Chapter 3: Strange Bedfellows

Steve put down his sketch pad and looked at the drawing he'd finished. He was just starting to use colored pencils and didn't feel he had a really good handle on blending them yet, but he liked the way he'd caught Felicity in the piece.

She'd been laughing with him, teasing him about his hand eye coordination as he'd tried to fit too much candy in the little plastic eggs, making them very hard to snap together. Using his strength on them hadn't been a good fix. The little plastic pieces had popped apart, spilling their candy surprises everywhere.

He smiled at the memory. He could honestly say no one had accused him of having fumble fingers since he'd become Captain America. The whole day had gone better than he could remember a day going in a very long time. He'd spent it enjoying Felicity's company, playing catch with some of the older kids that had come with their families and serving veterans and their families' food. It helped remind him of what he was fighting for. Except most everyone that had been fighting by his side and those directing where he should go and what missions he should be on were tainted by HYDRA.

That thought led to places he didn't want to go after having spent such a normal, nice day. Pushing up from the couch, Steve headed to the bedroom to change. In minutes he was in jogging pants and a t-shirt and headed out of his door. He needed to clear his head.

It was a little after ten pm. Hopefully the streets would be less crowded and he could find a field or piece of road with no one around. He needed to expel some energy. What he needed was a good sparring session with Natasha or Clint or even Thor, but that wasn't a possibility at the moment. It would feel good to open up and let the speed take over until his mind was clear and exhaustion let him sleep. With that in mind, he headed for the rougher side of the Glades. Those streets were much more likely to be deserted.

Twenty minutes into the run, he was already starting to feel better. He hadn't let his speed get much above what a very fast un-enhanced man could manage, but he was already starting to feel better. As Steve topped a fairly steep hill, he heard the sound of a struggle up ahead. With his enhanced abilities, he could hear things a good distance away. Picking up speed, he rounded a corner just in time to see six thugs fighting with a man dressed all in green. Newspaper and television articles had talked about a green vigilante once known as the Hood and now being called The 'Arrow'. This must be him.

Curious, Steve stopped at the edge of the fight to observe instead of stepping in. The Arrow was moving fast and making short work of what looked to be gang members trying to take him down. Steve had read several articles and watched the news about Starling's Vigilante. Some swore he was a hero, some a villain as bad as any of the gangs. Steve decided to withhold judgment. He'd done some research. The man had started out bloody, but the last year or so he'd seemed to be working to bring criminals to the police alive. It seemed the man in green had taken to leaving scum secured to walls and placing calls to the police to have them picked up. That gave him a benefit of a doubt in Steve's book.

A few years ago, Captain America would have been sure that what Arrow was doing was wrong. Taking the law into your own hands was wrong no matter what the circumstances. He'd have helped take Arrow down, but he'd learned over the years that things were much less black and white than he liked to admit.

The last two years had changed him. He still considered himself a man of principal and honor, but according to Natasha, he had become more open-minded. Of course Stark had phrased it as 'Glad to see you've had the stick removed from your ass, Cap.' Then he'd stopped, eyed him up and down and added 'well somewhat' before heading back to his shop.

Steve leaned against the wall next to him and continued to watch. The Arrow fought well. He was down to three still standing when one of the men managed to grab a gun that had been knocked to the ground. Starling's vigilante didn't see the man with the gun behind him. He was too absorbed in fighting the two knife wielding thugs in front of him. Without thinking, Steve moved. At Captain America speed, he reached the gunman and knocked him unconscious just in time. The man went down hard. Satisfied he wouldn't be getting up quickly, Steve turned to find himself at the business end of Arrow's bow.

He was fairly sure that the vigilante hadn't seen how fast he moved since his back had been to both the gunman and Steve. That went in the plus column, but now he was in the man's sights. Guess it was time to see how the Vigilante handled himself with someone not on the wrong side of the law, he decided.

"Hey, Hang on," Steve said, holding his hands in a nonthreatening stance.

"Your buddy there picked up a gun. You didn't see it. I lent a hand, that's all that is going on here." He kept his voice calm.

"Who are you?" the computer modulated voice was low and raspy.

"Steve Rogers," Steve informed him. "I'm just out for a run."

"You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I'm a trained soldier, I wasn't in any danger. You were." Steve had worked with the archer, Clint Barton long enough to know that at this distance even Steve's speed wouldn't save him from being hit if Arrow decided to put one of his namesakes through Steve's chest.

"What are you doing in this part of town at this time of night?" The vigilante's modulated voice was getting on Steve's nerves.

"Jogging." He was fairly sure he'd said that already.

"Jogging?" Even modulated the voice was incredulous. "This is not the part of town to be alone in, unarmed."

"I wasn't the one that had a gun aimed at my back," Steve pointed out, not sure what the reaction would be at the jab. Maybe Natasha was rubbing off on him. Before Arrow could react, Steve changed tactics. "You drop your shoulder on the right side when you throw an opponent. It leaves you slightly off balance for that second it takes to square yourself back up. It gives someone that knows what they're doing an opening and slows you down against multiple opponents." He glanced at the men on the ground for emphasis.

"Why are you telling me this? Who are you and why are you really here?" Arrow's paranoia didn't surprise Steve. He was downright trusting compared to Clint and Natasha.

Steve decided to go with the truth, well some of it at any rate, and see what happened. "The price of freedom is high," he stated. "I know that better than most. When I see someone else standing up and paying that price, I help where I can."

"I'm not looking for a partner. You need to stay out of this. It will get you killed." The man seemed to have a one track mind as far as Steve could tell.

"I'm not offering to be your partner, just making an observation." From what Steve had read and what he'd just observed Arrow didn't seem to be a cold hearted killer. All the gang members lying around them were still alive. Steve had decided to be helpful; he was starting to regret the impulse. When Arrow didn't immediately answer and didn't lower his bow, Steve changed the subject one more time. "What do you do with the criminals once you're done knocking them out?"

"I secure them and call the police," the man in green finally answered. "How is that any business of yours?"

"Well the two behind you are waking up."

"I know. I'm still deciding what to do with you." Starling's vigilante informed him.

"Unless you are planning to put an arrow in me, I suggest you toss me a couple of the plastic cuffs or whatever you use to secure criminals with. I'll get these behind me secure, you get the others and we can both go home." Steve didn't move. He waited to see what Arrow would do. It only took a moment before the other man lowered his bow and tossed Steve a few thick zip ties that he'd pulled from a pocket.

Steve caught them out of the air and turned to his task. It didn't take long for the two men to secure the unconscious and semi unconscious hoodlums to a chain link fence along the street. Still keeping a close eye on Steve, Arrow placed a call to someone at the police department. Steve was satisfied. The city's Vigilante seemed to be trying to do the right thing. He didn't appear to be a threat Steve needed to deal with.

.

"The price of freedom is high," The man's words resonated with Oliver. For once, he didn't know what to say. The guy standing in front of him had a look in his eye that made Oliver believe this man had paid some price along the way that haunted him. He'd seen that same look in Sara's eyes. He'd seen it in his own every time he looked in the mirror.

Oliver could understand fighting your demons while trying to hold onto whatever good was left inside. Tommy's death still haunted him. More than that, the words he said about paying a high price for freedom had never felt truer than they did now considering the last few months. Slade was back and bent on vengeance and he wasn't sure how to stop him. If he didn't find a way, Oliver's family and friends would be paying the price along with him.

Hell he couldn't even beat Slade in a fight, how was he supposed to stop him. Slade's words the last time they fought went through Oliver's mind. 'Don't forget who taught you, kid.' Slade was ahead of him at every turn.

Oliver couldn't get the sight of Wilson talking to his mother, in the Queen living room out of his mind. How long until the monster his old friend had become started to kill his family. Who would be first, his mother, Thea?

"You say I drop my right shoulder when I throw someone," He prompted, not sure why he cared what this stranger thought.

"Yes," Rogers reiterated. "Anyone with experience is going to take advantage of that. When you fight multiple targets, it will slow you down like it did today. You're good and if today is any indication, you're going against mostly untrained gangs so you haven't had it bite you yet, but someday it could get you killed." Oliver thought about that. He'd turned just in time to see Rogers take down the gunman. The man was quick and efficient. His reflexes were obviously battle honed. He hadn't flinch when he'd been held at arrow point. All that spoke of experience.

"I passed a field about a quarter mile back." Rogers told him. "It looked pretty deserted. I can show you how to correct that if you want."

He hesitated. As much as he was inclined to blow off the offer, Slade was making him desperate. Oliver was the most experienced fighter on Team Arrow. God he needed to make Felicity stop calling them that, it was rubbing off onto him. Thinking about his training since he'd come home, Oliver knew it was lacking. Digg had shown him a few moves but never noticed any weakness in Oliver's fight. Most of the time, it was Oliver instructing Digg. He'd had training after leaving the island, before coming back home, but obviously not enough to beat Slade. He had no one in Starling City that challenged him at that level and pushed him to get better. Enemies trying to kill him notwithstanding. He needed any advantage he could get when it came to Slade.

Besides, he was frustrated at their inability to find any clues to tell them what Slade was planning or even where he was. Sparing with someone that he didn't have to be that careful with was appealing. If Oliver was being honest with himself, he also didn't like that this stranger had noticed a weakness in him. It wouldn't hurt Oliver's feeling a bit if he was able to drop Rogers a few times.

The thought that this could be some kind of trap crossed his mind, but that didn't seem very likely. Slade didn't come after him in ways like this. Slade came after those Oliver loved, not directly at him. Meeting Rogers tonight was actually good timing. Both Diggle and Felicity had called it an early night after they'd finished with John's Easter celebration. Sara was with her dad. He was on his own tonight, Everyone believed he'd gone home.

"After you," he agreed, falling in behind Rogers as the other man nodded and took off at a jog. The park was as deserted as Roger's had said. There was fairly good light from a full moon and streetlights. Oliver set his bow to the side, but within easy reach and popped the Velcro closure on his quiver, dropping it next to his bow. He turned to the man waiting patiently a few feet away.

"What now?" He asked as he watched Rogers line himself up in front of him.

"I'm going to move toward you. Throw me to your right." Steve waited for Oliver to nod, then came at him. Oliver did as instructed. Adding a little more force than he probably should have sparing with a stranger, but he wasn't in the best mood and it actually felt good. To Oliver's surprise, before he could finish that thought, he was on the ground, on his back with Steve standing over him offering him a hand.

"Show me how you did that." Oliver demanded, rolling to his feet and ignoring the hand.

"A better option would be for me to show you how to stop me from doing that." Steve informed him. The man was right. Oliver might not like it, but he liked Slade always winning the fights between them much less.

It took more than an hour and both men were sweating, Oliver more so than Steve, but Steve had finally proclaimed Oliver fixed. For his part, Oliver agreed. He felt more balanced and able to pivot better. He'd even been able to throw Steve a few times. It felt good, even if he was coming to respect Rogers' skill. Such a small change in his stance and follow through had made all the difference.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, holding his hand out to Steve.

"You're welcome," Steve answered, accepting Oliver's hand in a friendly shake.

"I enjoyed the sparring. It was good to work off some excess energy." To his surprise, Oliver had enjoyed it himself. With Diggle, Sara and Roy, he was the leader, the most experienced. They looked to him to instruct them. Sparring with Rogers, Oliver didn't have to hold back. It had taken him a few minutes to realize it, but he'd been able to go all out and Rogers matched him. He could concentrate on himself in a way he couldn't when he spared with Diggle and sometimes even with Sara.

It was clear that Steve was very well trained. Oliver could learn a lot. The part of him that was Oliver Queen, CEO and reformed playboy rebelled at the idea of asking for help, but then he remembered how little chance he'd had for survival until Slade had taken him under his wing on the island. That training had saved his life.

How much farther could he get now if a person with Steve's knowledge were to agree to help? The man's style was completely different than Slade's or anything he'd been taught after getting off the island. His moves and athleticism matched Oliver's abilities better than the brute strength Slade's teaching depended on. Just maybe Oliver could be a match for Slade or at very least come up with a few surprises for his former teacher.

"The man that trained me is trying to kill me." Oliver stated, surprising himself that he had admitted that to a man he barely knew. He was uncomfortable, but desperate. "I don't know how to stop him." That was the hardest sentence he'd had to say in a long time. What he didn't say, what he couldn't reveal was that he didn't know how to stop Slade from hurting the people that he loved. Revealing that was not something he could tell a stranger. It was hard enough to admit to himself.

.

Steve considered Arrow's words. After sparring with him, he was pleasantly surprised at how good Starling's vigilante was, but did he want to become involved in a fight when he didn't have knowledge of all the sides? He'd spent years working for the wrong side without knowing it. How many people, events had he influenced in ways that might have been furthering HYDRA's cause without his knowledge? But he wasn't the kind to sit out a fight either.

Easy Rogers, he chided himself. This is one man and one city, not a world organization. What harm would it do to help Arrow sharpen his fighting skills? Steve himself had been sparring daily with his partner Natasha, other Avengers or his team since the battle of New York, before that there had been constant missions against Nazi Germany and Red Skull with the Howling Commandos. He missed having a sparring partner that challenged him.

"What can you tell me?" He asked, trying to make up his mind. "How do you go from being trained by this man to him wanting you dead?"

Arrow hesitated, rubbing at the back of his neck. Steve waited. He could see that it wasn't easy for the other man to ask for help. Confiding was probably going to be a whole lot harder for him.

"He was my friend. He trained me when I knew nothing. I survived because of him, but he believes I'm responsible for the death of a woman we both loved." The pain in the man's voice hit Steve. Regret was something Steve understood.

"Are you responsible?"

"Yes," Arrow answered without hesitation. "I didn't kill her, but I couldn't save her either."

Steve clenched his fist against the pain as the image of Bucky falling came to his mind. "The VA on 5th street has a good gym and workout area. They close at 10pm every night. Be there at 11pm tomorrow. I'll leave the side door open for you." Steve couldn't get Bucky out of his mind. He'd been unable to save him, twice. Helping this man stay alive felt right.