In what I'm calling a celebration for Arrow finishing its run with eight seasons and an incredible, heartfelt finale last night, here is the conclusion to my final Arrow episode of this book, but certainly not the last Arrow episode I will ever write.

Laurel takes the stand, the jury has a verdict, J'onn takes a curtain call, and how right is everything with the world after the trial?

Enjoy!

***

"I solemnly affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Quentin exhaled slowly, feeling the tension on the rest of the bench he shared with Kara and her family. That was it – the fate of the trial was in Laurel's hands. "Ms. Lance, the defendant here has publicly acknowledged that you were the vigilante known as the Black Canary," Alexa gestured to Oliver. "Is it fair to take Mr. Queen at his word?"

"Yes," Laurel nodded in confirmation.

"And being that the Black Canary is a known associate of the Green Arrow, is it fair to say you know his true identity?"

"I do," Laurel nodded again, a smirk playing on her lips. "I know who the Green Arrow is."

"We came into this trial on the belief that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow based on a former testimony Rene Ramirez gave," Alexa paced in front of her table, making Rene cringe from behind Quentin. "But a man calling himself Tommy Merlyn claims that identity. Ms. Lance, if you would, please, just help me out here," she turned around. "Who's telling the truth?"

Barry abruptly straightened and tapped Sara rapidly, making the blonde glare at him in annoyance. "What?" she hissed.

"I have an idea," Barry answered quietly, "but we need to go, now."

Sara looked around furtively, then nodded. "OK."

They hurried out of their chairs as quickly and quietly as they could, Ruby twisting in her seat to watch them leave. "What're they doing?" she asked Mon-El in a hushed voice.

"Not sure," the Daxamite frowned.

They were drawn back as Alexa stalked forward. "Ms. Lance," she said firmly. "Who is the Green Arrow?"

Laurel's eyes darted past Alexa to survey everyone in the courtroom behind Oliver. Then her green eyes hardened, and Kara's eyes widened. "Oh, my God," she whispered.

"What?" Alex asked.

But Kara's lips formed a smile as Laurel straightened to her full height while sitting, looked Alexa in the eyes, and declared in a no-nonsense voice, "Tommy Merlyn."

Ruby squeaked in surprise, but Kara let out a little giggle and slumped forward in relief, Alex rubbing her back as the courtroom burst into chatter. "Atta girl," Dig smiled proudly as Rene, Curtis, and Dinah exchanged grins.

"Oliver Queen is not the Green Arrow!" Laurel announced to the courtroom, as if they hadn't heard her already.

"Order!" McGarvey shouted, banging his gavel as the noise level rose. "Testimony being closed. We'll take a short recess and resume for closing arguments."

Laurel stood from her seat, smoothed out her skirt, and shot a smug look at the camera in her face, making James and Winn laugh. She gave Oliver a small smile before she stepped off the witness's stand and headed for the exit, maintaining an air of complete calm even as reporters rushed towards her. "Excuse me," Quentin bolted from his seat to go after her.

***

Laurel was barely containing herself as she opened the doors out of the courtroom, grinding her teeth as reporters swarmed her, swamping her with questions. "No comment," she spat, walking as fast as she could towards the exit. "No comment!"

"Hey, back up!" Quentin was suddenly behind her, shielding her from the press. "Give her a break, please!" Laurel shot a glare over her shoulder for effect, and the reporters halted in their tracks. Relieved, Laurel let Quentin pull her aside. "Listen, are you OK?"

"Yeah," Laurel nodded, taking a few deep breaths. "Concerned for my guys, but yeah, I'm OK."

"Do you think Diaz might carry his threat out?" Quentin asked.

"I think he's insane enough that he could," Laurel admitted.

"But you stood up to him anyway."

"I did," Laurel nodded, taking a deep breath and lowering her voice. "I was by myself for a long time, making some really bad choices before I joined up with some really bad groups. None of them would have had my back, and I would've been fine throwing them under the bus. I would walk through wildfire for Slade and Malcolm. I guess I thought I needed to fly solo for this." She shook her head. "Now I know what it's like to be part of a group that wouldn't hesitate to back each other up. We'll handle this."

Quentin nodded, squeezing her arm. "Go."

Laurel nodded back, walking past Quentin and ignoring the reporters that were still shouting. She made her way towards the parking garage, head held high as she wove past police officers glaring at her. She stepped out into the garage, hearing footsteps behind her.

The door shut as soon as she was out, and she could hear the muffled shouts of officers as they tried to open the door. Laurel just closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing deeply. "Bastards," Slade glared at the door.

Malcolm slipped past him and opened his arms, and Laurel sank into his embrace gratefully. "That felt really good," she admitted.

"You were incredible, habib albi," Malcolm whispered against her hair. Laurel blinked at the unfamiliar Arabic words, looking up at him in confusion, and he smiled at her. "Love of my heart," he translated.

Laurel blinked rapidly, then giggled and reached up to kiss him. Slade snorted softly and shook his head. "Should I let you two have the garage?" he asked sarcastically.

"Shut up," Laurel grabbed one of Malcolm's arrows and flung it at the Australian half-heartedly, unable to keep the smile off her face.

***

"Earlier, Judge McGarvey said it fell upon you, the jury, to sort out what he deemed to be 'a mess,'" Jean paced in front of the jury during her closing statement. "True, we have contradicting statements. And yes, we have contradicting testimonies, but that is not a mess, ladies and gentlemen. That is the textbook definition of reasonable doubt."

She walked back to her seat, and Alexa took her place. "Fifteen minutes after being taken into custody, Tommy Merlyn was freed by members of the Green Arrow's team," she announced, making the spectators shift restlessly. "Now, you might take that as evidence that he is, in fact, the Green Arrow, but I would like to offer you a much more plausible explanation, and that is Oliver Queen has people and resources at his disposal to do whatever it takes to keep his secrets. And don't think that doesn't mean someone falling out of the sky into this courtroom with a false face and a made-up story. Because Tommy Merlyn is just another Roy Harper. He's just another man willing to go to prison to cover up the crimes that that man has committed." She pointed at Oliver, narrowing her eyes to slits. "Don't let him get away with it, not again. Not ever again."

Ruby swallowed hard, watching Alexa walk back to her seat. "What happens now?" she asked quietly.

"It's up to the jury," Dinah answered.

Ruby fidgeted, and Mon-El put a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's just," Ruby sighed. "You said Diaz has a lot of people under his control. Do you think that includes the jury?"

Everyone in the row exchanged wary looks. "It might," Mon-El admitted, narrowing his eyes. "It really might."

***

"Dad!" William burst through the door, beelining for Oliver.

He caught his son, chuckling and hugging him hard. "William," he sighed, "I love you very much." He extended his hand to Kara, who had silently waited by the door. She walked forward and slipped her hand into his, her other hand on William's back. "I love both of you very much, and whatever happens, nothing is gonna change that."

"What do you mean?" William frowned.

"I mean that the man who wants me in prison controls the judge, and we think it's a pretty good bet that he has a strong influence over the jury," Oliver answered.

William's eyes widened in panic. "They're going to send you to prison?"

"They might," Oliver admitted, tightening his hold on William's shoulder. "If that happens, there's a plan in place. And listen to me very carefully." William nodded, and Oliver leaned down. "If this happens, we may never be able to come back to Star City again. Maybe even the entire universe."

"Earth-1?" William blinked, then looked at Kara. "We'd be moving to Earth-38?"

"Yes," Oliver nodded, making Kara smile. "We would. But if the jury sends me away, you need to listen to Kara and do what she says, OK?"

William nodded, looking up at him. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go, either," Oliver admitted. "I wish it was up to me, but it's not. Understand, William, that whatever happens, we will find each other again, no matter how long it takes." William nodded, and Oliver leaned down. "You are strong like me," he whispered. "Stronger, even. So whatever happens and wherever I am, you need to know that I am always right here with you."

William nodded, taking a deep breath, then jumped when the door opened. He moved between Oliver and Kara as Jean stepped in, and Kara's hand tightened in Oliver's. "What is it?" she asked.

"The jury's back," Jean answered, making all three stiffen. "They have a verdict."

***

"Will the defendant please rise?" McGarvey requested. Oliver rose with Jean, and William's hand tightened on Kara's as the two pressed close together, Alex and Raisa on either side of them. "Please publish the verdict," McGarvey said.

The clerk stood and spoke clearly. "In the matter of the People v. Oliver Queen, on all twenty-six counts of the indictment, we find the defendant – " She glanced at the paper in her hand. "Guilty."

Oliver swallowed hard, and Kara made a noise similar to a cat being strangled as the courtroom erupted and Alexa smirked victoriously. William flinched violently and curled into her, and Kara's arms wrapped around him protectively. "Members of the jury, the court thanks you for your service," McGarvey nodded as Dig and Felicity reached forward to put their hands on his shoulders, and Alex and Clark both reached around to support Kara; she, too, flinched when they touched her, and her two family members exchanged dark looks, silently promising each other they would fix this. "You're dismissed."

As McGarvey's gavel hit, Jean's voice rose above the clamor of the courtroom. "The defense moves for judgment notwithstanding the verdict!"

Alexa shot her an incredulous look, pausing in cleaning up her table. "Ms. Loring, as you know, the standard for granting a JNOV requires a verdict that no reasonable jury could arrive at," McGarvey frowned. Jean nodded in agreement, then McGarvey nodded decisively. "I find such a circumstance here."

Kara's head shot up, and Ruby's gasp was very audible from a few rows back. No one in her row bothered to shush her, all of them looked just as shocked. "Your Honor!" Alexa sputtered.

"The evidence presented was so conflicting that it created reasonable doubt," McGarvey defended his position. "The defense motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict is granted." Oliver blinked in shock as the judge looked at him. "Mr. Queen, see probation, then you're free to go."

When the final hit of the gavel rang out, it was as if the spell was lifted. Oliver spun around as Kara and William jumped from their seats, and when his fiancée and his son threw their arms around him in relief, Oliver hugged them just as tightly. "Hell, yeah!" Winn whooped from the back, Mon-El's laughter filling the room.

"Oh, my God," Kara choked out as Felicity cheered and hugged Dig, Alex and Clark doing the same. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know," Oliver shook his head, overwhelmed as he relished in the relief that everything was finally over.

***

When they reached the bunker, all Oliver saw was a blur of dark leather, then Evelyn crashed into him, happily cheering "You're free!" Oliver laughed and wrapped his arms around the newest member of his team, Ruby running from Mon-El to William, who accepted her hug gleefully. "Thanks, Evelyn."

"Congratulations, Oliver," Malcolm smiled warmly from where he was on the tech platform, clapping while Laurel gave him two thumbs up.

"I'm assuming I have quite a few of you to thank," Oliver chuckled, extracting himself from Evelyn as the dark-haired girl ambushed William and Ruby next, chattering excitedly.

"We do what we can for family, kid," Slade smiled.

Oliver nodded, giving his brother in all but blood a hug. "It means the world."

"It really does," Kara nodded in agreement, hugging Laurel when the metahuman walked down the steps to her. "Thank you so much."

"Any time," Laurel squeezed her.

Oliver raised an eyebrow when he saw the other two walking towards him, and he huffed. "Did the two of you bail on me?"

"In our defense, we had an extremely good reason to," Barry grinned.

"It was all Barry's idea," Sara beamed.

"What did you do?" Oliver immediately asked, assuming the worst.

"Hey, we had the easy job," Barry held up his hands.

"Which was?"

"We had a little . . . " Sara shrugged. "Chat with Judge McGarvey."

"That explains it," Kara huffed. "We all thought he was in the tank for Diaz."

"I absolutely am," McGarvey's voice said, and they all looked around to see the man nod as he walked towards them. "Mr. Diaz isn't the forgiving type."

Oliver's jaw dropped as with a warp of red light, J'onn stood in front of them instead, a proud look on his face. "And the Oscar goes to!" Malcolm announced dramatically.

"Yes!" Kara screeched in delight, zooming past all of them to hug J'onn like a koala, the Martian stumbling but laughing as he hugged her back. "Thank you!"

"You're absolutely welcome," J'onn smiled.

"When?" Oliver stammered, gesturing in disbelief.

"During jury deliberation," Barry answered.

"Yeah, the judge can argue that he got rolled, but who's gonna believe him?" Sara smirked.

"No one!" Evelyn crowed.

Oliver was still shaking his head, unable to speak. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say a word, Ollie," Sara shook her head. "Just be glad it's done."

"I am," Oliver nodded. "Very glad it's done." He looked between Barry and Sara, smiling widely. "Thank you so much."

"Wherever, whenever," Barry grinned, hugging him.

Sara hugged him as well, and Oliver looked past them as J'onn and Kara walked up, a pleased smile on J'onn's face. "And you, J'onn . . . " He shook his head. "None of this would have been possible without you."

"You're family, Oliver," J'onn told him, holding up his hand and stopping Oliver in his tracks. "I would do this again in a heartbeat without hesitation."

Oliver sighed and nodded, moving forward and hugging the Martian who was like a father to Kara. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," J'onn smiled.

"Just, uh . . . " He cleared his throat, stepping back. "Just warn me the next time you plan to use Tommy's face."

"Yeah," Malcolm grimaced, Laurel rubbing his back. "I knew that was going to happen, and it still unnerved me."

"Are you OK, though?" Oliver asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Oliver," Malcolm assured him, taking a deep breath. "J'onn's just really good at impersonating people."

"Yeah, no kidding," Oliver agreed.

"I apologize for not giving you warning," J'onn winced.

"It's fine, J'onn," Oliver told him. "You surprised me enough by dropping in on the trial."

J'onn conceded with a nod. "Well," Sara smiled slyly. "Rumor has it your teams are gathering at yours for a party."

"Oh, God," Oliver sighed. "Sara – "

"To be cliché, Oliver, you literally just got away with murder," Barry told him. "Come on."

"Go on, kid," Slade chuckled.

Oliver shook his head, but conceded with a smile. "All right, let's go."

***

"So I should probably pretend to be surprised?" Oliver asked with a smirk as the group walked down the hall to the loft.

"Up to you," Barry shrugged.

Oliver rolled his eyes and turned to open the door, missing the wink Barry gave Sara and the wide grin she gave in return. "Fine, I'll play along."

When he opened the door, however, he was not expecting for Felicity, Winn, Cisco, Ray, Nate, and Jax to jump forward and lead everyone in shouting "SURPRISE!" at the top of their lungs. Oliver and Kara both jumped back, eyes wide in shock as they comprehended the amount of people in the room, Barry and Sara shouting as well behind them. "Oh, my God!" Kara gawked.

"What, did you really think we would miss this?" Ray snorted loudly. "Not a chance."

"Maybe we couldn't be in the courtroom with you, but we were all watching," Iris added, stepping forward. "Consider this our courtroom celebration after you won."

"You have more people on your side than you think," Mon-El grinned, clapping Oliver on the shoulder.

The archer shook his head in stunned disbelief. "I have no idea what to say," he said honestly.

"Then don't say a word," Dig grinned, holding out two glasses of champagne. "Congratulations, man."

"Thanks, Dig," Oliver gave him a hug, then looked around as Dig gave Kara a hug, too. "Thank you, all of you," he said sincerely, raising his glass. "To a family I never knew I wanted."

"To family!" Cisco crowed.

"To family!" the toast was taken up everywhere.

***

"Wait," Ruby blinked rapidly as she sat with William, trying to understand what she heard. "You two . . . are the third Firestorm?"

"Yes," Lily nodded.

"Well, if you count that mad Russian scientist, we're technically the fourth," Jax amended.

"Mad Russian scientist?" Lily knit her eyebrows.

Stein cleared his throat. "Not a story I wish to retell at this moment, Jefferson."

"How's that possible?" Ruby asked, eyes bright as she leaned forward eagerly. "You just . . . pass your powers on?"

"Firestorm was first created when I forcibly, and unwillingly, merged with a man named Ronald Raymond," Stein sighed, gaze drifting off as he thought about his first partner. "After Ronald's death, the matrix inside me was unstable, and I would have died had Mr. Allen's team not found a molecular structure match for me in Jefferson."

"Yeah, then we joined the Legends, which used to be led by a Time Master named Rip Hunter," Jax nodded. "Then we were all time scattered and we couldn't find Rip, so Sara became our new captain."

"Time scattered?" Ruby blinked.

"Yeah," Jax grumbled. "When you're metahumans in 821, there's only so many tricks you can show a bratty little king before he wants you decapitated."

Stein snorted loudly. "And how many times did you show the king your phone, saying it was a 'magic mirror?'"

Jax flushed. "Shut up, Grey."

"So that's two," Ruby said slowly.

"The third was in Russia," Jax waved it off. "We won't speak of her. She tried to hurt Grey, and that's a no go in my book."

Stein looked very pleased. "Thank you, Jefferson."

"Any time, Grey," Jax beamed. "So then Lily had her son Ronnie, and Grey wanted to be able to retire, spend time with his family. Cisco and Wells – they're over there, see – " Ruby twisted to see the long-haired man Winn and Felicity were chatting with, and the dark-haired man with glasses and in all black who was speaking with J'onn, Quentin, and Joe. "They created a formula that would severe the Firestorm bond between us so we could go our separate ways."

"But then Nazis from a universe known as Earth-X invaded, and Jefferson and I were on the front lines fighting alongside Mr. Queen, Ms. Danvers, Mr. Allen, Captain Lance, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Merlyn, Ms. Lance, Agent Danvers, and Ms. Queen," Stein went on, his face darkening. "I would have lost my life during that invasion had Mr. Merlyn not taken a bullet for me."

"So we had one last fight as Firestorm," Jax nodded. "Then Grey got help from all the sciency people to reconfigure the formula, specifically regarding Grey's part of the matrix. In the end, Grey drank a serum that severed his connection to the Firestorm bond. I could have taken the other serum that would let me be Firestorm on my own." He smiled and nudged Lily with his arm. "But I liked having a partner. I needed a partner. So I chose another Stein."

"You can't live without a Stein in your head," Lily teased.

"Nope," Jax confirmed cheerfully, slinging his arm around Lily, and the brunette giggled, leaning her head on Jax's shoulder. "Not even a little bit."

***

"Wait, what?" Oliver blinked.

"Yeah," Sara nodded with a sigh.

"Aw, man," Barry frowned. "It sounded like you and this Ava really worked."

"We did," Sara nodded. "But she deserves someone who, deep down, is only death."

Oliver sighed. "Kara knows I've killed people before, Sara, and somehow she still loves me. Reign could snap me in half under her boot, and Supergirl could do the same to Diaz. I'm practically useless compared to her, but that doesn't change a thing. If we can make this work, you can make it work with Ava."

"Hey, I thought I was the one who was supposed to be giving pep talks about the romance department," Barry frowned.

"You gave pep talks to two people who were already dating, Barry," Oliver retorted. "And they were dating each other."

"I didn't know that!"

Oliver snorted, taking a sip of his champagne. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. You've graduated from Captain Oblivious."

Sara snorted into her champagne and started coughing, and as Barry protested loudly, Oliver smirked and patted his friend on the back as she laughed.

***

"Hey, Siren!"

Laurel turned around from where she was talking with Slade and Malcolm to see Cisco hurry up to her with Felicity, Winn, Ray, and Zari. "Oh, no," she sighed. "Attack of the tech brigade."

Malcolm snickered behind her. "You'll love us this time, I promise," Felicity assured her.

"All right," Laurel narrowed her eyes. "Whatcha got for me?"

"Well, you said Diaz had evidence that Slade and Malcolm were in the city, right?" Cisco asked.

"Unfortunately," Laurel's face darkened.

"Well, not anymore!" Ray said brightly.

"Gideon and I hacked into every type of tech Ricardo Diaz owns," Zari said, flipping a tablet around to show a shocked Laurel the program that was running; curious, Malcolm and Slade peeked over the blonde's shoulder. "You see, if he was smart, he would have printed copies of whatever evidence he has."

"He doesn't?" Laurel asked.

"Not at all," Winn snickered. "What an idiot."

"I mean, I'm all for computers, but nothing that can't be hacked?" Felicity snorted. "That's dumb."

"This virus is erasing any possible sighting of Slade and Malcolm, even if it's just a mask or a black arrow," Zari said proudly.

"Oh, my God," Laurel sputtered out.

"Zari," Malcolm swallowed hard. "That – that's amazing."

"Thank you," Slade said sincerely.

"Of course," Zari nodded, tucking her tablet under her arm. "We do what we can for teammates."

Slade nodded, then raised an eyebrow. "Does this count as our second drink?"

"How about an in-between?" Alex suggested, coming around from where she'd been talking to Kara and Mon-El. "I'm serious, second official drink will be at a bar."

Slade snickered. "Copy that."

"What's this about the two of you having drinks?" Winn's eyes widened.

"Alex owes me drinks from when we were attacked at Lex's mansion," Slade answered easily.

"I owe you one drink now," Alex retorted. "We had the first one when Oliver and Kara brought Ruby here."

"That's still two drinks you owed me," Slade countered.

Alex scoffed, rolling her eyes and taking a drink. "Whatever."

Slade shook his head as she walked off to join Caitlin, the two immediately launching into something medical related. When he turned back around, Laurel's eyebrows were practically to her hairline while Malcolm's grin resembled the Cheshire cat's. "What?" he scowled. When Malcolm opened his mouth to say something snarky, Slade sighed and took a drink. "Shut up, wizard."

"Magician," Malcolm automatically changed what he was about to say.

"Dear God," Laurel closed her eyes.

***

J'onn was half listening by the time Joe was explaining what was occurring in Central City. He had seen a flash of blonde slip out of the loft towards the balcony, and politely excusing himself, he maneuvered through each of the teams to step out onto the balcony.

He stopped and leaned against the railing, silently observing the lights of the city around them. He could wait as long as needed before something was spoken. When Kara finally did, her voice was thick with unshed tears. "You had to be Tommy Merlyn in order to create any type of reasonable doubt."

"I did," J'onn nodded, closing his eyes. "And I could feel the hurt from Oliver when he saw me. I didn't like it – "

"But you had to do it," Kara said bitterly, but J'onn knew the bitterness wasn't directed at him. "You had to be him because that's what it took to create doubt. And even then, Diaz had the judge and the jury completely on his side."

"He did indeed," J'onn confirmed.

Kara swallowed, looking down at her tightly clasped hands on the railing. "I can do a lot of things, J'onn," she said hoarsely. "I can punch through steel. I can see through walls. I can fire lasers from my eyes and breathe ice into the air." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "And I can't do a thing about politics in Star City."

"Kara," J'onn moved closer.

"All of my fights in National City have been physical," Kara choked out, holding up her hand. "I'm a reporter, but with how deep the corruption in this city has gone, there's no way my voice could do anything. Oliver may not be a Kryptonian, but he has the weapons to go up against them. Here . . . I have nothing to use to help."

"You being here was enough, Kara," J'onn told her.

Kara laughed, reaching up and wiping tears from her eyes. "I wish I could have done more."

J'onn silently shook his head. "Sometimes I wish I could show you what I see," he said. "And you would see just how fiercely your fiancé loves you. Anyone in the multiverse would be lucky to have someone love them even a tenth of how Oliver loves you. You have been his strength this entire time. You are what kept him fighting. Nothing meant more to him than that."

Kara closed her eyes, leaning her head on her hands. "So why do I feel that wasn't enough?"

J'onn's heart broke for his surrogate daughter, who was trying so hard to still be so strong. "Hey, come on," he extended his arms. Kara gratefully flung her arms around him, and J'onn hugged her tightly. "Because you love him," he answered simply. "And because of that, you will always want to accept nothing less than more than enough."

He felt Kara nod against his shoulder in agreement. "I love him so much," she gasped out. "And if one thing had gone wrong today, I could have lost him."

"But you didn't," J'onn reminded her. "And nothing like that is ever going to tear you apart again."

***

"Sounds like this Maxwell Lord is someone I'd like to punch," Sara remarked.

"Actually, considering all I've heard from Kara's first year as Supergirl, he's a much more decent man than he was," Oliver shook his head.

"Kara can do that to a person," Clark chuckled fondly.

"It's nice to know Lucy's back, too," Barry nodded. "Though I definitely like the D.E.O. better with J'onn in charge."

"When wasn't he?" Sara tilted her head.

"Uh," Barry thought back. "When he and Alex were on the run?"

"They were what?!"

"I remember them talking about that," Oliver nodded. "The first Red Kryptonite incident, J'onn revealed he was a Martian, and since he took the face of the former D.E.O. director, there was a huge investigation into J'onn, and even Alex, since she was his right-hand."

"Lucy was established as the director while they were on the run," Barry nodded. "Sounds like she's a badass."

"She is," Oliver agreed.

"And she has a sister," Sara smirked at Clark.

"Who, if your reaction is anything to go by, is never meeting you," Clark shook his head rapidly. "None of us guys would survive."

"Oh, great," Barry rolled his eyes. "We already established Sara and Lucy can't meet. Good to know the world will explode if Sara meets . . . Lois, was it?"

"Lois," Clark nodded.

"Yeah, great. That's just . . . really great."

"A plus word choice, Allen," Sara smirked.

"You shush," Barry pointed accusingly at her.

Oliver snickered as two of his closest friends started to bicker, then turned when he saw Kara walk back from the balcony, scrubbing at her face. "Hey," he said in concern, holding out his hand. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Kara plastered a bright smile on her face. "I just needed some air." She took his hand and stepped close. "I just heard my favorite female human reporter in Metropolis get mentioned."

"So who survives when Kara and Lois are in the same room together?" Sara grinned.

"I think the only reason I do is because I'm Kryptonian, Kara's cousin, and Lois's boyfriend," Clark said thoughtfully.

Kara giggled. "So Sara can't meet any of the Lanes now?"

"Unfortunately," Sara sighed dramatically.

Oliver and Kara exchanged meaningful glances, then Oliver cleared his throat. "We have yet to bring this up with people other than our siblings, so we'll bring this up now . . . that meet-up might be a bit unavoidable, Clark."

"Oh, no," Barry deadpanned. "I'm staying far away from that meeting."

"Sorry, Barry," Oliver smiled sheepishly. "But considering I'd like both of you to be groomsmen, at least you'd be stuck away from that potential meet-up and with me instead."

Clark's eyes widened, and Barry choked on his champagne. "Are you sure?" Clark asked, blinking rapidly. "I mean – "

"You're the only blood family Kara has left," Oliver smiled. "Not that it would matter because Barry's like a brother to me. If there's anyone other than John I'd want up there with me, it's the two of you."

Clark smiled, touched. "Then absolutely count me in, Oliver."

"Same here," Barry coughed, finally clearing his throat enough to give Oliver a smile wide enough to power the city he lived in. "Thank you, Oliver."

"And since you're one of Oliver's closest friends from even before any of this started and a good friend of mine, too," Kara fidgeted anxiously, turning to Sara, "would you be one of my bridesmaids?"

Sara's eyes widened to the size of saucers, then she grinned widely. "You better believe I will be, Danvers."

Kara laughed gleefully, accepting the hug from the blonde. "Just make sure you actually get a date settled so we know when to be there," Barry grinned cheekily.

"We will," Oliver glared at him as Clark laughed. "But Kara and I did agree that if we can find a cure for Sam in time . . . we would like her to be there, too."

Barry's gaze softened, and he nodded in understanding. "I got it, man."

Quick knocking at the door made the room hush instantly, and Wally poked his head up from where he was with Nate and Iris. "Was anyone else expected?" he asked in genuine confusion.

"I think I have an idea," Oliver said, walking over to the door; as he passed, Slade discretely handed him a knife hilt first, and Oliver kept it against his forearm as he checked the peep hole.

When his suspicion was confirmed, he waved everyone down and opened the door, revealing the quartet standing outside. Rene looked down at what was held in Oliver's other hand, then smiled in a strained way. "You can take a stab at me if you want to, just make sure Zoe doesn't see it."

"I don't think so, Rene," Oliver shook his head, passing the knife off to Alex, who handed it to Slade. "Come on in, all of you."

Zoe immediately darted past Oliver. "You wouldn't believe it!" she gushed to William, who blinked at the sudden attention. "I got taken out of school by a Martian!"

"Yeah, that's J'onn," William pointed.

"Hi," Zoe waved to him.

J'onn chuckled fondly, giving her a wave back. "Oh, Ruby, this is my friend Zoe Ramirez," William introduced. "Zoe, this is Ruby Arias. She lives in the same universe as J'onn."

"Really?" Zoe's eyes brightened as Ruby smiled shyly.

"And they're off," Oliver said dryly.

"All right, everyone!" Sara's voice cut through the still quiet room. "Back to your gossiping!"

Slowly, the noise level in the room returned to normal, though Evelyn kept looking over nervously at the trio still awkwardly by the door. "Thank you for being there today," Oliver finally said, looking from Rene to Curtis to Dinah. "I know two of you had to be there, but still – "

"We screwed up," Rene burst out, and Oliver raised an eyebrow, seeing how much Rene needed to speak. "I screwed up. John and Mon-El and . . . everyone who wasn't you, really, put a lot of things in perspective for us. I rolled over on you last November, and even though I was thinking about my kid, I knew it meant it'd take you away from yours." He sighed heavily, looking drained. "I'm really sorry."

"Apology accepted," Oliver nodded after a moment, and the relief on Rene's face was clear as day. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't come to me when Watson put you in that position. And to all of you," he encompassed all three, "I'm sorry for all that happened after."

"We're sorry, too," Dinah swallowed. "Specifically, my actions about Evelyn." She shook her head bitterly. "If it were someone beneath me, I would demand their badge on the spot."

"We all went too far," Curtis nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Me, too." Kara joined Oliver, looking around at all three of them. "I'm sorry this went on as long, and as far, as it did. That never should have happened."

"No, it shouldn't have," Rene agreed. "I'm sorry for sticking a tracker on you."

Kara grinned. "It was probably better I incinerated that than you, though."

Rene took a deep breath, looking between the two at the dark-haired girl who suddenly took an interest in the chocolates the Legends had brought from the past. "Evelyn?" He saw her stiffen, and he swallowed hard. "I can't apologize enough. I should know by now that just because you have a bad past, that doesn't mean you can't change in the future."

Evelyn took a deep breath, slowly walking over, still behind Oliver and Kara, though she looked Rene in the eye. "You shot me," she reminded him.

Rene flinched. "I swear on Zoe's life that will never happen again."

Evelyn licked her lips, then stepped around Kara, took a deep breath, and extended her hand tentatively. "I'm Evelyn," she said hesitantly. "Codename Artemis."

Rene blinked, then chuckled in disbelief and shook her hand. "Rene," he told her. "Codename Wild Dog." He paused. "I'm also Pot."

Evelyn giggled. "I'm also Kettle."

Oliver laughed loudly. "Only the two of you."

"I say it's better than bullets," Laurel suddenly appeared on Oliver's other side, her champagne glass in hand; her other one extended a glass to Dinah, who looked at it in surprise. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Or Canary Cries," Dinah acknowledged, taking the offered glass with a smile.

"Or arrows," Malcolm smirked.

"Or swords," Slade drawled.

"You three really do just travel in a pack, don't you?" Rene's eyebrows raised.

Malcolm shrugged elegantly. "Birds of a feather flock together."

"Never say that again," Laurel sighed.

Rene hesitantly smiled at Slade. "Sorry for charging you like a raging bull."

"I apologize for your injuries reopening," Slade nodded in response. "But I will always defend my family."

"I hear you," Rene nodded.

"And I'm sorry for almost snapping your neck," Dinah said in embarrassment.

"Well, we were both in utter bitch mode," Laurel shrugged. "I'm sorry, too."

"And I'm sorry for what I did to both of you," Malcolm looked between Dinah and Curtis.

"Loud and clear," Curtis nodded. "Don't kill Laurel on your watch."

"Yes, I'd like to avoid losing the second love of my life, thank you very much."

Rene blew out his breath in a huff. "Wow, that feels better."

"Yeah, a lot better," Kara nodded, adjusting her glasses. "Let's agree to never have a disagreement like this again."

"Amen to that," Oliver held up his glass.

All of them clinked their glasses together and took a drink, then Rene cleared his throat. "We talked things over before heading here," he said hesitantly, making Oliver tilt his head. "Hoss . . . is there any way we can rejoin the team?"

Evelyn's eyebrows shot up, but there was a smile she was trying to hide on her face, too. Kara, Slade, Malcolm, and Laurel all looked at Oliver expectantly, and the archer hummed thoughtfully. "On one condition."

"Name it," Curtis said determinedly.

Oliver pointed at Kara, who started. "You help us out in National City while we help find a way to cure Sam."

"Done," Dinah nodded in agreement.

"You bet," Rene nodded.

"Oliver!" Kara protested, though she was flushed in embarrassment, not anger.

"We heard from Ruby about what's been going on," Rene shook his head. "If that was my kid's mother, I'd be doing anything I could to help, even if it was just looking out for the city while you help with whatever . . . alien healing needs to be done."

"We meant the team as in working with you, too," Dinah said quietly. "Please, Kara?"

Kara looked around, then sighed. "You better be good with bunking at the D.E.O."

"You could give me a bonfire to lay on, and I'll do it if it means making things right," Rene snorted.

"How about let's not give Mick the chance to be a pyromaniac," Oliver snorted.

"Good point."

Oliver nodded, then turned around. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" As if everyone had been waiting, conversations abruptly ceased, and Oliver took a deep breath as Rene, Dinah, and Curtis moved into the group. "The last time any of us met up like this was when Kara and I had our engagement party in National City. That was also when Reign made her first appearance . . . and almost killed her." Ruby swallowed hard and ducked her head, and William hugged her as Alex put a hand on her shoulder. "Some of you weren't there for it," Oliver's gaze swept the group. "And there are some of us missing from that party. I'm thinking in particular of Samantha Arias, Ruby's mother and the Dr. Jekyll to Reign's Mr. Hyde. Now that this trial is done, that's where my team and Kara's will focus. We will bring Sam back." His lips quirked up in a smile. "If anything, that's the deadline we have for when I intend to marry Kara."

Gasps came from around the room, drowned out by Felicity's exclamation of "Finally!" "Needless to say, everyone in this room is invited, and if you're not there, I'll heat vision you," Kara mock glared around.

"Yes, ma'am," Nate threw off a lazy salute.

"This past year, I've seen more of everyone than I ever thought was possible," Oliver said honestly, gesturing to William, who ducked out from Ruby to nestle between him and Kara. "And I can't imagine what the fight against Reign, Fort Rozz, and all three Worldkillers would have looked like without those of you who helped. But still, some of you weren't there, and we're missing some who were."

Kara nodded in agreement. "Mon-El," she said, making the Legionnaire focus on her. "I'd like Imra and Brainy there, too, before all of you return to the future, if possible."

Mon-El grinned. "You got it."

"I said earlier that I didn't have any words for this," Oliver swallowed hard. "I still don't know what I could say to all of your support. I only know the two words I can say and hope it's enough: thank you." He raised his glass. "To teammates."

"To friends," Barry toasted back.

"No," Kara shook her head, raising her glass. "To family."

"That sounds much better," Sara smiled, stepping forward to complete the circle of her, Barry, Kara, and Oliver. "To family."

"To family!" the entire room, now including the three teammates who had finally been accepted back, called in unison.

As glasses clinked everywhere, with his son in between them, Oliver smiled at Kara, hand on her hip. "To life being full," he toasted privately to her.

Kara smiled warmly, clinking their glasses and reaching up to kiss him. "To life being full."

***

I may have made this overly feelsy because Arrow ended last night, but I wanted the teams to reconcile before heading back into Supergirl. They have bigger problems than Ricardo Diaz to worry about now. Mainly, finding a cure for Reign.

It's back to National City for an arc I'm extremely excited to finally start! Next up comes "The Fanatical!"