Another little drabble in my "Truth" series . So far this is the only other prompt I could think of connected to the truth. If anybody has any others I'd love to hear them

Truth Hurts

Thea paused outside the sitting room, the furious argument inside catching her attention. Some instinct told her that this wasn't a typical argument between her mother and Ollie.

"How could you do this?" Oliver's tone was laced with a bitterness Thea had never heard before. "How could you lie to Dad? To me? God, Mom, how could you do this to Thea!"

Dread crept into her and Thea pressed herself against the door, knowing that whatever it was, this revelation concerned her in a way that could shake her to the core.

"I lied to protect Thea," Moira pleaded. "Malcolm was a very bad and deranged man, even then. Now he's known throughout this city as the lunatic who actually blew up the Glades."

"Whereas you're the liar who was in league with him," Oliver said wearily. "That's what you do, you lie. Nothing that comes from you is the truth."

"Do you think that Thea would be better off knowing the truth?" Moira snapped. "Whatever your pretty secretary may say, telling you about Thea's parentage has done nothing but break your heart."

"Leave Felicity out of this," Oliver's voice was low and even. "She was the one person who was honest with me, always. I trust her with my life, which is more than I can say for my own mother."

"Oliver, please, don't say that," Moira begged. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry that I lied, but Thea can never know that Malcolm Merlyn is her father."

Outside the door, Thea's knees buckled and she slid down into a crouch as her heart began to race and her hands began to tremble. Over the rush of blood to her head she heard Oliver telling their mother that he was done with her .

She pressed a hand to her mouth and managed to get away from the door and up the stairs to her own room before she dashed to the bathroom and threw up.

Heaving herself to her feet, Thea rinsed her mouth out and looked at her reflection in the mirror, seeing the white face and the big, shocked eyes. Eyes that weren't like Ollie's, or like her mother's.

A little moan of despair escaped her and she flew back into her bedroom, grabbing her purse and running down the stairs and into the garage where her car was parked.

Moments later, she was speeding towards the city, the road blurring past her as she headed towards the only place she could think of that made any sense in a world suddenly turned upside down.

Roy's apartment was small and modest, but it was the first place he had ever lived in that really felt like his. It was near work, and most of all, it was somewhere that he wasn't ashamed to have Thea in, despite her assurances that she didn't care where he lived as long as there was room for her in it.

He was lounging on the sofa, flicking idly through the channels and mentally going over the exercise moves that Oliver and Diggle had taught him earlier in the day.

To say he was shocked that his hero was Thea's big brother was an understatement, but it certainly explained a lot about the other man. In the weeks he'd been part of the team, Roy had learned that Oliver was battle scarred, both physically and emotionally and that in his case, still waters ran very, very deep.

He had also learned to have a healthy respect for Oliver's hand to hand skills. The bruises healed quickly, but his pride didn't and being knocked on his ass at every turn was embarrassing.

A pounding at his door made him sit up, puzzled. The clock on his television read one thirty eight. Opening his door, he frowned in confusion to see a very wet and bedraggled looking Thea standing there, her hair plastered to her head and with no jacket covering her thin, strappy top.

"Thea?" Confusion turned to concern when she didn't say anything. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Thea shook her head, tears spilling out of her eyes and down her pale face.

"Hey," Roy said, reaching out and drawing her into his arms, ignoring the fact that she was soaked to the bone. "Come here." He stroked a hand across her bare shoulders, feeling how cold she was. "Thea, what is it? Talk to me."

A strangled sob escaped her, then another and another and with a keening moan she buried her face in his chest and began to cry. Harsh, wracking sobs shook her slight frame and Roy held on, worry coursing through him.

When her tears didn't stop the worry grew perilously close to panic. Thea never cried like this. "Thea, stop," he said gently, tipping her face up to his. "You'll make yourself sick if you don't. Come on, Thea, just tell me what's wrong. Who hurt you?"

She shook her head again and he noticed the bluish tinge to her lips that he had missed in his initial panic. "Baby, you're freezing. How long have you been out in the rain?"

Thea lifted shaking hands to her face and pushed at the tangled mass of hair stuck to her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I jsut couldn't think of anywhere to go and I can't go home." Her breath hitched and she shuddered. "I can't go home, Roy. Don't make me."

"It's okay," Roy assured her gently, hiding his confusion and worry. "Whatever it is, we'll fix it."

"You can't fix this," Thea said, her voice breaking. "Nobody can."

"Why don't you go take a shower, and I'll make some coffee," Roy offered. "Help yourself to some dry clothes and then we'll talk."

Thea nodded and trudged wearily towards his bedroom. Moments later, he heard the shower turn on. When she didn't emerge after fifteen minutes, Roy pushed open the door to see her sitting on the edge of his bed, still shivering violently.

"Thea, tell me what the hell is going on," Roy ordered, taking her icy hands in his. "Tell me or I'm calling Oliver and your mother right now."

"My mother." Thea's laugh was harsh. "My mother is a liar."

"Why?"

Roy listened as Thea spilled out the story of her parentage in a flat, expressionless tone. He was shocked to hear of Moira's deception and briefly wondered how Oliver was feeling before his attention was claimed by Thea again.

"I feel," Thea said slowly, "like I don't know who I am anymore. My father...Robert Queen...isn't my father. My real father was a monster." She looked at her hands. "What if I'm like him?"

"You are nothing like Malcolm Merlyn." Roy hauled her into his lap and looked into her eyes. "You're a good person, Thea, right into the core."

"You don't know that," Thea argued, tears beginning to fall again. "I'm not who you thought I was either."

"I know who you are," Roy said fiercely. "And you're nothing like that son of a bitch." He stood up and set Thea on her feet. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"I'm tired," Thea said, weariness etched across her face. "I'm so tired, Roy, and my head hurts from thinking about it all."

"I know, baby," Roy soothed. "You can sleep soon, I promise."

He guided her into the bathroom where he turned the water on hot and stripped them both down. In the shower, he held her under the hot spray until her shivers subsided before gently drying her off and dressing her in one of his tee shirts and a pair of his boxers.

She peered up at him through eyes swollen from crying. "Thank you."

Roy kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. "No need."

Thea curled up on her side and watched him get into hed, blinking owlishly at him. "Don't leave," she murmured.

"Not a chance." Roy slid in next to her and pulled her against him. "I'm not going anywhere."

When Thea's breathing deepened and she finally slept, Roy snagged his phone from the bedside locker and sent a quick text to Oliver, letting him know where Thea was and that she was alright.

Thea stirred in her sleep, whimpering a little, and Roy tightened his hold on her, wondering if people who said you should tell the truth knew how much it could hurt.

All comments and criticisms greatly appreciated.

Eva x