peck to his lips before pulling away to grab her jacket. "I have my phone, so if you guys get any news then call me please." she glanced over to Oliver who seemed hesitant to let her leave. "I shouldn't be gone long, so stop with the worry lines." she gave him a wink before heading out the back.

The moment Katie stepped inside of the precinct, she stopped. The place seemed crazier than usual, and she figured that Starling's hero becoming a murderer was the blame. She glanced over to a familiar desk of David Parker, that even after all this time remained empty.

"Hey." a voice said pulling Katie's attention. She turned to see Laurel, who looked exhausted. "What's going on? Have you guys found any leads of who's really behind this."

"Not yet, I just stopped by to talk to your dad." Katie replied glancing back into the craziness.

"I'm not sure how much good it will do." Laurel replied and Katie turned back to her with a quirked brow. "My dad is a cop first and right now all evidence is pointing to the Arrow."

"Evidence can lie, and I'm sure your dad knows that too." Katie replied before turning and spotting the man who was heading for his office. "It can't hurt to give it a try."

"I guess not." Laurel replied looking down to her phone. "I have to be heading back to the court house, but give me a call if you guys find anything."

"Of course." Katie said before the woman was off. Katie took a deep breath before continuing her trek toward the Captain's office. When she reached his open door, she spotted him at his desk, his back to her as he talked on the phone.

"Well keep looking, he's bound to pop up somewhere." he said, before turning to hang up the phone, only then seeing the woman at his door. The moment he sees her, he let out a long sigh.

"Hi." she said with a small wave before stepping inside. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now-"

"Actually you're at the top of my list of people to see." Lance said standing to his feet. "You want to close the door?" Katie looked confused, but complied. Once she shut the door, she walked over and they both took their seats. "I assume since you have eyes and ears, you know the shit storm I'm dealing with."

"I do, which is why I'm here. Look this whole thing is a frame up, this isn't him." Katie said. "I know at the moment what the evidence says, but he doesn't do murder."

"I have a morgue filled with bodies with arrow holes. I have eye witnesses that say they spotted the man with the hood shooting those arrows." Lance replied with a shake of his head. "What I don't have is any evidence telling me that he isn't the one behind this."

"You have me, right now, telling you that with out a doubt this isn't him." Katie replied firmly. "Look, I know I broke our trust, but with everything your eyes and ears are telling you, please just follow your gut." Lance stares at the woman for a moment before turning away. Katie knew he was really thinking about this, really trying decide on if he could believe this or not.

"What I believe and what I don't believe doesn't matter. It can't matter." he turned back to Katie. "All I have is the law, and that law says that the truth comes from the evidence. Right now all the evidence we have is not in the favor of your hooded friend. So if this is a lie, if he's being framed, then he better work fast and find the real culprits behind this and drop them in front of me." Katie simply nodded before standing to her feet and heading for the door. "If he can't do that, if more bodies start piling up in my city, then I'm going to be left with no choice." Katie turned back to the man. "You're the only connection I have to him. The only one in this entire building who knows where he is right now."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying if no new evidence comes up, then I'm going to need him to come in." Lance said standing to his feet and walking around his desk.

"Would you implicate me in the vigilantism in this city to get to him?" Katie asked with a quirked brow, not really wanting to believe it.

"I would do my job." Lance answered honestly and Katie looked at him in disbelief for a moment before turning away.

"You do what you have to do then Captain." Katie replied before turning and finally leaving. The moment Katie stepped out of that door, she just wanted to get out of there. But her plans were thwarted.

"Doctor!" a familiar voice called and Katie stopped with a roll of her eyes before turning to the familiar face of Lois Lane. "This is the last place I expected to see you."

"Well I was just on my way out if you don't-"

"What's your connection to the Arrow?" Lois asked out of the blue and Katie shook her head.

"Well I live in Starling, I assume he lives in Starling, that's the only connection I see." Katie replied with a shrug. "Why do you ask? Shouldn't you be trying to find a zombie? Oh and I read your story, expect to hear from my lawyers."

"That zombie is your father, and I thought finding him would actually be a priority for you." Lois countered. "And since there's no evidence, and the daughter of the victim is little help, I find that taking a step back helps, and so I decided to look into the big mystery of Starling's vigilante."

"And that somehow lead you to me?"

"It did actually. I've been looking into this guy and only a few people come up more than once. And there was only one person he traveled to a different city to save." Lois said with a shrug. "If you were me, what would you think?"

"I would think that I should get back home to Metropolis." Katie replied taking a very dangerous step closer toward the woman, who didn't flinch or back away. "You're really starting to annoy me and I really wouldn't want to have to call your boss." Katie turned and stalked away.

"Did you want his number?!" Lois called. "I think Perry would get a kick out of it! You calling him just means I'm doing my job." Katie stopped and turned back to the woman.

"Oh, I wouldn't be calling about you. I was actually just going to ask how far down in the basement he'd want to be with you when I bought your newspaper." Katie snipped before turning and finally leaving. Katie headed to her car as her phone rang and she quickly answered. "You found something Smoaks?"

"Roy just came back, and apparently there's going to be an unloading of narcotics tonight by the Los Alcones." Felicity replied.

"Oliver and Roy on their way?"

"Well Oliver is, he told Roy to stay back because it's too dangerous."

"Of course he did." Katie replied sliding into her car. "Text me the location." and just like that, she was off.

Katie pulled in a good distance from the factory, not wanting to be spotted. She quickly reached into the glove compartment and grabbed the comlink, placing it in her ear.

"Is he here?" Katie asked, when suddenly she heard the sound of gun fire. "Never mind I guess I got an answer." she made to get out, but was stopped.

"Wait!" Felicity shouted and Katie complied.

"Why am I waiting?"

"Because your suit is here. You can't go in there as Doctor Katherine Robins." Felicity replied. Katie sighed, because she knew she was right, she glanced around her car, before stepping out and going to her trunk hoping her ski mask was still there. When she saw it, she quickly grabbed it and slipped it on.

"Fine, I have a mask. Any thing else I need?"

"A weapon or two wouldn't hurt." Felicity replied and Katie let out a chuckle.

"I think I'll be good." Katie replied before stretching her neck a bit. With one final deep breath, Katie went running. She found a fire escape that lead to a window of the factory. She didn't hesitate to climb up. She tried peeking inside, but she could barely see anything, but more gun fire rang inside and so with a jerk of her elbow, Katie shattered the window before climbing inside. The moment her feet dropped onto floor she heard the commotion that was coming from the lower level of the factory. Katie rushed over to look down to see four hooded men fighting. Since three of them were attacking one of the men, Katie assumed that's who she was here to help. Katie lifted her feet to the metal railing, and just jumped. She landed on one of the hooded men, stomping him to the ground. Katie grabbed his discarded bow, picking it up and swinging it at the hooded man who suddenly came near her. Suddenly her back was pressed against someone she hoped was Oliver.

She was about to speak, but the man she knocked down, suddenly jumped to his feet and they were once again thrown into a fight. Katie shouldn't enjoy this as much as she does in this moment, but she can't help it. She can't help that every punch and every kick feels so familiar and so right that it's almost sad. Soon they were all on the ground, Katie and Oliver stand above them just trying to catch their breath.

"You can't kill them all, Oliver." they both hear, and looked up to see the familiar figure walking toward them. "Both of you will have to accept that. When one falls two more will arise."

"Maseo!" Oliver says taking a step toward the man. "You can't believe in this! Murdering all of these people just to prove a point!"

"No. To persuade you." Maseo replied. "My master sees something in you. Don't fight it. Embrace it!"

"You know me better than that." Oliver reminded the man he once called friend.

"Don't let your recalcitrance take any more lives." Maseo replied, before pulling something from his pocket.

"Shit!" Katie snapped before grabbing Oliver's arm and pulling him back. "Close your eyes." suddenly there was a metal clank, and then a flash of light before a mist filled the air. Oliver stood there for a moment before finally opening his eyes and finding Maseo and his hooded friends now gone. He turned because his own masked friend was gone as well.

Maseo knew they were being followed the moment they left the factory. He also knew there was only one person skilled enough to follow them so vigorously. And so he stopped, while the others continued, and just like he expected she soon appeared.

"Where are you going Nura?" he asked and Katie pulled the mask from her face. "What is happening will continue to happen until Oliver finally accepts his destiny."

"To be the next Ra's Al Ghul is not a destiny, it's a life sentence." Katie replied stepping closer to the man. "You know I still can't look at you and not remember everything you put me through without wanting to just beat the crap out of you, but then I hear about Oliver's friend Maseo. The man who helped make sure he survived and my perception of you changes, only a little."

"You can't beat him."

"We can. Because the demon isn't a demon, he's just a man whose been kept alive by some magical waters that just aren't working anymore." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "Tell him if this is some sick, and twisted attempt at payback because I didn't fall in line, let him know it won't work." Maseo simply shook his head before turning and walking off. "I know it was you!" he stopped for a moment. "Thanks for giving me my ring back." he didn't even make a twitch of acknowledgment before he went running off. Katie placed a hand on the comlink in her ear before turning and heading back.

"Felicity, I'm back."

"Good, because your future husband isn't happy right now."

"In all honesty, did we expect him to be?" Katie replied before picking up the pace back to her car.

When Katie pulled up the foundry, she was a bit hesitant to actually go inside. She wasn't looking forward to the impending conversation that she knew was waiting for her on the other side of the door. But she would suck it up and go inside.

Once she stepped inside, she didn't expect the basement to be completely empty. With a quirked brow, she walked further inside, to look around.

"Hello?" she spoke.

"To the police station and then back." the familiar voice of Oliver Queen spoke, and Katie let out a sigh before turning to see him walking over. She planned to argue her decisions, to stay strong and stand behind everything she's done tonight, and yet when he walked over without a shirt, her words floated away into the universe. "Isn't that what you promised?" Katie looked up from his chest to his eyes. "I could've handled those guys myself, and you stepping in was just too dangerous, you do know that don't you?" Katie opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes trailed back to his chest and yet no coherent thoughts were forming. "Twinkie?"

"You know what-" Katie takes a step back, and strips off her jacket, and then pulls her shirt over her head, letting them both drop to the floor before looking back to Oliver. "You try having a semblance of an intellectual conversation with me right now." She watches as Oliver's eyes are on hers for a moment, before suddenly glossing down to the black lacy bra she was wearing.

"Is that new?" Oliver asked suddenly looking back up to Katie's eyes and she could see a familiar glimmer. "I don't think you've worn that before." Katie glanced down to the bra and sighed before looking back up to Oliver who suddenly cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, tonight-"

"Tonight, you went into a very unpredictable situation, with an unpredictable group of people." Katie replied looking back up to the man. "And in my opinion that was dangerous. You needed back up-"

"I didn't-"

"It was the league, Oliver. You had no idea the extent of how many people were involved and what that could mean for you." Katie replied taking a step forward, closing the short distance between them. "You needed back up and since you didn't want that to be Roy, then it was going to be me." Oliver let out a heavy sigh through his nose as he lifted his eyes away from hers.

"Sometimes I would just like for you to listen to me, even if you think it's a stupid idea." Oliver replied and Katie looked at him as if he were crazy. When he looked back down to her face, he chuckled as his hands slid around her waist. "But then you wouldn't be you."

"We can't keep trying to stay one step ahead of him because we won't be able to." Katie said and Oliver placed a kiss on top of her head. Katie slid her finger along Oliver's chest, her fingers moving across his scars. "He's not gonna let us go."

"Well then we are going to have to break free." Oliver replied firmly. Katie lifted her eyes to his. "We will." Oliver leaned in to meet the woman's lips, when she suddenly backed away.

"Take off your pants, future husband." she ordered pulling out of his grasp, before walking around and heading for the bed in the far corner of the lair. Oliver turned, following her with his eyes, watching as she slid out of her own pants. Oliver's feet were moving before he even knew it.

Early the next morning, it was Katie who awakened first, or at least she thought she was awake. She heard a noise, and glanced over to Oliver who hadn't even stirred. That's how she knew this was a dream, because the man lying beside her heard everything. Katie pulled out of his grasp, snagging one of his shirts before slipping it on and going out to find the source of the noise. When she walked out a smile came to her face at the sight of her mother who seemed to just marvel at the lair around her.

"When you were about fourteen, on a whim I asked you if you had feelings for Oliver." Grace spoke with a chuckle as she glanced over to the Guardian's suit. "You rant and raved about how you two were only friends, and how you were barely that. But I knew different. I saw the way you took to him when you first met, how he always sat a bit closer to you then friends would." she turned back to Katie with a smile. "Never in a million years would I have ever imagined-" she glanced around once more. "This. This is truly amazing."

"Well your brother is trying to destroy this." Katie says and Grace sighs with a shake of her head. "And I don't know how to fix it."

"Some roads must be traveled to get to the destination we want." Grace muttered as she walked over to her daughter. "This is only going to get worse before it gets better. Just don't let it defeat you." Grace placed a hand on Katie's cheek, and a tear fell from Katie's eyes because this felt so real and she so desperately wanted it to be real. "You're stronger than you know." Grace leaned in a bit with a soft smile. "You're stronger than any of them know."

"How do I end this?" Katie asked and Grace turned and walked back over to look at the Guardian's suit in the display case.

"Ra's Al Ghul has to die." Grace spoke, the words coming out clearly somber for her.

"That's easier said than done." Katie muttered.

"It really isn't." Grace replied turning back to her daughter. "You should really talk to your father."

"Twinkie-"

Katie turned to see a tired eyes Oliver walking over to her in just a pair of boxers. When she turned back around her mother was gone. Confusion washed over her, as she turned back to Oliver.

"Are you a part of the dream?"

"Dream?" Oliver said pulling the woman closer to him. "Twinkie, this isn't a dream. Are you alright?"

"I'm-" she looked over her shoulder still expecting to see her mother there, but she isn't. She couldn't be. There was a sudden ringing, and they both glanced around for the source. Katie followed the ringing from her jacket that was still on the floor. She rummaged through the pockets until she found her phone and quickly answered. "Hello?"

Oliver watched the confusion move across her face as she listened to whomever was on the other end of the phone.

"Absolutely." Katie replied before ending the call and looking over to Oliver. "That was Ray's assistant. He wants to meet with me as soon as possible."

"Did she say what it was about?"

"No, but it has to be about the New Starling Initiative." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "I need to shower and change." she took a step forward but stopped and let out a groan. "I have no more clothes here, I'm going to have to stop at the loft."

"I'll drive you." Oliver said and Katie nodded as the two went off to get changed.

A car ride to their loft, and then a long conversation later about Oliver letting her go alone, and Katie was standing in the office Ray Palmer, waiting for him to arrive. She stood by the large window, staring out to the city. She heard the door, squeak open and she turned to see Felicity walk in.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Felicity asked and Katie quirked a brow in confusion.

"I got a call from Ray's assistant, he told me to stop here as soon as possible." Katie replied walking over to the woman. "I thought you would've known about it."

"I thought I would've too." Felicity said just as the door opened and then appeared Ray. "Hey, I stopped by to let you know I had no idea the sheer number of crazies that were in this city until you set up that 1-800 line for Arrow tips." Ray didn't say anything before walking over to his computer. "What's going on?" Still no word, and Felicity and Katie shared a look before Katie took a step forward.

"Ray, what's going on?" Katie asked and the man looked up meeting her eyes.

"Oliver Queen is the Arrow." Ray said simply and Felicity's eyes widen, as the expression on Katie's face remained blank.

"What?" Felicity asked and Ray let out an annoyed sigh before turning to the woman.

"I have a 140 IQ and three PhDs , it's pretty hard to insult my intelligence, but I think you just did." Ray said before turning to Katie who still had yet to say anything.

"Is that why you called me here?" Katie asked and Ray stood up straight, before walking around his desk. "If so I'm just gonna." she nudged her head toward the door before turning.

"You're not going to say anything, Oliver is a murderer!" Ray called and Katie suddenly stopped walking. He turned to Felicity and shook his head. "It all makes sense now. I mean, your, uh, sudden disappearances, your apprehension with helping me on the mission; you've been working with the Arrow this whole time."

"How did you find out?" Felicity asked.

"High spectrum portable radio-graph, colloquially known as the X-Ray machine. Plus, your facial recognition software." Ray recounted before meeting the woman's eyes. "Nice code, by the way."

"You got the suit working." Felicity commented and the man just gave a nod before he turned back to Katie who still stood with her back toward him.

"Last night I saw your boyfriend standing over eight of his victims."

"Fiance." Katie said.

"What?"

"My fiance." Katie replied turning back to him. "And he was there because he was trying to find the truth of who really was behind this."

"So you really are working with him?" Ray said in slight disbelief before turning to Felicity. "Both of you are."

"Ray, look Oliver is not a murderer." Felicity moved to stand in front of the man, hoping he could just see the truth in her eyes. "He's trying to catch an impersonator, the one who's really doing this." she placed a hand on his arm. "Please, you have to trust me. Oliver's not a killer." Ray looked at her for a moment before glancing up to Katie.

"This isn't the first time you know. Before you came back I believe. He's played the judge, jury and executioner." Ray replied with a shake of his head.

"Ray, right now, today, and for a long time since, Oliver has not killed anyone." Katie said taking a step forward. "I get how it looks, how the evidence looks, but I'm right here telling you that it's all a lie. A carefully planned, carefully orchestrated lie."

"If it's a lie, then it's too damn good." Ray said with a shake of his head. "Right now the evidence is too staggering to just ignore."

"Do you trust me, Ray?" Katie asked. "I mean we've signed this huge deal that's going to benefit the city, but for some reason you saw something in me, in my company that drew you in." Katie shook her head. "Do I or Felicity look like the type of people who consort with murderers?" Ray glanced over to Felicity who waited for him to answer.

"No, but whatever this started out as with Oliver, it's changed, and I just don't think either of you see that." Katie let out a sigh before glancing over to Felicity.

"What are you going to do now?" Felicity asked turning to the man.

"I'm going to honor the promise I made to this city and help them bring the Arrow to justice." Ray replied and Katie looked at him for a moment before turning and leaving his office.

"Ray, please just trust me and-"

"I did trust you Felicity." Ray said looking at the woman he feels he doesn't even know at at all. "And I thought that you were someone who could be a true partner; that you were someone that I could rely on in the mission, and in my life."

"I wanted that too, I still do." Felicity said but the man just shook his head before grabbing his brief case from his desk and heading for the door. "Ray!" he didn't stop or turn, before leaving Felicity there alone as tears filled her eyes.

The moment Katie stepped inside of her car, she closed her eyes dropping her head back against her seat.

"This can't be happening." she muttered. She couldn't believe how deep they were getting and now Oliver's name was connected to the Arrow once again. Suddenly the passenger door swung open and Katie turned to see the face of a man she didn't have the patience or the time for. "Just, why Martin?"

"He sent me for you." Martin replied as he closed the door.

"Tell him that he can go fuck himself." Katie replied. "Now get out of my car."

"He knows what Ra's is doing to Oliver." Martin says and Katie shakes her head. "He just wants to talk to you." Katie turns back to the man.

"Tell him it's too late for talking." Katie countered. "Now, get out of my car."

"I can't do that." Martin replies reaching up and putting on his seat belt. "This meeting wasn't optional."

"What are-" suddenly the engine started and Katie turned because she definitely wasn't the person who turned it on. "What's happening?" The car began moving, and Katie turned to Martin who didn't seem fazed at all.

"You know when that car salesman said this car was made for you." Martin replied turning to the woman. "He really wasn't kidding." Katie turned from him to her car that was now driving itself.

They drove for a while, leaving the tall buildings of the business district and now surrounding themselves by trees. Soon the car stopped and Katie glanced out of the window, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Of course he would want to meet me here." she muttered when she heard the audible sound of the doors unlocking. She looked over to Martin who already was stepping out of the car. She didn't move, and so the man bent down to face her.

"He's very stubborn, so just talk to him so we can all go home." Martin suggested and Katie shook her head before finally stepping out of the car. She looked around at the familiar park that she hadn't visited in what seemed like forever. When she found the trail, she walked along until she spotted the man sitting on the bench, looking out to the pond.

"You know the last time we were here together was the weekend after you came home from graduation." Jacob said with a smile as he tossed pieces of bread out to the ducks. "I remember telling you that you were finally going to get rid of the death trap of a car of yours and I was going to get you another."

"Hey, Jacob, long time no see." Katie said with obvious sarcasm. "So, how's death treating you?"

"Look, I know things are a little crazy right now, and I know what Ra's is doing, trying to push Oliver in a corner." the man turned to his daughter. "I know about the offer and-"

"How do you know about the offer?" Katie asked and Jacob was silent and Katie simply gave a nod. "So you're still spying on me?"

"I don't know what else to do, since you're refusing to talk to me."

"Well you refused to talk to me for six years, so how about you just do what I did and get over it." Katie replied before turning to leave.

"Why don't you just ask me already!" Jacob called and Katie stopped. "Just ask me why, and how and let me finally tell you the reasons." Katie turned back to the man, walking over to stand in front of him.

"The man I am going to marry is about to be implicated for murders he didn't commit. My uncle is the man who really is behind all of this, because he wants my fiance to take his place at the head of an organization whose purpose is to kill people." Katie shook her head. "I don't care why you did what you did Jacob. I don't need to know your reasons, because in the end they change nothing. In a moment that I can only describe as extreme desperation, I asked for your help and you said no-"

"You were asking for the impossible, Sunshine." Jacob replied turning away from the woman. "You know I expected this. It's why I waited so long. I didn't want to see that look in your eyes." he turned back to her and sighed. "That look right there."

"This look was inevitable, Jacob." she said and every time she said his name was like a kick to the gut. "Doesn't matter how long you waited." she stalked away from him and the man just couldn't let this happen.

"What would your mother want?!" he called knowing it was a very hypocritical thing to ask, especially after everything he's done. He turned and noticed that the question did however stop her from leaving.

"I had a dream about her, or at least I thought it was a dream." Katie spoke, still not turning to the man. "She told me that Ra's needed to die, and when I asked her how, she said I needed to talk to you." Katie shook her head before looking back to the man. "But it was just a dream. Look I'm leaving-"

"I knew this was going to happen." Jacob said standing to his feet and walking over to her. "Sweetheart, your mother, she was...she was extraordinary." a smile came to the man's lips. "She had these-" Katie's phone suddenly rang and she pulled it out to see Oliver's name and just like that nothing else mattered.

"I have to go." she muttered before turning and heading back to her car. Jacob stood on the sidewalk, watching as his daughter speed away.

"So, good talk?" Martin asked appearing at the man's side.

"Well she still hates me, but at least she didn't shoot me this time." Jacob replied with a sigh. Martin noticed the seriousness in the man's eyes and knew there was something else on his mind.

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't know." Jacob replied turning to Martin. "Keep eyes on her."

"Absolutely sir." Martin replied as Jacob walked to his car.

"Any word from Mr. and Mrs. Diggle?" Jacob asked as he stopped and turned back to the man.

"Waller continues to say that everything is under control."

"Well she better hope it does, because if anything happens to those two, I have no doubt there will be hell to pay for her and her little suicide squad."

When Katie arrived at the club, she pulled in the alley, where she didn't expect to see a certain annoying someone. The moment she stepped out of her car, he waved.

"Why are you here Richard?" Katie asked walking past the man who only followed her.

"Well diving into the mind of your dead mom was getting all sorts of crazy, so I turned on the television to see that you and your friends are in a whole world of shit right now." Richard said. "I figured I could help." Katie stopped and turned to the man.

"I don't want your help. Your kind of help only makes things worse." Katie said with a shake of her head before continuing to the door.

"You can't just leave the past in the past, can you?" Richard asked and Katie froze, because for some reason that question really ticked her off. "You wanted to get home, and now here you are. Why can't you let all of that shit go?"

"Why can't I let go of Ra's Al Ghul trying to make my life a living hell and you swooping in to save the day only to make it worse?" Katie asked turning to face the man. "You know it probably has something to do with that fact that Ra's Al Ghul is still making my life a living hell, and you're still that annoying jackass who thinks he can do anything. Richard go home, wherever that may be, and just leave me alone." And with that Katie finally walked inside the club stopping for a moment and letting out a heavy breath.

"That wasn't nice, young lady." a voice spoke and Katie lifted her head to see her mother sitting on a stool at the bar. "That young man wanted to help you and you just threw it back in his face."

"It's happening again, isn't it?" she muttered figuring that this craziness with Ra's and this fiasco with the Arrow was bringing back the hallucinations. She just shook her head and turned away. "Well there's no time for me to go crazy today."

Katie rushed down the basement, which seemed to be just as hostile as everywhere else.

"Look, he's probably on his way to the precinct right now." Felicity said with tears, as she stood in front of Oliver. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing." Katie spoke as she continued down the stairs and they turned to her. "The images no matter how good they are isn't enough to get Oliver hauled away to jail." she glanced over to the man as she walked over. "But Ray is also very adamant that he brings you to justice, so he's not going to quit. We're going to have to prove to Ray that this really is a setup."

"And how do we do that?" Roy asked and Katie sighed as she looked over to Oliver.

"You're going to talk to him. Do that whole thing with your eyes bit, I don't know, but let him see the honesty in your eyes." Katie said.

"And if that doesn't work?" Oliver asked and Katie shook her head.

"If that doesn't work we think of something else." Katie replied before walking over to Felicity who was still trying to keep it together.

"I'm sorry, I know I should've told you guys, but I really did think the suit was just a hobby for him. Something for him to work on. I didn't think he'd get it up and running and I definitely didn't expect the first person he'd try to use it on would be Oliver." Felicity said and Katie placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Right now, Ray Palmer and his super suit aren't our biggest problem. Ra's and his league of merry men are still trying to turn all of Starling against the Arrow. There's going to be another attack somewhere, another opportunity for them. Just see what you can find." Felicity simply nodded before sitting down at her computer. Katie looked over to Roy simply nodded.

"Ear to the street, way ahead of you." Roy said before grabbing his jacket and heading for the door.

Katie turned to Oliver who seemed to be watching her closely. He grabbed her arm and pulled her across the lair.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I'm like stepping on your toes. I know you're still in charge and all-"

"Where have you been?" Oliver asked interrupting the woman. Katie let out a sigh before turning away. "Twinkie, what's going on?"

"It's nothing. Martin just popped into my car when I was leaving Palmer Tech, said my father wanted to have a little chat." Katie said turning to the man. "I refused, but it would seem a refusal just isn't an option. Look it doesn't matter, Jacob Robins isn't a problem right now. Ray could be, and you need to talk to him."

"Maybe I should call Bruce to have a little talk with him." Oliver muttered and Katie lightly slapped his shoulder. "It was just a joke."

"I know, but if Bruce finds out about Ray and his flying metal suit, then Ray Palmer may be in a whole world of trouble." Katie says with a shake of her head before glancing over to Felicity. "He wanted her to have a nice normal life without the craziness of a hero. He's not gonna like this at all." Katie ran a hand across her forehead, as she let out a heavy sigh.

"Are you alright?"

"Just a headache, but I'm fine." she said turning back to the man. "We're now trying to prove Oliver Queen's innocence, so that means that's where our focus goes." she placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm fine."

"Twinkie, when you stop being fine, I need you to tell me, ok?" Oliver said and Katie looked at him for a moment and simply gave a nod.

"Of course." she replied as he brought his lips to hers. "Now go." Oliver simply gave nod before grabbing his jacket and leaving. Katie stood there for a moment, unsure what she should be doing. Everyone had their parts in all of this, and yet she had no idea what she should be doing. That's what she hated in this moment, the lack of control with this situation. Katie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before taking out her cell phone and dialing a number she didn't even think she would ever call. When she brought the phone to her ear, she actually hoped no one answer.

"Hello?" the voice answered.

Katie sighed, because her hopes were tarnished. She glanced over to Felicity before turning and taking a couple steps away.

"Hey, it's your favorite patient." Katie joked nervously.

"You know I'd have to actually see you, for you to be my patient." Dr. Nick Adams greeted dryly. "I'm actually surprised to be getting this call. After David-"

"That's not why I called." Katie said interrupting the man. "Look that group you sent me to, it kind of helped. Talking to people and just letting some of the stuff I hold onto out, I don't know lifted a weight I guess."

"You want the location of another meeting."

"Yeah, if it's not too much trouble." Katie said. "And the sooner the better."

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, just the day, hell the past couple of days have been getting to me, and I just need to get out of it for a while." Katie replied. The line went silent, and Katie wasn't sure if the man was still there until the the man once again spoke.

"You got a pen."

Felicity Smoak was determined to fix a problem she felt she only made worse. She was searching all incoming and outgoing calls that could possibly lead to another league. The woman nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand touched her shoulder. She was so focused that she forgot that there was anyone else around.

"Hey, Smoak, sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to let you know that I needed to head out for a little while." Katie said.

"Ok, where are you off to?" Felicity asked and Katie placed a small piece of paper on the desk beside her. "What is this?"

"It's nothing dangerous, I just need to go there." Katie said and Felicity looked up in confusion. "I know I'm being vague, but the truth is you can search the address when I leave. I'm just not-" Katie shook her head. She glanced down to her watch. "I'm already late, but if Oliver beats me back here, let him know that I'm at this address, and that I'm safe. But in the event that my word isn't enough for him, tell him he's free to stop by." Felicity was sure she was not going to get anymore information from the woman, and so she gave a nod. "Thanks, Smoaks." with that the doctor turned to leave the blonde to her work.

Once she was gone, Felicity glanced down to the address telling herself to just give Katie her privacy, and yet in the middle of their shit storm the mysteriousness of it all was just too much. So with the quick dancing of her fingers against the keys, information appeared on her screen. Felicity glance at the screen in confusion.

"Starling Rec Center?" the woman muttered.

Oliver wasn't sure this was a good idea. He barely knew Ray Palmer, barely knew the man. His only connection to him was the work he was doing with Katie. She trusted him enough to go on this merger together, and his Twinkie was a very good judge of character. So Oliver rode the elevator of Palmer Tech hoping to try to get through to the man.

The moment he stepped off of the elevator, Oliver was starting to think this was a bad idea. His limited perception of Ray Palmer wasn't the best. And now finding about this super suit just made it even worse. But Laurel called him, told him about the visit with Ray and he knew that there was some serious damage control that needed to be done. Oliver walked into the large lab, finding Ray sitting at his desk. The scientist looked up the moment he heard Oliver's impending footsteps, and the look on his face was undeniable detest.

"Arrow." Ray greeted dryly.

"Super suit." Oliver countered getting all their cards on the table.

"I prefer "The Atom."" Ray said standing to his feet. Knowing the truth about the man standing in front of him, now put him on the defensive, and he refused to be caught off guard if this little meeting went in a different direction. "You know, I have to admit, I was a little surprised to find you on my calendar this morning. Find the place all right?"

"Laurel Lance called me." Oliver informed the man, who simply shook his head.

"Yeah, the Black Canary." Ray replied letting the man know he knew it all. "She tried to shut me up, but it's not going to work."

"I didn't kill those people." Oliver insisted and Ray once again shook his head.

"Yeah, that's what Katie said, what Felicity insisted as well." Ray said still watching the man closely. "An impersonator, right?" he actually chuckles as he mocks the story. "I hate when that happens."

"It's the truth." Oliver replied firmly.

"You know what has me dumbfounded, is how I deep I got with Katie." Ray sighed. "I mean when it comes to this company and the people I bring in, I've always had an eye for the people I really thought were good." Ray glanced over to Oliver. "And yet she's dating a murderer and I didn't see it."

"Ray-"

"Five years on a deserted island. That kind of thing changes you, doesn't it? Must have been difficult, if not impossible to hold on to your sanity all those years." Ray said and Oliver had to bite his tongue. His years on the island was not a topic he wanted to have with the man he barely knew. "And now here you are, pretending you have everything in control."

"Katie told you the truth. And you should trust her judgment."

"How can I do that?" Ray asked. "I know your story. The Twinkie and Liver story that spans decades. She's blinded by love and I figure that love would follow you anywhere, believe anything you said." Ray shook his head as he continued. "She's not seeing you for what you really are."

"You have no idea what this city is up against." Oliver countered firmly before turning to leave.

"Actually, I think I do, and I'm going to stop him!" Ray called after the man.

When Oliver returned back to the lair, he was still fuming. He hated having to defend his innocence to so many people, especially after all the good he has done for this city. He's sure that was the point of all of this. Ra's wanted him to see how quickly everything could get turned around on him, how quickly this city could turn on him and how accepting his offer was the logical thing to do. Oliver refused to let the demon win this, refused to let him ruin his life, and the life he one day wanted. He refused to let Ra's steal the happily ever after he planned on having with Katie.

Oliver stopped his bike behind the club, unsure why he was seeing the unwelcome face of Richard Grayson pacing back and forth with a book in his hand. The moment Oliver walked over, Richard looked over with a smile.

"Hey, question." Richard said choosing not to explain why he was here. "Has my sugar bear had any weird dreams, about a weird little statue?" The question was too bizarre that Oliver wasn't even sure if the man was joking or not.

"What the hell are you doing here, and who the hell is a sugar bear?" Oliver asked and when Richard opened his mouth to reply. "Actually, I don't care. I don't have time for whatever this is, just go home." Oliver turned and headed for the club.

"Dude, you're in some serious shit!" Richard called after the man and Oliver stopped and turned in annoyance. "I know you may not know me very well, but I'm very good at getting out of tough situations."

"You mean like being sent to another city because your identity may have been compromised?" Oliver asks.

"Despite what any of you believe, my identity wasn't compromised." Richard replied sliding the journal into his bag and walking over to the man. "There was this string of robberies. They were hitting every jewelry store in Gotham. Getting away with millions in jewelry, until I saw something no one else did." Richard chuckled as he remembered. He'd racked his brain trying to identify these guys, try to anticipate their next hit and then it hit him. "Every witness testimony says there was this fishy smell left behind, so the cops searched all the marinas, searched all the canneries, but they came up with nothing."

"But you did?"

"Don't sound so surprised." Richard said with a shake of his head. "I mean I was stuck too and then I remembered something. The Chinese district-" Richard smiled to himself. "There were these blocks with fresh food stands that held nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables and guess what else?" he looked over to Oliver who folded his arms over his chest. "They had a whole block with just seafood. I once dated a girl who lived in the area and I didn't remember her name, but I remembered that horrid smell."

"So what did you do?"

"Went to the neighborhood, questioned some locals, got a name. That name led me to local security agency that serviced the jewelry stores in the area." Richard threw up a fist in the air. "One bad blind date helped me take down one to the most notorious robbery theives in Gotham. And I did it all on my own." he suddenly shrugged. "Well maybe a little help from Alfred, but I did most of the heavy lifting."

"Then why does Bruce think you were compromised?"

"There was a tracker on my bike, but I found it before I made it back to the mansion, but he overreacted." Richard replied with a shake of his head. "The truth was, Bruce knew I was good, knew that I could do this hero stuff and he just couldn't take it. I don't know if you know this, but he's pompous, kind of an asshole, and isn't the team player type. He made me come here because he couldn't take not being the only hero in Gotham."

"Why would that be a bad thing?"

"Because if you tell yourself that you can't get the girl and the happy ending because your city needs you, and then you find out your city really doesn't need you, it makes you questions those decisions you thought you needed to make." Richard said letting out a deep sigh. "Look I'm bored, and you could use some help, I could be it."

"Fine, you can help if you tell me how you know Katie." Oliver said and Richard groaned in annoyance.

"Not this again. Why don't you just ask her."

"Because I'm asking you." Oliver replied firmly. "I mean she hates you and yet she doesn't hate you. How does that happen?"

"Look what I can tell you is that I did something stupid." Richard said with a shake of his head. "Really stupid, and it had some very bad consequences, mostly for her." the man turned back to Oliver who still waited for more details. "So yeah she kind of hates me, but she knows my heart was in the right place and so she tolerates my presence. Seriously, if she hasn't told you, I can't say anything. I don't need any more reason for that woman to try to shoot me." Richard watched the man for a while, waiting for him to say something.

"No." Oliver replied simply before turning and heading for the club.

"Seriously, just no!" Richard called after him. "Why?" Oliver stopped and stormed back over to the man.

"Because at the moment, my life and everything I've worked for is going down the drain. My friends, Katie, their lives and their professional careers are at risk because of me." Oliver said. "I don't need to pull more people into my shit. So go home, read those journals until Bruce calls you and tells you to go back to Gotham. If you know what's good for you, you'll stay as far away from me as possible." with that Oliver finally turned around and walked inside of the club.

The first person Oliver saw was Felicity sitting behind her computer, right where he left her. He began walking over to her to see if she'd had any luck with another possible league hit. Oliver stopped halfway toward the woman, before looking around the basement.

"She's gone." Felicity spoke, answering the question before the man could even ask. She spun her chair face him, noticing the concerned look on his face. "Don't worry, she hasn't snuck away to Nanda Parbat." Felicity grabbed the sheet of paper Katie had given her before holding it out to Oliver. The man looked down to the unfamiliar address before looking back to Felicity. "Starling Recrecreational Center. It's a couple of blocks from here I believe."

"Why is she at a Rec center?"

"I asked the same thing until I did a little search." Felicity replied spinning around her chair and grabbing a flyer she'd printed a few moments earlier. She looked down to it before giving it to Oliver who only read a few words before turning to leave. "Oliver, wait!" Oliver stopped, letting out an annoyed breath before turning back to the woman. "She gave me the address for you, so you would know where she was, not so you would go after her. I think she would've invited you with her if she wanted you there." Oliver simply stared for a moment, and Felicity sighed. "You're still going, aren't you?" The man didn't answer before turning and heading back up the stairs.

When the idea of group counseling came up, Katie thought it was crazy. A bunch of people sitting around talking about their problems just didn't even sound like it helped. And yet some how, someway it did. Somehow listening to people going through the same emotional roller coaster, actually relieved her. Because these people who she sat along with were still here, still surviving, and that sort of gave her hope for herself.

As she assumed, she was late and so when she appeared in the dusty rec gym, all eyes went to her. She apologized, and silently got herself seated and just listened.

"Look guys, I know it's hard to imagine someone else who has these same emotions, and these same thoughts, but we're sitting in a room with those people." Katie's eyes lifted to the group counselor. She was a plump, young woman with red curly hair. "And we're waking up each day, taking a breath and making a vow that this day won't be the one to defeat us." everyone silently nodded and the woman smiled. "Alright, I think that covers our session-"

"Uh-" a man shot up his hand, and Katie turned and was surprised that she actually recognized the man. She didn't know his real name, but Slim Shady wasn't someone she would easily forget."Sorry, but I get the feeling the elephant in the room might want the floor." he looked over to Katie who stared at him in confusion.

"Did you just call me an elephant?"

"Ms-" the counselor spoke and Katie turned with wide eyes. She now noticed that once again all eyes were on her.

"Call me Rob." Katie said with a chuckle, and the fact that the sentence came out of her mouth almost made her want to cry. She turned away, a slight flash of a happy moment with David came to her and she doesn't know why. She turned back to the group. "He's right I would like to share if it's not a problem."

"Absolutely not." the woman replied. "Open ears and open hearts is the motto of this group." Katie gave a small smile before glancing around the room, meeting each pair of eyes on her.

"You know I've been sitting here listening to your stories, and how hard it is to wake up sometimes and how hard it is to talk to love ones about what you're feeling." Katie dropped her eyes to her hand, smiling slightly at the diamond ring on her finger. She glances back up to the group. "This is the second meeting I've been to, and I hear these stories, but I still haven't found that solution, you know? That grand answer that solves all of our problems." she felt a tear fall down her cheek and she quickly wiped with away. "And I'm starting to realize there isn't some quick fix which I hate. Because I can feel it." she placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. "Something inside of me was broken-" she looked back up to the group. "Still is and I don't know why." she paused for a moment, because these words were buried so deep inside of her that she wasn't even sure they should come out. She looked at their eyes once again, glad there wasn't judgement when they looked back at her. "I'm a doctor. My mother was a doctor, and I wanted to be like her, I wanted to heal the sick, raise the dead and all that other bull shit they fill your head with in medical school." she chuckled dryly, another tear suprising her and she once again dried it away. "Long story short, my dad went into a coma, and to make him proud of me I took a job with doctor's without boarders. I was in over my head, I went to a warring country and thought I'd be some kind of superhero doctor or something." she shook her head as she really thinks about it. "There was this kid, he got caught in enemy fire, his name was Ahmed-" a ghost of a smile came to her lips. "He enjoyed playing soccer, and helping his father around their farm. He was eight-" she shook her head, because there was no face more clearer than that young boys. "Somehow he ended up in front of me, looking to me to save his life." she glanced back up to them. "And I didn't know what to do. I was panicking, my partner was no where to be found, I had no medical supplies, and the only thing keeping this child alive was my hand on his wound slowing down the bleed."

"What happened?" a young woman asked and Katie glanced over to her with a sad smile.

"Extremists." Katie said, choosing the truth she believed at the time over the truth she learned after. "They burst into the hospital. There was yelling and crying and all I wanted to do was make sure Ahmed got to play soccer one more time." she once again dropped her eyes to her ring. "They grabbed me, well all of us, took us, put us in a car and then in a hole and that's when I started to feel it happening. That moment I saw the life leave Ahmed's eyes, that's the moment I could feel my self breaking." Katie shook her head, when another tear found her cheek, and this time she didn't wipe it away.

"Well Rob." the counselor spoke and Katie lifted her eyes to the woman. "There's this misconception that the hardest part of PTSD is dealing with the day to day stresses of the world while dealing with the demons on the inside." the woman turned looking around to the group, "The truth is that what she just did, admitting that there was something wrong, identifying it, and looking at it right in the face is the hardest thing that any of us can ever do." she turned back to Katie with a smile. "I think you just found the beginning of a solution." Katie gave the woman a nod. "Alright everyone, I look forward to seeing all of you at our next meeting, and remember each day isn't a battle, isn't this thing that needs to be conquered. All of you made it out of your battle, you're free." she turned back to Katie. "You're free."

And soon the meeting was over, and yet Katie hadn't moved from her chair. The words the counselor had just spoken kept playing over and over in her head. Was she free? She didn't feel free, not when the same hell she was trapped in so long ago was right on her heels.

"Tip of the iceberg." a voice spoke beside her, and she turned to see her friend from the previous meeting, the name tag "Cher" placed on his chest. "Your story. I just feel as if it was just the tip of the iceberg."

"You're meddling." Katie said and the man simply held up his hand in surrender before standing to his feet and walking away. Katie glanced down to her watch, and suddenly reality slipped back in. There was no time to slip away, not when Oliver's life was in the balance. And so she stood to her feet and rushed out the double doors of the gym, bumping into someone in the process.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't-" she glanced up and surprised to see the familiar green eyes looking back to her. "What are you doing here?" Oliver opened his mouth to speak, and Katie interrupted. "How long have you been here?" the man closed his mouth and sighed and Katie dropped her eyes from his. "So you heard what I said."

"I did, I just don't understand why you're more comfortable bearing your soul to a room full of strangers over the man you're going to spend the rest of your life with." Oliver said and Katie just shook her head.

"We're not talking about this here." Katie spoke glancing over to the people who were leaving the gym and glancing over to them as they do. Oliver followed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before turning back to the woman who suddenly moved around him and headed for the front door. He let out a low growl before turning to follow behind her. She went for her car, and attempted to open the door, but Oliver was quick behind her and closed it quickly. Katie let out a loud breath through her nose before turning to the man now trapping her against her car. Her eyes stayed on his chest, not needing to see the intensity or questions in his eyes. "Oliver I'm fine."

"Yeah, you said that before." Oliver replied before gently lifting her chin so she would meet his eyes. "And yet we're here. If you were feeling overwhelmed or-"

"You're going to tell me that I should've talked to you." Katie interrupted with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, I was."

"And at what point was that conversation supposed to happen?" Katie asked turning to meet his eyes. "Was it this morning when you were still trying to play the hero and not let me know that we were deeper in the league's shit then I knew?" she turned away, and let out a dry chuckle. "It probably was at the wedding that should've just been about John and Lyla. " she turned back to the man. "Or maybe I should've brought it up when we found out that the league was murdering people and blaming it on you, making you a wanted man." his eyes bore into hers and she couldn't take it, and so she once again dropped her eyes to his chest.

"Yes." Oliver said suddenly.

"Yes, what?" she asked in confusion as she looked back up to him.

"You should've told me this morning, or at the wedding. I wouldn't have cared if you told me after we found out that the league is trying to destroy me and that now I'm a wanted man." Oliver said before placing his hands on her waist, and moving in closer removing the small distance between. "You're more important to me then all of it." Katie's eyes stared up to his eyes, as she slid her hands to his chest.

"Let's just go." she said suddenly. "Lets just pack up our things and go."

"Twinkie-"

"No, just-" Katie dropped her head to Oliver's chest, the sound of his heart right underneath her ear. "He's not gonna stop. He wants to make you regret rejecting him, and he sees that as making this city hate you." she pulled back and looked up to his eyes. "You want me to tell you what's wrong, well I can see it. There's this time clock over your head telling me that at some point you're gonna get taken away from me."

"Twinkie, I promise I won't let that happen." Oliver declared and Katie looked at him for a moment, wanting so badly to believe it, but the twisting in her stomach just wouldn't go away. She knew this entire situation was only going to get worse before it got better. The man dropped his lips to meet hers, as if to solidify the promise. After a moment, Oliver pulled back, his forehead resting against Katie's. "You know what, I've have a bad day and I think I need to take a step away." Katie pulled away and looked up to him in a confusion. "Just an hour or two."

"Oliver, we can't-" Oliver took her words with another kiss and after that all hesitation went out the window.

When they arrived back to the loft, they practically tripped inside, as they tried to navigate while never parting their lips. With a kick of his foot, Oliver closed the door behind them before pulling off his jacket. The pair trekked back to the bedroom clumsily stripping off their clothes.

They didn't know what time it was, or what was happening outside of the room they were in. At the moment Oliver and Katie had created their own world that only consisted of them and this bed. They'd fallen asleep, when Oliver heard the unexpected sound of his phone vibrating from somewhere in the room. He lazily opened his eyes and glanced down to the woman nuzzled against his chest who didn't even stir at the sound. Oliver dropped a hand to the side of the bed where he hoped his pants were. The moment his hand felt the pants, he quickly slid a hand in the pocket and pulled out the phone before stopping the sound. His eyes looked at the screen and sighed at the sight of Felicity's name. He suddenly remembered the world outside of these walls, and the fact that he was being hunted.

The man gently pulled himself from the woman's grasp, grabbing his pants as he stealthily crept out the door. He slipped on his pants before heading for the balcony and calling Felicity back.

"Is everything alright?" were the first words from the woman. "You guys never came back and I thought-"

"Felicity, we're fine. We just needed-" Oliver sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "We needed to take a step back for a moment."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just—"

"Felicity what is it?"

"911 call, suspected gang activity at Meltzer Power Plant." Felicity replied. "Look maybe it's nothing, maybe-"

"This could be Maseo's next target." Oliver replied as he glanced up to the stars. "Call Roy, tell him to suit up and meet me at the power plant."

"Alright." Felicity said before ending the call.

Oliver stood there for a moment, before taking in a deep breath and walking back inside the loft. He didn't expect to see Katie standing there wrapped in only a sheet.

"What's going on?" she asked and the last thing Oliver wanted to do right now was tell her the truth, but he knew he had to. He knew that trying to protect her from this would only hurt their relationship.

"That was Felicity, a call came into the SCPD about possible gang activity at the Meltzer Power Plant." Oliver said and he watched as Katie turned and headed back for the bedroom. "Twinkie-"

"This is where Maseo and his league flunkies are gonna hit, we should head over and-"

"No." Oliver said and Katie stopped. She didn't turn to him for a moment, but she knew she had to. "Twinkie-"

"I told you I'm fine, Today was just-"

"Today was you admitting to yourself that this was really getting to you."

"Of course it's getting to me. This is you, they're threatening you, and they're making our lives impossible." Oliver brought his hands around the woman's waist, pulling her closer.

"I made you a promise."

"Oliver, I know-"

"I made you a promise that nothing in this world will stop me from keeping." the man said before dropping his lips to hers.

Those were his last words, before Katie watched him slip on the rest of his clothes and rush out the door. She dropped to sit on the bed, her eyes closing hoping some sort of groundbreaking epiphany, but all she got were sudden moments of a time she wished would just die.

There was a dank odor in the air that should've made her sick, and yet it didn't. Katie had gotten used to the random smells, and the sight of rats and bugs that used to make her cringe. Days were passing, and yet no one had come to explain to her what was happening. Her only contact came in the form of the man she's sure one day she will murder, Captain Griggs. The man showed up maybe two or three times a day to deliver what he told her was food, but it always resembled everything but.

At the moment she found herself pacing back and forth through the small room she'd been forced to stay. It was just last night that she finally admitted to herself that this was probably the place she was going to die. She suddenly heard the sound of someone at her door and she stopped and turned.

"Hey there sweetness." came the voice of her biggest annoyance. "It would seem you have a visitor."

"Who?" Katie asked, wondering who even knew she was here.

"Someone who wants to ask a few questions about your terrorist brethren probably. Step back, place your palms on the wall and if you as so much deviate from either of those orders, we're gonna have some fun." Griggs ordered. Katie glared before stepping back and turning to place her hands on the wall. Soon she heard the sound of the door opening before her arms were forced down and cuffs were placed around her wrists and ankles. She was turned and her back shoved to the wall before looking over to the captain. "Now we're gonna go on a little trip. You do everything I say and I won't be forced to ruin that pretty face of yours, got it?" Katie just gave a nod before being pushed into the hallway. Her eyes glanced over to the armed guards that surrounded her, Griggs following close behind.

Soon they appeared outside of a door, and Katie stopped and waited as one of the guards walked forward and pushed it open. "Inside, sweetness." Katie cringed at the name, before stumbling inside.

There was a man inside, sitting, his eyes on a file in front of him. He didn't even spare her a glance. The door closed behind her, and Katie was unsure what to do.

"You can sit." the man spoke, his voice very rough, still not even lifting his head to her. She watched him for a moment, unable to shake the familiarity she felt when she looked at him. "I usually don't ask questions twice." Katie let out a sigh, before walking over and taking the seat opposite the man. In the light she was able to get a good look at him. His features were both hard, but soft as well. Especially around the eyes. His hair cut gave him away as military, and his hands were rough, callus as he flipped through the pages of the file in front of him. "So, doctor, tell me, why are you here?" for the first time since she entered the room, the man lifted his pale blue eyes.

"I'm not a terrorist." Katie answered, finding that someone needed to believe those words. "I'm just a doctor who got taken, and then I thought I was finally safe and-"

"Doctor." the man interrupted and Katie closed her mouth.

"You're the first person to call me doctor around here." Katie said with a slight chuckle. "I mean this all started because I wanted to make a difference, save lives and now-" she turned back to the man, finding that there was just something about him. "I'm sorry, have we met?" for some reason the question made him smile. "We have, haven't we?" she titled her head, trying to rack her memory.

"Doctor, please shut up." the man said before slipping the file that was in front of him, to rest in front of her. With confusion, Katie dropped her eyes for a moment before looking back up to the man.

"You're ARGUS."

"No, I'm a soldier, doctor." the man replied before closing the file and slipping it back into his bag. "So I have a question." he lifted his eyes back to her. "How the hell did you get here?" Katie stared at him for a moment before a light bulb suddenly went off over her head.

"Richard Flag!" Katie said suddenly and the man sat back in his seat, and folded his arms over his chest. "I saw a picture of you, my father said you were a soldier he met with when he was traveling for business. Said you were good, admirable even."

"You remember me from a picture you saw once."

"I thought you were cute." Katie sighed as she sat back in her chair. "But it turns out you're just another one of my father's friends who've turned against him and are part of this plan to kidnap his daughter."

"Is that what you think?" the man asked with a quirked brow.

The pair simply sat there in silence, staring at each other as if trying to answer a question only they knew.

"You're here to get me out of here." Katie said breaking their silence.

"I am." Rick replied with a nod.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"

Rick smiled before pulling his phone to his ear and waiting for a few moments. He glanced over to the door before turning to Katie.

"I have the asset." he spoke as Katie watched him. "Alright." he ended the call before standing to his feet. "Stand up." Katie sat there unsure for a moment, but stood anyway. The man pulled a key from his pocket that he used to unlock the cuffs around her wrists and ankles.

"What is this? They're not just going to let me walk out of here." Katie replied as she rubbed her sore wrists.

"Well it's a good thing that in the next thirty seconds, no one is even going to be thinking about you." Rick replied as he grabbed his bag and pulled it over his shoulder. He reached inside and pulled out a baseball cap and handed it to the woman. "Put that on." Katie took the hat and slipped it onto her head.

"What's happening in-" before the question could even get asked, siren blared from the speakers around them. They suddenly heard the sound of gunfire outside the door, and without hesitation Rick walked out. Katie didn't move, unsure if she should. When he noticed the unmoving woman, he turned and glanced back to her with a quirked brow. "That rescue mission you've been waiting for, well this is it."

"What is Waller playing at?" Katie asked. "She sent Grayson who had no idea what the hell he was doing, and that got me here. This makes no sense."

"You're right it doesn't." Rick said walking back over to stand in front of her, towering over her small frame easily. "Maybe that was the point." with that the man turned and stalked out of the room leaving Katie with those words.

"This was a test." Katie muttered to herself with a slight shake of her head. "I'm going to kill that bitch." without another word, Katie stalked out of that room in search for the exit.

Richard Grayson was nervous. He currently sat at the kitchen table of Katie's loft, the woman sitting just across from him staring down to a cup of coffee. The strange part was, he was actually invited.

"Is this some sick and twisted murder plot." the man said and Katie lifted her eyes to him. "Because someone always knows where I am." Katie stared at him, her blank expression really freaking him out. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"As much as I would really like to not have to do this, I feel that I have to." Katie said. "I need your help."

"You know I knew sooner or later you would see the light. So what's my play, ear to the street, track these league guys?" Richard asked excitedly. "I can leave asap, I just have to grab my suit and-"

"Richard-" Katie started before reaching behind her and pulling out an envelope and placing it on the table. In confusion, Richard grabbed the envelope, peeling it open his eyes going wide at the wad of cash stuffed inside. "I need multiple doctored Ids, passports, birth certificates for both me and Oliver."

"It's gotten this bad?" Richard asked and a sudden tear fell down Katie's cheek. One she quickly wiped away.

"At the moment, we're fine." she replied turning back to the man with a shrug. "This is going to get bad, and I have a feeling it's going to happen very quickly and we're going to need a contingency plan." Richard glanced back down to the cash. "If this isn't enough, I have more."

"Why are you asking me-" he lifted his eyes to her and sighed. "Let me guess, Bruce regaled you of tales of my criminal record." Katie simply nodded. "Then I figure he also told you that if he even got wind that I fell back into that life, then he'd kick my ass and turn his back on me "

"I know what I'm asking Richard, and I know it's unfair of me to even ask it, but I need this. If Bruce finds out, I'll explain the situation, but I need this. Can you do it?" Katie asked and the man looked back down to the cash.

"Unfortunately I can." the man said looking back over to the woman. "And unfortunately I owe you one." he grabbed the envelope and slipped inside his jacket pocket. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you." the man headed out of the kitchen when Katie suddenly stood to her feet.

"It wasn't your fault!" Katie called and the man stopped at the door and turned back to him. "You were apart of a bigger plan. One where your failure to help me was actually what they wanted to happen."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know your heart was in the right place and I know you really wanted to help Bruce's friend, but it was never going to happen. I don't blame you."

"I'm confused." the man said with a shake of his head.

"I know, but I don't have time to explain it to you." Katie replied and the man simply nodded before turning and heading out the door.

"You're gonna run." a voice spoke from behind her, and Katie turned to see her mother sitting on her couch. "It won't work." she glanced over to her daughter who stood frozen. "You should know that better than anyone."

"Says the woman who killed herself." Katie scoffed with a shake of her head. "You ran away from everything." Katie turned heading for her bedroom, but stopped because there she was. Just sitting on her bed. "What do you want from me?!"

"Stop running." Grace spoke with a smile. "When you run away, you never get far."

"Ra's-"

"You know you tell yourself that it's him, that he's the monster that you have to run and hide from, but you've forgotten something."

"Forgotten what?"

"You're not afraid of the demon." Grace stated. "You are my daughter, and no daughter of mine will run from that bastard. You're gonna fight while you still can."

Katie had questions, but none of them could be asked because suddenly there was a knock at her door. Katie glanced over to her door for just a second, and when she turned back her mother was gone. Katie wasn't sure why the hallucinations were starting again, but she really didn't need them right now. With a shake of her head, Katie walked over to the door, peeking through the peep hole and instantly letting out a sigh of relief before pulling the door open with a smile.

"Why are you knocking?" Katie asked her fiance.

"I forgot my keys." Oliver replied bringing his arms around the woman. She noticed the scrapes on his cheek and lifted her hand to look them over. "I'm fine. The call was a false alarm."

"Seriously?"

"Apparently a trap set by Ray." Oliver said as they walked inside.

"Of course it was." Katie sighed before disappearing down the hall to the bedroom. "He's alive right?!"

"He is, and I think the whole not killing him actually proved to him that I'm not some cold blooded killer." Oliver said as he pulled off his jacket, groaning at his sore muscles. "So that's one more ally I guess." the man headed to the bedroom, just as Katie stepped from the bathroom with a first aid kit. "It's a scrape."

"And I'm a doctor." Katie replied walking over and pushing the man down to sit on the bed in front of her. "I'm like biologically incapable of being around blood and not doing anything about it." Oliver's eyes stared up to the woman, who intently looked over the scrape on his cheek.

"Exactly how much longer were you gonna give me before you came to the power plant?" Oliver asked and a smile came to Katie's lips as she cleaned the scrape.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." she replied and Oliver chuckled.

Yes, everything was not fine.

And sure, it was a lie.

But right now Oliver was content with spending the rest of this night in this room, with this woman who he can't wait to call his wife.

---

Author's note :

So sorry for the wait, but I was actually typing a couple of chapters of this story.

Review Replies

rockyroyal,dr: I'm so glad you like this chapter, and I really like showing the changing dynamics of their relationships. That scene between Katie and Thea was fun to write, because this was a different situation for them. They were on two sides of a clearly drawn line and to see the backlash was interesting. Roy is always fun to write, especially with Katie. I try to paint that kind of brother/sister relationship with the two so him knowing her looks just made sense. I love those moments between Oliver and John too. They truly are brothers I feel. The Ra's decision is something we are going to learn more about because yes Oliver surviving his sword was a big part of the decision, but there was something else. Something we're going to see in late chapters.

Once again, thanks to all who have had the patience with this story. I know it's frustrating when stories don't update on a schedule, and I try my best to crank out updates when I can. So once again thanks for sticking this out with me. I believe there are probably only about four or five chapters left of this story. So stay on this journey with me, because you won't believe how it all ends.

"Hello Nura." The moment the name came out of his mouth, her slow, cautious steps turned into a brisk walk. Oliver tried to catch her arm, before she got too close, but she maneuvered out of his touch, placing herself directly in front of the demon. "What did I teach you about every action?" his eyes bore into hers, hating the sight of his sister in them, but he refused to show even a glimmer of the effect.

"Every action has a reaction." Katie recited slipping her sais back into their holsters before she grabbed one of her glocks, shoving it underneath the man's chin. "Like now for instance. Out of all the ways you could die, was a bullet to the brain ever something you imagined?"

"Guardian!" Oliver called, but she didn't hear him.

"It's no use Oliver." Ra's said, the gun to his chin seeming to not have any effect at all. "You see your Guardian will always be my child." he once again met Katie's eyes. "I can see it in your eyes. That lust for blood, it's strong inside of you Nura."

"Nah, just lust for your blood." Katie said her finger on the trigger. It would only take a flick of her finger and he'd be gone.