Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The characters of the Green Arrow and the Justice League is owned by DC Comics. I own nothing; I'm just playing in their universe.
Chapter 32: League of Assassins
"Alright, one more before lunch." Mia announced. She looked over to her friend. "Sara, do you…"
Sara nodded and leaned towards her family. "This is where you'll see some of what happened to me that first year." She told them. "It won't be easy to watch," she warned, "just remember that I made it out alive."
"I notice you said alive, not okay." Laurel said tentatively.
"You think she'd put that corset on if she was okay?" Roy asked.
"Well," Mia said with a smirk, "You should hear some of her stories about college…"
"Hush, you." Sara said with a smile.
The memory set opened six years earlier as the 'Queen's Gambit' was sailing through stormy weather.
"And we start with my favorite memory." Quentin groused.
Inside the yacht, Sara Lance lay back on Oliver's bed, clothed in only a thin shirt and lacy underwear, while she talked to her father over the phone.
"Yeah, Dad, college is great." She lied. "No, me and my new roommate totally hit it off." She grinned at Oliver, who sat in a chair facing the bed. "We're like besties. Ok. Yeah, dad, I got to get back to chem lab."
Both Quentin and Laurel slowly looked over to Sara with identical disgusted looks.
Sara grinned nervously. "Remember, life-changing trauma right around the corner." She tried.
Oliver laughed quietly and rose, stalking playfully towards the bed. He whispered 'Get off the phone!' as Sara tried to wrap up the call. "Yes. It looks like I got a long night ahead of me." She giggled at Oliver. "Love you, Dad. Bye." She hung up and tossed the phone to Oliver, who in turned tossed it to the floor. "Ollie. You are trouble." She said with a smile.
"How is Detective Lance?" Oliver asked.
"Ah, he's clueless, as usual."
"So, this was something you did often then?" Quentin asked snarkily.
"I love you?" Sara tried.
"You know, this is hilarious." Roy said. "A forty-something former assassin acting like a teen busted for… well, everything Thea and Laurel have been busted for now."
"Shut up, Roy." Thea and Laurel said at once.
She finished off her glass of white wine, then held it out to him for a refill. "Guess I was thirsty." Oliver walked over to refill her glass as more thunder boomed around them. Sara looked at the dimming lights in worry. "Did you hear that?" she asked nervously. "It's getting closer."
"That's not very scientific." Oliver said teasingly.
"What would you know about science, Mr. Ivy league dropout?" she asked as he brought two glasses of wine to the bed.
"I happen to know a lot about science." Oliver said, handing her a glass. "I know about fermentation. I know biology…" he trailed off as he kissed her. The broke apart and Sara leaned back smiling.
"Laurel's gonna kill me." She said, putting the glass down on the nightstand. "Oh, she's so gonna kill me."
"Well, at least you KNEW it was wrong." Laurel said crossly.
"Your sister will never know." Oliver assured her, pressing her down into the mattress. "Come here."
Sara laughed and they kissed some more, and suddenly there was a loud crack of thunder. Sara broke away, slightly panicked. "Ok, that one was really close." She said nervously.
"Can we just skip this part?" Quentin asked tensely. Sara took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Sara," Oliver said, grinning at the girl, "we're gonna be fine." Suddenly, without warning, the room seems to flip and suddenly the far wall became the floor. Oliver and Sara were thrown out of the bed, slamming into the wall. Oliver staggered to his knees, pulling himself up on the edge of the bed.
"Sara?" he called out, looking around. There, across the room near the door lay Sara, a small cut on her head bleeding. She blinked in confusion, then look up and back at Oliver. She reached for him- but was suddenly swept from the room "Sara!" Oliver screamed as the water claimed him, too.
In the stormy ocean, Sara shot back above water. She gasped for breath, frantically thrashing about trying to keep her head above the rolling waves. She looked around and saw the 'Gambit' slipping into the ocean; heard Oliver cry out for her. "Oliver!" she shouted futilely-
PRESENT
Then Sara gasped as she woke from the nightmare- one of the milder ones, she knew, but still unsettling. She looked around; taking a moment to recognize the room at Queen Manor that Oliver had lent her. Giving up sleep as useless, she threw on some clothes and padded downstairs. In the den, she found Oliver sitting on the couch, also awake, watching the news.
'In sports, the international basketball league was busy last night with seven games on the schedule. The Cavaliers came up with a surprise upset…' Oliver looked up, sensing her presence. "Can't sleep?" he asked.
"I don't do well with my eyes closed." She replied. "Hey, thanks for letting me stay here. I know you got a lot going on with your mom."
"Thea's mostly staying at her boyfriend's." Oliver explained, none too happy about THAT.
"Good times." Roy said with a smile, winking at Thea.
"Hey, she isn't your wife, she's a felony." Tommy reminded him.
"Actually, that depends on where above the Earth we're orbiting now." Mia said. "Some places, the age of consent is as low as 15."
"I'm already in enough trouble." Thea put in quickly. "I think I'll stay celibate up here."
"So… don't worry about anyone finding out that you're back."
"Thanks for understanding." Sara said.
"I don't understand." He replied. "You know, not a day goes by that your family doesn't miss you." He told her.
"Yeah? How do you know?" she asked snappily.
"Because I missed you." He admitted.
Sara sighed. "I don't think they'll be as happy to see me as you think." She said.
"How can you say that?" Oliver asked. "I know how hard it is to come home when you've been gone for so long."
She smiled sadly. "I'm guessing my father and Laurel weren't too happy to see you." She said.
"No." Oliver chuckled. "No, not at first."
"I wasn't sure if you and she ever got back together." Sara wondered.
"We tried." He admitted. "It's too much."
"Yeah some things, you know, it's better left in the past." Sara advised, then turned and headed back up to her room.
The scene changed to the next day. At Iron Heights Moira, Janet and Thea sat across from Donner and his second on the case waiting for Oliver to arrive. Finally, though, Donner had had enough.
"I'm done waiting for Mr. Queen. Let's get started." He said briskly.
Just then, Oliver was escorted in. "Sorry I'm late. There's an old friend… in town." He trailed as he saw Laurel sitting next to Donner. He stared at her in confusion.
"I just finished explaining to your mother and sister that Miss Lance will be sitting second chair for the prosecution." Donner said smugly.
All eyes turned to Laurel, who looked on, stunned. "You're trying my mother for murder?" Thea asked darkly.
"It's actually quite clever of Mr. Donner." Malcolm noted. "Laurel is the one person most likely to know how Moira would think- and react- while on the stand. And due to her closeness with Oliver, she may know one or two family secrets." He looked to Mia. "I suppose I shouldn't say how much I'd like to kill that man right now."
Mia shrugged. "Oh, you can go ahead and kill THAT fucker."
"Mia!" Roy said sharply.
"Sorry." Mia said disingenuously. "Old grudges."
"This is a conflict of interest." Jean replied brusquely. "Miss Lance practically grew up in the Queen house."
"I think you're overstating matters." Donner shot back confidently.
"Oh, we'll see when I move to conflict Miss Lance off this case." Jean replied. Oliver stared at Laurel in shock. Laurel, for her part, couldn't meet his eyes.
"For the record, I don't look very happy about it." Laurel stated.
"Maybe there won't be a case much longer." Donner said, reaching into his briefcase. "I come here not just with Miss Lance, but also with a plea offer." He pulled out the offer and slid it across to Jean. "Life, with the possibility of parole."
"No." Jean shook her head, sliding it back. "We are not pleading out. Mrs. Queen is innocent."
"She aided and abetted 503 homicides." Donner said.
"Under duress from a homicidal maniac named Malcolm Merlyn." Jean reminded him. "She also withdrew from the criminal conspiracy prior to its execution."
"Five minutes prior." He replied sarcastically. "With Malcolm Merlyn dead, a jury's going to want to have to blame someone."
"If she doesn't take the deal, then she's facing the death penalty." Laurel added.
"Sounds a lot like blackmail." Thea spat back at her.
"Try reality." Donner said smugly. "And here's some more- we've subpoenaed over a decades' worth of phone messages, phone records, letters and emails. I'm willing to bet I find something that crushes your duress defense to powder."
"Mr. Donner If you don't mind, I'd like a few days to consider your offer." Moira said, speaking for the first time.
"Of course." He said with a smile. He grabbed his case and rose, allowing the guard to open the door.
Laurel quickly grabbed her things. "Excuse me." She said quietly, not making eye contact, and then hurried out after her boss.
Oliver stared after her. "I'll be right back." He told the others, and then exited as well.
Oliver caught up to her just after she exited the prison. "Laurel?" he called out, halting her in her steps. Both she and Donner turned towards him, and Oliver stopped right in front of Laurel, sending a glare at Donner that said 'I'll fuck you up right now if you don't leave.'
Donner took the hint. "I'll meet you at the car." He said, moving off towards their vehicle.
"Well, not ENTIRELY an idiot." Tommy said.
"I'd pay real money to see Ollie bitch slap that jack-ass." Thea said, her arms crossed.
After he left, Oliver turned on Laurel. "You're prosecuting my mother?" he asked incredulously.
"I didn't ask for this case." She protested. "I was assigned."
"So say no!" Oliver demanded.
"It's a new job, Oliver." She argued. "I don't have a lot of pull. And what pull I do have, I used to get that plea bargain for your mother." She added, hopeful.
"This was your idea? Life in prison?" Oliver replied angrily. So much for hope.
"I appreciate it, Laurel." Moira told the lawyer. She knew what it was like to be in an untenable position.
"The D.A. is serious about the death penalty, Ollie." She told him. "We both know what it's like to lose someone. So think about it and save your mother's life."
Oliver stepped back and regarded her. "Are you ok?" he asked.
She huffed in annoyance. "In case I wasn't clear last week I'm done answering that question." With that, she turned and walked off towards the car.
The scene changed to the Queen Manor. Sara was in the foyer, circling around the small table set there and looking at the pictures displayed. She smiled at a picture of a young Oliver, then stopped and reached out to a picture of the 'Queen's Gambit'. She picked it up and stared at it, then looked past it to the sun shining through the windows, remembering…
SIX YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back 6 years ago. Sara, having survived the sinking of the 'Gambit', lay one a piece of floating debris, half delirious from exposure and dehydration.
Quentin looked stricken as he watched his daughter float helplessly on the ocean. "How long were you out there?" he asked finally.
Sara thought for a moment. "You know, I can't remember." She admitted. "It was a few days, though. Two, maybe three?"
Something catches her eye, and she turns her head to see a yellow canary land on another piece of floating detritus. The bird chirps happily at her, then flew away-
Heading towards a large steamer ship.
Sara looked at the ship and felt hope for the first time in days. Weakly she started waving her arm and calling out to them. "Help! Help! Over here!"
Sara sighed. "I was so happy when I saw that ship. Now a part of me wishes that I had drowned instead." She admitted.
PRESENT
"Sara?"
The scene flashed back to the present. "Sara." She looked up to see Oliver walking in, and hastily put the picture back down. "You ok?" he asked.
"How did everything go with your mother?" she dodged.
"I ran into your sister." He said with a frustrated sigh. "She's working on the case."
"You didn't tell her…"
"No." he assured her with a tight smile. "I know a little something about keeping secrets and respecting them, even though I don't totally understand why you're keeping yours." She sighed and turned away, crossing her arms. Oliver moved around the table towards her. "Is this- is it because of what happened on the island?" he asked hesitantly.
"No." she said, turning back towards him. "After. There were things that I did; things that I had to do to survive." She explained vaguely. "Things that there's no forgiveness for."
"Well, that's the thing about forgiveness- you can't get it until you ask for it." He told her.
Then the window over the front doors shattered as a man leapt through it. He landed on the banister in a crouch, and then jumped down to the floor. He rose; a sword in his hand, but Oliver was more stunned by his attire.
He was dressed like Malcolm Merlyn had dressed, that night at Merlyn Global.
"Merlyn?" he said in stunned disbelief.
Malcolm smirked. Some assassins created their own unique look, like Sara had. Other's chose to wear the traditional attire like himself. He found it was easier to blend in or fade into the background that way.
The man said nothing, merely attacked. He swung his sword at Sara, and she moved back. Oliver landed a kick to the back of his leg, and then ducked as the man swung the sword at him. They traded blows at a furious pace, and then he and Sara fell back to the sitting room, tossing a chair over to slow the assassin. The attacker leapt and rolled over the chair to pursue.
Sara reached up and yanked down a long piece of solid wood molding, using it as an impromptu staff. She hit the man in the stomach, driving him back a few steps, but missed the follow up swing to the head. The Assassin brought the sword down at her head, but she used the staff to block it, allowing Oliver to land a solid punch to the assassin's head. The attacker struck back, sending Oliver crashing into the couch, then fended off Sara's attack. He grabbed the end of her staff with one hand and brought his sword down, cleaving through it. He used the broken piece against Oliver, smashing it into his head and sending him stumbling back, then whipped it around at Sara, stunning her and leaving her open for several quick jabs to the head with his sword hand. The added weight of the hilt stunned her even more, and he quickly sent her to the ground.
Oliver grabbed a heavy candlestick holder off a table and renewed his attack, using it to block the assassin's sword and landing several blows to the man's head and chest. The assassin sent him stumbling back with a quick jab, then lashed out with his foot at Sara, kicking her in the jaw and sending her back to the ground. Oliver took advantage of his opponents' distraction and landed a clubbing blow to the back of the knee, then when he swung his sword around Oliver grabbed his arm, and bodily threw him over the couch and into a small end table. The impact stunned the man long enough for Oliver to stalk over and haul him to a sitting position, where he reached up and ripped off the man's mask. He looked at the Arabian man underneath the mask in confusion. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"Just a warrior." He said. He looked past Oliver to Sara, who looked back in dread. Then he looked back at Oliver. "Like you." He replied.
"Why are you dressed like Malcolm Merlyn?" he growled. "Huh? Who sent you?!"
The man respond by throwing a dagger at the chandelier that was hanging over Sara's prone form. There was a bright flash as the power cord was cut, and the chandelier fell down to the ground, just missing Sara who rolled out of the way. It landed with a deafening crash, and when Oliver tuned back to the assassin, the man had disappeared.
"Al Ow-al." Malcolm noted. "He had a hand in my training."
"I think he trained half the League." Sara agreed.
"Ra's must place a high value on your life to send him on this little errand."
Sara smirked. "Not Ra's." she said cryptically.
The scene changed to a short time later. Sara and Oliver, cleaned up, were in the Lair. Sara was looking around while Oliver sat at the evidence table, examining some he had collected from the attacker.
Sara stopped in front of the glass case, looking at Oliver's uniform. "I remember the first time I saw this hood." She said in fond remembrance. "Shado was wearing it." She turned back to Oliver. "This is quite the set-up that you got here." She told him. "Where you're launching your one man war for Starling."
"I'm not one man." Oliver said, turning in his chair as Felicity and Diggle came into the room. "These are my friends. This is John Diggle and Felicity Smoak." He introduce., then looked to Sara. "Guys, this is Sara."
"Welcome home, Sara." Diggle said.
"I was happy to hear you're not dead anymore." Felicity blurted out. "I mean, I didn't know you before you didn't die the first time. I'm still glad you're alive."
Laurel snorted in amusement. Sara smiled at the blushing hacker.
Sara smiled. "You're cute."
"We just had an uninvited guest in the Queen mansion." Oliver continued. "Trained. Highly skilled. And he was dressed like Merlyn."
That got their attention. "Well, the last I checked Malcolm Merlyn was dead, courtesy of an arrow jammed through his heart." Diggle noted.
"It wasn't him." Oliver said. "It was a follower, an underling bent on revenge." Off to the side, Sara looked away awkwardly. "Whoever it was… he knows who I am." He finished, handing his evidence over to Felicity.
"Gee, I didn't get you a bag of dirt." She joked, taking the bag. Olive rose and followed her over to her station as she sat down to begin analyzing the dirt.
"I found it in the house." He told her. "Copycat Merlyn tracked it in. I want you to analyze it. Hopefully it'll lead me right to him."
"Then what?" Dig asked.
"If this pretender wants to follow Malcolm Merlyn so badly, he can follow him right into a grave."
Malcolm shook his head. "So confident. So… arrogant."
"He beat you." Tommy pointed out.
"Barely." Malcolm countered calmly. "Because I said something foolish that caused him to push himself harder than he had ever pushed himself before. I, too am arrogant." He admitted, much to the other's astonishment. "But Al Ow-al is not. He will not make the same mistakes I made."
"You'd be surprised." Sara said.
Oliver turned to the last person in the lair. "Sara? We'll find this guy." He promised.
Sara stood tense, her arms crossed, still facing the glass case. "I don't want you to." She said suddenly, turning to face the group.
Oliver looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Sara sighed. "He wasn't after you, Ollie. He's after me."
Oliver sighed. "Who is he?"
"He's called Al Ow-al, 'The First'." She told him. "And he's a member of the League of Assassins."
Oliver stepped back in shock. "The League of Assassins?" Diggle said. "I thought they were a myth."
"What's the League of Assassins?" Felicity asked. "And please, don't say it's a league made up of assassins."
"No, it's an urban legend." Diggle explained as Oliver paced, struggling to come to terms with what he had just heard. "I heard about them in Afghanistan from a tribal leader. He claimed there was an ancient sect of assassins, deadly warriors that killed and vanished like ghosts." Dig shook his head. "Thought he was smoking what he was selling."
"I tried to tell you, Ollie, but you wouldn't listen." Sara said sadly.
Oliver spun to face her. "That's where you've been the past four years." He said. "That's where you learned to fight. You're one of them."
Sara stared up at him sadly. "After the freighter, a member of the league rescued me; took me in and brought me to Nanda Parbat. They remade me into what I am." She told him. "And I swore them my allegiance."
"Why are they kicking down doors trying to find you now?" Dig asked.
She looked over at the bodyguard. "Because I left." She said. "And there's only way that you leave the league."
"Is that why you didn't want to see your family?" Oliver asked.
Sara sighed and turned back to him. "A year ago, I was in Guyana. I was sent there for a man named Suarez. He was a local diplomat. And I slit his throat." She explained, looking over at Dig and Felicity. "In his bed. And his kids…" she shuddered. "They found his body in the morning." She looked up at her former lover. "I'm a murderer, Ollie. You think that my family will be happy to see me?"
"I'd be happy knowing you were alive." Quentin said fiercely. "We could deal with the rest later."
Sara smiled sadly at him. "You always were the most understanding one, Dad."
Oliver stared back, but his phone buzzing grabbed his attention. He pulled it out and looked at and saw a text from Thea- ::Where Are You?:: "I have to go to Iron Heights." He said, putting the phone back into his pocket. "Felicity, I need you to find this Al Ow-al." he looked briefly back at Sara, then turned and walked out.
Sara stared back, but her mind was in a different place.
SIX YEARS AGO
"Thank you, thank you." Sara was said as she was led through the dimly lit corridors of the Amazo, escorted by two pirates.
"What were you doing out there?" the leader asked.
"The boat that I was on, and we got caught in the storm." She stammered out. Annoyed, the pirates grabbed her by the arms and started dragging her along. "Wait, wait, wait, guys!" she screamed in a panic. She tripped and started to fall, so the two men simply lifted her off her feet and walked with her down the corridor. "Wait! I-Robert Queen. Robert Queen. It was his boat, and-and- he'll pay whatever you want, please!" she begged. They dragged her into the main area of the ships, and she looked on in horror as she saw all of the cells. "Please, please! Please, no! Please, please!" They dragged her over to one and threw her in, slamming the door shut and ignoring her cries. "Please, no! No! You've made a mistake. Please let me out!" she cried.
Quentin's fists were balled up tight in rage. Laurel gasped and grasped on to Sara's arm fearfully. "Relax, sis." Sara said. "I had it relatively easy on the boat."
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to Iron Heights. Oliver was let into the visitor's room, entering just as Thea exclaimed "You cannot be serious!"
"What's going on here?" Oliver asked.
"She wants to take the deal!" Thea exclaimed.
"Whoa!" Oliver turned to Moira. "If this is about the death penalty—"
"I've been explaining this to your mother." Jean said with a sigh. "Even if we ever get to sentencing, you were acting under duress. I have everything I need to keep them from sentencing you to death." She argued.
"The death penalty doesn't scare me, Jean." Moira said calmly.
"Then why aren't you fighting?" Oliver asked.
"I have my reasons."
"Name one." Thea demanded.
"Me." Thea said sadly.
"You're willing to sacrifice yourself to protect your children, Mrs. Queen." Slade said, speaking for the first time. "That is quite admirable." Mia shot him a dark look, anD the two's eyes met. For an instant, it wasn't Mia Dearden looking back at Slade Wilson- it was Malika Sihème. Slade just smirked, and she looked away.
"Because I'm tired of fighting." Moira shot back tiredly. "I am not confident that I can win over a jury. And I'm not altogether certain that I deserve to."
"That was actually three." Thea growled.
"Thea—"
"No, seriously, you're just ready to give up?!" she said hotly. "Just take your medicine and spend the rest of your life in here. We still need you. I still need you!" she emphasized. Thea shook her head and threw up her hands. "I-I can't take this." Thea said, storming out of the room. Jean sighed, and walked out after her. Moira sat down, tiredly.
Oliver regarded his mother. "Growing up I didn't think that there were secrets kept between us." He started. "Last year I learned different. And I've gotten pretty good at knowing when you're hiding something from me." He took her hands in his. "So, Mom… what are you hiding now?"
Moira stared back at her son. "Help your sister come to terms with my choice, because it's made." She told him, to his disappointment.
The scene changed to the Lair. Felicity was running an analysis on the dirt.
Sara walked over to her. "Sorry if I upset you before." She told Felicity.
"We all join clubs we wish we hadn't." Felicity replied. "It took me a year to get out of that gym membership."
"That was a pain in the tuches." She noted.
Sara chuckled. "Thank you."
Felicity looked up at the former assassin. "For what?"
"Not making me feel like what I am." Sara said earnestly. "Oliver's lucky to have you both as friends. He hasn't always had the best luck in that area."
"Hey, he had me." Tommy pointed out.
"Thank you for making my point." Sara said wryly.
Diggle looked up as Oliver made his way down the stairs. "How'd it go with your mother?" he asked.
"Not well." Oliver replied tersely. He walked over to Felicity. "Have you found somebody for me to hit yet?"
Thea snorted.
"Could be." She sat at her computer and pulled up a map of the city. A location was marked per her results. "Spectro analysis of the dirt from your house had trace amounts of aldicarb in them."
"What?" he asked in confusion.
"It's a pesticide. Starling City used to have its own aldicarb plant, but per the EPA, it was shut down three years ago."
"What's it being used for now?" Oliver asked.
"Nothing." She replied. "It's abandoned. But my guess is, it's the home base to one League of Assassins assassin."
Oliver walked over to the weapons case and grabbed his bow. Sara was right behind him. "He will kill you." She said.
"Like you, I am not that easy to get rid of." Oliver shot back.
"This is my fight."
"He made it my fight when he came into my house." He looked her in the eye. "And when he threatened somebody that I care about."
The scene changed to the aldicarb plant. Inside, Al Ow-al was sharpening his sword on a whetstone. He finished and lifted the blade, running his hand gently over it to inspect it. Suddenly, he sensed another presence in the factory and smiled. Without turning, he caught the arrow that would have split his skull… then turned with a grin.
"Arrows. Such an ineffective projectile." He called out. "I find it strange anyone who still fears them."
"And yet he taught us how to fire them." Malcolm noted with a smirk. "And how to catch them."
"I'll show you why- if you don't leave Sara Lance alone." The Arrow called out from the shadows. "This is your only warning."
"And it would be effective, were you to pose a threat to me." He called back cheerfully. "You barely defeated Malcolm Merlyn at nearly the cost of your own life." He pointed out. He came around a corner and saw The Arrow standing on a small ledge above him "What hope would you have against the man who trained him?" he asked.
"Thought you said he wasn't arrogant." Tommy pointed out.
Malcolm's eye's narrowed. He was being a bit chatty.
"Helps that I didn't come alone." Oliver replied.
Al Ow-al turned to see The Canary standing on a catwalk behind him, her staff slung over one shoulder. "The child of Ra's al Ghul awaits your return." He called out to her.
Malcolm blinked, his previous line of thought derailed. He looked at Sara in surprise. "You and… Nyssa?" he guessed. She nodded. "My, Miss Lance. You are full of surprises."
"I'm not going back." Sara said.
"That's not your choice." Al Ow-al replied. "I have orders to return you- alive or dead."
"You're not going to kill me." Sara said.
"You overestimate your importance." He said. "Regardless, you're coming back with us."
Oliver didn't miss it. "Us?" he growled.
Al Ow-al turned back to Oliver with a grin. "Like you, I did not come alone."
Two more assassins climbed down from the rafters, flanking Sara. She took a beat to look at both before beginning the fight. As she took on the two, Oliver fired an arrow at the leader, who dodged neatly out of the way. Knowing arrows wouldn't make a difference, she jumped down, engaging the assassin in hand to hand combat. He blocked his sword with his bow and punched back. The group moved on two levels, trading blows but never landing a critical hit. Al Ow-al swung high, but Oliver duck and his sword punctured a steam pipe. Oliver followed that up with a low kick that sent the assassin sprawling to the floor. On the catwalk, Sara was holding her own, but one of the assassins finally managed to slash her in the back. Sara cried out in pain, drawing Oliver's attention. He quickly fired an arrow that took away one of the assassin's blades, allowing Sara to knock him down. Oliver then fired a zip line, then rode it up, grabbing Sara as he went. They rose to the roof, crashing through the skylight as Al Ow-al looked up at them escaping.
"If you will not return willingly, we'll stay to bury your family." he called out.
The scene changed to the lair some time later. Sara was leaned over a table, her shirt off and her face impassive as Oliver stitched her up. Felicity looked on, slightly queasy. "You're not even flinching when he…" she started.
"Pain and I came to a little understanding few years back." Sara said simply.
Laurel was pale watching her sister get sewn up; even Quentin was a bit queasy. "Oh, baby…"
"It's alright, Dad." Sara assured him. "I've had worse."
"That's not very comforting." He replied.
Oliver finished and touched her on the shoulder. "Done." He said. He turned away and moved over to Diggle as Felicity handed Sara a new shirt. "The League of Assassins." He whispered to him. "Why wouldn't she tell me what happened to her all those years?" he wondered.
"Probably the same reason why you didn't tell us what happened to you on the island." Dig observed.
Oliver sighed. "We need to protect the Lances." He said. "I'll take Laurel."
"What can I do?" Sara asked.
"Nothing." He said at once. "You're hurt, and you need to stay here."
"What about my father?" she asked.
"I'll go talk to Detective Lance." Felicity offered.
"Tell him he needs to get out town for a couple of days." Oliver directed.
Quentin scoffed. "Yeah. Like THAT will happen." He said.
"I can be convincing!" Felicity argued.
"Not THAT convincing." Laurel said.
"Please don't tell him about me." Sara pleaded.
"I can keep a secret." Felicity said, winking at Oliver. "Just ask him."
She watched as the pair left, then turned to Diggle. "You three are quite the team." She offered.
Dig smiled. "We have our moments." He replied.
SIX YEARS AGO
Sara lay in her cell, cold and alone. Her eyes snapped open as she heard men banging on her cell door. "Get up." The pirate ordered as he opened the door. His partner stalked into the cell.
"Get back." She said, panicked. He ignored her and grabbed her arm, yanking her up. "No, no, please!" she yelled as he dragged her out of the cell. The two men started dragging her across the room towards four other men. She started struggling even harder. "Please, please, no!"
"The more you struggle; the more it'll hurt." The pirate said.
"No, no, please! Please!" she screamed.
"Wait." A new voice said. The men parted to reveal another man, white with graying hair dressed in casual clothes and a windbreaker. "Let her go." He ordered.
The pirate sneered at the man. "You don't give me orders." He growled.
"No, that would be the Captain." The man said, walking forward towards the pirate. "But he works for me. Doesn't he?" he asked rhetorically. The pirate growled in annoyance, but obeyed, throwing Sara at him. He caught her and wrapped his arm around her.
"Help me, please!" she begged.
"Come here." He told her softly, leading her out of the cell block and away from the would-be rapists.
"Ivo." Slade growled.
"Who?" Quentin asked.
"Anthony Ivo." Sara replied before Slade could. "He was a scientist looking for a miracle cure on the island. He was brilliant… but demented." She sighed. "He was extremely driven."
Mia scoffed. "Yeah. Driven around the bend."
"He was obsessed with his work," Sara explained, "and he let that obsession turn him into a monster."
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to the present. Quentin Lance walked down the dark street towards his apartment while leaving a message for his older daughter.
"Laurel, listen, it's your father-again." He was saying. "Ok, now listen, I know you're still mad at me after what I said when you got pulled over last week, but it's not right, us not talking. So please, just- just call me, ok?" he hung up the phone, then sighed as he looked up and saw Felicity Smoak moving towards him.
"Detective Lance!" she said breathlessly. "I knew you'd be getting home around now because your shift has ended. Which I knew because I kind of pinged your cell phone." She admitted.
Lance sighed tiredly, walking past her towards his apartment. "Miss Smoak."
"You have cockroaches and they mean business." She started.
Sara looked at Felicity in amusement. "That was your opening pitch? Cockroaches?"
Felicity shrugged defensively. "Well, I hate them." She muttered.
"Since when did you start making house calls?" he asked.
"Since you're in danger." She replied.
"I'm not afraid of cockroaches." He said, still walking and ignoring her.
"Yes, you're in real danger!" she exclaimed, grabbing him by the shoulder and spinning him to face her. He looked down at her hand and she quickly removed it. "You need to get out of town for a couple days." She told him.
"Listen, I'm in danger every time I put on this uniform, so you're going to have to be a little more specific." He told her.
Felicity took a breath. "There's an organization called the League of Assassins and three of its members are targeting you." She said. She noted his look and sighed. "It sounded a little less crazy in my head."
"I doubt it." Quentin said.
"I doubt it." Lance said, moving to enter his building again. Again, he was stopped by her grabbing his arm.
"Malcolm Merlyn was apparently a member." She said in a rush. "That should give you some sort of idea about the type of people we're dealing with."
"Ok, I'll bite." Lance said, turning back fully towards her. "What did I do to piss them off?"
Felicity froze. "That…um… Is a really long story." She said lamely. "You just… You need to trust me. You're not safe here in Starling City." She pleaded.
Lane sighed. "Smoak, nobody's safe, ok?" he said. "Especially not us cops. We get shot at for a living. And my shift? It just ended." He turned back to the building and opened the door.
"Detective Lance!" she called out.
"Good-night." He called through the closed door.
"Wait, you need to listen to me!" she called out.
"Good night, Miss Smoak." He called, trudging up the steps.
"So I guess this means you're not leaving town?" she said, watching his back as he climbed the steps.
"That would be a big fat NO." Laurel said, amused despite the situation.
The scene changed to the D.A.'s office. Laurel was shutting down her computer for the night when Oliver came in.
"Evening." He said with a smile.
"I should have said this earlier, but it's not appropriate for us to be discussing your mother's case." Laurel said at once.
"Actually, I was in the neighborhood, so I thought that I would swing by and see if I could give you a ride home and maybe get a bite to eat." He said.
Laurel sighed as she hefted her purse. "It's been a long day." She said. "I don't need an even longer night of you trying to talk me out of your mother's plea agreement."
"Laurel." Oliver said, getting her attention. "I promise, this has nothing to do with my mother's case. You've had a rough couple of weeks." He continued. "You really going to tell me you couldn't use a friend?" he smiled at her, and she returned it. He took her arm. "Come on." He said, leading her out.
The scene changed to the Lair. Diggle looked up as Felicity walked in. "Hey. How'd it go?" he asked.
"Badly." She said, tossing her coat onto her chair before dropping into it. "He either didn't believe me or didn't take me seriously." She sighed. "In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have led with League of Assassins." She looked up at Dig. "What do we do now?"
Sara made the decision for them by grabbing her coat and hat.
"What are you doing?" Felicity asked.
"Oliver told you to stay put." Dig added. "I thought you didn't want your father to know you're still alive."
"I don't." she replied as she walked to the exit. "But it's better than him not being." She stopped, staring as Dig slipped a fresh clip into his gun. "Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"With you." Dig replied, tucking the gun into his waistband. "I'm not going to let you go out there without any back-up."
"Dig, you may be a three tour Special Forces veteran, but I was trained by the people that make the Special Forces look like a kindergarten class." She said harshly. "So step aside or get put down."
Dig stared at her, but then stepped aside. "It's your funeral, Sara." He said.
"It wouldn't be my first." She said, walking past him.
"It wouldn't hurt to have back-up, you know." Dig noted.
"No offense to you, Dig, but I meant what I just said there." Sara replied. "These people could kill you before you drew your weapon."
The scene changed to Lance's apartment building. Lance walked out, intending to head to his car but as he looked around the darkened streets, Felicity's warning came back to him. He paused, looking around but saw nothing. He moved on to his car, and had just about reached it when a small group of kids crossed the street behind him, chattering loudly and startling the cop. He watched them go, and then shook his head in annoyance. He pulled out his keys, and then froze as he sensed someone behind him.
He may have thought Smoak was a bit loony, but he didn't completely ignore her warning. As fast as he could, he jammed his keys back into his pocket and reached for his gun, drawing and spinning around to see a female figure shrouded in darkness. After a moment's hesitation, she moved forward, revealing herself as Sara.
Quentin shook his head, his gun still fixed on her. "No, it can't be. It can't be Sara." He said in a raspy voice.
"It's me." She said tearfully. "It's Sara." She staggered over to him, her emotions running wild, and gently reached up and pushed his gun down. "Daddy… It's ok."
"Sara?" she collapsed into his arms. "Sara?" he said again, unable to believe it. Finally he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Sara!" he cried as the tears started to fall.
Sara took her father's hand as he watched the reunion, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
"Your mother will never let me live this one down." He said suddenly, causing the three Lance's to laugh.
The scene changed to a small Chinese restaurant. The waitress behind the bar came over to take their order, speaking in rapid-fire Mandarin. Sara replied in kind, and the waitress moved off.
"You speak Chinese now?" Quentin said, surprised.
"Picked up a couple things in the past few years." Sara replied.
Lance sighed. "Yes." He looked at his daughter, trying to make himself believe this was real. "Why didn't you let us know that you were alive?" he asked finally. "I mean, your mother and I, we…" he sighed again. "We missed you. And your sister did, too." He continued. "You know that, right?"
"I know you got divorced." She said.
"Yeah." He said. "But it wasn't your fault. That was on me."
"Because of me." Sara countered. "I'm sorry."
"Not because of you." Quentin said firmly.
Sara smiled patiently. "Whatever you say, Dad."
"It's all right." Lance said at once. "None of that matters now. You know why? 'Cause you're home, sweetie, you're home."
Suddenly there was a loud bang and Sara leaped up, the dinner knife in hand, scanning for threats. Down the counter, the waitress looked back at her warily as she put the napkin dispenser she had dropped back on the counter.
Lance looked at his daughter in alarm. "Are you in trouble?" he asked as she sat back down. "Huh?"
"No, Dad. You are." She said sadly.
He looked at her, his mind processing the facts. "You sent Felicity Smoak to warn me to leave town." Lance said, piecing it together. "You know the Arrow." He looked her in the eyes. "You're the girl in the mask." He deduced. "You've been kicking the crap out of creeps in the Glades. You've been home for weeks."
"Yeah." Thea said suddenly. "You so know Ollie is the vigilante."
"I sure hope so." Quentin said.
"Tell me something- if these assassins, if they hadn't shown up, would you have ever let us know that you were alive?" he asked.
"No." she replied honestly.
Lance sighed. He took a few moments to pull himself together. "Felicity said that these guys were part of a league of something. What do they want with you." He asked.
"What all assassins want- to terminate their objective." Sara replied.
"Oh, this is crazy." Lance said, dropping his head to the counter.
"Dad, we have to go." Sara said, rising and grabbing her jacket.
"No, we are not going anywhere." Quentin shot back. "Not until you sit down and you tell me exactly what you've gotten yourself into."
Sara grabbed his hand. "You are an amazing cop and you are strong and decent and honest." She told him, her eyes wet. "But these men, they will cut you down before you can lift a finger. Now please. Come with me." She pleaded. Lance sighed, but rose and allowed Sara to lead him out.
SIX YEARS AGO
The man led Sara into a large room in the rear of the ship. "I'm afraid it's not much, but, uh It's home." He said, turning to close and lock the hatch behind him.
Sara spun and looked at him fearfully. "Why did you lock the door?" she stammered out, eyes wide.
The man instantly realized what it looked like. "No, no, no, no. It's not because…" he held out a calming hand and sighed. "It's just a habit." He told her. "My shipmates aren't exactly the nicest bunch." He walked down the small staircase to the center of the room. "Please, come in. Have a seat." He offered. Sara timidly followed him down and sat in the comfortable looking seat while the man walked over to a desk.
He was flipping through his notes, but looked back when he heard her crying. Sighing, he grabbed a stool and walked back to Sara, setting the stool down in front of her before taking a seat. "My name is Ivo." He said, introducing himself. "Dr. Anthony Ivo. And you are?"
"Sara." She said softly.
"Nice to meet you, Sara."
"Why do you keep those people down there in those cells?" she asked.
"It's my work." Ivo said. "I need them."
"What work?"
He paused a moment before speaking. "I am going to save the human race, Sara." He said, and then leaned in close. "Maybe you can help me."
"He could be so charming." Sara said softly. "He was the most dangerous type of psychopath- a believer. He BELIEVED in what he was doing. And he could make you believe in it, too." She shook her head. "I spent four years as an assassin, but I was primed for that by what I did on that boat. And I did it willingly, because god helped me, I thought it was for the greater good."
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to the present, where Oliver was walking Laurel back up to her apartment.
"I noticed you didn't have a drink at dinner." He said pleasantly.
"No. I didn't." she replied, a bit smugly. "So will you now admit that you and my father overreacted last week when you thought that I was becoming a drunk?"
"I am prepared to admit that I care about you." Oliver hedged.
"Is that why you insisted on walking me to my door?" she asked coyly.
"You know me." Oliver replied. "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."
"This is safe." She said with a smile, leaning in for a kiss.
He pulled back. "This..." he said, holding her gently away. "We shouldn't."
Laurel looked at him in confusion. "Then why did you come all the way up here?" she asked.
"I'm really sorry if I was sending the wrong message." Oliver started.
"No! No, no, I got the message." Laurel said, sobering instantly. "I get it loud and clear every day. Run. Run, run away from Laurel, run as fast as you can."
"I think the reason you didn't have a drink is because you were still following the rules about mixing alcohol and drugs." Thea said shrewdly.
Laurel shot her a look. "I thought you weren't going to say anything?"
"I changed my mind." Thea said, happy that she wasn't in the limelight anymore. "It's a woman's prerogative, or so I've been told."
"Laurel, come on." He tried.
"Sara… she got on 'The Gambit' with you." She said. "My father, he- he climbed into a bottle. My mother, she-she climbed into her car and she drove away, and then Tommy…" she took a shuddering breath. "What is so wrong with me that everybody leaves?"
"I will never leave you." He promised.
"Until you do." She said sadly. She turned to go into her apartment- only to see the door was slightly ajar. She looked at it, frowning. "I thought I locked that." She said.
Oliver looked at the door warily. "Stay here." He told her. Cautiously, he entered the apartment. He moved slowly through the darkened apartment, and his frown turned into a scowl when he saw the blade stuck into the frame of a door.
"Ollie?" Laurel called, walking into the apartment. Oliver quickly took the blade out of the wall and held it behind his back out of her sight. "Anything?" she asked.
"All good." He said. "I have to go." He said softly.
"Listen, I'm sorry about what I said—"
"Don't be." Oliver replied, gently touching her arm. "Just stay here." He smiled and walked out, closing the door behind him. Laurel sighed and dropped her purse onto the end table, then opened it to pull out her bottle of Oxycodone. She popped a few pills and closed her eyes, feeling the drugs beginning to take effect.
Laurel scowled as Thea smirked at her.
Out in the hall, Oliver was calling the Lair. "Felicity, Al Ow-al was at Laurel's place." He said when she picked up.
"What? Is she ok?" she asked.
"She's fine." Oliver replied. "Looks like he moved on before we got there."
"But if Laurel's not his target…" Felicity started.
"He's after Lance, and I need a location now." Oliver finished. Felicity quickly pinged Lance's phone, and then relayed the coordinates to Oliver.
The scene changed to the Clock Tower. "Well, I can't believe I didn't think to look for you up here." Lance said as Sara led him in to her hideout.
Mia shook her head. "Super-heroes and their clock towers…" she muttered.
"It's a good vantage point." She said. "You can see the whole city."
"Like a bird on a wire." Lance said dryly.
Sara chuckled. "Where I was, they have you choose a new name." she said. "I chose Ta-er al-Sahfer. It's Arabic. For Canary."
"I bought you that Canary when you were ten." Lance noted, watching as Sara moved around, gathering up equipment.
"I was as far from home as you can get, but I never forgot where I came from." She said. She turned back to her father. "You know how they say the first thing you forget about somebody when they're gone is their voice?" she asked. "You can remember their face, and the way they move, but you can't hold on to the way they sound." She touched him gently on the cheek. "I never forgot your voice, Dad."
"Sweetheart—" he started.
"We're out of time." Sara said, sensing more people in the room. She spun, whipping out her staff, to face Al Ow-al and his two minions. Lance stepped back, drawing his gun.
"So, this is where you wanted your father to die." Al Ow-al said.
"What the hell, Sara, who are these guys?" Lance demanded.
"Associates of your daughter, Officer Lance." Al Ow-al said.
"Well, she always did have the worst taste in friends." Lance noted sarcastically.
"Did you really think we weren't going to find you here?" he asked.
"No." Sara said, holding her staff out in front of her with both hands. "I knew you would."
"Go!" Al Ow-al Ordered. The two minions rushed at Sara and Lance-
Only for one to get caught in a rope snare. He was pulled upside down and five feet into the air, leaving Sara to face Al Ow-al and Lance to face the second minion.
Malcolm nodded approvingly. "You prepared."
"Of course." She replied. "And I made my opponent come to me."
Lance opened fire, but the assassin leapt and dodged, slipping around the bullets with contemptuous ease. Sara split her staff in two and used the pieces as escrima sticks, pressing the attack against the more experienced assassin. She landed a hard blow against his face, spinning around him and maneuvering him to just the right place. Al Ow-al stepped on a loose board, which in turn activated a nail gun. The gun fired a burst of nails into the man's thigh, sending him to his knees. He looked up at Sara, who stood with her escrima sticks at the ready.
"Anybody else thinking it?" Tommy asked suddenly. "Come on, anybody? Smoaky?" he looked at Felicity, who was trying and failing to hide a smile. "You got it, too, didn't you?"
"Got what?" Sara asked in confusion.
"That suddenly this fight became 'Home Alone'." Dig said with a grin. Sara gaped at him as Thea and Laurel burst out in laughter.
Mia slapped the palm of her hand to her head. "I never even thought of that." She admitted.
"You should be mindful of your surroundings." She advised. Al Ow-al forced himself back to his feet and resumed the attack. Sara attacked with a new found ferocity, but in the end she was no match for his skill. He landed a slice against her calf, sending her to her knees, and then placed his sword at her neck. In the meantime, the second assassin finally managed to cut himself down. Al Ow-al pulled off his hood and stood, staring contemptuously at Sara-
Then an arrow flew through the glass face of the clock, embedding on the far wall.
A moment later The Arrow arrived, sliding in on his zip line. He landed in a kneeling skid, taking Al Ow-al's feet out from under him, then attacked the second assassin, blocking the man's axe's with his bow and beating him down with ease. With renewed fervor, Sara also managed to take down Al Ow-al, trapping his neck under her staff.
Off to the side, the third assassin was beating down Lance, who had run out of ammo. Lance landed hard on his back as the assassin towered over him.
"Guns are a coward's weapon." He spat. "What are you without your side arm?"
In reply, Lance pulled out his back-up piece- a snub-nosed .38 revolver, and shot the man once in the heart. "A guy with a spare." He quipped dryly, forcing himself to his feet.
"Okay, I think I have to address something here." Tommy said suddenly, stopping the memory. Everyone looked at him curiously. "I get that the League trains bad-ass fighters, and that you're the best of the best and all of that. But if you knew they were coming, and you booby-trapped your hide-out accordingly- why, in the love of god, didn't you stash some extra guns around the place and just blow them away?"
"Guns are a cowards weapon." Sara replied at once, unthinkingly. Then she heard what she said and sighed. "Because they drill that into us in the League."
"Detective Lance emptied a clip of ammunition at the assassin and missed." Malcolm pointed out.
"Then get a shotgun with double-ought buckshot." Tommy countered. "Or an Uzi and pray and spray. And why is it that I'M the one coming up with this?" he said suddenly. "You two are the trained assassins! The only things I've ever killed were in Call of Duty!"
Mia was chuckling. "Sara said it best- the League beats it into you that guns are a dishonorable weapon, and therefore we don't even think about using them. She never would have thought to stash extra weapons around her place, because she wasn't taught to."
"Also, some League members have taken to lining their jackets with Kevlar." Malcolm pointed out.
"It would still hurt like a bitch to be shot." Lance pointed out.
"Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional." Malcolm replied. "We're trained to move past that kind of pain. Still," he looked at his son and gave him a conceding nod, "It could give you an advantage in a fight."
"Also, I'd like to point out that I just shot the son of a bitch." Lance said. "And I'm no coward."
Sara chuckled. "No, you're the bravest man I know." She said. Her face fell as she looked at the screen. "And now you get to see me for what I am. Again." She said as Tommy pressed play.
He staggered out, standing next to the Arrow, looking at his daughter holding Al Ow-al at her mercy.
"You think because you are the beloved you will be granted your freedom?" he assassin spat.
"There's only one freedom." Sara said coldly. "Let me grant you yours." With that, she snapped his neck, then dropped him to the floor, dead. She stalked over to the second assassin, grabbing him the same way she had held Al Ow-al.
"You don't have to do this." Oliver said. "It's over!"
"Not yet." She spat.
"Sara, baby, don't…" Lance said helplessly.
"Tell Ra's al Ghul that my family is off limits." She told the second assassin. "His quarrel is with me." She threw him to the ground, and in an instant he was out the broken clock face, escaping on the same zip line Oliver had rode in on.
Sara tossed Oliver her staff. "I'm sorry you saw that." She told her father, not looking him in the eye. She was too ashamed for that. "I can't imagine what you must think of me."
"I think you're a survivor." Lance said at once. "I think you're one of the bravest people I've ever known." She looked up at him. "You're my daughter. It's time for you to come back home." He said, pulling her into a hug. She let him hold her for a moment before pulling away.
"I can't." she said sadly.
"Why not?" he demanded.
"They are never going to stop looking for me." Sara said.
"I'll protect you. We'll protect you." He looked back to the Arrow, who was standing silently behind him. "Tell her it's safe to stay."
"Dad," she brought his attention back to her. "If they hurt you or Laurel or mom, then I really would die." She said.
"But they need to know." Lance said.
"They can't. They can't, Daddy." Sara protested.
"Why not?"
"You know why! I came back to make sure that my family was safe, and you are." She explained. "But if they knew I was alive, Laurel and mom, they would never stop looking for me, and that could get them both killed."
Lance pulled her to him again. "I can't let you go." He said, breaking down. "I can't let you go!"
"I have to-Dad, I have to-I have to go." She said pulling away, tears in her eyes as well. "I love you." She looked to Oliver. "Keep them safe." She said, before turning and running out.
Sara let herself be pulled into a hug by her father, and soon Laurel joined in as well. The rest of the ladies (and a few of the men) all surreptitiously wiped their eyes.
"Detective," Oliver said through the voice changer, "She's right. You have to keep her secret."
"It's already the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Lance said sadly. "How do you live like this?" he asked the vigilante.
Oliver had no answer.
The scene changed to Iron Heights. Oliver and Thea entered the visitor's room and have a seat at the table their mother is already occupying.
"I never mind getting a visit from my children, but I know why you're here." She said at once.
"We just have one more thing to say." Oliver began.
"Oliver, we've already been through this." She said. "I am not going to change my mind."
"This is about me changing mine." Oliver interrupted. "Because I thought that you didn't want to go to trial over a secret. Then I caught up with an old friend, and I watched as she struggled to tell her family hers, because she was afraid… that they wouldn't love her if they knew the truth." He told her.
"Whatever you are worried about, it will not make us love you any less." Thea added.
"You don't know." Moira protested.
"You do now." Thea pointed out, snuggling into her mother's side.
"Who do you think you raised?" she shot back. "You taught us to be strong. That we could overcome any obstacle that we faced; to fight. Do you really think that we are going to scare that easily?" Thea asked.
"Whatever comes out- you won't lose us." Oliver promised, taking her hand.
"Ever." Thea added, adding her hand to theirs.
"Wow." Moira said after a moment. "I'll instruct Jean to reject Mr. Donner's offer." She relented.
The scene changed to the D.A.'s office. Lance stood outside, looking through the glass door at Laurel with a pensive expression on his face. Finally, he entered.
"Hey." Laurel said, seeing him come in. "Dad. I know I owe you a phone call." She sighed wearily. "I have a lot of work. Can we- can we do this another time?" she begged.
"I just had to see you, Laurel." Lance said sadly.
Laurel was instantly worried. "Did something happen?" she asked. "Are you ok?"
"One day, honey, when you have a daughter of your own, you'll understand that being a parent, it means you just never stop worrying about your children." Lance said.
"Dad, I'm-I'm sorry I didn't call you back." She said. "I've-I've had a really long week, and-and I'm tired."
He placed a hand on her arm. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I don't know." She said after a moment. "I wish that there was- there was something, a ..." she sighed. "A sign that it gets better."
"It does, honey." Lance promised. "It gets better."
"How do you know?" she asked.
Lance enveloped her in a hug. "I wish I could tell you, sweetie." He said after a moment. "I wish I could tell you."
The scene changed to the Lair. Oliver walked in carrying a pair of highball glasses and headed over to his munitions crate.
"Where's Sara?" Diggle asked.
"She left." Oliver said, opening the case.
"You cool with that?" Dig pressed.
"I didn't have much of a choice." He lifted a bottle of Russian Vodka. "An old friend gave this to me." He said, showing ti to Diggle. "Said I would know when it was the right time to drink it."
"And now's the right time?"
"I'm not sure." Oliver admitted, pouring two glasses. "But I need a drink." He gave one to Diggle and raised his glass in salute. "Prochnost." He toasted. The two drank.
"Hmm." Dig said, admiring the vodka.
"So you were right." Oliver said.
"Yeah, I usually am, Oliver." Dig said.
"Hope he gets used to that quickly." Dig said.
Oliver laughed softly at that. "About what, specifically?"
"No matter how hard I try, Diggle, my past…" he shook his head ruefully. "It doesn't want to stay buried. I don't want to try so hard anymore." He set the glass down on the table. "The five years that I was gone- I wasn't always on the island…"
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver was dragged to Ivo's quarters, where he was thrown down on the floor. The two pirates left, and Oliver struggled to push himself up. He paused when a pair of boots appeared in front of him. He continued looking up following the legs to the torso, to finally the head-
Of Sara Lance.
"How are you—" he started, but was cut off by a sharp kick to his ribs. He collapsed back onto the floor as Sara stood over him, a knife in her hand.
"Prisoners do not speak." She said, then turned and walked out, leaving a hurt and confused Oliver behind.
"Did you have to kick him?" Thea asked.
"I had a role to play." Sara said. "And on that ship, I learned to play I very well."
"Let's break for lunch." Mia announced, rising from her seat. "Everyone stretch their legs a bit. And I," she smiled mischievously, "Will go see to a little munchkin."
TBC
A/N: comic readers know that Jean Loring is nuts, but in this show she is also apparently a crappy lawyer. Why the HELL wasn't filing for a change of venue the first thing she did?
Also, I know it was the intention, but did everyone else hate Donner, and were you glad when he got canned later in the season?
A/N 2: God, I hatE transcribing fight scenes!