Second Chances: Arrow

Chapter 28

After Emiko's homecoming, Oliver returned home to his ranch, waiting for Laurel to be able to move in, which would be in a few days, but he couldn't wait, since now he was finally ready to take that step with her.

However, he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard someone call his name.

"Hello?" Oliver asked, grabbing a knife.

"Oliver Queen." the voice said in a whisper.

"Who are you?" Oliver demanded as suddenly, the source of the voice appeared in front of him and to his surprise, it was Jim Corrigan.

"Jim?" Oliver asked.

"Not exactly Oliver. I am Aztar, the spirit of vengeance that powers the Spectre." Aztar said.

"The source of my powers?" Oliver asked and Aztar nodded.

"Yes, I am one of the first spirits ever created by the creator himself." Aztar said.

"You mean God?" Oliver asked and Aztar nodded.

"That is one of his names. But I'm not here to give you a history lesson." Aztar said.

"Then why are you here?" Oliver asked.

"I'm sure you've noticed yourself getting weaker, feeling as if you are torn between two sides of yourself." Aztar said and Oliver nodded.

"It's you that's causing that, isn't it?" Oliver asked.

"Not intentionally. I'd hoped that when we restored the universe together at the dawn of time that we might've changed the rules, but it appears that some things cannot be changed." Aztar said.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"My power is not compatible with that of a living soul, which you are once again. You now have a choice to make." Aztar said.

"What choice?" Oliver asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew.

"You can either remain bonded to me, though that would require you to fully commit to becoming the Spectre once more, swearing to protect and preserve the cosmic balance of the universe and multiverse, and severing all ties to your current life, or I can release you from my service, since you completed what you were meant to do as the spectre. You will lose all access to my abilities and become a pure human once again, but you will be able to stay here and retain your current life. But you must choose now." Aztar said and they both knew which one he would pick.

"I never wanted or needed powers and I never intended to be a hero. I've always just been a guy trying to do good. And I like the life I have now and it's not worth giving up, even for a purpose like this. Maybe someone else will be interested in becoming your vessel, but I'm not. I have too much to lose and too many people who depend on me." Oliver said and Aztar smiled at him.

"I suspected as much, but I needed to hear you say it." Aztar said.

"Thank you for everything you've done and we did a lot of good together, but it's time for us to go our separate ways. We each have our own responsibilities." Oliver said and Aztar nodded.

"I suppose it is time to say goodbye then. It was truly an honor to be bound to a spirit as noble as yours Oliver Queen. Perhaps some day, we will meet again." Aztar said as Oliver felt his connection to the spectre be severed and he had to admit, it felt like a load off.

"Good luck with whatever comes your way next." Oliver said.

"And you as well." Aztar said, right before he faded away and Oliver had to admit, it was a bit of relief to no longer be a god.

Later on that night, Oliver was nursing a drink when Laurel entered the den.

"I see you're already making use of the key I gave you and you haven't even moved in yet." Oliver said and Laurel smiled at the joke.

"You seem to be in a good mood. What's going on?" Laurel asked.

"I am no longer the Spectre." Oliver said.

"Wait, what? Why are you celebrating that?" Laurel asked, since she was surprised that he was happy to have lost his powers.

"Because the only way I could've kept those powers would be if I'd chosen to leave you and everyone else forever and I'm never doing that again." Oliver said.

"You gave up your spectre powers for me?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah I did and I don't have any regrets. I never wanted powers of any kind and I only needed them during Crisis and they required dying to get them. The price of them is too high and it's not a price I'm willing to pay again." Oliver said and Laurel smiled as she walked up to him and kissed him.

"I'm glad I won't have to worry about losing you to the spectre anymore. Especially now." Laurel said, since now seemed like the best time to tell Oliver her big news.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, though he thought about how Laurel had been getting sick a little more frequently lately, how she'd been getting more fatigued easier and most recently, she'd stopped drinking again.

"Judging by the look on your face, I think you know what I mean." Laurel said with a smile.

"So, you're actually saying?" Oliver asked, wanting to hear her say it.

"Yeah, I'm pregnant and you're the father." Laurel said and to her relief, Oliver laughed and hugged her.

"That's amazing Laurel." Oliver said.

"So, you're happy about this?" Laurel asked.

"Of course I am. Laurel, one of my biggest regrets was that I wasn't able to be there for either of my kids when they were growing up, but now I have a chance at a do over with you. The woman I love more than any other." Oliver said.

"And you think you can balance being a father of a newborn with being the Green Arrow, since I don't trust John to take the mantle up again." Laurel said.

"It'll be an adjustment, but I'll figure it out. But what concerns me now is that the Black Canary is grounded until further notice." Oliver said.

"I already gave my ring to Abby, since she figured it out and she's the one delivering this baby. I don't trust hospitals anymore." Laurel said and Oliver nodded.

"Tell her to buy whatever she needs to do that and I'll make sure it's covered. My mom is going to be thrilled to find out she's getting a grandchild, I just hope your dad doesn't shoot me for getting you pregnant." Oliver said and Laurel smiled.

"Dad likes you now and he knows you're a good father, plus he knows I'd never forgive him and Sara knows that she has no place to stand if she wants to be the cool aunt who spoils our kid with presents from across the timeline, since we both know she'll do that just to get an edge over Emiko and Thea." Laurel said and Oliver chuckled.

"I know. I just hope Felicity will be okay with this, since from her perspective, less than a year ago, she was the one having my baby." Oliver said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, since she's happy with Dawn and she doesn't have to go through the pain of childbirth again. I really hope people exaggerate about that." Laurel said.

"We'll worry about that in nine months. For now, let's just be happy for the moment. Especially since it sounds like we have a lot to celebrate." Oliver said and Laurel smiled and nodded, since she agreed as she let Oliver lead her up to what would soon be their shared bedroom and she was very happy that he was taking this news so well and knew that she'd been worrying for nothing.