"The tux is a good look on you," remarked Robert, walking with his son in an alleyway.
"Never really felt like my thing," replied Oliver.
"Maybe you'd be more comfortable in a suit and tie."
"Dad, come on," said Oliver disappointingly, knowing what his father was about to ask him.
"I get sworn in as mayor in less than two months. I don't have time to find a replacement CEO for Queen Consolidated."
"What about, um, Walter Steele?"
"The board won't back him. Besides, QC is a family company. It should stay in the family."
"Dad, I want to make my own name. I don't just want to rely on yours."
"Oliver, if you don't do it, the board's going to push to accept Ray Palmer's buyout offer."
"I…" Oliver was about to speak, before something caught his eye. The building in front of them… Smoak Technologies?
"What?" asked Robert.
"I don't know," said Oliver, but he continued to study the building. Something about it felt odd. Like it was out of place, "Excuse me," said Oliver as a man bumped into him. Within a second, the man turned around, pointing a gun at Oliver and Robert.
"Excuse yourself. Watches, wallets, phones," said the man. Oliver and Robert didn't move, "What, are you deaf, trying to catch a bullet?"
"Take it easy," said Robert.
"I'll shoot your ass right here."
"Hey! Get away from him," said Oliver in a deep, growling voice while stepping in front of Robert. He didn't know what came over him but it felt natural.
"You want a piece of this?" said the man. Just as he finished his sentence, his gun was shot out of his hand by… an arrow? Suddenly a hooded figure jumped down from a rooftop, knocking the man down with one swift strike from his bow as he landed. He attached something to the man's leg and then shot an arrow, pulling the thug up and suspending him in the air before shooting another grappling arrow that he used to zip away.
"Are you all right?" asked Robert, concerned for his son.
"Uh, yeah, yeah," replied Oliver, nonchalantly.
"You could have been killed. Why would do a thing like that?"
"Wow. Mom is totally gonna freak out," said Thea, having just listened to the whole story from Robert and Oliver.
"That's probably why she doesn't need to know," said Robert.
"Yeah. She probably wouldn't believe the part about the guy in the hood anyway, so..." said Thea.
"Actually, your brother was the one who came to my rescue first. You're quite the hero, son."
Hero…
The word triggered his visions once again…
Flailing in the ocean… It's dark… On a life raft… Yacht capsizing… Robert shooting himself in the head… Giving the hozen to Thea… Kissing Kara in the mansion…
"Oh, my God!" Kara's voice snapped Oliver out of the flashes, "I heard what happened. Are you ok?" she said, rushing towards Oliver and hugging him tightly.
"Yeah. Hey, hey, hey. I'm fine, I'm fine," said Oliver reassuringly. He couldn't help but smile at how much she worried about him. Eventually, she separated from him. As soon as he looked at her, the flashes started again
Kara… In a suit with an S on it…
Kara… A metal rod through her chest… Her eyes closing, her head slumping…
"Oliver?" said Kara, concerned at how quickly the smile was wiped off Oliver's face, "Oliver, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. I'm… probably just need some air. I'm gonna… I'll see you at the restaurant," he said before quickly pacing off. Whatever these flashes were, they were too real, too visceral to be dreams. He needed to find out who the man in the hood was.
"Oh, hey! Captain Lance," called out Oliver he approached Quentin.
"Hey. I was just on my way out."
"Uh, do you have a minute for me?"
"Yeah, actually, I should have called you earlier. Detective Hilton told me about what happened tonight. You ok?"
"Oh, yeah. My dad and I are fine."
"Good, good. Well, we got the guy in custody," said Quentin, as he walked towards a pin board with had everything they had on the vigilante on it.
"Because of the guy with the bow and arrow?"
"Yeah, yeah. We've been calling him the Hood. Some kind of vigilante. Uh, if I've got the time right, your rehearsal dinner is practically now."
Oliver ignored Quentin, intensely studying the board in front of him, his eyes catching the sketch of a man in a hood. Another trigger for the flashes…
Quentin holding the sketch up to Oliver… Looking in the mirror… His body covered with scars… Queen Industrial Inc. factory… Picking up a bow… Quentin pointing a gun at him… Him in the hood…
"Oliver?" said Quentin
"Do you have any leads on who The Hood might be?" asked Oliver.
"This is the last thing you should be thinking about the night before your wedding… or is that what's going on here?"
"What do you mean?"
"You getting cold feet?"
"No, not at all, I promise," said Oliver dismissively with a smile.
"Good because I would hate to have to shoot you for breaking Kara's heart, right? The paperwork would be hell," replied Quentin jokingly.
"In truth, I'm probably a little bit more shaken up by the whole mugging than maybe I thought."
"Well, you know, I got just the thing to fix that. A few drinks at your rehearsal dinner. I'm buying. Come on"
"Yeah, actually. Uh, Captain Lance, I'll meet you there."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I'll see you there," said Oliver as he began to walk away. No ways he was going to his rehearsal dinner, at least not yet. He had a feeling he knew where the vigilante was, and he needed to know who the man under the hood was.
"Actually, uh, Oliver," said Quentin, calling Oliver back, "Something I want to say. You know, um, when you were a kid, you know, a teenager, I-well, let's face it. I didn't like you much. I thought you were a rich, entitled punk."
"I was."
"You know, when Kara's parents passed and I took her in, I started to love her like my own daughter. You know how I was back then, I was more than disapproving of you two being together, but since then, Oliver, you have grown into a hell of a man, the kind of guy I'm proud to have as my son-in-law."
"Thank you, Captain Lance."
"All right. See you at that dinner."
"I'll see you there."
"All right."
The dinner, of course. First, he had something more important to do…
Back at the Queen Mansion, Kara, Laurel and Sara were all sitting together on Kara's bed, having drinks and enjoying each other's company.
"I can't believe your big day is almost here," said Laurel as she took a sip from her glass.
"Yeah, me too," replied Kara, "You know, I thought everything was going to feel the same. I mean, Oliver and I are basically already married, but I must admit, it does feel a little different, and exciting."
"Any idea on where the honeymoon will be?" asked Sara.
"Still no, Oliver wants to surprise me, but I have a slight suspicion we're going to The Maldives."
"Oh, I've always wanted to go to The Maldives," said Laurel.
"Well, why don't you and Tommy tie the knot and then you can go there for honeymoon?" remarked Sara.
"You're one to talk, why don't you find someone to settle down with?" said Laurel.
"Yeah, what about that girl we met? Alex?" asked Kara.
"Oh, that was more of a… friends with benefits type of vibe."
"Oh, well, whatever floats your boat," replied Kara uncritically.
"Hey, I just think it's probably not in my destiny to settle down with someone and live a 'normal' life, at least not anytime soon," replied Sara.
"I'm not sure if that's true, Sara," replied Laurel, "I believe we can choose our fates. Our destinies are just the sum of our choices."
Destiny is nothing more than the sum of our choices… Words said by Rip Hunter… Captain of the Waverider… The Legends…
"Sara… Sara?!" Kara's call for her name helped drag Sara out of the visions. Before Kara or Laurel could ask, Sara insisted she was fine. However, she admitted to herself that the visceral nature of the visions disturbed her slightly. Whatever it was, she tried to shake it off and forget about it. Tonight was about having fun and spending time with Kara and Laurel. Worrying about these visions wasn't going to help her do that. She wiped the sweat that had started to form by her forehead off and downed her glass, before forcing a smile on her face and pretending that everything was alright.