"It has to be a trap." Ed was the first to speak once Oliver had given them all the details on the Bounty. "I mean, think about it, guys! A Bounty that pays pretty decent, with a short duration, that just happens to be within an hours drive and is set for tomorrow night?"

"And that's without even mentioning that your point of contact is the same FBI agent that has been sniffing around and complicating Oli's life!"

"I think we get your point, Ed..." Marty sighed, shaking his head. "But, at the same time, it doesn't make sense. Even if they are still suspicious of Oli for a number of things, why would they think this would pull him in? They would have to know he is able to see these Bounties and hope that he not only finds this one, but that he accepts it. For that matter, why would they put the one agent he's dealt with in charge of it? Wouldn't that just make him wary of accepting it?"

"Wouldn't that be a lot of trouble to go through with only a slim hope of trapping one particular person?"

"I mean... you've got a good point." Ed shrugged, not looking convinced. "It just feels a little too convenient, you know?"

"Why could it not both be a serious request and a trap?" Lily asked, startling the group- with how quiet she tended to be, and despite her imposing stature, it was easy for them to forget she was there at times. "Perhaps it is not a targeted trap? Oliver has mentioned that Agent Doe works in paranormal investigation, yes? Maybe this is a serious issue and an opportunity for them draw in individuals of which they were previously unaware? I do not believe it is uncommon for government entities to pursue multiple objectives simultaneously..."

"I don't think it's a trap." Oliver finally weighed in. "I mean, it is definitely possible that they are pursuing multiple angles, but putting Agent Doe's name and department right in the listing? They have to know that that would scare off most people- or creatures- that they would even be interested in."

"But, instead of scaring you off, it just made you curious, didn't it?" Gary smirked, popping another potato chip into his mouth.

"Oh, absolutely!" Oliver laughed, leaning back in his seat. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to just rush into it. Before I even consider it, I'll need to talk to Poli about it. And if we're all onboard with me doing it... Then we're going to make damn sure I've got a solid escape plan for if things go sideways..."

"...because there is no way in hell I plan to get dragged around by the FBI."

"So!" Oliver said, standing abruptly. "How about we put a pin in this while I head home to talk it over with the family-" He paused, a small smile forming on his face and eyes shining with joy. "You know, I like the sound of that. I have a family to talk things over with..."

Sighing softly, he shook his head and helped Lily to her feet. "Anyway... While we talk it over, Marty can get started on that Talisman Tome, and T probably has more work to do around here. Ed and Gary..." A wicked grin flashed across his face, disappearing so quick they almost thought they had imagined it. "Well, you guys are good at getting up to mischief; How about you two working on ways to get me out of there if it really does turn into a trap?"

"You know, I do still have some leftover fireworks..." Ed chuckled, mind already racing away.

"Bro, aren't those things illegal in this state?" Gary laughed, already jumping to his feet. "Besides, I've got a much better idea! Laser pointers!"

"What the hell are we going to do with laser pointers?" Ed asked, jumping up to follow his friend out of the room.

"You know..." Oliver said slowly, watching his excited friends leave. "I'm already starting to regret doing that..."

"Yeah, I'm not sure it was a good idea." Tyrone's forehead creased with worry. "I really don't want those two getting arrested, especially by the FBI."

"It's not them I'm worried about." Oliver sighed, turning for the door. "At least they'll have some fun coming up with crazy plans..."

Pulling back into the driveway at home, Oliver smiled at the productive day. He had spent time with Lily, gone shopping for at least some of the things he wanted to get for their family, padded his credits a bit more with some Commissions, and found a potential Bounty he could complete without being gone for too long...

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Not that it was guaranteed that he would take the Bounty; if at any point it looked like a terrible idea, or if Poli didn't agree to it, then he would just have to pass on it.

"Today was a lot of fun." Lily said, smiling brightly at him.

"Yeah, it was." Oliver happily agreed. "We should definitely do it again- though, I guess I should be sure to make time to spend with each of you..." He shrugged, suddenly looking uncertain. "I... really don't know what I'm doing, but I read online about how important it is to make time for everyone in a relationship- or in a family; can't forget about Jal after all..."

"You are doing well." Lily reassured him. "There is no need to rush, or to push yourself too much. Undoubtedly, there will be some bumps along the way; but, as long as we work together and communicate any problems, it will all be manageable."

"Yeah, I think I can handle that." He nodded slowly, feeling better about their unorthodox life. Patting her knee gently, he offered her a quick smile. "Ok, how about you go open the door for me while I start unloading stuff?"

"Why not simply store everything in your Warehouse temporarily?" She asked, hand on the car door handle.

"Optics, mostly." He shrugged. "On the off chance that someone may be paying attention to me... Well, it would look a little strange if I bought all this stuff and didn't have to carry it inside, right?"

"Cautious, but understandable." Lily let out a delicate snort before climbing out of the truck. "Are you certain you do not want my assistance?"

"Nah, I've got it; you go ahead in and relax- just prop the door open for me, if you don't mind."

Carrying everything inside was tedious, but also felt... nice, in the normalcy of it all: just a guy carrying a bunch of gifts for his family from the car to the house, then back again. Oliver nearly lost himself in the simple, mundane activity, until someone cleared their throat right as he was locking up his truck, the last of the boxes tucked under one arm.

"Can I help you?" He asked, turning to face the person standing in his driveway... even as he scanned the area quickly and mentally chastised himself for losing situational awareness- even in his moment of mundane bliss, he wouldn't excuse himself for not noticing someone just walking up behind him...

"You're Oliver, right?" The woman asked hesitantly.

Hearing that she recognized him, Oliver took a second to study the woman standing in front of him. Perhaps 5'4", and petite, she was clearly of Asian descent; lightly tanned skin with black hair- though her bangs were dyed a vibrant purple that stood out in contrast to the professional looking white button down shirt- she was an attractive woman...

And vaguely familiar.

It took him a second to track down in his mind where he knew her from, and he smiled when it finally clicked.

"Ling, right? We met at that band party last year..."

"The one at the lake house, I think." She nodded, smiling brightly at him. "I thought I recognized you..."

A moment of awkward silence passed, with Oliver unsure what to say; while he recognized her, and remembered that she was a decent person- at least by reputation- he barely knew Ling, and definitely didn't know what to say in the moment...

Thankfully, she didn't let the moment linger.

"So... You live here, right?" She asked uncertainly. "I mean, I just saw you carrying some stuff inside, so that make sense, but..."

"Ah, yeah." He shrugged. "Yeah, I live here. Why?"

"Oh..." Her shoulders slumped, and she stared at her phone like the device had somehow betrayed her. "I think my GPS messed up, or maybe I punched in the wrong address?" She sighed softly, tucking the phone back into her pocket. "I'm supposed to be interviewing with a Ms. Ramirez for this tutoring job and-"

"Oh, you're here to talk to Poli!" He interrupted her with a sheepish smile. "Come on in and I'll introduce you."

"She lives here too?" Ling asked in surprise. "So, I am in the right place?"

"Well, she is my fiance- and, if you get the job, you'll be tutoring our daughter." Oliver laughed. Seeing her eyes widen even further in surprise, he simply shrugged. "We just adopted her; it's a bit of a story, and probably better for Poli to talk about- she's handling the interviews and hiring... And I'm sure she's expecting you."

"Yeah, ok..." Ling said softly, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "Um, give me just a sec; I need to grab my resume out of my car..."

As she turned to retrieve her resume, a thoughtful look cross Oliver's face. Pulling out his phone, he sent off a quick message in the group chat he had with his friends- and got an almost instant response.

(Tyrone)- Ling Mei? Yeah, I know her- kinda. I think she's majoring in education; she has a couple classes with Brandon. Bro has a HUGE crush on her. Why?

Oliver smiled; an education major for Jal's tutor wouldn't be bad.... and Brandon was a fairly level headed guy, so him having a crush on her was probably a good sign. She was worth considering, at least, but he quickly shrugged it off- they had already agreed to leave the hiring to Poli, after all.

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