Shipwreck To Soulmates-Thea Queen

vii. Let Me In That Head Of Yours

ISOBEL REED LOSES IT ON PAPARAZZI

LESLIE COHEN ASSAULTED BY PAPARAZZI

ISOBEL REED CALLS LESLIE COHEN HER 'GIRLFRIEND' WHAT HAPPENED?

ISOBEL REED AND OLIVER QUEEN LEGALLY RESURRECTED PRIOR TO NASTY SCENE WITH PAPARAZZI OUTSIDE OF THE COURTHOUSE

"As you can see, we've modernized quite a bit." Walter explained to the newest stock owners, leading them, and company, out of the elevator.

"Are you enjoying yourselves?" Moira questioned, weary of Isobel's behavior as she clinged to her girlfriend's un-broken hand.

"Hm?" Isobel only reacted when Leslie sent a light elbow to her ribs. "Oh, yeah, it's great." She fibbed, faking a smile towards Moira.

"I remember when your father used to bring you here when you were a boy." Walter smiled, reminiscing as the group made its way towards Oliver's new office. "You always were so excited."

Oliver started to reminisce too, smiling dubiously at the memories. "Dad let me drink soda in the office."

"Ah, so that's why you enjoyed coming." Moira chuckled.

Observing the anxious look on Isobel's face, Leslie squeezed her hand. Once, twice, three times. She smiled softly, silently assuring her that it would be okay.

XXX

As the group left the Queen Consolidated building, not soon enough to Isobel's liking, they were swarmed with hornets, as Leslie called them, more commonly referred to as the media. Isobel gripped Leslie hand tighter than ever, trying to protect her from what she couldn't the last time. With help from John, the four-Oliver, John, Leslie, and Isobel, safely made it to the car without being stung by another hornet.

"The driver will be here in a minute." John informed them as they crammed themselves in the backseat, Isobel and John closest to the doors, once again to protect Leslie.

"Thank you, John." Leslie smiled politely at the guard.

He returned the smile, glancing at Isobel and Oliver, both with deadpan expressions on their faces. "You know, I spent the first 27 years of my life in Starling City, and the next five in Afghanistan. You wanna know what I learned?"

"There's no place like home?" Leslie questioned jokingly.

"No, just the opposite. Home is a battlefield. Back home, they're all trying to get you. Get you to open up, be somebody you're not sure you are anymore. Or I could be wrong. Maybe after five years alone with each other you're not as messed up in the head as you have every right to be."

XXX

With nowhere to go, Oliver and Isobel slipped in and out of consciousness on the shore line. Some point during the day, Isobel awoke, clinging to Oliver's unconscious body.

"Oliver. Oliver." Isobel shook her friend awake.

"Hey!" He bolted up quickly rushing over to his father's decomposing body, surrounded by birds. "Stay away from him!" The birds ignored Oliver's demand, continuing to peck until Oliver picked up Robert's body and carried him away.

XXX

Isobel watched Leslie in the reflection of the mirror as she got changed. She carefully observed as Leslie's face contorted at the sight of her scars, more afraid of what had hurt Isobel than anything else.

"You know, you don't have to look at me like that." Isobel commented, tracing over one of the larger scars on her chest.

Her girlfriend furrowed her eyebrows. "Like what?"

"Like I'm a piece of glass about to hit the floor."

"I-wh-" Leslie ditched her feeble attempt to lie. "You can't deny that you've been extremely overprotective of me lately. It kinda seems like you're gonna snap."

"Because I love you, Les." She raised her voice slightly, struggling to keep her composure.

"Iz, I know you love me, and I love you, but this is more than that, and I think you know that. I just want you to open up to me. You know I'm a capable human. Why do you want to protect me so badly?"

That was Isobel's breaking point. "I don't know, maybe because I couldn't protect them. Sara and Robert died and I couldn't do anything to save them."

"Knock knock!" Thea announced before entering, one hand covering her eyes and another held out to assure she didn't bang into anything. "Minor entering the room. Hide your sex toys."

"No sex toys, Thea." Leslie commented, now evidently bitter.

"Okay, g-" Thea's giddy smile was knocked off of her face once she saw Isobel. "No, wait, mom said that..." Thea struggled to find her words. "That there were scars...I-I'm...Izzie, what really happened to you out there?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Isobel responded coldly, pulling a shirt over her exposed body.

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Of course you don't. Cause you don't want to talk to me about anything anymore, do you."

Isobel hesitated. "I-I'm sorry, Thea. It's just hard to talk about. It changed me, and people wanting to ignore that doesn't make it any better." Leslie rolled her eyes, excusing herself to the bathroom.

"Do you have a second?"

"Seems like I have a lot of seconds."

"Come with me."

XXX

"Sometimes when I felt...emotional, I'd come here." Thea dusted off the grave furthest to the left, reading 'ROBERT QUEEN.' "About a month after the funerals, mom stopped going out. Pretty soon, she stopped talking all together." She moved on to the grade next to it, dusting off the grave that read 'OLIVER QUEEN.' "The house got so quiet, so I'd come here to talk to you and Ollie. I mean, stupid stuff. Like what I was doing that day, what boy or girl I had a crush on. And then, sometimes I'd ask you, beg you to find your way home to me. Now, here you are. And the truth is, I felt closer to you when you were dead. Look, I know it was hell where you were, but it was hell here too. Let me in that head of yours. Or, for god's sake, at least let Leslie in. If anyone deserves it, it's her." She moved on to the final grave, furthest to the right, beginning to clean off the headstone that read 'ISOBEL REED.'