A/N: More Ollie and Artemis father-daughter type stuff from me. I just love Daddy!Ollie. I like to think he'd be close enough to Artemis that seeing her marry Wally would be hard for him like it's hard for any father when his little girl gets married. Also, I don't really drink, so I hope my portrayal of a tipsy Ollie is accurate and realistic enough. Enjoy.
Of Fathers and Daughters
Oliver Queen sat in the corner of a hotel ballroom. He was unmistakably, undeniably pouting. That was far from his usual style. When it came to celebrations, the archer was usually the life of the party.
However, when it came to his almost-daughter's wedding day, he elected to sit in a corner and mope.
It wasn't that he didn't approve. Wally West had always been good to Artemis. They were a good match; they took care of each other and didn't put up with any of the other's nonsense. Whenever the older hero watched the pair interact, he could see the genuine affection and love between the couple. Ollie had no doubts that the new Mr. and Mrs. West would be happy together.
What Ollie wasn't happy about was the fact that Wally was taking Artemis away. The couple had a place in Central City lined up. They would move in when they returned from their honeymoon. Over the years the younger pair had been in California, Ollie had gotten used to having his former protégé around. He liked to think they were close.
And now she was moving halfway across the country with her husband.
Ollie looked up to see that his wife was approaching him. Dinah's blonde hair hung loose and she wore a slinky black dress and a smile. The smile faded, however, as the heroine caught sight of his moping expression and the number of empty drink glasses in front of him.
"What's wrong, Ollie?" Black Canary questioned as she sat down beside him. "It's not like you to sit in a corner at any time, let alone during a wedding reception." His wife's crystal blue eyes showed nothing but concern for him.
He shrugged, not wanting to talk about his feelings. He'd never been very good at articulating his emotions, and deep down Ollie knew he was being more than a little childish. It was only natural that Artemis would grow up and move on with her life.
Dinah let out a snort. "I think you do know," she coaxed. "You'll feel better if you talk about it. Plus, I see four empty glasses on this table, so I know it's all going to come out sooner or later. Better to do it now than during a toast or something."
The hero had to admit that his wife had a point. Ollie took a deep breath and began to explain. "You've never really officially had a partner or sidekick, Dinah. It can be hard. You get involved in their lives. You get so attached.
"Then he goes and gets himself abducted and cloned. You have no idea it even happened. Then the clone starts acting moody and angry all the time. You think it's just a part of growing up. You remember being mad at your parents all the time at his age. You let it go.
"The clone who you don't know is a clone quits being your partner. He marries an assassin and eventually has a baby with her – even though you told him never to date an enemy; just look at Batman and Catwoman – and you don't know how to react.
"When he quits, you're hurt. So you think, 'Let's get a girl this time.' You've always wanted a daughter and you think this will be good practice."
Dinah was looking pretty amused at his rant by this part. But Ollie felt that he was on a roll and didn't want to stop.
"You find a girl – with daddy issues to boot – and you take her under your wing. You help her with her archery; you encourage her to go to college; you even like her boyfriend and manage not to pummel him. It starts to feel like she's your actual daughter.
"Then she quits her archery even though she's exceptional. She gives up the hero life. You're a little bit glad because she's had a few too many close calls for your liking. Then she gets dragged back into it anyway. She lets you think she's dead for six months and you grieve like she's your own flesh and blood.
"When you think everything is going back to normal, her boyfriend asks for your permission to propose. And he really is a good guy and he takes care of your girl as much as she'll let him. You agree.
"Then she tells you she's moving away. She's going to Central City. She'll be busy with her new husband and her new job and she'll end up having five kids and she'll never have time for you anymore." Green Arrow finished his oddly specific rant by picking up one of the empty glasses and slamming it down on the table for emphasis.
Dinah gave her husband's hand a pat. It was almost a condescending gesture. "I think you're overreacting, Oliver." The younger heroine only ever used his full name when he was in trouble. He folded his arms across his chest, still sulking.
Black Canary continued, "Artemis didn't do anything wrong. All she did was grow up and move on. And I'm sure she won't have five kids. That's ridiculous." She smiled kindly. "I bet if you let her know how you feel, she'd make time to shoot arrows at criminals with you." Ollie watched his wife unfold herself from the chair into a standing position. She leaned down and gave his cheek a swift kiss. "I'm going to go enjoy myself."
The blond man knew his wife was right. He really hated how she was right all the time. But he knew if he did try to let Artemis know how he felt about "losing" her, he was sure the younger archer would do her best to keep him happy. But the Emerald Archer couldn't help but think that would be selfish of him. Like Dinah had pointed out, Artemis was only growing up.
Ollie's azure gaze fell on the younger archer's form. She was standing on the middle of the floor wrapped in Wally's arms. He had never really figured her for being one to enjoy dancing, but she looked happy enough as the redhead twirled her around.
She looked like a princess. Most of it was Megan's doing, of course, but the Martian had picked attire for her that was elegant and timeless.
The younger archer wore a simple white dress and matching sandals. There was a green silk ribbon tied around her waist. Her golden hair hung loose around her shoulders and her jewelry was very low key and understated. Every eye was on the blushing bride and it wasn't hard to see why.
Everyone looked happy. The floor was packed with couples twirling around. He recognized most of them: Dick and Zatanna, looking elegant as always; Kaldur and Raquel, who looked like they were deep in conversation; Megan and Conner, who had recently gotten back together; Wally's parents and aunt and uncle. It was like something out of a fairy tale.
The music ended. Ollie watched Artemis lean in to tell Wally something. The redhead nodded and kissed her cheek. Then he noticed Artemis was picking a path through the crowd towards him. The corners of her mouth turned up as she got closer to where he sat.
"It's almost time for the father-daughter dance," the younger blonde announced. "I know it's lame, but Megan insisted."
Despite her declaration of the traditional father-daughter dance being "lame", the older hero saw the same spark in his protégé's eyes that he had seen back when he was first taking her under his wing. The difference was clear, though. Now she wanted to spend time with him as surrogate family, not as mentor-mentee. And that was a good thing to know.
The band introduced the song and Artemis hauled him to his feet. "So, we haven't seen much of you tonight," the younger blonde commented as they started to dance. Ollie was surprised he was still able to stand without tipping over. He tried to focus on Artemis's words and not the fact that the room was starting to spin after all the drinks he had consumed. "You've been sitting in the corner since the reception started."
Ollie shrugged. Artemis frowned at him the exact way Dinah always did. He wondered idly if his wife had been giving the younger woman lessons. Once again, the billionaire cracked under the pressure of being stared at. "I know I'm not your dad, Artemis, but this is still hard for me.
Artemis took a step back from him. "Ollie, I think you're my dad in every way that matters. I wouldn't have any of this if it hadn't been for you," she said seriously. Her face twisted into a slight grimace. "That sounded really corny. I think being with Wally all these years has started to get to me."
But he smiled anyway. "Really?" Oliver asked. Artemis nodded. As the music came to a close, Green Arrow gave his former sidekick a big hug. "Thanks, kiddo."
Artemis winced. "No more drinks for you. Go get a caterer to make you some coffee." She was using her stern voice and he knew better than to ignore her. He staggered off towards where the food was laid out.
When the billionaire had procured himself a mug of coffee, he sank down onto the same chair he'd been sitting in earlier. Wally was sharing the mother-son dance with Mary. Then the hero noticed that Dinah had joined Artemis at the bride and groom's table. The two women had their heads together and there was a slight smile on Artemis's face. They both glanced over at him and looked away immediately when they noticed he was watching. That could only mean they were talking about him. Ollie knew from experience that the blonde women conspiring against him never ended well.
Gradually, the coffee Ollie was drinking helped him feel more steady. He knew he'd still most likely have a massive headache in the morning. He really needed to stop acting like a frat boy at these things, the blond man mused.
Eventually, Wally came to collect Artemis once more. Dinah managed to fold her arms around the newlyweds briefly before Wally dragged his bride back to the dance floor. Black Canary made her way towards him. She leaned down to kiss him before sliding onto his lap. She hooked his arms around his neck.
"How're you feeling?" she asked in her best "open up to me" voice.
Green Arrow gestured to his coffee. "More stable," he replied.
"I meant how you are feeling about Artemis," his wife said. "She told me what you said about watching her get married being hard for you. He's good for her, Ollie."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know. They're going to be fine. Maybe next time I won't get so attached to my partner. It'll be easier."
Dinah smiled at him. She cupped his cheek in one hand and moved in even closer. "What would you say if I told you that you could start from scratch and you would never have to worry about 'losing' the sidekick?"
"Start from scratch," Ollie repeated, musing. "Like a baby? Are you pregnant?"
"I found out this morning," the heroine answered.
Oliver pulled his wife in for a kiss. "That's great," he said, beaming at her. "I can't wait to meet the little guy or girl." Another thought came to him and his grin stretched from ear to ear. "I definitely think Artemis owes us some babysitting."