Notes:

I know I haven't updated in forever and I am so so sorry! Life has been crazy working three jobs and family things and then I got stuck and wasn't sure how to move from where I left the last chapter to where I want to go, I wasn't sure if I should skip ahead or actually go into everyone's reactions after Oliver's kidnapping. So it took me a while to figure out how to proceed and this is what came out. I hope you guys like it.

Also big thank you to Onyon23 and SweetEvil09 your inputs are highly appreciated and helped me a lot for this chapter.

I'm holding on your rope Got me ten feet off the ground And I'm hearing what you say But I just can't make a sound

Thea

Thea helped Laurel get Joanna outside and to a safer place further away from the building where they could wait for the ambulance Felicity had called for them. She stayed with them, sure her brother and Dig would join them shortly after Given the limited time they had to escape before the explosives inside would go off. It was only when she saw Dig come running outside with a woman in his arms and no sign of Ollie that worry began to settle in her stomach; she looked at Laurel and Joanna for a moment, before her eyes followed Dig once more and then moved back to the entrance of the building, waiting for her brother to join them.

The five minutes either were up already or would be soon. She hadn't really paid any attention, and she was cursing herself for it. But Ollie would've. He'd know whether he had time left or not. He wouldn't stay inside knowing it was going to blow up with him inside. Ollie wouldn't lose track of time.

"Felicity, what time is it? How much time is left until the building blows up?" She was sure their IT-genius kept track of it as well, she always did, it was difficult to keep on top of it while also fighting, this was why Felicity took over that part, she could set a timer on her computer and let them know.

"They've been up for several minutes now, but the heat signal is no longer active, so they must have been turned off. Why?" The reply was instant and brought some relief with it, even if only a little, they could still be set off manually, but for now, Ollie wasn't in immediate danger of getting blown to pieces, that was a good thing.

"Because Ollie's still in the building. Alone. I'm going back in to see what's going on." She turned around and ran towards the building before she finished the sentence. Something was wrong. Her brother had insisted on not staying inside longer than necessary. He had told them repeatedly that the plan was to go in, get Joanna and get out, no lingering around for longer than they needed to get Joanna. And now he was the one not following his own plan. It wasn't like Ollie. Something was wrong, and she was going to find out what was keeping her brother.

Thea had almost reached the entrance when she got attacked by several Ghosts who tried to keep her from entering the building. Now she knew for sure that Ollie was in danger. It couldn't be a coincidence that they hadn't been here or just let them enter the building before and now they were trying to keep her from getting back inside.

The Ghosts trying to keep her from getting to her brother were seriously pissing her off, and she was grateful when Laurel came and joined her. She had no chance against the number of Ghosts guarding the door alone.

It was only once Dig entered the fray that they managed to get rid of all the Ghosts, and they could finally reenter the building; they ran towards the elevator and it felt like it took forever to descend and it was driving her crazy, especially given the silence they were greeted with as soon as they had entered the building. Dig had said Ollie and Prometheus had been fighting when he had left. It shouldn't be this eerily quiet now.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, her bad feeling seemed to be confirmed. All was quiet. The basement was a mess. There had obviously been a fight, but it was quiet now. And empty. They stepped outside and began to look around for Oliver. That was when an object on the floor caught her eyes and her heart dropped into her stomach while she rushed to it and picked it up.

"Dig!" He came towards her right away and the look on his face confirmed her thoughts. He was worried too. He agreed that this was a bad sign that Ollie wouldn't just leave his bow behind. This was really bad.

They split up and searched the entire basement and then the building. And her heart nearly stopped when Dig found blood, but he comforted them, assuring that it wasn't enough for the injury to be fatal, or serious even. She trusted him. He had more experience in that department than Laurel and she, given the years he had spent in the military and with that on the battlefield and around injured people.

Once they had searched everything, including the alleys and buildings on the block, they headed back to the Bunker. Without Ollie or any trace of him.

Dig

"Get her out of here now!" He registered the bellowed words before his mind caught up with the scene that had just unfolded right in front of his eyes. He moved on instinct, after years of training, following the command instantly, just like he had been taught in the military. He rushed to Doris and picked her up, before running to the elevator, he watched Oliver engaged in a brutal fight with Prometheus until the elevator doors closed, he hated leaving his friend alone, but Doris was in bad shape, if she didn't get help right away, she wasn't going to make it, chances were that even if she did, she might still not.

He carried her outside and away from the building, into an alleyway that hid them and provided them with safety. He gently laid her on the floor and began working on her wound, trying to stop the bleeding and do everything in his power to keep her alive. Dig hoped the ambulance would arrive soon. She needed medical help, and he did not have the necessary equipment to properly help her given the severity of her injury.

He was grateful when he hear the siren and saw the blinking blue lights from the ambulance approach down the road; he picked the wounded woman back up and hurried towards them, knowing they wouldn't find them hidden in the alley, as soon as the ambulance stopped and a paramedic stepped out he handed Doris over to him and turned to hurry back in to help Oliver when he was stopped by another one of the paramedics asking him all those questions he insisted could be crucial for saving Doris' life. So he stopped, and stayed to answer the questions as well as he could, he hoped Laurel or Thea had gone back in to help Oliver since he hadn't seen them when coming outside but it was once he was let go and the ambulance sped off with Doris and Joanna inside that he saw them in the alley behind the building engaged with a handful of Ghosts that were blocking their way back in. Fuck!

That was not a good sign. Those were the first Ghosts they'd encountered all day, and they were here now between them and the entrance to the building; while they were outside and Oliver was inside, alone. Trying to keep them from helping their friend. The former soldier had a feeling that said this would not turn out well. He rushed towards them and helped the women take them out before they all ran inside and downstairs to help Oliver, expecting him to still be engaged in a fight with Prometheus, just like he had left him minutes ago.

Only everything was quiet. There were no sounds of a fight, and once they stepped out of the elevator, they knew why. The men were gone. The place was trashed. It was obvious there had been a brutal fight, but there was no sign of the two men.

"Oliver!" He called out his friend's name, not giving a shit about codenames. Adrian already knew who they were, anyway. He looked around. Searched the room for other entrances or ways out, but there was nothing, no doors, no windows, no stairs, nothing. The elevator was the only entry and exit point.

"Dig!" He turned towards Thea at the sound of her voice. It was very close to panic, and he understood why when she bent down and picked something up. Oliver's bow. One of his most priced possessions. He would never just leave it behind.

He went to Thea to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, that it really was Oliver's bow and not Prometheus', but once he was next to the young woman, there was no mistaking it. This was Oliver's bow. But where was the archer it belonged to?

He stepped away from the women again and began to meticulously search the entire room for clues. Anything that might help them find out what had happened here and where the two men might have gone to. It didn't take them long to find small drops of blood on the floor, which led to a slightly bigger stain. It wasn't much, not even close to dangerous, but it meant that someone had gotten hurt. And given the fact they'd found the Green Arrow's bow without a trace of its owner, it wasn't too far-fetched to assume it was probably Oliver's. He collected some of it to have Felicity analyze it once they were back at the Bunker and confirm his suspicion. And maybe provide an explanation as to what could've happened here. He doubted the injury was bad enough to incapacitate his friend given the little amount of blood present, but it could be that he was just moved quickly after getting wounded. It must have been quick. They hadn't been gone that long. How could they have just disappeared with no one noticing?

"Felicity, I need you to check the cameras in the surrounding areas and see if you can find anything suspicious, anyone leaving the building." He contemplated for a moment to let her know that Oliver was missing, but decided against it. She'd be more level-headed and focused if she wasn't worrying about the Green Arrow. He felt a bit guilty, but they needed to find him as fast as possible. Time was of the essence and an emotional Felicity took time to calm down, time they didn't have and he couldn't afford to focus on her instead on the matter at hand and the crime scene. He couldn't afford to miss anything because his focus was cut in two.

They went through the basement several times, hoping to find anything to help them work out what happened, and then they moved on when they couldn't find anything to give them any answers. They searched the entire building and the surrounding area, but they found nothing. The blood and the bow had been the only thing left behind. The only clues as to what had happened.

Oliver had been taken by Prometheus, and they had no way of knowing where he had taken him and what had happened or was going to happen to him. Whatever it was, couldn't be good, that was for sure.

It was only after they'd checked everything meticulously several times that they grudgingly called defeat and headed back to the Bunker, without Oliver and any more clues.

"Where's Oliver?"

"We got to tell Sara."

Both women talked at the same time and pretty much right after they'd walked out of the elevator, and he decided to turn towards Felicity and let Laurel handle Thea for the time being.

"Chase has him." He was frustrated and angry, mostly at himself. He shouldn't have left Oliver alone. He shouldn't have stayed and answered the paramedics' questions, he should've... damnit! He couldn't believe he lost Oliver! It was his fucking job to keep him safe, to bring him home. And he'd failed.

"Wait, what? How.. but.. how?" Felicity was voicing his thoughts out loud. He wished he knew. Wished he'd had the answers, because then it would mean they'd had some leads, but he didn't. There wasn't anything he could do to help. He felt completely useless. He'd done everything he could right at the scene and it had led to nothing. Now it was up to her. And he hoped she'd be more successful, even if she hadn't been so far.

"I don't know. We left them alone for a few moments, and when we managed to get back in, all that was left was Oliver's bow and a small amount of blood. I got a sample for you. But I'm pretty sure it's Oliver's." He tuned the other two women currently arguing whether or not to tell Sara about it out as well as he could, trying to focus on the only thing they had that might provide them with some answers and filling the one person who could help them find him in.

"No, we can't tell Sara that Oliver is missing." Felicity took the sample and rushed off towards her workstation, but not before chiming in and sharing her thoughts on the matter the two roommates were arguing about.

Finding Oliver was more important than the issue of letting Sara know or not letting Sara know about it. He wasn't sure on which side of that argument he fell on, so he avoided getting involved until he could make a decision on it. They both had excellent points, and Felicity was pointing out a fact when she brought up what Caitlin had said about Sara and needing to avoid stress, and telling her Oliver was missing would lead to her being stressed out, especially given the situation she was in and the fact that she wasn't able to help look for him. That would not help keep her calm, but Thea had some excellent points too, Sara was pregnant with Oliver's child, she had a right to know that he was in danger, and it would be difficult to keep his absence from her given their living arrangement.

"Laurel and Felicity are right, Thea. We can't let Sara know. It's too risky." Quentin had stepped towards them and made his stance clear on the matter of letting his daughter know. Quentin had spent several hours with Sara just a day ago, so he could probably best gauge the situation and the mental state Sara was currently in. If Quentin thought letting her know about Oliver's kidnapping was a terrible decision, he had to trust his judgment and go with that.

Thea

"Look we don't need to unnecessarily worry her. We'll find him." Felicity was trying to assuage her with that argument, but it wasn't working because so far they hadn't found him and had no idea where to start looking for him.

"What if we tell her... remember a couple of weeks ago when he went MIA, at least as far as Sara was concerned? What if we tell her it's a similar situation? She won't expect him home and not be left in limbo to worry about him." Felicity wasn't seriously suggesting what she thought she was, was she? Yes, Oliver had had a conversation with them after that event, and he had made it unmistakably clear that they had to let Sara know what the situation was, so she wasn't worried about him, if he wasn't in a position to let her know what was going on. This was not what he had meant they were supposed to do.

"We'd be flat out lying to her! Do you have any idea what will happen when she finds out?" Had they even considered the repercussion if Sara learnt the truth, or more like when she learnt the truth?

"I'd rather have Sara angry at me than putting her and my niece in danger. Felicity is right. We will find him, so there is no reason to worry her." She wasn't so sure about that. Roy had been the one to find Joanna's location at Sara's request. They had been incapable of making any headway or finding anything useful concerning Prometheus, Oliver, Sara and Roy had been the ones who'd found all the information they had.

And Sara wasn't a fragile flower, except... she could easily recall the situation she had walked in on when Sara had her mental breakdown, the fear and worry everyone had felt for her and her unborn baby.

"She looks so fragile" Kara's words from Thanksgiving only weeks ago were almost haunting her now. She didn't know. Didn't know what was the right thing to do.

She hated lying.

She hated lying to people she cared about even more. Lying to Sara about this felt wrong on so many levels and for so many reasons but... but Laurel and Felicity had a point too. What would Ollie want them to do? Agitate and worry Sara while he wasn't there to take care of and comfort her? Or keep the truth from her in order to protect her and Mila? She knew her brother had a tendency to lie to protect the people he loved. But she also knew Ollie didn't lie to Sara. Sara was pretty much the only person on the planet he never lied to. No matter what. Ollie and Sara may lie to the entire world, but they never lied to each other. She knew that. It was like an unspoken rule between the two of them. They were the keeper of each other's secrets.

But Ollie was also willing to do whatever it took to keep Sara safe.

She really didn't know. All she knew was that lying to Sara about this felt wrong, very wrong. If there was anyone on this planet who had a right to know, it was her brother's wife. Only she couldn't argue with that, because this was knowledge they had shared with only a handful of people, none of which were a part of the team. And if that wasn't saying something, she wasn't entirely sure what, but it was a pretty clear statement.

So far, at least as she was aware of it, only she, Roy, Sin and Walter knew, and maybe Lyla, but she wasn't sure about that. But since Dig's wife and her sister-in-law seemed to have grown very close over the last several months, she was pretty sure Lyla knew, or at the very least suspected.

Just like Thea would bet everything she had that if Lyla knew she'd keep it to herself and not even tell Dig. That woman knew how to keep secrets, which wasn't surprising given her job. Maybe she should ask Lyla for advice, find out what she thought the right decision was. Part of her was calling her out as a coward, claiming the only reason she wanted to involve Dig's wife was because she knew if Lyla didn't agree with Felicity and Laurel, she would tell Sara the truth and that meant she didn't have to make a choice.

But on the downside, if Lyla agreed with the rest of the team, it would mean one more person Sara trusted, the first friend Sara had made since coming home, was lying to her and breaking her trust. And she couldn't risk it. Couldn't do it. It wasn't worth it. God, why did everything have to be so damn complicated and messed up all the time?

Laurel

"We got to tell Sara." The word coming out of her roommate's mouth made her stop mid step and turn towards her.

"Where's Oliver?" Felicity's voice only distantly registered in her mind. She was more focused on Thea and what she was saying. She understood where Thea was coming from and part of her agreed Sara had a right to know. Sara should know, but it wasn't that simple, was it? Her sister was rather frail and unstable mentally right now. There was no knowing what this turn of event might do to her. The repercussions this might have for her and her child. Oliver would never forgive them if they let anything happen to Sara, and he would blame himself if it was his kidnapping that would lead to Sara spiraling. It was stupid and bizarre, but it was the way Ollie would see it. He always blamed himself for things that were out of his control. Never mind what would happen to Sara if her worrying about Oliver would lead to something happening to her baby. She wasn't sure if her sister would be able to deal with that. But Laurel was pretty sure it would break Sara and make her blame herself for it. She couldn't do that to her sister. She couldn't risk being the reason her sister would end up hating herself and blaming herself if something were to happen to her unborn baby. No. She couldn't do that to her. She couldn't risk it.

"Chase has him." She was only vaguely aware of Dig answering Felicity's question, too focused on the woman across from her, insisting they told Sara a piece of information that could have dire consequences for her. There was no need for that yet. They could still find him before her sister even realized he'd been taken. He hadn't been gone that long yet.

"No, we can't tell Sara that Oliver is missing." She was glad when Felicity was backing her up.

"What do you mean, we can't tell Sara?" Thea sounded exasperated and seriously annoyed.

"Think about the baby. Caitlin said Sara should avoid stress at all cost." And that was what it came down to, and they all would agree on the safety of Sara and Oliver's baby. That they would do what they had to to ensure that her niece was going to be okay.

"And what are we supposed to tell her? In case you two have forgotten, they live together. I'm pretty sure she'd notice him not coming home or, you know, contacting her. And I'm pretty sure not knowing where he is and what happened would stress her out just as much as knowing Chase has him." The tiny brunette brought up a valid point. They couldn't really keep Oliver's absence from Sara, not really. But they could possibly change the reasons behind it. Except there was no way Oliver wouldn't reach out to her if he had the chance. He'd made sure to stay in contact with her during the alien invasion months ago, so why wouldn't he now?

"This isn't our choice. Ollie would want her to know." Thea never gave them a chance to reply and pushed ahead with her thoughts and insistence, not at all considering that they might be right and what this could do to Sara.

"Ollie wouldn't want to put her or their daughter at risk. He'd do whatever to keep that from happening and in order to protect her. Remember the state he was in just a couple of months ago when Sara and the baby's health were in danger? And that was before they had decided to keep her." She couldn't even imagine what it would do to Oliver if something were to happen to his daughter, especially after everything with William. No, he wouldn't be able to... she didn't even want to think about it. Didn't want to imagine what losing the baby would do to both of them. It was not an option. Sara couldn't know. They couldn't risk it.

"Ollie would never lie to her so he wouldn't condone us lying to her!" Oliver's sister was getting agitated now. Her voice was rising, and she looked at her in fiery determination.

"We wouldn't be lying, Thea. We'd just keep some of the facts out of the explanation." Why did Thea refuse to see that this was the right choice of action? Felicity agreed with her and even Dig seemed to lean towards her side. She was grateful when her dad stepped in and tried to reason with Thea. If there was anyone she'd listen to, it would be her dad.

"That is lying by omission and also lying. Nothing good ever comes from it. How do you think she's going to feel when she finds out the truth? If we lie to her and Ollie won't... how do you think she will feel learning that we didn't tell her the danger her... the father of her baby was in? This isn't right. And I don't care what you guys are saying, I won't stand for it. If you don't tell her, I will. Because she has a right to know, and I'm done with all the lying. You guys condemn Oliver for lying and yet here you are insisting on doing the exact same thing you regularly get furious at him for. Could you guys be any more hypocritical?" Thea's words felt like a slap in the face and she knew her roommate had a point, but so did she and the rest of the team.

"Fine, we'll tell her. If we haven't found him by tomorrow evening. We'll tell her." Felicity chimed in, trying to get them to reach a compromise. She could live with the suggestion their IT genius made. She looked towards her dad and he nodded his head in agreement. That gave them plenty of time to find him and bring him home without Sara needing to know before he was back and in a position to soothe her. She considered for a moment if they should contact Roy, maybe he'd be able to help them located Ollie since he had managed to find Joanna, except, chances were that he would let Sara know about Oliver's kidnapping and they couldn't risk it.

"Are you insane? How are you planning on keeping this from her for that long? Do you guys even consider how she must be feeling right now? She's probably worried sick!" Looked like everyone but Thea could get on board with that idea, and she wasn't entirely wrong. Keeping this from Sara wasn't going to be easy.

Thea

She knew she'd been overruled by everyone, and they were still determined to not let Sara know about the situation until tomorrow night but this was just wrong on so many levels and given the little headway they'd made in the hours since Ollie had gone missing she doubted it would change.

And she was seriously fed up with everyone. Ollie was missing. Ollie had been taken by the guy they'd been outsmarted by for months. Who knew what he might be doing to her brother right now? He was sort of League trained from what Ollie and Sara had shared, so the one person who might be able to find him and understood how the League worked was Sara. She had information they were lacking and an insight in his way of thinking, if it was in line with the League's, they didn't have.

Plus, she just simply had a right to know her husband had been kidnapped and was in serious danger. Not telling her was wrong and not doing her any favors or keeping her safe. She couldn't even imagine the worry and fear she must be feeling right now, the not knowing what was going on and why he hadn't come home or checked in with her yet. It was way too out of character for Ollie for Sara to not worry about the lack of communication now.

Just leaving her hanging, leaving her in the unknown, wasn't any better than telling her the truth. It wasn't keeping her from worrying. So it wasn't doing anything to protect her or Mila. She brought that fact up, which then led to Felicity sending Sara a text from Ollie's private phone. Which was a breach of trust on an entirely different level. The Green Arrow's phone would've already been wrong but his private one, it felt gross and so wrong. This was his and his alone. Whatever was on there was none of their business. Even less the text conversations he had with Sara. Those were private and even if Felicity hadn't looked at them, her using that chat, pretending to be Oliver, was just so wrong. And using it to mislead Sara made her sick to her stomach. She felt disgusted with her friend and herself, for not interfering, for not stopping her, but just standing by and watching her.

'Sara, something's come up. Not sure how long it'll take. I'll explain when I'm back home.'

This was wrong, and she had a bad feeling, in addition to the sickness she'd been feeling ever since they realized her brother had been taken by a man they had been outmaneuvered by every encounter they've had and who seemed to have it in for Ollie for some reason.

This was so deceitful. It wasn't okay. They weren't just lying to Sara. They were purposely deceiving her while violating Ollie's privacy. They were pretending to be Ollie, pretending he was okay, and fooling Sara in a false sense of security. Making her believe he was alright. She couldn't...

Thea turned her back and walked away from them. She couldn't stand to look at them right now. She couldn't stand to be in the same room as them. How could they? And to do it so callously as if it were not a big deal, as if they weren't constantly berating Ollie for behaviors they weren't agreeing with, and yet, here they were, manipulating Sara without a moment's hesitation, as if it wasn't a big deal, as if it didn't matter. As if they weren't violating both her and Ollie's trust and hurting her, too.

This was so much worse than some of the things Ollie had done and they had berated him for.

Thea stepped towards the elevator. She needed to get out of here. She couldn't breathe down here. She couldn't be a part of this. She wanted to help find her brother, but this was too much. They just went too far. Ollie would never be down with this. He'd never agree to deceiving Sara like that. He'd be disgusted with them. He would never forgive them for this.

Sara was the one person not to mess with, not if you didn't want to be faced with the full force of Ollie's wrath and they were seriously way passed that, and barreled into uncharted territory when it came to the possible repercussions of her brother's reaction once he found out about what they've just done. She was pretty sure none of them were prepared for whatever storm they'd been gathering.

The only thing she knew for sure was that they were going to regret this and that there was no going back now. Whatever events they've set into motion with those actions could not be taken back.

But she couldn't be a part of it. Didn't want to be a part of it. They were messing with her family.

Notes:

As always I would love to hear your thoughts.

I hope I got everyone right and I'm sorry for the multitude of POVs in this one, but this is the only way I could do this chapter.

The chapter title is from the song "Apologize" by Timbaland.