So much had changed during the year Kara had been gone - including losing her apartment and her job - but sparring with Alex and Mon-El remained the same. The green room meant that she'd actually be tired when they were done, too. Kara only hoped she'd be tired enough to sleep, which she hadn't really done since she'd gotten back.
Back. Not home. Oh, Kal and Alex and Eliza were here, as well as James, Winn, Hank, and Mon-El, but this Earth didn't feel like home anymore. She shoved that thought, and the feelings associated with it, aside to focus on the bout.
Alex and Mon-El were both good, trained in different styles of combat, and Kara had to be at her best just to keep up with them.
Kara registered the door to the green room opening, but didn't allow herself to be distracted otherwise. It wasn't unusual for Hank or another senior agent to join them, after all.
Alex grinned, and Kara settled into a ready stance - only to be startled by the tug on her cape from behind that sent her stumbling off balance. And the voice - the voice….
"Lose the cape if you lose your powers," Oliver said.
"Why?" Kara demanded as she started to regain her balance.
Then she was stumbling again, as Oliver used the leverage of the cape to spin her around so she slammed into the wall. Then he'd caught her from behind and thrown her to the floor. She landed flat on her back, her breath huffing out of her.
His hand touched her throat, gently, a demonstration of the strike he could have made.
"Disabling strike," he told her. "Stay down."
Kara nodded and stayed where she was as Oliver took what had been her place, facing Alex and Mon-El.
Alex was still grinning. "I've heard you're good."
"Good enough," was all Oliver said before the game was on again.
Kara decided stay down didn't mean she had to be lying on the floor, so she shifted to a sitting position, which meant she had an excellent vantage point while she watched Oliver take down first Mon-El, then Alex.
Before Oliver could offer either of them a hand up, Kara leaped to her feet and rushed into Oliver's arms.
He caught her easily, and if he held her tightly enough that the slight tremor in his muscles wasn't noticeable to anyone else, she was more than fine with that.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you -"
She barely heard Alex saying, "We'll leave you two alone."
It wasn't until the door closed again that Oliver finally pulled away, just enough to smile down at her.
"I came to see you," he said. "And to bring you something I never made the time to give you on my Earth."
"You … brought me a present?" Kara wasn't certain whether she should be pleased or disappointed that was apparently all he'd come for.
"I should've learned my lesson before," Oliver said. "There's never a best time, or a right time. There's just the time we make."
"I don't understand." Kara searched his eyes, hoping to find some clue to his meaning in his improbably soft gaze.
"If I'd made the time," he said, "I would've asked you a question when I gave this to you. I have no right to ask now, but I still want you to have this."
He pulled something from his pocket, and Kara stood back to accept it from him. It was a small velvet box, and her breath caught. A ring box.
"Oliver, I -"
"Just open it."
She did, and swallowed. Not the diamond she'd expected, but a star ruby set in gold and flanked by two tiny heart-shaped diamonds gleamed in the light.
"Red for Krypton's sun," she breathed.
"And the star for the light you brought into my life."
Something lightened in Kara's chest, as though her insides had taken flight. She smiled and said, "That question - you can ask."
"I have no right," Oliver objected. "Not now, when you're back home where you belong."
"I belong where I'm happiest," Kara said. "A year ago, that would've been here. But in that year, I've changed, and this world has changed, and now… ask, please. Just … ask."
Oliver took a breath and caught her hand in his. "Kara Zor-El Danvers, will you make me the happiest, most fortunate man on two Earths by agreeing to marry me?"
"Yes," Kara said. "It's always yes."
She'd seen him smile many times - more than anyone else had, she thought - but she'd never seen him smile like he smiled now, open and bright, full of joy. She found herself smiling back, and then she was pulling him down into a kiss.
When he finally broke for air, he pulled her tight against him and, her powers weakened in the green room, for the first time she felt his full strength. "I love you, Kara."
"I love you," she replied, and for long moments simply luxuriated in his arms.
Finally, she pulled back. "It's yes, so you should put it on for me."
Wordlessly, Oliver took the ring from the box and slid it over the third finger of her left hand.
Kara chuckled. "I shouldn't be surprised you got the size exactly right."
"Thea did," Oliver corrected. "Her superpower is being able to judge sizes accurately - clothes, shoes, rings."
"I'll be sure to thank her," Kara said, sliding her ringed hand into his.
He lifted it to his lips, then dropped a kiss to her knuckles. "Are you certain, Kara?"
"Absolutely," she replied, meeting his gaze levelly. "The world goes on without us. I came back to no job, no apartment, no place. Alex and Maggie are happy together, Guardian and the others are handling the aliens when needed. They don't need me."
"They missed you," Oliver said. "They will miss you."
"And I'll miss them. But I want the life I built on Earth-1, with you. I just thought - well, you didn't seem to want me there."
"No," he said quickly. "Never that. But I know what it's like to think you're never going home, never going to see your family again."
"But I can see them again," she said. "Thanks to Cisco's powers and his interdimensional extrapolator. You're not taking me away from them forever."
He chuckled. "As you once told me, I couldn't make you do anything you didn't want to do, anyway."
"No," she agreed. "But you asked, and I said yes."
"Yes. You did." He still sounded somewhat stunned by the fact, and she squeezed his hand.
"We should tell Alex and the others," she said.
"They're smart," Oliver said. "I'm sure they've figured it out - especially if they've been watching the monitor."
Kara laughed. "Maybe. But we should still tell them."
- S -
Oliver let Kara lead him out of the green room, and he was only a little taken aback when Alex, Winn, Cisco and the others applauded when they emerged.
"Told you they were watching," Oliver murmured. Kara had no chance to reply before Alex had thrown her arms around her.
Winn and Cisco converged on him, and a bit of uneasiness settled in Oliver's stomach at the thought that these two might be collaborating on something.
"Congratulations," Winn said. "I've got something for you - well, I'm giving it to Cisco, but he'll have it ready for you soon."
"You're gonna like it," Cisco assured him, with a self-satisfied grin.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Oliver said. At least Felicity's not here. The three of them together…
"The blueprints for the green room," Winn said. "We think Cisco can miniaturize the tech to maybe the size of a bedside lamp."
"Please," Cisco said dismissively. "That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring a way to power it without overloading Star City's power grid."
"If anyone can, you can," Winn said. "I wouldn't have believed an interdimensional transport device could be -"
"Oliver."
He let Winn and Cisco fade in his awareness as he turned to face Alex, whose expression was as serious as Kara's but without the lightness in her eyes. Instinctively, he scanned the room for Kara, saw her talking with Henshaw and the man they'd been sparring with. When he focused on Alex again, she was smiling.
"Good," she said. "You're looking out for her."
"Of course," he agreed. Then he shook his head. "I shouldn't be surprised that it's you."
"It's me what?" she asked.
"Giving what my Earth calls a shovel talk."
"Shovel talk?" Her expression turned dubious.
"As in, I have thirty acres of land and a shovel. If you hurt her, they'll never find your body."
"Ah." Alex nodded. "We just call it The Talk. Suitably emphasized, of course."
"Of course," Oliver agreed, then let his tone turn serious. "I can't promise I'll never hurt her - none of us knows what the future might bring. I can promise I'll never set out to hurt her, and I'll do everything I can to make her happy."
"That's all anyone can expect," Alex said. "Welcome to the family."
"I'm glad to be part of it," he assured her, and accepted her embrace.
"Take care of my sister," she whispered.
"I will," Oliver promised.
Then Kara was beside him, teasing. "Are you making promises to my sister instead of me?"
"Only to take care of you," Oliver answered, and stepped back so that Alex could hug her sister again.
When they separated, both women's eyes shone with tears. Guilt settled over his shoulders. How could he take Kara away from her family - her entire world?
Her smile when she looked at him answered his question. She wasn't so much leaving her family as joining his, and that was more than he'd ever hoped for. He'd just have to make sure she never regretted her choice.
Oliver held out a hand to Kara. "Ready?"
She took his hand. "Cisco? Let's go home."
# # #
If you're interested, here's the inspiration for Kara's ring:
I'm not sure what else to write in the adventures of Kara and Oliver. (I'm open to suggestions, although I make no promises!) For now, thanks for sharing their story with me. I hope you enjoyed it!
