Enjoy my lovelies!
The skull masked man moved forward, firing a smoke gun. Guests screamed and began to run, while Moria's security team tried to move the family to the panic room.
Oliver pushed Felicity behind him, Thea taking her weight. Even though he couldn't see it he knew Slade was smiling behind that mask. Isabel's smile sparkling and Blood's laughter echoing under the mask.
Sara crashed through the upper ballroom windows, tumbling and pulling out her bo staff. Pausing, she glared at Slade, opening the staff fully, Sara ran towards Slade when Isabel caught her. Sara deflected the first sword, but was clipped on her arm by the second. Spinning, Sara swung out the staff, tripping Isabel, then threw a knife at a goon who was coming up behind Thea.
Turning back, she glared at Isabel, who smiled, and mockingly bowed at Sara. "Your move, Canary."
Sara growled, and clicked a button on the staff, breaking it in half. She smiled as the other woman's eyes widened. "Bring it on Ice Bitch."
Sebastian moved to hit Oliver, but Oliver swung first, hitting Blood in the ribs. The man gasped, dropping the smoke gun. Oliver didn't hesitate to bring his knee up to the other side of Blood's ribcage. The man was bent over, but Oliver suddenly was spun, facing a soldier of Slade's. The mirakuru filled goon swung, hitting Oliver in the ribs, knocking the breath out of him.
Before he could react, Blood grabbed one of the large vases that decorated the room, and swung it into Oliver's leg.
There was a large popping sound. Oliver's leg buckled and couldn't hide his cry of pain.
The soldier grabbed Oliver around his throat, and was about to lift him when he jolted. A syringe was in his shoulder, Roy knocking the man's feet out from under him. Oliver coughed and nodded at Roy, as the younger man ran past him, to tackle Blood.
"No moves kid." Oliver froze, his knee killing him as he limped on the turn to face Slade.
Felicity's face was neutral, but he saw pain in her eyes as Slade made her weight rest of her feet. Oliver growled. It was too early to have her stand upright, the swelling could return, or the injury made worse.
"You want me Slade." He limped forward, gasping as the agony that shot up and down his leg from the injury. "Let her go."
"Like the count? I hold everything you care about Oliver." He bent his head and smelled Felicity's perfume.
Oliver growled, and Felicity struggled. "I can see the attraction. She is quite lovely." Slade whispered.
Oliver swallowed. Knowing that there was a cure, but no way to get it in Slade. Not right now.
"I could kill her, take her away like Shado was taken from me."
"You see her don't you Slade?" Oliver asked, hoping Roy would be able to get the cure and stab Slade with it like he had earlier, but right now he was trying to fight Blood.
Slade smiled. "Yes."
"She wouldn't want to know what you've done in her name." Slade's eye narrowed, and he snarled over Felicity's gasp of pain as he tightened his grip on her. "All of this is YOUR fault! It is YOUR fault she's dead!"
Moira gasped, and Roy fell, landing on his back as Sebastian ran out the doors of the ballroom. The other guests had left, fleeing en mass once the attack started while others were injured on the floor. Oliver knew there was no chance of beating Slade. No chance with the anger and mirakuru coursing through him.
"That broke my heart Oliver." Slade stated, moving the sword closer to Felicity. "I think I should destroy yours."
Dig knocked down the goon who had started to fight with him, running closer to Feicity who he saw as his sister. Sara screamed as a soldier snapped her wrist, causing Diggle to stop and fire at that soldier. Oliver couldn't move, out of fear for Felicity. His heart pounded, racing trying to figure out a way to save her before that blade got anywhere near her.
"I think I'll break you." Felicity whispered before her right hand shot up, slamming two needles of blue cure into Slade's neck.
He roared, and shoved her towards Oliver. He caught her, sliding on the floor. Thea screamed, and a soldier grabbed her, covering her mouth with a cloth. Roy ran at the man, shoving him away from Thea, catching her before her head hit the floor.
Moira moved out from where she and Walter had hidden. She moved quickly over to Oliver and Felicity. Her heart pounded seeing Felicity's face and neck were cut slightly from the sword, and she was in obvious pain from her injuries. Oliver was trying to push her towards the panic room, but Felicity wasn't budging.
"Mom, get out of here." Moira shook her head at her son. She glanced up and saw Slade fighting Sara and Diggle. Isabel unconcious on the floor. Her heart pounded. Oliver was badly injured from the fight with the skull masked man and one of the soldiers.
"Mrs. Queen, run." Felicity whispered.
"Mrs. Queen, we need to get you to a safe location." a bodyguard covered her back.
Moira looked at Felicity, saw the pain in her features, but the care that she was giving Oliver. Moira nodded, but reached for Felicity. "Let's go."
Felicity shook her head. "No, Oliver."
"Wants us safe, Let's go dear. The panic room is just over there." Moira and the guard helped Felicity up to a standing position. Then began to half walk, half drag her out of the room, leaving Oliver to stand up and stop one of the men from following them, the bodyguard covering their backs as the moved across the ballroom.
Every step felt like an eternity, and Felicity was in agony. She just wanted to lie down, to have Oliver hold her.
"Mrs. Queen, Ms. Smoak run!" the bodyguard fired off a shot, and Moira picked up the pace, seeing Walter opening the panic room door, holding out his hands to take Felicity.
Moira reached out, moving Felicity forward, when a voice came from behind them. "You're not going anywhere."
Moira tried to push Felicity to Walter, to safety, when Felicity's legs crumpled beneath her. Moira took a breath, and lifted Felicity as much as she could, before Slade's cold eye caught her.
Walter and Oliver's shouts quieted in her ears, and panic filled her being as she watched.
Slade swung Sara into Diggle, before drawing his katana. He began to march to them, his eye gleaming with hate.
"I promised your son misery Moira." He pulled the sword backwards. "I intend to deliver it."
Moira's heart pounded. Knowing the pain it would cause Oliver, she wanted to spare him the pain of losing the one love of his life. She pushed Felicity aside, and stepped in her spot. Felicity crumpled to the floor, screaming in pain and horror as the blade ran through Moira's abdomen. Oliver ran punched Slade in the side, moving him and the sword into Sara's path.
Oliver turned, and caught his mom, cradling her close to him. "Mom?"
Moira struggled to look up at her boy.
Was this what Robert felt?
This pain?
She smiled faintly, and reached up, cupping his face. His eyes filled with tears. Moira knew she'd done the right thing. Feeling weak, she struggled for words.
"Ol.. iver." Moira gasped, "Felici?"
"She's safe mom, just hang on. Help is on the way."
Moira smiled and took a shallow breath. "Bbe..." she swallowed. "Hero." She saw Oliver's eyes widen, and his grip tighten on her, before she saw Robert's smiling face, and felt warmth.
Oliver felt the tears spill over as he laid his mom on the floor.
She was dead.
Slade killed her.
Felicity crawled to Oliver, as he stared at his dead mother. Felicity's hand came down, feeling a tablet on the floor. She looked down and saw a picture on the screen.
Of her, Oliver, and Thea, an hour earlier laughing.
Sobs caught in her throat and she grasped Moira's tablet to her.
Slade bent over to pick up the sword he'd dropped earlier she reacted. She grasped the bottom edge of the tablet, and swung at Slade, smashing it against his face. The snap and scream of agony was satisfying as it covered the sound of the tech breaking, and the agony of the fire in her back.
As Slade screamed and knelt on the ground, Felicity desperately crawled over the final amount of space to Oliver, trying to get him to see her. "Oliver?" She shook him, and he turned, staring up at her. His eyes were red, shining with tears, and anger She cupped his face, trying to comfort him the chaos. He blinked, and then grabbed her to him, the broken tablet between them. At the sudden motion, pain shot through her back.
Then, Felicity cried out as Slade pushed her forward. He leaned close to Oliver, his nose broken, his face red and embedded with glass.
"I broke the one you love, your mother's sacrifice for your love is admirable. A trait you never possessed. I destroyed your city's last chance for hope. Now suffer as your city burns."
Slade stood up, and began to walk away, stepping over Moira's body, Oliver slowly sat up, moving Felicity to the side. She tried to reach out to him, trying to breathe through the pain, but he moved forward, out of reach.
"No."
Slade stopped and turned back, the lights bright. Roy holding an unconscious Thea, Sara and Dig having inserted more of the cure in the fallen soldiers, Walter closing Moira's eyes, tears falling from his eyes.
"What kid? Want to fight?"
Oliver stepped forward. "I'll fight you Slade. If I win, you leave my city for good. If you win," he took a deep breath. "I'll go back to Lian Yu for the rest of my life."
Felicity gasped.
Slade smiled. "Not good enough. They'll find you." He pointed to his friends.
Oliver shook his head, standing on his good leg, Felicity sitting behind him, cradling the tablet, his mom dead a few feet away. "There is a cell in the bedrock of the island. Only ARGUS can access it. I'll be put in there, so that nobody can access it but me and you. You can't kill me though. I'd live, never knowing anything else but that cage."
Slade looked at Felicity, saw the tears, and anger in her eyes. He knew the team would focus on healing her, and trying to get Oliver out of the prison. To make access to only two people was cruel. Oliver cutting himself off from his life, ensuring that only he could torture him. It would be hell. Just like Slade wanted. Slade smiled. "Then we meet at the refineries next to the ocean. 4 am. If anybody else shows up, or helps, I'll blow the entire city to hell."
He stepped towards him. "When I win, I'll push an arrow through your eye. Then you'll know utter despair." Slade moved past Oliver, walking past Felicity, a beaten up Isabel moving beside him leaving his soldiers behind.
"Just like me."
A/N: Okay, I know. Moira on the show was the Queen of secrets (pun intended here) and she had the strong facade. I want to believe that she saw Felicity as the right woman for Oliver since she knew that Felicity cares and protects Oliver, not seeing him as the old one, but the new one. To go toe to toe with the woman who protects and cares for Oliver at all costs really resides in Moira.
But her death on the show felt like compatiable with Robert's death. Both sacrificing themselves for their children's survival with no idea if they'd actually survive.
I wrote it this way as Moira (again) sacrificing herself for Oliver but not for him, for his happiness. She sees how good Felicity is for him, and tries to fix her relationship with her children. The ultimate one, resulting in her death.