"Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
Innocence died screaming; honey, ask me, I should know"
HOZIER - 'From Eden'

.                                         .                                                  .

Working was hard when you were still trying to cope with the miraculous discovery and subsequent rescue of the best friend you thought to be dead for five years. Multiple times, Cali had been forced to repeat actions and completely redo an entire hour's worth of filing simply because her head wasn't in the right place. Martha, the stupid blonde bitch, simply sniffed at her and muttered comments under her breath about useless billionaires wasting their time.

Cali took great pleasure in ordering the woman to clean up the spilled milkshake in the science non-fiction section. Martha, as her subordinate, had no choice but to paste on a plastic smile and head over with the mop.

She checked her watch. She'd worked back later than she meant to, and her lunch break started in five minutes. The restaurant she was meeting Tommy at was ten minutes away. That was okay, she'd just text him and warn him that she'd be running late.

She pulled out her phone, opening her messages and starting to type before registering that Tommy had already texted her.

'Can't hang w/ you for lunch today. Meeting w/ Laurel to talk about Ollie. Sorry?'

Son of a bitch. Son of a bitch. Was he serious? He'd literally told her last night that he'd never miss a lunch date with her. And he'd ditched her for Laurel? Of course, Dinah Laurel Lance. She always had to save the world and drag poor, foolish men along with her.

Oh, don't get her wrong, Cali supported Laurel. She was a strong girl, and didn't take shit from anybody, but she had an inferiority complex and self-worth issues massive enough to crush the entire planet. Why Tommy had fallen for her, of all people, Cali would never know.

Swallowing down her hurt, Cali simply texted, 'Okay.'

She shoved her phone back in her bag, sitting at her desk with a heavy sigh. At least she didn't have to cancel any sort of booking. The best part of being a billionaire was that she and Tommy had a table permanently reserved for them, which meant that she hadn't booked it, which meant she didn't have to cancel. If she didn't show up, they'd still hold the table for her.

Grabbing a hair tie, she pulled her hair into a loose bun, settling a pair of reading glasses on her nose. If Tommy had cancelled on her, then there was no reason to stop working. Especially now that she had to refile all this paperwork. It would take her almost her entire lunch break to fix it all up.

Ten minutes into her filing and there was a knock on the door. Cali huffed, juggling several folders and keeping her attention on the filing cabinet as she struggled to make sure the folders didn't fall. "Martha, I swear if you're here to bitch about the kids, I'm going to make you reshelve the entirety of the fauna section."

"I'm not sure Martha deserves to be tortured like that."

Cali jolted in surprise, dumping the files in any random space that would fit them and whirling around. "Oliver!" She squeaked.

Oliver smiled, leaning casually against the door frame. He was dressed down today - jeans, a plain navy sweater and some casual running shoes. He looked a little more settled into his skin today, and something in Cali's chest eased. She hadn't realised that she still harboured a lingering worry that Oliver would float away during the night and they'd never see him again.

"I asked Tommy when you had lunch. I hope I'm not too late?"

Cali's earlier elation at seeing her friend had faded, and something bitter twisted in her stomach. "You're fine. Tommy cancelled on me anyway." There was a bite to her tone.

Oliver winced. "Ouch. I've been away for a long time, but I'm not blind. You two are close."

There's a hidden question buried there, covered carefully by layers of faux innocence and too-casual wonder. Oliver's eyes sharpened with cunning, and his smile was too fixed to be anything but a ploy. A sudden wash of indignant anger crashed through Cali and she offered her own tight smile.

"We can get a drink," she suggested lightly, already reaching for her bag. Even if Oliver declined, she had to get out of that damned office. "There's a cafe down on the corner that makes the best musk-vanilla milkshakes in the whole city."

Oliver laughed, the dangerous look in his eyes fading once more. "Not coffee?" He asked, falling in step beside her as she exited the office space.

Cali met the eyes of Nancy, an older lady who mainly ran reception at the library. Nancy winked. "No," Cali answered, screwing her nose up both at the suggestion of the vile drink and at Nancy's implications. "Coffee is disgusting and I can't believe my brother drinks so much of it."

"Not even iced coffee?"

"Oliver, if coffee was a person, I would burn their house down. I don't discriminate. All coffee shares my loathing."

Oliver laughed again, low and rich. Some of the tension eased from his shoulders as he settled into the outing.

He always seemed so tense nowadays, Cali mused. It was as if he was always on guard, constantly vigilant. He never seemed to completely relax. It was probably an after-effect of being alone for five years in a hostile environment. Still, it was a shame that he didn't think he was safe, even around her. That lost trust wouldn't easily be won back.

"So I hear you're coming back from the dead tomorrow," she said easily, shoving the troubling thoughts away. Oliver's breathing hitched slightly beside her, and her heart jumped to match. Sympathy licked at her chest. "Are you afraid?"

"Of course not." Oliver's voice was rough with the lie. "It's just telling a judge that I'm still alive. I'm not the one doing the paperwork."

Cali hummed lightly, reaching down and grabbing onto Oliver's hand. His grip tightened reflexively, and she wondered if there would come a time where she would go to comfort him and he would lash out. She didn't care. She just wanted to help him.

She squeezed his hand. "It's not a weakness to be afraid," she said quietly, focusing on her walking. "It won't be easy to stand there and recount your story for a general audience. Your experiences were probably harrowing and definately should only be told because you want to tell them, not because the world wants to know that you're alive."

Oliver let out a measured breath. "Okay."

"Okay," Cali echoed.

Okay.
.                                         .                                                  .

Thea's face was too close to Cali's. The Merlyn girl could feel Thea's breath on her cheek and squeezed her eyes shut as Thea surveyed her with cool eyes.

"I'm going to kill him." Thea's voice was low and angry, and Cali did not doubt that she would go through with her threat. Ever since Ollie had died, Thea had stepped up and become the sister Cali hadn't realised she needed. Sure she had Tommy, and she loved her brother with her entire being, but Thea had such a different energy.

This time, Cali wondered if she should have gone to Tommy instead. "Please don't," she said. "It's not his fault. I broke another glass. He's been so stressed lately, you know?"

"Cali, this is abuse."

"It's not."

Girls like Cali didn't get abused. Not when Cali was rich and pretty and strong. She wasn't being abused. She wasn't. Michael just got grumpy when she broke things. And Malcolm had been working him so hard lately. She could understand why he had such a short temper. She forgave him. She loved him. He took care of her - like Ollie had before he'd gotten on the Queen's Gambit and disappeared.

Thea's lips thinned in disapproval. "I'm telling Mom."

Cali's shoulders slumped in defeat. She didn't particularly want Moira to know, but she knew there would be no convincing Thea otherwise. "Okay," she agreed heavily. "But Moira isn't to do anything. I won't have others taking over my relationship."

Thea shook her head, even as she uttered an 'okay', but Moira never interfered until it was Thea who was being carted away in an ambulance, Cali unconscious beside her.

.                                         .                                                  .

Cali sighed tiredly, stretching as the draw to the filing cabinet slid shut. She'd been ready to go home almost two hours ago, but Martha had dumped a whole new pile of paperwork on her desk. New orders, author information, schools that requested time with some librarians for various reasons. It was a lot to work through, so she'd gone overtime. Martha had been unrepentant when she'd come in to clock off and Cali had still been working through the files.

The milkshake she'd had when her and Oliver had gone for a walk did little to keep her hunger at bay, and Cali grabbed her phone out with all intentions of calling Tommy. Maybe he could spare some time to have dinner with her. Instead, she had a missed call from Malcolm and a text from Tommy himself, warning her that their father was hunting for her.

"Great," she muttered to herself, even as she tucked her phone back in her bag and focused on properly closing up the library. It wasn't until she'd successfully locked the door behind her that she allowed herself to grab her phone once more and dial Malcolm.

The line connected almost instantly. "Daughter," Malcolm greeted. "So glad you could return my call so promptly."

Cali rubbed at the spot between her eyebrows. That fucking headache was getting bad again. "What's wrong?" She asked bluntly. "And can it wait until tomorrow?"

Malcolm's voice softened slightly, genuine concern taking over the stiff formality that had been present before. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm okay," Cali promised, too tired to fight her father today. In fact, part of her longed to go to him and allow him to dote on her. She could always rely on him to love her. He always forgave her for her foolish actions, always loved her. The longing for some gentle affection seeped down to her bones.

Sometimes she forgot why she hated him so.

"Talk to me, Calico." Malcolm sounded so...so soft and gentle when he called her that. It was a stupid nickname that he'd come up with when she was little, before her mother had died. Hearing it now...Cali felt very much like that young girl. "What's wrong?"

Cali hesitated. This was the man who'd threatened her only a day ago. He'd made her cry, had used his venomous anger to tear her down. He'd bought her the position in the library. Why should she trust him now?

But she'd been the one who'd made him angry. She'd been such a bitch to him, even when he was trying his best. She'd made him angry, and he'd reacted accordingly. It wasn't his fault. He loved her. She should love him back.

"I've got a headache," she answered finally, voice trembling. She wanted her father, was that so wrong? "It hasn't gone away for days. It's starting to wear on me."

Malcolm let out a breath, warmth melting away the last of the business man mask. For a moment, he sounded just like the father she remembered from her childhood. "Tommy hasn't tried to help?"

"Tommy doesn't know." Because he's too busy with Laurel to worry about me.

"Ah." Malcolm was quiet for a moment, and Cali started walking back to her own car. Usually, Parker drove her around, but she loved driving to the library so she drove on her own. It gave her the freedom to come and go as she chose. "Your brother is complicated. He likes to flit between wasteful hobbies and he pursues pretty things that catch his fancy. I'm sure that once his latest fascination with the reporter girl burns out, he'll return to you."

That wasn't an accurate assessment of Tommy at all, and Cali opened her mouth to say exactly that, but instead, all that came out was a rattling choked-off breath. She swallowed sharply, but she couldn't take the sound back. "He cancelled lunch today," she said, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe because she was so sick of not being able to trust the people she loved.

She wanted her dad.

"I'm sending a car for you," Malcolm said. "Parker will pick you up while Cassidy drives your car back to your apartment. Come home, Cali, just for the night. I'll even make some hot chocolate."

It was so hard to remember to hate this man. He sounded so earnest, so paternal, and Cali was so tired and her headache was sending her vision spinning. She wanted to lay down and watch stupid movies with her only living parent. Even if that parent was Malcolm Merlyn.

She was still just a girl, and she'd been through a lot, and her friend had just come back from the dead, and she had a headache.

"Okay," she whispered into the phone. "But that's it. And this doesn't mean I forgive you."

"I don't need your forgiveness to care about you." Malcolm sounded mildly amused. "You're my daughter and I will always love you. Making up for my past mistakes won't be easy, but I can start by trying not to make any more mistakes."

Cali took a breath. "Mistakes like coming into my apartment and threatening me?"

Malcolm exhaled sharply, the connection crackling for a moment. "Yes," he said evenly. "Yes, that was a mistake, and the regret I feel is immeasurable. I'm sorry."

Sorry. It was the first time Malcolm had apologised for something since Cali had been released from hospital and Michael had been convicted. Cali had slapped him then. This time, she just said, "if you put extra marshmallows in the hot chocolate, you're forgiven."

Malcolm huffed. "You drive a hard bargain, but I accept."

Both of them fell silent, but neither of them hung up. It was stupid, the way Cali needed someone to support her all the time. She'd gotten mad at Tommy for having his own life. She'd gotten angry at Malcolm for trying to be a father. She'd gotten mad at Oliver for having the audacity to change due to some kind of horrific trauma from being alone for five years.

Cali was the problem. She had the issues.

"Dad?" She said very quietly.

Malcolm let out a breath. "It's been many years since you've called me that, Calico." There was a twanging sort of note in his voice, a plaintive chord that said he was still hurting - that her and Tommy had clawed open an invisible wound and it had never healed.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been very fair to you, and I've been so angry at you for trying your best."

Malcolm said, "There's nothing to be sorry for. You were hurting. It was only fair that you lashed out."

She bit her lip, shaking her head. "You forgive me too easily." Michael had never forgiven her that easily. Michael had held grudges and that was why he'd gotten so angry with her all the time. Mistakes piled up.

"It isn't hard to forgive my own daughter."

It isn't hard to forgive family.

Cali heard the message loud and clear, even if Malcolm didn't say it. Because she still hadn't forgiven Malcolm for a lot of things. Maybe she owed it to him, now that he was forgiving her for being such a bitch to him. Really, what had he done wrong? Dealt with his grief? Hadn't she done that exact same thing? If she continued to hate him for that, then she would live out the rest of her life as a hypocrite.

Distantly, she could see the car that Malcolm had sent for her. "Parker's here," she said, clearing her throat. "I'll see you at home?"

"Of course," Malcolm said warmly. "And Calissa? I love you."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know."

She hung up before Malcolm could realise that she wasn't saying it back. She couldn't. Not yet. Years of hurt couldn't be erased because of a headache and a brief apology. And besides, if Tommy found out that she was running to their father with open arms, he'd never forgive her. If she wasn't careful, she'd be trading one family member for another. She couldn't lose Tommy. It would kill her.

Well, really, wasn't she already losing him? Oliver's return had shaken something in Tommy, and now he was pulling away from her. Maybe he was falling into old habits - like all the times he'd leave her with Oliver because he wanted to chase up some girls. Oliver always seemed to have time for her, and Tommy had taken advantage of that.

So perhaps that was what was happening now. Oliver was back, and so Tommy didn't have to babysit her all the time. She could admit that she was clingy and needy, and maybe that was why her relationship with Michael fell apart, but Tommy had stood by her for several years now. He'd had to deal with all of her mood swings, and her depressive episodes.

Really, she couldn't fault him for finally walking away.

Parker pulled the car up in front of her, Cassidy stepping out and gently guiding her into the back. He was a large man, with biceps the size of her head, but he was always soft with her. He and Parker were her favourite drivers, and her adoration of them had caused Malcolm to permanently assign them to her.

"May I have your car keys, Miss Cali?" Cassidy asked calmly, once he'd gotten her settled in her seat.

She blinked and started rustling around her in her handbag. "Of course." Finally finding them at the bottom by an abandoned tube of lipstick, she pulled them out and handed them over, returning Cassidy's smile. He closed the door with a quiet 'click', and Parker started driving away.

"Mr Merlyn said I was to drive you to the mansion?" His voice was careful, and his words were selective. Not home. Not her mansion. He was checking that this was where Cali actually, truly wanted to go, and not just a ploy to get her in a space where Malcolm could tear her apart.

She really did have the best people in her life. "Yes, thank you Parker." She noticed his mouth tighten and offered a placating smile. "My father and I have some things to work out. I'm ready to give him a chance to explain himself."

Not quite the whole truth, but it eased the tension in Parker's shoulders. "Of course, Miss Cali."

"Thank you for looking out for me. Your loyalty is appreciated."

Parker summoned a smile of his own before his stone mask slid back into place. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

.                                         .                                                  .

Michael laughed, his coffee sloshing slightly as they sat at the little cafe. Cali watched him, sipping gently on her milkshake. He was radiant when he laughed. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners, and his mouth stretched into a wondrous smile.

"I love you," she said without thinking.

Michael laughter petered off, and something in his expression tightened in victory. "Yeah," he said. "Same."

It wasn't what she was looking for but she was high on the feeling of watching someone come alive in joy. She never really saw him laugh like that again.

.                                         .                                                  .

Malcolm was waiting for her when Parker gently eased to a stop outside the mansion, dressed in sweats and a plain tee. "Huh," Cali puffed when Parker opened the door for her to get out of the car. "I half expected you to be in a suit, doing work while I cry on the couch or something."

Malcolm put a hand over his heart. "Your lack of faith in me hurts."

Cali grinned, her headache receding slightly at the familiar comfort of her father. Parker shifted beside her and Malcolm's focus shifted to him, the easy expression on his face becoming stiff and uncomforting. "I want you to go and collect Cassidy from Cali's place and then go check on Tommy. Don't engage with him, just make sure that he's alright. You're free for the night after that."

Parker nodded respectfully, lips pursued but face blank. Cali watched him drive away with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Once the car had disappeared from view, Malcolm turned away and started inside. "Come on. I've already got the hot chocolates started."

Cali let him take her coat, already moving up to where her old room used to be. Malcolm said nothing to stop her, so she continued up the stairs, running her hands along the railing. God, the last time she'd stayed in this house had been the night that Oliver had been announced dead. She and Tommy had climbed into her, curled around each other, and cried themselves to sleep. She'd gotten up the next morning, grabbed some clothes, and walked out. She hadn't been back since.

Not for lack of trying of course. Malcolm had pleaded for her to come back after she'd gotten out of hospital and Michael had been sent to prison. She'd refused, but he'd insisted on compromising. He'd stayed in the spare room in her apartment for a week before Tommy had kicked him out.

To be fair, Malcolm hadn't done anything wrong. Tommy had said the wrong thing at the wrong time, and Malcolm had responded, and it had risen into an argument that had sent Cali into a panicked fit.

But now...

Her room hadn't changed much. Her walls were still the same pale teal and her bed still had tupid dragon stickers plastered to the headboard. A byproduct of her younger self's determination to have her presence remembered, she was sure. Now, they made her smile. She'd always been a sucker for dragons. And stickers. Wow.

She moved further into the room, settling on her bed. The covers had changed, but the pillows were still soft against her face as she laid down. God, she had such bad taste in decorating when she'd been younger. Posters lined one wall by her bed and dreamcatchers hung from her roof like raindrops. Her desk was unusually tidy and bare. There were no notebooks sprawled everywhere.

"I tried to keep it as close as I could to the same," said Malcolm from the doorway. He had a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. His expression was sheepish. "I always hoped you'd come home for good."

Cali sat up again, smiling at him tiredly. Her headache twanged. "Maybe I should have," she mused, eyes widening at the admission. Perhaps her exhaustion was making her tongue looser.

Malcolm returned her smile and then gestured carefully with one hand, the hot chocolate sloshing in the cup. Cali could see the marshmallows bob at the motin. "Come on," he said. "I've set up the living room. You can pick out a movie."

"Lilo and Stitch," Cali said immediately, clambering off her bed and falling into step beside her father. It had been her favourite movie when she was younger, and the nostalgia that was tearing at her now forced her to crave the familiar movie.

To his credit, Malcolm didn't mock her choice. Intead, something dark stole over his expression and his jaw clenched. Cali didn't press. Malcolm had been through a lot, just like she had, and he had a right to his own space to deal with it.

Finally, they made it to the living room, where Malcolm allowed Cali to get settled in the swathes of blankets on the couch before handing her the hot chocolate. He set her phone on the floor as she gripped the warm mug. He sat down beside her, and without thinking, Cali tipped sideways so she was leaning on his shoulder. She could feel him grow tense for a second, unsure of how to proceed, but when she didn't move and simply kept sipping at her drink, he relaxed again.

For a moment, it was just like how it had been before.

The familiar sounds of Lilo and Stitch started, and Cali hummed, taking another long drink. She'd nearly drained the cup, which was unusual for her, but she couldn't help it. Each mouthful of the rich drink eased her headache and stole away the tension and stress in her body. For once, she felt completely calm and relaxed and fine. Without her permission, her eyelids started to droop and she hummed again, the now-empty cup tipping dangerously in her hands. Malcolm shifted, catching the cup before it could fall. He pressed a kiss to her hair, but Cali was too far gone to really be aware.

"Sweet dreams," Malcolm whispered, and then Cali was lost in the swirling darkness of sleep.

.                                         .                                                  .

Malcolm waited until he was sure Cali was truly asleep before turning off the TV and gently maneuvering himself out from under her so he could lay her down properly. She didn't stir, even when he rolled her over and pulled an arm out from the blanket cocoon. He allowed himself to brush her hair back from her face, but then he pulled himself away. He couldn't afford to be too soft right now.

The serum was kicking in sooner than he'd expected.

It was pure luck that he'd had a sedative on hand when Cali had called him. Putting it in the hot chocolate hadn't been hard, and it had knocked her out pretty much straight away. Malcolm frowned as he rifled through his bag. Other vials filled with the same sedative clinked together, but he was looking for the needle-

Aha! He pulled out the needle, brows furrowed in thought. He needed to take a sample of Cali's blood to start synthesising a temporary suppressant, at least until after the Undertaking, where he could then sit down with his daughter and explain what was really in her blood and why it was so monumental. Damn, he thought he'd have more time.

He glanced at his sleeping daughter as he cleaned the needle properly, frowning. Hopefully, she was so far under that she wouldn't feel this. The sedative was a strong one, but with the serum, Malcolm wasn't sure how long the effects would last. He had to be quick.

As gently as he could, he wrapped a band around Cali's limp arm, letting out a low breath when she still didn't stir. Swiftly, he stabbed the needle in and drew blood, wincing as Cali shifted slightly. If she woke up, he'd have to think of something to say, and any sort of trust Cali had built up today would be gone.

She still hadn't woken when he undid the clasp around her arm and packed up his materials again.

Malcolm was just preparing for bed when Cali's phone vibrated on the floor by the couch, the screen lighting up with a text notification. Malcolm's lip curled. Of course. Someone would be looking for her tomorrow, probably Tommy. If Malcolm wasn't mistaken, it was Oliver's court case tomorrow, and if he knew his daughter, she'd have said she was going.

That wouldn't do at all.

Some of his simmering anger faded when he read Tommy's name on the screen, but it didn't completely disappear. Tommy was...different to Cali. Tommy was normal - arrogant, and defiant. Malcolm couldn't control his wayward son like he could with Cali. Tommy hadn't spun out of control after the Gambit went down like Cali.

Tommy wasn't injected with the serum.

Malcolm didn't love him any less, but it made it harder to connect with him. Cali was easy to, well, not manipulate, but convince.

'Hey bub. Just checking in. Sorry for missing lunch today. I hear Ollie took you somewhere instead?'

Interesting. Malcolm spared a glance for his still-sleeping daughter. Oliver Queen was quickly becoming a thorn in his side - meddling with the Merlyn children and unravelling Moira's tight loyalty bit by bit. Oliver being alive raised too many questions.

Cali's phone buzzed again as Tommy sent another text.

'It's late, whoops. You should be asleep right now, so I'll leave these details for you to read in the morning. I'll pick you up around 9. We'll get to Oliver's at around 9:30, and then we'll go from there. His hearing is at 11. I love you.'

Malcolm scowled down at the phone. He tapped on the message, hurriedly typing in Cali's password. Silly girl thought he wouldn't find out, simply because she chose random numbers? How naive. Quickly, he typed out a text and sent it, turning the device off before Tommy's response came through. Cali would see it tomorrow - the sedative should keep her under until well after 10am. Of course, the serum in her bloodstream could very well wake her up sooner, but Malcolm would take that risk.

He'd been the one to inject her with the serum after all. It was only right that he made sure she didn't suffer because of it.

.                                         .                                                  .

Tommy frowned down at his phone, Cali's text displayed on the screen. Something wasn't right about this whole thing. First, Cali would never cancel on Oliver and Tommy, not when the event was something important. She'd promised Oliver she'd be there when he came back from the dead, and it was so rare that Cali broke a promise these days. She was always terrified that if she went back on her word, then Tommy would get angry and he'd lash out.

Tommy's mouth tightened. Fucking Michael.

He read Cali's text again, trying to ignore the twisting in his gut that told him that this wasn't right.

'I can't go tomorrow. I'm not feeling great. Give my apologies to Oliver.'

He hesitated before typing out a response, settling on a simple, 'feel better, bub'. He should go check on her, he knew he should, but something held him back. If she was sick, then she'd ask for him if she needed him. Wouldn't she?

Maybe he'd call Oliver. After all, Ollie had been the one with her for her lunch break, so maybe he'd noticed something that could ease Tommy's concerns. If Ollie said she seemed off, or sick, Tommy would visit her tomorrow instead of tonight. It was that simple. He dialled Oliver's number.

It took a few seconds for the line to connect, for Oliver to answer, but Tommy didn't really feel guilty for calling at such a late hour. "Yeah?" Oliver's voice was gruff with exhaustion, but it wasn't thick with sleep. Oliver had been awake.

Tommy let out a breath. "Hey man. You stopped by to see Cali today, right?"

Oliver shifted - Tommy could hear the noise over the phone. "Yeah, we went out for a drink at the cafe on the corner. Why?" He sounded a little sharper now, concern chasing away the tiredness.

"She's not coming tomorrow. She just texted me and cancelled. Said she's feeling sick."

Oliver paused. Tommy could hear strange sounds, as though Oliver was outside in the weather. "She seemed tired," Olvier said finally. "I think she had a headache. I don't know if that's what she means by 'sick'."

Tommy nodded to himself. He'd check on her tonight. On the other hand... "Are you outside?" He asked abruptly.

Oliver's voice immediately got more guarded. "I couldn't sleep," he said tightly. "I wanted to walk the streets of Starling City again."

Tommy tucked that awy to think about later. "If you're already out in town," he said, "could you check on her? She's in the apartment building a block west of the library. Floor 2, room 12."

"Of course," Oliver agreed immediately. "If she's sleeping, I'll leave her be, but if something's wrong then I'll call you."

Tommy swallowed. "Thank you, Ollie."

"Of course," Oliver repeated, gentler now. "Anything for my best friend."

It wasn't until Oliver had hung up that Tommy realised he wasn't sure if Oliver was referring to him, or to his sister.

.                                         .                                                  .

The door to Cali's apartment creaked open, a hooded figure looming in the doorway. Gently, he tucked the lock pick back into his pocket, creeping forwards slowly, blending into the shadows. He kept his bow close, measuring his breathing so he made as little sound as possible. The apartment was as quiet as he was, and it raised the hairs on his arms.

He had an arrow nocked and aimed before the door had finished opening and closing behind him.

"If you are here to kill Ms. Merlyn, I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave here alive."

The hooded figure didn't drop his bow, kept the arrow pulled up to his face. Any sign of attack, and he would let go. "Where is she?" He growled lowly.

The other man stepped out into view. He was older, with a weathered face. He looked familiar, but the hooded figure didn't know why. "Ms Merlyn is spending the night at home with her father." Something tight and disapproving stole across his face. "I drove her there personally, and I can assure you that she will remain unharmed. You may visit her tomorrow."

It clicked. Parker. Tommy had talked about Cali's driver, about how she'd insisted that he remain her driver, even when Malcolm had tried to convince her otherwise. It wasn't recommended, growing close to one of your personnel. Someone could use that against you.

Slowly, the bow lowered, the arrow returned to the quiver. "If she gets hurt because of that man," the hooded figure growled, "I will kill you."

Parker met his gaze, unafraid. "If she gets hurt," he said gravely, "I may very well ask you to."

And well, Oliver Queen didn't really know what to say to that.