Lessons Learnt

An: I don't own Arrow. For those of you that regularly read my stories, this one will be rated M.

Summary: After another particularly nasty fight with his father, Tommy Merlyn was ordered to fly to Switzerland. Not wanting to cave to his father's wishes, he decides to follow his best friend, Oliver Queen, and board the boat, The Queen's Gambit, to China. Tommy got a lot more than he bargained for and after five years away, he and Oliver have returned to discover things are vastly different from the way they left it. Olicity, Digg/Lyla, Roy/Thea and Tommy/Helena.

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

To the outside world there was much to envy about Tommy Merlyn. He was the son of a billionaire, with great looks and multiple women hanging off each arm. His best friend was Starling City's other playboy extraordinaire, Oliver Queen, and between the two of them, they got into endless trouble that they were never held accountable for. Anything Tommy wanted he got. One day he had a Mercedes, the next he had an Audi. It was no big deal to him. Party in New York one night then in Paris another. He seemingly lived a life on the go with not a care in the world.

The reality was life as Tommy Merlyn was not all it was cracked up to be. He hated his life. He lost his mother when he was eight and though his father was still alive, he lost him too. His father was completely consumed by his grief and he disappeared for two years leaving him in the care of his nannies. When his father returned he was a completely different man. Gone was the father that would read him bed time stories, the father that would smile at him, the father that made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. In his place was a cold bitter man that expected Tommy to fall in line. Malcolm Merlyn would continue to move in and out of Tommy's life over the next decade. It was the reason Tommy Merlyn was seen all over the country. He was trying to be as far away from the man as possible. The only constant in his life was his best friend Oliver Queen. It was his loyalty to Oliver that got him into trouble with his father again.

"Tommy, why on earth would the two of you think that bathing naked in the fountain in front of Starling City's Police Department was a good idea! Especially when Detective Lance, despises the two of you!" his father yelled.

"Dad," Tommy tried to defend himself.

"This is not good enough Thomas," his father spat at him.

Tommy looked away, he was never good enough for his father these days. Tommy felt a sharp pain across his face and he realised that his father had slapped him.

"You are to listen to me when I'm talking to you!" his father continued to yell.

Tommy was in shock. Despite all of his father's mean comments and threats to cut him off in the past, he had never ever hit him before.

"I do not want any further embarrassment. I have an important deal to close. I'm sending you to Switzerland. You used to love the lodge there when you were younger. I also believe there is a supermodel shoot going on nearby so you will be well entertained."

Malcolm presented Tommy with the first class ticket to Switzerland.

"What the screw-up is not allowed to use the private jet anymore," Tommy fired back acrimoniously.

Malcolm raised his finger and pointed it threateningly at Tommy, "Don't test me. I need the jet. First class is more than good enough for you. Try not to screw too many flight attendants while you're on board."

Tommy grabbed the tickets and headed straight to the waiting limo.

S-2

Tommy was supposed to go to the airport but when the car stopped at an intersection for a red light he jumped out. He made the driver pop the trunk and he grabbed the suitcase with his stuff that his father would have had packed for the trip. If his memory served him correctly the docks were 4 blocks away and Robert Queen's boat, Queen's Gambit, was setting sail in an hour. Oliver was supposed to accompany his father to China on the boat. Tommy had told him boats sucked but they sucked a lot less than doing Malcolm's bidding.

After a brisk walk and some close calls with a few homeless people, Tommy found Sara Lance on the dock. Tommy shook his head in disappointment. Oliver was about to make a colossal mistake and as his best friend it was his job to intervene. Tommy knew Oliver didn't want to move in with his girlfriend Laurel Lance, Sara's older sister, but cheating on her with her younger sister was not the way to go about convincing her to let the idea go.

"Sara this is a bad idea," he told the younger Lance. He would deal with her first and then Oliver later.

"Hardly, this is going to be the best time of my life," Sara responded.

"It would permanently ruin your relationship with your sister. Do you really want to be that girl on the soap opera that sleeps with everyone? Come on Sara, you're better than that. I know you love your sister," Tommy reasoned with her.

"Tommy, what Oliver and I choose to do with each other is none of your business," Sara fired back.

Running out of options, Tommy decided to go with the one thing that would convince her not to go, "I'll call your father. Even if you manage to set sail before he reaches here, he'll get the coast guard to drag you back. You really want that embarrassment. How do you think Robert Queen would take that delay in his business trip?"

"You don't fight fair Merlyn," Sara whined, stomping her foot on the pier.

"Guess I have learnt something from my father after all," Tommy said bitterly.

Tommy watched the younger Lance trudge away. He turned towards the beautiful luxury yacht that was floating innocently next to the dock. His father wanted him gone, he would do it on his own terms.

S-3

Oliver arrived with his father ten minutes before the boat was supposed to set sail. He headed straight to his cabin. If things had gone according to plan, a very naked Sara Lance would be waiting for him on his bed. His enthusiasm crashed to zero when he found his best friend lying flat on his back watching 'Girls Gone Wild'.

"Tommy what are you doing here?" Oliver said with barely concealed anger.

"Oh just preventing my best friend from making the biggest mistake of his life. I sent her home Ollie. I can't believe you though. Out of all the shitty things to do to Laurel, you want to cheat on her with her sister. Did you really think Laurel would not find out about Sara?"

"It doesn't matter what I was thinking. Please tell me you have two supermodels hiding somewhere in here?" Oliver asked.

"Nope," Tommy replied with a cheeky grin. "It's just us."

"Then you ruined my trip!" Oliver sulked.

Tommy shrugged. "I guess we have time to figure out your Laurel situation and which of us is better at Go Fish."

"I thought you said yacht's suck, why are you here?" Oliver asked.

"Another fight with my father, this one a bit more physical than the others," Tommy remarked drying pointing to his cheek which had a slight red tinge to it. "He thinks I'm off in Europe now. Can't wait to call him from China." Tommy smiled widely and picked up a glass of champagne next to him, "Champagne?"

"He hit you!" Oliver asked aghast.

Tommy shrugged, "Forget about it. I certainly will." He pulled out a deck of cards. "So who's dealing first?"

Oliver was totally telling the Captain to get them to China ASAP. This was probably going to be the worst two weeks of his life.

S-4

The following morning Robert Queen was seated at the breakfast table on the main deck when Tommy appeared. He was quite surprised to see him with Oliver.

"You look more surprised to see me than Oliver was?" Tommy commented dryly.

"I am. I was positive that my son would have snuck Laurel on board not his best friend," Robert stated calmly.

"You're not too far off that assumption," Tommy said only to be elbowed by Oliver.

Robert rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers, letting his index fingers rest against the bottom of his chin. That posture was never a good sign. "This could be very interesting. Sort of an extended version of the first hockey match I took the both of you to," Robert said sounding oddly happy.

Oliver and Tommy looked at each other. Something was up.

"I'm not scrubbing the deck," Tommy blurted out.

Robert gave them a large smile, "I brought on board a lot of reading material about the company I'm going to do business with in China. I think perhaps the two of you might read and summarise the material for me. It would be great business experience for you especially in light of the fact that neither of you seem to be able to stay in college long enough to complete one term."

"What? I thought we could just play Go Fish?" Tommy whined.

"How about we actually learn to fish instead? The Captain promised to teach me to use a fishing rod," Robert said rising from the breakfast table and walking across the cabin to a pile of boxes secured on the port side. He opened the box and pulled out two large black ringed binders. He placed one in front of Tommy and the other in front of Oliver, "Your assignments for today. I expect my summaries before dinner."

Both boys groaned. "Dad this isn't what I had in mind for my trip."

"I can always throw the dead weight overboard," Robert threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Oliver protested.

"Who would know?" Robert countered looking out the windows of the cabin. There was no sign of land or another boat for as far as they could see.

Tommy opened his binder and started reading.

S-5

They were one week into their journey. It had been going better than expected. Tommy was in the main cabin reading an article that Robert had given him about the factories in China.

"Tommy," Robert said disturbing him.

"I'm almost finished Mr. Q," Tommy said affectionately.

"Take your time, I wanted to talk to you about something else," Robert taking a seat opposite the young Merlyn.

Tommy looked up, "Where's Oliver?"

"He caught something big on his fishing rod. It could take hours to reel it in, assuming it doesn't break the line," Robert said.

"You wanted to speak to me without Oliver," Tommy guessed.

"I wanted to talk to you about your father Tommy," Robert explained with a serious face.

Tommy tensed immediately. He didn't like talking about his father at all. He instinctively clenched his fists.

"I know things have been difficult," Robert started.

"Difficult is putting it mildly. This entire China deal of yours is nowhere near as difficult as my father is," Tommy said spitefully.

"Your mother's death hit him hard Tommy," Robert reminded him. "It fundamentally changed who he was as a person. He let his grief completely devour him until everything that Rebecca had loved about him disappeared. Your father died with your mother. I'm sorry he wasn't strong enough to be the father you deserved but he does love you in his own way," Robert said.

Tommy snorted in disbelief. The only thing that man loved was Merlyn Global. When his father returned from wherever it was that he went to mourn he poured all of his time into the company. "I doubt that," Tommy replied.

"He does Tommy. Everything he is doing right now, is to protect you. All of his projects are to make sure you're safe and that what happened to Rebecca will never happen again," Robert insisted. "I may not see eye to eye with him on the way he's going about getting change in our society but I can't deny that a change is needed. Someone has to stand up and do the right thing."

Tommy looked Robert straight in his eyes, "That will never be my father."

Robert sighed, "Maybe one day you'll understand."

Tommy looked out the window at the vast Pacific Ocean. There were no boats in sight. Just the white caps and ocean spray. Nearby a fish jumped out of the water followed by a much larger fish which swallowed it straight in its mouth. His father didn't love him. His father was like that big fish, swallowing everything good Tommy had in his life.

S-6

Tommy was in Oliver's cabin with a deck of cards. This might be the thousandth game of Go Fish they were playing.

"I could be getting laid at this moment but instead I'm playing Go Fish with my best friend," Oliver whined for what must have been the thousandth time.

"I'm positive you will thank me in the future for saving your relationship with Laurel," Tommy said to him. "I expect to be the best man at your wedding."

"Wedding? How can I marry Laurel? You have no idea what sex with Sara is like. She's willing to do so many things that Laurel isn't!" Oliver told him. "I'm sure at this very moment, she could have be coming up with something innovate to do that included a bottle of champagne."

"Just look on the bright side, the Captain said that because we're pushing the boat a bit faster than usual we are ahead of schedule. If we were where we were supposed to be we would have been caught in that storm," Tommy reasoned.

"This boat can handle that storm," Oliver replied.

"I suppose so but I should probably get some sleep. Your dad wants me to read last year's financial reports and look for anything that company may be hiding," Tommy said.

Oliver looked at his best friend, "You're enjoying this?"

"It's not as hard as I thought it would be. Or maybe it's just easier without the weight of my father's expectations on my back," Tommy said before changing the subject, "You really took to fishing with your father," he pointed out.

Oliver nodded, "We were both on even ground when we started learning. It's kind of nice to actually be better at something than him."

"And I'm sure you enjoyed it when the Captain yelled at your father for getting his fishing line wrapped around the propeller of the boat!" Tommy said standing up

"That was brilliant! The best moment of my life thus far," Oliver said.

"Your father's face was priceless," Tommy admitted.

Both guys laughed. "I suppose it hasn't been that bad," Oliver admitted.

"I suppose so. I'll see you tomorrow morning," Tommy said closing the door.

Oliver leaned back on his bed. His father had him reviewing QC's costs to run factories in the States. It wasn't as hard as his college classes had been. He didn't know if it was because his father was teaching him or if it was because he was actually sober and paying attention. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the boat and Oliver was thrown from his bed as the boat listed quickly to one side. Water started pooling into this room. Things happened swiftly after that. One moment he was fighting against the water to get to his cabin door and up to the main deck and the next, he was in the water watching the Gambit go down. A life raft with his father, Tommy and The Captain spotted him and he was pulled into it with them.

The sun dawned bright the next morning. There was no sight of land or boats that could help them. A count of their supplies revealed only six water bottles and two granola bars. They were just beginning to realise how much trouble they were really in.

"I agree Tommy, yachts suck," Oliver said as he looked hopelessly out at the flat horizon.

An: That's the first chapter. Thanks for reading. In terms of an updating schedule. There is none at the moment.