"You knew, didn't you?" Oliver asked.
"Hmmm?" Thea replied absentmindedly, glancing up from the book she was reading.
"You knew that Felicity and I would...hit it off," Oliver explained.
"So that's where you were at lunch yesterday," Thea said, more to herself than to him. In response to his impatient look, she said, "I didn't know. I suspected. I hoped. But I didn't know." Oliver nodded, but he wasn't sure that he completely believed her. She knew him so well that it often seemed as though she could predict the future, could predict exactly how he would act in a given situation. What amazed him was that, as much as he had changed, as much as they both had changed, she apparently still could.
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?" Thea asked, though her tone suggested that she was pretty sure she knew the answer.
"For knowing what I needed," Oliver replied. "For pushing me to get after it."
"I'm your sister," Thea said noncommittally. "It's my job to know what you need. But you're welcome."
"What would I ever do without you, Speedy?" Oliver murmured.
"I don't know," Thea replied, shrugging. "Probably nothing good."
"Yeah, I'd be lost without you," Oliver agreed with the smallest of smiles. "Especially now that-" His voice cracked.
"Hey," Thea said, voice soft and comforting, reaching out and resting a hand on his knee. "What's wrong?"
"I should have been there, Thea," Oliver replied, voice hoarse with the tears he refused to allow himself to shed. "You shouldn't have had to go to our parents' funerals alone. I-"
"Hey, hey, none of that," Thea interjected. "You had no control over that, Ollie. You can't go blaming yourself for things that weren't your fault."
"I know," Oliver said, "yet I just can't stop. There's this part of me that keeps thinking that if I'd just been a little faster, fought a little harder, I would have made it home sooner. I would have been there for you like a brother is supposed to be there for his sister. You wouldn't have had to go through all those things you went through alone."
"It wasn't your fault," Thea said, eyes glimmering with unshed tears, "and I hate, hate, to see you tearing yourself apart over something you had no control over."
"I'm sorry," Oliver mumbled. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"There you go again," Thea said with a weak smile, her voice quavering. She started crying in earnest, and the sound of her sobs hit Oliver like a punch in the gut.
"Come here," he whispered, holding out his arms. Thea slid wordlessly into his embrace, resting her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, rubbing her back soothingly until her tears subsided.
"Sorry," she whispered, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "That was embarrassing."
"Not at all," Oliver said, shaking his head. "You're allowed to cry, Thea."
"And so are you, Ollie," Thea said, her voice gentle, almost pleading. "You don't have to be strong all the time. Not for me."
"Yes I do," Oliver said, his voice so quiet that it was little more than a vibration in the air. Especially for you. You're my little sister, Speedy. You're the one person in this world that I'm obligated to be strong for."
"And I told you, I've grown up," Thea said. "I can take care of myself."
"Won't stop me from trying to take care of you anyway," Oliver replied with a half smile. "It's my job."
"And you're doing it beautifully," Thea joked, patting him on the shoulder. Olive smiled at him. She was his light, his strength. The thought of her had been the only thing that had gotten him through those five years of hell. He wondered if he would ever find the words or the courage to tell her so.
"Am I interrupting something?" Roy's voice, from the direction of the doorway. They both turned to face him.
"Not at all," Thea said, sliding back to her original position on the couch and setting her book on the coffee table. "What's up?"
"It's date night," Roy replied, gesturing to his clothing, which was indeed date appropriate. "Did you forget?" There was no accusation in his tone, only genuine curiosity.
"I guess I did," Thea said with a laugh, "which is funny, since it happens every week. Just give me a few minutes to change, and then we'll go, okay?" Roy nodded. Thea levered herself up from the couch and left the room, her hand lingering on Roy's shoulder for a moment on her way out.
"What?" Roy asked, glancing over at Oliver. "You're staring."
"Nothing," Oliver said, shaking his head. "It's just…I like the person Thea is when she's around you. She seems like a...better version of herself. Brighter. Happier."
"I think we're all just trying to find the person who brings out the best in us," Roy said, his cheeks reddening. "I'm grateful that I get to be Thea's, and that she's mine." The sincerity in his voice made Oliver smile. He'd had his doubts about Roy when he and Thea had first started dating, but those doubts had quickly faded. It was clear that he made Thea happy, and that was all that Oliver had ever wanted for her.
A few more minutes passed and Thea reappeared in the doorway, outfit meticulous and matching, hair and makeup carefully done, looking every inch the beautiful young CEO out for a date with her fiancee. Roy whistled.
"You look beautiful," he said, going to meet her. "Never in my life have I known anyone who dresses up as nicely as you do."
"Oh, stop," Thea scolded, smacking him playfully on the shoulder. "You're flattering me."
"It's not flattery if I mean every word," Roy replied with a smile, his voice an affectionate murmur. "Let's go." He slung an arm around Thea's shoulders and walked her out of the room. Oliver watched them go, feeling himself slip into a pensive mood. He remembered his mother telling him, from the moment he was old enough to understand such matters, that it was important that he pass on the Queen family name one day. With his sister soon to become Thea Harper, that memory was at the forefront of his mind. After all of the important things in Thea's life that he had missed, he was glad that he had at least made it home in time to be there for her wedding.