I do not own Arrow, DC comics, or its characters. The story is my own but rights to the characters are reserved with their creators.
The smell of third street hadn't changed that much in five years. It still smelled like smoke and cooking meat. Ah what a sweet smell, it smelled like freedom, but to Oliver, everything now did. That day, December 8, 2021, was the day Oliver Queen was released from prison after five years. What a day it was. The first snow of the year had fallen the night before, he had watched as he'd packed his things out of Iron Heights to leave the next day. And now was the day. He was finally free.
He went through the streets in his newly bought tan colored winter coat and hat to cover his face. His release trial had been one of the most public in Star City's history, but his actual release date had remained a secret. Now the only people who knew were the Judge, guards, his cell mate, and the guy at the thrift store he'd bought his coat from. He was a nobody, a faceless man with a promise to uphold. There were so many people to see, and seemingly so little time. He just couldn't believe they had let him out. After he had been charged for the third time for vigilante crimes, he was finally convicted for what seemed for life. When the case was reopened eight months ago he was surprised, and even more so when he won and was granted limited freedoms into the real world again. He had an ankle monitor and such, but he was used to such supervision; besides, his crime fighting days were over. Now was just the time to get back to real life.
His head said to go see Thea, but his heart told him to go somewhere else.
He turned the corner onto Nathan Street and he froze. This place... This was where it happened. On December 2nd, 2016 he had been caught by the police in the middle of the street and unmasked as the Green arrow. Sure, Captain Lance had known and was even given an apology by the commissioner for not believing him, but Quentin was just as broken up about the discovery as anyone. He had just begun to understand what Oliver was fighting for, but he alas couldn't fight this conviction again. He was out of cards to play. The trial was short, the evidence was literally on his face and he was charged with the murders of the Arrow and the crimes of the Green Arrow after a guilty plea by life in prison but not death with convincing my Captain Lance and the good he had done. It wasn't that people wanted him behind bars, it was just the law.
On Nathan Street that rainy night was where his life ended, and after he spent yet another five years in hell among the people he had put away. Thirty men the green arrow had sent there were now locked in a concrete holding pen with Oliver and none were going to miss the opportunity for some payback. How sweet it was. Oliver walked out of Iron Heights with a total of 352 stitches from multiple assaults and 42 new scars. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that only Thea was granted clearance to visit him for those five years, and for eight months prior to his conviction he hadn't talked or even seen Felicity. He rarely slept, even went clinically insane a few times from it. He was nearly sent to Arkham once but he pulled it together in time.
All these memories brought up from one little street. It was important to him.
Before long Oliver hailed a taxi, his fingers too numb to walk outside anymore. "Where to?" the driver in a black hat asked him. Without speaking, Oliver handed him a card with an address on it and signaled to start driving. His heart told him to go one way, his instincts another, and his gut said go to his family. Today he was going with instincts. He loved Thea and she said he was to go to her house as soon as he got out, but there was some other things he couldn't wait to do. There was so much to do after such a long time.
The windows were covered in salt from the streets, but Oliver could still see what was outside the tinted, dirty window. The Glades. He didn't think it was possible, but they actually looked worse! Trash littered the streets to the point where they seemed to be the street itself. Red and gray colors were prominent on every corner, the homeless blended into the background as if they were deliberately put there for scenery. The farther he looked down alleys, the angrier and more desperate the people looked. Although they were always bad, they were never "fifteen people crowded around a burning trash fire for warmth" bad. All in five years? When did the average citizen stop looking at needy people as people and more as pieces of trash that didn't make it into the bin? Eventually Oliver himself stopped looking and that disgusted him. Looking at the reality of things is how change starts, but the only way to start a change was with money, something Oliver was out of.
After twenty minutes of avoiding eye contact with the street, the screechy car finally halted at his destination. The taxi driver finally turned to Oliver requesting payment. Oliver saw him for the first time. He was a young black man, and against all odds he had a smile on his face as his held out his hand for the money. Oliver hated to admit it but he was planning on ducking out of the cab without paying. He was completely out of money and it wasn't like it would be the first time for the driver. But this kid, not a day over 22, he could't do it. Honestly he probably couldn't to anyone, but the guy had the kind of face that made you think it. With a sigh, Oliver reached to his left wrist and removed his watch.
"Here. I hope this will do." He said. His fathers watch... One of the only things he had left from back then. But he had gone five years without it when he was locked up, just getting it back that day. He could obviously live without it. Besides, the kid was living as a taxi driver in the Glades. He'd have better use out of it selling it and getting a few hundred bucks from it.
He gave it a strange look and then laughed. "Okay! Thanks man."
"Thank you-"
"Arthur, names Arthur."
"Thank you Arthur." Oliver stepped out of the car taking his last look at his fathers final gift to him. He shut the door behind him and took in what he saw. After all the years, the break ins, and the fires, the campaign office was still pretty well boarded up. It took a few kicks and pulls but eventually Oliver make it past the wood and into the doors. The lights didn't work but he knew where he needed to go. Although he had been discovered as the Arrow, the cops never did find his second Arrow cave under the campaign office. The elevator opened using its own power source Felicity had set it up with. Down it went, down to Oliver's past.
He was not expecting to see what he saw when the doors opened to the lair. The lights, after all this time were still on, some of them anyway, and the whole room was exactly as he left it. The computers were covered in plastic protectors and the whole area was covered with dust but those were the only things that kept it from looking as though it was frozen in time. Oliver took a small step in and for a moment he felt he was back to the good times, the best times. Felicity loved him and was going to marry him, the whole team was living the best they could and everyone was happy enough. Everything seemed to be good dare he say it. Then came the day that Felicity walked out on him. The first few steps she took out of the wheel chair were ones that led away from him. What was supposed to be a joyous moment became one of the worst of his life, what was worse is that she never came back. Annd he didn't go after her in time. The he was arrested and lost all hope of ever being able to see her again.
The room smelled like clean floors and chalk. It never smelled clean before. Oliver walked on the clean floors, up the ramp and onto the main platform, sitting down in what has referred to as "Felicity's chair". He inhaled at the discovery that the chair no longer smelled like her. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes listening to the silence of the once bustling room. Every one drifted so far apart from this place just leaving it behind. It was once the place that kept them together.
All of a sudden Oliver's eyes opened realizing something was on the table that wasn't there the last time he was there. When he wheeled close to the desk he saw that it was a photo of regular size. It was of Felicity, Diggle, Thea, and himself after a successful night of patrolling. Thea had made them take it and loved the picture. One of them must have printed it out after the arrest. He picked it up and closely examined the picture. He remembered the exact moment they had taken it. Felicity was in her chair so they all had bent down beside her, Oliver with his arm around her shoulders. Right before the camera snapped it Thea made a funny face and Felicity had closed her eyes to give Oliver a kiss on the cheek. That's what the camera captured, to him it was a perfect moment too. Everyone was so happy. He hung his head and arms low, letting the picture fall with his arm. Then he noticed something on the back side of it. Quickly he lifted it up and found writing on the back of it. It was Felicity's handwriting no less. That meant she had come back after his arrest. He thought she'd never come back.
Dedicated to Oliver Queen. The man that never let personal weaknesses
overcome his complete loyalty to the ones he loved. Thank you for a
wonderful few years Oliver. I miss you every day. Words neither describe
how much I love you, nor how grateful I am to have met you.
-Felicity.
The words on the page cut him deeper than any sword ever had. All these years he had assumed she never wanted to see him again. It turned out that even after all the terrible things he had made her go through, she had always still loved him. Maybe she was even planning on coming back. If he had known maybe things would be different now.
Not wasting another second, Oliver ran out of the abandoned building with the photo in hand out into the streets of the Glades. There was one person who would know where Felicity was after all this time, and he at least knew where to find him.
Two cab rides later and a visit to an ATM, Oliver found himself standing outside the door of a dear friends apartment. He knew they still lived there, their names were on the freaking door. For old times sake, he rang the bell rather than barging in as a surprise. He didn't want to get shot the first day he was free. A moment later a gasp was heard from the other side of the door followed by a woman with a whole lot of hair swinging her arms around Oliver with a joyous squeal. He didn't know Lyla even made that kind of sound. "Oliver! Oh my gosh. You're out? John, John! Come in here, It's important!" She yelled down the hall. Oliver embraced his best friends wife happily, glad to see her. She was the first woman he had hugged in 5 years, he didn't quite know what that meant, but it was an interesting thought. "We didn't know you were going to be released so soon! You should have called, we could have been more ready for you."
"Not necessary, Lyla. It's great to see you."
"Wow, you look so different." She said after letting him go. She started examining his face as well as everything skin wise that could be seen. "Your beard is awful." She joked. "But, oh my god, your arms!" She said noticing the many, many scars that now decorated them.
"Prison was fun." He replied with a smirk. Lyla didn't respond but didn't appreciate the statement.
"John! Where are you? You're moving like an old man!"
"I'm moving as fast as I can, what is so god damned important that-" The moment Diggle came out from down the hall he was speechless. He saw Oliver and his jaw dropped half way to the ground. He wasn't the only one. When he was revealed at the end of the hall, Oliver's heart sank. Not only that, but he felt part of himself die. Diggle hadn't walked down the hall into the living room, he'd rolled. Diggle was in a wheelchair. "Is that- Oliver? Crap man why didn't you tell us you were out already?" He asked excitedly, rolling himself to him with a gigantic grin on his face. Oliver leaned over to give him a hug, still staggered by the revelation he had just encountered.
"How..." He stopped himself. He didn't want the first thing he said to John, be a question about what terrible thing had happened to him, "have you been?" Oliver asked wiping away the confusion on his face and replacing it with a smile.
"I can't answer that in one word. It's been five years man! So much has happened."
"Tell me about it." He requested being led to the couch by Lyla. Suddenly finding Felicity took back seat to talking to his friend.
"Well, since ya been gone, I've been working at ARGUS, side by side with this lovely woman, Sara is in school getting some great grades, couldn't be prouder, I had another baby, and, well life hasn't been the same without you man." He shook his head.
"You have another kid?" Oliver smiled raising an eyebrow.
"John Connor. Almost a year and a half old. Loudest baby you'll ever hear. I'd introduce you but he and Sara are with their grandparents tonight." he had a look of pride as he took out his phone to show Oliver picture of his son.
"I can't wait to meet him." he said but he couldn't keep the charade up any longer, "John, please tell me this is a temporary thing." Oliver gestured at the wheelchair.
"I wish I could." He signed. "A year ago I was in the field with a task force trying to capture a dangerous terrorists who had made his way to Coast City. We thought it was just going to be one guy. Turned out to be twenty."
"Johnny and four other agents were hit with a bazooka blast followed by a rain of bullets to finish off the job. He and Peters lived but have permanent disabilities." Lyla finished.
"I'm so sorry John."
"It's the danger of the job man, any job. I could have been painting houses and fell off a roof. Could have had the same injuries. It's no ones fault but my own for the way I am now. I'm fine now, I've adapted, I have no more pain, I get to spend more time with my kids. It's all part of life." He smiled at him. Wiser words were never spoken in Oliver's eyes. It was amazing how much things had changed in just five years without him around.
They talked for two hours, laughing, drinking, eating boxes of the best pizza Oliver had ever had. Whether it was really or he just wasn't used to having real food he didn't know, but to him it tasted amazing. When the clock beside him read 2:32 am Oliver suddenly realized how quickly time had gone by.
"You guys I'm sorry, I lost track of the time. There's something I've been meaning to ask."
"Oh? What's that?"
"I need, need to find out where Felicity is these days. I haven't seen her or even heard from her in god knows how long." After this Lyla and Digg looked at each other for a long time. "What, do you not know where she is?"
"It's not that, it's... A lot of stuff has changed since the last time you spoke. I don't want you to get your hopes up." Diggle told him.
"That's not why I want to find her!"
"That's not what I meant! Look, here's her address and home number. Promise he you'll call before you go barging into her house like you did with us." Digg handed him the card. He studied it.
4592 Woodstone Way.
Upper East Star City.
Fancy neighborhood. Being the head of an international company still has its perks it seemed. "Thanks. And I would stay longer but I have a lot of things I want to do as soon as possible." Diggle was going to respond but he stopped, instead smiling at him and motioned towards the door. He understood Oliver had a lot of things he had to do.
Oliver pocketed the card and headed out into the cold once more. Even Diggle's street was starting to go to hell. Oliver didn't feel unsafe though, so he just started walking towards the center of the city where all thee tech businesses and international companies called home. On the other side of that was where Felicity now lived. It was too late to see her right then but he didn't want to go home to Thea who may force him to stay. Instead he decided to walk to the hub of the city and and take a cab from there. A three hour walk if he timed it right. That would land him at her house at a good time the next morning. Three hours, three hours to come up with something to say even though he had had five years. Unlike those years, he wasn't going to let this time go to waist. He still loved Felicity, it wasn't until the note on the back of the picture that he realized how important it was for him to tell her that.
Thank you so much for reading. I've had this idea in my head for about a year and this is the first time that I could get it down in a way that made sense. Let me know if you like it and if you want me to continue the story because I can go on forever. I hope you enjoyed the story and my writing style. There are more chapters if I get good feedback. Comment please they are very much appreciated. Follow and fav if you want.