Arrow to the Heart {4}

Chapter 13

Lydia's at a coffee shop with Noah and he says, "You know, it's strange, watching your baby girl drink coffee." Lydia scoffs, "You don't get to call me that, especially since the last time you've seen your 'baby girl' was 18 years ago." Noah says, "You're right. I don't suppose it helps if I say that I thought staying out of your life was the best thing for you. I was protecting you and your mother." Lydia says, "No, you were protecting yourself. You were wanted by the police, and you didn't want to go to jail. That is why you stayed away." Noah says, "And you know why the police were after me, the type of criminal I was?" Lydia says, "Mom never went into detail. I assume petty stuff. Anything else requires commitment." Noah says, "Well, I'm here now, and I want us to speak openly. I'll answer any questions you have." Lydia says, "Okay. I just have one at the moment. Why now?" Noah says, "I was doing a job for someone. Almost got beat, almost. My adversary had exceptional skills. My curiosity piqued. I investigated further. Imagine what I discovered... Overwatch." Lydia says, "Bye. See you never." As Lydia wheels away, Noah says, "Lydia, wait. It is not what you think." Noah moves in front of Lydia, and he continues to say, "My employer, my work is hardly diabolical." Lydia says, "I'll be sure to tell that to my friend who you blackmailed." Noah says, "Short-term legal mischief for long-term societal game. Isn't that kind of hacktivism exactly what you did at MIT? Is it really all that different from the vigilantism you practice today? We are the same, you and I." Lydia says, "I am pretty sure that I didn't try to kill 8,000 people." Noah says, "An empty threat, I swear to you. I know I have no right. I'm asking for a chance, a chance to prove to you that I'm not a bad guy and that I'm a 'bad guy.'" Noah holds up a small device and Lydia says, "What is that?" Noah says, "A record of some of the hacks I've done throughout the years. I've selected ones that could be verified by news accounts, so you know I'm telling the truth. This is very simple for me, Lydia. I want to be back in your life. I know that doing that will require earning your trust back. I hope this is a first step down that very long road." Lydia grabs the device without another word, and she wheels away.

The next day, Lydia's at the bunker and she wheels herself over to the team and the team notice Lydia's pained expression and Laurel softly says, "Are you okay?" Lydia says, "No. Noah Kuttler's in town." Laurel angrily says, "What?" Diggle says, "I'm sorry, who's Noah Kuttler?" Lydia sighs and she says, "He's my biological dad." Diggle says, "Okay, and why is that a bad thing?" Lydia says, "Well, it's an extremely long story, but you remember the super hacker who blackmailed Roy? Same guy." Oliver says, "What?" Laurel scoffs and says, "Unbelieve. So, he's the Calculator." Lydia says, "Yep. He showed up at my Palmer Tech presentation. I had coffee with him yesterday, where he dropped the Calculator bomb on me." Diggle says, "And why would he do that?" Lydia says, "Apparently now that he knows what I do, that we're both "vigilantes," we have something in common. He wants to be back in my life." Laurel says, "You're not going to let him, are you?" Lydia says, "I don't need him, I already have a dad." Laurel smiles. Lydia says, "He wants to gain back my trust. I just wish there were some sort of test I could do that would prove that he is who he says he is." Oliver says, "A test is a good idea. It's a good idea for you and for us. I've got a way to bring Merlyn to the bargaining table." Later, Lydia's in her apartment when her mom walks in and says, "Hi! I got your-- Oh, no. Oh, no. You have Mr. Square Bear face." Lydia says, "What?" Her mom says, "Mr. Square Bear. Oh, my God. You don't remember. You lost him when you were, like, 4 years old, and you had that exact-- you had that exact look on your face. Oh, baby. Is it too much to hope that you lost a plushy toy?" Her mom rubs her cheek and Lydia says, "No, but adjusting for age, and inflation, might be just as bad." Her mom's confused and says, "Huh?" Lydia grabs her mom's hand from her face and holds it and says, "You want to sit?" Her mom sets her hand back down and says, "What? What's up?" Her mom sits down on the couch and Lydia says, "It's Noah. He's in Star City." Her mom says, "What? How do you know?" Lydia says, "He came to see me." Her mom sighs and she says, "Did you talk to him?" Lydia says, "Yeah." Her mom says, "Are you all, right?" Lydia says, "Not really. He wants me back in his life, but I don't trust him." Her mom says, "As you should. Your father is a horrible man and the only reason that he showed up is for some ulterior motive in your life right now, he doesn't give a damn about you. Do you understand me?" Lydia nods and says, "Yeah. Loud and clear." Her mom gets up from the couch, kneels in front of Lydia, and gives her hug and her mom says, "Promise me you'll be careful when he's around." Lydia softly says, "I promise." Her mom leans back and kisses Lydia's cheek. Later, Lydia's down in the basement of the bunker with the team looking at an unconscious Thea who's on the bed. Lydia finds out that Malcom would rather be Ra's Al Ghul than save Thea's life. Lydia says, "Given who we're dealing with, we shouldn't be surprised." Oliver says, "I can't believe that being Ra's Al Ghul is more important to Malcom than saving his daughter's life." Laurel says, "I know that you're trying a new approach, but just because you've changed, that doesn't mean everybody else has." Oliver says, "We cannot allow a League Civil War. Too many people will be collateral damage." Diggle says, "And the 4 of us definitely can't take on two armies of assassins." Oliver says, "Then we take down the generals. We need to work on locating Nyssa and Malcom." Lydia says, "But mainly Nyssa because she's got the Lotus cure." Oliver says, "We find both of them. No one else dies tonight. Especially Thea." Later, Lydia's at Palmer Tech with Noah and he says, "I'm glad you called." Lydia says, "Well, all your files checked out, and I did some additional digging myself. You're right. You and I, we're not all that different." They are now in Curtis's lab and Noah says, "This facility is really amazing." Lydia says, "Yes. After numerous false starts we finally got the R&D section working like a Swiss watch. This floor contains most of our bleeding edge projects." Noah picks up one of Curtis's devices and Lydia says, "That is an autonomous communications device 3 generations beyond Bluetooth." Noah says, "But they are no seams in the casing." Lydia plasters on a fake smile for Noah and says, "I know. It's a built from a single piece of aluminum. The entire surface connects to an induction charger." Noah says, "How did you achieve the heat sink?" Lydia says, "Curtis Holt achieved it actually. He's quite the genius." Noah says, "Don't sell yourself short. You're the Steve Jobs in this equation. Thank you for agreeing to give me a second chance." Lydia says, "Baby steps." Noah nods and says, "Baby steps." Lydia fake smiles. Later, Lydia wheels into the bunker and she looks at Oliver and says, "Any luck?" Oliver says, "Malcom and the League have gone to ground, Nyssa is a brick wall, John and Laurel are out searching for the Lotus, but we are running out of places to look." Lydia says, "Well, that's depressing." Oliver says, "Well, we will find it. We have to." Lydia softly says, "Yeah." Oliver says, "Is everything all right?" Lydia says, "Not really. I mean, it's not as bad as your sister being unconscious in our sublevel, but..." Oliver softly says, "Did something happen with Noah?" Lydia says, "More like something didn't happen." Lydia takes out a device and Oliver looks at it confused and says, "What's that?" Lydia says, "It's an IR bust receiver, incredibly advanced. It can suck the data out of any room you put it into. Don't worry. I turned it off before bringing it down here." Lydia wheels herself onto the platform and Oliver says, "It's not yours?" Lydia says, "It's Noah's. I gave him a little tour of Curtis's R&D Lab, and he left this behind as a souvenir." Oliver says, "He's trying to steal from Palmer Tech?" Lydia says, "It was your idea actually. You needed proof about the Lotus, I needed proof about my dad." Oliver says, "You set a trap for him as a test." Lydia says, "Unrestricted access to Palmer Technologies R&D Lab. He flunked with flying colors. I'm not really surprised. It's not like I need him in my life." Oliver nods and says, "You're right. You don't because you have an amazing dad, who's always there for you and cares about you." Lydia softly smiles and says, "Yeah. Anyway, what are you going to do about Malcom?" Oliver says, "John thinks I should kill him." Lydia says, "If it'd help save Thea, I agree." Oliver says, "Yeah, and I'd agree if he wasn't Thea's father, but he is." Lydia says, "We are in this mess because of him on, like, a million different levels. Let's not pretend that this is a typical father-daughter relationship. He brainwashed her into killing my sister." Oliver says, "I know all this. I do, and I'm still holding out hope that with--with-- with time and with how much he says that he loves her that maybe they have some chance at some type of a normal relationship. If I kill him... my sister never gets that chance." Lydia says, "Thea's father is no more likely to change than mine is. Besides if Malcom really loved Thea, he would have handed Nyssa the League, but no he loves the League a lot more than he does Thea." The computer beeps and Oliver says, "What now?" Lydia wheels herself over to the computers and Lydia says, "Found Malcom." Oliver says, "Where?" Lydia says, "Right underneath us." Later, the team's on the roof watching Nyssa with the League behind her and Malcom's on the opposite side. Lydia says, "This is one of your crazier ideas, and that is a competitive field." Oliver leans towards Lydia and says, "Well, sit tight. I have a crazier one coming." Malcom says, "In difference to good taste, we will forego the removal of shirts." Nyssa says, "Let us be finished with this charade." Malcom says, "As you wish." The League both hand each of them a sword. As they go to fight each other, Oliver says, "Hold!" As Oliver walks over to them, he continues to say, "In the eyes of the League, this woman is my wife. As your husband, I wish to fight on her behalf." Nyssa looks at Oliver and says, "I have never allowed anyone to fight my battles for me." Oliver looks at Nyssa and says, "Do you want to become Ra's, or do you want to die?" Nyssa says, "Why are you doing this?" Oliver says, "You told me yourself you couldn't defeat Merlyn, and if I am forced to choose between your life and his... then I will see justice done." Nyssa hands the sword to Oliver and Nyssa steps away. Oliver looks at Malcom and Malcom says, "I'm a little disappointed I must say." Oliver says, "You're the one who put us in this position, Malcom." Malcom says, "Can I remind you the role you played in putting this ring on my finger?" Oliver says, "Oh, I remember. Tonight, I correct that mistake." Malcom says, "I can't believe it. You've grown even more foolish with experience." Oliver raises his voice and says, "3 years! Let's finish this." They then battle and Oliver knocks Malcom onto the ground, then Malcom grabs a bow and arrow and points it at Oliver. As Malcom shoots the arrow, Oliver slices at it and Oliver fights back, until Malcom's on the ground grunting. Oliver says, "Last chance, Malcom. Yield!" Malcom says, "Never. To end this, you must kill me. But you always knew that, Oliver." Oliver says, "I didn't want it to end this way." Malcom says, "Spare me the false sympathy. Just do it." Oliver looks back at Lydia and Lydia nods her head. Oliver then slices off Malcom's wrist with ring on it and Malcom groans. Then Oliver punches Malcom in the face. Oliver walks over to the cut off wrist and grabs the ring. Oliver walks over to Nyssa and Oliver says, "Bring me the Lotus." Nyssa nods at one of her people and they bring over the Lotus. As Nyssa hands Oliver the Lotus, Oliver hands Nyssa the ring. Oliver says, "You are Ra's Al Ghul." Nyssa says, "Thank you, husband." As Nyssa puts the ring on, the League kneels before Nyssa and they say, "Ra's!" Moments later, the team's down in the sublevel of the bunker waiting for Thea to wake up. Thea wakes up and as she sits up, she says, "What-- what is going on? Is everything okay?" Oliver smiles and says, "That, uh, depends. How are you feeling?" Thea says, "I'm--ahem--I'm a bit tired, but-- What am I doing here?" Lydia says, "It's a long story, but you're going to be fine." Oliver nods and says, "The cure worked. No more bloodlust." Laurel smiles at Thea and says, "Come on. Let's go get you into some regular clothes." Thea gets out of the bed and says, "Yeah. Um..." Laurel helps Thea walk. Diggle looks at Oliver and says, "Oliver, you did it man. Thea's fine, and Nyssa and Merlyn didn't have to die." Lydia says, "Yeah, not to be the buzzkill, but when are we going to tell Thea about Malcom's missing ligament?" Oliver softly says, "Baby steps." Lydia softly says, "Right." Oliver says, "What's up?" Lydia says, "Something Noah said."

The next day, Lydia's at Palmer Tech in her office when Noah walks in with a box in his hands and he says, "Brought you a portable ramp, so anytime you come across a higher surface, just unfold it. This will get you over almost anything." Lydia says, "Look. I have a meeting an a few. I just wanted to say good-bye." Noah's confused and says, "Good-bye? We're just starting to get to know each other." Lydia says, "I already know everything I need to know." Noah says, "Lydia, what is going on? I-I thought we were making progress." Lydia wheels herself away, and she says, "When I was a little girl, I hated myself. I thought I was broken, that no one could or ever would love me. You abandoned me. But maybe I should thank you because then I would have never met the family I have now. I have a dad who loves me and who would do anything for me. I have two older sisters that I never had when I was younger, and they love me. I had an adopted mother who I thought loved me just as much but turns out she's just like you because she doesn't care about me." Noah says, "Lydia--" Lydia cuts Noah off and says, "All I ever wanted to know was why. What was so wrong with me that you would leave?" Noah says, "There was nothing with you, sweetheart. There was everything wrong with me. The police, the FBI, they were never going to stop looking for me. I realized a life on the run, that wasn't the life that I owned you or your mother, so I disappeared." Lydia says, "You thought you were doing the right thing for us." Noah says, "Exactly." Lydia says, "I have wanted my entire life for that explanation, and the thing is I don't even believe it, not for a second." Noah says, "It's the truth." Lydia says, "There is only one part of your story that I know to be true, and that is that you are wanted by the police." Speaking of the police, her dad walks in with two officers behind him. Noah says, "Lydia--" Lydia cuts him off and says, "I just need you to know one thing. You are wrong. I am nothing like you." Noah says, "Lydia." Her dad says, "Noah Kuttler, you're under arrest. Anything you can say will be used against you in a court of law. Officers take him away." The officers take Noah away. Her dad looks down at Lydia and he softly says, "Baby, are you okay?" Lydia softly smiles and says, "Yeah. Just glad he's out of my life." Her dad nods and kisses her head. Later, Lydia's at the loft when Oliver walks in and he says, "Hey." Lydia wheels around to face Oliver and she softly smiles, "Hey." Oliver says, "You feeling any better?" Lydia says, "Yeah. I just wished that maybe just maybe a part of him was good and that he actually gave a damn about me or my mom. I'm just glad my mom has someone in her life to make her happy. And I'm glad I have you in my life to make me happy." Oliver smiles and Lydia says, "Noah's face looked so heartbroken that I turned on him, and I know I should feel bad, but I don't. He should feel the same amount of hurt when I did when he left me all those years ago." Oliver nods and Lydia looks at the long face on Oliver and she softly says, "Hey, are you punishing yourself for betraying Malcom?" Oliver says, "Is that insane?" Lydia says, "Yes, but it's part of what makes you the man I love. John was right. You were faced with an impossible situation, and you found the best way out of it." Oliver smiles at Lydia and says, "Will you marry me?" Lydia holds up her hand with her engagement ring on it and she says, "I think I already answered that question." Oliver says, "Thea's better, Andy's better, things are quiet on the Darhk front." Oliver kneels in front of Lydia and continues to say, "I feel like this might be our window, and with everything that we have gone through over the past few months, I want you to tell me why are we waiting?" Lydia says, "Well, we'll have to plan it." Oliver says, "Mm-hmm." Lydia says, "We'll just a small ceremony with a few of our friends. I'm in." Oliver smiles and softly says, "Yeah." Lydia places her hand onto Oliver's face and pulls him into a loving kiss.