Summary: What if the fight in the cave with Slade versus Team Arrow in episode 18 went a different way? What if Slade's intention was to capture/torture them? AU after episode 18. Now multi-chapter. A different take on how Slade takes revenge upon Oliver.

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters owned by CW, etc. No copyright infringement intended.

AN: Thank you for all the views, reviews, favs and alerts! You guys are awesome! Hope you like this new chapter. I originally was not planning to make this a muti-chapter story. But because of all your encouragement, the Muse has spoken. And here we go! By the way, this story is now going to be totally AU from episode 18 onwards, except for inserting the bit about Slade killing Moira to have happened before episode 18, instead of after.

Four of them left for the hospital, three returned.

Diggle was ordered to stay in the hospital overnight for observation. The doctor expressed concern about the length of time he had been unconscious and wanted to make sure no complications developed. Sara, her wrist in a cast, was otherwise cleared. Her concussion, on the other hand, was only mild. She insisted on returning to the lair with Felicity and Oliver to assist in clean up.

As Sara reminded Oliver, and he agreed, it was imperative to check out the lair as soon as possible for any surprises Slade may have left behind. Oliver agreed with the logic of this, and reluctantly agreed to have Sara help because they needed all the assistance they could get. The last thing they needed was something left behind causing them problems, courtesy of Slade.

"I want everything checked to see whether Slade took anything, or sabotaged anything. We need to know whether he had any other objectives besides terrorizing us in his visit."

Sara sighed, "You mean, besides being just one big, sick bully?" she asked while checking through the weapons cabinet.

Felicity rolled her eyes. Leave it to Sara to brush off a mind-blowing attack from a certifiable maniac as something as innocuous a threat from a playground bully. She, on the other hand, was fighting total mind-numbing fear. Body-paralyzing terror. Worse than watching Nightmare on Elm Street in the dark by herself on Friday the 13th without any ice cream fear. The type of fear that living through the earthquake machine did not even come close to.

She had been quiet for most of the time at the hospital and the ride back to the lair. Upon their return, she went straight over to her computers and began to check for any evidence of physical damage or hacking. Suddenly she could not keep it in any longer. She swung herself in her chair, faced Oliver, and directed her confusion to the man in question.

"Oliver, why didn't Slade do worse? Not that I would want him to, but he did have us all at his mercy. He could have killed all of us right then and there. He even acted like he was going to. One slip," she made a throat-slashing gesture across her throat, "and I would have been in serious trouble." Felicity stopped herself in mid-babble.

Oliver stopped his review of the medical supplies. He gave Felicity a soul-revealing look. "He wants to play games with me, to add to the torture." Looking down, he continued. "Sorry you are caught in the middle of this. I never wanted that." Then, as almost a second thought, he looked at Sara and added, "Neither of you should have been involved."

Sara walked over to Oliver, placing her hands upon his biceps. "Ollie, you know this is not your fault, right?" As she attempted to look into his eyes, Oliver managed to avoid her gaze and looked down at his feet.

"Yeah, none of this is. Right. My mother dead, Slade threatening you and Felicity, Diggle hurt….how is this not my fault? He would not be doing any of this, threatening my family, my business, you, if it weren't for me. I was so scared he was going to do that stupid choice thing again using you and Felicity this time."

"I know, but we all are okay. We will be okay, Ollie. We will defeat Slade. Together."

Felicity watched the interaction of the two fighters. They were made to be together. Weren't they? It did not sound like they were the right couple 'before the island', but now? They were both trained fighters, they both survived their own crucibles. They knew each other's dark secrets. They were meant to be together. Right?

So what was Slade talking about that she, Felicity, was the one he loved? Guess she was not the only one who thought it was so unthinkable. The other two in the room had not even mentioned it. And now it was almost like she wasn't even there. Oliver had not even questioned Felicity's uncharacteristic silence. In the past, before Sara, he would have asked her right away what was wrong.

"We just got you back, Sara. I can't lose you again. And your father, he probably won't survive losing you again…."

"I'm not that easy to kill. Remember?" she asked with a wry smile.

Oliver would have rolled his eyes, but he was so tense he could not think of anything but the terror he felt when Slade threatened to take them both away. When he had the knife to Felicity's throat. He shook his head, needing to get some perspective. Who would have thought that Slade could be so good at psychological warfare? Slade may have taught Oliver how to fight on the island, but unfortunately none of those lessons included the art of psychological warfare.

"Ollie, you cannot let him get in your head. We will get through this, remember? As a team, we are pretty incredible." Sara cupped Oliver's cheek and brought his forehead to rest on hers.

Looking into her green eyes, Oliver took comfort in her confidence. "Yes, I know. It's just that he has been several steps ahead of us at every turn."

"We will figure it out. You beat Slade once, you will again."

Oliver gave her a half-hearted smile, patted her arm, and walked to the back of the lair. Sara returned to her inventory of the weapons, and Felicity turned her attention back to the computers. Felicity sighed. She again felt somewhat shut out, but she decided to push down those feelings. It was not the right time to think about it. Later, with Dr. Who and mint chocolate chip ice cream, she will process her feelings away for a certain gorgeous but clueless vigilante.

They were able to inventory the entire cave and clean up the mess left from the onslaught within a few hours. Nothing else was amiss. Oliver then declared that they all needed to get some rest. Sara left to spend the rest of the evening at her sister's, because Oliver did have his worries about Laurel's safety as well. They had discussed how to broach the idea of safety with her father, since Oliver wondered if Slade's revenge would extend that far. Sara vetoed the idea, because they could not come up with any credible idea as to why he should sleep overnight at Laurel's.

Regarding Diggle, Oliver had called to check on him, and spoke to the man himself. Oliver was comforted by the fact that Diggle was restless and not liking the fact of staying in the hospital. Oliver knew that meant that Diggle was indeed getting better. Oliver suggested obtaining a police guard, but Diggle ruled that out. He stated that Lyla was going to spend the night at the hospital with him, over his objections, and that should be all that was necessary for his safety.

That left Felicity. Oliver was about to suggest that she spend the night at the mansion with him when she turned around and gave him that look. The look that says, I know what you are thinking, and the answer is no. "Oliver, I know what you are thinking, and the answer is no. I am sleeping at my own place tonight, and you do not have to stay with me either. If Slade is going to get me, he will find a way. But I think we will all be safe."

So he left her thinking that he agreed with her. Unknown to Felicity, however, Oliver spent the rest of the night on the roof of the building across from her house, keeping watch. He would not have been able to sleep anyway, so he made sure his IT girl was safe.

The next morning, Felicity woke up to her phone screaming. She had indeed put her plan to "process" her feelings into action the evening before, but only watched a little bit of Dr. Who on her bedroom TV before she fell asleep in her bed. She now looked at the time. It was Saturday, the only day of the week she usually got to sleep in. And especially considering how nerve-wracking yesterday was, she needed her sleep. It was Oliver. Seven freaking AM. What is he thinking?

"Any chance you have talked to Digg this morning?" Oliver asked, without a preamble.

Felicity shook her head, trying to get whatever cobwebs still left in there. "What? Why? He's at the hospital…." A cold shiver went down her back. "Isn't he?"

"No, he isn't. I went over there first thing, to find out that he had disappeared some time last night."

AN: Oh no, a cliffhanger. Sorry for the shorter chapter, but it felt like a good place to stop. evil laugh What is Slade up to now? Let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope it holds up to the promise of the first chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hopefully I will update quicker with the next chapter. I got most of the story written now.