This story is the result of my amazing beta's encouragement, Mathlover15. Thank you and big hugs. Everyone, she deserves all the love for this story, truly it was because of her encouragement and suggestion that this story has been possible.

For those who haven't read the other two parts of this story, it may not be overly necessary to, if you want you can go ahead and read Chapter 6 of Home of Blood and Heart where Felicity reveals her past to Oliver and the Team. This story is a prequel to HoBH and DoB and chronicles Felicity's life with her family the Al Ghul's and her path to becoming Talia Al Ghul. Oliver and the team will not be showing up in this one.

"I got on an illegal flight to Egypt without visa when I bumped into a man. I recognized the camouflage uniform he was wearing; it was the same as my father's in the picture. So I followed him and ended up outside the gates of a mansion.

I just had a first name to go with from the back of the photograph so I asked the guard at the gate if he knew any Ra's around here. I went on a five minute ramble about how it was a name of a person and not a place or a thing. He just stared at me stoically. I was sun burnt, hadn't eaten anything in two days having run out of money so, annoyed, I stomped my foot on the ground and shouted at the top of my lungs that I was looking for a Ra's who happens to be my father and that I will not leave the guard alone until he gives me an answer."

(Felicity to Team Arrow in Home of Blood and Heart)

"What's going on here?" A voice rang out chasing away the silence that had washed over the compound after her outburst. The desert air swirled around her ankles, blowing her skirt about her knees with the wind, her blue eyes skipped over to the man who had bellowed, away from away from the guard at the gate who had been the unfortunate recipient of her ire. Dark brown close cropped hair, French beard adorning his mouth, tanned skin glinting with sweat he stood, his tall frame dwarfing the man before him, his stance wide and intimidating, eyes wide in a glare.

Her desperation, burning skin, exhaustion and hunger had driven her mad with fury, making her lose any control she had held over her emotions and the damn had burst on the poor unsuspecting man just doing his job. Tears spilled from her eyes suddenly, the outburst having left her body too weak to hold herself strong anymore, the vice grip she had learnt to hold over her emotions early in life evaporating along with her angry words.

She had run away from home but had no way to go back anymore. The fear of having to live on the streets, never finding her way back home or to her father paralyzed her. Her body stood rigid in fear as tears flowed unchecked, leaving a burning trail from eye to chin, the moisture irritating the red angry skin it flowed upon.

Her tears distracted the hulk of a man from the smaller guard, his six feet three body pivoting to look upon the teary eyed girl. The anger and irritation rushed out of him in a whoosh, the silent tears flowing from the young girl's shadow blue eyes, not unlike his own loosened his rigid body, relaxing his muscles and slackening his stance. The world narrowed down to the wet trails down her reddened cheeks, paralyzing him, his mind drifting away from the lush green surroundings of his mansions lawn, the guard, his friend and the little girl disappearing for a moment to a world where he felt a kick in his mind's eye to his chin courtesy of the little baby girl held in his arms. The soft skin of the baby's toe scuffing against the rough hairs of his stubble bubbled out a giggle from the small human, bringing a smile to the stoic man's face, pulling the muscles around his mouth in a way that he hadn't felt in a long while not since the birth of his first child. The little miracle in his arms brought forth the memory of his first daughter being born, the fear, happiness, elation, anxiousness the birth had brought then, had come back full fold at the birth of the second one.

Tears pooled in his own soulless eyes as he gazed upon the gift that the Gods had bestowed upon him once again, looking into the eyes of the little baby now grown into the body of a pre-teen, he felt his heart start beating a forgotten rhythm. A small hand came to rest on his arm, diverting his eyes from the small dark haired girl standing outside his gates to the copper skinned young woman beside him. Her long dark hair pulled back in a braid, clothed in dark clothes just like her fathers the regal woman looked at the dumbfounded guard still standing sentry, fear lacing his green eyes as they flickered between the three ignoring the silent man clad in camouflage army wear stood behind them.

"Jonah, open the gates," the girl commanded.

Nodding dumbly the man finally broke his sentry, fisting keys from his pockets he opened the gates to the wide eyed girl, her face tear streaked, skin sun burnt, and body weak from days wandering in the desert country alone with no sunscreen or shelter and lack of food and water. Walking to the young girl the new arrival knelt on one knee in front of the girl, her eyes soft and welcome, her voice kind as she spoke, "Come inside little girl, you look like you need some rest and some food in you."

"No, it's ok," Felicity replied sniffling. "I don't want to impose. All I want is for someone to direct me to a man named Ra's and I'll be on my way."

"You won't be imposing on anyone darling, come in. You look hungry and tired, come in rest, eat and we can help you look for..."

"Ra's, he's my father…"

"I heard that, little one. Come in and when you have rested we'll take you to him, I promise."

"No," she shook her head stubbornly, "I don't know you. Please just tell me if you know anyone by the name of Ra's. I need to see him."

"How do you not know where your father is or who he is?" the woman asked curiously, her voice soft and kind, her eyes staring into hers, waiting patiently for an answer.

"I have never met him. He doesn't live with us. I just want to be with family, and he is all I have. Please if you know anything will you tell me?" she asked tearfully, begging.

"Of course my darling, of course I would," the copper skinned woman said softly, gathering the small girl in her arms soothing her, her voice wet with her own unshed tears. She combed her long fingers through the sweat soaked hair of the young girl, smoothing out tangles days of neglect had formed, shushing the crying girl quietly.

"I am Ra's Al Ghul," the tall man exclaimed softly, unable to stand the sight of tears on the face of his youngest any longer as he watched his first born attempt to soothe the trembling form of the younger girl. The tears he had held back slid down his hardened face as he watched watery eyes rise up to look at him from beneath wet lids in disbelief. He continued, as her sniffles began to die down, her forehead scrunched in concentration, gaze fixed on his face, contemplating and searching. His voice came out hoarse as his throat clogged with emotions he hadn't felt in a long time threatened to spill out of him overtaking his very soul, "Ra's as you know me," He cleared his throat before asking tentatively in a soft whisper, not willing to scare the girl even more than she already was, "You…you are Felicity, aren't you my darling?"

A nod of her small head confirmed what he had realized the minute his eyes had landed on the fiery girl. Her shadow blue eyes hid behind large rectangular frames and the long dark brown tresses adorning her head, a perfect clone of his. He watched in quiet fascination as the glasses slipped down her nose, her fingers putting them in place continuing downwards to wipe snot away from under her nose. The beauty the little girl emitted caught him off guard, seven long years away having left him unaccustomed to radiance of the little girl he had once held in his arms and sung lullabies to. The five year old hurricane who he had recited filtered versions of his encounters over the world as bedtime stories to, the sloppy goodnight kiss she had once laid on his stubbled cheeks, her delighted giggles at his poor attempt at cooking breakfast, the one who would rush to him with scraped knees expecting a kiss in return as he wiped away tears of pain stood before him a more mature version of herself, twelve years old and having traveled halfway around the world in search of her father.

Felicity looked up her eyes still squinted in disbelief, lips pursed she dug her small hands into a coin purse slung diagonally over her shoulder above her backpack, producing a well worn piece of paper. The three adults and young woman around her watched confusedly as she ran her yes over the small paper and looked back up to Ra's, repeating the action three times before she exhaled a sigh of relief. Her shoulders dropped as a smile lit up her whole face, her bright eyes turning back to Ra's, tears now dried joy taking their place at the accomplishment of her mission.

"I…"

"You can talk more inside child, come on. You must be tired…" the man who had stayed silent until now finally spoke, his eyes having assessed the emotional reunion of the family all this time.

"And hungry," Nyssa interjected, worried at the emaciated appearance of her younger sister.

"I kind of…" Felicity hesitated, "ran out of money two days ago and stopped eating to save what little I had left a few days before that, though the dates and berries I picked helped a little it really wasn't enough, and those were some juicy dates too. Did you know that dates naturally replenish energy and revitalize the body…" she continued rambling, now walking beside the young woman, her arm around her slender shoulders guiding her through the massive grounds of the mansion. As she reached the enormous wooden doors Felicity's thought process diverted from the replenishing qualities of dates to the young woman guiding her. Tilting her face upwards to the girl she asked, "I'm sorry I never asked you who you were?"

"Oh it's no problem darling, you're understandably distracted. I'm Nyssa, Nyssa Al Ghul, your sister."

"Sister…" Felicity whispered in awe, her eyes shining in new delight at having discovered a sibling.

"How old are you Felicity?" Nyssa asked lovingly.

"I'm 12, what about you?"

"17."

"So, is there something you need to tell me, Father?" Nyssa asked stepping into her father's ornate office the mahogany dark wood flooring alighted by the glowing embers in the corner stone fireplace. The traditional style wooden library ran along two and a half walls of the office where it broke to give way to the intricate wooden door she had walked in from. The rest of the wall was hidden behind shelves and glass cases of weapons of different kinds and eras. As a little girl the ornate study had once been a sanctuary for her to disappear into, the vast amount of classic literature to delve into and the history of the weapons cared for and stored in the office served as a favorite fascination of hers.

Nyssa walked in, determination splashed across her features as she settled, crossing her legs at the ankles on the low backed leather cushioned chair opposite her father's high backed one, a sixty inch in width and thirty in height, burl accented, six drawer ornate wooden desk sitting upon a hand knotted deep brown Kashan Persian rug. Intricately carved Acanthus leaves adorned the edges of the desk, along the shaped apron and elegant cabriole legs.

Ra's stood facing the windows behind his desk, the lush green and date palm trees of the lawn outside a welcome reprieve from the brown of the desert around. The sound of the wind rustling through leaves could be heard through the closed windows as he stood with his eyes closed, meditating. The distant sounds of the start of a fight echoed through the lawn, the grunts and thwacks reverberating in the background as Ra's turned to face his eldest. The scattering of photographs and documents had long attracted his daughter's attention, leaning over examining them as she waited for her father to settle, his glass of scotch clutched tightly in a fist.

"Nyssa, now is not the time…" Ra's began rubbing long fingers against his wrinkled forehead.

"Actually I believe now is the only time," she interrupted, determined to get answers she believed she deserved. "She's asleep now. The poor thing was exhausted, didn't look like she had had a lot of sleep either," Nyssa informed softly.

"Good," Ra's nodded along taking a sip from the tumbler he held.

"I have never thought of you as a saint father," Nyssa continued just as softly as before. "After mother passed away I didn't expect you to be faithful to her forever, you know."

"Nyssa…" Ra's sighed out tiredly.

"All I want to know father is why did I come to know about her after so many years? Why didn't you ever tell me that you had fathered another child…my sibling? And why didn't you ever bring her here? She belongs here with her family and yet she was kept away, why?"

"I had my reasons."

"You know I have never questioned you on anything Father. I believe in you and trust you to make the right decisions, but this time, this time I am going to ask, I have to ask. It's my right to know why you kept my sister away from me all these years."

"It wasn't my decision," Ra's roared, banging the crystal tumbler he still grasped onto the wooden tabletop. "I tried to bring her with me. But her mother was adamant and involved the authorities."

"I have never known the legal system to have stopped you before Father. What was so different this time?"

"Nyssa…"

"If I'm asking these questions Felicity will…"

"Talia…" Ra's interjected.

"What?"

"I had named her Talia," the leader of the League of assassins stated, his voice solemn and eyes distant, trapped in a memory. "Her mother changed it the next day on the birth certificate but the original one stated her name as Talia."

"Talia," Nyssa pronounced quietly, rolling the name around her tongue, testing it, before she continued, "Talia will question as well, maybe not now but later she definitely will."

"I know."

"Then maybe..."

"How about I tell you both together?" Ra's questioned, reigning in his ire.

"That sounds good too father. But it has to be as soon as possible."

"It will be, I promise my love, it will be."

"Ok," Nyssa nodded in affirmation. "Do you think she'll like it?" Ra's furrowed his brows at the question, watching the young girls face twist in contemplation, her eyes assessing a situation only she could see in her mind's eye. The next words of his eldest jolted him out of his own reverie, his mind having jumped to various scenarios the question could fit to, as he redirected his attention back to his first born, "Her name…Talia, do you think she'll like it?"

"I believe she will."

2 days later…

"Oh my god! This is delicious…What the hell is this?" Felicity asked as she shoveled some more rice into her mouth moaning in return, her reactions to the food always managing to bring a smile to the faces of the two other occupants of the table.

"Swearing is a bad habit dear," Nyssa chided softly. "This is called Mhahshi," she continued with a smile, "and the macaroni on the side is Beschamel, it is very much like macaroni and cheese, I believed you might enjoy it."

"Oh I do. This is awesome!" Felicity replied, her voice raising an octave with her exclamation, her teeth showing in a smile meant for her sister. The three Al Ghuls sat close together on the sixteen seater ornate dining table enjoying a late lunch as a family unit. The polished dark wood of the table shone against the sun shining in through the ten curved windows that adorned the wood paneled walls of the ostentatious formal dining room, a high inbuilt fireplace mantel stood attached to the wall behind Ra's' chair, with the ornate dark wood sideboards on opposite sides of the table. The cove ceiling above held a large dangling crystal teardrop chandelier in the middle, while a patterned rug under the table and fully upholstered dining chairs completed the regal room.

The Al Ghul's sat dining with expensive floral patterned china dinnerware, crystal glasses and silverware crockery that unnerved Felicity, having grown up eating out of paper and melanine plates, and unmatched stainless steel crockery.

"Yes it is, my darling, it very much is." Nyssa chuckled.

"So…why did you leave?" Felicity asked after a pause, the atmosphere in the dining room instantly charged up with tension, her chewing slowed as she focused on the tight face of her father. Ra's sat calm, his body still as his knife and fork sat abandoned by his table setting, wiping his mouth with the table napkin he took a drink from his glass of wine before he spoke, his deep voice carrying around the empty room, "Talia…"

"Fe-li-city…" she corrected, her eyes rolling before a thoughtful look crossed her face, wrinkles appeared next to her eyes as she pursed her lips in curiosity and asked, "you keep calling me Talia, why?"

"Because your name is Talia…"

"No, it isn't. I have my birth certificate, my name is Felicity…"

"I named you Talia in your original birth certificate," Ra's interrupted, his voice a hoarse angry whisper. The startled look on the little girls face stopped him, taking a deep breath, calming himself he continued in a softer voice, "Your mother changed it, and since it hadn't been filed yet you were officially named Felicity."

"Ok…"

"If you want we can call you Felicity, it will be no problem," Nyssa assured, throwing a warning look to her father.

"What does it mean?"

"Talia means Dew of God, I have always believed that my children are a gift from God and I wanted to give you a name that spoke of that."

"Hmmm…I like it," Felicity nodded, her forehead scrunched in thought.

Nyssa smiled at the younger girl's acceptance of her new name. Clearing his throat, Ra's continued, "Your mother was adamant, I tried bringing you with me…"

"But why did you leave?"

"I had to," Ra's sighed. "The authorities were closing in and a certain faction was rising inside the league, Nyssa was in danger and so was everyone who had ever been loyal to me."

"I was here and I didn't know…"

"No, I made sure you never did. But you did wonder why we had considerably less members suddenly didn't you?"

"I knew they were all dead but I didn't know why…"

"That's why I had to leave. The betrayers had tipped off ARGUS, Interpol and other authoritative agencies. After a long battle out of court I couldn't convince your mother so I finally left, the authorities were closing in and the faction was starting to take over and I feared they may hurt Nyssa. I came back and took over once again. But after the rebellion had been squashed I knew I couldn't come back, all I could do was hope that I would one day see you again."

"You could have…"

"No I couldn't have. Your mother would never have let me see you and I had no intention of hurting her. I had loved her once and in respect of that I held back. I kept tabs on you time and again but it never was enough. I am glad you came here…you have to know my darling I didn't want to leave you behind. I wanted you to come with me, be with us, learn and be an Al Ghul."

"I thought I already am an Al Ghul…"

"Yes, yes you are my Talia, indeed you are."

My version of Ra's Al Ghul is the same as the one Liam Neeson portrayed in Batman Begins and Nyssa is of course the embodiment of the character played by Katrina Law on Arrow.

Jonah was a member of the League of Assassins, a human who was killed but then made into a wandering sprit by Rama Kushna. He turned evil and became an enemy of the Deadman. He's appeared in two issues of Dead man so far and is described as an attractive male with leadership qualities, skilled in unarmed combat, stealth, tracking and is also an accomplished escape artist. He has the powers of flight, invisibility, magic and possession after his apparent death that has him lurking about as an immortal and a ghost.

Mhahshi is pronounced as Maejhi and is a stuffing of rice, seasoned with herbs and spices, put into vegetables like green peppers, aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, or cabbage leaves. The stuffed vegetable is then placed in a pot and topped with tomato sauce and lemon or lime.

Beschamel is an Egyptian variant of the Greek pastitsio, typically incorporating Gebna Rūmī (Egyptian Sardo or Pecorino cheese) along with a mixture of penne macaroni and béchamel sauce, and usually one or two layers of cooked spiced meat with onions.