A/N: (August 2017) Hey guys! Thank you for the reviews and feedback, you'll never truly know how much I appreciate it. Sorry this chapter took so long, I had to rush to finish my Sophomore year and proofread and rewrite this chapter in between. Just a heads up, I changed the year that Jakes uncle was presumed dead. The year didn't sit right with me after I read the published version.

Since school has started up for me, updates will be slow until the holiday's. Although, I'll try to update as often as I can. In the meantime, keep in mind that if I haven't published in awhile, its because I'm currently writing each chapter in between my studies and touching up/removing mistakes in my Document Manger.

Jake sighed, running a gentle hand over his wounded shoulder as he stared into his own reflection. He stood on bare feet in front of a full length mirror that was attached to the back of his bedroom door, half naked and somewhat wet from the shower he had taken moments ago.

He slowly traced over the small flesh wound near the top of his right shoulder, the area around it had reddened with blood. Fortunately for him, the wound wasn't severe enough for him to go to a hospital or anything. Otherwise, he would've had a headache of a conversation with his mother.

She was asleep by the time he had gotten home last night, giving him time to cover up what happened or at the least make a believable excuse. He didn't want to talk about what happened, it would expose that darkness inside him.

Thea, Laurel, his mother... they just wouldn't understand. He returned home to find normalcy, to immerse himself in the way things were before Brazil. But now, he just couldn't revel in that feeling. What happened last night, spilling blood in his hometown, was a bittersweet reminder that he couldn't escape the person he had become.

It sent chills down his spine knowing that truth. But, at the same time, he wasn't afraid of that revelation. It was who he was now.

The wooden floorboards creaked underneath his feet as he made a full turn to the right, rotating his body in a circle. His deep blue eyes scanned over the scars all over his back.

Each scar held an equal amount of significance for Jake. They represented the hardships and obstacles he had to face in order to survive. He needed to become someone else, someone with enough willpower and instinct to survive.

December, 2011

Salvador, Brazil

The hard, steel door slide open, revealing a tanned skinned man with tattooed arms. His hazel brown eyes scanned over the briefly lit room, and he smirked once he made contact with the chained up young man in front of him.

Crossing his arms, the tanned man stepped forward, leaning in slightly as he spoke up, "Do you know who I am, kid?"

Jake scoffed with a snarl, tugging on the chains that held his arms up from the ceiling. "Yeah, you're the amateur, drug dealing, son of a bitch who put a bullet in my dads head."

The Brazilian man laughed, shaking his head briefly before delivering a sharp punch to Jakes jaw. The chains that supported his arms rattled from the force of the blow.

Phillippe shook his head again before leaning in to ruffle Jakes hair, "I'm impressed kid. But you're only half right. I mean, I'm smart enough to sneak drugs into the U.S, but I wouldn't be able to orchestrate a murder so intricately planned."

The man paused, stepping back and pulling out check with too many zeroes from his pocket, "I was hired to do the dirty work, the pay was just too good to pass up. The big shot who paid me, wanted you taken care of too, he didn't want any loose ends to tie into his master plan. Hell, he creeped me out enough to make me think twice in pushing his buttons. I guess losing your wife in a mugging fucks up your life."

Jake lifted his head up in shock, the anger in his eyes disappear as he silently goes over everything he knew about Malcolm Merlyn.

It didn't make sense, why would someone as successful and rich as Malcolm plot his fathers murder? The middle aged business man had no known ties to the Hawthorne's, and they weren't exactly high on the social status pyramid.

"What's the matter kid? Cat got your tongue?" Phillippe chuckled softly, pulling out a cigar from his pocket.

Jake turned to him after a moment, shaking his head slightly in disbelief, "That's bullshit, I don't believe you."

The Brazilian man in front of him laughed again before lighting the cigarette and placing it between his chapped lips. He welcomed the tobacco with a deep inhale as he motioned to the door, inviting in a pair of guards.

"That's fine, I got proof to back it up. But right now, we got more important things to discuss."

Phillippe paused as the two guards moved to stand beside him. Both men cross their heavily muscled arms and give Jake a blank stare.

"I could've killed you. Put a bullet in your head and be done with it. Instead, I brought you here. See, I have an older brother. Victor, he's a business man. He owns the cartel, overseeing everything from his fences in Bolivia. And he just so happens to be looking for new talent. All you have to do is survive the initiation process.

One of the guards that stood beside Phillippe uncrossed his arms, he smashed his fists together as he sent Jake a deadly glare.

Jake looked away with a scoff as he realized that he had no choice in the matter. He turned back to Phillipe with a fearless lopsided grin, his blue eyes narrowed in determination.

"I'm gonna kill you."

PRESENT DAY

Jakes cellphone chimed, startling him out of his thoughts as he turns away from the mirror. He nearly tripped over the skateboard that poked out from underneath his bed as he dived onto the mattress. Removing the phone that was buried underneath his pillow, he answered the call before its second ring.

"Hello?" Jake sat up, turning his head towards his TV as the commercial break ended and returned to an episode of "That 70's Show".

"Hey, Jake! Listen, I know you just got back, but I need a favor."

The urgency in Thea's rushed tone prompted Jake to raise an eyebrow in question. He stands up and mutes the TV, moving over to his drawer on the left side of his room.

"Damn, Queen. You're really milking those friend favors," he teased with a hearty laugh, pulling out a pair of black socks.

Thea let out an amused scoff, her mind momentarily wandered off to the times Jake would bail her out of messy situations, "Yeah, well I kind of promised a friend another favor. You remember Madison Danforth?"

With furrowed brows, Jake crouched down to his black duffel bag next to the dresser. He proceeded to search for a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, "Yeah, we met during your extravagant "Sweet 16" party. We were both wasted off of Don Julio and shitty beer."

He paused in thought for a moment, smoothing his curly hair back, "I think we made out."

Thea grimaced, scrunching up her nose in disgust, "Jesus Jake, ever heard of TMI? Anyways, I told her you were back and sorta promised that you'd meet with her. She's definitely crushing on you."

Jake chuckled softly in response, rising up from his position on the floor with a gray V-neck t-shirt and black jeans in his grasp. He moved to the desk space on the other side of his room, re-positioning the phone that was held beneath his ear.

"Really? Huh, I guess she couldn't resist my charm."

Thea rolled her eyes in response, scoffing through her phone as she approached the doors of a hall. She opened the door and entered the room, glancing over to Jessica Danforth as she announced her campaign in front of a large crowd. Her loud and authoritative voice mixed in with the flashing, almost blinding lights of the paparazzi cameras.

"Jessica's finishing up her mayoral campaign announcement. I'll send you Madison's-"

Jakes body tensed up at the sound of rapid gunfire and frantic screaming from Thea's end. He then heard Thea curse under her breath before she ends the call.

"Thea... Fuck!" Jake rushed over to his bed again, grabbing a pair of Converses before rushing out of his bedroom door.

Rush and anxiety overtake his mind as he parked on the side of the police station, slamming his door shut and running through the front doors. Passing through the officers and detectives, he searched frantically for Thea.

Then, he heard her velvety voice.

"Jake?"

He looked to the right, sighing in relief as he saw her next to Detective Lance's office. He was by her side in seconds, crushing her with his embrace.

"Jesus, Thea. Are you okay? I heard about the shooting on my way here. Shit, I ran three red lights!"

Some officers looked up with an unamused glare hearing Jake say this, but he simply ignored them.

Thea giggled, letting go of his embrace, smiling at him as he searched her expression.

"Jake, relax. I'm fine. I can survive a day without you by my side, you know."

"Just barely," He teased, which earned him a pointed look.

Just then, the door to the office opened and out appeared Oliver Queen. He glanced over to his sister for a moment before directing his gaze to Jake.

The billionaires vibe seemed to have changed drastically from what Jake remembered. Oliver had matured, judging by appearance alone, and may have experienced tough situations that had forced him to change. Whatever had happened on that island must've opened his eyes, exposed him to a darkness in him that he never knew existed.

"Hey, how's Jessica?" Thea questioned her brother with crossed arms.

He sighed, crossing his arms as well, "She's a little shaken up. But, she'll be fine. Lance is sending over men to look after both her and Madison until this blows over." He told her before returning his attention to Jake.

There were a few moments where Oliver had seemed to be examining Jake, right before he extended his hand, "Jake. How was your trip?"

Jake straightened himself out a bit in response, stretching his hand out and firmly gripping Oliver's in a strong handshake.

"It was… eye-opening. I had fun, but I got a little homesick after a while," He glanced over to Thea as he said this, his gaze softening a bit.

Oliver merely nodded in response, releasing Jake's hand and stepping back.

Just then, a frazzled Madison steps out from one of the interrogation rooms.

Witnessing this, Thea excuses herself and moves over to check on the youngest Danforth.

After Thea's departure, Oliver turned to Jake again, clearing his throat, "Hey, I appreciate what you did for Thea while I was away. Laurel filled me on what happened, she said you broke his arm in three places."

Jake let out an anxious chuckle, running a hand through his navy curls, "Heh, yeah. It was a wild night, she practically dragged me there. All I could do was watch over her."

Oliver nodded, giving Jake a small smile, "Nonetheless, I'm glad that you were there. She was lucky to have you."

"Jake? Is that you?"

Jake turned away from Oliver and looked straight ahead to the source of the voice. He smiled faintly, his gaze landing on Madison as she approached him with Thea in tow.

"How have you been?" Jake asked, embracing the blonde, "Y'know, before the shooting?"

"Besides today, things have been pretty good. I got into University, Philosophy major," She blushed lightly, returning his hug. After pulling away, she ran a hand through her golden hair as Jake congratulated her.

Jakes eyes wandered behind Madison for a moment, locking onto Thea. She nodded her head slightly, giving him the green light.

He turned his attention back to Madison, casting a sly smirk, shoving his hands into his pockets, "Listen, its been awhile since we talked. And I know today's been really rough for you. What do you say we go out for a night in the town? We could dine and play in Dave and Busters, or we could just take a stroll through the city."

Madison took a moment to contemplate his request, giggling softly and nodding her head soon afterwards, "We'd have to bring the guards, but yes. I'd love to catch up."

Thea watched as Jake took Madison's hand. She couldn't help the jealousy that overcame her as they exited the police station. It was stupid, really. She practically gave him permission to go out with Madison. And Jake was just a friend, a really good friend that she was fond of. Why would she feel this way?

Later That Day...

"Thanks for stopping by the library. I really needed to get some studying in before my exam this weekend," Madison gave Jake a bright smile as they exited the library doors, hand in hand.

Jake responded by giving Madison a smirk, adjusting the bag of books on his shoulder, "It was the least I could do. I wanted to make it up to you after what happened in DB. I couldn't help it, that guy was asking for an uppercut."

As they walk down to the parking lot, Jake stiffened up, "Get behind me."

"Jake, what the hell-?" She paused in horror, staring ahead at the bloodied SUV and the deceased guards on the pavement.

Jake dropped the bag on his shoulder as he surveyed his surroundings, scanning the area around him like a hawk. He narrowed his eyes after a silent moment, spotting a bloodied figure on a nearby bench. The lamp over the wooden seat had illuminated the figures head, blonde tresses of hair covering the majority of his face. Jake could see the hard lines of a crooked grin underneath the strips of hair.

He turned away from the bench to check on Madison, who was frozen in fear with tears in the brim of her eyelids.

"Madison, hey, look at me," Jake commanded with a sharp tone, gripping her chin so she could look at him.

"When I give you the go ahead, I need you to move to our to SUV," He nodded towards the dark vehicle that was six steps away to emphasize his point.

Jake glanced back to the bench, making sure the man was still there. He turned back to Madison and nodded again, shoving her gently in an attempt to get her to move.

She moved at steady pace towards the SUV, with Jake trailing just behind.

As they get closer, Jake stopped walking when heavy footsteps suddenly echo against the ground. He turned back to look at the bench again, but jumped when a small dart shot past, impaling the side of his neck.

"Jake!" Madison exclaimed, her eyes widening in fright.

"Don't stop!" He yanked out the dart and chucked it to the side. His vision began to blur as he moved to Madison.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this. Just remember that I didn't want to hurt you, she's the sole thing I'm interested in."

Jake rubbed his face roughly as he continued his sloppy trek towards Madison. Despite his drugged state, he was still willing to protect her.

Then, out of nowhere, he felt a painful jolt in the center of his abdomen. The shock of the blow was enough to knock him over. He blacked out as soon as his face hit the pavement.

Arrowcave

"You're not going, Thea," Oliver crossed his arms, his gaze locked onto his sister.

Thea turned around with a heated glare, "You can't stop me, Ollie."

She paused, lacing up the rest of the strings on one of her bracers.

"You're welcome to try. Although, that didn't exactly work the last time."

Oliver glared back, not letting go of his resolve, "What happened earlier is an example of why you shouldn't go. The bloodlust is affecting you, Thea. And until we figure out a solution, you can't patrol the streets."

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be acting with my emotions if you hadn't acted with yours when Ras stabbed me!" She snapped venomously.

A stunned silence filled the air, followed by nervous stares from Diggle and Felicity.

Oliver held his gaze, despite the shock of his sisters words.

Thea sighed after another beat, regretting her words, "Ollie, I didn't mean that. It's just... Jake just got back. And after what happened with Mom and Dad- I can't lose him."

Oliver sighed, softening his glare before moving over to embrace the brunette, "You don't have to apologize."

"I'm worried too." Clad in black leather, Laurel approached Thea, moving away from the rack of weapons. She offered the youngest Queen a sympathetic smile.

"But this is Jake that we're talking about. He's a fighter, and stubborn as hell. He'll be fine."

"He's strong," Oliver agreed, nodding, "Either way, we'll be there."

"What the fuck?" Jake muttered when he finally woke, his tone still raspy with involuntary exhaustion.

He jumped up with startled eyes, remembering what had happened before he was knocked out. Looking around at what appeared to be a warehouse with five wide rows of shelved boxes, Jake stood up groggily. On his way up, he realized that he was bounded by up. He growled in annoyance, tugging on the chains with both his left arm and right foot.

He exhaled after a few moments of tugging, leaning against the brick wall behind him and giving his sore limbs a break. He surveyed the area around him a second time, noticing the video camera facing him from a few feet away. With the tripod, it stood at about 5 ft tall.

Turning to the right, he noted the square table with his belongings.

"Ah, you're awake."

Jake glared at the blonde man in recognition as he approached him through the small isle. He narrowed his deep blue eyes as Lonnie moved closer, carrying a plastic box.

He doesn't say a word as Lonnie placed the box on the table next to him.

The blonde man walked towards the video camera, turning it on before making eye contact with Jake.

"I gotta say Jake, this whole thing has really made my day! I mean, I never anticipated meeting you," Lonnie paused, moving away from the video camera and sending Jake a malicious grin.

"You're like a celebrity in my book! I'm a HUGE fan of your work back in Brazil. You were an animal! Chopping off limbs, playing a game of "Five Finger Fillet" with your victims hands! Even my employer... my former employer is intrigued with your work!"

Jake shook his head, scoffing before turning back to Lonnie, "My style of doing things was played out. A simple rookie mistake."

"No, it was genius! What you did was raw, unleashing the monster that was inside you all along. You were unstoppable! Even that guy that pushed you around, Paolo, got his karma. That's what happens when you mess with the "Ghost" of Rio De Janeiro," The lunatic pauses again, pulling out a lighter and a photo from his jean pocket.

He then approached Jake's chained form, shaking his head as he clicked his tongue.

"Its a shame really. That she halted your creativity."

Lonnie turned over the photo between his fingers, revealing a tan young woman.

Jake's face paled as he stared at the picture in shock. His gaze was locked on the photo, he recognized those pale blue eyes. Her pale blue eyes.

He still remembered what she said when they parted ways, he remembered how the slight heartbreak in her voice made him feel.

"I need space, and you need to go home J. That's where you belong.

In less than a second, he lunged forward just as Lonnie stepped back with a vicious smile.

"Where the fuck did you get that?! I swear to God, when I get out of these chains, you are so fucking screwed!"

Lonnie chuckled, flicking the lighter and lowering the photo to the flame, "Its funny really. The guy I worked for, was obsessed with the girl. Photos, surveillance, anything to keep tabs on Maia. She-"

A sudden scream interrupted Lonnie, followed by a series of heart wrenching sobs. After crunching up the burnt photo, he growled in annoyance, turning towards the office upstairs.

"Heh, look at that. I guess I'm going to have to chop off another finger."

Before he got the chance to move too far away, Jake reached out to attack. He lurched forward, wrapping his chained arm around Lonnie in a loose chokehold. The pipe that was attached to the chain had loosened from the force of his tug.

Lonnie elbowed him in the nose hard, leaving behind a deep gash at the base, freeing himself of the hold. But before he could retaliate further, a crash came from above as the skylight shattered into pieces.

Green Arrow landed smoothly from the ceiling, Speedy trailing just behind with her drawn bow. They both go after Lonnie as he dashed down the isle.

Moments later, Black Canary charged through the exit door and made her way to Jake. Spartan entered the warehouse after her, his firearm trained as he sprinted up the stairs to retrieve Madison.

Black Canary removed the chains from Jake and places a gloved hand on his shoulder in reassurance before leading him towards the exit.

On his way out, Jake turned back, his attention as Speedy electrocuted Lonnie, singeing half of his face. The last thing he witnessed before leaving was Green dragging her away from the burnt corpse.

Starling General Hospital

Jake picked up his phone and slipped on his leather jacket with a grunt. When were those nurses going to understand that he was fine? Besides the busted nose, which he ended up getting stitches for. After the whole fiasco with Lonnie, he was rushed to the hospital along with Madison. She needed more help than he did, emotionally and physically.

He understood why, but he didn't want anyone to see his scars. He didn't feel like explaining them yet.

He raised his head as the door to his room opens, revealing his mother. She approached him with crossed arms.

"You need to get checked. We need to know if you have any other injuries."

Jake groaned, "Mom, I swear to you that I'm fine. Okay? I just need some sleep."

"Just because you feel fine, it doesn't mean you are," she moved closer and attempted to remove his jacket despite his protest. When she tugged on the right sleeve, the jacket rubbed up against the outside of shirt. It pulled the shirt along with it, exposing a bright pink scar on his right shoulder.

Jake froze as his mother grazed her fingertips along the small cut. He jerked away quickly, avoiding her gaze.

The older woman stared at her son in shock. She ran a hand through her graying hair and tried to make sense of her discovery. Soon after, she broke the silence, her voice cracking just a bit.

"You were gone for nearly 4 years, and you didn't contact me, Laurel, or Thea," she paused, choking on her words as a sudden realization washed over her.

"Something happened, and it prevented you from reaching out to us."

While still avoiding his mothers eyes, Jake turned to the window behind him.

"Jacob," his mother began in a serious tone, "You need to tell me what happened, you can talk to me."

"It doesn't matter." Jake muttered, avoiding the subject.

"It matters to me! You're my son! I deserve to at least know where you've been."

Jake turned around swiftly, balling his fists in anger and frustration.

"Fine! You wanna know what happened to me?" He paused, roughly tossing his phone to the side.

"I changed. I'm not just that goofy, smartass kid anymore. I'm darker now, I got so many demons. I can't wake up every morning without looking at my hands covered in blood. And I can't go by each day without thinking about the way dad died!"

He sighed after looking into his mothers eyes, seeing the tears, "I came back home thinking I could go back. I missed you guys so much, and I wanted a reminder of the old me. But then that fucking psychopath kidnapped me, and it made me realize that I couldn't be who I was anymore."

Jake approached his mother with a soft, yet serious look in his eyes, "There is nothing you could've done to change that. So don't apologize."

A knock is suddenly heard from the door, and Jakes mother wiped at her eyes before opening the door.

Thea stood in the doorway, her eyes land on Jake immediately. She rushed into Jakes embrace just as his mother turned to leave the room.

His eyes widen in surprise when he pulled away, noticing the the tears in Thea's eyes.

"Don't cry, Queen. I'm okay." He teased with a laugh.

After wiping away her tears with a scoff, Thea reached over to touch the base of Jakes nose. Her fingers grazed over the reddened, stitched skin in the center.

"Ouch. Well, it's good your whole face isn't screwed up."

Jake grinned, crossing his arms, "Yep, I'm a pretty lucky guy. I still got a lot of people to impress with this bad boy!" He motioned to his face, winking as the woman in front of him rolled her eyes.

Soon after, he cleared his throat and crossed his arms, "How's Madison?"

Thea sighed, running a hand through her dark hair, "She's doing as well as we could expect. She's still shaken up."

She paused, letting out a sigh and looking down to her feet, "Jessica dropped out of the campaign."

Jake shook his head, "I get it. I'm not sure if I'd want to run either after something like that. It's still a shame, though. She would've been awesome at the role."

"Yeah, she would've," Thea turned back to Jake, uncrossing her arms.

"Hey, it's been a crazy year. And I know you just got back, but Laurel was thinking of going on a retreat this weekend. And I was going to join her. I really need a break from this city."

Jake grinned once more, uncrossing his arms and shoving them into his pockets, "Oh, by all means. I know I'm not the only one who deserved a break."

He paused, his blue eyes brightening with a mischievous sparkle, "Have fun, I'll try to be here when you get back. Emphasis on try."

Thea scoffed with a smile, swatting at Jake's arm.

Arrowcave

"Darhk is planning something big, and we need find out what it is and stop him. Hiring Lonnie was just the beginning."

Oliver exhaled a deep sigh, removing what was left of his armor before turning to Felicity.

She was currently staring wide eyed at her computer screen, her fingers frozen next to the keyboard.

"Felicity."

The blonde turned away from her computer at the sound of her boyfriends sharp tone.

She blinked quickly, rubbing her hands together, "Sorry. It's just- It's better if I show you."

Oliver raised an eyebrow as he approached the center of the Arrowcave. He moved to stand behind Felicity, who pulled up a video.

"I took a look through the memory card you found from Lonnie's video camera. And ... I found this," She motioned to the screen before pressing play.

Oliver crossed his arms with a glare as he watched the footage.

"Even that guy that pushed you around, Paolo, got his karma. That's what happens when you mess with the "Ghost" of Rio De Janeiro."

"Its a shame really. That she halted your creativity."

Noticing how tense Oliver was after watching half of the footage, Felicity paused the video.

"What do you think we should do?" She reached out and placed a hand on his forearm.

Oliver swallowed the lump in his throat, his gaze on the screen unwavered as he spoke up.

"This stays between us for now. I need to know more before we make any moves."

A/N: I was a little iffy about this chapter towards the end. But I went on ahead and published it since its been so long. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter or how I did! It really helps me in the long run!