I honestly couldn't figure out without watching all the episodes which episode it was where Sara reunites with Quentin for the first time, so forgive me if the scene is different.
Chapter 21: The Lazarus Effect
******Where We Left off******
Quentin blinked, unable to believe his eyes. He took a step forward, a rushing sound in his ears. It couldn't be!
"Sara? My God, Sara! Is that really you?" he asked. How could it be? What was going on?
"Yes, Daddy. It's me," she said, trying to smile.
Quentin moved closer, his eyes scanning over her. He reached out and cupped her cheek. Her eyes filled with tears. So did his. "Baby. You're alive!" he exclaimed, pulling her tight against him. He closed his eyes savoring the feel of his baby girl in his arms once again. He pulled her back to look at her. Then his eyes connected with Buffy, who gave him an encouraging smile.
Roy looked on in confusion but kept silent.
"I'm sorry, Dad," Sara said, her eyes a wealth of sorrow.
Something clicked in Quentin. "You're the female vigilante that's been going around killing rapists?" he asked. She gave him a pained look but nodded. "Ah, baby, what's happened?"
"A lot," she said.
"I thought you were dead. Oliver said you died. That you drowned," he said, confused.
"I did die," she said. She pulled away and took a step back. "The daughter you knew is dead."
When she turned to run off once again, Buffy blocked her path. "You can't run off again. He deserves more than that from you," Buffy told her. She didn't know what had happened to Quentin's daughter to turn her into a vigilante, but if she'd been with Oliver on that island, Buffy could guess. However, she wasn't going to let the man she loved be hurt any more than he already had been.
Quentin reached out and grabbed Sara's hand. "Honey, talk to me. What's been going on? How are you here?" he asked.
Buffy caught Sara looking from her to Roy with suspicion. "Why don't you two go some place you can talk? Roy and I will get back to the club," Buffy suggested. She couldn't resist adding a word of warning to Sara. "If you disappear without his blessing, I will find you. There's no place on earth that you can hide that my friend Willow can't find."
Roy and followed Buffy, asking, "Who's Willow?"
Sara and Quentin looked at one another wordlessly. Then Quentin broke out into a huge grin. "I just can't believe this! It's like a dream I had so many times. A dream that I gave up," he said. "But your mom never did. It's like she's been waiting for you to walk through the door. She's going to be so happy when we call and tell her the good news!"
A look of panic came over Sara. "No! You can't, Dad!" she exclaimed.
Quentin frowned. "I don't understand," he asked.
She sighed. "Dad, it's not safe," she said.
Upset, he grabbed her hand again. "Well, you're not leaving until you tell me something more, something real," he told her. He led her to a nearby coffee house that was nearly empty. When the server approached, he ordered them two cups of coffee. He gave her an expectant look.
"I don't know where to start," she said, looking lost. She'd been trying to prepare herself for this day, but she could never imagine how it would go down. The look of horror she expected on her father's face had never came.
"Were you on the island with Oliver? Was he lying?" Quentin asked. "He said that he saw you die."
"He did. Or rather he thought I was dead," she said. "I was picked up drifting on a piece of the yacht. I spent a year trying to survive this mad scientist. Then I got away only to be caught by another group that both saved me and destroyed me."
"Are they the ones that taught you to fight?" he asked, curious.
She nodded. "The League of Assassins," she admitted.
Quentin grimaced. "That was your only choice? Get in bed with assassins?" he couldn't help but ask.
She stood up, expecting his judgment. "Why do you think I've stayed away? I knew you'd hate what I've become!" she said, prepared to leave.
Quentin jumped up and reached for her, an apology in his eyes. "Sweetie, don't go! I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in," he said. "But there's nothing you could ever do to make me hate any part of you. Don't you know that?"
The server approached with the coffee. She looked at them in confusion since they were on their feet.
"Please, don't go," Quentin begged.
Sara grudgingly sat back down. "So how did you get busted down to a beat cop?" Sara asked, choosing a topic that wasn't her.
Quentin looked sheepish. "Well, I help the Arrow disarm one of the bombs without authorization," he said.
"You saved countless lives and instead of giving you a medal, they demoted you?" she asked in outrage.
He shrugged. "Regulation. I disobeyed a direct order by a commanding officer. This is my punishment," he said with a sigh. "It's not so bad. It's how I met Buffy."
At the mention of his girlfriend, Sara's eyes narrowed. "That woman is dangerous, Dad. You can't possibly trust her," she said.
He smiled. "But I do. With my life," he said firmly. "She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. You know I'd still be with your mom if I hadn't screwed things up. But she's moved on. She has a new life. She's never going to come back to me. I've accepted that. Buffy isn't as young as she looks. For some reason, she loves me." He said it like he was still mystified by that fact.
Sara couldn't help but smile at the look of happiness in her father's eyes. "I'm glad for you," Sara said. "But she's unnaturally strong. I think she's on some kind of drug of some kind."
He shook his head. "No. She's supernatural. Some day when you tell me what you've been up to, I'll tell you her story. If she says it's okay," he qualified.
"Be careful," she advised.
"Listen, sweetie. If Buffy left me tomorrow, I'd have no regrets," he shared. "She's like liquid fire in my arms. I've never felt so alive."
Sara looked at him in bemusement. "What does Laurel think?" she asked.
His eyes darkened. "Your sister is not in a good place. Tommy died in the Undertaking. They were dating," he said. "It would do her a world of good to know you're alive. Please, honey. Let's call her."
Sara shook her head. "It's not safe, Dad. Anyone close to me can be targeted by either the League or enemies of the League. I didn't exactly get permission to come home," she admitted. "But I heard about the earthquake and had to see if you guys were okay."
Quentin smiled. "I'm so glad you did," he said, his eyes wet.
Being so public was making Sara antsy. "I've got to go, Dad," she said.
"Can I have a way to reach you? Please?" he begged. "I can't bare losing you again!"
Sara didn't have the heart to refuse him. "I'll be in touch soon," she said. She stood up. Quentin tossed some bills down on the table and followed her out of the diner.
"I can't believe this," he said quietly. "I found you again, but you're already leaving."
She faced him, guilt piercing her. Stepping forward, she pulled him in for a tight hugged. "I love you, Daddy. I missed you so much!" she said against his chest, tears falling. Tears she thought were long gone.
Quentin held his youngest daughter, an act he thought was beyond him in this world. He vowed to do everything in his power to protect her and keep her from feeling anymore pain.
*****Later*****
Buffy told Roy not to say anything to Thea until she talked to Quentin. She didn't like secrets, nor did she like keeping them from her friends. However, this was Quentin's business more than anyone else's. Curiosity and a sense of injustice had compelled her to investigate both vigilantes' identity. Oliver hadn't surprised her. Quentin's presumed dead daughter returning and killing rapists and other bad guys was most definitely not what she'd been expecting.
After the club closed, she went to Quentin's.
He opened the door, happy to see her. When she stepped through the door, he pulled her close, needing her strength.
"Are you okay?" Buffy asked, looking at him in concern, her arms around his waist.
"I am now that you're here," he said. He led her to the sofa. They sat down, and he put his arm around her shoulder.
"Quite a day, huh?" Buffy said, smiling.
"It's a miracle, Buffy. One I never dared dream," he said. "Dinah thought Sara was alive months ago. Brought me a picture to prove it. I followed up, but it turned out to be someone else. Now I'm thinking Sara found a way to delete any trace of herself."
"Your poor wife," Buffy said. "I mean ex-!"
Quentin grinned. "Dinah's quite a woman. I hope you'll get a chance to meet her someday," he said.
"Should I be jealous?" Buffy had to ask. He had children with the woman. It hadn't been his choice to end the marriage.
Quentin looked like the thought had never occurred to him. "Jealous on my behalf?" he asked in surprise. "I don't think anyone's ever been jealous over me!"
Buffy rapped him on the shoulder, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. "I've been jealous before. I hate it!" she said.
Quentin grazed the back of his hand down her cheek. "Dinah is in my past. I'll always love her. I'll be there if she ever needs me. We had a happy marriage and raised two great girls. But Sara's death destroyed us. It turned me in to an ugly person that she didn't recognize," he shared. "Hell, I didn't recognize who I become. Only Laurel stuck by me. She was the only one who could stomach me."
Buffy knew about loss. She hadn't always handled it well. "I've been ugly myself when in pain. It's both understandable and forgivable," she said.
"Maybe. I guess if there's enough love there," Quentin said. "Or if you're not so broken that it takes all your strength to stay afloat. I think that's what happened to Dinah. Or maybe it was a combination of both."
"Her loss. My gain," Buffy said with a wink, causing him to chuckle.
He couldn't resist leaning down and giving her a kiss. "I'm the one who's gained," he said after he pulled back. "If you hadn't being so determined to find out who the masked woman was, I don't know how long I'd gone on not knowing my daughter was alive."
"Did she tell you where she's been?" Buffy asked.
"Not really. She said something about a mad scientist and then the League of Assassins," he said.
Buffy's face registered her surprise. "That's who trained her?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes. Are you familiar with them? Please tell me it's not what it sounds like," he begged.
"An organization of trained killers, specializing in assassins and terrorism?" she replied. "Yep. That's exactly what it is."
Quentin looked sick. "I don't understand. My Sara was sweet and fun loving. She wouldn't even kill a spider! I always had to release them into the wild!" he said.
"Experiences can change a person. So can power," Buffy said. "A few of my slayers overseas had a run in with the League. They learned to stay clear of our business."
"How do I deal with the murders she's committed here in my own city? I'm a cop!" he said, torn.
"Yes, but you're a father first," Buffy said gently.
"I want to help her," he said.
"Then we'll help her," Buffy replied.
Quentin gave her a grateful look, relieved she used the "we" in her reply. He was in unchartered territory. "I'm not sure she's looking to be saved," he said with a sigh.
"Sure she is," Buffy said. "She wouldn't have come home if not."
"You think so?" he asked hopefully.
She nodded. "My best friend Willow killed a man once," she shared.
Quentin looked surprise. She'd talked a lot about her friends—Willow figured into most of her tales. However, there had been no mention of murder. "Really?"
"When her lover Tara was killed by a bullet meant for me, she went full on crazy in her grief. Turned to the black arts. She skinned Warren—the guy who killed her—with a flick of her wrist. Then she tried to raise a temple that would destroy the world," Buffy said.
Quentin wasn't sure what to do with that information. "Wow," he said.
"But she's fine now. Xander got through to her," Buffy said. "Sometimes it just take a lot of love to pull someone back from the dark place."
Quentin wasn't sure how he'd have gotten through this without Buffy to share it with. Sara insisted that he not tell Dinah or Laurel. The guilt of that was already weighing heavily. "How can I not tell Dinah and Laurel?" he asked.
"You should after you find out more," Buffy said. "You don't want to spook her and have her disappear without a way to contact her."
"She said she'd let me know before she left town."
"Good. After she leaves, you can figure out how you'll tell Laurel," Buffy said.
"But she said it was too dangerous. That both the League and their enemies would be gunning for her," Quentin said in concern.
"Thea and I are both slayers. We can protect anyone that comes along. Not to mention the Arrow fought me on her behalf. I think they're allies," Buffy said. Now she understood that. Oliver knew Sara was alive.
"A vigilante club?" he asked with a half-smile. "This city gets weirder and weirder."
"Could be worse. Could be on a hellmouth," she said.
"Give it time!" he said. Nothing surprised him anymore.
*****Verdant*****
Roy was still reeling from the fact that his girlfriend's brother's ex who supposedly died on the boat was still alive. He wondered if maybe Thea's dad would end up alive, too. It was clear to Roy that Oliver Queen was not telling them everything. It was bad enough that he knew Oliver was the Hood. Oliver was full of secrets. Roy couldn't help but wonder what else he was hiding. He put up the last chair as he watched Thea finish counting out the drawer. She'd seemed as distracted as he. Neither had talked much. It'd been a busy night. Roy didn't like keeping things from her, but his fear of Buffy was great. Also, he didn't think Buffy would keep Thea in the dark for long.
After closing up, Roy walked Thea to her car. "Will you come home with me?" she asked.
"Sure," he said.
"I really need to talk to you," she said as she unlocked her car.
Roy opened the passenger door and got in. "What's up?" he asked as she put on her seat belt and put the keys in.
Instead of turning them, she blurted out, "My brother is the Hood!"
Surprised, Roy looked at her, trying to figure out how he should respond. Should he tell her that he already knew? "No freakin' way!" he said in mock disbelief, trying to wrap his mind around that revelation.
"Let's go home, and I'll fill you in," Thea said.
They drove to the Queen mansion in numbed silence. Both had their mind full of the news of the day.
When they got settled, she shared her poor reaction to the news. However, she didn't tell him the things Oliver had shared about the island. It was too personal.
"Do you think your dad is alive, too?" Roy asked. His thoughts about Oliver were all over the place. Somehow he knew how angry Thea would be if she found out that he knew already. He kept silent. The weight of his secrets were pressing in on him, however.
Thea gave him a sharp look. The thought hadn't occurred to her. "No, of course not. Oliver was the only survivor," she said.
Roy wrestled only a moment but revealed, "That's not true." This was one thing he felt he could share.
"What do you mean?"
"Sara Lance is alive. I saw her tonight with my own two eyes!" he shared. Thea shared her secret. There was no way he could keep yet another from her.
Thea let the revelation wash over her. Did that mean her father was alive, too?
******The Next Day*****
Ever since she'd caught Oliver with yet another woman that wasn't her, Felicity had only had one thing on her mind: work. It consumed her. She had to find out who was trying to take over Queen Consolidated. She wasn't sure why it was so important that Oliver's family keep their company, but it was. The city had went through enough change. QC was too much a part of the fabric of the city. It had been Felicity's first home since she graduated from MIT. She refused to acknowledge the other reason she was trying so hard.
"I'm going to find you!" she said aloud. There was no one there. Oliver was having dinner with his sister. Diggle was attempting another doomed to fail dinner with Carly. She had the base all to herself.
Finally, she found something. Isabel Rochev. The woman's name kept coming up. Her initial intel had said it was Stellmoor International that was gunning for Queen Consolidated. Rochev was leading the charge. As far as Felicity could see, the woman was the only one behind the moment going on. All roads seemed to lead to her. Finding out facts about the woman, though, hadn't been easy. Now, though, Felicity was on the right track. She was about to find out all there was to know about the illusive CEO. She clicked on another page. Her mouth fell open in shock.
"No frakking way!" she exclaimed.
The beautiful woman she saw on the page looked way too familiar. It was a woman whom she'd never forget.
Oliver's newest lover was the woman out to destroy his family's legacy.
And the hits kept coming.
*****To Be Continued*****
I hope this chapter was still pleasing without Oliver in it. Thanks for reading. Your reviews are much appreciated!