Arrow The Cat and the Canary

Chapter Eighteen

Stars shone down on the city like small punctures of light breaking through the vast charcoal sky. There were no clouds to be seen and the moon shone clearly above, and along with the lights coming from streetlights and skyscrapers, gave the city almost a romantic appearance. Someone could stand high above the city and look around, blissfully unaware of the crime and corruption that was taking place. The drug dealers and gangbangers selling and spreading their poison throughout their streets. The sick bastards preying on the weak and the vulnerable who weren't able to protect themselves. The government officials who had no problem laying their sticky fingers on the money that should be going to help the people of the city. The police officers who were willing to take an unmarked envelope of cash to look the other way. From above the city, none of that could be seen. All that could be seen was the glistening lights of the city.
Sitting on the ledge of the old Queens Consolidated building, now named 'Palmer Tech', despite the fact that its titular owner had passed away months ago, Laurel was transfixed by the lights. They reminded her of the beauty of the city, the good that lay silently surrounded by the bad. From there she could block out the dark parts of the place she called home. She could forget about how dangerous and unjust it was and focus on what she loved most about Star City.
Alone with her thoughts, she could help but let her life drift to thinking about Luke. What he would be doing, should be doing, if he was still with her. Would the two of them be in some alleyway or warehouse taking down a group of drug dealers or gun smugglers. Would they be working late in the office trying to gather evidence to lose one of the mounting cases that were building up on her desk. Would they be curled up on her couch watching some trashy reality television show, just happy to be together. She didn't know but she hoped that wherever he was now, in whatever sort of afterlife he was in, that he was happy. She wiped away a single hot tear that had rolled down her cheek and couldn't help but let a smile rest on her face.

After half of an hour in silent thought, she heard the crunch of gravel from behind her. She swung her legs back over the roofs ledge, getting to her feet and looking at her new company. From behind the mask, Oliver's piercing blue/grey eyes stared back at her, his lips locked in a tight half-smile, his bow in his hand. On either side of him stood Thea and John, each suited up. The moon cast a pale light on their costumes, making them look like something out of a comic book to Laurel. She gave them a quick grim, reaching into her pocket and placing her domino mack over her eyes and resting her hand on the handle of her tonfa. The smile disappeared from Oliver's face as he reached behind his head and snapped his hood up, looking intense. He parted his lips and in a deep, gravelly voice said;
"Ready?".

The End.