Tommy Merlin opened his eyes. He was surrounded by bright light. He flinched when he remembered his last moments on earth, waiting for the tremendous pain to take over his body. But it never came.

"Hello, Tommy." A female voice behind him said.

He sprung up and turned around. "Mom?" And there she stood in a white dress and with her long hair flowing down her back, looking just as beautiful as the last time he saw her alive. A sad smile made its way across her face. "I am really sorry that your life was so short, son. You didn't deserve that. And I am sorry that you had to grow up without me."

With one swift movement, he held his mother in his arms and cried in her hair. "I've missed you so much, Mom!" His life on earth had stopped, but he'd just become a second chance.

"Mom, where are we?" She smiled and took his hand, pulling him to a hole in the white light. "Do you remember the story we told you when your grams died? That she would watch from a cloud in the sky and keep looking after you? Well, we are at a place where we can do that exact thing: Watch the people we loved while we lived on earth so much that we still love them after our death. Look through that hole."
Tommy moved near the hole and looked through it. It showed him Ollie and Laurel. Ollie was running around on some island – was it THE island? - while Laurel started working for a lawyer far away from the Glades. Her main aim was now to destroy the vigilante – and with him without knowing it Oliver.

Some time later…

He had to stop it! Laurel blamed herself for his death and he couldn't stand that thought. "Mom! How can I stop her? How can I stop her from blaming herself for my death?"
His mother's eyes turned sad. I'm sorry, son, but you can't. I tried to stop your father from doing it but he still did it. We can't do anything to change the things on earth. We lost that ability with our death. The only thing you can do is to move on from your love for her and let go of everything. Maybe she will somehow know that you let go and start to forgive herself."

Tommy went to see after Laurel again and thought about the things his mother just said to him. Would he be able to just let go? Would it make things better for Laurel?
"I am not ready to just let go. I can't" he thought. And with that he just proceeded to watch out for her and Ollie.

Five years later…

They got married. Laurel had finally been ready to forgive herself and to give in to her feelings for Ollie. All this time, Tommy had been watching out for them, keeping harm as much as he could out of their way. It hadn't been easy with Laurel, but with Ollie it had been just impossible.

Tommy smiled sadly and looked one last time at the smiling faces of Laurel and Ollie. He knew now that she had forgiven herself and that she had moved on.

He turned around to face his mother. "Mom, I think I am ready to let go now. They have found their happiness and it doesn't bother me that they have found it in each other. I am just happy for both of them." His mother smiled and nodded with tears in her eyes. She knew that she would only be ready to let go when her husband would join her in death and it hurt her to lose her son again, but it was the only thing he could do to eventually find eternal peace.

Tommy hugged his mother one last time and closed his eyes. His last thought was "Congrats, Laurel and Ollie!" And with that, he disappeared.

Down on earth, Laurel looked at her husband and asked "Did you hear that, too?" Ollie nodded. Tommy's last message had reached the two most important people in his life and gave them kind of a permission to live their lives together happily ever after. And that they did.

A/N: Hey guys!
This is just a little something that popped into my head while watching Arrow. It's my first one shot and only my second fanfiction, so please leave reviews to let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I just make them do the things I want them to do ;)

Bye, Sarah :)