Felicity was busily working on rewiring her computer cables in the Vigilante's underground lair when her phone began to ring. She frowned, not expecting any phone calls. The only people who would call her at this time of night were Oliver and Diggle...who were both in the basement with her, training together. She set down the wires and fished her phone out of her pocket, smiling when she saw the caller ID on the screen. It was her step-father...although John was more her father than her real, biological father ever had been to her. She quickly answered it, hoping that the noise from the men training wouldn't carry down the phone. John was, after all, a Sherriff. He would know what fighting sounded like.

"Hey John," she beamed down the phone, "How are things down south?"

"Hi Felicity things are...well, they aren't great if I'm honest."

Felicity's face fell, and her voice thickened, "Why...what's wrong...are you ok...is Stiles?" She shot a glance at Oliver and Diggle, who had stopped fighting the moment they noticed the concern in her voice, and Oliver was giving her a worried look.

"I...I don't know...Would...I know you're busy with work and everything...but do you think you could have him there with you while he's off school. I just think he needs to get out of town for a bit."

"Has anything happened? He hasn't said anything in his emails?"

"I...I don't know what to do, Felicity. I try to get him to talk, and he just lies and stonewalls me. We used to be close but this whole year...he'd been acting weird...even for him."

"It's okay John...I mean, I'm not going to be able to get much...if any...time off work...you know how my supervisor is, otherwise I'd come down...but if you think he needs it, then yeah, of course Stiles can come and visit."

"Thank you Felicity...this means a lot" Johns sighed in relief down the phone. Felicity nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"You just look after yourself, alright, and I'll take care of Stiles."

"Alright...I'll contact you again once I break the news to him and organise flights."

"Okay, John...I'll talk to you then, bye," Felicity smiled sadly.

"See you, Felicity." John farewelled, before hanging up. Felicity put her phone on the table in front of her and sighed.

"Something wrong, Felicity?" Oliver asked. Felicity leaned forward, resting her elbows on the bench and resting her forehead on the heels of her hands.

"Heads up...I'm not going to be available for much back up for the next few weeks," she told them.

"Why is that?" Diggle asked.

"My little brother is coming to stay with me for his summer holidays. I'm going to be bailing on him to go to work during the day; I can't leave him alone at nights as well."

"I didn't know you had a little brother," Oliver commented.

Felicity gave a dry laugh, "There are a whole lot of things about me you don't know, Oliver. I am a closed book as far as you are concerned."

Diggle snorted in amusement and Felicity gave him a smile, before she sighed, feeling bad for teasing Oliver like that.

"Sorry," she apologised, "it's just that my family...it's kind of complicated...although going from what I know about present company it isn't that strange...alright, fine, but I'm only going to say this once, and if I cry you do not mention it ever again, promise?"

Oliver looked at Diggle for a moment, before they looked at her, both nodding.

"Of course," Oliver put in. Felicity sighed and walked across the room to her chair, the two men following her, grabbing their usual seats and dragging them to where they could face her. Felicity exhaled.

"Okay...starting in the beginning. My Mom and Dad broke up when I was one. It was an amicable split, and I stayed with my dad every second weekend up until he died when I was almost five. When I was two, my mom met John Stilinski, and she fell in love with him. They got married when I was seven. I don't remember a time when John wasn't there...he was more my dad than my biological dad was...and he was absolutely devoted to my mom. I always said to myself that when I grew up and got married, I wanted my husband to love me just like John loved my mom...anyway... just after I turned eight I found out I was going to get a little half brother or sister, and six months later my mom had Stiles...my adorable, and very tiny at the time, even though the last time I saw him he was taller than me not that it's hard, baby brother. Anyway, time passed, and Stiles grew into this adorable little boy. He got diagnosed with ADHD, but mom and John didn't care, even when Stiles would tire us all out. He had so much energy as a kid...and he babbles like I do. We used to be the only ones who understood each other once we got going. That...that was when everything fell apart," Felicity broke off and sniffed, feeling her throat closing up with emotion, just as it always did when it came to talking about this part of her life. She startled when she felt a large hand on her shoulder, just resting there reassuringly, and she looked up at Oliver, who gave her a gentle smile.

"Take your time," he told her. Felicity nodded, sucking in air before she continued on.

"When Stiles was six, and I was fourteen my mom got diagnosed with cancer. John was busy with work, trying to pay for the medical bills, so Stiles and I looked after mom. Stiles grew up so much in those first few months...we both did. My mom lasted eighteen months after the diagnosis before she died." Felicity sniffed and took off her glasses to she could wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry," Diggle told her.

Felicity nodded, "Thanks...I appreciate it."

Oliver gave her a concerned look, and tightened his grip slightly on her shoulder, before he let his arm drop. Felicity cleared her throat.

"John...John was devastated by loosing mom...we all were. Stiles was alone with her in the hospital when it happened. John had gone to the cafeteria, and when he came back they had called it. Stiles started having panic attacks, like...all of the time. Most nights he slept with me in my room just so we could hold onto one another. John stared drinking more, before you ask no, he was never abusive to either of us...not that I was aware of, and threw himself into work. He got elected Sherriff the next year. We muddled on the best we could...we still had each other anyway, and we were better off than some, so I won't ever complain that those first few years after mom died were bad."

"Sounds rough," Diggle commented.

"What do you mean, compared with others?" Oliver asked curiously, "Sounds like you guys had it pretty bad."

"My best friend in high school...she had it way worse. Three weeks before we graduated her house caught fire. She lost twelve members of her family. All that was left was her younger brother and her uncle, who was badly burned and is now in a catatonic state in hospital. She lost both her parents...two brothers...two sisters, an uncle, two aunts, and three cousins. Everything was destroyed in that fire. All she and her brother had were the clothes on their backs and what they had in their school lockers...trust me, I would rather be dead than go through what Laura and Derek went through."

Oliver and Diggle both exhaled and shuddered at the prospect of losing so much at the tender age of 18.

"What happened to them?" Oliver asked curiously, already trying to think of a way to offer assistance to the pair. Felicity's friend would only be about 24, and he didn't know how old the boy was.

"They moved to New York, and Laura went to college there while Derek finished high school. I saw them sometimes when Laura and I were on breaks from classes. Laura was mauled to death by a mountain lion almost a year ago...I don't know where Derek is...the last time I spoke to him was the day he told me that Laura was dead. Anyway...we are so of topic. I left Beacon Hills when I graduated and headed off to College. I used to head back home every summer, but since I started working at Queen Consolidated I haven't had the opportunity. I like to let the people with kids take school vacation times, so it's been two years since I've seen John and Stiles...even though Stiles emails at least once a week and John tries to call once a month to catch up...or to check in on me to make sure I haven't been killed in a earthquake...or to ask me if Stiles can come and spend the summer with me."

"Did John say why he needed you to look after your brother?' Diggle asked. Felicity shook her head.

"No, but he sounded...I don't know...stressed. From the last few phone calls I've had from him I know things haven't been right with Stiles all year, but I don't know what. Even in his emails to me Stiles has been vague on details...I guess I'll have to talk with him about it when he gets here. I am not hacking his computer though...I don't want to know what my teenaged brother looks up...I don't want that kind of knowledge."

Oliver and Diggle both laughed at the look of horror on Felicity's face at the prospect of going through Stiles' browser history. They both had been teenage boys once too, and they had little doubt at what Felicity would find.

She was better off not knowing,

TW/A

Stiles closed his eyes as he felt the plane touchdown on the runway of Starling City's airport, wishing with all his might that he was back in Beacon Hills with the rest of the pack. He still couldn't believe that his father had sent him to spend the summer with his older half sister. Sure, things had been tense between them ever since the thing at the Jungle, and Matt's raid on the police station, but Stiles hadn't seen the punishment coming.

Slowly Stiles grabbed his back pack and joining the throng of people getting off the plane. It didn't take long, considering that since the earthquake that levelled a good half of the Glades Starling City hadn't been a booming tourist location. Stiles was actually surprised that his dad had sent him here, given that the city was considered to be highly dangerous. Of course, Felicity was Stiles' only living relative other than his dad, so the Sherriff had limited options, but still Stiles had been surprised.

Upon reflection it had made Stiles realise how much he had hurt his father with his actions, and with the endless lies, and guilt had bubbled up within him, swallowing him whole.

More than anything Stiles wished he was in Beacon Hills, so he could hug his father tightly, just like he had the night of the lacrosse game, after Gerard Argent had finally let him go, and beg for forgiveness.

Despite everything, however, Stiles couldn't help but smile when he saw his sister waiting for him at the arrivals gate, almost jumping up and down in excitement. His smile only grew when she lunged at him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Oh my God, I can't believe you're here...I mean, I was surprised when your dad called me asking if it was okay if you came and spent your summer with me, given everything that's been happening here lately with the earthquake and everything, but now you're here, and it's so good to see you...and you're a lot taller than I remembered...of course, that was bound to happen since it's been two years and you're a teenage boy, and that's what they do best...grow, I mean."

Stiles was full on grinning now. Felicity could ramble on just as much as he could. When they were younger, before Felicity moved out to go to college, they would babble away at one another so quickly that no-one else could understand what they were saying.

"What happened, Stiles...you look like you got hit by a truck...not that I would know what that looks like...actually it looks like you were beaten up by somebody...and I wouldn't know anything about that either. John wouldn't tell me over the phone...just that you needed to get away for a bit...please tell me you and Scott haven't been picking fights."

"We haven't," Stiles said, "It was a lacrosse thing...pretty awesome actually. The other team took exception to me scoring the winning goal and cornered me on my own after the game...no big deal."

"You...wow...you said in your last email that you weren't expecting to play during an actual game any time soon. Guess the Coach finally grew a brain and saw how awesome you are."

"Something like that."

"Right, well...let's go get your stuff...the sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can ditch your stuff back at my place and I can take you to the kick ass Chinese restraint that I found." Felicity beamed, taking Stiles' arm and leading him to the baggage claim area, where they picked up Stiles' large duffle bag.

"So, how's the jeep running," Felicity asked as she and Stiles reached her car. Stiles flinched, remembering the damage inflicted to his beloved jeep when he had hit Jackson with it.

"It's okay...I kind of scratched it a few weeks ago, but other than that it works." He admitted. Felicity frowned.

'Are you okay?" she asked, concern seeping into her voice, "You don't seem your usual chipper self."

"Did dad say anything to you about why he was sending me here?" he asked as Felicity turned to face him.

"Just that he thought that you needed to get out of town for a bit...and after seeing you, I'm inclined to believe him. You look almost as bad now as you did back when mom died...Oh, god, John's not sick, is he?"

Stiles shook his head, "Not that I know of, except for the ongoing cholesterol issue, which I'm helping him with...and he's fighting me over. Bacon is the food of the devil."

Felicity couldn't help but laugh, remembering her own battles with John about his diet, both before she left Beacon Hills and when she used to come back for the summer during her college years.

"Are you having panic attacks again?" Felicity asked. Stiles tensed in his seat, his gaze going distant. It was a look eerily familiar to Felicity...Oliver would look similar when he was flashing back to his time on the island.

"Stiles?" she prompted softly, wanting to reach out to him, but knowing that she shouldn't. Diggle had warned her never to touch him or Oliver when they were having flashbacks, since they could lash out. Stiles wasn't a trained fighter, but Felicity didn't want to scare him. He had obviously been in a fight after all.

Stiles swallowed, and nodded, absentmindedly touching his split lip "a bit," he admitted. Felicity frowned and reached over, pulling Stiles into an awkward sideways hug.

"Dad made me go to a councillor," Stiles added. Felicity kissed the top of his head.

"You'll be okay, Stiles...They aren't going to get you...the ones who did this to you...I won't let them. Does John know who did it?"

"Just that it was guys from the other team...I don't know who it was, they were wearing masks, and they'd changed out of their lacrosse gear."

"It's okay; Stiles...John will find them."

"No...I don't want him too. It...It's nothing, alright. It was just some stupid school rivalry thing...Dad doesn't need to be involved." Stiles snapped, pulling away from Felicity. Felicity sat straight in her seat, surprised by Stiles' outburst.

"Stiles...you're having panic attacks...this is obviously more than just being jumped by some jocks. Besides, John got involved the moment you were. He's the Sheriff, you know."

"Felicity...I don't know if you remember this, but using 'my dad is the Sheriff' stopped working as a bully deterrent in the fourth grade. I...I just want to move on and get over this."

"Ok," Felicity sighed, starting her car and driving out of the parking bay. Stiles was quiet as they drove through the city, until he saw the first signs of the earthquake.

"Wow...I saw pictures and footage on the news, but I didn't expect it to be this bad," he said in a soft voice, "where's your house again."

"I'm a few blocks from the Glades," she told him, "no damage except for a cracked mug that fell off a table during the quake."

It was Stiles' turn to shoot a concerned look at Felicity, who forced a reassuring smile on her face.

"It's okay...better than it was just after the quake. Just...when you're at home, don't leave the door or the windows unlocked. There's been a lot of looting going on...I would consider taking you to work with me...but A, you would be bored out of your brain, and B, if you weren't bored, I hate to think what sort of trouble you would be getting us both into."

Stiles snorted, "Both are valid points," he agreed as Felicity arrived at her apartment building and drove into the underground car park. She parked in her assigned space, and they got out, Stiles gathering his duffle bag and his back pack u, before they headed up to Felicity's apartment. Stiles had never been to Starling city before, so he didn't know what to expect when Felicity opened up the door to her apartment and switched off the alarm, before closing and locking the door again securely once they were both inside.

"You weren't kidding about the security thing, were you?" he asked.

Felicity shook her head, "This isn't Beacon Hills, Stiles...this is the city...and it's as dangerous now as it's ever been."

"Even with that arrow guy running around?" Stiles asked. He had heard about the vigilante of Starling City...there was a lot of chatter on the internet about him. People often debated whether he was doing god or evil. Stiles personally thought that the archer had a good thing going. Sure, he killed people, but he had also played a role in exposing the corruption that apparently was everywhere in Starling City...and Stiles was sure that the people that were killed by the vigilante must have been doing something wrong in order to attract the guys attention. At the same time, though, Stiles kept that opinion to himself. What the vigilante did seemed dangerously close to what the Argents did, and Stiles didn't condone the hunter lifestyle...especially now that he had experienced the so called 'hospitality' of Gerard Argent.

"Crime rates have dropped since he's been active, considerably," Felicity told him, "but since the earthquake things have been a little tense, and like I said, there's been a lot of looting going on. Just...be careful, okay?"

Stiles nodded, and Felicity smiled in relief, visibly relaxing.

"Great, now, are you hungry...there's this great Chinese place that I want to take you to."

Stiles snorted, setting his bags down carefully in a corner.

"Seriously...I am always hungry...growing teenage boy here...when can we leave."

Felicity laughed and put her hands on Stiles' shoulders, steering him back out of the apartment.

"Come on, Stiles...let's go and get some dinner."