Chapter 38

Moira, for a moment, looked like a fish out of water; her mouth moved but no words were formed. It was an awkward silence that descended among the Queens and one Merlyn and all the dead bodies now littering the floor. Of course Moira had always had a sneaking suspicion, but it had been just that. A suspicion she had never thought to be actually true; it had been a thought that gave her amusement. However as she looked back to the two men sprawled out in her kitchen, the pieces seemingly fell together and fit so well that it was hard to ignore how blinded she had been up until now.

Mrs. Queen needed to breathe again, and as she stared at her son, his lips pressed firmly into a line, she remembered back on that night in the office… she had shot him. Falling back into a wall, she braced herself against it, and somewhere in the fog of her mind, she could hear Oliver calling her name.

Oliver sighed at the sight of his mother, eyes unfocused and breathing shallow. He had expected a reaction, but he had somewhat thought she'd be angry. He glanced back to see Malcolm was picking up his arrows, and while the other archer was pretending to ignore the family drama, Oliver could tell the elder Merlyn was keeping an eye on Moira. People in any sort of emotional shock were a bit unpredictable.

"Thank you," Oliver stated again as he considered the elder Merlyn. "Thea is not here before you ask. She's at the hospital with Roy."

"I know," he answered. "I was watching her before I received your text."

There was a moment of silence between the two archers. Malcolm had known Thea was safe, but he had still come to help. For that Oliver was grateful, and he doubted he could ever get that across completely. Instead of expressing this, he instead stated, "I have some arrows in my room. Between the two of us, it might look better like it was my counterpart that was here."

"Detective Lance was suspicious of you last year," Malcolm pointed out as he placed every arrow into a quiver. "If I can find a gun, I can make the wound appear to be bullet wounds." There was a chance that wouldn't hold up at autopsy of course, but knowing he needed a moment alone with his mother as well, Oliver pointed down the hall where some of the dead guards would be.

"Drag one back here as well. It might be hard to explain how a guard saved my mother and myself if they are all dead in the hallway," he explained, and the Dark Archer agreed quietly before he took his leave. He could also tell Moira needed some room, and he was not helping the situation. He wasn't thrilled the prospect of dragging dead weight though; his shoulder where the knife had caught him was throbbing. This wouldn't be easy with only one fully functioning arm, but Malcolm was inventive. He'd figure it out, and in the meantime, Oliver could speak with his mother.

"Mom," Oliver tried again. He reached out slowly and grasped her shoulder. He watched as some of the light returned to her eyes, and whatever she had been thinking about began to fade back into the recesses of her mind.

"I shot you," she whispered as she looked up into the worried gaze of her son. In that moment, that was all he was to her- not the vigilante, not a murderer… just her son that she had hurt. "I…"

"I'm fine," he interrupted quickly. Just to make the point, he pulled down part of his shirt to show the scar. "See barely noticeable, and I did threaten you first."

"Why? I don't understand Oliver," she said, her voice breathless, but as she said it, she knew the answer. He had been backed into a corner over the Undertaking; he had known she had known something, and she had refused to digress it any other way. She ran a weary hand over her face, and Oliver didn't answer her. "You're the Arrow," she continued instead. She needed to say it aloud, something to make this seem and feel real.

"Yes," he said. He heard a crash out in the hallway, and he glanced out to see Malcolm angrily kicking a dead body. There didn't seem to be any trouble otherwise, so he focused back in on his mother.

"I shot you."

"Yes."

"You've killed people."

"…Yes." On this Oliver hesitated since he was trying to avoid killing now, but he hadn't been paying attention to the news lately. He wasn't sure if they had been reporting that his most recent excursions had resulted in zero fatalities, or if they had spun when the police killed someone, that he had done it. In truth, he didn't entirely care what the news said. As long as he could do his job, that's what was important at the end of the day, not public opinion… then again, his job would be entirely easier if they were on his side.

Moira sighed as she straightened herself, and she reached out and touched Oliver's cheek. The tension in the room practically evaporated, and he tried not to smile at the gesture. "I always," she began before she stopped and thought on her words. "I think I always knew. In the back of my mind, I just did. Your frequent bike accidents," she said pointedly, and this time, he couldn't help but smile. "And how you always disappeared when there seemed to be trouble… My trial?" she asked.

"The Count had broken out of prison, and he had threatened…. Someone very close to me," Oliver explained. His secret might be out, but he had learned his mistake from Helena. He wouldn't reveal Diggle or Felicity without their express permission. "I'm sorry but I had to stop him."

"I'm glad you did," she said thinking back on Thea. "You helped keep your sister out of jail." To that, he nodded.

"I hope you don't see me as a murderer," he whispered. His mother's opinion of him did matter to him, and it had hurt him to deceive her since his return from the island. Inside, he was a worried mess that she would eventually react how Tommy had.

"Oh my beautiful boy," she smiled as she pulled him into a hug. "You helped save this city. I'm so proud of you." She stepped back and considered the real Oliver, the one she had always known was there but finally visible. Her gaze drifted over his shoulder though to see Malcolm Merlyn leaning against the wall in the hallway. Unable to help herself, she visibly gulped and narrowed her gaze. "What I do not understand is him." Her voice was low enough that she hoped only Oliver could hear, but she watched as Malcolm tilted his head towards her. He had heard something at the very least.

"There isn't a choice," he sighed. "Mom, you and Thea are in danger. He was the only remaining option."

"We're safe Oliver," she argued. She did not like having the elder Merlyn in her house; to her, it didn't matter that he had just saved their lives. "Whoever…"

"It's the League," he outright said. He remembered that it had been her that had revealed Malcolm, so Oliver didn't see much of a point beating around the bush any longer.

"That's not possible," she said. "Viper said…"

Oliver groaned at the hunter's name. "You've spoken with her?"

"Oliver, listen to me," Moira said urgently, "do not interfere with the League's business. Do not fight these people." She was shaking her head; the memory of how easily Viper had infiltrated the mansion at the forefront of her mind. "They will kill you."

"They've already tried," he growled. He wanted to protect her from these truths, but it was hard to ignore that part of this laid on her shoulders. "Mom, you and Thea are. Not. Safe." He punctuated every word. "Whatever the League promised you, its void. You've met Viper. There are four others just like her out there in the city right now, and they do not care about the casualties."

"They told me…" she said trailing off.

"Whatever they told you no longer applies Moira," Malcolm said, reinserting himself into the conversation. "Because Thea is my daughter, she is a target. Even if I surrendered, they could and most likely would go after Thea."

"Viper said she'd leave my daughter out of this!" Moira said, purposefully using the word 'my' and not 'ours'. "I want you out of my house. I want you out of our lives."

"Mom," Oliver said, trying to calm the emotions in the room.

"No, Oliver," Malcolm stated. "For the moment, it might be best if I leave."

"You stay away from Thea," she growled, and Oliver put himself between the two. He glanced at Malcolm and nodded his consent. He'd see Malcolm later as obviously the Dark Archer hadn't orchestrated this attack. They had to find the money trail and figure out how this all tied together. Someone had broken China White out of prison specifically for this, but whoever it was did not tell her about his identity… unless who hired her did not know it themselves.

"Right now Mom," Oliver sighed once the Dark Archer had melted away back into the shadows. He doubted Merlyn would be that far; there was a chance more assassins could arrive. At least, the guard's body was now in the room, and the wounds could be faked appropriately. "He's the best protection she has."

"I refuse to believe that," she stated. "Thea has you."

"She does," he sighed, "But there is a lot more going on right now then just the League." He waved his hand at the bodies. "Someone tried to kill you tonight, and the League doesn't hire out." Her eyes focused in on the bodies, and he could see he had made some progress. "I need to keep everyone safe." He didn't need to elaborate that everyone did not just mean family and friends; it meant the city too.

"But him?" she asked, her voice soft. She watched his frown, and she suddenly realized that her son did not like the situation any more than she did. But he had pushed aside his own animosity towards the man and his hate, so that Thea would be safe. He had given up part of himself to make it work with Malcolm, and Moira hugged Oliver for that. "I may not always agree with you or like what you do… but you're still my son, and I'm glad for it." She felt him hug her back.

…..

Slade slammed a fist into the table, causing the metal to bend from the force. His eye was burning into the table as he watched mother and son embrace. Slade had considered that Moira would forgive her son for being a vigilante, but he had practically bet on the fact she wouldn't accept Malcolm Merlyn… however, as he watched the two, she did just that.

In the back of his throat, a snarl rose from his lips. This complicated matters, and he tightened his right fist. There was, of course, the easy solution, but he couldn't see the benefit to killing Moira just yet. Shado stepped around, so she was in his line of sight. "She might accept him… but would his sister?"

"This family is a pathetic bunch," Slade growled to the air. "Probably. She'd see him as a hero."

"Why? He's no hero. He didn't save me," Shado said, and her words sunk deep.

Slade couldn't hide the smirk as a new plan, a better one, began to form. This was salvageable, and if anything, this development actually worked more in his favor. Tapping a few keys, he pulled up the hospital footage of Thea sitting with Roy, his hand intertwined with hers. The boy was still unconscious, and based on the high dosage of meds, he'd stay that way. Slade could change that…

"We found the device sir," a guard gulped as he stepped into the room. He was next on the list for the mirakuru. "It's being moved into the city tomorrow. The Triad has already targeted the shipment."

"Good," Slade nodded. That would keep Oliver busy for a bit, which meant Slade had time to start the next and final phase of his plan. He grinned… soon his "brother" would be begging for death.

Note: Sorry this one's a bit late. No excuse, just didn't get around to writing it until now. Though technically, I did say a once a week update, so I'm still within my time frame. So in the show, I'm happy they showed Moira knew about Oliver's secret, but I felt it was a really underdeveloped moment. I hope I expanded it in a way that you guys like because I think Moira would accept it, but I thought she should have a bit more of a reaction to it.

Anyway, markov device next chapter and then an interlude. The final part of this story will have lots of Talia, kind of Viper (you'll see why), and Slade.

Enjoy