A/N: This story is finished in terms of writing and editing, so I have three more chapters after this one to post. I do hope you enjoy.

Follow me on social media if you're interested in keeping up with my life in general! My penname will lead the way.

Love always,
~starr

Oliver crept along the abandoned hallway, narrowing in on the room Lyla said was lighting up the heat and motion sensors. It felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. All he wanted to do was make sure that Felicity was okay. If anything happened to her, Oliver would never be able to forgive himself.

"Oliver, you are approaching the target," Lyla's voice announced through his com.

"Okay," Oliver replied, nodding his head. He reached back over his shoulder and pulled a bow out of the sheath. He positioned it in the bow and looked back over his shoulder. He saw John rounding the corner.

Oliver motioned his head toward the door, signaling that he was about to go inside. Instead of pulling the door open, Oliver made the decision to kick the door in. Slade was always fond of the theatrics.

"Slade!"Oliver yelled, the doors bouncing off his foot and slamming into the fall.

"It's about time, Queen," Slade said, a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips as he brushed his blade against the side of his thumb. "Or should I call you Green Arrow?"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Let her go, Slade. She doesn't have anything to do with this."

"She doesn't?" Slade asked, furrowing his brow as he stepped up to Felicity. "I've dreamt about this, you know. I knew we would meet again; I just never imagined it would be like this."

"Why are you doing this, Slade? Was killing my mother not enough revenge for you?" Oliver shouted, drawing his bow back and aiming it towards Slade's head.

Slade pressed the blade to Felicity's throat, grabbing her ponytail. He yanked her head back, exposing more of her neck to the blade. He smirked as he noticed the tears starting to stream down her face. The sound of her pain was music to his ears. A wicked smirk grew on his face. "I told you, kid, I am going to kill everyone you care about."

He looked down at Felicity and smiled, glancing back up in Oliver's direction momentarily. "No matter how hard you try to hide them. I must say, you did a damn good job hiding her."

Felicity closed her eyes as she felt Slade's cool blade pressing against her neck. She hadn't prayed in a long time, but at that moment, she found herself praying to every god and deity that she could think of. Religious preferences didn't matter when her life was on the line.

She had watched Oliver fight many of the bad guys who felt like terrorizing Star City, but something felt different about tonight. Oliver's energy was all over the place, and Felicity couldn't place a finger on why. Even though she was terrified, Felicity knew that Oliver would do everything he could to save her.

She peeked out under the frame of her glasses. She could see Oliver standing across from her with his bow aimed at Slade's head. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the blade at her throat, reflecting the light back up at her face. In the distance, she thought she could see someone sneaking into the room behind Oliver.

"If you want to kill someone, Slade," Oliver yelled, taking a few steps forward and lowering his bow. "Then kill me. I'm the one who killed Shado. I'm the one who shot an arrow in your eye. I'm the one who left you on Lian Yu to die.

"Felicity didn't do anything, so let her go," Oliver insisted, holding his arms out. He made himself an open target. All Slade needed to do was shoot.

Slade shook his head as he laughed. He narrowed his eyes on Oliver and slid the blade away from Felicity's neck, taking a step in front of her. "Oh, don't worry, Oliver. I have every intention of killing you too. After you watch the love of your life die."

"You have the wrong woman," Oliver replied, shaking his head. He noticed John making his way along the exterior of the room. He just needed to keep Slade distracted a little longer, and John could get Felicity out of her.

"Not according to my insider source," Slade replied, glancing up at one of his lackeys. "Get Chase in here. Now."

Felicity's eyes went wide. It was no wonder Oliver's name was getting so much attention in The Sentinel. It wasn't because Merlin thought he was a better reporter. It was because he was being paid off. She leaned forward and narrowed her gaze at the back of Slade's head. Just as she was about to kick him in the back of the knee, a door opened to her left. She turned her head to see Chase being shoved into the room.

"Adrian," Slade cheered, opening his arms to welcome his compatriot. "My leading man. The man who has helped me smash the bug that is Oliver Queen."

Adrian turned to look at Oliver. A smile pulled at the corner of his lips, and he walked across the room towards Oliver. "I can't believe I was right," Adrian said, shaking his head. "After all this time, the headlines that everyone kept telling me were bogus. I was right. It feels so fucking good to be right."

Oliver took a deep breath, looking between Adrian and Slade. Adrian was an easy defeat, he was only human, and one arrow would put him down; shutting him up was an entirely different story. Slade, on the other hand, was not a normal human. Between the Mirakuru and his time spent on Lian Yu, Slade was not the same man that Oliver knew on the island.

"It's easy to be right when the answers were given to you by someone who paid for them with blood," Oliver grumbled, looking up at John as he got into position. He lifted the bow and turned it on Adrian. "I should have taken you out when I had the chance."

"But instead, I'll be taking you out," Slade said, lunging at Oliver with his blade aimed at his neck.

A gunshot echoed around the room; Slade's body landed with a thud on the ground in front of Felicity. She looked down and saw the blood oozing from the wound in his back. She trailed her eyes alone, Slade's body and noticed Adrian lying on the ground, cradling his shoulder. She could see an arrow sticking out of it.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked, stepping in front of her as he looked over the bindings that held Felicity to the chair.

"I'm fine," Felicity said, looking up at him. "If you shot Adrian, who shot Slade?"

"That would be me," John said, coming up behind her and sliding a knife through the ropes around her wrist. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah," Felicity replied, rubbing her wrist with her hands. She looked up at John with a smile."Thanks for setting me free."

John nodded his head. "We should get out of here. Lyla is going to send A.R.G.U.S. in to take care of everything."

"Including Chase?" Felicity asked, glazing at Oliver out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes," Oliver said, his voice cold. "We need to get you home."