Shadow

Before Wednesday

Two and a Half Months Later

Starling City Police Department

"Dad." Laurel greeted her father, having just arrived in his office.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Im picking up something. We've been dealing with a lot of cases lately. So, I came to say hi." She replied. "You look stressed, and overworked, what's up?"

"Its nothing." Quentin replied, but received a look from his daughter. "OK. It appears no one wants to be our mayor so the City Council is running Starling City right now but..."

"But things aren't going well, especially since the 'Ghosts' started operating even though there's been a rise in arrests and convictions related to the Glades." Laurel completed.

"Yes."

"Don't worry. We will get them."

Verdant

"Thanks for coming, guys." Thea said to Verdant's employees, well, at least until it was closed. "I called this meeting to inform you that Verdant is being reopened and those of you who still want to work here are still welcome."

"Even me?" Becky asked, and Thea paused for a second, and then replied.

"Even you, Becky. Just be here on Wednesday, we will be preparing everything for the reopening."

"Um, I do want to continue working here but I can't make it on Wednesday." Mason Hewitt said.

"Why not?" Thea inquired.

"There's this fundraiser held every week on Wednesday to raise funds to build an emergency shelter in the Glades. I've been volunteering to help organize it since it began about a month and a half ago and my little brother is performing this Wednesday and I can't miss it."

"Wait, you help organize Beacon Fundraisers shows?" CE1 (Club Employee) asked, visibly impressed.

"Yeah. Have you seen one of them?" Mason replied, and then asked, smiling at her.

"One? Try three! I heard the founder will be performing this week." CE1 responded.

"Hello! We're still in a meeting, guys." Thea cut in, although she was already planning on attending the fundraiser.

She was a bit disappointed in herself for not knowing about it, considering she was quite active on social media but figured it was because of her vigilante activities.

Palmer Technologies

"Are you any closer to making the suit shrink, Ray? We could use that ability to catch these guys." John asked Ray later that day.

"Not yet, but soon. I'm getting close to safely shrinking myself." Ray replied. "But there's still the fact that whenever we manage to catch them they kill themselves."

"Where could they be getting cyanide from?" Laurel asked, although she didn't expect an answer.

"We could ask Felicity to find out." Thea suggested.

"Then she'll tell Oliver about what's going on and they will be back here." John said.

"Not necessarily." Laurel commented. "We could ask her to not tell him. We need her help and she's good with finding this stuff."

"Alright. But who will call her?" John inquired, and looked at Ray.

He wasn't the only one.

"What are you looking at me for?" Ray asked, noticing that everyone was looking at him.

"You're our mission control and we're pretty sure you call on Felicity every now and then because of her experience and skills as one." Thea replied, and received nods from everyone.

"OK, I'll make the phone call." Ray said. "Are we still having dinner at your house this Wednesday?"

"Yes." John confirmed, and then asked. "Have you changed your mind or made other plans?"

"No. I'm just making sure I marked the correct day on my calendar."

"I might be late." Thea said, and earned everyone's attention. "I'm going to attend a fundraiser in the Glades."

"Oh, thank God. You have a life!" John responded, visibly relieved.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thea asked, confused and a little offended.

"If you haven't noticed, you've spent most of the last few months as Speedy instead of Thea, and we were getting worried, especially with how aggressive you have been." Laurel replied.

"I was thinking about giving you some time off, maybe a few weeks, a month or two." John revealed.

"And I, was thinking about hiring you to be my assistant during that time off since you spend more time here than my actual assistant." Ray added.

Thea was in disbelief, she couldn't believe it, but she knew that they were right.

She just had a lot of energy that she didn't know what to do with and every time she laid eyes on the spot the previous Ra's al Ghul attacked and very nearly killed her, her body burned with untold aggression, aggression that skyrocketed during fights on missions.

The aggression actually scared Thea. She liked and enjoyed the adrenaline rush, it was an amazing feeling, but the aggression she felt during fights was just terrifying. It bordered on bloodlust. It was why plans of adopting a pet were on pause. But she didn't say anything.

Thea didn't know what she would do if she was forced to take time off from the only thing that provided her with some relieve, even though it was kind of a double-edged sword and temporary.

But hearing what her teammates were saying, Thea began to wonder if maybe some time off was what she needed. Maybe she needed to be away from her loft for some time, away from the primary trigger for her frightening aggression.

But once again, Thea didn't say anything. She supposed she was going to wait to see what happens on Wednesday.

"You know what?" John inquired, rhetorically, and brought Thea to the present. "Take Wednesday off. Take your time at the fundraiser, enjoy yourself. You can skip this week's dinner but you have to come next week. Agreed?"

"Yeah. Sure." Thea replied. "But save me a plate."

Ashkiri City

"I still can't believe it." Enchantress said to Scott, as they ate at a restaurant.

"Just because you haven't heard me play doesn't mean I don't. That's the beauty of having soundproofed bedrooms." He said, pausing to drink some water. "Stiles and I used to play back home. He played drums, before he sold them, and I guitar.

My guitar was always out in the open in my bedroom and no one asked about it or if I played, just like here. I'm sure you've seen the guitars and amplifiers I've collected over the years but you haven't asked about them. Neither did Dusan and Sensei."

"Well, I can't wait for Wednesday. I hope all this practice you've been disappearing for in Starling City is worth it." Enchantress said.