The Emerald

Chapter 54 - Flashback

It was as Roy stepped out of Thea's bathroom later that evening that he caught sight of himself in her mirror. He was in the process of changing into a clean shirt before going in search of his girlfriend to make sure she didn't need help with any last minute details, but, the sight in the mirror stopped him dead in his tracks. He walked over and stood in front of the mirror, unable to tear his eyes away from the fresh marks on his chest. The cuts and bruises brought back everything that had happened over the last few days. He could feel his heart rate increasing, his breathing becoming faster, but he couldn't get the images of the Dealer standing before him, pointing a gun at Andrew and Thea, out of his head.

"Roy?" Thea asked tentatively. She and Andrew had come in search of Roy and found him standing in front of her mirror, looking like he was having a flashback.

"Roy? Are you okay?" Andrew asked as he walked over to his brother, carefully placing a hand on his arm.

Roy started out of his daze. He managed to control his reaction and not swing out at his brother, but he did take a step back from him. It took a moment for him to realize that Thea was in the room as well.

"Roy, are you okay? Are you in pain?" Andrew asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah... fine." Roy stated simply. As he looked at Thea and Andrew he could see how concerned they were and he was suddenly brought back to the look on their faces just after he had killed the Dealer. "I'm sorry."

Thea met Andrew's eyes, both were confused as to what Roy would be apologizing for.

"Why are you sorry Roy?" Thea asked as she walked over to her boyfriend.

"I killed him." Roy answered simply.

Andrew finally realized what was currently eating at Roy.

"You had to Roy. You didn't have a choice." Andrew commented softly. "Our dad, the Dealer, was a monster. He did things that no one should even think of. He killed people, tortured people, and abused his own children. He was threatening people who were close to you and that was the only way you could save us." Andrew told Roy, noting that Thea agreed with what he was saying.

"Roy, talk to me." Thea pleaded as Roy refused to look at her.

"You think I'm a monster." Roy said sadly.

"NO!" Thea declared. "Roy Harper, you look at me!" She demanded.

Thea waited until Roy turned and looked at her. The look in his eyes broke her heart as she could see that he truly believed that she would think he was a horrible person.

"Roy, I am so sorry that you had to kill him." Thea started softly. "I know it has to be eating you up and I wish that there was something that I could do to take your pain away. But I can't."

Roy didn't know where Thea was going with this, but he could feel his heart breaking a little more each moment.

"Yes, you had to kill a man." Thea continued. "But you're not the only one to have had to kill a man in order to protect people that you love. Oliver, Diggle, Sara, Nyssa, they have all had to kill. They do it to protect people. Sometimes you just don't have a choice." Thea carefully reached out and placed a hand on Roy's cheek and smiled just a bit when he leaned into her touch.

"I love you Roy Harper. I have since the day you stole my purse." Thea told him, allowing him to see and hear her emotions. "Nothing on this earth can change that!"

"Thank you." Roy said softly as he closed his eyes and swallowed. He had needed to hear that, and it seems that Thea knew that. He knew that there was a reason he loved her. "I love you too Thea."

"Are you going to be okay?" Andrew asked after a moment.

"Yeah, it'll take a while but I'll be fine." Roy admitted as he turned to his brother.

"Roy? I have your tux for tomorrow." Diggle said as he entered Thea's room. He didn't miss that something was going on.

"Come downstairs when you're ready. There's a couple things we still need to do tonight." Thea said quietly as she reached up and gave Roy a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." Diggle commented after Andrew and Thea walked out of the room.

"It's fine Digg. You can hang that on the closet door." Roy commented as he purposefully turned away from the mirror in the room.

"Need help with a clean shirt?" Diggle asked, once the tuxedo was neatly hung.

"Sure." Roy answered, picking up his clean shirt.

"You know, no one expects you to be over this immediately." Diggle commented as he helped Roy ease the shirt over his injured shoulder. "I know you may not want to now, maybe not even soon, but if you need to talk about it you can always come to Sara, Oliver, or I. We'll always listen."

"You're right. I'm not ready yet." Roy commented quietly. "I don't know if I will be anytime soon to be honest."

"That's fine. Just know that we've all been through things, seen things, and we can help. All you have to do is come to us." Diggle told the younger man as he helped adjust Roy's sling.

"Thank you." Roy said sincerely as he turned to meet Diggle's eyes. "That means a lot to me."

"Come on, I think Thea's waiting for our help." Diggle said with a smile as the men turned to go downstairs.

..................................................................................................

"Hey beautiful." Oliver said softly as he walked up behind Felicity. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and buried his nose in her hair. "Will you take a walk with me?" He whispered.

"Sure." Felicity smiled as she turned to face Oliver, his arms staying around her waist as she turned. "Where are we going?"

"To the garden." Oliver answered simply before leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

The couple walked hand in hand down the stairs and out the back door to the garden. They could see where the Chuppa was placed for the wedding ceremony tomorrow and Felicity could easily see where the chairs would be placed for the small gathering of their family and friends. They walked slowly, enjoying the peace and quiet of the Queen garden, the fresh air around them, and simply having the one they loved walking next to them.

"I just wanted to get some fresh air, and have a few minutes with my almost wife before we part ways until tomorrow." Oliver stated as they stopped at a bench. He sat down and pulled Felicity close to him when she sat next to him. He looked down and ran a finger over her engagement ring. "I can't wait for you to be mine." Oliver told her.

"I am yours." Felicity laughed.

"You're my girl." Oliver smiled as he looked at her. "I can't wait for you to be my partner in life, my wife, my lover." He finished with a whisper right next to her ear.

Oh my! Felicity thought as she could see the desire smoldering in Oliver's eyes. They had waited, surprisingly, because they each wanted the other to know that they were cherished for more reasons than just the physical. Felicity was glad that they had waited, it would mean so much more to them tomorrow night. She simply looked in his eyes and smiled. She loved this man, so very much, and she couldn't wait to be his wife - and everything that that entailed.

"I can't wait either!"