Chapter 6: Fighting the Good Fight
*****A Week Later*****
It didn't take Felicity long to set up the new base at the Queen mansion. It blew her mind to discover exactly how brilliant her new sister was. In fact, it quickly became apparent that Willow might even be her superior. However, Willow was so impressed with the various softwares that Felicity had created during her Arrow-helping time that she didn't have too much time to dwell on the possibility that she wasn't the best around. Willow just had a way about her that made Felicity feel good about herself. Her mother never got this side of her. More than once she'd told Felicity she was her father's daughter in the brain and tech department. However, her dad had left when she was too young to really learn much from him. Willow, though, had no problem keeping up with her. The hole inside her since her father left began to fill. More and more the depression she'd been fighting began to recede.
Xander had six slayers at the mansion at any given time it seemed. At first, Roy and Dig were wary of the intruders. However, they watched the girls train and finally began to relax. A few of them might've looked like little girls, but they fought like Sara Lance would've. It had been hard to lose Oliver both because they loved him and because of his skill. The slayers, though, were vicious fighters. When they weren't patrolling or eating, they loved training. Roy, Dig, and Thea were learning more from them every day.
During the first week, Roy and Dig both spent a lot of time with Xander. He showed them and Thea how to kill vampires and demons. They found him a strange combination of cold ruthlessness and oddly timed humor. Cracking jokes while killing monsters was very strange for them.
He couldn't have been more different from Oliver if they had searched the world over for Oliver's opposite. As they went out to fight, he showed them how to push back the darkness. For the first time in months, the team began to smile. They had hope again.
More importantly to the guys, Felicity began to smile. Having their light back made both Dig and Roy more willing to put up with all the new changes in stride. It was clear to them that Felicity loved having a sister. Watching her with Willow was both strange and amusing. She was a babbler like Felicity and loved technology just as much.
Roy was mystified when he saw them together. Dig came up behind him as he watched the sisters at the computer.
"It's like a redheaded twin or something," Roy said in bemusement. "I thought Felicity was one of a kind."
"Oh, she is," Dig insisted. "Willow and she may have similarities, but the witch is not our Felicity. She's got blood on her hands. I can see it when I look at her."
"The slayers do seem unusually subservient to her," Roy said. "I thought it was just respect for her relationship with the head slayer, Buffy, they're always talking about."
"No, it's more than that. They fear and respect her in her own right," Dig said. He watched Willow at the keyboard—she was just as fast as Felicity. It was a strange sight.
"Dig, you should see Willow's firewalls! They're insane!" Felicity gushed.
"Finally, someone who speaks your language," Roy said, smiling. As Felicity beamed in happiness, Roy and Dig exchanged a grateful look. Losing Oliver and Ray so close together almost broke Felicity. Now she was on the mend, and they were so relieved.
After several days, things began to feel routine. Felicity and Willow would monitor the comms. They would split into two teams, each taking a different side of the Glades.
Thea was out with the slayers—they'd all but adopted her. That left Xander with Roy and Dig.
"I'm starving," Xander complained after they had spent an hour patrolling.
"I could use a bite," Roy agreed. He took off his mask and pulled back his hood.
"There's a Big Belly Burger around the corner," Dig suggested.
"I'm sick of burgers," Xander complained.
Both Dig and Roy stopped and looked at him in surprise. "Sick of burgers? Are you feeling ill?" Roy asked.
"I'm from California. We like other things besides burgers! Like pizza! I need pizza!" Xander insisted.
"Pizza works for me," Roy said with a shrug. Dig changed direction, leading them to a decent pizza place.
"So what's the deal with you and Thea?" Xander asked after he'd eaten three slices and was starting on his first.
"She loved me, and I screwed it up," Roy said glumly.
"Been there, done that," Xander said with sympathy.
"I was working with Oliver, but he wouldn't let me tell her the truth. All the lying finally destroyed what we had," Roy shared.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Dig interjected. "She still loves you."
"So Oliver decided your relationship with your girlfriend, huh?" Xander said, a note of disapproval in his voice.
"He was a bit of a control freak," Roy said with a sad smile.
"I guess that's understandable after everything he went through," Xander acknowledged.
"I wish that Thea had never went off with Malcolm Merlyn. He's the reason for all of this. He's the reason Oliver's dead," Roy said bitterly.
"But if Oliver had been honest with his sister from the beginning, she wouldn't have went off with him, though, right?" Xander pointed out.
Dig grunted at the pointed truth. "Oliver wasn't perfect, but he gave his life for this city and his sister. You can't ask for more than that," Dig said.
"No, you can't," Xander agreed.
It was a pensive group that left the restaurant. Distracted with their thoughts, they were caught off guard by a group of thugs.
"Give us your wallets!" the leader said, pointing a gun.
Xander groaned. "I'm never going to live this down!" he complained.
There were six of them, and three of them had guns. Not good odds. "Easy," Dig called out.
He reached inside his pants slowly and pulled out his wallet.
"Guys, what's going on?" Felicity asked on the comms.
"We're being robbed," Roy announced.
"What?" Felicity asked, surprised.
"Please don't shoot us with your guns!" Xander called out loudly, so the girls would know what was happening.
"Guns? They have guns?" Felicity asked worriedly.
"Do you boys need me to come save you?" Willow asked in amusement.
Xander rolled his eye. "Great. That's all I need! I'll never hear the end of it!"
"Give us your wallets and shut your mouths!" the goon ordered.
An arrow in one of the gun-toting guy's chest exploded the scene. Xander knew it wasn't Roy, but he took advantage and disarmed the guy closest to him. Dig and Roy did the same, going after the two left holding guns. The last one ran off.
Xander looked around. "Who shot the arrow?" he asked, angry.
"It wasn't me," Roy said.
"One guess," Dig said sourly.
"Malcolm Merlyn! Come out from whatever rock you're hiding under!" Xander called out.
"You're welcome," Malcolm said, stepping out of the shadow.
"Killing humans isn't what we do!" Xander said, stepping in his space. All traces of the laidback joker gone.
"I'm not a member of your team, remember? I don't answer to you," Malcolm said flatly.
"Then why are you here shooting arrows into humans on our behalf?" Xander asked pointedly.
"I hate thieves," Malcolm said in disgust. Memories of his beloved wife never far away when he was in the Glades.
"I'll give a thousand wallets before I'll kill some kid," Xander said. "Do something like that again, and I'll find a reason to put you down like Felicity wants."
After one final look of disgust, they left Malcolm in the Glades while they went back to the mansion.
"Are you okay?" Willow asked, jumping up as they came in.
"I'm fine, Will," Xander said. "Thanks to Malcolm Merlyn." His anger was apparent.
"He saved you, though, right?" Willow pointed out.
"From losing some money? What a hero!" Xander said snidely. "He can't do that, Will. We have enough problems in this city without him killing teenagers!"
"They did have guns. They could've killed you," Willow argued.
"Merlyn is a loose cannon," Dig interrupted.
"He's Thea's father," Roy reminded them.
"An accident of birth, nothing more," Felicity said. "Thea was raised and loved by Mr. Queen. That was the father she knew and loved. Malcolm killed Tommy. We should do the world a favor and end him. He's the reason the Glades is this bad, and he's the reason Oliver is dead!"
Willow put her arm on Felicity's shoulder. "Easy, little sister. Malcolm's a weapon—one we might need. He'll get what's coming to him. Evil always does," she said.
"So we should keep his evil ass alive why?" Felicity asked pointedly.
"Because we don't kill humans," Xander said with a smirk of amusement.
"He's not human!" Felicity protested.
A message came in from Thea, interrupting the argument. "Willow, the girls think you need to come check out some suspicious witchy business," Felicity told her.
"Witchy business?" Roy asked with interest.
"Text me the location," Willow said.
"I'm going to head home to my girls," Dig said, saying goodnight.
Roy decided to go with Willow while Felicity and Xander stayed behind. It was really the first time the pair had been alone together since they met.
"So how was it growing up in Vegas?" Xander asked.
Felicity shrugged. "It was okay. My mom was and still is a cocktail waitress, so I spent a lot of time around gamblers," she said.
"Did you pick up any skills?" Xander asked with interest.
"I learned how to count cards by the time I was ten," she said. "Of course, Vegas security is so tight that you can't get away with that for long."
"I bet," Xander said. "We've got a slayer house in Vegas. It's a popular place for vamps because they're so many tourists."
"Suddenly, my whole childhood seems much scarier," Felicity said with a shudder.
"Sorry," Xander told her. "At least you got to live yours in relative ignorance. Wish I could say the same."
"Do you really? Wish you didn't know?" Felicity asked, curious.
Xander sat down in the chair next to her that Willow had vacated when she left. "No, I don't. Buffy coming to Sunnydale changed my life. She not only saved our lives, she gave us a purpose and calling. I didn't have to look at my alcoholic parents and think that's all there was anymore. I didn't have to be just the loser with only two friends anymore," Xander shared.
"It had to have been scary, though," Felicity said, trying to imagine living in such a place.
"It was. But when your best friend becomes a vampire and you have no choice but to kill him, life takes on a whole new meaning," Xander said.
Felicity reached over and squeezed his hand. "I'm so sorry!" she said, her compassion causing her to reach out.
Xander looked down at their entwined hands in surprise. "It was a long time ago," he said. He squeezed her hand and let go. She was so compassionate, so kind. In so many ways, he saw his crayon-loving best friend in her. In others, she was unique, unlike any other. "So are you ready to head out? Willow and the girls will go home and crash when they're done. They probably won't come here."
Unlike the Arrow team, the slayers didn't always touch base with Felicity before calling it a night. It annoyed her, but she got it. They were their own thing. "Yeah, I guess we should pack it up," she said with a sigh. Both of them got up at the same time, causing them to brush up against one another.
"Oh, sorry!" Felicity exclaimed, flushing.
Xander immediately stepped back. "It's okay. I'm used to beautiful women throwing themselves against me!" he quipped. "Normally, it's to beat me good, but, hey—I'll take my cheap thrills where I can!"
Felicity giggled, finding him ridiculous. She relaxed. He quickly turned the potentially awkward situation around, and she appreciated him more and more.
Xander played the gentleman and walked her to her car after they locked up the place. Of course, she didn't know that he followed her home to make sure she was safe. John Diggle had made it very clear that if anything happened to Felicity there was no slayer he could hide behind. It didn't take, though, a threat from Dig for him to make sure she arrived safely. She was Willow's sister—she was family.
******A Few Days Later******
Felicity left work, intending to go home and change before heading to the Queen mansion. However, she got a notification on her phone. Someone tripped one of the alarms that she'd left back at Verdant. Felicity paused, not sure what to do. Finally, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Willow letting her know where she was going.
"I will just take a quick peek. No heroics for me," she said aloud.
Her phone rang as she parked onto the street. No back alleys for her. Dig would be annoyed enough as it was.
"Where are you?" Roy asked.
"I'm pulling into Verdant. An alarm was tripped, so I thought I'd check it out," Felicity said.
"Are you insane? You don't do that kind of thing by yourself or at all!" Roy yelled.
"It's not dark. Relax. I'm just looking around," Felicity said defensively.
"There are other bad guys besides vampires, Felicity!" Roy fumed. "Stay where you are. I'm a few blocks away."
"Fine," Felicity grumbled.
"I mean it—don't you get out of the car!" Roy warned before hanging up. The thought of Felicity in danger made him crazy. She was the glue that bonded them all together, and he loved her like a sister. They'd lost enough. He couldn't bear it if anything happened to her.
Felicity stayed in the car, keeping an eye out. She didn't see any movement, but she still wanted to check it out. When she saw Roy, she opened the car door.
"Glad to see you're not inside without me," he said sourly.
"Hey, I can be careful!" Felicity protested.
Roy rolled his eyes and led her to the backside of the club. "It looks like the place is still locked up," Roy said.
"Yeah," Felicity said, frowning. She used her code to get inside. The place seemed abandoned. She used her cellphone as a flashlight, lighting up the way that led down to their former lair.
"What are you doing?" Roy asked in disapproval.
"We're here. We might as well check it out," she said, going down the stairs.
Roy gave a loud sigh and followed after her, tense and ready for a fight. Felicity turned on the light, and he relaxed. However, something hit him hard, knocking him down. Before he could see who or what it was, he was hit again. Everything went black.
Felicity gasped as she recognized Laurel. "Stop!" she yelled as Laurel hit Roy several times. "Please, stop, Laurel! Don't!"
Laurel stood up, looking like herself and not the vampire she was. It made Felicity sick to know the demon still wore her friend's face. "I knew little miss curious wouldn't be able to resist checking things out," Laurel said with a laugh. "I hoped you'd come alone, but I know how protective your boys are. Poor little Felicity. She's so brilliant and fragile. We must protect her."
"What do you want?" Felicity asked coldly.
"So where are you guys playing at these days? Not being able to go out in the daytime really puts a cramp in the spying," Laurel said with a smirk.
"None of your business," Felicity said.
"Guess you're busy with the new team members, huh?" Laurel asked. "Oliver's body is barely cold, and you've already replaced him."
"Don't you dare mention his name!" Felicity snarled. She reached in her purse and grabbed her cross, holding it up as a shield.
"Oh, is that all you got?" Laurel asked, moving closer. "I'm trying to decide if I want to kill you or turn you."
"How about I make it easy for you?" a voice behind them said.
Felicity sagged in relief as she saw Willow.
"Let me kill Felicity, and I'll be right with you," Laurel said with false sweetness.
"No one hurts my sister," Willow said as she held up her hand. A green spark flew from her to Laurel, binding her.
Roy came to just in time to see Willow take control of Laurel. Relieved, he got up and went to Felicity's side. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
"Yes, she didn't get a chance to touch me," she said. She looked at him in concern. "How about you?"
Roy winced. "I'll live," he said, annoyed the vampire had gotten the drop on him. "This wasn't a good idea."
"I think it's time we ended the threat this vampire poses," Willow said. "She knows too much about you guys."
"She was one of us," Felicity said sadly. "We can't just kill her. It's not her fault."
"Your friend is already dead," Willow said, not without compassion. "This is the demon who killed her. Now it's time I do the same."
Roy and Felicity said nothing as they knew it was inevitable.
"Stop!" a voice called out.
They saw Malcolm step out of the shadows, but it hadn't been his voice calling out.
Felicity stepped forward, unable to believe what she was seeing. The woman standing next to Malcolm was too familiar.
"Sara?" Felicity asked in wonder.
Roy looked on in disbelief as Sara Lance stepped out of the shadows and stood next to Malcolm.
******To Be Continued******