"Laurel, please, just let me explain." Quentin said as Laurel walked away from her boyfriend and his family and moved to head towards Pike's office.
"I don't think there's anything you can say to justify what you just did. You just destroyed the hope you ever had of fixing things between us because I am done with you. You can blame Oliver for the rest of your life. Just know that from now on, don't expect me to be a part of it." Laurel said angrily as she reached Pike's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Pike said.
"Lieutenant." Laurel said.
"Ms. Lance, what can I help you with?" Pike asked.
"My father, I think we both know that something needs to be done about him by now, since it's been months and he hasn't gotten any better, if anything, he's only gotten worse and this incident with Oliver just proves it." Laurel said and Pike nodded.
"There's actually something you don't know, but I decided not to tell Oliver's family, since Moira would have your father's head if she found out." Pike said.
"What?" Laurel asked.
"Quentin knew that Oliver was meeting with the count for the Police, but either he was drunk during the briefing and forgot, or he deliberately chose to arrest him anyway." Pike said.
"I think my father needs some time away from the action until he gets his head out of his ass and if you don't enforce that, I'm going to tell Moira everything and my father will be lucky to have any kind of job in law enforcement after this." Laurel said.
"Relax, I've already thought his consequences." Pike said.
"What are the consequences going to be?" Laurel asked.
"Suspension from the force for 2 weeks with court mandated therapy for his drinking and his anger. If he refuses, he'll be suspended from the force without pay indefinitely." Pike said.
"It's better than I would've given him." Laurel said, though she was clearly satisfied as she left.
The next night, Oliver and Laurel were heading over to Sara and Tommy's to celebrate Tommy's birthday.
"I cannot believe my father. I thought that he'd eventually come around and stop being such an ass." Laurel said, still seething.
"Calm down, you're dad just has a bad case of Lance family stubbornness. You and Sara both have it." Oliver said.
"Yeah, but at least neither of us let our stubbornness destroy our relationships with our loved ones and I'd like to think that my stubbornness at least decreased when it comes to you." Laurel said.
"And it has." Oliver agreed as they kissed against the hallway wall.
"We should really go inside." Laurel said in between kisses.
"We should." Oliver agreed as they continued to kiss.
"We don't seem to be going inside." Laurel said.
"No we do not. Ha-ha-ha." Oliver said with a chuckle as they finally made it to the door.
"Welcome." Tommy said as he opened the door for them.
"Happy birthday, buddy." Oliver said as he handed Tommy a gift bag.
"Thank you. - Mm. This feels like a Chateauneuf du Pape." Tommy said as he felt the bag.
"- It's gonna taste like one too." Oliver said.
"You are a true friend. Thank you." Oliver said as Tommy hugged Laurel and Sara came out from the kitchen.
"Hey, I'm so glad you guys could make it." Sara said as she then hugged her sister and then Oliver.
"Like we'd be anywhere else tonight. Especially since I'm pretty sure dad is staking out our apartment." Laurel said and Sara chuckled.
"He'll come around eventually." Sara said.
"It's been nearly 6 years and he hasn't come around yet and honestly Sara, I'm done waiting." Laurel said.
"Okay, onto more pleasant discussions, how's medical school going Sara?" Oliver asked.
"It's going great. My professor thinks I might be able to graduate early and start interning at Starling General." Sara said and Laurel smiled.
"I'm glad that you found something you're passionate about." Laurel said.
"And someone I'm passionate about to." Sara said as grabbed some wine glasses, which Tommy then proceeded to give fill with the wine Oliver and Laurel had given him as a gift and then proceeded to make a toast.
"A toast, to the first birthday that I have enjoyed in a long time. I got my best friends back. And I have finally figured out why poets have been in business for the last few thousand years." Tommy said as he put his arm around Sara's waist.
"- Happy birthday, baby." Sara said as she kissed his cheek.
"- Thank you." Tommy said.
"- Cheers." Oliver said as they clinked their glasses.
"- Cheers." Laurel said.
"Cheers." Tommy and Sara said as there was a knock on the door.
"- I think that's the food." Sara said as she went to answer the door.
"I kind of wished she cooked." Tommy said.
"Wait, Sara can cook?" Laurel asked.
"We all have our ways of grieving, I partied even harder and one of the ways Sara coped with your death was by grief cooking. She's actually pretty good." Tommy said as Sara returned with his father.
"- Oliver, Laurel." Malcolm said.
"- Mr. Merlyn." Oliver said and Laurel nodded in acknowledgement.
"- I've been trying to get in touch with you." Malcolm then said to his son.
"- What are you doing here, Dad?" Tommy asked, suspecting his father of having an ulterior motive.
"Happy birthday, Tommy." Malcolm said, holding out a gift.
"- Just give us a second." Tommy said and the others nodded as they let the 2 Merlyns walk outside.
"- We're about to eat, so-." Tommy said.
"- I can't stay." Malcolm said.
"Well, that works out, because you weren't invited." Tommy said snippily.
"I'm being honored by the Starling City Municipal Group. They're bestowing me with their Humanitarian Award." Malcolm said.
"What, they ran out of actual humans to give it to?" Tommy asked.
"I would like you to be there if you could." Malcolm said.
"I am 100 percent certain that I'll be busy." Tommy said.
"You might not believe this but all I ever wanted for you was happiness. If it will allay this tension between us, I'll turn the switch back on." Malcolm offered.
"Save your money, Dad. I don't need it anymore." Tommy said coldly.
"I'd still like you to come to the event. It would mean a lot to me." Malcolm said.
"You know what, Dad? Sometimes the people that you want there the most aren't. You taught me that. Multiple times." Tommy said, remembering how after his mother was killed, his father left him for 2 whole years. Hell Robert Queen was more his father than Malcolm was at this point.
"Well, in case you change your mind." Malcolm said as he walked off.