Lessons: Becoming the Green Arrow

SUMMER SERIES PREMISE – As the show is on hiatus, I wanted to take the opportunity to do my own summer series and resolve some of the issues left after the S2 finale. My plan is for this story to serve as the "show" so there will be weekly episodes posted each Wednesday. The chapters will probably be lengthy and be from a third person POV. They will be connected by larger themes, but will still have smaller plots each time. Again, much like our beloved show (at least in theory) except it will be the happier, fluffier Arrow with a definite Olicity spin that I use in the Lessons Universe! I do plan to have a related story (Lessons: Team Arrow) that will serve as "episode tags" and include either bonus thoughts/ scenes from different character POVs. There will be action, drama, humor, and fun so I hope you'll join me for the ride! If you guys are game then let's get started, shall we?! :)

AN - This intro chapter pulls info from both Lessons Learned Chapters 11-12 as well as Vacation Day so you don't need to read those, however, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if you went back to check them out! :) Anyway, always feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, and questions - I love getting feedback!

AN2 – A special thank you to Mic RiddyBanon for not just your beta skills but also your support! Kenyancougar, thank you for your support as well! This summer series is a bit of an experiment for me and I know I would have tried it without your ladies encouraging me! THANK YOU!

DISCLAIMER – While the cat is away, the mice shall play…but I still don't own Arrow!

Team Arrow had survived Slade's assault on the city and they had even survived Felicity taking a vacation day shortly thereafter, however, they were all still adjusting and learning to deal with the numerous recent changes. Oliver had lost his mother to death and his sister to disappearance. The Foundry had been comprised and locked in legal issues forcing them to relocate their headquarters. QC and all the Queen family assets were also embroiled in legal drama which had left Oliver without money until Felicity tracked and liberated Slade Wilson's hidden assets and funds. Even more people knew about Oliver's secret identity and Team Arrow which put them all at risk. Detective Lance was in a medically induced coma due to the injuries he sustained when he joined their fight against Slade. ARGUS remained a tentative and dangerous ally even if they were now keeping a respectful distance. Lastly, Starling City faced the necessity to rebuild and re-establish law and order for the second time in as many years.

There were even bigger changes for them personally resulting from subtle shifts in alignment as the outside world had become even more dangerous. Team Arrow found stability within themselves in the midst of a city in chaos. They found security within themselves while others were kept at a distance. They found respect and trust within themselves even though others doubted them. Their bonds became stronger each day as each one made the choice to stay together. Each one acknowledged and accepted that they were stronger, better together than they could ever be apart.

Without the burden of their day jobs, the Team was able to fully dedicate themselves to training and missions without their previous time constraints. They were forced to adjust their cover stories and public personas though as while Diggle could remain as the black driver, Felicity was no longer Oliver Queen's EA at QC. They also needed a way to keep Roy close without Thea unintentionally providing an excuse. They were working on the problem and Felicity had already leaked intel to the gossip mags and reporters that Oliver Queen was forming a new consortium (JLA Industries) to restore his family name and fortune.

This story allowed for Felicity to remain close without arousing too much suspicion. Felicity even used part of the funds she had recovered from Slade to purchase an office building. The upper levels would fulfill the need for the appearance of business while the bottom levels were being renovated to be their public Team Arrow headquarters. As many more people now knew Oliver's secret identity as the Arrow as well as the roles played by Diggle, Felicity, and now Roy, the Team knew a second hidden location was also required for their protection and peace of mind.

Felicity had again utilized Slade Wilson's assets to gain possession of another warehouse in the Glades. This became their "second location" that they kept private and hidden just as Oliver had once kept his second location hidden from them. This time though, Oliver, Diggle, Felicity, and Roy knew its location as well as the security measures in place to stop outsiders from gaining access. The second location served not only as the Team's real headquarters but it also quickly became a second home for them. As there was much work to be done to rebuild both Team Arrow and Starling City, the Team often found it easier to spend the night so more times than not at least one member and sometimes two would stay.

The second location was still a work in progress, but the Team had applied all that they had learned to make their new headquarters better. Felicity improved their security and technology – she even accepted some ARGUS computers and software, even though she remained suspicious of them. Diggle and Oliver revised and improved the security of the physical structure. Roy's continued quest for archery precision dictated the need to locate that area far from Felicity's computers and work space. They also revamped their med and research labs with the latest courtesy of the now defunct S.T.A.R. Labs. The training area had also been expanded so all could retain and improve their skills (though Felicity still refused to train with them). Additionally, all four contributed to the living area space to ensure they could all stay there comfortably if they needed to do so.

Despite the lingering tension and concern for the future, the Team remained fairly relaxed, comfortable, and in good spirits within their own home. There were even lighthearted moments of teasing justas the three original partners had once shared so long ago. That early balance and rhythm had returned and Roy was a surprisingly easy fit this time as well.

Roy had become an important part of their Team even if they did still face the problem of his public persona though. Laurel had used her position and the public story of Slade's attack to ensure Roy remained free of charges, however, the Team had no viable reason to explain his constant presence. Fortunately, the city was still in such a state of chaos and turmoil that they knew they had more time to formulate a plan. Right now, all of their time and energy was spent on rebuilding their Team and protecting the city.

Starling City still resembled the battleground it recently was and enterprising criminals attempted to take advantage during the chaotic time. Public fear and anger remained strong even as the explanations of the battle that cost the city so much were offered. The public story of Slade's attack was part truth, part lie as any public story is.

SCPD had advised the citizens that Slade Wilson was a former Australian Special Forces commander who had gone rogue. They had reliable intel that he had drugged his army of escaped convicts (and one Roy Harper) with a new street drug cocktail that caused a temporary fugue state where the victim was easily manipulated to action, suffered hallucinations, and retained no memory of the events. Slade then used his new army to continue his personal vendetta against Oliver Queen.

The authorities further advised that Slade had been obsessed with the Queen family since Oliver had been thought dead while stranded on an island for five years. They speculated that Slade connected Oliver Queen with the tragic death of the woman he loved as she had been lost at sea during that time as well. They believed he fixated on Oliver when he 'returned from the dead ' and that he wanted to avenge the woman's death and punish Oliver by destroying the Queen family. That obsession reached dangerous levels when Moira Queen ran for public office and thus forced Slade into violent action resulting in the kidnapping of Thea Queen and the murder of Moira Queen.

With the support of the DA's office, the SCPD also publicly acknowledged the help of the 'Vigilante'. There were several public sightings of Oliver in green as the Arrow that night since he had not made his usual efforts to remain hidden, thus the 'Green Arrow' was born. The tales of his assistance and adventures quickly grew to legendary proportions as the public needed a hero just as they needed a villain. The Green Arrow was the hero they needed to believe in and Slade Wilson was the villain they needed to blame.

With the name and face of Slade Wilson to blame, Starling City also forgave the Queen family and most sympathized with Oliver Queen as the victim of an obsessed madman. Oliver had lost his mother, his company, and even his sister had been kidnapped. He was now a wounded hero of yet another tragedy in the city's mind and most cheered his efforts to rebuild, especially as he continued to make donations to various funds courtesy again of Slade's money.

As the 'victim', Oliver gained favorable public press and they made use of that by setting up a charity in his mom's name that would continue to help rebuild Starling City. The Team was glad to be able to help the city in the light of day and not just the dark of night. Oliver, in particular, felt the need to publicly redeem his family's name especially as he knew and felt responsible for the dark truth. He also hoped it might allow Thea to return to him, to them. They had yet to receive word from her other than that last cryptic letter to Roy.

Oliver had maintained contact with Walter and assured him routinely that he continued to search for his sister. Walter had called Felicity just that morning and requested a meeting with Oliver at the new JLA offices and the Team assumed that was the reason why. Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle were waiting there now. Roy was down below training as he was still struggling to deal with Thea's choice to leave.

"Good morning Walter!" Felicity greeted the man enthusiastically as he got off the elevator.

Walter returned both the warm greeting and smile. "Good morning Felicity. How are you today?" He was still impressed that the young IT genius remained by Oliver's side, however, he continued to ignore the recurring rumors that explained her previous and current position in Oliver's life.

"Good, well, that's relatively speaking, of course! But we are trying to be good and I think that's what counts, doesn't it? We have been busy though and that is good too as it totally sucks to not be able to do anything when so much needs to be done-" Felicity's ramble was interrupted as Diggle smothered a laugh with a cough and Oliver spoke.

"Felicity." Oliver spoke her name then stepped forward to shake Walter's hand and gestured for his stepfather to move past him into their offices. Oliver then leaned in to whisper to Felicity, "Trying to be good? Is that what we've been doing?"

Felicity glared and blushed in response to his teasing even as she strode past him to see Walter smiling at them in amusement.

"Walter, can I get you a cup of tea?" Felicity ignored the amusement and made the offer as it was Walter.

"Sure, tea would be great. Thank you!" Walter watched in bemusement as Felicity left without making an offer to get anything for the others.

"I'd love a coffee, thanks Felicity." Oliver called out after Felicity crossed the threshold to leave the office.

She turned and smiled sweetly as she replied, "I'm sorry but the coffee maker is broken, Mr. Queen."

Walter watched as Mr. Diggle and Oliver exchanged a look and laugh. He couldn't resist asking for clarification, "Doesn't your coffee maker make the tea too?"

"Yes." Oliver gave the single word answer, but then he grinned as he offered reassurance. "Don't worry, Walter, she'll bring you your tea."

"And probably something for herself too." Diggle added with a grin as well.

Walter nodded as he recognized the exchange as an inside joke even if he didn't understand it. He was curious though and considered asking, but Felicity was already returning…with two cups in her hands. She smiled brightly once again as she handed a cup to Walter and kept one for herself. Despite ignoring both Oliver and Mr. Diggle, Felicity then moved to stand between them. Walter couldn't help but note the picture the three of them made – they mightappear to be an unlikely group, but they were clearly close. He frowned a bit and spared the trio one more look of confused concern as he felt like he was missing something important. However, as what he needed to do today was important too he returned to the task at hand.

"Felicity, you mentioned wanting to do good and I'm glad to hear you say that." Walter waited until she smiled nervously and pushed her glasses further up her nose. He wasn't surprised to see her nervous response, but he was surprised to see the immediate frowns by the men flanking her. Reminding himself of the important of his task, Walter swallowed with difficulty and pushed his doubts aside so he could continue before they could speak.

"This city needs more people who want to do good, but that's not all we need. The last two years have not just physically destroyed Starling City, but have also broken the city's spirit. While that Green Arrow fellow is breathing life into the people, we still need a public leader too. We need someone to stand up for Starling City and lead her forward to a better future. Moira wanted to be that person, Oliver."

"Yes, she did – she would have been a great mayor, Walter." Oliver wasn't sure what Walter's purpose was, but he agreed cautiously anyway after exchanging a quick look with his partners.

"The city council has requested a special election as Sebastian Blood is now deceased. I have the paperwork here to put your name on the ballot Oliver."

Walter sat back and watched to see Oliver's reaction; however, the only reaction came from Felicity as she gasped slightly. She quickly shut her mouth and glanced at Mr. Diggle before both turned to Oliver. Walter noticed their exchange and turned with them to find Oliver still staring at him with a carefully blank expression.

As the silence continued, Walter found himself staring at his stepson - a stepson he realized that he still didn't understand, but a stepson that he believed in. Oliver had changed since he had returned from that bloody island and changed even more since his return. Walter had watched Oliver carefully over the past year as even more tragedies played out in his life. He had watched Oliver stand up and take his place as CEO of Queen Consolidated. He had watched Oliver stand beside Moira, stand in front of Thea, and he knew Oliver could stand in front of the city. He believed in Oliver even if he didn't fully understand him.

Oliver remained silent as he stood up and moved to the window – he needed a moment to think and preferred not to have Walter staring at him as he did so. It was only a moment later that Oliver heard and felt first Diggle then Felicity move closer to him. Their Team continued to be close and even though this wasn't a life or death situation he found himself grinning at the evidence of their obvious support.

As he replayed Walter's words in his mind, Oliver he considered their options. He had found himself wanting to do more lately, but this wasn't what he had intended. The question now though was how to persuade Walter that it was foolish. Technically, Oliver had no 'real job' and considering he was publicly trying to uphold his mother's legacy, it would be difficult to explain his reasons for rejecting the opportunity. He turned with a brow raised to Diggle and Felicity. This was a Team decision and he needed to see if they had any immediate input even if Walter remained in the room.

Felicity spoke first which didn't surprise anyone, however, her words surprised them all. "I think we should do it."

Walter didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until he suddenly dragged in air and choked on it. While he coughed, he watched the trio as both Oliver and Mr. Diggle continued to stare silently at Felicity. She started speaking even while he was still coughing.

"It is the right thing to honor your family legacy," Felicity stressed the word legacy and paused significantly before she continued. "It would allow you to work closely with local charities rebuilding the Glades and the SCPD so you could make a difference each and every day." Again Felicity emphasized the last word.

Felicity was trying to choose her words carefully so Walter wouldn't suspect anything but she also wanted to lend her support before Oliver rejected the offer. She knew he already helped the city and could do more, however, Felicity was also hoping that this would be something that helped Oliver. Felicity wanted Oliver to find the redemption that she knewhe still sought even as he continued to try to leave the past buried. This opportunity could be good for the city and good for Oliver so Felicity wanted them to discuss it.

Walter jumped in quickly to support Felicity's statements. "Moira would have loved for you to take her place, Oliver. Felicity is also right that you could make a difference - you could lead Starling City in a new direction, a better direction." As Felicity and Mr. Diggle turned as one to stare at him Walter continued even if Oliver wasn't looking at him.

"You can win Oliver. We've done some preliminary polling-"

"Who's we?" Diggle interrupted to ask the question. Considering all of the underlying conspiracies they had uncovered in the past two years, he wasn't willing to assume anything. If Felicity wanted them to consider this move then he wanted more intel before he formed his opinion.

"What? Um, the same businessmen and banks that wanted to get Moira elected. People who have a vested interest in building up Starling City instead of allowing it to be crushed or worse to be overrun by chaos and criminals." Walter addressed Mr. Diggle as he had been the one to ask the question, but then he turned again to Oliver.

"The numbers show you have both a sympathetic vote as well as the approval of young voters. Many also perceive you as a survivor and they think you could be a great leader during this troubling time. I think they are right son." Walter paused but neither Felicity nor Mr. Diggle spoke again and Oliver had kept his attention focused on the two of them. When Oliver did turn to him, Walter quickly spoke again.

"You can easily win the special election and do something good; however, we need to get the paperwork in today by 5pm." Walter paused once again when Oliver moved his gaze to just over his shoulder for a moment. He remained silent and after just a moment Oliver again met his eyes.

"Walter, I need some time to think about this." Oliver kept his tone bland and his expression neutral as, despite his respect for Walter, he wasn't willing to humor his stepfather beyond a polite response. Felicity was another matter though so if she wanted them to discuss this then they would, but they couldn't do that in front of Walter.

"Of course. Perhaps we can meet for a late lunch. 2 at Alexander's?" Walter held Oliver's gaze briefly before he turned to Felicity as she nodded. "Thank you." With those final words, Walter walked away.

Silence reigned in the office until the elevator doors closed. As one Oliver and Diggle turned to Felicity just as she started speaking quickly.

"Seriously, it is a good idea. I mean ignoring the fact that we could do a lot of good, it's also practical. We still need more leverage to get QC back and good press and connections will help with that. We can bring Roy onboard in some public service capacity so he'll have a cover story to work with you. We can make new contacts within the police..." Felicity paused to breathe and Diggle jumped in.

"It also gives us more coverage for alibis if it becomes necessary. Strategically, it could be a good place for intel." Diggle lent his support cautiously after a brief glance at Felicity. He had noticed Oliver was even more invested in rebuilding Starling City and thought this might be a good outlet for him. Diggle knew Felicity also shared similar concerns for Oliver as both remembered that he had struggled after the Undertaking last year. Oliver had come far and seemed to be handling everything well, but neither of them wanted him to run away again.

Oliver had returned to the window as Diggle spoke, but that didn't mean he didn't hear him. He also heard what both Felicity and Diggle had left unsaid. Oliver knew they were concerned about how he was handling everything and thought this might help keep him grounded, sane, and in Starling City. He couldn't disagree with their thought process even if he knew he wasn't as lost or as oblivious as his partners believed.

"So the Mayor would get paid and need an executive assistant and driver/ bodyguard, right?" Oliver smiled as he turned to them.

"Are we really going to do this? You are going to be mayor?" Felicity asked just to be sure. She knew she had understood Oliver's statement, but she wanted to make sure he understood his choice too.

"Looks like we are." Oliver responded as he walked across the room to her. He took her elbow and steered her toward the elevator as Diggle moved behind them to follow.

"I think I'd prefer a new public persona this time if it's alright with you man." Diggle grinned as he met Felicity's eyes. They had both complained about their cover stories in comparison to Oliver posing as 'himself' aka the rich, spoiled playboy. Even Roy had gotten a better role than they had though as he had been 'Thea's boyfriend'.

The three of them exchanged quick smiles before each gave a nod of agreement and even relief. It seemed Team Arrow now had a new mission and it was one that could be fought in the bright light of day instead of hidden in the dark of night. Walter couldn't possibly understand it but he was responsible for giving Team Arrow new hope for the future.

While they had been busy since Slade's downfall and they had done a lot of good, their future hadn't been clear. They had clung together as they had started to heal, but they had each known that the time would come that they would have to reenter the "real world". They had each feared that they would be separated then and that they would lose the family they had found in each other. Walter's offer meant they would again be able to spend their days together with legitimate cover stories and each was relieved and excited about that.

This was a new opportunity and they were ready for the challenge. They knew that there was still a lot for them to learn individually and together as they continued to rebuild their Team and their city.

"So who gets to tell Roy he has more Lessons to learn now?" It was Diggle who asked the question as he grinned at his two partners.

EPISODE TAG – Learning Curve (Oliver's POV) can be found as Chapter 1 of Lessons: Team Arrow.