Notes:
Thank you so much for all of your support! It means the world to me.
Some of the dialogue is taken from the episode Checkmate, let me know how I did with the changes and the lack thereof...
But it's really us and them and they been playin' us like pawns the sheep are waking up they shoulda' knew it all along They divide us cause the fighting is the fuel that makes them strong
Felicity
Felicity stepped out of the elevator, grateful to be back in the Bunker and away from Sara's watchful and calculating eyes. She had felt like a bug under a microscope, the way the former assassin had never let her out of her sight.
Her eyes trailed around the bunker, taking everything in. The remnants of the destruction Oliver had caused were still detectable. Dig had only cleaned up what was necessary to set up the new equipment and stored the broken pieces in a corner of the room. It was when she walked closer to the evidence of the damage Oliver had done that she noticed the broken pot, dirt, and what looked like the debris of what used to be a plant and now looked unsalvageable. Felicity walked towards the pile of broken electronics, furniture and the object that had caught her attention. She bent over once she reached the stack and carefully picked it up, making sure she wouldn't cut herself on the shattered pot.
Felicity looked at the Fern. Remembering the time she had bought one for the Foundry and the time Oliver had bought this one for her. She looked at the plant that was supposed to be a symbol of light, of the new path Oliver had chosen, a representation of them… and just like Oliver and she, it was broken and bound to die. Felicity felt a tear run down her cheek at the thought that had just crossed her mind. Had Oliver destroyed the plant on purpose, or had it just been collateral damage? Did it matter? The answer wouldn't change the cold hard facts and the harsh truth. She and Oliver were over for good. Oliver had moved on with Sara, and was settling down with someone else, getting prepared for becoming a father and family life.
And it hurt so bad.
Knowing that if things had been different, if she'd made different choices, they'd be married by now. Maybe even talking or at least thinking about having a family of their own. One day having kids together, not that she'd be ready for that yet. She was only twenty-seven and nowhere near ready to be a mother, but still…
She tried to keep a hold on her emotions but the tears wouldn't stop coming and it wasn't long before she sat on the floor crying, the fern still in her hand, looking at the pile of trash feeling like it was a representation of her life, a broken mess. How had she gotten here? When did this happen? She had had a plan, everything was going according to it, she had been at the very top and now… now everything was crumbling down while she was watching the life that she thought she was going to have belong to someone else. And that hurt. Was this how Laurel had felt when Sara had first come back home and gotten together with Oliver?
Or possibly how Sara had felt after she had been resurrected?
Felicity wasn't sure where that thought had suddenly come from, but it brought a bucket of ice water with it. Sure, Sara and Oliver had been broken up for months by the time Sara had been killed, but still… it must have been so bewildering for her. She remembered how she used to flirt or ogle Oliver while he was with Sara, and even when the other woman had been around. Yet Sara had never said a word, never let on how she was feeling about it. She had always been nice and friendly with her. What must she have thought? Back then and after her resurrection?
She had judged Sara on her actions, well, both Oliver and Sara on their actions when they had gone behind Laurel's back and yet, she hadn't been much better. The only thing that had been different was the fact that Oliver had not reciprocated her advances and stayed true to Sara, even months after she had left him and Star City. If Oliver had returned her advances, would she have let more happen, knowing full well he was in a relationship with Sara? She couldn't find an honest answer to that question and part of her was grateful she hadn't been tested. That Oliver had never considered cheating on Sara with her. Another part questioned what it actually meant concerning her. He hadn't seemed to be interested in her at all until months after Sara had left Star City and him to rejoin the League. It had only been after he had been certain that the Canary would not come back home that he had focused his attention on her.
Felicity felt her chest constrict at the realization and her mind just kept on spinning and dragging her down a twisted type of memory lane.
A small voice was calling her out for pushing Oliver after Sara's death, demanding he focus on them and whatever was going on between them, to choose her now… instead of giving him time to grieve. Had that been a mistake? Would things not have imploded the way they had if she hadn't pushed him? If she'd acknowledged the loss he was feeling and helped him through the grieving process, no matter how long it would've taken instead of demanding he focus more on them than on the steps it took to properly work through Sara's death? If he'd taken the time to deal with it and get used to the thought that Sara was dead, to fully move on after her death, would he not have rekindled their relationship now? Would he have moved past her, really moved on and no longer loved her? Or would it have changed nothing?
Was this karma?
Just like everything that had happened with her dad shortly after Oliver had gone on his travels, learning who he really was, what had really transpired between her parents and the choice her mom had made. She hadn't dealt with that yet, had pushed it aside and focused on the Ghosts and the remainder of Team Arrow after Oliver had left, and she still wasn't sure about the offer Alena had made her concerning Helix. Wasn't sure if she should take it or not. Maybe it would be a good thing for her, joining Helix and leaving Team Arrow, a clean break. She wasn't sure, wasn't sure which decision would be the right one. Wasn't even sure anymore if she'd get a chance to make that decision or if whether she was staying with Team Arrow or not was going to be decided for her. Given the way Oliver had spoken to her, or how he was obviously feeling concerning her choices, she really wasn't sure what her future with the Team was going to be like. So maybe Helix was going to be her only option if she wanted to continue helping people. She pushed all of that to the side for now, at least until Joanna was found. That reminded her of the reason she had come down here to begin with.
Felicity got up from the floor, placed the plant back onto the pile of trash and brushed her hands and her dress off before walking towards the platform in the middle where her table was standing upright again, and her new equipment was waiting to be installed. She texted Cisco again, letting him know what she was still missing to set it up properly, hoping he'd find the time to come here and help her soon. He had told her to let him know when she was ready, so he'd join her with the rest of the setup.
Oliver
Oliver and John stealthily walked around the Chase's house, making sure no one was home and everything looked normal. Once they were sure the house was empty, at least as sure as they could be from outside of it, the Green Arrow carefully picked the lock on the backdoor of the house, once he disarmed the security system, and they cautiously stepped inside. He hadn't missed the surprised look John had thrown his way when he forewent asking Felicity for help and just hacked the device himself. Oliver had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the stunned look on his friend's face. Different to popular belief, he wasn't completely technically challenged, and he was ARGUS trained. It was just easier to have Felicity do it, especially while going into a situation blind and not knowing if there were guards around to attack. He'd rather have his focus on his surroundings than on hacking a system, but this didn't mean he didn't know how to. He'd done it plenty of times before he'd ever recruited Felicity.
"Ok, Spartan. You check the upstairs and work your way down. I'll sweep the basement. We can meet in the middle." He chose to ignore what could be looked at as a slight and focus on the task at hand. Who knew how long they had before someone came home? This situation was anything but ideal, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Would he have rather had time to stake the place out and learn the couple's routines? Of course, it was one of the reasons why Sara had been less than thrilled about his choice to come here now, just days after they had learnt about Prometheus' identity.
Walking into the lion's den unprepared was a stupid move. He knew that, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Time was of the essence, and he had a gut feeling that they didn't have much left. And the last thing he wanted was for the next body they found to be Joanna. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if that happened, and he hadn't tried everything he could to find her.
"Roger that." Dig turned one way, and he made his way down to the basement, hoping that this wouldn't be entirely fruitless and they'd find something useful. But the basement proved to be a bust, so he slowly and carefully made his way back up the stairs and to the living room, it was when he was searching the room when he heard a door and the light was suddenly turned on right after, leading to him turning towards the entrance where a woman now stood unexpectedly. Fuck!
"Please don't hurt me." He saw the surprised and then frightened look on her face, a look he had seen too many times already, often enough to validate the authenticity of it and he felt guilty for the fright and possible trauma this moment was causing her, the last thing he wanted was to terrify an innocent woman. So he tried to placate her and ease some of her fear.
"Mrs. Chase." He knew this was a delicate situation, and he needed to tread carefully to try and gain her trust, not something easily done if you are being encountered trespassing on her property.
"What are you doing in my hou…" she was obviously still frightened but there was something else shining through, resolve and a fighting spirit, something he admired her for.
"Mrs. Chase, I'm not gonna hurt you." He spoke softly even though he knew the voice modulator would keep it from having the effect it would otherwise, it always made his voice sound more frightening which was on purpose and by design, something that usually was useful, but not in situations like this one. Not when the goal was to disarm and convince that he wasn't a threat.
"Get away from me." He had taken a tentative step towards her, which led to her slightly backing away, but her voice was gaining more force.
"Your husband isn't who you think he is." He needed to try, try and convince her. Maybe something could come out of this, something positive. Maybe this wasn't an entire waste of time. If he could convince Adrian's wife of his guilt, maybe it would have an impact. Or at the very least, give her a chance to walk away before she was dragged into his crimes and became an accomplice. He knew chances were that this would have the opposite effect and have her follow her husband. It depended on the type of woman, the type of human she was.
"Get out of my house." There was conviction and a fire in her he respected. She wasn't covering in fear and insisted on having him leave her home. And he'd followed her request right away, if the situation was different, but it was what it was and he needed to use this unexpected encounter to try and sway her or at the very least put some doubt in her mind.
"Mrs. Chase, your husband is the Throwing Star killer. He's holding an innocent woman hostage, and I need your help to find her." He could see the doubt on her face. She didn't know, but she might have a feeling that something about her husband was a little bit off. But that didn't mean she was willing to acknowledge it or believe him just like that. And if she really didn't know, she won't be able to help him.
"You're insane." Her answer didn't surprise him. It was a natural reaction to someone claiming the person you love you chose to spend your life with is not who you think they are. Even worse, a serial killer. If someone had told him how wrong he was about Felicity a year ago, he wouldn't have believed them either. Not without solid proof. But the words might have stuck in his mind and he'd gone looking for said proof, even if the original plan would've been to discredit the people making those outlandish claims. Yes, he understood her position perfectly.
"Doris, please. You need to understand the truth. You have to know at some level that your husband has been keeping something from you." Damnit, he wished Sara were here. She had a way with people and victims that made them trust her when they'd still be wary of him. He wasn't sure if it were the fact that she was a woman or the way she was approaching them, or the way the press had highlighted the Canary's quest of helping women in need, or something that was uniquely Sara, or a combination of all those factors, fact was she'd probably have a better chance to convince Doris of the truth than he did. Especially given the bad press the Green Arrow had been receiving lately, thanks to Ruvé and her office, he was sure of it.
"And police and the mayor say that you're the killer. You." It was almost as if she had read his mind, confirming his suspicions. And why wouldn't she trust the mayor, the person who had hired her husband? It was at this moment that they were interrupted by the SCPD. Fuck!
He refused to follow their orders and get on the floor, his mind calculating all of his options, while only randomly taking note of the officers ensuring Doris' wellbeing and taking her out of the house and into safety. Not that she hadn't been safe until the SCPD decided to show up, but they wouldn't believe him, even if he told them that. What bothered him was the explanation they gave her for their sudden appearance.
"We got a call from your husband.." Adrian knew they were here, but how? This wasn't good, not at all. There were too many things going on inside of his mind and he needed to focus.
"Tell me what you want me to do." Dig's voice pulled him from the depths of his mind and he was grateful for it.
"I am not getting into a shootout with the SCPD." Sara would have his head if he did. And he really didn't feel like getting chewed out by his pregnant wife later on today. She was already displeased with him for coming here, if he'd got himself shot in the process he'd be sure she'd be pissed and never let him hear the end of it, plus there was the risk of actually seriously getting hurt, not something he was willing to risk. The plan had been recon, nothing more, nothing less.
"Copy that. I'm out." Giving Dig a head start would give him a better chance at getting away, too. He was calculating the best and fastest way from the house to the car while taking in the situation around him, counting the amount of men in the building with him.
"Smart move, douchebag." Douchebag, seriously? That was the best he could come up with? What were they, twelve? He once again remained to follow the impulse to roll his eyes at the officer's need for name-calling.
"I wasn't talking to you." He hoped his reply would be a blow to the guy's ego, letting him know that he didn't feel he was important enough to be addressed or considered a threat.
"Drop the bow and get on the ground!" He threw the flashbang arrow on the floor, temporarily blinding the SCPD, and took off. He met up with Dig by the car and they drove off, back to the Bunker. Not his first choice, but he needed to meet up with the team. According to Felicity, Laurel and Thea were on their way back too, only it would take the two women longer to get back than it would him and Dig.
"Well, that was a waste of time." Dig broke the silence that had enfolded them from the moment they had checked in with Felicity right after they got into the car.
"Maybe, maybe not. If we're lucky, Doris will start to question what she knows about her husband." This was the only thing they had gained, besides the knowledge that somehow Adrian had been aware that they had entered his house. But how? It was something they needed to find out. Hopefully, Felicity could get to the bottom of that. But it also proved that Talia had let Adrian know about his visit and her revealing his identity to him. The question now was what it would mean and what it changed from Adrian's perspective. And what effect would it have on Joanna?
They needed to find her. He felt as if there was a ticking time-bomb around her neck and he could literally see the seconds ticking away… the bomb would explode the moment Joanna would lose her usefulness to Adrian; the question was what her usefulness was now and what his plan for her was.
Why Joanna?
Out of all the options he had, why Laurel's best friend? Sure, it could be something as simple as availability. He could easily get to her, but that wouldn't fit with the rest of his actions. He didn't do easy. So why Joanna? She wasn't a part of the team; she was only really connected to Laurel, and Speedy to some degree, but she had no effect on his life. What was Adrian's goal? What was the purpose of her abduction?
If he killed her, Laurel would blame herself. And probably him too. So was that the goal? To turn them against each other? To destroy them one after the other? But if that was the purpose of this, why had he kept her alive for this long? Why was he still keeping her alive?
Was he trying to keep their hands tied behind their backs for as long as possible? Was Joanna's purpose to keep them in check now that they knew who he was? Or to keep them focused on her while they were putting the rest of their plan in motion? That was the best reason they could hope for. It was the one who would ensure her survival. The only one, really.
Laurel
"Looks like no one is here anymore. Do you think he seriously expected her to still be here?" She looked around the dark, and what appeared to be empty, house of Adrian's mother, agreeing with Thea's observation, not sure about her question. Her first instinct was to say yes, Oliver wouldn't have sent them on a wild goose chase and to a place he was sure would be a bust. That wasn't like him. Even less when a human life was in the balance. But then again, it was a bit of a stretch to assume Adrian's mother would still be here, wasn't it? Yes, was still more likely than no, but the best she could do right now was a, maybe. He might not have expected Amanda Westfield to still be here, but that didn't mean there wasn't a chance of them gaining something from her house. If she left abruptly, she might have left something crucial behind.
"I don't know, maybe? Well, if the Green Arrow is right, when it comes to the identity of the Throwing-Star-Killer, then he is very clever." If Ollie was right Adrian was a very intelligent man, and if Ollie was wrong, Prometheus would still be very clever, as he had proven time and again over the past few months, always outsmarting and being several steps ahead of them at all times. So coming to an empty house wasn't that surprising. She hoped they'd be able to get some clues from it, since they couldn't from the woman who had abandoned it.
"What are you doing?" she felt a hand on her arm keeping her from climbing up the stairs. She looked at the young woman the hand belonged to.
"We're here to find something that could help us find Joanna, right? That's what I'm doing." It was pretty obvious to her. They were here to find something that might help them find Joanna. Amanda Westfield was no longer here, but she might have left something that would help them.
"No, this isn't an episode of Scooby-Doo, we were asked to get his mother, not take part in the beginnings of a horror movie. While I'm not the blonde one here, neither of us is a virgin, so creeping around the upstairs of a serial killer's mother's house is a sure way to get ourselves killed." Laurel wasn't sure whether Thea was serious or not and just looked at her in disbelief.
"We've been in worse situations than this, Speedy." She didn't understand why her roommate was making such a big deal about it, and since when was miss impulsive the careful one?
They suddenly heard someone desperately scream for help and both of them instinctually ran towards the noise.
What they saw was shocking. Joanna chained to a chair, Prometheus standing behind her, holding a knife to her throat.
She felt like throwing up. The moment she saw the recording of Joanna she felt like throwing up or screaming or just doing something but at the same time her entire body was frozen in place, and it was only once Thea had stopped the video that she managed to come out of the trancelike state she had been in after witnessing what had been done to her best friend.
Laurel hadn't felt this way since she had thought they had found Sara's killer and foolishly went after him, against Oliver's insistence to let him handle it. He had been right back then. He had played her, something she was still struggling with and a blow to her ego that she had never really recovered from, knowing what she would do even before she had. Oliver had been right almost three years ago, she hadn't had any proper training, and she hadn't known what she was doing, she had let her emotions guide her and if it hadn't been for Oliver following her, she might have been in some serious trouble and murdered someone who had had nothing to do with her sister's death. She had wanted revenge, believing it would make her feel better, take some of her pain away even if only for a moment.
A part of her still believed Malcolm's death would've been able to do that, at least ease some of the excruciating pain she had been experiencing at the renewed loss of her sister. Even if Oliver swore to this day that it wouldn't. It might also ease some of the heartache and sorrow that still remained because of Tommy's death. But her mind usually reminded her that Oliver seemed to know what he was talking about and understand more about revenge and vengeance than she did. Not that he had ever shared how and when he had given in to those feelings and the repercussions that must have come with it, given his conviction about how wrong it was and how little it did for you and the healing process.
Rationally she knew that they needed to head back to Star, to let the rest of the team know what they had found and show it to them, that there wasn't anything they could do right now, they still didn't know where Joanna was being held just that it wasn't here and that Adrian's mother wasn't here anymore either. But it was so very difficult to not let her emotions, her anger and fear, take over.
Thea's presence helped her focus enough to follow her and the two of them got out of the house, and headed back to Star City and the Bunker, so that Felicity could analyze the video and hopefully find a clue in it that would help them bring Joanna home. Honestly, all she really wanted to do was go up to Adrian and just do something, whatever it took to get him to tell her where he was keeping her best friend, and she knew that she couldn't do that. Oliver's reasoning made perfect sense.
Not letting Adrian know they knew he was responsible for Joanna's disappearance was important to not make him angry and turn it towards Joanna, but it was so very hard. Especially now, she hadn't been sure if Oliver was right about Adrian or not, but it was difficult to still doubt the validity in Oliver's words after finding a recording of her obviously physically abused best friend in his mother's house, unless someone was really going out of their way to frame him and screw with them. Which was a possibility, Ruvé especially came to mind. The woman was nothing if not resourceful and very good at hiding her tracks, but it seemed a bit extreme just to frame someone, or not? But if no one was screwing with them and framing Adrian, it meant he must be aware that they know he was responsible for Joanna's disappearance. Why else would he have had the recording playing at his mother's house? That made no sense. So if Adrian already knew, why shouldn't she confront him and try to get the desperately needed answer from him? What was holding them back from doing that and why should she listen to Oliver? If Adrian knew, all of Oliver's reasons for not confronting him made no sense.
And it led to the question if the Green Arrow would feel the same way if it were his best friend who was missing, or Sara. And she was pretty certain what Oliver's reaction would be if Sara were the one missing. Adrian wouldn't be walking around free right now if that were the case, so why should she listen to him? He was once again being a hypocrite, asking her to do something he'd never do himself, toeing a line he'd blow up if her sister were the one in what was obviously a madman's grasp.
Laurel didn't know what to believe anymore, what was the truth and what was a lie, there were so many things that had happened over the years and especially the last few months that made her question her judgment, and perception of things and the people surrounding her on a daily basis. It made it so hard to try and distinguish truth from lie and reality from fabrication.
All she currently knew for sure was that Joanna was missing and someone had her and was hurting her and that she couldn't lose another person she held dear. She had lost too many already and she just couldn't imagine what her life would be like without Joanna in it, the one person she had been able to count on from the moment she had learnt the Gambit had sunk to now. Joanna had been there for her from the moment she had learnt about her boyfriend's possible demise and shortly thereafter his and her sister's betrayal and her baby sister's subsequent death, even more so than Tommy who had been grieving himself and try as he might have hadn't been able to provide her the comfort she needed, to be who she needed him to be, especially because she had focused a lot of her anger and betrayal towards him and lashed out at him for something that hadn't been his fault. She still felt guilty about her behavior towards him back then. She knew he had never held it against her and forgiven her for her actions, but she had never been able to forgive herself. Tommy had been grieving just as much as she had, and he had sworn he hadn't known about Sara and Oliver's involvement. She hadn't believed him then, and a part still didn't now, not that it mattered anymore and not that it changed anything about the fact that he hadn't been responsible for their actions and blaming him for something that had nothing to do with him had not been fair. She had just needed an outlet, someone to point her fury at, and Tommy had been the only option she'd had. It had led to them avoiding each other for a while, instead of being there for each other. And it had been entirely her fault.
Joanna had been there during that time. She had listened to her, held her when she cried, justified her anger and understood the million different emotions that had threatened to drown her, the same way Ollie and Sara and Robert and the crew had drowned in the North China Sea. Joanna had validated all of her feelings, but also made sure she didn't get lost in her anger. That she didn't throw her life and her plans away over the tragedy. She had brought her attention towards CNRI and away from a career as far away from home as she could get. Joanna had reminded her why she had chosen to go into law, that her reason had been to help people, to make a difference, and that she could do this right here, at home.
Joanna had also been the one who had sort of pushed her more towards Tommy after the first couple of times the two of them had ended up in bed together. She had teased her and tried to get her to give him an actual shot. Joanna had seen something in Tommy she had refused to see for way too long. She had just waved her concerns about him having been her dead ex-boyfriend's best friend away. Tommy had reminded her of Ollie, because they were two peas in a pot and so alike and Ollie had hurt her and made her lose her trust in men, especially men like he had been, and Tommy had fit that criteria in her head. Even long after he had changed his ways and proved to her how much he had changed and he was trying to be better, be more, be the man she needed him to be. And she had only truly realized the depth of his and, with that, her feelings when it had been too late. Joanna had tried to tell her, had tried to sway her away from the siren song that had been Oliver after his return and keep her on track of the path she had stepped onto with Tommy. If only she had listened to her, maybe things would've turned out differently. Joanna knew her better than almost anyone on the planet.
She owed her friend so much. She had always tried to help her, no matter the situation she'd been in. Even when she had followed her father's footsteps and tried to crawl into a bottle and lost so much because of it, including her job, Joanna had been there, she had tried to help her even when her hands had been tied by her bosses. Her friend had also been the one who had helped her tremendously when it came to understanding her feelings towards Sara and Oliver and the true reason why seeing them together had hurt so damn much. There was still an ache now, but it was a different kind of pain than it had been before the realization Joanna had steered her towards. It had changed everything when it came to her relationship and outlook on her sister's relationship.
And Joanna herself had been through so much. Losing her brother had been so hard on her, and she understood, it was very easy to recall both times she had lost Sara. There was no pain like the pain of losing a sibling. It was pure anguish and felt like losing a part of yourself. Joanna didn't deserve what was happening to her now, especially if the only reason for it was because she was associated with her.
God, was this all her fault?
Had whoever had taken her, taken someone else if she had never decided to take on her sister's mantle? If she had done what Oliver and her dad had wanted and never become Black Canary, would Joanna be safe? Would she not have been put into harm's way? Was this her fault? Was this how Oliver and Sara felt on the regular? That they were responsible for the pain the people they cared about were going through because of their choices?
When they reached the Bunker, Oliver, Dig and Felicity were already there. It seemed Oliver and Dig's mission had not at all turned out the way they had planned and been a waste of time. Well, it was a good thing then that Thea and she had found something. She really hoped Felicity would be able to do her magic and miraculously find Joanna's location, thanks to the recording they'd found.
Laurel forced herself to watch Oliver's face when Felicity played the footage of her best friend for the first time. His face gave almost nothing away, except for a small worry line that appeared and his eyes that looked concerned. Whatever was going on in his mind wasn't something that was giving her hope. She had hoped this would give him faith, but it almost seemed as if it were doing the opposite.
"Felicity, can you send a copy to Sara? I want her thoughts on it. Thank you." Those words surprised her even more. Why would Oliver want to know what Sara thought about this? What was there to think about, different from the obvious pain she was in? She was hopeful that there was something that would give away the location, there wasn't really anything that could be taken from Joanna. She was scared and hurt, and that was about it.
Notes:
As always let me know what you think. I was kind a struggling a bit, because I was taking dialogue and scenes from the show and I hope the changes I made to it to fit the characters do feel like them and make sense, if not let me know. It was really tough to figure out who says what and how would they say it and does it make sense if it is someone else... I'm still figuring out how the rewrite part of my season 5 rewrite works, lol.
little rant or something along the line because it has been a while, lol and some explanations.
Isn't it interesting that Felicity is supposedly one of the best IT people on the planet, and yet, Helix could steal a prototype from Palmer Tech, a company she owned and run without her noticing. What does that say about her or the way she runs the company? Just something I realized while rewatching Checkmate for like the hundredth time trying to write the next couple of chapters.
I don't know if I'd mentioned that I love the episode Checkmate, the problem just simply is that I can't use everything I want to because it wouldn't make any sense with the story and the changes I made up till now but there are some really great and powerful dialogues between Oliver and Chase that I just need to find the right place to put them at and the right way to change them, which is why this is taking me forever to write. But I think I've finally figured it out, more or less anyway. And please, let me know what you think and if the parts I kept and the parts I changed and the parts I cut make sense.
One of the reasons why it has been taking me so long to update chapters is because the focus is more and more on the plot and the changes that come with Oliver and Sara's choices in Season 5 and that takes a lot of research and mapping out in the background. It takes a lot of time but it's nothing tangible for you guys to read until it's worked out and then turned into the story. We are also getting closer to parts of the story that have been written for ages and I need to sort of weave everything just the right way so it will fit nicely together and that is also not that easy to do.
Chapter title is from the song "Trigger Happy" by Tom MacDonald.