HI! So sorry for the wait! These last few chapters are delicate I don't want to disappoint. The pace should be picking up now!

October 9th

"Is this car really necessary?"

Ever since the story broke a couple of weeks ago, Felicity had been dealing with a ridiculous amount of security. Not that she didn't need it, of course; she was a prime target for the Hood's enemies and she had a baby to protect. But driving to her doctor's appointment in an everything-proof Mercedes?

"Oliver insisted," answered Diggle as he eyed her in the rearview mirror. "I know it seems someone would've made a move by now, but we still need to be careful."

"But this thing is a stylish tank."

"Fit for a Queen." said the bodyguard in the backseat with her, a bespectacled young dork she liked to talk tech with.

"Will I be subjected to these puns for the rest of my life?" she replied with an eye roll.

Jensen nodded emphatically. "Yep. But you're married to a billionaire so it's totally worth it."

"An incredibly gorgeous billionaire with a killer smile and abs like a brick wall." she clarified.

"Good to know you didn't marry him for his money." Jensen muttered.

But Felicity didn't seem to hear; she was too preoccupied by her massive baby belly. She sank in her seat and frowned. "I'm so fat. I feel like a hideous elephant seal."

"Aw, no you're not!" Jensen said consolingly, patting her hand. "You're a beautiful elephant seal!"

She nudged the seat in front of her with her foot to get the third bodyguard's attention. "Clay, he has offended me. Shoot him."

"I will after he helps us get you past those reporters." he replied without looking back.

Felicity sat up with difficulty and saw what he meant; a big rapacious group of journalists crowded by the entrance like plaque in a coronary artery.

"I'll drop you off by the door and meet you after I park," Diggle explained with a quick look back at her. "I don't want you walking all that way."

"There're a lot of them," she commented quietly, irrational fear creeping into her voice.

"Nothing we can't handle, Mrs. Queen." reassured Clay.

Neither Clay nor Jensen had the imposing presence of Felicity's favorite bodyguard, but both were still able to push through the crowd as questions and accusations were flung her way. The rumor mill had been getting particularly bad; one reporter asked if she enjoyed helping the Hood kill and another insinuated that she was having an affair with him. She was finally able to feel safe when they made it to the elevator.

"I'm surprised your husband didn't demand to come." Clay said as he pushed the button for the fifth floor. "He never seems to let you out of his sight."

Felicity smiled. Oliver's protectiveness could be suffocating at times, but she still appreciated it. "I'm sure he'd be here if Moira didn't need him so much. It's a shame that the company still took such a hit despite the city forgiving her."

Jensen made a face. "I saw the picture of that scary hostile-takeover chick when Oliver was reading her file. She looked like the love child of Christina Ricci and a velociraptor. What's her name again?"

"Isabel Rochev," she answered, giggling at his comparison. "That's pretty much all I know about her since Oliver is trying to keep me in a stress-free environment. But knowing that he'll probably take over as CEO since Moira has a stigma and Walter already has a new job has been enough to freak me out."

The elevator dinged and they stepped out onto their floor.

"Because if he does become the CEO then he'll get a sexy secretary?" wondered Clay as they found the waiting room.

"Yeah, because I know he relies on me and I'm sure I'd buckle even though being his EA would feel like an insulting demotion I'm not even qualified for." Felicity responded cheekily, knowing what he'd meant.

Diggle arrived minutes later, and when Felicity was called back he was the only one who could come with her.

"Man, come on!" whined Jensen. "Dig gets to go watch the baby move around on the black-and-white screen thingy while Clay and I sit here reading old issues of Parents? I hope you don't display such blatant favoritism with your future children." That last bit was louder because he said it as they were walking away.

Diggle helped her wiggle onto the paper-covered exam table and get comfortable.

"So, just one more of these before he's born?" he asked as he adjusted her pillow. They'd been waiting for ten minutes and boredom pushed him to conversation.

She nodded. "Yeah, and it seems like such a long time from now. I'm so ready for him to—Ah!" Felicity gasped audibly and held her stomach. "Why does he have to kick so hard?"

"Guess he wants out too."

Felicity sighed and placed Dig's hand where the baby was kicking. They barely noticed the soft click of the door opening and the nurse entering the room.

"I don't mean to complain, but could we skip the blood pressure check just this once?" Felicity asked while keeping her attention on Diggle. "That cuff is painful."

"Of course, Mrs. Queen," the nurse replied. "There are more important things for me to do." Then there was another click, but it wasn't from the door.

Suddenly they heard a strange pew sound and Diggle was on the floor. With a shriek, Felicity looked at the nurse, who she realized was holding a gun with a silencer.

"I need you to come with me, Mrs. Queen." said the beautiful Asian woman as she aimed the gun at her. "Either you help me catch the vigilante, or I shoot you in the stomach."

Oliver barreled past the mass of reporters and stormed into the hospital.

"What happened?!" he roared at the two battered bodyguards sitting in the ER.

Clay rubbed his sore jaw before speaking. "Some guy came to us in the waiting room and told us he'd seen Mrs. Queen in the parking garage with a gun to her back. That sounded weird since there's only one way out of the examination room area so we went to check her room first and saw Felicity leaving."

"And there was this nurse following behind her. When she saw us she threw Felicity back in the room and started shooting at us—" Jensen was cut off as the doctor reset his dislocated shoulder. "Fuck, that hurt… There was a gunfight until we all ran out of bullets… and then we fought her hand to hand and got our asses kicked."

"Not that she got away without a scratch," Clay added. "She looks about as bad as we do."

Oliver knew the rest. Terrified hospital staff and patients, a few dead security guards, and a media frenzy. "What about Diggle?"

"If he hadn't been in a hospital when he got shot, he wouldn't have made it." answered the doctor tending to Clay. "We were informed a few minutes ago that he's still in surgery. The doctors are hopeful."

"Good to hear," said a familiar voice behind them. Oliver turned to see who it was.

"Mr. Smoak? How did you get here so fast?" He and the rest of Felicity's family had left shortly after the Star had outed her.

"Felix, Kyle, and I stuck around just in case something like this happened." he replied, glancing nervously at his phone. "Been hold up in a hotel down the street. Would've been here sooner, but I had a call to make."

"The hell's he talking about? This all happened less than an hour ago!" Jensen said as he took the crutch offered by the nurse.

Ignoring him, Asher took Oliver by the arm and led him to a supply closet. When they were isolated, he began to explain.

"Felicity is wearing a bracelet containing a tracking device. When I noticed she was traveling at a speed that suggested a vehicle yet her position didn't coincide with the position of the tracker I installed in that sweet Mercedes, I knew something was wrong. Especially since I've been tracking everyone else in her life via their phones and none of them were close to her. After that, I made a very important call and had the Hilford men ready the weapons. Now, if you'd like to, I suggest having a good cry in here before suiting up and joining the fight."

"Wait—" Oliver could barely get out the word before Asher left and closed the door behind him. He took a moment to gather his thoughts—not cry—before going after him.

"…would be greatly appreciated. Despite the fact that you gentlemen have had your asses handed to you by a petite Chinese woman, I still consider you valuable soldiers." Asher continued as Oliver entered the room. The doctors and nurses were gone. "And my people are picking up Sergeant Alvarez and Sergeant Porteous as we speak."

"But how long will that take?" asked Oliver anxiously.

"A few hours, but it's only nine A.M." Asher answered. "We'll have everything together before the sun goes down. The people who took Felicity think it'll take the Hood much longer than that to find her because they don't realize all the resources he has. And they assume the Queens only have the somewhat ineffective police force at their disposal. And even then—"

"Can you back up a bit?" Jensen begged as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "First of all, who the hell are you?"

"Asher Smoak, former black-ops operative. Now I train recruits. No need to get into details just yet. All you need to know is that I have connections."

"Do you have any idea what the numbers are looking like?" Clay said, grabbing his suit jacket and shrugging it on with difficulty. "It'd be helpful to know what we're in for."

"The intelligence gathered suggests the Triad has partnered with other interested parties willing to pay mercenaries. The numbers will be high but I've been assured we'll match them."

"Assured?" growled Oliver, frustration and fear building. "Why would an organization use so many resources to help her? This isn't a matter of national security. What are they really after?"

Asher swallowed and tried to move past him. "They owe me a lot. But now's not the time—"

Oliver grabbed his arm. "Now's the perfect time. Tell me why they're willing to help my wife."

Asher shrugged out of his grip and faced him. "Because 'summa cum laude graduate of MIT, third-generation operative whose work experience includes aiding the Starling City Vigilante' has a nice ring to it." He looked away and adjusted his glasses. "They've been dying to recruit her for years, but they've respected my refusal to support it. So in exchange for helping me protect her since the Star outed her, I've promised to encourage her to join."

"That's it?" Oliver asked wearily.

"That's still a lot to do in hopes of gaining a new recruit," Jensen commented.

"She's a descendant of two of their top operatives and the cousin of another. Do I really have to repeat the rest?" Asher sighed angrily and gestured for them to follow him out of the room. They maneuvered through the busy hallways and took the elevator, heading for the parking garage. "Clay and I will take the Mercedes and meet up with the Hilfords at the hotel. Oliver, Jensen will go with you to the foundry where you'll suit up. He's too banged up to fight so he'll do Felicity's usual job from the—What?"

Oliver looked ready to kill him. "Did you really just blurt out my secret identity in front of them?"

Mr. Smoak snorted. "Awful sensitive for someone who doesn't even wear a mask." Oliver continued to glare. "Oh, c'mon! They're helping us save Felicity! They have to know! And they won't tell anyone, will you, guys?"

"'Course not," assured Clay.

"That is so cool. And kind of obvious when you think about it." mused Jensen.

When the doors opened, Asher quickly left with Clay, leaving Oliver alone with Jensen.

"So I've been dying to know," Jensen started as he hobbled along behind Oliver. "How are you able to do anything in those leather pants? Because they seem really tight and I'm pretty sure leather doesn't breathe—"

"Shut up, Jensen."

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes