My name is Oliver Queen. For five years I was stranded on an island with only one goal-survive. Now I will fulfill my father's dying wish to use the list of names he left me and bring down those who are poisoning my city. To do this, I must become someone else. I must become something else.

"Have I mentioned how much I love watching you do that?" He laughs and for the first time in weeks doesn't feel the twinge from his ribs. "I think it's all the sweat."

She slips down over him, straddling his stomach. He lies there looking up at her and just relaxes. He still hasn't spent the night and they've been dancing around it for six weeks. At first it was his injuries, then it was Walter's abduction, and now well...he wasn't sure.

"I am all sweaty," he says when she leans down to kiss him. Her hands roam over his muscles and all he can think is how badly he wants to take her to bed. It's right there, down the hall, second door, and then ten feet. He's dreamed about it.

"I know. It's amazing." She squeaks when he rolls them over, sliding his hand down her body. Her tank top and yoga pants are tight and free of sweat. She lasted ten minutes into his workout before collapsing on the couch to watch him. Occasionally he caught her fanning herself and looking guilty.

"Do you only like me for my body?" His hand teases her waistband and he feels her foot slip over his calf. Her one hand is sliding up his shirt over the burned flesh and she doesn't even pause. He had expected the scars to bother her but she never pauses, ever. She just touches him.

"I could ask you the same thing. I saw the way you looked at me in that dress the other night. My eyes were up here Mr. Queen." She taps his nose playfully and he nips at it. "You have to go soon."

"Go?" He's kissing her neck and he slips his hand under her yoga pants. He doesn't get far before she tugs on the hand. He looks up at her questioningly.

"You're supposed to spend tonight with your Mom and sister right?"

"I forgot." His head drops to her shoulder and he just rests there for minute. Finally with a sigh, he helps her off the floor and watches sadly as she tugs a t-shirt on over her workout clothes, knowing they once again are not going to make it to the bed.

"Any word about your stepfather?"

"No." She's apologetic and holds him back for another 15 minutes when it comes time to say goodbye. It's only his phone buzzing that finally convinces him to head out. Diggle needs to talk to him and he's already running late.


"You're back at fighting weight it looks like." Diggle says entering the lair. "Last I checked there were more than a few names to cross off in this book."

"They'll keep. My family needs me right now." Diggle says nothing as Oliver finishes changing and heads out to meet his family. He knows he's disappointing Diggle but he's not not ready to put on the Hood and get back to work.

"Mom's upstairs in her room...like always," Thea says when he arrives with take-out and a stack of DVDs. He sighs, dropping them off before heading upstairs.

"Hey Mom. I stopped by Big Belly Burger and brought home a bunch of terrible, terrible movies according to Thea. Why don't you come down and we'll watch a few and just have a family night?"

"Thank you. I'm not very hungry."

"Well if you change your mind…" She doesn't. He doesn't expect her to. Instead it's him and Thea sitting in front of some absolutely horrible piece of crap movie. She's munching on fries and doing impressions.

"How many times have you seen this Speedy?"

"I lost count. My friends all wanted sparkly vampire boyfriends. I think they're insane."

"Good call."

They lapse into silence as he watches the movie. He's been catching up over the past few weeks but usually he watches with Felicity. She's a talker during movies, asking questions and pointing out inconsistencies. In the end he rarely knows how the movie ends because she's gone off on a tangent and he's too busy listening to her. Well that or they've gotten distracted in other ways.

"I wish Mom would come down. I'm worried about her."

"I've been through this before Ollie. When you and Dad vanished she was just like this."

"What snapped her out of it that time?"

"Walter. He just showed up and demanded she go to lunch with him. It worked. Ollie what if...what if Walter's…?"

"We'll keep waiting Thea. No news doesn't mean bad news."

They both watch the discussion about the missing Starling City vigilante, deciding the movie has done enough damage to their evening. After a quick clean-up they head their separate ways. In his room he slips into bed and closes his eyes. Ten minutes later he's tugging on his clothes and heading for the lair. He's not going to sleep tonight.


The phone call from Laurel is surprising. As the Hood, he has a decision to make. Does he meet with Laurel or leave her without help. He wants to put on the Hood again but he keeps flashing on the other archer, of falling, of nearly dying. His anxiety has been good over the past few weeks. He's been sleeping better, eating better, and finally feels like he's healing. He still has nightmares and he still has issues but some nights he can pretend he's normal again.

"Where have you been?"

"You said it was important." Laurel tells him about the case but he's barely listening. He shouldn't have come. "So you want one killer to find another?"

"I...If Danny de La Vega was murdered, then we have to bring his killer to justice."

"I'll look into it." He doesn't make any promises. Instead he reads the file a few blocks away. It's thin. There's almost no evidence to support her allegation of wrongful death. The only indication is the fire burning hotter than it should have. Otherwise he can see why the police and fire marshal ruled them accidents.

He's been avoiding Laurel since Christmas. He knows there is something wrong between them but he can't understand what it is. He's dating Felicity. She's dating Tommy. It shouldn't be weird anymore. They've both moved on.

Something else was bothering him about the visit to Laurel's apartment. He had expected to see Tommy's things around. It was almost like Laurel was not dating anyone at all.

He saw no evidence of Tommy in the apartment. He knows Tommy has been campaigning for a drawer but there is no evidence a man has even been staying there most nights. Oliver already has a drawer at Felicity's and he doesn't even spend the night. He keeps some workout clothes and a spare set of regular clothes after a cooking attempt went awry. He should have believed Felicity when she said she couldn't cook. He didn't know eggs could do that.

His room is littered with stuff from their time together. She hasn't been to his place yet but he has various things she's given him and a few pictures around the room. He's bought a few things for her and cleared space for her but they just keep getting interrupted by life.

How can Laurel's apartment be so empty of Tommy when he spends so much time there?


Diggle is thrilled to get the firemen case. Oliver knows Diggle thinks his head is in the game again but Oliver's not sure. He lets him think everything is going back to normal but he knows there is still something wrong. Felicity picked up on it the night before when they went to the movies. He played it off but he could see the concern in her eyes. He's not fooling anyone.

"I took the liberty of yelling at our contractor," Tommy says when Oliver makes his way into the center of the club. "I told him if we didn't see any real progress, we were going to bring in someone else."

"How's Laurel's friend?"

"She's hanging in there. Actually I wanted to talk to you about something. I was thinking we could throw a fundraiser for the fire department."

"Sounds good."

"I was thinking here. We keep the overhead low and make sure we maximize the proceeds."

"Where's Tommy Merlyn? I remember that time he rented out the pro football stadium so he could play strip kickball with models."

"Yeah well he needed a swift kick in his lazy ass."

"So have you and Laurel talked about the drawer thing again?"

Tommy looks miserable and weary of the discussion. He hands over the piece of paper with his list of reasons and Oliver tries desperately to not laugh. He fails and for a second Tommy smiles in return.

"I don't know what the issue is," he finally says. "I'm asking for a drawer...not half her stuff. I just want to be able to leave a few shirts there or...maybe a bar of soap. She won't even let me keep anything in her bathroom. I'm living out of a bag."

"Have you explained this to her?"

"She's so wrapped up in Jo right now and I don't want to add to it."

"You need to tell her how you feel Tommy."

"Yeah...yeah I know."


Oliver finds his mother, sister, and the COO of QC talking in the living room when he gets home. From what he can understand his mother is being asked to take Walter's place at QC. The stock price is dropping and the confidence level is plummeting due to Walter's disappearance. His mother does not want to hear it.

"He wants me to go to work at a time like this. I need to be with my family." Moira Queen is not to be argued with over this and Oliver watches Thea roll her eyes.

"Mom we're fine. Thea and I will be fine. You should do this."

"Well I don't care what the company needs. This is what I need."

She storms past him and Thea slides onto the couch.

"You know...she's worse this time I think."

"She'll be okay."

"Sure she will. We'll just keep holding the family together while she falls apart...again."

He doesn't have time to talk to her about this. Instead he's off, sliding on his Hood and heading to rescue a fireman. He fails at that, hitting the ground hard and watching an innocent man be killed. He knows he should have been strong enough to save him. He should have made the difference. Instead he's lying on the ground again, watching another bad guy win.

He tells Laurel to pass on the information about the firefly tattoos to the police. He can't be her personal savior any more than he can be who he was five years ago. He's not getting better and he can't help but wonder if he ever will be.

Diggle attacks him suddenly and they grapple. For a second Oliver thinks he might lose. Diggle might actually beat him. He doesn't and Oliver is angrier than he expects. That shouldn't have happened.

"Clearly your problem isn't physical," Diggle rasps. He's rubbing his shoulder and watching Oliver with those cool, assessing eyes of him. Diggle sees things Oliver doesn't want him to see.

"I don't have a problem."

"You didn't have to Oliver. That guy...the archer? He got in your head and he took something from you. He took whatever is in your heart that lets you do what you do."

"Thank you for the analysis."

"Look you can avoid Laurel or Tommy or Thea or me but until you're ready to take a hold of that fear, you might as well let the archer kill you."

They storm upstairs in silence. Diggle is locking the door to the lair when Oliver hears the door to the club opening. He spins expecting Tommy and instead sees Felicity. She waves at him and he waves back.

"I took the liberty of calling her."

"Thanks Dig. I'll take him from here." She slips up next to him, pulling him into her embrace. She rubs his back gently until he finally relaxes and embraces her back. "Dig said you've been having trouble."

"Trouble?"

"With your bike? After the accident he says you freeze up every time you try to get on your motorcycle. Why didn't you just tell me? I never would have asked to go see a movie with the guy on the motorcycle. I didn't realize that's why you were so tense." It was the action scenes in the abandoned warehouse that made him uncomfortable. He doesn't correct her.

"It's nothing."

"Oliver you've been acting weird ever since you got out of the hospital. At first I figured it was the pain pills and the rehab. Then you got better and still you're different. It's like you're in a walking nightmare or something. You're so stressed all the time."

"I didn't want you to think less of me."

"I don't think that's possible. You're an amazing man Oliver Queen. You've been through so much."

"I'm terrified of...my bike. After the accident…" He's careful choosing his words. He hates this lie. He can almost taste it. It's twisted and vile and he wants more than anything to tell her the truth but he can't. She'll see him differently. She'll see him like Laurel sees the vigilante. A killer. A monster. He'd rather be weak than see her look at him like he's that.

"Did I tell you about when I screwed up my first computer repair?"

"No." She leads him over to the few chairs in the place and settles him. She goes to sit in the other one but he tugs her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. He feels calmer when he's with her. He thinks it is the way she looks at him but he knows it's the way she accepts him.

"Hmm...well I was fourteen and my Mom's boss needed his computer fixed. It was riddled….riddled with viruses. It was scarring. So many pictures of things my young, innocent…okay so I had an imagination and was not nearly as innocent as I should have been. I'm a computer genius. I've seen things on the web Oliver. Anyway I screwed it up and accidentally wiped his computer. Hey! Stop trying to feel me up and listen to the story."

He doesn't apologize when he kisses her either. She just kisses him back and then pulls back, arms around his neck staring at him accusingly. He steals another kiss but that's the last she allows him.

"Sorry." She looks so stern and like some secretarial fantasy with her hair cinched back and her glasses riding low on her nose. "Continue please."

"I was so scared my mom was going to lose her job and we could not afford to...well we needed the money. I didn't touch a computer for months after that. My mom finally convinced me back into it."

"How?"

"She said it was who I was. Well she used some different analogies that I didn't understand because I was a computer geek and not a fashionista but the point was the same. You like riding your motorcycle just like I like fixing computers. If you didn't you wouldn't get in nearly so many accidents. Speaking of which...can you stop doing that? Getting in accidents?"

"I'll do my best." He taps her nose and her worried look melts away. "I worried you. I didn't mean to."

"You really did." She kisses him before stepping away from him. He holds her hand until she's out of his grasp. She pats Diggle on the chest and smiles. "Thanks for calling me. Don't be too hard on him."

"I'll try not to be," Diggle assures her. She smiles back at Oliver.

"Take care of him."

"I always do."

She's gone, slipping out the door and past Tommy. Before Diggle can continue their discussion Oliver is sent on an errand, to the fire company of all places.


He runs into Laurel unexpectedly. He's not sure who is more surprised, him or her.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I told Jo I'd clean out Danny's locker." It's a lie. She's investigating the murders because the Hood turned her down. "You?"

"Tommy sent me over to make sure the guest list for the fireman's gala was accurate. Tommy's been working really hard on it."

"It's very generous of you Oliver...to hold it at your club."

"It's all Tommy. I just signed off on it."

"Yeah but without you…" It's weird again and he can't help but hear Felicity's voice telling him Laurel is still in love with him. She can't be. She's with Tommy and the two of them have been over for a long time. Still she's stepping closer to him.

"Speaking of Tommy, he told me you're being very protective of your drawers."

"You want to talk about Tommy sleeping over at my apartment?"

"We're friends Laurel. Me and you. Me and him. He wanted my advice."

"Why would he go to you? You never had a drawer."

"You lived at home Laurel."

"Fine. Tommy asked for a drawer."

"And that scares you?"

"No. It's just first a drawer then a closet. Then half my rent and half of life. I'm not sure I'm ready to do that...with Tommy."

"You could take it slow. A drawer isn't a marriage proposal."

"I don't do slow Ollie. Neither of us do. We close our eyes and jump. I think that's why we spooked each other."

She touches his chest and he steps back. She frowns. She steps closer and he angles away from her.

"I'm trying to be different Laurel. I think it's my fault Tommy wants a drawer. We were talking and I mentioned having a drawer at Felicity's."

She shuts down at that statement, pulling away from him and turning towards the firehouse. She doesn't say goodbye and he finally begins to believe what Felicity told him. It's a problem he can't deal with right now.

He does follow her in because now he wonders if maybe he can finish the job on the firemen murders. He can't just let Laurel handle it alone. She'll get herself killed. The chief doesn't want to talk about the deaths. He wants to put it behind him. Between Laurel and Oliver they find out about the Nodell Tower, the death of Garfield Lynns, and the beginning of it all.

When Laurel calls the Hood this time, he takes the case. He might have problems with Laurel as Oliver Queen but as the Hood he needs to protect innocent people and stop a killer.


"I thought you were done helping Laurel."

"The first firefly to die was Garfield Lynns."

"Oliver I'm sorry I came at you so hard man. I've been there and I know what it's like to stare death in the face and be the one who blinks."

Diggle really doesn't get it. Oliver isn't blinking. Oliver isn't afraid to die. He hasn't been afraid to die since he met Slade Wilson and Yao Fei. He always figured death was just around the corner. He knows one night he won't come home. It's just a question of when.

"I've been close to death Dig. I didn't fear death on the island because I had nothing to lose. I was already dead to anyone who cared for me. But this time when that archer was standing over me, I thought of everyone. My family, Felicity, Tommy...what that would do to them if I didn't come back home. I have something to lose Dig. I have everything to lose."

"Maybe you have it backwards Oliver. You think the people you care about are taking your edge. Maybe it's giving you a stronger one. It's giving you the drive to come home, to live."

They sit in silence while Oliver clicks around the research he has on the Nodell fire. He shares his idea with Diggle. Dig is rightfully skeptical but agrees it's possible. No one is looking for a dead man.


He heads into the Firemen gala and looks around at the work Tommy put into the place. It looks good and all the moneyed people are standing around. The fundraiser will be a definite hit. He smiles at the frowny face text from Felicity. She's working late and unavailable for this. He'll soldier on without her but he had high hopes for taking her home after the gala in her party clothes.

Laurel and Tommy are together and look happy. Oliver really doesn't want to interrupt because of whatever weird thing is going on between Laurel and him Instead he slips around them, heading off to talk to the fire chief.

The information of Garfield Lynns' death offers a great deal of clarity to the situation. Lynns could still be alive. He might even be the one killing firemen. It's possible and Oliver knows it will only be a matter of time before Lynns targets Chief Raynes. The man left him to burn whether or not he made the right choice. To Lynns, it is black and white. He was left to die in a burning building by the people he trusted.

Oliver barely gets to think about the implications when Lynns shows up. He sees Laurel and Tommy trying to get people out of the buildings as Lynns starts setting things on fire. Oliver knows he only has moments before Lynns kills Chief Raynes. He's in the Hood again before Lynns does any damage and for the first time in six weeks he knows this is the right decision.

Lynns lets the Chief go while the Hood talks him down. It's just the two of them surrounded by fire. Oliver knows this feeling. He knows what it's like to feel like his life is over. He knows what it's like to feel totally alone in the world. He can relate to Lynns. It's too late when Lynns kills himself and all Oliver can do is stand there, watching him burn.


He manages to meet up with Tommy and Laurel later, proving to them he's alive and everyone got out of the club okay. They both want to talk about their crazy night but Oliver's tired. At home he spends the night going through the list, making his notes. He's going back to saving his city and he knows it's going to be a battle. He still has the other archer and the man behind the list to worry about.

The next morning his mother heads off to work and Thea seems to be breathing easier. Things are normalizing again even with Walter's absence. It's still there in the background of their minds but life goes on. The world doesn't wait for a missing person. It just keeps moving on.

He works throughout the day at the lair, compiling information on his next few targets. He'll have a busy weekend. With six weeks of no takedowns the criminals have started up again. The vigilante needs to make his appearances and lower the crime rate again. He'll have help again. Diggle is ready to do his part in protecting the city. It's just a matter of starting.


He leaves Diggle and the list behind for one more night. He knows Diggle expects him to tug on the hood and rush out into the city. He could have. He considered it and then he changed his mind. One more night won't hurt anything. He stands in front of her door, hesitant. He hasn't called. She's not expecting him.

"I feel like we do this a lot," she said upon opening the door. "Are you feeling better?"

"I was reminded of something in the past few days about who I used to be." Weirdly enough it was Laurel who reminded him. He knows she did not mean it as advice but it felt like it. He has been ridiculous the past few weeks.

"Oliver?"

"An old friend told me I was the type of guy who closes my eyes and jumps in feet first. I haven't done that since I came home. I've overthought everything. I've lost out because I was too busy being busy or guilty or distracted."

"What are you saying?"

He didn't bother answering her. He just tugged her into his arms, lifting her against him. Her legs wrap around his waist and he knows he has her. He shoves the door closed behind them, ignoring the loud slam echoing through her apartment.

It's funny as they trip and slide all the way down her hallway, knocking things off tables and thudding against walls. The two are laughing and having fun as they almost fall through the wrong door into her computer room. He knows his knee is going to hurt from hitting the stool in her kitchen but he's too distracted by her tugging his shirt off and her mouth covering his tattoos.

He's not even quite sure how they manage it but they never actually make it to the bed. Instead they have their first time in the hallway between her computer room and her bedroom. He usually has more finesse than this but she's shoving him down to the floor and he's not about to stop her. By the time they collapse in a pile, he realizes the picture they make. Neither are fully naked and they're acting like they just ran a marathon. She's laughing against his chest and leaving open-mouthed kisses over his Bratva tattoo while he breathes hard. He feels like his lungs are going to explode.

He has had visions of taking her to bed and wowing her but somehow this has happened instead. She is still wearing her top and he still has his socks on. Where had he gone wrong? He used to be good at this. He used to have moves.

They manage to get fully naked for round 2 but still do not make it to the bed. Instead they collapse in a heap at the foot of her bed. The frenzy is still there, pumping through both of their veins. It's wild and animalistic. He can't remember ever feeling like this. She's wrapped around him and the sounds she makes drive him crazy. Finally her head crashes against the floor with a loud thud and their movements cease.

"You know...I fantasized about this," she whispers sleepily. "I thought it would be under the sheets...soft and gentle."

"Sorry," he mumbles against the hardwood floor. He's face down and she's lying under his left arm panting. He can't feel his toes and is wondering why when she speaks again.

"This was way better," she sighs. He manages to turn his head to look at her. Her arm is thrown over her eyes and her breathing is calming down. They're both covered in sweat and she has a reddish bite mark on her shoulder. He probably should apologize for that but his mouth won't form the words. Her other hand slips down his back, over the burned flesh, and lower until she just rests her hand on his body. "I've never had hallway sex before…"

He's wrung out but he manages to tug her up into her bed. They had pulled the covers to the floor at some point during round 2 but he can't remember who had done it. His right foot gets caught and they both tumble onto her mattress, heads missing the pillows by a lot. He is only half on the bed at this point and she giggles again before struggling to help him the rest of the way.

They collapse on the pillows in a heap and neither can manage to find any type of sheet to cover them. The sheets are on the floor and are dead to the both of them. She flops around for a minute before crawling against his body, resting her head on his chest. He never has the chance to worry about anything before they both fall asleep, cuddled together.

Around dawn he wakes her. She comes awake slowly and smiles when she notices he's tugged the sheets back up. Under the covers, he gives her what she has fantasized about. He's slow and gentle, taking his time. He watches her face when he finds the places she likes, enjoying the way her short nails clench at his back. Tomorrow he'll face death again on the rooftops of his city. Today he's just Oliver Queen and he's with his girl.


Yeah...so I originally planned for a very serious, sexy scene at the end. The "gentle and soft" moment. Then I was writing the scene and thought "What if they had an awkward yet totally perfect, frenzied sex scene instead?" So that's what you got.

I'm already working on plans for chapters 11 and 12. Again...a lot of the 11th episode has Thea-centric scenes. I'm playing with the idea a bit. I think there will actually be a part surrounding Thea's perspective because she has a lot of important conversations in episode 11.

Teaser note: I've figured out exactly how Felicity is going to react to the reveal in chapter 14. I knew the vague details but I've ironed it out. It will be an interesting discussion.

Thanks for reading!