Just a Kid • Book 1

• Chapter 3 •

Rory appreciated all the concern, but really, she was fine. The worst injury she had gotten was a very small scape on her leg from when she fell. And although she was getting kind of tired of answering the same question over and over, she appreciated that she had so many people that cared about her well-being.

After being reassured that his granddaughter was okay, Quentin walked over and he sat in one of the living rooms with Oliver, Tommy, and Rory on one couch and Moira and Walter on the other.

Quentin listened as Oliver recounted what had happened. "So that's your story? A guy in a green hood flew in and single-handedly took out three armed kidnappers? I mean, who is he? Why would he do that?" Quentin questioned.

"I don't know. Find him and you can ask." Oliver responded and Quentin turned to Tommy. "Yeah. What about you? You see the hood guy?" Quentin held up a drawing the sketch artist had made of the hood guy.

"I saw..." Tommy trailed off as he looked over at Oliver, "just movement, everything blurry. I was kind of out of it." Tommy answered and Quentin turned to his granddaughter.

"How about you, Rory? Did you see the guy in the hood?" Quentin asked her. Rory shook her head. "I was unconscious. I didn't wake up until afterwards. So, no, I didn't see him."

Quentin had kept all his negative comments to himself when talking to Rory when he thought Oliver was dead, for her sake, but seeing him put his family in danger again was making it hard for him to hold his tongue.

"It's funny, isn't it? One day back, and already someone's gunning for you. Aren't you popular?" He directed this to Oliver, but it was Moira who spoke. "Were you able to identify the men?"

"Scrubbed identities, untraceable weapons. These were pros." Detective Lucas Hilton answered.

"Yeah, well, they probably figured you'd pay a king's ransom to get your boy and your granddaughter back, or a Queen's ransom, as it were." Quentin said to Moira before turning to Oliver.

"After all, a parent would do anything to keep their child safe or grandchild safe." There was a double meaning to Quentin's words and everyone knew it, even Rory. She slouched in her seat uncomfortably.

"I don't find your tone appropriate, detective." Moira said and Quentin looked over at her. "If Oliver can think of anything else, he'll be in touch. Thank you gentlemen for coming." Walter said, standing up.

Everyone else stood up to follow his lead. Quentin stood close to Oliver and spoke quietly. "Your luck never seems to run out, does it?" Quentin said before starting to walk away and motioning for Rory to follow him.

Once a little bit away, Quentin stopped and turned to his granddaughter. "Listen, I'm going to call your mom. Let her know what happened but that you're okay. She's going to want to come see you." Quentin told her and she nodded.

"Okay." She confirmed and Quentin pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Aurora." He told her. "I love you too, Granddad." She responded before he left.

~~~

It didn't seem to be that long before Laurel showed up. She pulled Rory into a hug, asking her the same questions that everyone else had asked her. Rory answered the same way.

"Rory, I'd feel better if you came back home, at least for tonight." Laurel told her and she nodded. She wasn't going to argue, despite not wanting to leave her dad.

So Rory went to grab her things and say goodbye to her dad. "I'm sorry I have to go, Dad, but I'll see you soon." Rory said and Oliver nodded. "Of course, kiddo. We don't want your mom worrying more than she has to." Oliver responded and Rory nodded before giving him a hug and then leaving with her mom.

~~~

Rory spent the rest of the day and most of the next day with her mom. It was close to evening and the two were watching a movie together, though Rory's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't stop thinking about her dad.

They were interrupted when there was a knock on the door. Laurel paused the movie to go answer the door. Rory trailed slowly behind, curious to see who was at the door.

"Tommy? What are you doing here?" Laurel questioned. "Well, the party for Oliver is soon and I wanted to make sure you were going." Tommy answered.

Laurel shook her head. "Really, Tommy? No, I'm not going." Laurel lowered her voice. "I can tolerate Oliver for Rory's sake, but I'm not going to go out of my way for him."

"I get that. But, Laurel, you guys have too much history to leave things the way you did the other day. If you're going to have to at least tolerate each other for Rory, maybe you should be the one to take the first step. Try to talk to him." Tommy reasoned and he could see Laurel was hesitating.

"Mom, you should go. Dad would want you there, and I know that that doesn't mean much to you right now, but still. He just came back from the dead." Rory spoke up and Laurel looked over at her.

"Even if I did decide to go, I couldn't. You have nowhere to stay. Oliver, Tommy, and I will all be there and Granddad is at work. Thea's hardly ever at the Queen place anymore, and I thought you said that Moira and Walter were going out together tonight?" Laurel spoke.

"They are, but I'm sure we could figure something out. I mean, I could just stay here alone." Rory suggested and Laurel immediately shut her down. "No way. Not after what just happened."

"Mom, those guys weren't even after me. They were after Dad, and Uncle Tommy and I just happened to be there." Rory said, but Laurel still shook her head.

"What if I go visit Uncle Merlyn?" Rory suggested, referring to Malcolm Merlyn.

During the five years that Oliver was gone, Rory visited Tommy a lot. He was the closest thing Rory had to her dad and one of the only people who would really talk to her about him, so she always asked to go over there.

And when she went over she usually saw Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy's dad. Since she saw him so often, she considered him to be like a great-uncle to her (since Tommy was like her uncle and Malcom was his dad).

Laurel looked to Tommy who waited a moment and then nodded. "Okay, half-pint. I'll drop you off on the way."