AN - This story is somewhat of a sequel to my Supergirl fic Not As It Seems, where Supergirl and Laurel met, in my particular universe. In this interpretation of the CW shows, Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow along with all the other DC Comics properties all live and breathe in the same multiverse, as they do in the comics. There is none of this Supergirl and Superman existing on a different Earth than Green Arrow, the Flash, and the others nonsense here. Here, all traditional Earth One characters are on Earth One. Earth Two characters, like Jay Garrick, are on Earth Two, etc. This fic will primarily follow the respective TV shows, but it will have some comics continuity incorporated as well. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
The cool November wind blew across the expanse of Star City Memorial Gardens cemetery. It was late in the day, the sun was almost to the horizon, and the bright oranges and pinks of the fading light on the underside of the wispy clouds was slowly fading with the light. It was a particularly chilly day in Northern California, where Star City was situated, not far from the Washington border, but none of that mattered.
With flowers in hand, a bright bouquet of yellows, whites and reds, Oliver Queen, mayor of Star City made his way through the veritable ocean of headstones towards one in particular, located in the back quarter, under a beautiful oak tree. The grave of Laurel Lance, the Black Canary.
He was alone, as he often was when he came to the cemetery, even though occasionally Felicity would come with him. Oliver had known Laurel for most of his life, in fact, he couldn't remember a moment where he hadn't known her. They'd been inseparable friends during their childhood, along with Tommy Merlyn, Oliver's best friend. As they grew older, they became sweethearts, and later lovers. Many was the smile and peals of laughter that Laurel's memory brought him, but there was a good degree of pain that these memories also brought lately.
Nine years ago, Oliver had set his fate in motion, unknowingly. Nine years ago, he had gone on a long cruise with his father, Robert Queen, on the family yacht, the Queen's Gambit. Nine years ago, he had betrayed Laurel's trust, and the love they shared, on a whimsical dalliance with Laurel's younger sister, Sara. Instead of taking Laurel on that trip, he had opted to take Sara instead.
Oliver smirked at himself, remembering the brash, foolish, and utterly stupid punk ass kid he'd been, the rich, selfish, self absorbed, spoiled billionaire playboy, who attracted the attention of women, and who enjoyed that attention all too much. He had been such a different person then, so different that now he couldn't imagine ever being such a person, if the memories weren't there in very vivid relief in his own mind, etched with the certainty of words carved in stone.
His time, stranded on the island of Lian Yu, a small island off the coast of China, had hardened him, changed him, transformed him into the man that would eventually become who he was now. He had learned that he had far more in him than he would ever have believed, in order to survive not only the island, but also the perils from the outside world that it lured in as well. Oliver had learned that when faced with survival, a man will do almost anything to ensure that survival, things such a man would never even contemplate under normal circumstances.
Even now, the ghosts of his experiences on Lian Yu haunted him, tore at his very soul. Despite that, he had found a light in his life that he never expected to find after he'd returned home, and found out that Laurel knew about him taking Sara on the trip, a trip that both presumed had killed Sara. Later they learned that Sara had indeed survived, had been taken in by the League of Assassins, and had been trained as one of the world's most deadly killing machines.
At first, Laurel couldn't bring herself to forgive Oliver for cheating on her with her own sister, and then for foolishly taking her off to her death, and Oliver's own very close brush with that dark specter. The hurt had finally diminished, become an old wound, and she could forgive him, but she couldn't bring herself to feel about him the way she once had.
After months of long, painful association, they'd learned to be friends again, and move past the failed relationship they'd once had. Eventually, Laurel had fallen in love with his best friend, Tommy, and Oliver had himself fallen in love with the quirky, but brilliant, IT person that worked for his company, Felicity Smoak. Both were happy, and happy for each other, until the terrible thing that Oliver's mother, Moira, and Tommy's father, Malcolm, had been planning for years finally came to light. The event they called the Undertaking, which would have destroyed the Glades, and who knew how many people along the way.
After Oliver had returned, with a mission his father had set in motion when he revealed the sort of dirty dealings that were going on, that he himself had been involved in, and pleaded that Oliver promise to set right the wrongs he had done, the young playboy became the vigilante known originally as the Hood, and had hunted down and killed people on the list his father had given him. In a way, Oliver thought that doing something "good" like this would be his penance, his absolution in a way, of the terrible things both he and his father had done, all at once. That wasn't exactly the effect it had, however.
Time passed, and others came into Oliver's life, people who would become friends, and more, that joined his crusade to make Star City a better place. John Diggle, originally hired by Moira to be his bodyguard, had eventually become his best friend, especially after Tommy had been killed in the Undertaking. Now, John was more a brother to him than a friend. Felicity, the beautiful, quirky nerdy girl that had been such a genius, and an indispensable help, had also joined the crusade, and eventually the two had fallen in love, though it would be years before either would admit to such a thing.
Events eventually turned that love sour, however, and Oliver still hoped and prayed that his light, his passion, his angel, in the guise of Felicity Smoak, would eventually return to him once more. So far, that didn't seem to be happening, but there was always hope, he felt.
Tommy and Laurel had fallen in love somewhere along the way, and had been engaged, but that had abruptly ended when Tommy had been killed. Not long after that, Laurel had joined his crusade, joining him, John and Felicity in their fight to make Star City a good place, a safe place for good people. Everything changed when Damien Dahrk first darkened the city limits of Star City.
For months, the former League of Assassins member had tormented and taunted Team Arrow, as Felicity called them, with crimes, murders, and worse. Dahrk had transcended the ages old methods of the League, and had turned to a new ally, magic. This made him all the more dangerous, to say the least, and it put the entire in dire jeopardy when his little venture, his "ark," became the focal point of his mayhem. Dahrk intended to destroy the world, except for his chosen lackeys, and to rebuild the world in his image after the nuclear destruction he intended to submit the world to had passed.
Dahrk's venture of destroying the world had failed, but not before his madness claimed Laurel's life. During a confrontation with Dahrk, after several of Oliver's friends had been captured by the mad magician, Dahrk had driven a final knife into Oliver's heart by murdering Laurel, the Black Canary, before his eyes with Oliver's own arrow, and he had been helpless to stop it. Dahrk had stabbed the arrow deep into Laurel's chest, delivering a wound that was very serious, and ultimately would prove fatal.
Laurel had died in the hospital, after being given a prognosis of recovery, though it would be touch and go for a while, with Oliver at her bedside. They'd come full circle, Laurel and Oliver, and once again had become the friends they'd become in their childhood. Despite what the doctors had said, Laurel seemed to know that they were somehow wrong, and that her time was limited.
While she'd appreciated the kindness and affection of all her friends, she'd requested to speak to Oliver alone. During that conversation, Laurel confessed many things, many feelings to him, but moments before her body gave way to death, she had said something that still rang in Oliver's ears, even to this day.
She had said, "I'm really glad that you found Felicity. I hope you find your way back to her. And Ollie, I know that I'm not the love of your life, but you will always be the love of mine."
Oliver was dumbstruck, but had asked, "Why are you telling me this? Why now?" He wasn't sure of what she had been leading up to.
"Because," she said, "tonight, it was just a reminder that anything could happen. Which is why I need you to promise me something."
He had had a creeping feeling of what was about to happen, though he had hoped and prayed it wouldn't. At her request, however, he had said simply, "Anything."
She had paused at that point, and then whispered, "Please…please don't let me be the last Canary. That way, a part of me will always be out there with you."
There had been other things said that night, but those words, that conversation, is what filled his mind when he thought of Laurel's last moments. Those last whispered words tore at him, ripped him apart inside, and left him exposed, raw, and bleeding inside. He had promised her that she wouldn't be the last, but he still couldn't bring himself to try and train someone else to fill her place.
These thoughts, these memories, so vivid and real, as if they were taking place right at that moment instead of months ago, played through his mind. Until his hyper awareness subconsciously told him that he wasn't alone.
His body automatically, immediately, went into stealth mode, prepared for any unexpected event, any attack that might spring out at him at any moment. Of course, it could simply be another mourner standing at the grave of a loved one near Laurel's grave, he thought. But nothing in my life is ever that simple.
His eyes caught on the form of a woman, with dishwater blonde hair, wrapped in a dark colored jacket, standing in front of Laurel's grave. Suspicion immediately made it's way into his mind, and he approached even more cautiously, coming up behind the woman. He prepared himself to reach out, grab her by the shoulder, and ask her pointedly what she was doing at Laurel's grave.
Even though he'd revealed to the city that Laurel had been the Black Canary, and her legacy inspired many citizens who would visit her grave occasionally, both to honor the Black Canary, and Laurel Lance, Assistant District Attorney for Star City, who's tenure was filled with cases being brought to justice, he wasn't accustomed to running into people doing so at the time of his visits.
Before he could reach out, the woman suddenly whirled, obviously prepared for a fight. The quick movements, the battle readiness, the hard icy glare from blue eyes that were usually so warm could only belong to one person.
Her lips quirked upwards for a very brief moment upon seeing him, and she let out a breath and lowered her hands. "I should have known it'd be you, Ollie," the woman said, righting herself to a normal stance. Though she held it in check very well, the pain was obvious to someone that knew her as well as he did. Her face, normally cheerful, was muted and somber. Her eyes held both the sadness and pain of Laurel's death, but also the seething, burning fire of the thirst, the need for vengeance. A fire that was rapidly consuming all it came into contact with inside the woman's heart.
"Sara," said Oliver, as his own hyper ready stance became more relaxed. "What are you doing here? I thought you and the others were still doing your thing, keeping an eye on time and history, or whatever it is that you are supposed to be doing."
Sara Lance, Laurel's younger sister, pushed her long, wavy hair back from her eyes, and glanced at the tombstone before turning her gaze up to Oliver. The pain, which Oliver could already see, suddenly became sharper, more to the front than it had been. She sighed softly, the very seeds of tears starting to well up in the corners of her eyes, and breathed out a soft answer, "We're taking a brief break. Rip's MIA, and the others…well, the others thought I needed time to compose myself and get my head on straight, after running into Dahrk several times in the past. And they're right. I've been far too reckless, and absorbed with hate for Dahrk, instead of leading the team the way Rip wants me to."
Oliver frowned, and opened his arms to embrace Sara, his heart filled with understanding at what he saw, and what Sara had said. "I think they're right," he said, finally. "Seeing Dahrk alive and well in the past can't be easy for you, even knowing that he's dead and finally put to an end now." He also knew the darkness that Sara could sometimes be overtaken by, a product of harsh survival, and years of training under Ra's Al Ghul, and the League of Assassin's ruthless training methods.
"I know he's dead, Ollie," she replied, coming into his arms with a rush, and her arms wrapping tightly about him as she laid her head on his chest. "I know you killed him yourself, for Laurel, for the good of everyone. That doesn't make seeing him alive and breathing and his pompous ass attitude any easier to take seeing him years and decades ago. It only makes me want to reach down his throat and rip his heart out, then throw it at his dying ass that much worse."
Oliver let a moment of silence hang in the air for a moment as he held Sara, trying to be comforting to a soul he knew was ravaged with wildly opposing impulses. Finally, he spoke quietly, "I know it does, Sara. I know. I feel the same thing, too, whenever his name is mentioned, or I see a picture of him somewhere. I just want to kill him over and over and over again."
He paused, feeling her warmth against him, feeling her heartbeat racing against him as they embraced, before continuing, "But you know as well as I do that Laurel wouldn't want us thinking this way, or feeling this way. It's not who Laurel was."
"No, it's not," Sara murmured, looking up at him. "Laurel was a much better person than I've ever been or ever will be. She was someone that shouldn't have had to die, she was making a difference in every way with her life. She was more than the Black Canary, more than Laurel Lance, ADA. She was kind, forgiving, understanding, and a badass all rolled into one. She did far more good as the Black Canary than I ever could have. And she said I should be the White Canary."
Sara squeezed him tightly, and he hesitantly stroked her hair. He hoped he was being comforting, and that she knew he was trying to be. "Listen," he said, lifting her dimpled chin up to meet his eyes. "Laurel would want us talking, and laughing. She'd want us remembering the good times, rather than the bad. Let's go find somewhere to talk, relax, and not let these dark thoughts follow us out of this cemetery, okay?"
Sara didn't answer, at least not verbally. She nodded softly against his chest, wiped her eyes clean with a determination, and walked along with Oliver back towards his car. Only once did she glance back over her shoulder at Laurel's grave, and whisper to herself, "I miss you, Sis. I love you. I hope I can make you proud."
X
"Where's Oliver?" asked John, as he came down into the Bunker underneath the Palmer Technologies building. He was still glancing around in each corner, since he figured that his friend would be busily beating a punching bag into an early death. He often was, these days.
The blonde woman sitting at the computers turned his way, checking her watch. "He's probably still out at the graveyard," she replied softly. "He's been going there at least once a week lately."
"Oh, yeah," John responded, a sad note coming into his voice. He came closer and sat on the end of the table, where he'd disturb the least amount of equipment possible, and crossed his arms. "They had a lot of history together, from what both of them told me, and from what I saw. I think her death hit him, hit all of us, much more than we expected."
Laurel had been, to John, a good friend, a friendly voice and a shoulder to lean on when he needed it. She'd kept his counsel, and had influenced more than one decision that turned out for the better for him and his family. Like most of the team felt, Laurel was more than a partner, more than a friend. She was family. So, feeling that way, thinking that way, John didn't so much as bat an eye when Oliver had broken his promise, and had killed Damien Dahrk, and much more mercifully than anyone thought he should have. If anyone deserved a harsh death, it'd been Damien Dahrk.
Just the mention of Laurel had set Felicity's mind to whirling, remembering many of the times they'd talk, laugh, or even cry together. Ironically, considering her past relationship with Oliver, and the one Felicity had with him at the time, despite that, they'd become good, close friends. Family. When Laurel had died, part of Felicity had died with her, she felt. It irrevocably changed things within her. She was still who she was, but she was also different.
Laurel had been an example, both in compassion and caring, and in being determined, strong and never giving up, or giving up on someone. She had been a rock that Felicity clung to, but never realized she had until Laurel was no longer there to cling to, only her memory. That was an absence felt by everyone who's lives she'd touched, and Felicity was feeling it very profoundly lately.
After several moments of silence, and thought, Felicity's blonde head nodded softly. "I agree with you," she said softly. "It did hit all of us harder than we would have expected. It hit home. It makes you realize that we're not always as indestructible as we think we are."
The two friends lapsed into a silence. Felicity busied herself with monitoring the various programs she had going, looking for any sort of activity that would warrant Team Arrow's attention, but her thoughts were far away. She had mourned, as everyone else had, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to move on with her life completely, not the way she knew Laurel would want her to. With her back to John and the Bunker at large, a large, single tear slowly slid its way down her cheek, as the images in her mind's eye wouldn't stop.
X
"Hello, you've reached Laurel Lance. I'm sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but if you please leave your name and number at the sound of the tone, I'll return your call as quickly as humanly possible. Thank you," said the message on Laurel's phone for the millionth time.
Sighing softly, the young blonde woman spoke into the phone after the beep had sounded, "Laurel? This is Kara again. I haven't heard from you in a really, really long time, and I'm far beyond worried. Please, please, please give me a call the second you get this, so I can stop worrying, okay? Some of the guys and I are coming up your way to visit, and we really want to see you. I'll talk to you soon, I hope. Bye for now."
The brunette that stood next to Kara with her arms crossed watched her little sister with concern. She knew that Kara's friends meant the world to her, especially those that were like family, and this abnormally long absence of word from her friend had Kara really rattled.
"How long has it been since you've heard from her, Kara?" asked the woman, her eyes still concerned as they watched Kara fidget as she always did when she was nervous or worried. The woman's voice was full of concern. She knew simply by the way Kara acted it'd been way too long since there'd been any contact.
Kara was very nearly pulling a couch cushion apart, she was fidgeting with everything so strongly as she looked up at her older sister. "It's been like seven months since I heard from her. Not a word of any kind since then," she answered, getting up and pacing the room nervously. "We had started talking at least three times a week, and then suddenly, nothing."
Alex Danvers took hold of Kara's shoulders and eased her back down to sit on the couch once more, and took her hand in hers. "She could simply be really busy," she said, trying to console her sister. "I'm sure she stays extremely busy, being both an ADA for Star City by day, and crime fighting at night as Black Canary. You've heard about all the chaos going on up there, and the nuclear scare back in May. That shook everybody up. I'm sure she just has her hands full, and then some."
The mention of the nuclear scare that had been going on, and that one missile that destroyed Havenrock, Virginia only made her groan that much more. "If Kal and I hadn't been at the end of the solar system, searching for clues as to where Mon El's pod had come from, we could have helped. We could have stopped anybody from having to die," she said softly, barely above a whisper.
Alex leaned forward and took Kara's shoulders in her hands once more. "Kara, you can't dump that on yourself. You can't. You and Clark both had to ride in that ship, because neither of you could possibly hold your breath long enough to do what you had to do, let alone fly past Pluto's orbit. Mon El was a complete mystery. We didn't know who he was, or anything. All we knew was that he was in a Kryptonian pod, and he was in a coma. You had to find some answers. It's not your fault some crazy bastard decided he'd call in his own Judgment Day while you guys were gone." She lifted Kara's chin, and met her, eye to eye. "You can't be everywhere, every minute, every time some nutcase decides they're going to do something really bad and really stupid."
"I know, I know," Kara grumbled, clutching the cushion like a drowning person clutches someone saving them, but she never let go of Alex's hand. "I can't be there every time a volcano erupts, or some fault line shifts and sends quakes that destroy billions of dollars worth of buildings and cities, not to mention claims the lives of who knows how many people, either. But I'm here to protect people, protect the Earth. And I wasn't here. I was out there, chasing answers that could have waited."
Seconds ticked by, feeling like centuries, silence hanging until Alex finally spoke quietly, "What do you think Laurel would tell you? She told you about different things that she's had to deal with in Star City, didn't she? She told you about the mistakes, the missteps and so forth she and her entire team endured, right? All the things that they weren't able to stop because they simply can't do everything, right?"
There was a silent pause before Alex continued, "They don't have your powers, your gifts, Kara, but even with them, even you can't save everyone all the time, every time. Even super powered Kryptonians have their limitations. You're not a goddess, Kara. You'll stumble occasionally, just like the rest of us, and you'll come across instances where you simply can't solve every situation. No matter how many powers you have."
Kara pressed her lips together, but simply nodded softly. It wasn't something she liked to admit, not even to herself, but it was true. It was just hard for her to accept that so many people had died, people she could have saved if she'd been on Earth, instead of searching for answers about her new duckling, Mon El of Daxam.
"Nobody blames you, Kara, not a single soul. Everybody else knows and accepts that you can't be everywhere and do everything, so why can't you?" Alex asked, giving Kara's hand a squeeze.
Before Kara could answer, there was a knock at the door. Alex slid her hand from Kara's, and went to the door, opening it. Outside it stood James Olsen, and Joseph Swift. Alex stepped back and waved them inside, and shut the door behind them.
The Native looked back and forth between Kara and Alex, and let out a slow breath. "I take it you still can't get a hold of Laurel?" Joe Swift asked, feeling the down feeling in the air.
Kara shook her head slowly. "No," she said, straightening up a bit where she had been slouched on the couch. "That settles it, then. We're just going to have to go to Star City now. I can't sit by the phone and wait any longer. Something's wrong, I just know there is. And I've put this off for months, when I shouldn't have."
All of them knew that Kara had been planning to take a vacation and go visit Laurel and maybe meet some of her friends, but they weren't expecting her to make this decision right that moment. All of them were concerned, but knew that once Kara made up her mind, there was no changing it, normally.
"Kara," began James, looking pretty sheepish. "You know I'd love to go, but with having to run the company while Cat's on her vacation, sabbatical, whatever it might be, I just don't have the time that I can take off right now. There's way, way too much going on right now. But if you're going, keep in touch, let me know what's up when you find out, okay?"
Kara could hear the concern, and the sincere regret, that James felt in his voice, and nodded softly. "I've got more than enough vacation time and sick time coming, so me going won't be a problem. I'd just rather not go alone." She turned to Alex, giving her a hopeful look.
Alex sighed softly, and squeezed Kara's shoulder apologetically. "I'm sorry, Kara, but I can't go either," she said quietly. "There's several aliens that we're keeping an eye on, and Winn's been very busy, doing stuff for J'Onn personally, so he's up to his eyes in work. J'Onn's still dealing with all this stuff concerning M'gann. And on top of all that, somebody's got to keep Mon El in line, so he doesn't do something stupid, so we're all out, though we all are keeping you in our thoughts. Like James said, let us know something when you find it out."
Nodding in understanding, but with a somewhat deflated expression, she turned towards Joe, her expression almost pleading. There was no one else she'd even consider taking, and since Joe had become friends with Laurel like the others, he was a logical choice, and the last one available at the moment.
The Native had been keeping track of what was being said, so when Kara turned to him, he shrugged. "I've got no problems getting, or taking, the time off," he answered the silent question. "Besides, it'll be a nice break from everything going on here. So, I'm up for it, if you want the company."
Kara squealed and hugged Joe, taking great care not to hug too hard. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed, looking much more relieved than she had earlier. "Would it take long for you to pack? I want to leave as soon as you can, Supergirl Express. I'm already packed." She held up the travel bag she had already been packing if she couldn't get an answer from Laurel the last time she called.
Joe thought a second, and then shrugged once more, a light smile forming on his lips. "If you can give me a lift back to my place," he said jovially, attempting to cheer Kara up a little. "I can be packed in like, I don't know, fifteen minutes maybe?"
The excitement in Kara's eyes told Alex and James all they needed to know. Alex grabbed Kara in a tight hug, and pulled back enough to meet her sister's eyes. "Call us when you find her, and find out anything. Check in with me, please, so I won't be crazy worrying about you, okay?"
"You bet I will," said Kara with much more enthusiasm than Alex had heard out of her in days. Kara hugged her back, then hugged James, and looked over at Joe. "You ready, Joe?"
The big man chuckled and nodded as he was already positioning himself to be picked up. In the short time it'd taken all this to go on, Kara had changed into her uniform at super speed, grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder, and was ready for him. "Though I feel a bit awkward, being carried around, and flown around, by a girl literally half my size, I'm good. See you guys in a few days."
The friends all said their good byes for the moment, and Kara and Joe flew out the window, creating several sonic booms along the way. James and Alex watched them as long as they could see Kara's flying form over the city.
"What do you think has happened, Alex?" asked James. He had an odd feeling creeping up his spine, a feeling he didn't like much.
For a long time, Alex said nothing, but finally answered slowly, "I don't know. Whatever it is, I have this gut feeling it's not going to be good. Kara's the strongest person I know, not just physically, but emotionally too. Something tells me that strength is going to be put to the test."
The two simply agreed with each other silently, sharing looks that both understood all too well. Several moments later, they bid their farewells, and each left the apartment, heading in their own direction, each wondering what Kara and Joe would find in Star City.