All previous disclaimers apply.

Chapter 36

Pretty Bird

Laurel woke in bed and for a heartbeat missed her husband's warm presence next to her. Then she remembered why he was sleeping on the couch. It was petty; a fight about nothing really, but she was still upset with him. She smelled coffee and bacon – if he thought he could bribe her forgiveness with food, he had another thing coming. Laurel padded out of their bedroom in her sleepwear and into the kitchen. Oliver worked at the stove in his boxers. He glanced up at her with a mischievous grin. "Morning, pretty bird. Do I want to know what I do to earn a night in the dog house?"

"Past?" she double-checked. He'd said 'do' but sometimes he still got his dates confused. He confirmed he was from the past, which altered the level of detail she'd share with him; "You don't like one of my new coworkers, we argued over him and your Neanderthal demands. You decided to sleep on the couch, I didn't send you there."

She could tell he wanted to ask for more information but knew better. Laurel certainly wasn't going to give him the name of her coworker as that would only fuel his insecurities earlier. Yes, she understood Oliver had been to a future where Adam Donner made a pass at her and then made her workplace uncomfortable after she rejected him. That didn't mean it would happen this time around as Oliver worried. Even if it did, she was perfectly capable of defending herself; she didn't need her husband to fix all her problems. She wanted him to support her when she encountered issues and to trust her and her abilities. She didn't need a white knight, she needed a partner and wanted to be treated as one in return. Except she hadn't communicated those desires to Oliver very well the night before. She would have to wait for her present husband to return, then she'd apologize for her overreaction to his unexpected but possessive lunch date and try to get her point across again. There was no purpose in having the conversation with this Oliver. He'd only be very confused since she wouldn't be able to get into specifics. Sweet, but hopelessly lost to the context.

"Would it help if I apologized in advance?" Oliver proposed as Laurel joined him in the kitchen, retrieving her coffee mug.

"No, but you can remember that offer in a few years and apologize when you get back," she leaned against the counter opposite Oliver.

"You'd think with my ability I'd be able to avoid upsetting you."

"We're human, Oliver, your gift can't change that," she retold him to which he frowned.

Sometimes when he travelled after an argument, she wished he stayed put so they could resolve the matter without interference. Other times after a fight, she wanted him to jump because other versions of Oliver helped her understand his opinion on the situation without getting caught up in the disagreement. The times she wanted him gone, he stayed, and afterwards she was usually glad as it felt like a bigger victory to reach an understanding the way other couples normally did. Normality, that was a constant struggle in their relationship as there were times when they both craved it; Oliver more so than her. That was the underlying insecurity which had her husband so worked up about Donner, because Adam could offer her a normal life and Oliver feared one day his uncontrollable traveling would drive her from him. Never mind that he'd seen they were still married thirteen years from now; the fact they could change the future meant nothing was guaranteed in their relationship. Like a normal couple.

His ability didn't matter to her. Oh, it could be frustrating at time, not to mention confusing, but it was also a gift. Either way, she loved him too much to walk away that easily. That didn't mean she wasn't currently annoyed with her husband, but it was hard to hold that frivolous fight against this younger Oliver. Especially when he looked at her with such adoration and love. He knew she was still upset and wouldn't push her to forgive him, but he wanted them both to enjoy this time they had together, to live in the moment. Sometimes Laurel wished she couldn't read her husband so easily, but then he also knew her as well as he knew the back of his own hand.

"You know, it isn't easy to pretend our fight never happened, even if it hasn't happened for you yet," she sighed.

"I do know, Laurel," Oliver reminded her; "I'm not asking you to pretend or forget, but if you can set aside your anger, we can deal with it when we're both on the same page again. And I'm sorry, for whatever I do in the future, and I will be again."

He was sincere and entirely right. Whenever her husband had jumped to, he'd also had to compartmentalize their argument to operate as if he belonged to that time. This Oliver might also be setting aside his own conflicting feelings to exist in this present. She could at least do the same. She let her frustrations go for the present; perhaps it would be for the best, to come back to the issue when they both had clear heads. Laurel wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck and kissed him; "Good morning." He'd called her 'pretty bird' which meant they were at least dating in his time. They kissed again, starting fresh.

"Pretty bird, would you mind putting on a robe?" Oliver inquired as he resumed making their omelets, a little more distractedly than when she'd first arrived. Laurel stood beside him, watching. She smiled wryly at him and traced her fingers up his nearest bicep; "Afraid I'll get cold?"

Laurel had worn the lingerie her husband loved the night before. She's actually paraded about in the lingerie, in a loose robe, just to torment him after he decided to sleep on the couch rather than talk with her. Her husband had gritted his teeth and refused to look at her. This Oliver was much more appreciative but trying to focus on breakfast. He grunted noncommittally to her question. Once he had the stove off, he tugged her closer and kissed her soundly. When they pulled apart, she pressed two fingers to his lips; "Food first."

Normally, her husband would've agreed with her. The island had taught him not to waste food, but today he kissed her fingers and then found her lips again. "I love you." Her heart still fluttered at those words and she repeated them back to him. He pulled her body flush to his and kissed her again.

They ate a rather late breakfast. Afterward, they did some last-minute shopping for the small gathering they were hosting that night at Oliver's bar. Oliver added a newspaper to their supplies at the checkout line. Laurel almost reminded him that they had the online subscription but a glance at the title explained his interest. She let him gobble up the story, now having a better idea of when he belonged. The article was about Palmer Tech's recent acquisition of the financially-floundering Edge Industries and Ray Palmer's promise that all less-ethical experiments in Edge had been shut down.

"Did the team help bring Edge down?" Oliver wanted to know once he finished reading.

"We did. The stealth drones Edge Industries would've built were outed to the public before a blueprint of the prototype was even made. That's why we're celebrating with the West-Allens and Danvers tonight."

"Who?" Oliver appeared genuinely confused at the second name.

"Never mind, you'll be meeting them soon enough," Laurel promised and offered no more details. She'd already texted Kara and Alex to warn them. They all knew how Oliver felt about unnecessary spoilers.