At first she lies and says she can't sleep because Ollie is too hot to lay next to. The truth is that when Isla woke up in the earliest hours of the morning, she feels empty, like a piece of her is missing. A week and some change of her life is blurry, and it's not the first time it's happened to her. She sighs and rolls over to climb out of bed, taking his shirt from the floor to cover herself as she exits the bedroom quietly.

The wound on her shoulder still hurts and she has several weeks before she can get back to regular training and work. At this rate, she feels like that's too long and she itches to to be at the gym. Between she and Max, they had worked out new lesson plans so she could still be there to teach, but it's not the same. In her line of work being hands on is a necessity, and if she can't do what she's always done, she prefers to not do it at all. In the downstairs bathroom, she moves the collar of Ollie's shirt to the side to investigate her gunshot. It stings, and there are pieces of that night that she remembers clear as day. The rest is foggy and she falters, letting her anxiety get the best of her in that moment. How she put herself that close to harm's way, she doesn't understand. Perhaps it's best if it stays that way.

With fluid movements, Isla moves through the house as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Cyn, though she could still hear Connor's tv on when she passed his bedroom earlier. Now that she's far enough away, a light switch is finally flipped and she closes the door behind her as quietly as possible. In this spare room, she stashed a book full of notes. Each are dated and written in great detail so she doesn't forget. As Isla fished for the book, she sat down with it and flipped open the front cover.

January 8, 2015.

Yesterday you married the love of your life, but this morning when you woke up, it doesn't feel as new. Don't be alarmed, it's not a bad thing. You're Dinah Lance and he's Oliver Queen. You've been married for going on eight years, but you've never forgotten how it felt when things were still new. Hold onto that feeling forever, in this life and the other.

Some of these words mean nothing to her. The names are only familiar because they are names she knows from her everyday life. The rest of it doesn't jump out at her immediately as something that makes sense, but at the same time, she feels a wave of comfort wash over her. Isla has always said it felt like she and Ollie had been together much longer than they had been. Maybe there's some truth behind that feeling.

January 10, 2015.

Your bond to Elena is stronger than you think. When you told her she was the love of your life, and that it encompassed so much more than just a sisterly type of bond, you weren't wrong. She is your sister in arms, the person you would die for above all else. She was taken away from you and before you could put logical thought behind it, you began your war path. The man that took her will pay for it, and you will see to it that it happens soon. Don't ever take your friendship with her for granted, because together you're the strongest army of two and you're not afraid to start a war if it means her safety.

You have a gift. Use it. You're a living weapon, unrivaled because there's no one else like you. The years you've spent fighting will pay off, so don't forget your training, Siu Jerk Jai*.

A scribble below tells her that Siu Jerk Jai translates to "little bird." Isla recalls Larry using that nickname on her dozens of times, though the significance of it escapes her. As she flips the page and skims more notes, they alarm her.

January 12, 2015.

Does your shoulder hurt? It should. The night after Elena was taken, you went after Greg. He took her and put her life in danger. He's the one who could be your unraveling if he keeps this up. That gift you possess, your Canary Cry, got you that gunshot. You tried to kill him, but you felt justified in doing so. It shouldn't have surprised you that he brought a gun to a Canary fight, but the second the barrel hit your skin, you choked. He's a dirty fighter and deserves what he has coming for him. Before he tried to kill you, he told you that if he couldn't have you, no one could. Perhaps you should wait a while to tell Ollie that. He just got his arrows back and he's itching for a reason to use each and every one of them.

Below that one, there's a small reminder that she needed more fishnets. At first, she's confused, but she remembers finding a ripped pair in the laundry that morning that struck her as unusual.

The rest of the notes were rundowns of the week. Other than the first few days, nothing jumped off the page at her. The last notes she left herself were bittersweet.

January 18, 2015.

When this is all over, you're going to sleep for days. You're going to forget all of it, and these notes will be meaningless and confusing, no matter how detailed you make them. When this is all over, you and Oliver will escape for the weekend, get away from another exhausting and painful week together. Cherish every second you spend with him and remind him often that he is your everything. A love like that doesn't exist for everyone, but everything that has ever gone wrong in your life brought you straight to him, and that's where you belong. Don't forget that.

Don't forget me.

A lump forms in her throat, but Isla doesn't allow her emotions to take over. Every time she has seen similar sets of notes over the last several months, they have pieced together the parts of her week she seems to have forgotten. Turning the page, she begins to write a new note.

January 19, 2015.

My name is Dinah Lance and I'm a metahuman from Gotham City. I am married to Oliver Queen of Star City. I possess a sonic scream loud enough to break down walls, and strong enough to scramble the brains of my worst enemies. I am a leader. I am a fighter. I am Black Canary.

When she stops writing, Isla stares at the page blankly before tearing it out and crumpling it up. None of it made sense to her, she only rephrased what she had read through her notes. It had to be a dream, she decides, and without much consideration, she tucks the book away in the desk and leaves the room, turning the light off behind her as she enters the dark hallway.

By the time she arrives back to their room, Ollie has taken over most of the bed by taking his half out of the middle. She smiles and lifts his arm, sliding into bed and tucking herself against his warm body. Here, in this bedroom, she is Isla Greene. She is newlywed, and she is happy.