Hey all! thank you for the love from the last chapter! Here is the new one - and to make up for the shorter chapter in the last one, this one is like 5700 words! enjoy :D

Chapter 13 – Can't Help Falling In Love With You

Thea held herself tightly against the cold wind that was blowing around her, it was late afternoon by the time she had arrived at the field behind the mansion. "Hi Ollie, Dad. Stopped by the office today. Saw mum talking to Walter. Starting to think that somethings happening there. I don't know…" She laughed to herself unamused. She couldn't believe that after only 12 months of her father being dead was her mother moving, with her father's best friend no less. But she really should not have been surprised. The people in her family are known to just move on easily.

The crunching of footsteps behind her caught her attention, she turned to find Jorden standing there, his hands in his pocket like he always had. "Queenie." He had known to find her there; she had told him exactly where to find her. Their exchange was silent, money for drugs, something that they had come to understand over the last few months. They didn't need to speak, the faster he was out of her presence the less chance there was for someone to notice them together.

She could not have been more wrong this time around. "What the hell is this?" Tommy rushed up to her side, pushing passed Thea and grabbed for the guys standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here Tommy?" Thea tried to reach for Tommy, pulling him away from now slightly worried man.

But Tommy held on tighter, his fists bunching up the material on his chest. ""I was about to ask Jorden the same thing." He growled, but he missed the strange look that Thea gave Tommy, how did he know Jorden's name?

Jorden held his hands up in surrender, "Just paying the family my respects man." He looked towards Thea and then back to Tommy, as if trying to get him to believe him.

But Tommy knew better, he knew Jorden better than that, ""You did. Now you are going to stay away from her. Permanently." He shoved Jorden away from him, the force sending him backwards a few steps. Muttering to himself, Jorden rushed from the field, back the way he had come.

Tommy spun on his heals and pointed a finger towards Thea, "You should be bringing flowers here not looking to score drugs. You are better than this Thea."

Thea just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "What are you even doing here Tommy?" Tommy wasn't even supposed to be there today.

Tommy had tried to be there for Thea but she had pushed him away every chance she got. She was angry, she was a 16-year-old teenager and she was angry. Angry at her brother for leaving her, angry at her father for dying and leaving her with her mother who she was also angry at. Moira had locked herself in the house for the first few months after Robert died, she was not coping with the loss of her husband and her son all within a year.

By this point, Thea was raising herself, no parental supervision – even less than when Oliver was around – and a bank account and credit card with no limit. She was on her own, learning to navigate being a teenager and how to live without the two people in her life that she loved the most. It didn't surprise Tommy that she was going off the deep end.

That was why he tried to spend as much time with her as possible. He had taken her out for lunches, shopping or just hanging out with but now that it was just the two of them, Thea didn't want to spend any time with him, she fought against him, yelled and screamed and just all around turned into the teenager that he worried about. And did he worry about her. For good reason now he knew.

Mirroring Thea's stance, Tommy raised his eyebrow at her, he wanted to shake her straight, what the hell was Thea doing? "I came to thank you for my birthday card." She had sent him a birthday card, nothing special but the comment at the end was the real reason he had come to see her. "And to tell you that my party tonight is 21 and over, as far as you're concerned. You shouldn't grow up too fast Thea…"

Thea huffed, straightening her back as she glared at Tommy, "Yeah, well you're not my brother." She was being stubborn and childish and it frustrated Tommy to no end.

He was trying to hold back his anger. Getting angry with Thea, after everything she had been through in the last two years, was the last thing he ever wanted to do. He knew that getting angry with her was not going to help but her attitudes towards him and her whole situation were not helping reign him back. Clenching his jaw, Tommy spoke in a controlled tone, "You're right, no I'm not. But I think about him every single day; For the first time, I'm glad he's gone because seeing you like this would break his heart."

That did her in, Thea snapped, her voice raising as she took a step closer to Tommy, her hands dropping by her sides, clenching her fists, "It's funny how Ollie seems to care more about me now that he is dead than he did when he was alive! You know what Tommy, I know you don't really care, I don't need you ok, so you can go back to your home and your Laurel and just let me live life the way I want to."

Thea went to push past Tommy but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from leaving, "Thea do you listen to yourself? How can you think that I don't care about you? You are like a sister to me. Felicity and I, we both worry about you…"

Reeling back as if Tommy had slapped her, Thea narrowed her eyes at him, "Felicity? Felicity worries about me? You can't be serious. She doesn't care about me, she only cared about Ollie. She can go to hell and so can you!" Thea turned on her heals and stalked back to the mansion, leaning Tommy to watch her retreating.


"Thomas Merlyn, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?" Tommy's head shot up at the sound of the young girl's voice, his eyes narrowing when he saw the 16-year-old Thea Queen, dressed very, very scantily at his bar. This was not going to end well for him or her.

The music was pumping around the room, each of the lights flashing in time with the DJ, thrones of people grinding together on the dance floor and there at the bar was birthday boy Tommy Merlyn and Thea Queen had easily caught Tommy's attention. Her dress was more a top but more so, he had specifically told her not to come. Huffing, Tommy moved towards the bar where Thea was, watching as she reached for the glass that was placed in front of her.

Thea leaned against the bar, waiting patiently for someone to serve her, she could feel Tommy still staring at her, ready to pounce if she tried to order something alcoholic. Glancing around she thought she noticed Felicity standing off to the side of the bar, her arms wrapped around herself as she waited for a drink.

No, that was Felicity standing by the bar. Thea became agitated instantly, the thought of seeing Felicity after all this time made her angry. Furious and angry. Straightening her back, she went to step over to her to give when she stopped and watched on. Felicity's hand, that was rubbing her upper arm as though she was cold moved as a guy came to stand by her side.

Under the flashing lights, Thea could see the dark outline of a bruise on Felicity's arm, the distinct outline of finger marks dark against her usually pale skin. Thea blinked as she tried to get better look at the man standing by her side but she couldn't, Felicity was standing in the way.

The sudden appearance of a drink on the bar in front of her and a cute looking bartender in a red hoodie pulled Thea's attention away from Felicity. "On the house." Was his only words, with a wink of his eye the bartender moved back to the crowd waiting for him. Reaching out for the drink, Thea placed the straw between her lips, relishing in the Vodka and orange juice that mixed into her glass. Turning back towards Felicity, Thea found that she had gone, lost in the sea of people all celebrating Tommy birthday.

"Thea...what did I say?" Tommy made his way to Thea's side, taking her drink before she could continue drinking it. "Thea I warned you, if you didn't listen you'd be sent home. Now..." he waved over the bouncer who was waiting just inside the doors, "...James is going to call you a cab. Go home Thea. Now." He was angry, not only was she just 16 but if the cops decided they were going to check things out, he would lose his licence because it was pretty clear how old Thea Queen was.

Huffing, Thea turned on her heals and follow James from the dance floor, sending him one last angry look over her shoulder.

Tommy rubbed his face, he should have known Thea would crash and he was willing to let her stay, better her being in his club where he could keep an eye on her than letting her get drunk at other places, but she had deliberately gone against what he'd asked and so he was kicking her out.

Glancing behind him, Tommy's eyes linked with Felicity's, she seen the whole exchange. He could tell she felt guilty for not going over to help him but she also knew that if she did, she would be making the scene so much worse than it already was. Felicity was not the person that Thea would listen to, not anymore.

Stalking away, Tommy found Laurel easily in the crowd of people, a sad smile on her face as she kissed. She patted his back in an understanding of the situation, having both Thea and Felicity here - given their situations - Tommy still struggled to keep his head about him.


Oliver pushed through the thrones of people gathering around the market, faster he pushed as he tried to run from those following him, those who were chasing him. Luckily, Oliver's height gave him an advantage over those in the market, he was able to easily about to look over them all and see the rushing men in suits and gun. Bad luck for Oliver was that he did not blend into the crowd much at all. His clothes did not match, the new cargo's that he had been given and the shirt he had stolen was the only clothing he had.

He barely remembered the last time he had had an actual shower or put on fresh clothes, they were always wet from the ocean or the rain, dried and then put back on. Most of the time, it was just him in the ocean, clothed and all. But he did not have the time think about it now. Now he had to run. He was trying to run.

Glancing back to see where those behind him were, Oliver's senses kicked in instantly, sensing someone had stepped in front of him and he was able to drop his knees, sliding against the concrete, ducking away from the swinging fist that was coming his way. As he slid under the swinging arm, Oliver landed his own fist, connecting with the man's knee sending him buckling to the ground.

Standing quickly, Oliver rushed around the corner but this time he did miss the fist that came flying in his direction, connecting with his face. The pain was instant and blinding, groaning, his hand moved to his face before he blacked out, not knowing where this would lead him now.


"And how many times is that you have tried to escape over the last 3 months Mr. Queen?" Oliver groaned when heard that voice, he really hated that voice.

He sat up slowly, he was back in a room, one he didn't recognize. "That would make 9." He growled. He just wanted to get away from her, he had gone from an island off the coast of the China, to apparently China, what else could she possibly want from him?

Sighing, Waller stood from the chair she was sitting on, moving towards the small room that looked like a bathroom, she flicked on the light. "Get up Mr. Queen, we have a job for you. But first, shower and change. You've been in those clothes for almost 2 years – the ocean water does not rate well for cleaning clothes." She left him there, listening as the door locked behind her.

Oliver would be lying if he said that a nice hot shower didn't interest him. God, he needed that shower and so the first thing he did was strip himself down to nothing and step inside the warm running water. He had never been so happy to have the running water. He washed himself, scrubbed his skin and his hair, watching as the water at his feet ran a little darker.

It was true, he may have had the ocean to swim in and clean up in but he had not showered for a really long time and it felt nice. Once he was out, Oliver reached for the only clothing that had been left in the bathroom – a pair of black boxers. He pulled them on, staring back at himself in the mirror, his messy, wet, long hair sticking up in all the places. He could see the array of scars on his chest, each one a reminder of the pain he had suffered on the island.

Turning, Oliver looked over his back, the burn marks on his lower back, the whip marks on his shoulder, these were more tails he would rather forget, pain that kept him up at night, the fear that came with the nightmares. It was the first time he had a chance really look at the imperfections on his body, his fingers skirting over each one of them.

Sighing, he moved from the bathroom and he found himself standing in the room once more, wet and only in a pair of boxers with Amanda Waller staring back at him, her eyebrow arched as she took him in all. He felt a little self-conscious at the way Waller was looking at him, a small uptake in her lips as her eyes eventually made their way back up to his face. "Get dressed Mr. Queen. We have to leave…" She moved passed, him still taking him all in.

This was when he noticed the pile of clothing sitting on the chair waiting for him. In the corner he eyes off another bag which had more clothes in it, part of him was thankful that he now had a change of clothes. He pulled the cargo pants on easily, the shirt next. "You've had to go up a few sizes in the shirts Mr. Queen, working out on the island has done you wonders…" Oliver didn't even know she was still there but he hurried to pulled the shirt on, followed by the socks, shoes and dark green hoodie that waited him.

Grabbing the bag, Oliver hurried off to catch up with Waller, who was still eyeing him but as they turned down the hallway, Oliver found himself in a bar. He took the seat instantly, a glass of whiskey already placed in front of him. "What do you want from me?"

She turned to him, "I want to give you something Mr. Queen. I know that you think you can't go home-"

Oliver cut her off, "I can't be anywhere near my family."

She ignored him though, "You feel you are a monster and you can't change who you are. You have an inner darkness. Let me channel that, let it flow through you. It's already there Mr. Queen, you just have to accept it." Oliver turned to Waller, his eyes narrowing, suddenly unfocussed. Closing his eyes, Oliver took a deep breath, he knew this feeling, he had been drugged, the swaying, the uneasiness and the lack of control.

He really hated Waller.


"You're not dead if that's what you are wondering…" Oliver heard the voice, the goddamn voice that he had been hearing for the last 3 months, that voice that had been haunting his dreams was pulling him from the darkness. Groaning, Oliver rubbed his eyes, everything was hazy as tried to get his bearing.

She had drugged him. Oliver remembers having a conversation with Waller, he remembered the alcohol she had given him, he remembered her calling him a monster and talking about the darkness inside of him and then he remembered nothing. Waller had to have drugged him because there was no way he would have gone anywhere with her otherwise. Although he had no idea where this 'anywhere' was.

Oliver's focus finally found Waller, her stoic face staring back at him, he really wanted to slap that smirk off her face, "Once again you have the good fortune of being uniquely qualified to help me…" He glanced out the window before turning back to him, "Mr. Queen, we have brought you here for one reason only…"

Turning his head slowly, the bright lights of the city around him caught his attention, the buildings flashing past the town car that he was in. It was late, after midnight by his senses, each and every one of them kicking in. He recognized this city, the streets they turned down and the lights above his head. He was home. He was back in Starling City.

His eyes snapped back to Waller, narrowing instantly, "Why they hell am I back here? What do you want from me?" He was getting angry, she had pulled him from the island, tortured him for weeks and then set him to tasks that included hunting down men for the others in the organization to go about their business, something Waller had always made him sit around and watch and then participate.

Screaming echoed through the empty basement, the perfect place to hide someone, to get information that they were not willing to give up easily. He was strapped to the chair, his arms and hands held tightly to the arm rests, Oliver sitting opposite him, the small, hand held arrow inching closer to his fingernails, intent on one purpose. Pain.

"Bù xièxiè. Wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào" (No, please. I don't know anything.)

Oliver wished he could believe the man but he did not have that luxury, he had information about a terrorist group and Waller needed that information. Before the man could think, Oliver grabbed for the man's hand, holding it steady as he moved the arrow closer towards the fingers, feeling the panic and against pressure that came when the arrow head made contact with skin under the finger nail.

The man's screams echoed again, his instinct to pull away from the pain that Oliver was causing. The arrow head pushed past the skin, lifting the nail from its place, blood seeping down both their hands and the chair. Oliver only stopped when he hit bone, looking back up at the man.

He was crying, whimpering but still the words fell from his mouth, "Bù xièxiè. Wǒ shénme dōu bù zhīdào" (No, please. I don't know anything). And so the process continued, Oliver moved the arrow head to the next finger and the next, piercing under the finger nail, feeling the skin split and the tip hitting the bone. The blood continued to rush from the broken skin.

This was making Oliver feel sick but he had to do it, the target was unknown but the damage that would be caused was going to be catastrophic. That much they knew. Oliver had to find out the information before it was too late.

Oliver was reaching for the fourth finger when the man snapped, "Děng děng. Hǎo, wǒ gàosù nǐ…! (Wait, wait. Ok, I'll tell you…") That was enough for Oliver to stop what he was doing, look behind him at Waller who just nodded, the man spilling his guts about the plot, the target, the plan and who was involved.

After what felt like forever, Oliver moved past Waller, his stomach in knots as he realized that he had just tortured a man for information. What had he become? Feeling his stomach flip once more, Oliver rushed to the small bathroom he knew was off to the side and emptied his stomach into the toilet, his whole body shaking at the thought of what he had just done.

Standing slowly, Oliver moved to wash his hands, staring down at the as they shook, the blood coating them had already started to dry. He began to rub, to scrub them clean, the water diluting the red liquid as it drained away, eventually running clean. He felt sick still, the island may have turned him into a killer but Waller had turned him into a monster. She had let out the darkness that Oliver didn't know if he could every escape.


God, this place hadn't changed. The office was exactly the same as Oliver remembered it, the same furniture, same equipment, same pictures. Nothing had changed but it was clear that it was no longer his father who resided in this office of QC, for obvious reasons. It made Oliver sad to think about the fact that he had lost his father. After Waller had told him, Oliver had spent the next week in a single room, either laying on the bed or just sitting against the wall, memories and images of his father running through his mind.

He and his father may have been at odds during their lives but Oliver loved his father and the thought that he was now gone broke him a little more. It was like he had lost another part of himself but Oliver didn't know if that was from his death or that he couldn't be with his family to mourn.

His mother and Thea were clearly not coping very well, Thea more so, having lost a brother and father in only a few years, he wished, hoped, that Tommy and Felicity were by her side while she continued to grow and hopefully grow out of her faze.

But right now, Oliver could not think about that, he needed to get in and out of his mother's office before the security did their walk through. He had 15 minutes exactly to get what he needed from the computer and not a second more. The hard part was, that he needed almost all of that time to copy the files he was looking for.

When Waller had told him that he was going to be breaking into his family's company building, he had just stared at her, "You told me that if anyone found out I was alive, you would kill them. Sending me into my family's company sounds like suicide…" Oliver remembered the smirk on her face as she stared back at him from the opposite side of the car, "Well I suppose it's best you don't let anyone see you…" Before she had all but kicked him out of the car and into a dark alley.

From there he had to work out how to get into the building and up to the top floor, the floor that overlooked the whole city, the floor that was no doubt going to be surrounded by guards. Thankfully, Oliver had spent a few afternoon's in the stairwells in the QC building doing things with young female employees that didn't need to be caught on camera and so he knew which stairwells were clear and which ones to avoid. He also knew that they were rarely patrolled by the guards who were either too lazy or fat or both to actually go through them. He had easily found his way up the staircase without being seen, although he was only able to get so far before he had to break his way into the elevator shaft and scale the rest of the way up.

He was glad that he had spent so much time on the island working out his upper body before Waller had found him, he would have been in a lot of trouble otherwise. Each upwards movement was met with almost no ability to use his legs, the gaps between beams was too much for him to be able to push up with anything but his arms, shoulders and back. It had taken a little longer than he had planned but that just meant he needed to be very careful of his timing. The guards would be back around every 15 and the time had just hit 11.16pm, which meant he had just under 15 minutes to get the job done.

Shaking his head, Oliver moved quickly to the computer on the desk, typing away he was able to get into the database, his mother had always used his date of birth for her passwords and so he figured that he would start there. Plugging in the USB stick, Oliver watched as the program started to upload onto the desktop, running instantly to find the information that he was looking for.

Waller had told him that the information they were gathering would help to expose which employee was syphoning money to a terrorist unit. This employee had been careful but Waller's men had been able to track their original workplace to QC, which is how Oliver came to into play. Waller had the bright idea that he would be the only one who could break into the system without bringing too much attention to someone trying to get into said system.

Sitting by the computer, Oliver watched as the program on the USB searched through the whole database, he had no idea how it worked, just that it did which gave him exactly 11 minutes to do his own snooping around.

He had been gone for just over 2 years and he wanted to know what had been happening in the world of QC and his family and so he clicked away, opening folder after folder, document after document. In the back of his mind, he would never forget the words that had been spoken to him those years ago on the island. Starling City was the hub city for a drug distribution and the city's elite was allowing it. They had been calling the shots, allowing it to be brought into the city, sold and used easily, without any say from those who should be protecting the kids and families of Starling City.

Oliver felt that if there was any information about the whole set up, he would find it on QC's computer. It was one of the most secure system in the country and he knew that it was virtually impossible for someone to hack into it. As he clicked around, Oliver's eyes fell on a folder that was unnamed, buried deep inside three other folders. He knew there was something in it, there was something hiding inside it and so he opened it, glancing down at his watch. 8 minutes left before the next guard's rounds.

Instantly a video popped up, his father and mother on screen. It seemed as though it was CCTV footage from an office room, his parents were the only ones in view. There were two others standing with their back to camera and one off to the side. He wanted to play the video but knew it would bring too much attention. Sliding open the drawer, Oliver found another USB, plugged it in and copied the whole folder – files, documents and videos included. He clicked through other files, bringing up shipment dates and times, things he needed to search through closer and with more time.

The flashing light of the USB had originally installed flashed at him, clicking back to the program, he found that it had completed and copied all the files it had found. That was when he heard the ding on the elevator in the distance. He panicked. Quickly he pulled the first USB out of the computer and put it in his pocket, he looked back at the upload of the second USB and he found that it was still going.

The sounds of heals clicking on the ground were coming closer, each step and he would be caught. Locking the computer, Oliver placed a piece of paper over the USB that was still copying, hoping that it wouldn't be noticed by whoever was coming. Moving to the side of the office space, Oliver pulled up his hood, covering his face just in case. He hid behind a wall that was an offset of the office, it led to a bathroom.

The heals were getting closer but they were not heavy or slow, they were not his mother's so they had to be someone else. "I'm fine James, really. I just need to drop these things off. Thank you!"

Oh God, that voice. Oliver knew that voice, he dreamed about that voice, he fantasized about that voice. His heart leaped in his chest as Oliver leaned out from his hiding place, his breath caught in his throat when he saw her. Felicity Smoak, his best friend.

She hadn't changed, she was still as beautiful as ever. Her dark hair in a high pony tail, her black glasses on her face, brightening her piercing blue eyes, her lips a pinky colour. He looked down her body, his jaw tightening when he took in her clothing. The black skirt, white top, she looked older, more sure of herself. She was beautiful.

He watched her closely, his heart stopping for a moment when she placed some files down on the desk, she stopped reaching for something. Could she have seen the USB he left? Could she tell that someone had been there? Waiting a moment, Oliver noticed that she didn't reach for the computer but for the photo next to it. He watched as she smiled sadly.

"God you were cute. You needed a damn hair cut though. Really, people would think you liked looking like serial killer." Oliver smiled, she was talking to herself like always, babbling away. "If you were here, you would give me some excuse about how girls like to run their fingers through long hair and I would say something stupid about needing to hold on. Not that I ever thought of you want way, I mean you were my best friend…but it's not to say that I couldn't think of my best friend that way but you were…" Felicity groaned, "I really need to stop talking to myself."

Oliver smiled to himself as he watched her moved back around the desk, listening to her mutter to herself always made him smile. It was something that he had missed, that feeling in his heart and soul, that feeling only she could give him. He missed her, he always missed her, he would always miss her and one day he hoped that he would be able to get back to her but that seemed less and less likely, he had done horrible things – he knew that coming home, being near his family and friends, they would be disgusted with him. But seeing her now, hearing that gentle voice it gave him a renewed desire to at least keep fighting.

Smirking, he moved back to the computer, he pulled the USB from its hiding spot, thankful that the copying had finished before he moved to follow Felicity, listening to the elevator moving back down the shaft, giving him his exit. As he scaled back down to the floor, he knew he could get back to the staircase that would take him back to the street.

Once he was on the street, the light of the midnight moon was shining down on him in the dark alley he had found himself in. Oliver leaned against the brick wall, trying to control his breathing. He had just seen Felicity, the girl – woman – that he had fallen in love with many years ago. He had seen her again for the first time in over 2 years and she was beautiful, stunning and everything he remembered and more.

He hesitated for a moment, he really needed to get the USB drive back to Waller so he could get the hell out of Starling City, he knew he couldn't be seen and the longer he stayed the more chance it was that someone would see him hanging around. He went to make a move, he needed to get out of the alley but as he reached the cross way he could see Felicity coming once again.

Quickly, Oliver braced himself against the brick wall as she passed, passed so close that he could almost smell her but he could hear her, her voice was as crisp as it had been in the office. "Yes Tommy, I told you that I was coming and I also told you that I had to work tonight. It's not like you don't have a party every month…Yes, I'm heading to your place now…Thank you making sure the front gate knows I'm coming. I hate standing out on the street…" She laughed once more before hanging up.

She was going to Tommy's house, she was still close with Tommy – that made him smile, she wasn't alone, they had each other in their lives. As he watched her get into the red mini coup that was waiting by the side of the road, Oliver felt this strong desire to follow her, to make sure she was alright. He needed to know that she was going to be ok. And so he did, Oliver knew his own way to the Merlyn Mansion, he knew that he would get there not much later after her. Taking off in the opposite direction, Oliver kept his hood over his face and his head down.

He couldn't get caught.