Chapter 2

She'd asked to speak to him alone, that was the first thing that set Oliver a little on edge. The simple fact that Supergirl needed his help aided to that concern. After Kara had greeted everyone in her natural, yet seemingly all-too bubbly, way, she and Oliver had left the others to talk in private; which was why they were both now stood on the roof, away from prying ears.

Night-time in Star City was something Oliver been slowly losing his appreciation for ever since his return home. While it may have looked tranquil from above, he knew full well the sickness that was embedded so deeply within the city, that took away a lot of the glamour. There were hardly any stars in the sky either, he supposed that it was natural with a city as large as his own, and that was one of the very few things Oliver missed about the island. The night sky had been something peaceful when he'd been on Lian Yu, simple, there was almost a lucid purity about it that Oliver had never seen before or since.

Snapping out of his reverie, Oliver looked across at Kara, who was currently looking anywhere but at him and tapping her foot nervously. It was pretty clear to him that Kara was still…maybe intimidated wasn't the right word for it. Oliver knew full well that Kara could snap him like a tooth pick if she wanted too and there was very little he could do to stop her, but he hadn't exactly been welcoming last time they'd met.

"So," Oliver began after another few seconds of silence. "I'm guessing you're here because you need my help."

Kara only nodded in response.

"And it's with something that Barry and his team over in Central City can't help you with." He continued slowly.

She nodded again.

Oliver wasn't sure what to say next, he could hardly offer his help if Kara didn't tell him what it was she needed him for.

After a few more moments of the uncomfortable silence settling back in Kara spoke. "I need your help…it's about my father."

That struck a chord with him, if anyone had experience dealing with issues around their father it was Oliver. Internally, Oliver had already agreed to help her, a part of him immediately trying to protect Kara from going through what he did. When that thought crossed his mind, Oliver had to pause for a moment. He would do this for anyone, wasn't that the point? Protecting people from having to suffer that way he did? So, why had his subconscious so explicitly said he wanted to protect Kara?

"What about him?" Oliver asked, regaining his composure.

"Well he's my adoptive father actually but…nearly 15 years ago he went on a mission for the D.E.O. and never came home, we thought…everyone thought…he was dead." Oliver tried to remain neutral as Kara spoke but that was a pain he knew all too well. "A few weeks back I was taken by this group called Cadmus and it was my father who rescued me."

That was a lot to process. Not only had Kara been forced to believe her father was dead, but then to find out he'd actually been alive the whole time and working for some terrorist group that had kidnapped her. For the first time in 10 years Oliver was convinced that there was someone who actually had a life that was more complicated than his own. The name Cadmus sounded familiar too, he was sure of it, it'd had definitely come up at some point. He'd have to get Felicity to run a check for anything bearing that name soon, just to be safe.

"So…your father's alive and working for this Cadmus?" Oliver asked, still processing internally.

"He's not working for them." Kara snapped a moment later, squaring up to Oliver a little. "He's as much their victim as any of the aliens they've hurt."

Right. Aliens. The things that were actually totally common on Kara's version of Earth. That was still something Oliver struggled to get his head around, he could handle Mirakuru soldiers, magic, men who were fast enough to run on water, but he drew the line at aliens. He finally understood what Diggle felt whenever Barry used his speed around him.

"They've kept him there for 15 years, Oliver, and if I know Cadmus they've done all kinds of horrible things it him," Kara had moved a lot closer to Oliver as she had spoken, close enough for him to see the heartbreak in her eyes despite the lack of light on the roof. "I need you to help me save him."

"Why me?" Oliver asked. "You're the invulnerable one."

"They're ready for me. Cadmus had been studying aliens for years, they know everything I can do, and they've got the one thing that can actually stop me. It's called kryptonite, and they've been stockpiling the stuff. It leeches my powers, it could probably kill me if I was exposed to it for too long."

Oliver was a little impressed by how easily Kara shared her weaknesses, years of having to survive by any means necessary had taught Oliver to play that particular card very close to his chest.

Never let them see you bleed.

Kara's revelation might have been a little more impressive if he hadn't already known about kryptonite though. So maybe after everything that had happened with the Dominators Oliver had coerced Cisco into an expedition to Earth-38 to learn more about Kryptonians, and maybe that had led to Cisco building Oliver a handful of kryptonite arrows and red solar grenades…just in case.

"What about Barry and his team?" Oliver suggested. "They've all got powers and they're immune to kryptonite."

"We have aliens with all of their powers on my Earth and Cadmus is ready for them all. They never stay in one place long but their facilities are like fortresses, any super-powers are pretty much useless inside them."

Oliver had a pretty good idea where this was going, but he wasn't going to make assumptions, if Kara wanted his help all she had to do was ask him.

"And this involves me how?" Oliver spoke, turning his head a little to meet Kara's eyes and, clearly, she saw both the confusion and interest in his own.

"You're human." Kara stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Oliver tried his best not to be a little offended by her tone of voice when she spoke. "Cadmus has spent so much time defending themselves against aliens that they couldn't conceive a human being brave enough to take them on."

Oliver had to admit that Kara had a point, he'd even accept that implied compliment, that he was brave enough to take on a shady group of anti-alien terrorists armed just with his bow and his wits.

"I know it's a lot to ask, I know I'm asking you to leave your home for a while and travel to an entirely different world just to help me…and I know we don't even know each other that well but…"

"Okay." Oliver cut over her ramble, Kara really did remind him of Felicity sometimes.

"I…" Kara looked up at him, her eyes wide and a beaming smile on her face. "Really?"

"Yes." Oliver chuckled a little at her surprise. "Of course, I'll help you."

"Thank you." Kara practically shouted.

Before Oliver could register it, Kara had super-speeded herself through what little distance remained between them and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. Oliver was not an enthusiastic fan of hugs, and everyone who knew him, knew that fact. Kara quite clearly both oblivious to that fact, and a lover of hugs. If Oliver didn't know any better, he'd probably be convinced Kara had just broken at least one of his ribs.

XXX

"You're kidding." Felicity deadpanned, giving him an incredulous look.

Oliver had gathered the team, plus Quentin and Thea at The Bunker to explain the situation to them. After his conversation with Kara the night before, Oliver had begun making plans to get himself at least two weeks on Earth-38 to help Kara and her friends. Thea was the only person who was already aware of his plans, and had managed to come up with the idea of convincing the city council that he was going on a spiritual cleanse in the Himalayas, which had somehow worked.

Other than that, Oliver only had to worry about the team, and, if he was being honest, he wasn't worried at all. Diggle was perfectly capable of leading the recruits, Oliver had no doubts there, and the team worked together more than well enough to hold their own without him for a while. Plus, it wasn't even as though he were that far away. Cisco had provided him with a replica of the breech device he'd made for Kara, so the team would be able to come and get him anytime they needed to.

"Kara needs my help, we still owe her for helping us when the Dominators attacked." Oliver answered, even though that was far from his main reason for helping.

"So, buy her a bottle of champagne," Felicity quickly shot back. "You have responsibilities here."

Oliver rolled his left fist a little, clenching it in search of a bow that was not there. That had become a habit in the last few years, Oliver felt far more in control when he had his bow in his hand, so it had become a reflex to search for it whenever he was stressed.

"You and Digg are perfectly capable of keeping the team together," A quick glance at his former bodyguard was greeted with a curt nod, confirming that fact. "And Thea had manged to buy me at least two weeks away from city hall, she and Quentin can keep on top of things there."

"And what if we need the Green Arrow? You can't just walk out on us…" The blonde continued to argue.

"I've left before, and things were fine." Oliver answered, ignoring the pointed look Felicity gave him while pulling the breech device from his pocket, then holding it up to display to the team. "But, if something does happen, then, you've got this. All you've got to do is push the button and it'll open a breech to Earth-38 so you can come get me."

"Okay. I guess you've already made up your mind, I'm done trying to change it." Felicity resigned with an unreadable expression. "Good luck."

With that the blonde got to her feet and walked out, not glancing back to look at Oliver or the team. The rest of the group wished Oliver luck one-by-one and slowly filtered out until it was just Oliver and Diggle left in The Bunker. With a sigh, Oliver placed the breech device on the desk and sunk into one of the chairs at the computer bank.

"So," Diggle began, taking a seat on the desk next to Oliver. "You're going dimension hopping to save another world. When did this become our lives?"

"Aliens, John." Oliver let out a sarcastic laugh. "They've got an entire world where aliens are just…everywhere. I thought meta-humans and magic were about as crazy as things could get."

"Oliver, I accepted a long time ago that this life we lead is just going to keep getting crazier, every time something weird happens I just end up preparing myself with the knowledge that there's always going to be something to follow it, and that 'thing' is almost always even weirder." John smiled at him.

Oliver didn't reply straight away, his attention getting pulled towards the exit to The Bunker, his thoughts turning to Felicity. He couldn't place why she had been so upset at his plans, he was going to help a friend for a week or two, he wasn't planning on moving to Earth-38 permanently.

"She'll come around." John spoke up, knowing all too well what Oliver was thinking about. "She just needs time to process this, not that bringing up Ivy Town helped much."

"I was making a point John, but it's hardly the same thing," Oliver began quickly. "When Felicity and I moved to Ivy Town, it was to get away from this life, to settle down. I'm doing this now because Kara needs me."

"But you've gotta see what this looks like for her, man. You compared this 'work trip' to that life you had with her, it's gotta be hard to hear." John smiled softly.

With a smile now touching at his lips, Oliver turned to face John. "And why are you so sagely and calm about me leaving?"

"Because you deserve this, some time away from this city…from the darkness. After everything that happened with Chase it'll be good for you to get away." Diggle answered, before quickly adding. "And I think Kara will be good for you too."

"What? John, I…"

"Oliver, that girl is literally and figuratively a bundle of sunlight. Spending some time around someone who is that pure of heart could do you a few favours, especially with what's happened over the last few weeks."

Oliver wanted to argue, but he knew that was futile. Not only because Diggle had clearly already made his mind up about that fact but also because Oliver agreed with him.

Kara was…good.

XXX

Kara could hardly contain herself as she flew back to Star City to meet Oliver. After their conversation on the roof the previous night, Oliver had offered for her to stay at his place for the night while he made his travel arrangements. She'd politely declined and set out for Central City, planning on spending the night at S.T.A.R. Labs with Barry and Team Flash.

She'd been able to flex her muscles a little and help Barry stop a bank robbery and a few other minor crimes. Almost disappointingly there were no meta-humans involved and the weaponry on Earth-1 was nowhere near as advanced as the stuff criminals on her world had access to, so it had almost been too easy for the two of them to stop what little crime had been happening.

So, 22 hours and 17 minutes after her conversation with Oliver (not that she had been counting) Barry had passed on the message that he was ready to head to Earth-38. In her excitement, Kara had almost manged to forget to say good-bye to everyone.

Coming to a stop at the address she had been given by Barry, Kara took a brief look at the fairly non-descript building that she assumed contained Oliver's base of operations. Not that she needed to assume, she could see it with her x-ray vision, a fairly large complex under the building. It was impressive, the tech inside would almost give the D.E.O. a run for their money. Then she spotted Oliver, stood in the middle of what looked to be the control room, hands clasped meaningfully behind his back as he studied something on one of the computer screens.

Courtesy of her powers, Kara quickly found the elevator and began the decent to Oliver's base. As the doors opened and she took in The Bunker for the first time, she had to admit; it may not have been as advanced as the D.E.O. but it had a whole lot more style. As she entered the room, Oliver (who was clad in a mask/hoodless Green Arrow suit) hadn't turned to acknowledge her arrival, still studying the data on the computer, which she now realised was a file about what little they knew of Earth-38.

"Evening, Kara." Oliver spoke without turning around, she'd clearly been lingering in the doorway too long.

With the smile returning to her face, Kara bounded up the stairs to Oliver, who had finally turned around.

"You ready to go?"

"Almost." Oliver began, turning back to the computer and closing the file.

That was when Kara noticed the duffle bag that sat on the chair beside Oliver, a quick x-ray revealed a handful of clothes, a few notepads and pencils, and a veritable arsenal of arrows and…

"Is that an actual bar of gold?!" Kara gasped, after realising what she had seen.

The scolding look Oliver gave her told him that he really didn't appreciate her using her powers to check out his belongings, and that brought Kara closer to fear than she'd felt for a long time. That gave her a new appreciation of why criminals were so afraid of the Green Arrow. After a moment or two, Oliver's expression softened a little, he must have been able to read people a lot better than Kara had first thought.

"I figured that I wouldn't be able to use my credit cards on your Earth, so I had John get me something that I'd be able to exchange on your Earth." Oliver stated, and Kara couldn't refute the logic.

"And how much is that worth?" She questioned, glancing suspiciously at the bag.

"I think somewhere around $25,000." Oliver shrugged, as he picked up the bag and hung it over his shoulder.

Kara had no words for how calm Oliver was about carrying around that much money, but, she supposed, he hardly had to worry about getting robbed. Taking the breech device from her pocket, Kara watched as Oliver grabbed his bow with his free hand, and at how much more relaxed he seemed for it.

"Let's do it." Kara smiled, pressing the button.

The two watched as the breech opened before them, Kara motioning for Oliver to go first.

XXX

Earth-38

Jumping through breeches was always an uncomfortable experience as far as Oliver was concerned, it felt strange, like every molecule in his body froze for just a moment before he came out on the other side. This time, the other side was far less welcoming than Oliver had been expecting.

He'd stepped out of the breech into a facility that reminded him a lot of A.R.G.U.S. but the most discernible difference was the 6…make that 7 armed guards aiming guns at him. In one swift movement, Oliver had dropped the duffle bag from his shoulder and nocked an arrow, waiting for someone to make the first move.

The breech was still open, so he could dive back through it, but they'd likely open fire as soon as he moved, plus they'd be able to follow him even if they didn't. He could win this fight if he had to, 7 government agents wouldn't be too difficult to take down, though he would probably take a few hits too.

While Oliver was weighing up his options one of the agents, a woman with short brunette hair stepped forward, gun still squarely aimed at his chest.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Oliver chose not to answer, instead, turning his head just enough that he could glance over his shoulder at the breech, waiting for any sign of Kara's arrival. He didn't want to start a fight, Oliver knew better than to shoot first and ask questions later. More time passed, it couldn't have been more than a few seconds but in that standoff, it felt like an eternity. Then, the breech shifted and through it, leapt Kara, the gateway snapping shut behind her.

"Kara," Oliver bit out through gritted teeth. "Where the hell are…"

"Alex!" Kara shouted, speeding past him and into the arms of the brunette who'd tried to question him.

"Supergirl," The brunette, Alex, spoke. "I was worried, you didn't say how long you'd be gone for and just disappeared."

"You sound just like mom." Kara answered, separating herself from Alex.

Mom? Oliver thought to himself. Then his mind made the connection, if it was Kara's adoptive father he was here to help rescue, then Alex must have been the adoptive sister Kara had mentioned.

"Kara." Oliver spoke again, his voice low and laden with threat. "Would you mind telling these people to put their guns down." Oliver articulated those last two words heavily, and he saw the reaction that got from a number of the agents.

"It's okay everyone, he's a friend of mine, you can put the guns down." Kara announced, keeping up her excitable tone.

The agents swiftly holstered their weapons and went about doing whatever it was they'd been doing before Oliver's arrival. Watching the room carefully, Oliver made sure that no one else was aiming a weapon at him before he relaxed his bow, placing the arrow back in his quiver. He, Kara and Alex had been left alone in the centre of the room, but various agents were still throwing them odd glances. Clearly, they didn't trust Oliver.

Going by the look Kara's adoptive sister was giving him, that trust was not going to be easy to win.

Author's Note: So I wasn't planning on writing this for a while but with the support that this story got I just had to keep working. Thanks again to my Beta Nightwing Panther 2017 without whom this would not be possible.

If you enjoyed please drop a comment, it always means the world to know that people are enjoying this, and I'll see you in the next chapter.