Author's note: Clarification: Aunt Sophia had been taking care of the Merlyn Mansion, cause I have not specified this in the previous chapter. Malcolm and Oliver arrive to the Merlyn Mansion in separate cars. Also, I apologize for the typos in the previous chapter. This is the Dark Empress returning after years of not writing, so bear with me.
Tommy clearly was at a loss what to say to his father.
"Dad? Where are you?" He asked, trying to sound firm, instinctively knowing his father was in some sort of trouble. Another coughing fit caught Malcolm just as he attempted to speak to his son. He tried to stifle it and Oliver's hand suddenly lay on his arm softly, but Merlyn was tired of this.
Tired of being weak. He threw off Oliver's hand, took a few steps forward. And spoke. He had to lie now, again.
"A bit of a cold, don't worry, Tommy."
"Dad, WHERE are you and why are you giving me the Mansion?"
Merlyn felt Tommy deserved to be told the truth, finally. Lies would not work this time.
"I am at the Mansion" He said in a flat tone, Oliver standing already at his back.
"I'm going there." Tommy clicked off his phone.
Malcolm stood, his back straight. Time to face the music.
"Tommy is about to arrive here".
Oliver's first thought was to run back and dress into his non-vigilante clothes, but then again...Tommy knew who he was anyway.
Malcolm took off his leathers, remaining only in his black pants and black turtleneck. He threw the rest into his car trunk. That secret had to be kept from Tommy for now. So much for truth.
Oliver and him agreed it wouldn't be good if he or Diggle or Felicity were seen by Tommy, so the three of them went into the basement, only Emily remaining in the house.
Almost half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Emily felt Malcolm tense and lay a hand on his shoulder.
"It will be allright". She said.
He nodded, then moved to the door, still tense but determined.
Tommy almost ran in, hugging his father in a surprising embrace.
"Dad, what is going on, are you all right?"
Malcolm still felt the pain spreading from the poison Oliver had administered to him, but he knew how to hide it well.
"I'm fine.". Another lie.
Tommy noticed with surprise the sheets had been thrown off the furniture in the house.
He approached Emily.
"This must be the famous Ms Vanderbilt."
"Hi Tommy. So nice to finally meet you!"
They shook hands.
"Likewise."
Emily's face turned serious then. If some truths were to be told today, so be it.
"Tommy…" she began, her voice hesitant at first, but then she steeled herself. "I'm not here to replace your mother. But I do love Malcolm. "
She turned on her heel and went to the table, retrieving the picture of Rebecca, Tommy and Malcolm.
She approached him slowly, giving him the picture.
"I want to honor your mother" – she said levelly, but the desperation must have shown in her voice.
"Emily…" – he took the picture, then put it on a side table carefully. He hesitated for a bit. "May I call you like this, by your first name?"
"Of course"
"Emily, I know. I see you want to honor her. I appreciate it. Was it you who took off the sheets from the furniture?"
"Yes, with some help." – she decided to remain vague on who helped her.
"Thank you." - Tommy said levelly and now Emily was in for a surprise hug.
Malcolm approached them slowly, turning to Tommy
"I never knew these sheets disturbed you so much. Maybe I should have called a cleaning lady regularly instead of covering all this up."
Emily moved back, knowing it was time for THE father son conversation of the century.
Time to face the music, as Malcolm had thought. And the anger.
"You never knew of many things that disturbed me, dad. Or seemed to care."
"Tell me." Malcolm said, leading Tommy to the couch.
Emily went into one of the rooms, trying to give the two men some privacy, but remained within hearing range. It turned out to be an office room of sorts. A desk, a bookcase and a bar table with come alcohols. She sniffed one of the carafes carefully. It had not gone bad, but what could you expect, alcohol did hold for long. It was some sort of whiskey. She decided, after the day they had and the conversation Tommy and Malcolm were having, they all deserved a stiff one.
She retrieved some glasses from the kitchen and poured three portions, surprising the men as she brought them theirs.
She had guessed right. Both Malcolm and Tommy took theirs thankfully. She took hers to the other room, giving them their privacy.
"Shall I start from the beginning?" – Tommy said, both their drinks still untouched on the table. "First, what disturbed me was when you LEFT after mom was killed. You left me here alone, went to some place in Asia and when you returned you were cold as ice. That disturbed me too. And it kept on going on for years and years. Heck, Oliver's father was more of a dad to me than you were."
That stung.
Malcolm felt he needed a bit of his drink right now.
"Then you cut me off, not only financially, but I felt like I lost you emotionally even more as well. That disturbed me, dad, majorly."
It was Tommy's turn to take a sip of the drink.
"And now you seem to be out of control, disappearing for days, suddenly giving me the Mansion… Dad, I don't understand. And I so want to."
Malcolm closed his eyes for a second, the pain from Oliver's poison still deep within his body. He pondered what to say, but seeing Tommy in such a state, he decided the moment for truth had finally come.