A/N: Usual disclaimers apply.
"When did you know you loved him?" Thea asked unexpectedly. Laurel blinked and gazed at the uncertain woman in front of her. After the episode with Malcolm, also known as when Thea Queen became enthralled with rebelling against her brother and everything she'd known, Thea was going through a similar situation Laurel did after Tommy died. She wasn't sure of her place in the newfound family, Team Arrow as they affectionately called themselves, and needed guidance.
Hence, the coffee date with the lawyer turned vigilante Laurel Lance. Laurel was Thea's direct connection to pre-Island history, a time when they were all innocent. The Thea then would not know how to handle the Thea now. This Thea had scars on her soul, some that Oliver could not confront without Thea lashing out. Laurel knew how, though. She saw the wounds on Thea's soul.
Laurel Lance was always a big sister, after all. It was natural to her. With her own sister absent, Laurel craved the want to be needed. She was a fixer by nature, someone that wanted to right the wrongs in the world. When she saw someone she loved hurting, nothing stopped her from helping. Even an addiction.
Laurel considered Thea's question for a long moment. She smiled a bittersweet grin. "When I knew he was the man I couldn't live without… the moment I saw him in my cubicle after the news broke he was alive. My heart felt so complete. My entire being became attuned to just him. I became so hypersensitive that time slowed."
"How can you love a killer?" Thea whispered. Because of her training with Malcolm, Thea accessed parts of her personality she didn't acknowledge to everyone. Her love for mischief turned into a bloodlust that ultimately ended with Thea almost killing herself in an escape attempt. Laurel was the one who caught her that night. It had been a long night.
Laurel gazed at the girl, woman, sitting across the table from her and grabbed Thea's hand. She smiled at Thea tenderly. "We all make choices. No matter what people tell you about fate, there is always the choice of how we proceed after a tragedy. Choosing redemption is often the harder course than straying to the darkness."
Thea gazed down into her cup. Laurel saw her hands shake. "I dream of them, sometimes. I don't know how to stop."
Laurel gazed at her plate before her and felt the loss of words. Her mind formed words, but her mouth didn't speak them. Thea's hand squeezed Laurel's. Laurel smiled. Thea and Laurel were silent for a long moment.
"Did you visit his grave?" Thea questioned softly. Laurel nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"We went on his anniversary," Laurel answered. She smiled bitterly. "Oliver wasn't happy."
Thea laughed. "He's never happy… but he has reason to be sometimes, though, doesn't he?"
Laurel took a moment to signal the waitress for the check. Laurel smiled and handed the woman her debit card. Thea sighed exasperatedly. Laurel shrugged in return. "You can get dinner."
"You're not going to talk about him, are you?" Thea asked. Laurel grinned at her. They got up from the table, thanked their server, and walked onto the seat. Laurel and Thea linked arms and Laurel began to whisper about different fashion styles. They lost themselves in the sunny afternoon, going from shop to shop. They didn't want to talk about the topics of their coffee conversation.
They walked by a bridal shop. Laurel stopped and they looked at the strapless lace wedding gown. Laurel sighed. The gown was a simple straight cut, with no frill or any type of additional beadwork. Thea gazed at it and then back at Laurel. "Want to try it on?"
Laurel shook her head. "I've got one already."
Thea looked at her stunned. She stared at the gown in the window and then down at the sidewalk. "Has he asked?"
Laurel shook her head and smiled. She walked along the street, away from the bridal store, until they came to a small jewelry store. "He proposed a few weeks ago… but I've had the dress…since before the Island."
Thea clutched her hand. Laurel smiled. "I had two reasons for our girls day."
"Oh, really?" Laurel grinned at Thea. Thea nodded. They were slowly making their way to Oliver's apartment. Even though both knew that Thea had been distracting Laurel, Laurel leaned on Thea's shoulder. "I'm happy to have you back, Thea."
Thea wiped a tear from her eye. She nodded twice. Laurel hugged her tightly. They stood outside Oliver's apartment building for a few moments. Laurel whispered a question in Thea's ear. Thea enthusiastically nodded yes.
They walked up to the elevator and came to Oliver's penthouse apartment. Thea whispered, "At least pretend."
Laurel smiled and nodded. They walked into a dark apartment. Laurel put her purse on the end table right next to the door. Both women knew the apartment well, and Thea led Laurel to the kitchen. She sat Laurel down at the island in the middle of the kitchen. Lit candles walked their way, with Oliver holding them. Thea leaned against a countertop.
Oliver set the candle down on the marble next to Laurel. He took both her hands and knelt down on one knee. Thea watched her brother pull out the ring he'd bought many years ago, before the island changed them all, and he opened it for the first time since that purchase.
"Marry me," he whispered. Laurel raised an eyebrow. "We both know I can't live without you… and that'd I'd do anything to protect you. Make me a better man, Laurel, please."
Laurel smiled and held her hand out. Oliver slid the ring on her finger. She gave a single nod. Oliver hugged her tightly and lifted Laurel out of the chair. Thea felt tears come to her eyes as Laurel squeezed Oliver back. When Laurel was allowed to put her feet on the ground, Oliver turned the apartment lights on. A large meal was waiting for them at the dining room table. Laurel turned to Thea.
"Join us," she told Thea. Thea gazed at her brother. He smiled warmly and nodded. Thea nodded. Tears came to her eyes. Laurel hugged her close.
"Whenever you're ready," Laurel whispered. Thea nodded and clutched Laurel's clothes. She could tell Oliver came up to them, just looked Laurel in the eye, and began moving things from the dining room to the kitchen. Laurel sat Thea down on an island chair.
After Oliver moved all the food, he hovered. Thea kept crying, unsure as the reason why, and Laurel turned to Oliver. "Go. You're making it worse."
Oliver paused in his task. Oliver gazed at Laurel and crossed his arms. Laurel raised her eyebrow at him. They engaged in a gazing war. Thea started chuckling. Laurel turned her attention back to Thea. Oliver stood a few feet away with a concerned frown.
He brought over a box of tissues. Laurel waved him away. He walked into the living room. When Laurel was convinced he was out of earshot, she kissed Thea's forehead. "It's okay. Baby steps, sweetie."
Thea cried into Laurel's arms. The older woman soothed the younger one until Thea quieted. Laurel kissed Thea's forehead again. "I wish it would stop, Laurel."
"I know… I know." Laurel hugged her friend. Laurel frowned around at the apartment. Because of what Thea had been through, Laurel strove to make more time for the younger woman. After a long talk with Sara about how to handle bouts of posttraumatic stress disorder, Laurel helped Thea through any type of anxiety attack.
Thea had come to live with Oliver, especially since Laurel spent more and more time in the apartment. Thea hadn't told Oliver the entire story about her training with Malcolm, but she'd broken down to Laurel after a long and hard day.
Thea whispered to Laurel about what was going on in her mind and Laurel listened. An hour later, Thea started to yawn. Laurel helped her into bed, with a promise that Thea could wake Laurel up any time. Laurel quietly left the room after Thea fell asleep.
She collapsed into Oliver's arms on the couch. Oliver kissed her forehead and squeezed her closer. She breathed him in. "We need to watch a rom com."
Oliver chuckled and pointed to the screen. Laurel laughed when she saw he'd put on 27 Dresses. "Fits in with our theme, doesn't it?"
Laurel nodded and they settled into the couch together. Oliver didn't ask any questions about what had happened with Thea, just sat and gave Laurel silent support. Laurel sighed and laid her head on his chest. "She's not getting better."
"It takes a while." Oliver settled more comfortably back on the couch. "She needs a reason to stay sane…. Roy's trying his best, but… she needs a reason. She'll find it."
Laurel nodded. She grabbed Oliver's hand and brought it to her face. She kissed his palm. Oliver kissed her hair. They watched the rest of the movie in silence.
Neither of them noticed Thea watching them from the kitchen. She smiled at the couple. Before she'd lost her innocence, Thea knew that no object on earth could stop Oliver and Laurel from getting together. They were one of the same element, even if Ollie didn't deserve Laurel the time they'd gotten together.
She knew because it was Laurel that convinced their makeshift family to welcome Thea back.
Blood ran down her forehead. Her hood felt constricted. She glared at the man in the green leather hood and the woman in her black outfit. She hated them. Malcolm told her that those two were the reason why the Glades had really collapsed, why the city was rampaged, and why her family was torn apart. As a Merlyn, she needed to stop them.
She trained her arrow on the woman. The man took a sharp intake of breath. The woman held up her hand to him. She reached for her blonde hair. The woman pulled off a wig, and took off her mask. Thea's arms trembled when Laurel Lance emerged from the disguise. She smiled at Thea calmly.
"I know it's you. Please, Thea, you don't need to do this," Laurel held a hand back at the man and smiled at Thea. "I know you're hurting. We're here for you. We'll never leave you."
"Why're you being so persistent? I'm done with you all!" Thea shouted. Laurel gazed at the masked man behind her. They seemed to exchange a conversation and Thea watched the man more closely. He gave a miniscule nod.
"You are more Queen than you know," Laurel commented. She took a step forward and Thea tightened her hand on her bow. Laurel put a hand up to the man behind her. "Malcolm may be your blood, but Robert was your father. You are good, Thea. Come back to us."
Thea lowered her bow and gazed at Laurel. She tossed the weapon down. She gazed at Laurel. "You've got thirty seconds."
Oliver threw his hood back and took his mask off. "Vigilantism is a family job, I guess."
Thea stared at him dumbfounded. Oliver smiled at her. "Dad knew you were Malcolm's biological daughter… that didn't stop him from coming back to us when he was going to run away with an intern."
"What?" Thea asked. Oliver nodded. Tears started running down Thea's face. "Why didn't he ever…?"
"He loved us… died for us." Oliver shook his head. "Mom and Dad… would be proud of you."
Laurel held her hands out. Thea didn't walk closer to her. "I'm not… good anymore. I don't want you in my life."
Laurel watched the younger woman start to shudder under the quiet pressure of Oliver's stare. Laurel took a step closer. "Then why did you call me?"
Thea's head snapped to Laurel. "That was nothing! Forget that happened!"
Laurel took another small step. "You need us, don't you? You're afraid to admit it… you might seem weak if you do. Wanting family in your life doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger."
Tears started rolling down Thea's cheeks. Oliver spoke softly. "I know how hard it is. Going from being a killer to… someone who saves is a hard transition. But you won't be alone."
"We'll never desert you," Laurel whispered. Tears ran down Thea's cheeks and she was sobbing. Laurel held her arms out. Thea walked into them and started crying harder. Laurel held her close. Oliver picked up Thea's bow, put his mask back on, and walked away from the scene.
Laurel held Thea until she stopped crying. It took an hour before Thea was ready to go to Laurel's apartment. That night, Thea told Laurel everything with the promise that nothing would be shared with Oliver.
"You can come join us," Oliver said softly. Thea walked over to the couch and smiled. Laurel was sleeping on Oliver and Oliver was quietly finishing the movie on the screen. Thea sat down at the end of the couch. Oliver shook his head at the sleeping Laurel. "She always does this. I don't know what's going to happen when we get older."
Thea smiled. She noticed the lines under her brother's eyes. "Why do you look so exhausted?"
Oliver glanced at her warily. "There's a hard case we're working on. Laurel's been researching the different law bases… and we've had Felicity doing the broad Internet search. I've been doing the man hunting. Felicity calls me in with every potential lead."
"She handling this news well?" Thea asked as she pointed to Laurel. Oliver shrugged. Thea frowned at him. "You two haven't told them yet?"
"Laurel wants… some peace. Then we'll share it with the team and her family." Oliver shrugged. "Sara knows. You and Sara were the ones that really mattered to us. Quentin's still recovering from the heart attack."
Tears sprang to Thea's eyes again. Her brother was more openly affectionate now, especially since the day Laurel told him he had no choice but to deal with her being the Canary. It was a family tradition, after all.
After Laurel had brought Thea to her apartment, Laurel had stayed with her for two days. Laurel asked if Thea was ready to see the Arrow hideout, after many debriefings and questions about loyalty, Thea had nodded. She'd been surprised at the location, but not the complexity of it.
John Diggle was surprised to see Thea walk in. he exchanged greetings with Laurel, which weren't as tense as Thea thought they'd be. It wasn't until they got to Felicity that Thea understood where the tension on the team lied.
Oliver was gazing at a screen when Laurel came into his little sphere. He looked up and saw Thea. He sent a questioning glance to Laurel. Laurel raised an eyebrow back at him. Oliver motioned for Laurel to join him and they began talking about whatever information was on that screen.
With them distracted, Felicity made her opinions of the situation known. She walked up to Thea and glanced at her as if to size her up. "Oliver's in a good place now. Don't ruin it."
Felicity walked away from the stunned Queen. Thea looked at Diggle bewilderedly. Diggle filled her in on the fact that Felicity and Oliver were dating. He was neutral about the events, but he kept staring at Oliver and Laurel together. Which was extremely easy to do.
Oliver and Laurel always shared the capability of creating their own little world. People could enter, but you knew who ran it. They were a pair, two peas in a pod, lifelong friends, or, some would even dare to say it, soul mates. Thea knew they were. They were the most forgiving people she'd ever met.
They were an inevitable couple. Felicity would be a casual casualty in the mix.
If they forgave her for what happened to Roy… Thea knew she needed to work harder to get her brother's trust back.
"Diggle called yesterday," Oliver whispered. Thea raised an eyebrow. Oliver smiled. "Roy's out of coma. He wants to see you."
Thea smiled in relief.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it.
For those that read Obstacles, I will be updating soon, but the first chapter of the multi-chapter fic will come out before that.
If you have any ideas/prompts for Lauliver, please let me know via review, Tumblr, or PM me on this site.
Until Next Time,
DBA