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

23. The Road Not Taken

Chapter 23

The Road Not Taken

"One is sorry one could not have taken both branches of the road.

But we were not allotted multiple selves."

-Gore Vidal

---

Nura was not dead. Apparently she was sleeping, waiting for something to wake her up. It was the sight of a bloodied Thea Queen, lying on the floor of her loft that seemed to stir the darkness in Katie. She had no illusions about who the culprit could've been, no question at all. It was the League, and the fact that she was not on her way to kill as many of them as possible was perplexing to her.

There wasn't much Katie could do without any medical supplies at the loft, so they rushed Thea to the hospital. She was whisked away, leaving Oliver and Katie to wait. Oliver nervously paced the waiting room, the image of his sister permanently burned in his brain. Katie looked down to her hands, that no matter how much she scrubbed, seemed to still be a light shade of crimson.

The moment Christian stepped into the waiting room, Kate jumped to her feet and both she and Oliver rushed over to the man.

"We did the best we could under the circumstances, but her injuries were extensive." The doctor said, and Katie quickly took Oliver's hand in hers. "Even if she were to regain consciousness, we can prolong her life for as long as you wish. But... it might be best to consider other options." Christian held out a clipboard, that Oliver didn't even want to look at and so Katie grabbed it from the doctor.

"It too soon for this." she replied and Christian turned to her about to reply. "I know, but right now it's too soon." she turned to Oliver whose pain was in his eyes and it broke her heart.

"Can I see her?" Oliver asked looking up to the man.

"Of course." Christian replied.

"I, uh think I should wait out here." Katie said as Oliver began to follow behind Christian. "I want Christian to give me her full work up. I just want to be sure there's nothing left to do for her." Oliver looked at her for a moment, before turning to the doctor.

"Could you give us a minute?"

"Of course." Christian turned and walked over to a nearby nursing station to give the couple some privacy.

"Oliver, you should go see your sister." Katie began when they were finally alone. "I know right now you need to see her, so go."

"Fine, but I need you to be here when I come out." Oliver replied and Katie couldn't help but understand the underlining statement. "Just be here, with me, ok?"

"I'm with you." Katie leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Oliver lips. "Go." the man simply gives her a nod before going over to Dr. James. Katie watched as the doctor lead Oliver to the room, before glancing over to her and walking over.

"So the story about me giving you a full work up-"

"I know you've done all you can." Katie replied walking back over to sit. She dropped her head into her hands. "I'm just not ready to see her like that."

"How are you doing?" the doctor asked taking the seat beside the woman.

"Not lying in a hospital bed with a stab wound that's going to kill me." Katie sighed not even looking up to the man.

"No, but your boyfriend just spent some time being hunted by the SCPD, before finding himself in jail, while he and you have had your names dragged through the media." Christian said. "So no, you're not the one whose lying in hospital bed right now, but I'm still asking how you are doing. I know the stress can get bad and when it gets bad-"

"It's already gotten bad." replies Katie as she sits up to meet the man's eyes.

"The hallucinations-" Katie turns away because at this moment she really hates that she confided in him about the hallucinations. She knows he cares, but she doesn't like to let people see her weaknesses. "If you had to rate-"

"I'm not your patient, Christian." Katie says standing to her feet and walking over to the window to stare out to the city, still lit up this very dark evening. "And right now my problems are contained, they're controlled."

"Then why is your hand shaking?" Christian asked and Katie glanced down not even noticing her twitching hand. She quickly grabbed it with her other hand and lifted her eyes back to the city. Katie knew what was happening, and yet she was trying to control it. The wrong person's blood was on her hands right now, and each second that ticked away was a reminder of that. "You know I stopped trying to understand the strange life of Katherine Robins, with the billionaire friends who bribe hospitals to not hire her, or boyfriends who are accused of being vigilantes." the man stood to his feet and walked over to stand behind her. "You and I both know that if you're bottling this up that when it does come out, it could get bad for you and everyone around you."

"Well maybe no one will be around me when it does." Katie said turning to face the man, only to see another familiar face walking into the waiting area. The moment she sees him, she takes a step forward in front of Christian.

"Malcolm." she greets. It's the first time she's seen him since his attack at the loft. She didn't say anything when Oliver called him because she figured being Thea's father gave the man the right to at least know what was going on. And she should've figured he would come.

"Katherine." he says, not attempting to make any more movements. The man glances over to Christian. "Are you Thea's doctor?" Christian looks wide eyed at the man many still believed was dead. He glanced over to Katie who didn't even look surprised before turning back to the man.

"I am." he replies taking a step forward.

"Tell him what's going on with Thea, and then show him to her room." Katie says and Christian turns with a quirked brow. "Trust me." Christian simply nods before walking over to the man. She turns back to the window and glances back down to her hand. She felt his presence behind her and lifted her head. "You should really go see your daughter, Malcolm."

"You know this is it, don't you?" Malcolm asks and Katie closes her eyes and sighs. "In all the possible circumstances in which Ra's would get Oliver to accept his offer, this-"

"Go see your daughter, Malcolm." Katie says finally turning to the man. "That's why you're here, your sole purpose to be here right now. It's also the reason I don't kill you right now, so take this favor and go hold your daughter's hand and tell her how much you love her while you can." he wanted to say something else, but chose to simply nod and turn and walk down the hall to Thea's room.

Katie turned back to the window, and dropped her head against the cold glass. She could still feel Nura, itching to run to Nanda Parbat, to defend her family.

"This is not your fault."

The sound of her mother's voice in this moment almost broke Katie in two. The voice of the woman who both calmed her and reminded of her own insanity.

"No, it's yours." Katie muttered with a shake of her head. "You kept this from me. I could've stayed away, I could've kept my distance from all of them." Katie lifted her head and turned to the face of her insanity. "Now I have to end this." with that Katie turned and stalked down the hall toward the elevators. She repeatedly pressed the button, until the doors finally opened. She quickly stepped inside, glancing up to the hall one final time before the doors could close, one final chance to talk herself out of this. The doors began closing, and she didn't even attempt to stop them.

Oliver stood near the window, looking down to Malcolm who couldn't hold back his tears. He felt his own resolve crumbling, and he couldn't take it much longer.

"I'm going to give you a minute." Oliver muttered before hurrying out of the room. He headed straight for the waiting room, needing to see Katie, needing her to help put him back together. The moment he walked over and saw the empty seats, Oliver got nervous.

"Oliver-" the man turned to see Felicity and John rushing his way. "We came as soon as we could." the blonde threw her arms around him in a hug, before pulling back to see the sadness and anger in his eyes.

"What happened?" John asked and Oliver couldn't answer him. The truth just couldn't come out of his mouth. His sister was near death because he refused the offer of the demon. He glanced over to his friends, before turning and heading over to the window.

"Is she-" Felicity began, the sadness in the question too much to even finish.

"It's bad." Oliver replied when something suddenly struck him in the distance. "Smoke."

John and Felicity walked over to see the purple smoke in the distance.

"The League?" Felicity asked, glancing over to Oliver.

"Screw them, at least until we get our bearings." John suggested, but all Oliver saw was a message from the bastards who hurt his sister and there was no way he wasn't going to go there. He turned to Felicity and John.

"Stay here with Thea." and with that he rushed off toward the elevators.

John and Felicity watched as the man hurried into the elevator, and just like that he was gone. The pair shared a look, before looking back out toward the window.

"So Oliver's gone to face god knows what, and Katie's no where to be found." Felicity said turning back to John. "What do we do?" the man simply shrugged.

Katie knew where she had to start. She didn't like it, and yet that didn't stop her. She stood outside the gates to a secret facility, that held a secret government agency and she waited. It was Martin who walked out to meet her as the gates opened up. There wasn't a witty greeting, or usual unfunny joke to cut the normal tension between them.

"He's been waiting for you." was all Martin said before nudging a head toward the building. Katie followed wordlessly behind the man who respected the silence enough not to speak. She expected to be lead to his office, but instead they ended up in a large conference room with a wall of monitors all playing what looked like news feeds from around the world. "He should be here soon." Katie turned to the man with a nod before watching him turn and leave her there all alone.

Not knowing what else to do, Katie walked over to see what was playing on the screens. There was always something happening in the world, and Katie would never know it with the craziness that happened in her own city. One of the monitors showed an army base, soldiers seeming to be preparing for something. Her mind soon drifted to a forgotten memory.

Darkness surrounded her, as she followed behind someone she was almost one hundred percent sure was an enemy. Flagg was right about one thing. Everyone that passed them didn't even bat an eye in her direction. The man waved a badge, and they just continued running by.

"What the hell is happening?" Katie asked the man once they were once again alone.

"One of the cell blocks was hacked and a couple of inmates were released." the man said nonchalantly and Katie stared with wide eyes. He glanced back to her and sighed. "Don't worry, no one but you is leaving this prison tonight."

"And when they come looking for me?" she asked glancing over her shoulder.

"No one is coming for you." the man replied. "Technically speaking you're not even really here. You're the daughter of a prominent man. Having you here without formally having anything to accuse you of would destroy the people who would want to keep these doors open." they stopped when they reached an elevator. Once they stepped inside, the silence crept between the two.

"So this was a test." Katie thinks out loud. "Waller wanted to see if I would talk, which I didn't." she glances over to man. "So me going home was a lie."

"Not a lie. You're going home." Flagg replied looking down to his gun. "But it's not as easy as it seems."

"What the hell does that mean?" Katie asked when the doors suddenly opened, and there standing was a man wearing complete tactical gear and a mask that covered his face.

"You were supposed to wait outside." Flagg said pushing past the man off the elevator. "But I guess you're not good at taking orders." Katie stood there unsure if she should follow. Her eyes turned back to the masked man who still stared at her.

"Ok, I'm lost." she said when the man suddenly lifted the mask and her eyes went wide because it was the face of someone she thought she would never see again. "Bruce?"

"Hey Robins, we should get out of here." the man said holding out a hand to her, letting the mask fall back against his face.

"Sometimes you can't find the one thing you're looking for even when you have eyes everywhere." the voice of her father pulled her from her thoughts. "Look sweetheart-"

"I need a plane." Katie interrupted as she turned back to the man. He always wanted to have these drawn out conversations, but right now she just wanted to get to the point. "As soon as possible."

"You plan on going to Nanda Parbat alone?" he asked and she turned away back to the monitors. "Is that really the smart move?"

"Thea is in a hospital, fighting for her life. He sent someone there to gut her like a fish and they just left her there to die." Katie said turning back to the man. "I think it's time all that plotting and scheming to make me a killer pays off, don't you think? Now about that plane?"

"You think all of this was about making you a killer?" Jacob asked walking over to his daughter who rolled her eyes. "You know if you want to know the truth, all you have to do is ask."

"You know I would, if the answers mattered to me. The decisions of the past do not change the results that they created." Katie replied pointing to the man. "You taught me that."

"I did, and I also taught you that you can control the results of the future by making smart decisions now. So I'm not going to give you a plane so you can go on some blood lust revenge mission against the demon." Jacob said, moving around so he was standing in front of her. "You are a member of a team of individuals that when push comes to shove, they make things happen. When this all began, I wanted you self reliant, I wanted you to depend on no one to protect you, but I forgot something." Katie turned away from the man's eyes. "You've relied on no one this entire time, and you got here. You got yourself home, and yet you don't even know it." that gained the man an ice glare from his daughter that didn't bother him one bit. "You want to get out of hell, then you're going to have to take one of those hands trying to help you out." Katie shook her head before walking around the man toward the door. "Nanda Parbat, US Embassy in Bosnia, Bell Reeves, all seemed like random destinations on an even more random ride." Katie stopped and looked over to the man. "Always random, except to one person. Fine, you want me to admit it, then I will. You were a chess piece, moved in the ways I saw fit to make you stronger. Whether you like it or not, I still have my hand on my little queen. So no, you want to beat Ra's you are going to do it the smart way. Find Oliver, find your team and come up with a plan."

Katie stormed down the halls of the ARGUS facility. She came for help and once again would leave without it.

"This fight is bigger than you now." Martin's voice suddenly speaks from behind her. "Just moments ago there was a meeting between Oliver and Maseo Yamashiro." Katie stops her stride and turns back to the man. "According to our intel, Mr. Yamashiro presented a new offer. Oliver's acceptance of the title of Ra's Al Ghul for his sister's life."

"Thea is terminal, nothing-" Katie stopped because it hit her, right then and there. "He offered him the Lazarus Pit." she turned and continued for the elevators.

"It would seem your team needs you more than ever!" Martin called, but she didn't even turn to him.

Containing an explosive is something that is nearly impossible. Katie could feel the ticking inside of herself, the need to hurt the ones who hurt her family. She found herself back at Thea's loft, alone in an elevator. In this moment she could hear the demon's voice, hear the taunting.

"This is not your fault."

This time when she heard her mother's voice, she didn't even turn to her. She kept her eyes on the door, hoping they would open. At the moment she felt herself being pulled in so many directions, and she's not even sure which is the right one. The doors opened, and Katie was about to rush off, but her mother once again appeared in front of her. Forcing her to look at her, forcing her to see the face of the one person she probably needed in this moment.

"Your father is right. This does not get solved with half cocked plans based in sadness and guilt. These emotions do not win battles." Katie let the words sink in and she couldn't even pretend that there wasn't truth in them. "You want to beat the demon, you have to keep it together. They're going to need someone to lead them when Oliver no longer can."

There were voices down the hall, and Katie turned her head to see Thea's door slightly open. When she turned back, her mother was gone. With a deep breath, Katie turned and ventured down the hall.

"The waters change a person." It was Malcolm's voice she heard first. "In the soul. Even if they work, the Thea you get back will not be the one you lost."

"We lost because of you!" Oliver spat. It was this moment Katie chose to finally step inside, and the moment she did, all eyes went to her. The tension filled room went silent as Katie and Oliver kept their eyes on each other.

"I'm sorry I left without saying anything." Katie breathed, dropping her head. She felt the twitch of her hand and folded her arms over her chest before looking back over to Oliver. "I was going to do that thing I do where I go out and try to save the day on my own. Much like you're planning on doing now."

"I spoke with Maseo and-"

"He told you about the Lazarus Pit. Magical waters you think are going to heal your sister and stop that pain tearing at your insides right now." Katie said walking over to stand in front of him. "I feel it too, and I want to do anything to help Thea, but Malcolm is right. This will not bring Thea back. This will bring something else back."

"My sister can't die because of me." was all Oliver said and Katie couldn't help but understand. This was his grief, not wanting to lose the only family he had left. "My mother died because of me, the same won't happen to my sister. I'm taking my sister and there's nothing anyone can say to change my mind." Katie looked up to him for a moment before giving him a nod.

"Fine." she said before glancing over to Felicity and John. "Then we're going with you." she turned back to Oliver who was about to object, but she held up a hand to stop him. "Well I figure if you're about to sell your soul to the devil, Thea will probably need a ride back." Katie turned to Felicity, who subtly wiped away a tear. "We need a plane."

"Right, I can talk to Ray." Felicity said before glancing over to John. "You want to give me a ride?"

"Sure." John said glancing over to Oliver once more before the pair turned and left the loft. Once they were gone, Katie turned to Malcolm.

"If you plan on going you should go pack a bag, and wait for Felicity's call." Katie said and the man turned to her for a moment before turning and leaving as well. Oliver suddenly walked back over to a bag where he continued to stuff clothes inside. "We should probably talk about this, right? You becoming the next Ra's Al Ghul kind of affects me too."

"You left when I needed you the most." Oliver grumbled, not even sparing the woman a glance. "Maybe we should talk about that first." Katie walked over and grabbed the bag from in front of him and tossed it aside, forcing him to look at her.

"If that's what you want to do, then let's talk about it." Katie replies. "You're giving up."

"I am, and I don't care, if it gets my sister back. That's all I care about right now." Oliver said walking around the woman heading up the stairs to his room. "If you're going, then you should go pack a bag." Katie watched the man suddenly disappear up the stairs without another word. She had a choice. She could leave, pack her bag and just meet them at the plane, or she could sit right here and wait for the man to come back so they could talk. So Katie pulled off her jacket, before walking over to the window, glancing out to the city.

When Oliver came back downstairs, he didn't think she'd still be here. He kind of hoped she would leave, because right now he didn't need anymore opposition standing in the way of saving his sister. And Katie was the type of opposition that usually came close to working.

"I went to see my father." she suddenly spoke, knowing he was behind her. "My plan was to ask him for a plane, go to Nanda Parbat, sneak in and kill Ra's." she shook her head. "In my head, I created numerous ways of doing it. I could shoot him and I figured since the pit isn't working for him anymore then, a bullet could do the trick. But that would be too quick." she glanced over to Oliver. "He doesn't deserve a quick death. So then I got to thinking that maybe I tie him up and torture him until he screams. I've never heard him scream and it's a sound I think I would love to hear-"

"Twinkie-"

"You want to know why I left the hospital?" she asked finally turning to face the man. "Because I knew then that he had won. He would successfully take you away from me. And he used the one thing that blinds you to all reason."

"I have no options. There's this or a dead sister. There is no choice here. This has to happen, and I need you to back me up." Oliver replied. He waited for her rebuttal, or for her to hit him or something. Instead she walked over and took his hand in hers.

"What do you need?" she asked and Oliver felt the lump in his throat and the whirlwind of emotions stir inside of him. "This moment, what do you need?"

"I need you to follow me." Oliver replied. "Even though you think it's a stupid idea, because maybe it is a dumb as shit idea, but I need you with me."

"Ok." Katie whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek. "But only this one time." Oliver pulled her into a hug that they knew couldn't last forever.

The moment Felicity gave the call, everything moved fast. They retrieved Thea's unconscious body from the hospital with a lie about transferring her to another hospital for a second opinion. Soon they were in the air, on a flight holding so much sadness and finality and everyone aboard could feel it. Katie stood above Thea, checking her vitals. As a doctor, she didn't approve moving the woman at all. There was just too much risk, but Oliver was too stubborn to listen to reason. So it was Katie's job to keep Thea alive enough to even see the Lazarus Pit.

"He can't do this." Malcolm said from his spot beside his daughter. When Katie came inside, she assumed the man would respectfully remain silent, but it would seem he wouldn't. "You know that if she goes in those waters she'll come out as something else."

"It's funny that you're the one here trying to stop all the dominoes from falling when you're the one who tipped them over." Katie says glancing over to the man. "The truth is Malcolm that Oliver thinks he knows what he's doing, but he doesn't. He thinks he's going to save his sister, but he's probably not. He thinks he can handle the title of Ra's Al Ghul, but he won't. Oliver has stopped fighting because he lost something strong enough to take the fight out of him."

"So what about you?" Malcolm asked. "Has the fight left you?" Katie turned away, thinking on the question and a smile came to her face as she turned back to the man.

"I have the demon's blood in veins." Katie replied and Malcolm seemed to sit up a bit, as if remembering the fact. "I don't think the fight will ever leave me. I don't even think you've seen the true fight inside of me." Katie turned back to the monitor's beside Thea. "If any of these start making any sounds, come get me." Malcolm simply nodded before watching the woman grab a blanket from the closet before leaving.

When Katie found Oliver, he was sitting alone, his eyes out to the night sky. She nudged his shoulder, and he turned to her with a tired smile.

"I figured you might be chilly." she said holding out the blanket to him, before taking the seat across from him.

"Thanks." Oliver said placing the blanket over his leg, glancing over to the woman who looked out the window. "You're being cooperative." Katie turned to the man with a quirked brow. "You have your own plan when we get there."

"Nothing ever goes as planned when going to Nanda Parbat." Katie replied closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against her seat. "I doubt this trip will be any different."

"I need you to let this happen." Oliver replied and Katie opened her eyes and looked over to see the seriousness behind his eyes. "Look I know I haven't told you much about my five years away-"

"And I wouldn't ask you to dig into things you'd want to forget." Katie stated firmly.

"I know, but I can't ask you to feel comfortable with talking to me if I don't talk to you." Oliver said before taking a deep breath. "I came back to Starling City before they found me on the island." he met her eyes, that simply stared without judgment and a relieved sigh escaped him.

"Ok." Katie says trying wrap her head around the statement. "How-"

"It's complicated." the man said with a shake of his head, hoping she didn't push. He too had parts of his past he wasn't sure she would understand, because there were parts he still didn't understand. "I saw Thea. She didn't see me. She had a drug problem." Katie turned away, because she knows this was when she was away. After Oliver's death, she needed to get away from Starling, from all the memories of the man. To this day she regrets leaving Thea when she could've used someone at her side. "So I... confronted her dealer. And I broke his neck. And I did it because I was angry, sure. But I also did it because I felt like I was protecting her. All I've ever wanted to do was protect her." Katie could see the truth in every word he spoke, in the look of his eyes, and it's how she knew just how much doing this was important to him. "Malcolm told me-" he looked over to Katie. "You warned me that Ra's just wouldn't let me go, but I never thought-" Oliver shook his head, turning back to look out at the sky. "I failed." Katie could see the pain the man was holding onto, and she wished she could take it all away.

"Starling Botanical Gardens." Katie said suddenly, and Oliver turned to her at the random change in topic. "I called them the day after you proposed. It was ridiculously early, and I was excited and when I got married I always wanted it to happen there. And they had an opening for next summer and I took it." she chuckled as she glanced down to her bare hand, and she had to fight the urge to cry in that moment.

"Really?" he asked and she looked over to him and laughed.

"I did. I have no idea what I was thinking, but I figured when I told you, you wouldn't care." she replied with a shake of her head.

"So you're saying that we actually have a venue booked for our wedding?" Oliver asked and Katie simply nodded. They stared at each other for a few moments, the sudden realization that a wedding between them wouldn't happen began to sink in and they both felt the sadness of the fact. "Anything else you'd like to share about our wedding?" Katie turned away in thought, before something came to her.

"Oh, I wasn't going to wear a white dress." she said with a smile. "I felt like a white dress is so cliché, plus we've sort of crapped on the symbolism behind it."

"It was going to be yellow, wasn't it?" Oliver asked, smiling at the sudden image he now had in his head. Katie couldn't contain her laughter and neither could he.

"It was going to be a tasteful yellow. You were going to love it, there wasn't going to be a lot of layers in case-" Katie stopped mid sentence figuring this conversation would go somewhere she didn't intend.

"In case what?" Oliver asked truly interested in this conversation and Katie just shook her head.

"It doesn't matter." she replied turning back to look out her window. Oliver sat there, wanting so badly to stop having the doubts about this decision. He wished she didn't come, because if she weren't here this would be easier.

"I'm sorry I didn't run away with you." he said and Katie turned to him, trying so hard to hide the emotions that struck her because of those words. "I'm sorry that I waited so long to ask the one question I always wanted to ask you."

"Oliver-"

"I'm sorry I made so many promises that I couldn't keep." he continued sliding forward in his seat. "Hell, I'm sorry I couldn't keep all the promises I made you." the man reached into his pocket and pulled out the engagement ring letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry you feel you can't wear this." he looked up meeting her eyes. "And I'm sorry I won't even get a chance to convince you that you should." Katie closed her eyes, inhaling deeply before opening her eyes to look over to the man.

"We both can't be pessimists, Liver." Katie replies with a smile. "And since you're saying my lines, I guess will say yours. This isn't where our story ends. Ra's doesn't step in and just take away everything because he can't have everything. Ra's can't take my love for you or your love for me and because of that, this deal won't work." Katie looked down to the ring in Oliver's hand before reaching over and taking it from him. "This ring is a promise, a deal between you and me-" she looked over to the man with a smile. "Before, I think we really wanted to make this promise, but we just weren't ready for it. We didn't understand the dynamics of it, but we will." Katie stood from her seat, and slid into Oliver's lap. "We are going to figure this out. We're going to beat Ra's and when we do, we are going to have that moment. That moment when we just know." she turned meeting Oliver's eyes. "So stop being so gloomy, because this is just a part in a game, that we are going to win."

"You're a better optimist then I am." Oliver replied, sliding his hand through her hair and pulling her lips to his. They had to pull away, had to try their best to remain in their reality where they weren't the only ones on this plane, where they were on their way to drop Oliver off to life unknown. Katie dropped her head to rest on Oliver's, and he tightened his grasp around her and they just sat there. "I really want to marry you."

"I would very much like to marry you as well, but it's just not our time." Katie replied placing one final kiss to Oliver's forehead before slipping out of his lap and back into her own seat. Silence once again filled the air between them, as they waited to land which they knew was going to be happening soon. Oliver's eyes stayed on Katie as she chose to look out the window of the plane. "June 18th." she turned back to him with a smile. "In case you were wondering."

"June 18th." Oliver said to himself before turning to look out his window. He would hold onto that date for as long as he could.

When they finally landed, everyone could feel the anxiousness, and the uncertainty in the air. They'd been working non stop trying to prevent this moment from happening, and yet here they were. The moment the door to the plane opened, no one was sure why Bruce was standing at the base. Oliver carried an unconcious Thea in his arms, carefully down the steps, before looking up to Bruce.

"Are you kidding me?" Bruce snipped, glancing down to Thea, before looking back to Oliver. "You're just giving up, just like that?" Oliver didn't answer the man, because in this moment, there was no point. He simply walked around the man, and headed for the illuminated trail that lead to Ra's fortress. Bruce looked to Malcolm who was close behind Oliver, before looking to John and then Felicity. "This is crazy, you do know that?"

"Right now we have no input in this decision, Bruce." John said with a shrug. "This is Thea, and when it comes to his sister, we tend to let Oliver take the wheel. We just have to hope he knows what he's doing." John continued up the path behind the others.

"You know I didn't call you so you could come here and criticize everyone." Felicity whispered taking a step toward the man. "I called because we're going to need to know all the options with this. If there is a way to get both Oliver and Thea out-"

"There isn't." Bruce replied with a shake of his head. "Once Oliver makes that vow, then there is no turning back." Bruce lifted his eyes to the plane, just as Katie began walking out. "You can't be here." Felicity followed his eyes to Katie in confusion. "Are you shitting me right now? You know you can't come here after everything that's happened."

"And yet here I am." Katie sighed as she looked over to the familiar sand trail that lead to her hell. "There was no way I was letting them come here without me." with that Katie rushed forward to catch up with the others.

"What was that about?" Felicity asked turning to Bruce who suddenly took her hand. "What are you doing?"

"You stay close to me, got it?" Bruce asked, but didn't even give the woman a chance to reply before pulling her with him. The moment Bruce and Felicity reached the others, they were just arriving at the entrance of the fortress where an army of Ra's assassins all stood with torches in their hands.

"What is that?" Felicity asked, with wide eyes, not expecting to see so many of them.

"It's the league." Bruce's eyes scanned the soldiers as well, suddenly feeling nervous. Felicity felt his grasp on her hand tighten.

Katie took a few steps forward to stand beside Oliver as they watched the soldiers begin parting. Soon they saw Ra's along with Maseo, and a woman Katie didnt recognize walking toward them. She turned placing a hand on Oliver's arm and he looked to her with a quirked brow.

"Everything will be alright." she said before turning back to see the trio now standing in front of them.

"Welcome home, Al Sah-him." Ra's greeted before turning to Katie who stood a bit straighter. Oliver looked between the pair before turning to Ra's who subtly nodded. Soon two of his men walked over to Katie, each grabbing her arms.

"What the hell is going on?" Oliver asked, about to go after them, but it was Bruce who pull him back. Oliver turned to Ra's who watched as the men took Katie away. "This was not part of the deal."

"It wasn't, but it is League law." Ra's stated. "Nura made an allegiance to the League, and then ran. I was gracious enough not to seek her out, but she chose to return and in doing such she must face trial." With that Ra's turned, and walked back to the fortress, Oliver and the others right behind him.

Katie didn't resist as she's pulled into the fortress, and forced into one the dark cells. The moment she was pushed inside, her jacket and shoes were pulled off and her hands were forced above her head where they were chained.

"Is there like a safe word, when I have to pee!" Katie called, once the door was slammed shut. She looked up to her hands and let out a sigh.

Once inside, Oliver hesitantly handed Thea to Sarab who would prepare her for the ritual. Once he was gone, they all waited for Ra's to explain what was happening with Katie.

"I'm sorry you were blindsided, but Nura knew this would happen the moment she stepped foot on these grounds." Ra's said, looking to Oliver whose glare hadn't let up since they came inside.

"You said there would be a trial." Oliver spoke. "When does that happen?"

"Right away." Ra's replied with a nod before glancing over to one of his assassins who quickly rushed away. "Preparing your sister for the ritual will take some time, so I will have you all shown to your quarters. Anyone wanting to witness Nura's trial, is free to do so, but I would advise against it." with that the man turned leaving the group who all turned to Bruce.

"What is this Bruce?"

"Like he said, Katie vowed her life to the League of Assassins when she stopped your battle." Bruce said, glancing around the area, not trusting anything about this place.

"I thought he freed her from her obligations to the league." Oliver snapped angrily. "Why didn't she say anything?"

"Oliver, she was free to leave, but coming back was a slap to the face. She broke the code and that meant she was to never come back here which she was very much aware, but I figure if you were coming here, then nothing was going to stop her." Bruce sighed.

"Alright, this trial, what does it entail? Maybe there's a way for her to talk her way out of this." John suggested, but Bruce simply shook his head.

"There won't be any talking in this trial." Bruce answered. Soon Sarab returned and they all turned to him.

"I will show you all to your rooms." Sarab announced, but no one moved at first. They all turned to Oliver who was still trying to figure out the next move.

"Go, I will figure out this whole trial thing." Oliver replied, but the others saw the uncertainty in his eyes. There wasn't anything any of them could do and so they turned and followed Sarab.

The chains that held Katie were rusty, squeaking with every move she made. She dropped her head to her arm trying not to think about how sore her arms were starting to become. Soon the door to her cell opened and in walked the man who seemed to be the source of all her troubles.

"It was stupid of you to come here." Ra's commented as he moved around her. "You knew the repercussions of your actions would be fierce."

"I did." Katie replied, her eyes following the man as best she could. "I also know that if I ever plan on killing you, then I can't hide away in my city." she heard the man's light chuckle as he moved behind her. His feet stopped and she felt him, behind her, his breath on her neck.

"What are you doing here, Nura?" he asked and Katie stared at the wall in front of her as she really thought about the question. She's spent years trying to place as much distance from this place, and yet here she was, walking through the front door.

"I want to hear the sound of your screaming." a smile curled at her lips at the thought. Without hesitation she jerked her head back, but his hand quickly grabbed the back of her neck and gripped it tightly.

"You see your problem Nura, is that you overestimate my patience for your disrespect." Ra's growled in her ear. "I told you that the blood running through your veins is no longer a shield. You're going to learn that today." he released her neck, before walking around so she was forced to meet his eyes. "You chose to walk away from the league, and now you will have to defend your decision." Ra's lifted a hand, snapping a finger, and soon men were bringing in weapons, and clothing. "As you are aware this fight is to death. So before you fight it, I am giving you the opportunity to retract the choice you made, and return home. Where you belong." Katie's eyes darkened at his words and she shook her head.

"This was never my home. And it won't be his." Katie taunted and Ra's simply sighed before turning to leave. "So I'm clear, are we pretending that I'm the only one who violated League law?!" the man stopped and glanced over to her. "Tell your boys to take off these chains and then go pick your best guys." A smile came to the demon's lips before he simply drifted out of the room.

Oliver wasn't sure which way he should be going as people moved about the fortress. He spotted Sarab , and quickly rushed over to demand answers.

"I need to see Katie. Right now." Sarab let out a sigh, glancing around the room before gesturing for Oliver to follow him.

"I understand that you are not aware the laws that must be followed here, but soon you will." Sarab replied, but Oliver really wasn't paying attention. He kept his eyes up and searching for Katie. "Nura-"

"Will you stop calling her that!" Oliver growled in annoyance. "She isn't Nura, she never will be." soon they walked into what looked like some kind of battle area. There were league members all crowded around a circle marked in the center of the room.

"What you will learn is that no one truly leaves the league, Oliver." the crowd began to part, and Oliver's eyes lifted to the other side of the room where Ra's sat at a throne. Beside him stood four league soldiers, their faces covered. Oliver glanced around the crowd, searching out Katie's face but he couldn't.

"League law has been violated, and it saddens me that the culprit has my blood in her veins." Ra's spoke, the room was silent as he spoke. "But as it is, and as it shall always be, nothing and I mean nothing, not even blood is given the right to break our sacred laws." Ra's lifted his eyes to see Oliver across the room and he let out a sigh. "Al Sah-him, I will give you one last chance to dismiss yourself from this trial." Oliver stood a bit straighter, folding his arms over his chest as he kept his glare to the demon. "Fine, but since this is your first, I must let you know that interference will not be accepted." Ra's turned his head and gave a slight nod and suddenly appearing in the center of the ring from the crowd was one of the masked figures, sword in hand. The person turned, but stopped the moment they saw Oliver.

"Katie." Oliver said taking a step forward, but Sarab grabbed and pulled him back. She was dressed in league clothing, her face covered as well, but Oliver recognized her eyes.

"Nura Al Ghul." Ra's spoke and Katie took a deep breath before turning back to the demon. "You are being charged with disobeying league law. You abandoned the league, and now you must defend your decision with your life." Ra's snapped his fingers, and the crowd took a few steps back, only four remaining in place, now surrounding Katie.

"Four on one." Oliver muttered over to Sarab, before turning back to Katie. "This isn't fair, she-" he looks back to Sarab. "Does someone get to help her? I mean this all happened because of me, can I at least help her?"

"Nura knew the law, and chose to break it. She must face the consequences of her decisions alone." Sarab replied and Oliver just shook his head before turning back to Katie who lifted her sword.

"We all have roads to travel." Ra's spoke as he sat down in his throne. "This is yours. Now we will see who makes it to the end."

Katie closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply as she gripped the sword in her hands. This fight wasn't a challenge, she'd been in this position before. She's wasn't as nervous as she should be though. It's been a while since she's been in a hand to hand battle. And right now her head is not ready, but she wasn't nervous. One of the men in front of her, took a step toward her, and she heard a quick breath, before he swung his sword. She lifted her sword, swinging it in time to meet his, the sound echoing around them She pushed him forward, before hearing one of the soldiers take a step behind her. Without hesitation, she spun a kick around, but the soldier caught her leg, when two more caught her arms, the sword dropping from her hand.

"I can't just watch this." Oliver growled taking a step forward, but once again Sarab pulled him back. "Will you let me-" there was a grunt from the fight, and Oliver turned back to see the guy that was holding Katie's leg, was now on the ground. In a move too quick for his eyes, he watched as she kicked both legs up, flipping out of the grasp of the two soldiers holding her arms. The moment she was free, she grabbed her sword and at this point they didn't let up.

The assassins once again tried surrounding her, attacking her from all angles, but she swung her sword, she punched, kicked, really held up her own. It was the moment when one of them kicked her in her back, and another slid a leg underneath her feet, did she collapse to the ground.

"She's holding back." Sarab muttered taking a step forward. Oliver glanced over to him before turning back to Katie. "She's afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Oliver asked as Katie scrambled to get back to her feet, but was kicked in her side, eliciting a pained screamed, that drove him up a wall. He hated not being able to go over to help her, to protect her.

"Of who she is." Sarab said as he watched as Katie was kicked once again, now lying on her back.

They were toying with her. Kicking her, wanting her to feel pain before they killed her. Katie looked up to the ceiling, trying and failing at not screaming at each blow.

"Get up!" a familiar voice spoke, and Katie turned her head to see her mother dressed in all white looking so out of place in the crowd of darkness. "I know you don't want to give into the darkness, but baby sometimes you have to fight darkness with darkness. Now get up!"

Katie closed her eyes before rolling over onto her stomach and quickly pushing herself back to her feet. The four men suddenly stopped and looked at the woman who stood there not making a move. One of them threw a punch, but Katie jerked back missing the blow but able to grab his wrist before spinning around and kicking her leg up around his neck jerking him to the ground and with a swift jerk of her ankles, his neck snapped. The other three ran to grab her, but Katie flipped forward out of their reach and into the crowd.

The three remaining soldiers turned to Ra's who simply waved a hand for them to continue. The assassins began spinning, searching for Katie in the crowd. They didn't expect for her to run from the surrounding crowd, grab her discarded sword and stab one of the them through the chest. She found herself once again in the center of the ring, now only surrounded by two of Ra's league. They slowly inched around her, trying to distract her with their movements.

"Let's get this over with." she yelled and at the same time, both soldiers ran to tackle her. In a move too late to defend against, Katie removed the handle from the sword and quickly took a step back letting both men run into the blades of the two head sword. Everyone watched as the men dropped down to their knees, and Katie stepped over to them and walk over to Ra's, pulling the mask from her head.

"Are you happy now?" she asked and she didn't miss the small smile that came to the man's face. He was pleased. "More blood on my hands, more lives taken, but it still doesn't change the fact that you will never have me." she glanced around to the eyes that stared at her and she glanced back to Oliver who stood staring at her and the look in his eyes was unmistakably shock. She turned back to Ra's who stood to his feet and inched closer to her.

"You have endless potential Nura." the man said with a shake of his head. "You're here to realize that no matter how far you run, you will always belong right here." he grabbed her arm and spun her around to the bodies that still remained in the ring. "You will always be my child Nura, always have the blood of warriors coursing through your veins and there is nothing you will ever do to change that."

"You're right." Katie said after a moment before turning back to the man. "You will always be a part of me, and I can not run from that anymore. What I can do is do everything possible to end you." the demon chuckled and she fully faced him. "You release me now of all duties to this league." Ra's reached up a hand, combing his fingers through Katie's hair, but she jerked away. "Do it." the demon looked over the woman, before suddenly feeling a draft. His eyes looked over to a nearby row of candles whose flamed seemed to flit in an ominous wind. The man took a deep breath before turning back to Katie.

"Nura Al Ghul, you have hereby defended your violation of league law and so I on behalf of the League of Assassins forgive the sins you have committed." Ra's spoke. "Your admittance here will only be by invitation-"Ra's glanced up to the crowd. "Is there anyone-"

"She will stay with me!" Oliver spoke, breaking through the crowd to get to Ra's.

"And so it is settled." Ra's spoke before bringing his eyes back to Katie. "You are released. If I were you Nura I would not attempt to change the things that are beyond your control."

"I would never." Katie said turning from the man and walking over to Oliver who took her hand.

"C'mon." he spoke before leading her out to the hall. The pair walked in silence until they reached Oliver's room. Once inside, Katie began pulling of the clothes hating the feeling on her skin. "Why didn't you tell me?" she turned to Oliver who stood near the door, at a distance. "You should've told me that coming here-"

"Oliver we're here to sell your soul to the devil." Katie replied walking over to the man. "I didn't tell you about the law because I wasn't going to give you the chance to try to stop me from being here. I-" she caught sight of Oliver's hand that was stained in blood. She glanced down to her own hands, that were once again stained with the crimson of her opponents blood. It seemed to hit her, right then and there. What she'd just done. Taking those lives, how easy it seemed and how once she started there was nothing that could stop her.

"Twinkie-" Oliver took a step toward the woman, and she quickly held her hand up to stop him as she took a step back.

"The ritual will be beginning soon, and I need to get cleaned up." Katie said before turning and going to the adjoining washroom.

In all of her life, Felicity Smoak had never expected that she would somehow end up in some weird room in a fortress that housed an army of killers. She chose to sit on the edge of the bed and just wait for someone to get her when the ritual would begin. The door opened and she jumped to her feet, letting out a relieved sigh at the sight of Bruce.

"Is Katie alright?" Felicity asked and Bruce nodded.

"She's as alright as one could be after killing four members of the league." Bruce replied walking over to lie back on the bed.

"Four?" Felicity asked looking over to the man. "By herself?"

"That's how it works." Bruce said sliding a hand over his face. "Now she's free to walk the grounds without fear of being locked away. And it only cost her morality."

"It won't." Felicity replied with a shake of her head as she walked over to sit beside the man. "She's stronger than that. Smarter." she laid back on the bed and took in deep breath. "She has to be."

"Yeah, she has to be." Bruce sighed and the pair simply laid there in silence. Felicity glanced over to the side of the man's face and he must have felt her eyes on him because he opened his eyes and looked back to her. "You're staring Ms. Smoak."

"Sorry." the woman muttered before turning away.

"So, you know I'm surprised Ray wasn't jumping at the chance to see a real life underground league of assassins." Bruce said, looking back up to the ceiling. "I mean he gave you a jet the least he could do was come with you to make sure you were safe."

"You left." Felicity suddenly spoke and Bruce turned to her. "You'd helped Ray fight Simmons, saved his life actually and then I hurried back to the lab and you were gone." she turned to Bruce with questioning gaze. "Why did you leave?"

"Job was done." Bruce answered once again turning away from the woman's eyes. They usually drew him in quickly. "There was nothing left for me to do."

"Not even a goodbye." Felicity replied and Bruce huffed in annoyance before standing to his feet.

"If there's something you want to ask me, please just ask." Felicity sat up, and watched the man who stood in front of her.

"I did. Why did you leave?"

"Why did I-"Bruce shook his head with a shrug. "I left because I didn't need the front row seat to the Felicity Smoak and Ray Palmer love story anymore. I left because I couldn't stand there and watch him touch you-" Bruce let out a breath before turning and heading for the door.

"I called you." Felicity called after him and he stopped. "I called you, told you what Oliver was planning." Bruce turned back to the woman. "Ray overheard our conversation." Bruce quirked a brow. "The entire conversation. Even the part where I told you that I needed you again. He said there was something underneath my words, and he was right." Felicity walked over to stand in front of the man. "I'm still waiting for the moment I stop loving you and it just never happens." tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she dropped her head to wipe them away. She looked up to meet the man's eyes and he took another step forward, closing the distance between them. "Which really sucks, because you're a jerk and an asshole, and you're annoying-"

Bruce's hand cupped her cheek, a smile coming to his face as he slowly leans in closer to her. "I love you too, Ms. Smoak."

"I seriously hate when you call me Ms. Smoak." Felicity whisper as Bruce's lips inched closer to her own. "You only say that to annoy me."

"I will never admit that." Bruce counters his lips mere inches away from hers. The moment seems completely perfect, until a knock at the doors ruins it before the can even begin . "Someone seriously has the worst timing ever." Bruce pulled away before turning and opening the door to find John who seemed surprised to see Bruce. John peeked further inside to see Felicity who walked over.

"You two have to share a room?" John asked and the glare Felicity sends him causes him to raise his hands in surrender. "I just got word the ritual was starting, just stopped by to let you know."

"Thanks, we're right behind you." Felicity replied, giving the man a look he recognized meant he should probably walk away. Once he was gone, Felicity turned back to Bruce. "We should probably finish this conversation later?"

"I think we should." Bruce said with a smile before stepping aside to let the woman walk out.

When Katie walked out of the bathroom, now dressed she didn't see Oliver. She didn't expect to feel panic at the fact, but seeing the empty room just made her heart race. Relief only came when the door opened, and there he was.

"The ritual is about to begin." Oliver informed walking over to the woman. Katie only wordlessly nodded before heading for the door, only for Oliver to grab her arm and pull her back to him. He just stood there, staring into her eyes, as if searching for something.

"You're being weird." Katie said and a smile came to the man's face. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to get out of here and get a second opinion."

"Right now medicine can't help my sister."

"Oliver, there's a slim chance that the woman who steps out of that pit will even be your sister." Katie replied placing her hands on the man's chest. "I just don't want this all to be for nothing."

"I can't just do nothing." Oliver replied placing a hand on top of hers. "Thea has to live. If I believe nothing else, if I'm sure of nothing else, I am sure of that."

"Well you know the potential risks and you know the potential success of all of this. I guess there's nothing else for me to say." Katie placed a chaste kiss to Oliver's cheek before once again attempting to head for the door, but he didn't relinquish his grasp. "Was there something else?"

"I love you." Oliver declared placing a hand to the woman's cheek. "I love every side of you, every shade, every mood, I love all of you. Nothing can ever change that." Katie smiled up to the man, unsure how sometimes he just knew what she needed to hear.

"You shouldn't say things like that." Katie whispers, trying her best not to cry in this moment. "It'll make it easier later, if you don't." she pulled from his grasp, and rushed out the door.

There was just something different about the air in the sacred room where the pit was. Katie slowly inched forward, but kept her distance from the pit. Something about it made her feel uneasy, she just didn't know what it was. She watched as they attached ropes to Thea's limp body. She glanced over to where Oliver stood, gripping one end of the rope, while John, Malcolm and Sarab, stood holding the others . A sudden chill passed Katie, and she turned to see the hallucination of her mother once again who stood watching the scene as well. Katie turned away, because she hated that in this moment, her mind was still so unstable.

"This is dark magic." Grace spoke with a shake of her head. "Dark magic always comes with strings." Katie turned her head, but the woman was gone.

"Nura." a voice spoke from behind her, and Katie turned to see the woman who she'd seen before with Ra's, but never caught her name. The woman's eyes lingered on Katie, which only made her uncomfortable. "Daughter of my dearest Minnah." Katie's brow furrow in confusion.

"You knew my mother?"

"We were like sisters." the woman sighed, before glancing over to the pit. "She's the reason I'm here." the woman turned back to Katie with a small smile. "And the reason I stay." the woman placed a hand on Katie's cheek, and the smile on her face grew. "She still lives in you. Always remember that." the woman walked away, leaving her cryptic words to confuse Katie.

Once the ritual began, no one knew quite what to expect. The woman began chanting in Arabic, and everyone watched as Thea's body is slowly lowered to the waters. Katie was unaware that she's inching closer, the woman's chanting almost hypnotizing. There was a sudden shadow that passed over the water, and Katie's eyes widen. She looked up to see if anyone else had noticed it, but it didn't seem so.

"This isn't right." Katie said rushing forward, but before she could even protest, Thea's body was already submerged. "No." she rushed to the edge of the pit, glancing down to the waters, nervousness settling in her stomach. Suddenly the ropes are forcefully pulled into the water, and against all common sense, Katie attempts to climb in after Thea, but strong arms grab her from behind and pull her back. "This isn't right!"

The next thing anyone knows, Thea flies from the waters. Everyone looks completely shocked, but any joy that anyone had was gone the moment the woman kicks Oliver hard knocking the man over. Katie jerks from Bruce's grip and rushes over to Thea who moves and snarls almost like an animal.

"Thea!" Katie yelled, and the woman's eyes met hers. In that moment, Katie doesn't see Thea looking back at her, she doesn't see Speedy. It's something else. Something dark. Thea takes a step toward Katie, and a few of the assassins use the distraction to restrain and inject her with something that seems to calm her down. Oliver quickly jumped to his feet and practically ran to take his sister into his arms.

"I've fulfilled my end of our arrangement." Ra's speaks from above a still shocked Oliver who glances up to him. "I suggest you begin to make peace with yours." with that the demon simply walks out of the room.

Her vitals seemed fine, heart rate normal, and Katie couldn't quite believe it. She stood staring down to Thea who now lied in a bed after the ritual. She glanced over to Oliver who sat holding her hand, just waiting for his sister to wake up.

"Liver-" Katie started, but before she could even speak, Thea shoots up from the bed, searching the room in confusion, which only gets worse when her eyes find her brother.

"Hey, hey, you're ok." Oliver soothes, as he gently places his hands on her shoulder. Thea searches the man's eyes, still completely confused.

"I don't know you." Thea says and Oliver looks to her with confusion before glancing over to Katie who takes a step closer.

"Thea, it's me, it's Ollie" Thea only seems to get more confused with a shake of her head.

"Ollie dead, he's-" she turns and spots Katie. "Twinkie!" Katie takes a seat on the other side of Thea's bed and smiles.

"You're alright Speedy." Katie says placing a hand on the young woman's cheek. It seems to calm her slightly, but not completely,

"What's going on? Where am I?" Thea frantically asked, and Katie can see the fear in her eyes.

"You're safe sweetie." Malcolm says appearing beside Katie. "I promise you're fine."

"Dad?" Thea says taking his hand before glancing around. "Where's mom?" Katie looks over to Malcolm who simply smiles at his daughter.

"Moira isn't here sweetheart, just-" he places his hands on her shoulders and gently nudges her back. "Lie down and get some rest."

"I love you dad." Thea whispers smiling up to the man before finally closing her eyes. Malcolm looks over to Katie who shakes her head before standing to her feet. He looks back to his daughter, pulling up her blankets before walking over to Oliver.

"Ra's told me the confusion would pass." Oliver assured the man who just shook his head.

"You have no idea what you've done." Malcolm hissed in anger, and Oliver took a step forward.

"What I've done? She's alive Malcolm,"Oliver reminded the man. "What I did saved her life."

"She still thinks Moira is alive!" Malcolm only countered and Oliver just turned back to his sister.

"She will be alright." Oliver said, and it was clear it was something he needed to believe himself as well.

"You don't know that."

"I do, because you, Katie, Diggle and Felicity are going to take her home and she will recover." Oliver snapped and the room went silent.

"Maybe she will." Katie spoke, breaking the silence and Oliver turned to her. "Maybe she will come back as the spit fire Thea Queen who we know and love." Katie glanced over to Thea who was sound asleep at this point. "She will hate that you sacrificed yourself for her." she turned back to Oliver.

"She will be fine." Oliver once again assured and Katie shook her head.

"She won't Oliver. None of us will be fine with leaving you here." Katie replied taking in a deep breath to once again hold in tears. She doesn't want to cry here, not in this fortress where emotions are a sign of weakness. "A maybe Thea will recover, is going to have to be worth me having to leave my heart here." Katie shook her head, before turning and stalking from the room.

Katie walked the halls of the place she hated she knew so well. She hated how familiar the place was, how comfortable it felt. She had no idea where she was going, until she finally reached Ra's throne room where he stood talking with Sarab. Both men looked over to her when she walked in and Ra's turned to Sarab with a nod.

"You can leave us." Ra's spoke, and Sarab gave a nod before turning to leave, only casting a quick glance to Katie before he was gone. "I believe this is the part where you beg me not to go through with this."

"Beg." Katie repeated the word with a slight chuckle. "The daughter of Minnah Al Ghul does not beg anyone." Katie dropped her head, taking in another deep breath willing tears not to fall. "What would she say if she were here?" she looked back up to the man. "My mother. What would she say to you about what you're doing?"

"Nothing that would have any consequence." the man said turning away to take his seat at his throne. "Your mother was much like you. Loved to talk, and talk and it rarely changed anything." he looked back down to he woman, who met his eyes and he hated seeing his sister in her eyes. "I must ask why you're here if not to beg for the life of your beloved Oliver Queen?"

"I'm conflicted. Failure is never an option-" she looked back up to the man who smiled at the lesson he taught her. "There is always a way to win, and this can't be any different. Not because it's you we're up against. That's not how battles work. The opponent doesn't matter, because there is always a way to gain the upper hand."

"Correct, but you must first find that upper hand and I have made that quite difficult." the demon almost taunted her.

"Not unless you create your own upper hand." Katie replied once again meeting the man's eyes.

The demon watched as she stared for a moment, before tilting her head slightly as if listening to someone. He narrowed his eyes as he watched her closely, and then suddenly her attention once again focused on him.

"What if my mother was here? What if she were standing right in front of you right now, asking if you're going to make me go through what you did to Melina." Ra's seemed to perk up at the mention of a name he hasn't heard or spoken in ages. A name that the woman in front of him should not know. Katie kept her face passive, because it would seem the words did have affect on the man. She figured she must've heard the name from someone on the grounds, because hearing them now from a hallucination couldn't be the source. "What if she were right there in front of you, wondering where her Saḡīr who used to pull her hair when she walked, or who loved sneaking up on her, but could never truly surprise her?" Katie took a step forward, the usually talkative man now noticeably silent. "Failure is never an option. I do not plan on failing. Now if you would excuse me, I should probably go spend the little time I have left with the man I love." she simply nodded before turning and leaving the man still too shocked to speak. "You know I think if my mother were here, she probably wouldn't be too happy with the way you've treated her daughter!"

Once she was gone, Ra's sat there, his eyes still forward, as if there were someone there. He leaned forward slightly, "I'm not afraid of you Minnah." he felt the chill along his spine the moment the words came out of his mouth.

Katie appeared outside of Oliver's door and a part of her didn't even want to knock. This was when the goodbyes started, and that's the part she knows she won't be able to handle. The truth is, that clock is ticking and she knows she doesn't have much time and so she raises a fist and lightly knocks. Oliver opens the door immediately, and the moment he sees her, relief seems to wash over him.

"I don't think I can remember the last time you knocked to come into a room I was in." Oliver said and Katie simply silently stared at him. He reached out a arm around her and pulled her inside. "I thought-"

"That I had went off to kill Ra's?" she asked, walking over to sit in down on the seats.

"Honestly, yeah." Oliver replied taking the seat beside her. "I was expecting some commotion and I thought there would be more fighting tonight."

"Not tonight." Katie sighed dropping her head on the side of the couch as she smiled up to the man. "Tonight there's nothing left to fight, and I accept that." Oliver placed a hand to her cheek, and she placed her hand above his and sighed. "You brought your sister back."

"Yeah." Oliver said with a smile. That was the only thing keeping him together right now, the only motivation for changing his entire life. "I remember the first time that I thought I'd never see Thea again. When my father's boat went down."

"But you did see her again." Katie assured as slid closer to the man, letting her head rest on his chest. "And you will see her again."

"This is different. I've just been thinking about the... person I was." Oliver brought his arms around the woman, placing a kiss on top of her head. "The brother that I was. And how he probably died when that boat went down. All this time, I've been struggling with who I am..."

"And who you are is the next Ra's Al Ghul?" Katie asked lifting her eyes to meet his.

"I don't know." Oliver sighs, looking up to the flames of the fireplace. "The only thing that I can know for sure is that everything that I've done; every-everything that happened, it led me right here, to this moment." he looked down to the woman in his arms. And Twinkie, if that's true, then... I don't know what it was all for." Katie dropped her eyes to flames as well before pulling out of Oliver arms to meet his eyes.

"My mom used to tell me when ever I didn't want to do something, that I had to do, she would say some roads have to be traveled to get to the destination we want, maybe this is one of those times." Katie took Oliver's hand in hers and a tear finally escaped her eye. "Maybe this is just a stop on the road, but it's not the end." Oliver lifted a hand to wipe the tear away. "I want to tell you to not do this, to just come back with me, but I know you Oliver Queen." she smiled up to the man. "My Liver, and I know it wouldn't change your mind even though I'm pretty sure I could get close. I have to believe that we really are meant to be in this moment, that this is necessary. That we will find a way out of this, that we will get over this crap and you are going to ask me to marry you and I will say yes." Oliver's dropped his eyes, because he was starting to feel it. That growing distance that was going to once again separate them.

"You booked the gardens." Oliver said suddenly and she looked up in confusion. "Well I've been writing vows."

"Really?" she asked with a smile, and Oliver reached up to wipe away another tear.

"Yeah, every time I see you, the words just come to me. I'm not completely done, but do you want to hear what I have so far?" Katie closed her eyes, her heart aching with every passing second. She looked back to him and just nodded.

"Ok, so the day I met you, I didn't know how important you were going to be in my life. It started off as some boring dinner with our parents, and ended with the Three Stooges and from that moment on I knew I just needed you in my life." Oliver placed a soft kiss to her hand before smiling up to the woman. "And I know that during our formative years, I probably wasn't the best person to you and I wasn't the best friend that I could've been, but I think you should know why. When I was in junior high, one of the only times I actually talked to my dad about relationship advice, I told him that I think I really like this girl and when he asked me who she was I told him it was the daughter of one of his business associates, Jacob Robins. My dad told me that a girl like that didn't date the jock types. They married the guy who didn't need to be tutored in the majority of his classes. And I thought he was right, so I never even tried." he placed a hand on her cheek and took in a deep breath. "I really wish I didn't take that advice because it postponed the best moments of my life." the man just shook his head. "I probably need to shorten it, or-" Katie practically jumped into his arms, capturing his lips in a kiss that was filled with both sorrow, and passion. Oliver's pulled the woman closer, so she straddled his lap before picking her up and leading them over to the bed.

Felicity sat on the bed, watching Bruce near the window, phone pressed to his ear. She smiled at the look of annoyance on his face as he listened.

"Richie, I'm not doing this anymore. I'm hanging up now." Bruce finally said before turning back to Felicity. "He's in a mood that I didn't bring him along on this twisted little field trip. The last thing I need is him poking his head around here."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

"Unfortunately." Bruce replied walking over to sit beside the woman on the bed. They sit in silence for a moment, trying to figure out the next step.

"What happens from here?" Felicity asked and she watched Bruce turn away in thought and she got nervous.

"I guess I can stick around Starling for a bit, travel to Gotham when needed." Bruce said before turning back to the woman with a smile. "We can attempt the long distance thing, but I don't think I would like it very much." The smile on Felicity's face grew wider before she leaned in to meet the man's lips with hers. "I'm sorry." the blonde stopped and looked up to the man. "I needed to say that."

"Thank you." she replied, pulling the man's lips to hers.

Katie listened to the familiar thump of Oliver's heart as she laid against his bare chest. She wanted to remember the sound that usually lulled her to sleep at night.

"Are you sleep?" Katie whispered and she heard the slight rumble of his chest as he chuckled.

"I think the last thing I could do is sleep." Oliver voice rasp before placing a kiss to the top of Katie's head. "Why?"

"I'm thirsty." she said.

"Oh, I'm sure there's something here." Oliver said sitting up from the bed and looking around the room.

"I actually know where the booze is around here." Katie replies sliding out of bed and grabbing Oliver's shirt, sliding it over her head. "I'll be right back." Oliver didn't even get a word in before the woman was rushing from the room. While she was gone, he slipped back into his clothes. It didn't take long for her to come back with a bottle of something, and two cups.

"What's that?" Oliver asked as Katie poured the drink into the cups and handed him one.

"If there is a god, it's alcohol." she replied with a smile before turning back to the man. "Should we drink to something?" Oliver just struggled and Katie turned in thought. "I know-" she lifted her cup. "Let's drink to possibilities."

"To possibilities." Oliver said, nudging his cup with her before bringing the cup to his lips and taking a sip. He turned back to Katie who he noticed didn't drink.

"You had to have known that I wouldn't go out without a fight." Katie said, and Oliver began to feel strange, his eyes going to the cup before letting it fall to the floor.

"Katie-" was all he said before collapsing to the floor. Katie quickly tried to grab him so he didn't hit his head.

"If we get out of this alive, you are going to thank me." she whispered, placing a kiss to his head.

Katie knew she didn't have much time, so she quickly finished getting the man dressed before lying him on the bed. She put her clothes back on, before stepping back out into the hall to round up her friends.

They all ended back in Oliver and Katie's room, where they all looked down to Oliver who was still knocked out.

"I know what you're going to say?" Katie spoke with a shake of her head. "But I had to do something."

"Of course, get us all killed." Malcolm said and Katie sent him a glare. "There is no way we're carrying him out of here without Ra's knowing."

"As much as I hate to say this, Malcolm is right." Bruce added. "I know you don't want to leave Oliver here, but you have to see what trying to break him out could do."

"All I see is that Oliver wouldn't be the first person broken out of this place." Katie replied turning to the man. "There is a way-"

"You want to try the tunnels."

"Tunnels?" John asked.

"The first time I was brought here, Bruce was here and he helped me escape through tunnels that are on the other side of the fortress." Katie said turning back to Bruce who looked hesitant. "If there is a chance that we can get out of here, then we have to take it."

"What happens if we do get out of here. You think Ra's is just going to let you run away with his prize. You will always be hunted, looking over your shoulder." Bruce said and Katie let out a sigh before looking back down to Oliver.

"Well I won't care if I'm with him." Katie replied. "Look I'm doing this, with or without you. And I bet my life that it will be more dangerous for you if you didn't help me." they all stood there for a moment before giving her a nod. Katie turned to Malcolm. "Go get Thea, meet us in the west end in five minutes." Malcolm nodded before rushing out of the room. Katie turned to the others. "Grab a weapon, anything small, light something you can run with." She looked over to John, who simply nodded before grabbing Oliver and tossing the man over his shoulder.

Once everything was set, they all ventured down the halls cautiously, navigating their way toward the tunnels.

"Stop." Katie said suddenly, an in an instant assassins appeared. Katie grabbed Thea, while Malcolm and Bruce took out two of them. John pulled a gun, she should've figure he had with him, and shot one of the assassins behind them. Once they were all down, the group began running toward the room that lead to the tunnels. They didn't expect there to be more of Ra's men there. They once again prepared for a fight, but before one could even begin, the assassins were struck with arrows. They all turned to see the man holding the bow. When he finally pulled off his mask, they realized it was Sarab.

"Not that I'm not thankful, but why are you helping us?" Katie asked.

"Because if I do nothing, then I will be just a shell." Sarab said before turning to Diggle. "You reminded me of that." John gave the man a nod in thanks.

"30 meters down. The path forks. Take the left passage." Sarab pointed toward the entrance to the tunnels and Katie turned back to him, giving him look of thanks before they all turned and were once again running.

The tunnels were dim, and it felt like they weren't getting anywhere, but they didn't stop, they just knew they couldn't stop.

"Keep going!" Katie called as she kept her eyes forward, hoping the vague familiarity she had while she ran was a good sign.

"Wait!" Thea said, still on her father's arm. "Need to slow down. I need to take a break."

"Thea, I know you're tired, but it's just a little further. I promise you can rest on the plane." Katie said placing a hand on the woman's cheek. "Just a little further." they began moving again, but Thea's breathing became audibly louder and Katie stopped and rushed back to her. "Hey, you're alright, look at me." John sat Oliver down on the floor, hearing what sounded like footsteps.

"Robins, we need to move now!" Bruce called, but it was no use because it would seem they were found, and now surrounded by Ra's assassins.

Katie turned, placing herself in front of Thea as she closely watched and waited for someone to make a move. The assassins lifted their bows and aimed ready to shoot.

"Trust me, we do not want to be taken alive." Malcolm said, waiting for the first arrow.

"Hold!" they all turned at the unexpected voice of Oliver who stood to his feet. "I am Al Sah-him. Wahreeth Al Ghul. Heir to the Demon." Katie turned, shocked at the man's declaration and she could feel the hope she had for getting out of here fleeting. "And you will obey. Put your weapons down. Now!" they listened. Oliver's words were enough for them to lower their bows. "Tell Ra's I will return shortly." the assassins turned and left them.

"So that's it." Katie said looking over to the man who walked over to her. "My break you out hell plan just ruin-" she turned back to Thea who was gasping for air. "Deep breaths, Speedy."

"Thank you so much for trying." Oliver replied when she turned back to him. "I love you so much more for trying, but this only ends one way."

That one way was the way no one wanted. It's the way that had them heading toward the plane, and being forced to leave Oliver behind.

Katie stood and watched as Oliver said goodbyes, and her insides were twisting because she doesn't think she can do it . She'd said goodbye to this man so many times, and every time it feels like a part of her is dying. Soon they were the only two left standing there, and Katie couldn't walk over to him. She stood a couple of feet away, trying to postpone the inevitable. He knew he would have to be the one to come to her and so he walked over, but she refused to look at him.

"You're going to make this hard." he whispered and he noticed the tears forming in her eyes. "Whatever happens after this moment, I need to know that you're going to be happy." Katie turned meeting his eyes. "I think I can only survive this knowing you're finding a way to be happy." Katie placed her hands on his chest before looking up to his eyes.

"Hold on to something." Katie whispered. "I don't care what it is, but it has to be something you can hold onto for dear life. If you do that, then there is still a chance." Oliver bent forward for once last kiss that he wanted to last for longer than it could. He dropped his forehead to her, finding that walking away was not as easy as he thought it would be. "I should've at least punched him in the nose." Oliver laughed stealing one more kiss before dropping his hands back to his side. "I don't want to say goodbye to you." she took a deep breath.

"Well let's not say goodbye this time." Oliver said taking these last moments to try to remember all of her features. Katie stood there for a moment longer, knowing it wasn't going to get easier and so she finally turned and began walking away from him and she felt herself dying with every step she took.

With time, things were supposed to get easier. The pain was supposed to get dull, but almost a month later the pain only seemed to get worse. At the dining room table of the Diggle household sat John, Felicity, Lyla, and Thea who were having dinner and discussing John's latest outing that landed four Halcones in police custody. They'd been a bit unorganized, the flow completely different now, but they were working. Making sure they made it known that even though the Arrow was gone, the crime would not be tolerated.

"So has anyone of you talked to Katie about how she's doing?" Lyla asked as she gathered the plates and headed for the kitchen.

"Well I think that would entail her actually talking about her feelings and that's just not something this lady does." Felicity replied as Lyla came back to take a seat. They all looked over to Katie's plate that was practically still filled with food. "There's only so much we can do."

"Ever since she's moved into my loft, she doesn't say much to me either." Thea sighed with a shake of her head. It only made her feel guilty because she knew she was apart of the reason. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"She's not upset with you Thea. It's just the whole situation." John assured before glancing over to Lyla. "Katie's past with the league, and now this only accomplished one thing."

"She still feels trapped." Felicity replied.

"I say we talk to her. Right now." Lyla suggested and they all looked with skepticism. "We're all here, and we can act as a united front to try to talk to her about how she's really feeling. Bottling this all up isn't good for her."

"You're right." Felicity said before standing to her feet. "I think the first step is tearing her out of the bathroom."

"She has been in there for a while. I hope she still doesn't have that bug." Lyla said, as they glanced back toward the bathroom.

"I should go with you." Thea said standing to her feet.

"Alright." Felicity replied before they both went over to the bathroom door. Felicity gently knocked and they waited for an answer. "Hey in there, we're starting to get worried." the women continued waiting for a reply, but none came. "Katie, is everything alright?" Felicity and Thea shared a look before Thea moved in closer to the door.

"Hey in there, what's going on?" Thea asked as she knocked once more, deciding that if she didn't get a response soon, she's was going to have John break open the door. "Katie?!" the panic was clear in her voice, and it was enough for the door to suddenly open and so they walked inside.

John and Lyla sat at the table for a few moments, both sharing a look before hearing a squeal from the bathroom. Both stand to their feet about to check it out, when Katie suddenly stalks back to the living room and drops to the couch, and curling into a ball, her back to everyone. Thea rushed behind her, kneeling down beside the couch rubbing the woman's back.

"Katie, are you-" suddenly Felicity appears, a smile from ear to ear confusing the hell out of the Diggles. "Felicity, what the hell is going on?" Felicity looks over to Katie and takes a deep breath before turning back to John.

"Well John it would seem that Twiver is having a baby."

---

Author's note:

The Twiver Baby is coming!

Review Replies:

Phoenix-Rising29: Thanks so much for the review, and I'm sorry about the spelling mistakes. I try to catch them during editing, but a few get missed. And I understand how frustrating the whole Katie/Oliver will they, won't they thing is going, but it's the little things that you gotta see. From last chapter we learned that Katie really hasn't forgiven Oliver and it because of that she can't marry him, which is a very big decision. I think going back this time means she will go in slowly and not make any more big moves without being completely sure. Which doesn't last long, especially after this chapter. It ended with a baby, and a baby will definitely change things. In maybe not in the way you think.

Adela: Thanks for the review and I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. I had a wonderful Christmas and New Year, thanks so much for about you, how has your New Year been so far? And a sequel is still formulating in my head at the moment. I'm definitely planting seeds in these last couple of chapters that could carry over.

ImsebastianstanButter That is actually something that will be revealed in the last chapter. What I can tell you is that the Reverse Flash knows something about Katie, that she doesn't know about herself. It's something he found out from his earth and realized that it's something he could use to beat Barry. It's not quite working out for him, since I'm not even sure he understands how it really work. Hope that was both vague and informative lol.

rockyroyal,dr I totally agree, but I always have to give Oliver some slack because he's really trying his best to wear two hats. He wants to be there for Katie, give her everything she needs of him, but also be the man his city needs him to be and he's still trying to figure out how to make that work. So yeah he is messing up, but I think Katie really does see he's trying his best and that's why she hasn't completely just left him high and dry. Ah yes, Felicity and Bruce are definitely cuter, especially after this chapter when the stars finally aligned and they both finally admitted to still loving each other. Let's just see how that works out. Oliver and Katie are a very odd and exhausting couple, that will now have to fit in a kid. But I think babies create perspective, and things that used to matter are now out the window.

OMG everyone, sorry for the delay. I'm actually working on the last chapter of the story and I'm really trying to make it perfect. I want to thank all the new comers brave enough to add this story to your fav/follow alert. I greatly appreciate every one. I also want to give a special thanks to the few who left reviews. They're always so fun to read, so please keep them coming. I'm inching closer and closer to my goal of 100 reviews which isn't too far off.

And now for your sneak peek...

It wasn't until they were riding the elevator in Palmer Tech, did Thea once again try to get Katie to open up.

"So how do you feel?" Thea asked and Katie turned with a quirked brow. "Like, do you feel weird?"

"No, I feel the same. I mean I'm nauseous more that I usually am, and I actually like sleeping then I did before, but other than that, I feel the same." Katie turned back to the doors, and waited.

"So why do you keep skipping out on the appointments?" Thea asked and Katie sighed. "Felicity said today was the fourth appointment you skipped and I'm just confused, you being a doctor and all. I assumed you know the risks of not-"

"He supposed to be here." Katie interrupted, her eyes still on the metal doors. "I was going to go to my first appointment, and he was going to be with me, and we were going to stare at an image that looked like something out of a sci fi movie, and say how adorable it is." Katie dropped her head, closing her eyes. "He was going to hold my hand." she looked over to Thea who reached forward and took her hand. "I guess I'm going to have to let that fantasy go."