I do not own Arrow.
Nyssa had taken Laurel into one of the League's safehouses that luckily, Ra's was unaware of, when Oliver, Diggle, Slade, Talia, Thea and Roy entered but looked surprised to see Nyssa, having received a call from Laurel.
"What's going on?" Oliver asked.
"And what is she doing here?" Diggle asked.
"She saved me." Laurel said.
"My father tried to kill her in an attempt to force you to accept." Nyssa explained as she turned to Oliver. Talia was unsurprised but Oliver, Diggle, Slade, Roy and Thea seemed shocked. "I may not be fond of you but I don't want see Sara's family get hurt."
"Thank you." Oliver said appreciatively before turning to Laurel worriedly. "Are you OK?"
"I'm fine. A little in shock but I'll be OK, Ollie." Laurel assured.
Nyssa's eyes narrowed as she noticed Talia. "Sister…" She said disdainfully.
"Sister." Talia said politely.
"Sister?" Laurel repeated as she turned to Oliver. "Ollie, can you explain what's going on?"
Oliver sighed, realizing Ra's was trying to force Oliver to accept his offer one way or another. "Ra's is trying to make me take his place as the leader of the League and he's going to come after everyone I care about to force me to accept."
Talia nodded. "For each day Oliver refuses to accept father's offer, each person close to him pays the price for it."
"That's crazy." Laurel said in disbelief.
"I thought we'd have more time to face Ra's again but he's forcing my hand." Oliver said.
"Oliver, what are we gonna do?" Diggle asked.
"The best thing you can do is get Felicity, Thea and Laurel and Captain Lance to safety, John. Call Lyla, prepare an A.R.G.U.S. safehouse for them." Oliver ordered.
"What? No!" Laurel protested.
"Ollie, we're not gonna leave you behind for you to deal with that gang of psychopaths all by yourself!" Thea added.
"I can't deal with the League and worry about protecting you at the same time!" Oliver snapped back.
Laurel and Thea were forced into silence and after a moment of consideration, they began to see his point, especially when Thea was aware Malcolm himself had been afraid of Ra's and Laurel knew how easy it was for Ra's to kill her earlier. And Diggle, for all his skills and training, was hardly a match for the likes of the League.
"Ollie…" Thea trailed off as she neared him, looking at him worriedly and her eyes began getting wet before she hugged him. "Please, don't die."
"I don't plan on dying." Oliver assured as he hugged her back and then pulled away.
"That's what you said the last time you faced Ra's and how did that turn out for you?" Felicity reminded.
"Kid, we get what you're trying to do but the last time you fought Ra's, he almost killed you." Slade added.
"Because he wasn't ready to fight him. I had hoped I could finish training Oliver and while I'm confident in his progress, it seems father has forced Oliver's hand now." Talia noted before turning to Oliver. "Some of my students can also help protecting them. They have been trained in the ways of the League."
"Thank you." Oliver nodded appreciatively as he turned to Laurel. "He tried to kill you earlier tonight." He reminded her before looking at everyone. "If I don't put a stop to this right now, he could come after you again or Thea, Roy, Felicity, anyone else."
"Ollie, are you sure about this?" Laurel asked and Oliver took a breath and sighed heavily.
"There's no other way, Laurel. Either I kill him or he's going to kill me and everyone close to me." Oliver said and Laurel nodded before she kissed him on his cheek.
"Just be careful." Laurel said.
In SCPD, Quentin was doing some paperwork, since the forensics had confirmed that impostors had been trying to frame the Arrow for murder, when two men in suits entered as they looked up, accompanied by Laurel, much to his surprise. As much as he was not on speaking terms with her, he had to wonder what was going on. "What is this?"
"A.R.G.U.S. Governmental agency, Captain Lance. We need for you and Miss Lance to come with us. It's for your own protection." One of the agents said.
Quentin turned to Laurel, completely confused. "Would you like to explain what the hell is going on this time?"
In another part of Starling City, Oliver was waiting in the street, when Sarab approached. Glaring, Oliver grabbed Sarab by his jacket and pinned him to the wall. "Did you know he'd come after Laurel? My friends and family?"
Sarab was about to open his mouth but Oliver punched him, not giving him a chance to reply as he fell to the ground. Sarab looked up at Oliver, looking regretful.
"It is the will of Ra's al Ghul. What he says will be done, one way or another." Sarab said.
Oliver grabbed Sarab, forcing him on his feet. "No. There's been enough death and there's only one person that I'm gonna let die for this to end."
Sarab took a deep breath as he looked Oliver over. "So do you accept the offer of the Demon's Head?"
"No." Oliver said before he pulled away and let Sarab go took a deep breath. "I want you to go back to Ra's and tell him that I'm challenging him again. Another trial by combat."
Sarab looked at Oliver as if he was insane. "Have you forgotten that the last time you almost died?"
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make again if it means protecting the people that I love." Oliver said firmly.
The conviction in his tone impressed Sarab and it reminded him of his friend who had been willing to move Heaven and Hell to protect Maseo's wife and son. Last time he challenged Ra's, it was a foolish attempt to protect his sister but his dedication and resolve and conviction was stronger this time and this fire was what had helped Oliver stop China White and the Triad and other enemies, Sarab realized and perhaps it would help him defeat Ra's and take his place.
"Very well." Sarab said after a nod.
In an A.R.G.U.S. safehouse, Quentin was with Laurel and Thea, sitting across each other while Diggle and other A.R.G.U.S. agents were stationed around to guard them, with Slade, Talia's students as backup hidden around and Felicity was at the computers, checking the surveillance feed just in case something was off. Enough of the secrets and the mess that had been going on lately, Quentin lost all of his patience, forcing Laurel and Thea to come clean with everything but when they finished their tale, Quentin just stared at them with crossed arms, processing.
Oliver being the Arrow, deep down Quentin felt like if he had always known and Oliver must have prepared himself, when Quentin had arrested him two years ago and he had moved past his grudge against Oliver because of Sara's disappearance and his vigilantism but the rest, Thea being Malcolm Merlyn's daughter, Malcolm being alive, a mind-controlling drug, well, it all sounded like a plot from a movie, making him wonder when had his life turned upside down.
"So let me get this straight." Quentin said after processing, once Laurel and Thea had finished. "Oliver is and always has been the Arrow." He turned to Thea. "You are Malcolm Merlyn's daughter and he drugged you into killing Sara so that the League wouldn't come after him." He turned to Laurel. "Oliver challenged Ra's into a duel and almost died and Ra's wants Oliver to take his place because he survived, so he framed him for the murders and also is trying to kill us because Oliver refused?"
Laurel nodded and Thea's ashamed and guilty look confirmed the story as Quentin sat down and sighed heavily, when Thea sat down and spoke up, looking regretful.
"Mr. Lance, I'm—"
"Don't." Quentin said as he took a deep breath. "Thea… you have nothing to apologize for."
Thea looked at him in surprise. "How can you say that? I murdered your daughter."
"Look, if there's one person I blame for Sara's death, it's Malcolm Merlyn. If he drugged you and manipulated you into killing her, it's on him, not you. And as long as that bastard is finally dead, I'll take comfort in that." Quentin assured.
"He's right, Thea." Laurel said as she held Thea by her shoulder. "What happened with Sara wasn't your fault because it wasn't your decision. And Malcolm Merlyn was a charismatic person, remember that he had managed to persuade corrupt businessmen and criminals to help him in his Undertaking, Robert included and blackmailed your mother. It's not your fault that you fell for his charm too. You may have made a choice to become his daughter but you came back from it, eventually."
Thea considered their words before she felt Quentin's hand on her shoulder as she looked into his eyes.
"If you want redemption from this, stay loyal to the people who actually love you and care about you and maybe one day you'll find the strength to forgive yourself. For what it's worth, I forgive you." Quentin said and after a moment, Thea nodded as she hugged Quentin with her eyes getting wet.
In the lair, Talia was sharpening her sword, when Nyssa entered and Talia turned to her. Many unsaid words were exchanged between them with their eyes locked in long profound stares before Nyssa began.
"You left me, sister." Nyssa said.
"Father never would have passed his mantle onto a woman. I had to forge my own path." Talia explained. "Our father has become the very monster he had sworn to fight against. We both know that the League has strayed from its purpose during his reign."
"So you left me, knowing that I'd suffer at father's hand?" Nyssa asked, hurt.
"I know it means very little, but I'm truly sorry for what has he put you through. But I was not going to allow myself to become father's prisoner any longer. You don't have to be either. Either you can still follow this path or discover who you are outside of being Daughter of the Demon, just like me. Tell me honestly, do you want to lead the League?" Talia asked and Nyssa considered. "Father convinced you that you'd become his heir but he is stuck in his ways. He'd allow no woman to become the next Demon's Head. And the League of Assassins is supposed to replace evil with death but when we begin spilling innocent blood in name of our cause and justice, how are we different from the evil we are supposed to fight? That is why I left, to teach my students to find their path in the world. So ask yourself, what path do you want to follow?"
Nyssa considered. She had wanted to take Ra's place one day, maybe with Sara at her side, but even if they beat Ra's, without Sara her life felt hollow.
"As I said, either you can still follow the path father had convinced you that you could or discover who you are outside of being Daughter of the Demon. Think about it." Talia advised, leaving Nyssa to her own thoughts.
In Talia's apartment, Oliver was practicing the sword techniques Talia and Slade had been teaching him recently, when Talia entered.
"Interesting technique. But are you certain it will help against father?" Talia asked.
"You told me that I can't afford to doubt, otherwise I'll die." Oliver reminded and Talia smiled.
"You've always been a quick study." Talia said as she approached him.
"I admit, it is quite overwhelming." Oliver said as he lowered his sword. "I'm not as much afraid of not being able to beat your father than about what I leave behind? Are my friends even actually ready to go on without me?"
"I'm certain Roy is a worthy successor. You taught him well. And as long as Mr. Diggle and Miss Smoak have learned from their mistakes, you can hope for the best." Talia assured as she gave him a kind smile that Oliver appreciated. "I'd be lying if I said I had no doubts but the fear of what may happen tomorrow is only going to hold you back."
"How do you expect me to take that fear out of my mind?" Oliver asked before she held his hand and smiled at him.
"Well, there is one way. Instead of worrying what will happen tomorrow, focus on the good things in your life that you can still cherish tonight." Talia said as she held him by his cheek with a longing look.
Oliver kissed her as they stripped each other of their shirts and began taking off their pants as they laid down on the couch, their clothes scattered on the floor as Talia placed herself on top of Oliver, while he eyed her naked features in admiration and running his hands across her chest down her shoulders to her breasts and Talia moaned, while she felt Oliver give in, while she was running her hands down his now scarless chest, while they were trying to make their night as passionate as possible under the glow of the moonlight.
The next chapter is going to be the climax of the story and then an epilogue.
