Notes:
I apologize for the delay in updates lately. There's a lot going on in my life that takes a lot of my place in my mind which limits my imagination and makes writing more difficult.
I hope the lengths of the chapter makes up for the wait.
Livin' in this house with no furnace, unfurnished that's rock bottom, when you feel like you've had it up to here 'Cause you mad enough to scream, but you're sad enough to tear
Thankfully, both kids had fallen asleep in the car on their way home, and they had managed to get them from the car to the bed without either of them waking up. He'd wanted to talk to Sara, the entire ride home had been spent in silence, and not the good kind he came to appreciate over the years, but a tension filled one. One that was forced because they both had things they wanted to say, but Sara hadn't been wrong. This was neither the time nor the place to have this conversation. So he just watched her while she got ready for bed in the makeshift bathroom that used to be one of the toilets for the workers.
It was when she had her back turned towards him, walking to their improvised bedroom, that he couldn't stand the silence any longer and just had to break it. He hated this, and he hated for them to go to bed like this even more.
"I'm sorry, Sara." His words were quiet and at first he wasn't sure she had heard him until she stopped and turned around to face him.
"I know. Can we just go to bed now? We'll talk about it in the morning, but right now I just need some sleep. I'm exhausted, Ollie, and I'm sure you are as well. We'll talk, just not right now. I don't have the energy for this conversation at the moment. I'm not mad at you. I don't have enough information about what happened to be mad at you. I'm pissed at the situation. I love you and I want to hear what exactly happened from you, but I can't… my brain won't be able to process… I'm too exhausted to be able to really listen to you and it wouldn't be fair to you to let you explain everything right now because I wouldn't really hear you. I'm sorry, I hate this as much as you do, but I just can't right now. I can't focus. I can't even see straight. I just need to sleep, and the kids will probably be up again in only a couple of hours." It was easy to depict the regret and exhaustion in both her voice and on her face, and he appreciated her taking the time to explain where she was at right now and why this was the way she chose to handle things. He got it, he really did, but he still felt the need to take care of the issue right now. But he could also see the truth in her words and that she really wasn't in the right state of mind for this conversation and that would inevitably lead to an argument neither of them wanted or were up to at the moment. So he complied with her wishes, even if reluctantly and with a heavy heart. He hated going to bed like this.
"Okay. I love you." Oliver knew she was right, and he was grateful she took the time to explain her position and to let him know she wasn't angry at him but at the situation. He understood where she was coming from. He really did. He just… this wasn't ideal, but it was the best he could get right now. And she wasn't wrong with her assumption that he was exhausted as well. He was. He just really hated to go to bed with any type of tension between them. But there was nothing he could do about it tonight. They'd talk in the morning and figure shit out and hopefully not go to bed with negative feelings lingering between them the next night.
"I love you. Now come to bed." She turned back around and walked all the way into the room. He watched her struggle to get down on the floor and onto the mattress they slept on. He hesitated for another minute before following her into the bedroom, closing the door behind him, as well as it would and putting the chain with the padlock they used as a lock in place to make sure no one would surprise them while they were sleeping. It wasn't ideal, but it was all they got right now. He hated this. So much. Sara deserved better. Their kids deserved better. He checked the chain and the padlock to make sure it was secure and turned towards the bed his family slept on, he grinned at the picture they presented, Sara was lying on her side, back towards him making sure he had room behind her, Benji snuggled up to her his head resting against her breast and then there was Eloise, tiny little thing she was she took up good two-thirds of their bed, as usual. There were times they tried to take some of the bed back from her, but most of the time they just resigned themselves to sharing the third of the bed their daughter would leave them. Yeah, he wouldn't be too mad if they could get back to a position where they at least had the option of having Eloise sleep in her own room and bed again if she wanted to. But for now, this was the safest solution and the only one to make sure the kids were protected from danger. Eloise was trapped between two walls, an old locker, and Sara and him. If someone managed to get past the padlock and chain, they still wouldn't get to the kids without getting past him and Sara. And that was all that mattered.
He lowered himself on the floor and carefully lay down beside his wife, his hand automatically brushing her shoulder towards her neck and down her spine until he reached the middle and moved it sideways over her hip and along her rounded stomach until it came to rest in the middle of it and above their youngest child. He leaned his head forward and kissed the back of her neck before settling down and putting his head on the pillow, closing his eyes. Only now realizing just how exhausted he really was. And not just because of the events of the night, no, because of everything that had happened since they came here. Nothing was going according to their plan, nothing was working out the way they had wanted it to. Nothing was going their way, and he felt like a failure. This was all his fault. They were here because of him. Their life had finally… they'd been in a good place, they'd had a good thing going in Georgia. He was seriously questioning their choice of leaving it all behind and coming here.
He closed his eyes, willing the negative thoughts away. There was nothing he could do about that right now. And Sara was right, they both needed to sleep. Chances were that at least one of their kids would be up before seven am, which wasn't too far off.
They had meant to talk all day long, but of course they never found the time or got the chance to; the kids were particularly needy and also rather moody, which was understandable given the fact that they had been woken up and had to stay up for several hours in the middle of the night before falling asleep again, and unfortunately for everyone, they'd both been up pretty early. So, no talking, as in having an actual grown-up conversation, had not been an option. At least not until now, now that both kids were down for the night, hopefully, at least Eloise. Benjamin should be down for at least an hour, possibly two.
"You shouldn't have paid bail. We can't afford to not have that money." Sara turned towards him, at the words, her hands still wet and soapy and holding the plate she'd been washing in the basinet they used to wash the dishes or do laundry in. This was not how he had meant to start that conversation, and the look on Sara's face told him it had probably been the wrong thing to bring up to start the overdue talk. But they were using a fucking camping cooker so they could have warm water, not only for the dishes but also to wash the kids because they were forced to live here and couldn't afford to get warm water, there were only a handful of taps that actually still worked and had running water, most of the pipes would have to be replaced at some point. Electricity was also sparse and not working on the entire building, another major issue that needed taking care of and replacing, there were only a couple of plugs they could use so they had light and heating for the two main rooms they were using, to make sure the rooms were warm enough for the kids to ensure they wouldn't get sick. It was unfortunate that the only rooms they could use were the ones without any natural light. But he didn't trust the electricity in other parts of the building and wasn't willing to risk a faulty line or anything like that. He'd checked it and had it double checked by an electrician in the rooms they were using, and those lines were safe, and that was all that mattered for now, knowing that the kids were safe. They couldn't afford to have the entire building checked, even less now than before, but the electrician had said, that they'd probably have to rewire a big chunk of the building, if they wanted to ensure it was up to code and safe.
"I'm the one who's balancing our checkbook and handling the bills. Trust me, I'm well aware. But leaving you in jail wasn't really an option either, Ollie. Having you home with us is more important than money. We've been in worse situations. We'll find a way to earn the money back. How about you begin by telling me what exactly happened that put me in the position to have to bail you out of jail instead of just telling me I made the wrong call?" He winced at her words, and the slight accusation underlying them. She wasn't wrong. So he got into a retelling of the events that had happened at Max's club and explained how and why he'd ended up being the only one who got arrested and charged. Sara stayed quiet the entire time, just listening to him. She'd put the plate down and dried her hands and sat down across from him at their makeshift table. But otherwise, she just calmly listened to him.
"Okay, so you got arrested because Max is still a dick." That sentence pretty much summed it up.
"I don't think he's going to let this go, Sara. I'm not sure… I don't know what we can do to make this go away. I don't think we can. But we also can't afford… I don't know what to do." Oliver dropped his head in his hands, wishing he got the answer, to at least this latest, if not all of their problems, but he was drawing a blank. He had no clue what he or they could or should do. He just knew they were fucked.
"I think for now the best thing we can do is nothing. Maybe he'll calm down, maybe not, but everything we'll do that involves a confrontation or communication with him could lead to aggravating the situation and that's the last thing we want. So we'll wait and see and prepare for the worst. Figure out a way for us to afford a lawyer or pay for the costs of a trial." He lifted his head from his hands to look at his beautiful, rational wife. What she said made sense, but it still didn't change anything. There was no solution to the mess that their life had turned into.
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that? What else can I do, Sara? I've been trying to secure work even before we actually moved here. But I just can't get a fucking job here. Not even at a fucking fast-food joint. If Max goes through with this, we're ruined. What the fuck do you want me to do? Maybe it's a sign that we shouldn't have come here, that this was a stupid idea." He pushed himself off of the chair he was in, his hands flat on the table, getting up and turning away from her in anger and frustration. He wasn't mad at her not really, he knew she hadn't been attacking him or accused him of not trying, he was feeling just so fucking helpless and useless and he'd bottled it up for weeks now and this was just all too much and it exploded all out of him and she as usual was the one his anger at the world was directed at.
"Or maybe it's a sign to put all our eggs into this one basket. Screw the dead-end jobs, Ollie! Focus on finding an investor for the club." He turned back around to face her at her words. Was she serious right now?
"What do you think Tommy and I have been doing for the last couple of weeks? Or I have even before Tommy offered to help?! No one's going to fucking invest in the discarded son of Robert and Moira Queen!" He was trying. That's all he'd been fucking doing since they got here. Trying to find a job, trying to find investors, trying to find a way to take care of his family, trying to find a more suitable place for them to stay, trying to do everything he fucking could to provide them with the life Sara and the kids deserved but no matter what he did it wasn't enough, it didn't lead to any success, things just kept on getting worse and worse.
"You don't know that. All we need is one person to be willing to take a chance on us, on this. Just one. You just need to be patient." Sara made it sound so easy, but the truth was, not even the one person who'd always had his back since elementary school was willing to take a chance on them. So he wasn't sure why a stranger would, when not even his best friend was willing to invest in them. True, he was trying to help and find them investors but still… he could theoretically be that investor, unless he missed something and Tommy no longer had any access to his trust fund either, but he doubted it, given the car he drove, the clothes he wore and the place he lived at. Yet, Tommy hadn't offered him any money or asked to be a partner in his business, and he would never ask him, but it also made him wonder about his best friend's situation again and his answer when he had asked him if he were happy. He knew there was more to it all than Tommy had led on, but he wasn't going to pry, he understood how difficult it was to talk about certain events in his life, he felt Tommy would share with him when he was ready, if it was something he felt was something he needed to know. But he assumed that the relationship between Tommy and Malcolm probably hadn't improved over the years and possibly only gotten worse. Unless Tommy really just didn't believe in him and thought this would be a fruitless endeavor and he wouldn't get his money back.
"Well, it's hard to be patient while knowing the balance in our bank account. There's barely anything left, especially after you had to take a big junk of it to get me out of jail." He purposely left out his thoughts about Tommy, certain Sara was just as aware of the elephant in the room as he was. But also agreed with him when it came to the subject of Tommy, or her family for that matter, and asking them for help. They wouldn't. Maybe they'd be willing to take a loan from them, if they offered, but probably not. They were not yet desperate enough to actually let their family know just how bad their financial situation was. There was no need to worry them, and he really didn't want their pity or have them think he was a failure for not being able to take proper financial care of his family. It was something he was aware of and didn't need anyone else to tell him. Sara was taking care of the kids and their home. It was his job to take care of their income. Sara was doing an amazing job as ever, and he was utterly failing at his. He'd promised her he'd take care of them, her and their baby no matter what after they'd learnt about her first pregnancy, and he'd kept that promise until now. And he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this useless and helpless. It wasn't like he wasn't trying. He'd take any job he could get. He didn't care what it was just as long as it would bring in some money, so he knew his family wouldn't run out of food to eat.
"I'm aware of that too, trust me, but barely anything is more than we had several times over the last five years and so far, it has always worked out in our favor, and I refuse to believe it won't when coming to your dream. I refuse to give up on this because it would feel like I'm giving up on you. And I would never!" Sara had gotten up at some point during their argument as well. Her original calm had shifted to a more intense tone as well to match his and try to convince him of her believes. The passion in her voice and the unwavering faith in him nearly did him in and as much as he appreciated and loved her for it on any other day, today it just made him feel like even more of a failure and he didn't feel like he deserved it.
"Maybe it just isn't the right time, maybe once the kids are older... If I get another job outside of Starling… or we sell this place… we can head back to Georgia and actually buy…" He was letting her down and she was still standing tall in her support of him and his pipe dream that looked to be their ruin. This would be the sensible thing to do. The smart, safe choice. The best thing for their family. This would bring them security and stability. This would be for the best.
"No! No! We are not selling and you are not switching your focus from turning this place into the club of your dreams to another dead-end job that barely pays the bills. We'll make it work until we find an investor like we always have. It'll be fine. We'll be fine." The fire in her eyes was almost scorching him, and left no place for argument and a smarter man would've faltered under the conviction and finality of her statements. But he'd never claimed to be a smart man.
"Why are you so damn sure of this Sara?" And he really couldn't understand how she was still so convinced that she was right, that they were going to be able to turn this run-down building into an actual club within a reasonable timeframe for them to not entirely run out of money, which honestly was an impossible feat given their current financial situation. There was no way in hell they could get it up and running in that short period of time.
"I'm not sure of this, Ollie. I'm sure of you. Because I know you. Because I know what you are capable of." Sara sidestepped the table and walked right into his space, placing her hands on his cheeks and pulling his face down towards hers, looking him straight in the eyes and giving him no chance to not look into hers as well.
"But what if you're wrong this time? What if no one is willing to take a chance on us in this godforsaken city because of the last name we carry? Maybe we should've gone with Lance. Might've made things here a lot easier." He placed his hands atop of hers and replied in a calmer, more quiet voice, god her eyes, her eyes and the way they looked at him, with so much love, and trust, and adoration and such unfaltering belief in him, how did he deserved this?
"Nope, we made the right choice by keeping your last name and giving it to our children. It is a choice I have yet to regret. Besides, Lance won't draw as much of a crowd once Verdant is up and running as Queen will. And all we need is one person who will take a chance on us, Ollie, just one." What had he done to earn this? He wasn't worthy of her, and her love. Sometimes he felt he was still the same screw up he'd been when she got pregnant, before he got his shit together and devoted his entire life to her and their daughter.
"And how are you so sure we are going to find someone who is willing to do that?" Especially lately, when he hadn't been able to provide for them, he'd felt like an imposter. Like he was pretending to be something and someone he was not. And it got hard at times to ignore the voices in his head, telling him he was a screwup, no good, that Sara and the children deserved better than him. That she'd be better off if he just left, if he went back to his old ways. That it was only a matter of time until he stumbled and fell and showed his true colors, that Sara would realize just what a worthless failure he was. Just like everyone else seemed to have realized already, which was why no one was willing to take a chance on him, they'd know it would be a bad call, that he and his dream were a waste of money.
"Because no matter where in this world we've been, we've always managed to find that one person. Why should it be different now?" But so far, she hadn't given up on him yet. She was still firmly believing in him and his dream. And Sara was the smartest person he knew. She was so damn good at reading people. So maybe she was right, at least in theory, if they were anywhere but here. He softly took her hands from his face and took a step back to get some distance between them. It made it easier for him to think.
"Because different from all the times before, we're in a city that wants nothing to do with us, with me. Because the people we need to take a chance on us are the same people that tremble in their shoes at the thought of displeasing my parents." Trying to open a club in Starling was probably the biggest mistake they could've made. And it hadn't been the plan, not by a long shot. The only reason they were back here was because his family's old Steel Factory had been the first space fit to turn into a club that they'd been able to afford. It had seemed too good to be true, and it proved to be. The place had been a steal, but it was turning into a curse and a burden now.
"We can always ask Anatoly for help." It was the first time since they'd started this conversation that Sara seemed unsure of her own words and suggestion.
"Not sure we want the strings that come attached with that help. Maybe I should just…" And sure, if everything else failed, they might have to go to those drastic measures in order to not have the kids starve, but he wasn't sure they'd reached that point yet. That they were desperate enough yet. He was sure their friend would help them out, but he would expect something in return and he wasn't sure it would be worth it. He'd rather do this the right, legal way.
"No! We saved so you could do this. We bought this place and we're going to make it work." She never let him finish his next suggestion, already expecting him to say something that would once again turn his focus away from Verdant. And she wasn't wrong. He could see and hear the frustration she was feeling now at his refusal to budge and give in to her, his refusal to believe her. But he just couldn't, not right now, not today, not after everything that had happened since they'd come back here.
"How exactly are we going to do this, Sara? You deserve better than living in the fucking basement of a former steel factory! Eloise and Benjamin deserve better than this. It's not worth it." He could feel the anger boil within him again and spill over. It wasn't as easy as she made it out to be. It wasn't working. This was not the life he wanted for them. This was not how he saw them raising their kids and living. This wasn't right, and his dream wasn't worth this. Part of him just wanted to cry at the thoughts of what their life had turned into and the conditions their children were forced to live in.
"Of course it is, Oliver. You worked so hard for this, you spent the last five years making my dreams come true, now it's your turn. This is something you've been talking about for years, something you and Tommy had planned on doing since the first time you guys went clubbing. You spent so much time telling me about the mistakes the owners of the clubs you've worked at over the years made and how they could improve things and turn their club into more than it was, bring in more profit. You know this, you know how to do this, and I refuse to let you give up on it because of me and the kids. We can always go back to Georgia, but I refuse to go back until you got the chance to make your dream come true to really give this a shot." God, how could she be so sure? How could she still believe in him like this? How could she still support his dream after everything it had forced them to give up since he took the first step to really make it come to life?
"Sara…" It wasn't the same. She just wanted to travel. Her dream hadn't nearly ruined them financially. Her dream hadn't led to him not being able to have an income and earn money to take care of them.
"No. I wanted to see the world, and you showed it to me. It took blood, sweat and tears, but you never deterred from taking me to all the places I've always wanted to see. I wanted to be a mom, have a family of my own and you gave me that too. You made everything I've ever dreamed of come true, Ollie. Please, let me do the same for you. You made so many sacrifices for me, gave up so much for me. I can't let you give this up as well." Oliver heard the hitch in her voice. It was still as intense as before, but he could also make out the tears gathering in her eyes. He hadn't… it wasn't… he'd do it again, all of it in a heartbeat to have her and their kids in his life. He'd do it all over. It had been worth it. All of it. It hadn't been… he looked at her and he saw her unwavering love and so much gratitude and acknowledgment of everything he'd done for her over the years and he'd never… it had never… it had just seemed natural to him to make her happy, give her the life she wanted. He'd never looked at it as making sacrifices for her. It had just felt like the right thing to do.
"And how are we going to feed the kids if we run out of money before someone is willing to take a chance on me?" Alright, maybe she was right, maybe a shift in perspective, in the way he looked at the situation was what they needed. What would lead to an actual solution. One problem at a time.
"We can buy some soil, there is plenty of space on the property to turn into a garden and grow our own food, like we did in Georgia." Made sense in theory and was definitely a way to provide food while in the long run saving some money. Potentially. But they'd also need money to get the soil and seeds.
"It's September, it'll be cold soon." If they weren't faced with the problem of them now living in Washington and it being fall instead of spring. There was no growing food on frozen ground.
"We'll figure it out. Like we always do. Maybe we can build a makeshift greenhouse or something." That was not a bad idea, and could potentially help them grow food during the winter. Maybe, at least, it was an option. But there was still one issue they hadn't really talked about yet, which was funny given it being a major one they'd have to be dealing with rather soon.
"And when the baby's born… you really want to live here? With a newborn?" And that was the birth of their youngest child, which was only weeks away. This place was not suited for a baby. Even less once it became even colder outside. He really needed to properly fix the door to their bedroom.
"We pretty much lived in that piece of shit car we've had for two years before we could afford something better after Eloise was born. This trumps a car any time of the day." That was true. God, that car had given them so much trouble, but it'd been the only thing they'd been able to afford and he had learnt a lot about fixing cars thanks to it. They'd also had a lot of good memories in that car. And it had been their and Eloise's home for a very long time. An actual building did indeed trump a car.
"We'll have to figure out something concerning heating. If I take out one of the walls, make the space bigger and put in new doors that actually close properly, figure out how the electricity is wired, we should be able to keep the two rooms warm enough during winter. Not sure about the toilet, though, I gotta figure out how everything is run in there. Maybe we can turn it into an actual bathroom, but I don't know. I've got to study the blueprints closer; it takes different changes to try to turn part of it into an apartment that is suitable for living than it would to just turn it into a club. Maybe the former breakroom could be turned into an actual kitchen, or some of the pieces could be used to build one, if any of them are still working." He felt lighter than he had in weeks. Their issues hadn't been solved yet, but actually coming up with ways that could potentially improve their situation, even if just their living situation felt good. He suddenly no longer felt useless and a failure. He could do this, he understood this. He'd worked in construction a lot over the years, he'd learnt a lot. This, at least, was possible.
"Now, we're talking. See? Sounds like a plan and solution to me. Plus, this here is a thousand times better than the mold infested, rundown, leaking and hazardous place we were ripped off at. No, I'd rather stay here than pay an insane amount of money to risk getting health issues because of a place that is not up to code and owners that don't give a shit about the people living there. The kids are literally safer living here on a construction site than they would be in that apartment. I mean, the hostels in Asia were nicer than that, and those were some serious shitholes." She was right, the apartment they'd rented had been a nightmare, not at first, it had looked nice enough at first glance and withstood their first inspection, but it hadn't taken them long to figure out just what exactly they were renting and how dangerous the place really was. A lot of it had not been up to code. They'd just painted over huge junks of mold that infested most of the apartment and there'd been silverfish in the kitchen and the bathroom, and they'd also found some cockroaches. Some of the floorboards had been loose, and it had not at all been up to fire code, it had all together been a disaster and their landlord had been a complete asshole. They'd left as soon as they'd come up with a solution where to stay, they theoretically still had the right to stay at the apartment, they'd had to pay several months' worth of rent up front and they had yet to get any of the money back. He doubted they'd ever seen any of it again. Fucking greedy bastard.
"It still takes money to make those changes, Sara, money we don't have." And now they'd gone full circle and were back to the original issue and the reason that had started their argument to begin with.
"Maybe… isn't there an industrial landfill just outside of Starling? We could go there and check it out. Maybe we'll find some of the stuff we need." Sara sounded thoughtful. There at least used to be one. He wasn't sure it was still in use, but if not, he was sure there'd be another one somewhere in or around the city.
"You do realize that this constitutes as stealing right? That we're no longer in a country that doesn't care about people taking what they need from a dumpsite." While this was something they'd done fairly regularly while travelling, most of the countries they'd been to didn't really care if people took out of landfills what they needed. He knew they'd get in some serious trouble here.
"Yes, I'm aware, still think it's stupid, that stuff is going to be burned or crushed or whatever, so what does it matter to them if we take what we need? But I mean, we can ask someone if it would be alright, explain our situation, that has helped before, maybe it will again. Plus, the kids are always a very convincing factor." He completely agreed with her. It made little to no sense, but most laws and rules did not. They still had to adhere to them, though.
"There's a big possibility they're going to turn us away because of policy." As much as he wished it would be that easy and that she was right, he didn't want to get her hopes up because in his experience chances were slim to none that they'd just be allowed to roam around the landfill and take what they needed.
"We won't know if we don't try. I mean, they did some not so legal stuff on the construction sites you worked on in Georgia, too. I bake them some freaking cookies or whatever… whatever it takes, right?" True, they did some not so legal stuff, as she wanted to call it on most construction sites he'd worked at, but that didn't mean this was going to work. And he also wasn't sure if home-baked goods, no matter how delicious they were and Sara was very talented when it came to baking, would be incentive enough to let them get away with taking old building parts from a dumpsite. But it was worth a shot. He was about ready to do anything really just to improve their living situation, even if only slightly.
"Within reason… yeah. Just as long as it doesn't lead to us not being together. And we can't really risk getting the cops involved again, especially since I'm technically only out on bail." They couldn't afford any missteps. They could try to bend the law as much as was possible, but they couldn't afford to break it. And he really didn't feel like doing some jail time and only seeing Sara and the kids through a glass window. Which was already an option that was on the table, thanks to Max.
"So, day-trip, yay!" The change in Sara's demeanor and pitch of her voice was like whiplash. She sounded like her teenage self right before a road trip. And he had to laugh.
"You're crazy woman!" He closed the short distance between them and wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her in, before bending his head to place a quick, hard kiss onto her lips.
"It's why you love me." Oliver just shook his head at her, grinning, while she wound her arms around his neck. She wasn't wrong, but it was just one of many reasons. He let her pull him down to her height and into a sensual kiss without hesitation. He contemplated for a moment how sound the construction they'd been using for a table was and whether or not it would support her weight. Yeah, this was better. This was how he preferred to end their nights.
Notes:
I struggled with this one for a while, a lot of it has been written for quite some time but since it is rather sad, it was hard for me to focus on this chapter because I needed to put the energy I had left for writing into something happy, less heavy, which is how "the one where Sara and Oliver just don't give a fuck anymore" came to be.
I hope this chapter clears up some of the questions concerning Oliver and Sara's living and financial situation.
Also, there's a nod to Arrow Season 1 in this one...
Chapter title is from the song "Rock Bottom" by Eminem.