Notes:

Sorry for the delay, unfortunately work and obligations led to me not being able to write the last couple of days. That led to that hated moment when I have major muse but can't write because I have places to be and obligations which lead to hours of not being able to write my thoughts down and once I get around to it everything feels wrong... so I'm not that happy with this chapter, I feel my original thoughts had been better but they're gone and there's nothing I can do about that. So here it is, I hope you'll like it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8; No one told me it could get this bad, this fast

Quentin;

Quentin was on his way to Laurel's apartment. She had called him and asked him to come over. That Thea and she were worried about Oliver and Sara and that they were wondering what his thoughts on the pair's strange behavior was.

Quentin decided to take the stairs up, that would buy him some time. He had been thinking about what to tell the two young women from the moment Laurel had called him.

He was pretty sure he knew what was going on with them or part of it, well at least when it came to Sara, but he wasn't sure what to tell Laurel and Thea. He had considered dropping in on Oliver and Sara, before meeting his older daughter and her roommate, to confirm his suspicion and ask them what to tell their respective sister. The only reason he didn't was because Laurel had also told him that she had been to their apartment earlier today, and the state she had found Oliver in. They didn't seem to be up for company or answering any of his questions. He was sure, or he hoped that, they would come to him in time and tell him what was going on. So, he tried to give them the time they needed. They had only been back for three days, after all. They could probably use some time to settle in without constantly being bothered by people.

They had agreed to the meeting on Sunday afternoon, even though neither Sara nor Oliver had seemed up to it. And Quentin was sure it had simply been to keep up the appearance of normalcy and fulfilling everyone's expectations.

Quentin stopped on the landing before his daughter's floor, taking a deep breath. Still not knowing what he should tell Laurel and Thea. He replayed the important parts of the last two days once again, hoping that this time around he would finally be able to figure out what to do once he reached Laurel's front door.

He had to admit that it had surprised him and that it left him a little wary when Laurel had called, letting him know that Oliver had come home and that he had brought Sara with him. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to have his youngest daughter back home.

Of course he was. He would never let her out of his sight again if it were up to him.

What surprised him was that she had come home at all. She had been very firm in her stance, that she was a danger to everyone, before she had left eight months ago. And he unfortunately had to agree with her. She had also stated that she would not come back home until she found a way to control her "blood lust".

What Laurel told him pretty much confirmed that Sara had not yet managed to do that, or she didn't think she had. So why did she come home? He knew that his baby would never willingly and knowingly put anyone she cared about in danger. It was why she had left Star City the same night he had found out that she had survived the sinking of the Queen's Gambit. She had known that the League of Assassins had been after her and that her family would be in danger if she stayed. Well, as it turned out they had been in danger anyway, but he was sure that Laurel, Dinah and he would have been targeted sooner if Sara had stayed.

Quentin knew his daughter and how stubborn she was, and he also knew that not even Oliver, who seemed to get through to her when no one else could, was able to change her mind once she had made it up. The young man hadn't wanted her to leave that night, or the night she had left Star right before Moira was murdered, or after the Siege when she rejoined the League and he knew for a fact that Oliver had not been happy or agreed with her choice to leave once again all these months ago. Yet, she still had left, and Oliver hadn't stopped her, because even if he hadn't agreed with or liked her choice he had known that there was truth to Sara's words and that her leaving would be the safest option for everyone in Star City.

So what had changed?

Donna and Felicity had chosen to join and catch a ride with him to Laurel's. He was thankful for the distraction the two women provided. He had mixed feelings concerning today's gathering and wasn't sure it was a good idea. Not after Laurel told him what Oliver had told them about Sara the day before. His baby still didn't trust herself around people, she still thought she was dangerous, and she kept her distance from people and didn't like to be touched by anyone… except for Oliver, apparently.

Oh, why did he have the feeling this was going to be a disaster?

He had tried to tell Laurel that maybe they should make it just the family; Thea, Laurel, Oliver, Sara and himself and then at another time add the rest of the group. But Laurel told him it was fine, that Oliver had told them it was fine when they let him know that everyone was coming.

Maybe Sara wouldn't come, maybe it would only be Oliver. That would make sense and would probably be safer. He would love to see Sara. He just wasn't sure that a group setting was a good idea, or the best choice for his baby, given the circumstances. He had seen her after she was brought back from the dead, and he had seen her lose control after she had regained her soul. This was dangerous, if Sara still couldn't control herself. Well, Oliver could probably contain her, but he wasn't sure it was a risk worth taking. He really hoped that his daughter and Oliver knew what they were doing.

They reached Laurel's before he knew it and were welcomed by the two hosts.

Donna had been very excited, energetic and slightly nervous from the moment she had learnt that Sara was home and that after eight months she finally had the chance to meet her. She had a way of making him smile and her genuine excitement and interest in both his daughters, and Sara in particular, warmed his heart.

Felicity on the other hand appeared to be extremely nervous and unsure whether she should be here. And he had to agree with her initial refusal to come and disagree with Donna's insistence and insurances that Oliver would be happy to see her and that they just needed to spend some time together and talk to figure things out.

It had taken Felicity a while and a lot of conversations with Donna, Laurel, Thea and some of their friends from Central City to admit that she might have slightly overreacted when breaking her and Oliver's engagement off and that maybe she should just have taken some time to think about everything. She was still insistent that she was right with most of what she had said, but she agreed that she might have been unjust towards Oliver. Her stance on the matter and insistence that she had not been wrong was a testament to just how young she was. He knew that Sara was only about two years older than Felicity, but Sara had had to grow up fast after the Gambit sank. He sometimes wondered if she would be more like Felicity if she had never gotten on that damn boat. If she would still have the same naivete, innocence and black-and-white-worldview Felicity portrait. Well, there was no point in what if's. His baby was a hardened warrior that had been through too much in her young life, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He hadn't been able to protect her from the horrors of the world and he still couldn't protect her from what was happening to her now but he would make damn sure that nothing like what Sara had been and was going through would happen to Laurel, Thea or Felicity, not on his watch. And not if he could help it.

Quentin was brought back to the present when he heard Donna and John Diggle reassure Felicity that Oliver will be happy to see her and that she had no reason to worry. He didn't agree with them and from the looks of it neither did Thea. Laurel seemed to be torn whether she should agree with Donna and Diggle or Thea and him.

He had known Oliver for over twenty-years, and he was pretty sure that he would probably not really appreciate having his ex-fiancé here. Would he say something and tell her? No, probably not. Would he go out of his way to make her feel comfortable? That depended entirely on the mood he was in.

The doorbell rang before he could do anymore musing and Thea went and opened it. Letting her brother and his daughter in.

And just like that, the mood changed.

Quentin knew that Laurel and Thea had told the others of Sara's condition, and yet both Felicity and Diggle seemed surprised when Oliver walked in first, holding on to his daughter's hand and shielding her like a bodyguard would shield his charge. But he had to admit, it surprised him when Oliver refused to let go of Sara's hand while receiving hugs all around. Or when Sara stayed quiet and at her former lover's side, holding on to him at all times. He had been very taken aback when Oliver actually spoke for his baby and told Laurel what she wanted to drink, and exactly how to make her chamomile tea and how much honey to put in it. He did see the tiny, affectionate smile the blonde gave him after. That was not like his independent daughter at all. He had expected her to tell him off, and that she was capable of talking for herself, thank you very much. Like she would've and used to back when they were kids. Not give him an affectionate and grateful smile. What the hell was going on here and had happened to his baby? He swore then and there that he would find out before the afternoon was over.

It only took him about an hour and a half.

It didn't take him long to notice how Oliver tensed every time Sara left his side. At first, he had thought it was because he worried about her, and he was still sure that was part of it, but with time he had realized that every time his daughter left the muscular man's side, he would not only tense up but his right hand would take up the nervous tick he had noticed the Green Arrow have years ago. He would flex his fingers as if he were holding his bow and arrow. Oliver tensed up the same way the Green Arrow did whenever he was preparing to go to battle. And he would stay in a state of battle readiness until Sara returned. She always lifted her hand and put it on the nape of his neck, then slowly moved it between his shoulder blades, where she kept it for a moment, then continue over his shoulder until she held on to his bicep again and laced the fingers of her other hand with his. Oliver would relax the moment her fingertips made contact with his skin, and his nervous tick would stop immediately.

It was around the third time he watched the silent exchange between those two that he thought he finally understood the message behind his daughter's actions. Sara was reassuring Oliver, letting him know that she was here, that she was by his side, on his side, that he wasn't alone. Oliver wasn't tensing up because Sara was out of his sight and protection like he first assumed, Oliver tensed up because Sara was leaving him alone with everyone. Because he was uncomfortable being alone with all of them without Sara next to him. But why?

Quentin wasn't stupid or half as oblivious as his daughters and their friends sometimes liked to think he was. He was a former detective and finding clues, mulling them over and putting them together until they made sense, used to be a part of his job. A job he had performed longer than his daughters had been alive. He also knew that he used to be able to pride himself of being an excellent husband and father.

At least until that fateful day the usually very composed Moira Queen showed up at his doorstep, uncharacteristically distraught. Bringing him news that would shatter his entire world.

That was why he knew his daughters. And Dinah. Add the simple truth that Sara was her mother's daughter, always had been, and not just when it came to her character but also to her physique. And the mystery almost solved itself.

His baby looked exhausted and fragile, but at the same time very healthy. Her usually very slender, fit and muscular frame was replaced with soft curves, hidden under a loose sweater but still obvious to anyone who knew what to look for, her face was a little rounder than usual and there was a healthy glow to it and her cheeks were a nice rosy color. She was drinking chamomile tea with honey, and what he presumed was beet root juice, given its color, that she had brought in her own bottle.

Those were beverages that Dinah used to drink during both of her pregnancies.

The chamomile tea had helped her against the nausea and the beet root had helped her boost her energy and was a natural way to manage blood pressure and blood sugar. Sara's frequent bathroom trips confirmed his suspicions.

His baby was pregnant.

His baby was having a baby.

He hoped for Queen's sake that it wasn't his and if it was he better be serious and commit to his daughter and their child.

The heir to the Queen name had only recently come out of a very serious relationship. He should not be involved with anyone right now. Even less one of his daughters. Or in a serious enough capacity that led to a child.

The one thing that he had not yet managed to figure out, to his utter frustration, was the status of the two parents-to-be's relationship. And that bothered him. He wanted to know the situation and environment his grandchild would grow up in.

Oliver should not be in a relationship and he should not be having a child, not after everything that had happened with Felicity and his son, whom he had given up in order to protect him. Quentin could understand and respect that, but it also worried him regarding his pregnant daughter and his grandchild.

His cop's and father's intuition told him that this was not going to end well.

Quentin was still trying to figure out why Oliver would feel uncomfortable around his sister and friends and what the situation concerning the pregnancy was when the objects of his musings suddenly stood up and excused themselves.

So, he had been right, given the expectant parents' reaction to the mentioning of little Sara Diggle. There was more to the pregnancy, just as he had suspected, and all signs pointed towards those things not being of the good or happy kind. He watched them leave with a contemplative look and a heavy heart. Hoping once again that they knew what they were doing and that everything would turn out all right. Even if a part of him reminded him, it never did where Sara and Oliver were concerned.

Quentin was still standing on the landing, no closer to figuring out what to tell the two women expecting him than before. It wasn't his place to tell Laurel and Thea about the very high possibility that they would soon be aunts. But he wasn't sure Sara and Oliver were up to telling people themselves. They could've done it yesterday. Everyone besides Lyla had been there. It would've been the perfect moment. But they hadn't. They hadn't gone out of their way to hide the pregnancy, but they also made sure that it wasn't obvious. And he was sure no one besides him and Donna had figured it out. He dragged his hand over his face and sighed.

Notes:

I'm not sure I managed to capture Quentin right but I've been reading an rewriting this chapter numerous times and I don't think I'll manage to make it better in the next couple of days if ever which is why I chose to post it.