CHAPTER 24
Realizations and Revelations
"Nothing that was worthy in the past departs;
no truth or goodness realized by man ever dies, or can die."
-Thomas Carlyle
Being the Chief Resident of one the major hospitals in such a large city as Starling should be constant excitement. And yet for one doctor, Ethan Mills, some days were just plain boring. The hospital was fully staffed so that meant there wasn't really much need for him on the hospital floor. So most days Ethan spent his time looking at expense reports, and invoices.
That was going to change today. Ethan's eyes lazily glossed over the expense report on his desk, when he looked over to the wall clock and suddenly jumped to his feet and hurried out of his office. The man strolled to the elevator, when he suddenly heard the sound of high heeled feet coming closer. The moment he turned, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"What are you doing here, Fee Fee?" Ethan asked and Felicity looked up from her phone to the man and simply glared.
"Why wouldn't I be here?" Felicity asked walking over to stand at the elevator. "My friend is having a baby, and the father is currently being primped and primed to be the leader of a league of killers. She's not doing this alone."
"Of course not, that's why I'm here." Ethan replied and Felicity simply shook her head. "You can go."
"I can-"
"What are you doing here?" a voice spoke and both turned to see Thea walking over. Her eyes went to Thea as she waited for an answer.
"I'm here for Katie."
"No, I'm here for Katie, as the aunt to the child she is carrying." Thea countered folding her arms over her chest. She glanced over to Ethan who looked between the two.
"Why do you say that as if you're the only aunt?" Felicity asked and Thea scoffed.
"Well because technically since my brother is the child's father, by blood I am the aunt and you're just-"
"Just the what?" Felicity asked folding her arms over her chest as well.
"What is taking this elevator so long?" Ethan asked glancing to the doors that still hadn't opened. He hoped to slip on while the two women were distracted.
"Oh, hey guys!" they all turned at the voice, none of them expecting to see Laurel walking over. Her eyes went to Ethan, who stood a bit straighter, slyly running his fingers through his hair. "Hey."
"Laur." Ethan said with a sudden bright smile. "Let me guess why you're here."
"Katie's first appointment is today, right?" Laurel asked looking between Felicity and Thea who still glared at each other. " I thought I would-"
"Come for support, so she's not here alone?" Ethan asked and the woman turned back to him and just nodded. "I think that is the consensus here. Look ladies-" all eyes suddenly turned to him and Ethan was expectantly nervous. He cleared his throat before continuing. "She's meeting with Dr. Baxter, who loves me. Like I bought her one of those Willie Nelson bobble heads for Christmas one year, and she went nuts."
"Your point?" Felicity asked.
"My point is she's not letting all of us in there with Kit, and since I'm the medical professional who she's like seriously crushing on-"
"Crushing on?" Laurel asked and Ethan turned with just a wave of his hand.
"She's like my mom's age, it's sweet, she always has candy in her purse, but my point is, you all can go and feel comfortable with the fact that Kit isn't going through this alone." Ethan said when they suddenly heard the bell of the elevator. They all turned and waited when suddenly the door opened and without hesitation, they all rushed onto the elevator. "I'm telling you-"
"Once I tell her that I am the aunt, it will trump weird doctor friend,-" Thea said pointing toward Ethan, before looking over to Laurel. "Baby's father's ex-girlfriend-" she then turned to Felicity. "And fake aunt."
"You listen to me Thea Queen-" suddenly the door opened to the maternity floor and they all turned rushing out, only to see another familiar face standing at the nursing station. "John?" the man turned, not expecting the group to emerge from the elevator. "Let me guess, you came to support Katie during her first appointment for the baby?"
"I did, but I guess it's not happening." John replied folding his arms over his chest. "Because she never showed up for the appointment." It was Felicity to sifted through the group to stand in front of John, the look on her face completely serious.
"Again?" Felicity glanced around the waiting room. "Are you sure because she promised that this time she would come."
"This time?" Thea asked taking a step forward. "I thought this was her first appointment. How many has she had?"
"This would be her fourth this month." Felicity sighed shaking her head before looking back to John. "I thought our little talk last time finally got through to her, but apparently-"
"Has anyone talked to her?" Laurel asked. "Maybe the reason she's not here is because-"
"Before we jump on the maybe she was kidnapped boat, I'm just going to call her." Felicity was already taking out her cell phone and dialing Katie's number. She waits for an answer and is glad she hears the sudden click.
"Hey Felicity, what's up?" Katie answers.
"Where are you right now?" Felicity asked glancing over to the others, and giving a nod that the woman was ok. "And why aren't you at your appointment?"
I didn't -" there was a brief pause and Felicity heard the woman mutter under her breath. "I did miss it. I must have lost track of time. I came back to my loft to get a couple of things, and then I laid down and must've nodded off."
"Katie, you promised you would be here."
"I know Felicity, but I don't know what you want me to do, I fell asleep!" Katie snapped angrily. "Look how about I reschedule the appointment-"
"You've rescheduled three times. What is this really about?" Felicity asked, and the line was silent. "Katie?"
"I will reschedule the appointment Felicity, so just back off ok." with that the woman ended the call.
Felicity pulled the phone from her ear with a groan before looking up to the awaiting eyes.
"She fell asleep and lost track of time." Felicity replied with a shake of her head. "She went to her loft to get some things and she said she laid down. Look I'm just going to go there and-"
"No." John said and they all looked over to him. "We're going to give her some time alone. Since finding out about the baby, we've been in her face, maybe we should just give her some time. I'll stop by a little later to make sure she's doing ok."
"Fine." Felicity said raising her hands in surrender. "I'll back off, but she needed to go to this appointment." John simply gave a nod before they all headed back to the elevator.
"You know I think I'll wait for the next one." Ethan said when the doors finally opened. They all glanced over to the man before looking over to Laurel who had stepped away to take a call.
"Don't forget that she can beat you up man." John said with a chuckle as the doors came to a sliding close.
The moment Laurel was done with her call, she turned noticing the only person standing there was Ethan, with a stupid smile on his face.
"So, since my afternoon has suddenly been freed up, do you want to grab some lunch?" he asked and the woman simply walked over and pressed the button for the elevator. "Maybe discuss telling the others about us." Laurel looked over to him with a quirked brow.
"With this whole Oliver thing, I'm just not sure we should be pushing our relationship out there, just yet." Laurel replied turning back to the doors. "Plus it's still pretty new with us, maybe we should wait awhile before we let them in."
"You're ashamed of me, aren't you?" Ethan asked when the doors opened, and Laurel couldn't help but laugh as she stepped on.
"Yeah, I'm ashamed of my boyfriend, whose the Chief resident of a successful hospital." she glanced over to the man with a smile. "I really don't want to be associated with such a thing."
"You're being funny." Ethan, brought his arms around the woman as he lightly nudged her to the wall.
"I am being funny." Laurel muttered when his lips suddenly captured hers.
Katie lied. Not because she wanted to lie, but because the truth made her seem sad. Yeah she did return to her loft, not to pick anything up. She did what she always did. She found herself in a room that's usually locked, staring at a wall with different notes and schematics of Nanda Parbat. It was everything she had that could possibly help her save Oliver, and yet none of it was help at all. She figured that out a long time ago, but she still found herself sitting here staring as if something new would just pop up.
The sudden sound of her growling stomach pulled her from the maze of thoughts torturing her. She glanced down to her stomach, running a hand across, a ghost of a smile coming to her lips. Some how, somewhere, something in the universe knew she would need motivation for this fight. And that motivation came in the form of an impossibility, that suddenly became possible.
"I should eat something." she muttered before standing to her feet and heading for the kitchen. Before she could even make it, there was a knock at her door. With a annoyed sigh, she walked over to the door and brought her eye to the peep hole. "Of course." the woman pulls open the door and looks to the man standing there. "Captain, what are you doing here?"
"I uh-" the man cleared his throat attempting to vocalize why he was here and yet in this moment he really can't. "Wanted to stop by to-" the man fidgeted a bit, crossing his arms over his chest. "See how you were doing?" Katie stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes.
"You've lost whatever eyes you've had on Oliver and now you're here, hoping I tell you where he is." Katie stated with a nod. "So sorry to disappoint you, but you and me have nothing else to talk about. So I think I would prefer our contact remain official. You ever get a reason to arrest me, then I'm here, but anything else lets just not." she took a step back to close the door.
"I was just doing my job. People were dying in this city, I swore to protect and everything I knew, everything I could see, pointed to one suspect. And then Oliver's name came up and I just knew-"
"But you can't just know!" Katie snapped angrily. "You can't just know without evidence, without proof to back up your theory. According to you, you can't move without some sort of probable cause and the only thing you had was the words of a monster. He fed them to you and you ate every crumb." the man dropped his head and sighed. "I'm sorry about Sara-" the man brought his eyes back to her. "You have no idea how guilty I feel about how everything went with her, because I made a promise that I would get her out, that I would always help her and then I couldn't. Now Sara is dead and I live with it and you live with it, but I refuse to be blinded by it." Katie grabbed the door before casting one final glance to the man. "Oliver's not here and I don't think he's coming back so, if you don't mind, I really just want to be left alone." with that the woman jerked the door closed. For some reason, those words coming out of her mouth hurt, but they weren't a lie. With another deep breath, she turned and headed for the kitchen.
Before long, Katie returned back to Thea's loft. When she walked through the door, she didn't see anyone at first, but soon heard footsteps.
"Twinkie, is that you?" Katie pulled off her jacket and tossed it on the couch, before seeing Thea coming down the stairs. "You have some serious explaining to do."
"Like I told Felicity-"
"I know what you told Felicity, but I don't believe it." Thea walked over to stand in front of Katie who shook her head. "I know you're scared-"
"I'm not scared." Katie replied turning on her heel and walking around the woman toward the stairs. "I'm tired. I'm always tired, so I'm just going to go lay down." Katie had only taking one step before her phone vibrated. She pulled it from her pocket and looked down to the text from John.
"What's up?"
"It's John, apparently Laurel called to meet and he thought I should come."
"Well are you?"
"What would be the point? Any fight Laurel's found, I'm automatically exempted now that I'm-" the woman sighed before continuing up the stairs.
"Because you're pregnant!" Thea called after the woman who stopped. "You're pregnant Katie. There is a baby growing inside of you right now and it's going to happen whether Oliver is here or not." Katie looked over her and Thea took a step forward. "I know I'm the reason why he's not here and I'm so sorry-"
"Thea stop." Katie replied walking over. "You're not the reason Oliver is in Nanda Parbat. You're not the reason Oliver isn't here right now. We're all adults, we all make choices and Oliver's choices brought him to that place. So don't blame yourself." the woman turned about to find her bed, and bury herself under her blankets.
"Only if you do the same!" Thea called after her. Katie stopped but didn't turn. "You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened to Oliver. You're still here, that baby is still here and he or she needs to know how great a fighter their mother is." Katie turned back to the woman who wore a smile. "You can't just disappear because he's not here." Katie let out a sigh, before typing a few keys on her phone. Soon she was pulling on her jacket, before turning to Thea.
" It's late, and I would rather know where you are." Katie replied and Thea folded her arms in offense. "You can pout or you can grab your jacket. I know you're going crazy being cooped up in here, so go get your jacket."
"You already have that mom tone down." Thea joked before going to grab her jacket.
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 than 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 a little 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 a sci fi movie, and say how adorable it was ." 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." the doors suddenly opened and Katie stepped out, glancing down the hall to see the lights on in the lab. When they went inside, they found Felicity alone standing in front of her computer. "Am I late?" Felicity startled, quickly turned, hand on her chest.
"You seriously scared the crap out of me." Felicity said before glancing over to Thea. "Hey." she looked back to Katie who was waiting for answers. "How much did John tell you?"
"Not a lot." Katie replied walking over to the computer to see tracking grid, and a moving red dot. "Who are we tracking, and what does this have to do with Laurel?" Felicity turned to Katie, and Katie could just tell she was not going to like this. "Thea could you give us a minute?"
"Look, I can't take being handled right now." Thea said taking a step forward and Katie turned to the woman. "I'm here, and I'm in." Katie took a deep breath before turning back to Felicity.
"Ok, so it's possible- and I stress possible- that Oliver is back in town with the League." the moment the words came out of Felicity's mouth Katie turned away, suddenly bombarded with emotions she didn't expect to have. A part of her believed that she may never see Oliver again, but a small part always held hope. "Katie-"
"Why is-" she turned back to Felicity. "I mean what-"
"Hey, you should sit." Felicity grabbed a chair and move it so Katie could sit, but Katie just shook her head.
"I'm fine, just not expecting this. Full story please."
"Well you know Laurel's been keeping up her Black Canary routine, kicking butt, and taking names. Apparently Nyssa has been helping her, and the moment Laurel told Nyssa about Oliver accepting the offer, she freaked, she seems to think-"
"Oliver is here to kill Nyssa." Katie said turning away. She shook her head because if the statement was true, then that would mean that Ra's really did win.
"That's what she says, but this is Oliver. No amount of league mind voodoo could change Oliver." Felicity replied still watching Katie. "Everything is going to be fine, we're handling it."
"You're a terrible liar." Thea commented and Felicity tossed a glare before turning to Katie, waiting for her to say something. "Twinkie-"
"What's the plan?" Katie asked turning to Felicity who sighed. "They're going to try to fight them."
"If this is Oliver, John thinks-"
"That's not how this works." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "Where are they?"
"I can't tell you that." Felicity said nervously as the words didn't seem to appease the woman. "Look, John wanted you here for purely intel purposes, how to move, when they engage, but you going out there on the front lines of this fight is just not happening."
"Hey, maybe I could talk to him." Thea said and both woman turned to her. "I could get through to him." she turned to Katie who let out a sigh. "You can at least let me try."
"Thea, your brother wanted you as far away from this as possible. You safe and sound was the plan and that's what I'm going to make sure happens." Katie said.
"I keep hearing this plan that Oliver had, but apparently he isn't even here any more." Thea grumbled before stalking out of the lab. Katie let out a groan before turning back to Felicity.
"Now where are they-"
"Katie-"
"You know what, fine." she walked around the woman and grabbed one of the comlinks. "Patch me through." Felicity let out a sigh, before reaching forward and typing a few keys. "John, Laurel?"
"Katie?" John spoke.
"Yeah, I don't know what the thought process was behind all of this, but I need both of you to back off. You do not want to get mixed up in this."
"Are you serious?" Laurel asked. "Nyssa does not deserve to die."
"Actually she does, but I'm not here to argue about what does and doesn't deserve to happen, what I am here to do is to tell you that you two placing yourself in the affairs of the league will bite you in the ass. It is a fight neither of you are ready for."
"Katie, if Oliver is really here maybe we can talk to him." John said and Katie closed her eyes. "I refuse to believe that Oliver isn't strong enough to take whatever Ra's throws at him. I assumed you did too."
"I love Oliver more than anything in this world, and I hate that he had to go to that place, but you don't know what happens in those walls. You don't know the type of horrible things it takes to be worthy of the title assassin in the league. And none of us have any idea what sick things have to happen to be called the Ra's Al Ghul. John, just do not do this."
"He's my brother. I don't leave family behind."
And in an instant the connection ended, and Katie pulled the comlink from her ear and tossed it on the floor.
"You got out." Felicity suddenly said. "He tried turning you, but it didn't work. The same thing will happen with Oliver." She looked over to Katie, who kept her back to her. "We just have to have hope."
"You're right." Katie said suddenly before turning to the woman. "You need to have hope. So keep it, and when you see it, when you see with your own eyes, then I will help." with that the woman turned storming out of the lab.
The moment Katie stepped onto the elevator, and the doors closed behind her, that's when it happened. Walls she kept up, just came crumbling down and tears just poured from her. It wasn't the first time, it's actually happened more times then she cares to imagine, but hearing the fact that Oliver was in Starling, leading a team of assassins to kill Nyssa, only broke another small piece of hope that she held on to. She fell back against the wall, and slid down to the floor. She once again found herself in that moment where she had no idea what to do. She was powerless. She dropped her head to her knees, her tears staining her pants when the doors slid open. There were heavy foot steps, and when she lifted her head, she scoffed.
"I can't-" she said with a shake of her head at the sight of the man who always appears at the worse moment. "Martin, I just can't, please what ever this is please just go."
"He would like to see you." Martin said walking over and kneeling in front of her. "He wants to help."
"You and I both know there's nothing he can do." Katie replied with a shake of her head as she slid back to her feet. "This is happening, and there's nothing that can stop it from happening." she walked around the man out of the elevator and headed for the door.
"He wants to get you and the baby out of Starling." Martin said, and Katie stopped walking. The topic of her pregnancy was definitely not public news. Even the hospital signed a non disclosure agreement. But she should've known that her father, the man with eyes everywhere would just know.
"I thought that was the last thing he wanted?" she turned back to the man who let out a heavy sigh. "I'm supposed to be here, I'm supposed to fight."
"That was before you became the incubator for the future Robins." Martin walked over to her, looked her over trying to see it. Trying to see the moment everything changed. "He knew this was a possibility, and he planned for it. The fight stops with that kid, that means we get you out of danger and away from everything league." Katie just shook her head before turning for the door. "You said it yourself, there's nothing you can do!" the woman didn't says a word before stalking out of the door.
There are just some things that need to be witnessed first hand or else no one would believe them. Oliver Queen heading the league of assassins, attempting to murder Nyssa at the order of Ra's was one of those things, and the moment John saw it, the moment he saw the darkness behind the man's eyes who held a sword to Nyssa's throat, the man he once called a brother he just knew it was true. Oliver apparently didn't expect them, and disappeared.
Nyssa and Laurel went to Nyssa's safe house, while John went back to Palmer Tech where he hoped to find Katie.
"She's gone." Felicity said, her eyes still on the monitor that showed the man she once called her friend. "She said once we saw the truth with our own eyes, then she would help." she to John who could see the woman had been crying. "How is this possible?"
"I heard about this kind of thing. Guy gets captured by the enemy." John sighed turning away from the monitor. It didn't help because the image was playing over and over again in his head. "Gets broken. I just never imagined Oliver- still can't imagine- that Oliver would." he turned back to Felicity with a shake of his head. "Strongest man I've ever known, Felicity." he took another deep breath. "When Katie left, did she say where she was going?"
"No, you don't think she would go after him, do you?" Felicity asked, suddenly worried because the thought didn't sound as crazy as she hoped. "Who am I kidding?" she turned grabbing her phone.
"Bruce still in Gotham?" John asked and Felicity turned and nodded.
"Yeah, why?"
"I just think it's best we stick close, while Oliver's out there running around." John said and Felicity simply nodded before grabbing her jacket. "Call Katie, I don't like not knowing where she is right now."
Katie was possibly in the one spot, no one would think to find her. She sat, swaying back and forth on the park swing of the deserted Starling National Park. She needed to get out of her head, to build the walls around her emotions back up, and figure out what she was going to do. Her mind kept drifting to the fact that Oliver was here, in the same city. She felt like she should search him out, should look him in the eyes, but she thinks the moment she does, and it's not him staring back her, she truly will be broken. She heard the crushing of leaves from behind her and she sat up a bit straighter before turning and seeing yet another face she could probably live with out.
"Errand boy strikes out, so the boss man makes an appearance." Katie replies turning and continuing to swing. "Just so you're aware, I am heavily armed , and trigger happy tonight."
"When aren't you trigger happy?" Jacob asked taking a seat on the swing beside her and gently swaying as well. The pair didn't say a word, or made a move to leave. "Martin told me you shot down the offer to leave Starling."
"For so long you tell me that I can't leave, that my place is here, and then I-" she glanced over to the man and just shook her head. "I'm not letting you control this. You do not have a say in this. I'm staying."
"Why, exactly?" Jacob asked and Katie tuned away. "With Oliver being Ra's new heir, what is really keeping you here? You know there's nothing to undo what's done to Oliver, no hope at all. You can get out while you still can."
"I can run. I've been running for a very long time." Katie said turning back to her father. "Running away is very different then running toward something, and I don't see anything for me out there. Here I have a family, and friends and right now I need them. I may not want to need them, to depend on them, but I don't really have a choice." she felt her phone vibrate, and sighed because she figured it was another call from Felicity. From the messages, she only wanted to know where Katie was and if she was safe and Katie sent texts to assure the woman, but it would seem it wasn't enough. Instead of ignoring the call, she brought the phone to her ear. "Felicity, I—John?" her eyes widened at the news that Oliver had kidnapped Lyla and was now demanding they trade her life for Lyla's. "Everything is going to be alright, ok? I'll meet you there." Katie quickly stood to her feet about to head off for her car, before stopping and turning back to her father. "Please tell me you didn't know about Lyla?"
"Despite what you believe, I'm not all knowing. What happened?" Jacob asked standing to his feet.
"Oliver has kidnapped her, and wants to exchange her for Nyssa." Katie replied with a shake of her head. It would seem every passing moment was just chipping away at any hope at saving Oliver. "He can't just be gone." she looked back to her father. "Everything that we've gone through, can't just end like this."
"I'm sorry, Sunshine, I know how hard this is for you, how painful it is, but right now you have to focus on what's most important." Jacob said taking a step toward her. "Putting yourself in the middle of this fight is dangerous, and doesn't just put you in danger. That child-"
"Don't you dare try to act concerned about me or this child. Your only concern has always been completing the mission, so how about you go off and do that, and I'm going to try to figure out how to get my friend's wife back." Jacob stood there and watched his daughter rush off, and he simply shook his head.
Soon Martin appeared on the swing beside him and Jacob didn't even look at him.
"Struck out again?" Martin asked and Jacob turned a glare to the man. "Well I can't say I'm surprised."
"And why is that?" Jacob continued to swing, a sudden memory of bringing Katie to a park and the sound of her laughter as he pushed her higher and higher.
"Because you expect her to thank you." Martin replied and Jacob stopped and looked over to the man. "I mean sure, the decisions you made for her life have probably saved her many times, but in essence they should've never been your decisions, and for that you should apologize." Jacob scoffed and stood to his feet, about to storm off, but he stopped and turned back to the man.
"You know Martin, it would benefit you to not forget your place." Jacob turned about to leave, but Martin stood, stopping him.
"I don't forget sir!" Martin called and Jacob turned meeting his eyes. "I've worked for you for years, and in those years I've looked up to you many times, but with this, sir even you have to admit that it got messy. It got dangerous, and you forgot that she was still your daughter."
"I have never forgotten that she is mine!" Jacob snapped taking a step toward the man, but he stopped himself. "Every decision I've ever made was because I wanted her ready for the darkness that was destined to come her way because she had my last name. Because of what I did, she will have a fighting chance."
"Yeah, and because of what you did, she'll probably never forgive you." Martin countered. "So I ask you sir, is you pride more important than the love of your daughter. You've already missed so much and now you're going to have a grandchild. If you want any inclusion in that, then you're going to have to really think about what's more important to you." the man glanced down to his watch and sighed. "I have my meeting with Mr. Harper-" he looked back up to the man. "Call if you need anything sir." Jacob could only nod before watching the man turn and walk away. Jacob really hated Martin, mostly because he made him doubt so much.
The moment Katie walked into the safe house, she heard John's angry voice. She quickly moved through the building until she found the man, being pushed away by Laurel.
"Ok, so what's going on?!" Katie called and they all turned back to her.
"Oliver took Lyla, said he'd only give her back in exchange for Nyssa." John said before turning his glare back to the demon's daughter who looked back to him. "And for the life of me I can't see why this is even a discussion."
"Because that's not what we do. We don't turn over innocent people." Laurel glanced over to Katie hoping for someone in this room to back her up.
"She's not innocent. She's the daughter of the Demon. She's killed hundreds of people!" John shook his head because he didn't like this time passing and not knowing what was happening with his wife.
"Alright, that's enough." Katie says walking over to stand in front of John. "Right now our main focus is getting Lyla back." she turned back to Laurel before glancing over to Nyssa. "Why does he want you?"
"To protect his ascension to the throne of Ra's." Nyssa spoke and she noticed Katie turned away. "You had to have known-"
"Stop talking." Katie said before turning to John. "Ok, how I see it, we don't want the league happy, so we piss them off. We're not going to hand her over."
"What about Lyla?" John asked angrily and Katie turned to him.
"It's alright." Nyssa said stepping forward, and they all turned to her. "Of course you should exchange me for your beloved. I won't see an innocent life taken for mine."
"What?" Laurel turned to the woman. "No."
"When did you grow a heart?" Katie asked turning to the woman, who looked back up to her cousin. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I stand behind my original plan." she turned back to John. "We're going to piss them off. We're going to make them think we're handing her over, then we pull the rug from under them." John turned away, a sudden thought coming to him. "John?"
"I have an idea. An old mission me and Lyla went on in Jakarta." he looked back over to Laurel and Nyssa. "This could work."
"Ok, what's the plan?" Katie asked and John met her eyes and she knew what he was going to say before the words even came out of his mouth. "John, don't even say it, I'm coming-"
"I'm sorry Katie, but this changes nothing. Head back to the loft, we'll handle this." Katie scoffed turning away from the man with a shake of her head. "One day, it's going to hit you and on that day you're going to thank me."
"Well one day isn't today, John." Katie replied turning to Felicity. "We should head over to Palmer Tech-"
"Actually, we could use Felicity in this plan." John said, and both woman turned to him. "I'll explain on the way."
"Well this must be one hell of a plan." Katie said turning back to Felicity. "I guess I'm heading back to Palmer Tech. Everyone have comlinks, and cams." she turned back to John before glancing over to Nyssa. "You tried to kill me, and now we're going to try and save your life. Never forget that." she glanced over to John with a nod. "Be careful." with that the woman turned and left.
"You don't think she's going to do that thing where she says one thing, but does another?" Felicity asked over to John, who simply shook his head.
"Why is she not coming? No offense, I would feel one hundred percent better knowing she was fighting on my side on this." it was Nyssa who asked the question and they all turned to her, unsure how to get out of answering the question truthfully.
"We should get a move on." John said deciding to evade the question all together. "Let's go."
Katie surprised herself by actually coming to Palmer Tech, actually coming up to the lab and connecting to the teams comlink system. When she left, she told herself that John was just being over protective, that she knew how far to push herself, but then she got in her car and something happened. She began weighing the options, and all of their risks, and one was slightly more risky than the others. And that risk, no matter how slight it was, she knew she couldn't take it. And so here she stood, watching nervously as her friends enter the warehouse, the moment her eyes see Oliver, her heart sinks.
"Alright, everyone, eyes, ears open." she orders.
"Search them." Oliver ordered and soon Sarab moved forward, and began patting them down. Katie kept her eyes on Oliver, looking for something, anything to give her a sliver of hope that her Oliver was still in there.
"Where's my wife?" John asked, and Oliver's cold stoic glare only stared at them. "Where's my wife?!" Oliver nudged his head and soon one of the assassins, brought Lyla out, her hands tied behind her back.
"You son of a bitch. Whatever Ra's did to you..."
Sarab came face to face with Felicity about to pat her down, but the woman stopped him. "Don't you dare touch me." Sarab glanced over to Oliver who simply gave a slight nod, and the assassin walked away. "Oliver, this isn't you. Look at me. I know you're still in there somewhere." Oliver didn't show an ounce of emotion at the woman's words. The woman bit her tongue, but she couldn't stop herself. "She would kick your ass if she were here." the man finally turned his eyes to her. "But she's not here, she's-"
"Felicity, don't." Katie ordered and the woman shut her mouth. "It won't help, just go through with the plan."
"Bind her." Oliver ordered and without hesitation two of the assassins walked over to Nyssa and binded her hands behind her. He turned his head slightly to Lyla. "You're free to go." once the woman was released, she rushed over to her husband.
"Johnny!" Lyla said throwing her arms around John.
"It's ok, I'm here."
The woman pulled back to look at John, the worry for her daughter showing on her face. "I thought they were going for Sara."
"Everything's fine, Sara's fine." John assured his wife who nodded. "I told Felicity this is just like Jakarta." Lyla understood instantly and subtly turned walking over to Felicity and bringing the woman into a hug.
"Kneel before the true heir to the Demon." Sarab ordered as Nyssa was forced in front of Oliver.
"I kneel before no one." Nyssa growled and those words seemed to set off a series of events that Katie could barely follow. Soon bullets were flying, swords swinging, and her heart was racing in her chest as she witnessed the entire thing. Her eyes were locked on the fight happening between John and Oliver. It was clear who the better fighter was. It didn't take long for the inevitable to happen. The league outmatched them, grabbed Nyssa, pulling her away and in the center of it all, Oliver stood with a sword pointed down to John who stared at him from the ground. The angle of John's camera gave Katie a closer look at the man she thought she knew.
"You're still Oliver." John groans trying to push himself back to his feet. "I don't care if the hood is black or green. You're still you!" Oliver rose his sword, and suddenly out of no where an arrow is shot right in his wrist.
"Get away from him." a familiar voice spoke, and Katie's eyes go wide as she leans in closer to the monitor to see Thea standing there, hood over her head and bow and arrow aimed at her brother. "Get away from him, or the next one goes in your eye." Oliver's eyes are locked on his sister as he cuts the arrow from his arm before turning and stalking away.
They are all just still for a moment, all in the situation, but still not able to truly believe it. Katie took a deep breath before taking a step back.
"Everyone alright?" she asked.
"Nyssa's gone. They took her." Laurel replied angrily.
"Everyone meet back here, we'll discuss what happens next." Katie ordered before pulling the comlink from her ear and tossing it on the desk. She turned around, closing her eyes trying to imagine him. Sure she'd seen him from a camera, in a lab miles away, but it wasn't enough. Katie slipped her phone from her pocket and dialed a number she always hated to call. "Yeah, it's me. I need a favor."
Oliver stood watch as Nyssa was strapped into the plane. He suddenly heard footsteps, and turned at the sight of someone he knew at some point would see. He felt his men move toward her, and he held up a hand to stop them.
"I see your puppies obey their new master." Katie says walking over, but standing a couple of feet away from the man. Her eyes study him for a moment, and he doesn't move. "Don't worry, I'm not here to break through this soulless asshole thing Ra's has you doing." she glanced over to the plane where she saw Sarab watching them. "If it's any consolation, I think this is another one of your tests." she turned back to Oliver. "Come to Starling, kidnap your best friend's wife, order an attack on your friends, and stand in front of the woman you asked to marry you. And now you're going to turn around and return to the compound to get some more koolaid." she suddenly wanted him to speak, to help her let him go, prove her suspicions right so when she turned around from this conversation, she wouldn't turn back. "I was going to come up with this kick ass plan. I was going to burst through the doors of Ra's fortress, and I was going kill Ra's in some epically, embarrassing battle and then I was going to save my damsel, because I'm his Guardian." she dropped her head, and began inching away from the man. She looked up meeting his eyes. "Just had to see this for myself. Had to see if you were really gone." she took a deep breath before glancing back to the plane where she could see Sarab still standing there watching them. She gave a nod before turning back to Oliver. "I hate your haircut." she turned to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a banana in a sombrero. Apparently I'm going to need him." Oliver watched her closely with narrowed eyes, until she disappeared into the night. Without hesitation, he turned heading for the plane, his expression unchanging as he passes Sarab to step onto the plane.
Katie stands, and looks up to see the plane lifting up to the sky and flying away. She turned at the sound of footsteps, and saw her father walk over to stand beside her, his eyes to the plane as well.
"You get what you came for?" he asked and Katie looked back to the sky to see the plane getting further and further away. Katie pulled the ear piece from her ear, and handed it to the man without a word before turning to head back to her car. "I'm—I'm sorry!" he turned and noticed that the words actually stopped her from walking away. "Everything I've ever done for you was to make sure that you could survive-" the man dropped his head and sighed. "So I made you a soldier. And at some point you stop being my daughter, and became my soldier that just had to be the best." she finally turned back to the man, but he couldn't see the affect of his words. "I'm sorry I took away your choice for your own life. I'm sorry I made you believe that any of this wasn't done out of my love for you." Katie looked at him for a moment before turning and stalking away. "Please consider my offer! Getting out of Starling could be the safest thing for both of you!"
Katie found herself back to Thea's loft, not expecting to see Malcolm the moment she walked through the door.
"Was I mistaken to believe that you were no longer welcomed here?" Katie asked as she pulled off her jacket and tossed it to the floor.
"So did I, until I received a call from my daughter, asking for my help." Malcolm replied and Katie rolled her eyes before stalking toward the kitchen.
"So you're the one who sent our mini vigilante out there to face the league?" the woman asked, and Malcolm followed her into the kitchen to see her filling a tea pot with water before placing it on the stove.
"You and I both know that it's no use to shielding Thea from who she is." Malcolm watched the woman for a moment, unable to shake the feeling that there was something different about her. "She is fully capable of taking care of herself."
"What would have been the harm of leaving her out of this?" Katie asked, looking over to the man. "Of letting her just be our innocent Speedy, who doesn't have to face the darkness of the world?"
"Because darkness surrounds all of us. You can't shield her forever, and it's not what she wants." Malcolm replies taking a step toward the woman. "There's something different about you. Are you alright?" Katie let out a snort before walking over to grab a mug from one of the cabinets. "Is this about Oliver?" the woman let out a sigh before pulling her gun from her waist band, and placing it on the counter as she looked over to the man.
"We're not friends. I've tried to kill you, you've tried to kill me and at some point, I'm sure I'll be successful in ridding the world of your presence. You do not stand there and pretend as if none of it happened, as if you're some good man who cares about my well being. New rule, me and you just don't breathe the same air. If Thea chooses to call you, then I will make myself scarce, and I suggest you try to do the same, for your own sake, now go before I shoot you." Malcolm simply gave a nod before turning and Katie heard the sound of the door closing before sliding to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest.
Katie closed her eyes, haunted by the image of a man she didn't recognize. She kept seeing his face, the way he stood, the dark look in his eyes. She couldn't stop seeing it, and then she started thinking about the ever tempting offer of her father to leave Starling.
The next sound she heard was the door of the loft opening, and Thea's voice calling out her name.
"Are you here?!"
"Yeah, kitchen!" Katie called back, and she heard the nearing footsteps before Thea appeared above her.
"Are you alright?" Thea quickly, knelt in front of the woman, searching her eyes for anything that could be wrong. "Why weren't you at the lab?"
"Because I needed to see your brother." Katie answered honestly, and the surprise on Thea's face was obvious.
"How?"
"I made a call to my father who knows all and sees all, and he got me to their plane before take off." Katie replied as Thea slid to sit beside her, dropping her head to her shoulder. "I had to see him, I just had to witness it for myself and decide what I do next."
"What are you going to do?" Thea asked and Katie reached over to took the woman's hand.
"I'm going to have a baby." she whispered with a smile, dropping her head to Thea's. "I'm going to have a baby, and I just can't see that leaving me any free time to worry about anything else."
"Well I will be here for you." Thea said and Katie placed a kiss to the top of the woman's head.
"No, you are going to take your chance at a normal life with the man you love." Katie says and Thea lifts her head in confusion. "I know we suck for this, but so much was happening in between you dying and your brother becoming the man formally known as Oliver."
"Twinkie, what are you talking about?"
"Thea, Roy's not dead." Thea's eyes went wide at the words, unable to even verbalize the millions of questions suddenly swarming around her head. "With the help of my father, we faked his death. We were supposed to tell you, he really wanted to say goodbye to you personally, but time wouldn't allow it. But now it's your choice. I can get you his location, and you can go and live the life you want."
"I don't want to leave you here alone." Thea replied and Katie smiled.
"I'm never alone, even when I want to be." Katie sighed before placing a kiss to the woman's hand. "You will always be my sister, and I will love you no matter where you are and this kid-" she placed Thea's hand on her stomach. "This kid will always know how great of an aunt they have." Thea smiled before bringing the woman into a tight hug. "Before you leave, I think we should get something out of the way."
Katie stared up to the pale tiles of the sun filled exam room, as the cold gel was squeezed onto her stomach. She only shuttered a bit, at how cold it was.
"How you doing?" Thea asked from Katie's side, still gripping her hand. Her eyes looked over to John who stood beside her, watching the nurse set up. She knew he was still a bit upset about the events of yesterday, that ended with his wife and daughter having to leave town until it was safe, but he still came.
"I'm good."
"So what exactly are we going to be seeing here?" Felicity asked from the other side of Katie's bed. The nurse looked over to the woman with a smile.
"Dr. Robins is about seven weeks pregnant, so the fetus will be a bit small, but that's not what we're going to be looking at today." the nurse said when the door suddenly opened and in walked Dr. Baxter, who was talking to Ethan.
"So the entire hospital is just making up that you've been spreading this story about me having some sort of crush on you?" Dr. Baxter asked and Ethan laughed nervously before turning to the others.
"Hey guys, looks like the gang's all here except for-"
"Sorry I'm late." Laurel said rushing into the room, going over to stand beside John, to get a good look at the monitor. "Traffic was hell."
"I think that's everyone." Ethan said before turning to Dr. Baxter. "Thanks again Charlotte for letting us exceed the visitor limit." the man walked over to stand beside Felicity who seemed to looking over the monitor. She reached over to press something and the man swat her hand away. "Whenever you're ready."
"So Katie, after four missed appointments, we finally got you here." Charlotte said as she took a seat on the stool and rolled over to Katie. "So the physical exam came back perfect, everything looked great which is very good start to a first trimester. Now are one of you the father?" the doctor glanced around to the many faces standing around the woman.
"No." Katie said when the doctor turned back to her. "The father's not-" she shook her head because it was this moment that she would finally have to admit the truth. "The father's no longer in the picture." Thea gave her hand a gentle squeeze and Katie gave a soft smile. "This is my village." she turned back to the doctor. "I heard it takes one to raise a child."
"That it does." Dr. Baxter replies with a smile. "So you ready?" Katie gives a nod before the woman grabs the wand, sliding it across Katie's stomach until she stops. Their eyes are on the monitor, each trying to make something out of the shadowy image. "And right there-" the doctor points a finger to the monitor, where a tiny blip seems to flicker. "Is your baby's heart beat." they all turned to Katie who couldn't take her eyes from that screen.
It was this moment that everything became clear. There was a life inside of her depending on her and she was going to do her best to never fail.
"John?" Katie spoke suddenly and the man looked over to her. She didn't turn to him, couldn't find it in herself to turn away from that tiny blip that made her smile with every beat. "One day is today. Thank you." she looked over to the man who smiled with a nod. She looked around to her friends who surrounded her, and sure she wishes Oliver was here. Wishes she could've shared this moment with him, but it just wasn't going to happen and she thinks she's going to be alright with that. Katie turns back to the monitor, seeing that tiny heart beat, causing a tear to come to her eyes.
"I'm going to be a mom." she said just above a whisper.
That's when she realizes she'll never feel alone again.
It was the dead of night, a fortress filled with assassins were uncharacteristically quiet. Apparently the evil did sleep. Except for one man who sat in a room that he'd practically wrecked in anger the moment he got inside.
Oliver sat on the floor near his bed, looking down to a stuffed banana wearing a sombrero with only one thought playing over and over in his head. The man looked over to the open window and he realized this mission of fooling everyone was going to have to end soon. Ra's told him his plan and that meant this had to be over soon. It had to be. Oliver dropped his eyes back to the stuffed toy he hid away in his things because that one thought wouldn't let him go.
He was going to be a father.
Author's notes:
Wow! Things are only going keep getting crazier. Especially for a man pretending to be someone else, while trying to hide the emotions that come with finding out you're going to be a dad.
Review Replies
ImsebastianstanButter: Oliver's absence during this time is definitely going to affect Katie as we saw in this chapter. It was pretty heartbreaking in the end with Katie deciding to focus on her baby and Oliver realizing he's missing an important moment.
Guest: So sorry for the wait, but how did you like it?
Adela: Well happy late birthday! And yes this baby is going to change a lot for both Katie and Oliver. Yes Oliver has not switched sides, but I think he's starting to realize he can't keep this act up forever.
Princess: Sorry for the wait, but I hope you like it!
rockyroyal,dr: Yes last chapter was one crazy moment to the next. And that wtf moment at the end was beyond the craziest. But there will be more wtf moments. One in particular I believe no one will see coming.
Guest: I'm glad, thanks for joining this crazy ride with us.
Guest: Well he's Ra's, so I'm sure the crazy is sure to follow. And everyone agrees that his crazy can't get anywhere near the next Wareeth Al Ghul's unborn child.
kuppcake: I'm so glad. I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for so long and it was very fun to write because it is the beginning of a new dynamic. How will a kid fit into these crazy lives?
Once again I'm so sorry for the long wait. Real life sucks sometimes, and so does writing a final chapter. That's right people, the end is in sights and it's getting crazy, and unpredictable and I'm so thankful you all have hopped on this ride with me. And a special thanks to me reviewers, your words are always awesome so please keep them coming.
And now for your sneak peek...
She'd tried opening the door, but it was locked from the outside so in essence, she found herself imprisoned once again inside these walls. It felt like hours she'd been waiting in that room until the door finally opened and she jumped to her feet to see the one face she assumed she wouldn't have to see again.
"Why am I here?" she asked the demon who silently looked her over. "You took everything from me, there's nothing else for you to take."
"You said that I could never take your soul, an I saw that as a challenge I just couldn't stray away from." Ra's spoke, and soon he turned at the sound of the door opening and there appeared Oliver as well and Katie just knew what this was about.
"Whatever this is about, just-" she glared at Oliver with a shake of her head. "I won't let this happen." she turned to the demon who studied her in amusement. "You can't have my-"
"Nyssa and I are to marry." Oliver said suddenly, and Katie turned her eyes to the man and he's surprised the look alone didn't just break him in two.