Chapter 18: Catching Check

3 weeks and 4 days until deadline

Tommy closed his eyes and tried to block out all the sounds of everyone around him. Check had Jess. Check had Jess and he had no idea where or how to help her.

Tommy took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes.

They had come straight from the theatre to the lair, everyone in full swing looking at Jess's kidnapping from all angles. Connor and his mum were working away on their computers looking for anything that could lead them to Jess. Sara sat with Layla's arms wrapped round her, she looked terrified. Andy had hit the streets to talk to his contacts. His dad was by Roy's side making plans. Tommy had no idea what to do, he couldn't think past the fact that Check had Jess.

"I found something." Connor called out.

Tommy's feet moved without thinking as everyone gathered around Connor.

"This is from the camera across the street from the theatre car park." Connor told them.

The camera was at a bad angle and for a moment you could only see Jess's feet as she stepped out of the theatre. As she stepped further into the parking lot you could see her whole body.

"Can you get a better image?" He asked his brother.

Connor touched a few buttons before the camera zoomed in a little not much but enough that Tommy could now make out her facial expressions.

"Audio?" his mum asked.

Connor shook his head.

Tommy looked back at the video just as Check came into view. He looked cocky as he walked towards Jess. Tommy wanted to scream at Jess to run but he knew it was too late.

Tommy could see the fear in Jess's eyes as Check spoke. He looked like he was having fun. Something in Jess changed and instead of looking afraid she just look mad.

"That's my girl, don't show him you're scared." Roy whispered proudly next to him.

Tommy watched her lips carefully as she spoke to Check hoping that he could somehow understand what she was saying to Check.

"He will come for more." She told Check, Tommy was sure of it.

Jess was trying to be brave because she believed in him and he would not let her down. He would find Check and make him pay for every going near Jess.

"What else?" Tommy demanded finding the strength he needed to do what needed to be done.

"We lose sight of them when Check pulls Jess further into the car park but from another camera we see a black SUV pulling out of the car park." Connor replied he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Felicity enhanced the shot as much as we could but it likes Check driving the car."

Tommy looked at the picture and nodded in agreement. It did look like Check driving.

"We think Check forced Jess into the SUV before taking her somewhere." Connor explained.

"Where?" Tommy demanded.

"We're working on it." Connor argued.

Tommy glared at his brother.

"Well work faster, I won't let him hurt her." Tommy said.

He had to get her back, he had to. He had to hold her in his arms, he had to kiss her again.


Jess closed her eyes and tried to get control over her heart-rate, she didn't want to give Check the satisfaction of knowing she was scared of him. She had to be strong until Tommy could get to her and there was no doubt in her mind that he would get to her.

Jess opened her eyes and looked round her prison cell. About half an hour ago Check had pulled up outside a rundown house. He had dragged her out the car with more force then necessary before shoving into a bedroom and locking the door closed. Her first instinct had been to look for some way to escape but Check was prepared at every turn. There were bars on the windows, locks on all the doors, there was no phone line or cell service. She was stranded all alone at the mercy of a mad man.

The door opened bringing Jess out of her thoughts.

Check strode back into the room, his face filled with purpose.

"You are going to call the Arrow and tell him where we are, you are going to tell him to come alone because if he doesn't I will kill you." Check spat through gritted teeth and Jess knew he meant it.

Jess swallowed hard.

"What are you going to do when he gets here?" Jess couldn't help but ask.

As much as she wanted Tommy to save her she wouldn't call him if that meant him getting hurt in the process.

Check laughed.

"You'll have to wait and see now call him." Check said handing her a phone.

"No." Jess said shaking her head.

She would not help bring Tommy into a trap.

Check's hand moved fast backhanding her with such force she fell to the ground.

Jess grabbed her cheek. She hadn't been expecting that.

Check stood over her, he held out the phone again.

"Call him." He ordered.

Jess winced as she shook her head. She knew he would hurt and eventually she knew she would break but first she would fight him for as long as she could.

Checks foot collide with her chest with such force Jess cried out. He was almost double her size, she wouldn't be able to hold out for long.


Tommy was losing hope with each passing minute and still they were getting nowhere.

"Give me something." Tommy begged his brother.

Tears pooled his eyes. He'd hadn't cried since he was a kid and yet now the hopeless was killing him.

"Tommy?" His father's voice called.

Tommy met his father's eyes and Tommy could see complete understanding. His dad had been in this situations more times than any of them would have liked.

"We're going to find her." His dad told him.

"How do you know that?" Tommy demanded.

He was desperate, terrified and so mad all at the same time. He had no idea what to do. Jess was his life and without her he was suffocating. Without her everything was just pointless.

"I should have left her alone." Tommy said aloud. The thought had been crossing his mind ever since Check took Jess. If she hadn't have been with him Check would have left her alone.

"Don't say that." His dad ordered.

"Why not?" Tommy asked.

"It's true." He added.

His dad shook his head.

"This was what Jess was talking about when she asked you to decide and you chose her don't forget that because you will spend the rest of your life regretting it if you do." His dad reminded him.

He knew his dad was right but that didn't stop Tommy from feeling guilty. He had to find a way to deal with his guilt.

"Tommy, your phones ringing." Connor called bringing Tommy out of his thoughts.

"Put it on speaker." Tommy demanded as he made his way over.

"Hello?" Tommy said.

"Tommy." Jess voice cried. She sounded so scared, so broken it broke his heart.

"I'll run a trace." Connor told them and Tommy nodded.

"Jess, tell me you're ok?" He begged.

"I'm ok." she promised, sounding anything but ok.

"Where are you baby?" he asked trying to keep his voice light.

"He told me to tell you have to come alone but it's a trap. Tommy, I am so sorry I tried to hold out for as long as I could." Jess sobbed telling him the address.

"You stupid bitch." A voice growled in the back ground before he heard Jess scream in pain.

His fist tightened at his side. She had got hurt trying to protect him. Tommy's was mad now when he found Check he was going to kill him.

"I love you Tommy, forever and always." She called before the phone went dead.

"Jess." Tommy screamed.

Nothing, not a single sound back.

"I'm going to kill him." Tommy said aloud and he meant every word of it.

"Tommy?" he mum called with such sorry in her voice.

Tommy ignored her and looked to his brother.

"Tell me you have a location." Tommy demanded.

Connor nodded and held up a piece of paper. Tommy took it from his brother's hand. He ran towards the stairs nothing was going to get in his way. Except of course Andy who walked in just as Tommy tried to leave.

Andy slammed the door closed behind him and stood in front of the door with his arms crossed.

"So what's your plan, run into whatever trap his got going on?" Andy asked sarcastically.

"He will kill her if anyone comes with me." Tommy argued.

"And he will kill you if we don't." Andy pointed out.

"I don't care." Tommy yelled in frustration and the room froze. He really didn't care. He would die a thousand times over if it mean that Jess would be safe.

"But Jess does." Roy voice called.

Tommy turned to look at him.

"Jess loves you with her whole heart and if anything happened to you she would die inside anyway." Roy told him.

Tommy shook his head.

"She would get over it." he reasoned but they both knew it was a lie.

Roy shook his head.

"She won't because she is just like me and I never could." Roy reminded him.

"It's been 17 years Tommy and I still miss Sin every single dam day." Roy told him.

"She broke when her mum died, so I am begging you do not save my daughter just so she can break again if something happens to you." Roy begged.

Tommy nodded slowly. He couldn't do that to Jess.

"What's your plan?" he asked.


Jess came to with a pounding headache and a metallic taste in her mouth. She sat up slowly and looked around. She was back in her prison room but at least she was alone.

Every fibre of her body hurt but nothing hurt worse than knowing Tommy was coming for her and if she knew him half as well as she thought she did, she knew he would come alone. She didn't know what Check had planned for Tommy but whatever it was, it made the creep sickeningly happy.

She managed to pull herself into some sort of sitting position but getting up alone was out of the question.

She hoped her family were doing ok. She bit back a sob as she thought of her dad, she prayed he knew that she was doing everything in her power to make it back to him alive and not leave him alone. She thought of Sara and her family and she ached to laugh with her best friend and family. She thought of Felicity and Oliver, she hoped she would get the chance to thank them for anything they had done for her and her dad as a kid. She wanted to thank them for giving her Tommy. She thought of Connor and how much she really wanted to be his friend, she had meant it when she said she wanted to have lunch with him every week and she really hoped he knew that. Then she thought of Tommy. Of god Tommy. Almost all of her thoughts were consumed with him. The glint in his eyes when he laughed. The smiled that made her melt, his touch, his kiss. She thought of it all.

"Tommy." she cried.

Part of her was afraid that when this was all over and it would be, she still hadn't given up hope that everything would work out, that Tommy would leave her because he thought it was the only way to keep her safe. That would hurt her more than anything Check had done already because she loved Tommy more than anything and she hoped he remembered his choice of to pick her over his fear.

The door to her prison opened and Check stalked back in looking happy.

"Looks like your boyfriends here all alone just like I asked." Check practically sung with happiness.

"It's time to get this show on the road." he added.


Tommy closed his eyes as he walked towards the front door of the house. The plan was simple he was to go alone, think that he was alone but he wouldn't be.

"We are a team, we never go into hell alone." Andy had told him. Tommy was sure that was something Andy used to say to his army buddies before they went out on a mission.

Tommy opened his eyes and looked around the grounds. Somewhere out there his team and his family were waiting to give him back up. He had no idea where or how but he trusted them and he knew they would never let him down.

Tommy took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door swung open and Tommy headed in.

"It's nice of you to join us isn't it Jessica." Check's voice called out mocking him.

Tommy followed the voice.

"I said isn't it Jessica." Check said and the venom in his voice made Tommy move faster.

"Yes." Jess hissed in pain. That tone was what had him running.

He entered what looked to be the remains of a living room and froze. Check held Jess in his arms with a gun pressed into her head. Jess had a split lip, her left cheek was swollen and there was a cut on her forehead. Tommy looked down, Jess was holding her arm toward her stomach and he knew there had to be more than just what he could see.

"Tommy." she whimpered.

"I'm here baby." He told her.

Jess shook her head.

"That's what he wants, go please." she begged.

"Shut it bitch." Check screamed. He moved quickly slamming the gun into the back of Jess head knocking her out cold. Jess fell to the ground as Check turned the gun on him.

"You should have never mess with me or my family." Check told him a sick smile on his face as he raised the gun towards Tommy's head.

Tommy had no way to fight back, if he moved he knew Check would shoot him or worse Jess and he may have been fast but Tommy wasn't that fast. Check would kill before he got anywhere near stopping him.

"Don't worry bro we have you covered." Andy voice called through his ear.

Tommy relaxed as the glass of the window near Checks head shattered and a second and third bullet flew through and straight into Checks arm and leg.

Check dropped to the floor crying out in agony. Tommy moved then his fist coming into contract with Check face over and over again. He wanted to kill Check and he would. He could hear his family beg him not to do it, he knew Andy would be running with all his might to stop him but Tommy didn't care Check had to pay for hurting the women he loved.

"Tommy." Jess hushed voice was enough to pull Tommy back from the darkness that threatened to consume him.

Tommy froze, letting Check dropped to the floor. He looked over at the women he loved. She was struggling to get up.

"Please don't do this." She begged.

"We are better than this." she added.

He would do anything for her not matter how hard it was.

Tommy ran to Jess and gathered her into his arms.

"I've got you baby." Tommy repeated over and over again.


Roy watched his daughter closely through her hospital room door window as the doctor looked her over. She had four broken ribs, a split lip, bruises all up her arms and face. He wanted to kill the man that did this to his baby girl but Jess was right they were better than that. Plus Tommy had already given Parker Check a hell of a beating.

After carrying her from the old house where Check had held her, Sara had done what she does best and taken control of the situation. She had ordered Jess to the hospital and sent Andy and Tommy back to base to get changed before they could join them at the hospital. One by one their make shift family arrived; Layla and Dig, Connor and his parents then finally Tommy and Andy.

Sara waved her hand at him through the window indicating he could go in.

Roy waste no time in going to his daughter's side.

"Daddy." she whispered.

"Oh honey." he replied she looked in so much pain it was hard to see.

He could hear the room clearing out behind him.

A father's job was to protect his child and even though he knew it wasn't his fault Roy couldn't help but feel like he had let his little girl down.

"I'm ok daddy." she promised. She reached her hand up and whipped away tears he hadn't known were falling.

Roy sniffed and cleared his throat before giving Jess his most serious face.

"That was to close honey, too dam close." He told her.

He had lost her mother, losing her wasn't an option. No parent was meant to outlive their child.

Jess nodded her head in understanding. Her smile told him she wanted something.

"What is it?" he asked.

She licked her lips.

"Tommy, I need to see him." she begged.

Roy nodded.

"Ok honey." he replied.

He press a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you Jessica." He told her. He didn't tell her enough but starting today he would tell her every single day.

"I love you too daddy." she replied.

Roy looked at her one more time before heading towards the door. He walked towards the waiting room.

Thankful Sara was there telling them all about Jess condition.

"Everything ok?" Sara asked when she noticed his entrance.

Roy nodded before looking towards Tommy.

"She wants to see you." He told him.

Tommy nodded and stood up. He walked towards him but Roy stopped him. He had to be sure that he wouldn't hurt his daughter further.

Tommy met his eyes.

"You don't go in there unless you're sure that you can still choose her over your fear." Roy told him leaving no room for argument.

"Because no matter how much I love you kid, you do not get to hurt her." Roy added.

Tommy took a deep breath and nodded before disappearing down the hall. Roy prayed that he would go to Jess.


Jess could see the guilt on his face the moment Tommy entered her room.

"Hey." she whispered.

She had gotten the nurse to help her sit up.

Tommy looked her over, probably taking in her injuries.

"How are you feeling?" He asked not quite meeting her eyes.

Jess sighed, he was trying to push her away she could feel it.

"Please don't do this." she begged. Tears built in her eyes.

Tommy met her eyes. He still looked terrified.

"I'm ok." she promised.

Tommy shook his head.

"But you might not have been." He argued.

"Come here?" she asked, she knew the only way for him to believe her was if he touched her. She needed him to touch her.

Tommy never moved.

Jess sighed. If he wouldn't go to her then she would go to him. Jess moved slowly and painfully to the edge of the bed.

She hissed in pain as she tried to put weight on her feet. Tommy moved then quickly, his arms coming round her waist as he pushed her back on the bed.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

"Well if you won't come to me I will come to you." Jess reasoned.

"Dam it Jess you need to rest." Tommy argued.

Jess let him help her back into bed but when he turned to leave she grabbed his arm.

"I need to fight for us because you don't seem to want to." Jess said determinedly.

She wouldn't lose him not of this.

"You said you could deal with your fear." Jess reminded him.

Tears slid down her cheek as she spoke.

Tommy sat down on the edge of her bed and his hand cradle her face.

"I'm trying Jess I really am but today was so dam close." He told her honestly wincing at the memory. Tears graced his own eyes.

Jess captured her head in her hands and brought his head forward so she could rest her forehead on his.

"I thought I lost you." he whispered.

"But you didn't." Jess told him through tears. She kissed his eyelids, his nose and his cheeks.

"I'm right here." she told him before kissing his lips.

Tommy kissed her back with equal need.

"I can't have another day like today Jess." He told her honestly when they pulled back for breath.

Jess nodded she understood that, she didn't want another day like today if she could help it.

"Me either." Jess agreed.

"I love you Jessica Harper." Tommy told her.

Jess smiled.

"I love you too Thomas Queen." She replied.