3 months after Jay's deployment
Chapter 22:
Oliver couldn't help but smile as he thought about his life.
Over the last three months things had slowly started to get back to normal, or as normal life could get for team arrow.
After he got out of hospital he was pleasantly surprised to find out that Felicity had moved in. At first it had been just to help him get back on his feet but after he returned to both work at QC and helping out in the lair, he was again pleased to see that Felicity stayed. Their relationship grew stronger every day and Oliver could honestly say he had never loved anyone the way he loved Felicity Smoak.
Diggle was back to always being by his side at QC and helping Roy out in the lair. Sara had surprisingly stayed in town as well. She claimed it was to catch up with her family but Oliver had a suspicion that it had something to do with missing her former best friend.
Roy and Thea had gone back to their day to day life. Both taking more time out to spend with Tommy, both still stuck in the fear that they nearly lost their son.
Tommy was back in school and taking lessons from Felicity in computer coding. Katya had kept her promise to Tommy and they been spending more time to get know each other.
Felicity conduct most of her work from home, only occasionally going back to her office.
But it was Katya that worried them all the most. On the outside she appeared to be happy, but when she was alone or thought that no one was watching she was struggling and they all knew why. Felicity was adamant that they kept Jay's promise and not tell her the real reason Jay had gone back on tour. She had wavered however when it looked like Katya wasn't going to go back to school.
About a month after Jay left and Oliver was just getting himself back to work he came home one day to find Felicity and Katya in a yelling match about going back to school.
FLASHBACK
Oliver pulled on his tie as he waited for the elevator doors to open. Today had been a long day and he couldn't wait to have dinner with his two favourite girls.
Oliver step out of the elevator and made his way towards the front door. That's when he heard it, the raised voices. He rushed to his door, opening it quickly. Fearing the worse.
"Just because you're mad that Jay left doesn't mean you can give up on everything." Felicity voice called through the apartment.
"This has got nothing to do with Jay." Katya yelled back.
Oliver took a deep breath calming himself. Oliver rid himself of all his fears before walking towards the sound of his girlfriend and their daughter.
"Then why won't you go back to school?" Felicity demanded just as Oliver reached the kitchen.
Neither of them seemed to notice his presence. Felicity stood with her arms cross glaring at Katya who stood by the window looking out over the city.
Katya turned to face Felicity and sighed.
"I didn't say I wasn't going back to school I said I was transferring." Katya reasoned.
Felicity narrowed her eyes.
"The hell you are." Felicity yelled.
Oliver took a step forward ready to intervene but Felicity held up her hand to stop him from saying anything.
"Yale medical school has been your dream for as long as I can remember." Felicity said calmly.
Katya looked away, she couldn't answer.
"Honey, what's going on?" Oliver questioned.
Katya shook her head.
Oliver walked over to his daughter and gently turned her to face him.
"What's going on?" he asked again slowly.
"Nothing." Katya replied but she refused to meet his eyes.
Oliver sighed before gently lifting his daughters chin, he raised his eye brows at her.
"It just, I don't really know you but since I've been living here I have learnt so much and if I go back to school that will all change it will go back to being like we never met." Katya explained quickly.
Katya spoke so fast that Oliver had to really concentrate to catch each word.
"So let me get this straight, you think if you go back to school it will be like we never met?" Oliver clarified.
Katya nodded slowly.
Oliver pulled Katya into his arms.
"Never think that." Oliver told her instantly.
She was afraid of not knowing him.
Oliver pressed a kiss into her hair.
"You're my daughter and now I have you I am never going to let you go." Oliver promised.
Katya pulled away.
"But I won't see you as much while I'm at school." Katya pointed out.
Oliver lowed his head so his eyes were directly looking into hers.
"You're forgetting I'm rich and I have access to a private jet, if you want to see me every day I will be there every day." Oliver told her honestly.
If seeing him every day was what she wanted he would make sure that happened.
"Really?" she asked.
Oliver nodded before hugging his daughter once again.
"Any time you want." He told her.
END OF FLASHBACK
Katya was back in school but she was quieter, she didn't smile as often. Felicity told him it was because she was worried about Jay but Jay was a topic not to mention in front of Katya unless you wanted her to leave the room in under three seconds flat.
His life and the life of his family and friends wasn't perfect in fact it was far from it but it was the closest thing to perfect Oliver had ever had and he was going to do everything in his power to keep it.
Katya pulled her hood over her head and shoved the sun glasses on her face. She braced herself before making a run from the dorms to her car.
Camera lights flashed as she ran.
"Look there she is." Someone called.
"What's it like being Oliver Queen's daughter?" another asked.
"Why are we only just finding out about you now?" one other questioned.
This was the down side of being Oliver Queens's daughter. Ever since Oliver's stay in hospital word had gotten out that he had a daughter, the press hadn't left her alone. They wanted to know everything about her.
Katya reached her car quickly and dived in before anyone could ask her any more questions.
She couldn't blame them for constantly following her. They wanted her story. She was the love child of a billionaire playboy and his former EA, and the world wanted to know what happened. But the truth could never be told and they all knew it. Her mother's advice had been ignore it, even though Katya was pretty sure her mother was constantly hacking every media site possible and taking down any story she didn't like. Her father had simply smiled and said sorry, promising as soon as they got a better story they would be gone but it had been three months and they were still here.
Katya drove with purpose. She couldn't take it anymore. They were basically camped outside her dorm rooms waiting for something and Katya knows if they don't go away soon she is going to explode.
Since her parents are no help she drove to the only person she knew could be of any help in this situation. Aunt Thea.
Katya reached her Aunt and Uncle's house two hours later. She ran to the front door and knocked.
"Aren't you meant to be at school?" Roy stated as he opens the door.
Katya glared at her uncle as he opened the door wider for her to enter the house.
Katya walked towards the kitchen. Roy following closely behind.
"Is Thea here?" Katya questioned.
Roy frowned but nodded.
"Thea, Kat's here." Roy shouted up the stairs.
A movement upstairs told them Roy had been heard.
"Do your parents know your here?" Roy asked.
Katya shook her head.
"Everything's ok right?" Roy asked sounding concerned.
Kayta nodded just as Thea walked into the kitchen.
"I need your help." Katya said the moment she spotted her Aunt.
Thea looked confused but nodded for her to continue.
"I need the press to leave me alone." Katya declaimed desperately.
"There still following you around?" Thea asked and Katya nodded.
"Every time I turn round they're there." Katya exclaimed.
"What did Oliver say?" Roy questioned.
Katya sighed.
"Just ignore them they will go away." Katya replied trying to copy her father's voice.
"But they're not?" Thea clarified.
Katya shook her head.
Thea sighed.
"Personally I would talk to them." Thea commented.
"But her parents don't want that." Roy injected.
"They aren't the ones that have a paper due in two days and can't get nothing done because they have press hounding them every time they try to leave their room." Katya all but yelled.
Roy held up his hands in mock surrender as Thea smirked.
"Ok, so what's your plan?" Thea questioned.
"Can you get a press conference together without anyone but us knowing by tomorrow afternoon?" Katya questions.
Thea smiled.
"Please give me a challenge." Thea exclaimed, already looking through the phone.
Thea could not help but smile as she watched Katya walk on stage. The press conference was arrange for 2 o'clock in the afternoon just outside of her school. Katya wanted it far enough away that if either of her parents found out they would have to travel a couple of hours before they could stop it.
Roy didn't like keeping it a secret from Oliver and Felicity but he agreed to keep quite if Katya allowed him to shadow her every move during the conference for her safety. Thea could see Katya wasn't happy with the compromise but she agreed anyway.
The press had swarmed like bees to honey at the mention of Katya Livy Queen giving her first public speech.
Katya walked up to the mic's and cleared her throat, immediately making everyone fall silent.
"Hi." Katya started giving an awkward wave.
She was clearly nervous but Thea knew that determined face, it was the same face Felicity had when she argued her point. No matter how nervous Katya was, Thea knew that there is nothing that was going to stop her from saying her part.
"My name is Katya Livy Queen." Katya states.
Questions fly from the crowd quicker than Thea can keep track of.
"Stop." Katya yelled and the room instantly falls quite.
"Look, I know you all have questions but if you keep bombarding me like that you're going to get nothing." Katya told them honestly.
Katya took a deep breath before beginning again.
"So here is how this is going to work,"
"I am going to point to you and you tell me your name where you work and I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, but you guys have to respect that this is my life and the life of my family and sometimes there are some things that are private." Katya continues.
Katya walked to the edge of the stage and sat down. Thea smiled affectionately, Katya looked more at ease now.
"Ok so who's first?" Katya asked a smile on her face.
Sara let herself into her dad's house. She loved the way it smelled. When she and Laurel were kids their dad used to bake with them on his days off. After he retired baking became his hobby and it made the house smell incredible.
"Dad?" Sara called through the house.
"Out back." he replied.
Sara followed her father voice to the breakfast table in the kitchen, where her dad sat with Laurel eating what looked like breakfast. Laurel had just moved back into town after her leaving shortly after her divorce from Oliver.
"What's going on?" her dad asked.
Sara handed over her paper.
"Katya Queen exclusive." Her dad read aloud.
Her dad looked up and smiled.
"Just like her mum never one to keep quite." He laughed.
Sara couldn't help but smile.
"Keep reading it gets really good." Sara promised.
Sara looked over at her sister, who had remained oddly quite.
Laurel had her head down looking very closely at her breakfast.
"Really?" Her father laughed.
"Yeah." Sara nodded.
"Especially when she talks about coming to Startling City to look for her father." Sara adds making Laurel choke on her food.
When Thea had told her about Katya coming to find her father only find Laurel, she hoped Thea had be wrong when she suggested that Laurel had said something cruel but by the look of guilt on her sisters face she knew she was wrong.
"I hoped Katya had just misunderstood but I am guessing I'm wrong." Sara spat in disgust.
Laurel looked up.
"I never meant to hurt her." Laurel said.
"But you did." Sara argued.
Laurel at least had the decency to look ashamed.
"I don't know why I said it, I regretted it immediately." Laurel reasoned.
Sara shook her head, she was disappointed.
"Does Ollie know?" Laurel asked.
Sara nodded.
"He doesn't know what you said but he knows something." Sara told her.
Laurel nodded slowly both of them knowing that meant she would be sure to hear from Oliver soon.
Oliver swore as he saw the front page of the newspaper.
Katya Queen, Exclusive.
"Have you seen this?" Oliver asked as Felicity walked in to the living room, coffee in hand.
Oliver took the coffee from her hand and passed her the paper.
Felicity sighed.
"Don't get me wrong I am not happy that she kept this from us but I think you should read it before you get all worked up." Felicity reasoned.
Oliver took a frustrated breath. The press always twisted everything and he never wanted Katya to get caught up in that.
He looked down at the paper and flicked it open.
Katya Queen Exclusive,
By Nathaniel Reed
In our lives there is at least one thing that will completely surprise us. For me and many others in the media world that surprising aspect is Katya Livy Queen. Yesterday afternoon, Katya Queen surprised us all by conducting her first ever press conference.
As many of you may remember it came as a complete surprise to Starling City when it was discovered that the playboy legend and former royal screw up Oliver Queen had a love child with his former EA Felicity Smoak.
Our records state that Miss Smoak was Queen's EA for almost two years before she left for unknown reasons. Over that two year span there were many rumours of a relationship between the pair but nothing was ever confirmed by either parties that was until recently when it became public knowledge they the pair had a child.
As Katya took the stage at the start of the conference it was clear to see she was nervous however she surprised us all when she took control of the conference simple stating that if we wanted answers we would have to play by her rules. Katya asked that before we asked a question could we tell her our names and where we worked. When she was later asked why Katya simple smiled, a smile similar to her charismatic father and stated that since she was likely to see us all again at some point it would be rude not to address us by our names.
Katya took a seat on the edge of the press conference stage and we all took turns in asking questions. After all, most of our burning questions were the same; how come we are only just finding out about you? What is the real story behind your parent's relationship? Why did it take you so long to look for your father?
Katya always looked at the individual asking the question and spoke to them with respect even if she didn't like the questions. Katya explained that her parents were in love but for personal reason, reasons Katya refused to discuss even after constant probing that lead to her parents going their separate ways. When asked about why it took so long for her to find Queen or for Queen to find her Katya simple stated "that sometimes things happen and no matter how hard you try you just can't control them." It wasn't really an answer but Katya refused to elaborate or continue.
Quickly realising that the Queen and Miss Smoak's past would probably always stay hidden questions moved on the present. From recent photos we know that Queen and Miss Smoak are back together when question on this Katya laughed and said it "Although it's kind of horrifying to find your parents making out like teenagers, I just want them both to be happy and if that means being together then I couldn't be happier." When questioned about her relationship with her parents Katya spoke both proudly and fondly of them. To Katya her father was "a gentle and caring man," although a lot of us may not and may never see this side of Oliver Queen we do know that this side does exists within the man, as we have seen him shrive to raise his company from the ground up bring Starling City and all those within it, be them rich or poor with it. When speaking over her mother, pride and admiration was clear to see. To this day a lot is still unknown about Felicity Smaok. All we really know is that she was born and raised in Los Vegas before she moved out and went to MIT two years early. Miss Smoak was surrounded with job offers from all around the country before she even graduated but Miss Smoak choose Queen Consolidated where she worked in the IT department for three years before she was promoted to Queen's EA. However with her IQ it's hard to see being anyone's EA a promotion.
Much like her mother Katya is incredibly bright, graduating early from high school and moving quickly on to Yale medical school. When questioned about her choice of career a sad look passed Katya eyes as she replied "Learning things has always come easy to me and I wanted a way to use that for the greater good." A truly noble cause.
We may still have some unanswered questions but after an almost two hour press conference in which Katya spoke to everyone as if she was talking to old friends it was truly worthwhile. Both beautiful and smart like her parents, Katya Livy Queen is remarkable. She is both sweet and witty, with a kind and caring nature. I for one cannot wait to see what they future holds for this young lady and the affect she is bound to have on this City and everyone in it. It make be 20 years too late but congratulations to Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak on a truly incredible daughter.