A/N I got the inspiration for this from a oneshot by someone whose name I don't remember, all that I remember was that the oneshot was called Reverse or something of the sort. When I figure out who they are, I'll give them credit for the inspiration. So yeah, here we go. Italics are what "happened" in the show, as this story centers on the butterfly effect. This will only be given in the first couple of chapters. Probably. Soundtrack: Jade: ¿Viva la Gloria? (Little Girl) by Green Day Artemis: Queen of Mean by Sarah Jeffery

"Jade don't go! Don't leave me here alone! Please, please, don't go!" A small girl, no older than eight or nine, begged her older sister.

"Sorry, Sis. But Mom's not getting out of prison anytime soon, and I refuse to live in this house with just Dad!" Jade replied, putting a few shirts in her duffel bag.

"Dad and you and me!" The third grader objected. "We have to keep this family from falling apart!"

Jade glanced back at her sister. "Toothbrush, duh!" She said, face palming. "I knew I was forgetting something!" She went to the bathroom to retrieve the aforementioned item.

"Dad will come after you," The blonde pointed out as the ebony walked back to her bed.

"Let him. I'll disappear, like the Cheshire Cat." She put on her cap, grabbed her bag, and walked to the door. The smaller girl hopped of her bed and followed her.

"I'd take you with me," Jade said. "But you'd just slow me down."

"Someone has to be here when Mom gets out."

"Haven't you learned anything? In this family, it's every girl for herself!" It was a phrase that Jade often used, but walking out the door and out of her little sister's life, neither Jade nor her sister realized how iconic that phrase would become.

——————A Few Days Later——————

A young blond couple exits a fancy restaurant in Star City. Jade swerves around them and continues running along.

"Sh**! I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! God, I'm sorry! I should've been looking where I was going, and I wasn't, good god, Jade, pay attention!" Jade stammered after literally running into a young blond couple outside of a fancy restaurant in Star City. The couple smiled at her.

"It's alright," the man assured her. "You're fine. Why were you running like that, though?"

"Hey, kid!" The one police of the police officers that was following her yelled. She wasn't in trouble, they had just caught her setting up her sleeping bag in an alley and realized that she must be homeless. Jade was not keen on being brought in, they'd give her back to her father.

The couple saw the panicked look on the kid's face and noticed her bag. They quickly put two and two together. "There you are, Lee!" The young man cried, embracing Jade. He pulled her away and started to scold her. "Your mother's been worried sick! How could you just leave like that?!"

"I'm sorry! I don't know what I was thinking... I just... with the separation... I'm sorry."

"It's fine," The woman said with a caring smile. "Just don't do it again. Let's get you back home."

The police stopped. The men jumped out of the car. "You know each other?" The man who had hollered at Jade asked. Then he recognized the man's face. "You're Oliver Queen!"

The blond man smiled. "Yes I am indeed. My girlfriend and I are acquaintances of this dear girl's mother. There was a separation, and you know how that can go."

"Of course we do," The officer who had stayed silent said. "You have this handled?"

Oliver and his girlfriend nodded and the policemen got back in their car and drove away.

"Thanks for covering for me," Jade told the couple.

"No problem," Oliver said. "But, hey, can you tell us why you aren't home?"

Usually Jade would've never answered a question like that, but she felt like she could trust these two. "My mom got arrested a few weeks ago, and my dad's abusive. My mom could keep him under control but without her..."

"Ohh," The blond woman said, and nodded her head in understanding. "Well, my name is Dinah Lance. This is my boyfriend, Oliver Queen. Yes, he's the rich guy. What's your name?"

"Jade Cro-" Jade began to say before realizing that she now could have a new start, a new name. "Nguyen. Jade Nguyen." The couple smiled.

"Well Jade," Oliver said. "How about you come back home with us? Just for a few days, and only if you're comfortable with it. The weather is supposed to be absolutely awful, and we certainly don't want you stuck out in it or in a shelter."

The ebony considered it. Then she decided on what to do. "I'll come. But be warned, I know how to defend myself if it comes to it."

The couple nodded. "You won't need to," Dinah assured the teen. The three went to Oliver's.

Within a few months, Oliver and Dinah officially adopted Jade, and all was well for the new family.