Ellie Bishop: Person, I'd but Nyssa/Sara at 7, Olicity at 9.5 (it's not as bad as it used to be due to the last few seasons making it more or less tolerable) and WestAllen at 30. Yes, things will play out very differently.

Guest: You'll have to wait and see. I loved the first two seasons as well, but it becomes more obvious rewatching it that Guggie had his handiwork slipping in. Don't blame you, I checked out after season four, only came back for a few episodes and then research purposes for a fic.

Clock tower

Afternoon

Sara and Sin traded blows with wooden Bo staffs, Sara becoming impressed as Sin managed not to break the staffs.

"I've been practicing," Sin said when Sara brought it up. "I'm trying to control it, I want to control it. But it's still a fifty/fifty success rate, at least that's what Roy says when he helps me."

"So you've been to see him then?" Sara inquired as they paused.

"Yeah, Jade and I helped him settle in at home. That's his girlfriend," Sin said when she saw Sara's blank stare.

"Right," Sara said with a nod, remembering seeing Jade as she checked in on Roy after her dad had woken up. "How's he doing?"

"Well, he can't bend much without popping a stitch, but he's alright," Sin said with a shrug. "I think he's going a little stir crazy though."

Roy's house

Same time

Roy winced as he put on his shirt. It wasn't exactly painful but it did feel uncomfortable. Just a few more weeks, Roy told himself. Then he could get back to normal.

"You okay?" Jade asked as she walked in, seeing the wince on his face.

"Fine. I don't need your help to dress myself," Roy said annoyed and Jade held up her hands.

"Okay, forgive me for being concerned when my boyfriend is recovering after getting stabbed," Jade said in a snippy voice and Roy sighed.

"I'm sorry; I know you're just trying to help. I just…I hate that I have to be helped like a child," Roy grumbled.

"It's only for a few weeks. And there might be some advantages," Jade said, her voice lowering an octave.

Roy raised an eyebrow as she walked over to him. She raised a hand, placing a hand on his cheek and pulled him into a kiss.

Laurel's apartment

Night

Sara put on her jacket as Laurel walked into the room.

"Dad's gonna meet us at the party. You ready for this?" Laurel asked.

"As I'll ever be. Can't believe I let Ollie talk me into this," Sara muttered.

"Well, I think sleeping with you gives him some sway," Laurel joked and Sara froze.

"What?" Sara asked in a choked voice.

"You two give each other googly eyes when you think no one is looking. That along with the way you two have those silent conversation and the way he watches you when you walk away, wasn't hard to figure out," Laurel explained.

"And you're…not mad?" Sara asked carefully after a moment.

"A few years ago, I would have been," Laurel acknowledged. "A few years ago, I was a different person. Just like you two were when you got on the Gambit. Holding onto that anger, that resentment…it's exhausting. Besides, only miserable people are mad at happy people."

Sara laughed as Laurel grabbed her car keys off the hook.

"You ready?" Laurel asked.

Queen Mansion

Later

Oliver and Thea opened the door to reveal Sara and Laurel standing there, their father standing right behind them.

"Well, now the party can begin," Oliver joked as he let them in.

"I'm so happy you're here," Thea said, hugging Sara before leading them all inside.

"No Mrs. Lance?" Oliver asked Quentin as they fell behind the girls.

"No, she couldn't get away from work," Quentin said, an undertone of anger entering his voice as he remembered his phone call argument with his ex-wife.

Somehow, he doubted they would be speaking again in the near future.

As they entered the room, Sara was almost immediately swept up in a crowd of old school friends. As Quentin and Thea broke off to mingle, Oliver and Laurel found themselves alone.

"How is it having her back?" Oliver asked.

"Better than I imagined," Laurel said with a smile.

"I'm glad. I'm sorry I didn't tell you she was back," Oliver apologized but she waved him off.

"It's okay, I get protecting a friend's secret…especially if that person is a bit more than friend," Laurel said and Oliver stared at her dumbfounded.

"You know?" he asked dumbly and she smiled.

"She's my sister and you are my best friend. It wasn't hard to figure out. For people so good at keeping secrets, you two are really bad at hiding how you feel about each other," Laurel said with a giggle.

"I understand if you're upset-" Oliver started.

"I'm not," Laurel said, surprised by how much she meant that. "When everything went down six years ago, we were all just stupid kids. And what you and Sara went through was more than either of you deserved. I think it's time we let the past stay in the past."

"Couldn't agree more," Oliver said with a slight smile.

On the other side of the room, Quentin met up with Moira.

"Madam Mayor," Quentin joked and she laughed.

"I think it's a little early to call me that," Moira said amused.

"Well, considering your only completion is six feet under," Quentin shrugged and they lapsed into silence for a moment.

"I'm so happy for you Quentin. Those five years that Oliver was gone, was like a piece of me was missing," Moira said.

"I know what you mean," Quentin said, pausing as they stopped to look at Oliver and Sara. "You know they're together right?"

"Without a doubt," Moira said with a laugh.

Suddenly, Quentin's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was work.

"Excuse me," Quentin said politely before stepping away and answering. "Lance… I'll be right there."

"Is everything alright?" Moira as he hung up.

"There's a homicide in the Glades, I have to go. Apologize to Oliver for me," Quentin said apologetically before walking off.

Across the room, Oliver watched Quentin leave before his own phone rang. He answered it, already knowing it was Felicity.

"I'm on my way."

"How'd you know why I was calling?" Felicity asked in surprise.

"Because Detective Lance just got the same call."

The Glades

Later

The Hood approached Quentin in a back alley.

"Good to see you on your feet Detective," Oliver said, his voice modulator on.

"Well, what I'm gonna say is gonna make you a lot less glad," Quentin said as he pulled out an evidence bag. "Just pulled this out of a skel I know named Eddie Walczak."

"Strange knife," Oliver noted as he took the bag and examined what was in it.

"It's not a knife, it's a minute hand," Quentin said, pulling out his phone and showing Oliver a picture of Walczak's body. "Like from a clock. I popped Walczak for B and E a few years back. This morning, he and an accomplice were involved in a robbery homicide."

"What'd they steal?" Oliver asked.

"Some high-tech gizmo. Kord rep called it a, um, skeleton key," Quentin said and Oliver sighed in irritation. "What, you know what it is?"

"It was intended as a military tool to aid in code breaking on foreign intelligence targets. Felicity Smoak works at Queen Consolidated and she said they were working on something similar, but Oliver Queen shut it down once he realized what it could be used for," Oliver explained.

"What?" Quentin asked wearily, not liking where this was going.

"It could be modified to open a bank vault. Any bank vault," Oliver said grimly and Quentin paused.

"Ok, listen- Walczak's small-time on a good day. I mean, I doubt he'd even know how to use this thing, let alone break into a place like Kord and steal it on his own," Quentin pointed out.

"Walczak's the muscle. We need to find the brain," Oliver said grimly.

Arrow lair

Later

"Where are we with the Skeleton Key?" Oliver asked as he entered lair, finding Felicity, Diggle and Sara already there.

"I'm cross referencing Walczak's known associates with decryption experts on the NSA watch list, but it's taking some time," Felicity told him. "Whoever killed Walczak, in addition to finding creepy uses for clock parts, is very good at covering his tracks."

"Well, uncovering tracks is supposed to be what we're good at," Oliver said irritated. "In the wrong hands, the Skeleton Key isn't just a tool, it's weapon."

"I know. I'm doing the best I can, alright?" Felicity said, just as irritated.

Oliver almost snapped at her but refrained, taking a deep breath. Things were still tense between him and Felicity, something the others had picked up on. Diggle had tried to broach the subject a few times but Oliver had point blank told him to mind his own business. But lashing out at Felicity was not going to help right now.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Oliver said after a moment. "But we need to find him and soon."

Suddenly, Felicity's phone rang. Seeing Quentin's phone flash across the screen, she answered almost immediately.

"Detective…okay, great. Not great but you know what I mean. He's on his way," Felicity rambled before hanging up. "The SCPD did our job for us for once. There's a 415 at to Widmeer Bank."

"And since the Skelton Key can unlock bank vaults, fair to assume it's this crew," Diggle noted.

Oliver nodded as he walked over to the suit display, grabbing his bow.

Widmeer Bank

Not long after

Tockman's crew used the Skelton Key to unlock the bank vault and then entered it.

"Extract as much money as you can in 90 seconds," Tockman ordered over the Comms as they began loading wads of cash into their bags. "Stop! Get out of there!"

"We still have another twenty seconds," one of them said in confusion.

"No you don't," Tockman said as he stared at footage of The Hood walking inside.

Oliver and Sara entered the bank vault but, to their surprise, it was empty.

"They're already gone," Oliver said.

"I think I have an idea where," Felicity said. "The skeleton key operates on an OFDM wireless signal. I'm picking up a transmission signal in the alley next to the bank."

"But you won't be heading there," an unfamiliar said over the Comms, startling all of them.

"Who is that?" Oliver demanded.

"He's hacking our transmission," Felicity realized in shock.

"My associates may be headed to the alley, but the 9:40 bus from Crescent Circle is about to collide with the Starlight Freight Express," Tockman told them.

"Oh my God, he's right," Felicity said as she realized he had recounted the vehicles. "The 9:40's headed for the track at Amherst."

"By my calculations, you can't be in two places at once," Tockman said gleefully.

"He doesn't know there's two of us," Oliver realized as he looked over at Sara.

Outside the bank, as Tockman's crew headed towards where he was waiting in the truck, Sara rushed out after them. Seeing her, Tockman pulled out a gun and opened fire. Sara dodged the bullets before separating her baton and throwing one part. It hit him in the forehead, causing him to drop the gun and clutch his wound in pain. Tockman's men then whirled around and opened fire on Sara. She was forced to take cover behind a nearby dumpster.

Elsewhere, Oliver was tailing the bus on his motorcycle as Felicity spoke to him on the Comms.

"He's in the transit department network! He's-he's hacked the signaling system. I-I can't get the crossing barriers down!"

Those buses have radios. Can you break in, wave them off?" Oliver asked.

"No, he's keeping me out!" Felicity cried.

Back with Sara, Tockman's crew had gotten inside the van and rolled off. Sara emerged from behind the van, picking up her baton, seeing the blood on the edge.

Oliver pulled his motorcycle in front of the van, just in front of the tracks. The driver, realizing what was happening, hit the brakes. The bus skidded to a stop, mere inches from him. A second later, the train rushed passed. The driver stared at the vigilante, realizing he had just saved them.

Given how little Dinah Lance seems to care about her daughters, it would not surprise me if she wouldn't have come to town if she hadn't already been there.