NOTES: WE REACHED 50 STORIES! I'm really happy with this, and I have all of u to thank for: ur ideas, inspiration and support, it all helped me get here. And for that, I wanted to do something special to this chapter, so I really hope u like it.
Next one is the last part of the short story: We're far away, but close enough.
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Chapter Summary: A different take on the dream world of the Invasion episode, one dream that changes Oliver's life forever.
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50. Across the Universe
It was a cold night and rained nonstop but still, he felt relief. The fight was far from over but his friends were finally back to normal.
Aliens.
He still couldn't believe. He was dealing with aliens.
Meeting Barry Allen definitely changed his world. If anyone had told him where he would be five years later after coming home from the island, he would life at that person's face. And yet, he stood there, in the middle of the night, all wet from the rain after dealing with his friends having been brainwashed by aliens. And if this wasn't enough, they had an alien from another Earth fighting by their side and he still couldn't tell if they could really trust her. It was all really confusing.
Oliver was about to take a step forward to bring his friends back to Star Labs when something really weird and unexpected happened. A bright light came from the sky and suddenly he saw his friends being abducted.
"Seriously?" He thought.
He looked up, looking for whatever the source of that light was. It was a really huge ship, even bigger than the Wave Rider.
- SARA! – He yelled after his friend was taken.
This was a nightmare. He looked at Barry, that noticed what was about to happen and tried to run to him. It was for nothing. He felt something pulling him up and a light surrounding him. It was a strange feeling, being abducted and he couldn't tell exactly what was going on because everything went dark.
He opened his eyes feeling more confused than ever, looking around and trying to find out what was going on. His head hurt a lot; it felt like he had been drinking a lot. He found himself in a place he never had been before. It was really bright, and the place looked futuristic. He got up and realized he was in a bed. He heard footsteps and looked to his right, only to see a blonde teenager coming towards him, smiling in relief.
- I'm so glad you're ok! You scared us!
- What? What happened?
- Dad found you, unconscious near Kandor… He brought you here and mom took care of you.
- Kandor? Where am I?
- In Argo City. Do you remember who I am?
- Hum… I…
- I'm Kara, silly! – She playfully slapped his shoulder. – Your jokes used to be funny; they're not anymore, just so you know it. We have been friends for years…
- Oh… Sure… - He decided to go with it since he had no other choice.
He also felt really weird. He looked at his hands, not quite believing what he was seeing. He looked in the mirror next to the bed and stared at it for a while, in shock.
- I'm… younger? How? – He whispered
- I know you love your reflection, but you're not that cute… - Kara teased him as she got closer to him. – I'm really glad you're ok. – She gave him a kiss on the cheek and left the room, still smiling.
He sat again on the bed and stared at the window. He got up and tried to take in the view in front of him. This place was beyond surreal and he was sure this was not Earth at all. The buildings seemed way too futuristic and he was pretty sure he saw a ship flying on the sky.
Later that day, Oliver still tried to process everything that was happening when Kara came back to the room.
- Kara, where did you say we are again?
- Argo City… Are you sure you are ok?
- I'm just… My memories are a bit messy.
- Oh… - She looked worried at him – You must have hit your head really hard… Here, come… - She grabbed his hand and brought his to the most amazing library he had ever seen. He smiled. – Here. This is our planet, Krypton…
Oliver looked at the book Kara was showing him and had a weird flash, showing him Kara as an adult, talking about a race called Dominators invading her planet and killing a lot of people. He knew almost nothing about Kara and how she came to live on Earth, even If it wasn't the same as his Earth. She was also younger here and he decided not to scare her so he pretended just to have a headache.
- Do you want to lie down? I don't think you're ok as you say…
- No, it's fine… I'm fine, I swear – He smiled at her and looked back at the book.
- It's such a beautiful planet… - She looked dreamy as she turned the page of the book. – But dad says things are not normal as it seems…
- What do you mean?
Kara walked to the couch and sat there, nodding for Oliver to join her. She looked around and spoke almost in a whisper.
- Dad and uncle Jor-El are investigating a few things. He said there's a war about to happen because the council is too blind to see what's happening under their noses. And that they had a plan to fix things, but he could not tell me what it was, at least for now… This had me worried.
- I'm sure everything will be ok – Oliver reached for Kara's hand, feeling like he had to do it.
- I hope you're right.
A few days passed by and Oliver kept worried about what was happening. He kept having flashes about a few things that left him more and more confused. He remembered a few things about his life and he knew he was from Earth, but he wasn't sure if those flashes were hallucinations or if they really happened. A few of them seemed so unreal, he wasn't sure anymore if he was ok like he thought he was.
He was at the library, looking through a few books he found when Kara stormed in. It looked like she was crying a lot. He got up and ran towards her.
- What happened?
- I can't believe this! – She kept repeating it, not even looking at him.
Oliver reached for her shoulders and held her gently.
- Kara? What happened?
- My dad said the planet… the core of the planet is unstable. They are going to make their plan happen and I can't… I just…
- Kara, what plan? You're worrying me, please tell me…
- They are going to send me and my baby cousin to another planet… I don't want to leave them behind! I don't… I…
Kara was sobbing now and Oliver did the only thing he thought it was right. He hugged her. She embraced her arms around him, hiding her face as she kept crying. Oliver was sure now his flashes were memories after having one more when Kara hugged him. He saw himself being really cold with Kara, training a team of heroes to face aliens.
- I don't know what I'll do without them… I don't want to… The ships they built are too small. It won't fit all of us.
Oliver had a feeling this is what happened to the Kara he met on Earth. And he was even surer the way she got to Earth was not pleasant at all.
- They're just trying to do what's best for you… I'm sure of that – Oliver said. – Listen – He looked deep into her eyes. – They are your parents, and parents, good parents, they will always think about their kid first. I know this is not easy, but they are thinking about your future… You have so much to live… They are putting you first; they don't want you here if things get ugly…
- It will get ugly… - Kara looked sad at Oliver – Did you feel the tremor yesterday?
Oliver nodded with his head.
- Dad said it's about to get worse…
- And they don't want you here, suffering…
- I know… - She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. – I also… I can't leave you here…
Oliver looked surprised at Kara. She had deep worry in the way she looked at him.
- I can't leave you here to die… I was searching for something before I came here. It just hit me I would have to leave without my parents but… I also knew I was going to lose you. And I can't lose you too…
- Kara…
Oliver felt warmth inside of him, something he didn't feel for a long time. He was little by little putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. He was getting an opportunity to see what happened to Kara's world but also see what it would be like if he had known her and lived on her planet with her. This was really overwhelming. He knew he had to find a way to go back to his reality, but he couldn't just leave Kara sobbing behind, not after hearing what he just heard.
- I don't want to lose you… - Oliver said with pure honesty.
He was getting used to Kara in his life those last days and it felt really good, her company. She had this light inside of her, always caring, always helping others. He thought about the Kara on his Earth, how his friend Barry told him he knew a powerful alien and explained briefly how he met her. He thought about how a few minutes later, he was back with her and how shy she was, introducing herself to everyone. He thought now about how she must have felt nervous, being on another Earth, knowing only one person and people knowing she wasn't human, how they would take it. He started regretting the way he treated her at first and wanted nothing more than go back and apologize.
A tremor started to shake everything and Kara hugged Oliver tight. Oliver was taken by surprise, but managed to stay still. That was really horrifying.
- Please tell me you'll find a way to get the hell out of here? – Kara said as she looked at him.
- I will, I promise.
Oliver looked at Kara's lips and then her eyes. She approached her face to his, bringing her lips to softly touch his. Oliver felt something new inside of him, something he wasn't expecting.
- I have to go now, but please… escape!
- I will… - Oliver said as she let go of his hand, walking slowly away with her face covered in tears.
Oliver ran like he never ran before, faster than he ever could. He had no idea how he would fulfill the promise he had made to Kara, but he was determined to.
After running for a long time, the tremors getting worse and worse, he saw an object from the distance. It looked like a ship and his heart jumped from his chest. He walked closer to it and found someone inside of it. The ship looked like it still worked. He started pressing a few buttons and the ship opened. He tried to feel the guy's pulse, but it had none, he was dead.
Oliver carefully took the guy out of the ship and put him on the ground.
- I'm so sorry… - He whispered and got in the ship.
He had no idea how to deal with that thing, but he was willing to try anything. After a lot of tries, he managed to close the ship and fly it right on time. The floor started cracking and a big hole opened on the ground. He looked back, seeing everything being destroyed and prayed Kara managed to escape. He felt his chest burning in pain and a single tear felt from his eyes. This was definitely new, he thought.
He saw himself out on space and looked to his side only to see two ships. One, he thought it was Kara's cousin, because it had a baby inside. The ship passed by him and he looked to the other side and smiled. It was Kara. She looked back at him and smiled back at him.
Oliver couldn't be more relieved. Kara escaped. He looked back and saw an explosion and it hit him: Kara's world exploded. She lost everything and everyone she loved. He thought about all of that, knowing her life must have been really hard and painful. He looked up and saw a strong white light around their ships, taking over. He felt scared, having no idea what was going on.
Once again, everything was confusing and in a few minutes he lay unconscious inside the ship.
He felt pain all over his body, his head hurt like hell. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was on the couch of a nice apartment. He looked at the TV and saw something he thought he was imagining.
- Yes, it's real – The reporter said – An unknown woman just saved the plane. She held it with her bare hands, this is incredible!
Oliver rubbed his eyes and sat straight on the couch. That was Kara… He felt a bit dizzy; trying to figure it out what the hell was going on. The last thing he remembered was watching Krypton exploding and then a bright light happened. He saw one more flash before his eyes, this time he was fighting aliens with a bunch of people. He blinked twice and felt a whoosh of air coming in.
- Did you see that? – Kara said in shock, smiling from ear to ear and looking like a kid really excited about a new toy. – I did that!
- Yes, you did! – He smiled at her.
- Wait… - She looked worried at him – Again the headache? Are you ok?
- Don't worry about me; you just saved a plane… This is impressive – He smiled at her, trying to hide what he was really feeling.
- Are your memories failing you again?
- Hum…Yes…
Kara sat beside Oliver on the couch and reached for his hand.
- The last thing I remember is being on that ship after… After Krypton exploded…
- Oh, Rao… - Kara looked worried at him. – Oliver, this is serious…
- No, it's not…
- You're so stubborn… Well… After Clark brought me to live with the Danvers, you arrived on Earth. And you found me. You lived with the Queen family on Star City and I grew up on National City. We didn't saw each other for years… When we met again, I told you about my powers… strangely you didn't have any… But you always told me I should embrace it, and I always felt scared of it… Until today.
Oliver reflected about what he was hearing. This was beyond overwhelming and he still hasn't found a way of going back to his reality. He was starting to think he was stuck there forever. But maybe, it wasn't so bad, he thought.
- I can help people. I can use my powers for something good… - Kara said jumping from the couch and walking from one side to the other.
- This is… An awesome idea – Oliver smiled at her.
- Do you think so?
- Yes. The world needs people like you, Kara.
Kara hugged him and smiled.
- I just need a secret identity… Like Clark…
- Hum… Something tells me Supergirl is a good super hero name… - She said in a low voice, still hugging her.
The night came in and Kara was out, saving the world. Oliver lay on the couch, trying to get some rest. He had a really weird day, a guy picked a fight with him and he managed to take him down and a few minutes. It was surreal. He closed his eyes and had another flash. This time, he was floating in a boat in the middle of the ocean. His dad shot a guy in front of him and told him to survive. Oliver tried to yell, but it was for nothing. His dad killed himself and Oliver looked in shock. More flashes came after that. He was training heavily in a warehouse, he was kidnapped, he killed a guy for discovering his secret, and he punched guys, bad guys, on the street wearing a green hood, bow and arrow. He woke up sweating and breathing heavily. Kara was by his side, caressing his shoulder and trying to calm him.
- Oliver, hey, it's me… You just had a nightmare…
- What?
- You were yelling when I got here… - She looked worried at him.
- I…I'm ok.
He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. He looked at Kara, inches from him, looking worried. She caressed his face and Oliver felt his heart beating faster. He reached for her wrist, caressing it, his forehead touching hers.
- I'm worried about you… - Kara whispered.
- Don't be… Please. – He whispered back, their noses touching.
The last thing he expected was to be kissing Kara, but he remembered doing exactly that back on Krypton and how that felt. And he was sure he wanted to feel that again, feel her. Kara kissed him back with passion and he deepened the kiss. She reached for the edge of his shirt and helped him out of it.
Her lips went back to his, feeling every inch of his lips and tongue, it was like they were dancing together. She opened her eyes and looked down at his chest.
- Oliver… You're full of scars… What happened?
Oliver felt a sharp pain on his chest and chills with Kara's finger touching them slightly. He had a few more flashes of him being tortured and so many other things, it terrified him. He opened his eyes in a rush and reached for her hands, taking them off him.
- I'm sorry, I… I need some air… I'll be right back.
He jumped from the couch, putting his shirt back on and leaving the apartment. Kara kept staring at him, confused, not sure about what just happened.
Oliver walked through the streets, desperate and even surer he had to get out of that place but at the same time, he didn't want to leave Kara. But he knew this, nothing of this was real. A few parts of it felt like a dream, everything he wanted in life, but a lot of parts reminded him of the nightmare he was in real life, fighting aliens and with his friends in danger. He also felt like he had to talk to Kara in real world, he regretted even more treating her the way he did. He looked across the street he was in, near CatCo and saw a weird building. Something told him that wasn't supposed to be there and he had a feeling that he should go there.
It was Queen Consolidated, a building he knew it was his family legacy and that was supposed to be in Star City. He walked in, seeing the darkness in front of him and a light down the hall on the first floor. It looked like a portal and he was pretty sure that was his way home.
- Leaving so soon?
He heard a voice and knew exactly who that was.
- Prometheus?
How it was possible? He thought, and then he remembered: this wasn't real. Probably whoever took him, those aliens, were trying to stop him from escaping. Oliver prepared himself and ran towards Prometheus.
Prometheus tried to use one sword but Oliver managed to grab it and take it from him. He blocked a punch from Prometheus and used the sword on his shoulder, making him walk backwards. Prometheus took a knife from his back pocket and ran in Oliver's direction, ready to stab him. A whoosh of air came in and Kara stood in front of Oliver, making the knife break into many pieces and fall to the ground. She grabbed Prometheus and knocked him out for good with one single punch.
- Kara, I…
- Its ok, Oliver – She smiled, turning to him and reaching for his hands – I know you don't belong here… I just want to ask you one thing.
- Anything – He smiled at her, feeling something he couldn't explain.
- Forgive yourself. And be happy. You deserve to be. – She said, giving him a peck on his lips.
Oliver closed his eyes, holding her by the waist. He knew he had to go, but he couldn't help but feel like once again he was losing someone he cared about.
- You still know me out there. – She smiled – You won't lose me, not truly…
- Thank you.
He said as she stepped back and watched as he got inside the weird portal.
Oliver saw a strong light in front of him and hoped it wasn't any new dream or something like that.
- Oliver? Oliver, wake up…
He heard a voice from the distance and opened his eyes slowly. He saw Ray Palmer in front of him, looking worried. They were in the med bay of the ship.
- What…?
- You just escaped an alien ship and the Legends rescued you with the help of Barry and Kara. They brought you to Gideon so she could heal you…
- I'm back? And the others?
- Yes. Where else would you be? And yes, the others are all back. You all were held on different parts of the ship, we were able to track you all and fight some aliens. – Ray smiled awkwardly at him, happy Oliver finally woke up.
Oliver looked around and saw Sara, Nate, Barry and Kara looking at him. Barry waved and smiled.
- Nice to see you awake my friend! – He smiled and left the room, scratching his head in relief.
- Thanks for the help, guys. – Oliver said.
- Wow, he's thanking us – Sara teased – I'm sure they did something to you…
- Very funny! – Oliver looked annoyed at Sara.
- Nice to have you back!
- Thank you. – Oliver said. – Guys… Can I talk to Kara for a moment?
Kara looked nervous at him, curious about what he wanted. She had a weird vibe from him and a strong feeling he didn't like her that much as soon as she arrived, but she decided to wait. Maybe Barry was right, maybe it was his way of saying hello.
Everyone left the room, leaving Kara and Oliver alone. Kara took a few steps closer, her arms crossed on her chest as she looked curious at him. Oliver looked at her.
- I wanted to apologize… For the way I treated you…
- It's ok Oliver…
- No it's not.
Oliver got up from the bed.
- I know it's not an excuse but… It's hard for me to trust people… When Barry met me he saved my life and I choked him.
- Wow…
- I was pissed Felicity and Diggle told him my secret but then I noticed I was a jerk to him. I'm not used to trusting others because it always ends up badly. I have been through a lot…
- Oliver, I understand… - Kara said – When we live this kind of life, it's hard to trust people; we get disappointed, hurt, we can't tell who is really helping and who has bad intentions… We just have to hope for the best and give people the benefit of the doubt. It's what I do at least…
- I admire you for that… I don't know if I will ever be able to do that, but… It's not fair the way I treated you, and I wanted to say I'm sorry.
- Its ok, Oliver. Apology accepted.
Kara smiled and started to turn around to leave when Oliver took a step forward and reached for her arm.
- Wait.
Kara turned around, looking at Oliver curious.
- When… When your planet exploded… How was it? For you to deal with it once you got on Earth?
- I… - Kara looked surprised at him. She had no idea how Oliver knew, but she gave him a sad look, understanding where he was going with the question. – It was hard. It's still is. But I didn't let it define me, and I realized I was given a second chance so I had to do my best, for my parents, for everything I lost… They would want me to be happy… And so does yours…
- How…
- I can tell when someone talks from experience… Having to deal with big losses… By the way, if you don't mind me asking… How did you know?
Oliver took a deep breath, trying to find the best way of tell her.
- When I was abducted, I was put in this kind of dream world. And I don't know why, but I was in krypton. I saw you there…
- Me?
- Yes. We managed to escape, and I saw the planet exploding… It's what happened, right?
- Yes.
- I had a feeling… And it made me realize I didn't know you and you were still here, helping us, risking your life for us.
- Well, it's never too late for us to get to know each other. – Kara smiled reaching her hand for Oliver. – I'm Kara Zor-El, but on my Earth, people know me as Kara Danvers and I'm Supergirl.
- I'm Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. – He shook her hand and smiled back to her. – And I really hope we can be friends.