Laurel is just trying to enjoy the herbal tea Felicity pushed into her hand after a long night on patrol. There's a nice breeze coming in from the open sliding doors of the Birds' Nest, and Sin, asleep upstairs now, is covering for her at work in the morning. She's just trying to relax a little while Felicity debriefs her, Oliver, and Thea when the texts come in.

"Oh my god!" Laurel cries, dropping her phone onto the coffee table and physically backing up. "Oh my god, oh my god."

Oliver gets defensive, looking around like someone's on the attack. Thea and Felicity each give her a curious look.

"Are you okay, Laurel?" Thea asks with a touch of concern.

Laurel gestures for Felicity to pick up the phone, unable to form words. Felicity takes it in her hand gingerly and reads the news that has Laurel Lance practically hyperventilating:

It's a picture first, a freaking selfie of Sara, Nyssa, Rocket, and a newborn infant!

Surprise! We kinda have a baby now! Sara writes.

Damian is my nephew. Nyssa's text clarifies, and the eye roll is evident even in the words. We have assumed responsibility for his care and upbringing.

Felicity squeals with delight and hands the phone off to Thea, whose mouth falls open before breaking into wide grin.

"You're an aunt!" Felicity tells Laurel.

"Wait, what?" Oliver exclaims, and Thea hands him the phone. His face is classic.

"She can't do anything normal," Laurel cries. "It's always 'Surprise, I'm alive!'"

"Twice," Felicity agrees.

"And 'Surprise, I'm gonna come live in Starling for six months!' and 'Surprise, we have a baby.'"

Thea laughs.

Laurel sighs and takes the phone back.

"I didn't even know Nyssa had siblings," Laurel says.

"Half," Thea answers. "At least one sister."

Laurel's phone is ringing before she can respond to that.

"I know," Laurel answers her father's call.

"I'm sorry, am I a grandfather?" is how her dad responds.

"Unclear, but definitely at least kinda."

"Okay then. Did you have any idea?"

"None. How's your heart?"

"Fine, surprisingly. Still just processing. Surprise reveal via text message is a new one. Do you think your mother is up and got-"

A call beeps in. "That's her now, plus I have to wake up-"

"OH MY GOD IT'S A TINY HUMAN!"

"I think she's awake," her dad chuckles. "Call me back."

"Got it."

Laurel gestures to Felicity and Thea to handle Sin (who is currently standing at the top of the stairs waving her phone around in Mickey Mouse boxes) while she switches over to her mother.

"I know exactly as much as you do," Laurel answers.

"That's not possible. I know nothing."

"Exactly. The texts and that's it."

"This is insane."

"You wouldn't be quite as surprised if you had spent a summer watching Nyssa get all melty when Sara was with Baby Sara."

"Your sister and her flair for the dramatic are going to be the death of me, Laurel."

"I know, Mom. I know."

"Oh, Laurel, Sara's actually calling me. I'll call you back when I know more."

"Okay, Mom."

Even more exhausted now, Laurel sits down at the breakfast bar, dropping her phone to the granite with a click. Sin, who Laurel hadn't even realized was there, slides a glass of chocolate milk towards her, one of her own already headed towards her lips.

"Well, I think we're kind of aunts," Sin says, looking a little dazed.

"I think we kind of are," Laurel says, lifting her glass in salute.

"You know what the weirdest thing is?" Sin asks.

"What?"

"I think they might actually be really freaking good at it."

"I think you're right."

"Hey, I'm gonna go get on a plane chartered by the League of Assassins. I have no idea where it is going. I mean, besides to Central City to pick up Professor Lance. Wait, I don't know if that's her name now…"

"Okay," Oliver says distractedly, working on his arrows. "Wait, what?!"

"Don't worry about it. I just need you to keep things running at work, Mr. VP."

"Yeah, of course, but back up."

"Nyssa called. She's sending a plane. They're going into hiding, sorta, with the baby, and I'm apparently the world expert on hiding Sara Lance."

Oliver grins a little at that, and Felicity quickly shuts down that little swooning part of her. He's come a long way, but she, they, are not ready for that.

"Anyway," she presses on. "Laurel, me, and Sin are going on the plane, picking up their mom, and then we're really flying to parts unknown. I think it's one of those 'better if you don't know' situations."

Oliver looks slightly less confused, and it's a sign of his growth that he does not object or moralize. Maybe they're closer to ready than she thinks…

"Be safe," he offers.

"I will."

"Tell them congratulations? Should I send a gift?"

Felicity laughs. The confusion is back, and it sure is cute.

"They're probably okay on stuff."

"Right. Do you need a ride to the air strip?"

"That would be great," she beams at him.

"Can I ask you something, Mom?"

Felicity and Sin are zonked out at the front of the plane, but Laurel's always been a bit of a nervous flier. Especially en route to a secret League of Assassins location.

"Of course, Laurel. Anything."

"How did you forgive Nyssa? I mean, I practically lived with them for six months, but you barely see them. So I'm just… curious."

Her mother considers the question for some time, and Laurel worries she'd picked the wrong scab at the worst time. Finally, her mother says:

"Sara calls me every other week. Did you know that?"

Laurel shakes her head.

"It's a little new. Since her latest… death. I don't think it was her idea."

"You think it's Nyssa's?"

Her mother nods.

"Do you know how old Nyssa was when her mother died?"

To be honest, Laurel didn't even officially know that Nyssa's mother was dead. She'd just guessed.

"She was seven," Dinah continues. "That seems like an awful time to lose a mother. Just long enough to know what you've lost."

Laurel has to agree, but she isn't sure what-

"I don't think it's random that Nyssa took me, and not you or your father. I… was terrified, and perhaps she would have actually killed me that night. But she was playing by the only rules she'd ever known, and she was doing what she thought was necessary to keep Sara alive. My life for Sara's?" She pauses. "It's not an unreasonable trade."

No, Laurel reasons to herself. It probably isn't. She'd probably trade herself for Sara in an instant.

"I have a League bodyguard," Dinah says. "Nyssa informed me of her presence. She said she did not wish to deceive or interfere, but that she could not allow anything to happen to me. The girl - woman, actually - her name is Talibah. Sometimes I invite her for dinner. She's lovely."

"Whoa. I didn't know that."

"Nyssa loves your sister fiercely. That makes her family. Sometimes very scary family, but family all the same. She apologized sincerely and owned her mistakes honestly. That's all I ever asked of you girls, so it's all I expect of her." Her mom smiles and looks over towards Sin. "I seem to be acquiring daughters left and right. I don't know what I'll do with a grandson."

Laurel laughs.

"Yeah, you do. Buy him a ton of books and spoil him rotten."

There's a bag of children's books already sitting at Dinah's feet. She grins.

"You're not wrong."

To say it's been a whirlwind week would be a gross understatement. Thankfully, seven years in the League of Assassins has made Sara used to rapidly changing realities and surviving on two hour chunks of sleep.

They have a nanny with them, Umm Saleem, who raised Nyssa herself. Sara caught on quickly, however, that Nyssa prefers to be as hands on with Damian as possible, relinquishing Damian to Umm Saleem's care only when both she and Sara were needed for the plans and preparations necessary to move a whole secret League household to a little known, lightly populated island off Africa's Mediterranean coast.

Rocket is taking all the changes the hardest, followed closely by one of the two girls who cared for the cats whenever they were away. The other girl has moved with them; her mother runs the kitchen in the walled villa that will now be home.

Rocket has of course come with them, but it's the tiny, loud competitor for her attention that has frazzled her most. She is actually very protective of him; it took twenty minutes, quite a bit of soothing, and some well-timed treats for her to allow Umm Saleem to hold the baby. But when Damian is in the arms of whoever's lap or pets or general attention she wants, she very dramatically… pouts. And passive-aggressively pees under his bassinet, though Sara isn't sure if that's acting out or marking him as hers. Thankfully the floors are all tile and stone.

Sara is hopeful that the planeful of ladies who adore Rocket will give her girl a bit of an affection boost, and Rocket has shown signs of coming around to the idea of sharing a lap or belly around nap time.

Sara is also hopeful that having her mom here will help with the whole kinda sorta actually definitely parenting thing she's found herself doing. She's like ten-percent terrified. Maybe fifteen-percent. Nyssa is probably somewhere around twenty-five.

Ra's had expressed nothing but pleasure and utmost confidence in their suitability for this new endeavor, leaving Sara as convinced as Nyssa that he had totally planned this all along. She should probably be angrier about that.

The villa is still chaotic, full of people preparing it to be the semi-permanent home of the Heir, her Beloved, and the grandson of the Demon, a full house staff, and a complement of only the best and most trustworthy League Assassins to keep the place safe. These latter are, not coincidentally, those who had accompanied them to Starling and were assigned to all of hers and Nyssa's missions since. Back in Nanda Parbat, Sara overheard them called the Red and Gold. It weirds her out that that doesn't weird her out anymore.

Rocket does not like helicopters, but Rocket also does not like being away from Sara very much right now, so she has sought solace in Sara's arm as the helicopter delivers her mom, sisters, and Felicity to this whacky new world they live in.

"A princess," Laurel is saying as the helicopter blades slow above them. "My sister is a freaking princess."

Felicity finds it pretty hard to argue with that. And she thought the Birds' Nest was fancy!

"Damn," is all Sin manages as she hops onto the grass.

All Felicity knows about where they are is that it's an island. She fell asleep on the plane, so she's not even sure how long they flew. She's not going to ask too many questions, though. The less she knows the better.

Sara is waiting for them, bat-eared Rocket in her arms. In jeans and a v-neck, she's not exactly dressed the part of the princess, even if the great white walls of the villa, the luxurious landscaping, and the bustling of servants and bodyguards seem to say she's at least almost there.

Felicity turns to help the professor out of the helicopter, but Laurel has beat her to it. She looks back to Sara and sees Sin and Rocket sprinting towards each other dramatically. Sin laughs as the excited pup overshoots her and skids around, running circles around her with a million mile per hour tail.

Sara shakes her head as she walks past the two of them actually wrestling in the grass, and right into her mother's arms. She holds her close and thanks her for coming, before doing the same for Felicity and Laurel. Then she scoops Sin off the ground and into a bear hug. Rocket turns her attention to Laurel and Felicity, scratching at their knees, trying to decide whose attention she wants the most right now.

"Holy crap, Sara," Sin is saying.

"What?" Sara asks.

"Just all of it. Surprise baby, secret island, all of it."

"I have to second that," Dinah answers. "Where is Damian anyway?"

"Nyssa has him. Jeez, you bring a baby into the family and suddenly no one wants to see you anymore."

"Shoulda thought of that before you… How did you get him, anyway?" Felicity asks.

"I'll let Nyssa tell that story," Sara grins mischievously. "Come on. Your bags'll be delivered to your rooms." She turns, probably to call Rocket to her, but the pup has wheedled her way into Laurel's arms already.

"Don't worry, puppy-niece," Felicity hears Laurel say. "I won't forget you just because there's an almost-nephew now."

tbc