The Way We Talk

Damsel (Talkative #7)

All things considered, Thea thinks the day is turning out about as well as it can—granted that she was captured by a psychopathic killer and rescued by another, who incidentally turned out to be not so psycho.  Her hand is in the Vigilante's, and somehow she's keeping pace with him through the winding corridors of wherever the hell Helena Bertinelli has decided to keep her prisoner.

The Vigilante slows suddenly, and Thea is thrown off by the sudden momentum.  He steadies her easily before motioning for her to be quiet.  "What's your status?" he replies quietly, voice distorted by the synthesizer.  She knows he's probably talking to Felicity, and Thea has to admit, the blonde she once scorned has never seemed so appealing.  Thea would love to see a familiar face right now.

The response seems to be just long enough to catch his attention.  "Good," he says finally.  "I'm bringing her to you.  I trust you and the detective can see that Miss Queen gets home safely?"  If she wasn't so tired from the running and stoned from the drugs Helena gave her, she'd jump for joy.  Home never sounded so good as it does now.

The next question is aimed at her instead of the anonymous voice on the comm.  "Are you all right?" he asks her, again surprised by how gentle he has been with her.

"Yeah, fine," she assures him, panting from the exertion.  She's fast, sure—she didn't get the nickname "Speedy" for nothing—but he's faster.

He hesitates before saying, "It's not much further, but I can carry you."

Thea's eyes narrow and, tired as she is, she still finds the energy to be indignant.  "No," she says flatly, "I am not letting you carry me out of here like a damsel in distress.  You can play superhero with Felicity, but I'm walking out of here myself."

Again the corners of his mouth twitch, and this time she's sober enough to realize he actually is smiling.  "Felicity is tougher than you think," is his enigmatic response before he holds out his hand to her, silently asking her to keep running.  The tone of his voice makes her think that he's trying to remind himself as much as her.

A few minutes later, she can see stars, and God, she's never been this thrilled to see crappy buildings in the Glades as today.  With another ten feet, she's at the gates of the old factory, and she can see Felicity and Officer Lance standing next to a squad car.  The Vigilante motions her forward, and then she's suddenly running again.

Felicity seems a little surprised when Thea hugs her, stumbling backward slightly and faltering a moment before hugging her back.  "I knew you could help me," she says, surprised by the emotion in her own voice.  "Thank you, Felicity."

"Don't thank me," she replies modestly after Thea releases her.  "He's the one you should be thanking.  I just relayed the message—he's the one who came to get you."

Thea looks over her shoulder at the Vigilante, who is telling Lance about the events that transpired.  "...Bertinelli should be waiting for you down there," he finishes with his story, and Lance is already starting to radio in the location.

Thea stops over toward him, just as he's about to disappear into the night.  "Hey," she calls, and he turns to her slightly.  "Thank you for saving me from that crazy bitch."

"Anytime," is his response, but then he tacks on, "but that doesn't mean you should make a habit of it."

She smiles before ending with, "I meant what I said down there, you know.  You're a hero."  She sighs.  "I don't know if you know this or not, but you saved my boyfriend's life last year.  Roy Harper?"  She waves a hand before he can answer the question.  "That doesn't matter.  The point is, he idolized you after that.  I thought he was an idiot, but..."  She offers him a sincere smile.  "Well, I'm starting to understand why."

He doesn't respond before he fires the bow and swings off into the night like he's Tarzan or something.  A hand falls on her shoulder, and she sees Felicity Smoak standing beside her, smiling.  "I think we should get you home now," she says, as though she's not surprised by the dramatic exit.  But, then again, maybe you get used to it.  "I know your brother is worried sick about you."

Thea shakes her head to clear it before turning toward Felicity.  "Of course," she says with a half-smile, before she bursts out with the question she's been wanting the answer to for ages.  "Do you know who he is?  Under that hood, I mean."

Felicity's smile is enigmatic as she answers slowly, "Someone who doesn't get enough credit."