Paradise Lost [Oliver, Dinah]

[bowman]

Ollie’s hands were firmly gripped around the controls, yet he couldn’t be paying less attention; and he was the pilot. He pushed forward slightly, edging the plane down through the clouds. A huge grin appeared upon his bearded face as he gazed down upon the teal waves beating lightly against each other, linked together to make the Red China Sea. High above, rays of sun shot through the cockpit, down upon Ollie’s muscular arms. The hairs on his limbs began to tingle at the sensation.

It didn’t feel like just a week ago since they left Gotham behind and headed East over the whole of the United States and down to San Francisco. Once they got there, it was a matter of just finding a plane which they did after some searching, for the right price. Dinah was shocked in fact when Oliver admitted that he could fly the plane himself, requiring no guide or hired help. One of his many talents he guessed with a smirk, ever being modest. Their first stop was over to Hawaii where they stayed the night in Honolulu, enjoying the sites of the tropical city near the volcano. Once refuelled, the duo set off once more, crossing the vast expanse of water that was the pacific.

Oliver flicked open the cassette player, it was really that old, and placed his AC/DC track in. He thought as they only had about an hour before landing, that they needed some good listening to ease the slight turbulence. Dinah sat in the chair next to him, smiling just as much as he was. His black shades covered his eyes, but she knew he was looking at her. “If you look straight ahead, you will see the Island of Lian Yu or Purgatory to me and you. Population soon to be two, I hope.” He said with a laugh while correcting his head set. The plane he was flying must have been at least fifty years of age, with one propeller upon the silver nose. Oliver liked the plane, liked it a lot. He might keep it, he did pay for it. They intended to stay on the Island for only four days then back to Star City for the party which Dinah made Ollie set up, to get him familiar with a few other heroes.

He looked down at the red shirt he bought from Hawaii, with white flowers across it. He looked like Elvis with his glasses on. “Shoot to thrill…” He murmured while listening to the song, one of his favourites. Ollie had very little doubt in his mind concerning this trip, one would think it was crazy for him to go straight back to the place he was imprisoned so quickly, or at least that was what his mother thought.

[dinah]

Dinah had her foot up on the seat and had her chin resting on her knee. She had expected Oliver to have someone flying the plane for him but then again five years alone on an island meant learning how to be self reliant, and before this trip, she never knew he had a pilot license. Then again maybe he didn’t. He could have simply paid someone to look the other way and she wouldn’t have put it past him. She was watching him as much as he was watching her, keeping her eyes forward while out of the corner of her eyes she observed every bump and groove on his arm, his muscular thighs, his smile, it took all of her self control not to just jump him then and there. Besides, she needed to let her body recover after spending the night with him in Hawaii. Oliver had looked amazing in his Hawaiian swim trunks, standing as tall and proud as anyone near the swimming pool. Her blue-painted toenails curled into the seat at the thought of him dripping wet and walking up the steps of the pool. Man did she love his wet look. She bit into her lower lip and looked ahead where Oliver had mentioned. She saw the island and wondered why it was called Purgatory in the first place. Was there no food on the island? Was it hot? Was it dangerous? Where the people who had tortured him gone? If not, they would have to answer to her.

“Is that it? It’s smaller than my thumb.” She teased as she held out her hand and used her thumb to cover up the small island from her view. She turned to look at him, expecting a ‘oh come on’ glance in return which gave her reason to smile even broader. To show him that she really was looking forward to this trip, she placed her hand on his thigh and rubbed it just below the knee. “I can’t believe you still listen to them after all these years. Then again you’ve been away from your favorite band for so long it must be nostalgia for you.” She thought it was cute to watch him mouth the words or even break out into singing his favorite song, trying his best to imitate Brian Johnson.

She opened the area that held other cassette tapes and held up the Guns N’ Roses tape. “I could have sworn you were going to listen to Paradise City while in Hawaii, or are you saving this for when we’re in Purgatory?” That still didn’t sound right to her. She snickered then made a short gasp of surprise when the turbulence grabbed the plane and thrust it down. Instinctively she reached for her seat belt and buckled herself in while her left foot and leg shot out for balance, nearly striking Oliver’s face had he not ducked. “That’s the thing about planes, we’re never 100% in control of them are we?” She sat up now and picked up her fallen bottle of midnight blue nail polish from off the floor by using her toes, passed it into her hands then set it in a cup holder. She trusted Oliver’s flying skills but if it were up to her, she’d rather be the one flying. Literally. No plane, just her. She would feel more confident about flying if she did.

Something in the back of the plane had dislodged from the luggage bins and fell onto the aisle. Dinah glanced back to see what it was, finding her duffle bag on the floor. She looked back at Oliver and said, “I hope you don’t mind but I brought Victor and Alison along. Victor just fell from the baggae bin.” She smirked in hopes of fooling him, although she knew he wouldn’t buy it.

[bowman]

Oliver turned his head slightly, looking up the aisle at the knocked over bags. For a second he did think that she’d brought the couple with her in the bag. There were a few pots on the floor, nothing much. “Give them a good kick and tell them to keep it down. Some of us are relaxing here.” He shouted down at the bag with an angry voice although with a grin upon his face. Oliver grabbed his belt, undoing it as it began to feel a little tight around his chest. “The Island’s about a day walk in each direction if you’re as fast as I am, or two for you Dinah.” He sniggered to himself, tapping her on the shoulder while grinning.

Now Ollie began to hum the Jurassic Park theme to himself, looking out of the window down upon the waves below. He thought for a second, glancing back at Dinah then out of the window. “100%? No about 99%.” With that, Oliver tips the nose of the plane down a bit as a small island approached in a few seconds. The plane began to make that eerie diving noise as it began to fall at a startling pace. Oliver placed his hands on his cheeks while smirking. “Would you look at that? You were right about them being death traps.” He then folded his arms, looking at her as the altitude dropped into the hundreds. “Oh right sorry forgot about this.” Grabs the controls, pulling back on them suddenly. The plane shot up again, tapping the waves lightly before rocketing up and over some trees on the small Island.

Oliver forgot his little flying license all those years ago. He learned when he was 21 during a holiday in Alaska. Robert paid for him to learn how to fly through a valley. He liked it a lot so decided to get a license. He never used it though, even if he took the private jet. He always had others to fly for him, now he realises what he’d missed. “Highway to hell…”

[dinah]

“I still don’t see why you wanted to come here for only four days if two of them will be for relaxing and then we go home on the fourth. It seems like we’re robbing our time on the island just to make it back for the party. I say we skip the party and stay a week if staying here means so much to you. I can skip the party because you mean so much to me.” She slid her hand across his arm. “I want you to be happy, Oliver. The party won’t mean a thing to me if you wanted more time spent on this island.” She knew those tender moments had to be received when he was prepared for them but who actually knew when those moments were? She decided to test him and see if he was in a flirty mood since the flight had become longer than what she had expected.

“Of course I can keep up with you. If I knew where we were going you’d be eating my dust.“ She told him out of playful banter, however a part of her believed this to be true. He always talked tough, and even though she knew he could back it up, his hand to hand skills were not as impressive as hers from what he has shown her. And even when he did fight, he exercised an impressive force that was meant to lay someone down with one throw, and that’s why she believed he never did give her his all when sparring. It was a pity she never got to see him actually fight other than with his bow. “Even if I won’t catch up to you, I’ll ride your shoulders so we can both make it on time.“ She smirked over the idea but also knew he might try and knock her off of him by ducking under a tree branch that would be in her way. And if that were the case, she’d lock herself around him and hold the tree while keeping him from moving. What a pair.

She reached forward as he began to sing Jurassic Park, moving her hand closer to his shirt where she was going to run her hand around his side and front of the chest but when he looked up from having glanced at the ocean, she retracted her hand too fast for him to see. At least she thought she did. She propped her chin up with her fist and put her elbow on the arm of her chair while smiling to cover up her actions. She liked this little game of what she can get away with while he wasn’t looking. She was about to reach again when the plane began to descend at a less than comfortable angle. Dinah didn’t have any flight experience but the lunging in her gut told her that they were going down too fast. She could tell from his expression that he was just joking but hot dogging usually led to disaster. “I know you’re cocky and all but how about trying to kill us once we’re on the ground, I can handle that.” She got into a semi-relaxed position in case she needed to brace herself but when he took the controls again her heart began to beat less like a jack hammer and more normally. So he was a thrill seeker in a plane while hers was done on a bike. Okay, that’s fair. Only her bike would break apart if she crashed, not explode into a fiery death of fuel and flames. If anything, a near death experience is one way to get her out of the mood of flirting. She began to wonder if he did that on purpose. The more she looked at Oliver, the more she realized it was just him. There were days where she wished she could see into his head but often thought that maybe it was just boredom. Let him have his fun. After all, this was his vacation and she was his guest. She realized that she had dug her nails into his thigh when the plane suddenly dove down. She released him drew her hand back to the arm of the chair. “Sorry.” She glanced down to see five indents on his leg without seeing any blood. Saying that he had not scared her was not going to happen after leaving evidence on the surface of his skin that she was some what nervous. Even the contents of the duffle bag rolled and slid across the floor, ending up in the cockpit with them when the plane began to descend. Dinah unbuckled and got out to clean up the mess, giving her something to do while they continued to travel.

[bowman]

Oliver glanced over at her, with one hand upon his own knee. He rubbed his red thigh, where five nail imprints were deep imbedded into his skin with out causing any bleeding. She has quite a set of claws there, when she wants to use them. “This Island’s not the Hilton Hotel, Dinah. It can get nasty there and you want to stay longer than intended? If Oliver Queen didn’t go to a party, I mean the World would implode on such a huge scale!” He grinned at the thought. He was what you might call, a party animal. There usually isn’t one which he doesn’t know about and if there is then it’s not good enough. “I’d agree with you Dinah but if you remember, we are the hosts of said party so no us, no party. Don’t worry we’ll have tons of fun!” He said in a reassuring voice, placing his hand now upon her muscular thigh.

They had quite a night in the hotel before they left, what with the nightlife and partying of Honolulu although that’s a story for another time. It was obvious that he was larger than her but in a straight line he knew she could keep up with him with ease. But where they were going, it was no Olympic race track. Agility would play a big part in this, with many trees in the way making it hard to run in a straight line. It wasn’t like a jungle though, more of a humid forest. There were no monkeys or vines just lots of trees. Still he had perfected his travel of the Island in a way that he has applied to the City. He became an accomplished parkour expert, using his skills to climb through the brush with ease and not touching the floor. That came in handy if he was either hunting for prey or if it was the other way around.

Last time he was one the Island, he left in a hurry after making the Island’s previous owners very mad, very quickly. It was like a long game of cat and mouse which went on longer than expected, five years in fact. He raised their drug crops up in smoke, destroying hundreds of millions worth of heroin. Obviously they were angry, so was he though. He made sure they wouldn’t return, ever.

The plane had finally reached the Island so Oliver began to fly over a large bay, with cliff walls on each side and a large stretch of water beneath. The passed over a white beach, looking down at various turtles on the sand. Ollie grinned as he pulled up and over the trees. “There’s a landing strip on the Island, used in the second world war by the Japanese. There’s bunkers dotted about, I actually used one as my home away from home. Better than sleeping out in the pouring rain.” He laughed.

[dinah]

Dinah felt her heart quicken the moment his hand rest on her leg. She loved his touch no matter where his hand rest. The more gentle he was with her the better, for it was a turn on for a strong man to show his caring and gentle side. Yes, at one point she’d gag when hearing another female say that to, but unless you haven’t experienced it for yourself, you wouldn’t know what that was like. But now was not a good time for them to be thinking about putting the plane on autopilot just for a quickie, especially since Oliver and Dinah didn’t know the meaning of the word. She had made a promise to herself not to spend all the time on the island making love to Oliver, as irresistible as he was, for it has been a while since her last vacation and she wanted this one to be memorable.

“I’ll be sure to keep on my toes.” She had to regain her balance when hitting some turbulence and used the seats in the aisles to keep her from falling over. Her short shorts gave Oliver a nice view for every time she would bend over to pick up a spilled pot or pan. She was grinning when he mentioned not going to the party and ending the world as they knew it. “I’m not what you call a frequent party-goer but you could teach me how to relax and have a little fun with enough alcohol to loosen me up. I don’t know how you do it without worrying about your own reputation as a vigilante.” She placed the cooking objects back into the duffle bag, zipped them up and placed them back into the bin. She closed and locked the bin, moved back to the head of the plane and tightened the knot on her long sleeve shirt that exposed her belly but not her chest. There was no need to roll up the sleeve since it was built to button up past the elbow.

Dinah buckled herself in again and looked Oliver over. “We’re going to stick out like a sore thumb in our clothes.” She turned her eyes back to the island. “If there’s enough trees and foliage we might be able to get away as Adam and Eve.” She gave him a wicked smile. She removed her eyes on him briefly enough to see some turtles down below. “Oh Ollie look! Are we going to go near that area? I’ve never seen wild turtles before! Were they sea or land turtles?” She had to remember which they were so that she could tell Alison all about them when she got home. Tortoises had the round shell and lived on land while sea turtles had a flatter shell and swam in water. At least that much she could remember about Alison’s random animal facts and knowledge.

When he mentioned the bunker, Dinah lowered one brow and raised the other. “You used a bunker? Isn’t that cheating some how? I mean shelter is shelter but I was expecting something more like a cave or The Swiss Family Robinson. Besides, I thought you wouldn’t mind the rain since you’ve had cold showers every morning and most likely the feel of rain against your bare skin.” Her eyes trailed down his chest and arms. “Running down every curve and inch of your… we‘re not going to see any sights while vacationing are we?” She shook her head to clear it and looked out of the plane’s windshield in a feeble attempt to get her mind off of him, but his reflection in the glass made that plan fail. What was it about Oliver Queen that attracted her to him so? He certainly had an animal magnetism to him, drawing her in just by a glance, a position of body language, the tone in his voice, his caress, his cheesy jokes, the feel of his hair…

She groaned out loud and turned back to Oliver. “Would you hurry up and land this plane already? I can’t take it anymore!” She threw open his shirt, sending a few buttons flying in all directions, bounced off the window and ricocheted off Oliver's forehead. She tried to unbuckle her seat belt so that she could pounce on him with her various affections only that it jammed. “What gives?” She looked down at the metal and furrowed her brow. Curse these older planes! It was always a flickering light, a dying compass or seat belts that refused to let a passenger go during urgent moments.

“Not now you useless piece of tin!” She fought with the belt trying to press down on the button and twisting her shoulders from left to right in an attempt to loosen it, clicked ten times in a row and then resorted to clawing at it. There was no way it was going to release her now that she had shown the first sign of aggression for it was fighting back. All of her marital arts training of patience had flown out the window when her surge of passion outweighed her logic. “Oliver, find me a knife.” She was determined not to let something as simple as a buckle get in the way between her and her true love.

[bowman]

A flock of birds fly up around the plane, swooping over the cockpit in a well timed flight from the trees. Most of them were a bright red colour, sparkling in the sun light. It was quiet a sight for the two travellers, better than most welcome parties in fact it beat his arrival back home. He looked at Dinah as he laughed with joy. He just hoped none of them flew into his engine, and then Dinah’d get more than a week on the Island. He understood that he’d rather be stuck with her than anyone else. For the first month they’d try and find camp and would likely mate for many a few days.

He frowned at her comment upon his camp. “I didn’t think of it as cheating when I was bleeding half to death in the pouring rain.” He actually sounded a little angry at her complaining of how he survived. “You don’t realise that I had to do what I did for survival, not for fun. It wasn’t a holiday for me. That’s why I wanted to come back here. I spent so long running, I didn’t stop to just look and learn.” He sighed while reflecting, turning back to find her throwing her self upon him with what appeared to be lust. He laughed at her attempts to get out of her seat, her oh so futile attempts. When she did so some signs of climbing out, he banked the plane onto the right side slightly, pushing her back down into her seat. ”Please keep all limbs with in the vehicle while it is moving.” He said with a broad grin. She must have been dreaming of that swim-wear again, his special ones for special occasions such as this holiday. He snapped out of his flash back at their last night in Hawaii, focusing on the flying, he could see how she got distracted.

In the distance, a long grey strip of tarmac was paved into the ground. Ollie began to press a few buttons above his head, fixing the head phones upon his ears. “Hold on, we’re going down. In a good way of course.” He tipped the nose down slightly, facing it towards the run way with the number fifty seven painted down upon it in an old white colour. His arms pressed forward at the elbows, pushing it down further. The plane’s speed began to drop as he lowered the wheels to their fully down position. “Dive, dive, dive.” He said to himself, imagining if he was some sort of ace fighter pilot fighting the Japanese over the pacific.

They began to pass over the start of the strip, edging closer to touch down, as every second passed by. Suddenly with a huge clash, the wheels bounced off the ground and suddenly they both realised how fast they were actually going. The trees on either side sped up, turning into a blur as they shot passed. He grabbed the brakes and applied them well as the vehicle began to slow down, making the plane rumble and shake. After a few slow seconds, the plane crept to a sudden stop, knocking the bags down again. Ollie turned to look at them then at his companion. He burst out laughing at their landing, leaning back into his chair. “Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.” That sentence was very Oliver Queen, silly yet true.

[dinah]

Dinah stopped struggling with the seatbelt when she heard his angered tone. “Oliver, I didn’t mean it like that. I was attempting to poke fun at you without realizing how hard it must have been. I know practically nothing about the island and only as of now am I hearing about why it is called purgatory. All my knowledge of this area rests on what the news has told me. A deserted island.” She placed her hand over his and gave it a slight squeeze. “I’m sure you did what you had to, same as I would have." She apologized and took a mental note not to say anything more about the island or his experiences. Feeling guilty for not having known better, she turned back to her seat belt and finally managed to get it undone but the plane had suddenly tilted and she plopped back down in her chair with a surprised cry. “Oliver Queen!” She smacked his shoulder. “That’s it! I’m flying the plane home when we’re through here!” She mock-scowled for she could not be really angry at him for being playful; after all, she would most likely have done the same thing.

She followed his eyes to the tarmac and once again buckled in. Out of the corner of her eyes she watched him toggle with the switches in preparing to land. “You are having far too much fun with this.” She could not help but smile, feeling just as excited as he was without joining into his imagination. That was a practice she would have to do more often in order to have fun, although she was usually the one with her feet on the ground while Alison’s mind was constantly up in the clouds. With Oliver, she felt the same balance between them. Or as some Justice League members would say, Dinah was the serious one while Dinah would claim that Oliver was the playful one. Two opposites that made a whole.

Dinah’s eyes traveled through the trees, expecting danger as her trainer and father-like figure Wildcat had trained her. Her cautious ways have saved her life many times while entering new territory or when tracking down criminals. This would be no different and already her sense of danger was chirping. “Are there others on the island who will have seen the plane land?” She asked, then gripped the arms of her chair as he landed. Her heart jumped when the tires struck the ground and she looked at Oliver in wondering if he did that on purpose. A good pilot would land the plane gently. “Have you been drinking?” She smirked to show him that she had made a joke. Once the ride was over, she wrestled with her seat belt some more then finally gave up. She exhaled air from her nose and considered staying in the plane the whole time listening to Oliver’s cassette tapes while he explores. She was already cursing the seatbelt in her mind and wondering if she could make a new belt out of something else so this would not happen again. Oh that’s right, she was flying them home so Oliver can deal with the belt.

[bowman]

Oliver began to flick certain switches, turning off the engines and such. As the propellers began to spin ever slower, Oliver removed his head set for the first time in hours, taking a deep breath before setting them down on the dashboard. He unclipped his belt and reached for a few other buttons to press. He continued to hum the Jurrasic Park theme while doing so, looking out of the windows for a moment before continuing to shut everything down. He then held his hand up to his moth and breathed deeply. “Nope nothing strong.” He joked while taking off his shades, kissing her upon the cheek to mark the happy landing.

He walked up the isle past all the vacant seats which once would have held so many happy passengers around the World. Now it just belongs to a playboy billionaire and his girlfriend who both happen to wear tights and beat baddies up. How times change, he thought.

The brown bag was arched over the floor, blocking the path yet most of its contents were still with in its interior. With little effort, he pushed the bag back up and on to the seat. He turned and looked at Dinah with a puzzled face when she mentioned if anyone saw them. He crawled through some seats to look out of one of the little windows, glancing out into the vast jungle. “Well besides the occasional tribe of cannibals and velociraptor, we’ll be fine.” He looked back at her in the cock pit with a sinister face which then shifted to his usual smirk.

From another seat, he etched over and picked up a brown fedora from the old chair. He rose it up, encapsulating his blonde hair with in the hat. With his finger and thumb, he ran them along the brim of the fedora before looking up at Dinah. “I’m ready for anything now.” He said that before remembering something else, for which he ran into the bathroom. He then exited wearing a crocodile skin waist coat much like Crocodile Dundee’s’. “Well you did say I needed a change of clothing.”

The door was a little stiff but with a strong shove with his shoulder, it fell down onto the runway, giving them an exit. “Ladies first…”

[dinah]

Dinah caught his exhale and wondered if he was humming because he felt nervous over any unseen dangers she knew little about. His body language while on the island would tell her everything she needed to know… if only he didn’t hide it so well. Some where between the five years that he had been lost, he has learned to not give any subtle hints about what he was about to do, what he was thinking, or showed how he really felt. There was a cleverness in his eyes, an inner knowing about everyone and everything around him that suggested he had intellectual training about the world around him, while Dinah had the martial arts training to be aware of her surroundings at all times. The look was similar, being prepared for anything while keeping your senses sharp and the mind keen. No more clueless playboy, Oliver grew up since then. With such confidence radiating through him, Dinah knew that no matter what happened, she could trust him to bring her home safely, or die trying. This was a good opportunity to see this for herself in case anything were to happen, and in return, she was willing to do the same for him.

She felt her heart skip a beat while watching him move about the plane. She was viewing the side of him rather than looking at him head on. He was so fragile despite his strong body and stubborn ego. The scars meant nothing to her, left over battle wounds that didn’t heal as well as they should. No, it was his heart that needed protection, even more so than she needed hers guarded. Oliver was her weakness, her world for now and possibly forever if he would allow it. If both strived to strengthen their love for the other no matter what followed. She was proud of him for trying so hard to please her and yet she found it hard to tell him so. But why? Maybe he already knew by how much affection she showed him or how often her patience was practiced when her temper flared.

Then she noticed the red circles around his ears where the headset had been and scoffed at this. He may have no idea how out of place the red rings around his ears looked. It was cute to see how clueless he was about his appearance unless he simply did not care for it was unimportant. And yet he looked so handsome with the head set on, so in control and dominant. What did he say about something strong? She wasn’t really listening and felt herself staring at him again.

Come on Dinah, get your head out of the clouds and focus. This is a dangerous place after all and you can’t be distracted by that big hunk of man. Just don’t look in his eyes and you’ll be fine. Or at his muscles. Or that perfect tight butt of his.

Dinah felt herself smiling again and received a kiss from her man. Oh how one simple little sign of affection could get her heart leaping through hoops for him. When he left, she realized she was still stuck in the seat due to that blasted seat belt. “Wait!” She called out to him and tried pressing the button again. How did she manage to get it undone the first time? Blast this thing. Blast this wretched, wretched belt! She growled at the belt in warning that it had better not break her nails while attempting to free herself from it’s grip. She turned her ear toward Oliver when mentioned cannibals and paused in thinking he was telling the truth. Did the island really contain such savages? How scary would that be to be eaten alive and watching your limbs be torn away just to gnawed upon before your very eyes? She shuddered at the thought then realized he was joking when he mentioned the dinosaur species. She rolled her eyes not to show him any disrespect but at the idea that she had jumped to conclusion and let his joke worry her. Good grief she was gullible, but then again one must expect the unexpected in a new area.

When Oliver mentioned being ready, she looked back at him to see what he had meant by that, then spied the fedora on his head. Where did he get that? Fedoras always reminded her of Victor since the history professor always wore them. She smirked at Oliver in knowing he was probably considering himself to be the next Indiana Jones. He’d have to prove himself to be as great as the whip and gun toting, legendary archeologist.

Dinah turned her attention back to the seat belt and tried to calm her thoughts while feeling the mechanism through the vibrations of the metal as well as how it sounded. It was like bat sonar except through touch. Something wasn’t clicking within the square. Maybe it needed oil or that it was worn out over the years of usage. But who would be in the passenger side if the plane belonged to Victor? Or was it a plane he bought after the airlines decided it was too old to be considered safe any more?

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Oliver approach, now wearing the brown, tanned animal flesh on his chest. “Are you serious?” They both knew the answer to that was no, although he did look good in it. Real good. She didn’t try to cover up the fact that her eyes were looking over his body with the new out fit on and found that all too familiar feeling of wanting to pounce him and follow through with a fury of passionate kisses. Her lower lip tucked in under her upper row of teeth as desire for him rose from her loins. Why did he have to look so good? Her breathing grew faster and her heart began to pound, but no matter how much she wanted him, she was still bound by the restricting seat belt. Was Oliver purposely torturing her? …She could use that to her advantage. “I’ll tell you what, Mr. Dundee, if you get me out of here I’ll be your Jungle Jane.” The more she looked at his clothes the more she began to wonder if those were the actual clothes that Paul Hogan wore. Oliver did have the money and resources to buy the actual wardrobe once belonging to the character Mick Dundee if he really wanted to. Secretly, that would be awesome if they were the real deal.

Once Oliver and Dinah figured out the seatbelt together, she showed him her gratitude by pressing her lips against his, for she loved it when he helped her out. It didn’t matter if he was wiping a tear from her eyes, brushing hair from her face, holding her hand to see if she was hurt or simply to get her out of a seat belt. And now that she was freed from the tormenting metal and polyester material, she began to plan for her adventure. First things first, grab her backpack and… did Oliver just break the door? That won’t be good for the flight home unless he means to fix it before they leave the island. Or did he break it on purpose to keep them on the island longer? She wouldn’t put it past him for she would do the same just to be with him. Then again they did have a party to get to. Ah forget the party, there will always be others.

“Thanks.” She said to Oliver for letting him be a gentleman. Unless he was testing to see if there was any danger by letting her go first. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t handle the danger any way. She dropped her travel pack on the ground then leaped out of the plane, arching her arms out like the wings of a bird, bent one knee while the other remained straight and in line with her leg. Her arms allowed her to fall with wind resistance and landed in a tumbled crouch before straightening. Child’s play really. She was young and in great shape, especially after having been through one of the many Lazarus Pits owned by Ra’ Al Ghul. Maybe it would work for Oliver too? But then again it might make him younger than her. Hm, he’d be as young as Jason but hopefully cured from his aches and ails. A younger Oliver… no she wouldn’t want to see him in his teenage years again, even though the idea was tempting. Who knows? Maybe he and Jason could get along at that age? Oh who was she kidding, they’d kill each other. Oliver’s maturity kept him from killing Jason.

She picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulders then stepped back for Oliver to come down. She scanned the area and smiled at it’s beauty. The birds were something she was not used to hearing and could not tell what species they were. No sounds of traffic, honking, screaming, gunshots, alarms, no smells of pollution or cigarettes, this place was clean, pure even. At least the nature part of it was. “Oliver, this is amazing!” She exclaimed and turned to grin at him. “I’m glad you brought me here.”

[bowman]

With an assured face, Oliver followed Dinah out of the plane and unto the tarmac. But first he scaled down a few quick steps on the ladder, rushing down at some speed. He jumped off slightly, landing firmly upon the floor with his boots cushioning the small jump. He was crouched down slightly, standing up after a few seconds before correcting his hat. The sun’s rays bounced down off the brim, casting a shadow with only his beard showing.

He turned around, facing Dinah with a smirk. “So far so good!” Ever grinning, he turned and faced the mass jungle before them. Although he appeared to be firm and energetic about this trip, he was having a conflict of thoughts. His chest suddenly became heavy as he slowed down, looking up at the vast maze before him. Five years alone yet he was so eager to return. It made no sense. Perhaps it was the feeling of living on the edge, living as if that day were his last. The feeling he never seemed to get while walking around in a suit and tie, with a bodyguard looming over him. That was it, the reason for his return. For him to live again, only this time with Dinah wrapped around his arms. Where they both belonged to him.

Speaking of Dinah, she seemed to be enjoying this journey as much as Oliver, if not more than him. She never seemed to stop having fun, it made the experience twice as fun for him, seeing her enjoy the experience just as much as him. It was nice to do something together, something that doesn’t involve Kevlar and the dark streets of Gotham. He’d have to reward her loyalty the only way he could but later, now wasn’t the time nor the place. He spun about grinning, stopping before her. “Ah, smell that freshness! No pollution here, well besides that hunk of rubbish. We’ll use the plane as base camp for now. I think we should trek back to that beach although I’m up for anything. It’s your holiday too.” He said quite quickly, seeming to enjoy the notion of walking around the air strip with no fear of incoming planes. Before them, the runway probably hadn’t been used since the Tongs’ operation all those years ago. God only knows how long they were on the Island, but he’d guess the Imperial Air force used it first during the Pacific campaign. Thankfully they’re both gone now.

How could he be sure though, could he know that he hunted them all down; that he ended their operation? With no rules or laws to hold him back, Oliver did only what he needed to. Kill them all. With no others to rule his movements, he hunted them down one by one. After about two years, he killed the leaders himself. The remainders ran off back to their last remaining ship although they didn’t get far, he made sure of that. In a way he was glad, knowing that he’d moved on from such a primal beast to what he is today. Some would say he hasn’t changed much, but to him; everything had changed

[dinah]

Dinah could sense Oliver’s apprehension and paused in her walking when he slowed. Her fingers were wrapped around her backpack’s straps as she walked up to Oliver’s side. She wanted to scan his face for any signs of doubt and dropped her hand down to link her fingers through his. If he was scared, she would be there beside him, even though she knew he was capable of handling things himself. She was about to walk around him and to see his expression for herself but he had turned to face her first with a wide grin. That settled her hidden suspicion of having to worry for now, but then again seeing Oliver smile always eased her worst fears. She was proud for him, to be able to return to the island, to feel the absolute freedom and carefree life style outside of an office building and also in deciding to share his world with her.

Dinah looked around at their surroundings and wondered if the green scenery is what made him decide to wear green as the Emerald Archer. It certainly was lush enough to inspire anyone into liking the color green, although her favorite color was still blue. Green however, looked best on him, she decided.

To hear Oliver call something “rubbish” made her chuckle since he was beginning to sound more like an English man than someone from Star City. He must have picked up that word while dealing with business men or women from England at some point and their words must have rubbed off on him. “The only hunk I see is standing before me.” She verbally teased and kissed his cheek. “I love the idea that you’ve provided us with shelter but I was hoping to get some camping in during our stay, or would making a fire draw too much attention to ourselves?” She remembered back in her high school days of camping. She and a few friends had found a lake and set up camp near it. During the day they created a swinging rope by tying one end around a tree and a knot at the base, then use it to fling themselves into the water. Now that she was older, she could enjoy sunbathing or feel real sand beneath her toes while the waves would wash over her feet and try to steal the sand out from under them. The best part of this trip was that she could finally relax and try to have fun without worrying over who would see her be out of character. No news reporters, no enemies, no superheroes who will never let her live an embarrassing moment down other than Oliver.

“You’re thinking again. What’s on your mind?” She leaned into his arm and tilt back her head so that her eyes could look into his if he decided to look down and into hers. She was there to support him no matter what he said. She looked silently confident no matter what would come there way and that she could be strong enough for the both of them if he needed her to be.

[bowman]

Oliver stepped off the tarmac and onto the overgrown grass that divided the air strip and the tangle of forest before them. All ready the sound of rare birds filled the air, their calls echoing all around. The grass was up around their waists, blowing slightly in the light see breeze. It would be the last cool wind they’d feel for a while. The Island wasn’t a jungle, more of a hot forest. It had no vines or exotic spiders just a lot of tall trees to fall from.

When he first began to train on the Island, he’d fall quite often from trees but never seemed to hurt himself in a bad way. A few broken bones here and there but he’d just get back up and start again where he left off. By the end of the five years he was like a bird, never touching the floor if he wanted. He could leap high up in the trees, jumping from branch to branch with ease. It was so free with the wind lapping against his cheeks, not a care in the world. If he fell, he’d die; simple. But at least he’d die free.

He climbed over a fallen tree as they stepped into the jungle, feeling the heat hit them like a brick. He laughed and ran the back of his wrist over his brow to wipe off some sweat. He turned and looked back at Dinah. “There’s a cave not too far away which we can use. I found it before the bunker and used it as a home for about two years. It’s not big and comfortable but it works.” He pulled the bag up his shoulder more as he turned and continued to walk again. He laughed when she spoke of others seeing them. “You’re honestly worried, aren’t you?” He joked as she brought it up again. “I doubt there’s anyone else here for the second time so burn down the forest for all I care.” He stopped laughing and began to walk up a slight incline, wrapping his hand around Dinah’s as they walked side by side. “I’m not thinking about anything, not really. I just hope that I got all of them when I left. We wouldn’t want our throats slit in our sleep now would we?” He smirked, knowing this would set Dinah off a bit.

[dinah]

Dinah's grin grew wider as he told her about the cave. She had never slept in one before so this was going to be exciting. She stepped onto the fallen tree and pushed herself up from it, now standing taller than Oliver until stepping down from the brown rotting wood. For a few seconds her skin began to warm up from the moist jungle and she began to feel grateful until the humidity really hit. It was like being in the South again. Air so thick with moisture that the air began to weigh down the lungs as if you were breathing under water. It wasn't a pleasant feeling right away, but anyone could adapt to it when taking it in slowly and calming the mind. For Dinah, it was nothing new. During college she had traveled across the states and was used to different climates and atmosphere.

"I am cautious, yes." Dinah replied. "New surrounding, possible danger from what you have told me. I would be a fool not to expect the unexpected." She said simply, for her trainer and father-like figure Ted Grant aka Wildcat had taught her to not only fight but to be aware of everything and think five or more steps ahead of the opponent if they telegraphed their movements before making them. While other trainers taught her that if the opponent was not visible, you had to imagine them out there in order to keep your instincts sharp and senses at the ready.

"If that's the case then I'm going to let loose for a change." Dinah's grin returned. "Bonfire, tanning, fishing...." She stopped when his fingers linked through hers. She loved it when he did little things like that. Holding hands here, wrapping his arm around her waist there, checking to see if she was hurt or just checking in with her. It was the little things like that, that showed Dinah he cared and in return she trusted him and could feel their bond grow. She was beginning to feel her heart create a soft, joyful song for him until he mentioned the throat slitting.

"You just had to go there, didn't you?" She said dryly. It was certainly necessary for him to mention some danger but did it have to be right after he took her hand and led her into thinking and feeling they were safe? She shook her head with a smile. "Besides, I don't think we will be getting much sleep." She removed his hat to place it onto her own head before moving in close to him and bumping the side of his hip with her own in order to send him slightly off balance while keeping a good hold on his hand in case he needed her for support. She loved to tease him as long as he was able to handle it. He seemed tough but every now and then she could catch him off guard and land him on his back when he least expected it. It had nothing to do with dominance or pride, just a sort of rough playfulness that came from martial arts and proving to not only herself but to him that she could handle whatever he could dish out.

"How about we find that cave and then you show me what's edible on the island? We could find some grub for a snack and then you can show me around." She wiped some perspiration from her brow and felt her hair begin to stick to her neck. It was rather unpleasant and she was ready to pull back her hair with a band she had stored in her travel pack, but she would wait until later to bring that out. She was also glad to have brought her neutralizing odor antiperspirant / deodorant that had a eucalyptus blossom scent to keep her smelling good no matter where she was.

She side-stepped some jagged thorns and glanced back at them out of curiosity, just to stumble over a rock. Her devoted years of training has taught her how to right herself after getting knocked off balance and with the help of Oliver's arm, she was able to pull herself up without collapsing onto the ground. She felt a little foolish for having done that in front of Oliver but she was certain he probably did the same thing when he first set foot on the island. With that thought, she simply shrugged off the embarrassment and rest her head on his shoulder as they continued to walk. She paused when seeing a deep-blue flower with five petals stretched out in the shape of a star. "Ollie look! A gentian!" She plucked the flower to show him. "These were used for herbal remedies but they taste bitter, or so I've heard. You can use these to fight against malaria in Africa and snake bites in South Africa. ...I sound as nerdy as Alison, don't I?" She laughed at herself and handed back Oliver's hat so that she could wear the flower behind her ear.

[bowman]

The terrain began to change, becoming both steeper and harder to traverse. The grass under their feet was now thicker, growing up around their knees. If Ollie wasn't wearing these green trousers, it would be tickling his tanned legs. His gloved hand held onto Dinah's fingers tightly, keeping her by his side. He didn't think that she'd be safe on her own, not put here. Not out in the middle of no where. In the city, she'd be fine but this was no concrete jungle. There's no police, there's no help. Only rain, disease and death. The only reason that he allowed her to come with him was that he knew that she wouldn't be out of his site. “Not far now, just over the next hill. We can make camp at this nice spot by the sea, so you can get a nice view of the bay.” He smirked at her, pulling her up a small incline while doing so.

He let go of her hand so he could get a better view for a moment. “I'll be back in a second, I need to inspect the area. Take this.” He smiled at her before he rubbed one hand over her shoulder while taking off his back pack with the other. “Actually, I'll leave it here by the tree. Maybe you could try and find some food. Nothing much, I'll teach you to fish later.” He winked and dropped the bag by the foot of a large tree by them, towering over the others.

He turned his back to Dinah and began to climb the tree. He grunted slightly as he jumped up, grabbing onto a low branch. Ollie began to swing, pulling himself up before continuing his climb. Already he was around twenty feet high of the ground, but he gave a quick wave down to Dinah below, before looking back up with a quick sigh. There was no doubt that he was out of shape when it comes to climbing trees. Leaping up, he plunged his hand into one of the gaps in the tree, holding himself up with one arm as the other swayed by his side. That was a mistake, he was attempting to reach for the one above with his other hand. Either he was trying to show off or didn't realise how far away it was.

He swung to the left, standing upon a branch yet the jump knocked a few leaves down. With another deep breath, he turned back to the tree and began his ascent again. There wasn't much more to climb, only a few meters. The sunlight had began to bounce off his eyes as it crept through the canopy. Finally after a few minutes, he'd reached near enough the top for him to survey the area. The wind battered against his cheeks lightly, making his beard tickle his jaw. Oliver grinned as his eyes dotted around the land, inspecting the area. He was trying to guess upon how far they'd have to walk. There over by the cliffs, that's where they'd go. He'd decided to give Dinah a few minutes to forage for some food although it was more for his amusement, to see if she has the skills to find her own food.