Summary: Laurel Lance had the year from Hell after Sara and Oliver died. It was courtesy of a demon named Ruby, but this story isn't about her. This story is about Laurel's life afterward and how far she'll go to protect those she loves.

Featuring: Laurel Lance, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Thea Queen, Tommy Merlyn, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak. Mentions of John Diggle, Charlie Bradbury, Roy Harper, and a few others.

Setting: AU for Arrow and Supernatural. Mentions of Canon season three Supernatural.

Notes: I'm blown away by everyone's reaction to this story. Thank you so much! Sorry it took so long to update.

When Laurel was released from the hospital, she didn't return to Starling City right away. She wanted, no, she needed to know everything she could about this whole new world that she had been exposed to. Sam initially refused not wanting her to know more about the life that had taken away his family. Ultimately, it proved to be a welcome respite for both of them. It was Sam who was by her side as she had the anti possession sigil permanently etched into her skin. Her return home was soon afterward much to her father's delight. While the younger Winchester dove back into hunting, it was Laurel who continued with the studies of law.

.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Laurel was at the Queens' mansion. Dean had known that she visited frequently during Tommy's recuperation. It was the last place the older Winchester brother wanted to be and yet here he was about to ask Laurel for help. He had sworn that he and Sam would try to stay out of her life. It was easier said than done.

"Hey Pretty Bird. I need your help."

It was at that moment that Oliver couldn't resist chiming in. "If you needed a lawyer, you could have just gone to her office."

"Ollie, pipe down." Laurel scoffed as she walked toward Dean putting some considerable distance between him and her ex.

Dean rolled his green eyes ignoring the remark as he returned his attention toward the blonde, "I don't need a lawyer. I, uh, wow, I don't know how to say this."

"It's okay. Take your time." She smiled reassuringly as Sam walked in behind him.

.

It had been four months since she had last seen Sam. A lot had changed since then. The biggest of all being that Dean was now alive again. He was the one who found what appeared to be a simple salt and burn case in Starling City. It was the sight of Laurel walking out of the Starling City Metro Police Department that caught Dean off guard. She still looked like Ruby except her hair was now several shades darker. Sam had insisted that she was no longer Ruby, but Dean couldn't help wanting to make sure. That is how they both wound up following her around while also taking care of their case. When the case was over, the Winchesters lock picked their way into Laurel's apartment. It was Laurel who met them with a shotgun to the face only to nearly scream when she saw Dean standing there looking very much alive.

Of course it was then that Dean noticed the tattoo on the inside of her wrist. "You're not Ruby."

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm Laurel Lance. How the hell are you alive?" She asked as she lowered the gun noticing that Sam was with him.

He sighed in relief before shaking his head, "An angel named Castiel if you can believe that. What's with all the birds?"

"Canaries and I just happen to like them. An angel? Really?" The death of her sister had shaken her faith so she was unsure if she really believed in them.

His full lips twisted into a smirk as he took in the appearance of the apartment, "Yeah, pretty bird. An angel saved me."

.

The air felt like it had been kicked out of her lungs. She had foolishly believed that Ruby was gone. The thought of that demon rotting in hell had felt like the only thing that kept her sane after her ordeal. Now here was Dean telling her that creature was still roaming the earth causing trouble for the Winchesters. Her fists clenched as she fought back the memories that threatened to overcome her once again. It was Thea that broke her from the trance by holding out a glass of ice water. Laurel accepted it gratefully taking a long sip of the cool clear liquid. The feel of a hand coming to rest upon the small of her back startled her for a moment until she realized it was just Sara. Her sister was the only one she had told about Ruby. Well, actually, she had told Sara and Tommy the truth.

The younger blonde stood strong beside her big sister as she stared down the Winchesters, "If Laurel goes, I go too."

"Sara, no..." Laurel started only to be cut off by her sister.

She looked at her sister and sighed, "Laurel, yes, I'm going. None of this would have happened if I hadn't gone on that stupid yacht in the first place. Besides, she won't stand a chance against the Lance sisters."

"Against my better judgment, I'll let you go with us only because if I said no, you'll still go anyway." The older blonde paused to look at her friends, "I know this all seems confusing, but I'll explain everything when we get back."

Oliver stood straight as he stepped toward the sisters, "Or you could tell us now. We can help."

"I know you can, Ollie. If we need back up, I'll call Felicity, but right now this is just something that I need to do on my own." Laurel assured him as her eyes met his steel gaze.

As Dean looked on in annoyance at the elder Queen sibling, it was Tommy who chose to speak up, "We all have our demons, Laur. Take all the time you need. Just stay safe. Both of you, I mean it. All seriousness aside, I got a hundred bucks on the ladies not needing back up. Hell, they probably don't even need the Winchesters. Any takers?"

"You got jokes, Merlyn." Dean chuckled at the now smirking man, "Good to see you back, man."

.

The wet pavement sparkled under the stark glow of the streetlights as Laurel walked alongside Tommy laughing softly at his words. The sound faded from her lips as the figure standing a few feet ahead of them came into view. It was almost as if she were hallucinating, but the gasp from beside her made the blonde realize what she was seeing was all too real. Before she could stop herself, she walked over touching his shoulder gently. He was really there. The silence was then shattered by the sound of her open palm connecting with his face. He knew he deserved that. What he didn't expect was to then be pulled into a tight hug by her.

"Ollie..." She trailed off as she pulled back letting him reunite with Tommy.

It was weird seeing him standing there alive while Sara was still gone. Part of her was relieved that he was okay. A major part of her was still angry at him. As Tommy stepped aside, the anger got the best of her again and she began to pound away against Oliver's chest. He just stood there taking it until she suddenly broke down crying.

"Sara was my sister!" She had yelled through tears before Tommy took her into his arms shooting a look over her head at his best friend.

.

The Lance sisters were quiet as they sat in the back of the Winchesters' 1967 black Chevy Impala. The only sound aside from the engine revving was the familiar notes of the classic rock song blaring out of the car stereo. It was only when they pulled into the parking lot of a motel that Laurel began to have serious second thoughts. Her heart began to race as she climbed out of the car. Horrible memories of being trapped within her own body flashed through her mind. She had the sudden urge to flee back home to Starling City.

"I can't...I can't do this. I don't know what I was thinking." Her words were rapid as she tried to get back into the car.

Sara turned her around to face her grasping her upper arms gently, "Just focus on me, alright? Breathe in and exhale out. That's it. Nice and slowly. Laurel, look at me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. None of us are going to let anything happen to you. "

"I..I can't.."

Sara sighed pushing her light blonde strands away from her face as Sam came back with the room keys, "It's okay, Laur. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You can go back home and I'll call Nyssa to help me take care of this demon bitch."

"No! I mean, no. That's...you don't need to call Nyssa." She shook her head as Sara took the room key from Sam.

The younger blonde simply nodded bringing Laurel into the room they'd be sharing while the Winchesters headed into their own motel room next door. Her sister was the strongest person she knew, but even the strong ones have their limits. Sara knew what she had to do though. She walked into the bathroom and called Tommy.

He immediately grew concerned as he listened to Sara speak, "Should I come to you guys? You know what, tell me where you are and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Sara couldn't help smiling softly at that as she stepped back out into the room, "No, she'd throw a fit. I just thought maybe she'd feel better if she could talk to us both at the same time."

"Tommy?" Her younger sister wasn't exactly subtle so it didn't take much for Laurel to figure out it was Tommy on the phone.

He smiled though he knew she couldn't see that, "Yeah, it's me. Just say the word and I'll be right out there wherever you are, alright?"

"No, that's not really necessary." She laughed softly visibly relaxing a little, "Everything just came rushing back and I panicked."

Tommy sighed, "That's totally normal in your situation. Just try to take it one step at a time. You're not dealing with it alone this time around. I'm here and Sara's there with you."

.

It was two AM and her side of the bed lay empty again. The sheets were still somewhat warm beneath his palm so it hadn't been that long since she had woken up. He sighed running his hands through his hair as he climbed out of the bed. Her hands were wrapped around the bottle as her porcelain skin still glistened from the cold sweat that she had woken up in. This was how she chased the nightmares away. Alone with alcohol. It was how she dealt with a lot of things lately. Hearing his sigh, Laurel glanced over at him before staring down at the half empty bottle of vodka.

His hands reached out pulling the bottle out of her grasp gently, "It was the nightmares again, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." She let him take the bottle watching as he set it down on the nearby coffee table.

Tommy sat down beside the blonde pulling her into his arms. "Laur, you can't keep doing this. Keeping it all bottled away and drowning it in alcohol isn't doing you any good. You should really talk to someone. I'm worried about you."

"To who, Tommy? No one would ever believe me! I..I don't even believe myself half the time."

He kissed her head softly before looking into her beautiful blue eyes, "I would. Talk to me. I'm right here."

That was all it took for Laurel to break down sobbing in his arms. Everything she had been holding in since Oliver and Sara disappeared together finally poured out. He listened patiently holding her as she explained everything between sobs. To say he was in shock would have been a vast understatement. He wanted to break every bone in his best friend's body for hurting her. If Oliver had just kept it in his pants, Laurel never would have gone through all this suffering.

.

"I still don't understand why you guys need me." Laurel shrugged her shoulders as she took a sip of her coffee the next morning.

It was Dean that was the first to speak up, "Because you know her better than any of us, Pretty Bird."

"Yeah because having my body controlled by a demon makes me an expert."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "That's not what I meant. You just spent the most time with her out of all of us."

"I also spent time with Lilith. Going to drag me out to take her down too?"

Sam stood up just then towering over them as they sat, "Whoa, okay then. Dean, why don't we get the car ready?"

The girls watched as the two brothers headed out to the car before Sara turned toward her older sister, "Are you okay?"

"As okay as I'll ever be with this. She fed on my grief, Sara. She told me you were burning in Hell and that she had personally gotten to torture you." Laurel admitted finally telling her the one thing she had held back.

Sara shook her head as she pulled her sister into a hug, "Well obviously that wasn't true. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

.

It was still odd having Oliver around again. He was a living, breathing, walking, and talking constant reminder that Sara was dead. Of course if that wasn't enough, there was also a green hooded vigilante running around Starling City. Rubbing her temples, Laurel sighed as she gathered her things after another late night at the office. It was on her way home that she was attacked by a mugger. The leather clad blonde that came to her rescue was what she hadn't expected. She sort of reminded her of Sara. Yeah, that was definitely the sign that Laurel needed to lay off the wine a bit. She made it home safely after that and it was only after she settled in that she realized she wasn't alone in her apartment. Her leather clad blonde rescuer was standing silently by one of her windows. Laurel just stood in place staring at her not knowing what to say. The mystery woman made the first move by removing her blonde wig and the black leather mask that she wore over her eyes.

"Sara?"

The blonde nodded as tears welled up in their identical blue eyes, "Hi."

All she could do was run over and hug her younger sister tightly. She was confused as hell, but right now all that mattered was that her sister was alive. When Laurel finally let go of her sister, she pinched herself which only made Sara laugh in response. It was after Sara changed back into normal clothes that they sat down to talk.

"Am I dreaming? Are you really here? How can you be...we all thought you were dead." Laurel spoke in disbelief as she stared at her sister.

Sara grasped Laurel's hand squeezing it tightly, "This is real. I'm alive, I promise. Well that's because I was dead. I'm not the same Sara. I grew up."

"What?"

She sighed as she shook her head, "Laurel, I am so sorry. I never should have been on that boat. I don't know what the hell I was thinking back then."

"You're damn right you shouldn't have been on that boat. He was my boyfriend, Sara, and you're my sister. How could you...no..no. I'm too relieved that you're alive to be angry at the moment. I'll yell at you later." The elder Lance sibling sighed squeezing her sister's hand.

Sara knew she deserved that and wasn't about to fight with her about it, "I nearly drowned. Hell, I would have drowned if it weren't for Nyssa. She saved me."

"Nyssa?" Laurel raised her eyebrow at her sister curiously.

She couldn't help the smile that graced her lips at the mention of that name, "Nyssa Al Ghul, my girlfriend. She trained me. I grew stronger because of her. I know I should have told you guys that I was alive, but I wanted to better myself first. I'm not just Sara Lance anymore. I'm the Canary and I'm good at it."