Well, I didn't expect it to take so long to get this out, but better late than never, right? I enjoyed writing this part, too - it was certainly interesting writing Laurel into this episode instead of Oliver.

Part two of two, covering "Promises Kept." Hope everyone enjoys!

"You should have stayed dead."

Laurel winced at the cold tone Joe used. "So much for the family reunion," she murmured, sliding along the wall to try and hear better.

"I heard you were in trouble, kid," Slade responded after a moment. "And so I thought I'd offer my help."

"My old man here to save me," Joe scoffed. "Last I saw, you weren't all that concerned with saving anyone." She heard a gun cock, and she tensed, gripping the wall behind her. "Apple doesn't fall that far. What do you think? Patricide?"

"He's seen our operation," Nylander offered his thoughts, and Laurel tensed, sliding one of her knives into her hand. "It makes him a liability."

"Yeah, you can have that choice, but I'll give you another one," Slade interrupted. "Let me join you."

"If I wanted a family reunion, I would've sent an invitation!" Joe snapped.

"Maybe you did, but you just haven't realized it yet, kid," Slade said. "See, I came all this way to talk with you, and I will kill anybody who gets in my way because I got nothing left to lose, only you. So go ahead and make a decision."

There were a few seconds of silence, and Laurel was ready to jump out from behind cover to back him up when she heard the click of a safety being engaged. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't swayed by the poetry of it all," Joe said dryly. "But can I trust you?"

"Trust is built upon honesty," Slade answered. "I am sure you have a lot of questions to ask me, and I've got a lot of questions for you, Joe."

"That's not my name anymore."

"Your mother named you something different to keep us apart."

"OK," Joe finally said. "Guess we got some catching up to do."

One pair of booted feet left, followed by a second, heavier set, and Laurel closed her eyes in relief, letting out her breath slowly.

Slade was safe.

"Excuse the poor accommodations," Joe gestured around. "I don't plan on staying in this stain of a country too long."

"Well, there's a reason why they say the money is in the muck," Slade remarked, looking around where Joe had led him.

"I did bring one luxury, however," Joe told him, placing a bottle on the table Slade sat at.

Slade raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Oh, there's a blast from the past," he said, picking up the bottle and examining it. "My favorite. I never realized you'd acquired a taste for it, too."

"Like you told me," Joe walked over with two glass tumblers. "Always drink good booze and only look out for yourself."

Slade snorted softly as Joe put them on the table. "Well, the Jackals are an unruly bunch," he said. "Must have been hard trying to keep ASIS in the dark for so long."

"It's amazing what an agency overlooks when it's willing to leave its own men for dead," Joe shook his head, watching Slade pour drinks.

Slade chuckled bitterly, sliding him one of the drinks. "So what kind of operation are you planning on running here?" he asked, examining the sword Joe had put on the table. "Drugs? Weapons? Perhaps a military coup?"

"Let's call it a reassignment of resources," Joe shrugged, picking up his drink and taking a sip. "A lucrative one."

Slade eyed him curiously as he took a drink of his own. That stirred his interest.

"So, you and your boy," Nylander grinned as he and Slade walked down the hall. "One big happy family again, huh?"

"That's none of your business," Slade gave him a dirty look. "But he told me about your new job, the reassignment of resources. Tell me about that."

"Well, if the boss didn't think to tell you, then that means it's none of your business, Kamrat," Nylander smirked. "Meeting hall, thirty minutes."

Slade pursed his lips, watching him leave –

"Slade!"

He froze in shock, spinning around when he heard his name. "Laurel?" he breathed in shock as she emerged from around the corner, clad in her Black Siren suit. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought that was obvious," Laurel raised an eyebrow, gesturing down at her suit. "I'm helping!"

Slade gritted his teeth. "You should have gone home!"

"And what are you gonna do about that now, drug me?" Laurel tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "I've come this far with you. I'm not abandoning you, not when you've found Joe. Especially not when you've gotten yourself into whatever he's doing with this reassignment of resources."

Slade huffed. "You overheard that."

"Yeah, and I overheard you plan on joining his unit," Laurel folded her arms. "I think I'm stating the obvious when I say he's dangerous, Slade."

"He's just a younger version of me," Slade brushed it off.

"Were you ever a gun for hire?" Laurel raised an eyebrow.

"No, but I was a killer," Slade shook his head, looking around and pulling Laurel closer to the side. "Laurel, go home before you find yourself in trouble you can't get out of."

"I'm not walking away from this," Laurel shook her head determinedly. "You're stuck with me, Slade."

Slade glared at her, then sighed in annoyance. "For better or for worse," he grumbled, making her smirk victoriously.

"Feeling at home yet, Slade, hmm?" Nylander asked as Slade checked over his weapons. "Or should I call you Deathstroke?"

Slade glared at his friend, then heard Joe's voice as he approached. "Slight change in plans, gentlemen! Forty percent of our Semtex was compromised during transfer. Conveniently, however, the Kasnian army is doing some transferring of its own. I'm gonna take a small team to intercept."

"Does this jeopardize our timeline?" Nylander asked.

"Not with the infamous Deathstroke backing me up," Joe smirked, eyeing Slade. "What do you say, father? Interested in showing us how it's done?"

Slade smirked right back. "As long as your dogs can keep up." Joe nodded, and Slade gave Nylander a smirk as well when the man gave him a dirty look. "I'll go pack some gear." Slade walked a few feet away from the other Jackals, taking a look behind him to see if he was being overheard. When he was sure he wasn't, he clicked a button on his bandolier. "Siren."

From deeper inside the compound, Laurel straightened from where she was leaning against the wall. "Comms are working," she said quietly.

"Kane has me making a run for Semtex," Slade told her.

Laurel knitted her eyebrows. That sounded familiar . . . "The high-yield explosive?"

"Yeah," Slade confirmed. "With Nylander involved, I should've expected it."

"You think he'll be handling the detonator?" Laurel asked.

"I'll bet," Slade confirmed. "If you can find the receiver, perhaps you can corrupt it. It might be in Nylander's gear."

"I'm on it," Laurel promised. "What about you? You OK?"

Slade's sigh was very audible. "Just find the receiver."

Laurel pursed her lips, but nodded curtly and pushed off the wall, moving back towards where she knew the Jackals were meeting.

It took about ten minutes before she heard the rumble of vehicles, and about thirty seconds for the noise to disappear. That meant the Jackals were gone on their mission for Semtex.

Laurel moved through the base as quickly as she could, minding her heels on the floor. Slade had told her a rough location of where Nylander's gear could be and the quickest route she could get there.

She reached the door to go further into the compound and was pulling down the handle to open it when she heard footsteps behind her.

Laurel gritted her teeth and rushed off out of sight, peering around the shelves she ducked behind. One of the Jackals was doing rounds, automatic rifle held tightly in his hands. She carefully moved around the shelves, spotting another Jackal just a few feet away. Laurel looked between the two Jackals, trying to figure out the best way around them when she caught sight of a pile of crates just past the shelves, and her gaze lifted to look at the pipes running along the ceiling.

Grinning, she climbed up the crates and up to the pipes, shimmying her way across them until she was above where the Jackals were meeting. While they were talking with each other, Laurel tossed a knife just past where they were, and when the Jackals spun around and raised their rifles to see what made the noise, she dropped down, wrapping her arms around one's neck and kicking the other in the head, knocking him out cold. Laurel punched the other Jackal out, waiting for a few seconds to make sure they wouldn't wake up. When they didn't, she stood up and picked up her knife, moving to the door again and walking through it.

Nylander's gear was right where Slade guessed it would be, and she smiled victoriously. "Thank you, Slade," she whispered to herself as she jogged over.

She found the detonator easily enough and was about to open it up and disable it when a few papers buried under Nylander's jacket caught her eye. Laurel wouldn't have spared them another glance if she hadn't recognized what the drawings were of from her time with Zoom. She abandoned the detonator in favor of examining the blueprints closer. Thanks to her time drawing battle plans with Zoom, she recognized what the drawings meant at once.

And it was not good. Not good at all. "Oh, God," she whispered in horror.

An ominous click sounded right behind her head, and Laurel froze, standing completely still. "And to think Slade told me to worry," Nylander's voice said coldly.

Shit.

"So what are you planning with all these explosives?" Slade asked as Joe opened the case of Semtex and looked at what was inside. "I'd like to know."

"You missed your kill shot with the soldier back there," Joe said instead.

"Well, when I lost this eye, I lost my depth perception," Slade smirked.

Joe considered him. "Most of my men think you joined me under false pretenses."

Slade scowled. "There's nothing false about trying to find my son." That was true, at least. "But if they doubt me, then maybe I don't have your trust."

"Of course you do," Joe smiled; Slade wasn't sure he liked that smile. "Which is why I got you a little gift."

Slade frowned, hearing footsteps approach, then stiffened when he recognized the heels on concrete. He turned to see Nylander lead Laurel into the room, Laurel glaring at Joe. "And you told me not to worry, brother," Nylander tsked, kicking Laurel's legs out from under her.

Her knees hit the ground, but Laurel didn't make a sound; her glare only intensified as Joe chuckled. "Nylander found her with my detonator. Some might see this as coincidence, but I see it as fate. Oliver Queen took everything from you, yet you have the woman he loves most in front of you, helpless."

Slade knew Laurel was anything but helpless – especially this Laurel – but he stepped forward anyway, giving her a long look. Laurel looked right back at him, silently asking what he was going to do. "Laurel Lance," he said slowly. "Oliver Queen took someone from me. It's only fair I take someone equally important from him."

With a mental apology, he threw a sharp right hook, and Nylander let Laurel crumble to the ground, knocked out cold. "An eye for an eye," Joe smiled in satisfaction as Slade looked down at the blonde metahuman who was in this position because he asked her to be.

Laurel, why did you come after me?

Laurel couldn't remember the last time her head throbbed as hard as it was now. She made a small noise of discomfort and attempted to raise her head, only to pause when she felt cool metal – sharp metal – against her cheek. She froze and carefully opened her eyes, finding the point of a sword aimed at one of her eyes.

She slowly lifted her gaze to find that Slade was the one holding the sword, looking down at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Years ago, I made Oliver Queen a promise," he said softly. "Do you remember?" Laurel looked unflinchingly up at him, because no, she really couldn't remember since it was her doppelgänger he said it to, but she had a feeling he was going to say it anyway. "I promised that he would suffer the same way that I suffered."

"Slade," she said slowly. "What are you doing? I thought you weren't this person anymore."

"What I am is a father reunited with my son. I made him a promise, too, and I'm not going to break it again."

"Didn't you make Oliver a promise, too?" Laurel asked. "You helped save his son, and he would help you save yours."

"Oliver Queen has a son?" Laurel turned her head at the voice, and Joe seemed coldly amused as he walked into view towards Slade. "I'll make sure he suffers, too."

Something flickered in Slade's eye, then he moved behind Laurel. "Slade," she began to say.

"Do it," Joe ordered, an eager look on his face as Slade stopped behind her.

Laurel's jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes. She didn't know Slade nearly well enough to know if he was putting on one hell of an act or not, so what use was getting her hopes up? "A lot of dead people on Earth-2 would thank you," she mumbled under her breath.

There was a pause – a long pause – then Slade spoke. "One last song, Siren?"

"Siren?" Joe blinked, caught off guard.

Laurel got the point, though, and a wide grin took over her face. "If you insist."

Before Joe could say another word, Slade's sword descended and sliced through the ropes tying her hands, and Laurel shot to her feet, screaming at Joe. Her scream propelled Joe back into the opposite wall, but before Laurel could go check on him, Slade's hand grabbed her wrist in a vicelike grip. "Come on," he ordered, grabbing his mask and heading for the door.

Laurel stumbled for one step, then jogged after him, tugging her wrist free. Slade kicked the door open, and the first Jackals they saw were greeted by another sonic scream from Laurel. More Jackals were bowled over when their comrades were thrown into them, then Slade started shooting and taking out the Jackals that were coming in behind Laurel. She grabbed an abandoned rifle and started firing her own shots, backing up with Slade to take cover behind some crates. He grabbed her and pulled her down, the two of them wincing as bullets peppered their hiding space. "I don't suppose you had an escape route?" Laurel asked sarcastically.

"What, you didn't plan one when you came after me?" Slade huffed.

Laurel rolled her eyes, then nodded at the opposite wall that led to the outside of the building. "Fine. Let's make one on the spot."

Slade caught her drift instantly. "Go."

Laurel took off running, Slade right behind her. She screamed once, enough to smash through the window she bolted for. As the glass shattered, she didn't stop and leapt out, covering her head to try and avoid getting hit by glass that was still flying around her. A second later, Slade grabbed her and adjusted their positions so when they landed on the ground, he took the brunt of the hit, his armor absorbing the impact even though Laurel's breath left her at the thud.

She didn't have long to try and recover, as Slade was quick to pull her to her feet. "Run," he ordered. "Siren, come on!"

Laurel scrambled to her feet, running after him and risking a look over her shoulder. She saw Nylander make it to the window first, then she turned and sprinted after Slade, leaving the Jackals' base behind.

Laurel wasn't sure how long they ran for, but before long, Slade held out his arm, gesturing for her to stop. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Laurel took a few gulps of air, grabbing the back of the nearest bench and bending over to catch her breath. "Yeah, I'm fine, considering what I saw when I found Nylander's detonator."

"What was it?" Slade asked in concern.

"I saw what Kane was going after," Laurel looked up at him. "They're attacking the water supply. It's a death sentence for half the country."

Slade nodded. "It's a death sentence for half the country."

"If we move now, we'll be able to stop them," Laurel took a deep breath, then raised an eyebrow at him. "If that's what you want."

Slade scowled. "I spared your life back there."

"I know," Laurel nodded. "But that didn't feel much like an act."

Slade sighed. "Because when I saw my son, I was tempted," he admitted. "I would've done anything to keep us together. But when you mentioned William, I realized that's not my boy. It's Kane. But what I fear is there is only one way to stop him."

Laurel slowly straightened, looking at Slade. "That's why you gave me the cue to scream," she realized, and when Slade nodded miserably, she sighed. "Slade, there have got to be other ways to deal with this that don't involve killing him. He's still your son. Look at the two of us, where we've come from – there's got to be a way to reason with him and get him to listen to you."

"Laurel," Slade swallowed, "after Lian Yu, I went home to my son and I promised him I would stay and never leave, and I broke that promise."

"But wasn't that because of . . . " Laure scrunched up her nose, trying to think. "That serum you had?"

"Mirakuru," Slade nodded. "It faded for a while, but when it came back, it was like a storm I could not control, and that monster is what my son is trying to emulate, but it's not mirakuru with Joe. It's anger and resentment, and I don't know how that can be redeemed."

"It's like I said, Slade," she walked up to him. "Look at the two of us. I was a lieutenant for Zoom and Chase, and now I'm an ADA. I don't know what you were like when you had the mirakuru, but I'm pretty sure it's far from who you are now, and now we're both here, trying to save your son. We've come back from our demons, we can get your son back from his. He just needs to see the man you are right now."

Slade looked at her in slight disbelief. "Do you truly believe that?"

"If I don't, what hope do I have for some sort of redemption?" Laurel shrugged. "So are we doing this or not?"

Slade clenched his jaw, then held out his hand. Laurel nodded and shook it, determination in both their eyes.

"Where are we?" Joe asked as he walked up to Nylander.

"All charges are set," he answered, holding up the detonator. "Feels like it should be you."

"I hired you to pull the trigger," Joe reminded him before looking around. "Move out!" he ordered. "Get to a safe distance. Semtex makes for a pretty big bang."

"You're not coming with?" Nylander blinked.

Joe smirked. "I want a good view."

"You're crazy," Nylander laughed. "I love it!" He backed up to leave with the rest of the Jackals. "Don't forget what you said about the Semtex, yeah?"

Joe nodded, watching Nylander leave. When the rest of his men were cleared out, he stiffened, turning to look behind him. "I knew you'd show up," he said coldly, looking at his father. "I think it's time we had ourselves an honest talk."

The Jackals were evacuating the building when a shrill scream came from behind them, and an unseen force bowled them over. Nylander winced, grabbing his gun and looking up.

Black heeled boots strode across the asphalt as Laurel approached, her eyes narrowed. "Rematch," she growled, flicking a knife into her hand.

A few Jackals got to their feet first, but Laure grabbed the gun of one of them and smacked it into his head repeatedly, knocking him unconscious. She jumped another and wrapped her legs around his neck, doing a backflip and ramming him into the ground. She grabbed that Jackal's gun, firing at a few she couldn't rush individually, watching them fall to the ground, bullets in their chests.

"Trust begins with honesty," Joe growled, circling Slade. "That's what you said to me, but you lied!"

"You know life is not that simple, Joe," Slade shook his head.

"That's not my name!" he snapped. "And saving Laurel Lance? Why would you do that after what Oliver Queen did to you?"

"Because he forgave me for far worse!" Slade snapped. "Sins that I have to carry to the grave, a curse I didn't want to pass on to you! All of this anger and resentment, it's time to bring it to an end, son!"

"No," Joe snarled, reaching over his shoulder and drawing his sword. "This is just the beginning!"

Laurel sliced the throat of the last Jackal, then turned and looked at Nylander, who was aiming a gun at her. "Really?" she smirked.

"How fast can you scream before I pull this trigger?" Nylander questioned.

Laurel flicked her wrist, and Nylander grunted as her knife buried into his arm, making him drop his gun. "I'm more than a pretty voice," she answered, walking forward.

Nylander sneered and rushed her, and Laurel twisted to the side, dodging him. She did a roundhouse kick, catching him in the chest, then somersaulted on the ground to pick up a dropped combat knife. Nylander pulled hers from his arm, gritting his teeth in pain, and swiped at her. Laurel blocked his swing with the knife she just picked up, then jumped and kicked with both feet. She caught Nylander in the gut, and with a grunt of pain, he fell backwards, Laurel dropping on her back.

She was up again quickly, running over to Nylander before he could get up, planting a knee on his chest and leaning down, dropping her knife to take his head in both hands. "Slade was wrong after all," she hissed. "You really do need to worry." She screamed in his ear, feeling Nylander thrash before he went limp, and Laurel let Nylander fall to the ground, blood trickling out of his ear. "That's for him," she growled.

Slade's sword clashed against Joe's so hard, sparks flew from their blades, father and son moving across the catwalks so fast they were blurs. Joe's slashes were furious enough to be kill hits had Slade not gone on defense, Slade making sure Joe didn't land a hit on him while trying to land disarming blows. "You used to be ruthless!" Joe glared. "What happened?"

"What you saw was the mirakuru!" Slade growled, blocking the swing aimed at his head.

"Stop lying!" Joe shouted. Slade shoved upwards, pushing Joe away from him. "I saw you kill before the mirakuru!" When his son rushed him, Slade blocked the sword and used Joe's momentum to fling him over his shoulder, and as Joe tried to get to his feet, Slade put his sword at his neck. Joe took deep breaths, glaring up at him. "Milford Sound," he revealed, and Slade's eye widened. "That little father-son trip, the one you promised would be all about you and me? I saw what you did to that Chinese spy!"

"I was on a mission for ASIS," Slade hissed.

Joe scoffed. "Well, here's something you don't know, something Mother never told you . . . I have a brother!" he revealed, Slade freezing in shock. Joe used that to his advantage, getting to his feet as he continued speaking "His name is Grant. Mother didn't want him in this world, but me . . . I'm my father's son. I made my first kill six months after our camping trip, and I slit his throat just like you did!" He threw a swift punch at Slade, knocking him to the ground. Joe was quick to draw the combat knife he had at his belt, pointing its tip at his father's throat. "I wanted to be exactly like my father," he hissed. "Like Deathstroke."

"I am not Deathstroke anymore," Slade shook his head.

Joe's jaw clenched angrily. "Then you're not my father anymore," he sneered. "You're just in my way!"

He raised the knife, but he looked at something behind Slade and froze. Slade couldn't help but turn and saw Laurel run onto the catwalk, her own knife in her hand, this one covered in blood. She narrowed her eyes, and before Slade could stop her, Laurel opened her mouth and let out a sonic scream, louder than Slade had heard before. He winced and quickly covered his ears, bending his head and letting the scream pass over him. It hit Joe in the chest, and with a grunt, his son was catapulted away from him, hitting one of the columns at the other end with a loud thud.

Slade grimaced and tried to get to his feet, Laurel running up to him and grabbing his arm. "Are you OK?" she asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Slade nodded.

"Good," Laurel nodded back, turning to look at Joe, who was climbing to his feet. "What do we do about him?"

Slade turned to look at him as well, but Joe took the decision out of their hands. "I wish you'd stayed dead!" he spat, throwing something to the ground.

Slade twisted and blocked Laurel from the grenade explosion that blew up, closing his eye against the harsh light. When he opened it again and turned around, Joe had vanished. "He's gone," he sighed.

Laurel glared angrily at the flames left by the grenade, but squeezed Slade's arm sympathetically as well.

"Well, I think our friend the warden will be happy to never see us again," Laurel declared as she walked up to Slade later. "They got the rest of the Jackals in custody and is very relieved they're no longer a problem." She paused, seeing Slade looking at a picture on his phone. "Are you OK?" she asked quietly.

"My son," Slade sighed, showing her the picture of himself and a young boy in what looked like a forest. "He saw me kill a man before the mirakuru, before Deathstroke. He followed in my path, Laurel."

"Slade," Laurel put a hand on his arm. "Don't blame yourself. It won't help you."

"He's my son," Slade shook his head. "Oliver once told me 'never give up on family.'"

"And you haven't," Laurel told him. "After all this time, you've been looking for Joe, and you tried to reach him. You didn't give up on him. You can't give up now."

"I don't plan to," Slade sighed, looking down at her hand on his arm before gently taking it. "But you need to go back to Star City."

Laurel knitted her eyebrows. "You'll keep looking for Joe?"

"Of course," Slade nodded. "Him and Grant. It's like you said, I can't give up."

"Good plan," Laurel smiled. "And you know where to find me if you want my help again. Don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't," Slade shook his head. "You proved me correct, Laurel. You don't seem to mind having your feet in both worlds."

"It's what makes life interesting," Laurel smiled brilliantly. "I could demand you tell me when you find your sons so I can help you again."

Slade snorted loudly. "I don't think Joe would appreciate that after you screamed at him twice."

"He can deal," Laurel shrugged nonchalantly.

Slade snorted. "You saved me back there," he told her. "You didn't have to."

"No, I didn't," Laurel agreed easily. "But if I've learned anything, it's that it's hard to be a hero when no one expects you to be. The easier path is being a criminal. I don't know if it's the ADA in me now, but I think I'm done being a criminal."

"Worthy choice," Slade nodded, squeezing her hand. "Thank you, Laurel, for everything you did."

"You're welcome," Laurel squeezed back. "I meant what I said. If you need my help again, let me know."

"That goes both ways," Slade told her.

Laurel's lips quirked up in a smirk. "Noted."

"Fly safely."

Laurel bit her lip, then stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Safe travels to you, too," she told him.

Slade stared at her for a moment, then a genuine smile formed on his face. "I'll see you again, Laurel."

"I hope so," Laurel smiled, shouldering her bag and turning to walk to the car they had driven.

When she turned around after putting her bag in the back seat, she caught Slade disappearing between two buildings, steam from the pipes shielding him from view. She swallowed, then whispered "Good luck" to empty air before getting into the driver's seat.

She had a city to get back to.

For everyone being so concerned about where she was or what she was doing, Laurel found it rather ironic that the first person who noticed she was back was Oliver's girlfriend.

She was walking through City Hall, looking over the cases she now had when she saw Kara head for Oliver's office, two cups of coffee in her hands. "Kara," she greeted casually, not looking up from her papers.

"Laurel," she heard Kara respond as she got in the elevator, and just before the doors closed, she heard a surprised squeak and "Laurel?"

Laurel smirked to herself, holding her laughter in. She could do it after she was bombarded by questions from . . . well, everyone.

Sure enough, by the time she got back to her office, she found Quentin, Thea, and Dinah waiting for her to show up. "Where the hell have you been?" Dinah was the first to say something with a nasty glare.

"Aw, did you miss me?" Laurel smiled sarcastically. "That's sweet."

"You disappeared for a few days, and you expect to show up like nothing happened?" Dinah scowled as she followed Laurel practically on her heels into her office.

"Considering that's exactly what happened, yes," Laurel sat down, laying her files down and booting up her computer.

"Nothing?" Thea repeated dubiously.

Laurel gave her a mock offended look. "An ADA can't ask for a few vacation days because she's overwhelmed by the job the public demanded she get back to just after she returned from the dead?"

"Cute," Dinah scoffed. "Real cute."

Laurel rolled her eyes. "I didn't become a criminal again, and there's no mess for you to clean up. That's all you need to know."

"Laurel?" Oliver was next to enter her office. "When did you get back?"

"Oh," Laurel pretended to think. "Last night. Which is why you didn't see me here yesterday."

"She's clearly hiding something," Dinah gestured at her.

"Yes, my private life which you shouldn't stick your nose into," Laurel glared at her, picking up a pen to sign off on a document on her desk. "Because nothing happened you need to know about."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Hey!" Laurel's eyes snapped up to glare at her. "Believe it or not, you're not the only one who can go from a vengeance-driven killer or criminal into someone trying to practice the law."

Dinah looked ready to throttle her, but Quentin held up his hand. "Dinah, give her a break," he advised. "She really was rushed into this, let her have some time."

"Thank you," Laurel nodded gratefully, looking at Oliver this time. "I took some time to myself, I didn't become a criminal, and you won't find me becoming Black Siren again any time soon. I may still be in that world, but the murderer I was got left on Lian Yu."

Oliver pursed his lips, then nodded. "Fine," he said, ignoring Dinah's incredulous look. "Just watch yourself, all right?"

"Oliver Queen, concerned for me?" Laurel smirked. "Touching."

"I'm concerned about you for Quentin," Oliver corrected. "And I'm concerned about the ADA. Show you're still not who you were, I'll feel better about you."

Laurel tilted her head, then clicked her pen. "Copy that."

Oliver nodded, giving Dinah a warning look as he left, followed by Thea. Dinah gave Laurel a glare in response and stormed out as well. Quentin watched them go, then looked back at Laurel. "You really OK?" he asked.

Laurel looked at him, then nodded. "Yeah," she told him. "I'm OK." Quentin nodded, taking that answer and heading for the door. Laurel took a deep breath and called after him. "Actually . . . would you like to meet for dinner tonight?" she asked, making Quentin blink in surprise. "Or some time this week?"

Quentin blinked again, then smiled. "I'd like that," he nodded as he left.

Laurel smiled as she watched him leave, then picked up her phone when it chirped. She didn't recognize the number, but she didn't need to.

I owe you, Siren. Thank you.

Laurel smiled, saving Slade's number in her phone before typing a response.

Looking forward to when you do. You're welcome.

A/N: Thoughts? If you like this pairing, drop a prompt or two if there is something you would like to see!

Next time from CourtneyVanderDussen: I think it would be interesting to do a prompt where Mon-el is only gone for 7 months and it's been 7 years for Kara. And she's married to Oliver and has a family or what ever way you want to work it.

I think that would be interesting, too. Partly because there are way too many crackships I thought of that could happen.