❛ Just promise you'll be careful ❜

Feeling nothing but anxiety, stress, and heat, Annabelle paced back and forth in her room, listening to the fading screams of Sara in the back of her mind. Her hands were trembling and her breaths were short and rapid, but she continued to walk in a line across her room. She found it eased her thoughts when she couldn't sleep, and this was one of the many times where she stayed up late in concern. 

With the new information on Deadshot, Oliver planned to leave the next morning to see what exactly they were dealing with, and he thought that the organized plan would ease Anna's mind, but in reality, it only created more problems.

While a breeze from the fan swept over her body, Anna but her bottom lip and thought now about what Thea had said. Her parents disowned her. They threw away her belongings and anything that resembled her only three days after her disappearance. She could hear her father scolding her mother for mentioning her name. She could see her mother throw her only child's baby blanket into the trash. She could hear the quiet sobs that echoed off the empty, silent mansion walls at night. She felt everything, and she wasn't even there to experience it. 

Anna was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't hear her door open and close. She didn't see Oliver wander it, watching his girlfriend move back and forth with a blank expression on her face. He looked at her lower back below her sports bra and saw the dozens of scars that littered her. He knew what she was thinking, and he couldn't stop it.

He couldn't prevent the pain in Anna's abdomen that was really an ulcer. He couldn't make her tell him that she was worrying herself sick just like the doctor told Moira could happen. But he could try to ease her stress and relax her before she brought herself to that low.

So he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder that made her snap out of her thoughts and stare at him. She glanced around the room, wondering when he got there, but his eyes were staring into her's. "Anna, relax," he told her, one hand trailing down her arm and sending shivers down Anna's spine.

"I'm fine, Ollie. I promise," she admitted, a small smile forming on her lips as she tried to tell such a simple lie. She couldn't tell if Oliver believed it or not, he hadn't said anything to prove otherwise. Instead, he walked behind her and moved his hands against her shoulders to at least try and rid the knot that was so evidently there. "You're tense," he whispered, placing a soft kiss the back of her neck. 

Anna sighed, "I'm always tense."

Oliver's low chuckle flooded the room and it instantly relaxed the brunette. Her shoulders dropped and her head tilted back, making Oliver satisfied that something so simple as a laugh could make a girl so damaged feel better. 

Like a miracle, all of Anna's dark thoughts and troubling issues fled from her head and she took Oliver's hand, guiding him across the room to where her bed laid untouched. A smirk grew on the billionaire heir's face and he pushed his girlfriend down onto the bed, then crawling over her.

No words were exchanged between the two and no words needed to be as Oliver planted his lips against Anna's, instantly melting together. HIs lips found a rhythm and he planted his hands on the sides of Anna's face, her hands gripping the back of his neck to hold him close. The kiss that was once slow and passionate was now heated and more teeth and tongue than anything else. Oliver's teeth tugged at Anna's bottom lip, earning a groan from the girl.

Growing unamused, Anna let her hands find Oliver's shirt and she pulled it up, making Oliver pull away from the kiss so she could tug it over his head. His shirt was discarded to the side and the only thing separating the two was their pants and Anna's sports bra.

As minutes passed, Oliver's lips trailed down Anna's jaw and neck. His teeth moved against her skin and began to form what Anna knew was going to be a bruise in the morning. Leaving Anna's mouth was short pants, her head tilted to the side and her eyes squeezed shut.

All thoughts of Sara on the island and the tragedy of her parents never crossed her mind and the night continued on with Oliver and Anna tangled in the sheets. To the two, it was a pleasant distraction from what was to come.

•••

It was dark in Starling City - more specifically the Glades - when the two vigilantes painted on their masks and pulled up their hoods. It wasn't a surprise that their guy would be housed in such a dark, and poor environment. He was housed in a neighborhood that bordered city lines that welcomed people like drug dealers and mercenaries. It was an area of town that Anna had heard of from her parents as they tried to help the people living inside, but it was an area of town that she swore to her parents to never slip into. The street lights were flickering, more than enough times they would stall for seconds and crack back on for half that. Trash cans were overflowing because the garbage men were afraid to venture onto the streets and not only were the windows shut, but many were boarded up.

It was a perfect hiding place for the man who called himself Deadshot. But he couldn't hide from 'The Hood' and 'The Hoodess,' nor could he hide from Bratva. But Oliver and Anna were not prepared for him, what would happen in the next moments as they waited behind his door would take them off guard. And they did not like to be taken off guard.

In the silent witching hour, Oliver glanced at his partner who stood firm outside the door in the dim hallway. With only a curt nod from the man in green, Anna slammed her foot into the door and watched it fly into the wall with a loud collision. Oliver had been quick to fire an arrow at the chair their target was sitting in, but he rushed out of harm's way and the arrow pierced the cushion. 

Anna pulled an arrow from her back and rushed inside after Oliver, her bow aimed and ready to fire. She understood the harm this man has caused and would cause. So this time, no mercy was to be shown. Anna had refused to kill before, her enemies deserved to rot in the hell called prison, and if they escaped, they would suffer two times over. But this time, she needed to prevent dozens more deaths at the sacrifice of one. So she showed no fear and continued onward into the dainty apartment.

As Anna jumped across the open doorway, bullets shot from a gun the criminal was carrying on his wrist. Like Oliver across the hall, Anna slammed her back against the wall and stood deathly still while ammunition flew by her. She was lucky not to have been hit, and so was Oliver.

The girl drew her bow once more and quickly turned into the doorway, shooting yet another arrow that this time lodged itself into the wall above the man. She cursed herself for the poor aim and pressed her back against the wall. 

Oliver took his turn and fired an arrow that landed in the crusty mattress that Floyd Lawton had held up for protection. More bullets scattered the room and Oliver took a deep breath, hiding behind the wall like Anna. 

Seconds passed and the shattering of glass made Anna whip into the room, her arrow prepared. But Deadshot was gone, and the window he had made the jump out of was proof that he had disappeared into the night and became another criminal roaming the streets of Starling City.

•••

In the bright morning where the sun shined on the grass and made it sparkle a gorgeous green, Anna was outside on the porch while playing Go Fish with Diggle. Her boyfriend had gone to Queen Consolidated with Walter Steele early in the morning, so Diggle had the pleasure of hanging out with his other client that morning, opposed to watching his troubled client. It didn't bother him, he favored Annabelle because she was polite, tried to include him, and didn't ditch him - she had her other ways to get around town unnoticed. 

It was nearing lunch hour when Anna excused herself from the card game to answer a call from Oliver. She didn't know anything about why he had decided to go to the company, or what he was hiding underneath his hood when they left the Glades last night, but she was hoping he was going to tell her now. 

"How's Dig?" Oliver asked as Anna stood in the garden, admiring the colors displayed on the dozens of different flowers planted carefully. "He's beating me at Go Fish, if that's anything," she chuckled lightly. Oliver scoffed and Anna could picture his smile on the other end. "Yeah, well, you kind of suck at that game."

With a fake gasp, Anna scolded him and rolled her eyes, "I'll admit it just this once," she agreed before sitting on a bench in the center of the garden. She let the cool breeze brush past her skin before even daring to ask what Oliver was hiding last night, and when she did, she wasn't expecting such a comical answer. "His laptop was in the  and I took it to see what use it could be."

"How are you getting information without exposing where you got it? No offense, but you aren't exactly a computer expert. You once deleted an entire essay for English class because you pressed the backspace button too many times," she chuckled. Oliver snickered in return and told her the truth, "Queen Consolidated has some expert IT named Felicity Smoak. And I told her that I split a latte on it so it's broken," he admitted.

Anna rolled her eyes and mentally hit her face in disappointment, "There were bullet holes in it, Oliver."

"Yes, I realized that."

"You stole his laptop and proceeded to advertise a story that it was yours and even though it had bullet holes, it was broken because of a latte?" she laughed, tears nearly spilling out of her eyes while she replayed this scene in her mind. "If you can do better than you can do the next one, that's if we have a next one. This Felicity girl is pretty good, I think."

"It's not even the fact that you tried to play this off as a coffee incident, but more so the fact that as a billionaire, you must go to a coffee shop in the west end of the Glades," Anna snickered. "Yeah, yeah. Fine, it wasn't the best excuse."

Anna grinned and turned around at the sound of branches crushing to see Diggle wandering towards her. "I got to go, Ollie. It's time for John to beat me at Go Fish," she sighed, standing up and offering the retired military officer a smile. "Right, good luck. Felicity might be onto something, so, I'll fill you in."

"Bye."

•••

"The exchange building is surrounded by three towers with eyelines into the building. Lawton could get a kill shot off from virtually anywhere. We can't cover the entire area, nor can we protect all of Deadshot's targets. We can't do this alone, Oliver," Anna had told her partner as she sat int he basement of his club-in-progress and he scouted the streets for Detective Lance. Oliver agreed with little resistance, much to the surprise of Anna, and continued on his hunt for the officer. "Hey, if you don't mind, Lance is my only father figure I got left, and I would really love for him to be there, you know, alive. So, don't hurt him," Anna suggested, spinning around in the chair while watching the cameras. "I don't intend to, I just need to start a conversation," Oliver replied.

Anna rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath just as 'The Hood' found his target and pinned him to a car. The girl in the chair cringed at the sound of impact but nonetheless stared at the actions of Oliver, all the while of munching on a candy bar. To her, it was slightly entertaining. And besides, she needed this break after she stressed herself out only days ago.

Her ulcer was returning, and she couldn't tell anyone because if Oliver found out, he would bench her, and if Moira found out, she would never leave her room. So instead, she was taking her relaxation time now and surveying the interaction between Lance and Oliver. 

After the conversation between the two played out, Anna returned to her comms. and talked the situation through with Oliver. "You would think not killing anyone as this mysterious 'Hoodess' would gain you some favor over 'The Hood,' yet here I am stuck in the same ditch as you are," she grumbled, hearing a low chuckle from Oliver. "Well aren't you a delight?"

"You know I am, so why do you find the need to ask?"

"Just get ready, we have a big night," Oliver excused. "And in case you didn't get the plan, wherever Lawton is, I'm going after him. Your skills aren't being minimized, we both know you're the better fighter and more technical in stealth, but I need you watching over the family. I'll feel better flinging myself at Lawton when they're all safe."

"Sure, just promise you'll be careful. We already have Diggle chasing us around, if he gets brought into this, or anyone else, we're done."

"I'll see you there, Bella. Good luck."

"Good luck, Ollie."

•••

The auction was filled with wealthy businessmen and women roaming the large conference hall, and everyone was eager to buy something worth their investments. Naturally, all the prospective buyers were nervous about their sales and purchases, but it was Anna whose hands were shaking and stomach was crying in pain. 

The brunette had conversed with Thea, Moira, and Walter before sliding away into the crowd of people. She was scanning her eyes over the crowd, even glancing through the windows to search the three towers for any sign of Lawton, but he was almost a ghost, looming close enough to see everyone, but far enough that he was invisible.

With the auction beginning and the chatter in the room easing slightly, Oliver glanced down at Anna from the terrace, and she looked up at him. He gave a curt nod to the right, motioning to Detective Lance and Luitenant Pike, as well as other officers, that were surveying the area and communicating through walkie-talkies. Oliver chat with the serviceman had worked, and now at least there was extra protection and eyes. 

Growing tired of the waiting and the stalling, Anna wandered over to John Diggle and offered him a warm smile which he returned nicely. "Is it nice to leave the house?" he wondered, glancing at the girl. She chuckled, "Always. But I do have to say, the garden is better to explore when you have company."

"I've always enjoyed walks, ma'am. It's nice to enjoy them with someone else for a change," he responded with a kind tone to his voice that helped assure Anna that he was being truthful and honest in every way that he could. She beamed and looked to her left, spotting Oliver begin to weave his way through the crowd, leaving his post upstairs. The girl grew confused, staring at Oliver with a look that meant 'what the hell are you doing?' But he only nodded and stepped to the other side of Diggle. 

"Got your eyes open?" he asked the bodyguard, then searching the area himself. "That's what I'm here for, sir. That and talking to Annabelle, of course," he replied, gesturing to the girl at his side. "This guy's out of time, if he's gonna' do something it's gonna's happen before the auction," Oliver seethed, making Anna bite her bottom lip and stare straight ahead, only hoping Diggle didn't catch on.

"Sir?" Diggle question in concern and confusion. "I heard the story on the radio," Oliver jumped in, only digging a deeper lie as the only radio the situation played on was the one filled with police chatter. But Diggle didn't get a chance to answer or say anything because it was Walter who saved him. 

Anna glanced over at the British man while Oliver hurried off to talk with his mother, sister, and now Diggle, who was supposed to get them out of the conference room. Originally, that had been Anna's job, but seeing as though Oliver was beginning to feel the stress of the situation, he needed a partner to do what he needed to get done and when. Anna was officially on-call.

And as an on-call vigilante, Anna looked away from Walter just as something caught her eye. Quickly flashing back to Walter's suit, she noticed a red laser pointed at his chest and she didn't hesitate to throw off her heels and sprint for the man that was now her boyfriend's step-father. 

The girl took Walter Steele by surprise as she launched her body into his and dove them both to the ground, but as her feet left the air, the bullet flew through the air and lodged itself into the back of an innocent waiter. 

People began screaming and running for cover, and Anna was left to breathe heavily on the floor with Walter staring at her in amazement. "You saved my life," he awwed, still speechless at how quick she dove for him. 

Anna had no chance to respond as a detective pulled him up and threw himself over him to rush him out of the hall. He didn't - however - see Anna as when she threw herself onto him, she rolled around a table. Walter tried to shout for her but the officer was already rushing him out of the room, and Anna was left to regain her breath. 

Pain flooded her body and she continued hearing gunshots, but her concern was on the unbearable pain in her stomach. Her ulcer was angry. With all the stress and anxiety she had suffered in the past weeks, her sickness that began on the island was now returning to get her back for all the wrongs she had committed. It left her practically paralyzed while she clutched her stomach and fought back tears.

As long as she stayed down, she would survive. But she didn't want to stay down, she needed to get to Oliver and help him. 

While people panicked and sprinted away, Moira was being dragged into safety by Diggle, and Thea by Oliver. The woman had asked for Walter, only to find out he was fine, but when she asked where her god-daughter was, no one knew. Oliver's face had gone pale and he looked over Diggle's shoulder for her, "I'll find her! Ma'am, I will find her! We need to get you out of here," Diggle assured her, already rushing to get them out of danger. 

Oliver stayed back and moved his family onwards before running to the nearest exit and trying to find his way to whatever tower Floyd Lawton had fired the first shot from. Meanwhile, Anna still laid in absolute agony surrounded by bodies dripping with blood. 

No one made an attempt to go help the people crying for help as they were wounded, no one even looked back at the victims that had fallen due to the actions of one man. But Anna needed to get up, she needed to get back to the basement of the club and do something, she needed to do anything. 

And her hope was restored when the communication system in her ear roared to life with shouts from Oliver expressing his concern. Through gritted teeth and shallow breaths, Anna choked out a response, "I'm in the hall," she breathed out. "I'm not shot, and I'm on my way," she told him with a deep breath before sitting up. Anna released a short cry of pain and pushed herself to her feet while using the table next to her.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, the girl limped out of the active crime scene and forced herself to make it somewhere. She made herself continue moving, no matter how much it hurt to take every step. But once she heard the next words out of Oliver's mouth, it felt like everything shattered, "Diggle was shot."

•••

A loud noise had waken Anna from the restless slumber she had gotten after two days of suffering. The bullet wound was patched with lots of gauze and shaky stitches, but she had made it through the pain. 

With a groan, Anna sat up carefully in her bed, and watched Sara walk into the room, trying to at least shut the door carefully behind her as to not wake the fragile girl. Once the blonde saw that she was, in fact, awake, she offered her friend a small smile and extended her hand that held a thermos of water.

Anna accepted and gulped the liquid slowly before returning it to Sara who placed it on the ground. "How are you feeling?" Sara asked, her voice soft and caring like the brunette remembered. Anna shrugged and cringed as a pain shot through her abdomen. "I'll be fine. And you? They didn't shoot you, yet?" 

Sara shook her head and sat down next to Anna, "Ivo said they won't. He said they needed to test your strength, they needed to see if you could survive for the both of us," she explained.

Anna stared into her eyes and knew that no matter how much hell Ivo would make her suffer through, and what he would make her do, she would do it for Sara. Everything that was to come would be for the girl she swore to protect, and the last bit of glimmer in Sara's eyes was her hope. As long as there was that shine, she and Sara would be fine.

"What else did he say?" Anna asked, looking across the room and staring at the concrete wall as if it held a message. "He's going to start training us soon. In medicine, I suppose."

"Are you sure he isn't going to train us like he did his soldiers? He isn't a good man, Sara, nor are his men. They are slowly killing these people, and Ivo wants us to be a part of this."

"He says they can cure cancer, Bella," the girl said with hopeful eyes and a bright smile. "They could save millions of people!"

"In order to do that, they're killing hundreds. I'll do it, Sara. I'll do whatever you need me to, I promise. But I need you to understand that medicine isn't the only thing we'll be learning here. I won't be surprised if we're trained in hand-to-hand like these men," Anna admitted. Sara nodded and Anna stood up, walking to the other side of the room. "Get to sleep, it's your turn for the bed," she told her, watching as Sara scooted back to the frame and pushed the covers back. 

Forcing herself to stay awake, Anna slid her back against the wall and thought about the true horrors of the freighter they were living on. It wasn't long before Ivo made them learn to defend themselves, and what Anna didn't think they would have to learn was how to kill a man and show no mercy. She promised to do whatever she needed to for Sara, but she didn't think that meant taking the lives of innocent men. 

But for her own survival and that of her sister-figure, she would have to. And it would haunt her forever.

Anna awoke with a jolt after hearing light coughing from across the room. As she stood, her eyes focused on Diggle, then on Oliver who had taken down his hood. She didn't know they would be exposing themselves that day or even that moment, but without a disguise preventing it, Anna gripped her stomach and pushed through the pain as she stood from the chair she had napped in.

Diggle's face told it all when he finally focused on the two. It was a mixture of disbelief and disgust, seeing murderers before his very eyes. Anna knew the look well, it was one that she wore often, but she didn't expect to ever befriend John Diggle, and he never expected to befriend a client. They had become close as if they had known each other for years. And now standing before him was a girl with a dark secret. Though she had not taken lives yet in Starling City, she was known for being the ruthless partner of 'The Hood.' At this point, everyone knew that she was the combatant force in the duo. Oliver focused primarily on arrows, but Annabelle was the one who his in the shadows and used force to take down her enemies. 

Diggle was ashamed to know such people, and he was ashamed in himself that he didn't realize it sooner.