Author's Notes: In the 'okay, I'm an airhead' category, I realized when I started working on this chapter that Oliver already knew about Shado, as he encountered her in the diner. So, I did some re-tooling of his reaction in the second block, telling his side of the story. (Hint, he's still shocked, just for a different reason). Sorry 'bout that, y'all … I'm pleading a mixture of the heat, work, and trying to keep the details of my original novel (which is almost done) straight. Go me! And yes, that's what's kept me distracted from my various fics … that plus work and planning my trips for next year. With regards to the novel (now titled Enemy Within the Gates), I'm in the process of putting together a story bible, so I don't trip myself up with the details. I'm hoping to have that done in the next few weeks, start editing it, and upload it to Amazon by Thanksgiving or Christmas. So, in this chapter, we have Angel reacting to the newcomers (especially Oliver … or, as she calls him, Mayor Hottie); Oliver and Slade talk; while the old spies consider their respective children.
Chapter Nine
Concerning Brothers
Carvalho home
Destine, MO
On a scale of ten to five, that probably qualified as a fifty in terms of dropping a bomb on people. Angel Carvalho stood at her mother's side as the newcomers (plus their boys … and yes, that was exactly how Angel thought of Slade and Grant) tromped into their kitchen. Grant and William were steered into seats as their respective fathers took seats of their own. Angel snickered at the usual bickering that cropped up between her mother and Slade whenever Mom decided to use the kitchen counter as a jungle gym. Oliver Queen was still in shock, numbly taking a sip of the orange juice Mom put in front of him in between getting everything else together (including she and Slade taking turns at explaining Dory's other comments).
Of course, that was when her grandfather and Grant's came inside. No, that wasn't quite right-that was when Grant's grandfather all but threw the door off the hinges, and her own grandfather came in behind him, swearing in English, Dutch, and French, as well as a few other languages Angel didn't recognize. That, in turn, had Mayor Hottie on his feet, reaching for a weapon with one hand, and holding out the other hand (really, his other arm) to protect Grant and William. For their own parts, Mom and Slade were doing much the same thing, with Mom relaxing a half second before Slade did, looking very put out.
She folded her arms over her chest, glowering at Mr. Wilson (Opa taking a discreet step sideways, so that he wasn't in range of her glare), and said, "You know, I'm fairly sure that they have the same rules of courtesy in Australia that they do in the US … such as, it's considered polite to knock on someone's door before barreling in? Am I wrong, Slade?" Behind him, Mayor Hottie (well, what was she supposed to call him? She hadn't yet received permission to call him by his first name!) sighed and slumped back into his chair. The boys, Angel was amused to see, hadn't stopped eating.
."That is considered polite, yes," was Slade's rather dry answer. He slowly sat down again, saying, "Kid, this is my father, Gideon Wilson … one of the old spies, as Dory called them. Father, this is Oliver Queen. We were together on Lian Yu." Mom had gone to greet Opa, so she didn't see the way Mayor Hottie's eyes narrowed when he looked at Mr. Wilson. Even Angel, who had just met the man a few moments earlier, could tell that he recognized Mr. Wilson's name. However, he merely inclined his head. And judging from the way Mr. Wilson looked at Mayor Hottie, he also recognized him … not just his name, but him, the man. Angel shifted, feeling uncomfortable, and not entirely sure why. However, it was then that Mom returned to the table, Opa trailing behind her. Opa smiled at Slade, waved to Grant, and rolled his eyes at Mr. Wilson's back. Angel tried extremely hard not to snicker … Opa looked sooo exasperated by his friend's antics.
"Oliver, I'd like you to meet my father, Bastiaan de Vries. Dad, this is Oliver Queen and his son William," Mom said and Opa's smile, always bright when he looked at Mom or Angel, didn't dim. He stepped forward and shook Mayor Hottie's hand, inclining his head at the same time. And Mayor Hottie, for his own part, rose to his feet. Angel, who was having a really hard time looking away from him, noticed that he'd also recognized Opa … as well as his name. She was debating with herself if it would be worth asking the question, when the answer presented itself.
Mayor Hottie said, "You, sir, are a legend … I've always wanted to meet the man who could make Amanda Waller lose her sh … ah … lose her composure." Opa outright grinned at that, in a way she'd learned that Mayor Hottie's words were something that made Opa very, very proud. Which meant that this Amanda Waller was, as Mom would say, a real piece of work … and not in a good way. So, Angel needed to get the dirt on this chick later. And maybe she needed to talk to Aunt Lindy as well. Mom had been seriously busy with the youth center over the last few weeks, and hadn't had the opportunity to update Aunt Lindy on the latest news (not gossip, she didn't gossip, her mother taught her better than that).
"The pleasure is mine … I have heard quite a few things about you as well, Oliver Queen. Anyone who can stand up to Amanda Waller, regardless of the outcome, is deserving of my respect," Opa answered, looking decidedly mischievous. He turned his attention to Slade, adding, "Good morning, Slade … my apologies for being unable to keep your father from charging down here like an elephant on steroids." That provoked an indignant squawk from Mr. Wilson, a snicker from Mayor Hottie, and a suddenly-mischievous grin from Slade. Mr. Wilson opened his mouth to argue, but Mom intervened.
"There is breakfast on the table. Eat," she all but ordered. Angel wondered if there was anyone else as amused as she was at the two legendary-in-their-circle spies meekly going to the table at the say-so of a petite woman. The girl cast a sidelong look at Slade, whose smile turned wicked. Nope, definitely not the only one. And the boys … well, the boys were shoveling it in. As boys do. She mentally patted herself on the back for not being like that as she took her place beside her mother at the table and slowly, the conversation started back up again.
DSDSDSDSDS
It was rare when Oliver managed to fool Slade … but he really wasn't sure if this counted as 'fooling' him. Slade was as stunned by Dory's 'revelation' as Oliver pretended to be, and he really wasn't paying attention to Oliver, so it wasn't as hard as it normally would have been. The truth was, he was stunned … just not by the revelation that Shado was watching over them both, as implied by Dory. No, he was stunned that Dory made that particular revelation. One thing he'd learned about her since his arrival … Dory had reasons for what she did. In other words, she'd chosen this time and place deliberately for revealing Shado's awareness of them. The reason for the choosing of this time and place was something he was still figuring out.
Besides, there were other things to consider … such as the newcomer now seated at the table, eating breakfast. Well, both of the newcomers … both of the 'old spies,' as Dory put it. One was a man he'd admired, if only for his ability to get under the late Amanda Waller's skin … without her being able to do anything about it. Amanda Waller couldn't touch Bastiaan de Vries, and she knew it, and it drove her insane. Whether it was because she didn't know about his daughter … or the consequences of harming Margreet Anderson Carvalho were too devastating for her consider using de Vries' daughter against him, Oliver didn't know.
The other man was known to him as well … but Oliver hadn't as much respect for him. He hadn't known that he was Slade's father, when he saw the other man at Lian Yu, but now that he did … well, so much made sense. Including how he was arguing with Lyla. This was before Slade returned to himself … regained his marbles, as he so succinctly put it during their conversation in his cell … but Oliver was never quite able to let go of the hope that he would regain what he lost with Slade. Too attached? Probably. But it was Slade. And really, that was all that needed to be said.
Which brought him to the other reason Oliver was here in Destine. Slade … and the woman who opened her home to him and his young son. Meg Carvalho, who sat opposite Oliver, and listened to the conversations around them. Ever so often, their eyes would meet and she would smile gently at him, before returning her attention to the current conversation or throwing in an observation of her own. That allowed Oliver to observe her. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he was expecting, as Slade really hadn't said much about her in terms of what she was like … just what she'd done for him and Grant.
Which, now that he thought about it, was about right. When all was said and done, Slade was about deeds, not words. Or rather, you didn't pay attention to what Slade said, but what he did. And over the next few minutes, he paid quite a lot attention to how Slade and Meg interacted together, the way Meg anticipated what Slade was about to ask for … the quiet protectiveness Slade showed her, angling his body to shield her whenever his father made a pointed comment about something in her house that he disapproved of.
Which told Oliver two things … number one, Meg earned Slade's trust and protectiveness. He didn't know how, and it really didn't matter, because that was between them. Number two, when he finally had his older brother to himself, he had some serious teasing in store for Slade. Much to his astonishment, it was actually Meg who provided that time by observing, "Dad, we were planning to head to the youth center today … if you want to come, you should probably put warmer clothes on. Grant, Angel, you two need to get changed as well. Grant … I think William would be interested in seeing your room. I'm sure he's never met anyone who had a bedroom in a basement … or maybe he has. I need a shower before we go. Slade, this'll give you a chance to catch up with Oliver. Just … ahhh … don't break anything, okay?"
Slade responded with a mock-disgruntled, "Once. That happened once … Ms. I'll-Use-A-Crystal-Paperweight-As-A-Weapon, and we cleaned it up immediately … besides, you said you never liked that particular item." Meg's brows arched, her lips twitched and Oliver could almost hear her 'not the point.' Evidently, so did Slade, for he added almost hastily, "But that was very resourceful … and I promise, no wrestling matches in the living room. If we do any sparring, it'll be outside." With the fathers and the sons dismissed, Grant grabbed William's wrist and tugged him toward parts unknown, de Vries and Slade's own father retreated to wherever they were staying, while Meg and her daughter disappeared to opposite ends of the house. Oliver didn't miss the way Slade switched his attention back and forth between his son and Meg until both were out of sight, but never spoke, never made a sound of any kind.
Which meant Oliver got to play the annoying little brother, asking, "So … how hard have you fallen for her?" It was deliberately provocative, and Slade glared at him briefly. But then he sighed and rose to his feet, picking up the dirty dishes and stacking them neatly in the kitchen sink. Oliver didn't say anything more … he had the sense that Slade was trying to work something out in his mind. So, he stayed quiet, keeping his eyes on his brother (his brother, he finally had Slade back … even after working together on Lian Yu and Kasnia, he still couldn't quite believe that he had his brother back).
After several moments, Slade turned to face him once more, leaning back against the sink, and answered quietly, "I kissed her last night." Oliver nearly dropped his orange juice glass, staring at Slade in astonishment. Wait, what? Slade smiled a bit at Oliver's shock before continuing, "It was on the forehead, when we were saying good-night. Nothing romantic about it, no grand passionate gestures. But I …" He shook his head and looked away, before looking down at his feet. His head still bowed, Slade said hoarsely, "I don't know that I've fallen for her, kid … but I think I'd tear the world apart if anything happened to her or Angel, much less Grant. And the madness has passed, but some of the Mirukuru remains."
That part, Oliver knew … Slade healed far more rapidly after being tortured in the days leading up to Grant's rescue. At last, his old friend looked up at him and asked quietly, "How do I trust myself again, after what I did when we lost Shado? And if she's been watching over me, over us, all this time, how in the hell can she be proud of me, after what I did to you, what I did to your family, to your city?" Oliver briefly considered reminding Slade of what he said on Lian Yu about forgiving himself … but as he well knew, trust and forgiveness wasn't the same thing.
"Maybe because she's seen how far you fell … and how you climbed your way back up to the man who meant everything to us both," Oliver answered honestly. A derisive sound emerged from Slade, but Oliver insisted, "You meant a lot to her, Slade." He didn't say that just because she didn't love him the way he loved her, didn't mean her feelings were any less real. He was fairly sure Slade knew that. Instead, he went on, "If she's been watching over us all along, then she saw everything. She saw every time we fell and every time we got back up again, every time we clawed our way back up. Slade … how much does Meg know?"
"Not everything, but enough … enough to realize that I'm dangerous. There's a police officer here in town … I'm responsible for the death of his mother-in-law and the trauma of his daughter," Slade answered quietly. Oliver winced, because ow. He didn't know what to say to that, even though his own past came up to bite him in the ass at least as often as Slade's did to him. Maybe that was why he couldn't think of anything to say, because he knew what it felt like.
Instead, he asked, "Tell me about this incident you mentioned, when she used a crystal souvenir as a weapon?" As he hoped, Slade laughed and sat down opposite Oliver once more, his brown eye reflecting amusement. Oliver released a quiet sigh of relief, because they were heading into waters that made him extremely uncomfortable. Ask him to deal with Malcolm Merlyn (and oh, he still had so much to unpack where his godfather was concerned), with Ra's Al Ghul, with Damien Darke and he was fine. Talking about feelings or why Slade should totally try for his sweet-faced hostess? Yeah, no.
"That actually happened recently, when our fathers arrived. We'd spent the entire morning working and ended up falling asleep on the couch. The kids were still outside, supposedly cleaning up, but actually playing and greeted them when they arrived. My father decided it was a good idea to bellow at us both to wake us … and each of us grabbed the nearest item as a weapon. In Meg's case, that was a lead crystal statuette that her late husband bought for her as a souvenir," Slade answered with a wry grin.
Oliver couldn't help himself … he burst out laughing, just as the woman in question returned, attired in sandy brown leggings, a furry parka, and well-worn hiking boots. Her (currently wet) dark hair had been pulled away from her face into what Thea would call a half-bun. She offered Slade a mock-glower, saying, "You just couldn't wait to tell him about that, could you, Slade?" Oliver's brother smirked at her in response and Meg rolled her eyes in fond exasperation, turning her attention to Oliver as she added, "I can fire my husband's old service revolver … take it out and clean it once a week, assuming Slade doesn't need to do it for his own peace of mind … but it never occurred to claim competency with a statuette that Stephen gave me."
"Anything can be a weapon," Oliver pointed out, "you just have to use what you have available to you. And I, for one, would be very wary of a barely-awake woman threatening me with anything made of lead crystal." Meg blushed, but didn't argue. Seconds later, Grant and William were clattering their way upstairs, Oliver's son chattering excitedly about whatever he'd seen in the basement. They were followed into the kitchen by Angel, now wearing jeans, a sweater and an indulgent smile, the very picture of the loving but exasperated older sister.
Oliver still hadn't any idea of what to do about what he knew … what he'd seen on Lian Yu, years ago. On the one hand, he knew that keeping this particular secret would end up hurting Slade, and that was the last thing he wanted. They'd hurt each other enough. On the other hand … on the other hand, what could he really tell Slade? That he'd seen his father there, in the time Slade was lost to the Mirukuru? He couldn't tell Slade why his father was there or any of the details Slade would need to know.
And yet … and yet … and yet. Slade was free of the curse of Mirukuru, but Oliver could never stop thinking about Ivo and keeping the truth of Shado's death a secret. The circumstance were far different, but … Oliver shook his head. He would figure this out. He would not lose his brother because of secrets, not again.
As it turned out … it wasn't something he would need to worry about.
DSDSDSDSDSDS
"He recognized you."
They had just gotten back inside their apartment, as they'd taken to calling it, when Bastiaan uttered those words. Gideon was already halfway across the room, searching for proper clothing. He didn't answer, not right away. Bastiaan, of course, remembered hearing of Gideon's visit to Lian Yu … he should hope so, he only learned of it only the previous day. It seemed that what neither of them realized was that on that particular day, Oliver Queen was also there. This … could create issues. Something Gideon realized as well, as the other man inclined his head in acknowledgment.
Both men were silent as they changed into warmer clothes. Gideon mulling over … something, while Bastiaan had his own concerns. Namely, how Slade was going to learn about this. He just knew he wasn't going to tell the younger agent. He had too many secrets of his own. They both lied to their children, kept things from Meg and Slade, for more or less the same reason. They were both trying to protect their children, even now when they were not only adults, but survivors of their own separate traumas. No, Meg hadn't survived what Slade did, and Bastiaan would never dream of saying she had.
But she survived her own traumas … her mother's erratic behavior when she was a child, the loss of her husband when she was an adult. The point was, he knew he lied to his daughter and kept things from her. He'd also done things he wasn't entirely proud of in order to protect her (blackmailing Amanda Waller with the evidence that she actually cared about something other than herself was on that list. He would never forget the look of delight on the young woman's face when she realized that she might actually have leverage on him upon learning of Meg's existence, and could never forget the look of horror a moment later when she also realized that he had his own leverage on her).
At last, Gideon said quietly, "Last night, while you were snoring loud enough to raise the dead, I went down and talked to the lad." Bastiaan ignored the blatant lie about him snoring, aside from an arch of his eyebrows. Gideon scowled but continued, "He has very … he kissed your daughter last night." Bastiaan froze, because he wasn't entirely sure what to do with that. As it turned out, nothing, because Gideon went on, "It was a platonic kiss to her forehead when they wished each other good night … but it completely wrong-footed them both."
Ja, he could imagine … Bastiaan wasn't sure if he should say anything to Meg about it, and if he did say something, what it would be. She wasn't a child, after all … well, she was his child, but she wasn't a little girl, not anymore. The time for that particular conversation had come and went, and Bastiaan had come to terms with that years earlier. At least, he thought he had … but much to his chagrin, he was struggling with the desire to head back downstairs and demand to know what Slade's intentions were toward Meg.
And that would be … unhelpful. To say the least. So, instead of dealing with that right now, he asked, "What else?" Gideon turned to look at him, and Bastiaan went on, "There's more to this than your son kissing my daughter, and both of them being surprised by it. There was no discomfort between them this morning at breakfast, and believe me, I was paying far more attention to my daughter than I was to Mayor Queen. So what else is going on?" Gideon sighed as he finished adding an extra layer of clothes.
"Slade's concern … or rather, one of Slade's biggest concerns … is that he's known your Meg a short amount of time. And yet, when I questioned him about things he knew about her, he answered immediately. In a matter of weeks, Slade has learned more about your daughter than I ever knew about his mother. And, I suspect, more than he ever knew about Adeline. He didn't even have to think about it," Gideon answered. Well … that was interesting. The other man added, "He also admitted, without ever saying the words, that he's very protective of her, and Angel."
That was actually very reassuring to Bastiaan. He knew that his daughter could take care of herself and Angel, for the most part … during their short marriage, and in the months leading up to his departure to Destine, his late son-in-law taught Meg some self-defense, and Slade had been teaching her things that Stephen hadn't. But they were both losing sight of one particularly important thing, something that Bastiaan now reminded his friend, "That's all well and good … but it isn't our responsibility to sort the love lives of our children. That's something they have to work out for themselves. I know … I know. Both of us feel like we've let our children down, and we want to help them now. But we can't. This is something they have to do."
"You didn't let your child down … you didn't even know she existed. I did. So many times. But not again. Never again," Gideon swore. Bastiaan had the un-nerving sense that rather than talk his partner down, he'd just made things worse. The trouble was, he had no idea how, or how he could prevent the looming disaster this partner was about to unleash (he couldn't).
TBC