A/N; A while back I had a reviewer who asked me why Oliver shouldn't kill Slade. It's a fair question and it certainly has many answers. What is right, what is wrong? Does killing Slade make a difference? Does killing Slade mean Oliver has to surrender to his own darkness? This chapter (in part) aims at tackling that struggle within Oliver about whether or not he can/should kill Slade. I also try and portray Felicity's struggles with staying alive and not losing hope. How long can you hold on when you have nothing to hold on to?

Synopsis for Episode 9: Trapped on Lian Yu, Felicity struggles against her injuries and Slade's mental torture to stay alive. Meanwhile, Team Arrow receives news that Felicity's alive, and Oliver must face his own resolve about not killing when it comes to saving the life of someone he loves.

3x09: Abyss

As Diggle entered the secret lair, he could feel tension fill the atmosphere. The air simmered with electricity and he slowed down as he saw the two men further inside. Oliver and Dick were standing on opposite sides of Felicity's workstation, facing each other with unreadable expressions. The room was quiet, except for the low humming of the computers, but much had plainly already been spoken. John wondered to what degree the two men had fallen out this time. Both of them were in great torment over Felicity's loss, and had different ways of dealing with it.

Where Dick preferred to shut the others out and wallow in the deepest recesses of his mind, Oliver had found a sliver of hope to which he clung like no other. It was one of few times Diggle had ever seen his friend fill with hope, and he couldn't help but be swept away with it to some extent. Whether or not Oliver was right and Felicity remained alive remained uncertain, and so John refrained from losing himself entirely to a hopeful state of mind.

Before they could address that issue, he needed to assess the situation before him and minimize the damage. Diggle carefully hedged around the men as he asked, "... Is everything alright down here?"

For a few long seconds, there was no reply as the stare down continued. Dick was the first to lower his gaze and turn to face the other man. His dark eyes shone with incredulous disbelief and something darker, as he voiced his anguish, "Oliver believes Felicity's alive."

John inclined his head in understanding. He walked closer towards his friends, prepared to act as mediator should he need to, and said, "So he tells me."

"… But there's no evidence," Dick growled. His eyes pleaded with the others to drop the subject and accept the cold, hard facts at hand. Hope, then, had no room in Dick's broken heart.

"Not yet," Oliver replied in lightning speed, unwilling to back down despite being the underdog of the conversation. They all knew it was true; there was nothing but Oliver's gut instinct to go on. Still, he refused to be beaten down in this moment. He wasn't sure what steered him on his path, but he needed to keep steering against the storm.

"And how much faith can we put in your feelings?" the disbelieving man questioned and whirled back to face Oliver. Queen took a hesitant step back as Dick verbally berated, "You weren't there when Slade took Felicity, you underestimated his reach. That should tell us exactly how reliable your gut instincts are, Oliver."

"Let's all take a breath here," Diggle stepped in between the men. The tension was too thick, and there was no pretty end in sight to complete their argument.

No one spoke for another minute, and John eyed Oliver from the corner of his eyes. The younger man stood immobile as a noticeable shadow passed across his features. Diggle wanted to say something, anything really, as he saw hope wither in the man's cobalt eyes. Before he could, however, Oliver let out a deep breath and visibly shrank back.

His eyes lowered to the floor and he breathed in a low voice, "He's right."

"Slade wanted Felicity," Diggle hurriedly disagreed. He could already see the guilt reassemble in his friends eyes and tried to dismantle it, "He would have found a way to get to her no matter what precautions you tried. This isn't your fault."

Oliver shook his head, his friend's reassurance barely scratching at the existing guilt. "I shouldn't have given him an opening," he sighed wearily, "I should have been with her."

"I should have been with her," Dick growled and the sound lingered in the void around them.

Diggle's voice was soft as he once more intercepted to smother the flames. "Blaming yourself won't change the past. That goes for both of you."

"Right. You only get one chance. If you do the wrong thing… If you screw that up, you're... screwed," Dick stated in an impassive voice that stood in stark contrast to the darkness in his guilt-ridden eyes. His gaze suddenly filled with compassion as he turned his head in Oliver's direction. Dick struggled with the words, but eventually they passed his chapped lips, "…Felicity is dead. Accept it. Move on."

"There is no moving on," Oliver closed his eyes tight as anguish washed over him and scraped away at his resolve. When he opened them once more, he met Dick's gaze across an abyss that hadn't been there previously. The dark orbs sparked with recognition and curiosity as they beheld Oliver in silence. The unspoken question lingered in the space between them, raw and anguished in its clarity. The question touched both of their hearts and for once they saw the truth from the other's eyes.

Eventually, Dick lowered his gaze with a sighed, "...I see."

Oliver saw a realization take form in the man's eyes, but refrained from commenting upon it. There was no point to either deny or affirm the unspoken truth. Words were simply redundant at this point where Felicity Smoak was concerned.

A shrill sound interrupted the moment and Oliver exhaled slowly. He withdrew his phone from his pocket and his heart almost skipped a beat as he recognized the caller. Without wasting another second, he answered and pressed the phone close to his ear.

"Barry?"

The younger man's tone was eager and quick, excitement carrying across the barriers, "Oliver, I-I've gone over the results from the Coroner you sent me and I… I ran my own tests as you asked."

Oliver grimaced as he willed himself not to bark out any commands. "And?"

The young scientist replied, "When I first looked at the files, there was a lot I thought looked sketchy about the coroner's examination. Eh-Oh! The barbell, Oliver!"

Oliver frowned as he tried to keep up with the man's swift thoughts. He once more suppressed the urge to use his Arrow tone of voice. "Barry, remember I'm not as… fast as you are."

"Right. Sorry. The corpse found in Felicity's apartments was burned beyond recognition, except not really. Eh... From the photos in the report, I quickly noted that the corpse had no barbell ear piercing nor was there any documentation on the matter. Never had. Never will… obviously. Hard to get a barbell after you've passed on."

Oliver closed his eyes tight. "Focus, Barry!"

"B-based on that sliver of hope, I ran her blood test twice to be sure and you were right, Oliver. It's not Felicity's blood type. It wasn't her body," the scientist's voice filled with unbridled eagerness. Oliver exhaled in relief as Barry concluded, "Felicity could still be alive."

9 months earlier

"I'm almost done," Felicity breathed as she peaked above the technical device. "I just need another minute."

Diggle shrugged as he strode over to the exit and stood guard. He gazed out at the jungle outside of the plane wreckage and replied, "No rush. I just want to be back on the beach before Oliver's visit to Slade is over."

"Me too," the blonde assured in a low whisper that still carried strong with emotion.

Slade had been defeated only the previous day and his Mirakuru army dismantled and cured not long before that. Slade himself was to be placed in A.R.G.U.S's prison here on the Island, where he could do no more harm to Oliver's existence. Everything seemed to be going their way once more after a long row of setbacks. It was about time.

While Oliver helped the guards settle Slade into the secure cell, John had opted to come along on Felicity's little excursion.

The woman had brought with her a bag of radio equipment and technical stuff Diggle wouldn't even pretend to understand. Felicity had tried to explain what she planned to do with it, but he was still a bit sketchy about the details.

"So…" he began as he glanced back over his shoulder. The former safe haven of Oliver Queen stood just the same as he remembered it from a few months earlier, when he and Felicity had arrived to convince Oliver to return to the land of the living. How long ago all of that seemed at this point in time. Diggle suppressed the memory as he took a step back towards the crouched blonde at the eastern end of the plane. "Repairing the radio, huh?"

"Not exactly," she disagreed with a grimace. Felicity sought for simple enough words to explain her technical plan as she pointed to the small radio device beside the large, plane radio that remained broken. "Last time we were here, Oliver told us the radio was busted and the microphone inoperable from this end. It can receive radio transmission, but not send anything into the ether. The humidity in this mosquito infested place isn't exactly helping. There's not much I can do with the old radio."

"… So what have you done then?"

"Well, I've exchanged the mics, for starters, but that's no guarantee they'll work on this end. So I also added this little device," Felicity pointed her finger at a particular device she'd hooked onto the backside of the radio. "In essence, this little extra device will serve as a beacon. When someone comes here, they can turn it on and the signal will carry to a specific radio transmitter I'll hook up to the monitors in the lair back in Starling. Basically, if Oliver ever comes back here without telling us, he can just start it up and we'll know where he is. We won't have to worry... More than necessary... It's certainly more efficient than a flight recorder. I may have borrowed it from A.R.G.U.S... I dare say, if Amelia's Lockheed had carried such a beacon, maybe she wouldn't have disappeared. "

"Amelia?" Diggle frowned.

"Earhart..." Felicity's voice trailed off. "Disappeared in her Lockheed Model 10 Electra during her around-the-world flight in 1937...?"

"Uh-huh, yeah, I know," John smiled as he fondly watched the younger woman he considered family by now. "Remind me to help you regain a life outside of our team when we return home."

Felicity smiled sheepishly as her eyes fell to the floor. Diggle eyed her curiously as she fidgeted with a few cords, but kept quiet. Her fingers moved swifter and stiffer than normal, and her eyes were clouded with thoughts she had yet to share with him. There was evidently something on her mind that kept distracting her and John took another step closer.

"Felicity…" he coaxed gently and waited until she looked up at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine!" she answered a tad too quickly. Diggle raised his eyebrows and Felicity sighed heavily as she saw the question in his eyes. She finished the work and rose on languid legs. She ran a hand across her tight pony tail and shifted from one foot to the other.

"Is this about Slade?" Diggle pried in a soft voice.

"I told you, I'm fine!" Felicity grinned widely and tugged on the sleeves of her suede jacket. She stepped away from the radio and clapped her hands together almost too eagerly. "I'm done here. Should we head back?"

Diggle inclined his head. The two stepped out of the plane wreckage together and walked across the plain in the direction of the beach. John glanced at his friend, and could see the inner struggle wage a war in her eyes. He didn't want to push her, but could see she was practically bursting to tell him something.

In the end, he didn't have to wait for long before she suddenly blurted, "Alright, there is something. But I don't know what. I mean, I do, but-"

"Felicity, you can tell me. Whatever it is."

"S-something happened before I helped Oliver take down Slade, " the young woman spoke, her tongue going a mile a minute as the words flowed like water in a stream, "Oliver took me to the Queen mansion, as you know…. And… It was part of the ruse, of course, what with Slade's hidden cameras and all. I didn't know that at the time, but, that's irrelevant... When we were there, though, he said it. I mean it."

Diggle stepped over a fallen log and glanced back over his shoulder as he tried to see the pattern of her thoughts. "What?"

"…'I love you'. It was part of his plan. Quite ingenious, too. But he… I mean, it felt real. But it wasn't. Of course it wasn't. I know it wasn't," Felicity babbled as she walked hurriedly across the forest floor. Her gaze wasn't paying much attention to where she was placing her feet, but at least they knew there were no more mines along this strip so Diggle didn't comment on it. She seemed so lost in her own pondering, that she probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. After a short intake of air, she continued, "It caught me by surprise…. And he must be a better liar than I remember because I- He did what he had to do. It was all necessary to outthink Slade and I was glad to help. Not glad-glad, since it meant putting myself in mortal danger…. I would do it again in a heartbeat. But I'm over-thinking this, aren't I?"

John hesitated on the precipice. "Oliver cares about you, Felicity. Deeply."

"Yeah, sure," Felicity shrugged. "But not like this."

"… How about I give you two a minute later, before we leave this place?"

"Oh…? Now? As in today?"

Diggle shrugged and slowed down his steps as he saw the beach take shape between the trees not too far ahead. "It sounds like you ought to discuss what happened that day. Now is as good a time as any."

Felicity, too, gazed ahead as she paused in her steps. A light breeze made her pink shirt sway in the air and the splash of color made the forest green shades practically come to life around her. "… And say what, Dig?"

John shrugged as he reached out and squeezed her shoulder. "Whatever needs to be said right now."

Her wide eyes held his for another second before she nodded hesitantly. Side by side, they continued forward.

Sara and Laurel dashed down the stairs, their steps sounding loud and swift across the main area. As the sisters joined the three men, there was no mistaking the change in atmosphere. The gloomy tension had been replaced by tentative hope... and... something else. While Dick and Diggle hovered by the monitors, Oliver kept to himself further back.

Sara glanced between the group and asked, somewhat out of breath, "Is it true?"

Oliver's shoulders were tense, though his eyes danced with relief. "Barry Allen confirmed it."

Laurel frowned as she stepped closer to join the inner circle. The lawyer part of her was at once alert and she was swift to question what remained unclear, "If Slade didn't kill Felicity, where is she? And where is Slade? He must still have her, right?"

Oliver shrugged his shoulders and not even the slight movement seemed to reduce his stiff posture. He gritted his teeth as he shook his head, "I don't know…"

"They have a week's head start…" Diggle said as he stepped away from the monitors to face the women and help bring clarity to the situation. The body guard glanced at Oliver's profile as he concluded, "But she's alive. At least we know that."

From behind his girlfriend's monitors, Dick was doing all he could to search for the blonde woman. He turned in his seat with an agitated sigh, "I've gone over the city's security cameras for last Thursday. I can't… Felicity's facial recognition program can't find either her or Slade anywhere. They could still be in town, but…"

Oliver shook his head. "Slade knows how to avoid the cameras. You won't find him easily."

Dick sighed in exasperation, "That doesn't help, you know. That doesn't offer any explanation to all of this!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Queen snarled back, like a cornered wild dog flashing his teeth when no other option remained.

"Let's all calm down..." Laurel suggested as she saw the man draw a shaky breath. She stepped towards him and offered a tender smile. "Let's stay focused on the good news: Felicity isn't dead. We can save her."

Oliver's gaze leisurely rose to meet the woman's. The storm in his clouded eyes were unmistakable, and he was almost lost in his own grief and guilt. How a sliver of hope could lead him closer to the edge, Laurel couldn't understand. "He took Felicity, Laurel…" the man offered as a meek explanation, though the sentence carried more weight to the man himself.

"Why?" Dick questioned from the sidelines. His features distorted in confusion as he glared up at the other man. "Why did Slade take Felicity? Why didn't he go after you directly?"

Oliver glanced at the man from his peripheral view, "He enjoys the game. He enjoys watching me suffer."

Laurel contemplated the truth and exchanged a glance with her younger sister. She turned back to Oliver and impassively spoke, "… There could be another reason."

"Laurel."

"I'm sorry, but it's true, Ollie," the woman spoke despite the man's anguished snarl. "I was there, remember? The day you and Felicity defeated Slade... It makes sense if that's why he took her. Both as revenge for her involvement, but also because how important he believes she is to you. After all... He believes she's the woman you love."

The sound of a chair squeaking interrupted the tension as Dick rose on slow, unsteady legs. He drew a deep breath that seemed to rattle inside his chest, before he released it, "...Excuse me?"

Oliver closed his eyes and silently tried to count to ten before his temper would take the better of him. He felt everyone's gazes on him, but chose to ignore their different, unspoken questions. Ultimately, he growled, "We don't have time to argue about this! It doesn't matter why he did it!"

"Oliver's right. What's important is what he intends to do with her," Sara agreed.

"He'll kill her," Oliver sighed. "Unless we find a way to stop him."

Dick lowered himself onto the seat once more, but still faced the others with a desolate expression. "So how do we find him? I'm already running every available program Felicity has. I've got nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. It'll take too long to go trough images and security cameras over the past few days. It could, literally, take days before the computers find anything to give us a hint. Diggle already said it... We're one week behind, as it is... We can't afford to lose more time."

Oliver clenched jaw as his gaze wandered past Dick's shoulder. His eyes seemed to shine with white, hot rage as he glared at the small screen that had suddenly appeared on Felicity's monitors.

Oliver viciously snarled, "They're not in Starling City."

The small flashing item on the screen seemed to mock him from the deep and he was unable to pull his gaze away. He'd never seen that alert before, but knew exactly what it meant. Someone had triggered the alert on Lian Yu.

"... Felicity is in Purgatory."

Felicity blinked past the ache in her limb as Slade hauled her up from the field without giving her a moment's rest. She swayed in place as pain invaded her system. Her head throbbed, but the sensation in her leg was far worse than anything she'd ever felt. She glanced down at the gun shot wound and the oozing blood from the injury that stained her torn,dark pants.

Slade threw her left arm around his shoulders and she tried to resist to no avail. Her plan had worked, but she'd only managed to come one step closer to death's welcoming hand shake. She'd been interrupted too soon, she wasn't certain if her distress call had gone through and she could but rely on hope.

Her captor wrapped his arm around her slender waist and pushed them to move forward.

"You possess true courage, Felicity, I'll give you that," Slade tersely breathed beside her, a hint of admiration touching his raspy voice.

Felicity thought about putting up more resistance, but decided against it in the end. She needed to save her reserve energy for a more opportune moment.

The woman released a strained moan each time she was forced to take a step with her right leg. Her bare feet were also covered with cuts and bruises from her escape journey through the woods, and she bit her bottom lip to prevent from crying out.

After only a few steps, as they stepped into the first line of trees beyond the field, she heard the low rumbling of laughter from her left. She glanced up at the Australian and noticed a perceptible twinkle in his dark, bottomless eyes.

"What… What's so funny?"

"I just recalled," the man explained leisurely as he pulled her further into uncharted territory, "… Those are almost the exact words I told Moira Queen… seconds before I killed her."

Felicity swallowed heavily and tried not to wear her heart on her sleeve as she held her chin high and gazed ahead. Wordlessly, she was dragged into the woods, deeper towards the center of the mysterious island.

Diggle hung up his phone and turned to face the others. He inclined his head sharply. "Amanda Waller will provide us with airplanes. One to China's mainland and a smaller one from there to Lian Yu. It's the fastest way."

"Did she say anything else about this?" Oliver growled as his mood kept swinging between hope and fury. "Did she know where he was?"

"No," John shook his head. "I admit, I rarely believe her, but I do this once. She didn't know he'd returned to the Island. The plane will be prepped and ready for us within thirty minutes."

"I'm ready," Oliver breathed in a low voice as he stepped towards his bow and quiver.

They all turned as Roy rushed down the steps. The young man wore a tense expression on his edged features and his red hoodie sat somewhat askew as he headed towards the others.

"I need to talk to you, Oliver," the young man started.

"It will have to wait," the other disagreed vehemently. "There's no time. Slade has Felicity on Lian Yu. I'm going to bring her back."

"Listen to me, Oliver!" Roy practically pleaded. Anger touched his voice as well, but it was the desolate edge that caught Oliver's attention. Roy shuffled from one foot to the other as emotions swam in his pale eyes. He breathed deeply a few times before he found his voice, "... It's Thea."

The words took them all by surprise and Oliver faltered as he held the younger man's gaze. "What about her?"

"She's back. I just saw her," Roy explained and it was evident the words still surprised the young man himself. "I don't know where she was this whole time. She just knocked on my door and I... You need to see her, Oliver."

"Is she alright?" the elder brother asked worriedly as a torn expression crossed his bearded features.

"She's fine. She seemed fine, but... There's something wrong, man. I just know it. The Thea Queen I just saw... isn't the same woman who left us all those months ago. There's a coldness about her I can't understand. Please, call her. Go see her."

"I have to save Felicity right now, Roy," Oliver shook his head as his hand latched around his bow and he slung the quiver over his shoulder, ready to take off at a moment's notice. "Try and find her again. Stay with her if you need to. I'll be back soon."

"You don't understand," Roy breathed. "She needs her family. And you're the only family she has left. I know Felicity is in danger and of course we have to save her... but you can't just leave Thea like this. Without even a word."

"She hasn't contacted me yet," Oliver begrudgingly said. "Maybe she still needs space." Roy opened his mouth to disagree but Oliver stepped over and placed a firm hand on the other man's shoulders. "No one wants to see Thea more than I do, Roy. But right now... if I don't find Felicity on time, Slade will kill her. I won't let her down. I can't-" he closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, letting some of his tension leave his body and leaving him void of emotion. "Thea… will have to wait."

Reluctantly, Roy inclined his head in understanding. Oliver flashed him a tight grin before he faced the rest of his team. "Diggle, Sara, let's head out."

"Wait!" Laurel cried. "... Let me come, too."

Oliver seemed close to an explosion as he slowly turned to face her. He shook his head and the dangerous expression in his eyes told them all he was already walking a very fine line. "This isn't about you, Laurel. Stay here, with Dick and Roy."

"You need me," Laurel disagreed.

"There is no time to argue about this!" Oliver shouted. "When I agreed to train you, it was on my conditions. We were both aboard for that! You're not going into the field unless I agree to it!"

Instead of backing down, the strong woman held her ground. "I know this isn't about me, Ollie! But don't cower behind that notion because you don't want me to join. You've trained me yourself, you know what I'm capable of! I'm strong enough to come with you, and I will because I want to help Felicity. Not you, not myself- but her. I'm doing this for her, Oliver. Will you let me?"

There was a second in silence as the couple held each other's gazes. Oliver inclined his head briskly and gruffly said, "Let's go." Oliver's gaze traveled between his friends, giving them no leeway for argument as he growled, "No more delays."

Diggle took the lead, closely followed by the Lance sisters. With a huff, Dick rose from his chair once more as they disappeared up the stairs. Oliver spared the man a glance towards the wound on his thigh. At least Dick hadn't put up any resilience whether or not he was capable of coming along for the rescue mission with his current physical condition. At least on this, they saw eye to eye.

When Oliver met his gaze, the dark-haired man nodded sharply.

"I'll bring her home," Oliver reassured as he saw the darkness blend with hope in the man's eyes. "And when we return... I'll do the right thing."

Dick frowned, though confusion was not the only emotion in his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Oliver merely held his gaze a second longer, knowing full well that the truth was evident between them already. He spun on his heel and ran up the stairs without a second glance over his shoulder.

"W-where are you… taking me?" Felicity hissed through the pain.

Her thigh throbbed with the unpleasant sensation with each step she was forced to take, and she could feel the red liquid warm her leg more and more with each passing second. She barely felt the pain in her feet anymore. Hours and hours had passed since they'd started walking. They'd walked endlessly through the chill night and it was already the crack of a new dawn. The soft morning sun seeped through the trees here and there and offered a much needed breath of life.

"You'll see," Slade simply replied.

He was leading her up a steep hill, blooming with trees and a few, white flowers Felicity didn't recognize. She'd never been much for botany, anyway. Somewhere not far away, she heard a roaring sound that reminded her of a body of water.

Suddenly, the mystery was solved as Slade hauled her over a ridge and she saw the hill side make a sharp drop into a vast river far below. Her head swirled with nausea as she noticed just how far up they were. It didn't seem to matter how many times she faced her trepidation, the fear of heights never diminished.

Slade continued to drag her up the hill, walking parallel to the river down below. Something in his expression had changed during the night and a nasty snarl had started to spread across his features. She could clearly see his victorious grin and knew the man had lowered his guard as low as he would this time around.

Felicity pondered her options, but soon realized it was now or never. She'd get no better chance than this, though meek it seemed. She was weakened, but at least she had the element of surprise on her side. She pretended to slip and fell from the man's grasp onto the grassy slope. Slade laughed down at her as she sniffled and pulled herself onto her knees. Her tears rewarded her with no sympathy from the devil before her.

"I knew I'd break you and your trust in Oliver," the man snarled in amusement. "It was always a matter of time. Defeat is near at hand... Isn't it?"

"It is," Felicity breathed and hastily withdrew a small item from the waist band of her pants. When she'd gotten to the plane wreckage earlier, she'd found the arrow head beside the radio and decided to wing it. She'd hid the small item, hoping against hope that her enemy wouldn't find it. She was grateful he hadn't frisked her as she now plunged the sharp arrow head into his foot and heard him release a pained howl.

She reached up and grabbed the gun from his hand, but it was a mistake. He kicked out with his other foot and hit the woman across the face. She lost her balance and rolled over the edge. Her body slammed down against something flat and hard. Her ears rang and she tried to shake it to clear it from the haze that followed the hard impact. Felicity managed to pull herself onto her knees as she became aware of her surroundings. She had landed on a small ledge. Only a few inches to her left was the long drop down to the river below and she swallowed against the terrifying sight.

She turned about as she heard Slade's voice, "Now what's your plan?"

The man stood above the ledge, the bloody arrow head in one hand. He limped a step towards her as his eyes flashed with dangerous monstrosity. Felicity held her breath. This was it then. This was the end of the line.

"You have no more options, Blondie!" Slade snarled loudly and his voice echoed between the trees and across the gorge. "It's death, no matter what you choose."

Felicity distantly nodded as she glanced down at the weapon in her hand. As he moved to step towards her, she raised the weapon and aimed it at his chest. She noticed how her hand trembled with the exertion, but knew she could hit the target if she chose it.

Even Slade seemed surprised by her approach and he stopped. The dark grin returned to his lips as he breathed, "So you've got the gun. What do you intend to do?"

"I... I don't want to kill you," she whispered. "But if you don't stay away, I-...I-"

"Do go on," the Australian cooed. "I'd like to hear you finish that threat. If you can."

Felicity drew a shaky breath. "Everyone has a limit. Even I do... But, no… I won't stoop to your level. I won't kill you."

"Then what? You can't flee from me with that leg of yours. You can't overpower me with strength or power of mind. This is the end."

The blonde nodded in agreement, but kept her thoughts to herself. In the end, she inhaled sharply and took the only option that seemed viable. Without really making a choice or reflecting on her path, she rolled herself over the ledge and let herself fall into the river far below.

Slade flew towards the edge and gazed down at the waters further down. He saw the splash where the woman's body hit the surface, but as he waited for her to resurface there were no ripples to determine whether she'd survived the fall or not.

A few hours later, Oliver had landed the small airplane on the familiar beach. He'd been the first one out of the plane and had shot across the sand like a bullet from a gun. His heart thundered inside his chest as he ran towards the new prison and the latch which was slung open. With each step, the Island became more and more familiar to his feet, his heart and his soul. This was the place which had almost swallowed him whole, and now threatened to do the same for Felicity.

He growled to himself as he bounded up the rocks towards the prison, Diggle close on his heel.

The two men descended into the darkened prison and searched for people, with their weapons drawn at the ready. All they found was dried blood and dead A.R.G.U.S guards. A stale scent in the air told them the guards had been dead quite a while.

They reached Slade's former cell, but that, too, was empty. In the middle of the cell Oliver and Diggle could make out remnants of fresh blood against the cold, grey floor. The vibrant color mocked them as they approached.

Diggle glanced down at his friend. Oliver's shoulders were tenser than ever before and the shadow was omni-present on his features. "...Oliver, I-"

Wasting not another second, Oliver turned and ran out of the room. The two men ascended onto surface level once more and climbed onto the shore side.

Over by the tree line, Sara and Laurel were crouched by the sand. As the two men approached, Sara glanced over her shoulder. "I've found footprints. Two pairs. These ones appear to be barefoot and the second set of tracks have stepped on top of the first ones."

Diggle frowned down at the blonde woman. "Felicity managed to escape and Slade followed after? That would explain how she triggered the beacon in the plane wreckage."

"That was hours ago. If that's all we have to go on, it's not much," Laurel pointed out as she gazed into the thick vegetation.

Oliver gruffed, "It's all we've got. Come on."

The four of them rushed to the plane wreckage and once safe hideout for Oliver. The place looked much the same as he remembered it and he felt the familiar tug of safety lull his heart and mind. Still, it didn't hold the same allure this time around, knowing Felicity had tried to use it as safe haven also. She wasn't here. And no one had been for quite a while.

Oliver stood beside Sara as the two of them looked down at the dried pool of blood on the field only a few yards away from the wreckage.

The man exhaled slowly as he felt unable to pull his gaze away from the sight. "She's lost a lot of blood, Sara. If she's not... If she..."

The warrior woman offered her friend a warm smile and squeezed his arm in support. Her voice carried strong in the afternoon as she said, "Felicity's strong. She's a survivor... She's out there, Oliver."

"Slade did all of this because of me," he breathed. "I'm responsible."

Diggle and Laurel joined them then outside the plane wreckage and their eyes scanned the forest line around them.

Laurel hesitated as she asked, "... What do we do now?"

Sara nodded down towards the blood pool and explained her theory, "I think Slade caught up to her here. We know he didn't take her back to the prison. Knowing Slade, he'll probably take her somewhere important to him. You and I know how he thinks, Ollie, if we split up and check potential sights... We have a bigger chance of finding her quicker."

Oliver inclined his head in agreement. "Radio if you find anything."

"What do we do..." Laurel began tentatively and gazed at her company," ... when we find him?"

"Kill him," Oliver spoke in a determined voice. The others were taken by surprise and all whirled around to face him. The tone was different from previously, and they could see the battle in his eyes were clouding his heart. "He took Felicity here... and he won't get away with it."

Sara nodded sharply. "Couldn't agree more."

Diggle took a step towards his friend and tried to find a way to pull him back from the ledge. "Oliver... I know what you're feeling, man, but we need you to think clearly right now. She needs you. Slade's dangerous and will expect you to be blinded by anger... I'm afraid he might be right."

"I won't be, Diggle," Oliver furiously contended and shifted from one foot to the other. "He won't take me by surprise. I'm ready and I will stop Slade."

"... I think you have every right to kill Slade for what he's done to you. And I know you sometimes have to take a life. We've both done it and I'm not judging you... But I know you, Oliver," John tried again but felt the moment slip through his fingers like sand. With Felicity in mind, he gently breathed, "Killing Slade isn't about self-defense or necessity... This isn't you, man. I know it's difficult being back here, but this is not who you are. You still haven't left the island behind, Oliver."

"Because I can't be free of it!" Oliver shouted in return, and the words carried strong across the plain. "Isn't this a perfect example of why I can't leave this in the past? Slade took Felicity to my purgatory, to have her live through the same hell that I did! He wanted her to suffer for my sins, for what I've done to him. He wants to break her, like this place broke me. The Island made me who I am today. It made me a killer and scraped away the man. Slade was right, this is who I am. Nothing will change that."

"Oliver, don't do something you'll-" Diggle cut himself off as Oliver suddenly shook his head ferociously. Without another word, he turned and sped off towards the deep vegetation and left the others behind.

Laurel turned to him. "I'll go with him. You two stay together."

Sara inclined her head as she gazed at her elder sister. She pressed a walkie talkie into the woman's hand and breathed, "Be careful."

"You too," Laurel smiled before she ran after Oliver.

Felicity crawled across the forest floor, between sharp branches and low grass that tickled her palms. When she'd washed ashore a few hours earlier, she'd felt beaten and bruised by the cruelty of life, but alive nonetheless. Her ribs ached in rhythm to her leg. Several stitches on her back and stomach had been undone by the trip in the strong current.

The fresh blood stained her shirt, that had certainly seen better days. She'd wrapped her belt around her upper thigh to keep the blood loss at a minimum. Still, everything felt feeble at this point. She had no more strength should Slade find her again. She could barely keep her eyes open as her head felt about ready to explode.

As she collapsed beside a berry bush, her thoughts drifted to her family. To her mother in Vegas, to the grandfather she'd loved and lost. Most of all, she missed the family she'd made in Starling City. Oliver, Diggle, Roy... Heck, even Quentin and Laurel. And Dick, she reminded herself. Of course she missed Dick.

She fantasized about being back home in Starling with them all. Surrounded by people she loved, who loved her, and of happy days soon forgotten.

Maybe, she allowed herself to think, she'd never see any of them again. Maybe Oliver wouldn't make it to her on time, after all. No, she thought. She couldn't afford to think like that, not as long as there was a breath left in her body. Oliver could still come and she had to believe in that. It was the last of her life lines and she clung to it selfishly as she watched the sun rays descend between the trees.

She closed her eyes for a second, but they shot open at once. If she rested now, there was a chance she'd never awaken. She had to keep going just a little while longer. She'd washed ashore somewhere on the way towards the one beach she knew on this place. If she kept going in the direction she thought was right, she might end up where she started. If she was close to the beach, the rescue mission might run smoother and they wouldn't have to search for her.

Felicity pulled herself together as she stumbled onto her feet and slowly limped forward.

Oliver stopped by a bush and crouched low beside it. Laurel breathed heavily beside him as she caught up to him and watched as he read the nature for any signs that might help them.

"Dried blood," he explained in a short voice. "They went through here."

Laurel wiped sweat from her brow as she glanced down at the man. She decided to test the waters, "I... I don't think you should kill Slade, Oliver. That's not to say I don't want him to suffer for everything he's done to you... to all of us. But I know you, Ollie. You're not that killer you mentioned. I know you want to be better."

Oliver swiftly rose from the ground and snarled in return, "Not right now I don't."

"I know what you said to Diggle earlier, but..." Laurel's voice faded into the forest. She felt anguish wash over her as she saw his bittersweet resolve turn harder and harder. "...You are a better man."

"Laurel…" the man spun around to face the woman. Something dark in his voice suggested she not push for more right now. His voice was dangerously low as he said, "When I find Slade, he's mine. Do you understand? You don't interfere."

"Well, well!" a raspy voice echoed between the trees and the couple turned. Slade stood upon a ridge with a snarling grin spreading across his face. "Had a change of heart had we? I knew I was right about you."

Oliver stepped in front of Laurel and aimed his bow right at Slade's chest. His eyes burned with pure hatred. "Where is Felicity?!"

Sara ran next to Diggle through the woods. The two of them had checked the cave already, but with no luck. There had been no tracks to suggest anyone had been there and the two had agreed to remain closer to the beach. Chances were that if Felicity had gotten free, she'd return there. Slade, too, would not be threatened by keeping it simple for Oliver and his team. Slade wanted the showdown sooner rather than later.

About a hundred yards to the left of the search party lay the beach and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore lulled them into false safety. They knew Slade could appear any second and attempt to kill them. Or they could find Felicity's broken body lying in a bush. The thought kept them both on edge and they hardly spoke.

"... I've never seen Oliver like that," Sara suddenly breathed, breaking their moment of peace.

Diggle met her gaze and tiredly spoke, "Neither have I."

"You agree, though, right? That Slade has to be killed?"

Diggle hesitated before he explained himself, "I do, but Oliver can't be the killer. This is too personal for Oliver, he'll take it to heart and it will change him. Slade would be dead, yes, but at what cost? We'd have lost both Oliver and Felicity. And I won't lose either of them today. I won't. If you see Slade, Sara... Kill him. Kill before Oliver has the chance."

"You're right... He would never be the same. Especially if... Felicity...," Sara sighed as she was unable to complete the sentence. She inhaled sharply to strengthen her mind. "I'm with you on this, Dig. We need to find Felicity."

The leaves rustled beside them then and they drew their weapons at the approaching figure.

"... Sara?" a faint voice carried above the soft breeze and Felicity stumbled out from behind the bush. "John?"

"You're here sooner than expected, kid," Slade drawled as he stood tall on the ridge before them. "Let me guess, she got the radio to work, after all? Clever girl."

"What have you done to her?" Oliver snarled and kept the arrow aimed at the dead center of the other's heart.

"I'll tell you in excruciating detail."

"I'll settle for knowing where she is. Tell me."

"...Dead," Slade grinned. "The Island killed her."

"You're lying..." Laurel breathed from behind the Arrow.

"I'm not," the Australian man assured and took a limping step towards them. "... I tried to break her. Repeatedly. I cut into her fine, porcelain skin. I tried to get to her wondrous mind by assuring her you weren't coming. Nothing worked. She's truly incorruptible, your Felicity. But then the Island caught hold of her, and did what I couldn't. She threw herself into the river... and never resurfaced."

Their enemy stepped ever closer and Oliver held the man's gaze. He saw truth reflected in the dark pools across the abyss and knew Slade wasn't lying. Blinding rage caught him off-guard and with a beastly growl he fired an arrow. Slade easily ducked out of the way and withdrew his long blade as Oliver threw himself forward.

Oliver leaped out of the way as Slade swung the sharp edge towards him. He swiftly changed tactic and aimed a kick towards the man's chest. Slade exhaled in pain as he stumbled backwards, but soon recovered. He threw a punch towards the younger man's face and connected with his jaw. Laurel gasped as Oliver fell to the forest floor.

Oliver hauled himself up, barely hurting from the wound. His mind was clouded with grief and fury as he battled his enemy in hand-to-hand combat. He swung harder than he ever had in the past. His mind was absorbed by Felicity and how the man before him had taken her from him. The blade soon fell from Slade's hand as Oliver got in another kick straight to the chest.

Slade fell to the forest floor and landed hard on his back. Oliver withdrew an arrow from his quiver and held it in his grasp, memories of the last time he'd faced Slade on the Island flashing bright through his mind. This would end no differently from that time. He distantly heard a noise that didn't fit into the forest behind him. It was a static noise that annoyed and interrupted him. He blocked it out from his mind and focused on his task. Oliver launched himself forward, ready to pierce Slade's other eye with the sharp edge.

"Felicity!" Laurel cried behind them and Oliver faltered.

He raised his gaze, expecting to see the blonde step out from a tree behind him. No one came. His heart fell at once, but before his rage could return full force, Slade knocked him out of the way.

The Australian man scrambled to his feet as Oliver's head spun from the hit. Slade spared him one final glance before picked up his blade and ran off between the trees.

Bruised, but not beaten, Oliver dragged himself to his feet and found his bow in the shrubbery. He hastily raised it with an arrow against the string and tried to get a clear shot to kill Slade. He fired an arrow, but it missed by a few inches. He pulled out another arrow, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let him run," Laurel pleaded with the man who staggered in place. Slade was already too far gone, and she needed to pull him back from the abyss. She waved the walkie talkie in her hand and whispered, "Come on. They found Felicity. You need to go to her. She needs you now."

Oliver didn't hear or see anything as he ran between the trees, letting the forest green around him blend together into a swift blur as he rushed towards his goal. He couldn't believe the news, nor what he'd almost done out of anger and grief. If Felicity had been dead, he would never have forgiven himself. In fact, he thought, he still couldn't.

He suppressed the idea and ran faster towards the beach. As his feet touched the sand and the forest was left behind him, he exhaled slowly. His eyes scanned the beach and he saw three figures beside the small plane in the distance. With Laurel practically forgotten as she came after him, Oliver hurried towards the others.

He sank into the sand beside Felicity and pulled her into his arms. She basically lay across his lap as he held her close and felt her nails dig into his back.

When he pulled back at last, he let his eyes roam across her body and face to assess the damage. Her bare feet were covered in scratches. Her pants were torn and the belt around her right thigh covered a gun shot wound that would need proper treatment soon. Her blue, fashionable shirt was covered in dried blood, sand and sweat. He didn't want to imagine what hid beneath the clothes. Her hair was curly and messy, some dry blood caught up there as well. Her face, too, was bruised and there were dark rings under her eyes. The azure color still danced strong and she smiled at him in relief.

"Yo-you're crying," she managed. Oliver merely smiled but offered her no words as his grip tightened around her. He never wanted to let go.

Diggle knelt in the sand beside them and squeezed the young woman's shoulder, as if to reassure himself she was safe with them. "You did good, girl. I'll start the plane."

Oliver flashed him a grateful smile as he looked up. The Lance sisters were standing over to the side, watching the young blonde safe and sound in Oliver's arms.

The man sniffed as he looked back down at her face and felt his inner turmoil persist. As if able to read his mind, her features clouded with a frown and she asked, "...Slade?"

He was hell-bent on not letting her see the truth, however, and so plastered on a wide smile. "He won't hurt you again."

"Is he...?"

"He fled," Oliver shook his head.

"Too afraid to live, too afraid to die..." Felicity murmured and winced in pain as she tried to stand up.

Oliver's hand on her shoulder gently pushed her back down. "Rest, Felicity. You've done your work. We'll take care of you now."

She visibly relaxed into his arms and Oliver held her gaze. How she could relax in the arms of a monster was beyond him, but he didn't care right now. It felt right to hold her, to know she would be safe now. This time, his smile was genuine as it crossed his features. "Let's go home."

To be continued!