Bound Together

It can't be, she continuously told herself, wanting nothing more than to let this revelation go, but she can't. Finally opening her eyes, seeing how peaceful Tommy was sleeping, she leaves the bed slowly, quietly, knowing what she needs is her desk drawer... somewhere.

It took a healthy amount of convincing Tommy to come back to her apartment, but Laurel wasn't about to be fazed by this incident and it wasn't like she couldn't lock her door. However, the apartment was still a mess, as they decided to wait until morning to clean it up, so Laurel still had to step carefully around the shards of the broken lamp on the floor.

Not seeing any more shards, Laurel decided to trust her floor once more, straightening her foot on the floor, bringing her head up to gaze out the window.

I'm a big girl... I knew the risks.

Now I know them. And I'm not willing to take them with you.

Hearing those words hurt, as Laurel wanted to help, but it wasn't until she returned to her apartment that she realized that she had heard those words before. They weren't said in a protective fashion then, but behind those words was the nature she knew all too well from him.

Laurel had tried to push it away from her mind when she laid her head down on the pillow, when Tommy's arm wrapped around her waist, but it didn't work. Because every time she closed her eyes, she saw his eyes looking back at her, the time when it was the only part of his face not covered by the balaclava.

Laurel had looked right into the vigilante's eyes, convinced herself that he wasn't a hero after all. But the Hood cared enough for her that he risked working with and trusting the man intent on destroying him. He stopped her father from killing a man, instead of doing his job. And when she saw his eyes for just a second tonight, she saw something different. Past the hood, the paint that helped mask his eyes, Laurel saw him, the facet of the real man behind the persona, the person Laurel knew she was never going to forget or let go.

Stay away from me otherwise I'm just going to hurt you again, this time it'll be worse.

Dipping her head, Laurel couldn't help but shake it a little, as everything was right there. Although to her credit, she had been right; Oliver was completely honest in his word choice. All he wanted was for Laurel to interpret it wrong and she had bought it: hook, line and sinker. When it came to Oliver, she always seemed to, no matter what he did to her.

Why don't you hate me? You should.

It would be easy to hate him, but Laurel saw something in him that made her believe that he had changed. Being the vigilante wasn't what she thought it was, and Laurel wanted to be wrong, but there were too many coincidences. The timing, his build, the way he always saved her when the hood covered his features, the way he seemed to keep her at an arm's distance. The Hood knew where to find her... would almost go out of control to protect her. And Oliver had the stories of mental and physical torture to back it up.

The signs were always there for Laurel to see and although she knew Oliver would never tell her, Laurel realized that she had a small amount of proof all along. Pulling the polygraph results out of her desk drawer, she sat down and looked at that small waver once more.

At the time, she thought her father was crazy, but now, Laurel wondered how she let this slide after she defended the guy for this exact accusation. Maybe she didn't want to see it, maybe because she got lost in the story, in the scars, in... other things. But the truth was too much to ignore now. Like the night they ate ice cream together. The old Oliver wouldn't have noticed someone in the fire escape. Not to mention the whole reason that he was there, as even though he explained himself, Laurel thought it was a pretty big one-eighty from that first party.

But that was classic Oliver, or rather, the lie he wanted everyone to believe about him. For years, Laurel had seen him underestimate the good he could do in Starling City, and now, while she didn't like his repertoire of methods, it seemed like Oliver finally found a way. Not many would give him a standing ovation, in fact, most wouldn't hesitate to throw him in jail, but Laurel admired him for wanting to do something good for this city.

But what did she do now?

It wasn't like Laurel could tell Oliver that she knew, especially after tonight. But she would keep his secret, from Tommy, her father, everyone. But with that came another lie and Laurel couldn't help but frown as she stared towards her bedroom. Things with Tommy weren't perfect, but he was good for Laurel. This relationship was a way to move on from Oliver, but instead, he unintentionally found a way to pull her back in.

Oliver, nothing can ever happen between us.

I know.

Of course he knew and even though Laurel meant every word, it seemed like no matter what they did, they found their way back to each other.

Noticing the sunrise through the window, Laurel pulled up her laptop and began to work. It was like any other day, she began to tell herself, as she always woke up before Tommy anyway. However, she didn't have early morning visitors very often, so when she heard the knock on the door, Laurel felt herself tense slightly. Getting up from her chair, Laurel approached cautiously, holding her breath as her hand hovered over the door knob.

"Laurel, it's me."

Of course it is.

But Laurel still opened the door, taking note of the concern in Oliver's eyes as he stood there. He was trying to hide it, something he did too well, but even after five years, Laurel could read him enough. "Hey," she said, still holding the door.

When she gestured for him to come inside, Oliver shook his head, staying in his place on the other side of the doorway. "I just wanted to check in, see how you're doing. I was going to stop by the precinct Tommy called me, but I figured you guys wanted some alone time."

Oliver didn't have to tell her that, but he did, almost as if he was establishing his alibi. In a way, Laurel hoped that when she told him, "I'm okay," that he would understand that she knew.

But Oliver just smiled and Laurel knew that was too much to ask. Holding out the coffee cup he had been carrying, he said, "Look, I picked this up for you. Thought you could use it before a long work day."

"Thanks," Laurel replied, taking it from him.

"No problem." He bowed his head forward slightly before turning his body to leave. "I'll... see you around."

There was so much she wanted to ask, answers that she wanted to hear and as she heard his footsteps retreating, Laurel could barely keep it in. "Ollie," she blurted suddenly, biting the inside of her lip when she saw him turn his head over his shoulder, leaving Laurel to say the only thing she could. "Thanks for stopping by."

Seeing him grin in response, Laurel nodded and closed her door. One encounter down, she thought, as she returned to her work, but not before she noticed the polygraph results still in plain view. Sighing as she stuffed it back in its original place, all Laurel could hope was that one day, Oliver would let her in.

~End~

Sera's Scribbles: Call me crazy, but there's this split-second where I think Laurel looks at the Hood in "Betrayal" and it led me to wonder what she saw in his eyes in that moment. The result above may be a bit of a stretch, but considering who does know Oliver's secret (especially after the last episode)... I just think Laurel should have figured it out by now.