Author's Note: HELLO LOVELIES! So, with chapter, you're officially all caught up here! Tomorrow, I'll post Chapter 39 and then weekly updates. This chapter was one of my favorites to write so I hope you enjoy it too!

Thank you SO MUCH for all your fantastic comments.

And do the guest reviewer who pointed out about Brickwell...that was an extreme oversight on my part. He should have at least been mentioned, but my thinking was that Malcolm at this point is so steeped in grief and pain over his wife's death, is so far embedded in his plan to "heal" the Glades by starting over, that even if he knew his wife's killer, he'd still rationalize the Undertaking as a way to prevent further deaths or some other twisted logic.

...

Chapter 38

He'd let them get away.

And it pissed the hell out of him.

There weren't supposed to be any witnesses to his theft of the Markov device, just a couple dead scientists with black arrows that made the police scratch their heads in confusion. No one was supposed to see him in his League garb.

No one was supposed to know Al Saher was involved in the Undertaking in any way, shape or form.

The League of Assassins doesn't sit around watching TV, especially not in Starling, but Malcolm's not naïve enough to think that Ra's won't hear about this. He was in the man's honor guard for years. The man learns things from all corners of the globe. It's only a matter of time before he decides to investigate his former student.

Shit.

It's because he let himself get distracted.

He had a master plan: to restart the city, to rebuild the Glades from the ground up, better than it had ever been before. He was going to rise from the rubble as a hero.

The plan had been cultivated years ago. He's taken down every obstacle in his way and now, now that he was almost done, it was falling apart.

He let himself get distracted by the new, costumed do-gooder in town, the man with a bow and arrow who ran out every night in futile attempts to change the attitude in the Glades. But a one-man war on crime isn't what the city needs. The city needs a complete reboot.

But that's right: the Green Arrow isn't alone.

He has Felicity Smoak, who he came to rescue.

He should have killed her back when he first kidnapped her. It might have pushed back the success of the Markov device, but then he'd probably have gotten away with the Markov device without anyone the wiser.

But she'd piqued his curiosity, damn the woman.

That was enough of that. She's now a genuine threat to his plans. She knows about the devices, and she – more than likely – knows how to stop them. He didn't come this far just to fail.

He just needs to plan this out.

If he plays his cards right, he can take care of Miss Smoak and the Green Arrow: two birds with one stone.

…

"When you asked to go out, this is not what I thought you meant."

Felicity snorts without looking up from her tablet screen. "A little higher…aaaaand…to the left. A little more…a little…PERFECT!"

The compact electric drill hums loudly as he forces it into the concrete. Where Felicity got a drill this strong and thirty compact security cameras, he has no idea, but he's sure his bank account's the one reflecting the purchase. "That the last one?"

Felicity reaches into her bag and pats around. "Yup. That's it! We should know when and where Malcolm delivers the devices. And what did you think this was? A booty call?"

He shakes his head at her grin. "When the first thing out of your mouth is, 'I need you', I don't think that's an out of place assumption." He tucks a lock of hair behind her ear with a smirk. "Although I should let you know, I don't put out on the first date."

It has the desired reaction, drawing a disbelieving laugh from her chest. "Uh-huh, sure, Mr. Virtue."

"And it's got to be a good date," Oliver continues as his arms wrap around her waist. He pulls Felicity in close, dipping his head so their foreheads touch. "Wine and expensive food only. No cheap stuff."

"I'll keep that in mind." Felicity wraps her arms around his neck, leaning closer. "But you see: my plan worked! I've lured you to somewhere dark and secluded to have my way with you."

Oliver's nose brushes hers as he grins. "Oh, really?"

Their close proximity is making it hard for Oliver to breathe. Her pupils are dilated and her eyes dart down to his lips. Oliver's hand grazes her cheek without thought. His thumb drops a little lower, tracing the curve of her bottom lip.

"All part of my masterplan," she whispers. On tip toes her lips brush his in an almost-kiss. He follows her as she pulls back.

It hasn't even been a day since their talk and he's already insatiable. He would have spent the entire day by her side if Sara hadn't appeared to ruin the moment. Watching Felicity walk away after that talk, was both upsetting and wonderful. For the first time since she got back he finally let himself look at her the way he wanted. He'd let his eyes follow her as she walked away.

And yes, his eyes stayed on her ass for longer than appropriate.

Sara had made sure he knew he'd been caught.

"Well, apparently training to beat a member of the League of Assassins is a daunting feat." He's forgotten what it feels like to not be sore. He can feel every muscle in his body with every move he makes and he's only been training with her two days.

She has a talent for pushing him just far enough so it doesn't kill him.

Felicity nods, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "It took you three months last time, and we don't have that kind of time right now. We just have to pray it's enough."

Oliver glances around the abandoned subway tunnels. The underground is cool and damp, not a place to store anything for long. The entrance they'd come in through a couple blocks away definitely still saw some use, but the further they got into the maze of tunnels, the less evidence of life they saw.

There had been a couple piles of debris that shifted or shook, more than a couple rats, and cobwebs so thick they looked like something out of a haunted house. The tunnels are still unused, older than memory for most occupants of the city. He's sure some people remember them, but only in passing. They were a failed project that disappeared long before the major companies started outsourcing their work to China.

"I'd say we should get something to eat now, but everything I can think of is closed."

Felicity nods as she pulls back a little further. Her hands slide down his arms until she's holding his hands. "Yeah, we should get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

"You were the one who wanted to come down here."

"I know you'll protect me."

He grins at her confidence. He yanks her back into his embrace. Her whole body melts into his. Her hum of contentment rumbles through his chest. She's small he can wrap his arms completely around her back to cup her sides. One hand fits perfectly in the nip of her waist. The other follows the curve of her spine to cup the back of her neck. "Always."

There is nothing he wouldn't do for the woman in his arms.

"Thank you for doing this with me," Felicity whispers into his chest.

The limited light of their lantern glints off one of the hidden cameras behind her. "If it's you asking…"

She chuckles. "I love you. I know it's a little early to say that, but I do."

He holds her tighter and kisses the top of her head. "I love you too. Come on, let's get you home."

…

For an ally of the Green Arrow's, Miss Smoak's apartment is pitifully easy to break into. Her deadbolt isn't even locked. All it takes is a slip of his blade and he walks through the open door in broad daylight.

The other night, he'd been trying to get information from her, to draw the Arrow out. He hadn't expected his back up and the police. There were witnesses to his heist. Moira couldn't cover up the theft with a few dismissive words.

The world knew he had been there.

Someone had to pay for that.

He needed to know the identity of the Green Arrow. So he decided to pay a visit to their mutual friend. It would be easy: a second kidnapping. Or maybe he'd just kill her outright and taunt the Robin Hood imitator into battle. At most, it would take a day to be done with the worst thorns in his side.

Except after a minute, it was painfully obvious Miss Smoak wasn't in her cramped apartment.

The apartment was excessively bright, just like the woman's colorful wardrobe. She was also, apparently, a bit of slob. The table was covered with bits of wires and computer chips. There were food wrappers on the counters and dirty dishes in the sink.

Malcolm steps over a blanket in the middle of the hall on the way to the back bedroom.

He twirls his knife in his hand as he debates the pros and cons.

If he kills her now, he won't have to worry about disposing of the body. He can leave that to the Arrow. He isn't one for dramatic deaths, but for the people trying to stop his Undertaking after years of planning, he's willing to make an exception.

But her death will be quick. He respects the woman enough to give her that.

Or…he could kidnap her. It had driven the Green Arrow to hysteria last time. The man who confronted him in Merlyn Global had been unhinged. She was more than just a comrade in arms. Taking her would make him emotional, make him easier to kill.

A man who already lost the woman he loved wouldn't have anything to lose…

So he won't kill her.

He'll just have to leave a clear trail for the Arrow to follow. Simple enough.

Malcolm grins as his hand wraps around the door knob and swings the door open.

This might actually be fun.

…

They're not sneaking into Queen Mansion when Moira finds them. Absolutely not.

Felicity knows what it looks like: she's got dirt smudged on her face and she's not wearing make-up. Not to mention her hair is a complete mess. Oliver's shirt is all wrinkled. There's dust in his hair and he lost his jacket somewhere along the way.

She's almost positive his jacket's still out in the car.

"Late night, Oliver?"

Felicity freezes behind him. Her hand curls into the back of Oliver's shirt as she cowers behind him. Moira might like her this time around, but that doesn't mean she wants to test Moira's compassion to the women her son brings home. Not that Oliver's been bringing other women home.

"Mom."

Stuck by the insane desire to laugh, Felicity buries her face into Oliver's back. A couple days ago she and Oliver got into a huge fight in the office and now they're back here and noticeably not angry. It's ridiculous.

"Felicity."

Well, there goes the hope that Moira hasn't noticed her.

She pulls away from Oliver and peeks around his massive form with a sheepish smile. "Mrs. Queen."

"Moira," she corrects primly as she lifts the mug to her lips.

"Moira." Yup. Still weird. There will never be a dimension where this will be normal.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well. And Walter will be happy to hear that as well."

Of course, Moira looks just as poised and elegant as always, even in her silk pajamas. Felicity still wears patterned pants and ratty t-shirts to bed. Eventually, she might be able to commandeer a couple of Oliver's shirts, but there's still no way she will ever look as groomed at 6am as Moira Queen looks.

Maybe it's the whole mansion aesthetic.

Oliver shifts and Felicity's grip on his shirt tightens. Nope. She is not ready to face Moira, not in her dirt covered clothes, with her crazy hair. She really doesn't know why she allowed Oliver to convince her this was a good idea. Oliver twists to wrap his arm around her shoulders. Reluctantly, she lets him pull her against his side.

"And what have you two been up to?"

Felicity is not a fan of the scheming look in Moira's eyes as they dart between her and Oliver. It's a lot nicer than the threats she got in her time, but just as unsettling.

"Nothing. We weren't up to anything. I mean, of course we did something just not like something something. There was no sex. We didn't have sex."

Her mouth falls open. "Oh, god. Just ignore that. Let's pretend I didn't say anything. At all. In fact, we could just forget the last two minutes. That would be good. Why didn't you stop me?" She slaps Oliver's chest.

"I like your babbles." Oliver kisses her forehead and Felicity melts on the inside. She can't be annoyed with him, when he's sweet. Her heart doesn't stand a chance.

"I just babbled about sex to your mother." She grimaces. That's an experience she could have lived without.

His chuckle shakes his chest. His hand runs soothingly over her side. "It was bound to happen eventually."

Felicity smacks his chest again and forces herself to face Moira again. "Sorry. Sometimes words just slip out and its problematic. I also haven't had my coffee, which makes it worse. And I haven't really slept. We were up all night. But not like UP up…I'm just gonna stop talking…in 3, 2, 1…"

Oliver wraps her closer to shield her with his body. "Did you need something, Mom?"

"We need to talk about what's going on with…Malcolm."

Felicity pushes off Oliver's chest at the whispered name with a frown. "What about Malcolm?"

Moira gives her a polite smile. "Oliver and I have a dinner with the Merlyns."

"She knows, Mom."

"Wait. She knows?" Felicity leans away from Oliver to get a look at this face. "Like knows? Everything?!"

…

She's NOT here!

Malcolm's knife quivers from where it's embedded in the padded headboard. He growls as he rips it out, pulling foam out with it. The bed doesn't even look slept in, the covers actually in place. He shouldn't be surprised. If the Arrow's smart, he'll be keeping her close after an attempt on her life.

His fist clenches around the handle of the knife. He's getting tired of this game of tag.

"Felicity?"

She has a roommate?

With ease that only comes from years of practice, Malcolm melts back into the shadows of Felicity's closet, an eye on the door and the approaching footsteps. The male voice could belong to the Arrow. This might not be a complete waste of time.

"Blondie?"

The young man looks athletic enough to pass for the Green Arrow, but he's not nearly tall enough. He contemplates the boy for a moment, taking in the red sweatshirt and frown. He expected her to be here.

It almost mollifies Malcolm.

"How am I supposed to keep an eye on her if she keeps running off?" The boy slouches down the hall with a yawn. He extracts his phone from a deep pocket and lifts it to his ear in a familiar motion. "Hey…Is Felicity with you?"

The kid knows the Green Arrow too? Really? Did the idiot have a legion who knew his identity? Seems careless to leave them so unprotected. Malcolm could have killed the kid easily several time in the last two minutes alone.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll let Digg know…Uh-huh…you really should remind her to lock the door though. It's kind of hard to protect her from herself…Okay…Yeah…got it. Meet you there in a couple hours."

Malcolm lingers in the room, his eyes locked on the fire escape, his best exit.

He could kill the kid, but it seems superfluous. He's obviously an ineffectual bodyguard, if that's what he's supposed to be. He doesn't pose a threat to Malcolm himself or to the plan. He just needs to know where Felicity is. If torturing the kid is the only way to do it…

"Digg?"

Malcolm grins. Or he could just listen in.

…

"Yeah, I didn't get the chance to tell you, with the kidnapping and everything," Oliver says quickly before his little green secret comes flying out of Felicity's mouth. If the babble earlier proved anything, it's that her filter is non-existent on zero hours of sleep. "She doesn't know everything."

Moira raises a sculpted eyebrow. "I don't?"

He glances at his mother and back to Felicity. "I told her I know about Malcolm. And that you and Digg were helping me take him down."

"I wasn't aware Miss Smoak was privy to our family secrets."

Great. Now his mother is getting territorial. Just when she was starting to accept her place in his life.

"Felicity traced the account you used to pay off the midwife." Just thinking about it fires him up, especially with the new information he's gotten in the last couple days.

"Oliver…"

Like she always does, Felicity knows what he's building up to. She squeezes his arm, but that doesn't do anything to stop the words from blurting out: "Which also happens to be the account you used to pay off Samantha Clayton to tell me she lost the baby."

The annoyance has been simmering since Felicity told him about William. He's a father and he can't help but wonder how that would change his whole life. The fact that his mother kept that from him…

"Oliver-" Felicity grimaces. She's already regretting telling him. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell him about the whole his-mother-paying-off-his-one-night-stand thing. But he's glad she did.

"I have a son that I never knew about, Mom. He's five years old now. He could have been a part of our lives years ago." He's just trying to get her to understand how her secrets have hurt him, how they damaged their lives. The Queens shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other.

His mother doesn't seem to get it. "I didn't know she kept the baby. She would have ruined your life, Oliver."

"It wasn't your choice to make!"

Felicity huffs at that and shoots him a significant look, the meaning of which is not lost on him.

"You weren't ready to be a father."

Felicity steps between them. "Alright. Enough! First off, Oliver will be an amazing father. Secondly, this is NOT a conversation we need to have now. Yes, it needs to happen, but our priority right now is stopping the Undertaking. So, what do you need to talk about in regards to Malcolm?"

Moira's levels her death stare at Felicity. "Is that really your business?"

"Well, at least we're on familiar ground," Felicity says. "Which probably diminishes my chance of getting some of that delicious smelling coffee. I bet you've got that gourmet coffee that tastes like heaven."

"How about we talk over breakfast?" Oliver's hand drifts to her lower back, gently nudging her along. "And get you some coffee." The babbling is only going to get worse the longer it takes her to get coffee.

Felicity groans openly in appreciation. If she was more awake, she'd probably be more embarrassed. "You are a God send."

He chuckles. "I'll even make you an omelet."

"With onion and cheese and broccoli?" She's unashamed of her begging, pouting openly at him.

Like he would ever be able to say no to her.

…

"Raisa has the day off." Moira says unhelpfully as she trails them to the industrial kitchen Felicity's only been in when she was waiting for Slade to come kidnap her. She even tried to stab him with one of the kitchen knives.

It wasn't successful.

Oliver ignores his mother, moving around the kitchen with practiced precision. He sets a bowl and whisk in front of her, and Felicity plays with them as Oliver pulls food from the fridge. The metal makes a cool click against the side of the glass bowl. The sound brings a smile to her sleep-addled face. It sounds almost musical.

"You want to whisk the eggs?" Oliver asks.

Her heart races at his smile, but she shakes her head. He obviously doesn't get her entertainment. "Nope. You do not want me anywhere near any food. Trust me. 32 omelets have been sacrificed in my training. And I only burned about 31 of them. The last one was undercooked. None were edible."

He laughs. "Not the best cook?"

"I take after my mother."

Oliver chuckles. He makes chopping vegetables look like an art form. She's always found it just as captivating as the Salmon Ladder. "Donna can't cook?"

Remembering an evening of ruined chicken cordon bleu in an apartment far, far away, Felicity leans over and steals a bit of broccoli. "Yeah. Don't ever leave her alone with chicken. Bad news."

Oliver playfully brushes her hands away from the food. "That bad, huh?"

She nods with a huge smile. "I grew up on nachos from the bar. We stopped buying microwaves after the third microwave died when she left a metal spoon in. She did master heating up soup though."

Her mother would never win any awards, but she had done her best. And she never lacked in love, even if it felt like her mother sometimes smothered her.

"You want some, Mom?" Oliver asks. He's more closed as he asks her, but he's reaching out to his mother.

"No, thank you," Moira says primly. "I thought you wanted to talk about Malcolm."

Felicity makes grabby hands at the mug of coffee Oliver holds out to her. She groans at the taste. It really is just as good as she thought it would be. It's the perfect mix of sugar, milk, and coffee. "Malcolm can wait five minutes."

"I'm not so sure you'll feel that way when you find out what he has planned."

"He still has to replicate the machine," Felicity says after a healthy sip of coffee.

Moira frowns. "He stole the machine to use it. It's powerful enough that he doesn't need more than one."

Felicity stares at her for a moment and shrugs. She knows she's right, even if Moira doesn't.

"We're on top of it," Oliver says as he sprinkles onions, broccoli, and cheese over the eggs.

Moira doesn't look impressed.

…

Queen Mansion.

He didn't expect that. Malcolm expected somewhere more covert, secure. Queen Mansion's security scared off the riff-raff. It could even ward off most professional thieves or kidnappers, or at least make them reconsider their approach. Malcolm himself has only snuck past on a handful of occasions – usually it's not worth the trouble.

Miss Smoak though…

She's trouble, more trouble than he had expected.

He hadn't expected a trip to Queen Mansion today, least of all for the computer tech turned Head of Applied Sciences. Moira didn't typically invite employees into her home, even the more important ones. He'd thought he'd heard Felicity's roommate wrong when he said that Felicity was with Oliver. The added "at Queen Mansion" had made the meaning crystal clear, even to Malcolm's whirling brain.

It struck him as odd that Miss Smoak had managed to befriend Oliver as well as his son, but it hadn't occurred to Malcolm until he was halfway out of the city that perhaps there was another reason for Felicity to choose to hide away in Queen Mansion.

After Oliver's successful kidnapping and interrogation, Malcolm had let go any suspicion, more for Moira's sake than for actual peace of mind. But the idea that there was more to Oliver stuck in his mind. He'd fought the Green Arrow – and while he'd been an underwhelming opponent – the idea that the man he considered almost a second son might have his same killing instinct excites him.

Staring at the trio through the glass doors to the kitchen only solidifies the idea.

Now that he's looking for it, Malcolm can see what he was blind to for so long. Even cooking, Oliver stands tall, his eyes darting to his surroundings every couple seconds. The grace with which he moves around the kitchen, the way he handles a knife, the way he keeps all the entrances in the room in sight at all times speaks to the warrior he's become.

Instead of dying with his father, Oliver had overcome and survived to get to where he is now.

Malcolm admires it in a man.

He also admires his dedication to protecting those he loves.

It's a pity our goals don't align, Malcolm thinks as he lines up his shot.

…

"Agent Michaels."

Lyla pauses with a foot off the stairs, seconds from her great escape. Two weeks without laying eyes on Amanda Waller would be too good to be true. Her mask falls into place as she pivots to face her boss. "Ma'am?"

"Have you got somewhere to be, Michaels?"

She sighs. It's a rhetorical question, of course. Waller won't tolerate her fleeing and for some inconceivable reason, Lyla's become important to her operation. Besides, she's just meeting up with Johnny. "No, Ma'am."

"Good. You seem to be enjoying your time here in Starling."

Lyla clasps her hands behind her back. Waller doesn't ask questions: she pulls answers from unsuspecting prey and fills you with fear from her knowledge. "Yes, Ma'am."

"And your ex-husband: how is he?"

Are they really doing this? "Ask what you want to know, Waller." She's not in the mood to beat around the bush. She's been going back and forth between A.R.G.U.S. missions and trying to help Team Arrow dismantle Malcolm's plot. It's getting stressful.

Should she lose her patience with her bloodthirsty boss?

No. But that's what she's doing. And bizarrely, Waller seems to respect it.

The woman nods as she continues down the stairs in her precarious heels. The woman's ability to look fierce in completely inadequate clothes is a superpower. "How is Oliver Queen?"

Only years of working for the Queen of Darkness keep the surprise from her face. After all, she did look into Oliver's history with A.R.G.U.S. She knows Waller's connection to the man.

"Mr. Queen is fine."

"Hn. And how exactly did you end up working for him?"

Lyla sighs. "I'm working security for Felicity Smoak. There was an attempt on her life."

"Yes, yes, from the Dark Archer. The question I have is: why? What about Miss Smoak is so fascinating?" Amanda tilts her head.

Lyla stares at Waller for a moment, thinking of a list of amazing things about Felicity but none Waller would accept. "She's Head of the Applied Sciences Division of Queen Consolidated?"

"And there was a second attempt on her life two weeks ago, while she was under your supervision. Are you falling down on the job, Agent Michaels?"

Lyla snorts. "No, Ma'am. She walked into that building knowing she might die, and left me outside on purpose. She's stubborn and tougher than she looks."

Her words have a stronger impact on Waller than she thought. They give the woman pause before she nods decisively. "I thought so. Several years ago there was a computer virus that tore through government firewalls. Cooper Sheldon confessed, but I always liked her for it. Good to know my instinct is good. Keep an eye on her."

"Ma'am?" Lyla frowns.

"Just consider it an extension of your current job." With a sharp nod, Waller turns on her stiletto heel and walks away with her usual bluster.

She can't do what Waller asks. There's no possible way Lyla divulge half the things she's involved in. Waller can't know about the time travel. She already knows Oliver's the Green Arrow. Now her interest in Felicity…

Oliver's not going to take that well.

With less spring in her step, Lyla walks out the door.

Brrrrrringgggg.

Lyla lifts her phone to her ear. "I'm leaving now, Johnny. How's Felicity doing?"

"That's why I'm calling. We've got a problem."