Chapter 47: For the Boy Who Has Everything
"I still say it looks grander every time we come here." Barry grumbled as he and Iris got out of the taxi, taking their night bags out with them.
"And I still say it's just you." Iris sing-songed back. Before them was the familiar sight of the Queen Mansion, the place where Kal's long-awaited birthday party was to take place.
They made their way to the entrance, handing off their bags to one of the servants. Another opened the door for them, allowing them inside.
As she entered the ornately decorated mansion, it occurred to Iris how much had changed in the last eight months. Last year in September she was just a beat cop trying to get out of her estranged father's shadow, trying to move past the tragic death of her best friend. Now, said best friend was back from the dead, and she and her father were finally back in a good place with each other after years of not speaking to one another.
Ever since Barry had been found and returned home, life had picked up at a wild pace. Central City had gotten crazier than ever, with the rise of metas and the debut of the Flash, culminating in the discovery of Nora's murderer and Henry's release from prison. Her career was starting to accelerate, and she was on the fast track to becoming a detective, like Eddie and Joe. Most of all, however, was this – the Queens. Never had she expected her and Barry's reunion to result in a friendly acquaintance with the richest and most socially prolific family on the west coast. It almost felt like a dream.
"Hey Kara." Barry moved in to hug his surrogate sister. "Where's Ollie?"
And of course, Barry was the one to remind her that it was not, in fact, a dream.
"He's at the pool with Kal and Laurel, getting the place ready for the rest of the guests. I'll have someone take you there." Kara took her hand and smiled. "Iris."
"Kara." Iris nodded back, smiling lightly.
"Aren't you warm?" Oliver asked as he set down another box of pizza unto one of the side tables.
Laurel, who had elected to wear a violet long-sleeved shirt and jeans, shrugged. "A little, but I'll last. It's not like we're going to be sticking out here for long anyway, right?"
Oliver internally frowned at the obvious deflection but smiled anyway. "Agreed." He jabbed his thumb toward the pool. "God knows that thing isn't used nearly enough as it should be. I don't even remember the last time I took a dip in there."
"Well, the kids will like it for certain." Laurel gestured to Kal and Ruby, who were staring longingly at the water. They had been banned from playing in the pool until at least five other guests arrived.
"Oliver! Laurel! Are you finished setting up the tables?"
"All done Sam!" Oliver called back.
Sam stepped out the house, directing a number of chefs carrying different kid-friendly foodstuffs to the line of tables set up across the Queens' backyard. She had initially been inside, helping Moira and Robert decorate the backroom where the adult party would be held, and had volunteered to help with the food once the kitchen was finished with it.
"That looks good."
"It's not for you, Bare." Oliver responded automatically, and then blinked.
"Barry! Iris!" Laurel shrieked in happiness.
"Oliver, Laurel. It's good to see you." Iris grinned as the two women went into a hug. The two had hit it off at Thanksgiving and had exchanged contact information. Since then, they had shared several conversations over texts and emails and the occasional phone call, forming a strong friendship that was only further supported by the brotherly bond between their two best friends.
"Do you think the kids will mind if I sneak a bite?" Barry jokingly asked as he and Oliver clasped hands.
Oliver arched an eyebrow. "A bite to you Barry is a full meal to them. I think they would mind – that spread will barely be able handle Kal. Don't need to add you to the mix." He let go and held out his hand to Iris. "Iris."
"Oliver." Iris blushed slightly. She couldn't help it; Oliver was very attractive.
"From what I saw last Thanksgiving, Ollie's right, Barry." Laurel giggled as she went and hugged him. "I wonder if we made enough for the 'other' party?"
"I warned Mom and Dad as soon as I heard the party was here. We should have enough, and even if we don't – well, that's what we have the pizza guy for." Oliver joked.
Just then, Sam walked over to the group, finally satisfied with the arrangement of the food. "Food's done and raring to go. I warned Kal and Ruby that if they ate right now they wouldn't be allowed to go into the water for another half-hour. But considering the ban…" she shrugged, then blinked. "Barry and Iris, I take it?"
"Yup. Don't wear 'em out." Barry smirked as he crossed his arms. "And you must be the famous Samantha Arias. I've heard a lot about you."
"Good things, I hope."
"Very."
Kara smiled as she greeted another guest, directing them to the side where Robert was waiting. On the other side of the door, Moira was doing the same with another invitee. A line of cars, some vintage, some brand-new, some long and some short, all very, very expensive, spanned the entire driveway of the Queen Mansion. The party had begun.
"Kara." A familiar voice drawled, and Kara stiffened.
"Carter. What are you doing here?" She asked, careful to hide the nervousness she felt. Why did she keep running into this man?
Carter Bowen smiled slyly, and it would've been charming to anyone but her. "One of my cousins was invited, and when I heard you and Kal were hosting, I just knew I had to come."
"Oh, really. Well, we can catch up later. I have to greet all the guests and –"
"That's alright. I can just wait here with –" Before he could finish sentencing her to damnation, a hero arrived.
"Carter, it's good to see you and all, but I need to hand over my gift."
Kara let out a breath of relief. "Tommy! I thought you weren't coming."
Tommy Merlyn rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Carter, knowing he was foiled, frowned deeply in Tommy's direction before going up to Robert for his directions.
"I wasn't at first, but I thought better of it." He handed over his gift, before adopting a nervous expression. "Is it okay if I brought a friend?"
"Of course, Tommy. The more the merrier! Who'd you bring?"
Tommy stuck his head out to the side and beckoned someone to come in. Kara felt her nerves freeze when Isabel Rochev entered the scene, but she had too much practice masking her emotions to let it affect her outward composure. Instead, she continued to smile, holding out her hand and greeting the woman as if she had never met her before. Isabel had the tact to do the same, with a smile so insincere that Kara felt her teeth ache from the sugariness of it. From periphery, she noticed that Moira's friendly demeanor immediately drain away the moment she saw Isabel, and she could hear Robert stumble over his words while directing another guest to the pool. She made an idle note of it as she told Tommy where the adults would be mingling, reminding him to place his gift on the side table.
When the last car in the line arrived, Kara and Moira both sighed in relief.
"Thank God, my feet are aching from standing in these heels for so long." The usually stately Queen Matriarch complained, causing Kara to giggle.
Just then, the final guest arrived, and Kara's face brightened when she saw who it was.
"John! You made it!"
John Jones smiled awkwardly – oh, they needed to work on that, thankfully they were at the social event of the week – and handed over his gift to Kara, returning her incoming hug. "Sorry I'm late – I had a tough time finding a cab driver who was willing to drive me here."
"Don't worry, the party has just barely started." Kara reassured him. Moira audibly cleared throat, and Kara was suddenly reminded of her presence. "Moira, this is John Jones – he's one of my neighbors. Just moved here from out of the country. John, this is Moira Queen, the mother of my friend Oliver. She and her husband graciously offered their home for Kal's birthday party."
"Mrs. Queen."
"Mr. Jones." Moira gave a polite smile, and then offered to direct him to where the adults were mingling. Robert had long since departed from his guide duties and joined the rest of the older guests. As they started a conversation over John's current experiences in Starling, with Kara occasionally chiming in, another conversation went unheard.
She's Oliver's mother? I can see the resemblance – in more than just looks.
Yeah. She can be a little uptight at times, but she's a big softy inside, really.
You like her a lot.
Are you an empath too?
No, but I'm not oblivious either.
A laugh. Yeah, I do. Ever since Kal and I arrived in Starling, Robert and her – and Thea as well – have been nothing but kind to us. When I moved out, they told us we were welcome back anytime and…that we were family, now. It's almost like…
…having parents again. J'onn finished for her. I understand, Kara. I really do.
Yeah. Flashes of not only Zor-El and Alura and Astra, but also Shado and Slade, crossed her mind. J'onn saw them but knew not to comment on them. I guess you do.
The pool party lasted for a couple of more hours. Some of the children, having had their fill of swimming, and showered and dried themselves off and then were sequestered up to one of the entertainment rooms. There, the ever-responsible Thea was keeping watch while the kids had a Marvel movie marathon, starting with Iron Man and ending with The Avengers.
The adults, content that their kids were occupied and sufficiently supervised, had gone on to have their own little soiree in the backroom of the mansion. While far more casual than the Starling Elite's usual get-togethers, there was still an air of decorum present, a forced space between every exchange. For those who were not used to it, it was visible, and they couldn't help but comment on it.
"How are you able to deal with all this?" Iris whispered Laurel when they had a moment to themselves.
When the party started, she and Barry had been introduced as friends of Oliver Queen; after that, people had flocked to them, introducing themselves and trying to use polite conversation to discern how two Central City natives with no publicized net worth had gained the favor of Starling's golden child. Iris was unused to such attention and had floundered a few times, having to be saved by Laurel more than once. Oddly enough, Barry had no such problems, keeping afloat easily and endearing himself to several of the people present; Iris figured that Oliver or even Wells had coached him on things like this during their free time.
"Easy. I grew up with it." Laurel commented, taking a sip of her lemonade. At Iris' inquiring look, she elaborated. "I met Ollie and Tommy at school – private school. My mom's a college professor at Balliol College and she managed to get Sara and I into Balliol Prep. The three of us – we clicked instantly and have been thick as thieves ever since. And when you're so close to the sons of the two richest families in Starling, and attend school with the rest of their peers, well…" Laurel shrugged, and Iris instantly understood.
"So, you and your family…"
"…we've been a part of all this for two decades." Laurel admitted. "In the beginning, it was weird. These people – they operate on a different set of rules. There's an unspoken way of how things go, and we were expected to follow them. But we learned quick, and eventually got used to it. We've been a part of this world for so long that sometimes everyone, even us, forget that we aren't as well-off as the rest. Even Dad has slipped a few times, and there's been more than one cop in the precinct that was shocked to see him on speaking terms with some of the people here. It's just how life has worked out for us Lances."
"But doesn't it get hard?" Iris pressed on. Laurel knew she was thinking about Barry – after Harrison Wells died and was exposed and his estate was passed down to Barry, she had been one of the lawyers to look over the will for any caveats, as Barry trusted her and really only her not to screw him over. There had been quite a lot of money passed on to Barry, and with his recent decision to reopen S.T.A.R. Labs, Iris must've come to the realization that she too would be a part of this world, as Barry's best friend.
"It does. But honestly, I wouldn't change it for the world."
Her eyes landed on Oliver, and she smiled.
"Ollie, Barry I'd like you to meet my new business partner: Isabel Rochev. Isabel, my best friend Oliver Queen, and another friend of mine, Barry Allen." Tommy gestured to the woman on his arm, who gave them a small smile.
"A pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman." Oliver held out his hand, which Isabel took with a forced giggle.
"Tommy was right; you're quite the charmer."
Oliver smiled. "It's just how I was raised."
"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from the famous Moira Queen." From the corner of her eye, she could see the aforementioned women watching their little meeting warily. "I hear you and Kara our planning on starting your own business?"
"Yes – we've already started construction. We're converting my family's old steel mill into a low-cost outlet mall for the residents of the Glades."
Isabel nodded in interest. "A worthy endeavor."
As the conversation continued on, Isabel excused herself, commenting that she needed another drink. On her way to the refreshment table, she caught sight of the Queens, who were conversing with Janice Bowen. For a moment, she watched them, feeling determination well up inside her.
Don't worry, Robert, Moira. You'll be getting yours soon.
So focused she was on them, she didn't notice John Jones off to the side, eyeing her suspiciously.
As the night neared, it was finally time for Kal to blow out the candles on his cake. As people trickled outside for the final major event of the night, Iris took note of the cake placed on the grand table outside, noting the familiar shape.
"I didn't know Kal was a Supergirl fan." She whispered to Barry, who was walking next to her.
Barry smiled knowingly. "He's her biggest fan, actually. He's just a little…subdued about it."
After the candles were blown out and everyone had a slice of chocolate ice cream cake, Kal made a big show of opening some presents for the guests. The Queens had carefully selected each present, making sure that the more personal, private ones from friends and family were kept away to be opened when it was only them, while those opened publicly were from some of the more prominent families of Starling City.
Once he was finished and the many guests departed (including, reluctantly, Tommy and John), leaving just the Queens, Kara, Barry, Iris, Sam, Ruby and Laurel, he opened the rest, thanking each giver sincerely and gratefully. After the last gift was opened, everyone decided to call it a night. People were directed to different rooms and bathrooms as the servants cleaned up the last signs of the party before they too departed to their own homes and quarters.
It was late into the night, when most of the home was quiet and asleep, that the trio of former assassins and their charge met in Kara's room, for one last present. Kara opened a drawer in the nightstand next to her bed, handing it to her young cousin, who observed it with a fond eye. Unlike most of his other gifts, this one was small, about the size of the palm of his hand. Aware of the eyes on him, Kal opened it carefully, untying the knot on the top and lifting the lid. There was a small pouch inside, with a letter attached. He picked up the letter first.
Dear Kal-El,
I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend your birthday today. I wanted to, but Amanda…well, you know how she can be. And it would be hard to explain why I would be there anyway. If you don't find those to be good reasons, I understand.
The gift I'm giving you has a lot of memories connected to it, for all of us – both good and bad. I'm giving it to you as a reminder that, no matter where I am, I am always with you.
With all my love,
Papa
Setting down letter with care, Kal pulled the draw string on the pouch, and shook less its contents on his hand. Everyone looked down, and gasped.
The Hozen.
As he settled in for bed, Kal fiddled with the arrowhead in his hand, thinking.
He knew he lived an atypical childhood thus far. If being an alien with superpowers wasn't enough, he had spent the beginning years of his life in and island hell, before moving in with a super-secret league of assassins. He had been all over the world, taught skills that most people, let alone children, wouldn't even touch. The first twelve years of his life had been an odd combination of chaos and tragedy that he could've done without.
In the midst of it all, however, there had been love. Overwhelming, unconditional, endless love. Love he wouldn't trade for the world.
Sometimes, he wondered what it would've been like. If his planet hadn't exploded. If he had the life he was supposed to have.
But as he looked at the Hozen in his hand and the sleeping Kara next to his bed, he decided it didn't matter.
He already had everything he could ever need – and everything he could ever want.
Finally done! I've finally decided on a schedule for updates. Every week, on Tuesday nights/Wednesday mornings or afternoons – with my current schedule for college, I think I can handle that. As for the quality of the chapter, I'm kinda iffy on it, but I think it came out okay. I am thinking of getting a beta, and if you know anyone with a decent resume (including yourself), please tell me!
In other news: this story now has a Tumblr! The link will be in the endnote and the beginning note for AO3 users. For FFN users, here is the link: .com. Replace the dots with periods and remove the spaces.
For the Tumblr, I will share when there as an update to the story and some idle thoughts on the Arrowverse (depending on how I think the season for each show is going), and maybe even some sneak peeks. You can also ask questions and send in artwork, which will be reblogged and linked in the story. Some might even appear in the story, with credit to the artist. Meta posts are also welcome.
Well, that's all for now. Please comment/review your thoughts. Don't forget to update the TV Tropes page!