Lian Yu.
Oliver was walking along the beachhead carrying a small crate with his friend, Anatoly. "Go over the plan again."
He had to ensure that the plan was to go smoothly, that every cog moved when it should.
Anatoly groaned. "Oliver, I'm not nearly drunk enough to forget the plan." He then noticed his brother's face and repeated the plan for what felt like the umpteenth time. "I leave you here, in a few hours, return to the mainland, and find fisherman and pay him to circle this island in a weeks' time."
"Good."
Anatoly sobered. "I also have a favor to ask."
"Name it, Anatoly." He owed this man a lot.
"Your hometown, Starling City, Da?"
Oliver smiled. "It is." His mind drifted not to the cityscape, but to his family, friends, and Laurel.
"I was reading Gregor's old reports from the past year. "Our distribution was cut off. Good men killed. The only thing we heard from our men was: Kanareyka. She brought shame to our brothers, not something that is easily forgiven."
Oliver gave a curt nod of his head. The last thing he wanted to do upon arriving was hunting down this Canary woman, he had his own crusade. He had to ensure that he cleaned up his family's legacy, make things right. If he didn't who would?
"Anatoly…"
Anatoly silenced his brother and spoke. "When brother is hurt, what do his brothers do?"
"Avenge their brother," Oliver repeated their mantra with resignation.
Anatoly slapped him on the back and chuckled. "She can be dealt with after you get yourself reacquainted with family, of course."
Laurel walked into Ted's gym to see Thea and Ted finding the best bow, arrows and other weapons suited to Thea.
"But I have my own bow…" Thea said, slightly annoyed at the older man.
"One that is linked to Thea Queen. One of these will be linked to… What's your codename?"
"Speedy," Laurel answered before the younger woman could answer. As she did, she gave her little sister a smug grin.
Thea groaned. "Worst name ever!"
Eventually, Thea was given a dark red and black bow, with arrows that had matching fletching, along with a short sword as a sidearm.
Thea was twirling her sword in her hand, getting used to the feel and weight of the weapon, as Laurel approached. "Looks like Ted gave you, your own little arsenal."
Thea sniggered, as she sheathed her blade. "No kidding."
Ted looked up from storing the weapons back into their respective cabinets. "She wanted to have sais, told her to work with a sword first. Her smaller stature means she would be better initially, at least, with something with more reach."
Thea scoffed, as she adjusted her quiver's straps around her chest. She then mumbled under her breath so only Laurel could hear her. "And I thought you were stubborn, Laurel."
Laurel lightly snorted as she handed her a metal briefcase. "The final gift of the vacation."
Thea opened it to see a suit that was red at the top, before eventually becoming black by the time it reaches the boots.
"Laurel…" Thea wiped some tears from her eyes. "This is too much. You have done so much for me in the last year. I can't accept this, I'm happy with my hoodie and one of your spare masks."
"No.," she said firmly. "You want to work alongside me; I need to know that you are well equipped and that means more than just weapons but also armor."
Laurel wouldn't hear anything else about the suit. Thea joined her because she believed that sisters protected each other, well this was her way of protecting her baby sister. She would always go the extra mile for her family. For the people she loves.
Thea launched herself into Laurel hugging her, and thanking her multiple times.
As Thea was organizing the proper paperwork Laurel needed for the Adam Hunt case, she was listening to the TV reporter.
"The Black Canary and her partner in red have recently taken down a drug trafficking ring in The Glades. Witnesses and local residents of the area have affectionately named the female crime-fighting duo, as; The Birds of Prey. Due to the fact that they prey on those who commit injustice..."
Thea smiled with pride, the city was noticing the aid that, she and Laurel provided. The only issue of explaining to her mother why she had developed bruising or cuts and scrapes. So, she told her mother that she had opted to take Krav Maga classes with Laurel. Which wasn't far from the truth, The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program had bits of Krav Maga in it.
Her mother didn't seem ecstatic about her taking up self-defense classes, but between her and Laurel, they managed to concoct a story that seemed believable and her mother bought it. The story was that; she and Laurel had to learn self-defense due to their personal safety concerns, regarding in their line of work.
Only her mother believed that Laurel meant, working as an attorney and Thea as something between a paralegal and an office manager.
Thea received a phone call from Walter, as she mused that the media have only ever acknowledged her as either The Archer, Woman in Red or Black Canary's partner.
Thea grabbed her phone and answered. "Thea Queen."
"Thea, I have good news for you." Her stepfather's voice answered.
"Yeah?" She asked as she continued to ruffle papers around, highlighting passages that Laurel needed for their case.
"Your Mother wanted you to know before the public. Thea, Oliver has been found. Your Mother wishes for you to be at the mansion before your brother is sent home from the hospital."
Thea wiped tears from her eyes and cleared her throat. Her brother was alive. Ollie was alive. "I'll be right there." She then hung up her phone and sprinted to Laurel's office. And knocked on the door and leaned in. "Sorry to interrupt, Laurel." She then saw her sister with a client.
Laurel looked up from discussing something with their client.
"I have a family emergency."
Laurel looked towards her sister with growing anxiety building in her chest. "Is everything ok?"
Thea nodded. "Yeah, I'll tell you about it later." With that, Thea left the office feeling ecstatic that her brother was alive, but a sliver of guilt for misleading Laurel. Her sister in all but name.
Thea waited next to Walter as they heard the town car pull up. Walter had gently put his arm around his step daughter's shoulders. "You ready to see Oliver?"
She nodded and wiped away the tears. "I've got my brother back."
Walter gave her a sympathetic smile. "Just remember what I said. He has been through a lot. He may not be the same boy; you remember from when you grew up."
Thea nodded, as she recalled how she learned a similar lesson with Laurel, last year.
Laurel had been reforged in her grief and tempered by Ted Grant. Gone, was the over-idealistic and wide-eyed girl. The woman who returned was firm, tough, yet, fair and compassionate.
As Oliver walked in, Thea noticed he looked like a fish out of water. It was to be expected due to him living on an island for five years, but nonetheless, it was still a strange and sad sight to behold. A man feeling alien to the environment he grew up in.
Walter walked over to Oliver and shook his hand. "It's damn good to see you."
Oliver looked at him with curiosity. "It's Walter." The older man stated carefully.
Oliver nodded. He then saw his sister; she had cut her hair to just above her shoulders. "Hey, Sis."
Thea ran over to her brother and embraced him. "I missed you so much."
"You were with me the whole time." He whispered into her ear.
Laurel sighed as she had just finished interviewing clients and dealing with paperwork for her case with Hunt. She walked out of her office and into the lobby. She turned on the TV as she dropped lazily on the office sofa. As she flicked through the channels, she wondered if Thea was alright.
She seemed to have been wearing a strange emotion that Laurel couldn't figure out.
It was then that she found a news channel that caught her eye.
It had a picture of Oliver Queen.
"The Queen's Gambit was last heard from more than five years ago. Mr. Queen has confirmed to the authorities, that he was the lone survivor of the tragic accident that took the lives of seven people, including his father and local resident Sara Lance, survived by her sister, Laurel…"
Laurel turned off the TV and walked into her office, grabbing her gym clothes and left the office for her gym. Well, at least she knew Thea was alright, and what that family emergency was about.
She didn't know if she was happy that he was back home and safe, or if she was mad as all hell that he had returned. More than likely, it was something in between.
Thea left an hour after Oliver had left the table. As she left the table, Tommy walked her out. "How is Laurel holding up after finding out?"
Thea bit her lip. "I, uh… I didn't tell her. She was with a client and we had a lot of work for her case."
Tommy shook his head. "You should have told her. She may not have been happy, but Thea, she took you in and put you on the path you are now. Helping people, working a steady job. She has helped you keep clean."
His voice then lowered to a whisper. "She has been a far better role model than either of your parents, Ollie or even me. Hell, Thea, I saw Detective Lance watching you two with pride when you two were in court taking down Daniel Brickwell."
Thea nodded as she folded her arms, she had never seen Laurel's father show her or any of her family, that sort of emotion before she and Laurel had become close. "I know, it's just…" She sighed. "If she knew, she would either storm in here and raise hell, or storm off to that ratty gym and spend hours there hitting a heavy bag instead of working. And our clients need help, Tommy. She needs to help these people and not just for their sake, but also for hers."
Tommy frowned as he patted her shoulder. "I just don't want you to lose the angel on your shoulder, Thea."
Thea then left and found her sister in the old gym. She had a sense of déjà vu. Only instead of someone coming back from the dead, Jo had just been buried. Perhaps, her friendship with Laurel was now dead and buried, after all, she had lied to Laurel, about Ollie returning home.
"Laurel?" Thea asked as if Laurel was a caged lion, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
The lawyer continued to hit the hard bag, the chain holding the bag was rattling. "What do you want, Thea?" Her voice held none of the mirth that she had in the past few months.
Thea's stomach dropped. Laurel knew that Ollie was back. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that she hadn't lost her sister. Tommy was right, as much as she loved Oliver, Laurel was just as important in her life. The big sister she never had.
She hoped she hadn't thrown it all that out the window, due to her excitement of Ollie's return. She still needed her big sister in her life, just as much as she needed her brother.
"You know, don't you?" Thea asked quietly, despite seeing the evidence of her sister's frustrations on the old punching bag.
Laurel stopped punching and used her teeth to remove the wraps from her hand and wrist. "Know what?" She asked rhetorically. "That your brother is alive and well?"
Thea nodded sullenly. "I did it to protect you. We have a big case with Adam Hunt and all those other pro-bono works that we have going."
Laurel nodded. She knew she couldn't fault Thea for not informing her, she didn't like it but she understood. "How is he? Ollie?"
"Cold and distant," Thea replied as she remembered the awkward dinner.
"That makes sense considering he was shipwrecked on a deserted island." Laurel justified as she grabbed her towel and patted down her face and arms.
"You're not mad?" Thea asked, as she carefully watched Laurel move around the dingy gym with ease as if she could navigate the gym blindfolded.
"Annoyed that I had to find out on the television. But no, Ollie doesn't define our friendship. You're still my sister, my paralegal and my partner for other things. If you still want to?"
Thea grinned as she embraced her sister, muttering her apologies.