Oliver's POV
I never thought that I would be standing here again. My breath hitched as I curled my hand into a fist to knock on Dinah Laurel Lance's apartment door. I didn't deserve her then, and I don't deserve her now. I was a jerk then, and I am a jerk now. The only difference is, I am now a damaged jerk. I was wrong when I thought that she might've forgiven me, now. I am sure that Laurel had given birth to the baby that we had been expecting and was flourishing as a mother. I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but I couldn't help but feel proud of Laurel and our child. There is nothing that I will not do to protect the both of them.
I decided to feel the fear and do it anyway. I closed my eyes for a minute to mentally prepare myself. "Ollie?" I heard.
Laurel's POV
Oliver Queen. Oliver Queen was alive? I mean, I knew that. But seeing him, here in front of me, after all this time. He was standing in the hallway with his eyes shut, but he opened them when he heard my voice. He so handsome with his hair cut short and a trimmed beard and boy had he gained some massive muscles on the island. I looked down at my- our son, William. I squeezed his hand as Oliver looked down at him and smiled. "W- William, why don't you go play a bit longer, will you do that for mommy?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said and ran toward his bedroom.
I looked at Oliver, not knowing what to say. Oliver looked nervous "If you need to go somewhere, I can come back later" Oliver offered.
"I was taking William to the pediatrician. It's okay, I will reschedule. I'm gonna make some coffee for us and call the office" I replied.
"I can make the coffee while you are the phone" Oliver suggested.
"No, no" I quickly answered. My god, he was still so cute. "Unless somebody taught you on Lian Yu, your coffee-making skill are still terrible, Oliver".
After canceling and rescheduling William's appointment, I prepared two Affogato al caffes for Oliver and I and we sat on the couch."Is Sara alive?" I asked with hope in my eyes. If Oliver could be alive and here with me right now, so could Sara too.
Oliver bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. "No" he revealed. "She isn't. I am sorry Laurel".
I nodded my head. The truth hurt, but at least this meant my crusade was truly in Sara's honor. Something made me want to tell Ollie about me, and Thea, and Roy. Maybe he would understand why Thea and I were mad at the world when he and Sara went down with the Queen's Gambit, why we trained to be warriors in the honor of our fallen loved ones. And- maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he wouldn't believe in me. He would most likely scold me for being irresponsible... he always did things like that. I decided to change the topic...
"What was the island like?" I asked impulsively and I immediately regretted it. Oliver sat up and put down his coffee. His hands moved to the top buttons of his shirt and he looked hesitant.
Oliver's POV
I am not sure why, but after hearing her question, the voice in my head told me to show Laurel my scars. It might give me the chance to prove to her that I am no longer the boy that she once knew. I am grown man who has overcome many struggles only to get home to her. I am the man that boy was forced to become- who only wants a second chance.
I opened my shirt to show her more than she probably ever wanted to see."I wasn't alone there, Laurel. The people there tortured me and beat me. There were evil people there. I always had a concept of what being stranded on an island would be like, but it was nothing like I prepared myself for..." I decided that I would be completely honest... "And Laurel, for the time I was away, I wasn't even on the island the whole time... I was in Hong Kong and Russia and even Starling City... working forcibly for ARGUS, which is a secret division of the federal government. If I could have told anyone that I was alive, you would be the first..."
Laurel seemed to be in another place as she lightly used her fingers to graze the scars covering my chest. "Ollie, how did you survive this?" she asked me, near tears.
I looked her in her beautiful green eyes and told her the truth. "There were times when I wanted to die. But in the end, there was always something that I wanted more..." Laurel's lips were on mine and for that minute, every time I had suffered and felt pain no longer mattered because I had her. The woman I would always love... Laurel pulled away, and she looked embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Ollie. I just- I missed you" Laurel admitted. "So what are you gonna do now that you are back, Ollie?"
"I'm going to start a business," I told her. "A nightclub". She nodded and I explained "I don't want to take over Queen Consolidated because I am not sure that I am aligned in beliefs with the company's mission. Also, on Lian Yu, I had to fight for my life. I want my life to count for something. I want to make a name for myself and I don't want anything handed to me on a silver platter- like my father's company or fortune. So I'm starting small with something originally- Oliver Queen".
Laurel nodded. "Wow Ollie, the island really changed you. I'm really proud of you... and you know what? I think if you are making a name for yourself, you shouldn't go on living under your father's roof. Come live with me, Ollie. And your son. You can get know him. We'll introduce you as his daddy. You and I—Laurel and Oliver- Ollie, I know you can't look me in the eyes and say truthfully that you are not still in love with me. And I can't truthfully say that I am not still in love with you... There can be an us again because our love never died and we can have our family with William. What do you say, Ollie?"
I smiled bigger than I had smiled in five years. I was still desperately in love with Dinah Laurel Lance and I was lucky enough that she felt the same way even if I was undeserving of that love. I kissed her and she pushed my shirt from my shoulders. I lifted her so she wrapped her legs around my waist. Our lips stayed connected as I carried her toward her bedroom.
Laurel said the island changed me but she didn't know just how much...
My name is Oliver Queen, and I am The Dark Archer.