Author's Note: So while I ship Olicity HARD- I love OC stories- so yeah. Don't hate. :) Enjoy

Cami rolled her eyes internally. You would think being Malcolm Merlyn's daughter would afford her more privileges that were actually helpful to her. Her flight from London was delayed. She had to get back to Starling City. Oliver Queen was alive. "Ollie is alive." That was all Tommy had said before she cut her business trip as short and scheduled a flight home. While Tommy and Malcolm were seemingly always at odds, Camille and her father were close. Tommy called her the "Golden Child". She had gone to college and majored in Business and Marketing. Malcolm was training her to be at the helm of Merlyn Global. She was the perfect daughter in Malcolm's eyes. The loss of her mother at such an early age made her want her father's approval. It was hard to get, but she had worked for it. Where as Tommy was more resentful of the Merlyn Patriarch. His behavior, she knew was in response to his feelings of abandonment when they were children.

She was still unsettled with the way she and Ollie had left things. She had been 18 when he had gotten onto The Queens Gambit. While there were 4 years separating Camille from Tommy and Oliver they had been close. Tommy was always over protective. He didn't tease her or push her away, Instead he had always kept her close. When Malcolm had left them after Rebecca's death, Tommy vowed to always protect her and keep her safe. Cami often wondered what their relationship would have been had her mother never died. She assumed they wouldn't have been as close. While she was desperate for her mother, she wouldn't do anything to change her relationship with her brother.

The Queens became their second family. Oliver her best friend despite the age difference. She had loved him as much as any 18 year old girl could understand love at the time. If she had been willing to be honest with herself, she would have realized that she had always loved him. She had loved him at every age for as long as she knew him. She knew a side of Oliver Queen that he didn't give many people access to. She hated his playboy ways. It made her jealous. But she also hated what he did to Laurel. Feelings aside she liked Laurel and knew she deserved to know. Yet Cami just couldn't betray Oliver. Right or wrong she had stood by his side except once- and she regretted it ever since.

5 Years Earlier

"Ollie what the hell is wrong with you?!" Cami was furious. He had told her that Sara was coming along for the trip. She was supposed to go too. They were supposed to hang out before she left for college. Now not only was he cheating on Laurel again- with her own sister, he had broken another promise.

"Cami it's not that big of a deal! The 3 of us will have fun!" He didn't get it. He would never understand. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. He was so blind. Wasn't he going to miss her when she was gone? This was supposed to be their time.

"I am not interested in any version of this ménage fucked up you have going on. God Ollie when are you going to grow up? This is about Laurel wanting to take it to the next level. How about instead of trying to ruin your relationship you tell her you're not ready? For fucks sake grow a pair!" She was exasperated.

"Fuck off Cami. Maybe loosen up a bit and learn to have fun. Jesus you spent all of High School up tight with your nose in a book. The only time you ever did anything fun was if I made you come with us. And now you're going to waste the best years of your life still being a bore. Getting perfect grades to please Daddy so you can take over the company. News flash- it won't make him love you more. Being what he wants will not make him the father you want. He's sucking the life out of you. God this is why I want Sara to come so we can actually have some fun." He regretted it as soon as he said it. Even more when he saw the pain in her eyes. Using her father to hurt her. He didn't even mean it. He adored her, nerdy ways and all.

"Go to hell Oliver. We're done." She turned on her heels and stormed away. He hadn't expected that. Panic rose in his chest.

"Camille wait! I'm sorry- I didn't mean any of that." But she didn't turn around. She kept walking because she refused to let Oliver see her cry. She had steeled herself a long time ago to everyone but him and Tommy. He had moved himself to the list of people she would never let inside again. If only she knew he would actually be going to Hell; Well, Purgutory at least.

Cami played that horrific last time together in her head every day for the last 5 years. It made it hard for her to breath. It was like someone was sitting on her chest. Physical chest pain because she was so sad. Every. Single. Day. Maybe if she had just turned around he wouldn't have gotten on the boat. She never would have been done with him. He would have melted her icy exterior and she would eventually let him in again.

This was her second chance to fix that last conversation. She was getting her best friend back and she wasn't going to let him go this time.

Two hours later she finally boarded a flight and took her seat in first class. She ordered a Jack and Ginger and planned on having a peaceful flight. She had told her father she was taking time off to spend with Oliver. He didn't even bat an eye. Their relationship had changed since she had grown up and started working together. He was always stand offish growing up, even if he was warmer to her than Tommy. They had become close after they thought Ollie was dead. Perhaps it was because they could commiserate in their pain.

She sipped her drink and counted down the hours until her feet would step into Starling City. She glanced down at the bruise on her wrist. Once she was old enough to do things on her own, Malcolm had insisted in her learning to fight and defend herself. After what happened to her mother he would not let her out into the world unprepared. He often traveled with her to take her to different trainers. He had sent her to meet a man in London on this trip. He had kicked her ass in the beginning and taught her a lot. It was odd to her. Everything she knew went beyond self-defense. The fear her father lived with kept her compliant. She'd do anything to help him sleep better at night. She sighed and looked out the window as her anxiety about being reunited with Oliver Queen took over

Oliver was nervous. More nervous to see her than his family. He had never lied to her before. But how could he tell her the truth? He couldn't tell her thing terrible things he had done. He couldn't stand to see the disappoint in her eyes. The shock over who he had become. He was hoping in the deepest parts of himself that she would bring back a part of the old Oliver. Remind him of who he used to be. She was like a light that would brighten the darkest of rooms and his soul needed that.

He had asked Tommy to let him pick her up by himself. Tommy was reluctant at first after the two of them had been taken but agreed. He wanted some time alone with her. He had dreamt of the day he could apologize for the heinous things he had said to her. She had been right. But she was always right. He also knew if he was going to be honest with anyone she would be it.

Seeing Laurel again had been a complete bust. What if Cami felt the same way. She had said they were done. Was she happy he was gone? She had booked a flight home immediately when Tommy told her the news. She wouldn't have ended her trip early if she wanted nothing to do with him, would she? As predicted she was on her way to taking over Merlyn Global, cutting a business trip short wouldn't please Malcolm. She wouldn't have done it if she hadn't at least missed him a little bit. If anything she would have extended it. He was psyching himself out.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She looked the same, just more grown up. She hadn't seen him yet so he took the chance to really take her in. Her medium length dark blond hair was piled on top of her head in what resembled some sort of bun. Her hair was wavy on the verge of being curly except for when she was little. He smiled when the memory of her at 5 years d running around his house, ringlets bouncing as she went. A few strands had slipped from her updo and formed similar ringlets. Her figure was still a little on the fuller side. He took in the curves on her body that was clad in distressed skinny jeans and black off the shoulder top finished off with a pair of flip flops. He silently scolded himself for thinking about her like that. Tommy would kill him. He had almost forgotten how beautiful she was.

She finally picked her head up and saw him. Her sea green eyes filled with tears. Her full pink lips parted slightly. Any color she had on her porceline skin drained. She looked like she had seen a ghost. But hadn't she? Her arms slacked and she dropped her bags. Oliver hurried over to her as fast as he could and scooped her up into his arms, his hand cradled the back of her head. He held her tighter when a slight sob escaped her lips. They stood there in an embrace for probably too long as people walked by and stared.

Cami pulled back to look into Oliver's blue eyes for the first time in over 5 years. He too looked the same but something was different. It was something inside of him. She could see it in his eyes . Whatever had happened to him during those 5 years he was gone had broken him. But he was stronger for it. He had put himself back together, but his edges would always be jagged. He no longer had the look of a boy but of a man. But his eyes still smiled when he looked at her. Nothing could take away the signature look of Oliver Queen.

"I can't believe you're here. That you're really alive." Her voice came out as a whisper. He wiped away a few tears that spilled from her eyes.

"I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me" he confessed. "I was awful before I left- I didn't mean any of what I said. You were so spot on with what I was doing I just wanted to hurt you-" she cut him off.

"Ollie- none of that matters now. I had 5 years to regret not turning back around, of not making you stay here, of not going with you anyway. Please don't. I don't want to waste another single moment on that day ."

"I thanked God every day that you didn't get on that boat. The relief that you were here and okay, the idea that I could see you again, that helped keep me going" She hugged him tightly again. He smiled into her shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

"I see that you've been busy since you've gotten back" Cami was looking at an article on Oliver's behavior at the Applied Sciences ground breaking ceremony. "I'd rather talk about you." Oliver grinned at her hoping to avoid the topic at hand.

"That signature smile never worked on me before. Why would you think it would now?" She rolled her eyes. "Tommy told me about you and Laurel. I mean personally I would have loved to seen her smack you…you've been ditching the very nice man hired to protect you since you were assaulted like your first day here. Now this? Ollie, I know this isn't still you. I can tell by looking at you that you're different. And I refuse, I absolutely REFUSE to believe that after 5 years stranded on an Island that you haven't changed at all. That you're that same party boy. You can try to fool everyone else. But you wont fool me. Not now, not ever"

Oliver sighed. This is what he was afraid of. "Ollie…what happened to you? Thea told me about all of the scars." Oliver looked down, he didn't want to look at her because he didn't know if he could help himself from opening up to her. "Oliver- LOOK AT ME" she demanded. He slowly gazed up and looked into her eyes. Her face was so serious- filled with worry. He hated that he was causing that distress. "Oliver, you have to talk about it at some point. I don't care who you talk to. It doesn't have to be me. But it has to be someone at some point."

"Cam, I'm just not ready yet. It's heavy. It's a lot. I promise you that someday I will tell you. Just not today."

"What's so special about today?"

"It's the first time I've seen you in 5 years. I don't want to cloud it. I want to know all of the amazing things you did while I was gone. You're my best friend. And don't ever tell him this, but even more so than Tommy. I can be real with you. I just want to know all about you."

Camille smiled at him. They were sitting on the living room floor in her apartment behind the coffee table that was filled with take out. She started with her college years and worked her way through the summer she spent out of the country helping Habitat for Humanity. She had needed something to focus on other than him being gone. She didn't tell him that though. She was about to start telling him about working for Merlyn Global but he noticed the bruising on her arm.

"What happened? Who did this to you?" She noticed how his demeanor completely changed. She rolled her eyes at him. His blue eyes were intense. She explained all of her "Self-Defense" training. He sighed. He didn't like the idea of anyone hurting her, but he understood where Malcolm was coming from and definitely his reasoning. His phone vibrated in his pocket. "I have to head out. Can we continue this tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. I took a few days off. I could use a break anyway. Where are you off to?"

"Just something I have to do. I'll call you in the morning?" He asked as he took her hands to help her to her feet.

"Sure. I'll be here." She smiled. He hugged her again and kissed the side of her head. She felt the heat rising to her face. She hated that he still had that hold over her. They were just friends. They would always be just friends. But she couldn't control that part of herself.

"You have no idea how much I missed you" He whispered in her ear.

And then he was gone. She felt a little empty after he had left. But it wouldn't last for long. Soon his face would be plastered all over the TV as the Hooded Vigilante that had been making his way through Starling City.