I do not own Arrow.


The raft was floating aimlessly on the sea, with Oliver, Robert and another crewman in the raft and Oliver was sleeping on Robert's shoulder.

"There's not enough for all of us." Robert said.

"Save your strength." Oliver whispered.

"You can survive this Make it home, make it better. Right my wrongs. But you got to live through this first." Robert said as Oliver began passing out but Robert shook him to wake him up. "You hear me, Ollie? You hear me, son?"

"Just rest, dad." Oliver whispered before he passed out.

"No." Robert said lowly, kissing his son on the forehead. He gently moved Oliver away from him, propping him up against the edge of the raft. Robert then reached into his jacket, pulling out a gun. Hackett looked at him startled but before he could react, Robert shot him in the head and pushed him off the raft.

Startled, Oliver woke up upon hearing the gunshot, staring at his father in shock. " Dad?"

Robert turned to Oliver sadly. "Survive." He said before placing the barrel of the gun to his temple.

"No!" Oliver cried out but it was too late as Robert pulled the trigger.


Oliver had run into the wrecked building of CNRI after the earthquake device had gone off, while hearing Laurel sobbing and screaming Tommy's name outside before he found Tommy under the rubble.

"You're gonna be fine." Oliver assured as he moved the rubble away.

"Another thing… we got to disagree on." Tommy said weakly.

Oliver managed to remove the last piece of the rubble but was shocked to see that Tommy was impaled on a piece of rebar sticking out of his chest. "Tommy…"

"Is… Is Laurel safe? Is Laurel safe? I tried to get her out of here." Tommy asked.

"Yeah, yeah, you did it." Oliver said, forcing a smile. "You saved her. I'm gonna get you out of here. You're gonna be fine."

"Stop." Tommy interrupted as Oliver attempted to pull him up.. "I'm sorry."

"No. Don't apologize." Oliver assured.

"I was angry. And I was jealous. I… I am my father." Tommy said.

"No. No." Oliver assured as he placed his hand on Tommy's face. "No, you're not."

"Did… Did you kill him?" Tommy asked weakly.

"No." Oliver lied.

Tommy nodded as he smiled. "Thank you." He whispered before closing his eyes and his body went limp, life leaving his body.

"No. No!" Oliver whispered as he held Tommy by his face. "Tommy! It should have been me." He said, sobbing. "Open your eyes, Tommy! Open your eyes."


When Oliver came to, the first thing he saw was Moira and Thea bound in front of him, with Slade standing behind them, the scene all too familiar to him. It was just like years ago with Shado, Sara and Ivo.

"I was dead the last time you were offered this choice." Slade said, while Oliver was trying to free himself from his restraints.

"What's happening?" Thea demanded fearfully.

"I often wonder how you look…" Slade knelt in front of Oliver. "When he pointed the gun at Shado… and took her from me."

"You psychopath. Shado… Shado wasn't yours!" Oliver yelled.

"No, she was yours. Until you chose another woman over her." Slade reminded.

"That's not what happened!" Oliver snapped.

"It is what happened! It is! She told me!" Slade snapped back as he pointed behind him.

"What do you mean, 'she'?" Oliver asked as he looked behind Slade. "There's nobody three!"

"Slade… you were on the island. With Oliver!" Moira realized

"I thought I had known true despair. Until I met your son." Slade said as he walked past them. "I trusted him to make the right choice.

"Let me make the right choice now. Kill me." Oliver begged as both Moira and Thea began sobbing. "Choose me, please!"

"I am killing you, Oliver." Slade said as he pulled out a gun. "Only more slowly than you would like.

"Don't." Oliver begged.

"Choose." Slade snarled.

"Don't—"

"CHOOSE!" Slade roared as Thea sobbed.

"I swear to God, I am going to kill you!" Oliver snarled as Slade aimed at Thea's head. "No! No!"

"No." Moira said, getting up on her feet.

"No!" Thea cried, realizing what was Moira about to do

"There's only one way this night can end." Moira said.

"No!" Thea begged.

"And we both know that. Don't we, Mr. Wilson?" Moira said, turning to Slade.

"Mom! Please, don't!" Oliver begged.

"Both my children will live." Moira said.

"Mom! What are you doing?!" Thea demanded.

"Thea, I love you." Moira said as she turned to Thea with tears in her eyes. "Close your eyes, baby!"

Slade aimed the gun at her head.

"No!" Oliver yelled.

"You possess true courage." Slade said, holstering his gun, turning away from Moira. "I am truly sorry… you did not pass that onto your son." He pulled out his sword, whirled around and stabbed Moira through her heart.

"Noooo!" Thea screamed, hysterically sobbing into tears as Slade pulled his sword away and Moira's corpse collapsed on the ground.

Oliver rolled to his side, devastated as he stared helplessly into Moira's empty eyes.

"There is still one person, who has to die before this can end." Slade said as he cut Thea's restraints. He walked away, while Thea crawled to her mother and Oliver just stared, completely devastated.


Oliver fell on his knees, gasping for breath as Ra's approached him.

"Don't be afraid, my son." Ra's assured, apparently regretful to kill who he considered a great warrior as he took a step near Oliver. "Death comes for us all. We can only evade it so long. Consider this an honorable exit."

Ra's stabbed Oliver in the chest as blood began pouring from his mouth, while Ra's said a prayer in Arabic before kicking Oliver off the cliff.


Oliver woke up, startled as he looked around wildly for a few moments before he realized that he was in Talia's apartment, with her snuggling to him beneath the bedsheets as she placed her hand on his chest with an assuring look.

"Still can't sleep?" Talia asked and Oliver nodded, wiping his face covered in sweat as she kissed him and held him by his cheek. "It's natural that old failures and doubts will creep into your mind. But you need to purge yourself of them."

"That's what I've been trying to do." Oliver said before he turned to the clock. "It's almost time."

Oliver got up, putting on his pants, while Talia held the sheet to her chest and placed her other hand on Oliver's shoulder, giving him an encouraging look. "You need to have faith, Oliver. Just as I have faith in you."

Oliver nodded before they kissed and pulled away and Oliver held Talia by her cheek. "No matter what happens, I'm happy we got to spend our time together like this."

Talia smiled. "So am I."

She got up, dropping the sheet off her naked form before they both began getting dressed.


Ra's and his assassins and Sarab were on a rooftop which was surrounded by torches, when Oliver, Slade, Talia and Nyssa entered.

Ra's had heard about Slade from Nyssa and Sara and was impressed by Deathstroke's skills. Perhaps he would become a worthy recruit to the League, assuming Ra's was going to beat Oliver this time. If not, Oliver would ascend to Ra's one way or another. Either way, Ra's had already won but his eyes narrowed in a glare, when he saw Talia and Nyssa.

"I never expected you to be at his side, daughter." Ra's said.

"You have lost the right to call me your daughter, when you decided that I was unworthy of becoming your heir." Talia sneered.

"Just as you banished me." Nyssa added as Ra's looked at her in disappointment.

"As I told Maseo, there's only one person that I'm gonna let die for this to end." Oliver said and Ra's seemed impressed by Oliver's dedication.

"Indeed. Either way, I am victorious. You either ascend to Ra's as I designed or you will die. And there will be no way back for you this time, Al Sah-him." Ra's said.

"My name…" Oliver drew his sword he had been to train with Slade and Talia. "…is Oliver Queen!"

Ra's drew his own sword and aside from the assassins circling them, Slade, Nyssa and Talia were at Oliver's side, while Sarab and a small group of assassins were at Ra's side and they retreated to give the duelists a space to fight as Oliver and Ra's circled each other.

Oliver attacked but Ra's blocked and sidestepped but Oliver dodged as Ra's tried to attack before deflecting the next few blows and Ra's was impressed, Oliver's form had improved since last time, clearly, him training with Slade and Talia had paid off as their attacks became flashes of steel and sparks before Oliver knocked Ra's blade away, getting an opening but Ra's was too quick for Oliver to use it, parrying again as their swords crossed.

Talia smirked, clearly her training Oliver had paid off, while Slade and Nyssa were impressed by how Oliver's skills with the sword had improved.

"Something has changed within you, boy. Your will to live burns brighter and yet you reject my offer of eternal life." Ra's said.

"What you were offering wasn't living." Oliver grunted.

Ra's threw Oliver on the ground but before Ra's could finish him off, Oliver rolled away and got up on his feet and leaped forward and almost managed to knock Ra's sword from his hand. Oliver grabbed Ra's by his wrist and rammed into him, sending him stumbling back as Ra's staggered on his feet but as Oliver was about to deliver the killing blow, faster than he could blink, Ra's grabbed the blade, just like in their last duel. Oliver dodged before Ra's could hit him but Ra's managed to disarm him as he threw the blade away, pointing the sword at Oliver.

"Unlike you, thousands of honorable men will mourn my death, when I leave this Earth." Ra's said.

"No." Oliver said.

Ra's raised his sword, about to deliver the killing blow but Oliver grabbed the blade of the sword, just like Ra's did before and Oliver disarmed him of the sword and whirled around, stabbing Ra's in his side. Oliver pulled away and drove the sword into Ra's chest, while Nyssa, Slade, Sarab and other assassins stared in stunned disbelief and Talia smirked before Oliver pulled the sword as Ra's fell on his knees, blood filling his mouth.

"They will kneel before the next Ra's al Ghul." Oliver said.

Ra's smiled in pride as he pulled the Ring of the Demon from his finger and placed it on Oliver's hand. "I knew I chose well with you, boy."

With that, Ra's drew his last breath as he collapsed to the ground.

Oliver turned to approach the al Ghul sisters as he looked at Nyssa. She was surprised that Oliver defeated Ra's, to say the least but what surprised her more that he didn't claim the Ring of the Demon but she was uncertain whether she wanted to take Ra's place without Sara at her side.

Oliver turned to Talia as he handed her the ring and Talia took it and nodded.

"Thank you." Talia said.

"Don't make me regret this… or you will." Oliver said.

Talia nodded as she put the ring on and raised her hand with fist clenched. "Kneel before Ra's al Ghul."

Sarab and the assassins stared, hesitating before Sarab fell on his knees and the other assassins followed suit, deciding to follow Talia as the next Demon's Head.

"Well, kid… you did it." Slade said, looking at Oliver impressed. "But are you sure about this?"

"Only time will tell, Slade." Oliver said.


The place where Oliver and Ra's fought this time is the same one where Oliver dueled Malcolm in Season 4 on the rooftops of Star City, but do not get me started on how nerfed Malcolm was there. True, Oliver had been trained by Ra's already, so he would have been able to beat Malcolm much easily, but how is it that Oliver gets beaten by lowlife thugs like Lonnie Machin or Ricardo Diaz in that case?