Author's note: I really loved that scene between Ollie and Laurel in the corridor, and whilst he had a lot of good points and gave her the kick up the backside that she needed, I did think he was a bit too harsh and dismissive towards her. She's been a bit of a mess this season, but she was well within her right to get annoyed about Sara and he was wrong to act blameless in what had occurred. This story is just my idea of how Laurel should have reacted and where she should go from there primarily in her approach to Sara and Oliver. At the moment, I'm definitely writing one more chapter where she confronts the two of them and rebuilds her relationship with them, but I'm open to increasing the length of the story and writing more chapters on Laurel getting her life together. Hope you all enjoy this 1st segment!

". . . is you losing your job, doing drugs, being a drunk . . .is that my fault? Is that your family's fault or are you going to blame Tommy for dying?"

Breathing heavily, Laurel ran one hand through her hair whilst the other gripped her glass tightly. She could feel the beads of sweat at the surface of her skin as she relived her conversation with Oliver.

" . . You have no idea what is going on with my family right now, but I am still standing here. And you are still blaming everybody but yourself!"

She was furious with him. After everything that he had done, how dare he come at her like that! And how could he throw Tommy in her face like that, when he knew the guilt she felt for his death? The fact that he'd died saving her after she'd spent the previous night with the very man who had decided to give her a lecture.

Laurel was aware that she'd become a mess this past year since the attack on the Glades, and to an extent Ollie was right, she had blamed other people for her problems. She'd blamed the Arrow for not saving Tommy, and a part of her had even blamed her Dad for passing on some sort of 'addict' gene that had her resorting to self-medicating as means of avoiding her emotions, rather than dealing with them. But she was trying to own up to it, to her responsibilities and the mess she'd created. However, none of that had anything to do with what was going on between her and Sara, nor did it have anything to do with the betrayal she felt once she caught onto the stolen glances between her sister and the guy she'd once thought of as the love of her life.

When Ollie first came back, she could still remember what she'd said to him the first time they spoke,

"She was my sister. I couldn't be angry because she was dead. I couldn't grieve because I was angry. That's what happens when your sister dies while screwing your boyfriend"

She had never really dealt with how she felt about Sara since the Gambit went down. Her parents had fallen apart and so she felt she had to step up and shoulder the responsibility where they couldn't. So she had simply buried all the anger, the frustration and questions she had. When it turned out Oliver had survived, the wound had reopened slightly, but even then she tried to power through. But now, with Sara back, alive, she felt as though she was transported back through time to six years earlier when Moira had told them Sara was on the boat too. As happy as she was that her sister was alive and well, she finally felt free to be angry and to hate her, just as much as she loved her, for the hell that Sara had put her through. For the affair, that to this day, she had no idea how long had been going on for because she was too afraid to ask.

And yet, she'd acquiesced to her father's wish for a family meal because ultimately, family is family. Then she finds out that within a week of being back Sara had gone ahead and hooked up with Ollie again with no care in the world for how little that made her feel. It was as if Sara had no concept of loyalty. The two of them had barely spoken since she'd returned, and even though Laurel knew that she had no idea what Sara had gone through since the boat went down, and that Ollie and her sister were probably bonded through that experience, she still felt she deserved some sort of apology for what they'd done. Not necessarily for getting together now, but at least for sneaking around behind her back six years ago. But Sara hadn't had the decency to give that to her before repeating the same thoughtless and selfish mistake, and then having the nerve to bring Ollie to a family meal like everything was okay.

And then Ollie had decided to give her a lecture on it, like he was some sort of saint. He may not have been to blame for everything else that was going wrong in her life, but this . . . he couldn't deny that he'd screwed up here and she had a right to be upset.

"Yeah I'm done. I'm done taking the blame and I'm done caring"

Although, the worst thing about is was the fact he walked away from her. She knew she hadn't been a good friend to him, and that she'd pushed him away when he'd tried to help her. But, she struggled to accept that after everything they'd been through together, he could just dismiss her like that. They were supposed to mean more to each other than that.

In that moment, she had never felt more alone, which is Laurel had once again found herself at a bar, drink in hand. The difference was that this time, she finally felt more like she could confront everything and that she didn't need to drown her sorrows, because instead she could stare her problem in the face, confront the situation, and maybe put it to bed. She no longer wanted to be stared at with the pitying gaze that Oliver had used as he'd listed her troubles, outlining how weak she'd become. The same gaze her father kept giving her after he'd found out about the prescription drugs. The same looks her former colleagues had when she'd run into them around the city.

"Are you okay?"

Laurel snapped her head up, looking to see a guy behind the bar with a worried gaze.

"It's just, I gave you that drink about 10 minutes ago and you still haven't touched it." he queried.

Looking down at the glass of scotch in her hand, Laurel smiled to the confusion of the bartender.

"Do you want something else?"

"Actually, I'm okay. I just got a little lost in my thoughts", Laurel replied, "tough day"

"Well, I can whip up a mean cocktail if you like?" he said with a slight flirtation, glad that she seemed okay. He couldn't help but notice now that the forlorn look was gone that she was rather attractive.

Smirking, Laurel got up from her stool, "I'm actually going to head out. Thanks though".

With a nod Laurel turned and headed out of the bar, leaving her drink untouched. She didn't need it anymore, it was time to fix her life and start confronting her problems rather than running away or burying it, and she knew exactly where to start.

Thanks for reading! Please review if you can - I would love to get some feedback.