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 11: Explanations

Malcolm chuckled, wiping the side of his mouth where a thin line of blood ran. "I have to admit," he said, rising to his feet, "I didn't believe you had it in you."

Tommy lunged, buy Mia held him back. "What happened to 'Attacking him won't change anything'!" she yelled.

"It makes me feel better!" Tommy snarled.

The door opened, and Sara and Stephanie ran in. "Everybody stay cool." Sara warned, staring at Slade.

"I am cool." He said, and then indicated the larger group. "They are not."

"You're damn right I'm not cool!" Quentin said hotly, indicating Malcolm. "With everything we just saw him do, I want to deck the bastard."

"Dad…" Sara started.

Malcolm sneered at the cop. "You even try, and I guarantee you won't live long enough to have a happy reunion with your daughter when we get back."

"ENOUGH!" Mia screamed, getting everyone's attention. She glared at her father. "God, you really can't help but be an asshole, can you?"

"There's no need to hide what I truly am anymore, thanks to you." He replied coldly.

"Yeah, well neither do I." she replied, moving to stand mere inches from him. "You finished Ra's training in 7 months. I finished it in 5. I am better than you ever were, so believe me when I say that I am the absolute last person in this room that you want to FUCK WITH!" Malcom stared, but after a moment took a step back. "Thank you. Now, go please wait for me in your quarters."

He raised an amused eyebrow. "You're sending me to my room?"

"I want to talk with you in private, but first I have to talk to my brother." She looked over to Tommy as Malcolm left the room. "Could you please wait for me in the gym? I'll be with you directly." He thought about challenging her, but the look in her eyes convinced him of otherwise.

"Fine." He ground out, leaving the room. Mia next turned to Moira, who was trying to console Thea. "Walter is fine." She assured them. "He survives this, and lives a full life. He just passed away peacefully only two years ago."

"That's assuming Malcolm doesn't kill us all when we get back." Moira replied, fear evident in her voice. Mia laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"That won't happen."

"But-"

"You let me worry about Malcolm. Just… take some time, calm yourselves down. Sara and Steph will stay here, and I'll have some food brought in." she smiled slightly. "Meanwhile, I get to go have more fun family time." Thea stiffened at that. Mia sighed, then left the room. She made her way to the gym, where she saw Tommy working out his frustrations on a punching bag. She observed him quietly for a few minutes.

"You wanna talk?" he finally said, sick of her silence. "Then talk."

Mia smiled slightly. "If you're going to keep punching that bag, you should tape hour hands up first." She advised, sitting down on the steps to the main floor. "I can tell your knuckles are already pretty bruised."

"Yeah, well dad has a surprisingly strong jaw." He threw one more hard punch at the bag, and winced. He backed away, breathing hard.

"Fell better?" Mia asked.

"Not hardly."

"You know, that whole 'No Violence' rule I keep mentioning? That is a rule, not a suggestion." She said. "And it's not my rule. It's the rule of the people who agreed to let me try this little experiment, so I would appreciate it if you would follow it."

Tommy turned and glared at her. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded.

"Plenty of things. Could you be more specific?" she replied.

"You just showed us that our father is a murderer! How can you be so…flippant about that?"

"I've had twenty five years to deal with it." She replied honestly. She patted the stair next to her, inviting him silently to sit down. Reluctantly, he did so. "I won't even go into how you've watched Oliver kill people, because I know its two separate things to see your best friend and your father kill, and in two entirely different situations. What I will get into is our father." She looked at him seriously. "What do you know of his time away after your mother's death?"

Tommy blinked. He thought back, but realized, "Nothing." He said. "He never talks about it."

"He told me, once." Mia revealed, much to his surprise. "He kind of had to, at the time. And funnily enough, it was a story that would shape my life for years to come." She took a deep breath, held it in, and released it, cleansing herself. "After your mother died, Dad was a shattered man. And as much as he loves you- and he does," she assured him, "he felt he couldn't be a good father to you. He felt he had already failed you, like he felt he failed Rebecca."

"And so he left." Tommy said bitterly. Mia nodded.

"Yes. And after several weeks of traveling, he found himself in Tibet. It was there he met a man called Ra's al Ghul. He is the leader of a group called the League of Assassins."

"Seriously?" Mia nodded. "The name sounds ridiculous."

Mia smiled. "Felicity thought something similar. But regardless of how it sounds, I'm sure you can tell what it does."

"Kill people?" Tommy guessed sarcastically.

"Yes." She replied. "But it is more complicated than that. For the League, it's not about killing for killing's sake, or even always about contract killing, though that does happen often. For the League, it's about dispensing true justice to those that deserve it- the drug kingpins, the slave traders, the business tycoons that make their money on the broken backs of exploited workers. And the League has a code of honor that must always be obeyed. You may only kill for contract or for self-defense- civilian casualties are to be avoided at all cost; absolute obedience to the Demon's Head- Ra's, and absolute fidelity to the League."

"Ra's took Dad to Nanda Parbat, deep in the mountains of Tibet. There his shattered soul was re-forged into the man he is today- colder, harder, deadlier. In seven months he blew through his training, until he was one of the best. Ra's picked him personally for his Elites; assassins who police the other assassins, eliminating those who break the code, as well as carrying out missions. And Dad excelled at the job. But then he excelled too much."

Tommy looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that it wasn't a kingpin or tycoon that killed your mother, Tommy. It was a street thug. And so, when Malcolm would go out on missions, he'd make it a point to scout for street criminals, and then execute them." She explained. "He became too violent, too ruthless. And so Ra's released him from his obligations. And Malcolm returned home."

"I think Ra's wanted to cut him off from the resources, the organization, which Malcolm used to carry out his one man war on crime. But he underestimated the resources Dad had already- and he underestimated his ambition. Soon after he returned he founded Tempest with Robert Queen and Frank Chen, and rapidly expanded it to other members. He spent years cultivating them, leading them from working within the law to outside the law, from being business men who threw money at the problem to power brokers who blackmailed the corrupt to get things done. All leading up to his grand Undertaking."

"Well, that's a great story." Tommy said sarcastically. "Really, very great. But so what?"

"Tommy, despite everything I just told you, despite everything he has done, I believe that there is a good man buried deep down inside Malcolm. I believe he can be a good person, if he's only shown the way."

Tommy laughed mirthlessly and jumped to his feet. "You are insane." He declared. "You're just like Oliver was with Helena in that memory we watched, thinking you can change a person who has already changed. What ever happened to 'those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it'?"

"Diggle was wrong." Mia said. "It took years, and a lot of hardships for her, but Helena did change. She became the hero Oliver believed she could be. And she was an integral member of the Justice League for years, until she was killed in action." Mia rose. "Tommy, there was a period in my life where I lost everything. I saw my mother murdered in front of my eyes; my brother constantly lied to me, and I was attacked on multiple occasions by a man whose personal grudge with Oliver had brought him into our lives. I was… lost." she admitted. "And Dad was there to protect me when the city went to hell, and he offered to take me with him, to leave my old life behind and start a new one. And when I found the one person in my life who I needed to be honest with me was lying to my face, I left with him. I asked him to make me strong, and he did. And while it was rare, especially during my training, I could see glimmers of a good man in his eyes, a man who just wanted to protect his daughter like…" she trailed off, not wanting to say it. "He can be a good man, Tommy, he just needs help getting there."

Tommy sighed. He paced around the room for a few moments, but then stopped suddenly. Slowly he turned back to face Mia. "You said Ra's trained Dad." She nodded. "You also said that you were trained by Dad, but then you said you finished Ra's training in 5 months."

"Dad began my training." Mia explained. "He then worked out a deal with Ra's in which he called off his vendetta against Malcolm in exchange for us both to join, or rejoin, the League."

"You're an assassin?"

"I was a member in good standing for almost ten years." She confirmed. At the look of horror on his face, she smiled sadly. "I wasn't always a hero, Tommy. For a long time, I WAS the villain of the story."

"What changed?" he asked.

"Oliver died."

An awkward silence had fallen upon the departure of the three Merlyn's. "Well," Stephanie started, "That was fun. Wasn't that fun?" she asked Sara.

"Stop being a bitch, Steph." Sara said with a small smile.

"I can't help it. It's part of my natural charm." She replied.

Sara moved over to Moira, looking at the woman in concern. "Are you alright, Moira?"

She laughed shakily. "I just watched my son brutalized and my husband kidnapped. I'm the farthest from alright that you can get." She admitted. "I mean, I knew Malcolm was capable of great cruelty, but this…"

"I can't believe I sat next to the son of a bitch." Quentin growled. "I don't blame Tommy for hitting him; hell, I wanted to deck him!"

"Easy, dad." Sara warned.

"I got to say, you got a real lousy taste in boyfriends, Moira." He continued, heedless of everyone around him. Moira was about to slap the man when suddenly Thea, having seen and heard too much, bolted out the door.

"Thea!" Moira called, but Sara put a hand on her arm.

"This whole level is sealed off." She told the distraught mother. "Let her run around and cool off some. Meanwhile," Sara turned suddenly and slapped Quentin, shocking the man. She swiftly turned back to Moira. "I believe you were about to do that. He earned it." She glared at her father, who nodded.

"Sorry, I shouldn't… just, sorry I said anything." He told Moira lamely. The elder woman sniffed in disdain, then gasped in surprise. Likewise, conversation in the room died as a new figured entered the room.

"Someone order lunch?" Victor Stone asked as he wheeled a cart full of food into the room. "I gotta say, I thought I left food service behind after high school."

Sara grinned. "Everyone, this is Vic Stone, also known as Cyborg."

"I wonder why?" Stephanie said jokingly. He smirked at her.

"That time of the month?"

"She is extra bitchy today, isn't she?" Sara agreed.

"So, Oliver died and you gave up killing?" Tommy asked.

Mia sighed. That was a loaded question if ever there was one. "I was present at his death." She said carefully. "His dying declaration was that he knew I could be better. And so I've spent every day since then trying."

"And now you're trying to fix it all." He said. Mia nodded. "And you think to do that you have to save dad?"

"Tommy, I know it doesn't seem like it right now." She began. "And I know he's said a lot of things, both in the memory and in person, to make you think he doesn't love you. But you are wrong. He DOES love you. Like Oliver, he thinks you can be better; he KNOWS you can be better. But the only way he knows how to push you to BE better is by being the same kind of cruel person that trained him." She chuckled. "It's parenting as taught by the League of Assassins. No wonder he sucks as a father." She put a hand on his shoulder. "But HE can be better, I know he can." She sighed. "Look, I don't want anything from you right now, other than for you to sit in the same room with him and watch the same memories. And when this is all over, maybe, MAYBE you two can finally reconcile, like I know he wants. And then maybe he can be the good man I know he can be."

Tommy sighed. "We've still got a lot to watch, don't we?" he asked.

Mia nodded. "I'd say a week or two."

"Fine." He said finally. "I'll behave. But you might want to remind Dad that respect is a two way street. And if he mouths off at me, I'll mouth off at him. And if he tries anything funny, I'll deck him. Again."

Mia smiled at him wryly. "Tommy, the only, and I mean ONLY reason you managed to tag him even once was because he never expected anything like that from you. Now he knows you will attack. And I remind you that he is a highly trained assassin who, while he won't kill you, wouldn't have a problem putting you on your ass."

Tommy blinked. He hadn't considered that. "Ah, crap." He said finally.

Mia walked out of the gym a moment later, with Tommy right behind her. They left just as Thea was darting from the viewing room and down the hall. Tommy made to go after her, but Mia held him back. "I'll see to her in a few minutes." She assured him. "Right now, she just needs a few minutes alone." She smiled at her brother. "Lunch should be in the viewing room now. You go ahead; I'll bring back Thea and Malcolm shortly."

"Yay for one of those." Tommy muttered, moving down the hall. Mia sighed, then turned and headed for Malcolm's quarters.

After introductions, everyone had started grabbing plates of food. Tommy, with impeccable timing as always, arrived just in time to eat. Slade grabbed a plate of food and quietly made his way back to his seat, eating alone as was his custom. Normally he was observe the people in the room, quantifying their strengths and weaknesses, planning for how he would eventually use them to bring down Oliver. But today he only had an eye for Sara Lance, and he didn't bother to hide his raw hatred of her.

Quentin noticed the glare directed at his youngest (oldest?) daughter. "What's his problem with you?" he asked Sara.

She smiled wanly. "We knew each other briefly on the island. I'm guessing he's upset that I'm still alive."

"Why would that upset him?" Laurel asked, disturbed.

"Because someone he cared about died in my place."

"Sara, tell it how it really was." Stephanie interrupted. She looked at the Lances, and Tommy who had joined them. "I hear about this every year, I swear. And she takes all of the guilt onto herself when she shouldn't. Now, you'll see it play out in a few days," she assured them, "But the gist of the story is that this guy named Ivo held Sara and a girl named Shado at gunpoint. He made Oliver choose who lived and who died, Oliver ended up choosing Sara, and Ivo put a bullet in Shado's head. Slade's upset," she continued, looking over at the mercenary whose face was tinged pink in rage, "because he had a crush on Shado but never had the balls to actually tell her before Oliver scored with her."

Slade roared with rage and leapt up, intent on ripping the blonde's head off. He was stopped, however, by another blonde who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was tall, lean, dressed in a short blue shirt that bared her midriff and mini skirt with a long, red cape- and was holding Slade absolutely still with one hand, with no visible effort.

"That 'S' on my chest," she said, "Means I'm stronger than you. And I'll be in here for now to make sure that everyone behaves themselves." She gave a shove to Slade that looked gentle, but still propelled the mercenary back into his chair hard enough to send it skidding back on the floor a good two feet. Stephanie walked up next to the other blonde and glared at Slade.

"You hurt my friend in the past. You hurt her bad. And I'm not allowed to kick your ass." She smiled viciously. "But they never said I couldn't' piss you off anytime I felt like it. So you just sit there in your impotent rage- I'm sure you know all about impotence- and keep watching. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn something."

Kara Zor-el, also known now as Superwoman, glanced at Stephanie askew. "Who set your phaser on 'Extra-Bitchy' today?" she asked.

Stephanie smiled sweetly. "Nice to see you too, dear."

Mia walked into Malcolm's quarters. They stared at each other in silence for several moments before Mia finally spoke.

"I can't talk to you, yet." She decided. "It isn't time, and you aren't ready. We'll have another conversation when you are. For right now, though, I want you to do this- go back in the viewing room, watch the memories, and stop acting like an asshole. Can you do that?" he gave her a sharp nod. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go have an even more emotionally draining conversation."

After Kara had introduced herself, Felicity tore herself away from a conversation with Cyborg and headed over to Moira. "Uh, excuse me?" she said timidly, "Mrs. Queen? Or do you hyphenate?"

Moira smiled tiredly at the girl. "You can just call me Moira." She offered. "And no, I don't hyphenate."

"Oh, good to know in case I ever have to… never mind." She cleared her throat. "I just wanted to apologize, Ma'am. For Walter," she clarified. "I fell like if he got taken it was my fault…"

"And you probably also wanted to remind me that Spring is a terrible time to be fired as well? She asked.

Felicity laughed. "Heh. Well, now that you mention it…"

"Ms. Smoak, you can relax." Moira said. "I have no intention of having you fired. You were just doing your job, as far as I can tell. Granted, the job Walter had you doing was a little outside your purview, but that was his fault, not yours." She sighed. "God willing, when we go back none of us will have to deal with any of this."

"You can call me Felicity, uh… Moira." She offered. Moira nodded.

"Very well, Felicity."

Felicity smiled, and started to move off, but stopped. After considering, she turned back to Moira. "You know, I met your husband once. Not Walter, well not yet, anyway, but Mr. Queen."

"Oh?" Moira said with a raised eyebrow. Felicity didn't seem like the type of girl that would fool around with a married man.

She nodded. "I got a full ride to M.I.T.," she explained, "And when I graduated, I had a lot of job offers lined up. Wayne Enterprise, Kord Industries, Lexcorp, even Merlyn Global-and Queen Consolidated. I remember all of my interviews- Ted Kord seemed like a nice guy, but I was worried his company would go out of business before I even got started. Lucius Fox is a brilliant man- I still correspond with him,- and Mr. Wayne seemed nice, but acted a little too drunk, for my tastes." She frowned, something niggling at the back of her brain. She shook her head, determined to figure that out later. "I never even met Lex Luthor, but the HR guy was a stuck-up jerk, so I know I would have hated it there. And the very brief meeting I had with Mr. Merlyn, while his HR guy interviewed me… well, he kind of gave me the wiggins."

Moira chuckled. "You have better sense than I, I suppose." She said.

Felicity smiled. "My last interview was at Q.C., and Mr. Queen did the interview personally." She continued. "I remember thinking, after all the interviews I had had, that it was so strange to see the CEO of a major corporation interviewing me personally."

"You were a 'High-Value Player'." Moira realized. "Every year there are a few graduates that are earmarked as having high potential; that could, in the future, make the company a lot of money. Robert always did those interviews personally." She smiled wistfully. "He hated doing it. He felt the kids, as he called them, spent more time kissing his rear end and over-estimating their worth." She paused, a look of revelation coming over her face. "Wait a moment, I think… he mentioned someone, once. One of the few times he talked to me about female applicants- he said she was 'refreshingly honest and candid.' I don't recall the name, but that definitely sounds like you."

Felicity laughed softly. "Yeah, that probably was me. I remember breaking my own record for the most accidental sexual innuendos in a single conversation. Because, I totally wasn't hitting on him!" she added, causing Moira to laugh.

"Felicity, you don't strike me as the type of girl who would." She assured her.

"Anyway," Felicity continued, "I remember being very impressed that the CEO would take the time to interview me personally. It made it seem less like I was taking a job, and more like I was joining a family. I accepted the job the next day." She smiled. "And I've never regretted it."

"I'm glad you did." Moira admitted. "I have a feeling my son is going to rely on you quite a bit in the future."

"Judging by the way he has his computers set up, I have no doubt of that." Felicity replied with a smile. "That actually hurts my soul, seeing those poor machines like that!"

"Judging by the way he has his computers set up, I have no doubt of that." Felicity replied with a smile. "That actually hurts my soul, seeing those poor machines like that! And after today, thank god I didn't go to work at Merlyn Global. Oliver may be a vigilante and technically deficient, but at least he isn't a raging sociopath… and he's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Felicity finished, noting the look of dread on Moira's face. Slowly she turned around to see a smirking Malcolm Merlyn standing right behind her.

"Relax, Miss Smoak." He said. "I'm on my best behavior from here on out." With that, he moved off to fix himself a plate of food.

Thea ran down the corridor, not stopping at all until she finally reached the locked door at the end. She pounded on it futilely for a few moments, before finally collapsing against it, crying. She remained like that for several minutes, until she finally managed to pull herself together. Taking a deep breath and wiping away the tears, she moved away from the door and turned to go back down the hall when a door off to the side beeped.

Identity Confirmed- Dearden, Mia. Codename: Green Arrow

With that announcement, the door slid open. Curious, Thea entered the room.

Inside was a massive hall, the floor dotted with glass display cases filled with all different types of things- from ray guns, to suits of armor, to gadgets she couldn't even begin to figure out what they were. What the hell was a Gamma Gong, anyway? Or a Kryptonite Cannon? She wandered around the room, taking in the sights (A boxing glove arrow? Really?) when suddenly she spotted two cases containing things she DID recognize.

The larger of the two cases held the black uniform she had seen Malcolm Merlyn wear when he had nearly killed her brother. It was displayed on a mannequin, and she disturbingly noted the darker spots on the hood and upper torso that could only be bloodstains. On a stand in front of the costume was Malcolm's black bow and quiver, still full of arrows.

The smaller of the cases was a uniform strikingly similar to Malcolm's, but smaller and trimmed in silver. A silver compound bow sat on its stand in front, along with a quiver full of silver arrows. A small plaque sat in front, simply reading: Malika Sihème- League of Assassins.

Thea placed her hand on the glass as she leaned in closer to look at the plaque, but jumped back when the computer's voice sounded.

Identity confirmed- Dearden, Mia. AKA Queen, Thea; AKA Merlyn, Thea; AKA Malika Sihème. Access granted.

With that the glass door popped open. Hesitantly, Thea reached in and ran her hand down the front of the black leather uniform, it's feeling both familiar and alien to her. She looked down at the bow, and after a few moments hesitation picked it up. She hefted it, testing its weight and balance, before sighting down the handle. She drew back the string to test its pull; it was hard, but doable for her. She was absently wondering if she should save everyone the trouble and just go put a couple of arrows into Malcolm when a new voice startled her.

"Heavier than your last bow, isn't it?"

Thea yelped and spun around to face her older self. As she did so she let the string go, and it slapped her on her forearm, causing her to yelp again, this time in pain. She shook her arm, trying to will the pain away as she glared at Mia. "What are you, a ninja?"

"You can guess exactly what I am." Mia said evenly. She reached out and gently took the bow from Thea, sighting it and drawing back the string as her younger self had done. "This bow is much heavier than the one we used in archery camp. Not only in the pull, but by all of the lives it took. I was an assassin for many years, Thea. And I was VERY good at my job." She gently let off the pressure on the string. "I made so many mistakes," she continued softly, looking at the bow in her hands. "Wasted so many years. Took so many lives… for nothing." She moved past the shocked girl and placed the bow back on the rack, then shut the glass door. As she did, she saw her reflection in the glass, her face right where the hood was.

"Is that why you're doing this?" Thea asked quietly. "Trying to undo all of the lives you took?"

Mia shook her head. "Not all. Just two." She turned around, banishing one past from her mind as she took in another. "I know you are angry at Malcolm right now."

"You're damn right I am." Thea snarled. "He just tried to murder my brother!"

"And he'll try again. And he'll kill many more people." Mia said matter-of-factly. She pointed to the case holding his uniform. "That man belonged to the League of Assassins, as did I. And killing is what we did. But Malcolm let his anger drive him to grater acts of evil than even the League could tolerate. But he doesn't have to. He can learn to let go of that anger, if only someone helps him." She looked significantly at Thea.

The girl scoffed. "What, so I'm just supposed to forgive him? Forget that he had my dad murdered, and caused my brother to play castaway for five years; that he's been blackmailing my mother, threatening all of our lives if she didn't cooperate with him? Play daughter to his demented father?"

Mia shook her head. "Right now, all I'm asking you to do is watch the memories and hold your tongue. Whether or not you can forgive him, or even work with him, can be decided upon later." She sighed. "Now, there's food back in the viewing room. I asked a friend to stay in there to keep the peace. So why don't we go back, get something to eat, and let these ghosts rest?" she gestured at the cases. Thea took one last look at the case, then without comment turned and walked out. Mia glanced back one last time as well.

"What a waste." She muttered to herself, then she followed Thea out of the room.

TBC

New story to plug: You're His Hope (Post-309 Olicity) by JC-457. An awesome story about an intriguing possibility- what if Oliver joined the League to save his city?

Malika Sihème: Queen Arrow