Chapter 26

Fateful Decisions

"Life is about choices. Some we regret, some we're proud of. Some will haunt us forever. The message: we are what we chose to be."

– Graham Brown


Katie was a bit anxious going to the bunker. She once thought this part of her life was over. But day after day, that seems to be changing. This place and what it stands for, will always have a hold on her.

As she rode the elevator down, she lifted her hand and focused, and saw the dull glow in her fingers.

It had been weeks since she disarmed that bomb, and her powers still hadn't recovered. She's not sure they ever will.

When the doors opened, she stepped out to find Felicity and John, but she didn't see Oliver.

"Hey," Felicity said standing to her feet when she saw Katie. "You're here. Is everything alright?"

"Well Roy is in trouble and I didn't feel right not being here to help find him." Katie said pulling off her jacket and sitting it down. "So, if you will have me, I would like to help."

"You seriously never have to ask our permission." Felicity replied with a smile. "Gah, this really is starting to feel like old times. The gang's back together again. This is exciting, right?" she looked over to John who just shook his head and chuckled. She turned back to Katie. "Right?"

"It's something, alright." Katie replied as she walked over to the computers. "So where's Oliver?"

"Felicity got a lead on the DA getting rooms at a hotel downtown, so we figured that's where they're keeping Roy. He and Thea are there now." John said.

"Wait, what?" Katie turned to him. "Thea."

"Yeah, if anyone could get that suit on her again, it's Roy." Felicity said walking back over to sit behind her computer.

"And Oliver thought it was a good idea to bring his sister who hasn't been out in the field in a very long time and was just in a coma to go do a rescue tonight?" Katie asked.

"She didn't really give him much of a choice." John replied and Katie just shook her head.

"They just got there." Felicity announced.

John and Katie stepped forward to look down to the monitor that showed the video from the camera in Oliver's suit.

"How's it looking guys?" John asked looking down to the screen.

"It's just like riding a bike." Thea said.

"It really isn't."

Oliver and Katie happened to speak at the same time.

"Twinkie?"

"Focus." Katie replied.

The next few moments happened quickly. Oliver shot off an arrow that ignited fireworks to act as a distraction as Thea repelled into the room.

"He's sending Thea in?" Katie whispered over to John who turned to her and nods. "This is such a bad idea."

This rescue mission didn't go as planned. Thea found Roy and it was clear he'd been beat up. She was determined not to leave without him. The problem, he was too hurt and not moving quickly and now there was a swat team on it's way up to the room.

It was a fact Thea didn't care about. She was adamant about not leaving that room.

"Oliver you have to do something!" Katie said. "Get her out of that room, now."

Soon she watched as Oliver shot a bolo arrow that wrapped around Thea and pulled her back to the roof with him.

"What the hell did you just do?!" Thea pulled the ropes from around her and stood to her feet.

"I just saved your life!" Oliver replied. "There was too many of them in there. They would have killed you both." he walked over to her. "Look. We will get Roy back. I am promising you. We will get him back."

Katie huffed in frustration before turning away from the monitor.

"She should not be there!" Katie says turning back to Felicity and John. "And I not yelling at either of you, I'm yelling at the universe right now. She's too emotionally involved to be doing this, and emotionally involved people do stupid things."

"You try telling her that." John said.

"Oh I will." Katie said before turning to Felicity whose phone rang.

The woman looked down to the screen and just scoffed before hanging up the call. She looked between the two whose eyes were on her.

"It was just Bruce." she said as if to explain herself. "It's fine."

Katie looked over to John who just shook his head and stepped back over to to computer. Katie turned back to Felicity who spun around to her computer.

The pair hadn't really talked in a while. The secret kind of put a very big dent in their friendship. But Katie knew that if she truly was choosing to move forward, she has to actually move forward.

So she walks over and takes a seat next to Felicity.

"So what did Bruce do?" Katie asked and Felicity turned to her. "Something stupid?"

Felicity spun her chair to face Katie and sighed.

"He's letting Damian be Robin."

"He's what? Damian's ten." Katie said and Felicity just shook her head. "Is he insane?"

"I have no idea anymore. We talked about it, but I adamantly told him how much I didn't want Damian to do this. How I wanted him to have a normal life. And then he just takes him to Gotham and totally disregards my wishes."

Felicity turned back to the computer.

"You need to go to Gotham." Katie suddenly said and Felicity turned to her. "You need to go to Gotham and kick his ass."

A smile tugged at Felicity's lips.

"Don't worry, I am. I've already called and I have a plane ready. Once we get Roy to safety, I'm going."

"Good." Katie said standing to her feet. "And give him a good kick in the ass from me." Katie took a step to walk away.

"Katie." Felicity said and Katie stopped and turned to her. "You have my word, it will never happen again. I just wanted to say that."

Felicity nods before turning to her computer. After a moment, she feels Katie's arms around her in a hug.

"I missed you Smoaks." she said.

"I missed you too." Felicity replied. "Like a lot." she turned her chair to face to woman. "Like we have so much to talk about, it's not even funny." she caught John looking over to them. "Which we will, once we save Roy."

Katie just chuckled before walking over to stand beside John to look down to the monitor that showed the information Felicity was pulling.

"So have we officially made it back to your good graces?" John asked glancing over to the woman.

Katie looked over to him and shrugged.

"I'm choosing to no longer be upset with either of you. So we're cool." she replied before turning back to the screen.

"Just like that." he said and she glanced over to him. "People usually have extensive conversations to hash out their problems before everyone becomes friends again. Is there anything you wanted to say to us, to ask us."

"Nope, I said all I needed to say and now I'm done saying it." Katie replied. "You did what you did because you thought it was the right thing to do. You were protecting him. You will always protect him. Even in situations you know you really can't." she turned back to the monitor. "And you would absolutely do it again."

"You know I didn't do it just for him, right?" John asked and Katie turned to him for a moment, and just nods before turning back to the monitor.

When Oliver and Thea returned, Thea angrily stormed inside.

"They're really circling the wagons now." Felicity said to them. "They've upped security tenfold."

"He was bleeding internally, so if we don't get to him soon, - they're going to kill him." Thea said.

"They will not because they need him alive to testify against me." Oliver replied hoping to calm her down.

"Not they. Diaz." John said.

"I pulled financials on both the police officers that were torturing Roy." she turned from the computer to Oliver. "They both receive generous dividend payments from stocks in a Corto Maltese-based shell corporation."

"It financed a company that was manufacturing the drug I used to treat my injury, Ricardo Diaz's company." John said.

"Both officers were on duty when Cayden James was killed, and all the officers that were there tonight, we have reason to believe, are working with Diaz, too." Katie said and Oliver looked over to her.

"So Diaz has been playing us since the beginning." Oliver said.

"Or he's just been playing you." Thea replied before stalking off.

Katie walked over to Oliver who was looking over to his sister before turning to her.

"You're here." he said and Katie nods.

"I am." she replied looking over to Thea. "I owe Roy more than he will ever know. There's no way I could sit out trying to find him. John and Felicity said it was alright if I helped." she looked over to him. "Any objections from you?"

"Never." he replied with a small smile before looking back over to his sister.

"She's upset. You shouldn't have let her go out there." Katie said and Oliver turned to her. "Don't look at me like that, you know I'm right." she swat his arm. "I'm going to go talk to her. Check in with Ari." she said before heading over to Thea.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine." Thea replied turning to her. "I could've gotten Roy out of there."

"No you couldn't." Katie replied and Thea rolled her eyes and turned away. "Let's be realistic right now Thea. As much as you love and would like to protect Roy, he was injured and you were in there by yourself up against a swat team."

"Well Ollie could've come in." Thea said turning back to Katie.

"Right, so we get you and Oliver in a small room with an injured Roy, a bunch of cops with body cameras to get the proof the DA needs to send him off to prison, that is if you all don't die in the process." Thea once again turned away. "Thea, trust me, I know how it feels when the man you love is out there and you don't know if he's safe or if he's being hurt. But to be the person who saves him, you have to see beyond your feelings and you have to be smart, and strategic and you have to know the outcome of every move you make."

"Is that what you did when you found that bomb?" Thea asked looking over to her. "When you nearly killed yourself absorbing the energy from the bomb. Was that strategic? Did you anticipate every outcome of that decision?"

Katie looked at her for a moment. "Honestly, I think it was. I got that bomb out of a mad man's hands, and found a way to disarm it. I knew the risks of trying to disarm it, and to save this city, to save my family, I accepted it."

"You know, there are times that I feel like my life completely fell apart when Roy left- from my bloodlust to Malcolm to the coma." Thea shook her head. "Knowing he was out there, that he was ok, it made my life just a little bit easier." Thea sighed as she looked over to Katie and then to Oliver who walked over. "Ever since mom died, I haven't known much of anything other than the fact that I want to make sure he is safe, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens."

"We all will, Speedy." Oliver assured her.

"Felicity may have just found something." John said and they headed over. "SCPD just requisitioned a transport prison van. They're moving Roy to a new safe house. We just don't know when."

"That's it." Thea said. "That's when we get him."

"There's something else." John said and Oliver turned to him.

The man nudged his head and Oliver followed.

"Hey," Katie placed a hand on Thea's shoulder. "Remember what I said. Push the emotions as best you can, and do whatever you have to do, to ensure you and Roy make it to the end of this safely. We are all going to help you do that, ok?"

Thea nods, before heading off to get changed. Katie watches her for a moment before looking over to where Oliver is standing with Felicity and John and from the look on his face, he not liking anything they're telling him.

Katie suddenly feels her heart racing, and she turns around and closes her eyes because she knows it's coming. She just needs to breathe and stay calm.

"Everything is ok." she says to herself.

The words had become the magical words to help her stop a panic attack from happening. She had to remind herself that everything would be ok, and that she didn't need to worry. She took another deep breath.

"Everything is ok."

She feels a hand on her shoulder and she looks up she see Oliver standing there looking down to her with concern.

"I'm ok." she says, hoping to reassure him, but it doesn't take the worry from his eyes.

"I think it's time we finally have a conversation about what's causing these panic attacks. I'm going to get changed, and then we will go."

That night, the couple ended up at the pond that was always a calming place for her. She figures Oliver knows it which is why he brought her.

They sat on the bench, underneath a street lamp, looking out to the water that reflected the city lights around them.

"You know I actually remember the first time I came here." Oliver said breaking the silence as he turned to Katie with a smile. "You brought me here to study once. I forgot what we were studying, but I remember you were so focused, and I was trying to break my record for my rock skipping distance. I didn't realize it then. How special this place was to you."

Katie didn't say anything as she dropped her head to his shoulder, and Oliver pulled his arm around her and placed a kiss to her forehead.

"Talk to me. What is it?"

"Honestly, I don't know." she replied looking out to the water. "Sometimes it happens at the most random moments and it's unexpected. I just have to stop and focus on my breathing and just tell myself that everything is ok and then it usually goes away."

"Ok, back at the bunker, what happened right before it happened?"

"I was watching you talk to Felicity and John and it looked like they were telling you bad news or something, and that's when it happened."

"Felicity found out that there might be some officers in Diaz's pocket. Which means I may have a corrupt police force on my hands again." he said looking down to her. "But I guess all you saw was bad news."

"Bad news seems to be around every corner lately." Katie sighed reaching over and taking his hand. "And I'm not sure I will be able to handle any more." Oliver placed another kiss to her head. "Oliver, this case—"

"Everything is going to be ok." Oliver said repeating her magic words to her.

Katie lifted her head, and Oliver looked down meeting her gaze before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.

"We should get home. I told Ari I wouldn't be gone long." Katie sighed.

"I called and they're fine." Oliver replied. "We got some time and I would like a few more minutes where I don't have to share you with anyone else."

He pressed another kiss to her lips before she settled her head on his chest.

"You know I remember that day I brought you out here. There was this guy with an ice cream cart and you bought us both ice cream." she chuckled. "You always were intent in distracting us from actually studying."

"You know I think I was more intent on making you smile." Oliver replied and Katie lifted her eyes to him and he dropped his eyes to hers. "It seems to be one of the traits that's stuck with me over the years."

Katie smiled up to the man and he couldn't help to return it.

By the time they returned home, it was quiet. Katie glanced over to Oliver before walking further inside, and then heading over to the pen where the puppies were kept and sighed.

When Oliver appeared behind her, and chuckled.

"We should go make sure they're all accounted for." Katie said before they headed up the stairs.

Oliver stopped by Will's room, pushing open the door to see Will asleep, with a few puppies asleep in a pile of blankets he had on the floor.

"I got Curly, Larry and Moe." Oliver whispered before closing the door.

He looked over to Katie and they continued down the hall and saw the light coming from Robyn's room.

When they walked inside, they found Ari carrying the child who seemed to be crying.

"Hey," Katie said and Ari turned to her.

"She just woke up." Ari replied. "I think it was a bad dream."

"Ok, I'll take it from here, you should go get some sleep." Katie said stepping forward, but Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Actually, why don't I take it from here." he said and she looked over to him. "You can go get ready for bed, I'll get her back to sleep."

He stepped forward and brought Robyn into his arms and she latched on to him instantly.

"You sure?" Katie asked and Oliver just nods as he gently bounces the child to calm her down. "Alright."

Katie turns to Ari and brings and arm around her as they walk out of the nursery. Ari heads straight back to her room.

"Oh, have you seen Harry and little H?"

"Oh, yeah, they're with me. They needed a break from the boys." she said and Katie just chuckled. "Goodnight." the teen muttered before returning to her room and shutting the door.

Katie shook her head before turning back to look into the nursery as Oliver carefully pulled off his jacket as he walked over to sit in the rocking chair.

"You're alright." he whispered as he gently rubbed Robyn's back. "Daddy's here."

Katie dropped her head against the door frame as she watched them with a smile.

The next morning, Katie cursed when her alarm went off. She reached over to turn it off before sitting up.

Oliver placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I got the kids. You should get some more sleep." he said and Katie turned to him.

"You don't have to have to do that."

"I know, but this is me taking some of this parent pressure off of you." he placed a kiss to her lips. "Sleep, I will get everyone up."

He stood from the bed, and pulled on a shirt, and Katie decided to take him up on his offer and dropped her head back to her pillow.

Getting the three kids up and out of bed was never easy. It took Oliver a few tries before he finally got them all up. Once Ari and Will got dressed, and Oliver got Robyn ready for her day, they all ended up in the kitchen for breakfast, where Oliver made waffles.

"Is Katie alright?" Will suddenly asked as Oliver brought over a few more waffles to the table.

"She's fine, why do you ask?"

"Because she's not the one down here making breakfast." Will said and Oliver looked over to him.

"Right, guys I know I'm working a lot, and I'm not here as much as I should. I am really going to try to change that." Oliver placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Plus, being super mom isn't always easy, and Katie deserves a break sometimes. Which is why I told her to sleep in a little longer this morning while I handled getting everyone ready."

They turned at the sound of footsteps to see Katie who looked to be showered and dressed for work. She smiled at them all as she walked into the kitchen.

"I thought I smelled waffles." She said walking over to sit at the table. "Good Morning family."

Oliver walked over and placed a plate in front of her and she smiled over to him before turning to Will.

"You write your letter?"

"Yeah, I did." Will said pulling it out of his backpack and handing it over to Katie. "I still don't see why I had to write a letter. I heard the girl who brought the python found it curled up under Mrs. Brinkley's desk and she nearly had a heart attack."

"Wait, someone brought a python?" Ari asked and Will nods. "Your generation scares me."

"Funny, I think I've said that a few times about your generation." Oliver said and Ari just rolled her eyes.

"Well to answer your question Mr. Will, when you do something wrong, or you make a mistake, you have to take accountability for your actions. Larry on the loose in your school took students out of class, and stopped teachers from being able to do their job. This letter is your apology for your part, no matter how small it was, in contributing to that." she handed him back the letter before placing a kiss to his head. "Finish your breakfast. You're riding with me today, and I may be swayed in stopping to pick up apology donuts for your class."

As they all headed out, Oliver ran into Ari who was grabbing her lunch from the refrigerator.

When she spotted him, she didn't say anything before moving to leave.

"You were right." Oliver said and the girl stopped and looked over to him. "It was a bad call trusting her. I just really wanted to get that money back that was taken because of me. I was—trying to be accountable and I just didn't want to let the city down, again." Oliver shook his head before looking over to the girl. "Ari I'm not, nor will I ever claim to be this perfect person, who always makes the right decision. You and I both know that isn't true. What I do hope you know, is that everything I do, is always with the best intention, but some times it doesn't end well. Some times I have to learn from it and make better choices the next time. I'm sorry that I upset you and that I disappointed you and I would promise that it won't happen again, but that is also something you and I both know isn't true. I just hope that one day you can learn to forgive me."

With that, Oliver turned to leave. He only made it to the door when he heard her call his name.

"Oliver—" she said and he turned to her. "I know the world isn't black and white and I also know the lines between what's right and what's wrong aren't as clear cut. Some times you have to just go with your gut, which is what you did."

"My gut's not always right."

"It's right most of the time." she replied moving past him and nudging his arm. "Just not that time." she chuckled as she walked from the kitchen.

Quentin got the text from Oliver that he wanted to meet at SCPD just as the man was standing outside of Ethan and Laurel's door. He slipped his phone into his pocket before raising a fist to knock. He waited for a few minutes before the door opened to reveal his daughter.

He noticed she looked at bit out of breath, and there was a bit of sweat on her forehead and he immediately became concerned.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"What are you doing here?" she asked instead.

"I was hoping we could talk. I wanted to apologize about what happened back at the cabin."

"I don't want your apologies dad, and I'm really busy, so if that's why you're here—"

She made to close the door, but he quickly grabbed it to stop her.

"Laurel, wait, just hear me out. I just—I need you to understand. Please, just let me explain."

Laurel looked at him for a moment, sighing before pulling the door open and moving aside to let him in.

Quentin walked inside, not expecting to see so many boxes around.

"What's going on?" he asked turning back to Laurel.

"We're moving, we just closed on a house."

"In Star City?"

"Dad, just say what you have to say, I really am busy." she said before walking over to take a seat on the couch.

Quentin walked over to sit on the chair across from her. "You know when I first met her, saw the things she did, I just—I knew she wasn't you. And yet, every time I was in a room with her, and I would see her face, all I saw was you." Quentin sighed, "Sweetheart, this isn't me choosing her over you."

"Well that's how it seem when you were jumping at the chance to shoot off to god knows where with her. Leaving Sarah, me, your grandchild. Did you even think about us."

"Actually I did. I knew that without me, you'd be taken care of. I knew your sister would be alright. Honey, I've watched you and your sister grow up to be these strong, willful, intelligent woman. I've seen the values and lesson that me and your mother raised and instilled in the both of you. She didn't have that. And I know she's made mistakes, but deep down, I know there is goodness inside of her, she just needs a little guidance to find it."

"And you think you should be the one to help her?"

"She doesn't have anyone else. She was plopped into our universe with no one."

"Dad, that doesn't make you responsible for rehabilitating her."

"No it doesn't, what does is the fact that even though she is not from this earth, I just feel like she's apart of me. Just like you, just like your sister. Every time I've tried to pull away, to talk my self out of this and turn my back to her, I just—I look at her and I see the face of my little girl who just needs some help." Quentin shook his head. "And I don't want you to take this as if I'm replacing you, because I could never replace you. You will always be my little girl who would keep me up all night to read Goodnight Moon over and over again." he chuckled, his eyes going to her stomach. "Which reminds me, I should probably find a copy of that book so I could read it to my grandson."

"Ethan told you."

"I ran into him at the hospital yesterday and he let it slip." Quentin said.

"Dad, I know I'm a grownup and I'm married and I'm about to be a mom, and from the outside looking in, I may look like I have my shit together, but I don't. I still need you." she shook her head. "Ethan still needs you. He bought a crib and it's at the new house and he spends hours just reading the directions." Quentin laughed and Laurel reached over to take his hand. "Dad, I just worry about you. I know I don't have the right to tell you what to do. All I ask is that you be careful."

She stood to her feet and Quentin did the same, pulling her into a hug and placing a kiss to the side of her head.

"I love you dad." she said.

"Ah, you have no idea how much I love sweetheart." Quentin said before pulling back and placing a hand on her cheek. "And I will always be here for you, that will never change."

"Good." she said before reaching up and straightening is tie before looking up to his eyes. "Just keep an eye on her, because if she hurts you, I will make her regret it."

Quentin's phone buzzed again and he pulled it from his pocket to see another message from Oliver.

"I have to go." he said before turning a smile back to his daughter. "I'll call Ethan, see if we can get this crib out of the box."

"Please do." she laughed as she followed him toward the door.

Quentin pulled open the door and turned to Laurel with a pointed finger.

"And you need to be taking it easy. You shouldn't be running around here packing boxes, which I will be sure to share with that son in law of mine as well." he pressed a kiss to her cheek before turning and heading off.

Katie walked into her office, coming to a stop when she saw Ari sitting at her desk.

"Oh, hey." the teen said before looking down to her phone.

"Ari, what are you doing here, and why aren't you in school?" Katie asked placing her folder on her desk.

"They let us out early. You know with the lack of funds going into the schools, they let everyone out early. You're probably going to get an email or something because they mentioned this might be a normal thing. Shorter school days."

Katie sighed before dropping down to sit in the chair across from the girl.

"Jamie had to go to work and I had nothing else to do, so I decided to come here and see if you needed any help with anything. I know with Rene gone, you're like a team member short."

"That's sweet, but there isn't really much to do. The project is actually almost done. Construction is nearly finished."

"Really? That was fast."

"I know, time really did fly. I can't believe my time with City Hall is almost over."

"What are you going to do next?" Ari asked and Katie shrugged.

"I don't know." Katie replied. "You kids seem to need a lot of attention lately, so maybe that's what I direct my focus on."

"You're joking." Ari said and Katie just looked at her. "Like, the whole stay at home wife and mom thing made sense before after uncle Jay, but now—you shouldn't give up your life to take care of us. Plus, you're Humanitarian of the Year, the Second Chance Project can't be the end."

"Like I said, I don't know. It is a very tough balancing act Ari. Maybe I just need to choose one focus and stick to it. And I'm leaning toward choosing you and Will and Robyn."

"Well I think that would be a huge mistake." Ari said.

There was a knock at the door and they both turned as Oliver walked inside.

"Hi," Katie said and he walked over to press a kiss to her lips. "What are you doing here?"

"I texted him." Ari said and they both turned to her. "Thought we all could go out to lunch." she said standing to her feet. "That one of you would pay for, of course."

She moved around them and headed out of the office.

"Why isn't she in school?" Oliver asked over to Katie who just chuckled as she stood to her feet.

"Half day." she said before heading over to grab her jacket and slipped it on.

They headed out into the hallway where they found Ari talking with Thea, who glanced over to them.

"You're all going out to lunch?"

"Uh yeah, I guess. Did you want to come with?" Oliver asked and Thea frowned slightly.

"No, I don't want to come with." she said walking over to them. "Roy is probably trapped in a room somewhere dying and we have no idea where he is. I think that's where our focus should be."

"Wait, you weren't able to find him?" Ari asked and Thea turned to her and shook her head. "Ok, why don't I head over to the bunker to help Felicity."

"Thanks Ari." Thea said with a smile before Ari turned to Katie and Oliver.

"Rain check." she said before waving and then heading back down the hall toward the elevator.

Thea turned back to Katie and Oliver and let out a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about him and—"

"We get that." Katie says walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Really, we do, and when we got a lead we will follow it. But until that happens, we were actually wanting to have lunch with our daughter that we can't adopt because that's how shitty our luck has just been lately." she pulled back and turned to Oliver. "I packed left over chili for lunch, I'm not really in the mood to go out. I'll see you later."

She placed a hand on his arm before heading back into her office and closing the door.

"Ollie, I'm sorry." Thea said again, and Oliver just nods.

"Thea, it's fine, but nothing's change. We're going to find him." Oliver promised.

He moved around her to head into Katie's office.

He didn't knock this time when he walked in. He found her standing in front of the window. She didn't turn, or even move when he walked inside, which he figured meant she knew it was him who walked inside.

When he reached her, he slid his arms around her from behind, resting his chin to her shoulder.

She slid her hands over his arms, and tilted her head to place a kiss to his cheek before turning back to the window.

"Did you pack enough chili for two?" Oliver asked after a moment, and Katie couldn't help but to laugh.

Ari sighed as she rode the elevator down to the bunker. She looked down to her phone to the text from Jamie, who was canceling on their plans this weekend to go to the movies.

She dialed his number and brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey, it's me, you're seriously canceling? It's been like forever since we've gone anywhere."

"Ari, you've literally canceled every date we've planned with little to no excuse at all. This time I just can't. This new job is offering overtime and I'm taking it. I told you I have to help out at home."

The elevator opened and she stepped off glancing over to see John and Felicity and she shook her head as she turned away.

"I get you're wanting to help out, I was just looking forward to seeing you."

"I'm not sure. I think whatever you had going on is over and now you're just settling for me."

"That's not true. I—I told you, I was a part of that work program and it was—"

"You couldn't talk about it, right. All I know Ari is that I've barely seen you in the last couple of months unless it's at school. We talk on the phone and it feels like you're always somewhere else. And when I ask you about it, you change the subject. Just tell me, what's going on?"

Ari dropped her eyes to her feet. She didn't like this part. She didn't like having to lie to him and yet she knew the truth could possibly bring him into danger.

"There's nothing going on Jamie." she replied.

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Jamie sighed. "Look maybe this isn't working."

"Maybe what isn't working."

"I just think you have a lot going on, and whatever it is, you just won't tell me. So maybe we should just end it."

"Are you seriously breaking up with me over the phone?" Ari asked, and a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see Felicity. "No, we're not doing this like this. We will talk after school tomorrow." she ended the call and sighed.

"Is everything alright?" Felicity asked.

"No, everything is not alright. I have this whole secret life and I can't tell him because it would put him in danger. And now he thinks I'm just being evasive and keeping secrets which I am." she shook her head before turning to Felicity. "How is this supposed to even work? How does someone do this and have an actual life that doesn't revolve around this?"

"You can't." John said walking over and Ari and Felicity turned to him. "Trying to have a relationship with someone, and not sharing all of you will always produce a doomed relationship. That's just how it is." the man sighed. "You also know you can't tell him."

Ari just rolled her eyes before turning away.

"I need a minute."

And so she stalked away from them.

"You get she's seventeen, right?" Felicity asked turning to John. "Maybe you could've been a bit softer in your advice."

"I was just being honest." John said. "Telling anyone not involved in this, just—it's dangerous."

"We've done it before. One Dr. Ethan Mills is proof that sometimes it works out."

"Well Ethan is a special case, and Jamie is a seventeen year old kid. If the situation doesn't call for us to tell him, we don't."

"Well it's her relationship, so in the end, she decides if there is a need or not." Felicity replied.

She glanced over to see Ari heading over to the computer and so she walked over to meet her.

"Anything on Roy's transport?" Ari asked over to Felicity.

"Not—" soon there was beep from her computer. "They're moving Roy in 10 minutes."

That night Katie smiled as she pulled Robyn out of the tub with a towel.

"All clean." she said as she carried the girl back to her room.

After getting Robyn into her pajamas and into her bed, she only made it through half their story before the girl had fallen asleep. Katie placed a kissed to the girl's head before quietly walking from the room.

She headed down the hall, and stopped at Will's door, and knocked before going inside to see the boy lying in bed in his pjs reading, while Moe and Curly were playing beside the bed.

"No Larry?" she asked and Will looked over to her, before looking over the edge of the bed.

"Larry!" Will called and soon the puppy ran from under the bed and Katie chuckled.

"Alright, another hour and then lights out."

"Yes, warden" Will muttered and Katie just shook her head.

"You're not funny." she replied as she stepped back into the hall, stopping at the sight of Ari. "You're here. Roy?"

"He wasn't in the van. I think it was a trick." Ari said walking toward her room. "Oliver and Thea were heading back in and I thought you'd want to go."

"Hey," Katie said placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Ari said. "I'll keep an eye on the stinker and Will."

She didn't say anything else before walking into her room and shutting the door.

As she rode the elevator down to the bunker, Katie stood with her eyes closed. She let out a deep breath before opening her eyes and lifting her hand, once again only noticing the light glow in her finger tips.

She felt ridiculous. She spent so much time wishing the powers would just go away, and now they seemed like they were gone and she thinks she wants them back. They gave her an upper hand. It gave her that thing the bad guys never anticipated.

The doors opened, and Katie stepped off to see Felicity sitting behind her computer. The woman lifted her eyes and waved before nudging her head. That's when Katie turned to see Oliver standing alone, and so she walked over.

Oliver smiled when he turned his head to see Katie.

"Hey. Ari?"

"Home. She told me what happened, and once again volunteered to babysit so I could be here to help." Katie said noticing the look in Oliver's eyes.

She knew he was taking it hard that they wasn't able to get Roy.

"How are you holding up?" she walked over and brought her arms around his neck.

"I've been better." he replied bringing his arms around her. "This particular moment, I'm much better."

"You're doing that thing you do, aren't you?" she shook her head. "You're blaming yourself for what's going on with Roy when you should be blaming Ricardo Diaz."

"Well, Roy wouldn't be in this situation if he didn't fall on his sword for me 3 years ago." Oliver replied.

"That was Roy's choice. He knew what he was doing, and I will forever be grateful for it."

"I'm worried that I didn't rescue him from that hotel room because I wouldn't have been able to bear the responsibility if things went bad." Oliver said and Katie placed a hand on his cheek.

"You didn't go into that room, because of that voice that's in your head, that sounds an awful lot like the beautiful woman you married." Katie said and Oliver smiled. "But no, seriously, Oliver you didn't go into that room because your gut told you things would go bad. That gut has kept you alive for 11 years, and it kept Roy alive tonight."

"Ari told me something similar this morning. That most of the time my gut's right. I'm just not sure about last night." he dropped his eyes to hers. "How do I know?"

"That's the big question in life isn't. How do we know if the choices we're making are the right ones. The truth is, we don't. I wish I could give you a better answer than that, but I can't." Katie dropped her eyes from his. "You know, yesterday, you told me that along this whole road to reconciliation, I gave up." Katie said, her head now on his chest, not wanting to pull away from the embrace.

"I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine, maybe that's how seemed from the way I was acting." Katie replied. "The truth is, I wasn't giving up. Not on us. It was that call from Martin about Alice. I remembered being on that island, and choosing not kill her after she killed my father. I thought it was the right thing to do."

"What do you think now?"

"I think if I killed her, I'll still be sad and angry. Whether it was right or wrong, that's still up for debate, but what you did last night ensured the safety of your sister and Roy, and it ensured you made it home to me, so I fully support it." her hands slid to his chest. "So stop finding ways to blame yourself."

She leaned into him and pressed her lips to his.

"Is that what I'm doing?" Oliver asked and Katie chuckled but nods.

"That's what you're always doing."

"Well, maybe you have a point." Oliver said lifting his eyes, and spotting John who was still on the phone with Lyla. "Last night, John basically asked me why I haven't given him the hood back."

Oliver brought his eyes back to Katie who didn't say anything for a moment.

"And what did you tell him?" she asked.

"I didn't. I evaded the question." he replied and Katie just nods. "I wasn't sure what to say."

Katie pressed her lips to his once again, before Oliver brought his arms around her in a hug he really needed tonight. After a few moments, Katie pulled back.

"Where are we now with finding Roy?"

"Felicity is working on it, and John's calling Lyla to see if ARGUS can be of any help." Oliver replied.

"So we're in a waiting game?'

Katie sighed as she glanced around the bunker. Her eyes looked over to the display case that held the Guardian's suit before turning back to Oliver.

"You should get changed. I'm going to see if there's anything I can do to make myself useful."

Oliver presses a kiss to her lips before heading off.

Once he was gone, Katie once again looked over to the display case that held the Guardian's suit. She walked over to stand in front of it, suddenly thinking about her earlier conversation with Ari.

"Hey," John said walking over to stand beside her.

"Any luck?" Katie asked.

"Lyla is going to make some calls and then let me know if she's able to find something out." he said and Katie nods before turning back to the suit. "You know I heard a rumor that the Guardian made a comeback in Central City in the battle against the Earth-Xers."

"I've tried countless times to figure out who the person underneath that mask should be." Katie said as she let her eyes move over the black and yellow domino mask. "For years, I thought it was just as simple is believing in the mission, and believing that what you were doing was the right thing, but that's not the complete truth. At least for me, it isn't." Katie looked over to John. "In Central City, I felt like a fraud, and when the fight was over, I couldn't take that suit off quick enough. I'm not sure I could ever be the Guardian again."

"There are a lot of words I could use to describe you, but fraud is definitely not one of them." John said. "Being the Guardian has nothing to do with that mask or that suit. Every time I see a mention of you on the news or in a paper, about everything you've been doing for this City, that's the Guardian. The Guardian found Cayden's bomb and disarmed it." he nudged her arm. "So stop trying to figure out the person that should be under that mask, because there's no one that should be under that mask, but you. When you're ready." he nods before heading over to see if Felicity found something.

Katie glanced over spotting Oliver who walked over to sit with Thea who looked upset. She figured he was going to try his hand at the rarely heard big brother talks.

Letting out a sigh, Katie turned back to the Guardian suit before heading over to Felicity and John to check in.

She stopped when she noticed some pictures splayed out on a table. It seemed to be old pictures of the team. She smiled as she picked up one of her and Roy.

"Where are you Roy?" she whispered looking at the picture for a few moments before she got an idea.

Katie glanced around to see everyone was pretty much occupied doing something. She slipped the picture into her pocket before skulking off to find some place away from the others.

Oliver didn't get to have many big brother moments lately. And now, seeing how sad and upset his sister was, he knew he just had to say something to help her. He'd been watching her this entire time and he came to a sudden realization.

"When we find Roy- not if but when we find Roy I think maybe you should go with him." Oliver said and Thea looked over to him with a furrowed brow.

"Where?"

"Wherever he's going." Oliver replied. "I mean, I- Thea, I'd miss you like-like crazy, and I'm sure Katie and the kids would too, but you said that you haven't been the same without him, so maybe you shouldn't be without him."

"You really think I should go?"

"I don't want you to go, obviously, but you've seen what- what having Twinkie in my life has done for me." he smiled over to her. "You deserve that same kind of happiness, Speedy, wherever it is."

There was a sudden flicker of the lights and both Thea and Oliver glanced up before turning to each other.

"Is that normal?" Thea asked.

"No," Oliver replied standing to his feet before heading over to Felicity and John. "What was that? Was that a breach?"

"I don't know." Felicity said furiously typing, but nothing was happening. "I don't know what's happening, but something is wrong."

She suddenly stopped when the monitor in front of her, and every monitor in the bunker seemed to start blinking until a stacticky video started playing.

"What the hell?" John muttered moving in closer to the screen.

"Felicity, what is this?" Oliver asked as he walked over to the larger monitor.

Felicity stood to her feet and walked over to stand beside him.

"I have no idea." She said as they all watched the imagine trying to figure out what it was.

"Oh my god." Thea said and they turned to her. "That's Roy."

She pointed to a spot on the screen and when they looked closer, they realized she was right. The longer they looked at it, the cleared it seemed to get. And that's when they saw Roy sitting in a chair, face bloody as Ricardo stood in front of him.

"You won't testify against Queen." Ricardo said.

"If you actually think that I would do that, you're an idiot." Roy replied.

"Yeah." Diaz nodded. "One of us is. See, but I'm not the type of guy that believes giving a beating is the only way to cause some pain." he leaned in a bit to the man. "How's Speedy? She came out of retirement. Why would she do that? Why the hell would Queen let his baby sister dress up like will Scarlet?" the man shook his head. "I mean, I got to ask- eh, it's a moot point. You see, the real question is who do I got to bring the pain to?" he took a step back so Roy looked him right in the eyes. "Do I got to bring it to you or her?"

That's when the image became stactic again, until the computers returned to normal. They all took a step back looking around to each other.

"Where did it go?!" Thea asked turning to the others. She turned to Felicity. "Can you get it back?"

"Thea I didn't do that. I don't how we were able to see that." she turned to Oliver. "I mean maybe where ever he is, the cameras were hacked."

"Maybe he wanted us to see it." John said and Felicity turned to him. "Could be apart of the game."

"No," Oliver said as he began letting his eyes move around the bunker. "He didn't know we could see him because that was not a video from a camera. Where's Twinkie?"

"You think Katie did that?" John asked.

There was no answer to his question before they heard the sound of something crashing. With no hesitation, Oliver ran off to find the source. That's how he ended up in the medical area where he found Katie on the floor next to a turned over chair.

"I'm fine." she said as she sat up. "I just tripped."

Oliver hurried over, slipping an arm around her and helping her to her feet. He grabbed the chair and sat it up so she could sit.

Katie glanced up to him before looking behind him to see John, Felicity and Thea all standing there looking at her.

"Seriously, I just tripped." she replied noticing the looks on their faces.

"What did you do?" Oliver asked and Katie looked over to him.

He glanced down spotting a picture and reached down to pick it up. He looked down to the picture of Katie and Roy before turning it to her.

"Twinkie, what did you do?"

"I—I was trying to find him." she shook her head. "But I couldn't. I saw him, he was in this room and he was talking to—"

"Diaz." Thea said walking closer. "He threaten Roy by threatening me to try to get Roy to testify against Oliver."

Katie looked over to her in confusion before turning to Oliver.

"Twinkie, whatever you did, somehow broadcasted on every screen out there and we saw it." Oliver said looking down to her eyes.

They suddenly heard ringing, and Felicity realized it was her phone so she hurried out to answer it.

"Guys!" Felicity called.

John and Thea went to see what was going on, while Oliver stood above Katie.

"You should go." she replied dropping her eyes from his.

"I'm not going anywhere until I know you're alright." Oliver said dropping a bit to a knee in front of her. He placed a hand on her lap as he continued to look her over. "Tell me."

"It's a headache." she replied closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "And maybe tripping was because I was slightly dizzy when it was over." she shook her head. "But I didn't see anything that could tell me where he was." she slid her hands over her face. "It didn't help anything."

"It proved that he was alive. It proved that he was conscious and alert." Oliver said taking her hand. "We didn't have that before." Katie lifted her eyes to Oliver. "Just—the next time you want to try something like this, just let me know. Your powers can be unpredictable sometimes, and I just want to make sure you're alright. Ok?"

"Ok." she replied, before they turned to see John at the door.

"Got news!" he said, and Oliver stood to his feet.

"Location on Roy?" Oliver asked.

"Laurel, or Charlotte." John replied. "She showed up at Lance's apartment with Intel on Ricardo Diaz."

Oliver looked at the man before turning to Katie who stood to her feet. He quickly, brought an arm around her in case she fell again.

"I'm fine. And we should go." she glanced over to John. "I think I'm the only one who hasn't had the pleasure of meeting our pain in the ass doppelganger." she turned to Oliver. "We should check on the intel and hope I've outgrown my impulse control issues with bad guys."

Oliver, Thea and Katie arrived at Quentin's door, before Thea knocked.

Soon they heard movement before Quentin opened the door. He looked between the three before his gaze settled on Katie.

"Didn't expect to see you here, Doc." he said.

"Well tonight's just full of surprises, huh?" Katie replied.

Quentin sighs, but stepped aside as they all came in. He closed the door before following them inside. He passed Dinah and looked over as Charlotte stood to her feet, her eyes locked on Katie.

"Hey, it's fine, no one is going to hurt you." Quentin said stepping forward.

"I wouldn't speak so soon, Quentin." Katie replied as she looked over to the doppelganger. "I thought it was about time we met."

"What intel do you have?" Oliver asked and the woman glanced from Katie to him.

"He has some plan to take over the city, whatever that means." She said. "I don't exactly have details." her gaze shifted back to Katie.

"No." Oliver shook his head as he looked over to the woman. "He just let you leave after you stole all that money, let you come over here and tell us all of this."

"Well, I'm rather charming, don't you think?"

"So where's Roy?" Thea asked and the woman glanced over to her.

"They had him brought to some run-down casino." she said. "I heard some guys talking about it on my way out." she glanced over to Oliver. "I can take you there."

"So Diaz can take these guys out?" Dinah asked. "Is that part of the plan?"

"Look." Thea said. "We really don't have a choice, ok? We need to take this chance."

"All right." Quentin said. "Why are you doing this, huh, going against Diaz?"

"Because it occurred to me that if I'm gonna be a part of the Lance family, I should probably start acting like it."

Oliver sighs looking over to Katie who silently meets his gaze before he pulls out his phone and dials.

"Yeah." Oliver says. "John, we have a location on Roy. Let's get ready to move."

Oliver hangs up the phone before moving to leave, following behind Thea when Dinah takes a step forward.

"All right." she says. "Fine. Just this once."

"No." Oliver replies. "You don't trust me, I don't trust you, so I'd rather be in the field short-handed."

Oliver glances back to Katie who hadn't moved from her spot, as she kept her eyes on the doppelganger.

"I'm going to assume that on your earth, you interacted with a woman who had my face." Katie said taking a step toward the woman. "And from the look in your eyes, I can tell, she scared you." Quentin took a step and she glanced over to him and sighed before turning back to the woman. "If anything you're telling us is a lie, if you're sending us into a trap, I will be your new nightmare." she nudged her head toward Quentin. "And if any type of game you're playing pulls him into it, I will make you regret it."

And with that Katie turned and walked over to Oliver, when Dinah steped in front of her.

"We're going to talk. Not now, but definitely later. I had some questions about the example you were setting my child with the whole murderous vendetta you brought her on." Katie said.

She moved around the woman to follow behind Oliver out of the apartment.

"Your impulse control has gotten slightly better." Oliver said as they walked down the hall. "There was a time you would've just shot her."

Katie looked over to him and chuckled.

Outside, they found Thea standing by the car. The moment she saw them, she opened the door and got inside.

Oliver moved to get in as well, but stopped when he noticed Katie wasn't moving. He looked over to her and sighed.

"You're not going."

"I haven't decided yet." she nudged her head to the car. "And you don't have time to wait for me to figure out where I fit in this whole thing. Go."

Oliver walked over to her, and brought his arms around her.

"You're my Guardian, and I'm your Arrow. That's how we fit. Together. Always." he pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling away.

Katie arrived back at the bunker alone, while Oliver, John and Thea headed off to find Roy. She sighed as she lifted her hand, the slight glow still there, but not as bright as she hoped it would be.

When the doors opened, she stepped off to see Felicity who lifted her eyes to her.

"You're here." Felicity stood to her feet and walked over. "I thought you'd be out there with them to bring Roy home."

"I'm still not sure how I can do that." Katie replied walking off and finding herself once again standing in front of the case that held the Guardian's suit. "You know I've never thought of myself as a hero." she glanced over to see Felicity walk over to stand beside her. "And I know I'm not the things I've done, and I'm not the things that were done to me, but without any of that, I'm still not sure who I am." she shook her head. "I think I've been trying to answer that question since finally escaping those three years of hell and making it back home."

"I don't believe that." Felicity suddenly said and Katie turned to her. "I think you know exactly who you are. And for whatever reason, you're running from her." Katie turned back to the display case. "We can't run from who we are, or who we were meant to be, because at the end of the day, destiny will always find us." Felicity looked over to the woman. "Right now, Oliver is heading into some casino with Diaz, and however many thugs he employs, and all he has is Thea and John. Which is better than nothing, but you and I both know, it could be better."

Katie looked over to Felicity for a moment, before her eyes turned back to the Guardian suit, knowing the decision was already made.

When Oliver, John and Thea arrived at the casino, they only spotted two guards at the doors. They assumed that Diaz didn't know they were coming, but they knew that wouldn't last long.

Once inside, they looked around for any sign of Roy.

"Overwatch, you in yet?" Oliver asked.

"Uplinking Now." Felicity replied through the comlink. "Huffing and puffing and blowing all those firewalls down, but before I finish, if he's a smart guy- and we know that he is- this will definitely tip him off that you're there."

"We need to know where Roy is." Oliver said.

"Copy that." Felicity replied. "And maybe now is a good time to tell you that you may be getting a bit of extra help. Guardian is in route and should be arriving soon."

Oliver didn't say anything, unsure how he felt about the news. He thinks there will always be a part of him that will worry about her when she's out in the field. But then there's the part of him that knows she can usually handle any thing that comes at her.

"I pulled up the blueprints of the casino from the city." Felicity spoke. "I'll guide you through. Head up the escalator."

When Katie arrived outside of the casino, she heard the gun fire immediately. She sighed as she stretched a bit.

"Oh, the sound of bad guys and good guys fighting their very cliché battles." Katie muttered.

"That's actually a good one, but we don't have time for haikus." Felicity replied. "They could use your help in there."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Katie said before running inside in time to see Thea running toward the gun fire instead of keeping cover.

She quickly ran over, blocking one of the thugs from throwing a punch at the woman, before she twisted his arm and kicked him back.

"You know Speedy—" Katie threw another punch, before reaching for a dagger and sending it to one of the bad guy's chest. "I could've sworn I told you to pull yourself out of the emotions, and to think clearly." she sent a kick into the chest of another before Thea turned to her.

"Right now, emotion is all I have." Thea said before running off.

"We should've zip tied her to a chair!" Katie said before spotting Oliver and John both fighting Diaz' men. She reached up and tapped the side of her mask. "Overwatch, would you mind doing that thing?"

Suddenly the power went off, bringing the casino into darkness. The sound of punching and kicking, and pained grunts and groans until the lights switched back on. Oliver and John stepped forward to see Katie standing, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of Diaz's men.

"New mask." She said looking overhead to them.

When Oliver spotted Anatoly, he quickly pulled an arrow and pointed it at him.

"So you're a hired hand?" Oliver asked.

"I used to be Pakhan." Anatoly said looking up to the man holding the bow. "You cost me that."

"Go, I got him." John said pulling out a gun and pointing it down to the man. "Go help Speedy."

Oliver and Katie turned and headed out of the door, in time to see Diaz with an Arrow toward Thea's neck.

Oliver didn't hesitate, before he ran forward and tackled the man to the ground. He and Thea both jumped to their feet before aiming their arrows at the man.

Ricardo looked between Oliver and Thea before his eyes ventured over to Katie and he chuckled as he pointed a finger to her.

"I was wondering if I was going to have the pleasure Mrs. Queen." he shook his head as he gestured to her in the outfit. "I really didn't think you would dawn that suit, but you did and for little ole me. I have to say I'm honored."

"Great, another pompus bad guy who likes to hear himself talk." Katie sighed before reaching behind her to pull out another blade.

"Don't move." Oliver orders over to the man.

"Not all those guys are on my payroll." Diaz said looking straight at Oliver. "Yet, but even the ones who aren't, they find the anti-vigilante bill very motivating."

"Speedy, get in the van and drive Roy away." Oliver said over to his sister.

"What about Diaz?"

"I got Diaz." Oliver replied. Thea sighed, but ran over to the van. "Guardian—"

"Save your breath." Katie replied, her eyes still on Diaz, already deciding that she wasn't leaving Oliver here alone.

"That's a loyal wife you have." Ricardo says with a smile over to Katie, before turning back to Oliver. "You don't got me, you know that right?" the man just shook his head. "You stay here, you're gonna get yourself a collar, and it's not like you could just take me away with you, right?"

They heard the distant sound of sirens, and Katie lifted her eyes to see the lights in the distance.

"But you already knew that. That's why you let your sister drive off."

Soon the police cars came screeching to a stop and officers jumped out, guns aimed at Oliver and Katie.

Without a second thought, Oliver sent a zipline Arrow up, before pulling an arm around Katie, and soon they were shooting off.

Roy was finally safe. That's all Thea thought as she stood at the door of medical, watching as Katie secured Roy's ribs.

"This feels like deja vu." Roy said looking over to Katie. "You patching me up after I'd gotten myself into something stupid."

Katie chuckled.

"Right, and then I wrap the last bandage before giving you a good smack to your head." Katie said before looking him over. "Which lucky for you, you get to avoid today." she placed a hand on his shoulder before turning to pull off her gloves, to wash her hands. "You've been beat to shit. Two broken ribs, a pulmonary contusion. So it goes without saying that you should probably take it easy the next couple of days." she turned back to him as she dried her hands.

"Well that's the good thing about being a fugitive. I have no where else to be." Roy replied before turning to see John, Felicity and Oliver walk in.

"Let me guess, Anatoly and Diaz posted bail and are back in the wind." Katie said looking over to Oliver who sighed.

"How are Quentin and Dinah doing with their investigation into the SCPD?" Oliver asked over to Felicity.

"They're working on it." Felicity replied. "I'm not a lawyer, but what are the effects of us having the government's star witness in our protection instead of theirs?"

"With our luck, probably not much." Katie sighed before her phone started ringing.

She pulled it from her pocket to look down to the screen.

"Kids?" Oliver asked and she looked over to him and shook her head.

"Uh, no, work." she replied, before nudging her head to the door.

She stepped out of the medical area, away from the others before bringing the phone to her ear.

"You know I doubt any of your guys are doing any construction tonight, so I'm really confused on why you're calling my phone this late at night, Brad."

"What? I can't call an old friend to congratulate her on being awarded Humanitarian of the Year." the man said. "I saw it on the news and thought I'd give you a call. We should celebrate. Drinks?"

"Oh Brad, you know I thought this could work. I thought we were friends, but I just can't with your inappropriateness. I'm going to call your brother, and I think from now on, my dealings with your company will be with him."

"You can't be serious. You're the one that's been giving off the vibes. I just assumed you were some lonely wife, looking to get some action on the side."

Katie turned to see Oliver, and the others walk from the medical area. Oliver headed over to her with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, don't call my phone ever again." she replied before ending the call.

Oliver, catching those words, stepped in front of her.

"Who was that?"

"You're going to make a big deal about it, and you're going to say I told you so, and I think maybe we should just forget about who was on the phone and soak in this win." she replied before giving him a friendly jab to the shoulder. She attempted to move around him, but he took a step to block her and she just sighed, knowing he wouldn't just let it go. "Fine, so maybe Bradley Duncan was a little too comfortable."

"What did he do?" Oliver asked and Katie just shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. I handled it, and from now on I will no longer be working with him." she replied before placing a kiss to his lips.

He still had a look, so she knows her answer didn't make him feel better, so she kissed him again on the cheek, and then the other cheek, until a smile came to his lips as he brought his arms around her.

"I see the Twiver PDA is still as nauseating as ever." Roy said and they looked over to see the others looking at them.

"It is, and now that they're married, it's even worse." Thea said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to get changed and then we can go." She walked over to Oliver and Katie. "You two leaving?"

"I have to make a stop. I figure I should—" Oliver sighed. "Thank Charlotte for helping us." he looked over to Katie who rolled her eyes. "Like it or not, her intel helped us get Roy back."

"Unless it's all part of a ploy." she said. "Get you to trust her, and let her get close enough to stab you right in the back." she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I should get changed and head home."

"Actually, I called Ari, everything is good there. I think we could get away with staying out a little bit longer."

"What on earth are you up to Mr. Queen?" Katie asked, and Oliver just smiled before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"You'll see." he replied.

They heard the sound of ringing and turned to Felicity who quickly brought her phone to her ear.

"Hey, is it ready? Perfect, I'm on my way." Felicity said before hanging up the phone. "Alright, I have a plane to catch. I'll let you all know when I get there."

Felicity grabbed her bag before hurrying over to the elevator.

"Plane? Where is she going?" Oliver asked turning back to Katie who lightly laughed.

"To Gotham." she replied turning back to the man. "Bruce is in big trouble."

Oliver found the doppelganger still at Quentin's apartment. As he said would, he thanked her for her help.

"So I came by to say thank you." he said.

"And yet still unconvinced." she replied.

"You're not Laurel, or some long lost member of the Lance Family, and saying that you are to a bunch of press, no, that does not make it so."

"You're right." she replied. "I'm not, but I'm willing to try, and I can't make any promises. I am who I am, but I'm willing to try if you're willing to give me the space to." she shook her head. "Maybe tell your—wife to keep her distance."

Oliver nods. "I'll give you your space, but as for my wife, I really don't have much say in what she does or doesn't do. My only advice would just be to do your best not to prove her suspicions of you are true." he glanced around before turning back to her. "You're staying here."

"Quentin-he- my uncle offered me his couch." she shrugged. "He was pretty on point with the whole rescue Charlie Lance story, so Yeah."

"I'll be checking in." Oliver said before turning and pulling open the door.

"Looking forward to it." she replied, and noticed he paused at the door for a moment before leaving.

Oliver walked from the building to find leaning against the car, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she glanced around before turning to him.

"Does whatever surprise you have planned include, ice cream, cake or cookies or all three? I would be the happiest person in the world if it did."

"Well I don't want to give too much away, so I got this." Oliver said before pulling a tie from his pocket.

Katie looked down to the tie, before turning back to the man as he walked over to her.

"Really, a blind fold." she said as he brought the tie over her eyes.

Once her eyes were covered, Oliver waved a hand to make sure she couldn't see before pressing a kiss to her lips. He opened the car door and helped her inside.

He got into the driver's seat and looked over to her, before reaching into the back seat and pulling out a box of cookies, that he placed into her lap. He watched as her hand moved over the box as a smile came to her face.

When she opened it, and reached inside, she pulled out a cookie and took a bite, before turning her head to him.

"You really do love me." she said and Oliver just laughed.

"More than you will ever know." he replied before starting up the engine and pulling off.

The moment the car stopped, Katie paused her movements. She listened as Oliver got out of the car, and then seconds later, her door was opening and she felt his hands around her, helping her from the car.

Without being able to see, she used her other senses. She heard water, like rushing water, and could smell the saltiness of it in the air.

Oliver's arm around her guided her steps, before he stopped her from walking.

When he pulled off the blindfold, Katie blinked a bit before realizing where they were.

"You brought me back to this damn quarry." Katie laughed as she turned to Oliver. "You just love to bring me here to remind me of where my life of crime started, don't you?"

"No, I love to bring you here, because this is where we started." Oliver said turning to her. "This is where we started having unfriend-like feelings for each other." he turned to face her. "This is where I realized just how much I cared about you." he took her hand in his. "It reminds me of where we started and everything we've been through to end up where we are now."

Katie smiled, as she grabbed his jacket and pulled his lips to hers for a kiss that was tentative, but soon became consuming.

After a few moments, Oliver pulled back, breathlessly as he looked down to her eyes.

"There's another surprise." he said before pulling away and heading back to the car.

Katie watched him curiously, as he went to the trunk, and reached inside and pulled out a bag. He walked back over, and she peeked in and sighed, but started laughing.

"You never learn, do you?" she asked as she looked at the man with a shake of his head.

"Not this time." he replied.

He placed the bag on the ground and reached inside to pull out one of the fireworks. He pulled out a lighter from his pocket, before they walked over to the edge.

Oliver lit the fuse before tossing the firework out into the sky.

He brought his arm around her, as they looked up to the sky to see the beautiful explosion of lights.

"We better not get arrested for this, Liver." Katie said.

A smile pulled at Oliver lips at the name he feels he hadn't heard in a while. He really hoped this meant they really were moving forward.

He placed a kiss to her head.

"Well if we do, I promise I won't ever leave your side." he replied looking back up to the lights.

Felicity arrived at Wayne manor, bright and early. She stepped out of her car, before stopping and looking up to the house she feels like she hasn't seen in ages.

"Home, sweet home." she muttered before heading up the front steps.

She dug in her purse, searching for the key, but stopped when she heard the sound of the door unlocking. Soon it pulled open and she smiled at the familiar face.

"Alfred!" she said before stepping forward and bringing her arms around him in a hug. "I missed you."

"Ah, Mrs. Wayne, I missed you dearly as well." Alfred replied before pulling back from the hug. "Master Wayne didn't tell me of your arrival."

"That's because Master Wayne didn't know I was coming." Felicity said as she followed Alfred inside of the house. She let her eyes move across the familiar walls, and pictures and stopped when she noticed a new picture. "Is that—"

"Ah yes, the portrait of you and Master Wayne, was done quite some time ago." Alfred replied as he walked over to stand beside her. "It came out quite nice, don't you think."

"It's beautiful." she replied looking up to the picture.

She remembers when Bruce mentioned them having a portrait painted of them. She didn't think he was serious, until an artist actually showed up at the house.

"Could I get you something, Mrs. Wayne?" Alfred asked and Felicity turned to him with a shake of her head.

"No, I'm fine. I had some tea on the way here, running through the tirade I have planned for my husband for allowing Damian to be Robin."

"Ah, that." Alfred sighed turning away. "It was definitely a surprise."

"Felicity?"

They both turned to the steps to see Bruce heading down, dressed in his pajamas. "You're here." his feet picked up a bit of speed, as he hurried over, to bring his arms around her. "You have no idea how much—" he brought his lips to hers, no longer able to hold back.

Alfred soon, got the hint, and made himself scarce to give the couple some privacy.

"Where should—" Bruce nipped and kissed along her cheek, and neck. "Bedroom? No too far." he said before bringing his arms around her and hiking her up, so her legs wrapped around his hips.

"Bruce, wait, I—"

"The den!" he said before carrying her inside and shutting the door behind him.

He quickly spun them around, pressing her back against the door, as his lips once again latched on to hers.

"Bruce, would you-" her words were suddenly replaced by a moan when Bruce's hand found it's way under her skirt.

Felicity tried to focus. She had an entire plan on what she would say and what she would do when she got here. And it included more yelling and not the good kind.

Yet, she found herself getting lost in the feeling of his lips and his hands as they moved over her body. It only reminded her of how much she missed him as well.

"Whoa, whoa!"

They both turned to see Damian standing there staring with wide eyes back to them.

"You didn't even lock the door!"

"And you didn't knock! Would you–" Bruce gestures for the boy to leave.

"Wait, no." Felicity said and Bruce turned to her. "Put me down please."

Bruce sighed, before lowering the woman back to her feet and she reached down to smooth out her skirt.

"I'm actually here to finish our conversation, face to face." she said before looking between Bruce and Damian. "How about we all sit and talk."

Bruce and Damian walked over to sit beside each other, as Felicity sat on the chair across from them.

"Alright, who would like to start?" Felicity asked.

Bruce and Damian turned to each other, neither wanting to speak, but Bruce being the adult figured it was going to be him.

"Right," Bruce said turning back to Felicity. "It's like I told you before. I saw his skills and I saw what he was capable of and I knew he could do it. Plus, Richard started young and it worked. I figured it could work again with Damian." he nods. "And I'm sorry, that I didn't tell you."

"That's all you're sorry for?" Felicity asked and Bruce looked over to her in confusion. "Bruce, I specifically told you when this conversation first came up, that I didn't want him doing this. I told you that I would hurt anyone that hurt him and that I would hurt you for putting him in the situation." she shook her head.

"But I'm good at it!" Damian said cutting into the conversation. "Really, I'm good at it, so you don't have to worry."

"But I do I worry." she said looking over to him before turning to Bruce. "But I can't worry about him with this." she turned back to Damian. "Look I know you were raised in this, and I know for the longest it was all you knew, but there is more than violence out there for a child your age. There's friends, and learning new things, and just being carefree and innocent. That's all I wanted for you." she turned back to Bruce and let out a deep breath. "I think it would be a good idea if he came back to Star City with me."

"Wait, what?"Damian looked from Felicity to Bruce.

"Felicity, just—hold on a second. Let's just keep talking."

"But there's nothing more to say. There's nothing you could tell me that would make me alright with putting a weapon in his hand and letting him loose on the streets of Gotham where people will try to hurt him." Felicity stood to her feet and turned to Damian. "You should go pack a bag, you're coming back with me."

"No, I'm not!" Damian angrily stood to his feet. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't want to be a kid, or to have friends or be carefree. I am a child of the demon, and this is what I was meant to do."

"Damian-"

"No, you're not my mother!" he spat and Felicity took a slight step back at his words. "You will never be my mother. You're no one's mother. And you coming here, to act as if you were was pointless. I am Robin, and that is who I will be."

The boy huffed, his eyes on Felicity, who seemed to be standing there shell shocked by his words. Damian soon replayed what he'd just said to her in his head, and his eyes widened with instant regret.

"Wait-"

"Damian, go to your room." Bruce stood to his feet and looked over to the boy who just shook his head.

"Wait, I didn't-"

"Now!" Bruce snapped angrily pointing to the door.

Damian dropped his shoulders and looked over to Felicity who still just stood there. He just shook his head before turning and stalking from the room.

Once he was gone, Bruce turned to Felicity. He walked over to her, but she backed away.

"Felicity-"

"He's right." she said, sudden tears pooling in her eyes as the boy's words played on repeat in her head. "I'm not his mother." she shook her head. "That's why you went through with this after I told you I didn't want him to do this. You agreed, because you were his parent, and I—I wasn't. Who am I to have any say on how he's raised." she tried to move around him, but he caught her arm. "Let me go, Bruce."

"No, because he didn't mean anything he just said. He was just angry. You are the closest thing that boy has to a mother, and he knows that. I know that." Felicity didn't say anything as she continued to try to pull away from his grasp. "Felicity, please, please, don't leave it like this." she tugged once more, finally escaping his grasp, and leaving the room. "Felicity!" Bruce followed behind her to see her slipping her coat back on. "Just stay. Stay with me, and we can talk about this."

Felicity stopped and glanced back to him, before wiping the tears from her cheek.

"You know there was once a time I wanted nothing more than to have children with you. To be a mother to your kids and to watch you be the father, the great father I knew you would be." she shook her head. "Bruce, I know you think that this is what's best for him, and he probably believes the same, but I don't. Maybe I don't get a say because I'm not him mother. I just hope this doesn't end up biting you in the ass, because I was not kidding before. If he is hurt because of this-"

"I won't let that happen. I'm with him and I'm watching his back." Bruce said walking over to her, but she stepped back. "Don't go."

"You know he was wrong about something. I may not be his mother, but I'm someone's mother." she replied before placing a hand above her stomach. "Bruce, I'm having a baby."

Bruce's eyes went wide as he looked from her to her stomach, as the news registered.

"And now after all of this, I'm not even sure I want to have it with you." she replied before grabbing her bag walking out of the house.


Author's Note:

Uhm...yeah

Review Replies :

Adela: Glad you liked it!

RoseBud1923: Yes! We finally saw Guardian again and she did not disappoint.

Many thanks to all!

Sneak Peek

Katie swung her sword behind her to stop the impact from the assassin who'd crept behind her.

"Impressive." Athena said before running off.

Katie would've followed, but now one assassin became three, and they were all now surrounding her. She inched closer to Nyssa, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet before she reached behind her, to unsheathe her second sword.

"I can't believe you let her kick your ass." Katie said handing the sword to Nyssa.

"I can't believe you let her get away because of this pathetic group."

Nyssa swung the sword, before running forward to attack, and Katie was right behind her.