Note:

Ahm... well I'm not so sure about this one but I wanted to post it because otherwise it'll be at least midweek until I get around to it... I hope you guys like it.


Chapter 27

Drip drop the rain is falling I hear it all could flood One rainy night away from losing all you love

Quentin

He had been surprised about his younger daughter's phone call and even more her question if he would mind staying with her for a while because Oliver had to leave town on short notice but didn't want to leave her alone. Of course he didn't mind spending time with his baby. He had been thrilled when she had suggested weekly dinners at her and Oliver's place and the implications that came with it. That she wanted to spend time with her family, that she wanted to reconnect and maybe even put down roots again. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.

Her recent actions gave him a lot of hope, hope that maybe he wouldn't have to say goodbye to his youngest daughter again, that he wasn't going to lose her again as soon as her baby was born. And that maybe, just maybe, she and Oliver would change their minds when it came to the fate of their child.

There was a part of him that still wanted nothing more than to try to convince both Sara and Oliver to keep their child. To tell them it would be okay, that all of them could figure it out together. That they wouldn't be alone. That they wouldn't have to handle and deal with it on their own. It was so very hard for him to keep his mouth shut and not say anything, like Dinah had told him to several times during the ten days that she had spent in Star City.

He knew she was right.

That Sara and Oliver needed to figure this one out on their own. That it was their choice. That it needed to be their choice and that they needed to be sure they could handle raising a child if they should decide to change their minds. It would have to be because it was what they wanted and not because they felt obligated and pressured into keeping their child. It was just… they were talking about his grandchild. The thought of never getting to know the newest member of their family, of not being a part of his grandbaby's life, was nearly unbearable. After having lost Sara so many times and never even letting himself dream of the possibility of his baby providing him with grandchildren anymore, like she had always wanted to, learning that one of her dreams had finally come true, but that she was no longer believing that she deserved to live that dream was heartbreaking. He wished there was something he could do to make her see how wrong she was, to help her realize that she deserved this, that she could do this...

He just wished he could shoulder some of the burden she was carrying and ease some of her pain.

But most of all he wanted to watch her be the amazing mother to her child he knew she would be. To watch her thrive in the new role life was providing her with. He just wanted to see his baby be happy, like he knew she would be, raising her and Oliver's child.

Sara's surprise phone call led to him standing in their hallway, watching Oliver and his daughter's interaction and their emotional, heartbreaking goodbye. It was obvious by their behavior how aware both of them were of the situation and the possible consequences to Oliver's leaving. There was a significant chance that he may not return. Quentin knew that just as well as the parents-to-be he was watching.

Studying their interactions led to him wondering once again about their relationship status.

They sure looked like a couple to him. And not just that. If he were simply observing them as a stranger, he would assume they were an established married couple that was expecting their first child. Everything they did, every word they spoke were what one would expect from a couple that had been married for years.

Maybe Di had been right, maybe the reason why both Sara and Oliver insisted that they were not a couple was because neither of them was too fond of labels, they never had been. And she might also be on to something with her theory that another reason might be that there were no labels that could describe what they had, what they meant to each other. Di had insisted that none of the usual words one would use to refer to a couple seemed fitting when it came to them, that the commonly used terms weren't strong enough to describe what they are to each other.

He hadn't known about that one, but Di had spent more time with the two of them than anyone else. Watching them now made him agree with his ex-wife's words for the first time, witnessing what she had seen weeks ago.

Sara and Oliver had always had a tight bond growing up. Their similar characters played a huge part in that. They had an understanding of the other most people lacked. That bond only seemed to have gotten stronger over the last couple of years. Part of him was still wondering what had happened during their time together on the Island that had led to their bond becoming seemingly unbreakable. The other part was pretty sure he didn't actually want to know. He was still reeling and trying to come to grips with the latest revelation about the six years his baby had been away and the horrors she had faced during that time. He had been plagued by nightmares ever since he had found out that his baby had been... that she... that they had... he couldn't even... he had woken up in a cold sweat more than once, still hearing his baby's desperate, anguished and helpless cries while faceless figures hunched over her, forcefully taking what was not theirs to take. Knowing that there was nothing he could do to help her, to protect her, to prevent the horror she had to endure from happening to her.

Quentin forcefully shoved those dark thoughts from his mind and focused on the pair in front of him again.

He had witnessed Oliver in different relationships over the years but the last couple of weeks had been the first time he had seen Sara and Oliver act like a couple, something they hadn't even done almost three years ago when they had offi... that wasn't right. When everyone had known that they had been together. They hadn't acted like a couple then, not in public and not in front of him. So, this was the first time he got the chance to observe them while they were showing their affection publicly and what he saw surprised him.

The level of respect, understanding and devotion that they were showing each other, the way Oliver treated Sara like an equal in any way, shape or form, something he had never seen the younger man do with anyone before, not on the same level as he did his younger daughter. Or how very gentle and soft he was with her. Just how much he seemed to cherish her and bask in her presence.

And the way Oliver looked at his baby girl. That had been the most surprising thing of them all.

Oliver looked at Sara as if she were the most precious, amazing and divine being. It was an unusual look on the former playboy's face. A look that spoke volumes concerning his feelings towards the mother of his unborn child.

And Sara, Sara actually seemed to be taking care of Oliver. Even more shocking had been the realization that he let her. There were a lot of small touches and gentle caresses whenever she passed him or he her. Sara and Oliver's communication was mostly physical. But they were so very soft and gentle with each other. It was a stark contrast to the violence that was a huge part of their lives, and the hardened warriors that they were and usually presented to the world.

He watched Oliver get on his knees in front of Sara to say goodbye to his unborn child, and Quentin wasn't sure when the last time was that he felt this emotional and touched by any of Oliver's actions. It was when the father-to-be got back on his feet and kissed Sara's forehead that he saw the anguished look on his face and the agony in his eyes… it was in that moment that Quentin was certain of one thing.

Strangers would not raise his grandbaby.

Not if Oliver survived the alien attack. Walking away from Sara and their unborn child was tearing the young man apart, and Quentin knew there was no way he would give up his baby after this.

He watched Oliver push all of his feelings and emotions away to hide them behind the neutral mask that was the Green Arrow's signature look. He straightened his shoulders and put his head up straight, turning around and walking away without looking back. Watching the man he had known ever since he was a little boy, struggle to walk away from his daughter made him realize just how hard it was for him to do what everyone expected him to, what was right and leaving a pregnant Sara behind.

He moved his eyes from the now empty doorway to his daughter and could see her shoulders shake for a moment before she took a couple of deep breaths, still staring at the entrance to their apartment that Oliver had just walked out of.

"How you holding up, baby?" He looked at his daughter questioningly, trying to get her attention and to distract her from Oliver's departure. This situation couldn't be easy for her. She was usually right in the middle of any battle. Staying back and letting her family fight it without her must have been a hard decision for her to make.

There was a part of him that had expected her to lie, or avoid the question as she tended to do when it came to her feelings, he was glad when she answered honestly and took the time to gather her thoughts and analyze how she was feeling. It was another sign to him that she was slowly letting herself feel and taking her own feelings into consideration and therefore giving them weight and herself some importance. It was a small step towards healing.

He quietly watched her from his position on the coffee table in front of her, giving her the time she needed to put her feelings into words. He put one of his hands on her knee out of habit. It was almost a reflex, in order to provide her with some comfort while sharing his thoughts with her. It was an act he performed without thinking, one he had done countless times before with both of his daughters. It wasn't until he noticed her biting her lip that he realized what he had done and was just about to remove it and apologize when he felt one of her hands covering his, while her lips turned into a soft half smile. They stayed like this for the majority of their conversation.

"You'll be alright, baby, both of you. No matter what happens, you'll always have me." Quentin put his other hand on top of his daughters, holding it tight, to try to comfort her, in the small way she seemed to allow him to. Sara putting her hand on his had been the first physical contact she had initiated and allowed between them since she and Oliver had returned home. And he wasn't going to push or force her into more. There was nothing he wanted more than to wrap her in his arms and comfort her, but it was not what she needed right now. What she needed was for him to just be there for her and let her set the pace. To give her the time and space she needed.


Sara

Sara jumped up from Ollie's armchair the moment she heard the front door rushing towards it.

Roy hadn't really given her any information, just apologized for not answering her sooner, that everyone was fine, and he was sure Ollie would contact her soon and that Thea was coming home and would stay with her, Sin and baby Sara.

Which meant something had happened, and everyone was not fine. Speedy would never remove herself from a fight, even less such an enormous one if she were okay. Ollie wouldn't send his baby sister to stay with her if everything was okay. So, she had been sitting in the living room, Sin keeping her quiet company, waiting anxiously for Thea's arrival, hoping that she was okay and that maybe she would finally get some answers as to why everyone had gone MIA for hours.

She pulled the younger woman into a tight hug the moment she had stepped into the apartment and Sara had looked her over and made sure she wasn't hurt.

"Thea, thank god! I was so worried! Are you okay? What happened?" Sara was ushering Ollie's younger sister into the apartment and steering her towards the living room and Sin. All the while bombarding her with questions she had not yet meant to ask. But all the worry and the fear that had built up over the hours of radio silence needed an outlet and this was the only outlet she had right now.

"Do you want something to eat? Drink? Or maybe a hot shower, while I prepare you some food? Sorry, I'm shutting up now." She counted down from twenty and bit her lip to stop herself from saying anymore before at least giving Thea the chance to answer.

"It's fine, Sara, it's nice to know that you care so much that you end up babbling like Felicity…" Thea teased while grinning at her.

"I'm… I don't know how I am. It's been a really weird couple of days. But a shower does sound nice, so does food. So, I'd go with that if the offer still stands and in return promise to answer all of your questions while eating?" Thea continued to answer her questions, not giving her time to respond this time.

"Sorry! Of course, the offer still stands. What would you like to eat?" Sara smiled at her compassionately.

"I really don't care. Whatever." Thea looked and sounded exhausted.

"Okay. Why don't you grab some fresh clothes from my room, Speedy, you can have my bed too. I'll be crashing in Ollie's anyway, Sara insisted on sleeping in his bed." She moved towards the hallway to get to the kitchen while Thea was following her to grab some fresh clothes and a hot shower.

Ollie called while Thea was still in the bathroom. Letting her know that he was okay and apologizing for worrying her. He promised he would explain what happened once everything was over and he was back home. The conversation had been extremely short and Ollie had pretty much cut it off before it really began.

Hearing his voice had eased some of her worry, but his distant behavior on the phone and refusal to tell her what had happened gave her a bad feeling. Whatever had happened was something that had a lasting impact on Ollie, she just knew it. He could've summarized it and would've otherwise. This meant that he had not yet processed it and didn't give himself the time to, and he didn't want to worry her. Just like he didn't tell her that things had just gotten worse, while ending their call only minutes after it began.

Sara slowly put the phone back into the pocket of Ollie's sweatpants, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, her hand once again ending up placed on her stomach on its own accord.

It was going to be okay. Everything was going to be okay. Ollie and Laurel were going to be okay.

They had to be.

She stayed like this for a couple of minutes, trying to calm down and convince herself of her newest mantra. She then opened her eyes and walked back into the kitchen to check up on Sin and Thea's food. Only to find both young women in there catching up.

"Wait, you, Ollie, Laurel and Dig were what?!" Sara wasn't sure she heard right or whether she should believe what Thea just told her. Why the fuck hadn't he mentioned that during their phone call?

Just a quick 'sorry, Pretty Bird, the reason I was MIA was because Speedy, Laurel, Dig, Ray and I got abducted by aliens.'

Was that too much to ask for? And why hadn't anyone else like picked up the phone and let her know that her sister and the father of her unborn child were abducted by fucking aliens?! That was the sort of information she had a right to know! How could they not have told her? How could Ollie not have mentioned it just now? Why wouldn't he mention it?

Sara was pissed, pissed enough to get off the couch and start pacing, wishing Ollie were here so she could yell at him and give voice to her anger.

Ollie got abducted by fucking aliens, and no one bothered to tell her. To let her know.

Ollie got abducted by aliens.

She had almost lost Ollie again because aliens had abducted him.

She could feel the panic set in the moment the realization of the meaning of those words registered.

She came so close to losing Ollie again. So close to having him leave her and their little Hummingbird alone. She almost had to go through all of this alone. Because Ollie had been abducted by aliens.

Aliens he was fighting right now.

She could still lose him.

Oh god, she could still lose Ollie. What if…

"Easy, Sar. Breathe." Sin's voice registered amidst her panic and helped her thoughts to return to the here and now.

"Sara, breathe, you need to breathe. In and out, in and out,… They're okay, both Ollie and Laurel are okay." Thea was suddenly standing right in front of her, holding on to the hand that wasn't on her stomach and trying to calm her down, Sin was right next to her, one hand on her upper arm, comforting her.

She looked at the two brunettes in front of her, the two women she loved just as much as she did Laurel, the two young women she referred to as her younger sisters without a moment's hesitation. She loved them so much. And she was so very grateful for their presence, she didn't know what she would've done if she were alone. How she was supposed to go through this alone. She pulled on Thea's hand while wrapping her other arm around Sin, pulling them both into a tight hug.

"Thank you."

No one besides her little namesake had gotten any real sleep last night. Which might partially have been because somehow all four of them ended up a tangled mess in Ollie's bed. Catching up and trying to stay distracted and not think about the danger their family and friends were facing. It had actually been a lot of fun, to her surprise.

Sara had never been one for sleepovers. She liked camp, but not the sleepovers girls used to have.

She was also surprised how well she was doing with Thea so close. So far, the bloodlust and the demons under her skin had stayed dormant. Thankfully. Still she was constantly on edge just waiting for them to stir, just like she was waiting to hear from Ollie and yet expecting someone else to call her and bring bad news.

Thankfully, getting the little angel ready for the day provided a solid distraction and helped all three of them to stay busy. Having her here was truly a blessing, and her sunny demeanor and hilarious actions helped ease the tension they were feeling while playing the waiting game. She took some pics and send them to Ollie. She hoped it would put a smile on his face and ease some of his tension. She made sure to add a humorous text with it, just in case the picture wasn't enough.


Felicity

It hadn't taken Felicity long to notice how Oliver appeared to spend a lot of time, well for him, on his cell, texting or actually talking, he always seemed more relaxed during the calls and right after. It was an unusual behavior for her ex-fiancé, he usually spent very little time on his cell phone or with electronics in general. Even less during any type of crisis.

She was surprised when one of the first things he had done after his abduction was to make a phone call. It was so not like him. Even less while they were all trying to figure out how to proceed and what was happening.

The supposed meeting with the president had been a bust and things had just gotten worse. Not that she had thought it possible until now.

So, the next time she saw him glance at his phone and grin, before nudging Dig and showing it to him, which led to Dig grinning too, she decided to find out what was going on. It wasn't hard for her to figure out who he was communicating with; she still had access to all of his devices, after all. She pulled up his screen with a couple of keystrokes just to see a picture of baby Sara wearing what looked suspiciously like one of Oliver's shirts, with what she assumed was a stuffed animal, given the shape, stuck under it. The caption Sara wrote under it just stated:

'She decided since we're having the same name and we both like you lots, we should also look the same... guess you'll have to go shirtless from now on... FYI; congrats, it's a bear…' and a winking emoji behind it.

Felicity couldn't help but grin herself. Baby Sara looked adorable in the enormous shirt that Sara had knotted together in some places, and Sara's words were hilarious... plus there were worse things than Oliver without a shirt.

It didn't take a lot of work or any at all for her to find out that the person he had been communicating with had been Sara. She was the only person he had texted with in the last three days. She was tempted to read through some of the texts but decided against it. That would be a huge violation of trust, and they were her friends. Her friends who valued their privacy a lot.

This had been different, Oliver had shown it to Dig, so it wasn't anything private.

She bit her lip before disconnection Oliver's cell phone altogether. Denying herself any and all access to it. There was no reason for her to access his private phone anymore, he could let her know if he for some reason wanted or needed her to connect with it again in order to access it but until then, his private life was his and none of her business. They were ex, after all. Whether or not she liked it. It had been her choice.

It had been her choice. Ending their relationship had been her choice. Her choice had led to this. To them being ex.

But still friends.

She bit her lip again and contemplated something for a minute before making a decision. She picked up her cell phone and sent Sara a quick text, asking how she was doing and things were in Star City. Because Sara was her friend, at least Felicity hoped she still was and considered her to be her friend. And she really hoped Sara was doing okay. Oliver's words had stuck with her and she had spent a lot of time mulling them over and talking to her mom, Dig and Lyla, and Laurel about it.

Sara was her friend, at least a potential friend. Someone she would love to get to know better and hang out with more. She had enjoyed her company when she had first come home and there had been potential for them to become good friends. Sara's leaving and her own insecurities, she begrudgingly had to admit, had prevented that from happening though.

It only took Sara a minute to reply to her text.

Letting her know that she and the girls were okay. She sent a picture along with it. It showed baby Sara in her highchair eating breakfast flanked by both Thea and Sin on either side of her.

Sara then wanted to know how she was doing and things were going. Felicity texted her back real quick, providing her with some information but not too much. She didn't want to worry her, before focusing on what was going on and what appeared to be a sudden attack from the aliens.

She felt like someone had lifted a slight weight from her shoulders. Sara had texted her back with no hesitation. The text had been light and honest and just the way a friend would text another friend. She hoped that this was a good sign and the beginning of what could be a great friendship, hopefully.


Sara

Sara was surprised when the doorbell rang, picked little Sara up, placed her on her hip and went to answer the door. Throwing the arm that was not holding on to the small girl around the man in front of her was a reflex, feeling relief and comfort when he returned her one-armed hug with both of his, it was a welcoming sensation.

"Roy, thank god you're okay!" She pulled him in a little tighter until a tiny voice complained and the two of them parted, chuckling.

"What are you doing here? Are Ollie and Laurel okay?" Her curiosity turned to dread in a matter of seconds. The only reason she could think of for Roy to come here, alone, was because something had happened to Ollie, or Laurel. Or both of them. She could feel her heartbeat increase and her lungs constrict painfully.

"Easy, Birdy, they're both okay. I swear, maybe a little banged up, but so is everyone. They're fine. I'm here to get you and the girls and take you to Central. We won, and the aliens left, so that's a reason to celebrate and I figured Thea, you and Sin should join us. You're both part of Team Arrow and Sin's pretty much an honorary member, if you asked me." Roy jumped right in when he realized that she was close to panicking, ensuring her and explaining his presence here.

"Okay, Thea and Sin are out getting some groceries, but they should be back soon. What about tiny here?" She informed him and wondered, playfully pinching the girl in question's little tight. She had promised Lyla and Dig to watch their daughter, and she wasn't going to hand her over to anyone besides her parents.

"Let's bring her too, I'm sure Dig'll be happy to see her."

"Ollie!" Sara couldn't stop herself from calling out his name the moment she spotted the familiar emerald of his suit. She was already halfway across the space between them by the time he turned towards her, it only took her few seconds longer until she barreled into him, jumping into his arms with no warning, not that he needed any, he knew her long and good enough to expect her move and catch her with no trouble. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on tight, breathing him in, ensuring herself that he was really here, that he was alive, that he was okay.

She could feel the tension and worry that had built up over the last couple of days leave her body and everything taking its toll, that in combination with the pregnancy hormones led to an emotional overload and it didn't take long for her to cry. She tried not to, but she knew it was a losing battle the moment she tried to fight it. She had lost every single fight with her tears ever since she got pregnant, so it was no surprise to her that she lost this one too.

"It's okay, Pretty Bird, I'm okay." Ollie's soft, comforting voice was like a balm to her soul, and his hands that were softly stroking her hair and back helped ease the last of the tension away. She could feel a familiar warmth replace the cold that the dread and fear had filled her body with when Ollie kissed her temple. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Thea told me about the abduction… You can't leave me, Ollie. I can't do this without you." It worked just long enough for her to push those sentences past the lump in her throat and mumble them into his neck, refusing to let go of him even the tiniest bit.

"I won't, you won't have to do this alone. I promise. 'Not without you' and 'together', remember?" The shock from the familiar and unexpected words Ollie spoke led to her finally pushing herself far enough away from him so she could look him in the eyes, searching. Searching for the true meaning behind the words. For all the things he never says. All the things he usually hides from everyone and tries to hide from her. Unsuccessfully.

But not today, not right now. His eyes had never been clearer and never shown more truth than they did right now.

"Together." It was a statement, a promise and an oath. They were in this together. Whatever life would throw at them, they would face it together. She tried to convey all of this and so much more in that one word, tried to communicate it with her eyes. Hoping he would understand what she was and wasn't saying at the same time.

"Sara…" She was certain he had understood the moment he spoke her name like a broken prayer, his voice was chocked and he put so much meaning and emotion into that one word, it was… it almost frightened her but Ollie kissed her before she could give it anymore thought, forgetting everything besides the feelings he provided and the touch of his lips on hers.

"I love you." She wasn't sure she heard right, but her mouth replied before her mind managed to process what had just happened.

"I know, I've known since Lian Yu." It was the truth. Ollie had executed Anthony in cold blood for her. After he had refused to when he should've done it. When it might have changed the outcome of events. He executed him in cold blood when he no longer had any reason to. Ollie had executed Anthony in cold blood so that she didn't have to. If she'd had any doubt concerning his feelings for her after all the times he had thrown himself between her and a gun, it would've been gone then and there for sure.

His heartfelt words startled her. Those words completely blindsided her. She hadn't expected them. At all. Not because she didn't think he loved her, or that they weren't true. No, because they didn't do this.

"You've always been a little slow and had serious issues when it came to sorting your emotions." She added, hoping it would lighten the mood a little. It had gotten too heavy for her liking, too serious and way too real. And she didn't know, she didn't know how to respond. What to do. She couldn't… she couldn't do this, not now, maybe not ever.


Notes:

Chapter title is from the song "War" by Icon for Hire.