Chapter 3
Oliver kept his smile on his face, but it was taking all of his control not to kill Malcolm where he stood. The Dark Archer was responsible for so much pain, so much loss. His insanity had sentenced more than five hundred people to die, among them Oliver's best friend. He had been responsible for using Thea to kill one of the two most important people in his life. And then there was his time as Ra's Al Ghul. While Nyssa's father may be a psychopath at least he had a code of honor. Malcolm had none. For that alone, he should die. Oliver felt Sara's hand on his arm, the blonde silently telling him to wait. He relaxed at her touch. Merlyn's time would come. But for now, Oliver would wait.
"It's good to see you both alive and well." Malcolm said once they had all sat down for dinner.
"It's good to be seen." Oliver replied calmly.
"So, what did you miss? Super bowl winners Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants again. A black president, that's new. Oh, and 'Lost,' they were all dead I think." He finished with some confusion. Honestly, no one really knew how Lost ended.
"So, what was it like there?" Thea asked, and as before, everyone froze. But unlike before, Oliver wasn't going to keep his answer to a single word. He wasn't going to pretend to be the playboy he was the first time around. At least, not entirely.
"Hell. Five years of absolute hell. Every single day was a fight for survival. Every night I wondered if I would wake up the next day. I would not wish that fate upon anyone." He replied, and for a moment the entire table was silent. Then Oliver spoke again.
"May I be excused?"
Moira nodded, and Oliver stood and walked away, Sara following behind him.
"He's changed." Moira said softly, and Nyssa scoffed.
"He has spent five year's in Purgatory. I would think he has. And I would hope that you would not be so foolish as to assume otherwise." She replied, fixing the older woman with a glare before standing up and following after her love's.
"Seriously? Is this just a pity party or-"
"Laurel. Enough. I think we should be going. Thank you for dinner Moira." Detective Lance said.
"You're welcome Quentin."
"I've gotta get going too. Tell Ollie I'd like to take the three of them around the city tomorrow if they're up for it." Tommy said, and Moira nodded.
The others took their leave shortly thereafter, and soon the Queen mansion was silent. But Moira Queen stayed awake long after her husband fell asleep, two question's in her mind. How would her son react to seeing Walter in the morning? And how much did he and Sara know about what the members of Tempest had begun?
Oliver burst into the room, swearing as he saw Laurel laying in a pool of her own blood.
"Laurel. Come on, stay with me. Just hang on. I'll get Clark-"
"No. He has to help Nyssa and S...Sara. Has to stop...has to.."
"Laurel? LAUREL!"
Oliver bolted awake, his eyes looking into Sara's, feeling Nyssa's hand on his arm a moment later. The action calmed his racing heart and a moment later he was able to breathe evenly.
"Oliver." Nyssa said softly.
"I got there just in time...Just in time to watch her die."
His two wives said nothing. They just held him as he wept, both of them feeling tears in their own eyes. Laurel was a sister to them both, and both promised that she would not die again. She and Clark would get to grow old together. They all would.
The Next Day
Moira woke to find a not from Oliver, saying he, Sara and Nyssa were out with Tommy. So her marriage to Walter was a revelation that would wait. There were some thing's however, that could not. As she poured her morning coffee, Moira hung her head. God forgive her for what she had set in motion.
3 p.m.
"So what did you miss the most?" Tommy asked as they walked down the alley to the car.
"My family." Oliver replied quietly, clapping Tommy on the back.
"At least you weren't alone." He replied, and his friend smiled.
"And he never will be." Nyssa said calmly, squeezing her husband's hand, even as Sara shot Nyssa and Oliver a sideways glance. The two didn't react visibly, but both were mentally preparing themselves for what was about to happen. A moment later the black van came to a stop in front of the alley, and three men with re masks and weapons burst out shooting the four with darts. The last thing Oliver heard before darkness claimed him was a door struggling to be opened. Sara's plan to save the innocent bystander had worked. All it took was a broken lock.
Location Unknown
Sara's eyes flew open, the blonde seeing Nyssa and Oliver tied up in chairs on either side of her. Tommy lay unconscious against a piece of wood about two feet from them.
"Nyssa? Oliver? Tommy?"
"Sara? SARA! NYSSA!" Oliver yelled, pretending to have just woken up. In reality he had been awake for several minutes, already working at the ropes that bound his wrists. Sara and Nyssa had been doing the same, and by now all three had nearly freed their hands. The young billionaire's shout had served the dual purpose of setting their captors at ease and waking up Tommy.
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Tommy asked fearfully, making one of the men laugh.
"Not you Merlyn. These two." He said with a gesture towards Oliver and Sara.
"You and Miss Raatko were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." He continued, making Tommy glare.
"So you can just let us go." He said evenly, the three heroes hearing steel in his voice. Though it may not seem like it, Tommy could be serious. He was a Merlyn after all.
However, the man just laughed and shook his head.
"No we can't. You see, my employer wants answers. And I will get them." He said, holding up a taser and placing it against Oliver's neck.
"Now this is what will happen Mr. Queen. I will ask you a question. If you do not answer, I will use this. If you still refuse to answer, I will use it on Miss Lance, then Miss Raatko and finally Mr. Merlyn. We will continue until you tell me what I want to know. Do you understand?"
When Oliver didn't answer, the man tased him, Oliver barely flinching as the electricity flowed through him.
"Do you understand Mr. Queen?" He asked again.
"Yes." Oliver replied quietly.
"Good. Now on to the next question. Did your father make it to the Island? Did he tell you anything?" He asked, moving the taser to Sara's neck.
"Yes he did. He told me I was going to kill you."
Tommy's eyes widened, but the three men just laughed.
"How? You're zip-cuffed to that chair!"
Oliver smiled, placing his hands out in front of him as Nyssa and Sara did the same. Before any of their captor's could react, the three heroes moved each one choosing a target. Oliver attacked the man who had spoken, flipping his chair and driving it's leg into the man's chest, while Nyssa and Sara dealt with their own captor. Nyssa drove her fist into the man's throat, sending him to his knees. A twist of his neck, and he fell to the ground, dead. Meanwhile, Sara had kicked her opponent in the head, knocking him on his back. However, she held off from killing him. Oliver had never found out who hired his kidnappers during the last time line. This time, he wanted answers.
The blonde placed her foot on the man's throat, applying just a hint of pressure.
"Who hired you?" She asked coldly.
The man didn't answer, so Sara increased the pressure on his throat.
"WHO HIRED YOU?"
"Ra..Qu.."
"What was that?" Sara asked, removing her boot from his throat. Oliver and Nyssa walked over to stand beside her, ignoring Tommy, who hadn't moved the entire time. He was still in shock at their actions.
The man coughed, and then he spoke.
"Moira Queen."
Oliver eyes darkened, and then he slammed his foot down onto the man's throat.
It was then that Tommy found his voice.
"How did you-"
"Tommy, we'll explain everything. But first we have to decide something. Who gets the credit for the rescue?"
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review, and the next chapter will be up soon.