I know it has been a long time since I updated and I'm sorry for that. I did start to write this before christmas and meant to get it up a couple of days after new year. Then I got a bad cold that still has not gone away. The cold caused a lung infection which caused a severe asthma attack which then caused a panic attack so I am just getting over those. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to tell me what you think. Thanks :) P.S Thanks for everyone who Reviewed and Fav'ed this story I really appreciate the support.
For a petite woman Felicity had a really strong grip proving it hard for Oliver to take his watch in the middle of the night without waking her but he tried anyway, prying her hands off his shirt which had a iron grip not wanting to let Oliver go in fear he might get hurt or leave and not come back. He successfully detached her hand from the front of his shirt and carefully placed her on the ground going to sit on the rock at the entrance to the cave reliving Nyssa of the job as Sara had gone to sleep not long before, Nyssa's orders. Silently he sat next to her and all was silent apart from the few birds and the ocean lapping at the shore.
"She is special, pure, do not break her or dim her light in any way or things will end very badly for you and Slade Wilson will be the least of your worries do I make myself clear MR Queen" Nyssa spoke still looking out onto the horizon never once blinking. Her voice was hard and distant much like his was when reliving or remembering a memory.
"I could never do that, she means too much to me and I will be dammed if I let anything or anyone hurt her or taint her much less myself. But I am curious, why do you protect her and stand up for her so much, I mean I know that is what friends do and I know the two of you have become quite good friends lately but this seems like more. It seems almost parental the way you are with her" Oliver spoke in return wondering why the woman was so protective of Felicity.
"She has a good heart, she is never angry and even if she is it is never for very long, she is the hope and the light for so many people and you cannot help but smile when she is near you, she radiates happiness and she is so much more perceptive than she lets on. She may be quiet some times but that is when is the most dangerous, looking for weak spots and flaws to everyone. I never want her to loose any of that." He nodded in understanding and the two fell silent and looked ahead to marvel at the view in front of them and forgetting all their worries and their past for a little while.
The sun was beginning to rise which created a beautiful sunrise over the calm waters and the mountains of the island. Nyssa was at the back of the cave meditating as she did nearly every morning at sunrise if she was not on watch duty. He suspected that Sara would be awake any minute and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard her yawn and stand up from her spot on the floor. She softly padded over to him and sat on the nearby rock while watching the beautiful colors fan out across the sky knowing that the colors now and the sunset from the night before meant today was going to be warm if not hot weather. After a couple of minutes of sitting on the rock allowing herself to fully wake and get her bearings she walked to the secluded part of the cave to do her morning stretch and morning workout. This is what they did every morning, they got into a routine. Nyssa would meditate while Sara stretched then they would both do a morning workout before the other members of the cave awoke. Sometimes Felicity would join if she was up early enough which she was today, well she was just waking up while Sara had just started to warm up.
Felicity got up off the floor looking as wide awake as ever from getting a good nights sleep. She pulled him into a hug and planted a sweet lingering kiss on his lips.
"Good morning Oliver" She sat beside him on the rock that had not long ago seated Sara and stretched her legs straight out in front of her with her heels touching the ground as she leaned forward and touched her toes while touching her head to her knees. He just raised an eyebrow at her.
"Morning, what's got you in a good mood this morning?" he questioned as she shot him a mischievous smile. She answered with nothing before she pecked him on the cheek and went to warm up with Sara. He shook him head and smiled knowing that she was up to something but nobody would find out until she wanted them to find out. He could hear Sara telling Felicity that she was doing well and that she was a really fast learner which Sara reassured her that was a good thing. He glanced back around 30 minutes later and saw that Sara and Nyssa were warming up as he would and Felicity was doing smaller things not yet ready or strong enough to do what the assassins were doing but she was determined and focussed which was also a good thing. She would be doing the taxing complicated stuff in no time.
An hour passed and the girls were all out of breath and sweating under the heat of the now fully risen sun. The others were still asleep and it didn't look like they were going to be waking up any time soon. Sara stood up and walked to the front of the cave with a bow and arrow in her hands.
"Hey Felicity I am going to go catch breakfast, you want to come with?" Felicity looked up at her and smiled then nodded knowing exactly why Sara was asking her along and she knew it was not to catch some birds she knew that Sara could handle that fine by herself. No, it was to practice the moves she had been learning over the past couple of weeks out in the open and put them to the real test. Nyssa stayed behind and sat down at the back of the cave with her eyes closed, not sleep just resting. Soon the other slowly started to wake up Thea being the first and Laurel being the last. All of them had black bags under their eyes and hair all tousled and knotted from not brushing it in so long but none of the seemed to mind not even Moira who always like to look her best and thought appearances were everything.
"Right new plan for today. Speedy, Mom, I know you want to go see dad's grave so I am going to take you today but we will all have to go as a group we can't afford to split the group up now and give Slade the opportunity he needs." Oliver said as he stood and walked to the group who was sat on the ground talking amongst themselves Sara and Felicity entered the cave moments later each carrying three birds over each shoulder. Laying them on the ground Oliver and Nyssa quick got to work on skinning and cooking the birds over the fire that Diggle ha just lit. They all finished their birds and then felt slightly sick not used to eating so much food as they had been living off maybe a quarter of a bird each and some berry when they could find some.
"Ok guys get some water in the bottles we are going to need them for this trip. Hunger and murder are not the only things you have to worry about on this island, dehydration is also a common thing, specially when its as hot as this." Everyone nodded and started fill up their bottles with the water that had been brought the day before. The water was not the cleanest and made everybody sick for the first few days but it was the best they had and was better than getting liver or kidney problems from drinking sea water. Oliver knew that today would be very emotional for both his mother and his sister but they needed this, they needed closure. Sure they had a gravestone with Robert Queens name on it back in Starling City but that is all it was a empty coffin in the ground with a grave stone. But this was where he was buried, next to Shado. Today was going to bring back a lot of memories for both Oliver and Sara but they knew they wouldn't have to do it alone, they would have their family and friends by their side the whole time.
Half an hour later and everyone was at the cave entrance ready to head out.
"Please keep as a group I don't want this trip turning into a disaster because one of you went wandering or didn't listen" without another word he started making his way down the mountain with the rest of the group following closely behind with Nyssa and Felicity in the middle and Sara and Diggle bringing up the rear. Laurel stuck by Tommy as Moira and Walter did, Thea and Roy were also together and Roy didn't dare let her out of his sight. He knew that everyone would have to be extra careful today, Slade had not made any move on them in all the time they had been there, and a quiet Slade Wilson was a dangerous Slade Wilson. The path to the graves was challenging and long but none of them complained… apart from Laurel who started complaining within the first hour and it was now getting on everyones nerves. After a while her voice just kind of faded into the background as we all ignored her.
After a couple of hours passed and the sun was getting hotter and hotter as the day went on they came to the end of the trail where the graves were. Everyone stopped in their tracks to avoid bumping into one another as Oliver stopped at the front a little ways from the graves.
"I think it would be better if we went in groups, I will take my mom and Thea then Sara can take whoever wants to pay their respects after that" Everyone agreed, it was not like they much choice in the matter but they liked that idea anyway. Oliver took his mother and Thea's hands and walked them over to the graves so they could say what they wanted to. This had been what they were waiting for since the accident, talking to an empty grave is not the same. Oliver put his hand on the piece of wood that had Robert carved into it and said a few words in Russian before sitting next to Shado's grave staring at the piece of wood.
"Dad, I miss you so much and there are a lot of things that I want to tell you but I know that we cannot be here for too long so I will say what I can. I'm 19 now, I graduated last year just barley but I did. I have a boyfriend, his name is Roy and I know you would have liked him even if mom did not at first. I have my own business now, its a club called Verdant, it was Ollie's club at first but its mine now, you always told us we had to share right. I was pretty bad after I had found out about the accident, I couldn't sleep at night because of the nightmares, I wouldn't eat or talk and I would sit on the front porch or on my balcony staring at the road just waiting for you to come back, but then I realised that you were not going to come back and that is when things really fell apart. My grades started dropping and I got involved with the wrong crowds at school, I got into drugs and alcohol and party's. Im not proud of what I did, nowhere near but that is all behind me now and I am proud to be who I am, at this moment. I just wish you could see me and see who I have become. I know that you are not my biological dad but you knew that and yet you cared for me and looked after me all my life. We were not connected by blood we are connected by love which is the most powerful thing. You were and always will be my father nothing of that has changed and I love you so much. Forever" Tears were flowing freely down Thea's cheeks but she did not brush them off she just let them fall and broke down into the arms of her waiting brother who gently picked her up and sat her on his lap lining to him like her was her only lifeline.
Moira then stepped up and took Thea's place beside her husband's grave.
"Oh Robert I never should have let you get on that stupid boat, I should have just demanded that you take the jet like I was going to but you insisted and I could never say no to you. Maybe then you would still be alive and Oliver never would have been stuck on this island. But if al those things did not happen then Oliver would not be the man he is today, the Arrow. Protecting our city, the one that we helped destroy so for that I must thank did what you needed to do in order for our son to survive and that is a sacrifice and a debt I will never be able to repay. So thank you, for everything, for loving us all with your heart and soul. I hope you can forgive me for everything I have done. I love you Robert and I miss you so much but life has to go on and so do we no matter how many people we have lost, or thought we lost. Goodbye Robert Queen" Moira leaned down and placed a kiss to the piece of wood before sitting back up and looking towards Thea and Oliver who she could tell had both been crying, Thea more than Oliver but their eyes were red and still glistening with unshed tears that would not fall. All three of them got off the ground and started to make their way back to the rest of the group who were seated on the floor with their shoes off cooling down. Sara got up as the three were approaching as did Roy, Walter, Laurel and Felicity. Felicity pulled Oliver into a bear hug as soon as she got close enough, rubbing soothing circles on his back as he buried his head in her hair and took a deep breath to calm himself down. They pulled away and she wiped his face to rid him of the tear stains on his cheeks before planting a small kiss there and then to his forehead.
He chuckled a little at the memory of that to her so many times but under different circumstances. Her arms fell to her sides and he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear then gently pushed her forward towards the graves. Thea and Roy were doing the same as what Felicity and Oliver had done as were Moira and Walter. They all parted and walked to where they could pay their respects for the daed. Laurel, Walter and Roy went over to Robert's grave but to Sara's surprise Felicity went and sat next to Shado's grave and took a deep breath before speaking.
"I know you don't know me but I know you, or at least I have heard a lot of stories about you. I just want to say thank you for keeping Oliver alive and learning him how to survive on this island, I know that could not have been easy but if you could see how far he has come and what he has achieved I'm sure you would have been proud of him. If it was not for you then I would never have met him and I can't imagine my life without him in it anymore so…" She trailed off and lightly touched the wood and smiled before stepping back. Roy started to speak as soon as he reached the grave.
"Hi I'm Roy, I'm dating your daughter. Don't worry I will do anything and everything I can to make sure she stays safe and looked after I promise. She means the world to me and my life would be more dull and more dangerous without her. Thank you for caring for her and for being there for her when she was younger. I know that sounds like a weird thing for someone to be thankful for but it means a lot coming from someone who never had that as part of their life" He tilted his head back and looked at the sky before walking over and standing next to Felicity who put her hand on his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. Laurel went next to speak as Sara was over by Shado's grave.
"Thank you for everything you did for me as a child, welcoming me into your house and letting me stay there. Thank you for a lot of things but the most important thing to me is that you sacrificed yourself for him, for your son. If yo didn't do that then he would not be here right now and a lot of people, or a lot more people would be dead, innocent people including me so thank you for everything" She stood and backed out of the way so Walter could have his turn.
"I don't know what to say other than thank you for everything you did for me and Moira and the kids I promise I will do my best to keep them safe you have my word on that" Walter stood after his short speech and walked over to where everyone was waiting to go back to the group. They started walking then Felicity ran back to the graves and picked a flower that was nearby and put it on top of Roberts grave while whispering a small thank you to him letting know that she was grateful for everything he had done and sacrificed. Sara smiled at her blonde IT friend and held a hand out out for her to take which she did with a smile on her face. When they got back to the group everyone was already on their feet with shoes on and everything packed up and ready to go back to the cave. They went in the same formation as before only to be stopped again but this time by Sara who whipped head round to face the way they had just come from. She narrowed her eyes and scared the area thoroughly before slowly turning back around to carry on walking. She did this a couple of more times before realising that she was not just being paranoid or hearing things. There was someone following them, someone who obviously knew the island as well or even better than them.
Oliver and Nyssa moved to Sara's side wondering why she had stopped. Suddenly a scream echoed in the clearing and they all turned round to face where the scream had originated and there thy found Slade Wilson with a sword to Felicity's throat. Oliver mentally beat himself for leaving the front of the group unprotected and venerable.
"Well well well, what do we have here, Oliver Queen's latest bed mate. But it's more than that isn't it? You love him I can see it when you look at him, it's sickening. He doesn't deserve to be happy. He killed Shado and decided to save that blonde assassin . He killed my love, he took the one thing that meant everything to me and crushed it into a million pieces then sprinkled it into the sea to get washed away. Now he will know what that is like when I slice Felicity Smoak into tiny pieces, you will not even recognise her once I am finished, there will be nothing to mourn. There will be nothing left" He pushed the blade further into er neck causing her to close her eyes as she felt warm liquid run own her exposed throat and bit her lip to keep in the whimpers of pain. She would not allow any sound to escape her mouth. He would not get to hear her scream out for help or for mercy, she would not give him that satisfaction. A small sound was heard from behind Slade, so low that they could only just hear it from the wind shifting. Slade collapsed the ground effectively releasing his grip on Felicity and the sword causing her to tumble to the floor with him. He fell onto his front and a needle could be seen sticking out of his back. A proud looking Cisco Ramon with a small needle cannon of his own invention in his hands. Caitlin Snow and Joe west stood by the sidelines along with a dozen ARGUS agents and Amanda Waller.
"Oh yea you just got beat by a science nerd can't get much lower than that dude" Cisco lowered the gun and stepped back into place with Caitlin and Joe while Amanda Waller stepped forward and raised her gun to him.
"You have had one too many chances Slade Wilson you will not get another" He struggled onto his back and looked up at her with cold twisted eyes.
"You think this is over, it's only just begun" Amanda raised her gun and shot him between his eyes before ordering her men to take him away to their plane. Nobody moved or spoke a word for a few minutes the shock of what just happened slowly sinking in. A small noise disrupted their silence. No not a noise, a voice. A very quiet pained voice from no other than Felicity Smoak who was laid on the ground with her hands clutching her stomach and red seeping through her clothes and leaking onto the grass. The sword had impaled her side and she was loosing blood quickly. She had pulled the sword out of her body and collapsed onto the grass with not enough strength to hold herself up. The last thing she saw before everything went dark and quiet was Oliver's panicked and scared eyes looking into hers and begging her to hold on not just for herself or for anyone else there but for him.
Thanks for taking your time to read this story and I hope you enjoyed it. I was not going to include the flash cast but I think they are too cool not to be included and this is the beginning to a flash story that is in the works but will not be started until this one is finished. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. :)