There is a ton of Russian in this chapter. So to make it easier for you guys (not having to scroll to the bottom for every sentence) all Russian Sentences will be totally italicized.

Time for the real plot to begin. Also, for a note, anyone familiar with the TV Show Chuck, i modeled Oliver's background after a one Colonel John Casey.

XXXX

Everything had been going fine up until he was forced to shake hands with Sebastian Blood.

Blood. Follow the Blood.

Oliver thought that contact was telling him about blood in general not that Blood was a name. The name in fact. He had finally met the man who had turned his life upside down.

Straightening up, shaping his shoulders to look more imposing, he barked out the traditional brotherhood greeting.

"Winter is in our veins."

Blood crafted an insidious smile. "Hail, brother."

"You are no brother of mine." Oliver snarled, tugging Felicity behind him on instinct. Blood copied his move with Laurel, the action making Oliver's skin itch; he needed Laurel away from Blood. "You've stolen something from me and I want it back."

"Ah, Anatoly's pet bites."

"I know what you're doing. This is my city and my brotherhood. I dictate how the bratva runs here and humans aren't it."

"What about drugs?" That stopped Oliver short. He had thought the entire operation was human trafficking. And it was. But for the creation of a drug. Oliver could slapped himself, but knowing that ARGUS hadn't put it together either gave him a small comfort. Ivo was a medical doctor, which is why he was paying high amounts of money for Blood to supply him with people and guns to capture more people. As long as it brought in money, Anatoly didn't care what his Captains were doing. "From what I heard back in Moscow, those were high on your list." Blood continued.

"Stealing people for test subjects? For what drug?

"A special one. Interested?"

"When I'm dead."

That angered him. His lip curled up in a snarl.

"You better watch your back, Queen."

"Is that a threat?"

"A promise." He felt Blood's eyes leave and drift behind him, no doubt to Felicity. Ignoring his own fiancée, Blood surveyed her lasciviously. He was playing an angle, Oliver just didn't know why, His perusal fell on their knotted hands, an action Oliver immediately regretted. He could see Blood take note of it. A target had just been painted on her back and Oliver felt every brushstroke as if they were blows.

"Leave her alone." He snapped, stepping towards Blood threateningly, using the same motion to cover Felicity better.

Blood dropped it, but only with a meaningful tick of the eyebrows. Oliver had just shown a weakness and Blood would take full advantage of it.

Determined to get Felicity as far as possible from the deplorable man, he ushered her towards the doorway. She was too important to him to put her at risk. He was going to take her to Verdant and—

What was he thinking? She wouldn't be safe at Verdant! He would send her home. She would be nowhere near the danger he would bring to her.

But she already had a target on her back.

In truth, Oliver didn't know what to do. The bottom line was that he needed Felicity safe. Which of the two options left to him was the least dangerous? Her house, away from him or Verdant, with him?

The predicament was warring in him, the overbearing need to protect and keep his secret conflicting.

She shivered as soon as they stepped outside. Immediately, he shrugged out of his stiff jacket, that if he was honest, was strangling him. She would have much better use of it.

He made a decision, knowing that choosing any option was better than not acting at all. He was going to send her home, now.

"Come on." He didn't know where the parking lot was located, but the valets in front would know. Oliver would put her in a car, either hers or a taxi, and stay away from her like he'd been doing for the past several weeks.

"Oliver!" She protested his rough handling. She was probably upset that they were leaving the gala so soon. Well, it was better hurt feelings than dead bodies.

"Oliver!" Felicity punctuated her exclamation with ripping her wrist out of his grip. He whirled around, ready to give any excuse that came to his tongue if he could just get her out.

"What the hell is going on with you! And don't say—"

"Nothing." His traitorous brain made the situation worse but they didn't have time for this, not knowing what the other Captain could do with one or two well placed phone calls. His men wouldn't know that they had betrayed him until the hit came. And he could not let that happen. Five minutes minimum until they were here.

"-Nothing. Bull. Shit. Something is going on and I demand to know what it is. I haven't seen you for weeks. Weeks. I thought what we shared was mutual but apparently it isn't. I thought you would seek me out, since I have no way of contacting you. I work at your family's company for heaven's sake, you think you would drop by sometime. Or was that whole talk about becoming CEO just that, talk?"

Guilt hit him at Felicity's words. He had promised her a lot of things,and he hadn't come through.. He wanted to say he was sorry, that he would do better. But he couldn't. Not now.

"I've been busy."

""No, you don't get to say that to me. I've been busy too. But I would have made time for you had you just shown up."

She was right. She was always right. Felicity saw through his walls better than anyone. But putting her at a distance had been the best action he could undertake. He cared too much about her to go anywhere near her.

Felicity ran her hands through her hair, destroying the well crafted updo. After a few seconds of mumbled counting, she looked back up at him. She approached him, hand placed tenderly on his check. That one act halted him, made him turn around and take the other road. Oliver changed his mind.

He was tired of resisting the siren's call.

"Tell me what's going on, Oliver. Please"

Unable to deny her anything, he submitted to her spell. "I can't tell you—yet. But I need you to be safe. How did you get here?"

"A-a taxi. Diggle wanted to spend the night with Lyla; she's home for a couple of days."

Oliver swore internally. If Diggle had already been in the city it would have been easier. As it were, he would make do with the situation.

"I'm driving." They had reached the front, the valet watching them. He motioned that he wanted his car and the valet obliged, calling his driver who appeared in the doorway almost immediately.

One minute later, the silver car pulled in front of them. Oliver was checking the rooftops, looking for snipers. He hand was placed protectively on Felicity's back, prepared to shove her to the ground should anything happen.

He all but pushed her in. "Call Diggle. Tell him to meet us at Verdant. Now."

"But why?" She turned her clear, innocent eyes to him. "Why are we going there? I don't think more alcohol will diffuse the situation." So she had caught on to the turbulent emotions winding him tight.

God, how he loved her.

What? No. He couldn't love her. He cared for her deeply. It was impossible to fall in love with someone after only spending a few short hours with them,wasn't it? There had to be a different explanation for the fact that she was almost always on his mind.

Pushing that aside for the moment, locking it in a box to be opened never, he turned back to the lovely face that was haunting his dreams.

"I have something to show the both of you."

XXXX

Oliver had his driver pull around to the back entrance, since Verdant was open for business, the crowd warming up . The pounding bass and ripe stench of vomit made it very clear. It was only ten o'clock, but there were dolled up girls expelling something green on the sidewalk as they passed.

He saw Dig's vehicle in the parking lot, his commander, perched at the wheel, climbing out when he spotted the classy car. Oliver exited first, reaching back to help Felicity out, and informing the driver that he could be relieved of duty.

"Oliver, what is going on?" Diggle approached them, his steps indicating his frustration by the way they trudged. "Why are we here?"

"I need to show you-both of you-something and no," he cut Diggle off, "it can't wait until morning. Felicity's in danger and I need your help."

"Oliver what do you mean I'm in danger?" Felicity cried just as Dig scolded "Queen, I told you you couldn't mix her up in anything." He held up his hands and they both drew silent.

"I promise you, I will explain, but you have to trust me. Do you?"

Felicity squeezed his hand and Dig nodded solemnly. Giving a wordless thanks to both of them, he opened the alley door. Ushering them both into the back room, Diggle paused at his side.

"Lyla said to tell you that the "sky is clear tonight." That to me feels like code. Are you going to explain how you know my wife."

Oliver looked him square in the eye, letting the heavy metal swing shut. "Yes."

Dig took the answer at face value and said nothing.

Just past a bottle of Cristal, Oliver stopped at a door that blended into the wall, the design of gears and wheels carved in and out of it without interruption. He flipped open a cleverly disguised panel, tapping in the code. With a hiss, a secret entrance was revealed.

"Quickly," he commanded, his hand on Felicity's back, guiding her forward, Diggle right on his heels.

They were presented with a staircase leading into the dark, emergency lights flickering, activated upon the entered password, guiding down the stairs, wisps of steam curling above.

Better to head the trouble off at the pass. Without lead, he started his story. It was the only way.

"I had this built about a year ago as a base. Thea was told it was an infestation, but that was a lie. mostly because someone would suspect it if we didn't get them all out. Roy is the only other person who knows about it. Excluding us."

Felicity looked back at him, almost tripping in her heels. His hands reached out and grabbed her, steadying her. "Yet that doesn't explain why we're here, Oliver. Or why I'm in danger."

Planning to come back to her question, he indicated that she keep descending.

They reached the bottom, Oliver slipping past Felicity's shoulder to find the fuse box. He wrenched the lever up, lighting up his base.

"Officially, Oliver Queen has no idea who Lyla Diggle is. To answer your question Diggle, I know Agent Michaels because she was-is-my handler."

Oliver watched them both carefully. Felicity still looked at him quizzically but Diggle inhaled in recognition.

"You're Agent Q." He accused. "That explains her message and why it was coded. What did it mean."

"That I had her approval in this. She's another person who knows about this hideout, however she hasn't been here."

Felicity started wandering, hand trailing over equipment. Oliver observed her. She paused over the computer systems, cringing slightly before moving over to a case.

"What's with the bow and arrow? Don't you think that's a little archaic? If we were in 12th Century England, sure, you could be Robin Hood... I thought you were in the military?!" She turned on him, anger glinting in her eyes, mouth twisted in a frown." Or did you lie about that? Is there anything that you've told me that hasn't been a lie? I don't know what's true and what's real anymore. And am I really in danger, or was that another fabrication? Because what was the point of bringing me here if everything's a lie.." She trailed off, slightly confused before visibly shaking it off. He cut her off before she could begin again.

"I was in the military, that's not a lie. Diggle can vouch." The black man inclined his head.

"He really was Felicity."

"Okay, but what's with the," her hands made a flurry motion, "secret agent CIA stuff?"

Oliver leaned against the tool bench, staring at his companions, debating. Should he really tell them? All of it? Bring them into this.

He didn't have a choice. Contact said he needed help and he'd already revealed a big part. Might as well tell the rest.

"I was on my second tour, having been promoted to Captain in the Special Forces. My unit had gotten wind of a mercenary pack that was primed to attack a neighboring village. We were in Afghanistan, near the border with Mongolia, a hundred miles from the nearest station. So, I made a decision. We were going do what was necessary to protect those villagers, those kind people that offered us food instead of hate like most."Oliver looked down at the floor, too ashamed to look at them. "We were going to kill them.

"The night before, they attacked us instead." Oliver flinched from the memories beating down, the crack of gunfire, screams, Shado kneeling behind him. "Surprised us while we were still sleeping. They killed the lookout first, silenced him before he could warn the rest of us. All of my unit was either killed or captured. I alone survived. I was half dead when ARGUS found me. They roused me and got what they could. They then offered me revenge. I took it. Anything to try and relieve this guilt, the fact that I survived and they didn't. I became one of their agents."

He stuttered to a stop, waiting for their judgements. He peered up at Felicity who had taken a seat in his chair,her arms crossed across the back. She was still in her green dress, golden hair in a curly mess.. She looked ravishing, something he had first noticed that night. Felicity was beautiful, especially with a smile. Right now, though, those same lips pinched together in sympathy.

"If you're one of their agents… what are you doing here? What happened with those mercenaries? Are you still on that assignment or do you have a different one?"

"I'm here because of that." Oliver pointed to a board on the far side of the room. Hidden in mostly darkness, Oliver switched on a lamp pointed directly on it, highlighting it.

It was like one of those movie crime boards. Post it notes clustered around a hierarchy board made up of cards. The ace was on top, with a red question mark. Under that was two Kings, one with kapitan and the other with Ivo. The biggest question, written out in sharpie on top was one word: WHY?

Getting up, Oliver strode over to the board, intent on on changing one of the questions, the hypothetical WHAT, with 'human trafficking' written under it. He wiped it off, replacing it with 'Drug'.

He felt them come up behind him.

"Oliver? What is this?" Felicity placed her hand on his arm. He turned to look at her. She was close-too close. He faced the board again but was hyper aware of her breath tickling his cheek.

"My mission. 'To infiltrate the Russian Bratva and retrieve information about the mercenaries.'" He quoted from memory, imitating Waller's bruising cadence. "I did my job too well. I am a kapitan in the Bratva." He reached forward and crossed out kapitan as an emphasis to his words. "And apparently, so is Mayor Blood."

This had Felicity gasping in understanding. "Which explains what happened tonight. But what is all this? Drugs what? Who is this Ivo? Oh, I'm sorry for all these questions. Mysteries bug me."

"My biggest question is why tell us this Oliver." Dig cut in, coming to stand in front of him. "There has to be reason, seeing as this is a culmination of two years of work. Must be extensive and highly classified. "

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"There's still more I need to tell you. Those mercenaries were hired by Anthony Ivo. ARGUS found a money trail from Ivo to the Russian Mob. Someone was taking Ivo's money in exchange for prostitutes and guns. And until now, I didn't know why. They're creating a drug. I don't know what the purpose is, but it can't be good."

"How do you know all this?"

"I have a...partner. Someone else on the inside. I know him as Contact. He joined the Bratva 6 months before I did, so I've never met him. He's been supplying ARGUS with information, and I believe, NSA before that. He's the one that found the connection to Ivo. That's what i need your help for. Contact has information, but is at risk of being discovered as a spy. We need to get him out."

He glanced at both of them, but neither was looking at him, staring at each other. Dig had more of a cautionary expression, slowly shaking his head at whatever Felicity was silently telling him, his arms crossed. Felicity had her head cocked, eyes pleading. She exaggerated pouting, almost a petulant child.

The tennis match continued, until it was clear Felicity had won, a brilliant smile lighting up her features as she turned to Oliver, her hand finding it's home in his.

"Okay Oliver, we're in. Where do we start?"

"First we need a plan. Contact-" he was interrupted by Felicity's phone ringing. Her purse was over on the table and he couldn't help watch her hips swing as she walked.

"Hello? Wait, what? Laurel? How did you get this number? My mom? Wait, wait, wait, slow down." Felicity's voice grew panicked, worried. Oliver crossed over to her, Diggle's footsteps behind him. He could hear Laurel's tinny voice shrilling in the background. His instincts, formed over five years of combat and subterfuge, flared up.

He couldn't have prepared for this. though.

"Oh my god!" Felicity exclaimed, turning to him. "You found Sara? When?"

Felicity listened a few more minutes, making encouraging as well as shocked noises before ending the call, gathering up her purse. "I have to go!" Oliver heard the panic in her voice accompanied by the desperate tone of her actions. He hurried to help, grabbing her coat and holding it out. "Apparently, Sara just walked into the gala, reuniting with her family and all. Going on about being kidnapped and oh Oliver..." He gave her all her attention, a bad feeling in his bones.

Felicity gaped at him with a look that could only be described as horror filled. "She mentioned being drugged. By a man named Ivo."