"Where are we going exactly?" Ava was scrupulously scanning their surroundings as Sara led the way through the Glades.

"I told you, to see a friend,"

"You still haven't told me who this friend is,"

"I don't think you'll believe me if I told you,"

"Is this friend an ex?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Are they?" Ava looked at Sara, challenge in their eyes.

"You think I'm not telling you about him because I don't want to know if he's an ex,"

"It's a theory."

"Why would I have a reason for hiding an ex from you Ava Sharpe?"

The implication made Ava stumble a step, "You wouldn't,"

"Are you jealous?"

Ava snorted, "Of what? Some punk who lives in the Glades?"

"Yeah, are you?"

Ava really hated the way Sara's smirk could get under her skin, "Of course not," She deadpanned.

"He doesn't live in the Glades, by the way. He works here," Sara turned off the road, down an alley. Ava just caught the glimpse of a dull neon sign, unilluminated in the daylight. The green colour stood out against the red and grey of the building.

"Sara, seriously, where are we?"

"Verdant, night club," She said as she walked up to a steel door with a keypad next to it. She punched in a code, but the door stayed firmly shut. She frowned and looked up at a camera above the door.

"Hey, since when did you change the codes,"

There was a minute or so that passed when the door open and Sara was tackled in a hug.

"Since the guys let me upgrade their security," A young woman said, laughing.

"Felicity," Sara stumbled, eyes bright with her own laughter, "It's so good to see you," She squeezed her in the hug, "So you actually convinced Ollie to change the passcode from Thea's birthday. What other miracles can you work?"

"She actually orders more stock before the current one finishes completely," Said another voice from the doorway.

"Tommy," Sara let go of Felicity and jumping into Tommy's arms, clinging onto his shoulders.

"Oh, okay this is happening," He caught himself against the door frame, "And that's Thomas to you, Lance," He smirked and winked.

Sara, going to the ground elbowed him, "Funny. You asshole. I'll call you Thomas when I'm dead. You're basically family,"

"Basically," He laughed, "How that sister of yours?"

"She's been doing really well. She could be doing better if she got a call from someone," Sara elbowed him again. He batted her hand away.

"Hey, a new face. This a new Legend? What crimes have you committed together?"

"She's not a Legends. Not yet," Sara said.

"Not ever," Ava countered.

"Never say never," Sara winked, "Guys, this is Ava, a friend from the center. Ava, this is Felicity Smoak and Tommy Merlin. Tommy and another friend Oliver, own and run this place. Felicity is Oliver's girlfriend,"

"And the new head of security," Felicity added.

"Because opening a club in the heart of the crime hub of the city wasn't begging for thieves and vandals enough," Tommy teased.

"You better watch yourself, Merlin. Felicity is tougher than you,"

Felicity glowed with the compliment.

"Alright," Tommy laughed, "What brings you these parts, Lance?"

"I was hoping to talk to you and Ollie," Sara said.

"Wow, serious voice and everything," Tommy nodded, holding the door open wider, "Come on in,"

"Where's Ollie?" Sara asked as she stepped inside.

"Getting in the way of my work," Felicity muttered.

As the same time Tommy said, "Daily work out," He led the way down to a basement.

Ava was expecting to find a storage room. She was instead meet with a modern looking area divided between and office training room.

"Hey, do you bring business partners down here and asked to spar a few rounds with you," Sara called up to the man who was currently doing pull-ups from a bar at the ceiling. He looked down and grinned.

"Sara," She dropped down, pulling her into a hug. She didn't seem to mind he was shirtless or sweaty.

"Sara?" A head popped up from behind a computer screen, a girl who looked Sara and Ava's age, "Sara!"

"Thea. I wasn't expecting to see you here," She looked at Oliver, "Do let your underage sister in your club,"

"I let you and your underage friends in my club,"

"That's different,"

"How?" Thea challenged.

"I don't feel like a protective older sister to them,"

"You don't?" Felicity asked.

"Yeah, with them I feel like a stressed-out mom,"

"Speedy basically runs the business side of this place now," Oliver said, clapping a hand on Thea's shoulder, "Tommy and I just play the pretty host,"

"Huh. Look at that, you found the perfect job for your talents," Sara snickered.

"Ha, ha," Tommy deadpanned.

"Well one of us had to listen to dad's lectures on business," Thea rolled her eyes at her brother.

"So, did you come by for the chance to get your ass kicked?" Oliver asked Sara.

Sara snorted, "Last time we went at it Queen you were the one who ended up your back,"

Oliver laughed, "Want to test that?"

"Maybe next time. I'm here on business,"

"Okay," He gave a puzzled smile, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on, "What's up?"

"Since Thea took after your dad in business I know another way you can take after him,"

"Is that so?"

"You can be the philanthropist,"

Tommy cracked up at this. Oliver frowned at him, shoving him slightly. Sara chuckled at him.

"The Glades Youth center needs some funds. Your dad used to give,"

"Sure. We can give a few hundred,"

"How about a few thousand?"

Oliver laughed, but he stopped promptly when he saw Sara wasn't, "Oh you're serious,"

"Yeah. We're in trouble. Without the money, the center will have to close,"

"Well, how much do they need? We could call some old friends…" Thea started to say.

"Fifty grand?"

Tommy's jaw dropped and next to him Thea's eyes when wide.

"You do know we're not rich anymore, right Lance?" Tommy said.

"I know stuff went down, but don't rich people have like offshore accounts and… I don't know,"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was our parent's offshore accounts that got them into trouble in the first place," Thea said.

Oliver's eyes softened, "Sara, we'd love to help you, but we just don't have access so that kind of money anymore,"

Sara exhaled, "I figured it was a long shot,"

"We could round out about $2000," Oliver said.

"Any little bit helps I guess,"

"Hey, if there's any other way we can help, let us know," Thea said.

"Want to help me rob a bank?" Sara asked a grin curling on her lips mischievously.

"Which one? Royinton has a lot of security, but all their computer systems run on the same server," Felicity asked.

"Why do you know that?" Thea looked at her with dubious eyes.

"Everyone has hobbies," Felicity defended.

"I was joking, but I like your gun-ho Smoak," Sara winked at her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm still trying to process that you know the Queen's and the Merlin's," Ava said.

"Did I never mention? These guys are childhood friends," Sara nodded her head to Oliver and Tommy, "These assholes basically made me into a troublemaker,"

"I don't think we can take all the credit for your antics," Oliver said.

"I like to think we simply facilitated your lateen troublemaking abilities," Tommy said.

"It's guaranteed it's going to turn into a mess if these three go out together," Thea said, "For your sake, never agreed to go out with of them all together,"

"Hey, we're not that bad," Sara said. Thea's expression was incredulous. Sara quickly added, "Anymore,"

Ava snorted at Sara's amendment.

"How did you even meet?"

"We all went to Star City Private,"

"You're a private school girl?"

"Yeah. Dad's a cop, Mom's a professor. They only wanted the best for their daughters and that as the pretentious Upper city private school filled with even more pretentious stuck ups,"

"Hey!" Thea and Tommy said at the same time.

"Sorry, filled with pretentious stuck ups and Thea,"

"Thank you," Thea glowed.

"I hate you, Lance,"

"Love you, Merlin,"

"So, did you just come here to pipe us for money?" Tommy asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," She grinned at him.

"You're shameless,"

"Good. I learnt it from you,"

He elbowed into her side.

"Can you hang out for a bit? It's been forever since we've seen you?"

"I don't know… would that be cool with you?" Sara asked Ava.

"Oh… um, yeah," Ava said, a little surprised the question came to her at all.

"Cool, you can watch me kick Ollie's ass," As she said that she pulled off her shirt, revealing a slim-fitting grey sports bra. "Thea, Felicity, do either of you have some sweatpants I can borrow?" She unbuttoned her jeans and everyone in the room, but Thea adverted their gaze. Oliver and Felicity spun around on their heels. Tommy covered his eyes while Ava looked straight up.

"Oh sweet god help me," Ava whispered to herself as she focused at a pipe in the ceiling.

"Sara, can you not strip without warning?" Tommy asked, pinching his nose with one hand as she covered his eyes with the other.

"What it's not like I'm going commando," Sara said, but there was a teasing tone to her voice.

"Sara, you're incorrigible," Thea laughed hopping up to help her.

A couple of minutes later Sara said, "Alright babies you can look now,"

"If that was some of kind of distraction to throw me off my game…" Oliver started to say. Sara cut him off with a laugh.

"Aw, Ollie, I don't need to rely on underhand tactics to kick your ass," She walked over to the mats, beckoning him with a hand.

A couple hours later Sara, sporting a new bruise or two was walking next to Ava as they headed to the center. But, she didn't leave without giving Oliver a few bruises of his own.

"So you really grew up with them?"

"Basically," Sara shrugged, "When Dad made detective, the extra income meant mom and dad could afford to send us to SCP. Laurel was placed in Tommy and Oliver's class and they hit it off right away. I think they both had crushes on her. Honestly, I think Tommy still does. And Laurel and I, who didn't know anyone there, we latched on to them. They're some of my best friends. They're like family now,"

"If you've known them a while, then you know what happened with their companies,"

A shadow passed over Sara's face. She gritted her teeth, "It's not my favourite topic to talk about. I was there… the night Robert left on the trip that took his life,"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Ollie and were supposed to be on Gambit too. But… things happened and we didn't go. Robert's death caused an insurance inquiry into the business and that brought up the red flags that caused the whole public debacle that went down. I'm sure you know the details from the news,"

"I mean, you heard stuff,"

Sara sighed, "I'm not saying fraud and embezzlement isn't wrong. But I just know Thea and Oliver had lost their dad, Tommy his mom a few years before that and then everything happened and the parents they had remaining had to go to jail. And so what if it was white collar crime. All corporations that big are seedy to a certain level. The Queens and Merlins did a lot of good for a city too,"

Ava was quiet after Sara finished. She sighed again, "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off,"

"It's okay," Ava said in a soft voice.

They got to the center and Sara stopped, "You coming in, or are you heading home?"

"Why would I go home now?"

"You do know we're going to brainstorm ideas to help raise funds,"

"Yeah,"

"I just… don't know if you want to be a part of that,"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know, you haven't been around as long. You don't owe here anything,"

"I owe it just as much as you, Sara. At the heart of it, we both ended up here for the same reasons," Ava said as she started climb the steps to the main doors, "We both wanted to get better with what we do. And I don't want to see this place go either,"

Sara caught herself smiling as she watched Ava head inside.

Nardragon- until the next page.