Laurel stood with gun pointed at the vigilante while Felicity and Sara just stared at him. "Don't move" Laurel yelled.
Oliver raised his hands and switched his bow from his left hand to his right. "I'm not going to hurt you guys" Oliver said.
"Stay back" Laurel ordered.
"Laurel maybe we should listen to him" Felicity said.
Laurel shook her head keeping her eyes locked on the vigilante. "Sara, Felicity get out of here" she said.
"No we're not leaving you alone with this psychopath" Sara said.
"Our father is a cop. You are making a huge mistake" Laurel said.
"I'm not the person you think I am, and I need your help" Oliver said slowly moving closer to Laurel.
Felicity walked up to her sister. "It's OK Laurel. He's not going to hurt us" she said. Both Laurel and Sara looked at Felicity confused. Oliver let out a little smile. Even when he was under this hood she still believed in him. Felicity turned to the vigilante. "What do you need" she asked.
"Peter Declan is gonna be executed in 48 hours. I think he's innocent. Declan's wife was gonna blow the whistle on Brodeur. Brodeur had her murdered" Oliver said.
"There are a thousand lawyers in Starling City. Why me" Laurel asked. Oliver finally reached Laurel reached out and slowly brought the gun down.
Sara walked over to Laurel and Felicity. "Stay away from my sisters" she said pulling them away from the vigilante.
"We're both trying to help" he said as he circled the Lance sisters.
"What makes you so sure I'm gonna help you" Laurel asked.
"I know you'd do anything to save the life of an innocent man" Oliver said.
"She'll help you" Felicity said. Laurel and Sara both turned to Felicity.
"Felicity I'm not…" Laurel started to say but Felicity continued.
"She'll find out whatever information you need on this Brodeur guy" Felicity said.
"Felicity what are you doing" Sara asked. Felicity didn't say anything. Instead she just stared at the vigilante. He nodded at her.
"Felicity, what did you just do" Laurel asked.
Sara looked around the room. "Where'd he go" she asked. They all looked around and saw that the vigilante was gone.
"I don't know" Felicity said.
"What the hell was that" Laurel asked her sister.
"What" Felicity asked.
"Why did you say that I would help him" Laurel asked.
"Seriously we should not be helping that freak with anything" Sara said.
"What if he's right? What if Peter Declan is innocent? Come on Laurel you know you at least want to check it out and make sure he's guilty before they put an innocent man to death" Felicity said. Laurel didn't say anything and just looked away.
"I can't believe you're actually entertaining this. He's not a good man Felicity" Sara said to her sister.
"You don't know that. He saved my life twice" Felicity said.
Just then Laurel's phone rang. She looked down and saw it was Tommy calling. "I got to take this. It's Tommy. When he gets home not a word about this" she said. They both nodded their heads.
The next day Tommy waited outside the precinct for Laurel. She was working on some new case and was trying to get information from her father. He had dropped Becca off with Donna. Donna insisted that Becca stay the night with her and Quentin so she was going to sleep there tonight. They had a lunch date. He had gotten back from Metropolis earlier in the morning. He just needed to clear his head after what happened at the auction. His phone started to ring and he took it out of his pocket. He saw Oliver's name flash across the screen. He rolled his eyes and denied the call. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Oliver right now. He knew he had to tell Laurel about Oliver so that she knew and her and Becca would stay away from him. He wasn't going to let Oliver put his family in danger. That included Felicity. He sighed. He didn't know what to do about this whole situation in regards to Felicity but him and Laurel would talk and figure something out. "Tommy" he heard someone call. He looked up and saw his wife standing across from him. He smiled and kissed her. "What are you doing here" she asked.
"We have a lunch date remember" he said.
"That's right I forgot" Laurel said.
"Excuse me" someone said from behind Tommy and Laurel. They turned around and saw a man in a suit standing behind them smiling at them creepily. "Mr. and Mrs. Merlyn" the man said still smiling at them.
"Can we help you" Laurel asked.
"Yes you can. Very much so" he said.
"I don't know who you are but whatever it is you want we're not interested. Now stay away from us" he said.
"I can help the two of you and give you guys everything you ever dreamed of" the man said.
"Like my husband said we're not interested" Laurel said.
The man laughed. "What I'm offering is something beyond your wildest dreams. We are very interested in you two" the man said.
Tommy and Laurel looked at each other confused. "Whose we" Tommy asked.
"The group I'm a part of. We just found our two newest members" the man said. Before Tommy or Laurel could say anything they both felt a prick in their necks. They fell to the floor unconscious as the man smiled down at them. They were the perfect candidates.
That night, Rob and Oliver walked into big belly burgers. Oliver found Diggle sitting at a booth talking to his sister in law Carly. "The area is secure sir" Rob said turning to Oliver.
"Thank you very much Robb" Oliver said walking over to thee booth Diggle was sitting in. "Hello Diggle's sister in law Carly" Oliver said holding out his hand so she could shake it. She shook his hand. "I'm Oliver Queen" Oliver introduced himself.
"I know who you are" Carly said crossing her arms across her chest.
"No you really don't" Diggle said from the booth. Carly glared at Oliver then walked away.
Oliver sat down on the other side of the booth. "Hello" he said as he sat down. Diggle took a sip of his water. "I couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of police cars when I got home. I knew you and Tommy wouldn't drop the dime on me so have you considered my offer" Oliver asked.
"Offer? Heh. That's one hell of a way to put it" Diggle said.
"It is an offer. It's a chance to do the kind of good that compelled you to join the military" Oliver said.
Diggle shook his head. "Please. You were born with a platinum spoon in your mouth Queen. What you spend five years on an island with no room service and suddenly you found religion" he said.
Oliver pulled his father's book out of his pocket and put it on the table. Oliver folded his hands on the table. "This was my father's" Oliver said. Diggle picked it up and skimmed through it quickly. Oliver closed it. "I found it when I buried him" he said.
Diggle stared at Oliver for a moment. "I thought you said your father died when the boat went down" Diggle said.
"We both made it to a life raft but there wasn't enough food and water for both of us so he shot himself in the head and as much as he was doing it to give me a chance to survive I believe he was also atoning for his sins" Oliver explained. Diggle just sat there quietly staring at Oliver.
"I need to right the wrongs done by my family and I'm offering you the chance to right the wrongs done to yours" Oliver said.
"Oliver, what are you talking about" Diggle asked.
"The police never caught your brother's shooter" Oliver said.
"You leave Andy out of this" Diggle warned.
"The bullets were laced with curare. That's Floyd Lawton's M.O. He is the sniper that I stopped" Oliver said.
"Are you trying to tell me that you took down Andy's killer" Diggle asked.
"I'm giving you the chance…a chance to help other people's families. Do you remember when the people in this city helped each other? They can't do that anymore, because a group of people…people like my father they see nothing wrong with raising themselves up by stepping on other people's throats. It does need to stop, and if it's not gonna be the courts…and it's not gonna be the cops then it's gonna be me" Oliver said. Diggle continued to stare at Oliver thinking about what he was saying. Oliver picked up his father's book.
"I hope you will be part of this" Oliver said getting up.
"What about Felicity" Diggle asked. Oliver stopped and sat back down and looked at Diggle seriously.
"What about her" Oliver asked.
Diggle leaned in close. "Well it's obvious she doesn't know about how you spend your nights. So what are you just stringing her along" Diggle asked.
Oliver shook his head. "Trust me Dig, I love Felicity more then life itself. She's why I was able to survive on that island" he said.
"Well then why are you lying to her" Diggle asked.
Oliver sighed. "I take no pleasure in having to lie to Felicity but it's the way it has to be" he said.
"Why" Diggle asked.
"If I told her the truth about who I really am it would just put her in unnecessary danger. It's better this way" Oliver said.
Diggle shook his head. "She deserves better" he said.
Oliver nodded. "Your not the only one who feels that way. Trust me I know Felicity could do so much better than me but I can't lose her" he said.
"Even if it means putting her in danger" Diggle said.
Oliver just stared at Diggle thinking about what he said. "Have you talked to Tommy" Oliver asked changing the subject.
Diggle looked at him confused. "What" he asked.
"Have you talked to Tommy? He won't answer my phone calls" Oliver said.
Diggle shook his head. "No I haven't" he said.
Oliver sighed. "Think about what I said" he said standing up. Rob walked up to him and Oliver held out his hand. The bodyguard stopped. "I'm gonna go the washroom, Rob" Oliver said. He walked away to the back of the restaurant. Rob nodded his head and stood there waiting for Oliver to come back.
Diggle sighed. "Oh, that boy is long gone now" Diggle said to his replacement.
"Crap" Rob said running to the bathroom. He walked in and looked around. "Mr. Queen" the bodyguard called out. There was no answer. Damnit he really did leave. Rob sighed. He couldn't believe he lost Oliver. How the hell was he going to explain this to Mrs. Queen?
Across town Tommy slowly woke up. His head was spinning. He looked around and noticed he was in a limo. Laurel was laying next to him still unconscious. "Laurel honey wake up" he said shaking her awake. She started to wake up.
"Welcome back" someone said. Tommy jumped surprised by the unexpected voice. It was the man who had approached them in the street before. "What do you want with us" Tommy asked as Laurel sat up looking at the man in alarm.
"Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you guys. Your totally safe with me" the man said.
Laurel scoffed. "Yea kidnapping us is a great way to show that we are safe" she said.
"You are not tied up or stuck here. You can leave at any time. I need to talk to the two of you and knew you wouldn't come willingly" the man said. He smiled out the window. "We're here" the man said getting out of the limo. Tommy and Laurel followed suit. They looked up and saw an old beat up church in front of them.
"What is this place" Tommy asked.
"A refuge for the lost" the man said.
"Doesn't look like much" Laurel said. The man walked up to the church and motioned for Tommy and laurel to follow. They looked at each other. The last thing they needed was to be knocked out again or worse this time because they didn't listen. They followed after the man as he walked into the church.
"This building like the two of you, Mr. and Mrs. Merlyn, is more than it appears on the surface" the man said.
"You don't know the first damn thing about us" Tommy said starting to get angry.
"We all possess hidden depths. This church's mission is to reveal them" the man said.
Laurel looked around. Their were bars around them and their were manacles attached to the wall. It looked more like a dungeon then a church. "Doesn't look like any church I've ever seen" she said.
"So what's your deal? You just kidnap people and force them to join your church" Tommy asked.
"Our members come from all walks and they are many" the man said. He motioned for Tommy and Laurel to look through the window on the wall. They looked through and on the other side saw hundreds of people all gathered around in a room waiting for something. "They all believe in what this church stands for and we want you two to be a part of this" the man said.
Laurel just stared at the man. "Who are you" she asked.
The man shook his head. "Forgive me. My name is Abel and I think you could benefit from being part of our church" Abel said.
Tommy shook his head. "No we want no part of this whatever this is" he said.
Abel looked at them. "Is that your final answer" he asked.
Tommy and Laurel looked at each other. "Yes that is our final answer" Laurel said.
Abel nodded his head. "Very well then. You've made your choice" he said. All of a sudden they were hit with tranq darts. They both fell to the floor unconscious.
Later that night Laurel was the first to wake up this time. Her head was spinning. She looked around and saw that she was in hers and Tommy's apartment. They were on the couch. Tommy started to wake up. "What happened" he asked.
"They hit us again. We're back home" she said.
Tommy looked at Laurel. "Are you OK" he asked.
Laurel nodded. "My head's hurting a little but other than that yea I'm fine" she said.
"Who was that man" Tommy asked as he got up. The room started spinning so he sat back down.
"Careful. Don't stand up to fast. He said his name is Abel. It looks like he was starting a cult" Laurel said.
"Why would he want us to join though" Tommy asked.
Laurel shook her head. "I don't know but I plan to find out" she said. Just then laurel's phone buzzed. She slowly got up and looked at it. Her eyes went wide and she walked to the front door.
"What's wrong" Tommy asked. Laurel turned toward him.
"I have to take care of something. Stay here" she said leaving the apartment.
Laurel made it up to the roof of her building. She saw the vigilante standing there. "I got your message. Is there a reason we can't do this face to face" Laurel asked walking toward the vigilante.
"You've spoken with Peter Declan" Oliver said looking out to the city.
"You were right. He might be innocent. Declan said his wife blew whistle on Brodeur the day she was murdered" Laurel said.
"Then we need to get whoever she told about Brodeur to testify" Oliver said moving past Laurel.
"He already has. Matt Istook, Camille's supervisor" Laurel said as Oliver stopped walking turning around to look at her.
"Only he says that she didn't say a word to him" Laurel said.
"He could be lying" Oliver said.
"Well, if he is, then he's very convincing. He had the jury and police believing him" Laurel said.
"He hasn't been questioned by me" Oliver said.
"I didn't become a lawyer to break the law or hurt anybody" Laurel said walking closer to the vigilante.
"I do what's necessary, what people like Peter Declan need" Oliver said.
"If what you're doing isn't wrong then why are you hiding your face with a hood" Laurel asked.
"To protect the ones I care about" Oliver said.
"That sounds lonely" Laurel said.
"It can be but not today" Oliver said.
"Don't move" they heard someone yell. They both jumped and looked at where the voice came from. Laurel looked shocked. Tommy was standing on the roof pointing a gun at the vigilante.
"Tommy what are you doing" she asked.
"Protecting you" he said looking at Laurel. He turned back to his former best friend.
"Stay the hell away from her" Tommy yelled.
Laurel walked over to Tommy. "It's OK. I'm fine" she said.
Tommy pulled her behind him. "Stay behind me" Tommy said turning his attention to Laurel. While Tommy's attention was on Laurel Oliver quickly shot an arrow at the gun. Tommy dropped it. Oliver shot an arrow to the building across the way and swung away. Tommy and Laurel watched as he swung away. They looked at each other. Tommy had no idea what Oliver wanted with Laurel but he was going to find out and put a stop to it. First he was going to have a long conversation with Laurel, then he would deal with Oliver.