Chapter 1

Hope

"Hope is being able to see that there is light

despite all of the darkness."

-Desmond Tutu

The unseen enemy is always the most fearsome. Oliver Queen remembers hearing the quote at some point, but he couldn't pinpoint the when, and honestly it didn't matter. But those words hit him quite unexpectedly one night, just after dumping a would be robber outside the police station for the now Captain Quentin Lance. The truth was, Oliver himself was fighting an unseen enemy. Had been for the past couple of months, and he didn't even know it. Or maybe he did, he wasn't completely sure.

In the months following Slade's capture, Starling was in the best shape it has ever been. Sure they were rebuilding the things destroyed by Slade and his goons, but the crime was down, and people were attributing that to none other than the Arrow himself. For the first time ever Oliver truly felt like a hero. His city needed him, and he and his friends brought justice and in the end the good side won. Oliver should be happy, he should feel relief that his city is relatively safe, and he is...a part of him anyways. There's this other part though...he tries to ignore it, to pretend as if it isn't there. But when he finds himself awake in the dead of night, staring up to the dark ceilings of the lair, because he can't sleep, he notices it. It's the part that's still stirs inside of him, still pricks at his skin. It's her. The woman he's loved for longer than even he will admit. Just a few months ago he captured and imprisoned the one man who has haunted his dreams. And just months ago is also when she became the new haunting figure of his dreams. Always smiling at him, always caressing his skin in the hypnotizing way that he loved, only for him to always awaken empty. He hadn't spoken to her since their break up and it was something he felt pretty much everyday. It was a certain emptiness inside of him, a void that he tried his hardest to fill with his Arrow duties, and his plans for getting QC back. He soon realized that the void left behind by one Katherine Robins might just be too deep to fill.

"Oliver?" the voice pulled Oliver from the scattered thoughts he seemed to always fall into lately. He slipped his hood back in it's case, before closing it and turning back to Felicity and John who stared at the man both with looks of concern. It wasn't the first time the man simply zoned out, and they weren't sure if they should be worried about the man who seemed too focused at times, now seeming to lose that focus at random moments.

"Yeah?" Oliver replied and both Felicity and John shared a look before turning to the man.

"I was just telling you that we were going to head out, and I'm leaving these notes for you to study for the party tomorrow." Felicity replied and Oliver turned away. "You didn't forget the party,did you? The important networking party that a lot of the QC shareholders will be attending. I told you it's-"

"A great way to rub elbows with the decision makers before the meeting." Oliver replied with a nod. "Don't worry, I'll read over the notes."

"Ok." Felicity said placing the notes down before looking down to her watch. "Alright, so if I get home now, I can get at least six hours in before returning to my own personal hell."

"Felicity, didn't we all come to the conclusion that you can't complain about Tech Stop, since you turned down the perfect offer." John said with a shake of his head, but simply held up his hands in surrender when the woman sent him a dirty look. "Never mind."

"Good choice, Mr. Diggle." Felicity replied slipping on her jacket and grabbing her purse, before waving goodbye to the guys. Oliver glances over to John, before turning to at least look busy so the man doesn't attempt another heart to heart, which he had been fond of lately. At least since he found out that Lyla was pregnant. Oliver grabbed his arrows, about to sharpen their points, when John grabbed a bottle of their usual heart to heart drink, Russian vodka.

"I'm not really in the mood tonight, Dig." Oliver says taking a seat and grabbing his first arrow. John simply took the seat across from him, and decided to stare him into conversation. "You know you should be heading home, shouldn't you. Pregnant girlfriend and everything." Since finding out about the new edition to the Diggle family, Oliver suddenly had a very unknown emotion appear inside of him. One he's not completely sure why he even feels it, but it's only noticeable when the topic of the baby comes up and so far he's done pretty good to avoid the subject.

"Look, I get this, talking about your feelings, isn't something you're overly fond of-" Oliver glanced up to him with a look, that said that was an understatement. "But at some point you're going to have to talk to somebody."

"And why is that John?" Oliver asked placing his arrow down on the table and looking over to the man.

"Because you see, we still have that." John said pointing behind Oliver to the display beside the one that held the arrow hood. It was the familiar black hood, with yellow domino mask that hadn't been worn in months. "And at some point, Felicity and I would like her to come back. She's apart of this team and-"

"I never kicked her off the team." Oliver said with clear frustration before jumping to his feet and stalking off. "I would never-" he whipped back around to John. "I don't even have the ability to kick anyone from this team, not with you, Felicity and Roy around."

"I know that, and you know that." John says standing to his feet. "But to the woman you broke up with, I'm sure she's probably a bit confused. Maybe you are too." Oliver sneered turning away about to grab his jacket, and just walk away as he always did when he found himself being pulled into emotions he'd rather avoid. "Oliver, don't-" the man was gone before John could even finish.

A few months back, Katie thought she would die and be found surrounded by boxes. The moving process was a long, and very tiring ordeal, and thanks to her friends, and having a lot of cash at her disposal, today was the day she unpacked her last box. She had to just stand in the middle of her loft for a few moments to actually believe it. Every picture was in it's place, and every piece of furniture arranged to her liking. There was nothing else to do, which at the moment Katie wasn't a fan of. A small part of her actually kind of liked the moving process. It was a distraction. It kept her busy, kept her mind off things she was afraid would come flooding back. So as she stood there, looking at her fully furnished apartment, she began thinking of something else to busy her time. There was another project Katie had been working on, something not even her closest friends even knew about, because even she after all these months didn't truly knew everything. Katie turned and began walking from the room, when a sudden knock at her door stopped her. It was pretty late, but Katie had long realized that her friends could and would show up at anytime. She walked over to the door, and brought an eye to the peep hole before chucking and pulling open the door.

"I'm supposed to be at home, soundly sleep before my day in hell tomorrow, but I'm too wired." Felicity Smoak says before walking into the loft. "I thought I would come by and-" she searched around the place for a moment before turning to Katie. "Where are all the boxes?"

"All gone I think." Katie says pushing the door closed and walking over to the woman, as they both just look around the apartment. "It's weird right, it's like I actually really live here now."

"I think you do live here now." Felicity chuckled glancing over to the woman. "Well that's a bummer, unpacking your life was sort of the highlight of my days. I liked discovering old Twinkie pictures."

"Well I'm glad that part is over." Katie shuttered at the memories, before turning and heading toward the kitchen area. "So why are you so wired Smoaks?"

"Another day of crime fighting and putting away the bad buys will do that I guess." Felicity replied taking a seat at the counter as Katie poured her a glass of wine. "Or more like sitting behind a computer while the crime fighting is actually happening gets you wired too."

"So things are going...well?" Katie asked and Felicity looked to her with a quirked brow. "With the team, and the do gooding at night?"

"Are you asking me about Oli-"

"No, I'm asking about the team, Felicity." Katie said with a shake of her head. "Are things going well with the team." Felicity rolled her eyes, but continued.

"The team on the outside seems fine, but the team broods more often lately. The team should be happy with the lowered crime rate, but the team just seems to be in a foul mood, all the time."

"Felicity."

"What, I'm telling you about the team." the blonde countered only for Katie to grab her wine glass and walk over to the living room. "At some point we're going to have to talk about Oliver."

"No we don't!" Katie called over to the woman.

"Yeah, we do." Felicity replied standing to her feet and walking over and plopping on the couch beside Katie. "You see, because at some point you're going to have to see him and talk to him because at some point you're returning to the team." Katie didn't say anything as she chose to look at the blank television screen, and sip her wine. "You are coming back, aren't you?"

"I don't-" there was another sudden knock at Katie's door, and both women turned their heads.

"Who could that be?"

"At this point, I stopped asking." Katie replies, sitting down her glass and standing to her feet. "It's probably Roy here to raid my refrigerator and watch my television." Katie pulled open the door, a bit surprised to see that it wasn't Roy at her door. "Oh, hi."

"Hello ma'am." the man said, in a very funny pose of looping his finger along his pants, to reveal the badge clipped to his belt. "I've been getting complaints from some of the neighbors about the heat, and so I thought I'd stop by here and ask if you could stop being so damn hot." Katie couldn't help but to just burst into laughter.

"That was so bad." she said through her laughter. "Has that ever worked?"

"No, but I don't give up on decent material." the man said before stepping forward and leaning in very close. "Hello Ms. Robins."

"Hello Detective Parker." Katie replies before bringing her lips to his.

Neither heard the gagging from behind them, that came from the blonde rolling her eyes at the scene. Felicity Smoak met her new challenge in the form of one detective David Parker six months ago. Before he showed up, trying to accomplish her plan of operation Reunite Twiver was a piece of cake, but then he showed and put a damper on things. The man swooped in, and now they were dating and Felicity had no idea how she would break them up, but she knew she would.

"Oh, I didn't even see you there, sorry Lis." David said, and Felicity had to turn her head and roll her eyes once again at the annoying nickname she absolutely hated.

"Don't worry about it detective." Felicity said finishing off the last of her wine before standing to her feet to get some more.

"You know you can call me David." the man said watching the woman who wouldn't even look his way as she walked. It was obvious the woman didn't care for him, which mostly entertained him.

"I don't think I know you well enough detective." Felicity replied pouring her glass. "I mean we've only known you a couple of months, you could be a murderer for all we know posing as a cop."

"Smoaks!" Katie chided and the blonde simply shrugged as she took a sip from her glass. "I'm sorry, I'm going to hope she's just drunk and has no idea what she's saying. Did you want to come in?"

"Nah, I just stopped by to make sure you got home alright. I would've met you earlier, but work-"

"I told you, I didn't need a personal bodyguard, so you're fine to work as late as you want." Katie said with a shake of her head. She was kind of annoyed with the guys she attracted who seemed to have a hero complex.

"Yeah, well I'm a gentlemen at heart." the man said with a smile, before glancing over to Felicity who was now opening the doors to the terrace and now stepping out. "You should probably-" Katie followed his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want her falling to her death tonight." Katie muttered with a shake of her head before turning back to the man. "I will see you later?"

"Absolutely Rob." David replied, before placing another kiss to the woman's lips before turning and heading down the hall. She watched until he was out of view, before turning and walking back into the loft, heading out to the terrace to see Felicity leaning against the balcony and staring up to the moon.

"Did he call you Rob?" Felicity asked and Katie didn't say anything. The blonde let out a snort before bringing her glass to her lips.

Katie walks over to stand beside the blonde, who refuses to even look her way. "You were very rude, Felicity. I get you don't like him, but-"

"That's an understatement." Felicity muttered with a shake of her head before turning to Katie. "There's just something about him I don't trust."

"Well then I think you shouldn't date him." Katie said before her eyes sarcastically widened as she pointed a finger at the woman. "Wait, you're not, so I guess problem solved." Katie turned stalking back into the loft, and Felicity was right behind her.

"Three months!" Felicity called and Katie stopped walking and turned to her. "You were broken up for only three months before you moved on with someone else."

"That's what this is about?" Katie asked walking over to the woman. "It's about him."

"Yes, him. The man whose name you can't even say. You know I'm right and-"

"Felicity, stop!" Katie snapped. "He-" she let out a deep breath, before continuing. "Oliver broke up with me. He ended things with me for whatever reason he cooked up in his head. What was I supposed to do, beg him to not to do it, go day after day calling him and asking if he's changed his mind yet?" Katie shook her head before stalking away.

"You were supposed to fight." Katie turned to the woman. "You weren't supposed to just give up so easily." Katie stood there seeing the emotions the woman was trying to hold inside, and just knew that this wasn't just about her and Oliver.

"Felicity you can't fight for love, against the person you love. It's counterproductive." Katie sighed, bringing her arms over her chest. "Oliver gave up on us and Bruce gave up on you two." Felicity dropped her head. "They had their reasons that probably only made sense to them, but I hope they had them. And if they want to wallow in the lives they feel heroes should live, then we will let them, but we will not wallow with them." Felicity didn't say anything as she looked back to the woman and simply nodded. "Alright, I'm going to grab my jacket and take you home,"

"You don't have to drive me home, I'm totally fine." Felicity replied before lifting her head and looking around the room. "Where did my wine go?" Katie simply let out a snort before walking off to get her jacket. Felicity just sighed before turning and walking back out onto the balcony to see her glass was actually empty. She shook her head before looking back up. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or what, but she could've sworn she seen someone standing on the roof of the building across the street.

"Let's go Smoaks, you have to get enough sleep for the job you hate!" Katie called and Felicity shook her head as she headed back into the loft. "But I promised I wouldn't bring it up."

"Oh, you broke that promise a long time ago." Felicity remarked grabbing her bag. "I didn't take the job you offered, get over it."

"I just want to know why. It probably would've been totally better than what you had at QC and plus with me as your boss-"

"Exactly. I've experienced being given jobs by my friends and it's totally degrading. I'm a very smart person who has worked very hard and I would like to be given a job based on those facts for once." Felicity replied now standing in front of the woman.

"Well when Tech Stop drains the life out of you, you're going to wish you just took the opportunity that was handed to you." Katie replied as the two women exited the loft.

Oliver had told himself, the day before actually, that he wouldn't be right in the spot he was at the moment. That spot was the roof of the building that just had to have the perfect viewpoint of Katie's loft. He was supposed to be distancing himself from her, at least that's what he told himself, but he knew that was impossible. With Ra's somewhere still a threat, and now with Jacob Robins out there, there was no way he would just leave her. And so he would come here to keep an eye out. To make sure she was safe. And sure sometimes that may take hours of just watching her, but if it's what it took, then Oliver would do it.

The next night Oliver stood in the bathroom of a luxurious hotels in Downtown Starling. He wasn't even sure how he made it, especially after spending just the hours earlier chasing down some small time criminals he caught easily and delivered to the SCPD. And now he was here. It was a charity dinner that pretty much anyone who is anyone in the business world would be in attendance. That included many members from the board of directors of QC who Oliver would be meeting with in an effort to take back his family's company. He should be out there with the rest of the guests, but he finds himself here, in the bathroom splashing water on his face.

There was a knock at the door, and Oliver looked over his shoulder to see the door slightly crack open.

"Oliver, are you in there?" came the familiar whispered voice of Felicity Smoak. She was supposed to meet him here, but when he arrived she was no where in sight, which is why he came to the bathroom instead. He hoped she'd be stuck at work, so he could just slip right out of the party without hassle.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." Oliver replied grabbing a towel and drying his face. He took a final deep breath, before walking over to the door and pulling it open to reveal an impatiently waiting Felicity.

"I can't believe you were hiding out in the bathroom." Felicity scolded and Oliver shook his head just walking away from the woman.

"Hi Felicity, you look nice tonight." Oliver chose to say as he grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. He turned back to the woman, handing her a glass, before taking a sip from his own.

"Don't try to change the subject. You're supposed to be out here, smoozing with the blue bloods, and doing that thing with your eyes that gets you your way." Felicity replied taking a sip from her glass.

"I don't do anything with my eyes." Oliver muttered looking around the party.

"Whatever." Felicity said scanning the room. "There. Barbara Mackey. She's on the board, and an old friend of your mother's. Go, catch up." Felicity gave the man a slight nudge with her arm and Oliver simply sighed before walking over to the woman.

Felicity watched the man pull a smile out of his ass, and actually engage in what looked like an interesting conversation. She could see the truth in his eyes though. How ever so often, his eyes would glaze over revealing how much he really didn't want to be at this party, but he'd straighten up and push through because he really did want to get his company back.

Oliver wasn't really listening to the woman in front of him, but Barbara really wasn't the type of person who needed another individual to hold a conversation, which didn't bother Oliver at all. He would smile and nod, and just let the woman hold the conversation with herself. Ever so often he let his eyes look over the other guests at the party, just to be aware of his surroundings, and that's when he saw her. Katie. His Twinkie, right there just a few steps away. Oliver didn't really feel that hole in his heart until this very moment, and the cause was right there.

She was talking with someone with a very fake smile on her face. He wondered if he was the only one who noticed how uninterested she was with whoever she was talking to.

"Oliver-" Barbara's voice tore Oliver from his blatant staring, and he looked down to the woman.

"I'm sorry Ms. Mackey, I have to-" Oliver couldn't think up an excuse quick enough, so he just pointed across the room, and hurried away. He sifted through the crowd toward her, but suddenly stopped. He realized he wasn't about to walk into the reunion he wished they would have. He turned back around, deciding to go over to Felicity instead.

Felicity noticed the shocked look in Oliver's eyes the moment he walked over, and she also knew the reason why.

"You saw her, didn't you?" Felicity asked the moment he was close by. Oliver looked at her with a quirked brow.

"You knew she was going to be here?"

"RI hired an image consultant who suggested Katie be a little bit more social for the company. She still has the image of the doting doctor who saves those in need. They want to market that more, and so she agreed to come to this party to rub elbows, just like you." Felicity looked across the room to the woman who was slyly rubbing her ear. "The only difference is if I don't go over there when she gives that signal-" Oliver turned to see Katie listening to someone, but also rubbing her ear with her index finger and thumb. "She has said that she is about to hit someone, so I should-" Felicity rushed over to save Katie from whatever conversation she has fell into, and just usher her along to the next. Oliver watched the two women move, and the silent argument they had before Katie walked over to another couple and Felicity walked back over to Oliver. "I say we can do this for another hour before we need to get out of here." she turned to Oliver, whose eyes were still across the room, and a bit of a smile came to her lips. "You know you can go over there and talk to her. We're in a room full of people, so I doubt she would murder you right here."

"You don't know her like I do." Oliver muttered with a shake of his head before turning back to Felicity. "I'll just steer clear." he nudged his head back out to the party. "I should get back out there." and without waiting for a reply, Oliver dove back into the crowd, back into meaningless conversations and laughing at unfunny jokes. He'd just spent the last twenty minutes listening to one of QC's board talk about his son's science project, which the father knew in great detail and thought Oliver should as well. When the board member began talking with someone else, Oliver took it as his chance to get away, and so he slowly began backing up. His escape was almost perfect until he bumped into someone, and quickly turned.

"I"m so-" both spoke, but stopped at the same time when they saw who they bumped into.

"Oh, it's...it's you." Katie stared at Oliver, not wanting too much emotion to show. She imagined this moment probably a million times, and every time she just didn't want to seem too emotional by the entire reunion. She wanted to seem unaffected. "Hey."

"Hey." Oliver replied and both could feel how the entire room around them just seem to slowly disappear. With Katie right in front of him, Oliver was really able to see the changes in her that have happened over the last couple of months. Her hair was shorter, just below her ears, and it looked nice on her. She was wearing a little bit more make up then usual, but not too much, just the right amount. "You look beautiful." he wasn't sure if that's something he could say right now, but it was the truth and he couldn't find it in himself to lie.

"Thanks." Katie said simply glancing away. "So Felicity didn't say you would be here." she turned back to Oliver. "Which I think was purposefully done."

"Yeah, I think this is all part of some messed up plan cooked up by our friend Felicity Smoak." Oliver replied, still unable to turn away from her. For the past couple of months it's this face that haunts his dreams and he's not even quite sure why anymore. Starling had been in a good place lately, crime not terrible, and definitely not people in the streets terrible, so it hasn't required a whole lot of need for the Arrow. So he stands here now looking at the woman he gave up, trying to decide if it really was a bad decision. He could've had both, could've balanced both Oliver Queen and the Arrow. They once again fell into an awkward silence, which both hated. They were never afraid of conversations with each other , never unsure of what to say, but now it was just brutally awkward. "So, how have you been?" Katie narrowed her eyes at the man and sighed.

"No." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry Oliver-" she stopped herself and chuckled. "Actually I'm not all that sorry. I don't want to talk to you so I'm going to-" she turned, but stopped when she saw yet another face she didn't expect to see. "Shit." Oliver looked to the woman, before following her eyes to the man walking their way, and he let out an annoyed sigh. "What are you doing here, David?"the man brought Katie into a hug, and kiss to her cheek that Oliver had to turn away from. He didn't know the man personally, but he'd seen him around lately. He was getting closer to her, and Oliver definitely didn't like it.

"I got out of work earlier than I thought." David replied pulling from the hug. "So I thought I would come to this snooze fest to save my Rob." Katie gave the man a smile, before his eyes lifted to the man standing behind them. "Well if it isn't Oliver Queen." David maneuvered around Katie, but keeping one arm around her as he held out a hand to Oliver. "Long time no see." Oliver shook the man's hand in obvious confusion.

"I'm sorry, have we met?"

"Yeah, went to high school together actually." David replied as Oliver studied the man's face trying to remember, when suddenly it hit him. His eyes were wide for a moment, turning to Katie who momentarily couldn't meet his eyes before he turned back to David.

"Stoner Dave?" Oliver said and the man chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"Don't worry. It's the common response for when I come across people from back in the day, but my stoner days are behind me now." David replied, pulling back his jacket to reveal his badge. "It's Detective David Parker."

"Detective." Oliver said, once again glancing over to Katie. "And now you two are-"

"Leaving." Katie says turning to David. "We should go."

"Why?" David asked with a smile that he turned back to Oliver. "We're all friends here."

"Right." Oliver replied with a tight smile. "Friends."

"Doctor Robins." a voice spoke and they all turned to the red head that walked over. She gave bright smiles to both Oliver and David before turning to Katie. "There are some people over here that I think you should meet."

"Oh, Sandra, I was just about to leave, and-"

"These are some pretty important shareholders. You should come speak to them, shake their hand, smile." the woman's voice was pleasant, but it was filled with a passive aggression that Katie has come to hate. "It's all about public image, doctor. This could help your company." Katie let out a deep sigh before turning to David.

"Go shake a few hands, kiss a couple of babies, then we can kick this joint." David said before placing a kiss to the woman's forehead, and Oliver's jaw clenched at the sight. Something only Sandra caught.

"Fine." Katie replied turning to Sandra. "Lead the way." Sandra simply nodded before turning and heading back to the party. Katie glanced between Oliver and David, before turning to David. "Maybe you should-"

"I'll meet you in the front." David said with a wink, that Katie just didn't like at all. "Go, before your image consultant demon returns." he gave Katie a shove, to which she gave a glare, but finally followed off to find the woman. Once she was gone, David turned back to Oliver who still stood silent. "Oliver Queen, I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Oliver replied with a shake of his head. "The guy who filled the principal's office with a crap load of weed is now protecting this city."

"Yeah, well people change. I got a little direction in my life, and I'm glad that it got me here." David glanced over to the party at the bored expression on Katie's face that she tried to hide. "With her." there was a snort from the man in front of him, and David turned. "So thanks."

"Excuse me?"

"I knew she had a thing for you when we were kids, and then a couple of years back I saw you two on the news, and in magazines, and I thought Oliver Queen finally got his shit together and saw the girl who was probably perfect for him. But then I ran into her a couple of months ago, and she told me you two had broken up and I figured you were still just you."

"Excuse me, you know absolutely nothing about what happened between us." Oliver replied taking a very dangerous step closer to the detective, who didn't even flinch in intimidation.

"Wow. ok." Felicity suddenly appeared between them, trying to pull some distance between the men. "Alright, let's look less murdery right now." the woman said, and Oliver took a step back. "Maybe we should go, I think we've seen enough people today."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Oliver replies, his glare still fixed on the detective who seemed to smirk in amusement.

"It's was good seeing you again Ollie." David replied before nudging his head to the crowd. "I should probably go find my girlfriend." and with that David walked off to find Katie. Felicity moved in front of Oliver when it looked as if he were going to follow after the man.

"I don't think this is that type of party." Felicity followed Oliver's eyes to where David found Katie and the pair were now heading for the door. "We should go."

"No." Oliver says suddenly before heading after the pair.

"Aw, hell." Felicity muttered before rushing to follow. Katie felt them being followed the moment they stepped outside. She quickly turned to see Oliver walking over to them, and she sighed.

"Can we talk?" Oliver asked looking only to her.

"Look Oliver, it's late and I think Rob's made it clear that she doesn't want to talk to you tonight." David said and Oliver chose to ignore him.

"Did he just call you Rob?"

"Shut up." Katie said.

"Look, I just need five minutes."

"Oliver, she said-"

"It's fine." Katie says looking over to David. "Five minutes. You can get my car, and by the time it gets here this conversation should be done." David looked hesitant, sending a glare to Oliver, before walking over to the valet. Katie turned back to Oliver.

"You have a car?" he asked and Katie rolled her eyes about to walk away, but he caught her arm. "Right, look I'm sorry."

"For what specifically are you apologizing for, Oliver?" Katie asked folding her arms over her chest. "You seem to be developing a list of jackass-ness." Oliver simply stared at her before sliding a hand across the back of his head. "Whatever it is, just say it."

"I'm an idiot." Oliver stated a smile coming to his lips at the confused look the woman gave him. Oliver didn't believe any three words more in this moment as he looked at the woman in front of him and couldn't explain how he did the one thing he promised he wouldn't do. "I let you go." Katie turned away, once again not wanting him to see the emotions that were once again moving inside of her. "Katie-"

"What are you doing Oliver?" Katie asked turning back to the man. "You get a sudden change of heart when you see me with someone else? It's been months and-"

"I still love you." Oliver stated and there wasn't an ounce of hesitation or regret in the statement. "And you still love me. No amount of time or distance will ever change that." Katie stared at the man wanting so badly for those words to be a lie. "Tell me it isn't the truth." Katie opened her mouth to speak, when the sudden whistle in the distance caught both of their attention.

"Olive-" before Katie could even speak his name, Oliver had grabbed the woman, and pulled her from the incoming missile. Katie wasn't sure what happened after that moment. The last thing she sees was Oliver's eyes looking down to her, and then just darkness.

They told her that she wasn't a prisoner, that she just needed to be questioned, but after weeks of being in a pale white room, with a single window and a small bed, Katie couldn't help feel she wasn't anything else, but a prisoner. Katie assumed that once she walked into the US Embassy that things would be put in motion for her to return home, but it would seem home was still so far away. Katie awaken just like every other morning, sitting on the edge of her bed waiting. There was a knock at her door, and she stood to her feet as Agent Benjamin Lockwood entered her room.

"Agent Lockwood, I want to go home." Katie stated firmly. "I haven't done anything wrong. Actually I'm the victim and I'm being treated like a criminal. I demand to speak to whomever is in charge." Benjamin simply stood there for a moment before pulling up a chair and taking a seat. "Did you hear what I said?"

"I did, but we've talked about this, very extensively actually and we always end with the same thing. You will go home when we feel you have no information that could help protect our country."

"I told you, I don't remember anything!"

"And I told you that memory loss is something that can be temporary!" Benjamin snapped just as aggressively as he stood to his feet, towering over the woman who didn't even flinch. "And you know that doctor."

"I do know that! I also know that locking someone in a room until they remember isn't a viable treatment for memory loss. If you're looking for something, you're not going to find it with me, I'm sorry. I just want to go home."

"And you will when you start talking." the agent says before taking his seat.

"I told you-"

"I know what you told me doctor, but I'm trained to spot a lie from the tiniest of details and I can see it. In you. You're hiding something, and you don't get to leave until you give me something."

Katie stood there, looking down to the man when the sudden urge to snap his neck came over her. The demon was still strong inside of her, and she had to try extra hard not to give into the impulses he brought out in her. Katie simply took the seat on the edge of her bed, and looked directly into the eyes of the man across from her. The man simply reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tape recorder, before pressing a button.

"Interview Thirty Eight, Doctor Katherine Robins and Agent Benjamin Lockwood." the man held the recorder slightly toward the woman. "Doctor Robins, do you give your permission to the interview that is about to take place." Katie stared at the man for a few moments, before glancing down to the recorder in his hands after he asked the exact same question he asked every time he walked into her room. "Doctor-"

"I'm not playing this game anymore." Katie says with a shake of her head. "I want to speak to your superior officer. Who ever you report to, I want to speak to them."

"Doctor-"

"Before you let whatever bullshit that's about to come out of your mouth, stop and just do it because I'm not answering another question until I speak to someone who can actually deliver on the promises he's been making." Katie replied before turning and lying back on her bed. The agent looked at her for a moment, before standing to his feet and walking from the room.

Consciousness hit Katie hard, and the moment it did the moments just came rushing back to her one after the other. The moment Katie's eyes snapped open, she just sat up only slightly. There was one memory that held onto her, and that was the sight of Oliver before everything went dark.

"Oliver!" she called his name, her voice rough. Soon he appeared above her, cupping her face. She met his eyes, looking at the soot that covered his face.

"I'm right here Twinkie." Oliver whispered, placing his forehead against hers and letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of her open eyes. "You're safe. You're safe." Katie fell back on the table, trying to calm her ramming heart.

"What happened?"

"There's this new crew on the streets. Lead by this guy named Steelgrave. We got the drop on him and a couple of his guys a couple of days ago, but I guess there were more. I was able to get the drop on a couple of his guys earlier today, but I think it was trap to tag me with a GPS." Oliver replied.

"So they followed you to the hotel and the moment you were in sights, they tried to blow you up." Katie stated and Oliver just nodded. "Of course they did. Help me up."

"Whoa there Kit-" a new voice spoke, and Katie turned to see the slightly familiar faces of Roy Harper and Ethan Mills. It was the doctor who spoke. "You need to take it easy, you took a pretty hard fall."

"Who are you?" Katie asked and the man took a step closer, pulling out his flashlight. "What did you do to your face." Ethan stopped and chuckled, rubbing a hand along his chin.

"I shaved. Apparently the Chief Resident doesn't look like a hobo. Who knew?" Katie continued to look at the man who looked like a different person without his scruffy face. "You like it."

"Oddly, yes." she replied before sitting up, smacking away Ethan as he tried to help her. "David-" she glanced over to Oliver. "Is David alright?"

"I don't know. I was more concerned about you in the moment." Oliver muttered and Katie sighed sliding from the table. "What are you doing, you shouldn't-"

"Be here, I know." Katie replied glancing around the lair, her eyes landing on the display case that held her hood, and she stood surprised for a moment. For so long it sat hidden in a closet, and now it was displayed proudly next to the Arrow's hood.

"Katie-"

"I need to make sure David is alright, I need-"

"He's fine." a new voice spoke and they all turned to see Felicity, who although looked a bit ruffled, seemed alright. "I am too, if anyone was wondering." she turned to Katie who looked the worse, her face black and red. "You don't look too good, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, how's David?"

"Confused, mostly worried about his mysteriously disappearing girlfriend." Felicity replied and Katie shook her head. "Don't worry I may have told him, I saw you being loaded into an ambulance and being taken to the hospital."

"Shit, Felicity." Katie says. "He's going to call around to every hospital and freak out when he can't find me." she shook her head. "I have to go." she looked over to Ethan. "Take me to GMH, and make it look totally legit."

"As legit as being taken to the furthest hospital from the scene could look?" Oliver asked and Katie turned a glare to the man. "Right now we have more important things that we need to be doing."

"No, right now you have more important things you need to be doing." Katie countered glancing around the lair with a shake of her head. "I can't do this." she turned back to Oliver. "I'm leaving." and without a word, the woman grabbed Ethan's arm and began pulling him with her toward the back door.

"Anyone else thought she'd have a change of heart once she was back here?" Roy asked and they all turned to him.

"Oliver-" John started and Oliver cut a look to the man. "I know what you're thinking and don't."

"I thought I could be something I'm not."

"Don't you dare do that." Felicity said. "I saw you. I saw that look in your eyes when you saw her."

"Maybe that was the problem." Oliver snarled with a shake of his head. Seeing Katie, constantly thinking about her, it was doing the one thing he didn't want to happen, and that was shift his focus. He wasn't paying attention and because of that Steelgrave's men were able to track him and almost get her killed because of him. "I lost my focus."

"And I'm guessing being human isn't a possibility?" Felicity asked with a shake of her head before turning back to her computers. "You should call Lance, see if any of the guys you brought in earlier will come clean about who blew up that building."

Katie sat in the uncomfortable hospital bed, trying her best to restrain herself from punching the annoying doctor currently checking her pulse.

"Ethan, I told you I'm fine." Katie says jerking her arm away from the man.

"Yeah, well I'm not so sure." Ethan replied taking the seat in the rolling chair beside Katie's bed. "What you did tonight, turning your back on the fight-"

"I didn't turn my back on the fight, because I'm not in the fight anymore. What's the point?" she shook her head before turning away from the man.

"Stop the bad guys and save the good ones." Ethan answered simply. "That was always the point, unless-" he trailed off and Katie turned back to him. "You're being a girl."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh Oliver broke up with me for the mask so I'm cutting off everything hero related from my life." Ethan said, in a bit of a high pitched voice Katie figured was supposed to sound like her. "I can't believe you'd let a guy stop the fight in you?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about. I just decided that clinging onto this fight, to Oliver, it's all the things I want to let go. It's how I finally let go of the past that haunts me. If I don't entertain the darkness, then it no longer has power over me." Katie replied and Ethan looked at her for a moment like she was insane.

"You're seeing a head doctor, aren't you?" Ethan said with an accusing finger. "That's the only explanation for that mumbo jumbo, psychoanalytic bullshit you just spewed."

"It's not bullshit. Bad things happened to me, and if I truly want to forget about those bad things, then I have to move on from the constant reminders, and that place, that hood, the weapons, they're all reminders."

"You're still trying to forget?" Ethan asked with a shake of his head. "You still think you can forget." the man moved the chair so he was closer to her. "You know after Metropolis, the hospital would only sanction my return if I sought help. They seemed to think that being kidnapped and held for ransom might affect me mentally."

"I didn't know that."

"Well you also didn't ask." Ethan continued. "So I would go to this head doctor who tried to get me to talk about my feeling, and what I remembered, and I told him the last thing I wanted to do was remember, then he asked me a very good question."

"What was that?"

"He asked me if I learned something. That through the entire fucked up ordeal, did something good come out of it. A lesson and I told him yeah." Ethan took Katie's hand and looked at her with a seriousness that she had never seen in the man. "I don't know what you've been through, but I know you made it out, and you came out the other side with a gift. You kick ass Kit, and you do it very well. So don't let something stupid keep you from being the kind of person this city needs."

"This city doesn't need me." Katie replied with a shake of her head just as a knock at the door interrupted them. Ethan stood to his feet and turned to the door. "Come in." the man the words came out of her mouth, David came rushing inside.

"Thank god!" the man said rushing over and engulfing the woman in a hug. "I thought-" he let out a breath she knew he'd been holding. "I don't know what I thought."when he pulled from the hug, he looked to the woman. "How did you end up here? General was closer and-"

"She wasn't critical." Ethan said and David looked over to him. "Dr. Ethan Mills-" he held out a hand, and David shook it. "Me and this woman are old friends, so when the EMT's showed up they recognized her and thought she'd be more comfortable here." Katie looked to David slightly impressed with how good the lie was, but then remembered he was a bit of a pathological liar.

"Is she alright?"

"I'm fine." Katie says with a shake of her head. "I just hit my head." she pointed to the small bandage on her head. "I was actually just freed to go home." David smiled glancing over to Ethan who sent a glare to Katie before turning a smile to the man.

"Yeah, she's alright to go home, let me just go get the release papers." Ethan replied before walking toward the door, but stopped before actually leaving. He turned to find the couple in another embrace. "Hey Kit-" they pulled apart and Katie looked over to him. "It does, trust me." and with that the man turns and leaves the room.

"What was that about?" David asked and Katie turned back to him with a smile.

"Nothing." she replied.

Ethan's words stayed with Katie, even during the ride home. She kept her eyes out the window wondering if she really was just giving because of Oliver. Katie was pulled from her thoughts, by David's ringing phone.

"Yeah." he answered and Katie turned to him. "What, now? I was just-" someone didn't give him time to speak, and Katie figured it was his boss. "Yes sir, I'm on my way." David ended the call and turned back to Katie. "I have to finish up some paperwork, do you mind if we swing by the precinct."

"Of course not, I'm too wired to sleep." Katie replied with a nod.

Inside the police station, everything was as expected after someone almost blew up half the prominent members of the city. It was buzzing with ringing phones, and everyone moving.

"You can sit here." David said, helping Katie to the chair beside his desk. "I just have to go finish the files and I will right back, I promise." he placed a quick kiss to the woman's lips before rushing off. Katie was left to observe the busy station, her eyes going to the office on the other side that held their new Captain. She forgot to congratulate the man and decided now would be as good as time as any. As she walked over she noticed he didn't even see her coming as he spoke on the phone. His door was only cracked open a bit, but the closer she got, the more she could hear.

"Another one of Steelgrave's men I'm guessing." Lance spoke and Katie quirked a brow at the name. "I'm on it." he ended the call and stood to his feet. Katie quickly knocked on the door. "Come in!" she pushed open the door. "Well look what the cat dragged in." katie laughed as she walked into the office. Lance looked her over, noticing the bandage on her head. "Of course there's another crime scene and you're in the middle of it. You alright?"

"I'm fine, just hit my head, which I've done so many times, it doesn't even hurt anymore." she turned back to the man with a smile. "Sorry I missed your speech today."

"It wasn't that good of a speech. With the new job, I'm sure you were tied up."

"Yeah, who knew being a physician for a shelter would have so much paperwork." she said with a shake of her head as she watched the man check his watch. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah, I'm working on a case, I just need to get some info." the man said.

"You know I thought this big fancy job, and that big fancy desk were the dream around here." Katie replied walking over to the man. "Especially after your heart attack."

"You're starting to sound like Laurel. My heart is fine. I'm still a cop and I still have a job to bring justice to this city." Lance replied grabbing his jacket and walking around the desk to the woman. "And I'll tell you the same thing I tell Laurel. Don't worry about my heart, it's where it needs to be, doing what it needs to do."

"Until it stops being where it needs to be and stops doing what it needs to do." Katie replied just as defiantly. "Whatever you're working on, don't let it over take you. Stress is the enemy Captain."

"Yeah, yeah." the man said placing a kiss to the woman's head before leaving her. She walked back into the bustling office, watching Lance disappear out the doors and she couldn't help but want to know where he was going. She glanced over to see David with a pile of folders on his desk and sighed before walking over.

"Why do I get the feeling this is going to take a while?" Katie asked and David looked up to her.

"I'm sorry, a couple of guys were brought in today who we think may have a connection to the explosion. I have to look over their files to see if I can find something in their statements." David sighed. "I can get one of the guys to drive you home." Katie shook her head. "No, I can drive and not pass out." she held out her hand for her keys, and David simply dropped them in her hand.

"Alright."David said standing to his feet and bringing his hands to the woman's waist. "Call me when you get home."

"I will." Katie replied, before bringing her lips to his. Kissing David was always different. It's the only words she could come up with. It wasn't bad, they were actually quite nice, just different. There were a couple of whistles that caused the couple to pull apart.

"Sorry, I forgot I work with children!" he called and couple of officers just chuckled. "I'll talk to you later." there was a final kiss, before Katie turned and headed outside. She walked out, once again overhearing Lance on the phone, this time with someone else.

"You mean that old warehouse on sixth?" he asked with a nod. "Alright thanks." he jumped in his car and drove off. Katie quickly rushed to her own car, and followed behind the man, making sure to keep a good distance behind the man. They appeared outside of an old building, on sixth street just as the Captain had said. Katie parked farther behind him, turning her lights off, so he didn't even notice her. She watched as he stepped out of his car, his gun held firmly in his hands as he entered the building alone.

"What are you doing Lance?" Katie muttered before stepping out of her car and walking back to open her trunk. She scanned the contents before seeing the one thing she was looking for. She took off her jacket, tossing it inside, before grabbing the black hoodie inside the trunk and slipping it on. She also grabbed the black ski mask she'd had tossed in there, in the off chance she needed a quick mask. She truly never believed she would ever put on a mask again, especially after months of realizing how many she truly wears, but at the moment it didn't matter. Katie slipped on the mask, and grabbed the gun she had secretly stashed, before tucking it behind her and rushing inside the building.

Once inside, she chose to stay hidden, only wanting to make her presence known unless totally necessary. It wasn't until she was actually inside that the moment to make her presence known was going to be sooner than later. Just across the room was Oliver...no The Arrow engaged in a fight he seemed to be losing. The moment she saw him, the sluggish way he moved, she knew something was wrong. She turned her head to see Lance, seeing the fight and aiming his gun trying to get a good shot without hurting the good guy. He wasn't moving quickly, and she knew if the guy hitting Oliver, kept going then there would probably be nothing left. Katie quickly rushed over to Lance, who turned to her in confusion.

"Who are you?" he whispered and Katie looked over to him.

"Get down." she order trying to rasp her voice much like Bruce would. Lance simply watched as she pulled out a gun and aimed the gun at the fight, her hand not even twitching before pulling the trigger. The bullet struck the wall right beside the fighting pair, when the man hitting the Arrow turned to her. "Let him go or I will kill you." she rasps, when suddenly the man throws something. She quickly pushes Lance to the floor, before dodging whatever it was. The moment she glance up, she sees that it was a syringe, now protruding from the wall. She hears a pained moan, and turns to see Lance lying on the ground a hand on his chest. "Shit." she kneels beside him, when she hears foot steps behind her. She reaches for her gun, only to realize it must have been knock from her hand when she dropped to the floor. When she turns she sees the strange man walking toward her and she stands to her feet, but before he can even get a foot in front of her, an arrow is shot through his back. That's when she looked over to see Oliver limping toward them. She shakes her head before turning and kneeling beside Lance whose breathing is quickening.

"I need you to calm down." Katie rasps as she hovered above the man. She heard the Arrow tell Felicity to call an ambulance. "Help is on the way." The Arrow dropped on the floor beside her and she looked over to him, before glancing over to see their perp was now gone. She turned back to him, tilting her head when she noticed his pupils. "What did he give you?"

"Vertigo." Oliver replied and Katie sighed turning back to Lance.

"That's it, just take deep breaths." Katie ordered and soon she watched as the man's breaths began evening out. When they heard the sound of sirens nearing Katie gave the captain's arm a gentle squeeze. "Next time stay behind your desk." she then turned to Oliver before grabbing his arm and helping him to his feet, and out the door. "How much did he give you?"

"I don't-" Oliver slurred slightly, which was answer enough for Katie. She was able to get him to her car, helping him into the back seat before climbing in as well. She searched around for just a moment before seeing her medical bag and riffling through it.

"I will be glad when the day this drug just disappears from the streets." she said before pulling out a vial of clear liquid. She grabbed a syringe, tearing it open with her teeth, before sticking it in the vial and filling it with the liquid. "Until it does, it's good to have a cure at your disposal. She suddenly straddles Oliver's lap, pushing back his hood before sticking the needle in his neck. Once she gave him the full dose, she dropped the syringe back in her bag before cupping his face in her hands. "Alright open your eyes and look at me." Oliver complied, his breath hitching the moment he did, but that wasn't because of any drug. "Just breathe, alright. You should start feeling like your self soon." she watched as Oliver took a couple of deep breaths. She brought one hand to his neck to feel his pulse, glad that his heart rate had slowed down. She brought her eyes back to his and nodded. "Feel better?"

"Yeah." he breathed. They just sat there for a few moments, neither making a move to change their position, because, well in all honesty neither noticed the position they were in. Not at first. After a while of sitting in silence, it was Katie who noticed. Her still straddling his lap, her hands cupping his face, and his hands some how ending up on her waist. She was the first to make a move, attempting to slide off of his lap, only for his grasp to tighten.

"Oliver-" she turned back to him. "You have to let me go." It seemed like an impossible request to Oliver, an yet he realized he had already let her go. He released his hold letting Katie slide from his grasp, and slide to the seat beside him. They both looked out the window to the building in the distance, watching the EMTs and police enter the building. "So was that Werner?"

"Yeah, but he's going by Vertigo." Oliver replied and Katie let out a snort.

"Of course he is." she replied with a shake of her head. "Because when we get rid of the bad guys, new one pop up unable to be creative enough to come up with their own name." she glanced over to Oliver, looking to his chest, making sure his breathing was returning back to normal. "You know his plan."

"Not yet." Oliver replied turning to her, and they once again fell into a silence that neither seemed bothered by. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me for saving your life." Katie muttered turning away from the man. "It's late."

"Yeah." Oliver said before they both turned and got out of the car. Katie turned and watched as Oliver was about to leave, but he stopped and turned back to her. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't. I followed the man with the heart condition." Katie replied nudging a head toward the building. Oliver simply nodded, but didn't move to leave. He did however bring a hand to rub the back of his neck and Katie didn't want to smile, but she couldn't help it. "Some things just don't change." he looked back up to her. "You want to say something." he looked at her for a moment, before just shaking his head.

"It's nothing." he replied before turning and rushing off. Katie stood there in confusion, but shook it off. It was no longer her responsibility to understand Oliver. He let her go, and she did the same. So she got into her car, and drove off.

Katie ended up in the waiting area of the Starling General. She knew there was no way she could get any kind of sleep tonight not knowing if Lance was truly alright. She sat with her eyes closed, when she heard the nearing high heeled feet. She opened her eyes to see Laurel, and quickly stood to her feet.

"How is he?" Katie asked as the woman approached.

"He's doing alright. He had a coronary artery spasm, but they gave him some medication and he's doing better. They're going to keep him a while just to make sure though." Laurel replied and Katie noticed to relief that was all over the woman's face.

"Laurel he's alright." she stated and the woman simply nodded.

"I know, I just-" she shook her head. "I got that call and I was right back on that dock holding him in my arms as he held his chest." she met Katie's eyes. "I thought my dad would outlive us all, and now I'm afraid every phone call-"

"Don't do that." Katie says placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "It's scary yes, but your dad's condition was caught early and is very manageable."

"If only he would listen to his doctors and not travel to abandoned buildings in the middle of the night, I would sleep a little better." Laurel said.

"Well maybe this little stunt will scare him a little and let him realize that he really has to start taking it easy." Katie said and Laurel nodded.

"Thanks for coming here. It means a lot to him." Katie nodded with a smile. "And me. It means a lot to me too."

"Well us exes of Oliver Queen have to stick together." Katie said, and both woman couldn't help but laugh. Laurel saw the momentary flash of pain that came to Katie at her joke that was gone before it could even be noticeable.

"How are you and David?" Laurel asked and a smile pulled at Katie's lips.

"We're great. Happy even, which is great." Katie replied, and there was something behind her eyes that didn't completely convince Laurel who chose to just leave it alone. "You think the old man would be up for visitors?"

"I don't think he would turn you away. Come on." Laurel said before turning down the hall, Katie right behind her.

When they walked into Lance room, they both shook their heads at the man's fussing. "No, I don't need any extra pillows, because I'm not staying the night here."

"Uh, yeah you are." Laurel said and the man turned to his daughter, and the familiar face along with her. Laurel glanced over to the nurse. "Please excuse my father, and yes he will take an extra pillow, thanks." the nurse simply nodded before rushing out of the room.

"You're really taking grumpy old man to a while new level." Katie says walking over to take the seat beside the captain's bed. "Don't be mean to the staff, I take personal offense."

"I'll apologize when she comes back." Lance replied and Katie smiled. "What are you doing here? I hope she didn't call you, because I'm fine."

"Yeah, it's fine for your heart to just spasm." Laurel said standing in front of the man's bed. "You know I thought once you became Captain, you could leave the more dangerous stuff to your officers."

"Hey, I'm still a cop, I still have a duty to this city."

"No one's saying other wise." Katie replied and the man turned to her. "We're saying that you can have that duty behind your desk." She slid a bit closer to the man, placing a hand above his heart. "Do you know why the heart is so important?"

"Yeah, I've read all the medical brochures, and listened to all the lectures from these doctors." Lance replied with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, and all that stuff is true, but the most important thing about your heart is that it doesn't just beat for you." Katie said and the man turned to her before looking over to his daughter. "Always remember that." The doctor stood to her feet looking between both Lance's. "Now I'm going to go home and try to get some sleep after this catastrophe of a day."

"Thanks again for being here." Laurel said as Katie walked by.

"No problem." Katie said stopping at the door, before turning back to Quentin. "Get some rest. Be nice to the staff and next time stay behind your desk." she gave a wave before leaving the two. Laurel turned to her father, noticing the strange look on his face.

"Hey dad, everything alright?" she asked and the man turned to her with a smile.

"Yeah." he nodded, turning back to the door and replaying the woman's lasts words and realizing they weren't the first time he heard them tonight.

It was late when Oliver arrived back to the lair. He evaded all questions about the injection and the effects before sending Roy out to put his ear to the street to see if he could find out what Werner was planning.

I'll back him up." John says stand to his feet, but Oliver to a step to stop him.

"Roy's got it. Go home to Lyla." Oliver replied and John stared for a moment in confusion.

"Oliver... If this is about what happened, man, risk is part of the job."

"Diggle. It's just Intel gathering. Roy can handle it." Oliver said, and John looked as if he wanted to argue, but decided against it. He simply nodded with a sigh, before finally leaving. The moment he was gone, Felicity turned to Oliver who shook his head the moment he met her eyes. "The meeting-"

"Oh no you don't Oliver Queen." Felicity said standing to her feet as Oliver tried walking away. "She showed up."

"Yeah, as back up for Lance." Oliver replied turning back to the woman.

"Are you really going to downplay the fact that she saved your ass tonight?"

"Felicity, I'm not downplaying anything." Oliver says with a shake of her head. "I'm glad she was there tonight. She helped Lance and me, and for that I'm grateful to her."

"Then why haven't you asked her to come back?"

"Because I don't want her back here!" Oliver snapped with a shake of his head. There were a few moments of silence, as some of the emotions Oliver thought he'd held on tight to came spilling out of him. "All of this...me ending it-" he looked back over to Felicity. "I wanted her away from this, away from me. That was the entire point and I'm not going to change that. She is fine, she's safe and she's found someone and-"

"You're a fucking idiot!" Felicity snapped and immediately clamped her hands over her mouth as Oliver turned to her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, I totally did not mean to say that out loud."

"Excuse me-"

"Oliver, I need you to stop talking for just two seconds and listen to the words I'm about to say." Felicity said walking over to the man. "You're in love with Katherine Robins. That is pretty much common knowledge at this point. You say you ended it because it was what was best for her, to be away from this, and from you and on that I call bullshit."

"Felicity-"

"I'm not finished." Felicity replied. "You're scared of something. Something that stops you from getting too close to happiness, and I don't know what it is, only you can figure that out. But right now, you don't want to be with Katie, fine, that's your business, but this team, this is our team. You do not get to make the unanimous decision that she doesn't come back. That is a team decision, and I know that you will never get any type of agreement from me, John or Roy."

"So you want me to ask her to come back?"

"No, I want you to give her the option." Felicity replied before glancing over to the display case the held the Guardian's suit. "I stand by what I said before. You need her Oliver. We need her." she turned back to the man. "Let it be her choice, not yours." and with that the woman turned grabbing her purse and jacket before turning back to the man. "Should I reschedule the meeting."

"No, it's too late now." the man replied. "I should be fine to go ahead with it." Felicity simply nodded.

"Well I guess that means no sleep." Felicity sighed. "I'm going to go home to change, and I will meet you at QC. We'll go over your speech." Oliver simply nodded before watching the woman turn and leave.

Once alone, Oliver turned to the case that held her suit and walked over and just stared at it. He'd been in this spot many times when he was alone, and now he had Felicity's words replaying in his head.

Katie was sure that she had just closed her eyes when the sudden knocking at her door startled her awake. She sat up from her couch, realizing she didn't even make it to her bedroom. There was another knock, and she groaned as she stood to her feet and hobbled toward the door. More knocking only annoyed her, which is why she opened the door with swift jerk.

"Hey, someone not opening up after-" she stopped talking when she realized who was standing outside her door. "Oliver?" The man stood dressed in a suit that fit him perfectly. She had to stop herself from a lingering over his form, so she forced her eyes to his.

"It's early, sorry. " Oliver replied. "I just-" he looked to Katie's questioning gaze now finding words very hard. "We need to talk."

"Oliver, I don't-"

"I ended things." Oliver said suddenly and Katie stopped talking. "With us. It was a decision I believe is for the best." that sentence left a very bitter taste in his mouth, and the look in her eyes felt like a punch to the gut. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here?"

"The team. I know there wasn't a lot of discussion about how this would work, but I want you to know that us ending, isn't your place on this team ending." Oliver said and Katie turned away. "I thought that maybe you finally being out of this was a good thing, and to be honest I really do think it is." Katie turned back to him. "I would love for you to have that nice normal life that doesn't include arrows and masks, but I also know that for some of us, that's just not possible. So I'm here to let you know that-" he smiled slightly. "Team Robins always has a place for you." Katie looked at him for a moment, and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

They both turned at the sound of the elevator, and turned to see the familiar face of David Parker. Katie smiled when she saw him, not seeing the annoyed look that passed over Oliver's face. She watched as David's eyes looked between her and Oliver, before figuring she should probably explain.

"Oh, Oliver was just-" she turned to Oliver hoping a lie would magically apparate and luckily for her it did. "Stopping by to make sure I was alright after yesterday."

"That's very kind of him." David said walking over with two cups of coffee in his hand, before handing one to Katie and then turning to Oliver. "Thanks for your concern Ollie, but don't worry about her. I'm here." Oliver forced himself to smile, but Katie could see that vein in his forehead make an appearance.

"I guess that's good detective." Oliver replied before turning back to Katie. "I should get going, I have a meeting."

"About the company." Katie said and Oliver nodded. "Felicity mentioned it. It's big, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well good luck." Katie said and the man turned and headed for the elevator. "Hey Oliver-" he stopped and turned back to her. "If it's meant to happen, it will. After everything I've learned about life, that seems to be at the top of the list." he silently nodded as the elevator doors open. He gave a nod to David, before looking to Katie one final time before stepping onto the elevator.

Once inside the elevator, Oliver let out a deep sigh. He glanced up to the numbers, waiting for the doors to open.

"If it's meant to happen. It will." he whispered to himself and then he smiled.

There were hope in those words and he would hold on to that hope for as long as possible.

Author's note:

Damn Daniel! Back at it again with a new story! Sorry for the wait, but I get so particular about these chapters before I post them.

So...Forever, Fearless, Family ( Took me forever to think up this title lol)

It's a couple of months after Slade's take down and a lot has happened.

*Detective David Parker, AKA Stoner Dave. yes Katie's new rebound...I mean boyfriend, totally meant to say boyfriend. Detective Parker is going to be a very big part of the first half of this story. There is more to this detective then what meets the eye, but you'll see that in later chapters.

* Stalker Oliver: Yes, this guy who told himself he couldn't have the girl for the good of his city chooses to watch her from afar. I thought all hope was lost for our dear Twiver until that last line. There's always hope.

* Detective, excuse me Captain Lance was just caught a very big clue and he knows it. The only question is, what's he going to do about it.

Review Replies (Chapter 25, Long, Liver, Love):

dhnysports88: Yes, but I think it was bound to happen. Twinkie and Liver have too many issues to truly have a healthy relationship. Don't worry, because our favorite Techie, Ms. Smoak has Operation Reunite Twiver handle...hopefully.

Elliebelle4444: I didn't like writing it as much as you didn't like reading it, but I promise that there is hope. Always remember that this is Twiver. They usually figure this stuff out at some point.

hayden: So what did you think? It's going to get even more crazier when the league comes to town, trust me.

Adela: I know I dropped a lot of bombs in that last chapter, and we didn't dive right back into them, not yet anyways, but it's coming you'll see. Oh and I love your theory about the relation between Katie and the demon...I won't spoil it for you though.

Forever Courage: I'm so glad you liked it. I know I'm not the most eloquent of writers, but I think a good plot can make up for that, and I really try my best to be unpredictable, and trust when I say this story will be filled with unpredictable.

Guest: Good guess, but not quite. Jacob is still moving in the shadows, making sure she doesn't leave Starling, but I will give you this tidbit, we will see Katie meet the Flash, before Katie even met Barry. How is that possible you ask? Wait and see.

I still can't believe we're at the third story in this series. I want to thank all of you for continuing to journey along for this ride into a different version of Arrow. I hope you're enjoying this as much as I love writing it, and I hope you continue to let me know your thoughts and ideas in the reviews section. Thanks to the newcomers for jumping in and adding this story to your fav and follow lists. This is the third story of a series, and reading the first two could be helpful in understanding certain character relationships, and who certain OCs are.

As always, I leave you with a peek at the next chapter

"Need some help?" asked the Canary.

"No, but I wouldn't turn it down." Katie replied before kicking the man closest to her in the chest. He wasn't the best fighter, so it wasn't the biggest challenge. But Katie fought smart, met each attack with a counter attack. Ducking from every punch, and missing every kick. This fight was a piece of cake until she saw him. There standing on the other side of the roof was Lian, dressed in League clothing. Which made absolutely no sense.