Chapter 17: Confrontations

******Where We Left Off at the Foundry******

"That is my sister!" Oliver yelled. "You don't know me. You barely know her. You had no right to share something like this with her! It wasn't your secret to tell!" Oliver swung and hit Clint again. The blow swung his head back and made his lip bleed.

Natasha watched without interfering. When Clint gave her a beseeching look, she shrugged. "It was a dick move, and you know it," she said to him.

The trio was so wrapped up in their theatrics that they never noticed their friends coming down the stairs. Felicity heard loud voices and practically ran down the steps with Steve and Dig behind her. They had passed an upset Thea, so Roy had stayed to find out what happened.

"What's going on?" Felicity asked, taking in the scene. It was clear that Oliver had just hit Clint for some reason. "Why are you guys fighting?"

"I want your friend to get the hell out of here! Out of the foundry, out of my city! He better get gone before I really hurt him!" Oliver exclaimed, his anger making him not care how Felicity would react.

Clint finally got angry himself. He allowed Oliver his hit because he knew that he'd crossed a line. However, he wasn't going to be the spoiled billionaire's punching bag. "You'll try. Then you'll realize that your five years on purgatory was child's play compared to my fifteen years of experience and training," he said coldly.

Felicity knew how territorial Oliver was, so she assumed this was just a normal pissing contest. She gave Oliver a look of disapproval. "Oliver, don't threaten our friends. This is my place, too, and my friends are welcomed here," she said.

Oliver gave her a hurt and disappointed look, and then he brushed past her.

Natasha shook her head. "Felicity, you really should find out what's going on before you jump in swinging," she told her. "Clint brought Thea down here, revealing that Oliver was the Arrow."

Felicity's mouth fell open in shock. Embarrassment and guilt swept through her—then anger. "How could you?" she yelled at Clint. When she marched toward him with the thought he wasn't bleeding enough, Steve grabbed her. He knew her well.

******Upstairs******

Thea's shock had her walking up to the club in a haze. She didn't even register the presence of others—not until her arm was grabbed.

"What's wrong?" Roy asked in concern.

"My brother is the Arrow," she said flatly, a note of accusation in her voice.

Roy released her arm. "So he told you," he replied.

She shook her head and gave a bitter laugh. "Someone I love telling me the actual truth? Not in this life," she snarled. "Clint took me down to the basement."

Roy's face took on an angry glare. "That wasn't his place," he said in annoyance.

"I'm glad someone respected me enough to tell me the truth," she countered. "Clint is a true friend!"

"He's going to be a dead one after Oliver gets done with him," Roy said.

Thea was torn between going back down and keeping the fight from happening and fleeing.

Sensing her turmoil, Roy said, "Don't worry. Felicity won't let anything happen."

Thea gave a snort. "Felicity. Who the hell is this woman? She appears as a computer tech. Then my brother's assistant. I thought they were lovers, but she's with Captain America. Sending his friends after me. Getting in my business. She knows all his secrets, while he just lies to me everytime he opens his damn mouth!" she fumed.

"Felicity is the woman who's saved your brother's life more times than I can count," Roy replied. "And she's saved mine. If your brother wasn't so broken, she might've been the woman in his bed. However, he knew she was better than all the other women he's been with put together, so he's never went there with her."

It was just too much for Thea to take in. A woman she barely knew was the center of her brother's world. She felt like such an idiot. "I gotta go," she said, fleeing.

This time Roy let her go. Although it pissed him off that Hawkeye thought it was his place to share Oliver's secret when not even Roy had done that, he was relieved that she knew the truth.

"So this is the man who broke my little girl's heart," a voice said. Roy turned and saw Malcolm Merlyn leaning against a nearby table. He walked toward Roy, who stood frozen. This was the boogie man that leveled half the Glades, yet he was Thea's father.

"Says the man who killed her brother and countless others," Roy replied with loathing.

"I see Oliver's secret is finally out," Malcolm observed.

"I'm surprised you hadn't told her yourself," Roy said.

"Eventually, I would've," Malcolm said. "However, it would've only served as a distraction. I needed her attention to focus on her training. Thanks to your and Oliver's lies, though, she was more than willing to devote herself to her training. Thankfully, she takes after Oliver and not my son in that regards."

Oliver had appeared and overheard that comment. "Don't you dare mention Tommy!" Oliver said in disgust. "You destroyed him like you destroy everything you touch! You need to stay the hell away from my sister!"

Malcolm smirked. "I could, but I doubt she'd stay away from me," he pointed out. He looked at Roy. "I need to speak to Oliver alone. Do you mind?"

Roy had no desire to abandon Oliver to an enemy, but he looked at his mentor, who nodded. Reluctantly, he left.

"What do you want, Malcolm?" Oliver asked coolly. "Besides framing me for Sara's death."

Malcolm smirked. The smirk was what did it. Oliver didn't even remember moving. His hands grabbed Malcolm's throat, slamming him against the bar. Rage had him squeezing. He had never wanted to kill anyone so badly.

"Check your phone," Malcolm said, unafraid.

For some reason, the look in his eye had Oliver releasing him and stepping back. Malcolm slowly raised up and waited expectantly. Oliver pulled out his phone. A video played, and Sara was in it. Feeling sick, Oliver realized he was watching her last moments. Sara was facing her killer, and then the arrows hit her. When the shooter turned around, there was no doubt that it was Thea.

His sister had really done it. She'd kill Sara. He looked down at the screen, frozen in shock. This couldn't be real. It had to be a fake. He ignored his friends' voices in his head that said this was the case. There had to be another explanation.

"I don't think you want the League to see that, and if you kill me, they will," Malcolm said. He was so sure of himself, so smug. Oliver wanted to choke the life out of him. Only thoughts of Thea kept him from reacting to the video.

"This isn't her," he said quietly.

"You've heard of a plant called ventura? It grows in South America, making a subject open to suggestion with no memory of their actions," Malcolm said.

Now it finally made sense. Anger filled Oliver as he faced the only man that he truly despised. "I will tell Ra's that this was you. You were behind Thea's actions!"

"And he will still kill her. She fired the arrow," Malcolm reminded him.

"You've given her a death sentence!" Oliver said in disbelief. How could he do this to his only remaining child? Was he truly that evil?

"No. What I've done is given you incentive," Malcolm said, stepping closer to Oliver.

"To do what?" Oliver asked, unable to understand what Malcolm's play was.

"To tell Ra's that you killed Sara Lance. You will be given a trial by combat with Ra's. His death will erase any blood debt from his reign. Including Thea's," Malcolm explained.

"And yours," Oliver said as realization dawned on him. Of course! This was about Malcolm saving his own ass. "Does she mean anything at all to you?"

"She's my daughter. My heir in the true sense of the word," Malcolm said. "She means everything."

"Yet you turned her into a killer," Oliver said.

"You don't think my daughter would kill to protect me? You don't think she would defend me if Ra's came after me? Her defense would get her killed," Malcolm pointed out. "You know her. She'd never let me die. And you…you'd never let her."

Oliver knew there was no point debating things with the man. He was a true sociopath.

Natasha had come up to check on Oliver. She left Felicity yelling at Clint, knowing Steve would keep things from getting out of hand. When she saw Malcom, she'd moved to attack. However, Oliver had seemed to handle him easily enough. She'd not interfered as she heard the mad man's disgusting revelation. It took a special kind of evil to use your own daughter that way. She decided to have her own little chat with Malcolm and moved toward the exit that she anticipated him taking.

A minute later, he walked out. He paused when she appeared in front of him. His eyebrow raised with interest. "Well, this is a surprise. The Black Widow. Every bit as beautiful as she is deadly," he said, a slight smile on his face. Of course, he knew that she was in town. He made it his business to know the people in Oliver Queen's life.

"Then you know you've made the biggest mistake of your life," she said.

"I've made them before. I'll make them again," he said with a shrug.

"No, you won't," she said with a cold smirk. "This will be the last one. I'm not Oliver. I have no problem killing his sister's father. You've already proven that she'd be much better off without you in her life. If the League targets him, I'll make damn sure they know who the real enemy is."

Malcolm knew the kind of threat she was making. He also knew that she wasn't a woman he wanted or needed as an enemy. However, it may be inevitable. "I am trying to keep Oliver's sister alive. I'm not the enemy," he said.

She laughed. "I'm sure you believe that. All true egomaniacs always believe they're the good guy," she said knowingly. "Only someone utterly deluded would think having his daughter murder her friend was a move to help her."

Malcolm's mouth tightened in anger at her mockery. "You've never been a parent. You have no right to judge me," he said coldly.

Natasha stepped up to him and ran her hand down his chest, a small smile on her face. "How about this? How about I give you a promise?" she said. "If the League harms Oliver, I'll be comin' for you." She patted his chest and walked back inside the club.

Malcolm frowned. He was no fool. He ran from Ra's al Ghul because he knew how formidable the man was. However, with his soldiers, you died fighting. The Black Widow wouldn't hesitate to stab him in the back. Not to mention, her friends were equally deadly. He would need to tread very carefully.

******Down in the Arrow Cave*****

When Oliver appeared back downstairs, his mind too full of the newest revelation from Malcolm, he never noticed the people still there. Felicity ran up to him and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Oliver! I didn't know Clint betrayed our trust," she said. She threw another glare over at Clint, whose ears were still ringing.

"Why didn't you tell me about her wicked temper?" Clint asked Steve.

Steve chuckled. "Some things you just have to experience for yourself," he said. "You know how loyal she is. She was scolding Oliver as soon as she saw the fight. Her guilt for jumping to conclusion makes her even more annoyed with you. Lucky for you, she doesn't hold a grudge."

"It's okay, Felicity," Oliver said, moving away from her. "We have bigger problems."

"What's happened?" Felicity asked in concern.

"Malcolm Merlyn just showed me a video of Thea killing Sara Lance," he shared.

Everyone looked surprised. Clint looked angry. "That's bullshit!" he exclaimed.

"I wish is was," Oliver said, looking incredibly sad. He sat down in one of the computer chairs. "He sent me a video."

He handed it to Felicity, who plugged in a cord, so that it could play on the monitor for everyone to see.

When it stopped, Oliver saw Natasha enter the room. He hadn't realized she'd left. "Malcolm told me he used a plant called ventura on her that made her do this. It also leaves no memory," he explained.

"That's why she's lost two days," Clint said in understanding.

"He wants Oliver to confess to the murder," Natasha revealed. When Oliver gave her a surprised look, she confessed, "I was eavesdropping."

"Oh my God!" Felicity exclaimed. "You can't be serious?"

"If I confess, I will be forced to fight Ra's al Ghul in a battle to the death," Oliver said grimly.

Felicity looked horrified, putting her hand to her mouth. Steve went to stand next her, pulling her into his arms.

Clint stepped forward. "You won't be facing anyone alone," he said, holding out his hand to Oliver.

Oliver blinked in surprise. He looked at the hand, and then glanced around the room. All of his friends were staying there reading to fight with him and for him. He'd felt alone for so long. Glancing back at Clint, it seemed he had more people every day willing to fight on his side. He shook Clint's hand. "Thank you," he said, meaning it. Then he put his hand on Felicity's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. His new friends were here because of her. She was always finding a new way to save him.

******Chapter End******