Home: An Arrow Fanfic

Chapter 7

Oliver's phone vibrated as he watched bodies gyrating on the dance floor. The DJ Tommy had contracted for the evening was the latest craze - and it showed. The place was packed. Lights flashed in different colours, illuminating body parts as people swayed together on the crowded floor, as though hypnotised.

Reaching for it he saw Felicity's name flash across the screen. When he'd last heard from her, she'd been at Queen Consolidated sifting through more camera footage. It was possible that she was already at the foundry. His heart skipped a beat as he stared at her picture, admiring her bright smile before he cancelled the call. She wouldn't call unless it was important and he wouldn't be able to hear her over the loud noise inside the club. It would be easier if he just went down to check what the problem was.

Noting that his steps quickened the closer he got to the secured entrance to his hideout, he wondered about his eagerness at seeing her. He'd never been this interested in seeing Diggle when it had just been the two of them.

"You called?" he asked as he hastily made his way down the staircase. At the sight of Diggle and Felicity's anxious faces he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What's going on?"

"I just intercepted a 911 call over the Police frequency. It was from the house of Sean Grayson. He was business partners with Croft." Oliver watched as she called up the street view in a wealthy neighbourhood. "Look."

She pointed to a hooded figure scaling the gates to a mansion, presumably Grayson's. Narrowing his eyes to get a closer look, Oliver recognised the black arrows strapped to the back of the intruder and the bow held loosely in his hand. "It's him. The Archer."

Seeing the man who had knocked him down months before and taken a chunk of his confidence with it, Oliver was filled with momentary dread. Diggle must have sensed his inner struggle because he spoke up first. "Time for The Hood to kick his ass for good." Oliver appreciated his reassurance. After all, Diggle had been the one to get him back on the mend both physically and psychologically after his last run-in with The Archer. I can do this.

"This was time stamped about four minutes ago. The 911 call came in just after that."

Oliver geared up and grabbed his bow and arrows. "Dig, stay close to comms, I may need your help. Keep your eyes on the cameras too in case he manages to slip away." His friend gave him the thumbs up and reached for his ear piece, testing it.

Glancing at Felicity, their eyes met and held – hers filled with worry and something else he couldn't define; his with reassurance. He wished that he had a moment to talk to her, but with a life hanging in the balance he dared not take the chance. He looked at her for a second more before tearing his gaze from hers and hurrying toward his fate.

Be careful, Felicity said silently as she watched his green shadow disappear. Despite knowing how capable he was, she still worried every time he went out to catch a criminal. Knowing the history between Oliver and The Archer, Diggle having filled her in, she couldn't help feeling a certain level of panic. What if he hurts him? What if he kills him? Her thoughts were all over the place, fear making her unable to fully concentrate.

As though hearing her thoughts, Diggle put a steadying hand on her arm. "He's got this. Don't worry." But despite his words, Felicity sensed that even Diggle was concerned.

Touching her ear piece to activate the transmission, she asked, "Oliver, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," came his voice, raised above the sound of his motor cycle.

Tracking him on GPS and street cameras, Felicity watched him weave amongst traffic, eating the miles between the foundry and Grayson's neighbourhood with alarming speed. It was a cold, damp night and thankfully there wasn't much activity on the roads. "First exit right and then second one left. The mansion will be on your right."