His body ached for a proper shower. After the boat had dropped him off in Tokyo, Amanda Waller found him. it didn't really take her long; not that he'd doubt her… governmental powers. She'd brought him to a back room in the U.S. embassy, somewhere only the officials knew about. As in their usual dealings, she wore her business suit, perfect hair, and no wrinkles in anything.
Oliver Queen chose to slouch in his chair while Amanda primly sat down. Amanda gazed at him. "We can fulfill one wish… for all your service."
Oliver watched her smooth out her skirt. He raised an eyebrow at the unspoken within reason, of course.
Oliver gazed at the wall for a long moment, pretending to relax against the seat. He was within hours of being home, but there was only one person he wanted to know of his alive status. "Laurel Lance."
"She's your request?" Amanda blandly stated. Oliver's eyebrow rose. Amanda coughed. "What do you want done?"
"I want her to be the first person to see me alive, before the press erupt into their frenzy." Oliver smiled at the woman sitting in front of him. "I know you'll be able to find a way… with your omnipotent government powers."
Amanda blinked her eyelids once and her pedigree poker face came back into place. she brushed her bangs back from her forehead. "We'll get you both to L.A. and… I'll let everyone know that the press shouldn't know of your alive status until you arrive in Starling."
Oliver nodded and scratched his beard. "Where's the nearest shower?"
Amanda's poker face broke and she grinned. "In Los Angeles. Your plane leaves in thirty minutes."
Oliver nodded and walked away scratching his beard.
Laurel Lance stood near her cubicle, redirecting the interns carefully to the tasks of the day. before she could complete her instructions, two white men in suits and sunglasses approached her.
"Laurel Lance?" the shorter man asked. Laurel nodded. He held his federal badge up for her to examine. "We need you to come with us."
"One of your witnesses… got into a situation and came to us," the taller man supplied. Laurel nodded. She glanced around at the interns and they dispersed.
"Can I get my things?" the agents nodded and followed Laurel to her desk. She gathered her things and the men escorted her from the building to a car.
After a short ride, she realized they were headed to the airport, not the downtown station. She was dumbfounded as they led her onto the small plane. Over the course of several hours, Laurel tried asking questions. She was met with stoic silence from the agents. She shook her head and settled back against her seat.
When Laurel awoke, the plane was hitting the ground. There was a large steel warehouse in the distance. the men walked her to the warehouse. Laurel blinked when she saw the lobby and a woman approach her. the woman wore a business suit, her hair slicked back, and a business face grin. "Miss Lance, I trust your flight was satisfactory? Please follow me."
Laurel followed the woman into a seating area, but neither of them sat. The woman smiled at her. "I assume you're wondering why you are here. Well, Miss Lance, a fishing ship reported a rescue forty-eight hours ago off the coast of China."
"What does that have to do with my client?" Laurel asked. She didn't like not knowing what was going on. This woman gave Laurel a chill of distrust.
"The person rescued is related to a specific case of yours. If you will follow me." the woman walked away from Laurel. Laurel stood there confused for a half second before following the woman. They walked through a series of hallways, until the woman opened a door that led into a luxurious waiting area. She gazed at Laurel for a long moment. "You'll be attended to shortly."
The door closed. Laurel sat on a leather chair and gazed around her. the soft pastel colors didn't suit this manufactured environment. Laurel tensed as a doorknob turned to her right. She kept her eyes trained on the door.
A raggedy man walked through the door. His clothes were in shatters, his hair ill-kept, but his eyes transfixed her. Laurel felt tears form at her eyes and rubbed them away. The man approached her and Laurel laughed. "I'm sorry. You look like someone…"
"Laurel," the man said. Laurel's heart slammed into her chest as she gazed at the homeless looking man in front of her. She reached a hand out and it met scratchy beard covered cheek. Tears ran down her cheeks as she took in his pungent odor and dirty appearance.
"Ollie," she breathed. Her heart, which hadn't been the same since his death, began pumping feelings into her body. "How? Why? What happened? you can't be real."
"You're a dream, then, too," he responded. Laurel smiled and his hands wiped the tears from her face. "I can't explain now, but I will tell you everything. I promise."
"Your father? Sara?" Laurel croaked. He shook his head in response. Laurel cried harder. She talked between her tears. "You… have… a lot… to explain… Oliver Queen. We… are… going to… talk for a long time."
He nodded his agreement. "We gotta get out of here."
"Where?" she asked. He grinned. She fought the urge to swat his face. "I'll pay this time. You can pay me back."
Oliver nodded. The shock hasn't set in yet. she'll be pissed when she realizes what happened.
Amanda Waller watched the hobo version of Oliver Queen leave with the lovely Laurel Lance. She stared at the agents who'd escorted Laurel in. "Make sure she doesn't know her sister is alive."
"Don't think he'd tell her, ma'am," the shorter man replied. Amanda rolled her eyes at the incompetence of her staff.
Oliver led Laurel out into a cab, spoke an address, and gazed at her perplexed face. He wanted to talk, to get any reaction out of her, but Laurel remained silent.
They came to a small motel, and Oliver shot out of the car. Laurel paid the driver and then followed him. she went to the check in counter and smiled at the elderly woman. The woman was shooting Oliver glances and Laurel bit back a cough.
"One room please, two beds," Laurel told the woman. She nodded and Laurel signed the documents she needed to. The key was given to her and Laurel walked out of the small area. Oliver followed her as they walked outside. They found the room, and Oliver opened it.
the small space, with old carpet, finally signified Laurel's exhaustion. She collapsed on the bed. oliver knelt before her. anger started to seep into Laurel's veins. "You didn't save her."
oliver's eyes snapped to hers. He gazed at Laurel for a few moments and shook his head. "She did survive, somehow, but we weren't reunited on the island until a year and a half later… then something happened, Laurel. Sara escaped from it, but she's still out in the world."
"You've changed," Laurel muttered. oliver gazed at her and Laurel shook her head. "You're stronger now, I don't know why… but you've become stronger."
Oliver took her hands. "Everything I've done has been to get back to you."
Tears sprang out of Laurel's eyes again and didn't bite back her tears. She fell back onto the bed, sobbing as grief, anger, and relief warred with each other. Oliver looked down at her and then stated, "I'm going to shower now."
Water ran in the background. Laurel heard a sigh of relief from the shower and smiled. He's still Ollie… but he's feral now.
Laurel gazed around at the room, and realized that Oliver didn't have any new clothes. She heard the water turn off and he walked out in a small towel. Laurel gasped when she saw his body.
"Ollie…" she breathed. He gazed down at his chest and grimaced. Laurel got up from the bed and touched certain scars. "How?"
"I was in hell, Laurel," Oliver replied. Laurel looked at him and hysterically giggled. He nodded at his hair and rubbed his beard. "I need a haircut. I'm sorry."
Laurel laughed at him. "Don't worry. I'll make you watch some rom coms."
Oliver nodded seriously. Laurel shook her head at him. Oliver's expression turned serious. "We need to talk, don't we?"
Laurel nodded. She held her hand out and he took it. She stepped closer to him and a mischievous grin came on her face. "You need to get clothes."
Oliver laughed the first real laugh in five years. He hugged her close and kissed her hair.
A/N: So, here's the first non Obstacle Lauliver update. I hope you enjoyed it and leave a review if you want!
The next one should be posted within a few days. Unfortunately I forget how life gets in the way of writing. I may do a follow up to this, but I'm not certain yet.
Until Next Time,
DBA