The Starling Saviour

Chapter 40

'Let your fingers relax,' Oliver instructed as I raised my bow and steadied my aim, pulling the bowstring back. 'Keep the arrow in line with your eyes, and just let it go.'

I shot the arrow at a makeshift target in the large, open space area of his nightclub hideout, but it missed by inches, falling to the floor limply.

'I'm sorry, but even though you're giving me the same advice as last time, I just can't shoot the way I used to back on the island,' I shook my head in embarrassment. 'I've had to adapt my skills to using a gun instead of a bow and arrow.'

'You'll be able to fight in no time, I promise,' Oliver reassured me. 'But maybe you should just stick to the computers for a while.'

'Ollie,' I said softly after a few minutes of silence, a tense atmosphere filling the room. 'What happened between you and that... Helena?'

Oliver looked up with a confused expression, as if he hadn't been expecting me to even mention her mere name. He and Diggle had been muttering about her ever since I had joined their team, and I felt rather in the dark.

'She's not my Helena, is she?' I carried on, starting to go off on a tangent. 'Like, you would tell me if Helena Cadent was back, wouldn't you?'

I couldn't imagine that they would keep information about my ex-vigilante and Forensics partner, and this Helena's involvement with Oliver seemed to be of a romantic vibe.

'She definitely wasn't your Helena,' Oliver shook his head, a veil of both sadness and anger hanging over him. 'Her name was Helena Bertinelli, and she quite the opposite of Helena Cadent. But that's all in the past now, and you don't need to worry about her.'

'Well, if you need to talk about it, I'm always here,' I gave Oliver a smile, deciding it would be best not to pester him about the situation any further.

After all, I hated to imagine what he could do to someone who had deeply angered him, after learning that he was The Hood.

'I better go home,' I changed the topic quickly. 'Because you need to go home, Ollie. It's Christmas time. I'm sure your mum and your sister, and even Walter will want you to be around. I know the Vigilante has responsibilities, but Oliver does to. And that's to be with his family at Christmas.'

'Before Diggle reminded me, I had completely forgotten about Christmas,' Oliver smiled reminiscently. 'There were no holidays on the island; the only time we could celebrate was when we had a small victory, and those were scarce. I'm sure you'll remember that.'

'I do,' I nodded, casting my mind back to the horrors we had endured. 'But that was the past, Ollie. I know your crusade is built on the past, but try to enjoy the here and now. That's how I keep myself sane, anyway. So go, go to your family. I'll clear the equipment away.'

'I'm not leaving without you,' Oliver shook his head. 'You're not going to be alone this Christmas, in that apartment.'

'Then where am I supposed to go?' I challenged him with half a laugh. 'I just moved back into my apartment, after the CCPD concluded their investigation on Marcus's... I have no where else to live, and no money to move. A wage at the SCPD just gets me by. Plus, my apartment is one of the few nice properties in-'

'You're staying with us this Christmas,' Oliver interrupted me so I would babble on no further. 'No buts. Even on the island you were never really alone, despite the circumstances.'