The food was delicious, but both Oliver and Kyra just picked at it, not used to the rich, heavy food. They both sat listening to Tommy as he took it upon himself to pick up where Moira left off filling them in on what they had missed in the last five years.
"Ok, what else did you miss? Superbowl winners…Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants again. Ah… a black president that's new. Oh, and 'Lost'… they were all dead… I think?"
Kyra hid a smirk as she watched Thea roll her eyes at him. She noticed Oliver's not so subtle stare at the other end of the table and nudged him in the leg, gently reminding him of the world and people around him.
Kyra moved to take a sip of wine when Thea finally leaned forward and asked, "What was it like there?"
Kyra slowly set her glass down, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing even Raisa, and neither she nor Oliver missed the glances shared between Tommy, Moira, and Walter. She would leave it up to Oliver how much he wanted to share about their experiences with those closest to him.
Oliver laid a hand on Kyra's arm, giving her a gentle squeeze in thank you and reassurance before answering, "Cold."
An awkward silence lingered at Oliver's response. It didn't last long though thanks to Tommy, "Tomorrow you and me, we're doing the city. You have a lot to catch up on."
"That sounds like a great idea," came from Moira at the other end of the table.
"Good, then I was hoping to swing by the office."
Both Oliver and Kyra watched for the reactions to his request. Moira seemed to embrace the idea, while Walter seemed to pause, "Well, there's plenty of time for all that. Queen Consolidated isn't going anywhere."
Neither of they looked and just reacted when Raisa tripped while bringing a bowl of fruit to the table. Oliver grabbing the bowl and placing a hand at her waist to stop her from falling forward, as Kyra did the same and grabbed Raisa's arm to help support her.
They could tell she was embarrassed, "I am so sorry Mr. Oliver, Ms. Kyra."
"Ни для кого не волнуйтесь, Raisa." (It is not a worry, Raisa.)
Kyra could see the surprise on Raisa's face at Oliver reassuring her in her native tongue.
"Dude, you speak Russian?" Tommy asked.
Both Kyra and Oliver froze for a moment, catching each other's eye, how would they explain this?
"I didn't know you took Russian in college, Oliver."
"He didn't," Kyra's quick response drew everyone's attention to her. "I knew it before the island and there wasn't much to do there, so..."
Kyra gave a shrug of her shoulders and quickly took a sip of wine almost choking on it when Oliver opened his mouth.
"I didn't know you wanted to sleep with my mother, Walter."
Kyra gave him a sharp kick under the table at his rudeness, but he didn't react only continued to stare at his mother.
The table suddenly became very uncomfortable as Moira shifted her gaze from her son to her daughter.
With all eyes on Thea, she shifted in her seat, "I didn't say anything."
"She didn't have to."
Moira seemed to realize that she couldn't keep this secret from her son and shared a look with Walter, "Oliver, Walter and I are married. And I don't want you to think that either one of us did anything to disrespect your father."
"We both believed that Robert like you was…gone."
"It's fine," Oliver said softly with a small nod of acceptance.
He slowly moved to stand, "May I be excused?"
Moira sensing her son need his space, gave a gentle nod.
Kyra caught Oliver's hand as he passed and he gave her a squeeze reassuring her, he was fine and just needed a little time.
"Hey, don't forget about tomorrow, Buddy."
With a pat on the shoulder for Tommy and a quick wink towards Thea, the dinner party watch him make his way out of the room.
With Oliver gone, Kyra desperately wanted to escape with him. After all, other than the stories Oliver had told her, she really didn't know any of the people who were currently staring at her.
"So, Ms. McCoy, tell us about yourself." Walter asked trying to save her from the silence.
Kyra picked up a pear from the bowl Raisa had brought to the table and played with it, "Well, there is not much to say really. Born and raised in Starling City, my mother died when I was seventeen, and I never really knew my father. I was working as a nurse in the Glades when Mr. Queen hired me as the medical personnel for the Queens Gambit."
The silence that followed was even more awkward than before, it became glaringly obvious that Kyra couldn't relate to anyone in the room. Thea and Tommy focused on their plates and Moira seemed to be trying to figure her out.
Walter again came to the rescue, "Well, we are happy to have you here."
Kyra gave him a small smile for his efforts at trying to include her in the dinner. She took the napkin from her lap and placed it next to her plate, "Well, it's been a very long day. If you will excuse me, I plan to make great use of the fabulous bed in my room."
Not waiting for an answer, Kyra quickly made her way to her room and changed into Oliver's shorts and t-shirt from before. A flash of lightening lit up the entire room and made her tense, she had to force herself to breathe, to remember she was safe in the Queen Mansion and not on the island.
She waited two hours in her room, hoping it would be long enough for the other members of the family to retire for the night, before making her way to Oliver's room. When she entered she could see he had had the same problem as she had, the bed had been so soft it was uncomfortable especially after sleeping on the cold hard ground for the last five years.
Oliver didn't seem surprised to see her in his doorway and just gave the spot next to him a pat. It was all the invitation she needed. He rolled to his side facing the door and she laid down behind him. The position was second nature to them, Oliver always between her and the doorway, though they both knew she could take care of herself, it gave Oliver peace of mind so she allowed it.
His room was too warm for them to sleep so Kyra got up to open the window. The cool air rushed in and now that she was with him the sounds of the storm were oddly comforting.
They both drifted off to sleep, neither realizing the rain was coming in, soaking them, triggering the memory of one of the worst nights of their lives.
"One…two… three…its getting closer."
Oliver moved to fill his wine glass and hoped his father had done the right thing turning them around, as the storm seemed to be getting worst instead of better.
"That's not very scientific," he said with a grin toward Sara.
"What would you know science, Mr. Ivy League dropout?"
He sat next to her on the bed, "I happen to know a lot about science. I know fermentation… I know biology."
As they pulled back from their kiss Sara mentioned the one person Oliver had been trying to avoid thinking about.
"Laurel's going to kill me. She's so going to kill me."
"Your sister will never know."
With a laugh he pushed her back down on the bed, and moved in for a kiss when the lights dimmed and there was a loud crack of thunder.
"Okay, that was really close."
Oliver looked down at her and knew they both needed reassurance, "Sara, we're going to be fine."
A low ominous growl sounded right before the lights dimmed and the boat rocked to the side, throwing them both from the bed and across the room.
Oliver pulled himself up and looked over a fallen chair, to find Sara on the floor, blood trickling down from a gash on her forehead.
There was a loud crack like a gunshot and suddenly water was rushing in.
"Sara!?" Oliver lunged for her but he was too late, she was swept out to sea.
The next thing he remembered was forcing his head above water, the waves and rain filling his mouth and nose faster than he could spit it out.
He searched around, desperately calling her name, "Sara?! Sara!?"
He was lucky, he had surface not far from the life raft that his father and the some of the crew had managed to get aboard.
"Oliver! Oliver!"
He swam toward the raft and allowed his father and the first mate to haul him into it. The only other person in the raft was the nurse his father insisted accompany them on their three week voyage.
He didn't care about her, he only cared about finding Sara.
He quickly turned around and lunged back toward the water. His father quickly grabbed him and forced him to stay in the life raft.
"No! No! Dad, she's still out there."
His father didn't release his vice like grip on his shoulders as he struggled to go and find Sara. "She's not there!"
"Sara?! Sara!?" He screamed desperately, his voice being lost the in the wind.
They all watched as the Queens Gambit sank beneath the violent waves.
"She's gone."
"Oliver? Kyra? Oliver wake up!" a voice called out to them, but they were both so entrenched in their nightmare like memories that when Moira placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder trying to wake him, they were both caught off guard and reacted on instinct.
Oliver flipped Moira over and had his hand to her throat in less than a second, Kyra moved to a crouch covering his back and scanned the room for dangers.
"Oliver!" Walter's yelled brought them both back and they realized the positions they were in. Moira coughed as Oliver removed his hand from her throat and they both scooted back toward the window seat. Kyra was safely tucked behind Oliver's back, peeking over his shoulder, still trying to make sense of what had happen a moment ago.
"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
Kyra curled herself around Oliver's back and hugged his middle, knowing it would bring them both comfort. They were both shaken by the memories and their reaction at being woken, Oliver more so as he had attacked his mother without a second thought.
Moira was obviously rattled but did what any mother would do if their child was distraught, she crouched down making herself less threatening, Walter following her example, and began reassuring them both that everything was going to be okay.
"No, its okay Oliver. It's alright sweetheart, your home, you're both home."
It took ten minutes for both Oliver and Kyra to calm down enough to move. Neither Moira nor Walter pushed them. Once Kyra knew Oliver was okay she slowly moved from her position at his back and shut the window, silencing the storm that was still raging outside.
Ever the nurse even after five years, she moved to inspect Moira's neck. There was a slight bruise but knowing Oliver's skills it could have been much, much worse.
She gave the couple a small smile in reassurance, "Walter, we will be fine. Thank you for checking on us. Why don't you take Moira to get something warm to sooth her throat and then retire for the evening? I think we have all had a very long day."
Walter nodded, having sensed that they both needed their space and gently tugged his wife to the door.
When Kyra was sure that they were gone, she went to the bathroom and found some towels. Returning to find that Oliver hadn't move, she wrapped a towel around his shoulders and then around herself.
She took a seat next to him, found his hand, "We both knew that this wasn't going to be easy."
The only response she got was for him to tighten his hold on her hand. She wouldn't push, they both had been scarred by their memories and experiences from the island. They had been foolish to think that even being home wouldn't trigger memories of the people they lost along the way.
They remained side by side for the rest of the night, neither having to say anything. The connection they forged on the island that had kept them alive and gotten them through the pain and heartache, would get them through the challenge of returning to a home they didn't recognize.
Hey Everyone! Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites for the story, it is pushing me to write to make I stay ahead of the updates. Also I apologize if I butchered the Russian, I did my best with google. As always Arrow and its characters belong to their owners, I just own Kyra.
Highlander348: You will just have to wait and see. I do agree that Oliver needs a strong woman to keep him in line.
.ROX: Glad you like it... I am having a fun challenging myself with it.
Guest: Thanks for the info on how to prepare a fish... Glad you still liked the story even with that mistake.
Please read and review. I am open to suggestions but be aware I do already have a plan in place for the story. Well until next week... hope you enjoy the adventure so far.
