A/N: I couldn't resist heavily referencing teases/slight spoilers for 3x01 in this. Too good of an opportunity to pass up!
Synopsis: In an attempt to do things right, Oliver asks Felicity out on a date. But when Oliver is kidnapped by a past enemy, it's up to Diggle and Felicity to save their friend from a certain end.
3x17: Arrow In Distress
Castor Barnes heard the alarm blare behind him as he forced his legs to run faster. His eyes gazed straight ahead at the smaller person who ran like hell before him, and he tried to keep an even pace with the masked stranger. Behind them, Castor heard the sounds of a smaller battle and knew he wasn't clear just yet. Adrenaline filled his lungs with much needed oxygen as he pushed himself harder.
The smaller figure ahead sharply cut a corner and Castor was barely prepared for the sudden turn but managed to keep up. The alley he found himself in was dark as night and he glanced about for his rescuer in panic, realizing he was suddenly alone on the run.
The smaller figurine appeared behind him then. The person wielded a crossbow and fired a grappling hook towards the top of the fire escape of the building closest to them.
"Hold on tight," the person ordered and Castor clutched onto the smaller frame, feeling their arm envelope his waist, as she pressed a button on the handle of the crossbow. Castor felt a strong tug as they were pulled up towards the grappling hook, hanging (literally) by the wire.
Castor had to admit he was impressed by the sheer strength of the person beside him, even more so since he suspected it was a young woman due to the size, as she carried most of his weight. He didn't recognize the person, nor had he ever seen or heard anything on the world wide web to clue him in, and it didn't make things easier to discern the truth with the obscure mask that covered most of the stranger's face.
Within seconds, they were pulled to the very top of the grappling hook and easily jumped onto the safety of the fire escape. They ran the last steps up to the roof and stopped to catch their breaths.
Castor panted as he inhaled the cold air and leaned his hands against his knees, blood rushing through his ears as he tried to calm his breathing back to normal. He looked down at his torn shirt and pants, memories of the past few months in hell flashing before his inner eye. Eventually the world stopped spinning and he stood tall, gazing across the divide at his rescuer.
He once more tried to read their outward appearance for clues, but came up short. The person was about a head shorter than himself, clad in an oversized brown jacket. A thin blade was attached to her back, alongside a smaller quiver. A hood matching the jacket and a veil of sorts masked hair, nose and mouth. Only a pair of blue eyes peered up at him with jaded disinterest, but offered no clue of the hidden identity.
Castor turned his head away and allowed himself a brief moment of relief as he breathed in the air of freedom, letting a breeze caress his face and bare arms. He'd been locked up in that holding cell for too long, and was only too happy to be out regardless who his savior would prove to be. Castor's eyes traced across the bruises that covered his arms and clenched his teeth as he remembered the 'interrogations' he'd had to endure under Amanda Waller's rule. In the end, however, he knew The Wall didn't carry the entire responsibility for his demise, the real enemy remained another.
Castor flinched violently as he heard a thud on his right and spun to face the source of the sound, preparing himself to fight if necessary. He soon relaxed his stance as he recognized the masked character beside him. The person wore a black combat-vest, wielded an impressive compound bow and wore a steel mask over his face.
Castor's shoulders slumped low as he forced his heart to calm down, "Komodo... I thought this might be your work."
The masked man merely lowered his bow and inclined his head in greeting before he stepped closer to the duo.
Castor frowned as he once more turned to the other person, directing his inquiry directly at them, ..."And you are?"
The smaller figure only withdrew further into the dark shadows of the rooftop, the blue eyes not betraying an ounce of humanity or care. Castor waved off the notion. No answer was expected, no answer was given.
Komodo spoke up, his voice altered by a voice filter much to Castor's dismay, "The A.R.G.U.S agents lost our trail. Good work."
"Yes, yes, thanks for the rescue," Castor remarked and took a deep breath. "It could have come sooner, you know."
"I but follow my master's command," Komodo deadpanned.
Castor tilted his head to the side. "Don't we all? I heard... Eh, I heard Mr Constantin died by the hands of Nightwing and Arrow. Guess I report to you now, huh? Or do I talk to the boss directly?"
"No, to me," Komodo said as he stepped past the other man, towards the second figurine in a mask. "We can't linger here. You should get to the safe house and start working on your plan."
"Oh, I had plenty of time in solitary confinement to think of a plan, Komodo," Castor drawled, his eyes alit with a need for vengeance. "Believe me, I'm ready."
"Good. Merlyn expects you to succeed this time," Komodo said darkly.
Castor turned to gaze out at the skyline of Starling City's hectic night life. "Oliver Queen is as good as destroyed... And Arrow along with him."
When he turned back to his company, he found himself alone on the rooftop.
Oliver tirelessly trained on the wing chun dummy, his mind far-off in his own world. Occasionally he'd throw a glance back over his shoulder at the blonde behind her monitors, her fingers flying across the keyboard almost melodically as she worked on whatever project she felt needed her attention tonight.
They'd been down in the foundry for an hour this evening, spending time together mostly in a comfortable silence like ever so often when Oliver worked out and Felicity did one or two things on her computers. Still, each time he glanced back at her, Oliver felt an ounce of comfort fall from his shoulders as he battled with his own thoughts. A question burned hot on his tongue, but he couldn't quite find it in himself to voice it aloud. He'd practiced it repeatedly in his head, and was certain he'd perfected it by now. But somehow, he always ended up turning back to the dummy, taking out his tension with harder and faster punches.
He heard a deep sigh behind him and once more glanced over his shoulder. Felicity leaned back in her seat and met his eyes head on, a pointed glare igniting her pale eyes. "What did that dummy ever do to you?"
"Excuse me?" Oliver frowned as he reached for his towel that hung on a rack beside him.
"You seem... angry?" a concerned scowl spread across her fair features as he stepped closer to her position. "Except, not really."
"I'm not angry, Felicity," Oliver explained as he dabbed the towel against his sweaty forehead and lingered beside her workstation.
"Then what?"
"I was... thinking," Oliver answered evasively as he slung the towel over his bare shoulder.
Curiosity seeped into her voice, "About what?"
Oliver grimaced as he inhaled and held her gaze. Her open, azure eyes waited for an explanation he desperately wanted to give her, but was still hesitant about sharing. To hell with it, he thought. "I wanted to ask you something."
The blonde shrugged, her long ponytail grazing her collarbone with the motion. "Shoot."
"Do you eat dinner, Felicity?" Oliver stuttered and frowned at his own stupidity. That didn't come out at all how he'd practiced it earlier. "I-I mean, do you like to eat? No, no. That's not what I meant to say. Ehm... My dinner?"
Felicity eyed the man curiously before her face erupted into amused laughter. "What?" she snorted.
Oliver glared down at her as he tried to recompose himself. He inhaled deeply and let the oxygen fill his lungs with much needed confidence as he exhaled, "... Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"Like a date-date?" Felicity asked as she shifted in her seat, her bemusement swiftly fading into something else entirely. A slight smile lingered in the corner of her lips as she rose on her high heels to face him, "An... actual date... with you?"
"Yeah..." Oliver nodded. "With me."
Felicity's smile widened to rival the sun as she timidly nodded. "I'd like that very much. Yes."
"Tomorrow?"
Felicity mutely nodded her head in stunned acceptance.
Oliver shared her grin and opened his mouth to say something when he heard steps coming down the stairs. He turned and saw Diggle come down the steps, clad in a casual leather jacket and jeans, nodding in greeting to his team members.
"Lyla just called," Diggle spoke up as he reached the base of the staircase. "It seems Castor Barnes escaped his holding cell not long ago."
"How?" Felicity frowned and spun back towards her monitors, searching for evidence of the event running all of her programs at once.
John stopped behind her left shoulder and shrugged. "With a little help from Komodo and an unidentified, masked associate dressed in clothes similar to what we've seen in the League of Assassins."
"Another rogue agent?" Felicity suggested as she glanced up at Oliver.
"I don't know," the man admitted as he gazed down at the footage from a security camera Felicity had pulled up on one of her screens. He recognized Komodo well enough, but the person beside him, dressed very similar to the assassins of the League, remained a mystery.
"Where's Sara when you need her?" Felicity muttered.
"We should focus our attention on figuring out Castor's purpose now that he's free," Diggle pointed out. "We don't want a repeat performance of Las Vegas, do we? And with his brother dead, he might come after us one way or another."
Felicity shrugged. "He might also want to get as far away from A.R.G.U.S as possible after the treatment they gave him... I know I would if I'd been tortured. Or, well, I guess I would have."
"We also need to figure out what Komodo wants with him," Oliver commented. "Last time we saw Komodo, he was trying to spread Doctor Death's drug. Amanda did say the Barnes' twins were associated to the same plan via their partnership with Drake Constantin. Since he's dead, maybe Komodo filled Constantin's shoes and is distributing the work for someone."
"Then who's the actual head of the operation?" Felicity suggested with a pout. "You know I've done all searches I can possible think of, but haven't found any common denominator for Komodo, Slade, Drake Constantin, the Barnes' twins and Doctor Death."
Oliver pointed a finger towards the smaller, masked figurine beside Castor and Komodo on the security footage. "Maybe this person can shed some light on it. I'll go out there tonight and we'll try and target our search for Castor Barnes for the night. It's time we got some information about all of this."
"No sign of Castor Barnes," Felicity spoke over the earpiece an hour later. "But there is a robbery in progress four blocks from you if you're still interested in crime fighting?"
Oliver flipped down the visor of his helmet and turned his motorcycle around, the sound of the engine roaring in the night. "Lead me there, Felicity."
"Go right in the next intersection," her voice guided him and he followed orders without blinking.
The black motorcycle easily interwove with the low buzz of traffic out this late, no one noticing the green leather Oliver wore as he sped past the other cars.
"The robbers got past the police line," Felicity updated him. "The police are chasing them down the freeway ahead of you."
"On it," Oliver replied as he accelerated his vehicle and heard the distant police sirens. Lights and street signs passed in a blur around him as he focused on his task. The sirens blared louder as he approached the freeway and managed to catch sight of the police cars further ahead.
"It's the white van," Felicity said. "Do you see it?"
In between the traffic ahead, Oliver caught a glimpse of the car in question and accelerated even faster, feeling the power of the speed fill him with a rush of adrenaline. "Got it... How about Italian?"
Oliver could practically hear Felicity's mind take pause at the unexpected question before she managed a confused, "Italian what?"
"Food," Oliver remarked as he easily steered his motorcycle around two cars that honked furiously and noticed he wasn't far behind the police by now. "For our date. You like Italian right? Everyone likes Italian."
"... Really? In the middle of a high speed chase, Oliver?"
"I'm multitasking," Oliver replied dryly as he sped past the police cars and managed to target the white van only thirty yards ahead. "Is that a no?"
"Yes," she breathed hastily. "I mean, I like it, yes. Italian's good. Now focus."
"Italian it is, then," Oliver smirked as he extended his right hand and fired three flechette arrows from his gauntlet at the speeding van. All three arrows imbedded themselves in the tires and the vehicle wobbled across the lanes before it crashed into the mid-lane and remained still. Smoke billowed out of the engine as he saw one of the robbers tumble out of the van in a failed attempt to flee.
Oliver drove past without stopping, letting the police handle the rest.
"You're not bad at multitasking," Felicity murmured over the earpiece and Oliver couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he drove off down the freeway.
The very next night, Oliver stopped in front of the familiar front door and eyed it wearily. He ran one hand up and down the side of his grey suit pants and tried to calm his nerves. He felt stupid, like a school boy, as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and waited for the strange feeling to pass.
He exhaled briskly and knocked on the door before he could change his mind and once more remind himself why he didn't deserve this chance. He heard some commotion from inside as he waited and after several long seconds, the door swung open.
As soon as he saw her, Oliver felt his nerves fade away into the evening. Felicity wore a dark-blue, asymmetrical dress that ended just above her knees, matched with a pair of black pumps. She'd matched the ensemble with simple gold jewelry and nude lips that smiled up at him timidly. Her glasses had been exchanged for lenses that allowed her sea-colored eyes to sparkle up at him, the same color as the dress.
"You look..." Oliver licked his lips as he looked her up and down, taking in the way the dress hugged her curves and her blonde hair draped over one shoulder like a graceful curtain. "... beautiful."
Felicity's cheeks burned red as she ducked her eyes. "Thanks. You, too," she froze briefly. "Handsome, that is. Not beautiful. Though you're quite- Ready to go?"
She slung her purse over one shoulder as Oliver nodded. She locked the door behind her and smiled up at her date as he offered her his arm.
Oliver held out her chair as they reached the Italian restaurant and Felicity slid into the seat with a graceful, "Thank you, Mr Queen."
Oliver leaned down close to her ear, his breath tickling her skin, "My pleasure, Ms Smoak."
Felicity swallowed as he stepped around the table and sat down in his own seat opposite her. He smoothed out a wrinkle in his grey suit jacket and Felicity couldn't help but notice something different in his mannerism tonight. As she eyed him closer when he turned to the wine menu, Felicity suddenly realized what it was. Oliver was nervous. Oliver was nervous on a date with her. The notion had a wide, tight-lipped grin spread across her face and she merely nodded in agreement to whatever wine he suggested for them. When he threw her a bemused glance, Felicity hurriedly turned to her menu and settled for a salmon dish as the waiter turned towards her expectantly. The waiter thanked them both, bowed his head and walked away with their order.
As soon as they were alone, Felicity's gaze flew up to meet Oliver's across the small divide that remained between them.
"It's a nice place," Felicity offered. "Good choice. Never been here before, but I've... heard good reviews about the place."
Oliver exhaled in amusement as he bowed his head low. "It's the first time I'm here, too."
"Really?" Felicity frowned a the suggestion and pondered his words. She shrugged and explained herself, "I thought maybe you'd taken several... dates here during your prime years? Or, you know, at least Laurel."
"No," Oliver tilted his head to the side. "Only you."
"Well, don't I feel special," Felicity joked.
"You are," Oliver corrected and his eyes dropped to the table top for a second.
The waiter reappeared by their table then, placing down two glasses and the bottle of red wine beside Oliver. The young man poured the wine before he once more disappeared from their side.
Felicity's fingers reached out to trace the foot of the glass as she bit her lower lip and looked down at the inviting, red liquid that swirled in her glass. She glanced up at Oliver under a curtain of dark eyelashes, her blue eyes sparkling in the candle light. He was already gazing at her with one of his tell-tale unreadable looks that slowly disappeared as a warm smile spread across his features.
Felicity raised her glass. "To first dates?"
"You did not?!" Oliver questioned in disbelief an hour later.
"No, it's true!" Felicity assured fervently. She sipped from her wine before she concluded, "I'm telling you, the guy was the most boring and self-centered guy I've ever met. He was a lacrosse player, but I'm not sure if that explains it or not... Anyway, when he went to take a bathroom break, I may or may not have hacked his phone and alerted the police to the possession of illegal drugs on his person and the cannabis culture in his basement. The police was waiting by our table when he came back and hauled his ass out of there. It wasn't until after they were gone I realized that I was left alone to pay the expensive bill for our dinner. And my heels were killing my feet so I ended up walking back to my dorm bare-feet and basically broke. That's my worst date."
Oliver leaned back in his seat and shook his head as he watched the blonde woman with amazement.
"Your turn," she teased, somewhat self-conscious by the heat in his gaze.
"I don't know if I have any bad dates," Oliver deflected with a guilty smirk as his fingers played with the napkin beside Felicity's hand on the table.
"Even the smooth Oliver Queen must have something nasty," his date grinned.
"... There was this girl once; Selena- this was before I started dating Laurel back in the day," Oliver admitted at length. "I'd just taken my driver's license and I'd asked Selena out to celebrate with me. I took her to a restaurant my dad used to frequent, so of course the owners knew who I was. I guess it was my way of trying to impress this girl. But... The date was horrible. We spent the first hour talking about avocados, because we couldn't find anything else to talk about. And later when I was dropping her off at her parents', I... ran over her dog. Needless to say, she ran out of there screaming and crying."
Felicity covered her mouth with one hand as she suppressed her laughter and Oliver smiled up at her reaction. Her hand dropped down and gently landed on his where it still rested close to her side of the table. She breathed, "That is terrible."
Oliver smiled as his eyes fell to their hands. He turned his hand over and let his thumb gently stroke across her soft skin, coming to rest on her pulse point. Even with the soft pressure he could feel her heartbeat increase and he savored the sensation for a second.
"I know..." Felicity started in a whisper, the comfortable silence replaced with an electric current Oliver was only far too familiar with in her presence. His eyes flew up to meet hers and she studied his face before she continued, "... this isn't just a date, Oliver."
Oliver smiled. "You're right."
"It's a first step," Felicity reassured him. "Neither one of us has all the answers... and we both have our own insecurities."
"It's not just that, Felicity," Oliver grimaced and moved to pull his hand back, but she firmly pressed it with her own smaller one and he stilled. This time her thumb stroked across his skin, as if offering comfort and reassurance without knowing the source of the discomfort. "... There's still much you don't know about me. About my past. And when you learn the truth, you won't think of me the same way."
Felicity smiled. "We've all done things in our past we're not proud of, which, I know, isn't comparable to your situation. I'm just trying to say... that I care about Oliver in the present. I would like to know more about your past, but I would never pressure you for details you're not ready to share."
"You don't understand, Felicity," Oliver disagreed in a gentle tone. "And I don't want you to. Because... if you understood, then I'll have corrupted your soul."
"... Is that what you're afraid of?" she whispered. "Is that why you've been keeping me at a distance?"
Oliver shut his eyes tight. "... Yes."
"Oliver..." she breathed and shook her head in confusion. "I want this life. I want to share this life with you. And the others. You know that."
"I do..."
"I believe life is about taking chances and aspiring to be better than what we are," Felicity blurted, her voice filling with a familiar fire as she spoke her mind. "And if we don't challenge ourselves and open our hearts to a world of possibilities, then what are we really here for?"
"Excuse me, Mr Queen."
Felicity jumped in her seat, her hand flying back to her lap as they turned to face the waiter that had appeared beside their table.
The young man smiled in apology as he faced Oliver. "There's a phone call for you, Mr Queen."
Oliver frowned as he rose from his seat. He threw Felicity a confused glance but she nodded encouragingly.
"Go ahead," she smiled. "It's no problem."
"I'll be right back," he promised, gently squeezing her shoulder as he stepped past her.
Felicity managed to capture the tips of his fingers before his hand fell away and the warmth subsided. She glanced back over her shoulder to study Oliver's body language. After their discussion, she was afraid he'd be stiff and stoic, about to pull back into his shell, but exhaled in relief when she realized he walked with a light spring to his steps. She watched in amusement, certain she'd never quite seen that in his steps before.
The waiter guided him over to the phone close to the front doors and Felicity curiously watched Oliver pick up the receiver. His face fell into a confused frown as he said something but seemed to not get a response. Oliver turned to ask the waiter something when a figure appeared behind him. The assailant raised his hand and brought something small and blunt down on Oliver's head. Oliver slumped unconscious as his attacker deftly caught the weight, helped by another man that appeared out of thin air.
"Oliver!" Felicity screamed as she saw the men haul Oliver towards the door. She leapt out of her seat and ran as fast as she could in her heels. The men disappeared out the door and Felicity felt her heart drum inside her chest like thunder as she pushed past a few people to get to the exit.
Fear grasped her heart as she threw herself towards the door and pulled it open. As Felicity ran onto the sidewalk, she heard tires screeching and saw an unlicensed car speed off down the street. She ran into the middle of the road as she saw the car disappear around a corner and out of sight. Everything silenced around her, as if not having noticed the brutal occurrence, and the calm of night deceptively settled once more. Felicity stood left alone as the world fell down around her.
"Felicity?" Diggle asked as he pushed his way through the crowd of reporters and police officers trying to keep them at bay. It wasn't really a surprise Oliver Queen's kidnapping had become such a huge deal and the media were coming down like vultures. "Felicity!"
"Dig!" Felicity breathed as she saw her friend and scrambled over to him, stepping out from behind the police tape. She clutched his arms and trembled as she pulled him over to the side, away from prying eyes and too keen ears.
"What happened, Felicity?"
"I... We were having a nice time when Oliver received a call and went to take it," Felicity's voice broke as she once more repeated the night to herself and to her friend. "I-I watched him as he went. He was hit from behind and two men managed to drag him out of the restaurant without being stopped. I was too late, John... I couldn't..."
"It's okay," Diggle hunched slightly to catch her eye. "Oliver's okay."
"Oliver's kidnapped," Felicity disagreed and ran a hand through her blonde locks as her bottom lip trembled. "And I need to find out who it was. Get me out of here."
"Okay," Diggle nodded as he threw an arm around her slender shoulders and guided her away from the crowd.
"Unbelievable," Felicity stuttered twenty minutes later as she leaned back in her chair in the foundry.
"What?" John asked as he hurried to join her side.
"The traffic cameras around the restaurants were down when the kidnapping occurred," the blonde frowned as she read the information on her screens. "On purpose, no doubt. And it had no plates. I can't track the vehicle."
Diggle leaned heavily against her desk as he exhaled slowly. He tried to focus his mind as well as the mind of his friend as he asked, "What about thermographic imaging?"
"Can only got real-time from the satellites, too late now," Felicity muttered. "I've got nothing, Dig! Not even from the cameras in the restaurants. Those cameras were down, too. What do we do?"
"Let's take a calm breath," John suggested in a soft tone that he hoped could pull her back from the abyss. "Keep a level head."
"Oliver was kidnapped in the middle of our date!" Felicity said, her voice rising an octave as panic crept back into her frame. "How am I supposed to keep a level head?"
The tension was interrupted by her phone ringing, and Felicity whipped around to pick it up. "Hello?"
Captain Lance's voice greeted her with a gruff tension, "You should turn on the television, Felicity. Channel 8."
Felicity hung up and opened the news channel on her monitors. A TV anchor grimly faced the camera as he informed the viewers;
"Earlier tonight, Oliver Queen was unexpectedly kidnapped from a restaurant here in Starling City. The SCPD have had few clues to follow up until now, but our news station have just received live footage from the kidnappers themselves. Viewers discretion is advised, the following footage may contain disturbing images."
"Oh no..." Felicity swallowed and felt John place a heavy hand on her shoulder.
The video feed opened on a close-up of Oliver, who looked worse for wear. He was missing his suit jacket and his tie hung askew as he sat bound on a chair.
"Time to wakey-wakey!" a voice from behind the camera cooed as a hand shoved on Oliver's shoulder.
Oliver groaned and blinked repeatedly before his eyes flew open. He squinted against the blinding flash of the camera and breathed, "Wh-what's going on? Where am I?"
"In a safe place," the voice answered.
Diggle leaned closer and frowned. "Hold on. I recognize that voice..."
"What do you want?" Oliver questioned, his voice growing stronger by the second.
"Vengeance and the truth revealed," the voice callously retorted. "I want Arrow to reveal his real identity. It's the only way to save you, Mr Queen. We all know he's saved you once in the past... I'm depending on it to happen again. Unless... Arrow is unable to come save you at present time."
"I don't know the vigilante!" Oliver furiously contended.
"I'll call him anyway... See if anyone picks up. I managed to hack the right phone for the right number. There... Let's see if he answers," a smart phone appeared before the camera, showing it dialing out.
Felicity and John glared down at the phone on the desk beside them as it started to vibrate and the Caller-ID flashed 'Unknown Identity'.
Felicity reached for the phone when Diggle spoke, "The voice. It's Castor Barnes. Dammit... I knew he wanted revenge for his brother's death. And he knows Oliver is Arrow."
Felicity clenched her jaw as she let the news sink in. She attached a voice deformer onto the front of her dress and answered the call, "Hello."
On the video, they heard the man's chortling laughter. "Oh, what an elaborate scheme! Who's this?"
"You called me," Felicity heard her distorted voice on the speaker sound just like the masked vigilante and was thankful for the clever disguise. "You should know."
"Oh no... I think we both know what's going on here."
Felicity's fingers started flying across the keyboard as she sought to triangulate the call. She glanced at the still groggy figure of Oliver in the back of the video and noticed how his shoulders tensed as he intently listened to the conversation.
"Release Oliver Queen," Felicity demanded in a low growl.
"Only if you reveal your true face, Arrow," Castor spat in return. "It's a fair price for justice. Why should you hide in the shadows... why should you not take the blame for your own sins and man up? Why not... illuminate us all."
The flashlight once more shone Oliver straight in the eyes and he hissed as he diverted his gaze.
"Don't do it," Oliver managed between gritted teeth.
Felicity felt her heart plummet at his words, knowing full well they were aimed directly at her and their true meaning.
Castor pushed his hostage roughly as he concluded, "You have an hour to come clean, or Oliver Queen dies."
The video feed and the phone call abruptly cut off without warning. Felicity and John glared at the black screen as tension filtered back into their veins.
Felicity glanced back at her second monitor and inhaled tremblingly as she focused her mind back to her task. She gratefully pumped her fist into the air. "Yes! I managed to triangulate the call! We got him!"
"It's only been twenty minutes, but the news of the video are spreading fast. The stations are asking questions about Arrow, and whether or not he'll step up to reveal himself. One or two of them have even guessed correctly, though they don't know it yet," Diggle grimaced as he glared at the monitors and adjusted the green hood on his strong shoulders. "This could turn ugly real quick."
"Then we need to stop the rumors and get back to normal," Felicity replied from behind him. "We need to protect Oliver's secret."
John spun around and faced the woman as she stepped out of the back rooms. "... Felicity."
Felicity glanced ahead at her friend. As they had agreed upon, John had donned the green leather, prepared to play the necessary part so as to avoid throwing suspicion on Oliver. She could see Diggle's hesitant gaze take in her appearance now, though.
Felicity glanced down at her own outfit. She'd changed into the black outfit that she worn into the field not a week earlier when she'd helped Nyssa in Tibet. The tank top and black pants weren't much, but it was all she had. Felicity felt a wave of desperation wash over her as her gaze rose to meet John's once more. There was no way Felicity was going to sit this own out. Not when Oliver's life and secret was at stake. They all knew Castor was expecting a trick, but also that he knew the truth they needed so very much to keep hidden, for all their sakes. Whatever his game, Felicity didn't trust in the mad man to keep either John or Oliver alive.
John sighed as his shoulders lowered in acceptance. "If you're going to do this... you have to do it properly just this once. The cameras will be on us, after all," John exclaimed as he pulled out the Canary jacket from the glass case and held it out for his friend with an encouraging nod.
Though the jacket was a tad too big for her, Felicity agreed to adopt the Canary persona for the night. At least that way, John had debated, if Castor pulled any tricks with cameras or the such to expose them, they'd both have plausible ID:s to hide behind.
Felicity gave John directions from the passenger seat as she held onto her tablet and soon they were at the abandoned school out of town Castor used as a safe house. The area was quiet and both Felicity and John could smell trouble in the crisp air.
"You ready?" John asked as he cautiously glanced about the perimeter.
Felicity adjusted the domino mask with trembling hands. "... I don't know."
"Hey..." Diggle breathed reassuringly. "You got this. For Oliver."
"For Oliver," Felicity nodded firmly and inhaled sharply.
They exchanged a weary glance as they exited the car and crept across the school yard as quietly as possible, letting the cloak of night shield them from getting caught.
"We still have ten minutes before Castor said he'd kill Oliver," Felicity whispered as she followed a few paces after John.
She'd barely finished the sentence when a semi-automatic fired in their direction. Diggle pushed Felicity behind the corner of the building as shots ricocheted against the wall where their heads had just been.
"You okay?" John asked and the blonde nodded fervently.
Diggle handed the bow to Felicity as he withdrew a gun and threw himself around the corner. He aimed at the location the shots had come from and fired at the shooters. He managed to take them both down in three shots.
"Let's go," he breathed as he pushed onto his feet and they silently hurried towards the front door.
They stepped into the school, unsurprised to find it unlocked, and rushed through the silent, dark corridors in the direction of the assembly hall Felicity had located the source of the call earlier. As they cut a corner, a fist connected with John's jaw, and the bigger man stumbled back with a grunt.
As his attacker towered over John, Felicity rushed forward and slammed her tablet at the back of the stranger's head. The assailant fell unconscious to the ground and John nodded in gratitude as he rose.
"I'll buy you a new one," he offered as he gazed down at the broken tablet and saw the slight sadness in her eyes as she noticed it, too.
The heavy door groaned loudly as they stepped into the assembly hall. Rows and rows of chair stood lined up before a podium ahead. On the center of the stage sat Oliver, the spotlights literally turned on him. The man was still bound and his head lulled from side to side every now and again. Felicity's eyes traveled across the room and soon settled on a camera and a tripod over on the side, situated where it could feature the stage and the approaching vigilantes. She tensed up as she focused her attention back on Oliver and kept walking.
Someone stepped out from behind the stage and practically swaggered over to the tied up man on the chair on center stage.
"As I thought," Castor breathed as he eyed the new arrivals with amused disinterest. "Decoys to cover up the truth. Too bad for you, is all I need to say... You two should have stayed out of this."
"Let Oliver Queen go," Diggle commanded, activating the voice filter before he spoke.
"He's a bit tied up, as you can see," Castor waved off the suggestion. "I also gave a mild sedative... The only way to control a beast." Castor stepped around Oliver's chair like a predator. "Has it not occurred to you..." he leaned down so that he was on the same eye-level as Oliver and held the drugged man's gaze, "... that this is exactly the outcome I desired?"
Oliver's eyes widened in hazy realization and his head whipped around towards his friends, panic echoing in his cobalt depths.
Felicity and Diggle ignored the silent warning in his eyes and slowly walked down the aisle towards the stage.
Castor stretched tall and faced the camera. "... I'll now give the real Arrow a last chance to do the right thing... Or watch his friends burn."
Oliver tried to trash against the ropes that held him in place, but his movements were sluggish and feeble in comparison to his usual strength and capacity.
John raised his hand for Felicity to stop and she did at once. Her gaze found Oliver's across the divide and could see his inner struggle. He was pleading with her to get out, pleading with her to understand he was left with no choice. Felicity merely shook her head in reply. This wasn't the end of the line for any of them, this was not the day Oliver's secret was outed. This wasn't the way any of this would end and she firmly refused him to back down. Oliver's shoulders slumped as he read the intention in her eyes and he inclined his head mutely.
As Castor expectantly glared at his watch and then back to Oliver, he breathed, "Well, well... Time's running out."
In a heartbeat, Diggle withdrew an arrow from the quiver, aimed at the camera and fired. The sharp arrow penetrated the device and the camera shattered to the ground at the same time as Castor whipped around towards the duo in surprise. He withdrew a semi-automatic from his waist line and fired it at Felicity and John. Diggle threw himself towards Felicity and pulled her down to the ground with him.
Felicity landed hard on her side, clutching her sore ribs as she forced herself up on her elbows. John's face was contorted in pain and Felicity's hand flew over his torso in search of any wounds. She saw a few blood drops on the floor and traced it back to a bullet hole in his left shoulder. She applied pressure to the wound and swirled around to face the stage.
"Say goodbye to your loyal friends, Oliver," Castor breathed as he pulled the groggy Oliver out of his seat and pushed the drugged man ahead of him. "They're about to get a bombastic demise."
Felicity held Oliver's dazed gaze before he was viciously pushed out of the room and out of sight.
"Go after them," John hissed through gritted teeth as he clutched the wound. "I'm fine, go!"
Felicity glanced down at her watch, "The building's about to blow, John. I'm not leaving you here. Come on." She helped the man up from the ground with a huffed, "Oof! You're heavy."
"Thanks," John retorted dryly. "It's the diet."
She slung an arm around his waist and tried to keep him upright as they ran through the corridors.
"Thirty seconds!" she cried and tried to pick up her speed.
Their feet echoed against the floor as they rounded the last corridor and saw the doors ahead. Felicity pushed herself harder than she ever had before as she tried to keep up with the wounded John. He held open the door for her and pushed her into the cold night air.
They'd made it barely twenty feet away from the building when the whole thing blew. The sound was a deafening roar and the heat caressed their bodies as they ducked against the ground.
Felicity jumped to her feet first, gazing at the consuming fires. Her terrified eyes searched the fires for any clues of Oliver's well-being.
The woman spun around as movement caught her attention from her peripheral view. She saw Oliver being thrust into the passenger seat of a car and watched as Castor Barnes slid into the driver side.
"Oliver..." Felicity breathed as John rose from the ground. "I'm not losing him!"
She ran towards their own van, desperation mingling with adrenaline in her sore body. She barely registered Diggle close on her heel as she leapt into the driver seat and prepared to run after Oliver.
Felicity drove like a mad man through traffic, avoiding other cars with mere inches as she tried to keep up with the other car. She knew she was gaining on Castor, but still felt worry fill her body like a tidal wave. What if she'd lose Oliver, after all?
As if reading her thoughts, John spoke from the passenger seat, "You're doing good."
"What if he... What if I...?" Felicity felt her throat clog up and cleared it from emotions as she focused on driving the vehicle. "Because of me."
John frowned as he tried to keep up with her line of thinking, but ultimately sighed. "You're doing all you can, Felicity. Just keep doing it."
Felicity distantly nodded as she swallowed and accelerated faster, driving onto the small, untrafficked road that wound through the woods, gaining on Castor's smaller vehicle.
"It's very much personal," Castor breathed in the other car, glancing at the rearview mirror now and again to keep check of the chasing vehicle. He glared at Oliver, "My brother's dead because of you. I was tortured by A.R.G.U.S because of you!"
Oliver shook the last of the drug out of his head as he tried to focus on his surroundings. The rope was still too tight around his arms for him to break lose in this confined space. He gazed up and tried to recognize their whereabouts. They were still quite a long way out of town and, if his memory served him right, about to reach a viaduct that spanned over the river that ran through Starling in the South.
"And though I want you dead... Someone wants your identity known first," Castor continued, unaware of his captive's train of thought. "They want you completely ruined."
"Who is it?!" Oliver whipped back to face the driver. "Who's after me?!"
Castor snorted. "Over my dead body."
"Poor choice of words," Oliver growled and took advantage of not wearing a seatbelt as he launched at the man. He head-butted Castor, who grunted in pain. The car violently swerved as a result and Oliver was thrown back in his seat by the sudden motion.
Oliver's head slammed against the window and his vision swam in and out of focus as he saw the edge of the viaduct approach in high speed.
"Woah, woah, woah...!" Diggle breathed as he saw the car swerve ahead of them. "Oliver must have gotten control over-"
His words trailed off as the car suddenly shifted direction and swerved towards the side of the road. Felicity shrieked as she saw the car smash through the steel railing of the viaduct and fly over the edge. Felicity felt her heart drop as she drove the last distance, stopped the car and jumped out before Diggle even had a chance to unbuckle his belt.
Felicity ran to the makeshift hole in the railing and gazed down at the river thirty feet below. The car had landed with a loud splash and was quickly taking in water, sinking towards the bottom. She quickly discarded her jacket and mask on the bridge as John reached her side. Without even registering her decision, she knew what she ha to do. She heard the man's surprised shout as she threw herself over the edge, diving into the cold water below.
Her body slammed into the body of water and the chill almost numbed her entire frame. Adrenaline and sheer will pushed her forward and she tried to peer through the murky water around her. She saw some air bubbles and followed them towards the bottom of the river.
The car touched bottom as she reached it, trying to pull open the passenger door in vain. She banged on the window as she saw Oliver's eyes remain closed, blood swirling from a small wound on his forehead. Panic gripped her tight and she tried to tug the door open once more. She dove downwards and found a sharp rock, returning to the window as fast as she could. She slammed the rock against the window as she felt her lungs start to ache with a need for oxygen. She disregarded it as she swung the rock again and again. Finally it broke and the water filled the last of the car. She waited until the pressure of water stabilized before she managed to tug open the car door.
She grabbed hold of Oliver's body, barely sparing a glance at the immobile figure of Castor Barnes in the opposite seat, and pulled with all her might. She felt a wave of gratitude as she managed to get him out of the car and readjusted her grip as she kicked towards the surface. She knew time was of the essence for both of them, and tried to swim faster despite the extra load.
As she broke through the surface she coughed and gasped for air. Her mind swirled for a second as blood and oxygen pumped through her body. She glanced down at Oliver and noticed he was still unconscious and his skin was turning pale.
"Felicity!"
The woman turned towards the river bank where she saw John had run to. The man waved her towards him and Felicity swam towards the bank, careful to keep Oliver's head above the surface. As they neared the ground, Diggle ran into the shallow water and helped pull Oliver onto the sand. Diggle withdrew a knife and proceeded to cut off the ropes as Felicity knelt beside them in the sand, panting as her gaze roamed Oliver's pale face.
As soon as the ropes were removed, Felicity jumped into action. As Diggle put his hands on top of each other on Oliver's chest and started chest compressions, Felicity leaned his head back to prepare mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She exhaled into his mouth five times and then leaned back to watch his chest. She could feel anxiety make her breathing come more irregular, but she pushed back the tears as it came time for her again.
Oliver didn't react even after the second time and Felicity released a strained sob. Felicity silently wept as her hands stroked across Oliver's cheeks. "Fight, Oliver. Live."
John cursed loudly as he continued the chest compressions, leaving enough room for Felicity to do mouth-to-mouth before he continued. Oliver suddenly jerked violently, coughing up water. John tilted the man over to the side, helping him throw up the water as he continued to cough. Oliver slumped back against the sand, his eyes drowsily flying open.
Felicity cried as he turned to face her and she flew forward, wrapping her arms around him as good as possible.
Still clad in the vigilante costumes, John and Felicity dropped off Oliver at the ER a while later before they disappeared into the night.
Felicity wound up back in the foundry, too wound up after the night to go back home and rest. She watched the news on her monitors and exhaled in relief as she saw several channels report the rescue of Oliver Queen, with photographic evidence of Arrow and Canary dropping the man off for a check up.
Walking around in the foundry all by her lonesome, Felicity felt her mind start going into overdrive and eventually she changed into her training outfit. The black and pink top felt a lot more comfortable than the Canary costume and helped her pull her mind from darker deeds.
She ended up taking out some frustration and pent-up fear on the punching bag. Her thoughts slowly dissolved as she punched harder and faster, losing herself to the moment.
"Nice!" a familiar voice suddenly breathed behind her.
Felicity spun around and frowned. Oliver was standing before her, a small bandage covering the wound on his forehead and is clothes mostly dry. "I thought they wanted to keep you under surveillance at least 24 hours."
"It's just a concussion," Oliver argued feebly, but couldn't quite hide the fatigue in his voice.
Without another word, Felicity felt the reality slap across her face once more and memories of Oliver's lifeless body in her arms pushed into her mind. She threw herself across the distance and pulled him into a tight hug. Oliver's arms wrapped around her waist as he heard her draw a shaky breath. They remained in the embrace for several seconds longer, before Felicity pulled back but remained in his arms.
Oliver flashed her a soft grin as he nodded towards the punching bag. "You're getting quite good with the punching bag."
Felicity wiped at a stray tear as she exhaled in amusement. "Thanks. Strong foundation equals stronger punch. Right?"
"Right..." Oliver nodded and let her step away from his touch. "I'm impressed you still have some fight in you after today."
Felicity shrugged as the slight distance gave her an opportunity to focus her mind once more. "Guess I finally realized the adrenaline kick you must get every night... It's hard to shake, especially after..."
As her voice trailed off, Oliver stepped closer. He hated the haunted look on her face and reached out for her hand. "Hey… You did good out there. In the field."
"Mmm…"
Oliver lowered his voice and breathed, "Thanks."
Felicity shrugged as she squeezed his hand. "I was only too happy to pay back for every time you've saved me."
"Felicity… This wasn't the first time you saved me," Oliver grinned. "There's nothing to pay back."
"Well, I meant 'as a masked vigilante'," Felicity shrugged her eyebrows. "No offense, but I don't think the whole suiting up part is my cup of tea. I prefer to save your ass from behind my computers."
Oliver hesitated a beat and seemed to mentally picture a hurdle, before he said, "You don't want to get out there more often? I could... help train you some more."
"I would appreciate that," Felicity smiled, knowing full well how hard it was for Oliver to cross that threshold and invite her into the part of his life from which he'd spent such a long time keeping her out of. That he was willing to train her now was no small feat, she knew. "... I'm not saying I don't want more time with you and John in the field, I just want to be based behind my computers while I do it. That's where my real strength is. I'm happy enough knowing I can defend myself if necessary, though."
Oliver huffed in agreement. "You and me both."
Felicity smiled sheepishly and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "... It's a bummer that our date got interrupted. Quite the surprise end, I got to say."
"Not quite the end I had intended... Wait, I have an idea," Oliver walked around the lair to small fridge of blood samples they kept around for emergency cases and Felicity frowned curiously. He rose a second later, lifting a bottle of red wine out of the fridge. He turned back to her with a grin on his face.
"Is that...?" Felicity squinted in the direction of the label. "... Lafite Rotschild?"
"1982," Oliver briskly nodded and stepped towards her.
"I didn't know we kept wine bottles in the fridge," Felicity frowned. "Next to blood samples and... Is that even sanitary?"
"You could have a glass of lukewarm Russian vodka, if you prefer," Oliver pointed towards the worn case he'd brought with him from the island. "I've got a bottle in there."
"Wine," Felicity nodded. "Wine is good. But what's the occasion?"
Oliver shrugged as he brought over two small glasses and filled them with wine. "... To second dates?"
Felicity smiled up at him as she pondered the suggestion. In the end, her smile faded as she gently asked, "If we're having that discussion... Can I lay all the cards on the table?"
Oliver frowned at the unexpected question but nodded nonetheless.
Felicity swallowed as she closed her eyes. "... I nearly lost you today. And... By not saving him, I let Castor Barnes drown. I-I don't regret it, per se, because I needed to get to you... But... I understand now how you could have killed Count Vertigo for me, how you wanted to kill Slade... You were right. There was no choice to make."
"Felicity,I-
"Don't blame yourself for everything," Felicity interrupted in a low breath. "I know that's asking a lot, but I need you not to blame yourself for every decision I make or everything someone else does to me. If you can't accept that sometimes you're not to blame... I don't know how we can move forward. Because... I want to be a part of this, and I'm not leaving you. I will end up in trouble, that's just the way I operate... and I need you beside me when I do."
Oliver grimly smiled as he processed her words. A part of him knew she was telling the truth. He'd known about her rebellious streaks already when he met her, had realized long ago he couldn't (nor wanted) to control her. The only way to move forward together, was to give her the space she needed to grow and evolve as a person. The alternative was simply not an option.
"I'll do my best," he promised at length.
Felicity hummed and held his gaze a breath longer. Eventually, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "You need to see something, I need you to see something," she turned her back to him once more and tugged on the back of her tank top to expose more of her shoulder blade. Oliver's gaze trailed down to what she revealed and his hand reached up to help her expose the skin in a flash. There, in between her shoulder blades, was a small but clear scar carved into her fine, smooth skin in the unmistakable shape of an arrow.
"Slade did this to you..." Oliver breathed tersely as he glared at the scar that seemed to mock him from its place.
"I didn't realize he'd given me that scar until we came home from Lian Yu," Felicity muttered and turned back to face him, not stepping back despite invading his personal space. "I didn't want to mention it to you earlier, because I was afraid... you'd blame yourself and pull away from me..."
Oliver saw that those very fears still danced through her eyes and he pushed down the angry monster inside his chest that wanted to burst out and wreak havoc. He couldn't be that monster right now, she needed him to be something else, something more, and this time he knew the prize should he turn from her.
"I need you to be able to look at that arrow and realize Slade did that precisely because he wanted to get to you. But it was just part of his sick and twisted game," Felicity's voice was low and heartfelt, bordering on emotional, as she reached up and touched his elbow, seeking to be remain in his inner circle.
Oliver's gaze remained downcast a second longer and Felicity was afraid she'd pushed him too far. Suddenly, he exhaled and stepped even closer. His calloused hands came up to cup her cheek and Felicity gasped in surprise. He held her gaze for a second, asking for permission, and she managed a slight grin before her eyes fell shut. Oliver crossed the last distance slowly and gently kissed her, savoring the taste and feel of the woman he loved. It was more a peck, but Oliver still tried his best to make her understand how he felt.
He pulled back eventually, hands still cupping her face and smiled. "You're right... It's not easy to admit, but you are."
Felicity grinned. "Usually am."
"I'll have to work harder on my demons, Felicity... But no, that scar isn't my fault," he spoke and his eyes traveled across her face. "Nor is it yours... We won over Slade, and I won't give him this victory. Just as you didn't let Barnes win today. You were right, we have to take chances with our hearts... Because, what's the point if we don't?"
Felicity's smile widened as she gently tugged on his elbow, welcoming a second kiss.
"I guess this means you get a second date," she managed to mutter against his lips and her heart sped up as he laughed in response.
To be continued!