New Beginnings (TA)

Participants: Oliver Queen
Open/Closed: Open to ANY AND ALL Arrow family members 
Location(s): Ollie's penthouse
Time of Day: 7:37pm
Weather: Dark clouds, lightning and mild rain 
Summary: After spending a few months contemplating the sins of his past on island of Lian Yu, Oliver Queen has returned to the city he calls home with a glorious sense of purpose. However, he is still having doubts himself as the kind of man that the world needs Green Arrow to be. 



"The first sighting was at a local convenience store just outside the harbor!" The reporter on television's voice was giddy with excitement as the footage of the hooded vigilante stopping two street toughs from robbing a cashier flashed on the television screen aside jovial elevator music that played behind it. "Later, an appearance was made at a local mob demonstration protesting recent instances of police brutality. He showed respect for both the activists and the officers that were present and encouraged them to find always value in others during tough times." An arrow zipped across the picture to somewhat comedic effect before the cameras settled in once again on the woman behind the news desk. 

"Arrest rates have already gone up sky high in the past two weeks and no one knows where he'll show up next. But one thing's for sure, criminals in Star City--"

Ollie flipped the TV set off promptly and turned to the window that he had been romantically brooding by for the last hour. A family friendly comedian of a hero that fought fiercely for liberal ideals. How did that image play in with all that he remembered he had done? All the lives he had taken in Seattle. Everything that he had forgotten when Hal resurrected him almost a decade ago. Everything that he had not had to live with until he decided to take another one again. Prometheus. As soon as his arrow pierced the armor of that cop killing lunatic, Ollie began to go in and out of states of shock and recall events that he had not seen or heard of in so long. His wife, Dinah, being tied up and tortured by drug dealers. Murderers. Crime lords. Rapists. All being slain by his bow and sleight of hand. He knew at the time he thought these actions were right, but looking back on them now he was not sure how he had been able to live with himself.  

He had been temporarily drained of fun and his spirit was hurt. But out on the streets, he would try his best to remain who he was destined to be. A Springsteen style vigilante who stuck up for the little guy. The voice of those who didn't have one. A symbol of hope and joy for the law abiding citizens of this city. Someone who could be looked up to and appreciated. This was all his plan when he finally decided to leave the island once again, but was it possible for a self-proclaimed everyman to feel alright about residing in the same body as a killer?

His thick goatee had patches of gray in it now, and his vibrant blonde hair was slowly beginning to thin. His age was showing also, and although trash talk never got to him, one of the thugs he at the convenience store had blatantly pointed this out before he administered the ass whooping that had been mentioned on the news a moment ago. He sucked down another shot of whisky and then poured himself more. The table in front of him had photos of all his old friends from the Justice League. Hal and Barry sat side by side at a Star City Rockets game in one of them. Barry was holding a hotdog and Hal was nursing a fresh Coors Light in one hand. Another framed picture of his son, Connor, was also of worthy of note. It was taken on a cruise that he went on with Wally West and Kyle Rayner. The picture of the boys must have been taken during when rumors of Ollie's demise had been...not as exaggerated...

The photograph of his wife would surely bring questions to his mind that he couldn't bare to think on at this moment. All the time that he had been gone without any explanations would surely prompt some hostile reactions from his family, the most severe of which likely belonging to her. However, he missed her. He missed all of them. Roy. Mia. In time he presumed that he'd find they were doing well. He wasn't sure when he'd see them again, or even if any of them were still in this city. But if they were around, they surely knew that he was here. And if they decided to show themselves to him, then he had a plan that would bring them all back together...hopefully...

It was hard to gauge whether or not he would be taken back by all of his friends or not, but over time the most definitive thing he had learned was nothing could be accomplished without the help of others. Even in his younger days as a crimefighter, he had always had Roy right beside him. He contemplated the shot of whisky in front of him and then decided to let it sit. He was not going to spiral into alcohol to reduce his bad feelings. Thunder cracked in the distance. Like had been for many of his costumed friends before him, a time of rebirth was at hand and he was only going to be his best self regardless of the mistakes that he had made in the past. 


 

It had been a while, possibly far too long, since Connor had been to the penthouse he'd once called home. He'd been able to get his own apartment, a simple one because it wasn't as if he owned a lot of things or needed a lot of space. Maybe he could have stayed there still but after all that had happened, it hadn't felt right. He'd needed to put space between himself and Ollie. He'd needed to remember who he was, himself, and give his dad time to figure out who Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow was. That journey, that quest, had apparently taken his dad out of Star City. It explained his absence, why the two of them hadn't ran into each other since they had last parted ways - not on the best of terms, unfortunately.

Connor had been holding down the front in Star City for a while now. Even when duty had called him elsewhere, he'd called in some favors to make sure the city was watched - most often with Kyle or Wally because the two of them could easily watch over Star City while he was away. It was still so... odd wasn't the right word, it didn't fully capture how uncomfortable it made him feel, to be in Star City but work so separately from the rest of his family. Roy did a lot of work on his own, he had for a while now. But Connor had gotten so used to working alongside Dinah and Mia and then Oliver. He'd worked alone before - He'd always known help wasn't always going to be there when needed - but he'd gotten so used to fighting alongside his family. He'd had to remind himself plenty of times to fight harder, to be stronger so that he wouldn't require backup that wasn't coming.

He'd heard whispers before the news had ever caught wind of the story. The original, the first Green Arrow was back in the city. Ollie was back. A part of him had admittedly wondered if his dad would ever return. Each day that passed without him, without Ollie extending an olive branch, made him wonder if he was going to once again be the city's only Green Arrow. It'd made him wonder if once again he was going to be without a father.

He'd spent most of the afternoon patrolling. It was an easy way to focus, to work through his nerves. He'd been hoping for a while now that Oliver would reach out to him, would try to open communication with him again, but he also knew that there was a good chance that wouldn't happen. There was a chance Ollie would just sulk and keep to himself and let his family drift farther apart. Connor didn't want to drift farther apart.

That was how he found himself, in jeans and a green hoodie, his shoulders speckled with rain, standing on the front porch of the penthouse he'd once called home. His hood was up, cell phone tucked safely in a pocket, away from the rain. It'd been a while since he'd felt nervous when it came to his dad. He'd been nervous when they'd first met. He'd been nervous when Oliver had returned to the living. He was nervous now. He could still remember their argument. He still stood by most of it but wished he could take back part of it and the harshness he'd said those words with. He wondered if Ollie felt the same way.

He reached forward, pressing the doorbell, hearing it from where he stood. He drew his hand back, stuffing both hands into the pockets of his hoodie. His head hung and he nervously shifted on his feet. He didn't know how long he'd wait if Ollie didn't answer the door. He had to be home. Connor didn't know where else he'd be.

At the sound of the door unlocking and opening, Connor looked up, silent for a moment, probably looking as close to a deer caught in headlights as he ever got even. He wasn't sure if he should wait to be invited in or walk right in as if he still lived there. He chose to wait because that seemed like the more polite option, eventually finding his voice, the words coming out softly. "Hi dad."

---

721 words
Oliver Queen + Team Arrow

The doorbell rang in the foyer behind him. He stood still for a moment. Who on earth would be coming to visit him? Was there even anybody out there that still cared? He examined his display of photographs again. It could easily be anybody from the League, but they would be more likely to reach out to him by phone before anything else. A presence at the door after being back home for such a short period of time had him concerned that a would-be attacker was in wait outside. His identity had never been a secret to anyone, and he felt that those in his immediately family would not come back to him unless he offered an apology first (at the very least). 

He picked up the shot of whisky that he had abandoned and cradle it between his pointer finger and thumb for a moment. "Hope you're not looking for a fight..." He mumbled to himself as he downed the shot and placed it on the countertop behind him before reaching for his coat. He wore a dark green button down and beltless khaki pants. His sockless feet were covered by a fancy pair of slippers that likely costed more than the rest of his outfit. He prepared himself to throw a fist as he turned the handle of his front door. 

"Hi dad."

A wave of relief came over him, but he also felt a distinct ache in his heart. "Oh...boy..." He though slowly to himself. Connor had come home. The one person who would always stand by him. Who would forgive him no matter what. Ollie wasn't even there for half the boy's life, and maybe that was for the best. Looking at all the (lack of) good that his presence had done Roy, he could only wonder. Connor was not his son in the same way that Roy was, but he had all the qualities of a fantastic one. Only a son who did not have Ollie in his life for the better part of it could grow up to become such a person. Such a kind person who always had good intentions. And even though Ollie knew he never had much to offer him, especially after the last argument that they had had, he was always glad to see him

He wasn't really a mushy guy, but he couldn't help feeling this way. He initially had some quip about his family's good looks on his tongue, but in his joy he could only formulate a copycat response to his greeting. "Hi...son..." He said with warmth and slight hesitation. Rain drizzled around his boy in the cold fog as they just stood there for a moment. After a pause that seemed like minutes, Ollie reached out his arm and grabbed Connor's shoulder. "It's good to see you...you look well..." He patted down with his hand repeatedly before finally giving in to what was really on it's way. "Aw, hell..." He certainly wasn't the head of a family of huggers, but this was something that he felt they both needed right now.

Rain dripped down on his head as he stepped out onto his porch to embrace his son. He hoped that he would do this to everyone eventually. Roy, Mia, Barry, Hal. He hoped he would eventually do something a little more with Dinah, but she was a tough nut to crack. It would probably take a while before she even agreed to be in the same room with him. "How are you, my boy? It's been such a while. Have you been holdin' down the fort while I've been away?" He had so many questions to ask, but he thought he'd start off with the basics. Unless there was something over-the-top attack on the city underway, he figured they'd have time to reconnect.

He stepped back and held the door for his guest. Sure, it made for great a overdramatic effect during a moment of rediscovery, but after a certain point there was obviously no sense in just standing out in the rain any longer. The penthouse was dusty and dirty when he had finally returned to it, so it was obvious that even though Connor was still in the city he hadn't been staying there. Since he knew no one else besides him would have been doing so, it was a relief to him when he first came back to it and found that it hadn't been lived in. If Connor hadn't been making a home out of it, then a supervillain could have easily set a trap for him or been staking it out in hopes of his return. 

He pulled open the liquor cabinet in the kitchen before remembering that his son abstained from alcohol. Or did he? He felt ashamed that he didn't remember, but he would assume the former since he felt it was more in character for somebody of Connor's...elegant nature. He held a bottle of vodka in his hand as he stepped over to the fridge to grab a water bottle for Connor. Hopefully he had good news for him. Hopefully there were no hard feelings. And hopefully this would be the first step on his journey towards a new life as a hero. He tossed his son the bottle and then stepped back into the living room to retrieve his shot glass.

He was interested in hearing what his son had to say and what he had been up to during the past year. This time, as hard as it was for him, he would be a listener instead of a talker. Friends of his would probably laugh at the idea of that, but in a room with his son after such a long time he would be able to prove them wrong.

Connor Hawke