Chapter 7 Muse Of Fire
Chapter Start
It had been a week since Nate had dealt with the Royal Flush Gang, which made today one month since he had brilliantly humiliated Detective Lance, and got him suspended from any detective work for a month. In the last week, he had been taking it easier. Hell, the only guy on the list he had gone after this week was Leo Muller, a German Arms dealer that sold high-end weapons to mobs. His arms, along with the rest of him, were now 6 feet in the ground. Nathan had been trying to spend more time with his mom and sister, if for no other reason than to show them that he is trying to open up to them .
Speaking of the Royal Flush Gang, he had found the 300 million dollars that they had stolen throughout the US and Canada. He had secretly sent all the money in the US Banks back but he had no idea about where they had stolen it from and how to get the $20 Million they had stolen from Canada back without causing a bunch of noise, so he decided to keep it for himself, sort of rainy day/ Vigilante fund.
Currently, he was riding toward Queen Consolidated, riding his Harley Davidson 883 Iron that had blue highlights on the Fuel Tank, rear fender, and front fender. Nate was wearing a Black John Varvatos Moto Jacket over a gray v-neck T-shirt, with a dark blue Levi's 514 Jeans, and Black Frye Harness 8R Boots. He was also wearing Wiley X Boss Sunglasses.
While driving, his Bluetooth Earpiece went off and he answered it, not stopping, "What?"
"Hi. Mom said I'm supposed to remind you to pick her up for lunch." Thea said.
"Yeah I know , I'm heading over there right now," He said as he turned a corner.
"Wait, are you still driving?" Thea asked.
"You know, Thea. This might shock you, but my memory is not that bad. I am trying to open up more. I'll see ya later, love you." He said as he hung up on her ignoring her question.
Queen Consolidated
Moira and Paul Copani, a top earner for Bertinelli Construction(One of several Mafia organizations in Starling), were walking outside the building.
"Mrs. Queen, all I'm asking for is a chance to sit down and discuss our proposal. " Paul said, as he was trying( and failing) to secure the contract for his boss to build the new building for the Queen Consolidated Applied Sciences division.
"Hmm? If that's all it is, then I can save us both the time. It's rejected." Moira wasn't a fool, she knew who Paul Copani worked for. She was NOT getting in bed with the Bertinelli crime family.
"I see. May I ask why?" Paul asked, playing it off as if his boss wasn't mafia.
"Do I really need to answer that, Mr. Copani?" Moira deadpanned before she noticed her son pull up and wave at her.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm meeting my son for lunch." Moira said, dismissing the man.
Nathan smiled at his mother from across the street but then he heard tires squeal. He noticed a motorcycle driver in all black with a helmet covering his face, so he couldn't see who it was. The driver pulled out a Beretta and when she went off road and into the sidewalk, Nate's eyes widened as he realized the guy was performing a drive-by.
"Mom, look out!" He shouted, causing his mother and Paul to turn. Thankfully Copani was in front of his mother and took all the bullets that were fired. Paul fell to the ground dead while Moira fell back and hit her head. Once the hitman raced off, Nathan rushed over to his mother.
"Mom? Are you okay?" Nathan asked frantically as he held her head.
"I'm all right." Moira groaned out.
"Are you hurt?" He asked.
"No, I'm-I'm—" Moira stammered.
"You're hurt, Mom. I'm not taking a chance." Nathan said as he pulled out his phone. "911, what's your emergency?" "There's been a shooting, I need an ambulance to Queen Consolidated, now!"
Later at the Hospital
Moria woke up after her CAT-Scan to see her son and daughter "Hi mom. How do you feel?" Nathan asked.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." Moira assured her children as she gave them a hug.
"Did you reach Walter?" Moira asked.
"No. I'm sorry." Thea said.
"As I was telling your son and daughter Mrs. Queen, the CAT-Scan showed a grade two concussion but that's it." The doc said, "You'll be able to go home so long as someone stays with you just to make sure there are no after effects."
"Thank you, doctor." Nathan said shaking his hand. He turned back to his mom and said, "I'm gonna go get the car ready. We'll have you back in your own bed soon, mom." As he walked down the hall, Detective Lance and Hilton appeared.
"Detectives." He greeted. "Do you have any leads on the shooter?"
"Not yet." Hilton said. "Did you get a good look at him?" he asked. Nathan shook his head.
"No. He was wearing a helmet."
"Don't worry. We'll find him." Hilton promised.
"My head of security is on her way." Nathan continued. "I want to make sure there are men outside my mother's door. She needs to be protected."
"Well, you know your family's at the tippy-toppy of my list of priorities," Lance said sarcastically, "but the guy that she was with was connected, mobbed up to the eyeballs connected. She wasn't the target." Nathan looked at the man, and then walked past the cops down the hall. "And you're welcome." Lance finished needlessly.
The Arrow Lair
Nathan was taking out his frustrations on a training dummy.
"Nate, your mom was nearly killed." Lyla said, coming into the lair. "I think you can take a day off from training."
"My mother wasn't the target." Nathan said, moving away from the dummy and dropping to his chair at the desk. "This man was." He indicated a picture on the screen as he drank some water. "Paul Copani. He was trying to close a deal with her when they were shot at. Copani works for Bertinelli Construction aka Frank Bertinelli."
"The mob boss?" Lyla asked.
"I did some digging." Nathan said. "Copani isn't the first member of Bertinelli's inner circle who's been hit in the last month."
"What else did you find?" Lyla asked.
"Bertinelli has a lot of enemies. The best way to figure out who's trying to take down his organization is to get inside of it." Nathan sat back in his chair as Lyla continued to stare at him.
"So let me get this right, Nathan." She began. "Your mother's shot at, nearly killed, and the way you process this emotionally is by going undercover with the mob? Are you sure you don't want tot just take some time off to there for her?"
"I am not trying to process this emotionally." He started, his frustration finally showing. "I want to be honest with my family, Lyla. I really do but they wouldn't understand nor would they accept me. Thea might say that she's cool with it, but I don't believe it for a second. I can't very well explain to them that I'm not only fast enough to run down the attacker, but strong enough to beat him to death with his own motorcycle."
He turned back to the computer. "But what I can do is protect my family. And, Lyla, when I find out who this guy is, I'm gonna crush his skull like an egg." He walked out of his lair and turned the corner, only to see Shado, still as she was before she died in his arms. She nodded and he continued onward, her form fading into the mist.(1)
Storage Unit Downtown
The rider rode the damaged Harley in, the rolling door closing behind her. She got off the bike and went up to a corkboard filled with pictures and, taking a sharpie, put an X through Copani's. The woman pulled off her helmet to reveal the face of Helena Bertinelli, and she stared at the picture of her father, loathing in her eyes.
Queen Manor
Next Night
Thea was dressed to kill, walking down the stair when she heard, "Speedy!"
She looked over to see Nathan, dressed in a black business suit, walking down the opposite stairs. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked, his tone having a 'Don't you dare lie' tone to it.
"Clubbing." She replied then continued with a quip. "Which is difficult to do when you're in a house and not in an actual club."
Nathan had a look that implied he didn't really care and said. "I have a business meeting to go to. Somebody needs to watch Mom while I'm gone."
Thea stared at her brother. "I thought you were taking the night shift."
"I did night shift last night and day shift today. Don't get the wrong idea, I love mom, but I'm trying to start a business here, and I can't exactly do that if I'm watching our mother when you are supposed to be watching her. " Nate said Tommy walked in the door.
"Oh, nice dress." He complimented her. "Where you headed?"
"Upstairs. Apparently." She ground out as she turned and walked back upstairs.
Tommy looked to Nathan.
"Long story." Nathan whispered, heading into the sitting room to get his car keys.
"Hey, I heard about your mom." Tommy started. "Is she all right?"
"She's resting upstairs. More shaken up than anything." He smiled tightly at his friend. "I got to run to this business thing, but I do appreciate you stopping by, man."
"It's no problem." Tommy assured him. "Just so long as your mom's all right."
"Yeah." Nathan nodded, walking past him.
"Hey, one more thing." Tommy said, stopping Nathan in his tracks. "Mainly because I don't want you to find this out from someone else, that someone else especially being Laurel." He paused for a moment, gathering his courage. "We're going to dinner. As in a date." He clarified.
"Good." Nathan finally said, a smile plastered on his face. After all, even though Nathan loved Laurel, he wasn't ready to try to have a relationship with Laurel, because of his alter ego, his 5 years of hell that he was slowly healing from, and the fact that she wasn't ready to be a part of his world yet. "Laurel deserves someone special, and so do you."
Tommy smiled. "Thanks, man."
"I gotta get going or I'm going to be late to my meeting." Nathan said, heading out to his car.
"All right. Absolutely. I'll catch you later." Tommy said.
Nathan paused and turned back to his friend. "Oh, and, Tommy, if you hurt her, I'll rip your throat out…with my teeth." He said deadpanned with a dark glare, scaring Tommy. Then he smiled. "I'm just messing with ya, man. You two have fun." Tommy let out a laugh of his own as Nathan left.
Bertinelli Mansion
Nathan rang the doorbell, and moments later a man opened the door. It was Frank Bertinelli. Nathan smiled.
"Mr. Bertinelli." He said with a smile, extending his hand.
"Call me Frank." He replied, shaking Nathan's hand and leading him into the house.
"Call me Nathan." He countered with a smile.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me at my home." Frank started.
"My father used to say that living rooms make the best conference rooms." Nathan said.
"Oh, I'm gonna steal that." Frank said with a small laugh. He indicated a tall gentleman standing nearby. "Nick Salvati, my associate."
"How do you do?" he said, shaking the man's hand.
"Let's have a drink." Frank said, leading the way into the study. As they walked, movement from upstairs caught Nathan's eye. He looked up to see Helena walking past the stairs. Their eyes met briefly before she moved on. He couldn't help but notice she had a dark gleam in her eyes. A gleam that was similar to the one he saw in his own eyes whenever he looked in the mirror.
Same Time
Queen Mansion
Thea and Moira were in Moira's bed in their pajamas, with Thea controlling the remote while Moira flipped through magazines.
"So what are you in the mood for?" Thea asked her mother. "We could watch reality housewife cooking show… or cop docs." She looked at her mom and explained, "It's where doctors run around fighting crime when they're not all sleeping with each other."
Moira laughed lightly. "Whatever you want, sweetheart. You're the one who's given up your evening out."
"Oh, it's not like there's anybody else who could be staying with you." Thea said, then she gasped in mock surprise. "Oh, wait, yes, there is."
"Thea," Moira, "Cut your brother some slack."
"Why? Aren't you tired of the lies he tells?" Thea asked.
"Thea, everyone has secrets." Moira began. "We all have things that we want to keep to ourselves."
"I just don't get him sometimes." Thea groused. Moira pulled her closer. Thea leaned her head against Moira's shoulder.
"I know, I know." She affirmed. "You know, being in that hospital and seeing Dr. Lamb again, it made me remember the day that Nathan came home. It was Dr. Lamb that told me that the Nathan we'd lost might not be the Nathan that they'd found. Nathan brought that to my attention when he declined to take over Queen Consolidated" She explained. "I think it's easy to forget, but he lived in complete isolation for 5 years."
"So what, he gets like a free pass?"
"No. No, no, no, not at all. I just think we need to stop judging him for the Nathan he was and start accepting him for the Nathan that he is. I think that after living in isolation for 5 years of his life, it's difficult for him to let people close. Besides, he has been getting better and I know there are moments with you where acted like his old self. We just need to be there for him. When he's ready to open up, he'll tell us." Moira said softly.
Bertinelli Mansion
"So, Nathaniel, I'll be honest with you." Frank was saying, handing Nathan some bourbon. "I was surprised to hear from you. It was my impression from the local news that you weren't going to be involved with your family's business."
"Well, apparently there were a few catch phrases that I missed while I was away for 5 years. One of them being 'Fake News'." The three men laughed. "The press never gets anything right."
"Oh, I know a thing or two about that." Frank assured the man. Nick's phone rang, and he got up to answer it. Frank leaned back in his chair and stared at Nathan confidently. "So, Nathan, I'll be blunt. I want the contract to build Queen Consolidated's new Applied Sciences Division."
"And I am inclined to give it to you." Nathan assured him.
"Your mother wasn't quite so enthusiastic." Frank noted. "How is she, by the way?"
"She's alright, Nothing serious or life-threatening, and is currently recuperating at home." Nathan said. "Thank you."
"What a terrible thing that happened." Frank said, almost sounding sincere. Nathan nodded.
"And, Frank, I was very sorry to hear about what happened to Paul Copani."
"Paul was a good friend." Frank stated. "He was a good man." He sighed, rubbing his eye. "Yeah. The violence in this city. You know, sometimes I wonder why I stay." He said, taking a drink. He was putting up a front obviously, and Nate saw right through it, but gave no indication of his thoughts.
"I've had the same thought." Nathan confided.
"So why did you come back?" Frank asked. "After that island, you could have settled anywhere in the world."
"Because Starling City is my home." Nathan replied simply. It was true, after all. He could have ignored the corruption in the city, but he loved the city that he grew up in.
"Chi si volta, e chi si gira, sempre a casa, va finire." Helena said, entering the room. "No matter which way you go or turn, you always end up at home." She translated. Nathan and Frank rose.
"Nathan, this is my daughter Helena." He introduced.
"Hello." Nathan said with a smile. Helena gave him a polite smile.
"Nice to meet you." She said, and then turned to her father. "I'm heading out."
"All right. Take one of the guys with you."
"I can take care of myself." She protested.
"I wasn't asking, sweetie." He replied, touching her lightly on the chin, the subtle threat clear to everyone present.
Before she could argue further, Nick came back in.
"Frank, that meeting you requested. They can do it." He told his boss, giving him a significant look. "Now."
"I can come back another time." Nathan started, but Frank shook his head.
"No, no, no." he put his drink down, and then looked at his daughter thoughtfully, getting an idea. "Just, uh.. just excuse us for a moment, would you? Thank you."
Frank and Helena walked out into the Foyer, followed by Nick. "Nathan Queen." Helena harrumphed. "The rich man's Lindsay Lohan."
"Look, um…" he started, "I've got to go to this other meeting, but I need someone to take him to dinner."
Helena gave him a disgusted look. "So you pimp out your daughter."
"No. I ask her to help me close a business deal." He countered. "A reminder that the family business is dying and that we need this contract, and Nathan Queen is the only one who can give it to us. Please, Sweet Pea. For us. For me. Hmm?" she finally gave him a reluctant smile. "That's my girl." He said warmly. Just then Nathan walked into the foyer. "Nathan, I'm so sorry. Something has come up. But Helena would love to take you to dinner and discuss the deal further." He said, indicating his daughter.
"Oh." Nathan didn't try to hide his disappointment. "I was hoping to speak with you."
"Well, as you speak for your family, my daughter also speaks for ours."
"It's…It's really not necessary." He looked curiously at Helena. There was an attraction there, and possibly something deeper. A look deep in her eyes that he recognized and that she, in turn, recognized in him.
"It would be my pleasure." She lied.
"Sure." Nathan finally agreed. Frank held out his hand, and Nathan shook it.
"I look forward to working together." He told the younger man, patting him on the arm as he and Nick left.
Bertinelli Construction Yard
Later
China White and her associates got out of her Mercedes and walked up to Frank and Nick, who stood waiting.
"Thank you for coming."
"Anything for a friend." China White replied. Zhishan spoke in Mandarin, and she translated. "We're not responsible for the attacks on your people."
"These attacks on my business, on my family's life blood. They need to stop now, or I'm coming for you." He threatened. The four stared at each other for a moment before the two Asians headed back to their car.
"What does the Triad have to gain by provoking you now?" Nick asked Frank, honestly no seeing any benefit to that. Frank shrugged.
"Well, no one ever credited the Triad with rational thinking." He noted, and then asked "If it isn't them, then who? Whoever it is, when I find out who's behind this, there will be blood."
Russo's
The owner, Mr. Russo sat Nathan and Helena at a small table in the corner and passed them menus.
"You are an angel, Helena." Mr. Russo gushed. After all, it would not do to insult the daughter of the man he pays protection money to, "So beautiful. Well, we are gonna take good care of both of you tonight. You'll tell your father hello from us?"
Helena smiled at the man. "Of course, Mr. Russo."
"I'll give you a minute." He said, moving away.
"Thank you." Helena said. She looked at Nathan. "I heard about your mother's accident. Is she gonna be okay?" she asked.
Nathan smiled, picking up his menu. "She's gonna be fine. Thanks."
"I'm glad." She said sincerely.
They both took a moment to look at their menus. "So, why would you want to go into business with my father?" she asked suddenly. "You know who he is and how he made his money."
"You don't approve of your family's enterprises?" he asked.
"We share a name, and that name defines us whether we want it to or not." She gave him a brittle smile. "You've already made judgments about me, just like I've already made judgments about you."
"Right. I'm the rich man's Lindsay Lohan." Her smile now looked apologetic. He tapped his left ear, "Yeah, I heard that".
"Sorry." She apologized.
"Oh, I don't mind. Compared to what I used to be called, that's pretty tame," He assured her.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" she asked suddenly after a moment of silence.
"Sure," Nate said, noticing how she fiddled with her necklace.
"I know it must have been hell for you, alone on that island for 5 years, but I'm…"
Nathan looked at her curiously. "But what?" he prodded.
She looked at him, a serious look in her eyes. "But was there ever a day when you were just… happy to be away from everything? No pressure from your family, no need to be the person everyone else expects you to be. Was there ever a day when—"
"When I didn't feel like I was in my own personal brand of hell and I just felt free?" he finished. She nodded slightly. "More than a few times." He admitted. "And those are the days that I miss the most." Helena smiled and took a sip of her water.
An hour later, the restaurant was empty, all other tables cleared. But Nathan and Helena were still sitting, chatting amicably.
"People are always asking me, what did I miss the most?" he was saying. "Air conditioning. Satellite TV. Netflix. Internet. Tagliet-uh-ta—"
"Tagliatelle?" she supplied.
"Yeah, that." He agreed. "But those are the answers that I give people because those are the answers they're expecting."
"Why can't you just be truthful?" she asked.
"How could I tell them truth? They would never accept me if they knew the real truth about me." He admitted, sitting back in the chair, "And honestly, I've grown so used to isolation, that it's just hard to be around people that don't understand me for long periods of time. It's not the kind of thing that can be switched off."
Helena considered the man. "You've been through a crucible, and it changed you." She announced. "How can it not?"
Not knowing how to respond, Nathan just looked at the beautiful woman across from him. A glint from her necklace caught his eye. "That's beautiful." He said, before clarifying, "Your cross."
Here smile was almost a grimace. "It's a gift. From my fiancé."
Nathan smiled awkwardly. "Fiancé."
"I didn't know you were engaged." He began to apologize, but she cut him off.
"I'm not, anymore. He died." She explained sadly.
"I'm sorry." Nate actually meant that. He had fallen into the abyss when Shado had died in his arms all those years ago. It had changed him irrevocably.
"Me, too." She sat back, fingering her cross. "That was my crucible."
Nathan took a sip of water. "You know, it's really nice to be with someone that I can actually be myself with." He said sincerely.
"It's nice to be with someone who knows how hard it can be." She responded, equally sincere.
Suddenly his phone rang. He looked at her apologetically as he pulled out his phone and answered. "Yeah."
"It's Lyla. Something came up. You need to get out of there and call me back." Nathan sighed as he hung up. He looked sadly at Helena, sorry that the night was over.
"Helena, I have to go." He said apologetically, "There's something that I have to do. It's about my mother, otherwise I would, uh, I would stay."
"And I would like that." She admitted. Nathan smiled at her and pulled out a wad of cash. He set it down on the table, but suddenly his hand was covered by hers.
"My father would kill me if I let you pay." He just smiled, withdrawing his hand, but leaving the money.
"I have a confession." Nathan said as he rose. "I didn't originally want to go out with you tonight."
Helena smiled. "That makes two of us."
"But I'm glad as hell that I did." He finished.
"That makes two of us." She replied quietly. He gave her one last look, then turned to leave. "Nathan." She said suddenly, and he turned around. "Be careful with my father." She advised him.
He nodded, then left.
Alley
Nathan quickly called Lyla back. "What happened?" he asked.
"Yeah, it's what's happening right now." Lyla began. "You know Bertinelli's enforcer, Nick Salvati?"
"Yeah. We drank a scotch together. He seems like a real stand-up mobster." Nathan said sarcastically.
"He's been paying visits to everyone who owes the mob protection money."
"Lyla, I'm trying to figure out who took a shot at my mother, not take on the Italian Mafia." Nathan argued.
"Well, Nate, Salvati and his goons have already put 4 people in the hospital tonight," Lyla shot back, "and if somebody doesn't stop them, the guy who owns Russo's is gonna be next."
"Wait, wait." Nathan said, stopping Lyla. "Did you say Russo's?" he asked to clarify.
"It's at the corner of Adams and—"
"I know where it is, Lyla. I'm already here."
That brought Lyla up short. "Well, that was fast."
Nathan grimaced. "It's not like that. I was having dinner with Bertinelli's daughter."
"Nate, the whole point of you going undercover was to find out who took a shot at your mom, not get his daughter into your bed." Lyla scolded.
"I haven't slept with her…yet. Besides, I didn't exactly have a choice."
"Yeah, well, uh, I've seen her on the web. You made quite the sacrifice." Lyla quipped.
Nathan looked down the alley and saw a town car park across the street. He cursed. "Salvati's here. I'll call you back"
Inside the restaurant, Mr. Russo was counting the night's receipts as his daughter finished cleaning up. She was about to lock the doors when Nick Salvati and to other enforcers walked in.
"I'm sorry, we're closed." The girl said timidly. Salvati just gave her a look, and then walked over to Russo.
"Oh, Mr. Salvati. Buona sera." He said nervously to the gangster. "I have some fresh-made lasagna—" he tried, but Nick cut him off.
"We're not here for food, Mr. Russo." He said harshly. "Your payment's due."
"I already made my payment this month." Russo argued.
"You need to pay again." Nick said coldly.
"Please. I can't afford to make another payment if I'm going to—"
"Going to what?" he asked cruelly. He saw several bottle so wine sitting on the bar. "Restock your bar?" he swept the bottles off the bar, and they crashed to the ground sending wine and broken glass everywhere. "Break his fingers." He nodded to one of the men.
"Leave him alone!" his daughter yelled, pulling at the goon.
"Break hers, too." Nick decided. The other goon grabbed the girl.
"No! Don't touch her!" Russo yelled. Suddenly an arrow struck the fuse box, sending the restaurant into darkness. And then Nate was among them, breaking the arm of the goon holding Russo's daughter and knocked out the goon behind him with an elbow, shouting to the Russo's, "Run!" They did so.
He turned his attention to Nick, who was trying to shoot him, and didn't see the second gangster start to get back to his feet.
Suddenly the biker was there, opening fire and taking out another goon when one of her bullets hit his leg. She aimed at Nick, but he took cover. Nate threw a shuriken, disarming her, and moved in to attack, and Nick took the opportunity to escape. The two masked vigilantes traded blows furiously; obviously the girl was better trained hand to hand than she was in firearms. But Nate was better by far, and he landed an elbow on her helmet's visor, shattering it. He then took the opportunity to yank off the helmet- revealing Helena underneath. Nate just stood there, shocked, and Helena took the opportunity to escape, leaving the stunned Nathan behind.
Foundry
A frustrated Nathan was pacing as Lyla sat at the computer.
"I don't understand. Why is she targeting her family?" he wondered aloud.
"I don't know. And here I thought you had parental issues." Lyla joked.
"It's not a joke, Lyla." Nathan ground out, his frustration building. Lyla looked at him apologetically.
"You're right, sorry. Jokes aside, what do you plan to do with her? I specifically remember you saying 'I'm gonna crush her skull like an egg'."
"I'm not sure. I don't know the whole story here yet." He defended. Lyla suddenly realized something.
"You're falling for her, aren't you?" Lyla asked.
Nathan sighed, "It a little soon for that. I'm attracted to her, to be sure, but I feel like she is similar to me. She's like me, except darker."
Nate started changing into his civilian clothes. "I'm still trying to figure out how to use this whole situation to my advantage."
"I'm not following." Lyla said.
"There are exactly 3 organized criminal organizations n Starling City: The Triad, The Bratva, and the Bertinelli's aka the Italian Mafia. Through Chien, I have indirect control over the Triad. Bertinelli's organization has weakened considerably due to the deaths of his inner circle. Once Salvati dies, all he'll have nothing left. If I play this right, not only will I have gained more control over how much organized crime happens in this city, I'll have gained another ally."
"I see. Sounds like a plan." Lyla said in acceptance, causing Nathan to look at her, as he figured she would disapprove "Nate, while I do have my morals, I am still a realist, I know it's impossible to truly eliminate crime. The best you can do is control it. But please, be careful. There is no telling what Salvati might do right now."
Nathan looked at her. "I will, and thank you for being so understanding."
The Cemetery
Next Night
Helena sat in its small cemetery in front of a tombstone. Nathan, wearing the clothes he had worn when she had killed Paul, walked up softly behind her, stopping a respectful distance before calling out.
"Helena."
She didn't even turn around. "How did you find me here?" she asked.
"I followed you from your house." Nathan said. He looked at the headstone that read 'Michael Staton'. "This is your fiancé?"
"Yeah." She replied, laying a single rose at the foot of the gravestone before rising to meet his gaze head on.
"You said that losing him was your own crucible." He started. "That it changed you. You never mentioned how."
"When you love someone as much as I loved him, with all of your heart- you can't just turn that emotion off when they're taken from you. You still feel things as deeply. And if it can't be love that you feel, then," she took a calming breath, "Then it becomes hate."
"Hatred for the ones that took them from you." Nathan stated, voice filled with nostalgia. Helena looked at him with mild surprise, "Yeah, I know a little something about that myself, Helena".
"Nathan, I like you, but you really should stay away from me." She said sadly, walking away.
"Helena?" Nathan called, moving after her. They both stopped suddenly when a van pulled up next to the church. Nick Salvati got out, his gun aimed at Helena's head. "Get in." he demanded, and both Helena and Nathan were ushered into the van by two other gangsters.
The Docks
Abandoned Warehouse
Helena and Nathan were seated on chairs, their hands zip-cuffed behind them.
Helena looked up at Nick with disgust. "My father is going to kill you for this." She said boldly. Nick smiled, then back-handed her, knocking her and her chair over. Nathan looked out the corners of his eyes at Salvati. Helena hit the ground with a grunt.
"I've been wanting to do that for years." Nick snarled, and then indicated to his men to pick her back up. "You spoiled bitch. I knew it was someone from the inside waging war against your father and me. I just never thought it'd be this inside." He held out his hand, and Helena's silver cross necklace dangled from his fingers. "You dropped this at Russo's."
Helena smirked up at the mobster. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for, Nicky." She admitted.
"You're not." He raised his hand to hit her again.
"Hey!" Nathan yelled, getting his attention even as he worked to free himself from the cuffs. "You're a businessman, right? So let's talk business." He began. "I'm a billionaire, meaning I can offer you a lot of money if you let us go."
Nick looked at him with disgust. "This isn't about money, Richie Rich. This is about loyalty."
"And here I thought you were smarter than your boss. Seems you're just a witless brute." Nathan commented and Nick looked like he was about to go over and hit Nathan.
"He's has nothing to do with any of this." Helena argued. Nick whirled to face her.
"Then what the hell is it about?" he demanded.
"My father had Michael murdered." Helena snarled. Nick scoffed.
"Of course he did. He didn't want you to know the truth." He leaned over her and yanked back her hair. "Your rat of a fiancé was gathering evidence. He was talking to the fucking FBI!" He let her hair go and stood. "The love of your life was going to destroy your father."
"You're wrong." Helena denied, though it was for entirely different reasons.
"I found a laptop in Michael's bag, Helena." Nick drawled out. "Everything that could send your father and me to prison for the rest of our lives was on it. That computer—"
"Was mine." She declared, shutting Nick up in surprise. "Michael wasn't the one talking to the FBI, I was." She admitted boldly.
"I so did not see that coming." Nathan thought in mild surprise.
"You?"
"My father is a monster." She spat. "He doesn't care who he hurts to keep his money and power, and I wanted it to stop."
"She's just like you." Nathan heard Shado's voice as his vision blurred and he saw her kneeling next to him. "She has had the love of her life ripped from her arms, just like I was ripped from yours."
"You shot Michael." She said in dawning realization.
"In the chest, so he knew it was me." He bragged, placing the cross back around her neck. He stood and moved back slightly, pulling his gun. "Just like this"
"Don't let what happened to me happen to her." Shado said.
"I won't," Nathan muttered to himself as his Kyuubi eyes showed.
Nathan burst free at that moment, tackling Nick to the ground. His gun skidded away from him. The one goon made to grab Nathan, but he punched him in the face before flipping him around when he saw the other goon point his gun at him. Helena broke free and went after Salvati, kicking his gun away when he attempted to reach it and the two began to fight. The goon with the gun shot at Nate while he used the other goon as a meat shield while maneuvering closer to the goon, before throwing the dead body into goon. Nathan grasped the goons arm and broke it causing him to cry out in pain, before Nathan forced him to his knees with the goons Beretta in his hand, pointed at his head.
Helena dominated her fight against Salvati before she forced Nick back up against a forklift, her hand squeezing his throat.
"You're gonna burn in hell for what you've done!" Nick choked out.
"It'll be worth it." She replied, and then broke his neck. Nate pulled the trigger, killing his goon.
"Helena." Nathan said.
"I didn't have a choice, Nathan." She said, breathing heavily from the fight. "No one can know my secret."
"Yeah I know that. What I meant was are you okay?" Nathan asked.
"I'm fine," She said. Nathan then pulled all three corpses together and covered them with the lighter fluid Salvati had been planning to use on them and lit the bodies on fire. He watched a second before he led Helena out.
SCPD
1 hour later
Hilton was briefing Lance on the latest Bertinelli family murders.
"CSU didn't find anything usable except for the identities of 3 victims." He said, handing the file to Lance. "One of them had a GSW to the chest. The other took a shot to the head."
"So who the hell broke Salvati's neck?" Lance asked rhetorically.
Hilton sighed. "Look, it's been a while since The Hood broke anyone's neck. And I didn't see any arrows lying around."
"We better pray that Frank Bertinelli blames The Hood for this." Lance said darkly. "'Cause if he thinks it's the Triad, Starling City is ground zero to World War III."
Bertinelli Mansion
Helena was just coming out of the bathroom in a robe, her hair wet from a shower, when she paused. "I'd ask how you got in here," she said, "but the Starling City vigilante comes and goes as he pleases, doesn't he?"
Across the room Nathan stood, his arms crossed behind his back, his Kyuubi eyes showing, looking out a window. "What gave me away?"
Helena crossed her arms. "I saw you fight. And I saw your eyes change like they are now. That island changed you in ways that only someone like me could understand."
"Maybe." he admitted. "But I didn't change. The island merely showed me my true self. And now I serve justice to those who are poisoning my city."
"Sometimes revenge is justice." Helena stated. Nathan didn't have a counter for that, since justice and revenge are all about perception. And he had no right to take the moral high road here.
"Your father murdered your fiancé."
"And what did your father do to you?" she demanded. "Isn't the man in the hood fighting to set the wrongs of his father right? We're the same, you and I."
"No, we're not. I'm am fighting to rid my city of corruption, you are trying to avenge the man you loved."
Helena scoffed. "Hiding in plain sight. Concealing our anger with smiles and lies. Pretending to be people that we no longer are." Tears pooled in her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Nathan. You feel the same as I do, I know it."
"Why are you crying?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's because I have been alone in my hate for so long, it feels—"
"It feels good, to be honest for once." Nathan finished for her. Nathan cupped her face and gently wiped away her tears. Almost in desperation he pulled her in close and kissed her. After a moment, she responded, clutching him to her tightly, afraid to let go.
Chapter 8 - Vendetta Settled
Helena's Room
Nathan was spooning Helena, both of them naked and in bed, seemingly asleep. Slowly, Helena opens her eyes. She smiles despite herself, as that had been the best sex she had ever had. She sits up slowly, putting her mind back on task. As she gets out of the bed and moves to get dressed, Nathan silently open his eyes, subtly watching her.
Alley in China town
Helena was riding her bike down an alley, stopping several yards away from a parked Mercedes. She gets off the bike and watches the car, seeing a driver and two men outside acting as sentries.
"Quán qīng." One said into a radio. A moment later, China White appeared. Helena pulled out her gun and took aim. A moment later, the man she truly wanted appeared- Zhishan, the leader of the Chinese Triad in Starling City. Just as she pulled the trigger, Nate dropped down, forcing her gun away from the Asian and causing the shot to go wide.
"Shàng chē!" China White said, pushing her mentor into the car.
"Shāle tā!" he ordered, and the Triad members opened fire. Nathan shot an arrow to give them cover, then forced Helena down an alley. They took cover in a doorframe as the Mercedes sped past, gangsters still shooting. After they had passed, Helena pushed Nathan away.
"Take your hands off me!" she snarled.
Nathan dropped his hood. "What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded, his kyuubi eyes blazing with anger.
"That man was Zhishan, the leader of the Triad." She explained. "My father blames them for the recent hits against his men!"
"Those are men you killed."
"That's right." She boasted. "I take out Zhishan and the Triad retaliates. I have weakened my father's organization to the point where there is no way that he can survive their onslaught!"
"What, and then you'll have your revenge?"
"Then I have justice, for what he did to Michael and me." She said passionately.
"It's not justice." Nathan argued.
"And what you do is?"
"Would you let me show you?" he pleaded. She stared at him for a moment, and then sighed.
Big Belly Burger
Nathan and Helena, in civilian clothes, were being handed their order by Carly.
"Get you anything else?" she asked.
Nathan smiled at her. "No, thank you, Carly."
Carly looked at him suspiciously. "Where's my ex sister-in-law? It's late and this is the Glades. Shouldn't she be keeping you safe?"
Nathan nodded towards Helena. "This ones tougher than she looks." He quipped. Carly's gaze narrowed, but she moved off. "I haven't been on a second date in a while. It feels good so far." He remarked, earning a smile from her.
"Look, um," she started awkwardly, "We slept together, and it was really amazing. And I needed it. But I'm not looking for anything."
"Right. Because you have everything figured out." Nathan replied dryly.
"I don't think you're one to judge." She leaned forward. "I saw you kill people, remember?"
"I don't deny that I kill people. I kill most of my enemies, but not all the time. Sometimes I have an ulterior motive or I just don't need to. The point is, killing is not my only move." He argued, "And the way that you're going, you're gonna get somebody innocent killed, like my mother or yourself."
"I really am sorry about almost shooting your mother." She said sincerely. "That was an accident."
"How many more accidents need to happen before you're done getting back at your father?" he asked.
"Hopefully none." She glared at him. "I am not getting back at him. I-I am stripping away everything that has meaning to him, just like he did to me when he had Michael killed."
"What if I could show you a more efficient way, a way you could take down your father's organization without innocent people getting caught in the crossfire?" Nathan asked.
Helena sighed, and then smiled. "Thank you for the coffee and the sex, Nate. But I'm not interested." She gathered her purse and left, leaving a ponderous Nathan behind.
China White's Mansion
Next morning
It was 5 am and the sun was rising, shining down on Starling city. In China Whites mansion, in the master bedroom, Chien Na Wei lay on top of Nathaniel, her beautiful body draped across his as if she were a blanket. The two lovers were cuddling after spending 5 hours of sex.
"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" China asked.
Nathan looked at the ceiling for a moment before saying, "Okay so you remember that girl I was telling you about? Bertinelli's daughter?" China nodded. "Well, something happened last night. I was trying to recruit her, since through her we can take down Zhishan and instill you as the new leader of the triad, but there is a problem. I…ended up sleeping with her last night."
Nathan waited for China to yell at him or slap him or something, but she only chuckled, "Why are you laughing, babe?"
"Nate, I'm not mad. In fact, this is perfect?"
"Okay, now I'm super confused. You mind explaining?" Nathan said. He figured she would be angry since he hadn't slept with anyone but Chien since they renewed their relationship, so he was confused as to why she wasn't mad.
"This is what I wanted to talk to you about." Chien said, "Look, I consider it a blessing to have met and be loved by you, Nathaniel Queen. But I have always known that deep down, you were never a 1 woman man. Unlike every other male in the world, you are the kind that needs more than one lover to keep you grounded, because 24/7, your hormones are telling you to grab the nearest female and stick your dick in her. At least, with my permission, you won't have to worry about upsetting me."
"…..Are you telling me to go out and get myself a harem?" He asked hesitantly for clarification.
"That is exactly what I'm telling you, handsome. As long as you still love me, I'm totally fine with sharing you with the other women that I know will fall in love with you. And the one-night stands are no big deal either."
"…Okay, fine. But are you sure you will be okay with Helena Bertinelli?" Nathan asked.
"I'd probably wait a while until your relationship has developed a bit more before you drop a bombshell like that on her. From what you've told me, she's real sensitive to being hurt right now. And your relationship wouldn't survive a bomb like that at this point."
Nathan pulled Chien closer to him as he gave a deep French kiss. "Thank you, Chien. You have no idea how much easier this makes things for me."
Chien had a seductive smirk adorning her lips, "Well, I'm always open to being thanked a little more. Care to join me for nice, long bubble bath?" His response was to carry her over to her bathtub.
Bertinelli Mansion
3 hours later
Frank Bertinelli was consoling Dina Salvati, Nick Salvati's widow as Helena walked down the stairs.
"I'm so sorry, Frank." Dina was saying. "The last thing you need is me crying on your shoulder all night. I just can't believe that Nick is gone."
"Dina, look, you and Nicky, you're like family to me, okay?" Frank stated. "And in my family, we take care of our own. Okay?"
"Okay." She said.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Helena said, stopping at the base of the stairs. "Nick was like a brother to me."
Dina gave her a watery smile. Frank kissed her on the cheek and led her to the door. "Hey now, come on." He said, hugging her once more. "We'll talk to you soon." He assured her.
"Okay." She said, walking out of the house. Frank closed the door, and then laid his forehead against the cool wood. "I'm gonna find the son of a bitch who did this." He vowed "And on my life, I'm gonna make him pay." Helena smiled at him in faked encouragement. Before she could say anything, though, the doorbell rang. Frank sighed, turning back to the door. "You know, that girl's always forgetting something." He snarked. But when he opened the door, he was surprised.
"Frank." Nathan Queen said, shaking his hand. "Apologies for dropping by unannounced."
"No, no, no, come on in." Frank said. "It's all right. Come on in." Nathan walked in and shared a significant look with Helena.
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that." Nathan said.
"Thank you."
"Actually, though, I'm not here to discuss business at the moment." He continued, looking past Frank at Helena with smile plastered on his face, who stared back, a friendly smile on her face. Frank looked back and forth between the two, realization dawning.
"Oh. Okay." He said with a smile. "Well, this is, uh this is one merger I won't stand in the way of. Excuse me, sweetie. A father knows when he's not needed." He joked, leaving the two alone in the foyer.
Helena walked down the final stairs, stalking up to him and crossing her arms in defiance. "Was I not clear that I wasn't interested in talking?"
"You don't have to talk." Nate said simply, the opened the door. "All I ask is that you listen." After a moment, Helena grabbed her jacket off the small table by the door and walked out with him.
Starling City Cemetery
Nathan led Helena to a particular pair of graves. It was Oliver's and Sara's.
"Who were they?" Helena asked, staring at the stone.
"My brother. I—" he stumbled over his words. "My brother was dating my best friends sister, and it was getting serious. But back then, he did not do serious well." He paused. "But he was excellent at screwing things up. He started sleeping with my best friend, Sara." His voice began to quake with suppressed emotion. "He started sleeping with his girlfriend's sister. He brought her with us on the yacht. He and I got into this argument and I told him that he was 'a worthless waste of space who would never amount to anything and was better off dead.' That was last thing I ever said to him, because the next time I saw him, he had a pipe sticking out of his chest. And then I watched Sara fall beneath the waves right in front of me."
"Sara was only on that boat because of my actions. You see, before the island, I always pined after Laurel, her sister, and thought that my brother never deserved her, so when their relationship was having trouble, I slept with Laurel. Sara found out about it, and slept with Oliver to get revenge on me. I knew I shouldn't have, but back then, I just didn't care." Helena reached over slowly and took Nathan's hand in her own. "Before the island, I was a scumbag." He admitted. "I was selfish and thoughtless and awful, and it really hurt the people that I loved. I wasn't much better than my brother, to be honest." Nathan slipped his hand out of Helena's and walked to another grave. The grave read 'Shado'.
"Who is she?" Helena asked.
"There's no one in this grave. Her body is buried on Lian Yu. This is just here to serve as a reminder." Nathan closed his eyes before opening them and saying, "Her name was Shado. She was the first woman I ever truly loved." At Helena's confusion, he elaborated, "I know that I said I loved Laurel and Sara, but at that time, Sara was my best friend and I was too jealous of Oliver being with the woman I wanted to understand why I wanted her, so they don't count." Nathan turned back to the grave. "I wasn't alone on that island. She was on the island as well, looking for her father. The story behind that is too long and complicated to explain right now, so I won't say anything about that yet. She, her father before he died, and another friend we made on the island, helped me survive on the island when on my own, I wouldn't have. Long story short, we fell in love. She was kind, loving, wise beyond her years, and a total badass with a bow and arrow, and I fell hard for her. But then this bastard, Anthony Ivo, came to the island, and he took her from me. He didn't just kill her, he made me choose between her…and Sara."
At Helena's shock, he explained, "I said she fell beneath the waves, I never said she died. I begged Ivo to kill me instead, because I wouldn't choose between my oldest friend and the love of my life. He pointed the gun at Shado anyway and I jumped in the way, taking bullet for her. During the fight that ensued, she got shot and all I could do was comfort her in final moments as she bled out in my arms." A tear escaped his eyes and Helena slowly held his hand again. He saw the hallucination of Shado in the distance before he turned back to the grave.
"I fell into the abyss after that, and I have never been able to crawl back out. Because once you let it in, you can't lock up the darkness. All you can do is embrace it. I thought about what you said last night, about how we are the same. You're right, we are same. Because Helena," He looked her in eye, "Just like I was, you're in a hell of your own."
Helena shook her head. "Nathan, I… I want to let you in. I really do." she said softly. "But Michael was the last man I opened up to. I can't be hurt again."
"I'm not perfect, Helena. I can't promise something like that," He swore. "But I can promise you this. I will try my best not to." She looked back at him, hope blooming on her eyes.
Arrow Lair
Later
Nathan stood next to Helena, who held his bow in her hands. She nocked and arrow and pulled back sharply.
"Uh-uh." Nathan gently chided. "Relax. Relax, relax, relax." He helped her adjust her grip. "Now, pull back gently. You need all 3 fingers to come off the bowstring at the same time." He instructed. "Relax. Breathe." Helena took careful aim at the target. "And release." Helena released the arrow, which sailed past the target, smashing into some bottles behind it.
Helena snarled in frustration. "This is a waste of time."
"I'm trying to teach you something." Nathan said patiently.
"What, the least effective way to shoot people?"
"No, control and precision." He took his bow back. "To use a bow and arrow to the point where it's more effective than a gun requires patience, discipline, control, precision, and practice." In one smooth motion, he withdrew an arrow from his quiver, nocked, aimed and fired, hitting the bull's-eye dead-center.
Helena gave him an impressed look, and then moved over to a work table. She picked up a coffee cup and smirked at Nathan. Then, she tossed it up in the air- and Nathan hit it with his next shot, pinning the cup to the rafters. Amused, she next grabbed an oil can, tossed it up- and it got pinned to the wall. Next she picked up a tennis ball. She was still holding it in her hand when Nathan shot, pushing the ball out of her hand and pinning it to the wall behind her. She gaped at him, impressed despite herself.
Nathan smirked. "I can do this for day's." He said, walking up to her. "It's kind of fun."
"I love a man with stamina." She quipped.
"Our crusades do have something in common." He said, sitting next to her. "Mine started with my father, too.
"He left me with a list." Nathan pulled out the notebook and showed it to her. "There are over 500 hundred names in this list. People who need to be reminded that Starling City isn't theirs for the taking."
"Anthony Venza is in here." She noted, surprised. "He works for my dad. He deals illegal prescription pills." She was looking through the list when Nathan heard the door open. He looked up and smiled.
"Lyla, this is Helena." He told his bodyguard unnecessarily as Lyla walked in. She looked amused by Helena's presence. "Lyla's my, uh… Associate." He explained.
"Well, any associate of Nathan's is a friend of mine"
"Same here." Lyla nodded. "Could Nathan and I have the room for a moment?" She requested.
Helena looked at Lyla, then back at Nathan. "I'll leave you to- associate." She told Nathan, Getting up and walking off past Lyla into the Foundry.
"You move fast" Lyla noted after she left. "I figured you wouldn't start sleeping with her til after she joined."
Nathan looked offended. "Well, I don't think who I sleep with is any of your business, Lyla. We aren't in a relationship."
"It became my business when you let me stay as your partner." Lyla pointed out. "And when I signed on, I told myself I was going to make sure you don't go too far like you did with Clayborne."
"You really going to lecture me about Clayborne?" Nathan asked with his teeth grit, "He deserved it!"
"I'm not saying he didn't deserve to die, I'm just saying maybe going all Bolton on him was a little much." Lyla said, sighing before she continued.
"Look, ignoring Clayborne, it's my job to be suspicious of people entering your orbit that might be a flight risk. I'm not telling you to not help her, Nate. Just be careful not to set her off, because as she is now, one wrong move and she'll turn against you." Lyla left the lair while Nathan was left to ponder.
Arrow Lair
Later
Helena walked in and smiled at Nathan. "Where's your friend?" she asked.
"Just the two of us tonight." He replied.
"Oh, really? And what did you have in mind?" she asked, coming up to him.
"A hands-on lesson."
Realization dawned on her face. "We're going after Anthony Venza?" she asked.
"Yes." Nathan confirmed. "But we're doing it my way." He continued. "Your father loses a piece of his organization, but no innocents get hurt in the process." He nodded towards a large wooden box sitting on the table.
"What is it?" she asked, walking over to the box. Nathan followed.
"I explained to you that guns are weapons of emotion and unpredictability, but since it will be awhile before you're an expert at archery, this will have to suffice for now."
She opened the lid and inside the box, lying on a bed of purple silk, was a small automatic crossbow pistol. "I like it." She said.
"You can't go out like that." Nathan noted. She smiled at him.
"Why? You got a spare hood?" she joked. He led her over to his computer and pulled up a special program. She looked at the design shown on the screen in awe. "Does it come in purple?" she asked. With a few clicks of the mouse, she gasped. "I like purple." She told Nathan, smiling at him.
Warehouse
Later
Dozens of people were busy repackaging prescription pills to sell on the streets.
"This isn't crack." Anthony Venza was saying to a client. "Anyone can sell crack. All you need's a street corner and a hoodie." He held up a small baggie. "This is pharmaceutical grade Oxycodone." He explained. "It's caviar. It is champagne. And you sell this in fancy houses; at parties with rich kids that got money to burn." He laughed.
Then suddenly the lights went out.
He looked over at one of his guards. "Check it out!" he ordered. The man drew his gun and cautiously made his way up a set of stairs to the second level. A moment later the sounds of punches could be heard, followed by the man's gun flying back down, landing on the floor near Venza. He picked it up, looking around. "Whoever you are, you really think you're gonna get out of here in one piece?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
Venza looked up to see Nate standing on the upper floor. "Anthony Venza –" he started. Then Venza saw something move out of the corner of his eye and spun to see a woman, dressed in black and purple body armor, a long coat, and a mask holding a crossbow pistol.
"You have failed this city." She finished, her voice modulator turned on.
Nate fired a flashbang arrow into the air. On impact it exploded into a blinding flash of light. The two vigilantes jumped down and proceeded to wipe the floor with both Venza's men and his clients, who foolishly tried to fight back. Venza, for his part, decided discretion was the better part of valor and fled. He made it to the door before a bolt slammed into the handle, jamming it. He turned to see the Huntress stalking towards him, crossbow pistol pointing at his throat.
"Please!" he pleaded. "Just don't hurt me!"
"Aww." Helena tilted her head, an evil smile on her lips. "How about just a little?"
A short time later, Nathan and Helena watched from the roof as Venza and his men were led, limping, out to waiting police cruiser. Nathan looked at Helena.
"Millions of dollars' worth of illegal drugs confiscated, a massive blow to your father's criminal proceeds, and nobody needed to die." He said. "A perfectly efficient takedown." She looked back down as Venza was put into a cruiser. "What do you think?"
"I think… this feels good." She said after a moment's pause. Then she smiled at him. "And not just the helping the city part." They both leaned in to kiss.
Bertinelli residence
1 hour later
Frank was sitting at his bar, drinking scotch as he watched the news. 'Anthony Venza was arrested last night. The police confiscated a warehouse full of illegal prescription drugs with a street value estimated in the millions. Several unconfirmed witnesses reported seeing the Starling City vigilante leaving the scene with another unknown accomplice, possibly a woman.' He finished the scotch, then threw his glass down behind the bar, shattering it.
Helena walked into the room and slowly came up to her father. "Bad year? The scotch, I mean." She asked.
"Yeah." He said tiredly, taking her hand in his. "Sorry, another business setback." He leaned back and looked her over. "Wow. You look beautiful." He stated. "Nathaniel Queen?" at her smile, he chuckled. "Oh, it's nice to see you happy again. It's been too long."
His cell phone rang. Sighing, he answered it. "Yeah?" hearing the voice on the other end, he turned away from his daughter. "Yeah. Yeah, I heard about Venza. Yeah, I know where that leaves us!" he slammed the phone down on the bar. He looked up to see Helena walking out of the room. What he didn't see was her satisfied smile.
Later
After a successful first night of working as partners, Nathan wants to celebrate with his new girlfriend Helena aka Huntress by taking her out tonight. Arriving at the restaurant, Nathan saw Tommy and Laurel already there. Nathan suddenly had a gut feeling that things would go south real quick, considering he was already trying to convince Tommy that he was cool with him dating Laurel. Before entering Nathan pull Helena to the side and tells her he needs to make a quick call.
After faking a call for a minute, Nathan returns to Helena and tells her, "Hey, I know I made plans for us to go to this place, but I am not really feeling it anymore."
"Nathan, are you okay?" Helena asks, concern about the sudden change in plans.
"Yes, I just think we should go somewhere a little more simple. I know a place that serves some great desserts, that's if you are okay with that?" Nathan offers, hoping she would agree to it.
Lucky for him Helena smiles and says, "I don't mind at all. I don't always have to go to expensive places to have a good time. But what about your reservation?"
"Don't worry, I already took care of that." Nathan assures, as he sees from the corner of his eyes Tommy and Laurel head into the restaurant.
"Well then, lead the way playboy." She wraps her arm around his and allows him to take her to another spot.
30 minutes later
"This is very good." Helena signs as she ate her piece of chocolate cheesecake with Nathan chuckling a bit at her reaction.
"I told you it was pretty great." While continuing to enjoy his strawberry Sunday, Nathan looks back up and Helena and couldn't keep his self from smiling at the sight he was seeing in front of him.
Helena happens to catch him staring and blushes a little. "What?"
"You're just really beautiful." Nathan confesses smoothly.
Hearing those words touch Helena to where she tries to keep herself from crying. "Thank you Nathan, you are very handsome yourself."
Nathan could tell something was up, "Helena, what's wrong? Did I upset you?"
"It's not you. It's just the last time a man actually called me beautiful was Michael. Anyone else just saw me as a piece of meat and then with everything with my father..."
Nathan pulls his chair right beside her so he could comfort her. As he holds her, letting her cry on his shoulder, Nathan thinks to himself how long has Helena held all this is in?
Remembering his conversations with Chien and Lyla, Nathan decides that he needs to gain Helena's trust fully and help her get closure from Michael's death by putting her father in the grave once and for all.
Noticing his silence, Helena moves and curses herself for crying like that in front of him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to see me like that." Helena likes to consider herself a tough girl who doesn't show off her emotions in public.
"You don't need to apologize for that, there's nothing wrong with showing your vulnerability sometimes. You can do that anytime with me." Nathan proceeds to kiss the tears from Helena's face. The two shares a soft kiss before Nathan takes both of Helena's hands to have a serious moment with her.
"I want this thing developing between us to work. I need to be honest with you about why I decided to switch the location of this date." Nathan tells her.
Seeing him tense up, Helena rubs his hand softy and looks him in the eyes. "I want things to work out between us as well Nathan. I will admit I am scared of getting hurt again, however, I am willing to give you a chance."
"All I ask is that you let me finish explaining before you react." Nathan pleads.
Once she gives him the nod, Nathan takes a deep breath before explaining. "The reason I didn't want to go to the original spot was because I spotted Laurel, who I told you about with my best friend at the place as well. When I came back from the island I discover that two of them became a couple during my supposed death."
Nathan notices that Helena face switch to an angry expression so he kept going before this all blows up in his face. "Now I realized that us being at the same place as them would cause a great deal of awkwardness and I didn't want you to think I still had feelings for her. It is true that I still care for her, but whatever she and I could've had died when I landed on Lian Yu. Plus, she would never understand my double life like you."
Helena expression softens a bit though she still felt a little disappointed inside due to Nathan possibly still having strong feelings for Laurel.
"Helena, you understand me better than anyone close to me. Like you said, you and me are the same and we can protect this city together. The main thing is I just don't want you to feel like I was using you as a rebound girl." Nathan finishes feeling better that he got that off his chest.
Helena processes everything Nathan just told her. "Nathan, I do appreciate your honesty. However, I don't like the fact that your so call best friend is dating your ex lover, like isn't there rules about that type of thing?"
"I think so, but I don't care about that. I glad they found happiness with each other because right now I am focusing on you, not her." Nathan understood how bad that sounded, but at the end of the day he felt that that Tommy would be better suited for Laurel at this point than he was.
Helena bites her lips nervously before softly asking, "So you are sure that you are no longer in love with her?" Nathan nods, hoping that she will believe him because like her, he didn't want to get hurt again for opening up to people.
"Okay, I'm trusting you Nathan. You earned it for being straight with me and not keeping it a secret." Helena gives him her answer.
Nathan smiles at this. "I'm happy to have gained that trust. So, to return the favor I think it's time we make plans to bringing down your father once and for all."
"Really?" Helena eyes went wide not believing that Nathan wanted to take down her father so soon.
"Yeah. Once we take care of that, you'll find the closure you need. What do you say, Huntress?" Nathan questions her with a smirk.
Helena smiles proudly before saying, "Let's do it, Arrow. For Michael, this city, and for us."
Triad Safehouse
Docks
Zhishan was sitting around a card table with three of his men, playing poker, when suddenly the men's phones went off one after the other. One of the men finally answered. "Shénme?"
"Líkāi nàlǐ! Líkāi nàlǐ!" the voice on the other end said frantically. Before the men could do anything, though, The Huntress burst through the door. Instead of her crossbow pistol, she was packing her Glock and she executed two of the three bodyguards. The third tried to fight, but then the Arrow appeared with a Beretta and shot him in the shoulder before taking his gun. The Arrow calmly got up and pointed both at Zhishan, who looked back at her calmly.
"Dāng nǐ xúnqiú bàofù, xiān wā liǎng gè fénmù." He said simply. "Yīgè shì nǐ de dírén, yīgè shì nǐ zìjǐ."
Nate smirked at him. "My girlfriend doesn't speak Chinese, so I'm just gonna let her assume you said good-bye." With that, he emptied both guns into the Triad leaders face. Helena knelt next to the wounded guard. "Tell your mistress that Frank Bertinelli sends his regards." She said with a smirk, before rising and leaving the safe house with Nate.
Bertinelli residence
Frank was sitting at the bar when he got a phone call.
'Boss, we just got word- somebody hit Zhishan. He's dead.' The caller said.
Frank sighed. "All right. Then we know what's coming next. Tell everyone to strap up." He ordered, hanging up.
Outside the house, guards were patrolling the ground. One stopped outside the pool and looked around. Spotting nothing, he turned-
Only to have China White pop up behind him, slitting his throat. As the man's body dropped, she looked at her compatriots.
"Bù huì ràng rènhé rén huózhe." she ordered, and the crew moved silently on towards the house. One by one, the guards fell to the silent onslaught.
The man guarding the door started calling out for guards on his radio, and got no response. "Ricco's not answering his walkie." He called to the man behind him, who had already been taken out. "Check it out." He turned- only to be garroted.
The Triad entered the house. While the rest fanned out on the ground floor, one headed up the stairs. As soon as he reached the top, he was stabbed in the chest with one of Nate's custom ninja swords. The Arrow rushed forward, catching the man before he fell and lowered him gently to the ground. As gunfire erupted downstairs, he headed down to find Frank.
In his office, Frank was running and ducking the fire. He made his way to his safe. He managed to open it, then grabbed Helena's laptop. He closed the safe, and then threw the laptop in his briefcase. He moved to escape when China White caught up to him. She pushed him against a stone pillar and held her knife, ready to slit his throat.
"Frank Bertinelli- this is for Zhishan." She lifted the knife- and it was knocked out of her hand by an arrow. She spun in 'surprise'to see Nate, who fired an arrow which she deflected with her other knife. He holstered his bow and pulled out two kunai knives as he began to fight China White, before his back was to Frank and he kicked China away before turning back to Frank.
"Run." Nate snarled, as he went back to 'fighting' China White. The moment he was gone, the two were smirking as everything so far was going according to plan.
Frank ran, ducking and shooting as he struggled to make it out of his house. He made it out onto the yard and started running. He was passing his small duck pond and was halfway to the edge of the property, when suddenly a bolt slammed into his knee. Frank dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. Helena stalked up to her father as he rolled onto his back looking at who had just shot him.
"How did that feel, dad?" Helena said as she pulled off her mask and turned her voice modulator off.
Frank looks up in horror to see his daughter walking slowly up to him with a crossbow aiming at him. "Helena? What is this?"
"Payback for Michael. I know you had him killed, Salvati told me. I have been planning this revenge for a long time and now I decide whether you live or die." Helena tells her father feeling the lust for revenge consume her.
"I did it to protect the family! If you really are that stupid to not realize that, then you no longer are consider my daughter!" Frank yells after discovering his ungrateful daughter turn her back on him.
"What kind of daughter would want to have a father who goes around killing the man that she loved!? After he died, I stopped considering myself your daughter anymore, and just bid my time for this moment." Helena aims her crossbow towards his head, with her finger on the trigger, and softly says, "Now you will finally will feel how I felt when everything gets stripped away from you and to find out that your own blood was responsible for the death of your entire world."
Frank grabbed a gun while she was basking and made to fire at Helena, but before he could, an arrow pierced both of his wrists, causing him to cry out in pain as he dropped the gun. Looking to Frank left side, both father and daughter say Nate with his bow extended. "You didn't actually think I would let you shoot your own daughter, did you?" Nate said in a mocking way.
"She has betrayed me! She is not my daughter anymore!" Frank shouted like a madman.
"You have only yourself to blame for that." Nate said as he walked up Frank and pulled the broken man to his feet as he addressed his girlfriend, "He would have shot you dead just now, Helena. He's not your father anymore. He's not the father that used to take you to ballet class as a girl. He's not the father that used to take you on ski trips or help you with your math homework. All he is now is just a monster that would kill his own daughter to hold to his power."
Nathan pulled one of his swords from it's sheathe, and tossed it to Helena, which she caught, "As long as he lives, he'll haunt and torment you for the rest of your days. End it ,Helena. End this monster that stands before you, and let Michael finally rest in peace."
For a few moments, Helena seemed lost on what to do as she held her crossbow pistol in one hand and Nate's sword in the other. Finally, she made a decision and holstered her crossbow. She walked up father, tightly gripping Nate's sword, and roared as she stabbed her father in the chest. Frank struggled, holding the sword and trying to say something, but the light left his eyes, and he faded from this world.
At that point, Helena collapses to her knees and burst into tears with Nathan coming behind her to hold her close to him. "It's okay, I'm here."
Arrow Lair
Later
Moving over to the computers, Nate types in a some keys and brings up the news feed showing Frank Bertinelli has been killed due to The Hood and his new partner who they thankfully decided to call The Huntress. At least they got the name right this time.
"You did good, Helena." Nathan said.
"I've been alone for past 3 years of my life. Just having on revenge on my mind, every second of the day. I forget there was more to… living" Helena said "But there's still a darkness inside, I'm broken and nothing will ever fix that."
"Near the end of my third year away" Nathan said, wondering if he wants to open up "I lost a young boy, who became my friend and I tortured the guy who did it for hours. Fled back to Lian Yu afterwards, consumed by darkness."
"Torturing him is what broke you?" Helena asked.
"Initially, yes. Figured you might want to do this" Nathan said, then picking up the open notebook and a pen, hands them to her.
After scratching out her father's name "Why do you have a book full of names?" Helena asked.
"It was my father's, and is why I do this. Spent the last half of my 5th year in mountains of Tibet, training under a wise old man, who taught me how to replace evil with death, and then I began to plan out my mission. It's a long story" Nathan said.
"I am gonna stay in Starling, to continue being a vigilante. This is my home" Helena said.
"Nice to here it." Lyla greeted warmly as she walked in. 'Welcome to the team, Huntress."
"Thanks," Helena said as she and Lyla shook hands.
"I need to get going over to my bunker since the SCPD will have my dad's house locked down as a crime scene for the next few weeks" Helena said.
"You need a ride? Since, I've got to go have a conversation with Tommy." Nathan said.
"No, it's okay. I have something personal I need to take care of as well. I'll see tomorrow" Helena said as her and Nate shared a quick kiss before making her way out.
"Well, it looks like it all worked out in the end. The Bertinelli organization is in shambles, the Triad which your other girlfriend directly controls now controls 60% of Starling city, and you got your self another girlfriend." Lyla said joking at the end.
"All in a days work, Ms Michaels." Nathan teased. Nathan turned back to the computers with hitting a few keys to begin powering them down.
An hour later
Helena pulls the motorcycle up along the fence line then gets off with leaving her helmet on the seat. Sure, she was going to the bunker but there was a stop she had to make.
Climbing over the fence, Helena out of near habit makes her way over to Michael's tombstone and crouches down.
Helena doesn't say anything, just simply remembers back to when one Michel's students overdosed on Tony Dursco's drugs and then at the engagement party, a day later Michel turned down her father's offer to join the family business. Frank had Michel killed that night by Salvati.
It left her in a deep, soul less pit of wanting only revenge which she used to push through the harsh training for the next three years in Italy. Upon returning in early January of this year, Tony Dursco was one of her first kills.
For Micheal, he could finally rest in peace and she would always loved him but she has to move on with her life.
"Good bye Micheal" Helena said before climbing to her feet and walking away.