Lauriver Chronicles

Chapter 97

After returning home that night, after having his injuries from his fight with Tommy treated by Abby, Oliver found that Laurel and the girls were already asleep, though that wasn't a surprise, since not only was it past all the kids' bedtimes, but despite how early on Laurel was in her pregnancy, she was tiring out faster and earlier.

And honestly, since they were still waiting for the tracker he'd planted on Tommy to come online, since due to the possibility of him being scanned, it was programmed to have a delayed activation, so right now, he just wanted to get some sleep himself after the fight he'd just been in.

But all thoughts of sleep left his mind when he heard someone in the living room.

"Show yourself." Oliver said as he pulled a knife out of his pocket as he walked in.

"You really think that'll scare me?" A female voice asked from a chair as Oliver turned on the lights to find an Asian woman who looked around his age, maybe a few years younger, sitting in the chair.

"Depends on who you are and how the hell you got into my house." Oliver said, not lowering the knife, since he didn't want to break out his Green Arrow gear unless he had no choice and he didn't want to wake his family.

"Not surprised you don't know who I am. After all, your parents made sure we never got to meet." the woman said and that was when Oliver realized who this was.

"Emiko. I was wondering if I'd ever find you." Oliver said, though he still didn't lower the knife, since if anything, this could potentially make her more dangerous, not less.

"You've been looking?" Emiko asked.

"Since I got back from Lian Yu, since the whole reason I was on that stupid boat was to confront dad about you." Oliver said.

"Tommy mentioned as much, but I wasn't sure I believed him." Emiko said and Oliver's heart dropped.

"You're working with Prometheus." Oliver said.

"More like he's working for me. You really think he and his little merry band got back into the country without assistance." Emiko asked.

"Who do you work for?" Oliver asked.

"You'll find out soon enough. But I wanted to see you first. Especially after I heard that you actually did care about me." Emiko said.

"You're my family, Emiko. Of course I care. What my parents did to you and your mother is unforgivable. Wait, my mother." Oliver asked, since he'd just remembered that his mother still lived in the mansion until her house arrest ended next month.

"Relax, she's fine, sleeping peacefully. More than she deserves after what she did to my mother." Emiko said bitterly, since while she'd been tempted to hurt Moira, that would only bring more heat her and the Ninth Circle's way, not to mention, right now she was on Oliver's home turf, she knew who he was and what he was capable of. This was not the place to pick that particular fight. Especially if Oliver found out about her involvement in the Queen's Gambit and their father's death.

"And she's a hypocrite considering she's just as guilty of adultery as dad was, since I'm the only child my parents had who was actually conceived by them. Thea's Tommy's sister as much as she is mine. Though I'm probably her favorite sibling." Oliver said, considering Tommy had sent his thugs to crash his sister's engagement.

"Maybe. And maybe the fact that I existed was the reason Robert was so understanding and willing to accept her. Maybe he was hoping that if he accepted Moira's affair and the child from it, she'd change her mind and accept me into the family too. Especially after my mother died." Emiko said.

"I'm sorry for your loss. But you can still have a family." Oliver said.

"I chose my family a long time ago. The people who took me in after my mother's death." Emiko said.

"And you wouldn't be here if you weren't tempted by the idea of a real family. You can have the life you should've had. Be a Queen. Because that's what you are. And it's time you were treated like one. Provided you tell me everything you know about the Ninth Circle." Oliver said, shocking Emiko.

"You know about them?" Emiko asked.

"My contacts in Argus discovered their presence during the rebuilding process, since I'm assuming that when Argus was disbanded, you lost a lot of operatives." Oliver said, since Waller's corruption had made it easy for the Ninth Circle to infiltrate Argus. And many of those agents had been captured after Sara had basically torn down and rebuilt Argus.

"You're not wrong. And it explains why so many of our operatives in other organizations were captured. And I admit, I was hoping to use this as an opportunity to infiltrate your team and maybe even plant a mole in the Justice League, since they are a huge threat to the Circle." Emiko admitted.

"And you'd fail, since you really think anyone gets access to the League without serious screening?" Oliver asked, not going into details about the security protocols the League had in place for all potential recruits.

"It was a long shot plan and not one we intended to put into effect anytime soon, since finding a way into the League that could fool the Kryptonians, Batman and Martian Manhunter, that would take time." Emiko said.

"And yet, if you're not only here, but also telling me all this stuff, it means that you have doubts." Oliver said and Emiko nodded.

"Tommy Merlyn was nothing more than a means to an end to find you. Especially after he told me that you were going to confront our father about me." Emiko said and Oliver nodded.

"I was furious with my parents about what they did to you, but I wanted to confront dad in private first. But then the Gambit went down before I had the chance to confront him or track you down. Because I did want you to be a part of my life, Emiko. And I still do. But only if you turn away from this path now. And you know I have mind readers who can tell me if you're lying." Oliver said as he held out his hand to Emiko, who looked at it tentatively.

"The Ninth Circle will kill me for betraying them." Emiko said.

"And we'll protect you from them. If you tell me everything you know about them." Oliver said.

"You're willing to start a war with the Ninth Circle for me?" Emiko asked.

"Wouldn't be the first war I've fought and you never should've had to join them in the first place." Oliver said.

"No one's ever shown me that much caring before. Even my own mother pushed me to join the Ninth Circle when I was a kid, if only because it was her way out of the gutter Robert had left us in. She wanted to use me to get the good life back. And she didn't care what it took from me in the process. But for so long, since she was the only family I had." Emiko said and Oliver nodded, not lowering his hand.

"Now, you have the opportunity to know what a real family looks like. If you want that." Oliver said and Emiko finally nodded before she shook Oliver's hand.

"Thank you." Emiko said.

"We might be family, but I think we both know that it'll be a while before either of us truly trusts each other." Oliver said.

"If you're willing to put in the work to get there, then so am I." Emiko said, since for the first time in years, she felt like she might have a chance at a happy life outside of the Ninth Circle.