Hi everybody!

This is my first Arrow fanfic/oneshot. I never accepted Moira's death. I wanted to see more of her. So I decided to alter 'a bit' the end of episode 2x20.

Hope you will like it.

My salvation

After what happened at the Verdant, Moira, Thea and Oliver got in the car to go home. They silently sat on the back seat of their limo. Oliver sat next to her and Thea was in front of them. None of them said anything, they just watched out of their respective car windows. Moira wasn't in the right mood to talk but Thea decided to break the silence and she said 'You knew about Roy..'. Oliver and her turned to her.

'What?' Oliver asked.

'That's why you had your bodyguard stalking me. Somehow you knew what was going on with him' she continued. Moira was watching her daughter without saying anything as she was talking with Oliver which sighed loudly.

'I'm just trying to protect you' he said with a calm tone of voice. Moira knew that tone, he lied to her for two years but still she'd figured out his secret. She knew that Oliver wanted to protect her, she'd tried too, by not telling her that her real father was Malcolm Merlyn. It wasn't safe for her to know that, she thought.

'By not telling me the truth..' she said right away. She'd been hurt, from both of them. They lied to her, repeatedly. 'Just like with Malcolm Merlyn'. Moira slightly turned to Oliver. 'You know, the two of you.. you think you're protecting me by lying and by keeping secrets, but that's what's actually hurting me'. The silence filled the car again. She felt guilty for all the lies she'd told to her daughter. Back then she'd thought it was the right thing, the only way, but she realized that she couldn't be more wrong.

'You're absolutely right' she said watching straight to her daughter. 'We need to turn a new page..'

'It's not going to be that simple.. or easy' Thea said interrupting her.

'I know. If the truth were easy for me, we wouldn't be in this situation' she said trying to fix what'd been badly damaged. 'But.. to start.. there's something about Malcolm that both you and Oliver need to know..'. They both turned to her. She felt the pressure of their looks on her but it was the moment to tell the truth. If she really wanted to have a fresh start with her children she had to tell them everything. She wondered what was the right way to start but there was only one. 'Malcolm..' she started. Is alive, she thought but she hadn't enough time to say it. A bright light illuminated the car from Oliver's side. They all turned and in less than few seconds a car crushed into the limo. Moira hit her head against the car window badly.

She woke up in the woods. Someone grabbed her shoulders and put her on her knees, in that moment she realized her hands were tied behind her back. She was freezing. Thea was crying next to her, her hands were tied as well. Moira looked up to see the man that rose her up and recognized him. Wilson Slade, she thought. That man walked over and stopped right behind her, so in that moment she saw Oliver laying at the ground with a scar on his forehead. 'Oliver? Oliver?' she said with a broken voice, hoping her son would open his eyes. The moment he opened them, she didn't have enough time to ask him if he was alright because Slade Wilson spoke up.

'I was dead the last time you were offered this choice' he said reaching her.

'Slade..' Oliver said with a tone of voice full of pain. He rose his back as Thea asked what was happening.

'I often wonder how you looked when he pointed the gun at Shado.. and took her from me'. The deep tone of voice of Slade was shocking. He lowered himself between Moira and Oliver, watching straight in his eyes. She was wondering what he was talking about, but she realized that it was something that happened between them in the past.

'You psychopath' started Oliver, 'Shado.. Shado wasn't yours!'.

'No, she was yours.. until you chose another woman over her' he said.

'That's not what happened!' Oliver said with an angry tone.

'It is what happened! It is!' Slade said raising his voice. He stood up and shouted 'She told me!' pointing something behind them that Moira couldn't see.

'What do you mean, she? There's nobody there!'. Moira was trying put up all the pieces.

'Slade..' she said looking up to him, 'You were on the island with Oliver?'. She was looking straight to her son, waiting for some answers. She'd allowed that man to walk in her house, she'd showed him all the rooms and she hadn't realized anything.

'I thought I had known true despair..' Slade started. She turned to him and he started getting closer saying '..until I met your son'. She was terrified. 'I trusted him to make the right choice'.

'Let me make the right choice now. Kill me' Oliver said.

'No!' Moira said right away. Thea said the same thing. She lost so many things in her life, but she couldn't bear to lose her son.

'Choose me, please!'. The only word that was coming out of her mouth was no. She didn't know what to say.

'I am killing you, Oliver..' Slade said walking behind her and Thea until he stopped in the middle of them, 'Only more slowly than you would like'. She was watching at her son but she saw out of the corner of her eye that he had a gun in his hand.

'Don't' Oliver said.

'Choose'. She lowered her head, crying. When she turned, he moved his arm and pointed the gun at Thea's head. She was crying. See her daughter's life threatened by that man was killing her.

'I swear to God, I am going to kill you!' Oliver said with an angry tone. Slade didn't care anything of his words. 'No! NO!' he shouted.

'No..' Moira said standing up. She knew she had to do something.

'Mom..' Oliver said watching at her, 'Mom, what are you doing?'.

'There's only one way this night can end..' she started watching straight to him with a broken voice. She turned around to face that man that was threatening her family. If I have to die, I wanna see that man in the eye. 'And we both know that. Don't we, Mr. Wilson?'. He wasn't looking at her.

'Mom, please don't!' Oliver said behind her.

'Both my children will live' she said and finally Slade had the guts to watch at her.

'Mom! What are you doing?' Thea asked her. Hear her baby girl like that was so painful.

'Thea, I love you' she said with a broken voice. She knew she would've never had the chance to make up with her. She would've never had the chance to explain her the entire truth. Or have second chance. Those words were the only ones she said, even if she thought they weren't enough. 'Remember what I told you, Oliver'.

I could not be more proud, she though.

Then Slade rose the gun, pointing it at her face. 'Close your eyes, baby!' she said hoping with all her heart that she did it.

'NO!'.

Slade was watching straight in her eyes. 'You're sacrificing yourself for a daughter that doesn't trust you anymore and a son who..' he stopped to look behind her, to Oliver, 'who uses a mask to cover his face. But you know that, don't you?' he asked watching back at her.

'What?' Thea asked. She reminded herself that it wasn't the right moment to answer that question, and that she wasn't the right person to tell her.

'I know exactly what you're talking about but..' she took a deep breathe, 'but there's nothing I wouldn't do for my children'. She could feel every bone in her body freezing and trembling. 'I've made so many mistakes and they have every right to hate me, even.. despise me but I love them. They are all I have and I won't let you hurt them' she said flatly, watching straight to him.

'You possess true courage' he said getting closer but lowering the gun and put it back in his coat. She felt relieved for a moment, but she also knew that it wasn't over. 'I am truly sorry..' he said lowering his head before to turn around.

'What?' she barely asked.

He took few steps away from her but he stopped to stare into the darkness of the woods. 'No! You died because of him. He has to suffer the way he made me suffer' he whispered to no one. When he turned back to Moira he had the gun back in his hand. She stopped breathing. When he supposed to pull the trigger something hit the gun and his hand. The weapon dropped at the ground, far away from him. She tried to focus on his hand and she saw an arrow. Moira turned to her left and she saw the last person on earth she ever imagine to see there.

'Stay away from her!' Malcolm said before to shoot three arrows on roll against Slade, then he started to walk over them. He grabbed the first one with the other hand, but the last two hit his chest.

'What the hell..?' Oliver said.

'That's all you can do?' Slade asked with a smile on his face.

'Just wait and see..' Malcolm said with the tone of voice that Moira knew really well. The one that he always used when he was sure of what he was doing. The arrow in his hand exploded. Slade cursed throwing the rest of the arrow at the ground. Malcolm got closer saying 'There's a reason why they called me The Magician! Sleep tight..' before to punch him in the face.

Slade Wilson fell at the ground right in front of Moira. She was so shocked that she couldn't figure out what shocked her the most: that Mr. Wilson was so close to shoot her in front of her children or that Malcolm Merlyn just saved her life.

'M-Malcolm.. you..' she said watching at him walking over her and released her hands. She didn't know what to say.

'You're welcome' he said before to cut the rope that kept Thea's hands tied, then Oliver's.

'You're alive!' Thea said with a shocked tone. Malcolm nodded without saying anything.

Oliver checked on Slade. 'How.. did you..' he tried to ask pointing the body at the ground.

'A lethal dose of a rare sleeping pills..' he said before to turn to him, 'well, not that lethal apparently. Let's go before he wakes up'.

'I'm not going anywhere with you' Oliver said with a rude tone of voice.

'Oliver!' Moira said turning to him. They stared at each other without saying anything then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and nodded unwillingly.

Malcolm was waiting in the hallway right outside Moira's bedroom. Somehow she convinced Oliver to let him stay for a while. He was thinking of all that happened that night. Just a minute later and she would've been dead. He'd been following Oliver's tracks and he was glad he did or Moira would've been dead.

The sound of the door brought him back to reality, Oliver got out of his mother's room and walked over him. 'How is she?' he asked. He didn't get any answer so when Oliver walked next to him he grabbed his arm and stopped him. 'How's Moira?'.

He turned and watched at him. Malcolm could see the anger growing in his eyes. 'She's fine.. Now give me one reason why I shouldn't finish what I started on that roof that night and kill you once and for all!' he moved his arm fast so Malcolm loosed the grip.

'Because she would be dead, if I didn't come in time' he said watching straight to him.

'You're a monster! Just because you saved her life doesn't mean you're a better man or that you've changed..' Oliver said, 'People.. innocent people died during the Undertaking including Tommy..'

'Don't you think I know it?!' he said interrupting him, 'I lost my son that night. Did you forget that?!'.

'Then think about..' Oliver started but he stopped as the door opened. Malcolm turned and saw Thea walking out of the bedroom.

'Good, you're still here..' she said with a pissed tone, 'She wants to talk to you!'. She walked over them and downstairs as fast as she could.

'So start thinking about the consequences of your own actions' Oliver took the chance to finish his sentence. Malcolm just stayed there, without saying anything else. He heard him walking away, so when he was finally alone in the hallway, he started walking towards the bedroom.

The door was slightly open but he still knocked.

'Come in' Moira said. He opened it slowly and walked in, closing the door behind him. She was sat on the edge of the bed right in front of him, with her hair still wet after the shower she had. He took few steps over her.

'H-how do you feel?' he asked.

'I've been better' she said with a cold tone of voice. He smiled and lowered his head. There were few things he wanted to tell her but he thought it wasn't the right moment. 'Why did you do that?'.

'You mean, saving your life?' he asked watching back at her. She nodded her head waiting for his reply. 'I was following Oliver but when I saw that man pointing his gun to Thea's head then yours.. I had to do something..' he said lowering his head. He couldn't explain why he was emotionally conflicted. Thea was his daughter so he wanted to keep her safe, but Moira?. 'I.. I caused you so many problems and I realized you didn't deserved any of them. But I'm glad you're fine now..'.

He was already turning around when she stood up and said, 'Malcolm, wait!'. She took a moment before to continue. 'You saved my life and Thea's tonight. If it wasn't for you, my body would lie at the ground with a bullet in my chest. I just wanna.. thank you' she said behind him. Something inside him was changing. He never thought at Moira in that way.

We slept together that night, but this feeling? he thought. He couldn't give to himself a proper answer to that question.

'Moira, I told you..' he said turning to her and noticed that she got closer, 'I.. I had to'. The black nightgown with lace was covering her till her feet, the belt was emphasized her slim waist. He took a look at her, speechless.

'What?'

'Nothing..' he said smiling at her. 'That night we slept together, it was a mistake but.. something is changed'. She moved her face trying to say something but he didn't let her. 'I know. What happened tonight doesn't change what you think about me. It's ok..' he said looking away.

'That wasn't exactly what I was gonna say..' she said.

He looked back at her and she smiled. He needed a moment to realize what she wanted to say with those words but when he eventually did he smiled too. Malcolm took few steps towards her and rose his hand to caress her face so she moved her arms around his shoulders with a quick gesture before he pressed his lips against hers.

The sweet taste of Moira's lips never changed, he thought.

He knew that was wrong and yet he didn't want to break that kiss.

It wasn't the first time he kissed her, because the night they'd conceived Thea it'd been only sex. No feelings. But this time?

When she broke the kiss, he took a step back. None of them said anything, he turned and walked out of the bedroom trying to masquerade the smile on his face.

First, thank you for reading it, I really appreciate it!

Sooo, what do you think?

I wrote this alternative ending as oneshot, but I can always change my mind (ops).

Let me know your opinions by reviewing it!

Thanks!

xx