This is it, the final chapter. No more extending it into smaller chapters! I know I could write season 3 and 4 easily. I don't feel a desire to now. I also don't have the time. It has been fun putting Buffy in the Arrow world. I appreciate all of you that have supported this very long story. If you want more Arrow/BTVS, you can read "The New Battlefield," the only Arrow/BTVS I will be working on for now. It is Felicity/Xander/Willow centered, however, so it might not be for everyone. It begins dark and gets lighter, so give it a chance

Chapter 42: To The Bitter End

******The Next Day******

Diggle brought Lyla into the Queen mansion. There were pretty young girls running around in various stages of undress. Some looked very young and a few Asians were smaller than Buffy.

"These girls are slayers?" Lyla asked, aghast. "This is who you expect to stop Slade and his soldiers?"

"They'll do just fine," Faith called out, walking toward them. Unlike some of the teens, she was dressed. She gave Diggle a warm smile. "It's good to see you, John." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Lyla, my ex-wife. She's working with ARGUS. Her boss, Amanda Waller, may be a problem," Dig said.

Lyla could tell by Faith's body language that she was more than friends with Diggle. She gave John a considering look. He looked guilty, so Lyla frowned at him.

"If this Amanda tries to interfere, she'll regret it," Faith said flatly.

"You don't know the power of ARGUS," Lyla warned. She glanced at Dig for help.

"They have the backing of the government," Dig added.

"They don't have the backing of the President over this situation," Faith said. "Giles already talked to the President. We have full authorization to work in Starling City. Buffy's man has official papers and everything."

Lyla's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you manage that?" she asked.

"Save the world a dozen times and see if the President won't take your calls," Faith said with a smug smile. "The last three Presidents have been very grateful for our help."

"Oh," Lyla said. "Still, Amanda often does what she sees fit."

"You like your boss?" Faith asked.

"Sometimes," Lyla said with a shrug.

"Get her to but out or she'll regret it," Faith said. She looked at Dig. "How's Oliver? I heard what happened."

"He's okay. He pushed it aside to focus on getting Slade," Dig said.

Buffy came into the house. She gave them a bright smile. "Faith!" she exclaimed, hugging her sister Slayer. She showed Faith her left hand that now sported a simple diamond cut diamond. "Quentin asked me to marry him!"

"What?" Faith asked in surprise.

"Last night in the grocery store, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We were in the fruit section!" Buffy shared excitedly. "This morning we went and picked out a ring as soon as the shops opened."

"Congratulations!" Dig said with a grin. He moved to hug her.

"That's amazing, B!" Faith said, hugging her, too. "Glad to see I've rubbed off on you and you're not wasting time! Did you call the Scoobies?"

"I called Dawn last night. I called Xander and Giles on the way here. Willow was unreachable," Buffy said.

"She's working on something. But she said she'd try to join our party here," Faith said.

"I hope so. We may need her help," Buffy said. "We don't know how many soldiers Slade has."

"Not yet. I haven't heard from the brains yet," Faith said.

"She should be at the precinct," Buffy said.

"Brains?" Lyla asked.

"Felicity," Dig, Buffy, and Faith said at the same time. Dig smiled. He liked when others appreciated his favorite blonde.

Buffy's phone beeped. She pulled it out. "Sin is at the base. She says there's been more and more reports of attacks and muggings. She thinks it's Slade's goons," Buffy shared.

"We should head out," Lyla said to Dig.

"We'll hit the streets and let you know what we find," Dig said to Buffy.

"Faith and I will lead two teams and Sara another in various parts of the city," she replied.

"Be careful," Dig said. He was speaking to Buffy, but his eyes went to Faith.

"You, too," Buffy said.

As Dig led Lyla out the door, Lyla said, "Is that brunette the woman you told me about?"

"Yes. We flirted a bit. She left, though, before it went anywhere," Dig said honestly.

"She's still got her eyes on you," Lyla said, not sure how she liked it.

"I can't help what her eyes do," Dig said. "Faith is a flirt, though. But she won't push the issue."

"Maybe you should tell her we're back together," Lyla said pointedly.

"I will," he assured he.

"If she doesn't back off, you can tell her that I'm pregnant," Lyla said, giving him a secret smile.

Dig blinked. "What?" he asked.

"We're going to have a baby in six or seven months," she told him.

"Seriously?" he asked, stunned.

"Completely," she assured him. "Are you happy?"

Dig pulled her close for a hug. "I couldn't be happier," he said, meaning it. Faith didn't belong in Starling or with Dig. But Lyla did.

*****A Few Hours Later*****

Oliver and Roy had been searching the city until they discovered Slade's men. They'd been fighting for over an hour. They'd gone by Verdant to touch bases with Sin, and Oliver had given Roy the outfit he and Felicity had wanted to surprise him with. It seemed like a good time for Roy to suit up. He'd learned a lot the past few months. With Willow's help, he had himself mostly under control. Thoughts of vengeance, however, were foremost in both of their minds. Felicity had sent word that Thea was still stable, so they knew she was okay. Thanks to her slayer healing, she'd probably be fine in no time. It relieved them, but it did nothing to still their need for vengeance. Oliver knew that the people he loved would never be safe unless he took Slade out of the picture.

They heard screaming and moved toward the noise. Oliver saw five soldiers pulling people out of cars and hurting them. Before Oliver could get his bike parked, he saw a soldier stab a man who was resisting. He and Roy moved in and engaged the soldiers. Roy managed to break one guy's neck right away because the man's back was toward him. Roy came upon him unaware. However, they were hard pressed to put down the other four. One of the men was well over six feet and had a hit like a sledgehammer.

Roy noticed a group of four girls walking and laughing coming toward them. "Civilian girls coming our way," he said to Oliver as Oliver was knocked down by one of the guys.

One of the girls broke off and ran toward them. She was a pretty dark skinned girl with a look of curiosity, not fear on her face. "Hey, you're that Arrow guy, right? And he's your red sidekick? Looks like these guys are whoopin' your ass. Do you need a hand?" the girl asked, grinning. The other three were equally young looking—none were over eighteen.

"Get back!" Oliver growled, jumping to his feet and kicking the goon in the stomach.

"Now what would be the fun in that?" the saucy dark skinned girl said.

"Mahalia, save us one," one of the other girls called out, giggling.

Roy looked incredulous but didn't have time to engage the girls because the man he was fighting took advantage of his distraction and stabbed him in the arm.

"Damn it!" Roy said, enraged. Then he moved forward and slammed his bow into the face. Then he followed with a hard kick to the man's stomach, knocking him down.

"Get back!" Oliver called again as the goon farthest from him stepped in front of the girl.

"Nah, I can't let you two get beat without lending a hand," the girl said. Then she jumped up and swung her fist, hitting the goon in the face so hard that his head swung around.

"Slayers?" Oliver questioned. When one of the remaining trio blew him a kiss right before she tackled one of the guys they were fighting, he knew.

"Slayers," Roy said, relieved. It still freaked him out a bit to see the frailest looking teenagers kick hard enough to move a grown man—a grown superpowered man.

Oliver and Roy managed to kill two. Oliver's vow to not kill rang in his head, but what choice did he have? These men healed too quickly. They weren't going to stop the destruction of the city without bloodshed.

The four slayers fought like Buffy's friend Faith did—with a smile on their face and joy in their heart. Buffy said she never enjoyed slaying the way Faith did. Thea was too serious and focused to enjoy it like these girls. However, they managed to knock out two soldiers.

"They won't be out for long," Oliver told them.

"Good thing I have these handy cuffs," one of them said, holding up a pair of handcuffs.

"They won't hold them," Roy said grimly.

"They're blessed by our Red Witch. They'll hold," the slayer replied.

"Willow? Willow put her mojo on them?" Roy asked.

"You know Will?" the girl asked with a grin.

"Yes," Roy said nodding.

"How many of you are here?" Oliver asked.

"Faith and eight more of us," the girl replied. "I'm Mahalia. That's Tami, Kaitlyn, and Leah."

"Roy," Roy said.

"We know. And he's Oliver," Mahalia said with an easy smile. "Thea's brother."

Oliver clenched his teeth. What part of secret identity was unclear?

"The soldiers are going out all over the city," Oliver said. "We need to locate their leader and stop him."

"We've dispersed with Buffy, the Black Canary, and Faith all over the city," Mahalia said. "We'll stop these bastards."

They heard some screams. "I guess we know where to go next," Tami said with an eager grin. She was taller than the other three girls and had long sandy brown hair. A dimple flashed when she smiled.

They went toward the sound. The young slayers leading the charge. Oliver shook his head in resignation and followed after them.

******Verdant*******

Sin was feeling overwhelmed. For hours, she'd been trying to track Slade and his men. They were popping up all over the city, terrorizing anyone they came across. Every time she located one spot of violent activity, another one cropped up. Felicity was on one of the monitors networking from the police station. The police force couldn't handle all the 911 calls.

"Where's everyone at?" a voice behind Sin asked. Sin turned, relaxing when she saw Willow.

"Thank God! Where have you been? The city's falling apart. Slade's let his men loose on the city. It's been going on all day!" Sin shared.

"I came as soon as I could. Where's Buffy at?" Willow asked. Sin gave her the location. "I'll go lend a hand. I think I can help." Sin felt better knowing the powerful witch was in play.

*****Nearby*****

As the sun set, the violence escalated. It was like a war zone. Buffy's slayers were considered special consultants assisting the force, so the cops were fighting alongside them. Buffy had two with her. Sara and Thea had three with them. Four of her best were off on their own with orders to find Oliver and fight with him. Buffy kept by Quentin's side, unable to allow him to be hurt. Quentin may only recently have gotten back his detective shield, but he always had a plan. At first, the cops thought it was a joke that Lance was playing on them. When Quentin took a squad of men to the streets with Buffy, they'd been some jokes and snickers. However, when Buffy managed to do alone what five of them couldn't do together, the laughs stopped. When they saw what the fragile looking girls could do, they stopped doubting.

His men weren't used to fighting men empowered by the mirakuru. He had them using Tasers whenever they could, knowing a hand to hand fight was futile. Many were encased in body armor, so the guns weren't effective unless it was a head shot. Cops were trained to shoot center mass, so few tried a head shot. Respect for Lance grew as they stood in even greater awe of Buffy since it was clear the women took orders from her.

They didn't know how Quentin's girlfriend was so strong—they didn't want to know. They just knew that their city was being torn apart. Buffy had two friends that were obviously several years younger, but they fought the same way. The police officers didn't say a word. Soon, they were just glad for any help they could get. When they saw the Arrow and his sidekick dressed in red fighting the goons, they didn't bat an eye. The vigilante may use extreme methods that were outside the law. However, extreme measures were needed to put these guys down.

However, the cops finally had enough when a redheaded woman suddenly appeared in the midst of them. One moment she was there, then she was not.

"What the hell?" one of the officers said, obviously freaked out by her appearance.

"Hey, Will!" Buffy said, grinning. She kicked a goon. Then she turned back to Willow. "Glad you could join us."

"I brought a cure from Star Labs. Cisco and Caitlin cracked it," she informed them.

"Awesome! We need to get it in some arrows and give it to Oliver and Roy," Buffy said. She ducked as a solider tried to hit her.

Willow waved her hand and spoke some words. The man Buffy was fighting turned into a rat.

The three soldiers Lance and his officers were battling were so horrified that they turned and moved off.

"Hey!" Lance called out. "They're getting away!"

Willow threw up an invisible wall. The guys bounced off of it. Then she bounded them in a green energy band. "That'll hold them until we get the cure in them," she said.

"What the hell is she, Lance?" a cop asked, totally freaked.

Willow grinned. "I'm Willow. I'm a witch. But a good witch. Like Glenda from the Wizard of Oz," she replied.

"You know the weirdest people," another cop said to Lance. He just grinned.

"We're engaged!" Buffy gushed, showing Willow her ring.

Willow exclaimed over the ring and hugged her. She looked at Quentin. "You break her heart, and I'll turn you into a snake!" she threatened.

Quentin gave a nervous laugh as one of his men snickered. "You're a really brave man, Quentin," one of them said.

"I'm a lucky man," he said, putting his arm around Buffy. He knew that he'd spend the rest of his years loving Buffy as long as she let him. He wasn't worried.

"We should get going on making the cure into arrows," Buffy said.

"Why don't you let my guys work on that?" Quentin asked, wanting an excuse to keep a few of them from the danger. His captain had one team on the south side of the Glades while he covered the north side.

"You guys will have to get it to the Arrow," Buffy said with a pointed look. She looked to Willow and explained. "Our paths crossed about an hour or so ago with him and his partner. Then he headed further east."

"We will find him," Quentin promised. "Besides, our SWAT guys can use some tranq guns, too."

"Good idea," Willow said. She looked at the cops Quentin had with him. "Who's going with me?"

"Tom, you and Sanders go with her," Quentin ordered. Tom was a great sceptic, and Quentin couldn't resist sending him with Willow. Sanders could handle it, though. "Make sure she meets our lab guys. They can help, too."

Willow held out her hand. "Come on, boys. I'll be gentle," she said. The two men hesitantly stepped forward. When she took their hands, she winked at the ones left behind. Then the three of them disappeared, much to the dismay of the other cops.

"They're okay," Buffy assured them. She looked at Quentin. "We need to find Slade and end this now."

Sin called and told her that some ARGUS lady was demanding to speak to Oliver. Oliver was heading back to Verdant. There was no sign yet of Slade. "Why don't you join Faith? She's down on Washington?" Buffy suggested to Quentin. He was merely human, and Buffy wasn't about to lose him now.

Quentin nodded, not offended. He knew his slayer had lost enough people. Since he wanted to live a few more decades with her by his side, he barked orders to his guys. He ignored the jokes about who wore the pants in their relationship. None of them would be confident enough to date a woman like Buffy, and she was his. He wasn't about to do anything to risk cutting their time short.

*****Verdant*****

Oliver was arguing with a dark skinned woman on a computer monitor when Buffy arrived. "What's going on?" she asked him.

"This is Amanda Waller. She wants to drop a bomb on Starling," Oliver said in disgust.

"What?" Buffy asked, stepping close so she could be seen.

"I have authorization," Amanda said defensively.

"I doubt that," Buffy said. "We have a directive from the President. My slayers will have this under control. Willow is dispersing the cure as we speak."

"If just one of these soldiers gets out, it could be a nightmare for countless others in cities across the country," Amanda said with a grim face.

"If they do get out, my slayers will deal with them," Buffy said firmly.

"We'll see," Amanda said, her doubt apparent. She shut down communications.

Buffy looked at Oliver. "Do you know where this woman is right now?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes," he replied.

"Do you think she would drop a bomb?" Buffy asked.

"I wouldn't put anything passed that woman," Oliver said.

"I'll send Willow to deal with her. You and I need to go find Slade and put him down for good," Buffy said. She pulled out her phone and sent Willow a text.

"I don't want to be a killer," Oliver said, looking down at his hands. "Tonight I've had to kill men who probably couldn't help it. Slade and the drug twisted their minds."

"Self-defense doesn't make you a killer, Oliver," Buffy told him. "If you don't do whatever it takes to beat him, he could kill you. Then Thea will have no family but that psycho Merlyn."

"The woman I hooked up with, Isabel, told me yesterday she was pregnant. She showed me a sonogram," Oliver said, a hollow look in his eyes. Everything seem to be coming to a head at once.

"God, Oliver! Don't you know how to use protection?" Buffy asked, aghast.

Oliver winced. "I was really drunk and barely remember the night. I just remember speaking Russian with her, and Felicity finding her in my room the next day. That was the day you hit me, remember?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, yea. That woman," Buffy nodded. "Does Felicity know?"

"I haven't had a chance to tell her. She was taken at the time. Then my mom was murdered and Thea hospitalized," Oliver said sourly.

Buffy felt guilty. "Sorry. The suckage has been majorly for you. The woman may be lying, and if she's not, you'll deal. It's what we do when the world keeps knocking us down," Buffy advised.

"What will Felicity say? Will she break up with me?" Oliver said, anxious.

"If she really loves you, she won't. If she does, then she's not the woman for you," Buffy replied. "But my money's on the two of you."

Willow appeared, startling Oliver. Buffy snickered. "Jumpy are we?" she teased Oliver.

"I'm just not used to people appearing out of nowhere," Oliver said with a grimace.

"Sorry!" Willow said with a sheepish smile. "What's the what?"

"Huh?" Oliver asked in confusion. Sometimes it was like Buffy and her friend spoke a different language.

"You need to go talk to this Amanda chica. She is threatening the city with bombs," Buffy explained.

"Seriously?" Willow asked in dismay.

"She's with ARGUS. Dig's ex-wife works for them. I've worked with her in the past. She'll do it if she thinks it's the safest option," Oliver said.

"I think I need to have a chat with this woman," Willow said grimly.

"Do you have some of the cure with you? We're going to locate Slade," Buffy said. "I bet Blood will tell me where he's hiding."

Willow handed her a vial. Oliver told her where she could find Amanda. "I'll see you guys. Be careful and kick that Slade guy's ass!" she said with a grin before blinking out.

When she reappeared behind Amanda Waller, several guns raised in her direction. Amanda turned to see why her guards were reacting. She blinked in surprise at Willow.

"I'm a friend of Oliver Queen's. Here to tell you that there will be no bomb dropping on Starling City," Willow said. She looked at the guys pointing the guns and wrinkled her nose in distaste. "I really hate guns. Tell them to put away their guns."

"You appeared here as if by magic. Why would they put away their guns?" Amanda asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because I said so," Willow said. She raised her hands, and all the guns were removed from the room.

Amanda gave her a cold smile. "You're the witch friend of the Slayer's," she said knowingly.

"I am. Willow Rosenberg," Willow said with a tilt of her head.

"Well, I've been wanting to meet you," Amanda. "A woman of your skill set should be working for the American government."

"I do on occasion work with the government. But I have my own organization, and we help the world. We don't serve America's interest. We serve Mother Earth," Willow said.

"A pity," Amanda said. A net came down and began to tighten around Willow.

"You think you can hold me?" Willow asked with a laugh. She easily dispersed the net and stepped out of it. When the soldiers tried to attack her, she put them to sleep with a word.

Amanda looked alarmed as her men all collapsed around her. "You don't know who you're messing with!" Amanda threatened.

Willow smiled gently. "Oh, I know exactly who I'm dealing with," Willow said with confidence. "Your men will stay asleep until we've dealt with Slade and his superfreaks. You will not touch any computer or issue any orders."

"I don't take orders from you!" Amanda said in annoyance.

"Yeah, well, the President gave us permission to handle Starling City. We have a directive from him. It supersedes any orders you may have," Willow informed her. "But just in case you are feeling rebellious, I'll deal with you." Her famous green band that Giles had one time used against her was now wrapped around Amanda, holding her a foot of the ground. When she tried to talk, nothing came out. "Don't worry. I'll be back to release you as soon as we get Starling City under control. If your reputation wasn't so dubious, I'd trust you to do nothing."

Willow left a fuming and helpless Amanda behind.

*******Elsewhere*******

Oliver and Roy had wasted no time in dispersing arrows with the cure onto any soldier they came across. Both were glad to not have kill any more. Buffy and her girls were doing the same except they were using their hands most of the time, not bows. Finally, though, Slade made his appearance.

"I have eyes on Slade," Oliver said into his comm.

"I'll be there soon," Buffy said.

"Why are you resisting, Oliver? My plan is working. Your city is in chaos. The screams of your people fill the air!" Slade said in satisfaction.

"It's over, Slade!" Oliver replied. "We have the cure. Your men are getting it now. Now you will, too." Roy had stationed himself to maneuver behind Slade. He shot the arrow. Somehow, though, Slade sensed it and turned, knocking it away.

Laughing, Slade said, "You won't find me an easy mark."

"Then let's do this the hard way," Oliver said, stepping forward. Slade grinned and wasting no time. The two exchanged furious blows.

Oliver tried his best, fighting with all the skill he had, and the new ones that Buffy had taught him. However, Slade was too strong. Every time Oliver hurt him, he healed too quickly. After several minutes, he swept Oliver to the ground.

"Now you will die like my Shado," Slade said, lifting his sword.

An arrow hit his hand, causing him to drop his sword. He glared and saw Roy grinning. "Hurts, huh? That's the cure coursing through your veins!" Roy exclaimed happily.

Then a fist hit Slade. "Do you mind if I get in a few licks?" Buffy asked Oliver, reaching down to pull him to his feet. She had seen them fighting a block away and ran to join the fun.

Slade yanked out the arrow, his rage not cooling even with the cure pumping through him. "Letting little girls fight your battles?" he asked Oliver with a curl of his lip.

"I'm no girl," Buffy said, hitting him again. "I'm the Slayer." She kicked Slade hard in the stomach, knocking him back several feet.

She and Oliver took turns hitting Slade, who was still able to easily defend himself. Finally, though, Oliver managed to disarm him. "It's over, Slade. You're done," Oliver said flatly.

"It'll never be over!" Slade exclaimed.

"Oh, it's so over," Buffy said, grinning as she saw Willow appear. "Here he is. The man responsible for this mess."

"Time to put him on ice!" Willow quipped.

Buffy groaned. "Will, your puns are embarrassing!"

Willow threw her nifty magic band around Slade. "Hey, in my defense, I rarely get to be in the field these dies. I'm head witch, so I'm always teaching!" she said with a pout.

"It's over," Oliver said, unable to believe it as he stared at the immobilized Slade Wilson. The man had saved his life and taught him so much. He'd killed Oliver's mother and tried to kill Thea. The man who had called Oliver brother died on the island. Oliver understood that now. He turned to Buffy. "Thanks for the assistance."

"You're welcome," Buffy said happily. "Let's finish rounding up all his goons."

"Do you think you can handle the clean up? I really want to go check on Thea," Oliver said.

"Sure. I'll be by when it's done," Buffy said. She turned to Willow. "Care to join me?"

"Absolutely!" Willow said. "We can began planning your wedding."

Roy joined Oliver and the they paused to watch the two women go down the road, chattering a mile a minute. Their conversation not pausing when a thug tried to attack.

Roy shook his head. "Those women are so weird!" he observed.

"They're extraordinary," Oliver said, turning away. "Let's go see Thea."

*****Starling City Hospital*****

Thea fought the meds, sensing danger. She heard a voice. "Why send a man to do what a woman can do better?" it said.

Thea knew that if she didn't open her eyes right now something bad was going to happen to her. Fighting against the lethargy, she forced her heavy eye lids open. All she saw was white. Then when the pillow pressed down over her face, she realized why. Thea struggled against the strong body that was pressing against her face, suffocating her. She kicked and wailed her hands, knocking over something. She hoped the noise would bring someone—anyone to save her.

"No need to fight me. I'm stronger. You'll never win," the smug voice said.

Thea felt anger course through her body. The adrenaline rush pushed out the drugs that would slow her down. Her pain was a dull ache. Buffy's voice rang in her head. "When you take away the weapons and the backup, what's left? You. You're a slayer. You ARE the weapon!"

With a growl, she pushed hard at the body holding her down. The pillow moved, and she drew a deep breath. Then she kicked her foot hard and felt it connect with a body. She threw the pillow aside as she sat up, looking for her attacker. A woman dressed in a strange black and red outfit looked at her in surprise. Thea recognized her. "You!"

"You're pretty strong," Isabel said, giving her a considering look. "Slade mentioned it, but I thought he was exaggerating."

Thea ripped out the IV. She got to her feet, swaying slightly. "Why don't you try that again and see exactly how strong I am?" Thea challenged. She kept her hand on the bed to steady herself.

Isabel shrugged and pulled out a gun. "Well, I was going to have you die in your sleep and save my baby daddy the sight of your bloody corpse, but I'm adaptable."

Laurel eyes widened as she stood in Thea's hospital doorway. She'd come to check on Thea, knowing the city was in chaos and everyone else was dealing with it. She was the only one who had no real purpose outside of the law. When she saw the woman pull a gun, she didn't hesitate. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her concealed weapon and fired it as her father had trained her.

Thea's eye widened in shock as another gun fired and Isabel collapsed. Nurses came running.

"Laurel!" Thea said in surprise. "You saved my life!"

"Who was that?" Laurel asked.

Thea felt sick as she realized something. "Oh God! She is the woman Ollie had the one-night stand with months ago. She claimed she was pregnant. She even had a sonogram!" she shared, horrified.

Laurel looked more than a little shell-shocked as the security came up to her. She tried to explain what had happened. For several minutes, she repeated her tale until Oliver and Roy arrived.

Oliver was frightened when he saw the sea of people in Thea's room. He braced himself for another blow when he got closer.

Roy, feeling similar, searched for Thea. "There she is!" he shouted in relief.

They learned quickly what had gone on. Laurel was crying. "Ollie, I didn't know! She had a gun and was going to shoot Thea. I just did what my dad taught me!" she exclaimed.

Oliver hugged her while Roy went to Thea. "It's okay, Laurel. Everything's going to be okay," he murmured.

Laurel pulled back. "Thea said she was pregnant with your baby! I killed your baby!" she wailed.

"We don't know if that was true or not, Laurel," he said.

"She was one of Slade's. She was too strong," Thea added.

Oliver looked down at the body. "She's dressed like one of his soldiers," he observed.

"I'm sorry," Laurel said again.

"You don't owe me an apology," Oliver said, putting his hand on her face. "You saved my sister. Thank you."

It was hours sorting out the mess. Lance arrived and comforted his daughter. Thea was too tired to tell yet another person what had happened, so Roy relayed what she told him. Then she slept.

"If this Isabel was on the drug, could she even get pregnant?" Buffy asked when she finally arrived and heard what she'd missed. Thea had awakened to greet Buffy. Faith was finishing up leading the girls in rounding up all the soldiers terrorizing the city.

"I don't know. I just know that I have to tell Felicity about this. Is she still at the police station?" Oliver asked Quentin.

"I told her an hour ago to head home. She's been there all day. I don't know where's she at, though," Quentin said.

"She's probably with Sin," Buffy said knowingly. Oliver gave a faint smile in agreement. Buffy turned to Quentin. "Will you make sure the M.E. checks for a pregnancy?"

"Do you really want to know?" Quentin asked him bluntly.

Oliver thought about it a moment. What would be the point in knowing? If she had been, his child was dead. If she hadn't been, it was just another deception.

"It's always better to know the truth," Thea said quietly.

Oliver finally nodded. She was right. Not knowing would eat at him.

The nurse came into the room. "Everyone needs to clear out. Miss Queen needs to rest. There's been more than enough excitement tonight for her," she said.

Roy didn't go far—just to the waiting room. He wasn't about to leave her unguarded again. Buffy went back with Quentin to break their happy news to Sara and Laurel. Laurel had left upset two hours earlier. Quentin thought good news would be just the thing—at least he hoped his daughters would be happy for him. Laurel wasn't as accepting of Buffy as Sara, but she was thawing.

Oliver went to the club and into Felicity's waiting arms. Sin knew her presence wasn't needed and headed to where the party was probably at—Thea's old house.

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked pulling away to look him over. He looked battered and exhausted but no obvious gushing wounds. She relaxed. "I hated hearing everything second hand from Sin!"

"You can do so much good working with Lance. We're still partners," Oliver assured her.

"Yeah, but it's frustrating," Felicity said. "I need to figure out a way to use comms without the guys at the precinct knowing about it."

"They're trained detectives. They'll probably figure it out," Oliver said, giving her a fond smile.

"I'll figure out something!" Felicity vowed.

"I have no doubt," Oliver said, squeezing her hand. "I have something to tell you. Something bad." He led her to a chair and sat across from her, keeping a hold of her hand as he told what had happened at the hospital. Then Oliver revealed what Isabel had told him at the club.

Felicity listened without interrupting. When he was done, she pulled away and pushed the chair back, needing some distance.

"I'm so sorry, Felicity," Oliver said, hoping he wasn't about to lose her, too.

"I'm sorry, too," Felicity said with a sad sigh. "But I can't be mad at something that already happened. I know that Isabel meant nothing. You didn't cheat on me. I'm just sorry you might've lost your son or daughter in this mess."

The last remaining bit of fear inside finally melted away. She loved enough after all. He smiled in relief. Then he decided to share even more. He wanted a future with her that didn't include anymore ghosts from his past.

"You know this isn't the first time I've lost a child—if she was pregnant," he shared.

"What?" Felicity asked in shock, moving closer.

Oliver told her about the pregnancy of one of the many girls he cheated on Laurel with and how she'd lost the baby right before he got on the ship. "You know I think losing that baby is what pushed me to be so reckless with Sara. I knew she'd had a crush on me for a long time. Laurel was pushing for commitment that I wasn't ready for—hell, I'd just lost the child I'd conceived with another woman. She had no idea how awful I truly was—the very worst boyfriend. But she loved me so much more than I deserved. I was this horrible degenerate, and yet she insisted in thinking I was something wonderful," Oliver shared.

"It's because she saw the man you almost were—the man you could be. The man you are now," Felicity said knowingly.

Oliver gave a small smile and shook his head. "I don't know where she found her faith. I just knew that only by sleeping with her sister would I finally destroy what we had," he said. "I never dreamed that it would go so wrong. I never dreamed I'd hurt Laurel and Sara so much. The island was a fitting punishment for my sins."

"No one deserved what you went through!" Felicity said vehemently.

Oliver smiled lovingly at her and pulled her to her feet. "I'm not sure about that, and I'm not sure what I've done to deserve you," he said.

"It's that pretty face of yours," she said, putting her and on his cheek. "It's irresistible." He kissed her hand.

"I love you," he said, joy in the moment pushing out all the darkness.

"I love you," she replied, flashing him a brilliant smile.

Oliver pulled her close, kissing her. He was so grateful to have her in his life. She'd taught him so much. Most importantly, he'd restored his faith in himself and humanity.

Together, he knew that they could save his city.

******The End******

I know there's so much I could've written and didn't. Was she pregnant? What's happening with Buffy and the Lances? What's going on at the Queen Mansion? I thought I'd leave that to your imagination! Some of you know that I mostly detest Laurel Lance's character and have not written much about her, but I thought she deserved a surprising use at the end. Did you like it? I hope you've enjoyed this final chapter and that it didn't disappoint. Sorry, I have to end it. However, I have written over 150,000 words! That's like two books! Thanks to all of you who faithfully review and to those that only did occasionally. Here's your last chance to get in a review! If this is your first BTVS crossover over of mine, I have several more. I'm addicted to both reading and writing them. My next new story that I will start posting is a BTVS/SG-1 crossover. Follow me if you want to know when I post it. Thanks again!