When The World Was Young
Rating: 'K'
Characters (In Order of Appearance): Robert Queen, Quentin Lance, Dinah Lance, Sara Lance, Laurel Lance, Moira Queen, Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn, Barry Allen, Nora Allen, Iris West, Joe West, Kara Danvers, Lena Luthor and Astra
Summary: It's May 1994. Ace of Base tops the charts, Pulp Fiction is released to theatres, and in Starling City, Oliver Queen celebrates his 9th birthday in the company of people who will one day change the world...
Author's Note: So for any of my returning readers, you guys know it's been a while since I last updated Conduit's Rebirth, and I'm so sorry about that. I've been trying to write it for a while, but I just couldn't get the words to come. So, I got together with another writer, his handle is JRW9699, and we did a bit of a side project to get our respective groove's back. Now, as for Conduit's Rebirth, the next chapter is most of the way done, and It should be up pretty soon. Exactly when, I don't know, but I'm going to do my best to get back on my original schedule. Anyways, here you are, on with the show.
Starling City, May 16th, 1994
Any other day of the year and the Queen Mansion would have been bustling with maids, chefs, and the various other housekeepers employed there. Since the birth of their first son, however, Robert and Moira Queen had vowed to do things differently to celebrate family birthdays. Which was why, in the middle of making the final checks for the immanent party, Robert was distracted from his duties by the ringing of the doorbell. Smiling to himself, he headed from the kitchen and into the grand entranceway, pulling the double doors open to welcome their guests.
"Quentin!" He said happily, his smile widening.
"Robert! It's good to see you," The Lance family patriarch responded.
"Good to see you too," Robert replied, shaking the man's hand. "And Dinah, you're looking radiant as ever." He grinned, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.
"Flatterer," Dinah replied with a smile and a teasing roll of her eyes.
"And the kids?"
Dinah smiled and called over her shoulder, "Laurel! Sara! Come say hi!"
"Coming mom!"
Looking over her shoulder, Robert saw two blonde heads of hair make their way up the stairs carrying a large box between the two of them.
"Well, look what we have here," Robert said as he got down on one knee to greet the kids, "Don't you two just look adorable."
The shorter of the sisters flashed a big toothy grin, "Thanks, Uncle Robert."
"And so strong! Why that box must weigh a ton!"
"Oh, Robert stop it," Dinah told him playfully.
"It's ok Mr. Queen, it's not that heavy," the older one said.
"Oh, well, in that case, Laurel, why don't you take it on inside, right through those doors and into the living room," he said, pointing the way.
He made a show of covering his face and whispered loudly to them, "There's ice cream!"
The Lance sisters didn't miss a beat, grinning widely as they took off through the door, leaving their parents to stand behind, pretending they hadn't heard a thing. Once the kids had disappeared from sight, Robert got back to his feet and smiled at his friends, stepping aside and motioning for them to enter the mansion.
"So how's Moira?" Quentin asked as he and Dinah stepped into the entranceway.
"Oh, she's on the phone taking care of something for the company. We took the day off, but sometimes things come up and she offered to take care of it. She should be down in a moment."
"Actually, Robert, I just finished up," A voice floated down to them.
As they turned to the voice's source, the trio saw Moira on the stairs that led to the upper floors of the mansion. After gracefully descending the last few steps, she walked to her husband's side, linking her arm with his as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Everything alright, honey?"
"Just some irregularities in the book-keeping, nothing I couldn't handle."
"I'm glad to hear it."
Turning to their guests, Moira flashed a warm smile. "Quentin, Dinah, it's lovely to see you. Now if you'd like to come through to the kitchen, I dug a bottle of champagne from the cellar, if the children are set on giving themselves a sugar high I don't see a reason we shouldn't indulge a little too."
Quentin smiled, "That sounds like a wonderful idea."
XXX
To say Oliver Queen loved birthdays would be an understatement. They were one of the very few days in the year he got his parents all to himself without their jobs always making them busy, presents that were always super awesome, plus a party with all of his friends. This year, he'd managed to talk his parents into letting Tommy stay over the night before, they'd stayed up really late, watching movies and eating as much candy as they could sneak out of the kitchen without getting caught. Of course, Robert and Moira had caught on immediately, the pair were far from the quietest of thieves, but rather than stymie the kids' fun, they let it be. They even made sure to hide a few extra pieces as an early birthday treat.
At the moment, the birthday-boy was sitting on the couch, his best friend sitting close by. The two of them were already having a great time, simply running around or playing Mario Kart on Oliver's Super Nintendo. The sounds of the voices in the entryway outside barely registered with the duo, absorbed as they were with their friendly competition, at least not until the Lance sisters burst into the room.
"Ollie!" Sara shouted.
Oliver smiled and jumped up from his seat as Tommy paused the game. He turned around just in time for the young girl to full body tackle-hug him, sending both of them toppling over onto the carpet.
"Oof!" he gasped, "Hi, Sara."
She smiled up at him with that same toothy grin she always wore.
"Sara, get off of him!" Laurel said in exasperation, having set their gift on a table with the rest of the presents.
Walking to her sister, Laurel took Sara's arm, lightly pulling her to her feet and giving her a frightening impersonation of their mother's most disapproving glare. Hiding behind the couch, Tommy gulped at the sight and ducked his head down, but Oliver simply stood up and shook his head.
"Are you okay, Ollie?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Sorry, Ollie," Sara said, her eyes on the floor.
"It's fine Sara," Oliver reassured her, a laugh making its way into his voice.
Laurel couldn't help but smile. She looked over at the couch, where Tommy had just poked his eyes back up over the edge.
"Hi Tommy," she said cheerfully.
Tommy bolted upright.
"Oh! Uh, h-hi Laurel," he said shyly, a light blush creeping across his cheeks.
Internally, Laurel sighed. She was a smart girl, and she knew exactly what that meant. As if he could be any more obvious.
The doorbell rang again. Before anyone else could react, Sara was already moving.
"I'll get it!" she called as she went around the corner.
XXX
Barry Allen nervously drummed his fingers against his leg as he walked up the stairs to the mansion. Despite knowing him a little over a year it was his first time coming to Ollie's house and the sheer size of the estate was intimidating. Without a word, his mother Nora grabbed his other hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked up at her and gave her a silent "thank you." She simply smiled.
Beside him, Iris and her father Joe made their way up as well, Iris moving with a confidence Barry couldn't help but admire. Even with their easy friendship, Barry had been a little intimidated by Oliver when they had first met, the older boy had been so much louder and more outgoing the most kids he knew that it had been something of a shock. Iris, however, had never even hesitated when he introduced her to Oliver. She'd just smiled brightly, shaken his hand, and firmly informed Oliver that they would now all be very good friends. Her tone left no room for argument, as an older Oliver Queen would later note, there was a reason Iris and Laurel had become such fast friends.
The young girl was the one who rang the bell, bounding up the last few steps and pressing the button with a flourish. Barry arrived beside her just as the door opened, revealing a very lively young girl.
"Barry! Iris!" Sara shouted, leaping at the two of them, her arms spread wide.
The pair managed to catch her without falling over, though Barry came fairly close.
"Hi Sara," Barry said quietly, his face half-hidden in Sara's blonde locks.
Sara squeezed them both as tightly as she could, "Hi guys!"
"Sara," Iris choked out, "please let go."
The blonde let out a petulant whine, throwing on her best pouty face as she released her grip on the two.
"You're no fun," she said, taking a step back, her boundless energy dipping only for a moment as she grabbed their hands, "C'mon!"
Unable to match Sara's energy, the two older kids let her drag them away, Barry absentmindedly letting go of his mother's hand.
"And there they go," Joe said, watching with a warm smile as they ran off.
"I hope they never change," Nora smiled, "Any guesses where the others are?"
"If I know Robert and Moira," Joe answered, "They'll be in the gardens with a bottle of something expensive by now."
Nora couldn't help but laugh.
"Well then what are we waiting for?"
XXX
"You can't get me, Sara!"
"No fair, Ollie," Sara pouted, too short to reach for the tree branch Oliver was sitting on.
The group had scattered outside for a game of tag, and Sara had been determined to get Oliver from the beginning. Oliver's competitive streak stopped her getting anywhere near, he'd chosen to scramble up one of the trees he and Tommy climbed all the time, hoping Sara would be too short to climb it too. And he was right.
So she decided to play dirty.
Sneaking away from them, Sara grabbed onto one of the plastic lawn chairs that adorned the garden, dragging it quickly towards the tree. Before Oliver and Tommy could realize what she was doing, she had climbed the chair and jumped onto the branch to chase after them. When she got up, she smiled devilishly at the boys.
"I've got you now!" she shouted.
Ollie and Tommy's eyes widened and they started climbing farther up the tree. Sara was right on their heels, and while Ollie managed to evade her, Tommy wasn't so lucky.
"Ha! You're it!" she said triumphantly.
"Aww, man!" Tommy whined.
"No tag-backs!" Sara called as she started making her way back down the tree.
Unfortunately, in her haste, the girl misstepped. She had also failed to realize just how high she had climbed. Her hands hopelessly clawing against the bark for grip, Sara slipped from the tree, a high-pitched scream escaping her lungs as she fell.
"Sara!" Ollie screamed.
Sara closed her eyes in fear waiting to hit the ground.
"You know, you really need to watch where you're climbing."
Sara opened her eyes, her heart still beating loudly in her ears. She was greeted by the sight of a beautiful smiling face framed by bright blonde hair.
"Kara!" Barry shouted, his head popping up from behind the bush where he'd been hiding.
"Hi Barry," she said, briefly looking at him before turning her attention back to the girl in her arms, "Are you ok, Sara?"
Sara sighed in relief, "I'm ok."
"Good," Kara said, smiling.
By the time Oliver and Tommy managed to clamber down from the tree, albeit much slower than they usually would, Kara had gently placed Sara back on her feet, brushing down the other girl's shoulders once she did. As soon as their feet were on the ground, the duo dashed over to Kara and Sara, looking at the older blonde in amazement.
"Kara, that was so awesome!" Oliver called in excitement, "How'd you do that?"
The blonde looked to her friend a little nervously, her hands holding together in front of her as she started to fidget awkwardly. "Well...I…"
"Kara!" Another voice called out, the group turning to see Lena Luthor running across the grass towards them.
"Lena!"
"Everybody ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sara said once again.
Lena nodded, "Good. Look alive everybody, here come the parents."
At precisely that moment, Moira and Dinah burst into the garden, followed quickly by Robert, Quentin, Joe, Nora, and finally Astra. Dinah sped past them all, scooping her youngest daughter into her arms.
"What happened?" Moira asked.
"We're ok, Mom," Ollie told her, stepping to the front of the crowd.
"Young man, I asked you what happened," Moira said sternly.
Oliver opened his mouth to speak, his eyes going anywhere to avoid his mother's gaze, but Moira cut him off.
"Look at me when you are speaking," she told him.
He did as he was told.
"We were playing tag, me and Tommy climbed the tree and Sara followed us up to try and tag us, but when she tried to get back down she slipped. But she's ok! Kara caught her before she hit the ground!"
When she heard that, Astra's eyes bolted to her adopted daughter. Kara looked away sheepishly, almost reflexively moving to hide behind Lena, and that was all the answer Astra needed. Gently, she placed a hand on Moira's shoulder.
"Moira, perhaps we can let him off with just a warning. It was simply a game that got out of hand. Young Sara is fine perfectly fine, and I have no doubt she will be more than ready to keep playing the moment her mother puts her down. Perhaps we simply move the festivities inside, away from the tall objects? After all, we don't want to dampen your son's special day."
High ranking soldiers in Krypton's army often had to be both soldier and diplomat. And if the look on Moira's face was any indication, Astra was very skilled at both.
"You're right Astra," she said, "Come on everyone, inside now."
As the kids headed inside Astra placed a gentle hand on her adopted child's shoulder.
"Well done Little One," she whispered.
Kara's face brightened into a happy smile.
"Thanks, Aunt Astra," she said.
XXX
Not half an hour later, the kids had been shepherded into the living room by Robert and Moira, finally having given in to Oliver's requests to open his presents. Oliver himself was sat crossed-legged on the floor, using the couch as a backrest, while his friends were gathered in front of him. The adults stood to the back of the room, watching their children with bright smiles and a glass of champagne in their hands.
"Here, open this one first," Laurel said, placing a box in front of him, "It's from me and Sara."
Oliver giddily tore open the packaging, carelessly disregarding the golden 'happy birthday' wrapping paper, eager to get at the box's contents. When he got through it all, he smiled brightly at his new Lego set.
"Space train!" He beamed up at the sisters, pulling them both into a hug. "Awesome!"
Laurel smiled back at him, while Sara squeezed them both tightly, surprisingly strong for a six-year-old. Oliver released them from the hug and sank back to the floor, picking the box up again, already itching to build it. Just as he moved to open it, he caught a vaguely disapproving glance from his mother, smiling sheepishly and setting it to one side, fully intending to get back to it as soon as possible.
"Alright, who's next?" Robert asked.
The next few minutes were filled with Oliver delighting at the presents he was given, excitedly tearing them open with unending energy, and eager to use each of them the moment they were opened. A toy bow from his dad, one that came with a stern lecture about not using it in the house. A chemistry kit from Barry that had been accompanied with a mumbled, "science is interesting, Ollie." A book from Iris that Oliver had already decided he wasn't going to read because there was no way anyone could read a book that long.
And then, it was Kara's turn, the blonde bounding up to him with a bright grin on her face.
"Here Ollie," she said, "I hope you like it."
Puzzled, Oliver took the offered bag and opened it up, plucking the slightly crumpled tissue paper from the top and discarding it to one side with the rest of the wrappings. Kara had tried to wrap it, she and Astra both had, even going so far as to look up tutorials on Youtube. But, after 32 failed attempts (primarily because the two Kryptonians kept ripping the paper) Astra broke down and bought a gift bag, regretfully admitting defeat at the hands of wrapping paper.
With a little more care than he had shown to his other gifts, Oliver reached into the bag, pulling out the variety of items it held and placing them on the floor beside him. All in all, there had been a number of sketch and paint pads, a collection of paints and a packet of brushes. A smile on his face, Oliver looked back up to Kara, who was still stood in front of him, eyes averting his gaze.
"I thought maybe...we could paint together?" Kara asked, still not looking at him.
His smile only getting wider, Oliver got up to his feet, "I'd love to!"
Kara's eyes immediately shot up to his, her smile widening again, matching Oliver's own. "Really?"
"Of course!"
With that, Kara stepped forward again, pulling Oliver into a tight hug, releasing him as soon as she realized just how tight her grip was. Her hands still on his arms, Kara smiled at him, "Happy birthday, Ollie." With that she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his cheek for a moment before she turned and bounded back to Lena's side.
The blush that rose immediately over Oliver's cheeks was one he couldn't suppress. His eyes immediately shot to his feet, avoiding the looks of everyone in the room, completely missing the way his mother had to cover her face to hide her smile. Robert, however, grinned openly, admittedly a little proud of his son. Even Astra was smiling.
After watching the way the rest of the room had seemingly stopped to marvel at what had just happened for a moment, Lena rolled her eyes and walked across to Oliver, holding out her gift towards him.
"Here," she smiled, doing her best not to laugh at his embarrassment, "I think you'll like this."
Finally looking up from the floor after what had felt like hours, Oliver shook himself out of his stupor and took the box.
"Thank you, Lena," he said.
"Be gentle with it, it's a bit fragile," Lena told him.
Curious, he placed the box down and opened it up. Inside was a small, round-ish device, about the size of one of those antique globes his dad kept in his study. The global was all black, with a glass dish cut into the top and fitted into a square frame. Even more interested, Oliver looked up at Lena with a little confusion and she rolled her eyes again.
"It's a projector, it shows you the stars when you switch it on. Look!" Lena quickly grabbed the power cord that was dangling from the projector and dashed to the wall, plugging it into the nearest socket.
The projector sprang to life in Oliver's hands, the glass dish lighting up as images of the stars were suddenly displayed across the room. The light streaming in from the windows dulled the pictures a lot, but Oliver couldn't stop himself looking around in awe. It was like the night sky had been pulled into his living room, and he was transfixed by it.
A few steps away from him, Kara was struck by the same wonder. The night sky on Earth always seemed slightly ominous, the stars blocked out a little by the light and the smog that covered so much of the planet's sky. The projection in Oliver's living room was so clear that she couldn't help but be drawn to...Rao. It had taken her a moment to find it, but there it was, the red sun burning brightly, but so far away. Even on the map, it was tiny, seemingly so insignificant, a home so far away, one she would never be able to see.
Then, the projection was gone, snapping both Oliver and Kara from their reverie.
"See?" Lena grinned, hurrying back to Oliver's side.
"That's so cool!" Oliver beamed as he placed the projector back in its box.
"I know, right?!"
As the others kept talking about how cool Lena's present was, Kara's eyes wandered back to that same spot on the wall she had been staring at. The spot where Rao was mere moments ago. Memories of Krypton slowly filtered into her mind, and she rubbed her eyes as tears began to form.
"Excuse me," she said quietly, as she made her way out of the room.
As wrapped up in their animated conversations as they were, no one saw her slip away, no one except Oliver and Astra. Though the moment the Kryptonian moved to pursue her niece, she saw Oliver doing exactly the same, excusing himself from his conversation with Tommy and quickly heading off in the direction Kara had gone. A warm smile on her lips, Astra turned and settled back into her discussions with Moira and Dinah, knowing that Kara would be in good hands.
XXX
Kara had made her way out onto the roof through a window on one of the upper floors. It was getting a bit late in the day, and the first few stars were beginning to dot the sky. As they often did when things memories of Krypton surfaced, Kara found herself looking into the sky, her superior vision letting her take in the stars in their full majesty.
So absorbed was she in her stargazing that she didn't notice when the window behind her opened.
"Kara?"
The girl jumped, startled. She turned around to see Oliver climbing out onto the roof next to her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"I was gonna ask you the same thing," he replied, sinking to the tiled roof to sit beside her, "I saw you slip away and I wondered what was wrong."
Kara sighed and smiled weakly.
"It's nothing."
"Kara…" Oliver pressed.
"No, really, it's nothing. Let's go back inside."
As Kara got up and moved back towards the window, Oliver held his ground, looking up as the sky slowly darkened into night. If Kara was going to talk to him on her own terms, he decided, then he was going to make her.
"Oh, that's fine, you go back inside and enjoy the party. I'll stay here," he said.
Kara stopped.
"I'm sorry?"
Oliver shrugged.
"I like it up here. Think I'll stick around for a bit longer."
"But… but it's your party."
"Yep," he said, making a popping sound at the end of the word.
"So… shouldn't you… y'know, be there?"
"Nah. I like it up here. All alone on the roof by myself. It's a lot of fun."
Kara blinked at him.
"You're serious?"
Oliver turned and looked her right in the eyes.
"Well, it's good enough for you isn't it?"
At that moment, Kara knew she was beaten. She turned back around and sat next to Ollie once again.
"So, what's wrong?"
Kara sighed.
"It's just… there's so much you don't know about me, Ollie. I'm not sure how much you want to know."
Oliver put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her in for a one-armed hug.
"Whatever you want to tell me."
Kara smiled.
"Well. Alright. Stand up and close your eyes."
"Okay," Ollie said as he followed Kara's instructions.
Without a word, Kara wrapped her arms around him and gently floated into the air.
"Open them."
He did.
And what he saw took his breath away.
"Are we… flying?!" he asked.
"Yup," Kara said, her voice light.
"Kara, h-how?"
With a giggle, Kara slowly floated them back to the rooftop, watching in amusement as Oliver stumbled a little to regain his footing. For a brief moment, Oliver stared with a blank expression, his mind still processing a thousand questions. Then, a smile broke out across his face, beaming wildly at the girl stood before him. Kara matched his expression immediately, infinitely thankful that he seemed so happy. Astra had always told her to keep her powers secret because the humans would be afraid of them, but Oliver was living proof that she had been wrong.
"Hi," The Kryptonian beamed, holding out her hand to Oliver. "I'm Kara Zor-El, and I'm from Krypton."
"Krypton?"
Kara nodded.
"Here, let me show you."
She grabbed his hand and pointed it to the sky, just a little bit above the horizon.
"There. You see that?"
Oliver shook his head.
"Sorry, I don't see anything."
Kara pouted.
"Well if you could, you'd see my it. My home."
Oliver let that sink in for a moment.
"So," he said, "You're an alien?"
"Uh-huh!" Kara said proudly.
"Wow," Oliver whispered, "Just… wow."
"Ollie? You ok in there?" Kara asked, cocking her head to one side.
Oliver's stunned face slowly formed a smile.
"Are you kidding? This is so cool! One of my best friends is from outer-space!"
Kara beamed at him as he pulled her in for a hug. He may act like it sometimes, but Oliver wasn't stupid. He knew what Kara was trusting him with and it made him happy that she did.
"Thank you for telling me, Kara," he said quietly.
XXX
As the two wayward children made their way back to the party, all of the kids were having a great time. At the back of the room, all of the parents had the same thought. They all knew that one day, the kids they saw in front of them would change the world.
They could only dream how much.
XXX
The chill of the night air washed over Oliver as he looked up at the sky. The stars were shining more brightly than he had seen for a while, and his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to that patch of space Kara had pointed out to him. He could just about make it out, the dim red star all those light-years away. Of course, he could never see it the way she could, but he tried.
"So this is where you've been hiding out," A voice reached his ears, and Oliver didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"How'd you find me?" He asked, not turning his gaze away from the stars.
"Really, Ollie?" Kara chucked, "You're asking me that?"
There were no footfalls, but Oliver could sense that Kara had moved closer to him.
"So are you planning on coming back? I can't keep lying to our guests about why my husband hasn't shown up for his own party."
With a smile ghosting his lips, Oliver finally turned around, greeted with the sight of Kara in her full Supergirl regalia. She was but a few feet away from him, levitating just off the ground, her hands on her hips as she tried to look imposing.
"It's been a busy night," Oliver answered with a smirk.
"Mm-hm," Kara hummed disbelievingly.
With a heavy sigh, Oliver spoke again, "It's hardly a real party, Kara. Just because City Hall insists that I have some formal event doesn't mean I have to enjoy it."
"You'll enjoy this one," Kara insisted, floating forward to wrap her hand in his free one, "Everyone's there; Lena, Tommy, the Lance sisters, even Barry and Iris came over from Central City."
"Well," Oliver smiled at her, "I guess I should make an appearance, just to be polite."
With a teasing roll of her eyes, Kara moved around in front of him, wrapping her arms around Oliver's neck as she leaned in to place a kiss against his lips.
"Happy birthday, Oliver."