Summary: (AU/Summer after S1) Two weeks after the Undertaking, as Oliver struggles to deal with Tommy's death, his mother's imprisonment and Laurel constantly avoiding him, things only get more complicated when an old childhood friend with a secret of his own, an Amazon of a woman with a vendetta and a murder with a deadly sense of humor who leaves his victims with a smile on their face all arrive in Starling City.

A/N: I am going to have so much fun with this ;)

This was written for my own personal enjoyment and because I heart Arrow and this idea has me bugging and squealing like a fan-girl – though, I do sincerely hope any of you reading this will like it as well.

Disclaimer: …Uh… no. Ya'll know whose deal that is, right?

And We All Fall Down

"There's nothing we can say or do/The damages in front of you –
I'm sorry, but sometimes things fall apart.
Take some time to understand/The situation's out of hand –
But you didn't see it from the start."
- Cassettes Won't Listen, 'Freeze and Explode' Lyrics

~1~
Departures & Arrivals

Fidgeting with the hem of her black dress, Felicity Smoak's blond eyebrows furrowed together as she bit her now pale pink-glossed bottom lip. Okay… maybe bright neon pink nail polish wasn't the best idea she'd ever had… or, maybe 'inappropriate' is the right word?

She was on edge, and she hated black, and she really didn't want to go to a funeral – and did she mention she didn't like black? She didn't like going to funerals because she had to wear black, but that wasn't why she didn't want to go to this particular funeral. Why? Well, for one, there would be crying, and then, of course, she didn't know the, uh… deceased all that well, but mostly, because this would have been her first real funeral since like, ever.

So, yeah, she wasn't looking forward to that day at all.

Her nervousness must have been obvious, because as they were pulling up in front of the gloomy, grey stone monstrosity that was the Queen mansion, Felicity felt a hand on her shoulder and when she looked up, she saw Diggle look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Relax," he said, squeezing gently before getting out.

Felicity got out as well and joined him as they walked up to the front door. "Is it normal being this nervous? 'Cuz, it kinda feels like I'm about to throw up here," she admitted.

"It's nothing to be nervous about, Felicity. We just have to show up – we can sit in the back of the church."

She looked down and tugged at her hem again. "Yeah, I know we can, but none of that makes any of this any less… weird. I mean, sure, I've seen him around, and I guess we talked a little whenever I was at the club, but…"

"We're doing this for Oliver." He reminded her.

Felicity's shoulders slumped and she nodded. "Right… of course."

But, when Diggle knocked against the door, instead of Roza, they were met with a tense-looking Thea Queen. She was wearing all black too.

"Oh, great, it's you guys," the teenager said before either of them could even open their mouths, and then, unexpectedly, "Have you seen my brother?"

Felicity blinked. "You mean he isn't here?"

"No, and guessing by the looks on your faces, he isn't with you either – I'm so gonna kill him." She said, frowning. "He said he had some construction stuff to take care of at Verdant, but that was the day before yesterday and I made him promise he'd show up for the funeral. I thought he'd at least be with one of you."

"He hasn't been back since then?" Diggle asked.

Thea shook her head and sighed, "When I checked the club this morning, I couldn't find him anywhere. Look, if you see him just tell him I'll meet him at the church, please? It's getting late."

"Don't worry we'll get him there on time." Diggle reassured.

Thea looked relieved, if only a little. "Thanks."

After that and the door closed, Felicity and Diggle exchanged troubled looks.

"When was the last the time you were down there?" Diggle asked quietly.

"Two weeks ago…" Felicity said in a small voice and Diggle's eyes lit up in acknowledgement. "What about you?"

"It's been a few days," he admitted.

"So, you think he's… you know?"

Diggle nodded. "Most likely…" he said and sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, Oliver…"

The Glades…
Verdant

It had been fourteen days, two weeks since half of the Glades had been leveled, and for the first time in years, there seemed to be an unspoken truce between Starling City's inhabitants, between its poor and its rich, its villains and its heroes… it was a fragile kind of peace that existed on the streets, but it was true and it was there nonetheless.

And yet, the city seemed to be holding its breath. There was something in the air – a tension that seemed to coil tighter and tighter as time went by.

…But, for now the sun was shining, and the sky was clear and blue and, slowly, people settled into a routine of sorts. Oliver Queen was one of them.

As far as Verdant was concerned, though the building had come off relatively intact, there were still multiple damages that needed to be taken care off. Right now, most of the furniture was covered in tarps while paint cans and various building materials stood all over the place, and since it was a Saturday, the builders wouldn't be back until Monday and a thick silence hung over the empty club.

Well… partly empty anyway.

Underneath, behind a hidden door and down a metal staircase, it was far darker than it was above with only a single blinking computer screen as the main source of light.

Sitting in the corner on a pile of sparring mats, nursing what must have been his second or third whiskey for the afternoon, Oliver stared into the dark.

He wasn't exactly sure how long he'd been down there, perhaps it was a day, perhaps it was a week – either way, there was just him and the silence and the gloom… and occasionally that stinging warmth sliding down his throat that had somewhat dulled by then.

So… at first, Oliver didn't react when he heard footsteps coming from the staircase. He didn't react to someone calling out his name either and it was only when the florescent lighting above his head was switched on that he squinted a little to make sense of exactly who he was looking at.

Neither Diggle nor Felicity noticed him at first until he groaned at the pesky light and simply lay back so that he was looking up at the ceiling. "Turn off the lights…" he grumbled, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Oliver?" Diggle asked.

When he felt a pair of shadows eclipse the light above him, and when Oliver peeked out from under his arm, he saw his friends looking down at him, Diggle frowning while Felicity's eyebrows were knitted together in concern.

Oliver covered his eyes again. "Hey guys…"

"Wait, that smell…" Felicity must have seen the bottles. "Have you been drinking?"

Oliver muttered something else before reluctantly sitting up, ignoring the question as he half squinted up at them. "What are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Diggle said, his disapproval now very obvious.

"I own the place," he said deadpan.

Diggle scowled at him. "You know what I mean, Oliver – man, what is wrong with you? Do you even know what today is?"

"A Thursday…?"

"It's Saturday,"

It didn't take long for this information to sink in and with it the implication, but instead of jumping up and panicking like most people would have done, Oliver merely blinked for a few moments before hanging his head.

"Oh…"

"What do you mean 'oh'? C'mon we're already late. Your sister's angry enough at you as it is."

"I'm not going, Dig."

"Now don't give me that," Diggle began.

"I'm serious," he said, "I… How can I?"

"Wasn't Tommy your friend?" Felicity asked.

Oliver looked up at her. "He was… and it's my fault he's dead."

Diggle's demeanor softened slightly, his scowl fading. "Don't do that to yourself, Oliver."

"But it's true, isn't it?" the blond man asked quietly.

"So, this is your plan? You're just gonna stay down here forever?"

"It's been working for me so far."

Diggle's mouth set into a grim line until he felt a slight tug at his sleeve, and when he turned his head, Felicity was looking at him. "Do you mind if I try something?"

He sighed. "Knock yourself out."

Felicity nodded before walking over to Oliver's side and sat down next to him. For a few moment, the two of them just sat there as Diggle stood on the side with his arms crossed over his chest – the silence hung over them until, eventually, Felicity spoke up.

"Do you remember when you told me I could come to you if I ever wanted to talk to someone about my day?" she asked, not expecting Oliver to answer. "Well, this is kind of like this, but not… I don't know if you know this, and, let's face it, you know a lot – which is kind of creepy, by the way… not that you're creepy, but you know what I mean, right?"

Oliver snorted as Diggle's mouth twitched upwards.

Felicity then shook her head slightly. "And, I'm babbling… but, anyway, like I was saying, when I was a kid, my dad died."

This obviously got Oliver's attention as he then turned his head towards her and regarded her carefully.

"Okay, no, I wasn't a kid-kid – I was sixteen, but, my point is I just got home from school one day, thinking about homework and the cute boy who didn't know I existed, and the next moment, I walk into my house and my entire family's there. I didn't know what happened yet, but everyone was crying and when they saw me, they started hugging me for no reason, not saying a word…" she then cleared her throat slightly. "That's then when I found my mom in the kitchen… and she told me about my dad and how he had an accident…"

During this, Felicity simultaneously tried not to get too emotional and pretend that she didn't notice that Oliver's hand had covered hers. He then squeezed gently. "…What happened?"

"Long story short? At the day of the funeral, I didn't go." She said and paused. "I remember standing in front of the church, ready to go in and… mourn, but before I did, I just… I couldn't.

"I don't know what happened, but I hung back, everyone was already inside… and the next thing I knew I was in a diner, ordering the biggest burger on the menu with a strawberry milkshake. I have no idea how I got there since I guess I blocked everything out, but I stayed until it was all over."

Oliver still kept his hand over hers as silence enveloped them again.

But, eventually, "I'm sorry." He said very softly.

Felicity forced a weak smile. "It's okay… but, do you want to know something else? Out of every other mistake I've ever made in my life, I always regret not saying goodbye to my dad the most." She said before looking directly at Oliver. "…You can, you know? Say goodbye? I think Tommy would appreciate it."

Their eyes met and they held each other's gazes for a minute before Oliver looked away and sighed.

Diggle watched on in quiet astonishment as he then stood up (clumsy as it may have been), and then offered a hand to held Felicity up as well.

Then, with resignation, "Give me ten minutes."

Meanwhile…
Starling City Airport

Bruce Wayne's midnight blue eyes stared out unseeingly out of the small round window of his sleek black private jet. His hand was curled a fist as it supported his chin while he absentmindedly traced the shape of a small golden band in the side pocket of his jacket with his thumb – he didn't seem to notice that the plane had come to a standstill.

"Sir…?"

Temporarily stirred out of his distracted state, Bruce turned his head and looked up at an older, very regal looking Englishman.

"Mmm…?"

"The plane, Master Bruce, it seems we finally arrived at our destination – shall I call for our car now or do you wish to continue your brooding here for a while longer?"

Bruce cocked an eyebrow. "Sarcasm, Alfred?"

"Perish the thought." The butler said wryly.

Just then, coming out of the plane's small kitchenette, a nine year old black-haired boy was busy munching on a bag of roast peanuts.

"This plane has everything," he said, casually perching himself on Bruce's armrest. "Did you know there are thirteen different flavored peanuts in there? It's mind-blowing."

Alfred smiled, "Enjoying yourself, Master Richard?"

"Sure am, Alfie," Dick said, skillfully balancing a peanut on his thumb before flicking it into his open mouth – when he swallowed, he then turned to Bruce. "Anyways, now that we're here, are you gonna tell us what the plan is?"

"You know why we're here, Dick." Bruce said patiently.

"Sure I know why, you just didn't tell us anything else – you know, sharing is caring, Bruce." He said matter-of-factly, resting his elbow on Bruce's shoulder.

Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly despite the small tug at the corners of his lips. "Why did I bring you with me again?"

"Because it's summer and you didn't want me to stay in Gotham on my own? And admit it, if I wasn't here, this trip would be 75% less awesome."

Bruce gently nudged him in the side with his elbow. "You're annoying."

Dick grinned broadly. "One of my many charms," he said and shrugged. "But, seriously though, what's the plan?"

"I'm curious about that as well," Alfred added. "Have you perhaps considered what I mentioned earlier? He could be of great help,"

Bruce's features darkened. "He's not an option."

"Whoa, are we talking about that vigilante?" Dick asked, suddenly excited. "He's so cool! I saw this one clip over the internet where he went all ninja on a whole lot of these big, muscle-y guys – took them out in three minutes!"

"He's dangerous, Dick." Bruce said sternly.

Alfred cleared his throat. "I do believe they said the same thing about you not too long ago."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "That was seven years ago, Alfred, and I never killed anybody."

"Maybe not, but just by looking at what this man has accomplished so far, I truly think he means well."

"I don't care what his intensions are he's not getting involved in this." He said in a final sort of way. "You can call for the car now, Alfred."

Alfred nodded. "As you wish, Master Bruce." He said and pulled out a cell phone.

"That's too bad," Dick said wistfully. "You know, if you two teamed-up, you could kick some serious-" Alfred coughed loudly and he smiled apologetically in turn, "-butt," he said quickly. "And, I mean, aren't you curious? You are a detective, Bruce – don't you want to know who this guy is?"

"I have better things to do than follow up on a punk with a bow and arrow," he said, his hand enveloping the ring in his pocket and stared out of the window again. "…more important things."

Elsewhere…
Starling City Private Graveyard

She was going to murder him – slowly, preferably with a large hammer of sorts – one way or another, she was going to find her brother, and when she did-

Thea's thoughts of her brother's assassination were interrupted when she felt Roy nudge her in the side. She looked at him inquiringly until he gestured with head in the opposite direction – when she followed where he was pointing, she balled her fists when she saw that Oliver had finally arrived.

She was about to march over to him when Roy once again stopped her, and when she took a second look at Oliver, she hesitated herself.

He looked terrible, his clothes were wrinkled and disheveled, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days – but, what really threw Thea was the look on his face when he saw that the casket was already in the ground and busy being covered by dirt.

Laurel was there too, she had been the first in the church when the service began, and was currently the only one standing at the edge of the grave, watching in silence and apparently oblivious of any newcomers… until, that was, Oliver came closer.

Thea watched in twisted fascination as the two of them exchanged looks – Laurel, for lack of a better word, looked utterly pissed, as well sad and maybe a little guilty too? Oliver's expression, however, was completely different, sad as well, but silently pleading and, for the first time since Thea could remember, completely helpless.

Neither of them talked to each other, but with a huff, Laurel squared her shoulders and walked right passed Oliver without looking at him again. Oliver's shoulders slumped in resignation before he walked over to where Laurel had stood only moments ago.

Slowly, Thea walked up so that she could stand next to him. He didn't react at first, but she knew he knew it was her when she hugged him and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"…You are an idiot," she said with no real animosity.

His cheeks twitched. "I know."

She pressed her cheek against his chest. "I saw what just happened with Laurel… ouch."

"Is that why you're not yelling at me right now?"

"Oh, I'm still gonna yell at you later, but right now, I think you just need someone to give you a break… even if you smell like booze."

He kissed her on top of her head. "You're a good sister, Speedy."

She smiled slightly. "I'm the best," she said before pulling back slightly and punched him in the arm and hugged him again. "…That's for being late."

Oliver had flinched a little but accepted the punch with dignity, and, for a while after that, they just stood there, watching until grave was filled.

Later…
The Queen Mansion

The two remaining Queens and Roy (who was staying there temporarily thanks to a lot of begging on Thea's behalf and the reassurance that he would be sleeping on an entirely separate wing) was lounging in the living room.

Roy, much to Oliver's displeasure, had his arms snaked around Thea's waist as they laid together on the couch, his chin propped on her head while she snuggled closer to him – Oliver himself was on the recliner chair next to the couch, half watching the two of them, half staring at the television screen with no real interest.

They heard the doorbell ring, and after a few minutes, Roza came in.

"Oliver?" the Russian woman asked, "You have a guest."

Thea craned her neck slightly. "Are you expecting someone?"

Oliver shook his head. "Who is it, Roza?"

She smiled slightly. "I think you would want to see for yourself."

Raising an eyebrow, Oliver stood up nonetheless.

When he got to the lobby, however, he stopped in his tracks when he saw the man standing there with his back turned.

"Mr. Wayne?" Roza said.

Turning around, Bruce Wayne's blue eyes met Oliver's green ones, and after a moment of silent scrutiny, a smirk graced the darker man's face.

"Oliver Queen – it's been too long."

A/N: So very tired… hope this isn't complete nonsense – I have a vision for this story, rest assured. I'll explain in detail the next time… after my academic life becomes less hectic (college… ugh…)

If you don't read anything else in the A/N's, read this as it is highly important – I have not watched season 2 yet, so, please, out of the bottom of my heart I ask, DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR ME.

That is all, thank you.

If you have a question, query or concern, please feel free to leave a review or PM me – your opinion is appreciated, flamers be damned.

Until next time,
GoddessofDawn out