Ch 14 Happily Ever After

AN – First, thank you to all who continue to read my older works! Seeing those faves and follows always inspires me to write more! Next, this update is set a few months after the S3 finale and is focused on Roy and Thea as I couldn't resist the idea of the Lessons coming full circle and him returning to share them with Thea. However, if you want more Olicity, pls see my AN2 at the end!

DISCLAIMER – Oddly enough no one from Arrow has encouraged me to return to writing fanfic or granted their permission…oh well!

XXXXXXXXXX

Thea took the diving roll hard and felt her shoulder jam painfully but she continued to her feet. The dull ache in her shoulder wasn't worth her attention considering the sharp pain shooting through her with each breath. However, with no more than a passing thought for her injuries or a backward glance for those following, she sprinted forward quickly. Glancing around she realized that she needed to find a way out but no safe exit presented itself. As gunfire exploded behind her she pushed forward to jump between buildings once more.

Approaching the end of the roof Thea knew she couldn't make the next leap – she was exhausted, injured and it was just too far. Things hadn't exactly gone according to the plan and she was out of ideas. More gunfire sounded and she moved to crouch down behind the AC units.

She had known that deciding to wear the mask was dangerous but it had gotten even more so lately. Cursing under her breath she realized that her previous training hadn't quite prepared her as well as she had thought. She and Laurel had both suffered various injuries and setbacks since Ollie had ridden off into the sunset with Felicity. Laurel was actually in a coma and in the hospital at that moment.

As more shots were fired even as she glanced over the edge of the roof, Thea paused to wonder just who was after her. She had stumbled upon what looked to be a regular drug deal but the men chasing her weren't the usual street thugs. Their dark suits and guns spoke of a different kind of villain. Shaking her head, Thea realized that she needed to focus on escaping the men not identifying them. She also realized that she wasn't prepared to stand alone as the only protector of Starling City.

"What you need is an escape route."

At the sound of the familiar voice Thea turned to the side and found herself face to face with Roy Harper. Her ex was dressed in a dark blue leather jacket and wore the same cocky grin that she had both loved and hated at various points.

Roy moved the rest of the way up over the ledge before he stepped closer to Thea and listened to the gunfire to determine how much time they had left. He was surprised that she hadn't yet responded as Thea had always been quick to argue and challenge. It was clear she had learned some control though and he was grateful for that as it would help keep her alive.

"So what do you have in mind?" Thea asked as she heard the men land on the same roof they were on. Before she could turn to fight Roy wrapped a belt around her waist and Thea froze at the feel of hands on her and the closeness of his body.

"Unfortunately the window isn't open." Roy replied mysteriously as he grabbed Thea and launched them both over the edge just as bullets landed near them.

Thea held onto Roy even as she tried to twist and see where they were going. At that moment, the rope caught and their motion switched from a downward plummet to more of a swing. She turned and saw the closed window just before they crashed through it. Thea blew her breath out hard as Roy landed on top of her.

"Sorry about the glass but this is the best floor." Roy paused as he moved some broken glass from Thea's hair. He knew they needed to move but he took an additional moment while she was quiet to return her stare.

Somewhat distracted by Roy's body on hers, Thea paused to breathe before she replied. "The view is pretty good but hopefully you have more of an escape route than this."

Chuckling, Roy stood up and offered Thea a hand as he replied and freed them from the rope. "It wasn't exactly Plan A but yeah, I have something more in mind."

Moments later Thea understood what made the floor their best option. Recent renovations had added a pedestrian walk way and they were able to cross over to the neighboring building and remain out of sight.

Thea stayed quiet as she followed Roy's lead. It was obvious that he knew the building well as he picked several locks with ease and never hesitated when faced with a choice of direction. She simply trusted that he was leading them to safety. Soon they were out of the building and when Roy moved to climb onto a motorcycle parked next to the exit, Thea slid on right behind him. She wasn't too surprised when he returned to the original Team Arrow lair instead of the more recent one that she and Laurel had claimed.

"So how did you find me?" Thea asked once they were inside. Roy didn't respond immediately but instead looked around and even smiled slightly as he touched the dusty tables.

"Roy?"

The impatient edge to Thea's tone brought a full smile to Roy's face. He had missed their old headquarters and he missed the bright fire of Thea's passionate nature too. Her rise to the position of the only remaining masked hero of Starling City had changed her in the last months - the loss of Team Arrow, Ray Palmer's disappearance and then Laurel's coma had each been rough on her. He had tried to keep an eye on Thea but he hadn't been around all the time. Each time he returned she was a bit darker, a bit quieter.

"Felicity told me about Laurel. I'm sorry." He turned to face Thea and saw the flicker of sadness cross her face.

"She's a fighter. The doctors haven't given up and neither have I." Thea still had nightmares about Laurel's injuries but she told Roy the truth. She fully expected Laurel to survive the coma and she would continue to protect their city until Laurel could help again.

"You shouldn't give up but that's not why I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you've had to do this alone. It was hard enough when it was the four of us but alone..." His voice trailed off as he remembered some of the darker times he and Team Arrow had faced. He knew Thea now had her own scars and nightmares just as he did, just as they all did.

"You've been in touch with Felicity?" Thea hadn't wanted to worry Oliver so she hadn't told him about Laurel.

"You should have told them." Roy chastised lightly even though he knew what a tough position Thea was in.

"No, I shouldn't have. How did they find out anyway?" Thea understood the need for secrecy and lies when you wore a mask so she no longer blamed her brother for his past choices. She refused to ask for forgiveness of her recent ones though.

"You still have so much to learn." Roy again chuckled as he moved to the cabinet for med supplies. He knew Thea needed assistance with her shoulder and if he wasn't mistaken she also had some bruised, possibly broken ribs.

"What do you mean?" Thea didn't appreciate his amusement or the implication that he could teach her anything.

"We'll make time for the Lessons later." Roy ignored Thea as he continued to gather medical supplies. He did hope that he was right about there being more time though.

Moving almost silently, Thea grabbed Roy's jacket and jerked him around to face her as she made her demands. "Roy! Tell me what you know! What's going on?"

"I'm not the only one returning to Starling City and there are some new faces as well." Roy's tone was serious as he considered all that he had recently learned. He wasn't about to share all of that with Thea though.

"Is Ollie coming back?" Thea felt hope bubble to life inside her. She had missed her brother even before it had become a struggle to wear the mask each night.

"Have you seen any new faces or heard about anyone new on the streets?" Roy ignored her question to ask his own as he moved to take her red leather jacket off. He paused when Thea pushed his hands away and finished the task. She then jerked the undershirt over her head revealing the sports bra and several ugly bruises along her ribs.

Thea grabbed the bandages and moved to the table to bind her ribs. She wasn't particularly surprised when Roy took the supplies and continued the job himself. Remaining quiet for several moments, she then pressed him for answers because she needed them and because she needed a distraction.

"Is Oliver coming back to be the Arrow?" Thea rephrased her question and watched Roy's reaction carefully.

"Things have changed and you really do still have a lot to learn Thea." Roy continued to ignore her questions. He hadn't realized just how much he'd needed to learn either until Felicity and Diggle had both gotten in contact with him separately. There were a lot of new players in the game and the game itself had changed but it seemed the board was still in Starling City so he'd had no choice but to return.

"Roy! I don't have time for the games. What do you know?" Thea couldn't help but feel that she was missing something and it was starting to annoy her.

"Felicity has been working on some new tech toys so keeping an eye on the city and you wasn't a big deal. They knew about Laurel when it happened." Roy replied without looking away from his medical tasks.

"New tech toys? Why does she need new tech toys on a deserted beach?" Thea's tone was sharp once more even as she slumped slightly. Roy's cryptic answers were bothering her more than she cared to admit. It had been hard enough to protect the city recently but she knew it had to be something big to bring Roy and possibly even Oliver and Felicity back.

Despite Thea's tone, Roy remained focused on binding her injuries. Only after she pulled her shirt back on did he meet her eyes and speak.

"I've learned another Lesson lately Thea." Roy met her eyes as he grinned. She couldn't possibly understand just how much he had learned on Team Arrow but he was willing to share some things.

"Another lesson? Okay, I'll bite. What lesson have you learned Roy?" Thea still didn't understand but she was willing to give him a chance to explain. As his smile widened though she had to wonder if he would give a serious answer or just continue to tease her.

"Riding off into the sunset for happily ever after…well, it can get pretty boring."

XXXXXXX

Lesson #9 - Plan A never works, Plan B's success rate is 50/50 at best, Plan C frequently doesn't work either so have Plans D, E, and F ready. Also have an exit strategy, preferably one that does not include windows and Tarzan acts (especially if you are sweaty).

XXXXXXX

AN2 – So I plan to use this to start a new 2015 summer story focusing on Team Arrow and Olicity! I hope to post it in the next couple of weeks and while I haven't decided on the full name it will start with "Lessons:" so I hope you'll be on the lookout for it! I also hope you'll let me know your thoughts on S3 and what you'd like in S4. Just to warn you, my plan is to bring back my fave 4 Team Arrow back together without anyone else (other than Thea)! Also, I skipped many parts of the second half of S3 so it may deviate from canon a bit more than normal. Regardless of these things, I hope you guys will want to play and I look forward to hearing from you!