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.