Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope you're all having a safe and happy holiday. Thanks so much for your comments. Enjoy this next chapter and let me know what you think!
Chapter 15
Grunting, Oliver pushed through his last set of one-armed pushups. He was covered in sweat and his muscles ached, but it felt good to be active again. It had taken him weeks to get back to fighting weight, and he was finally ready to get back out in the field. Crime had risen in his absence, and Oliver was eager to make up for lost time.
A beeping sound came from Felicity's computer, and Oliver looked up. "What was that?"
"An armored car was just robbed." Felicity furiously clicked away at her computer. "Police are chasing down the suspects as we speak."
"Where?" Diggle questioned as he landed a final knockout punch to the sparring dummy.
"They're speeding along Fifth and Wayland now."
Oliver stood up and caught the towel that Diggle threw to him. "That's the other side of town. Felicity, can you tap into traffic cameras and keep tabs on them?"
"It hurts me that you even have to ask," she muttered.
Oliver checked the time. "If they're heading north on Wayland, then we could probably head them off-"
"Police just apprehended the robbers," Felicity interjected.
Sighing, Oliver rubbed his hands over his face. So much for getting in on the action again.
As if she could read his mind, Felicity said, "It's probably just as well. A car chase might be too much for your first night back." She could tell that Oliver was chomping at the bit to don The Arrow suit and hit the streets of Starling. He'd been even more determined to recover after Tommy's company experienced a cyber attack a few weeks ago.
Felicity had felt sick as soon as Tommy told her about the Brother Eye message playing on all of the computers. Attacking two companies in the same city wasn't Cooper's style. But since she'd frozen all of his hidden assets and left a very compelling digital trail for the FBI, he must have been hurting for funds. Cooper took more money from Merlyn Global than he had any other company. Felicity didn't think for a second that Tommy's company was targeted at random. Cooper could've chosen Merlyn Global because of its involvement in the Undertaking-it's why he'd been so eager to bring down QC-but this was personal. Cooper must've seen Felicity in the papers with Oliver. Tommy was his best friend and if he couldn't get to Oliver again, then Tommy was the next best target.
At Tommy's request, Felicity had gone to Merlyn Global that night he first called. Oliver was hell-bent on going with her, and Felicity didn't argue. She felt much safer when he was around and craved that stability. On the way over, Felicity had informed Oliver of Cooper's previous attempt to hack into her personal accounts. Oliver confirmed her worst fear by stating he believed Cooper was still somewhere in Starling. He must've picked up on the guilt she'd been feeling at dragging Tommy into this, because Oliver assured her that it wasn't her fault. Her anxiety wasn't totally quelled, but she was able to suppress it for the time being.
When they'd arrived, the police were already there. The suspicious look on Detective Lance's face at her presence was enough to give Felicity pause. Oliver, not missing a beat, had placed a comforting hand on the small of her back. His support helped Felicity to continue forward with her head held high. Oliver stayed with Tommy while Felicity met with the IT team. In between rebooting the system and getting it re-secured, Felicity tried her hardest to retrace Cooper's breach. Although she'd taught him to cover his tracks over the years, he couldn't have pulled off something of this magnitude alone. He'd never been able to before, which meant he must've gotten help somehow. Oliver thought Cooper, having gone off the grid, must've sought out help from Starling's criminal underbelly. Felicity felt compelled to agree. The only thing she could do was make sure it never happened again, and so she spent the rest of the week consulting at Merlyn Global.
While Oliver obsessively focused on his rehab these past weeks, Felicity was meticulous in setting up several digital booby traps of her own. Cooper may have gotten the upper hand that time, but they would be ready the next time he tried to take them on. Oliver had also informed her about the missing performance enhancers. She was actively looking into that, as well. Felicity hadn't expected the world to stop turning with The Arrow out of commission, but she also hadn't expected this much chaos.
"Felicity, it's nothing I haven't done before."
The blonde swiveled in her chair. "All I'm saying is you might want to start with pummeling a few common criminals first. You know, until you find your groove again."
"Then by all means, find me some criminals," he requested before grabbing his spare bow and a couple of tennis balls. Oliver needed to get some more target practice in, since his muscles continued to feel a little tight. He threw the tennis balls and let them bounce a few times before shooting at them. To an untrained eye, it looked like Oliver easily hit the targets. The truth was he didn't possess his usual ease, which only added to his frustration.
Diggle came to stand beside him. "Felicity has a point, Oliver. It might take some time before you're at one hundred percent again. There's no shame in taking it easy your first time out." He seemed to hesitate before saying his next words. "We never actually talked about what happened that night."
Throwing the tennis balls a second time, Oliver took aim. "There's no need. I was injured, and now I'm back."
"You could've died, Oliver. You almost did. It's only natural that you'd feel a need to prove yourself after-"
"Diggle, I'm fine," Oliver cut him off. He really did not want to have this conversation. Sure, Oliver had been having nightmares the first couple of weeks after returning to Starling. He'd wake up in a cold sweat with his wounds throbbing in pain as if he'd just been stabbed. But ever since he'd started training again, the nightmares had stopped. Oliver was finally getting back to his normal self, and he couldn't afford any setbacks.
"Okay, I've got something," Felicity announced. "An alarm just went off at the Starling City Museum of Art. It's most likely an attempted heist."
Oliver was already heading to the display case that held his Arrow suit. He was about to go change when Felicity halted him. "You're going to need this." She reached beneath one of the worktables and placed a large case on top. Opening it, she revealed a long, black compound bow. "After you lost your last one, I thought you might be due for an upgrade. I had it custom made."
Picking up the bow, Oliver looked in awe at its sleek and powerful design. He couldn't wait to try it out.
"How'd I do?" she asked.
"It's perfect," Oliver replied, fighting back the unexpected wave of emotion he felt at receiving such a thoughtful gift. Felicity had really outdone herself with this. She truly never stopped surprising him.
Felicity beamed at the compliment and looked to Diggle, who nodded his head in approval. "You better hurry if you're going to get the bad guys."
Oliver locked eyes with Felicity for a moment. His hand brushed her arm in thanks before he went to change into his Arrow suit. He had a city to protect.
The piercing alarm echoed throughout the marble hallways. There was no way of telling which corridor it was coming from, as it sounded the same in every area. Since Oliver didn't have the time to do a full sweep of every room, he touched his comm to call Felicity.
"Oliver, what do you need?" was her immediate response.
"Find out where the alarm is originating from."
A couple of seconds later, she responded. "It's coming from the second floor in the colored diamond exhibit. The quickest route is to take the stairs to your right."
Oliver did as Felicity instructed. He called Diggle next, who was on overwatch. "Dig, you see anything?"
"No one has come in or out of the place."
"Then they must still be inside." Oliver made it to the diamond exhibit, his bow at the ready. He scanned the display cases until the one farthest from him caught his eye. It was opened, and there was a man standing next to it. There was another man unconscious on the floor beside him.
"Turn around very slowly," Oliver ordered.
The man stiffened and did as Oliver instructed. He looked to be in his late thirties and was wearing one of the blazers that signified he was part of museum security. His forehead gleamed with sweat, and the hand holding the large red diamond shook. This must've been an inside job gone wrong.
"Please don't shoot me," the man pleaded.
"That doesn't belong to you."
"I had to do it. He said he'd kill me if I didn't."
The sheer terror in his voice caught Oliver's attention. "Who?"
"The Dodger."
It was then that Oliver noticed the blinking light near his neck. The man was wearing a metal collar of some sort. His eyes widened when he realized it was a bomb. "Where is he?"
"I don't know. He said he'd come to me after I got the diamond."
Oliver pressed his comm to speak with Felicity. "The thief is using a museum employee. He's got a bomb collar strapped to him. It must have a remote detonator. Can you trace the signal?"
"On it," Felicity replied. There was a moment of silence. "Okay, it looks like the signal is originating from the first floor."
"Give me the diamond," Oliver said to the man.
"No. I can't. I have to give it to him."
"I can help you. I know where he is. I'll bring it to him."
The man shook his head once more while backing up. Oliver could tell that he was about to run and, sure enough, he did. Quickly, Oliver threw one of his tranq arrows. It missed the man by a hair. Oliver threw a second one, and this time it caught the man in the leg. Shaking off his frustration at the minor mishap, he grabbed the diamond and proceeded to the first level. A couple of times he had to hide in the shadows to avoid other security guards.
"Felicity, is The Dodger in the same spot?"
"I'm assuming The Dodger is the one with the remote," she stated. "In which case, yes. Take a left, and you'll find him in the Dark Ages exhibit. Fitting for a criminal. Oliver, be careful."
The Dark Ages exhibit was just that, dark. With quiet, measured steps, Oliver entered the room. He weaved in and out of the displays.
"You shouldn't have done that," said a male voice with an English accent. "All of this could've been over by now if you'd minded your own business."
"You're the one who started it by strapping that bomb to an innocent man."
"My methods may seem crude to you, but I really do try to keep these things from turning messy."
The voice sounded like it was coming from around the corner. Oliver approached slowly. "Release that man and come quietly, and I promise I won't make this messy for you."
"It's much too late for that. You see, I have a reputation to protect. I expect my hostages to do exactly as I say. When they don't, then a lesson must be taught."
"That man has nothing to do with this anymore. I have the diamond, and you're not getting it unless you release him."
"I don't believe you."
Oliver cautiously lowered his bow and pulled the diamond out of his pocket. He then swiftly put it away and armed himself once more. A figure moved in the shadows. Oliver tracked it with his bow.
The man stepped into the moonlight beaming through the large windows. It was difficult to make out his features, but he looked to be of medium height with dark hair. For a second, Oliver forgot where he was. A strange sense of déjà vu overtook him as he was reminded of the night he'd faced off against the Dark Archer. He, too, had stood menacingly in the moonlight. Oliver tightened his hold on his bow and focused.
"Drop the remote," he demanded.
"I'm just supposed to take your word that we will have an even exchange?"
"It's him or you. It's your choice."
"Of course I'm always going to choose myself. Then again, you don't get anywhere in this business without taking a few risks. There will be other treasures."
"Don't," Oliver shouted as he pressed the button. An explosion could be heard elsewhere in the museum. He released his arrow, but The Dodger lived up to his name. He avoided the shot and took off down another dark corridor. That was the second time his aim had been off. There was no way Oliver could let him escape, especially after he needlessly killed that hostage.
Oliver chased after him, all the while trying to overcome the anxiety running into the darkness was causing him. It's how Merlyn had gotten the upper hand on him. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He couldn't. The Dodger wasn't that much ahead of him. He was clever, but he wasn't fast. The man didn't stand a chance against Oliver's brute strength.
The Dodger must've realized this, because he suddenly stopped and turned around. It took Oliver seconds to see the blinking red device in his hands. It was a spare bomb collar. Without hesitation, the man threw it in Oliver's direction. Oliver dove to avoid it, but there was no escaping the force of the explosion. He was thrown back against the nearest wall, his body paralyzed for a moment in shock. Smoke filled the room as the flames caught to a few of the displays. He wasn't in the museum. He was in the basement of Merlyn's compound, beaten and weak. He couldn't move.
"Oliver, are you okay? Get up," Felicity said in his ear. When he didn't respond, she was more forceful. "Get up!" For her to see him, she must've hacked into the security cameras in the museum.
Her voice cut through the darkness, quelling the panic building inside of him. Suddenly, he was in control of himself once more. He sat up and took in his surroundings. The flames were getting worse.
"Oliver, The Dodger is gone. You have to get out of there now."
"Tell Diggle I'll meet him outside," Oliver said. He didn't know what the hell had happened, but it had made him vulnerable. The situation shouldn't have gotten out of control like that. Now an innocent man was dead, and it was all his fault.
Felicity shot out of her seat as soon as she heard Oliver and Diggle on the stairs. "Are you okay?" she questioned. Placing a hand on his arm, her eyes scanned his body in search of any cuts or scrapes. The blast had sent Oliver flying. Even though he was fully healed, it was a lot for his body to take his first night back out in the field. Her eyes landed on the small cut over his left eyebrow. "I'll get the first-aid kit."
"I'm fine," Oliver said curtly and went to put his bow away.
Felicity shared a look with Diggle. His mirrored expression of concern increased her own worry. Oliver had the tendency to get pensive, but this was something more.
"Oliver, what happened?" Felicity tentatively questioned.
"The Dodger got away but not before blowing up his victim."
"It's not the first time. I've heard about this guy. He mostly operates out of Europe. They call him The Dodger, because he avoids getting his hands dirty. He uses hostages to do his stealing for him," Diggle explained. "He puts a bomb collar around their necks. Last year, a guy in Madrid didn't steal what The Dodger told him to and he took his head off-literally."
Felicity placed a hand on her own neck and shivered in dismay. "Now this psycho is in Starling City."
"It was my fault," Oliver said.
"Oliver, you can't-" Felicity began but was cut off.
"Yes, it was," he adamantly declared. "My aim was off, and I couldn't stop him." Oliver couldn't believe he'd been so sloppy. So unprepared. So weak. All the rehabilitation and training he'd done these past few weeks amounted to nothing. He failed. The rage at letting The Dodger slip away came to a boil. Oliver slammed his hands on the nearest table before flipping it over.
Felicity jumped at Oliver's sudden outburst. She'd never seen him so unhinged, and it upset her all the more. A moment of silence passed before she quietly said, "It is a new bow. You didn't really get to try it out and get used to it before leaving."
He kept his back to them. "It wasn't that."
"Maybe you're not back to one hundred percent like you thought," Diggle commented. "I've seen you training, Oliver, and clearly your problem isn't physical."
"I never said I had a problem."
"You didn't have to, Oliver. Look, I know what it's like to stare death in the face and be the one who blinks."
Oliver turned to face him. "I've stared death in the face before, Diggle."
"And yet you've continued to jump off rooftops and take down bad guys," Diggle countered, approaching him. "You've never let fear stop you before."
"I'm not scared," he growled, fists clenching.
"Merlyn got inside your head, Oliver. He took something from you."
"Thank you for that analysis."
Diggle refused to back down and met Oliver's hard stare with his own. "You can avoid it all you want but until you can take hold of the fear that's in you and deal with it, you might as well have let Merlyn kill you. If you face him again like this, he will."
"That's enough," Oliver shouted.
"Stop it, the both of you," Felicity intervened. She'd seen and heard enough. Clearly emotions were running too high for them to make any real progress. "It's been a long night. Let's pack it in."
"I agree." Diggle had reached his tolerance level of Oliver's stubbornness for the night. He grabbed his coat and left the Foundry.
Oliver stared after him with his hands by his sides. He was rubbing his fingers together. Felicity had picked up on this habit weeks ago. Oliver usually did it when he was frustrated or worried about something. He might not have admitted it, but Felicity knew he'd heard what Diggle had said.
She grabbed the first-aid kit and approached Oliver. "I need to take care of that cut." Oliver looked as if he was going to protest, but she responded forcefully. "Don't even start with me." She pointed to the nearby stool and ordered, "Sit."
Doing as he was told, he took a seat and let Felicity tend to his cut. She made him hold the box, since the table was overturned. In hindsight, Oliver felt like a jackass for losing his temper in front of her. He was surprised that she even came near him after that. Felicity placed one hand on the side of his neck to keep him steady while the other wiped the cut with a disinfectant cloth. Oliver closed his eyes when he felt the sharp sting but held still.
There was barely an inch of space between them. At her closeness, Oliver slowly felt the anger and tension leave his body. All he could focus on was her gentle touch and how it chased the darkness away. She must've been able to sense what she was doing to him, because her thumb started to caress the side of his neck in small, even strokes while she worked.
"All done," she murmured, dropping her hands and stepping away.
Oliver felt the loss of her touch instantly and opened his eyes to find her watching him closely. It looked like Felicity wanted to say something. Whatever it was, she must've decided against it because her only response was, "Let's go home."
Nodding, Oliver stood and went to go change. He didn't feel worthy to wear The Arrow suit anyway.
It was three in the morning when Felicity heard Oliver's bedroom door open and his footsteps on the stairs. It seemed she wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping tonight. With a sigh, she sat up and grabbed her bathrobe. She refused to let him spend another sleepless night alone.
Opening her bedroom door, she peeked her head out. She didn't see or hear him moving around downstairs. The only sound that could be heard was a soft, whistling wind. Oliver must've gone out onto the balcony. Felicity quietly padded down the stairs and walked over to the windows. Oliver was leaning over the railing, clearly lost in thought as he stared at his city.
Felicity stood in the doorway and shivered. Despite it being early November, the weather had started having more of a winter rather than fall chill. She grabbed the spare blanket off of the couch and went outside. "Doesn't the cold bother you?" All Oliver had on was a pair of sweatpants.
He glanced over his shoulder. "I've had worse."
"Here." Felicity joined him at the railing and handed him the blanket. "You'll catch pneumonia."
"My mother used to say that to me. I had the bad habit of never zippering up my jacket."
"And did you get sick?"
"Sometimes." Oliver placed the blanket over his shoulders. He didn't really need it, but he appreciated her concern. "Did I wake you?"
"Not really," she said with a yawn.
"I did. You should go back to bed."
"I'm tired, but I can't seem to sleep. It must be going around." Felicity nudged his shoulder. "What about you? I thought you'd finally kicked your insomnia these past few weeks."
Oliver frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I live here, too, Oliver. I know you were having trouble sleeping when we first got back. Why do you think I was so adamant about you taking your pain meds? It was the only time you got to rest."
"Diggle...he gave me a lot to think about." He stared at the scattered lights of the city before holding her gaze once more. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked, perplexed at his sudden apology.
"I shouldn't have lost my temper earlier. If I scared you-"
"You could never scare me, Oliver." She tilted her head and cracked an amused smile. "Okay, maybe you did a little bit the second time we met when you had an arrow pointing at me. It was touch and go there for a few seconds when you thought I was a criminal mastermind."
"Even if you were, I probably wouldn't have shot you."
She laughed softly. "Good to know." Her expression then turned serious. "You might have been angry tonight, but you were shaken more than anything. Oliver, I could see you on those cameras." When he didn't respond right away, she urged, "What happened?"
Her bright, caring eyes bore into his, coaxing the truth out of him. "I honestly don't know," Oliver admitted. "I thought I was ready to get back out there, Felicity. I really did."
"What Diggle said...was he right?"
Oliver wanted to once again deny it, but he couldn't lie to her. "Yes." He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed in frustration. "I'm not at one hundred percent. Now because of me, a man is dead."
"Hey," Felicity said, forcing him to look at her. "That was not your fault. The Dodger strapped the bomb collar to that man, and he pushed the trigger."
"Because I wasn't quick enough to stop him. If I hadn't gone there tonight and the man had given The Dodger the diamond like he'd asked, he'd probably still be alive."
"Maybe he would've blown him up anyway. Maybe one of the other security guards would've intervened and tried to stop him and gotten killed, too. Maybe the hostage would've suffered a heart attack from being so stressed," Felicity countered. She hated seeing Oliver get so down on himself and was quick to reassure him. "You're only human, Oliver. You can't control everything, especially when it comes to evil psychopaths."
"I missed the shot, Felicity. He got away."
"So we'll try again. Sometimes we lose. You once told me that," she reminded him. She took a step closer to him and placed a hand on his arm. "That's not what's truly bothering you."
The clarity of her words was just as piercing as her touch. The fire he felt running through his veins was counteracted by the slight tremor in her hand. Oliver noticed that she was shivering. He moved to give her the blanket, but Felicity refused. Instead, she closed the distance between them and wrapped the excess fabric around herself. It still wasn't enough to cover her completely, so Oliver pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her waist to keep the blanket in place over them. Her ice cold hands landed on his chest, but they did nothing to extinguish the fire burning inside of him.
Being so close to Oliver made Felicity's heart race. The chill she'd felt in her bones moments ago vanished as the blazing heat radiating off of his body poured into hers. It would've been so easy to forget about the matter at hand and get lost in him, but their conversation was too important. He was too important. "What are you afraid of?" she murmured.
"He defeated me, Felicity. Merlyn defeated me," Oliver confessed, finally voicing the fear that had been plaguing him for weeks. That caused him to lie awake at night questioning everything he'd done to get to that point. That paralyzed him tonight and made him doubt if he was worthy to continue being The Arrow. "I was so confident that I would win. It was naive of me to never consider another outcome."
"He hurt you, yes, but he didn't defeat you," Felicity said. "You wouldn't be here if he did."
"I wanted to kill him, Felicity," Oliver shamefully revealed. "I was going to. The way he taunted me about my mother..."
"Does he know who you are?" she asked, panicked.
"No. I only mentioned her name along with the other victims. But he knew she was important to me, and he tried to use her against me. Merlyn had absolutely no remorse."
"I can't imagine what it was like for you in that moment. I also can't give back to you whatever it is in your heart that gives you the courage to fight the way you do. Only you can figure that out." Felicity raised her hand to his cheek. His rough stubble against her sensitive skin and the intensity of his gaze sent a tremor through her. "But what I do know, with absolute certainty, is that you are not alone. And I believe in you."
Oliver's heart skipped a beat as Felicity's words washed over him. Her confident, trusting gaze pinned him where he stood. No matter how much he doubted himself, she was telling him that her faith in him had not wavered. He looked at Felicity in astonishment, wondering what he'd done to have such a beautifully strong and caring woman come into his life.
Instinctively, Oliver pulled her tighter against him and touched his lips to her forehead. He felt the warm breath of her exhale against his neck and, for the first time that night, goosebumps formed on his skin. When Oliver started to pull away, Felicity lifted her arms and wound them around his neck to keep him close. He kept his arms firmly around her and hugged her back. They stayed like that for a long time, neither one wanting to be the first to let go.