The world was forever changed. Oliver had devoted his vigilante days to tracking down the Count in order to find the love of his life. However, it had taken him longer to do so then he thought. Ever since the day he and Diggle watched Annabelle Carter scream for mercy in an empty warehouse as the Count injected drugs into her bloodstream, neither man had been able to sleep. When Oliver closed his eyes, he heard the scream echo against the walls of his brain. He awoke out of breath and always trashed against his cover to hopefully see Anna laying peacefully next to him. Unfortunately, he was always alone.

It had taken two weeks to finally take down the Count and with anger boiling in his skin, he gave the man a taste of his own medicine and injected everything he had in the vile in his hands into the squirming man before him. He still didn't know where Annabelle was and with the police rushing into the room, he couldn't demand an answer. 

The police did not even know the girl was missing. Nor did the entirety of the Queen family, or the Carter Provision. Jordan had been informed by Oliver Queen himself to tell the firm that Anna's meeting had run a bit longer and had to stay in Central City for an unveiling as the particle accelerator was continuing to go through test runs for its release in the coming two years. No one had questioned why her meeting ran long because she was a businesswoman and business comes first.

But Oliver Queen was lonely.

Diggle and Oliver had spent endless hours in the basement of the unfinished club researching all warehouses - active and abandoned - in Starling City. They had lost hope that they would find the girl before she eventually died since the Count was not there to treat his prisoner. They needed help.

It was a rainy Thursday morning when Oliver tugged on his suit jacket in despair and exited the car Diggle was driving in front of Queen Consolidated. He ignored the incoming and exiting employees of his business and instead walked straight into the elevator of the large tower. Diggle promised to wait in the car as Oliver had a conversation with an employee so Oliver continued to the floor below the lobby and sighed as he stepped out of the elevator.

The floor was cold, but not just in temperature. There was little life on the I.T. floor as everyone clicked away on their computers and did not even look up to glance at the man entering. He wandered to an office where surprisingly the door was closed, and after staring at the name on the plate outside of the door, he raised his hand and knocked. 

He heard a gentle 'Come in' and he entered hesitantly. The blonde behind the desk looked up as he entered and she immediately stood, "Mr. Queen, I-I didn't think I would be seeing you in my office so soon," she muttered. He pointed to the door and still looked at her, "Why is this closed?"

She blinked twice, "Uh, everyone keeps coming in today to talk to me and I have a deadline for - "

"I'll extend your deadline," he interrupted as he stepped closer to her desk. "I don't think you can do that," she said in a soft voice. "I can," he shortly replied. "I need your help."

Felicity Smoak pursed her lips and nodded, "Of course you do," she mumbled under her breath before closing out of the window she was previously working on. "How can I help you, sir?"

"I'm trying to surprise my girlfriend for her birthday," he began while folding his hands behind his back. "I want to throw her a party in a creepy warehouse, she likes scary things," he continued. "I've looked at all these addresses and I'm not interested."

Oliver handed Felicity a notebook full of addresses and streets and she eyed it carefully. "I saw this one warehouse I really liked on some website, but I don't know where it is. All I know is that it's in Starling."

"Do you have the picture?" Felicity wondered while placing the notebook aside. "Yeah, it's on this flashdrive," he replied while digging in his coat pocket to hand her the small USB.

She took it and plugged it into her computer immediately and watched as three pictures of an empty warehouse popped up. It was from the video of the Count and Anna but Oliver had carefuly cropped both out of the images.

"I can call you when I get the address. It might take me a while," she told the man who nodded. "You have eight hours," he said. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I need to make invitations as soon as possible, you get it."

Felicity hummed suspiciously and watched the man walk out the door. He turned around before he left and glanced at the door, "Keep this open."

With that, Oliver Queen stepped away and was left to wonder exactly what was going on with this fake party.

•••

Seven hours later, Oliver was pacing back and forth in the basement of the club with Diggle lifting weights in the back. He hadn't heard anything yet from Felicity and it had been three days since the Count's arrest and placement into a mental institution. Anna could not hold on much longer and Oliver grew more and more worried by the second.

Oliver grabbed his phone from the silver table and was about to call Felicity Smoak himself when his phone lit up with the familiar contact name. Relieved, Oliver answered the phone. "Did you - " he began before being rudely interrupted. 

"What the hell did you make me do?"

Confused, Oliver narrowed his eyes at Diggle, "What are you talking about? Did you get the address?"

"I'm not a fool, Mr. Queen," she snapped. "I know those images you gave me were cropped so I found the original picture," she told him. Oliver took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I saw Annabelle Carter being drugged by the Count!"

"Felicity, whatever you do - "

"I already told the police."

"You what?!"

"I told the police, they are on their way to rescue Ms. Carter."

"What the hell do you think - "

"I didn't tell them about you! I made up some story! I don't know how you got that footage or even why, and I don't care! An innocent woman's life was in the balance and I took care of it! The address was 18334 Elm Ridge in the Glades and the police left in their buff armor and scary looking guns about ten minutes ago. She's probably on the way to the hospital by now."

Oliver angrily snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the table before looking at Diggle who was focused on the television. 

"Annabelle Carter was missing for what the police say was two weeks. She was left in an empty warehouse where she was drugged and abused by Cecil Adams - who was recently admitted into a mental institution by the assistance of the vigilante. Sources say the woman was left unconscious but she is now on her way to Starling General. New information - "

Oliver disregarded the rest of the newscast as he was already sprinting upstairs in a hurry. Diggle called out to him but he was already gone and hopping into his car.

As fast as he could, he drove to the hospital in hopes of beating or meeting Anna there, and when he finally reached his destination, he slid into a parking space and hopped out of his car - not even bothering to lock it.

He ran inside as the commotion was at its worst and the first thing he saw was Anna being wheeled into emergency on a gurney and a nurse was struggling to give her CPR on the moving harness. "Anna!" he screamed as he saw his love so helpless. He tried to run to her but he was stopped by the security guards. He knew he couldn't throw them off and create a bigger scene, but the woman he loved had been missing and hurt for two weeks and he didn't even know.

Oliver Queen believed he had failed so he relentlessly called out Anna's name and screamed for the woman he needed. She had suffered, and there was nothing he could do.

•••

Hours went by. Stressful hours went by. Frustrating and stressful hours went by. By now, Moira and Thea had joined Oliver in the waiting room during the procedure where they attempted to clear Anna's body of drugs and basically drain her only to pump more clean blood into her. Her heart had stopped twice during the procedure but the doctors had told the Queen's that Anna was strong and refused to die. She kept coming back.

Tommy had come and gone, promising to return with Thea (he had taken her home) in the morning. Moira refused to leave until the police had explained to her the situation and all she had heard was that no one had known where Annabelle was for the two weeks. Jordan had come to the hospital and dropped off Anna's favorite flower and a teddy bear to greet her when she woke up and he had been questioned by the police. He had told them everything, about being blackmailed by the Count and the threat to his sister. Diggle and Oliver had been questioned but they both knew nothing as far as the police were concerned because they didn't know that Oliver had been sent a message and that Felicity had intercepted it. Felicity was questioned, too, and though she had already explained what happened to the police earlier, she believed her efforts could be put to use elsewhere and reluctantly left the hospital. Quentin was one of the officers who found Anna and he had also refused to leave her side since she was brought in. He fell asleep in the waiting room and Laurel had to leave him with a blanket and fresh coffee as he slept and disappeared before she could make trouble with Oliver and Anna - if she were to wake.

It had been eleven hours since she was brought into the hospital and the Queen's had been told that her survival was not likely. But her heart rate was steady and her breathing was shallow - yet present. She was not going to wake for a long while, but when she did she would wake to her family and friends. They would care for her and tell her how loved she was, even if she did not want to hear it.

It was finally nearing two in the morning when Oliver was left alone with the love of his life and he held her hand firmly in his. He brushed his thumb over her calloused knuckle and brought it to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss. He lifted his other hand to her hair where he ran his fingers down her brown locks. He missed her, he missed everything about her.

She looked as if she were in an immense amount of pain. There were cuts on her arms and needle marks on her shoulders and neck. She was pale, extremely pale, and her eyes had very dark purple circles underneath. She looked tired even though she was sleeping.

Oliver wished he could take all her pain away and endure it himself. Her ulcer was raging in her frail body and the drugs only made it worse. When she awoke she would be in pain and the doctors would use her pain rating to adjust her medication. That was the worst part. She would be in pain when she woke.

Oliver smiled softly at the woman before him and leaned up to pull her blanket up higher so she wouldn't be cold. Steps were heard from behind him and when he looked up he saw Diggle. "She's going to be okay, man," he assured the man who just turned away and focused again on Anna. "I know," Oliver replied, though his answer did not convince Diggle. "She's in pain, Dig."

"She's tough. Tougher than both of us. Wouldn't have lasted if she wasn't."

Oliver nodded only slightly, "Anyone else waiting to come in?"

"Laurel," he answered. Oliver glanced at Diggle for a moment in confusion. "She wants to apologize to you, again. And she feels bad for Anna."

"Anna doesn't want to see her," Oliver quickly responded. "I have to prove to Annabelle that I only love her, not Laurel."

"Are you going to try to get back together with Anna? End your break?"

Oliver smiled at Anna's peaceful figure and kissed her hand before setting it down carefully and rising to his feet. "When she's ready."

"Where you going?"

"I'm going to get coffee. Do you mind watching her? I don't want her to wake up alone."

Diggle smiled, "No problem," he said quietly. Oliver walked out of the room and glanced at Anna in worry but then turned to continue out. "Hey," Diggle called out to the man. Oliver peered back into the room and looked at the soldier, "Get me a latte, extra foam."

Oliver smirked, "Never pictured you as a latte guy, Dig."

Dig grinned and focused back on the person in front of him. She looked so weak and frail, but Diggle knew she was the strongest person he had ever met. He had shot down the idea that Oliver and Anna were soldiers, but as he looked at the person who lay limp, he realized that she was. She fought for what she believed in. She wasn't afraid of defeat. She suffered through the worst imaginable and was still able to smile. She lost her parents and dear friends, and still laughed. She was a warrior.

And no one could ever tell her otherwise.