Disclaimer: See chapter one
Please see my A/N below for further information.
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Chapter 32 – Red Sight
Almost as soon as Diggle had left the lair to get them some food, Felicity heard her phone ring and she snatched up her phone, noticing that even with Roy unconscious and under the control of the pit viper venom; his senses were still hypersensitive to sounds and temperatures for he winced at the sound and rang the med-table like a bell again.
"Hallo!" She kept her voice lowered, eyes fastened on the twitching form (Amazon she may be but as she had said to Diggle, the twitching Roy made her nervous and she didn't like it very much at all).
"Felicity?" Her sister's voice was equally low, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," She replied as she sat back in her chair, "Can't quite say the same for Roy or quite a few other people actually and yes, before you ask, including Oliver."
"As soon as you can, send me an email to update me," There was a note of command in Diana's voice that had her younger sister raise an unseen eyebrow in response. "And don't raise that eyebrow at me, little sister. I actually called you about your bracelets."
"And..." Felicity murmured as she turned to look at her computers as one beeped at her.
"Father contacted me..."
"He's been very chatty with you lately."
"Sister..." The drawing out of her name stopped the blonde in her teasing footsteps and allowed her to continue. "Father said to tell you that your current circumstances would recommend that you wear your bracelets at all time."
"Did he say why?" The hope in her younger sister's voice was clear. "Please tell me he said why."
"No this is still Father we are talking about here but..." Diana's voice faded as it was clear her attention had been grabbed by the man talking behind her. "I have to go, promise that you will call me if you need me in Starling City and wear your bracelets, oh and the brother that made them wants to talk to you, something about adding tech to them for us."
"There's a surprise and the moment that it becomes clear which could be more likely than you know unfortunately." Felicity replied before ending the call. Placing her phone back in her bag, she almost absently pulled out the bracelets (that somehow changed colour to match the shade of her dress; hey Hephaestus is married to the fashion-conscious Aphrodite after all!) and slipped them on.
After Roy had left the lair, having destroyed her monitor set-up (she absently made a note to yell at him about that when he was sane again) and knocked Digg to the ground, she realised that he had made a conscious effort not to hurt her or Diggle, even though he had pushed the other man out of the way, too badly.
More importantly, her bracelets had gone from stylish bangles to full size while the threat was imminent and had shrunk back down again.
"Hep and I really need to talk," She murmured out loud as she pulled both phones out of her bag to contact Oliver and Sara.
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Sara looked up from where she and her father were going through some of the paperwork she still needed to complete to prove that she was actually still a full time member of the human race to where her phone was doing what could only be called a frantic dance on the table in front of them.
Lance actually raised an eyebrow at it. "Someone really wants your attention from the look of it."
"That someone has clearly been playing with my phone." Sara mock-growled as she reached for it, "I'll see you later, dad, don't overdo it."
"Give my best to her and tell her to call in." He replied as he watched his youngest child go out into the night.
Across town, in Felicity's own home, where he had been putting together a surprise for her, (yes, Oliver Queen had been preparing a romantic occasion for himself and his better half voluntarily), Oliver also picked up his phone.
Ten minutes later, they both ran into the lair to find Diggle picking up the table where it lay on Felicity's beloved monitors. Oliver had Felicity in his arms before she almost knew that he was there and ran his hand down her cheek. "Are you alright, he didn't hurt you, did he?"
"I'm fine." She ran covered his hand with her own before leaning into his tall lean frame to look up at him. "Really, I am." She repeated at his disbelieving look.
Nodding, he looked at Diggle. "What happened?"
Diggle folded his arms. "One moment he was comatose and then he was flipping over computer equipment, he's a lot more out of control than Slade was at your house."
"Oliver, he looked like Roy but it wasn't him." Felicity leaned into Oliver's body even further and he tightened his hold around her. "It was almost as if he saw me but didn't at the same time."
"Where could he have gone?" Sara asked as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"I don't know but we have to find him." Oliver pressed a kiss to Felicity's forehead before turning for his leathers but before he let her go completely, he pulled her back and bent down to kiss her, ignoring the groans of the other two.
"Romance later, find Roy now! PLEASE!" Diggle finally groaned to make them part with smiles at each other.
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Felicity slipped out of the lair into the upper layer of Verdant and looked at all the changes that were being made by Moira Queen's campaign crew; only to shake her head in disbelief that once gain the elder Queen was putting her own life once again before the happiness and emotional welfare of her own children – especially Thea.
She stood watching as Thea sniped at her brother once again and came up the stairs towards her and the stockrooms – catching sight of Sin entering the club and Sara moving to intercept the teenager. She moved slightly and Oliver looked up, gaze unerringly focused on her. She nodded her head in the direction that Thea had headed and he nodded back in response, although he raised a single eyebrow in query.
She shook her own in reply and pointed to the other two girls. He immediately received her silent order and turned to them while she slipped into the stock room behind Thea.
"Hello Thea." She leaned against one of the upright stands and catching sight of white paper, picked them up to find the papers that Oliver had needed signing to protect the Queen fortune, home and the club.
"Felicity," Thea spun round to look at her brother's girlfriend – although it was clear that their relationship was more than mere girlfriend/boyfriend, even to her. "I'm not going to sign them, not even you can persuade me." The note in her voice was definitely one of a childish, "so there!" and a tongue being stuck out at her.
"And thank you for even further evidence for one of the reasons why you weren't told." Felicity snapped back, startling the younger woman. "And quite frankly, your signature is not needed, not according to my people."
Thea looked taken aback by that so sure that was what Felicity wanted with her. "Then what do you want?"
Felicity stepped forward and brushed Thea's hair back out of her face. "Don't be angry too long, Thea, it will hurt you more in the long run. Just remember that Oliver loves you and so does your mother in her own way and both love you enough to protect you even from yourself."
"They lied to me."
"Everyone lies, Thea, accept that and you'll be a real adult, rather than pretend to be one." Felicity said simply. She pressed a kiss to Thea's forehead and started to leave but stopped at the door as she was struck by a thought. "Just one more thing, think about Slade Wilson's reasons for telling you in the first place. Why would a man who is a total stranger to you tell you something so personal and make it seem like it is completely Oliver that is at fault." She pulled the door open, started to step forward and stopped again. "Especially as Oliver didn't find out until the day your mother announced her mayoral campaign and I was the one that told him."
"But Slade Wilson said..." Thea said startled.
"Exactly," The door closed for certain this time leaving her alone in the stock room as she wanted.
Outside, Felicity kissed Diggle's cheek before heading for the Foundry. "Look after her Digg; she is really a little girl still, even though she thinks she's grown-up, just like most teenagers."
Diggle merely nodded and entered the stock room through the second door.
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Shaking at what she had overheard on the coms from their confrontation with Roy in the clock tower and what was being reported by news, Felicity sat with her arms wrapped around her waist waiting for the two vigilantes to return to her. (t had taken both her and Sara to convince Oliver that he had to go to the hospital this time).
As soon as they returned to the lair, Felicity ran to Oliver's side, taking Sara's place as his crutch. As soon as she had him sat down, she went to fetch something to elevate it but he caught hold of her and pulled her back to him. "Sweetheart..."
She pulled away and slapped him. "I heard it, Oliver, and then the news as well."
With some difficulty he managed to bring her to sit on his uninjured leg and wrapped an arm around her waist as he pushed her head onto his shoulder, knowing that it was more important to reassure the woman he loved just at that moment.
"I'll be fine, I'll take some of the herbs from the island, and it will speed up the healing."
"It's going to take more than mere herbs." Sara muttered from where she was leaning against one of the tables. "And you know it."
"Sara..." He growled as Felicity freed herself.
For a moment, it appeared as if she was going back to her screens but instead she turned to the back of the lair and to Oliver's and Sara's shock , pressed a series of bricks (yes, totally Harry Potter) and a cupboard appeared. She reached in and pulled something out then returned to his side.
"Put a pinch and I really mean a pinch, Oliver and it should help boost your herbs." As both he and Sara went to question her, Felicity held up her hand to stop them. "Don't ask me for an explanation because I don't have one for you."
She then left them looking at each other and returned to her screens. She also did her best to ignore them as they started to argue over Roy and the mirakuru but when Sara took out one of Diggle's guns, she turned in her chair to look at him. "Oliver..."
He managed to make his way over to her table and sat down, his legs out in front of him and holding as much weight off his injured right knee as possible. "She reminds me so much of me after I came home when it just seemed, seemed impossible to see anything that resembling hope."
Felicity was out of her chair in a flash, her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist, resting their foreheads against each other.
"But you did," She said softly as she pulled back to cup his cheek. "You did eventually. Sara will too."
"Sara doesn't have a you though." He replied as he held her closer. "You're my hope; you always were and always will be."
Their lips met in several gentle kisses; kisses that spoke of their belief and love in each other.
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Diggle stood with one eyebrow raised as he realised that Oliver was actually using Felicity as a crutch when they emerged Verdant for his mother's rally. "I take it things didn't go well with Roy in the clock tower."
"You could say that." Felicity murmured as they reached the bar and Oliver leaned against it casually so that he could take the weight of his knee, "Thea?"
"She's determined to be angry and she knows about Roy, not everything but she knows." Diggle replied. "I was speaking to her when she saw the news cast and recognised him just before she met up with Sin not too long ago to talk about it."
Before they could say anything else, they were interrupted by Moira's campaign manager, Mark Francis. "Oliver, didn't you get any of my messages."
"I've been busy." Oliver replied, casually slipping his arm around Felicity's waist again to lean on her. "What's the problem?"
"You need to speak to your mother, she's not using this event to rally people to her campaign," Mark looked from Oliver to Felicity. "She's going to use this rally to drop out of the mayoral race."
The couple looked at each other and immediately started to the stairs. Together they entered the room where Moira was preparing and Felicity quickly helped him over to a table to sit down.
"Felicity, Oliver, what happened?" She exclaimed as she swung round in her chair to look at her limping son.
"A motorcycle accident, it was stupid." He replied as he adjusted his jacket.
"Yes, the second in as many weeks if my maths is correct." Moira took a step towards him but Oliver immediately launched into speech, stopping her (and ignoring the slight dig in his side from Felicity where Moira couldn't see it as she leaned into his side, his arm still around her waist.)
The moment that Moira said that she knew though, Felicity stepped back slightly as his mother held out her hands to her son. "I have never been more proud of you."
Moira looked at the woman who also clearly knew her son's secret. "You know also, don't you Felicity, that's why you've been so protective of him."
Felicity returned to Oliver's side, slipping her arm around his waist in silent support and he returned it with one arm around her shoulders pulling her into his side as close as he could.
Moira reached out to take Felicity's hand as well; having not released Oliver's and looked at the couple so clearly standing as one unit in front of her. "I am so proud of both of you; I want you to know that right now because something tells me, you're just as involved as my son."
Ten minutes later, Oliver stood watching at the bar as Moira stood on the podium. Oliver was once again leaning on the bar, Mark Francis next to him. Felicity had received a beep on her phone from the lair and after giving Moira a hug in front of all her supporters, left to check it.
It was quite clear or so it seemed that she was going to drop out of the race when suddenly Thea walked into the room and Moira took one look at her daughter, then at her son. Oliver smiled slightly and nodded for her to go ahead.
What followed next was going to lead to chaos – Moira gave her successful rallying speech and Thea stepped up to support her mother – and tell Roy where she was.
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Oliver managed to get down the stairs to find Felicity waiting for him as he swung his arm around her shoulders on the last strep. She only just managed to catch him and swing him round in the right direction as he groaned in pain.
"Oh Zeus Oliver, you're heavy! You've put more muscle on." She squeezed his hand where she was holding it around her neck. "Just be glad my bracelets are helping me, Oliver Jonas Queen!"
"I'm always glad to be helped by you, Felicity, you know that." Together they moved across the lair until he reached the chair and sat down, grimacing in pain as he rubbed his knee. "How many venom arrows do we have?"
"About 20," She replied glaring at his back.
"I'm going to need all of them." He managed to push off his shoes.
"Okay, are you sure that's a good idea and you're so not going to get into those leather pants with that knee, Oliver." She glared at him as he stood up and moved back to her, snarling, "Lidocaine. Now."
"Don't snap at me, Oliver." She equally snarled back as she opened the draw that held their medical drugs to pull out the bottle. "Let me guess, all of it." She drew it out and then handed him the syringe, wincing as he jammed it into his knee to insert the drug.
Then knowing that there was really no way that he was going to get his leathers on without her help, she followed him. The moment he was finished dressing; he pulled her into his arms and wrapped his arms tightly around her slender frame. "As much as I don't want you up there, I'm going to need your help tonight as Shadow."
"Against whom, Roy or Sara," She asked as she reached up to pull him down for a kiss before breaking free and grabbing her own leathers. Being uninjured, she was changed faster than her other half and moved into the lair to find that he filled his quiver up with the venom arrows.
Adjusting her hair, she moved to his side and adjusted his leather strap slightly for him. In return he pulled down her mask as she pulled down his. Then hearing the sounds coming from the club, they kissed each other fervently and headed up to the war zone.
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Entering the club, they found what they both hoped they wouldn't.
Diggle was lying unconscious on the floor, clearly knocked out by the steel post lying beside him while Roy was holding Thea up by the throat in the air and then to top the situation, the Black Canary was standing holding the gun she had taken from the lair on Roy.
"Oh Hades," The Shadow groaned as she watched Sin move in front of Roy... and the gun, only to sigh in slight relief as Roy let go of Thea and the younger woman drop to the ground. She looked back over her shoulder to find Oliver had already three venom arrows ready to fire. "This is going to be close."
"If it stops her from killing and him alive for the cure, we've got no... What the...!" Both turned to look round the stairs as the sound of the gun being fired was heard. Roy was now kneeling on the ground, clearly shot there begging for Sara to kill him.
"Canary no!" Sin was begging as she and Thea clung to each other. "He can't help himself."
"That's why the head shots the only choice." Sara growled back as she focused her shot on the kneeling Roy.
Only for the gun to be knocked out of her hands by the sudden arrival of the Shadow literally out of the shadows as Roy rose to his feet and the Arrow appearing around the stairs, firing the armed arrows into his chest. He looked down at his chest in shock, a more familiar look on his face rather than the crazed one he had been wearing since he had awoken and fell backwards to the ground.
The Arrow moved into the room as the Shadow moved to his side, the gun now tucked away in her leathers. He rested his hand on her shoulder, leaning on her slightly as he glared at the Canary. "No one dies tonight."
Sin helped Thea to her feet. "What about the police."
"Go outside, Roy will get the help he needs. I promise." Keeping his head to his side, he growled at his sister and her friend. "GO!"
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Fifteen minutes later, they were once more back in the lair, Roy again on the med-table being kept unconscious by the Tibetan pit venom. Felicity shook her head, "This is not going to be good for him."
"It will keep him sedated like it did Slade, Felicity." Diggle replied even as he rubbed his head where he had been hit.
"Until when," She shot back at him, running her hand over Roy's head like the worried elder sister she sometimes felt towards him. "It's not like we can buy it over the counter unless you're in Tibet then maybe..."
Oliver moved slowly over to join them, wrapping his arm around Felicity's waist and pulling her to his side, feeling some of her tension going just at that simple touch. "We'll take care of him." He turned slightly to look at Sara who had been silent from the moment they had entered the club as their alter egos. "I'm not ready to give up on Roy."
Catching the silent looks flying between the two more experience vigilantes, Diggle looked at Felicity for a moment, silently asking if she was coming with him but she shook her head at him slightly before leaning into Oliver's side as he started to pull them away from the table.
Felicity was helping Oliver pull on his jacket, standing in front of him; her hands at his waist as he adjusted the collar when Sara spoke. "I was going to kill him." She peered under his arm to look at the other blonde. "I was ready to."
Oliver rested his hands on her shoulders, looking into Felicity's eyes as she whispered, "She would have tried" raising her bracelet encircled wrist to his eyes, reminding him of the bullet she had deflected when Slade had attacked.
Sara continued even as they continued to look at each other rather than her and she knew it. "He'd been dead right now if you two hadn't of stopped me."
They turned round to look at her, hands sliding easily together. "But he's not," Oliver replied as he squeezed Felicity's hand, raising it to his lips to place a kiss on the back. "That's all that matters."
"That's not true." Sara said softly as he started to lead Felicity away. "I wanted to kill Roy because that's what I do."
They spun round again, Oliver finding himself using his girlfriend to steady himself as his knee protested against the movement. "I'm sorry Oliver but I just can't follow this path that you're on. I sold my soul to the devil and I can't get it back."
She held out her hand to Felicity who reached out and grasped it as tightly as she could. "Let us help you get it back, Sara, we can help you get it back."
Sara shook her head. "I know what you did for me, Felicity but you, Oliver, you all deserve someone better." She cradled Felicity's hand in both of hers as they moved closer to her. "Oliver, you found the one person who can harness the light that's still inside you but she's not mine."
Sara stepped back, freeing them. "I don't think I have that person and I don't think I ever will and I care about you two much to try and hold you back."
She turned and walked away leaving Felicity and Oliver looking after her, wrapped in each other's arms.
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She hadn't known exactly what was wrong, all she had known was something was wrong.
She had let him go with his mother and his sister in the car back to the Queen Mansion knowing that the three needed to talk with a free heart, hoping that this would be a new start for them all now that almost all the family secrets were now in the open. (He had of course fought against it but she had glared him into silence much to the amusement of his mother and the bemusement of his still angry and confused sister).
Of course the little sister still had to learn that her brother was actually the vigilante known as the Arrow but that would keep for another day. Her own secrets were unimportant – well she at least considered them so.
It was why she had pulled out her phone to track where he was and caught the sudden halt of movement and then the abrupt change of direction from the second tracker she had hidden on him, when the first signal died. It was why she called for their partner with an urgency he had never heard from her before and sent them after the family.
Her instincts that something horribly soul-destroying had happened on top of their fifth team member leaving, shouted so loudly, she was sure that her entire family must have heard her fear and terror, even those in far off Olympus.
When they finally arrived, she pushed the car door open before he could even reach it for her and was across the clearing in the flash, her only thought to get to the man she loved as she fell to the floor beside him without a care,
Somehow she managed to untie the ropes holding his arms behind his back.
He, feeling his arms being set free, managed to open his eyes to see who it was and the next thing either knew, they were in each other's arms, holding each other as tightly as they can.
From the car, his phone in his hand to call the one police officer that they trusted, their friend watched as she also managed to persuade the younger girl to move away from her mother and join their huddle.
And it was to this scene that Quentin Lance arrived upon.
Diggle watching over a clearly injured Oliver lying in Felicity's lap, her hand in held tightly in his as she also held a sobbing Thea against her, running her hand over her hair in quiet comfort, tears falling silently down her cheeks.
And Moira Queen lay dead upon the ground.
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And I thought last week's chapter was long! I've made definitive changes to this particular episode to fit into this universe and finally got my Thea/Felicity scene in as well, bonus for you all.
Look forward to hearing what you have to say ;op