Bleeding out (for You)

by Lucy M. Valdstein

Sometimes to keep the loved ones safe You need to bleed for them... Little AU version of season 3, where Ray's half-sister comes to get Him home but is forced to stay in Starling and finds herself in the middle of the superhero business trying to hide the fact that meta-humans have been around a little longer than a few months. [OC & the whole Arrow lot]

I do not own any of the Arrow characters, they belong to DC. Currently looking for a beta-reader. Reviews appreciated.

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Prologue

The rain is heavy outside. Big raindrops banging loudly against the window of a big, dark room. All lamps are off, the only light coming from the street lamp that would go off for a few seconds in uneven intervals – the obvious effect of the damages done to the city electric network by the vent that brought the city to its knees once again. And he went down with the city he never wanted to come to in the first place. Shadows casted on the face of a man sleeping on the large bed in the middle of the room, making him look younger than he was, the bruises on his face and dark circles under his eyes more prominent. Suddenly his breathing got uneven, breaths sharp as he started tossing on the bed. Sweat broke on his forehead as his lips started to whisper a name.

"Anna… Anna…An…."

Fast, quiet steps on the rug covering the floor. A women sits on the edge of the bed putting one hand on the mans' forearm while her second hand holds a handkerchief to her nose.

"Shhhh" she whispers. 'All will be ok, dear, I promise".

She knows what is playing out in his sleepy mind – over and over again. Happy moments with a loved one, always interrupted by her dying in his arms, blood and dust mixing on her cheeks, while he begs her not to leave. City in fire around them and the sudden chill in his veins as he tried to push her heart to beat again. And the feeling he has felt that before. He tried and he failed…

She knows, because she sees it too. And she feels it just the same.

Women on his side closes her eyes, trying to stop her hands from shaking. His breaths are slowly calming down as the red stains the white material held tightly again her face.

She remembers her palms on someone else's chest, with the fire blazing around her. She remembers making impossible choices and facing consequences. She remembers the pain. She remembers his pain too. But she'll make it go away. Again. Because that is what You do for the ones You love. You protect them, even if this means protecting them from themselves.

The rain keeps ringing on the window, raindrops shadows hiding trails of tears on both of their faces.