Arrow [Dinah Lance, Oliver Green, Alison Bell]

[dinah]

WEBG Starling City’s Channel 7 News showed neon green words that lit up the television screen in suggesting breaking news that a lost billionaire had been found. A mahogany colored man with black shaved hair and in his early forties, dressed in a nice suit and tie was telling the story. “Oliver Queen is alive. The Starling City resident was found by fisherman in the North China Sea five days ago. Five years after he was missing and presumed dead following the accident at sea which claimed The Queen’s Gambit.” A slanted square showed a map of the North China Sea with rings of circles were showing where the family ship had sank. A picture of Oliver Queen had replaced the sunken ship with the letters ‘Oliver Queen Discovered’ below. There was video footage of a young man in his early thirties walking down the street with a beautiful blond haired girl and Queen going after a camera man, shoving his hand into the lens to push the camera away as well as to keep the woman‘s identity safe. “Queen was a regular tabloid’s presence and a fixture at the Starling City club scene. Shortly before his appearance he was acquitted of assault charges stemming from a highly publicized drunken altercation with a paparazzi.” The image of Queen and his father became the latest image within the green square and the anchorman’s face returned shortly after the video. “Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen who was also on board but has officially confirmed as deceased.”

The news had stopped in California and did not reach Gotham, for what would Gotham want with a story where the billionaire had nothing to do with them? Instead, Gotham City’s News Break 12 was playing a different story that was being covered by Summer Gleeson, a news reporter and talk show host for “Gotham Live”. The red-haired woman in the peacock blue work suit with the white blouse and bow just under the neck was covering a story of another matter. “Once again Gotham’s bank management are trembling as the most recent of bank-related crimes have spread to the inner city walls. We spoke earlier with bank manager Keith Vaisey of the 1st National Bank, who offered these comments, ‘Our business will not stop running just because some hoodlums decided to go on a robbing spree. They may think it’s fun now, but recklessness always gets people caught.’ Where will these terrorists strike again and how long will it be before they are caught? This is Summer Gleeson for Gotham Insider.”

Dinah turned off the television and considered all the banks that have been robbed in the last month. They were at different times at night and had nothing in common with each other. No clues were left behind, no homicidal or deranged villains were leading the robberies, just well-equipped thugs with black ski masks and body armor who most likely drive around in either fast cars or armored cars. She would like to have a go at those boys for she was confident she could take them out.

She heard the bell to the shop door singing out the arrival of another customer and turns around to greet them while holding a clay pot with a planted lilac inside. “Welcome to Petal Perfect.” She turned to face the man or woman who had just entered her cozy flower shop and slowly stopped smiling, for the newcomer was a man and he seemed very familiar and a little different than from what she remembered. Could it be?

Her blue eyes went wide in shock as the potted plant slipped from out of her white gloved hands and crashed to the floor. The canaries in the cage, placed behind the checkout desk, began fluttering about within their caged walls upon the sound. Dinah could feel her heart stop and leap at the same time when she recognized the face. There, standing before her was a more muscular version of her childhood friend and young adult crush. It has been years since she had chewed him out for cheating on her with his carefree lifestyle of being a rich playboy and now he had returned out of the blue. Why return now after five years of having disappeared? “O-Oliver? Is that really you?” She stepped forward in having to see for herself. When she looked into his green eyes and saw that it was true, she slapped him in the cheek. “Where have you been! For three years I have searched for you Oliver Queen. Three years! You never thought to write to me or call? How dare you show your face now! Or were you not expecting me to be here? Maybe you came to buy flowers for some other mistress in a short skirt that just so happened to catch your eye? Or did you marry the last girl you were with?” Incidentally she had just asked him if he was married. A part of her did want to know not only because she wanted to fish around for answers to see if he had left her in finding another, or if he just decided to leave his hometown to do whatever it was that rich boys did.

Her brows were knitted close together for she was furious that he had just showed up without an explanation, or at least she would give him the chance to explain after she had voiced her opinion. How dare he keep her worried without staying in contact with her! She had tried to reach his phone many times and figured that he was most likely avoiding her from the last little fight they had; a fight consisting of Oliver bedding another woman when it was clear that Dinah had liked him. Or at least she thought she had made it clear. She certainly yelled at him then and just like any woman’s unresolved scorn, she was letting him have it now. “What do you have to say for yourself?” She demanded and kept getting distracted by the size of his muscles. When did he grow those? And what was with that intense look in his eyes?

[bowman]

His lime green eyes darted over the shop, inspecting the many breeds of flower that was available to purchase. Oliver had known Dinah for many years, meeting her in school. She was usually picked upon by a group of other girls who tarnished the fact they were richer. They soon stopped in their little game when Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen stood up to them, protecting Dinah from her evil bullies. The three became like musketeers, staying together for many years, sharing their adventures with each other. Many a day passed when they would leap through Oliver’s Mansion Grounds playing hide and seek or some other game. To be honest, Tom was always attracted to Dinah more so than Oliver was. Oliver always liked her sister slightly more as she was older than her. Finally in University, they hooked up and dated for a while. Their relationship was shattered when Oliver’s playboy lifestyle cost him her love and care. She came back to his house, to find him naked in the pool with seven Italian models. Never a good sign. She wished him to leave forever and guess what? He did.

The trawler boat that picked him up, took him to Hong Kong where the U.S embassy officially declared him as Oliver Queen. After a long flight back to Star City, Oliver was finally home to his family. They never wanted him to leave their sight again but he insisted to go and visit Dinah in Gotham. Visiting her mother, Oliver learned of her new job in Gotham City as a florist. Booking into a high class hotel, Oliver was plagued by the press as soon as he arrived in the City. The only reason he hadn’t visited her earlier was that his P.R team had some other plans for him.

“Hello Dinah. It’s….good to see you.” Those were his first words to the flustered girl as he entered the store, with a fragile smile upon his blonde face. Then an attack of words came in response, nearly knocking him back through the door at high speeds. “Calm down! It’s been five years actually. Five years, three months and seven days.” It’s hard to forget certain things, like when was his last talk with another human being or when he last saw the Women he loved greatly. It’s strange though, he spent hours plotting what he was to say to her. Then when zero hour approached, his mind and mouth failed to speak, leaving him uttering a few singular words.

He expected a long, passionate kiss yet instead he got an explosion of both anger and guilt.

[dinah]

“Only five years? Do you know how…worried I was over you? Bad things happen to rich people, Oliver. They get held up for ransom or drink themselves to death. How was I supposed to know what happened to you after the day you disappeared? Five days I can handle, but five years, three months and seven days is enough for anyone to go mad over waiting for a return.” She secretly had to admit he did look good and she could not help but let her eyes wander over him, for he was no longer the lean rich boy but well-toned and his eyes… in the past he used to look so much happier. Something had changed him, his stance was more confident, his tone sounded more grown up and ready to take charge, and there was some visible scaring on his arms. “You were in prison weren’t you?” She goes behind the counter and into a backroom to collect a dust pan and broom before returning and bent down to pick up the broken pieces of the clay pot and flower. She threw away the broken earthenware and set the lilac on the counter before beginning to sweep up the mess of soil.

She could see that her words had struck him deep but she had harbored feelings for him many years ago, which changed to resentment and anger. When he disappeared she had blamed herself for the sudden disappearance and when his family said they could not find him Dinah became sick with worry. As the years passed she felt more and more guilty and even went out looking for him in all of his old haunts, but she could do nothing more than what the police had already done. Eventually her own family had told her that after three years it was time to let him go. To remember him but to close the door to any chance of him returning so that she could move on. She did not want to believe that Oliver was dead, she had to believe he was out there some where and that she was the cause of his vanishing act. She knew he wouldn’t do it out of anger for her, but she wondered if he did it for her too. No, that was impossible. He never left for that long.

“The next thing you’re going to tell me is that you have a tattoo.” She picked up the dust pan and the soil and walked over to the garbage can to throw the soil away. “Let me guess what it says, ‘rich life’ instead of ‘thug life?’” From all the years that he has known her, he might be able to tell that she was hiding other thoughts and feelings that were near the surface, that is if he did not forget how to read her. It was a self defense mechanism she often used, to attack first in order to protect her heart from becoming hurt again. If he remained calm, the storm would eventually subside, allowing questions to flow and then she could become settled. But as for now she needed a reason to listen to him, an apology, explanation as to where he went and it had better be a darn good one for all the emotional suffering she went through. And so help him if he said it was prison she’ll hit him again for getting into places he knew better than to go. Of course he had already learned his lesson by spending time behind bars and avoiding the unimaginable and occasional cellmate visits so there would be no need for a second smack but it would make her feel better. And yet a part of her was hoping it was not prison, for he did not need that type of publicity.

“Where were you?” Her voice finally softened and she turned her full attention onto him. Her blue eyes focused on his, her arms crossed over her chest to await an answer while visually guarding her heart from him, and her body leaning against the counter with one foot crossed over the other to make her appear almost relaxed but ready to push him away if necessary.

[bowman]

Oliver retained his iconic, childish grin as he listened to Dinah talk away, mostly to her self. She’d not changed a bit. He could remember the talking to he received from her when she found that scratched her car, this was going to be worse. He sat upon a stool by the window, allowing the sun to bounce over his shoulder’s casting a shadow. “Wow must have been hard for you; you know sleeping in your king sized bed along. Or maybe you watched a sad movie of your sixty inch television with ice cream? Life’s never fair is it?” He was obviously been sarcastic about his situation during those five years.

She was in a bad way? She should have tried eating raw rabbit in a cave after shooting it with an arrow. She should spend eight hours tied to a wooden post in the rain, with a large man cutting your chest to pieces. The only cut she’s got is from her scissors. He continued to snigger away to him self while listening, shaking his head. She always did make him laugh, and at the worst of times

“You honestly need to calm down. Look at me, I’m not angry with you for wishing bad luck upon me.” Oliver knew how to rattle her cage. He hasn’t laughed this much in years, and probably wont for a couple more. Ollie wrapped his thick arms around her, giving a well timed hug to the worried girl. His voice dropped when she mentioned prison though, as he held her at arm’s length. “Prison? Prison? I haven’t been bad for years. I have got some tattoos here and there but nothing serious. Nothing as ‘gang-like’ as what you think.” He backs away slightly, pulling his shirt open slightly to show the one on his peck. It’s a dark green family crest, not some gangster sign.

The shop itself was quite nice, very modest. She’s done well for her self. At least some people know how to get on with their life. Yet Oliver couldn’t bring himself to open a shop like this one, to much stress concerned. That’s why Ollie only works at Queen Industries in small doses.

[dinah]

“You’re avoiding my question.” She kept her hands up on his chest to keep him from hugging her completely until she got her answer. He had told her that it was not jail that he went to and that came as some relief but not all.

When he also held her back, she was rather surprised at his strength, for this was not the boy she once knew. Sure his ill-timed laughter was the same and he never did seem to take her serious when she was mad at him, but he was physically taller and well-toned. The once playboy scoundrel who went to boot camp for five years and came back a solider is what he looked like. She moved her hand across his chest as if absentmindedly when really she was feeling his muscles. She looked down at his arms and trailed her finger along the bulging veins that grew up his arms and the well-sculpted biceps. She became quiet when wondered what the rest of him looked like and what it was that had caused the change.

"So you did get a tattoo." She smiled a little at how strange it was to think of him even having one. Was it the playboy bunny sign? A naked woman with angel wings on one side of his shoulder and a devilish temptress on the other? When Olie drew back the material of his shirt to see that it was neither, she saw that it was something jagged and inked it blue. It looked like an eight-edged star surrounding eight tinier circles that gathered around a bow and arrow? Or was it an X? It looked similar to his family crest, and below the tattoo were two long scratch marks as if some large cat had raked it’s to prominent claws across him. His right shoulder looked as if an S had been branded on although the shape itself was not exactly clear to help Dinah determine what had caused it in the first place. Her fingers pried open his shirt even more and found the raised pink battle scars he earned while the island. Her mind wandered through the many things that could have happened to him while he was away. Gangs? War? Villains? Self harm? Whatever it was, it looked like it had been painful at one time and it was no wonder if he didn’t want to talk about it.

Slowly her eyes trailed back up to his green eyes and she studied his face. He no longer had the jovial sparkle in his eyes, that mischievous spark of a teenager. Just a silent understanding of what he had been through and a new understanding of the world that Dinah was a little familiar with. She was tempted to touch her throat, where the black choker hid her past and stood as a reminder never to be suckered into an ambush again. She could almost hear her own agonized screams resurfacing from deep within. Her own inner demons ready to claw their way out into a frenzy of anxiety and fear. But she flinched and blinked, changed her thoughts to Alison and the puppy, to her flower shop and the years of therapy telling her to find her place of peace. She breathed in shallow short breaths and raised her eyes to Oliver’s. She was no one’s whore, no one’s cut ‘em up and laugh at play thing any more. She was Dinah Laurel Lance aka the Black Canary. She faced and fought her own fears, went out and conquered until she took her life back by force. She was not going to allow fear and nightmares rule her any more and every time that her memories fell back into the terror, she felt a thirst for justice rise up within her.

She tilt her chin up and looked Oliver in his eyes, matching his warrior spirit with her own. Her anger was for him, yes. For making her worry and think him dead, for all the years of denying that he was. For feeling that love was lost and that no one could replace him. And yet here he was looking back at her with that same look she saw in the mirror when things looked bad. She could feel her protector wanting to speak, to end this inner torment she suffered from when he disappeared.

“You know I used to blame you for taking away my chance at revenge on the man who nearly killed me. I wanted his blood spilled by my hands so that I could take back everything he did to me, what he stole from me. I hated you for beating me to it. I felt a lust for vengeance and turned on you instead of facing my anger for what that vile thing did to me. And for that I am sorry. I know that you were protecting me from your enemy, that you felt guilty for having to have failed me by coming too late. Now I know that it should have been me to have fought my battle, so that you never had to have crossed the line and forced your hand to snuff out a life. You can never take back a moment like that. I should be the one living with that burden not you."

She felt a lump form in her throat and it wasn’t the inner scars of her damaged throat, for the Lazarus Pits had healed that. But no matter what, it could never heal the memories. The night terrors, the sounds of her own flesh tearing and her bones cracking. She had cut off her emotions since that night, everything but her anger. It took her months to learn that it was not who she was to be numb inside. It was not who she was meant to be, for she wanted to be as her mother was; brave, confident, and beautiful.

“I don’t blame you for choosing my sister over me. All you ever did was protect me and I pushed you away when I needed to reconnect with the woman I once knew. I was a mess of fury and unstable emotions, trying to figure out why I was attacked, and in your eyes my sister must have been the next best thing to being me. Back then you didn’t understand the anguish I went through, but now you do, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes. That hardness and refusal to give up and die, a fierce animal hiding behind two glass lenses, ready to come out and attack if something dangerous would threaten your existence. No matter how you try to hide it, the beast is there, waiting. I get it” She rest one hand on his scar while the other hand felt his cheek. “Years ago I swore that I would have done anything to bring you back, to end the guilt of having pushed you away from me in the first place. And now that you’re here I don’t know what to do with you. And you still laugh when I’m being serious.” She lightly struck at his chest with closed fists to smack him for taunting her. The last thing she needed was for him to walk away from her again because she felt the urge to turn her heart away from him so that he could not hurt her again, so that she could no longer relive the pain of having to lose him again.

“I thought I could replace you as easily as you had me but in the end it just wasn’t the same. In the end it was I who wound up hurting someone.” She felt tears well up in her eyes. “And I’ve missed you.” She looked away, any where but in his eyes. She didn’t want him to see her like this. She allowed her dyed blond hair to shadow her face from his. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “I am so sorry for what I’ve done to you. If I’ve caused all of this.”

[bowman]

“Dinah, please don’t, just please don’t cry. I didn’t fight for my life to see you cry again. That’s why I came to see you. You deserve the chance to move on from the past, although it’s obvious you’ve been doing just fine with out my pathetic aid.” He was obviously referring to the shop in which they sat talking, Petal Perfect. Such an innocent name, just like its owner.

Dinah didn’t deserve any of this; the guilt, the anger and the pain. If he could, Oliver would have took it all from her, trapping it deep with in him self. With a bruised finger, Ollie wiped away Dinah’s growing tears. It was something he couldn’t stand; crying but he disliked it out of mercy for the person. It’s what moved him to help her when they first met on the school yard. Ever since then, she’s provided any strength needed for Ollie, not the other way around.

In fact, her heart was very strong, it had to be. So it was an uncommon thing for him to bare witness to. “I would trap my self on that Island for an eternity if it stopped those damn tears, rolling down your perfect cheeks. I’d die and thousand deaths to bring back your sister, I’m sorry. So god damn sorry! I killed her!” It was always known that Oliver was attracted to her elder sister yet no one expected it when Oliver was found with her in his bed, while dating Dinah.

It’s practically what saved her life from the crash. They were due to sail over to Australia with Robert Queen aboard the Queen’s Gambit yet this scandal forced Dinah to stay away from Oliver. Unfazed by her mood, Oliver ignored Dinah thinking it wasn’t much to complain about. So he took her sister with him on the Ship. She was pulled under the waves when the decks began to swarm with cold water, she stood no chance. Now it was Ollie who was crying as he jumped up in anger, knocking the stool he was sitting on over. “Why? She had done nothing yet I lived! Why should I live when a perfect, innocent girl was taken? I’ve thought about it for hours on end, thinking what God has in store for me, a snobbish rich idiot with more money than sense.”

[dinah]

“It’s not as perfect as it looks Olie.” She did not want to talk about the shop’s financial problems and the lack of customers, for Gotham wasn’t exactly the nicest place to live and people were more selfish and greedy here than the folks back home. To most of the Gothamites, why should they want spend money on something that would die within a few days when they can keep their cash instead? It was because of hard financial decisions that Dinah chose to open her dojo for anyone looking for self defense opportunities or ways to control their new found powers. Victor Grant had recently become her first official pupil and he gave her the opportunity to become distracted with the urge to teach and nurture another, aside from her cousin, Alison. Someone to look after and to instruct so it would fill the void of being lonely and childless.

“Besides, I’ve always been good at bouncing back after I talk things out or… get it out of my system by fighting.” She stopped herself from speaking when she realized she had almost given herself away as a hero just starting out. But he would probably consider her meaning of the word 'fighting' as in verbal battles. Oliver did not know that she had trained like mad to be the warrior her mother was, perhaps even more fierce than her parental female role model. She recalled begging her mother to join her in fighting crime and when her mother, the original Black Canary had died, it was Dinah’s choice to be trained as a crime fighter under the watch of her mother’s former colleagues and life-long friend, Ted Grant alias Wildcat. And fight she did, for it distracted her from her unlived desires, her emptiness, and numbed her emotions. She loved taking her anger out on those who looked down on the innocent and spat at the law. She felt alive when it came to taking back her emotions and run on testosterone until she was too exhausted to think straight. It was a body cleanser like no other, but how could he ever understand that? It would be like saying, ‘thanks for ruining my life, without you I never would became who I am today.’ No, she was glad of what had happened and now that she could tell him that she was sorry for pushing him away when she really needed someone to walk her through the emotional damage. And yet some how she came away from it stronger than ever. But when he touched her, that strength mixed with his and it was confusing. She wanted to be independent and strong and not succumb to more fairy tale fantasies. Such a thing did not exist for the cold cruel reality of life struck her hard five years ago, and sent her spiraling into the real world. Even when she thought it safe to let her guard down, more reasons to avoid love would pop up.

Why fight it? Why want to pull away from Oliver when he was baring his soul to her as well? She could never resist a broken spirit who tasted her bitter tears as easily as having shed them themselves. She knew Oliver was racked with guilt just as much as she was denying the existence of love. When he held her close, a small spark of belonging flared up but her own fears overpowered her wants. Instead, her mind turned to wandering if he could feel her muscles and see how her skinny little high school legs were now strong with muscle. And just like he had grown into his fighter’s body, she had bloomed into hers. Her hips were wider now, ready to bare children, although she thought she may never have any from the hurt she had been through after losing Oliver to her sister, and then their supposed deaths. She couldn’t help but want to feel anything but nothing for Oliver. She needed him more than ever after losing her Canary Cry and even though he came to her rescue, he was not there for her during the anguish of having lost her gift, and that was her fault when she said she wanted to be alone. But when he claimed her sister… that was unforgivable. And to think that he said it was no big deal, that it was just a fling, that hurt more than the loss of her Cry.

No, she had good reason to keep her heart from him and still does. Does he want her or her sister now that she’s gone? She wasn’t like her sister for the most part, she was more like their mother. The strong, independent woman who wanted to change the world for the better. The woman who taught her that love was worth fighting for and her father, Larry Lance, had said the same thing. But they were dead now and Dinah has only herself to blame for her awaiting fate.

“Perfect innocent girl.” He said. Her sister was not innocent. She willingly and knowingly betrayed Dinah by running off with Oliver on the Queen’s Gambit. That was the last slap in the face Dinah had from her, the last memory of her sister. But none of that mattered now. She got over the loss of her sister and now, there was Olie. What did he want from her? Why was he here? Just to tell her he messed up? Why would anyone care after five long years when most people would move on? She tried to.

“So what now?” She asked quietly and lift her chin up to see into his eyes.

[bowman]

Ollie smirked for the first time since he’d arrived at Dinah’s little shop. It was nice to see her finally smile at last, to see beneath her hard exterior. “You say that but it doesn’t look that bad. Maybe it smells of rotting vegetation just a little but all in all, it’s quite a nice spot. Wouldn’t expect you to get many regulars around here, Gotham isn’t known for its warm and compassionate citizens. But I suppose you were never one to take the easy way out.” A slight smirk looked up at Dinah’s eyes, capturing them with their shine.

It was strange for Oliver, holding Dinah in his arms once more, not only mentally and sexually but physically as well. Remembering one of his main reasons for dating her at the time, Ollie’s sage eyes darted around, inspecting all aspects of her form. She wasn’t the same girl he fell in love with all those years ago. No, now he wasn’t sure. With his fingers, he began to slightly feel her biceps, moving her closer so he can get to them better. It was strange as they were toned, muscular and as far as he could remember, Dinah was never as muscular. Her legs, now long and firm unlike her previous limbs, which were slim and dainty, looked like an athletes as she was wearing a pair of tight trousers. Her breasts were fuller; showing her process into adulthood was complete. She was most likely doing the same to Oliver, inspecting his physical changes since they last met. Ollie was never overweight in his youth yet he was never one for serious sport, preferring to just play with his friends. All that had changed now that he was a man.

She had a new streak of independence about her, staggering Oliver as she was never one to take command of a situation. During college, she always preferred to keep to her self, never getting involved with things that didn’t concern her. That’s not saying she was shy, oh no. She was a member of the debate team, in which Oliver only watched once as a promise to her.

For a split second, a strange thought came over Oliver. What if he tried to show Dinah that he’d changed his character to one she could trust and count on for support. Then it struck him, she could have dinner with him tonight. No cameras, no loud music, no drunkard making fools of themselves, just them two. “Dinah, I know you don’t trust my feelings yet, maybe you never will. Only allow me the chance to prove my honesty. If you’re up for it, I’d love to have you over tonight, at my new place. It’d be my way of an apology for my past actions.” He didn’t say it as if it were a date, more of a friendly get together. She’d prefer it to be called that.

[dinah]

“Always with the sarcasm.” She smirked for she loved his little moments of wise cracked jokes. She had missed the sound of his voice and even though he sounded sincere, he did have an edge to it and no doubt it was caused by whatever gave him the scars. Was it just a ship wreck that had changed him? She would have to ask him about that later.

She could feel herself get weak the moment their eyes met. He was better looking than she could remember and even when he was silent he had the look of adoration in his eyes, that same adoration that made her fall for him all those years ago. Oliver always had a way of looking at her in a way that could melt all anger she held over him. Something in his eyes, was it kindness? Love? And his almost a smirk lips that stood out from behind his facial hair, it was nearly impossible to resist at this point. Did he even realize the power that he held over her right now? She could feel him pressed up against her and knew what he was thinking as well.

Dinah had seen, and gagged at, movies with moments like this. She could just imagine some sort of romance music coming on as the wind blew her hair to the side as they stood on rocks with the beach waves crashing around them. And the music would intensify when they kissed… but the only music playing came from the radio in the back. One of Alison’s CD’s, possibly about the female singer who had a really bad time with relationships and was always singing about them. With the passing silence between she and Olie and the mixed emotions she felt, she let the words in the background speak for her. “And if you catch me I might try to run away. You know I can’t be here too long. And if you let me I might try to make you stay, seems you never realize a good thing till it’s gone…” Boy did that lady have it right. She was about to speak when the second half of the lyrics reminded her of Jason Todd, the man she was currently seeing. “Maybe I’m still searchin’ but I don’t know what it means, all the fires of destruction are still burnin’ in my dreams. There’s no water that can wash away this longin’ to come clean…”

She found herself staring into Oliver’s eyes and sensing that last part was for him. Why is it that music always has words for what your feeling and its lyrics can expression precisely what one cannot at that moment? Music always had exposed Dinah’s rawest emotions whether it be sadness, anger, love or joy, and right now she was uncertain as to whom she wanted to choose. Damn it Oliver, why did you have to come back at such an inconvenient time and why are you looking so good!

Dinah backed out of his hold on her and reached for a pen with a fake flower taped on it and used a greeting card to write down his address. Once she had it, she slipped it into her pocket then gave him her calling card. “Alright. What time?”

[bowman]

“Well around seven would be fine; it doesn’t matter much as long as you come. I’ve got a penthouse at that new building, The Coates, I think.” Oliver only the bought the place a few days ago. It wasn’t much but it was better than sleeping in a cave. It was quite large to be honest, with a few rooms including a nice kitchen although Oliver rarely touched the place.

Raising up from his seat, Ollie could hardly contain his excitement when Dinah agreed to his ‘date’ which wasn’t one, only a meeting of old friends. Or at least that’s what he kept calling it. “I’ll see you then, Dinah.” Ollie said with a huge grin upon his face, moving over to Dinah once more. His eyes never met hers as he hesitated to kiss her on the cheek, moving back slightly while he just shook her hand. Her grip was strong, quite masculine in fact. There was something up with Dinah, had she become more muscular out of a new competitive streak? Only time would tell him.

He left the shop quite quickly, jumping back into his car. That musky smell of leather lifted through his nostrils, removing the scent of flowers. His fingers gripped the wheel well, although his mind thought only of his previous encounter with Dinah Lance. It was strange, not just the way she acted but the way she smelled, looked, felt. He brushed his queries off, thinking them to be distracting him from what had happened. The one person that he thought of only for the past five years was back in his life, finally.

The journey back was quick; he wanted to get everything ready for their next encounter. When he got back into the apartment, he was quickly to work. First he chose the wine from his modest selection. The meal would be a nice Italian dish, Dinah used to love that stuff. Some nice music, nice suit, nice evening. But first things first, Oliver thought as he rushed into his room. He opened the wardrobe, swiping the layers of clothes out of the way as he reached to the rear, pressing a small button. The back of it began to open…

[dinah]

A short breath escaped her lips when he mentioned the penthouse. Of course he would own one. This was soon forgotten the moment he kissed her cheek. She could feel blood rising to her cheeks after he did that by why the handshake? Was he trying to tell her something? Usually people just end with a kiss when they want to show affection or appreciation but the handshake was more business-like. Was he suggesting that they just be acquaintances? That’s fine by her, no rush. After all she barely recognized him when he walked in through the door and who is to say that he hasn’t changed over the years? She certainly has.

She looked around her empty shop and sighed. She could always close up early and forget about that one major sale that could waltz right up to her door, test the handle and find it locked. The date had better be worth it. Did she just call it a date? She growled and looked at the time. It would take her at least an hour to get ready unless she got ready here instead. Her wardrobe was at home which meant she only had time to apply more makeup now and… and then what? Her hair tools were all at home. This is why women hated such short notice, always having to rush into things and cut it close in an attempt to look their best. She laughed at herself for worrying over this, after all Olie made it clear it was nothing big.

“Don’t get your hopes up.” She told herself and relaxed a little. If she didn’t think there was a chance between them, there was no stress, right? Now, what to wear?

At home she looked through her closet of all the different street clothes she had. Most of them were tight jeans, white t-shirt, leather here and there an occasional colored shirt and very few dresses. She hated dressing up and yet it depended on her mood. Why didn’t she buy a dinner dress yet? Who doesn’t own a dinner dress? She moved hanger after hanger until finally stopping at the sight of a small black dress. Her heart stopped for this was the same dress she wore at Oliver’s funeral. She almost continued to look but knew this was the only dress she could use for any occasion. “Well, might as well make better memories with this one than none at all.”

She removed her dress from the hanger and silently pleaded with body that she would still fit into it. The material was stretchy to some degree, and she quickly changed out of her work clothes and into her dress, crossing her fingers as she looked into the mirror. Her wince became and all out stare as she realized it wasn’t too bad on her. She turned around to look at the backside, the sides and then the front. Heels! Where were her heels?! She dove back into the closet searching for the right pair of heels and finally pulled out a pair of black stiletto heels with double straps. Oh no, if she wore these, she’d have to remove her the midnight blue nail polish on her toes! Why did preparing for a date have to be so aggravating?!

After a quick furious scrubbing of the toes and nail polish remover, she added on a clear gloss on her toenails and fingernails, let them dry, then raced into the bathroom to draw her hair up with tendrils of golden locks curled down the back and bangs crossed over to one side of her face, also twisted by curls. She exhaled as she looked in the mirror then smiled for she didn’t look too bad. Her eyes fell to her choker and she wondered if he would ever ask about it. There was no scar to hide under it, just the mental scar of what had happened. She touched the black leather ribbon around her neck and raised her eyes to see herself. Wow did she look ridiculously girly. “No one will ever take me serious looking like this.”

She ran into Alison’s room and looked through the girl’s jewelry. She found a wolf head ring, a golden ring with a citrine stone since it was Alison’s birthstone, a gold scorpion trapped within plastic glow in the dark necklace, at last a gold necklace! Dinah removed the gold necklace and set that aside. What about the rings? She can’t wear those rings for none of them matched her eyes. Wait, a gold watch will work. She removed that and placed it around her left wrist. It was a good thing they both had tiny wrists. She put the necklace on and then looked at herself in the mirror. Okay, good enough. Now what? Perfume. She went into the bathroom and searched through the drawers but only found body spray. Okay, forget that. The hairspray smelled good enough right? She checked the time and nearly fainted. She had only thirty minutes to get across town and into Oliver’s penthouse so she hailed a cab by placing two fingers into her mouth and gave out a shrill whistle. “TAXI!”

People standing around were admiring her curves and very attractive appearance, but the inner tom boy took over, making her appear aggressive in the dress. The men turned to look away quickly and remembered their delicate wives, girlfriends or mistresses.

The taxi drove on and she cursed out loud, needing to get to Olie's and fast. She exhaled sharply, blowing a strand of hair from her face until she remembered her motorcycle. It wasn't lady-like at all for her to be riding one in a really short dress but she was willing to do what it takes to make it to her date on time.

She drove like a demon as she had hoped and stopped just outside of Oliver's place. Dinah was shocked at just how big the place was after having visiting Jason Todd's small warehouse.
She liked the warehouse, for it was like a mechanic's dream. Secluded, cozy... a little cold but not bad. When she looked at the large building from the outside she had a feeling she'd wind up getting lost. She removed her helmet, setting it on the handlebar then stood up from the bike in order to brush off any lint or hairs from her dress before walking toward the front door. Where the **** was the doorbell? She found the call box and pushed the button once. Did it ring or was she supposed to hold it down and talk into it?

[bowman]

Oliver whistled lightly as he stood in the shower, watching the water treacle down his face. His hands rubbed over his short hair lightly before he reached out, grabbing the tap to turn the water off. Stepping out of the steamy chamber, Oliver glanced at his reflection on the bathrooms mirror. As long as she didn’t get his top off, he’d be fine. She saw a few of his marks, including the tattoo upon his chest yet there was more. He though she’d wince in pain if she gazed upon the maze of cuts and bruises that navigated his body.

The sharp blade continued down his cheek, slicing off any unwanted stubble. He decided to keep his beard, at least for now. A goatee is what they call it, he thought while dabbing the cutthroat razor into the cool water. Dabbing the towel across his wet cheeks, Oliver admired his handy work before throwing the towel down and leaving to get changed. He opened the same wardrobe as before, tapping the back of it lightly. It was locked and the opening button was well and truly hidden from sight. Ollie didn’t spoil himself on clothing, only buying a few outfits to keep the paparazzi happy. Pulling some random items out, Oliver chose to wear a thick navy blue, turtle-neck jumper with a grey jacket over the top. He added some formal jeans to keep the balance between formal / informal just right.

His heart began to beat harder when the buzzer sounded at the door; he raced past the already set table, thanks to John for that. “Hello, Dinah? I’ll let you in. Top floor.” He tried to keep it short as he pressed the button in lightly, opening the door for her to enter. For the first time in the night, his heart began to play with him. He began to feel emotions, feelings that he’d never felt before. Did I choose the right clothes? Do I smell nice? Does she even like beards? It was strange for the billionaire to comprehend.

[dinah]

Ah crud she knew it. He wasn’t going to be there to meet her at the door. Maybe he wasn’t ready yet for she had always known him to be late. Same old habits, Oliver Queen. She opened the door half expecting to see either a butler or a penthouse girl in a bikini to greet her at the door. When neither came and she let herself in, she stopped dead in her tracks at the bachelor pad. Everything looked so exquisite, refined, fancy, and above all expensive. She could hear her heels clicking on the floors and the sound echoed throughout every room in the suite, at least it sounded like it did.

She saw the stairs and headed for them, nearly killed herself in her heels and decided it best to remove them first. Hopefully she wouldn’t get a run in her stockings as she climbed the stairs and kept climbing some more. Finally when she reached the top she looked over the banister and was glad she was in good shape. She put her shoes on again and continued to walk around, guessing where she was headed.

“You’d better not spring out at me.” She said and pictured herself breaking his arm, a nose, or his pride. Her voice trailed through the empty rooms and she felt exposed, out in the open, surrounded by little furniture in some areas.

She could not imagine herself living in a huge home like this, but it would be nice to feel rich for a little while. So much... like an island. She wondered of that bothered Olie, having to live alone. Wait, didn't he mention something about an island earlier? How did she miss that? Was he alone during that time? What about the scars? Did his private jet crash? Was he on a cruise when it happened? How could she have missed that? He was giving her a clue and now she understood it.

"Olly, olly oxen free..." She called out, hoping that he would come out of hiding soon. Her purse strap rolled off her shoulder and she drew it back up again. She hated purses. One strap always stayed up while the other didn't. She couldn't understand why Alison liked hers so much.

[bowman]

“Boo.” His voice said softly, pulling Dinah towards his direction. The moon was high in the sky, looming over the building like a bulb. The Billionaire stood before it, on top of his modest balcony. The sounds of the city were well away so only their voices filled the air. The table was neatly set with two steaming plates upon it with a bottle of red wine placed upon the table.

Water slowly fell down the side of the bottle as it stood in a silver goblet of ice cubes. Ollie didn’t like wine to be honest, thinking it to be too intricate and detailed for a drink. He preferred a simple beverage when it came to casual drinking yet his personal favourite was a vesper. When out at a party, it was all he would drink. Three measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, and then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. To be honest, he got it from his favorite author, Ian Fleming, in the book, Casino Royale.

The plates were a light cream colour, with red napkins placed by them. In fact the cloth itself was a romantic scarlet. Again with love, Oliver thought while I continued to smirk coolly towards his ‘date’. They’d be easting a luscious Italian dish of lasagna, not the most expensive meal in the world yet Oliver hoped it’d win her over. It was dabbed lightly with some garlic, yet there was a fresh roll of bread ready to be cut.

[dinah]

Dinah was taken back by the extent that Olie had gone through just to please her, if that was what he was going for. As a detective she could easily see what others had on their minds, especially during moments like these. But when it came to Oliver she was always second-guessing his thoughts and reasons. Slowly she was beginning to understand him but it would take more time before she could be on the same page as him. It was obvious that the utmost detail went into their dinner but then again it always should when it came down to the rich. And yet she saw no servants.

“Did you prepare all of this by hand?” She asked at last, wanting to know for certain. If he said yes, she knew that he did go out of his way to impress her. If he said that it was carry out then none of it mattered.

She never figured him to be a chef, or a dinner table decorator. By why wouldn’t all those years of table etiquette and fine dining sink in? She was bad at knowing what fork to use for a salad and which was the pie fork. It was rather embarrassing really, and she hoped they didn’t have to go there. Then again she could just watch and see what he uses and not even have to worry about it, unless he was watching her. And she knew he would. That’s what she loved and hated about Oliver Queen. He could easily point out her flaws and have a good laugh over them when she was trying her hardest to live up to his expectations. She wasn’t angry about it but just embarrassed. And she loved to hear him laugh even if it was at her expense.

She looked at the wine and knew that she would not be able to drink too much if she was right about her suspicions, but she didn’t want Olie to know just yet. Maybe never if it wasn’t going to happen. Unless he knew already? He was good at picking up the tiniest of details in as much as she was. Perhaps she had already given herself away when she looked at the bottle. No, to him it was just a look. A glance. Nothing more.

“I… I don’t know what to say.” She had never been to a romantic setting before, nor was she aware that Olie could be romantic. She wanted to back out and not let him see how touched she was. She could easily make a joke and break the ice about where he was hiding Chef Gordon Ramsay and make it look like she wasn’t flattered, but a part of her wanted him to know that she was. “It looks beautiful.”

How could she ever repay him for something like this? All she had was a flower shop and herself. She exhaled through her lips and boldly took a step forward. Fighting crime was easy, dodging bullets, no problem, but dating was something else.

She sat down and placed her purse on her lap, then on the ground next to her chair in not knowing where it should go during a date. On the back of the chair? It didn't matter did it? She waited for Olie to be seated and looked over the utensils. Okay, so far there was not a long line of silverware to separate the next course of the meal for Olie had kept it simple. She could do this. She picked up her fork and sampled the lasagna. She closed her eyes as the rich flavors struck every part of her tongue. This wasn't like her home cooked lasagna, nor was it anything like the store bought kind for the ingredients were fresh and there were flavors she had never experienced before. Surely a man paying this much attention to detail had meant for her to notice how hard he was trying?

"It's perfect."