6 years. Hal Jordan looked around at the rundown state of the Star City streets. He'd been away from Earth for 6 years. The ring had told him she was living here and he would find her. 6 years was too long a time away from her and he wasn't wasting another second that could be spent with her. His attention was drawn to a large crowd of people and cameras. They were standing in front of some type of Christmas tree on the bay beach. And there she was, illuminated in the soft glow of the lights. His heart stopped as he joined the crowd of people, trying to get closer to the front. No matter how many times he'd pictured what his home coming would be like nothing could have prepared him for how breathtaking she was…and for the fact that another man would be proposing to her.

He clenched his fists watching as she tearfully accepted the other man's proposal. He bowed his head and moved away, pushing back through the crowd. Now was not the time to press the issue, he'd follow them and-

"It's so romantic that she said yes after the whole kidnapping thing." He overheard the whispered words from one woman to her husband in front of him and his blood ran cold.

"Excuse me." he said, smiling politely. "I just got in from out of town. What do you mean kidnapping?"

"Damien Darhk kidnapped her at Queen's holiday campaign party." The woman explained. "He wanted to get back at Queen for exposing the fact that Darhk's been ruining our city."

Hal nodded his thanks and rushed away from the crowd. Ducking out of sight he activated his ring. Felicity had left the media event on her new fiancé's arm and was now driving away in a limo. The fiancé, who Hal now realized, was Oliver Queen. "Isn't he supposed to be dead?" he muttered to himself as he flew up into the sky, searching for their limo. Then he realized with a jolt that after 6 years, he too had probably been declared dead. Felicity had moved on because she thought he was gone. He shook himself. None of that mattered at present. Felicity was clearly in danger around this man and he had to make sure she was alright. His worst fears were confirmed when he finally found the limo under heavy gunfire.

Using his ring, he encased the vehicle in a green protective bubble, then lifted it and moved it far away from the gun men. Then he created a giant fist and battered the gunmen and their cars before flying back to the limo. Queen had pulled Felicity from the wreckage of the car. She was motionless, bleeding. The chauffer was dead, but, impossibly, Queen didn't have a scratch on him. Hal's hands balled into fists as he glared at the man. This was his fault, yet Felicity was the one suffering for it. He got closer to examine Felicity. Queen pulled her closer in his arms.

"I just saved your lives." Hal said. "Don't move her, you might make things worse." The bullet was lodged in her back dangerously close to her spine. Hal had to call on all of his lantern training not to tear Queen apart for his responsibility in this. He wrapped Felicity's midsection in green bandages created by the ring to stop the bleeding. It would be enough to give him time to fly to a hospital; it had to be enough. Pulling her from Queen, he ignored the other man's questions as he took off and flew into the night, going towards Star City General.

She stirred slightly; her eyes opening a fraction.

"Hal." She said; her voice weak and fading.

"Sh." He murmured frantically trying to fly faster. "I'm here, Sunflower." The old pet name falling from his lips as easily as it had the day he'd left on that test flight 6 years previously. "Just hang on for me, baby."

He landed in front of the ER.

"This woman's been shot." He shouted as he opened the door. "I need a doctor." He glared as everyone froze, taking in strange appearance of his Lantern uniform. "NOW." He shouted.

Nurses and doctors rushed forward, taking her from him. He stood watching her being wheeled away into the OR before turning to one of the attending medical staff. "Her name is Felicity Jor…Smoak. She's type O positive and allergic to nuts. She doesn't have any previous conditions that would complicate surgery and she's been shot in the back next to the L-3 vertebrae." He rattled off as much of Felicity's medical history as he could remember.

"Thank you." The bewildered nurse said, looking at the suit. "It's a good thing the Green Arrow added you to his team, otherwise she'd be in trouble." She turned and left to go give the doctor the information. Hal stood there for a second before leaving the OR and taking off. Whoever this Damien Darhk was, Hal was going to make him sorry he ever came near Felicity.

"Kilowog." He said, activating his com system. His friend was sitting in the space craft the Guardians had lent Hal to get him to Earth after he'd defeated Sinestro.

"Poozer." Kilowog replied.

"I need you to use the ship's scanners to find a Damien Darhk." Hal said, gritting his teeth at the ridiculousness of the other man's name.

"You owe him money or something?" Kilowog joked.

"He just tried to kill Felicity." Hal said. Kilowog wisely didn't respond; he knew how much she meant to Hal.

"Got him." He finally said, giving him a location. "Want help?"

"Meet me there." Hal growled.

It was an underground facility. Kilowog was waiting for him at the entrance.

"She alright?" he asked when Hal landed.

Hal turned to the door and broke it down. "She's in the hospital." He said.

Kilowog followed him, his expression grim. "Sorry, Poozer." He murmured. "What's the plan?"

"Go in and destroy everything until Darhk shows himself. Then destroy some more." Hal said. Kilowog cracked his knuckles as the first round of Darhk's minions descended on them.

"I like the sound of that." He said. They fought Darhk's henchmen. Moving through the facility, they found their way into what appeared to be a large underground greenhouse.

"Drugs?" Hal said through gritted teeth. "He tried to kill her for drugs."

"What did your girl do to get on the wrong side of these guys?" Kilowog asked.

"More like what did her fiancé do." Hal muttered, tearing a nearby plant out by the roots.

"Fiancé?" Kilowog looked at him in horror. "I thought she was your –"

"I've been gone for 6 years Kilowog." He glared angrily at the facility. "She probably thinks I'm dead and I haven't…I might never get the chance to…" He looked exhaled heavily, the pain in his chest exploding. "I hurt her, Kilowog. I promised her I'd never leave and I abandoned her."

"You didn't really have a choice, Poozer." The other lantern put his hand on Hal's shoulder.

Hal ground his teeth. "That doesn't make me feel better." He looked at the plants. "Kilowog. I think we need to do a little landscaping."

They razed the plants.

"STOP." A man's voice called out. Hal turned and looked at the angry man with pale skin and hair so blonde it was almost white. His appearance practically screamed evil villain.

"Damien Darhk?" Hal said. The man tilted his head and looked at Kilowog.

"What are you?" He asked. Hal looked into his eyes. There was madness in their depths. When he found out that Felicity survived he'd come after her again and again. He couldn't allow that.

"I'm Hal Jordan. Lantern of sector 2814. Consider this an eviction notice."

There was a warning pulse from his ring. It had sensed something in the air around Darhk.

"Magic." Growled Kilowog, his ring probably had given him the same warning.

Darhk shot the two of them a cursory look and his lips curled into an evil grimace. "I've put in a lot of work to make this operation succeed and –"

"You call murdering innocent people, work?" Hal hissed.

"Well…" Darhk paused, considering his answer. "Yes. I mean, you have to plan and bullets are wasted and occasionally one of my men dies, which is annoying because good underlings are so hard to find these days."

Hal used the ring to slam Darhk against the wall and hold him there.

"Kilowog; destroy this facility while I have a chat with our prisoner." Hal said.

"You got it, Poozer." Kilowog turned and took care of the rest of the plants.

"Alright." Darhk sighed. "Who did I kill? Your dog? Your mom? Brother? Sister? Girlfriend?" His eyes lit up. "That's it, isn't it? I got your girl. Which one was she? Don't bother giving me names, there's too many to keep track anymore. Give me a detailed descrip-"

Hal punched him in the face. "Shut up." he growled, stepping closer to Darhk. The blond man's eyes lit up and he held up his hand, placing it on Hal's chest. Hal felt the pull of magic trying to drain him, but his lantern ring blocked Darhk's ability. Darhk frowned, pressing his hand harder onto Hal's chest.

"Why isn't this working?" he grumbled.

"Do you usually cop a feel before you get thrown into intergalactic prison?" Hal asked.

"Intergalactic prison?" For the first time Darhk looked scared which made Hal feel a surge of satisfaction. "On what charge?

"Judging from the state of the city and the fact that you were behind the attempted assassination of a mayoral candidate today, I'd say we have ourselves a classic case of interference with the natural evolution of a species. What do you think, Kilowog?" he called over his shoulder.

"Sounds about right." Kilowog said, coming back over. "By the way, I took care of those pesky weeds for you."

"Aren't you thoughtful?" Hal said. "Isn't he thoughtful?" he asked, turning back to Darhk. "Kilowog's a great gardener. He's got a green thumb like you wouldn't believe." He punched Darhk again, knocking him out. "Take him up to the ship and throw him in a cell." Hal growled "I'll be there soon."

Flying across the city again, Hal braced himself for the possibility of bad news. Landing next to the hospital, he used the ring to turn his uniform back into civilian clothes. Walking into the ER he went up to the main nurse's desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for information on the condition of a woman who was brought in earlier. Her name is Felicity Smoak, I'm her –"

There was a high pitched scream. Hal whirled around, his Lantern training making him scan for signs of distress. He caught sight of the tearstained face of an older blonde woman.

"Hal." Donna gasped.

"Hi Donna." He said, sheepishly.

Felicity's mother came close, holding her hands out. Grabbing his face, she looked him in the eyes, not believing what she was seeing. "You're alive?" she whispered. "You're alive."

"It's a really long story." Hal said. "I'm so so sor-"

SMACK.

Donna's hand cracked across his face. Hal looked at the ground and rubbed his jaw. "I deserved that." He murmured. "Donna there's no excuse I can give that-"

"We thought you were dead." Donna shouted, beating his chest with her fists. "Where were you? Do you have any idea what Felicity went through after…and your poor mother." She sobbed, stilling her hands. Hal wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close as she cried.

"I'm so sorry Donna." He said.

The rest of the group in the waiting area was watching the exchange with confusion. One in particular looked especially angry.

"Donna." Oliver Queen said, coming closer. "Who is this?"

Donna pulled back from Hal. "This….this is…" She motioned towards him, then looked between him and Oliver. "Oh, this is a disaster."

Hal stepped forward and held out his hand. "Hal Jordan." He said. "I'm Felicity's husband."

Oliver looked at him in shock, ignoring the outstretched hand.

"Felicity's what?" A young brunette said.

"No, she would have told us if she were married." Another woman with brown hair and blonde highlights insisted.

"It's true." Donna said. "7 years ago, Felicity was married to Hal." She swayed unsteadily on her feet. Hal helped her over to a chair. "Hal's mother and I were friends in high school. After Felicity's father left…well money got pretty tight and we couldn't go far away on vacation, so we spent our summers in Coast City with their family. Hal and Felicity grew up together. After Cooper… Felicity was so heartbroken and Hal was there for her. They fell in love." Donna pressed her hands to her mouth. "Then the accident happened. Hal was a pilot at Ferris Air and… and" she couldn't bring herself to continue. Her shoulders were shaking as she buried her face in her hands.

"You're the pilot that disappeared." A tall muscular man in the corner of the room spoke up. "A plane crashed and they never found an explanation…or any trace of the pilot."

Donna nodded, gulping for air. "Felicity was…destroyed. She searched and searched, but..." She looked at Hal. "You were gone. So she moved as far away from Coast City as she could and came here to put herself back together and start over."

Hal hung his head. "I never meant to hurt her." He said.

"Why didn't she tell me?" Oliver growled.

"She wanted to." Donna said. "When we found the ring and she knew you were going to propose she was planning to."

"But before that." Queen insisted.

Donna shot Hal a look before answering: "because of the baby."

Hal felt the air leave his lungs. "A baby?" he asked "I'm…I'm a dad?" He hadn't thought it was possible to feel any worse for what he'd done to Felicity, but then Donna shook her head.

"She miscarried."

Hal felt sick. He should have found a way to refuse the ring or return earlier. A doctor came in. Everyone turned, expectantly.

"She's stable."

There was a collective sigh of relief.

"The next few hours are critical," the doctor continued. "And she'll need more surgery and care to assess the damage, but she's over the worst." She smiled. "Family can visit her now."

Both Hal and Oliver made to follow Donna. Oliver glared at Hal.

"I'm her husband." Hal said.

"You're dead." Oliver said. "She's no longer any concern of yours."

"Big talk from the man whose fault it is she's in the hospital in the first place." Hal said. Oliver recoiled, surprised by the fact that Hal knew. Before Hal could continue, Kilowog patched in from the ship.

"Poozer."

Hal turned away. "Not now, Kilowog."

"The Guardians contacted me. They said they've been doing some checking and there's evidence of Thanagarian influence on your planet in something called Egypt. They're convening to discuss a course of action and want you there." Kilowog said apologetically.

"Fine." Hal growled. Activating his ring, he morphed his civilian clothes into his Green Lantern uniform. Then he turned to the shocked group of people surrounding him. "If Felicity doesn't want me in her life it's her decision to make." He glared at Oliver and said. "By the way, I took care of your Darhk problem. You're welcome." He took off.

Trying to get his emotions under control, Hal sped away. He had to convince the Guardians to let him come back. Earth was in his sector and it was his responsibility to maintain order. He would give them no choice but to have him return. Then he would make things right with Felicity…even if it meant losing her to Oliver Queen. A store window caught his eye. Landing he went, buying the object that had gotten his attention. Just because he was willing to step aside, he mused, didn't mean he had to make things easy for Queen.


4 days later after multiple surgeries Felicity was released from the hospital. Unable to walk because of her injuries, she was bound to a wheelchair, Oliver pushed it inside their apartment.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the millionth time.

"Just…thinking." Felicity said "I dreamt about things while I was under. Things I buried long ago and-" she froze. Her eyes locked on the coffee table in the center of the apartment. Oliver followed her eyes looking to see what had her so shaken.

"Oh, that's probably Thea's doing. She came by earlier to make sure everything was…accessible to you." Oliver hung his head, looking away from her wheelchair. "I don't know why she picked that one though. You got so many flowers, one sunflower seems a bit –" he broke off as Felicity wheeled herself forward. Reaching out she stared at the yellow flower, her heart constricting. Picking it up, memories she'd been running from finally caught up with her. She was thrown back into a moment 6 years before. A tall brown haired man whose eyes were always so full of love for her and happiness was handing her a flower almost identical to this one. He'd looked so handsome in his flight suit and so excited to test out the new aircraft.

"I'll be home soon." He'd promised, stealing one last burning kiss. "Look to the skies, sunflower."

She gasped, tears falling from her eyes as she pressed the flower to her chest. "Hal."


Light years away on Oa, Hal stood and looked at the vastness of space in the direction of Earth. The Guardians had approved his return. Looking down at his hands he rubbed his fingers along the worn edges of the photograph he'd kept with him for the past 6 years. The same one he'd had in the pocket of his flight suit the day of that test flight.

"I'll be home soon." He promised Felicity. "Just look to the skies, sunflower."