Disclaimer: See chapter one

Please see my A/N below for further information.

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Chapter 34 – Burning Paths

"Oliver! OLIVER!" Felicity pressed her com unit to her ear. "Zeus! I knew I should have gone down there with you! OLIVER!"

The sounds of falling masonry continued to thunder over her unit as she tried to track where Diggle was at the same time as she tried to raise Oliver across the link. Things were not exactly going to plan A and it was clear that plans B and C were going to have to be put into play.

"OLIVER!"

"I'm... cough... here!" His voice came across broken but clear. "I had to bring the ceiling down."

"And her?" Felicity moved to the front of the van as she watched Diggle pull out his baton to fight the two swords Isabel was wielding even as the thought crossed her mind – 'Mask and pony tail, so not a good look Isabella'.

"I'd say on the other side of the collapse..." He reached round to his back and with the realisation that they were not there, swore – using her favourite exclamation, to her internal amusement, "Hades - With my bow and quiver!"

"Oliver!" His name when called actually came from two different directions, over the com from Felicity and through the rock, broken from Laurel.

"I know, I know." He replied as he looked around. "I'll get her out..."

Before he could continue, Felicity interrupted him as eyes widening, she watch Isabel begin to get the upper hand, "You do that, I have to go... do something."

"Do you want to save some time and energy and tell me where Felicity Smoak is? I have been aching to put a bullet into her..." Isabel circled the down Diggle, unaware that her snarling voice had reached the sharp-eared Amazon in the van. "...smug little face ever since the day..."

"Flight or flight! Mmm, decisions, decisions!" Felicity murmured to herself as she pressed her foot down on the accelerator, driving straight into the other woman and sending her into the air. "Flight it is then, the fight can come later."

She actually pumped her fist in the year, grinning to herself at the sight of Isabel lying temporarily unconscious as Diggle jumped into the van. "Thanks for the help!"

"You're welcome." She grinned at him. "It was most definitely a pleasure."

"Any word from Oliver?" Diggle asked as he pulled his seat belt on.

"Trying to free his unwanted companion," Felicity replied as she pressed her com unit again – just in time to hear the sound of a second explosion. "And from the sound of it, I may have to disinfect his bow!"

"Felicity!" Oliver shot back at her over the line, hiding his grin as he took back his bow and quiver from Laurel – even as Diggle pointed to the woman beginning to come round in front of them. "Ah Felicity..."

"Be right there, Oliver, just need to..." She pressed the van into reverse and the wheels squealed as she pulled away. "We'll meet you up top where we agreed."

"I'll be there." He grabbed Laurel's arm and pulled her after her, not caring if she really kept up with him – just determined to get to Felicity.

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The intersection where he had agreed to meet Diggle and Felicity was at the top of a hill that actually look down into Starling City and Oliver found himself pulling to a stop at the sight that greeted him – even as Laurel handed him her phone. "Arrow?"

"Detective Lance..." Oliver turned slightly as the van came to a halt behind them. He smiled slightly as Felicity literally threw herself out of the vehicle and into the arm that he held out for her.

"Look after her." Lance said firmly, clearly not referring to his daughter this time. "I know she's most probably with you."

"She's always my first priority." Oliver looked down at the woman at his side, always his equal and his partner. "Keep as safe as you can, Detective, this is just the first sweep. I'll send your daughter to you at the precinct."

He ended the call and handed the phone back to Laurel – then went back to ignoring her as Diggle spoke. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you?" Oliver looked down at Felicity and found her grinning, "Felicity?"

"Isabel attacked Digg so I ran her over with the van." Oliver actually laughed slightly at how please she looked with herself before he followed her to where she was looking at the smoke rising from the city below them. He pressed a kiss to her forehead in silent reassurance.

"Slade's army, he's got at least 50 men out there all like him." Oliver tightened his hold around Felicity's waist as he looked back at the city and then his partners again.

Diggle shook his head. "They're everywhere."

"We need to stop them." Oliver growled.

"We may have a way." Felicity rested her hand on Oliver's chest, drawing his attention back to her. "S.T.A.R Labs called. They have a cure and the courier's on route."

"Where is it?" Oliver ran his hand over her hip.

Felicity pulled out her phone and called the number that she had been given, unaware that the ray of hope that they had been given was about to receive a blow. "Hey, it's Felicity Smoak, where are you?"

The courier gasped, clearly in pain. "Fourth Street, I think, I don't know what happened; a guy in a hockey mask came from out of nowhere and attacked my car. Please help me?" He groaned again.

"Stay where you are." Oliver had turned his voice synthesiser on.

"I can't move even if I wanted to." There was a clear sob in his voice. "I think my leg's broken."

Felicity covered the speaker of her phone, her fear clear in her voice. "Oliver, that's right in the middle of everything."

"I know." Oliver looked at his shoulder, "I think you should go to your father at the precinct, Laurel. You'll be safe there."

"Ollie!" Laurel actually tried to grab his arm but Felicity moved out from under his embrace, intercepting it by taking her hand herself. She then pulled out a taser out of her trousers. "Take this with you, the electric charge might give you seconds but seconds will all you need to run."

She then allowed herself to be pulled into the direction of the van, Diggle taking over the driving.

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It was also a good thing that Diggle had taken over the driving because the roads in Starling City were now more of an obstacle course that the straight pathways and it took all of his skills to keep them on the road – which considering the speed that they were driving under the circumstances made that even more of a miracle.

(It could be said that a certain Amazon princess's family may also have been playing a part in the good luck that they were currently receiving, especially in light what was coming their way!)

Oliver sat in the back of the van, having made Felicity sit in the front and fastening her seat belt himself to ensure that she was securely fastened in. He was currently leaning over her shoulder as she had her eyes fastened on her tablet, scanning the police networks. He cupped her neck as she spoke "In the last five minutes, SCPD have had over 200 reports of masked men attacking the city."

She looked back over her shoulder at him and he squeezed her neck softly as they moved to the side slightly as Diggle had to swerve again. She also noticed the worried look in the back of his eyes and knew that however much the elder Lance daughter may annoy them both, she had still been an important part of his life.

She was also important to Quentin and Sara Lance as well and those two people were high on their list of people they cared about which is one of the few reasons why they still worried about Laurel – even with the way she had been reacting to them as a couple. (Of course, they would rather have nothing to do with her but that was never to be a likely scenario!)

"I'm sure she's safe, Oliver." She reached back and touched his cheek, running her fingers over his cheeks. "Her father taught her well."

He didn't reply but leaned over enough to catch her lips in a kiss before finding himself back in his seat as Diggle swerved again. (When he looked over at him, Oliver found that he was grinning slightly and realised that the last swerve had actually been unnecessary – Felicity had also caught the grin and promptly hit him in the shoulder!)

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Even as Team Arrow raced to the courier and the hope that he carried locked to his wrist in an unassuming metal briefcase (unaware that it was a race), Starling City continue to erupt into chaos around them.

At the police precinct, Quentin Lance was leading the fore in the fight back from the department. Leading in such a way he found himself holding his detective shield once again as his former rank was restored to him. He immediately picked up his phone and contacted the one person who he was sure needed to know – the Arrow via Felicity.

The Arrow may be the leader of the right side but he was sure that it would be Felicity that was head of intelligence.

At the same time, Laurel found herself face to face once more with the Black Canary – and the realisation that her sister was more than she had known her to be.

As that realisation hit the elder Lance, Sebastian Blood was also receiving a reality check of his own as one of Slade's men literally tore his office and broke the neck of the District Attorney in front of him. His last conversation with Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak came immediately to mind – as did the realisation that they had been right and he had been played.

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Diggle looked in the mirror back at Oliver who had moved to sit on his side of the van, "Any word from Thea? Is she safe?"

"She decided to leave the city before the attack began." Oliver replied as Felicity looked up from her tablet.

"Just under two miles to the bridge and the courier," She suddenly put her hand into her other pocket as it began to vibrate and drew out the Arrow phone as it began ringing out loud. "It's for you."

"What can we do for you Detective?" Oliver immediately switched his synthesiser on as he put the phone on speaker.

"What can we do to help?" Lance moved across the empty office had taken to look out on the squad room.

"WE?" The couple shared a speaking look.

"Starling City Police Force is standing with you on this one." Lance walked into the squad room as Felicity and Oliver had one of their silent conversations which ended when she nodded forcefully at him. "What do you need from us?"

"We need help containing the soldiers, we're working on something and it may stop them but we need more time." Felicity reached over to rest her hand on Oliver's knee and he covered it with his free hand in silent thanks for her support.

"We can do that. Whatever you're doing, good luck to all three of you." He took in a deep breath. "For all our sakes and Arrow..."

"Yes?"

"I meant what I said, look after her."

Oliver looked at Felicity who smiled softly at him in return, "We're taking care of each other and our city, Detective." He ended the call and then raised Felicity's hand to his lips, kissing the back before letting her pull back at a beep from her tablet.

"This is the only street that feeds into the bridge..." Felicity actually squeaked as Diggle suddenly turned a corner as a masked man suddenly started running at and then after them.

"Floor it!" Oliver shouted as he grabbed the back of Diggle's seat.

Diggle immediately put his foot down on the accelerator but half way down the street, a second masked man pushed a car into the path of the van and he found himself shouting "Hold on!" as the van squealed on to two wheels before tilting over, running part way down the road on its side.

And there it lay as the two men moved slowly towards it.

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Inside the van however, Oliver had not lost conscious nor had Diggle. Felicity however was lying on top of Diggle from where she had been thrown as the van now lay on the driver's side.

Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver caught sight of the two soldiers walking slowly towards the van but even as he assessed the danger of the situation, his first thought was with the unconscious woman now currently lying on Diggle and making no sound or movement. Diggle, however was groaning, "Digg? DIGGLE!"

"Yeah, yeah," Diggle groaned from the impact not just from the van on its side but from Felicity falling on him. "I'm here!"

"Is she breathing?" The concern in his voice was almost palatable.

Diggle immediately felt for her pulse, realising that Oliver needed the reassurance that the woman he loved was still alive even as the other man called her name in attempt to wake her, "Felicity!"

"She's alive, Oliver, just knocked out." He called back to him.

"We have to get out of here." Reassured slightly, Oliver turned to look at the back of the van again at the two men approaching.

"Yeah, I'm on it." With a groan, Diggle reached out and kicked out the broken windscreen, thankful that the accident had put him in a position to do so and only trap him under Felicity (who was quite frankly a lightweight when compared to him and Oliver).

He then crawled out and turned to bring Felicity out after him. Picking up his bow, Oliver went to follow them but looking over his shoulder, saw that the two men were nearly at the back doors of the van. Rushing out of the window, he turned and pulled an explosive arrow out of his quiver, armed it and fired into the door. Turning his back, he listened as the two men opened the door just as the arrow exploded, knocking them unconscious.

Limping, Oliver immediately moved to Diggle's side (who had managed to get Felicity to her feet even out of it) and handed him his bow, he then lifted his unconscious other half into his arms, whispering against her forehead. "I'm carrying you in public again, sweetheart so wake up so you can enjoy it and tell me off."

Almost as if she had heard him, Felicity started to come round and when she realised that she was being carried, she managed to open her eyes to look up at Oliver. "You just can't help yourself can you?"

"Thank Zeus!" Oliver lifted her so that her face was level with his and kissed as hard as he could under the circumstances.

"Yeah, thank my father too." She held her hand to her forehead slightly where it was pulsing slightly from being knocked out and then cupped his cheek. "You can put me down now, I can walk."

"Are you sure?" He asked even as he did as he was bid, leaving his arm around her waist to steady her as they started to cross the bridge. At her nod, he loosened his hold around her waist slightly but not completely losing touch with her. "Where is he?"

Ahead of them, Diggle started to check overturned vehicles for the courier even as Felicity checked her phone, which was surprisingly still working, "The cell phone GPS says he should be within a 500 foot radius."

Feeling her stumble slightly, Oliver put his arm around her waist again and gently led her as quickly as he could after their friend – especially as she continued to stare at the GPS on her phone rather than where she was going.

"I'll call him that should help." As she did so, Oliver moved his arm until he had his fingers linked with hers, pulling her after him.

The moments after the courier answered his phone and honked his horn only added to the nightmare of the current situation. The screaming had all three of them racing at full speed to its epicentre only for Oliver to pull Felicity back, hiding her face against his chest so she could not see the courier.

The briefcase that held their only hope was gone – it's only trace a broken chain around a dead man's wrist.

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At the clock tower, Oliver stood staring out of the window at the burning Starling City, his hood down and his mask half-in, half-out of his pocket.

Putting her phone back in her pocket, Felicity walked slowly across the floor and wrapping her arms around his waist, leant her head against his shoulder blades. He immediately covered her hands with his own. "I just got off the phone with Cisco at S.T.A.R Labs."

She took an unsteady breath and closed her eyes as Diggle continued. "The cure they sent us was all they had and they used all the mirakuru that we gave them, so they can't make more."

Oliver turned round, forcing Felicity to release her hold but as she took a step back, he reached out to pull her back into his arms, wrapping them tight around her trembling form as he spoke, determined not to let her get too far away from him after the scare he had had earlier that evening from her unconscious moment. "We can't stop Slade's men without the cure."

Diggle put his hands on his waist. "We'll find another way."

"There is no other way." Oliver raised his voice in response, running his hand over Felicity's head as she shuddered in silent reassurance. "Diggle, the foundry's been compromised and we need to get Roy out of there."

Diggle nodded and turned away. "I'm on it."

As he heard Diggle's footsteps recede, he pulled back from her slightly and took her hands in his. "I didn't know Felicity; five years ago I was a completely different person..."

She raised both of their hands so that she could rest the back of hers against his cheek. "I know that, Oliver, I may be the only person who does."

He turned his head and kissed it. "I know, and we both know we had no idea that something like this was even possible. I really couldn't have imagined it then." She turned her hand so that she could cup his cheek properly and he kept it covered, pressing it against his skin. "When you and Diggle brought me back to Starling City, our memories of each other finally as they should have been..."

He let her other hand go and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as she rested her right hand on his bicep, " I made a vow to myself that I would never let anything like the undertaking happen again."

"What's happening now is not your fault. Oliver." Felicity cupped his face with both of her hands, making him look deep into her eyes. As he started to argue with her, she shook his head slightly. "It's not, Oliver."

"Yes it is." He repeated but he did not fight her hold. Instead he rested his forehead against hers. "I have failed this city, Yao Fei, Shado, Tommy, my father, my mother."

She shook her head again but let him continue, running her hands into his hair to hold him in place. "All I have ever wanted to do is honour those people."

She definitely drew back this time and shook his head slightly. "You honour the dead by fighting." She said softly before her eyes turned to steel and she raised her voice, shaking his head again. "And you are not done fighting!"

"Malcolm Merlyn. The Count, the Clock King, the Triad - Everyone who has tried to hurt this city." With every name, she punched him – hard. "You stopped them and you will stop Slade."

"I don't know how." He almost whispered as he pulled her back into his arms, resting his head on hers.

"Neither do I," she replied as she tightened her hold around his waist. "But I do know three things..." She pulled back slightly so that she could look up into his eyes, raising one hand to rest on his cheek again. "You are not alone and I believe in you. I always have and I always will."

"And the third..." Oliver wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground. He didn't need her to say the words, he could see them in her eyes and seconds later, he pulled her close enough to kiss her with all the love that he felt for her right in that moment – which was more than could possibly understood under the circumstances.

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Wrapped in each other arms, the phone going off in Felicity's pocket startled them.

With a yelp, she put her hand in her pocket and pulled out Oliver's personal phone. On the screen, Sebastian Blood's picture flashed and she held it out to him. "Oliver, it's your phone." She held it out to him, and reluctant to let her step away from him while he spoke to him, he put it on speaker.

"What do you want?"

"The same thing you do Oliver, to save this city before it's too late." It was clear to both of them that the other man was moving swiftly.

"It's already too late." Oliver snarled softly. "And you're partly to blame."

"You were right about Slade Wilson." Oliver and Felicity shared a speaking look at that statement. "I should have listened to you, you and Ms Smoak but I'm here now and I can help you." That drew a raised eyebrow from Felicity and she nodded towards the phone with her scepticism.

"Why should I trust you?" Oliver really snarled this time and she rested her hand on his chest in a silent command to remain calm.

"Because Oliver I have the mirakuru cure," That statement left them looking at each other in stunned silence.

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The call from Blood was immediately followed by a call from Diggle letting them know that he was bringing Roy back to the clock tower and half an hour later, Oliver found himself helping Diggle lay the unconscious Roy on a brick slab. "How much venom do we have to keep him under?" Oliver asked as he looked over to Diggle.

"Two hours maybe," Diggle replied as he checked the I.V as Oliver retrieved his bow.

"Let's go." Oliver moved to Felicity's side and cupped her cheek. "I need you to stay with Roy; you may be the only one strong enough to take him down right now."

Felicity shook her wrists and watched as this time they expanded to full size bracers. Raising an eyebrow, she looked back at him. "You may be right."

He smiled at that and pressed a kiss to her forehead before joining Diggle at the trap door. As Diggle raised it, she called their names, "Oliver, John –"

They looked at her.

"Just be careful and make sure as best you can that it's not a trap." She commanded. "Because if you guys don't come back alive, I'm going to be really pissed and that's not going to be good for anyone involved."

Diggle chuffed at that, unable to stop himself and Oliver returned to her side, pulling her into his arms to kiss her again – this time properly.

He drew back and looked down at her, running his hand over her cheek, the com unit she wore and then his own. "You'll hear everything?"

"Queen of the wifi, archer boy, no mirakuru mad man can shut me down," She murmured back, running her hand over his cheek. "Now go, don't keep our dear mayor waiting."

Ten minutes later, she was murmuring over the unit, "Oliver, let the man speak but can someone please turn off the violins."

Oliver only acknowledged her by replying to Blood "Then help me believe, where's the cure?"

"Slade Wilson will not rest until he honours the promise that he made you." In his ear, Oliver heard her scoff "Tell us something that we don't know."

"I won't be so easy to kill once we level the playing field." Oliver stepped forward, aware that although Diggle had lowered his gun, he was still ready to fire if needed.

"He's not interested in killing you, not until he's taken away everything and everyone you love."

"After he murdered my mother..." Oliver said softly even as she said his name as softly and so full of love as she could in his ear – her equivalent of touching him in absentia, "He said one more person had to die."

"Whoever you love the most," Blood moved around his desk even as Felicity growled "I'm not that easy to kill!"

He pulled out the missing briefcase and held it out to Oliver. "I hope you can beat him with this," who took it as he continued, "For all our sakes."

His next statement brought a cry of outrage from the listening woman who finally calmed down enough to say, "Ignore him Oliver, the Lances have the evidence he can't refute. Just come back to me."

"Do what you have to Sebastian." Oliver said softly, clearly expressing his disbelief in the other man's self-delusion as he and Diggle left the mayor's office.

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It was a good thing that Oliver had given the briefcase holding the cure to Diggle because on entering the clock tower, Felicity threw herself into his arms with an impact that sent him backwards a couple of steps. In fact, he actually dropped his bow so that he could wrap his arms around her in return.

Kissing him hard to welcome him back, she then turned to Diggle to hug him as well before taking the case from him. As she opened the case, Oliver slipped his arms around her waist, allowing her to lean against his chest as she looked down at the blue fluorescent tubes with what could only be called a glare. "Why does every secret formula have to be a colour? Whatever happened to good old fashioned clear?"

Oliver pressed a kiss to the side of her head. "Back ground is showing, princess."

Diggle moved to stand behind other shoulder, looking into the case she was holding open. "All right, so if we inject one of Slade's soldiers with this..."

"According to S.T.A.R Labs it will counteract the effects." She looked at Diggle for a second returning her gaze to the cure who responded. "Assuming they got the recipe right."

Pressing a kiss to the side of her head again, Oliver released Felicity's waist and took the case from her, moving to where Roy still lay unconscious on the slab. He almost slammed it down and took one of the tubes from the case, looking down at him. "We need to test it."

"Oliver..." Felicity followed him, resting her hand on his arm. "Are you sure about this? All the..."

He covered her hand with his own. "I know but we need to know, one way or the other." She leant her forehead against his bicep and nodded once, slowly, moving back to Roy's feet to allow him room to prepare the injection but as he went to give it to him, he shook his head. "I can't."

He stepped back, shaking his head and Felicity moved to him, resting her hands against his chest. The look in his eyes told her that he been thrown back into the past she had not been there for, the past that had led to Slade losing his eye. He put his arms around her shoulders, holding her against him as she silently reassured him and then her phone rang.

She moved slightly, moving so that her shoulder now rested against his chest and pulled it out. "It's Lance." She accepted the call, "Detective?"

"Are you near him?" She looked up at Oliver as she replied, "Yes."

"Are you near a TV?" She raised both eyebrows at that but replied in the affirmative again, nodding to the small screen near them to Diggle. "Turn it on."

Diggle did exactly that, holding the screen out to both of them. Oliver's eyes widened as he recognised the vehicles and realised exactly what was happening. He immediately moved away and pulled out his own phone.

Amanda Waller answered the call. "How did you get this number?"

"Amanda, what are you doing?" Oliver demanded, deliberately ignoring her question. There was no way he was going to tell her that letting a genius such as Felicity Smoak have free reign in their facilities was going to work against them rather than for them, even considering the short period of time she was actually there.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Oliver." She replied.

The conversation that followed was more familiar to him than he actually wanted to remember and he ended the call, looking straight at Felicity. She nodded firmly and he picked up the syringe again pressing it into Roy's shoulder.

She immediately moved to his side, resting her hand on his shoulder... and they waited.

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And wow, apologies! No, it's leading up to Xmas, busy times! Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers.

One episodes and an epilogue to go, then a break for Arrow fanfiction from me!

Let's shoot this reviews through the roof like an arrow ;op