Back to normal


Ever since he had found out that he had another daughter, Raz had tried to resist the urge to hunt down Leanne and to punish her for keeping such a gem from him. It had taken him a while to decide on the best course of action but, once Nyssa came back to Nanda Parbat after dealing with Slade Wilson in Starling City, he had come to a compromise with himself:

"Nyssa, I've come to a decision. Your sister's mother needs to be punished for keeping her from us. I want you to find her and bring her here to me so I can interrogate her and decide what to do with her. I cannot forgive that she abandoned our daughter in her greatest time of need and that she hide her from me. Find her and bring her here, alive." he ordered.

"Alive? Not unharmed?" Nyssa asked, needing clarifications.

"Feel free to injure her as much as necessary. Veronica isn't only my daughter, she's also your sister and you're entitled your revenge as well. I know how much you care for her." Raz replied.

"Thank you, father. I'll try to be as quick as possible." She nodded before she left.

She didn't need to ask him if she could take Sara with her. She knew that he had included Sara in their plan. They were a team. They always worked together. There was no reasons to stop now.

Plus, ever since Veronica had been found, Raz had been more accepting of their relationship, probably because the question of an heir wasn't on hr sole shoulders anymore.

.

In Central City, Barry finally woke up after spending nearly 9 months in a coma. He was surprised to find himself at Star Lab, even more surprised to learn what had happened to him and to see that even though he had been so long in a coma, he was feeling fine, had abs he definitely didn't have before and that he felt in a good enough health to run a marathon, not that he'd ever felt the need for that before.

It took him less than a day to discover that he had new abilities and a week to get it all under control with the help of Star lab. He wasn't sure if he should do what his instinct told him to do: fight crime, or if he should listen to his adoptive father and stay out of it all. Before he took a decision, he ran out to Starling City and asked Oliver, Diggle, Mac and Veronica what they thought about it.

They had dinner together and had all advised Barry to follow his instinct, to do what his heart told him to do. If he felt that helping people and becoming a hero was his calling, then he should definitely do it. He had the makings of a great hero and Veronica and Oliver knew it, they told him so and assured him that they'd be there for him, no matter what he needed.

As soon as he got back to Central city, and to Star Lab, to resume his training, Barry asked Cisco to work on an electrified whip for Karma, explaining that she was a friend of his and that he wanted to give her this. Cisco was very excited about it and happily agreed to work on it. He immediately had several other ideas to improve hers and Arrow's suits and he got to work quickly. One week later, the whip and the upgraded suits were finished and so Barry brought them over to his Vigilante friends, figuring he'd use this opportunity to ask them for advises on his new hobby.

.

In Starling city, the few weeks after Slade's attack had been pretty quiet and as mayor, Moira had decided to re-brand the town to try and clean its tarnished image and so they renamed it Star City.

John and Lyla waited patiently for their baby to be born and Lyla had relocated in their closest office so that she could come home every night, or as often as possible.

Veronica and Oliver, enjoyed the quiet and used it to work on new projects at Queen Consolidated and they were very successful. The family company was on the rise and they were even hiring new employees.

They had delayed a bit the adoption of a dog, mainly because they were too busy with their new projects for now. As Karma and Arrow, they used the relatively quiet time around their city to meet and make friends with other Vigilantes all over the country. Most of the ones they met didn't have any special powers, much like them, but others, like Vixen or Aquaman did and they all agreed that being in contact was a good idea. This way, if any of them needed help, they'd know who to ask. The next one they'd try to meet and get on their side was Batman, Gotham city's vigilante.

They were still very happy together, still going strong and Oliver was slowly starting to plan his proposal, though he had to do so without Veronica finding out, which only made it more complicated but oh so worth it.

Thea and Roy were still going out and Roy worked full time at Verdant, which meant that he spent most of his time with a member of the Queen family.

Moira had made sure the Vigilantes wouldn't be outlawed anymore, which her son and his girlfriend were very grateful for, though in the past few months, they hadn't gotten much trouble from the local police department. Now they could focus even more on stopping criminals and cleaning the city.

.

It took just a little over a week for Sara and Nyssa to locate Veronica's mother in Coast City. It hadn't been that hard and, watching her, they had a hard time believing that she was even related to Veronica at all.

"That woman is a big pathetic pile of screw up." Sara whispered.

"She should be ashamed of herself. She has no pride, no honor. I'm ashamed for Veronica." Nyssa shook her head before they broke in Leanne's one bedroom apartment to wait for her there.

"What's that smell? It's awful! I've never smelt anything that bad and I used to live on a boat with only men, and let me tell you, they weren't in the clean kind." Sara frowned.

"I think it's alcohol, left over food and other stuff." Nyssa frowned.

"It's a good thing Veronica never gave her another chance. Look at this thing, it's so furry it could grow legs soon and escape." Sara replied as she pointed at something on the floor, noticing that there were absolutely no pictures around the place.

"I think I heard something over there." Nyssa whispered, heading in the direction she heard the noise from, ready to fight.

Quickly, they discovered that the noise, a whimper really, was coming from under the bed. When they looked there, they were surprised to see a young boy, looking pale, scared and tired. Quickly putting their weapons back in their resting place, they managed to convince the boy to come out.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Nyssa asked him.

"I live here with my mother. Are you here to rob us?" He whispered.

"Leanne is your mother?" Sara asked him, surprised.

"She doesn't want me to call her Mom. She says I have to call her Leanne. She's not nice." He shook his head.

"What's your name, kid?" Nyssa asked him.

"I'm Hunter. I'm 6 years old."

"Do you have a father?" Sara asked him.

"I think he's dead. I don't know."

"Do you know that you have an older sister in Star City?" Nyssa asked him.

"Leanne speaks of her when she's about to fall asleep because she drank too much. But she doesn't want to know me. How do you know?" he replied.

"My name is Nyssa, and I'm veronica's older sister on her father's side. You're her brother on her mother's side. You and I, we share a sister and that makes you family. I'm not going to leave you here. Your mother is going to get punished for what she did. Would you like to meet your sister?" Nyssa asked him.

"Leanne says that she won't want me." Hunter shook his head.

"Leanne is a liar. She used to say that my father wouldn't want to know Veronica either and now he loves Veronica as much as he loves me. Veronica will love you too. I promise." Nyssa told the boy, surprisingly caring.

"Okay." he nodded.

"Why don't you pack what you want to take with you? I'll arrange everything." Nyssa told the boy who nodded and got an old backpack out and started filling it with old clothes.

"I want you to stay here and bring Leanne to my father. Tell him why I stayed behind and that i'll join you as soon as possible. I'll call Veronica to warn her that I'm coming over and that she'll need your sister's help." Nyssa decided.

"Better not tell her that she has a brother until she sees him or she'll drive herself crazy before you have the time to arrive." Sara advised her.

"I know." Nyssa nodded, taking her phone out while Sara looked through the apartment for anything that could belong to Hunter.

.

Veronica was having dinner with Oliver and Moira when her phone rang. Since it was Nyssa, she excused herself from the table and answered it, figuring that it must be important.

"Sister, I'm just calling to warn you that I'm on my way. I'll meet you at the Queen's house. I have something to show you and I think you should have Laurel present. You'll need her." Nyssa explained.

"Why? What's going on?" Veronica asked her, getting worried.

"It's hard to explain on the phone and you'll only believe me once you see it. Don't worry, it's nothing bad."

"Alright. When will you be here?"

"I'm in Coast city. I'll leave in a couple of hours, we'll drive through the night and we should be there in the morning, before 8 but you should plan to have a free morning." Nyssa warned him.

"Alright, I'll arrange my schedule. Are you sure it's all good?" Veronica asked Nyssa.

"I'm sure it's not bad. See you tomorrow sister." Nyssa told her before she hung up.

"What did Nyssa want?" Oliver asked her once she came back at the table.

"I'm not sure. She's coming in the morning and she says I'll need the morning off and to have Laurel ready because we'll need her. But she added that it wasn't bad." Veronica replied.

"I guess we'll see then. I'll stay with you until she arrives and if all is well I'll go to QC while you deal with whatever it is." he smiled.

"Hopefully it's not another crisis." Moira added.

"I think she would have warned me if it were. It would fall under the bad category that she ruled out." Veronica shook her head with a smile.

.

Before they left town, Nyssa stopped at a Big Belly Burger to feed Hunter, who didn't seem to have had anything worthwhile to eat in a while, they drove through the night until they eventually arrived in front of the large Queen house.

"Are you sure she'll be happy to see me?" He asked Nyssa, a bit worried.

"She will be once I tell her about you. Don't be nervous. You'll be happy and safe now." Nyssa smiled at him.

"Okay." He nodded, still not sure if his big sister, who now lived happily in this large house with a new family that loved her, would want him in her life.

Nyssa helped him out of the car and went to ring the doorbell. Soon, the two of them where in the living room and Veronica and Oliver joined them. They started by greeting each other happily before Nyssa asked them if they had something for Hunter's breakfast. Confused as to who the boy was, Oliver and Veronica called a maid to take him to the kitchen.

"It's okay. You go eat and when you come back, I'll have explained everything to them." Nyssa assured the boy who nodded shyly and followed the maid.

"I know Laurel was supposed to be here but she's running a bit late, she should be here in a few minutes though." Veronica informed Nyssa who nodded.

"So, who's this boy?" Oliver asked.

"Veronica's little brother." Nyssa stated.

"What?" Veronica asked, surprised.

"Our father asked me to find Leanne, he wants her to answer for hiding you from him and for abandoning you in your greatest time of need. Sara and I found her in Coast city last night and found this boy hidden under her bed. He's her son, your brother and you're all he has left. I figured that bringing him to you would be better than to let him fall in the system." Nyssa explained.

"A brother... I have a little brother? How... how old is he?" Veronica asked.

"He's 6, his name is Hunter and Leanne repeated to him over and over again that you knew about him but simply didn't care. I told him the truth but I think it'll take time to convince him." Nyssa explained before she described the conditions in which Hunter had lived so far.

"He looked a bit pale." Veronica couldn't help but notice, thinking back of the few seconds she had seen him.

"Yes, your mother didn't give him the best care. It would probably be best to take him to see a doctor as soon as Laurel took care of everything." Nyssa nodded.

"I... It's such a surprise..." Veronica shook her head.

"I'll call the office and say that we're both taking the day off for a family emergency and that they can call me on my cell if there's a problem. We'll deal with everything today." Oliver replied.

With the great way Queen Consolidated was doing, they could definitely afford to take the day off, the board wouldn't bother them.

"I'm sorry but I can't stay... I have to leave, I'm supposed to join Sara so we can escort Leanne back to Nanda Parbat so she can face judgement. She can handle herself but I'd rather be with her." Nyssa apologized to her little sister.

"I understand but you should say goodbye to Hunter before you leave." Veronica replied and so they all went to join Hunter in the kitchen.

When they came in, he looked up and quickly put down his pasty, as though he was afraid of being grounded.

"Don't be scared, Hunter, you can eat as much as you want." Veronica told Hunter with a smile.

"Hunter, I have to go, I told you that I wouldn't stay, but you're in good hands, I promise you. And I'll see you again." Nyssa told the boy before she kissed his forehead and left the house.

"I'll go and call the office and wait in the living room with Laurel. I think the two of you need to talk." Oliver told Veronica.

"Would you agree with him staying with us?" She asked him.

"Of course. I'll call my mom and Thea as well but I'm sure they'll be fine with it. I'll also call the family doctor and see if he has time for us today." Oliver replied before he kissed her and left the room, phone in hand.

"Here, sit with me, Hunter." Veronica asked her little brother, patting a chair by her side.

"Are you angry at me?" he asked her in a small voice.

"Of course not. If I'm angry at anyone, it's at Leanne for having kept you hidden from me and having taken such bad care of you." Veronica replied sincerely.

"Nyssa said that you didn't know about me, that you'd want to know me if you did."

"And she was right. Would you like it? To stay here with us?" She asked him.

"I don't want to be a bother." He shook his head.

"You won't be. Oliver and I do work a lot but everything will be fine. You won't be alone and I promise you that you'll be happy. I'll do my best to make you as happy as possible. We'll find you a school that suits you and arrange a room here for you. You'll even be able to join a club or something if you want." Veronica told him.

"Really?"

"Of course. You'll have to be patient with me, I'm not used to taking care of someone else, neither is Oliver, but if we give each other a chance, we'll be fine." She nodded.

"Is Oliver your husband?" he asked.

"No, my boyfriend, but we're very serious and he'll love you too." Veronica smiled before she added:

"Now come on, finish your breakfast and when you're not hungry anymore, we'll join Oliver in the living room with a friend of mine who's going to do everything possible to allow you to say, legally, with us and make sure that Leanne can never take you back."

Hunter nodded and finished the breakfast the maid had prepared for him. Once he was done and not hungry any more, Veronica took his hand and guided him though the corridors.

"I know it's very big but we'll show you the house later. You'll be fine. I'll even draw you a map if you want." She reassured him.

"It's as big as a castle." he whispered.

"Close to one, yes. Following the map will feel like hunting for a treasure for you." She chuckled.

They entered the living room where Oliver had explained the situation to Laurel. He had also brought the boy's backpack in.

"You didn't bring much with you, Hunter." Oliver told the boy after officially greeting the boy with Laurel.

"It's all I had. Sara said not to bother taking the rest, that it was garbage and you wouldn't want me to wear it. She said to just brign the minimum and what I really want to keep." Hunter shrugged his shoulders.

"Then I guess we'll simply have to go shopping." Veronica stated with a smile.

"Thea will love that." Oliver nodded.

"Who's Thea?" Hunter asked.

"She's Oliver's sister. She's very nice, you'll like her. And I'm sure she'll love to take you shopping." Veronica smiled.

"I talked to my Mom and Thea, they're both very excited to meet you, Hunter. We'll prepare the bedroom in front of ours for you and then we'll fill it with things you'd like." Oliver declared.

"Oliver explained everything. I'll take care of the paperwork as soon as I get back to the office. I'll make sure Oliver and you get custody of Hunter. I know someone who can speed this up, someone who owes me a favor or two. It might make things easier, given his young age, if you simply adopted him, gave him your last name." Laurel advised in a whisper.

"Why don't we just get custody for now? We can handle the details later. Maybe he won't be happy with us. I don't want to rush him. It might be better to take things one step at the time." Veronica replied in a whisper.

"Alright." Laurel nodded.

.

Once Laurel left, Oliver and Veronica took Hunter on a quick tour of the house and showed him his new bedroom.

"I know it's pretty grown up for now, it used to be one of the guest rooms but we'll go shopping for furniture you'd like later today." Oliver promised the boy.

"You don't have to. I didn't even have my own bedroom before." Hunter assured them.

"Well, you will now." Veronica smiled.

"Mom and Thea will join us for lunch in town later. I know that there are boxes with my old clothes and toys in the basement, I asked the maid to bring them all up, we'll sort through it later, see what Hunter likes and wants to use." Oliver announced after looking at his phone.

"We should look at schools this afternoon too." Veronica added.

"Yes, we'll wait until we have the legal paperwork from Laurel though." Oliver nodded.

Once Hunter had seen his bedroom, they looked through a couple of the boxes that the maid had brought up and they found a couple of outfits for Hunter to wear for the day. It was not exactly up to today's fashion but it was barely worn and Hunter loved having something so good and new looking to wear. They told the maid to put the boxes in the living room, planning on going through them all later that day or the day after that. Hunter couldn't wait. Of course he loved that they'd buy him new things but the fact that Oliver, his new guardian, wanted him to have his old things made him very happy, like he mattered.

After Hunter showered and changed into one of Oliver's old outfits, they all left the house to go shopping, driven by Diggle (after he was introduced to their new charge). Hunter didn't have much and what little he had was worn out and ready to be thrown out. They bought him a few outfits and toys, figuring they'd shop for more later, once they knew more about him, his taste and once he was enough at ease with them that he wouldn't hesitate to ask for what he liked.

They used this time to get to know each other, talk about their tastes and trying to figure what activities Hunter would like to do. Veronica had called her assistant, explaining the situation to her quickly and asking for her to send them a list of schools for Hunter. They had agreed to send him to a private school.

"It's almost time for lunch, we should head to Big Belly Burger now to meet up with Thea and mom." Oliver told them after looking at his watch.

"Nyssa took me there last night before she drove me here. I had never gone before, it was very good." Hunter nodded with a big smile, more comfortable now that he had spent some time with the two of them.

"Let's go then." Veronica smiled.

They had offered for Hunter to change into one of his new outfits but he refused, he wanted to keep on wearing the one Oliver had given him earlier and so they let him. He'd have plenty of time to wear the new clothes later. Even though she wasn't willing to speak the words, Veronica was hoping that her father would punish her mother severely for what she had done, not to her, but to Hunter.

On their way to lunch, Laurel call to say that she had the temporary paperwork done and that it would be only a few days for everything to be permanent. They told her where they'd have lunch and she joined them there to bring it over. Since she had lunch plans with Tommy, she couldn't stay but promised to come by with Tommy later?

"I thought it would take longer to get the paperwork in order. Laurel must have really had good contacts." Veronica commented to Oliver.

"We've helped her a lot in her work, she probably jumped at the occasion to help us too." He replied.

The three of them entered the dinner and headed to an isolated table where Moira and Thea were already waiting with some food. Both Queen women were very happy to meet Hunter and it was quickly decided that when Veronica and Oliver were "working late" as Arrow and Karma, Hunter would stay with Moira. The elder Queen didn't mind watching over him and Hunter was eager to please and so he agreed on everything. Thea also offered to take him shopping the next day, for longer and for more things than they had today and they agreed. Veronica and Oliver had to work and if Thea took him shopping in the morning, he'd join them at the office for lunch and stay to play in a corner of the office until they could leave and do something together.

They knew that they wouldn't be able enroll him in school immediately, it would take a few days and it would take some adjustment for them but they'd be able to do it.

"So, Hunter, what do you like to do to pass the time?" Moira asked him while they all ate, trying to ignore the people staring and snapping pictures.

"I wasn't really allowed to do anything before." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, why don't we try a few things over the next few days to see what you like? Don't worry, you'll be able to do anything you like." Veronica smiled.

"At school, I liked to draw and I was the best at music, my teacher told Leanne that she should sign me up to a special music school but she insulted him and pulled me away." Hunter explained, shyly.

"Really? And did you like music?" Oliver asked him.

"I think so. Music makes sense. It's like talking, except prettier and without words." The boy replied.

"I have the list of the private schools my assistant sent me, I could ask her to select those with the best music program if you want." Veronica asked her brother.

"I think I'd like that." he nodded happily.

"Done." Veronica smiled back at him after texting her assistant.

"Well, word really does spread quickly around this town. The blogs all know about Hunter already." Thea commented after looking at her cell phone.

"What do they know?" Oliver asked, frowning.

"That he's Veronica's half brother and that the two of you will be taking care of him from now on." Thea replied.

"Don't worry Hunter, just ignore them and if you get too scared, just call for me, Oliver or John Diggle, alright?" Veronica asked her brother.

"Okay." He nodded.

"So, now that Hunter is with the family, you two realize that there's something that you can't pull off anymore, right?" Thea asked and Oliver started to worry, hoping his sister wouldn't ruin his proposal surprise.

"The puppy! You need to get the dog now!" Thea smiled.

"You're getting a dog?" Hunter asked them.

"We are, yes. Do you like dogs?"Oliver asked him.

"I do. But only big dogs. I don't like the small ones, they always bark a lot and bite. The big ones are nice." Hunter replied, making Veronica smile.

"You two are so related." Thea smiled.

Hunter seemed to get along well with the two other members of the family and when they parted ways after lunch, he was eager to see them again in the evening.

"So, where do we start now?" Oliver asked when they sat back in the car.

"We'll stop by the school. It's the best elementary school with a music program in this town. My assistant got us a meeting with the headmistress to see if Hunter would like to study there." Veronica replied.

"As long as Hunter likes it, we'll convince her to take him." Oliver nodded, knowing that his name could buy a lot in this town.

Hunter was quiet and it worried Veronica.

"Whats wrong, Hunter?"

"I just don't want to embarrass you. Leanne always said that I embarrassed her." He replied.

"You could never embarrass us." Oliver and Veronica replied at the same time before Veronica added:

"Just be yourself and everything will be fine. We'll always be proud of you, as long as you are your best self."

Hunter nodded and tried to hide his worry the rest of the way.

.

When they arrived at the school, the Headmistress started by taking the three of them on a tour of the school, then, while she spoke with Veronica and Oliver, Hunter stayed with one of the teacher who started testing him to evaluate his level in different subjects. After a couple of hours, Veronica and Oliver were sitting, with Hunter, in front of the Headmistress.

"I have to say that we'd be very happy to welcome Hunter here but considering his gift in music, there are a couple of other schools that would suit him better. He's a very smart boy who registers everything he's told very quickly, learns it and uses it well. It would be a shame to limit him to this school when he could do much better in one of these." The headmistress informed them, giving them two pamphlets for boarding schools that, according to her, would suit Hunter better.

"These are boarding schools..." Veronica noticed.

"They are. I know that this is a hard decision to make and even if you chose one of these schools, Hunter probably wouldn't be able to go there before a few weeks so we can take him here. We'll be happy to welcome him here, let it be for a few weeks or for the rest of his education. But keep in mind that Hunter is a very gifted boy, you should give him every chance." The Headmistress explained.

"We'll talk about it together and keep you informed." Veronica nodded with a smile.

Since Hunter liked this school, they signed him up to start at the beginning of the next week and took care of the paperwork before they left to go get an ice-cream.

The young boy was very excited about his new school and he was more than happy to use Veronica's last name.

Once they had eaten their ice cream, they went to the doctor to make sure that Hunter was in good health. Despite being a bit underfed, he didn't have any major illness, which reassured everyone. When they left the doctor's office, they finally bought the dog Oliver had promised Veronica. After a while, she chose another pitbull, a little female who was very excited to have a new family.

"How are you going to name her?" Hunter asked Veronica on the way back home with everything the dog would need.

They had ordered some food, a few toys and a dog bed to be delivered at their office for the next day.

"I always wanted a pony. What do you say pup, do you like Pony?" Veronica asked the puppy who licked her.

"I think she does." Hunter chuckled.

"I guess our dog will be named Pony then." Oliver smiled.

Once they got home, they helped Hunter carry everything to his bedroom, then, they all played a little with Pony until Moira came home. Veronica and Oliver took the night off vigilante-ing and spent it as a family, with Hunter. They shopped online for new furniture for his bedroom and made sure he'd like it.

"Are you sure that you don't mind Hunter living here with us, Moira? With him and Pony, we're kind of invading your home." Veronica asked Moira while Hunter played outside with Pony and Oliver.

"Of course not, Veronica! On the contrary, it's bringing life back to this house and it needed it. I love having you and Oliver living here with us. Trust me, I like it much better than the alternative, which is you two moving out and leaving me and Thea alone in this big house." Moira replied, hugging Veronica.

"And you're sure you don't mind keeping an eye on Hunter when we're Karma and Arrow?"

"Not at all. I have a feeling that he'll be very easy to watch over and at least, this way, I won't be alone. He'll keep me company." She smiled.

"Then everything's sorted. We'll take him to school in the morning, then go to the office. Thea will pick him up after school, Diggle will do it when she can't. They'll take him for a snack and then bring it to the office. He'll stay with us until you go home. You'll either pick him up or we'll drop him off, depending on our schedule." Veronica smiled.

"Oliver mentioned a boarding school being talked about?"

"Yes, apparently Hunter is a smart boy, very gifted in the music department and he has the capacity to learn quickly. The Headmistress gave us pamphlets for two boarding schools that would be best to help him develop his gift. Oliver and I need to talk about it with him, see what he prefers." Veronica explained.

"It's not an easy decision." Moira nodded.

"Exactly, I want him to have the best but I don't want him to feel like we're sending him away. I want him to know that we love him and want him in our lives." Veronica replied.

"I'm sure you'll do great, honey." Moira assured her before she hugged her once more and they both went in the garden to watch Oliver on his back, Pony and Hunter on top of him.

"Bested, finally! I should tell Barry." Veronica laughed while Oliver smiled happily at her.

"What can I say, they're stronger than me." he replied, pleasing Hunter.

.

When Hunter finally went to bed, Veronica and Oliver went with him.

"Hunter, I want you to think hard about what the Headmistress said over the next few days. We're very happy to have you here with us but if what you want is to go to a Boarding school to study even more music, then it's what you'll have. We want you to be happy and to have everything you deserve. So, if you decide to stay here, you will and if you decide to go to Boarding school, you'll come back here every weekend and during the vacations. We'll visit you and we'll get you a cell phone so that we can call you every day and so you can call us anytime you want. You'd also be able to change your mind later. It's your choice entirely." Veronica told him.

"It's my choice? And I can decide to stay here, you won't be disappointed in me?" He asked her.

"Absolutely. We'll be happy and proud of you, no matter which decision you make." Oliver assured him.

"Take your time, Hunter. Think it over a few days before you make a decision." Veronica smiled.

"Veronica, Oliver, me being here with you... Does it mean that I'll be your son now? Are you my new parents?" He asked them shyly.

"Of course, if that's what you want." Oliver nodded, feeling a weird new feeling inside him at the prospect of being this child's father figure.

"We'll always be there for you, Hunter. We'll be honored to be your parents, but if you feel more comfortable with..." Veronica started, only to be interrupted by him:

"No! I mean, I'd love to have parents and today... It was a great day. I'll be very happy if you agreed to be my parents."

"Then we will be." Veronica smiled with Oliver.

"Have a good night now. Tomorrow, we'll be going to the office around 9. We'll wake you up before we go and you'll be able to spend the day with Thea. Is that okay? She'll bring you back to the office after lunch and you'll be able to draw there." Oliver reminded you.

"Will we take Pony too?" Hunter asked.

"No, Pony is going to come to the office with us directly, we want her to get used to it." Veronica replied.

"Good night." Hunter told them before they both kissed his forehead and left the room.

Veronica and Oliver spent the rest of the night relaxing in the living room. They didn't need to talk about Hunter, they knew the other well enough to know what they were thinking. They knew that they agreed and that everything would be fine. They hadn't expected to have a child so soon, but today had proven that they were ready. In her corner of the room, Pony was chewing on one of the new toy they had bought her, one that was an exact replica of a toy Back-up had had when he was alive.

"What do you want him to do?" Oliver asked Veronica a little later as they walked Pony in the garden together.

"I don't know. I don't really have an opinion, I just want him to be happy, to make the decision that suits him. I think he should try the Boarding school though, to see if Music is really what he wants to study. But because he's gifted in a subject, it doesn't mean that he needs to study it all the time or to like it. I just want him to be happy." She shrugged her shoulders.

"I agree with you. He should at least try to go though... Like you said, it's the best way for him to know if he likes it or not." Oliver smiled.

"A lot changed in so little time." She sighted.

"I know, but I think we've adapted pretty well." He replied.

"Do you think we should tell him that we're Karma and Arrow?"

"I don't know. Not right away, I think that we should wait a bit first. We'll consider it when he starts asking questions about why we're always home late and often have bruises." He suggested.

"He'll probably take it well. He knows about Nyssa and the League, he knows they saved him and I think he'll be able to keep our secret."

"I know. Now come on, we should head to bed. We have a meeting with Bruce Wayne in the morning." Oliver replied, calling Pony back as well.

Listening, the dog rushed to them and followed them to the bedroom. Once they arrived, they pet the dog and showed her once more where her bed was, in the corridor, next to their bedroom door. Pony immediately went on it and the couple went in their bedroom and closed the door for the night.

.

The next morning, everything went as they had planned, which was a good thing. Oliver and Veronica arrived on time at the office and were able to catch up on what they had missed the previous day before their meeting with Bruce Wayne later in the morning.

When Bruce Wayne arrived, they all heading to the meeting room to discuss a potential partnership both company wanted. The discussion went well and the three of them got along pretty well until Bruce seemed to suddenly freeze, his eyes on Veronica's cleavage.

"What's going on?" She asked him while Oliver wondered if he had a new rival.

"The necklace." Bruce replied, his eyes not leaving it.

Veronica almost forgot that she was wearing it, she never took it off since Raz placed it around her neck the day he recognized her as his child. It was the one who labelled her as heir to the demon.

"You know what this is?" Oliver asked the other billionaire.

"You're Talia's sister? I knew of Nyssa but I didn't know she had another..." Bruce replied.

"You know the league?" Veronica asked him.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about..." Oliver stated.

"I only recently learned that Raz was my father, he didn't know about me before that. Nyssa told me a lot about Talia but I haven't met her. How do you know Talia?" Veronica asked Bruce.

"I met her when I joined the League to train. I wanted to be strong enough to get justice for my parents." Bruce replied.

"They were killed in front of you when you were a kid." Oliver remembered.

"Yes. I trained, I was rather good and Raz knew from the beginning what I wanted. He agreed to train me without me having to serve the League. I went home once I completed my training and..." Bruce hesitated there but Veronica saw right through him.

"You're Batman, aren't you? You trained with the League, went home, became Batman and are now your city's vigilante."

"How?" he asked, trying to decide if he'd have to kill the two of them.

"She's smart. And... I'm Arrow, she's Karma." Oliver informed him.

"We've been looking for other people like us over the past few months. We've established contact with quite a few. Kind of like a private club of people who watch over their own cities that you can call if the problems in your city become too much." Veronica explained.

"That's actually a good idea." Bruce nodded.

"Listen, why don't we finish our initial meeting for now? If you want, meet us tonight. We'll show you our base, introduce you to the people working with us and tell you how to contact the others, if you want." Oliver suggested.

"That's a good idea, thanks." Bruce nodded, going back the the contracts they were presently negotiating.

They finished their meeting and Bruce was about to go to a hotel when Oliver invited him to stay at their house. Of course Bruce accepted the offer and he went to tour the town before he met up with them at the end of the day.

After lunch, John arrived with Hunter, who was more than happy to see Veronica and Oliver again. He quietly set up at a little table in Veronica's office and when John came to take Pony for a walk because Veronica and Oliver were too busy, Hunter decided to go with him.

"Are you sure it doesn't bother you, Dig?" Veronica asked their friend, bodyguard and driver.

"Of course not. It's good practice for when Lyla finally gives birth to the little one, which should be any moment now." John smiled, taking the dog's leash and the boy's hand in each hand.

"Hunter is surprisingly quiet for such a young boy. I remember when I was his age and came here for a few hours, I was running everywhere and driving everyone crazy." Oliver commented.

"I know, it's probably because of the way Leanne raised him. I hope he'll learn to have fun and not be so shy soon."

"Well, he's not shy around Dig and he seems to love playing with Pony. He'll be fine as long as we stay with him." Oliver reassured her.

"I know. Here, you need to read this over. I highlighted the part I didn't agree with." She handed him a file before he went back to his side of their office.

"I don't even know why we put this door, we never close it." Oliver declared as he crossed it.

"Probably in case we start arguing and need time apart." She chuckled.

"When that day arrives, I hope I'll do the smart thing and agree with you." He smiled.

"Should I get this in writing? Make you sign it?" She joked.

.

The rest of the afternoon passed rather quietly. Bruce went to hang out at Verdant. Thea had offered for him to us the closed club to do whatever work he had to do and the vigilante agreed, eager to know more about this city and its well worked team of Vigilante. It was different for him, he was used to working alone, the only one who helped him was Alfred, and he wasn't going on the field with him.

Of course he had heard of Karma and Arrow and the concept had intrigued him. Both Vigilantes, working together, dating and now he could see that they dated in their everyday life as well. Could he have this one day? He had dreamt of this once. Selina was gifted and if she wasn't spending so much time stealing precious objects, she'd make a great vigilante. the few times they had worked together had been great, fun and exciting. He couldn't help but think that Oliver was a lucky man to have this every day.

As he drank the water Thea had brought him, Roy, who was Arsenal and worked with Karma and Arrow, answered Bruce's questions about their team, knowing that he could trust him if Oliver and Veronica did.

"I have to say that I kind of envy you all. Don't get me wrong, I like working alone but you all seem to be a great team. Well practiced. It must be nice sometimes not to be alone." Bruce told Roy.

"It is. It made it easier when Slade Wilson tried to destroy the town with the Mira Kuru soldiers. I think this is why V and Oliver went to look for other Vigilantes. If everyone keeps in touch, when something happens that someone doesn't understand, there's always someone else that can help and if another city is overran by villains, we can team up and take care of it much faster." Roy replied.

"True." Bruce nodded.

"Mac, she works at QC too and is quite the computer genius, she's working on a program that only the people she gives it too will be able to access. It will allow us all to put our information in common and to contact each other quicker." Roy added.

"Like Facebook for Vigilantes?" Bruce asked with a smirk.

"You could say that. It should help those of us who don't know how to hack government databases." Roy smiled.

.

Once they were done with work at Queen Consolidated, Veronica and Oliver went to get dinner with Hunter, explaining to him that a friend of theirs was in town and that they needed to spend some time with him but that he'd be with Moira. The boy understood and was even happier when they agreed to let him take Pony home with him. Moira came to pick up the boy once they were done eating and so Veronica and Oliver went to their lair, where Bruce was already waiting with Roy and Mac.

"Hey, where's Dig? I thought he was with you." Mac asked them as soon as they arrived.

"He went to take care of Lyla. She wasn't feeling very well. John Junior might be making his grand entrance soon." Veronica replied.

"Your team seems well organized. I like the couch." Bruce complimented.

"Well, we only put it here recently. It's useful sometimes." Oliver replied.

"It makes it homier." Veronica nodded.

"I have a glass case similar to this one for my own suit." He commented, pointing to their own suits presented around the room.

"I was showing him the other Vigilantes you've found and contacted so far." Mac added.

"Looks like you're going to have an occasion to work with us. The cops are very busy tonight." Roy got their attention by pointing at the screen.

"Three robberies in progress at three different corners of the city, a fire and a couple of aggression." Mac explained.

"Tell Lance that we'll take care of the museum. I think I know who it is, it'll be quick we should be able to hot several other spots after it." Veronica said before she rushed to get changed.

"I guess we'll take the Museum, it's close to the other calls so we'll be able to go somewhere else quickly later, the cops will be able to handle the other spots. Roy, you'll take this one? You're coming, Bruce?" Oliver asked their new friend while Roy, already dressed, was more than ready to go.

"Why not." Bruce nodded, getting his own suit out of the bag he carried with him.

.

When they arrived at the museum, less than 10 minutes later, the robbery was still in progress.

"Are you going to let us know who it is now, Honey?" Oliver asked Veronica.

"I've been watching out for this diamond as soon as they announced it was brought here. I know someone who is always interesting in things like this and he loves a challenge. The security around this diamond is definitely a challenge. I knew it would catch his eye. Just let me handle it. We won't have to fight this one." Veronica replied.

"Watch and learn I guess." Batman commented with an amused smile while Oliver replied:

"As you wish my Love."

"Fancy seeing you here." Karma declared as she dropped behind the thief, not disguising her voice.

"And who would you be?" He asked.

He was wearing a big winter jacket, a pair of glasses and had a fancy gun in his hand.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you've forgotten about me already! I know I'm masked now but I must have made an impression when you worked with me to close the Saltmen case. I thought the few times we worked together would have marked your mind." Karma stated and the two vigilantes behind her could hear a familiarity in her voice.

"Mars? I should have guessed you'd become one of those masked freaks." He replied, putting his gun down.

"Nice to see you again Snart. Now I'm sorry but I can't let you take this. This is my city, I have to protect it."

"I guess I do owe you one." he sighted.

"You never steal or kill in my city and my friends and I don't go after you. Deal?" She offered.

"Fine, deal. There are plenty other cities after all." He nodded.

"You know you have it in you to do more than this, right? You could be so much more than a thief, Lenny." She assured him.

"I'm not a hero." He frowned.

"Maybe not, but you could continue what we did together. Work to protect abused children from their abusive parents like we did with the Saltmen." She insisted.

"Not my style. Anyway, if I can't steal in your city, I guess I should leave. My sister is doing recon in Coast City. See you later, Karma." Snart told her before he simply walked out.

"So, want to explain how you met him?" Oliver asked her while the three of them rushed to the site of a war between gangs.

"It was a few years ago, right after I met Thea, back when you were still officially dead. I crossed him right when I started working for a couple of grandparents who wanted to prove that their son in law was abusing his children after his wife died. I ran into Snart and, long story short, he ended up helping me, probably because his father used to abuse him and his sister back when their were kids. It took us a couple of weeks and so we had time to get to know each other. Nothing happened, we're just friendly, friend-ish. Not enemies. Anyway, I helped put his father in jail right after that, right after he hurt Leonard's sister. That's why he feels like he owes me. We did work on a couple of similar cases together and I might have pointed him in the direction of Neptune, giving him a few indications to help him steal from the deserving like Madison Sinclair and the others." She explained.

"Well, I'm hoping that our next stop shows me more action than this. I can't wait to see how the two of you do in a fight." Bruce told them, amused.

.

"Wow, we kick ass together! It was so cool!" Roy exclaimed once they were all back in the lair.

Indeed, they had ended the night, the four of them together, fighting against a gang that was robbing a nightclub full of people.

"I thought that Oliver was a little slow reaching the guy that was beating up the owner." Bruce stated.

"That might be because he beat me up once I came back. Of course I might have deserved it because, before I went missing, I slept with his fiance during the rehearsal dinner, but aren't you supposed to forgive and forget once they guy comes back from the dead?" Oliver replied cheerfully, making them all laugh.

"Does that mean that you're joining our little club?" Mac asked Bruce.

"I think so, yes. It is nice to know that you can count on someone if your villains become too much for you or if you get sick or something. I'll give your names to Alfred too, so he knows to trust you if anything happens." Bruce replied.

Bruce had thought about taking an "apprentice" a few times but each time, he had backed off, thinking that maybe it would be better if he stayed alone. Seeing Arrow, karma and everyone around them working together gave him hope for his own future. Maybe he shouldn't stay alone after all.

"For now I'll give you an USB drive with the info of everyone we've reached. Once I complete the program and am sure it's protected enough, I'll send it to you." Mac replied.

"Great." Bruce nodded.

After that, they all said goodnight, Mac went home while Oliver, Veronica and Bruce dropped Roy off at Verdant and went to have a drink there, before they finally went home. Journalist were only too happy to snap pictures of Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne having a drink together. It was something they couldn't see very often and, the next day, pictures of the three of them laughing together would be sen everywhere.

On the way, Veronica explained to him who Hunter was and how she had found out about him.

"And now your little brother is like your adoptive son?" Bruce asked her.

"I'm still a little uncomfortable with the label of 'son' but yes, I guess he is."

"Well, anyway, I'm very happy about my stay in Star City. Wayne enterprises and Queen consolidated made a great deal and tonight was great. Fun." Bruce smiled.

When they arrived, Pony was up and came to greet them with a low bark.

"I'll take her out quickly." Veronica stated.

"Alright, I'll show Bruce to his room." Oliver nodded and kissed her.

"Goodnight Bruce, see you tomorrow." Veronica waved at him while Pony royally ignored the guest, too focused on her mistress showing her the way out.

When Oliver and Bruce walked by Hunter's bedroom door, it opened.

"'liver?" the young boy asked, half asleep.

"Yes, it's me buddy. Why aren't you asleep?" He asked him.

"I had a nightmare. Leanne had superpowers and she came after me. She wanted to hurt me." Hunter replied.

"Well, you know that would never happen. Even if she discovered herself some superpowers, Arrow and Karma, Flash, Arsenal and all of their friends wouldn't let that happen." Oliver replied as he carried the boy back to bed, watched by Bruce, who stood by the door, kind of wishing he could have moments like this too.

"How do you know?" The boy asked him.

"Because they're our friends. Veronica and I know them." Oliver whispered.

"Even Batman?" The boy asked him with a big smile.

"Yes, even him."

"What if I go to the boarding school to learn music, will they protect me too?"

"Of course they will. There are two great boarding schools that you could choose in this country and Veronica checked it out. One is very close to Vixen and the other is not that far away from Central city so in case of an emergency, the Flash could be there in only a few minutes." Oliver confessed.

"And Veronica won't be sad that I'm gone all week?"

"Of course not. You'll be able to call her everyday, you'll come home on the weekends, during vacations..."

"I think I'll want to go." Hunter told him.

"You can tell us tomorrow buddy. Now it's late and you need to sleep." Oliver smiled at him.

"I love you 'Liver. I'm glad you're my dad now." Hunter replied as he fell asleep.

"I love you too Hunter. Sleep well." Oliver replied.

"You're a lucky man, Oliver. What you have here, Veronica, your family, this boy... I kind of envy you." Bruce told him sincerely.

"You can have it too. You just need to find the right person. Someone that can love and accept both sides of you." Oliver replied.

"I know... I... I had doubts before, about the possibility of it all, but you've convinced me." Bruce nodded, thinking of having a serious talk with Selina once he got back home.

"You boys are still here? What, did you get lost in your own house honey?" Veronica asked Oliver while Pony went in her doggy bad in the corridor.

"Hunter had a nightmare, it woke him up. He's fine now." Oliver replied.

"What was it about?" Veronica asked, worried.

"Your mother coming back with superpowers." Oliver replied.

"Right now she's in Nanda Parbat with dad, I doubt that she'll get out of it alive. He has nothing to worry about." Veronica shook her head, untouched by her mother's destiny.

"Oliver told him that he was friends with the Vigilantes of the country and that he'd be safe wherever he went." Bruce informed her.

"That's true too." Veronica smiled.

"Alright, I think it's well time I got some sleep. We all have a big day tomorrow. Good night." Bruce told them, seeing that the couple probably wanted to be alone for a while.

"Goodnight Bruce. Tomorrow, you'll be able to taste a breakfast cooked by Oliver himself."

"You can cook too?" Bruce asked, surprised.

"It's my best kept secret." Oliver nodded with a smile.

"Can't wait, goodnight." Bruce told them.

.

The next morning, Bruce left to go back to Gotham, promising to stay in touch with Team Arrow and Oliver and Veronica went to work after kissing Hunter good morning. It wasn't until later afternoon, when the couple was about to head home with the boy, that they stopped in a park to take the time to speak with him.

"Oliver told me that you've made your decision?" Veronica asked her brother and new charge.

"I did. I want to go to Boarding school. You said I could go and come back if I don't like it. I'd like to try." He replied calmly.

"Yes, of course. I want you to be happy and like I said, if you don't like it, you can always come back here and we'll sign you up to a normal school." Veronica smiled.

"Which one will I go to? Oliver said that there was two schools." Hunter asked.

"We looked at them today and we both think that the one near Central City is the best one." Oliver replied.

"Okay." The boy nodded.

"Now, why don't we go home? Pony seems hungry and I'm sure you are too." Veronica suggested.

.

Since the Queen name was an important one, they were able to register Hunter the week after that and the young boy was able to start a day later. Veronica and Oliver used this opportunity to visit their friends in Central city before they went home, hoping that everything would go well for Hunter in his new school, that he'd make new friends and like it.

Before they left Hunter in school, they introduced him to Barry, telling Hunter, and the school, that if they couldn't be reached and someone needed to come quickly, Barry was allowed to come and act in their behalf. It reassured Hunter to know that a friend of his sister would come if he needed it.


So, this chapter was a pretty long one, wasn't it? I probably should have cut it in two but I couldn't decide on where to cut it. I have material to go up to chapter 27...

Please leave a review to let me know if you like the way I introduced Hunter.

Lorelei Candice Black