Chapter 1

The sounds were overwhelming. People talking. Machines beeping. All he could do was keep out of the way. He couldn't leave her. He had to make sure she was going to live. He had to be there no matter what.

He didn't even register when they had arrived at the hospital. He just followed everyone else when they pulled her out of the ambulance. She looked too quiet, with everyone else being so loud around her. He just wanted to hear her voice again. She was always so… alive.

He followed the paramedics in through the Emergency entrance and kept going when they brought her to the exam rooms. He was trying to stay out of the way, but people kept bumping into him. They were asking him questions, but he didn't know if he was responding. All he could think about was her.

"Mr. Queen…"

He felt someone touching his arm, but he couldn't pull his attention away from her. When he heard the heart monitor start to sound a constant long beep, he felt his heart clench in his chest.

"No…" He wanted to go to her, but the movement around her had become more frantic. He took one step forward, but found his motion halted by the hand still on his arm.

"Mr. Queen, you need to let them work."

He could feel himself being pulled backwards as he watched the doctors shock his fiancé, trying to get her heart to start again. Once he realized he was moving, and in the direction he didn't want to go, he stopped walking and just waited.

"Please… no…"

"Mr. Queen, you really shouldn't be here."

"I can't… I can't…"

He didn't finish his thought as the sound of the heart monitor changed to a more normal heart rhythm, the intermittent beeping making his heart loosen slightly.

Everyone in the room seemed to relax a little once her heart started to beat again. They were still frantically working on her, but at least they could now focus on her injuries.

"Mr. Queen…" Oliver finally looked at the woman who had been gripping his arm for the past few minutes. She had kind eyes, full of understanding and sympathy. "You need to let them do their job. She's in good hands."

Oliver nodded slightly before once again looking at the scene in front of him. Relaxing a little, he allowed the nurse to lead him out of the area and into the emergency waiting area. Once she had led him to a chair and he sat down, she gently touched his shoulder and turned to head back from where they had come. Oliver just rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. How could this have happened?


"Oliver?!"

Oliver lifted his head when he heard Donna's voice. He could see her running towards him with her arms outstretched. Getting up from his chair, he allowed her to wrap him in her arms as she sobbed on his chest. He had no idea what to say so he just held her and let her cry, trying desperately to hold his own emotions in check.

"We heard what happened." The sound of his sister's voice brought his attention back to the entrance as he saw Thea and John walking over to him.

"I guess Darhk decided to use the direct approach," John offered, worry clear on his face.

Oliver's grip on Donna tightened slightly when John said Darhk's name. Thea could see the tension on his face as she walked over and touched his arm. His face relaxed slightly as he pulled one arm off of Donna and wrapped it around his younger sister. Kissing her on the head, he just held them, using their support to shore up his resolve.

"How is she?" Donna finally managed to ask as she pulled back to look up at him.

"I don't know," he replied softly. "I think I heard them saying something about surgery."

"So… she's… alive," Thea offered, saying it slowly enough to not cause any more pain on her brother's face.

Oliver just nodded as Donna and Thea broke from his grasp and they all sat down. Thea still held Oliver's hand as he ran his other over his face. It was only when he was seated that John noticed the amount of blood on Oliver's suit. She was lucky to be alive if all of that was from her.

"Lance and Laurel are going over the scene," John offered, receiving a small nod from Oliver. "There was no sign of them by the time they got there, but they're hoping to find something to help them find out where to look next."

"There won't be anything," Oliver said softly. "They don't leave evidence."

"Don't worry," John reassured him. "We'll find them."

Oliver looked up at him with anger in his eyes. Darhk crossed the line this time. It was time for him to pay.


Oliver couldn't stay at the hospital any longer. He had to get out there and find Darhk. Once they had heard that Felicity was heading to surgery, he knew it would be a while before they knew anything more. Lance and Laurel had come to the hospital once their investigation of the crime scene had been completed. Knowing Lance would be there to watch over Donna and send him any updates on Felicity's condition, he, John, Laurel, and Thea went back to the lair to get ready to find Darhk.

"There has to be something," Oliver said with a sigh as he watched John pull up the traffic cameras from where the altercation had taken place.

"Laurel went through these before she came to the hospital," John explained. "They tracked them for a few miles, but then they went into an area without cameras."

"There has to be something!" Oliver yelled, slamming his hands on the desk, making Thea jump behind him.

"Hey!" Thea scolded, walking over to put her hand on his brother's back. "We're going to find them."

"How?" he asked harshly. "The only person who could have found them is fighting for her life!"

"Well, how did you find people before Felicity joined the team?" Thea asked.

"She's right," John agreed. "This is about surveillance, getting out on the street, finding out what people have seen. The entire city has heard what happened and everyone is outraged. You wanted them to be united against the darkness. Well, I think you got your wish."

Oliver sighed has he leaned heavily on the desk. Her desk. She should be there, helping them find the ghosts, not laying in a hospital, fighting to survive.

"Ok," he said softly, before getting back to his feet. "Ok. We'll fan out from where we lost contact with the vehicles. Someone had to have seen which way they went."

As Oliver cross to pick up his bow, he could hear John come up behind him. "You going to be ok out there?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Digg, I have to do something," he replied. "If I just sit around, my mind will just keep going where I don't want it to go."

"I understand that," John acknowledged. "I just want to make sure that if we find these guys you remember what we're trying to do. We need information, Oliver. I know you want to beat the crap out of them and so do I, but we need to find Darhk."

"I know," Oliver replied, seeing the concern in his friend's eyes. "This isn't about the ghosts. This is about Darhk and when I find him… I'm going to kill him."


Thea and John had been right. Going out and talking to the people on the street had proven to be very helpful. Everyone had heard about what had happened to Oliver Queen's fiancé and they wanted to help catch the men responsible. He didn't realize how much of an effect his candidacy had had on the city. They had seen he was trying to make things better and they wanted to help.

The team had managed to track the vehicles to a warehouse on the docks. Once they were all back together, they surveyed the area, looking for any signs of ghost activity.

"It looks pretty quiet," John offered as the peered down from the top of an adjacent building.

"Are you sure this is even going to work?" Laurel asked. "Our experience getting information out of the ghosts isn't very encouraging."

"Someone will talk," Oliver said confidently. "Or I'll make them."

Laurel just looked with concern at Thea before they saw movement behind one of the warehouse windows.

"Someone's in there," Oliver noted as he got up a readied a zipline arrow in his bow.

"Oliver wait -" was all John was able to get out before the arrow flew and impaled itself just above the window in question. Before anyone could react, he was sliding down the line, heading right for the window. The sound of glass shattering was all that was needed to cause even more ghosts to converge on the location.

"He's going to get himself killed," Laurel observed, grabbing the line to follow him down as gunshots rang out.

"And us too," Thea supplied as she followed Laurel down.

John just shook his head as he followed the women down the line and into the warehouse. When he landed, he caught sight of Oliver fighting two ghosts, Thea wrapping her legs around a third and bringing him down, and Laurel taking out another. When he saw more ghost appearing, he brought out his glock and started shooting taking care not to use any kill shots. They needed information and a dead ghost can't give them that.

The battle continued until all of the ghosts were down, either unconscious or dead by their own making, having broken their cyanide capsules in their mouths. Thea looked around at bodies on the ground before turning to her brother. She had seen how he had been fighting against the ghosts. She had never seen such ferocity in him before. She knew that he knew that they needed the ghosts alive, but alive doesn't necessarily mean able to move.

"WHERE IS DARHK!" he yelled, holding one of the ghosts by the collar and shaking him violently. Blood was coming from the ghost's mouth where Oliver had ripped the cyanide tooth from his mouth. He wasn't going to let him off that easily.

The ghost just laughed, showing the blood on his teeth.

"WHERE IS HE!" This time Oliver raised his fist above him, trying with all his might to not pound the life out of the man laughing beneath him.

One more laugh out of him made Oliver lose it as he started pounding on his face, shouting as he hit him. "WHERE IS HE!"

As the man lost consciousness, Oliver continued to hit him until Thea came over and grabbed his arm. She wasn't strong enough to make him stop, but her presence alone caused him to pause.

"Stop!" she ordered. "You need to stop! Felicity wouldn't want you to kill him!"

The sound of her name made Oliver stop and look at his sister. He could see the concern in her eyes as she begged him to let the man go.

"They aren't going to tell us anything," she continued, still holding Oliver's arm. "They're willing to die for him. This isn't going to work."

Oliver looked down at the unconscious man still held in his grip. Releasing his hold, he let the man fall to the concrete before standing upright. Thea let go of his arm and gently patted his chest.

He knew Thea was right. Every time they've tried questioning the ghosts, they've gotten no where. At least he got some satisfaction with beating the crap out of the men who hurt Felicity. It was a start.


"Going after the ghosts is pointless," Laurel declared as they walked back into the lair.

"But they're the only connection we have to Darhk," Thea explained. "How else are we going to find him?"

Oliver let out what could best be described as a growl as he slammed his bow on the metal table. The others knew he was frustrated, but there wasn't much they could do if the ghosts didn't talk.

"What if we go at this a different way?" suggested John. "We can talk to A.R.G.U.S.-"

"No," Oliver interrupted. "Favors from A.R.G.U.S. always come with a price and I'm not going to have anyone on this team owing Amanda Waller anything. We'll figure this out ourselves."

"We don't seem to be having any luck doing it by ourselves, Oliver," John reminded him.

Oliver let out a sigh as he turned and walked over to Felicity's desk. Running his hand along the back of his chair, he couldn't help but miss her presence. It didn't feel right not having her there.

He was brought out of his musings when Thea walked over to him, with her phone in her hand. "I got a text from Donna while we were out," she explained. "Felicity is out of surgery."

It didn't take long for Oliver to make his way back to the hospital. As he made his way up to her room, he saw Donna sitting outside, sobbing quietly.

"Donna…"

Upon seeing Oliver, Donna got up and wrapped him into a hug, sobbing into his shirt. "What happened?" he asked, fearing the worst.

Before she could answer, the doctor came out of Felicity's room. Pulling away from Donna, Oliver walked over to him anxiously. "How is she?"

"We were able to remove the bullets," he explained, "but there was significant internal damage and she lost a lot of blood. Her right lung was punctured so she currently is intubated to help her breathe. Another shot shattered her T9 vertebrae and damaged her spinal cord."

Oliver could hear Donna gasp behind him as she slowly walked up and grasped his arm for support.

"We did everything we could," the doctor continued, "but there is only so much modern medicine can fix. She should be able to heal, but… I'm afraid she'll never walk again."

When Donna's sobbing started again, Oliver wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, trying to keep his own emotions in check.

"Can we see her?" he asked.

The doctor just nodded as he stepped aside and let Oliver lead Donna into the room. The sight of his love hooked up to so many tubes and wires made his breath catch in his throat. She had a breathing tube down her throat and a bad of blood connected to her arm. The steady sound of the heart monitor beating was the only indication that she was even alive. She looked so pale.

Oliver lead Donna over to a chair that was already next to the bed before dragging another chair to the opposite side. Each one of them took one of her hands and held them gently. Oliver took in a deep breath as he felt her warm skin. Bringing her hand up to his lips, he gently kissed it before holding it next to his face, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"She's strong," Donna told him, as she looked down at her daughter. "She has so much to live for. I know she can get through this."

Oliver nodded slightly as he opened his eyes to look at her again. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I should have been able to protect you."

"Oliver Queen, this is not your fault," Donna said forcefully as she looked over at him. "This is that madman Darhk or whatever his name is. You didn't do this!"

"I put her in the line of fire," he explained, never taking his eyes off of Felicity. "I should have never outed him. She wouldn't have been kidnapped. She wouldn't have been…"

Oliver had to stop as he closed his eyes and pushed his face into her hand.

"You did what you thought was right," Donna reassured him. "Felicity understood that and she was willing to risk it to be with the man she loves."

"She doesn't deserve this."

"No," Donna agreed, "but she deserves to be happy and you make her happy. I've never seen her happier in my entire life. She would go through hell and back if he meant being able to be with you. You are how she's going to get through this. She's going to fight tooth and nail to get better because she knows when she does, you'll be here waiting for her."

And he would be waiting for her. He would be there when she woke up. No matter how much he felt responsible for what happened to her, he could never even consider pushing her away again. He was incomplete without her.


It had been three days since her surgery and every day she had been getting better. In the morning they had come in and removed her breathing tube. Now all she had was a small tube across her face, sending much needed oxygen in through her nose. They had stopped giving her blood, but she was still hooked up to tubes for fluids and medication. She still had not waken, but her color had gotten better. Oliver could see Felicity starting to come back.

It had been a long three days and Oliver was starting to feel his lack of sleep catching up with him. He had refused to leave her side, not wanting to miss when she finally woke up, but his eyes were starting to betray him. As they drooped down farther, he decided it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap. Leaning his head on her thigh, he closed his eyes, making sure to keep his hand wrapped around hers.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but the feeling of someone gently touching his cheek made him slowly wake up. Blinking away the grogginess, his vision cleared enough for him to realize that his hand was no longer gripping Felicity's because her hand was gently caressing his face. As his eyes came into focus, he looked up and saw a smile on her face as she looked down at him.

"Hi."

Oliver almost fell out of his chair as he quickly sat up and grabbed her hand again. "Hey." He couldn't help the smile of relief that came across his face as he brought her hand up to kiss it. "How are you doing?"

Felicity winced as she tried to move slightly. "I've been better."

Oliver let out a sigh as he just stared at the woman he loves. "You gave us quite a scare."

"Sorry," she replied as she settled back into her bed. "I guess now you know how it feels."

Oliver just scrunched up his face in confusion as she clarified. "Every time you come in with holes in you. Every time I almost lost you."

She was right. He had come back to the lair shot so many times. She had seen him almost die at least twice. Now that he had experienced it with her, he knew exactly what she had gone through.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Just remember that the next time you go off to do something dangerous," she said softly, her voice getting more pained the more she spoke.

"I should get the doctor," Oliver explained, not liking the look on her face.

Getting up from his chair, he reached for the call button and pressed it before leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you."

As he pulled back he could see a small smile on her face break through the pain. "I love you."

"Oh my baby!"

Both Oliver and Felicity turned to the door as they saw the doctor come in, closely followed by Donna. Walking over to the bed, Donna reached out and cupped Felicity's face with both hands, a little too tightly for Felicity's liking.

"Mom… a little much."

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby," she apologized, bringing her hands back so she could squeeze her daughter's hand. "I'm just so... happy… to see you…"

"I know, Mom."

"How are you feeling?"

This time it was the doctor's words that took over Felicity's attention. "Tired," she explained. "Sore."

The doctor nodded as he scribbled in her chart. "We can adjust your pain medications now that you're awake," he explained. "There's a few other tests we need to do. Your family can wait outside."

Oliver took that as his queue to leave as he kissed Felicity's hand one more time before releasing it and walking over to collect Donna. She didn't look like she would leave on her own, so Oliver took her arm and gently pulled her from the side of the bed.

"Come on, Donna," he told her as she tried to stay near her daughter.

"But… but…"

Oliver just smiled as he looked back at his love. She was giving him an appreciative smile as she gave them a slight wave. Letting out a relieved sigh, he pulled open the door and escorted Donna out to give the doctor a chance to do his work. He was just happy she was going to be ok.