So I apologize for the vastly long wait. I've just finished with the finals for my program and they took up a considerable amount of time. However I have been dying to get back out there and start writing again.
So that everyone knows where I'm going moving forward, I'm cancelling my Arrowverse The Shadow War story to instead focus on Redemption on Earth 38 and this new story, which incorporates what I had previously planned for Shadow War and incorporating it here.
The premise of this story takes place shortly after Oliver's release from prison but instead of returning to vigilante work for the SCPD, Oliver retires with William hoping for a quiet life. However when the heroes of Earth's 1 and 38 start disappearing, Oliver is forced to don the hood again to find them and end a threat only he is capable of stopping.
For this story I haven't decided who Oliver will be pared with but I'm leaning towards someone from Earth 38 (Not Kara though I already have a Kara/Oliver story)
Arrowverse: The Exiles
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ivy Town
Oliver ran a top speed through the brush before reaching the end and exiting onto the street outside his place in Ivy Town. As he reached his place, he saw the school bus stop just a block. Out of the bus came William and one of his new friends chatting and laughing.
William smiled as he saw his dad. "Hey Dad. Sophia and I were gonna study for the math exam on Thursday."
Oliver refrained from smirking. "Study. Yeah right."
Oliver knew that William probably didn't need to study for this exam. Felicity had been right that William had a strong aptitude for math and Oliver knew that William only said they would be studying as an excuse to bring Sophia over to the house. "Alright go on inside you two. I'm cooking chicken for dinner tonight."
The two high schoolers ran inside and Oliver smiled. Since coming back from boarding school and transferring to a local one, Oliver and William had gotten closer. The two had spent many dinners speaking about their lives since coming to Ivy Town and many of the conversations had revolved back to William going on about this smart girl he met in class. From how he described her, Oliver knew he was smitten. Oliver could easily see the similarities between William and himself at that age. He remembered having gone on and on about Laurel during high school to his own mom just like William had done.
As Oliver got to work on his dinner, his eyes pasted a photo of himself, Felicity and William taken a few months before he went to prison. The photo reminded him of how Felicity wasn't here anymore.
After returning from prison, Oliver made it his first mission to reunite with his son, something Felicity was opposed to believing that they would be safer if he was out of Star City. Oliver had countered by offering to take them all out of Star City. Oliver hadn't really wanted to be back in the city that had taken so much from him. Plus he figured that this was the best chance for them to have a normal life and be a family.
However Felicity couldn't walk away. She was adamant that some nefarious plot was in the works in Star City and that she had to be there in order to stop it. Since that day he hadn't spoken to her.
As Oliver put the chicken in the oven, he heard a knock on the front door. Taking his SIG out of the holster, Oliver silently walked to the door until he caught glimpse of who was outside.
Opening the door, Oliver smiled when he saw John Diggle outside with a large military case in his hands. "I brought it." John said lifting up the case.
Oliver gestured his friend to enter. "I'm glad you were able to get it." Oliver opened the case to see his original Hood outfit and bow.
"What are you planning to do with it." Diggle asked.
"Wasn't sure exactly." Oliver said. "Figured I'd hang it up on a mannequin for Halloween."
Diggle chuckled at the thought. "That'd get you a visit from the HOA pretty quickly."
"Better them than the League of Assassins." Oliver joked back.
Diggle smiled as his friend's attitude. "It's good to see you in such good spirits. I was worried that coming here might make you stir crazy."
Oliver sighed. "I was a little jumpy at first but after a few months of silence I started to adjust. You know there is barely any crime here."
"I'm glad you're getting better here." Diggle admitted taking a seat on the couch. "I honestly never figured you for the retiring type."
"Dig I was ready to give this up after Ra's. I only came back because Laurel, Thea and Felicity insisted that I return. Speaking of which, any work from Thea?" Oliver asked.
Diggle pulled out a copy of the League map on his phone. "Nyssa called us to say that she, Roy and Thea found the last of the three Lazarus Pits. She said that once the last of Lazarus waters are gone and their certain Malcolm left them with no surprises, then they'll all be returning."
Oliver smiled at the news of being reunited with his sister and Roy again. Even Nyssa had begun to grow on him. "Anything new with Felicity?"
Diggle's smile dropped at her mention. "Oliver, Felicity left the team."
Oliver visibly recoiled. "What? When did this happen?"
"Only recently." Diggle answered. "She kept trying to convince everyone that some nefarious plot was in the workds but…"
"But no one believed her?" Oliver aksed.
"It's not that we didn't believe her." Diggle explained. "Felicity's usually right about these kinds of things. But when ARGUS or the SCPD tried to follow up on her leads they always lead nowhere. We tried to tell her that she was jumping at shadows but she wouldn't listen. Eventually she just packed up and left saying she was going to find out who was after her alone."
Oliver sighed. "Diaz told me that he tried to kill her while in WITSEC. Paranoia like that is hard to shake. We just need to be there for her when she's ready."
"I take it things are over between you." Diggle surmised.
"John she hasn't tried to contact me for months and this was before she went underground. If it wasn't over then it sure it now." Oliver admitted.
Diggle's phone then went off. "Yes… I'll be there."
"Urgent ARGUS mission?" Oliver theorized.
"Not sure yet. Lyla said to come to her office immediately. Apparently something's up." Diggle stood up. "Good to see you brother."
"Likewise. Come by anytime." Oliver smiled as he led John outside.
Once John was outside, Oliver took the case containing his old suit and brought it down to the basement. Once there, Oliver opened up a hidden compartment and placed the case inside next to enough combat equipment to supply a small army.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Earth 38 DEO HQ
"So let me get this straight." Kara said. "Oliver's out of prison now, He and his son moved to Ivy Town, Oliver's no longer the Green Arrow and he and Felicity aren't an item anymore?"
"That's the gist of it." Barry answered. "To be honest, I'm happy for him though. Last time I spoke with him he sounded pretty happy."
"Feel weird to not have a Green Arrow anymore?" Kara asked.
Barry shrugged. "A little. It'll be weird not hearing from his team or him as much anymore but I'm looking forward to still seeing them when we can."
"Oh! Is Oliver still coming to our annual crossover again?" Kara asked hopefully.
"He told me he'd only come if we promise no Nazi doppelgangers, body swapping or aliens, present company excluded of course." Barry joked causing Kara to laugh. "By the way, I love this new HQ you guys got here. It's so big! Much better than the facility out in the desert."
"Yeah I like it better myself." Kara admitted.
"I mean S.T.A.R. Labs is great, but this place is awesome!" Barry continued to gush causing Kara to continue giggling at her super friend.
"You gonna keep laughing all day?" Alex asked as she walked up to the two heroes.
Barry broke from his gushing and move to give Alex and hug. "It's good to see you Barry. What are you doing here anyway?"
"Well its only a week away from our annual heroes crossover week and I decided to come by and give Kara a play by play of everything she missed on Earth 1." Barry explained
Kara interjected. "Barry, Alex, you know we've always had the get together on Earth 1 and every time something happens."
"You saying our Earth is cursed?" Barry jokingly asked.
Kara and Alex both laughed. "Not exactly but this year I thought we'd stir things up a bit and have the party here on our Earth."
Both Barry and Alex looked at each with surprise. "That's… actually not a bad idea." Alex admitted. "I'm sure Lena would be amenable to finding us a nice party spot especially since you told her you were Supergirl."
"I'm just glad she was understanding and didn't flip out when I told her. I was actually surprised when she hugged me." Kara admitted.
Just then Alex's phone rang. "It's Lucy at the desert base." Alex answered the phone and walked away.
"Lucy, as in the same Lucy I met when I first got stuck here?" Barry asked.
"One in the same." Kara nodded. "Since she and James broke up she's spent most of her time running the desert base. I don't see her as much anymore."
"That's too bad. She seemed nice though if a bit stern." Barry said.
"That gives me an idea." Kara said before yelling to her sister. "Hey Alex! See if you can invite Lucy to the party!"
Alex gave Kara thumbs up as she continued to speak on the phone. "Anything else I missed happen on your Earth?" Kara asked Barry.
"I'll tell you everything else at the party next week." Barry replied as Alex approached.
"Can't wait!" Kara said giddily.
Alex then spoke. "Lucy said she'd come."
"Awesome!" Kara exclaimed. "We're getting the whole band together."
"It's gonna be one hell of a party." Barry smiled. "Well I should be getting back. I'll let everyone know that we're on for a party on Earth 38 next week."
"See you then." Kara said as Barry opened a breach and left for home.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ivy Town – One week later
It wasn't that Oliver didn't want to go to a party with all of his friends, it was just that since retiring as the Green Arrow, it felt weird to go to party celebrating everyone's heroics when he wasn't exactly that heroic anymore. Even if Sara has insisted that he come.
To be honest, Oliver didn't feel like much of a hero when compared to the heroes of Teams Flash, Legends and Supergirl. Sure Oliver was the original vigilante but they were all something else. Barry and Kara were not only much faster and stronger than him, but they'd both learned a lot from him and no doubt could take him if they wanted to. Add to the fact all the ridiculous and crazy enemies they'd fought over the past few years; demons, aliens, metahumans, time travelers when compared to Oliver's non-powered villains.
As he sat around, he mind drift back to a conversation he'd had with Sara in ARGUS prior to announcing his retirement.
Oliver sighed and brought his head into his hands. After a minute, he rose his head. "So how long have you been there?" He asked.
"Not long." Sara's voice rang throughout the cave as he emerged and took a seat next to his friend. "You ok Ollie?"
Oliver sighed. "Not feeling so great right now actually."
"You want to talk about it?" She asked.
Oliver grinned at the irony of it. "I think I've lost my edge."
Sara was confused. "Explain."
"We had a mission tonight." Oliver began. "We've been trying to take down the Longbow Hunters for weeks now and we finally found them. But it was trap. They ambushed us and nearly killed us."
"Not the first time an enemy's ambushed you." Sara said. "You'll get them eventually."
"We don't have to worry about that." Oliver grimaced. "They were taken into custody."
Sara smiled. "Well that's great news." However she noticed that Oliver's mood hadn't improved. "Isn't it?"
"Yeah… I mean it is good news." Oliver said. "But my team and I didn't do it. Flash and Supergirl took them out on a whim."
"World's changing." Sara said. "Isn't always easy to live in the new world. Half my team can do magic and another's taken the form of an old friend."
Oliver nodded. "That isn't even the worst part. Since getting out of prison, I've been distracted and tonight it almost got everyone killed. I keep feeling like I'm not cut out for this anymore."
"But you're the most experience hero out here." Sara said.
"But certainly not the most powerful. Barry will always be faster than me and Kara is practically invincible." Oliver countered.
"But you trained both of them" Sara countered back. "They wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."
"Sara the only thing that separated me from them was experience. But both of them have had powers for some time now and Barry's getting more experienced by the day. There's nothing more I can teach him that he doesn't know himself." Oliver sighed. "Not to mention I feel like my leadership skills have been lacking for a while."
Sara stood silent for a bit. "Sounds like you've been thinking about this for a while."
"Since last year." Oliver answered.
"What happened last year?" Sara asked.
"My team and I hit a rough patch. I learned that there was an informant for the FBI on my team and I spied on the team to find out that Rene was the spy. He did it to protect his daughter. However the decision to spy on the team split it. Dinah, Curtis and Rene all left and John quit shortly after. They all said that they had lost trust in me as a leader and it was hard to argue with them." Oliver explained.
"Ollie you've always done what you had to do to protect this city and the people in it." Sara fired back. "Maybe you made a bad call here and there. But you're not a bad leader because your team decided to abandon you. When you were with me, Roy and Felicity, you were a great leader. We all respected and trusted you even if we disagreed with you. Your team may have abandoned you, but they came back and I think that speaks volumes about the kind of leader you are."
Oliver nodded. "Maybe… But I can't shake this feeling that maybe it's time for me to move on. William has been through enough turmoil and so have I. Maybe… maybe it's time someone else took the lead on the hero game." Sara was surprised at this admission. "You really ready to give up the hood? For good this time?"
Oliver silently nodded. "Next to Barry and Kara, I'm not their kind of hero and I never will be. John has proven for months that he has the skill to be just as much of the Green Arrow I was. And Sara, you're a more inspirational leader than I am. Maybe it's time I stopped being the Green Arrow and instead spent more time discovering who Oliver Queen is supposed to be."
Sara put his hand on Oliver's shoulder as a sign of support. "If that's what you want, I'll support you."
Oliver smiled. "Thanks Sara."
Bringing his mind back to reality, Oliver sighed and picked himself up from his couch and make sure William had gone to sleep. Once he was sure, Oliver double-checked the door locks and alarm and got out his leather jacket and prepared for the long drive to Central City.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
L-Corp Penthouse
Once Lena had heard about the heroes' party, she'd graciously offered her penthouse for the party. It was lucky that she did because of how massive the event was going to be.
Most of the Earth 38 denizens including Lucy, James, J'onn, Alex and Brainy appeared first but soon after inter-dimensional portals opened heralding the arrival of the heroes of Earth 1. The first group to arrive was Team Flash. Ten minutes later came the Legends followed by the remnants of Team Arrow. Kara and Lena greeted each person as they entered the penthouse and got themselves something to drink.
"You weren't kidding when you said that this was going to be a huge party." Lena exclaimed.
"I did say there would be a lot of people." Kara.
"I guess I just didn't expect such a colorful cast of characters." Lena replied with a smile. "So remind me who everyone is."
Kara took a sip of her alderberan rum. "Ok so the group over by the bar all engaged in a drinking contest, those are the Legends. They're time travelers who protect history led by Sara Lance, the blonde whose winning the drinking contest."
Lena nodded taking a sip of her scotch. "Next?"
"The group over in the corner playing with your holographic tech, that's Team Flash led by Barry Allen, the one in the cardigan." Kara explained again taking another sip of her rum.
"And the group of leather jacket clad heroes that have been eyeing every exit since they came here?" Lena asked.
"Team Arrow, previously led by Oliver Queen who is… not here." Kara said as she tried to find the former Green Arrow. Kara then walked up to Barry. "Barry, have you seen Oliver yet?"
"I didn't see him come with his former team." Barry answered.
"What's going on?" Lucy ask as she approached the group having seen the worry on Kara's face.
"Oliver Queen, one of the Earth 1 heroes, hasn't shown up yet." Kara answered. "He did say he was coming right Barry?"
"I mean I did tell Sara to tell him we were having the get together here on your earth." Barry admitted.
"Tell Sara what?" Sara asked as she sauntered over to the group leaving behind her team, half of whom drunk off the mind at the bar.
"You told Oliver to come right?" Barry asked.
"I did and he said he was coming." Sara said.
"Maybe he's just late." Kara offered as a solution.
"Oliver Queen late to a party?" Barry scoffed. "That's a first."
"You know since coming back from Lian Yu Oliver's stopped being much of a party person." Sara admitted. "Maybe he just decided to stay home with his son instead."
"Should we go check on him?" Iris asked.
"I'll go." Sara said. "I'll have Gideon drop me off near his place when I get back.
As Sara prepared to activate her extrapolator, a fog started to cover the penthouse. Before anyone knew what happened, all hell broke lose.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ivy Town
Oliver hadn't even started the car when he heard a very loud crash from inside his house. Pulling his spare bow and arrows from the car, he rushed inside just in time to see a breach close inside his now destroyed living room, a living room with three unconscious people in it.
William quickly came rushing upstairs. "What's going on Dad?" He asked fear evident in his voice as he hugged his father.
Oliver slowly broke away from his son to investigate. There were three new inhabitants in his living room, two females and one male and they were all dressed in formal attire. All three of them were laid on the chest as if they'd dove to avoid something.
Flipping the male and the first female over, Oliver didn't recognize who they were. However he knew exact who the third person was, Alex Danvers.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I hope you all like the premise of this story. This idea came to my mind while rewatching some of the older seasons of the Arrowverse so I hope you all enjoy reading it as I did writing it.
As I mentioned before, I will be forcing most of my attention on this story and Redemption on Earth 38. But I may take a break to write an occasional one-shot if I think of a good one or someone gives me a suggestion.
One last thing, I am more than willing to allow the audience to help decide how they want this story or my others to go so feel free to comment suggestions.