Chapter 10: Revealed

Laurel closed her eyes and smiled, feeling soft kisses pressed against her forehead, then her cheek, then awfully close to her mouth. She turned her head, accepting a sweet, gentle kiss. She opened her eyes and took in Josh's peace-filled expression.

She turned back to face the TV and snuggled deeper into Josh's form, framing her body on her couch. She felt completely relaxed in his presence - her apartment with Josh there was like a calm port in the midst of the storm of Thea's HIV diagnosis and Oliver's single-minded vengeance. In these moments, it felt like the only thing left in the world was just she and Josh.

Laurel was afraid to say, she was completely in love with this man.

She felt the couch move and let out a little murmur of protest as she could feel Josh disengaging from holding her. Josh dropped a quick kiss on her head, making clear his intention of getting up. He said, "I'm sorry, babe – I have to get home."

Laurel sighed. "I wish you didn't have to."

"I know," he agreed. "But my briefings for tomorrow are at my place – my clothes. My lunch."

Laurel pleaded, desperate not to be left alone with her thoughts, "Couldn't you just stop by to grab everything in the morning?"

Josh was silent and Laurel pulled back to look at him. Josh seemed to be deep in thought, his brow pursed. "What is it?" Laurel asked, worry filling her chest.

Josh's eyes flickered up to hers. "I know it's fast – we've only been dating 6 months. But – we've met each other's parents, our friends and … Laurel," he said earnestly, "I love you. I … I can't think about anything other than you and whenever I'm at home alone, the only place I want to be is with you. If every spare moment I had, you were there with me, I would be a happy man. Laurel," he looked at her with large, vulnerable eyes. "What do you think about moving in together?"

Laurel's heart pounded as Josh spoke. The offer sparked her imagination and she could see it. Evenings like this one, curled up with each other. Getting groceries together. Cooking dinner together. Texting him to see if he wanted to have their friends over.

Laurel had been in two serious relationships in her life: with Oliver Queen and with Tommy Merlyn. She and Oliver had been so young when they were together and Laurel had been in college. Technically, so was Oliver, but he was in and out of different schools, goofing off and getting kicked out for low grades or for getting into trouble. They were engaged, but they had never lived together. Her relationship with Tommy had also been fraught and they had just never reached the "live together" stage.

But – she was ready. She was ready for this stage, and she was ready to be in that stage with this beautiful, sweet man.

Laurel began to open her mouth to emphatically say yes, when a new thought arrested her. Josh didn't know about Sara. Or the Arrow. Black Canary. Arae. The Bunker.

How could she start a new chapter of sharing a home with Josh if he didn't know this huge part of her life? Could she live with him never meeting her very much alive, time-travelling sister? Or sneaking out some evening to go to the Bunker to help with a case while lying to Josh about where she was going? Or getting a call that one of her friends had been hurt in the field and not being able to explain that to him?

Laurel's heart became heavy within her. She looked up at him, his face showing he was nervously awaiting her response. She quickly grabbed his hand in hers to reassure him.

Laurel said, "Joshua Waverly - I love you." A small smile poked at the corners of Josh's mouth, relief in his eyes. "But this would be my first time moving in with someone. Can I think about it?"

He shot her a warm smile and bent to kiss her gently. "Of course," he said.

"You said what?" Thea demanded.

"I said I needed to think about it!" Laurel repeated. She sipped her coffee and repositioned herself on one of two camp chairs she and Thea had snuck onto Laurel's apartment's rooftop. She looked over Star's skyline, seeing the first colors of rubies and purples in the sky, announcing the sunrise.

"Needed to think about what exactly?" Thea asked, sounding exasperated. "That you are head over heels in love with this guy? That you are two adults with stable jobs and good incomes? That you have been in a healthy relationship for six months and you both have the stamp of approval from both sets of parents?"

"It's not that simple," Laurel defended.

"It is that simple," Thea dismissed. "You say, 'Josh, I would love for us to move in together!' And then he moves in here, because I have seen his apartment and yours is much cuter."

Laurel rolled her eyes, secretly appreciating Thea's straight-forward little sisterly advice. Laurel realized again just how much she would miss if Thea … no, she couldn't go there right now.

"The problem, Thea, is that I can't move forward with Josh when I am lying to him about this whole half of my life." Thea's expression changed from incredulous to understanding. Laurel continued, "He knows I had a sister, but he doesn't even know that Sara is alive. And, I know that we don't see Sara often, but how can I be with a guy and keep my sister a secret?"

Thea, her mouth open to comment, was stopped by Laurel barreling on. "And my life as Black Canary might be behind me," Laurel continued. "But it's still a part of me – my history. And then there are all of you! How can I just hide you, and Ollie, and Felicity, and John from him! You're supposed to be able to trust your partner with everything. I just can't live with someone who I can't share everything with!"

Thea was silent, staring out at the sunrise. Thea said, not turning her head to look at Laurel, "Then tell him."

Laurel's eyebrows flew upward. "Thea …" Laurel began.

Thea turned towards Laurel. "Look – Roy and I were in love. I think we could have spent our lives together. But lies tore us apart. And, as it turned out, we weren't able to try again until we got all of those secrets out in the open. I think you're right – you shouldn't keep that much of your life from him. SO – tell him."

Laurel shook her head, thinking that Thea was absolutely crazy with her suggestion. "Thea, I can't!"

"Laurel," Thea said firmly, "You clearly trust this guy with your heart, which let's be real, is no small feat given your dating history. And Felicity has run, like every background check on Josh, and I promise you, the man is squeaky clean." Laurel felt her eyes widen at that revelation. Thea shrugged. "I think Josh can handle it."

Laurel, still stunned that her friends had run background checks on her boyfriend said, "Even if that were the case, Ollie would never go for it. He didn't even really want to tell you or me about the Arrow."

Thea shot Laurel a confident grin. "You let me worry about Ollie."

Laurel's pulse was racing as she walked side-by-side with Josh, holding his hand in hers. As they reached the elevator, Laurel paused and then turned to him.

"Josh," she said softly, seeking his eyes. "I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But I can only move forward with you if you know … everything." Josh's brow furrowed like he was trying to understand what she was saying. Laurel asked worriedly, "Do you trust me?"

At that question, Josh's face relaxed and he gave her a warm smile. "With my life," he said earnestly.

Laurel released a forceful breath of air and said, "Okay, then." She led him onto the elevator.

The doors opened and Josh froze, taking in his first glimpses of the Bunker. Laurel looked at it with new eyes as she imagined Josh's thoughts.

The entire room had a faint green glow from the strips of green floor-lights. Large, overhead pendants flooded the room with light, challenging the windowless basement's darkness to overtake it. The large Hub with Felicity's computers rose up ahead of them and stemming off in both directions were hints of the rooms which lay beyond them – the table they used for planning missions, the locker area where they changed into and out of their suits, and the lounge where they hung out when they wanted to be together, but still away from the world.

Josh stood, frozen, trying to understand what he was seeing. Laurel tugged gently at his hand and led him into the room.

Appearing from their right and wearing her Arae suit without a mask, Thea swept up and greeted Josh in the relaxed, warm tone that was strictly Thea's: "Josh! Welcome! Can I show you around?"

Laurel allowed Josh's hand to drop out of her own as she stayed in place and he stepped in shock towards Thea. "You … you're -" Josh said, choking on his words.

"Arae," Thea supplied helpfully. "And there's more." She shot him a little cheeky smile. "This way!"

As Thea led Josh up towards the Hub, Laurel quickly shed her sweater and jeans, tucking them into a bag setting nearby. She looked down, heart still pounding, taking in her Black Canary suit. She grabbed her wig and mask out of the bag and began to follow Thea and Josh up to the Hub.

Laurel joined them in time to hear Josh trying to wrap his mind around the image of Oliver and John in their Green Arrow and Spartan suits unmasked. "You're the Green Arrow!" Josh cried out, shocked. "And John, you're – also clearly someone."

"Spartan," John supplied, unimpressed that he had gone unrecognized.

Josh looked at Felicity. He asked confused, "And Felicity, you're …?"

Felicity quickly tried to supply, "Well, you wouldn't have seen me either, I'm – you know, I'm 'Overwatch'. I'm the 'eye in the sky', the one who does all the tech and dispatch things."

Josh's head nodded like he was trying to affirm Felicity, but was still completely floored. He turned and Laurel could tell he was going to look towards her to ground him.

She could see the moment his eyes changed from cloudy with confusion at everything he had just seen to taking in his girlfriend – the Black Canary. His mouth dropped open and he breathed out, "Laurel."

If there was one thing Laurel could appreciate as she, Josh, and Thea sat at the Bunker's conference table once Josh had managed to move his feet again, it was that Josh seemed genuinely surprised by everything the team had revealed, including Laurel's vigilante identity. She was gratified that, if she was going to keep a secret, that she had clearly done a pretty good job.

Josh had a glass of lemonade in front of him from Felicity's personal supply. He was sipping slowly and had been mostly silent as he was trying to take in the new information. Laurel could feel the anxiety welling into her throat, feeling like she had made a terrible mistake. She was wrong – she could have lived a lifetime with this secret if it just meant she could live a lifetime with him. His silence felt like the death nell on a relationship that Laurel had very much come to enjoy.

Thea, on the other hand, was completely relaxed and had the most pleasant look on her face as she smiled between Josh and Laurel, waiting for someone to break the ice. Josh seemed to be drawn in by Thea's easy-going openness and he asked weakly, directing it towards Thea, "So, how does one become a vigilante?"

Thea smiled gently. "Well, we each have our own stories about how we ended up here. But frankly, I think the most important story right now is how your girlfriend became a vigilante."

Josh nodded in agreement and turned his wide eyes to Laurel. With a long breath, Laurel tried to set aside her concerns about how Josh would take it and to just be honest. Thea gave Laurel a reassuring nod.

She asked Josh in a soft tone, "You know my sister Sara died when the Queen's Gambit sank?" Josh nodded. "Well, that's not the entire story. I thought for six years that she had died, but – she didn't. she lived, and managed to survive by entering the protection of a group of assassins." Josh's eyebrows might as well have disappeared into his hairline with his look up surprise. Laurel continued, "She was trained by them. Three years ago, she returned to Starling as a vigilante – The Canary." Josh looked perplexed as he looked over Laurel in her Black Canary suit.

Laurel gave a funny little smile and acknowledged, "I'm … getting to that." Josh nodded slowly. "Sara eventually revealed herself and her secret identity to me. Then – she was murdered in front of me."

Thea jerked a bit in her seat and Laurel looked at her friend, trying to reassure Thea with a look that Laurel did not blame Thea.

"After that," Laurel continued, "I took on her name and the Black Canary mantle. I meant to use it to find her killer. To find justice for her." Josh nodded slowly. "But," Laurel said, "We were able to get Sara back – she's alive and well, and sometime I would love for you to meet her." Josh nodded in interest. Laurel then said simply, "So I retired."

"Eh," Thea made a dissenting noise. "She retired after she had a little too close of a brush with death."

Josh's eyes got wider and he looked back with worry at Laurel. He asked uncertainly, "Your … gallbladder surgery?" Laurel shouldn't have been so surprised he remembered. She and Josh had only been dating for a month or so when she had been stabbed by an arrow at the hands of Damien Darhk. The weeks following, Laurel had been slowly recovering from her wound. Josh had been very understanding at the time.

Laurel shot Thea a pointed look and then said to Josh, "Yes, but I had already been thinking about hanging it up before that. I became the Black Canary to avenge my sister, but my sister is alive and well. It seemed like it was time for my own life away from all of this."

Thea said to Josh with a wide, pleasant smile on her face, "Meaning a life with you."

It was moments like this that reminded Laurel why little sisters could be both a blessing and a curse. Laurel said pointedly, "Thanks for the help, Thee. But don't you have somewhere to be?"

Thea patted the table and then pushed her chair back, standing up. "As a matter of fact, I do!" She laid a hand on the back of Josh's chair and said cheerfully, "Welcome to the family!"

Thea had only made it a few steps when Laurel stopped her. "Thea – are you going patrolling?"

Oliver's voice called out from the Hub, "She had better not be!"

Thea turned back towards Laurel, face a little irked that Laurel's question had set her brother off. Before she could say anything, Oliver added loudly, "Thea, you're still not cleared from your skull fracture and your hematoma."

Thea winced at the reminder and said to Laurel and Josh, "I'm just gonna leave you two to talk." She turned and walked towards the Hub to face her brother.

Josh watched Thea walk away and then noted to Laurel, "I already thought of Oliver as an overprotective big brother. I can't imagine what it would be like if your big brother was the Green Arrow."

Laurel let out a dry laugh. She said, "You have no idea."

Laurel suddenly reached out and grasped Josh's hands in hers. His eyes met hers and she was thrown off in the way that she always was by their warm, brown depths. If he walked away from her, what would she do?

"I trust you," Laurel said softly. "I know you will keep our secrets." Josh began to nod quickly, agreeing that he would. "But – I also understand if this is all too much for you. If you want to end things. Because, even though I'm not the Black Canary anymore, me and this -" she waved around her, "are a package deal. These people are my family and -"

Josh cut her off with a kiss.

As they pulled apart, Laurel searched his eyes. Josh gave her the little lopsided smile she loved and said, "Thank you … for telling me." Laurel's eyes clouded with tears. She could almost feel him preparing to break up with her. "Laurel Lance – I love you. The only thing all of this" he gestured around just as Laurel had done a moment before, "has done, is to make me love you more." He pushed his chair back a scoot and then gave her an intentional look up and down, a flirty grin on his face. He whispered, "and turned me on."

The tears vanished from Laurel's eyes and she felt her face flame with the innuendo. "So," she asked, a little uncertainly, "are we moving in together?"

Josh didn't answer – he just pulled her into another kiss. From somewhere in the room, Thea's voice called out, "Woohoo!"