Chapter 2 – Q&A

AN – This story is dedicated to all who continue to be so encouraging of my writing and asked for something new from me - THANK YOU! I hope it will be a fun summer for us and I hope all will feel free to share ideas, suggestions and guesses as I love feedback and often work reader suggestions into my stories! BTW, my plan is for weekly updates so I can complete this before S4 starts.

DISCLAIMER – Still no ownership but still gonna play!

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"I've learned another Lesson lately Thea." Roy met her eyes as he grinned.

"Another lesson? Okay, I'll bite. What lesson have you learned Roy?" Thea still didn't understand but she was willing to give him a chance to explain. As his smile widened though she had to wonder if he would give a serious answer or just continue to tease her.

"Riding off into the sunset for happily ever after can get pretty boring."

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Thea wasn't sure what to make of Roy's lesson or his smile. Rolling her eyes before she looked away, she moved to grab her stuff just as Roy spoke again.

"Have you seen anyone new around?" Roy asked as subtly as he could. Felicity had mentioned reports of a new vigilante and he was curious. Diggle and Felicity had both urged caution when they mentioned some new bad guys too. When Thea spun back around and glared though he had to wonder if he had been subtle enough.

"You drop in unexpectedly, avoid my questions and now think that you have the right to question me?! Roy, you've told me nothing about why you are here, what's going on, if Oliver is coming back - you've shared nothing!" Thea knew it hadn't been a casual inquiry which meant Roy was again hiding things from her. She actually had heard rumblings on the street but she hadn't had time to research all the rumors especially with Laurel out. She did know that things had gotten even stranger in Starling City in the last month though. Thea also knew that she wanted to have help, Roy's help, but only if they were equal partners.

Roy watched as Thea threw her bag down and then crossed her arms over her chest as she continued to glare at him. With a shrug, he moved on to Plan B.

"So you answer my question and I'll answer one for you. That fair enough?" Unable to resist teasing Thea, Roy grinned as her eyes narrowed. As he suspected though her curiosity was just too great.

"There have been rumors about a woman in white running around at night but that's all." Thea paused as she wasn't sure why she felt the need to keep her answers vague. She had seen the woman in white and even from a distance there had been something familiar about her. Shaking off the memory she spoke again in hopes of distracting herself and Roy.

"The guys tonight were definitely new…and a new millionaire is trying to run the city too. His tech company is D2, I think. I don't really know but I think he's planning to run for Mayor or something."

"Running for Mayor? What's his name? Do you—" Roy spoke immediately but Thea was quick to interrupt.

"My turn." Thea spoke forcefully and took a moment to stare directly at Roy before she continued. "Why did you return tonight and how did you find me?"

"That's two questions Thea." Roy smirked.

"They're related though." Thea persisted. She didn't expect him to answer with the whole truth so she wanted to ask as much as she could.

"Felicity and Oliver asked me to come back as they knew Laurel was down. I was just doing recon when I saw the activity in the alley and your flight. It wasn't hard to figure out the best place to meet you." It hadn't been quite that simple but Roy knew that was more of the truth than he should probably share. He had always had problems telling Thea no so his game of questions was dangerous. With another cocky grin, he asked his next question anyway.

"My turn. Is there anything weird about the new millionaire? Have you had a chance to do a background search or anything?" Roy quirked a brow when Thea's eyes narrowed at his second question. He was ready to use her defense but she didn't give him the chance as she shrugged and answered him.

"I tried but there's nothing on him until recently. Seems he's been very lucky in some business decisions and has amassed a small fortune." Thea had tried to gain more information but the man really was a mystery and she had enough problems without creating a new one with him. She spoke quickly before Roy could try to sneak in another question.

"How's Ollie doing? Is he safe? Is he happy? Is he coming back?" Thea didn't care that it was more than one question.

Roy didn't even tease Thea about the number of questions as he knew that she was worried about her big brother and he couldn't blame her. He was a little worried himself as he hadn't gotten too much information from them. "I've spoken mostly to Felicity but I think they're good. They needed the break though."

"And they are coming back?" Thea couldn't help asking the question again even though it wasn't her turn.

Sighing softly, Roy knew he needed to come clean about at least a few things. "They're concerned about the new people in Starling City. There's something big going on…and I mean big. Felicity's been working on some things and they've traveled a bit for Oliver to meet a few contacts too. They didn't share all the details but whatever is happening is making them both nervous."

"Ollie's nervous?" Thea asked in surprise but had to grin when Roy shrugged and nodded.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, she continued to smile as Oliver was rarely nervous – secretive, deadly and stubborn, yes, but the man had nerves of steel. Roy smirked as he could tell that Thea was amused by the possibility of the Arrow being nervous. He had trained and worked closely with the Oliver as the Arrow though so he had seen the man nervous and more times than it was because of Felicity. Roy's bet was on the blonde being heavily involved which made him nervous and wiped the grin from his face. Right now he just didn't know enough and he knew Thea didn't either.

After a moment of silence, Thea pushed her doubts and fears aside. Even if something big was happening in the future, she still had enough to worry about in the present. Glancing at her watch, she knew it was time to move.

"I'm going to visit Laurel." Thea saw Roy move toward her and continued before he could invite himself. "Care to join me?"

Thea and Roy did make their way to the hospital together. She had made a habit of visiting whenever she could but she preferred sneaking in after hours. The halls were quiet as usual and the pair moved almost silently through the darkened corridors. As always, Thea paused and took a deep breath before entering Laurel's room.

Thea's exhale became more of a surprised gasp and Roy was instantly at her side. He scanned the room and noted the only occupants were Laurel and a female doctor. The doctor had just added something to Laurel's IV but she smiled kindly at them and gestured them in toward Laurel.

"I know you've been visiting after hours but I won't tell on you." The brunette doctor smiled warmly at Thea as she continued. "She's lucky to have you and you've done great things together. There's still more to do though. I think she's going to pull through so you shouldn't give up."

Both Thea and Roy moved closed to the doctor and Laurel but their expressions were very different. Thea's face lit up at the news but Roy's expression was more troubled. He spoke before Thea could do so.

"I thought doctors normally cautioned against hope. Has something changed? What did you give her? Who are you anyway?" Roy still wasn't much on trusting outsiders and he frowned at the unknown woman.

"Forgive my friend as he lacks all social graces." Thea spoke up with a more conciliatory tone as she smiled at the doctor. Her tone grew darker though when she turned to glare at Roy and continued. "He also hasn't been around much lately and doesn't understand what Laurel has been through…what I've been through."

Roy looked away and stepped back as he couldn't deny that he had left and that Thea had been alone.

"I understand Ms. Queen. I am Dr. Barbara Gordon and it's a pleasure to meet you. I am sure we will meet again but for now I need to go and you need to visit with your friend." She again smiled at Thea and even included Roy in her good byes as she nodded to him and placed a hand on his shoulder briefly before exiting the room.

"Have you seen her before?" Roy asked Thea even as he stepped toward the door so he could get another look at the doctor. Unfortunately, when he reached the hallway it was completely empty. Thea's voice required his attention but still he lingered.

"Roy, I don't know every doctor in the hospital but I'm glad we ran into her. She's the first one other than me to really seem to believe Laurel will pull through. The others hadn't given up but they have been annoyingly vague and cautious."

Still annoyed himself, Roy scanned the hall once more before stepping back in the room to make Thea understand the need for caution. However, when he saw her carefully take Laurel's hand his focus switched to Laurel and he froze. The brunette was even thinner than the last time he'd seen her. Her skin was pale and she looked incredibly fragile laying the hospital bed. He knew looks could be deceiving though as he had fought with Laurel and he had to hope that she would be strong enough to make it.

"What exactly happened to her?" Roy switched his gaze to Thea as he spoke.

"We were investigating a new arms dealer and had split up to do recon in the warehouse. She commented that she had found what looked like a lab but then there was a huge explosion. We don't know what happened but I found Laurel in the debris and got her to the hospital." Thea worked to keep the emotions out of her voice as it was rare that she was able to share the whole truth to anyone lately.

"What about the Black Canary?" Roy had always been glad that they had a Team headquarters and a Team when they had faced injuries. As Thea had been alone though, the dangers and risks of discovery grew.

"I changed her clothes enough so that they didn't know. Laurel always played the prosecutor card and got a lot of leeway for doing investigations. I stuck to that story." Clearing her throat, Thea placed the fresh flowers she had brought on Laurel's nightstand. She then turned back and gently squeezed the other woman's hand as she spoke in a low voice.

"I need you Laurel. Starling City needs you. Don't give up now." Pausing, Thea waited as she always did but there was no response from Laurel. Sighing softly she turned away only to find Roy watching her intently.

"Do you have somewhere to crash?" Thea spoke just to break the silence and to keep him from asking her any questions.

"I thought I'd stay at headquarters if that's okay with you."