Present time
After a long day at work, Aurora leaned on the railing of her apartment balcony, an almost empty bottle of vodka in her hand.
It was the fifth year she had had to live without him.
1,800 days since he had never came back from his boat trip.
1,800 days to visit the ocean. To visit him.
She didn't.
She thought about Oliver nearly every day. All the things they never told each other. The things she wanted to take back. The things she so desperately wished he could hear.
"Oliver, Oliver, Oliver, what happened to us? What happened to me? If only you could see me now. You'd probably give me some dumb speech. But you can't see me right now. Because you're dead. That's the truth. Five years Oliver. I can't-"
Her drunken spoken-aloud-thoughts were interrupted by three solid knocks on the door. Aurora narrowed her eyes, downed the rest of her bottle, and went to open the door. She wasn't at all surprised to see Thea standing there, but the expression she wore evoked Aurora's curiosity.
"Aurora, I need to talk to you" Said Thea's soft, calming voice.
"What happened?" Aurora narrowed her eyes further.
"Can't I just talk to one of my best friends?" Thea play-pouted unconvincingly.
Aurora could tell that she was tired. She was hurt. There was only one person in the whole world that she knew better than Thea Queen, and that was Oliver.
"You're using your 'please don't freak out' voice Thea" Aurora explained as she pulled Thea into her apartment and closed the door behind her.
"Well you're right. As always" Thea rolled her eyes, "Something... big happened. And I thought you'd like to know" Thea said nervously
"If this is about sex, please-- I don't-" Aurora started loudly before Thea cut her off with a scolding:
"AURORA!!!"
Even in her serious state, Thea couldn't help but giggle at her friend's drunk comment.
"Just sayin!" Aurora defended herself, smiling at Thea, happy to see the girl lighten up slightly.
"No! Its- uh, something much more important" Thea said, gulping nervously
"Thea. Just say it" Aurora waved her hand dismissively. Thea narrowed her eyes at the older girl.
"Aurora are you drunk?" Thea asked
"Thea you're stalling" Aurora noted. Thea was quiet at that. Aurora was right. As per usual.
"I don't know if I can do it" Thea ran her fingers through her already-tousled hair.
Aurora frowned at her state. Thea usually kept herself so composed, it was a coping technique, but she looked a mess as she stood in Aurora's living room, taking up as little space as possible.
"Thea" Aurora walked over to the girl and placed both hands on her shoulders, suddenly very sober, "Just say it honey" She said in a smooth, comforting tone.
"Rory-"
Aurora made a pained and disappointed noise at Thea's use of her nickname. She hadn't heard it in a long time.
"Aurora," Thea corrected, taking a deep breath, "Oliver's alive"
Silence.
Aurora felt so bad for the girl.
"Oh Thea" She sighed as she sat the now-thoroughly-confused girl down on her couch, "It's been a long day for me too. And I know it feels like he's still here sometimes and you have so much hope but-"
"AURORA!" Thea's sudden yelling as she stood cut off Aurora's words sharply. Aurora frowned at her.
"Oliver's not dead. He's alive. At my house. Right now" Thea said gravely. She looked terrified.
And then it clicked.
Thea wasn't joking. Or hallucinating. Or having a bad day.
She was telling the truth.
Aurora's head started spinning. She felt like throwing up. And screaming. And punching someone.
"What?" Aurora asked calmly instead.
"Oh Aurora..." Thea's guard melted instantly "He's alive! He's alive!"
Thea sobbed and collapsed into Aurora's arms. She was shaking she was so scared.
"Hey hey hey, shhhh. It's okay Thea, you're okay. Everything is okay" She comforted the girl.
But by no means was everything in Aurora's world 'okay'.
+++++++++++++++
A bad dream. That was what this was. Everything was just a bad dream, and she really need to wake up now, Aurora told herself as she threw things around her living room, searching for a way back to reality.
Oliver Queen was dead. He'd been dead for five years. That was the truth.
She'd gone to his funeral. Cried in front of everyone delivering a eulogy. That was real.
Aurora downed four Advil for her hangover headache and sighed. She brushed her hair and teeth, took a shower, and applied her normal everyday makeup. She threw on a white and red dress, slipped into some nude heels, grabbed her bag, and left her now broken home.
"Good morning Ms Allen" The secretary greeted friendlily
"Good morning" She greeted in return
"The Queens are out today, obviously, so I can't imagine there will be too much to do today. Moira said you could have the day off if you pleased" The secretary said
"Oh there's always something to be done at Queen Consolidated. I'll make myself useful" She smirked at the woman before frowning and heading to her office.
Aurora slammed her bag down and threw her lab coat on quickly. Once in the lab, she immediately jumped right back into what she was working on yesterday, actively avoiding everything that implied today was what she had been told it was. Aurora muttered to herself as she mixed and tested and mixed and tested and restarted. Over and over and over again.
"Shit!" She cried out and collapsed into her chair, sighing heavily. She couldn't figure out the last compound molecule needed for the engine of the tech she was in the process of making for the life of her. She was distracted.
She was distracted by Oliver Queen.
What was she suppose to do? People were saying he was alive, but there was no way. He died on a boat that night 1,801 days ago. She'd been telling herself that for five years. She'd been denying herself that truth for five years, and now that she'd finally come to accept it, it was false?
Aurora closed her eyes and breathed. Think.
"Got it!" Her eyes sprung open and she jumped up. Once she added the right chemicals, she set the beaker on the Bunsen burner and then poured it into the energy containment section of her engine. She shut the hatch and pressed the on button, and it purred to life.
"Gotcha" She smirked.
She quickly wrote down what she had done and smiled, storing it away with the rest of her research.
"Aurora? Why- what are you doing here? I thought I gave you the day off!" A surprised Moira Queen exclaimed and Aurora turned around.
"There's always work to be done Ms Queen. You of all people know that" Aurora muttered
"Ah yes... So..." Moira started awkwardly. It was a rare sight, seeing as Moira was quite literally the epitome of elegance.
"Yes Ms Queen?" Aurora pushed her to continue
"It's Moira, darling. And... have you gone to see Oliver yet?" She asked softly.
Aurora averted Moira's gaze as she held onto her lab table for support.
"He's really...?" Aurora trailed off, looking at Moira with hurt and confusion in her eyes.
"Oh Aurora, I know," Moira hugged Aurora and rubbed her back comfortingly, "I know how hard it is. I'm afraid that I could loose him again at any moment. But I choose to take that risk, to love him. You're his best friend Aurora, go see him. He needs someone to remind him of who he is, or at least of who he used to be"
"I'll make time" Aurora lied with a pained fake smile
"Thank you Aurora, I'd love to see you stop by the house one of these day. As for work, you seem to have gotten enough done for today, time to go home" She smiled
Aurora nodded her head at the older woman, who smiled at her one last time before retreating. Aurora picked up her bag with shaking hands before exiting her lab.
Mere seconds later someone walked in. Upon seeing their mother gaze at someone leaving through the front doors, they asked:
"Who was that Ma?"
"Ooh! No one!" Moira jumped at the voice and replied all too quickly.
"Really now?" He chuckled, knowing he had her caught. Sighing, Moira caved.
"Fine. It was... Well, it was Aurora" She said softly, carefully.
Oliver froze.
"You remember her, don't you?" Moira asked Oliver, concern etched on her face.
"Yes. Of course. Uh, she um... came to work today?" He asked, regaining his composure.
Not going to the celebration, he understood. He figured she needed time. But coming into work? That hurt.
"Yes. It's a very 'Aurora' thing to do" She chuckled lightly. Oliver simply nodded. "Let's go home Ollie"