My Favorite Color is Green

by XKisakex

Bella Cullen moves back to Starling City to work at the law firm with her childhood friend Laurel Lance. Admiration for the vigilante isn't the only thing that ties up Bella's heartstrings. The heir to Queen's empire has returned from the dead and Bella falls deeply in love with the man in the hood. When tragedy strikes, will Bella be able to cope? Or will she be unable to live?

1. Part One

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Arrow or Twilight. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Greg Berlanti. I do own the rights to the original characters created for the storyline. Please support the official release.

Writer's notes: Welcome to My Favorite Color is Green. This is a three part series created for my dear friend, Roxie. I have been working hard on this story and hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do. As always, I appreciate everyone. Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review.

---

[Starling City, Washington]

---

The misting grey skies hung over the city like a heavy blanket. The air was chilled with the threat of snow. November was cold in Washington state. The city was alive no matter the weather circumstances. The skyscraper buildings reached towards the sky and the noise of the streets gave proof of life. There was never a dull moment around the city, with crime filling the alleyways, nightclubs and other bizarre people that seemed to make their appearance as the day yielded to the night.

Starling City was home, however, despite it's flaws. It was home for Bella Swan, daughter of police chief Charles Swan. But everyone called him Charlie. Charlie was a small town police chief in the town of Forks. Starling City was only a two hour car drive to Forks. Bella sought the city life after everything that happened to her in Forks. The pain of abusive ex-husband's. She married Edward Cullen right out of high school. He was dreamy. The way he smelled was intoxicating and the way he smiled at you, was mesmerizing. But that dream soon turned into a nightmare. The anger that followed… the pain of being knocked down the stairs… breaking a collarbone. He shattered her pelvis in the first year and when she got pregnant, he nearly killed her then. She left Edward, going back to her father, pleading, crying and Charlie took her in, protected her. Bella never pressed charges, but Charlie did take a restraining order out on Edward. The divorce was never finalized only because it was hard to pin Edward down now. He was overseas and he refused to sign the divorce papers. So Bella was stuck, married to a man that she wanted nothing to do with. That was ten years ago and she was stronger now. She moved to Starling City as a way of escaping painful memories, but also so she could give a better life for her daughter. Renesme.

Ren was full of life. A beautiful ten year old. Her hair was long, dark brown like Bella's but her eyes chose her father's eyes to settle on. Renesme's spring green eyes were more rounded than Edward's though Bella saw Edward in Renesme more than she saw herself. Ren loved art and reading and was fond of going to museums. Starling City had an amazing art museum that she had visited several times since Bella moved them to Starling City.

From time to time, Jasper and Emmett dropped in to visit Bella and Renesme in Starling City. They were making sure Edward didn't show his face, but also they needed to see Bella and Ren. Emmett was the fun uncle and Ren would tell you that much. Emmett was a goofy teddy bear. Rosalie and Emmett couldn't have children of their own, but that didn't matter anymore to the pair. Rosalie and Emmett were settling down in Seattle and going through the adoption process. Rosalie visited during the holidays since her modeling had gotten serious and she was busier during the year. Jasper traveled a lot at the behest of Alice, his pixie-like wife who blew into Forks senior year and stole Jasper's heart. Alice was a strange girl, though the Brandon's had a lot of money and she was the only daughter. So, Jasper followed her around the world, mostly because she was interested in exploring every part of the world.

Carlisle and Esme lived in Starling City. It was their way of staying close to Renesme and Bella. Bella adored Carlisle and Esme despite everything Edward put her through. Carlisle and Esme hadn't known Edward was abusing her. It wasn't known until she showed up six months pregnant on her dad's doorstep. Once they knew, they disowned Edward and pleaded with Bella to press charges, but she hadn't done it. Mostly out of fear, but also, at that time, she didn't want to be without Edward. But now, she had time to come to her senses and grow as a person. The older you were the wiser you were and she grew wise to Edward's dark tendancies and she would never go back to him. Not if he was the last man on Earth.

Since Renesme was born, Edward never laid eyes on her. Never held her, never shown a interest and for that, Bella was grateful. She never lied to Renesme about her father. She told her the truth and Renesme was mature enough to understand, she too, didn't want anything to do with Edward.

Now at the age of 29, Bella was secure in her life and her career. She graduated with honors from University and excelled in law school. Now, she was a lawyer working as a public defender in Starling City and so she was busy with court more times than she cared to admit, but Renesme was at school for most of the day and then Esme took care of her after school until Bella made it home.

Bella's home wasn't overly large. She lived in a townhouse in the city. Only two bedrooms, but that was all Renesme and Bella needed despite Carlisle offering for them to go live with them in their home they bought. The Cullen's had a lot of money, though it was obvious the richest family in Starling City, was the Queen family.

Bella knew the Queen family because of her mom. Before she moved to Forks to live with her dad, she lived in Starling City from the 4th grade until sophomore year in high school. She grew up with Oliver Queen and she did well to avoid the drama when Oliver got up in high school and was a notable playboy. But she opted to remember him as the little boy that gave her his shoes when she lost hers while playing on the cold beach one day. When news broke that Oliver Queen had been lost at sea five years ago, she felt a little shocked. It made national news. Though Oliver was in fact alive. He returned a few months ago after being lost at sea. He appeared to be himself, though there was a kind of sadness behind his eyes that Bella picked up on. She hadn't ran into him yet since she moved to the city and the city was so large, she doubted that they would run into each other.

---

"Mom, can I spend the night at Geema's and Grandpa's this weekend?" Renesme Cullen, Ren for short, asked her mother as they readied themselves before going outside into the cold air of November.

Bella turned her dark eyes to her daughter and smiled. "If it's okay with them." She said gently.

Ren's smile lit up her cute, heart shaped face. "Okay, I'll ask after school." She said and quickly pushed her small feet into her black, fur lined, boots before Bella wrapped a wool scarf around her neck to be sure she was warm enough before opening the blue, front door of the townhouse and walking outside. The wind wasn't so breezy today, and Bella was thankful for that. She locked the door and grabbed her daughter's gloved hand and they walked down the sidewalk towards Starling City Elementary school so Ren could start her day.

Once Bella dropped Ren off at school, she walked towards the office, her briefcase clasped in her left hand. She liked how close the townhouse was to the school, but hated that it was a farther walk for her otherwise to work. But she sometimes didn't mind the brisk cool air, that helped clear her thoughts for the beginning of her day. She paused when she saw some construction going on at a building that had sat vacant for so long. It was a multi-floored building, three floors at the most and there were several windows. A sign was being hung up, the green glow of it is what caught her attention in the first place. "Verdant?" Bella said out loud, wondering what that meant.

"Bella?" A voice called.

Bella blinked a few times and turned and looked towards the sound of the voice. She saw Oliver Queen standing there. His dark hair was cut perfectly, a shadow of a beard on his face and his blue eyes were one of the other perfect features of his face, including the strong jaw and straight nose. His shoulders were wide and he was wearing a dark wool coat and dark pants. "Oliver?"

Oliver smiled a little as he walked over to her. "When did you get to Starling City?"

"Um. About a year ago." Bella relayed.

"Oh. Well, welcome back. It has been quite some time." Oliver said with a nod.

Bella nodded back. "Likewise. I heard you just returned yourself." She said with a friendly smile.

Oliver's faltered just a little, but he just gave a nod. "Want to grab coffee?"

"I would but I am working at CNRI and I am on my way in."

"CNRI? Where Laurel works?" Oliver asked.

Bella smiled. "Oh, yeah. Laurel helped me get on there."

"I was on my way over that way anyways. Coffee on the way?" Oliver offered.

"Sure. If you don't mind the company." Bella said and the started walking, but Oliver put a hand on her arm and it made her pull away quickly. She turned and looked at Oliver and cleared her throat. "Um, sorry."

Oliver shook his head, recognizing an abuse victim when he saw one. He just shook it off. "No need for an apology. My car is over here. Mr. Diggle will drive us over, it'll be faster." He said with an even smile.

"Oh, right. I sometimes forget you have a driver to take you everywhere," She said with a nervous laugh. Her phone rang and she pulled it from the pocket of her dark charcoal dress pants and looked at it and frowned when it was the school calling. She just dropped Renesme off not that long ago. "Hello?"

"Ms. Cullen?"

"This is she."

"There has been a bit of an incident."

"Is Ren okay?" Bella's voice was a little panicked.

"Ren isn't hurt. There was a man here, said he was Ren's father and demanded to see her. We of course did not allow access, but ma'am… the police are here and there is an apparent court order."

"I'm on my way." Bella said and hung up. Her heart felt like it was rushing in her head and she felt the panic set in and she wasn't sure she could get her legs to work.

Oliver snapped her out of it by calling out to her. "Bella? What's wrong?" He saw the way her face looked after the phone call.

"I… Um. I have to go," Bella said and turned to rush back towards the direction of the school, but tripped over her own feet and Oliver caught her.

"Easy. Where do you need to go?"

"Starling Elementary." Bella said quickly, her breathing rushed.

Oliver nodded and helped her back towards his car, and opened it so she could slide in the back with ease. "Diggle, to Starling Elementary. Quickly please." He said.

John Diggle, was ex-military and was hired to be the bodyguard slash driver for Oliver Queen upon Oliver's return. Oliver was difficult to keep up with, and he discovered why last month and had agreed to go along for the right. He nodded, sliding his palms across the steering wheel and turned the car towards Starling Elementary.

Oliver took his phone out and sent a text to Laurel, letting her know that Bella was with him and there was something wrong at the Elementary school. Oliver wasn't sure what was wrong at the school, he just knew that Bella looked scared and panicked and he couldn't let her down now.

---

As soon as Oliver's car pulled up at the school, Bella shot out of the car quickly and rushed towards the doors of the school. Oliver quickly scrambled behind her, wanting to make sure that Bella was okay and everything else was okay.

Bella stood, shellshocked as she looked at her husband. Edward Cullen.

Oliver took his phone out and sent a text to Laurel, letting her know that Bella was with him and there was something wrong at the Elementary school. Oliver wasn't sure what was wrong at the school, he just knew that Bella looked scared and panicked and he couldn't let her down now.

---

"Court order." The officer said.

Oliver took the paper and looked at it. "This is an order to obtain Renesme Cullen."

Bella snatched the paper, her eyes dancing over it. "This isn't signed." She said, her dark eyes coming into focus now. She summoned her courage up and she spun on Edward. "You thought I wouldn't notice? Are you dense?" Bella asked and saw the anger flared.

"She is my daughter. I have rights to-"

"No. Actually, you don't. That restraining order isn't just for me. You are in violation of that restraining order. Where'd you dig the order up? You thought that your name would bully your way in here?"

The officer looked over the order and frowned. "I swear, Mrs. Cullen I-"

"Don't." Bella snapped out. She felt fire rising in her. "He's violating a protective order. He is not allowed within 100 feet of me or my daughter. I am pressing charges this time." She said, her dark eyes fueled with the previous pain of what Edward had done to her in the past.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "That restraining order expired yesterday, you needed to have one reissued. It appears I have not broken any laws."

Oliver cleared his throat. "If that is the case. I suggest you leave Bella alone and her daughter until legal action can be taken."

"I didn't catch your name." Edward said, his green eyes studying Oliver now.

"Oliver Queen. If that name doesn't mean anything to you, I assure you, you don't belong in this city then." Oliver said.

Bella swallowed and looked at the officer. "I am applying for a temporary restraining order subject to code-"

"I understand Mrs. Cullen." The Officer said and looked to Edward. "Sir, I am going to ask you to vacate the premises, before you will be trespassed and arrested." He said calmly.

Edward stared at Bella. "I will remind you…you're still my wife." He said before he left.

Bella closed her eyes as a tear rolled down her face. "Um." She felt the life drain out of her a little and she swayed a little.

Oliver placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Hey, he's gone. Everything is okay." He said and looked at Diggle when he walked in. "Diggle, can you have someone sit on the school, make sure that Bella's daughter is protected." He said and Diggle gave a nod before stepping away to make a call.

"Oliver you don't have to do that. Um. I can-"

"I know." Oliver said. "I told Laurel that there was an emergency, she isn't expecting you back at the office. Let's go and get some breakfast." He said with a soft voice.

Bella nodded and looked at Yasmine Waters, the front desk clerk that had called her about the situation. "Um. Edward Cullen, is not approved to pick Renesme up. I am calling my mother-in-law to let her know the situation and she'll be by to pick Ren up after school is over." She said and Yasmine nodded and smiled reassuringly. Bella turned and looked at Oliver and sniffed a little. "Thank you." She said, her voice a little small, but she walked out of the school into the cold air of Starling City.

Oliver followed her out, guiding her back towards the car. Once they were inside the confined space of the towncar, he spoke. "So, you have a daughter?"

Bella found her voice after a moment. "Yeah. Renesme…she's ten." She said with a nod. "Um. About Edward. He um…I filed for divorce a long time ago. He's dodged it and I couldn't find a judge to vacate the divorce agreement, I have a feeling he's been paying off the judges and I don't have the proof for it." She sighed. "What's today?"

"November 6th." Oliver replied.

Bella closed her eyes and sighed. "He's right. It expired yesterday. I've done so well to keep on top of this and…and I got comfortable. I thought he had given up."

Oliver listened to her as Diggle drove towards one of the nicer restaurants where he could get Bella to sit comfortably and eat something. Or that was the hope. "I'm sorry you're having to go through this." He said sincerely.

Bella wiped her face a little, another tear dropping down her cheek. "It's not your fault." She blew out a breath and then cleared her throat. "I can probably get back to work though. You've already disrupted your day too much for this."

"Nonsense. What are friends for?" Oliver said with his charming smile.

"Ollie, it's been 12 years." Bella said, saying his nickname like when they were younger. It had come out naturally and it was because he had helped her calm down somehow.

"I know, but I still like to think that we're still friends."

Bella smiled a little. Oliver seemed different somehow. She had seen the magazines, the news painting him as the party boy that was constantly in the limelight for drinking too much, and it wasn't abnormal to see news articles about him sleeping around with different women. But then he had disappeared and come back after being on an island by himself for five years. That changed him, and she could see that. "Yeah, still friends. Thank you for today though. I must have freaked you out a bit." She said with a nervous chuckle.

"No, I was just concerned. You seemed upset and rightly so." Oliver said. "I know it's been 12 years, but I'm always here for you."

Bella didn't doubt his words. "Thank you." She said again as they pulled up at the restaurant.

---

[One Week Later]

---

Bella got a judge to sign another protection order and she made sure that Edward couldn't file for any sort of custody that would yank Renesme out of her home. If he wanted to see Renesme, he would have to fight her for it.

"Don't worry Bella, everything will be okay." Laurel Lance's sweet voice filled the air. Dinah Laurel Lance was five foot six, slender with gorgeous dark hair with lengths past her shoulders. There were some bolder blonde highlights filtered throughout in a subtle bailage. Her green eyes were bold like jade stone and she had a slender, narrow face that gave her a symmetrical beauty.

Bella smiled at Laurel. "I'm sure it will be. I'm just…" she blew out a breath. "I wish I could say I put him in the past and had nothing to do with him, but I can't. He won't sign the divorce papers. I have sent them over and over again. I thought being a lawyer now, I would have more pull. But I can't get a judge to sign off on these papers because there is a child involved." It was frustrating.

"That shouldn't matter. He's a proven danger right?"

"I didn't press charges back then. I got the restraining order, but I didn't go that far. When I had Ren, I just… I don't know. I was still broken Laurel." Bella admitted.

Laurel leaned against the desk, sitting on it partially and crossing her arms. Her brow furrowed in thought. "Why don't I talk to a friend of mine in family law. I might be able to get you that divorce granted. You have continually upheld a restraining order and you also have photo proof of his assaults, plus hospital records and eye witnesses. You can file for divorce from him… at fault due to the abuse. You don't need his signature for that."

"I know, I have filed it that way. It got denied. I'm fresh out of law school… there's so much more I have to learn. Family law wasn't what I went towards, I wanted to be a public defender. Help those that couldn't afford a lawyer. It's why I wanted to work here in the Glades." Bella explained.

"Well, you didn't have me before and now you do. I will get this handled. I promise." Laurel said with a smile. She grew up with Bella too. Bella wasn't the best at sticking up for herself, which is what made Laurel want to be her friend. Bella was the shy girl in school growing up, so she wanted to be there for her.

Bella smiled at Laurel. "Thank you." She said and then glanced up when she saw Thomas "Tommy" Merlyn walk in. Laurel smiled at their mutual friend. "Hey Tommy." Bella addressed him.

Tommy was tall and slender and was the walking definition of tall, dark and handsome. His black hair was nicely brushed, his bright white smile perfect and his blue eyes seemed exotic compared to the rest of his face. He was wearing a dark suit, which was the normal for Starling City Royalty. His father was Malcom Merlyn, the CEO of Merlyn Global and Tommy was very rich, like Oliver Queen. "Hey Bells." He said and glanced to Laurel. "I came for Laurel, mind if I steal her away?" He asked with a smile.

"Not at all. Take your girlfriend somewhere nice Merlyn." Bella said with a light tone and Laurel smiled a little and looked at her. "I'm all good here. I'm about to head out to lunch myself. Check on Ren." She said with a reassuring smile.

"Okay. I'll see you after lunch then." Laurel said and then went off with Tommy.

Bella went back to the papers on her desk. She would eat lunch in a little bit, she wanted to move through the files first so she didn't get lost on what she was doing. She had a process and hated to interrupt that process.

---

A few hours passed by and Bella hardly noticed Laurel returned and then had to leave again for court. Bella ignored the growl in her belly, but was interrupted by Oliver Queen calling her name.

"Bella," Oliver said her name again and she glanced up on the second time. "You were really into your work." He said with a smile.

Bella looked at her watch and sighed. "I skipped lunch again." She murmured. "I need to call Ren, check on her." She said and grabbed her phone and dialed Esme's number.

"Hey Bella," Esme's beautiful voice filtered through the phone.

"Hey, I'm just checking on Ren. She feeling better?" Bella asked. Ren had woke up a little under the weather, so Esme was taking care of her.

"She is. Jasper is in town, so she's snuggled with him watching Moana on Disney plus." Esme relayed.

"Jasper is there? That's great. Um, I'll be late in the office tonight. We have a few cases presenting tomorrow and I need to make sure everything is good to go."

"She's safe and fine here Bella. I'll call you at bedtime."

"Thank you so much Esme."

"Of course. Don't forget to eat." Esme warned in a motherly tone.

Bella smiled. "I'll eat." She said and then hung up with Esme. She blew out a breath.

"I take it, it's a common thing for you to skip lunches." Oliver said as he sat on the edge of Bella's desk. "It's almost dinner now. Why don't you come out with me. Grab some dinner."

Bella frowned. "I really have a ton more to do. Laurel is in court for the last case of the day and we have so much to do in the morning."

"I'll have Diggle grab something and bring it here. I can help. Just tell me what you need done." Oliver said and unbuttoned his sleeves at the bottom then started to roll them up.

"I will never turn down help." Bella stood and grabbed some files. "Can you go through these, and pull all the dates dated June 10th, 2022?"

Oliver took the files and then pulled up a chair and sat down. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Diggle to bring them some chinese food from around the corner and that he was going to be helping Bella for a while. "Diggle is getting Chinese. Hope that's okay?"

"Perfect." Bella said and then reached up and tucked her hair behind her ears before diving back into the files.

---

Oliver checked his watch when eight-thirty rolled around. "Call Ren." He reminded Bella.

Bella blinked a few times and then sat back. "Oh right. Thank you for reminding me." She said and he smiled. She took her phone out and called Esme.

"Hey Bella," Jasper's voice sounded in her ear.

"Oh Jazz, where's Esme?"

"She just got Ren down to sleep."

"I missed her." Bella sounded disappointed.

"It's okay. Ren knows you're busy with work. She told me to tell you that she loves you times a million and that she's proud of her mommy." Jasper relayed the message Ren gave him.

Bella teared up a little. "She's the perfect daughter." She said, her voice emotional. "Thank you for being there. I know you came back because he's back."

"Well, my brother is an idiot. He's not going to get close to her. I won't let it happen. I won't let him get close to you either." Jasper said and paused. "Do me a favor and actually get rest tonight. Ren is fine here. Her fever is gone and she's feeling much better, so don't worry too much either."

Bella smiled a little. "Thank you Jazz."

"Anytime. Love you." Jasper said softly in the phone.

"Love you too." Bella said and hung up. She blew out a breath.

"Everything okay?" Oliver asked when he saw her tears.

"Uh yeah. Just… it's hard sometimes." Bella admitted. It was hard being a single parent. She had all the help she could ever ask for, but she missed out on stuff all the time with work.

Oliver reached into his pocket and pulled out the handkerchief and dabbed it over her eyes gently. "It is and you're doing amazing at it." He reassured her.

Diggle walked in. "Oliver." He said, his tone was a strange one, but Bella hadn't picked up on it.

Oliver sat back and glanced over at Diggle. "What's up?"

"You have a meeting with Dallas." Diggle used a code word. "It's emergent."

Oliver nodded. "Okay, thank you for reminding me Diggle." He said and looked back at Bella. "I apologize. I have to go, but-"

"Oh, I have taken up a lot of your time. Go, please. I'm sorry for um, detaining you." Bella said.

"I enjoyed the company Bella." Oliver said with a nod and stood right when Laurel walked in carrying her coat on her arm and her briefcase in the other.

Laurel paused to look at the scene in front of her. Oliver was standing by Bella's desk and he was holding his handkerchief and Bella seemed a little sad. "Um, hello Oliver." She said and looked at Bella. "Everything okay?"

Bella nodded and tucked her hair back again. "Yes, Ollie was leaving. He helped sort some case files, but he has another meeting to get to." She said and looked to Oliver. "Thank you again."

"Of course." Oliver said as he stuck his handkerchief in his pocket. "Nice seeing you Laurel." He said and then left with Diggle.

Laurel set her briefcase down on the chair that Oliver was sitting in. "Hey, is everything really okay? Did Oliver say something?"

"Oh no. It was just. It's hard sometimes being a single parent. He was consoling me. I missed Ren's bedtime call just barely. So um… I'm just being hard on myself."

Laurel's gaze softened. "Hey, it is hard, but Ren knows you love her and that you're doing everything you need to for her."

"I know." Bella blew out a breath. "Um, the files are sorted and ready for tomorrow. I have to be in court at ten, but I'll be there early to make sure everything is ready." She said with a nod.

"Then you should go home, relax a little. Everything is going to be okay." Laurel said, reassuring her like Oliver had. "I'll close up here. Go on."

Bella blew out another breath and gathered her things. "Thank you." She said and she left Laurel there.

Laurel smiled, watching her friend leave. It was odd seeing Oliver there, caring for Bella and helping. It also did something to her deep down. Seeing Oliver with Bella. She shrugged it off and went to her own desk and flipped the desk light on before she sat down in her chair and began to work.

---

(Trigger Warning)

Bella pulled her coat tighter around her small frame as she walked in the cold November air. She enjoyed walking in the city because walking always helped clear her head. The sky was clear tonight, which was a good change to the misty weather they had been having lately. The Glades were a live at this time of night, but Bella ignored the sounds of the streets as she walked. She was thinking about ways to try and spend more time with Ren. She wanted to take her to the Starling Aquarium soon, and was thinking about that when she felt hands rip her off the street and shove her against the hard brick of a building. The hands were strong and she was trying to fight back, but her attacker was stronger than she was.

"Please! Just take my purse!" She pleaded, but she felt the hands rip at her skirt, hiking it up and ripping the panty hose she was wearing. She hated wearing skirts, but she didn't have any slacks to wear this morning, so she put on the pencil skirt. She was regretting it now as she felt the hands violate her. "Please!" She begged as tears stained her cheeks.

"Shut up." Edward's voice was cold and gruff. "You are my wife, I will fuck you if I please. Make another sound and I will kill you and then Ren will come home with me."

Bella's eyes were wide as she heard Edward's voice. She closed her eyes as she felt Edward slide his hard cock inside her from behind. He thrust into her hard, sending spiraling pain through her and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. He pushed her head against the brick of the building, the cold stone biting her cheek a little as he slammed into her harder and harder. She didn't know when he would stop and memories of before came rushing back. He would do this for hours sometimes and all she could do now was try to hang on and let him finish. His hand gripped her hair, pulling on it as he picked up his pace and kept roughly shoving his cock inside her until he pushed inside her deep and she felt him cum inside. Tears were rolling down her face continuously until numbness replaced the pain.

"Tell anyone, I will make it very difficult for you." Edward's cool voice sounded in her ear. She felt the pressure of what felt like a blade bite into her ribs and stab into her and she bit down on her lip again to stop herself from crying out yet again. "You think you can escape me… you can't." He said and then the sound of sirens made Edward pull away from her and disappear into the night.

Bella let out a sob as she tried to right herself. She smoothed her hands over her skirt to try and dust herself off, but her hands trembled severely as she did so. She bent down, feeling some pain as she did and she picked up the briefcase she had dropped when Edward shoved her against the building. She swallowed, trying to get herself under control. The sirens faded into the night and she knew that the sirens weren't there for her… weren't there to save her. She ran a hand over her hair and decided to try and walk. She felt pain in her ribs as she took each step and she knew that he stabbed a little deeper than he had intended, but she had to make it home. She stumbled out onto the streets and she looked around. People were walking around, not paying her any attention and she was thankful for that. She just wanted to get home. She started walking that direction, stumbling a few times, but to any onlooker, she appeared to be intoxicated.

(End Trigger)

"Bella?" Tommy called to her when he walked out of Verdant, the nightclub that Oliver was building and he happen to look in Bella's direction. He saw her stumble and he rushed forward, his hands catching her before she hit the sidewalk.

"Um. Sorry, I um." Bella couldn't process words right now, her pain in her side a little too unbearable.

Tommy pulled his hand back when he felt slickness and saw the blood. "Oh my god. You're hurt." He said and he swung her up into his arms and carried her inside the nightclub. Oliver was coming from the back when Tommy carried Bella inside.

Oliver frowned and rushed forward. "What happened?"

"She's been hurt. Bella, talk to me. What happened?" Tommy asked as he laid her on the bard.

Bella closed her eyes a little, her vision waivering a little. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine." Oliver said and then saw the blood pooling on the bar. "Oh god." He moved Tommy's hands away to pull at her shirt, getting it untucked from her skirt and looked at the stab wound. "Tommy, your jacket."

Tommy shrugged his jacket off quickly and handed it to Oliver and Oliver pressed it to her side. "I'll call the police."

"No!" Bella choked out. "No. No police."

Oliver saw her open her dark eyes and saw the fear in them. "Okay. No police. Um. Tommy, down in the basement, I have first aide supplies. Bring them here. Diggle should be down there." He said rushed.

Tommy nodded and took off towards the stairs that went down into Oliver's secret lair, or that was what Tommy was calling it anyways.

"Bella, who did this to you?" Oliver asked as he pressed against her side.

"I can't." Bella said as tears rolled down her face. "He'll kill me."

Oliver growled a little as he thought back to Edward. He knew it had to be him. That was the only person Bella had been afraid of or in the least, that is what he was assuming.

Tommy rushed back with Diggle and a blonde woman, and he had gathered medical supplies. "Diggle said bring blood."

Diggle was already starting to run an IV for Bella to transfuse her with O negative blood. Tommy stepped back and let Diggle and Oliver work on Bella.

"Bella, stay awake." Tommy said, as he paced a little. "Are you sure we shouldn't call the cops?"

"No cops." Bella said again, feeling a little lightheaded. "Ollie, just stitch it."

"I'm trying." Oliver said as he prepped the needle and thread. "It's going to hurt." He told her and she nodded and he started stitching her side.

Bella opened her eyes and looked over at Tommy. "Tommy, I got blood on you."

"It's okay Bells." Tommy said gently. "Just focus on staying awake okay?"

Oliver worked fast, getting her stitched up and the bleeding stopped. "Felicity can you go get Bella a change of clothes please?" He asked the blonde woman and she disappeared.

Bella lay there a moment, feeling exhausted, but she had fought to stay awake. "Thank you." She said, not sure if her voice was heard.

"Diggle." Oliver said and Diggle nodded and left to do whatever unspoken command Oliver had given him.

Tommy blew out a breath. "She's going to be okay?" He asked Oliver.

"Yeah. Bleeding is stopped." Oliver said and then noticed other scars on Bella's body. He had removed her shirt, so she was just laying there in her bra. He was curious about the other scars, but didn't say anything.

Tommy was the one to ask. "Bella, you've been hurt before." He said as his eyes traveled over the other scars.

Bella closed her eyes and tried to sit up. Oliver helped her to a sitting position and then shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her gently. "Um. I'm okay now. I need to get home."

"Tommy, get her a drink." Oliver said and Tommy managed to move from his spot to get her a drink. "Bella, you're not okay. Edward did this… didn't he?"

"I was mugged." Bella said, trying to come up with an excuse.

Oliver shook his head, anger filling him. "Bella, you're afraid he's going to kill you. He told you not to talk didn't he?"

Bella felt her hot tears. "Ollie, I can't talk about it… not now." She whispered.

Oliver just nodded and then grabbed the drink from Tommy and gave it to Bella. It was just water and Bella drank it all down quickly. "I'll take Bella home. You'll be late picking Laurel up." He said to Tommy. "I have a change of clothes in the office." He nodded to his friend.

Tommy blew out a breath. "I can just cancel with Laurel, this is important."

"No, go be with Laurel. Don't let her leave alone." Bella said. "I'm fine. Thank you Tommy." She said and when he hesitated she smiled. "Merlyn, I'm good. Go be with Laurel." She reassured him.

Tommy nodded. "Okay. I'll change and go and get her. Bella, please… take it easy."

"I will." Bella promised and watched Tommy walk away. Her dark eyes went back to Oliver. "Oliver, I'm okay. Um, I'll just go home and get some rest. I seriously am going to be okay."

Oliver studied her and shook his head. "He hurt you."

"I'm alive."

"You almost weren't." Oliver said. "Walking at night in the Glades is dangerous."

"I've been walking by myself in the Glades since I moved back to the city Ollie, I'm okay." Bella said and then pulled the IV out even though Oliver protested. "It won't happen again. I was caught off guard."

Oliver sighed. "I can have a car come get you and take you home. You don't have to walk back home."

"I'm okay. I enjoy walking. This was just a simple mishap. Mugging gone wrong." Bella insisted.

Oliver didn't believe her excuse, but he dropped it for now. "Fine. Well, I'm driving you home this time. You're hurt and shouldn't be walking. I'll have Diggle bring you to work in the morning. You have court at what time?"

"Ollie, that isn't necessary."

"It is." Oliver said. "Let me help you like I used to back in the day." Oliver said, his voice soft.

Bella sighed and nodded, finally caving. "Okay." She said. IF she let him help her just this time, there was nothing wrong with that. She was really tired and she just wanted to get home and scrub away Edward's touch. She thought about the rape, about Edward cumming inside her and she felt nauseous at the thought. "Um I need to stop by the pharmacy though. I need to pick up my medicine before they close."

Oliver nodded and stood. "Okay, we can stop." He said and then looked up at Tommy as he walked down the stairs from the office wearing the purple button up shirt and had the dark suit jacket folded over his arm. "I'm taking Bella home, she'll be in court tomorrow. Let Laurel know." He said and helped Bella down off the bar.

Tommy looked at his watch. "Okay. Are you sure? I'm sure Laurel can-"

"I'll be there. I just need some rest. Promise." Bella offered a smile to Tommy. Tommy sighed but nodded, giving in to Bella and he left, going towards CNRI to pick up Laurel.

---

Oliver helped Bella inside the townhouse. He had never seen the inside of the townhouse because he had only ran into Bella while in the city. He watched her purchase Plan B at the pharmacy and he felt so angry about it. Edward had done more to her than she was wanting to admit and he wanted to kill Edward. Wanted to rid this earth of scum like him, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Bella would eventually talk about it when she was ready.

The townhouse was neat, nothing out of place and that was because Bella spent little time here as it was, but she was always a tidy person in general. Bella lay her keys on the table by the door and moved towards the kitchen to get some water. She stumbled a little, just barely, but Oliver was catching her so she wouldn't fall over. Bella flinched a little but she didn't make a move away from Oliver.

"Sit, I'll get you water." Oliver said and moved towards the kitchen after sitting her on the couch. It was all open, the living room to the kitchen and dining room. The couch was a dark suede material and was L-shaped. There were wooden tables for side tables and the coffee table matched. There was a simple TV stand with a TV sitting on it, but the walls were bare still. The kitchen was brighter, white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. The counter was even white, like peppered quartz. The floor was like grey slate, which offset the white cabinets and the dining room had bare walls that matched the living room. Oliver went to the refridgerator and opened it. There wasn't a lot of food in the fridge, but Bella was rarely home to cook anyways. There was water in the fridge, so he grabbed a bottle and brought it back to her. She took the water and nodded her thanks. "I'll be okay. I'm just going to rest for a bit before going to take a shower."

Oliver didn't like the idea of leaving her alone, but he nodded. He wanted to get back to Diggle and Felicity and work on finding more information out about Edward Cullen. "Okay. Take it easy. Don't move too fast and be sure to dry the stitches."

"Thank you Ollie. I didn't mean to cause such a fuss."

"Bella, you're never a fuss." Oliver said softly. "Call me for anything. It doesn't matter what time of day." He said before leaving her alone.

Bella felt the tears push to the surface and she let them fall. She grabbed the brown pharmacy bag from beside her on the couch and took the Plan B from inside. Her hands shook a little as she opened the package, but she managed to take the pill with the water before she summoned the energy up to go to the shower.

---

A couple weeks went by and there was no sighting of Edward. No word from him and nothing filed with courts and Bella was prepared to file the papers that Laurel helped her draw up to submit for the divorce with Edward. Laurel was submitted the papers on Bella's behalf because Laurel believed that with Laurel leading that charge, then she would get better results.

Bella's side was healing good and was pretty much a scar now. Ren was feeling much better from being under the weather two weeks ago, and now she was spending the weekend with Esme and Carlisle. Bella was working on a weekend, which wasn't abnormal for her lately as they geared up for a big case that Laurel was sitting first chair on.

"What do you think about the hood?" Laurel asked as she shuffled papers on her desk.

Bella blinked a few times. "The Hood? The vigilante?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, I haven't really thought about it. I don't watch the news that much honestly." Bella admitted.

Laurel laughed a little. "Really? Well, dad thinks it's Oliver."

Bella snorted a little. "Oliver Queen as the Hood? That's rich."

"That's what I said! My dad is so angry with Oliver still. Losing Sarah and then… when mom left… I think he just has a lot of misplaced anger."

"Well, that's normal I suppose. But Oliver is not vigilante material." Bella said and then her phone rang and she frowned when she saw Thea's name appear. "Thea is calling me." She murmured.

Thea Queen was the younger sister of Oliver Queen. She was a princess in society and she was following down some dark paths. She remembered Thea when they were younger. She was just a small girl when Bella went to the Queen mansion. But she ran into Thea last week and they had coffee while Thea voiced her concern about Oliver and wanted to know if Bella had noticed anything off with Oliver. "Thea?"

"Ollie has been arrested. He said not to bother Laurel or you, but I called Laurel and she didn't answer, so I didn't know who else to call and-"

"Slow down Thea. Who arrested Ollie?"

"Detective Lance."

"I'm on my way." Bella said and hung up. She stood and grabbed her briefcase. "Oliver has been arrested."

"What?"

"Yeah, your dad." Bella said and rushed towards the door with Laurel right behind her.

---

[Starling City Police Department]

---

Bella walked into the interegation room and faced off with Larry Lance. Larry was shorter than Oliver, and Bella saw where Laurel got her dark hair from. Larry had dark eyes and sometimes Larry reminded her of her own father. "My client isn't saying another word." She snipped out as she squared off with Larry.

Larry frowned and stood, facing off with Bella. "I'm not done questioning him. I have proof that-"

"No you don't. What you have is circumstantial."

"The hood showed up when Oliver got back in town."

"Have you heard of coincidences Detective? Let me tell you how this is going to go. Charge my client or let him go. You don't have enough to charge him, therefore, he's leaving, now." Bella had switched on her authority and stood, strong in from of Larry.

Larry growled a little. "The hood is a murderer. I will prove that Oliver Queen is a murderer."

"Just because you lost your daughter at sea Detective, does not make Oliver a murderer. I get it, you lost a person. You blame Oliver for Sarah's death, but Oliver lost people too when the Queen's Gambit went down. Haul my client in here again, I will file harassment charges against you Detective Lance." Bella was bold. "Come on Oliver, let's go." She barked out.

Oliver stood, straightening his suit jacket and walked out of the interregation room.

Bella looked at Larry. "I feel for you Mr. Lance, I really do. You have a lot to be angry about. But do not let it affect your job." She said and she left, sliding past Laurel who was going to have a chat with her dad.

Once outside, Bella turned and looked at Oliver. "Did you say anything incriminating?"

"I'm innocent of course I didn't." Oliver said.

Bella sighed. "He's gunning for you Oliver, he's going to try everything he can to pin you the murders happening in the city. Let's get lunch. I want you to tell me about the night you and Tommy were kidnapped and this hood character saved you."

---

Oliver hadn't expected Bella to show up at the police station and whisk him away. She was a good lawyer her admittedly and he found her increasingly interesting. Growing up as kids, he always had a fondness for her, but he was an idiot boy that always ruined things. The island had changed him, he admitted to himself, but he was trying his hardest to pretend to be the same Oliver because it would draw more attention to him otherwise. Detective Lance was right. Oliver was the Hooded vigilante, but he needed a plan to keep the police from connecting the two together. He walked into the lair that Tommy had dubbed it. Tommy was his closest friend and he knew that lying to him would only create a barrier between the two and he wasn't willing to sacrifice the friendship, but he did his best to keep Tommy out of everything since Tommy wasn't exactly approving of the killing. Oliver was trying his best to not kill and try a different way that would allow the people on his list to face true justice, but it was too late in Detective Lance's eyes. The Hood was a murderer and he wasn't wrong. Oliver was a killer and that was something he had to live with.

"Felicity, tell me something good." He said as he walked in.

Felicity Smoak was the IT girl that worked at Queen Consolidated, but after a incident gone wrong with the police one night, Felicity was now part of the secret circle that Oliver had created to protect his identify. Felicity was also really good at digging up information on people.

"Well, I found where Edward Cullen is staying. It's been rather busy for the hood, so I have been digging this information up in my spare time. He is staying at Starling Heights and he's still staying there. He has been seeking legal council to obtain parental rights to ten year old Renesme Cullen." Felicity stated.

Oliver frowned. "On what grounds?"

Felicity's eyes darted over the screen, reading. "He's calling her mental health into question. She spent time in a psychiatric center, thirty days and he's claiming that she has been lashing out at him due to an underlying mental disease."

"She's not insane." Oliver shook his head. "Why did she spend 30 days in a facility?"

"To get those records is illegal." Felicity said and then paused. "Okay, so she spent time in the facility because he checked her in. Stated that she tried to kill herself while pregnant with Renesme."

"But she has an order of protection against him. If this was an issue before, then she wouldn't have been awarded custody of Renesme." Oliver stated.

Felicity shook her head. "She had corroborating witnesses that stated that Edward was abusive. Her father is a police chief in Forks and there are pictures of the marks he left on her. Hospital records of a shattered pelvis, she went through a window on the second story building."

"Jesus." Oliver put a hand to his mouth, shocked that Bella had endured so much. "But yet a mental facility allowed him to put her there?"

"Yeah, and it seems like the only reason she was released is because a Carlisle Cullen, spoke on Bella's behalf. He's a doctor here at Starling General." Felicity said and shook her head as she went through the medical records more. "Jesus Oliver, I don't think you want to know all of this."

Oliver looked over Felicity's shoulder, his eyes dancing over the screen. "He is filth." He growled out and moved away from Felicity. He was trying to contain his anger. Men like Edward was a trigger for him. It made him want to hit something, but he refrained, trying not to scare Felicity in the process. "I want his address. Send it to my phone." He snapped out.

"Maybe now isn't a good time to put the hood on Oliver. With Detective Lance on your case."

"This is important."

"This is important too. You can't be a help to Bella if you are locked up. Play this smart." Felicity insisted.

Oliver closed his eyes as he tried to bury his anger down. "Fine. I want eyes on Bella at all times. I don't want another repeat of what happened to her two weeks ago."

Felicity nodded. "I'll get the message to Diggle."

Oliver turned and started out of the room. "Felicity."

"Yes?"

"Thank you." He said and then left.

---

Bella was exhausted by the time she made it to Esme and Carlisle's house. She made it there by dinner, so that was a new record for her. She didn't feel well either and the migraine that was trying to invade was starting to take over now, but she tried to just drown the migraine with Tylenol and kept going. She saw Jasper first as he greeted her, taking her coat and briefcase and putting them on the hook in the entrance. He kissed her cheek and she kissed his. "How has Ren been? Spelling words all ready?"

"She is going to do great tomorrow at the spelling bee." Jasper said with a smile. He clasped her hand in his and they moved into the living room where Alice was braiding Ren's hair. She smiled when she saw Bella.

"Hey you." Alice said as she continued braiding. "I brought you some new suits from Paris." She chimed and nodded over to the chair where there were some clothing bags draped. "Also more dresses for Ren." She said and Ren giggled.

Bella smiled. "Thanks Aly." She said and then went over and kissed Alice on the cheek and then kissed Ren's cheek. "You ready for the spelling bee tomorrow?"

"I am." Ren said excitedly. "Ask me any hard word."

Bella made a hmm sound. "Okay. Consistent."

Ren smiled wide. "C-o-n-s-i-s-t-e-n-t. Consistent."

Bella clapped a little, smiling. "That's good. You're going to do amazing tomorrow. Uncle Jasper is going to record it so I can see. I'm sorry I'm in court all day tomorrow Ren."

"It's okay. You're helping people and you're a superhero so you have to be at work. I'll be okay, plus, we're getting pizza for dinner right?"

"That's right." Bella said and smiled at her daughter. She always felt bad when she missed out on these things, but Ren was so patient for a ten year old. Hardly complained and was so understanding. "I'm going to go talk with Geema for a bit." She said and kissed her daughter's cheek again before going towards the kitchen. She felt a little lightheaded suddenly and she leaned against the archway going into the kitchen and Esme looked up to see Bella get really pale suddenly.

"Bella, are you okay dear?" Esme's soft voice was concerned. Her blonde hair was greying throughout and she had it pulled back out of her face as she cooked. Her tenative green eyes were mixed with some swirls of blue and she wore a blue sweater over her small frame. Her hands were wet at the moment from dealing with cooking the chicken.

Jasper walked up behind Bella, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, come on, take a seat." He said gently, moving her towards the bar to get her sitting in one of the chairs. He moved into the kitchen and fixed her a glass of water and set it in front of her. Bella lifted the glass and took a small sip. She just didn't feel good. "Hey, everything okay? You're really pale."

Bella shook her head. "I'm not feeling good. I've been fighting a migraine all day." She said and took another small sip. "I probably just need to lie down for a bit."

"Jasper, go get her in bed. I'll make some soup and prepare some cool rags."

"Oh Esme, it's okay, don't fuss." Bella said, waving her head. "I'll just lie down for a bit. Close my eyes, I'm sure it's just stress." Bella said and stood, feeling the sway.

Jasper caught her so she wouldn't fall over. "Whoa. Easy." He said softly. "Come on, I'll get you in bed." He said and guided her towards the hallway and to the guest bedroom that Esme had kept prepped for Bella in the event she needed to stay the night. Once in the room, he eased her down on the bed and then bent to move her legs over on the bed. "Just rest for a bit okay."

Bella closed her eyes, but that didn't stop the world from spinning and she suddenly felt sick to her stomach. "Mmm. Jazz I'm going to puke." She said and he moved quickly, finding the wastebasket in the room and brought it to her. He helped pull her hair back as she rolled on her side and threw up into the wastebasket. She hated feeling sick and she was hoping it wasn't the flu. She had court all day tomorrow and couldn't miss, so she would have to get through this.

Jasper rubbed her back gently as she threw up, frowning as she did. Bella didn't get sick often, so it worried him.

When she was done, he got her a cold rag and helped her clean up. It's what big brothers were for and she didn't try to fight him this time. She let him since she was feeling weak right now. She felt herself drifting until sleep overtook her finally.

Jasper was relieved that she had fallen asleep. Her phone lit up on the night stand and started vibrating, so he grabbed it and answered it. "Bella's phone." He said.

"Oh. She must be busy." Oliver said. He was calling to check on her. He ran into Laurel and Laurel said that Bella had gone home, so he wanted to be sure that Bella did make it."

"She's sleeping. Who's calling?" Jasper asked.

"Oliver Queen. I was just making sure she made it home okay."

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, she's home. Just not feeling well. I'll let her know you called." He said with a nod.

"Thank you…"

"Jasper Cullen." Jasper supplied. "Thanks for calling and checking on her."

"Of course." Oliver said and hung up.

Jasper looked at Bella's sleeping face. Since when was she tangled up with Oliver Queen? He shook his head and set the phone back on the nightstand after shutting it off. He left the room, turning the light off when he did.

---

Bella still wasn't feeling well in the morning, but her headache was getting better. She got ready for court, showering at Esme and Carlisle's house since she had spent the night there unintentially She pulled on one of the suits Alice had brought her from Paris. It was really soft and was one of the better suits she owned. The skirt was tighter than she wanted, but the navy pencil skirt matched the white blouse she had on well, and the suit jacket was form fitting as well. She pulled on her black pumps and then brushed through her hair just enough to grab the claw clip and scoop it back of her face in a simple half up, half down style. She put on a little mascara and then went over her lips with some chap stick, before she was out the door. She had a farther walk from the Cullen's house to CNRI and it was starting to spit snow. Jasper was going to drop Ren off at school this morning since Bella had to leave out earlier than normal.

She pulled her wool coat tighter around her as she walked. She was used to walking in the simple pumps at this stage of her career, so the long walk wasn't as painful as others would think. She walked past the elementary school and kept going down the street until she saw Verdant, Oliver's nightclub. He was working hard on getting it opened and it made her smile a little thinking about Oliver. She got lost in her thoughts that she ran into Tommy Merlyn on the sidewalk. He steadied her, one hand on her arm and the other at her waist.

"Whoa. Hey there." Tommy said with a smile.

Bella was startled a little, but she instantly calmed when she saw Tommy smiling at her. "Oh, hey, Sorry, I have a one track mind. Court this morning. I didn't see you there."

"It's okay. I'm headed to CNRI now to bring coffee to Laurel before court and then I have some stuff to do at the tax accessor office. Want a ride?"

"I wouldn't turn it down. " Bell said with a smile. "Thanks Merlyn."

"Of course." Tommy said with a smile and ushered her towards his town car parked on the street. He opened the door and she ducked inside and he slid in next to her. "Starling Coffee and Co." He said to his driver and then leaned back in his seat and looked over at Bella. "So, how's the side?"

"Hmm?"

"Your side. The stitches." Tommy said with a nod.

Bella realized he was talking about her getting stabbed. "Oh, right. Yeah, all healed. Thanks for asking."

Tommy had been geniunely worried about her and he asked Oliver if Bella was recovering and Oliver didn't have all the answers. He had thought that Oliver and Bella might have had something going on since Oliver was closer to Bella when they were all in school together. "So, court this morning. First chair this time?"

"Oh yes. Laurel has another case going on at the same time, so I'm sitting first chair for this one. It's just drunk and disorderly. Likely some community service, since it's a plea." Bella said with a nod.

Tommy nodded. "Good. So, there's going to be a soft opening at the club next week. Think you'll make it?"

"Oh right. Yeah, I'll swing by after work. It's on Thursday right?" Bella asked as they pulled up at the coffee shop.

"Yeah. Thursday." Tommy said and opened the door and then reached a hand back and she put her hand in his as he helped her out of the car. It was just habit for Tommy to open doors for a woman and it was also habit to place a hand on the small of their back and he did that with Bella, leaning to shut the door behind her when she got out and then they walked towards the coffee shop. Tommy didn't know that there was paparazzi taking pictures since he was oblivious of cameras for the most part, but he was a big name in Starling City, like a celebrity, so walking with Bella was camera worthy to those looking to make a quick buck with stupid or silly stories.

Bella welcomed the warmth of the coffee shop when they stepped inside. She stood at the counter with Tommy and ordered her coffee, but he stopped her from paying and put an order in for Laurel and for himself as well, before pulling his wallet out and paying for the coffees.

"Thank you." Bella said with a smile when he paid for the coffee.

Tommy smiled. "Of course." He said and put his hands in his pockets as they stood and waited for their coffee. "So, you moved in tenth grade, I didn't realize you were back in Starling until you popped up at CNRI."

"Of right. Yeah, so my mom wanted to travel more with her husband, so I figured I would stay with my dad in Forks. It's just two hours from here." She explained.

"You and Oliver were close in school."

"Yeah, he stood up to the bullies for me. I was a bit shy back then."

Tommy smiled. "Yeah, he's good about that. Bullies were a pet peeve of his, still are." He said and then stepped forward to grab the coffees, passing Bella's hers when they were ready. They walked back outside into the November cold weather and started walking towards CNRI. The coffee shop wasn't too far from the building, so it was senseless to get back in the car and drive the short distance, so Bella and Tommy fell into step together as they walked the short distance. They met Laurel in the office and Tommy handed Laurel her coffee.

"Oh thank god." Laurel said, taking the coffee and taking a long drink from the cup. "Mm. Bella, you have everything you need?"

"Sure do. I went through it in the office before I left. My headache is better. Esme forced me to sleep there at the house last night, and honestly I wish my bed felt that nice." She joked.

Laurel smiled. "That's great." She said and then she kissed Tommy. "Thank you baby for the coffee. Have fun at the tax assessors office, I'll see you after court." She said and kissed him again.

Tommy smiled and kissed Laurel back. "Oh yes, the joys of the tax assessor office. Have fun ladies." He said and saluted Bella before he left the office.

Bella smiled. "You two are great together. I always thought you and Ollie were endgame though."

Laurel's smile faltered a little. "Me too at one point. But hey, we're better friends now since he's returned." She said. "After him being dead for five years… I don't know. Nothing is the same." She said with a shrug. "Anyways, let's get going." She said and finished her coffee, throwing it in the wastebasket and grabbed her files together to put in her briefcase and Bella did the same.

---

Bella was done with court first. Laurel had back to back cases, so Bella was the luckier one out of the two. She left the courthouse and felt a little queasy still, but she ignored it, popping a tums into her mouth to hopefully help alleviate the queasy feeling before she walked towards CNRI. She had missed the spelling bee, but the text from Jasper she read after she was done with court said that Renesme had come in fourth place in the spelling bee, so she was so excited to celebrate with pizza later. Her phone rang and she answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey, you done with court?" Oliver's voice rang in her ear.

Bella smiled. "I just got out."

"Good. Lunch. Jade Dragon?"

Bella bit her lip a little. She wasn't feeling up for food. "I'm not too hungry, but I could eat an eggroll." She said. "I'll meet you there in ten." She said and hung up and started walking towards Jade Dragon.

When she arrived, she found Oliver sitting at a booth towards the back. She smiled as she sat down. "Look at you getting time away from Verdant to eat lunch."

"That is what Tommy is for. He gets to manage it, and I just get to be the person who owns and finances the project." Oliver said with a wide smile. "So, court went well?"

"It did." Bella said and smiled at the waitress when she came over. "Wo qu na shui jiuxingle. Xiexie." (I'll just get water. Thank you." She spoke Chinese to the waitress and the waitress nodded and looked at Oliver.

"Xiangtong de." (Same) Oliver said with a smile. The waitress nodded and walked away. "I didn't know you spoke Chinese." He was surprised that she spoke another language.

Bella nodded. "I know some Chinese, not a whole lot, but I order Chinese food a lot," she admitted. "Plus I had a friend in high school, she was part Chinese and she would say little stuff here and there. I have a really good memory, nearly eidetic, but I do have some flaws with it."

Oliver was impressed. He knew that in school she was always so smart in school so it wasn't a surprise that she would use that talent later in life. "So, how was Renesme's spelling bee?" He asked while they waited for the waitress to come back.

"Oh, fourth place. She did really good. Jasper recorded it so I can watch it later. We're celebrating with pizza down at the pizza place she likes."

"Oh, Snappy's?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah," Bella said with a smile. "It's her favorite place and her favorite food."

Oliver smiled. "Something we have in common. Pizza is great."

Bella chuckled a little, shaking her head at Oliver and then smiled at the waitress when she broke water. She ordered an eggroll, hoping that her stomach wouldn't be so sick feeling when it arrived and Oliver ordered some sort of soup, Bella hadn't paid attention since she was focused on the queasiness in her stomach at the moment.

Oliver took notice of how pale she looked and he frowned. "You okay? We don't have to stay and have lunch. If you're tired or not feeling well, I can take you back home." He offered.

Bella shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I'm just going to use the restroom real quick." She excused herself and went to the ladies room. She made it time to throw up in the toilet. She groaned as she leaned up, pulling her hair to one side. "What is wrong with me…." She murmured. She rinsed her mouth out and splashed some water on her face and carefully dried it. She blew out a breath, hoping that the queasiness would pass. She left the bathroom and joined Oliver at their table. "Sorry."

"No need. Are you okay?"

"I've been dealing with a migraine the last few days, so it sometimes make's me a little queasy sometimes." She explained. "I'm okay, promise."

Oliver wasn't so sure, but he dropped it for now. Their food arrived, so they ate and chatted about the good ol' days.

---

Bella and Oliver walked down the sidewalk towards CNRI since she still had some work she had to get done today, but they were taking their time. The sun was actually shining and it was one of the warmer days in Starling City, so that was good. It made Bella walk a little slower and just enjoy the slight warmth of the sun on her skin.

"Has Edward been giving you any issues? Since the school?" Oliver ventured to ask.

Bella shook her head. "No. I know he's plotting something, but Laurel filed the divorce papers earlier this morning. She's confident we can get the divorce finalized. I applied for a sanctuary rule so Ren doesn't have to ever have contact with him since he is a danger to her. He has violent tendencies, so we're working on severing all those ties. Carlisle and Esme, Edward's parents, have written statements to back up everything we put in the divorce papers." She explained.

"Well that's good. Laurel is an exceptional lawyer, and so are you. Everything will turn out in your favor." Oliver said, certain that it would work out for Bella.

Bella hoped that Oliver was right. She felt the queasiness creep back up and she rushed off to the side, to the trashcan that sat next to the light pole, and she threw up. Oliver moved quickly, pulling her hair back off out of her face and patted her back for her. She groaned as she leaned back up. Oliver handed her his handkerchief and she took it to wipe at her mouth. "Sorry." She muttered.

Oliver was frowning, his brows creased with concern. "Maybe you should go see a doctor."

Bella blew out a breath and shook her head. "It's just migraines."

"But what if it's not?" Oliver asked. "It could be the flu, or something else. Strep? All serious. Needs diagnosing." He tried to convince her.

Bella sighed. "Okay. I'll go see Carlisle. He's in the office today." She said. "I'll-"

"I'll take you by. Dr. Cullen's clinic isn't far from the club. It's not out of my way. Plus, I just want to make sure you're okay. I would feel better if you let me tag along." Oliver said gently.

Bella looked up at Oliver, seeing the concern in his blue eyes and she just nodded. "Okay. Sure." She didn't fight it and Oliver nodded and motioned towards the town car that Diggle was driving. "Does he just creep down the street and be there when you need him?" Bella asked.

"Sort of." Oliver said with a smile, and opened the door for her and she got inside.

---

Bella sat on the exam table in the clinic that Carlisle was working at. He split his time between the clinic in the Glades and Starling General. Oliver was sitting in the chair, waiting for Carlisle to come back. He did some swabs and took some blood, the normal urine tests for other infections and now Bella and Oliver were just waiting.

"Feeling queasy anymore?" Oliver asked, filling the silence.

"No, I'm okay for right now." Bella said and blew out a breath. "Just tired more than normal, but I expect that is just my anxiety trying to creep in."

There was a light knock on the door and then Carlisle entered holding papers. "Hey Bella. Flu test was negative, as was strep, Covid, and urine test came back negative for any kind of infections." He said and then glanced over at Oliver and then back at Bella.

"So it's just my migraines making me nauseous. I figured that was it."

"Well, no." Carlisle said. "Is it okay to discuss everything…here?"

Bella frowned. "What's wrong Carlisle? You can talk in front of Oliver. It's fine."

"You're pregnant." Carlisle said. "According to the numbers, I would say you're very early. Four, maybe five weeks."

Bella felt the blood drain from her face. "What?" Her voice was small.

"We can do an ultrasound, but it'll be too early to tell." Carlisle said. "I assumed Mr. Merlyn would be here with you, so-"

"Tommy?" Bella asked, confused. "Why?"

"Well the pictures…magazines." Carlisle said. "You and Mr. Merlyn are involved right?"

Bella shook her head. "No, no. Tommy is just a friend." She said and felt a little numb inside. "Um. Ultrasound is too early?"

"It would be. We can still do one, just we're not going to hear a heartbeat just yet." Carlisle explained. "It is totally up to you."

Bella nodded. "Um. That's not necessary. I need a few moments Carlisle. Please." She said and Carlisle just nodded and left her alone with Oliver.

Oliver saw the fear roll over Bella's face and he saw the tears before she realized she was crying. "Bella. Hey, it's okay." He said gently. "You-"

"I can't be pregnant. Oh god." Bella stood from the table and she ran her hands through her hair nervously. "This can't be happening. I took the Plan B, it should have worked." She was mumbling now. "This isn't happening."

Oliver stood and approached her calmly. "Bella, talk to me."

Bella wiped at her face. "Ollie…"

"Edward did this…"Oliver said lowly. "He raped you that night…didn't he?"

Bella felt her lip quiver and she nodded. "God, this is…"

"What do you want to do? What do you need to do?" Oliver asked her.

Bella shook her head. "How could I even explain this? God, Ren…she talks about having a little brother, and wants siblings, but I never saw myself having more kids because I just…I just…." She sobbed a little.

Oliver swallowed. "Okay. You don't have to tell her. You could…I don't know, take some time to think everything through."

"I don't…I can't have an abortion Oliver. IT's okay for other people, I'm all for women's rights, but for me personally, I just…I couldn't do that." Bella sniffed, trying to reel in her emotions.

"Okay, so tell everyone I'm the father." Oliver said it before he thought it through. He didn't know why he said it, but he did. "I'll take responsibility."

"Ollie, you can't do that. Your reputation, and-"

"I don't have a reputation Bella. Listen, I want to help you. I can help you. We don't have to…be a couple, we can just say that this was an accident and that I am going to take responsibility for the child, and that we're really good friends and we will co-parent well together." Oliver's mind was spinning a little with all the thoughts.

Bella wiped the tears off her face. "Ollie, this is a commitment. I'm not going to trap you. I can figure this out."

"If Edward finds out you're pregnant…it will open more doors for him to gain access to you and to Ren. You didn't report the rape. It's he said versus she said. It could affect your case against him, and if he wedges his foot in that door Bella…"

Bella knew he was right. She closed her eyes, not liking the feeling of defeat. "Okay. Okay. Ollie, are you positive? When this goes public…there will be cameras on you, on me. You are Oliver Queen." She said. "You are the biggest name in this city. A illegitimate child can carry a heavy weight."

Oliver reached a hand out and grabbed her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. "I don't care about all of that. The island taught me something, and I value my friendships more than I used to. I know I said I am the same…Oliver, but-"

"You're not. You have changed." Bella murmured as she looked at him. IT was true, she had seen the change before he admitted it now. The papers and magazines hadn't caught him in the limelight in a long time and that was partially because Oliver was keeping a lower profile. They were all older now, wiser, and his experiences on the island had changed him, and Bella thought it was for the better.

Oliver looked at her. "I will protect you from him. Trust that."

"I do. But I don't want you hurt either. I really value our friendship Ollie. I missed you while I was gone in Forks. You, Laurel…Tommy. You three were my best friends before I moved away. I was a shit friend not keeping up, but I was…I don't have an excuse." Bella shook her head.

Oliver reached up and brushed her hair out of her face and gently caressed her face, so she would look up at him. "You were always the better friend Bella. I know…when we were fourteen…and when you admitted you had a crush on me."

"Ollie…"

"Listen. I know. I knew you had a crush on me, and I had a crush on you. It was young infatuation. I didn't know how to be serious at fourteen…neither did you. I pushed you away because I was afraid of what could be. I went after Laurel later and…Sarah…and other women, and I made a playboy name for myself. I hurt Laurel, I killed Sarah, and I pushed you away."

"You didn't push me away." Bella said. "And you didn't kill Sarah. I don't know what exactly happened, but I know that Sarah was an adult, she made the decision to go with you on the Queen's Gambit. And Laurel knows that too." She said and then she took a step back and wiped her face. "Um. I should see about getting some medicine for this nausea."

"Right." Oliver said and then opened the door and motioned for Carlisle that he could come back in.

Carlisle closed the door behind him and looked at Bella. "Everything okay?"

"It is. This was just unexpected. But…"

"But we're okay with it." Oliver said. "It was one night." He quickly said when Carlisle looked at Oliver disapprovingly.

Carlisle sighed and looked at Bella. "Bella…are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't want to say anything to the others just yet. IT's still so early, and I just…want to wait until the second trimester. If that is okay."

"Of course." Carlisle said with a nod. "I'll write a prescription for the nausea. Take it easy, lots of fluids and make sure you don't skip anymore meals. You need to be gaining weight." He said and paused to write something on a prescription pad. "You can't take the anxiety medications you currently are on. But, we you can take Sertraline. It's similar to the Lexapro in terms of how it will help, and Lexapro is more dangerous in the last trimester, but I want to swap you to the Sertraline sooner, rather than later." He said and then handed Oliver the prescriptions to hold. "We'll do an ultrasound in three more weeks, we'll be able to hear the heartbeat then. If you have any severe cramping with bleeding, or if the nausea gets worse and the medicine doesn't work, let me know immediately. You can still exercise like normal, and do your other everyday tasks, just be sure you are resting more and not stressing. I know you're a lawyer and you run off caffeine and stress, but please, slow down, and decrease your caffeine intake as well."

Bella nodded. "Thank you Carlisle."

"Of course. You're my daughter for all intents and purposes." Carlisle said and then nodded to Oliver. "Congrats you two." He said and left them to themselves.

Oliver held up the prescriptions that Carlisle handed him. "Let's get these filled. Do you want to take the rest of the day?"

"I should. I texted Laurel and told her I wasn't feeling well and she's banned me from CNRI until tomorrow, so I have no choice but to rest and take it easy now." Bella said and grabbed her jacket and pulled it on. "Ollie, you're sure about this…"

"Positive." Oliver said with a smile. "I am here for the entire thing." He said and then they checked out at the front desk and Oliver helped her back inside his car. "What time does Ren need to be picked up from school?"

Bella swallowed. "Oh, Esme will pick her up. My plan was to meet them down at Snappy's anyways, so if I can rest for a bit at home, then I will feel better eating the pizza later."

Oliver nodded to Diggle. "To Bella's townhouse." He said and Diggle pulled away from the sidewalk and drove towards Bella's house. "I have something to do at the club but if you'll have me, I would be honored to celebrate Ren's accomplishments with the spelling bee."

"Of course. Laurel and Tommy are supposed to be by later too. Ren loves Laurel and I think that Ren has been good for Laurel since Sarah died." Bella admitted. "The more the merrier." She said with a smile.

Oliver smiled at her. Laurel was a good influence for Ren, and once upon a time, if he hadn't of been an idiot, he would have married Laurel, and maybe the island would have never happened, and Sarah would still be alive. He blamed himself for a lot, but now, he had the chance to make up for his past mistakes. He would be there for Bella, until the end. Help raise the baby because that was the right thing to do. He was coming to terms with what was right and what was wrong, and he was trying new ways of bettering the city. "Good. I'll pick you up at….six?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Bella agreed and Diggle pulled up at Bella's townhouse. "Thank you Diggle." She said to Diggle and Diggle smiled at her.

"Not a problem." Diggle said with a nod.

Oliver opened the door and then paused to grab her hand and help her out of the car. He walked her to the door and then inside. It was his way of making sure everything was safe for her alone here. "Okay, get rest, I'll be back by at six." He said and watched her lay down on the couch and get comfortable. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her, essentially tucking her in. He refrained from kissing her forehead, and left, going back out to the car. He ducked back inside and Diggle looked at him. "Edward Cullen…the hood is going to pay him a visit."

"Oliver, it could make things worse." Diggle said, trying to reason.

"No. He crossed the line. He raped her Diggle." Oliver shook his head. "I knew he did that night, I watched her buy the plan B. But it didn't work. She's pregnant." Oliver said, his voice tight. "I took responsibility."

"You what?" Diggle exclaimed.

"Diggle. I care about her. I want to do what's right and this….this feels right." Oliver shook his head. "If the news of her pregnancy comes out…and Edward finds out, he can use it as ammo against her in the divorce settlement. She needs this to go her way."

Diggle sighed. "This is a big responsibility Oliver. She's just a-"

"She's not just some girl." Oliver cut him off, already knowing what Diggle was going to say. "She's a good person Digg. She was…"he drifted off. He had cared a lot for her back then too, but he was too young and naïve to admit that he had feelings for Bella Swan. The quiet, shy girl who had become an important anchor in his life. "I need to pay Edward a visit. Make sure he understands to leave Bella alone."

"That could compromise your identity Oliver. How would you know about Bella's incident? She didn't report it."

Oliver was silent. Diggle was right. He wouldn't have any reason as the Hood, to know about Bella, and what happened to her. He curled his hand into a fist and hit the back of the seat. "Damnit."

"Oliver, just let this play out. The courts will rule in Bella's favor. You just have to give it time. Be patient." Diggle hated to see his friend like this, but there were really no other options.

Oliver sighed. "Fine. You're right. Let's just get to the club. I have some Hood business to do, and then I have to pick Bella up at six. Ren did really good at the spelling bee so we're all getting pizza at Snappy's."

"I love Snappy's." Diggle said with a slight smile and drove the short distance to the club.

---

Bella and Oliver met everyone at Snappy's and as soon as Bella stepped inside, her stomach rolled. "Mmm. Ollie I need to go to the bathroom." She said quickly.

Oliver was nursing a fractured rib from earlier with the scuffle with Yosef Brown, one of the lower level mob members that was funneling drugs into the city and Oliver's purpose was to stop that from happening and preventing more deaths. But he moved with Bella, ignoring the pain and guided her to the bathroom. "It'll be okay. I'll be right outside." He murmured and she darted inside the bathroom. He blew out a breath, but winced a little when a little pain shot through his side. He was worried about Bella with the nausea. He was hoping that the medicine would help her.

Bella returned feeling slightly better. She took the antinausea medicine in the bathroom, since she forgot to take it before coming to the pizza place since she woke up and had felt fine from her nap. "Sorry. Did you see the others?"

"Yeah, they're around the corner, but I haven't walked over there." Oliver said and ran a hand over her arm. "Did you take the medicine?" He asked, his voice low.

"Yeah, just now. I should have taken it earlier, but I forgot." Bella admitted. "Let's just hope I can make it through the dinner." She said and tried a smile.

Oliver nodded. "Let's hope." He murmured and then guided her, his hand at the middle of her back as they walked.

Ren jumped up and ran to Bella and instantly hugged her mom. "Yay, you're here. Uncle Jasper said you weren't feeling well, so I thought you wouldn't make it."

"I will always make sure I'm here for pizza." Bella said and hugged her daughter. Her dark eyes moved to Carlisle, who had a little concern in them, but he was smiling at her. "Thank you for picking her up Esme."

"Of course." Esme said with a wide smile.

Bella smiled and looked at her daughter. "Ren, do you remember Mr. Queen?"

Ren looked at Oliver and smiled. "Of course I do. Hi Mr. Queen, thank you for coming to celebrate my spelling bee with me."

"I wouldn't miss it." Oliver said, smiling at the little girl. She had a lot of Bella's feature's but the sparkling green eyes were so happy and full of life.

Laurel and Tommy walked in right then and Ren ran to Laurel instantly, throwing her arms around her. "Oh look at you fourth place! That's amazing!" Laurel exclaimed as she hugged Ren.

"I got a green ribbon see!" Ren beamed and showed off the green ribbon she had from her pocket. "Uncle Tommy green is my favorite color now!" She bounced a little on her toes.

"That's amazing kiddo. You know I like the color green too." Tommy said, smiling brightly and fondly at Ren.

Oliver found Ren very adorable and the fact that Tommy and Laurel were in Bella's life and he hadn't realized it until recently, made him feel like a terrible friend and person. But he hid his personal disdain with a smile. He ran a hand over Bella's back and smiled before pulling a seat out for her for Bella to sit. Bella sat down and leaned over and kissed Jasper's cheek. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Absolutely." Jasper said with a white smile. "Laurel, Tommy it's nice to see you two." He said with a nod and watched as Tommy pulled a chair out for Laurel for her to sit and then pulled Ren's chair out for her to sit back down before he took his own seat across from Oliver. "And Oliver, so glad you could join us tonight." He was wary of Oliver and wary of his connection to Bella.

"Of course. This was a very important event, I wouldn't miss celebrating with Miss Renesme." Oliver said, winking at Ren making her giggle.

Everyone settled in for pizza and laughter and fun watching Ren spell words expertly and proudly.

---

Oliver, Bella and Ren walked through the door at the townhouse and Ren bounded towards her room to change into her pajamas, leaving Bella there with Oliver.

Bella smiled and turned and looked at Oliver. "Ollie, thank you."

"For what?"

"For… everything. You're too good to me." Bella said with a little laugh.

Oliver smiled and reached a hand up and brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. He did it gently and it was more of an intimate gesture. "No. You're the one that is too good to me. I'm not deserving of your attention and you give it to me. Undivided too." He murmured. Their gazes locked and he found himself in a trance. Bella was beautiful and had always been so. He leaned in when she did, their lips touching each other just gently. Like a test to see if there was something that could be ignited. And the test proved that it could. A fire lit inside him, like never before. He didn't realize how much he needed to kiss her until now. When her lips parted for him, he swept his tongue across, his hand combing through her hair to the back of her head, while the other one drew her closer to him. She melted against him, her fingers clutching at the front of his coat as he changed the angle of the kiss, deepening it.

Bella felt her pulse race and for the first time, she felt like she was freed from the anxiety that usually came with kissing a man. She had never been with another man other than Edward before. She hadn't dared kiss another man because she was so focused on Ren and her career that she never made the time for herself. This moment, seemed so perfect and she forgot that Edward existed or that he had hurt her so badly. She didn't care about any of that. Oliver felt safe and warm, she didn't want to let go of that. She didn't understand why she felt so connected to him and she didn't want it explained.

But Oliver brought the kiss to a close, kissing her lightly on her lips a few times before he brought his other hand up and stroked her cheek gently. "Bella." He murmured.

"Um. Wow. I…"

Ren bounded into the living room wearing green pajamas. "Look look! My pajamas match my ribbon!" She exclaimed.

Bella turned at the sound of Ren's feet thumping through the house and she smiled brightly. "Oh it does. And it matches your eyes."

Ren smiled wider and looked at Oliver. "Ollie what do you think?"

"Green is my favorite color." Oliver said with an easy smile.

Ren gasped. "Mine too! It's meant to be!" She pretended to swoon.

Bella chuckled. "Okay, brush your teeth."

"Mom can Ollie stay over?" Ren bounced on her feet. "Pleeeeaassseeeeeee."

"Well, how about this. I'll come read you a story for bed and I'll stay until you go to sleep?" Oliver said before Bella could say anything.

Ren's smile widen and so did her eyes. "Bedtime story!" She bounded away to brush her teeth.

Oliver chuckled and looked at Bella. "She's perfect Bella. Reminds me of-"

"Thea." Bella said with a smile. "Thea was always so cheerful as a small girl." She said and looked at Oliver. "Thank you. I mean it."

Oliver reached for her and Bella let his hands move to her hips as he drew her near. "Bella, I… I really really like you. And I know that I have a reputation… of this playboy billionaire, but I really do like you… a lot."

"Ollie… I really like you a lot too. You're not a playboy billionaire. I've got a lot of baggage and it's clear that I… come with more than just me. Oliver… Ren is the most important person in my life."

"As she should be. I would never ask you to devote your life to me Bella. That's not what I am about… I like Ren, she's… brilliant, fun, and… she's part of you. I would never ask you to change yourself, or change Ren for me. I don't… I don't want to screw up your life and I know that I'm not the best… but… I would like to take a chance… take a chance on you and me."

Bella smiled a little, her cheeks tinting a little as she thought about being Oliver's girlfriend or his partner. Or whatever the term of endearment was these days. "I have more than just Ren Oliver. The divorce and with Edward."

"That will be settled." Oliver said. "I am confident it will."

"And you're sure about the baby." Bella asked, her voice low.

Oliver leaned in and kissed her softly. "I have never been more sure about anything in my life Bella." He whispered. "It's going to be okay." He promised and then turned when he heard Ren's feet running towards them. She launched herself at Oliver and he caught her, only flinching slightly because of his rib, but he smiled at her. "Alright Miss Renesme, let's tuck you in and read you a story." He said and carried her like a princess as she giggled. "Which door is yours madam?"

"This one!" Ren giggled and pointed to the door that had the big R on it decorated in unicorns.

Oliver opened the door with ease and carried her inside her room. There was a mixture of unicorns and dragons and knights and he found it endearing that she loved fairytales. He lay her on the bed and then pulled the blankets up. "Okay, what story should I read you?"

"King Arthur!" Ren said excitedly.

Oliver smiled and unbuttoned the buttons on his suit jacket as he sat on the side of her bed. "That's a good one. I loved King Arthur when I was a kid." He said and cleared his throat. "Once upon a time…"

---

Oliver walked into the living room and studied Bella as she sat crosslegged on the couch, her hair clipped back with a claw clip and she was wearing fuzzy blue pajamas and she had papers exploded around her and a clipboard with a pen and was writing things down. He smiled a little at the sight. "Work?" He asked as he walked closer.

Bella looked up at Oliver. "Oh, yes." She said and looked at her watch. "She's asleep?"

"She is. Went through all my memory bank of King Arthur and Excalibur before she passed out." Oliver said and went to the couch and he shifted some of the papers, helping Bella stack them before he sat down.

"Thank you. She can get hyped up for story time before bed sometimes, so thank you for humoring her."

"She's a princess and thus requires substantial stories at night so she can sleep well." Oliver said and then grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Do you want me to stay?" He asked, his voice gentle.

Bella studied him, biting her lip a little. "I would be lying if I said I wanted you to go. But, you are a busy person and I don't want to burden you more than I have." She said with a little laugh.

"You're not a burden." Oliver said. "I don't mind sleeping on the couch. It is rather comfy."

Bella studied him a moment before she leaned in and kissed him, initiating it this time. It was a slow, gentle kiss, one that Bella felt confident doing. When the kiss deepened, it sent little thrills through her and she found herself leaning into him more. Her hand moved over his side and he flinched a little, causing her to draw back. She frowned and looked at her hand. "Ollie?"

"It's nothing." Oliver breathed.

"You're hurt." Bella leaned back now and then moved her hand away.

"I promise it's okay. I train hard sometimes. Since the island, I work out a lot and do some boxing and I just… I got clipped in the side is all. It's fine." Oliver explained and then reached for her and she went back towards him. "I'm fine." He murmured before his lips touched hers again. Their tongues meshed together, tasting one another and it sent tingles through Bella's body. She shifted a little, sliding more into his lap and his hands went down to her hips as he felt her shift in his lap to get closer to him. His mouth moved from hers to her throat and he kissed her gently there and she sighed, her hands on his shoulders as she let him explore her some. "We should stop." He breathed out a little, trying to get himself under control.

"Hmm?"

"Living room." Oliver said with a smile.

"Oh. Right." Bella blinked a few times and smiled. "My bedroom isn't that far." She said, biting her lip a little as she smiled.

Oliver smiled back, before he stood, holding her and she tightened her legs around him, a little shocked at his strength as he stood with her. Her mouth found his again and kissed him as he carried her towards her bedroom. He lay her on the bed gently, joining her on the queen sized bed. He was careful with her, gentle, like she was breakable because he didn't want to startle her at all. He knew that sexual assault victims could close themselves off and he didn't want to trigger her in any way. He wanted this to be her own pace and so far, she was telling him that she wanted him, but he was still conscious of the fact that could change at any moment.

Bella leaned up into a sitting position and let Oliver peel her shirt up over her head. Her body had scars on it from her abusive from Edward. She knew that her body wasn't perfect and she felt a little self conscious about being this exposed and her anxiety crept in a little.

"You're beautiful." Oliver said, noticing the anxious look in her eyes. "Look." Oliver sat back and unbuttoned his shirt with dexterous speed and revealed his own body. He was severely scarred and the purpling on his side from his scuffle was bold against his pale skin.

"Ollie… what happened to you…" Bella murmured as she reached a hand out and traced it over one of his scars on his chest.

Oliver swallowed. "That island. I… I wasn't alone on that island Bella." He said, his voice low. "The people there… weren't kind and it's a miracle I survived. But the scars… they don't define me. I am not weak and these scars are proof of my bravery. As are yours." He whispered, drawing a hand up over the scars on her side, including the fresh one from Edward's more recent attack. "You are strong and brave Bella." He murmured.

Bella's dark eyes wandered over his body. Besides the scars, he was strong. His muscles were detailed and she hadn't realized how strong he looked until now. The island had changed him, in mysterious ways, but she saw Oliver for who he was and she saw the pain on his face and anxiety of telling her his secret of the island. The news articles she had glanced at said he had been alone on the island, but she understood the need for this secret. It was a trauma that would be hard for him to talk about and she wouldn't make him talk about it. Not unless he was ready to tell her. "I have never been with another man other than Edward." She admitted now. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, but I know I… I want this Oliver. It doesn't make sense. I should be… put off from even the notion of sex, but I… don't feel that way with you. I feel safe and I can trust you." She murmured.

Oliver kissed her softly then before resting his forehead to hers. "I want to take it slow. You deserve to know what it feels like… what pleasure feels like Bella." He whispered and then he leaned her back onto the bed, his mouth moving to her throat and then her chest, before he drifted down, kissing her belly. He paused, leaning up a little and moving his hand over her flat stomach. "You tell me if it's too much. I will stop instantly." He said, his green eyes looking down at her and she nodded before he proceeded, his hands pulling her pants off along with her blue lacey panties. He heard the intake of her breath as she was fully exposed to him. His mouth moved to the inside of her thigh, kissing her there before he used his tongue to flip over her clit getting another gasp from her. He went slow, twirling his tongue in circles clockwise and she moaned a little.

Bella hadn't felt this before, a sensation building inside her as Oliver's mouth did all the work. His hands were gentle as well, a warm pleasure that spread through her like a fire. She felt his fingers inside her, moving, thrusting slowly, rubbing against a pressure point inside her that made her insides just want to melt. Her hands clenched the sheets as she felt the pressure build more and more until she came undone, an orgasm spiraling through her.

"Oh god." Bella gasped, as the endorphins flooded her body. She felt light as a feather now. Oliver shifted, sitting up and he smiled at her. "Ollie…"

"How do you feel?" Oliver asked, ignoring how hard his dick was right now.

"Mmm. Amazing." Bella purred out.

Oliver smiled and then slid in the bed next to her, pulling her into his arms, but she sat up before she could lay her head on his chest. "What?" He asked when she gave him a confused look.

"What about you?" Bella asked. "I thought we were…"

"I don't want you to think that is all I think about or want. I want to pleasure you and make you happy."

"You inside me, would make me happy." Bella pointed out. "I need you… I need to know…"

Oliver studied her, saw the determination in her eyes and he nodded. "Okay. Same rules apply. You tell me when it's too much. I will stop immediately." He said and she nodded, biting her lip in anticipation. He shifted in the bed, unfastening his pants and when her eyes saw how large and hard his cock was, her eyes dilated. He moved with her in the bed, kissing her as he positioned his already dripping cock at her entrance. He slowly slid inside her, giving her time to back out if she needed to. But she gasped and moaned instead, arching against him as her body quivered a little. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Oh god yes." Bella breathed out. She looked up at him, her hands coming up to caress his face. "I'm perfect Ollie." She whispered.

Oliver pushed all the way inside her. He watched her face as he thrust inside her slow, deep. Her breathing hitched and he felt her clench around him as an orgasm moved through her body. She looked beautiful as she came. Her body beckoned him for more and he gave it to her. Her hands roamed over his body lightly scratching when he pushed against the perfect spot inside her that sent her into an instant release. He picked up his pace a little as he felt his cock swell tight inside her. This was a first for him without a condom, so he didn't know how it would feel otherwise, so he drew close to his own finish sooner than he would have liked. He sank his hips against her deep as his cock twitched and released his hot essence, pouring out inside her. Bella moaned at the sensation and she felt completely satisfied. Her entire body felt light right now.

Oliver pulled out of her, his cock sloshing to the side, before he rolled to his side in the bed. Bella snuggled close to him and settled in against him. He pulled the blankets up over them as they fell into comfort with one another. It was silent for a while before Oliver felt her relax fully and her breathing changed indicating that she was sleeping. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. He found himself falling asleep shortly after her because he didn't realize how tired he really was.

---

Ren hummed as she got up and brushed her teeth in the morning. Normally her mom was awake and waking her up, so she skipped down the hall to her mom's room and opened the door. She saw her mom snuggled in the blankets with Oliver and she smiled. She eased back out of the room, closing the door quietly before going to her room and changing for the school day. She felt happy that her mom was happy and she really did like Oliver. Ren thought Oliver was prince charming and Ren knew that her mom deserved such a gallant prince like Oliver. She was hopeful that maybe now, she could have a baby sister or brother. She didn't care which one, she just didn't want to be an only child. She knew that her mom needed a husband to make that happen, so she was gleefully planning out a wedding between her mom and Oliver. She also went through the idea of calling Oliver dad and if Oliver would like it if she called him dad. She never had a dad before and the one that helped create her wasn't very father like. So she was happy to see her mom happy with Oliver and she wished really hard that a brother or sister would be here soon. She skipped back to the bathroom with her joyous thoughts and brushed her own hair. It was long and she was used to the length, it made her feel like a real princess. After she finished brushing through her dark locks, she skipped to the kitchen. The only thing she knew how to make was cereal or toast. She opted for toast since that meant she could make some for her mom and Oliver. She went into the pantry and found bagels instead and that made her happier. She pushed the stool up to the counter and she carefully opened the bagels and put the six halves into the large toaster oven. She hit the button on it. Bella had preset the toaster oven to where Ren only had to hit one button to make it easier for her. While she waited, she pushed her stool over to the coffee maker. She filled the filter with coffee grounds and made sure the tank was full of water before she turned it on so the coffee could brew. She hummed a little as she went back to the toaster and took the toasted bagels out and she set them on the plates. She went to the fridge and grabbed cream cheese, one of her favorites and her mom's and started spreading it on the bagels very carefully.

Bella stretched a little moving against Oliver and the memory of the previous night came back to her and it made her smile. Her head was still laying on his chest and she realized that neither one had moved much in their sleep and that was abnormal for Bella since she knew she moved a lot in her sleep, but she must have been really tired or comfortable to stay in the same spot. She rolled over on her side to reach for the nightstand and her phone, but felt Oliver's hands slide over her belly and hips and he pulled her back to him. "Ollie." She murmured and smiled when his lips touched her neck behind her ear.

"Good morning." Oliver said, his voice layered with morning husk.

Bella smiled more. "Good morning to you too." She murmured and turned back around to face Oliver. He looked at her, his face relaxed, content to be laying there with her. "I'm pretty sure I have overslept and I have to get Ren up."

Oliver smiled and then leaned in and kissed her softly. "I think Ren is up. I smell coffee." He said and kissed her again. "But you're right, we likely overslept." He said.

Bella felt flutters every time Oliver kissed her. She just smiled and turned back in the bed and grabbed her phone and looked at it. "Hmm. Not too late. Still enough time to get dressed and ready for the day." She said and looked at him. "I have a few different cases in court today. I get out of court late, so Ren will be with Esme and Carlisle tonight." She hinted.

"Do you want me to pick Ren up after school? Take her to dinner, just… you know, some bonding time?" Oliver asked.

Bella smiled. "That's sweet of you, but its okay to take it slow Ollie. I'm pretty sure Ren already likes you."

"I know." Oliver said and kissed Bella's forehead. "But, I'm in this all the way Bella. I want you and Ren and the baby. I'm taking responsibility for all three of you. "

Bella teared up a little. "Ollie…"

"Hey, shh… don't cry I didn't mean to upset you." Oliver said, a little alarmed to see tears in her eyes.

"Oh, they're just happy tears." Bella sniffed. "Thank you." She murmured.

Oliver smiled. "Always." He murmured and then kissed her one last time before he mustered up the energy to roll out of bed to get dressed.

Bella and Oliver got dressed quickly and used the two bathrooms in the house to brush their teeth and freshen up some before making their appearance in the kitchen, where Ren had plated the bagels with cream cheese sitting on the bar and she had poured herself orange juice and she was all dressed and ready for school.

Bella smiled at her daughter. "You are the best daughter. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Ren smiled wide at her mom. "Of course, you tell me everyday." She said and then she went and threw her arms around Oliver. "I'm so glad you stayed the night."

Oliver smiled and ran his hand over Ren's dark hair in a gentle gesture. "I am too kiddo. Did you make coffee by yourself?"

"Yeah, I have seen mom do it a million times. I didn't pour it by myself, because I was afraid it would be too hot." She said, wrinkling her nose.

Oliver patted her head. "That's a good call. Thank you for this Ren, this is amazing."

"I hope you like bagels and cream cheese. I only know how to make two things for breakfast." Ren admitted sheepishly.

Oliver smiled and knelt down so he was on the same eye level. "Guess what."

"What?" Ren asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Bagels are my favorite." Oliver said with a wink.

Ren's smile widened and she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Yay!"

Bella felt another tear appear and she swiped it away before anyone noticed. She moved to the coffee pot and poured some coffee into one of the stainless steel thermos that she had and mixed it with a little creamer and set it on the counter for Oliver before she poured herself some orange juice. "Thank you Ren, this was very thoughtful. Let's eat and get you to school missy."

Ren went to the bar and bounded up into the barstool and started devouring her bagel.

Oliver leaned up and grabbed the thermos that Bella picked up and handed him. "Thank you." He said with a smile before he grabbed his carefully prepared bagel and ate it, winking at Ren who couldn't stop grinning.

---

Bella walked into CNRI, Oliver behind her to make sure she made it up okay. Laurel was on the phone at her desk talking to someone this morning already and they had to be at the courthouse in thirty minutes. Bella normally went straight to the courthouse from home when she had court, but she wanted to grab the other files on her desk. She combed her hair behind her ears as she shifted through some files on her desk quickly.

Oliver watched her, smiling a little at how focused she looked. "Ren gets out of school at three?"

"Yes. I added you to her pickup list, also Diggle because he's your driver? Bodyguard?" Bella asked, pausing to look at him.

"Both." Oliver said with a smile and then his phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket, seeing Felicity's name. "Hey Felicity, I'm headed to the club here in a bit."

"I have information on the vertigo drug, I hacked police records and got the transcript of the interrogation." Felicity's voice sounded in Oliver's ear.

Oliver didn't make a face as he nodded. "Got it. I'll be there shortly." He said and hung up. He moved towards Bella. "With that, I am being summoned to the club for some last minute details." He said and his hand slid over the small of her back. "I will pick Lady Ren up this afternoon, we'll be eating at the Italian place near the mansion." He said and leaned in and kissed her really quick.

Bella kissed him back. "Okay. You two have fun and I will see you both at the house later. Be careful." She said and he kissed her again before leaving. She blew out a breath and looked at her desk. This was new to her and exciting. She felt the flutters again and she didn't realize she was holding a hand over her belly until Laurel said her name.

Laurel didn't know why it ate at her to see Oliver kiss Bella, but she put on a smile and went to Bella. She saw Bella holding her stomach and that alarmed her. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"Stomach upset?" Laurel nodded.

"Oh, no. I'm fine." Bella said and smoothed her hands over her pencil skirt. "Um. I have court in twenty minutes or so. Three cases, I have some intermission between them."

Laurel nodded and handed her a couple files. "I have these two cases that need to be seen today. I have been pulled into some other litigation issues down at the police station, can you take these two. I know this is a lot."

"It's fine." Bella waved a hand and grabbed the files to add to her pile. "I will handle it. Go do you."

Laurel smiled and hesitated. "You and Oliver… when did that… start?"

"Oh. It's still new. We haven't really… come out and said anything about it."

Laurel nodded. "I know the newspaper is going to twist and spin things."

"Oh, the articles with Tommy. Laurel, he's just-"

"I know. When you date someone like Tommy Merlyn or Oliver Queen, you get used to the drama of paparazzi." Laurel said. "Just… be careful. Oliver can be…"

"I know." Bella said swallowing a little. "I grew up with him too." She said. "I know it seems crazy… especially after everything I've been through."

Laurel's eyes softened. "It's not crazy. I get it… Oliver Queen he is… mesmerizing." She said with a little laugh. "Just… be careful. Especially with Ren."

"I will." Bella said and then started putting all the files in her briefcase. "Thank you." She said before she left to go to court.

---

Oliver fired his arrow, tagging the man in the shoulder that was trying to run away from him. The man cried out in horrified pain. "Where are you getting the Vertigo?" He bellowed at the man as he got close.

"I-I-I don't know. I pick it up in a locker at the gym and I leave the money from the sales." The man whimpered, tears rolling down his face from the arrow lodged in his shoulder. "Please… Please don't kill me."

Oliver growled a little. "Which gym?"

"Everyday Fitness!" The man said, breathing hard.

"What are the drop days?"

"Wednesdays!"

Oliver nodded and then he disappeared, firing an arrow up with a grappling hook and used it to disappear on the top of a building.

Once on the roof he hit the earpiece in his ear. "Felicity, did you get that?"

"I did. Diggle is delivering your badguy to the police steps. It's two pm, you have to get Ren at three." She reminded him.

"I remember. I'm coming back to change." Oliver said and hung up with Felicity.

---

Bella felt like she was going to puke by the end of the day. The sky was already darkening when she left court. She went back to CNRI, and made it to her desk before the nausea made her lean over and throw up in the wastebasket.

Tommy walked in at that moment, seeing Bella hunched over, throwing up. "Bells? You alright?" He went forward to help her.

Bella groaned a little. "Yeah… I'm okay. Um. What time is it?" She asked, realizing she hadn't been looking at the time when she left the courthouse because it was already getting dark outside.

"Six." Tommy said, glancing at his watch.

"Okay. Ollie and Ren are likely having dinner right now. So I have time to go through these files."

"Oliver is with Ren?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, he picked her up today from school." Bella said and then grabbed some tissues from her desk to wipe her face. Her stomach was empty and she knew that she needed to eat something since the last thing she did eat was some crackers during a small intermission today at court. She was a little shaky, and slightly pale.

Tommy frowned. "You don't look good. Laurel said you were sick yesterday. Why don't you go home and rest? Work can wait."

Bella shook her head. "No. I'm fine. I'm not sick." She said and paused, what other excuse could it be for her throwing up like this.

Tommy frowned, still concerned. "You don't have to be strong all the time, if you need to take some time to get better."

Bella closed her eyes. "I'm fine. Promise." She said and opened her dark eyes and looked up at Tommy. He was studying her, like he was making sure that she was actually okay. He reached out and brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. It was a gentle gesture and more of an intimate one and it made Bella step back a little. "Um. I'm just going to… go wash up in the bathroom. Laurel is at the police station still."

"I know. I didn't… I didn't come here for Laurel." Tommy said, swallowing. He had saw the news articles about her and Oliver. Bella and Oliver were getting cozy, and the tagline said as much. "I just… um… wanted to check on you. About the news articles that are out. Being close to Oliver Queen has it's hazards."

Bella hadn't really paid any attention to the magazines today, she was in court. "What?"

"Oh, just… pictures taken of you and Oliver I guess from the pizza place. You walked together, with Ren. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine. They're just news articles Tommy. I don't pay attention to the paparazzi." She waved it off, but then felt sick again. "Mmm." She said and then she was leaning over, throwing up again. Tommy reacted fast, pulling her hair back and rubbing her back. It was basically dry heaving at this point, her stomach was completely empty. Tommy grabbed more tissues and handed them to her, so she could wipe her face.

"You're not fine." Tommy murmured. "Something is wrong Bells."

Bella shook her head. "I haven't eaten today in combination of a headache. I just need food."

"Let's get food then." Tommy said, running his hands over her arms. "Bella, you have to take care of yourself."

Bella sighed. "You're right." Her phone rang and it was Oliver, so she answered. "Hey, you and Ren at the Italian place?"

"Change of plans. She wanted Chinese. We're at Jade Dragon." Oliver said. " We just sat down if you're done with work… you could join us. I know you haven't eaten that much today, and Carlisle specifically said you needed to be eating."

Bella smiled a little. "Okay, okay. I'm on my way. See you both in a bit." She said and hung up. She looked at Tommy. "Okay, I'm going to eat. Jade Dragon, that's where Ollie and Ren are now."

"Perfect, I'll walk with you." Tommy said and put his hands in his pockets. "It's pretty dark out there." He said when she started to protest. Bella dropped it and just nodded. She grabbed her brief case and she walked out with Tommy, walking towards Jade Dragon. The air was colder tonight and it made her shiver a little, but she shook it off.

---

[Jade Dragon]

---

Bella and Tommy walked inside the Jade Dragon and saw Oliver and Ren immediately. They walked over and Oliver stood, his hand going to Bella's back as he pulled a chair out for her to sit. He kissed her sweetly, before she sat down.

Tommy was a little surprised to see the affection, but he didn't say anything.

"Uncle Tommy!" Ren exclaimed and bounded up out of her chair to hug Tommy.

Tommy smiled and hugged Ren back. "Hey kiddo. Having fun?"

"Tons. Ollie took me to the park after school and we got to walk around and look at all the pretty trees changing colors. Oh, and I got to see the big Queen building. Mom, it's the biggest building ever!" She exclaimed, turning to look at her mom, who was smiling at her.

"That's amazing sweetie." Bella said and looked at Tommy. "Thanks for walking me over, why don't you sit and join us for dinner."

Tommy looked at his watch. "I will take a rain check on this, I am going to go by the station and see if Laurel is ready, and then I have to go back by the club to let the alcohol vendor in." He said to Oliver. "I will see you tomorrow." He said and then patted Ren's head. "And I'll see you at your birthday party next week." He said and then he left.

Ren took her seat across from Oliver and was smiling. "I'm turning 11."

Oliver pretended to look shocked. "What? That's amazing!" He exclaimed, smiling.

Ren beamed brightly at him. "Mom, Ollie is coming to the party right?"

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it." Oliver said with a wink. He leaned over and kissed Bella's cheek. "How was court?"

"Tiring." Bella said and smiled, glancing up at the waitress when she came by. "Water." She said with a nod before the waitress disappeared again.

Ren smiled at her mom and Oliver. "Are you two dating?" She asked bluntly.

Oliver smiled and looked at Bella. "I believe we are. What say you madam Bella?"

Bella blushed a little but she nodded. "We are dating." She said and looked at her daughter. "Is that okay?"

Ren nodded quickly. "It is more than okay."

The waitress brought Bella her water and set it down and took everyone's order before walking away. Bella lifted her water to take a drink, thinking about how happy she felt.

"So does that mean I can have a brother or sister now?" Ren asked.

Bella choked on her water, coughing. Oliver patted Bella's back, an amused look on his face as he saw the look on Bella's face.

"That is a good question Ren." Oliver said with a smile, while still patting Bella's back. "What say you madam Bella?" He said, his tone playful.

Bella cleared her throat and looked at her daughter. "It's a little soon for that. Um. But, it's not something… that we won't consider."

"So you'll think about it?" Ren asked, smiling.

"We'll think about it." Bella said, nodding in agreement. She looked at Oliver who was still looking at her so amused. "So, how was your day?"

Oliver picked up his water and took a drink , shifting in his seat before answering. "It was a day." He said. "Best part was the end, where I could pick up Princess Renesme and take her on her journey."

"He's a knight in shining armor!" Ren giggled.

"Oh is he now?" Bella smiled, her heart feeling full seeing how well Ren and Oliver got along. She heard Laurel's words echo in her mind and she wondered just for an instant, if Laurel was upset with her for dating Oliver. She knew that Oliver had a reputation, but she saw the change in Oliver since he's been back from the dead. Why didn't Laurel? Was she missing something?