Chapter Five:

As her family spent time with her grandson, Moira Queen was waiting solemnly in her car. Moira almost longed for the time prior to when Oliver returned. At least then she didn't have to deal with physically absent sons and the unruly baby mama of her grandson. The only constant was her daughter who continued to act out and ignore her warnings. At least Thea hadn't changed.

She should have forced herself in Samantha Clayton's house and spent the last few minutes getting to know the grandson. But Moira knew that the more time she spent around Samantha, the more likely Samantha was going to blurt out that Moira was the reason she lied about William. Samantha may have revealed the truth to Walter in the car, but she wouldn't have the guts to say the words to Oliver and Thea. Not when that made the other woman look worse, a gold-digger as well as a liar.

Earlier, when Moira and Walter had noticed that Thea never came home the night before, Moira had hoped that she was with one of her friends. She had not planned to call them, but then she received a text from a block number with a picture of Samantha and Thea talking in the dark. She knew then that her secrets were unraveling.

As soon as Walter had arrived home from work, Moira frantically told him about Samantha, how the baby mama lied to her about a miscarriage of Oliver's baby, and how she was secretly meeting with Thea at the very moment. She needed his guidance; she couldn't deal with the consequences of her choice alone. She only lied about her part in the big deceit because she didn't want to face either Walter's disgust or anger.

Once she finished her story, Walter remembered the brief phone call from Central City that had rattled Thea a few nights before.

Moira had immediately listened to the message. It was so brief; a quick, "Do you remember?" Remember what? It took a moment for Moira to recognize Samantha's voice. It sounded slightly distorted. They were in the middle of listening to the message for the tenth time, when Oliver had come in, looking exhausted. He asked what was wrong and, before she blurted out the same story she told Walter.

Oliver, of course, was furious with Samantha and struggled to remain calm. For a brief moment, his face was so startlingly angry that Moira thought he was Malcolm Merlyn in disguise. Oliver insisted on immediately meeting his son, and Moira reluctantly agreed to book the private jet for a quick trip to Central City.

What was Samantha Clayton thinking? What made her so stupid that she contacted Thea after so many years of laying low? Moira would never understand the foolish girls like Ms. Clayton who sought after Oliver and believed they were the special someone who could change him. That spot was reserved for Laurel; well, prior to Oliver's mistake with her sister.

Moira had to figure out how to deal with Samantha. Despite his anger, there was a positive twist to this challenge. As soon as he heard about his son, Oliver actually talked to her and Walter about how to deal with an unexpected situation instead of wandering off to party with Tommy Merlyn.

This wasn't like before, when the secret of his illegitimate child would ruin his reputation. If the press caught on to William, the possible damage to Oliver's reputation can hardly be worse than after the Sara Lance scandal. Also, most of Oliver's childhood friends actually saluted him for dating two sisters at his funeral. As for Laurel, Moira doubted the happy domestic life between Oliver and Laurel was possible anymore. There was too much bad blood between the two of them.

She needed to be patient. Stay calm. Everything will work out.

Her phone rang and it was her friend Carl Ballard. "Go outside, Mr. Diggle." She told Oliver's failure of a bodyguard who she asked to wait in the car with her. She needed to talk to Carl privately.

Once Diggle obeyed, Moira returned Carl's call. "Hello Carl, I hope this isn't anything urgent. I had an unexpected trip to Central City today."

"I'm sorry to bother you Moira, but I'm worried. I...," Carl started.

"Carl. There's nothing to worry about." He really needed to calm down. This was the tenth time this week he called her in a frantic mood.

"But the auction this week."

"Will occur without a hitch."

"But what if Malcolm doesn't like the results?"

Moira wanted to slap his face. Maybe she should do that the next time they meet in person. "We should not be discussing this over the phone."

"Moira, last time I saw him, he yelled my ear off over accidentally mentioning Temp…"

"Stop." Moira snapped. "You were the fool who was overly trusting and had a tryst with your CFO. You need to man up and stop making mistakes. You were lucky that she agreed to support our cause."

"But Moira, Malcolm threatened to …"

"Malcolm did what he had to keep you in line. You keep making mistakes. You need to be more careful. My protection only stretches so far."

"Moira."

She looked through the car window and saw Walter and her children exiting Samantha's house. "Look. I'll see you during the meeting on Thursday. We'll talk then."

"Moira, please."

"My family's coming back. I'll talk to you on Wednesday." Moira snapped her flip-phone closed right as her family entered the car.

As Walter took the seat next to her, and Oliver took the seat across, Thea waved cheerfully to Diggle and talked to him for a few moments. Moira wished her driver, Vincent Wheeler, was available for today's trip; all of today's problems would have been easier with him to talk to.

The sounds of falling leaves and passing cars blocked out Thea's and Diggle's conversation. Moira wondered when the two of them became so close. She hadn't seen Thea talk so casually with someone besides Walter in forever.

Oliver looked pensive, likely thinking about Samantha's deception and his son. Moira was pretty sure Samantha took Moira's warning to heart; otherwise, her son would be acting angrier towards her.

"How did it go, Oliver?' Moira asked her son gently.

"Incredible. He's such a sweet kid. He told me about his friends, Jimmy and Kyle and how they go on so many playdates. He created a whole storyline for his ninja turtles that would be perfect for the show." Oliver gradually smiled as he continued to talk about his son.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Thea said cheerfully as she came into the car. "It's good for the two of you to get a chance to know each other."

"How did you learn about him?" Oliver asked, his voice gruff.

As Diggle backed out of Samantha's driveway, Thea tensed beside him. "About two months or so ago, I went into Central City with some friends and ran into Samantha. William looks so much like you. So, I got curious and basically pressured Samantha into telling me. It was tough, but eventually she told me the whole story."

Moira could tell her daughter was lying. Samantha had said that she hadn't told Thea the truth, and the other woman seemed too fearful to admit the truth. For god sakes, Thea didn't know about Oliver's college life and William's looks weren't enough for her daughter to figure out the truth.

"She eventually told me about the deal she made with mom. Shows me the cashier check and everything."

"Thea," Moira snapped. "I don't know what Samantha told you, but…"

"Mom," Her daughter snapped back. "I know you don't want to look bad, but there's no point in keeping this secret. As I told Sam, the cat's out of the bag, there's no point in pretending. You were afraid of Ollie's life being ruined from being a father before he tried Yale as his fifth and final school. You wanted Ollie and Laurel to be together forever. I get it. I can see myself doing the same thing for my kids."

Oliver glanced at her; his eyes cloudy. "What did you do, mom?"

Moira watched her son struggle to restrain his anger. He looked so much like Robert before a huge blowout in this moment.

Moira kept her eyes on Oliver but spoke to Thea. "I do know what Ms. Clayton told you, Thea, but it isn't true."

Thea sighed. "Mom made a deal with Samantha. She gave her money and promised to not interfere, and Samantha would move to Central City and pretend she got a miscarriage."

"Mom, why?" Her son was grimacing. She had never seen him so angry at her before. Why did that woman have to mess everything up?

"I…," Moira struggled to find the right words. She had hoped to hide her lies, but outside factors had hindered her carefully constructed story. "I did it for you. You weren't ready to be a father. I did it to protect your future. And, after you disappeared, as much as I wanted to meet my grandson, I made Samantha a promise, and I keep my promises. And I didn't want to provide such life-changing news so quickly after your return."

Her son stared at her, expressionless. "You had no right to do that. All this time. If I knew, I could have ..." Oliver clenched his fists. "Why did you lie? Why did you put the blame all on Samantha?"

Moira felt her body warm up. "I…" She hated to see her son angry at her.

"She was afraid. She didn't want you to see that she isn't perfect." Thea spoke up. "But that's a problem. We're all family here and we shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

"Why did you keep William a secret?" Oliver asked his sister gently. His face turned more normal.

Thea leaned into her brother, her head falling on his shoulder, and said quietly, "Samantha and I were going to call you while William was at a playdate. I delayed this past week because I'm still getting used to this you again. So much has changed and there's so much you don't know. I wanted to tell you, but I need time to get used to this normal."

"Thea, I feel the same. I still can't believe I'm eating real food again instead of crickets." Oliver pulled an arm around his sister's back.

Thea smiled. "The thing is I didn't want William and Samantha to be in danger. You were kidnapped just last week, and I don't want that to happen to them this… in the future."

Moira's heart started to race. If Malcolm found out, would he threaten them too to keep her line. Why was she even wondering that? Of course, he would.

"That must be why you like the Hood," Walter said thoughtfully. "Because he saved Oliver and Tommy."

Thea lips curled upwards. "He is incredible. With men like those kidnappers out there, we do need heroes."

Moira wished she could comfort her children and say that Oliver was never in any danger. But, of course, her kidnapping of her son would just lead to more tension, and this time there was no acceptable explanation.

Thea's face then turned serious, and her focus returned to Moira. "You would have figured out a way out of it. You're good at getting out of trouble. But William isn't the only secret I'm keeping from all of you." She glanced at Moira, nodded at Walter and faced Oliver again. "Please listen to what I have to say before saying anything."

"Of course," Oliver agreed, as did Walter.

Moira nodded. What secret did Thea have? Was she going to ask for help about her drug addiction? Moira always wanted to help but wanted Thea to ask her first. She knew better than to interfere with a hormonal teenager.

"Ollie, I know it's hard to hear bad things about our parents. I would love to still believe that they had the perfect marriage, but they weren't always faithful to each other."

"Thea, I don't know what rumors…" Moira started. She didn't know why she kept denying the truth. It was obvious that Thea knew about Robert's affairs. She might even know about Moira's relationship with Malcolm. The question was whether she knew about her heritage.

"Mom, I know Malcolm's my biological father."

Moira felt her heart race. She closed her eyes. This had to be a dream. Thea couldn't have found out. What if Thea wanted to tell Malcolm?

"What?" Oliver gasped and looked at Moira. "This can't be true. Mom, why would you cheat on dad?"

"It was a moment of weakness." Walter squeezed her hand. She was so lucky to have found him. So many revelations had come out today, and her husband still didn't lash out. "I hate to say it, but Robert did have several affairs. For a week, shortly after Rebecca's death, we both had a brief romance. It didn't end well. I…"

"Mom, don't worry," Thea interrupted. "I won't tell Malcolm. That bastard doesn't deserve to know, not after what he did to Will… Tommy. This doesn't change how I feel about dad. He will always be my dad. This only means that Tommy is also my brother."

Moira felt a rush of relief. Her daughter wasn't interested in knowing the father who had threatened to kill her.

"Mom, I can't believe you lied to us, to dad for all this time. To think, he died thinking…"

"He knew, but didn't care," Thea cut in. "Eventually he found out, but still viewed me as his daughter. That's all that matters. You can be disappointed with mom, but you know that sometimes it's hard to be completely honest."

Oliver tightened his grip on his sister's shoulder. "What about Tommy? Do you want to tell him together?"

Thea grinned. "That would be great. We can visit his place tomorrow. Just don't tell Malcolm."

"Are you sure? He is…"

"I'm sure."

Moira glanced at Walter. He nodded and said to Thea, "I'm glad you felt you can trust me with this information. I won't say a word."

Thea nodded. "Thanks, Walter. I know we can trust you." She turned to Moira. "I know this is hard for you. But I can't keep this secret from my brothers."

"I simply wished you talked to me before doing this." Moira wished she could say that she was fine with this. But she was worried. Once more than one person knew a secret, it was bound to unravel. Eventually Malcolm would know, and she feared that day.

As much as it hurt to see Oliver and her mother at odds, Thea was glad that she decided to tell the truth. She felt so much freer admitting at least some of her secrets.

As soon as they reached the plane terminal that held the family's private jet, Oliver left the car. Thea understood that he wanted to put as much distance from their mother as possible. She remembered how furious she was at mom after finding out the truth about Malcolm, and how hurt she felt about losing nine years of her nephew's life.

Thea missed this jet with its luxurious open seat plan, small tables, and leather seats. She quickly asked for a glass of water. She knew better than to ask for some red wine when Oliver was nearby. In times like these, Thea longed to appear twenty-three again.

"You know, I agree with mom," Oliver stated after her water arrived.

"What?" Thea thought he was mad at her.

"Not about telling me the truth. But the vigilante, the Hood. He's dangerous. I think he's insane."

"He's not, Ollie, I know what insanity looks like." Thea replied. Good job, Samantha. She just had to tell him.

"I don't know what Samantha told you, Thea, but she is wrong."

Thea glanced where her mother was resting on Walter's shoulder. Diggle was sitting nearby. This wasn't the place to have this conversation. Thea was fine with revealing some family secrets; just not the ones that could possibly result with a family member in jail.

"I know. I still admire him. Whoever he is."

Oliver shook his head and sighed. "Please promise me you won't go looking for him."

"I promise," Thea lied. She will always search for her brother.

After that, Oliver remained silent during the hour plane ride home. As he stared off into space, Thea borrowed her Walter's spare iPod to listen to some music. Thea enjoyed regaining the easy camaraderie she had with her stepfather, but she missed talking to Oliver openly. But as long as they were in a public place, she couldn't admit all her secrets.

On the other side of the plane, her mother and Walter quietly talked to each other, and Diggle sat alone, quietly watching the group. She hoped Walter could comfort her mother. This was a difficult time for her mom; she needed Walter at her side against Malcolm's threats. There was only so much Thea could do when she had to confront her own enemy.

She needed to find where SM was and defeat him or her. She needed to make sure Samantha stayed calm during this mess and ensure that the other woman told her if SM contacted her again. She needed to get off this damn plane, meet Oliver in the Arrowcave, convince him of the truth, and get his help against SM.

Somehow, Thea fell asleep; maybe because she had only two hours of sleep the night before. One second, she was aching to get off the plane and then it landed. Thea turned to Oliver who was still in the seat next to her. He was now looking at his phone, brows furrowed.

Thea glanced at his phone and saw that he had multiple calls from Tommy.

"You should call him. He must have something important to say if he called you that much." Her heart was racing. She couldn't deal with any more drama today.

Oliver nodded absently, "Let us out," he demanded to the flight attendant. The young woman flinched and quickly opened the door.

Thea noticed Oliver's motorcycle and a black car on the runway. Looked like Oliver was preparing for a quick escape.

Oliver called Tommy. After a few rings, Tommy picked up and Thea heard him shouting on the other end. She couldn't pick apart Tommy's words.

"Tommy, slow down," Oliver said calmly. "What happened to Laurel?"

"You and me, to the end. That's what we said we would be. You said you would never leave me. So don't give up, you are getting through this. You're stronger than this."

Laurel looked up to her from her hospital bed and sighed, "I wish I could believe that. But I don't know if I'm going to survive this. If I die, Thea, I need you to promise me that you will look out for them. My father and Oliver need you. You have seen, again and again, how lost they get after someone dies."

"But Laurel, I don't want to lose you too." What about me? What about how much I need you?

Oliver was still listening to Tommy, though he occasionally muttered Laurel's name.

"What's Tommy saying?" Thea felt her heart racing.

Oliver ignored her, listening with closed eyes as Tommy screamed on the other line.

"Give him a moment to breathe, Thea," her mother told her, clasping a warm hand on her shoulder. Thea's back flinched at her mother's sudden appearance. "We'll know soon enough."

"Laurel's in trouble." Thea muttered. "I lost her. A second chance and I still lost her." She should have stayed in Star City. She should have watched Laurel's court appearance and then have lunch with her friend. She lost her chance to be friends with Laurel again. Now, all she was a hollow, friend-less mess. Oliver should have been the one sent back in time instead of her; he would have never given SM the opportunity to harm Laurel.

After what felt like forever, Oliver ended the call and said hollowly, "Laurel was attacked. She's in the hospital undergoing surgery."

"Who attacked her?" Their mother asked softly.

"The Triad. It's all my fault." Oliver placed a shaking hand on his forehead.

"Oliver, it's in no way your fault." Her mother put a comforting hand in his lap, and he squeezed it tight. All the earlier tension between them was forgotten. Replaced with fear and guilt. Oliver likely blamed himself and believed that if he was in the city, he would have saved Laurel. "You couldn't have known that she would be attacked tonight. And I doubt she would have invited you into her apartment."

But Thea knew. She knew Laurel was attacked soon after Oliver's return.

"It's all my fault. What was I thinking? Making a deal with Darhk."

Thea watched Quentin gulp down a glass of whiskey. She promised herself that it would be his last while she was around. She grabbed a bottle of the drink and drained it down the sink.

"It's not your fault Quentin. We all make mistakes. We're only human."

"Laurel's dead."

As Thea drained another bottle of whiskey, Thea dropped the bottle, and the glass broke. She swiped some tears off with her shoulder. "And we can't bring her back. But we can get him to see what it's like. I have an idea. A last ditch effort if nothing else works. He deserves to have his kid's life threatened."

"No, Oliver, it's not your fault. It's mine." Laurel was likely dying again. One week with a second chance and Thea was already fucking it up.

Oliver didn't hear her. He was already on his motorcycle; most likely going after the Triad and whoever hired them to kill Laurel. Her mother was yelling at Oliver to come back. Walter was trying to comfort her.

Diggle was the only one who noticed Thea. He was staring at her with pity, surprise and understanding. That was Dig; he always could see right through people and recognize the demons behind their calm exteriors.

He looked away, swiping through his phone.

"She was saved by a new vigilante named Prometheus," Diggle told Thea, showing her a news article about the incident on his phone.

Shit. Of course, it had to be that maniac.

"You should get to following him." She told Diggle. Hopefully, he could actually keep up with Oliver for the first time this week. "If you really want to not lose your job, that is."

She'll check on Laurel. She could only guess on what Chase was planning.