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Tag: Season 1, Episode 10 - "Burned"

"Eloquence of a Secret" Series Summary: Tommy finds out the truth about the Hood from the beginning.

Chapter Summary: Tommy thought he'd be happy that Oliver hung up his Hood after his defeat by the Dark Archer, but this shell was not the man his friend was supposed to be.

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Tommy Knows: "Burned"

Tommy groaned as he lay on the mats, looking a pitiful man.

"You're pathetic, Merlyn." Diggle stood over him. He extended his hand, "Come on. You think they'd stop just because you're on the ground?"

Tommy grumbled, but took the proffered hand, getting pulled to his feet. "You're only beating me up 'cause Oliver's been boring."

"And it's not like you don't need to the training." Tommy rolled his eyes at the ironic tone. "You ever want to get out into the field?"

That caused the former scion pause. "I thought you and Oliver said I'd never go out into the field?"

"With your amassed fighting skills," he replied. "Why would we want to stop you?"

"Very funny." But he got into stance, raising his fists loose in front of him. "You'd probably have a safer time taking Laurel; she can kiss-ass."

"Maybe I'll ask her."

Tommy flashed him a frown even though he knew Diggle wasn't serious. "If I even get into a situation where I need these skills, I'm already dead."

"Do you want to stop?"

"No." And Tommy made his move—and ended up with his face in the mat, wrist twisted and arm locked straight out behind his shoulder.

...

Tommy sat in a chair, trying to decide which sore spot took precedence and the attention of the icepack; while Diggle hadn't even broken a sweat.

"I'm worried." Tommy said suddenly into the silence of the lair. "His ribs have been healed for weeks, but he still hasn't put on the Hood. It's like that fight broke his incentive to cross out the list."

"He's scared," Diggle told him, knowingly. "I don't think Oliver's faced someone like this other archer before. This has been his closest call since being back. He was left helpless. And he's worried about his step-dad and family."

"Do you think it's connected with the list?" Tommy wondered, voicing a consistent thought he's had since Walter had gone missing six weeks ago.

Diggle paused and looked at him. "Why would Mr. Steele's disappearance be connected to Oliver's list?"

Tommy shrugged. "He disappeared the same night that Oliver fought the Dark Archer, and then he just disappeared himself. I'm just saying, it's a little suspicious."

"The Dark Archer?" Diggle raised a brow.

"He's an archer, but he's evil. It's better than keep calling him 'the other archer'."

Diggle shook his head. "Name a fear, empower a fear."

"I thought it was... to name your fear is to acknowledge it, and to acknowledge it is to weaken its hold over you." Diggle stared at him. "Right, shocked silent, huh?"

"Not shock, just insight."

"Whatever." Tommy stood. "Now that I'm not constantly worrying about Oliver out there at night, getting killed, I have more time to focus on getting this club off the ground and hang out with Laurel or Felicity. And right now, I have dinner plans with Laurel."

X

"Why don't you just do your job, Diggle?" Oliver's growl emanated around the lair.

"Watching you waste yourself away in self-pity." Was Diggle's sarcastic retort.

"I can just as easily fire you and hire someone else." He threatened.

"Whoa! Hey!" Tommy cried, running down the stairs. "Let's not kill each other, please." He intervened on the charged space between them. "I never thought I'd have to be referee between you two."

"Tell him-" Oliver started.

"Aht aht. I'm pretty sure you already told him in so many words and he said it back in so many words." Tommy said. "I am not going to be a voice-puppet between the two of you. But Diggle's right, Oliver." He turned to his glaring friend. "We're all worried about Walter, but is you commiserating and hanging up your Hood really the best you can do in this situation?"

"The people on the list aren't going anywhere, right now my family needs me." His tone was final.

X

"Hey, Ollie. I thought this is where I'd find you." Tommy clapped his friend's knee as he sat on the couch cushion next to him. Oliver seemed to have made the family room at the mansion his new brooding lair instead of the basement at the foundry. "You make up with Diggle yet, or did you fire him?"

"Tommy." Oliver grunted impatiently, looking through the TV instead of watching it.

"So... I was having dinner with Laurel last night…" Tommy opened casually, staring at the TV himself. He felt the twitch where their shoulders touched, despite the blond not drawing his eyes from the television, paying attention now despite himself. "Joanna dropped by. Her brother was the fireman that died in the blaze at the plant the other night. Well, she got a hold of the incident report and some things just didn't sit right with her about how he died—and I have to agree. His turnout coat was doused in turpentine but the plant owner said there was none in the factory. Apparently he burned hotter than the fire that killed him."

There was silence between them before Oliver finally looked over at his friend. "What's your point, Tommy? Why are you telling me this?"

"Wh- I'm telling the Hood, Ollie." Tommy looked back. "That's still you, isn't it? Something is obviously hinky here."

"A lot of things are 'hinky', Tommy. That doesn't mean something malicious is going on." Oliver retorted angrily. "Don't you have a club you should be working on?"

Tommy could easily read between the lines of what his best-friend had said. "You can't hide behind Walter's disappearance forever, Oliver." He stood and said earnestly, "Starling City still needs you, Ollie. Your work as the Hood is not done."

X

"Wow, something has you fired up." Tommy smiled at the sight of Oliver on the mat. "Was my speech that inspiring?" he leaned against the pillar, arms crossed over his chest. This was the lightest he'd felt since Oliver's last fight with the Dark Archer.

"No. I got a call." He hoped to his feet and grabbed a towel.

"A call?"

"This all seems pretty thin, Oliver." Diggle said, clearing continuing a conversation that they'd been having before Tommy dropped in. "All part of the job."

"Can you look into it?" Oliver tossed the towel and zipped on a sweater.

"Yeah. I have a friend of a friend in the Fire Investigations Department. I'll reach out."

"Ho-ho-hold on." Tommy held up a confused hand. "You're looking into the fire I told you about this morning. But you just said I didn't-" the only other person who it could have possibly been was Laurel, but then- "Laurel? She talked to you? Well, you-you not you, alter-ego you. But how?" he shook his head in confusion.

"She got her hands on the cell I gave Lance when the other archer first appeared." Oliver answered his question. He addressed Diggle, "If you find something, leave a tip to the police."

"Police?" Diggle was surprised. "I thought you-"

"They just need something to jump-start their investigation." He left up the stairs.

Tommy and Diggle looked to each other. Diggle sighed, "It's a start."

"Laurel just needs to give him another push."

"I thought you didn't want Laurel involved."

"She's obviously involved herself. And once she's sunken her teeth into something, there's no getting her to let go unless she decides herself." He said knowingly. "At least she might be the kick in the ass that Oliver needs to get his head out of his ass." He groaned, "Right now I have a Gala to plan."

X

Everything seemed to have gone as planned: Laurel's plead for The Hood's help had been just what Oliver needed to get back into action as Tommy had predicted, and had finally put the Hood back on for the first time since his fight with the Dark Archer. And Laurel seemed to be in Oliver's company for most of the Firemen's Gala.

Tommy had dropped an invite to Felicity when he took her out for coffee on her break the other day. He spotted her as she arrived halfway through the Gala.

"Should I get a fire extinguisher?" Tommy said when he saw her, wearing a hot dress; not that she wasn't gorgeous every time he saw her.

"W-what?" she halted. Her eyes widened suddenly. "Is there a fire?" she whipped her head around.

"I was talking about you." He chuckled. "I've never seen you with your hair down before. I like it."

"Oh." She blushed. "You clean up nice. Not that you weren't good-looking before. I mean... You just-" she waved her hand at him and gave him two thumbs up.

"Drink?" he smiled, taking two filled Champaign glasses from a passing waitress he'd hire for the night.

She took the drink. "Every other time we're together, you're giving me alcohol. Should I be worried?" she joked, taking a sip.

"I head I'm more tolerable to be around when you're buzzed," he joked. "Don't want to scare you away."

"I'm a tough girl, Mr Merlyn." Felicity informed him. "I think I can handle retired playboy, former billionaire, club general manager—not that that is all you are and you're more than general-"

"Felicity," he put his hand on her bare upper arm.

"Yeah?" she drained her glass. "I'm just gonna get another one of these." She tapped the glass was off before he could stop her.

Tommy sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Scare her off already?" Diggle joked, appearing.

"Har har." Tommy said sarcastically. "Don't you have some securing to do?"

And then suddenly people were screaming as smoke filled the club and fire caught, lighting up all sheer material that he had hung to cover the bare bones of the inside of the club. Tommy and Diggle started to get people out there and harms way.

He was relieved when Laurel rushed passed, they squeezed each other's arms in reassurance before she was out the front doors with the others. But he hadn't seen- "Felicity!" he yelled.

"Merlyn, where—!" Diggle started, but was caught up in the mob as Tommy ran back inside.

He didn't think. Only that he'd last seen Felicity heading towards the temporary bar that was set up and hadn't seen her in the crowd through the doors. The smoke stung his eyes and the ashes of the burned material fell down on him like snow. The fire seemed to be everywhere. He caught sight of Oliver in his Hood through a brief opening in the flames, facing off with the fire killer who had murdered Joanna's brother and four others—and then he was thrown onto the floor, pain blooming at the back of his right shoulder.

Tommy groaned, confused. He started to push himself back onto his hands and knees.

"Meryln!" he thought he heard Diggle, and he was suddenly shoved back down, and his back was being patted frantically.

"Tommy!"

"Felicity." Tommy coughed, being hauled to his feet and ushered into movement before he could gain his feet properly. There was a firm grip on his right arm, and a desperate one on his left. And suddenly, it was a shock of fresh air that had him hacking and sounds of sirens, the clamour of frightened voices on all sides.

He straightened, gasping, and suddenly there was a head of loose blond hair under his nose and Felicity was hugging him.

"Thank God you're okay!" she gasped.

"Felicity!" he hugged her in relief, ignoring the burning pain at the back of his shoulder.

She pulled back and suddenly smacked him on the chest. "Diggle said you ran back in there. Are you crazy? You could have been killed. Why did you do that?"

"I didn't see you come out the front." Tommy swallowed. "I thought you might've been hurt."

"I was blocked by the fire, The Hood, and a crazy fireman, so I found my way out the back through the loading dock." She explained.

He looked at her smoke-streaked skin. "Did you run back in for me?"

Felicity's blue eyes darted to meet Diggle's. "N-no."

"Tommy! Diggle!" Oliver called and he and Laurel joined them in relief. "Is everybody okay?"

"Merlyn should get checked out by the paramedics." Diggle said.

"Tommy?" Laurel asked in concern.

"I'm sure it's nothing-" he started, and got four looks from all sides. "Fine. It hurts like a bitch, okay? Everyone happy now?"

"No, we're not happy." Felicity said.

"Let's get you to a medic, buddy." Oliver agreed.

Not one else seemed to have been hurt. Some scrapes and bruises from the rush out, maybe a bit of smoke inhalation and shock from the fright. Tommy was the worst of it; with deep tissue bruising, and 2nd degree burns on his right back shoulder.

"You back?" Tommy murmured to his best-friend.

"I'm back." Oliver confirmed.

Seeing as he was the only one that got hurt, it was worth it if it got Oliver back into his Hood.

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