A/N: So, this is my wishful thinking on where Ted could take Laurel and Oliver and what his relationship with each of them would be like. I still firmly believe Lauriver is endgame, but I think there's time for a Ted/Laurel pit stop. Especially, if it helps Laurel and Oliver learn a few things about themselves.

Anyway, enjoy!

angellwings

Watch Me

By angellwings

"What the hell is going on?" Roy asked as they entered the Arrowcave and he pulled off his mask. "Whoever that was—the blonde—she looked…she fought like—"

"I know," Oliver said gravely.

"But that's impossible," Felicity said with a shake of her head. "She'd have to be a ghost."

"That was no ghost," Diggle said as he rubbed his arm where a heeled boot had kicked him. "Trust me."

"It's not Sara," Oliver declared. It was an interesting world they lived in when you had to assure people someone was actually dead. "The style was too rough. Sara would never have worn fishnets and heels or left herself so unprotected from physical blows. Plus, this girl is good, but she's not as experienced as us or Sara."

"You can tell all of that after the first encounter?" Felicity asked.

"Sara had a very distinctive style," Oliver answered with a wistful grin. His face grew serious again before he continued. "This was someone who wanted us to think she was Sara."

"Why?" Roy asked with a furrowed brow.

"To spook us," Diggle said in agreement. "Or to spook Vertigo."

"Well, she did a damn good job," Felicity said nervously.

"She's not after us," Oliver told them. "Vertigo set us up."

"What do you mean? She's a vigilante like us?" Roy asked.

Diggle nodded. "Vertigo pitted his enemies against each other. He probably thought we'd cancel each other out."

"We almost did," Roy told them.

"No," Felicity said as she corrected him. "Trust the girl with the outsider's perspective. You guys almost took her out. She didn't come close to taking out the three of you. She was on the defensive the whole fight. She held back."

Oliver's gaze snapped in Felicity's direction and recognition flooded his features. "She held back," he repeated. "Why would she hold back unless…"

"Unless?" Felicity asked.

"Unless she knows us," Oliver said with a sigh. He thought for a moment and given the context he could only think one name. He huffed and pounded a fist on a nearby table. "Laurel," he said through a tense jaw.

"Laurel?" Felicity asked in surprise. "What? You really think she's been secretly training in the ways of an assassin to avenge Sara and—" She stopped mid-sentence and then continued on dryly. "No, nevermind, it's not sounding as ridiculous as I thought it would. Of course she's planning vengeance. It's what we do these days."

"What were you thinking?" Ted asked as he helped Laurel peel off her leather jacket.

"I was thinking if Canary took out Vertigo then it would spook the League," Laurel said honestly. "I didn't know he'd lured the Arrow there too."

He put the jacket aside and examined her swollen shoulder. "You took a beating."

"Team Arrow is good."

If only they would have let her be a part of that, she thought as she bit back a sigh. Apparently, protecting her meant trying to keep her away from the Arrowcave. She was always welcome to help but never welcome to actually fight.

"I should have gone with you," Ted said with a shake of his head.

"As what?" Laurel asked with a smirk. "My sidekick?"

He chuckled and placed a kiss over the bruise on her shoulder. "Hey, a guys gotta do what a guys gotta do."

She laughed softly and winced as she accidentally moved her shoulder. There was a knock at the door and Laurel looked between Ted and her Canary outfit nervously.

"Go shower and change," he said as he handed her Sara's leather jacket. "I'll get the door and we'll wrap and ice that shoulder later."

"Sir, yes, sir," she said with a mock salute as she carefully stood and headed toward her bedroom. He waited until the door was closed and he heard the shower running before he answered the door.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked as Ted stood in the doorway.

Ted gave him a bored look. "I was invited. What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Laurel," Oliver told him through a tense jaw. It wasn't too long ago that Oliver was the one at Laurel's place late at night. It seemed like that was over now.

"Well, you'll have to wait. She's in the shower," Ted told him with a smirk as he continued to block the door.

Ted noticed Oliver's hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

"Can I come in?" Oliver asked.

The way Oliver seemed to hate him led him to believe that he was doing something right. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. She tends to walk away upset every time she talks to you."

"She tends to walk away with bruises every time she talks to you," Oliver replied.

Ted's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. Every muscle in his body tensed and he itched to punch the man standing in front of him. "Are you implying that I—"

"No, but whatever you're training her for—and don't pretend you're not—is going to get her killed. You're going to get her killed," Oliver warned him with a glare.

"She's stronger than you think she is," Ted told him. "She can take it, and I'm not going to get her killed. This is her decision, her choice. She'd do it with or without my help. At least I'm making sure she's properly prepared." He paused and unfolded his arms and held them stiffly at his side. The urge to punch Oliver Queen had still not gone away. "What are you doing for her again?" He asked. "Oh, that's right, nothing."

Oliver resisted wincing as Ted spoke. Did it really seem like he was holding her back? He was trying to protect her. Sometimes that meant protecting Laurel from herself. Did that come across as him thinking she was weak?

That's how Laurel found them, participating in some macho stand off. She rolled her eyes as she towel dried her hair. "You're both idiots."

They turned to face her with surprised expressions.

"Ted," Laurel said gently. "Let him in. It's okay."

His jaw twitched and he glanced between her and Oliver warily before he nodded and stepped aside. Oliver immediately noted Laurel's swollen shoulder and the small gash below her eye. Both were injuries Canary had suffered earlier that night at the hands of The Arrow.

Laurel caught his gaze and knew she was in serious trouble.

Laurel sighed and then gave Ted a pleading look. "I could use that ice pack now, if that's okay."

Ted wasn't stupid. Laurel knew he suspected something but he obliged anyway.

As soon as Ted was in the kitchen and out of earshot Oliver stepped into her personal space and whispered forcefully, "You can't do this. My kind of life, Sara's kind of life, it's not safe."

"Oh and mine is?" She asked. "I've been held hostage or blown up or shot at more times than I can count."

"This is not a life that you choose willingly, Laurel. Both Sara and I had this forced on us," he told her quietly.

"My hand was forced the day The League of Assassins killed my sister."

There was silence for a moment before Oliver sighed tiredly. "We don't know that The League of—"

"You don't. You don't know that. I do."

"You can't take on The League of Assassins by yourself. That's insane."

"Watch me," she said with a challenging glare.

"Laurel—"

"Thanks for stopping by, Oliver. I appreciate that you care, but this isn't your call. It stopped being your call a long time ago. Now, I think you should go because I seriously need to get this shoulder wrapped and iced."

"No, I'm not leaving here until—"

"You heard her, man," Ted said with a quirked brow as he came back into the living room. "I think it's time for you to go."

He stood there for a moment and stared at Ted Grant. Was he asking him to leave? Ted was protecting Laurel from him? Oliver let out a resigned sigh and nodded. He was on the outside of Laurel's life. The look on Ted Grant's face drove that home. When had that happened?

Without another word he turned and headed for her door. Just before he left he turned back around to find Ted tenderly wrapping a small icepack around Laurel's shoulder.

He'd shut her out to protect her and in his absence she'd turned to someone else. It hurt more than he thought it would and he couldn't help but think…that should be him. He should be the one fighting by her side and helping her train. But he'd missed that chance and now he had to live with it.

She was right. All he could do now…was watch.