Hello? Anybody there? *smiles nervously*

I know. It's been almost a month. You hate me, I get it, but I'm so sorry that I've taken so long. You have to understand that life isn't easy. I'm updating because it's Easter break. Anyway, this is an important chapter, you'll see why in the last line of it. I hope you like it. I've had so many ideas on how to do this moment and this one…felt right. I also explored a little Oliver's past…hope you enjoy it!

Reviews (and come on, I'm almost at 400) = Love = Sneak peek!

Chapter 19 – Star City

The trip to Star City wasn't a boring one. Connor was mesmerized by the jet, wanting to touch everything and know what everything was used for. The pilot, a really nice man, even let him sit in the cockpit for a while. A kid couldn't ask for more than that. Connor had the flight attendant wrapped around his finger in seconds and she gave him whatever he asked for. Oliver was amused to say at least. His son only had to smile and bat those emerald green eyes to Faye and she was a goner.

"He's such a beautiful baby boy," she gushed.

"He's beautiful like his mother," Oliver grinned at Chloe who smiled in appreciation, blushing a little.

Once they landed they got into the limo that had been waiting for them at the airport. Connor couldn't stop staring out of the window in awe, throwing out questions at Oliver every two seconds. "What's this?", "What's that?" or "Can we go there?".

Located on the California Pacific Coast, Star City didn't lack in vast green areas, sky scrapers, and modern neighborhoods with plenty of cultural places. The Star City skyline immediately caught the eye, the tallest building, reflecting the sun all over town, was Queen Industries Tower.

"You work there?" Connor exclaimed when Oliver pointed it out.

"Yes," Oliver smiled.

"Wow…" Connor breathed in wonder.

"Have you ever been on the roof?" Chloe asked.

"Oh yeah," Oliver grinned. "I can't even describe the view from up there. You can almost touch the clouds."

"I bet you felt important," Chloe snorted playfully.

"Who wouldn't? It's like…being on the top of the world."

Chloe laughed and shook her head.

"Can I see your office?" Connor asked.

"Of course you can," Oliver nodded. "It's much better than the one in Metropolis, you'll see. Even my penthouse is better. I have a pool on the balcony."

Connor's eyes went wide with excitement as he literally bounced in his seat.

"A pool?" Chloe repeated.

Oliver nodded nonchalant. "You could probably fit two Clock Tower's in there."

Chloe gaped before closing her mouth and admiring the view from the window. The last time she had come to Star City, it had been four years ago – and Connor was evidence of how that ended. It was certainly a city that could make your dreams come true, even if it took some untraditional twists and turns.

"We're here," Oliver announced.

The door opened and Connor was the first one to jump out of the limo, waving at the driver as Oliver helped Chloe out. "Thanks, James," he said.

"Anytime Mr. Queen and it was a pleasure Miss Sullivan," the middle age man said.

"Thank you, James," Chloe said.

The family of three entered the building, the doorman nodding at Oliver with a smile. Oliver smiled back and swiped his card, calling the private elevator that would take them to the penthouse.

"Is Mia home, Trent?" Oliver asked the doorman.

"Yes, sir, she is. Miss Whitmore and Mr. Montgomery are upstairs too," the doorman replied.

"Henry?" Oliver muttered confused as the doors opened and the three of them stepped in. "I didn't know he was coming to visit today," he said as the doors closed.

"Maybe he has some work for you," Chloe suggested, trying to keep Connor calm, the kid was practically bouncing out of his skin.

"I hope not," Oliver sighed. "This is supposed to be a vacation."

"You're the boss Ollie, you'll never really get a vacation," Chloe smirked.

"Yeah, well, if Tess wasn't such a coward I wouldn't have that much work. We agreed when I took over LuthorCorp that she would keep her position as a CEO so I wouldn't have to run both companies on my own."

"Where's Mercy?" Connor asked.

"Taking a vacation, buddy," Oliver replied ruffling his hair. "A long vacation that's gonna cost her," he muttered to himself.

Three to four minutes later, the doors opened revealing a great hall. Oliver stepped in, smiling at Chloe and Connor as he called out for Mia.

"Living room," she yelled back.

Chloe swallowed looking around. The penthouse made the Clock Tower look like a one bedroom loft. The floor to ceiling glass windows gave a perfect 360 degree view of Star City with a breathtaking vantage point of the ocean. It also featured a grand two-story entrance foyer and the interior décor was in soft tones of pastels with some greens and gold. Connor ran in front of her in wonder as she stayed back walking slowly toward the dramatic living room adjacent to a terrace that included a lounge area and of course, the pool.

"You must be Chloe," an elderly voice said and Chloe snapped out of her observation state to smile at the old man.

"And you're Henry, I'm sure," she replied shaking the other man's hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ollie talks non-stop about you."

"I can say the same about you," Henry smirked. "I feel like I know you already," he said turning to Oliver. "You picked a good one, Oliver, your parents would definitely approve," he commented and Oliver beamed.

"Connor, come here," Chloe called at her son who was already on the terrace looking around. "I don't want you out there alone."

The boy turned around and ran to his Mother. "I love it. A lot," he turned to Oliver. "Better than Metropolis already."

Oliver grinned. "Con, I want you to meet Henry, a very good friend of mine. Henry, this is Connor, the little boy I told you about," Oliver introduced.

"Well, let me look at you," Henry said.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Henry," Connor said politely.

"Charming," Henry mused. "I knew someone like that," he said turning to Oliver. "I hope you have a great time here in Star City, Connor. You too, Chloe," he added. "I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again, but right now, I have a lunch date with my daughter and she says she's got something important to tell me," he muttered.

"Oh, you don't…" Oliver started but at Henry's curious gaze he shut up. "Nothing."

"You know something," Henry said.

Oliver shrugged and turned around to Mia and Courtney.

"Oliver…" Henry called.

"You should go and have lunch with your daughter, Henry," Oliver smiled. "Then give me a call."

"Oh, dear," Henry sighed. "It was a pleasure, until another time."

"Bye Henry," Chloe smiled.

"Goodbye Mr. Henry," Connor waved. "Hey Mia, where's Archer?"

"Up in your room, kid," Mia said. "Your bags got here a while ago and since the dog was practically chewing his way out of the kennel, I took him out and put him in your room."

"Where's my room?" Connor asked.

"I'll take you," Courtney smiled getting up and grabbing Conner's hand.

"So, you're officially Amelia Queen…" Oliver mused.

Mia nodded excitedly. "You said that I could change it and I didn't see the point in keeping my old name so I called Henry. He said that he already had the papers and it was just a matter of signing them."

"Have you had fun these past couple of weeks?" Chloe asked.

"Oh yeah," Mia confirmed. "Lots of sun, lots of beach, lots of hot guys, I couldn't ask for more. What do you think of the penthouse?" she grinned. "Pretty big, huh?"

"You're not kidding. I could fit five of my apartment's in here," Chloe said and Oliver chuckled. "More, even."

"C'mon Sidekick, let me show you our room," he said and pulled Chloe towards him.

"Do I want to know how big it is?" she teased.

"I like big open spaces," he replied taking her upstairs.

"How many rooms does it have?"

"Six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a library, an office, a conference room, a gym, a home cinema…that's about it," Oliver answered. "Of course, there's a kitchen, dining room and family room too."

"No wonder the team loves to crash here," Chloe muttered.

"It's great for them. There's plenty of space, the library is a mini Watchtower – so you'll love that part – and the conference room is great to plan missions," Oliver explained taking her down the hall. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she chuckled.

Oliver pushed the double doors to the Master Suite opened and Chloe walked inside taking a sharp intake of breath. "Seriously, you love to live like a King, don't you?"

"It's comfy," he said with a cheeky grin. "I have to confess that I bought the penthouse back when I was a stupid kid with billions and that just wanted to show off," he shrugged. "After coming back to the real world, I was going to sell it but when I decided to form the team, it proved to be useful."

The south wall was floor to ceiling glass windows with a terrace and the view was breathtaking-the sapphire sea calm out in the distance. The king sized bed neatly done (it would be a mess by the end of the night, the couple would make sure of that), there was a door that lead to the en-suite which included his and hers vanities and a walk-in closet with a dressing room included.

"You know, I could've brought my whole wardrobe and it still wouldn't fill half of this," Chloe commented as she admired the room, Oliver lazily following her with his eyes, sitting at the lounge chair by the end of the bed.

"You can always buy new stuff to fill the rest. Mia will tell you where to shop," he said stretching his arms over his head and yawning.

"I bet this room was a hit with the ladies, huh?" Chloe asked from the bathroom-her voice echoing in the massive space.

"Not one woman has ever stepped foot into this room," he replied easily. "Until now."

Chloe came out and leaned against the frame. "I thought you bought this during your playboy years, a place where you could party till the sun rose…that usually meant models, actress'…"

"Yes, but none of them were special enough to bring back here," he answered getting up and closing the distance between them. "Unlike you," he added softly running a finger through her cheek. "You're the one for me, Chloe."

He kissed her softly and she leaned into him. "Cheesy, Queen," she replied wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You love me like that," he said with a cheeky grin, leaning down to kiss her passionately. "Hmm, so what do you suggest we do today?"

"First, I need to unpack," she pointed at the three bags sitting at the door's entrance. "And I need to unpack Connor's things. After that and the plan ride…I just feel like relaxing a little and learning my way around the house."

"Sounds good to me," Oliver smiled leaving a trail of hot kisses from her jaw to the neckline of her shirt. "We can go out another time and you can unpack later…" he muttered pushing her slowly towards the bed.

Chloe giggled, grabbing his shoulders.

"Mommy. Mommy. Come see my room," Connor screamed from the end of the hall.

They could hear his footsteps running toward them and broke apart.

"Welcome to parenthood were you get cockblocked on a regular basis," Chloe whispered to Oliver as their son came into the room.

"You have to see it," Connor stated pulling his Mother by the hand. "You too, Ollie, c'mon."

Chloe laughed at Oliver's pouty face and took his hand, pulling him with them. "Later," she whispered.

Connor's room was big, as was the going theme here, was full of stuffed animals and race cars, an area to practice archery, and a twin bed. Archer had his own corner (that he was enjoying very much) with a bed and chew toys. Everything was child proofed. It was the only room without a balcony and the windows were oversized but not glass from top to bottom. The colors were a perfect mix of blue, green and gold.

"It's amazing," Oliver said. "Nice job girls."

"Thanks, we don't settle for less," Courtney smiled. "Right, Mia?"

"You got that right," she nodded. "Now, I've had my fair share of interior decorating to last ten years," she muttered to Oliver who just mouthed a 'thank you' and winked. "Who's hungry?" Mia asked.

Everyone raised their hands. "Great, me too. Oliver, you cook." she said.

"Why me?" he laughed.

"Because you make this delicious pasta dish that I've been craving since the last time you cooked it," she replied.

"Fine, but you do the salad," he said and Mia nodded.

"Then I'll do the dessert, I hope everyone likes fruit pies," Courtney chimed in.

"We'll leave you two to get settle, ok?" Mia smiled at Mother and son.

"Thank you," Chloe said.

"Can I go to the pool after lunch?" Connor asked.

"That's the plan little man," Mia asked wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yay," Connor cheered as Chloe laughed.

"First, you need to shower and change," she said picking him up.

"We'll be downstairs," Oliver said.

After giving Connor a quick bath and changing him to more comfortable clothes – black swim trousers with a white t-shirt and flip flops – he darted to the kitchen because he wanted to 'help' (making a mess was a better expression in Chloe's opinion). Chloe then took her shower and traded her jeans, blouse and heels for a pale yellow sundress and decided to go barefoot.

Heading downstairs to the kitchen she saw Mia helping Connor set the table (with her excellent reflexes most of the things didn't end up crashing in the floor), Courtney humming as she made her pie and Oliver placing the food in the plates.

"Just in time, I see," she said sitting in one of the stools surrounding the island.

Oliver nodded finishing his task and rounding the island so he was facing her. He kissed her still damp curls and chuckled. "You're so tiny Sidekick. Do you know that's one of the things I love about you?"

"What don't you love about me?" she throwed back gently.

"Hm, you've got a point there," he said brushing their noses together. "But I just love how tiny and adorable you are the most."

She laughed lightly.

"Let's eat, 'cause I'm starved," Mia suddenly said making the couple jump apart, she grinned wickedly picking up the plates and taking them to the table. "No, Connor, leave the plates to the adults before the pasta ends up on the floor as a treat to Archer."

Connor who was just about to reach a plate, retreated and headed to the dining room. Courtney checked the oven and let out a content sigh. "It will be done by the end of the lunch," she said and took the rest of the plates to the table.

"C'mon Sidekick," Oliver said picking her up around the waist and setting her on the floor making her twirl. "You look beautiful."

"I'm just normal," she blushed.

"Exactly. You are naturally beautiful," he complimented giving her a chaste kiss.

After lunch, Oliver helped Chloe unpack while both teenagers and the little kid enjoyed the sun and the pool outside. Chloe was right, with her clothes (two bags, mind you, full of them) and shoes, the closet on her side still looked empty. For that, Mia stepped up and suggested a shopping spree – a day dedicated only to the women – and Courtney joined the pleading. Chloe caved him immediately after Mia mentioned her favorite shoe designers all had shops set in the commercial neighborhood.

"If you're going shopping, I'm spending the day with Connor, I want to show him something," Oliver said and Connor climbed to his lap. "You're in?"

"Sure. What do you want to show me?" he asked innocently.

"Well, champ, that's a surprise," Oliver smiled mysteriously. I hope it is a good one though, he thought to himself.

"Everything's better than shopping," Connor sighed resting against Oliver's shoulder and yawning.

The girls chuckled.

"Court and I are hitting a party downtown," Mia said. "I've got special invitations from the planner herself," she mused.

"The word that you're a Queen now got out and everyone wants to sink their teeth into you," Oliver shrugged holding Connor close to him, whom was practically asleep. "Having a Queen at the party will make it famous, but be careful."

"Don't worry, I won't get drunk and knocked up by a total stranger," Mia teased and Chloe glared at her.

"I'm not laughing," the blonde woman said and Mia just shrugged with an innocent smile.

"Let's get ready, Mia," Courtney said pulling Mia to her room. "Can I borrow those leopard print heels?"

"Yeah, sure, only if you let me borrow the sequin silver dress…"

Their voices drifted away as they walked down the hall and closed themselves in Mia's room.

"He's so tired," Chloe pointed out.

"He's been up since six in the morning," Oliver whispered kissing his son's hair. "After the trip and all this excitement he has a right to be tired. I'll put him down for a nap, but we should wake him up for dinner."

Chloe nodded in agreement and sat on the bed.

"I'll be right back," Oliver said getting up with Connor attached to him, already snoring softly.

After putting Connor in his bed and making sure he was ok, Oliver went back to his room and climb into bed next to Chloe who was flipping through channels before shutting the TV off.

"So, what surprise do you have for Connor?" she asked as she snuggled into Oliver, one leg going over his hip. "Can I know?"

"I'm just going to show him around city for a bit," Oliver said keeping the details to himself.

"And that's all I get? You're not even gonna tell me where you're taking our son?"

"I just love to hear you say our son," he whispered kissing her cheek. "It's an amazing feeling knowing that I took a part in making that perfect person…"

"I love everything coming out of your mouth right now Ollie, but what I really need is for you to satisfy my curiosity." she interrupted.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "No can do, Sidekick, I'll surprise you too, don't worry," he said and she pouted.

"Please?" she asked looking at him under her lashes.

"How about I satisfy your other needs?" he offered, his hand trailing over her creamy thigh.

Chloe chewed on her bottom lip. "Trying to distract me with sex?"

"Working?" he whispered against her neck.

"A little," she mumbled throwing her head back to give him easy access.

"Hey guys-okay," Mia said entering the room only to turn around abruptly. "You should really close the door," she shook her head as Oliver tried to hold in his laughter and Chloe turned red as a tomato. "I was just warning you that we're leaving," Mia said.

"Have fun, but not too much fun, repeat that little stunt with the alcohol and forget about your allowance until school starts." Oliver warned.

"I learned my lesson," Mia said annoyed. "Now, close the doors before your baby sees you practicing for more babies," she smirked and did a little wave leaving the room.

"Smart ass," Chloe mumbled.

"I know," Oliver sighed getting up so he could close the double doors.

"You're rubbing off on her," Chloe stated.

"Hey, she already was like that," he defended.

"She's worse," she smirked.

Oliver raised an eyebrow as Chloe grinned cheeky at him. He pulled her ankle making her yelp and knowing her weak points, tickled her.

"You're…evil…stop…" she laughed with tears in her eyes.

"Why should I?" he throwed back with an evil grin.

"Stop, that tickles."

Knowing that he wasn't going to stop so soon, Chloe managed to wrap her legs around his waist and capture his lips in a heated kiss, making his fingers stop and grip her tight.

"How long do we have before he wakes up from his nap?" Oliver asked between kisses, pulling her dress of her body and throwing it carelessly on the floor.

"Two, three hours," she muttered yanking his shirt off.

"Enough for us to christen the bed, bathtub and closet?"

"Oooh, we can do better than that in three hours…"

"Where are we going again?" Connor asked from the backseat – if there was one thing Connor hated was the booster seats

Oliver looked at Connor from the rear view mirror and smiled. "To my house," he answered.

Connor stared at Oliver blankly. "But…"

"The penthouse wasn't always my home," Oliver explaining anticipating the question. "When I lived with my parents, I had another home, right outside the city. That's what we're going to see."

"Oh," Connor uttered nodding. "How about Mommy? Doesn't she get to see?"

"She will," Oliver nodded. "I want your opinion first," he winked at Connor who beamed.

Half an hour later, they passed through the gates into the Manor and Connor's eyes widened watching the house coming into view.

"It looks like a fairytale castle," Connor said.

Oliver smiled a little nervously. Last time he was there it was twenty years ago. He parked the car right in front of the house. He swallowed looking at the familiar building, color draining from his face. Was this even a good idea?, he wondered to himself.

"Ollie, are we getting out?" Connor asked, struggling with the seatbelt of the booster seat.

Snapping out of his inner thoughts, Oliver nodded and left the car, gazing up at the house that stood magnificently at the sun and then at the fountain in front of it with clear blue water, remembering that when he was three he decided to take an involuntary swim in it, making his Mother freak out completely. He smiled sadly at the memory, rounding the car to take Connor of the booster seat. "Finally," the boy muttered annoyed.

Keeping Connor at his hip, Oliver stayed rooted in place.

"Are we going in?" Connor asked and Oliver nodded. "Why aren't we moving?"

"Sorry," Oliver whispered and took the keys from his pocket, climbing the small steps to the high wooden door. He unlocked the door and set Connor on the floor, so he could go in first.

Connor looked oddly at Oliver, who probably wasn't feeling so good. The adults called that look a sick look. Was Ollie getting sick?

Oliver felt like a coward. Why couldn't he move? He wanted to enter the house he shared with his parents for almost a decade, and it was like physically impossible. He feared the painful memories that house brought him. It wasn't because they were bad. It was because they were good, too good, and reminded him of what it was taken away from him so unfairly.

"Ollie, c'mon," Connor sighed tugging hard at Oliver's hand making him trip and enter the house.

"Thanks, buddy, I needed that," Oliver said realizing his son had pull him back to the familiar environment.

Connor frowned. Oliver needed to be pushed? Adults, he rolled his eyes wandering the huge living room, decorated in rich and vivid tones, with a fireplace, a flat screen, the couches looked really comfy and it had glass doors that gave a direct access to the pool. He walked to the adjacent dining room, his eyes widening as saucers with the table and the amount of places to eat (you could fit two to three Von Trap families there.) before exploring the kitchen, that had a backdoor, leading to the gardens and another door that lead to the garage's staircase.

Meanwhile Oliver sat in the steps of the staircase that lead to the upper floor. He remembered how he used to slide down the handrail, sometimes ending with his ass on the floor, but it was worth it, because his Mom would always make sure to smother him with care even if he didn't have a bruise. His father wouldn't yell, he actually found it funny but when Laura yelled at him because his son nearly died (not even close, but Mothers always overreact) he would shrink back and tell Oliver not to do it again (even though he knew that his son would do the opposite).

His son ran by him making him snap out of his trance. "Where are you going so fast?" Oliver chuckled grabbing his son by the waist and picking him up.

"You were just sitting there so I was going to explore by myself," Connor giggled.

"As if, you'll get lost in a minute," Oliver rolled his eyes. "What do you want to see?"

Connor shrugged. "Whatever you want to."

Thinking a little, Oliver headed to the south wing of the Manor, were his old room – now Connor's – was.

"This was my childhood room," he said opening the door.

Connor gasped.

"I know the feeling," Oliver whispered looking around his old room which had an adjacent study/play room. It was spacious, big oversized windows gave a direct view over the pool, gardens and private beach. The walls were in a deep green with details in gold. There were shelves and shelves of plush toys, cars, action figures, story and educational books. The play room had a computer, flat screen and a Wii installed already. Mia, I owe you, Oliver thought.

After the stunned silence, Oliver let Connor explore the room for himself. Sitting on the bed and resting against the headboard, Oliver felt like he was squishing something and searching behind his bed he recovered a white teddy bear, with a green ribbon around his neck, with a Q in gold on the left. He gasped quietly, holding the teddy in his hands, his eyes starting to sting a little.

"But Mommy, there are monster under the bed," three year-old Oliver said grabbing his Mother hand for dear life.

Laura let out a little laugh while Robert just shook his head amused. "Haven't I checked already?"

"Not under the bed, Daddy," Oliver said annoyed.

"You better check, Robert, you never know what could lure under our son's bed," Laura said teasingly.

Sighing, Robert got on his knees and lifted the covers, making a big scene of searching for monster. He let the covers fall. "Nothing, here, Ollie," he said.

"Okay," Oliver nodded.

"Wait here, sweetheart, I have something for you," Laura said getting up and leaving father and son.

"Your Mom is amazing, isn't she?" Robert whispered kissing his son forehead.

"I love Mommy," Oliver grinned.

"I love her too, you both are my entire world," Robert said brushing a thumb over Oliver's cheek. "You know that, right?"

"Yes, Daddy, I know," the boy nodded.

"Here we are," Laura said coming back in the room with a white teddy bear in her hands.

"My teddy bear," Oliver yelled happily taking the toy from his Mother's hand and clutching to him. "Where was he?"

"You see, son, your teddy bear was on a big adventure," Robert started dramatically. "Since he disappeared – under our bed, mind you – he's fought the closet monsters, the under the bed creatures, everything just to get back to you," he told Oliver, who listened with big brown eyes full of interested and Laura smiled lovingly at her husband.

"No wonder he's so dirty," Oliver pointed out and his parents burst of laughing.

"Well, a hero needs his battle scars," Robert chuckled. "But you love him anyway."

"Of course, now I can sleep for real," Oliver announced resting his head against the pillow holding his teddy bear like a lifeline.

"Yes, you can," Laura said tucking him in.

"Sleep well, son," Robert said kissing his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, my love," Laura said kissing Oliver's cheek. "Mommy loves you, baby."

Oliver brushed away the tears with the back of his hand as Connor approached with a frame. "Who's this?" he asked handing Oliver the frame.

Oliver let out a strangled laugh, seeing a picture that he hadn't laid his eyes on for a very long time. He was five at the time. His Mother was hugging him, kissing his cheek, while his Dad was on the left side, with one arm over his wife's shoulders and the other one his son's arm.

"These are my parents," he explained, pulling Connor to his lap.

"This is you?" Connor asked pointing at the boy who was laughing, eyes closed as he squirmed under his mother tight hold.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, it is," he said.

"It looks like a picture I have with Mommy," Connor observed. "I just don't have a Daddy there."

At this, Oliver stayed silent for a long time, staring at the picture. "Connor, a while ago, your Mom and I found something interesting," Connor blinked. "It's about your Daddy."

"Oh?"

Fear, happiness and anticipation crossed Connor's green eyes and Oliver nodded in response, knowing fully well he should have Chloe around but if he didn't do it now, probably he wouldn't have the guts to do it later. "Yes, and it's actually someone you know," he went on.

"But…who?" Connor asked.

"Connor, it's…." Oliver took a deep breath settling the picture down at the bedside table. "It's actually me…" Connor paled. "I'm your Daddy," he said softly.