Chapter 24: This Is It
"Can't sleep?"
"No, you?"
"Nope" Sara smiled and slowly walked down the stairs, breathing deeply the pre-dawn cool air and sighing contentedly when her bare feet came in contact with the sand.
The brunette sitting a few feet ahead of her looked back in her direction with a sweet smile, patting the sand to her right with one hand, inviting her to sit down.
She walked to her slowly, enjoying every step before sitting down and bending her legs. Resting her arms on her knees and her head on Nyssa's shoulder, she closed her eyes and said, barely above a whisper "I love you"
The other woman smiled and rested her cheek on the blonde's head "And I you, Sara"
The first hints of the fast approaching dawn started to appear on the horizon. Scattered soft speckles of color painted the dark sky, separating it from the just as dark ocean.
Sara sighed again, and her fiancée wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close "Are you alright?" she asked, turning her head slightly to be able to see the blonde's expression.
A soft, easy smile illuminated her face and she nodded, opening her eyes and taking in the beautiful scene before them "After everything that happened, everything we've been through…" the blonde started, her voice unusually soft and quiet "…it's hard to believe we are finally here"
Nyssa remained silent, waiting patiently, knowing she wasn't over.
"For so long I had assumed and accepted my fate as 'Sara Lance: constant screw up'" she said followed by a chuckle, making the brunette laugh, too. She tilted her head up to look into the other woman's eyes "Never would've imagined that my biggest screw up would turn into the best thing that ever happened to me"
The brunette tilted her head to the side, bending down to kiss her softly before resuming their previous position.
Sara smiled into the kiss and took a deep breath, then looked ahead as a faint orange glow appeared on the horizon.
"If I had to go through everything again to ensure this, I would. In a heartbeat. And I do mean everything. The fear, the pain, the humiliation. Every wound, every heartbreak, every beating. If the past ten years taught me anything, is that some things are just meant to happen. Time wants to happen" her soft smile turned into a happy grin "You and I are one of those things, Nyssa. Time wants us to happen, or we wouldn't be here"
Nyssa smiled, waiting for a few moments, afraid to interrupt the blonde's thoughts, before speaking herself "Even if time did not want us to happen, stubborn as I am, I would still be here: fighting against it until my dying breath, to be able to have this moment with you. Brief as it may be" she took a deep breath and smiled softly, using her thumb to rub the exposed skin between Sara's shorts and black hoodie "I would, and will, do anything for you, Sara. You taught me the meaning of the word 'happiness', and I will be forever grateful and in your debt for that. Ups and downs, I regret absolutely nothing"
"Me neither"
The brunette smiled softly and kissed the top of her fiancee's hood covered head "I love you"
Sara shifted a little, leaving a soft kiss on the woman's neck "I love you, too, Nyssa" she smiled to herself and sighed, resuming her previous position "You know, that sounded a lot like vows to me"
Her observation made Nyssa laugh quietly "Indeed"
Both of them remained silent after that, snuggling and comfortably watching their last sunrise as single women together.
"Where's Sara?"
"Dunno"
"She's not outside and you're literally sitting in the middle of the living room. You should've seen her at least walk by"
"Think she's upstairs" Sin said shrugging and running her fingers through her hair.
"Okay, do you know why?" Thea asked, starting to lose her already thin patience.
"Makeup or hair or whatever"
"Your constant helpful disposition never ceases to amaze me" the young Queen said glaring at her friend.
"Look, your highness, you wanna know, go check yourself. I'm chillin' here away from everyone and you're kinda killin' the vibe right now"
Dinah, who overheard their conversation from the kitchen, laughed and decided to intervene "Honey, Sara is upstairs with Laurel finishing her makeup"
Thea glared at Sin one more time before turning to Dinah "Thank you"
"I'm going there now, do you need me to tell her anything?"
"Yeah, please tell her to hurry the hell up if she wants to get married before sunset"
The woman laughed and nodded as she walked up the stairs, disappearing at the top at the same time Nyssa walked in through the back door.
Thea and Sin looked her up and down, whistling and nodding appreciatively with big smiles on their faces. She was wearing a red bikini top with black bottoms, and had a black cover up wrapped around her waist, with a long slit that went all the way up her thigh. Her makeup was simple, only accentuating her dark eyes, giving her a very middle-eastern look that Sara always loved. She had her hair down and was currently pushed over her right shoulder, the soft, natural waves aiding to her casual, yet stunning, look.
"What?" she asked self consciously under their stares.
"You look amazing" Thea pointed out and Sin nodded in agreement "Sara's gonna love it"
Nyssa blushed and lowered her head, her hair falling over her face, hiding part of it "Thank you"
The young Queen walked up to her and held her chin up with her hand, looking her in the eye "None of that. This is your day, Nyssa. You're marrying the woman you love, and you look absolutely beautiful. Blushing and getting self conscious is forbidden; your wedding planner said so" she said with a cheeky grin "Enjoy this, you deserve it"
Just when she was about to answer and thank the younger woman again, something at the top of the stairs caught her eye and she looked up just in time to see her soon to be wife smiling down at her. She fell completely silent, every coherent thought leaving her brain, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest.
Sara was wearing a white bikini, with a lace, long sleeved cover up, that hung open from her shoulders and barely came down to her upper thigh. Her hair was neatly and carefully braided on the left side, the same way she was wearing it a few days ago on the Waverider, and her makeup accentuated her bright blue eyes and soft lips, making her current smile even more beautiful than usual.
She walked down the stairs followed by her sister and mother, standing a few feet in front of Nyssa and looking her up and down, just like Thea and Sin did before, but with a bright, extra sparkle in her eyes "Wow"
The brunette nodded her agreement, still not finding her voice, making her laugh.
Sara stepped closer, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Nyssa's left ear and cupping her cheek after "You look beautiful"
"So do you, beloved" the other woman finally whispered.
The blonde smiled and leaned forward to kiss her gently, forgetting they were surrounded by other people. Nyssa smiled and wrapped her arms around her waist when Sara rested her forehead on hers "You ready to do this?" when the brunette smiled and nodded, she kissed her one more time before pulling away.
"Okay…" Thea said, waiting until after their moment was over so as not to interrupt "...everyone's here already and having a great time. Talia didn't kill anyone —yet— and Felicity is doing a great job of keeping Oliver's mouth shut to ensure it stays that way. We have everything set up and Ray said he's ready whenever you are"
"I should let you know, beloved, your father is still complaining about not being allowed to walk 'his baby' down the aisle" Nyssa said smiling.
"There is no aisle" the blonde laughed shaking her head.
"That is what I so naÏvely pointed out. Suffice to say it only caused some more grumbling"
"Ready?" Ray asked in a low voice, leaning down to get closer to the two women standing in front of him.
"Hell yeah!" the blonde nodded enthusiastically, making him laugh.
"Nyssa?"
"Absolutely"
He smiled and clapped his hands once "Alright! For those of you who don't know me…" he started looking at the small crowd standing in front of him "...my name is Ray, I'm the guy these people call when they wanna get married"
Dig and Lyla looked at each other and laughed, making baby Sara laugh, too. The man wrapped his arm around his wife and child as they focused again on the two women standing under a wooden, beautifully carved wedding arch.
"However, this time, I got lucky enough to be asked to officiate the wedding of one of my best friends; who's marrying an amazing woman, if I may add, and I couldn't be happier about it"
Sara looked up at him and smiled in appreciation, then focused back on Nyssa, taking one of her hands in hers and staring into her eyes.
"I've never met two people who deserve complete and utter happiness more than these two women do, and I want to thank them both, again, for letting me be such an important part of their union"
Nyssa smiled softly and brushed a strand of blonde hair away from the other woman's face, using the movement to caress her cheek.
"Since I've been informed by Laurel earlier today that nothing about this particular process was ever 'normal'..." he said using air quotes, making everyone laugh "...I'm not really sure on how to proceed, so I'm gonna go with the basics" he looked at Sara, then at Nyssa before asking "Vows?"
The brunette woman smirked, arching one eyebrow as she looked into the blonde's eyes "Do you remember my words from this morning, habibti?" she asked, her smile softening when Sara chuckled and nodded in agreement and understanding.
"Do you remember mine?"
"How could I not?" Nyssa asked her, still smiling.
"Good, 'cause it's you and I, babe; this is it"
"Seriously? Those are your vows?" Laurel asked indignantly, standing a few feet away from them with Tommy's arm around her shoulders "See? Nothing normal!"
Everyone laughed, including both former assassins and Sara shrugged "We already said 'em in private"
"God forbid people hear you say you love the woman" the eldest Lance sister rolled her eyes.
Before the blonde could defend herself or Nyssa could make perfectly clear that she didn't actually need to hear the words, Lyla whispered something into her daughter's ear and lowered her down.
Baby Sara took off running and carefully climbed the small, wooden step that led to the wedding arch where both women and Ray were standing. She tugged softly on the cover up wrapped around Nyssa's waist to get her attention.
The woman laughed and bent down to pick her up, and as soon as she did, the toddler opened her tiny hand to show a set of identical wedding bands.
"Thank you, sweetie" Nyssa said before softly kissing her forehead, and took one of the rings. She leaned closer to the girl and whispered something in her ear, making baby Sara grin and nod.
"Here, auntie Sara" she said, turning with Nyssa's help and handing the blonde the remaining ring.
"Thank you" the woman chuckled and took a step closer to kiss her cheek before Nyssa lowered her down again.
Lyla knelt with her arms open and a big smile on her face as her daughter came back running and jumped into her arms, giggling "Good job, baby"
"I won't ask you all those usual wedding questions when we all know you already, and quite literally, delivered on all those promises implicitly made to each other years ago" Ray pointed out, then nodded to the blonde to proceed "So go ahead, we can see you're dying to" he said, making both women laugh.
"I love you, Nyssa" Sara said looking into the brunette's eyes "And I'm not just saying this for Laurel's benefit" she added laughing "I love you and will always do everything in my power to keep you happy" she reached forward and took Nyssa's left hand in hers, using her thumb to softly rub her ring finger before sliding the thin, vintage looking, diamond and platinum engraved ring in place.
The brunette smiled softly, reaching for the other woman's left hand to do the same "I love you, always have and always will" she said in Arabic, carefully sliding the ring into place, taking a few seconds to run her thumb over it and down Sara's finger "You and I" she added in English.
"You and I" the blonde repeated smiling, but she was the one to speak Arabic this time.
"By the power vested in me by you two, the Internet, a time master, and now the former head of the League of Assassins: I pronounce you partners in life, wife and wife, married, hitched, or any other term we all know Sara will probably come up with" they all laughed again and he frowned when the blonde looked at him expectantly "Oh! Right! Didn't think you'd need my encouragement for this part, actually: you may kiss"
Sara grinned, as her newly wife chuckled, and wrapped one arm around the woman's waist. Nyssa wrapped both her arms around her neck and bent slightly down to kiss her.
They kept kissing for a few moments while their family and friends clapped and cheered happily. Minus Laurel who was an awkward mess, crying and laughing at the same time.
The cheering turned into whistling when the kiss didn't end right away, and they both laughed as they parted, still keeping their foreheads together.
"I love you" Sara whispered, the tears that had been filling her eyes the whole time falling slowly.
Nyssa reached up to wipe the tears away with her thumbs. Then, she wiped her own ones and whispered back "And I you, beloved"
"I've got this, pretty boy"
"I told you I had it"
"Move"
"I'm perfectly capable of lighting a bonfire, you know? I've been stranded on an island for years"
"Yeah, that's probably why it's taking forever. Move, unless you wanna be a human torch"
"Oh, shit!" Sara handed her glass to Nyssa and jumped up, running and tackling Oliver just in time before Mick fired his gun, lighting the huge bonfire they had set up, in a matter of seconds.
"What the fuck, Mick?" she asked getting up and brushing sand off her body "I specifically said no weapons!"
The man shrugged and placed the end of his gun over his shoulder, a dazed look on his face as he stared at the flames "Never leave home without it"
Sara tried to hide her smile and held her hand out for Oliver, who immediately took it and allowed her to pull him up.
"Weirdo" the blonde mumbled as she passed him on her way back to her wife, making him roar with laughter.
"Takes one to know one, blondie"
"Touché" she sat down on the sand again, taking back the glass the brunette was holding out for her "Thanks"
Nyssa smiled and jerked her head in Mick's direction "That is a rather interesting choice of weapon"
"He's a pyro"
"Quite effective"
"Can't argue with that"
"Do you mind?" Talia asked walking up to them with Bruce standing a few feet behind her.
"Not at all" her younger sister said smiling and motioning with her hand for them to join them.
The woman smiled back and sat down in front of them, actually surprising Sara, who just assumed she would stand there and be her socially awkward self.
The man carefully sat down next to Talia and handed her one of the drinks he was holding "Congratulations, again" he said addressing both newlyweds with a charming smile.
Sara and Nyssa smiled and thanked him, before the blonde looked at Talia "I feel like I should congratulate you too"
"Me? What for?"
Jerking her head in Bruce's direction, she smirked and said "Doing that. Again" then she looked at him "Damn, man"
Bruce chuckled and shook his head "Is that a compliment?"
"Well, yeah!"
"Thank you, then"
"You just got married to my sister, Sara"
"Don't mind me, I actually agree with her" Nyssa stated, hiding her smirk by lifting her glass to her lips.
Talia frowned and deadpanned "Then I have to admit: your sexuality confuses me"
"My sexuality is not for you, or anyone else, for that matter, to understand; it only needs to be clear to me and the woman I chose to spend my life with. But if truly intrigues you: I do feel exclusively attracted to women. The fact that I find him visually appealing does not imply a personal desire to sleep with him"
"I would be up for the challenge" Bruce said laughing and winking conspiratorially at Nyssa.
"And I would literally kill you" the blonde intervened, her face completely serious.
"This conversation is starting to make me uncomfortable"
"Your started it!" Sara laughed and patted the woman's shoulder once "Relax, we're just messing with you, Talia" she looked at Bruce and added "You are hot, that part was actually true" finally, she looked at her smiling wife and leaned up to kiss her softly "I married the hottest one, tho, so I win"
"I was not aware this was a competition" Talia pointed out and Sara only shrugged, finishing her drink and placing the empty glass on the sand next to her body "Can we leave this ridiculous conversation aside for at least a couple of minutes?"
"Sure, what's up?" the blonde asked intrigued when Talia held a white envelope in front of them.
"We wanted to give you something"
She handed them the envelope, and the blonde was the one who took it, while Nyssa shook her head "Sister, you know there is no need for—"
"Nyssa, babe, let people express how much they love us however they want" Sara interrupted her, peeking inside the envelope.
Her statement made all three of them laugh, and Talia finally encouraged her "Go ahead, open it"
The blonde pulled out a small stack of different sized papers and smaller envelopes. The first thing she noticed was that one of them had the seal of an airline. She looked up at the older woman, who only smiled and winked at her. Opening that envelope she gasped and handed the contents to Nyssa.
"Talia…?" she asked frowning.
"We figured you would not have the chance to plan a proper honeymoon with such limited amount of time, so we took the liberty to plan it for you" the woman smiled and Bruce nodded with a big smile "I hope that is alright with you"
"Are you kidding me?" Sara asked incredulously.
"Hope everything's to your liking" the man said, nervously alternating his gaze between the two women.
"It's amazing!"
"This is too much, we cannot—"
"Yes, you can, Nyssa" her sister reassured her "You took care of everyone from a very young age and for far too long. Now let us take care of you, even if it is only for this, sister. You both deserve it"
"I don't know what to say"
"I think we should start with: thank you" Sara grinned and leaned forward to hug both of them.
"You are very welcome" the man nodded still smiling "You leave tomorrow. All the details and reservations are right there"
"Laurel, the tiny Queen and both your mothers already took care of all the packing, which reminds me…" Talia said and looked at the man sitting next to her "...there's one more thing"
He smiled and nodded, handing them a smaller, black envelope "For your wedding night"
Nyssa took it and turned it around, finding the logo of a well known, five star hotel printed on the other side. She chuckled and opened it, taking out two key cards and holding them for Sara to see.
"Honeymoon suite, ladies"
"You shall not have to worry about traumatizing anyone tonight" Talia added, smirking when she noticed her younger sister blush "I have been informed of the incident by the tiny Queen"
"Your luggage for the honeymoon is already waiting for you there" Bruce explained "And a car will pick you up at noon to take you to the airport"
"Mr. Queen, Ms. Smoak and the both of us shall take care of everything here in your absence"
"Meaning, we'll send everyone home and lock after ourselves, so you don't have to worry about a thing"
"Wow, this is just…" Sara shook her head and closed her open mouth "...thanks, seriously"
"You deserve it" Talia answered honestly "Make sure to relax and enjoy it"
Nyssa leaned forward and surprised her sister with a strong hug, whispering something in her ear that made the woman smile nod "Always" she whispered back, hugging her just as tightly.
"You know, a girl could get used to this" Sara said, getting comfortable in her seat.
"It's not the first time you travel first class, beloved"
"Not that; although Talia and Bruce really know how to do stuff" she smiled, looking down at her left hand "The 'just married' special treatment we're getting"
Nyssa chuckled and turned slightly to look at her "Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Soon enough we won't be able to call ourselves newlyweds anymore"
"Can't you just let me enjoy this?" the blonde rolled her eyes "It's been like, what? Eighteen hours? I plan on taking advantage of this for at least a year"
"And how do you plan on doing so?" her wife asked, smiling amusedly.
"I'll just tell people we just got married" she narrowed her eyes and glared at the brunette "And you'll remain silent, nod your agreement and let me lie all I want"
Nyssa chuckled and shook her head "As you wish, my beautiful bride"
The blonde smiled and leaned closer to the other woman, kissing her softly; then she shifted again in her seat and sighed frustratedly.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah…" she nodded frowning "...I'm just realizing wearing jeans for a flight this long after our amazing wedding night wasn't one of my brightest ideas"
The genuine, happy laughter that came from her wife immediately filled her with unimaginable happiness and made her forget all about her uncomfortable situation. She shifted in her seat again, but this time sideways to be able to look at the woman "I love you, Nys" Sara said softly reaching over and tucking a strand of hair behind the brunette's ear.
Nyssa leaned into her touch, closing her eyes and sighing happily "And I you, beloved"
"I still can't believe we got married"
"Neither can I"
"You sure you wanna put up with my weird ass for the rest of your life?"
"Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't it a bit late to ask that question?" she held her left hand in the air, showing her wedding ring.
The blonde chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her again "Yes, yes it is, sucker. You're stuck with me"
"And that is all I have ever wanted" Nyssa said smiling "Besides, beloved, I am not the best example of an easy going woman. I can assure you, you will have to put up with me quite often, too"
"Nothing would make me happier" she shifted again and groaned "God, Nyssa, what did you do to me last night?"
"Nothing I haven't done before, beloved"
"Well, yeah, but it feels like you put some extra effort"
"It was a special occasion" she said matter of factly "Are you implying you did not enjoy our wedding night?"
Sara laughed and shook her head "That is not what I'm saying. Quite the opposite, actually; I just wish I would've thought of not wearing these stupid jeans"
They both sat up straighter when the captain announced they were ready for take off, but even over the noise of the engines the blonde could hear the woman next to her laughing again. She reached over for her hand, lacing their fingers together and grinning happily as the plane took off.
After a few minutes, when the sign to fasten their seatbelts turned off, Sara reclined her seat and turned her head to look at her wife "So, what now?" she asked, smiling softly.
"If I am not mistaken, I believe we are heading to our honeymoon" Nyssa answered frowning in confusion, making the blonde laugh.
"Yeah, I know, babe. I mean, after that. When we have to go back to normal; what then? Do we even know how to live normal lives?"
"I do not believe I have ever had what most people would call a normal life"
"Neither have I for almost twenty years"
"Then why start now?"
"Valid point" Sara chuckled.
"Is that what you wish for? A normal life?"
"By whose standards?"
Nyssa shrugged "You brought it up, you tell me"
"I just want you" the blonde said seriously, rubbing her thumb up and down her wife's ring finger "I just want to spend the rest of my life with you"
"You already have me, habibti" the other woman smiled softly "For as long as you wish. I'm yours, Sara"
Sara sighed happily, still staring at her wife with a twinkle in her eye, and shrugged one shoulder before winking at her with a bright smile "Then screw normal"