18Chapter 3:
A few years ago, shortly before she moved to Central City, Samantha Clayton told her sorority sisters that she planned to spend her senior year at Central City University instead of Brown University. Her former best friend Fiona Laundry asked her what she would do if could go back in time to the night she slept with some random college man.
Samantha had laughed it off, and said, "I wouldn't change anything. I'm excited to have a kid. Definitely worth changing colleges." And she was excited back then. She remembered being extremely nervous but elated in the various possibilities of her child's potential identity and futures. Would he be a sports star, or would he prefer to be an activist? Would they have a close relationship like the one she had with her parents, or would they turn estranged?
"But you're stuck in the middle of nowhere instead of New Haven, like an ordinary, uneducated schmuck," Fiona had squealed in response. Nearby, several of their society sisters who were with them had agreed.
None of her college friends had understood that Samantha was happy with the way her life worked out. True, her alma mater was now less prestigious, and she spent her senior year dealing with morning sickness and the judgment of peers. But Samantha knew she was lucky; she had her parents, Frank and Irene Clayton, who were happy to rent a two-bedroom apartment in the city for the three of them to stay in during her pregnancy. They had even looked after William after she gave birth and still needed to finish the last three months of her senior year.
Other single mothers had a harder time; Becky Duran had to quit college to raise her daughter Cecelia alone, Gail Weinstein was cut off from her family after the news of her pregnancy, Megan Joseph's father tried to force her to have an abortion.
All the single mothers Samantha met at Central City Elementary had their own story. They bonded over their struggles with champagne during book club nights, and planning for bake sales and other school events.
Fiona's question was on Samantha's mind since she found herself back in time after dying from an explosion in the middle of East Asia. One moment she was telling Oliver Queen to protect and raise their son, and the next she was in the middle of cleaning her kitchen in a house she long-since abandoned.
It was easy for Samantha to accept she was in the past. In the past two years, she saw Damian Dark actively choke men and women without even touching them on live TV and heard multiple reports of the Flash fighting other meta-humans to save her city.
Samantha appreciated the opportunity being in the past provided. She felt like she was in heaven as she spent the past week chatting with her single mother group as they watched their children run wild at playgrounds. It was nice to see William untraumatized and able to be with his friends without having to lie. She enjoyed her work at a humanitarian non-profit called the Reef Institute that worked on providing programs to combat climate change. It was nice to focus on program management instead of remembering her alter-ego's story and managing a grocery store in some small town in Pennsylvania.
What Samantha wasn't ready for was to find Thea Queen coming up to her house and revealing that she was in the same position.
Samantha had a plan. She was going to make it through the annual gala at work, and then sell her house. Once it was sold, Samantha was going to leave Central City and find a new home for her and William where Oliver would never find out about them. As much as Samantha viewed Oliver as a hero, she didn't want her son to become mixed up in the consequences of his enemies' actions. As the Green Arrow, Oliver was a magnet to powerful and psycho enemies; Samantha had spent the last hours prior to her death locked in a cage in the middle of an island not knowing if her son would survive. She didn't want that future for herself or for her son.
"What are you doing here?" Samantha whispered roughly; her left hand clenched on the side of her door.
The shorter woman smiled faintly, nervously twisting a bracelet. "I … My name is Thea Queen. There's no easy way to say things, but …"
"I remember," Samantha cut in. "I meant, what are you thinking? Do you want William to be kidnapped again?"
Thea's eyes narrowed. "Of course not. After your call, I thought it was possible you came back too. I wanted to make sure you were all right."
"Call? What call? I never called you." Samantha snapped, her voice rising.
Thea step backwards. She paused for a few moments, blinking rapidly, before responding. "Oh. A number from Central City called my home recently. I guess it was someone else."
"Well, it was," Samantha sighed. "Look. Come in. It would be better for us to talk inside."
Samantha led Thea to her living room and kept the lights off. "Speak quietly. I don't want to wake William."
Thea nodded. "How is he?"
Samantha ignored her question, and stated resolutely, "I don't what you're expecting. But I can't have you coming over. I'm not planning to get involved in the messes in your city, or Ollie's life. I just want…"
"Look," Thea snapped. "You know that Oliver deserves to know. I'm not planning on getting you involved in stopping the Undertaking or stopping evil meta-humans, or any of the other horrors coming to our homes. I just want you to tell him. Not mom or our stepfather. Just him."
"Well, no. I need to hide him before one of your enemies discovers him."
"Samantha, you aren't alone." Thea said, she tilted her head. "I'm afraid too. I know it's going to be hard to protect him. But we both know that Oliver will love William. He deserves to know and at least some time with him before things go too crazy."
"Thea." Samantha paused. How could she explain her reasons? She might agree that Oliver deserved to know; she just thought that William's safety was more important. He had a chance to be normal this time around. Wasn't living the ideal life the point of time travel? "William got kidnapped twice. I was defenseless to save him each time. My only chance to keep him safe is to get him far away from your family. Please. For my peace of mind."
Thea tensed in her seat, before sighing. "I understand, Samantha. I came here for my own peace of mind. I needed to talk to someone who actually knew what's going on and get out of Star City for a while."
"It's Starling City now." Samantha reminded her. "You need to be more careful about what you say."
Thea laughed roughly. "I know. I know. I accidently called Ollie the Green Arrow instead of the Hood the other day. It's amazing to think about how so much has changed in the past five years."
Despite herself, Samantha laughed. "I know. It's strange for me to talk to my co-workers and friends and not have one person mention the Flash or another meta-human."
Thea nodded and after a few seconds of silence, Thea said, "Look, I hate keeping secrets from Oliver. I know you're afraid, and I'm afraid for William too. But I need you to tell Oliver this week or I will. I'm sorry, but William's one secret I can't keep from him."
Samantha felt a pressure headache. This was too much. "I need to protect him. There's nothing else I can think of doing besides running away with him."
"That's why I got you this." Thea pulled out a gun in some worn fabric from her purse. "I'll teach you how to use this. With it, you will be able to defend William."
Samantha jumped backwards. "Why did you bring that here? You could hurt William!"
Thea snapped, "I told you. It's for you. To protect William. You can't hide from our problems. You need to face it head on."
Samantha shouted. "You don't just bring a gun to someone's house." This was so outrageous of her.
"Good mothers don't lie to their child about their father. They don't prevent their child from the opportunity of knowing their dad."
"Get out." Tears flung down her face. How dare she say that! Samantha was a good mother.
"No. We need to talk. I need to show you how this works. Please, just be reasonable. Please, can I just have one morning with my nephew?" Thea started sniffling. Were those tears falling down her face?
For the first time, her nephew's aunt asked about knowing William for herself. Samantha could not recall a time where the younger woman asked something from her. Moira asked her to fake a miscarriage. Oliver asked to let him spend time with William. But Thea never asked Samantha for anything. All she did was follow her deep into that forsaken island towards their death.
Samantha felt her resolve weakened. Oliver and Thea lost so much in their lives; her son's family had saved his life. The least she could do was give the woman a chance. As much as Samantha hated to admit it, she did need some way to defend her son.
"Ok. But not tonight. I'll arrange a playdate for William tomorrow night. We'll call Oliver and you can show me how to use that then." She needed to make sure it ended up somewhere far out of William's reach.
Thea grinned. "Thank you. That's all I want."
Samantha took out her phone and sent a quick text to her friend Megan. Megan typically responded to texts within seconds. "I asked my friend Megan about the playdate. She should say yes… about." Her phone rang with an affirmative response. "Now. She agreed. Tomorrow at 2."
"Great! Also, before I forget, can I give William this tomorrow?" The woman took out a small arrowhead from her purse. "This is a hozen."
"It doesn't look like a monkey to me." Samantha told her, thinking back to playing World of Warcraft with her cousins Angie and Marc. If she remembered correctly, hozens were a species of monkeys in that game.
"Monkey?" Thea laughed. "It's an arrowhead that Ollie gave me from Lian Yu. It means re-connecting. I wanted to give William something from his father."
Samantha took it from her hand and looked over the small etchings on top of it. "What does the etchings mean?"
"I don't know," Thea said thoughtfully. "I never really cared. I can look it up with you on-line if you want."
Samantha nodded. "Maybe in the morning you can try it on my computer."
Thea nodded. "Thanks. Where can I sleep? I'd rather stay here than find a hotel at the last minute."
"What would you have done if I wasn't here?"
Thea rolled her eyes. "Bought a hotel room probably and tried again in the morning. If you weren't here, I'd just go home."
"I doubt that." Samantha sighed. "Well follow me."
Sunlight glistened from her window shade the next morning. Samantha's first thought was, 'Thank goodness it's a sunny Saturday. I can finally spend some one-on-one time with William.' But then she remembered her late-night guest. The woman was probably still wearing the nice dress and cardigan from the day before. The younger woman packed terribly; all she brought was a purse. Samantha guessed Thea barely thought ahead; pretty surprising for a vigilante, she would think they would prepare for any possibility.
Samantha checked William's room; he wasn't there. His covers had dropped onto his floor in the middle of the night, and he hadn't bothered to put it back on his bed. His toys were scattered across his room. She would have to order him to clean his room tonight after Thea left. She didn't need William's aunt to judge her mothering again.
Samantha found William eating cereal and chatting actively with Thea. Thea had the arrowhead, Samantha's laptop, and a mug full of tea in front of her.
"Thea! Get my computer off the breakfast table."
Thea turned, startled, her eyes opened wide. "Oh! Sorry, Samantha. I forgot that it was there." She quickly flipped the top of the laptop down and started to walk by Samantha.
Samantha interrupted her and took her laptop quickly from the woman's hands. She whispered angrily, "I guess Moira never taught you to not put computers near liquids, especially someone else's possession."
Thea casted her eyes downwards, shaking a little. "I'm sorry. One moment, I was looking into the arrowhead and the next William came, and I lost track of anything but him."
Samantha nodded. "Just, in the future, don't put a computer near liquids. That's a terrible habit."
Thea smirked. "I'll keep that in mind. Sometimes there's not that much time to think about that type of thing in the middle of a crisis."
Of course, Thea thought she was so much better than Samantha because she saved some people's lives. Completely forgetting that many were in danger and died because of her choices. Like poor, forgiving Laurel.
"Mom!" William said cheerfully. "Can me and Tia play with Ninja Turtles today?"
Samantha raised her eyebrows at Thea. "Tia?"
Thea shrugged. "He had a hard time pronouncing my name. We settled with Tia. And can I see William's toys before I leave?"
"Sure. Once he cleans his room. Someone …" Samantha grinned playfully with William. "Forgot to clean up his bed and room this morning."
"Sorry, mommy." William looked down. "I want-oo meet aunt," He then asked curiously, "I didn't know you had sister."
Samantha stared at Thea and the woman squirmed.
"I didn't say anything," she exclaimed.
"I heard you talking." William said. "You say Tia aunt. Jimmy has Aunt Jessie, Ms. Joseph sister."
Samantha sighed. Her son was too curious for his own good. "She's your father's sister."
"Dad who lost at sea? Cool!" William said cheerfully. "Glad Aunt Tia here." Samantha had told him the easy truth that his birth father was lost at sea; it was nice to be somewhat honest with him.
"I'm glad you're both getting along." Samantha smiled, and then asked, "What did you talk about with your Aunt Tia?" She needed to make sure Thea didn't mention anything too dangerous.
"Ninja Turtles, Legos, Central City Zoo, Starling City Night Lights, gummy bears, broccoli ew." William went on and on about various unimportant topics.
"William is a very inquisitive boy," Thea told Samantha. "I never knew I could have a ten-minute discussion on what is better, gummy bears or gummy worms."
Samantha shocked herself when she made out a real laugh. She wasn't expecting to enjoy Thea's company for one moment, but seeing her son so happy, Samantha felt she could tolerate the woman's presence with him until the playdate.
Maybe she could even convince Thea to hold off the talk with Oliver until the next weekend and today would not be that bad.
As the morning went along, Samantha found herself finding Thea's company more and more tolerable. It was nice to spend time with her and William as they played with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures and walked around the nearby playground.
Samantha was surprised that Thea was willing to have a cheap lunch at Big Belly Burger.
"Those fries were the best." Thea told her as they waited for William outside the fast-food place's restroom.
"I know it's not as refined as the restaurants you're used to." Samantha griped. She could tell the rich girl was making fun at cheap fast food.
"My ex, Roy and I used to get them all the time at the one in the Glades. Last year, Felicity and I used to have these lunches sometimes where we talked about the boring software she liked and Billy's Malone's ass and other hot guys in the city." Thea exclaimed while rolling her eyes.
Samantha nodded. She should put an effort too; there was no need to say that she thought the girl was being overly defensive. She just made a comment. "That brings me back to my days at university. My sorority sisters and I would spend hours ignoring our homework and discussing the hottest men at Alpha Phi. Well, except for Cassie and Jennifer who were dating each other."
Thea smiled. "It must have been fun to go to college. I skipped it; with my grades, I wouldn't have gotten in anyway, and at the time I would've been caught dead at a community college. I'm still not sure if college is the life for me anyways, but it be nice to try out."
"Maybe you can do it this time. You're in your senior year, right? You have plenty of time to improve your grades to get into a regular college." Samantha felt that everyone should try college; it was the best way to support oneself and to learn at a higher, more intellectual level.
Thea nodded. "If it wasn't for what's going to happen in a few months, I would do that. But I need to help Ollie, and make sure that this time, the worst doesn't happen."
Samantha sighed, annoyed by the reminder. "Please don't remind me. I don't want to think about all the terrible things that I know of. It's tough enough for me to not do anything besides protect William."
"Really? Would you help if William wasn't in the picture?"
Samantha considered the question. Would she? No. She wouldn't. She preferred to stay away from life-or-death situations, and she lacked any self-defense training. "I don't know. It's hard to picture a world where I didn't have my son as my only priority."
"I'm done!" William came outside the bathroom. "What next?"
Samantha took her son's hand and squeezed it. "We're going home to drop off leftovers, and then I'm taking you to a playdate with Jimmy."
"Yay!" William cheered. "Is Aunt Tia coming too?"
"No. I'm going to spend time with your mom before returning home to the city. We will have to say our goodbyes before your playdate," Thea explained.
"No-o-o," William whined. "Can-ta you stay for-ever?"
"I'm sorry, William." Thea frowned. "But I'm needed back home. I really enjoyed getting to know you this morning."
William sprung from Samantha's hands and hugged Thea tightly.
Samantha's stomach churned. William was so happy with his aunt. Why did he have to get along so well with the family that endangered him?
Samantha knew something bad was going to happen. She felt it in her bones during her walk home with William and Thea.
Her son and his aunt were holding hands as they talked. She found it hard to breathe as she saw her son smile so brightly at his aunt. Samantha wasn't typically a jealous woman, but when it came to her son, she hated seeing others bond so easily with him.
But that wasn't the sign that worried her the most. She saw a tall black man in a suit stop and stare at the three of them, before he jogged away from them in the direction of her home. Was he a threat? Was he planning to kidnap her son?
Samantha needed to relax. Her son was safe. No one was after him in the present time. No one had a reason to target William as long as Oliver didn't know about him.
But Samantha's reassurances were blank words, and her fears were answered. She should have never allowed Thea to spend the night.
Moira, Oliver and the black jogger were standing on her doorstep. A fancy car was parked on her driveway, and her neighbors were staring at the three wealthy visitors. Samantha expected that type of reaction. Her neighbors were strictly lower-middle-class, ordinary men and women who never had money for a Rolex watch, never mind a BMW.
"Mom, Ollie, Walter," Thea said shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"They obviously tracked your phone or something," Samantha sighed. "I should have never let you convince me to let you stay here."
William hid behind Thea; he obviously felt the tension amongst the adults.
Thea ignored her son's fear. "I didn't bring my phone. I knew they could track it."
"We looked into Ms. Clayton's phone number from the phone call the other night," Walter explained with a calming English accent. "I told them about how surprised you were about it the night before when we realized you were missing."
"I told them I was with friends." Thea said softly to Samantha. "That excuse should have worked at this point of time."
Samantha ignored her; her focus was entirely on William. Her son was frozen behind Thea; what was going on in his head? Was he scared?
"Thea, take William inside," Samantha demanded and handed her the key. "I'll talk to the others."
Thea nodded, and went inside her house with William. After a harsh glance towards her, Oliver followed the others inside. For a moment, Samantha wanted to demand that Oliver stay behind. William almost died whenever Oliver came near him. But this wasn't the place or time. It was probably better to deal with Moira with Oliver in another room, and Samantha didn't want Moira anywhere near her son.
"Let's talk in your car," Samantha told Moira. "You're not coming into my home."
"I would not want to go into what you call a home anyways," Moira shot back snidely. "Here's fine. The car would be pretty cramped."
Samantha shook her head. "My neighbors are watching. Do you really want my neighbors listening in?"
Instead of answering, Moira walked to her car, obviously expecting Samantha to follow her.
A short while later, Samantha found herself sitting across from Moira and the black man – Walter, if she remembered correctly. The car was far from cramped. It reminded her of the sofa she sat on the one time she visited the Queen's mansion. Soft with nicer fabric than Samantha would ever own. This time Samantha knew to sit opposite Moira on a different seat instead of the same couch, and, thankfully, they weren't alone.
"I thought we had an agreement, Ms. Clayton," Moira began. "You would stay away from my son, and I would not interfere with my grandson. What made you decide to get my daughter involved?"
Samantha didn't know what to say. It was overwhelming to confront the fact that all her fears from the past eleven years came true.
Samantha had wondered for years what Moira would do if she decided to act like William existed. She was lucky the last time; Moira had died a long time prior to Oliver discovering William's existence. Samantha had the leverage to get Oliver to keep quiet; he was to the world a playboy with a fiancé. But this time Moira was alive, and Moira was a force to be reckoned with. There was nothing Samantha could do to control the situation. There was no going back. Samantha had made the risky choice to allow Thea to stay over, and she now had to deal with the consequences.
"Moira," Samantha began. "I didn't decide to tell Thea. She found out from a different source. I appreciate you coming by, but I believe it's best for your family to continue to stay away from William. We can pretend that today never happened."
Oliver knew about William now. Samantha owed him nothing else.
Moira stared her down, silently commanding the room with her condemnation. "We both know that is not possible now that both my children know the truth." She grabbed a familiar folder from her pristine Saint Laurent tote bag. Even though it was upside down from her point-of-view, Samantha recognized her picture from the Reef Institute's website.
Before Moira could start disparaging Samantha's ordinary lifestyle, Samantha stated sharply, "We both know that Oliver is still recovering from the past five years. I'm sorry to hear what happened, by the way. I can't imagine what his time alone was like."
"Thank you." Walter smiled gracefully as he spoke for the first time. "We are grateful to have him back."
Samantha nodded. "I do not think Oliver is in the right state of mind to know William at the moment. I think…"
"I will decide whether my son can know his son. Not you. William is a great opportunity for him to recover from the regretful situation he was in the past few years. I will not let you keep Oliver from his son. You kept this secret from him long enough," Moira said pointedly.
"And you demanded that I keep it a secret." Samantha shot back. "You can't have it both ways. Oliver lost his parental rights the moment you decided for him that his son was supposed to be a miscarriage to him."
Walter shuffled slightly, a slight glint of surprise in his eyes.
"It is your word against mine. Do you really want this to result in a big custody battle?" Moira's eyes widened wickedly.
Samantha ran through possible scenarios that could get her out of this position. Outside of accusing the woman of being a terrorist, there was nothing she could do. Samantha knew that Oliver could, through Moira, demand some custody arrangement with parental rights. Moira once gave Samantha a two-million-dollar check to pretend that she miscarried. But that check wouldn't be enough to stop Moira from reaching her goal to control William's life.
"I guess I will be seeing you in court then. In the meantime, I do not want your family near my son." Samantha pressed her hand against a car door, and it wouldn't bolt. "Unlock the car. I have nothing more to say to you, Moira."
"I wish you would consider your situation more clearly," Moira said. "Your choices led you to this situation. If you simply lied to Thea, I would never have told Oliver."
Samantha's mouth opened wide in astonishment. The nerve of that woman. "I wish it was that simple."
"Mr. Diggle," Walter said to the driver. "Please unlock the door."
Samantha froze, realizing that in the front seat was Oliver's partner. She remembered the ex-army man. He was always so kind to her. An unemotional voice of reason. Samantha wondered if he knew the truth about Oliver yet. It didn't matter. She needed to get out and get the Queen siblings out of her house.
Samantha let out a sigh of relief as she walked up her driveway. When she reached her porch, she heard Walter call out, "Ms. Clayton, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Samantha nodded, remaining on the porch. "What can I help you with?"
"I wish to apologize for Moira. It's a tough position for her to own up to the mistakes from her past. I wanted to tell you that she is honorable with her intentions towards William. She truly wants Oliver to connect with William. She feels that knowing William will help Oliver overcome his trauma from the island. We do not plan to challenge your legal guardianship."
"Walter," Samantha said sharply. "I appreciate your apology. But I care what is best for William and spending time with Oliver isn't what is best for him."
"Ms. Clayton, I understand your concerns." Walter said. "How about we give you a week to think about it? We can talk about the best compromise next weekend."
Samantha shook her head. "My opinion won't change. I'm sorry to put you in this position. But there are factors beyond your knowledge that have impacted my decision."
Walter nodded. "I see. Can I come in with you to get Oliver and Thea?"
Samantha sighed. Maybe, she could come up with a solution in a week. She was getting frazzled from the encounter with Moira. "Fine."
Walter walked up the porch. After he gestured to Samantha to enter first, Samantha told him, "Fine. Give me a week, and then we can discuss this further."
Walter smiled at her; his relief was evident. He likely didn't want to disappoint Moira.
Why did she have to be the one who compromised?