Damian is a beautiful child, with almond-shaped dark eyes and a mess of thick, dark hair, even at five weeks old. To Nyssa's eyes, he most resembles Talia and even her father, but she can see a bit of Bruce Wayne in his malleable features as well, from what she remembers of the brooding bat of Gotham City during his time with the League. Sara insists there's something of her in there, too, but Nyssa has yet to see it.
Sara has dressed him in the Starling City Rockets sleeper that his aunts brought. His little feet are encased in the legs of the garment, which are designed to look like baseball socks. Dinah has him now, already reading him a story about a rabbit named Peter and rocking him in the very chair Nyssa's mother once rocked her in, a chair Nyssa has nearly fallen asleep in several times in the last week.
Dinah's presence has been both wonderful and terrible. Nyssa misses her own mother more keenly than she has allowed herself to in a very long time.
"Nyssa," Dinah calls her, catching her lingering in the doorway to the nursery. She picks up the leather-bound tome resting on the table beside the chair. "Where did you get this exquisite book?"
"My mother's collection," Nyssa answers, entering. She inherited her mother's adoration of the written word along with every book that had once lined every wall of Amina Raatko's rooms at Nanda Parbat. Sara, her restless, ever-moving Sara, did not share this love, but Nyssa is happy to find that Dinah does.
"I can't read it, of course, but the illustrations are beautiful, as is the script."
Nyssa nods. "Some of my earliest memories are reading that on her lap."
Damian sleeps quite peacefully, cradled in her arms, and Dinah smiles down at him.
"He's a lucky little boy, to have you and Sara. I'm not sure I ever thought I'd see my Sara as a mother, but then again, she is full of surprises."
Nyssa smiles, just a little.
"That she is. Though I believe I surprised her this time. She has, as always, risen admirably to the occasion."
"She's always liked a challenge," Dinah agrees with a grin. She looks back to Damian. "Do you think his mother will change her mind?"
Nyssa tilts her head, thinking.
"I suppose it's a possibility. But an unlikely one, knowing Talia. This was not a rash decision on her part. Talia does nothing rashly. She provided my father with a continuation of his line, which earns her favor in his eyes, and she does not need to raise and guide a child, which she has no desire to do." She pauses. "Damian will know she is his mother, however, and she may see him whenever she wishes."
"And his father?"
"Unaware of his paternity, and it is in Damian's best interest that it remain that way. He would not approve of a League upbringing, and there can be no room for negotiation on that."
Dinah is a shrewd woman; Nyssa admires that about her. The traits Sara shares with her mother were likely those that allowed her to survive and flourish in the League. Dinah sees and understands reality, knows Damian's likely future, and appears to Nyssa to have found some kind of peace with that.
"Do you think it would be okay if he called me Grandma?" Dinah asks.
"That would be very appropriate. He has none other." She pauses, thinking for a moment. "And he should be lucky to do so."
Dinah smiles at her, brightly, echoes of Sara in it.
"And Quentin?"
Nyssa considers.
"Yes, that should be fine. He will call my father another name."
"I do think Quentin will be honored. Can he visit? He's actually better at this whole baby thing, anyway. I was better with the girls once they could hold up their end of the conversation, but he could just walk or sit with them for hours. He did most of the midnight shifts with Laurel and Sara."
"I will arrange for it as soon as possible, if you think he would be comfortable here."
"Oh not at all," Dinah laughs. "But he'll suck it up to be here for Sara and Damian."
"I'll make the arrangements."
"Thank you. I know you're why we get to see Sara as often as we do."
"Sara is the reason she has the privilege of visiting you. She has earned great esteem from my father."
Dinah smiles at her attempt to deflect.
"Well, you're certainly the reason she calls me so often."
"Perhaps," Nyssa allows with a slight conspiratorial grin.
"You're talking about me again, aren't you?" Sara appears in the doorway.
She's in her training clothes, flushed and a bit sweaty from a sparring session with her older sister. A few of the red marks on her upper arms look like they will bruise, and Nyssa feels a surge of pride in Laurel's skill.
"I can't leave you alone with either of my parents," Sara continues to complain, bumping Nyssa's hip with hers and stretching up to kiss her cheek. She is so free with her affection in front of her friends and family, and here on this island in general, in a way they cannot be in Nanda Parbat. "You are our greatest commonality, habibti."
"You both like books, the older the better. And Damian!" she refutes.
"You're still going to come up," Dinah replies.
Sara sighs and moves as if to take Damian from her mother. Nyssa catches her elbow and warns:
"You should know better than to take a child from his grandmother."
Surprise flickers, very briefly, in Sara's eyes and then she grins.
"Fine. Sin hogs Rocket, you hog D, and Felicity hogs whichever she can. But go ahead. You can also get up with him in two hours."
"If you like," Dinah offers. "My internal clock is an absolute mess anyway."
"We might just take you up on that."
Sara finds Nyssa on the balcony of their expansive suite. It briefly strikes her as odd that the room already feels empty in the absence of Damian's bassinet pulled up alongside their four-poster.
Nyssa is taking advantage of the solitude on a chaise lounge on the balcony, book in hand and sea air in her hair. Below, the moon reflects off the dark water and the waves lap at the beach.
Sara relieves her of the book, a knee on either side of her hips, demanding her full attention.
"Rocket is sleeping in Sin's room."
"And?"
"Damian is with my mom."
"And?"
"We're all alone."
"If you want for company, I'm sure-" Nyssa begins to tease, but Sara's not in the mood. She growls as she takes Nyssa's face in her hands and kisses her soundly.
Nyssa quickly gets with the program, hands finding the small of her back and then exploring in opposite directions, deliciously slow. When her fingers bury in the hair at the nape of Sara's neck, Sara moans her approval and grind s down in encouragement. Sara's lips drift down, taking delight in the squirming she can elicit with the lightest of touches, even as her fingers slide down the taut muscles of Nyssa's stomach, slipping under the waistband of her silk pajama pants.
"I thought you would want to take advantage of the empty bed," Nyssa says after nipping at Sara's ear, even as she arches up towards Sara's intent fingers.
"Later," Sara promises. "We haven't christened the balcony yet."
"It's pretty ridiculous that of all of this, all the secret island, highly ritualized assassin organization, super hot partner who could kill me with her pinky, of all of this, the fact that you, Sara Lance, are wearing a baby right now is the weirdest thing to me."
Sara laughs, one hand on Damian's rump as he rests comfortably in the sling tied across her.
"Sometimes I put Rocket in it," Sara tells her sister. "She is surprisingly not a fan."
Laurel snorts, thankfully before she takes a sip of her divine coffee.
"That would be less weird for me, honestly," Laurel says. "You know what's more weird, actually? Nyssa wearing him."
Sara laughs again.
"I think it's cute!"
"Because you, baby sister, are smitten." Laurel looks to how Sara keeps the hand not holding a mug firmly on the infant. "Twice over."
"Guilty as charged."
"Make sure Felicity sets up a secure way to send packages, too. I am going to send him the most obnoxious toys. It's basically my job as an aunt."
"I'm his aunt, too!"
"Not really," Laurel argues, toes in the pristine sand, watching Felicity and Sin toss a ball for Rocket down towards the water. "You're his mom-aunt. In a not creepy way."
"Thanks for the clarification," Sara rolls her eyes. She briefly takes her hand off Damian to point to a bruise on her upper arm. "You did this by the way."
Laurel grins into her coffee mug, quite proud of herself.
"Sorry?"
"You are not. And Felicity already set up something for packages because she might beat you for most obnoxious gift."
"Oh it's on," Laurel promises. She looks over to her sister. "Congratulations, Sara. I'm really happy for you. You seem really happy with Surprise Baby, who was even a surprise for you."
"Happy, terrified, conflicted, etc. You know what Nyssa said that helped me make up my mind?"
Laurel shakes her head at the rhetorical question.
"She said Damian's gonna grow up in the League no matter what: he's Ra's's grandson. But maybe we at least can give him something a little better."
Laurel smiles warmly, relieved to hear that her sister has given that some thought.
"I guess I just hope that doesn't make it harder for him," Sara continues, hand idly stroking the baby's back.
Laurel thinks on that for a moment.
"I think if anyone can make it work, it's you and Nyssa," Laurel assures. Then, to distract Sara from that slight sadness in her eyes, she adds: "I just really hope that when he's a toddler he runs around introducing himself like Nyssa."
Sara laughs sharply, narrowly avoiding spilling coffee on the lump of softness that is Laurel's new nephew.
"Damian al Ghul," Laurel intones, "Grandson of the Demon. On tiny little feet!"
Sara is still laughing.
"Don't joke! That's totally my future." She calms a little, taking on a mischievous glint. "So. Are you dating him yet?"
"No! And stop!" Dammit, not the right answer.
"And yet you knew exactly who I was talking about," Sara says knowingly. "What's the problem? From what I hear, he's super smart, super funny, and thinks you're god's gift to vigilantism. Sin tells meyou two talk all the time."
"Traitor," Laurel grumbles.
"What's the hold up, Laurel Lance?"
Laurel groans, staring decidedly at the sea.
"He's too nice."
"Oh gross, Laurel, please tell me you're not one of those-"
"No! No, not like that. Cisco is wonderful. So smart, and the kindest person I've ever met. And he deserves better than me."
"Bullshit," Sara says resolutely. "There isn't better than you. Besides, he is clearly into you and wants you so it is Oliver-levels of patronizing if you decide all by yourself what's best for him."
Laurel flushes and weakly protests: "You haven't even met him."
"I have eyes everywhere," Sara says.
"We don't even live in the same city."
"Okay, that is a valid concern, but it's not exactly a deal breaker for dinner and a movie."
"When's the last time you went on a date?"
"Nyssa and I hunted down and killed a human trafficker three weeks ago."
"Romantic."
"We were in Prague. We got dinner after."
Laurel shakes her head.
"Give him a shot. If you want. I just want you to be happy. Not that you need to be in a relationship to be happy! You just seem pretty crazy about him."
"Fine. I'll think about it."
"Okay."
"Stop being wise. You're the baby sister."
"Middle," Sara teases.
"Where are Nyssa and Mom, by the way?"
"Library," Sara groans. "Mom found Nyssa's medieval collection."
"Oh god. We might be leaving her here."
"No. You have to take her back."
Laurel laughs.
"If your beloved lets me!"
Suddenly, Damian starts to wail after a few false starts.
"See," Laurel says as Sara pulls him out of the sling to soothe him. "He's saying: 'Don't take my gramma!'"
"No, he's saying: 'No, Aunt Laurel, don't leave Gramma here! She and Khala will drown me in books and I'll turn into a giant nerd like you.'"
"Rude. My nephew would never speak to me that way. I'm his favorite."
"No way, I am," Sin argues as the ball group, all a little water-splashed, joins them.
"Nope, definitely me," Felicity refutes. "Especially when I give him a direct line to me."
Sara shakes her head, and Laurel watches as her little sister easily, tenderly calms the tiny infant, who happily nuzzles into her chest as she kisses the top of his head.
"Damian loves all of you equally," she assures them. "Unless we're including Rocket. Then she's definitely his favorite."
tbc