***On the Island***

Mia remained in that cell for a long time. Such a long time, she wasn't sure if it had been days or even weeks. One of the men made rounds once a day with food rations and water, usually in the evenings, and she ate every bit of it, conserving her strength.

The Russian man in the cell next to her, Anatoly Knyazev, taught her Russian. Told her about someplace in Russia he would bring her to after their escape, where she could learn better to enact her revenge. A part of her liked the idea of going to Russia. Another part of her just wanted to go home. To have this all end.

But the biggest part of her wanted that revenge- a chance to see Sara pay. The satisfaction in killing Ivo and Billy Wintergreen and Fyres scared her. But it didn't stop the desire from being there. She wanted her to pay in the same way that those men did.

Sara was selfish and vile, and Mia believed she would get what she deserved.

Anatoly told her she should differentiate between revenge for justice and revenge for the sake of revenge. That I should seek justice rather than murder as I had with the others, even if they had hurt me and deserved it. That justice was the path to healing.

She pondered his words, but wasn't sure herself if he was right or not.

One night, as she lay on the cot thinking about Oliver, a familiar face appeared outside her cell.

"Hello, Maria."

It was Slade. He looked horrified.

******

****Present Day****

I pulled a pair of gauntlets onto my forearms and tightened the straps. I wore my vigilante get-up and a bow and quiver of arrows were strapped to my back, and the swords at my hips.

Diggle was suiting up nearby, strapping on ammo cartridges. He was silent for a long time, then finally asked, "After this is all over, and Slade, Roshev, and Blood are all gone, what are you gonna do?"

I turned to look at him and said, "Honestly...I don't know. Maybe confront Ra's, but I'm not even sure where to begin with that."

Diggle nods and looks over at me. "And Sara?"

I clenched my jaw, closing my fist tightly. "I don't know. All I know is she's going back to Nanda Parbat. And that's final."

"You really hate her that much?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. She betrayed us on the Island. She locked me in a cell, Dig. Told me she was going to convince both Oliver and Slade that I was dead. Had my sweatshirt torn with bullet holes and marked with blood. Then Slade came and he started killing people when he learned Sara lied. It was her fault. I begged him to stop, but he almost killed me, too. It wasn't until Oliver shot him in the eye that he stopped. And then I was dragged under the water as the freighter sank. I was swept out to sea. With who? Sara." I shook my head. "And when Nysa picked us up, it was only a few minutes after I decided I'd knock Sara overboard and leave her to the sharks that were swarming around us. We went to Nanda Parbat, and she did everything she could to undermine me. Go around me. But it wasn't difficult for me to get around her. She was taken to train and be 'remade'. I, however, went to R'as.

"We were separated for a time, and I was thankful. I went to different countries. Met people who were on the freighter with me in Russia. Joined a secret organization there. But Sara would pop up from time to time, ruining something for me. I didn't see Sara at all again until she appeared in the Hideout here. I had returned to the Island when I found out Oliver was there from my friends in Russia. That he had joined them as well. I'm not just angry with her about the Undertaking, Dig. It's more than that. A lot more than that."

He was quiet for a long time, then asked, "Do you think she's doing it because of Oliver? I mean...have you always gotten along or not?"

"We always were good friends before the Island. She would come hang out with Laurel, Tommy, Oliver, and I. She was younger than us so wasn't legally allowed to drink, but Oliver always pulled strings or I got her one with my ID. She was always included. Always had eyes for Oliver."

"And Laurel was with him, but he was looking at you even then. Wasn't he?"

I shrugged. "Apparently, even if I didn't know it at the time, and didn't know it until later. I guess I always loved him, too. Him bringing Sara on that boat was probably the biggest mistake anyone could make. And I was upset with him for a while afterwards, but it wasn't until I got over the things the League had done to me to suppress my emotions that I realized I had loved him after all this time, too." I tied off the black braid on my shoulder and sighed heavily. "I guess she's still jealous of me and Oliver, even if she is seeing my sister."

"Well, lets just hope that however tonight goes, she stays on her side of the city. Thank you for trusting me with that. I know talking about the Island is hard." Diggle says and smiles a little at me, his hand squeezing my shoulder once.

"It needed to be said. There aren't many things I am willing to talk about." I said a bit absently and touched a scar on my cheek. "And I trust you. You and Felicity have the same trust I have in my brother and Oliver."

He smiled and nodded, then finished strapping on the last of his weapons and turned to me. I pulled in my mask and he asked,

"Now to meet your brother. We have our targets planned. Oliver has his. And Nysa has hers."

I nodded and headed out of the building, pulling an arrow that was attached to a cord and fired it into the concrete side of the next building. I reached a hand out to Diggle and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held on as we used my bow to slide down the line and to the ground.

The fighting had already started. People left and right were running out of the way and as far away as they could. The police force was working on ensuring it and I caught the eye of Quentin directing people away from the center of the destruction.

Oliver, Roy, Sara, and Nysa and her assassins were busy with Slade's Mirakuru army, and I was in charge of making sure Blood wasn't Mayor for much longer.

And Adler had the idea that arrows wouldn't cut it and would chop off Isabelle's head so she'd stay dead this time.

I didn't blame him and approves of his method.

The plan was to cripple Slade's allies so he had none. And that was when Oliver and I faced him for the last time. And tried out Oliver's plan.

When we met up with my brother and Felicity, they were saying their goodbyes, Felicity grabbing his quiver strap and kissing him. I smirked a bit, crossing my arms over my chest. Diggle cleared his throat.

They looked at me and Adler's face went red and he pulled up his hood and mask.

Felicity's face was red and just said, "Alright. Let's do this."

"Cripple Blood's resources anywhere you can find them." I say with a nod to her and Diggle. "Do what you must." I say and look to my brother. "We have a few people to send to the afterlife."

"Yes. And I'm not missing this time." Adler says glumly and draws an arrow to shoot a cable when a revving engine made us look over to the left.

A woman was dropped off near us as a van sped off. She was wearing some sort of suit that reminded me frighteningly of Billy Wintergreen's...orange and black and white.

And for an awful moment I couldn't breath.

It was the same mask. The same suit now altered to fit a woman.

I stood frozen and shell-shocked as she drew swords that looked so familiar as well.

Diggle shot her, but nothing happened. It didn't even seem to faze her much, the Mirakuru in her system was on overdrive, and made her that much more scary.

I clenched my jaw and could barely register Adler saying my name. I pulled a dagger from my sleeve. The mask. The mask. The mask. My heart seemed to pound in beat with those words. Bum-bum. Bum-bum. Bum-him. I was panicking.

She charged.

And Adler was in front of me, and with a flash of a silver sword and red blood, that helmet rolled onto the grass at my feet, her head inside it. But I didn't see Roshev. I saw Billy Wintergreen's sightless dark eyes, square jaw, and blank expression as he did those things to me... And that mask. That mask...

Slade knew this would get to me. And it did. It most certainly had. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't focus. I was stumped.

He dressed her as my rapist.

I stumbled back away from the head, a cry escaping my lips and kicked it as far away from me as I could. Tears began to race down my cheeks and Adler was hugging me, pulling me close to him and I clung to his shoulders.

"It was him." I said weakly, sinking to my knees. He went to the ground with me, not letting me go. "He used him to get to me!" I couldn't stop shaking. I was hysterical and my breathing was coming in sharp gasps. I hadn't had a panic attack like this in a year and a half.

He held me out at arms length and gently pulled off my mask and wiped my tears away and I stiffened even more and covered my face. "No!"

"Mia. You're home. You're not on the Island. It's ok." Adler said and reached for my hands.

"He used Billy Wintergreen's mask. His swords. He used them on her. To get to me." I said softly, haunted by the memories as I stared at the mask several yards away from me. My breathing began to slow as I listened to Adler try to calm me down.

"Who is Billy Wintergreen?" He asks.

I looked at my brother and said, "The first man I killed. He...did this..." I say and moved my hands from my scarred face, and watched them begin to shake and I clenched my fists. "He...did...other things..."

I squeezed my eyes shut and Adler gently pulled my mask over my eyes again and kissed my forehead. "He's gone. You're safe. No one is going to touch you. I'm sure the League and the Arrow are pretty good at intimidation. And I'm here and as long as I am breathing, no one will ever do that to you again."

He gently tilted my chin up and I opened my eyes. I let him wipe away my tears this time, beginning to calm down, taking in slow and steady breaths. My heart beat slowed.

"Olly can be pretty intimidating but he's more often just a muffin." I say with a small laugh and wiped at my eyes with my gloved hands.

"Yeah. And he loves you fiercely." Adler says seriously. "He loves you, Mia, and he's going to protect you."

"And we love you." Felicity said and came over to me and gave me a tight hug. "No matter what. You're my best friend."

I hugged her back and said with a small laugh, "And you're mine. But...we need to keep moving. There's a lot to be done. We need to find Blood. And then I'm going to find Oliver and when I get my hands on Slade Wilson, I don't think the entire League will be able to stop my sword from taking his fucking head."