Chapter 4
~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~
Oliver and Felicity laid curled up facing each other on a blanket in the large field next to the fuselage on Lian Yu. Oliver couldn't believe how happy he was in that moment. Felicity stared into his eyes and gave him a warm smile. He returned her smile with the most sincere grin of joy he'd ever felt. Oliver rested his hand against her cheek and she closed her eyes and sighed with contentment in response. "I'm so happy we're here," Oliver said with heartfelt satisfaction. "I am too, despite the landmines. Let's never leave," answered Felicity, opening her eyes and gazing at him with affection. Oliver leaned forward and gently and earnestly kissed Felicity. When he drew back to look at her she had a look of terror on her face. Utterly confused, Oliver drew back further from Felicity. "They're here," she said flatly. Oliver propped himself up on his arm to investigate what she meant. He saw dozens of members of the League of Assassins surrounding them and closing in. Everywhere he turned, Ra's al Ghul was leading the group in front of him. He knew he needed to fight to protect Felicity and save himself. He lowered himself back down to the blanket and turned to look back at the woman he loved. Just as he was about to tell Felicity to run, he noticed that her glasses were askew and she had blood on her face. His heart dropped when he saw that her eyes were totally lifeless. The light and joy that he loved about her had completely vanished from behind her eyes. Oliver moved to grab her body to shield her from the coming onslaught of warriors. When he went to reach his arms forward he saw he had a sword in his right hand. He knew the particular sword he held was the one Ra's al Ghul had plunged into him during their duel on the mountain top. The sword and his hands were covered in dark red blood. It was then that Oliver saw the gaping wound in Felicity's chest and the large puddle of blood that had soaked into the white blanket underneath them. He knew in his heart he had been the one who had stabbed Felicity. He had killed her.
The truck jolted violently underneath Oliver, roughly startling him awake. He could only be grateful for the harsh road and the crude truck bed then. His dream had been terrifying and he was sure it could have gotten much worse if it had been allowed to continue.
Oliver listened to the other passengers in the truck bed quietly murmur to each other and fiercely grip their few belongings. They probably didn't trust a gaijin and feared he would do something terrible if he heard something he didn't like or saw a belonging he wanted. He ignored his qualms and sat huddled in his small section of the open truck bed, hoping his unassuming appearance and behavior would keep any suspicions about him from arising and trouble from ensuing.
The truck bed was far from the least comfortable way he had traveled, but Oliver was still sore and cold. Oliver normally tolerated cold temperatures remarkably well but after the significant injuries he had sustained during his battle with the Demon's Head, he found himself bearing the cold temperature and chilly wind less good-naturedly. Tatsu had provided him with Maseo Yamashiro's old blue fleece-lined coat before he left. Along with his own grey knit cap and scarf, Oliver felt that these items of clothing were less adequate at keeping the cold at bay than they normally would have been. Perhaps it was his blood loss or his body fighting his infection.
Oliver was thrilled to finally be going home. He knew he had been gone for several weeks and he was extremely concerned for his friends, Felicity, Thea, and Starling City. He wondered what had become of all of them in his absence. Oliver had healed relatively well thanks to the diligent ministrations of Tatsu Yamashiro but he was far from peak fighting condition. He genuinely hoped that Dig, Roy, and Felicity had managed to keep the chaos in Starling under control. He had faith in them but things fall apart. Oliver knew that better than most.
The rickety old truck Oliver and many others were using as transportation slowed to a stop, allowing a group of passengers near Oliver to climb out of the truck bed and walk down a small perpendicular gravel lane. Oliver grew more energized with each person that extricated themselves from the truck. The further he got from the mountain top where his and Ra's duel had taken place, the closer he got to home.
He found himself formulating a rough list of everything he needed to do once he got home. Oliver's first priority was definitely finding Thea, Felicity, Dig, Roy, and Laurel. He would have to think of an excuse, a somewhat believable lie, to explain to Thea his unexplained absence for the past several weeks. His next stop would be to find Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and Laurel. He'd thankfully be able to tell them the truth about what transpired on the mountain (mostly). He hoped they'd be more understanding about what he knew he needed to do next. He felt sick at the thought of doing what he was about to. Oliver had no choice though. He knew his personal integrity would have to be sacrificed in order to do the right thing for the ones he loved, the city he loved, and ultimately the world and that's something he would have to come to terms with soon.
Oliver catalogued his plan in his mind and prayed that it would succeed. He knew the likelihood of it happening as expected was remote and he anticipated many problems along the way. Oliver knew he would have to sacrifice many things, quite possibly the most important people in his life, but if it meant the safety of the people he loved and the city he loved, he'd gladly pay that price.