A/N: After this chapter, there are only 5 more before the end. Can you feel it?

Synopsis: After learning a dark truth about Thea, Oliver struggles to regain balance and find a solution that will earn him back his sister's love before all is lost. When Simon Cross makes it clear he's not about to let Queen Consolidated go without a fight, Oliver is forced to reveal his true colors and up his game.

3x18: Other Sides

"Uh-uh," Oliver shook his head as he leaned over the backrest of the chair. "That's not me."

Felicity snorted as she leaned back in her seat to glare up at the man behind her. Her blue eyes shone with disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"It's not me," Oliver contended as he met her gaze pointedly. His lips pulled upwards at the edges, but still he frowned and argued, "It can't be."

Felicity shook her head in amusement as she turned back to the video playing on one of her monitors in the foundry. She pointed to the unsteady man in the frame, dancing a humping sort of thing and swirling a pink boa around his head. "That is you, Oliver Jonas Queen, wild and crazy in Las Vegas back in -06."

"No."

"No?" Felicity's grin widened.

"I would never wear leopard-printed pants," Oliver snorted indignantly, though Felicity knew it was mostly for show.

"It's Vegas, baby," she joked in turn and winked at him.

Still, Oliver would not budge. "Nu-uh."

"Please. You can clearly see your drunk face when you dance towards the camera. I particularly like the striptease that ends with you face-palming the ground," Felicity fast-forwarded to the part in question and laughed as she watched it for the thousandth time. Oliver sighed, but his gaze wandered across the woman's carefree expression slowly, memorizing every inch of her smile. "A classic, right there."

Oliver tried hard to suppress his smile as he felt her energy rub off on him. He cleared his throat as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who else has seen this, Felicity?"

Felicity shrugged. "Just Diggle."

"You swear?"

"Occasionally, sure," Felicity smiled and glanced back at the man's exasperated face. "No one else. Scout's honor. And, as I've already told you, there's no trace left of it online. I erased it all. You're safe."

Oliver swirled her chair around to face him as he leaned against the armrests. A devilish grin spread across his face as he watched her surprised face. "My hacker heroine."

A slight blush crept up her neck and cheeks. Her lips darted to his lips and back to his eyes. "... Always."

Oliver leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss.

Before he could even consider pulling back, Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips parted slightly and Oliver happily accepted the invitation as he deepened the kiss. She moaned into his mouth as Oliver rose, lifting Felicity as he moved. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carefully sat her down on the table, never once tearing his lips from hers. Desire fueled him onward as he explored her mouth and let his hands roam across her back. Felicity dug her nails into his blue sweater, tugging him closer still. He smiled against her lips briefly before he moved his mouth to leave a hot trail down her cheek and neck. He felt Felicity shiver beneath his touch as he dragged his lips across her skin and-

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Both froze at the sound and sighed in unison. Felicity was the first one to, reluctantly, pull back. Her pupils were wide and black as she held his gaze with a slight smirk. After another second she managed a throaty, "... Saved by the monitor."

"I wouldn't call it that," Oliver growled as he let the woman slip from his grasp back to her workstation. The cold air that met his body was both a welcomed reprieve and a curse in disguise. He used the distance to clear his mind as he inhaled slowly and calmed his heart to return to a normal rhythm.

Felicity stuffed her pink blouse back into her pencil skirt before she sank into her chair. "We did agree on taking things slow."

"Yeah. I've just..." Oliver grimaced. "... never tried it before."

"I know you're worried about screwing things up..." Felicity breathed gently. "... but really, don't be. You make me happy, Oliver." Before he had a chance to respond, Felicity turned back to work and onto the problem at hand. Her fingers danced across the keyboard before she hummed, "Well, that's trouble."

"What is?" Oliver questioned, easily slipping into a professional persona as he leaned over her desk to watch the damned interruption.

"My facial recognition program just caught Komodo on a security camera in Starling and alerted us to his whereabouts," Felicity explained hurriedly. "Seems he and his little friend are out patrolling the streets again." Felicity turned her worried expression towards the man. "What if he's distributing more of that drug?"

"I'll go out there and find Komodo. He won't hurt anyone," Oliver promised and swiftly turned around to get down to business.

"Oliver?" Felicity called and the man turned back with raised eyebrows. She waved a hand in the direction of her mouth and smiled, "You might want to remove some of the lipstick you've got... Might not match the woodland green of your hood."

Oliver grinned as he wiped at the corners of his mouth. "I hear Stormy pink and green is all the rave these days." With a wink he turned and walked out.

Adrenaline filled Oliver's body, pulsating through him like electricity, as he ran across the rooftops of Starling City. Rain fell in abundance from the skies above, obscuring his vision from time to time as it pelted down, but it did little to slow him down now. Like a predator in hot pursuit of his prey, Oliver chased after Komodo with no thought of surrender or slowing down.

The other archer nimbly shot across the roofs, leaping from one building to another as if participating in a childish game with his pursuer.

Oliver leapt across a small divide onto a lower plateau of the rooftop and felt the distance minimize considerably as he landed agilely in a somersault. As he moved to once more pursue his enemy, something small and solid suddenly came at him from the shadows.

Oliver was taken by surprise as the smaller figure slammed into him and they both fell unceremoniously to the harsh, wet ground. Oliver groaned as he slammed into the rooftop, feeling irritation quickly take adrenaline's place in his system. He could already see Komodo gain distance and slip from his grasp thanks to the timely interruption.

Oliver jumped to his feet and turned towards his newest foe. He squinted his eyes to see through the rain and the dark of night. The person before him wore an outfit reminiscent of the League's favorite costume and Oliver easily recognized them as Komodo's assistant. Whoever it was, they were climbing on Oliver's list of least-liked people.

The small figure pulled out a thin sword from a scabbard on their back and moved into a ready stance as Oliver growled in irritation. He didn't have time for this diversion. He'd lose Komodo's trail if he lingered any longer.

Annoyed and feeling anger simmer just beneath the surface, Oliver lunged towards his enemy. The small figure ducked out of the way with impressive speed, vaulting out of reach before he had time to catch them. Oliver grimaced and slowly exhaled as he swirled back around.

He once more attacked, moving swift and surely through the night as he forced his enemy to retreat further. The masked stranger managed to block all of his punches but without raising their sword in attack, much to Oliver's confusion. Oliver feigned a right hook and as he received the expected sidestep, he swirled around and extended his leg swiftly. The person tripped over the limb and fell to the ground with a startled gasp.

Arrow hastily knelt above the person to make sure they remained down and threw the sword out of reach. The metal clattered loudly against the cold, wet ground as it disappeared out of sight and Oliver leaned back to his captured enemy.

Oliver growled as he pulled off the person's mask, but stopped dead in his tracks at the familiar face. The sight caught him unprepared and he felt his heart stop instantaneously. He staggered back in fright as he searched for his voice, ultimately managing a trembling, "... S-Speedy?!"

Thea held her chin high as she wordlessly stared back at her brother with eyes wide as saucers. She leisurely rose from the ground without a sound. The rain continued to pour around them as the siblings stared at each other across an endless abyss.

Oliver felt each and every thought disappear out of his head, leaving him void of everything. His mouth went dry as he failed to find words. All he saw was his baby sister stand only a few feet before him, yet having never stood further away from him. The young, innocent girl he'd loved for her quirky nature and easygoing heart had turned into someone else, something else, and he didn't recognize this person.

Emotions swirled in her eyes also, seemingly as lost for words as he was. Thea swallowed thickly in the end and suddenly darted into the shadows of night. Oliver flinched as he watched her run away from him, incapable of following as he watched her disappear, swallowed by the rain and the darkness.

Oliver felt hollow. There was nothing inside his chest, only a great emptiness where his heart seemed to have been. He knew he'd done a lot of evil in his days to the people he loved, but he had never expected to fail Thea so completely that she sought out the other side. That she would find herself on the other line he'd drawn in the sand, where he couldn't follow.

Felicity and Diggle stood opposite their friend in the foundry, watching his hazy eyes cloud over with disbelief and wonder. Oliver slowly shook his head as his eyes glistened with tears, seemingly disbelieving his own mind.

"She's not supposed to be..." Oliver's voice was brittle and weak. He closed his eyes tight, as if this would shut out the truth he'd seen tonight. "... What have I done to her?"

Felicity slowly exhaled as she took a small step forward, letting her hand come up and rest on his green sleeve. Oliver didn't react at the touch, but didn't pull away either. The woman gently breathed, "It's not your fault."

"Yes, this time it is, Felicity," Oliver contended as his eyes shot open. He distantly shook his head. "My lies drove her over the edge. I wasn't there for her when I should have been and... I lost her."

"She lost herself," John breathed pointedly from the other side and stepped closer to complete the trinity.

Oliver tilted his head to the side and frowned as he tried to keep his emotions at bay. "... I could have prevented it."

"You protected her," Diggle spoke steadfastly. "The only way you knew how to."

"Evidently not."

Felicity grimaced as she stepped back. She hated seeing Oliver so lost in the darkness and self-loathing. She hated not knowing how to fix it, fix him. Her heart ached for him as she watched the tears in his eyes swirl with something unreadable and dark.

"Why is she working with Komodo?" Oliver asked no one in particular, and his question died out in the shadows of the lair. "I need to find out what's going on."

"And we will," Felicity promised and offered him an encouraging smile she knew offered very little help at this time. "We will, Oliver. We'll find a solution and help Thea."

Oliver's gaze finally rose to meet hers as he shakily exhaled. His shoulders slumped even lower as his walls crumbled to the ground. "... What do we do now?"

John exhaled slowly as he stepped forward and squeezed Oliver's shoulder. "Sleep on it, man. You need time to let it sink in. Don't rush anything. We've got time to solve this... as a team, if you want."

Next day, Felicity found herself back at work as if the previous night hadn't turned Oliver's world upside down. Felicity herself still felt a bit shaken by the events, but none the wiser on how to fix things. Still, she did her job and tried to suppress the issue to the back of her mind as the day progressed.

Felicity offered her boss a smile as she placed a folder on top of the desk and turned to leave.

"Thank you. Oh, Felicity?" Jane spoke and rose from her chair. She swept her short, blonde hair back from her shoulder as she stepped around her desk. She waved a file in her hand and offered Felicity an apologetic grimace. "Could you run this by Mr Miller? Double check the numbers for the IT department?"

"Of course," Felicity nodded as she accepted the file and turned to exit the office.

She found Oliver standing behind her, expectantly holding the glass door open for her as she approached. The man even managed a slight grin as she raised her chin and smiled at him. Felicity felt some tension evaporate at seeing him smile again despite last night. Upon closer scrutiny she saw circles under his eyes and knew the smile was part of a mask he felt forced to wear at work, but there was still an honest undercurrent as he held her gaze. This smile, she knew, was for her alone.

"Ms Smoak," Oliver bowed his head as she reached his side.

Felicity, clad in a curve-hugging, burgundy number, shot him an amused glance before she slipped out of the office and down the corridor out of sight.

Oliver turned his smile back to his present company as soon as she was gone. Jane was hunched over a folder on her desk and Oliver strolled closer. "What's that?"

"The most recent numbers for QC," Jane remarked without looking up. "Seems the company stock has recovered somewhat."

Oliver stepped closer to read the information over his sister's shoulder.

"... Just because you and your former EA have a problem with personal space, doesn't me you and I have to," Jane breathed with a feline grin.

"Sorry," Oliver said as he took a step back.

Jane waved off his concern as she sat down in her chair and looked up at him with an eager grin. "How's the charity fund doing?"

"We raised 100 000 dollars last month," Oliver proudly proclaimed as he sank into the chair opposite her desk. "I'd say we're doing good."

"You're doing good, Oliver," Jane corrected as she leaned back, tilting her chair slightly. "The board likes it, you know. They're impressed by what you've done in such a short amount of time... I saw the headlines last week. The Starling Times called you 'the Samaritan Queen". Not bad for a playboy who supposedly has no mind for business."

"Thank you," Oliver ruefully replied. "... I am assuming however you didn't ask me here to talk about headlines?"

"No, I wanted to ask my half-brother if he was free for lunch today," Jane smiled. "And... I was curious about your progress. Felicity said you might have good news for me."

Oliver inclined his head in understanding and explained, "That's a yes to lunch, first of all. And I've just about earned the money I need from my work here and... other duties. I should be able to take QC off your hands shortly."

"So soon?" Jane breathed and admiration touched the edge of her crisp voice. "It's only been, what... 5 months? You are a hardworker, aren't you? I'll have Felicity look into it then and see if we can sketch up a transaction once you feel confident about it."

"Sounds good," Oliver smiled and exhaled slowly.

"I wouldn't sound the trumpet just yet," a voice spoke from behind them and Oliver turned around in his seat. Simon Cross stood in the open doorway, hands casually stuffed into his pants and with a widening grin on his smug, tan face.

"If you're to purchase majority interest, you'll need the board behind you before you can take the helm," Simon continued as he stepped further into the small room. "And they're already following a capable leader..."

"Surely you don't mean yourself?" Jane breathed tensely, unable to keep her disinterest from seeping into her tone.

"I know you've seen the numbers, too, Ms Deleon," the middle-aged man commented matter-of-factly. "The board certainly has. And they're all very impressed with the way QC has progressed under my firm rule."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jane sighed as she rose and stepped out from behind her workstation. "There's still a way yet before QC can reclaim the title of a Fortune 500-company. Now who's sounding the trumpet too soon?"

Simon raised his chin defiantly, holding the woman's gaze almost in a challenge. Oliver huffed inconspiciously in his seat, repulsed by the victorious glint in the other man's eyes. Whatever trump card Simon had this time, Oliver felt too worn to care. There was already enough on his plate and he'd rather leave this particular stone unturned.

Oliver swiftly rose from his seat, buttoning his suit jacket in the process, and turned towards his company. "If that was all, Simon, me and Jane were thinking about having an early lunch. So if you-"

Simon turned his attention back to Jane as he briskly interrupted, "Have you seen the Komodo dragons, Ms Deleon?"

Jane frowned as she noticed Oliver tense beside her, clenching his fists by his sides until his knuckles turned white. Confused by the sudden tension that settled in her office, Jane merely turned her frown back in Simon's direction.

"They are fiercesome beasts," Simon continued in a silky soft tone. "I find them fascinating creatures. They are adept killing machines, you see, capable of hunting and slaying preys as big as buffalos. They have these large, curved claws which they use to fight. It can penetrate even the toughest skin and do unthinkable damage. And you certainly wouldn't want them to bite you, Ms Deleon. It's a bloody mess. They are the king of lizards... and they will not budge from their throne at the top of the food chain. Not that anyone would be foolish enough to test them. Fascinating, don't you agree?"

Oliver forced his breathing to remain normal. He carefully put a lid on his emotions as he turned back to Jane and offered a tight grin. "Could you give us a moment?"

The young blonde blinked in surprise but nodded and quietly slipped out of her office without a word of protest.

Oliver waited until he could no longer hear the clicking of her heels against the floor before he turned back to Simon. Oliver grimaced as he lunged forward without forewarning. He grabbed hold of Simon's collar and roughly pushed him up against the wall. Simon coughed as he lost his breath, but made no move to release himself from the strong grip.

"You're Komodo?!" Oliver snarled in a low threat.

Simon chuckled. "Some men need the truth spelled out for them. Can't think for themselves. Can't see beyond their own noses."

Oliver ignored the man's baiting and pushed harder. "You're working with Hellfern? And the rest?"

"And all the rest, " Simon growled victoriously in agreement.

"Why?"

"Why do I work with them or why did I reveal myself to you now...?" Simon baited.

Oliver was awfully tempted to punch the smug smile from the other man's face but wisely controlled himself. "Tell me."

Simon sighed. The calm in his voice only served to further aggravate Oliver. "As I said: Some men need the truth spelled out for them."

"I'll destroy you..." Oliver hissed.

"You can try," Simon grinned in defiance. "... But you'll just end up destroying yourself, Arrow... Not to mention the life of your sister."

Oliver faltered. "Thea?"

"I know her secrets, too, as you must have guessed after last night," Simon breathed and his eyes danced with a dangerous fever. "If you come after me, I'll knock her down from her throne. Thea Queen... will be no more. And all because you couldn't keep in your corner."

Oliver huffed in anger as he pushed away from the man and stepped away. He turned his back to Simon as he closed his eyes and focused on calming his furiously beating heart.

"So many weaknesses..." Simon mused. "... so few strengths. It's a wonder you've lasted this long... Mr Queen."

Oliver glanced back over his shoulder as he saw the suave business man step out of the office. Oliver gritted his teeth as he turned away.

"I'm sorry, Oliver," Felicity spoke over the phone as her fingers danced across her keyboard. "Even knowing Simon Cross is Komodo doesn't help. His home is a technical fortress, but even beyond the firewalls there's not much to find. There's nothing on his computer to link him to his curricular activities or who he might be working for. My guess is he's keeping the information somewhere else, or simply not all. I'll keep looking, though."

She hung up and put the cellphone back on the table beside her as she continued her work. The only sound in the foundry remained her fingers on the keyboard, a rhythmic sound that had a soothing effect on Felicity's mind. It didn't take long before she was in 'the zone'.

"...Hey, Blondie."

Felicity swirled around in her chair with eyes wide at the sudden interruption. Her eyebrows shot up as she saw the unexpected presence in the foundry. "Hoodie!"

Roy offered her a meek smile as he stepped further into the main area, the soles of his shoes barely making any sound against the floor. Clad in jeans, a grey tee and a pale leather jacket, the young man waved a hand at his outward appearance. "No hoodie today."

"I see that..." Felicity cautiously remarked as she spun her chair around to face him. She tried to read his face but could see no traces of lingering anger from their last encounter, only a repentant gaze that spoke loud and clear. "... When did you return to Starling?"

"Oliver called me back late last night. He told me about Thea..." Roy explained and a shadow crossed his face. His strong face fell momentarily and he cleared his throat. "He thought I could help, for some reason."

Felicity offered the young man a reassuring smile as she said, "I think he's right. I... have to admit; I didn't think he would call you, but I'm glad he did. It proves how much he trusts in you now, Roy."

"Yeah, I guess..." Roy ran a hand across the nape of his neck as he hovered beside the woman's workstation. "Listen, Felicity, I... I, uh, wanted to apologize for, you know... the way I acted last time. It was childish and stupid... I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. Granted, I don't like that you lied to me about those things, but... you were only looking out for me." Roy shrugged sheepishly. "No one's ever done that for me before... I don't know..."

"It's okay, Roy," Felicity nodded. "I understand. And I mean that. I do relate. Before Team Arrow... I didn't really have a home or a family in that sense. Being part of something like this... is a challenge. In a good way. But a challenge, nonetheless. Letting people in, trusting people to look after you... is different from the alternative."

Roy snorted. "It certainly is."

"So..." Felicity curiously began. "How did it go with the sai knives? Did you expand your arsenal?"

"You'll see some other time," Roy winked and jerked a thumb towards the exit. "But I just... wanted to apologize to you. I owed you the truth... I should go see Thea."

"Yeah... you probably should," Felicity nodded in agreement. "And Roy? It's nice to have you back."

Roy inclined his head slowly. "It's nice to be back. Big Belly Burger dinner?"

"Sure. I'll tell the team," Felicity agreed enthusiastically. "We're long overdue for a team dinner."

"Why do we always have to meet beside this pond? We're not ancient, Roy, there are hipper places to frequent than a chipped bench," Thea breathed dully as she sat down on the park bench in question and glanced out at the water. Three ducks swam towards the edge of the pond, hopefully eyeing the couple on the ground. Thea eyed them. "No bread crumbs today."

Roy watched the woman's profile and saw insecurity flash by behind a thin veneer she tried to hide behind. Amused by how she still tried to keep him at arms length, Roy chuckled and leaned his elbows against his thighs. "You still come."

"... And each time I tell myself I shouldn't," Thea whispered, her eyes staring straight ahead. She swallowed. "Shouldn't come."

"Then why do you?" Roy questioned.

Thea exhaled stiffly letting her breath mingle with the spring air. Her voice was raw yet somehow impassive as she spoke, "...I don't know, Roy."

Roy leaned back and sighed heavily. The two of them sat in silence for a few seconds, watching the sun set on the horizon before them. The colors of the sky ranged from pale pink to blood red as they watched the shifts alter with the season.

"... I know your secret, Thea," Roy breathed at length.

"Yeah, well, didn't take Oliver long to tell you. What, 20 minutes?" Thea mockingly called and glared sideways at him. "Guess I'm the only one he lies to and keeps secrets from."

"I didn't mean your nighttime fun... I meant the other secret," Roy breathed and watched as the woman froze beside him. Her pale eyes glistened with evident trepidation as they searched his for confirmation. Roy wet his lips as he forced himself to push forward. He had to do it this way, knowing full well he was grasping at straws. "I... I think I figured it out. How you were able to purchase QC stock. You couldn't afford it alone... and you'd have to turn to someone you could trust. But you said you didn't trust anyone. I-I... There's no other way, is there? I don't know how, but there can only be one person."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Roy," Thea growled and rose from the bench in a flurry of motion.

Roy rose beside her. She paused, gazing out across the lake as he spoke, "I think you do. I think you're lying to me. I think you're playing me... And I don't want any part of it. I should hate you for it. But the kicker is... I still love you," Roy's eyes danced with emotion even as he grimaced determinedly. He inhaled and let his lungs fill with confidence before he exhaled, "... I love you, Thea."

"... I'm not asking for anything from you," Thea bit back, avoiding his admission with a fervent shake of the head. A confused wrinkle appeared between her eyes and this time she didn't bother concealing it. "All I've asked is to be left alone."

"And all I've ever wanted to do is help you," Roy whispered. "I could have helped you, if you had only turned to me. Instead you turned on me. Turned on your brother."

"You turned on me first!" Thea spat furiously as tears danced in her pale eyes.

"Maybe..." Roy shrugged as he tried to reach through to her. "But whoever made you like this, the woman you are today... It's not on me and Oliver. We didn't create this. I think it's time you stopped blaming others and started looking at your own choices, Thea."

From beneath an aging oak coming to life in the early Spring, Malcolm watched his daughter meet with that boy Roy Harper. Malcolm listened closely to every word that passed between the young couple thanks to a hidden microphone he'd attached to Thea's parkas earlier. He could see Thea's frustration and fears cross her face like lightening every now and again when Roy struck a chord. At one point she seemed close to tears and Malcolm could see her resolve weaken little by little.

Malcolm didn't like it. He'd never approved of Roy, and even less so now that he could see the younger man's efforts of pulling Thea away from him. Should Roy succeed, Malcolm stood to loose everything, and that was simply not an option.

With a saddened heart, Malcolm sighed heavily. If the boy spoke the truth, he also knew too much. It was better for all of them if Roy Harper simply wasn't in the picture anymore. Or at the very least, left Thea to her own devices.

Not an hour later, Roy was walking down the streets of Starling City. The chilly evening gave his mind some reprieve as it helped cool him off after his argument with Thea. Yet once more his meeting with her had proved fruitless. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the tug she had on his heart, and the sorrow and disappointment she brought with her these days. He hadn't lied to her about his feelings. He still loved her, but he just didn't recognize her anymore. He wasn't sure how to help her find her way back to them when she so adamantly refused to see the light.

Roy pulled himself from his thoughts as he saw the familiar neon sign on the building before him. 'Big Belly Burger' shone welcoming from across the street Roy smiled up at the image.

He saw Diggle, Oliver and Felicity stand outside the diner on the curb, talking together beneath one of the lamppost. As he moved closer, Felicity spotted Roy and waved at him.

Roy raised his own hand in greeting as he stepped onto the street to cross over. He'd barely made it three steps when he heard a loud noise interrupt the soft lull of the evening. An engine revved loudly beside him and a pair of headlights suddenly appeared in his peripheral view. Roy barely had time to throw himself out of the way as the car swerved towards him, grazing another parked vehicle before it hurriedly drove off into the night. People gasped and shouted around him as Roy landed on the asphalt, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"Roy!" Oliver cried and came running onto the middle of the street. Oliver was by his side in an instant before Roy had a chance to orientate himself. As Roy groaned and sat up, Oliver knelt beside him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... I guess," Roy moaned and accepted the man's help as they rose from ground. He swept his hands across his dusty clothes as he glanced down the street. "The car missed me. Thank God for fast reflexes, right?"

Felicity and Diggle reached their side then. As Diggle glanced down the street in the direction the car had disappeared, Felicity eyed the young man for any sign of injury. Relieved to find none, she instead asked, "What happened?"

Roy clenched his jaw and his gaze landed somewhere over the woman's shoulder. "I... think I just proved my theory."

Oliver frowned down at his teammate. "What?"

Roy slowly turned to face the older man. Hesitation filled his pale eyes as he seemed to struggle with an internal demon. Reluctantly, he admitted the truth, "I met Thea earlier tonight, and tried to get through to her but... I decided to try a suspicion."

"What kind of suspicion?" Oliver asked in a strained voice. He felt tension seep into his neck and shoulders and tried to prepare himself for the worst, uncertain exactly what that might be this time.

"I told Thea I knew who was helping her," Roy confessed and hurriedly continued, "It... it was a lie, but I wanted to see if she... If she would act on it. I think she just did."

Felicity's mouth fell open in surprise. She shook her head from side to side, her long locks caressing her shoulders with the movement, as she glanced from Oliver and back down to Roy. "You think... Thea just tried to have you... killed?"

"... Yeah... I'm afraid so," Roy answered, his gaze still locked with Oliver's.

Thunder flashed through Oliver's eyes as if he wanted to challenge the younger man's opinion but was too afraid to say anything aloud. They all knew anything was fair game now, after the latest turn of events, but no one wanted to say as much in the open. In the end, Oliver spun on his heel without a single word. The others watched as he disappeared down the street.

Diggle sighed and patted Roy's shoulder. "Still glad to be back? Hungry, Roy? Come on. You too, Felicity. Let him go."

The Team Arrow dinner had proved quite the stiff affair in the end, and Diggle, Roy and Felicity had called it an early night.

Felicity's mind kept wandering as she walked around in her flat, cleaning up this and that as she tried to distract herself. She wanted to reach out to Oliver, but knew he needed time to process the possibilities that had presented themselves lately. They'd all been worried about Thea for awhile now, but none had expected the worst like this. An ally to Komodo, certainly linked to the top of the food chain, and possibly involved with the threat to Roy's life tonight. How quickly everything could turn upside down. Felicity couldn't help but wonder if she'd fallen down the rabbit's hole and was waiting for the Cheshire cat to appear before her.

Felicity heard a knock on her door and leisurely dragged herself toward it. She pulled it open and gazed up at Oliver's stiff frame. She offered him a relieved smile as she leaned against the door, "I see you found my door instead of my window..."

Her voice trailed off as she saw the lost expression in his azure eyes, pleading with her to let him in and help him find his way. She reached out for his hand and gently tugged him inside without saying a syllable more.

He stood in the center of her hallway as she closed the door behind him. Felicity thought his silence was unnerving and felt her heart break as she stepped around him to gaze up at his face once more. His eyes danced with unshed tears as he held her gaze and he seemed more torn than ever before. Tonight, Oliver had reached rock bottom with his sister, and there was a long climb back up to the surface. Lost in the dark, he seemed unable to find his footing and now looked down at her as if she could offer some light. In a span of less than two days Oliver had gone from the highest top to the lowest bottom, and the fall had evidently taken its toll.

Felicity felt her own throat clog up by the expression on his face and cupped his face slowly when words failed her. Oliver closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, savoring the warmth and comfort she offered him, clasping onto it as if it was his only lifeline. Oliver took a couple of stabling breaths before he opened his eyes again and found hers.

"... We are our own worst enemies, " he echoed in a barely audible voice.

Felicity shook her head as she recognized the words only too well. It terrified her to hear them cross his lips once more. "Everyone can be redeemed... Thea, too."

"How? How do I save her from herself?" Oliver pleaded.

"By being there for her..." Felicity suggested meekly and gently tugged on his hand, leading them into her living room.

Oliver sank onto her sofa, staring off into space as his gaze swirled with distant thoughts. Felicity hesitantly settled down on the cushions beside him, leaning one arm on the backrest behind his head.

"... She's not the enemy. She's just lost," Oliver spoke in a hollow voice. "Wasn't that what you said? Well, I'm lost, too. How can a blind lead a blind?"

"The truth, Oliver," Felicity breathed. "It's all you have left."

Oliver distantly nodded as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. Felicity exhaled shakily and moved at once. Felicity covered his face with soft kisses, letting her lips flutter against his skin like butterfly wings in hope of giving him some comfort and know how much she cared about him. She pulled him close to her, letting his head fall against her shoulder as they leaned back in the sofa. Oliver's hands clung to her smaller frame as she held him tighter still.

Thea stepped over to the front door to the hotel suite as she heard the firm knock. She gazed out through the peephole and hesitated. She glanced back before allowing herself a second to collect her mind. She'd known this day would come eventually, and even though she had tried preparing herself for it for months... she didn't feel ready. Still, she couldn't let the opportunity slip by now, this was part of what they'd been working towards, after all.

Thea opened the door ajar and smiled up at her brother. "A bit late, don't you agree?"

"I didn't come here to speak to a facade, Thea," Oliver growled as he stepped past his sister and into the lavish suite. He entered the foyer and gazed about briefly before he spun back around to face her. Oliver tried to calm his mind as he forced himself to ask the burning question, "Did you try... to have Roy killed tonight, Speedy?"

Thea's eyes widened and she stepped closer. Her throat went dry as she questioned, "W-what? Wh-what happened? Is he okay? Ollie?!"

Oliver merely shrugged his eyebrows. "... Did you do it?"

"... You honestly think I would do that to him?" Thea snorted incredulously.

"You attacked me with a sword last night. Why not?" Oliver asked in a frosty voice. He closed his eyes tight as regret washed over him. He hadn't come here tonight to pick a fight and he had to swallow his wounded pride now and focus on the important matter. He needed to do the right thing, and he needed to do it tonight. "... I'm sorry, Thea. I shouldn't have lashed out like that."

"Is he okay?" Thea asked slowly.

"Roy's fine," Oliver assured as he opened his eyes and found hers across a divide he intended to diminish tonight. "But what about you...?"

"Me?"

"Why are you working with Simon Cross?" Oliver exhaled slowly, hoping his eyes conveyed the emotions of his broken heart. He had to drop all his guards now, and it was certainly no walk in the park. "Why couldn't you have come to me? I understand, Thea... I've hurt you. But turning your back on me like this? Allying yourself with him? He's evil, Thea."

"A relevant word," Thea shrugged her eyebrows as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Evil."

Oliver considered it for a second, before he sighed. "You're right... I meant well, but I only ended up doing you harm by lying to you. But you need to understand... There will always be sides to our identity that we have to cover up to protect those we love."

"There didn't have to be... You chose to done a hood, Ollie," Thea argued. "When you came back from that island, you could have chosen not to. You could have chosen to remain my brother... and not... whatever it is you are. And Mum? She could have chosen not to side with Malcolm all those years ago. Chosen not to help him demolish half of the Glades and lie to me about... everything. And Dad, I mean Robert, he-"

"You're right," Oliver interrupted. "Mum and Dad had sides to them that we didn't know about until after the damage was done. And you and I are no different... But we have to learn to accept them and each other. Even the sides we tried to hide from each other."

Thea blinked up at her brother, her eyes swirling with tears as she listened. For a fleeting second she looked like his innocent baby sister as she pleadingly asked, "... Why?"

"Because the other sides... made up our family," Oliver managed a warm smile and reached out for her hand. He squeezed it for a second before his hand fell back to his side. Thea felt something in the palm of her hand and opened it to reveal an old family photograph of the four of them, taken almost ten years ago. As Thea watched the photo, Oliver continued, "The other side was mum and dad, who loved us more than life itself. Who would have surrendered everything if only for us to be given a chance at happiness... and they did, Thea. They died... so that we could live."

"... I don't know if I can ever see things that way again, Ollie," Thea admitted in a raw voice as she pulled her gaze away from the photograph. "Does that make me a bad person?"

Oliver shook his head fervently. "No... No. I think it makes you a torn person, someone who's lost... Someone who deserves a better brother, and that's why I'm here tonight, Thea. To show you that I only want us to find our way back together. Nothing else matters to me."

"I wish I could believe that..." Thea breathed, tilting her head to the side almost reluctantly. "But what if it's too late, Ollie?"

Oliver sadly smiled down at her. "I don't think it's ever to late to redeem yourself, if you work hard enough to do better and to be better." He pulled out a folded paper from his back pocket and eyed it for a few seconds. In the end, he handed it over to his sister and watched as she accepted it. "This is what I can offer you now, to prove I mean every word of what I've said here tonight."

Thea opened the paper and read the content slowly. With each word, she frowned more and more.

Thea's disbelieving eyes darted up and searched her brother's face. "... This... It's..."

"Yes," Oliver slowly inclined his head and slowly inhaled. "Queen Consildated is yours, if you want it. I don't own it yet... but everything I have, and majority interest in QC when the transaction is done... I happily give to you, Thea. I don't care if you can never forgive me for what I've done, I just don't want you to ever doubt how important you are to me. You mean more to me than everything and it's time I showed it."

"Oliver, I... I..." Thea stuttered at a complete loss for words as her eyes darted between the paper and her brother.

Oliver watched the expression change on her face a dozen times as he slowly sighed. He offered her a soft grin as he breathed, "...I've always strived to be better for my family and especially for you. I fight and put on that green hood for you, Thea. To make the world a safer place for you to live in. You constantly motivate me, even when you hate me. And... I am weaker without you by my side. I need you, Speedy."

Thea still stood dumbstruck in the middle of the foyer, eyes glazed over as she listened to her brother and feeling confusion fill her mind.

"Speedy... Mum and Dad loved you with all their hearts. I love you. No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you... And I'll endeavor to be the brother you deserve... This is just a first step, hopefully in the right direction," Oliver suggested feebly. "Just, Thea... I don't know what kind of business you're doing with Simon Cross or why, but never forget your origins. The good sides that shape who you are and will always be to me; My sister."

Thea distantly nodded as her gaze softened with emotion at last. Oliver couldn't quite read her pale depths, but knew he had at the very least broken through her facade for a brief, fluttering moment. Whether it was enough, he wasn't sure. He decided not to linger, in the end, and squeezed her shoulder tenderly before he turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Thea's gaze remained on the closed door for long after her brother had removed himself. Her mind reeled with the information and her brother's simple gesture tonight, and it was all too much to make sense of. Her eyes fell to the paper in her hand once more.

Malcolm stood behind a corner, leaning against the wall. He glanced at his daughter and once more noticed that she was threatening to slip from his grasp. Feeling the unexpected twinge of jealousy and fear, he quietly stepped down the long hallway.

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number. When the person answered, Malcolm lowered his voice to make sure Thea wouldn't overhear. "Hellfern? Speed up the plans. I need the drug as soon as possible. Actually, scratch that. I need it sooner."

To be continued!