Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: The promo from 1x05: Damaged inspired me to write this Lauliver oneshot. It's basically my idea of what might happen between Laurel and Oliver during their kiss scene in the episode. Hope you enjoy!

"I need to know."

Laurel's hazel green eyes were pleading with Oliver, almost brimming with tears while she studied his face, desperate to know what really happened on that island. She knew he had been beaten countless times, tortured both physically and mentally. Ollie admitted that to her father in interrogation and then again when he was hooked up to a polygraph. But now she wanted—no, she needed—to hear more. There was so much anguish in his eyes whenever he talked or seemed to think about those traumatic events. Laurel wanted to understand what he was going through, wanted show him kindness and compassion towards his heartache as he recalled the painful memories.

Exhaustion, sadness, and something else she couldn't quite detect was written all over his face. She could tell he was torn, torn about whether or not he could open up to her. Yet just when she thought Ollie might let her in, he went back inside his shell by shaking his head and taking a step backwards.

"I can't, Laurel. I'm sorry. It's just not something I can share with you."

"Ollie, I am doing everything in my power to save you from the death penalty or spending the rest of your life in prison, but I can't really do that unless you trust me. You have to be honest with me about everything."

"No. I don't want you to know what they did to me. It'll upset you, and you know I can't stand to see you cry."

"What I can't stand is this wall you've built around yourself. You've been guarding yourself, never letting anyone get close since you returned home. How is anyone supposed to reconnect with you if you don't let them in?"

"Building a wall around myself was something I had to do in order to survive. Old habits don't just die overnight."

"Well, you might die if you don't start talking, and I'm not leaving here until you do."

She could tell her response didn't please him. He wanted her to leave—not because he didn't want to be around her, but because he was afraid she would break down his barriers.

"You can stand here all night long if you want, but I'm not going to tell you any more than I've already told the police."

Laurel's patience was wearing thin. She wasn't going to back down, though. She was a lawyer, and she was going to fight for him to the best of her ability—no matter hard he was trying to push her away.

"What are you so afraid of, Ollie? That if I know the truth, I'll finally see what's hiding underneath this mask you've been wearing?"

"We all wear masks, Laurel. Most of us wear them to protect the people we care about."

"You think by shutting me out you're protecting me?"

"I know I am. That's why I can't tell you everything that happened while I was on the island, and that's why you need to let this go."

The lawyer in her wanted to keep pushing Oliver to open up, yet the woman in her, the one who grew up with him, who went to school with him, who gave her whole heart to him when they became lovers, knew she was fighting for a lost cause. Ollie would never let her in, would never talk about the horrors of his past. It was too personal and painful. Yet Laurel also knew he didn't stand a chance in court unless she understood some sense of his pain, which she could then present to the jury.

That's when it hit her.

If he wouldn't explain to her what happened on the island, then—

"Show me."

The former reckless playboy stared at her, knowing exactly what she wanted him to do. The very thought of acting on her request paralyzed him into not making a single move or sound.

"Show me your scars, Oliver. I think it's the least you can do."

He gazed upon her, studied her wistful eyes for what seemed like hours. Laurel was putting up as much of a fight as he was. Neither one of them was going to back down—at least not until a compromise could be made or he have her escorted out of the mansion. He would never do that to her, though. This meant he had only one option.

With his eyes never leaving hers, Oliver's fingertips touched the fabric of his blue shirt as he slowly started unbuttoning each button.

Laurel did her best to look calm and hide the fact that the visibility of his bare chest was making her pulse race and the beat of her heart pound in her ears. She had seen Ollie shirtless countless times when they were dating, but it had been five years since then.

When he was finally finished with the buttons, Laurel took two steps forward, gently placed her hands on his chest, and opened the shirt just enough that she could see his entire torso. Softly tracing over each scar with her fingertips, she concentrated on each one like a detective trying to uncover a clue. His scars ranged all over. There was one just underneath his left shoulder blade, two along his upper chest that partially came in contact with his star tattoo, one running down the left side of his abs, another underneath his collar bone, and a Chinese symbol tattoo on the right side of his torso. Every scar and tattoo had its own story, and even though Laurel knew Oliver wouldn't reveal how he got each one, she was content with seeing his battle wounds, with knowing that he let her in this far.

When her eyes finally made their way up to his face again, Oliver was staring down at her…gazing at her with the smallest hint of desire, almost as if he was doing everything he could to conceal his inner emotions. He didn't want to let his guard down—at least not anymore than he already had. But that hint of yearning brewing just beneath the surface was too obvious for Laurel. She knew him too well for that.

He wanted her.

In spite of his desire to keep her at arm's length, to keep her from knowing the whole truth, she knew Oliver wanted her.

And it was then that Laurel realized she wanted him, too.

Wrapping her left arm around his neck while she seized the soft fabric of his shirt with her right hand, she took the plunge and pulled him into a passionate kiss. His left hand instinctively reached around to press against the small of her back, bringing her body closer to his, as his right hand cupped the back of her neck, kissing her back with just as much fervor. Within seconds, she removed the unbuttoned blue shirt from his body, discarded it to the floor, and ran her fingers up and down his chest, massaging the skin. Oliver moaned in deep pleasure when she did this. He missed the feel of her fingers on his bare skin, with both of them nearly forgetting how easy it was for her to turn him on. He tore his lips from hers and and then began trailing hot kisses across her jawline and down her throat. He sucked at her pulse point, causing the blood in her veins to burn like liquid fire.

"Ollie…" she whispered in rapture.

There were still so many unresolved issues in their relationship, so many things they still hadn't said to each other since he returned to Starling City. Yet Oliver was on trial for murder and could be carted off to prison tomorrow, meaning they may never be together like this again. And despite his earlier betrayals, he had always been her greatest weakness…the one person who knew her better than anyone. No matter how wrong their actions might seem in the morning, right now Laurel could only think of this moment and nothing else. She needed Ollie—to hold her, to make love to her, to remind her of the overwhelming passion that still sparked between them even after being apart all this time.

Carrying her bridal-style over to his king-size bed, he gently placed Laurel down on it, carefully got on top of her, and stared deep into her hazel green eyes. She knew by the look in his eyes that he was hesitating over whether or not they should be doing this.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she nodded, not wanting to ruin the moment before either one of them could change their mind.

With no further need of encouragement, Oliver took his time removing every article of clothing she wore, as if to savor every second in case they were never this close again. He started with her white silk blouse, carefully lifting it over her head and tossing it to the foot of the bed. Then, with her help, he slid her black knee-length pencil skirt off and allowed it to fall to the floor. Leaving her in only a matching white lacy bra and panties, Oliver took a few moments to admire her beauty and make a memory of her perfection.

His fingertips softly grazed her smooth, supple skin before he whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Oliver's compliment instantly made Laurel's cheeks turn pink, yet her self-consciousness left as quickly as it came when he got off of her just long enough to shove his jeans off and reveal a pair of black boxers.

When his body covered hers once more, he began trailing soft, sweet kisses down the valley of her breasts and well-toned stomach. His kisses always drove her crazy, but now they were making Laurel feel as though she was on the brink of insanity. She grabbed his expensive comforter with both hands, clutching onto it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She bit her bottom lip to stifle a cry of ecstasy—a cry that she knew could have easily shattered glass.

As Ollie started tugging on her panties, Laurel lifted her hips so the material would slide right off. Then, with one hand, he unclasped her bra and removed it, revealing her fully nude body to him. It had been five long years since he had seen her naked—or any woman for that matter—yet the expression on his face said everything: She was just as beautiful and breathtaking to him as he remembered.

The mere thought that this could be the last time they make love had Laurel more scared than she had ever been. Yet she refused to think of the fear of losing Ollie forever right now. Tomorrow she would continue doing everything in her power to save him from going to prison for the rest of his life. But tonight she would escape all of the negative possibilities. She would focus only on their love and the undeniable passion they still shared for one another.

Anything could happen tomorrow. But tonight would belong to them.