Just a Memory

Chapter 4

Oliver's POV:
"So what now?" Nyssa asks me. I look at her and she knows I have a plan. "What are you thinking about?" She asks grinning.

"Once Merlin finds out about our run in with Thea, he'll come to Star City to keep her safe," I explain.

"The troops are on patrol so-" Nyssa starts. A few of the troops run in. "We have guests," one of them says.

I pull him aside. "Tell the others outside to be ready to enter through the windows or the roof." I give him the okay to go.

I motion for the others to hide. I pull Nyssa with me. The black man and the woman in black leather enter.

They walk around and scope out our safe house. I wait for a minute before motioning for the troops to move on the targets.

I pull the hood over my head and shoot an arrow out the window (the signal for the other League members) then I step out into the open.

In a matter of seconds, the masked people are surrounded by my troops. They scan the circle of league members and their eyes fall on Nyssa and me.

"How's Thea's leg?" She asks sarcastically. As the blonde takes a step forward, I draw my bow and point it at her.

"Take another step and it goes in your eye," I say in a stern voice. The blonde just stares at me as if she's studying my face.

"Take off your hood," she says. I keep my position not moving. The man in the mask moves his hand slowly toward his gun.

Nyssa draws her bow pointing toward the woman as well. "Put your hand on that gun and Laurel dies," she tells him and he drops his hand.

"Take off your hood," the blonde repeats. I glance toward Nyssa who nods. I release pressure on my bow and jerk back my hood.

"Oliver!" The man shouts. That's what Thea kept calling me. The woman takes another step forward and I redraw my bow. This time it points at the man.

"I don't think you want him to die, do you?" I ask her. Instead of answering me she responds with, "Oliver, this isn't you."

I reposition my bow aiming at the woman's chest. "Silence!" I exclaim. "Oliver, you don't really want to do this, do you?" She asks.

I aim at her hand and release. The arrow sails through the air and pierces the woman's palm. She cries out in pain and grasps her wrist.

Nyssa takes control of the situation. "We're here for Malcom Merlin. Bring him to us in one week and we will leave in peace. Fail and we will bring terror to your beloved city."

I arm my bow with a smoke bomb arrow and shoot it to the ground flooding the air with smoke.

Laurel's POV:

By the time the smoke clears, Oliver and the others are gone. My hand screams out in pain. I look at the arrow that is sticking out of both sides.

Dig drops his gun and runs toward me. "Laurel! Are you okay?" He asks me. I lift my now shaking hand and he looks at the arrow.

"This is going to hurt like hell," he says. "Do it," I say clenching my teeth and closing my eyes. He gently grabs the arrow next to the sharp edge.

He looks at me and I take a deep breath. "Three... two... one..." he quickly rips out the arrow and throws the it to the ground.

He then looks at my still bloody hand. "This shouldn't be happening. Oliver doesn't just shoot the people he loves. Especially not you. This is all my fault," he says.

"Oliver chose to join the league because he was saving his sister. He had no other choice. There was nothing any of us could've done to prevent it." I started.

"None of this is your fault," I added. I hear a vehicle approach the building and the engine cuts off. Dig rips out his gun and points it at the door.

The door cracks open and a hand pokes in. "Don't shoot! It's Felicity," she shouts desperately.

Dig gently holsters his gun. Felicity pokes her head through and asks, "Is it safe to come in or am I about to get shot?"

Our silence answers the question and she steps in. As soon as the light hits her face, I see tear stains under her eyes.

I just stare at her and I can tell that she feels hopeless. "Come here," I order her kindly. She melts down and starts sobbing as I hug her.

"I always thought that when I saw him again, he would tell us how horrible the league was and how much he missed us all."

"But the man that was here, the man that shot you in the hand, that's not my Oliver," she explains still crying.

"I know. We'll get him back, Felicity, I promise," I tell her trying to make her feel a little bit better about the current situation.

I look up and Dig is looking at me with his eyebrows raised. I can tell that he doesn't think I should've told her that.