Disclaimer: I do NOT own Arrow or its characters. All credit goes to the shows creatures/the CW/ and DC Comics.

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Chapter Seven

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Starling City

Thea looked over the bar to the bustle of the club she worked at. People were busy dancing (well some looked more like they were trying to have sex) and drinking themselves into a world where problems didn't exist. It was a sweet escape, though temporary. She poured anther glass of jack, to a customer, and received a grumble of a thanks.

She turned to Ray, who had just taken a seat at the bar, his boyish grin in place. "I didn't expect to see you here," Ray said, loudly over the music. Thea looked at him, her brow pulled together with confusion. She pulled out a shot glass, filling it with his usual.

"I work here," she replied, as she slid the shot glass to him. She rested her elbows on the bar, looking at him with questioning eyes. "I'm the one who's a little surprised to see you here." She thought he was on a business trip, though she supposed he could have gotten home early.

His smile widened. "I meant that I didn't think you guys would be back until tomorrow morning," Ray clarified, then took the drink in one quick swallow.

Again, Thea looked at him with confusion. This time her expression made Ray's smile waver. "What makes you think I went anywhere?" she asked.

"Felicity Sent me a message yesterday morning saying that the two of you were making a last minute trip to visit Roy. She said you guys would be gone for a few days." As if to prove it, he pulled out his phone, and brought up the text. He turned the screen toward Thea, and she bent closer to read it. She paled a little as she pulled back. "What?" he asked her, his stomach clenched with uneasiness.

"I received a message yesterday morning saying she was going to be on a business trip with you until tonight," Thea replied, the worry seeping into her words. She too pulled out her phone to show Ray the message.

Thea waved at Ray to follow her, and she led him to the back where the bottles of alcohol were stored. She dialed John, and felt antsy as the phone rang. She was beginning to think he wasn't going to pick up when his voice filled her ear. "Hey, Thea," he said, his voice sounding sleepy. She looked at the time, realizing now that it was nearly midnight.

"Have you heard from Felicity?" she asked, only the slightest tint of hope that he had.

"No?" John replied. She could hear the question in his tone. "She messaged me saying she was going away with you for a couple days."

"Shit," she sighed. "I think we have a problem," She stated, fear balling in the pit of her stomach. She made arrangement to meet John at the headquarters, then hung up. She looked at Ray, who was looking green. "Come on," she said, taking his arm and moving him forward. "We need to find her."

Hello?" Felicity called out, but knew her attempts were useless. She looked around the room she had been in for…how long had she been here? She woke up here, and since she had no clock or window, she couldn't tell how much time had actually passed. She felt like she had been here forever though.

The room she was in was more like a small studio apartment. There was a sleeping area with a twin sized bed and a small cheap dresser. There was a living room type area that had two chairs and a small table that held some books. There was a small fridge and a cabinet with a small sink. There was a door that thankfully led to a bathroom. All the walls were a creamy peach color, reminding her a little of a hospital waiting room. The carpet was stiff and white. The chairs and table were the same shade of light brown. Her bedding was a mixture of light and dark purple.

She sighed in a mixture of frustration and worry. Where the hell was she, and what was she doing here? She remembered walking with Carly. They had almost been to the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Ray when Carly had seen something in the small alley. They had gone to inspect it, and the next thing she knew she was here.

Where was Carly? Was she okay? Her stomach sank at the thought of anything happening to Her. That sweet, energetic person didn't need this kind of horror in her life.

Felicity paced the room, running her hand in circles on her belly. Olivia was kicking away, probably a little stressed due to the fact that Felicity was. She needed to try to calm herself. The baby being in stress was not a good thing to be.

"It's going to be okay," she said to Olivia, because she needed to say the words out loud.

She heard a beep behind her, and turned to see a panel in the wall slide open, revealing a door. Carly stepped through it, a hesitant smile at her lips. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I was starting to worry, even though Drake said you were fine." She let out a laugh that sounded a little like wind chimes. "He's right you know, I worry too much." She waved a dismissive hand, as she walked over to the bed, and sat down.

"Carly? What's going on?" Felicity asked, her brows knitted together. She was taken aback by Carly's casual tone. And by the fact that she didn't seem to be a victim.

Carly pursed her lips. "Well, it's a little complicated." She let out a sad sigh. "You see, my brother wants to create an army. A strong and obedient army. I guess you can say he's a little obsessed with it really."

"Oh my god," Felicity whispered to herself. "He's the one kidnapping the women," Felicity said in horror. What did that mean for her?

"Yeah, he thinks the best way to insure your army will obey you is if you raise them from infancy. He also thinks people will go more crazy over stolen babies than woman." Carly shrugged. "I guess it's working for him so far."

"Carly," Felicity said, pausing to swallow the extra saliva that was forming in her mouth. "What am I doing here?" she asked, not because she didn't know, but because she had to hear it.

Now Carly frowned. "It's my fault you're here, and I'm so very, very, very, sorry. I never thought… Anyway, you're going to be just fine. He promised not to hurt you in any way." She smiled now, though it was an unsure one.

Felicity's heart sank into her stomach. "Carly, what about my baby?"

Carly bit her bottom lip, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. "Drake will take the baby. Well," she added before Felicity could speak. "He will want to start being involved when she's two. He has to establish a relationship with her. Then, at five, he will start the training."

Felicity put her hand protectively on her belly. Her heart pounded frantically in her chest, and she was fighting hard not to throw up. Over her Dead body will she let someone take her baby. She took a few breaths; trying to calm herself. It wasn't like she wouldn't be missed. Thea, John, Ray, and Laurel would all be looking for her. They may already be looking for her.

"Oh I am terribly sorry, Liss," Carly said, giving Felicity a nickname. Her bottom lip pushed out in a pout. "I never meant for this to happen. He wasn't supposed to ever find out about who you're having a baby with. He just couldn't resist."

"Carly, Why is he building an army?" Felicity asked.

Carly bit at her lip. "He has his reasons," she said, shrugging a little. Felicity realized that Carly was much like a child, and almost felt sorry for her. Almost. "I don't know the reasons," She added after a moment's pause. Carly stood, shaking her head. "But don't worry, You will be fine."

Felicity felt numb as she nodded. This all seemed so surreal. She looked around her, knowing she needed to get it together. There was no need to freak out. She was being looked for, and she needed a clear head to come up with a plan of her own. She wanted to be defiant, and tell Carly she could tell Drake to go fuck himself. To tell him that he can't have her baby. However, she felt she should play along for now. Gaining Carly's trust might just benefit her.

"Oh, please say something!" Carly said, her voice peaking in a screech sound on the word something.

"I've got to pee," Felicity replied, doing her best to smile. It was true enough; these days she was always peeing. She headed to the bathroom and closed herself in. In here the peach colors continued, and she felt as though she might scream. She looked into the mirror, in a desperate attempt to calm herself. Her mind raced as she tried to find a thought that comforted her.

She turned on the water, splashing it on her face. The coolness of the water helped with the rolling nausea in her stomach. With a groan she looked back into the mirror, and found her calm. She imagined it was Oliver's eyes looking back at her. There, in the blueness of his eyes, she found it. She found the strength she needed to survive this. In his memory, she found her courage.

"We have looked everywhere for her. She hasn't called, and it's been hours," Thea said, standing in front of Lance; her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't going to settle for this twenty-four hours crap he was preaching to her. She knew the law, and she didn't give a damn about it.

"I'm sorry Thea, but I can't do anything until twenty-four hours are up. She's an adult. For all you know she just needed to leave."

Thea slapped her hands on his desk out of frustration. "That's bullshit and you know it! She's been kidnapped, and possibly by the same person who has those other girls. She's six and a half months pregnant for god's sake!"

Lance stood, allowing her misconduct due to her distress. He let out a sigh, as Laurel came into his office. "What's going on?" she asked. "Was there a break in the missing women case?" She set her briefcase down on the desk, and straightened her blouse. She looked tired from her full day of court.

"Felicity has been missing for hours, and he won't do anything about it because of the stupid twenty-four hour rule." Thea replied, venom in her voice.

Laurel looked at her father with surprise. His frustration was clear on his face as he looked back at her. "It's not my rule," he told them, closing the door to his office. "I will put officer Marks on it. Have him look for her. But that's all I can do until tomorrow. I'm sorry. I really am."

Thea shook her head at him. She wanted to argue further, but it was no use. She left his office without another word. The cops watched her as she left, and she couldn't care less what they thought of her. They had to find her alive. They just had to.


Nanda Parbat

"Were leaving," Nyssa said, once the door to their chamber was closed. Oliver looked over at her from the tub. It was late, and Ra's had called her to his chamber. While he was worried, he was also tired, and wanted to get washed up, and get to sleep.

"Where are we going?" he asked, now fully awake. They were two days from their planned attack day, and if they were leaving, then it would change everything.

"Father wants to go to his private island. He said that after our last job, we could all use a break." There was a pause where she looked worried. "Do you think he suspects? What if he knows everything? He also asked if I was with child yet and when I told him no, he looked at me like he knew. What if he knows we're not having sex? What if he knows everything?" She started to ramble, which was nothing like her.

"Nyssa," Oliver said, getting out of the tub. He covered himself with a towel before putting his hands on her shoulders. "Stop, you are over thinking this," he told her. Even though he was having similar thoughts. They both agreed about the fact that they had to have sex on their wedding night because he would know if they didn't. But he figured it was because there would be tells. The night after could always be a little awkward. They were both good at hiding their emotions, but they didn't want to chance it. The less they have to lie to his face the better.

"What if he knows? What if he wants to dispose of us?" she asked, repeating herself.

"Then he would do it in the courtyard for all to see. He would want to make an example of us," He told her in a gentle but firm tone.

She took a few moments to compose herself. "You're right. I'm overreacting. It's just he usually doesn't take sudden leisure trips."

"I know. It does make me wonder if there is more to this than he is letting on." Oliver's mind raced over possibilities. "Regardless, We have come up with a plan for many scenarios. It'll all be fine." He sounded far more confident than he felt.

Nyssa looked at him. "I don't know, but I guess we will find out."


Starling City

One Week Later

Thea paced by the phone, feeling sick to her stomach. They had found a couple bodies in the glades, and one of them was a blond female in her twenties and roughly seven months pregnant. Ray sat on the sofa looking pale. He sat as motionless as a statue. His stillness made Thea's anxiety worse. John and Laurel were on their way to the morgue now to see if it's her.

"It's not her," Ray said, moving for the first time since they had gotten the call.

Thea looked over at him. "We have to prepare for the possibility that it is her," Thea said softly.

Ray's jaw set. "She's not dead," he said stubbornly. "She can't be," he added a few moments later.

The phone rang then, making them both jump slightly. Thea answered it hesitantly. There was either great news or bad news waiting for her. "Hey," she answered, her heart pounding in her ears.

"It's not her," John said on the other line. Thea let out the breath she'd been holding.

"Oh thank god," she said, sitting in a chair. She shook now, her nerves a bit frayed. She looked over at Ray, who was wiping tears of relief from his eyes. "God, what are we going to do? What if we never find her?"

"We will, Thea. It's only been a week. We will find her." He hung up with her, and looked over at Laurel. She was looking back at him, giving him a sideways look. "I know chances of finding her alive are slim," he said, answering her unspoken question. "But I can't take away their hope."

Laurel nodded. She looked out the window, wondering if they would have found her already if Oliver were still here. She was also thankful that he wasn't. This would have him full of fear. She looked over at John. He would look a lot like John did now. Yeah, she was glad he wasn't here, but wished he was all the same.

….

Two weeks missing

"They're looking for her," Carly said, biting at her nails.

Drake looked at his sister as she spoke. This wasn't new news for him. He had anticipated that they would look for her, but he hadn't realized how close they would come to finding her. They were starting to dig, and dig deep. "Yes, they are, and I fear they will find her if we don't do something to get them off their current path." He stood. "I have business to attend to. A couple wants one of the throw away babies. I need to make the sale."

"What are we going to do about them?" Carly asked. She didn't want Felicity to be taken away.

"I'll handle it. They'll stop looking if they think Felicity is dead. You just keep your mouth shut, and your head down while you're out and about. I don't want any mistakes," Drake replied, in a tone that said he didn't really care to.

"But you won't. Will you?" Carly asked. Suddenly afraid for Felicity.

"I made you a promise. I will not hurt Felicity. I don't need her to make them believe she is dead." With that Drake left through the door.

Carly followed him out the door, and down to where they kept the women. She was working on getting Felicity better living arrangements, but she had to ask Drake, and she had to do it at the right time, or the answer would be no.

She went to her cell, and found Felicity sitting in her chair, reading one of the books she had given her. Felicity looked up at her and smiled. "I was just wondering when you were going to show," Felicity said, inviting her to sit with a wave of her hand.

Carly sat gladly, smiling at Felicity. "Sorry it's been so long. I can't always get away." Carly sat back, closing her eyes. She moved her blond hair from her face in a sweeping motion. "So, what are you reading today?"

Felicity held up the book, showing Carly the front of it. "Where the heart is," she replied. "It's a good story," she added. She closed the book after saving her page, and stood. He swollen belly was growing more rapidly now. Tomorrow she'll be seven months along. That gave her roughly two months to escape.

She stretched and yawned dramatically. "I really wish I could stretch my legs," Felicity said, as absently as she could manage. She looked over to where Carly sat, staring up at her; her dark eyes soft. "Do you think we could go for a walk?" Felicity asked, much to Carly's surprise.

Carly stood, wishing she could say yes, but Drake would surly kill her if she left Felicity out of here. "I don't think we can do that," Carly said, slowly.

"Oh, well okay," Felicity said, shrugging uncaringly. "Then do you think you could make me something to eat? There's nothing in the fridge I want."

Carly smiled. This she could do. "What do you want?" she asked.

Felicity sighed, rubbing at her belly. "That's the problem. I'm not sure what I want." She wandered over to the bed, playing with the end of the blanket. "That's why I wanted to go to the kitchen; to see what we have."

Carly bit at her lip in contemplation. "I really wish I could, but how could I know you won't try to run? Drake would be mad for sure if you got away."

"Why would I leave?" Felicity asked, trying to sound puzzled at this. She was trying to earn Carly's trust.

Felicity's statement surprised Carly, and she looked at her with questioning eyes. "You don't want to leave?" she asked, bewildered.

"Are you kidding? Why would I want to go back? In here, I'm safe from the heartache the outside world has to offer. I don't have to work. I don't have to pay bills. In here, I can do whatever I want." She walked over to Carly then, taking her hand in a loving gesture. She smiled shyly at Carly. "In here, I get to be with you."

Carly blushed, her cheeks reddening. "You mean that? You want to be here with me?" she asked, her voice full of shock.

"Yes, I do," Felicity said, squeezing Carly's hand a little. "I really do."

Carly was silent for a minute. "Okay, we can go to the kitchen, but you can't say anything to anyone."

"It'll be our secret." Felicity smiled, the small triumph making her feel slightly giddy. She could gain Carly's trust easily enough, and she just hoped she would know when the best time for escape was. She followed Carly from the room, and had to remember not to jerk away when Carly took her hand. She could do this. She had to.

She followed Carly from her cell into a hall. She could see the doors to the other cells. There were at least a dozen in this hall alone. She wondered if they were all full.

Carly led her up some stairs and for the first time in weeks Felicity could see the sun. It was low in the sky, suggesting it was late afternoon. There wasn't much to this room, but Carly walked through it and into the kitchen. Felicity followed after her, and noted that there was a door to the outside in here, and that just might be her way out.

…,,,,….

One week later

At first Thea didn't realize that the pounding noise was happening in real life. The knock penetrated through her subconscious, and into her dream. In her dream the pounding was her hitting the punching bag as she let all her frustration out. She was venting to Diggle about how they were no closer to finding Felicity, and it had been three weeks. It was when John opened his mouth to speak, and Laurel's voice came out that jolted her awake.

It took Thea a moment to rejoin the waking world. She had fallen asleep on the sofa, and that pounding noise was someone at the front door. "Thea!" Laurel's voice came through again.

"I'm coming," Thea said back, her words almost being cut off from a yawn. She really needed to get the doorbell fixed.

She went to the door, and let Laurel in. "What's wrong?" Thea asked, knowing by the look of devastation on Laurel's face that something had to be very wrong. Thea's stomach dropped when Lance walked in through the still open door.

Thea sat on the padded bench that lived by the door. Felicity had a habit of taking off her shoes and sliding them under the bench. There was probably a pair or two there now. Thea shook, knowing what they came to tell her before they even said a word. "H-how?" Thea asked, her voice breaking. She cleared her throat as she looked up at them. "How did she die?"

Laurel looked like she wanted to answer. She even opened her mouth to do so, but the words failed her. She looked to her dad for help. Lance took her hand, then looked back at Thea. "There was a fire. A house fire in the Glades. As far as we could tell the house was vacant . Nobody lived there for a while. So they put out the fire, and went in because they have to make sure no one was inside." Lance paused as Thea let out a small sound of horror. "There was a note in the yard when they went back out. It read 'Stop looking for me or more will die'. That's when they called me in."

"H-he burned her?" Thea whispered, the tears swelling in her eyes. Her heart was in her stomach, and it felt like it was being burned back the acids in there. "Are you sure? I mean. There could be a mistake, right?"

"I've already been down that road." Laurel answered. "I wanted to be sure before I told you. There isn't any way to positively identify her visually, so I had them run the DNA test again. It's a match. It's her."

"Who all knows?" Thea asked.

"Just you. I felt you had the right to know first. Does she have any family?" Lance asked.

"Just a mother," Thea said, and dreaded making that call. "I will inform her." How do you tell someone they've lost a daughter? Hell, a daughter and a granddaughter.

"I'm so very sorry for your loss," Lance said to Thea. He looked over at Laurel before leaving.

"I need to call the guys," Thea said, about ten minutes later, when she felt like she could stand. She wiped the fallen tears off her cheeks. "I don't want to have to deliver this news twice." With that, she sent them both an emergency text. They both responded within minutes. Thea closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She had really gotten close to Felicity, and this was the worst thing that had happened in a long time. She could only thank god that Oliver wasn't around to know this. This would kill him.

….

Both John and Ray sat there, unmoving. Ray's only sign of movement were his tears. John's eyes were red, and he looked like he was trying to keep it all in. His jaw clenched with the effort. He looked like he was about ready to murder someone. Lyla rocked Sara side to side as she silently cried.

No one said anything. What was there to say? Felicity was gone. The baby was gone. And there wasn't a damn thing they could do to change that.

After an hour of silence, Ray stood. They all looked up at him as he did so. "I'm going to find whoever did this. This man will not get away with this." With that he left, and moments later the front door slammed to a close.

"I will go talk with him," Laurel said, following after him. She wasn't sure if there was anything she could say. They weren't exactly close, but she couldn't take the silence of the room anymore.

"I will make some coffee," Lyla said, handing Sara to John. John took her hand before she went. There was just a moment where they looked at each other. In that moment sweeter words were exchanged then anything they could have said verbally. Thea had to look away from them.

Lyla left the room, and Diggle looked to Thea. "Ray's right. We will find the SOB who did this. And he will pay." Thea looked at him, and she knew that no matter what it took, Diggle would hunt him down, and kill him.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks :D