Disclaimer: I do not own Arrow.
So, I know I have about five other Arrow stories I should be working on, but the idea for this has been in my head for the last five days and it wouldn't go away until I wrote it down. This is basically my version of season three where, instead of the Olicity soap opera, we get a Lauliver romance with a less wimpy Oliver Queen.
Verdant, the lair
Night
"Oliver, thank you." Diggle said as he stared at Oliver's gift for the baby.
"I'm happy for you John. And not just for the baby, you and Lyla, I'm glad you're happy." Oliver told him smiling.
"You should try it sometime." Diggle advised.
"Last girlfriend joined the League of Assassins. Girlfriend before that was shot by the girlfriend before that, and the girlfriend before that was shot in the head by a psychopath with a god complex. I'm not exactly a catch." Oliver pointed out dryly.
"What about the girlfriend before that?" Diggle asked pointedly and Oliver froze, "neither you or Laurel are the same people you were seven years ago. Maybe it's time to give it another go. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but at least you won't be left with wonder 'what if' for the rest of your life."
"It's not the right time." Oliver said immediately.
"Things are as good now as ever. And you love her, I know you do. That kind of love never dies. Thanks again." Diggle held up the gift before he walked out, leaving Oliver to his thoughts.
Starling City, next day
Afternoon
"His lawyer folded after I brought in the evidence The Arrow gathered against him." Laurel mentioned brightly as she and Oliver watched as Steelgrave was loaded into the back of a prison transport.
"Good work." Oliver complimented as the pair started to walk off.
"You catch 'em, I cook 'em," Laurel said before frowning, "Did I say that too loud?"
"No." Oliver said barely fighting a laugh.
"Did you ever think we'd end up as business partners?" Laurel asked rhetorically.
"Is that why you brought me down here, to see Mr. Steelgrave delivered to his new home?" Oliver asked curiously.
"No, I have a surprise for you." Laurel said as they walked onto some sort of press conference.
Oliver looked up at the stage and saw the one who would be giving the speech. Even after five months, it still threw Oliver for a moment seeing Quentin in his captain's uniform, Oliver mused as Quentin turned around to face the crowd.
"What's your dad doing here?" Oliver asked curiously.
"You'll see. I'll be right back." Laurel lightly touched his arm before walking over to Quentin.
Oliver watched, beyond confused, as Laurel walked over to Quentin and they had a short. Talk. Laurel walked back over to Oliver as Quentin walked over to the podium and leaned towards the microphone.
"Thank you all for coming," Quentin began before Olive could inquire further, "Five months ago, this city was under siege. The SCPD rallied behind a man in a hood. I got a Captain's rank and he didn't even get a thank you. Well today, he does. The Starling City Police Department is formally recognizing the individual known as The Arrow. And I'm using my new position to disband the Anti-Vigilante task force charged with capturing him."
"Thank you." Oliver looked over at Laurel who smiled at him.
"Now, Vigilantism will never be tolerated. But I refuse to hunt in the name of this city the hero who saved it." Quentin continued.
The press conference continued for a little while longer before it dispersed. Quentin had to go back to the SCPD and the paparazzi had other lives to ruin. Oliver and Laurel walked away from the scene, Oliver having a bounce in his step that he hadn't had in a long time.
"So, you're having the board meeting tomorrow?" Laurel asked Oliver as they walked away.
"Yeah." Oliver nodded.
"You may not be the most qualified, but you've got something that a degree in business can't give you: passion. Just speak from the heart and you'll do fine." Laurel advised him before she decided to walk back to work.
Oliver hesitated, Diggle's advice from last night echoing throughout his head. Then he just decided to go for it.
"Laurel," Oliver called out and she turned back around to face him, "do you remember the place we went on our first date at?"
"Yeah, it was a nice little Italian place. You didn't want to go because you'd never been there before but I convinced you. You loved it and we went back there every third Thursday of the month," Laurel smiled at the memory before frowning in confusion, "why?"
"Would you like to have dinner there with me tonight?" Oliver asked before he lost his courage.
"Are you…asking me out on a date?" Laurel asked surprised.
"Yeah." Oliver said slowly not sure how she was taking this.
"Seven?" Laurel asked as a bright smile crossed her face.
"Seven." Oliver agreed as he made a mental note to thank Diggle profusely.
Laurel's smile widened as she walked off. Oliver stared after her longingly for a moment before he turned in the other direction and walked off, the bounce in his step even bigger than before.
Italian restaurant in Starling
Night
After stashing his Vigilante gear somewhere safe, Oliver made his way towards the front of the restaurant, making it appear as though he had just walked in. Oliver walked up to a host.
"Queen, Party of two." Oliver listed.
"Right this way." The host said as he started to lead Oliver inside.
Oliver was about to follow him when he saw Laurel was already there. She was in a beautiful black dress, waiting for him. Looking up, she spotted him and flashed a smile that made Oliver putty in her hands. Oliver smiled back at her as he walked inside.
"Hi." Laurel said as he sat down across from her.
"Hey." Oliver softly.
"Can I get you two something to drink?" the waiter asked them.
"Scotch, neat." Oliver ordered.
"Bourbon, on the rocks." Laurel ordered.
The waiter smiled as he walked off. There was an awkward silence between them for a minute before they both started to laugh quietly at the irony of it all.
"Wow, I-I never really thought I'd be nervous on a date, least of all a date with you." Laurel admitted.
"Me neither." Oliver admitted.
"I mean, what do we have to be nervous about? We're not the same people who screwed up our first relationship and we know everything about each other. We don't need to be nervous Ollie." Laurel said though she wasn't sure if she was convincing him or herself.
"There are still a few things you don't know about me," Oliver admitted and she gave him a curious look, "the five years I was away, I wasn't always on Lian Yu."
"Where were you?" Laurel asked floored.
"Hong Kong. For one." Oliver admitted.
"Wait, Tommy said something about going to Hong Kong because someone had checked your email there." Laurel said as the memory suddenly came to her.
"That was me. It's complicated, but outside influences prevented me from going home," Oliver mused before going on, "anyway, I have been thinking a lot lately about my time there. About the choices I had to make."
"Ollie…I won't pretend to understand what you've been through, but you can talk to me…if you ever want to open up about your time away." Laurel said gently.
"Thank you. I'm sorry; I'm a little out of my element here," Oliver apologized, "the entire time I was gone, I could never completely trust someone. And when that goes on for so long, you stop seeing people as people; you see them as targets, as threats. When I decided to come home, I just didn't know how to turn that part of me off. Except for you. For a long time, you were the only person I could just see as someone. You were the only thing that I was ever completely sure about."
"I wish I could say the same. You put on quiet a poker face." Laurel said and Oliver winced, even though he knew Laurel wasn't trying to hurt him or be malicious.
"Do you remember when I first showed up at your apartment and told you that something kept pulling me away from you?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah, I do." Laurel nodded as images of their last night together flashed through her mind.
"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe…doing what I do doesn't have to pull me away." Oliver admitted.
Laurel started to smile when all hell broke loose. Oliver's trained senses picked up on danger. He threw the table aside and tackled Laurel out of the way as a missile crashed through the window, exploding.
Oliver, disoriented, stood up, looking around at all the destruction. There was a ringing in his ear as he spotted Laurel's unconscious form right in front of him. Oliver kneeled down, picked her up bridal style, and walked out of the ruined restaurant.
The lair
Later
"Hey, is she alright?" Roy asked as he, Felicity, and Diggle watched as Oliver laid Laurel's unconscious form on a med table.
"Just knocked out." Oliver told him.
"It's all over the news, police and firemen are on the scene." Diggle told him.
"Yeah, I didn't think it was a good idea to stick around and ask questions." Oliver said tiredly.
"I don't think you and an explosion at the same place is a coincidence." Felicity pointed out.
"Hey, check this out," Roy came over after digging something out of Oliver's bag, "it's a GPS tag. It was in your bag, it's dead now."
I took out one of Steelgrave's crew earlier, it was a set up." Oliver growled in realization.
"Oliver, I know what you're thinking." Diggle walked over to Oliver.
"No you don't." Oliver snapped.
"I'm not other people, I know exactly what you are thinking and you're wrong!" Diggle insisted.
"Someone planted a tracker on me and I don't notice? The only explanation is …I lost my focus." Oliver growled as he took out a phone and dialed.
After making a call to Quentin as The Arrow, Oliver hung up just as Laurel shot awake. Oliver rushed over to her at once.
"Hey, hey, you're safe, we're both safe." Oliver managed to calm her.
"What happened?" Laurel asked as she tried to make sense of it.
"Steelgrave's crew tried to take out The Arrow. And they're gonna pay." Oliver growled.
Starling City
Later
The Arrow notched an arrow and aimed at the incoming person. Quentin held up his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I'm on your side." Quentin said defensively.
"I don't need a partner Detective." The Arrow said as he lowered his bow.
"They blew up a building; you think I'm sitting this one out? The suspects name is Werner Zytle. He's a real nutbar." Quentin explained.
"Keep your head on a Swivel then." The Arrow quipped before moving out.
The Arrow moved deeper into the building, holding his bow cautiously. Then, someone threw a projectile at him, hitting him in the neck. The Arrow pulled it out and saw it was a syringe.
"The name is Werner Zytle," Zytle said as he stepped out of the shadows, "but you can call me Vertigo."
"The Count is dead." The Arrow growled as he raised his bow.
"Some things never die, it's frustrating. Just means I'll have to try a little bit harder." Zytle said before lunging for The Arrow.
The Hood used his bow to block him before striking him across the face. Zytle stumbled back as The Arrow hunched over, the drug starting to take a toll on his body. Zytle began talking but The Arrow's vision started to become distorted. The archer shook his head to try and clear it but it did no good until Zytle was standing face to face to him. Then things got strange, as Zytle's face was replaced with Oliver Queen's.
The Arrow was stunned and was so shocked that he didn't see Queen's fist coming. He stumbled back before Queen struck him again. Cursing himself for letting his shock get to him, The Arrow blocked Queen's next fist and struck back at him. It appeared to be a pretty even fight until Queen grabbed him and threw him into a nearby table, which was destroyed under the weight of The Arrow. His vision blurry again, The Arrow could do nothing as Zytle grabbed him by the neck and pinned him against the wall. A shot rang out and Zytle looked back to see Quentin with a gun trained on him.
"Hands up!" Quentin shouted.
Zytle smiled and threw a syringe at Quentin. Quentin dodged but felt a pain in his chest. Quentin dropped his gun as he fell on his side. Zytle approached him and was about to strike when an arrow pierced him in the back non fatally. Zytle fell down as The Arrow rushed to Quentin's side.
"Felicity, call an ambulance!" The Arrow shouted.
Starling General, next day
Afternoon
"I can't believe you were out in the field, you know it's dangerous for your health!" Laurel raged at Quentin as he lied back in bed.
"I'm fine Laurel, I'll be fine. But what about you? I see the dried blood in your hair, what happened?" Quentin demanded and Laurel stood frozen for a moment.
"I was at the restaurant when it got blown up by Steelgrave's men." Laurel admitted.
"What!" Quentin almost shot up out of the bed but Laurel pushed him back.
"I'm fine, the blast missed me, I got hit by some debris." Laurel assured him and he relaxed slightly as he lied back in bed.
"What were you doing there anyway?" Quentin inquired.
"I was on a date. With Oliver." Laurel said awkwardly and Quentin blinked at her.
"Oh. Did it…go well?" Quentin coughed.
"It was until the missile came through the window." Laurel said dryly.
Starling City
Night
Zytle and his men walked onto the rooftop to see The Arrow standing on the edge. Zytle smirked as he threw another syringe at him. However, this time The Arrow was prepared and caught it half way to his chest.
"Back for more? It's almost as if you've developed an addiction." Zytle said mockingly.
"I've made my choice." The Arrow said as he tossed the syringe to the side,
Zytle lunged for him but The Arrow took him head on. Using his bow to block some of Zytle's punches, The Arrow got behind Zytle and quickly overwhelmed him. Within seconds, Zytle was unconscious. The Hood was about to go after Zytle's crew member when he spotted a familiar face.
"Don't be so surprised, I haven't been gone that long." Sara grinned.
Starling General
Later
"Hey, are Lyla and the baby okay?" Laurel asked as she met Oliver in the hallway.
"Yeah, they're both fine. But while you're here, I think we need to talk." Oliver said awkwardly.
"I heard about Palmer. I'm sorry you lost the company." Laurel said as they walked to a place where they could talk privately.
"Maybe it's for the best. Two years ago I made a decision to cast Oliver Queen aside and be the Arrow. I can't unmake that choice." Oliver told her.
"You didn't feel that way last night." Laurel pointed out.
"Do you know why our date got interrupted? Because one of Steelgrave's men planted a tracer on me and I didn't notice because I was preoccupied with thoughts of our date…thoughts of you." Oliver told her.
"So…this is a breakup." Laurel realized.
"I'm sorry. I thought I could be me and The Arrow. But I can't. Not now, maybe not ever." Oliver told her sadly.
"Yes you can, you just don't think you can," Laurel said as she put a hand to his cheek, "I'm all in Ollie, I guess waiting is the burden of being in love with a hero. And don't tell me I should move on, because I can't. I tried with Tommy and it didn't work. You're the love of my life Ollie…and when you're ready for me, I'll be ready for you."
Laurel let her hand slide from his cheek and started to walk down the hall. Oliver stood there for a minute before he turned to her.
"Laurel," Oliver called out and she turned around, "Sara's back in town, you should go see her. She's at your apartment."
Laurel nodded and walked down the hallway. As he watched her walk away, Oliver's phone rang. Seeing an unfamiliar number flash across the screen, Oliver frowned before answering.
"Hello?" Oliver said.
"It's me, Barry Allen," Barry's familiar voice spoke up, "I'm awake. I could use some advice."
"I'll be right there." Oliver told him as he hung up.
So, what do you guys think? Please leave any thoughts or comments in a review, feedback is greatly appreciated. IF you love it, tell me why. If you hate it, tell me what I'm doing wrong.