Unaware that another "loving" villain had already set his sights on her, Thea—under the noble excuse of healing her emotional trauma—spent three quiet days at home, brooding on the outside but secretly quite pleased with herself.
Using her room's computer, she started mapping out this world's bigger picture. There was no Captain America, no Iron Man, no S.H.I.E.L.D.—only Superman, Batman, and the mysterious Court of Owls. Thea frowned. That could only mean one thing: this was clearly the DC Universe. Unfortunately, she wasn't very familiar with it—she only remembered that it had countless parallel Earths: Earth-1, Earth-2, all the way up to Earth-52… total chaos. The world's "continuity" was that there was no continuity! Even nearby Central City had been turned into Swiss cheese by all those speedsters tearing through dimensions; toss a brick there and you'd probably hit three different versions of the same person. Drag in a DC writer and he'd be just as confused.
She sighed. Whatever. She hadn't planned to save the world anyway. She could just be a quiet, beautiful bystander—well, beautiful woman. She'd watch the heroes do their thing; if the sky fell, Superman would hold it up, and if he couldn't, the Flash would just reload the timeline. Nothing to fear. Even if the world ended, it wasn't like she'd be the only one dying. Her mindset was perfectly calm.
"Thea, come with me to a dinner party," Moira said softly, her face still weary. "Just… keep me company, please."
Seeing the tenderness in her mother's eyes made Thea's chest tighten a little. For the past three days, Moira had been explaining herself nonstop, begging forgiveness. Thanks to Thea's deliberate effort to ease the tension, their relationship had started to mend—at least, that's what Moira thought.
And honestly, Thea was getting restless. It might be good to go out for a bit—and maybe see what benefits her "dear father" might be willing to offer. In the original storyline, Malcolm had poured all his affection into her after Tommy's death. But Tommy was still alive and well now—thinner, maybe, thanks to Laurel's constant nagging—but alive nonetheless. Full devotion was out of the question, but a few perks shouldn't be too much to ask.
To reassure her mother, Thea didn't wear her usual androgynous outfit. She gritted her teeth and put on a long dress—so long it brushed her feet. High heels? Impossible. She could barely walk in them, so she switched to flats instead. Thankfully, with those long legs of hers, she still looked tall and elegant.
Mother and daughter arrived at the venue—a typical charity gala. Moira kept introducing Thea to various businessmen and officials. Thea hadn't yet decided what path to take, but one thing was certain: having money was better than not having it. When Oliver returned someday, he'd have zero interest in the family business—he probably saw Queen Consolidated as part of his father's sins. So, taking control of the company was now her priority. The company's weapons division was on par with Wayne Enterprises, and in fact, the Atom's suit had only been developed after his lab acquired Queen's weapons tech.
Call it ambition or pragmatism—either way, power that rested in her own hands was the only power worth having. She'd already changed from a man to a woman; surely fate owed her at least a multibillion-dollar corporation in compensation.
Following Moira's introductions, Thea greeted each guest gracefully, showing impeccable manners. No wonder future-Thea could serve as Oliver's mayoral aide—she really did have the poise for it.
Scanning the crowd, she couldn't help but wonder how many of these people's names were written in the Green Arrow's infamous little notebook. That notebook was supposed to be her adoptive father Robert Queen's journal—a unique artifact—but somehow, Moira had one too, and Prometheus in Season 5 also had something suspiciously similar. And they were all the same size, same logo on the cover—a Star City subway map.
Did Malcolm order them in bulk from Red Star Printing for team consistency or something? Poor Oliver had spent five years guarding what he thought was a world-shaking secret, only to come back and find half the city had matching copies.
While she was quietly pitying her poor "brother," another one appeared. "Hey, Thea, haven't seen you out lately. Heard you were sick?"
That easy tone could only belong to Tommy—her other brother, though he didn't know it. He clearly didn't care much for the formal event, showing up in casual clothes with his white shirt half unbuttoned and no tie. On his arm was Laurel, dressed elegantly, clutch bag and necklace gleaming.
Watching the two of them being so openly affectionate, Thea's brain worked fast. She got the message immediately—Tommy was subtly trying to tell her he had no feelings for her and hoped she wouldn't take things the wrong way.
So Malcolm didn't tell him the truth? Or maybe Tommy had been too busy hanging around his best friend's girlfriend to even go home? Thea wanted to grab him by the collar and yell, "Brother, you've got it all wrong! It was acting—acting, you hear me?"
Of course, she couldn't say that. What expression was she supposed to show now? Since she "knew the truth," should she look heartbroken? Regretful? Guilty?
Her scalp tingled just thinking about it. Tommy watched her nervously, terrified she might have a breakdown. Luckily, Laurel—ever the social buffer—stepped in. Having grown up with both Tommy and Oliver, she was used to their messy dynamics and knew Thea well. What she didn't know was that no matter which of the brothers she ended up choosing, Thea would still be her sister-in-law. Truly, DC plotlines were magical.
Laurel gave Thea a warm hug, breaking the tension. The two women exchanged a few polite, meaningless words.
To be honest, Thea could never figure Laurel out—the woman destined to become the Black Canary and Oliver's great love. Oliver had supposedly loved her so much that he carried her photo for five years on that island, but during those same five years he'd slept with practically every woman he met. That's true love? Really?
And Laurel herself—this sharp-faced beauty had taken Tommy five years to win over, only to flip the moment Oliver returned to the city. A few casual conversations and—boom—one window-side encounter later (without even drawing the curtain), and poor Tommy got front-row seats to his own heartbreak.
Her far-away brother's irresistible charm was beyond reason. Thea decided to stay out of their mess. If she ever gained enough power to save Tommy at a critical moment, she'd make sure this love triangle kept going forever—eighteen seasons minimum! Maybe they could even rope in Laurel's sister for a four-way drama. Wouldn't that be something?
Unless, of course, it ended with Oliver and Tommy deciding to spend the rest of their lives together…
Ugh, gross! Thea shook off the ridiculous thought, gave the two lovebirds a polite nod, and slipped away to a quiet corner to rest.