Title: Wilted Flowers
Author: QueencestQueen
Pairings: Oliver/Thea (aka Queencest and/or Tholiver)
Rating: M (or E, depending on the rating system)

Summary:
What is this place? The sign on the gate said "Foxworth Hall." Its Gothic style was intimidating and foreboding. He couldn't picture his mother and sister in that awful place. They belonged in somewhere light and happy, somewhere like their family home was their rightful place, not this house of dread. What the hell had happened during those five years?

Notes/Warnings:
- AU for the entire series.
- Inspired by "Flowers in the Attic," by VC Andrews
- This chapter was not beta'd, unfortunately.

Disclaimer:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of this author. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


The moonlight streamed in through the window, broken up by the tree branches and their own shadows, as the car drove onward away from the hell house that was Foxworth Hall. Oliver was grateful for the shadowed light as it allowed him to see his sister despite the darkness of the night outside the taxicab. Thea was cuddled into his side as much as her seatbelt allowed; her head was bent at an almost painful angle to rest just barely on his shoulder. Under the silvery light, her features were even more distressing.

In the dusty attic, he'd not truly comprehended the horror that was the physical ramifications of her last four years, but now he could see. He could see the hollows around and under her eyes while they moved under her eyelids in her light slumber. Her cheeks were darkened by the slight shadows of sunken skin and her lips were slightly cracked. Her skin was almost translucent under the light of the moon and there was a slight blue hue that lay under the surface. It was horrifying to see the changes in her face. When he'd left that mansion oh so long ago, she'd been a beautiful, perfect child; she was only twelve then, but she'd been smart, smarter than even he'd given her credit for, and beautiful, like a perfect little doll. He still remember how she'd giggled and twirled every time that their mother had bought her a new outfit.

Now she was verging on eighteen-years-old and she barely resembled the girl he'd left behind. There was still a beauty to her harrowed features, no amount of time or mistreatment could steal that from her, but the horrors she'd no doubt experienced had taken their toll. It was etched into her bones and ran under her skin. He suspected that it was only something someone like him could see, someone who faced the horrors of life too. However, whether others could see or not, it was still there in every slight move she made in her sleep, every twitch and hitch in her breathing. It had pained him to know that while he'd suffered on the island, she too had suffered in that attic room.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?" Oliver's gaze snapped from Thea to the cab driver's eyes in the rearview mirror. The man had been weary of ditching his planned fare for the two of them. However, when he had gotten a closer look at Thea in Oliver's arms, he'd radioed into his company to have them send another car for his planned fare and took them in. It was because of the man's kindness that Oliver didn't snap at him when he commented, "The girl looks very ill."

"No," Oliver said softly so as not to wake his the slumbering girl beside him, "she has an appointment with a doctor in the morning. I just want to get her to the motel and in bed." It took him only two seconds to hear how that sounded and attempt to correct the possible misunderstanding. "Into a bed, not..." He trailed off as he noticed the look the driver was shooting him in the mirror. "She's my sister. I'd never hurt her."

The man muttered, "Someone did," as Oliver's gaze turned once more to his sister's sleeping face. He couldn't argue with the man's claim. Someone had hurt Thea; someone who should have taken care of her.

He met the man's eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded. "Never again." The driver blinked solemnly before turning his gaze to the highway ahead of them once more.

It was only another fifteen minutes before the cab came to a stop in front of the motel. The red sign flickered in and out indicating the numerous vacancies they had. Oliver turned a little in his seat to shake the girl awake gently, "Thea, Thea, wake up, we're here, Speedy." Her green eyes blinked open slowly and, for a second, she looked as he remembered, innocent and unencumbered by the years they'd spent apart, and then it was gone. Suddenly, the shadows rushed back to her eyes. "Come on," he whispered again as he reached over without looking and pulled on the door handle to open it.

He slid out of the cab and she followed him without a word, still holding tight to the suitcase. Suddenly he was glad he'd chosen to wear the outfit he'd arrived to Foxworth Hall in to the party. He reached into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet, paying and tipping the driver very well for his trouble; the keycard to the room was retrieved at the same time. "Thank you," he said to the driver sincerely and the man nodded before driving away from the Budget Inn, leaving the two reunited siblings alone in the parking lot.

Oliver turned to Thea and held up the key between his index and middle fingers. "Shall we head in for the night?" She smiled a little Oliver led the way to the room he'd rented. The little green light flashed three times and then, with a push on the handle, they were inside.

"I'm sorry it's not a nicer room," He said as he clicked on the florescent lights bathing the space in a hideous orange glow. "I didn't think I'd be here more than a couple of days," Oliver explained, "and well, I didn't think I'd actually find you here." No, given that her name had failed to come up in any of Felicity's internet research, Oliver had honestly hoped that his sister was simply too busy studying hard in college to do anything internet worthy. He'd never imagined that he would find her locked in a room like he did. It was simply unfathomable.

"It's fine," Thea whispered, hand still moving unconsciously to her throat. She took a tentative seat on the edge of the bed. "It's wonderful…" She trailed off, but Oliver knew what she meant; anything was better than that room.

He sat down beside her, "We'll rent a better room from a better place tomorrow." He was determined to get her the best room in the grandest hotel in Virginia for a couple of days before they moved on. It wouldn't make up for anything, but it would ease his mind just a little for a few days. Her yawn broke the silence only seconds after it had fallen upon them and he turned to smile a little at her, "Why don't you lie down and get some more sleep? I'm just going to step outside for a couple of minutes to check in with a few people back home." Her panicked look in response to his suggestion had him quickly adding, "I'll be right outside the door, Speedy."

She still looked a little uneasy about the idea, but she nodded her okay anyway. He decided to take a chance and leaned over a little so he could press a tiny kiss to her temple. It was something he used to do when she was scared of the monsters under her bed and she'd crawled into his seeking safety. A small, slightly broken sound escaped her lips when he pulled back, but it wasn't a sad sound, just…surprised. "Right outside the door." He reminded her as he reached for his cellphone in his pocket.

Just as he was slipping back out into the night air, he saw Thea move towards the bathroom, still carrying her suitcase. He was unsurprised to find that he had several voicemails from both John and Felicity, but he didn't have the time to listen to them. Oliver clicked on John's name in the list and listened to it ring once, twice, three times before a groggy John Diggle answered the phone. It was a quick conversation, nothing more than a quick exchange of pleasantries before he got to the point of his call. "Dig, do you know any doctors in Virginia? Preferably a doctor that could see us after hours, off the books?"

"Us?" Diggle asked, his voice crackling through the iPhone's speaker. "Did you find them, your mother and sister? What's wrong?"

"Do you know a doctor or not, Dig?" Oliver asked curtly. He didn't have time to feed the older man's curiosity.

Diggle seemed to get the message. "Yeah, I'll make the call in the morning."

"Thanks."

"Be careful, Oliver."

"Always," Oliver assured his bodyguard. It had felt kind of stupid to be hiring a bodyguard when he was quite capable of defending himself. What had started as merely a show for the public after his kidnapping upon returning to Starling City turned out to be one of the best decisions he'd ever made. The former military man had been a fantastic asset when Oliver was trying to complete his mission. Even when Oliver had temporarily put a hold on that to find his family, Diggle was willing to assist him. Sure, it hadn't always been easy, they'd butted heads on several occasions, but theirs was a camaraderie that Oliver wouldn't change for anything.

He thought about calling Felicity while he was contacting people, but he knew that if he did the girl would babble endlessly. Usually he found the babble was comforting, a little endearing even, but didn't have time for that at the moment; he had to get back to Thea. He sent her a quick text with the basic, 'yes, I'm alive and okay, call tomorrow,' before making his way back into the motel room.

The sight of his sister sprawled out on the bed in ill-fitting nightclothes had him smiling in a rare moment of peace. It was so like many moments he remembered; as if the last several years were nothing but a nightmare and he was once more confronted with his little tweleve-year-old Speedy once again. With a few button pushes, Oliver flipped his phone to do-not-disturb settings and set the alarm. He put the device down on the nightstand and triple checked the door locks, before moving to the bed. He picked his sleeping sister up, threw the covers back, and set her down again on the far side of the bed, away from the door. He pulled the covers up and tucked her in tightly before he was climbing in beneath the covers himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest in the process. He rested his chin in her hair and let sleep claim him. They were together now and that was all that mattered, wasn't it?

The next day the two siblings spent together in the motel room. He'd tried to convince her to leave after they woke, to get breakfast, but she refused to do so. As a compromise between her desire to stay in the rented room and the necessity of food, Oliver called out for it. Except for eating, the two of them simply spent their day talking to each other. Wwll he talked and Thea wrote her words on the complimentary notepad. Instead of discussing the years they'd spent apart, Oliver and Thea discussed happier times; memories, it turned out, that had sustained them both while they were not together. It was only after Diggle confirmed that his doctor friend, from his time in the armed forces, was willing to see them after hours and off the books that Oliver even dared broach the subject. It had taken a lot of pleading on his part to make Thea stop shaking her head and attend the appointment, but they'd made it.

Once there, Oliver sat stiff and utterly still outside of the doctors' office. Diggle's doctor friend had grumbled when he'd insisted on sitting right outside the examination room, but Oliver would not be moved. He'd sworn to Thea that he'd stay outside the room while the doctor checked her out. Every half a minute or so, he saw her angling her head to look out the small glass pane in the door. Is she checking to make sure I've not left her? Or is she concerned that I'm a figment of her imagination?

He wanted to know what was going through her head so badly. What is she feeling? What had she gone through? His hands clenched at his sides. He wanted so badly to go back to that house of horrors and demand answers. Why did mom lock Thea away like that? No answer she could ever give would be suitable enough to explain away her actions, but he still wanted an answer. Why had she lied to him and said that Thea had killed herself? Was she simply too ashamed of what she'd done to her daughter? Or perhaps she'd feared his reaction if she'd told him the truth? This, he mused, as he smiled tightly when his sister's green eyes peered from behind her privacy curtain, was not a better way to find out. His impulsive, angry nature wanted to march back to Foxworth Hall, but he could not. Thea wasn't ready for him to leave her side yet and there was no way in Hell that he was taking her back there.

He sat up a little straighter as Doctor Blanchard stepped from behind the curtain. She pulled the mint green paper divider back, allowing him a full image of Thea. Though he'd not thought it possible, Thea looked even tinier in the drooping paper gown. The doctor talked from a few minutes and then gestured out towards the hallway. Thea turned then to look at him for a second before turning back to the doctor and saying something followed by a brief nod. A few seconds more and the doctor was exiting the room.

"Mr. Queen?" The woman said as soon as the door to the examination room was closed behind her. "Your sister will be done in a minute, she's just getting redressed." She nodded then seemingly to herself, flipping a few pages on her clipboard. "She's almost eighteen now and she tells me that you aren't her legal guardian so normally I couldn't discuss her health with you. She gave me permission, however, and I'm aware that your situation is unique, so once she is finished redressing all of us will sit and discuss." He nodded, his eyes still watching for his sister to reappear.

The doctor pointedly cleared her throat dragging his attention away from the room. "While we wait, though, I must recommend your sister seek some serious psychiatric help."

"What?"

"In the hour we just spent together, I could only get her to tell me what was absolutely necessary." She sighed and let the clipboard drop to her side, "I'm not saying she should have told me everything, she doesn't know me, but her reluctance to answer even the simplest of inquiries without serious consideration is quite telling in and of itself. Her physical trauma tells more of the story for her...and it's not a good one."

"Physical trauma?" Oliver echoed, voice going hollowed as panicked eyes turned back to the door that separated them. His mind recalling, against his will, painful memories of his time on the island. What was taking her so long?

"I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of phrase," The doctor said. "I just meant that, as a doctor, her body gives me clues to what she won't say."

"And what she's not saying tells you she needs to see a shrink?" He asked turning to look at the doctor once again as he saw the door to the attached bathroom open.

"I'm saying that it couldn't hurt her..." The woman met his eyes for a moment before adding, "It wouldn't do you any harm either."

"Excuse me?" He'd not said more than three sentences to the doctor and yet she presumed to know enough about him to suggest he see a psychiatrist.

"When John called me, I googled you, Mr. Queen." She explained, "If even a fifth of what I found on the internet is true, talking through what happened might be good for you too." The door squeaked open then putting a halt to their conversation.

"I'm done," Thea said, eyeing them both with suspicion. Oliver tossed her a casual smile and followed her back inside the examination room. The siblings both took a seat on the paper-covered bed and Doctor Blanchard took a seat in her swiveling office chair across from them.

Once they were all settled, the doctor started telling them her diagnosis on Thea. Every word she said was a bunch of doctor jargon, but Oliver understood the basics anyway. Due to a lack of sunshine exposure and exercise, Thea's bones were more weakened then they should be at her age, her muscles were slightly deteriorated, and that was just the start of it. Apparently, even her ability to breathe had been affected by her captivity. It was at this point that Thea slipped her hand into his. He knew why it was that his sister had taken his hand; she feared whatever else the doctor might have to say. He didn't blame her for it; he too was scared of what would be said. The young doctor didn't seem to notice their unease. She just ploughed forward in her explanation by saying that Thea was suffering from malnutrition, which Oliver knew just by looking at her.

"What worries me most is your vocal cords, Miss Queen," She said, casting a worried, watery smile at the girl, "and your heart, of course."

"Her heart? What's wrong with her heart?" Oliver asked frantically.

The doctor's gaze turned to him as if she'd forgotten he was sitting beside her patient. "Well, the heart is a muscle too and, just like the ones in her arms and legs, it has suffered from the lack of proper exercise over the years. It has slightly atrophied as well, but unlike the other muscles I've discussed, if she pushes her heart too hard, it could give out."

"Heart attack?" Thea asked in her rough voice.

"She's far too young for that." Oliver countered out of sheer stubbornness. "She's only 17."

"Yes, I am aware of that," The doctor said, looking between them. "Just...go easy, okay? Don't push your body too hard too fast. All things in moderation, yeah?" Oliver turned his gaze to Thea then. He searched her features for a sign, any sign of what she was thinking. Once upon a time, he could read her thoughts and moods better than a book. It seemed that time had stolen that from him as well. "Now, as for her vocal cords, disuse has damaged them as well." She sighed a little and looked down at her clipboard briefly, "This is another case of moderation, Miss Queen. If you use your voice too much or too loudly too soon, you could permanently lose your voice. Write most, talk a little for a while and gradually increase the use of your vocal cords, okay?" Thea nodded weakly and Oliver squeezed her hand again. It would be okay; he was here now.

Later that day, after Oliver checked them out of the motel, the duo was standing in the lobby of the lovely Omni Charlottesville Hotel waiting to check in. Luckily he'd called ahead and reserved a room while Thea was changing before her doctor's appointment. He looked back at her as he moved further up in the queue, unsurprised to see that she was still clutching at her suitcase. "Next, please," called the desk clerk, drawing his attention away from his nervous sister.

Oliver pulled his wallet from his jacket as he moved up to the counter, pulling out his identification in the process. "Oliver Queen, checking in." He said, sliding his card across the counter to the woman.

The woman smiled brightly as her fingernails tapped on the keys. Her eyes scanned the screen before she looked up at him again. Once more her smile was just a bit too big and bright. "Ah, yes, Mr. Queen," she said in a simpering voice, "I have your reservation right here. Deluxe room, mountain-view, one king sized bed." She slid his identification back to him along with two keycards. "Your room number is 610."

"I'm sorry," Oliver said, flashing the woman his best for-the-camera smile, "but did you say one bed? I reserved a two doubles room."

A few more keys were clicked before the woman looked up again, her eyes flickering down briefly, "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but all of our double bed rooms are booked up for the night."

He looked back at Thea, all shifty-eyed and nervous energy. She deserved her own bed, something with big, soft blankets, and at least one night where she didn't have to nervously watch the door. He'd caught her watching the door with eagle eyes several times over the night…and he'd woken once to the feeling of her stroking his face, but he did his best to hide his awareness. He'd laid there as her fingers ran over his face over and over again until the calming motions lulled him once more to sleep.

She was worried that he wasn't really there; worried that someone would come in and snatch her away to return her to that dreaded room. She'd said nothing, of course, but he knew. He knew because he'd worried about the same things since returning from Lian Yu. Every morning that dawned, Oliver knew there was a risk that his enemies could show up and take everything away. Every time he went to sleep, he worried that the next time he opened his eyes he'd still be on that damned island, still be wishing for his home, his family. He knew her fear because he shared it.

"That's fine," he said, scooping up the keycards and his identification. He headed back to Thea.

"All set," He said, handing her one of the room keys. She gifted him with a small smile, flipping the key over so the side with the name of the hotel on it was visible. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off because he knew what she intended on saying. There was no use in her wasting her voice for thoughts she'd already expressed in writing earlier. "Nope, not having this argument again." He said with a gentle smile. She sighed and then nodded, leading the way to the elevator. He followed after her, his suitcase rolling behind him silently.

Their room was quite nice, certainly nicer than the one they'd just left. The sight of it didn't make an impression on him, but clearly it did upon her. She rushed to the large window, pulling the curtains wide to gaze upon the mountain-view. Oliver took her suitcase from her gently and went to put them beside the bed. To his surprise, she was still standing in front of that large window. He frowned slightly when he noticed the shine of tears upon her cheeks and arms wrapped defensively around her middle.

"Speedy?" He asked quietly as he walked over to her, wrapping his arms about her shoulders and pulling her into a gentle hug.

"It's beautiful," She whispered as she turned in his arms so that she could both see the view and rest her head upon him "It's been years…" Her voice cracked slightly and wavered. He pressed his lips to her hair to stop her from continuing her sentence. He clutched tighter to her in response to the idea she implied. Thea wasn't done explaining her tears, though. "Only seen the view from the attic roof for years."

"You climbed out onto the roof?"

Thea nodded, "Had to. Needed fresh air, sun." That small utterance filled Oliver with pride. His Speedy was smart and brave. "But only on Thursdays for an hour." She added.

Only an hour a week in the fresh air, in the sun…and in such a dangerous place too. How could anyone treat Thea like that? Oliver couldn't comprehend it and he had been witness to the darkness of the human soul on Lian Yu…or, at least, he thought that he had. The people in Foxworth Hall were making him question that. "Why?" He asked, though part of him dreaded knowing the answer.

"That's the only day the help has off and the grandparents are out. Can't be seen." The way she said it, the urgency behind the words, told Oliver that this was one of those things that she'd been forced to abide over and over.

Oliver closed his eyes and rested his chin atop her head, "No more, Speedy. Whatever you want, okay? Just say the word."

She nodded, leaning just a little into his solid weight as she did so, "Can we just stay like this for a little while?"

"Absolutely."

The two of them stayed standing there until well after the sunset, just watching as the sun's descent altered the view. He'd seen many things over his years, but he had never really taken the time to truly see them. In this moment, with Thea safe and sound in his arms, he saw the beauty in the mountains outside the window. It was only when Oliver's stomach audibly rumbled that the moment was broken. "Hungry?" Thea asked jokingly and, though it was said tentatively, it was a spark of the sister he remembered.

"Yes, actually," he said because, despite his desire to continue their teasing banter, he was acutely aware that just a few hours earlier the doctor had said Thea was underweight. Any attempt at being jovial on his part would just come off callous and mean. "How about we order in some food from room service and watch a movie in bed while we eat it?" It was weak of him to suggest they watch a movie when they really needed to talk, but he feared those coming conversations. He didn't talk about what had happened to him on the island and he knew Thea would want to know. He just wasn't ready.

The small smile on her face wasn't missed by his keen eyes. "Sounds good. Can I get changed first?"

"Of course." Oliver said, while she moved towards the bathroom, suitcase still in hand. What is in that thing? He wondered as he picked up the room service menu. "What do you feel like eating?" He called, hoping she could hear him through the closed door separating them.

"I'm not really hungry."

"You have to eat, Thea." He chided, but not loud enough for her to hear it. He read over the menu, but his stomach chose for him before his eyes registered the word. "I'm thinking about a cheeseburger." He said as the door swung open and Thea walked back in.

"Ooh," she said as she hopped onto the bed. She was now dressed in a too-large men's t-shirt and shorts, or so he was force to assume, as the shirt slid off her shoulders a little putting the bottom hem just a little past her knees. Was that one of mine? "That sounds really good. Can I have one too?"

"Can your stomach handle that?" He asked, remembering what the doctor said about moderation. He didn't want her to get sick because her eyes were bigger than her stomach could handle.

Thea frowned, but didn't automatically argue with him. She considered his question seriously. "I think so," she said cautiously. "Can I try?"

"Just don't push yourself, okay? If you get full, stop."

"Okay." With both their meals chosen, Oliver picked up the room's landline and placed the order for two burgers with fries, and two sodas. Thea pursued the pay-per-view movies that were offered by the hotel while he did so. Her lips moved as she read the summaries to herself. Once he hung up with the food service people, he too began reading the movie options. There were so many possibilities, so many new flicks that they'd missed; it boggled the mind. "This is impossible." Thea whispered, startling him a bit.

"It is," he agreed. It was Thea who decided to just try channel surfing for something. By the time their dinners arrived, the siblings had settled on a FRIENDS marathon. He answered the door mid laugh. "Thanks." He said as he signed the credit card slip and tipped the man politely before taking the cart and pushing it into the room. He closed the door with one hand, "Dinner's served!" He declared, uncovering the platters with a flourish. She scrambled to the end of the bed to snatch one of the sodas off the cart and started sipping at it. He handed her one of the plates and grabbed his own. Both of them set their meals down briefly to get comfortable once more before digging into their burgers. The laughter that bubbled out of them both made eating a bit of a risky task but they both managed to survive.

"I forgot how much I loved this show," Thea said, resting her head upon his shoulder as she sipped at her almost empty soda.

"Me too," Oliver agreed softly, munching idly on a now cold French fry. He hadn't actually forgotten anything. He'd remembered everything; five years was a long time to linger in one's memories. The two of them stayed like that long past the end of the FRIENDS marathon and into a new show, How I Met Your Mother.

Oliver was shocked into awareness once more by the sounds of whimpering. For a few seconds, he was confused. When did I fall asleep? The last thing he remembered was laughing and patting Thea's back as she coughed from laughing too hard. The whimpering noise came again and Oliver turned on his side, facing his sister's back. She was hunched in on herself so tightly that she was just a ball on the other side of the bed. He reached out and placed a hand on her back gently. Immediately, she flinched and pulled away in her sleep, making him frown. "Thea," he said, softly and she cried out harder when she heard his voice. She was shaking almost violently under his hand now. What's she dreaming? He wondered as he slid closer to her. "Thea, wake up. It's just a dream, Speedy."

"No," she croaked in her sleep, "no, not him. No." She shivered and Oliver couldn't take it anymore. He wrapped his arms tight around her waist, pinning her arms to her body in case she started to fight or fidget.

"Thea, Speedy, wake up," Oliver said near her ear, "Come on, come back. It's not real. It's just a nightmare, okay?" The shaking stopped and from his new position, he could see her eyelashes flutter open. "There you are."

"Ollie?" The confusion in her voice was obvious, but he was distracted making sure she didn't kick him as she uncurled her body. Oliver released her from the prison of his arms and she turned onto her other side to face him.

"We need to start talking." Oliver said definitively. There was no more putting it off, no more being unprepared. She needed to talk and, in all honesty, he did too. They would be each other's sounding boards. Who needs therapists?