Chapter Text
Oliver looks around the conference room at City Hall and can’t help the small smile that creeps onto his face. These people meant everything to him. He has lost a lot of family in his lifetime, but he has gained a lot of people too. There was Thea, his full sister, no matter who her father was. And John, his steady hand, his brother. Quentin, his almost-father-in-law, who has become a more integral man in his life without the title than he ever would have been with it. Rene and Dinah. Not long ago they were strangers and now they not only fight alongside each other, but they fight for each other. And then there’s Felicity. She almost became his official family as his wife just over a year ago, but ring or no ring, she will always be the most important person in his life. And, if he’s honest with himself, he still hopes that someday she will be his official family. After they finally talked (well, really, after he finally actually listened), he thinks that sliver of hope might be a little bit bigger than it used to be.
It's been a while since Oliver has celebrated his birthday. There was too much danger to himself and the city to be bothered with it since coming back home and dates and celebrations just weren’t something he could even think about while away. But, this year, Thea thought it would be good publicity for the Mayor’s office and planned a party months ago while she was still his chief of staff. Now that all the city leaders have left and the publicity stunt is over, the genuine celebration begins, with the few people in the world that actually know Oliver Queen. He thinks that as Ollie he had a lot of friends, but Tommy and Thea, and, to an extent Laurel, were the only people who truly knew him. Now, he only has a couple of friends, but more people truly know him than ever before. Oliver will take quality over quantity any day.
He catches Felicity’s eye across the room. She’s chatting with Thea near the window and has a genuine smile on her face. It has been months since he has seen that smile. Maybe even an entire year. Since Havenrock. Malcolm took Tommy’s life and Slade took his mother’s, but Darkh took Laurel’s and then a piece of Felicity’s soul, so Oliver thinks he may hate Damien the most. Felicity is supposed to not only light his way, but everyone’s. She is the team’s light in the darkness that is their lives, but she hasn’t been for a while, not really. And for that, he doesn’t think there is any justice that would have been good enough for Darkh.
Oliver grins back, grateful for every smile they send each other’s way. He takes a step toward her when he hears the window crashing open. Before he even turns his head, he knows who it is. It has been almost ten years since the Gambit went down and over those ten years Oliver has gotten pretty good at sensing danger. Still, the sight of Adrian, Talia, and Evelyn makes his stomach tighten and his hands fist. The smug look on Chase’s face, Talia’s calm demeanor, and Evelyn’s slightly nervous posture only increase both his worry and his anger.
“Happy Birthday Oliver! I must say, I was quite hurt when I never received an invite. I’m sure it was just an oversight by your administration.” Chase declares to the now silent room, glancing at Thea.
“I can’t believe I didn’t remember to add “serial killing nut job” to the guest list.” Thea cheekily retorts, arms crossed, attempting to portray an air of indifference that Oliver can see right through. She’s scared. And pissed. He is too.
“There’s always next year,” Chase responds gleefully. Chase and company have barely been there a minute and Oliver is already exhausted from dealing with them. He sees Curtis and Rene out of the corner of his eye, both looking at Evelyn, seemingly pleading with their eyes to have her stop all of this. Curtis looks heart broken and Rene looks as if his fury is barely under control, ready to boil over at any minute. This can’t continue. Oliver needs to know what is going on.
“What do you want, Adrian?” Oliver asks in as calm of a voice as he can manage. He sees Diggle with a hand on his back, ready to pull his gun out of its holster in a seconds notice. He takes a split second to revel in John’s readiness and how grateful he is for a partner with whom he is almost always in sync. Oliver turns his attention back to the trio of allies-turned-opponents in the front of the room.
“Ah, Oliver. I want what I have always wanted. For you to be the killer that you are.” Oliver realizes that is what all three of them want. They want him to prove their preconceptions. They need him to be a monster because that is how they have always perceived him. This is the only way to turn their delusions into truth and justify their actions.
“That’s not going to happen, Chase.”
“Are you sure about that, Oliver? Because I have watched you for years. I know what makes you tick. I know just what buttons to push to bring out the monster you work so hard to keep at bay. I know just which people, and just what places, are needed to break you. I had hoped that our little torture session would be enough, but you proved to me what you said when we first started our little vacay, that your team is your strength. I think, though, that they might also be the perfect persuasion.” As Oliver tries to comprehend Chase’s words, he sees Talia and Evelyn move out of the corner of his eye. Evelyn raises a gun to Thea’s head while Talia grabs hold of Felicity, dragging her over next to Chase. All of a sudden, every gun is raised and Oliver is itching for his bow. He catches Thea’s eye, letting her know with a look to wait. Even with everything Oliver taught Evelyn, Thea can still disarm her quickly, but they need to know Prometheus’s plan before they let everything go to hell.
“You see Oliver,” Talia speaks for the first time, “you have inadvertently or eve advertently taken someone important away from each of us. It turned us into the people we are today. Now it is time we return the favor.” Oliver’s heartbeat quickens. He can’t let them hurt Felicity. And he realizes they are right. He would do anything before he allowed them to hurt her. Like always, he needs her strength, so Oliver looks at Felicity and realizes she has remained perfectly calm throughout the entire ordeal. He’s not the only one that’s noticed.
“You don’t seem afraid,” Talia comments, “I’m impressed.”
Felicity smirks as she responds “It’s cute you think this is my first kidnapping. Also, you should know that your sister is way more terrifying than you.”
Oliver almost laughs out loud as Talia’s face moves from placid to flustered to frustrated all in the course of a few seconds. Only Felicity. Only Felicity could bring lightness to her own kidnapping. The word kidnapping quickly brings him back to the moment. She may be calm, but she is still in danger and insulting your kidnapper is never a good plan.
“Ah, Ms. Smoak. You do not disappoint. I think we are going to have a spectacular time together.” Chase declares.
“Somehow I doubt that.” Felicity mumbles and Oliver wonders if she intended to say that out loud. She's putting up a strong front, but he can tell her walls are starting to crumble.
“Well, fun time or not, we do need to get going.” Adrian responds as he and Talia step back toward the window. And with that Team Arrow begins to move. Thea elbows Evelyn, swiftly kicks her legs out from under her, retrieves the gun and keeps it pointed right at her. Diggle, Rene, Curtis, Quentin and Dinah go for Talia and Felicity while Oliver approaches Chase. Six on two should give Team Arrow the advantage, but Oliver knows better. He knows Adrian planned for this, but they still have to try. It’s Felicity, after all. They have to try everything. He rushes forward, but before any of them can reach that side of the room, Chase and Talia have fired their grappling hook arrows and vanished with Felicity into the night.