Lessons: Becoming the Green Arrow

Episode 8 tag - A serious discussion (extended scene)

Episode 8 tag - A serious discussion 

DISCLAIMER - Just imagine Grumpy Cat's face here while I repeat yet again that I have no legal claim on CW's Arrow (or even Grumpy Cat for that matter)!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Felicity crashed early as she didn't want to continue the discussion of what had happened - she was so sure she had seen Sara, she was so sure that it was Sara who had saved her. As her whole Team was adamant that Sara hadn't been there though, Felicity now doubted herself. She knew the guys were worried and she knew they were going to all spend the night at the warehouse but she needed time to herself right now. 

Oliver, Diggle and Roy exchanged concerned looks as Felicity left to sleep in one of the back bedrooms. All three were concerned not just with the possibility of someone else being there but also with Felicity's reaction to the news that it wasn't Sara. They had also just learned that Brick wasn't their main problem and that they had a new and unknown villain to stop - a villain who had just tried to kidnap Felicity. 

Tension was high in the warehouse and Roy was the first one to step back to training. He had tried to bury his anger while Felicity was around, but now it was erupting inside him. He blamed himself for Felicity being in danger. It had been his choice to leave her that put her there. Felicity was his friend, practically a sister, and he had abandoned her. Roy's strikes against the training dummy were coming faster and harder as he tried to work through his anger and guilt. 

Diggle looked to Oliver and wasn't surprised to see him move away from Roy. He even grinned when he saw the other man pull out a bottle of vodka and three shot glasses. Diggle nodded when Oliver met his eyes and both moved to the table to wait for Roy to work through his initial anger. 

Roy continued his punishing routine until he was breathing hard and drenched in sweat. He stepped away and growled in frustration when he realized that his emotions were still not under his control. Confused and annoyed, he looked around to find the Team - he stopped short when he saw both Diggle and Oliver watching him and holding shot glasses. He knew his Lessons and he know that vodka was the drink of choice for serious discussions, but he had never been part of the ritual. Seeing their expressions, Roy knew he was in serious trouble. Giving both a quick nod, he moved to join them and to accept their blame. He didn't know how they could make him feel any worse than he already felt. 

All three lifted their glasses and downed the clear liquid without concern. Roy's breathing was still hard and fast so Oliver and Diggle simply waited until he had gained sufficient control to listen to them. 

"I remember my first mission with the Special Forces. We took down a rebel gang in hostile territory. It was hot, humid that night. No rain or cloud cover though - full moon actually. We thought they were celebrating an attack on U.S. soldiers and we struck them hard and fast. They were celebrating a wedding. There were civilian casualties and we lost a man." Diggle offered the memory with a calm voice and sad smile. 

Roy just stared in shock as he met Diggle's eyes. He had expected their anger - he blamed himself, he knew they had to blame him too. He wasn't expecting a trip down memory lane and definitely not any admissions of guilt from anyone other than himself. Roy dropped his eyes from Diggle but was unable to meet Oliver's as the man who had brought him onto the Team started speaking. 

"Amanda gave me my first mission off the Island - middle of Hong Kong. It was the first time I had been in a city since the Gambit. It was so bright, so loud. I took out an assassin that was targeting American business men's families. I also took out the woman with him. She was a prostitute but she wasn't a murderer."