"So, is there a reason you wanted to see me?" John asked Lyla when he entered her office at Argus HQ.

"You mean besides the fact that you work for Argus?" Lyla asked.

"Seriously Lyla." John asked her and Lyla nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But anyways, I called you in here because of this." Lyla said as she showed John a file titled Operation Reset.

"Operation Reset. What is this?" John asked.

"One of the downsides of this new world is that all of the criminals Team Arrow has taken down over the years are back on the streets and while I know you can handle them, I'm trying to see if I can make it any easier." Lyla said as she showed him the file.

"Wow, why didn't you tell me you were looking into this?" John asked.

"I'm telling you now, that's what's important. And as you can see, I've already started putting together a list." Lyla said.

"Yeah I can see that. And I think I can see why you called me in. First file here, Deathstroke." John said.

"We both know that Slade has always been Oliver's greatest enemy. At least when he has the mirakuru in him." Lyla said.

"Lyla, Oliver can take Slade with one hand tied behind his back at this point." John said.

"I'm aware, but that doesn't mean that I can't try to help him. Especially since honestly, the damage Slade did isn't even the worst part about it." Lyla said.

"Really." John asked her.

"Yeah. Even after Slade reformed, both of his sons tried to live up to the legacy of terror he created and from what we heard about the future, his son Grant did. If we stop Slade before he has a chance to fully become the monster he was before, then maybe we can prevent that future from happening." Lyla said.

"That's a big if." John said.

"Our whole lives are big ifs. They have been ever since Oliver first put on that hood." Lyla said.

"Still, why are you bringing me in on this now?" John asked.

"Because we both know that by now Slade has found out that Oliver is still alive, which means he's most likely planning his revenge right now. We need to do everything we can to slow him down." Lyla said.

"And how do we do that without a Mirakuru cure? Only person in Star City who'd stand a chance is Oliver and we both know that he won't be able to bring himself to kill Slade." John said.

"I know. But we're not trying to kill him. We're just trying to prepare for his arrival." Lyla said.

"So, what's the plan?" John asked.

"That's why I brought you in, since you're the only member of team arrow with Argus clearance. I need you to bring Oliver into this. He'll take it better from you." Lyla said.

"Yeah, maybe he will, but not sure how Laurel will react." John said.

"Johnny." Lyla said.

"I don't regret giving her my position as Oliver's second in command, she deserves it more than I do. Honestly, I just don't know how I'll ever get her to trust me again, I'm lucky that Oliver still does." John said.

"After everything you and Oliver have been through." Lyla said.

"Exactly, after everything he and I have been through, I still abandoned him when he needed me the most. Honestly, that seems to be a recurring thing." John said as he sat down in a chair.

"John." Lyla said.

"No Lyla, literally every time my brother has needed me, I wasn't there. Not when we were dealing with Diaz or after the war with Ra's or after Hive. I wasn't even there for him during Crisis. He died without me there." John said.

"You went to purgatory to save him." Lyla reminded him.

"And I failed. It didn't work." John said.

"No it worked, but Oliver made a choice to stay behind because it was what he had to do in order to become the Spectre. John, at some point, you have to stop blaming yourself for these things." Lyla said.

"Believe me Lyla, I want to. How can I expect anyone else to forgive me for my actions if I can't forgive myself for them. But it doesn't change the fact that I failed Oliver when he needed me the most." John said.

"Fine, you're right, you did fail him." Lyla said, deciding that it was time for some tough love.

"I thought you were telling me I didn't." John said.

"It was clear that wasn't working, so maybe this will. Maybe you failed him before John, but now you have another chance. This time you can succeed where you failed before. You can change things for the better." Lyla said and John chuckled.

"And this is why you're the brains of our marriage." John said and Lyla laughed.

"At least this time you listened to me. Look John, you know as well as I do that redemption is not something that comes easy. It has to be earned. So if you think you need redemption, then go find a way to earn it." Lyla said.

"Yes ma'am. And I'll start by bringing this to Oliver when he gets back from helping Thea with something in Ivy Town. Also, from what he told me before he left, Sara's in town too." John said.

"Good to know." Lyla said and John nodded.

"You ever think that this might be our lives?" John asked.

"No, but I've always known that you were a hero. Now you finally get a chance to be one. Even if you're not the one in green." Lyla said and John chuckled.

"Yeah well, green's not a good look on me. In more ways than one. Let me know if you get anything else on Slade." John said as he walked out of her office.

I admit, this chapter was originally going to be a Lance sister thing, but then I decided to have a diggle and lyla scene. Hope you liked it.