Disclaimer: Arrow is owned by The CW, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television. The character of the Green Arrow and the Justice League is owned by DC Comics. I own nothing; I'm just playing in their universe.
Chapter 7: Legacies
Stephanie rose and took the remote from Slade, then looked to Tommy. "You gonna be okay?" she asked. Tommy nodded. "Good." She said, walking over and handing him the remote. "Just remember," she told him quietly, "YOU are the better man."
"Being the better man sucks." Tommy muttered. Stephanie smiled and rose.
"Oh, one more thing." She said suddenly, reaching into the pocket of her sweatpants and pulling out a small plastic pouch. She tossed it over to Felicity, who caught it awkwardly. "Compliments of the chef." Stephanie said. Felicity smiled wide as she was what it was.
"What is it?" Thea asked, curious.
"Freeze-dried ice cream! Real astronaut food!"
"I wouldn't exactly classify it as food." Stephanie warned with a smile. "I'm back in the control room. You all need anything, just holler." With that, the blonde walked out of the room.
Tommy sighed. "Well. Let's get this show on the road." He said, pressing play.
The scene opens as 3 men in hockey masks, each painted with a different playing card, storm into a bank at midday. All three carried AK-47's, and one carried a jackhammer on his back. Ace of spades raised his AK-47 and fired several shots into the ceiling.
"As Kanye says, get 'em high!" Ace of Spades screamed.
"Oh goodie, a bank robbery." Quentin said thinly.
Tommy chuckled and looked at Laurel. "This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow." He started.
"We rob banks." Laurel finished, chuckling.
Thea looked at the two like they were crazy, then slowly slid as far to the edge of the couch as she could.
"That's dated, even for me." Quentin said, looking at the two oddly.
"It was a movie we saw at a drive in a few months ago, actually." Laurel said, blushing.
"How much of the movie did you actually see?" Thea muttered with a wicked grin.
"You better move! Move! Nobody lift their head, nobody gets hurt!" King of Spades said, leading the people out from behind the counter at gun point, directing them to lay with the other customers on the lobby floor.
"Get down! Get on the floor right now!" Jack of Spades yelled. The bank manager looked up at him.
"You can't jackhammer into the safe." He said. "It's too thick."
Ace of Spades slugged him. "Shut up!" he snarled. He began pacing, watching over the hostages as the other two members ran into the open safe.
Quentin's eyes narrowed. "That guy is going to be trouble." He muttered.
"We're through!" one of them yelled out. "We got three minutes!"
"Make it 2!" Ace called back.
On the ground, one man was slowly reaching back to a hidden ankle holster. A woman who was on the floor next to him stared at him with panicked eyes.
"Are you trying to get us killed?" she whispered.
"Don't worry." He assured her, using his other hand to pull his jacket away far enough to show his badge. "I'm a cop."
"Please don't do anything." She pleaded, her voice getting louder. "I don't want to die. Please!" her pleading drew the attention of Ace, who looked at the cop coldly before lowering his gun and shooting him several times in the back.
"Son of a bitch!" Quentin shouted. He knew that cop.
King came rushing out of the vault. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded.
"He was a freakin' cop." Ace snarled. King shoved him.
"Enough throwing shots." He ordered. Suddenly the sounds of police sirens could be heard.
"You hear that?" King asked.
"Someone triggered the alarm!" Ace raged, beginning to lower his AK once more. King shoved it up into the air.
"Don't!" he ordered. "That's it. Let's go."
Outside the bank, the police were setting up a barricade. Detective Hilton raised a megaphone and began to speak.
"This is the Starling City police department." He announced. "Lay down your weapons and come out with your hands up." There was silence for a moment, and then suddenly the front doors were thrown open and over a dozen of people rushed out, all wearing cheap copies of the robber's hockey masks. "Hold your fire." Hilton yelled. "These are hostages. Contain the hostages! All units move in! Move in!"
"I've seen this movie." Tommy said. "Denzel Washington, 'Inside Man'. That lady was probably a plant from the crew."
Quentin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."
Hilton and a small squad moved into the bank, guns drawn. One of the officers stopped at the shot cop and checked for a pulse, which he found. He immediately called for an ambulance as Hilton and the rest moved further into the back. They made their way into the vault, where a hole had been cut in the floor.
A block away, the robbers crawled out of an open manhole next to a waiting van.
"Come here." King demanded, grabbing Ace's arm. "You shot a cop! This is not how we do things!"
"Me getting killed isn't how we do things, either, is it? Is it!" Ace demanded, pulling off his mask. King pulled his off as well, and immediately you could see the resemblance between the two men. "Get in the van!" he said, pushing his son onto the waiting van. He paused to look around to make sure there was no one watching. Seeing nothing, he closed the door, and the van sped off.
The scene changed to the lair, where a shirtless Oliver was sparring with Diggle with escrima sticks.
"Well, hello there, Mr. Diggle." Thea said admiringly. "Screw my brother, you could be my bodyguard."
"Seconded." Felicity said.
"Mm-hmm." Laurel agreed."
Diggle sat back with a satisfied smile.
The two moved in tandem, the sticks clanging loudly with each impact. Suddenly Diggle took a swipe at Oliver's head, which he easily ducked.
"Anchor the rear hand, Diggle." He advised. "Come on."
"Ok." Digg responded, and the two started again, only for Oliver to quicken suddenly and smack the side of Diggle's jaw.
"Uhh!" he exclaimed, touching his hand to his mouth.
"Variable acceleration." Oliver explained, still circling his opponent. "Most fighters work at the same switch it up, you throw your opponent off his game."
"That was nice." Digg noted dryly. "Where'd you learn that?"
Oliver paused a moment before answering. "His name's Yao Fei." He said finally.
"He give you those scars?"
"One of them."
"Any others?" At his silence, Digg pressed on. "You know, one day you're gonna be straight with me about what really happened on that island."
"Absolutely." Oliver said, and the two began again. This time Digg lasted six whole seconds before Oliver spun out of the way of his shot and took out Digg's knee. "But not today!" Oliver said jovially, walking away from the sparing area and back to his computer.
"Still some pretty sweet moves." Digg noted, rising back to his feet.
"Yep." Oliver said, pulling up a profile on his computer. "Tonight I'm gonna use them on him. Scott Morgan runs water and power in the Glades." He showed the screen to Diggle. "Jacks up the prices when people can't pay, shuts them down even in the dead of winter."
"Which is at least a month away." Diggle noted. "Look at this." Digg pulled up a news article showing the bank robbery. "These guys started at Keystone 3 years ago, then began moving west, hitting banks along the way. This morning they hit Starling City Trust." At Oliver's blank look, he continued. "Shot an off-duty cop. He's in a coma and the doctors are saying it's a coin toss whether he'll make it."
"If he's a cop, SCPD will be all over it." Oliver reasoned, turning his attention back to Scott Morgan.
"Overwhelmed? Underfunded?" Digg argued. "Listen, these guys don't hit one time. They hit 2 or 3 banks per city, which means right now they're planning their next job."
"I think you have the wrong impression about what it is I do." Oliver said pointedly, starting down the bigger man.
"You take out bad guys with a bow and arrow." Digg replied sarcastically, not backing down.
"I don't fight street crime." Oliver explained. "That's a symptom of what's wrong with this city. I'm trying to cure the disease."
"CEOs and crooked entrepreneurs.I get it." Digg tried. "Listen, Oliver, I'm just saying, maybe you can make a difference if you think beyond the scope of those pages. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind."
"No, you don't get it." Oliver replied angrily. "My father died so that I could live. Live and make a difference by fixing the city that he and the people in this book ruined. Every name that I cross off this list honors that sacrifice."
"There's more than one way to save this city."
"Not for me." He replied coldly. "Crime happens in this city every day. What do you want me to do, stop all of it?"
Digg shook his head and walked past him, heading for the shower. "It sounds like you have a narrow definition of being a hero." He said as he passed.
"You really are trying to be his conscience." Laurel noted approvingly.
Oliver never bothered to look back at the man but quietly he responded "I'm not a hero."
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the cave. Oliver is laying by a small fire, trying to stay warm. The fire dims, so he tears a page out of his father's notebook, crumples it up, and throws it in.
Malcolm sat up straighter. 'He doesn't have a complete list!' he realized.
He settles back down- but then is suddenly startled by a hand clamping down on his shoulder. Panicked, he staggers to his feet, only to se the last person he ever expected to see looking back at him.
"Dad?" Oliver asked of Robert Queen, confused.
"Dad!" Thea said excitedly, but then slumped back down as she remembered how he had died.
Tommy put an arm around her. "Sorry, Speedy. But I doubt that's really him."
"Yeah, I know." she said sadly.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to the present at CNRI.
"Please tell me that this is a nightmare and I'm about to wake up." Laurel said despondently. "How can Stagg Industries pull out completely? They're our largest donor."
Laurel's face fell. "Oh, no…."
"I wouldn't worry too much, Laurel." Moira said. "After watching you work, I'd gladly put Queen Consolidated behind CNRI."
"And while you may not be enamored with me right now," Malcolm added, "I, too plan on offering a sizeable contribution."
Laurel's eyes narrowed. "I'd say thank you, if I didn't know you wanted to destroy The Glades anyway." She said evenly.
Malcolm smiled. "You do remind me of Rebecca." He said softly, then turned his attention back to the screen.
"It's like they say—'It's the economy, stupid'." Joanna quipped.
"No, it's the stupid economy." Laurel sighed. "Ok, without Stagg, how long can CNRI keep the doors open?" she asked.
"It depends." Joanna said as they walked back to Laurel's desk. "What time you got?"
"I have fiesta time." Tommy joked, walking into the office towards the two women. "Or is it siesta time? Which one means a party and which one means a nap?"
Laurel sighed. "Can't you ever be serious?" she asked, annoyed.
Joanna shook her head and walked back to her own desk. Laurel sighed again, this time in annoyance. "Tommy, as much as I would love to relive 'Intro to Spanish' with you, today is not a good day."
"Of course in this tiny brick office is intolerable." He said as they walked over to her desk.
"Not that you would know what working in an office was like. Or working, for that matter." Malcolm said disapprovingly.
"And how do you get any work done? You must use most of your time plotting on who to kill next." Tommy shot back acidly.
Malcolm smiled thinly at his son. "Actually, that doesn't take a lot of time."
Tommy was about to say something else, but Laurel laid a hand on his leg. "It's not worth it." She whispered to him. Reluctantly, he returned his attention to the screen.
He leaned against a file cabinet. "Now, you know where is a spectacular place to spend the day? Coast City. Here's what I am thinking. Sunset flight on my private plane, dinner at Broome's, I'll have you home by midnight. Or maybe in the morning."
"What is this?" Laurel asked, half confused and half annoyed.
"This is what we talked about." Tommy replied. "This is you getting to know the real me."
"Tommy, so you don't misunderstand, CNRI just lost its largest single donor." She explained. "Which means all of the hard work and sacrifices that I have made to help this legal clinic survive, it may have been for nothing."
Tommy looked at her, sitting at her desk despondently. "Maybe another ?" He said, then turned and left.
The scene changed to Queen Manor, where Oliver and Thea were walking the halls.
"I mean, haven't you noticed she's been acting a little down lately?" Thea asked her brother, then scoffed. "What am I saying? Of course you haven't."
"Well, who are you to judge? Since when do you pay attention to how mom's feeling?" Oliver shot back.
"Since our stepfather suddenly decided to take a business trip halfway across the world." She replied as they headed down the stairs.
"I think when someone at Walter's pay grade takes a business trip, it's always sudden, Thea." Oliver reasoned. "I wouldn't worry."
"Ah," Moira said, spotting her two children as she but some fresh flowers on the small table in the entry hall. "Guess who I just hung up with?" she asked. Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "Janice Bowen. Carter's mother." She explained.
Thea, Tommy and Laurel all groaned. Moira looked at them in bemusement.
"Oh." The two said.
"Carter Bowen. The perfect son." Oliver joked.
"Is he perfect?" Moira asked teasingly.
"According to you." He smiled. "Carter Bowen just won the national chess championship." He began reciting. "Carter Bowen is anchoring the debate team." He turned to Thea.
"I'm sure I didn't make that big of a fuss." Moira objected lightly.
"Oliver, Carter just got accepted into Harvard and Princeton." Thea continued.
"Well, that's because Carter got a perfect score on his SATs." Oliver replied.
"Now, how did he manage to study and cure cancer?" Thea wondered.
The room as a whole laughed- even Slade.
"All right, all right, all right." Moira laughed. "I get it, I get it. Well, they're coming for brunch and I expect you to be there."
"I have plans." Oliver said immediately. Moira smiled.
"That's fine." She said. "Brunch is tomorrow."
Thea smiled wickedly at her brother. "Hmm. Inches from a clean getaway." She mocked.
"Well, you, too, Thea." Moira added, looking at her daughter whose face fell.
Thea groaned again.
"It's months in the future, Thea!" Moira exclaimed good naturedly.
"Yeah, gives you plenty of time to think of an excuse to miss that!" Tommy added.
"Stop helping, Thomas." Moira said sternly.
"Yes, ma'am."
"I have no desire to be around that big of a tool." Thea declared.
"How big of a tool could this Carter guy possibly be?" Felicity wondered.
"Actually kind of small." Laurel said absently. The laughter that she heard erupt down the hall suddenly reminded her where she was. "Uh…."
"Good to know." Thea snickered.
"Snap." Oliver said. Thea shot an annoyed glare at him.
"Nobody says that anymore." She groused.
"What?" he asked, then shook his head and turned back to Moira. "Mom. I can't actually go."
Moira looked at Oliver seriously. "I haven't seen the Bowens in years." She said calmly. "So whatever it is that you have planned, I'm sure the two of you can make the sacrifice just this once."
Oliver sighed, thenset his shoulders. "We'll be there."
Thea gave a wan smile as she dropped her head, surrendering to the inevitable. Moira smiled at her two children and walked away.
"I hate you." Thea told Oliver, not even looking at him before she too left. Oliver's phone rang.
"I really do…" Thea muttered.
"Yeah." He answered.
"You know your friend Scott Morgan from your father's list?" Digg said over the phone. "He tried to kill he was afraid of getting a visit from fast can you make it to Starling General?"
"On my way." Oliver replied, cutting the call. As he moved to walk out, Tommy walked in.
"Hey, just the man I wanted to see." He said. "I just picked up a new sports car, and I'm thinking we can open her up, pick up a few speeding tickets-"
"That sounds great, but something's come up." Oliver interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. "I gotta jet." With that, he walked out the door to Tommy's disappointment and bewilderment.
"Oh. Uh, okay. Nice talk. Thanks." Tommy shook his head.
"He moves fast, doesn't he?"
Tommy turned to see Thea walking back into the foyer. He gave her a smile. "It's ironic, really, since you're the one we call Speedy."
Thea rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. For the love of God." She moaned. She gave him a compassionate look. "But if you need somebody to talk to, I'm here."
Tommy considered her offer. "You know, maybe you could help." He started. "There's this girl that I'm interested in. And I am really not sure how to pursue it."
Thea gave him a smile. "Have you tried using your usual lines? Hi, my name is Tommy Merlyn and I'm a billionaire, but I don't look like Warren Buffet."
" is aware of that, and she doesn't care." He said. Thea eyed him with interest now. "You know, money really isn't a big deal to her."
"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" she asked.
Thea groaned. With distance, she could clearly see that they were talking about two different people.
"Well, I've-I- I've known her for a long time, and I'm not sure the direct approach is really the right way to go." He explained.
"Maybe you just have to figure out what's a big deal to her and make it a big deal to you." Thea suggested, a warm look in her eyes.
Tommy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Unconsciously, the two siblings moved apart.
"Yeah." Tommy pepped up. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You are amazing. Love you!" he called as he ran out the door.
The scene changed to Starling General Hospital. Oliver got off of his bike by the ER and walked up to Diggle, who was standing next to a newly-arrived ambulance.
"You sure?" he asked his body man quietly as he joined him. "Scott Morgan doesn't seem like the type who would try to kill himself."
"True, but it's the best lie I could come up with on short notice." Digg said as Stan Washington was pulled out of the ambulance on a stretcher. His wife followed shortly behind.
"Mr. Diggle," she said, "I can't thank you enough for arranging to move my husband from County Ward to Starling General. Now I know he's getting the best care available."
Diggle smiled and indicated to Oliver. "You really should be thanking this man, Oliver Queen. He's paying the bill." He explained, more to Oliver than the distraught wife. He turned to Oliver, who was holding his anger at being played in check. "Jana's husband Stan is a police officer, who happened to have been making a deposit at Starling Trust Bank."
Malcolm smirked. "Well done, Mr. Diggle."
"Hate agreeing with the man, but yeah." Tommy added. Diggle nodded to the two men.
"The bank that was robbed." He said to Diggle shortly. He turned to Jana, sympathy now showing in his eyes. "I was so sorry to hear about your husband. Is he gonna be okay?" he asked.
"The doctors say the next 24 hours are crucial." She said tearfully. She sighed. "He should have just kept his head down, you know?"
"I've known a few police officers in my day." Digg noted, looking at Oliver now. "Always willing to help others even if that means putting themselves at risk."
"Thank you." She said again.
"You're welcome." Oliver replied, and Jana moved to walk next to her husband as he was wheeled in. Oliver turned to Diggle with a cowl on his face.
"You lied to me."
Digg just gave him a look. "You asked me to work with you, not for you." He said plainly. "And when you did, you said it was because you understand the kind of man I am. Well, Oliver, I'm the kind of man who doesn't walk away when there's a chance to make a difference. And neither does Stan Washington." Oliver shook his head and walked back towards his bike. "Oliver, I'm not finished talking." He called after him. "Where are you going?"
"To go make a difference." He replied. "Let's catch some bank robbers."
"Well… that was easier than I imagined." Dig admitted.
"Oliver is a good man," Laurel said. "He just needed a little push."
The scene changed to the Lair, where Oliver and Digg were going over surveillance footage from the bank.
"See that guy right there?" he indicated Ace. "He's got a temper."
"And he shot Officer Washington." Oliver noted, studying the frozen footage.
"That's right." Diggle agreed.
"College ring." Oliver noted, looking at Ace's raised hand.
"Or high school, more likely." Diggle offered.
"That ring will get us an I.D." Oliver decided.
"Yeah, but even with photo enhancement, you're gonna have a problem getting a clear shot of that ring."
"No, but it left an impression the police would have photographed." Oliver said. "It'll be in evidence lockup." Oliver stood and walked back towards his munitions box.
Quentin looked impressed. "That's a good idea. And one we'd get to, sooner or later." He added grumpily.
Digg sat back down and began to study the footage some more, then suddenly looked up. "Please tell me you're not going where I think you're going."
"Diggle, why do you even ask?"
Later that night, The Hood found himself sneaking into the police station, crawling in through an unlocked window. And moving stealthily through the halls. He was forced to hid briefly from Detective Hilton by bracing himself on the ceiling; once the detective was gone, he crept into the bullpen and hacked into the S.C.P.D.'s evidence files, saving it to a flash drive. Once that was done, he left as silently as he entered, the cops none the wiser.
"Son of a-" he caught himself, feeling more than seeing Moira's glare. Laurel stifled a laugh.
The scene changed to CNRI the next Day. Laurel walked in to find Tommy leaning against Joanna's desk.
"So, where are you gonna take me today? Monte Carlo?" she asked sarcastically.
"Actually, I was just telling Jo here that the Merlyn Global Group is looking to expand its local philanthropy, and I thought that we could start by sponsoring a benefit for CNRI." He said with a smile.
Laurel glared at Tommy, who had a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Thank you, Tommy, but I think we can manage without your family's finances." Laurel said frostily. Tommy's smile fell, and Joanna looked between the two.
"Laurel, a word?" she asked her friend, pulling her away. "Come on. What are you doing?" She asked.
"He's not interested in throwing us a fundraiser." Laurel hissed. "What he wants to have is the first annual attempt to get back into my pants gala."
"Who cares why he's doing it? We need the money." Joanna stated.
"Not like that we don't." Laurel denied.
"We really do." She reiterated. They both looked to Tommy, who flashed a hopeful grin. "So you're gonna listen to your best friend's advice." She continued. "You are gonna go over there and say, 'Thank you, Tommy, we'd be honored if you'd throw us a fundraiser'." She looked at Laurel expectantly.
Laurel sighed in annoyance and turned back to her would-be suitor. "Thank you, would be honored for you to throw us a fundraiser." She deadpanned. Tommy gave a genuine smile.
Tommy sniggered. "Oh, shut up." Laurel said, a small smile on her face.
The scene changed to the Foundry, where Oliver and Diggle were going over the forensic evidence from the shooting.
"The bank manager Ace punched, his ring left a mark." Oliver stated, pulling up the picture. He ran the image through a few databases, and finally came up with a hit. "Larchmont High." He said, looking at Diggle. "High school." He noted, and Digg smiled. "I cross-referenced his height and relative age with a list of students and alumni."
"Still, that's a pretty long list." Digg noted. Oliver nodded.
"It was." He said, pulling up another file. "I dug a little deeper and found Kyle Reston." The two stared at the picture on the screen. "Right before Kyle's senior year, not only did he drop out, he dropped off the grid. Along with his family- father, mother, younger brother."
"There are two other guys involved in this robbery." Digg said.
"And a woman." Oliver pulled up the footage from the robbery again. "Aside from Stan Washington, there were 22 customers and employees that came out of the bank- 9 men, 13 women. Inside the bank, 9 men, 14 women."
"They put a ringer in." Digg realized.
"The mom." Oliver agreed.
Tommy shot Quentin a satisfied smile. The detective groaned.
"Lucky guess." He muttered.
"Good movie." Tommy countered.
"The police are looking for a crew, we're gonna look for a of which," he rose from the desk, "I'm incredibly late for mine."
The scene changed to Queen Manor, where Moira and Thea were entertaining the Bowens.
"Well, I'm sorry Walter couldn't join us." Janice was saying to Moira. Moira shrugged.
"Oh, yes, well, the Australian trip came up suddenly." She explained smoothly. "He sends his apologies."
"Where's Oliver?" Carter asked. "He's not out of town, too, is he?"
"Oh, I'm sure he's just-"
"Stuck in traffic." Oliver said, cutting off his mom as he strode into the room. "One of the things I didn't miss on the island- Sunday drivers." He smiled, and then gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Sorry I'm late." He told her, and then hugged Thea.
"Thank God you're here." She whispered, relieved. They parted and all three Queens looked at the Bowens, all smiles.
"It is so good to see you." Janice said, kissing Oliver on the cheek. "We all thought you were-"
"Oh, well, we are just happy he's home." Moira said, rubbing his back.
He and Carter shook hands. "And returning a celebrity, too." Carter noted.
"How do you mean?" Oliver asked pleasantly.
"Billionaire scion, castaway for 5 years." Carter started as they took their places at the dining room table. "You know, there is a bidding war for the rights to your life story. At least that's what my agent says." He finished with a chuckle.
"Agent? I thought you were a neurosurgeon, Carter." Oliver asked.
"I know. It's crazy, right? One minute I'm publishing this book on how long-term potentiation initiates the creation of a slow-moving protein synthesis, and the next, there's an agent trying to make me the next Dr. Oz." Carter said, completely unaware how pretentious he sounded.
"Wow. He is a tool." Felicity said, munching on her ice cream.
"Bigger than you remember, Laurel?" Thea asked casually, causing the lawyer to blush scarlet and Felicity to choke on the freeze-dried treat.
Oliver looked confused. "Why would he want you to be a wizard?" he asked, and everyone laughed.
"Oh, Oliver." His mother said with a smile, shaking her head.
Thea leaned into the table, looking at her brother. "For all our sakes, start reading Us Weekly." She advised. Oliver looked annoyed.
"Well, the truth is, I just feel it's our duty as Starling City's more fortunate to help those most in need." Carter said.
"Oh, of course." Moira agreed.
"Wouldn't you agree, Oliver?" Carter asked the man. Oliver looked at him, a fake smile on his face.
"You're the hero, Carter."
"So now that you're back, what are your plans?" Janice asked. "Will you be taking a job with Queen Consolidated?"
"I'm opening a night club." Oliver replied. Thea let out a surprised snort of laughter; Moira just looked surprised. Before anyone could say anything, though, Diggle walked in with a phone in his hand.
"Sir, your liquor distributor's on the line." He said, leaning over to hand him the phone. With his back to the others, he whispered "First Bank of Starling was hit two minutes ago."
Oliver smiled pleasantly at the group. "Sorry," He said, rising from his chair, "business." He explained as he leftto Moira's disappointment.
The two walked out into the foyer. "If the Restons' M.O. holds, they'll make their escape underground." Diggle explained softly. "First Bank of Starling is located right above the water treatment tunnels. The entrance is located here." He handed the phone to Oliver who studied it for a moment.
Moira strode out of the dining room towards her son. "Oliver." She said sharply. "Where are you going?"
Oliver looked back at his mother with not a little sadness. "Something's come up." He said shortly. "I'm really sorry." He said as he and Diggle walked out, leaving an angry and hurt Moira behind.
The scene changed to First Bank of Starling. Hilton and his cops pulled up outside. Instead of going into the bank, though, they found the entrance to the service tunnel under the bank several feet away and went inside. They made their way in just as the three Reston's were making their way through the tunnel.
"SCPD! Don't move!" Hilton screamed, gun drawn. Ace lifted his AK-47 and opened fire, causing he cops to duck for cover.
"Enough!" King shouted, pushing his son behind cover as the police opened fire. "What are you doing?!" he demanded of Ace as he continued to fire on the cops.
"Ace is out of control." Lance noted. "He wants to kill someone."
The Hood made his way down the hall, staying in the shadows and out of the line of fire. He spotted one back of cash on the ground and fired a special arrow at it. Upon impact, six thin but highly durable wires came out of the tip and bound secured the bag to the ground. He fired another, conventional arrow at Ace, knocking the gun out of his hands.
"Nice shot!" Thea said, impressed.
"Let's get out of here!" Jack yelled, even as a third arrow knocked the bag from his shoulders and secured it to the ground like the first. Ace ran to the bag and tried to break the cables; he couldn't.
"Clever trick." Malcolm said approvingly. He'd have to look into an arrow like that.
"Forget it!" King yelled, pulling his son from the bag.
"The cash!" Ace wailed.
"Let's go!" King shouted, hauling his son away and towards their exit. The Hood watched them leave, but before he could pursue, he heard the cops behind him.
"All right, let's move!" Hilton yelled to his men. Suddenly he spotted the Hood. "It's the vigilante!" he called out. The Hood spun and fired an arrow into an electrical box, shorting out the lights. Then he melded into the shadows, even as Hilton and his men continued to search for the robbers, and him.
The scene changed to the next day at Queen Consolidated. Oliver had borrowed Walter's office, and sat across from Felicity as Diggle perched on Walter's desk.
"Yay! I'm back" Felicity said happily.
"I should add "personal Internet researcher for Oliver Queen" to my job title." Felicity mumbled out loud as she opened up her laptop. Oliver cleared his throat lightly and she looked up and smiled. "Happily, I mean." She assured him as she pushed her glasses back up.
"His name is Derek Reston." Oliver told her. "We were close before I went away. And I want to get back in touch."
"I guess you didn't have Facebook on that island." She said as she ran the search.
"Nope. Not even a MySpace account." Digg joked. "It was a very dark time."
Felicity finished her search and started going through the data. "Well, there's not much here that's recent. No credit activity. No utility bills." An old image of Derek Reston's Staff ID card popped up. "Well, I guess you guys must have met at the factory." She guessed.
"Wait. What-what factory?" he asked, leaning forward.
"The Queen Steel Factory." She replied. "Derek Reston worked there for 15 years until it shut down in '07."
"Derek Reston worked for my father?" Oliver asked, surprised.
Felicity sighed. "And he was doing so much better this time." She said. Thea snickered.
"You weren't really close friends, huh?" she noted wryly. Oliver gave her a look, and she continued. "It looks like Derek was the factory Foreman until your dad outsourced production to China. About 1,500 employees got laid off. Looks like the finance guys even found a loophole in the union contract, so, they didn't have to pay severance packages and pensions to their employees. They all pretty much lost their homes. Including your friend." She finished, looking him in the eye.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back to the cave, where a stunned Oliver stood across from his father.
"You died." He whispered.
"I asked you, I begged you to survive." Robert stated. But if you don't think you can…" he stepped up to Oliver, pulling the gun out from behind his back. He held it out to his son. "There's still one bullet left." He told him. Oliver reached out for the gun. "But, Oliver, my death is made meaningless by yours."
Oliver took the gun, held it in his hands, looked at it. He looked up at his dad. "I'm starving. I'm gonna die anyway, and I just want it to be quick. I want it to be quick, like yours was."
"You can survive this." Robert pleaded.
"No, I can't. I'm not as strong as you think I am. And I'm sorry." He put the gun to his temple…
Moira stifled a sob, and Thea lowered her head, quickly wiping away the tear that had suddenly appeared.
PRESENT
The scene flashed back to QC. Oliver and Diggle were heading out of Walter's office towards the elevators.
"The Restons just got home after 5 years of being away." Oliver was saying to Digg. "Those factory guys hung out at a bar after work. I'm going down there. Hopefully Derek Reston wants to take a stroll down memory lane."
"And if by some miracle Reston's there?" Digg asked.
"I'm gonna give him the chance to do the right thing." He replied, waiting for the elevator.
"Oliver, he already had his chance to do the right thing. It's called not being a criminal."
"This is happening because of my father." Oliver said plainly. "Because of my family."
"No." Diggle argued. "You're worried about the wrong thing. It's not your fault. The Restons aren't the victims."
"My family stole from this city." Oliver explained. "They hurt the people in it. And I am hell-bent on making that right." The elevator door opened, and Oliver stepped in alone. "For Derek Reston, that means giving him the chance to make it right."
"The kid does have a noble streak, does he not?" Slade noted.
The scene changed to CNRI, where Tommy and Laurel were pouring over details for the upcoming fundraiser.
"Hey, don't fade on me now." Tommy said as Laurel sighed. "We have about 10,000 more decisions to make." She smiled at him; he smiled in return. "Now, cake- chocolate or mocha?"
"Mmm….Carrot." she decided.
"Are you sure about that? Because Bugs Bunny hasn't RSVP'd yet." Tommy joked, and they both laughed quietly. Laurel looked him over, a serious look in her eyes.
"Tell me, why the full-court press? Asking me to Coast City, the fundraiser- why now?" she finally asked.
Tommy let out a long breath, gathering his thoughts. He leaned back in his chair and began. "You know, I was in a bar last week, and I was talking to this girl, and things were progressing, if you know what I mean."
"No. You're too subtle." They both laughed again, but the smile quickly fell off his face.
"Anyway, we finally go back to her place, and I realize all of a sudden- That I'd been there before." He sighed. "Been with her before. Two years ago. Just didn't remember. So I left." He leaned in, elbows on the table, a small smile on his face again. "You know, I remember some of the mornings when you and I were together and I made you omelets." Laurel smiled at the memory. "And I'd be in your kitchen and I would think to myself, this isn't just fun. This is more than fun. This is this is different. I never felt that way with anybody else. And I miss it." He ended, leaning back in his chair. The two stare at each other for a moment before Tommy went back to the fundraiser papers.
"Not mocha. Carrot."
"Carrot." She agreed.
Laurel glanced over at Tommy speculatively, who was steadfastly refusing to meet her gaze. He was, however, blushing.
The scene changed to a bar in the Glades. Derek Reston was finishing up a game of poker with some of his old coworkers. Everyone was smiles and handshakes as Derek started gathering the deck up and the men got up.
"Ok, fellas. Thanks for playing." Derek said with a smile. He absently shuffled the deck, but looked up when someone took the seat across from him.
"Mind if I sit in?"
Derek looked across coldly at the younger man. "Oliver Queen. The prodigal son returns." He declared. "I didn't figure you for someone who would hang out in the Glades."
"My father used to bring me here after we visited the factory." Oliver said wistfully. "There was a Pac-man machine in the back. I had the high score for two months."
Derek gave him a grim smile. "The last time I saw your dad, he was making a speech, telling my crew not to believe all the gossip, that there was no way Queen Consolidated was moving production to China." He land in closer. "A week later, they closed the doors. I didn't even get the two weeks vacation pay due to me."
"My father made mistakes." Oliver stated simply. "He hurt people. When people are hurt, people are in trouble, they tend to make the wrong choices. Right, Derek?" Derek leaned back, considering the man before him. "But those choices don't have to define you, they don't have to define who your family will be, because there's always one moment when you can turn it all around." Oliver continued. "If my father had another chance, I think he'd do things differently. But time ran out for him."
"How poetic." Derek spat. "That doesn't help me get my house back, now, does it?"
"No, it doesn't." Oliver granted. "No, all I can offer you is an apology and a job. Queen Consolidated has subsidiaries all over the country. I make one phone call, you start next week. So what do you say?" he offered.
Derek seemed to consider it for just a moment, before his face hardened once more. "How about I still have some pride left? I don't need charity from the son of the man who screwed me over."
Diggle shook his head. "It's a nice idea, but a man like Reston…."
"Reston isn't the problem. His son is." Quentin declared. "Derek might take that deal, but Kyle is too greedy."
"Ok. If you change your mind…" he pulled out a business card. Oliver stood and moved next to Derek. "You and I have one thing in common." He stated. "We're both dealing with the consequences of my fathers' actions. What he did then, that's on him. What we do now," he placed the card on the table in front of the man, "that's on us." As he walked past, he dropped a small bug into the pocket of his jacket.
Later that night, Oliver sat in the lair, listening to the conversation Derek was having with his wife.
"I've been thinking, baby, maybe you were right. Maybe it's time to hang it up, retire." He was saying
"But Kyle says we do one more or he'll go out on his own." His wife argued.
"Well, if that's what he wants to do, that's his right, but you and me and Teddy, we're out."
"I want to quit, too, but I am not leaving without Kyle."
"What's this?" Digg asked as he came into the lair.
"I dropped a bug in Derek Reston's jacket."
Digg looked at Oliver. "I thought you were going to give the man a second chance."
"That's what I believe in." Oliver replied. "I also believe in covering all my bases."
"Derek, we can't abandon our son. After all this time, he wants to end up a winner. Set for life. Otherwise what was the point?" she asked.
"All right." Derek said. "One more." Oliver turned off the recording and sighed.
Quentin sighed as well.
"Now what?" Digg asked.
"We take them down."
The scene changed to a swank downtown ballroom where Tommy had set up the CNRI Benefit Gala. Outside the doors, Oliver was handing Diggle a radio with earpiece.
"We monitor the Reston's with this." He said as Digg put the earpiece into his ear. "When you get a line on their plans, we move."
"And you're gonna do another abrupt exit?" Digg asked.
"I'm getting better at it with practice." Oliver replied with a smile.
Inside, Tommy was talking to the hostess. "Honey, keep the alcohol flowing." He told her. He turned and saw Laurel walking in. He smiled widely at her. "I can't-wow." He stumbled as she came up to him, a smile on her face as well. "You look just really lovely."
"Lovely." Laurel noted with a teasing voice. "Well, it's nice that you've extended your vocabulary from words like hot and mega hot."
"You can just say thank you, you know."
Laurel smiled at him sincerely. "Thank you. You know?"
"You're welcome."
"Tommy." Joanne came up to the two. "This is wonderful. It means the world to us." She assured him. He smiled, and then saw someone he recognized.
"Oh, God. Excuse me, just for a second." He said, moving off towards the coat check.
Joanne turned to Laurel. "So?"
"You were right." She told her friend.
At the coat check, a smiling Tommy came up to the newly arrived Thea Queen. "Thank you for coming." He told her, kissing her on the cheek.
"Thank you for inviting me." She replied, smiling.
"Well, I figured the entire Queen family and their checkbooks should be present."
"Oh, right. And how is that going for you so far?" she asked.
"It is going amazing. And all thanks to you." He assured her. "You know- Thea Queen, the unlikely voice of reason."
"Little old me? What did I do?" she asked.
"You gave me that great advice." He replied. "I thought about what the girl was interested in, and, uh…" he turned, looking at Laurel. Thea saw where he was looking, and instantly her heart broke.
Thea dropped her head in embarrassment. "Oh, boy…"
"I'm really sorry…" Tommy started, but she waved him off.
"No, I'm glad you did it for Laurel. Because if you did something for me, I would have jumped you within five minutes."
"Well, there's something I never want to think about." Malcolm said dryly. Moira nodded in agreement.
"And you did this for Laurel." She said shakily. Tommy didn't notice.
"And it's working. Thanks again, Speedy." He bumped her gently on the shoulder. She gave him a brittle smile.
"Yeah. Anytime." She said, then as soon as he was away, found the roving waiter, grabbed a glass of champagne, and downed it.
Moira sighed. "Oh, Thea. Drinking won't solve anything…"
"No, but knowing Tommy was my half-brother would have helped." She replied sarcastically.
Tommy walked back over to Laurel. "Oh, Tommy," she said, "do you remember Carter Bowen from high school?"
"How could I forget?" Tommy muttered.
Tommy faked a smile. "Oh, yeah, sure I do." He shook his hand. "So glad you could make it."
Carter nodded. Then turned back to Laurel. "It's so great to see you. You look amazing." Tommy's smile became even more forced as Carter continued. "I gotta say I'm so impressed with the work that you and CNRI are doing."
"Thanks, Carter." Laurel replied kindly.
"You know, I've actually been thinking about starting a free clinic down here in the Glades."
"Really?" Tommy said. Carter nodded, and then turned back to Laurel. "Can we grab a couple drinks and I'll tell you what I'm thinking."
"That sounds great." Laurel said. She smiled at Tommy as Carter led her away. As her back turned, the smile slowly fell off his face, a look of melancholy replacing it.
"And there I stand, oblivious to the eye…"
"Relax, Tommy." Laurel said with a smile. "It's a fund raiser. I'm required to schmooze."
"Yeah, she's totally not tooling around behind your back." Thea said with a smirk. Laurel sputtered in indignation as Tommy laughed.
Oliver spotted his mother at the bar and headed towards her. "Hi." He said, coming up next to her. Moira glanced at her son, and then looked back at the bartender.
"Excuse me." She said politely, and then turned back to Oliver. "Well. I'm surprised you made it tonight, given your hectic schedule."
"Mom, I messed up with the Bowens yesterday." Oliver said, not unkindly. "I made you a promise, I couldn't keep it."
"Well, it's nothing new for you, Oliver." She shot back. "I know you and I have had our difficulties, but despite all my many mistakes, I always thought that you and I had a connection. So can you imagine, just imagine, after being granted the miracle of having my child returned to me that you seem to have little or no interest in being with me or telling me the truth." Before she could continue, Diggle came up to Oliver. She glared at him.
"Bad timing, man." Tommy said to Dig.
"Ma'am." He said politely, and then turned to face Oliver. "Redwood United Bank. They're gonna try a nighttime hit." He said quietly, and then moved off. Oliver steeled himself, sighing internally as he looked at the disappointment on his mother's face. "I have to go. I'm sorry-"
"No, don't bother apologizing." She sighed. "Honestly, Oliver, there are times when I wonder why you bother coming home at all."
"Ouch." Felicity said, wincing.
The scene changed to Redwood United Bank. Derek and Kyle, in their masks, made their way into the bank and knocked out the guard while the other two family members waited in the van. The two laid a mall charge on the vault and blew it, destroying the lock and opening the vault. Once inside, both men lifted their masks and began to fill bags with money.
"3 Minutes" Kyle said.
"OK." Derek replied. They worked in silence for several seconds, but then a loud sound from the lobby caught their attention.
"You hear that?" Kyle asked his father. After a few seconds of listening, he said "I'll check it out."
"Alright." Derek agreed, going back to loading money in the bags. Kyle took the safety off his gun, picked up a surprise, and cautiously walked out into the lobby- where he saw The Hood.
"Kyle Reston." The Hood growled, firing off an arrow. Kyle lifted the surprise- a plastic riot shield that blocked the arrow.
"Smart idea." Diggle noted reluctantly. Quentin nodded in agreement.
"I came prepared." He snarled, firing his AK. The Hood dived over the counter, out of the line of fire. Inside the vault, Derek dropped the money, lifted his AK and pulled down his mask, heading out to check on Kyle. In the lobby, Kyle was looking over the counter for The Hood, but saw no one. He turned around- just in time to get an arrow in the shoulder. Kyle grunted in pain, then used the edge of the shield to break off the shaft of the arrow. He threw it to the ground in disgust and blocked a second arrow with the shield. Kyle charged at The Hood, ramming into him with the shield and forcing him back through several glass partitions to the far wall. The two started fighting, with The Hood pelting Kyle with blows from his bow which he blocked with his riot shield.
In the lobby, the guard finally came around. Seeing what was going on, he reached for his pistol, only to find it wasn't there. He scrambled to his feet and ran into the security office to grab the shotgun. He came out just as The Hood knocked Kyle down to the floor.
"Freeze!" she shouted, pointing the gun at The Hood.
Oliver held up a placating hand. "No, hey, I got this." He started, but just then Derek Reston ran out of the vault, his gun level and ready to fire. The Hood spun and shot an arrow, knocking the gun from his hands just as Kyle grabbed his fallen AK. He got to his feet, raising the gun towards the guard.
"Drop your weapon! Now!" The guard shouted, and then fired.
"No!" Derek yelled, diving in front of his son and taking the blast to his chest. The Hood disarmed Kyle, flipped him to the ground, and then smashed him in the mask with his bow, knocking him out. Oliver got up and looked towards Kyle, while the guard stood, stunned, not knowing what to do.
"He's bleeding out." The Hood said, moving to kneel next to Derek. He looked up at the guard. "Call an ambulance. Now!" The guard nodded and made his way back into the security office.
"Kyle! Kyle." Derek gasped out.
"He's okay." Oliver said, lowering his hood so that Derek could see his face. "He's just knocked out."
"It wasn't his fault. I turned my son into this." Oliver closed his eyes, remembering…
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver pulled the trigger; the gun clicked, empty.
Moira and Thea both jumped, surprised by the flashback.
Frustrated he threw the gun to the ground.
"Of course it doesn't work." Oliver said, realization dawning. "I'm hallucinating. Or I'm dreaming."
"But if you weren't… you betrayed me, Oliver." Robert said, disgusted. "I died so that you could live, and you threw that gift away. You made that sacrifice empty."
"I'm not you." Oliver argued. "I'm not. I'm not strong like you. I never was."
"I told you, I'm not the man you think I am. The things I've done. What I was about to do." Robert said.
"Dad, what does that mean? Please?" Oliver pleaded. "I don't know what that means."
"I told you. I begged you. Right my wrongs!" Robert sighed. "This is your responsibility now."
"How? How do I do this? I can't even get off this island."
Robert came over to his son and put his hands on Oliver's shoulders. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth about me. But I hope… I hope that you know that I love you."
PRESENT
The sounds of sirens drew Oliver back into the present. On the floor, Derek Reston died. Oliver looked at him sadly, then pulled up his hood and made his way out of the bank just as SWAT made their way in.
The scene changed back to the CNRI gala. Tommy was sitting at the bar, sipping on a bourbon and watching Laurel dance happily with Carter Bowen with sad eyes.
"Did you know that as a doctor, I was able to diagnose myself as a giant tool?" he said mockingly as he took another sip.
Laurel turned to Thea and pointed a finger in her face. "Don't say it!" she said in mock anger.
Thea smirked, then her face fell. "Oh look, Drunk Thea is back!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "Let's all watch Drunk Thea make an ass of herself."
Suddenly a very drunk Thea came over and leaned on his shoulder.
"How about a dance, handsome?" she asked, liquor on her breath. Tommy hastily put down his drink and stood.
"Hey, uh, I thought that we agreed that you were going to call me before you did something stupid." He said concerned. Thea scoffed.
"You're no fun." She said, putting her arms on his shoulder, her fingers locking behind his head and pulling him closer. "I'm going to show you how to have some fun."
"Whoa, whoa!" Tommy hurriedly pulled her hands off his head, moving back slightly. "What are you doing?"
"You said I was amazing."
"Yeah, you are amazing," he agreed, "but you're also like my sister. My baby sister." He emphasized.
Both kids winced at the unintentional truth in that statement.
"Well, I'm not a baby anymore." Thea replied drunkenly, a frown on her face. "Thank you for noticing." She looked past Tommy and saw Laurel dancing with Carter Bowen. "Laurel doesn't even like you! She doesn't understand you. I do. Why can't you just see that?"
"Thea." Tommy took a breath, then took her gently and started leading her towards the coat check. "Thea, it was a mistake to talk to you about girls and stuff." He said. "It was inappropriate, and I think it may have confused you."
Thea spun out of his grasp to face him. "Yeah, the rejection? It is pretty clear." She slurred. "Even if it wasn't, between my mom and Oliver and everybody in my entire life, I'm pretty much used to it by now, so…" she turned back towards the coat check, and rand head long into a waiter, causing him to drop his tray. The loud sounds of breaking glass and clanging metal drew everyone's attention.
"Whoa, whoa." Tommy said, gently taking Thea once more. "Ok, let's go, let's go. Come on."
A few minutes later, Laurel walked out of the building to the back alley where she'd seen the two head.
"Tommy?" she called out. He was leaning against his car, his jacket off, watching over Thea as she puked against the wall.
"Yep." He replied, glancing her way.
"Is Thea okay?"
"Oh, yeah, she just ate some bad crab cakes." Tommy lied smoothly. Laurel didn't buy it for a second.
"Are you sure it wasn't something she drank?" she asked wryly, her arms crossed. Tommy cleared his throat.
Thea shifted in her seat, studiously ignoring the looks she was getting from both Moira and Malcolm.
"Don't worry. I got this." He assured her. "You can go back inside, keep having fun. Looked like you were having a nice little do-si-do with the good doctor."
"Tommy, I'm going to let you in on a little-known secret about Dr. Carter Bowen." She leaned in close. "The man is a gigantic ass." Tommy smiled. "And the only reason why I danced with him is because he wrote a massive check to CNRI. Why would you think anything else?"
"I guess when it comes to you, I tend not to think straight." He replied honestly.
"Can you call me a cab?" Thea asked weakly, stumbling over to the two lovebirds.
"Absolutely not." Tommy replied, opening the passenger door of his car. "I am taking you home. Get in."
"I apologize for making such a scene." She told Laurel as she climbed into the car.
"Just feel better, okay?" the older woman replied as Tommy closed the door. As he moved around the car, Laurel called out, "Hey, Tommy."
"Yeah?" he asked, walking up to her.
"I owe you a dance."
Tommy smiled. "Yeah?"
She kissed him on the cheek. "You earned it." She whispered, then turned and hurried back into the building, though she shot a flirtatious grin over her shoulder as she did so.
Laurel and Tommy smiled at one another across the couch. Thea rolled her eyes.
Tommy smiled back, and then climbed into his car.
"Please don't hate me." Thea asked timidly. Tommy gave her a look full of understanding and compassion.
"No, no. Never." He assured her as he started the car and drove off.
"Thank you, Tommy." Moira said warmly to the young man. Even his father, grudgingly, gave him a nod of approval.
Tommy shrugged his shoulders. " I should have been there sooner."
"Better late than never." Thea said softly, leaning in to his shoulder.
Back in the lair, Oliver was sitting, mostly in the dark. Diggle walked up to him.
"What went down wasn't your fault." He assured the younger man.
"I didn't say it was." Oliver said, not meeting the other man's gaze.
"Oliver, it wasn't your fault, man." He repeated. "You gave Reston a chance. That was more than he deserved."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"Well, listen, I'll tell you this much." Dig pressed on. "You say going after the guys on that list is the way you honored your dad? Well, if your dad could have seen you this week, the way you cared about the people he had hurt, the way you stepped up to try to help them, I'd say he'd be pretty damn honored." He looked down at Oliver. "So maybe there is more than one way to save this city?"
After a few moments, Oliver nodded and looked up at the bodyguard. "Maybe."
Dig nodded and moved to leave. He stopped and looked back. "By the way, Stan Washington woke up." He told him. "He's going to be fine."
Oliver nodded, and then retreated back to his thoughts.
Moira gave the bodyguard a grateful smile, which he returned.
FIVE YEARS AGO
The scene flashed back again to the cave. Oliver, who had been sleeping, shot awake, breathing hard. The dream of his father had rattled him. Shaking his head, he noted the dying fire. Oliver picked up the notebook and tore another page out. He reached over, letting the paper hover just over the flames. He was about to drop it in when something caught his eye. He pulled the piece of paper back and saw writing suddenly appear, as if my magic. Curious, he took the book, opened it, and held the open pages high over the flames for a few moments. As he pulled the book back, more writing started to appear. It was a list of names. He gazed at the names, and then came to a realization.
"My responsibility." He whispered to himself. "I promise, Dad. I promise."
Malcolm's eyes narrowed. Even in death, Robert would still be hobbling his plans. Perhaps Oliver could be convinced to join him? He frowned. But first, he'd have to convince everyone in this room.
PRESENT
Back in the present, Moira was pouring a drink in Queen Manor. Oliver walked in, dressed in his business suit, and leaned against the doorframe.
"Nightcap?" he asked quietly.
"Well, I thought it might help me." She replied. "I-I don't sleep well alone." She sighed and turned to face her son. "I'm sorry about what I said tonight."
Oliver shook his head. "No. You were being honest." He said, walking into the room.
"No, not entirely." She disputed. "The truth is, with Walter being gone, I'm… I'm lonely." She walked up to him. "You know, you and I used to talk. I used to know what you were thinking. But now, even when you're home, you're somewhere else." She sighed, "I- I guess I just miss my son."
"I miss you, too." He replied honestly. "And I wish that…" he trailed off; trying to put into words how he felt. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Are you hungry?"
The scene changed to Big Belly Burger. Oliver and Moira were sitting at a table as a waitress brought them their orders of hamburgers, fries and milk shakes. Moira, ever the proper lady, picked up her knife and fork and started to cut into the burger, but was stopped by Oliver's hand that he gently placed on hers.
"Mom- It's okay to get your hands dirty every once in a while." He said, smiling. "For me. Please."
Moira smiled at him and dropped the utensils. "All right." She said, picking up the burger with her hands and taking a large bite. "Mmm." She moaned in appreciation.
"Mm-hmm." Oliver echoed, chewing on his own burger.
"Mmm, yeah." Moira said, indicating her burger. "That is a great burger." She smiled at Oliver. "Thank you for this."
"Anytime." Oliver replied.
"You know," Moira started, a teasing smile on her lips, "I'll bet Carter Bowen doesn't know where to find the best burger joint in Starling City."
"So I have one thing on him." Oliver said with a smile.
"No." she patted him gently on the arm. "You have everything on him."
Thea smiled. "Well, that's got to be the first time I've seen you eat food with your hands."
"I wasn't always a prim and proper lady, you know." Her mother replied.
"Yeah, well just remember that when you're deciding how to punish me for things I haven't done yet."
Laurel took the remote from Tommy. "No, she'll be punishing you for things you've already done, but we haven't seen."
"And if you haven't seen them, how would you know I did them?" Thea asked with a sweet smile on her face.
'I could provide detailed memories of those events you're denying, you know. Mia's voice sounded over the intercom.
Thea scowled as the others laughed. "I really hate that woman."
"Must be a masochist." Laurel joked, pressing play when the screen showed the next memory had loaded.
TBC NEXT WEEK!
A/N: do you have any idea how hard it was to write that last scene in the restaurant and NOT have it come off as some kind of dirty sex talk? Oh my god….
A/N 2: I've gotten some reviews from ::Guest::. I'm glad you like my story, but if you want me to respond to you anymore, PLEASE sign up for an account. It takes five minutes, and its free. Anyway, I've received criticisms from him/her and others about Thea killing Slade.
Let me be clear- this will be addressed in chapter 27: The Secret Origin of Mia Dearden in more detail. For now all I will say is that the Slade she killed was older, slower, and had no mirakuru in him, while she had spent years at that point being trained, first by Malcolm, then the League of Assassins. In the League she would have trained with multiple teachers, INCLUDING Ra's. And finally, after she became a hero, she would have trained with Diana and the Amazons to broaden her techniques. It's like Oliver told Barry- if you want to survive, you never stop learning.
A/N 3:So I;m sure everyone is looking at this chapter in confusion. I thought it wouldn't be up until next week, you're saying to yourselves. Well, here's the deal:
I currently have the entire first season in the can. And I just finished transcribing Episode 9 of Season 2, which I may have to break into two separate chapters. So instead of finishing transcribing, I'm going to back and finish those 9 chapters, leaving me with over 30 weeks of story already written. And so I've decided, because of the overwhelming support and adulation's I've received from YOU, I will switch to a weekly posting schedule. That means I'll just have to work harder at finishing this story before I catch up with myself; it also means that there will be less time for me to start on 'A Future Imperfect', the sequel. But as that is almost a year away, I think I'll be safe.
Thank you all for your support, and keep coming with the reviews!