For Thea's idea to work, she thought while she walked carrying a bunch of things, peopel available would need to help while others were handling the serious stuff. Along with her, Nia, Zari, Anissa and Clark got to the Star Labs Hangar with a bunch of things for the party, and started to set things up. They would finally have a minute to celebrate Oliver being back, Kendra being back and being all together one more time, before going into another life or death situation. They put everything they were carrying on the ground and looked around.
- I guess more people could be helping... Just saying – Nia said as she grabbed a few things from one box, examitaing them.
- Is ok, just tell me where everything goes and I can fix it – Clark said as he helped Thea with the stereo.
- Oh, aren't you a sweet? – Thea said, smiling thankful. – I know is crazy to want to do this in the middle of a crisis...
- It isn't... It might be the last chill time we have in a while, so why not take it? – Zari said – And you guys are lucky because if anyone knows how to throw a party, that's me...
Zari smiled and started bossing Clark around with Thea while Nia and Anissa set the food on the table and took a few glances at them.
- He's so into her... – Nia said with a knowing look at Clark.
- Yes, he is... – Anissa said also noticing the way Clark acted around Thea. – He's not that subtle... I mean, I'm new and I've noticed... – She said, making Nia laugh
- And is only fair since his cousin is into her brother...
- Oh, I noticed that too, girl. People here don't waste any time... – Anissa laughed as she saw Alex, Sara and Mick coming, trying to disguise her blushing.
- And you, lady? – Nia asked, teasing just as she finished setting the food up, grabbing a bite of a chocolate.
- What about me?
What about her, Anissa thought. She had been alone for a long time, found love in Grace, and then things went downhill. Was she ready to open up her heart again? She wasn't sure about that, everything was so recent. Of course, for example, she found Alex to be really cute and funny, but she was sure it was one sided and she was indeed new, she didn't want to go there with people she barely knew.
- Your situation... I know you're single... this is a huge team... Didn't someone catch your eye?
- I look around... But is way too soon to tell, I rather stay on my lane...for now.
Mick went straight for the beer, feeling happy to have a minute to chill before he could burn people again. Legends last adventure took a lot of him and he needed to drink, he didn't even care the party was only going to start later. Sara approached Zari and they started to work picking up the music while Clark finished setting the decor up, making Thea clap.
- Thank you so much, this will save us a lot of time – She said, earning a big smile from Clark.
- Anytime!
She felt incredible relaxed and with good spirits. Clark was indeed a great help, she knew they were never going to pull this off in such a short time and without many help, since half their teams were nowhere to be seen. She admired Clark's work, pretending not to notice his eyes were on her. She actually felt pretty good about it, but didn't want to read into things. She never stopped to think about it before, except when Kara introduced Clark to all of them, and she thought he was really hot. She felt her cheeks burning and tried to disguise it, but she was sure he noticed. She was just glad that he could have no idea what was going through her mind at that moment.
Thea felt her pocket vibrating and grabbed her phone, noticing Oliver have let her a message. She unlocked the screen to read it
- Oliver and Kara will be late for the party... It seems urgent... – She said, looking at Clark.
- I wonder if they found something about Lex plans...
- Whatever it is, it can wait a few hours... They are with J'onn at the lab, so... Nice party time, remember? – Thea said, putting her phone back in her pocket.
- You're right. Nice party time it is.
Once they finished setting everything up, Sara invited them all to get ready at the Wave Rider that was parked just outside and it would be so much easier since most of them lived in other cities and there was no way they were going to be able to go home and change.
- I must warn you, there's just one bathroom... So if anyone needs to use it, I suggest you guys use the Star Labs and the Hangar ones as well, or things will get complicated... – Sara said as soon as they got inside the ship.
- I think we can manage it... I'm here for Gideon's fix. – Nia said – I've heard it can create any cloth from any era... This is so cool. – She was excited just like a kid.
- I've never thought I was ever going to use something from 1800's, believe me this is surreal – Anissa said – but it was fun... except the guards and fighting in huge outfits.
- You haven't seen anything yet. If you ever want to take a vacation with us, you're welcome – Ray said
- You're an honorary Legend member now – Sara smiled, trying to organize that bunch of people on the ship. - The others will be getting here anytime soon, so let's get ready, people! – She completed, already feeling the party vibe and ready for it. She desperately needed it.
While half the team got ready, Barry, Kara and Oliver spoke to J'onn about the information they had on the anti-life equation. Kara paced from one side to the other, her head spinning from all information. If it was up to her, they would all be onto Lex now, but Oliver had a point earlier: they couldn't just run to him with no plan and no fully understanding of what he was doing.
- Yes, this is based on a Martian philosophy... The Life Equation, that equals free will. – J'onn explained – I'm sure Lex figured that the anti-life quation means the opposite of that, when you take free will from people and have the entire control over their lives. I'm sure Lena had a good intention, but I'm sure Lex was already researching this, because with Non Nocere, that was going to happen, but failed.
Oliver thought about all of that and the information he already had on Lena and Lex previous actions. Everything that Prometheus warned him about, he was sure it was connected to it. To try to control the entire world was something that could cause mass destruction, people dying, the world ending. He hated that feeling; he remembered pretty well when Dominators tried to control him and his friends, to think they lived in a different world so they wouldn't stop them. Oliver knew that nothing good would come from that.
- She wanted to make people stop wanting to harm others, as you've told me... – Oliver said, staring at Kara– Is a good theory, but it would never work. We have the choice of making good and bad decisions, feeling the good and the bad and still chose to do good, that's what makes us... heroes. Taking that away would only end up doing more harm than good...
- This is why anti-life equation is so dangerous. This is not a project they need to test it, is something that can be activated and do harm right away. – J'onn said.
- So maybe Lex was just trying Lena's way and manipulating her to have her on his side completely and make us fight... – Kara said, remembering everything that happened up until that point. She knew Lex was a snake, but this was low even for him. – And once he couldn't, he ran away and started his new plan...
Barry heard the three of them talking, his thoughts racing as fast as he was. He had experience with lunatics that wanted to control everything and everyone, and wanted to reset people's brains, like the Thinker. And suddenly, something crossed through his mind.
- He's not in charge of it... – Barry said as everyone stared confused at him.
- Lex rarely works for others, he's usually the one in charge, this must be his idea... – Kara said
- I know... I saw what he did in Crisis, but... This is different. He would never put a plan on hold and try something else if he was in charge. Teaming up with Lena was his idea, his plan. This right now, did not come from him... He's not just working with someone; he's being bossed by someone... Listen, I know you know him, but... I just can't shake this feeling off.
- He must have been played... We must not forget Leviathan... – J'onn said – I think we should take this from this point of view, and find out who is behind this while we work on stopping Lex.
Oliver walked towards Kara, noticing the worried look in her eyes. He put a hand on her shoulders and stared deeply into her eyes.
- Hey. I know you're worried. I know how much of a treat Lex is, I've seen it. We will stop him and solve this. We will stop the world from ending... Again.
- I know, we've done it before... I just... I don't know if having a party is a good idea now, we should be after Lex...
- We will, tomorrow. We promised Thea we would make an effort to celebrate our victories even for a brief moment, and she had a point...
- Ollie is right; we've got a second chance. – Barry said as he got closer to them – Sara just texted me, everyone is getting ready at the Wave Rider. We celebrate it tonight, celebrate friendship and as Ollie said our victories. And then we go fight tomorrow with our heads held up.
Kara stared at Oliver, Barry and J'onn, that nodded at her and smiled, finally giving in. She decided she would make an effort to have fun at the moment, and enjoy the company of her friends and loved ones. She felt her heart racing while her mind went far away and as soon as Oliver gave her a tiny smile, reassuring it would all be ok, she felt calming down.
They were right. They deserved it.
Star Labs Hangar looked really nice that night. The place had many colorful spiral streamers hanging, mixed with silver stars streamers. An improvised stage has white and silver fabric round it, with a light blue panel behind it and two microphones that Thea informed them it was Barry's request for karaokê. A few round tables were decorated with black tablecloth and the food table was the part Kara thought it was the best there, because it had it all and a lot of food. Colorful balloons were spread around the place and a god set of lighting were set on the ceiling earlier, by Clark, so it gave it a nightclub vibe.
- If it wasn't for Clark, we wouldn't have it, because the set of lights were in Verdant, and those boxes were heavy as hell... Thanks again, Clark – Thea smiled, showing everyone that hasn't seen the place ready for the party before.
- You guys did an amazing job. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help... But... I promise I will talk about it tomorrow – Kara said, smiling at everyone. – Let's celebrate the good things that happened to us up until now... Even if it's just for a while...
Kendra sat in one of the tables with Cisco, Caitlin, Mick, Nate, Ray, Alex, Barry and Anissa. She was still proccessing everything that happened and was being updated on everything that the teams went through while she was gone.
- And... What about Carter? Not that I miss the guy, but... – Cisco said noticing Kendra seemed uncomfortable ans she looked down. – I'm sorry, I shouldn't...
- No, is ok... Is just a lot to proccess – She raised her look and met Cisco's. - Actually, things didn't work out... We got separated. I didn't want to live some destiny I was never ok with in the first place. So, I told him it would be better if we tried to change our fates, since Vandal Savage was dead for good. It felt like having free will and being able to enjoy it for the first time in a long time.
- I'm sorry about it... – Barry said
- Is ok. I haven't seen Carter in a long time since we got separated. And I missed you guys so much. I was so glad when I saw you all there. Thanks for saving me from that terrible time!
Cisco observed each word that came from Kendra's lips, and he couldn't shake away the feeling that something was off. The way she stared at him, it told him that. Maybe she was uncomfortable because they used to go out, and everyone knew how much he disliked Carter. Or maybe it was because she spent so much time in another era, that something about her was different. He decided to put this thought aside for a while and enjoy that party the best he could.
Sara approached their table and offered her hand to Anissa, loking really excited.
- Something tells me you got moves, so let's go... – Sara said as Anissa got up, following her. – I'm glad we're friends.
- Oh, you bet I do. – Anissa laughed and brought Nia with her and the 3 of them danced happily while Barry stared at the scene, drinking the especial drink Cisco made him. At least he could be drunk for a few hours, he desperately needed it.
Kara, Diggle and Renee adventured themselves at the food table, while sharing funny experiences they had with their team mates. Alex left the table and approached them to grab some food, joining the conversation while sometimes glancing at the girls dancing.
Nyssa and Tala arrived and Thea smiled at the sight of them. Since Oliver came back, both of them were nowhere to be seen and Thea imagined they were trying not to get too close to everyone, they had this habit of isolating themselves and avoiding having fun, it was all fight and responsibilities all the time. Thea was trying hard to change that as they worked together with their own League of Heroes, and was glad to see they finally decided to join them.
- I see you got my message – Thea smiled – I'm glad you guys came.
- Well... Why not? The world is about to go crazy again, we can enjoy while we still can... I guess – Nyssa said, looking around.
- So is finally working? I'm getting through you guys... I'm so excited! – Thea teased them and brought them to get some drinks. – Ollie, look who's here! – She yelled and Oliver came to greet the Al Ghul sisters, with Dinah and Laurel.
Oliver hugged both of them; one at a time and Thea, Dinah and Laurel looked weirdly at him.
- What? – He asked, looking annoyed at his siter.
- I guess dying really changed you... You're a hugger now...
- We were talking exactly about that – Laurel said – Oliver used to be a bit of a jerk, now he's just slow... – She laughed, ignoring the look Oliver gave her.
- Slow? Why? – Thea looked confused.
- Because he spent the entire conversation staring at someone, but refuses to confess he's doing it, and is refusing to do something about it. I'm this close from punching him. – Dinah teased as she drank a sip of her beer.
- I'm not even... You guys are lucky I'm in a good mood today. – Oliver said nodding at them all – I'll grab something to eat.
Sara finished her 3rd drink and she was feeling really glad they decided to throw that party and take a minute to rest from super hero duties. It was something she needed badly, to let it go, to enjoy the moment. She noticed Barry standing right next to her, talking to Cisco and Caitlin and an idea crossed her mind. She smiled and put the glass on the table behind her.
- Allen, I remember someone telling me how a great dancer you are... Care to join?
- Me? I don't... – Barry said, feeling his cheeks burning.
- Oh don't be modest mr I know how to tap dance. – Cisco said laughing at Barry, and then, looking at Sara – He got trapped with Kara in a dream world once and sang and danced his ass off... Believe me, I've seen it.
- I think you should... – Caitlin said, encouraging him.
- C'mon... – Sara grabbed Barry by the hand and brought him with her to the middle of the room.
A cool song played in the background and Sara started dancing, making Barry join her. It didn't take long for everyone to stop whatever they were doing to stare at them. Sara and Barry danced in the middle of a circle of super heroes clapping and yelling at them, but Sara and Barry looked like they didn't even noticed the crowd, lost in their own dancing world and enjoying themselves.
- Well, Barry got moves... – Clark said as he clapped along with others.
- I can't say I'm surprised... – Thea said, grabbing another drink – I mean he is the Flash... pretty much like Supergirl, he can do it all... – She stopped and looked at Clark, opening a big smile – Hey you're a Super... I bet you can also do it all...
- Not actually... I can't dance like this... Or sing, at all. – He laughed
- But I bet there are other things you can do amazingly well... I can feel it... – She said while staring at his lips and suddenly Clark's cheeks became red. – Oh cute, you're blushing...
Clark was taken by surprise as Thea brought him outside, pointing at the sky.
- Is a beautiful night... We should enjoy it... – Thea said as she pulled Clark towards her, smiling.
- What... Do you mean by that? – He noticed Thea wasn't looking ok and got worried for a minute before her eyes went wide and she excused herself, running away towards some bushes. – Oh... Ok.
Clark rushed, grabbing Thea before she could hit the floor. She was clearly not ok. He noticed she started to open her eyes slowly.
- I'm sorry you saw that...
- Is ok. Do you feel anything? How can I help?
- I just... I need... Sleep – She said feeling really tired. – I just drank a lot...
- Oh... I'll warn Oliver and...
- No... I don't want to ruin his night; I also don't want to go back to Star City...
- Ok, ok... I'll help you. Just stay awake.
Thea smiled as Clark lifted her in his arms. He flew Thea back to Kara's apartment, since it wasn't too far away and he couldn't just storm into someone else's house, he wasn't even sure where everyone else lived. He decided to warn Kara on his way there, and asked her to tell Oliver. There was no way he could hide this, but he needed to help Thea first.
Back in the party, everyone was either drinking or dancing around. Sara and Barry were still lost in their moment, dancing to every song that played and smiling to each other like goofs. Anissa, Mick, Nia and J'onn were sat in a table talking to Alex and she shook her head to every suggestion of a super hero name they gave her.
- You guys are terrible at this, how is this possible? – Alex laughed. – No way...
- Where's Cisco? – Nia looked around, also laughing. – He can help us.
- He's really enjoying the song... – J'onn said, making everyone stare at Cisco happily flipping his hair from one side to the other, while Caitlin tried to keep up, but could only laugh.
- I swear to you I'll come up with something... And I will tell you then... – Alex said taking another sip of her drink.
- Please, pick up soon, because with our history, we'll need to know. We can't keep calling you Alex in the field... It makes the superhero suit to hide your identity kind of useless... – Nia said, making Anissa and even Mick nod with their heads.
Kara was standing not that far away, but feeling her mind was miles away from the hangar. She heard footsteps approaching and a familiar voice coming closer.
- A penny for you thoughts...
Kara turned her head and saw Oliver staring with curiosity at her. She just gave him a tiny smile and stared back at everyone else at the party.
- I was just thinking how luck we are... To have each other, this...family we built, you know? – She stared back at him. – I remember when I met you all; we kind of started with the wrong foot, and now look at us...
- I still feel weird about it, to be honest...
- You don't say... – Kara teased.
- Funny, really funny Kara. – He nodded with his head and stared at everyone having fun at the party. – I mean... When I started was just me and I always felt like it was an impossible thing, to fight for the city, for justice... I've started wanting to bring people that hurt my city to justice and ended up wanting to bring justice to the world... I've always said that it all changed when I met Barry... And it did, but... I guess when I saw others wanting to fight as well; to help... it brought me hope...
- I know the feeling. Is good to have people to count on, especially in the hard times... The last time we all fought together it was so hard, but I kept thinking there was something good we could take of everything that happened... But that feeling that something was missing was always there, until you came back. I'm glad you're with us once again. This whole team wouldn't be the same without you. – She said as she turned to face Oliver completely.
And it was true; it was never going to be the same without him. She slightly blushed, noticing Oliver eyes sparkle with emotion as her comment. Oliver felt warmth inside, knowing Kara's words were from the heart. He never thought he would actually feel like having a big family of heroes, especially when he had lost so many people he loved and considered family. He felt touched by each one of her words, because it was mutual. He knew every single one of those people were truly important and the reeason why their team ups always worked so well.
- I appreciate that – He said, taking one step closer. – I guess I can say the same; none of this would work if any of you weren't here. I'm happy to be back, even if the situation that made it possible is not good.
- We'll make it all ok, like we did before. And this time around, we won't lose anyone. – She said, this time being the one to take one step closer to him. – And you'll stick around, mr... Not going anywhere this time.
- I promise I'll do my best.
- No more secrets, no more deals with any creatures to save my life... No more sacrificing yourself for us. – She touched his left arm, looking serious at him. – I'm not kidding. We deal with whatever comes next as a team. Promise me this.
Oliver stared at Kara, knowing that it was hard to make that promise because he knew if other people's lives was in danger, he would do it all again just like the last time, especially if it was someone dear to him like Kara, Barry, Diggle and Sara was. He liked all of them, for sure, but those four people had a special place in his heart, he just would never admit it out loud. But the look Kara gave him, she was damn serious. He knew it. He also couldn't say no to this, it was stronger than him, so he smiled at her, taking a strand of her hair off of her face.
- I promise.
- Good. – She said, noticing her hand was still on his arm, taking it away quickly
That simple gesture of his, made Kara feel her heart jump inside her chest. She was really glad he took her serious, because there was no way she would ever let him sacrifice himself again to save her life. She could tell he took her serious. She noticed how close to each other they were, feeling confused about it. She felt a sudden wish to be really closer, as much as possible, but at the same time, she didn't know if that was a good idea. She wasn't actually sure of anything, but couldn't ignore the vibe she was feeling from him. It had been so long since she felt this torn but she was willing to ignore it for a few seconds, just because she noticed the way Oliver looked at her at that moment.
- Hey Kara, I was looking for you. We'll do a karaokê battle. Wanna join? Kendra and Barry said yes. – Ray said as he came out of nowhere, really excited about it, making Kara and Oliver jump in scare.
Kara heard her cellphone ringing and grabbed it, reading a text from Clark. She showed it to Oliver, looking worried at him.
- I'm sorry Ray; I need to go home... Something happened... – Kara said as Oliver nodded
- Oh, is everyhting ok?
- I hope so... – Oliver said – We'll text you guys later...
Ray nodded, worried but Kara reassured him everything was going to be ok, and for him to keep enjoying the party. Kara and Oliver left in a rush and Ray went to look for Barry, but couldn't find him anywhere at the party, or even Kendra.
- We'll sing solo then... – He said, walking towards the karaokê machine. It didn't take long for Nate join him and they started to dance weirdly while singing, making everyone else laugh.
Barry's back hit hard against the wall of Sara's bunker inside the Wave Rider. She gave him a knowing smile, attacking his lips right afterwards.
- Oh... We're doing this? Yes... we're doing this... – He said as Sara started to open his shirt.
- Yes Barry, we are...Unless you changed your mind – She said giving butterfly kisses down his neck, making him feel chills down his spine.
- Oh, no, I didn't. No way... – He said as he kissed her back. They tried to walk, stumbling on the furniture around them until Sara fell over him in her bed.
- Great. – She whispered, still kissing him while her hands traveled down, getting rid of the rest of his clothes.
She sat straight up, taking her shirt off slowly, teasing him and smiling when she saw it was working because hi reaction was priceless.
- Just to be sure...you're sure?
- I'm not drunk...Not anymore, if that's what worries you. – She said, throwing her shirt away, going for her bra next. – Is cute that you're such a gentleman. It makes it all even hotter. – She said, laughing at his gasp.
Barry reached for her waist, bringing her with him as his back touched the mattress once again, this time in gentler way. They kissed passionately as the rest of their clothes flew around the room.
A few hours later, in a dark room, a few tall figures, looking all like warriors, with helmets that looked like eagles heads stared at a screen in front of them. The one that looked like the leader of the group took a step further, with his arms crossed on his chest.
- So... is all according to the plan? – He asked
- Yes – a female voice answered, nothing could be seen on screen. – I have some information...
- Great. Tell us everything.
- I need to hurry... They could see me... I need to go back to the party so they won't suspect anything. – Kendra said, her face finally appearing on the screen.
After a while chatting, the guy nodded with his head and turned the screen off. He turned to the others and took his helmet off.
- You know what this means. Time to pay Earth a visit... And move forward with our other plans.