❛ That really hurt ❜

The day I went missing was the day I died. Five years in hell forged me into a weapon, which I use to honor a vow I made to Oliver and his father. In Robert's final moments, he told Oliver the truth... that his family's wealth had been built on the suffering of others. That he failed our city, and that is was up to Oliver and I to right his wrongs. But to do that without endangering the people closest to me, I have to be someone else. I have to be something else.

Annabelle tossed her small journal written with the very same haunted words that played in a loop in her mind before she tugged on her black hood and tightened her gloves. She glanced to Oliver who was doing the same and he nodded. They both slipped away, heading into the dark without a trace behind them as their nightly crusade began.

•••

"Who's that?" someone called out, confusion spreading over the whole roof. "Where'd they come from?" another guard added. Oliver dealt with the two guards approaching him, handling them easily and quickly.
Annabelle tapped on one man's shoulder, making him whip around. She grabbed his fist and flipped him, making him stay down. Someone charged her from behind and she turned around, throwing her fist out to collide with his cheek. He held his face and groaned before Anna kicked his legs out from under him and tossed him on top of another guard getting up.

While she dealt with the guards and other men, Oliver threw the man on the list off the roof and onto the generator nearby.

"No! No, please! No, please, please!" the man begged, his head being held close to the spinning blades in the fan. "Marcus Redman, you failed this city," the Hood recited, threatening the man.

"Please! No, please, no!" he cried out.

"Cell phone, inside pocket, call your partner," Oliver demanded. Anna looked up from her fighting and hopped down to Oliver, kneeling beside the man. "Tell him to give those pensioners back their money," he added.

"Do it now," Anna growled, her bow held in her hand.

"Okay, okay," Redman agreed, his voice trembling with fear. Oliver let him go and hopped off the roof, Anna following close behind.

She took one last glance at the terrified man who was already dialing a number on his phone. A smirk on her face, she caught up to Oliver and hurried away before the cops arrived.

•••

Oliver walked into the living room with Annabelle's hand gripped in his. Moira Queen was watching a news report about Marcus Redman, the man that both Anna and Oliver visited last night.

"Over the past fifteen years, Mr. Redman has withdrawn more than thirty million dollars from the plant's account. Mr. Redman claims refunding the Halcyon pension plan has always been his intent. But sources say Redman was coerced by the vigilante," the reporter informed the viewers, then showing a picture of the sketch drawn by a police sketch artist when Oliver described the man in the hood.

"This guy gets more air-time than the Kardashians, right?" Oliver joked.

Thea folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head, "Five years on an island and you still know who they are."

"I've been catching up. It's nice to see how much our culture has improved while I was away," Oliver smiled.

"No, the city used to be different. People used to feel safe," Moira objected, not agreeing with any intentions of this masked man. "Oh, what's the matter, Mom? Afraid we're gonna' be next?" Thea asked sarcastically.

"I think everyone is afraid of what the power of money holds," Anna intervened, flattening her black blouse. "Do you have any questions about today?" Walter wondered for the both of them. "A simple proof-of-life declaration," he continued. "Just read out a brief, prepared statement to the judge, and then your death in absentia judgment will be voided."

"It's fine, Walter. I've been in a courtroom before," Oliver jumped in, glancing to Anna. She tightened her hand in his for reassurance and he smiled down at her. "Four times by my estimate. You know, there was the DUI, the assault on the paparazzi douchebag, stealing that taxi, which was just awesome, by the way, and who could forget peeing on the cop?" Tommy chuckled, walking into the room.

"I'd wish everyone would," Moira warned, throwing a look to Tommy. "I'd hang, but we're headed to court," Oliver told his best friend.

"I know, that's why I'm here. My best friends are getting legally resurrected, I wouldn't miss this for the world," he responded, patting Oliver on the shoulder before giving Annabelle a kiss on the cheek.

"I would," Anna smiled fakely. Tommy laughed and looked to Thea as Oliver asked her, "What about you?"

"Oh, I think the first four times of you in court was enough for me," she sighed, shaking her head. "Fair enough," Oliver nodded as she sauntered away, probably towards her room.

"Mrs. Queen," Diggle interrupted. "Car's ready."

•••

The Queen's, Tommy, and Annabelle stepped out of the car, immediately being bombarded with press and paparazzi. "Mr. Queen, can we get a comment, sir?"

"Ms. Carter, how does it feel to return to civilization after five years on a deserted island?"

"Mr. Queen... Ms. Carter..."

Memories flooded Annabelle's mind, taking over her thoughts and actions. Suddenly, as Oliver kissed the girl again, the bed flipped and chucked the two into the wall. Anna landed on the ground with a thump and groaned in pain. "Anna?" Oliver asked, looking to see if she was fine.

The boat filled with water and Oliver reached for Anna's hand, until she screamed and was sucked into the water.

•••

"There was a storm," Oliver told the judge as he stood in the center of the courtroom, still as a tree. "The boat went down, I thought I was the only survivor..."

"My father didn't make it. I almost died... I thought that I had, because I spent so many days on that life raft before I saw the island. When I reached it, I knew... I knew that I was gonna' have to live for both of us. And in those five years, it was that one thought that kept me going."

"Your Honor," the attorney said, standing up from the table where Anna was still sitting. "We move to vitiate the death-in-absentia filed after Oliver's disappearance at sea aboard the Queen's Gambit five years ago. 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. However, we do wish to vitiate the death-in-absentia of Annabelle Carter, who also survived the island of five years. She is ready to report her declaration at this time."

Switching places, Annabelle stood in front of the judge, beginning her prepared speech. "The storm changed everything that night. I was worried from the start, but then the boat crashed. I went first, into the water, and I didn't know what happened to everyone on board, or Oliver. I just kept tumbling under the surface...

"When I finally came up for air, everything was gone, the boat, and any signs of anyone. So I thought I was the last one left. So, I swam. I kept swimming and swimming, until I found the island. It had been days, at least. When I got to shore, I laid there for days, maybe, I'm not even sure. But when I woke up, Oliver was by my side. He's the only reason I survived for five years," she told the judge, going along with the story she and Oliver had rehearsed.

•••

Annabelle walked side by side with Tommy and Oliver, behind Walter and Moira. "Now, onto the offices. Everyone is waiting to meet you there," Moira announced. "Uh, Mom, that was, uh... a little bit heavier than I was expecting it to be. Can we do that tomorrow, please?"

Moira looked to Walter who gave a slight nod and she looked up to her son with a smile, "Of course."

"Thank you," Oliver replied.

Tommy raised an eyebrow and continued walking with the two, "Last week, you couldn't wait to get to the company."

"Tommy, I'd just spent five years away from civilization. I wasn't exactly thinking straight," he told him, holding Anna's hand tightly. "Who says you're thinking straight now?" she snickered. He playfully pushed her arm and kissed the top of her head.

Turning a corner, Laurel, Jo, and their client stopped right in front of the three friends. "Hi," Oliver awkwardly said with Tommy repeating him. "What are you doing here?" Laurel demanded, quite literally putting her foot down.

"Oh, uh, they were bringing us back from the dead," he told her, briefly closing his eyes. "Legally speaking," Anna added, pursing her lips together. "What are you doing here?" Oliver questioned.

"My job," she snipped.

"Right," Oliver nodded, smiling lightly. "More like then D.A.'s," Laurel's friend joined in, wanting to be part of the conversation. "Hi, Oliver Queen," Oliver introduced, shaking the client's hand behind Laurel, who was giving him a long glare.

"Emily Nocenti," she responded.

"Oliver and Anna just got back from five years on an uncharted island. Where that they invited my sister to hang out with them, for no reason at all. They were with her when she died. And last week, he told me to stay away from him. It was really good advice, excuse me," she snapped, pushing past him.

"It was nice to meet you," Emily shyly said. "Yeah, let's go," Jo urged.

"Come on, buddy. Shake it off, let's go," Tommy suggested, patting him on the chest. "That hurt, that really hurt," Anna muttered under her breath, glancing back at Laurel walking away from them.

Walking outside, reporters were crowded around one man about to enter the courthouse. "Mr. Somers, one question, sir..."

"There's Mr. Queen!" someone shouted, catching everyone's attention. "Oh, Ms. Carter!"

The group of three pushed past the reporters and press slowly and carefully, before even getting close to the car. Diggle walked up and escorted them away from the large huddle, opening the door for Annabelle.

She shuffled into the backseat with Oliver and Diggle closed the door. The swarm got too close to the car and Diggle began pushing people away, "Hey, man, I'll make you swallow that Nikon! Back!" he yelled.

Just as the cameraman stepped away a bit, the car made a screeching noise as it drove off quickly. Tommy sighed and looked at the bodyguard who was growing more frustrated by the minute. "This happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" he asked.