Thank you all so much for the fantastic response to the last Chapter. I love reading all your reviews.

Dark Of Night Chapter 7

Diggle and Oliver had taken to collecting Felicity on the way to QC several mornings a week. It made sense since they were often going to the same place and at the same times, they passed her apartment on the way and they didn't like her driving around the Glades at night after Arrow business. Felicity initially put up a small protest but she was won over when Oliver looked at her with his soulful eyes and told her he liked picking her up. So over time they more and more often picked her up on the way to work. Usually Oliver would text and she'd get Starling City's best coffee from a café next to her building for the three of them. They both silently realized that arriving to work together didn't help the rumors around QC about their relationship but they had learned that people were going to gossip no matter how they acted.

Oliver had grown to enjoy the car rides and looked forward to this time with Felicity where it wasn't QC or Arrow related business. They were just two people chatting about normal things for a few car journeys a week. It was like the car was their little sanctuary away from all their other activities.

He was going to apologize to Felicity today about being even more mopey than usual recently. It was coming up to the anniversary of the earthquake and Tommy's death (among many deaths), and he felt he had been snapping at her more recently. Felicity was no shrinking violet and well able to give as good as she got when he got like this but the last few weeks she had been letting him away with it- just leaving him alone when he got too cranky and bringing him a peace-offering of a coffee in his office when she saw him hunched over endless documents, a furrow deep in his brow.

"Did you text Felicity to get me an extra shot of espresso in my coffee this morning? These last few weeks have been tiring!" Diggle shouted back from his position in the driver's seat to where Oliver sat in the back.

"You're just getting old Dig," Oliver joked.

"Haha. Very funny." Diggle turned the corner to her street.

"Actually I texted her last night to tell her we'd pick her up and again this morning and haven't heard back but I do remember seeing her charger plugged in next to her computer in the foundry so maybe her phone died and she didn't have her charger at home." Oliver tried to hide the slight hint of worry that lay behind his words. When she didn't return his text last night he figured she had gone to bed and when he didn't hear back from his text ten minutes ago, he thought she might just be in the shower but it didn't stop the small niggle of anxiety that he always felt for Felicity because of the line of work they were in.

When they reached the front of Felicity's building Oliver hopped out. "Sure I'll run up since her phone might be out of action," he said to Dig before ascending the front steps.

Oliver knocked on Felicity's door for a few minutes but there was no answer. Oliver's anxiety levels started to soar. He rang her phone and was relieved to hear it ring until he realized the familiar ring-tone he heard wasn't coming from behind her apartment door. He followed the faint sound down the corridor until he reached the stairwell entrance. He pushed the door open cautiously, fearful of what he would find. When he opened the door a crack he found Felicity's phone ringing and vibrating on the ground. He picked it up and saw his missed text messages unread on the screen.

A surge of panic rose up in Oliver. He didn't have time to go looking for her key on his key ring or care what her neighbors thought, he just kicked at her door. On the second kick it burst open, a little too easily as he knew Felicity dead-bolted it when she was inside. He was so hoping to find a sleeping Felicity on the couch who would give him an ear-full for breaking down her door. Instead what he saw made all the blood drain from his face.

"Slade?" Oliver's eyes widened as he took in the figure of Slade Wilson, an eye patch over his right eye.

"Hello old friend. It's been too long," Slade Wilson's low voice resonated throughout the living room of Felicity's apartment. Oliver's eyes quickly snapped around the room to see if there was any sign of her but the two appeared to be alone.

"You can't be here. I watched you die," Oliver tried to hide the slight shake in his voice. It was as if standing in front of Slade turned him back into the scared boy that he was when they first met on the island. "Where is Felicity?"

"Aren't you going to ask me how I'm not dead?"

"That'll be my first question as soon as you tell me where Felicity is?" Oliver's fear was quickly turning to anger but he didn't want Slade to detect his emotions.

"Oh don't worry Oliver. I've put her somewhere safe for now," Slade's voice was mocking.

"If you've hurt her I'll…" Oliver took a step toward Slade but stopped when Slade raised a hand towards him.

"You'll what? You'll fight me? You'll kill me? I know you're not that stupid Oliver. Looks like women are still making a fool of you. You never did think clearly where pretty women were concerned." Oliver wanted to punch the sickening grin off Slade's face but he needed to be cautious until he figured out where Felicity was.

"What do you want?" Oliver tried to contain the vitriol in his voice. He was speaking to a ghost. Maybe he was hallucinating? But that wouldn't explain where Felicity was.

"All in good time Oliver. You're so impatient."

"How did you survive?" Oliver tried.

"Oh now you want to know?!" Slade's voice became angry. "It doesn't matter how I survived. Let's just say I've been through hell and back. And I want you to know how that feels!"

Oliver tried to hide the dread in his voice. "Felicity is nothing to do with this. Take me and let her go and we can talk then. I'll give you anything you want."

"Are you trying to bribe me? Pay a ransom for your little friend? I have more than enough money. In fact I'm a man of means now." Count Vertigo's words about a 'man of means' echoed in his ears and he wondered if there was a link.

"She's just my assistant Slade," Oliver lied. "She is of no use to you."

"Oh she can be of plenty of use to me," Slade said with a devious smile. Oliver had to stop himself from springing forward and wringing his neck. "Now inject this into your arm and when you wake up, I'll let you see that pretty little girl of yours again." Slade threw him a needle and syringe.

"Shado…" Oliver started but was cut off by Slade's roar.

"Don't you dare utter her name!" Slade's face contorted in disgust.

Oliver looked between the syringe and Slade's sadistic facial expression and realized he had no choice. He had to find Felicity before Slade hurt her. Oliver uncapped the needle and gave Slade one last cold hard stare before thrusting it into the muscles of his upper arm. As his vision narrowed and he started to black out he heard Slade's voice. "And if you think your driver is going to help you, I have a very effective gaseous sedative making it's way into the ventilation system of his car so he's going to wake up after a nice little sleep all confused in a couple of hours."

Laurel helped Felicity up to a seated position on the cold hard floor. Felicity felt like her skull was going to split in two and her eyes were having difficulty focusing. She reached up to adjust glasses that were absent from her nose. Laurel detected her discomfort. "Yeah whatever they gave us sure gives you a cracking headache."

"Laurel?" Felicity repeated, a smoggy feeling reeling in her head. "How did you get here?"

"I was walking to my car when a rag was put over my mouth. I think there were three men. Wow I'm beginning to feel like I've got a little dose of damsel-in-distress syndrome the number of times I've been kidnapped before." Felicity could tell that Laurel was trying to keep their spirits up but her eyes betrayed her abject terror at their current situation. "I woke up maybe an hour before you and you were already lying on the floor next to me."

"I remember three men too. Why have they taken us both?" Even as Felicity spoke she knew exactly what the common denominator was between them.

Laurel probably suspected that Oliver was the tie between them but being a good lawyer, she tried thinking of all avenues. "My Dad said you have been helpful in a few cases over the past year or so. Could any of those be linked to anything I'm working on in the DA's office?"

Felicity was finding it hard to make coherent sentences, which was probably a good thing or she might end up babbling. She knew that there probably were cases the two of them had both worked on but it was hard to overlook the more obvious connection between them. "I don't think so. Are you injured?" Felicity just noticed a patch of blood on Laurel's arm. She leant forward to check it.

"It's just a scratch. I think it was when I struggled. I don't really remember."

"Look Laurel I know we don't know each other very well but I promise you we'll get out of here. I have a friend who will get us out."

"How can you be so sure?" Laurel asked. Laurel watched as Felicity hitched up the hem of her top to reveal a tiny scar on her low back.

Felicity lowered her voice. "Let's just say I am now glad that I was convinced to get this. I gave him hell when he suggested I get a tracker," Felicity whispered.

"He who?" Laurel asked curiously.

Felicity was considering how to respond when the heavy door to the room creaked open.

Laurel scurried closer to Felicity until they were both pressed up towards the wall. Felicity noticed that Laurel was still holding her hand since she had helped her up from lying on the ground. She felt her nails dig into her skin. Two guards walked in first followed by their presumed leader.

"Well hello ladies. I'm sorry for the inconvenience I've put you to but all will be explained soon," Slade said to the pair, his accent pronounced.

Felicity tried to recall what Dig had taught her if she was even abducted again. She looked around at possible weapons, escape routes, weak spots. Nothing was apparent as the two large guards both had automatic rifles and stood at least a head above either of them. After a minute something occurred to Felicity. "Wait! I know you. You offered me a seat in the coffee shop. I thought you seemed nice," Felicity said, sitting forward and saw the pleased look on his face. "I obviously am not a good judge of character."

Felicity saw Slade move towards her quickly and she flinched as she thought he might hit her. Instead he took her chin in his hand and spoke in low tones. "Well from the company you keep, you obviously are a poor judge of character." If there was any doubt before, there certainly was not now that Oliver was the reason herself and Laurel were in this room. "And your boyfriend couldn't even protect you. I could be doing anything to you right now and he wouldn't be able to stop it. I don't think he's the man you think he is."

"He's a hundred times the man that holds two women prisoner in a cold room against their will," Felicity spat.

Slade sniggered and turned his attention to Laurel. He brought his face closer to hers. "So this is the famous Laurel Lance. I had to listen to that sap prattle on about you for so long." Laurel didn't seem to be paying too much attention to his words as she scanned the faces of the two rather unfriendly looking guards. Slade must have noticed as he looked up towards his two armed followers. "Oh don't worry about these two puppy dogs. I'm a gentleman and I've told them that any interfering with my guests is strictly frowned upon."

Laurel huffed a silent sigh of relief.

Felicity was piecing together that this man was somebody that Oliver knew from the island. She didn't know if Laurel believed that Oliver was alone for five years so she couldn't tell if she understood what significance he was to Oliver.

"Now!" Slade stood and pointed at the other door in their room that Felicity hadn't had time to notice until now. "I want you both to go shower- take any of that makeup or whatever you have on and change into the fresh clothes and underwear I put in there. I want you two to be visible in your naked beauty so that the choice won't be biased."

"Why?" Laurel asked.

"Who is in charge here?" Slade answered impatiently, taking a gun from one of his men to make his point. He yanked Laurel up by the arm and shoved her towards the bathroom. Laurel picked up one of the white cotton dresses that he had left by the bathroom door. "Now you have half an hour to shower quickly or shower together- I think I'll just imagine the latter- and be ready for show-time," Slade scoffed obviously pleased with himself.

"Can I ask is there a reason we need to wear these white dresses?" Felicity tried to seem like he was being submissive by asking his permission to ask a question.

"Good question my dear. Well I know it might seem dramatic to you- and I'm not usually one for theatrics- but when I shoot one of you through the heart, I want Oliver to see ever ounce of blood in your body pool out on those beautiful white dresses and know there is nothing he can do to save you."

So sorry for ending on another cliffhanger. I was going to wrap up this part of the story in this chapter but I was having too much fun and it was getting a bit long so I just kept writing but wanted to update so you don't have to wait too long between chapters. I realized that a few people have had a similar idea to where I'm going but I hope you like my different take on this. Please drop a review if you have any ideas/suggestions. Thanks