Title: It's a Revolution (I suppose)
Words: 4012
Status: Done. Potential for Sequels.
Genre: Friendship/Adventure
"No, thank you...look, I gotta go" He addressed the phone as he put it down, finishing the call. "Honey, you're back," Quentin said, looking at his little girl. She wasn't supposed to be back home. She had a life, outside of this place. Gotten away from her demons. He was supposed to tell her that she was better off, but the truth was he missed her everyday.
She shook her head and smiled,, because this was the welcome home she never thought she'd get "Yep. I thought you might be glad to see me back and better than ever,"
"But I thought the job, the boyfriend, the life." He rambled. He wasn't supposed to be selfish. That was her job. Her job, because she was the kid and deserved a better life.
She shook her head. "Not as important as coming back was. I couldn't stay. It wasn't the same. And after two years, I had enough. I wanted to come home," She told him.
"God, honey," He said, hugging her. It had been so long since she'd been in his arms. She went to treatment and then she started a life with a boy from treatment. They had plants together because a dog, that wasn't in the cards, another mouth to feed was too much pressure her group said. "I missed you so much. Everyday I thought about you,"
"I know," She whispered and closed her eyes. She thought about him everyday too and in turn, he was one of the most powerful things she came back for. Where she had told her dad and everyone about treatment and starting a life, she only told them a partial truth and the full truth would be so undoubtedly weird for them to hear. "But I'm not going anywhere anymore."
"What about this boy from treatment?" He asked.
Of course. She rolled her eyes. "He met someone else. We're still friends, but right now it's just me."
"Well, good, my Laurel, you look good." He said, looking at her. She looked more confident and her body, it had been toned up from what he last remembered. She looked like she was ready to move on with life and now it seemed to Starling.
She blushed, same old Laurel, "Well, look Dad. I just came to say hi, but I'd love to see you tonight. Dinner? At my apartment? You, me, Ollie, Felicity, some of my other friends?"
"You want me to go to dinner with Oliver?" He asked, quirked eyebrow and all.
She shook her head. "What I want you to do is go to dinner with me and the people I haven't seen who were close to me." She told him. "And Oliver's a part of my life. You know that."
"Yeah, well, dinner sounds great. Text me details, okay?" He asked.
She grinned. "Will do. But I should let you get back to work. Crime waits for no one." She joked.
"Crime can wait, I finally got my daughter back." He said, hugging her again. He couldn't help it. He cradled her head in his hands, just like his baby. She'd always be his baby. He was so happy he could cry. Sure, it wasn't like Sara who had died and then come back to life and died again. But Laurel was a different type of pain. Laurel was always there and when she hadn't for the last two years, there had been a void. It took every ounce of his strength not to start drinking. But she wouldn't have wanted that. And he used that as strength. She was still alive. She could still call at any time.
She felt loved when he put his arms around her. This is what she missed everyday. She missed seeing him. She missed the love that came from this place. Her life had been almost completely void of love for the last two years and now she had more in five minutes than she ever did in Gotham. "I promise, I'm not leaving you. But you should get back to work because I need to go finish up the last bits of paperwork for my new place. And I'll see you at dinner."
He let her go and wiped the tears from his eyes and he looked down at his desk and she left. Laurel was finally back. What that meant for the rest of them, he didn't know, but he finally had his baby back.
She signed the paperwork and got the keys to her place and put some really basic furniture which was basically the bed, tv, table and chairs and dishes in and there was pretty much nothing else. But she'd get that later. She'd have time.
She had money saved from her job in Gotham when she left and she was going to use that in the first few months looking for a new job. But she finished that quickly and smiled. She knew where to go next.
Felicity danced in her chair while Oliver moped about the next meeting. They were boring and he didn't understand the big words that they used to talk to him about the stuff that Queen Consolidated was doing and basically, it was a bunch of squares trying to get as much money as possible out of him.
"Laurel," Felicity shrieked with glee and Oliver looked up. If nothing else, for Laurel, the welcome she got from Felicity was worth coming to Queen Consolidated. Oliver looked over. No, it couldn't be. Laurel was in Gotham, having a fun life with the guy that she met from the Treatment Center. Plants. The whole deal. Her father had told him. They weren't exactly friends, but it was what it was. Quentin had been in his life long enough that even if they weren't okay with each other, they seemed to at least keep a civil relationship.
He saw her run out of her chair, which made a pretty spectacular display of almost falling over from the amount of force that Felicity had pushed it back with. He had to see what was going on. This had to be some sort of nerdy thing she was geeking out about. Like when the man who looked just like the Tenth doctor came into the office. They'd had a talk about appropriate behavior then, but he guessed it didn't click. "Felicity, what the hell is going-" He saw her. She was there. In his office And she was so real. "on." And with that he practically shoved Felicity out of the way and wrapped his arms around her. She was home. "You're back." He whispered into her hair, stroking it, feeling her in his arms.
She grinned and even though he couldn't see it, he could feel it. She was real. This was not just some fever dream that he'd cooked up. She was real. She ran her nails down his back in the way that always calmed him when they were together. "It's gonna be okay. I'm real. I'm here." She soothed in a quiet voice.
"Well, Mr. Queen, Miss Lance is back." Felicity said in her best secretary voice.
He suddenly wished that Felicity was anywhere else but here. Because he'd replayed this scenario, meeting her again, a thousand times and it was just the two of them. He almost couldn't believe that she'd gotten up here without him knowing, but she was good at surprising him. He breathed in her scent. She smelled the same too. Oh, he never forgot anything about her, but she was just a much bigger presence and deal when she was in his arms.
He sighed, "I'm so glad you're back," He said, kissing her hair and letting her out of his arms.
"Come to dinner with me. Both of you. Tonight. My place. And no backing out." She told them.
They both looked to each other and nodded. "Can we make it just a little early? Like five?" He asked, remembering that there was a big thing that they had to do with crime fighting tonight. "Me and felicity have some work to do at the Office after dinner."
"Sounds perfect, because I have some things I should do. Like get my house together after dinner," She beamed at him. "Five it is. I'll text Felicity details." She said, knowing Oliver wasn't the best the new fandangled gadgets like his phone.
"Two years," He said. Two years. It had been exactly exactly 750 days since he'd seen her. Sara died. And she left. She left to make sure that she didn't relapse into anything. She went to a treatment Center and talked it out. Made sure that she knew how to handle things. And then she started a life. He checked in on her occasionally, never going to Gotham, but always looking through the papers and making sure she didn't make any headlines. There were some scrapes and scuffles with a crimefighter called the Black Canary, but there Laurel never made the paper's news that way. About the biggest thing she'd been in the newspaper for was being the exclusive florist to a big benefit.
He'd never tell anyone but he had printed out that picture where she looked so happy with her new life and kept it with him. It sat next to the Island picture which helped him through so much.
She laughed a little. "You and dad are so alike. He couldn't believe it either. You'd think I'd died or something," She told him.
"Well, it's just, we didn't really hear from you." Oliver said, still standing very close.
She wrinkled her nose. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere for awhile. But I should go home and get ready for everyone to be in my apartment. It's kind of barren." She told them.
"I'm sure it looks lovely. I mean it should. You're Laurel. Gorgeous Laurel. You have a fabulous fashion, I know because he talks about it all the time. I mean the clothes. Not that he only thinks about your clothes and how great you look in them. I'm sure he thinks about how you look great not in clothes..." Felicity started to babble and then she looked at both Laurel and Oliver and blushed profusely. "I'm gonna go sit at my desk and do assistant things." She told them. "It was really good to see you." She told Laurel, rubbing the other girl's elbow before she went back to her desk.
"She hasn't changed a bit, has she?" Laurel asked, amused at the babble that just came out of the girl's mouth.
Oliver grinned and looked down at Laurel, "Apparently not. She missed you." He said. "I missed you too."
"Well, don't worry, I'm not gonna be going anywhere. I love it here too much."
He sighed. It was good she was going to be back in town. He needed to make it up to her for how much of a jerk he'd been last time. Because he didn't keep her safe. He didn't protect her like he should have. And she had to run away because of it. "So five?" He asked, awkwardly.
"Yep, five. I'll see you then," She told him with a smile.
She left and he unabashedly stared at her ass. God, she looked good. And she had that damn boyfriend who no doubt would put his hands all over her. He tried not to think about her with another man. Because that would make him angry. "I see you, Mr. Queen," He heard another voice and saw his personal assistant. She gave him a pointed look and then also looked to his office. He sighed. She was right. He shouldn't think of him with Laurel either, because that would no doubt lead to another set of problems.
She ordered dinner in from La Sur. She almost thought about having dinner at La Sur, but at least in her home, she could kick people out. Because there would no doubt be a time when she wanted to put on the tights and go out.
Food came at the same time, her father and a few of her friends first arrived. She smiled to them all, all of whom had brought her housewarming gifts even though she had nowhere to put them yet. "Thank you so much," She said, giving Joanna a kiss on the cheek and putting a set of law books in her bedroom.
Felicity and Oliver showed up precisely at five. "Good to see you, Queen," Quentin said and and took his hand. He knew that's what Laurel wanted to see. The two of them getting along and for his baby girl, especially his alive baby girl, he'd do anything.
"It's been awhile, Quentin," He said with a smile. "So where's she?" He asked.
"She's in the kitchen, getting plates together," He said, looking over to her. "She looks good. Looks happy."
He couldn't agree with Quentin more. She did look so happy. She was in a great dress, talking to some of her closer friends from high school. Despite what people thought, he, tommy, and her had more than just the three of them. They were always the three musketeers though. "She does,"
During dinner, no one asked about her supposed recovery center boyfriend and there had been no mention of where he was. As far as everyone as concerned, everyone else knew exactly what they needed to know.
Felicity had been the first to leave, conveniently remembering she forgot something important at the office and that while dinner was good that she should probably go anyway. Oliver allowed himself a few more minutes to be in the happy scene, till Quentin got a call that he needed to go to some place. Crime. It waited for no one. She kissed him goodbye on the cheek and made some vague plans for tomorrow.
Oliver also got a call. Thankfully, from Felicity and he excused himself, giving her another kiss on the air and she had quietly ushered everyone else out, because she "had plenty of boxes to unpack" and they seemed to understand, though a few had offered help, she declined.
When everyone was thoroughly left, she left her apartment too. No sense in sticking around. She had a job to do. She had plenty of people who needed her. The city needed saving and that was what she came back to do. She came back to protect the people she loved. And that included Oliver and Felicity.
She turned on the system and everything whirred to life. "Miss Lance," A digital voice greeted her.
She smiled to it, "What do you have for me, tonight Acara?" She asked, it.
"Crime activity seems to be most highly populated in the High Beacon Hills region tonight, Miss Lance," Acara replied.
"Type?" She asked the computer while she got changed into her costume and straightened her domino mask and wig. No one was going to catch her. There had been some close calls in Gotham and her master was only too glad to put her at risk. Well, fuck that. She was going to do her own thing if she was going to take all the risk.
The computer processed the information. "Seems to be mostly white collar. Bank Heist in progress."
"Well, let's put things right," She said as she picked up her staff and drove to the High Beacon Hills area. There was a lot of activity, but thankfully it was dark and people didn't seem to notice too much. Too much going on to differentiate it all.
She saw the bank that Acara had pointed out and went in through a window and ended up in middle of the burglars. "Shit," She said as she fought them off, getting most of them knocked out, but there was one that was particularly hard. Had more grit than the rest of them. But she could figure it out. She had more stamina than him.
He headbutted her though. Umph. She felt that. And she'd feel it for awhile, but as she was going to disarm him, he was pinned up to the wall with an Arrow. The vigilante. "What the hell were you doing? I had him, I didn't need your help," She yelled at him.
He looked at her and didn't lower his bow. "Well, it wasn't you I was worried about. I was worried about him getting away."
"Good to see you're still protecting the city." She smirked at him.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked, gruffly.
He didn't know. He couldn't see her. Oh, thank god. She didn't want to have to explain this to him. Especially because it would no doubt lead to questions that she didn't want to deal with. "An ally. And someone who stopped this before you got here, Arrow boy."
"That costume doesn't belong to you. She died." He said, gruffly, taking her wrist in his hand.
She headbutted him and got him on his back, "She told me to take it over. She knew you'd need help," She smiled to him.
"Oliver? Oliver? Oliver?! Are you okay?" Felicity shrieked into his comm and Laurel smiled to him.
"Yeah, Oliver, you okay?" She asked him.
He shook his head, "Yeah, Felicity, I'm fine. Just hit a snag as I got in the bank. Someone was already here. Don't worry, it's fine." He gritted into the comm and she seemed okay with that.
The police came around and lights started flashing outside the ban, "Come on," He said. Despite the fact he knew nothing about her, he couldn't let her be taken in by the cops. He wanted to know more about her.
Besides, he'd be lying if he didn't wonder what she would look like in the light. He had seen her flip and take out some of the guys, before he could even shoot an arrow off, but he couldn't see her body.
He took them to the roof and they jumped together and sat on a roof a couple of buildings over. She was hot. God, the reports did not do her justice. She had taken on a shape close to Sara's, but smaller. Still, just as deadly, but she wore the mask and the wig and well, she looked good. Very distinctly different, but she was good. And hot. "So you know who I am," He told her. And he'd have to say something to Felicity about using his name. That had been a way that he could be identified by anyone they were coming up against. "What should I call you?" He asked.
She smiled to him, "Call me the Black Canary," She told him.
"Do you have a real name?" He asked her, with a bit of a smile.
She shook her head, "Now, playboy why on earth would I want to tell you that? You didn't tell me yours,"
"You know mine," He told her earnestly.
She shook her head, "I know yours because your associate is loose with your name. That's not my problem. You need to give me something before I tell you my name, darling." And she stepped out to jump off the building.
He looked at her. "Can I see you again? Or are you going back to Gotham?" He asked her. He wanted to see this person who Sara gave her mantle. She seemed more confident and sexy in the costume than almost anyone he'd seen who was trying to deliver justice to the city.
"Done your research, Arrow?" She asked him, with an eyebrow that quirked up.
He didn't blush. He desperately tried not to blush. He couldn't help it. Whoever this mystery woman was, she was hot. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I had a friend I was checking up on in Gotham. Turns out your were a pretty popular headline, other than the Bat guy."
She chuckled. Batman was definitely a headline in that city. But Black Canary gave him a run for his money. "They must have been pretty special." She said, knowing who he was talking about. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"The most special," He mused, "Sorta like you."
She looked at him. "You know, I think we'll be seeing each other pretty soon. Till then," She said.
"Wait," He said. "Don't I get a reward for helping you out? I mean I did save your life," He chuckled.
"Why should I get you a reward, I had it on my own. You were in the way."
"Well," He said, thinking about it, "I didn't leave you there for the police to find," He smiled to her. Whoever she was, she was hot and she didn't take anyone's crap and he liked that. She was definitely independent and sexy as hell. If only he knew who she was.
She kissed him quickly and smiled to him, "Next time, stay out of my way when I've got it, okay?" She asked him. The dumb look on his face was enough to make her grin as she jumped off the building and ran away.
Oliver went back to the cave and smiled. Black Canary. She was reborn. She was in his city. And she was sexy as hell. "Oliver!" Felicity yelled into his comm.
"Sorry, I'll be right there," He said as he skipped buildings and followed the path to Verdant.
Diggle and Roy looked at him like he was high, "What's got you so high?" They asked.
"He found a new girl." Felicity spoiled.
"It's a little more complicated than that." Oliver stood his ground. This girl could offer them a lot more than they had before. It was clear she was trained and she could handle herself. He had her the stories. "She was Black Canary. And she's an ally."
"Oh come on Oliver, I've heard that strain in your voice before. It was your sex voice." Felicity said, pointedly.
"So who is Black Canary?" Roy asked.
Oliver shrugged. "No idea,"
"He's had a crush on her for awhile. She was Gotham's second winged and costumed crusader. Besides Batman. And he didn't go a day without reading the paper, looking for Laurel's name." Felicity ratted him out.
"Thank you Felicity," He said to her. It was not thanks. But it was enough for him. She wanted to rat him out to the boys and she couldn't do that anymore.
Diggle looked at him getting all flustered at the subject and shook his head. Stupid kid. He was more attracted to this Black Canary than he had been to Sara's. He was getting combative in the way that he got combative about his affection for Laurel, which would still be the only thing that he stayed constant for him.
At her lair, Laurel smiled. She'd done it. Her first time in Starling City helping out the crime fighting. And it was perfection. Oliver was the Arrow and he looked at her like she hung the moon, even without seeing her underneath. He asked her name.
"Did the Canary sing her song tonight?" Acara asked, digital voice light now.
She smiled, "All over town. The Canary sang bright and free." She told Acara, taking off her mask. This was simple enough, just her and her computer system which talked to her, but she knew that it would get more difficult and that people would get suspicious.
She should tell Oliver about not dating the guy from the treatment center anymore, although, if he attempted to go after her when she was Laurel, he might not go after the Black Canary. And he, that was the person who he never saw broken. That was the person that he could relate to.
She needed to get a day job and people to help her but for now, this was her life. Her life was turning up. It'd been hell to leave Starling two years ago and even though, she was bruised now, it was well worth it to be back.