Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Telling the Boss

Early mornings are always the most quiet times.

Except when your three year old child comes barging in at 6:30 A.M.

Oliver had started to come into consciousness when the door creaked open, but the three year old jumping on the bed definitely fully woke him.

"Get up!"

"Olivia, go back to bed," he moaned.

"But it's morning!"

"Does she usually do this?" he asked.

"No," Dinah groaned. "Only if she woke up reeeeally early."

"It's 6:30!"

"Olivia." He saw Dinah sit up, pulling the covers with her causing him to pull them back. "Your daddy and I are getting up. Now leave!"

With her mission achieved, Olivia jumped off the bed and racing out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Dinah flopped backwards. "I can't stand the days when she does that."

She lay there for a moment before getting up. "I would have work today, but since we're leaving... I need to explain this to Sandra. All of this."

Oliver was surprised. "You haven't told your boss about any of this?"

"No, I haven't. And that changes today."

Oliver waited as Dinah strapped Olivia into her car seat. They were going down to the florist shop were Dinah worked. The little girl couldn't wait to go see the woman she regarded as an aunt.

They pulled up in the parking lot an hour before the shop opened. Oliver held Olivia's hand as Dinah unlocked the door.

"Will your boss even be here yet?"

"Yes, Sandra usually comes in at least two hours before the shop opens. Also, the blue car over there is hers." He glanced over, and sure enough there was a blue car in the corner spot.

A bell rang as the door opened. As they walked in, a older woman, probably in her early sixties, with grey hair walked out of the backroom.

"Well, I'll be. You did show up."

Olivia waved and called out, "Hi, Auntie Sandra!"

"You didn't think I would?" Dinah looked offended by the comment.

"Hello, Olivia. Dinah, after the call last night..." Sandra trailed off. "So. Are you gonna tell me who he is?" She gestured towards Oliver.

Dinah bit the edge of her lip. "Sandra, this is Ollie. Ollie, this is Sandra Colter."

Sandra raised an eyebrow at him. "Olivia, how 'bout you go play in the back... I think that the grown ups need ta talk."

"Can I, Mommy, Daddy?"

Sandra looked in utter shock at the little girl, and looked over at Dinah and Oliver, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.

"Sure, Olivia," said Dinah quickly, and Olivia ran into the back.

Sandra was still staring. "Dinah..." She glanced to make sure Olivia wasn't in hearing range, and whispered, "What the hell?!"

Dinah drew in breath, preparing for what was to come.

"Sandra, the truth is... I haven't been completely honest with you."

"Well I can see that!"

Oliver watched as Dinah flinched at her friend's tone. "I can explain."

Sandra leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Start talkin'."

So, Dinah began to try and explain her deception. "My name isn't Dinah Lancen."

That threw Sandra, who choked out, "What?"

"My name is Dinah Queen, but it was Lance before I married Ollie eight years ago."

Sandra's eyes darted between Dinah and Oliver, making the connection.

"Yes. Ollie," Dinah gestured to him, "is Olivia's father. And yes, he was out of the picture." She said as Sandra opened her mouth to speak. "He was out of the picture because until two days ago, I thought he was dead."

Sandra cocked her head at Dinah's words. "Queen..." She straitened in realization of where she knew the names. "Dinah and Oliver Queen, wasn't it."

"Yes, but that's not all of it. Until four years ago I was known by another name as well, Black Canary."

Sandra narrowed her eyes in distrust. "You do realize how crazy that sounds."

"I'm know, but I can prove it." Dinah glanced around, probably wanting to avoid breaking a window. "Cover your ears."

Oliver covered his. Sandra, with a look of suspicion, covered hers too.

Dinah gave a short Canary Cry, which moved a few boxes.

With a look of astonishment, Sandra murmured, "You're her."

Dinah opened her mouth to reply, as Olivia came dashing out of the back room

"What was that?" cried Olivia.

Making a quick decision, Dinah said, "I tell you when you're older, Oliva." Dinah gave the little girl a reassuring smile. "Go play."

The three year old cast a look of suspicion at her mommy, but walked back to the other room anyways.

Dinah looked back to see that Sandra sank down into a chair. "You saved my life," Sandra said to Dinah, who gave her a nod. "That night when they came to take me away from my shop, you're the one who saved me.

Turning to look at Oliver, she said, "And I'm guessin' he's got another identity too?"

He gave a small nod as he responded to her question. "I'm Green Arrow."

Sandra put her head in her hands, saying, "Explain, please. All of it."

So Dinah started, "I became Black Canary because my mother was before me. Dina Drake was part of a top secret project that was experimenting of what caused the extra normal power, which are now known as meta-genes. I inherited the Canary Cry from her. I also chose to follow in her footprints and joined the Justice League."

"And how'd you end up here of all places?"

"There was a mission, four years ago, that went wrong. Wrong enough that everyone on it was thought to be dead. Ollie was on it. I decided to start over here in Swanann City, to raise Olivia."

Sandra rested her head on her left hand, leaning on the armrest of the chair. "This is crazy."

Oliver knew it sounded like that. He hoped they hadn't made a mistake in telling her.

"But I believe yah."

Dinah looked up, with hope.

Sandra said, "You may have hidden parts, but I always knew you had. You never did like talkin' 'bout you past. And as insane as it is... I guess I always had some suspicion that it was you that night.

"And I'm guessin' you came ta say good bye," she said with a sorrowful, but resigned look.

"I- I don't know. I don't want to leave you alone here," Dinah said, biting her lip in indecision.

Sandra stared at her. "Dinah, this is a second chance," Sandra told her, pointedly. "I always knew you missed someone, and you missed that someone desperately." She placed her hands on Dinah's shoulders. "You have that someone back. Dinah, you would be an utter fool not ta take this opportunity. And I, for one, have never taken you for a fool."

Sandra looked pointedly at Dinah and whispered, "So what are you waiting for? Go! "

Dinah looked at her friend in gratitude. "We will be back to visit."

"You'd better. Good bye, Dinah," said Sandra as she embraced her friend.

"Olivia!" Dinah called out.

"What Mommy?" Olivia came paddling back into the room.

"Say goodbye to Sandra."

Olivia flung herself into Sandra's arms with a "Bye bye, Auntie Sandra!"

"Bye Olivia." Sandra set Olivia down, and the little girl ran to take hold of her mommy's hand.

As they left the shop, Sandra called out, "Queen."

Oliver turned around in the doorway to face her. Sandra drew herself up to her full height, "You take good care of them."

"I will."

"Good. 'Cause if you don't, I will hunt you down."

Oliver could tell that she meant it. "You wouldn't be the only one." His kids would. The League would. Everyone would.

Sandra waved for him to go. He left to join his girls.

It was time to go back to Star City.

"Where are we going?" asked Olivia.

Dinah looked at her daughter in the mirror, "We're going to Star City."

"Why?"

"Because," Dinah looked over at Oliver, "that's where your daddy lives. So we're going to pack your stuff and then go."

"Okay."

Oliver had helped Olivia pack while Dinah packed her own things. Together he and Dinah packed the bags into the car. The majority of items could be collected latter.

So began the multi-hour car trip.

It went better than Oliver had expected. He had been sure what to expect, recalling Roy's laments of Lian's tendency to make even an hour long car ride torture with her constant protests to being confined in a car seat when she was toddler.

Olivia, however, was content to look out the window, colour in her colouring book, and play with her bear and other stuffed animals. When they came into downtown Star City; though, she was pressed to the window, looking up the soaring skyscrapers.

"Whoa."

Oliver reflected that Swannan City, as it was a small, Midwest city, didn't have skyscrapers of nearly the same size or amount that Star City did as a large, coastal city.

"They're pretty cool, aren't they, kid?"

"Yeah," responded Olivia in wonder.
_

"Whoa."

They had pulled up the driveway of the mansion, and Olivia was pressed up against the window again. "That is a big house."

"Yeah, it is," Oliver agreed. He hadn't actually seen it since he had come back, but it was just how he remembered it. He parked the car is the driveway. "Ready?" he asked to Dinah.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, opening her door and getting out. She then helped Olivia out of her car seat.

Once out of the car, Olivia grabbed her daddy's hand as well as her mommy's. Oliver unlocked the front door. Everything was still where it was four years earlier. Someone had come by and cleaned because there wasn't that much dust.

"You live here Daddy?"

"Yes, but I've been gone for a while."

Olivia looked up at her parents. "Can I explore?"

Oliver and Dinah glanced at each other. Oliver shrugged. Dinah said to Olivia, "Yes, but try not to get lost."

Olivia took off with a grin on her face.

Dinah turned to him. "When she does get lost, you're the one who is going to go and find her."

As it turned out, Olivia found them before they had to go look for her.

"Had fun exploring, Olivia?" Dinah asked.

"Yeah!"

"Olivia, there's a room I want to show you," said Oliver.

"Okay."

The three of them walked down the hall. Oliver opened the door to a room. Olivia glanced in. Oliver and Dinah watched as her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face.

"It's green!"

The room's walls were indeed a pale green. Olivia raced in, jumped up onto the window seat and looked out, jumped off exploring the few furniture pieces that were in the room.

"What think?" he glanced over at Dinah.

Dinah was leaning against the doorframe. She gave him a smile and said, "I think she loves it. Like father, like daughter."

He gave a small laugh. His Prettybird hadn't missed the fact that this was his old room.

"Hey Olivia!" called Dinah.

"What?" Olivia responded from her spot behind the desk, where she was exploring.

"What would you think of this being your room?"

Olivia shot out from behind the desk.

"Greatest thing ever!"

Up next: Reunited

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