Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: This is the final chapter of this story, and it is set near the end of 2x23. (Speaking of which, how awesome was that episode?) It was definitely the hardest chapter to write because I really wanted to be sure that both Sara and Laurel were in character. There is also a small appearance by Felicity, so that was fun. And for those of you who asked, there is a brief appearance by Nyssa at the end, although she doesn't have any actual dialogue. In this chapter Sara finally tells Laurel everything that happened to her while she was away. I think Laurel would take serious issue with Sara deciding to return to the League, so Sara would have to explain everything to help her understand. Plus, if she got Laurel on her side, her big sister could help calm their dad down so he didn't try to murder Nyssa. This chapter also contains my version of why Sara decided to return to the League. Hopefully it makes sense and doesn't seem too OOC. Enjoy!

Fly

Laurel has already given up asking about those six years when she finally gets the answer she was waiting for. And it couldn't have come at a more unexpected time.

The battle for Starling is finally over. Slade has been defeated. And the Arrow and his allies are still standing, as is the city. That would count as a win in anybody's book.

Now begins the clean-up. Quentin and the rest of the police force are hard at work rounding up the now-human members of Slade's army. The members of the League seem to be sticking around for a bit, at least until they can figure out what to do with all of the former super soldiers. Laurel doesn't really have anything to do at the moment, so she is currently sitting with Felicity Smoak on the hood of an abandoned car near some of the debris. The IT girl is definitely a bit quirky, but Laurel has a feeling the two of them could become good friends.

"There you are," Sara's voice calls. Laurel looks up to see her sister coming over to her. She's changed out of her vigilante garb into something that looks more civilian. Not that it really matters. Almost everyone currently nearby knows exactly who she is.

"Hey!" Laurel says. She gets to her feet so to give Sara a quick hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sara says honestly. "You?"

"Fine," Laurel confirms.

"Felicity?" Sara asks, turning to the IT girl.

"I'm okay," Felicity says.

"That's it?" Sara asks with a grin. "No rambling?"

"I must still be in shock," Felicity says seriously. "That would explain why my hands won't stop shaking."

"From what I hear, your hands were pretty steady when you hit Slade," Sara tells her.

"Oh, they weren't," Felicity assures her. "I thought I was going to miss. Which you wouldn't think would be possible considering how big he is. But his body armor actually covered most of his body. Which I guess is the point of body armor. So I had to hit him in the neck, which is actually a pretty small target..."

"Felicity?" Sara interrupts with a fond smile.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Sure," Felicity says quickly. She pushes herself off of the hood of the car and looks around the destroyed street. "I'll just go... call Dig or... something."

She heads off down the street, carefully picking her way through the rubble and making disgusted faces at the remaining super soldiers still moaning on the ground.

"She's cute," Laurel says.

"Just don't piss her off," Sara warns. "Hell hath no fury like Felicity Smoak scorned."

"So what's up?" Laurel asks, turning to her sister. Sara takes a deep breath and lets it out as if she's gathering her courage.

"You said when I was ready that you would listen," she says. "I think I'm ready now."

Laurel's eyes widen as she realizes exactly what Sara means.

"Are you sure?" she asks. "If you don't want to-"

"No, it's okay," Sara interrupts. "I want you to know. Maybe it'll help you understand why I need to do this."

"Do what?" Laurel asks suspiciously.

"I'll tell you after I finish," Sara says. "It'll make more sense then."

"Okay," Laurel says. "We can go back to my place-"

"Let's just do it here before I talk myself out of it," Sara says nervously. She turns and points down the road. "There's a place down there we can go."

"Lead the way," Laurel tells her.

Sara guides her away from the clean-up and further down the street. They walk a short distance until they can no longer hear the sounds of the former soldiers being rounded up. An overturned metal barrel is sitting next to a car with shattered windows that more or less shields the area from the rest of the street. Sara motions for Laurel to sit on the barrel before taking up a seat on a large chunk of raised concrete.

"I'm not really sure where to start," she says awkwardly.

"Wherever you want," Laurel tells her.

"I guess the beginning," Sara says. She takes a breath and lets it out. "Okay. Well, you know how I ended up on the boat. We had been at sea for about two days when we ran into this huge storm..."

Sara talks for what has to be several hours. She tells Laurel all about the storm and the wreck and about ending up on the Amazo. She tells her about her year spent living with Ivo, about Oliver turning up on the ship, about Shado and Slade and the mirakuru. As she talks, Laurel suddenly finds herself understanding much more of what has gone on in Starling lately. She stops Sara periodically to ask a few questions, but mostly she just lets her speak.

There are several details that Sara is clearly skimming over, but Laurel doesn't blame her. Some of what she does tell is hard enough to listen to. Laurel gets choked up more than once. Sara has gone through far more than she could have ever imagined. In fact, it's a wonder she came through it all as well as she did. Laurel's respect for her sister is growing in leaps and bounds as she listens to her talk.

Sara tells her about getting sucked out of yet another ship and how Nyssa found her half dead. Then she tells her about the League and her training and most of what she did during the almost five years before she returned to Starling. And she doesn't stop there either. She also gives Laurel the rundown on everything the Arrow and his crew have been up to since Sara joined forces with them, right up until her sudden disappearance from Starling.

"So I went to go get help," Sara finishes.

"From the League of Assassins," Laurel fills in. Sara nods. "But why did they agree to come here? I thought you broke ties with them."

"Some ties are hard to break," Sara tells her.

"Nyssa," Laurel guesses. After everything her sister has just told her about the female assassin, Laurel thinks maybe she can understand now why Sara would still care for her. That doesn't mean she has forgiven Nyssa for poisoning her. Or for kidnapping her mother. But after everything Nyssa has done for Sara, maybe Laurel can cut her a little slack.

"I know you and Dad don't trust her," Sara explains. "And I don't blame you. But we couldn't have defeated Slade's army without her and the League."

"I know," Laurel assures her. "I may not care for her much, but we definitely needed her. How long will she and the rest of them be staying in Starling?"

"A few more hours," Sara says. "Just until we figure out what to do with Slade's army. Then they'll get back on the boat and head home." She pauses for a minute, unsure of how to continue. "Actually, that's what I need to talk to you about that."

"I don't like that tone," Laurel says, narrowing her eyes.

"You'll like this even less," Sara warns. "In exchange for her help, I told Nyssa I would rejoin the League."

"What?!" Laurel cries in shock. "That's insane! They can't make you go back!"

"They're not making me do anything," Sara says quickly in an effort to calm Laurel down. "I agreed because I wanted to."

"You what?" Now Laurel is truly confused.

"What you said to me earlier," Sara explains. "You were right. What I've been through has made me who I am: a fighter. I thought I could do this civilian thing, but the truth it, it's not for me. I need to be out there helping people."

"And you want to do that with a bunch of assassins?" Laurel asks skeptically.

"No," Sara corrects. "I want to do it with Nyssa. You said that I was redeemable, and you were right. You believed in me, Laurel. And now I believe in her. Nyssa wants to do the right thing. She just doesn't know how. But being here in Starling, being with Dad and the Arrow and you... it showed me how to be a hero. How to use my skills and abilities to help people. And now I want to show her."

Laurel isn't saying anything, but her face is softening as if she's beginning to understand.

"Nyssa's father is the leader of the League," Sara continues. "Someday that right will be hers. Maybe together she and I can make it better. We can put an end to the killing. Make it a league of protectors and heroes. Maybe together we can do something good in this world."

A smile has been slowly crossing Laurel's face as Sara spoke. Now she nods.

"Okay," she says quietly.

"Okay?" Sara asks in confusion. "That's it? You're not gonna twist my arm to stay?"

"No," Laurel tells her. "Sara, you have always been special. Ever since we were kids, I knew that you were going to do something big someday. To be honest, I was a little jealous. You had so much potential, and I thought you were wasting it. I kept waiting for you to find a vision, to... commit to a path that you could make your own. But you never did. You wandered through your life looking for a place that you could never find. Even since you've been back you've seemed... lost. Until today. When you started talking about the League just now, your eyes lit up. For the first time in your life, you have a vision. You found your place, Sara. And you are going to do amazing things there."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Sara says quietly. "You always believed in me, even when I couldn't believe in myself."

"It wasn't hard," Laurel tells her with a smile. "You are so strong and so brave. Even after everything you have been through, all of the darkness, you still found a way to be a hero. And I am so very proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too," Sara tells her with a smile. "No matter what life throws at you, you just keep getting back up. You keep fighting for good no matter what. You're a hero too, Laurel. You're my hero."

"And you're mine," Laurel says. She reaches over to take Sara's hand in her. Sara gives it a tight squeeze in response.

"I think we're both gonna do some pretty incredible things," Sara says.

"It must be a Lance family quality," Laurel jokes.

"Must be," Sara agrees.

Laurel gives her hand a final squeeze before letting go.

"Have you told Dad yet?" she asks. Sara shakes her head.

"Not yet," she says. "He's gonna kill me."

"Maybe not," Laurel says slowly. "Let me talk to him first. I'll get him to come around."

"You sure?" Sara asks.

"That's what big sisters are for, right?" Laurel says with a smile. "Go say goodbye Oliver and the others. I'll handle Dad."

"There you are," a third voice says. "I've been looking everywhere for you two."

Laurel and Sara both look up to see Quentin walking toward them.

"Speak of the devil," Laurel says.

"Hey," Quentin says in mock offense. He looks over at his youngest daughter. "Sara, your assassin friend is looking for you. I think they're getting ready to leave soon."

Sara looks over at Laurel, who nods.

"Go ahead," she says. "I'll talk to him."

"Talk to me about what?" Quentin asks suspiciously.

"Thanks," Sara tells Laurel. She gets to her feet. "I'll text you when it's time."

"Okay," Laurel says.

"Time for what?" Quentin asks. He turns sideways so his gaze can follow Sara as she steps past him and begins heading back toward the bridge. Then he turns to Laurel. "Will you please tell me what's going in?"

Laurel stands up and steps over to Quentin. Together they watch as Sara walks back down the street. Nyssa is waiting for her near the start of the debris. She holds out her hand, and Sara takes it in her own. Together they turn and walk back toward the bridge, a united front against the world.

"Sara's spreading her wings," Laurel explains. She looks up at her father with a proud smile. "It's time for the Canary to finally fly."

And that brings this story to an end. I have greatly enjoyed working on it, and I have loved hearing the feedback from the readers. Since this is the end of this story, please leave a final review about your thoughts on the story as a whole. It doesn't have to be long. All reviews are greatly appreciated. :)

I currently have ideas for two more possible Arrow stories. The first would be a five- or six-shot about Laurel and Thea running into each other on the anniversaries of the sinking of the Gambit. It would basically just be snapshots into their lives on each of the five anniversaries before Oliver returns to Starling. Since they both lost a sibling, they are in a unique position to understand each other's pain. It sounds cheesy, but I have it partially written and it's actually pretty good. The second idea is for a one-shot friendship fic between the two ladies of Team Arrow. Sara has a bad day of trying to readjust to life in Starling, and it leads to some unexpected bonding with Felicity. If you have any interest in seeing one or both of these stories posted to this site, leave a quick review for this story and then mention your interest at the end.

Thanks again to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. Until next time!