WOW! Okay! So that job that was giving me so much grief with all the management issues and whatnot is no longer a problem! I told them I was so done! I am 23 and didn't really want the responsibility of running an entire store by myself. It didn't allow for me to have a life. My days off never felt like days off because I was always being called due to one difficulty or another that one of my other few managers couldn't seem to handle. I now have an AMAZING! New job that I could NOT be more grateful for! I am going to Alex Bay for the weekend of my birthday in May, I have a bunch 0f 5K runs set up for June, July, and August! In October, one of my best friend's and I are going to NYC Comic Con! (Which if you haven't voted for our picture Comic Con Galore yet, please do! Even though we are in first, we need more votes daily to stay there! Find the link from New York Comic Con's Facebook page) And then we are going to Disney World in November for like two weeks. So I have a ridiculously busy year! Not to mention the year started kind of crazy! My sister had her baby and I got a beautiful nephew! And our father, who neither of us had a good relationship with due to his drinking passed away. Even though we weren't close, we both felt badly over what could have been. But it only served to bring us closer to each other, our mom, and our amazing step dad! Aaaaannyway! I know where I want this story to go and how I want it to end and if you like it, I have some ideas for a sequel! So leave me some love and let me know what you think!

As Always Much Love,

~Sarah~

Chapter 25

Exposure

"Would you sit? You're freaking me out. That, and I can't focus when you're prowling." Felicity spoke as she stopped typing to watch Oliver.

"I really don't think this is a good idea. You need to rest. Sara and Dig can figure out how to run the system and find these guys." Oliver said as he stopped pacing to stare hard at Felicity.

"Not as well or as quickly as Felicity can. Sorry, Oliver, we need her. Besides, the doctor said doing 'computer work', as you told him, wouldn't hurt as long as she didn't over due it." Thea piped up from the other side of Felicity's bed. Oliver's only response was a harsh glare in his little sister's direction as he once again began pacing. Felicity shook her head and sighed as she tried to block him out to focus on the matter at hand. Everyone was just waiting for a location or some other enlightening piece of information from her that would end this whole thing. Felicity's brow furrowed and she no longer had a problem shutting out everything and everyone else around her as the speed of her already fast typing increased.

Oliver paused as he felt the shift in Felicity's mood. He looked her way and could tell by the look on her face and the way her fingers seemed to fly across the keyboard that she had found something. He hated to admit it, but there was no way Sara and John would have been able to come up with anything as quickly as Felicity could. That didn't stop him from worrying, but he did have to admit that he felt more relaxed about her condition now that he could see her working and not becoming as easily fatigued as she had been over the past few weeks. Oliver looked towards Thea and realized that she had noticed the difference in Felicity as well as she moved to the edge of her seat next to Felicity's bed and clenched her hands as she watched their blonde genius in her element.

It felt like hours had passed when Felicity suddenly pumped her fist and yelled "Yes! Crap! I've got to learn not to do that!" She said, still in her own world. Oliver stepped up to the bed and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flew to his and she gave him a lopsided grin that he couldn't help but return.

"What did you find?" Oliver asked urgently. The sense of need to catch the ones who had come after his mother but shot her instead far outweighing his overprotective behavior.

"Well, I finally managed to track down some mysterious messages over a very hard to find radio frequency. I was able to use a program that's basically voice recognition. I used a recording of our very uncooperative hood that Lance has at the station to see who he has been talking to. After that, I confirmed that the other voices were the ones of the rest of his little team and tracked down their names so Lance can go pick them up too. Anyway, I was able to also track down the guy on the other end of the conversations and find a payment trail and as soon as I enter in a few more codes I should be able to see who hired-" Felicity stopped abruptly and Oliver's hand tensed on her shoulder as her face went white. Before he could speak, Thea stepped up to the bed.

"Felicity? You ok?" Thea asked worriedly.

"Uhm. No. Oh no. I mean, we knew he was corrupt but, this. This is bad. So bad." Felicity was once again acting as though Oliver and Thea weren't in the room.

"Felicity? Who is their boss? Who sent them after our mother?" Oliver asked sternly

"You're really not going to like this. Either of you." Felicity stated as she looked from one Queen sibling to the other.
"Just tell us. It's okay." Thea said reassuringly.

"The trail leads back to one Malcolm Merlyn." Felicity spoke on a sigh. The room was silent with a heavy weight of tension settling over it.

"Merlyn?" Diggle said, shocked.

"Does it really surprise you? People don't change, Ollie. Least not that much." Sara pointed out, turning from Felicity's computers. Oliver shook his head as he thought of their next form of action.

"How's Thea?" Roy asked, concerned and looking two seconds away from taking off in search of her.

"With Felicity. I think that's who she needs right now. She's not the only one we have to think about when we decide what to do about Malcolm. Not anymore. Not with Tommy being back." Oliver spoke quietly.

"What I don't understand is how he was able to do this in the first place? What happened after the Undertaking? Everyone just blamed your mom and was satisfied enough with that? Did they give him a break because Tommy was thought to be dead?" Sara asked angrily.

"Money, Sara. That's what it has always come down to in this city, and that's what it is always going to come down to. No matter what we do. Let's be honest, it's the only reason my mother got away with her part in it as well." Oliver spoke angrily.

"Hey, she also warned people. She gave us a chance to get out of there. You were the one that told me that." Roy reminded Oliver gently.

"I'm just frustrated. He was gone and we were going to leave it at that. I had hoped he was never going to come back. And then he gets this group together and starts taking people out? He puts a hit out on my mother?! Felicity gets caught in the crossfire. I'm lucky she isn't dead! I'm lucky my mother isn't dead. Mom and Walter have put their ceremony on hold. Everyone is stressed out. I'm stressed out. Every time I turn around, my future wife is getting injured! I can't-" Oliver's anger was steadily rising along with his voice until he cut off and slammed his hands down on the nearest table. With a swipe of his arms everything on it went flying off in different directions. Oliver's emotions were palpable as everyone watched in silence, understanding how we was feeling. With a roar of rage, Oliver upended the entire table and stalked off to the training mats.

Roy, Diggle, and Sara all looked at each other and then at Oliver, their hearts going out to him. Sara sighed and made a move to go to him but Diggle held up a hand.

"I've got him." He said confidently. Sara nodded and sat back down, digging up everything she could to find Malcolm's location. She stopped typing and turned to see Roy standing awkwardly with his fists clenched, clearly unsure of what to do.

"Roy." Sara said his name with authority. His startled gaze flew to her steady one.

"Yeah." Roy whispered.

"I think it would be best for someone to sit with Felicity right now. Make sure she is safe. Make sure Thea is safe, and that they both stay that way. Oliver probably won't be back there for a bit." Sara said quietly. With something to do, Roy instantly seemed to perk up a little bit, especially because it involved being around Thea and making sure she was all right. He simply nodded before jogging up the steps with a new purpose in mind.

Felicity looked down and sighed with relief that Thea had finally fallen asleep. She had been so angry and disappointed that once again Malcolm was messing with all of their lives. She had raged, cried, and raged some more as Felicity had motioned for Oliver to leave her be before finally settling down and sitting on the bed beside Felicity. Then she had begun apologizing to Felicity for her being shot, as if it was Thea's fault her father was clearly a psychopath. Felicity had instantly shut the thoughts down and forced Thea to lay with her as she gestured to Oliver that they were okay and to give them some time alone. They had spoken and bonded over what it felt like to have fathers that were little more than disappointing. Felicity had told Thea that her own father was also a criminal and that he was in jail. Thea had looked shocked as Felicity went on to tell her all about how Felicity's father had left she and her mother when Felicity was just a kid. Felicity went on to say it just made her that much more grateful for her mother and was telling Thea all kinds of fun stories from her childhood. That's how The had drifted off to sleep. Felicity looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it had been about two hours since Oliver had left. She was just reaching for her phone when the door opened and Roy came walking in.

"Is she okay?" Roy asked worriedly.

"She will be." Felicity answered with a reassuring smile. Roy nodded his head as he pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.

"How is Oliver?" Felicity asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"Everything is weighing him down. Nothing really different from usual. It's just that normally, he doesn't tell anyone what he is thinking or feeling. Since you came along he's become a regular Sappy Sally." Roy said with a quiet laugh.

Felicity found herself chuckling and nodding in slight agreement.

"More like a Sappy Steve. He hasn't worked his way up to full on acting like a girl yet." Thea spoke as she sat up on the other side of Felicity.

"You okay?" Roy asked as he stared at her intently. Thea gave a nod as she shot a meaningful look in Felicity's direction.

"I think so." She said quietly.

"What do you want to do?" Felicity asked.

"We need to deal with Malcolm. Once and for all." Thea spoke vehemently.

Another chapter will be coming your way shortly! Stay tuned, it's all going to be coming to an end! Don't forget to read and review!