Chapter 7 – Slade's Revenge

An: I do not own Arrow. To all the guests that have reviewed so far thank you. Gracias jhossy.

Interesting title for this chapter not so? I wish I posted this before the Flash premiere! Just a little reminder that this is a made up world so if the descriptions aren't accurate with what exists in England, oh well. *shrugs*

/S1/

It had been two days since Oliver got Felicity and the rest of his family safely out of the church. Oliver had commandeered the nearest carriage and they made their escape without looking back. Felicity's only source of information for what occurred after she left was the newspaper in front of her. The lower class was calling it God's Massacre, claiming it was punishment for all the nasty cruel things the upper class regularly did. Payment for all the privileges the upper class invoked.

The newspaper had a quite thorough description of the incident; it made Felicity wonder who their source was. She knew that the newspaper wasn't usually very accurate in its reporting but this account was absolutely correct, well correct up to the point that she left the church. She was assuming that the rest of the account was just as accurate. Only someone from inside the church could have provided these details to the paper, perhaps someone that sat in the back.

There was a complete list of the persons that had died during the incident were:

Lord Slade Wilson, his wife, sons and daughters.

Lady Isabel Smoak, her sons and daughter.

Lord Floyd Lawton and his wife, they were survived by a young daughter.

Lord Richard Chase and his escort

Lord Eobard Thawne

There was a long list of Slade's servants that had died including his head butler Wintergreen and his stable master Sebastian Blood. The servants had tried to stop the masked men but they had planned their attack perfectly. It was clear that the first 3 pews at the wedding were the targets. The men had travelled with enough loaded pistols to efficiently execute their targets quickly and escape. The robbery was a guise. From the account in the papers there were at least ten men.

It was a miracle they were able to get out. The police had questioned them at length about the incident especially since they should have been seated at the front of the church. It was her brother getting married after all. Fortunately it was well known that Isabelle was not very happy with her at the moment and it was an easy sell that due to the tense relationship between them, it was decided that Felicity would sit with the Queens further back so as not to upset the Mother of the Groom.

Felicity had been severely rattled by the experience. Any loud noise made her jump, sudden movements scared her and darkly dressed individuals made her want to run for cover. Her husband was hesitant to leave her alone for too long. He had panicked last night when he didn't find her in her bed chambers. She had gone to bed earlier than usual having not been able to sleep the night before at all. She couldn't find any comfort in her room so she moved into her husband's. His scent on his pillow had easily coaxed her tired body to sleep but she was rudely awakened by Oliver's loud cry for her. He had held on to her very tightly when he finally found her.

Despite being in her husband's arms, peaceful sleep was still difficult to come by. She had awoken thrice to Oliver calming her down from a nightmare. She kept seeing Lord Wilson's one good eye staring up at her lifelessly, a pool of blood surrounding his head as blood oozed from his other eye. Despite her many travels, she had never witnessed the deliberate killing of a human being. As she was crawling down the length of the pew, she had glanced up to check on her siblings. She saw one of the masked men level a pistol at Isabelle's head and fire. She knew there was no hope to save them.

Word was sent to her Uncle Damian to return to England at once, he was supposed to be in France on business. With her brother's dead the estate now fell to him. It would be his responsibility to make the necessary arrangements for the burial of the previous heirs. The loud knocking of the front door echoed down the corridor to the study where Felicity was. She jumped from her seat before her brain could register it was just someone knocking on the door. Her heart had begun to beat so fast she thought it might beat out of her chest. She briefly wondered how her husband had survived his ordeal with The Russian.

Felicity inhaled deeply and tried to focus on something pleasant. That was how Oliver taught her to control her panic. They had learned a lot in Scotland and it was time to start acting on the information. She needed to send a coded message to a friend in Spain but first she needed to get a book from the library.

/S2/

Diggle strode quickly forward to answer the loud banging at the front door, the person was apparently very impatient. Most of the staff had been sent on errands, leaving him to handle more than what was usually required of him. After the massacre all of the Lady Queen's had been startled. Moira Queen tended to want to be alone, which was probably why, when staff should be home to add a layer of protection, she had done the opposite and sent them all away. She didn't want anyone seeing her vulnerable. Thea Queen had taken it the hardest. She had locked herself away in her room. Oliver was currently looking for some sort of guard to stay with her but there was no one they trusted. Oliver knew he couldn't keep both Thea and Felicity safe at the same time. Diggle knew that Oliver's wife was the strongest of the three women and soon Oliver's worry would grow when she decided to continue her quest to find evidence to release her beloved Uncle from jail.

Diggle answered the front door, a pistol tucked into the inner pocket of his coat, to find a middle aged woman of fair complexion with brunette hair tied in a low knot at the base of her skull in front of him. From her simple frock, he knew she wasn't in Oliver's social circle.

"I'm here to see Lord Oliver Queen," she said firmly. She held a steady gaze on him. Most men wouldn't look him in the eye, for they thought he was beneath them, so it was highly unusual to find an Englishwoman holding his gaze.

"May I ask who calls upon him?" Diggle said in a respectful tone.

Her eyes darted around taking in her surroundings before she answered him. "I am Miss. Lyla Michaels, sister to Barrister Mark Michaels. I have urgent business with his Lordship,"

Diggle eyed her carefully. She wouldn't be the first woman to try to see Oliver but she would be the first one to try under the pretence of official business.

"Where is your brother?" Diggle asked.

Lyla flinched at the mention of Mark, "He could not come in person. I am not here to harass his Lordship, I am here to deliver a letter," she said showing him the letter that was addressed to Oliver in messy handwriting.

Diggle observed the letter and the woman who carried it carefully. His gut told him that she didn't pose a threat. "Come in. I will inform the young Lord Queen of your presence."

He escorted the woman to the library, leaving her there and going in search of Oliver, who he knew was practicing his archery. The archery range was outside of the study, and Oliver could hone his skills and keep an eye on his wife at the same time. Diggle had also observed that Felicity also seemed to enjoy keeping an eye on her husband as well.

/S3/

Lyla observed the many books on the various shelves in the library. There were more books in this one place than in the public library that her brother used to use when he was younger. She recognised some of the titles. They were classics her brother had told her about. She knew how to read but reading never interested her as a child. They were from a middle class family. She was one of six children. All of her brothers were barristers and her one sister was married with four children living in Sussex. She had followed everything her mother had told her but she had never been able to garner the attention of a man. Perhaps it was because she wasn't as well polished as other women. She was very rough around the edges. She tended to like to do work with her hands.

In her early thirties, she was officially a spinster. Her parents had died a few years ago leaving their modest home to their eldest son. Her relationship with her eldest brother was not the best and that was the reason that lead her to live with one of her other brothers, Mark. In return for the lodging, she handled everything around the house for her brother, who even though he was turning forty was still a bachelor.

The door opened behind her and she turned around expecting to be greeted with the tall man that used to dominate the gossip in London but was instead met with his current wife.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry, I didn't realise anyone was in here," she said with a startled expression. Her head glancing behind the door to make sure no one was going to jump out at her.

Lyla curtsied, "No need to apologise my Lady, this is your house,"

"Oh no, this isn't mine. This belongs to Oliver's parents. I'm merely living here because, well, it is what is expected of me, is it not?"

"You would much rather reside somewhere else?" Lyla asked her.

"I'm not sure anymore. I always thought home was where my father was but considering he's six feet under, I don't think that would make a good home for me, well at least not while I'm alive, I'm sure it would be suitable if I were dead."

"Felicity please stop talking about being dead. It does not leave me feeling very happy," Oliver said coming into the room and dropping a kiss on to his wife's temple. The couple stared at each other for a few seconds before remembering there was a gust in the room.

The scene caused Lyla to smile. She noticed that the man that greeted her at the entranceway, stood at the door with a smirk on his face.

Lyla curtsied, "Good morning my lord,"

"Good morning," he replied pleasantly, "what is this about?"

Lyla glanced hesitantly at both his wife and the man she thought was the head butler.

"My wife and personal Valet are my confidants. They can be trusted." He told her.

"I am Barrister Mark Michaels sister. Lord Wilson entrusted my brother with an envelope," Lyla said revealing the small brown envelope that carried the Wilson's family seal on the back to him.

"Lord Wilson used the same Barristers that my family uses. I'm not aware of him having any dispute with them."

"I cannot answer that question. I can only relate what I know, which is that Lord Wilson came to my brother two weeks ago and wrote this letter in both his and my presence. He then sealed and issued the specific instructions that in case of his death, it was to be taken to Lord Oliver Queen. My brother was brutally murdered this morning and I believe it has to do with the contents of this letter. Whoever did it, didn't want you to receive it. They were unaware that my brother had already passed on the letter to me to deliver. I think he sensed that something wasn't right," she said handing it to him.

Oliver took the letter from her and was about to rip it open when his wife stopped him by placing her hand firmly on his arm.

"Miss Michaels, did this letter come with any further instructions?" Lady Queen asked her curiously.

"No just that my brother was to take it to Lord Queen immediately upon his death."

"Oliver you cannot open this here. You need to take it to the police and break the official seal there. No one should be able to cast doubt on the validity of this letter. Miss Michaels should also go with you to testify that the letter did indeed come from Slade and was written by his own hand."

"Felicity," Oliver said impatiently, "We don't know what's in this letter,"

"I know, but if it's something important, we need it to be honoured. I don't think it a coincidence that two weeks before his death Lord Wilson went to a Barrister that was not his own and wrote this letter. It has to have some importance for him to do that."

Lyla closely watched the interaction between the married couple closely. His wife never removed her hand from his arm during their entire conversation.

"Your wife is correct my Lord," Lyla said, "Lord Wilson's actions do indeed imply that this letter is of importance. I've also seen my brother win many a case by casting doubt on the authenticity of documents. Hand writing experts are making a mint these days by testifying in these cases."

Oliver sighed and Lyla knew he was going to follow his wife's counsel.

"Diggle send a message to my father to meet us at the House of Lords. We will open the letter there. Have the carriage brought around. We leave immediately."

The valet that she now knew was named Diggle nodded and left the room immediately. She wondered if he took the name Diggle from the small English village outside of Manchester. It was a common practice for Africans brought to England to be renamed with an easier to pronounce name. The room had fallen into silence before Lady Queen addressed her.

"My husband and I are very sorry for your loss," she said. "What makes you think your brother's murder was connected to this letter,"

"Because the men that broke into our house asked specifically for the letter," Lyla revealed. The shock of this morning's incident had yet to truly sink in.

"You were there?" Felicity asked horrified.

"I had gone to collect bread from the bakery down the road. The servant's entrance into the kitchen was ajar when I returned and I don't think the men realised that I had slipped in. My brother had already passed the letter to me to arrange delivery. He gave the men a fake one and they killed him right after. I hid in the storage cabinet as they left. I made my way straight her afterwards." Lyla explained watching a lone tear slip down the Lady's face before her husband brushed it away with his thumb.

"Do you have anywhere to stay?" her ladyship asked her.

"I know Mark left the property to one of our other brothers. I was going to ask him to remain there as tenant," Lyla indicated.

"That may not be safe. With your testimonial to the veracity of the letter, the men might return to eliminate you." Oliver pointed out.

"We are all in danger anyway and there's plenty of room here. You can stay. I'll hire you as my Lady's Maid. I have yet to select one and my mother-in-law is going crazy over that fact."

That was the last offer Lyla had been expecting. "Thank you, your offer is very gracious but I,"

"No buts, my wife is once again correct. Your safety is actually in our best interests at the moment. You would be safer here. A room can be prepared for you while we are away. "

Feeling she had no choice she accepted but she needed to find out what exactly a Lady's Maid did.

/S4/

As Oliver waited for the carriage to come around to the main entrance his wife arrived besides him.

"I'm going to the company," she said answering his questioning look. "We were gone for awhile; there are matters that I need to review. Barry left early this morning to investigate a lead on Dr. Wells. He'll be meeting me there later."

Oliver was not happy with this bit of news. Felicity took his hands in hers, "I'll be safe. I promise. You can escort me to the company, it is on the way and Barry will bring me back. I'll even ask Sanjay and Kumar to accompany us."

"I don't have a choice do I?" he commented wryly.

She smiled at him, "in this matter, no you do not." She reached up onto her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss.

/S5/

Lord Quentin Lance had lost his entire world when his daughters disappeared. Like Moira Queen, his wife, Dinah Lance, was not blessed with a womb that could carry many children. Dinah had been pregnant three times. The first two deliveries went wonderfully but on her third delivery there were severe complications. His one and only son was still born and it left his wife unable to bear anymore children. When Laurel had been taken, he developed a close working relationship with Constables in the police department. He found he enjoyed the work very much but when Sara also disappeared after her ruination, Lord Lance found comfort at nearly every tavern in a 5 mile radius of his estate. Somehow through it all though, he had managed to get an honorary position of liaison between the police and the Lords of England. It was because of this position that he had been called to the House of Lords along with the Chief Inspector to review a letter left by the late Slade Wilson.

Lance openly glared at Oliver Queen. He knew the boy knew where Tommy Merlyn had taken his daughter. He also suspected that he knew where his other daughter had run off to. He had tried several times to apply pressure to get the answers he desired but had no luck in obtaining them.

There were quite a few Lords present that day, reviewing some new law they wanted to enact. They were all invited to the reading of the letter.

"Let's read this letter shall we?" Quentin said gruffly.

Oliver broke the seal and started reading the letter out loud.

To Lord Oliver Queen,

Kid, I've got myself into a real tangle this time and in case everything does not go according to plan, nobody betrays Slade Wilson and gets away with it.

9 years ago I was recruited into a group of people who sought to change the direction in which the country was headed. They called themselves HIVE. Our group was merely one cell in the HIVE. We believed that England had lost most of its power in the world and sought to bring back the glory days where England ruled most of the new world. To achieve this goal, my cell and I were involved in a lot of operations to destabilise both the Spanish and French monarchies.

My cell consists of Lord Floyd Lawtner, Lord Richard Chase, Dr. Jerry McGee and Lady Isabelle Smoak, (though Lord Smoak and the rest of his family, including your wife, were unaware of her activities). We were called Deathstroke and we achieved many of the goals that HIVE set for us.

I recently discovered that there was a previous cell before ours that had consisted of Lord Malcolm Merlyn, Dr. Harrison Wells, and brothers Clyde and Mark Mardon. There had been a disagreement between that cell and the HIVE hierarchy that resulted in the elimination of that cell. That cell went by the code name Unidac. I really should have figured that out sooner but HIVE keeps all the cells separate.

I have never been able to discern much about the HIVE hierarchy other than the fact that England is controlled by Lord Darkh. I had met Lord Darkh once. He was of average build and height. The mask he wore concealed everything but his blue eyes.

I have to apologise Oliver. It was I, who lied and said that your dear friend, Tommy Merlyn, murdered his family, it was I, who laid the trap for you to be caught by The Russian and it was I, who murdered your first wife. Both Tommy and you were targeted for your questions about Unidac. It might also be of interest that Sara Lance is the innocent victim of a plot that Isabelle Smoak instigated against her.

One final note of interest kid, your current wife is someone of importance to the upper hierarchy of HIVE. We received specific instructions that she was to remain unharmed.

I close with a warning to you kid. This group is serious and they will kill you but I hope you find whoever is responsible for this and arrange the most painful death possible.

Lord Slade Joseph Wilson

The room was silent as each man present absorbed the information that had been read.

"Tommy is innocent!" Oliver proclaimed.

"We need to confirm the authenticity of this letter first," the Chief Inspector said.

"Its authentic, Ms. Michaels is here to confirm it," Oliver said.

"Inspector, the letter is authentic. Most of the Lords here recognise this untidy scrawl. My daughters can come home!" Lance said. He then rounded on Oliver.

"Lord Queen, where is Tommy Merlyn?"

Oliver was about to answer when his father cut him off.

"For the last time Quentin, my son and I do not know where Tommy Meryln is. Put a message in the paper exonerating him and I'm sure where ever he is, he'll hear the news and return to England safely along with your daughters."

Lance growled but he heeded Robert's advice, making a hasty exit and heading straight to the nearest newspaper.

/S6/

Felicity spent her time at the company reviewing all of the messages that came in from their overseas partners and set about responding. Her staff had been efficient as usual and everything had been neatly filed away for her review. There was cargo booked for the next six months for all of her ships along with a very long waiting list of customers. It was time to pay Lord Palmer a visit to inspect the new ships she was going to be adding to her fleet. She really needed them.

Barrister Raymond came into her office to update her on another matter that he was seeking her interest in. She was trying to reacquire all of the property that had once belonged to her grandfather. The current family that lived in her grandfather's house was refusing to sell. Ronnie was negotiating the matter on her behalf. She didn't want word about what she was doing to get out. The sentence her Uncle had received was grossly unfair and now that she knew it was a part of a larger plot, she was more determined to return the assets to their rightful owners.

At lunch time, as promised Barry arrived with news of a lead he had discovered while chatting with Dr. Well's widow who had remarried. The lead would take them to the docks. Dr. Wells used to visit a ship there that docked every fort night from France. The boat was there that day and neither one wanted to let the opportunity pass. Felicity did take Sanjay and Kumar with them just in case.

Dressed in large brown coats that didn't draw any attention to them, they watched the movements of the crew for a couple of hours. Workers were busy unloading heavy crates from the box, placing them on the docks where another set of workers moved the crates to a nearby warehouse. There was no sign of the Captain or the First Mate. Felicity was curious about the cargo that was being transported and soon came up with a plan to find out.

Barry and Felicity walked over to a worker unloading crates from the boat, "Excuse me sir, do you have any Brie?"

"Brie?" the worker asked, angry at the interruption of his work.

"I know it's not very English of me but I'm quite fond of the soft French cheese. I saw the French name of your boat and I was wondering if perhaps you had some brie I could purchase?"

Just as the worker was about the tell them to get lose, a boy jumped off the port side of the ship onto the docs. He landed on his feet and used his momentum to roll forward to avoid injuring himself. He jumped up quickly and ran towards the end of the docks.

"Dirty rat!" a man screamed at him. He looked at the workers on the dock, "what are you waiting for, go after him. He stole our wages!"

The workers on the dock scurried after the thief. Felicity eyed the crate curiously wondering if this could be her opportunity to get a look inside one.

"What'd you want little miss?" the man on the deck called out to her.

"Nothing," she replied back. He seemed to be a gruff man who would reveal no information to him.

She looked down the docks to see the thief disappear down a side street, an idea coming to mind.

"Follow me Barry,"

/S7/

He ran down the streets at top speed. He knew he would lose his pursuers soon. The streets near the docks were wide to accommodate the transhipment of goods to and from the port. Once one started to move away from the port the streets became narrower. He was aiming for a specific section of the city that was filled with criss-crossing narrow alleyways. It was easy to disappear in there. Sailors tended to stick to the main streets that held the brothels. They didn't know these back alleyways the way he did. Two more turns and he would be home free.

After his discovery on board the ship he had made an earlier than planned exit over the side of the ship. He belatedly realised that in his haste to get away, he should not have run down the docks. It would have been quicker if he had run across the main dockyard. He supposed he didn't want to have to dodge the guards he knew were usually placed there but the yard was been big enough to successfully avoid them.

He made the turn into the narrow alleyway and waited in the shadows. Usually, his pursuers would continue on not having noticed him duck in there. He let out a breath of relief when they did in fact continue on the main street, not even sparing the alleyway a glance. He slowed his breathing and let his beating heart calm down a bit before continuing further into the maze. Suddenly, he was being thrust up against the wall by two Indian men, a sharp metal blade pressed against his neck. He cursed himself for dropping his guard. He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings. The bounty that he had stolen was soon removed from his hands by a thin man and placed into the hands of a woman. From the smoothness of her hands, he could tell she was well to do.

"Let's get off the street shall we," she ordered.

The men tied his hands behind his back and then dropped the knife to his left side between his ribs. It would be easy to kill him from that position. They just had to press the knife in between his ribs and angle it up to his heart. He would be dead within minutes. They walked out onto the main street, the lady and gentlemen both handed their coats to their Indian servants and walked down the street in front of them as Lord and Lady. He noted bitterly that no one paid him any attention. He was just the poor street rat walking a little ways behind them. They probably thought he was their servant.

He noted sourly that they were heading back towards the dock. They would probably take him back to the boat, hold him captive until they set sail and then toss him overboard once they were halfway through the channel. Sailors were a dangerous kind to rob, particularly sailors like these that carried dangerous cargo but he had been desperate. He could see the boats ahead now but before they reached to the dockyard he was pulled into a building. Looking at all of the crates, he realised he was in a warehouse, probably the warehouse they held goods in. He was shoved into a chair, while both men stood on either side of him.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

"I only want information," the Lady said.

He snorted in disbelief. He knew what happened to thieves. He had lost quite a few good friends over the years.

"What is your name?" she asked him.

"Roy Harper," he answered honestly. They should know his name before they killed him.

"I'm," the slender Englishman placed his hand on her arm, "I don't think you should give him your name," he said earnestly to her.

"Nonsense, however will I gain his trust?" she asked him. "Besides no one will believe that a street urchin such as him had a one on one conversation with Lady Felicity Queen,"

"I'm no kid, Lady Queen," he spat at her. Street urchin was usually the term used for the children that lived on the streets.

She leveled him with a curious stare as she cocked her head to the side, "I imagine if we were to clean some of this dirt off of you, you would be no older than my sister-in-law?"

He snorted, "I am a man,"

She eyed him again, "I suppose you would feel that way. You've probably had to fend for yourself for years."

"I don't need to explain anything to you," he said.

"No, you don't but I would like to know what was on board that ship?"

Roy's brow creased together in confusion. That was an unusual question to ask.

"Ah, we have a thinker!" she said happily. "I'll trade you this bag of coins for that information."

He eyed the bag. "This is some sort of trick?" he asked.

"No, no trick. I want to know about the cargo that ship was carrying. I suspect you may have seen something when you were snooping around on board."

"I could tell you anything," he replied.

"You could but I'll eventually find out the truth and then my friends here would be very happy to hunt you down for me. They used to hunt tigers in the Bengal forest. I can assure you they are quite violent in their methods," she said with a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face. Years later he would realise that Lady Queen was only bluffing.

"Pistols, gun powder and rats," he answered honestly.

"Don't they clean their ship properly?" Barry asked horrified. They made sure that their fleet was well maintained. A single rat could eat through their precious cargo. Rats were filthy disease carrying animals that they actively eliminated.

"No, the rats were in cages. They were well fed. The rats were part of the cargo." Roy said.

"Interesting," Felicity commented weighing the information in her head.

"Release him,"

The men did as they were told and his hands were untied. She held out the bag of coins that he had stolen.

"A deal is a deal," she said.

"You're giving me the money that I stole."

"Yes, I'm certainly not going to walk up to them to give it back," She responded.

He chuckled.

"Roy," she said, "if you need a job, come to Smoak East India. I always need competent hands,"

"You would trust a thief?" he asked in disbelief.

"Ah but you're not just a thief, you're a thief that thinks, though you would have been much better off using the yard as your escape route,"

"Ah," he nodded.

He took his money and quickly made his exit. He carefully opened the door to make sure none of his debtors or pursuers were around. When he realised it was clear, he slipped through the door. Just before he slipped out, he heard Lady Queen's voice commenting that her husband was going to be unhappy with her little information gathering session today.

/S8/

Felicity was happy that she arrived home before her husband. If he had been there before her he would have been very grumpy at her prolonged absence, she should have been home hours ago. She made her way to her chambers and changed into her riding clothes. She felt like spending the rest of the afternoon with her step son. She was fortunate that they were now coming to the end of the summer and that the sun would still be up for another hour. In another month or so, it would be dark by now.

She found Connor and his governess easily. She was teaching him numbers today. Memories of her father teaching her flooded her mind. He was always pleased when she understood what he was teaching her.

"Felicity," Connor said his eyes lighting up. She had been so caught up in the massacre she had neglected him. It was wrong of her she realised. She had a responsibility to Connor that she should never ever forget. At least she knew Oliver had checked in with his son for a few minutes each day. He had also asked the Governess to keep all of her lessons indoors.

"Connor, the horse is being saddled, I have a secret place I want to show you," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"Yay!" he said jumping up and down excitedly. He had been dying to get outside to play.

She excused the governess and took the boy by his hand. On the way to the staircase she passed Thea's room. She hadn't spoken to her since the incident. Like her, Thea was suffering with nightmares from the wedding. Last night she had woken up when her husband had hurriedly left their bed in the middle of the night. After a moment of confusion, her ears zeroed in on the sound of Thea's screams. Making her mind up quickly, she knocked on the younger girl's door.

"Go away," Thea said weakly from the other side of the door.

"Thea, it is Felicity and Connor. We would very much like for you to join us on a little ride? she asked through the door. "Some fresh air will be good for you?"

"Please Aunt Thea, Please, it would be so much fun," Connor pleaded.

The door swung open and a dishevelled Thea, looked at them. Connor switched to his best begging face and she acquiesced right away. She had never been able to deny her nephew.

Twenty minutes later they were both slowly trotting through the fields at the back of Queen Manor on their horses. Connor seemed to sense Thea's mood and decided that he would ride to their secret destination with Thea and back to the Manor with Felicity. To make up for her reckless abandonment of her step son, Felicity had asked a few of the stable hands to prepare a little steeplechase for them on the northern fields. Her horse was a trained jumper. Connor always wanted to ride fast and chase after foxes. She was going to show him horses were capable of much more than that. She had instructed the stable hands that the jumps were not to be too high because she would be riding with her step son.

Thea paused when they came upon the obstacles.

"What's this?" she asked curiously.

"My little surprise for Connor," she said holding her hand out for her step son to jump across to her horse.

She settled him in front of her and held on to him securely. Since the jumps were low, her horse would not need to be at more than a trot to make them. They started off slowly towards the first obstacle.

"Felicity there is something in the way," the little boy pointed out.

She smiled. Her step son tensed when he realised they were going to hit it but at the last minute her horse jumped up in the air over it. Connor squealed in surprise and tried to look back to see what happened to the obstacle.

"We jumped over it!" he said astonished.

"Yes,"

"Can we do that again?" he asked excitedly.

"There's another one up ahead," she said.

Connor again squealed with delight as the horse jumped. He threw his hands in the air as they went over almost hitting Felicity in the face. Thea was in a fit of laughter as she watched them.

"This is a fantastic idea!" Thea said as she brought her horse into a full out sprint. In less than a minute she had jumped all of the obstacles.

"They need to be higher!" Thea complained.

"Yes higher!" Connor exclaimed.

"Not while I'm holding you," Felicity replied.

"Perhaps we can have one course for Connor and a larger more elaborate one for us. There's plenty of room."

Felicity smiled at her sister-in-law, "Maybe you could work on that," she suggested.

"Maybe I might," Thea responded coming to a stop where Felicity and Connor where, "and Connor can help me" she reached out and started tickling her little nephew.

They were full of laughter when they tumbled in through the main entrance of the Manor. Oliver and Moira had been in deep discussion and both raised their eyebrows at them but they could see a smile tugging at their lips. Oliver picked up his son and spun him around in the air the way he liked it before placing him back on the ground.

"Dinner will be ready shortly. I suggest a change of clothes." Moira said sternly "Will you be dining with us tonight Thea?" she asked her daughter.

"Yes, my Lady," Thea said exaggerating her curtsey before heading to the staircase with Connor and Felicity.

Thea's room was the first one they came to. "Thank you for this afternoon,"

"Anytime," Felicity said, "I better get this little one to his governess, he takes longer than either of us to get ready!"

Both women laughed again, while Connor pouted.

/S9/

After dinner those involved in the investigation retired to the study. Their numbers had grown with the addition of two new members, Barry Allen and Lyla Michaels.

"I feel like we should inform your mother and sister," Felicity said to Oliver.

"I do not want to worry them," Oliver replied.

"After everything that's happened you still think it is a good idea to keep them in the dark?" Felicity asked outraged.

"Why don't we suspend this discussion for another day, Oliver and I will think about it. The pressing issue is the letter," Robert intervened between the married couple. He sensed his daughter-in-law was not going to let Oliver get away with such a flimsy excuse.

Felicity sighed, today she would let it go. "What did the letter say?"

Oliver smiled, "I had a copied made just for you, Felicity."

He handed her the letter. He was anxious to hear her thoughts on the contents. When she was finished she passed the letter on to Barry. She was quiet for a while.

"Is it not strange that Lord Wilson's letter never made mention of Eobard Thawne?" she asked.

"Maybe he forgot him?"

"It's more likely that he didn't know about him. He was very specific in his letter. He made sure to burn as many people as possible. This letter would have caused quite a commotion if the Hive Hierarchy hadn't effectively eliminated everyone he named. Barrister Michael's death was probably arranged by HIVE. They knew about Slade's letter. The hierarchy also removed Thawne but I wonder why. Was he the head of another cell? If he was, what about the members of his cell?"

Barry angrily slammed the letter down on the desk, "Lord Thawne is dead. There is no way to get my father out of jail."

"Barry, we can track down..."

"No you can't," Barry shouted "There is nothing that can be done now other than to break my father out of prison,"

"You know he doesn't want that," Felicity said softly.

"He'll have no choice, I'll get him out even if I have to knock him out and throw him over my shoulder to do it," Barry stormed out of the room furiously.

Felicity stood to go after him but Oliver put his hand gently on her shoulder stopping her. "I'll talk to him tomorrow. Give him some space. Let's retire for the night."

She reluctantly backed down and accepted Oliver's arm. They bade good night to the other occupants of the room.

"So how was your day?" Oliver asked her as they walked up to his bed chamber.

Felicity looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Oliver groaned, "What did you do now love?"

An hour later, Felicity was tucked into his side, sleeping. However, sleep was eluding him. There were several things on his mind. The most troubling one was his wife's penchant for seeing the best in people. It was an admirable quality but a quality that their enemies could easily take advantage of. He had been extremely angry that she had gone to the docks, confronted a thief and then offered him employment, all without him to protect her. She had promised him that she knew what she was doing but it still unsettled him.

She tensed besides him, a signal that she was about to start another nightmare. Oliver quickly started stroking her back softly. He had discovered that the contact soothed her. He regretted attending that wedding. He never wanted his family to witness such an atrocity. She relaxed against him, burrowing her head closer to him, her cold nose brushing his neck. She loved his warmth. He had told her she was free to use him as a source of warmth whenever she wanted. The blush she gave him made his heart skip a beat. He was hoping that things would settle soon and they could get back on the course to consummating their marriage. He was running out of self control.

/S10/

Oliver found Barry the next morning pouring over a map of the streets surrounding the prison that held Henry Allen.

"Felicity is worried about you," he told him.

Barry snorted, "Tell her if she's worried, she should help me plan the break out. She's excellent in thinking through the finer details of a plan."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Oliver asked.

"Yes I'm sure. I have built a life in Egypt. I'm planning on marrying a girl there. Her name is Iris. I want my father there. I want him to meet his grandchildren when they are born. It feels wrong that my siblings and I are out here enjoying life while our father is in jail for a crime he did not commit."

"From what your father told me, he rather wait for justice to be served," Oliver said.

"He told me he met you. He liked you. Maybe you could convince him. With or without his approval, I am doing this," Barry insisted.

"I'll talk to your father Barry."

/S11/

Three days later Felicity stood in front of the graves of Isabelle and her siblings. It had been barely a month since she buried her father. She looked at her father's grave, new grass had begun to grow over it. She felt that familiar pang when she thought of him. Was it wrong that she wasn't that upset about Isabelle and her siblings? Sure she was sad. They didn't deserve death but it wasn't the pain she had experienced when her father died. Tears still sprung to her eyes when she thought of him. It was difficult not being able to consult with him anymore. He was one of the rocks that had always guided her through life. It was her Father, Grandfather and Uncle Henry, if she was ever at a lost, one of them always helped her. Two of them were dead and one was locked away forever. She knew that Barry was going ahead with his plan to free his father. If they did get him out, he would have to leave the country right away on one of their boats bound to Egypt.

She felt a presence next to her and looking up into the blue eyes of her Uncle Damian.

"Good riddance to them. They were going to ruin the Smoak name," he spat.

Felicity look at her Uncle horrified.

"Don't be so sympathetic. They never treated you properly,"

"Uncle one should not speak ill of the dead, no matter how they chose to live their lives,"

"But one must also be honest," he countered,

"Then it is better to keep quiet," she replied.

"Don't you remember how she cut your hair off when you were six, or when she locked you in your room for a week when you were nine or when she took away your puppy or when she forbade you from entering the library for a month?"

Her jaw dropped, "How do you know all of this?"

"Because you were always my favourite Smoak,"

Before she could reply, her husband's hands slipped around her waist, "Felicity love, our presence is needed inside,"

She turned to look at her husband, his eyes were imploring for her to come with him. She turned back to her Uncle. "We should both be heading inside,"

Damian nodded and started walking with them. Oliver kept a slower pace which allowed Damian to gain quite a lead on them.

"Do you remember the last note of Slade's letter," he whispered to her softly.

"Yes," she said looking at him. He nodded in her Uncle's direction.

"No," was her immediate response.

"Think about it love," he said kissing her on her temple. He glanced back at the numerous graves that belonged to the Smoak heirs. Perhaps their deaths were not the result of unfortunate luck but the deliberate plot of another male Smoak to gain the inheritance, but why did he wait for Edward to die naturally?

/S12/

Oliver Queen found himself back in prison. The last time he was here he had brought some cigars and scones for Henry. The man had appreciated it but despite his gratefulness he still interrogated Oliver about his intentions with Felicity. Oliver wondered if he was really the one behind the bars.

"You've returned and I see you brought me some goodies again," Henry said pleasantly.

Oliver marveled how a man who lives in filthy prison conditions could be so upbeat and jovial. He realised that Felicity must get her inner strength from her mother's side of the family.

"So what matter brings a Lord such as yourself to visit a criminal like me?" Henry said.

"Your son needs you in his life and now that we lost all hope of getting you out of jail, we're breaking you out in a week. Be prepared."

An: Thanks for reading. I finally got Roy and Lyla in! The next chapter will be the jail break, more Roy, and Tommy Merlyn's return to London.