Arrow: Reckoning Part 2

The Family Business

The constant sound of the shaking pipes gave Oliver something to focus on as he sat quietly near the corner of the Keep, lost in his thoughts and regrets. The devastating look in his sister's eye when she saw him remove his hood still left him rattled to the core, tarnishing what positive image she might have seen him as before. Oliver had already been directly responsible for the sting of betrayal towards his sister in the past when he kept her true parentage from her, but now he feared she might be lost to him forever because of his deception. He turned toward the light footsteps approaching from his side, spotting Felicity's welcome face. Their partnership over the years made it extremely easy for the other to detect an issue simply based on the outcome of a night's work. Felicity stopped beside Oliver, kneeling in front of him as she gently took his hands in her own. Her warmth and brightening presence was overly welcome as Oliver sat quietly and read her thought filled expression, doing his best to guess what she was about to say to make him feel better. She instead remained silent, allowing Oliver the time to gather his thoughts and speak his mind. Another reason he had fallen in love with her, the ability she possessed to somehow know exactly what to say or what not to say to best help him push forward.

"I didn't think she would find out this way." Oliver began as he looked down at their hands intertwining with one anothers.

"Well I doubt you thought I would find out about you by finding you in the backseat of my car...you know, best laid plans of mice and men." Felicity quickly replied, hoping a slight bit of humor would ease the tension. Oliver managed to crack a smile before slipping back into despair, picturing the look on his younger sister's face.

"She looked at me Felicity...and it was like she was looking at me for the first time. Almost like she didn't even know who I was." He explained, burying his face in his hands. Felicity paused for a moment, giving Oliver a brief amount of space. She struggled with the sight of Oliver in pain as she searched for a way to lift his spirits, reaching deep into her memories for assistance.

"When I was young...not like baby young but still young, I had this huge crush on this boy in my class. I didn't know anything about boys but I did know that my mom did, so I watched her get ready for work one night and saw that she put a lot of makeup on and in my young mind I assumed that was the key. So I snuck into her room and used a bunch of her makeup to try and look pretty for this boy and," Felicity paused and forced herself to continue as the strain of the story began to show in her tearing eyes.

"And my dad walked in and saw me with all this makeup on. He just stopped and stared at me...like he was affraid to say anything to me and he didn't, instead he left the next day and I never saw him again." She ended, wiping the tears from her cheeks as Oliver listened closely and helplessly watched Felicity struggle through the traumatic memory.

"For awhile after that I always imagined it was him finding me like that that made him leave, something about the painful look in his eyes...he had never looked at me like that before." She added, turning her head to shield her tears from Oliver.

"But I got older and realized that he left because of something else...not because I tried makeup for the first time." Felicity stated, smiling as she looked to Oliver and guided her hand to his face.

"I don't know what going through Thea's mind right now, but I do know that she won't leave you." She added, lifting his heavy chin and meeting his gaze. Oliver stared back at her and hoped she was right, Thea had suffered through too much and he didn't want to lose her to the Arrow.

The broken glass covered the floors as Thea carefully swept the shards into a dustpan as she fought to keep control over her emotions in regards to the news she had just learned concerning her brother. Her sweeping motions were fast and violent as her pain and frustration flowed out through her work, barely keeping her from unleashing her wrath upon her apartment. The image of her own brother removing the green hood and mask stung as it replayed in her mind over and over again, as if it were a cruel reminder of how trust was simply a weakness. A few silent footsteps behind her caught her attention, but not her gaze. She wasn't sure if Oliver would return tonight to try and set things straight and she wasn't sure if she wanted that, not with the wounds still fresh.