Laurel looked over the docket of cases she'd have to make. The first one was of a serial arsonist. It came with pictures of his three victims.
She'd gone into work that morning bearing a smoothie with the smoothie dumped out and vodka filling the Styrofoam container instead. She'd been smart; that was enough to keep her on an even keel through the work day. But now, she knew she'd need something more.
Sara watched from the neighboring rooftop as Laurel reached into her desk drawer for the half-empty bottle of scotch she kept there. It'd been full at the beginning of the week.
Ever since she'd returned, she'd been checking in on her sister. She loved seeing Laurel. Just not like this.
***
Any friend of Ollie's is a friend of mine. That's what Thea had said to her when she gave Felicity free drinks for life at Club Verdant, though she was canny enough to know Felicity was something of an unsocial drinker. She drank the occasional vodka tonic because it was better than talking to a lot of people.
What Felicity didn't know was that taking Thea's offer meant she had agreed to be Thea's BFF, Thea not being the kind of girl who had female friends. At all. And so, as the club closed and the workers scurried about cleaning the place before locking up, Felicity was drafted into being Thea's sob sister. Like she could figure out her own emotions, let alone Thea's.
"I just can't believe him," Thea repeated, putting another dent in her own alcohol supply, one for herself and one for Felicity. "All I've been doing is being caring and supportive and what does Roy do? Kisses someone! In the stockroom!"
"Well, was it a boy?" Felicity asked, gingerly picking up her shotglass. "Because, you know, it's not your fault if it's a boy. Some boys are born gay, you can't make them that way. I'm really sure of that."
"
It wasn't a boy.
God, I want to get back at him so bad! But what am I supposed to do? He's already poor! And my family kinda already blew up his neighborhood..." Thea tossed her shot back. "Still doesn't give him the right to cheat on me!"
Felicity followed suit. Like always happened when she had one too many, her mouth got away with her. This was why, knowing how she talked when she was completely sober, Felicity didn't drink often.
"You know what I did once when my boyfriend cheated on me?" Felicity asked rhetorically.
"You had a boyfriend?"
Felicity ignored her. "We'd been dating for six weeks and for at least five of them, he'd been saying he really wanted a blowjob. I'd never given a blowjob before, I told him so, he was all 'c'mon, baby, I'll teach you!' Like it's hard. But I didn't want to give my first blowjob to some
guy,
you know?"
"Who else would you give it to?"
Felicity waved her off. "So then I catch him cheating on me, don't ask howâ" It had involved her walking in on things that were illegal in many states, though apparently not the one she was in. "You know what I did? I went to his best friend. I went to his roommate. I went to his brother. I blew them all."
"You
what?
"
Felicity caught herself. "I was kinda a freak back then. Dressed like Death or something. Anyway, that's probably a bad idea, you shouldn't listen to me about relationships. Look at my face. This cute face, still single. That should tell you about me and relationships."
Thea picked up the bottle, stared at it for a few minutes as if considering Felicity's words. Felicity was about to tug on her sleeve when Thea capped the bottle and put it away, having hit some internal mark for how much alcohol she could consume. One Felicity wished she had. Thea went upstairs to her office, to rest up on the cot there.
And Felicity, distinctly woozy, went downstairs to gear up for the night's vigilantism. Maybe Oliver's island herbs would help with seeing pink elephants.
***
Laurel left the DA's office with a slight wobble, like one of her legs was underinflated compared to the other. Sara watched, worried, waiting. Only two blocks away, a street hustler noticed Laurel trip on the curb. He took out his cell phone and made a text. Sara memorized his face. If this was what she suspected it was, he'd be receiving a visit from the League of Assassins shortly.
A street later, a black van pulled in front of the tipsy Laurel. Three men piled out, tasers, rope. Laurel threw a brawling punch, managing to knock the teeth out of one surprised man. Sara moved in for the others, jumping down from a fire escape, moving in with batons.
Ta-er al-Asfer.
She didn't like to think of them as weapons. They were tools. She disassembled the first man, dodged the second, Laurel watching in a burly haze. Eyes wide open, astonishedâsober, almost.
The first man was dispatched, the second quickly followed, but Sara hadn't noticed the man Laurel had punched out. He jumped to his feet, swinging a tire iron before Sara had even turned to face him. She went down, blood smearing her golden wig.
Laurel lashed out again, cursing "Fucker!" as she drove one of her pumps into his genitalia. The third man joined his compatriots on the ground and the fourth man, waiting in the driver's seat, decided to cut his losses and speed off.
Laurel noted the license plate number, forgot it, then woozily took stock of the situation. Her three attackers were unconsciousâfit for the hospital. But so was her rescuer. And she couldn't just bring in the cops. They'd arrest this woman, thisâbeautiful woman who'd saved her, who'd saved so many others if half the reports she'd read could be believed.
Laurel thought fast, if not particularly well. She helped the dazed Canary to her feet, whipping off her coat and throwing it over her to hide the distinctive leathers. There was nothing she could do for the Canary's maskâmuch like with the Arrow, she couldn't afford to know that secret. She took off her hat as well, putting it on the Canary's head and pulling it down to hide her eyes. Then she dragged the Canary to the main road, knowing the blonde was fading fast. Luckily, a taxi pulled up before the Canary was totally gone. Laurel was able to load her into the backseat just as Sara went totally black.
***
After a catnap, Felicity just had to hack the city with a hangover. After five hours, Oliver, Roy, and Diggle called it a night, so she was able to get out of the basementâjust now realizing that that was a pretty offensive place for them to stash their resident computer genius. What, she couldn't hack from Oliver's office at Queen Consolidated?
The moment she stepped back into the club, Nyssa was on her. Backing her up against the shut door, taking off her glasses, then kissing Felicity's eyelids with gentle presses of her lips.
"Nyssa! What's gotten into you?"
