Hello to all my readers. I'm back with Chapter 4.
I will try and finish episode 2 with this chapter. I'm gonna try and do each episode in 2 chapters each if possible.
Also, if any of you are wondering, I haven't done flashbacks yet intentionally. However, I will start doing them when Oliver and Yao Fei first find Ella on the island. When that is, I'm not entirely sure. But I will let you know. Also, I'm going to keep most parts of episodes that show other characters out of each chapter unless I feel it's essential to the story. You may have noticed me doing that. I will also be slightly changing some lines and actions since Ella is now a part of this.
Also, just so you know, Ella is the only person from the Star Wars galaxy that will be in this story. Someone from that world will be showing up in my Season 2 story, but even then, not until like halfway through. Sorry.
Okay. Let's get started. And again, sorry about the title. I seem to have lost my touch with making good titles.
Chapter 4- The Triad
Oliver walked into his living room, Ella at his side. The first thing he noticed was his mother talking with Diggle. He had heard their voices, and as he entered the room, he heard his mother ask Diggle, "Now where do you think my son and granddaughter are going on these chaperone-less excursions?"
Diggle answered, "Ma'am, I truly do not know." Oliver decided to take some heat off Diggle and said, "And he truly doesn't."
Both Moira and Diggle turned to look at Oliver and Ella. As the two approached, Moira asked Oliver, "Then perhaps you'd like to share with me, you know, where it is you two run off to."
Oliver gave a chuckle. He stayed quiet for another moment before answering, "We've been alone for 5 years. 6 in Ella's case."
"I know that, Oliver," Moira said. "Mom," Oliver said to interrupt her. Then, when he was sure he had her attention, he emphasized, "Alone."
"I see," Moira said. "It's hard adjusting back to civilization. We just like to go out and be with just each other. It makes it a little easier to adjust. I promise we'll try and let you know when we just want some alone time," Oliver said as he put his arm around Ella, which brought a small smile.
"No," Moira said, coming from around the couch to stand in front of them, "I'd much rather you take Mr. Diggle with you on your next excursion. It's not safe. You've already been abducted once. There are two maniacs out there, hunting the wealthy."
"Those maniacs saved our lives," Ella said to try and reason with Moira.
"This isn't a game," Moira replied, "I lost you once, Oliver. I am not going to go through that again. And I am not going to lose my granddaughter just after I got her."
After a moment, Oliver and Ella both replied, "Okay." Oliver followed up with, "Dig's my guy."
"Thank you," Moira said softly before walking away, leaving Oliver and Ella with Diggle.
"Sorry to give you so much grief," Oliver said.
"I served three tours in Afghanistan, Mr. Queen," Diggle said, "You don't even come close to my definition of grief. But I tell you what… You ditch me one more time, no one will have to fire me." He looked at the two of them for a moment to emphasize it, then walked off.
Just then, Thea walked in. "Where you going?" Oliver asked.
Caught off guard, Thea said, "Uhh, somewhere loud and smoky. And don't bother to try and pickpocket my stash this time because I'm gonna go get drunk instead."
"Thea," Oliver said, slowly walking towards her, "Do you think that this is what Dad would want for you?"
"Dead people don't want anything," Thea said, her tone getting a little colder, "It's one of the benefits of being dead."
"I was dead," Oliver said, "And I wanted a lot."
"And dead people do want things, Aunt Thea. My parents are dead, but I still see them in my dreams, and they tell me that they want me to make them proud. That's part of what strengthened me enough to survive that island," Ella said to Thea. Thea looked at Ella for a while, then turned to Oliver.
"You apparently didn't want your family, Ollie. You've been home on week, and all you do is avoid Mom, ignore Walter, and judge me. Don't wait up." She walked off, leaving Oliver and Ella standing there in the doorway of the living room.
(The following day, Queen Consolidated)
The elevator door opened, and Walter walked out. Moira followed him, then came Oliver and Ella, who was holding her dad's hand.
"As you can see Oliver, we've modernized quite a bit," Walter said as he walked towards his office. Oliver whistled as he looked around. The place sure had changed.
He greeted a few of the office staff, while Ella remained silent.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Moira asked. "Yes, I am," Oliver said, "My daughter less so."
This drew Moira's attention to Ella. "Don't worry Ella. You're alright up here. I understand for someone as young as you, after 6 years on that island, this place may come as a shock. But don't worry. I'm sure you'll come to like it."
As they walked into Walter's office, Walter said, "I remember when your father used to bring you here as a boy. You always were so excited."
"Dad let me drink soda in the office," Oliver said with a smile.
"Ah, so that's why you enjoyed coming," Moira said as if she had just solved a mystery that had been bugging her.
As Oliver and Ella looked around, Walter said, "Queen Consolidated's success of late is a result of its targeted diversification. We have been making impressive inroads into cutting-edge fields like bio-tech and clean energy."
"That's neat," Oliver said a little too quickly.
"Excuse me?" he called to one of the staff outside the office, "Can I get a sparkling water or something cold please? And a water for my daughter?" The woman stood up and went to fetch the drinks.
"Sweetheart, Oliver," Moira said to regain his attention, "Walter and I have something to discuss with you. Come, please sit."
Oliver looked at them for a second, then said, "Mom, it makes me nervous when you ask me to sit down."
Moira and Walter were quiet for a moment, then Walter said, "The company's about to break ground on a new site for the Applied Sciences Division, and we would like to honor your father by dedicating the building in his name."
"Nice," Oliver said, a little too flatly and again a little too quickly.
"And," Moira said, "We'd like to make an announcement at the dedication that you will be taking a leadership position in the company."
"No," Oliver immediately said.
"No," Moira replied moving towards him, "Your...your company."
"No, I don't want to lead anything," Oliver said, "Besides, Walter is doing a very good job here."
"You said that you wanted to be a different person," Moira said, "You are Robert Queen's son."
"I don't need to be reminded of that," Oliver said.
"Well apparently, you d…" Moira said, but Oliver interrupted her, "And if I take a leadership position in the company, what'll happen to Ella? I'll hardly get to be around her anymore. We've been by each other's side for 5 years. Even though I'll still get to see her if I do it, I'm not gonna take a position in the company in exchange for less time with my daughter."
Moira stopped, and looked at Walter, who spoke up. "Everyone understands that this transition is difficult for both of you."
"Thank you, Walter," Oliver said, "Which part, though? Everyone fantasizing I got my MBA while I was on the island? Or the fact that my father's CFO now sleeps down the hall from me? Or that you're asking me to make my daughter less important than the company?"
Moira just looked at him. She would've been completely embarrased in him if not for that last line. As much as she hated to admit it, she could see where Oliver was coming from. She would put her children before the company in a heartbeat. Unable to say anything, she turned and left.
When Oliver and Ella left the building, they were again swarmed by paparazzi. Diggle tried to keep the reporters away from the two while moving them towards the car.
Ella clung tightly to her father's arm. Some of the reporters thrust microphones in her face, shouting questions. She was feeling very overwhelmed, and was starting to shake. Oliver turned and said, "Hey, keep away from my daughter."
That provided a momentary distraction Diggle needed to hurry them down the steps and into the car before the reporters could completely regroup.
Diggle took a seat next to them in the back seat. Reporters continued to surround the car.
"The driver will be here any minute," Diggle said. Oliver didn't pay much attention. He was too busy trying to calm Ella. This paparazzi experience had been the worst so far, especially since reporters had approached her this time. Despite her experience on the island, she was very unprepared for paparazzi, and was shaking a little.
"I spent the first 27 years of my life in Starling City, the next 5 in Afghanistan. You know what I learned?" Diggle asked.
"That there's no place like home?" Oliver asked.
"No, just the opposite," Diggle replied, "Home is a battlefield. Back home, they're all trying to get you. Get you to open up, be somebody you're not sure you are anymore."
Diggle paused and looked at Oliver and Ella. Then, he said, "Or I could be wrong. Maybe after five years alone, you're not as messed up in the head as you have every right to be."
(That night, the docks)
Martin Sommers was sitting at his desk. He heard footsteps and looked up to see a woman in a red dress and white hair. Chien Na Wei, a major leader of the Chinese Triad.
"Thank you for coming," he said. "Anything for a friend," Na Wei replied.
"We're not friends," replied Sommers, "You smuggle drugs, I let you use my port."
"For which you're pad a lot of money," she replied.
"I don't get paid enough to have arrows shot at me or get threatened by a witch," Sommers shot back, "You need to take these two seriously. They are bigger threats to your operation than Nocenti ever was."
"Except now it's Nocenti's daughter that is the problem," Na Wei responded, "Unlike your two friends, we know where to find her."
"Don't be an idiot," Sommers said, "You take out Emily Nocenti, and Laurel Lance will never let this go. She won't stop until she burns you, me, and then the entire Triad to the ground."
"Then we kill Miss Lance," Na Wei responded. This time, Sommers didn't say anything.
(The next day)
Oliver and Ella stood watching a news report about the Martin Sommers case. Both were in the process of getting dressed for the day, though neither were wearing their shirts. They picked them up off the trunk at the foot of Oliver's bed, unaware Thea had walked into the room and was staring at them.
As they put on their shirts, Thea walked towards them and asked, "Wait, how did you two get those?"
In a frustrated voice, Oliver asked, "Don't you knock?" He and Ella tried to hurriedly put their shirts on, but Thea stopped them.
"Noi, wait… Mom said that there were scars," Thea said, but stopped when she pulled apart Ollie's shirt and saw the scars across his body. She looked at them shocked, then looked at Ella, who sighed and lifted her shirt enough for Thea to see the scars that covered her body too.
"I-I'm…"Thea said, unsure where to begin, "Oliver, Ella, what happened to you two out there?"
After a moment, Oliver said, "I don't want to talk about it." "It's still painful to remember," Ella said.
Thea scoffed, then said, "Of course you don't want to talk about it. You never want to talk to me about anything. Except for my social life."
She turned to leave but Oliver said, "Wait. Where are you going?"
Thea turned to him and said, "Why should I tell you?"
Oliver walked over to Thea and said, "I'm sorry, Thea. I -we- need to get better at talking about what happened there." "But we're not quite ready yet," Ella said.
Thea looked at the two of them, then said, "Do you have a second?"
"Yeah," Oliver said. "Good. I want to show you something out back."
She led them out onto the property. They followed her till they came to an open space.
"Sometimes when I felt...whatever," Thea said as she led them towards two stones, "I'd come here."
Oliver and Ella looked at the stones. They were headstones, marked with the names Robert Queen and Oliver Queen.
Thea knelt to brush some stuff off Robert's stone. "About a month after the funerals, Mom stopped going out. Pretty soon, she stopped talking altogether. The house got so quiet, so I'd come here. To talk to you." She pointed at the stone marked Oliver Queen.
Oliver and Ella both looked at Thea, who continued to speak. "I mean, stupid stuff. Like what I was doing that day, what boy I had a crush on. And then sometimes, I'd ask you, beg you, to find your way home to me. Now, here you are. And the truth is, I felt closer to you when you were dead.
"Look, I know it was hell where you were. But it was hell here too. You gotta let me in, Ollie. You gotta let someone in."
With that, Thea gave them one last look, then walked back towards the mansion. Oliver and Ella continued staring into the middle distance, not moving, then looked back at the stones.
"Aunt Thea's right," Ella said after a moment. Oliver was quiet for another minute before he said, "Yeah, she is."
(That night, Laurel's appartment)
Laurel was working on some things for the Sommers case when there was a knock on her door. She looked up, confused. She wasn't expecting anyone. She walked to the door, and looked through the peephole. She sighed when she saw who it was. She opened the door, revealing Oliver, who was holding a paper bag, and Ella.
"Hi," Oliver said, "Are you okay?" Upon seeing her raised eyebrows, he clarified, "There are two cop cars outside."
"How am I supposed to stay away from you if you won't stay away from me?" Laurel asked. Before Oliver really got a chance to reply, she asked, "What are you doing here, Ollie?"
"According to what Ella said to you, coming to my senses," Oliver said, "My sister...She pointed out to me that I have been distant since I got back and that...It would probably be a good idea if I let somebody in."
"So you thought you'd start with the first person you pushed away," Laurel responded. "I did that to protect you. And, as Ella has apparently said to you, I wasn't quite right at the time. Then, I saw you yesterday and I realized that I hurt you."
Laurel just looked at the two of them, sighed, then stepped aside, allowing them in.
"Thank you," the both said as they walked past her into her apartment. She looked at Oliver for a moment, then shut the door.
Oliver walked around, looking at the apartment. "Wow. This place hasn't changed in five years."
"I really haven't had time to redecorate," Laurel said as she entered the living room behind them.
"I'm a jerk," Oliver said as she walked past them. She stopped when he said that.
"Before the island, I was a jerk," Oliver said as laurel turned to face them, "And now I'm just a...I'm a damaged jerk. With a daughter."
"What's in the bag?" Laurel demanded.
Oliver held it up and said, "I thought about many things on the island, but there was one thing I thought about every day. I actually dreamed about and I promised myself that if I ever got a chance to do it again, I'd do it with you."
Laurel looked at him, thinking he was alluding to something she was not interested in. Then again, why would he bring Ella along for that? But, she was disproved when Oliver reached into the bag and pulled out a tub of ice cream. She started to smile a little as Oliver said, "Eat ice cream."
Laurel got a bowl and scooper. They settled down around her coffee table and started to eat. Laurel scooped up her helping, then watched with amusement as Ella, after eating her small share, fought with her father for the tub across the coffee table.
"Come on, dad, I need more," Ella said. "No, you've had yours," Oliver said back smugly.
Ella looked at him, then did something that almost made Laurel laugh. She rested her chin in her hands, then looked right at Oliver, put on the cutest expression she could, and blinked her eyes a few times. Oliver just looked at Ella, smiling, and loosened his grip on the tub a little. Fast as a viper, Ella lashed out and snatched the tub of ice cream out of his hand.
"Hey," Oliver protested, but Ella had already scurried around to the other side of the couch behind her before looking right at her dad before slowly starting to eat the ice cream, staring at her dad with the smuggest smile Oliver had ever seen on her face.
He sighed and shook his head. At this point, Laurel couldn't contain herself, and laughed a little. Oliver turned to smile at her. "Except for having my ice cream stolen by own daughter," glancing at Ella for an instant to say, There will be consequences for this, "This is as good as I remember."
Laurel smiled before taking another bite of ice cream.
Oliver took a deep breath, then said, "My mother wants me to join the company."
Laurel looked at him. "Yeah. Take my rightful place," Oliver said.
Laurel looked right at him and said, "I can't exactly picture you as master of the universe."
Oliver looked away, glancing at Ella, who had stopped eating and was now looking at her dad with seriousness. Then, he said, "You know, after five years, I have plans. I have things that I have to do. And I have a daughter to care for. I can't do that if I'm...I don't know...Attending board meetings and stockholder briefings."
Laurel looked at him and said, "Oliver? You're an adult. You can say no." "Oh, I tried," Oliver responded, "Didn't take."
"Well, then don't tell her. Show her. Be the person that you want her to see you as. And keep playing the daughter card. That ought to help convince her. Trust me. I have plenty of experience with disapproving parents."
"I have been on the receiving end of your father's disapproval," Oliver reminded her.
"He blames himself more than he blames you," Laurel said, "He thinks that, you know, maybe if he and Sara were closer, she would have told him about the boat trip. And he could have stopped her from going with you."
"I am sorry," Oliver said. "You apologized already," Laurel said. "And it'll never be enough," Oliver said.
Suddenly, Ella shot up straight, alert. Oliver and Laurel looked at her. Oliver knew exactly why she probably did that. Then, he heard a faint sound. "Did you hear that?" he asked. "What?" Laurel asked.
The sound came again, but a little bit louder. Laurel turned her head towards it. While she was distracted, Oliver pulled a butter knife off the table, and Ella quietly pulled out the pocket knife she had taken to carrying for situations like this. "There's someone on the fire escape," Oliver said as he started to stand.
A moment later, he reached for Laurel's hand. "What?" she asked. "Come on, we gotta go," Oliver said. He pulled her off the couch and ran for the front door, Ella covering their rear. As they reached the front door, it was smashed open, and men came into the apartment. One raised a gun as Oliver pulled her back the way they had come. He pulled her lower as the man started to fire. Laurel screamed as bullets flew around her apartment.
They raced for her bedroom only for a man to smash through the window. Oliver Laurel back out of the bedroom as Ella attacked the man, She easily blocked his strikes, grabbed his weapon, pulled it out of his grasp, then whipped around and slashed open his throat with her knife. She dropped the man's weapon and hurried out of the bedroom.
As Laurel and Oliver re-entered the living room, they came face-to-face with a woman. He knew her at once. China White. It had been years since he'd seen her. He should've known, with the Sommers case, that she'd be in Starling.
The sound of a gun cocking drew their attention. They saw the first man with his gun aimed. Then, a gunshot rang out, and the man dropped. Diggle came through the door, pistol raised. China White ran as Diggle shot another guy who had come in through the bedroom window and grabbed Ella from behind. As he fell, Ella raced after China White, only for her to attack Diggle. Oliver, Ella, and Laurel watched as Diggle seemed to be holding his own. Then, three men smashed through the main window, all aiming their guns at Laurel. One fired, but Ella jumped in front of her, taking the bullet in her shoulder. She then lunged at them, knife in hand. One fired a pistol at her, but she somersaulted over a fallen table then hopped up. She jumped up onto one man, threw her legs around his neck, grabbed the neck of a second man, and twisted her body, bringing them both to the ground. She grabbed a broken glass shard, ignoring the cuts it opened in her hand, then stabbed the shard through one of the two men's eyes. She then stabbed her knife through the neck of the second before she threw the knife at the third man. It hit him in the wrist, causing him to drop his gun. She swung her leg at his, knocking him off his feet. She then picked up a fallen pistol, jumped up, and shot the third man through the heart.
Meanwhile, Diggle was losing. China White had pinned him. She was about to stab him, but Oliver jumped in. He threw the butter knife, hitting China White's hand and knocking the knife out of her grip. She quickly got up and ran out of the apartment.
Laurel ran to Oliver and threw her arms around, sobbing a little from fear. Ella ran up to them and threw her arms around both of them.
"Are you hurt?" Diggle shouted after he picked up his gun. "No," Oliver responded.
"Are you hurt, Mr. and Miss Queen?" he shouted again. "No! No!" Oliver shouted back. "This is why it's a good idea to have a bodyguard," Diggle said. He hurried off to check the other rooms as the sound of sirens hit their ears.
Minutes later, the police showed up. They started carting out the bodies of the dead men.
Laurel was sitting with Oliver and Ella when Detective Lance hurried in. He and Laurel rushed into each other's arms.
"Are you alright?" Lance asked as they separated. "I'm okay," Laurel said, then asked, "Those cops that you put on me…"
Lance sighed. "They…" He hesitated. Diggle explained it for him.
"I went outside to ask for a light, and they were both dead in the squad car. That's when I hurried up here."
Laurel covered her mouth, horrified. "It's okay," Lance said to re-assure her, then walked around her towards Diggle.
"Mr. Diggle, thank you. Feel free to run as many red lights in the city as you want," he said. "I was just doing my job, sir," said Diggle.
"No, your job is protecting him," Lance said, looking at Oliver. Then, he looked at Ella and walked to her. "Ella, I may not like your dad, but I knew there was something I liked about you. Thank you for helping save my daughter. If you ever need a favor, all you have to do is ask. And, if you're interested in joining the police one day, I can help with that." Ella nodded to show she understood.
Then, he turned to Oliver. "It seems like whenever you're with one of my daughters, people die. If it weren't for your daughter, I'd be telling you to stay the h*** away from Laurel. But if this happens again, you can bet I will be."
"Dad!" Laurel protested. "No, Laurel…" Lance said.
"It's okay," Oliver interrupted, "I understand."
Lance looked him in the eyes for a moment longer before turning back to his daughter. Ella clutched her dad's arm, and he squeezed her hand in return.
(Back at Queen Mansion)
Elaa slowly wandered around her room. Her dad was downstairs with Diggle, and he'd told her to relax until he came to get her for their mission tonight.
She had just risked a lot by her display tonight. It would have been simpler to just charge them, grab one of their guns, then shoot all three of them. Because of the way she had handled those three men, Ella felt she was exposing herself to suspicion of being the Jedi.
She slowly knelt down, then placed her hands on her knees. She opened her mind to the Force, letting it flow through her. She could still sense it. A darkness lay over Starling City. It was not just because of the people on the list. But something more sinister was at play in Starling.
And, there was that distant darkness she had felt. It was hard to feel, but it was out there in the world. It was distinct, and stood out among everything else. Sooner or later, she would have to find out what it was.
Suddenly, her door opened. She looked to the door and saw it was her dad. "It's time," he said. She jumped up and followed him out of the house.
They hurried to the factory, where they donned their outfits and took their weapons. It was time to pay another visit to Martin Sommers.
(The docks)
Martin Sommers hurried to finish packing up a few things, while talking to one of his men behind him.
"Triad b**** screwed up the hit on Lance. Now, the triad is gonna erase every ounce of evidence of their smuggling operation, including me. That's not gonna happen. Tell Wallace to get the boat ready. I'm leaving tonight."
The man he was talking to lifted his radio and called into it, "Wallace?" Static. "Wallace, you copy?" Static. "Wallace?" This time, there was a reply, but it wasn't Wallace.
"Wallace isn't here. But we are," the voice said. Sommers straightened. It was the man in the hood.
"We need to move, now. Move," Sommers ordered as he hurried off.
"Sir, we got six men up there," the guy with him said. "It's not enough. Move it!" Sommers ordered.
Outside, on the infrastructure around the docks, Ella and Oliver leaped around, taking down every guy one by one. The guards fired their guns, but couldn't touch the two of them, and each one fell.
Soon, the two reached the top of a large container. They stopped there, scanning the area. Oliver spotted their target. "Sommers!" he shouted as Sommers ran into a warehouse. The two jumped down and followed him into the warehouse. There were crates scattered around the interior, and a large support pillar in the middle.
Oliver drew an arrow and shot, pinning Sommers against a crate. "Oh, ***. No, no, no!" Sommers cried. "He can't help you," Oliver said before firing another arrow to pin him in better.
"We want the truth about Victor Nocenti!" Ella shouted angrily. "I can't. The Triad will kill me," Sommers protested.
Ella leaped forward, bringing her lightsaber up so the tip was hovering just a few inches from his throat. "Really? 'Cause the last time I checked, my laser sword is two inches from your throat! So, I'd be more worried about us!"
"All right, all right, all right," Sommers said, "It wasn't me that killed him. It was the Triad."
"Acting on whose instructions?" Oliver demanded. When Sommers didn't immediately respond, Oliver shot an arrow into the crate right above Sommers' head. "Whose?" he demanded.
"All right, all right," Somers gasped, "It was mine. It was mine, all right? Nocenti said he was gonna testify against me."
Then, Sommers looked over their shoulder. Oliver and Ella turned around to see China White standing there.
"Move away from him," she told them both in Chinese. "Make us," the two replied in fluent Chinese.
China White attacked them. She quickly used her knife to knock Ella's lightsaber out of her hand. Ella didn't care. She simply continued to fight with her fists.
The three became a whirling flurry of limbs. Striking, blocking, ducking, striking again. China White was almost their equal in hand-to-hand combat. But, there was two of them, and only one of her. She began using something akin to guerilla tactics, striking them, jumping back to avoid them, then striking again.
The fight took them in a complete circle around the pillar. As they fought, they started to hear police sirens.
Finally, White managed to knock Oliver to the ground. Ella grabbed her arms, and the two struggled.
Suddenly, a voice sounded around them, amplified by a megaphone. "This is the police. Put down your weapons. You are surrounded."
China White hurried off, in no mood to fight the police. Ella used the Force to summon her lightsaber, helped her dad to his feet, and the two hurried off, determined not to get caught.
As they exited the warehouse, they saw a large shipping container. Oliver threw his bow on top of it, then clambered onto it. Ella leaped onto the top. They then dropped to the ground on the other side.
A split second later, Lance came out from between two more containers and raised his pistol. "Freeze!" he ordered.
The two of them froze, heads lowered. Lance took a few steps toward them. "You twitch, and you're dead." He was speaking mostly to the man in the hood, knowing the witch with the laser sword could easily block any bullet he fired.
"Weapons down, hands up," he ordered. The two stood there for a second. Then, the man in the hood threw something at him. It struck his pistol, knocking it out of his hand. Lance rubbed his hand for a moment, then looked back. The two were gone.
Then, he turned around and saw a small arrow embedded in the container behind him, a green light flashing on its tip. Curiosity overcame him, and he reached out to it, pressing a button on its tip. There was a rewinding noise, then Martin Sommers' voice came out of it, saying, "It was mine. It was mine, all right? Nocenti said he was gonna testify against me."
Lance turned away from it, looking around. "You son of a b****," he said to himself. He now had proof against Martin Sommers.
(The next morning, the factory)
Oliver opened his chest and set his bow down in it. Ella removed her belt that held her lightsaber and hung it on its rack. She then removed her cloak, leaving her in just her Jedi combat outfit.
Oliver voice-over: Laurel was right. I can't be the Oliver my mother wants me to be and still keep the promise I made to my father. I have to be the person I need them to see me as.
(Later that day, groundbreaking site)
A crew of reporters and other various people had gathered for the groundbreaking of the Robert Queen Memorial Applied Sciences Center. Walter stood up to begin the ceremony.
"Welcome. And thank you all for coming. Welcome to the future site of the Robert Queen Memorial Applied Sciences Center," Walter said. Everyone present clapped.
"Now, this is a building that will stand as a monument to the man whose company and vision are his greatest legacies."
"Whoa! Whoa!" came a familiar voice. Everyone looked to see Oliver standing in the crowd. Ella stood beside him, wearing jeans, a plain T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Oliver took a drink from off a platter a woman was holding. After taking a drink, he set it down and approached the stage, saying, "What about me? Right? I'm a legacy."
Ella stopped beside Tommy and Laurel. "Ella, what is your dad doing?" Laurel asked her. "You'll see," Ella said, her face emotionless, but a little bit of humor sparkling in her eyes.
Oliver had been making a bit of a show going up on stage. Now, he stepped up to the microphone and said, "Some of you may not know me. My name is Oliver Queen. Watch some television, read a newspaper, I'm kind of famous right now. Mostly, though, I'm famous because I'm Robert Queen's son. Uh, but as Walter, who's my new dad, Who is...Huh, Sorry. As Walter was saying, I'm not much of a legacy, per se."
Oliver you don't have to do this," Walter whispered to Oliver. "No. Sit. Sit!" Oliver said, his voice being broadcast by the mike. Laurel and Tommy stared at him, then glanced at Ella, who was smiling a little now.
"See, I was supposed to come here today, and I'm supposed to take my rightful place at the company," Oliver said, his voice starting to become a little more serious, "Prodigal son returns home and becomes the heir apparent. But I'm not my father. I'm not the man he was. I'm not half the man he was. I never will be. So, please, stop asking me to be." He then stabbed the golden shovel down and walked off the stage.
Ella turned to Laurel and Tommy, grinned, then hurried off after her dad. Everyone else sat there, a little confused and surprised. Oliver walked off, away from the ceremony, Ella right beside him.
(Later the day, Queen Mansion)
Oliver sat down at his desk, Ella standing behind him. He took out his father's notebook, took a pen, and crossed out the name Martin Sommers. One more down.
Later that afternoon, Oliver and Ella walked down to the two tombstones on the property. A few men with tools and wheelbarrows stood behind them.
They stopped in front of Robert's stone. Oliver knelt down, paused, then started to speak.
"All that time on the island, plotting my return, I didn't realize how hard it would be. To reconnect with Mom, Thea, Laurel. Okay, I didn't...I didn't know how painful it would be to keep my secrets. You asked me to save the city. To right your wrongs. I will. We will. We swear." Oliver said, taking hold of Ella's hand, "But to do that, I can't be the Oliver that everyone wants me to be, which means that sometimes, to honor your wishes, I need to dishonor your memory. I'm sorry."
He then sighed, stood up, then walked back towards Diggle was waiting for them. "Take it down, he told the men with the tools. He then walked the rest of the way to Diggle in silence.
"Will you be going out tonight, sir?" Diggle asked. Oliver and Ella turned to him, and Oliver said, "Definitely."
There we go. That's it.
I'm sorry it took so long to get this update up. I recently got a second job, and I'm now working 69 hour weeks. I have almost no time to write anymore. I'll still try and write as often as possible. But periods between updates will start to get longer.
I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm excited for the next episode's chapters.
Please review, and stay excited for future updates.
Raptor2216 out.