Prompt: An AU version of "Deathstroke Returns" and "Promises Kept" with one twist - Slade recruits Laurel to help find Joe instead of Oliver.

This is a bit ambitious, and this will be a two-shot because it's two episodes, but I hope everyone likes what I have so far!

It took two weeks for Laurel to decide one hundred percent that being a lawyer was Not Fun with a capital N and T. Then again, that was what she got for trying to become Laurel Lance in the first place.

She signed off on another report and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she reached for her coffee cup. Hearing Chase had kidnapped William had struck a nerve with her, especially after she saw how desperate Oliver was to get him back. It hadn't taken her long to flee the fight and reach William first, choosing to leave after she had sent the replacement Canary through the wall opposite her. He had understandably not been very happy to see her, but when she had screamed at Chase and knocked that damn gun out of his hand to stop him from shooting himself, she had endeared himself to him pretty quickly.

Not that Felicity had liked that, because of course it was a crime for William to like the woman who saved his mother's life more than his father's (ex)-girlfriend. She liked the blonde alien who kept showing up from some other Earth much better . . . though she still wasn't sure how she had shown up.

Anyway. Lawyer. When some idiot had released Oliver's photo of being the Green Arrow to the public, a photo of her in Star City was also released, and not long after that, Oliver, Quentin, and Thea were being swarmed with questions about her survival. She had pulled the biggest act of her life, showing up at the SCPD and pretending to be Laurel Lance who just escaped from Damien Darhk's captivity. Oliver and Thea still hadn't completely forgiven her for that.

And somehow, Star City thought that having their beloved Laurel Lance meant that she was automatically ready to leap back into the Assistant District Attorney position. Of course, since Laurel had to pretend she really was Earth-1's Laurel Lance, she couldn't really say no.

She was really regretting that now.

A knock on her door made her groan and look up, mentally preparing herself for the next case she was about to get. She was surprised, however, when one of the office runners walked in with a coffee cup and what looked like an envelope. "What is it?" she asked, taking out as much negativity out of her voice as possible.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lance, but these were delivered to the front desk for you," the runner told her apologetically.

Laurel raised an eyebrow, taking the envelope first. "The coffee, too?"

"It has your name on it, so I believe so."

Laurel hummed, curiosity piqued as she took the cup, too. "Thank you." The runner nodded and left, and Laurel opened the envelope, finding a handwritten note inside. It was short and to the point, and in handwriting Laurel had only seen once before.

Meet at your loft tonight after you're finished with work.

Well, tonight was going to be interesting.

The door was unlocked when Laurel arrived, and she tensed, cautiously setting her bag down and reaching for a knife under her pant leg as she closed the door. She heard faint movement behind her, and she spun and launched the knife as hard as she could.

The intruder held up his hand and caught the blade by the hilt with ease, right in front of his remaining eye. "That would be why I left you a message," he said dryly.

Laurel groaned, shutting the door and locking it. "I don't take kindly to people walking into my home, Wilson."

"I apologize," Slade Wilson shrugged, sounding only the slightest bit apologetic as he flipped the knife over in his hand, holding it by the blade and offering the hilt to her as she walked over. "I'm only here for a day."

"Does Oliver know you're here?" Laurel asked, taking off her blazer and heading for the fridge for a drink.

"No."

That surprised her enough to make her turn around. "Let me get this straight," she folded her arms. "You're in Star City for a day, and you come to the recently resurrected lawyer and not the man who got you your freedom?"

Slade sighed. "Before I left Star City the last time I was here, I told him that we can't walk between two worlds for very long. He's out of the vigilante life now, I don't want to bring him back into it."

Laurel considered, then leaned on the countertop. "So what have you gotten yourself into that involves exactly that?"

"When I left Star City, I was heading to Calgary," Slade answered. "Oliver's information on my son panned out."

"You found him?" Laurel asked, a small smile on her face as she found two beers in the fridge. "I did," Slade nodded.

"Good," Laurel passed him one of the drinks. "His name's Joe, right?"

"He changed it, actually," Slade popped open the bottle. "He goes by Kane now."

"What for?" Laurel asked.

"It was his mother's idea," Slade shrugged. "Her maiden name." Laurel nodded, gesturing for him to continue. "I tracked him to Calgary, but by then, he'd gone, so I followed him to Ibiza, and then Mombassa."

Laurel raised an eyebrow. "Mombassa?"

"The kid took after his father," Slade smirked. "While I was stuck on Lian Yu, he went out and joined the Australian Intelligence Service. Then a week ago in Kasnia, a mission went south. He was dealing in arms, some locals caught him. Supposedly, he didn't have a fair trial, and now he's serving a life sentence like a rat in a cage."

Laurel winced sympathetically. "And you need someone to sweet talk him out of there?"

Slade snorted. "Not quite how I would have put it, but yes."

"Hmm." Laurel took a swig of her beer, considering. "Why me?"

Slade closed his eye. "Oliver has a chance with his son," he answered. "He's out of this world. He doesn't deserve to be dragged back into it, especially by me. The name Laurel Lance means something, whether you're this universe's Laurel or another's. And I get a vibe from you that says you don't mind having your feet in two worlds."

Laurel planted both hands on the counter and raised an eyebrow. "And why would I want to help you?" she challenged.

Slade raised an eyebrow right back. "Because I get the feeling you want to prove me right."

Laurel licked her lips, tapping her finger impatiently. "You said you're here for a day?"

"I am," Slade nodded. "Wheels up to Kasnia at 2200 tomorrow night. I'll understand if you don't want to join me, but if you do, I'll meet you out front at 2100." Laurel didn't say anything, but merely nodded in response. Figuring it was the best he would get out of her, Slade nodded back. "Thanks for the drink."

"Let yourself in any time," Laurel drawled, but her lips quirked up in a smirk as she took another drink of her own.

Slade honestly wasn't sure if Laurel would end up joining him or not. If it had been the Laurel Lance of Earth-1, he was positive she would have turned him down on the spot, Oliver's word or not. This Laurel Lance, however . . . she was a bit of a kindred soul. Someone with a villainous past with a chance to set herself straight again. The fact she had risked her life to turn her back on Adrian Chase and rescue Oliver's son put him in his good books, too.

He was zipping up one of the duffels in the back of his car when he heard the click of wedge heels behind him, followed by the thud of a bag hitting the asphalt. "Proving you're right?" Laurel said as he turned around. "Challenge accepted."

Slade smirked. "What did you tell the District Attorney?"

"That clearly no one thought a woman who was held hostage for two years would need time to recuperate and get used to society before becoming a lawyer again," Laurel deadpanned, smirking when he snorted. "So, this flight to Kasnia . . . how long is it?"

"It's about twelve hours," Slade answered, walking forward. "Thanks for coming, Laurel."

She nodded curtly. "Let's get moving."

Laurel tapped her foot impatiently as she looked around the back lot of the warehouse Slade had driven them to. "Your friend is late," she huffed.

"I know," Slade snorted, rolling his eye as he watched her pace. "Nylander's a bit of a jackass and never on time."

"You don't say," Laurel checked her watch.

"He's not that bad!"

"Oh, well, speak of the devil," Laurel rolled her eyes.

Slade smirked in agreement as he turned to greet the man walking up to them, who was laughing. "Slade Wilson, the Terminator."

"I haven't heard that name in a while," Slade remarked as he hugged the man. "See you're running later than usual."

"Yeah, I was with a girl," Nylander smirked, making Laurel roll her eyes. "Forget about it. Look at you! Mirakuru did you wonders, huh?" Laurel caught his wince, and she narrowed her eyes, seeing Nylander give him a look. "Oh, what? You're not sensitive about that skit, are you?"

"He's chatty," Laurel quipped.

"I'm inclined to agree with her," Slade nodded, making Laurel smirk smugly. "You promised me something, Nylander. Did you bring it, or did I waste my time traveling seven thousand miles for you to screw with me?"

Nylander huffed. "Truth be told, I'm glad you got your marbles back." He pulled out a file and handed it to Slade, and as the man flipped through it, Nylander looked up and past him to Laurel. "So, honey, who are you to him?"

Laurel's eyebrows shot up, and Slade looked up sharply from the file. "Call me 'honey' again, and I'll cut your tongue out," she glared.

"And that would be before you would have to worry about a sword in your gut," Slade added, closing the file. "This should work. Thank you."

"That's it?" Nylander raised an eyebrow. "Just 'thank you?' No extravagant dinner, no pints?"

"Maybe next time when my son isn't rotting in a third-world prison," Slade countered.

Nylander harrumphed. "He's lucky to have you as a father."

Slade shook his head, walking back towards Laurel. "My son wouldn't be in this mess if anybody else was his father."

"Just be careful, Kamrat," Nylander warned. "Your boy was snooping around some private-op mercenaries, um . . . not so nice guys."

Laurel snorted as Slade stopped and gave his friend a look. "If I know Slade, he can be one of those 'not so nice guys' under certain circumstances."

Slade chuckled, turning around to walk off with her. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Laurel took off the short black wig she had worn to the meeting as Slade closed the door behind them, running her hand through her hair to get the tangles and knots out. "OK, so we know where your son is," she said, heading to her duffel to find an outfit to change into other than black jeans and a leather jacket. "I'm guessing this is where ADA Laurel Lance comes into play?"

"You guess correctly," Slade confirmed. "I call this play Liberty Watch – a famous American lawyer comes to small, war-torn Kasnia to fight for the release of a man who has been wrongfully accused."

"That almost sounds like a soap opera," Laurel wrinkled her nose. "That should work like a charm."

"Well, it's a diplomatic solution," Slade shrugged.

Laurel snorted. "If you know me, Slade, you know I'm more into aggressive negotiations."

Slade gave her an incredulous look. "Star Wars? Really?"

"What?" she asked innocently. "I wasn't exactly a lawyer back on Earth-2." She sighed, walking over. "But I do know the weight of Laurel's name. I just don't think they'll free Joe just because I waltz in and give them a photo op."

"Well, the photo op is just to gain entry," Slade shook his head. "Of course they'll need a reason to release him . . . " He slid a case around on the table and popped it open. "And here are fifty thousand."

Laurel whistled, impressed, as she looked down at the money in the case. "Fifty thousand indeed." She nodded. "OK, so I give them the photo op to get in, give them the money, and assuming this works, where do we meet?"

"When you pick up Joe, go straight to the airport," Slade answered, handing her a bundle. "Here is an alias passport for him and tickets for you both to London."

Laurel was so surprised she didn't react to Slade putting the paperwork in her hand, then she rapidly shook her head. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute . . . you're not even gonna see him?"

"I need you to promise me that you won't tell him I helped," Slade told her.

"No!" Laurel protested, dropping the paperwork onto the case and walking around the table to him. "I'm not gonna lie to your son!"

"It's better this way," Slade argued.

"For him or for you?" Laurel countered. "Don't tell me you don't want to see him."

"You think I don't want to?" Slade snarled, eye flashing. "Laurel, I gave up the right to be his father when I stepped out of the light into the shadows and became this monster."

"Then I lost the right to be my father's daughter the moment I acted like a brat and got him killed!" Laurel snapped right back, making Slade blink. She sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her face. "When I was thirteen, my dad was killed in a car crash, but the guy who caused the accident wasn't the reason he died. He never should've been on the road that day. He was working a lot, which I hated . . . " She exhaled slowly, sitting down in the chair behind her. "But I knew on my birthday that we would be able to celebrate, only he – " She snorted bitterly, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt tears in her eyes. "He showed up without my cake, and I threw a tantrum. So he went back out. That's when the other guy drove him off the road. And do you know the last words that I said to my father? The last thing that I said to him was 'I hate you.' My dad died because of me."

Slade swallowed hard. "That is not your fault, Laurel," he told her, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "The fault is on the driver, not you."

Laurel scoffed. "But he was out there because of me."

"That doesn't mean you killed him," Slade shook his head.

Laurel let out her breath slowly. "I could barely look at him at the funeral. I'd give anything to see him again." She looked up at him, swallowing hard. "Don't miss a chance to see your son, even if it's just standing outside the prison and not talking to him. Just somewhere you can see him."

Slade took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Outside the prison," he nodded.

Laurel nodded, giving his hand a quick squeeze before standing up. "Right," she cleared her throat, wiping at her eyes and heading to her back. "Black Siren is going in the back." She found the outfit she wanted and smirked. "Time for Laurel Lance to put on a show."

Her heels clicked on the floor of the prison as she approached the warden's desk, the man looking up as she was escorted in. "Ms. Lance," he greeted.

"Thank you for taking the time," she nodded politely.

"It is not every day I meet celebrity," the warden smiled.

Laurel tilted her head. "I'm not famous."

"I saw you on news multiple times," the warden shook his head. "Brought back from dead, yes?"

Laurel gritted her teeth in a smile. "Yeah . . . sure was."

"They also say you are vigilante . . . Black Canary, yes?"

"OK," Laurel cleared her throat. "Let's get away from what you see on TV."

"Yes, I understand you're with organization in hopes," he began.

"To request the release of one of your prisoners," Laurel cut across him. "Kane Wolfman."

The warden froze, then sighed. "I wish you'd come earlier."

Laurel blinked once, then twice, then narrowed her eyes to slits. "And what does that mean?" she demanded.

The warden swallowed. "There was fight in prison yard few days ago. Kane tried to break up, someone pushed, head was hit."

Laurel stared at him in disbelief. "He's dead?" she asked.

The warden nodded in response. "My apologies, Ms. Lance."

Laurel sank her teeth into her lip to try and avoid saying something she would regret. "Thank you," she finally ground out, turning around and heading towards the door. This was not something she was looking forward to telling Slade.

She stopped when she was almost to the door, pursing her lips. No, she didn't want to tell Slade . . . but she also didn't want to leave without giving him anything except bad news. There was something she could still try to do.

She spun on her heel and walked back to the warden, who looked up in surprise. "Kane Wolfman's father is outside this prison," she told him. "Will he be able to see his son's body?"

The warden blinked, then slowly shook his head. "I am afraid that won't be possible."

Laurel frowned. "Why?" she asked. "You said he passed a few days ago."

"Yes, but – "

"Warden," Laurel leaned in closer, eyes narrowed to slits. "Where is his body?"

The warden gulped. "It is no longer in my possession."

"No longer in your – " Laurel cut herself off, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Warden, you seem to forget I am a lawyer and know when someone is lying," she told him with false sweetness. "So there are two things I can do. I can contact Liberty Watch, or I can cause an international incident. Or I can even do both. What will it be?"

The warden shook his head. "The situation is complicated – "

"The uncomplicate it!" Laurel snapped, eyes flaring. "If you think I'm getting angry, you do not want to face Kane's father."

The warden swallowed hard.

Slade looked up when he heard the doors open and heels clack on tarmac, and he pushed himself off the wall when Laurel stormed out. "Do you want good news or bad news first?" she asked when she reached him.

"What's the difference?" Slade asked, gaze looking behind her. "Where's my son?"

"Well, that's the good news," Laurel stopped in front of him. "He's no longer in the prison."

"What?" Slade blinked. "Why not?"

"That's the bad news," Laurel sighed. "The warden tried to tell me Joe died during a prison riot, and when I asked to see his body, he started fidgeting. So I let Black Siren out to play a bit, and then he told me what actually happened."

"What did?" Slade narrowed his eye.

"He told me the men Joe investigated are called the Jackals," Laurel answered. "And when they found out he was arrested – apparently he was in the wrong place at the wrong time – they broke into the prison and took him."

"Why?" Slade gritted his teeth.

Laurel shook her head sadly. "The warden said the secrets he had are worth millions. They took him to torture him. The warden also said they threatened reprisal on his family if he spoke about it." Slade snarled angrily, and she nodded. "Yeah, I told him he should have been happy he dealt with me and not you."

"He should be," Slade growled, turning and storming off, hearing Laurel quickly catch up behind him. "When the Jackals took my son, they didn't count on who his father was."

Laurel smirked as she joined him by his side. "Guess we've moved on to aggressive negotiations."

"So you're a technology expert as well?" Slade raised an eyebrow, adjusting his gauntlets as he watched Laurel work on a laptop.

"My worth isn't just in screaming until someone drops dead," Laurel snorted, sitting up straight and linking her fingers together, setting her chin on them. "So the Jackals are basically ghosts in the databases of every major intelligence agency in the world."

Slade snorted. "Well, that's no help."

"Hey," Laurel gave him a look. "Can I finish?" Slade gestured, and she turned the laptop around. "I found this after looking through camera footage. Took a while to reconstruct, but I got the escape route, license plates, and then – "

"Their final location," Slade finished.

"Exactly," Laurel smirked.

Slade nodded. "Thank you, Laurel."

"You're welcome," Laurel nodded, then frowned as he picked up one of his guns. "You make it sound like you're going alone."

"Alone is what I do best," Slade told her. "And this is my fight, not yours."

"Hey!" Laurel stood up, glaring at him as she walked around the table. "This became my fight when I agreed to come here and help you."

"And you've done your part," Slade said. "It's my turn now."

Laurel gritted her teeth. "I can help you more."

"You've risked enough," Slade shook his head. "I can handle the rest."

Laurel glowered at him. "Let's hope so."

"Ye of so little faith, Siren," Slade picked up his mask, heading for the door.

"Better hope I maintain it," Laurel glared at his back as he left. When the door shut behind the Australian, she threw up her hands in exasperation and paced around the room, muttering incoherently. If Slade Wilson was this stubborn back on Lian Yu when he was stuck with Oliver, she had to wonder how he managed to survive with the mercenary.

A chirp came from her phone, and growling lowly, she pulled it out of her pocket, checking the many messages she now had from everyone back in Star City. They were mostly messages demanding where she was (Oliver and Thea), warning her about not turning back to her "old ways" (Dinah and Felicity), and asking how long she planned to disappear for (Dig and Rene).

It was the message from Quentin that made her stop and stare. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, be careful.

Laurel lost track of how many seconds went by as she stared incredulously at Quentin's words. She barely remembered her father from Earth-2, but Quentin looked at her and saw someone who had the potential to be like his Laurel from Earth-1. He was her biggest supporter after she turned on Chase and delivered William to Oliver, and even though he had not been happy about her appearing as Laurel Lance, he still stood by her and offered her Laurel's law books to study from to keep up appearances.

She had disappeared without warning, without telling anyone anything . . . and he was telling her to just be careful. Just like she was his daughter.

She clenched her jaw and moved towards her duffel, unzipping it and pushing clothes aside to get to the bottom of the bag. That message was all it took for her to make a decision.

Jackals moved through their base, staring down at the puddles of blood around their downed members, all dead by gunshot or sword stab.

Their shock was short-lived as one of the two got a throwing knife in his jugular vein. The other turned around and saw icy green eyes before steel went through his heart.

Laurel let the corpse collapse at her feet, and she wiped her knife on his jacket, twirling it around. "Looks like you're the lucky ones," she mused, looking around at the trail of bodies Slade had left. She toed one, wrinkling her nose. "Can't say I'm sorry," she snorted, walking onwards. "You messed with the wrong kid."

Slade really hated Nylander sometimes. The fact he was allied with the same organization that kidnapped his son wasn't helping his case at all.

"I'm curious, Slade," Nylander told Slade, the armored man looking around at the Jackals surrounding them. "What was your plan? Kill us all and save your boy? Kind of reductive, no?"

"I like to keep things simple," Slade shrugged.

"Ah," Nylander clicked his tongue. "Things rarely are, brother."

"Well, this is," Slade stood from where he had been listening, happy he had told Laurel to stay behind. "I will join the Jackals as long as you let my boy go."

A black-gloved hand covered a Jackal's mouth and pinched his nose, and the Jackal thrashed as an arm went around his chest. Laurel gritted her teeth as she held on stubbornly, and when the Jackal went limp, she smirked victoriously, lowering him to the ground. "Night night," she patted him on the shoulder, nimbly stepping over him and moving towards where she could hear voices coming.

She heard Slade's and ducked to hide behind the corner. " . . . long as you let my boy go."

She knitted her eyebrows, trying to determine what deal he had made, but Nylander chuckled. "It's like I said. Things aren't so simple. We need your son . . . after all, he's our boss."

Laurel's eyes widened in shock, and she heard footsteps enter the room behind her, followed by an Australian voice. "Hello, father," the man who had to be Joe Wilson said, making her close her eyes, lean her head back against the wall, and silently curse. "It's been a long time."

This had just gotten way more complicated than it should have been.

A/N: Like I said, bit ambitious, but I was pretty satisfied with what I put out. What does everyone else think?

"Promises Kept" has yet to be finished, but it will be uploaded when it is!