***
"Multiple reports of looting at Western and another at Oxnard." Felicity's voice came through my earpiece. I finished change up a mugger I just caught to the police station. With thee police off the street it was up to us to catch all the loose criminals, and I couldn't remember the last time I slept.
"I got Oxnard." I informed since I was a block away.
"Copy that Laurel and I will cover Western" Roy confirmed.
I got on my bike and headed towards Oxnard where I found three men raiding an old Pawn Shop. When I came through the door two of the men pointed guns at me as the other continued to raid the cash register. I immediately shot the two men holding the guns with train arrows as the other pulled out a walkie. "Guys I have a problem here." He exclaimed into his walk and I shot it right out of his hand before I knocked him unconscious.
***
"If I don't suture this, it's gonna scar, Laurel." Roy warned her as he cleaned her cut.
"I'll just add it to my ever-growing collection." Laurel replied rolling down her sleeve and walking towards the rest of us. "My father give us anything to use to locate Brick?"
"I don't see how." I said looking at the pile of files in front of me. "Some of these go back decades."
"There is plenty of evidence against Brick, but there's nothing the police can make stick." Felicity said clearing up our situation.
"So this is what Brick has reduced us to grasping for straws. I don't know how you guys have done this for so long." Laurel asked in amazement.
"We had Oliver." Roy simply stated and we all nodded out heads in agreement.
"What are you doing?" Dig asked Felicity when she rushed to her computer.
"Grasping at straws I'm pretty sure, but maybe there's something in Brick's M.O. that would suggest a couple doors for us to kick down. I mean, for you to kick down." Felicity explained to us as she typed away eat her computer. "Cross-reference with alderman Ford's murder and the evidence your father gave us. The same gun was used in a 20-year-old shooting."
"The same gun?" I repeated in surprise.
"Either that's arrogance or stupidity." Roy concluded.
"In this case, definitely stupidity." Felicity agreed as she continued to go through the files. Suddenly she stopped on an article. "The victim from 20 years ago...Rebecca Merlyn."
"Daniel Brickwell killed Malcolm Merlyn's wife." I said in disbelief as I looked at the file that Felicity just pulled up.
We sttod around the room in complete silence as we took in this new information. "So Brick killed Malcolm's wife." Roy suddenly said breaking the silence. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"It is just another reason for them to share bunk beds in hell, not that I generally believe in hell, but for them, I will make an exception." Felicity replied bitterly as she gripped the edge of the table.
"Maybe we should get Merlyn to solve our Brick problem for us." Dig suggested, and for a moment it didn't seem like such a horrible idea.
"That's pretty dark." Laurel commented.
"Laurel, everything thats been going on here is dark." I reminded her running my hand through my hair.
"Even if we did stick Merlyn on Brick, which I am not advocating, he would have just as much trouble finding Brick as we've had." Felicity concluded as she began to pace around the room. "Brick's men have been busy. They're cutting down cell towers And disconnecting traffic cams And staying out of satellite line of sight, like basically every way I know how to find somebody."
"Well, if the cell towers were down, the how was Brick's crew communicating?" Roy asked deep in thought.
"At the pawn shop, his men, they were..."
"They were using walkies." Laurel finished. "They were using them at the dinner too she agreed walking over to Felicity. "Do you think that you could...I don't know...use those signals to locate Brick?"
"You haven't been down here that much." Felicty commented as she sat down in front of her computer and immediately began working on it. "If they're communicating via radio, they'll be on the FRS, somewhere between if I send out a frequency burst, I should be able to triangulate their location."
Laurel only looked at Felicity in confusion before she shook her head. "I did not understand one word that you just said, but Oliver was certainly lucky to have you."
On the satellite imaging that was on the screen we all looked at each other when we realized where Brick was hiding. "Felicity, that's the Glades precinct." Laurel said in disbelief.
"Well, it's not like the police are using it." Roy bluntly commented.
"Great." Felicty exclaimed in frustration. "We can add irony to the list of charges against Brick."
"Let's go." I immediately ordered not wanting to lose another chance at catching Brick.
***
Felicity guided us through the precinct as we began to take down all of Brick's men that were guarding the place. I had to admit that Laurel was getting so much better at this, but a part of me couldn't help worrying about her. We walked down the hallway towards the main room of the percent ad the place that we knew Brick was located.
"This is what we do when we get you in our sights!" Bricked yelled before he began to shoot flares straight at us. The three of us instinctively ducked down as the flares exploded around us.
"Daniel Brickwell." We all turned around to find Malcom Merlyn in his League gear at the end of the hallway.
"What the hell are you supposed to be?" Brick asked when Merlyn shot an explosive arrow at his direction causing the building to crumble, creating a barrier between us and Brick.
The three of us turned around to face Merlyn as he removed his hood. "We need to talk."
***
"Somebody please tell me how this is happening again." Felicty pleaded as she sat in her chair at the center of the room.
"Daniel Brickwell." Merlyn simply stated as she walked closer to us. "It seems we have a common interest."
"You know that Brickwell killed your wife." I concluded although I wasn't suprised.
"Her name was Rebecca." Merlyn quickly corrected, and for a second I thought that he could actually be capable of emotion. "Since my death, maintaining my usual network of associates has become...heh...shall we say, problematic, but the fact that you were able to locate Mr. Brickwell despite the fact that he has gone to ground demonstrates your group's capacity."
"You followed us." Roy said in annoyance..
"We led you right to him." Laurel continued her hatred towards Merlyn clear.
"And I saved your lives in the bargain." He reminded us and I rolled my eyes at the thought. "So why not continue our association?"
"You want us to team up with you?" I said in disbelief and digest at the thought itself.
"I guess the question before you is whether your scorn for me outweighs your need to see Mr. Brickwell dealt with." Merlyn continued as he looked at each of us.
"You mean killed." Laurel corrected as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You have your options. Weigh them." Merlyn said as he stopped in front of me. "Diane I would like to talk to you...alone."
"Why would I want to do that?" I replied making my hatred clear.
"I think your curiosity is enough of a reason." He continued confidently, without a word I walked out of the hideout and into the alleyway.
"Talk." I said in annoyance as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"Your hatred towards me is evident, yet I'm sure I can convince you that an alliance with me will be beneficial despite your feelings." Merlyn began as he put his hands behind his back. "Contrary to your beliefs I do care about you."
I lets out a small laugh at his statement, and took a couple steps closer to him. "Well you sure have had an amazing way of showing that."
"I met both you and Nyssa when you were both young girls, you were Tommy's age when I left him..."
"If this is your way of attempting to convince me, let me tell you it's definitely not working." I informed him, and he sighed in defeat.
"I will not be at peace with myself until I have avenged my Rebecca, and I need the help of you and your team to do that." He stated, trying to gain my sympathy.
"You don't know how much I fight my urge to avenge not only Danny and Sara but Tommy too, your own son." I told him as I gritted my teeth together. "What makes you think that I will give you the satisfaction or release that you need."
"I regret what I did to my Tommy every single day, I will never forgive myself for it." Merlyn replied and I couldn't tell if his sorrow was real or not. "I'm also sorry for all the pain I have caused you, it was not my intention."
"Not your intention!" I exclaimed as I pushed him back. "You put a blade through him."
"What I did was to give you a reason to fight, you were living a life of blind bliss. Your love for him weakened you, love is your weakness. And you know it, that's why you haven't pursued it again." He told him as he got a hold of my wrist and slowly put them to my side. I could only feel anger know that in some cruel, twisted way, he was right. "If our alliance isn't to help me do it for this city that you care for so much. Think about it, it's to both our benefits."
Without another word he turned around leaving me alone with conflicting emotions. I was so angry but at the came time I couldn't fight the sadness that always came over me. "Come on doll face don't make that face." Roy said as he walked towards me. He wrapped his arms around me as I leaned in against his chest.
"It's just so hard. I always tell myself that the next time that he's in front of me will be the day I kill him, but then he's in front of me and I just can't." I confessed and he pulled away and put his hands on both side of my face.
"I don't understand why you see that as such a bad thing." He said as he searched my eyes. "Because to me it just proves what an amazing person you are. Regardless of what you think of yourself."
***
I was sitting in front of the computer when Roy suddenly put a hand on my shoulder. "God you look awful." He said with a small smile on his face. "Go home and rest."
"I can't I should stay here in case theirs a report." I repeated what I've been telling him the past few days.
"You practically live here, you only go home to shower and change your clothes." Roy said in a stern voice as he turned my chair around so that I was facing him. "Go home. I'll stay here."
"I'm fine, I can stay."
"Will you stop being stubborn for just once?" He continued as he grabbed my hands pulling me to my feet. "No go home and rest, I've got this handled."
I sighed realizing that he was right, this really isn't healthy. "Okay, but call me if anything happens."
"Yeah, now go sleep." Roy replied, and I made my ways towards my car and drove back to the apartment. Just the thought of my bed was bliss. Once I unlocked the door I threw my bag on the floor and kicked my shoes off as I walked towards my room. I didn't even bother to turn the light on as I head straight to my bed as I let myself fall on top of it.
"Finally you show your face around here." He voice exclaimed and I gasped as I quickly sat up on the bed. I put my hand over my heart as I let the surprise go down. Barry turned the light on and I groaned in annoyance as I let myself fall over on the bed again.
"You practically killed me." I replied softly.
"How do you think I felt not seeing you for I don't know? The past week?" Barry continued, I really wanted to make sense of what he was saying but his voice was becoming a blur as I felt my sleepiness begin to consume me. "What's happened to you? Why are you pushing me away?"
Knowing that this was getting serious I slowly sat up on the bed. "I haven't been avoiding you I just have a lot on my plate." I began, although I was beginning to avoid him. "Oliver's gone, the city's worst criminal is on the loose, the SCPD can't help. Oh yeah and it looks like I might have to work with the man I hate most in this world."
"Wow. Okay" Barry said slowly as he sat down next to me. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean you technically already did but..."
"I just don't think I can do it." I said looking down at my hands. "I don't think I can be like Oliver."
"Then don't try to be." He replied causing me to look up at him. "You don't have to try to be Oliver, But be yourself."
I pursed my lips together as a small smile began to form on my lips. "You always know the right things to say to make me feel better."
"That's because I tell you what you want to hear." Barry said repeating what I told him during his team up with Oliver. We looked at each other for a second as a familiar tension grew between us, and next thing I knew Barry was leaning in and softly pressing his lips against mine.
I didn't have time to fully process it before he pulled away. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that." Barry began to say quickly. "I crossed the line and..."
I didn't let him finish as I pulled him by the shirt and pressed my lips on his. It took Barry a while to react, but then he placed a hand on my hip as he slowly kissed me back. I didn't know what came over me, but all I could think about was Barry's lips slowly moving against mine. One of my hands moved running through his hair as Barry's other hand found itself at the back of my neck.
The kiss was soft and I felt as it began to turn into so much more than just a simple kiss. This kiss was different than the first, something began to build up in my chest that I couldn't really explain. And then that feeling suddenly turned into fear.
I placed both of my hands on Barry's chest as I slowly pulled away from the kiss, still not completely able to grasp reality. Barry gave me a confused look, but when I met his eyes he already knew what I was going to say. "I'm sorry." I said in almost a whisper. "I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry."
"Diane I..."
"That should have never happened." I said in disbelief with myself. What is going on with me? "I shouldn't be playing with you like this. You don't deserve it."
"Diane listen to me." Barry said in a stern voice, and I couldn't meet his eyes. "I understand, you don't have those feelings for me. And what just happened wasn't anything that I didn't want to happen."
I stood there looking at him, in confusion at what he just said. And I knew that it wasn't completely true, I couldn't deny the fact that a part of me was starting to develop feeling for Barry. And for that exact same reason I knew that I could never act on those feelings because all that would ever do is hurt him. "Barry I..."
"You don't have to say anything." Barry said as he shook his head. "You should rest now, you've been going through a lot."
I didn't have a chance to say anything before he was gone. I starred blankly at the wall as my mind finished wrapping around what just happened in the past couple of minutes. Slowly I reached for my pillow and I quickly groaned into it in frustration. "What the hell is wrong with you Diane?" I yelled at myself, I felt so angry with myself all I wanted to do was take everything back. Thinking back I realized that whatever was going on, the feelings that I've been pushing back have been there for a while now. And now I didn't know how to make them stop and have everything be simple again.
***