Chapter 2
The nightmare woke Oliver with a start; his skin shined with sweat and his chest heaved as he came back to reality. He repeated to himself silently how he wasn't on the island anymore, and he did this over and over until his heart rate returned to normal. The details of the nightmare were already fading, and the lights of Starling City at night were pushing through the darkness of his mind.
The make-shift bed was cold, and Oliver didn't have to look to see that Sara had already left. At this hour, she would most likely still be in the clock tower but outside. Both vigilantes craved the night sky and open air; the city, even now, could be too confining for two warriors use to empty forests and enemies around every corner.
On this night, he was grateful that Sara had woken before him. A nightmare like that could cause him to be violent upon waking with someone else so close; ever since, he had returned he had tried his best to avoid spending the night with any girl. He couldn't risk their lives when he wasn't sure when his dreams would catch him in a vice grip; then again, Sara was quick and could most likely put him on his back if he attacked in his unaware state. There wasn't much grace when he woke up savagely.
Wiping the dream from the last vestiges of his mind, Oliver climbed from the bed with the intent of finding Sara. He was half-tempted to suit back up and go looking for trouble; the adrenaline would take his mind off things, and he could do some good. That man in the skull mask was still out there…
However, he decided against it; if Felicity or Diggle found out he went out alone with no support, he'd never hear the end of it. His IT girl would find some odd and awkward way to lecture him, and as amusing as it sounded, he just didn't think he'd have it in him to face it tomorrow. Still out of habit, he snatched a knife and headed outside.
Sara was half-dressed with a tank top and panties, eyes closed, and leaned against the railing in front of the clock face. With her head tilted back, she looked serene and relaxed. Oliver sadly knew better and recognized when she was also trying to forget a darker dream. She was centering herself, and he made sure to shut the door a bit louder then he usually would have. Sara was exceptionally well-trained, but during such exercises, the mind was shut off from outside stimuli. He didn't want to surprise her and end up being tossed off the clock tower. No hospital would believe any story he spun on that one… if he survived the fall of course.
"I wake up expecting to be back there," Sara murmured, eyes opening to stare out across the city. "I hope I didn't wake you."
"The island woke me," Oliver admitted. With Sara, there was no point to lying. She understood better than anyone what it was like to be there.
"League," Sara returned. They weren't ever specific about their dreams, but they didn't need to be. It was better left unsaid.
Oliver closed the distance and stood next to her. He didn't feel comfortable touching her as much as he wanted to. Physical contact, intimate contact, after a nightmare was near impossible; his body was too well rehearsed to defend himself. He trusted himself and his control any time but after waking.
"They're not going to stop Ollie," she continued. "They're going to keep coming after me."
"So we'll stop them," he responded emphasizing the we. He wasn't going to let her face the League alone again; he'd stand by her. "You should still tell Laurel." It came with a bit of pain to say that, but he thought her older sister deserved to know.
"I can't face her… not yet," she added briskly. "She's going to see me how I once was not as I am. I need time."
Ollie nodded his understanding. He remembered that vividly last year, except he had worked hard to be sure it was the opposite. He needed people to see him as he once was. Even though it was difficult, he relaxed his tense muscles enough to reach over and touch Sara's hand. He felt her muscles coil, but she quickly relaxed.
"I need…" she frowned. "I need to get out."
"I'll go with you," he said. He didn't need to be told that she meant as Canary. They both had energy to burn off, and they had to re-establish their control. The easiest way to do that was in a fight. "Too much is going on in Starling for me to just let you go."
Sara didn't look thrilled with the idea of company, but she yielded and headed inside. In a corner, both of their leathers laid in a pile. She stripped of her top, and she caught Ollie's eyes with a seductive smile. It was a moment of normalcy in their wickedly different lives. She tossed Oliver his hood and jacket blocking his eye line of her for a moment.
Once he was suited with his hood pulled up, Sara was already rearing to go. Her bo staff was in one hand and the bow was in another. He quickly took it and allowed her to lead the way. Oliver didn't deal with petty crime as often as he would like some nights. If he came across it on his nightly ventures, he'd take care of it, but unlike Sara, he didn't usually go looking for it.
In the destroyed Glades, it didn't take a whole lot of time before the duo came across a mugging. Two young college somethings were surrounded by a pack of five men. They were teasing the young couple and circling them like vultures. One of the men had a knife that he was brandishing towards the couple, but with a well-aimed arrow, Oliver relieved him of the weapon.
Before the group could split, Sara was in the mix, and in a moment of a blink, she had two of the muggers on their asses and then unconscious with a sweep of her bo staff. Oliver watched as the couple took off down the street, not waiting to see what the two vigilantes would do, and he quickly involved himself into the fray as well.
Back to back, it didn't take much longer for Sara and Oliver to have the muggers down and out for the count. He refrained from killing them, and he watched as Sara had the same internal debate. The island had taught them better dead, and it was hard to ignore that instinct. Oliver had Tommy's memory to ground him, but he wasn't sure what Sara used to push past the urge.
"That was," Sara sighed, "not as exciting as I hoped it would be."
"They're not League trained," Oliver joked with a shake of his head. Sara smirked and shrugged. It went unsaid that they weren't trained by ASIS either. Another topic the both of them tried to avoid. For two people that had a better grasp of each other than anyone else, they had a lot of limits on what they would and would not discuss.
In the distance, sirens could be heard. Apparently the young couple had done more than just running; they had called SCPD. Sara and Oliver shared a look and left the scene, and this time Oliver picked up his arrow. He usually didn't mind letting the police know when he had been at work, but tonight was less about his mission to be a hero and more about clearing his head. He was sure the couple would claim it was the Arrow that saved them, but without evidence, the cops would most likely leave it as another 'currently investigating' case.
Across town in an unnamed alley, Viper stood with a frown. She hadn't been in this city for more than twenty four hours, and she hadn't heard a whisper of this vigilante. Someone of her caliber, she had expected this to only take twelve hours before she found the Arrow. However, he covered his tracks well, and he wasn't easily found. She simply wanted to have a conversation with him; if anyone had an idea where Malcolm Merlyn might be, it would be the archer's rival. As hard as it was to find the Hood, Malcolm was nothing more than a whisper on the wind; she'd need some information before she could proceed… thus the search for the vigilante.
Viper stared down at the two bodies. She pulled her knife from one of their chests and wiped the blood on their pant leg. They were foolish to think they could sneak up on her and attack her unaware. She looked at his partner who was still alive but trembling. The shallow cuts littered his body, and most of the blood had already congealed. He'd probably be begging for his life if Viper hadn't paralyzed his vocal cords when he had started to scream. She had questioned his partner first, and when he had yielded nothing, she had disposed of him efficiently. Now looking at the other young male, she doubted he would give her anything either. The vigilante didn't seem to deal with this lower scum often and made them useless to her.
Viper bent down and considered her quarry for a moment, and when she smiled, he seemingly relaxed. A second later, she plunged her knife into his throat and ended his pathetic life. What a waste of life, she thought idly to herself as she again cleaned her knife. She holstered it and picked up her bow. No need to waste arrows on creatures such as these.
Apparently, she needed to do something extraordinary to get the Arrow's attention, but Viper wasn't one for the spot light. She considered hiring someone, but she wasn't one for letting others do her work either. Perhaps, this meeting would be better if she simply discovered his identity and had a nice sit down chat with him. Up until now, she hadn't cared who was behind the hood, but this seemed like the most efficient method for getting what she wanted. Either that or she would start to leave bodies everywhere until she got the Hood's attention.
Both worked well for the assassin.
