Chapter 8
Just Winging It
"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time. "
-Leonard Bernstein
Everything got screwed up. They had a plan. In Felicity's opinion, it was clear. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do. She should've known it would go to shit. Her and Alena walked through the club, before they reached a back room they assumed they'd find the dealer they were looking for, named Amnesiac. Once brought into the room, they had him talking, but not even five minutes later a masked Bruce comes barreling in, beating the crap out of everyone.
Felicity angrily began searching through the dealer's things.
"You know me not wanting you to come here with us, was more than just me wanting to do this alone." she turned to Bruce. "Look at you, with your Bruce Wayne face. What if someone saw you?"
"I can handle it." Bruce replied just as annoyed. "What I can not handle is you going after some criminal without back up."
"I get that Bruce, really I do and I love you for always being so-" she lifted her hands and let out a slight groan. "So you, but right now I don't need that. What I need is a ghost mirror drive and I need to get Alena out of here before they come to." she turned around, once again looking through the man's computer before grabbing the drive.
"Felicity-"
"We'll talk about this later." she replied before moving around him to Alena.
Ethan stood in the elevator of the bunker as it headed down. He closed his eyes, unable to get that conversation out of his head. He didn't want to believe her. He couldn't believe her. Laurel, his Laurel was out there, and he was going to find her. When the doors open, he stepped out, walking over to the other who just looked at him.
"So I guess, you're not dead." Dinah said with a look of annoyance. "Disappearing was kind of a dick move. That's not how this team works."
"I went after her." Ethan said folding his arms over his chest.
"You went after Black Siren?" John asked and Ethan just nods. "Are you out of your mind? Do you know how dangerous that could've been for you?"
"She didn't hurt me. She was more upset I was even there and not at the hospital." Ethan sighed as he turned away. "I just needed to ask her if she has any idea how I get my wife back."
"What did she say?" Rene asked and Ethan turned to him.
"She lied." Ethan slid a hand over his face. "That's all she's been doing is lying. These murders have a purpose."
"We know." John replied. "We realized that before you got here. These people, their lives seemed to be boring on purpose. To make them invisible."
"You think they're covers?" Ethan stepped forward, his eyes glancing down to the monitors to look at the victim profiles. "So there may be a link between them." he lifted his eyes to the others. "Any idea what that is?"
"No, I might not be able to figure out where she's headed, but I might be able to figure out where she was." Curtis stood and walked over to John. "Now, Sonic cries leave ripples in the air. I might be able to backtrace where Laurel's been and maybe even find out a pattern, maybe even determine where she's operating out of."
"I heard two mights and two maybes, but I'll take it." John said. "In the mean time, I'll try to raise Felicity. If anyone is able to hack through the covers of these people's identities, it's her." he turned his eyes to Ethan. "Walk with me."
Ethan looked at him for a moment, but followed him to the elevator. Once inside, John turned to him and Ethan shook his head.
"I know what you're going to say,"
"That's good, so I'll give you the short version. You're going back to work, and me and the team will take this from here."
"You can't shut me out of this. This is my wife!"
"That's just it, Ethan, it's not. This isn't Laurel. This is a woman who is hurting a lot of people and it's our job to stop her, and we can't do that if you're getting in the way."
"You haven't realized it yet, have you?" Ethan scoffed. "I'm the only one who can and has gotten close to her. She has said more non threatening words to me than any of you. I'm not the one in your way. Your inability to see beyond the breadcrumbs placed in front of you is your problem." the elevator doors open and Ethan walked out, taking a few steps before stopping and turning back to John. "She told me that I wouldn't get my wife back and that I should just accept that she was as close as I was going to get."
"She said that?" John asked and Ethan nods.
"It was a lie. If she wants me to stop trying to figure out how to get Laurel back, then I have to believe that there is. And I think once I do, once I get Laurel back, and send Black Siren back to wherever she came from—that's her real fear." Ethan turned away in thought. "I need to talk to Kit."
"Ethan-"
"You don't want me here to help, fine. But sooner or later, you're going to realize you will need me, if you want to get close to her. You just better hope it's not too late." Ethan pulled his phone out of his pocket and sighed at the sight of the hospital number. "I have to get to work." he turned to John with one final look before turning and walking away.
John took out his phone and dialed Felicity's number hoping something to go his way tonight.
Oliver stepped out of the shower into the bedroom to find it empty. He let out a sigh as he walked over to his drawer to grab a pair of pajama pants and a tshirt. Once dressed, he stepped out into the quiet hall. He peeked inside of Robyn's room, glad she was still sleeping. He headed to Will's room, peeking inside to find Will asleep in bed, and Damian asleep in the sleeping bag on the floor.
After dinner, some how the boy convinced Oliver to spar with him. Oliver was hesitant, but he gave in, and it was surprising. Damian was a good fighter, quick, but he got distracted easily.
Oliver pulled the door closed, and then headed over to check in on Ari. He knocked and after a couple of seconds the door opened. He frowned when he looked over the girl who seemed as if she were about to leave.
"I was just about to come find you." Ari turned grabbing her jacket and bag. "My curfew is still midnight on Fridays, right?" she turned back to Oliver who didn't say anything. "Right?"
"Where are you going at 9'o clock?" Oliver asked.
"There's this movie that just came out, and Jamie's mom says he can go and I was going to meet him there." Ari smiled as she moved around him into the hall. "So midnight is a go?"
Oliver shook his head as he stepped back into the hall.
"No, and will you stop walking." Oliver walked over to her. "Which theater, and what time does the movie start?"
"We were going to theater at the mall, it starts in like forty five minutes so we were going to grab ice cream before. Any more questions?"
"I'm the one who can approve this sudden movie trip, so I'd lose the attitude." Oliver folded his arms over his chest and sighed. This is the part of being a parent to a teen he didn't like. He knew Ari was a good kid, but even good kids do stupid things.
"Your curfew is 11:30 and not a minute later. You get ice cream, you go to the movie and then you come back home."
"No, drinking, drugs or teenage shenanigans, now can I go?" she looked up to the seriousness in his eyes and pulled on a smile. "Please, can I go?"
"Fine just, Ari, be safe." he said and the girl just quickly hugged him before turning and heading down the hall.
He came down behind her, watching as she announced her exit to Katie who was still in the living room before she finally left. Oliver stopped at the living room, to see Katie whose eyes glanced over to him.
"You said she could go to the movies?" Katie asked and Oliver sighed as he walked over to sit beside her. "You're not going soft on her, are you dad?"
"No, if she's not here by curfew, she will never leave this house again." Oliver looked over to the table that was now cleaned. All he saw was her laptop and a folder. "Are you done?" he turned to her and she nodded.
"I think I have a plan." she replied closing her eyes and letting out a yawn as she dropped her head to his shoulder.
"Want to tell me about it?" Oliver asked sliding his arm around her.
"Not particularly." she replied nuzzling her cheek against his chest. "We should go to the movies. We don't go to the movies anymore. Or to mini golf, or bowling." she pulled away and looked over to him. "I'm a good bowler."
Oliver smiled as he brought his lips to hers. "Is this your way of asking me out?"
"This is my way of saying we should have more child free fun." Katie replied and Oliver pressed another kiss to her lips.
"Well the other kids in this house are sleeping, so maybe we could have some of that child free fun now."
Katie smiled, pressing a kiss to Oliver's lips before standing to her feet. "You know I think I'll get the whip cream." A smile came to Oliver face as he stood as well. "Maybe some chocolate syrup. Grab the baby monitor and meet me over in the dog house."
"Five minutes!" Oliver said before hurrying off.
Alena brought Felicity to the former HELIX base of operations where the pair were already typing away to find this ghost mirror drive.
"Every file in here is labeled Arclight." Felicity said, her eyes moving over the screen.
"Must be a code name for whatever James is planning." Alena replied glancing over to her before turning back to her screen.
"Now the question is, what is the plan?" Felicity muttered as she continued her search.
A sudden reflection caught her screen, and Felicity gasped at the familiar face. She didn't have time to react before the woman opened her mouth and let out a sonic scream. Felicity and and Alena, clutched their hands over their ears, their computers exploding. Once the scream stopped they both stood to their feet to see Black Siren and a man, with a whole crew of back up with guns aimed at them.
"You're not supposed to be here." Felicity said looking at the face she knew wasn't her friend before turning to the man beside her. "Is this Cayden James."
"No, Miss Smoak." spoke a voice from behind them. They turned to see an older gentlemen with glasses as he walked over to stand in front of her. "I'm Cayden James. Very nice to finally make your acquaintance. In case you're wondering why I'm here, it's not nostalgia," he turned to Alena. "It's you. We never finished our conversation in Corto Martese, where you thought I was because you've been pinging my cell. I'm truly hurt. Not the betrayal so much as the naivete of someone I thought had potential." he shook his head before turning to Felicity. "I'm sorry, miss Smoak."
"Wayne." Felicity said. "My name is Felicity Wayne."
"Well then, Mrs. Wayne, I'm afraid you're what's known as collateral damage. Horrible waste of talent." He turned to look over his shoulder. "Make it as humane as possible." and with that the man just walked away.
"One shot," Sheck, Cayden's right hand man, stepped forward and aimed his gun at Alena. "Won't even know."
In the next second, an arrow is shot into the man's hand, and Felicity pushes Alena to the ground as the gun fire erupts. Felicity pulls Alena into a nearby hall, away from the fighting and gun fire. She glances into the commotion, seeing the familiar faces of her team, but then she notices someone she hadn't seen in quite some time.
"Firelight," she whispered at the sight of the girl in the distance fighting two of Cayden's goons with no problem at all.
She scurried back when the fight got closer, placing herself in front of Alena. They both dropped when gun fire got close. Once it stopped, she glanced back up in time to see the team had seemed to have taken down Cayden's men and she stood to her feet.
"How did you know we needed you? Not that I'm compaining."
"Felicity," John's voice spoke, his eyes dropping to her hands.
Felicity looked down to her hands, now noticing the blood. She looked down to herself, wondering if she got hit but she didn't see any wounds. She turned to see Alena, and her eyes went wide at the sight of the woman who'd been shot.
"Oh! Alena!" Felicity hurried over, dropping to a knee beside her. "Stay with me!"
"Call an ambulance!" John said and Dinah ran off to make the call.
Felicity turned back to him with a shake of her head.
"It's—it's bad. It's really bad." Felicity was shaking as she turned back to the woman trying to will her to not die.
The team hurried off once the ambulance arrived. They all went to the bunker to wait for Felicity with an update.
While they were waiting, John figured it was time to solve another mystery. He walked around the bunker before he found Ari standing in front of Rene and Curtis. Both men glanced over to him and Ari turned to see the serious eyes he had on her.
"You have questions." she said as she began backing away from the man who walked over to her. "In my defense, I didn't know you guys were going to be there."
"How did you even know anyone was going to be there?"
"She's been monitoring us." Curtis said and John looked over to him. "Everything we've been doing. And she actually had the sonic cry idea before me, which hurts. But she figured out where evil Laurel was going to be before we did. She realized Felicity was there and just—well you know."
"Where does Oliver and Katie think you are right now?"
"A movie." she said before glancing down to her watch. "And I still have time to make it home before curfew." she looked up to the team before backing away. "I wasn't here, no one saw me."
"Ari, stop walking." John said and Ari turned to him and sighed. "What you did tonight was beyond dangerous and I'm going to have to tell Oliver and Katie."
"But do you, though?" she asked, but there was no amusement in John's eyes. "Look, I get you guys probably don't want me around, but tough shit, I' want to help and if that's not going to be on this team, then I'll do it myself." she turned to John. "You can't stop me and neither can Oliver and Katie."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Go get changed, I'm taking you home." he replied and the girl just rolled her eyes before stalking off to get changed, but stopped and turned back to him.
"Oh, you know your murder victims who lead boring lives, I was just telling Curtis I was able to uncover their true identities. I just sent the information to him. You're welcome." and with that the girl went stalking away."
John turned to Curtis who nods to confirm what she just said. He shook his head turning when they heard the sound of the elevator. They all watched as Felicity stepped off.
"How is she?" Dinah asked first.
"She's stable for now. The next couple of hours will tell her story." Felicity replied. "Um, I air-gapped her IC room just in case. If Cayden tried to kill her by hacking her hospital equipment, he can't."
John walked over and Felicity turned to him. "Hey. You all right?"
"Am I all right that I broke a genius madman out of prison who's apparently working with the psychopath version of Laurel?" Felicity asked angrily, willing herself not to burst out crying right now. "Am I ok that I didn't see what was right in front of my face and now Alena might die? What the hell do you think?" she let out a huff, her eyes on John who didn't say anything. "Sorry. It's not you I'm mad at."
"I know." he replied.
"And you uh needed me to look into the victims."
"Well we did." Curtis said and Felicity turned to him with a quirked brow. "But we forgot your protege was like a mini you."
"My protege?" Felicity asked and then turned when she saw Ari walking back over. "I'm guessing that's you. My Felicity senses are telling me you're in big trouble." she walked over and brought her arms around Ari and placed a kiss to her head. "But it was great to see you in the suit again."
"We were just about to go over what she found." John said as they all walked over to stand behind Curtis who pulled up what Ari sent him.
"Huh?" Felicity said as she reached forward type. "John was right. They were hiding their identities because they were really important."
"John thought they were some kind of spies or something." Rene said.
"More like something. All 3 are access managers to the IDND, International Domain Name Directory." Curtis replied.
"Let's pretend for a second only you, Felicity and Ari know what that is." Dinah said.
"The internet is run on domain names." Ari said. "You start messing with them, you start collapsing whole parts of the internet."
"So Laurel's stealing fingerprints?" John asked.
"To gain access, I guess." Felicity said, her eyes still on the screen.
"But why steal three sets of fingerprints? Wouldn't one do the job?" Rene asked.
"No." Felicity said. "The Internet is divided into sections so not one person can take it down all at once, and each manager controls a section."
"And all 3 would be needed to access the master vault, which oversees all sections." Rene added.
"All right. So Cayden James wants to take down the Internet." John said trying to understand what they were dealing with here. "Can he actually do that?"
"If you destroy the vault, yes." Ari replied.
"And then what, I can't send an e-mail?" Dinah asked. " I mean, so what?"
"No." Felicity turned to her. "The Internet controls everything now- electricity, water supply, hospital equipment."
"Also planes, trains, and automobiles." Rene said turning to them.
"Alena said that Cayden's casualty estimate was 300 million people." Felicity said turning to Curtis and Ari.
"Actually, that sounds low." Curtis said.
"Yeah. I don't disagree." Felicity replied with a shake of her head. "This is all my fault."
"All right." John said. "Let's keep our focus here. So James and his people want to hit this vault. Do we have a location on it?"
"The location is so classified that they don't even have a word for how classified it is." Curtis replied.
"Be that as it may, I have a hack running that will give us the location soon." Felicity replied her fingers moving across the keys.
"Good, which means you can get home, take a shower, clear your head maybe." John said and Felicity turned to him.
"I'm fine." she replied determined. She wanted to find and stop Cayden as soon as possible.
"It's not a request, Felicity." John said. "Go home. I called Bruce, told him what happened. He's waiting for you." John turned to Ari. "We should get going as well."
Oliver stood in the living room, pacing back and forth and glancing out the window ever so often. It was getting close to Ari's curfew and she still wasn't there. Katie attempted to keep him in bed, to stop him from obsessing, but he tugged himself out of bed and they both headed back over to the house. She called him ridiculous before heading upstairs to their room, while Oliver waited. Once Ari was home and he knew she was safe, then he'd get lost in his wife again, but that wasn't happening until Ari was back. He heard the car, and stopped pacing, before walking over to the window. He frowned when he noticed the car pull up behind Ari's. When he saw John step out of the car behind her, he hurried to open the door.
Ari walked into the house, her eyes on Oliver before looking down to her watch.
"It's eleven twenty six. I'm early. Why are you waiting up for me?" she asked, but Oliver didn't say anything before looking over to John who stepped inside as well. Ari glanced back to him and sighed.
"Do you want to tell him, or should I?" John asked turning to Ari.
Ari looked from him to Oliver and her shoulders slumped. Oliver shook his head and pointed to the living room where they all went. Ari dropped to sit and Oliver chose to stand in front of her while John stood at the living room entrance, leaning against the wall.
"So you know how I said I was meeting Jamie at the movies. Well that wasn't the complete truth."
"And how much of it was true?" Oliver asked.
"None of it." Ari replied sheepishly.
Oliver's eyes darkened as he folded his arms over his chest. He glanced over to John who just sighed before turning back to Ari.
"I have been monitoring the team's activities. Evil Laurel has been killing seemingly random people, but turns out they're not. They were trying to figure out where she was going, so I had the idea of tracking her sonic scream based on the ripples and-" she saw that Oliver wasn't interested in the details and decided to get to the point. "She was going to some abandoned warehouse where Felicity and her friend were and I thought Felicity was in trouble and so I went to help her." she waited for Oliver to say something, his staring making her nervous. "I should've said something, I know. It was stupid and dangerous, but I was confident in my abilities to help so I went. And you're going to yell at me and ground me, but it won't change the fact that I think I'm ready to get back on the team. So much is happening right now, and I feel as if I could be a real help. You just have see beyond the whole overprotective glasses you wear and see that I can do this."
"Go to your room." Oliver said entirely too calm for comfort.
Ari didn't move right away, because she wasn't sure what calm Oliver in the face of a lying teenager meant.
"If I have to say it again, you will not like it, now go!" Ari stood to her feet and hurried up the stairs to her room. Oliver shook his head before once again turning to John and he could tell from the look on his face he wouldn't like what the man was going to say. "Don't even say it." Oliver turned off and headed into the kitchen, John followed behind him.
"Look Oliver, how you and Katie choose to parent your kids is totally none of my business." John said watching as Oliver turned to him. Oliver leaned back against the sink and folded his arms over his chest. "The guys have made their opinions clear that they would like Ari to come back to the team and I wouldn't be against it. Man, she's good."
"You don't think I know that?" Oliver asked. "She's better than good. She's smart. Too smart. And she's a skilled fighter. I get that and yet-" he looked over to John with a shake of his head. "She's my kid and I don't know how to be ok with letting her walk up to men with guns." he sighed. "When I let her join the team before, I justified it by saying that I would be there. I'd watch her back and make sure nothing happened to her." he looked over to John. "I don't know how to let her be there without being the one watching her back." he sighed. "And I promised my wife I wouldn't let that happen, so I don't know what to do."
"You trust me, Oliver." John said taking step forward. "You trust that I would watch out for her as if she were my own. We all would. That's the team you put together. We fight for each other, as hard as we fight for ourselves. Harder actually."
Oliver didn't say anything for a moment but gave a nod.
"What happened tonight?"
"A lot man. Alena, from HELIX, showed up at Felicity's house to warn her that Cayden James is not the guy she thinks she is. She was afraid he was going to hurt a lot of people, so Felicity tried to stop it. During all of this, we'd been searching for evil Laurel who'd been murdering people we just found out were the managers of some internet thing. Turns out evil Laurel and Cayden are working together and whatever they're into, hacking the internet, could be bad. Like worse than bad. I guess there's some vault they would need to access, and Felicity running a trace so hopefully we get there first." John nudged his head. "Most of that we were able to get because of Ari."
"Of course." Oliver sighed.
"I should get going." he gave a nod over to Oliver. "I'll talk to you later."
When John left, Oliver turned to the picture that hung on the refrigerator. It was a picture of Ari, Will and Robyn that Katie one day took when the three were eating breakfast. His eyes looked to Ari who looked annoyed and a smile came to his face. He really didn't know how to do it. He let out a heavy sigh before turning and heading up the stairs.
Felicity took a shower, and changed before walking through the house. She saw Bruce's car when she arrived, but hadn't seen the man. She came down the stairs, suddenly hearing his voice.
"Richie, I'm going to kill you and your entire team. How the hell did you let this happen?" Bruce said angrily. "I don't care! It wasn't a hard job, and you've fucked it up and now she's on her way here and I need to find her before she causes any problems." Bruce ended the called before turning and seeing Felicity.
"That didn't sound like a pleasant call." Felicity walked over to sit on the couch.
"It wasn't." Bruce slipped his phone into his pocket before walking over to sit beside her. "How are you doing?"
"Alena is in the hospital possibly dying because I made the stupid mistake of breaking someone out of jail that should've stayed there."
"Felicity, what happened to Alena wasn't your fault." Bruce replied and Felicity smiled over to him.
"Is that how I've sounded over these years?"
"No you sounded smarter." he reached forward to push her hair back behind her ear. "And prettier."
"You know, I've always wondered how you and Oliver do it. Balance these impossible lives." she gestured to him. "Like how do you be Batman, and celebrity Bruce Wayne, and take care of Richard, and make sure your company is taken care of. Like how did you do that all by yourself?"
"Well I didn't." Bruce replied. "I had Alfred." Felicity laughed as Bruce reached forward and took her hands. "And I had you. You have no idea how much of my life is better and easier because you are in it."
"Look at you trying to win husband points. It's working."
"No, but seriously, I didn't know how much I needed you until you came into my life. I didn't know how much talking to you would steer me in the right direction. Even when I was an ass, and you wanted nothing to do with me, you were there, to say the things I needed to hear." he shook his head. "It's part of the reason I wanted to help you tonight. I wanted to help you as much you've help me. I wanted to be your Ms. Smoak."
Felicity chuckled, "Really, so what would I say to you in this situation?"
"You'd say that it's not my fault. You would say that when I—you-freed Cayden James, at the moment, and at the time, you did it because in your heart, you thought it was right." he placed a kiss to her hands and slid closer to her. "You'd tell me that I can't change the past, but I can do what's right in the present. You'd tell me to just trust myself."
"Well, apparently, I'm very smart." Felicity replied.
"The smartest." Bruce replied when Felicity phone beeped.
Felicity pulled it from her pocket and sighed.
"I feel like this is becoming a habit." she glanced down to her phone, realizing her trace found a location for the vault.
"It is, but I'm proud." he replied and she just smiled before grabbing his shirt and pulling his lips to hers for a kiss she wanted to last longer than what it could.
When she pulled back, she let go of his shirt and placed a hand on the his cheek.
"When I get back, we are going to make a baby." she said and a bright smile pulled at Bruce's lips as he watched her stand to her feet. She gave him one more smile before turning and gather her things to leave.
Oliver found himself standing outside of Ari's door for a few moments, trying to make the right decision then and there. After a moment, he reached up and lightly knocked and after a moment, Ari pulled open the door.
"So how long am I grounded for?" she asked and Oliver didn't say anything before walking into the room.
"Close the door and sit." Oliver said and Ari sighed, but closed the door and went to sit in her desk chair. "Ari, I'm going to start by saying what you did tonight was ridiculously stupid and dangerous." Oliver took a seat on the edge of her bed. "You told me you weren't sure you wanted to rejoin the team. What changed?"
"Nothing." Ari replied. "Nothing's changed. There are still bad guys out there, doing bad things and us not wearing the mask won't change that." she shook her head. "Look, I get why you and Katie decided to step away." she turned away. "And I thought I should too. After losing my mom, I didn't think I had a reason to fight anymore." she turned back to Oliver. "You and Katie gave up the masks for us. You stopped fighting because of us, but that doesn't mean there isn't still a fight out there. So maybe I can fight for you. For both of you."
"You don't have to do that, Ari. The team can handle this fight. You're not obligated to do anything."
"I know. Really, I do, but it doesn't change the fact that I want to do it. I want to do it for me, and for my mom and dad, and for you and Katie and for the people out there who can't." Oliver looked at her for a moment before turning away. "You're not my problem, are you?" Oliver turned back to Ari. "It's Katie, right? She won't go for it."
"She loves you and she wants you safe. We both do." Oliver said and Ari dropped her head. "But I hear you Ari." she looked back up to him. "Really, I do and if this is what you want—"
"It is, it really is." Ari said before turning and flipping open her lap top. "Felicity's trace on the master vault just came back. I'm guessing her and the team are headed there now. She's going to need to be in the field because she won't be able to access it remotely. They're going to need an Overwatch."
Oliver looked at Ari for a moment before glancing over to the computer. He shook his head before standing to his feet.
"No. Ari, I get you want to help, but that hasn't changed that you acted irresponsibly tonight. You are grounded, when you're not, me, you and Katie will talk about you and the team." without another word, Oliver left the room.
Oliver headed down the hall and stepped into the bedroom. He found Katie lying in bed, reading a book. She lifted her eyes to him as he walked inside, closing the door behind him.
"So I heard little angsty teenager feet stalk upstairs." Katie said sitting her book down. "I'm guessing Ari is grounded."
"Yeah she is." Oliver replied before walking over to take a seat on his side of the bed. "I uh-" he glanced down trying to talk himself out of this, but the words spilled out of his mouth before he knew it. "Quentin called. He needs to meet me at City Hall. He didn't say what about." he glanced up to meet her eyes for a second before standing to get dressed. "I shouldn't be gone long." Oliver grabbed some clothes and got dressed before leaving.
Katie stood from the bed the moment he hurried out of the door. She walked over to the window, and saw the moment he got into his car and drove away. She dropped her head on the window and sighed, because there was something that felt off about that conversation. She shook her head before heading for the bathroom, but stopped at the sound of chiming from her phone. She walked over to the bedside table and picked it up to see a message from Constantine. He was outside.
Katie changed into some sweat pants and pulled on a sweater and sneakers before heading downstairs and stepping out into the backyard where she found Constantine playing with Harry. He laughed before looking over to see Katie.
"You lot, got yourselves a pup." he said before looking over to the dog. "Not much of a guard dog though. She's a bit on the heavy side."
"She's pregnant." Katie said walking over to the man. "Where's Zatanna?"
"She's around. Casting a protection spell around the house."
"A protection spell? Against Felix?"
"Against anything mystical and evil." Constantine walked over to her. "Has he made anymore appearances."
"No, it's been quiet. He did say something about needing to get to his full power, maybe it's taking a bit of time." Katie replied noticing Constantine turning away. "So I'm guessing there is a Felix Faust on our earth and you know about him."
"I knew about him. He's dead." Constantine replied. "When he was alive, he would steal the souls of living people, killing them to increase his own power." Constantine dropped his eyes for a moment before turning back to Katie. "He was coming after you before Chas killed him."
"Me?"
"Yeah, he needed the souls to make himself more powerful, but he knew he'd need as much as he could if he ever wanted to take yours. And now he's gone, and a different version of the bastard seems to be starting up on the same plan." he turned to Katie. "There been an increase in deaths in this city, lately?"
Katie shook her head. "I don't know. I mean this is Star City. There are bad guys. Bad guys that are out there killing people, but the team is trying to keep that number low." Katie turned away in thought. "Evil Laurel." she turned back to Constantine. "This woman who looks like our friend is out there doing dumb shit, and killing people is one of them. They're both from this other Earth, what if they're working together?"
"Well if they are-" they turned to see Zatanna. " and Felix is getting himself powered up, then we're going to need to get ready for him. That includes, starting up your training again."
Katie looked at the woman and then to Constantine.
"No, I called you guys here to take care of this guy. To fight magic with magic. I can't be involved in the fighting. I've finally convinced Oliver to step away from the dangers of that mask, I can't turn around and do the opposite of what I'm telling him." she turned to Constantine. "You've fought him once, just do it again and like the last time, leave me out of it."
"The last time, you weren't in it, because it wasn't time. But now, you've got the magic, and he's already gotten a taste. You may want to be out of this, but at this point that's impossible." Constantine replied. "You can't run from this fight. You can't pretend that you aren't who we all know you are."
"Except I'm not. I'm not this magical being who's meant to fight other magical beings. I'm a wife, and I'm a mother, and I just got a new job that I just can't fuck up. No, just handle this." she looked over to Zatanna. "Please." and with that, Katie turned and walked back into the house.
"It's going to hit her hard." Zatanna said and Constantine turned to her. "Reality is going to knock the wind right out of her and she's not going to be ready."
Constantine turned back to the house, before dropping his eyes down to Harry and scratching the dog's head.
"Nah, she's the type to get ready quick." Constantine turned back to the woman and nudges his head. "We should get started on tracking him. He's already seen her once, which means, he's not too far."
"We should probably start with this evil Laurel person." Zatanna replied, her eyes looking down to the dog as well. "Protect your family, keep them safe." she dropped to her knee and Harry walked over to her for a head rub.
"She's not much of a guard dog." Constantine said again.
Zatanna scratched Harry's head with a smile before standing to her feet.
"Nah, she's a little warrior." the woman replied, before she muttered an incantation that opened a portal that they walked through.
Oliver couldn't stop feeling guilty for one stupid lie. He tried to justify it in his head. He wasn't going to be the one under the mask this time. There would be no risk. After hearing Ari's words, he just couldn't sit back. If Felicity was needed in the field, then they could use eyes outside of those on the ground. When the elevator opened, Oliver stepped out about to walk over to the computer, but came to a stop when he realized the bunker wasn't empty.
"Bruce?"
Bruce spun around to look over to Oliver with a quirked brow.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked simultaneously.
"I thought you quit." Bruce came out and said. "Didn't think anyone would see you around here?"
"I heard about what was happening tonight, and figured the team could use another set of eyes. I guess I wasn't the only one with the idea." Oliver dropped his head and sighed, wondering if this was a sign he wasn't supposed to be here. "I should-" he nudged his head back, indicating that he was going to leave.
"The team has split up, and trying to keep eyes on everyone isn't the easiest job." Bruce said and Oliver turned to him. "What I'm saying is, it might take the two of us to fill my wife's shoes." he nudged his head to the chair beside him.
Oliver looked at the chair for a moment, once again trying to determine the best choice right then and there. Once again he stopped thinking and just did. He walked over to take the seat beside Bruce, his eyes on the monitor as he watches the team.
The team had already taken on gunfire from Cayden's men. Felicity had to venture off on her own to try to stop the virus Cayden was trying to plant.
"Maybe doing this solo wasn't such a good idea." Felicity muttered.
"Good thing you're not alone." Bruce said.
"Bruce?"
"Well technically I'm in your chair, so I guess I'm Overwatch."
"You're in the bunker?"
"I am." Bruce said before glancing over to Oliver who stood to see what was happening with Felicity. "Oliver is here too. We found it takes two of us to do your job. I hope you don't mind."
"I am so all right with that. I'm epically all right with that, especially if you have eyes on this complex."
"I think I do." Bruce said, his eyes on the monitor. "You've automated the system to the point that Damian could basically operate it."
"Do you see the room in the far northwest quadrant?" Felicity asked.
"I do, but I also see 10 hostiles between you and it, so let me put you on the safest path." Bruce scanned the area. "Take the corridor to your left."
"Wait, no, that's not-" Oliver pointed to the screen. "Felicity go right."
Bruce turned back to the screen and sighed. "Yeah, sorry, he's right, go right. My left, your right." he looked over to Oliver. "There's a bit of a learning curve, but I got it." he nudged his head for the man to return to his seat.
"Overwatch, sitrep!" John called, but Felicity didn't have time to respond. "Overwatch, what's your situation?"
"She's fine." Oliver said glancing over to Bruce's screen once again.
"Stop." Bruce said still keeping his eyes on the dot that is his wife. "Go right. Under the door."
"Coast is clear." Felicity replied. "I'm in. Cayden's not here."
"Good."
"Time to get to work."
Oliver wasn't used to this perspective. To be the eyes and not the fists. To see the team in action without him, made him both proud and somewhat disappointed. He was glad that they could get out without him, could continue the fight. But it was also a harsh reality, realizing he really wasn't needed.
He wasn't surprised that Felicity was able to stop Cayden's virus and the bomb the man set. They were on their way back, and Oliver glanced down to his watch.
"I'm going to take a wild guess that Robins doesn't know you're here, does she?" Bruce asked and Oliver turned to him and sighed.
"I don't know what this means." Oliver said. "I told her I could walk away. For her and for the kids. I promised her."
"Oliver, you sat behind a computer. No one shot at you or punched you in the face. You promised you wouldn't risk your life anymore, and you did the least riskiest job on this team, so stop feeling guilty."
"I also lied to her." Oliver sighed just as the doors opened and the team came in.
They all changed out of their gear, and took a moment to take in the success of the night.
"Thank God we saved the internet." Rene said walking in. "My fantasy football team is killing it this year."
"So this new team up." John said looking between Bruce and Oliver. "Is it permanent?"
"I don't think so." Bruce sighed looking over to Felicity who had tucked herself under his arm the moment she arrived.
"Yeah, I think Bruce is too busy trying to trap a Joker." Felicity replied before looking over to Oliver. "And I think Mayor Queen might be too busy to moonlight as tech support."
"You have no idea." Oliver chuckled before turning to the rest of the team. "But all kidding aside, we really need to focus on why Laurel aligned herself with Cayden James. Those operatives were the same ones we took out last month." no one said anything and Oliver realized what just happened and he sighed. "Sorry, old habits die hard. I'll leave you to it. I should probably get home before I'm the one who gets grounded." he turned off to heard toward the elevator, but stopped and turned to the team. "About Ari. For the stunt she pulled today, she is grounded. After that, we'll talk to Katie about letting her back on the team." he sighed. "I just need you guys to promise me if that happens, you'll look out for her."
"Of course, Hoss." Rene said. "We always got her back."
"Always." Curtis added with a nod.
Oliver gives a smile before turning and finally leaving.
When Oliver walked inside of the house, he found Katie in the living room, in the spot he was in just a few hours ago. She seemed to be changed out of her pajamas, which he hoped didn't mean she was on her way to come find him.
"Hey, I-"
"You weren't at City Hall." Katie suddenly said. "And I really don't appreciate being lied to."
"I'm sorry." Oliver walked over to her, but she backed away. "Really I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied. Tonight Ari didn't go to the movies, she got herself tangled up in a mission with the team. I guess she's been keeping tabs one what they've been doing and tonight she went to help. John brought her home and I did talk to her and explained how what she did was wrong. She told me she knows, but also that she's ready to rejoin the team."
Katie looked at him for a moment, unsure what to ask first. She slid her hands over her face before looking back up to meet his eyes.
"What does any of that have to do with you lying?"
"Ari got a hit while we were talking. The team was all heading into the field, including Felicity. She wanted to go help, to be Overwatch for them."
Katie looked at him for a moment, now realizing why he lied.
"You went to be Overwatch."
"I sat behind a computer and just helped the team get through the fight safely. That's it." he once again reached out to her, but she backed away again. "Twinkie, I shouldn't have lied. I just didn't know how-"
"So you're going back?" Katie asked and Oliver shook his head.
"No, this was—this was me knowing that the team needed help and wanting to help them. I didn't tell you because I didn't want this moment. I didn't want you standing here with that look in your eyes when you looked at me. I haven't broken my promise. I'm not taking that risk. It was just a one time thing."
That was another lie, Katie thought as she looked at him. This one even he believed. She dropped her head and closed her eyes.
"Twinkie-"
"Ok." she said with a shake of her head. She wasn't ready to give the possibility of a life without the dangers of masks and villains, so she'd believe him too. She looked back over to Oliver before stepping forward and placing her hands on his chest. "Nothing's changed."
"Nothing's changed," he replied bringing his arms around her. He dropped his forehead to hers and sighed, not expecting that conversation to go this easily. He brought his arm around her, and they walked over to the steps. "We may have to talk about the possibility of Ari going to the team."
"No," Katie said glancing over to Oliver. "When she turns eighteen she can do whatever she wants, but right now, it's not happening. This family will stay safe." they reached the top of the steps and Katie turned to Oliver. "I will do whatever I have to do to ensure that."
The next morning Katie stood in a conference room drinking her third cup of water. She knew she should stop, because she does not want to run out in the middle of this meeting for a pee break, but she was nervous.
"Give me that," Claire took the glass from Katie's hand.
"Oh my gosh, thank you." Katie said looking over to the woman. She looked around to the empty seats, knowing the meeting would be starting soon. "This is a terrible idea."
"It's kind of a brilliant idea." Claire smiled over to Katie. "And if I'm not mistaken, it's an idea that only you could've come up with."
They turned at the sound of the door opening to see Oliver and Quentin walking into the room, Ari sneaking in behind them.
"I told him about your big meeting, and that I would let him know the outcome." Quentin said.
"But I told him, that I could just come and see for myself." Oliver replied looking around the room.
"Don't you have a meeting with-" Katie picked up her phone and scrolled through the calendar. "There was a meeting with Councilman Howard." she looked over to Oliver. "You didn't cancel that meeting, to be at this one, did you?"
"Actually I did." Oliver replied. "Project Second Chance, is one of the biggest projects the city is taking on, so yes I would like to be in more of these meetings, and less second hand summaries from Quentin." Oliver looked around the room. "Where can I sit?"
"You're the mayor." Katie gestures to him. "Sit where ever you want." she turned to Ari who just shrugged.
"Oh, I'm just here as the intern who has to restock anything that goes low on this table." she said moving away. "Just pretend that I'm not even here."
Katie just shook her head before turning when the door once again opened, and in walked Rene who held up a thumb to ask if everything was good for them to come in and Katie just gave a nod. Quentin walked over to take the seat beside Oliver. They all turned to see Rene walking in, followed by Bruce, Martin, and Lena Luthor.
Katie pulled on a smile as she walked over to greet them. Oliver and Quentin stood to their feet to do the same.
"Thank you all for coming." Katie said shaking their hands before turning and gesturing to the table. "Please, sit. We have coffee, water, juice-"
"I got donuts!" Adam announced as he entered the room and everyone laughed.
"I have no idea why, but I thought this meeting could use donuts, so help yourselves." Katie walked around to the head of the table as everyone grabbed something to eat or drink before taking a seat. "I want to say I appreciate everyone for showing up to this meeting so short notice." she turned to Lena. "And thank you Lena for hopping on a plane to come all the way out here. I'm going to try to wrap this up as quickly as possible so you can head back home."
"Actually, take your time. I'm not in any rush." Lena joked getting a few laughs from the room.
"Why thank you. So I assume everyone knows everyone around this room." Katie said. "We have Martin Ellis, the recently appointed CEO of Robins Incorporated. Bruce Wayne owner and majority shareholder of Wayne Enterprises and Lena Luther. CEO of L-Corp and recent owner of CatCo Worldwide Media. Quentin Lance, deputy mayor of Star City." she turned to Oliver who wore a smile on his face. "And Oliver Queen, Mayor of Star City." she turned away from him because she knew she wouldn't be able to make it through this meeting if she didn't. "But you're not here because you know each other, you're here because you all know me and I'm hoping that means something."
Katie reached forward and grabbed the remote to the projector.
"So I'm here to do that thing people with money either love or hate. I'm here to ask for some of it." she pointed the remote to the screen and then appeared a mock up of the main building for the Second Chance project. Katie turned and looked at the sketch. "What you're looking at is a dream." she turned back to look at them. "My dream. A dream, I scribbled in a notebook and hid away in a drawer." she glanced over to Oliver who still wore that smile on his face. She turned back to the screen. "I made the mistake of showing that idea to my husband who then insisted we make that dream a reality." she turned around to the group. "And that's why you're here. Because my dream is big. The Second Chance Project is just what the name suggests. It will be an organization, based in Star City as a place where people who have been told they have no options, that they finally have one." Katie clicked the remote and statistics have appeared. "Here are some statistics. These statistics will tell you that over last five years, the number of repeat offenders have nearly doubled, over fifty percent of citizens don't have the proper training to fit into today's more technically advanced workforce, leaving them without jobs good enough to feed their families or have the proper health insurance. No matter how much good happens in this city, there are still those out there-" she pointed to the screen. "who are left with no where else to turn, and so they turn the wrong way, and the endless cycle continues."
"And you think this can change that?" Bruce asked and Katie looked over to him and nods.
"I do. Because this is the choice, the option that none of them thought they had." Katie replied before clicking again, revealing a list. "This is a list of services that will be available for anyone who needs it."
"And how is that determined." Lena asked turning to Katie. "Who decides who gets the help and who doesn't."
"We're making the assumption that anyone who walks through the door is someone who needs help. No one gets turned away."
"The city isn't funding this project, are they?" Martin asked the question to Katie, but then their eyes turned to the sole Representative of the city, Oliver.
Oliver sat back in his seat and sighed as he glanced over to Katie who wanted to laughed.
"The city is providing funds for the project, but like I said this is big." Katie replied as she glanced between their faces. "So I called my rich friends and hoped they could help me out with this." they laughed and Katie nods. "No one has asked what they get out of this and I'm hoping that's because that when you look at something like this, you don't think about yourselves." she smiled. "But I've been in your shoes. I was a CEO once. I know you all have people who work for you who you'd have to explain what this is and what it could mean not only for Star City, but for cities across the world. Imagine the success for this and then imagine one just like it in Gotham-" she looked at Bruce and then turned to Lena. "Imagine one just like it Metropolis." she turned to Martin. "Imagine something like this when my father was in that seat." Katie clicked the remote one more time and the screen was blank.
"No one has asked me why I'm trying so hard to make this dream a reality, but I think it's an important part of the pitch." she let out a deep breath. "I'm a mother, I have three kids-" she glanced over to Ari. "Who I love more than life itself." she turned to Oliver, that smile pulling at his lips once more. "And I'm a wife, who wants nothing more than the certainty of her husband making it home to me every night." she turned to the eyes of the room. "I'm a doctor, who spent years patching up wounds that could've possibly been prevented with a place like this. And I am a citizen of Star City, have been since I was a little girl. It's the city I grew up in and it's the city that I'm raising my children in. So I need it to be better than what it is." she turned to Oliver. "My husband is doing the best job he can to do that. The fine men and women of the SCPD are doing a great job to do that. And I didn't realize it when I scribbled in that notebook, but I guess now is my chance to help do that as well. So I'm here, asking you to help me make this dream a reality."
Clapping from the back of the room pulled their attention and they all turned to Ari who immediately stopped.
"Oh, sorry—but that presentation definitely warranted an applause" Ari replied before dropping her head, hoping they would stop looking at her.
"She's right." Lena said before lifting her hands and clapping as well. The others joined and Katie just shook her head.
"All right, all right, stop, stop clapping." Katie waved a hand and they finally calmed down. "I appreciate that, really I do, but clapping isn't what I need."
"I'm in," Bruce said first and they all turned to him. "Granted I was in before the speech, but it definitely solidified my decision. Give me a number and it's yours."
"Well I did need the speech," Lena said turning to Katie. "And it was a good presentation, Katherine." Lena's eyes went to the screen as she sat back in her seat. A smile formed on her lips as she turned to Katie. "And I see it. I see the dream, and I believe that you can make happen. I'm in. Like Mr. Wayne said, give me a number and it's yours." Katie smiled over to the woman before turning to Martin who sat with his arms folded over his chest.
"You know I think I'm offended." he said and Katie quirked a brow. "That you had this brilliant idea that you needed someone to back, and you're making me share it with these two. RI would've funded the entire thing." Katie smiled over to the man who stood to his feet and walked over to her before holding out his hand. "You're still making him proud." Katie reached forward to shake his hand before Lena and Bruce stood to shake as well.
Claire, Rene, Adam and Tamera stood in the back of the conference room watching the scene unfold.
"She did it." Tamera said. "She really did it."
"Of course she did it." Claire replied watching as Oliver walked over to congratulate her. "She's Katherine Queen." she looked over to the others. "Absolutely no one could've secured funding for this project in such short period of time."
"I wish I could see the council's face when the hear about this." Rene said with a slight laugh.
"She's extraordinary." Adam said, his eyes still on Katie.
The man didn't see the teen noticing his gaze Katie, or the fact that she could see it wasn't an innocent stare.
After the meeting, Katie appeared at Oliver's door that was open. She lightly knocked and he looked up from his computer, a smile taking over his face the moment he sees her.
"So I just did a thing." Katie said walking into the office and taking a seat on the arms of the couch. "And I still can't believe it worked."
"I knew it would work." Oliver said standing to his feet.
"You didn't know what the meeting was about. How did you know it would work?" she watched as he walked over to close his door. "Rule number five, no closed doors." Oliver ignored her as he closed the door anyway. "Oliver Queen-"
"My wife just kicked ass in that presentation." Oliver said walking back over to her. "I spent the entire time watching you speak, waiting for the moment, I got to do this."
He leaned in to press his lips against hers. Katie knew once he kissed her, she wouldn't be able to pull away. She knew she wouldn't want to. And so, she grabbed his shirt, tugging him closer to deepen the kiss. There was a knock at the door, they just both seem to ignore, before it opened and in walked Quentin who came to a stop.
"Isn't there some rule about this?" Quentin said and the couple pulled a part.
Oliver looked over to the man in annoyance, before turning back to Katie who looked just as frustrated as he felt.
"We're going to be late, for that meeting you rescheduled with Howard." Quentin said.
"Five minutes, Quentin." Oliver said still looking at Katie.
"Ok, but it has to be a real five minutes. Not an Oliver five minutes that's actually thirty." Quentin said gaining a glare for Oliver. "Five minutes." and with that the man turned from the office, closing the door behind him.
"You know I would kidnap you if I didn't have plans of my own." Katie replied placing another kiss to his lips. "You have to pick up the kids. I'm taking the team out to celebrate our victory today."
"I knew you could do it."
"You're not going to 'I told you so' are you, because if you are, I may hit you."
"I should get at least one, since you usually get them all." he replied making her laugh as she moved around him to head for the door.
"Oh, and no more popping up in my meetings. I got your schedule for a reason." she said and Oliver looked at her in confusion.
"A reason you have yet to tell me." he replied walking over to her.
"To avoid this damn look." she said pointing to his face unable to stop the smile on her face. "Every time you see me, you look at me with these beautiful blue eyes and I'm always tempted to grab your tie and pull you into one of these conference rooms to have my way with you. You have to stop looking at me."
Oliver's hands slid around her waist, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I don't think that is humanly possible for me to do." he replied before groaning at the knock at the door. "Maybe tonight, we could celebrate too. I could stop by the store, grab some more chocolate syrup and whip cream."
Katie pressed her lips to his, one final time. He slid his arms around her, trying to make the moment last as long as he could before they had to walk away from each other.
"Deal," she muttered against list lips. She pulled away from him, placing a hand on his cheek before heading for the door and pulling it open. Her eyes looked up to Quentin who was waiting outside of the door. "I stole an extra minute, sorry."
"I meant to tell you, you did a great job back there. It's already the talk of City Hall." Quentin said and Katie chuckled. "But there's still a lot of work that still needs to be done before this project is up in running."
"There is." she nods. "But I think I can I do it." she gave him a friendly pat on the arm, before moving around him to head to the elevator.
Oliver stepped out of his office, glancing over to Quentin before looking down the hall to see Katie as she stepped into the elevator. Her eyes met his, and she just lightly laughed with a shake of her head at the look he was giving.
"We should go, Howard is an impatient man." Quentin nudged Oliver's arm and the pair turned and headed down the hall. "Oh, the press release is being issued first thing in the morning, officially announcing the project to the city. I think we may get a breather from all the vigilante talk for a while." Quentin looked over to Oliver who didn't say anything, a smile on his face as they walked. "The doc did good."
"She did." Oliver replied proudly as they stepped into the elevator. "She really did."
That night Oliver's eyes snapped open at the sound of his vibrating phone. He lifted his eyes to the ceiling, suddenly remembering they were still in the garage apartment. He glanced over to Katie who groaned at the sound of his phone. He turned grabbing the phone from the bedside table and quickly answered it.
"Hello?" he grogilly answered.
Katie lay beside him, partly awake and listening. After his greeting, he didn't say anything for a few minutes before speaking again.
"I'll be there." another pause of silence. "Uh huh, all right."
He ended the call and sat up, and Katie opened her eyes and looked over to him.
"Who was that?" she asked and Oliver turned to her.
"That was Slade Wilson." Oliver said and Katie seemed become more alert as she sat all the way up. "He needs my help."
Katie didn't say anything for a moment before she groaned and dropped back down to her pillow. They really couldn't have peace.
"Of course he does."
Ethan usually worked the late shifts. Honestly he worked as much he could to keep from thinking about the fact that they were still no closer to getting his wife back. Tonight, he was working in the ER. He stood at the nursing station, looking down to the text on his phone from Quentin. He was asking about hanging out, and Ethan wasn't sure he was up for it.
He slid his phone into his pocket before grabbing a tablet to read over the patient information of the recent admit. He frowned as he read it over, realizing it wasn't complete and so he turned to the ER nurse.
"Who took the patient info for bed 4. There's barely anything here." He asked.
"That was me, and it's not my fault. I'm surprised I got anything at all. That woman is a trip." she nudged her head to the curtain. "If you think you can do better sir, be my guest." the nurse turned headed off to check in on another patient.
Ethan grabbed the tablet, before heading over and pulling open the curtain. He felt his soul leave his body the moment he saw the woman lying on the bed who turned to him, a big smile coming to her lips.
"Is that you doctor M!" she squealed excitedly.
Ethan didn't respond, glancing around to see if they'd gotten any attention before pulling the curtain closed.
"You have no idea how good it is to see a familiar face." she said as she watched him. "And it's still a nice looking face." he walked over to take the seat on the stool beside her bed. "Honestly, it's kind of a better face than Puddin's-" she turned away. "That bastard."
"Harley! What the hell are you doing here!"