After extracting multiple assurances from Felicity that she wouldn't leave the apartment, Clint stormed up to the landing pad. Serab was standing in the center and appeared to be completely at ease despite the fact that Steve, Nyssa, and Natasha were all around him with weapons drawn.
Steve was the first to see Clint arrive. "He won't talk to anyone except you." He said.
"And Steven wasn't willing to allow me to use my usual methods of interrogation." Nyssa hissed.
"It probably wouldn't have done anything, Nyssa." Steve gave her an exasperated smile.
"No," Nyssa said quietly looking at her sword, "but it would have been fun to try."
"Maseo?" Oliver had come on to the landing pad and caught sight of Serab.
"Wait," Clint looked at him in shock. "You know this guy?"
"I thought I did." Oliver said quietly. He glared at Serab whose face remained expressionless.
"I come with a message from Ra's al Ghul." The assassin said.
"Which is who exactly?" Clint said. "Heads have been rolling and we're not sure who's in charge anymore."
Oliver shot him a glare. Clint raised an eyebrow.
"Call me picky, but I'd like to know who's threatening me." Clint grumbled.
"Ra's requests that you surrender yourself and Thea Queen to him and Malcom Merlyn or he will retaliate." Serab said.
Clint felt a chill. Merlyn as Ra's was bad, but Trickshot as Ra's…that was unthinkable. "Retaliate how?" he growled.
Serab looked at him emotionlessly. "He told me to inform you that the next time she will suffer worse than a few broken bones."
Clint stepped forward and grabbed Serab by the front of his uniform. "Listen here you brainwashed, homicidal, lapdog. You tell Barney that having the ring which makes him top psycho doesn't give him the right to threaten those I care about. If he hurts her again, I'll make sure he ends up like his predecessor."
Serab looked at Clint with what appeared to be amusement. "Tell me, Hawkeye; your personal quarters are on the floor 7 flights down from this one, correct?"
Clint's face was impassive. Serab smiled.
"The White Canary and Winter Soldier are poised and waiting for my signal. Should you refuse, they will simply take Ra's'…motivational tool."
Clint's expression darkened. "And what happens if I throw you over this roof right now?"
"Barton." Oliver hissed, getting ready to lunge at Clint, but Steve held him back.
"She's not a motivational tool." Clint let go of Serab and stepped back. "I'm not going."
Oliver glared at him while struggling against Steve's grip. "He's going to take Felicity and my sister if you don't."
"He can try." Clint growled. "I'm not giving in to what Barney wants."
Serab calmly walked over to the side of the tower and tossed a piece of red cloth over the side. There was the high pitched cry of the Canary, then the sound of shattering glass. Then silence.
Oliver made a desperate attempt to get to the inside of the Tower, but Steve only tightened his grip.
"Stand down." He said quietly.
"Barton just condemned Felicity and Thea." Oliver said. "How the hell are you so calm?"
"Because he knows that my floor isn't 7 flights down." Clint said.
There was a loud roar which made both Serab and Oliver jump in surprise.
"That is what we call a Code Green." Clint smirked. "You tell my dear brother that the next time he comes after me he does it himself, without help from his goon squad."
Serab jumped over the side of the building to make his getaway.
Oliver ripped his arm out of Steve's grasp and rounded on Clint. "How could you gamble with Felicity's safety?" he hissed.
"She was never in any danger." Clint retorted. "Serab and co just attacked the lab. Even if they had the right floor, I added extra security on top of what Tony has."
He turned and began making his way inside. The others followed, Oliver was still fuming.
"Widow." Tony radioed in from the lab. "We're going to need your help with the big guy."
"On my way." Natasha said, smirking slightly at Oliver's apparent irritation.
"Oh and Cap." Tony added. "It might interest you to know that while the Canary got away, Hulk managed to knock out the Winter Soldier."
Steve's eyes popped out of his head. "You've…you've got him?"
"We've got him."
Steve turned to Nyssa. She gave him a reassuring smile. "Go." She said.
Clint watched as they went to go down to the lab. He'd turned towards the elevator; impatient to get back Felicity when Oliver grabbed his arm.
"Don't ever play odds with Felicity's life in the balance." Oliver said; his anger clearly at a breaking point.
Clint glared. "So it's ok for you to use her as bait for a psychopath, but I'm not allowed to trick assassins into trying to kidnap the Hulk?"
"That's not what I –"
"They had the wrong floor, she wasn't in any danger." Clint shouted. "I know you think I'm stupid. I know you think I'm delusional because, how did you so eloquently put it to Digg when you guys were discussing me behind my back? Oh right 'just because Thor and Tony have girlfriends, I think I can be an Avenger and have one too. I'm just a guy with a bow and the world is too dangerous for me to protect her."
"It's the truth." Oliver said, raising his voice.
"It doesn't have to be." Clint shouted back. "I care about her and, unlike you, I'm willing to fight for her."
"She's too good to be involved in this type of darkness." Oliver growled.
Clint shook his head. "She is involved, Queen. Just because she doesn't dress up in a costume and beat up bad guys doesn't mean that she is any less a part of what we do. And you believing that as long as she doesn't put on a mask she's somehow not involved, is patronizing and insulting to her."
He turned and went to the elevator. The doors had just opened when Oliver's soft reply made his blood run cold.
"Digg's right, you know. If I asked her, she'd drop you in a second. She's settling for you."
Clint stiffened. He contemplated turning around and attacking Queen, but knew it was stupid and wouldn't solve anything. He turned slightly and said. "I think you'd take care to remember who you're talking to." Then he walked straight onto the elevator. When the doors closed he punched the wall.
"OW." He growled. "That's way more impressive when Cap does it." Breathing slowly, he tried to cool down before the elevator stopped on his floor. The doors opened and he stepped out, only to be tackled by both Felicity and Lucky.
"Squeaky, you're going to hurt your ribs." Clint murmured, but he held her tight and pressed his cheek against her hair. He hadn't realized how much he needed this; needed a simple hug. Even if Queen's words, which were echoing in the back of his mind, repeated to him that he couldn't hold on to her. That she might not want him.
"I hacked the security footage; I saw what happened." Felicity said, pressing her face against his chest. "All of it."
Clint looked down at her, terrified of what she might say next. She gave him a dazzling smile, then pulled his face down and kissed him.