I don't own Smallville or any of the characters you recognize. Only Tyler Queen belongs to me.

This is the last chapter in Another Queen in the Deck. The next story is going to be Collera Rifatta (Italian for Rage Redone) and is going to be the Rage re-write that I have been promising and should be up by tonight.

Chp 25

Bryan Douglas shook his head as he finished examining the young man in the bed. "Why I expected you to stay out of trouble, I have no clue. Guess it's a good thing Queen Industries employs me so that I can make housecalls." He watched as the younger Queen blushed.

Oliver chuckled softly from the doorway where he was observing. "I really appreciate you doing this Doctor Douglas. Tyler seems to trust you and since getting him to see a doctor is like pulling teeth, I was hoping you wouldn't mind making this housecall."

Nodding, Bryan stood up. "It's just a bad cold, but you were right to give me a call. With him still recovering from the after effects of that poison, his immune system is still a bit weaker. Right now, this cold is bordering on bronchitis. I'm going to go ahead and start him on antibiotics to keep it under control." He looked at his patient. "I want you to stay in bed for a few days and just rest." Grinning, he examined Tyler's wrist. "And no bike riding for a couple more weeks." Ruffling the kid's hair, he stood up and handed Ollie the bottle of antibiotics he'd brought as a precaution. "Lots of fluids, rest and follow the instructions on the bottle. You can give him Tylenol for any fever and an over-the-counter cough medicine. As for the question you asked me earlier, yes, as long as he does what he's supposed to."

"Thanks again Bryan." He took the bottle from him, watching him leave and then walked over to his brother, taking a seat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Not that bad. I know you called him because you were worried." He blushed hard. "Guess it was kinda stupid to run off like I did the other night."

"You were upset Tyler, worried and not thinking clearly. Trust me, I understand about trying to duck out and get some space. Although, I don't think I've ever done it when it was getting ready to snow."

"If I had known it was going to snow, then I probably would have taken the jet somewhere. Keep telling you the weather took me by surprise." He coughed a couple of times, which is what had prompted Oliver to call the doc in the first place.

"Well, don't worry about it for right now." Handing him a glass of water, he waited until he'd drank his fill and set it aside again.

"So what did you ask him?"

"If it would be okay if you spent some time at a friend's house out in Smallville."

Tyler was confused for a moment, then arched an eyebrow at him. "You mean out there with Clark?"

"And his mom, Martha. I told you that she wants to meet you. There's a bunch of meetings I have to deal with before the holidays, otherwise, I'd take care of you." Ollie brushed a strand of hair off his brother's face. "I think you'd like it out there and it'll give you time to think things over."

"Guess patrolling with you is kinda out of the question for now, huh?"

"Definitely. At least until you're over this. After that, then I'll take you with me a few times, see how you do. In the mean time, we need to get you a decent costume made."

"Kinda have one."

"Like I said, decent. Around here, you might not want that hood until you get more familiar with the streets of Metropolis. I've got a couple of things in mind that might give you more peripheral vision."

"Got any examples?"

"Actually, I do, but not until you've gotten some rest. Besides, they're not ready yet. One of them is almost like a ninja mask."

"That might work better than the hood, but I'd still like to see them." He was quiet for a moment. "I think I'd like to meet Mrs. Kent."

Ollie laughed. "Yeah well, you think I mother hen you. Just wait."

The next day, Tyler found himself stretched out on the couch at the Kent farm, still trying to figure out how he'd gotten there. One minute, he was standing next to Oliver and meeting Clark's mom. The next, she seemed to be everywhere at once as she forced him to change into something more comfortable and then onto the couch, covered with a blanket, juice and tissues on the coffee table. Looking up when he felt pressure on the back of the couch, he spotted his brother and Clark.

"What the hell?"

Clark chuckled softly. "When Ollie called yesterday to say that he was bringing you out here, he told mom that you had a pretty bad cold. Since then, she's made a huge pot of chicken noodle soup, stocked up on juice and other stuff." He shrugged. "She never really got the chance to do this for me since I don't really get sick."

"Must be nice." Tyler sighed. "She barely knows me Clark. I mean, we didn't even meet until an hour ago."

Ollie snorted. "Sorry Ty, but I did try to warn you." He reached out and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You going to be okay here?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just call me tonight, okay? If you get to worry about me, then I get to worry about you."

"I'll call you after dinner and send you a text when I get in from patrol, okay?"

"All right, thanks Ollie." He tried to fight down a yawn.

Clark grinned at him. "Get some rest Tyler. I'll be back this evening to do chores, so if you need something from the apartment, let me know and I'll bring it out with me, okay?"

"I will, thanks again Clark."

"Don't worry about it." The brunette left to say good-bye to his mom, who was doing something in the kitchen.

"You behave yourself Tyler."

"Come on Ollie, I'm not going to run off, especially right now, I promise." He yawned again and settled in against the pillow, drawing the blanket up. "You'd better get going or you'll be late for your first meeting."

"Okay, get some rest." Leaning down, he kissed his brother on the forehead. "Love you kiddo."

"Love you too Ollie." Ty almost mumbled the last as he drifted off to sleep.

Grinning slightly, Oliver made his way into the kitchen. "Thanks again for doing this Martha."

"It's not a problem Oliver. Besides, I know there's a couple of benefits going on this week and as much as I know that I should attend them, this gives me a valid reason to skip them."

Clark rolled his eyes. "What did you and dad used to tell me about shirking my responsibilities?"

She gently swatted his hand as he came up behind her and hugged her. "Watch it mister or I won't make pie tonight."

Oliver chuckled at the look on his boyfriend's face. "Think you hit a nerve there." He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "I still appreciate this. Right now, he's sleeping, but he was a little warm."

"Relax Oliver. Clark might never have been sick as a child, but Jonathon was several times since we got married. I'll take care of him, I promise. Now, you two should get going." She watched the two boys leave and shook her head at their antics, then she went to check on her newest charge.

There was a faint flush of fever in the cheeks of Tyler Queen, but that did nothing to hide the fact that he was definitely from the same stock as his brother. Martha had been warned by both Clark and Oliver that Tyler, or Ty as it was suggested she call him, was every bit as stubborn as his older brother. She grinned, that was something she'd found out already from Clark about the older Queen. Walking over to the couch, she gently laid a hand on the forehead of the sleeping boy. He was definitely running a fever, but she was going to let him sleep for a bit before she woke him. Rest was something he would definitely need to get over this. Going back into the kitchen, she started making some tea, deciding that once it was done, she would wake Tyler and make him take something.

Oliver groaned from his chair, looking out over Metropolis. He'd just finished his second meeting of the day and had thought he was going to get a little time alone. Then his office door had opened yet again. Thinking it was Cheryl coming in to talk to him about something, he didn't turn around. "Can you give me a few minutes Cheryl?"

The deep chuckle had him turning his chair around even as his lover spoke. "I would, but I'm not Cheryl." Clark held up a bag. "Figured you hadn't had time to eat yet, so I brought you some lunch."

"Thanks Clark, and you're right, I haven't eaten. Just finished my second meeting about ten minutes ago." He got up and went over to the brunette.

"Well then, looks like I came at a good time."

Slipping his arms around the younger man's waist, Ollie grinned. "I'd say you got here at a great time." He kissed him softly. "Come on, let's eat upstairs so I can get out of here for a bit." Taking Clark's hand, he led him over to the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. "Heard from your mom?"

"No, but she'll probably let him sleep for a while. He'll be okay Ollie, just relax." The brunette chuckled softly. "Besides, having Tyler there will give her the chance to level out her mothering instincts a bit before Thanksgiving." He grew a bit somber, but didn't say anything.

Catching the change, the blonde laid a hand on his lover's cheek. "What's wrong handsome?"

"It's stupid."

"If it's upsetting you, then it's not stupid. Talk to me love."

Sighing, Clark looked into the brown eyes of his boyfriend. "This is the first Thanksgiving we're going to have without my dad."

"Oh Clark." Oliver pulled him out of the elevator and held him close once they reached the penthouse. He rubbed soothing circles across the strong back, remembering what his own first set of holidays had been like without his parents. If he hadn't had Tyler there, even as a kid, they probably would have been a lot harder to deal with. "I won't tell you everything's going to be okay, but it will get better with time. May not seem like it now, but it will. The only thing that you can do is remember the good times and carry on with some of the traditions that he gave you."

"I know and I'm glad that you and Tyler are going to be there. Think that'll make everything a whole lot easier to deal with." He sighed and stepped back a bit. "You need to eat."

"Only if you join me."

Clark grinned at him. "Kinda figured you might say that." Making his way over to the breakfast bar, he laid out the contents of the bag that he'd brought from a deli down the street that was quickly becoming one of their favorites. Together, they sat down to eat, enjoying each other's company.

Tyler opened his eyes slowly when he felt the gentle pressure on his arm. Looking up, he saw Mrs. Kent smiling down at him.

"How are you feeling?" She reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair out of his face and letting her hand linger for a moment on his forehead.

"Little better, but still kinda tired."

"Well, I've let you sleep most of the afternoon, but you need to try and eat something before you go back to sleep."

He looked around and realized that it really was late in the afternoon. "Guess I was a bit more tired than I thought."

"Being sick, sometimes happens." Carefully, she placed the tray she'd brought with her over his lap as he sat up against the arm of the couch. "Figured more broth than anything else right now until we know how your stomach's going to handle it."

"Thanks Mrs. Kent."

"It's Martha, Tyler. Just like I told your brother. You might not be dating my son, but I can tell that he sees you as a little brother."

Grinning, he cocked his head a bit. "Shouldn't I call you mom then?"

Reaching out a hand, she gently cupped his cheek. "If you want to, yes, you can, but that's up to you. I'm happy with you calling me Martha."

He blushed hard. "Might be a bit hard for me to do that. Years of training, you know?"

"I know, but I want you to at least try, okay?"

Nodding, he started in on the soup she'd brought him, taking slow and letting it ease down his throat while he thought about what had been said. It had been a long time since he'd had a strong older female presence in his life. Rosalyn was great, and had some mothering instincts, but it wasn't the same. There was just something about Clark's mom that screamed at him to let her take care of him. And for once, he wasn't going to fight it.

Martha watched the young man as he ate and wondered what he would have been like if he'd grown up with a mother. She could already tell that he was comfortable with himself, but not so much with others, almost as if he was afraid he'd let them down. It was almost as if he knew that he could help people, but was unsure of how to go about it. She could tell from how Clark and Oliver acted around him that he knew about their secrets, but she couldn't help but wonder if he had one of his own.

When he finished what he could, Tyler sat back a bit more. "That was good, thank you."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like cooking for someone besides myself." She handed him two Tylenol. "Why don't you take these and try to get some more sleep?"

He nodding, taking the pills from her and downing them with some juice. "Thanks again for letting me stay here. Beats laying around the penthouse all day."

"It's not a problem and you're more than welcome." Standing up, she paused for a second before kissing his cheek slightly. "Get some rest." Then she picked up his tray and carried it into the kitchen, not noticing the look of shock on his face or the tears that seemed to spring up in his eyes.

For three days, Tyler spent most of his time asleep on the couch, eating when Martha woke him and taking whatever meds she handed him. It wasn't until his fourth day there that he actually had enough energy to get up and do something. So when Martha came downstairs that morning, she was rather surprised to find that breakfast had already been made.

Stopping in the kitchen, she took a good look at the young man at the stove. She could tell that he'd already taken a shower and was actually wearing jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt instead of sweats. He was still a little pale, but for the most part he looked better than she had seen him so far. Smiling softly, she walked over to him, but stopped short of actually touching him. "You've been busy."

He turned to her, grinning, then blushed. "Figured it was the least I could do after hogging your couch for the past few days. Just don't let Ollie know that I can actually cook."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Any particular reason why you don't want him to know?"

"Other than I'd never live it down? Not really. I mean, he can cook, but doesn't really like to do it. On the other hand, I kinda like cooking, but not if I'm the only one eating it."

"How about you help me with Thanksgiving dinner?"

Putting a plate of bacon, scrambled eggs and toast in front of her, he paused for a moment. "I'm not so sure you want me to do that." He set the plate down and turned back to pour a couple glasses of juice.

"I won't let you mess anything up. Besides, it'll be that much less work for me."

For a few minutes, he said nothing as he set the glass in front of her and then started in on his own plate. Then, he slowly nodded. "All right, but I'm not doing the turkey."

She laughed softly and started to eat, watching the young man in front of her. Now that he was feeling better, she was going to have a talk with him.

"Tyler, why did you run off like you did?"

While he might have been expecting the question to eventually come up, Tyler still wasn't sure how he was going to answer it. For several minutes he said nothing before he realized that anything less than the truth would be an insult to Martha. Looking at her, he sighed. "You have to promise me that you won't tell Clark some of what I'm going to tell you. Ollie already knows because of what he does and who some of his associates are and I'm trying to get him to tell Clark, but the time isn't right just yet for him to do so."

Martha frowned. She didn't like keeping things from her son, but for some reason she knew that this time, it needed to be done. If for no other reason than to get the young man in front of her to open up a bit and hopefully remove some of the guilt he was so obviously carrying.

"All right, but know this. If Ollie hasn't told Clark in six months, I will tell him. Deal?"

Tyler nodded. "Deal." Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before he started talking.

"You already know that Ollie is the Green Arrow. What you don't know, well, there's a lot that can be put in that category, but the most important things are that I'm bisexual and in a relationship with someone. That someone happens to be a person with abilities that Clark has met before, even helped, and is now working with Ollie on some side projects. I don't even know what all they are, so it's not like I'm trying to be vague about it."

He paused to take a drink before continuing. "His name is Bart Allen and we've been seeing each other for about 8 months. When Ollie and I got into our fight last week, Bart is the one that I went to stay with. We met after I helped Bart out of a jam when I was doing a bit of night work well out of Ollie's path."

"So you're following in your brother's footsteps with that?"

"Trying to, it's what our fight was about." He played with his glass for a moment. "When Ollie was stranded on that island, I never thought I'd see him again. Even though I refused to have him declared dead, despite what everyone else wanted me to do, I thought that he might be, but I couldn't let go of that thin thread of hope that he was alive. Some days, it's all that kept me going. When I was 15, he started making me spend some time at Queen Industries, reading stock portfolios on prospective companies we might buy out or merge with, and getting familiar with how things ran. I knew, eventually, that I'd end up helping him run the business or taking over the Foundation. Just didn't expect to do it when I was 17."

Martha frowned. She had known that Oliver had left Tyler in charge of the company while he was gone, but she didn't realize how young he had been when it happened. It showed the amount of faith that the two brothers had in one another.

"It was so hard to be there each day, fighting to keep the company going strong, struggling to maintain some sort of hold on myself and not give in to the feelings that hit every time I realized that he wasn't there to back me up about a decision I made. More times than not, I cried myself to sleep for almost a year. After that, I just kind of existed. Before he came back, I felt so broken inside. Like a piece of me had been torn out and a gaping hole remained." He looked over at her. "He told me the other night, when he and Clark found me, that he even saw that I looked broken."

She laid a hand on top of his and gave it reassuring squeeze, but didn't say anything, knowing that he would continue at his own pace.

"And ever since he came back, he's been trying to tell me what to do, control certain parts of my life." He sighed. "I know that I should be grateful, but I don't want a father figure. What I need, what I want is my brother. The one that supported me all through school with phone calls and letters, then emails and being there for me during breaks. The brother that told me that it didn't matter if I liked guys, girls, both or neither that he'd still love me. I want him to let me watch his back and know that he has mine in everything we do." He looked at Martha, tears brimming in his eyes. "Just want to know that I matter to him as something more than an object to be kept."

Martha got up and made her way over to the young man, pulling him into a hug as he gave way to the emotions that were slowly overwhelming him. While a few things he'd said had definitely been a shock to her, she was more than willing to help him get things settled with his brother. At the moment though, the younger Queen just needed someone to be there for him and she had a good idea now of who that could be.

After getting Tyler settled down and resting once again on the couch, Martha made her way upstairs with the phone and called her son. While waiting for him to pick up, she could only hope that this little plan of hers didn't go the wrong way.

Clark groaned softly as he released Oliver and rolled over, picking his phone up from the table where it rested. Seeing the name on the display, he sat up quickly. "Mom? Is everything okay? Is something wrong with Tyler?"

Oliver, hearing his brother's name and who his lover was speaking to, sat up as well, staring at his lover.

"Tyler is just fine Clark. In fact he was actually up and about before me this morning, so I think he's definitely on the way to feeling better."

"That's good." He ran a hand through his hair. "Wasn't expecting you to call and something being wrong with him was the first thing that popped into my head. I'm glad he's starting to feel better." The brunette watched as Ollie's shoulders slumped in relief. "So, um, why did you call mom?"

"I called because I want you to stay in Metropolis with Oliver for a few days. At least until Monday. Except for feeding the stock, there's not a lot to do right now. So take the time and enjoy yourself. In the mean time, Tyler and I are going to finish getting to know each other a little better, but I want him to relax. I don't think he's going to do that if he keeps expecting you to drop in suddenly each day."

Clark sighed, but a small grin settled on his face. "You know he's a little too old to adopt, mom."

"That may be, but he still needs someone to mother him a bit that's not Oliver. I love you Clark, and I'm glad that you're happy with Oliver. Oliver's like another son to me as well, but right now Tyler is the one that needs someone apart from your world. I might know both of your secrets, but I'm not as involved. For a couple of days, I want to just give him a normal, simple life."

"Ollie might have a problem with that, but I'll ask him."

"Let me talk to him Clark."

Clark handed the phone to the blonde, who was watching him puzzled. "It's mom."

Oliver took the phone, frowning. "Martha? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine Oliver." She sighed. "I've asked Clark to not come out to the farm until at least Monday. I'd like for you to stay away until then as well. It's nothing bad, I promise you, but right now your brother needs to realize that there are other people out there that care about him as much as you do."

He snorted. "Right now he doesn't have that high of an opinion of how much I care about him."

"I know, we've talked once already. That's part of the reason why I'm calling to ask this. For a few days at least, I want him to have a simple life Oliver. He's starting to feel better and is up moving around on his own again. I figure day after tomorrow and he's going to want to start getting out and doing stuff. When that time comes, I'm going to let him push himself as hard as he wants to because he has some things he needs to prove to himself."

"There's nothing he has to prove to anyone. I keep trying to get him to understand that."

"Yes, but Oliver, you're coming at it from the wrong direction of how he needs you to come at it. He said that since you've come back from the island, that you've treated him more like a parent would than as a brother. Right now, he really needs you as a brother Oliver. Letting him push himself will help him find his limits. It'll also open the door for you to be able to step in and soothe his aches as a brother, not a parent or authority figure, when you come out for Thanksgiving dinner."

The billionaire was silent for several minutes, realizing that she was right on several points. "All right. Tell Tyler that I'll see him for Thanksgiving and I'll keep Clark here with me until at least Monday."

"Thank you Oliver. I know that you're trusting me with a lot, but despite what Clark says, Tyler needs a mother figure right now, even if I do have to adopt him."

Oliver chuckled softly. "He might not object to that after he tastes your apple pie." He sighed. "Thanks again for taking care of him for me Martha."

"It's a pleasure Oliver. Now, I'll let you go. Tell my son I love him and will call if there are any problems."

"I will, good-bye." He hung up and looked at Clark, poking him in the chest with the phone. "You said she'd mother hen him, not try to adopt him."

Clark shrugged, laughing softly. "What can I say? She has a soft spot for strays."

"I'll remember that.." The blonde tossed the phone aside. "So what are we going to do with all of our free time over the weekend?"

"I can think of a few things."

"Mmmm, I bet you can handsome. How about we go out tonight? There's a really great restaurant that I want to take you to, but it'll require you wearing a suit. Maybe that lovely gray one with the burgundy shirt underneath it."

Reaching over, Clark pulled his lover into a deep kiss as he moved to straddle the older man. "Sounds like a plan for later." He ground his ass against the man beneath him, feeling the response from his manhood. "For the moment, I've got another plan in mind." Grinning wickedly, he slid down his lover's body, nipping, licking and kissing as he went, until he reached the straining erection that waited for him. Locking eyes with the blonde, he reached his tongue out, flicking the slit and eliciting a moan of pleasure from his boyfriend.

"Oh yes, definitely other plans for right now." Green eyes locked with brown as the brunette devoured the cock in front of him.

"Sweet jesus!" Oliver's last coherent thoughts before he gave into the pleasure he was receiving was that at least Tyler was going to be getting some rest and attention from someone he trusted. All other thoughts fled as Clark slid a finger inside of him, causing him to buck his hips up into the hot cavern that held him. He could definitely get used to this.

~~~~ The End~~~~

****I know, I know. I'm evil to end it there, but next up is the "Rage" re-write I've been promising called Collera Rifatta. It should be up today or tomorrow. Hope you've all enjoyed the first in the AQD series and request your continued presence as this AU continues it's journey.****