Chapter 10 – Memory Problems
AN: Again, so many thanks for all the wonderful support and encouragement – I even appreciate the reviews that hate me for torturing you guys with cliffhangers and surprises! :) And continued thanks to Mic Riddy for all her hard work being an amazing beta!
DISCLAIMER – Again, I own nothing but do love playing!
"As Mr. Wilson lied about how long you had known does that mean he also lied when he said you were the Arrow?"
Oliver just stared at Thea and said the only thing he could think of to stall for time, "Slade told you I was the Arrow?"
"Yeah, after the big reveal of my parentage he was kind enough to toss that in as well." Thea grumbled without noticing the new tension Oliver was trying to hide.
"Don't worry, Speedy. He actually broke into Laurel's apartment to tell her the same thing. Sara laughed when Laurel told her she believed him. She reminded Laurel that the Slade had kidnapped you and forced his way into her apartment so maybe he wasn't the most reliable source. Of course being Sara, she also reminded Laurel that even Detective Lance cleared me even though he hates me." Oliver cringed internally at the half truths. He knew he didn't want to lie to Thea again but if he was going to share the whole truth then he wanted to do it right this time and speak to Felicity and Diggle first.
Thea laughed before she replied. "I didn't think about it like that. I really didn't think about anything at all as I just keep thinking about that fact that you had lied to me." Thea grimaced and shrugged before she continued. "Sorry Ollie but it was easier to think about that than the fact that Malcolm Merlyn was my dad."
"It's okay Speedy. I understand having too many things to worry about right now." Oliver smiled at her before his eyes darted back to the closed door keeping him from Felicity. Thea's laughter brought his eyes back to her.
"I see you do have a lot on your mind big brother!" Thea teased even as she leaned back in for another hug. Felicity was right, she could feel Ollie's love for her when he hugged her and she never wanted to take that for granted again. "We are so going to have to talk about Felicity, you know?"
"I know but first I need to actually talk to Felicity." Oliver admitted as he hugged his little sister tighter.
"What?! You haven't even told her you lo—" Thea spoke in a loud voice until Oliver slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Felicity and I have put off talking until after this is all over but we will talk. You and I will talk again too." Oliver waited for her nod before he removed his hand.
"When all what is over?" Thea asked in confusion. "Oh. The cops will catch Slade soon won't they?"
Oliver was glad for her assumption and rushed to assure her. "I'm sure Slade will be taken care of soon Speedy. Do you want to go back in and say good bye to Felicity?"
"I guess that's my cue that you want me out the door, huh? Subtle, Ollie, real subtle!" Thea grinned as she pushed by him and slipped into the room quietly in case Felicity was asleep. She saw Diggle first and he gestured for her to be quiet so Thea wasn't surprised when she saw Felicity was sound asleep.
Thea paused at the foot of her bed and grabbed Oliver's arm when he stopped beside of her. "I like her Ollie – she's special."
"Yes, she is Speedy." Oliver couldn't agree more as he stood there beside the sister Felicity had helped bring back to him. Special was an understatement and he couldn't help but grin as he continued. "She's remarkable."
There was another moment of silence before Oliver turned toward Thea, placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her forehead. "You need to head home…yes, the Mansion, Thea. You don't have to talk to her but you need to be safe as Slade is still out there." Oliver kept his grip on Thea's shoulders until she nodded.
"I'll go home." Thea mumbled before leaning in for yet another hug. Felicity really had helped her to realize that she loved Ollie and wanted him in her life.
As they hugged, Diggle stood up and moved over to speak quietly to the pair. "I'll walk you out and get you a cab."
"Thank you." Thea simply accepted the offer as both men still looked so serious. She leaned in and kissed Oliver's cheek and with a final smile at Felicity's sleeping form she turned and left with Diggle.
Oliver turned back to Felicity as soon as the door closed behind them. He pulled up a chair and took a seat close to her as he picked up a hand to hold. He had only recently admitted to himself just how essential she was to him personally, not as the Arrow, not as CEO, but simply to him and he almost lost her. He wanted to be angry at Roy and he was but he also blamed himself. He was the reason Roy had left in anger. He told Slade that he wasn't to blame for Thea's kidnapping but in truth Oliver couldn't help but blame himself.
Felicity frowned in her sleep and Oliver grinned - even asleep she was disagreeing with his self-recriminations. Oliver held himself responsible for his choices but Felicity was always the first one to remind him that he wasn't responsible for everyone else's. Felicity brought out the best in him and made him want to be better – a kinder, gentler Arrow she said. Despite everything she had seen and done on Team Arrow, Felicity had a kind and forgiving heart, a generous nature.
Oliver knew he did not – Slade and Roy would both pay for their choices to hurt Felicity. It was a mistake that would cost them their lives. Now that Felicity was out of immediate danger he could focus on making sure of that.
He couldn't help but replay the scene in his mind again as it seemed like it was burned into his brain but the memory was changing. He was grappling with Roy, he was off the ground being choked, Felicity screamed and Roy dropped him to hit Felicity. The montage continued over and over but each replay brought the focus solely on Felicity – everything else became blurry, unimportant. Oliver tried to slow it down and see Roy and Slade but all he could see was Felicity.
Oliver placed Felicity's hand back on the bed and stood up to pace the length of the room. Why couldn't he bring the image into focus? This had never happened to him before – he could always count on his mind, his training, his senses but Oliver suddenly doubted his own memory. He was standing near the far wall and was considering punching a hole through it when Diggle returned.
Diggle walking in quietly and was surprised to find Oliver looking tense and angry. He had assumed Oliver might actually be lying in the bed with Felicity when he returned so this wasn't what he expected.
"What's wrong?" Diggle asked when Oliver just turned back to stare at the blank wall.
"I don't know but something is – I thought I would remember Roy hitting Felicity for the rest of my life but the image seems off. I don't know what it is." Oliver didn't give details nor did he mention that he was afraid that his feelings for Felicity were coloring his memory.
"Okay, so I have Felicity's tablet in the car. We'll pull the camera feeds and see what really happened then." Diggle could see Oliver's worry was serious even if he didn't fully understand the worry itself. He wasn't excited to watch Felicity being injured but if they had missed something and that something could help them then they needed to do it.
"Thank you." Oliver accepted his friend's help gratefully. Oliver continued to pace as Diggle left again and was still pacing when he returned several minutes later.
Diggle pulled up Felicity's programs after a quick glance at the still sleeping blond. Maybe if he told her they did this while she was still drugged then she wouldn't be mad he touched her computer without permission. Diggle couldn't help but chuckle at his own absurd thoughts. When Oliver raised a brow in inquiry he just shook his head no and continued to work on the tablet.
Both men watched in silence as the scene unfolded in front of them. Both stood ramrod straight with their fists clenched and had to force themselves to continue to breathe. When the feed ended, Diggle looked back at Oliver.
"I didn't get anything from that but more anger." He admitted. He knew the importance of objective analysis but that was difficult when Felicity was involved. Diggle also knew that if it was difficult for him then Oliver was suffering even more.
"Play it again." Oliver growled.
Diggle set it up on a loop and it took the fourth viewing for him to even notice Roy's expression. "Wait, did you see that?"
"What?" Oliver was still locked in misery and operating on an emotional level. His focus remained on Felicity and even watching the video everything else was blurry, unimportant.
"Watch Roy's face – I don't think he meant to hit her." Diggle pressed play again and both men focused on Roy and both saw his expression of absolute horror when his hand connected with Felicity's stomach.
"Go back further." Oliver directed.
Diggle went further back and they again focused on Roy.
"He didn't mean to hit her – he was just turning around and she was closer than he thought. His hand isn't even fisted." Oliver blew out a frustrated breath. "Do you think it was just because it was Felicity or are we missing something else?"
Diggle started the video feed from where Roy had entered the lair with Slade and they watched as the group walked around, the thugs set up the explosive device and Slade took Felicity's seat. They continued to watch and both saw Roy drop something on the desk out of Slade's sight.
Oliver and Diggle exchanged a look and both knew they needed to see if whatever Roy left was helpful. Neither wanted to voice a hope that Roy was simply playing a part for Slade but both knew they would all be devastated if Roy had indeed switched sides.
"Stay with Felicity, try to sleep. I'll drive to the lair and check out the damage and look for whatever he left." Diggle spoke as he stood up.
Oliver was torn between leaving Felicity alone and leaving Diggle alone. Even though his friend gave the order for him to stay he was still concerned about dividing up their team. He stood there frowning as Diggle gathered what he needed.
"I'll be careful." Diggle assured Oliver as he could see his friend's dilemma. When Oliver continued to frown and look back and forth between him and Felicity Diggle offered a compromise. "I'll use the comms and let you know as I search."
Finally Oliver nodded his acceptance and watched his friend leave. He then paced for a little longer before he returned to sitting at Felicity's side and holding her hand. With that contact, he felt some of his tension ease. He just couldn't believe he may have a future with this remarkable woman. Despite that tantalizing possibility Oliver knew their future was anything but secure. They still had to battle Slade and that thought brought his attention back to Diggle. He was worried about his friend and he remained tense until the other man checked in.
"I think the bomb was just a diversion – Slade didn't actually destroy the lair." Diggle's voice came through clearly as did his puzzled tone.
"What? There's no destruction?" Oliver was puzzled too and tried to think through to what Slade's ulterior motive might be.
"It looks like they set it up to target the damage upstairs – still not bad though. Do you think he was preserving the evidence of your identity as part of his master plan?" Diggle didn't like not being able to understand his adversary's mind but he was starting to accept that Slade's grasp on reality may be even more tenuous than they had thought.
Oliver remained silent as he thought it through as well. "If Roy's actions weren't part of Slade's plan then maybe he intended for the bomb as an escape plan? I do think he wanted to show Roy off and invade our home – there was no reason to actually destroy it to show he had beaten us again." Oliver sighed with regret that Slade had been able to do anything of those things especially as it resulted in Felicity being injured.
"Roy left a flash drive. I'm going to reset the basic programs here and secure the foundry but then I'm heading back." Diggle updated and moved quickly. He still couldn't understand Slade's purpose and whenever he was in doubt lately he found he preferred to be with the Team.
"Got it – be careful." Oliver couldn't help but remain on edge. If they didn't understand Slade's game then they could hardly defend themselves - much less take the offensive. He had to hope Slade was simply taunting him with the lair episode and there were no other purposes.
Felicity distracted him when she softly spoke his name, "Oliver?"
Oliver tightened his grip on her hand and smiled at her. Her eyes were still fuzzy as she blinked several times which told him she was still under the influence of the meds. He was glad Diggle wasn't there as he couldn't be sure what Felicity would say when she was in full control of her faculties much less when she was drugged. So far things had gone his way as previously John's 'aspirin' inspired her to tell him she was his girl and then this time the hospital meds caused her to admit she had thought about kissing him. His smile grew wider but he resisted the impulse to kiss her. He somehow knew Felicity would have wanted their first kiss to be more romantic but as she wouldn't remember these first two he still had the chance to make it special for her. Simply being with her, kissing her was special enough for him.
"Hey Sleeping Beauty, how do you feel? Any pain?" Oliver asked softly.
"Nooo, my head's all fuzzy. How long have I been asleep?" Felicity glanced around as she asked that questions and then gasped and tried to sit up. "Are we in a hospital? Why not the lair? Where's John?" Felicity grew more panicked and she actually fought Oliver's hands as he tried to keep her lying down.
"Relax Felicity. John's okay, the lair's okay. You are okay." Oliver had to repeat that litany a couple more times before Felicity settled back down. She did keep a firm hold on his hand but was fine with him.
"Tell me what happened." Felicity still felt dazed and confused but she trusted Oliver – she just needed the details her brain couldn't or wouldn't provide.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Oliver rubbed her hand gently between his and was glad she calming slightly.
"Roy was in the lair…" Felicity began hesitantly and Oliver could see the memories return when she paled and turned big eyes to him. "Roy was trying to kill you! He's with Slade! Oh Oliver, Thea will be heartbroken!"
Oliver couldn't help but laugh – trust Felicity to be concerned about him and Thea when she was the one in the hospital bed. "I'm fine and Thea will be fine too—"
"How can you even say that? That little twerp betrayed us, betrayed you after all you did for him!" Felicity was starting to get agitated again and Oliver jumped in quickly to soothe her.
"Actually he didn't – he could have killed me but he didn't." Oliver hadn't actually thought about that until the words came out of his mouth. "Hm, he had to have found some control as he didn't kill me – I think he meant for me to get that message, risky plan though." As Felicity grumbled under her breath Oliver gave her a quick smile and then continued to explain. "Roy didn't mean to hurt you. That was an accident Felicity – we reviewed the lair security camera footage. You were right about him coming home, coming back to the Team. Roy even left a flash drive at the lair for us. Diggle's gone now to get it."
"Oliver! You let John go back alone? You should have gone with him!" Felicity had barely spoken the words when John walked through the door and answered her. He had heard their discussion over the comms and like Oliver he was amazed that Felicity continued to put others first. He was less surprised that Oliver was too distracted to even remember to turn off the comms.
"I'm here Felicity – even brought you a gift from Roy. You might want to ask for flowers though since you are in the hospital." Diggle smiled at the young woman as he brought the flash drive and a laptop to her.
"Security back up? Did the police or first responders get into the lair?" Oliver just thought to ask. It was a big miss for him but he was okay with Felicity always taking priority.
"The explosion really didn't—" Diggle began but Felicity interrupted.
"Explosion?! What explosion?" Felicity asked loudly.
Oliver leaned in closer and used his free hand to rub her arm after he had pressed her back into the bed. Diggle was the one who answered her.
"Slade set off a small explosion. We think it was just a distraction – he just wanted to mess with us in our own home, taunt Oliver. No damage. We also think Roy acted on his own and that he is still on our side." He reiterated what Oliver had told her as he knew she still wasn't thinking clearly. "You'll be able to confirm that once you are out of here and can check the drive yourself."
"Give it to me now!" Felicity raised the hand that wasn't attached to Oliver and narrowed her eyes threateningly at Diggle. Her gaze was clearer now and focused. It was Oliver who responded though.
"No. The doctor said you should rest for the night. Tomorrow is soon enough. You are on pain meds, you're not in any condition to do this." Oliver started sternly but ended on a pleading note when Felicity switched her glare to him and continued to hold out her hand.
The men exchanged a look that clearly said it's better to humor her than argue because she wouldn't give in. Diggle handed Felicity the flash drive and set the laptop on her legs.
Felicity was glad to feel the computer in her lap just as she was glad to have Oliver on one side and John on the other. The pain was returning slightly but she knew if she asked for pain meds the guys would take her baby away so she decided she needed to just suck it up and represent Team Arrow well. Those thoughts had her smiling even as she started a decryption program on the files on the flash drive.
"This might take some time. You guys should go back to the hotel and catch a little sleep." Even as she spoke Felicity knew the response would be no. She wasn't surprised at all when Diggle just scooted his chair back and stretched out his legs to try and sleep there. Oliver remained by her side and just grinned without saying a word.
"Fine – be stubborn and sleep in an uncomfortable chair then!" Felicity huffed even though she was glad both stayed.
"Would you be willing to share your bed instead so I don't have to stay in the uncomfortable chair then?" Oliver couldn't resist teasing as he knew she wasn't angry.
"Still in the room." Diggle spoke up quickly without opening his eyes. Felicity chuckled in response and laid her head back against the pillow as she prepared to sleep.
"Before you guys go to sleep there is something I need to tell you, something we need to talk about." Oliver hated putting more burdens on them but he knew they would prefer to know so he continued after both opened their eyes and looked at him. "Slade also told Thea I'm the Arrow. I used Sara and Laurel's story and she drew her own conclusions that he lied so we are okay there but I think I need to tell her. I think we need to tell her." Oliver amended to emphasize their part in this.
Felicity and Diggle exchanged a look and it was Felicity who voiced their opinion as she returned her gaze to Oliver.
"She needs to know – you can't keep lying to her. I don't want to lie to her." Felicity dropped her eyes from Oliver. She knew it wasn't the time to share about her past but she wanted him to understand she viewed Thea as her sister too now. "I put Thea on my emergency contacts list. Both of you are already there anyway."
This time it was Diggle and Oliver who exchanged a look. Oliver spoke after Diggle shrugged.
"Why do you have papers on file with the hospital? Why did you include Thea?" Oliver found he was still curious about both things.
"Actually I put all of our records and info on file here – hacked into the system so they will only find us if they try to input new info. A regular search won't find anything. I figured if it was ever serious enough to force us to come here that I should make things as smooth as possible. We aren't blood relatives so they couldn't give out information to us otherwise." Felicity paused and shrugged here as that had just seemed like a logical plan to herand still did. "As for Thea, we really did talk at Tommy's grave and…well, I consider her a sister now."
Felicity wasn't sure if Oliver would think she had crossed some line or not by claiming Thea as a sister so she continued to look at the laptop and bit her lip as she waited for his response. Laughter from both Oliver and Diggle wasn't the response she expected though and she looked at both in surprise.
"What? Why is that funny?" Felicity wasn't sure why but she felt hurt by their amusement. Her expression clearly showed that and both men sobered quickly.
"You don't recall Thea visiting you earlier? Here?" Diggle asked.
"Thea was here? Oh no, they would have called her. I didn't think we would be using the hospital records so quickly. I should have thought that through – poor Thea. She probably got news of the explosion too as she runs the club. Hey! Did the explosion make the news? Did the break-in?"
"Only you can operate on so many levels at once." Diggle smiled as he turned on the TV to find news just as Felicity grabbed her tablet to do the same.
Oliver spoke up to address Felicity's other questions. "Thea was worried about you and I think it meant a lot to her that you listed her and that you think of her as a sister." Oliver wasn't going to share any other information and he counted on Diggle to keep his mouth shut too. It was clear Felicity didn't remember her drug induced ramblings nor their kisses and he didn't want her reminded…just yet.
"Both the explosion and the break-in are on the news. Isabel has already held a press conference and is promising swift action as well as downplaying it as a minor inconvenience with QC remaining secure. Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Felicity chanted the last line in a sing song voice.
"Okay, so the break-in was a success." Oliver smiled at Felicity when he gave that judgment.
"YES! My plan was good! We'll need to check on Charlie and review the current security feeds. I will also need to check the search results – it looks like a couple reports have already been generated. We have a lot to do and we need to move fast. Hopefully this will give us the ammunition to go on the offensive now." Felicity stopped when she realized both men were watching her with curious expressions.
"You do realize it's nearly sunrise, none of us have slept and you are in the hospital with multiple injuries, right?" Diggle asked with a laugh.
"We rest now then once you are released we return to the hotel so you can stay in bed." Oliver added with a stern expression even as he took the laptop from her. He was still worried about Felicity and was determined to do a better job of taking care of her or he had no reason to fight for his own future.
"We can work from the hotel – we have a lot to do and I think the all of the pieces are finally coming together now." Felicity relinquished the laptop and sat back even as she spoke. There was something in the back of her mind, some memory, some idea but she couldn't quite grasp it. Maybe with a little rest she could think clearly again and her memory would be back.
"Yeah, I think we are going to be watching dominoes fall quickly and we'll need to be ready to move fast. This means we need to rest now so lights out Team." Diggle gave the final order and again leaned back and closed his eyes.
AN2 – You guys didn't really think I'd let Roy be bad, did ya?! Come on, now! I love my happy endings too much for that! Plus I love Roy and want to continue the Lessons Learned series! :)
