Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This chapter looks at the second anniversary of the Queen's Gambit sinking. I think it's all pretty self-explanatory... I've basically taken what little we know about those five years and just extrapolated it into a story. So while most of this is purely made up, I've tried to hold true to the few things we do know (ex: Laurel's mom leaving, Quentin's drinking, Moira withdrawing, Laurel starting work at CNRI). Special thanks to the three people who reviewed the first chapter. You guys rock. I hope you continue to enjoy this story.


Year Two

If there is one thing Laurel hates, it's taking sick days. Being idle just doesn't sit well with her. The fact that she never really gets sick helps somewhat. She's always been rather judgmental of people who use sick days when they're clearly not sick. But today Laurel Lance has sacrificed her pride and joined their ranks.

She wouldn't be doing this under any other circumstance. But today is The Day. The two-year anniversary of the sinking of The Queen's Gambit. Two years ago today she lost her sister. The fact that Robert and Oliver Queen went down on the same boat means that the tragedy is once again all over the media today. And to be perfectly honest, Laurel just doesn't have the energy to deal with all of the well-meaning people at work who will be trying to offer their support. So she's decided to save everyone the emotional explosion and probable lawsuit by just calling in sick instead.

Dad went to work early and Mom hasn't been in touch since she moved out four months ago, so Laurel has the house all to herself. It doesn't take her very long to realize she's going to go crazy all alone. She could call Joanna, but her new friend never knew Sara. Or there's Tommy. They've started talking a bit over the last few weeks. Oliver was his best friend, so in a way he understands. But somehow sharing today with him just doesn't feel right.

Instead, Laurel gets into her car and goes out to run errands. At least if she's busy she'll have something to focus on. But she and her dad can only eat so much food between the two of them. And there are only so many stores that Laurel can safely go in without running into someone who will recognize her and know what today means.

Around noon Laurel finds herself outside a burger and shake place that she and some friends used to go to in high school because it was the only decent place within walking distance of the school. She hasn't been in here since she started college, and she doesn't really end up in this part of town that often anyway. That means it's a fairly safe bet that no one she knows will be in here.

The bell over the door gives a little ring as Laurel enters the small diner. The place is only half full at the moment. There's a group of college kids pouring over some textbooks, a businessman on his lunch break, a family with two children under school age, a woman who keeps looking at her watch as if she's waiting on someone, and a lone teenager with their back to Laurel. It only takes Laurel a moment to recognize Thea's curly hair.

On a sudden impulse, she walks over to the booth where Thea is sitting. The younger girl is currently pushing fries around her plate. A tall glass holding the last remnants of a chocolate milkshake is sitting in front of her. She looks up and her eyes widen slightly as Laurel stops beside her table.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Laurel asks. Only upperclassmen are allowed to leave campus for lunch.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Thea shoots back as she looks back down at her fries.

"I called in sick," Laurel admits. She's not really sure why exactly she's telling Thea that. The two of them were never really that close even before the accident. But somehow Thea's presence in the diner proves that she understands exactly how Laurel is feeling right now.

"I ditched," Thea responds. That only confirms Laurel's instinct.

"I won't tell if you won't," she offers lamely. Thea shrugs as if she doesn't care. But then she looks up.

"You can sit down," she says.

Laurel sets her purse on the table and slides into the other side of the booth. Somewhere in the back of her mind it occurs to her that her dad would have an aneurysm if he could see her sitting here with Thea Queen. Laurel is mildly surprised to find that she really doesn't care.

The waitress comes by then, and Laurel orders a burger and a shake. She doesn't really eat burgers much anymore, but it seems wrong somehow to come to a place like this and not get one. Besides, it's not like anyone will know. Well, no one except Thea.

Thea stays silent after the waitress leaves. The woman comes back a moment later with Laurel's milkshake, and still Thea hasn't said anything. Laurel is starting to wonder if she should try to say something or just go ask for a take out box when Thea finally speaks.

"Two years," Thea says without looking up. "Two years ago today."

"I know," Laurel says softly. "I can't believe it's been that long."

"It's been a long two years," Thea says. Something in her voice worries Laurel.

"I know I don't really have any right to ask this," Laurel says carefully, "but... are you okay?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Thea asks her in disbelief.

"Right," Laurel says quickly. "It was a stupid question."

Thea falls quiet again. The silence between them is suddenly awkward. It's lessened a bit by the waitress coming back with a plate holding a burger and fries.

"I had a fight with my mom," Thea says as Laurel takes a bite of the burger. She's staring intently down at her fries as if she's intentionally avoiding Laurel's gaze. "Well, actually I yelled at her and she just sat there. Just like she always does."

Her voice is full of a surprising amount of venom for a fourteen-year-old. But Thea's pain and anger resonate with Laurel. She's feeling the same way toward her own parents.

"My mom moved out four months ago," Laurel tells Thea suddenly. "I haven't heard from her since."

It's an olive branch, a signal that she's willing to listen. Thea clearly needs someone right now, someone who understands what she's going through. And to be perfectly honest, so does Laurel.

Thea sighs heavily as if finally giving in to something.

"Ever since they died," she says, still looking down at her fries, "it's like she just... shut down. She hardly talks. She barely eats. She never leaves the house. Most of the time she doesn't even know I'm in the room. It's like she doesn't even care anymore."

"She does care, Thea," Laurel assures her. "Of course she cares. She's your mother."

"Then why does she act like I don't even exist?" Thea demands angrily. She looks up and Laurel can see pain in her eyes. "I might as well be dead for all she cares. I didn't just lose Ollie and my dad that day. I lost her too."

Laurel doesn't even know what to say to that. The truth is that she feels the same way about her own family. The Queen's Gambit took everything from her.

Most people would probably tell Thea a fluffy saying about how things will get better or a list of ways she could help her mom. But if Thea wanted advice, she'd be telling all of this to a shrink. No, what Thea needs is not sympathy but empathy. She needs someone to actually understand what she's going through. And that Laurel can do.

"My dad started drinking after Sara died," she says quietly. Thea looks up in mild interest. "When he isn't drunk, he's busy working himself to death. Even when he's home, I feel like I'm alone."

"Why are you here?" Thea asks suddenly.

"I was hungry," Laurel says. Somehow she has a feeling that isn't what Thea meant.

"But why are you sitting here?" Thea presses. She sounds genuinely confused and even a bit suspicious. "At this table? With me? It's my brother's fault Sara died."

Laurel has to think about that for a moment. Why is she sitting at this table?

"Oliver didn't sink the boat," she says finally. Now it's her turn to look down at the table. "And yes, part of me still blames him. Maybe I always will. But the truth is..." She takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Sara got on that boat of her own free will."

She looks up to find Thea watching her carefully.

"Besides," she continues. "You're not Oliver. None of this is your fault, and you don't deserve any of what you've had to go through."

"That's not why you're here," Thea says quietly. Laurel's brow furrows. She's a bit confused as to what Thea means. But there is a wisdom in the younger girl's eyes that surprises her. Wisdom gained from pain that no child her age should have to experience. "You're here because you miss her. Because you feel like you're drowning, and it's like nobody else can see it. And you thought maybe I could. That maybe I'm the one person in this whole city who might actually understand."

"That's why you said I could sit down," Laurel says quietly. "Because you were thinking the same thing."

She already knows the answer, but Thea's tiny nod only confirms it.

A short silence falls in the booth. Then Thea sniffs and reaches up to quickly wipe her eyes, pulling herself away from whatever mental road she was wandering down.

"I should get going," she says, reaching down the bench to grab her backpack. "I have a test next period."

She pulls the bag over her shoulder and stands to leave.

"Thea, wait," Laurel says. She opens her purse and digs through it until she finds one of the loose business cards floating around inside. She and Joanna had them made last weekend to celebrate their upcoming internships at CNRI this summer. Laurel hands one of the cards over to Thea, who takes it curiously.

"If you ever need anything, call me," Laurel says seriously. Thea studies her for a moment before seeming to decide that it's safe to believe her.

"Thanks," she says sincerely. She starts to turn away, but then she turns back. "Maybe I'll... see you around?"

"Maybe," Laurel agrees. The odds are slim, but she's always liked young Thea Queen. And after today, she's starting to think they may have more in common than she realized.

"Enjoy your lunch," Thea says awkwardly. Then she turns and heads for the counter. She pays for her food with a credit card. Probably one she took from Moira. Then the bell over the door dings and she's gone.

Laurel's phone goes off then. She opens it to find a carefully-worded text from Joanna asking how she's doing. She stares at the phone for a moment, trying to decide how to reply. Then she looks up at the door Thea just walked through. If fourteen-year-old Thea Queen can find it in her to go back to school, then Laurel Lance can make herself go to work.

The waitress passes by just then, and Laurel catches her attention.

"Can I get a box for this?" she asks. The waitress nods and goes back into the kitchen.

Laurel shoots Joanna a text saying she's coming in after all. Then she taps her fingers against the tabletop while she waits for the waitress to return. Maybe a day off isn't really what she wanted. Maybe all she really wanted was to know that someone out there understands.

The waitress returns a moment later with a box. Laurel packs up her food and pays the check before heading out the door. She can share the fries with Joanna while they handle paperwork. It's not an ideal way to spend today, but it's better than sitting in a diner moping.

She's never been good at sitting still anyway.


Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. It would make me happy, and I might be inclined to update faster. Also, if you're enjoying this story so far, feel free to check out my other Arrow stories: "All My Secrets" (five times Laurel asked Sara about the missing six years and one time she got an answer), "A Friend in Me" (Sara and Felicity friendship one-shot), and "On the Corner of First and Amistad" (a set of five vignettes looking at the emotional state of Laurel and each member of Team Arrow at the end of 3x02). And keep your eyes open for the next chapter of this story.