28. Best laid plans of mice and women

"Whooooo," Thea squealed as Laurel took a too sharp turn and the back of the car slid a bit on the wet asphalt. It had been raining earlier in the evening.

"You're such an enabler," Laurel tried to say it grumpily, but the laugh came out anyway. She had done it on purpose. Her blood ran hot with power.

"What? Police is too busy with the DA being hostage. They won't stop you for speeding now, plus if they do…" Thea's eyes glinted under her mask as she did an expressive breath and impression of boom.

Laurel rolled her eyes. "We will need to figure out a better way to move around the city than my car when we have our costumes on."

"Masks, Laurel, we are respectable vigilantes. Use the proper terminology," Thea was giddy, near bouncing in her seat. It was, of course, a serious situation they were going to go in, but… She'd lie if she said that she wasn't excited.

"I think I have a wedgie from the pants – this is what happens when you order online, Thea…" in good nature, Laurel continued playing the devil's advocate.

Thea giggled, unbothered, "At least the jacket fits."

Laurel smothered a laugh and parked a block away from the courthouse's back entrance. "If we're spotted, we'll have to make a quick exit. You've got your smoke grenade?"

"Got two. Also have the taser and voice box thingy annnnnd some plastic handcuffs."

"Ok, good," Laurel muttered and checked her own pockets. "Let's hope they work better than the other stuff we ordered." It wasn't just a saying that just about anything could be bought on the internet. Laurel's black leather jacket was from an online biker's shop. Same as the pants. Thea had ordered a slightly different style in red. They'd both figured the protective padding meant for riding bikes (and crashing) would go well with the general idea of their planned activities. Unfortunately for Laurel - her pants were a bit too tight, restricting movement, and the quilted padding looked almost like a net. Masks they had ordered to be custom made. Smoke grenade, taser…, she counted off the items on her.

"So, what do I call you? I still like the Canary idea, but it probably needs a prefix not a suffix. So how about…," Thea looked her over. "Well, Black Canary. There isn't much color or option for you unless you want to be the Tall Canary. The other one's blonde too and eye color's too descriptive plus I think the Arrow's hogging color green anyway."

"Speedy…"

"Hey...," Thea made a token protest. Her heart was beating too fast with anticipation to feel much else. "You'll need to come up with something better."

"Not in the next five minutes, Speedy," Laurel replied, full of cheek.

IKYWT

"They're likely keeping them in one of the office rooms, they're all this way," Laurel muttered Thea's way.

They'd made their way inside the courthouse surprisingly easy. The building was huge and took over half a block with an inner courtyard. The courtyard had several side entrances and they'd used one of those. It had been conveniently left unguarded. It made Laurel wonder whether someone else was supposed to be using it.

"Ok, well, lead the way," Thea nudged her along, her eyes glinting behind her drawn hood and red domino mask. She'd opted to wear a hoodie beneath her leather jacket and the tone matched the dark maroon of her biking leathers.

"Most of those rooms have glass walls, so…," Laurel was interrupted by the loud vibration of her phone. "Fuck."

"Shut it off, shut it off!"

Panicking, Laurel accidentally pressed the green button to answer the call.

"Laurel," Oliver's voice came too loud through the phone.

"Ollie, call you back later," Laurel hissed at the phone before dropping it and turning it off.

Thea looked at her with an exasperated look that needed no words.

"Well, if they heard us then they'd be on us already," Laurel said defensively a quiet moment later. "And I should probably leave the phone in the car next time."

"You don't say…" Thea drawled, rolling her eyes.

IKYWT

While sneaking through the justice building - all Laurel could feel was excitement. An addictive whisper of rebelliousness and power that heightened her senses and made her blood run hot. It was the sort of recklessness that made her want each breath of air she took, that made every minute lived stretch longer. It was an experience that was worth its weight in gold.

All thoughts of – have we trained enough, can I do this, should I do this, is this my place, who am I – vanished. There was no place for doubt in her anymore. Life became a living thing within her with each step she took.

And then they found the hostages. They could hear the Huntress giving orders from an entire hallway away.

They ducked down low. Laurel exchanged a look with Thea. They had already discussed their plan. So, it was now or never.

Never was never an option.

Thea nodded at her. She hadn't backed out in Chile. She was not going to back out now. The thrill she'd felt on the way had matured into a quieter sort of sense of assurance. For Thea all of this had always been about a sense of belonging. And she belonged here. Doing the right things. With the Black Canary.

Laurel rose to a lower crouch, took a deep breath and turned towards the office where the hostages and their kidnappers were holed up. Here goes nothing… And she let go. She let that feeling of strength pool and tumble out of her in sonic waves. Screeeeeeeeeeeee. She was the mistress of a thunderstorm. eeeeeeeeee. She was a bird that could fly in a torrent. eeeeeeeeee.

Thea thumped her on the shoulder. The glass had shattered on the room and all the assailants were on the floor along with the hostages. Laurel pressed her lips shut, swaying forward – it wasn't quite like coming out of a trance, but it did feel like trying to shut down a dam whose gates have been opened. She could have sung like that for the entire night. Until the foundations of the earth shattered.

"Let's go," Thea's voice was gruff, her voice modulator switched on.

Laurel switched on hers too and rushed inside the office room.

"It's okay, we're here to rescue you," she said as she got next to the nearest person and started tugging at their bindings. "Go for the central exit, it's full of police there, they'll take care of you," she said hurriedly as she freed one dazed person and moved to the next. A slight sense of remorse came over her as she saw how slowly the people came out of the stupor that Laurel had shouted them into.

Thea meanwhile was working on another set of hostages and didn't notice that one of the kidnappers was getting up, shaking off the effects of Laurel's scream faster than others. At least shaking off enough of it to aim a gun at Thea. But before he could press the trigger, it was kicked out of his hands and his head knocked back by a large lance.

"Who are you?" white hair, gruff modulated voice. The original Canary demanded answers pointing the other end of her lance at Thea who had just managed to free another person.

"Behind you!" Thea replied, jumping to her feet.

Sara turned around just in time to bat away another one of Helena's guys. Thea joined to help her, dancing around him and jabbing her taser in his neck from behind, "Save hostages first, chat later," there was no small amount of cheek, even in her robotic voice, as the man dropped at her feet.

Meanwhile Helena had also got back on her legs and her aim went straight at Laurel's back. There were no two thoughts for her – this woman interrupted her. She was scheduled to die. Except the crossbow was shot out of her hands by an arrow.

"Stand down," Arrow growled stepping in the room from adjoined office, his boots crunching glass strewn across the floor.

Oliver was, frankly, pissed. DA had tried to keep Bertinelli's trial as quiet as possible, but Helena had been on her way anyway. He'd barely got the mafia boss off the bench and out the building as Helena took over the courthouse. And then Detective Lance had almost caught him out – Oliver had never been more grateful that Felicity had jokingly put his mother's picture as caller id for all calls coming for Arrow's phone number. It had saved his secret tonight. And then to make things even more perfect as he and Sara had been about to go through the entrance that Lance had cleared for Arrow, he'd seen Laurel's car. That moment of cold panic when he thought he might have missed her being in the building still gave him shivers. But she had promptly accepted and dropped his call with annoyed yell, so he assumed she was just still mad at him. That was better than the alternative.

And now it seemed that there were even more wannabe vigilantes in Starling. And not just in any place in Starling – right here in front of him. All in all, Oliver was having a very bad day as he'd made the move to protect the back of the masked idiot that was trying to free the hostages.

Laurel startled, looking up and noticing the new arrivals. Oh, that's why the entrance was cleared. "You have to go, now, keep low, go for Central exit," she repeated as she nudged forward the woman she'd just untied.

"Who are you?" the woman grabbed her hands just as Laurel was about to withdraw and Laurel recognized Susanna Bray.

"That is a good question," Arrow growled stepping closer.

"Just trying to help, Mrs. Bray," Laurel said, her voice robotic. Inwardly she winced – it was a tiny detail, but perhaps she could have done without recognizing the DA on the spot.

"This city does not need more terrorists," DA said, her voice steady even as her expression was strained.

"Now is not the time for this, please, go to safety," Laurel pulled her hands from DA's. Even as Susanna Bray stared in her face, Laurel felt confident with her black domino mask, makeup and wig. She'd had trouble recognizing herself in the mirror.

"If you want to help, join the police force," Susanna said as she moved away.

"Who are you?" Arrow grabbed Laurel's hand before she could get away now that DA was finally off.

Laurel spluttered and glared at him. Thea and the Canary were tackling a guy that was built like a three-door closet and… where is Helena? And first DA and now Arrow thought this was a good time for a chat?

"You shouldn't…" be here, is what Oliver wanted to impart to the woman attempting to join the ranks of vigilantes but once her eyes met his… She had green eyes. Oliver felt his heart stutter in his chest. His frustration and anger stopped dead. Then her eyes widened, and Oliver felt the warning in that before anything else, but before he could turn around…

Screeeeeeeeeeee. Laurel screamed when she saw Helena throw knives their way. The projectiles were knocked away and the Huntress fell back. Laurel yanked her arm out of Arrow's grip and advanced on Helena.

But then she was thrown sideways as Arrow knocked her to the ground, covering her body with his. And for all that they had been allies, enemies and allies again – Laurel was about to scream to get him off her, but she barely got around to the thought as the world around them exploded.

During Canary's and Thea's fight one of their opponents had thrown a grenade that the Canary batted away, but even from further away the impact shook the walls of the third-floor offices.

Laurel recovered quicker, "Arrow?" she pushed at him, and he went easily – dazed, but conscious. She exhaled with relief.

"You were not invited," Helena dragged Laurel by her hair up, nearly tearing off the wig as Laurel went with the motion.

Helena twisted out of the way as Laurel tried to elbow her in the stomach.

With her face facing forward, she couldn't use her scream to free herself. Laurel tried to kick as Helena pulled her backwards. She managed to jostle the other woman and then punch her in the face just as Helena hit her back. The world was a mess of broken glass and furniture. She strained to see where Thea had gotten. And as trapped and losing this fight as she was, Laurel realized that she felt strangely calm.

And then she kicked at the Huntress, catching her the middle. The force from the move pushed her back. Laurel grinned, finding her feet, just like at the gym, squaring her shoulders – throwing a punch. Helena took the punch but charged back and while Laurel was prepared for a hit, she was not for a push.

And she'd missed her surroundings. They'd wound up on the balcony. And that push – Helena pushed her over the rail. She didn't even hear the shouts of the SWAT team making their entrance.

IKYWT

A fall from the third floor, even as high as it was in the courthouse shouldn't take long. Laurel barely realized she was falling. Hardly had a moment to scrounge up some panic, when she was roughly grabbed, and the landing was slower and softer than it ought to have been.

Meanwhile Oliver's very bad day had turned into an exceptionally very bad day. As he shook off the ringing in his ears and double vision from the exploded grenade and debris that had hit him – Helena had taken the newbie and started schooling her. He shook off the effect of the explosion and was about to shoot at Helena to get her to release the other woman – when red dots of SWAT lasers appeared, and he knew that they had run out of time.

He gave orders to Sara to clear out just as he saw Helena herd the newbie into a dangerous spot.

And it really wasn't a choice. He did not like it when people took his example and attempted to work the streets as vigilantes. They were not prepared. This woman was not prepared. Whatever it was that she had that had let her scream the way she had – it was not enough to protect her. Helena in turn had spent months on a killing spree. It was obvious that…

And as the woman imitating Sara's look went over the balcony there really wasn't a choice. He ran, shooting a cable arrow at the roof ledge and jumped after her.

She was an idiot who shouldn't have been here. She had Laurel's eyes.

There really wasn't a choice.

IKYWT

"Shit," Thea cursed as she took two, three steps on the stairs at a time and then jumped the last four, her ankles angrily whining at her before rushing out into the courtyard to see the Arrow and Laurel rolling on the ground in each other's arms.

For Laurel it took a few moments to process the impact. The solid body under her that had broken her fall. The speed with which everything had happened. Her first instinct was to check his breathing – conscious and moving.

"Black Canary," Thea loudly hissed, her voice modifier still on.

Laurel's eyes widened as she heard Thea, she was about to respond, but her hand went to the modifier at her side. It had smashed in the fall, softened as it had been by the Arrow placing himself between her and danger once again... She pressed her lips shut and scrambled out of Arrow's hold and up on her feet.

"Who are you?" Oliver hissed in his gruff modified voice as he rose to his feet more swiftly than after the explosion.

Laurel backed up quickly, shaking her head.

He drew and notched an arrow reflexively, aiming his bow at her. "I will have an answer," he threatened knowing full well that he was not about to shoot a woman with Laurel's eyes. He'd just jumped off a balcony after her.

"Black Canary," Thea hissed. They were pressed for time. SWAT team had breached the courthouse. Helena Bertinelli was already taken into custody. The original Canary had taken pity on Thea and told her to run while she held the SWAT from following. They had to leave now. Or their first outing would be their last. Swift end to their vigilante career.

Laurel couldn't help but hesitate as she took small steps backwards. She had worked with Arrow. She had hunted him. And then worked with him again – even turned to him for help. And just now he had once again saved her. Twice. Yet now – she also had a mask and an identity she hoped to protect.

"You're not the Canary," Arrow growled. She had Laurel's eyes, but she was not Laurel. He had to remind that to himself, but the realization was powerful once it settled in. He was done looking for anything close enough to the real thing. Even if he no longer had Laurel. "Who are you?"

Laurel winced and inclined her head in apology. I'm sorry. And screamed – screeeeeeeee. The scream threw the bow out of Arrow's hands and the man himself down the ground. So sorry. She turned and ran.

Thea waved at the original Canary on the other end of the courtyard before rushing after the Black Canary.