Across town, a collection of weary heroes were settled around the Arrowcave. All were accounted for ecept for who Roy was on 24/7 house duty; he needed to protect Thea and Moira when Slade inevitably came calling. "I never thought I'd say this but I actually wish that Barry Allen was here. Other than Felicity he's the only one I know of that can figure this stuff out." Oliver paced back and forth. "Have you made any progress?"
Sara was hunched over the computer desk that Felicity once called home, "Nope." She turned in the chair, "Code breaking was never my strong suit." She sighed, "The only conclusion I've come to is that Slade has Felicity locked up somewhere…and we knew that three days ago." Standing up, she folded her arms. "There has to be a better way to go about this than sitting here staring at screens."
"We've got nothing to go on." He hunched over the desk, palms flat against the cold metal. Gritting his teeth, he clenched his fist as he slammed it against the table. "Damn it!" He snarled and grabbed his quiver.
"Where are you going?" Sara turned to him.
"Out!"
"I can come with you—"
Oliver violently shut her down, "No. You stay here and keep working on that code. I'll call if I need something."
Frowning, Sara turned back to the computer. "Dick…" She muttered under her breath.
John Diggle instinctively knew when Oliver Queen was going to get himself into trouble. Heading upstairs, he reached the younger man before he went jetting off on his motorcycle. "Hey man, this isn't your fault. You know that, right?"
Oliver whipped around, "Like hell it's not." He gripped the helmet in his hand, "She was pissed at me and he got to her. Slade wouldn't even be here if I had killed him in the first place! He went after her because she works with me. I wish I never got her involved in this!" His anger threatened to sweep him away, "She's probably been tortured. She could be dead, Dig!"
"Felicity isn't dead. She's a fighter…" John replied but it was clear from his expression that he had the same concerns. "She's stronger than you give her credit for." He sighed, "Look, I know we've been dealt a crap hand but snapping at everyone isn't going to help."
Throwing his leg over the bike, he grunted, "I need to clear my head. I'll be back in a little while…" Kicking into gear, he sped off. The wheels in his head were turning just as quickly as the ones zipping across the pavement. Slade was damn near brilliant when it came to tactical command; outsmarting him was going to take everything in his arsenal. Rocketing through the city, he pored over every detail of his final days with Slade. Before he even realized it, several hours had passed.
Hanging a left, he headed back toward Verdant but he was going to grab something to eat first. He had a long night ahead of him and something greasy sounded good.
Slade noticed that Felicity was not her usual talkative self when he returned from a day full of meetings. "What's the matter, love?" He asked, tugging his jacket off. He'd met with Sebastian Blood this afternoon, laying careful plans for the future of Starling City and the ultimate demise of Oliver Queen.
"I'm going a little stir crazy here." Felicity replied, sighing heavily. "So far I've rewired the fuse box to bring it up to code, I've watched about a thousand hours of reality television, and moved the furniture around twice. If I don't get out of this house soon I'm going lose my damn mind!"
He frowned, "You're my prisoner. You can't just come and go as you please…"
"Well why not?"
That baffled him. Opening his mouth to answer, he found that there was truly no easy explanation to her question. Knitting his eyebrows in frustration, he folded his arms, "It's just not the way things are done, Felicity!" He supposed that in the most basic sense of the word, he was a traditionalist. When he took a hostage he held them captive until that time when their usefulness wore off and it was time for them to die. Slade was quickly realizing that she didn't fit the mold. Just the fact that he'd untied her that first night was testament enough. "I can't just let you go…" And he didn't mean because of his revenge. He had grown accustomed to her being with him and he didn't want to let that feeling go.
Felicity flopped down on the bed, "Look, I get that you took me to make a point but it's been almost a week now. We have to come to terms with the fact that maybe they aren't coming." She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She always assumed were she kidnapped that Oliver would do anything in his power to find her. It wouldn't be the first time that she was dead wrong when it came to men. "I'm not saying you have to cut me loose but could we at least go out somewhere? Get some fresh air?"
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he mulled it over. "Where do you want to go?" He raised a hand to stem the flow of her happiness, "I'm not saying yes. We need to get a few things straight…"
She hopped off the bed and padded over to him, "I was thinking maybe we can just get a late dinner or something? We could go to Big Belly Burger, grab a table in the back and enjoy being around other people for a change." The only person she'd seen for days besides Slade was the occasional nod from one of the guards he had watching the house. She'd always been a loner and it surprised her how much she missed the presence of others in her life. "What's the big deal?"
Slade snorted derisively, "What's the big deal?" He repeated, shaking his head. "I took you as a hostage and now you want to go out to dinner! It's not as simple as you're making it out to be." He peered down at her, "What's to stop you from screaming bloody murder as soon as we get into public? Or from trying to escape? Or calling Oliver so that he can rescue you?"
"I think it should be fairly obvious by now that I don't need rescuing, Slade." She replied. Truthfully, she'd seen ten such opportunities to escape since she arrived. Perhaps it would seem odd that she wouldn't immediately jump at the chance to leave here. But Slade needed her. Already in the last few days she'd seen such a change in him. He was calmer, softer, and he seemed more at peace with the world around him. With enough time, she knew he could be saved.
"You've made it clear that it's Oliver's side you're on, darling. You're the leverage I need to keep him off center…" And if he lost her, he too would be lost.
She frowned deeply, "So I'm just a pawn in this game of cat and mouse you're playing." She shook her head, her teeth scraping against her lip as she reigned in the anger she was feeling. It shouldn't have bothered her that much; she'd been here a week, it wasn't like she was in love with him. And yet, a large part of her felt as if he was already a part of her soul. "I'm glad we cleared that up. I thought what we were doing actually meant something…" Moving past him, she shrugged off his attempt to reach out. Stalking out of the room, she padded down to the edge of the hours and peered out into the inky black night.
Damn the woman to hell! He felt a sharp stabbing straight in his chest as he watched her march away from him. She cared for him, he could feel it. Perhaps if he allowed himself, he could care for her too. "Felicity!" Slade thundered after her. Reaching for her, he grasped her arm. "Get your coat."
"Really?" Felicity cautiously peered at him.
"Before I change my mind, Felicity!" He smirked to himself when she dashed down the hall and slipped on a pair of heels and her jacket. Walking with her to the door, he held it open for her. Much to his surprise, she made no move to run for her life. She walked side by side with him, though she had to jog a little bit to keep up with his long, powerful strides. "After you, love." Settling her in on the passenger side, he slid into the sports car's driver's seat.
Felicity let out a little noise of approval, "This is a lot nicer than the van." She'd never seen a car like this before, let alone driven in one. The engine roared to life and she laughed, "Whoa, listen to that baby purr!" She was truly, blissfully happy in that moment. They navigated easily through the mostly deserted streets of Starling City. This time of night it wasn't surprising that most of the world was tucked into their beds.
Pulling into the parking lot, Slade helped Felicity out of the car. His hand gently rested against the small of her back as they headed into the restaurant. "Hey Carly," Felicity called, heading over to her usual booth. Slipping in across from Slade, she gave him a gently smile. Clearly he was tense, "Everything's okay, Slade. Let's have a nice meal."
He grabbed a menu though truthfully he could hardly tear his eyes away from her. The woman sat across from him now, happy as anything to be seen with him. He couldn't stop a smile from crossing his features. So it was true, he did care for her…far more than he should. It couldn't be helped. He was powerless to resist her. "Order anything you like, love, dinner's on me."
"Well in that case," Felicity smiled broadly. Sipping her milkshake, she could tell the exact moment that he let down his guard. When it was just the two of them, Felicity enjoyed the man beneath the monster. Slade might be a little rough around the edges but he had a wicked sense of humor, he was charming and a gentleman. Lian Yu still haunted him. Sometimes in his sleep he would cry out, thrashing against invisible demons. Though, he never slept for long. Whether it was the nightmares that plagued his unconscious mind or the Mirakuru which decreased his need for rest, his nights were very long. Either way, when he woke up and she was snuggled against him, he found peace again. She wanted to be the one to give him that. She wanted to be the one to heal him. "What're you thinking about?"
Pulled out of his thoughts, he cleared his throat. "I was thinking that I haven't been on a date in…more years than I care to admit." He grunted; he hadn't been with a woman he would actually consider dating for just as long. Felicity wasn't like anyone he'd ever known.
Felicity smirked, "Oh so this is a date, huh?" She laughed at how flustered he got. He slipped her hand into his rough palm, thumb stroking over her delicate skin. Their food arrived and they ate in comfortable silence, Felicity occasionally glanced up at the news on mute in the corner. "So does this mean that maybe we can go out again? It's hard being cooped up in the house all the time."
"With my accompaniment, yes," Slade replied, peering at her. "And only if it's safe. I won't have you hurt, Felicity." The thought of her being harmed sent shockwaves of fury slamming through him; he gritted his teeth. He had already lost one woman that he loved…and Shado had not loved him back. Knowing that Felicity might actually have feelings for him made him a thousand times more protective of her.
"Deal." She let out a soft breath, "That was delicious. Now can you see why I love this place so much?"
Slade chuckled, "I'm beginning to, love." He was also beginning to realize that it didn't matter where he went if he had Felicity beside him. "Perhaps you'd like to take a little walk in the park? The moon is beautiful tonight…" He did so love the darkness. And with him there to protect her, there was no danger at all.
A moonlit walk after a nice dinner sounded perfect. "Yeah, I—Oliver..."
"What?" Slade knew instantly after she said it that they were in for trouble. He cursed bitterly. While he and Felicity had been engrossed in their conversations, Oliver Queen had evacuated the entire restaurant. He would be damned if his infatuation with Felicity would cloud his judgment now. He hardened his heart, stuffing down the growing feelings he had for her. This extended far beyond his budding connection with Felicity Smoak. This was a matter of honor.
Felicity scrambled to her feet seconds before the restaurant went black, "Slade!" The window behind her shattered and she cried out. Shards of glass slashed her skin, pain stinging through her. He dragged her up, holding her to his chest. She fought against him a moment, turning in his arms, "Stop!"
In green hood, crossbow aimed straight for Slade, Oliver wasn't backing down. "Let. Her. Go." His voice was thick with anger. He peered at Felicity. She appeared mostly unharmed, which sent relief spinning through him. "Felicity, it's okay. I'm here."
Slade peered at the cut on her shoulder and the blood that had soaked into his shirt as she rested in his arms. Instantly, his vision went red with rage. It exploded outward as he grabbed Oliver and hurled him through a wall. Drywall dust exploded around them as Slade strode forward through the rubble and picked up Oliver's limp, twitching body again. Delivering a blow to his face, he was poised to strike again when suddenly he realized Felicity was screaming at him.
"Slade, stop! You're going to kill him!" Felicity hollered. She knelt beside Oliver. Blood trickled from his split lip and he was properly knocked out but he was breathing. One punch from a man sapped in Mirakuru, though, she wasn't sure that he could survive. Tears burned down her cheeks watching the tender man she cared for die away in the blink of an eye. He was a shell of a man, consumed with anger and bloodlust.
"I'm going to kill him, Felicity. Get the hell out of the way!" Slade roared. Ripping the counter off the bar, he prepared to drop the heavy marble down on Oliver, crushing him like a bug beneath his boot. Yet se didn't move a single muscle. "NOW, FELICITY!"
Throwing herself on top of Oliver, she looked up at him, "You're better than this! You don't have to kill him. You both have suffered, believe me. Just put that down and you can forget all this. You can move on from this. We can move on, Slade, together!" Her entire body was shaking, adrenaline, pain, and fear spread through her body like wildfire. "Please!"
When it came down to it, he should have known she'd choose Oliver. Raising the stone higher over his head, he knew he wanted to do it…but he was frozen. He couldn't hurt Felicity. Tears gathered in her eyes, pleading with him to spare Oliver's life. She was so beautiful, so wholesome. He couldn't bear the thought of her being a causality of his wrath. Throwing the stone aside, he growled; it slammed through another wall and kept travelling until it smashed through the brick wall and landed outside on someone's car. The ceiling beginning to crack as the whole infrastructure threatened to crash down around them…just the way his world was crashing around him as he realized that he was going to lose Felicity tonight.
Breathing raggedly, she winced at the groaning of the ceiling about them. They didn't have much time, "Slade you're doing the right thing…" She said softly.
"Get out of here…" Slade snarled, his heart thundering still at how much danger she was in. "NOW!" He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away just before one of the beams cracked and landed just inches from her.
Felicity shook her head, unwilling to compromise. "I need to get Oliver out too." She argued. He was far too heavy for her to lift. Grabbing his arm, she tried to drag him but it was no use. She needed help…
Slade stepped forward, pushing her out of the way. Bending down, he grabbed Oliver and stalked out with Felicity hot on his heels. Dumping the man's body onto the pavement, he growled. "Happy now!?" He snarled. "Your precious Oliver is safe!"
"Slade, stop, it's over now. You can finally let go of this and we—"
He violently cut her off, "No!" He gripped her shoulders tight, "There is no we!" It was for her own good. The people that he loved were tortured, killed, or worse. She was the epitome of purity and goodness; he couldn't stand by and watch her wither in the wake of his hate, prisoner to his own selfish desires. "Go!" Slade barked at her. "Pretend this was all a nightmare!"
Her head was spinning violently. The way his moods shifted left her dizzy. An hour ago they were flirting and sipping milkshakes. Now, she was watching him spiral into darkness, "Don't say that!"
"You got what you wanted," Slade snapped. Stepping away from her, he began to walk away. He knew that she was following him, "I have better things to occupy my time, like destroying this city and everything in it! If you know what's good for you, leave Starling City for good and live happily ever after with your precious hero." He spat. Gripping her once more, he crushed her to him in a soul-searing kiss before leaving her stunned in his wake. "Goodbye, love…"
"Slade!" It was no use. In a flash he was gone, leaving her cold and numb. Was this was heartbreak felt like? She wanted to call out after him. A groan from the sidewalk broke her out of her reverie, "Oliver!" She hurried over to assess the damage that had been done. "We need to get you patched up…" Sirens were blaring from all directions. Grabbing his phone, she called Dig and Sara who were there in a flash.
While they got Oliver back to the Arrowcave and began to stitch him up, Felicity sat stunned and silent. Chewing on her thumbnail, she peered around her familiar surroundings. This was the place she once called home… but it didn't hold a candle to the bedroom she'd shared with Slade for just one short week. Felicity knew that the choices she made next would be the most difficult in her life…would she help Oliver save Starling City or would she save Slade from himself? Either way, people she loved were going to be hurt. Curling up with a blanket, she closed her eyes and succumbed to exhaustion. Things would look clearer in the morning…she hoped.
Woof, what a damn crazy weekend. You guys are awesome so I wrote you a chapter even though I am completely exhausted. I struggled with this for several days...I'll admit, I'm enjoying playing with these characters a little too much. And to several very angry reviewers, I am extremely proud of how sick I am, thank you! Please keep reading and reviewing, reviews fuel my muse and inspire me to keep on writing these chapters for you! What did you think of this doozy of a chapter?
Happy Sunday! Just three more days until I get a day off aaand three more days until Arrow, yay!
