John Convinces Eve to Go Visit Laurel at the Hospital

Writer's Notes: This is not the introduction of our character, EVE, but this is the birth of her character. This is the second piece written about EVE, and is subject to change when I incorporate this into her story. This is the second piece I wrote before I started writing her actual introduction chapter.

"Eve," John walked out the elevator, "I know you're here."

Eve hid behind the wall, the color in her eyes, lost.

"Listen," John sat on the stairs, trying to compose himself, "I know I'm not one to talk about loss, and I haven't loss as many people as you, but your mentor is in the hospital right now. We need each other in order to survive, and we need you now more than ever to get through this. The doctors said she's going to be alright, that she's going to pull through. Everything is going to be okay now, Eve, she's going to be fine."

John shook his head, still stricken with grief, his voice choking,

"I know it's hard, but just come see her, she needs your support, too."

Eve didn't respond, she slumped to the floor, her head against the wall, holding her hair against her eyes.

"Eve, she wouldn't give up on you, so why are you giving up on her?" John looked in the opposite direction of Eve.

Eve silently screamed, the tears pouring down her face, she wasn't giving up on her, she was giving up on herself.

"Eve," John shook his head, "you're hurting yourself by staying in here, she deserves to see you. Thea is over there right now, she needs you too."

Digging her face into her arm, Eve let out a silent huff of air, she just couldn't do it, not even for Thea.

"Eve, I want you to know that you are not your circumstances, you are the results of them - and you get to choose how you react to those circumstances; you get to decide if you light them on fire or if you burn yourself out." John looked around the room, "Now, which one are you going to choose?"

Eve turned to John's voice, as he stood up with a sigh, walking back to the elevator.

"I hope you come, Eve, if not for yourself, at least do it for her."

I found myself standing before the SCPD, taking a deep breath in. No one had told Quentin yet, none of us could get a hold of him. Taking the first steps in, there was a receptionist taking a call, she held her finger up to me and I gave a slight bow. The receptionist, named Sandra, turned to continue her conversation, her eyes furrowed. I could hear her heart fluttering, was this normally how it was for them when someone calls in an emergency?

I leaned to peer into Lance's office, and there was an officer standing before him. I could hear her, she was telling Quentin about Laurel, and immediately both our hearts panicked.

"Mr. Lance!" I waved my arm.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Quentin stood up from his chair, rushing to me.

We ran into an embrace, and I could hear the panic in his voice,

"Is she okay? Please, tell me my baby girl is okay. Please tell me she's not alone."

I just held him, I couldn't bare to tell him. He pushed me away to see my face,

"How did it happen, who did this to my baby girl?"

I darted my eyes around, scanning his face, and I whimpered, remembering everything,

"Darhk."

Quentin threw his head back, the back of his head in his hands, muttering,

"No, no, no, no, no, no, not like this, no, please God, no."

Grabbing onto Quentin's hand, I whispered,

"We have to go to her now, Quentin."

Quentin's eyes drowned in tears. Is this how it was for my dad, when he realized that I was dying that day; did he have those same tears, this same flutter in his heart?

"Right, let's take a squad car, faster, right?" Quentin tried to smile.

Even in the face of grief, he tried to make a joke. I wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort me or himself. Maybe we were both just trying to see the light in this situation, but we both knew there was no end to this tunnel.

When we arrived at the hospital, Quentin left his car parked out a bit of ways, claiming that is what Laurel would want, so he wouldn't block the ambulances. Although Quentin was trying to keep himself calm by mentioning her so much, it just made it more unbearable for me, hearing her name, just tore me to bits. Inside the building, I tried very hard to tune my ears for her voice, her breathing, to just hear that her heart is still beating would be amazing. There were just too many voices, I couldn't even catch Felicity's annoying voice cackling about something - all the wires and voices didn't help at all. If I'm on the same level she is, I'm sure I'll find her.

Quentin and I stood in line, looked like a busy night for the ER - great.

"You know." Damn it, why did I open my mouth?

Quentin looked over, "What is it?"

Fuck, what do I say now?

"Someone told me, that we aren't our circumstances of our situations, we are only the results." I looked down, why was I bringing this up now of all times?

"Mmm." Quentin wiped his mouth and took a deep breath, "You're bringing this up because Darhk hurt Laurel, huh?"

"Mr. Lance," I took a sigh looking up to him, "I'm telling you this because you get to decide your reactions to this, you can either choose to let this burn you out, or you can light the whole damn thing on fire."

There was a child staring at my arms, pulling on his mother's arm, and trying to get her attention.

"I'm sure you know which one Laurel would want us to choose, Mr. Lance."

Quentin licked his lips and took a deep breath in, swallowing his breath before he let out a soft sigh.

"…something in my left pouch, can you bring it to me?"

I looked desperately around the lounge. Laurel, where could she be?

"Eve?" Quentin reached out to me.

"Shh!" I gently pressed my hands against his, tears forming around my eyes.

"You, you kept this?"

Hearing Oliver break, brought me to my knees, my eye caught onto the camera and I could see he held a photo in his hands. It hurt so much to see Laurel in pain on the bed. Even the dick bag, Oliver, was in turmoil. Quentin held me as I sobbed into the floor, allowing those before us to go ahead, he smoothed my back to calm me down. He was losing his daughter, and here I was receiving comfort by him.

"…a reminder of when times were simpler."

My emotions were getting the best of me, and I couldn't hear or see her properly. I had to cut the camera or I'd overheat. I just, I couldn't bare it, seeing her like that.

"I'm glad you found Felicity, and I hope you find your way back to her." Just the mention of her name made me sick, Laurel always put others before her. "Listen, Ollie, I know that I am not the love of your life, but you will always be mine."

I slammed my fist against the wall, causing a dent.

"Woah!" Quentin let go of me.

It wasn't fair, I shook my head.

Quentin's phone started ringing, "Okay, it's Thea, I'm going to take this so we can find her room, okay? Don't worry, Laurel's a fighter."

"Yeah." I tried to smile back, wiping my tears.

A fighter.

I lost the strength to continue listening to Laurel, after tonights fight, all these emotions, and the rush of repressed memories, I took a deep sigh leaning against the wall.

"Thea told me she's on the third level, and that's she's doing really good." Quentin smiled.

It was a genuine smile, genuine enough to make me smile with him - both of us, welling tears on the side. It seems like the only thing either of us could do tonight.

"Let's go, yeah?" Quentin clapped his hands together.

He was so happy to hear good news.

A group of ER doctors and nurses passed by us, Quentin and I moved against the walls to give them space. In a moments breath, I saw it. Everything turned to white noise. And I knew. I saw the Deadly Apparition. It's dirty grey robe hung messily around it. As though they were carrying it atop their herd. The way it looked at me. They way it turned it's head to look me in the eyes. I knew. I knew what it was saying.

"You don't think that was for Laurel, do you?" Quentin laughed, looking over to me.

My face went white, I couldn't look up at Quentin, I couldn't find it in my heart to tell him - for once, I knew someone would feel a pain greater than I could ever feel.

"No, no, not my baby girl." I could hear his voice choking, and I still couldn't bare to look at him.

He ran after the herd of nurses and doctors, me following after. We couldn't keep up.

It was happening all over again, everything moving slowly - it wasn't fair. It wasn't happening again, it was happening twice in the same night. I couldn't breath, my legs felt wobbly, and my arms gave out on me, I was swinging them to keep them from falling. All I could hear was Quentin's ragged breath, his heart pumping blood unevenly. Looking at his back, I could feel his heart breaking and his world falling apart. Every step was like an earthquake, and every breath was a knife to the neck.

Before we knew it, we saw Oliver in the hall, taking deep, painfully slow, breaths. Quentin stumbled onto the wall, trying to hold the door for support. Dropping to his knees, there was a water fall of emotions pouring from him. He had finally lost everything and he crumbled. I saw the Deadly Apparition float out of Laurel's room, waving to me before leaving out the window, and I fell to my knees in a loud sob. My heart couldn't take this anymore. I could hear Quentin's heart slowly breaking, as his chest rumbled into a soft sob.

There is no such thing as light. There is no beacon of hope. There is no God.

In a fit of rage, Eve quietly growled at Oliver,

"This is all your fault. This is your doing. Best remember that, Quiver."

Quentin confused, looked from Eve to Oliver.

"Eve." Oliver choked, reaching out to her.

"You do not get to call me that anymore." Eve pulled her hood over and cut Oliver's hand, "We are not a team, you are not my leader, and you will never be my friend."

Oliver moved back and Quentin trying to grab the back of Eve's cape. Eve whipped her cape away, and followed the Deadly Apparition out the window, glass shattering, looking over her shoulder, her cybernetic eye glowing red upon making contact with Oliver.

"This is the beginning of your end, Oliver Queen."