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Author's Note: So I realize it took me forever to update this. Sorry. My semester is nearing its end, which means homework is picking up at a ridiculous rate. Anyway/ This is the final chapter of this story, at least for now. I may right an eighth chapter somewhere in season three if inspiration strikes. We'll see. This chapter takes place near the end of season two. Most of the chapter is not on the actual anniversary, but it just felt right to include it here. After Moira's funeral, Thea and Laurel have a brief interaction at the house that made me think Laurel wouldn't have let Thea deal with all of that alone. So this chapter mostly looks at the immediate aftermath of Moira's death with a small tie to the anniversary. It felt like that was okay since the overriding point of this story is Laurel and Thea's friendship, which this chapter definitely includes. Enjoy!
Year Seven
The seventh anniversary comes out of nowhere. Laurel has just gotten her job back and is busy trying to glue her life back together. Thea seems to be going through a bit of a rough time, so Laurel sends her a text to see if she needs anything. But Thea sends back a very short message saying that she's taking a break from family and is spending the day with Roy instead. Laurel probably should push harder, or at the very least go check up on Thea in person, but she's too busy trying to reassert herself as the legal force she used to be. So she lets it go.
On the actual anniversary date, Laurel's father has both his daughters over to his place for dinner. The meal is meant as a sort of redo of the fiasco at Laurel's, a way to celebrate the reunion of their family and wipe clean all of the painful memories from the last few years. It's only as they're sitting around the table clinking their glasses together in a toast that it finally sinks in for Laurel that this day will never again be one of sadness in her family.
The realization brings a smile to her face.
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Two weeks later, Laurel turns on the television to find that Moira Queen is dead. The news hits Laurel like a speeding truck. How can Moira be dead? And then the newscaster explains that the entire Queen family was subject to an abduction that resulted in Moira's death. The next thing Laurel knows she's already in her car on the way to the Queen home.
She arrives at the mansion to find the driveway filled with vehicles from all the various news stations. The sight of it makes Laurel sick. After giving her father a quick call asking him to send someone over to deal with it, Laurel gets out of her car and begins fighting her way through the camera flashes and insistent questions to the front door of the house.
When she finally reaches the top of the stairs, the front door swings open just enough that Laurel can squeeze through. Then it slams closed on the reporters clamoring just outside. Laurel turns around to see Walter Steele turning the locks on the door.
"It's a madhouse out there," the man says as she turns to face Laurel. "You'd think the circus was in town."
"I heard about what happened," Laurel says apologetically. "How are you doing?"
"As well as can be expected," Walter says quietly. "What happened was a terrible tragedy. For the moment, I think I'm still in shock."
"I'm so sorry," Laurel says. She hasn't had much interaction with Moira's ex-husband, but he has always struck has as an honorable sort of man. "If there's anything I can do..."
"I'll be sure to let you know," Walter tells her. He sounds like he really means it. "If you're looking for Oliver, he isn't here. He waited with Thea until I arrived, and then he left."
"How is she?" Laurel asks. Oliver's team (there's definitely more than just Sara working with the Arrow) will probably be looking out for him, so that makes Thea her top priority.
"Not well," Walter admits. "The kidnapping was traumatic enough. But then to see her own mother killed… She hasn't left her room since the police brought her home. I tried to take her some breakfast, but she won't eat."
"Can I see her?" Laurel asks. Walter studies her for a moment and then nods.
"You can try," he says with a sigh. "Maybe you'll be able to get through to her."
Laurel gives him a sad smile before heading up the stairs to the bedrooms. She's been up them more times in her life than she can possibly count. But never has her heart been as heavy as it is right now.
The door to Oliver's room is open when Laurel reaches the top. His bed has clearly not been slept in. Part of Laurel is shocked that he could leave Thea alone after what happened. But another part of her understands that right now he's too broken to help himself, much less his sister. It's a feeling Laurel understands all too well. She felt the same way after Sara died. She's not going to leave Thea in that same dark place.
Thea's door is closed when Laurel reaches it. She hesitates there for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Finally she reaches up and knocks.
"Thea?" she calls through the door. "It's Laurel. Can I come in?"
The only answer she receives is silence. After another brief hesitation, Laurel reaches down and turns the knob on the door. It's unlocked. She carefully pushes it open and steps into the room. It looks like the typical room of a wealthy teenager. A pair of nice shoes have been dropped near the bed, along with a dark blue coat, a dirty black dress, and some ripped black tights. And there on the bed is Thea Queen. Her back is to the door, making it impossible for Laurel to tell if she's awake. She's wearing a t-shirt and sweat pants, but the dirt on the clothes beside the bed is evidence of what she endured the night before.
"Thea?" Laurel asks quietly, unsure if the younger girl has managed to fall asleep.
"What do you want?" Thea asks hoarsely. Her voice makes it clear she has been crying.
"I came by to check on you," Laurel says. She takes another step into the room. "I didn't want you to be alone."
"Walter's downstairs," Thea says flatly.
"I can stay for a while if you want," Laurel offers, still trying. She waits a moment to see if she'll get a response. She doesn't. She tries to think back to how she felt right after she learned Sara was gone. There had been a point when she really had just wanted to be alone. Maybe that's where Thea is now. "If you'd rather I go-"
"Don't," Thea says quickly. She turns over onto her back so she can crane her neck to look at Laurel. There is a gripping desperation in the younger girl's red eyes.
"Okay," Laurel tells her.
She comes fully into the room, closing the door behind her. Then she walks over and carefully sits down on Thea's bed. Thea pushes herself into a sitting position, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She's come a long way in the past two years, maturing in leaps and bounds, but now she looks to Laurel like a lost little girl.
"I am so sorry," Laurel says softly. It sounds woefully inadequate even to her, but she doesn't know what else to say.
"I was mad at her," Thea says shakily. She's staring out across her room at something only she can see. Laurel's widen a bit in surprise that the younger girl has spoken. "I was… horrible to her. Last night when... when the car..." She swallows hard. Laurel waits in silence. As much as she wants to comfort Thea, something tells her this is not the time. Thea takes a shaky breath and keeps going. "She was trying to fix things. She wanted to move on. But I was being difficult. I just wanted to stay mad at her. And now... Now she's gone."
Thea sniffs loudly as tears begin welling in her eyes. Laurel reaches out and lays a comforting hand on Thea's arm.
"He wanted Oliver to choose," Thea continues. "He said he had to choose who died: me or Mom. But he wouldn't do it. So Mom stood up and told him to kill her. She died to save me. She got up and said she loved me, and I couldn't say it back. I was too scared." The tears are pressing harder now, making it harder for Thea to speak. Laurel's own eyes are beginning to burn, but she doesn't dare interrupt. Thea needs to get this out.
"She told me not to look, and then he ran her through with a sword," Thea says. She looks up at Laurel, her eyes desperately searching for something. "She told me not to look, but I did. It was the last thing she asked me to do, and I couldn't even do it. I should've looked away. I should've told her I was sorry and I forgave her and I loved her. Why didn't I tell her? Why couldn't I just say it?"
At that point it all becomes too much. Strong, courageous Thea dissolves into tears. Laurel can't take it anymore. She reaches out and pulls the younger girl into her arms. Thea curls into Laurel's side as gut-wrenching sobs wrack her body. Laurel has silent tears running down her own cheeks as she holds Thea tightly against her.
"She knew," Laurel assures Thea, tucking the younger girl's head beneath her chin. It's hard to talk around the lump in her throat. "She knew you loved her. She knew."
Her words do nothing to stem the flood of tears running down Thea's face. She hadn't really expected them to, but she'd had to try anyway. Her heart is breaking for the girl in her arms. This isn't fair. Thea has already been through so much. She's only nineteen. She shouldn't have to deal with this too.
As she sits there on the bed with Thea Queen falling apart in her arms, Laurel silently remakes the promise she made two years ago. She's not going to let Thea Queen go through this alone. Laurel is going to be here for her no matter what it takes.
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She holds to that promise as best she can over the next few days. She stops by the mansion every day leading up to the funeral for a brief check-in. She wishes she could do more, but the combination of work and Sara's sudden disappearance and trying to find a way to beat Sebastian Blood at his own game is eating up most of her time. But she's trying. And besides, Walter Steele seems to be sticking fairly close to Thea. Hopefully he can keep an eye on her until Laurel and Oliver don't have their hands so full.
And then everything sort of explodes. Not literally. Not like last year. But the city goes downhill pretty fast. Slade turns out to be a bad guy, Laurel gets her first look into the inner workings of Team Arrow, the city erupts in warfare only to be saved by an alliance between the Arrow's gang and the League of Assassins, Sara leaves with the League, and Laurel's father lands himself in the hospital. By the time the smoke finally clears, Thea Queen has left Starling to travel the world and it's far too late to do anything for her.
Laurel knows logically that Thea has a good head on her shoulders and is more than capable of taking care of herself. She probably just wants some space from everything. She'll be fine. Besides, Laurel has enough on her own plate right now without worrying about Thea. But as Thea's absence stretches from days into months, Laurel sometimes finds herself thinking about a thirteen-year-old girl alone in a cemetery and she wonders if maybe she should have done more while she had the chance.
And there you have it. Again, there may be an eighth chapter at some point, but we'll just have to see where season three takes these two ladies. Thanks to everybody who read this story, especially those of you who left reviews. Those make my day. How about leaving me one final review before you go? Thanks again, and I hope you'll be reading more of my work in the future.
