Full Summary:

When the fishermen rescue Oliver off of Lian Yu, they sell him to the Triads who operate a Human Trafficking / Sex Slavery ring, but not before Oliver gets a call out to his Mom saying he is alive and heading to Shanghai. Moria, Tommy, and Frank find out Oliver has been sold into slavery and they will do whatever it takes to get him out. Felicity and others will eventually go through similar experiences as Oliver due to the Triads operation existing in Starling as well as in China. Will Oliver and Felicity be able to overcome their tortured past despite their love for each other and walk into their destiny of saving Starling City? Tommy and Moira do not die. I post every 2 weeks on Sunday evening.

Warning:
Rapes scenes have been removed and put in a separate work for others to read. This story references when the rape scene in the separate work should be read in order to follow with the story. There are some sexual abuse and rape stuff mentioned in this story because people and Oliver talk about it, but the actual rape scenes themselves are put in a separate work. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU GET TRIGGERED BY RAPE/SEXUAL ABUSE BEING MENTIONED.

Characters:
Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn, Felicity Smoak, Moira Queen, John Diggle, Original Female Character(s), Original Male Character(s), Anatoli Knyazev, Thea Queen

Tags:
Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Human Trafficking, Sexual Slavery, Forced Prostitution, Dark, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape Scenes Put in Separate Work to Read if you want, Rape Recovery, Rape Aftermath, Mentions of Rape, Panic Attacks, Swearing, Blood and Injury, Bisexual Felicity Smoak, Protective Oliver, Protective Tommy Merlyn, Team Arrow Eventually, Oliver Talks about the last 5 years, Tommy Merlyn is Alive, Canon-Typical Violence, Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Oliver Queen/Tommy Merlyn (Friends Only), Tommy Merlyn/Original Female Character(s), Felicity Smoak/Original Female Character(s), Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak (much later in story)

March 12, 2012 - Lian Yu

Everyday for last year since he had been alone on the island he has made his daily trek to the top of one of the many mountains on Lian Yu to see if there are any boats. He doesn't even bother doing it until the weather is good for fishing. He figured today would be the same as all the other days when there was no rescue. He can't give up on a rescue. A fishing boat has to come by eventually, right? He thought. He misses his Mom, Thea, and Tommy. He has to survive. He promised his dad he would survive. He promised his dad he would right his wrongs somehow. Everyday he does the same things: hunts for food, workout for 8 hours, and climbs to the top of the mountain if the weather is good.

For the first 2 years he wasn't alone on the island and he has the scars to prove it, but with everyone else dead he is now alone and has been for some time. He doesn't realize it has only been a year that he has been alone on this island. With no way to keep track of the days, he thinks maybe it has been years. He struggles to keep his mind from going crazy and the lack of social interaction, but he is strong. He regularly goes to the graves of his dad and his friends he had lost. He talks to them to keep his vocal chords still working. He is not sure if he would loose his voice from lack of use, but he doesn't want to chance it so he talks to them even-though he really doesn't want to anymore.

He will survive this. He tries to keep up hope that one day he will be rescued, but it is so hard not to succumb to despair and give up. He definitely has depression due to the despair that he feels and probably PTSD with all the times he was tortured, but he must trudge on and survive. It was just him now on this island. Everyone else is died 3 years ago. What kind of life is this being alone on an island? I can't live like this for the rest of my life. Maybe it would be better if I just died. No! I can't think that, he thought, I must keep going, someday I will get off the damn island.

He is making his daily trek up the mountain, which he does after breakfast, and tries singing some of his favorite songs, as he is moving. He finally gets to the top. His skin glistening with sweat. He takes off his backpack and pulls out the binoculars that he has kept all these years.

He looked over the horizon and saw a finishing boat approaching. He couldn't believe his eyes. He then rushed over to his bow and arrow and lit up the explosive arrow. He hit the mark on the first try and waited until he saw the boat change course and started to head to the island toward the explosion he just made. He then runs down the mountain and gathers his stuff together. He puts everything he wants to take in Yao Fei's old ammunition's trunk and made it to the shore to meet the fishermen.

He was in a way embarrassed to see them. He was sure he probably looked like a caveman with long hair and a beard. He bowed before them in submission. Shado taught him mandarin, but he thought he might try to speak in English first, "Do you speak English?"

"Yes, who are you?"

"My name is Oliver Queen. I am an American. Please help me; I just want to get back to my family."

"You are welcome to come with us back home to Shanghai, China." the older fisherman cheerfully said. As the three of them walked to the boat, Oliver felt the older man staring at him. At first Oliver thought the older man was just trying to size him up, maybe trying to determine if Oliver was a threat. The older man looked up and down Oliver's body and gave a creepy smile. Oliver tried not to think much of it, but the way the older man was looking at him made him feel a little uncomfortable. His instincts told him something wasn't right about him, but he had no choice but to go with them if he wanted to get back to his family.

"What is the date?" Oliver asks.

"March 12, 2012. How long have you been here, son?"

"4 years and 3 months it seems. I can't believe I am going home. I was stranded here when I was 20. It seems like it has been forever. I was just a spoiled kid back then, I feel so much older now."

"It's alright son. We'll help you get home." The older fisherman says smiling while rubbing a hand down his back. Oliver moved away from the touch that seemed a little too close for comfort, but tried to not make it noticeable.

The name of the island they found me on is named Lian Yu. It is Mandarin for Purgatory. I have been stranded here for a little over 4 years. I have dreamt of my rescuer every cold blooded night since then. For 4 years I have had only one thought, one goal, survive. Survive and one day return home. The island held many dangers. To live I had to make myself more than what I was. To forge myself into a weapon, I am returning not as the boy who was shipwrecked, but the man who will bring will justice to those who have poisoned my city. My name is Oliver Queen.

As Oliver watched Lian Yu get smaller and smaller in the horizon, he wondered what his family would think of him. How would he explain the scars he has. It would break their hearts if they knew what he went through. They would expect him to be the same Oliver Queen that got on the boat, but really Oliver Queen died when the boat went down. The fishermen gave him a blanket and some hot tea. He had never been so warm. It was nice to not be cold for once.

"I am going below and make some food for us all to eat. I am sure our guest is hungry", the older fisherman said in mandarin.

Just then the son of the older fisherman came and sat down beside Oliver holding what looked to be a satellite phone. "You should call your family."

"I don't know what to say, but I will try." Oliver took the phone and held it in his hand. For some reason, Oliver was scared and not sure what to say. As he sat there staring at the phone, he could feel his hands shaking.

The young fisherman looked at Oliver, "You're alive and they will be happy."

Oliver gave the young fisherman a smile and dialed his Mom's cell phone number. With each ring, Oliver could feel his heart beating. Then Oliver heard the sound of the phone being picked up.

"Hello, this Moria Queen speaking."

"Mom, it is me Oliver. These two fishermen just rescued me from an island in the North China Sea." Oliver heard his mom gasping for air.

"This better not be a joke or I swear..."

"Mom, it is me. I can prove it to you. You remember a few months before I got on the boat I told you I got a girl pregnant..." Oliver took a deep breath, "... and she lost the baby? Nobody knew that except you and me. Also, I remember calling Thea Speedy because when we were little she would always be chasing me around the mansion. It is me mom, I'm alive and heading to Shanghai on a fishing boat right now."

"Oliver? OLIVER, oh my God, it is you."

"I don't have any ID on me to get a plane ticket back. Can you send me the documents and I can take them to the US Embassy? Just one second mom..." The son of the fisherman gave Oliver the address of where he will be staying. "Mom, do you have a pen and paper, so you can write down the address of where I will be staying?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Oliver gave his mom the address where he would be staying. Oliver saw the older fisherman waving for his son to come toward him. Oliver watched as the young man walked over to his father. He heard the two fishermen arguing in mandarin. Apparently the older fisherman was not too pleased with the younger one giving out their address. Oliver thought that was another reason to be suspicious.

"You do not worry about anything. I am going to come there with our private jet to get you, so you will not need to mess with getting your passport. Did anyone else survive? What about your father or Sarah?" Moria asked.

"Mom," Moria could tell in the sound of his voice what his answer was not going to be . "I'm sorry. I was the only survivor. Mom, I would love for you to come. I have to go, but can you please tell Tommy and Thea that I am alive before you leave to come here?"

"Of course sweetheart. I will be leaving in a few hours. I love you so much Oliver."

"I love you too, mom." Oliver hung up and looked at the fisherman. The older fisherman looked like he was about to hit his son, so Oliver got up and stood in front of the younger fisherman ready to protect him if necessary and said, "Is there a problem here?"

"No, of course not. I just don't like using up the battery on the satellite phone." the older fisherman said. Since Oliver spoke Mandarin, he knew he was lying and they were really arguing about the younger one giving out their address. What have I got myself into?, Oliver thought.

It was going to be 4 more hours until the boat reached Shanghai. Oliver ate the fish that he was given. The fish was seasoned with salt and pepper and his stomach was not taking it well. He was used to eating plain fish and meats with no seasoning or gravies. It was definitely going to be a challenge when he gets back home. The Queen family meals are quite lavish with rich tasting food. All of the sudden he felt like he was going to throw up. He got up and rushed to the side of the boat and threw every bit of it up. He was worried that he just insulted the fishermen.

"I am so sorry. Your food tastes very good, but I think my stomach is not used to salt and pepper on it. On the island the only way to cook was to have plain food."

"It is okay." the younger fisherman said. "Do you want some plain fish?"

"No it is fine. I am used to eating once a day and sometimes every other day and I already had a pheasant this morning. Thank you, though."

Starling City

As soon as Moria hung up the phone, she called Tommy.

"Tommy, are you free to come over? I have some special news that I would like to tell you and my family as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mrs. Queen I will be right over."

Moria gathered Thea, Walter, and Raisa in the living room.

I have some news to share with everyone. We are just waiting on Tommy to get here, so I can tell everyone at once."

"Mom, what is it? I have never seen you so happy." Thea said so excited for her mother.

Just then, Tommy walked in and sat down with everyone.

"What is the exciting news?" Tommy asked.

"Are you and Walter having a baby?" Thea asked.

"No I am too old for that, but this news is better anyway", Moria took a deep breath and said, "Oliver is alive!"

"What? How?" Everyone started to speak up all at once.

"I know it is hard to believe, but Oliver proved to me that it is actually him and not some prankster. He told me things that only he would know. Apparently, two fishermen found him on an island in the North China Sea and they are on their way back to Shanghai as I speak. I am going to go to Shanghai to get Oliver on our private jet." Thea was still stunned at hearing that Oliver is alive.

"What about dad? Did he say anything about other survivors?"

"I am sorry sweetheart. I asked Oliver that question too. He said he was the only survivor."

"I wish dad was coming home too, but I am very happy at least Oliver is coming home." Thea said, feeling happy and sad at the same time.

"Moria, do you want me to come with you?" Walter asked.

"No you have the company to run. I am taking security with me and I believe Frank Chen is still in Shanghai. I will see if he can meet me there when we arrive."

"Mrs. Queen," Tommy spoke up, "may I come with you? When Oliver went missing, I had a tech person set up a program that would alert me if Oliver logged into his email. 2 years ago, I got an alert on Oliver's email. The alert said that someone logged into Oliver's email at an Internet Cafe in Hong Kong. I went to Hong Kong looking for him. While I was trying to find him, I was kidnapped. They told me that Oliver was dead and said that they knew someone would come looking for him. They wanted ransom for my return. The Hong Kong police stormed the place and rescued me. Now that I know he is alive, I feel like he may have been alive in Hong Kong and I failed at finding him."

"And you didn't tell us about this?" Thea said.

"They said he was dead and I had no proof he was alive, so I didn't see a point in and drudging up old memories with you all giving you false hope."

"Look, it doesn't matter now. Oliver is alive and safe. Yes, Tommy you can go with me. Tommy, you should go pack. We will be leaving in a few hours."

"Should you pack some of his clothes? He probably is still wearing what he had on originally when the boat went down, right?"

"Yes, I will. Thank you for the reminder."

As they all were headed to Shanghai, China, they tried to keep busy. Moria an Diggle were reading a book and Tommy was listening to music on his iPad.

"Mrs. Queen?" Tommy asked.

"Yes, dear?"

"What do you think Oliver will be like when we find him?" Diggle looks up from his book and listens in on the conversation.

"I don't know. Oliver was probably on a deserted island because if there were people on it, surely they would have let him get a call out to us. I mean he sounded okay on the phone."

"Yeah his life was turned upside. No electricity and maybe not much of a shelter. How did he survive? He doesn't know how to hunt. Did Robert take him hunting?" Tommy said.

"No. We have never been hunting or camping for that matter. I can only assume that there must have been others that that helped him stay alive. Maybe they were stuck there too with no way to call out."

"It would make sense. They would have taught him how to hunt and survive. He won't be the Oliver we knew will he?" Tommy said.

"No, probably not at first, but getting him home will help. I can't believe my son will be coming home. I never lost hope. I always had a feeling he was alive. I thought it was me just wishing he was alive, but now I know my feeling was correct. Oliver is coming home, Tommy. You get your best friend back. "

"Yeah, but if he was on a deserted island, won't he have psychological issues?" Tommy asked.

"Maybe, but we will get him the best help money can buy."

Diggle decided to speak up on this one. "It is very likely he might have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, better known as PTSD. A number of thing could cause it for instance, being alone on an island not to mention some of these islands are used by mercenaries for illegal operations. The shipwreck of the Gambit alone could cause it. Many soldiers coming back from war have this disorder. I have had several soldiers under my command have the symptoms of it and were later discharged and given disability. Moria, I will keep an eye on Oliver if you wish and let you know if I see anything." Moria nods her head in thanks.

"What are some of the symptoms of PTSD?" Tommy asked

"Nightmares, situations triggering flashbacks where the person is reliving the trauma, anxiety, avoiding situations that may make him remember things, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, feeling jumpy or easily started. There are other symptoms, but those are the main ones. Panic attacks may also occur. Some people resort to drugs and alcohol which we should watch."

"I will definitely keep and eye on that. I won't drink at all if he begins to have a problem with it." Tommy says.

"Thank you Tommy and Mr. Diggle. I truly believe Oliver will be fine. This time tomorrow he will be home. It is a dream come true. I think we should try and get some sleep although I am so excited to have my boy coming home I don't know if I can."

Shanghai, China

Oliver and the fishermen finally reached Shanghai. They led Oliver to their home. Oliver put his green ammunition's trunk down in the living room. The fisherman encouraged him to get a shower and gave him some clean clothes. As he got out of the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror. It has been 2 years since he was tortured by Slade who had reopened up all of the scars that Billy Wintergreen had done and then added some more to his growing collection of scars. Oliver got dressed and met them in the living room.

"Thank you so much for the hot shower and the fresh clothes. I knew my hair had to be long but I didn't think I looked like a caveman." Oliver tried to smile, but smiling didn't come easy for him anymore. Maybe it will someday.

"Let's go get you haircut and shave. I called ahead and got you an appointment. They are expecting you." The older fisherman said and then he handed Oliver a hooded jacket. "Here you might want to wear the hood up since you say you look like a caveman."

"Okay, thanks."

"Son, why don't you come with us?" The younger fisherman shrugged and got his coat to follow them.

After the haircut and clean shave, Oliver felt like a new man. He looked in the mirror at the barber shop and smiled. He is definitely feeling more like Oliver Queen now. He wanted the haircut short, but not a buzz cut, so they left some hair on top. It looks good on him. It was definitely shorter than his original hanging in the eyes haircut he had when he got on the Gambit.

The older fisherman smiled and said, "You definitely look a lot better. Here let me get a picture of you and you can send it to your family, but take off your hoodie. It will make for a better picture of you." Oliver did as he was told and posed with the young stylist. "Perfect. You are certainly handsome."

"Well, the ladies in Starling City always thought so." Oliver smirked.

"I see. Can you give me a few minutes before we leave; I need to make a phone call."

"Sure" Oliver said, admiring the young hair stylist that was making eyes with him. The young hairstylist was definitely proud of her work. With that the older fisherman walked out of the barber shop while Oliver and the younger fisherman waited inside.

The older fisherman called up Mr. Wei of the Shanghai Triads, "Hello, Mr. Wei? Yes, I just rescued this 24 year-old man. I know you like them younger, but he was stranded on an island for 4 years and he is in superb shape. I asked him if he worked out and he said 8 hours a day because there was nothing else to do. We got him a haircut and shave and he has the rugged look, but very much still a pretty boy. Honestly, he is extremely handsome. I am sending you a picture that I just took... There you go... What do you think? His muscles are so well defined that I can see them thought his shirt. Are you interested? Okay, good. How much would I get? ... $50,000? Great it is a deal. Umm I don't know if he is a fighter or not, but I noticed that he was continuously checking out his surroundings like a soldier is trained to do, so you might want to be prepared. Okay, we are at the salon up from my house. See you in 15 minutes."

As they were walking out of the barber shop, Oliver saw this black car with tinted windows approaching them. Four men got out of the car and approached them. Oliver is of course on high alert.

"Sir, you need to come with us," one of the four men said pointing to Oliver. He was holding a gun pointing it at Oliver.

"I don't think so", Oliver rushed the man breaking his neck and knocked the gun out of his hand. He killed two more of the men, but before he could take out the forth man, a tranquilizer dart hit him in the neck and he started to go down. Before he blacked out he saw that the older fisherman was given a large sum of money. I knew I had a bad feeling about him, Oliver thought and then backed out.

"Dad what are you doing?" the younger fisherman asked.

"I have just sold him to the Triads. And if you know what is good for you, you won't talk to anyone about this. I sold your mom and sister into sex slavery just after you were born. Don't think that I won't do it to you too. Now let's go home."

The men picked Oliver up, put him in the trunk and drove off. The fishermen walked in silence back to their apartment.