Kara Zor-El

Kara was anxious. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet in the elevator at CatCo. When the elevator stopped, Kara exited, pausing a moment to adjust her glasses.

She walked towards James' office, hesitance in every step.

And then she saw him. James had a bruise on his neck, a cut on his cheek, and a split lip.

Kara felt her eyes narrow as she approached his office. He looked up at her briefly, returning to his work, and then did a double take. She supposed this was because she hadn't spoken to him since he told her that he was Guardian.

She quickly plastered on a grin, one that she didn't quite have to fake, due to the knowledge of what was to come.

James stood quickly, saying "Kara! I've been calling you. Are you okay?"

"Yep, I just needed some time to think about things. I went out of town for a bit, visited some friends. That kind of thing."

"Okay… who did you see?"

"Oh, you wouldn't know them. And that's not important, I want to talk about you. And The Guardian."

Jimmy chuckled goodheartedly, looking down for a moment. "It's not the Guardian, its just Guardian. But I'm glad you finally want to talk! I really hope you can get behind this. I have just been on the sidelines for so long, and I can't sit, watching action from behind a camera when I know that I could be helping someone, or saving a life. Knowing you, knowing Clark, that is what inspired me to do this. I can be more than just James Olsen, the guy with the first picture of Superman."

Kara's thoughts slowed. The way he spoke about being a hero, about helping people—that was what had inspired her. Before she became Supergirl, she had gotten to a point where it was driving her mad to just be Cat Grant's assistant, trapped in the small job, unable to do or be more. Maybe James felt that way as well, more or less.

For a moment, Kara began to doubt whether or not she wanted Oliver training James. It felt too extreme. And that was when Kara realized what she had been doing. She hadn't entirely wanted Oliver to train James, she had wanted Oliver to make James want to quit, and that wasn't fair to James.

But whatever the result, James needed Oliver, so the determination settled in her stomach.

Kara answered, earnestly, "I understand, James. I really do. The way you felt, that's the way I felt before I became Supergirl. It's infuriating to have to watch the atrocities of the world, and not be able to do anything about it. So I have a proposition—tonight, lets get drinks at the bar. In celebration of Guardian."

James looked thrilled, albeit a little shocked. "Absolutely! Kara, thank you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been able to support this. Your opinion means a lot to me."

And yet it didn't mean enough to tell her before he put on the suit. Kara gave him one of her too-sweet smiles, and told him "see you at eight," before exiting the office.

As she rode the elevator again later that day, she was once again bouncing on the balls of her feet, but this time from excitement. She found herself excited to see Oliver fight again. There was something beautiful about his fighting style. Kara found fighting to be almost like dancing, the symmetry, the give and take of the partners, and Oliver was the best dancer.

Not that she'd ever admit it, but maybe she could learn something from him.

She had no idea how Oliver had occupied himself while she was at work. She assumed that he was staking out some sort of warehouse to fight James in, or maybe he was just patrolling.

When she got home, she found Oliver reading on his makeshift bed. He put his book down and stood as she entered.

"How'd it go?" Oliver asked by way of greeting.

"I've had a great day, thanks for asking. And it went well on multiple fronts; I think I have a better understanding of why he wants to do this, which helps me. And he agreed to meet me tonight."

Oliver smiled, "I'm glad you've had a good day. Now, tell me, why does he want to be a hero."

Sighing, Kara sat down, Oliver following suit. "He says that he can't sit back and watch people get hurt. Which I get, its why I became a hero. But I had all of these abilities that made me well suited to do this. Barry had super speed. You… well you're you! James is just a man."

"While his reasons might be noble, diving into this life while being unprepared could result in more people getting hurt. And I have to remind you that I'm just a man too. And Kara, you're just a woman."

Kara snorted, "Oliver, I'm from a planet that is light years away, I can lift a bus, I have impenetrable skin, and I can fly. I am by no definition 'just a woman'"

Oliver chuckled, "You misunderstand. I know you're not human, but underneath all of these things you can do, you're just a person. With feelings and wants and needs and vulnerabilities, just like everyone else. Granted, those vulnerabilities might be less physical, they're still there. You are still a person, even with everything you can do."

Kara met Oliver's eyes. No one had ever seen her that way before. No matter where she went, she felt like an alien. Even with Clark, it was different. He had grown up on earth, had two real parents who raised him from birth. He still had someone he called mom. She always felt separate from the rest of the world, the world that she had chosen to protect.

It was interesting of Oliver, of all people, saw past that alien title that seemed to be branded across her forehead.

Kara suddenly noticed how close Oliver and her were sitting.

She stood up suddenly, very confused by what had just happened. "So, um, thanks for that. I need to get some, um, groceries!" Kara grabbed her keys off of the table by the door, grabbed her coat and ran out the door, shouting a hasty "see you at the warehouse! I'll find you!"

Oliver Queen

What the hell had happened?

This question had been rolling around Oliver's mind since Kara left the apartment at six. It was now eight, and Oliver was back in his hood. He sat crouched on a rooftop a few blocks away from the bar. The Alien Bar. Because there are aliens all around this world. He still couldn't wrap his head around it.

He would have to tell Dig about it when he got back—he couldn't even fathom the reaction it would induce.

James Olsen was running late.

While normally Oliver showed a remarkable amount of patience, he was particularly short tempered this evening. James' tardiness left annoying amounts of time for Oliver to pour over what line he had crossed with Kara that afternoon. He had clearly done something, he just didn't know what.

Maybe she was desperately offended at being compared to a human. But Oliver couldn't see that being it, Kara had shown the utmost respect for humans.

The only explanation Oliver could come up with was that maybe she just didn't want to be that open with Oliver. That was understandable. She was pure light and goodness, and Oliver was the opposite. He tainted everyone he touched. He had gotten Tommy and Laurel killed, lead Dig into a situation where he had to kill his brother, and all but drove Felicity into joining Helix. He understood if Kara wanted to keep a distance from that darkness, he had just assumed that he could be open with her. He would have to be sure not to make that mistake again.

Oliver once again scanned the street for the man matching the picture that Kara had shown him. But, unlike the last few times, Oliver found James. He held back for a moment, analyzing James' movements. He could tell from here that James hadn't once scanned for any potential threats in the alley. He was oblivious to what was happening around him. It seemed that he completely separated Guardian from James, an impressive ability that could easily mean the end of his short career as a vigilante.

Oliver silently removed a grappling arrow from his quiver. Before any human could blink, Oliver was on the ground behind James.

Still moving silently, Oliver approached James, and swiftly swung his leg up, hitting James just below the jaw in a tight kick. Impressively, James stayed up, but that was quickly rectified by a quick punch to the temple, knocking him out.

Oliver arrived at the abandoned warehouse about 10 minutes later, James slung over his shoulder. Oliver had administered a sedative after knocking James out, assuring that he would remain unconscious for as long as necessary.

Using a technique taught to him by Slade Wilson on the Island, Oliver tied James up with knots that were almost impossible to break out of.

As Oliver stood up and stepped back, waiting for his student to wake, he recognized Kara's presence enter the warehouse. He looked up, and saw her settle herself onto one of the walkways half up the wall.

He was about to speak, when James groaned from his seat.

Before he could fully come to his senses, Oliver aimed an arrow directly at his eye. If Kara had an issue with this, she didn't speak up.

Slowly, James opened his eyes and looked up at the Green Arrow, "What… what the hell is going on? Who are you? Oh you so picked the wrong—"

In a booming voice, Oliver cut him off. He could hear Kara flying to a hover behind him as he said, "James Olsen. You have failed this city."