CH: 135 - Shadows and Light

{Chapter: 135 - Shadows and Light}

Late into the night, beneath the soft hum of city lights filtering through the hotel window, Carol lay sprawled across Aiden's bare chest, her body still slick with the fading heat of their passion. The sheets clung to their legs in a tangled embrace, forgotten. Her breathing was slow, contented, and her cheek rested over his heart like it was her favorite pillow. Aiden smiled softly, one arm tucked behind his head, the other gently tracing circles along her back with his fingertips.

"Exhausted?" he teased, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Carol hummed, her voice barely a whisper. "You're lucky I love you or I'd accuse you of trying to kill me…"

Aiden chuckled. "You know I could say the same."

She shifted slightly, her lips brushing his collarbone as she spoke, "No one has ever made me feel like this, Aiden. Not just… physically. I mean—emotionally. It's like when I'm with you, I don't have to pretend to be the woman everyone expects me to be. I can just… be."

The smile on his face deepened. "I know that feeling," he said.

The night melted around them in laughter and quiet whispers, their conversations meandering from childhood memories to dreams of the future. They spoke until the stars gave way to morning light, and somewhere in the haze of contentment, they drifted off to sleep wrapped in each other's warmth.

---

The Next Morning

Elsewhere in Star City, Oliver Queen tightened the cuffs of his blazer with a frown. His mother's voice echoed in his head from earlier:

"You were kidnapped, Oliver. If you're going out again, you're not going alone. I'm hiring someone—John Diggle. He's ex-military. He'll keep you safe."

Safe? Oliver didn't feel like someone who needed a babysitter. Still, he didn't want to worry her any more than necessary. So, begrudgingly, he let Diggle drive.

John Diggle, composed and professional, sat behind the wheel, his posture straight as an arrow. "Queen," he began, glancing at Oliver in the rearview mirror, "I know you're not thrilled to have me here. But I take my job seriously. You were kidnapped. That makes you a target. I don't plan on letting that happen again."

Oliver offered a polite, if brief, smile. "I respect that. But I also don't plan on sticking around for you to protect me."

Diggle arched a brow. "What's that supposed to—"

But by the time he looked over his shoulder, Oliver was gone.

"Son of a…"

---

Aiden's Hotel

Oliver moved swiftly through the halls of the hotel, dressed sharply in his usual dark, understated style, eyes scanning the doors until he found the right one. The intel he gathered on Aiden—the mysterious Green Lantern—was limited, but enough. He knew where he was staying. He just didn't know why Aiden had sought him out.

He raised a hand and knocked—three sharp raps.

The door opened after a few moments. Oliver blinked, caught off guard by the sight that greeted him.

A woman.

Not just any woman—gorgeous, radiant even in her simple robe, her damp hair tied into a loose bun. Her skin still held the glow of early morning, and her hazel eyes sparkled with a playful curiosity.

"Oh. Uh… I must have the wrong room," Oliver began, frowning.

Carol tilted her head and smirked. "Are you Oliver Queen? Billionaire. Supposedly dead for five years. Came back recently with a new, mysterious set of skills and a dangerous gleam in your eye?"

He hesitated. "...Yes?"

Carol's eyes lit up. "Then you're in the right place. Come in. Aiden's just finishing up a shower."

Oliver hesitated but stepped inside. "Thanks. And you are?"

"Oh! Sorry. Carol Ferris. I'm his girlfriend." She gave a small wave before moving to pour him a glass of water.

Oliver blinked again. Girlfriend. She was clearly just a civilian… which meant Aiden trusted her with his secrets. That said a lot.

"Oliver Queen," he replied, though she obviously already knew. He glanced around the hotel suite—minimalist but refined. "I've been trying to learn more about your boyfriend, but there's hardly anything out there. Just a few sightings… rumors, really."

Carol smiled fondly. "He's good at staying out of the spotlight unless he wants to be in it. But he's more than what you've heard. Aiden doesn't care about fame. He cares about the people. Even the ones who don't know he's protecting them."

There was genuine pride in her voice. The kind of admiration that only came from deep love and complete trust.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open, and Aiden stepped out, fresh from the shower, dressed in dark jeans and a fitted black shirt. The faint green glow of his power ring still shimmered on his finger, slowly fading as he willed the energy down.

"Oliver," Aiden said with a nod, taking a seat across from him. "Glad you came."

"I want to know what you want from me," Oliver said bluntly. "Why did you seek me out? And how do you know my secret?"

Aiden leaned forward, his voice calm and controlled. "Relax. I'm not here to expose you. I'm here because I believe in what you're trying to do."

Oliver's eyes narrowed.

Aiden continued, "The Queen who washed up on the shores of Purgatory Island… the one who survived five years of hell, only to return and become the man your city desperately needed? That story—it's not just about redemption, Oliver. It's about destiny."

Oliver stiffened.

"I know what it means to carry the weight of expectations, to come back from something no one could survive. And I also know that the world needs more than just cosmic guardians. It needs grounded warriors too. You have that spark. I'm offering my hand—not as an ally of Earth, but as someone who sees your mission and wants to help."

"You came back to not only save the city… but also for your father's redemption, am I right?"

The words landed with the force of a gut punch. Oliver Queen froze mid-step.

For a moment, the wind through the alley whispered like ghosts brushing past his ear.

His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing beneath the hood, trying to read the man before him. Calm. Poised. Cloaked in a radiant emerald aura that pulsed with otherworldly energy. And those eyes—ancient, tired, knowing far too much for someone who looked so young.

"…How do you know that?" Oliver finally asked, voice low, guarded, but with a flicker of vulnerability he rarely let surface.

The stranger gave a faint smile. Not smug. Not cruel. Just sad. Understanding.

"I know many things, Oliver Queen. I know what you sacrificed when you returned to Star City. I know about the promise you made to your father in blood. The crusade. The names. The list. I know about the island… and the five years you wish you could forget but never will. I know about the darkness you carry like armor… and how much it weighs."

Oliver's breath hitched. This man wasn't guessing. He knew.

Before Oliver could speak, the man stepped back, raising one gloved hand. With a faint hum of emerald light, a swirling projection of the galaxy bloomed into the air between them. Stars spun in spirals. Nebulae flared with color and motion. Worlds drifted like seeds in the cosmic wind.

"Now… let me speak of myself," the stranger said, his voice echoing strangely, like it carried across light-years. "You know me as a Green Lantern. But that title… that light… is merely one sliver of what I am. What we are. The universe, Oliver, is older than the atoms of your ancestors. It is deeper than the guilt in your soul. It is stranger, wilder, and more dangerous than you have ever imagined."

Oliver's eyes widened as he stepped closer to the construct. He wasn't a scientist—but even he could sense the scale. This wasn't a trick. This was… real.

"There exists a Corps," Aiden continued, "a legion—no, a brotherhood—called the Green Lantern Corps. We are not born into this duty. We are chosen. Selected from countless species across the stars. From worlds of fire, water, wind, and shadow. Chosen for our willpower—our ability to resist fear when all light fades."

He turned, facing Oliver now, the projection reflecting in his eyes like green fire.

"We are not soldiers, though we fight. We are not enforcers, though we uphold law. We are peacekeepers. Watchers. The last line between order and oblivion. The sentinels standing between the stars and the storm."

He gestured toward the far edge of the holographic galaxy.

"This is Sector 2814. It's one of thousands. And Earth—our world—lies within it. This sector… has been under my protection."

Oliver couldn't hide his disbelief. "You protect… what? The galaxy? That's your beat?"

Aiden nodded solemnly. "You protect a city. I protect civilizations."

There was no arrogance in his tone—only the weariness of someone who had seen too much.

"I don't just chase criminals through alleys or hover above skylines," Aiden said quietly. "I defend dying suns. I negotiate peace between warring empires of sentient gas. I've stood in courtrooms where the accused speak in pulses of quantum light. I've fought alongside warriors with scales, feathers, exoskeletons—and yes, Oliver, I've faced enemies that can devour stars."

Oliver swallowed hard, every instinct in him screaming that this couldn't be real. But his gut—the same gut that kept him alive through five years of hell—told him it was.

"You think of aliens as fiction," Aiden said gently. "I call some of them friends. And others… nightmares."

The Green Lantern paused, letting the weight of his words settle into the silence.

"But I'm not here to frighten you. I'm here because… the storms are coming, Oliver. Bigger than anything you've ever faced. The streets of Star City are no longer the edge of your battlefield. The threats are evolving. Some won't come wearing masks or carrying guns. Some won't care about your bow, your arrows, or the walls you've built to protect your people. Some will come from above. From beyond."

*****

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