The Hood and Athena: An Arrow: Season 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 27: I've Always Known

At Verdant... (Oliver Queen's POV)

It had been a crazy few weeks since everything had been happening with Slade. I thought that Mom was making a mayoral candidate speech at Verdant, but I was entirely wrong. I stood in the main room, near the bar, speaking with Diggle, when someone named Mark came running down the stairs. 

'Oliver, where have you been?' Mark asked. 'Have you gotten any of my calls?'

'I've been busy,' I said, kind of lying through my teeth. 'What's wrong?' 

'It's your mother.' 

'She'll do fine.' 

'No, she won't. She's not using this event to rally the troops. She's using it... to tell people she's dropping out of the race.' 

I walked up to the upstairs room, where my Mom was busy looking at a card. She placed it on the lit up desk when she saw me coming up. 

'Oliver. What happened?' I grimaced, easing myself to lean onto the desk. 

'It was a motorcycle accident. It was stupid,' I replied, again, lying through my teeth. 

'Yes, this would be the second accident in as many weeks, if my math is correct.' 

'Mark says you're dropping out of the race,' I said bluntly. 

'The truth is, I should have done it weeks ago, after Thea was abducted. My complete focus needs to be on repairing our relationship.' 

'Mom, what's happening with Thea right now isn't because you weren't spending enough time with her.' Moira walked over to the window and looked out at the people gathered. 

'Well, maybe not. I have to do something and I'm not sure what else to do.' 

'Thea hates you right now because of the things that you've done. Terrible things. So let her see you do something good... as mayor.' Her head turned towards me as I stood slowly, minding the pain in my leg from the injury caused by Roy. 'Mom, I know a little something about... sacrificing the people closest to me for the good of this city. It's what you need to do now.' 

'I know,' she said softly. 

'Good,' I said, cracking a small smile, then standing and turning to leave. 

'Oliver, I know,' she said, louder this time. I froze in my tracks. 'I know.' I turned slowly to fix my gaze on her. 'I've known, since last year I suppose. The night of the Undertaking, everything became so clear. It was pretty much the night I stopped sleeping.' 

'Before you say anything else -' I began to say, but was interrupted by my Mom. 

'There's nothing else to say.' She grabbed my hands gently. 'Nothing I need to say. Except I could not be more proud of you and Evelyn.'

Seven years earlier (at the Queen Mansion)... 

Moira ushered Samantha Clayton into the living room of the Queen family Mansion. 

'Can I have Raisa get you anything to drink? Or-or something to eat, perhaps? Please.' Samantha sat down on the couch, Moira following suit. 

'Where's Oliver?' the young woman asked. 

'He's running an errand for me. I thought it would give us a chance to talk.' 

'With all due respect, Mrs. Queen, what's happening, it's between me and your son.' 

'Yes.' Moira opened a file to show a photo of Samantha's face. 

'What is that?' Samantha asked. 

'Oh, I had one of our investigators write up a dossier on you,' she said coolly. 'I'm sorry, but it's a necessary precaution against a fraudulent claim of paternity.' 

'Well, the baby is Oliver's.' 

'Oh, of that I have no doubt,' she said with a light laugh. 'Our investigators were quite thorough. But you can imagine how many people my family attracts who are looking for handouts.'

'Well, I'm not looking for money,' the younger woman said meekly. 

'Of course not.' Moira placed a check on the couch, letting Samantha pick it up. Her eyes widened at the amount. 

'I told you, I don't want money.' 

'And I'm telling you, that this is my first grandchild. And I want to make certain that he or she has a bright future. Please.' 

'This is a million dollars,' Samantha replied.

'I want to make certain that my son has a bright future as well,' Moira said. 'That money is yours once you tell Oliver that you've lost the baby.' Her eyes widened even more. 

'What?' 

'And another million once you return to Central City, never to speak to him again.' She leaned forward. 'Can I offer you some advice, one mother to another?' The younger woman nodded. 'When it comes to your children, there is no action that is inconceivable; there is no decision that is impossible. You do what you must to provide the life that they need. And I think that $2 million is enough to provide the life that both our children need. Don't you?'