You know what, I'm not gonna even say anything about the chapter. All I'm going to say is this: handed to you guys right on, in the words of Miss Malone, an Emerald Steel platter. ;)

Enjoy!

***

"So all of you owe Kara a debt because she saved your lives on the island," Cat folded her arms as she listened. "All of you are here to repay that debt by taking down Cadmus . . . and you're all betting on when Kara and Oliver become a couple?"

"I owe her twice," Malcolm corrected.

"That's it," Rene nodded.

"They're totally smitten," Thea grinned, only to yelp when Iris jabbed her in the arm. "Well, I'm not wrong!"

"That would explain why his son was so concerned when I thought it was her and Malcolm," Cat recalled.

"What?" Malcolm blanched, making Slade and Laurel burst out laughing. "No, that's not happening. Shut up!" he snapped at the other two.

"Meet Kara's two protective older brothers," Winn smirked.

"Or at least they act like they are," Felicity snickered. "Two of the deadliest people here, and they act like children all the time."

"Hey!" they both protested at the same time.

"We rest our case," Winn laughed.

"Well, I'm happy Kara has you looking out for her," Cat smiled. "Now I know why these two," she gave Winn and James looks, "always seemed to be with her."

"Yeah," James rubbed the back of his head, Winn's attention suddenly on his tablet. "We did use one of the unused office areas for a while."

"Hmm," Cat gave them a long look. "I do hope you returned it to its proper condition."

James and Winn looked between each other. "We did."

Footsteps from the other direction made them turn. Oliver was emerging from the corridor, the same hardened look in his eyes, except this time, there was a small hint of panic in them. "He must've got something," Maggie said in relief.
"If I just badly hurt someone he cared about, and he came to make me talk, I would have been a babbling wreck," Cisco snorted. "Either that's what happened, or Oliver didn't hold anything back."

When Thea leaned around the others to see Oliver walk up to J'onn, she caught him slipping a very bloody knife out of sight under his jacket. She cringed and turned back around. "Go with Option B."

"Oh, God," Samantha closed her eyes.

"Hopefully, that means we're one step closer to taking down Cadmus," Iris tried to make everyone optimistic.

***

"J'onn," Oliver nodded curtly to the Martian as he walked up.

"How big of a mess is it?" he asked.

"Messy," Oliver answered, slipping his knife back into his jacket. "I don't have a location."

"But?" J'onn prompted.

"I do have their worst-case scenario option for taking out Supergirl," Oliver smirked; J'onn knew him too well. "Unfortunately, it means not all of us will be suited up. At least, not in the way we'd like to be."

"What?"

"Their worst-case scenario is taking Kara out in full view of National City's elite," Oliver answered. "Lena's party."

J'onn closed his eyes. "And as Lillian's daughter, it'll look like Lena was in on it."

"Yes."

J'onn sighed. "I better go inform Miss Luthor." He caught Oliver's gaze sliding towards the medical bay, and he nodded. "Alex hasn't moved for two hours."

"I'll tell her," Oliver volunteered.

"Go on," J'onn nodded. Oliver nodded back, heading to where Alex was still sitting by Kara's side.

***

"Got something?" Quentin guessed as J'onn approached where everyone else was gathered.

"Oliver didn't get a location, but he got something just as crucial," J'onn nodded. "Their worst-case scenario for outing Kara and killing her at the same time."

"You're kidding," Curtis's jaw dropped.

"No," J'onn shook his head. "It will also ensure the Luthor name keeps its negative connotation."

Cat narrowed her eyes. "The L-Corp party for Supergirl."

"Yes," he nodded, making Rene groan and Dig facepalm. "And currently, our only advantage is that we know they'll be there."

"It's better than nothing," Winn pointed out.

"Did Oliver get anything else?" James asked.

"No," J'onn shook his head. "To be honest, I'm a bit skeptical to go back to the cells."

"That bad?" Malcolm raised an eyebrow.

"That bad," he confirmed.

"Well, I'm not sure how much the NCPD can do," Maggie sighed. "But I don't need to be at the party."

"I think it's a given that Oliver's going to attach himself to Kara's side and not leave her at all," Cisco smirked.

"They look good together, at least," Thea smirked.

"Well, don't tell him that," Quentin snorted.

"This does nothing to change my mind about going," Cat looked around at everyone. "Ever since Kara became Supergirl, CatCo – and I – have been among her biggest supporters. I'll be making an appearance even if I have to drag around a protection detail."

"We won't stop you," J'onn assured her, a new respect for the media mogul in his eyes. "Mr. Olsen, you'll be going as well, I assume?"

"Yes," James nodded. "Miss Grant, Kara, and I were the only ones invited from CatCo to attend."

"And Oliver we can already jot down for being there, too," Thea added.

"So who's the team with Kara, and who's the team suiting up?" Dig looked around.

"I will be on the team with backup," Nyssa volunteered first. "I would stand out quite a bit."

"Guess that puts me there, too," Slade smirked.

"I'll go with Kara," Malcolm raised a hand, taking a look at his cybernetic one and snorting. "That can be hid decently."

"And if not," Laurel folded her arms, "I'll be there to take the eyes off it."

"Laurel Lance is my date," Malcolm shook his head, rolling his eyes to the sky. "I never thought I would ever say that."

"Yeah, and I'm her father," Quentin snorted. "Or, sort of."

"Still my father," Laurel assured him with a smile.

"Two of you could always be Miss Grant's 'security detail,'" Maggie suggested.

All eyes immediately went to Dig, who rolled his eyes. "Guess I know where I'm going."

"Rene can go with you, too," Dinah told him. "Two sonic screams at the party might not be the best idea."

"At least I know it won't end up being boring," Rene shrugged. "Why not?"

"Well, I'm not fighting," Iris held up her hands. "You know where I'll be."

"I can be with Felicity here on comms," Quentin looked around. "The more eyes in the sky, the better."

"Curtis?" Dig looked at him.

"I might take that offer, too," Curtis admitted. "Besides, if worse comes to worst, there can always be a backup group to come in."

"Good idea," J'onn nodded. "Miss Queen?"

"Put me with the team suiting up," Thea answered after a while. "I'll let Ollie stick to the party."

"So Oliver, Malcolm, Laurel, Dig, and Rene are gonna be on the floor with Kara, James, and Miss Grant, and Slade, Nyssa, Thea, and Dinah will be watching their backs," Winn made a few notes on his tablet. "Lance, Curtis, and Iris are gonna be here with Felicity and I, but they can take a group and head out if they need to."

"Sounds like a plan," James nodded.

"I can have a van near the party with all your equipment," Maggie told them.

"I'll call Miss Luthor," J'onn nodded. "Once again, thank you for your help in taking down this organization."

"Anything to help Kara," Dig nodded. "She showed up twice when we needed her help, and she expected nothing in return. I think this is a small price to pay."

***

Oliver walked into the medbay, seeing Alex with her elbows on her knees, her eyes alternating between the computer monitors and her sleeping sister. "Hey," he put a hand on her shoulder.

Alex jumped slightly, looking up. "Hey," she answered, rubbing her eyes. "She hasn't moved."

"I didn't think she'd be up and walking right away after a wound like that," Oliver told her, absently rubbing his own chest. "Samantha said she might have inhaled Kryptonite, too, which might take some time to work out."

"God," Alex rubbed her temples. "I just want to double tap Lillian Luthor in the head right now."

"Race you," Oliver smirked, only half joking. It sort of worked – Alex smiled slightly, making Oliver smile as well as he sat on Kara's other side. "They're going to be at Lena's party."

"You're kidding," Alex's jaw dropped.

"I wish," Oliver shook his head. "And unfortunately, that's all we know."

Alex groaned, putting her face in her hands. "She cannot lay off Kara for one minute, can she?"

Oliver shook his head silently. "I think the others are making plans for that night. You've been here for a long time, Alex. I can stay with her."

Alex hesitated. "But – "

"OK, let me rephrase that," Oliver stood up, walked to her side, and took her arm, hauling her out of her seat. "I'm going to stay with her. You go relax." He mockingly pushed Alex towards the others and called, "Maggie! Make sure your fiancée doesn't do anything stupid!"

"Do you know the Danvers girls?" Maggie shouted back, even as she grinned and went to take Alex's hand.

Oliver rolled his eyes and walked back into the medbay, hearing Thea and Felicity laugh. "Funny," he grumbled as he sat back down. "Very funny." He put his hand on top of Kara's, watching her for any signs of motion. She shifted once in her sleep, and a glint of reflected light on her neck caught his eye. Despite himself, he leaned forward curiously, having never noticed the necklace Kara wore.

Perhaps it was because it was so simple, he considered. It was a simple silver chain, long enough that it could be hidden by Kara's shirt and suit. Now it was lying in plain view, and Oliver tilted his head when he saw what was on the end of the chain. It appeared to be white gold, and the only stone on it was the diamond in the center . . . which appeared to have something carved inside it, if Oliver tilted his head correctly. Still, he wasn't about to reach over and find out what it was . . .

He felt her hand twitch, but attributed it to her dreaming in her sleep. That was until her fingers curled around his hand and he heard her croak, "Oliver?"
"Kara," he breathed in relief, scooting his chair forward and squeezing her hand. "Oh, thank God!"

"Hurts," she whimpered.

"It's OK," he assured her, watching her eyes flick around the medbay in slight panic. "Hey, look at me. Look at me, angel." Her eyes snapped back to his, slightly wide, and Oliver reached up, putting his free hand on her cheek. "You're safe," he promised. "Wally and Cisco got to you before you – " The word stuck in the back of his throat.

"Before I died?" Kara finished, her voice crackling slightly.

"Yeah," Oliver cleared his throat. "Before that. They got you here, and Alex managed to get the blade out of you." He looked up at the sun lamps still beaming down on her. "You lost a ton of blood."

Kara closed her eyes again, leaning back. "At CatCo," she said numbly, tears in her eyes. "They attacked me at work." She gasped, eyes widening again as she moved to sit up. "Samantha and William?!"

"Whoa!" Oliver straightened, hands going to her shoulders when she groaned in pain, her hands reaching for her stomach. "Hey, easy! Easy. Come on." Kara winced, nodding as he helped her settle back. "They're fine," he promised. "Them, and Miss Grant." He smirked. "Your boss is actually slightly terrifying."

"Yes, she is," Kara nodded absently before blanching. "Miss Grant?!"

"Has promised not to say a thing," he assured her, and Kara closed her eyes, relaxing at the statement. "She threatened to fire everyone who saw the incident if they shared anything."

A smile formed on Kara's face when he said that. "That is so Miss Grant." She opened her eyes, looking at him. "The guy that did this to me?"

Oliver took a sudden interest in the sun lamps. "Well . . . he's off much worse than the guy Slade and Malcolm brought in last night."

Kara gave him a look. "Oliver. He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes," he admitted.

Kara closed her eyes, leaning back. "Did he at least give you anything?"

"He did," Oliver nodded, but didn't say anything more.

Kara opened her eyes again, frowning at him. "That's your cue to tell me what he told you."

"You're not going to like it," he warned.

"I don't like anything about Cadmus in general, Oliver. I can take it."

Oliver sighed. "They're going to try and kill you and out you at the same time." She looked at him in shock, and Oliver nodded. "They're going to be at the L-Corp fundraiser."

"Oh, Rao," Kara's eyes filled with tears. "Lena . . . "

"J'onn's letting her know," Oliver told her. "And we're not going to let anything happen to you." He took her hand again. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Kara smiled slightly. "I guess this ruined our lunch date."

Oliver tilted his head. "I thought you said that wasn't going to be a date."

"Well . . . " It was Kara's turn to take a sudden interest in the sun lamps, and Oliver couldn't help but roll his eyes as he stood up. "Maybe not a date, but – "

She was cut off when Oliver kissed her, effectively shutting her up. It also didn't take long for her to kiss him back, though when she tried to sit up, she broke it with a gasp, wincing in pain. Oliver quickly helped ease her back. "I think that tells you I certainly wouldn't have minded if it was a date," he grinned at her.

"Maybe I was kind of hoping," Kara blushed slightly, absently playing with her fingers.

"Then when you get out of here, I'm taking you on a proper one," Oliver told her, smirking. "I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to kiss you before the first date."

Kara turned even redder. "I didn't mind."

Oliver smiled. "The second one can be the L-Corp fundraiser."

"Wouldn't want anyone else there," she beamed at him.

Of course, the moment was ruined when they heard Thea shout, "Dig and Malcolm win!"

Kara groaned, closing her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Oliver rolled his eyes, walking over to the door of the medbay. "Shut up!" he shouted at them before slamming the door shut.

"Much better," she giggled as he walked back over.

"Problem solved," he smirked.

She smiled at him, then shifted slightly on the bed. Getting the hint, Oliver sat on the edge, putting his arm around Kara's back and helping her sit slowly up. She winced a few times, but she settled enough to curl into his side, tucking her head under his chin. "Much more comfortable," she mused.

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "You scared the hell out of me . . . and I was in hell for five years."

"Sorry," she bit her lip. "I didn't plan on being killed today."

Oliver tilted his head, seeing her start to play with the ring around her neck. "I saw that earlier," he told her. "What is it?" Kara glanced down. When she paled slightly, Oliver quickly shook his head. "You don't need to tell me."

"I had two things with me when I came to Earth from Krypton," she whispered. "I had a necklace my mom gave me . . . and Dad gave me a ring he would have given me when I turned nineteen." She flipped the ring over onto her palm. "It has the crest of the House of El engraved inside it."

She tilted the ring just right, and Oliver's eyes widened when he saw the S from Kara's suit glint up at him. "That's incredible."

"I gave my mom's necklace to Mon-El when he left," Kara told him. "So I started wearing the ring from my dad instead."

Oliver smiled sadly. "You miss him."

"I think I always will," Kara looked up at him. "I loved him, and it's my fault he had to leave. But I pulled through it." She smiled. "You helped with that. All of you did. I was nearly so consumed with him leaving, and then you needed my help. And I could do that. I could help you when you needed me to . . . and I needed it, too. I needed some way to get my anger out, but I don't think I realized until Thea nearly lost Malcolm that I needed someone to talk to about Mon-El. I couldn't let his loss keep me from my family and friends. It nearly did. So when I got back to National City, I tried to balance Supergirl and Kara Danvers again. It allowed me to tell Lena who I was, and thank God she understood." She fiddled with her ring again. "I think if I hadn't gone to Lian Yu, I would still be moping around."

"I can't see you moping," Oliver snorted.

"Oh, I moped like you wouldn't believe," Kara nodded. "On the rare occasions I was in the office being Kara Danvers, I wrote my articles at Supergirl speed so I could get back to saving the city. I literally tried to do everything. I abandoned Kara Danvers for Supergirl. It wasn't . . . healthy." She looked up at him, smiling bashfully. "So remind me to thank the entire team when I get out of here for helping me snap out of it."

"On behalf of the team, you're welcome," Oliver smiled, kissing the top of her head. "And you can tell the team in person when you don't need these sun lamps anymore, because no offense, but you still look like hell."

"Thanks," Kara muttered, halfheartedly slapping his chest. Oliver laughed, helping her lie back down. He stood back up, but with speed that defied her condition, she grabbed his hand. "Don't leave?" she asked hopefully.

Oliver blinked, then chuckled. "Oh, Kara," he kissed her knuckles, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

Kara just smiled radiantly at him, readjusting their hands so it was more comfortable for her before she closed her eyes, Oliver there to watch over her.

They could worry about Cadmus later.

***

And there's your Kariver, ladies and gentlemen. :)

For reference, I thought I'd show you guys what I imagine Kara's ring to look like (I don't know if she actually got anything from her father or not, but this is fanfiction, so I'm saying she did).

Pretty, isn't it? :)

And we're definitely getting towards the end of the book now, guys! I don't plan on this extending further than it needs to go, because honestly, I don't want to drag this out so much people get bored with it. So here's hoping this is done relatively quickly!

Also, who else has seen the promotional images released by the CW for Crisis on Earth-X and is as pumped as I am for it?

See you guys soon!