Second Chances: Arrow - Rough Draft

Chapter 6

Happy New Year everyone. Let's hope that 2022 is the year the world finally gets back to normal and this pandemic finally comes to an end.

"Hey mom, why aren't we headed back to the mansion?" Oliver asked when he noticed the limo veering away from the path to the mansion.

"Considering the fact that the gates of the mansion are surrounded by the press, I thought you might want a more private homecoming party. Plus, I thought that you might prefer if Jasmine wasn't exposed to then press so soon." Moira said and Oliver nodded at her gratefully.

"So, where are we going? Not a club I hope?" Laurel asked wearily as she kept an arm around her daughter, who was currently preoccupied watching cartoons, which Oliver had formally introduced her to on the plane ride back.

"Of course not. It's just going to be us, Thea, Tommy and a few of your other old friends at a nice restaurant, since I thought that you might want to save any crazy parties for when you're not being parents." Moira said and Oliver nodded at her appreciatively.

"Honestly, not really in the mood to party anymore anyways. Think I got all that out of my system before I enlisted." Oliver said.

"Just another reason I'm glad you did, since I don't want my granddaughter being exposed to that sort of life." Quentin said and Oliver nodded.

"Believe me, neither do I. Only good thing about all the decisions my parents made while raising me is that now I know what not to do while raising Jasmine." Oliver said and Quentin and Laurel both chuckled while Moira glared at her son, but it was only half heartedly, since she knew he was right.

"Wait, isn't Walter going to be there?" Laurel asked, realizing something.

"Walter Steele? No, he's running Queen Consolidated for me today since I'm spending the whole day and now the next couple of days with my son and granddaughter." Moira said, wondering why they'd think that.

"Oh, I guess we thought that maybe you'd remarry after dad died." Oliver said and Moira smiled.

"That's sweet dear, but no, I have not remarried, I've been too busy, first keeping your sister from falling down the same hole you did when you were her age and then taking over Queen Consolidated." Moira said.

"And I don't want to take it over mom. I never did and I don't know why dad kept trying to push it on me." Oliver said, since that was true in both realities. He'd never wanted to run Queen Consolidated and he didn't know why his father kept trying to make him take it. Maybe if he hadn't, Emiko wouldn't have broken bad.

"That's fine dear, especially since I'm already grooming someone else to take over the company once I retire." Moira said.

"Who?" Oliver asked.

"Thea. After she got her life on track, she decided that she wanted to take over the family business. She's studying business at Ivy Town and she works at Queen Consolidated when she's home." Moira said and Oliver chuckled.

"I have to admit, she always did have a knack for ordering people around." Oliver said and Moira nodded.

"I honestly thought she might've gone into law." Laurel said, thinking of how much Thea had enjoyed her brief time at CNRI.

"Maybe in another life, but in this one, she's born to be a CEO and unlike her brother, she actually wants it." Moira said and Oliver nodded in agreement.

"So what about you two? I'm assuming you're not planning on living off of the Queen family money forever right." Quentin asked.

"Of course not. After we're legally declared alive again, I'm planning on setting up a meeting with the law board to get my legal license reinstated." Laurel said and Quentin nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"What about you Oliver? Thinking about enlisting again?" Quentin asked, but Oliver shook his head no.

"No, I got enough action over the past five years, plus, I can't see my daughter grow up from the other side of the world." Oliver said and Quentin nodded.

"So, what are you going to do now that you're back, since I don't think that you're going to be a stay at home dad." Moira asked him.

"I was actually thinking of doing something to give back to the city. Setting up a community center in the glades to give the people there somewhere safe to go to hang out and also learn skills to help them stay out of the system." Oliver said.

"Damn, you've turned into a humanitarian." Quentin said and Oliver chuckled, since honestly, he wished he'd thought of this in the first place instead of opening up a nightclub, but then again, last time he'd come home, he hadn't had a kid, at least, that he'd known about, and he'd also been trying to keep up appearances as the same person he'd been before the island. Now he wasn't going to waste time with that.

"It's certainly interesting." Moira agreed as the limo came to a stop, signalling that they had arrived.

To say Thea was surprised when her brother entered the restaurant with a little girl who was clearly his daughter was an understatement. Though that didn't stop her from immediately rushing towards the two of them, completely ignoring her brother and giving all her attention to the niece she just found out she had.

"Oh, she's so cute. What's her name?" Thea gushed over the child, who just looked at her with a confused look on her face.

"Jasmine, this crazy lady is your aunt Thea and I promise she's kind of normal when you get to know her." Oliver said with a smile.

"Very funny. But seriously Ollie, she's adorable." Thea said as she hugged her brother.

"I told you'd find a way to survive." Thea said.

"Do you want to get to know your niece or not?" Oliver asked and Thea raised her hands in surrender.

"Fine." Thea said.

"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?" Laurel asked and Thea smiled as she then proceeded to hug the woman who she'd always seen as her big sister.

"Sorry Laurel." Thea said with a smile.

"It's fine." Laurel said.

"Well, now that Thea's had her reunion." Tommy said as Oliver smiled as he hugged Tommy, feeling a weight of guilt being lifted at the sight of one of his best friends being alive again.

"Hey Tommy." Oliver said as he hugged him too before the party began and Oliver smiled before giving a subtle nod to one of his guests.