Chapter 13: Damian's Side of the Story

Sara turned Damian's Rockets hat around so it was facing backwards and winked at him "Dig in, kid" she instructed, taking a bite of her own Big Belly burger.

He smiled and took a bite of his, along with Sin, who was humming, eyes closed, while chewing.

"You know, Damian…" Quentin started "...when Sara was your age, we used to do this all the time"

"Really?" the boy asked before slapping Sin's hand away from his fries. The girl was sitting across from him, next to Quentin.

The blonde laughed and shook her head at a grinning Sin, then looked to her left at the smirking boy "Yeah! Dad would take me to the game, then we would come here for burgers and milkshakes"

"Until she became a teenager and wanted nothing to with me anymore"

Damian frowned, looking at Sara with some disapproval "Why would you do that, auntie Sara? One should not disrespect their parents like that"

"Well, D…" Sara started, glancing at her father apologetically "...teenage girls are complicated. I'm sure you'll discover that soon enough. What matters is that I grew up and saw the error of my ways. Right daddy?"

Quentin half snorted and shook his head "Sure, baby, whatever you say"

"Don't take your father for granted, auntie, he is a good man" Damian said seriously, sounding way older than he actually was.

"I like you, kid" Captain Lance said with a wink. He looked at Sara asking "Not that it's a problem or nothin', but you guys are on an 'auntie' basis already? Didn't you just meet?"

The boy took a sip of his milkshake and said nonchalantly "Auntie Sara said I should call her that, since she and khala are getting married"

Sara winced as soon as she heard the last word and Quentin started coughing. Sin patted his back until the man was able to speak "Married?!"

"Um, surprise…?"

"You're getting married?!"

"Little bit"

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"First of all, indoors voice, dad!" she said looking around, noticing the stares they were starting to get "But, yes, we are getting married. We were waiting to tell you and mom together"

"So the kid knew before your mother and I?!"

"It came up"

"We speak almost every day. It didn't come up with me!" he sighed and rubbed his forehead, knowing from painful experience this was not the best course of action with his daughters; especially his youngest "I would have expected Nyssa to at least ask for my approval. She seems like a reasonable enough woman nowadays"

The blonde looked at her father with one eyebrow raised "I love you, daddy, but I need to make this perfectly clear: I'm not your property" Quentin winced, but nodded in agreement; after all, he raised two very strong women "And I never said she was the one who proposed"

"Oh…" he said frowning "...I guess you're right. I'm sorry, being a father of two girls, I just assumed…" he smiled at her "...I'm sorry. Congratulations, sweetie"

She patted his hand and smiled back "It's okay daddy; thank you"

"So, how did you propose?"

"I didn't; not really"

Sin and Damian exchanged a look and started giggling at Quentin's confused and exasperated expression "I'm so happy Nyssa had work to do and couldn't come!" the young girl exclaimed, still giggling with her new best friend "I would hate to miss this"

Sara rolled her eyes, but focused on her father again "It honestly just came up"

"How is it that a marriage proposal 'just came up'?" he asked frowning.

The woman shrugged smiling "We were talking about something else and it came up. Before we knew it, we had agreed to get married"

Quentin took a couple of minutes, and finally shook his head "Don't really know why I'm surprised. I learned to expect anything from you by the time you were four and came up with a plan to steal a pony from the fair because your mother told you we wouldn't get you one. As long as you're happy, I'm happy, baby"

"Thanks, daddy"

"But you gotta tell your mother, 'cause once Donna hears about this, everyone else will"

"Well, then don't tell her yet!"

"Can't keep anything from her. You know how that worked out for me last time"

Sara rolled her eyes again "Gimme like a week or something"

"Four days, that's all I can offer"

"Fine!" the blonde groaned, then bit down on another fry "I guess I'll have to do it over the phone, then. I'll just FaceTime her tomorrow" she then remembered her previous conversation with her fiancée "By the way, I'll be gone for a few days next week"

"Business?" he asked in a low voice, trying to be discreet.

"Kinda" she smiled.

"Can I ask where ya goin'?"

"Yeah, and also, will there be presents when you get back?" Sin asked smirking.

Sara looked at her and smirked too "Sure, I'll bring you some Middle East dust or something"

"I could use a pet lizard. Oh! A pit viper! Those are badass!"

Damian shook his head "You don't want a Tibetan pit viper, trust me"

Quentin looked at them as if they've gone crazy, then asked "Middle East?"

"Middle East-ish. Nyssa and her sister need to go to Nanda Parbat. Damian and I are tagging along"

"We are?!" the boy asked excitedly.

"Yeah, your mom didn't tell you?"

"She doesn't tell me much" he admitted, shaking his head and looking down "She told me she would never let me go back to Nanda Parbat after the last time we were there" he remembered frowning.

The table fell silent and Sara exchanged a worried look with her father. Quentin nodded in the boy's direction and Sara nodded back before asking "Why? What happened last time?"

Damian sighed and looked up "I think my mom didn't agree with Ra's al Ghul's teaching methods. My grandfather, I mean; not khala, the latest Ra's"

"Did he do anything to you? Did anyone hurt you?" Captain Lance asked.

Damian shook his head "No. I think I was like seven or eight, so I couldn't really spar with anyone but my mom or khala. They've always been careful not to hurt me"

"At least his daughters aren't total psychos like he was" Captain Lance commented, and Sara glared at him "Sorry"

"What happened last time you were there, Damian?" Sara tried again.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes, trying to remember "Khala had just came back from a mission. I guess it didn't go well"

"Why would you think that?" the blonde asked, a knot starting to form in her stomach "Nyssa never failed a mission"

"'Cause he said he had to teach her a lesson"

"What was the lesson, kid?" Quentin asked, reaching for his daughter's hand.

Sara looked at him and smiled softly, before squeezing his hand in anticipation, thankful for his silent support.

"He chained khala's hands to the ceiling of his throne room and delivered her punishment for failing him. He made me and my mom stay and watch so we would learn from her mistakes—or that's what he said—even after khala begged him to let me go"

"What did he do?" Quentin asked alarmed, while Sin mumbled "Shit man, that's so fucked up, he's just a kid"

Damian looked down at the table again "He lashed at her with his whip, then said something to her…" he paused, deep in thought "...I don't remember what it was, but after that he stabbed her with his sword. I remember khala didn't even make a sound while he was hurting her, and I think that pissed him off even more, but she was gripping the chains really hard. Even I could see that, and my mom was trying to shield me so I wouldn't really see all the cuts and blood. But I did anyway"

Quentin winced at the pain in his hand, and when Sara noticed she let go of it with an apologetic shrug. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, and she was actually afraid to ask for more details.

"What kind of sick son of a bitch does that to his own daughter?!" the man asked angrily "And in front of his grandkid!"

"The stab…" Sara started, looking at the boy "...was delivered from behind, wasn't it?"

He nodded "Yes"

"How—"

"I know every single one of Nyssa's scars" the blonde answered her father's question before he could even voice it "When I asked about that one, 'cause it looked pretty deep and new, she told me she got it during a mission. Now I realize the other ones are from where whip broke the skin"

Damian shook his head "If it looks like a stab wound, and a bunch of thin ones, then she didn't get them during any mission"

Sara swallowed hard "D, I'm sorry to be asking you this, but do you remember anything else? It's really important that you tell me if you do"

The boy tapped his chin thinking "After khala passed out from the blood loss and Ra's left, my mom unchained her and took her to her chambers. Sarab helped us carry her. Mom cleaned and stitched khala's wounds, then gave her that tea that helps you get better faster"

"How old did you say you were?"

He narrowed his eyes "I think it was early 2014, so I wasn't eight yet. I would turn eight in June"

"Shit" Sara whispered under her breath "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"Don't be silly, auntie Sara, khala is fine! Remember? We took care of her and she's fine now" the boy said, smiling sweetly at her and patting her shoulder "You shouldn't dwell on the past"

"D, I need to go do something. You cool staying here with dad and Sin for a little while?"

"Yeah, I like them!" he said smiling, and Sin reached over to mess with his hat, making him giggle and slap her hand away again.

"Dad, do you mind?" she asked, standing up and looking at her father.

"Of course not, baby. But what's going on?"

Sara's eyes filled with tears again and she bent down, saying in a low, shaky voice, only for him to hear "Early 2014 Laurel was poisoned, Nyssa kidnapped mom, and I poisoned myself before she went against her father's orders and released me. I'm the mission that went wrong"

"Nyssa!" Sara shouted, slamming the door to their loft shut, startling the brunette woman sitting on the couch with her laptop.

"Dear God, Sara! Are you trying to kill me?" she asked, placing the laptop on the coffee table "Is everything alright, beloved? Where is Damian?"

"He is eating burgers with my dad and Sin" she said, getting closer to the couch.

"And what are you doing here, then?"

"Take off your shirt" she instructed angrily, standing in front of the couch and removing her Rocket's cap from her head.

Nyssa looked at her with one eyebrow raised "Excuse me?"

"Take your fucking shirt off, Nyssa, I wanna see the scars on your back"

The brunette stood up to face her "Sara, what—"

"Remember Damian? Cute, funny kid, looks a lot like you and your sister" Nyssa opened her mouth to answer but the other woman kept talking "You know what I love about kids? They don't really get why they're supposed to keep certain stuff from you, so they can't; not really"

"Beloved, I have no clue whatsoever about what you are referring to. Is Damian alright?"

"He's fine" Sara practically barked and glared at her fiancée "He had an interesting story for me about the last time he visited Nanda Parbat"

"How is that relevant or even—Oh" the brunette fell silent when realization hit her.

"Mhm" the blonde nodded, folding her arms.

"I see"

"Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"No" Nyssa answered truthfully.

"No?!"

"No" she sighed and shook her head "What would be the point of telling you about it?"

"I have the right to know!" she said angrily "I had the right to know back then, too!"

"To what end?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? 'To what end'?! I love you, Nyssa! How could you not tell me?" her anger started to subside when her eyes filled with tears again.

The brunette swallowed hard "Are you honestly surprised? Or that naïve? You once occupied a high rank position in the League, Sara. You've seen my father take countless lives for failed missions. You knew him better than most. Did you truly believe he would spare me only because I happened to be his daughter?"

"Oh my God" Sara moved a hand to cover her open mouth and took a step back "You knew that was gonna happen" she said in shock, then shook her head horrified "You thought he would kill you"

Nyssa grimaced and stared at the floor in silence for several moments, until another angry shout startled her "Look at me!"

She took a deep breath and looked into the other woman's eyes.

"Why?" Sara asked, visibly heartbroken.

"You were willing to end your life so it would end your suffering. I had no problem giving my life in exchange for your protection. You see..." the brunette started to explain, taking a deep breath "...receiving a punishment—any kind of punishment—meant that my father acknowledged my actions and you would be free from the League"

"At the price of your own life?"

"Yes" she shrugged, smiling sadly "If I am being honest with you, I truly believed that would be the case"

Sara started crying and covered her face with both her hands. Her fiancée took a step closer and reached out to touch her arm, only to get shoved away "Don't!"

"Habibti"

"I can't believe you would've let him kill you!" the blonde yelled between sobs, and Nyssa took a deep, calming breath, closing her eyes "What were you thinking?!" another deep breath "What if he did? What if he killed you? You didn't care?!" third and not-so-calming breath "What would I have done without you?!"

And snap.

"The same thing I would have been forced to do, should your boy toy, Oliver Queen, could not save your life when you poisoned yourself!" she opened her eyes and glared at the blonde "But you did not think about that, did you? You did not think about what it would have done to me, had you succeeded. For all intents and purposes, I would have been your murderer; I would have been exactly what my father intended for me to be" Sara flinched slightly at the unusually harsh tone, but tried not to let it show "If anything happened to me, at least you would have known and be certain of my feelings for you. If you had died that night, I would have spent the rest of my life, however short it might have been, convinced you didn't love me and doubting if you ever had"

"How the fuck can you possibly say that?!" the blonde asked, getting seriously pissed.

"You did not correct my assumption that night"

"I didn't think I needed to! Doing it would've caused you nothing but pain. You always knew how much I love you!"

Nyssa snorted "Of course, poisoning yourself instead of coming back with me was most definitely the ultimate demonstration of that love"

"And kidnapping my mother was?!"

"You knew your mother was not in danger, Sara. I do not take prisoners. If I wanted your mother dead, she would have been" the brunette said through gritted teeth "I was not the one who left in the middle of the night without an explanation or even saying goodbye. My love for you was never in doubt"

"What's that supposed to mean?! Mine was?!"

"Clearly"

"You can be such an ass!" Sara shouted frustrated, kicking the couch twice for emphasis "I already apologized a thousand times! I screwed up, I know! What else do you want from me?!"

"To not judge me for the choices I made while grieving. I am merely human, I had just lost the love of my life and could not think of anything else to do to guarantee your safety"

"Then at least apologize to me!"

Nyssa frowned and shook her head "I will not apologize for trying to give you what you so desperately wanted"

"What's your excuse for not telling me after, then?" the blonde asked, hands on her hips "For lying to me about those scars?!"

"I do not need one"

"I swear to God, Nyssa, I'm this close to kicking your stubborn ass!" Sara said, holding her thumb and her index finger really close together.

"Is the blood lust bothering you? Here, allow me…" Nyssa moved her hand to her back and unsheathed her dagger, holding the blade, hilt out for Sara to grab "...this shall make things easier for you"

"Fuck you, Nyssa!" the blonde took the dagger, flipped it to hold the blade, then threw it past her fiancée's head, perfectly hitting a concrete column by the stairs "I don't need a fucking dagger to kick your ass!"

That being said, she lunged violently at the other woman.