Thanks to everyone for all of the reviews, follows and favourites. I'm so happy you're all enjoying this story so far. For the most part this story is going to alternate between Oliver and Felicity (although I'll explain more next chapter).
Enjoy!
He wrenched his way tirelessly up the salmon ladder, each punishing movement doing little to assuage the tightness in his chest. Dig had pointed out that he was working himself too hard, though neither of them had mentioned the reason why. No, none of them had talked about the absence of their favourite blonde. Roy's eyes landed on her empty chair and black computer screens often, but even he said nothing.
Oliver dropped from the salmon ladder and reached for a towel to wipe away the stinging sweat dripping into his eyes. His phone trilled and echoed throughout the dank basement of the new lair. He considered ignoring it, but it was his Arrow phone.
His eyes twitched over to her chair before he grabbed his phone and answered the call.
"Detective." He greeted tonelessly, the modulator changing his voice.
There was silence on the other line and Oliver's eyebrows furrowed. "Detective?"
He heard Lance blow out a long breath before replying. "I need you to meet me at Miss Smoak's home."
Oliver dropped heavily onto the work bench as his lungs contracted painfully. "Why?" He barked.
"We got a call tonight from a concerned neighbour. I'm quite fond of Miss Smoak as you know, so I took the call." He paused and Oliver's eyes squeezed shut. "You should come over."
Oliver jaw cracked under the strain and he jumped to his feet. He was reaching for his green leather as Lance's voice caught his attention.
"It would be better if you didn't come as the Arrow, Kid." Lance cautioned and Oliver froze. Kid.
"And what would you suggest, Detective?" He snapped angrily.
Lance sighed as Oliver impatiently waited. "How about we deal with this first, Queen. And we can talk about the fact that you're the Arrow later, huh?"
Oliver hung up and changed quickly into his day clothes. He was on his bike and speeding towards Felicity's home within minutes. It hadn't occurred to him to deny his identity to Lance. He only knew that showing up as Oliver was a better alternative to showing up to a house full of police as the Arrow.
He dropped his motorcycle by the curb of her home and sprinted past the yellow tape surrounding the property. His heart was thundering as he realised that her home was a crime scene. He shrugged off the hands of the cop who had chased after him and didn't stop moving until he saw Lance standing in the living room. Lance's eyes moved from something on the floor to Oliver as he came to a halt. Lance turned to say something to one of the detectives in the room and Oliver's eyes flew over his surroundings.
He had only been here three times before. The night she'd been attacked by the Count he'd driven her home. The night they'd returned from Lian Yu he'd camped on her couch. And a week prior he'd been nervously standing out on her porch as he prepared to take her on their first date.
"Queen!" Lance barked and Oliver refocused on the man in front of him. "Let's take a walk, shall we?"
Oliver wanted to stay. He wanted to comb the living room for clues, for evidence. But as he looked around him he realised he didn't know what he was looking for. Relief filled him as he realised there was very little blood, no splatters and no signs of serious injury. A ripped brown bag had spilled produce all over the floor, a grape sat stationary not inches from his left foot.
"Where is she?" He choked out.
Lance shook his head and pulled him from the room and out of the house. Oliver allowed him to drag him away from the house just far enough to be out of earshot and then he dug in his heels. Lance let go of him and ran both hands over his graying hair, indicating his stress level.
"We got a call from a neighbour around 9:30 saying that a white panel van had backed up to Miss Smoak's garage. She expressed concern because she had seen Miss Smoak enter her home twenty minutes before but none of her lights had gone on. She said that the man had carried something large out of the house and then sped off. When she knocked at the door, nobody answered." Lance blew out a long breath. "Thank God for nosy neighbours, eh?"
Oliver's fists clenched and fury rose within him. Lance moved in and out of focus as he tried to rein in his anger.
"Evidence?" He spat, unable to form a full sentence.
Lance nodded. "She's a smart girl, Kid. She hurt him. There's blood and hair samples for analysis on the way to the lab right now. We've put an APB out on white panel vans. She's priority, front of the line." He promised.
Oliver nodded once sharply. Anger warred with panic as the faces of his many enemies looped through his mind. He had promised himself that he would protect her. He'd broken both of their hearts to keep her safe and barely a week later she was in danger!
"Oliver!" Lance barked, drawing his attention once more. "This isn't your fault. Not everything is your fault."
Oliver shook his head and pursed his lips. He watched as a policeman questioned a young woman in her pajamas ten feet from them. Lance's hand closed around his arm as he moved towards her.
"Don't be stupid, Kid. It's suspicious enough that you're here in the first place. You're not interrogating the poor woman!"
Oliver snarled as Lance got in his face. Lance simply shook his head and clapped him on the shoulder. "We're going to get her back, Oliver. Felicity is going to be fine. Between the two of us and the rest of your team, we'll get her back. I'll talk to the witness. She thinks she can describe the man well enough to provide a sketch. I'll be taking her there in a few minutes." Lance's eyes narrowed. "Don't blame yourself until you know for sure, okay? She needs you focused. Felicity believes in you."
Oliver's eyes stung as he watched Lance walk away from him and escort the witness into the back of a squad car. His world was crumbling around him and for once he didn't have the voice in his ear to tell him what to do.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Dig's number. His friend answered on the first ring.
"She's gone, Dig. Someone took her." He growled into the receiver.
John answered with a string of profanity that told Oliver he knew just who she was. "Call Roy and meet me at the lair."
Dig agreed and hung up. Oliver took several deep breaths before grabbing his helmet and shoving it on his head. He mounted the bike and did his best not to race off in front of the cops stationed at Felicity's home.
He ignored the tricks his imagination was playing on him. He pretended he didn't hear the pained cries his mind conjured or the accusations that he hadn't been there. He closed his eyes at a stoplight and tried to forget what she had looked like after their date; broken and bruised on the med table.
"I'll find you." He promised thickly.
A horn honked behind him and he kicked the bike into gear. As he raced into the night, against time, he promised himself and any God who was listening, that he would find her.
And whoever had taken her would suffer for it.
So that's chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading so far.