Star City, located alongside the west coast in Washington State, founded by Colonel Jeb Star in 1797, and is currently home to a population of around 5 million people.

It is certainly one of the most unique and beautiful cities ever, but not one with the best reputation, unfortunately. In recent years, it's become known for not only its rise in violent crimes, but also for its social and rich vs. poor issues. The criminal element has almost become similar to that of Gotham City, which is bad enough, but something even worse lies beneath the surface.

Today, at K-Star News Station an interview for a very special young lady is being hosted.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! I'm Jane Woods of K-Star News, and joining us today is Australian actress and world-renowned producer of film Margot Robbie. Ms. Robbie, thank you so much for joining us."

The two women shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to be here; but please, call me Margot." She smiled with politeness and honesty.

"Well, Margot, the reason we have brought you here is to talk about you stepping more into your role as a producer; or perhaps, I should say activist."

Margot lightly giggled before she continued.

"Rumor has it you've turned down some mighty big Hollywood roles to pursue this new project of yours. My question is, what has driven you to take on such a project that allegedly exploits the harsher realities in Star City?"

"It's because I love this city. This is where my family lived when we moved to America. It was one of the best places to live in, filled with endless possibilities. Now, as much as it pains me to say this, it's been brought to the point where some are even comparing it to Gotham City's levels of crime and corruption. This city does not deserve to be treated in such a way. I want it to be for other children what it was for me. I want other people to be inspired to take the same stand that me and others have; and the only way that can be accomplished is if other people see what this city has endured with their own eyes."

"What a bold and important stand of you to take. Do you feel confident in what this new documentary will accomplish?"

"Absolutely," she nodded without a hint of doubt. "The group of individuals I am working with are just as driven, amazing people, and I know many of Star City's citizens will be willing and ready for everyone to hear their voice."

"That brings me to my next question. I want to talk about these other people involved. Now, it's my understanding you won't have any ounce of screen time in this film, not even as the narrator?"

"That's correct. My role in this will be strictly behind the scenes. It's not about me, it's about this city; and I don't want any of the focus in this."

"And the one who will be narrating this feature will be your friend, famed public speaker, and mayoral candidate, Nick Aldis. Is that correct?"

"Yes, he's a great friend to me, along with his partner and future Deputy Mayor, Nicholas Nemeth; and they're both just as passionate about this film as the rest of us," she smiled with pride and glee.

"Sounds like a great addition to your project, but you know I have to ask this. If I don't, somebody else will. Are they truly doing this for the betterment of the people, or is this just really a fancy campaign tactic?"

Margot saw this coming and was happy to answer.

"Everything they do is for everyone. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. The whole purpose of their run for Mayor and Deputy Mayor is because people need them, and this documentary will prove it as well."

"And that concludes our interview for today. Thank you so much again for your time. It was a huge honor," Jane said with a final handshake.

"Thanks again for having me," she smiled back.

"Best of luck to you and Mr. Nemeth and now back to you, Stuart."

The feed cuts to the main newscaster as he has a stunned expression displayed.

"Thankyou Jane and just in the nick of time as we have just received a shocking bulletin! After 3 long years, it has just been confirmed that Benjamin McFarland is alive and well and on his way home!"

X

As stated, Benjamin has finally returned home after 3 long years. He stood in a private waiting room, staring out the glass wall as a number of reporters and paparazzi on the ground level outside were talking about and attempting to get a good shot of him. Ben's attention was focused solely on the city, however, welcoming the familiarity of it. It has been too long since he has seen the beautiful sight of his hometown; and yet, it also seemed so different, almost foreign to him.

Nevertheless, it was good to have finally made it back.

His attention is grabbed when he hears the door opening, revealing the faces of the family he hasn't seen in so long. Julie, his mother, was the first to walk in, gasping at not only the mere sight of him, but also by how different he looked.

She walks straight up to him, eyes full of tears, while Benjamin meets her halfway.

"Oh my baby boy!" She cries as they embrace each other for the first time in far too long.

They hugged tightly, but Ben was careful not to hug too hard. When they pulled apart, Julie cupped her son's face with both hands, as if checking to ensure it was really him, that he was here, alive and well.

"You're here!" She cried again.

"I'm here, mom. It's really me," he assured, eyes welling up as well. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, honey," she almost laughed from joy as she hugged him again, placing a big kiss on his cheek.

He glanced up from her shoulder to see another face he had longed to see again, his sister Racheal.

"My God, you've grown up even more now," he stated and she laughed through tears of her own.

"So have you."

He separated from his mother and held out his arms for his sister.

"Get in here, Speedy!"

She literally runs to him like an excited child and nearly tackles him. Benjamin laughs as he gives her a tight squeeze. Somehow, she squeezes even tighter than he can. They've always been super close, so this was no surprise. She cries into his shoulder for a moment as he rocks her a little.

"Well, it's nice to know you haven't lost your grip," he mentions and she giggles again.

"And it's nice to know your skinny ass finally put on some muscle," she replied before pulling away. "What'd they have to eat on that island?"

"You'd be surprised, and making a little makeshift gym helps pass a lot of time, too," he smiled and she laughs.

Then finally, his brother Tommy walks up, having let Racheal go first to have her moment with him. Now, he is reuniting with his little brother and best pal, who has looked up to him his whole life.

"Wow, your eyes are red," Ben noted. "That's a very unfamiliar sight."

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts," he smirked before they shared their handshake and then a hug. "Wow, she wasn't kidding," he added after feeling the muscle in his back and shoulders. "I guess we can't call you Bowstring anymore."

Everyone laughed from that remark.

"Welcome home, son," Julie smiled.

"Thank you, it's great to be back, especially with all of you here. Now, let's go home," Ben happily stated.

"Let's do that," Tommy nodded.

As they approached the exit, Benjamin took notice of the large, heavy built gentleman in a suit that had accompanied his family.

"Woah, and who's this?"

"This is Blake Duncan, our head of security," Julie answered.

"He's been with us for a long while now and he's really cool. You'll like him," Tommy added.

Benjamin smiled and held out his hand for the big man to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Blake."

"You too, and welcome home, sir," he politely responded and Benjamin almost laughed.

"Thanks, but please don't call me 'sir.' Just Ben or Benjamin will suffice."

"Roger that," he nodded with a smile and began leading the family out.

They exited the airport and had to make their way through the number of reporters and photographers looking to get a good shot, as well as ask him a whole bunch of questions.

"Nothing like a warm welcoming," Benjamin commented and his siblings laughed.

They made it to their shared limousine before Blake opened the door, sheltering them from their spotlight as they entered one by one. Blake then enters the driver's seat and begins their transport. During the ride, Benjamin mentioned how crazy it was to be back in a city, let alone his home city, after being stuck on foreign land for so long. This led to him telling them of his experience on the island with all its challenges. It was amazing for them to hear about how he survived, never imagining he could make it through something like that before. They also did their best to make him feel better for some of the things he had to do that he hated and regretted, especially Racheal. Of course, he left out the part about the time he had spent off of the island, particularly everything that had to do with China White and her triad.

Fifteen minutes later, they had arrived at their family mansion. It was located outside of Star City and surrounded by meadows and trees. It was almost like their own castle, and it was beautiful. Upon exiting the car, Benjamin took a moment to just admire his old home, the home of his father, and the home he had finally returned to. It looked no different than the last time he had seen it. He entered the home with his family and the welcoming sense of familiarity was almost overwhelming. It was great to be back, it just also felt different almost. Perhaps, more so because he was now different. He was given an escort to his room by his mother and was pleased to find out nothing had changed. Everything was kept the way it was and kept clean for his return. It was great to know as one of his worries was that his stuff would have been given away. His mother left him to be alone so he could get used to being home, which he really needed. He sat on the edge of his bed in silence, taking everything in as best as he could. It was hard to believe it's been three years since he's been in this room. It was almost incomprehensible. This room was once his solace, his comfort zone, his place of sanctuary; and now, it was becoming his place of reestablishment in some ways, reintroducing him to his lifelong home. As long as he has lived here, never has he ever spent so much time in this room doing nothing except sitting in silence.

Later on, it was dinnertime. Benjamin returned downstairs to catch a most familiar smell, one he had dearly missed. He entered the kitchen to see Julie and Racheal cooking together, which was always their special thing, and could already tell what they were making: Shrimp Pasta with Alfredo sauce.

"Mmm, one of my favorites," he mentioned and they turned to smile at him.

"We figured this would be a nice welcome home treat for you," Julie stated proudly.

"That it is. Honestly, I think y'alls cooking is what I missed most while on the island." Both mother and daughter laughed. "Is it just us, or will anyone else be joining?"

"Actually, I hope you don't mind, but a couple of gentlemen wanted to at least stop by and say hi. If you don't want them to stay for dinner, it's OK," his mother answered.

"Lemme guess, the two Walt's?" Julie nodded. "Yea, I don't mind," he smiled.

"Are you sure?" She checked.

"Of course," he nodded.

Not long afterward, the doorbell sounded, signaling the arrival of the two guests. Benjamin, Tommy, and Julie went to the front door to welcome the gentlemen who would be joining them:

Walter Emerson

And Walter Steele

Or the two Walt's as everyone likes to call them. They have been two of the dearest family friends and most trusted colleagues to Benjamin's parents for as long as they've had their company.

They entered the premises and each shared a hug with Mrs. McFarland. Then, they shook hands with Tommy before laying eyes on Benjamin.

"Here he is!" Emerson grinned. "Welcome home, young sir!"

Benjamin giggled as they shook hands.

"It's good to see you too, Walt, and same for you." He shook hands with the other Walt.

"Welcome home, master Ben," he kindly replied, having called him that since he was little.

Ben always loved that nickname.

"Thanks. How have you two been? And how's business going?"

"Going alright," Emerson replied, although he seemed nervous about his response, especially with how both of them glanced back at Julie. "We've done our best to keep things going, especially in honor of your father."

Benjamin was flattered by that statement and glad to hear it.

"I hope this isn't too soon, but Emerson is the one who stepped up as Chairman and CEO after the incident," Steele informed. "He's done a fine job of honoring your father's work."

"Well, I know he would've appreciated that a lot," Ben smiled with gratitude. "He never had anything bad to say about either of you."

Both Walt's smiled in return.

Now, everyone was at the dining room table and enjoying the lovely meal made by Julie and Racheal. Benjamin sat in between his two siblings while his mother and the two Walt's sat across from them. This dish, in particular, really made it feel like home here. As they ate, they chatted about whatever they could and whatever came to mind. Mainly, it was Benjamin hearing stories about some of what they've been doing the past few years. He loved to hear about it all as he had wondered that often while he was away. As they ate, Ben couldn't help but glance over at the head of the table, where his father used to sit. Even after three years of not being in this house, nor his father being alive, he still instinctively thought he would be there. It was almost like he could feel his presence there. His family took notice of this, in spite of his attempts to not alarm them, and tried to distract him as best as they could.

"How is it?" Julie asked, gesturing to the food.

"Magnificent. You two always nail this dish," he smirked and the ladies giggled.

"By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I got tomorrow off so we could have a day to ourselves," Tommy revealed.

"Sounds great!" Ben grinned. "Just me and you, or will she..." He nodded towards Racheal.

"Well, that depends on whether or not she gets called away by her fancy new job."

Ben shot up his eyebrows and turned to his sister with a curious grin.

"What's he talking about?"

Last time he was here, Racheal was still working in the family business, but was also going to school for some other stuff.

"I'm actually an intern at a law office right now," she bashfully smiled.

"What?!" He scoffed in excitement. "That's awesome! What office is it?"

"It's called City Necessary Resources Initiative, or CNRI for short. It provides legal aid to people with low income."

That was no surprise. Racheal was always a "care for the little guy" type of person. Plus, she had always considered doing a job where she could take on people like her birth family and this seemed like a perfect way to do so.

"That's amazing! I'm honestly really proud of you," Ben stated and she blushed.

"Thank you, I've been wanting to tell you about that and see what you think."

"I love it. It suits you, being little miss crusader and all that." She giggled again.

"But anyway, I would love to join, but it depends on if I get called or not," she noted.

"I understand. Working on any big cases?" Ben asked.

"Yea, a civil suit against this rich prick who enjoys screwing with poor people," she sighed. "It hasn't been easy, but I know we'll get him."

"I'm certain of it," Benjamin nodded before turning to his mother. "I've also been wanting to ask, do we still have that little warehouse that dad kept for me to practice in?"

"You mean your Arrow Cave?"

Benjamin laughed.

"Yes, the Arrow Cave."

"Yea, we still have it. Why?"

Benjamin shrugs.

"I wanna turn it into something I can still use, give me a way to keep it alive while doing something important."

Julie grew impressed by that, loving his commitment to that special place.

"Alright, it's all yours. We haven't used it for anything anyway."

Benjamin smiled gladly, especially given what he was planning for his Arrow Cave.

"Also, I know this might be a little early, but I was wondering if at some point, I could come by the office and... maybe seek out a position there?"

That honestly shocked those at the table. This was the first time in his whole life Benjamin had shown any sort of interest in joining the company. He has always loved what the company does. His interests and passions have just always been elsewhere.

"Really?" Julie asked and her son nodded sincerely. "Why now?"

Benjamin did his best to answer.

"Let's just say I have a lot of new goals that can be accomplished through there. That, and I just wanna do more for others, which is what the Industries is known for, its services for others."

The expressions of everyone at the table remained the same. They knew he would likely be different after the experience he had, but this caught them quite off guard. Strangely, they didn't seem as happy or as excited as Benjamin had imagined. Instead, they seemed hesitant, nervous about something. Not in the sense that they didn't want him there, just that he picked a bad time to bring this up somehow.

"Um, we'll discuss this later. Right now, we just want you to get used to being back home and enjoy being back here," Julie answered, but Benjamin could tell there was more to it.

Whatever it was, he figured it would be wise not to press right now.

"Just wanted to bring it up, that's all," he stated with a nod.

The rest of the dinner went by smoothly. Everyone felt nothing but joy to be back together. Once it was over, Emerson and Steele left and everyone wished Ben goodnight before he returned to his room. Once up there, he took out the phone he had kept with him all along and texted the address of the "Arrow Cave" to a particular number. After that, he chose to go straight to bed, having grown tired after such a long day.

As he lied on his bed, sleep was not finding him easily. This was no longer the sleeping environment he was used to. It would take some time before he would get reused to it. Until then, all he could do was toss and turn and hope he would pass out soon.

However, things started to get better when he heard the door open. He smiled as he already knew who it was. She used to do this all the time, especially when they were little. She crawled into the bed and snaked her arms around him before Benjamin turned to hold his sister close to him. They held each other tightly while she buried her face into his chest. Benjamin gently rubbed her back like he used to, helping her to relax, along with himself, as this started to feel like home again.

"I knew you were alive," she whispered. "All this time, I just knew."

Benjamin's smile grew before he placed a kiss on her temple. Indeed, he was alive and he was back forever.

(A/N: And so begins Arc 2! Hope y'all are enjoying the characters so far. Next chapter will set things up a little further and maybe even introduce some other characters.

Stick around and see and lemme know ur thoughts on this chapter. Take care! Love y'all!)