A/N: Hi guys, sorry I've been so late on the updates! Having two WIP's up at the same time is proving to be a challenge sometimes. Hope you enjoy the new chapter ;)

I don't own Arrow or its characters

Roy wakes up on his first night in one of the three guest rooms in the loft to Thea sneaking in, the light from the hall spilling through the doorway.

She's in a little blue camisole and tiny grey boxer shorts. Her hair is pulled back and the light goes out as she shuts the door behind her.

"Hey," he says groggily. "What's wrong?"

"Couldn't sleep," she whispers. "Can I get in with you?"

"Why can't you sleep?"

Thea shrugs, tip-toeing to the side of the bed. "Ollie's not home yet."

"What time is it?"

"Almost three."

Three in the morning? Where the hell would a CEO of a company go to at three in the morning when he has work in six hours?

"Roy," she whispers, her hand playing with the edge of the soft grey duvet cover. "Please."

"Yeah," he hears himself say. "Sure."

She climbs into his bed and sits cross-legged on the mattress next to him. He grips the sheets, trying not to look at her exposed thighs.

Jesus Christ, is the universe trying to test all the limits of his self control? It's taking everything her has not to flip her on her back and slam him mouth against her.

But Thea's not that kind of girl.

She's fragile and exquisite, like a rare bird or a beautiful flower that only grows under specific conditions.

He's terrified of breaking her.

"You okay?" he asks.

She frowns and a crease appears between her eyebrows. "I'm not happy Ollie's still out. I don't like being here alone."

He grins and grabs her hand loosely. "You're not alone."

She gives him a cheeky smile. "No, I'm not."

She leans into him and it's just so easy, to catch her mouth in a kiss that has her melting into him.

She grips his shoulders and suddenly she's in his lap. Roy groans, thankful for the blanket that's separating his boxer briefs from the thin cottony of her little shorts.

"Shouldn't we like...talk?" he sighs, leaning down to kiss her neck.

"I don't feel like talking."

"Thea-"

"We can talk later," she says, and grinds her hips purposefully.

"Hey, okay," he says, hands going down to her hips to hold them in place.

"What?" she says impatiently. "I have therapy in four hours, I can talk all about my evil daddy and my workaholic brother and how my boyfriend is now my bodyguard."

"You should really get some sleep then, if you have to get up in four hours."

Thea pouts at him. "Why? I wanna hang out."

"You need sleep more."

"Roy," she whines.

"You want me to treat you like a kid?" Roy asks. "Give you everything you want?"

Thea bites her lip. "No. I don't know."

He cocks an eyebrow at her. "Maybe you're a just a spoiled little girl."

She leans forward, lips brushing his. "I'm used to getting what I want."

He picks her up and hauls her off his lap. "Your tricks aren't going to work on me, princess."

She flutters her lashes at him. "Can I sleep in here?"

"Hell no. I'm not getting punched by Oliver again."

Thea winces and he suddenly feels like an asshole for bringing it up.

"Come on," he says, holding out his hand. "I'll lay down with you in your room until you fall asleep."

Thea freezes, her hand halfway to his. "Really?"

He kisses the top of her head. "Sure. I don't mind."

She curls into him, fitting her head beneath his chin and looping her arms around her.

"I've never met someone like you before," she whispers.

"What do you mean?"

Thea presses her cheek into his shoulder. "You're all tough looking on the outside. But on the inside you're nicer than anyone I know."

"I think you're nice too."

Thea smiles. "I'm really happy you're here."

Roy grins. "Me too."

xxx

When Thea comes down at 6:40 in the morning Oliver's waiting for her in the living room, dressed in an impeccable navy Armani suit.

"Here," he says in a gravely voice, handing her on of two cardboard cups of coffee in his hands.

"Thanks," she says suspiciously. Ollie looks really pale and honestly kind of sick. "Are you okay?"

"Just tired," he mutters. "Come on, let's go, we're going to be late. Again."

"You don't have to drive me," she says, picking up her Kate Spade book bag. "Roy or Mr. Diggle could do it."

"Don't be an idiot."

"Did you even sleep last night?"

"I've got a lot on my mind."

"Sorry," she murmurs.

"Don't," he says slipping her hand into his. "Don't ever apologize. Not for him."

xxx

She spends the first half of school in a daze, unable to forget what happened the day before.

Malcolm, in her home. Malcolm, giving messages to her boyfriend.

Which of course only triggers more memories. Malcolm forcing her hand on a hot stove, his face covered in a draped black hood, Malcolm notching an arrow in a front of a crying girl.

"Hey," Sara whispers in English, leaning towards her desk. "What's wrong?"

Thea puts her hand up in the air. "I have to go to the bathroom."

The bathroom is blessedly empty and she sits in the floor with her head on her knees, thinking of blood on a marble floor, water splashing over the rim of a bowl.

The leather of her bag sticks to her sweaty palm, and she's about to go back to class when she remembers what happened yesterday, before Malcolm showed up and ruined everything.

Remembers the little bag of pills zipped into the inside pocket of her bag.

One eye on the door, she slips her hand inside her bag and unzips the pocket. Dips her fingers in and opens the little plastic baggie, retrieves one small white pill.

Swallows it dry before she has a chance to change her mind.

It comes on in the middle of history and she almost falls asleep at her desk, caught up in a wave of calm so deep she can barely keep her eyes open.

When class is over Sara grabs her by the elbow and hauls her into the bathroom.

"Ow," she complains, rubbing her arm. "What's your problem?"

"You're fucking high," Sara hisses. "At school."

"No I'm not."

"You're lying to me." Sara's eyes are full of tears but she just doesn't have the energy to care.

"You're the one who gave me Vertigo. Don't you think you're being a hypocrite?" Thea asks coolly.

Sara stumbles back, her face flushing. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"God," Sara says angrily. "You never talk to me anymore! Ever since you went on vacation last summer and came back at weird and quiet."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Thea says sharply.

"I know something happened," Sara presses. "There has to be a reason why you're acting like such a freak-"

Crack.

Sara's head tips back as Thea's hand whips across her cheek.

Sara shrieks and Thea gasps in horror, pulling her hand back.

Sara stares at her with wide, betrayed eyes. "You hit me!"

"Sara, I'm so sorry-"

"You hit me! I can't believe you hit me-"

"Sara, please-"

"I have to go." Sara's voice breaks on a sob and she flees the bathroom.

Thea stares at herself in the mirror, wondering when she started hating herself.

xxx

Roy's parked in the carpool lane outside Thea's school (yes, the carpool lane, because his job is actually a lot closer to babysitter than bodyguard) when he sees Sara push through the huge front doors of the building and fly down the steps.

Her blond hair streams behind her in a golden wave but it's her face Roy notices, tomato red and wet with tears.

He rolls down the window and leans his head out. "Hey," he yells. "You okay?"

Sara stumbles towards the Bentley (yes, a fucking Bentley. Oliver had left the keys on the kitchen counter for him next to a stern note telling him he better be a safe fucking driver and if the Bentley came home with a scratch on it Oliver would take the cost out of his paycheck.)

Roy had gotten stuck on the word paycheck, thinking of what he could do with a legit, on the books job-daydreams of a full fridge, money to help Felicity with her student loans, shoes that actually fit right, health insurance.

He leans over and opens the passenger door for her. Sara slides in, her hair falling like a curtain over her face.

"Hey," she mumbles, curling her legs up under her. "What're you doing here?"

"Picking Thea up."

"Sweet gig," she says dryly. "Wish my parents would pay for a boy toy."

"You alright?"

Sara sniffs, rubbing at the skin under her eyes. "We got in a fight."

"You and Thea?"

"Yeah."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Sara looks at him uncertainly. "Does Thea seem different to you?"

He shrugs. "I haven't known her that long, I don't know what you mean by different."

Sara sighs and picks at a cuticle. "Last year-before her mom died-we'd party sometimes but it wasn't...it wasn't bad. I knew...I knew she'd had a hard time with Ollie and everything, but things were okay. And then her mom died, and she went on vacation for like, four months, and when she came back things weren't like they were before."

Went on vacation. Holy shit, Sara doesn't know about Thea's dad.

"Her mom died," he says cautiously. "That's gotta be rough."

"It's not just that. We used to be best friends. Ollie and Laurel used to date when they were in high school, so our families were together all the time. She used to talk to me, you know?"

Laurel? Like Laurel Lance? Roy suddenly realizes he doesn't know Sara's last name, but he can see it, the blond hair, the spunky attitude.

"So you're worried about her," he surmises.

Sara reaches up at presses her fingertips lightly to her cheek. "She hit me."

"She what?"

"We got in an argument, and she just slapped me."

"That doesn't sound like Thea."

"I know," Sara says grimly.

"What were you guys fighting about, anyway?"

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "I, um...she was acting weird and I called her on it, and she got really mad."

"Weird how?" he asks, thinking of how upset Thea got yesterday, how she'd sobbed in his arms while waiting for Oliver to come home.

Sara bites her lip. "I don't know-"

"Sara."

"She seemed high, alright?"

He suddenly feels sick. "High? Are you sure?"

"She said she wasn't but of course she'd say that! I know her, I know when she's fucked up."

"Shit," he swears. "That's not good."

"I know," Sara says thickly. "I should go, she'll probably be out in a few minutes."

"Okay."

"Do you think you could...I don't know, just keep an eye on her, okay?"

"Sure," Roy says evenly. "But I need you to do something for me too."

Sara frowns. "What?"

Roy crosses his arms around his chest. "I need to know where you got the Vertigo, Sara."

xxx

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