Chapter 28

I never drag 'em in battles that I can handle less I absolutely have to I'm suppose to set an example, I need to be the leader My crew looks for me to guide 'em

Kara

Kara felt slightly overwhelmed when she arrived on Barry's earth with him and Cisco and everyone was introduced to her.

"Barry, I thought you were bringing an alien?" She focused on the person who had spoken and saw a tall, handsome man, around his thirties, maybe. He was surrounded by an aura of authority, and she felt a little intimidated by him. A small brunette and a tall golden blonde woman flanked him, next to the blonde was a tall, very muscular African American man, who had his arms crossed in front of his chest and a skeptical but friendly look on his face. The two women looked rather intrigued. Her eyes strayed back to the man who had spoken first, and she noticed how he was not only mustering but what appeared to be actually studying her.

Barry didn't hesitate to introduce her, and she gave them a small taste of her powers, to convince them she was in fact an alien. Her friend then went ahead and introduced everyone to her. So she learnt that Oliver had been the one who had studied her intently, and the women next to him were Thea and Laurel, and Dig was next to Laurel.

The man who was also known as the Green Arrow seemed to be watching her at all times. His stare appeared even more intense when she joined in on the conversation and shared what she knew about the Dominators.

"We should use Kara as a stand-in for training." Oliver's suggestion led to a debate about who it was that should lead them with a surprising turn of event when Oliver declined the post and suggested Barry should be the one to lead them.

"Appreciate that, Cisco, but Barry put us all together. It should be him." She had not expected that.

She had been rather impressed when the obvious Alpha male declined the leadership position that Cisco wanted to bestow upon him because Barry had been the one who brought them all together. Only to slightly rethink what she had believed to be a noble act when he ended up pretty much telling Barry what he should do and taking over leadership without actually leading.

"So, we're all just going to be pretending that Barry's in charge while Oliver's backseat leading?" Roy's flippant comment and the grin on his face surprised her, and she turned towards Oliver to see his reaction, the older man had a challenging look on his face, glaring at the dark-haired man, while she noticed Thea being highly amused and Laurel biting her lip to hide her grin, even Dig looked amused. This made her wonder about Team Arrow's dynamic and how Roy, who was with the Legend's fit into it.

"Oliver. Hey. Kara. Really quick. I was excited about the two of you guys meeting each other. Oliver was the first person to train me." Barry excitedly stopped her and Oliver, who was about to go suit up.

"Really?" He had never mentioned that before. It was an interesting new piece of information.

"Well, you did a really good job." She smiled at the older man while complimenting him. And she really meant it. He had done a superb job with Barry, from what she had seen of the hero so far.

"It's 'cause I didn't hold back. I shot him. You can't hold back either." Wait, what? He had done what?! Kara wasn't sure if she heard him right and glanced at Barry in surprised shock for a moment before looking back at Oliver.

"He did shoot me." The Flash confirmed that fact, and it obviously meant that she had heard right. Barry grimaced, but she couldn't detect any anger or resentment, which she would've expected.

"Ouch. Okay. Are you sure about that? I just met these people..." This was not at all what she had expected when Barry had asked for her help. And she really didn't want to hurt anyone. His request was making her very uncomfortable. She just met them. She was going to have to work with them. What if they ended up being afraid of her? Or if they resented her for being too hard on them?

"These people need to understand this isn't gonna be easy. Don't hold back. Especially against me." The Green Arrow's voice was firm and left no room to argue.

"Yes, sir." He barely waited long enough for her to agree with his request before he walked past them to go get changed. She watched him for a moment and saw him take his cell phone from his pocket and putting it up to his ear while disappearing from her sight.

"Wow. Does he not like me?" Oliver's behavior made her feel very insecure and wonder if she did something wrong? Had she somehow unintentionally offended him? She turned towards Barry questioningly.

"He's like that with everyone. He'll warm up to you." Her friend's words sounded encouraging, yet the look on his face told her a different story. Barry wasn't convinced about his own words.

Oliver Queen was not at all what she had expected after everything that Barry had told her about him and how highly he had spoken of his mentor. She had expected someone a little more like Barry, maybe…? Well, at least someone less gruff, sort of rude and… cold...

Oliver Queen sure was a piece of work.

Kara let the last couple of minutes pass through her mind again while waiting for everyone to change into their suits and come back to do the test run against her. She still wasn't convinced that not holding back was a good idea.

She had to admit it had horrified her when she learnt that Oliver had actually shot Barry, his friend. Who would do something like that? Training or not. That was neither okay nor normal. And how could Barry be okay with that? And yes, he healed fast, but still. His mentor, his friend, shot him. That was not something any sane person would do. Right?

But then again, everyone seemed to look up to Oliver, or at least respect him, a lot. And they wouldn't do that if he were crazy, or would they? He didn't seem crazy. He definitely didn't look crazy, far from it actually.

Oliver Queen was a very attractive man.

She couldn't understand why he would demand she not hold back while they were 'doing a test run' against her. He didn't know her, he didn't know her strength and what she was capable of doing. How much everyone could get hurt if she didn't hold back. Especially everyone who wasn't a meta human, as Barry called them. She didn't know these people, and she really didn't want to hurt them or start off on the wrong foot. Besides, hadn't they just decided that Barry was in charge? So, why was Oliver the one giving her orders? Shouldn't it be Barry who told her how to proceed during their test run?

Well, she had looked at Barry and he had just shrugged before giving her the go-ahead.

So, she did what she was told to do once everyone returned, ready to go ahead and attack her. And everyone was lying on the floor in no time.

Yet, Oliver 'Don't hold back. Especially against me.' Queen was nowhere to be found.
She wasn't sure what to make of that. She had seen him with Barry a short time ago… but still. He had made such a huge deal about the test run and her not holding back while facing him that him not being here seemed strange and it made her feel even less comfortable fighting everyone else, without holding back.

Oliver showed up after everyone's fourth attempt and failure at bringing her down.

"She really is a badass." Thea told Laurel and Roy. The young man turned to Oliver, who was walking towards those three, after he got back up.

"It's kinda hot, I'm sure your Bird would agree." The younger man said grinning once he was next to Oliver and winked at the last part. Oliver had a bird? Why would Oliver's bird think her throwing everyone around was hot? Wait that didn't make any sense, a bird couldn't think or talk, or could they on this earth?

"She most definitely would." She could hear what sounded like amusement in the gruff man's voice. That didn't seem right either. Neither did the grin on his face that mirrored Roy's. She was still trying to figure out how everyone was connected, besides the Team they belonged to, and how they had ended up in said Team. The grin only adorned his face for a minute before he slapped the dark-haired man on the back and turned towards her and everyone else.

"Let's go again." Again? Seriously? He hadn't gone at her at all yet. Part of her felt a little smug and satisfied, when he ended up on the floor after very little effort on her part, just like everyone else.

Kara noticed the unofficial leader of their team on the phone, and not for the first time. He looked contemplative and deep in thought. She wondered who he was talking to and what about. She was very tempted to listen in on the conversation but didn't give in to her curiosity and violate his privacy. She had a feeling that he would be very angry at her if she did and he found out. And she really didn't want to know what he would do when he was angry, given he had shot his friend just because… well, to make a point, according to Barry, while he was training him.

Still, now didn't seem to be the right moment for a personal call, they had just been informed that the president had been taken and Cisco and Barry had gotten into an argument that led to everyone learning that Barry had altered the past and the decision that Barry and Oliver would stay back while they went to save the president.

So making a phone call, she had concluded it probably was a personal call given the fact that she was now seeing the Green Arrow relaxed and smiling for the first time, ever, seemed to be not the right moment.

"… alright, Pretty Bird… I promise, I won't at least not right now, I'm not giving you any guarantees for later... good luck with that… I gotta go, talk to you soon… give your little namesake a sleep-tight-kiss from me, but only if your plan works and she agrees to lie down with you ...if not just let Sin watch her… either way, enjoy your nap, Tweety… yeah… and you stay safe." Oliver was walking towards her, before he was done with his phone call and her enhanced hearing led to her catching the end of his conversation. To say that it intrigued her was an understatement and not just because of the amused look and smile on his face but also because of the subject of the conversation. Plus, there was once again the mention of a bird. Well, he referred to whoever was on the other line as 'Pretty Bird', so he was probably not talking to his pet… so who was she? She assumed it was a she, Oliver and Roy had used 'she' while talking about his 'Bird'. Was it his girlfriend? But then again, she couldn't really picture Oliver in a relationship. He didn't seem to be the type. Plus, she really couldn't fathom what type of woman would actually put up with his behavior.

Oliver Queen was an enigma. And the reporter in her couldn't help but wonder about him and his story and really wanted to figure him out. And she definitely wanted to solve the mystery concerning his "bird".

Barry was thinking about sacrificing himself for the team, after the meeting under the guise that the president wanted to meet with Barry and Oliver, who had taken Roy and Laurel with them, Oliver's idea not Barry's who was supposed to be in charge, and left her behind. Because Oliver Queen would like to "minimize her involvement in this because she was a "unknown quantity" and he needed some space. Who made him the boss, anyway?

Well, they ended up getting ambushed, and the president didn't show, but an agent did, apparently telling them that the Dominator's invasion was Barry's fault.

"Barry. I'm not letting you leave." Seriously, every time she thinks she has figured him out, Oliver Queen did something else that took her by surprise. He had been the one who had tried to talk Barry out of doing this. And yet he still hadn't given up on their friend.

"No offense, Oliver, but you and what army?" Barry did have a point, Oliver was only human and didn't really have a shot against the Flash, which made his insistence on stopping Barry even more impressive.

"This one." She decided to take part in the conversation, besides she was the only one who could actually stop Barry.

The only thing that surprised her more than Oliver, was Mick, who ended up being the one to convince Barry to stay and fight with them. It was after Felicity had informed them about the opening of the Spaceships and everyone headed out to handle their assigned tasks that she noticed Oliver hanging back for a moment, something that seemed to be very out of character for him. He seemed to be looking at something for a moment, before straightening his back and walking out, ready for battle.

Kara was still basking in her personal little triumph amidst their huge win. She had saved Oliver's life. And he had thanked her for it. Maybe he finally realized that she was an asset and was warming up to her, just like Barry had said he would. It was those thoughts that distracted her until she heard a woman's voice and turned around towards it.

"Ollie!"

Kara was completely taken by surprise when she saw a blonde woman rush towards Oliver, who was still in his Green Arrow suit but without the green hood, and jump into his arms without a moment's hesitation, wrapping herself around him. And even more so by the gruff, distant and stern man's actions. His arms seemed to move, to hold her up and help her achieve her goal almost on their own accord. His hands soon began to travel along her body, as if to both ensure himself of her presence and well-being and to comfort her.
It took Kara a moment to realize that the woman was crying.

So, was this Oliver's "Bird"? The woman Roy had referred to and who she assumed had been on the other end of his phone calls.

She had no difficulty making out the conversation between them, even without her super hearing. Sound traveled easily in the open space of the hangar.

"It's okay, Pretty Bird, I'm okay." It was almost as if he had been reading her mind, giving her the answer to her question.

"Thea told me about the abduction… You can't leave me, Ollie. I can't do this without you." The blonde's words were muffled but she was still able to make them out, without any trouble. Kara wondered if the woman was referring to something specific or just in general?

"I won't, you won't have to do this alone. I promise. 'Not without you' and 'together', remember?" There definitely seemed to be a lot of history between those two, given their interaction and words.

Kara didn't really get the chance to be happy that she had learnt the name of Oliver's 'Bird', Sara, when the man's very unexpected actions shocked her. That was some serious PDA, right before his declaration of love. Her eyes went big, and she turned away from the scene in front of her to look at Barry, who was not the only one who appeared to be as astonished about the turn of events. Actually, everyone looked about as stunned as she felt.

Kara found it hard to connect the man she had met a couple of days ago with the one in front of her. He was so tender and soft with the woman he indeed called "Pretty Brid", and therefore confirmed her suspicions as to who she was, and it was such a stark contrast to the way he had behaved for the whole duration of the crisis. So, this was who he had been talking to on the phone. And wasn't that like one of the sweetest pet names she had ever heard? It almost seemed surreal to think the stern man she had met would come up with it.

She was fascinated by their interaction and this very new side that she saw of the Green Arrow.

It wasn't until Oliver looked away from the blonde in his arms for a moment and then proceeded to hoist her up a little, and hold on to her tighter, to turn around and walk away that the silence that had fallen upon the hangar by the blonde's actions, was broken.

"Okay, I did not see that coming. And yet, I'm not actually surprised… if that makes any sense." Thea and Roy had walked up to them and were also watching the scene between the Green Arrow and Canary unfold.

"It's your brother and his Bird… why would anyone be surprised by this? Seriously, her not jumping him would've surprised me far more... I swear those two are... never mind you don't want to know." Roy turned towards, what she had learnt was his ex-girlfriend, looking as amused as Oliver's younger sister did.

"That's true. Still, this is not a convincing argument for the whole 'it's not like that we're not a couple'" Oliver's little sister rolled her eyes dramatically and Roy just started to laugh, for some reason.

"What's so funny?" Felicity apparently didn't seem to understand their former Teammates reaction either.

"Well, what's funny is that you guys seem to take the 'we're not a couple' as them saying there's nothing going on between them, which I call bullshit, and not just because of the obvious reason but because neither of them ever actually said that they ever were a couple. If you'd ask them if they were a couple three years ago, they'd both tell you no. While we all know that they obviously were, since they were you know living together, sharing a bed and their lives... I mean, I know they were, Thea knows they were, you guys know they were, they knew they were, but that's not what they'd call it. They don't actually do labels, not when it comes to their involvements. So, them denying to be a couple means shit. The only thing they're actually saying is; it's none of your business. So, stop asking questions and just leave us alone and let us do or be whatever. They like their privacy and they like for people to stay out of their personal lives." Roy looked at them incredulously.

"So, that was Sara, as in Sara Lance, your sister, the first Canary, right?" Cisco turned towards Laurel excitedly.

"Yeah, that's Sara." Laurel confirmed distractedly, it appeared she wasn't the only one who had been taken aback by Oliver and Sara's actions.

"Yes! I knew it! I mean, I assumed from the moment he called her Pretty Bird and you know she's blonde and they looked like super close, which makes sense because he and the Canary were obviously very close... I mean, I wasn't aware that they were still that close... and man, I can't believe it! That was the freaking Canary. I mean, she's like… wow! You know I've never actually thought I'd meet her given you know… and then when I learnt what you guys did I thought you know maybe… but then she like left to parts unknown again and I… wow! She's like… She's so awesome and amazing and wow! I'm a huge fan! This is exciting!" Cisco rambled excitedly and Kara didn't understand half of it. It was almost as if the more she learnt about Oliver, the more confused she got.

"Who's the Canary? I mean, from what I gathered Laurel's sister and Oliver's…" girlfriend? She asked and wondered about the man and woman's relationship and how she should refer to her.

"Sara, well the Canary was, is, was a vigilante too, the second one after Oliver, actually. They were partners for a while, but while Oliver was more focused on trying to fix the corruption in Star City, Sara mostly went after scumbags that mistreated women. And sort of made a name for herself through that. She's a very skilled fighter, like Oliver skilled." Ray explained to her.

"What I don't get is if she was in town or around, not to parts unknown, why didn't she help us out? It would've been really helpful to have her here too." Cisco suddenly looked at everyone confused, and Kara had to agree that it was a rather good question. Having Sara help them would've made sense, given everything that she was just told about the woman.

"Sara's not… she's…" Laurel started but stopped before she actually gave an explanation.

"Birdy's currently staying out of the field, because of the side effects that the Lazarus Pit brought with it." Roy jumped in to help Laurel out. Not that his explanation helped her understand why Sara hadn't helped them. And what was a Lazarus Pit? Everyone else though seemed to take that as reason enough as an explanation. So, she didn't ask any more questions.

Kara was surprised when she saw Oliver's... girlfriend, she guessed given the conversation earlier, entered the room with Green Arrow, Speedy and Arsenal. But what surprised her most was her outfit, the black leather pants were obviously hers and she assumed part of her suit, yet the top half,... the top half was most definitely Oliver's or used to be, it looked different to his current one, but similar enough to remove all doubt as to whose it was originally.

Why was Sara here, and why would she wear part of Oliver's suit instead of her own? Kara put her whole focus on the four vigilantes who had just entered the room and it took her a moment to realize that the room full of reporters and politicians had suddenly turned quiet and it was in this silence and because of her focus on Sara and her unexpected outfit that she noticed the sound. She was confused for a moment and couldn't place it, so she concentrated more on her hearing and what she had heard trying to zero in on it. It almost sounded like… no, that couldn't be? Or could it? Her eyes went huge when she realized what she was hearing, and she automatically used her x-ray vision and zeroed in on Sara's stomach to confirm what she had heard. And there it was, proof that she had heard what she thought she did and what she assumed was the real reason as to why the Canary had not helped them out.

What she saw was a tiny little girl, just chilling in her mother's womb, sucking her thumb.

What she had heard was the heartbeat of Sara's unborn daughter.

Sara was pregnant.

With Oliver's child?

Oliver was going to be a father?

Some of his behavior made a lot more sense to her now.

He must have been terrified that something might happen to his… girlfriend? Wife? That something might happen to the mother of his unborn child. Or to himself.

His reaction to his abduction made so much more sense now. He had come very close of leaving his pregnant 'Pretty Bird', that was such a cute nickname and nothing she would've expected the stern man to come up with, alone. That must have been terrifying. The thought that he almost never got to see the woman he loved again and never got to meet their child. Of course he'd end up acting irrational. Who wouldn't given those circumstances?

It didn't take Kara long to realize that the couple didn't want people to know about the pregnancy which must have been why Laurel hadn't known how to answer Cisco's question earlier.

This additional information about Oliver threw her so much that it took her a moment to realize that a murmur had gone through the room and even longer to notice that it was about the Canary, mostly, but also about the Black Canary. There was surprise and wonder and she heard more than once how people couldn't believe that the Canary and the Black Canary were in the same room, that they were two different women and that the Canary was not the Black Canary.

There was a lot of awe and respect that the reporters showed to Sara, the Canary. It made Kara wonder about who she was and what she had done to get this kind of attention from the press.

Sara was as much of an enigma as Oliver.

Notes:

Okay, so first of all, I'm sorry I didn't manage to get around and post the chapter earlier. This week was way busier than I expected it to be.

This part was not easy to write and I'm still not really sure about it... parts of it are not that great...

I hope I got Kara right, it was really hard to write her, it's been ages since I watched Supergirl but I really wanted to show Oliver and Sara from the perspective of someone who doesn't know either. And Kara was the best fit for that. I hope you guys liked what I did with her and the chapter. If not, let me know.

Chapter title is from the song "Like Toy Soldiers" by Eminem.