"Jackson?" Oliver asked, shooting a concerned glance at Sara…maybe he had hit Stiles harder than he thought…maybe the younger man needed to be in hospital. Sara bit her lip, her thoughts obviously going in the same direction as Oliver's

"Who is Jackson?" Sara gently asked Stiles, ignoring the way Felicity had her tablet out ready, just in case she needed to start looking someone up in some police database.

"The guy on the roof…you know…had a bow, red hoody …he totally stole my look, the douche bag. I was wearing that way before he even thought of it."

"Wait, do you mean Roy?" Oliver asked.

"No…I mean Jackson," Stiles frowned, "you know, the dude who made my school years hell…and then mysteriously turns up on a rooftop in the first American city I return to since we got stuck on Lian Yu."

"Roy's one of us, Stiles, you can trust him…he's okay, he's not going to hurt you…he's not this Jackson guy." Felicity offered. Stiles turned his head to look at her, his head tilted in confusion.

"Oh, we haven't been introduced yet, I'm Felicity Smoak." She offered

Stiles' lips quirked, "Stiles Stilinski," he offered in reply.

"Ok…can I just say that this is really cool meeting you, because I've always had this really burning question about you ever since the news broke about you being on the Queen's Gambit."

"Yeah?" Stiles asked,

"How do you pronounce your real name, exactly, because I don't even know where to start with it?"

"Felicity," Oliver interjected gently as Sara snorted.

"Good luck getting him to answer that one…I've known him since he was a baby, and he hasn't responded to that name since he was four."

"Because it's ridiculous," Stiles announced, "You try going to school and having that monstrosity for a name... and you would come up with an alternative pretty quickly too…and my dad still can't pronounce my real name right anyway."

"Stiles...back on topic…Roy…what were you doing watching him?" Oliver interrogated, losing a little of his temper.

"Hey…I was just minding my own business, waiting for you to show up," Stiles defended himself, "And then this guy who looks freakishly like Jackson, and I mean exactly like I imagine Jackson would look seven years older, turns up, and of course I get curious. You know me, Oliver."

"If you weren't targeting Roy, then what are you doing in Starling City…and I'm guessing it had nothing to do with leaving Starling City P.D. little presents."

"I wanted to come back home, okay?" Stiles snapped, "You came back, so did Sara. I wanted to see you guys…I wanted to feel safe like I used to before we got taken in by the League…I wanted to get away from Nanda Parbat for a bit, and Ra's let me go, said I had earned a break…although I'm not sure why, because it's not like I ever get to do anything…it's all training this, meditate that, bla bla same old."

"In other words, you were annoying the hell out of him, and he wanted you out of the way." Sara offered reading between the lines.

Stiles shrugged as much as his restraints would allow "I think Nyssa might have had something to do with it as well, but yeah, maybe."

"So…are you a member of the league?" Diggle asked.

"That would depend on your definition of being a member of the league," Stiles replied with a shrug.

"How about we define a member of the league as being someone who has trained with members of the league, by members of the league, under the instruction of Ra's al Ghul himself, and has completed this training." Oliver offered.

"See, by that definition, I would be a member of the league," Stiles conceded, "but, my definition is different. I don't qualify as a member of the league because I've never been formally inducted as a member. I don't have the same expectations on me as, say, Sara has…or Malcolm Merlyn."

"He's telling the truth. It's the very final part of training, when membership is conferred on a trainee. Stiles, as far as I knew, and Nyssa would have told me if it had happened, hasn't gone through it."

"But why, I mean, you look pretty strong, and you've got weapons and everything?" Felicity asked, stepping around Diggle to get a better look at Stiles.

Stiles ducked his head for a moment. It was a question he'd asked himself countless times over the years…why hadn't Ra's al Ghul made him a proper member of the league. Ra's had explained it once, but it hadn't made a great deal of sense to Stiles…the ramblings of a mad man, if anything…and Stiles knew the leader of the League of Assassins to be anything but mad.

"There's a prophesy, supposedly," Stiles said eventually, "and Ra's is convinced that it's about me. In some ways he respects me, and he wants to protect me, and he can't do that if I'm just a member of the league, so he keeps me close."

"What do you mean by just being a member of the league?" Oliver asked.

"If Stiles was a member of the league, he'd have to go out on missions and be put at risk. Early on he was talking about marrying Nyssa to Stiles."

Stiles cringed, "Nyssa told Ra's that if he did that she'd slit my throat herself…it wouldn't have ended well for anyone. Nyssa isn't my type, and I am not hers." Stiles shot a sideways look at Sara and smirked, before Sara smirked pack and poked him in the side.

"So…can we ditch the chains…I know you fit the multimillionaire mysterious hot guy stereotype, but we don't need any 50 shades of Grey reenactments."

"Looks like he paid more attention to pop culture than you did, Oliver," Diggle observed as Oliver and Sara released Stiles, who didn't move from his spot on the bench, the slightly glazed look in his eyes telling the others that he hadn't recovered from being knocked out quite yet.

"Stiles always has been very up to date with his pop culture references, haven't you?" Sara boasted proudly.

"Once a nerd, always a nerd," Stiles replied with a grin, "besides, the League isn't that backwards…they do have satellite and all that…Ra'a gets stroppy when he misses out on watching Game of Thrones…we all had a massive party after the episode when Joffrey died."

"I would have thought people in the league would have liked Joffrey and Ramsay," Felicity offered thoughtfully, "no offence," she added.

Stiles, however, laughed, "No…most of us are huge Arya fans…and Oberyn was very popular as well…and everyone loves Dany. The Hound was pretty popular too, and Brienne. I think we all watched the episode when they fought each other, everyone was betting on who would win."

"I like Jon Snow the best, personally," Felicity admitted, "but of the Lannisters Tyrion is the best, and he has the best lines in the entire show. I think I cried for hours when Robb and Catelyn died at the red wedding, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about Stannis, I mean, he's okay, but something about him just…I don't know."

"I like Arya the best, house Stark all the way," Stiles beamed, leaning forward, his amber eyes lighting up a little at the prospect of talking about one of his favorite TV shows, "and Sansa has developed so much as a character…she's mastered the game, after learning from some of the best…like Cersei and Littlefinger. I think Jaime is so misunderstood as a character…I mean, yeah, some of the things he's done are kind of evil…or a lot evil, but at the same time he's a lot better than most of his family. I have a lot of respect about Tyrion, and you're right, he has all the good lines…although the Tyrells have good lines too. Jon Snow is hot, despite his name, I thought he and Ygritte were so perfect together…but that didn't work out. I am convinced that R plus L equals J is real, there is no way Ned Stark would have done that to Catelyn…he's not Robert Baratheon after all, and I kind of like the idea of young Lyanna running away with Rhaegar in order to get out of her marriage to Robert, neither of them knowing what chain of events it would start off."

"My god…there are two of them," Diggle groaned, rubbing his palm over his face as he listened to Felicity and Stiles chatter about Game of Thrones. Oliver crossed his arms over his chest, looking from Felicity, to Stiles, and back at Felicity, the bemusement on his face becoming more and more pronounced with each word

"Stiles…Felicity," Oliver finally snapped, and Stiles and Felicity startled, looking up at him with deer like expressions.

"What?' Stiles shrugged innocently, "Just getting to know one another. It's amazing how much you can learn about someone through discussing popular culture, and Game of Thrones is perfect for it."

"Back on topic," Oliver instructed, "How long do you have until Ra's starts sending people looking for you? If he's so protective of you, why are you here?"

"At least until the end of the month, possibly longer. He said that I'd earned a bit of freedom…and that as long as I didn't get myself killed and touched base with Nyssa every now and again I could do whatever I wanted…within the code of conduct of the League of course. Last time I spoke to Nyssa, who was annoyed that Ra's made her my contact, she said that if I contacted her any more frequently than once a week barring an emergency she would kick my ass…right before she told me where I could find you and Sara."

"Good," Oliver relaxed a little, leaning against the back of a chair comfortably, "so what do you plan to do?"

Stiles shrugged again, "I don't know…it's been too long since I've had time off…maybe chase some bad guys…see the sites"

"Visit Beacon Hills?" Sara suggested, Stiles stiffened, and let out a defeated sigh.

"I don't know, maybe," he shrugged, "how in the know is your dad?"

"He knows that I'm alive, and that I'm in league with the Arrow…and also that I was involved in the League of Assassins in the past. He doesn't know that Oliver is the Arrow. Laurel knows all of the same, except she knows that Oliver is the Arrow as well."

"So…he wouldn't have a fatal heart attack if I rocked up at his house one night…just to test out the waters and get an idea on how my dad's going?" Stiles asked hopefully. Sara bit her lip.

"I might give him a bit of a heads up, but he should be okay…I don't know how much he'll be able to tell you. From what I've heard they haven't spoken much since the Queen's Gambit sank."

"Damn," Stiles cursed, "I hoped that wasn't what happened. I hoped that they would, I don't know, stick together and bond over the whole thing."

"They might have done that at first, but I don't know if my dad has told your dad about my return," Sara admitted, "He might have felt weird talking to your dad when he knew I was alive, and yet you were supposedly dead".

Stiles rubbed his hand over his face, letting out a heavy sigh, and Oliver and Sara exchanged concerned looks. They both knew how much Stiles cared about his dad. Sara had seen it in Stiles' behavior going back years before they boarded the Queen's Gambit…even before Stiles' mother had died, and Oliver had seen it during their time together on the island.

Early on, when they'd both thought they were going to get rescued, Stiles had often talked about how much he was looking forward to going home, although he never mentioned his father aloud, knowing that Oliver's pain regarding his own father's death was still very raw; they'd both witnessed Robert Queen's suicide after all.

As time had progressed, and rescue looked less and less likely, Oliver had held onto Stiles when the younger man…boy really, back then, had gone through nightmares that left him pale and shaking and struggling to breathe, his throat raw from screaming and calling out for his father and his friends back in Beacon Hills. Even Slade had been gentle and sympathetic after one of Stiles' bad nights. Slade had told Oliver that Stiles was showing clear signs of PTSD, and even now, after everything Slade had done to him, Oliver believed that Slade had been telling the truth about Stiles that day.

The slight groan of the hidden metal external door into the basement hideout brought Oliver out of his thoughts, and he looked up, relieved to spot Roy approaching, bow strapped to his back, although the younger man's posture was tense, and he looked pale. Oliver frowned in concern.

"Roy, are you okay?" Felicity asked, although the question was ignored. Roy's gaze was fixed on Stiles, and Stiles was watching Roy, the air around them thick with tension. Diggle, Felicity, Sara and Oliver looked between the two youngest people in the room, Oliver discretely moving to pull Felicity out of the way in case things did turn violent, because, although Stiles had denied it, it was impossible for Stiles and Roy to not know each other just from the tension in the room and the looks on their faces.

"Jackson," Stiles said finally, breaking the silence, inclining his head just the slightest bit in greeting, although he didn't break eye contact.

"Stilinski," Roy replied in a neutral tone, returning the gesture.

"Last I heard you were in England, fulfilling B grade horror movie stereotypes."

"Last I heard you were dead."

Stiles snorted, "Touché…what are you doing here…and by the way, you stole my look…I didn't know you liked my sense of style so much."

"What sense of style?" Roy replied, putting his weapons away as he spoke, "and I wore red more than you did."

"I didn't know scales came in red," Stiles smirked, "unless you're Smaug," and Roy levelled a glare at him.

"Do you really want to go down that road, Stiles?" he asked, "I could go on all day about red bushy tails," and Stiles' mouth snapped shut.

"Sorry…that was low," he acknowledged, ducking his head guiltily. Roy pulled off his jacket, hanging it back up, before he cautiously approached the medical bench Stiles was still sitting on, both of the younger men keenly aware of the eyes of everyone in the room on them.

"I'm glad that you're not dead…I know the others will be too…they missed you a lot." Roy offered finally, and Stiles looked up at him, studying Roy's face, before a tentative smile broke out on his face.

"I'm glad you're still alive too…when did you come back to the states?"

"Danny called me when everyone thought you'd died on the Queen's gambit…I went back to Beacon Hills for a bit to help Lydia…she took it pretty bad. After a couple of months she was coping better so I left Beacon Hills. I've been here most of the rest of the time," Roy replied. It was close enough to the truth, Stiles didn't need to know that it had been him calling Danny, not the other way around.

Stiles cringed at the mention of Lydia's name. After everything that had happened, Lydia had lost Allison, Aidan and Stiles within a few short weeks of one another. It had to have been awful for her, and Stiles was glad that Danny had called Jackson for help, for her sake at least.

"Thanks for looking after her," Stiles told Roy, who nodded briefly, discretely breathing in, his inner wolf latching onto Stiles' scent, different from how he remembered it, but yet, still very similar to what he remembered from the summer after he'd been turned, before he'd gone to England. His wolf was practically begging him to touch Stiles, to connect to a pack member thought to be lost.

No matter how distant they'd been before Jackson became a werewolf, Stiles had become a member of Jackson's pack. Isaac Lahey had as well, and Derek of course. Erica and Boyd had already disappeared by then, and Roy was man enough to admit that Peter Hale scared the crap out of him, and that was before even considering what he'd put Lydia through while he was dead.

Scott hadn't spent much time with the others that summer, even keeping Stiles at arm's length because he had been moping over Allison, so Jackson's wolf hadn't connected to any of them as much as he had Derek, Isaac and Stiles. Danny and Lydia, of course, had been members of Jacksons wolf's perceived pack, although neither of them had been very aware of the fact at the time (as far as Jackson had known at that point…he had later learned that Danny had known far more than he'd let on thanks to Stiles and Scott being incapable of using hushed voices when they discussed the supernatural in class).

Roy bit his lip, trying to use the pain as an anchor to subdue his wolf for now, but he knew Stiles could see through the gesture. Stiles had always been far too perceptive, and he'd known werewolf behaviors better than anyone else in the pack that had been born human.

Stiles slid off the bench he'd been sitting on and put his arms around Roy, hugging him in a way that allowed Roy to discretely scent Stiles' neck without it becoming obvious to anyone else in the room. Roy put his arms around Stiles, his wolf practically jumping around within him in excitement at the contact. Aside from the occasional touch on the shoulder from Oliver and Diggle, and Felicity giving him little hugs every now and then, it had been a long time since Jackson had been in this much contact with someone he considered to be pack. Thea of course, was a different story, but although Roy loved her, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, he didn't necessarily consider her a member of his pack, as such.

"We need to talk," Stiles whispered in Jackson's ear, so quiet that he was only able to hear it with his werewolf level hearing. In response, Jackson nodded his head ever so slightly, before he pulled away, giving Stiles an affectionate pat on the back to make everything look more natural.

"It's been too long, dude," Stiles nodded, going along with the act.

"I'm looking forward to hearing some of your stories," Roy replied.

"Whoa…you guys actually know each other…but you said his name was Jackson?" Felicity said from beside Oliver.

"Back when I was in high school my name was Jackson," Roy admitted, "I had a friend who was good with computers and I wanted to get away from everything…so we came up with a whole new identity."

A stunned silence met this announcement. Stiles was cringing and sending Roy an apologetic look, probably for blowing his cover, although it was hard to tell with Stiles, while Roy himself was carefully avoiding looking anywhere near Oliver, knowing the disappointed, mistrustful look that would be on the vigilante's face. Avoiding looking at Oliver also meant that Roy was avoiding looking at Felicity, which was good, because Roy had grown close to Felicity over their years of working together. She reminded him of Danny, and sometimes of Scott and Stiles, and he'd enjoyed the little reminder of people that he missed (although he'd never admit to it out loud, and especially around Stiles.)

Roy sent a quick sideways glance towards Sara, and saw the surprise written on her face. That didn't hurt so much as he thought it would, but then he wasn't as close to Sara as he was to Felicity, and he didn't look up to Sara like he did Oliver. What did hurt was the disappointment on Diggle's face, the frown on the older man's face that told Roy that Diggle expected more of him…that Roy had lost some, if not all, of the trust and respect Diggle had in him.

"Why…why didn't you say anything? Tell us about it? Didn't you trust us with that sort of information." Felicity asked, her voice catching with emotion. Roy forced himself to look up, facing Oliver and Felicity, meeting Felicity's gaze and seeing the tears gathering in her eyes.

"You guys didn't need to get involved in it. I left because it was dangerous, and I didn't want to risk you guys getting dragged into my…our past, and getting hurt because of it" Roy glanced at Stiles, who nodded in agreement with what he said.

"What was it…gang related? Drugs?" Oliver frowned, "what would happen if someone tracked you here…what would you have done then? If we didn't know we'd be in danger as well…and not just us, but Thea too."

Jackson shook his head, "The risk was to me, not directly to you guys…and if I knew someone was coming I would have told you guys, but Oliver, I don't think you can have a go at me, when you have so many secrets about what happened on the island, and what's happened since then."

"That is to protect you all," Oliver yelled.

"I did the exact same thing…to stop you guys getting involved. If you did somehow get involved chances are you would be dead…no amount of training or anything would be able to save you." Roy exclaimed loudly, his anger getting to him.

"If it makes you feel better, it's not drugs, terrorism, or anything like that," Stiles offered quietly.

"You were involved in this too?" Oliver snapped at Stiles, who met his gaze with determination…the same fire that Roy remembered Stiles having back in Beacon Hills. It was the same spirit that had made Stiles capable of going face to face with Derek, or Chris, or Peter, or Roy himself when he felt it was needed.

"Yes, I was. You know what I was like when I came to Starling City…when we got on the Queen's Gambit? The stuff Jackson…Roy…left behind…that is what it does to you…if it doesn't kill you. Don't even try and get involved."

Oliver's mouth snapped shut, his eyes going distant as he remembered the broken shell Stiles had been when he'd first met him, the day before they boarded the Queen's Gambit. He glanced at Sara, who had concern written across her features. Stiles had never told them anything about what had happened to him before he arrived in Starling City, although it was obvious that the kid had been through hell. He was barely eating, not sleeping, and constantly on edge. Even Oliver, as self absorbed as he had been back then, had felt sorry for the then sixteen year old.

"Alright…we won't push you to tell us…but if either of you even so much as get a hint that whatever it was in endangering you, or us, or Starling City in general, you need to talk, got it?"

Roy and Stiles both nodded, accepting the terms without hesitation. It was what Roy had planned to do anyway, and Stiles thought it was fair enough.

"I doubt you would believe us even if we did need to tell you," he told Oliver confidently, and Roy had to admit that Stiles was right. It had been hard enough to believe back in Beacon Hills when he'd been sixteen, but here in Starling City, with little to no evidence other than his being a werewolf it would be a lot more difficult to convince Oliver, Diggle, Felicity and Sara that werewolves were actually a thing.

At least, for the time being, they wouldn't have to worry about that…and maybe with Stiles there it would be easier…Stiles was far better at talking than Roy was anyway.

"So what was your real name, just out of curiosity?" Diggle asked Roy.

"Jackson Whittemore," Roy replied calmly, having regained control of his emotions, "and Felicity, feel free to look me up…there isn't anything on the internet or any database that I know of that I don't want you to know about."

Felicity blushed and Roy grinned, knowing that the moment he was gone Felicity had been planning on looking Jackson up. She was like Stiles in that manner, insanely curious about everything.

"Speaking of computers, how's Danny?" Stiles asked offhandedly.

"He's good…working for one of the big IT firms in L.A. but he often chats with Lydia and Scott…keeps me up to date on how things are going."

"That's cool…at least he got out as well." Stiles nodded, leaning casually against the bench.

"Since we've established that Stiles isn't a threat, does that mean he's free to go?' Sara asked Oliver, "I think he and his boyfriend want to catch up in private."

"Shut up, Sara." Stiles yelped, jerking away from Roy

"Oh, hell no," Roy spat, disgust on his face.

"Yeah, he can go…but not alone…like it or not, Stiles, you're still concussed."

"Well, I wouldn't be if you weren't so damn protective of Jackson…Roy…whatever he's calling himself…let's just settle for douchebag, shall we?"

"Shut up, Stilinski," Roy growled.

"Good, Stiles, I assume you've got somewhere to stay while you're in town?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, of course I do…and I don't need a babysitter."

"Yes, you do," Sara said, taking Stiles by the arm and leading him towards the door, with Stiles being forced to lean on Sara a little to avoid face planting.

"Go with him," Oliver instructed Roy.

"What, but…isn't there something you guys need me to do here?" Roy asked petulantly.

"No…I want you with him. Go…catch up with one another…be normal…do whatever it is you guys used to do back in high school."

"What, snark at each other and try to kill one another…ok," Roy replied, not untruthfully, "Besides, I don't think Stiles has ever been normal in his entire life."

"Just go," Oliver growled, and Roy sighed, grabbing the jacket he wore normally when he wasn't being a superhero and following Sara and Stiles out the door.

"I hope I don't regret that later on," Oliver said to himself as the door closed, leaving him alone with Diggle and Felicity. Felicity was already moving towards her computers, her fingers twitching in eagerness to look up the person who Roy used to be, but Diggle heard Oliver's comment and laughed.

"Worried they might actually kill each other?" Diggle asked.

"Either that, or they'll be friends by the end of the night, and the idea of them ganging up together is a little worrying." Oliver admitted.

"Aren't they already friends…oh…not friends…wow, I didn't expect that." Felicity commented, her gaze on her screens, already filled with information.

"That didn't take long," Diggle commented as he and Oliver crossed over the room to stand behind Felicity and look over her shoulder as Sara walked back in.

"Trust me, it wasn't difficult to find. Apparently Stiles once kidnapped Roy…Jackson, and held him in the back of a prisoner transfer van. Jackson actually put a restraining order on him."

"You know…I would have picked that going the other way around, just from looking at them," John offered.

"I wouldn't," Oliver and Sara said in unison.

"Stiles has always a bit…grey…when it comes to the law. He'd never deliberately hurt somebody, but his moral compass is a bit…left of centre," Sara explained.

"Even though his dad is the Sherriff of his home town," Oliver added.

"Having a cop for a dad doesn't necessarily mean being a good person all the time," Sara pointed out, "even Laurel has her grey areas….and when we were all kids she was the best behaved of the three of us."

Felicity was already looking into the background of Roy's former identity, so Diggle left her to it, busying himself with packing away the medical equipment they had gotten out in case Stiles' condition had deteriorated. Sara and Oliver too, catching the pointed look Felicity sent them, left the hacker to her task and sparred on the mats, although they weren't being very serious about it, neither of them wanting to be distracted the moment Felicity was finished. They were both on their feet, only tem minutes later, mere seconds after Felicity clasped her hand over her mouth and let out a sob.

'Oh my god, that's horrible."

"What is it?" Diggle asked, still managing to beat Oliver and Sara to Felicity's side.

"Roy…he was adopted as a baby by the Whittemore's. His biological parents, Gordon and Margaret Miller, were in a car accident the day before he was born. His dad died on impact, and is mother lived only a few more hours after they got her to hospital. They did a c –section on her to try and save Roy…by the time he was born she was already clinically dead."

"The kid was lucky to make it to even knowing Stiles, as much as they apparently didn't like one another," Diggle commented lightly, while Oliver frowned, and Sara cringed sympathetically for Roy.

"Does he know about this?" Oliver asked.

Felicity nodded, "He was told when he was seven…his biological parents were rich…not like Oliver is, but way more money than any of the rest of us are ever going to have. When he turned 18 Jackson inherited everything, including his parent's very healthy life insurance payouts…except, as far as everyone else in concerned, Jackson Whitmore disappeared about four months before his eighteenth birthday…which…actually…how old do we think Roy is?

"25, according to his staff file at the club," Oliver replied, "Why"

"He lied about his age when he made up his new identity…he's turning 24 next month…we should throw a party for him."

"Which actually makes him younger than Thea…and you were worried about her and an older guy…" Sara teased Oliver with a smile.

"You know it wasn't as if she was underage when they met," Felicity pointed out, "She was 23 when they met, and he was 22, and even if you go by his new identity he was only 24. Still not a big age gap."

"Are we loosing track of the point?" Diggle prompted, and the others all fell silent, knowing that he was right.

"All of this makes me even more curious about what the hell Roy and Stiles were involved in before they left Beacon Hills," Sara frowned, "Roy could have lived a comfortable life, instead of struggling to live day to day in the glades, but instead he chose to leave his home town only months before he would have inherited everything. It doesn't make sense."

"Anything on his adoptive parents? Maybe he was trying to get away from them." Oliver asked.

"David and Louise Whittemore adopted Roy when he was a few days old," Felicity reported promptly, "David Whittemore is a lawyer…fairly high profile, while Louise does a lot of volunteer work, mostly with the elderly. They both live in England, they have since the summer before Jackson disappeared from Beacon Hills during a holiday to visit friends."

Diggle tilted his head curiously, "Was Stiles one of the friends that he visited?"

Felicity shook her head sadly, "Jackson arrived in Beacon Hills two days after the news broke that the Queen's Gambit went down, and that Stiles was on it."

"Who reported Jackson missing?' Sara asked curiously.

"David Whittemore, when he hadn't heard from Jackson in awhile. It's noted here that Jackson left Beacon Hills having told his friends that he was going on a road trip. Hikers found Jackson's car…a Porsche…a few weeks later, abandoned on a dirt road in Wisconsin. There hasn't been any sign of him since."

"Damn," Diggle said to himself, "he covered his tracks well. Why would he run though? Roy wouldn't leave his friends behind if there was trouble."

"Roy wouldn't…but Jackson might have. People change, Diggle. It was a long time ago… he was just a kid himself when it all happened anyway." Oliver reasoned, "he came back for them when he found out Stiles was dead, it shows he cared, even if it wasn't enough to make him stay."

"Or something changed and scared him off," Sara offered, "Maybe the idea of inheriting that much money intimidated him."

"His adoptive parents were wealthy…Jackson wouldn't have been intimidated by his inheritance…and he's known about it for long enough that it's not as though it would have been a shock," Oliver countered, "besides…he was driving a Porsche when he disappeared…he wasn't scared off by the money". Sara inclined her head…Oliver would know best, after all.

"Is it just me, or are you guys struggling to imagine sixteen year old Roy behind the wheel of a Porsche?" Felicity asked. Sara and Diggle chuckled, and even Oliver smiled.

"He's adapted well…knows how to act like someone from the glades," Diggle leaned against a bench thoughtfully; "none of us picked it."

'He's been here a long time," Sara pointed out, but Oliver shook his head.

'No…Diggle's right… This shows how much we've underestimated him…how much I've underestimated him. He tricked us all, and had us all convinced that he was somebody he wasn't until seven years ago."

"Oliver…don't be mad at him…yeah, he hid some things from us…but we've all got secrets…skeletons in the closet…and yeah, maybe for some of us those secrets actually do involve skeletons, but I don't think any of us can judge him for hiding what he did." Felicity spoke up, looking up at Oliver beseechingly.

Sara nodded in agreement, "Felicity's right…did you see his face when he realized he'd have to fess up?"

"And how he wouldn't look Oliver in the eye? He's always looked up to you." Diggle added

"And he was scared I'd kick him out for hiding his past. I wouldn't ever do that, I know that we've all got our secrets…things that we're not proud of…I understand that," Oliver sighed, "My only concern was that if it was bad enough that he had to make up a new identity to get away from it then it might be putting the rest of us in danger."

Sara and Diggle both knew that by 'the rest of us' Oliver didn't mean them, or at least, not specifically, but rather Felicity and Thea. Felicity and Roy got on well, and were good friends, and although Roy and Thea weren't together at the moment, they had been together in the past…and there was a small chance of some sort of reunion.

"I keep remembering what Stiles was like when we were on the Queen's Gambit…before it went down…and even after that, on Lian Yu. I don't want something like that happening to any of you…and there is a part of me that is glad that Roy got out of whatever it was and hid before something like that could happen to him."

"As much as I hate to say this," Sara began heavily, "It's been seven years…Stiles has mostly recovered…and has probably recovered as much as he ever will…what's saying Roy didn't go through something like that as well?"