"I don't know what to do!" The petite brunette exclaimed, bringing her blonde companion to a sudden halt. Her head whipped around to gaze at the distraught young girl, her eyes filling with sympathy as she walked back her arms wrapping around the shivering form of the girl. "Thea…" Felicity whispered quietly, trying to break the girl out of her guilty musings, a trait she seemed to share with her brother.
"I ran away…" Thea interrupted, her voice broken, "how could I do that to him? He finally opened up to me, told me everything…everything that there was to know and I ran..."
"Thea, you reacted instinctively. Its ok, it happens. He'll understand," Felicity whispered, her palms rubbing up and down the younger girls' arms to soothe her trembling.
"Will he?"
"Thea…"
"How can he understand this?" Thea said pointing to herself, her drenched leather ensemble glistening in the incandescent lights of Felicity's living room. "I did not…" the young girl wailed. Depositing the distraught girl on her couch and disentangling herself from her, Felicity finally made her way to the kitchen.
She returned a few minutes later, a warm mug of hot cocoa in her hand to find the young girl curled in on herself. Her hysterics having subsided, only little sniffles could be heard coming from the direction of the couch. "Drink," she ordered, helping Thea up. "It'll help get you warm and calm you down as well."
"I don't…"
"Drink," Felicity ordered.
Quietly taking the warm cup from the blondes hands Thea moved to the corner of the couch, folding in on herself, her small palms encasing the cup in her trembling hands. She dutifully sipped at the bitter liquid, tendrils of warmth spreading through her as the liquid made its way down her throat. "She was right," Thea spoke suddenly, her quiet voice breaking the silence that had taken over the two girls while the younger girl finished her drink.
"Who was?"
"Talia," the brunette replied, her eyes unfocused as her mind drifted to the conversation she had with the masked woman not a few days ago on the rooftop of some building. "She told me I was wrong, that I would regret this. She was right…" her voice trailing off, the images in her mind flashing by, remembering the quiet confidence with which the woman held herself, her sweet voice unmasked unlike her brothers', when he was in his suit.
She remembered the quiet determination and fierce power she had felt emanating from the woman in waves and how she had envied her for it, wanting to be just like her. Even through all that, it had been the immense kindness in her blue eyes that had thrown her, that had surprised her the most, the same kindness that she could see in Felicity's eyes right now. And that's when it hit her…the kindness, all that Talia had known about her brother, the way she had spoken about him, with such love and reverence, the same way Felicity spoke about her brother and the way her brother looked at Felicity with the same emotions reflected back.
She remembered how her brother had looked at Talia for the brief moment she had seen them together, seeing the same look in his eyes that she had noticed him directing towards the blonde genius sitting in front of her, clutching her hand in hers, providing her comfort. She knew now that she had made the right decision in coming her, all pieces of the puzzle that was her brothers chosen life finally falling into place in her head, giving her a clearer picture of everyone that her brother held close with such fierceness. "…you were right," She whispered, the words falling from her mouth as the realization had finally struck her. How much Felicity meant to her brother, how the small wisp of a woman had stood by his side, as his partner, with a firmness that had once surprised her, and now she saw the love behind it, the love of a friend, of a partner, of a lover.
"Malcolm was just playing with my head," she continued, her mind working a mile a minute to place the broken pieces of her life in a clear pattern, giving her the vision which was once limited by her own blindness, "I never really had control over my own life. Malcolm…he controlled me, used my emotions and my heartbreak against me."
"He knew!" Thea suddenly raged, her silent purr growing into a roar. "He knew that it was my brother under that hood, obviously he did. Why else would he want me to kill him!?" her feet landed back on the ground in a wet thud, her eyes widening as her anger spilled out of her, her breaths leaving her in a heavy puff as her chest heaved with her agitation.
"For all my big words," the words leaving her in one last furious huff, her body sagging in surrender as tiny water crystals formed under her eyelids, she turned to face Felicity, "I knew I wouldn't be able to kill him. But I guess I just wanted to prove to him," the confession leaving her in a quiet whimper she continued, "and to me that I could do it. That I could be strong and unflinching and all that I had asked him to train me to be. I forgot along the way that I didn't ever want to be a killer, I just didn't want to be helpless ever again."
Felicity's eyes became heavier with grief as she listened to the young Queen break, she watched her fragile heart break, which caused the young girls' body to rack with heart wrenching sobs as she finally let it all out. The agony of the past several years coming back, haunting Thea's every labored breath, her mind playing repressed memories on a loop - The news of the death of her father and brother, their funerals, her brother coming back but just not the same man that he once was, the undertaking, her mother in jail, the trial, the vacant blue eyes of the woman who birthed her, nurtured and protected her until her last breath, performing one last act of love as she took a sword to her chest to protect her children, her brothers insistent crying, him begging the maniac to let his family go, to kill him but let his family go, the voices played around in her head threatening her sanity.
"Shhh…it's all going to be ok Thea," Felicity murmured , once again encasing the girl in her arms, letting her breakdown in the confines of her home, rocking her gently as Thea finally let go of her tightly reigned in emotions.
"No it's not…" Thea sniffled quietly clinging to Felicity like a lifeline.
"It is," Felicity said, suddenly disentangling herself from the distraught girl. "It's time I showed you something, I think…what do you think? Are you up for it?"
"I…"
"Believe me, it'll be worth it. Come on," Felicity said smiling encouragingly, pulling the girl out her door, but not before grabbing an umbrella and a spare coat for Thea.
"We're here. Come on." Felicity said, stepping out of her mini cooper and opening the door to the passenger side.
"And where is here?"
"It's the temporary headquarters of Team Arrow until we secure Verdant's premises and up the security in our original lair!" Felicity replied brightly, walking ahead of her, her quick steps echoing around the silent block.
"Lair?!"
"Oliver hates me calling it a lair," Felicity answered, whispering conspiratorially as she looked behind her to throw a wink at the younger girl, "but I think he's warming to it himself now."
"I…" Thea paused in her questions as her mind blanked when a heavy metal door opened to give way into a dark opening. Looking around she realized she hadn't noticed when they had come to a stop at the hidden entrance of dilapidated building. The sound of the rhythmic beating of wood against wood that suddenly filled her surroundings had Thea's head snapping towards the sound. Her feet moved on their own accord and climbed down the stairs into a dank basement made of concrete and steel.
Her eyes squinted through the light shining in the middle of the floor to back of the large room cloaked in darkness. The inky black covering the walls, only showing the tall powerful silhouette of a man dancing around the wooden dummies placed around the area. The wooden staffs, held lightly in the palms of his hands, swung as his wrists directed assault after assault at the unresponsive dummy.
"Ollie?" Thea called out uncertainly.
The sudden stop in the staccato confirming her suspicions, urging her forward, her feet moved carrying her with a pace unknown to her, her arms spreading as she crashed into her brothers chest letting out a heart wrenching sob. Her eyes felt grainy as she let another assault of tears go, giving in to the emotions she had thought made her weak. She felt his strong arms surrounding her, his warmth enveloping her in a safe cocoon as his chin came down to rest on her head exhaling a heavy puff of breath. Tightening his arms around her he let the emotions, the agony, the anger go as he held his baby sister in his arms again, just like when she was a child, when she wanted to be comforted, a small scratch or the mean words of a peer having upset her.
"So we were called here at this ungodly hour, for this?!"
"Oh please dad, stop with the dramatics already. No hour is too ungodly for you…" Felicity replied exasperatedly.
"Oh you wound me my child…"
Rolling her eyes at her father's theatrics, Felicity interrupted her father, "You woke me at three in the morning every day for a month to teach me to use menial objects around us to use as defense in case of an attack and when I passed that test you," she said pointing a glance towards her father, her eyebrows raised in challenge, goading her father to contest her next words, "would send your cronies at odd hours of the morning to orchestrate an attack on me so I could learn how to defend myself even after being woken up harshly from a slumber, so much so that sleep too seemed like a villain to me, making me utterly restless when I should have been resting." she finished in a deadpan.
"And look how well you did with that!"
"I was twelve!" Felicity exclaimed outrageously.
"Now, now young lady don't be such a crybaby. You can defend yourself with only a tube of toothpaste if you so need, and who do you have to thank for that!"
"Father you're wasting precious time!" Felicity interrupted her father, exasperated with his behavior. "If you don't want to do this you're welcome to leave."
"Oh my precious girl has grown up!" Ra's exclaimed with exaggerated movements.
"Father!"
"All I'm saying, is that my little girl has grown up quite a lot in the past several years that now she doesn't believe in talking to her father with the manners that she was taught to show towards her elders…"
"Fine…I'm sorry for being disrespectful. I apologize. Now, can we get back to why I called everyone here at this "ungodly hour" as you so helpfully put it?!" She gestured to the gathered group. Her eyes falling to every member of her surrogate family that had shown up to the basement without questions, everyone understanding the emergency of the situation as they reached their base of operations on record time of her summoning them.
"Of course my darling…why would you need my permission for such a…"
"Urgghh…" Ra's was interrupted by Felicity's irritated growl, his smile growing as he watched amusedly his daughter take deep breaths to try to control her anger. Oliver and the rest of the team watched from the sidelines as Felicity brought her breathing under control. Her eyes closed and fists clenched, she attracted the concerned gazes of her two boys, Diggle coming to stand on her side, a firm presence as Oliver walked towards her wrapping her shoulders in a strong one armed embrace. He heard her murmuring, something Oliver recognized as her counting backwards the soft whispers bringing a wistful smile to his face.
"Alright so Thea's here…" Felicity spoke, as she finally calmed down.
"Yes, we see…the prodigal sister has returned! What about it?"
"FATHER! You are really testing my patience…"
"Fine…fine…I'll stay quiet," Ra's said placatingly, even moving his fingers over his lips in a zipping gesture. The present company watched unbelievingly as the most feared man in the world acted like a teenager for the benefit of his daughter.
"Thank you! Thea…why don't you take over? You would be able to explain everything in better detail than I would…" Felicity asked Thea, looking towards her where she stood, her back rigid as if waiting for an attack.
"Sure," she replied. Thankful for the older woman being there to support her she finally spoke, to her former friends with whom she hoped she could connect once again as soon as this nightmare was over, "I think that would be better…we don't want bloodshed where it isn't needed now do we?!" she hesitantly quipped trying to lighten the blow she was to deliver.
At the unamused expressions directed her way she deflated, her eyes flitting anxiously as she wrung her hands in a gesture of nervousness, starting to say what she had planned to the group assembled before her, "Right… So as you all know I have been away…"
"That's putting it lightly…" Roy stage whispered coming to stand beside a stoic Diggle, letting some of his bitterness towards the current status of their relationship show. A glare from Felicity shuts him up quickly.
Sending a glare as well towards her former flame, Thea continued, pretending she hadn't been interrupted, "with Malcolm," she sighs quietly. "Over the course of the six months he taught me things, taught me to withstand pain, don't ask how too long a story, taught me to fight and everything. He did all of that and finally when the time came and when I thought I was ready he gave me an assignment. To prove to him I was ready I was to capture and kill the Arrow."
"We already know that Thea… and we may not understand…," Sara put in. "We all have done questionable things in our time so believe me when I say you won't face any judgment here…"
"If this is why you have called us here, I don't understand why am I needed? My dear daughter…"
"If you would let her speak you would know why you were called here…" this time it was Nyssa who spoke up, lightly scolding her father for his impatience.
"Do not…"
"I appreciate you saying that Sara." Thea spoke, trying to avoid an argument from escalating again. "If only the bastard wouldn't have forgotten to tell me that the Arrow was really my ownbrother, we might be meeting in better circumstances."
"So why are we here? I'm sure you can figure out the family drama amongst yourselves!"
"Father," Felicity pointedly called, rubbing her temples to stave off the oncoming headache, "Enough…"
"You are here," Thea jumped to the point sensing the growing agitation in the group at Ra's' continuous interruptions, "because after I had passed my test we were to complete an assignment of his making."
Taking a deep breath, Thea steels herself for what's to come out of her mouth next, "Malcolm…plans on taking over the league from you," she says her eyes locking with Ra's.
An incredulous laugh sounded around the dank basement, the quiet of the lair heightening the hoarse sound coming from the jaws of the demon's head. The lairs inhabitants turned their heads watching with incredulity as the leader of the League of assassins let go of his booming cackle, his hands spread wide as he lost himself to a joke only he was privy to.
"Do you really think little girl," Ra's' voice boomed, his laughter subsiding, his voice dropping to a timbre, the lethal tone sending shivers down the spines of everyone present, "that a tiny little thing like you," Ra's spoke taking a thundering step towards Thea, "along with just a man could have ever taken over the compounds of Nanda Parbat?!"
"Not just the two of us! He said he had an army!" Thea exclaimed stopping Ra's in his pursuit.
"Why would he even tell you this?" Diggle asked.
"Because he wanted me to be ready," Thea replied, a little aggravated. "He wanted me to be ready."
"In six months!" Ra's exclaimed, closing the distance between himself and Thea in two steps, only to stop as Oliver came to stand in front of his sister blocking her from his view. "I'm sorry little girl," he said, his voice a mere whisper, moving in a circle to lock his eyes onto the brunettes, his voice echoing in her ears like venom as she avoided looking at the man, "but unfortunately I believe your so called father was planning to march you to an early death," Ra's finished, his breath ghosting over the petite girl's neck as he came to a halt behind her. Her eyes stared deep into the abyss of the Demon's heads apertures as she turned around fully, the clear dark lens giving her a view into his dark twisted soul.
The ungodly calm his words were said in froze the very blood running through her veins. Her eyes tearing up in fear she whimpered, her hands trembling she looked for purchase as her feet started to give out on her. A fear so deep, she hadn't in forever took a seed in her heart, spreading its roots quickly as thoughts of the past, present and the would be future flashed through her consciousness, even with the warmth of her brothers arms surrounding her, pulling her away from the Demon himself couldn't pull her out of the funk she found herself falling into.
"You feel the terror, little girl…" Ra's spoke, his voice every bit as terrifying as a devils, his stance rigid as he looked upon the girl gazing upon him from between brother's arms.
"Father stop!" Felicity called, stepping between her father and Thea, blocking her completely from his glare.
"I have stood here and listened to you and your friends my dear Talia, out of an obligation towards you," Ra's spoke his voice still spitting venom with a calm unlike a few minutes ago when he had just entered, too impatient to let anyone complete a single sentence, he continued as he looked upon his daughter. "Now this puny little thing," He continued, stepping closer, looking down at her, his eyes as blank and dark as charcoal, "stands before me and tells me she and her fugitive father intend to destroy ME! RA's. AL. GHUL!" Ra's thundered as he stood perfectly still his eyes never leaving Felicity's even as his eldest daughter stepped beside her sister, her palm closing around the hilt of her sword, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"She did not say that! She was warning you of what another man, not her, had in plans for you and your band of merry men…"
"Do not mock me now child!" Ra's interrupted Felicity. "You know very well how I take to being mocked!"
"Yes I do! I was there when you tortured and killed in your name. When people who so much as stood up to you, so much as raised a voice against your methods were done away with because God forbid people use their brains!
"You will not speak any more or…
"Or what Father? You'll kill me? Torture me?"
"Talia, you are crossing a line you don't anything about crossing," he said quietly stepping into Felicity's space. As he looked down into his daughter's eyes his ears perked with the sound of a sword being unsheathed, it's metallic glide clashing with a bow string tightening around its archer's finger, an arrow at the ready, the sound of two glocks being cocked and a bo staff extending mixing with the sounds of more swords unsheathing.
"I see… so this is how you bid farewell to your father this time Talia?"
"You are the one making a bigger deal out of nothing!"
"I do no such thing Talia," Ra's spoke moving away, his eyes flitted away from hers, his gaze locking on his hounds, Kyle, "الاستيلاءعلىامرأةسمراء. سوفنحتاجلها. (Grab the brunette. We'll need her.)
"لا (No.) You will not take Thea anywhere with you…أنالنتسمحلك! (I won't let you!)"
At Felicity's exclamation everybody in the basement tensed. Ready to take a stand, to protect their own. "I'll return her to you with no harm done to her person السهم (Arrow)."
"Why do you need her? You are capable of capturing Malcolm Merlyn on your own father, then why do you need a little girl?" Nyssa asked, finally breaking her silence. Throughout the night she had observed, on alert, taking in the postures and movements of every one of her father's men and her father himself.
"Oh my dear Nyssa, you as well?!" Ra's asked, his eyes falling on his eldest, still armed with her sword, "She, if you must know, is bait."
"You don't need one…" Nyssa baited.
"Oh but I do!"
"She is an innocent father…" Felicity spoke, stepping beside her sister.
"I won't lay a finger on her my darling, you have my word."
"No you won't! But your men could, don't play your games with us father, we know you…" she looked on as her father chuckled humorlessly, but continued, "you have never ever hurt an innocent why are you…"
"Guess again my darling…" Ra's interrupted her again. "I have lived for a century, Talia, do you really think…are you really that naïve to think I am who I am, that I became who I became by sparing menial unimportant lives?!" Her father asked her, his voice quiet. For the first time since she had known her father she was afraid of what he could do to her. There had been a time that she had feared her father, been terrified of him but had never been terrified of being hurt physically by him. All that came to a crashing end as she looked into the eyes of her maker. The cold, dark, blank eyes scared her more than death itself ever could.
"This has been a waste of time," Ra's suddenly spoke, his voice back to its normal growl as he turned away heading back to his gathered group, continuing to talk as he made his way to them, "I have indulged you and your friends for long enough! I…"
"Thea stays," Felicity spoke over her father moving quickly to stand in front of the terrified girl, slipping a dagger from her sister's belt as she passed her, Oliver moving closer to Thea, her team coming in to support her, surrounding Thea and Oliver from all sides. The terrified brunette herself grabbed one of the glocks from Diggle, getting ready to protest herself, letting go of the fear just as she had learned to do in the past six months.
"Fine…I will make do." Ra's submitted, turning around to look at his daughters, his face clear of any emotions as he regarded the women, his eyes moving to the man behind them, inside the circle that the small group had created he stood protecting his sister with his life, the man who had stolen his youngest's heart. "You have to promise my dear Talia," he said, his eyes returning to stare into his daughters', "to stay away as I deliver a justice long awaited and I shall make sure that no harm will come to your lover's sister." Felicity gave a small nod, affirming her promise to stay away from her father's mission.
Satisfied, Ra's looked to Oliver as he spoke, "Your sister is now safe السهم (Arrow)," stopping at the stairs. He walked out his words echoing around the concrete basement, the assassins clad in black and brown following closely behind.
"We really need to get those men a reality check!" Felicity exclaimed pacing around the length of the basement. "I mean seriously what is up with all this dramatic flaring and…exiting!"
"Yeah well that's just your dad I don't know anyone else who does this shit…" Thea helpfully provided, earning an elbow in the ribs by Roy as he scowled at the brunette.
"Thea your father is called the Magician for a reason," Felicity shot back, humor lacing her words as she raised her eyebrows at the brunette, receiving a begrudged shrug from Thea in acceptance of her statement.
"So what do we do now?" Diggle asked looking at Felicity and Oliver.
"Let Ra's handle him…" Thea replied easily. "You did promise him to stay away," she supplied looking at Felicity when everyone directed disbelieving gazes at her.
"There is no way my father would ever let him go without the punishment he deems worthy for him. If he's lucky he'll die a quick death," Felicity replied, looking Thea in the eye, a frown marring her forehead.
"And if he isn't lucky?" Thea asked
"Then he'll die an extremely painful and slow death."
"Then I hope he isn't lucky," Thea said, acerbically.
"No!" Oliver thundered suddenly, breaking his silence as he looked towards his sister. He walked coming to stand beside the sitting form of the brunette, Roy who had been sitting alongside moved away as he saw Oliver approach. "He is your father Thea…"
"Not a very good one!"
"No, he isn't…but he is still your father," Oliver said patiently, coming to sit on the balls of his feet opposite Thea, taking her hands in his as he tried to reason with her.
"He lied to me. He almost had me kill you…"
"And you were ready to!" Oliver exclaimed stopping Thea in her diatribe. "Thea he may have manipulated you but you let yourself be manipulated. He is at fault there is no doubt about it. There is nothing in this world that can redeem him for what he's done to us…done to you. But I won't have the guilt of you letting your father die weigh in on you…"
"It's my life, my decision, Ollie!" Thea angrily exclaimed getting up from her seat near the computer consoles, her feet spreading as if readying herself for an attack.
"No! Not today…" Oliver shot back looking into his sister's eyes as he came to stand opposite her, facing the venom he could see brewing in her hazel brown eyes. "Ollie…"
"You're not thinking clearly…all you feel right now is hatred and believe me Thea once the haze of hate clears away you will regret this. You will regret sending your father to his deathbed."
"No I won't! Because I will never stop hating that man," Thea ground out through clenched teeth.
"Thea," Oliver whispered brokenly, his palms circling his little sisters jaw, holding it firmly he spoke, "You have grown up. You are an intelligent smart woman and I am nothing but proud of you. What you have been through? You didn't let it break you…you may have lost your way once in a while but you always found your way home. But you have to understand what you are about to let happen…you can never come back from that. Both of our parents our dead because of me, and that guilt…that is something I have to live with and I don't want that for you."
Her eyes stared into the cerulean depths of her brothers, seeing the sincerity there but her heart had turned into stone. His words not reaching the inner recesses but sticking to its shell like moss. Growing and covering it, trying to get through any cracks it can find. But she wasn't ready to let it enter. Her mind interfering, playing images of her fighting her brother, almost killing him, the rage of the past that she had let out on the Arrow previously now clouding her mind to rationality.
The world now seemed more black and white than the grays and hues that it used to shine in for her before her mother was killed in front of her eyes, before a masked man had attacked her in a chaotic station, before her long dead father had returned from the grave and offered her a salvation she didn't know existed. The salvation that she had once seeked so desperately but now seemed more like a curse.
"No. He dies."
Yes, I'm back! Never went anywhere really just got super busy…life, work, etc. Anyways I hope you liked this chapter, do leave a review and tell me what you think about it. Just about two more chapters to go, although if I can I may even finish the story in one chapter….let's see how that goes.
Thanks to my amazing beta Mathlover15 for being patient and listening (more like reading) all my babbles and various ideas…seriously it gets difficult to sort one idea from another sometimes and you girl are a God given gift. Thanks for all your help.
A big thanks to my readers for being patient with me and since it's been long I may not remember if I have replied all my reviews guest or not so this is a collective thank you to all you reviewers for taking out the time and leaving a comment, it means a lot to me. And thanks for being so nice and generous with your words.
I would babble about the new trailers and the upcoming Olicity proposal (YAYYYYYYYYIIEEEE!) but well then I wouldn't stop and the word count would increase unnecessarily ;). Anyways see you guys again soon…
Lots of Love,
D