A/N: I must apologize for the ridiculous delay, but Muse and me we had a serious disagreement and she decided to go on a full-fledged strike for quite some time… I hope we managed to successfully push aside our differences of opinion … I sincerely hope you're still enjoying this although I'm not quite satisfied with the outcome of this chapter. Warning: Further chapters might come awfully close to some story lines from the current season… Enjoy without further delay...
Starling General,
During the next few days Diggle visited Felicity regularly; pleased to see her get slowly back to her usual self. There were still brief moments when she would become quiet and pensive. Especially when she thought she was unobserved. She'd asked for Dig to bring her a tablet so she could busy herself somewhat and he'd obliged happily hoping this would distract her for a while.
During his vigil he'd often wondered how she'd come to terms with what had happened. Having seen Oliver, the epitome of control, struggle with the events had had him worried. If he had so much trouble accepting the events that were out of his control then how would she cope? Felicity was usually a very emotional and extroverted person, but she'd trusted Oliver with her life and that had almost cost her direly. Would she ever be able to trust him again?
Worse, how would Oliver get over this? Knowing the younger man's tendency to bear the guilt of the world on his shoulders … His mind wandered back to the day Felicity had joined the team… He'd then tried to make him see it was almost impossible to guarantee that the IT expert wouldn't get hurt if she was involved in their nightly activities, but Oliver had deflected his objections and he had happily accepted. So in some ways he was guilty too… He couldn't blame Oliver alone on this; he too had felt the necessity to add her to their little dysfunctional family. The fact that the man who trusted no one with his secrets had even turned to her for help was remarkable and had left him with hope for Oliver. Made him think that maybe he wasn't completely lost to his dark side after all. So against his better judgement he'd accepted Oliver's arguments.
What he hadn't anticipated and he suspected Oliver hadn't either, was the way the quirky computer genius would worm her way into both of their hearts. He had quickly come to see her as more as a friend rather a partner and even a family member. He'd seen the looks exchanged between the young man and Felicity too. While she'd been easy to read, it had taken him more time to decrypt Oliver. Thankfully a certain Barry Allen had helped. His arrival at Starling City and his subsequent stay had given an interesting insight behind the vigilante's carefully erected walls.
He knew Oliver had decided not to act upon his feelings once he'd realized what had happened. He hadn't approved of the idea, thinking it would give Oliver an incentive to act less reckless and bring him back from the brink the Island had driven him to and while he'd become more open and less darker it was impossible for him to simply forget the five years of Hell on Earth life had put him through.
Diggle suspected there was far more to that period of time than Oliver had shared with them. The things he knew, his skills. That kind of things couldn't all be explained or acquired on Lian Yu as Felicity had observed so well. The haunted looks he wore often reminded Diggle of his time in the army. It was the expression one would find on veterans that had seen far too much battle; those that claimed to be among the lost. He shuddered at the thought, but Oliver's reaction when he'd visited him at A.R.G.U.S. had further substantiated that idea…
"Dig, why so sombre?" The voice permeated his mind and he looked up to Felicity who was studying him intensely. "What are you thinking about?"
Diggle wasn't surprised that she'd seen through him almost at once, but how to approach the subject without putting further strain on their team? Weighing the idea he decided it had to be broached and now was as moment as good as every other one.
"May I ask you something?"
Felicity's brow furrowed. "Sure. Fire away. Okay … maybe not so good choice of words there …" she sighed.
A knock on the doorframe interrupted whatever Diggle was going to say and both looked up to see Quentin Lance standing there.
"Thought I'd pay a beautiful girl a visit…" He smirked at Felicity's cheeks turning a nice shade of pink while Diggle shot him an incredulous look. He felt he needed to lighten the atmosphere and it had worked rather well; so satisfied with himself he walked up to the bed and settled in the vacant chair next to the bodyguard.
Diggle looked sideward at the police officer waiting for him to share whatever news he'd come up with, but the man took his time trying to get comfortable. As his gaze crossed Felicity's he became aware that both were expecting him to share news.
"What? Oh! There hasn't been any Arrow or Deathstroke related intel on the police network recently. So our mutual friend seems in the clear. Those A.R.G.U.S. guys sure know their jobs…"
The lack of reaction on the other side made him look from one to the other again. Their faces didn't express relief, instead there still seemed to be tension in the room. Something was up … and nothing good apparently.
"What? I thought that news would make you guys happy. Didn't expect to see those funeral mugs … Care to share? After all I'm involved too."
Diggle sighed. "Do you remember what you told me when we met here when Felicity was admitted?"
"Yeah! I do..." Lance nodded, his thoughts racing to connect the dots. That night would probably remain one of his worst memories ever. His mind replayed the events: the call on the radio signalling activity in the supposedly abandoned theatre, his drive to the scene and the search of the building. Finally the strange scene that had unfolded itself before him once he'd reached the stage.
Flash-back
He could see a hooded figure crouching on the ground holding a second one cradled in his arms. The lighting bathed everything in a surreal bluish tinge. Recognizing the blonde ponytail made his blood freeze. He rapidly holstered his gun and crossed the room circling the Arrow carefully, not wanting to end on the other man's bad side because he'd gotten the drop on him. Seeing no reaction whatsoever, he decided to make his presence known.
"What the hell happened? How did she…?"
His voice dropped out as his eyes settled for the first time on the green fletched arrow protruding from her chest. He'd always thought Miss Smoak worked with the Arrow. How could she end up like that? Was she…? Judging by the vigilante's reaction or rather absence of it, he thought she was gone. Kneeling down ever so carefully, Lance clasped the man's shoulder expecting him to explode into action at every moment.
"Hey, what happened? How did Miss Smoak end up here?"
The simple evocation of the IT expert's name seemed to bring back some life into the green clad figure. His head turned and his stare met the officer's. Lance would never forget what he'd seen in those steely blue eyes. Despair and worse … void…
The instant their gazes met Quentin Lance felt he'd already seen those eyes numerous times. But before he could process the thought further, sirens started to wail outside jumping him back into action. His counterpart didn't move, but Lance felt it was high time if the vigilante didn't want to get caught, so he urged the man to leave. Quentin made himself more insistent and finally there was a reaction. Briefly their gazes crossed again before the Arrow pressed his lips to Felicity's forehead. Then everything was a blur until he sat in the hospital waiting room…
"Yeah, I do …" he repeated absentmindedly, not noticing the worried looks on both Diggle's and Felicity's faces.
They felt their fears confirmed. The events of that disastrous night had rattled everyone to the core, but the one affected most was Oliver himself because of his past experiences and his chosen path.
Three days later,
What Quentin Lance had told them a few nights ago hadn't helped set their minds at ease, on the contrary after he had left they had discussed their options and had come to the conclusion they needed to talk to Oliver. But they needed to get past the wall known as Amanda Waller.
Diggle's gaze shot to the right. Felicity was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. He could tell she was trying to anticipate what would come, as was he. The heavy silence that had settled between them was highly unusual, but so were the events that had taken place.
How do you get over the fact that your partner hurt you? How do you overcome the feeling of guilt because you almost killed a friend, the person that has become the most important to you in the world without you realizing it at first? Can you still call yourself a friend when you weren't there to protect your partners when they needed you most?
Dig's thoughts swirled as much as Felicity's, he was sure of that. What would they find once they got to A.R.G.U.S.? Sure Lyla had updated him as best she could. So she had given them a heads up as soon as she noticed the unusual activity. Something was going on at HQ. She was convinced Waller was preparing an op and strangely, even with her level of clearance, she wasn't able to find out what exactly was going on.
Felicity had been released from hospital two days ago and it had been quite difficult to get a hold on Amanda Waller to get an appointment. Diggle had used all the leverage his mission with the Suicide Squad had given him and finally the White Queen had agreed to see them. So now they were on their way into the lions den…
After passing the rigorous security check they were allowed into the inner sanctum known as Amanda Waller's office. She was seated behind her desk and didn't even look up as the blonde stepped up to her.
"We want to see Oliver!" Felicity demanded without preamble. "He needs to see his friends…"
The icy stare that met hers made her almost flinch had it not been for Diggle's reassuring presence at her back. A brief silence reigned as Amanda Waller seemed to ponder her options to get rid of those annoying two as fast as possible.
"I'd like to be of some help but unfortunately matters are completely out of my hand."
"And there I thought nothing happened here without your assent…" Diggle mused carefully observing the reactions of the ARGUS leader. Amanda's gaze travelled between the two of them again gauging their reaction. A smirk appeared, reminding Felicity briefly of Kaa.
"I can't bring you to him, because he left a few days ago for an undisclosed location. He's no longer here in the building or even in contact with us… I'm sorry."
That isn't even a lie she thought while waiting for the reaction of those standing across the room. She searched their faces for any indication that her message hadn't gotten through, but both seemed rather taken aback.
Diggle saw his worst fears confirmed, while Felicity was still trying to process the info and its consequences for them all.
"So… if you haven't any other questions. I think it's time for you to leave…"
Two security guards appeared at the door to escort them out of the building. Diggle had expected as much from Waller, but it didn't prevent the anger that surged inside him. His friend was in danger of losing everything and he couldn't do anything.
"If anything happens… You're going to pay." He threw the words at her while the two men pushed him and Felicity out of the office. To Felicity everything was a blur as unbidden tears rose to her eyes. They were helpless and Oliver was alone… again…
Back outside she couldn't contain her feelings any more, she started shaking and sobs rocked her body Diggle tried to appease her with a comforting hug.
"Oh, Dig, what are we going to do? Where is he?" She said.
"There has to be another way. We're going to find it, but first, let's go to the foundry. You might be able to work some of your magic…"
That earned him a watery smile.
