Chapter 23; Once you feel it you can't unfeel it, once you dream it you can't undream it wake up, wake up
Oliver
Oliver looked at Sara with a smile on his face. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her in his life. He then turned to the backseat of the car and looked at his son. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe this was happening. A part of him had already known that it would, at least subconsciously, but now that the day was almost here it was hard for him to believe. Two days, the wedding was in two days. This was crazy. When had that happened and where had the time gone? He was so happy that Samantha had agreed to let them take William with them. It was an important event, and he wanted his son to be there.
"Are you guys ready?" He looked at the two most important people in his life expectantly in short succession.
"Yeah, dad, we're kind of waiting for you. You're the one who spaced." He saw Sara's smirk and the proud look on her face given his son's sassy reply.
"Pretty much what he said, I do sort of need your help to get out of the car." His Pretty Bird playfully rolled her eyes at him and put one of her hands pointedly on her heavily pregnant stomach. Oliver smirked at her before getting out of the car and moving around it to help the mother-to-be out of it, while William was snickering in the backseat getting out himself.
"My lady." Oliver offered her his hand playfully to which she just rolled her eyes again, dragging the hand further in the car and moving it to her opposite side so that he could help her off of the car seat and out of the car. A very well practiced move by now.
"You are such an idiot. I really don't understand why the wedding couldn't have been in like another two or three months. I swear this is not my idea of fun. I will walk out of there if the chairs aren't pregnancy friendly and I don't care that I'm essential for the wedding. I'm supposed to give birth to your daughter in less than a month. This should be against the law." Oliver couldn't help but laugh at his Bird's complaining. It was something she had been doing for weeks now, which was why Oliver knew that everyone made sure that the wedding was as pregnancy friendly as it could possibly be. No one wanted Sara to be uncomfortable after all.
"I know, babe, I told them that, I'm sure your pregnancy was taken into consideration while planning the wedding. Besides, I told them on several occasions to make sure that you will be comfortable unless they wanted you to leave in the middle of it. And believe me, no one wants that type of attention. I was once again reminded that the last thing the Queen name needed was yet another scandal." Oliver was still highly amused about that conversation. He still didn't really see the apparent scandal that he and Sara had provided once again. Oh, well. People believed what they wanted to and interpreted things however they saw fit. The truth hardly mattered to most of them. He guessed his and Sara's combined presence would always provoke some whispers and judging looks. Which was the reason why they usually avoided big events like this one. Even though he could really care less and thankfully so could Sara.
"Are we going inside now or what?" his son asked impatiently once Oliver had closed the passenger side door and pulled Sara into his side, holding on to her hip with his hand. The blonde leaned into him and put her hand in the back pocket of his jeans.
"Sure, go ahead, no one's stopping you buddy." Oliver ruffled his hair playfully and waved him ahead, laughing when William tried to fix his hair on the way to the door. Maybe Sara was right and William had inherited his impatience.
"Yeah, let's get going, your daughter is once again using my bladder as a soccer ball." Sara followed William, and he fell in step beside her. His son had already rung the doorbell and was pulled into a bone-crushing hug by his aunt, by the time the two of them had reached the entrance.
"Ollie! It's so good to see you! I missed you bro!" Thea practically jumped into his arms and Oliver was glad that Sara had anticipated the familiar move and stepped aside to give them some space.
"I missed you too, Speedy." He hugged his baby sister back, just as tightly. He had missed her too. He ruffled her hair playfully after letting her go, laughing at her inDiggnation.
Thea rolled her eyes at him before turning towards the other woman.
"Sara! Oh my god! Look at you! You look amazing! And look at your stomach! I can't believe that you're almost ready to have the baby. I feel like you guys only just told us about the pregnancy." Both he and Sara had to laugh at Thea's excited ramblings, while she threw her arms around the blonde, as well as she could given Sara's protruding stomach. Sara returning it in kind.
"Yeah, I know it's crazy how fast it progressed. But I swear I'm not too mad to get my body back. Speaking of sharing my body, my bladder is being used as a soccer ball, so I'd appreciate it if we could move this whole thing inside and postpone it until after I got to go to the bathroom, I really don't feel like peeing myself again." Sara explained and winked at his sister, who had to laugh at that.
"Oh, of course! C'mon in, you know where to go." Thea stepped aside to let Sara passed before turning towards him.
"Again? She peed herself?" His little sister looked at both of them in amused expectation, while he and his son were snickering, remembering that event highly amused.
"Yeah, baby bird kicked her hard enough in the bladder last week that she ended up peeing herself." Oliver explained to his baby sister laughing again remembering it.
"Yeah, it was so funny, we were on our way to go watch a movie. Everyone stared at her and Sara was just like 'what? You never seen a pregnant woman pee herself before?' and people started to look uncomfortable and turned away. But what was really awesome was when we went into the next store to get her some new clothes and the salespeople were all rude and dad just looked at them, took out his wallet and handed them his platinum American express card, you should've seen the look on their faces. They almost fell all over themselves once they realized who they just dissed. It was so funny!" William recounted the events to his aunt excitedly and Oliver had to chuckle about his antics and Thea's reaction to it, who started to laugh along with them. Oliver was really glad about the fact that Sara had no shame, and events like this really didn't matter to her. He could only imagine how most other women would've reacted in that situation. But not his Pretty Bird. She just stayed cool and rolled with it.
The three of them moved inside too, and it wasn't long before Oliver was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Ollie! Man, it's good to see you, it's been too long! Where's Birdy?" Tommy walked towards him and the two hugged for a moment. It had been too long since he's seen his best friend.
"Bathroom, we've been on the road for a couple of hours." He explained Sara's current absence.
"Yeah, and we would've been here a lot sooner if Sar hadn't made dad stop at every single gas station." William piped up behind him before noticing who he was talking to.
"Uncle Tommy!" and running into the man's arms.
"Junior! Man, look at you, you've grown so much!" Tommy hugged his godson before fist bumping him.
"Yeah, mom says if I keep it up I'll be as tall as dad one day." His son recounted Samantha's words proudly.
"I'm sure you will be." Tommy agreed.
The four chatted some more, catching each other up on some of the latest events in their lives.
"Man, I can't believe you're going to be a dad again. It's crazy!" Tommy looked at him and shook his head in disbelieve.
"Yeah, it is but you know, Sara's always wanted kids and it seems to be the right moment." He smiled at his best friend, he could understand where Tommy was coming from, he was at a completely different stage in life than he and Sara were. It had taken Tommy a long time to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, and he was still working towards that.
"Speaking off, here comes the Wifey." His best friend looked passed him and grinned, winking at him for a moment.
"Merlyn, still a pain in my ass, I see. Some things never change." Sara easily slipped into their usual banter, you'd never know that they had barely seen each other in the last couple of months. Tommy had been very busy at work and so had he and Sara, plus buying their new house and getting everything ready for the baby.
He watched his best friend and wife hug with a smile on his face. God, he had missed this. All they needed now was Laurel, and everything was the way it was supposed to be and always had been.
"Look at you, Birdy, you're huge! Ow!" Tommy barely finished before Sara hit him on the arm, hard. William and Thea started to laugh, and he joined in.
"Watch your tongue! I've got an excuse, what's yours? You seem to have gained some pounds too." Sara glared at their friend playfully. Enjoying everyone's company just as much as he was.
It was a shame that they didn't get around to come to Star City more often. But staying in the same city as his son had always been important to him, so moving to Central City had been a simple choice for him. It had also given him some much-needed distance between his mother and Laurel. His mother because he couldn't bear looking at her after he had found out that she had told Samantha to tell him she had lost their baby and gave her a check for a million dollars in exchange. He still couldn't believe she had done that. It had been pure chance that he had found out about the lie. He didn't know what he would've done, what his life would be like if he and Sara hadn't snuck away to Central City for a weekend and run into a heavily pregnant Samantha. It had been a shock for both him and Sara and Samantha too. But the two of them had sat down and talked about it, thanks to Sara, and had come to an agreement. Said agreement had led to a tremendous fight, first with his mother and then with Laurel once she found out about the baby.
That had been the moment Oliver had decided to take control of his life and move to Central City to be there for Samantha and their baby. What he hadn't expected had been Laurel showing up at his doorstep a couple of weeks later, to apologize and talk about their future and how to handle their new long distance relationship. It wasn't hard to see that that had not happened. Given the fact that he had been expecting take out and had been wrapped around a scarcely clad Sara, only wearing a pair of boxer shorts himself, when he had answered the door.
The following argument had been ugly. Really ugly. And had led to one hell of a scandal.
It had taken nearly two years for him and his mom to reconcile, and another three for Laurel to talk to him and Sara again. The fact that the two of them had gotten married on Sara's 21st birthday in Vegas had not helped the situation at all. But the three of them were mostly okay now.
"Oliver!" He turned around at his dad's voice and saw his parents walk towards them.
"It's good to see you, son!" He hugged his father once he had arrived in the den and turned towards his mom, when his dad shifted his attention to William and Sara.
"Dad, hey! It's good to see you too. Hi, mom!" He returned his mother's embrace just as tightly as she was holding him.
"Sara, love, look at you! I can't wait to meet my new grandchild!" His dad smiled at his wife, giving her a fatherly hug.
"Hi Robert, yeah, I can't wait to get her out of my body too." She was joking in return.
"And if it isn't my favorite grandson!" His father had loved being a granddad from the moment he first met William, and William adored his grandfather in return.
"Grandpa!" The two of them hugged and started to talk among themselves right away.
"Sara, dear, you look great." His mom smiled at her daughter-in-law stiffly, and Sara returned it in kind.
"Thank you, Moira, so do you." The two of them had always had their differences, but Sara had never forgiven her for her actions when it came to William, and Moira had never approved of his choice of wife. Sara was not the type of woman that he was supposed to be with, and his mother blamed her for his choice to move away and distance himself from his family and the family business. Both his parents tried to convince him to take over QC every single time they saw him, and it was exhausting. It was another thing that pissed his wife off to no end.
It wasn't long before the three of them decided to go up to their rooms to rest a little after the long car ride and freshen up before the evening.
He, Tommy and his dad were taking Roy out for drinks, to sort of officially welcome him to the family before the wedding. William was going to stay back with his stepmom, they were planning to hang out with Thea and watch some movies, and his sister had mentioned that Laurel might come by after court too.
It wasn't until later, when they were at the bar, that Oliver started to feel strange, as if something was wrong. He wasn't sure what had brought on the feeling so he excused himself and called Sara, to make sure that she and their baby bird were fine. Maybe he was just on edge because he knew rationally that the baby could come at any moment now. Even if the calculated delivery date wasn't for another three weeks. He talked to his wife for a couple of minutes, told his son goodnight and went back inside, still feeling strange and uneasy. He walked towards his table and the three men sitting there making fun of him and how whipped he was. That was when it happened. He looked at Tommy and for a moment he saw him lying in rubble, a building falling apart around him while a piece of rebar was sticking out of his chest. Oliver took a step back in shock and turned away from his best friend and looked at his father when the scene suddenly shifted again and he saw his father sitting on a life raft, holding a gun to his head and pulling the trigger. Oliver staggered back in fear. What… what was going on? What was happening? This wasn't right… something was wrong here.
"I have to, I need to… I'm sorry." He turned around and pretty much ran out of the bar. He bent over and desperately pulled in the fresh air once he was outside, trying to calm his racing heart. What was that? What the hell had just happened? He needed to get away from here. He needed to… he needed Sara, he needed to go home and see Sara. He was sure everything would be okay and make sense once he was with his wife. The world always made more sense with his Pretty Bird by his side.
Oliver turned down an alley on the way to the main street to get a taxi to go home when suddenly a man appeared in front of him, pointing a gun at his face and demanding he hand over his wallet.
Oliver was just about to do just that when suddenly a man dressed in green appeared out of nowhere and took the thug out.
"Who are you?" He wanted to know something wasn't right here, something didn't feel right.
"It doesn't matter who I am, all that matters is what I do. Go home." The man disappeared as fast as he had shown up, and Oliver had no choice but to do as he was told. He walked all the way to the main street as he had originally planned and got into a taxi that took him back to his childhood home.
He got out of it and entered the house, still shaken up about everything that had happened that night. He went into his old room and the sight that greeted him made him smile and calmed him down a little. Sara and William were asleep on the bed. He went to the bathroom and changed before climbing into bed and pulling his family into his arms. Holding them close.
This was it.
This was what his life was supposed to be.
This felt right. For the first time in hours Oliver felt calm, at peace and as if everything was right in the world.
"Oliver we have to go!" Laurel looked at him with urgency. So did his sister and Ray who was holding on to Digg who was bent over, trying to stop the bleeding from his stomach wound. Oliver knew that they were right. He knew that they needed to leave, that John's life depended on it. He knew that this wasn't real, even Thea had admitted it eventually, but still there was a part of him that wanted to stay.
This was everything he ever wanted. This was the life he wished for, late at night, when Sara was asleep… a life that was simpler.
That had Sara in it as a constant. His home, his touchstone and William, William was a part of his life, had been from the moment he was born.
Oliver closed his eyes and reminded himself that they needed to leave, that John needed to get medical attention. He was just about to leave with them when he heard a voice, a voice that made him stop in his track and turn around immediately.
"Ollie? What… what's going on?" Sara was standing in the entrance of his parent's house, one of her hands on her stomach and the other one on his son's shoulder.
"Dad, where are you going?" The look on William's face mirrored Sara's. Confusion, hurt, disbelieve.
"I…" What was he supposed to say, what could he say? He started to walk towards them when Laurel's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Oliver, we have to go. This isn't real." He knew she was right, but how could he walk away from Sara when she looked at him with those gorgeous eyes, reflecting so much hurt in them.
"Laurel, what's going on? Where are you going?" Sara tried to get answers from her sister since her husband seemed incapable to give them to her.
"Sara, I'm sorry. But we really need to go, now. Everything will be okay. Just go back inside, Ollie will be with you in the morning. I promise." Oliver recognized what Laurel was doing, how she was trying to get her sister to move out of his sight so he would leave with them.
"Ollie!" Thea's voice was urgent, ripped him from his thoughts and made him turn towards her. He could see that Digg was fading. They really needed to leave. He moved towards them, Laurel's hand still on his arm, almost dragging him, when he heard Sara scream in pain. He whirled around and saw her hold on to her pregnant stomach, bending over in pain.
"Ollie, the baby, I think… the baby's coming." She looked at him with enormous eyes and he could feel his heart drop into his stomach. He shook Laurel's hand off of his arm and rushed to his wife's side.
"It's okay, I've got you. I always got you." He brushed her hair back with one hand and put his other hand on her stomach.
"Oliver, we have to go. This is just a trick, they're trying to keep us here with whatever means necessary. This isn't Sara, this isn't your Sara, and this isn't your baby. Sara, our Sara is at home, not yet far enough along to give birth. Oliver! We need to leave so you can get home to our Sara. So, that you will be with her when she gives birth to your child." Laurel's voice was urgent and firm, yet gentle and understanding.
"Ollie, this isn't right, you know that. Why do you think you've called it baby bird? I have never once heard you refer to yours and Sara's baby as baby bird. This isn't your child, this isn't your little Hummingbird." His little sister suddenly took part in the conversation again.
She was right. This wasn't his Pretty Bird, and the baby, their baby bird, that wasn't right, she wasn't his baby bird. Baby bird wasn't right. Hummingbird. She wasn't his little Hummingbird. His Sara and their little Hummingbird where at their apartment in Star City. He needed to get home to them. He had promised her he would be there. That he would always be there for her. That he wasn't going to let her do this alone. He had promised her, before he had left for Central City, he would come back home to her. No matter what.
Oliver looked at Sara again for a moment. He bent down and kissed her softly.
"I love you. I will always love you. My life is so much better because you are a part of it." He kissed her forehead before turning to his son.
"I wish I would've gotten the chance to be the father you deserve, I wish I could have been a part of your life from the beginning. I love you son, more than you will ever know." He pulled him into a tight hug, breathing him in before turning around and jogging to John and Ray, pulling John's other arm over his shoulder and walking away. Refusing to turn around, even when he heard Sara cry, and desperately calling out to him in what sounded like agony and his son calling for him, crying.
This isn't real. This isn't real, this isn't real… he kept on repeating the words in his mind like a mantra. This was torture. He could feel his breathing become more shallow as his heart was speeding up. He couldn't… there was suddenly a hand on his arm, rubbing it soothingly.
"It's not real, Ollie. We can call Sara as soon as we get out of here, okay? She's okay, Sara and the baby are okay and so is William. This is just a figment of our imagination." Thea was softly speaking to him, reminding him of what was real and what wasn't. She kept it up the whole time until they reached the portal. He hung back for a moment after everyone else had stepped through.
He turned around and saw his parents, Tommy and Roy standing there smiling at him proudly.
When he suddenly heard voices in his head.
"You're never without me, my beautiful boy. There's nothing else to say except I could not be more proud of you. Become someone else. Become something else." His mother's words made him recall their last conversation before she had been killed, before he was pulled from his thoughts by someone else.
"You honor the dead by fighting, and you are not done fighting!" Felicity's voice reminded him of a simple truth. He wasn't done fighting. The Green Arrow was a part of who he was, just like Sara had been telling him.
"I know I called you a murderer, but you are not. You are a hero." Tommy's voice hurt. God, he missed his best friend so much. He should be here, so he could take his rightful place as his child's godfather. The way it had always meant to be.
"You saved my life. You gave me purpose. This time, we had to save you." Oliver was sure that he could never repay Roy for everything he had done for him. Everything he was still doing for him. His loyalty was unshakable even now, and Oliver wondered not for the first time how he deserved it.
"All those times I got so mad at you for being...a flake, or telling me something I knew that had to be a lie. You were saving someone's life. Thank you. Thank you, Ollie. Thank you. You know how many times I've wished that I could thank the Arrow for things he's done for the city?" With Speedy's words came the feelings he had had that moment, how relieved he had been that she hadn't been mad at him and how surprised about her heartfelt words. She had been so grateful for everything he had done for their city, their home.
"I know who you are in your bones, Oliver, and that person doesn't give up!" Laurel, his Laurel always willing to do whatever it took to pull him from whatever edge he was standing on, trying to get him to be more than he was. Making sure that he kept going no matter what.
"This is your responsibility now." His dad was right. Star City was his responsibility, and he had gravely neglected it in the last couple of years. But no more. He was going back to his roots to ensure that his daughter would grow up in a safer city than the one it was now.
He turned around a little more and saw Sara, his beautiful Sara, standing there with their little Hummingbird in her left arm, while her right one was thrown over his son's shoulder, both of them smiling at him encouragingly.
"Together?" He smiled back at her when he heard her words.
"Together." He replied before turning around and stepping through the portal.