Straight Shot ➳ Oliver Queen

19. Turpitude

"Who's following in whose shadow?" I fell quiet when Oliver approached me and Diggle.

"No one," Dig replied. "Have a good night, Mr. Queen?"

"Spectacular." He answered then looked at me. "Morning, Kate. Dig."

"Morning, Ollie."

"Mr. Queen."

"Oh, boy." Oliver said, spotting the police that Moira was speaking with. "Never a dull moment at the Queen house, right?" He teased. As if on cue, I glanced out the large windows of the living room that displayed a view of the grand pool and patio behind the mansion, the one I had been proposed to on just two nights ago. My mind then drifted to what happened afterward: being attacked by the Chinese Triad, the Hood swooping in... the kiss.

"Right. Never a dull moment." I reiterated.

Moira had finished speaking with the police and was standing to the side, her hands clasped in front of her pencil skirt. "Kate, thank you so much for coming." She said, greeting me by the doorframe.

"Mom, what happened?" Oliver wondered as he watched the police officers pass him, escorted out by Walter.

"Your sister was arrested for breaking and entering. First, it was public intoxication, now this. My, how we are moving up in the criminal world." I felt sympathetic for Moira. I could hear the frustration in her tone, and I could also hear that she had no idea what to do about it.

"She's testing you," Oliver said flatly.

"And who'd she learn that from?" Moira quickly returned. She had a point. The behaviors Thea had been displaying were copied and pasted directly from Oliver's biography. I had attended several of Oliver's court trials and even one of his arrests. It terrified to see Thea diving head first down the path Oliver had taken and something told me Thea wasn't going to be involved in a boat accident to wake her up. "It doesn't matter. She'll be staying home today and resting."

"Wait, you're letting her play hooky?"

"When your sister is being difficult like she is now, the best thing to do is back off and give her her space. I seem to recall you being the same way."

"Mom, when I was Thea's age you and dad let me get away with murder." Oliver recounted. "Looking back, I could've used less space and a hell of a lot more parenting."

"Ollie," I warned, laying my hand on his shoulder. A hurt look developed in Moira's eyes.

"Well, when you have your own children, feel free to raise them the way you see fit. But for now, I am Thea's parent and I will decide what is appropriate parenting for her." With this, Moira stormed out of the room, the click of her heels echoing down the hall. Some of the hostility in the air left with her and the air seemed a bit lighter and easier to breathe after she had left.

Oliver turned to me. "Was I wrong?"

"The facts weren't wrong. It's the delivery that could've used some revision." I responded, crossing my arms over my chest. Oliver suppressed a small chuckle.

"She may get the turpitude from me, but that–" He playfully tapped my crossed arms, "she gets from you."

Oliver walked passed me and followed the same route his mother had taken out of the room. I stared after him, a confused expression on my face. "Did Oliver Queen just use the word turpitude? In a sentence? Correctly?"

"That boy baffles me, too." Dig commented. "Like how he manages to disappear every night. Right out from under my nose."

"Yeah, you are not good at your job," I said and he turned towards me, taken aback, his eyebrows about to furrow when I chuckled. Realizing it was a joke, he smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well, if he keeps it up, it won't even be my job." He alluded. "I didn't survive two tours in Afghanistan to be babysitting an ungrateful bachelor that doesn't even want my protection. No offense."

"None taken." I said. "But he does appreciate you. He just doesn't show it much."

"Try 'at all.' But it's not about the appreciation. It's more... curiosity. I mean, where does that kid go? Don't tell me it's all just random hookups."

I shrugged. "I don't know, Dig. Oliver's been pretty closed off since he got back. I like to assume there's a reason he hasn't told either of us where he runs off to."

I passed Diggle and began heading towards the front door of the Queen's mansion. Just as I reached for the door handle, I heard Moira's heels clicking down the stairs. "Karter, wait." She called.

"Yeah, Moira?" I responded, turning to face her as she approached me.

"I was hoping you could talk to Thea." She requested. "You've always been able to get through to her. She looks up to you."

"I can try. We're only recently back on speaking terms, but I'll do what I can to talk some sense into her." I volunteered and Moira gave an appreciative smile, gently squeezing my bicep before venturing off to another room in the ginormous house.

I climbed the long staircase up to the hall that led to various bedrooms in the house. I stopped in front of Thea's closed bedroom door and knocked softly. When there wasn't a response, I knocked a little louder. "Thea?" I called.

There were footsteps from inside the room and the door swung open just enough for Thea to pop her head out and check who was at the door. When she saw it was me, she swung the door open and I followed her into her bedroom. She had changed out of the second-day clubbing outfit she had been in when I first arrived and was now in a lilac-colored t-shirt and grey sweatpants that were cinched at the ankle. She pulled out her earbud and tossed the headphones and her phone onto her bed before collapsing onto the mattress by the electronics.

"So," I started, closing her bedroom door behind me, "Larceny, huh?"

Thea rolled her eyes. "I see. Mom sent you to talk to me."

"No!" I denied, but she raised her eyebrow dubiously. "Okay, yes, but I happily agreed since I'm worried about you."

"Why are you worried? I'm fine." Thea insisted.

"Is that why you broke into a store? I find that behavior odd considering it wasn't even that high end of a boutique and you're the daughter of a billionaire, so clearly, this isn't about wanting expensive clothes you can't afford." I reasoned and Thea followed along, drooping her head. "Do you wanna tell me what made you think it was a good idea to get drunk and break into a store?"

"I don't know. I guess I wasn't thinking."

"I think you were, Thea. I think you were looking for something that would get your mom's attention." I deduced.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom hasn't exactly been very present in your life. Is there a possibility you were trying to get her attention?"

Thea was quiet for a moment. "When she's yelling at me for doing something, it's the only time we actually communicate."

"Oliver was the same way. Getting in trouble with your parents makes you know they care. But there are other, less illegal, ways to communicate with your mom. Like maybe talking her?"

"Easier said than done."

"When Oliver wanted to talk to your mom, he always waited until she was alone in the parlor reading a book. She was relaxed and could focus on whatever he was saying then. Maybe try that?"

"Thank you, Karter."

"Of course, Thea. I'm just glad to have my Speedy back."

"Now if I can just get Oliver to say something to me that isn't hypocritical judgment."

"He's your older brother. Hypocritical judgment is his job. And he cares about you and just doesn't want you to get into the same trouble he did." I explained. "He doesn't want you to make the same mistakes he did and end up like him."

A/N: How do you guys feel about the relationship forming between Karter and Diggle?