Paparazzi swarmed the front entrance of the courthouse, standing on the sidewalk near the road, resembling vultures with recorders and expensive cameras in their talons instead of actual human beings, all eagerly waiting for the famous Oliver Queen to step out of his car. After years of separation from the media, my heart ached for Oliver, understanding how rough it was to return to the busy life in Starling City after disappearing for a while, roughly forced back into the lifestyle of his family.

The dark tint of our car windows made me beyond grateful the paparazzi weren't aware the Merlyn siblings were parked directly behind Oliver's car. They would surely excel with joy at the thought of getting clear shots or videos of Oliver Queen and Hensley Merlyn at the same time, bound to please their bosses once they returned back to their offices.

My stomach churned.

Chase shimmied out of the driver's seat of the black SUV the moment Oliver fled from his car and forced himself into the hoard of paparazzi and reporters, circling around him with no mercy. Even inside of the car, I could hear the loud questions about the island and Oliver's return being thrown at our friend with microphones, recorders, and cameras shoved in his face. Moira and Walter followed closely behind him, clearly frustrated by the media while Diggle attempted to lead the way through the mass of people to the entrance of the courthouse.

My leg bounced in the back of the car, nails dug into my palms, dreading the exact moment Chase would open the door and I'd be thrown into the same chaotic atmosphere as Oliver. The paparazzi loved to hound me with questions of my kidnapping, even years after it happened because none of my family or myself ever spoke to the press about what actually happened during that year. All the people of Starling City knew was that I was kidnapped from Queen Mansion the day of Oliver's funeral.

They didn't know anything else and it killed them to not know the truth.

"We'll have about fifteen seconds before one of them spots you," Tommy guessed as he sat next to me, peering between the two headrests in the front seat to where the paparazzi swarmed his best friend.

With Diggle's aid, Oliver barely made it to the first step of the many row of stairs in front of the courthouse. We only had a few seconds to exit the car and make our own way to the entrance before we would undoubtedly be flocked by paparazzi.

Chase's hand wrapped around the door handle behind him. He watched the crowd move around Oliver through dark tinted sunglasses, waiting for the right opportunity. My fingers curled around the denim material of my jacket and pulled it upward, intending to use it to partially shield my face from the cameras. Chase softly rapped against the window with his knuckles.

I inhaled sharply, preparing myself.

"You ready?" Tommy asked as he slide to the middle seat to slip out of the car faster once it was time.

"No, but let's go."

Paparazzi was one of my least favorite things of being in a well known family. There would be times when they caught me without anything to cover my face, but today, I came a little more prepared. From the collar of my denim jacket to the similar glasses perched on my nose, I prayed their pictures wouldn't leave much for them to hand over to their bosses.

Fifteen seconds.

My right boot touched the asphalt first before the rest of my body followed after Chase swung the back door open. I swiftly grabbed Chase's bicep in my left hand, closely trailing behind him as we began to rush across the walkway toward the stairs, following the same plan we used every time we attempted to escape the paparazzi.

Ten seconds.

Tommy's hand found the middle of my back after he scrambled out of the car, promptly shutting the door with a soft click to avoid any unwanted attention. Chase walked with a purpose and a sense of intimidation as he led us forward, shielding his body with my own, shoulders squared back. Both of us knew we could easily reach the entrance of the courthouse with ease if we started to run, but the questions from the press and my brother were not worth it. We could easily dodge any of the paparazzi, potentially tripping a few along the way.

Seven seconds.

We nearly made it up the fifth step of the white stairs before a journalist near the back of the pack at the front entrance turned away from the doors when Oliver was out of his sight. Officers and security guards blocked the entrance off from the media. The man's eyes considerably widened when he caught a brief glimpse of Tommy, quickly putting the pieces together when he spotted a petite figure hunched over between my brother and Chase.

Neither of us thought we would have less than fifteen seconds before we were discovered.

"Shit..." I swore under my breath, tightening my fingers around Chase's arm in warning.

The journalist gave himself a small head start down the stairs before his obnoxious shouting began. "Ms. Merlyn, can I get a word?"

Chase clenched his jaw at the man's voice.

The rest of the paparazzi and journalists snapped their heads around at the loud declaration, forgetting about their attempts to sneak a picture of Oliver before the doors shut behind him. Their attention swiftly shifted from Oliver to where I hid behind Chase on our way up the stairs.

"Damn it," Tommy muttered behind me when he saw the mass sprint in our direction.

If being a vigilante of the night wasn't a secret, I would gladly knock every single journalist and photographer unconscious until I gave myself the ability to walk into the courthouse without being slammed with questions. I only needed two minutes-- along with Chase's help-- before everyone laid on the ground next to their equipment. They had no right to my business, no right to know what I went through when I was kidnapped.

No one knew of my second identity, which meant I wasn't allowed to render the media unconscious like I deeply wished without raising more questions about myself in the eye of the public.

"Ms. Merlyn, what do you think about Oliver Queen's return?" The first journalist shoved his recorder in my face, grazing the tip of my nose. He was so focused on my reaction that he didn't witness the heated glare from Chase.

I ducked my head down toward my chest, using the collar of my jacket to hide my face.

"Hey, get out of here!" Tommy yelled at the man, forcefully pushing him away with one hand.

Within seconds, every paparazzi and journalist encircled around our small group, shouting questions in attempt to be heard above everyone else. Bright lights from the cameras flashed in our faces, temporarily blinding us. I pressed myself closer to Chase with my fingers digging into his arm through his black shirt. He reached behind him to secure me to his side while he shoved through the crowd with his left hand, forcing his way through the crowd, drawing closer to the entrance.

"What was it like when you were kidnapped?"

"Do all of the memories come flooding back when you return to the Queen Mansion, Ms. Merlyn?"

A scowl crossed my face at their invasive questions. This was none of their business. They had no right to know what happened when I was kidnapped and what happened during my disappearance.

"Does Mr. Queen know what you went through? Does he feel guilty for not being there to stop it?"

My jaw clenched with frustration at their undying determination to ease the information out of me. Blood pounded in my ears, not from fear, but hatred toward the media wrapped around us.

A blonde woman forced her recorder in my face. "Ms. Merlyn, how did the private investigator your dad hired find you?" She paused for barely a second before she added a second question. "What happened when you were kidnapped, were you taken into sex-trafficking, like many woman your age when taken from home?"

My head snapped at her intrusive question. I purposely kept my face wiped from emotion, refusing to give her any suspicion that her question triggered me. Chase aggressively snapped his head around when my touch on his arm disappeared.

"Can I see this?" I asked the woman, gesturing to her recorder.

Chase abruptly stopped walking and whirled around to grab my elbow in his hand, not allowing me to leave his side or sight. "Hensley," he softly urged, glaring at the reporters.

"Ms. Queen, how did you feel when you were kidnapped?" The woman asked in a normal voice as she handed the recorder over.

I wrapped my fingers around the small, electronic device. "Testing, one, two, three," I spoke into the recorder, adding a lightness to my voice as I smiled innocently at the crowd while they watched silently, curious to see what I would say.

A few chuckled. Tommy worriedly looked from the recorder in my hand to the crowd of reporters, confused by my sudden change to address the paparazzi instead of ignoring them like we usually did. Neither Chase or my brother had the slightest idea what I had up my sleeve in this moment. This was very unlike me.

"Hi, this is Hensley Merlyn, daughter of Malcolm Merlyn." I looked directly at every camera pointed at me, knowing many of these angles would be broadcasted on every news channel tonight. "More importantly, according to the people of Starling City, known as the girl who was kidnapped from Queen Mansion four years ago."

With the focus on my words, none of the paparazzi realized I was deliberately walking up the rest of the stairs, even when I stood directly in front of the entrance with my back to the double doors. Chase met my gaze for a quick second, immediately understanding my plan to escape through the doors once I finished distracting the audience. He slyly moved to stand behind me, arms crossed over his chest to intimidate the crowd in case any of them had any wild ideas.

"Now, I know all of you want to know what happened during the year of me being kidnapped and I think it's about time all of you knew the truth." I locked eyes with my brother after he gawked at me, surprised by the words spewing from my mouth. He didn't understand what I was doing.

The audience inched closer, excitedly, believing they would finally get the exclusive on me. They tried for the past four years to learn the truth. This was the moment every single one of them waited for in the months of their careers. Their recorders and cameras extended from their arms in hopes to get the best view and audio for their publication.

I took a deep breath to increase the anticipation. "The reason I never talk about what happened when I was, uh--" I cleared my throat and ran a hand through my chestnut hair. "-- kidnapped is because--" My face hardened as I enunciated my next words in a cold, harsh tone. "-- it's none of your fucking business."

All within a matter of seconds, I dropped the recorder to the concrete and slammed the heel of my ankle boots against the top of it, breaking through the cheap, plastic material with one stomp. I flashed a friendly smile at the cameras. More questions flew from their mouths in response to my actions.

I ignored their words and bent down to grab the destroyed recorder with all of its tiny pieces, dropping it back to the appalled woman. "Bill me if you want."

The woman gaped at the pieces held within her opened palms in disbelief while the crowd around her snapped more pictures and yelled louder than before. Chase and Tommy escorted me through the double doors of the courthouse, safe from their impending questions and flashes of their cameras while the security worked to prevent any from rushing inside. I smirked to myself.

X

The courtroom was wiped from sound aside from Oliver as he stood in front of the judge, explaining the night of the boat accident to a room full of people who held onto every word he uttered. No one dared to speak or breathe too heavily. Everyone wanted to know the truth about that night, to know what happened to everyone on board, to know how Oliver was the only one to survive.

The entire room had a front row seat to Oliver's traumatic past and they ate up every word.

I was one of those people, stricken with grief and sympathy for the man I once considered one of my best friends. My heart deeply ached from the traumatic past he encountered in order to be standing before us today. A tragedy as deeply painful and formidable as the one Oliver experienced explained the reason why he had changed so much.

The person everyone originally knew him as before the accident was long gone. The island changed him in similar ways that my kidnapping changed me. I understood how hard it was for him to return back to the land of the living, constantly surrounded by loved ones, yet often feeling suffocated from their love. After being on your own for so long, it's hard to accept people back into your life.

"-- there was a storm. The boat went down," Oliver stated in a monotone voice, yet hidden deep underneath many layers, I knew the amount of hurt and pain he felt inside. "I was the only survivor."

My hands clasped underneath my jaw as I unknowingly slid forward on the wooden bench, hypnotized by his words. Not one of us in the courtroom could ever understand the hardships Oliver went through. Most people wouldn't have been able to adapt and survive being on their own for so long without modern day civilization.

"My father didn't make it," He paused almost like the memories of that night flashed within his mind. "I almost died. I-I thought I had because I spent so many days on that life raft before I saw the island."

Moira softly shook her head and lowered her eyes to her lap, silently mourning for dead husband. I felt sorry for the Queen family. I felt even worse for Detective Lance and Laurel. They knew Oliver was coming to the courthouse today to legally return back from the dead and they couldn't make the same trip for Sara.

"When I reached it, I knew- I knew that I was gonna have to live for both of us." Oliver breathed in through his nose before he continued. "And in those five years, it was the one thought that kept me going."

Beside me, Tommy stared straight ahead at the wooden divider separating the public seating from case at hand. I leaned back against the bench when I saw the redness of his eyes. My hand moved to cover the top of his on his leg, softly smiling when he glanced at me from his peripheral vision. This was hard for all of us.

"Your Honor," Oliver's lawyer stood up from behind their table. "We move to vitiate the death-in-absentia filed after Oliver's disappearance as seas aboard the Queen's Gamut five years ago." She walked around the table to stand beside Oliver's side in front of the judge on her raised desk.

Oliver swiveled his head around on his shoulders to glance back at our row, taking in the grim expressions on our faces and how his mother fought to keep her tears at bay. His eyes flicked to the pained look on Tommy's face before he noticed the way I held his gaze when he looked at me next to my brother. I weakly smiled at him.

"Unfortunately, we will not be requesting that the declaration of death filed for the petitioner's father, Robert Queen, be rescinded. The Queen family is only entitled to one miracle, I'm afraid."

My jaw tightened at the lawyer's words. Was the comment truly necessary to the case? Their family already knew of the dreadful death of Robert. That comment only reminded them of their loss.

Chase fell into step beside me, gaze set forward at the back of Tommy and Oliver's head as we followed them down the curved staircase outside of the courtroom. "You okay?" He angled his head down to whisper.

The tip of my tongue poked through the inside of my cheek for a second. "Yeah, I'm alright," I reassured him, despite the sadness for Oliver eating me alive inside.

He gave me a knowing look. I mentally swore to myself. Chase knew me too well.

I half shrugged after a few seconds. "Kind of reminds me of when I returned home," I told him. "And I can't even imagine how hard this must be for Oliver..." My words trailed off as I watched Oliver descend from the staircase behind Moira and Walter.

There was nothing I wanted more than to delve inside of his mind and understand everything he went through to be able to help him. I didn't fully blame him for being so closed off, but I knew it would eventually only hurt him more if he didn't let someone in. I missed the close friendship we had before both of our disappearances. He was my best friend along with Tommy.

Everything was different now.

"Now, onto the offices," Moira declared from the front of the pack. Her small, handheld bag waved throughout the air in front of her, nearly missing an older gentlemen a few steps below her, as she talked. "Everyone is waiting to meet you there."

A frown slipped on my lips. Her son, who just returned after years of missing, just left the courtroom after being reinstated legally as alive, and she wanted to force him back into the family business of Queen Consolidated. Oliver may had asked about the business the night he returned, but the last thing he needed right now was to push himself. Perhaps, I knew better than anyone-- aside from Oliver himself-- that he needed more time to adjust before he dove headfirst into the family company. He spent five years on an abandoned island with no one else around. He needed time to ease himself back into the busy lifestyle he once had or he would gradually lose his mind from the sudden change.

Before I had the chance to speak my mind, Oliver's hand darted out to grab my mother's elbow, gingerly urging her to spin around and peer up at him. "Uh, Mom, that was, uh--" He peered down at the step beneath his dress shoes before he willed himself to meet her confused gaze. "-- a little heavier than I was expecting it to be. Can we do that tomorrow? Please?"

"I think that's a grand idea," I agreed with Oliver, coming to his aid.

Moira opened her mouth and promptly shut it after she heard me speak up from behind my brother. She glimpsed at Walter beside her, easily looking him in the eyes since she stood two steps above him. They shared a brief look, followed by a careless shrug from Walter.

"Of course."

I smiled, pleased by Moira's answer. If her answer had been different, I had every intention of giving plenty of reasons why Oliver shouldn't head to Queen Consolidated like Moira wished he would.

Oliver nodded, barely meeting her eyes for a second time. "Thank you."

My back leaned against the railing while I carefully studied the pained expression present on Oliver's face, recognizing it all too well. He wanted things to return back to normal, but he was already stretching himself too thin, to the point where he would lose track of himself if he didn't stop to collect himself.

Tommy waited until Moira and Walter continued down the staircase before he suspiciously eyed his best friend. "Last week, you couldn't wait to get to the company," he noted.

"He just got back home, Tommy," I softly scolded my brother, placing my hand on his shoulder to maneuver past him and led the way down the remaining steps. "You remember how I was when I came back. The change from being on your own for so long to constantly being surrounded by others is a big and difficult change."

"Tommy," Oliver addressed my brother and smiled at me. He felt grateful for my ability to understand the reason for his actions. "Your sister is right. I'd just spent five years away from civilization. I wasn't thinking straight."

My head bobbed in the air twice. "He definitely shouldn't exert himself too-- Oh!" I jumped backward, almost bumping into Oliver's chest until Chase automatically threw an arm up and I collided into him instead, when I stepped down from the final step and rounded the corner. "Uh, sorry."

Laurel stood a few inches away from me, startling both of us from nearly colliding into each other. "It's alright, Hensley," she calmly responded. Her eyes flickered to the two boys standing next to me, skipping over Chase. The seconds her eyes landed on Oliver, her face hardened and transformed into a bitter expression.

Oh, this was not going to be good.

Two other women stood behind her on either side; a popular lawyer known as Joanna de la Vega, often found working with alongside Laurel with cases, the other woman was Emily Nocenti, whose father was recently murdered.

"I- Hi," Oliver greeted her, surprised by Laurel's sudden appearance.

Tommy averted his eyes. A moment of guilt washed on his face at the sight of the woman he often spent nights with standing in front of his best friend, when Laurel and Oliver used to date before things got...rough between them.

"Hi," he muttered, barely heard by anyone.

Laurel narrowed her eyes at Oliver. "What are you doing here?" She demanded without greeting either of them.

"Oh, uh," Oliver hesitated and shut his eyes as he lightly shook his head in attempt to clear his thoughts.

I stepped forward away from Chase. "We brought him back from the dead," I interrupted, afraid Oliver wasn't in the right mind to answer the question.

"Legally speaking," Oliver added with a second look of gratitude sent my way.

The two women behind Laurel shared a look.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver reverted the question back to her.

"My job," she deadpanned.

"Right." Oliver nodded with a smile on his lips.

Joanna leaned forward over Laurel's shoulder. "More like the D.A.'s," she laughed through her nose as a wide smile took over her facial features.

I rose a brow at the annoyed look on Laurel's face. This was not the place I wanted to be right now. There was too much tension between everyone.

"Hi, Oliver Queen," he extended his right hand out toward the blonde woman.

"Emily Nocenti," she introduced herself.

A dark look flashed in Laurel's eyes. "Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island," she stated with a bitter tone laced in her voice, glowering at Oliver with every word she spoke. "Before that, he was cheating on me with my sister. He was with her when she died. And, last week, he told me to stay away from him. It was really good advice. Excuse me."

I swiftly pulled my brother out of her way when she pushed through our little group. "Honestly, that went a lot better than I thought it was going to," I whispered, partially to myself, but Oliver nodded in response.

"It was nice to meet you," Emily awkwardly said.

"Yeah, let's go," Joanna ushered the blonde along, following Laurel up the same staircase we just came from. "Bye Chase."

Oliver nearly burned a hole into the floor with his intense, yet distant gaze. He mentally slipped from his body to process the situation that just happened. Tommy resembled a look of guilt.

I clapped my hands together once in front of my body, sliding across the tile floor in my ankle boots to stand before my three boys. "Okay, shake it off, boys," I encouraged them. "I can't afford you two being sad when we're finally all reunited."

Tommy patted Oliver with both of his hands, momentarily motivated by my words. "Let's go, buddy."

Oliver cleared his throat and allowed Tommy to lead the way out of the courthouse and into the open air of Starling City. "Uh, Hensley." He turned toward me once we reached the double doors. "If you wait a few seconds, the paparazzi will swarm me and, if you hurry, I'm sure you'll make it to your car without too many cameras or mics shoved in your face."

"Are you sure--?" I began to ask until I heard many voices already shouting outside of the courthouse that weren't addressed to us.

A circle of paparazzi stood in a half circle around a man that appeared in his forties, dark hair peppered with gray. A few officers stood behind him, patrolling the area and eyeing the media.

"Mr. Somers, one question, sir."

Somers. Martin Somers. My lip curled as I realized who the paparazzi had surrounded. A rude man who was a corrupt businessman as the CEO for Starling Port. The people of Starling City didn't know Martin's true habits and how he held close ties with the Chinese Triad, allowing them to smuggle drugs into the city through his port.

The only reason I even knew about the argument was from her vigilante nights and I caught him in the act once, never acting on my discoveries, but choosing to watch from afar. I was a vigilante to solely track down the men on my list, everyone who had a hand in my sex-trafficking life. Every man who dared to set a finger on my skin and use me for their own enjoyment. Those were the men I went after. Martin Somers wasn't someone I needed to worry about.

"I don't know what I've done to earn this witch hunt from Miss Lance and her bosses at the CNRi, but I can tell you this. I am an honest businessman--"

I snorted at the lies he fed the press.

"-- and I will fight this slander to my last dime and breath. That's all I have to say, thank you." He walked to the left.

A chorus of questions from the press followed him. Oliver and I made a break for our own cars, using the moment of distraction by Martin Somers to our advantage. We only had a few seconds before one of us was spotted.

"There's Mr. Queen and Ms. Merlyn!" A journalist loudly announced.

Several reporters broke away from their pack and jogged over to us. I kept my eyes forward, blocking out their voices this time instead of feeding into their questions. Dad might not be too pleased once he sees the video of me crushing the woman's recorder all over the news. Tommy and Chase covered my body from either side, pushing the reporters away from me before any of them had the chance to touch me.

"Tell us what happened inside, Mr. Queen!"

"Ms. Merlyn, can you tell us what happened in the courtroom?"

Oliver pushed through the crowd first, soon accompanied by Diggle, who asked everyone to step back.

"Can you give us a couple comments about the island, Mr. Queen? Before you go, sir, please."

"Ms. Merlyn, did he tell you anything about the island?"

"What happened in there?"

I ground my teeth together, resisting the temptation to sprint the rest of the way to the car. Chase kept everyone away from me before he pressed his hand to my back and hurried me to the black SUV parked behind Oliver's car. I slid into the backseat and let Chase slam the door shut behind me. My body slumped back against the seats, releasing a stressed sigh. The paparazzi could no longer see me through the tinted windows and rushed back to Oliver.

Diggle opened the door for Oliver and promptly shut it once he was inside. I leaned near the edge of the seat when I watched Oliver expertly climb into the driver's seat of the car without Diggle noticing, who happened to be busy shoving a reporter away from the car. I quietly laughed to myself at Oliver's ability to drive away from the hoard of reporters without anyone noticing he hijacked the car.

This was the side of Oliver I was used to.

XXXX

Okay, so, the last few chapters may feel rushed (or maybe not) because I'm getting tired and I just wanted to update this before I went to bed. My bad if they kind of suck.

Honestly, these first couple of chapters have been kind of boring and that's only because the action has really started yet. Don't worry, it's going to happen soon. Some things need to happen first before both vigilantes have their little run in.

I enjoyed writing that bit of Hensley crushing the recorder way too much. I liked showing that side of her because she usually suppressed it around everyone that's not her father, brother, or Chase.

The next chapter will have some action in it and I'm really excited. It's not a whole bunch, but Hensley will show off some of her skills in front of Oliver.

Question: How do you want their vigilante selves to run into each other?

So, yeah!