Summary:

Oliver knew he'd be found out eventually. But he doesn't expect it to happen when he's dying.

Notes:

Got this idea when watching the episode where Oliver fights this other hooded guy and gets hurt. He acts like nothing happened. And I think Laurel is being suspicious of Oliver. Just me? Anyway, please enjoy. I have several other stories so...check them out too n_n

PAGEBREAK

Laurel wasn't known to panic. She was usually calm. Usually. But now she was panicking. Anyone would if they were tied up with a gun held to their head. Laurel silently wondered how it had come to this. She knew her involvement with the Green Arrow, Starling city's vigilante, was risky. But she had never pictured a situation like this.

He wasn't much of a vigilante anymore though. After he rescued those hostages,among several other close shaves, most now viewed him as a hero. Reporters promoted him as the 'guardian' of Starling city. Even the police praised him after one of their officers was able to escape a sticky situation thanks to the arrival of the Green Arrow.

Laurel didn't really know where she what she could tell, it was a run down factory, with lights that hurt her eyes. Hyperventilating, she tried to steady her breathing. Panicking wouldn't help her now. He would come for her. He had to.

She breathed a sigh of relief as a window upstairs smashed, wincing at her newly split lip.

The lights flickered.

Several of the guys swore and pounded up the metal stairs to the now-darkened balcony. They were soon flung down to the ground. Laurel almost laughed at the faces of her captors. But she knew it was better for her to remain silent. After several moments, a hooded shadow came into view on the balcony, green tipped arrow notched onto the bow that was held steadily.

"Let her go." the deep voice commanded. "I don't want to have to kill you."

Laurel swallowed.

"Why should we let her go?" the guy holding a gun to her head smirked.

"It could end badly for you." the ominous voice replied.

"What does she mean to you? Why risk your life coming in to save her?" two others asked.

"I warned you." the hooded shadow smirked.

The arrow was soon buried in the hand holding the gun to her head. Crying out, the guy fired at the hooded hero before collapsing to the floor, cradling his wounded hand. Laurel took the opportunity to try and get away, but she was held there by another two guys. Something about them was different. They were huge. Immensely tall, and muscular. She wondered how she or her 'guardian angel' were going to get out unscathed. The situation was wavering, both sides balancing precariously on a tightrope, trying to anticipate what the next move was. Her hero glared down at the men holding her.

He jumped down, rolling and rising quickly to his feet, signature bow and arrow at the ready. His eyes obscured by green makeup, and the dark green hood, Green Arrow focused on Laurel, oblivious to the fact that his arm was bleeding heavily, the material round his right shoulder darkening dramatically. He may not have noticed due to the adrenalin coursing through his veins, but Laurel did. She went to cry out, but bit her lip, knowing that it would probably make things worse for her rescuer. She had to stay silent.

"Why don't you just kill us?" the darker haired one smirked.

"I don't want to stoop to your level." the green hooded guardian replied.

Both villains went bright red. One raised his fist, and the Green Arrow tensed. But he didn't get hit. Laurel did. The black suited guy hit Laurel right across her face, making her lips bleed. She spat at him, uncharacteristicly angry. Fuming, the green arrow loosed the sharp gleaming arrow on his bow. The deadly arrow whistled through the air before embedding itself in the neck of the guy. Laurel was slightly shocked as the guy gurgled blood and fell to the floor. At the same time, her famed green hooded rescuer loaded another gleaming arrow, and prepared to fire at the other guy, shaking from fury.

Just as the arrow was released, the remaining suited villain shot at him. Twice.

Laurel screamed as the green arrow flew backwards from the force of the hit, ignoring the felled villain lying dead next to her. His head connected with a metal beam, and he slumped to the floor. Shaking, Laurel desperately tried struggling out of her bonds, not even wincing as she toppled over, chair and all. Shuffling along the floor, Laurel somehow got a knife out of the pocket of one of the villains, biting the handle with her teeth as she dropped the knife into her hands and cut her bonds. Not even bothering to cry out in pain as her wrists were freed, Laurel scrambled over to the green arrow.

Her saviour.

Her guardian.

Her hero.

He hadn't gotten up yet, and his jacket was drenched in blood, starting to drip onto the floor. His breathing was shaky and wheezy, and Laurel felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She reached for his hood. If she was going to call for help, she had to know his name.

Slowly pulling back the hood, Laurel gasped as all her breath was sucked out of her.

Tears fell from her eyes.

It was Oliver.

Oliver was the Green Arrow. The hero, the vigilante, her rescuer.

Who was now dying because of her.

Fishing into his pocket for the phone she knew he had, Laurel thanked god that the phone was undamaged. She kept a watchful eye on the unconscious Oliver as she dialled the only numbers on there. She called Tommy first.

"LAUREL! ARE YOU OK?" Tommy demanded.

"I'm fine! But...oh...Tommy..." Laurel bit her lip.

"What is it?"

"He's Oliver."

"Oliver? Oliver's there?"

"He's..."

"He's the Green Arrow."

"...WHAT?!"

"He's...he's hurt really bad, you need to get here...I'll call my dad...and he'll bring you here."

"Laurel, be safe."

Laurel hung up before hesitantly bringing up her dad's number.

"LAUREL! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? SWEETY? TALK TO ME! WHERE ARE YOU?" her father sounded frantic.

"I'm fine dad. The Green Arrow saved me."

"He did? Thank god, are you ok? We've been searching for you!"

"I'm fine...but...dad...he's hurt...he's been shot...three times..."

"Shit. Where are you?"

"The abandoned metal gears factory on the edge of town. Pick up Tommy."

"Why?"

"Oliver...he's the green arrow."

Laurel gave her father her location, and hung up. She then rang Diggle.

"You-" Diggle started.

"I'm fine. But...Oliver's not..."

"What?"

"He...green arrow.."

"I KNOW! What the hell happened?"

"He got shot..."

"What?!"

"Three times...it's bad. My dad and Tommy are on their way. We're at-"

"I'll track the phone. Focus on Oliver, Laurel." Diggle then hung up.

Laurel's eyes widened as she turned to her bleeding friend. Oliver was trying to sit up properly, to get away, but she stopped him. His eyes were tired. He narrowed his eyes at her bleeding lips. He tried to reach up, to tell her it was all going to be ok, but he wore a look of surprise when his arms wouldn't respond.

"Oliver.." Laurel started.

Oliver's eyes widened. He noticed the hood wasn't on, and scrambled to sit up, but turned his head as he started coughing, face contorting in silent pain. Unable to keep awake any longer, his eyes slowly closed. Hearing the screech of car tires, Laurel got her arms round Oliver, so his head rested on her shoulder. She grimaced when his blood stained her clothes. The doors to the factory opened, and she heaved a sigh of relief. Three pairs of footsteps approached. Her dad and Tommy knelt down next to the pair, both of them paling at the sight of the blood coupled with the fact that Oliver had been the green arrow this whole time. For six whole months. Diggle knelt on Oliver's other side.

"How do we get him to a hospital dressed like this?" Laurel asked, shaking.

"I brought spare clothes." Diggle nodded. "We'll try and stop the bleeding. You should get some fresh air."

It took persuasion, but Laurel finally stepped out of the building, the cool night breeze rushing through her hair, calming her slightly. She was just closing her eyes to take a deep breath, when she heard Oliver cry out- definately unlike him. Rushing back inside, she saw why he shouted. Tommy and her dad had managed to unzip the hooded jacket, but that and the green shirt had already clotted to the gunshot wounds, making it impossible to peel the clothes off.

"We'll have to take him like this." her dad announced, silencing her with a glare. "He saved you, Laurel. No one is going to take him away. I will make sure of that."

"I can see the morning news already." Tommy was also shaking.

The three of them suddenly turned as Oliver started coughing again. This time, blood sprayed when he coughed-evidence of severe internal damage. The difficulty to draw breath showed that his ribs were broken.

"I don't care about the fucking media, he needs help!" Tommy zipped up Oliver's jacket again, trying to warm up his cold body. While the guys tried to get Oliver up, Laurel picked up his weapons.

Oliver didn't protest when they hauled him up, showing just how out of it he was. There was no words spoken as they laid Oliver out in the back of the police car, Oliver's head resting on Laurel's lap, feet on Tommy's lap. Diggle sat in the front.

Going at the fastest speed humanly possible, police lights blaring, sirens shrieking, Detective Lance drove furiously, speeding and dodging through traffic, going against every single traffic law. But he didn't care. Oliver saved his daughter. Saved him from grieving over losing her. So he was going to save him.

No matter what it was going to take.

They were going to save Oliver.

They had to.

Because none of them wanted to lose him again.