Disclaimer: I do not own arrow.
So, here is the sequel to The Arrow and Canary. This will also be the last part in the saga. I'm sorry if you were hoping for more, but I set up a storyline in this that takes the place of the Nyssa storyline. Me doing that kind of destroys the League of assassins arc in season three, so this is it.
If the format looks weird or different, I apologize, I am having difficulties with my Document Manager.
Central City University
Mid-morning
"Remember class, your midterms are next week, so be prepared!" The professor said as class ended.
Sara Queen packed up her things and walked out of the class. She had a free period now so she'd try and call Oliver or Shado's sitter. She was rounding the corner when she almost ran into a familiar blonde. Sara almost dropped her bag as she stared at her friend stunned.
"Hey Sara." Felicity said nervously.
"Felicity, what are you doing in Central City?" Sara asked stunned.
"Dig and I were hoping to talk to you and Oliver." Felicity said as she shifted nervously.
"And where is Dig?" Sara asked curiously.
Jitters
Same time
"Thanks Iris." Oliver said as he was handed his coffee.
"You're welcome Oliver." Iris smiled politely before moving on to the next customer.
Oliver picked up his coffee and was about to head out the door when he nearly bumped into Barry Allen.
"Whoa, sorry Barry." Oliver said as he stopped himself.
"Its fine, I wasn't paying attention." Barry said distracted.
It didn't take Oliver long to discover why, as Barry was too busy watching Iris serve other customers. Oliver flashed Barry a sympathetic smile, it was pretty obvious to everyone but Iris that Barry had feelings for her. Oliver couldn't see why, it was plain as day.
"You know Barry; there are other girls out there." Oliver pointed out.
"Not for me." Barry said.
Before Oliver could offer him further advice, he saw an old friend enter the café. Mumbling an excuse to Barry, Oliver walked over to his old friend.
"What are you doing here Diggle?" Oliver demanded stunned to see his former bodyguard here in Central City.
"I'm here for you and Sara. We need to talk." Diggle said bluntly.
Oliver and Sara's house
Later in the morning
"Nice house." Felicity mumbled looking around as the four of them entered Oliver and Sara's home.
"So where's Shado?" Diggle asked making small talk.
"She's with a sitter since I had class and Ollie had to go to work." Sara said tersely.
"So what do you do Oliver?" Felicity asked curiously.
"I work at a gym teaching self-defense classes. But you're not here to check up on us, what are you really doing here?" Oliver demanded as he and Sara turned to face them.
"Could you at least pretend like you're glad to see us?" Felicity asked feeling a little hurt.
"We are glad to see you but we know you're not here for a social visit." Sara said bluntly and Felicity flushed.
"We're not coming back," Oliver said bluntly, "our mission, my father's list, it was a fool's crusade and we failed. Malcolm Merlyn destroyed The Glades…Tommy died. That city is no place to raise our daughter after what happened. So don't ask us to be the vigilantes again. Ever."
"This isn't about you being The Hood and Canary; this is about you being Oliver and Sara Queen. Moira's trial's coming up, Thea's out on her own, Quentin's been demoted, and Laurel needs her sister. Your family needs you two." Diggle told them.
"They still have us. We talk to them all at least three times a week; they've all come to visit at least three times, each. You're gonna have to do better than that." Sara said unimpressed.
"Then how about your family's company? All the bed press left Queen Consolidated ripe for a hostile takeover by Stellmore International. They've gutted every company they've taken over. Once they've taken over Queen Consolidated, thirty-thousand employees are gonna be out of the job," Felicity said as Oliver and Sara exchanged a dismayed glance, "including one very blonde I.T. expert."
"I understand why you two had to leave, probably better than anyone else," Diggle said as he walked over to them, "after what happened no one can blame you for leaving, but it's time to come home."
Lian Yu, five years ago
Day
Oliver and Slade were going at it with Escrima sticks, appearing to be evenly matched. Oliver and Slade exchanged blows before stopping at a draw. Oliver and Slade both laughed as they stepped back just before Shado and Sara walked in, Shado carrying a cage with a bird inside. Seeing Oliver distracted, Slade took advantage and struck his student across the face. Oliver groaned in pain as he fell on his back.
"You're not the first man to learn the hard way women are a distraction." Slade laughed as Oliver sat up.
"Be nice Slade." Sara chided as she walked over and helped her boyfriend up.
"You've both come a long way in a few months, don't beat yourselves up." Shado said.
"I think that's his job." Oliver quipped.
"And I love my job, not that I wouldn't trade it for a way off this island." Slade chuckled.
"Well while you two were playing with each other, we were hunting." Sara said as she gestured to the cage Shado had put in the corner.
"And there's nothing more attractive than a woman who can hunt." Slade said as he walked passed them and towards the cage and Shado.
"You remember the first meal we had here?" Oliver asked Sara as they stayed behind.
"A Pheasant, Yao-Fei cooked it for us." Sara smiled sadly.
"I miss him to." Oliver said as he leaned down and kissed her.
"Let's eat." Slade said as he snapped the neck of the bird and it was silent.
Before anyone could move, something that sounded like an alarm went off. The group turned toward the sound to see a machine.
"What's that?" Oliver asked curiously.
"That's Fryers proximity detector." Slade said as he put down the bird and he and Shado raced towards it.
"We salvaged it from the wreckage of the soldier's camp, picks up anything that moves outside our safe zone," Shado said as she brought up a map of the island on the screen and three moving dots were visible, "it's been three months since we stopped Fryers, he and all his men were dead."
"So maybe it's an animal." Oliver suggested.
"There's an imaging interface." Shado said as she pushed a button and the screen switched to a thermal image: three men.
"Those aren't animals." Oliver noted.
"And we're not alone on this island anymore." Sara said wearily.
Central City
Afternoon
"Thanks for agreeing to watch her Joe." Oliver told the older man gratefully as Iris led
Shado inside.
"It's my pleasure Oliver, we're glad to have her. But how long do you and Sara plan to be gone?" Joe asked curiously.
"We don't know yet. We'll know more once we reach Starling City." Oliver told him.
Starling City, next day
Morning
Sara looked out the windows of the car at all the destruction of what was once The Glades as Diggle drove the car through it. Sara read a sign and frowned.
"Who's Blood?" Sara inquired.
"An Alderman from The Glades trying to save the city. Trying to fill your shoes." Diggle said not to subtly trying to make a point.
"Here's everything on Stellmore International," Felicity handed Oliver a file which he opened, "Vice President of acquisitions is Isobel Rochev. She looks angry in every photo."
"Isobel Rochev?" Sara said as she looked over Oliver's shoulder to see the picture.
"You know her?" Diggle inquired.
"She's on the list, but we could never figure out why, aside from the ruining companies of course." Oliver said as he closed the file.
"So where to first, the office?" Diggle asked.
"The mansion, I wanna check on Thea." Oliver said.
"Um, she's not at the mansion Oliver." Felicity said awkwardly.
"Then where is she?" Oliver demanded.
Verdant
Later in the afternoon
"…Who haven't been seen since the earthquake, which means they did get buried and aren't coming back." Thea told Roy with edge in her voice as Oliver and Sara walked in.
"We're back." Oliver said cheerfully and Thea turned around, a beaming smile on her face.
"Ollie, Sara!" Thea rushed forward and gave them both a hug, "ah, you remember my friend Roy."
"Still here?" Oliver asked a bit of edge to his voice and Sara gave him a look that said 'be nice.'
"Always." Roy said evenly as he and Oliver shook hands.
"So how long are you staying, is Shado with you?" Thea asked exited to see her family as Roy went back to work.
"We're not sure, we're in town to try and save the company, and no Shado's staying with some friends back in Central City," Oliver said as the three of them headed towards the bar, "I hear rumors that my club is under new management."
"It's my club now and you're not getting it back." Thea said as they reached the bar.
"You're not old enough to drink." Sara pointed out.
"But I am old enough to rub a bar." Thea said and Oliver nodded.
"Have you been to see her?" Oliver asked.
"Have you?" Thea challenged and Oliver nodded, conceding.
City Hall
Night
"That's one of the down sides of being demoted, I don't get to…" Quentin trailed off.
Laurel followed his gave and saw, to her shock, her sister and brother in law rushing down the stairs. Sara rushed over and pulled her into a hug as Oliver approached behind her.
"I can't believe you two are back." Laurel said shocked as she hugged her sister.
"It's a long story, but we're not back…like that." Oliver said and Quentin and Laurel nodded, looking disappointed.
"So what happened here?" Sara asked as she pulled back from Laurel.
"A few months after you two moved to Central City, these Hood copycats showed up. They don't do what The Hood and Canary did, they're just out to settle a score, they're out for revenge. They've already killed fifteen people before tonight." Quentin explained and Oliver and Sara exchanged a look.
"I see…could you excuse us?" Oliver asked before he and Sara walked over to Diggle.
"Well played Dig." Sara said once they reached him.
"I'm not sure what you mean." Diggle said innocently.
"This is why you and Felicity came to Central City and brought us back, these Hood copycats." Oliver said angrily.
"Well what if it was? They're just doing what you two did last year, terrorizing one-percenters into cleaning up their act. Except they don't have the same restraint and honor as the two of you." Diggle pointed out.
"We're done being vigilantes." Oliver said coolly.
"Maybe this town needs some." Diggle challenged.
"Now it has four, how's that working out?" Sara snapped.
"We're leaving. I have a big day at the office tomorrow if I want to save my company." Oliver ordered.
"Right away…Mr. Queen." Diggle said before he began to lead them away.
Laurel's apartment, morning
Next day
"So you went back to school." Laurel said curiously as she and Sara shared a coffee at the kitchen table.
"Me working at Queen Consolidated as an I.T. Girl was mostly a plan to recruit Felicity. Now that I have no need for that, I went back to school; the Queen name only gets you so far in life." Sara said dryly and Laurel nodded, smiling.
"It's good to have you back in town." Laurel said.
"Ollie and I aren't staying." Sara said and Laurel looked at her, shock and anger on her face.
"So you're just gonna leave the city at the mercy of these copycats, copycats inspired by you and Oliver, by the way?" Laurel demanded angrily.
"We have Shado to think about Laurel. Look at this city: drug lords, corrupt business men willing to kill, gun wielding psychos. Shado deserves a better life than to have those things hanging over her head! In a choice between Shado and the city, Shado wins every time!" Sara shouted.
"I believe that's how Moira justified working with Malcolm." Laurel pointed out coldly and Sara glared at her.
"Thank you for the coffee." Sara seethed before standing up and turning to leave.
"Sara, I don't want to fight." Laurel called out and Sara stopped.
"Really, because that what everyone's said but they keep forcing Oliver and I to fight with them," Sara turned around to face her sister, "we came back because our family needed us, but they keep trying to force us to kill. We have enough blood on our hands to last a lifetime; we are tired of all the killing. Why do you want us to kill again?"
Before Laurel could answer, her cell phone rang. Not taking her eyes off Sara, Laurel answered it.
"Dad, what is it? What, okay, we'll be right there," Laurel hung up and Sara was worried by the look in her eyes, "The Hoods attacked Oliver and the others at Queen Consolidated."
Queen Consolidated
Afternoon
"Ollie!" Sara rushed into the room and pulled her husband into her arms.
"I'm okay Sara." Oliver whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her.
"And you guys?" Laurel asked as she looked over at Diggle and Felicity.
"We're fine." Diggle assured her and Felicity nodded.
"How about we talk somewhere more…private?" Quentin suggested as he eyed his fellow officers.
"This way." Oliver led the group of six into the CEO's office.
"You could have stopped those guys!" Felicity snapped once the door had closed behind them.
"Not without giving everyone in that room a pretty good idea what I'm capable of." Oliver said pointedly.
"I think what Felicity's wondering is if you avoided taking them on and she's not the only one." Diggle said pointedly.
"We told you right from the beginning that we weren't putting on our suits again. You can't be mad at us for sticking to our word." Sara snapped.
"They came after Oliver; he could have taken them out." Diggle pointed out.
"No I couldn't Diggle. Look, there's a part of being the vigilantes none of you are considering: the body count." Oliver said bluntly.
"And maybe you were right Oliver: maybe some people deserve to die." Quentin said bluntly.
"And since when do you two care?' Felicity demanded.
"Since Tommy." Diggle realized and the atmosphere became solemn.
"After he found out who we were, do you know what Tommy called me? A murderer. Yes, he called me a hero in the end but he wasn't wrong. Anyone we kill dishonors his memory." Oliver said pained.
"So don't. I mean, it's not like you've killed everyone you've faced." Laurel pointed out but Oliver and Sara shook their heads at her.
"You don't get it Laurel. It's not just something we can turn on and off. When we go out there at night, it's kill or be killed. That's what kept us alive; it's who we are now." Sara said coolly and she could see her father, sister, and Diggle understood but she didn't think Felicity got it, not really.
"I have to go." Oliver grabbed his jacket and started to walk out.
"Wait, where are you going?" Felicity demanded.
"You guys won't help me save my family's company; I'm going to talk to someone who will." Oliver said as he walked out.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Day
"Someone's definitely out there, they're moving closer," Slade noted before he frowned as Shado and Sara walked away, "where do you two think you're going?"
"Flanking position." Shado said simply.
"If they get the drop on you, you'll want some back up." Sara explained.
As Shado walked off, Sara turned to Oliver and said something in Mandurian. Oliver responded in kind and she smiled before walking off, her baton already out and extended.
"So Shado's teaching you both Chinese?" Slade raised an eye brow.
"I'm sure she'd be happy to teach you to," Oliver said before a gunshot echoed throughout the area, "Sara!?"
Slade and Oliver ran towards where they had seen the women walk off. Shado's hood and Sara's baton were lying on the ground. Oliver picked up the baton while Slade picked up the hood. Exchanging horrified glances, the two ran off to search for them.
Iron Heights
Afternoon
"Hey." Oliver said with a tight smile as Moira sat down across from him.
"It's good to see you Oliver. How is everyone, how's Shado?" Moira asked curiously.
Wordlessly, Oliver reached inside his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he took out a photograph of him, Sara, and Shado and slid it across the table.
"That is from Shado's third birthday party." Oliver said as Moira picked it up and looked at it.
"She's getting so big," Moira smiled as she handed it back to Oliver, "how has it been going at Queen Consolidated? Yes, we do get the news in here Oliver."
"Right." Oliver said softly.
"You know, if I'd known that the key to getting you to take your rightful place at the company was its demise, I'd have declared bankruptcy a year ago." Moira joked and Oliver smiled weakly.
"I don't know if I'll get to run it for long. Stellmore International, their VP is coming at us hard." Oliver admitted and Moira sighed.
"Isobel Rochev," Moira said tiredly and Oliver nodded, "do not trust that woman Oliver, she is dangerous."
"I know, but everywhere I look there are no good options mom." Oliver said just as tiredly.
"You know Oliver, this is a family business." Moira mentioned and Oliver scoffed.
"I love Thea but I don't think she wants anything to do with it." Oliver said skeptically.
"I wasn't talking about Thea." Moira said and Oliver raised an eyebrow.
Verdant
Night
"What's going on here?" Oliver demanded as he and Sara walk into the club to see Quentin talking to Roy.
"The Hoods. They came here looking for you, they took Thea instead." Quentin sighed as Oliver and Sara's hearts dropped.
"Where?" Oliver demanded in a growl.
"I'm sorry, I tried to stop them. I-" Oliver and Sara brushed passed Roy.
"Oliver!" Quentin called back and Oliver turned around to face his father in law, "we'll get her back."
"Sara and I need to check something in the basement." Oliver said tersely before they walked away.
Quentin stood stunned before a smirk crossed his face. Diggle and Felicity, who had just arrived, quickly followed the two vigilantes. Oliver put the code in the key pad and opened the door.
"I made a few improvements since you were last down here," Felicity said as they walked down the stars, "just in case, you know, you guys decided to come back."
Felicity walked over and flipped a switch, causing the room to be flooded with light. Oliver and Sara looked around the lair, stunned by the appearance. Looking over at the cases where their suits stood side by side, the couple turned back to Diggle who smirked,
"We need to find these guys." Oliver said and they moved towards the computers.
"I've been trying since you got back, figured you two would come around eventually." Felicity said brightly.
"Roy said one of them was missing part of his hand. Maybe a veteran?" Sara suggested as she sat down and began typing, "Got something! Jeff Deveau. Caucasian, late thirties. Ex-marine, lost his hand in the earthquake. He and his wife tried to make it across the Fifty-second street Bridge when it collapsed. He survived, she didn't."
"Can you pull up his phone records; see who he's in contact with?" Oliver inquired.
"He's made a lot of calls to a church called Standing Strong." Sara frowned in confusion.
"It's a support group in the Glades, for victims of the earthquake." Felicity explained.
"Great place to meet three other guys as angry as you, looking for a little payback." Diggle said grimly.
"We need an address." Oliver said as he looked at a case of arrows.
"You'll need this," Felicity said as she walked over and pulled out a compound bow, "I had it custom made, how'd I do?"
"It's perfect." Oliver said after he picked it up and examined it in his hand.
"Dig, Felicity, could you give us the room for a minute?" Sara asked as she stood up.
Looking back and forth between Oliver and Sara, the two nodded before leaving the couple alone. Sara walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek as he looked over at her curiously.
"I've been thinking…and maybe Laurel wasn't completely wrong today. I still believe that some people deserve to die and I know you do to. But not everyone does….maybe we could try and show a little more…restraint." Sara suggested quietly.
"They have my sister…they'll get what's coming to them." Oliver growled as he imagined there painful deaths.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Night
Oliver and Slade hid in the bushes, looking in on the camp. Sara and Shado were surrounded by men that reminded them of Fryers, their hands bound in front of them. Oliver tried to rush in but Slade held him back.
"What are you doing?" Slade hissed at him.
"We need to save them." Oliver snarled quietly.
"Listen kid, you are not the only one who cares for them but we need a plan. There are a lot of them. Wait for my signal." Slade ordered and Oliver reluctantly nodded.
"Where are the graves?" one of the men asked Sara and Shado who didn't respond, "Where are the graves?"
"We don't know what you're talking about." Sara said only to get slapped and Oliver's hands tightened into fists.
Sara groaned in pain as the man grabbed her and out a knife at her throat.
"Tell me or I'll kill your friend." The man growled at Shado.
Oliver could take no more and rushed forward with Slade following him. Oliver was lost to his rage, tackling a man down and beating him into submission. Oliver was unsatisfied however, and picked up a rock and began beating the man with it. Shado and Sara cried out to him but Oliver did not hear them in his haze of rage. Slade's voice finally reached him and Oliver dropped the rock. Oliver fell back on his knees as he stared in shock at what he had done.
Starling City
Later
One of the hoods was aiming a gun at Thea's head, about to fire, when an arrow sailed through the air, knocking the gun out of his hand. Everyone turned to see The Hood and Canary standing on top of the railing on the second floor.
"Get away from here!" The Hood snarled.
The Hoods aimed and opened fire on them but the pair ran and jumped down to the first level, hiding behind two separate pillars. The bullets stopped and the hoods looked around, that was there mistake. The Canary appeared from behind a pillar and beat one hood in the face with her baton until he was out cold. Meanwhile, The Hood appeared from behind his own pillar and firing an arrow, disarming one even as another, the one who had been about to open fire on Thea, opened fire on him. However, he quickly ran out of ammo. When The Hood heard Thea's voice, he turned to see one of the men leading Thea away. Exchanging a glance with The Canary, The Hood ran after them while she dealt with these two. As one of them came at her, swinging his gun like a club, she easily side stepped him and conked him on the head with her baton. He went down instantly as The Canary then repeated the process with the other one, knocking him out as well.
The Hood got up to the second floor and aimed his bow at the last hood. He put Thea in front of him, using her like a human shield.
"Let. Her. Go." The Hood snarled.
"You want to save her? There was no justice for people like the Queens until you showed us how to get it!" The man snarled.
"This isn't justice, this is vengeance. It may feel like the same, but it isn't. Back down now or else." The Hood snarled as he trained his bow on him.
"I'm not backing down." He snarled.
The Hood fired and the arrow went into the man's jugular. The man stumbled back in pained shock before falling over the railing. The Hood lowered his bow before looking over at Thea.
"Get out of here." He said and she didn't need to be told twice.
Elsewhere in Starling City
Later
Quentin was just doing his job when he came across three men in hoods trapped by arrows at a fence. The Hood walked out of the shadows and Quentin glanced at him.
"This is them huh? Usually when I clean up after you, the trash is a little more dead." Quentin nodded as he realized one was missing.
"We're trying to show more restraint." The Hood said before firing an arrow into the sky and using it as a grappling hook.
Lian Yu, five years ago
Night
Oliver stood up shakily as he stared down at the dead body as a radio went off.
"We're not alone on this island anymore. The question is where did they come from?" Slade asked concerned.
Verdant, The Lair, next day
Afternoon
"Yes, we're moving back to Starling Honey. Daddy and I will be back to get you soon. Okay, I love you to baby." Sara hung up just as Oliver and Felicity walked in.
"So everything's good at the company?" Diggle asked and Oliver's smirk gave it away.
"And we're back in the vigilante business." Felicity said brightly but Oliver and Sara shook their head.
"I spent the last year trying to avenge my father. But if we're gonna do this, it has to be about…the city, not the list." Oliver began.
"So what's next?" Felicity asked curiously.
"The City still needs saving, but we're not heroes. We will never be." Oliver said conflicted.
"Maybe we could be more," Sara suggested as the all turned to her, "As people, as flesh and bone, we can be stopped, we can be destroyed. But as…a symbol, we can be everlasting, we can be immortal. As a symbol, we could save this city."
"A symbol…I like the sound of that." Oliver smiled.
"It's too bad the hoods kind of ruined your code name." Felicity told Oliver.
"No, it's good. I never liked that name anyway. I don't want to be called The Hood anymore." Oliver announced.
"What am I supposed to call you when we're out in the field then?" Sara asked confused.
Oliver paused before looking down at the arrow in his hand, clearly thinking.
So, there's the first chapter. Please leave any thoughts or comments in a review, feedback is greatly appreciated.