Pre-Chapter Note: Well, here's the baby that's been tormenting for the last three or so months. I've spent weeks plotting this out with the Lauriver Discord once I realized it wasn't going to leave my head, and thus far I've gotten all five years of Laurel's time away from Starling planned out, along with two-thirds of the first season of this AU. The current plan is that this goes up to the equivalent of Arrow S3, with no plans beyond that. Let's just say the later villains won't be an issue thanks to various changes made; you'll find out as we go.

This story came about because of another potential story that Arlyss and I planned several months to a year ago (it's hard to tell — Arlyss and I planned out a lot of stories never made it off the drawing board). It's something of a role reversal AU where it's Laurel that was on the Gambit instead of Oliver and Sara. So essentially, instead of Oliver's journey to becoming the Hood/GA, the next five years become Laurel's journey to becoming BC.

I've kept that original premise, but made several changes to the elements that were planned in Arlyss's version to suit my tastes. One of those changes is that Oliver is not becoming Green Arrow — I talked it over with the Lauriver Discord, and we agreed that Arrowverse Ollie wouldn't have the drive to become GA without the island. However, Oliver will still play a major role in Laurel's life as a vigilante (and not just because he's her main love interest), just different from what he played in canon. And just to make it clear, while Oliver won't be GA, that doesn't mean there won't be a GA. I already know who the Green Arrow is going to be in this AU, and while I'm not gonna say who it is, I'm sure you guys will figure it out as the story goes on.

I've already gotten the first three years written out in full. I'm going to post the first two chapters for all of you and then do a weekly post every Friday from here on out (which means you get a third chapter on Friday). They've already been betaed for flow, so all that's left is a grammar check I'll be conducting before posting.

Many thanks to Ray_Writes for betaing, Arlyss for letting me use and modify the premise, and the rest of the Lauriver Discord for helping me plan this out. I hope you'll enjoy the ride!

"Are you sure about this?"

Laurel Lance shot her boyfriend an amused look. "It's your boat, Ollie."

Oliver Queen shook his head, smiling back. "It's my dad's boat. And I'm not doubting the Gambit's workmanship. This baby has sailed through some of crazy storms." And here, his face twisted into some cross between skepticism and disbelief. "It's just — China? That's a bit far for a project assigned by a college humanitarian course, don't you think?"

His girlfriend shrugged. "I drew the short straw," Laurel claimed. "And either way, it's going to be fun. I've never had the chance to visit a foreign country before."

"I just wish I could come with you. But after I got kicked out from my last college, Mom is putting me on a tighter leash." Oliver sighed. "Maybe I could've convinced her to let me go if I pushed her a little bit more, but…"

Laurel put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'll take lots of pictures," she promised.

That got her a smile. "Laurel," her boyfriend started, "about us moving in together…"

"We'll discuss it when I get back. The class took up so much of my time that I really didn't get the chance to look at any apartments." Laurel's face lit up. "But maybe that's a good thing — we can go look for one together instead. Find something that fits both our tastes."

Oliver nodded noncommittally at that, which Laurel took as a 'yes'. Pleased, she then began rummaging through her handbag and took something out: a small photo, one with a picture of herself. "For you," she told Oliver, handing the photo over. "So you'll know I'll always be with you."

A genuine smile crossed Oliver's face, and he gave the photo an affectionate kiss, before taking out his wallet and sliding it inside. Then, he opened up his jacket and took something out of one of the pockets inside. "I got you something too," he told her, producing a necklace. It was a small golden medallion of some sort with an emblem of a bird on it, hanging from a black-threaded band.

Laurel gazed at it carefully, and allowed Oliver to tie it around her neck. "What kind of bird is it?"

"A canary."

Oliver allowed a sly grin to cross his face as Laurel playfully pushed him in response. Of course he'd get her a necklace with the annoying pet bird her parents got Sara that ended up driving their family nuts. Before they knew it, they were both laughing, and as their laughter subsided, they were staring deep into each other's eyes.

Like always, they found themselves kissing before they even knew it, deep and with enough passion to always leave them both a little weak-kneed. It was only the sound of Robert Queen, Oliver's father, audibly clearing his throat, that caused them to break out of the embrace. "We're ready to disembark," he told them.

Reluctantly, the couple parted, with Laurel giving Oliver one final kiss on the cheek. She grabbed the handle of her suitcase and rolled it up the gangway, pausing to give Moira Queen, Oliver's mother, who was standing in another part of the docks to see them off, one last wave. Her own family had been unable to make it: Sara was away at college, while their mother had opted to drop her off at the pier before heading to work. Their father had at least intended to be here for her in their place, but had been called away to a scene this morning and couldn't make it.

"I'll take care of her while we're gone," Robert promised his son as they exchanged a final hug.

"I will hold you to that," Oliver responded jokingly.

The businessman smiled and clasped his hand on his son's shoulder affectionately, before following Laurel up the gangway. With its captain onboard, the plank was eventually removed, as the ship prepared to set sail. Before the hour was over, the Queen's Gambit was officially at sea.

A few days later…

Oliver, in an exercise of masochism and frustration, was scrolling through some of the apartment listings in Starling. Thanks to his trust fund Laurel and him could afford a much nicer place than a young couple normally would, but knowing his girlfriend she would want somewhere where she could equally chip in and didn't have to rely on her boyfriend's inheritance money. Laurel had always been fiercely independent like that, something that both aroused him and terrified him in equal measure.

Finally, after one too many beds and baths, he shut the computer down with a groan and took out his wallet, fingering the picture inside. Oliver loved Laurel, he truly did. There wasn't a day that went by where he wondered how someone so smart and talented and good ended up with a screw-up like him. She already had her entire life planned out, single-minded in her goals, and somehow all of that included him.

But as much Oliver truly wanted to make her happy, he didn't know how to fit into her plans like that. How to just… play along. The reality was that he just wasn't ready to be the adult and settle down like she was. He was young, he had money, there was plenty enough time for him to have fun. For them to have fun. We're twenty-one, for pete's sake. She's barely gotten out of college, high school was only four years ago, he griped. Why is she so eager to grow up?

How was Oliver supposed to tell her he wasn't ready to grow up like she was? Laurel was so eager and excited when she first suggested they move in together, so much so that Oliver didn't have the heart to refute otherwise. It was something for the future, he thought, except the future was here now and time was closing in for him to figure some way out of it. Laurel would be back in three weeks, and she fully expected them to start searching for apartments together. Oliver needed to figure out a way to stop it.

You could just cheat on her again, an insidious voice suggested in his ear, one that Oliver tried to ignore and failed more often than he liked. Some part of his heart clenched at the idea of cheating on Laurel again and hurting her like that. All the previous times, he had been drunk and had told Laurel immediately. It had caused a few breaks in their relationship, but she always forgave him and took him back. All the more proof that he didn't deserve her.

But cheating on her sober? Doing so in his own right mind? That was another level, and he wasn't sure if he should do it. She might not take him back this time, and he could just imagine how furious her dad would be when he found out — Oliver still remembered the shotgun Detective Lance had threatened him with when Laurel and him first started dating. He doubted being the eldest son of the richest family in the city would stop Quentin from putting a bullet between his eyes if he hurt Laurel like that.

And yet, the idea wouldn't leave his mind. Cheating on Laurel would definitely get her to back off for a bit. Give him some breathing room. She might ask for another break, but she would forgive him like she always did. And when she did, Oliver was sure he'd be ready to grow up like she wanted him to. Then they could move in together. His heart clenched liked it always did whenever he thought of doing something that might hurt Laurel, but he pushed it aside. He couldn't outright tell her he wasn't ready, so he had to do this to make her understand.

"Oliver!"

Oliver flinched as his door suddenly burst open, at his name being shouted. For a moment, he had thought Laurel had somehow read his mind from a thousand miles away and had turned the boat around to rip him a new one, but eventually reality settled in. It was just his mom.

He turned around to look at her, only to pause. Her face was red, and there were tear tracks running down her eyes. It looked like she had been crying.

"Mom? Is something wrong?"

Moira swallowed.

A bored Sara Lance idly flipped through television channels while lounging on her family's couch. With her older sister off to China for three weeks, her parents had gotten empty nest syndrome and had asked their younger daughter to come visit them for the weekend. Sara, not wanting her parents to cotton on to the fact that she had been skiving off her college classes, had complied with the request, and had immediately regretted it. With Ollie trying to play 'faithful' to Laurel (Sara had rolled her eyes at the excuse and was counting down the days until he broke and cheated on her sister again not that she wasn't around to mind him) and Tommy stuck on that out-of-town business trip with his dad, there was no one for her to hangout with while she was home.

Maybe I should call up one of the girls from the old squad, Sara thought, referring to her old cheerleading squad at Berlanti Prep. They should be up for some partying later tonight.

"Sara?" Her father called out to her, popping his head out of the kitchen. "You think you can set the table for tonight?"

Sara groaned and flopped the remote onto the couch, turning her head around so she could address Quentin directly. "Do I have to? That's usually Laurel's job."

"Laurel's not here right now, honey," Quentin gently reminded her. "That means someone else has to do it."

That only caused Sara to groan louder. Nonetheless, she got off her comfortable position on the couch and onto her feet and trudged her way to the small cabinet where they stored the clean plates and cutlery. Even when she was gone, Sara's sister still managed to find a way irritate her. It would be just like Laurel to be so overly-responsible that their parents would take it for granted that Sara needed to be the same.

She took out the mats first before picking up a stack of plates and setting them down one the table. Once Sara was done straightening out the settings, she began putting down the plates one-by-one. She was in the process of setting down the last plate when something on the television caught her eye.

"…reports are coming in that the Queen's Gambit, the luxury yacht of local billionaire Robert Queen, has gone missing while in the midst of a Category-2 storm in the North China Sea…"

The plate shattered onto the ground as a stupefied Sara stared at the television in horror.

In the North China Sea…

Cold, wet, and bleary-eyed, Laurel was suddenly jolted awake as the life raft Robert, his bodyguard Dave Hackett, and her were sailing in was rocked by a particularly bad jump of waves. She instinctively snuggled into the arms of Robert, who had been holding her close ever since he had managed to grab her hand and save her from what would've been a certain drowning after the Gambit had suddenly toppled and sank. Even now, she could still remember the rush of water and the cold darkness before she was pulled away and into the rocky storm.

A part of her still couldn't believe this had happened. The Gambit had sailed through worst storms before and Robert and his crew were all experienced seamen. Oliver and his family had used this yacht numerous times for their own vacations over the years. So why was it when Laurel had accepted Robert's offer to sail with him and save on airfare to China, the yacht capsized and left them floating in the middle of nowhere? It almost felt like a bad dream, one that she was still waiting to wake up from even though she knew she never would.

Hours or maybe even days passed before the storm finally subsided. Laurel, depressed and lost, leaned onto Robert and tried to rest, tried not to think of how far away she was from home or whether or not she'd ever see any of her loved ones ever again. It just hurt too much to even consider it, that these may very well be her last days.

"Laurel… Laurel!" Robert loudly whispered into her ear. Laurel blinked and weakly gazed up at him.

"Mr. Queen?"

"I'm sorry, Laurel," the man apologized. "You should've never been caught up in this."

What? What did he mean by that? "Mr. Queen…?"

"Robert, Laurel," her boyfriend's father corrected, apparently having abruptly decided their current situation meant that the old proprieties no longer mattered. "The truth is, I didn't build our city. I failed it. And this, all of this, what happened to the Gambit, was the result of that."

Laurel felt some version of muted shock upon hearing that, but couldn't really find the energy to react. Did he mean the Gambit had been sabotaged? But why? And did it even really matter in the end, when it was likely they weren't going to live for much longer?

With that dark thought in her mind, Laurel pulled away and settled her head across the side of the life raft. "Just rest, Robert."

But before she could even slip into the waiting darkness of sleep, she was jolted awake once more, this time by the sound of a gunshot. Laurel turned her head just in time to see Dave Hackett stumbled backwards into the waiting waters with a bullet in his chest, Robert's arm still stretched outward with the gun in his hand. She scrambled backwards, surprised and afraid. "Mr. Queen?"

Robert turned to her, and she flinched under his gaze. But instead of turning the gun on her, he reached into the sleeves of his jacket and took something out: a book. He held it out to Laurel with his other hand, a pleading expression, and after a moment, Laurel hesitantly took it.

"That will help you understand one day," the billionaire said, smiling sadly. "Tell my wife and children that I love them."

It took a moment for Laurel to register what was happening, but when Robert lifted the gun to his head, her eyes widened in shock and horror. "NO, ROBERT, NO—!"

"Survive."

Bang.

Robert told Laurel more than he did Oliver in this AU because of his different relationship with her. He feels guiltier that Laurel was caught up in this, as while he might feel it's Oliver's duty to correct his wrongs since Oliver is his son, Laurel is a complete innocent who should've never been caught up in this at all.

At the same time, however, because Laurel is not his child, Robert is less attached to the idea of keeping his good reputation in her eyes. In addition, since they aren't as close, he feels like he needs to explain himself more to her, whereas he feels Oliver should understand his desires instinctively.

Next chapter: We get Laurel on Lian Yu, along with everyone trying to cope with Robert and Laurel's "deaths".