Chapter 05: World of Chances
A few days later and Roy had been slashed across the back while fighting off inmates. Diggle talked with Lyla as they had a plan to get Roy out of jail, and that plan was to have him "killed" while in there. Diggle told Thalia of the plan and she organised for Roy to start a new life far away in Los Angeles with her family. After everyone had left Thalia told Thea of the plan explaining that she would always know that Roy was safe. Thea and Thalia sat in the apartment drinking together before they both stood up to find that Ra's was behind them.
"Oliver will never do it," Thalia and Thea were both adamant that their brother wouldn't do it. Thea fought Ra's until he stabbed her before Thalia could do anything. "Thea!" Ra's knocked Thalia unconscious and left before Oliver arrived to find both his sisters on the floor.
"Thali, Thea! Don't you leave me!" Oliver scrambled for the phone picking it up and calling an ambulance. "I can't lose you both,"
"Ollie, there is a way to save Thea," Thalia sat up slowly coming to as she heard Oliver's voice. "I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to, believe me I tried,"
"I know," Oliver picked up Thea, and Thalia stood up and they both raced down the stairs with Thea in Oliver's arms. "I don't blame you, I blame him,"
"Ollie, we will get our baby back," Thalia and Oliver climbed into the ambulance, and wrapped an arm around each other and held each other. Oliver hadn't given the ambulance officers a chance to get up to the apartment.
In the hospital neither of them wanted to leave Thea's side but were forced to stand on the opposite side of the door watching as they worked on her. Oliver felt completely helpless, like there was nothing that he could do at all to save Thea's life. He did wonder why Ra's hadn't killed Thalia as well.
"Ra's doesn't want his grandson to be totally parent-less, Oliver...my sons name is Ollie," Thalia muttered the last part of her sentence.
"You named him after me?" Oliver questioned, Thalia nodded as the doctor walked out of the room and over to them. "How is she?"
The doctor told them that things didn't look good and that they could keep her on life support for as long as Oliver and Thalia wanted. They walked into the hospital room and sat with Thea when Malcolm walked into the room to see his daughter, Thalia glared at him this was his fault. Malcolm argued with Oliver and Thalia over what was best for Thea, he didn't want the Lazarus pit to be used. Thalia knew that Oliver was considering Ra's Al Ghul's offer as it would save Thea's life.
"Ollie, I love Thea too and I know that you have to do this but promise me you will come home too," Thalia wrapped her arms around Oliver and kissed the top of his forehead. "You'll never lose me again, and you won't lose Speedy,"
"Thalia, why is it you know what to say?" Oliver questioned returning Thalia's hug as they both looked at Thea's lifeless body.
"It's my job as a big sister, now tell Felicity how you feel," Thalia told him, before adding that she was going too.
Once again in Nanda Parbat, Oliver did what Thalia didn't want him to do and succumbed to being heir to the demon, something that Thalia knew would change Oliver. Thea's life was saved because of this, Thalia stayed by Thea's side the entire time not wanting to leave it ever again. When they returned home Thalia sat with Thea as Malcolm told Thea what had happened. Being in the League they made you forget about everything that you once loved, the person who you were.
"Thea, Ollie will come home. He promised me this," Thalia wrapped an arm around Thea as the young girl put her head in her hands.
"You let him go?" Thea turned to Thalia, anger apparent on her face. "How could you let him go?"
"Thea, your sister didn't have a choice," Malcolm told her, both Thea and Thalia moved back into the chair to distance themselves from him.
"T, when he does come home. He won't be the same," Thalia told her, Thea muttered that he would be the same person, she was. "Oliver is stubborn,"
"I remember when you came home, you were different but you were also the same," Thea explained, she knew that it was right. "You had your secrets until you knew that I was ready for them, that was how you always worked even when I was little," she paused looking at Thalia and then at Malcolm. "My sister is the one I trust, she has never lied to me,"
"Even though she was a member of the League?" Malcolm questioned, looking between the two sisters.
"Key word there, she was a member and she's not now. She's my sister and I trust her more than anything in the world," Thea wrapped her arms around Thalia tightly as Alex, Jackson and Joshua walked in. "Thalia is my best-friend,"
"Thalia, your home. How?" Alex questioned, walking over to both girls and standing between them and Malcolm. "Mr Merlyn, could we have a moment with the girls please?" Malcolm nodded and left the boys with Thalia and Thea.
"Oliver...he did it, he stayed with Ra's because he's stupid," Thalia took a deep breath as she spoke looking at Alex and then at Thea. "Sarab, he helped us to escape as he knows Oliver..." Thalia looked back to Alex before she continued. "Alex, I couldn't make him see sense. Oliver can be more stubborn and pig-headed than what I am,"
Alex muttered something incoherent before Thalia stood up and kicked the base of one of Thea's couches. Jackson, Joshua and Thea looked at Thalia as the base of the lounge came free and two swords clattered to the floor. Thea looked at Thalia wondering exactly when the swords had been put there as her apartment had been searched thoroughly when the police were looking for Oliver.
"How long have those been there for?" Thea questioned scratching her head as Thalia picked up one of the swords.
"Alex, you're the only one that can do this with me. A while," Thalia kicked the sword at Alex and the two of them moved towards the window. "Thea the day that you can do this blind-folded is the day that I'll let you sword fight with me,"
"Lia, just because you've done this since childhood doesn't mean that you can beat me," Thea stood up to watch her sister before she noticed that both Alex and Thalia had closed their eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Sensory practice," Alex told her before striking at Thalia, who blocked the blow with one of her own. "This is one thing that Ra's doesn't know about your sister. I told her to always keep something hidden from him,"
"I told you about this T, I also told you that I would show you how," Thalia smiled at her sister as she and Alex continued to fight. "Sorry Josh, I never told you any of this,"
"Wait, you didn't know about Thalia?" Thea looked at Joshua quiet confused that the driver didn't know exactly what he was in for with Thalia. "You didn't know that she and Alex were in the League of Assassins?" Joshua shook his head. "Thalia, were you ever going to tell him?"
"Hell no, do you think he would have taken the position?" Thalia questioned ducking as Alex swung at her again. "Thea we'll get Oliver, I promise,"
A week later and Oliver was back in the city with Ra's Al Ghul, Thalia could see that Oliver was still the same person like she knew he was. She knew that Thea could see it as well, it was something that Malcolm and Thalia had taught her, to see deception. Thalia pulled Felicity aside at Palmer Technologies to have a quiet word with the young girl.
"Felicity, I know you love my brother. You need to trust me that Ollie, he will return," Thalia told her looking out the window as she spoke and then back at Felicity. "He's our Oliver, he always returns,"
"How can you be so sure?" Felicity questioned, looking at Thalia and then at the computer screen.
"Because I know the League of Assassins...Felicity I was one," Thalia explained, watching as Felicity took a step backwards. "I haven't been in the League in a very long time. The League isn't why I know how to fight, I've been doing that since I was ten years old. Felicity, there are things about me that Oliver never told you,"
"How can you be in the League once? And what hasn't Oliver told me?" now Felicity had a lot of questions so she motioned for Thalia sit as she did.
"I joined the league when I was nineteen just after I left Starling. I was married to Ra's son when I was twenty-one, widowed at twenty-three. My son was born soon after," Thalia paused taking a deep breath before she continued to talk. "Before all of that when I was fifteen, I was abducted, tortured and held hostage for two years,"
"But how were you once in the League? That's the part that I don't understand that," Felicity saw that it was hard for Thalia to talk about what she had gone through but knew that there was something more that Thalia wanted to tell her. She wasn't ignoring that Thalia had just told her that she had been kidnapped as a teenager, she figured that the older woman would tell her more when she felt that she was ready.
"Ra's granted me freedom as I refused to kill again, I wanted my son to have at least one parent and Nyssa agreed with me. Telling any one that is hard, Felicity my son is my life," Thalia told her as she looked for a reaction from Felicity. "Felicity, I left the league in two-thousand-and-six. My son Ollie he was born in two-thousand-and-seven, he just turned seven years old, and now Ra's has him," Thalia took a deep breath, before she continued again. "Felicity, I don't even know if I will ever see him again,"
Days later and Team Arrow was meeting in Palmer Technologies after attempting to 'save' Oliver. They all hated him for what he had done, except for Thalia as she knew what was going through her brothers head. Thalia hugged Oliver and kissed the top of his head like she had done so often. She needed him to be stronger than what he was if he was to do everything that they had planned.
"Ollie, they're not going to listen to you," Thalia told him, explaining that they truly believed that he had betrayed them. "I'll talk to them, you just do what you need to do,"
"Just do as Malcolm explained to you," Oliver told them, he had expected to survive the plain crash. "Does Thea know?"
"Ollie, I helped you come up with this stupid ass plan. Yes she knows, she trusts what I tell her. I told her you would return. Ollie I know you," Thalia smiled at him, before she left her brother to go and find Thea.
Thalia arrived home and was greeted to an empty home, and a note on the fridge telling her that her that she would be home soon. Thalia rolled her eyes at the note and called Thea's number, she didn't have to wait long for her to pick up.
"Speedy, come home. I know you went to see Roy," Thalia told her quietly as she sat on the kitchen counter and started looking through to see what edible food there was.
'Why, Lia? Is Ollie home?' Thea questioned, opening a letter from Roy at the garage that she had found him just the day before.
"Yeah, he's home. Our Ollie is back," Thalia paused picking up an apple from the counter before she continued speaking. "Just like I said he would be,"
'You really do know our Ollie,' Thea smiled as she got in a cab and told them where to go. 'I'm on the way,'
After everything that happened with Oliver and Ra's Al Ghul, Oliver and Felicity left Starling and planned on staying away for as long as possible. Six months later and Laurel, Thea and Thalia went to Oliver and Felicity with hopes that they could convince them to return. They didn't need to much convincing as Felicity made the decision for him. Thalia wanted Oliver there she couldn't always be Scarlet, not when she was trying desperately to find her son.
"Diggle doesn't want you here, but I think otherwise," Thalia told him, before she faced Diggle and had a go at him. "Diggle, you almost lost Lyla and Sara. I lost my husband 8 years ago, my father and mother after that," Thalia took a deep breath. "Not to mention, I've lost my Ollie, my eight year old son." They were standing in their new lair it was the only place that no one would think to look for them.
Diggle stood there shocked before walking away and returning home to Lyla and Sara. Laurel went to warn her father about what was going on. Thea and Thalia told Oliver that Diggle would eventually come around before they walked off to go and do some scouting. Oliver and Felicity stayed in the new lair, before Thalia decided that they needed to call in Jackson to help Felicity.
"Ollie, Jackson's here to give Felicity a hand – like I said he's one of the best that I know," Thalia told Oliver as Jackson and Thea walked into the room.
"Hey Thalia, what do you want me to do?" Jackson queried, before seeing that Oliver and Felicity were looking at him. "Hey Miss Smoak, how can I help?"
Jackson and Felicity decided that they needed to team up to help the team get back to how they were. Thalia like that fact, and Oliver he still wasn't entirely sure about his sisters partners. They were all yet to meet the partner that she had left in Los Angeles. Thalia had been able to keep Thea's temper under control, Oliver returning to Star City had changed things.
"Ollie, I had her under control. I promise I did, I think you coming home did something," Thalia had grabbed hold of Oliver's arm after everyone had left including Felicity who had gone back to Palmer Technologies.
"You think that what's happening with Thea is because of me?" Oliver questioned, looking directly at Thalia as he spoke.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. The Lazarus Pit changes people, they're not the same when they come back." Thalia told him, Oliver looked over at her and then pushed her away. "Ollie, she will be okay. She's different, but she's still our Thea,"
"How are you always so calm?" Oliver questioned, he had been calm up until a point but staying that way was never easy.
"Why do you think I let my anger out training every day?" Thalia replied, that was her way of keeping everything out. "It's something that Alex told me,"
"And you trust him?" Oliver questioned, ever since Thalia had told him that Alex had been in the League of Assassins with her, he had been very wary.
"With my life. As much as I trust you. Oliver, when we left the League we kept each other sane. Showing each other what it was to be human," Thalia explained, it was the only way to describe what it was like.