Oliver and Laurel stood outside the Queen Mansion, waiting for the valet to return with the Camaro; Thea had pursued them from the dining room and came to a stop behind them. "I'm coming with you," Thea said, giving her brother a look when he turned around to face her with a raised eyebrow. "You can't expect me to just sit by when I know you've gotta be hurting from what you just revealed in there, Ollie. Please… you were there for me when I needed it. Let me be there for you now."
"Thea speaks for both of us, Ollie," Laurel said softly. "I know you plan to leave town tonight for business, and you still can, but right now you've got to be hurting over what you told those people in there. Let the people who love you help you."
Oliver sighed, lowering his head and giving a quick, sharp nod. He hadn't meant to reveal what he had, but what was done was done, and the truth was, he had never really dealt with that. He had always pushed it down and ignored it; it was probably why he had put up with all the crap that Felicity had pulled over the years, insulting his intelligence and countermanding him in front of the team being the top two issues that had laid between them throughout their relationship and marriage. He had felt he deserved nothing more. He supposed he could work through it with the therapist that his mother had asked him to talk to (in fact, he knew his mother would insist upon it), but first he had to actually attempt to attend a session. *1*
The valet pulled the Camaro up to the curb and Oliver held the door open for Laurel and Thea, the latter of whom climbed in the back of the car. Oliver circled around the car and had reached the driver's side door when his mother appeared in the doorway of the mansion, distraught. "Oliver!" she called tremulously, but Oliver ignored the call from his mother and got into the Camaro, shifting gears quickly and pulling away from the mansion. He didn't need to hear a lecture about how he had brought shame to the Queen name right now, especially when the ones who had really brought shame to the Queen name were herself and Robert.
Oliver's hands were gripping the wheel tightly as memories that he had long-buried came to the surface with sudden, violent intensity. He tried to shove them down with his normal ruthlessness, but it was like something else was forcing those memories past his ruthless block. He could practically smell the rusty metal of the dark hold, hear the creak of his cell door opening, feel the rough hands forcing him down, one hand pulling back his shaggy head of hair. Oliver realized, almost too late, that the car was beginning to drift because of his trembling hands, and he corrected course before pulling to the side of the road, where he shifted into park and pulled his trembling hands away from the steering wheel.
"Ollie…" Thea whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she stared at her brother as the walls that he had built between himself and the rest of the world were torn down before their very eyes.
Laurel said nothing but leaned across the seat and pulled Oliver towards her, bringing his head to lay in her lap as she had so often in the past. "Shh, it's okay, Ollie," Laurel whispered, running her slender fingers through his bristly hair. "You're home, you're safe. Those people can't hurt you anymore." She had a horrible feeling she knew where it had happened; the things Sara had said in her letter let her know what kind of people had lived on the Amazo, the ship that Oliver and Anatoli had been imprisoned on for an unknown amount of time, but enough to leave Anatoli wishing he had had 'more time' with a man named Ivo, who Laurel assumed was the one in charge of the Amazo.
Thea reached over the seat and placed a hand on her brother's shoulder, rubbing her thumb gently back and forth. Oliver reached desperately for his sister's hand, gripping it tightly as he finally let loose the cries of anguish that he had held back for eleven years (in his mind). It ripped at both Thea and Laurel's hearts to hear the man who fought so fearlessly for their city (not that they knew the other was aware of this yet) crying over events that happened sometime in the past five years.
The three of them sat there in the car, on the side of the road, for nearly ten minutes before Oliver managed to pull himself together. "Sorry," he said gruffly, trying to rebuild his walls. "I just… I haven't thought about that for a long time. I thought I'd managed to put it behind me. Guess burying it isn't really dealing with…" Laurel's hand joined Thea's on his left shoulder, and she smiled softly, sadly. Oliver pulled himself into a sitting position and began to drive again. Oliver was slowly rebuilding his walls during the drive, using all of the training that Slade, Talia, and Ra's had imparted upon him to do so. Soon, the lights of the city were surrounding them, and Oliver was pulling into the underground garage of the apartment building his loft was located in.
"So, uh, Ollie, does Laurel know about, you know, the other stuff?" Thea asked curiously, since she needed to know how open she could be about what she knew about her brother's activities.
"I know he's the Green Arrow, if that's what you're asking, Speedy," Laurel said with a smile, reaching out and brushing her fingers tenderly across Oliver's right cheek. He reached up, entwining his fingers with hers. "I always knew there was a good man buried beneath your brother's swagger. It's nice to be vindicated."
"Sometimes, I don't feel all that good," Oliver whispered as he cut the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. He got out, Laurel opening her own door since they no longer had to put on a show for the elite of Starling City, pulling the seat forward so Thea could clamber out. The girl stumbled briefly due to the high heels she was wearing. Laurel caught her, giving the teenager an understanding smile. She had hated having to learn how to walk in high heels, but she had found that men who could look down on her due to her wearing flats wouldn't see her as either an equal or someone to be concerned with, something she didn't want considering what her goal at C.N.R.I. was.
"You are," Laurel reaffirmed as she took his arm, Thea catching the other one and aiming a grin up at her brother when he looked down at her with an amused smile twitching at his lips. "I don't know where you got the idea that you weren't, but if I have to, I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you know that you are a good man."
Oliver, Laurel, and Thea entered the elevator and Oliver pressed the button for his floor. He knew that once they reached the loft, the two women in the elevator with him, the two most important women in his life, would want to talk to him about what had happened, but he also knew they wouldn't pressure him into it. Thea was more cautious in how she approached him after he had explained his scars to her after she had been attacked by China White, and Laurel had always been a woman whose heart ruled her. The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. Oliver, Laurel, and Thea exited and headed for the loft. Oliver opened the door and led the two women into his loft, the first time for Thea, only for all three to stop in their tracks as they saw the person waiting for them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Oliver demanded to know.
"The decision has been made, Oliver Queen," Mar-Novu replied, and Oliver felt as if an ice cube had just slid down his spine.
"How long?" he asked quietly, confusing the two women with him.
"If Eobard Thawne is not dead by the stroke of midnight in two days' time, everything you have fought for will cease to be," Novu replied.
"I understand," Oliver said. He would have words with Novu in private later about putting him in this position, since he didn't know what he could tell his sister and, what was Laurel? Friend? Girlfriend? They had only just begun seeing each other in a romantic capacity again, and despite the fact they each knew what drove the other, they hadn't really settled on the all-important question of what they called one another. Novu further complicated the matter by turning and disappearing in a column of black smoke and white light.
"Ollie," Laurel said into the silence. "Who-what was that?"
Oliver sighed and nodded in the direction of the couch. The two women let him guide them to the couch, and he sat down. "That was Mar-Novu, or as he calls himself, The Monitor. He is the closest thing to a god I have ever met. He was the one that revealed all that I know to me." It was technically true; Oliver wouldn't know about everything that would've been coming and was still coming as far as Merlyn and Slade were concerned without Novu sending his spirit back into his younger body. "He recently informed me that there is a group who have decided my actions are a danger to their own wants and desires, a group that has the ability to travel through time. The only way to stop them is to completely destroy the timeline they exist in."
"This sounds like something out of a science fiction movie," Thea scoffed.
"It's true, Speedy," Oliver said, turning his head to smile sadly at his sister. "Novu showed me what laid in store for me if he hadn't brought me into his service last year. It wasn't pretty. I wasn't lying earlier tonight, when I told you that what you said about losing Laurel was truer than you knew. I saw myself lose her in the worst way possible. I saw her die, and I was powerless to stop it. So, I do what Novu asks, when he asks. He leaves me to my own devices for the most part. But I learned the hard way that trying to fight him will only make things worse. So, I do what he says."
"Who is Eobard Thawne?" Laurel asked.
"Eobard Thawne is a terrorist of sorts, and a time traveling one at that," Oliver replied, hedging around the details that he knew from Barry. "He has access to technology far beyond what we have available to us today, but his ability to travel through time has been lost. He has used his advanced technology to steal another's identity. He is integral to the timeline that the time travelers I mentioned occupy. Killing him will destroy that timeline."
"Something tells me he didn't take the identity of Joe Random," Thea said nervously, seeing her brother was completely serious. A small part of her briefly wondered if her brother was insane, but then she remembered how that Novu guy had left them in the loft after delivering his cryptic message. That kind of made it clear that things that she would've thought impossible were in fact possible and even happening while she lived and breathed.
"No, he didn't," Oliver said quietly. "He has spent almost fifteen years working towards one goal: finding a way back to his own time. In order to do this, he took the identity of one of our world's foremost scientists in order to bring the creation of that man's most important scientific achievement forward by six years. He took the identity of Harrison Wells and has been secretly advancing the world's technology to match what was needed to build the particle accelerator they're building underneath S.T.A.R. Labs in Central City."
"Novu told you all of this?" Laurel asked softly.
"He made sure that I knew what I needed to," Oliver confirmed, again, not exactly lying since without Novu bringing his spirit back to his younger body he wouldn't have known any of this. Maybe one day he would be able to share the truth with Thea and Laurel, but for now it was just too fantastical, and the only one who would be able to convince them of the truth was Novu, who would consider it a step too far concerning his involvement in Oliver's chosen path. "So that's what I have to do. I have to stop a group of self-righteous time travelers from unraveling everything I'm doing by killing the man who is integral to their timeline."
"This is causing you a lot of pain, Ollie," Laurel said softly. "There's something you're not telling us. What's going on?"
"It's very complicated, Laurel, and I don't understand half of it myself," Oliver replied, which was true. He honestly didn't understand why Barry and Sara, who changed the timeline on a whim half the time to suit their own ends, would be against his changing the timeline the way he had been doing. What he was doing was nothing more than they had done, and he had done his best to correct the course of the timeline when it changed to fix the screw-ups he had made, which was, again, more than either of them were willing to do based on what he knew of their timeline hijinks. Which, unfortunately, was quite a lot. Over the past few weeks, new knowledge had slowly leaked into Oliver's mind, knowledge concerning alternate timelines that had come about because of Barry and the Legends' meddling. "I should probably be going soon; I'll drop you and Thea off at home before I leave town."
"Ollie," Laurel said firmly, "if you think that I'm going to let you face this decision without someone to help you through the emotional turmoil I can see this is causing, you don't know me very well. You can take me home, long enough for me pack a bag to come with you to Central City."
"Same here," Thea said, and Oliver opened his mouth to object. "Ollie, we've barely talked since I found out about your night-time activities, and you still need to find time to train me like I asked. I just found out that you suffered through something no one should, and I can see that what you've been told to do by this Novu is ripping you up inside. Let us help…"
Oliver looked from Laurel to Thea and back again. Thanks to his future memories, he well-remembered just how stubborn these two could be and unlike the last time around, he was more open to bringing them into his world, because he had seen what happened when he tried to push them away. "Alright," he said softly. "Let me change and get my bag." Oliver headed for the staircase leading up to his bedroom, unable to help the soft smile that quirked at his lips. This was why he had to do what Novu told him; the bonds he was forming with Laurel and Thea were deeper than they had been even in the last timeline, and Oliver would do anything to maintain those bonds.
But it still didn't make it any easier when he accepted that what he was doing was not only going to erase that timeline but also wipe out all the people he had saved from Earth-38, Supergirl, and Superman. Even though he had only met the latter twice, he had come to respect him, and while he and Kara had got off on the wrong foot, he had come to consider her a friend. Knowing he was going to destroy all those lives and the lives of two people he at least respected, not to mention all those he cared for, was like a weight wrapped around his soul, damning him to sink to the depths of hell. *2*
*DC*
Since they were already in Starling, they went to Laurel's first so that she could change into more comfortable clothing and pack a bag. She also left a message on her friend (and now subordinate) Joanna's voicemail telling her she would be out for a day or two but to keep everyone working. It was when they pulled into the drive leading towards the Queen Mansion that Oliver began to tense again. He was sure the dinner party would've broken up by now, but there was always the chance some of the attendees had hung back for a private word with his mother, and even if that wasn't the case, he knew his mother would probably want a word with him and he needed to get her okay for Thea to come with, though considering her general inaction regarding Thea at this point in time he didn't see there being any trouble on that front. It was more what kind of conversation they would have regarding his and Laurel's behavior earlier that concerned him.
He pulled the Camaro up to the front door, noting that only two cars remained from the dinner party guest list, and he recognized both of them. "Looks like the Merlyns are still here," he said softly, and glanced over at Laurel, who nodded slightly to show she would keep herself under control. It was one thing to have a loose tongue in general aimed at the other guests, quite another to have one aimed directly at the senior Merlyn. Thea looked between them, confused, but decided she would ask them later what was up with Tommy and his dad that had them so nervous. The three of them got out and re-entered the mansion, two of them now clad in casual clothes (Oliver in his brown leather jacket, a light sweater, and jeans, Laurel in a pair of slim jeans, a striped long-sleeved t-shirt, jean jacket, and sneakers).
"Go upstairs and pack, Speedy," Oliver said quietly, his keen hearing picking up the sounds of people talking in the sitting room, where at one time Slade Wilson had been waiting to greet him while worming his way into Moira's confidences. Thea nodded and headed upstairs while Oliver and Laurel headed for the sitting room, deciding it was best to get this confrontation over with as soon as possible. When the two of them appeared in the doorway to the sitting room, all discussion faded as Moira, Walter, Malcolm, and Tommy quieted from discussing what was probably the aftermath of their departure.
"Oliver," Moira said, looking relieved as she stood up. "Laurel. We were worried, the way you took off like that after what you said. Please, sit down." Oliver and Laurel exchanged glances but took a seat on one of the couches. Moira, Walter, and Tommy sat down on the opposing couch while Malcolm sat in one of the armchairs, observing the situation with an impassive expression on his face for the time being. Oliver knew the man must be having some suspicions about him after that show he had put on at dinner, so he needed to do some damage control, and fast, before any plans solidified in Malcolm's mind regarding what Oliver had said. "Oliver," Moira began, but paused when Oliver held up a hand.
"Before you say anything, Mom, I need to say something," Oliver said, and Moira nodded, settling back, with Walter putting his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her shoulder with his thumb. "I know the way I acted earlier was wrong. But after everything I've been through, I just couldn't remain silent, especially with that one guy's comment about how it's the job of the Democrats to help people like those victimized by Adam Hunt and others like him. Who was he, anyways?"
"That was Thomas Wilkins, he and his wife recently moved to Starling," Malcolm answered. "He has a rather high opinion of himself for someone who's barely a millionaire. He's very mum about how he built his fortune."
"Thanks," Oliver said with a nod to Malcolm. "Anyways, I wanted to apologize to you, Mom, for ruining your dinner party. I know it didn't go as you probably wanted it to."
"Oliver, do you really think I care about a ruined dinner party?" Moira asked, her expression and tone hurt. "Oliver, what you told us happened to you is… I can hardly believe what you said, and I was there! All I've been thinking of is what you said since you, Laurel, and Thea left! Oliver, I know this must feel terrifying, but you need to talk to Dr. Green about this."
"I know," Oliver whispered. "As to the rest of what I said… I want to clarify what I meant. A lot of my experiences in the past five years were at the hands of mercenaries hired by powerful people, people who were using their wealth for the wrong reasons. What I want to do is help the people in our city who desperately need it, like Laurel is doing at C.N.R.I. I thought I could donate some money to Rebecca's clinic, maybe do a start-up fund for a homeless shelter or something to help those who are struggling get back on their feet."
"I think that's very noble of you, Oliver," Malcolm said from his chair. "May I ask what exactly brought you to this conclusion?"
Oliver closed his eyes. There was only one thing that he could use to explain why he felt this way without making Malcolm's suspicions worse, but he hadn't intended for this confrontation to happen this way. He had hoped to talk to Walter on his own, or, at worst, confront him as Green Arrow. He opened his eyes again. "I've been doing some digging into the archives from five years ago," he said. "I wanted to find out what could've happened to make someone angry enough to kidnap me and Tommy and question me about anything Robert might have told me before the Gambit sank." There was a stir from the others in the room at the way Oliver had addressed his father. "I only found one thing that could've made people that angry. The steel mill, and what happened to the workers that were let go when it was shut down."
"Ah," Walter said into the silence that followed. "I see. I suppose you want to know if I purposely led your father to the conclusion he came to?"
"I want to believe the best in you, Walter," Oliver said, meeting his stepfather's gaze. "But I thought the best of Robert, too."
"I assure you, Oliver, that I merely brought it to your father's attention since he wanted to know all of his options," Walter said. "I had no idea he would choose the path he did, and we had words after the fact, believe me. It was one of the few times where we raised voices with one another."
Oliver kept his gaze on his stepfather for a moment before nodding. "Anyways, ever since I found that, I've wanted to do something. I tracked down every family I could that was affected. Some of them died in the fires at James Holder's tenements over the past five years. Most of the rest are trying to eek out a living in the Glades, which probably isn't easy with how rampant crime is there."
"No, I suspect it isn't," Walter said. "What did you have in mind?"
"Like I said, I'd like to set up a homeless shelter, or something like that, to help people get back on their feet," Oliver said, becoming more animated as he talked. "I thought we could partner up with the Merlyn clinic and C.N.R.I. and make it some kind of full-service project. I wanted to have a more structured presentation for you, Malcolm, and Laurel before I said anything, but it's something that's been on my mind since even before I found out what happened to the workers at the steel mill. I just… I need to do something to counter the darkness that I've lived with these past five years. I can't just ignore the suffering of the innocent, and this would help them get a chance at a new life, maybe even help them get out of the Glades." That last bit had been added for Merlyn's benefit, since Oliver knew the man was of the opinion that the only ones who would stay in the Glades were those who gloried in the crime and corruption infesting the place, never mind that that crime and corruption was only so widespread because of his controlling the crime and corruption in the city. *3*
"It is certainly an ambitious undertaking, and one that has to be done carefully, I feel," Walter finally said. "We can talk more about this once you return from wherever your business is taking you. Speaking of, can I assume from Miss Lance's presence that she is accompanying you?"
"After what I said at dinner, she doesn't think it's a good idea for me to be alone," Oliver replied. "Thea has made the same decision. But I thought I'd at least ask Mom if it's alright if she takes a couple of days off school. She's being rather stubborn about this, though, so she might force the issue no matter what."
"I suppose there is no harm in Thea taking a couple of days off school, especially if it's to help you deal with what you revealed," Moira said after a moment. "But there's something that concerns me, Oliver. More than once, you've referred to your father as 'Robert' instead of 'Dad'. Why is that?"
Oliver grimaced. He hadn't realized he had been doing that. But he could tell from the grim expressions on Walter and Moira's faces and the curious expressions on both Merlyns' faces that he wasn't going to get out of this. He instinctively gripped Laurel's hand, and she squeezed it lightly, letting him know she was here for him, no matter what. "I lied when I came back," he said quietly. "I said Robert went down with the Gambit. He didn't. He and Dave Hackett survived and were on the life raft with me in the beginning." Shock flitted across every face in the room. "The morning after the storm abated, Dad started talking crazy, about how he had failed the city and that I could survive this and make it home, make it better, right his wrongs. Then he pulled out a gun and shot Hackett. He told me to 'Survive', and then he shot himself in the head. I buried him on the island."
"That is a… startling revelation, Oliver," Walter said softly, feeling horrified for his stepson having to witness that. "But that doesn't explain why you call him Robert."
"Because he tried to foist a responsibility on me that wasn't mine," Oliver said. "He told me to right his wrongs, make things right, but he didn't tell me what the hell I was supposed to be making right. The only thing I've found is the issue with the steel mill workers. But I'm not wanting to do something for those people because he asked me to right his wrongs; I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do. Too many of them already have died because of the inactions of the wealthy. I won't sit by and watch another round of them die this winter."
"Ollie, I'm ready," Thea said as she entered the room, completely oblivious to what had been being discussed before she arrived. "Woah, the silence can practically be felt. What did I miss?"
"Nothing," Oliver said, standing and smiling at his sister. "We should get on the road soon if we're going to make it to Central City before morning."
"What business do you have in Central City, Oliver?" Malcolm asked.
"Just some information I came across from one of the mercs I dealt with on the island," Oliver lied smoothly. "I wanted to check it out. Not sure what I'll do if it pans out. We should be back in time for the auction."
"Ah, yes, about that, Oliver," Walter said. "I think it best if you skip the auction; the Green Arrow is likely to become a topic of discussion there and we can't have you voicing your opinion in such a public forum. Tonight's indiscretion was contained and those present knew better than to judge you because of what you revealed; the same cannot be said for the large crowd that is sure to be there."
Oliver was silent for a moment. It surprised him that Walter was the one who was putting so much stock on image rather than his mother, though he suppose living for five years under Merlyn's thumb had mellowed his mother even further to his and his sister's excesses. "If you're that concerned about image, Walter, than perhaps you should consider renaming the Applied Sciences center," he said finally. "If not, I'll be at the auction." He turned and headed for the door, effectively ending the discussion, with Laurel's hand clasped in his own. Thea joined them in their departure.
*DC*
Later, in the solitude of his own home, Malcolm Merlyn considered everything that had been revealed tonight, both at the dinner party and the discussion afterward when Oliver, Laurel, and Thea had returned. He had jumped to a conclusion tonight, he realized, without gaining all the facts. He could only guess that having spent so long unopposed, he had felt it necessary to put a name and face to the one who opposed him, but he realized now that it couldn't be Oliver. Whoever the Green Arrow was, he had a full, working knowledge of the Undertaking and the people who were aiding Malcolm in making his dream a reality; more importantly, he had the backing of A.R.G.U.S., and Oliver didn't carry himself like a government agent.
No, he had jumped to conclusions and begun making hasty plans, and for that, he scolded himself harshly. He couldn't be doing that, not with the danger that the Green Arrow represented always lurking. He needed to be cold and calculating; while Laurel Lance represented a potential vulnerability for the Green Arrow, removing her too soon might see a confrontation coming his way before he was ready. He needed more information on the Green Arrow before he went into a physical confrontation with the man. What he had seen of the man hinted at training reminiscent of the League, and the fact that the League had (to his knowledge) not sent a representative to investigate was disconcerting, as it implied that they were aware of Green Arrow's affiliation and goals.
That thought frightened Malcolm more than anything, that Ra's al Ghul knew what Green Arrow's goals were, since it would likewise mean that Ra's was aware of Malcolm's inactions or, even worse, his plans for the Glades. Perhaps he should back Oliver's plans for a full-service shelter, as it would show Ra's he was doing everything he could do get the innocent out of the Glades before he unleashed his final judgment on them.
Worse still, if the League was aware of Green Arrow's affiliations, he couldn't set the vigilante up as an agent of H.I.V.E. After all, what better way to get rid of the nuisance than turn the League against him with a well-worded accusation.
"Who are you?" Malcolm snarled into the quiet of his home office, staring down at the image of Green Arrow swinging away from city hall that had been used to capture readers' attention in the Daily Star. *4*
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
Chapter Notes:
*1* I meant to put this in the last chapter, but yes, in this story, Oliver was raped onboard the Amazo during his imprisonment there. Left untreated with therapy and the like, my understanding is many of those who are sexually assaulted start feeling as though they deserve whatever they get. Combined with Oliver's lack of self-worth thanks to that being beaten down by the likes of Waller and Felicity, and it's a deadly combination that keeps him downtrodden.
*2* Oliver is definitely going to be struggling to deal with what he's done moving forward once he kills Thawne, so expect there to be at least some angst. This Oliver is, after all, freer with his emotions.
*3* Stuff like this, helping the poor and disenfranchised publicly as Oliver Queen, is what I meant when I said Oliver will be liberal when it comes to politics. Not the extremist angle some liberals take these days. Sorry for the confusion.
*4* So, yeah, Merlyn's backing off on his plan to send The Huntsman after Laurel. This isn't how I expected this chapter to turn out. I had three ideas of how this would play out and this was an unknown fourth option. And I think Merlyn would take any evidence that Oliver couldn't be the Green Arrow simply because he doesn't want to believe his own godson is fighting against him. In 1x09, there's a heavy implication Merlyn knew Oliver was The Hood, yet he was surprised when he pulled back Oliver's hood in 1x22.