Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Please see my A/N below for further information.

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Chapter 11 – Crucible Remade

Felicity sat at her computers, alone for once in the lair. Oliver and Diggle had gone out to seek information on the military guns that had suddenly started to appear on the streets of the Glades while she had chosen to see what she could find on line.

The three of them were still reeling slightly from her firm opinion that there was someone else from the island in the Starling City – and she was actually feeling slightly guilty that she had not revealed everything she was thinking about the female vigilante or the fact that she was sure she knew who it was.

She was also slightly mad with her other half as well. Having to wipe the blood from his chin after hearing the gunshots over her hidden com channel and defending him to the... person she even refused to mention in her own private thoughts had not gone down well with her.

Even as that thought went through her mind, the sound of the lair door opening had her swinging round in her chair. Oliver moved swiftly down the steps and across the floor, pulling her out of her chair and into his arms, lifting her so that he could bury his head in the crook of her neck.

And just like that, all anger disappeared from her thoughts as she wrapped her arms around him, running one hand through his short hair to soothe him.

When she was sure that he was calm once more, she drew back as much as she could (considering Oliver was literally holding her off the ground) and raised his head so that she could look into his pained blue eyes.

"Oh Oliver," as she rested her forehead against his, feeling his arms actually tighten around her. "She survived the Queen's Gambit somehow, didn't she? I did meet her on the island."

As he nodded, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and buried her face against his neck.

"Sara Lance is alive and ghost-protecting her family."

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Diggle stood by his table, running inventory over his equipment while he watched his two team-mates on the other side of the room. Both were leaning against the wall of the lair, Felicity with her head Oliver's shoulder, her hand in his while Oliver rested his head on her's as he ran his fingers over the back of the hand he held.

The week behind them had almost literally turned into one of the weeks from hell albeit with moments of pure Olicity (not that he was ever going to admit that he actually had a ship name for them – instinct told him it would not go down well!) and no-one had died, although Roy's young friend, Sin had come close to proving that wrong, and they had retrieved the guns.

Even now he could see the pair standing at Felicity's computers as she teased him about the tracker in the missing guns.

"Guess which company designs the tracking system the army uses – I'll give you a hint – your CEO, always late." The playful look in her eyes as she waved her hand and poked him in the chest earned her a smile from the CEO in question as he leant down to kiss her after softly responding, "Nice!" to her gentle teasing.

He himself was still reeling from the conversation he had held with his ex-wife. He was almost sure that they had both gone out of their way to reassure each other that they were single and he wasn't actually sure how he felt about that. The fact that he was still hurting from his attempt to have a relationship with Carly and their break-up was not helping the situation either.

His attention was suddenly caught from by a beeping sound coming from one of Felicity's computers and he turned to find the cameras for Verdant on the screen, focusing on a slender figure standing in the middle of the empty dance floor.

"Guys, we have a visitor." The couple were next to him faster than even he had expected. "And something tells me it's our mysterious vigilante known as the Canary, aka Sara Lance."

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Felicity followed Oliver up the steps into the club, highly glad that she had actually chosen to wear her flats that day. "She's not going to remember me, Oliver, you know that."

"You're the only person who might get through to her." Oliver was being stubborn to the extreme. "You always could back then."

"Considering that I remember her trying to break my ribs when we first met, that statement doesn't reassure me much, archer-boy!" She winced as she said that as she had been trying to break herself of the habit. "This is not going to go well."

Stopping at the top of the stairs before opening the door, he pulled her to him, arms around her waist. "Felicity..." He sighed, lowering his forehead to her's. "Please." Feeling her sigh in resignation, he placed a gentle kiss on her lips, opened the door leading out to the club and led her out with his arm around her waist.

"Sara."

"Ollie." The low female voice came from the shadows before she emerged in the beam of light coming in from one of the overhead windows, a strange look on her face as she took in Felicity standing next to him. "Why do I get the feeling that I should know you?"

"Because you do," Felicity replied simply as she folded her arms, Oliver's arm still around her waist. "I had different colour hair back then."

Sara's eyes opened wide, "The Amazon!"

"One of them," Her reply was sarcastic enough to earn her a slight jab in her side from her currently silent partner. "Why are you here, Sara?"

She was silent for a moment and then she literally exploded into speech (almost matching Felicity on one of her best days for rambling). "You have no idea how dangerous it would be for Dad and Laurel to know that I am alive, it's not like I can just pop up out of the blue and tell them that I alive, you've got no idea of the sort of things that I have done and seen since I was on the island and I really don't want to get into it. I know I said that I would tell them at the hospital but I just can't Ollie, it would be too dangerous."

"She already said that." Felicity murmured to no-one in particular, even as she winced again at hearing her call Oliver 'Ollie'. (She was of the firm opinion that 'Ollie had died the day the Queen's Gambit went down and only his younger sister had the right and privilege to call him by it.)

"And apparently both the Lance sisters seem to focus on you when there are other people with you!" She continued with a note of hostility in her voice to Oliver, a fact that he noted and had him wincing even as she raised her hand to the other blonde. "Sara, shut up! What do you want?"

Sara, however was not slow to notice that Oliver was letting his blonde companion take the lead and swiftly realised that the rumour about her being his girlfriend was actually real. The fact that she was also beginning to gain her memories of being on the island with the other woman also played into it. "I need somewhere to stay."

Felicity closed her eyes for a moment and then looked up into Oliver's slightly pleading eyes, so holding onto the fact that she had actually come to like the other woman when they were on the island, she made her decision.

Somehow, she knew she was going to regret it but she made the offer any way. "You can stay with me."

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Well I had intended to cover both of the junior Ms Lance's eps in this chapter but once I started writing it, the muse had other ideas - apparently there was a little too much senior Ms Lance for their liking and this is the result.

I also wanted to make it clear why there is a difference in the way our Amazon reacts to the junior compared to the way she reacts to the senior Lance.

Look forward to hearing what you have to say as always ;op