Starling City Storm: A Sweet Little Splash Moment

I went into the writing of my second Spidey & Speedy fanfic piece, Starling City Storm, thinking it would be a great idea to ship the speedster with the Arrowverse's real Speedy herself, Thea Queen. I even made up my own ship name for it: Speedy + Flash = Splash. Catchy, huh? Well, nobody in the Arrowverse fandom seems to think so...yet. I dare you to read the following words and think they don't belong together, at least not in this alternate universe. :)


“Barry, could you help me out here?” Ollie calls me from down the hall, and I slide off the couch to go meet him.

“What’s up?” I ask.

He gestures to his bedroom door, which is closed - and locked, as he shows me when he tries in vain to open it. “Thea’s spent the last twenty minutes holed up in here, and I’m getting worried,” I say. “But because she’ll never trust me again if I come bursting in…”

“Oh, so you want me to be the bad guy?”

Ollie winks. “Not necessarily. I’m sure she’ll open up to you more than she would with me.”

“I heard that!” Thea cries from behind the door.

I look at Ollie questioningly. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“Hey, don’t raise your eyebrows at me,” Ollie laughs. “Eagles like to perch on those things.”

I laugh along with him, but then the good humor vanishes, sucked down a metaphorical drain, as I approach the door and knock gently. “Thea? Can I come in? Please?”

There’s a gap of about two seconds before she answers. “Being polite helps. Okay, Barry. But only you, all right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I wait for her to unlock the door from inside, then I run through it before Ollie can follow me across the threshold. Thea’s waiting on the other side, and she’s quick - though not metahumanly so - to lock the door all over again.

“I can see why you wouldn’t want Ollie to come in,” I say.

Reflexively, Thea covers her chest with her hands, though it does nothing for her bare midriff. The only thing she’s wearing above the waist is a sports bra. I try not to get distracted by that particular sight - which, of course, is harder than it sounds. Especially because what I want to focus on instead is dangerously close to her undergarments.

“Is that from today?” I ask, pointing at the bruises lining her ribs.

“‘Fraid so.” Thea sits on the edge of Ollie’s bed, pulls her shirt on, and sighs, dropping her head into her hands.

“Speaking of today,” I ask as today’s latest Salish Dam incident comes back to mind, “what happened to you?”

Thea points at her side. “You just saw what happened,” she says.

“That’s not what I mean,” I say, dialing up the firmness of my voice the way Joe does when he’s trying to have a heart-to-heart with me. “Um...well, how do I put this? You were, uh, a little bit of a wild child on the battlefield.”

“Understatement of the year,” she scoffs. “It’s something I’ve had to deal with for a while, and you were just unlucky enough to witness it today.”

“What exactly is it?” I ask. “Don’t hold back, okay? If something’s bothering you-”

Thea looks up at me and holds up her hand, cutting me off. “If Ollie sent you in here to get me to spill the beans to him-”

“This is between us,” I say. Huh - who would’ve thought that twice in less than 24 hours, I’d be acting as a therapist for my fellow heroes? I can see the sign on my office door now - “Barry Allen, M.D., Meta.Psy.D, Pnk.Fl.D, BAMF.”

“Promise?”

I nod.

“Okay.” Thea tucks her hair behind her ears and talks. “I’m not gonna bore you with all the details, but...let’s just say I wound up in the Lazarus Pit, and I think I might’ve come back wrong. And...and I think it might be ‘cause I’m Malcolm’s daughter.”

This is a new one on me, especially the latter confession. “You’re…?”

“What, Ollie didn’t tell you?” Thea laughs bitterly. “That’s okay. He must’ve finally figured out that it’s my responsibility, and only mine, to come out as a villain’s flesh and blood. Yeah, Ollie and I are only half-siblings. He’s the lucky one, though, being all of zero percent Merlyn.”

“Well, I know Malcolm’s an odd duck,” I say, “and he’s done some...shall we say, misguided things-”

Thea interrupts me again. “I didn’t ask you in here for a pity party,” she says. “I just needed to confess to someone.” Her lip trembles, and she draws herself into a stiff, guarded stance, like a turtle about to retreat into its shell.

“Hey.” I take her hand, even though I’m only...maybe 38% sure she won’t bite mine off. “Whatever your issues are, you shouldn’t just hold them back.”

“Maybe I should,” she says, tears forming in her eyes. “I’m easily provoked into a homicidal rage these days. Malcolm loves that about me-”

“Of course-”

“But nobody else does.”

I take her other hand, and on both of hers, I gently press my thumbs into her knuckles. Okay, maybe it’s a little soon to get this close with her, but she needs some affection and encouragement, and as long as I’m here… “I can’t tell you how to keep a lid on your emotions,” I say, “because I’m lousy at it myself. But…” I swallow, then reach up to wipe the tears from her face. “You said you went into the Lazarus Pit and that’s when this all started? Then I suggest you talk to Constantine. He might know a way to help you.”

She laughs weakly. “What if I don’t wanna give up my dark side?”

“You work with the Arrow,” I remind her. “I’d be surprised if you did.”

Seized by a sudden urge, I lean forward and kiss Thea’s cheek. In response, she embraces me tightly and whispers into my ear, “Thanks, Barry.”

“Don’t mention it,” I say, returning the hug and stroking her hair.

She takes a tissue to her eyes to dry them better, then opens the door and says, “You can have the bathroom if you want, Ollie!"

“Wasn’t waiting for it!” he calls after her as she disappears down the hall.

As I get off the bed and make my way to the door, Ollie sticks his arm into my path to stop me. “So...by any chance does your super-speed also kick in when you’re in bed?”

I fall over laughing.

“Yeah, I thought not,” Ollie says when he’s had his fair share of laughter at his own joke. “But if it did...I might just have to disavow all knowledge of your existence.”

“‘Barry Allen, you have failed this girl?’” I say.

“And I’ll definitely disavow you if you bastardize my old catchphrase like that again,” Ollie laughs. “Wasn’t even funny, man.”

I shake my head. “No, no, definitely not.” However, I can’t help but keep on half-smiling as my brain continues to process Ollie’s blue humor.

Arrow's Most Diabolical Cliffhanger Yet

***SPOILER ALERT***

"Come, they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
A newborn king to see, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum..."
- "The Little Drummer Boy"

*sigh* Well, my loyal Pinecones, I'll just let Stephen Amell speak for me re: the above song.

Don't think I'll be listening to Little Drummer Boy anytime soon. #Arrow

— Stephen Amell (@amellywood) December 10, 2015

Yeah, after they used it as the soundtrack to Felicity getting shot last night, I'm gonna change the station every time I hear this song. Even the excellent Harry Connick, Jr. and Kenny G versions.

In this more enlightened era, there are so many amazing female characters on TV. Chief among them, I think, are the sestras of Orphan Black's Clone Club, Agent Carter herself, Joan Watson, Sameen Shaw, Daisy Johnson, Allison Argent (RIP), Kara Danvers, Daenerys Targaryen, and Clarke Griffin.

But let's not forget my favorite of them all.

Oh, how I wish.

Whenever TV writers see fit to kill off a character, they should also figure in whether or not it's really necessary to disrupt the dynamics of the show so severely. Often, I find that a show is in such a state of equilibrium, character-wise, that adding or subtracting any characters will irrevocably disrupt the show's vibe. Sure, maybe they'll set things right eventually, in their own way (as NCIS did when Ellie Bishop joined the show after Ziva David left), but it won't quite be the same.

But what happens when the subtraction of a character is done in the most disastrous, devastating way possible?

A rough representation of me at midnight last night.

That's the possibility we're looking at with the eventual resolution of this latest Arrow cliffhanger. The possibility that Felicity did not survive being shot by Damien Darhk's Ghosts (and while we're on the subject of Darhk, who else suffers from a near-permanent inability to spell his name right?)

Hail Hydra...oh wait, wrong show. XD

There are so many reasons why I want nothing more than to jump ahead to next month and see the next episode end with Felicity still alive like nature intended. One, the fact that it's gonna be torturous, the wait till the next Arrow-sode. Perhaps even more so than after last year's midseason cliffhanger - which, let's face it, everyone knew there was no way Ollie was gonna die, because the show called Arrow can't survive without its title character. Never mind that someone else, like Diggle or Thea or Roy, could have possibly taken up his mantle...but still, such a long wait.

I think she might have a bit of Sheldon Cooper Syndrome. But not in a bad way. :)

But with Felicity, she's not at all replaceable. I firmly believe she's the heart and soul of Arrow. Everyone who's a good guy loves her - none more so than Ollie, of course. And why not? She's the brainiest, sassiest, loveliest omelet-failer in all of Star City. Seriously, who else remembers this scene? It's my single favorite Arrow moment ever, and for good reason:

This, people. This is heart and soul right here. *starts humming that old Huey Lewis song* Now, the producers have told us that after last season of Arrow got so dark and depressing, they were gonna take things back a few notches, so the show's tone could be a closer match to its more successful (and just plain awesomer, IMHO) Central City counterpart, The Flash. Not to mention Supergirl - despite the fact that it's "officially" not in the Arrowverse, I eagerly await the day when CBS and the CW announce a four-night crossover - Monday to Thursday, Supergirl to Legends of Tomorrow. So, if this is really what they're going for, it's working so far. Why in the biohazardous material would the writers and producers undo all the good they've done by killing off Felicity? She's such an integral part of the show that the only way they could keep it going after that is to focus for a very long time on Ollie (among the rest of Team Arrow) getting much-needed vengeance. And then what? The hole Felicity will have left behind won't be filled easily, if at all.

Dude, don't ask questions you don't wanna know the answers to.

Every show peaks eventually. Arrow, don't let this be yours. If she dies, we riot. Instead, #SaveFelicitySmoak, and keep on building your potential. And when you do, I'll be there to support you by watching every Wednesday in the highest of spirits.

Also the best Arrow moment ever - Constantine's much-needed guest appearance.

Till next time, Pinecones...

#FeedTheRightWolf

Remember: Denis Leary is always watching. Always.