Laurel Lance had very different plans for her evening when she initially ventured home to the bunker she and Dinah were calling home, bearing Big Belly burger and matching milkshakes. It was supposed to be a low key night, just the two of them, but when she reaches the door, she can already hear the argument that’s brewing inside. For a moment, Laurel hesitates, not wanting to wind up in the middle of whatever Rene and Dinah are arguing about now, but Laurel also refuses to be banished from her own home for something that’s not her fault. Shoulders squared, she takes a breath and makes her way inside to see if she can edge her way around the fray and not get noticed at all.
“I can’t believe you’re in support of this, knowing where this leads!” Rene is pissed, that much is clear, but what hasn’t made itself apparent as of yet.
“It’s not like I could stop it. She’s a grown woman. She’s going to make her own choices.”
“Yeah, and these choices could kill her! You and I both know that.”
Laurel is trying to piece together which “she” they’re referring to, though it should have been evident from the start. She’s so focused on the matter at hand that her fingers slip, and the bunker door closes with a slam, causing both Rene and Dinah’s heads to snap towards her.
“Hi there, Mr. Mayor.” She waggles her fingers. “Sorry, Rene, I didn’t know you’d be here. I still wouldn’t have brought you a milkshake, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”
“Charming as ever, Laurel.” He rolls his eyes.
“Laurel, maybe you could help us settle this.” Dinah turns to face her as she places the burgers and shakes down on the nearby kitchen counter. “We could use a neutral party.”
Laurel blinks up at her. “I’m a neutral party now?”
Rene scrubs a hand over his face, before shrugging. “Right now, you might be the closest thing we’ve got.” He huffs, before placing his hands on his hips. “Zoe wants to be a Canary.”
Laurel glances between the two of them as though she’s waiting for the “but” to come, but meets silence instead. “Didn’t we already know that?”
“Rene wants me to discourage her.”
Laurel immediately snorts. “Yeah, like that’ll work.” That earns her glares from both of them, not just Rene. “What? I’m sorry, was that not helpful for you?”
Rene throws up his hands before preparing to storm out. “You know what? I give up. Some help either of you are.”
The door to the bunker slams again, and Laurel meets Dinah’s hard gaze with an innocent smile, before holding out one of the milkshakes. “I got your favorite?”
Dinah rolls her eyes before walking away as well, slamming the bedroom door behind her, leaving Laurel alone in the kitchen. She stands in the silence, letting it sink in, before popping a fry into her mouth with a frown.
“Well. That didn’t go as expected.”
- - - - - - -
The funny thing about Rene is that he doesn’t go far.
Being the mayor, he could have quickly left, but when Laurel peaks out the window later, he’s standing on the roof, staring out at the lights of Star City from a distance. With a sigh, she wiggles her way out onto the fire escape and makes her way up. He sees her once she’s about halfway up, and shakes his head.
“I really don’t want to talk about it, Laurel.”
“Seems to me like you do, or you wouldn’t still be standing here.” He gives her another look in return, and she holds up her hands. “And hey, maybe you don’t want to talk to me, which is fair. So you don’t have to talk at all, and I’ll talk instead. Cool?”
He doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t walk away, either, so she’s just going to go for it.
“Cool. So let me guess what the fight was. You don’t want Zoe to be a Canary because of what Mia and William told us happens to her in the future. Dinah wants to encourage her because for her, it’s all about public service, and she thinks that Zoe wants to do good. Am I warm?”
Rene glances back at her briefly, before shrugging. “You’re in the ballpark.”
“Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re both wrong.”
“That so?”
Laurel nods. “Being a hero isn’t something you encourage or try to grow. It has to be something the person wants. Something they’re desiring. So we’re well past the point of encouragement because Zoe’s already hungry. She already knows what she wants.”
“Which by your logic means no one’s going to talk her out of it?”
“Zoe’s almost a grown woman. She’s going to have to make her own choices about what’s valuable to her. You can’t blame her for wanting to follow you down the path you set out for her. You’ve already told her that Star City is worth her life.”
“But it’s not. Not hers.”
“To you. But not to Zoe.”
Rene falls silent again. “If she dies this time around again, it’ll kill me. She’s my world, Laurel.”
“I know. But speaking as the daughter of a cop, who wanted nothing more than to be just like him once, it’s hard when they tell you no. That path that they’ve dedicated their life too isn’t good enough for them, just under the guise of keeping them safe. Because it's their risk to take.”
Rene looks over at her for a long, quiet moment before shaking his head. “You know, it’s terrifying when you’re the one making sense.”
“Hey,” she replies. “I make sense a lot. You all never want to listen to me.”
He swallows hard. “Do you think I should let Zoe do this?”
“It’s not about letting her do anything, because we both know that whether you’re happy about it or not, she’s still going to do this if it’s really what she wants. And we both know she’d make a badass canary.”
“Hell, yes, she will. That’s my kid we’re talking about.”
“What makes the difference is her knowing whether or not you have her back. I’m sure she would much rather do this with you, versus against you.”
Rene takes a deep breath before nodding. “I just want to keep her safe.”
“Then teach her how to be. Don’t try and hold her back.”
There’s another massive sigh before he nods and turns to follow her back to the fire escape. “Guess I should get back home and give her the talk, huh?”
“Guess so. If you want to call it that.”
When they reach the entrance to the bunker, he glances back at her and nods. “Thanks, Laurel.”
She wants to say something about hell freezing over, but she decides it’s better to take her wins while she has them. “See you around, Rene.”
Laurel makes her way back into the bunker, and Dinah is at the counter again, picking through the food. She rests one hand on her hip before raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I see how it is. You leave me to clean up your mess so that you could steal my food?”
Dinah glances over with a smirk. “That wasn’t bad, babe.”
“You think?” Laurel can’t help but be pleased at the compliment. “I think we might be making progress.”
Dinah winces. “Why did you say that out loud? Now you’re going to jinx it.”
Laurel rolls her eyes with a laugh. “Whatever.” She takes her fries and shake, before heading to the couch. “I’ve done enough good deeds for the day, so I’m going to watch a movie. Care to join me?”
Dinah smirks, before gathering her half and nodding. “How can I say no to that?”
that's who i'd be ~ dctv ~ 1,311
“I can’t believe you’re in support of this, knowing where this leads!” Rene is pissed, that much is clear, but what hasn’t made itself apparent as of yet.
“It’s not like I could stop it. She’s a grown woman. She’s going to make her own choices.”
“Yeah, and these choices could kill her! You and I both know that.”
Laurel is trying to piece together which “she” they’re referring to, though it should have been evident from the start. She’s so focused on the matter at hand that her fingers slip, and the bunker door closes with a slam, causing both Rene and Dinah’s heads to snap towards her.
“Hi there, Mr. Mayor.” She waggles her fingers. “Sorry, Rene, I didn’t know you’d be here. I still wouldn’t have brought you a milkshake, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”
“Charming as ever, Laurel.” He rolls his eyes.
“Laurel, maybe you could help us settle this.” Dinah turns to face her as she places the burgers and shakes down on the nearby kitchen counter. “We could use a neutral party.”
Laurel blinks up at her. “I’m a neutral party now?”
Rene scrubs a hand over his face, before shrugging. “Right now, you might be the closest thing we’ve got.” He huffs, before placing his hands on his hips. “Zoe wants to be a Canary.”
Laurel glances between the two of them as though she’s waiting for the “but” to come, but meets silence instead. “Didn’t we already know that?”
“Rene wants me to discourage her.”
Laurel immediately snorts. “Yeah, like that’ll work.” That earns her glares from both of them, not just Rene. “What? I’m sorry, was that not helpful for you?”
Rene throws up his hands before preparing to storm out. “You know what? I give up. Some help either of you are.”
The door to the bunker slams again, and Laurel meets Dinah’s hard gaze with an innocent smile, before holding out one of the milkshakes. “I got your favorite?”
Dinah rolls her eyes before walking away as well, slamming the bedroom door behind her, leaving Laurel alone in the kitchen. She stands in the silence, letting it sink in, before popping a fry into her mouth with a frown.
“Well. That didn’t go as expected.”
The funny thing about Rene is that he doesn’t go far.
Being the mayor, he could have quickly left, but when Laurel peaks out the window later, he’s standing on the roof, staring out at the lights of Star City from a distance. With a sigh, she wiggles her way out onto the fire escape and makes her way up. He sees her once she’s about halfway up, and shakes his head.
“I really don’t want to talk about it, Laurel.”
“Seems to me like you do, or you wouldn’t still be standing here.” He gives her another look in return, and she holds up her hands. “And hey, maybe you don’t want to talk to me, which is fair. So you don’t have to talk at all, and I’ll talk instead. Cool?”
He doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t walk away, either, so she’s just going to go for it.
“Cool. So let me guess what the fight was. You don’t want Zoe to be a Canary because of what Mia and William told us happens to her in the future. Dinah wants to encourage her because for her, it’s all about public service, and she thinks that Zoe wants to do good. Am I warm?”
Rene glances back at her briefly, before shrugging. “You’re in the ballpark.”
“Well, I’m here to tell you that you’re both wrong.”
“That so?”
Laurel nods. “Being a hero isn’t something you encourage or try to grow. It has to be something the person wants. Something they’re desiring. So we’re well past the point of encouragement because Zoe’s already hungry. She already knows what she wants.”
“Which by your logic means no one’s going to talk her out of it?”
“Zoe’s almost a grown woman. She’s going to have to make her own choices about what’s valuable to her. You can’t blame her for wanting to follow you down the path you set out for her. You’ve already told her that Star City is worth her life.”
“But it’s not. Not hers.”
“To you. But not to Zoe.”
Rene falls silent again. “If she dies this time around again, it’ll kill me. She’s my world, Laurel.”
“I know. But speaking as the daughter of a cop, who wanted nothing more than to be just like him once, it’s hard when they tell you no. That path that they’ve dedicated their life too isn’t good enough for them, just under the guise of keeping them safe. Because it's their risk to take.”
Rene looks over at her for a long, quiet moment before shaking his head. “You know, it’s terrifying when you’re the one making sense.”
“Hey,” she replies. “I make sense a lot. You all never want to listen to me.”
He swallows hard. “Do you think I should let Zoe do this?”
“It’s not about letting her do anything, because we both know that whether you’re happy about it or not, she’s still going to do this if it’s really what she wants. And we both know she’d make a badass canary.”
“Hell, yes, she will. That’s my kid we’re talking about.”
“What makes the difference is her knowing whether or not you have her back. I’m sure she would much rather do this with you, versus against you.”
Rene takes a deep breath before nodding. “I just want to keep her safe.”
“Then teach her how to be. Don’t try and hold her back.”
There’s another massive sigh before he nods and turns to follow her back to the fire escape. “Guess I should get back home and give her the talk, huh?”
“Guess so. If you want to call it that.”
When they reach the entrance to the bunker, he glances back at her and nods. “Thanks, Laurel.”
She wants to say something about hell freezing over, but she decides it’s better to take her wins while she has them. “See you around, Rene.”
Laurel makes her way back into the bunker, and Dinah is at the counter again, picking through the food. She rests one hand on her hip before raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, I see how it is. You leave me to clean up your mess so that you could steal my food?”
Dinah glances over with a smirk. “That wasn’t bad, babe.”
“You think?” Laurel can’t help but be pleased at the compliment. “I think we might be making progress.”
Dinah winces. “Why did you say that out loud? Now you’re going to jinx it.”
Laurel rolls her eyes with a laugh. “Whatever.” She takes her fries and shake, before heading to the couch. “I’ve done enough good deeds for the day, so I’m going to watch a movie. Care to join me?”
Dinah smirks, before gathering her half and nodding. “How can I say no to that?”