Lost and Found

07. The Stranger

PART ONE: FAMILY VALUES

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE STRANGER

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TEAM ARROW, STARLING CITY, USA

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Oliver was astounded by Felicity's boldness and more astounded by how easily this Sam Winchester seemed to shoulder the idea of being an accused murderer. "The car belongs to your brother right?" Felicity asked, leading the way - heels clicking right up to her front door. Oliver had protested this but when Felicity had asked him just where it was he wanted to hold the meeting 'maybe a particular basement' - were her exact words, he shut up.

"Uh, yeah, it did."

"Oh, so what? Did he buy a new car or something?"

"Yeah, or something," he responded quietly, forcing a tight lipped smile. Oliver knew then that 'or something' was death but he wasn't about to point that out to Felicity.

"The murderer has a dead brother," whispered Diggle beside him, "you have to be pretty cold to kill your own brother."

"You know I can hear you right?" The tall, shaggy haired Sam Winchester said, pivoting to look at Oliver and Diggle. Most people would look away or apologize, but Oliver lifted his chin and looked him dead in the eye. 

"That doesn't change my thoughts about you. You make a move to kill anyone in this city and I will personally take care of you myself." Oliver stepped forward menacingly and Sam moved to meet him, standing nearly nose to nose on Felicity's front doorstep. Killer to killer and yet Oliver hoped it would never come to that again.

"Ok, ok!" Felicity shouted, wedging herself between them. Oliver looked down to her stormy fierce gaze and he felt his resolve crumbling. "We need him Oliver, he might know what this thing is and I for one don't want a house visit from it!" 

"She's got a point Oliver, that thing is capable of a lot more than we know," came Diggle's voice of reason. Oliver felt his jaw tense as the need to put this giant in his place grew stronger and stronger with each passing second. He wasn't sure that when all of this was through that Diggle and Felicity would be able to stop him from doing it.

"Oliver," Felicity whispered fiercely, snapping him out of his thoughts. He redirected his focus back to her. "Please don't kill each other!"

Images of Felicity cowering under a table in the Arrow base flashed back to him, the sight of blood running down her hands, it made his hair stand on end. Grudgingly he took a step back and Felicity seemed satisfied enough to step away and unlock the door. She turned to Sam and Oliver could see the exact moment she switched into geek mode flash across her features. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, that switch generally dampened around him and for the first time he began to wonder if he should have finished school.

"So you're probably wondering why we've invited you here," she mused and Sam looked around at them tensely. Invited was hardly the right word but no one bothered to mention that to Felicity as she moved towards a desktop computer on the far side of the room and started firing it up. 

"Yeah, it's crossed my mind."

"Something happened here in Starling City about a week ago, something we can't explain." They all eyed Sam cautiously, casting glances at each other intermittently, second guessing now if this was the right thing to do. To their further surprise, his shoulders seemed to relax and he let out a breath he hadn't let on to be holding. 

"Oh," he laughed, "this is about the supernatural!" His laugh was a cross between force and actual relief. "All of this for a bump in the night? Damn, no wonder we never came here, you're a bunch of psychos!" he laughed, and then as if remembering something, the look slowly melted from his face.