Summary: Hope turns to shock turns to grief. Team Arrow has been holding onto dreams of the future. When their plans come crashing down, they must find a way to step forward together. Sequel to "Time in a Bottle". Thea and Oliver Queen sibling centric.

Thea Queen and Oliver Queen sibling. Thea Queen, Oliver Queen, Roy Harper, Laurel Lance, Felicity Smoak, John Diggle, Quentin Lance, Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon, Caitlin Snow, Iris West, Tommy Merlyn. Cannon Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen/ Roy Harper, Barry Allen/ Iris West. Trigger Warnings: discussion of chronic illness and medical treatment

Author's Note: Really, the only important AU thing (besides all of the other AU things up until this point in "Secrets-verse") is that we are going to pretend that the Clock King was not the villain of the week in Arrow 2x14 episode "Time of Death" – because he was underutilized and I think we can do better! I will be updating weekly - for those of you who have stuck by me for the rest of this series, thank you for reading, reviewing, and taking this journey with me!

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am not offering medical advice. If you have your own concerns regarding treatment or medical advice, please consult with a physician.

Chapter 1: Flash Forward

Thursday, October 12, 2017

"Iris!" Barry exclaimed, sitting up straight at the thought. "Oh man, I've been back a whole day and I haven't even talked to Oliver, or Felicity…"

"Don't worry, Barry – we called them when we got you back," Iris soothed, rubbing his arm as they lounged in their loft, warm lamplight giving the room a rosy hue.

"I should go see them!" Barry stood up from the couch, prepared to run.

Iris reached up and grabbed Barry's arm. "Barry, you just got back. We've hardly had more than a minute together. Just stay with me tonight."

Barry shook his head, feeling better than ever after returning from the Speedforce. Barry explained, "Iris, I'm faster than ever. I'll just pop over and be right back." Barry prepared to take his first step when Iris's voice arrested him –

"Barry, NO."

Her tone was sharp and there was something desperate in it.

Barry looked at Iris with wide, confused eyes. "Not right now," she said slowly, seeing that she had his attention.

"But why?" Barry asked, confused.

Iris shook her head and closed her eyes. She said slowly, "Barry – it's Thea…."

Tuesday, August 8, 2017, 2 months earlier

"Amalfi is beautiful," Thea enthused to Laurel, turning her screen towards the view off the balcony where she sat. Bright pink flowers framed the stone wall and curled up the trellis off to her side. The cobblestone patio was the perfect amount of cool at 7 am as Thea sat with her coffee, enjoying the breezes coming off the ocean. Thea had the perfect vantage point of the water, hundreds of feet below, watching tiny white ships sailing past.

Thea turned the computer back so that the camera was focused on her as she grinned at Laurel. Laurel was laughing, most likely at the terrible quality of the laptop camera trying to focus on the landscape, "As far as I can tell, it looks like you are staying in paradise." Laurel's eyes still twinkled, but her smile became more serious. "You deserve it."

Thea's own excitement mellowed a bit and she said, "I still kind of can't believe we actually did it. I didn't think this trip would happen."

Laurel nodded, and Thea knew she understood. Thea thought back to the day she and Laurel had mapped out Thea's next six months. Thea had been depressed and discouraged following her g-tube surgery and despaired that she had nothing more in her life to look forward to as her HIV/AIDs continued to progress. Laurel had encouraged Thea to think about what she wanted – then figure out how to get there.

And what Thea had wanted – well, time with her family. To get her strength back and continue to defend the Glades as Arae while training Sin to take her place. To build up the Rebecca Merlyn Memorial Clinic and the Center for Hope - Star City's rape crisis center. To marry Roy. And to travel to Europe.

And somehow, she and Roy had made it here. Thea's strength had been hard-won. She utilized her g-tube and slowly regained muscle. She worked with her HIV team's physical therapist and had learned new ways to rebuild her balance and coordination to offset what she was losing as the virus impacted her brain.

And it was worth it. Because, this morning, Thea sat on a patio, high above the beaches of Amalfi, watching the ships come in and out of the bay.

Thea noted, looking at Laurel dressed in her pajamas, "I'm just starting my day, and here, you're going to bed!"

Laurel smiled warmly. "What are you and Roy going to do today?"

Thea peered back over her shoulder to the sliding doors to their room where Roy was no doubt still fast asleep. Roy hadn't fully adjusted to the 9 hours separating their time and Star City's time.

"I think it'll be another beach day," Thea said. "I know that may sound boring, but it's actually been really lovely. No where to be, just enjoying the sun."

Wincing, Thea noted, "That said, we may have come at the same time everyone else in Europe did. We didn't really think about August being such a busy time here." She shrugged, saying, "But that's okay – it sort of helps with the feeling of anonymity."

Laurel cringed. "I wouldn't say that," she said. Thea tilted her head in confusion. Laurel said slowly, "Someone with a camera found you there."

Thea understood immediately - the paparazzi. She had been the source of interest in gossip magazines since the Spring due to her sickly appearance and dramatic weight loss. Naturally, the magazines assumed she was struggling with addiction. Not that she couldn't be, but – she wasn't.

Thea asked incredulously, "Really?" It just felt so invasive to have photos taken when she was none the wiser. Finally, Thea shrugged. "You know what? It's fine. I'm not gonna let a few photos mess up this trip for me."

"Nor should you," Laurel said emphatically. Her voice became gentle as Laurel asked, "How are you feeling in your swimsuit with your surgical scars?"

While Thea had shopped for swimsuits with Felicity and Laurel before her trip making the question not wholly out of place, there was something about the way that question had proceeded Laurel's comment about the paparazzi that widened Thea's eyes. "Oh god, they're in the pictures, aren't they?" Thea asked.

Laurel flushed as she admitted, "You got the biggest picture in a celebrity beach photo spread." She added, "And you have maybe accidentally started a new trend." Laurel read aloud from her screen, " 'Thea Queen rules the beaches on the Amalfi Coast, showing off this season's newest trend – the retro, high waisted two piece.'"

Thea began to laugh, "No way! I was just trying to find something that covered my g-tube button!"

"I'm excited for g-tube chic to become the newest trend, then," Laurel said warmly.

"Could you see my port?" Thea asked, glancing down at her chest.

"It just looks like a little bump and the scar's a little red," Laurel soothed. "I'm sure anyone looking at the picture will just notice how healthy and happy you look."

Thea let out a relieved breath.

"How are you doing looking after yourself?" Laurel asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. Thea knew that this was the question her family and friends had the most. Thea and Roy were around so many more people than they typically were in Star City and she was being exposed to new viruses.

"It's going fine, Laurel," Thea consoled. "We've made a concerted effort to avoid going indoors when there are large crowds and trying to stay out of doors as much as possible. We've been sure to get extra sleep and have plenty of time reserved for just being lazy at our rental."

Laurel nodded. "And your first infusion?"

"Not until next week," Thea said, "And that will be done in France, in Nice, at the University Hospital Center. And our rental in Nice has a private pool with a cute patio and lots of privacy, which should be perfect for my recovery day. Roy and I can just lay low. Maybe eat a baguette." Thea thought about it and laughed a little. "It makes me kind of feel like we're doing Europe wrong. Avoiding all the tourist spots and people."

"What's important is that you're having a good time," Laurel corrected. "This is that kind of once-in-a-lifetime trip. You two just take it easy and enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, Laurel. We are," Thea reassured. "But enough about us. What are you up to? What's going on with everyone?"

"Well," Laurel began, her camera beginning to shake as Laurel grasped it, "most importantly…" The camera jostled until Thea was looking into the sweet, red face of her dog whose tail began to thump against Laurel's bed where she lay at her feet.

"Scully!" Thea cried out, overjoyed to see her little duck-tolling retriever. "I miss you sweetie! Are Aunt Laurel and Uncle Josh treating you like a princess?"

Laurel's amused voice said, "Particularly Uncle Josh, who is just smitten with her." Laurel restabilized the camera on herself adding, "Yesterday, he took her for three walks. In one day! He had already done two, but she was sitting by the back door and Josh can't resist her pleading face."

Thea laughed. "She'll never want to come home with us! We can't keep up with that kind of service." She added, "Thank you for sending pictures of her every day."

From somewhere off camera, Josh's voice called out, "Proof of life pictures!"

Thea's eyebrows shot into her hairline.

"Josh!" Laurel scolded Josh wherever he was off-screen. "We're not calling them that!" Laurel said to Thea, "Sorry about him."

Thea snorted, "He just hasn't been around us long enough to know how often everyone gets kidnapped."

Laurel said darkly, "You're telling me." She shook her head and said, "Speaking of which, you know those guys who crashed into Roy's truck?"

Thea felt a little chill flow through her as she remembered that horrible day – the day she had thought she had lost Roy forever. She nodded warily, not sure what Laurel had to say.

"We've found out a little more. They call themselves the 'Clock Watchers'."

"Seriously?" Thea asked incredulously. What a stupid name. Even for a group of soldiers delineated by the chunky white watches on their wrists.

"Yeah, not sure what that means," Laurel agreed. "But they recently robbed two more places – they boarded a train and offloaded everything from a single train car. Then they successfully robbed an armored vehicle."

Thea asked, voice tense, "Did they kill anyone?"

Laurel hedged. "Not purposefully – just like Roy, they stunned the people guarding the vehicles and left them to be found later. Unfortunately, one of the armored truck guards had a heart condition." Thea felt herself grow quiet.

"Don't give it another thought, Thea," Laurel said quickly. "I shouldn't have brought it up. We've got it taken care of."

Thea nodded slowly.

"Seriously," Laurel tried again. "You are on vacation with the man you love. And you worked incredibly hard to get there. The only thing you should be doing right now is being safe and happy and healthy. Okay?"

Thea released a breath and looked back over the sea below. A smile slowly spread across her face again. Star City and the Clock Watchers were a world away. She and Roy were here, in Europe, just doing couple-y things for the first time ever.

"You're right," Thea said. "We will."

"I miss you like crazy, okay?" Laurel said.

Thea grinned, "I miss you too. I love you, Laurel. I'll talk to you once we're in Nice and I'll see you in a few weeks!"

Monday, August 21, 2017 - 2 weeks later

"Did John find anything?" Oliver asked as he stepped onto the Bunker's Hub and around Felicity.

Felicity turned her head towards him and reached out a hand to give his a squeeze in greeting before returning to look at her screen. "He's looked all over the scene," Felicity replied. "Of course, the police had already gone over everything, so it's not a shock that there's nothing left of use."

Oliver nodded, unable to avoid the twinge of discouragement at the report.

Felicity turned her chair towards him, asking gently, "How did the town hall go?"

Oliver gave a little chuckle before rubbing his hands over his face. "It was brutal," he said. "I get lulled into thinking the reporters are the ones who are going to come at me with tough questions, but it's the public," he shrugged helplessly. "They have questions on the things that are impacting them right now, and they won't be placated by promises to look into it. They want answers – they want a fix. They want justice." Oliver sighed. "And the thing is, I don't blame them."

Felicity winced in sympathy. "Was there something that stood out?" she asked, clearly trying to understand.

Oliver nodded. His expression appeared even, but his eyes sparkled with sadness. "There was a man. He had been jailed for some sort of petty offense that he's since been released for. Evidently, he was his developmentally delayed little sister's guardian and she went into foster care while he was locked away." Felicity's eyes widened in concern. "He told me that he wrote to me, asking to be placed on house arrest or to have his sentence commuted, or to be out on compassionate release – because his sister was diagnosed with leukemia and was dying. I didn't reply - and then she died. He never saw her again."

Felicity asked in a low voice, "Do you remember the letter?"

Oliver shook his head 'no' wearily. "It was sent to me last year. In the Fall."

Felicity silently mouthed 'oh' as understanding dawned across her face. Last Fall, Oliver had lost all interest in his position as mayor in light of Thea's revelation that she was HIV positive and was failing treatment, then had been hospitalized and met AIDs criteria.

Felicity asked softly, "How did Alex miss that?"

Oliver rubbed at his face. "Alex isn't to blame, Felicity. He was single-handedly running City Hall last year. He did a great job, too – never once complained, just offered support for me and Thea. And since then, he has stepped aside to allow me to step back into the role without comment." Oliver released a puff of air in frustration. "The fact that he missed that letter – that's not on him. It's on me for not getting my head focused where it needed to be."

Felicity reached out to grasp his hand again. "You need to be a little easier on yourself, Oliver," she said an open, sincere expression. "Last year, you were really going through something with everything happening with Thea. Things were bound to slip through the cracks."

"That's all well and good, Felicity," Oliver said heavily, "but that doesn't make any difference to this man who wasn't able to be with his sister when she died. And that's on me."

"Surely you weren't the only one that could have helped him," Felicity suggested. "You're just the one he's making a scapegoat of now."

Oliver shook his head, not wanting to discuss it anymore. The idea of that young woman dying, looking for her brother who would never come just hit too close to home and he wanted to erase the tragic image from his mind.

"Never mind that," he said. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here in time to help John patrol."

"Don't worry about it, Oliver, you have other responsibilities."

"I know, but these Clock Watchers are getting bolder ever since the attack on Roy's truck!" He added, "And we're already down team members."

Felicity gave him a knowing look. "You miss Roy and Thea."

"No! It's only been three weeks!" Oliver defended. "And they're having a great time on their trip. Besides, Thea has held down the fort for me for longer than six weeks before." Like the time Oliver vanished back to Lian Yu for five months after the Undertaking and Thea adopted his club as her own. Or when he and Felicity settled in Ivy Town and Thea, Laurel, and Digg had defended the city from Ghosts. "I can certainly do this for them."

"But with you being tied up by the mayor's office and without Arae and Arsenal hitting the streets-" Felicity trailed off, implying that maybe the load was too great. Felicity's expression turned thoughtful. "Well – you could still pull Arae in."

Oliver shot his wife a look. "Sin is doing a great job in the Glades with Laurel and Josh acting as backup, but that's a completely different matter than being ready to deal with a team of highly trained soldiers who are robbing semis, trains, and armored cars!"

"Well, with the Clock Watchers upping their game and leaving a body at the last scene, we could use more help," Felicity said.

Oliver mused aloud, "Maybe I turn more responsibility for City Hall back over to Alex. Spend more time as the Green Arrow."

Felicity said, "Oliver, turning your back on leading the city isn't going to fix anything."

Oliver became frustrated saying, "But I can't put all of this on you and John! You are still the CEO of PalmerTech, and you should be resting in the time you're off the clock, instead of spending the rest of your waking hours here!"

Felicity was already in her third trimester and should be able to relax and look after her health instead of being hunched over a computer screen. It made Oliver feel like he was failing as a husband, and, without his child being born yet, failing as a father.

"I have a thought about that," Felicity said. "What do you think about Curtis?"

"What about Curtis?"

"Bringing him in, I mean," Felicity rushed to explain. "He is every bit as competent with these mainframes as I am! And he's trustworthy – he's the first person at PalmerTech that I would trust with any project. And he loves the Green Arrow! He has a mug!"

"We don't need to expand the circle of people who know our secret any further," Oliver dissented. "We already have far too many people. What about Josh? Or Lance?"

"I love Josh," Felicity said, "And he's doing a great job learning so he can be Sin's eye-in-the-sky. He's also really great at searching for information – it's those paralegal skills at work. But he doesn't have the tech skills – Curtis does! And Quentin can barely boot up his computer without help."

Oliver shook his head and allowed, "I will think about it."

"Overwatch," John's voice called over comms. Oliver stepped closer to the source of the sound as Felicity spun her chair back towards the computer. "I'm in pursuit!"

"I read you," Felicity said quickly. "Green Arrow is here too – I'm sending him your way."

Oliver nodded, running towards his suit and listening in to comms. There were sounds of scuffling and John grunting with exertion. Then John declared, "Got him! It's a Clock Watcher. What do we want to do with him?"

Oliver paused, Green Arrow pants only partway on. "Spartan, call the SCPD. They'll take him in, and we'll listen in to his statement."

"You sure, Green Arrow?"

"Yes. Let's let the law do its work."

A few hours later, Mayor Oliver Queen stood side by side with his deputy mayor, Quentin Lance, peering through the one-way glass. The woman, now stripped of her black helmet and body armor, refused to speak, having immediately lawyered up.

Detective Rivera stepped in next to them. "Name's Tao Jones. Not that she told us – her prints popped in the system for some juvie stuff. She's not saying a word," he noted, "But from everything we can tell, she looks like she's a part of that 'Clock Watcher' crew."

Oliver nodded thoughtfully. He asked, trying to sound like the concerned mayor of his city, "Do we know anything about her?"

Rivera shook his head. "I can only tell you she's kind of a tough cookie. She was born into the system – mom died at birth. She's had more addresses than she's had aliases."

"Are you able to charge her with anything?" Lance asked.

"We'll see if anything sticks," Rivera admitted. "She'll probably be back out on the streets by morning." Lance nodded in understanding.

Rivera handed Lance an evidence baggie. "And our best lead," he said with a nod at the bag. Lance brought it closer so both he and Oliver could inspect it.

Inside was a chunky, white-faced watch with a black band. Just like the ones that marked each member of the Clock Watcher soldiers. It looked perfectly ordinary up close.

"Flip it over," Rivera instructed.

Lance did as he was directed, revealing the engraving on the back: "Property of the Clock King".

"Who the hell is 'the Clock King'?" Lance asked, brow wrinkling in confusion.

Rivera shrugged.

Oliver noted, "It sounds like we've found our ringmaster."

"The 'Clock King', huh?" Roy asked incredulously. He held Thea's hand lightly in his, enjoying the sound of their steps clicking over the cobblestones of Broc, just outside of Geneva. "Never heard of him. But that's super corny."

Thea shrugged, "This time the bad guy seems to have named himself. But when the Clock Watchers had you, you didn't hear them say anything about who was in charge?"

Roy was uncomfortable with the reminder of the day his semi had been carjacked and he had nearly been killed. Or rather, when Thea had thought he had been killed.

"Nope," Roy said, with wide eyes and shaking his head. He had been wracking his blurred memory since that day. The concussion he sustained meant that the memories were disjointed. He added slowly, "But I've been trying to remember what was in the trailer."

"You mean what they stole?" Thea clarified.

Roy nodded. "It's like … I can almost remember. The trailer was packed with cardboard boxes. I think they all had a logo on them. I wish I could remember!" He cried out in frustration.

Thea soothed, "It's okay! Ollie and Felicity can figure it out with or without you!"

Roy shook his head, "I'm sure, but – I mean, I was there! I should be able to help!"

Thea seemed to understand the sentiment. "Alright then. Let's work through this." She pulled Roy to a stop and turned to face him. "You said you think there was a logo." Roy nodded. "Close your eyes," Thea directed.

As Roy did, Thea raised the hand they still had joined and rested it against her chest. "Okay. Now breathe with me. In," she waited a count. "Now out. And in." Roy followed along.

"Imagine your truck. The cab is red. There's a photo of Scully and I tucked onto the dashboard." Roy smiled, remembering. "Now, you leave the cab to check the trailer. You open the door and see rows of cardboard boxes. You look at one and see something printed on the side. Tell me about it."

Roy focused and screwed his face up in concentration. Thea chided, "Uh-uh. No, breathe. And just look."

Roy felt some of the pressure flow away and he looked again, glancing over the box. "Um," Roy said. "It's a circle with, like … squiggles inside."

"Okay," Thea said. "Is there any writing?"

Roy swallowed, "There is, but I can't remember!" his voice coming out sharply.

"It's okay!" Thea said quickly. "Take a step back, alright? Now – how many words?"

Roy drew in another deep breath. He could do this. "Just one," he stated.

"Is it one long word? One short word?"

"Kinda short. And there's an 'X' in it."

"Open your eyes," Thea said.

Roy's eyes sprang open to find Thea watching him with an appreciative look. "That was amazing, Roy," Thea encouraged. "That's more than we've had. Can you draw the symbol?" Roy nodded quickly, surprised to find that the logo still stuck with him. "I'll tell Felicity." Thea squeezed his hand, adding, "And then no more thinking about those guys for the rest of the day. Ollie's got it under control."

Roy nodded. He took a moment to appreciate the sight of the French Alps framing the quaint town of buildings with whitewashed exteriors, wooden shutters, and warm brown roofs.

"There is chocolate on this tour, right?" Roy asked.

Thea rolled her eyes. "Of course. We're in Switzerland. We have to eat Swiss chocolate."

"Thank goodness," Roy said. "I was feeling too fit after all of those days on the beaches in Amalfi and Nice. I can't look too good – otherwise, the local girls are gonna swarm me."

"They can swarm you all they want, Roy Harper," Thea said, the teasing in her tone light, "So long as they all know you're coming home with me."

Thursday, October 12, 2017 – 2 months later

Barry fixed wide eyes on Iris. "What?" he asked nervously. "What's wrong with Thea?"

"Barry," Iris said his name slowly, like she was afraid to hurt him. "Thea … Thea died." Barry drew in a shocked breath of air. "She died a month ago – it hasn't even been a month since her funeral…"

Barry sat down with the shock of the news. No.

He knew he had been gone for five months. That things had changed. That Iris had tried to make a life without him. That they had all found ways to live without him there.

But … he hadn't even thought about what might have happened to the people he cared about while he was gone. That along with the living they were doing, that that could also mean they were dying.

The enthusiasm and freedom Barry had felt since leaving the Speedforce seemed to leak out of him, leaving him deflated.

Barry stood back up, more slowly than he had before. He looked back at Iris earnestly. "I have to go see them, Iris."

"Barry," Iris pled. "You just got back, and they are still grieving."

"And I wasn't there for that," Barry countered. "I wasn't there when she died, or for the funeral, but I can be there now."

He sniffled, the shock of the news hitting him again like a wave. Thea Queen was gone – how could she be gone? She was so vibrant, with her self-assured smile and her strength, and-

"She was my friend," Barry said, his voice low and shaking. "She was my friend and I wasn't there for her. I … I missed her, I missed saying goodbye," he added, stunned at the realization.

Iris scooted closer to Barry on the couch and rested a hand on his knee, comforting him.

"Iris," Barry said, tears in his eyes. "I have to go see them – Oliver, and Felicity. I have to go."

Iris studied him for a moment. Then she nodded. "Okay. Give them a hug from me. We're all still reeling too."

Barry nodded and stood. He closed his eyes for a moment to collect himself. Then he ran.