A/N: I want to take a moment to acknowledge that this chapter represents a milestone for me in my skill as a writer. Why? Because for the first time ever, a story of mine has reached and exceeded 100,000 words. This is a huge thing for me, and I want to thank everyone who's given me encouragement over the years, both on FFN and AO3.

As befitting a milestone chapter, there's a game-changing event in this one.

While Oliver continued teaching Thea how to fight with the eskrima sticks, something that reminded Sara horribly of the training she had seen Oliver engage in with Slade on the island before that psychopath had turned on them, Laurel guided Sara to the table where she'd been working. "What's all of this?" Sara asked, gesturing to the paperwork.

"A case Oliver brought me," Laurel replied. "An innocent man is on death row, due to be executed in less than a week for the murder of his wife. But the evidence Oliver's turned up indicates that Mrs. Declan was murdered because she was about to blow the whistle on Jason Brodeur. He's been dumping toxic waste in the Glades, poisoning the people there."

"What does this have to do with-" Sara began, but Laurel shook her head sharply, and Sara drew in her chin in consternation. "What?"

"We don't talk about him around Thea, and I don't know if Oliver's little techie knows about that just yet either," Laurel said. "I only know because I pieced it together from stuff Oliver's said since he came back, both as himself and as Green Arrow."

"Okay," Sara said slowly. "But what does this have to do with him? Why doesn't Oliver just confront the bastard and cut his head off?" It seemed pretty straight forward to Sara. Malcolm Merlyn was the mastermind behind everything wrong in Starling City.

"You'd have to ask Oliver," Laurel said. "I'm not too happy about it myself, but Oliver refuses to move against him until certain circumstances are met. Oliver says that he's drawing him into a trap by slowly dismantling his plans. We don't know what kind of impact the Gambit being discovered, and Moira's suicide, will have on everything, but Oliver's intent on continuing to move forward with his plans."

"I'll definitely ask Oliver," Sara said. "How's Dad?"

"He's doing better than he has been for a long time," Laurel said honestly. "He spent most of the last five years at the bottom of a bottle, but he pulled himself out of it when I was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped!?" Sara asked stridently. Oliver and Thea looked over in concern, but Laurel waved at them with a smile. Fyff was eyeing the blonde assassin in concern, wondering if he should play deaf.

"I guess Oliver never really got around to sharing the details of the past few weeks with you," Laurel said dryly.

"I didn't really give him a chance," Sara said. "I know about what he's facing, but I didn't want to know any details, because I knew if I did, I would want to stay, and I was afraid to do that after being with the League so long."

Laurel filed away Sara's comment about 'the League' to ask about later and said, "My ex-boss, Eric Gitter, was on the payroll of a man named Adam Hunt. I got too close to Hunt's operations and he had me kidnapped. He's done it before, based on what he said. You know that old trope about the mob and cement shoes?" Sara's eyes widened. "Yeah. Same type of thing, just different way of doing it. I was on the docks, bound and gagged and facing my death, and then Oliver came out of nowhere. I didn't know it was him, of course. He was wearing that suit," she said, pointing at the suit in question. "He took out the bodyguards so quickly, Hunt and Gitter didn't have a chance to react. Long story short, Hunt and Gitter are behind bars, and I've got Gitter's old job as the head of C.N.R.I., a legal aid office helping the less-fortunate of our city."

"Damn," Sara said softly. "I can't imagine what it must've been like for you or Dad, going through that. Anything else I should know?"

"About a week later, the Triad tried to kill me because of an interview I gave Susan Williams," Laurel said reluctantly. "Oliver took a knife to the shoulder from China White, but later on he pretty much destroyed the Triad's operations in a single night."

"She's not wrong," Fyff piped up from where he was sitting behind the computers. The Lance sisters turned in their seats to look at him. "Diggle, Mr. Queen's bodyguard, actually asked him if it was just to safeguard you from the Triad. He said that while that was one of the goals, it was also to send a message to the rest of organized crime in the city that profited from peoples' suffering and that everything he's doing is to make the city a better safer place for everyone. He also said he was always going to be there for her since he'd already seen you die twice and had nightmares about it being Laurel." Fyff stopped talking as he realized the Lance sisters were staring at him. "I have a really good memory," he said sheepishly. "And Mr. Queen's a bit of a mystery, so I remember everything he lets slip."

"Huh," Laurel said slowly. "I guess I should be flattered. I just hope Oliver won't ever choose me over the city." Oliver heard this and remembered a time when he had faced that choice, and he had chosen the city, stopping Slade's army in the tunnel. He knew in his heart he would make the same choice again if he were forced to. He frowned as he realized that like with his mother, Felicity's death had repercussions beyond the obvious. She had been integral to certain things, like getting the Mirakuru cure into Slade, and that wouldn't happen now. "Thanks for the info, Henry." She bestowed a small smile on the man before turning her attention back to Sara, who was staring at her. "What?"

"So, let me get this straight," Sara said. "You get kidnapped by your ex-boss and the man who bought him and are nearly sent to a watery grave. You challenge the Triad on TV and get attacked in your apartment. Now, you're going after a guy who had a woman murdered because she was going to blow the whistle on his toxic dumping in the Glades?" Laurel nodded. "Well, that explains why you and Ollie work so well together," Sara said sarcastically. "Neither of you have a sense of self-preservation. He throws himself into danger every night against bad guys, and you throw yourself into danger challenging the most powerful, corrupt players that you can find."

"We work well together," Oliver called over from where he was still sparring with Thea.

"Ollie's right," Laurel said. "We both want the same things, and we're both willing to do whatever it takes to make sure justice is done for the victims of these people. This is about more than just taking down the person responsible for all of the darkness in this city; it's about giving the city hope again, hope for a better tomorrow."

Sara looked at her sister, then at Oliver, and wondered again if there was truly a place for her here.

Later, Laurel headed out, taking Thea with her, planning to drop her off at the loft. Sara had begged off staying the night on her sister's couch, planning to head back to the clock tower. Fyff was currently tracking a man named Daniel Brickwell for Oliver, and Sara wondered what significance Brickwell had to the mission Oliver had set for himself. But now that Thea was gone, Sara had questions she needed answered. "Ollie, we need to talk," she said seriously, catching his eye with hers.

Oliver nodded slowly, coming to join her at the now-clear table. "Henry, why don't you join us?" he asked. "You're going to need to know this now that you're going to be here full-time. I was holding off on explanations to get an idea of whether Dig was going to stick around."

"Guessing he decided not to," Fyff said as he came to join the two.

"Dig sees things in black and white," Oliver said. "Unfortunately, as much as I'd like it to be so, black and white isn't how the world works. There are shades of gray that dictate how our lives are led."

"So, why aren't you just confronting Merlyn and killing him?" Sara asked.

"Because this is about more than just Malcolm Merlyn," Oliver said. Fyff gasped as he heard their foe's identity for the first time. Oliver glanced at Fyff for a moment before turning his attention back to Sara. "I know what you're thinking. Cut off the head, and the body dies. But in this case, our foe is like the Greek hydra. I could kill Merlyn, only to face more serpents, some of which I might not even know the identity of, such as the other members of Tempest, his cabal of allies. I had hoped to use my mother to find out who the other members of Tempest are, since she was also a member since my father's death, taking his place at Merlyn's side."

Oliver fell silent for a moment before continuing, "Starling City is dying, Sara. It is being poisoned by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt, so long as they maintain their wealth and power. Malcolm Merlyn may be the rotten tumor, but if you take the tumor out without cutting away the other tendrils, than the sickness will continue to spread. Tempest is every bit a cancerous tumor as Merlyn, and with him taken out, they would split among themselves, seeking to empower their own endeavors. Without discovering who they are, Starling City will never be truly free of the crime and corruption because the cancerous tumor would still exist, only it would've multiplied, like the heads of the Greek hydra. That is why I cannot take Merlyn down right away. I need to find out who the members of Tempest are, and I need to draw him into a confrontation where he feels confident that he'll win. Confront him head-on, play my hand too early, and the city suffers for it." *1*

Sara was silent as she absorbed what Oliver had said. She understood where he was coming from. Malcolm's cabal would continue their master's work, or perhaps devolve into in-fighting, posturing for power. Either way, the people of Starling City would lose. "So, what now?"

"Now, you decide what you're going to do," Oliver said. "You can help me, or you can find your own way to bring hope back to Starling City. What happened earlier tonight happens every night somewhere in the Glades. The city could always use another defender in the darkness."

"Maybe," Sara said. "I'll have to give it some thought. In the meantime, I'm gonna head back to my little hideaway."

"Don't be a stranger," Oliver said as they stood. He circled the table and pulled her into a hug. She returned it. "I'm glad you're back, Sara. Truly, I am."

"Thanks," she said softly. Oliver turned around. "Ollie?" He turned back around his expression curious. "I know things are serious between you and Laurel now, but do-do you ever think about what we talked about on the island?"

"Not really," Oliver said softly. "I did when we first talked about it, but then you were dead, again, and I had to keep myself focused on reasons to stay alive. Seeing my family again, seeing Laurel again, making peace with her if I could. Maybe if Laurel and I weren't involved, we could have tried to make something happen. But I am with her, and I don't see that changing this time. But if it does, well…" Oliver shrugged, not really believing it would change, and Sara could tell. She nodded silently, and two headed for the elevator. Fyff, of course, lived in the Bunker.

*DC*

Walter Steele shot upright in bed, looking around wildly. Something had woken him up; something or someone was in the room with him. He could hear them breathing, soft as it was. "Who's there?" he demanded to know. "If I shout, my security will be here in minutes."

"Even if I had left any of your security alive before entering the mansion, they would never have made it in time," a harsh modulated voice said. A figure detached itself from the shadows. He was dressed all in black and wielded a bow and arrows, both black to match his outfit. Walter wondered briefly if the Green Arrow had changed up his uniform and other gear before feeling a thrill of fear go through him as he realized what the intruder had said. His security were dead if this man was to be believed. Moira had personally handled security, choosing former Special Forces soldiers almost exclusively.

"What do you want?" Walter asked.

"For you to resign as C.E.O. of Queen Consolidated," the archer said. "And before you speak, do remember that Cynthia has a lovely singing voice. It would be tragic if anything happened to change that."

Walter felt dread form in the pit of his stomach. Cynthia was his younger sister, his only family. "Why do you care who is in charge of Queen Consolidated?"

"That is not your business, Mr. Steele," the archer replied. "I am offering you the opportunity to live a full life, with your loved ones safe. All you must do is resign."

"I won't," Walter said resolutely. "Queen Consolidated needs stability to navigate this crisis and I will not leave it on Oliver's shoulders to chart a course through these treacherous waters."

"You misunderstand your position, Mr. Steele," the archer said. "This is not a negotiation. If you will not resign, than I will kill you and see your sister sold to human traffickers."

"I don't believe you," Walter said. "I will not submit to intimidation tactics from a man who hides his face."

The archer was silent for a moment. Then, a moment later, Walter felt a stabbing pain as an arrow blossomed in his right ribcage, punching through and piercing his lung. This was followed up by another arrow, this one piercing his left ribcage and lung. Finally, a third arrow blossomed in his chest, piercing his diaphragm. Walter fell back on the bed, choking on blood as it flooded his throat, hands shakily scrabbling at the arrows embedded in his chest. "Poor Cynthia," was the last thing Walter heard before darkness claimed him. *2*

*DC*

Laurel was at C.N.R.I. early the next morning, holed up in her office as she prepared her case to present to the judge tomorrow (the earliest that Judge Moss would see her since it was about a case that had already run through its appeals) to provide Peter Declan a stay of execution. Oliver had expressed concerns as to whether Judge Moss would do so, citing that he heard she was a hard-liner that didn't equate justice with the law. But Laurel had to do this by the book, and Judge Moss was still the judge on record for the Peter Declan case, which meant any motions had to be made to her. Laurel could only assume that Oliver was already making plans for if Moss proved unamenable (and she suspected those plans included searching for any signs of corruption in the judge to expose the way he had brought down the District Attorney). She looked up when she heard a knock at her door.

Standing in the doorway of her office was her father, looking uncomfortable. She waved him in. He glanced at the open file on her desk. "Hey, you look busy," he said. "Is that the Declan case?" Laurel looked up at him, already suspecting what this visit was about. "You know, there was a funny development on that. Matt Istook, he, uh, filed a police report. He said the Green Arrow harassed him last night, tied him to the train rails. And that's funny, because I gave my daughter Istook's name."

"Dad," Laurel began.

"He's a vigilante, and what's more, he's a murderer!" Quentin hissed. "He's a damn criminal, and you working with him, that makes you an accessory."

"I am trying to save an innocent man's life," Laurel said, standing and facing her father with a stubborn set to her jaw.

"No, you're breaking the law," Quentin said, standing as well.

"Well," Laurel said softly, meeting her father's gaze with a fierce glare in her green eyes, "I wouldn't have to, if the police would have done their job right in the first place."

Quentin worked his jaw for a moment. "I asked you how you got this case," he said, "and you lied to me, straight to my face. I thought we didn't do that to each other." His jaw clenched for a moment as he swallowed down the anger he was feeling and got to the real reason he had come here. "Laurel, I'm not the only one making the connections," Quentin said. "You've made no secret that you're Declan's lawyer now, and the Green Arrow harassing Istook last night lets others know you're working with him. I can't protect you if you keep working with him."

"I don't need your protection," Laurel said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an argument to prep for Judge Moss." Laurel returned to her desk. Quentin stared down at his daughter for a moment before turning on his heel and walking out, his heart aching because he knew where this was going, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

*DC*

Agent Darius Trimble looked down at the body that had been dumped in Mericle Plaza, three black arrows sticking out of it. Walter Steele had been someone they intended to question further seeing as he had been married to Moira Queen. Trimble didn't like this one bit. First, Felicity Smoak, a lowly I.T. agent from Queen Consolidated, is murdered by one of the most prolific serial killers currently on the loose while searching for clues as to what had precipitated the kidnapping of Oliver Queen and Thomas Merlyn almost four weeks ago. Second, the Queen's Gambit was discovered in a warehouse paid for by an LLC that Moira Queen had 'invested' Queen Consolidated funds in, an LLC that Smoak had uncovered before meeting her demise and informed Oliver Queen about, reporting to him over the C.E.O. of the company. Third, Moira Queen hangs herself in her cell rather than face questioning. Finally, Walter Steele is murdered and dumped in the Glades, in what could only be a mockery aimed at the Green Arrow.

There was something sinister at work in Starling City, and it stank of conspiracy. Someone didn't want the F.B.I. to find out the truth about what had happened to the Queen's Gambit and was systematically cutting off all sources of information as quickly as they sprang up. That the only person who seemed to have any knowledge of this conspiracy was a goddamned vigilante was galling, because there was no way the Green Arrow was going to just pop by the station and sit down for an interview.

"Someone has got a serious hatred for the Queen family," Alex Danvers said from beside Trimble, voice subdued. "Robert Queen, Moira Queen, now Walter Steele. Should we consider putting a protective detail on the Queen siblings, sir?"

"Definitely," Trimble said briskly. "I'll go see Oliver Queen myself. I want you to go to Berlanti Preparatory and get Thea Queen. I want those two in protective custody before afternoon."

"Yes, sir," Alex said, turning and heading for her car. Trimble examined the dump site one last time before signaling C.S.U. to do their thing, heading for his own car. He really hoped Oliver Queen was strong enough to deal with this.

*DC*

Oliver looked up from the paperwork he was mulling over as his door opened and Agent Trimble entered, ignoring Gina's protestations. "Mr. Queen, there's been a serious development. I need you to come with me, now," Trimble said. "Agent Danvers is already getting your sister. We're placing the two of you in protective custody."

"Agent Trimble, you can't just barge in here and declare something like that," Oliver said, standing and moving around the desk. "If this is as serious a development as you seem to think, I need to be here, to help Walter assure the board and our department heads."

"I'm afraid Mr. Steele is the serious development," Trimble said. "He was found in Mericle Plaza with three black arrows sticking out of his chest. It might just be a copycat of the Green Arrow, but there's something about it that feels mocking, as though this was meant as a message for the Green Arrow as much as closing another avenue of investigation for my team."

Oliver was silent for a moment before he turned and looked out at the city. Gina had gasped upon hearing the agent's news and was making an odd mewling sound, trying desperately not to cry. "You think someone is targeting my family," Oliver said flatly.

"I do," Trimble said.

"Let me speak to Ned Foster, and then I'll come with you," Oliver said. "You can come with me to Ned's office if you like." Trimble nodded, and the two men left the office.

*DC*

"Ollie!" Thea cried, red-eyed and blotchy, as Oliver walked through the door of the F.B.I. safehouse they'd been taken to. "Please tell me this isn't happening! Please tell me this is just some crazy nightmare I'm having and I'm gonna wake up and both Mom and Walter are gonna be fine!"

Oliver took his sister in his arms and held her close. "I wish I could, Speedy," Oliver said. "But they're sure." He found it ironic that, in another lifetime, he would have lied to his mother and sister about an F.B.I. contact of Dig's telling him that Walter was confirmed to be dead, and yet in this lifetime where Walter had yet to truly test Merlyn, he had been killed. But what was Merlyn's aim in killing Walter now? The investigation was already in motion, stunted as it was by the deaths of Felicity and his mother. He couldn't stop it from happening. And was Merlyn going to come for he and Thea next, get rid of all the loose ends, as it were?

"Why is this happening?" Thea sobbed. Oliver could say nothing, knowing the F.B.I. had to have the room under surveillance. He hoped Thea wouldn't say anything that would put him in the hot seat, but he couldn't be sure, compromised as her emotions were. "What did we do, Ollie? What did we do to deserve this?" Again, Oliver could say nothing, only comfort his sister as best he could while also wonder how this would impact his efforts to protect the city as Green Arrow. He had understood the hidden message in Walter's murder from the Dark Archer. Not only was Walter a member of the one percent, the type of person Oliver was targeting as Green Arrow, but he was an innocent. The message was that so long as Green Arrow pursued his vendetta, the Dark Archer would threaten innocents, and knowing Merlyn, they would be random so as to keep Oliver from being able to save them. *3*

Hours later, Thea was sleeping fitfully, while Oliver sat in an armchair, waiting for further news. There was a light knock on the door, then it opened, and Alex Danvers walked in. "How's your sister?" Alex asked.

"What, you're not recording our every word and every move?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow. Alex flushed. "Thought so," Oliver murmured. "In short, this is getting to be one horrifying event after another for my sister. First, she's targeted by China White because of the altercation I had with her in my girlfriend's apartment a few weeks back. Then we lose our mother, then Walter. I had to stop comforting my sister to take a call from Ned Foster, the Chief of Operations for Queen Consolidated. QC stock was in freefall and the board is demanding that I take the position of C.E.O. to give our investors some reassurance. All in all, today is one shitty day for both my sister and I, and I really don't want to tangle with you again over my life choices."

"That was wrong of me, to go after you like that," Alex said. "I'm sorry." Oliver nodded, showing he accepted the apology. "This is only temporary. We don't want this to interfere with your daily lives if there is no threat, so more than likely an agent will be assigned to you and your sister until we're sure that there's no threat against the two of you."

"Thank you for telling me what to expect, Agent Danvers," Oliver said. His phone buzzed. "Excuse me. Pretty sure this is my girlfriend." Alex nodded and left the room. Oliver answered his phone, having seen the number and knowing it wasn't actually Laurel calling. Why were the Bratva calling him now? "This isn't the best time," he said as he answered.

"We must meet, captain," Leonov said on the other end. "There is threat to Bratva." He ended the call. Oliver pocketed his phone. Dodging the F.B.I. to go meet with the Russian Bratva while the Dark Archer was potentially hunting for him and his sister? That was pretty much par for the course of his life these days.

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

For those wondering, the game-changer is Oliver and Thea being taken into protective custody by the F.B.I. That's gonna put a damper on Oliver's illicit activities. Or will it?

Chapter Notes:

*1* A lot of people have been asking why Oliver doesn't just kill Merlyn. I hope this scene helped explain why.

*2* I know some people wanted me to keep Walter around, but I had nothing for him. I don't see Walter as a man who backs down easily (in fact, this is canonically true), so I don't think he would give in to the Dark Archer's demands.

*3* Poor Thea. She's really been put through the emotional ringer. How much longer before she snaps under the pressure?