What's wrong with us when happy hurts

No one told me it could get this bad, this fast

Quentin

Quentin was on his way to Laurel's apartment. She had called him and asked him to come over. That Thea and she were worried about Oliver and Sara and that they were wondering what his thoughts on the pair's strange behavior was.

Quentin decided to take the stairs up, that would buy him some time. He had been thinking about what to tell the two young women from the moment Laurel had called him.

He was pretty sure he knew what was going on with them or part of it, well at least when it came to Sara, but he wasn't sure what to tell Laurel and Thea. He had considered dropping in on Oliver and Sara, before meeting his older daughter and her roommate, to confirm his suspicion and ask them what to tell their respective sister. The only reason he didn't was because Laurel had also told him that she had been to their apartment earlier today, and the state she had found Oliver in. They didn't seem to be up for company or answering any of his questions. He was sure, or he hoped that, they would come to him in time and tell him what was going on. So, he tried to give them the time they needed. They had only been back for three days, after all. They could probably use some time to settle in without constantly being bothered by people.

They had agreed to the meeting on Sunday afternoon, even though neither Sara nor Oliver had seemed up to it. And Quentin was sure it had simply been to keep up the appearance of normalcy and fulfilling everyone's expectations.

Quentin stopped on the landing before his daughter's floor, taking a deep breath. Still not knowing what he should tell Laurel and Thea. He replayed the important parts of the last two days once again, hoping that this time around he would finally be able to figure out what to do once he reached Laurel's front door.

He had to admit that it had surprised him and that it left him a little wary when Laurel had called, letting him know that Oliver had come home and that he had brought Sara with him. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to have his youngest daughter back home.

Of course he was. He would never let her out of his sight again if it were up to him.

What surprised him was that she had come home at all. She had been very firm in her stance, that she was a danger to everyone, before she had left eight months ago. And he unfortunately had to agree with her. She had also stated that she would not come back home until she found a way to control her "blood lust".

What Laurel told him pretty much confirmed that Sara had not yet managed to do that, or she didn't think she had. So why did she come home? He knew that his baby would never willingly and knowingly put anyone she cared about in danger. It was why she had left Star City the same night he had found out that she had survived the sinking of the Queen's Gambit. She had known that the League of Assassins had been after her and that her family would be in danger if she stayed. Well, as it turned out they had been in danger anyway, but he was sure that Laurel, Dinah and he would have been targeted sooner if Sara had stayed.

Quentin knew his daughter and how stubborn she was, and he also knew that not even Oliver, who seemed to get through to her when no one else could, was able to change her mind once she had made it up. The young man hadn't wanted her to leave that night, or the night she had left Star right before Moira was murdered, or after the Siege when she rejoined the League and he knew for a fact that Oliver had not been happy or agreed with her choice to leave once again all these months ago. Yet, she still had left, and Oliver hadn't stopped her, because even if he hadn't agreed with or liked her choice he had known that there was truth to Sara's words and that her leaving would be the safest option for everyone in Star City.

So what had changed?

Donna and Felicity had chosen to join and catch a ride with him to Laurel's. He was thankful for the distraction the two women provided. He had mixed feelings concerning today's gathering and wasn't sure it was a good idea. Not after Laurel told him what Oliver had told them about Sara the day before. His baby still didn't trust herself around people, she still thought she was dangerous, and she kept her distance from people and didn't like to be touched by anyone... except for Oliver, apparently.