"You are sure this is the place?" John whispered to Laurel.
"Yes, this is definitely the place," Laurel said. "I was at Oliver's for hours today and Felicity and I did a bunch of research. We know that the Star City Slayer is living or at least operating out of this house".
"It's a big house," Rene said. "We should definitely split up. Rory and I will take upstairs".
Laurel headed through the dark study and she saw a desk that had a typewriter. This is where our guy is typing those notes. She swabbed the sides and many of the keys of the typewriter and then she read through a stack of notes that were supposed to be going out to herself, Diggle, Rene, and Rory. "I will kill all of you", "I will find you", "Nothing can save you from me".
Were these supposed to be threatening? she thought to herself. Lying on the table next to the notes was a book and she opened it, hoping she could photograph his handwriting.
The book was similar to a photo album and in the plastic sheet protectors, there were countless pictures and newspaper clippings all surrounding Oliver. She snapped multiple pictures of each page. She saw pictures of Oliver with Felicity and William from last Thanksgiving and from Oliver's trial. There were pictures of herself, Diggle and Rene testifying and a photo of team arrow from two years ago around Christmas. He had written deranged commentary all of over the plastic. "He's the one" and "I know who you are" were some of the repeated phrases. Laurel closed the book and she turned around. Her breath hitched. Uncomfortable feelings of both cold and burning hot were happening simultaneously. When that was over, all she could feel was excruciating pain. She was looking into bright blue eyes. "You should have listened to me," said the man they belonged to.
Laurel placed her hand on her throat and felt warm blood all over it. Suddenly, Laurel thought of every time that she had been happy since Oliver came home. The two times they made love seven years ago, Sara giving Laurel her jacket, sharing fries and milkshakes with Nyssa, riding her motorcycle with Thea on the back of it, and of almost every moment she spent with her father. She was brought out of the memories by the light of Diggle's flashlight at her. "Guys, come in" he gasped nervously into his comm. "Laurel- it's Laurel! Something happened!"
Rene and Rory came bounding down the stairs and they found that Laurel had lost consciousness. Diggle was digging through a small pouch on the inside of his coat. Rene shined his flashlight and said: "John, she is going to bleed out fast".
"If only I had my rags with me," Rory said. "Maybe they couldn't heal her, but they could stop the bleeding". After the explosion depowered Rory's rags, they had never returned to their original state.
"We don't need them because I have this" John said. He held up a long dark silver tool. "ARGUS technology... it will cauterize the wound".
"Quick, use it" Rene shouted.
Diggle hit the power button and a green laser shot out of the end. After a minute, John said: "The wound is definitely cauterized". Rory reached down to touch the wound. "Don't do that!" John snapped. "You can get that cut infected".
"What do you think of your dad's chili?" Felicity asked, desperately trying to patch up the suffering relationship between her boyfriend and his son. "I think it gets better every time". Oliver had taken the night off to spend time with William and Felicity. He wanted to spend real quality time with them since there had not been much lately.
William shrugged his shoulders. He had barely touched his food. "William," Oliver said. "Could you pass me a napkin?"
"No, Dad, I actually can't," William said, tight-lipped.
"Yeah, Oliver, I can't really move," Felicity said with a razor-thin edge of panic in her voice.
"Me neither," Oliver said.
"What is that?" Felicity said. She couldn't move her head, but she could see a white cloud of a gas substance filling Oliver's apartment.
The front door flew open and in walked a man wearing a gas mask. When the gas cleared, he removed the mask to reveal a familiar face. Stanley Dover, an insane serial killer that occupied the cell next to Oliver's at Slabside Penitentiary. "Don't worry, Oliver!" he exclaimed excitedly. "It's just me!"
"Stanley!" Oliver said.
"Oliver, don't worry. The gas is harmless. All it does is keep in your seat so I can make sure that you all are listening. I thought about what happened in Slabside, but I forgive you. You just weren't ready to listen. But I know you are now.
And your girlfriend and your son are too. But I had to take these measures. You know, just to make sure of it" Stanley said. Stanley walked behind them and he placed his hands on William's shoulder. "Hiya William, I'm really pleased to meet you! I'm your dad's best friend Stanley!' he said. Fear was unmistakably present in William's eyes.
"Please don't hurt my son, Stanley" Oliver said calmly.
"Me? Hurt him? I would never hurt any of you" Stanley said, genuinely surprised. "C'mon Oliver, you know me... You and I, we know each other. Like brothers know each other... you know better than anyone... I couldn't hurt a fly".
Oliver attempted to play his game. "What about the Star City Slayer?"
"I hate being called that name!" Stanley fumed. "I am not 'slaying', I'm simply correcting".
"Members of my team have been receiving strange notes, Stanley. Are they from you?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, and they should have listened to me. I had to correct the D.A. or the 'Black Canary'. That's what people do like to call her".
Tears began to roll down Felicity's cheeks at the thought of what he might have done to Laurel. "What'd you to her?"
"I corrected her. She was hurting, Oliver" Stanley said and Oliver was slightly shaking with anger. Hurting Laurel... too far. He hadn't felt this type of anger since killing Dahrk.
"Stanley, Laurel is part of my team. My team does not hurt me, they help me" Oliver said. William fought against his temporary paralysis and bumped the counter softly with his knee. This caused the hot sauce bottle to fall on its side.
"They should've been protecting you, Oliver. They should've never let you go to jail or at least broken you out. But the four of us, here in this room, we can go. We can be our own team and I will always protect you. All of you" Stanley said.
"I went to prison to protect my team, that is how teams work. It's not one-sided. Besides, I don't want to be on a team with The Star City Slayer"
Stanley charged towards Oliver. William hit the bottle on its side to Felicity. "I AM NOT THE STAR CITY SLAYER" Stanley shouted as Felicity rolled the bottle to Oliver. "I AM STARTING TO THINK THAT YOU AREN'T LISTENING AND YOU DON'T DESERVE-" Oliver whacked Stanley over his head with the bottle, badly injuring him and causing him to blackout.
At the hospital, Oliver had a heart to heart with William where he made the decision that William deserved a normal childhood and that he should go live with his grandparents. They hugged and he told William that he truly loved him more than anyone else in the world. Dr. Schwartz then approached Oliver and told him the gas was out of his and his family's system. She also said that Laurel was going to be alright and that she would be awake soon. Oliver thanked the doctor, and then he went out to where Felicity was standing.
"Stanley slit Laurel's throat, and apparently it was deep. The doctor said she will be alright," Oliver said to Felicity and Felicity nodded.
"We're lucky to have such a strong friend," Felicity said.
"Sure are," Oliver said. "If Diggle hadn't been there, Laurel would've died hours ago". Felicity could see the upset on his face become greater when he brought up the idea of Laurel dying. She let out a sigh.
"Are you alright?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, just still getting over tonight," Felicity said.
"Well, the good news is the gas is out of our systems so..." Oliver said.
"Oliver, are you alright?" Felicity asked.
"I mean, yeah," Oliver said after a short moment of silence. Then he said: "I guess that I'm pissed off".
"I am too," Felicity said. "I can't believe that Stanley made us the victim's in our own home-or your home- that's almost like my home- because, you know- I'm your girlfriend..."
"I'm more so pissed at myself than Stanley. I shouldn't have taken the night off, especially when my team was being threatened. It's just like with Damien Dahrk. I knew that Lance was working with Dahrk to protect Laurel, so obviously she was in danger and I led her right into her first brush with death. Why do I keep failing her?" Oliver said.
Felicity was quiet for a long moment and then she said. "Laurel doesn't think that you're failing her. Laurel loves you. You taught her how to be a hero".
"Laurel never needed my help to be a hero. She has always been the best person I know. She is really the person who taught me to be a hero. Not my skill set, but she's my moral compass" Oliver said.
"I'm not gonna argue the fact that Laurel makes you a better person..." Felicity said.
"She's the best in me... the best in all of us," Oliver said and he and Felicity were quiet again until Oliver said "Felicity, you are incredible but you deserve somebody who wants you and only you. Me, I'm better off alone, because I will always want her".
"Oliver," Felicity said, sounding like she might fight for him, but then her face fell. She couldn't compete with Laurel, and it was getting exhausting for her to constantly try. "Oliver, I know that I am not the love of your life... but that doesn't doesn't mean that you are better off alone".
"Maybe not alone..." Oliver grumbled. "But I told Laurel was done chasing after her... Ii was wrong. I left her when I said I never would only weeks earlier. She will never forgive me".
"I think she is just strong enough to. Laurel did tell that you will always be the love of her life, Oliver. After almost being killed two times in three years, I'll bet you she is aware of how short life really is. And now you're available, and you just need to tell her what you didn't the first time." Felicity encouraged.
"She is the love of my life" Oliver whispered. "Thank you for understanding, Felicity. Where do we stand?"
"In a good place," Felicity said. "I will always love you and I will always be there for you, regardless either of our relationship status" Laurel was out of surgery and Oliver and Felicity had a strong sense of deja vu seeing Laurel on a gurney, looking weak. "Go" Felicity urged and Oliver followed the hospital staff into the recovery room.
Dr. Schwartz smiled at Oliver. "I'm glad you're here. Something tells me she keeps holding on for you" and Oliver nodded. Dr. Schwartz left the room.
"Hi," Oliver said. "I understand that you can't talk, so all I need you to do is listen. I've been a jerk to you, that has never changed. I'm not the man you fell in love with, but I am a man who is still in love with you. Laurel, you told me that I will always be the love of your life, even though you knew that you were not the love of mine and I couldn't say what was so important for me to say and I don't know why. I don't why you stuck by me after pouring your heart out like that, but I figure it was because you are the most incredible person I have ever known. There was something there with Felicity and I but I was never going to pop the question because she was never going to be you. I want to be with you, I want to be married to you" Oliver paused and he leaned down and placed a hand under Laurel's chin. "Laurel, I don't want to have to go any longer without being yours. It's overdue. I understand if you're burned out and you think I will just hurt you again-" Oliver was cut off and Laurel touched his arm.
"Ollie" she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek "True love waits".
Oliver wiped it away with his thumb. "I love you with all my heart, Laurel," he said and they finally shared the kiss that they should've three years ago.