Summary: Her hands are stained red with the sin of her crime. She never thought she would be one for murder. This time, she decides, it was not murder, but necessity.

Title: Necessities

Disclaimer: I do not (unfortunately) own anything related to the TV show, Arrow. This also contains a slight spoiler for 4.09 for those of you who have yet to watch it.

She kicks off her black boots, leaving them haphazardly by the doorway. She didn't bother to lock the door behind her; she hasn't messed with any extra security in what seemed like ages. If anyone wanted to kill her, she just might let them.

Tonight is different, she thinks, taking off her jacket and draping it over the back of the kitchen chair. Tonight, I killed again.

It wasn't supposed to be this way, she tries to justify, it was supposed to be a simple recon mission with very low risk. No one was supposed to get hurt.

No one is ever supposed to get hurt.

She makes her way towards the bathroom that is usually shared between her and her sister when she is in town. She knows Laurel is miles away in Star City. She knows and wishes it weren't the case. This time, she shut the door firmly behind her, flakes of dried blood coming off of her fingers tips and leaving a reminder of the last few hours in their wake.

Her hands shake as she raises them to the sink. She thinks that she should be used to this by now. The scrapes and bruises. The potential threats. The blood. There is always so much blood.

She twists the hot water on full blast and begins the scrubbing that has become more and more of a routine lately. She scratches at her palms, her wrists, under her nails. At every inch, every centimeter, she can still see and still feel the warmth of the man's blood, slowly staining her hands as she took his life.

After the restoration, she was hoping to get a clean slate. She remembered what she was in the past, a monster constantly afraid of the cards that she had been dealt in this life. She was hoping that, by moving away from the madness that drove her to the brink of insanity, by staying with her mother, her only safe haven, and by moving on from her old life, she would be able to be the person that her family always thought she was. There was no more League business, no more Team Arrow, no more hunting bad guys.

Until there was.

She hadn't meant to start up again. She hadn't meant to fall back into her old ways. She wanted to help people, but like Ollie, she wanted to try something new. She wanted to face the light of day and attempt to help those around her by simply being her. After weeks of trying and trying and trying, she realized that she had failed. She had become blind to the problems in her area and felt as though she were letting everyone down again. She had been oblivious to the gang activity that was occurring all around her and quickly consuming the city. She was blinded by her need to avenge herself that she was forgetting who she was to begin with. She was Sara Lance, daughter, sister, lover, friend. She was also quickly realizing, the longer that she stayed in the city, hiding with her mother, that she needed The Canary back in her life. She had put away that part of herself for so long that, as the time went on, she felt a certain craving for it. She supposed it made her a coward to have such a yearning for the mask that she was able to hide behind for so long. She never wanted it to make her a murderer again.

Tonight, though, had changed her again. She knew, as she swung her staff to meet the man's head that wasn't supposed to see her, that this was different. She knew, as she raised her weapon and plunged it into his buddy's stomach, that she was headed down the same road again. She knew, with a quick snap of the man's neck, who had been holding a gun to her face only seconds prior, things would change instantly.

Those men, though involved in dangerous gang activities and wanted for murder around the city, would never go back to their families. They would never have the luxury of seeing their children, their wives again. They would never be able to repent for their crimes. They would never be able to make amends for all of their wrongdoings. She had taken away these options for them. She had, once again, taken lives.

A soft chime of her cell phone brings her out of her musings and she sighs. Her eyes drift to the red, raw skin of her hands, slightly irritated with the heat still pouring from the faucet. She moves to grab the hand towel, and then slips a mostly dry hand into her pocket to reach for her phone, wondering who it was that would be bothering her at such an absurd hour.

Felicity. Hospital. Come quickly. - Laurel

Her eyes glance briefly over the words, wondering if her sister could be possibly be more cryptic, but then it clicked. She races towards the kitchen and grabs her jacket once again while searching frantically for the car keys. As soon as they are within reach, she tucks them into her pocket, slides her shoes back on and races out the door. For the second time that night, she is on a mission. She knows that it will take some time to reach Star City, but she is willing to break a few laws to get there a little faster. As soon as the car has started and she has pulled out of her usual spot, she decides that it is a necessity sometimes, breaking the law. She decides that this is why she does what she does: for her precious people, for the ones who cannot protect themselves, for her family, her friends, her loved ones. She resolves to keep her composure relatively calm until she finds out more information regarding the situation, but also promises to find whoever hurt her friend.

Tonight, the killing that could have been avoided ended up being a necessity in order to protect herself. The next time, it will be to protect the ones she loves. And it seems to her that the next time isn't so far away.

With her brows drawn together in frustration and her foot falling heavily on the gas pedal, she heads home.