Hello guys! I know it has been a long time since I updated this story. The last year was a little crazy for me. And I was focusing on different stories. I wrote this chapter a while ago. I have other ideas for this story. So I haven't abandoned it, just put it on the backburner. I've been missed Toria and Slade a lot lately! As always I want to thank each and every one of you that have followed, favorited and reviewed this story!

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josephguy217: Thank you for your review! Hope you also enjoy this chapter! Looking forward to reading your thoughts!

GiggleboxGirlie: Thank you so much for your review! It truly inspired this chapter! I know it has been ages but I hope you'll still really enjoy this chapter! Can not wait for your thoughts on it!

FeralG3: Thank you for your review! It's funny I keep going back and forth with weather to kill Shado or not. We shall see what I end up pitting for my story.

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The Other Queen

Chapter 18

Lian Yu 2008

The air was becoming warmer as the early morning chill gave way into the beginnings of the afternoon heat. Victoria took a deep breath and got herself into the first position. She had always been able to focus and lose herself as she danced ballet. These days she didn't often feel like she had the time or privacy to dance. If it was not Oliver asking her for help, it was Slade or Shado showing her new fighting techniques or food that needed to be skinned and cooked. However, Shado was inside training Oliver and Slade was somewhere hunting. She thought she'd allow herself to have this small pleasure.

Moving into the third position and then into fourth, it wasn't long before she was getting so caught up in the movements and how her body just completely relaxed she didn't notice any other thing around her. Oh, how much I've missed this feeling, she thought as she let out a sigh of contentment. Taking a slow bow, she stopped all her movement, in the distance, she heard a single person clapping and looked up at the source, it was Slade smiling down at her and clapping. Victoria looked up at him in shock, quickly straightened up and looking at him with an intense expression that he couldn't read. Her gaze fell to his feet at the game besides his feet.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you dance before," Slade remarked, his smile small but beaming.

"I thought you were still out hunting," Victoria responded as if he hadn't said anything.

Slade looked awkwardly down at his feet and then back up at Victoria, "Well I'm back."

"Obliviously," Victoria retorted.

Slade looked at her confused, opening his mouth to make a comment he then found himself closing it again. Victoria looked at his clearly confused face, she let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. I shouldn't be upset with him. He had no idea that I just wanted some alone time, she berated herself. Looking up at him again she noticed he was about to turn and leave, "I shouldn't have been so cold. You just caught me off guard."

Her words stilled him and it didn't take long before he was turning back in her direction. Victoria offered a small smile to which he replied by placing a hand over his tired eyes and running it through his tangled dark hair.

Victoria could see the small circles under his eyes and she made her way towards him until she was standing right in front of him. His figure towered over her and yet she felt comforted by this fact, not fearful of him. How different than how she had first felt in his company. Well, I've learned to trust him, she thought fondly, a smile spreading across her face. Looking up at him she saw a smile forming at just the corners of his mouth and he moved in closer to her. "What?" he asked, his voice low and husky.

"I was thinking back to when we first met," she said honestly.

Slade looked at her in surprise and then replied, "You were so scared… And yet… And yet you tried your hardest not to let me see it."

Victoria let out a small, unflattering snort and shook her head in agreement, "I was terrified."

"And yet you hid it more than Oliver," he remarked.

"But I was no less scared than him."

"I'm sorry," Slade said, looking down at his feet.

"You didn't know what was going to happen. None of us did," Victoria replied.

As he looked up, Victoria could see the look of confusion and gratitude.

"I can't blame you for how you acted then," she continued.

With an unreadable expression, he moved closer to her, Victoria thought he was going to close the space between them and kiss her when they heard Oliver say behind them, "Oh good you're back."

Slade and Victoria nearly jumped apart and when Victoria looked over at Slade she could see just how annoyed he was with the younger man, Victoria almost felt sorry for Oliver, almost. Oliver looked over at them and at their annoyed/guilty expressions and couldn't help but feel like he had walked in on something that he shouldn't have. Awkwardly he turned around back at towards camp. But it was too late, the moment had already passed.

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Victoria was just sitting in her small corner of the room on her makeshift bed, sharpening her sword and making sure it shined beautifully. She ran the rock across it once more and looked closely at the blade, it's looked sharp. So, she cleaned it off carefully with a cloth and then placed it back into its holder. A smile spread across her face at the feeling of pride for her expanding skills increased. Only about a year ago she couldn't have ever thought she'd even be able to wield a sword, let alone be able to sharpen and care for it.

Less than two years ago she was still in her spoiled life of money and rich society. I would never have even guessed where I'd be today. A bittersweet smile formed at the corners of her mouth. Who would I be if I had stayed? She couldn't help but wonder. Looking over as Slade doing pull-ups on 'the pole' and she admired his physique silently. You wouldn't have met him. Would I have still been pining away for Tommy? Still, be wishing that he could have been the boy I had fallen in love with all those years ago? He still probably hasn't changed. Just the same Tommy as the one you left behind. He was never going to grow up for you. You were a hopeless fool for thinking otherwise, she berated herself. In all honesty, though, she didn't think she would have been very happy with Tommy. They wouldn't have made each other happy. Not that he would have ever asked her out in the first place. He probably still thought of her as a little sister, not at all like girlfriend material. Looking over at Slade once more, she knew that she was happier with him than she could have ever been with Tommy. Slade was a mature man that protected and respected her. Whereas Tommy was an immature boy who still didn't know how a treat or deal with a committed relationship. Maybe one day he'll grow up, she reminded herself. But I'm glad I didn't give him my heart for him to play with.

The air suddenly felt uncomfortably hot as she sat in the wrecked plane, she got up from her spot and walked out of the camp. Taking a deep breath she felt already cooler as a chilly breeze swept past her, it was getting close to sunset. In the distance, the sun's light was streaming through the trees and Victoria let out a sigh of contentment. It wasn't ideal, but for some reason, she was here. And at this moment, she didn't mind. Of course, she wanted to get back home. To see her sister Thea, to see her mom, to see Abby, hell even to see Tommy again. But in this rare moment, she felt like she was at peace. And be as it may, she felt like she should be here, on this island and this moment. She didn't know why. Maybe it was because of Slade. Maybe it was because she felt like she had found a missing part of herself. Perhaps in losing herself, she had only found her true self.

A twig broke behind her and Victoria was on high alert when she turned around and faced her intruder, it was only Oliver. He gave her a forced smile as he walked towards her, it didn't take long before he was standing right beside her. "I thought I'd get some fresh air before it gets too dark," Oliver explained.

"Yeah, the air was getting thick in there," Victoria remarked as she gestured to the wrecked plane.

"Mind if I give you some company?" Oliver asked her.

"Sure."

The two just stood there in awkward silence as the older of the two tried to think of something to say. Oliver knew that he wanted to talk about something with her. However, he had no idea what. Several moments passed in this silence until Victoria broke it with a smile on her face and a chuckle. Oliver turned towards her in confusion with a smile on his face and he asked, "What?"

"I was just thinking about Tommy," she supplied.

"Yeah? What were you thinking about him?"

"I was just remembering a time when he asked me out when he was drunk," Victoria explained.

Oliver looked at her in shock. He didn't know that Tommy had ever asked her out and he voiced this.

"Well in many ways he never did."

This confused the oldest Queen even more, "What do you mean?"

"I mean he was drunk. It wasn't like he meant it."

Oliver still looked at her in confusion but shook his head in agreement. How had he never known that his best friend had asked his sister on a date? How come he had never heard this talked about from either of them. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Oliver asked. He was honestly more than a little curious now.

"You sure you want to hear about it?"

"Yeah," Oliver started. "I mean unless it involves you and Tommy… You know."

Victoria laughed at his disgusted face at the idea. She knew what he meant. He was worried that they had had sex. "No nothing like that," she reassured him. His face instantly relaxed and he offered her a forced smile. I didn't even count on how Oliver would have reacted if I had gone out with Tommy, she realized. Not that I would have probably given a damn then.

Giving herself a moment to collect her thoughts she then began, "We were at a club, somewhere in the Glades. I can't remember the name of the place. I went there with Sara, we had our fake IDs and she was talking to this cute, tall blonde at the bar, trying to get him to buy her a drink I think. Anyway, Tommy comes in with this beautiful redhead, I mean like model beautiful. At first, things seemed fine between the two, they were dancing, having lots of drinks. But a little while later I notice her storm pass the bar and head out the door, she looked ready to kill someone. Not long later Tommy comes over with a smile on his face commenting that girls get jealous too easily. He just sat there he ordered a drink for himself and another for me. We were just talking and enjoying each other's company. It didn't take me long to figure out that by this point he was already drunk. He started talking about his mom and how happy his dad had been then. Talking about how he doubted that he'd ever find someone like that for himself. I told him that he would and that he just needed to keep looking. This made him smile like an idiot and then he started telling me that I was a great person. He said I was a sweet and great person. I smiled and agreed with him. I mean who argues with a drunk guy?

Oliver shook his head in agreement and waited for Victoria to finish the story.

"Well then, he started telling me that I was pretty, like really pretty. 'I don't think I've ever noticed how pretty you are before,' I remember him slurring. And then he was asking if I'd like to go out with him. I declined nicely. He seemed annoyed but that he was sure to convince me otherwise. 'Don't you think I'm a nice and hot guy? I mean I think I'm a pretty hot guy,' was another thing he said. I made sure he got a cab home and we never talked about it again. I'm not sure if he remembers any of it. And if he does he has never brought it up," Victoria concluded.

"Wow! That's a hell of a story," Oliver remarked. "Now I've got to know something. Would… would you have gone out with him if he had asked when he was sober?"

Victoria looked up at him in surprise at the directness of the question and she avoided his stare. And at that moment Oliver realize that he had been too stupid not to notice that his younger sister had a crush on his best friend. He opened his mouth to say something only to close it again. It all made sense now, though. How everytime Tommy brought a girlfriend over they were never good enough or how annoyed she was when he had ever gotten himself and Tommy in trouble. She had liked his best friend and he had been so caught up in himself that he hadn't ever even noticed.

"I'm sorry, I never realize," Oliver started.

"No, it's fine. I just… I just really don't want to talk about it though," Victoria replied.

Oliver shook his head in understanding but there was still a question he wanted to ask her. It was a question he didn't think she would even answer him honestly right now though. Before he could even voice it, she was turning away from him and heading back to the camp. He thought about stopping her but decided that he should give her some space. However, it didn't stop his mind echoing that one question that stayed unanswered, did she still like him like that?