Disclaimer: I do not own Green Arrow, Black Canary or any other DC properties in this story. This is merely written for fun.

This is a complete rewrite of my fic A Caged Bird. When I wrote the original version, I was new to fanfiction. I feel like I made a lot of rookie mistakes and the story could have been written so much better. I had always promised one of my readers that I'd rewrite it. So, I made a point to get this done when I felt like I was more prepared to take on a full length story. The original version will stay posted for the people that really loved that version despite it's flaws. I hope that the people that enjoyed that version will like the updated version as well.

I'd like to list a few changes from the original Arrow canon. The first is that Sara Lance does not exist in this fic. I didn't want to put Sara on The Gambit with Oliver, and without that event, she can't become the Canary. So, her existence in this fic would only demote her to simply being Laurel's sister. The second change is that Dinah Drake Lance will take Sara's place as the first Canary to adhere to comic canon. I feel like the show disserviced Dinah Drake Lance by reducing her to a crying mom that only cared about one of her daughters.

A Caged Bird was inspired by Jessica Jones and so will this rewrite. I changed the title, because the original story eventually became more than the original premise. As the story evolved, I had many arches planned passed the threat of Count Vertigo. I really hope you all enjoy this new version. Thank you all for following A Caged Bird. All your reviews were much appreciated. Leave a comment at the end of this fic if you enjoy this version as well.

Of Monsters and Vigilantes

I. Gone Girl

Dinah Laurel Lance - always trying to save the world. That's what her father would always say. Maybe that's why she had strived for a career in law. Maybe that was her way of saving the world. Yet, saving the world had come with a heavy price. Laurel was blind to how corrupt Starling City truly was.

Now, she's stuck in this room with no escape. She isn't even Laurel anymore. She does as she's ordered and says what she's told to say. She's a shell of her former self. This life is her punishment for daring to do what is right. She wanted to clean up the streets of Starling City, but the streets is not where the seed of corruption and crime was planted. Corruption started from the the top and spiraled down into the glades. Politicians, corrupt judges, and dirty cops were responsible for the high crime in Starling City.

Laurel has had a long time to think of why she ended up here. It hadn't taken her long to draw the link between Adam Hunt, Judge Grell, and their ties to Count Vertigo. Judge Grell saw her as a threat to be dealt with, and Adam Hunt had the money to dispose of her. Maybe they both hoped that Count Vertigo would kill her and dump her remains over the interstate. A part of her wishes that were the case.

"Dinah Laurel Lance…"

Laurel's skin crawls at the sound of Count Vertigo's voice. She can feel the ground shift as Vertigo walks towards her. He stands in front of her in a long black coat. He leans in front of her and touches her cheek.

"You're like a doll," his voice is low as he looks into her eyes. "I like you like this - so obediant."

She tries to move her cheek away from his hand, but she can't. She's still out of control. Vertigo leans forward and places a kiss on her lips. He rises to his full height and looks down on her with malicious eyes.

"Stand up," he orders.

Her body feels as if it's moving on autopilot. She rises from the couch and stands before him. Vertigo reaches out and draws back a strand of her long brown hair. His lips twist into a sick smile.

"Now undress for me," he orders.

Laurel tries to fight the drug inside her system. She tries to reconnect her mind to her body, but she can't. Her hands seem to lift her blouse over her head as if she were possessed. Laurel can feel tears brim her eyes.

"You're crying," his voice is low, cold, and threatening. "You know I hate it when you cry, Laurel."

Oliver looks to his reflection in the mirror. His long hair and long beard have been cut down to a reasonable length. He looks to the scars on his chest. They are reminders of the hell he has lived for the passed five years. Oliver buttons up his white dress shirt, concealing all his painful scars from the the world. He cannot be that damaged man from Lian Yu. Today, he must reenter the world as the Oliver Queen that left on The Gambit.

There is a soft knock on his bedroom door. Oliver turns away from the mirror and goes to his door. He opens the door to see Raisa behind the door with a clean black suit coat in her hands.

"For you, Oliver," she says.

"Thank you, Raisa," Oliver makes a point to be polite to the maid he once was so dismissive to.

Oliver takes the coat in hand, feeling the expensive fabric. He had forgotten what luxury felt like - comfortable but so very friviless. Oliver places his left arm in one sleeve before placing his right arm in the vacant sleeve. He shifts the black coat up his shoulders. His hands smooth over the coat. It feels nice. It probably looks just as nice at it feels. Laurel will like it. Oliver smiles to his maid.

"How do I look?" he asks.

"Handsome as ever," she says with a smile. "It's good to see you again, Oliver."

"It's good to see you too, Raisa," Oliver returns her smile.

"Oh!" Raisa exclaims. "I almost forgot! When you are done up here, your friend Tommy is downstairs waiting to see you."

Oliver's smile widens. Tommy. It would be so good to see him again. Oliver hurries passed Raisa. His feet seem to walk as fast as they possibly can. Oliver turns the corner out of the hallway. He looks down from the staircase to see Tommy standing at the main entrance of the mansion. One hand is tucked in Tommy's pocket while his free hand is holding his phone.

Oliver moves down the stairs. Tommy looks up to Oliver and tucks his phone into his pocket. His eyes seem to light up at the sight of Oliver. Oliver hugs Tommy and gives him a pat on the back. The two pull away from each other as an awkward silence hangs over them.

"It's good to see you, Oliver," Tommy says.

"It's good to see you too, Tommy," Oliver replies.

"So...I imagine there are a ton of things you want to do today," Tommy says. "Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?"

"Yes," Oliver looks directly into Tommy's eyes. "I want to see Laurel."

Tommy's smile seems to dissolve from his face. "Laurel...is gone."

It's as if the glue holding his life together has all come undone all at once. Oliver feels as if Laurel's picture is burning through his pocket. She was his light in the darkness. She was the only reason he lived through that island of hell.

"What do you mean gone?" his words feel so weak as they leave his mouth. "Is she...dead?"

"I...don't know," Tommy says. "No one has seen or heard from her for months. No one knows if she's dead or alive. She's just gone."

"Her mother and father…?" Oliver voice catches in his throat.

"Her father still works for the police department," Tommy answers. "But, her mom skipped out of town right after it happened. I guess she's in Central City. That's what Quentin told me last."

"And, they have no idea why she disappeared?" Oliver asks.

Tommy shakes his head. "No, no one knows. The police don't have any leads. It's like she vanished into thin air."

His muscles become strained as his entire body becomes stiff. Oliver had meant to return to Starling City with one overarching goal - to clean up his city. The promise he made to his father, the names in that his father wrote in that book - it will all have to wait. The desire for revenge is still hot in his blood, but there's one thing that drives him more than anything else.

And, that's Dinah Laurel Lance.

"Tommy, I'm going to find her."

"Oliver…" Tommy's voice is low. "The DEA and the FBI are more qualified for this kind of thing."

"Yeah, well, they haven't found her," Oliver walks passed Tommy and goes to the front door. He places his hand on the door handle and turns back to Tommy. "If they're not going to do their job, I'll do it for them."

Oliver pulls down on the gold handle and pulls the door open. He pulls his car keys from his pocket and clicks the button to unlock his Black Mercedes Sedan. Oliver rounds the front of his car and grabs the handle. He glances over the car to see Tommy looking to him. Oliver holds his stare for one second longer before pulling open the car door. He sits in the front seat and places the key in the ignition. Oliver turns on the car and pulls the car door shut.

He draws in a deep breath of air. His chest feels so tight and his shoulders are tense. Oliver rediscovers the crippling emotion that is fear. Many different terrible scenarios seem to flicker through his mind, each increasingly worse. He tries to find a more positive explanation for her disappearance, but all are impossible. Laurel would never leave her family without leaving a way for them to contact her. Her mother and father are her life.

Oliver lowers the parking break on his car. He presses down on the clutch and shifts his car into first gear. He moves the car to the front gate of the Queen Estate. The gates open automatically for him. Oliver presses down on the clutch and shifts the car into second gear. The only person he can think to talk to is Laurel's father. Oliver pulls the car out into the neighborhood street and shifts into third gear.

Quentin Lance - Oliver can still remember the her father's strained voice and hateful glares. It wasn't any secret that Mr. Lance wanted Oliver to stay far away from his daughter. Oliver turns the car out of the neighborhood into city traffic. He shifts the car into fourth gear. It doesn't matter. The past is the past. Oliver knows that Quentin's loathing for him is the least of the man's problems now.

Oliver eyes Starling Police Department. He slows the car and parks next a nearby parking meter. Oliver turns off the ignition and takes his keys in hand. He raises the parking break before he opens the door to his Mercedes and exits the car. He slams the door behind him and presses the button on his key to lock his car. Oliver drops four quarters into the parking meter and walks to the police station.

Oliver walks up a small flight of steps and pulls open a glass door. A chill runs down his spine as takes in the plain white walls, the bland tile floor, and the gray front desk. It looks the same as it did the last time he came here after being arrested for his DUI. He remembers Laurel's crossed arms as she looked down at him with disappointment. Yet, even still, she still pleaded to her father to find a way to drop the charges. Quentin did not yield. His own hatred for him was stronger than the sound of his daughters pleas.

A door opens. Quentin Lance steps out and holds the door for a female officer. He let's the door fall closed behind him and turns to the entrance. His eyes fall onto Oliver and his cup of Circle K coffee slips from his hand. Quentin's face is pale as he looks open Oliver.

"Mr. Lance…" Oliver looks to him.

Quentin pauses before finally answering. "Oliver Queen? What are you doing here?"

"Can we talk?" Oliver says.

Quentin releases a deep breath. His voice is uneasy when he answers. "Sure."

Quentin walks to the glass door, opens it, and holds the door for Oliver. He motions him with his hand. Oliver walks outside the door. Quentin releases the door and looks to Oliver. Oliver can smell whiskey on Quentin's breath as he release a deep sigh.

"Look Oliver, if it's about Laurel..." Quentin pauses for a moment. "I'm busy with this case. I can't talk about it right now."

"Mr. Lance…"

Quentin eyes him with a bit of contempt. "I'm glad your alive. I can imagine Mrs. Queen and Thea are happy to see you. Laurel loved you, Oliver. When she heard about your...death, it devastated her. I just wish she came back from the dead with you."

"Mr. Lance..."

Quentin looks to his watch and back to Oliver. "I've got to go. It was good seeing you."

Quentin walks passed him and down to his car parked in front of the station. The man is completely drunk, but still, he's bold enough to drive in his state of intoxication. Oliver places his hands in his pockets and watches Quentin pull his car out into traffic. The car swerves into the left lane, and all Oliver can hear is the harsh words Mr. Lance had said the day Oliver got his DUI. Oliver frowns. It all feels like a vivid dream now.

He walks down the small flight of stairs and returns to his Mercedes. He clicks the button to unlock his car. Oliver opens his car door and sits in the driver's seat. He closes the door of his car and looks out into the distance. If no one else can help Laurel then it's up to The Hood to deliver justice in their place.