RETROUVAILLE | oliver queen

03.

03. ➳ RETROUVAILLE

     EVELYN TOOK LONG DEEP BREATHS, her nerves getting the better of her. She didn't know why she was so nervous to see Oliver Queen again; she was perfectly fine standing face to face with him, both in suits and masks to hide their identities. But being face to face, talking like old friends and after so many years, without the masks to protect their identity, that's what scared her.

       Evelyn nervously slipped out of her sister's shiny white car, walking towards the grave that sat cold, still, and alone in the middle of the cemetery. She read each word that was etched on it, clenching her jaw.

R.I.P Chris Alyce.
Loving son, father, husband, and brother.

     Evelyn sighed. Although she was never that close to her father and would rather be know as only a "Friedel", like her mother, than an "Alyce" or "Alyce Friedel", she still felt a pit in her stomach. If it had been up to her, she would've chosen a different father. Having Chris Alyce's last name angered her. She didn't want to be related to him. She knew too much about him to be proud of the last name.

     Even as a young girl, Evelyn barely ever spent time with Chris. He was always at work on business trips and whenever he was home he would rather sleep or go to the club and waste his money on strippers and sex workers than spend time with his own family. Chris Alyce worked for many years alongside Robert Queen at Queen Consolidated. Robert and Chris were the closest of friends until the death of Robert, and eventually Chris.

     Evelyn remembered the day of Chris's death almost as if it were yesterday, being forced to watch his murder through cameras from the Hydra building as Fitzgerald approached and stabbed Chris Alyce to death.

~

     "No! Please! I beg you, I'll do it!" Evelyn shouted and kicked her feet around, desperately screaming out to Fitzgerald through a microphone.

     He had tried to force Evelyn to murder a young man, no older than maybe twenty-five years old, but Evelyn wouldn't do it. She'd kill all the animals he'd want, but a human was different.

     "I already gave you an opportunity to do it, Miss Friedel. Now you'll have to watch your father die." Fitzgerald taunted as Evelyn sobbed. "You yourself have said you don't love him much anyways. Not after everything you have found out."

     "Please don't do it... I'll kill him, I will, but please, don't kill my father!" Evelyn pleaded. Fitzgerald smirked, pleased with the sight in front of him.

     "I'll give you the satisfaction of killing the traitor. But first, your father dies."

~

     Evelyn watched John Diggle, Oliver's bodyguard and chauffeur, from the large window of the Queen household's living room as Diggle opened the car door, allowing Oliver to slip out of the car and approach the house.

     Evelyn stood nervously in silence in the middle of the living room, her hands in Moira Queen's, Oliver's mother, as they waited for Oliver to enter. As soon as Oliver stepped into the living room, Evelyn's breath caught in her throat, her hands slowly slipping from Moira's. Oliver and Evelyn approached each other slowly and then all at once. Oliver caressed Evelyn's hair in one hand and held her close with the other, her arms wrapping tightly around his torso.

     "I'm so glad you're okay..." Oliver whispered softly against her blonde hair. Oliver was so close to her, that he could smell the strawberry scented shampoo she had used. Evelyn's eyes shut, feeling guilty for all the mistakes she'd made at Hydra. She felt guilty for giving away Oliver's identity to Fitzgerald. But then again, it wasn't like she had much of a choice.

     "I'm alright, Oliver... I heard you were stranded for five years." Evelyn said. Oliver released his grip on her but placed his hand on the small of her back, walking her to the couch as Moira and Diggle walked out to give the old friends some privacy.

     "Yeah. It wasn't easy, but I'm alive." Oliver said with a breathy chuckle, smiling as his eyes met Evelyn's. "I'm glad you're alright." He said quietly. They leaned in, holding each other close like they used to, with Evelyn's head resting on his shoulder as his chin rested on her head.

     "I missed you, Ollie. So much."

     "I missed you too, Eve."