These next two episodes are when I can get more creative juices flowing, so hopefully everyone enjoys what I'm about to do!

Oliver's bad feeling turns out to be for a good reason, Team Arrow is worried for that good reason, and then they get even more worried for another good reason.

***

The breaking news of Cayden's death was still on the TV screen in Oliver's office as he worked on his laptop, checking in with city officials regarding the money they had recovered. He was still finding it difficult to believe that all seventy million was back in Star City, not a single penny missing. Good job, Evelyn, he thought to himself.

The door to his office opened, and he looked up, closing his laptop as Thea entered. "Ollie?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning the news off.

"Jean here has some good news for you," Thea told him, walking in with his lawyer.

Oliver raised an eyebrow. Having so many good things happen this many times in a row was unusual. "I'm only used to good news if it's accompanied by bad news," he admitted, standing up to greet Jean.

"Well, this news is unequivocal, Oliver," Jean smirked. "I can get this case against you dismissed."

Oliver did a double take, staring at her in shock. "Uh," he stammered out, stunned. "Have – have a seat," he gestured, seeing Thea grin behind Jean. "Tell me more."

"I pored over the discovery documents produced by the district attorney," Jean explained as the three of them sat down. "Apparently, the FBI leveraged Rene Ramirez to testify against you based on surveillance that was leaked by a known criminal."

"Cayden James," Thea clarified.

"Fruit of the poisonous tree," Jean nodded along with Oliver. "It's a legal metaphor positing that if the source of the evidence is tainted, the evidence itself is tainted. Mr. James' actions were not only illegal, but his death makes it impossible to corroborate the evidence against Mr. Ramirez."

"So if there's no case against Rene, there's no case against me?" Oliver asked.

Jean nodded in confirmation. "We're going before Judge McGarvey on my motion to dismiss this afternoon."

Oliver swallowed hard. "Jean, are you sure? You – you can just make this go away?"

"Ollie, she's positive," Thea nodded, beaming happily. "I know you're not used to getting good news, but this is what it sounds like."

Oliver looked at Jean, trying to figure out what to say in response to Jean when Quentin walked in from the door connecting his office to Oliver's. "Mr. Mayor!" he said sharply. "We got an emergency at SCPD."

And there it is, Oliver thought with a sigh. "Like I said, it was accompanied by some bad news," he grumbled, then looked at Jean. "Jean, this is wonderful. I will see you at the courthouse this afternoon."

"OK," Jean smiled, heading for the door.

Oliver stood up from his desk, moving to Quentin, who looked like he was torn between being angry or worried. "What's up?" he asked.

"Laurel just walked into police headquarters," Quentin answered.

"What did she do that for?" Thea's eyes widened as Oliver did a double take.

"I doubt it was on her terms," Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. Laurel had been perfectly content hiding in the shadows. Why would she do this? "Do you know anything else?"

"Yeah," Quentin scowled. "She told them she's Laurel Lance – our Laurel Lance."

That made even less sense.

***

"OK, not that I'm not a fan of hers, because she has seriously gained my respect in less than a year," Thea said as they walked into SCPD headquarters, "but why is she claiming to be Laurel Lance?"

"Especially now?" Oliver couldn't help but agree. "Our Laurel was the Black Canary. She's at risk for people finding out she's – " He hushed his voice as they passed a few officers. "Black Siren."

"She'll be living a lie," Quentin scowled. "One big lie, and considering she's the lookalike of my daughter, I don't know whether to be pissed at her or concerned for her."

Thea was the first around the corner, and she froze in her tracks. "I'd say the latter, Quentin."

When both men turned the corner, they also froze when they saw the state Laurel was in. "I woke up in a cell," Laurel was stammering, eyes flickering between reporters and cameramen that surrounded her, a few police officers behind her. "And I managed to break down the door, and I just – I ran."

"Oh, my God," Quentin stared in horror at the bruises painted on Laurel's skin, especially visible on her face, along with dried blood from a cut, some of which was stained on her cheeks along with running mascara. The clothes on her left side were dyed scarlet from blood as well.

"What happened to her?" Thea breathed in shock.

"They held you for two years?" one of the reporters asked.

"I don't remember," Laurel shook her head, sniffing. "They kept me drugged."

***

"Kara! You need to see this!"

"What?" Kara asked, walking out of her room, noting Evelyn's panicked voice. "What's going – " She took one look at the TV and stopped in her tracks, face draining of all color. "Oh, Rao."

"The Black Canary was reported dead, killed in a prison riot," a reporter offscreen prompted.

Laurel swallowed hard, eyes darting around. "Damien Darhk – he stabbed me," she was saying, her voice wobbling, "and the next thing I knew, I was – I was in – I was in that cell."

"She wasn't like that yesterday!" Evelyn looked up at Kara in terror. "What happened to her?"
Kara swallowed hard, fumbling on the counter for her phone. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," she promised. "As soon as I find something out, I'll let you know, OK?"

"OK," Evelyn gulped, turning back to the news.

Kara finally dialed the number she was looking for, quickly slipping into her shoes and heading for the door. "OK, don't panic, but you need to check the news, right now," she said, running towards the elevator.

***

"Why would Damien Darhk do this to you?" the first reporter asked.

"Why would he fake your death?" the second reporter pressed.

Laurel gulped, her eyes finally landing on Oliver. He cautiously gave her a nod, slowly stepping forward. He trusted her to be careful with her words, even though she looked like she would rather be anywhere but where she was. She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "I don't know why he would want to fake my death," she answered. "Maybe . . . maybe to torture the Green Arrow?"

The second reporter pounced on the opportunity. "So you know who the Green Arrow is?"

Laurel's eyes flashed to his, and Oliver quickly cut his way through the reporters, doing his best to look stunned; it wasn't that hard, looking over how injured she appeared. "Laurel!"

"Ollie!" Laurel took her cue at once, hugging him tightly. "Ollie! Oh, I never thought I'd see you again." Oliver gave her a small squeeze of reassurance, then Laurel swallowed hard, seeing Quentin. "Daddy!" she hurried past Oliver to him. "Daddy! Oh, Dad!" Oliver slid in the path of reporters as they tried to follow Laurel, and as she hugged Quentin, she quietly whispered in his ear, "I'm so sorry."

Quentin hugged her to him protectively, glaring over her shoulder as the reporters turned on Oliver next. "You notably outed Ms. Lance as the Black Canary at her funeral," the first reporter said. "That now seems a little suspicious in light of the recent allegations that you are the Green Arrow."

"It doesn't, and it's not," Oliver shook his head. "I have made no secret of the fact that when necessary, I have been in contact with Green Arrow and his team. He told me about Laurel Lance. Well, I wasn't talking to myself."

Like clockwork, all the reporters turned to Laurel, who flinched at the attention she received, Quentin scowling and tugging her closer. "Is that true, Ms. Lance?" the reporter demanded. "Ms. Lance, is Oliver Queen the Green Arrow?"

Oliver saw Laurel give him a deer in the headlights look, clearly uncertain whether to keep silent or deny the fact. "I really do think that Ms. Lance could use some time with her family and some privacy," he said.

"Let's go," Quentin agreed, helping Laurel move forward.

All the reporters clamored at once, asking more questions. Laurel ducked her head down, trying to avoid the questions, and once Quentin and Laurel made it past, Oliver and Thea walked after them, police officers blocking the reporters when they were gone.

***

"Inside," Oliver opened the door to the interrogation room, ushering Laurel in. She did quickly, anxiously shuffling from foot to foot. The second Quentin clicked the button to shut the security feed down, she collapsed onto the table, only to wince and whimper in pain. "What happened?" Oliver made his way in front of her, tilting her head to check the cut on her face.

"It was last night, when the night news aired that you got the money back," Laurel winced, taking a few deep breaths. "I had it on my phone, I was watching it. I took the normal route back, the way I've always gone. I got jumped, Oliver, and it wasn't an accident."

"But your cry," Quentin frowned in confusion.

"Sonic dampener in the fire escape," Laurel answered, making Quentin balk. "Like I said, it wasn't an accident."

"And then?" Oliver prompted.

She took a deep breath. "Well, after they did . . . this . . . I think I passed out. I don't know how long it was, but I remember the police arriving. I tried to say no, I tried to get out of it, but I couldn't move, not like this." She ducked her head. "Whoever did this to me told them I said I was kidnapped for two years. The police recognized me. I had to say I was Laurel."

"Well, you couldn't exactly say you were her long-lost twin," Thea sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I'm sorry," Laurel swallowed, looking up at Oliver. "I didn't plan this, you have to believe me!"

"I do," Oliver assured her, sighing and giving her a small hug, realizing just how shaken Laurel was by this. "This is on whoever did this to you."

"Well, there's only three logical options, right?" Quentin looked around.

"Anatoli, Diaz, or Talia," Oliver agreed grimly. "Whoever manipulated Cayden James into thinking I killed his son, because that's probably who killed James, too."

"And now they're gunning for your new team," Thea sighed.

"I think we can count Talia out, then," Quentin thought out loud.

"Why?" Thea frowned.

Quentin snorted. "I think she has a grudge against your father. She'd make a case to target him first."

"She'd probably do it herself, too," Oliver mused.

"So there's two choices," Laurel bit her lip. "Anatoli or Diaz."

"Neither good," Oliver grumbled with a sigh. "Well, we have two goals now. One, figure out who did this to you because it's most likely who killed James and set him up."

"And goal two?" Thea raised an eyebrow.

"Hope Kara got to Slade and Malcolm before they saw the news or before they went on a rampage in my city trying to find who did this to you," Oliver answered, heading for the door. He stopped at it, then turned to look at Laurel. "I'm glad you're OK," he told her.

"Me, too," Laurel smiled back.

***

Oliver was walking towards the exit of SCPD when his phone rang. He checked the Caller ID, then sighed and answered. "She's fine," he said quickly.

He heard three sighs of relief on the other end. "What happened?" Kara asked. "She looked awful!"

"She looks like she just escaped Damien Darhk," Oliver answered grimly, raising an eyebrow as he walked past Dinah. "Hello," he said in a neutral tone.

"Don't talk to me," she snapped.

Oliver sighed and continued walking. "Whoever did this was smart," he continued. "Force her back into the spotlight, everyone's eyes are gonna be on her – they already are. We might be down one until this winds down, and there's no telling when that's gonna be."

"But she's OK?" Malcolm asked.

"She's shaken, but yes," Oliver nodded, even though the other archer couldn't see him. "She's OK."

Dinah looked around the bustling department, then walked over to one officer's desk. "What's all the fuss?" she asked.

"Laurel Lance just turned up alive," the officer answered, making Dinah frown. "Believe it or not, she's actually – "

"I know who she is," Dinah interrupted, straightening up and heading for the captain's office. "Captain Hill?" She looked up from her paperwork, and Dinah walked in. "Can I talk to you for a minute? It's about Laurel Lance."

"That's a hell of a thing, isn't it?" Hill smiled. "She said they faked her death and then she was held captive for two years."

"Yeah, it sure is," Dinah plastered a smile on her face. "Anyone catch that case yet?"

"You want it, it's yours," Hill told her. "But right now, she's going to the hospital for a GSW."

"I'm patient," Dinah said with a satisfactory smile.

Maybe the blonde metahuman wasn't the one responsible for putting her on the ground in their last fight, but she was still dangerous. And any way to find out where Evelyn was now, Laurel would know.

***

Curtis knocked on Rene's apartment door, smiling when Zoe cracked the door open. "C-dawg!" she grinned when she saw it was him.

"Hey, Zoe!" Curtis smiled wider as she let him in. "Great, love that that nickname's sticking around. That's amazing," he muttered under his breath.

"The babysitter had to go home two hours ago," Zoe closed the door and turned to him. "Where's my dad?"

Curtis bit his lip, then gestured to the table. "Have a seat." When they were both seated, Curtis took a deep breath. "Something happened," he told her. "He's gonna be OK, but I need to tell you about it."

***

"This is inappropriate," Jean all but growled at the meeting with McGarvey that afternoon. "My motion should be heard in open court!"

"I requested it be heard in chambers," Armand told her.

"Oh, to what?" Jean raised an eyebrow. "Hide the embarrassment of having your case dismissed?"

"Actually, we're taking Mr. Ramirez off our witness list," Armand shook his head.

Jean scoffed. "Considering he was your sole witness against Mr. Queen, I renew my motion to have this case – "

"He's not our sole witness," Armand corrected.

"What?" Jean asked sharply as Oliver shot a glance at Armand, not liking where this was heading. Had someone else come forward? "No, no, no, no," Jean shook her head. "Discovery on this case is closed!"

"This is newly discovered information, Your Honor," Armand told the judge. "We'll make the witness' proffer available to the defense in accordance with Brady v. Maryland."

"Who is the witness?" Oliver asked, still trying to think of who they possibly could have found.

"Someone with enemies on both sides of the law," Armand answered.

"That's why we're doing this in chambers and why I granted the district attorney's request for a suppression order," McGarvey nodded.

"Right, I get it, it's sensitive," Jean scowled. "What is the witness' name?"

Armand looked past Jean to Oliver, a small smirk on his face. "Roy Harper."

Oliver was certain his fiancée could have heard his heart skip a beat at the mention of that name.

***

"Apparently, it's team reunion day," Malcolm remarked dryly as he paced the bunker restlessly; according to Kara, he hadn't stopped moving since the news had broke with "Laurel's" resurrection.

"Except I don't think this team member wanted to be found," Slade pointed out.

"Slade's right," Felicity nodded. "We didn't know where he was. We didn't even know what name he was working under. I didn't think anybody did."

"So how did they find Roy?" Kara frowned in confusion.

"Isn't that the question," Malcolm sighed.

"Dad, can you stop?" Thea finally spoke for the first time, making Malcolm look over at her. "It's just – you're making me more anxious now."

Malcolm blinked, seeming to realize he was still pacing, then nodded and chose instead to lean against the opposite pillar Slade was leaning against. "Did you know?" Oliver asked his sister.

"No," she shook her head. "No. God, I couldn't even find him for your engagement party."

"Doesn't matter how they did it," Dig sighed. "They did. Now we have to figure out what to do next."

"He's definitely not cooperating voluntarily," Thea murmured.

"Well, it's been two years," Felicity thought out loud. "I mean, there might be some pressure points that we don't know about, some people he cares about, some – "

"Felicity," Malcolm's sharp voice cut across her.

Felicity's open mouth clicked shut as she looked over at Thea, seeing the brunette look down. "It's been a long time," she finished meekly with an apologetic look at Malcolm.

"Either way, we need to know what Roy is going to say in court, which means we need to know where he is right now," Oliver said.

"Oliver, he's a state witness," Dig frowned. "I know our whole thing is extralegal, but maybe we should let your lawyer deal with this."

"The DA's office wouldn't have the capabilities of finding Roy," Malcolm pushed off the pillar to lean on the table by Thea.

"So it's either Diaz or Anatoli," Slade frowned thoughtfully.

"Whoever it was tugged strings enough to get Laurel out into the open," Malcolm nodded. "They're still tugging."

"I just want to cut these strings," Kara sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"That makes two of us, almas," Malcolm nodded.

"Well," Felicity cleared her throat, looking up from her tablet. "If you're in the mood for some witness tampering, I think I have a line on where the DA is holding Roy. They've rented out several rooms of the top floor of a hotel downtown."

"Hotel," Dig frowned. "Easily guarded position with lots of civilians. We break in, get spotted, Oliver? We make their case for them."

"Guys, if Dad and Slade are right and Roy is in trouble with Diaz or Anatoli, we need to be protecting him," Thea insisted.

"So we wait until dark to do recon and then find possible points of entry," Oliver nodded.

"What about me?" Kara frowned. "I can do it right now."

"How suspicious will it look if people see Supergirl flying around the building the DA is holding the star witness?" Oliver pointed out, making Kara concede with a sigh. "Your reputation is better than all of ours combined."

"Granted, considering ours," Malcolm nodded between himself and Slade.

"Speak for yourself, wizard," Slade snorted.

"Magician!"

"I rest my case," Oliver sighed. "But I promise, if we need your help, I will not hesitate to ask for it."

"OK," Kara nodded reluctantly. "It's just . . . the way you've all talked about Roy . . . I know he's important to all of you. I want to help."

"Thank you, Kara," Thea told her with a smile. "It means a lot."

Kara smiled slightly back.

***

"No exertion or sudden movements," the nurse told Laurel at the hospital. "Don't want to risk reopening the wound."

Laurel nodded, watching her leave with an impatient look on her face. Quentin cleared his throat from beside her, looking at the officer by the wall. "Could you give us a minute, please?"

The officer stepped away, and Laurel relaxed, happy to finally not have to act. "Am I going to be getting visitors I need to know about in advance?" she asked as Quentin put a duffel on her bed.

"No," Quentin shook her head. "I called Dinah and told her to hold off for a bit while I checked you out. That poor woman's been burned enough by this sort of thing."

Laurel flinched, reaching over for the duffel. "I didn't plan this, you know."

"I know," Quentin sighed, nodding. "I'm sorry, it's just – my daughters keep dying and coming back to life, so forgive me for being a bit tired of it all."

"I understand," Laurel assured him, zipping the bag open and peering through its contents. "More of your Laurel's stuff . . . "

"You're gonna have to pass as the first Laurel, you better get used to her style," Quentin nodded.

Laurel chewed her lip. "No offense . . . but this is style?" Quentin gave her a look, but something caught Laurel's eye and she sighed. "So is my health insurance up to date, or would you mind handling her?" Quentin turned to see Dinah outside, notepad out and ready. "I guess if I have to get used to Laurel's style, I should start by getting into her clothes," Laurel held up the shirt in her hand.

Quentin sighed, reaching up and drawing the curtain around the metahuman.

***

Dinah watched with pursed lips as the curtain was drawn, then looked up when Schwartz approached. "Hey," the doctor said, looking expectant.

Well, there was a formerly "dead" woman in one of her hospital beds, so Dinah wasn't that surprised by it. "Laurel Lance," Dinah pointed with her pen towards the bed. "She died in this hospital."

"I pronounced her," Schwartz confirmed. "There was an autopsy. Of course, I've seen my share of things I once would have considered miraculous. I mean, in a world where a man can run faster than light and a woman is stronger than steel, I suppose anything's possible."

"That's why I need to rule out the chance that this person could be an imposter," Dinah told her.

"The DNA test will tell us that," Schwartz told her. "Excuse me."

Dinah watched Schwartz leave, then tapped her pen anxiously, waiting for Laurel to finish. "Hey," Quentin walked up to her.

"Hey," Dinah nodded in response.

"Look, I know what you're doing here, all right?" Quentin frowned. "You're going after Laurel to find Evelyn, and I get that, OK? It's what I would do if someone I loved was dead and they were protecting the person who did it."

"You mean, it's what you are doing," Dinah frowned. "I bet you know where she is, too, don't you? And you're honestly telling me that you're happy she's turned herself into your Laurel?"

Quentin narrowed his eyes. "First off, she didn't do that willingly," he told her. "Second . . . no, I'm not exactly happy, but while she lives as my Laurel – "

"She is not your Laurel," Dinah scowled. "Your Laurel wouldn't protect a murderer."

"Maybe not," Quentin frowned. "But she would protect someone who was forced into committing murder and who had no choice but to do so."

"You know, everyone keeps saying that," Dinah shook her head bitterly. "I have yet to see proof."

"You haven't exactly been willing to see it," Quentin retorted.

"I was there to see it happen," Dinah snapped. "I saw."

"Then you're damn good at seeing things one way and one way only," Quentin shook his head.

Dinah scowled at him, then looked back at the curtain hiding Laurel's bed. "What's taking her so long?" she growled, heading back inside. She pulled the curtain back, only to see the nurse from before jump in surprise as she changed the bedding. "Where'd she go?" Dinah demanded, Quentin blanching when he saw nothing of Laurel was left.

"The police officer took her," the nurse stammered out. "Said something about a safe house."

"No, no," Dinah shook her head rapidly. "I am the lead detective on this case." The nurse shook her head helplessly, and Dinah glared at Quentin as he hurried to the other entrance, trying to see if there was any trace of them left. "You did this," she accused.

"What are you talking about?" Quentin scowled. "I want to know where she is, too, you know!"

Dinah sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

***

Laurel frowned uneasily as the police officer got in the front of the car, clearly not waiting for anyone else. "Is my father not coming?" she asked. The officer looked at her in the rearview, then turned his key in the ignition. "Where are you taking me?" she asked, putting some steel in her voice.

"To see Mr. Diaz," the officer answered.

Laurel's eyes widened as the car drove off. The good news was she now knew who was behind outing her to Star City. The bad news was she was heading right towards him with no backup and no way to contact anyone.

Why did the past twenty-four hours have to throw her off her game so much?

***

"I'm a bit surprised you're out here," Oliver told Malcolm as they and Dig stood on the roof of the building opposite the hotel.

"Look, I've got my life turned around – or it's getting there," Malcolm told Oliver as they made their way to the railing at the building's edge. "Thea's been part of that, and I know how much Roy means to her. There's no way I'm sitting any part of this out."

Oliver smirked. "Careful. You're getting soft."

Malcolm snorted. "You wish."

Oliver shook his head, focusing on the hotel in front of them. "Guessing Roy's in the room with the police outside."

Dig pressed the side of his helmet, and he grimaced at what he saw with the thermal readings. "Yeah . . . reading the wrong end of a phone book. It's risky terrain."

"You just told me he's getting beaten on," Oliver frowned. "You still not sure we should do this?"

"Two-man team on the balcony," Dig pointed out. "If we can get past them, that's our best bet."

"Fine," Malcolm nodded.

"John, he's in there because of me," Oliver told his friend. "He's been on the run for three years."

"Oliver, that's his choice," Dig reminded him.

"I know that," Oliver seethed, "but did I learn anything from it? Roy put on the hood. He sacrificed himself for me, and I asked you to do the same thing at the expense of your safety and your family."

"Difference was I wanted to put on the hood, Oliver," Dig shook his head, and Malcolm tensed, getting the feeling he knew where this was going, and this was not the place for this at all. "Listen, I've been good for the past two months – good – but instead of giving me back the hood, you've had Cisco make me a new suit – "

"There's a fifteen-second opening when they change shifts," Malcolm interrupted, and he felt Oliver give him a grateful look and Dig give him a less than kind one. He brushed that look off easily – this wasn't the place for that conversation, not when someone who meant a lot to most of the team, especially to his daughter, was in danger in the building in front of them.

"That's our window," Oliver nodded in agreement. "Thank you, Malcolm."

"You're welcome," Malcolm nodded, side-eyeing Dig as he turned around. "Let's let Thea know."

Oliver nodded, the two archers departing from the rooftop, leaving Dig to look over at the hotel in frustration before he followed behind the two other men.

***

Diaz is really just painting a target on his back that says "please shoot me," isn't he? Poor Malcolm having to worry about two of his three girls in this episode.  And then there's next episode . . . yeesh.

Also, I'm curious as to who noticed there was a bit of a parallel scene last chapter: I tried to model Malcolm saving Laurel from Dinah after when he saved Earth-1 Laurel during the fight against the League in Arrow 3x22. Did anyone see it, or did I not do a very good job trying to connect them?

Next chapter will come whenever I get it written!