A/N: I don't down Arrow or it's characters.

The third time he sees her it's fate. If Roy believed in something stupid like that, which he doesn't.

But it turns out Thea does.

He's at a buddy's house party a few blocks from his apartment. The music's pounding and the alcohol is flowing. Roy's hanging out in the living room nursing a beer when a group of girls in skimpy dresses and heels push through the front door.

One of the girls has curly brown hair, a slim build and clear green eyes.

Thea spots him almost immediately. She leans into her closest girlfriend and whispers something in her ear. The friend checks Roy out and whispers something back to Thea, who breaks off from her group and comes over to where he's leaning against the wall.

"Three times in one week, am I lucky or what?" Thea says, a cheeky grin spreading across her face.

"I think I'm the lucky one, I've got the cute stalker," he teases.

"You think I'm stalking you?"

"Well you were right outside my house when I met you. And now you're here, at my buddy's party, in my neighborhood. What would you call it?"

"Fate," she says, giving him a sultry look.

"Roy shakes his head. "I don't believe in fate."

"Well, I do."

He smiles. "You don't think it's just some random coincidence that we keep running into each other?"

She shakes her head seriously. "The first time, sure. That was random. The second time, okay, a coincidence. But three times? That's fate, buddy."

Roy grins. "You think the universe is trying to tell us something?"

Thea gives him a flirty smile. "Get me a drink and I'll tell you."

He follows her across the room to the makeshift bar, and talks the guy behind the table into giving her two vodka shots. She slams them back in quick succession.

"Alright," Roy says. "Enlighten me. Why should I believe in fate?"

"Don't you think some things happen for a reason?"

"I don't know."

"I do," she says, smiling coyly.

Roy grins. "Why's that?"

Thea steps closer and places her hand lightly on his forearm. "I just know things, sometimes."

That earns her a smirk. "Like what, princess?"

"I feel like I know you," Thea says. "Even though I don't. Does that make any sense?"

Roy shrugs. "I believe that you believe, how about that?"

Thea's hand slides down to his wrist. "Figure out who I am yet?"

Her thumb rubs over his skin, making warmth spread through his body.

"You do look familiar," Roy admits. "But I can't place you."

"Want a hint?"

"Yeah, okay."

She wobbles in her heels and grips his wrist to catch her balance. "What's your last name?"

"Harper."

She gives him a bright smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Harper. I'm Thea Queen."

Queen. Queen? "Like Queen Consolidated?"

"Yup."

Thea Queen. Thea Queen, he knows that name, now that she's jogged his memory. It was splashed all over the papers last year when Moira Queen was murdered in the Glades.

Roy's jaw drops. "You're the billionaire heiress?"

Thea scowls. "One paper calls you that and it sticks with you for life."

"What the hell is a girl like you doing in the Glades, Ms. Queen?"

"Well Mr. Harper, my friend heard about the party, and I was hoping this hot boy from the Glades might be here."

Roy grins. "So you are stalking me."

"I'm not stalking," Thea giggles, smacking his arm. "I'm..." She snaps her fingers. "Recon! Im doing recon."

Roy raises his eyebrow. "Tell me about this hot guy you felt the need to check out."

"Oh," Thea says enthusiastically. "I really like this guy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. For starters, he looks like an Abercrombie model. He's got these blue eyes, and his hair does this cool swoosh thing-"

"Swoosh?" Roy laughs. "It's an undercut."

Her hand ghosts over his hair. "Swoosh. Get it?"

Roy tugs on one of her brown spirals. "So what about your boyfriend? Does he know about this guy?"

She shakes her head. "No boyfriend. Haven't seen him since the night we met."

Roy wrinkles his forehead. "Then who was that guy I saw you with the other day?"

Thea laughs. "That was Oliver. My brother."

Roy grins. "So you're single now?"

She gives him a flirty smile. "Are you?"

Roy almost laughs out loud. Yeah, he likes girls, and he has a few he can always call when he's feeling lonely. But him, with a girlfriend? Yeah, right.

"I'm taking your silence as a yes," Thea teases.

"Yeah, I'm single," he confirms.

Her hand slides from his wrist to slip into his own hand. "Good."

"Thea!" One of her friends pops up, a cute blond with a dimple in her chin, and tugs on Thea's wrist. "Thea come on, you're missing the party!"

Thea flashes Roy an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'll catch up with you in a bit."

He leans in and kisses her cheek, quick, before she gets away. "I hope so."

xxx

"Oh my god," Sara giggles, dragging Thea towards the kitchen. "Who is that?"

"That's the guy from the other night."

Sara squeals. "He is yummy."

"Paws off Lance." Thea glances over her shoulder, watching Roy do a shot with a guy she doesn't know. "He's mine."

"Well you got over Chase rather quickly."

Thea grimaces. "He was a mistake."

"And what about Mr. Dimples over there? What do we know?"

"Um..." Thea twirls a strand of hair around her finger. "He's nineteen."

"Older. Nice."

"He lives in the Glades."

"Ooo a bad boy, I like it."

"That's the thing though. He's nice. He waited on that curb with me in the middle of the night and he wasn't creepy or anything."

"Yeah, hanging out with you, I bet that was a real hardship for him," Sara snorts.

"You don't get it," Thea insists. "There's something about him."

"Oh my god," Sara laughs. "You've got it bad, baby girl. You barely even know him."

"Like you knew that cute brunet in that leather getup at that party the other night."

Sara hip bumps her lightly and reaches for an open vodka bottle on the kitchen table. "Her name is Nyssa. And she is delicious."

Sara mixes a few different liquors into a red cup and hands it to Thea. "Drink up my darling. The night's only getting started."

Thea tosses back what Sara gives her. It tastes overwhelmingly sweet, which means it's all alcohol. Sara has a special talent for making drinks that are as tasty as they are lethal.

"His eyes, Sar. He has the prettiest blue eyes."

"Nice body too," Sara comments.

"I thought you were into girls now."

Sara smirks. "I can still appreciate the male form."

"I bet he looks amazing without his shirt," Thea muses.

Sara sighs. "I miss dick sometimes."

"Ohmigod." Thea chokes on her drink. "TMI much?"

"Whatever," Sara replies, taking a sip from Thea's cup. "I'll just have to experience it vicariously through you."

Thea grins wickedly. "Works for me."

xxx

Roy is playing beer bong in the dining room when Thea's blond friend comes into the room, her eyes scanning the crowd until she lands on him.

"Hey, you!" she shouts. "Abercrombie!"

The blond puts her hand on his elbow and tugs him away from the table with a surprising amount of force.

"I need your help, Abercrombie."

"It's Roy. You're Thea's friend, right?"

"Sara," she says impatiently. "I can't find Thea."

He stares at her. "You lost Thea?"

"I didn't lose her. She went to the bathroom twenty minutes ago, and she hasn't come back, and the door to the bathroom is locked but no one's answering," Sara says, dragging him down the hall.

"And you need my help how?"

Sara parks him in front of a closed door. "I need you to use those lovely muscles to break down the door."

Roy knocks loudly on the closed door and presses his ear against the wood but he can't hear anything on the other side.

He turns back to Sara, who's biting her lip. "You sure she's in here?"

"I looked everywhere else."

Roy sighs and backs up a few paces. He rolls his shoulders, angles himself and charges, ramming the door hard with his right side and the cheap lock pops open.

Thea's sprawled on the floor like a crime scene victim, arms and legs akimbo.

"Oh my god," Sara gasps, peeking over Roy's shoulder. "Oh god, is she-is she...?"

Roy drops to his knees and puts his ear above Thea's chest.

"She's fine, she's breathing. She's just passed out."

Sara stumbles backwards, one hand over her mouth. "Shit. Shit I have to go, I can't stay here."

Roy jumps up, catching her arm. "You can't leave her here," he says angrily. "You're her friend."

"You don't understand!" Sara blurts out. "She's going to get busted, which means I'll get busted, and my dad will kill me."

Roy stares at her dumbly. "But what about Thea?"

"Please," Sara pleads. "My dad's a cop. If I get caught drinking he'll lock me in my room until I turn eighteen. You and Thea are friends, right? You'll make sure she gets home okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Roy promises. "I wouldn't leave her here."

Sara glances over his shoulder at Thea one more time, and then she shoves him into the wall.

"She better get home without a scratch, or they'll be hell to play, got it?" she snarls.

Roy nods calmly, a little freaked out at how aggressive she suddenly gets. "Yeah, I get it."

"Good." Sara gives him a sultry smile and runs her hand across his cheek. "Because I'd hate to see anything happen to this pretty face."

Sara pats his cheek and skips down the hallway. Roy sighs and turns back to Thea.

"Thea," he says, bending down to shake her gently. "Thea, it's Roy."

Thea moans, pulling away from his touch. "G'way," she slurs.

"Come on, wake up," Roy says. "Time to go home."

"Fucking...Sara," Thea mumbles, her eyes still shut.

"Sara left," he tells her. "Where's your phone, I'm gonna call someone to get you."

Thea points her toe at her clutch, dropped on the floor by the tub. Thea doesn't have an Oliver in her phone, but there is an Ollie. Roy takes his chances and dials.

It rings twice.

"Hello?" It's him, the guy he saw with Thea the other day in the waiting room. Roy recognizes his voice, the edgy growl.

"Hi, is this Oliver?"

"Who is this?" Oliver demands.

"This is Roy, I'm a friend of Thea's."

"Why do you have my sister's phone, Roy?"

"We're at a party and I think she needs a ride home."

"Why are you calling me; where's Thea?"

"Thea's um...she's a little messed up right now. I thought maybe you or her driver guy could pick her up?"

"Where's the party?"

Roy winces. He has a feeling a girl like Thea isn't allowed in the Glades.

"I'll text you the address," Roy says.

"Okay. I'm on my way. And Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"If anything-and I mean anything-happens to my little sister before I get there I'm holding you personally responsible." Oliver hangs up the phone before he can respond.

Roy glances back down at Thea, who's curled up around his ankles like a cat, and sighs.

xxx

By the time the black Range Rover pulls up outside of the house Roy is sitting on the front steps with Thea curled up on his lap with her head on her chest.

"Thea, wake up," he whispers.

"Mm," Thea mumbles, and nuzzles the side of his neck. "You smell good."

Oliver gets out of the passenger side of the car. Roy swallows when he takes in Oliver's build, a wall of solid muscle with all the agility of a panther. Roy's been in his fair share of fights and he can tell just by the way Oliver walks that you wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.

Oliver approaches them wordlessly and holds his hands out, and Roy transfers Thea into her brother's arms.

"Thanks," Oliver mutters, and carries Thea down the walk and puts her in the back of the car.

Roy expects them to leave so he's surprised when Oliver slams the car door shut and turns back to Roy, pulling out his wallet as he approaches him.

"I'd like to thank you for your discretion," Oliver says, pulling out a wad of fifties. "I'd appreciate it if no one finds out about this."

Roy's stomach squirms a little. The rich really are different. If by different, you mean throwing wads of cash at people instead of saying thank you like a normal person.

"I don't want your money," he tells Oliver, who frowns, his hand freezing halfway to Roy.

"Please," Oliver says stiffly. "My family's privacy is important to me. I'm sure you can understand that."

"You don't have to buy me off. I wouldn't sell her out for a story, if that's what you're worried about."

"Why not? Most people would."

Roy shrugs. "She's my friend."

Oliver considers this. "What's your name, again?"

"Roy. Roy Harper."

Oliver blinks, a strange expression crossing his face for a moment, and then nods his head before putting his wallet away.

"Thea's lucky to have a friend looking out for her," Oliver says, although his tone is a little sour. "I don't suppose Sara is hiding out inside, is she?"

"Don't know a Sara," Roy says evenly, thinking about the way she shoved him earlier.

Oliver snorts. "I'm sure you don't. Well it's a good thing you were here, then."

"Coincidence," Roy explains with a shrug. "I live near here."

Oliver shakes his head. "Thea doesn't believe in coincidence."

Roy shifts his feet awkwardly and Oliver sighs, and holds his hand out to give Roy a handshake that could crack a few bones easily.

"Have a good night, Roy," Oliver says. "Thanks for looking out for Thea."

And then he's gone, disappearing into the SUV, leaving Roy alone in the cool dark night.

xxx

A/N: Please leave a review, they help motivate me ;)