Many Hats to Wear

Chapter 9: Guardian Angel

The ninth time she visits him, he has to make a leap of faith.

Oliver has worked until six on different matters that need doing now that Elizabeth Smoak is taking over as CEO, and he decides to leave early—for him, anyway—to have a nice night at home, possibly with the bottle of wine the Vigilante gave him and a Doctor Who marathon.  He unlocks his Nissan Versa, gets in, and starts the engine—which is far too quiet to mask the sound of the driver's side rear door opening.  He jumps in surprise, but when he turns around, relief washes over him instantly.

He knows by the attire that it's the Vigilante again, and he's not too surprised to see her; after all, her asking for his help has apparently become a thing over the past few months.  "Jesus," he exclaims, "could you at least catch me in the office instead of here?"

"I didn't have time," she says simply, and something is off about her speech as she crawls into the backseat, lying across it.  "I think it's time we do introductions," she says, and for the first time he notices the mask in her hand.  She pulls back the hood on her emerald green jacket, and it takes Oliver a minute to place her features, but then he realizes she's missing her trademark glasses.

"Felicity Smoak," he breathes, surprised, but then he remembers the first and only time they met.  Then the news stories flash in his mind, about how she was accused of being the Vigilante in the past—and how hard she hit that Vertigo thing after her old flame, Tommy Merlyn, nearly got himself killed over it.  "Wow, everything about you just became so unbelievably clear."  She turns toward him, and he can see the red stain spreading across her jacket.  "You're bleeding!"

She seems way too calm when she says, "Yeah, I don't need to be told that, Oliver."

"Right," he says, clearing his head.  "You need a hospital."  He turns to start the car, but then he remembers.  "But you can't go to a hospital with a gunshot wound, can you?"

She seems to appreciate this, even though she's about to pass out in his car.  "Take me to my father's steel factory in the Glades," she says.  "Diggle is there—basement."  Without a word, he turns to drive the car, but she puts a hand on his arm, stopping him.  "You need to promise me that's where you're going to take me, and nowhere else."

It's a difficult decision because he always swore he'd turn her in if he ever learned who she was, fanboy or no.  But that was long before things changed between them, and it had become more than just the Vigilante needing the IT nerd.  Somehow, the whole situation had become highly personal, especially since she kissed him.  So, really, there's only one decision he can make:  "Yeah, I promise."  Softer, he mutters, "Something tells me bloodstains are not covered in my lease."

She allows herself to pass out then, and he marvels, as he puts the car in reverse and pulls away, at how much she seems to trust him.

***

When he arrives at the old steel factory, she's still out and he can't get her to wake up.  He picks her up and carries her in, heading toward the basement.  She's lighter than he expects, so he manages to get to the basement steps quickly enough.  The blood is seeping through her jacket, his upholstery, and his shirt at an alarming rate, and he just hopes he drove fast enough.

He can make out little in the low lighting, but he's pretty sure that's Diggle sitting at the computer screens.  Hesitant, he finally calls, "Excuse me?"

Diggle whips around faster than Oliver expects, pointing a gun at him.  "Look," Oliver continues, "you can shoot me later if you want to, but she's been shot in the shoulder, and it's bleeding profusely."  As his arms protest under her weight, he adds, "And she's a lot heavier than I expected."