everyonelives | i'm leaving you my last curse

[JJ has run out of opportunities to sneak away, get in through Verdant, or trying to work his way into Queen Consolidated. That leaves one option left: one of the Arrowcave consoles in Queen Manor. He knows where they all are, having practically grown up in that house, but getting in there without arousing suspicion is the hard part.

The Queen Thanksgiving event will have to do.

He buys his time, making small talk with the previous generation and Zoe, waving Connor off to go conversate elsewhere, and he slips down into the lower levels to find the hidden console spot. As soon as he uses his father’s login he knows that its going to trip some alarm Oliver has somewhere, but hopefully he will be able to find what he’s looking for in just enough time.]

* Oliver's phone pings and he graciously steps away from his conversation with Tommy and Laurel in order to not make a scene. He makes eye contact with Mia and then his son. He shows her his phone screen, cants his head, and suggests with his eyes that she follow him. Because everyone who could be at the Arrow console is in this room.

Except for J.J.

J.J. has about three-to-four minutes before Oliver lets himself in. He waits another half-second before calling out. )

J.J.?

[Three minutes is all he needs (20). A quick search to find the file he needs and cloning it onto his phone before quickly closing the tabs and slipping said phone back into his pocket, just in time for Oliver to come around the corner, seeing him looking over the feed for the party.

Nothing suspicious there at all.]

Oliver. Sorry, I just was getting a little air. Figured this was the last place anyone would look for me.

( He's known JJ since he was a kid, so his (4) saves JJ's lie, perfectly. In the back of his mind, he does wonder if being here with Mia might also be difficult, but Oliver doesn't bring things like that up unprompted. )

We also have a back lawn, an upstairs, and whole other rooms where you don't have to put a code in to gain access.

( But the lie is sold and Oliver approaches the feed. )

I'm here if you want to talk.

Don't think you're a bit biased on this one?

[Given that his daughter is at the heart of it? It's not a no, it's just making sure that Oliver is sure he wants to have this conversation.]

She left us, too. And, there was a time when I thought you might become my son-in-law.

( He's here. He won't compromise his daughter. But, he will listen. )

[He takes a deep breath, before shaking his head with a pause.]

It isn't even the Mia of it all, not really. I'm hurt that she left the way she did, but maybe that was for the best.

[After all, once he woke up, he couldn't unsee what he remembered any more than she could and Mia, regardless if her last name is Smoak or Queen, is always going to be a problem.]

It's ... the rest of it. Metahumans are one thing but ... vampires? Magic? Ever feel like the world just got way too big all of the sudden?

( He wouldn't agree it was 'for the best,' maybe 'for her.' But, perhaps their relationship wasn't as perfect as it looked. No relationship is. )

Two alternate realities in. ( And more since. ) Hard to wrap your head around?

[He nods, because that's a plausible reason for him to be off center.]

Can't help but feel like it's a whole new world of dangers out there, and I won't be able to keep up if they start following her back from Europe.

Danger's everywhere, JJ. With what your dad and mom do, I assume you'd know that. Or, is it because of the kind of danger. ( The kind of danger, he susses. ) I've barely grasped what Mia's into, but I know she's doing good.

( She's not marking names off a list. )

Would I rather her running her charity or landing herself on magazines? ( She's still doing that. ) But, I can't tell her what to do. And I can't reverse time and not know about vampires or, or demons. Well. I knew about demons. ( A beat. ) Your uncle Constantine.

Is he really our uncle? He doesn't really give off uncle vibes.

[He feels like his dad would veto that, but that's neither here nor there.]

And yeah, I know. I just wish we had more ways of preparing ourselves. I don't like not knowing.

The kids. I think he came to one Christmas, but he set a rug on fire, so he was vetoed as a guest from then on.

( JJ met him but probably doesn't remember him. )

Well, maybe we can be there for each other. Deal with anything together. You and Mia will be friends again.

I don't think she wants to be my friend.

[More than JJ knows, actually.]

She seems to have gathered herself plenty of new ones.

Nights like this are a good start.

( Does he like what she does? No. But, she likes it. And his son does, too. That makes him feel good as a parent. )

JJ, I'll always be here for you. For anything, okay? ( He leans over and shuts the monitor off. ) Now, we should probably get back there. Worrying will only get us so far. And that's not what holidays are for, is it?

["Fair enough," he nods and goes easily, comfortable with the confidence that he obtained what he came for.

In the meanwhile, Mia is hanging out on that porch Oliver mentioned, watching the messages roll in through the various WhatsApp chats. It seems as though Scotland was an isolated incident, and it wasn't a sign of someone coming after the Slayers as a whole.

It's still gutting, though, as each of the confirmed deaths roll in, as well as the confirmed survivors. Twenty girls are dead, but some of them are still alive. That has to be worth something, doesn't it?

Regardless, she hasn't been feeling very party oriented, and has been trying to keep her poor mood to herself.]

( From one party to another, Mickey arrives later than William (and Cooper?), parking along the roundabout. He beeps his car's alarm, and then pulls out the second carton of beer he grabbed for a house that probably doesn't need it.

After deciding against going in the front, he decides to take a walk around the house. Decompressing from seeing your dead friend and then kind of friend you romantically confessed your feelings to is what's on the menu.

Coming around the side, he spots his roommate on the porch. )

Anything else from Scotland?

About twenty dead in the collapse.

[She knows the names of all of them. They had been her class, so to speak. The girls she trained with, the ones she was put among as she adjusted and learned. And now most of those girls are dead in one fell swoop. She swallows and shakes her head.]

But most of the American cells are safe, so it looks like this may have just been a one and done. Maybe all they were trying to do was go after Buffy.

( He takes the steps up onto the porch, setting the beer down on a hanging bench, in case she wants a hug. Or, to punch something. )

Or, it was an attack of opportunity. It's a big target.

( He'd say rogue hunters, but he knows they were witches and vampires. And those vampires were a part of an organization his boyfriend is very familiar with. )

Taking a breather out here?

[She nods as she reaches for the glass sitting next to her.]

I've been managing the check ins with the American Slayer cells, so I'm not exactly great for conversation when my phone's blowing up every five minutes.

[And she hasn't been much in the mood for people, or more specifically, Lyla and Diggle's well-meaning but also disappointed parent expressions in her direction.

She might still be out here if Scotland hadn't happened, but Scotland is quite the convenient excuse.]

You've head from Wes, right?

And you lost friends.

( He probably wouldn't be good company, either. As for disappointing parents that aren't your own, he thinks she should take those withering looks with a grain of salt. They loved their son. Ultimately, it probably wasn't right, or she'd have worked through the shock and reconciled. Maybe this was a good excuse, but any excuse is usually a good one. )

Earlier. He was stuck in the wine cellar with Damon Salvatore. I offered to call in my nonexistent poker chip with Klaus, compel what must have been a painful memory, away, but he denied my very generous ( and nonexistent ) offer.

( He tugs at the sticky material holding one of the sides of the carton together, pulling one panel up so he can grab a beer. )

[Mia snorts before shaking her head.]

Probably for the best. He might have gotten dirt to use on Damon later.

[You never know when someone requires emotional blackmail.]

Is he going to be coming home soon?

We can only hope.

( Contrary to what he might think, or what people might think, he actually dislikes Stefan more than his brother. At least his brother is a dick outright. Stefan pretends to be some good guy. Instead, he's just a dick. )

As far as I know. He's on a flight tomorrow, or - tonight - maybe around now.

( He thinks he's coming back, but his family isn't. ) Everyone is scattering.

That's what people do after something like this.

[She certainly did, when her world imploded with the Slayer of it all. But she also can't help but hope that some revenge will be in the mix. Mia has a express wish to punch things, and is waiting for Faith to fill her in on the details on where she's heading.]

I'm sure he'll make it back safe. He seems like he's good at flying under the radar.

( He remembers. Hunters did it. He's assuming the hunted also do it. It's a natural reaction. He didn't ask too many details, because if he isn't directly involved, he'd like to not have the information on him. Something about being a hostage and then a compelled fall-guy. If Wes needs to give him any information, he'll be there. But, if it doesn't affect him, no thanks. )

Literally.

( He smirks, popping the beer open finally. He licks some of the foam from the top before taking a sip. He lets that settle. )

He does just take things. He's easy.

( They both are. Mickey's getting better at being easy again. )

You guys seem good together.

[Not that she's known Wes overly long, but it seems like he makes Mickey happy. And Mickey's come a long way from the hunter who lied to her in London.]

I'm glad things are working out.

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