Oliver lay across the couch, his mind replaying the conversation he'd had with Thea earlier. He knew he hadn't been the best brother since coming home, but the idea of confiding in her was out of the question. There wasn't anyone he could trust with his secret other than Abigail, and if she hadn't been there through it, he probably wouldn't even have let her in. There was a pull in his chest, one he'd had since landing in Starling. It had been an uphill battle pushing the impulse down daily. He knew who he wanted to talk to, but she was the last person that wanted to see him and he'd made sure of that.
"Are you ready to go?" Abigail asked as she walked out of the bathroom sliding a diamond earring in. She glanced up and her entire body tensed. "Oliver!" She sighed as she saw him sitting with a book on the couch.
"I really don't feel like spending the night with your dad." He said with his signature playboy smile.
"Please don't give me that smile." She sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed to slip on her heels. "I can't believe you're bailing on a dinner that's supposed to be for our engagement. Now, I'm going to spend the night listening to him talk about how you're bad for me and I can do better. So thank you for that, sweetie." She grabbed her coat off the back of the couch, yanking it from under his outstretched arm.
"Abbie, wait." He sighed calling after her.
"What, Ollie?" She turned to give him a cold stare.
"I'm sorry, give me five minutes…" He started getting up, but she threw her hand up.
"Don't, its fine. I'll make up some excuse. But you do need to realize that he's going to be in our lives. He's my dad and no matter how judgmental he is, I will always love him."
Abigail met Tommy outside of the restaurant. She immediately wrapped her arms around her older brother, giving a small shake of her head at his questioning glance around. He allowed her to enter the building first and followed her to the table the family had reserved.
"Do you want to talk about it before daddy dearest gets here? Might help if I know whose side to be on." He said casually while looking over the wine menu.
"Oh no, I'm going to need more than a good Merlot. Can I get a triple scotch, no ice?" She said grabbing the nearest waiter.
"Okay, so obviously it was something bad." Tommy sighed as he finally glanced up to her.
"He wasn't feeling up to being out tonight. Honestly, I'm not all that trilled about it either. I think we've earned that privilege after the hell we went through."
"I think he could've endured an hour to appease his future father in law." Tommy said, reaching across the table to take her fidgeting fingers in his hand. "Are you sure everything's okay, Abigail?"
"It will be." She gave him a small reassuring smile before taking a deep breath. "Speaking of daddy dearest, where is he? The least he could do is show up on time for his own dinner."
The siblings sat through two rounds of drinks and a shared appetizer before finally giving up on waiting and ordering entrees. Abigail felt her smile coming easier as she listened to all the escapades she missed out on. She'd be lying if she said there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't miss Tommy. She tried sugar coating some of the island, mostly from the last month on it to give him something in return. It only seemed fair that she offer something about her time spent away with Oliver.
"They still have Dad's card on file here right?" Abigail asked as she finished off another glass of scotch.
"Yep, dinner's still on him." Tommy smiled as he helped her to her feet. "You shouldn't drive in your condition."
"Let me guess, you have a driver waiting outside right now?" She smiled as she allowed him to lead her out of the restaurant. "Do you mind if we just go home?"
Tommy pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as he moved to the waiting car. "Sure thing, Abs."
Thankfully, Tommy didn't feel like talking on the drive out to the mansion. He held Abigail close in the back seat, allowing her to relax into his side. By the time they arrived, she was completely limp against his shoulder. With a small chuckle, Tommy waved off the driver and scooped her up in his arms. It wouldn't be the first time he had to carry her to her room after passing out drunk. He laid her out on her bed before slipping off her shoes and coat. In an overly affectionate gesture, he brushed her hair off her face as he pulled the duvet over her body before placing a kiss on her cheek and murmuring goodnight.
"You want to rely on him to protect you?" Abigail kept her eyes downcast, picking at the dirt that had accumulated under her nails. She could feel Slade's eyes boring into her, but she refused to meet his stare.
"He's done a good job so far." She spoke softly, glancing up at Oliver's sleeping form. "I trust him."
"Do you trust me?" At that she did turn to face him. Her deep blue eyes locking on his dark ones.
"Honestly, I don't know yet. But you're helping Ollie, and he trusts you. So I guess by default I have no choice." She once again returned her attention to her nails.
"You're smarter than you let on. Smarter than him and possibly me." She could hear the smile slip onto his face. "He thinks it's too dangerous for you."
"It is dangerous. You're out there threatening terrorists with guns and knives. How many times have you been shot at or beaten?" Abigail glance towards him again and smirked as she saw the gun held in his hands. "I'm safer here, in this plane."
"You ever use one before?" Slade asked as he held up the weapon. Abigail only shrugged, before standing up and grabbing a bottle of water. "You should learn."
"Why don't you worry about teaching him some survival skills before thinking about me?"
Slade stood, glancing at Oliver's still sleeping form before moving towards her. He reached around and grabbed her bottle, crowding her from behind. Abigail gripped his arm before he was able to wrap them around her chest. She twisted his wrist painfully and stepped around him, creating a safe distance. Swinging out her leg, she knocked him off balance from behind causing him to hit the ground with his arm still in her grip. He let out a soft chuckle when she finally let him go and picked up the bottle of water.
"You're full of secrets aren't you?" He asked staring up at her from the floor.
"I'm not helpless, but that doesn't mean I like rushing headlong into danger. And I can shoot, but I don't think you'd like that demonstration." She flinched as she watched Slade get up and make a move towards her.
"Easy, sweetheart. You're good, but I can make up better." Setting the bottle down, she bit into her lower lip as she watched him closely. With a small nod he advanced towards her.
Abigail woke up in the middle of the night, thrashing against the heavy weight of blankets. She felt hands bracing her arms and she fought harder against the hold. Her legs kicked out, but quickly those too were pinned down to the bed. Thrashing against her captures hold, Abigail took in a deep breath and her senses were assaulted with a familiar scent, one she'd always found comforting.
"D-Daddy?" Her voice broke as she finally focused enough on her surroundings.
She took in her old room and for a moment she was relieved to be home again. Her breathing was still erratic, but she felt her adrenaline crashing and tears falling from her eyes. It took all of ten seconds for her to feel like a five year old again waking from a nightmare. Abigail flung her arms around her father's neck and took comfort in the feel of his warmth and strength.
"What did he do, sweetheart?" He whispered against her ear and Abigail stiffened.
"Who?" She sighed against his chest.
"Oliver, he's the reason you're here. You do remember moving out, don't you?"
Abigail pulled back and stared at her father. As her heartrate finally came back down to a normal pace, a throbbing settled into her brain as she remembered the beginning of the night. She moved out of her father's embrace and settled against the headboard.
"Actually, I'm here because of you." She sighed. "We were supposed to have dinner tonight at Table Salt. Tommy and I had a little too much to drink and I decided to stay here instead of heading home. My new home with my fiancé."
"Oh, sweetheart," he said reaching back out for her.
"No, it worked out. It was supposed to be a family dinner with Oliver, but he bailed. So I guess you could say he did start the catastrophe that was tonight. Or last night?" She said glancing at the clock on the night stand. "Its early Dad, I need to sleep. Maybe I'll see you for breakfast."
Abigail burrowed further into her sheets and turned her back to her father. Malcolm reached out and smoothed her hair back before getting up and heading to his own room for the night. Abigail couldn't force her mind off the memories of the island, and caught herself subtly twisting her hand in order to watch her engagement ring catch that light and reflect off the dark walls.
She knew she should be with Oliver, but a larger part wasn't ready to forgive him yet. Her biggest concern had been his commitment to his proposal. He wasn't exactly known for his willingness to commit to the long haul. Going in she knew it was all about the cover. It was all a grand distraction, but a small part of her had hoped it had a speck of truth to it as well.
It would be a lie to say that she hadn't dreamt about marrying Oliver Queen growing up. The way their parents would joke about it and later so would they. She knew what colors she'd want and the kind of music, at some point she probably already had a first song all picked out. But those were fantasies of a young naïve girl. This wasn't going to be her dream wedding, that was a given.
As she moved the ring along her finger, the shadows caught a silver scar along her palm. She ran a finger across the puckered flesh and tried not to recall the feel of the cold metal biting into her palm or the weight of the sword she'd held in her other hand at the moment of the injury. There were thousands of memories she wished to forget, but her body was like a hideous scrapbook of her time spent away.
"Hey, you going to the groundbreaking?" Tommy asked as she pushed open her bedroom door. Abigail glanced at her clock, surprised that her mind had kept her occupied for a three hours.
"Yeah, I need to head back to change though." She said slipping out of bed and into her discarded heels. "I'll meet you there?"
"Make sure Oliver doesn't do anything stupid." Tommy called out as he watched his sister move down the hallway. He was surprised to hear a motorcycle roar to life and speed down the driveway.
Abigail pulled in front of the garage at the Queen manor. She slid off her heels and made her way up to the house. It was already buzzing with activity due to the morning's importance to Queen Consolidated. Thea was in the kitchen finishing her breakfast when Abigail walked through the back door, smiling at her future sister-in-law as she grabbed an orange before leaving the room.
"Abigail, are you just getting in?" Moira called out as she saw the woman heading up the stairs. With a smile and a squinted eye, Abigail leaned against the door jam of the dining room where Moira and Walter were having breakfast. The couple shared a look before smiling at the young woman before them.
"Mom, don't tell me we have to look for our own place too?" Oliver came into view, slipping his arm around his fiancé's waist.
"It's okay, Moira. I spent the night with Tommy and ended up sleeping at home." She let out a giggle as Oliver squeezed her tight against his chest. "Well, my old home."
He steered them out of the room and towards the stairs. Abigail leaned heavily against his side as they slowly made their way back to their room. As soon as she made it through the threshold, she flopped onto the large bed and burrowed into the sheets with a heavy sight. It was surprising to her that she already felt so at home in this room, in this bed.
"Do you want to talk about dinner?" Oliver asked as he hoovered by the door.
"Nope, honestly it was all kind of a blur. Tommy ordered the good scotch." She smiled against the pillows underneath her.
"I'm sorry, Abbie." He said moving to lay beside her. She turned face him, curling against his side as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Did you go out last night?" She asked as her lips brushed against the side of his neck.
"Yeah, I finished things up with Somers." He admitted, laughing softly as he felt her pull away slightly. "I'm fine, see? I can manage one night without you."
"Oliver," she pushed up in order to face him head on. "It's not that I don't trust you. I know you can take care of yourself, but if God forbid something were to go wrong, I like to know that someone is there to have your back. And since you don't want anyone else knowing that someone has to be. We spent five years fighting for our lives, it'd kill me if some Starling City crime lord is the one that takes you down."
"You and I both know it'll take more than some muscle with bullets to get rid of me." He gave her one of his signature smiles, only causing her to hit him roughly in the arm.
"This isn't a game, Oliver. What you're doing is terrifying and I know you see it as necessary but I need you to promise me to you won't go out without me again."
"I promise," Oliver stared at her with sincere eyes as he pulled her back against him.
"We need to get ready for the groundbreaking." Abigail sighed as she pushed up against his chest and slid across him to the floor. "Want me to pick you out a good suit?"
She smiled down at him, reaching back in order to pull the zipper on her dress. Oliver sat up, turning her around to help her get the dress off. His hands followed the material down her back and sides before pooling at her ankles.
"I think I can dress myself, Abs." He stood up, kissing her shoulder before disappearing into the closet.
He was slipping his arms into his shirt as she came out of the bathroom wrapped in a large white towel. Abigail paused momentarily to appraise the suit he'd picked out before making her way into the closet.
"Oliver," she called out. "Should I go with a sensible suit, or sleek dress?"
"It doesn't matter, Abbie." He was continuing to button his shirt as he moved to stand in the closet doorway.
"I want to look good when they announce your new role in the company. Those pictures will be all over the news." She smiled at him as she pulled a dress off a hanger.
"About that…" He started, pausing to watch her shimmy into the dress.
"What? You don't like this one?" She paused, turning back to stare at the clothes hanging around her.
"No, you look great." He told her turning and leaving her in the closet alone. "I'm heading out. Going to check the foundry before heading to the groundbreaking."
"Wait, Oliver." Abigail stumbled out of the closet still trying to slip on her heels as she heard the doors close behind him.
Running down the stairs as quickly as she could, Abigail made it down just as she heard a car speeding away. Thea was by her side with a questioning look as she glanced around for her brother. All Abigail could offer her was a shrug. Moira and Walter met the two girls at the door.
"Where's Oliver?" Moira asked as the foursome began walking down the front steps to the limo waiting.
"He left ahead of us." Abigail smiled, trying to reassure the family. "I think he's a little nervous about the announcement. He'll be there."
Abigail focused her attention out the tinted window as they drove through the city to the outskirts where the new Applied Sciences building would be going up. There was little conversation in the car, mostly consisting of Moira and Walter discussing the speech. Abigail couldn't help the sense of dread she was feeling. Not knowing where Oliver ran off to was causing a pit to form in her stomach. She had to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she wasn't sure if she could still read him the same as before.
"Abbie, we're here." Thea called out as she slid out of the limo. Moira and Walter were already making their way to stage. There was already a crowd of reporters gathering only causing that feeling of uneasiness to grow in her stomach.
"Abigail Merlyn," Tommy called out with a wide smile on his face. She couldn't stop the smile the formed on her face as she saw her brother walking towards her.
"Thank god you're here." She sighed as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Where's Ollie?" He asked as they glanced around the crowd.
"He's on his way." She knew it was lie as the words left her lips.
Tommy narrowed his eyes as he stared at her, but didn't say anything about her obvious lie. He finally let up and once again there was a smile on his face. Abigail glanced around and saw what had caught his attention, or more likely who. He was moving around her before Abigail could even react. She followed behind him, glancing back at the stage to make sure she wasn't needed.
Abigail walked up to the two old friends, just catching that last of what Laurel was saying about 'last night'.
"You were with Oliver last night?" She asked, both Tommy and Laurel turned wide eyes towards her. "You went to the mansion?"
"He dropped by my place actually." Laurel said glancing from Abigail back to Tommy.
"Okay, what is going on with you two?" Abigail asked as she stared at both of them. "It's weird right? I think something's weird."
"Abs, its...we're…there's nothing." Tommy stammered.
"Yeah, that's convincing." She rolled her eyes and turned her stare back to Laurel. The two women stared each other down, only breaking eye contact when they heard Walter begin the ceremony. "I have to get up there."
Taking a few steps towards the stage, Abigail paused when she heard Oliver's voice billow over the crowd. She felt Tommy and Laurel close the space behind her, Tommy's hand falling against the middle of her back. With each flash of light, Abigail could just imagine what the papers would be saying the next morning. This was what Oliver wanted, and she knew there was no talking him down once his mind was made up. He dropped the shovel and jumped off the stage, never breaking stride as he made his way towards her.
"Good luck with him." Laurel whispered before Oliver was close enough to take Abigail's hand and lead her away from the crowd.
"You sure this is how you want to play it?" She asked, gripping his hand tightly as he practically dragged her.
"It's got to be this way, Abigail."
"Then know I've got to be pissed at you for a while." She glanced over at him with a hardened stare.
"Yeah, I expected that." He turned and smiled at her. "But I've got a plan."
"Did you come up with that plan with Laurel? Last night? At her apartment?" She stopped, ripping her hand from his grip.
He took in a deep breath, the muscles in his shoulders tightening as he heard the subtle tap of her heel against the pavement. When he turned around, he first checked for any cameras that may still be on them before stepping into her space, towering over her frame even in the heels she wore. He knew it wouldn't intimidate her, not like it would someone else. He was never able to intimidate her, if anything it had always been the other way around.
"Let's not do this here." He ground out threw a clenched jaw.
"No I think this is the best time to do this." She stood her ground, glaring up at him as he kept his focus on the distance over her shoulder.
"The warehouse is a few blocks away…"
"You don't want to have this conversation around weapons, Oliver. Trust me."
"Nothing happened, in fact we were attacked by the Triad. I already told you Laurel's in the past."
"You say a lot of things you don't mean, Oliver. It's starting to get a little difficult to tell when it's the truth."
"Mr. Queen, Ms. Merlyn." Diggle's voice pulled the two apart but didn't eliminate the tension between them. "The car is waiting up the block." He closed the space between the, but Abigail was already heading in the direction of the car before Diggle could escort them. "Is everything alright, Mr. Queen?"
"Yeah, she's having a rough morning." Oliver sighed before following after the sound of pounding heels.