A/N: I don't own Arrow or its characters.

xxx

Thea and Roy wait for Oliver in the living room. She's shivering, curled up in a ball on the couch.

She wants a pill. She wants a pill so badly.

"Hey," Roy says, slinging an arm around her. "Come here."

She lets him pull her to him, snuggles her cheek against the soft material of his sweatshirt, and the want starts to dissolve. She takes a deep breath and focuses on Roy, the warmth of his skin, how safe she feels when he's with her.

"You okay?" Roy murmurs.

She shakes her head.

Roy sighs, one hand coming up to stroke her hair. "So what's the deal with him? Your dad."

She swallows dryly. "I didn't know he was my father until after my mother died. It came up in the will reading. She was, um...very specific that Ollie got me and not Malcom."

"Malcom?"

"That's his name. Malcom Merlyn."

Merlyn..."Like Tommy Merlyn?"

"Yeah. Tommy was my half-brother. We didn't know, obviously, and by the time I found out, it was too late. Tommy was already dead."

"Bet Oliver freaked out, huh?"

She snorts. "He already knew. Lying bastard."

"And he didn't tell you?"

"Apparently my mother made him promise not to."

"Why?"

She shrugs. "She didn't want it getting out that she cheated on my dad I guess. I don't know. I guess she thought I'd never find out."

"Sounds rough."

"Yeah-"

"Thea!"

Her brother bursts through the door with wild eyes.

"I'm okay," she says, but he still yanks her off the couch to crush her to his chest.

"Are you sure?" he asks worriedly.

"I'm fine, Ollie. I didn't even see him."

He releases her and she sinks back down on the couch next to Roy.

"I can't believe him," Ollie growls, pacing back and forth in front of the couch. "When I catch him I'm going to kill him."

"Ollie."

"I didn't hear anything," Roy says innocently.

"Diggle's downstairs getting a copy of the security tape from the lobby. If we can prove to Lance that Merlyn broke the restraining order he'll put a warrant out for him."

Thea slumps forward and rests her head in her palms. "I can't believe this is happening."

Oliver pauses his frantic pacing to kiss the top of her head. "We'll catch him."

"Um," Roy says. "So this Malcom guy is a pretty bad dude?"

"That's one way of putting it," she mutters.

"You're getting a bodyguard," Oliver says.

"What? Ollie, come on."

"He's here. He knows where we live-"

"Ollie-"

"I'm not debating this with you, Thea."

"You're being paranoid."

"He's dangerous, Thea."

"Hey," Roy pipes up. "Why does she need a bodyguard?"

Oliver glances between Roy and Thea. "Did you tell him yet?"

"Just that Malcolm's my father."

Her brother runs a hand over his face. "Maybe we should tell him."

She looks at him in astonishment. "You want to tell him?"

Oliver pierces her with a look. "Malcolm saw him."

"Uh, is that bad?" Roy interjects.

"It's not good," Oliver mutters.

"Okay," she says. "If you want to tell him, go for it."

"Fine," he says curtly, and turns to Roy.

"Malcolm showed up in Starling City a week after our mother died. He waited until I left for work and came to the house for Thea."

"He said he just wanted to talk," she says sullenly.

She knows Ollie will never get over this, that the devil came to their house and she went with him willingly.

"When I came home Thea was gone," Ollie continues. "It took me four months to find her."

Roy stares at her. "Where were you?"

"Corto Maltese," she says quietly, watching the muscle in Ollie's jaw twitch.

"Where the fuck is that?" Roy asks, looking bewildered.

Thea shivers. "It doesn't matter. I went straight off the plane and to the house. I could've been anywhere. He wouldn't let me leave the house. He had a lot of staff to make sure I couldn't."

"So he kidnapped you," Roy says bluntly.

"I went with him," she says quietly. "I didn't know he wouldn't let me go home."

"He took a minor out of the country without permission from her guardian. He broke the law," Oliver says gruffly.

Roy's hand slips into hers and he squeezes. "So how did you get back?"

Thea smiles wanly. "Ollie found me."

Roy gives Oliver a look of surprised admiration. "For real?"

"Mr. Diggle's wife works for a military contractor. She did a favor for me."

"Wow," Roy says. "That's...okay. When was this?"

"Last summer," she tells him.

"So why would he come back?" Roy questions. "It's been like nine months."

"Because he's crazy," she says tiredly. "Remember Tommy, his son that died? Malcom had this idea that he could replace him with me and we'd be a family. He's got this obsession with our bloodline, it's really weird."

Oliver looks sickened. "You never told me that."

She stares down at her hands.

"So that's why he's here," Roy surmises. "He wants his family back."

"Thea's not his family," Ollie says sharply. "This is why you're getting a bodyguard."

"Okay." Thea flings up her hands. "Fine, you can get me a bodyguard. But not in school, okay? That's just embarrassing."

"We'll see," Oliver says ominously.

"Can you get me someone cool?" she asks. "If I'm going to be stuck with a stranger all the time."

"Uh-huh," he says, but he's staring off at the wall with a look on his face that worries her.

"Ollie?"

His gaze drifts to Roy, his red hoodie and scraped up knuckles.

"Why are you looking at him like that?" Thea snaps. "Don't look at him like that."

"I'm just thinking," Oliver says lightly.

"Oh no," she says. "Don't even go there."

"Why not?" he questions. "It's an interesting idea."

"Ollie!"

"What?" he says innocently. "We should at least talk about it."

"Are you serious?"

"He's got the skill set," Oliver comments. "And there's your cool factor."

"Oh my god," she says in disbelief. "You're being totally serious."

"Um, are you guys talking about me?" Roy questions.

"I know I can trust him," Oliver says. "That saves me days of running background checks before I find someone I trust."

She glares at him. "How many times to do I have to tell you not to run background checks on my boyfriends?"

Roy grins at her. "I'm your boyfriend?"

She rolls her eyes at him. "That's what you took away from that sentence?"

"Hey Roy," Oliver says. "How would you feel about working for me for a thousand dollars a week?"

Roy's mouth drops open. "Do I have to kill anyone?"

Oliver chuckles. "No."

"A thousand dollars."

"Mm-hmm," Oliver says, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Hell yeah!" Roy exclaims. "Are you kidding me?"

Her brother holds out his hand and shakes her boyfriend's hand. "Congratulations, you're now my newest employee."

Roy turns to Thea. "What just happened?"

Oh screw it. Thea smiles. If she's going to be stuck with someone all day it's pretty awesome that that someone is Roy.

"You're my new bodyguard," she explains.

Roy shakes his head. "Man, I am having a crazy week."

xxx

After Roy and Oliver shake on it Thea escapes upstairs to 'shower the idea of Malcolm' off her.

As soon as she's gone Oliver turns to Roy.

"Look," he says, "how would you feel about staying here for awhile?"

Roy blinks at him. "Stay-here?"

"Yeah," Oliver says. "It's not like we don't have a ton of bedrooms. Would you be okay with that?"

"Are you okay with it?"

"I don't think I'm ever going to be thrilled about my sister having a boyfriend," Oliver says wryly. "But would I feel better knowing Thea won't be here alone? Yeah, I would."

"Okay," Roy says. "Yeah, okay."

"Good," Oliver replies. "My driver will take you to your apartment to get anything you need."

"Tonight?" Roy says stupidly.

"Yeah," Oliver says impatiently. "I have to go out later, I'd like you to be here with Thea."

Roy narrows his eyes at Oliver. "Where do you have to go?"

Oliver gives Roy a smile that looks like a trap. "Don't worry about it."

Oliver's driver takes him back to his apartment in the Range Rover and parks at the curb.

"I'll be right here," he assures Roy, who cannot get used to the idea of having a driver and therefore doesn't know how to reply except to mutter an embarrassed thank you.

In his apartment he finds a duffle bag and stuffs some clothes in it. He doesn't have much stuff apart from that so packing only takes a few minutes. He unplugs everything and is locking up when Felicity pops out of her apartment.

"Hey," she says cheerfully, "where are you going?"

"Um...you know that girlfriend-"

"Wait wait wait," Felicity says. "Now she's your girlfriend?"

Roy rolls his eyes. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend."

Felicity squeals. "That's amazing!"

"Whatever, anyway, I'm gonna stay with her for awhile."

Felicity raises an eyebrow. "Must be serious."

He really doesn't know how to answer that so he settles for a shrug.

"You're not like...moving are you?" Felicity asks.

Roy grins. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you here. I'm just gonna crash at her place for awhile."

Felicity smiles. "Enjoy the high life."

"Yeah."

"Okay," she says, ruffling his hair. "Don't forget about where you come from when you're rolling around with the millionaires in your expensive suits."

Roy smirks at her. "Like I would ever wear a suit."

xxx

A/N: Please review ;)